General Anime Discussion

I can’t believe I actually prepared a part of this post beforehand, just to make sure I can post my spring season impressions without too big a delay in case I get busy.

Ansatsu Kyoushitsu is a solid adaption, I guess. I don’t really have much to say about it except that I’m liking it. No surprises here, since I’ve started reading the manga way before the anime started. (If it was a failed adaption, I could at least talk about why it failed…)

For a typical otaku-pampering anime, Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka is among the better ones. The characters are entertaining to watch and the protagonist’s voice actor (Kirito/Sora/Sorata/etc. is doing a stellar job as always. It’s a bit refreshing to have a harem protagonist who scores by appealing to the girl’s motherly instincts. And while they aren’t as grave as in other similar anime, this one also has some balancing issues. The protagonist practically gets amazing power-ups for free. On the other hand, it explains his unnaturally fast growth in a better way than “he was born amazing”. Maybe it’s for the better that he grows so fast. A slow growth would be harder to present in an interesting way.
Unpopular opinion: I don’t like the character design of Hestia in the anime.

I didn’t like the second season of Fate/Stay Night: UBW as much as I did the first one. I’m not entirely sure why, but one of the reasons might be my dislike for the liberties the studio took this time around. For example, Ilya’s nannies really didn’t need that much screen time. The relationship between Ilya and Berserker wasn’t explained and portrayed as well as it could’ve been. At least when it comes to visuals, ufotable never disappoints, which is nice. That epilogue was so pointless, though.

Gintama is funny as always, not much to add there.

Not sure why I even watched Grisaia no Rakuen. Probably in order to have an excuse for not reading the rest of the trilogy.

Kekkai Sensen is even more crazy, chaotic and turbulent than Durarara. And there’s even crazy superpowers. Gotta love those wacky characters, too. Definitely entertaining. It always delivers in terms of comedy and action, and when there’s feels, there’s a LOT of feels. But I wonder if the series would be even better if it wasn’t as disconnected and episodic and the main storyline was more solid and overall more present in the episodes. Cut down on the number of characters to keep it more manageable. But if that happened… would this still be the same series? Oh, but I definitely love the amazing VA cast! Definitely!
And it’s not over yet. The last episode(s) has(have) yet to air.

Kyoukai no Rinne is halfway through. I didn’t expect much of it and everything went as expected. Pretty underwhelming overall. I watched it for the Ranma 1/2 nostalgia. (I know that Rumiko Takahashi also created Inuyasha, but the Ranma 1/2 vibes are way stronger in this one). Deadpan heroine was kind of a bore. To be fair, I don’t know what type of heroine would’ve been more fitting, but this one definitely didn’t contribute enough.
Speaking of characters, some of them were really predictable. Like, you see one of them for the first time, but you already know “ah, this one’s gonna fall head over heels.” Not sure if they’re actually this predictable, or just too similar to certain Ranma 1/2 characters.
Though, for some reason, ep12 struck me as exceptionally funny compared to the rest. Maybe there’s still hope, for the comedy part at least?

Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu is a return ticket to the world of the Haruhi Suzumiya series. Though it’s an alternate universe with slightly altered characters and a different protagonist, seeing and listening to all those wonderful characters again was a huge treat. I love these characters! As a standalone, the series doesn’t offer anything out of the ordinary, though. It’s not trying to be overly dramatic and the comedy is good. What do you guys think? Would the series be better if the romance (and drama) aspect was stronger? Or would that be an unfitting environment for a girl like Nagato Yuki-chan?

Nisekoi: I read the manga for the comedy. Yes, it’s taking way too long to end.

Owari no Seraph: Lt. Guren was great. Shinoa was awesome. Mika was a tool. Yuu was one heck of an inconsistent protagonist. The other characters were kinda insignificant. No, seriously, Shinoa is ‘best girl’ material. She made a really strong impression with her first appearance. She was really ‘annoying’ in a cute and funny way, but she also knew when to switch into serious mode. That ‘romance’ at the end felt forced, though. Well, the entire finale was weird. I heard that’s where the anime took a separate route from the source material. I really didn’t care about the story, btw.

I had high expectations for Plastic Memories, but they weren’t fulfilled. The story had an inherently huge drama potential, but it wasn’t properly made use of. Sometimes, drama was generated from plot holes. I’m not sure what exactly went wrong, though. Maybe the balance of comedy, drama and romance was off? The finale was executed properly, though. No complaints in that department.

The beginning of Punch Line was so terrible, I would’ve dropped it for good if it wasn’t for certain Kaza members singing it praises. Once I got through those misleading first two episodes, though, I was rewarded with a thrilling and emotional series full of plot twists . It’s definitely among this season’s top anime. But I think they overdid it a bit with the plot twists around the end. Shoulda given the viewers more time to ‘feel’ the situation. Incidentally, I watched it in two sessions. Ep01-06 and 07-12.

Not sure if Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is an ok adaption or a weak adaption. I like the VA cast, but the overall impression of the anime is weaker than that of the Manga. For example, I had high expectations for the Noa arc, since it was pretty much my favorite part of the story. But it seriously lacked impact compared to how it was presented in the manga.

You know what’s next. You know exactly what I would save for last.
Yes, it’s Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Zoku (or Oregairu for short). A masterpiece and the most likely best anime of this year.
The second season was totally worth the 2 years of waiting. While the first season was overall more entertaining, since it was more focused on comedy and self-irony, season 2 was where the really serious stuff went down. It was much more “valuable” in terms of story progression and character development.
For why this series in total is so good, refer to this introduction, written by yours truly:
https://forum.kazamatsuri.org/t/kazamatsuri-orgs-10-non-key-anime-recommendations/1017/51?u=naoki_saten
Yes, a lot of characters have been fleshed out. And I’m not talking about just the main cast (that, admittedly, has been developed the most ). Even most side characters, like the popular kids group around Hayama has been taken a closer look at. And then there’s even the newcomer Isshiki Iroha, who has successfully established her position and got popular with the fans quite quickly. Back to the main cast: We have been shown the “other side” of every service club member this season. We have seen that Hachiman’s solutions were far from perfect and that him going full batman causes some trouble. Faced with his shortcomings and situations where his usual way of doing things won’t work, he reveals his most precious and ugly desire. Yukino has probably suffered the most, since this season has made a point to expose her weak side. Yes, the supposedly perfect and strong Yukinoshita Yukino has some serious, albeit well-hidden, weaknesses. But the one who stepped up their game the most is got to be Yuigahama Yui. She has proven over and over again that she’s not just the big-breasted nice girl. For when both Hachiman and Yukino display weakness, Yui shows strength. She is indispensable for the club. And sometimes… sometimes, she plays dirty. This season, the bonds of the service club members have been put to a harsh test.
Not saying, though, that this second season was perfect. A lot of material has been skipped and if I were to point out the biggest flaw, it would be the lack of a conclusion. The anime has caught up with the light novel now, but the story is still ongoing. We have been left with something like a cliffhanger, where problems were adressed, but not solved just yet. Thus, we are hoping, and waiting for a third season.
I just LOVE this show and the characters. I love discussing this series, therefore, if you ever feel like it, do let me know via post, pm or skype. I’M WAITING! If you want to ask anything about Oregairu, I’ll gladly answer your questions.