Spring 2017 Anime

My favorite non sequel has been Atom: The Beginning, which is ironically a prequel. Seeing the world of Astro Boy again is great, even if Astro himself isn't around yet.

The other non sequel anime I've been watching are:

• Renai Boukun
• Quan Zhi Gao Shou
• Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism
• Tsuki ga Kirei
• Kado: The Right Answer
• The Royal Tutor

edited 11th Jun '17 5:15:04 AM by VeryMelon

I'm sticking to Monster Strike 2nd season. Madarame is a much more cooler villain than Cloud aka Unryuuji Knight. The plot also thickens too, with what he is going to do with the energy point powers being a mystery to be discovered.

Alright, a few shows have finished airing. Here's wot I think:

• Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism: You'd think a show prominently featuring stab-happy feminazis would be grating, but it works simply because of how over-the-top their behaviors are. And somehow it doesn't diminish the surprisingly weighty and well-researched displays of martial arts. That said sometimes things get a bit too silly and you have to wonder how the author thought those were good ideas. Overall, it should have ditched the harem aspect and went full on action wuxia, but gotta get them sales I suppose.
• Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records: Like Busou Shoujo above, one of those high school action harem rom coms... but it's actually rather fun? And a cut above the usual tripe. It still hits the same pitfalls (the ridiculous midriff-baring uniforms, for instance, or that one cringe moment where an assault is framed as a comedy skit) but the entertaining bits you find in this kinds of shows, it does pretty damn well. There's a vim and vigor to the animation that lends personality to the characters far more than a paragraph of dialogue can do, like, say, the stock tsundere bouncing up and down, her "cat ears" wagging, instead of her shouting baka again and again. Also extends to the fight sequences which are solid, especially one surprisingly brutal one in the last episode. Also really nice to have another harem lead who's not just bland, kind and dense.
• Quan Zhi Gao Shou: The drama of eSports involving what seems to be an MMO first-person action RPG. The characters are one-note personalities and the lead is the typical overpowered monster, but it's fun seeing him wreck people because if there's one thing this show does well, it's action. The one-on-one matches in particular are lightning quick, fluid, gorgeous to look at and chock full of solid choreo. Also helps that the main lead's weapon is a cool spear-gun-umbrella hybrid that is just a treat to see morph and shoot and stab. So basically, watch it for the action scenes. Or maybe just look them up on some online streaming site. Oh, and hearing Chinese VA was quite neat, even if they're not up to par with their Japanese contemporaries.
• Shingeki No Kyojin: Slight tweaks here and there to the source material which makes for a significantly improved experience, especially when you factor in the stellar animation and soundtrack. Also strange to be reminded of how far along the manga is; it's like they're two completely different stories.
• Tsugumomo: A cool throwback to the ecchi action comedies of the 90s that builds up on those classics. The comedy aspect didn't do too much for me, but the action scenes are creative and sprightly, and the smut, while something I could do without, is refreshingly brazen and up front, which I feel is a lot more sincere and lot less stupid that the usual accidental Panty Shot brand of ecchi.
• Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata: A harem show through and through, but one not afraid to poke fun at itself and go deeper, as you will. It's most obvious with the our decidedly non-stereotypical main heroine, but there's also cool stuff like the male lead actually suffering consequences from being indecisive, harem members that can pursue lives outside of their one true love, and so on. But there's still comedy antics, there's still fanservice, there's still banter. If nothing else it's proof that harem rom coms (or any genre for that matter) don't have to be just wish fulfillment crap. Oh, and Megumi is the actual best waifu on account of actually acting like a wife.

A few more shows that have been completed:

