So. I've been chillin' since summer break ended. How 'bout you? Watching anime, maybe? Kinda like me? Like, taking a "break" from a show just for a little bit and next thing you know you're three episodes behind from the latest episode, thereby leading to taking a long ass time to play catch-up? No? Well, *cough, cough* anyway . . .
It's that time of season where I write my mid-season impressions of anime shows I have been watching, dropped/put on-hold, and even began watching! I have excluded shows that have carried over from the spring 2014 season (as I will be discussing them in my final impressions post), as well as Sailor Moon Crystal (due to its biweekly release). Now let's begin with the shows I am watching currently!
It's that time of season where I write my mid-season impressions of anime shows I have been watching, dropped/put on-hold, and even began watching! I have excluded shows that have carried over from the spring 2014 season (as I will be discussing them in my final impressions post), as well as Sailor Moon Crystal (due to its biweekly release). Now let's begin with the shows I am watching currently!
Barakamon
Although I was initially interested by Barakamon early on when the chart was first released, for one reason or another I did not pick it up. However, by the time episode two rolled around, I heard people praising it left and right and decided, "Why the hell not?" so I began watching it. And thanks to that, now I realize why so many people were praising it: it's a freaking good show. In fact, it's one of the hidden gems of this season.
Barakamon is a heartwarming, funny slice of life show that reminds me so much of what summer was like during my childhood. It reminds me of the times when I'd go out and play with my friends all over the neighborhood, or just run around without a care in the world. Barakamon's main focus isn't summer itself, but rather family and friends. Handa, the main protagonist, and Naru, the little girl in the picture, act a lot like brother and sister, or even father and daughter. Though they poke fun at each other most of the time, you can tell they really do care for each other.
Unlike another comedy show this season (which I will mention later), Barakamon manages to get a good, genuine laugh out of me. May it be from WTF moments or downright hilarious scenes, Barakamon always successfully lifts my mood and makes me feel like I'm hanging out with my friends and just joking around with them. This and the characters in the show are Barakamon's strong points, and it always helps to have good animation, a nice OP and ED, and a beautiful OST.
I definitely recommend this show. You laugh with the characters, you feel down when the characters are sad, and you can't help but smile when you see them happy. Barakamon is definitely a feel good show that depicts summer perfectly.
Barakamon is a heartwarming, funny slice of life show that reminds me so much of what summer was like during my childhood. It reminds me of the times when I'd go out and play with my friends all over the neighborhood, or just run around without a care in the world. Barakamon's main focus isn't summer itself, but rather family and friends. Handa, the main protagonist, and Naru, the little girl in the picture, act a lot like brother and sister, or even father and daughter. Though they poke fun at each other most of the time, you can tell they really do care for each other.
Unlike another comedy show this season (which I will mention later), Barakamon manages to get a good, genuine laugh out of me. May it be from WTF moments or downright hilarious scenes, Barakamon always successfully lifts my mood and makes me feel like I'm hanging out with my friends and just joking around with them. This and the characters in the show are Barakamon's strong points, and it always helps to have good animation, a nice OP and ED, and a beautiful OST.
I definitely recommend this show. You laugh with the characters, you feel down when the characters are sad, and you can't help but smile when you see them happy. Barakamon is definitely a feel good show that depicts summer perfectly.
DRAMAtical Murder
If there's one show I'm not really enjoying this summer and have not dropped yet, it'd be DRAMAtical Murder. Sorry fans of the game, but I really don't get this anime. I can't really speak much for it, because it's really all over the place. I can't really formulate what the plot is, nor the characters and their personalities. Animation goes from okay to bad from episode to episode, and there is literally no music (either that, or they're so bad I can't even remember if music was playing). The opening and ending songs are so bland and so forgettable I can't recall the melody.
There is literally nothing good about this anime. So why am I still watching this? Your guess is as good as mine. I think it may have something to do with me being interested in the potential this show may have and present. People who have played the games seem to understand it a bit more, but tell me it's too complicated (and of course spoiler-y) to explain to a person who hasn't played the game.
You know, hearing so much about the game and its "mysterious" plot actually makes me want to go play it. And I just might . . . in a moment.
So bottom line is basically: don't watch this show if you haven't played the game. There's not much context to it, and I think it was made with the purpose of pleasing the fans of the game.
Free! Eternal Summer
If there was one thing season one was lacking, it was character development. Sure, Haru and Rin developed quite a lot by the end of the season and surprisingly Rei as well, along with Makoto, who got a little bit of development, albeit a bit trite and rushed; but the one character that did not get any sort of development was Nagisa. Nagisa is the absolutely kawaii shota member of the Iwatobi Swim Team, and although he had a well-developed and likable personality we didn't know much about him otherwise. In Eternal Summer, however . . . boy, things are a lot different here as we dive into (hehe. Get it?) learning more about Nagisa's backstory, which was just wonderful to watch.
Now that that has been stated, time for me to go fangirl some more about Free!. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
I didn't have high standards going into Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, but I didn't place my settings that low, either. When I look at a synopsis and see that manga is involved, I instantly wonder if this'll be just another copy of other anime out there focusing on manga, with a side element of a romance that makes you say, "Just get on with it already!" and jokes that are so repetitive you facepalm yourself so many times you start to get a bruise.
Now with that being said, Nozaki-kun has thankfully amused me in some respects, but it's a hit-or-miss in a certain area. Before going into the negatives, however, let's focus on the positives. Opening and ending songs are definitely enjoyable. I lean more toward the opening song, though, due to its upbeat and jazzy nature, but the ending song is undeniably cute and catchy.
Animation is also well-done, and I especially like the segments that show scenes from the manga. (So much so I actually want the fictional manga to be adapted into an anime.) But otherwise, the animation is pretty so-so: doesn't really stand out amongst a few other shows airing this season, but it's definitely not the worst.
Now the hit-and-miss with Nozaki-kun is its comedy. I like comedy—a lot. I enjoy mindless comedy, witty comedy, childish comedy—all that jazz, I enjoy. However, with Nozaki-kun, I really don't understand why some people find all the jokes to be laugh-out-loud funny, when in reality only a few are really that hilarious. Reason being why the comedy doesn't tickle me as much as other people probably has something to do with the characters—which lead me to my next point.
While it has many positives, Nozaki-kun suffers from underdeveloped characters. No, scratch that. It suffers from an underdeveloped character. Who's that character? Sakura, the main heroine. Now wait. She's not "boring," in fact she can be rather funny and whatnot with her reactions to the ridiculous, albeit hilarious, situations of the side characters. But there's not much more to her other than that: She doesn't have any notable personality quirks like the other characters, nor does she really do anything that makes her stand out. And it's a real shame too, because those oddities are what make the side cast so funny and likable. I just feel that every time Sakura appears on screen, my big smile from the joke before kinda fades away, like just seeing her saps away any humor left in me.
But despite its fault, by the time this anime is over, I will be hoping for two things: 1) Character development, especially for Sakura, because she really lacks any sort of personality. 2) A proper confession from Sakura to Nozaki or vice-versa. No, I do not want this anime to end with a "read the manga" ending, or a "to be continued in season 2!" either. I want a good and proper ending to a pretty good anime—a confession, since it's a romcom. If I don't get one and/or the other, it will really affect the final score I give to Nozaki-kun.
But despite its fault, by the time this anime is over, I will be hoping for two things: 1) Character development, especially for Sakura, because she really lacks any sort of personality. 2) A proper confession from Sakura to Nozaki or vice-versa. No, I do not want this anime to end with a "read the manga" ending, or a "to be continued in season 2!" either. I want a good and proper ending to a pretty good anime—a confession, since it's a romcom. If I don't get one and/or the other, it will really affect the final score I give to Nozaki-kun.
Re: Hamatora
I've said this already in my first impressions post, but I'll say it here again: If I were to discuss what I really think of this second season to Hamatora The Animation, then I'd be delving into deep, deep spoiler territory. But for those who are somewhat interested in starting this series or continuing to the second season, then yes, I would say watch it.
Re: Hamatora is darker than its first season: more blood, more death, all those little moments of joy from season one. Another thing I'd like to give kudos to is its improved animation. From what I read, the second season is being animated by a different studio than season one. Regardless of this change in production, I must say the animation is more detailed and a little sharper. Alongside the pleasant animation is a kick-ass opening and nice ending song. The opening is just as good as season one's—I'd even go as far as to say it's better—and the ending's a lot more memorable than season one.
ALERT: RANT INCOMING
Now there's one thing I like to complain about (a non-spoiler thing), so allow me to go into a "rant," namely to the haters watching season two: If you didn't like season one, then why the fuck did you decide to watch season two? Instead of bitching and moaning about how awful it is, how about you just watch whatever the hell you want to watch? There is only one show this season that I'm currently watching and not really enjoying, but you don't see me going on and on about how shitty it is, do you? So how about instead of complaining, you go watch what you want to watch. That's all.
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MADE IT PAST THE RANT! PLEASE ENJOY THE REST OF THE POST.
Now that that's out of the way . . . I recommend everyone giving the Hamatora series a chance, no matter what kind of hate it gets. As with all anime, watch at least a couple episodes before deciding if it's shit or not. Give a chance, and if it doesn't do it for you then that's fine. At the very least, you actually watched the show and have a genuine opinion on it rather than not watch the show and ignorantly judge it.