• Alice to Zouroku: This one gets into its rhythm in the latter half of the show after the mysterious evil organization is dealt with and starts to focus more on Sana being a normal kid being guided through life by Zouroku. Sana is an excellent depiction of children and their straightforward, innocent, fun-loving thought processes. She's adorable! The Wonderland stuff actually isn't half bad, either, and is really useful for some wacky gags, like say having piglets rain from the sky.
• Fukumenkei Noise: Everyone is crazy and it is hilarious. And Saori Hayama is not suited for punk rock.
• Uchouten Kazoku: Yet another incredible ride through mystical Kyoto, taking everything from Season 1 and expanding on them. It's a fun thing, and a fun thing is a good thing.
• Grimoire of Zero: In very general terms: a little bit of good, a bit more of the bad, and a whole lot of the mediocre. Though it also lacks issues like creepy fanservice and tacky power fantasy roleplaying, which is a plus.
• Little Witch Academia: Not quite bewitching, but it's one heck of a broom ride. The animation is the real star of the show, with numerous energetic and creative sequences. Story has some neat twists and turns and the characters are okay but they could have done much better in those departments. Might have been improved if it went with a more relaxed, slice-of-life pace, though, especially when it comes to developing the side characters.
• Yowamushi Pedal: Hasn't quite lived up to the awesomeness the previous two seasons. But then we've yet to really get into the thick of things, so the next season will probably be fiercer, when all the major players race out of the woodwork.
• SukaSuka: A tale about the happiest girl in the world. Even though her world seems to actively conspire against happiness of any sort. That said, this fantasy world is very meaty, and while the show did a good job with exploring the setting I'm sure there's a lot more stashed away in the novels. Willem was a cool protagonist, more of a tired veteran rather than an up-and-coming chosen one, the animal people were neat, and the girls all need to be protected. All in all, it's a little rough around the edges, but it moved me. Damn you, Scarborough Fair.

And because it needs its own section:

Ero-manga Sensei: This is something special. This is a pandering show, indeed, but that is an understatement. It is not content with providing mere anime humor and fanservice, oh no. It mashes all the wish fulfillment crap into colorful sludge and forces it down the viewer's throats. There is competence here, a skillful hand which is wholeheartedly dedicated to making this trashy fanservice show even trashier. Animation flourishes just make the turd shine even brighter. The banter and dialogue alsp fall far too short because they're not organic, they're just excuses for crude humor, or moe appeal, or sexiness or whatever. And that's because the characters have paperweight personalities, because they're not people, they're just plates to serve the grub on. And now I'm going to have stop before I do a breakdown for each character and why they suck. Just... it's manipulative, but unlike actual good shows its idea of moving people is by nudging them over and over while winking at them, whispering, "Here, have some more cake".

God, it feels good to get that out. But I still have more. I still want to say more. But that would probably be unhealthy.

edited 29th Jun '17 9:39:55 AM by fillerdude

Who expected Ero-manga Sensei to not be shit?'

edited 29th Jun '17 12:47:44 PM by VeryMelon

I don't think you understand. It's not just shit. It's... advanced shit. (joke cribbed from Gigguk)

x2

People who are fans of the author/novels.

Well that's obvious. I'm referring to people with self awareness.

I am very disappointed that I can't even watch Tomica Hyper Rescue Drive Head in raw. The premise has the potential yet the fansubbers aren't interested.

More shows that have finished:

• ID-0: Kind of got rushed at the end, but still an interesting mix of ideas, throwing in space mining, sentai-style droids, mind transference, living exoplanets and so on. Also overall tighter than Bubuki Buranki, so I'm looking forward to what this guys have in store next.
• Sekaisuru Kado: Started as a down-to-earth, compelling first contact story, then decides to jump the shark and forsake all that made it worth watching. Easily wins Biggest Drop in Quality for this season. At least I had a hearty laugh at the all too cheesy finale.
• Dan Machi - Sword Oratoria: For a spinoff centered on a certain blonde swordswoman, there's way too much screentime of her bumbling elf sidekick in the first half. In fact ithe show starts to pick up when the focus shifts to the entirety of main force of their guild, with the spotlight on the actually cool characters. It's also the part where the plot really gets running, though in the end we're left with more questions than answers. Also, the manga is leagues better, so I'd recommend going through that instead.

And because it deserves its own section:

Tsuki ga Kirei: Back in the Winter 2017 thread I said that the year 2017 would be a truly outstanding year if there was just one more anime that could equal Shouwa Genroku Rakugo no Shinjuu.

I can now say that, indeed, this year has been exceptional. Because we now also have Tsuki ga Kirei. There are minor niggles and technical flaws, but all in all I would consider it a triumph. A masterpiece.

The writing is superb, in part because it does not rely so heavily on words. It is adept at capturing the nuances of expression and movement to convey feelings, to say nothing of the subtle symbolism present throughout all the series. The characters almost never monologue, and yet you can understand how they think just from the way they look and act. You get to see how they're affected by the things they hear and experience. It never milked the drama, never drew out misunderstandings. This results in one of, if not the, most organic progression of attraction to love I've seen in media.

I could go on all day praising the elegance of its script and direction, but in the end what really makes it one of the best shows ever for me is the simple fact that I fell in love with it. I was elated to see these two people perfect for each other actually get together. I got anxious every time they had a fight. And I cried. I don't think I've cried about anything I've watched, or read, for a long time, and yet here I'd have tears streaming down my face before I knew it.

I might be overselling it. I'm sorry for those who might suffer Hype Backlash. But that's just a testament to how deeply this story entrenched itself into my heart. It is, as the moon, so beautiful.

edited 1st Jul '17 10:02:49 AM by fillerdude

Same

Tsukei ga Kirei is for me a strong candidate for anime of the year, rivalled only by Rakugo. It showed that anime can still create art and a compelling story out of something as simple and seemingly played out idea as a teenage romance.

Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't really get into it. Admittedly that sort of 'let's take twelve episodes to muddle through teenage relationship drama' show isn't my usual cup of tea for that exact reason, but I decided to give this one a shot... and yeah, couldn't get into it.

It doesn't really help that the male lead is a twelve-year-old who listens to folk music on vinyl while writing his novel, and responds to seemingly everything with a Dazai quote about how life is a burning trash river of human suffering.

Tsukei ga Kirei is pretty great.

I will probably still award AOTY to Rakugo based on sheer dint of execution and ambition, but I hold Tsuki ga Kirei closer to my heart.

If there's one thing that distinguishes it from all the other teenage romance melodrama shows, it's the authenticity. And that's just it, it hits very close to home for me.

But well, if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. Glad you still decided to try it out, though!

It sure is.

That's very fair! What I saw of it was good (up to episode 3, more or less), and it certainly does seem to deserve the praise it gets. Just not my genre. =) Sorry if my earlier post was a bit jump-on-ish; I watched the first two episodes yesterday and that post ended up turning into my sorting my thoughts out on it.

That's fine.

What I liked about it is that this wasn't the usual anime romance, which usually is driven by whether or not the people involved will ever get together and then when they do get together, by artificial conflicts (like the uber perfect transfer student who becomes a rival so that our protagonist can feel inferior for an episode or two before True Love wins out).

Tsuki ga Kirei does have conflict, but it's much more low key and much more natural. They're either driven by internal anxieties from one or the both of them, or caused by looming inevitabilities like graduation from middle school where they're unsure if they can and whether they should go to the same high school.

The slowness is deliberate, but again it's different from other anime romances, in that there isn't a status quo that we keep returning to, just a slow and steady progress: first noticing each other, then falling in love, then making that official between, first dates, coming out as a couple and finally the big crisis of whether it will all end with graduation or not.

And while the stakes are low key for anybody but themselves, week after week had me anxious and tense or shooting at the tv and startling the cats because of what Kotarou or Akane was doing.

And Chinatsu, poor Chinatsu, best friend to Akane while also liking Kotarou, I felt so sorry for her.

Tiger Mask is also finished. It basically turns wrestling kayfabe into the real thing, and the results are cheesy and glorious. Same deal with the actual wrestling action— the titular Tiger Mask's acrobatic, agile technique really shines here.

And while the main draw is the incredible fights, I feel that the show does a good job of varying its content, so it's not just Tiger Mask defeating the Enemy of the Week. There's a few of the training episodes, some actually pretty funny comedy-oriented ones (including a hilariously petty disagreement over sweets and one where old ladies ogle the buff young wrestlers), some fights against other wrestling organizations, and some that don't have Tiger Mask in them at all, focusing instead on Haruna, or the GWM wrestlers. Nothing outstanding, and the main storyline does end somewhat abruptly, but it does mix things up well.

But again, the fights are the main draw. Chops and kicks and holds and suplexes galore. All in all, an awesome action-packed tribute to wrestling, and to the original Tiger Mask anime.

I liked this one as well, especially the ED, which got turned up to eleven every week.

Friends, I hate to remind you of something you would have been better off forgetting, but this article by The Canipa Effect purports to explain what went so horribly wrong with the animation production of Berserk (2016). We have to be a little skeptical since the author cites too few sources, but I'm trying to message him in order to draw some of those details out.

edited 7th Jul '17 3:26:13 PM by TheBigBopper