Terror in Resonance
Terror in Resonance is just the show I—and apparently a lot of other people—needed. It's an intelligent series, meaning it's not going to lead you around by the hand and spoon-feed you information. Why not? Because it knows you're a freaking intelligent human being and can think for yourself. I love it when a show treats you like a smart person, because I don't like it when it feels like it's babying me.
What makes Terror in Resonance stick out this anime season is the maturity and seriousness of its content. Terrorism, especially in the United States, is considered a pretty taboo topic, especially after 9/11. So when a show like Terror in Resonance comes along, with the "heroes" being the terrorists, our interests our instantly perked because we like talking about the forbidden things. And how interesting would it be to delve into the psyche of a terrorist? A very interesting, and stable, concept on its own.
Now what exactly would be the best thing about Terror in Resonance? As much as I want to say the characters—because they are all very fascinating individuals—I cannot, unfortunately, due to not knowing much about them and their motives at this point of the show, so I can't choose that. Story? Mm. I want to do the same for that too, but I don't think I'll be able to see a coherent story until the show is over, so that's a no too.
Then that leaves us with two things: sound and animation. Ooh, this is a hard one. In fact, it's too difficult for me to decide that I'll just go with both. Animation and sound are definitely the high points of this show and the summer season. If you ever get the chance, listen to the full OST and you will understand how atmospheric and emotional these soundtracks can be—I'm sure you'll love it just as much as I have. The animation fits the show to a T. Everything has detail: from reflections, to backgrounds, and even the tiniest, insignificant thing have impeccable detail. Character designs, especially the character Five's, are just wonderful to look at.
This show is most definitely worth the watch, and I'll say those of you with high standards will definitely have those standards fulfilled by this show.
Now it's time for the anime I have dropped. . . . Sigh. Might as well put this here again:
WARNING: RANT INCOMING . . . AGAIN.
WARNING: RANT INCOMING . . . AGAIN.
Glasslip
What a freaking disappointment. I was expecting a nice slice of life with beautiful animation and glass-making with some cute romance on the side. And who knew? Maybe I could've learned a thing or two about it from this show because making glass in itself is a very fascinating process to see, and knowing that P.A. Works was the animation studio behind this made me all the more excited to watch it. But what was the end result? Melodrama, forced romance, and more melodrama from a very unlikable group of teenagers. I hate having to keep dragging in another P.A. Works' show, Nagi no Asukara, into the mix, but I just have to in this case!
The six main characters in Glasslip are supposed to be very close to graduating high school—seventeen as it is in Japan. The five main characters in Nagi-Asu are just fourteen years old (meaning they're still in middle school), but they act far more mature and kinder than all of the leads combined in Glasslip. While the characters of Nagi-Asu grow and mature, the characters of Glasslip seem to stay the same and even go downhill into very unlikable territory.
I don't know. Whenever I think of P.A. Works I think three things: 1) beautiful and topnotch animation, 2) love triangles (or polygons in some cases), and 3) a friendly, slice of life atmosphere. Glasslip has all but one. Care to guess what that one is? In fact, I don't even know why Glasslip is listed as a "slice of life." If you've seen episode two (don't worry; it's not even that big a spoiler), then you know this show suddenly became a bizarre and crappy sci-fi. Get this: the main heroine and the new kid, "David" (as everyone—and I mean "everyone" as in the whole anime community—calls him) can see the future through glass. . . . Glass. . . . Let that sink in for a moment. . . . Just . . . what the hell . . .?
I wouldn't mind so much about the random sci-fi element thrown in there if the characters were more likable. The way they act reminds me so much of the characters in Golden Time: they're indecisive, rash, and mean-spirited. The second David appears on screen everybody in the group save for one or two act so cold to him. And for what reason? None. No reason whatsoever. Okay, granted one thought David was a threat to his and the main heroine's "relationship" (or lack thereof), so he was just acting like a jealous twerp. But that does not excuse his or any of the other character's treatment toward David.
However, not all the characters in the show are bad. On the contrary, the side characters are far more interesting than the main six. Sadly, though, they only receive a few seconds of screen time every episode, a minute at most. The animation is also worth praising, but you can tell P.A. Works spent a lot of their budget on Nagi-Asu (but they shouldn't regret it: that show looked freaking amazing). I like the opening and ending songs of Glasslip, though the ending song was catchier. The opening felt very mellow and liberating, but considering the content of the show it did not fit at all. The ending is cute, but the chibi style really threw me off and the first time I heard the song I thought how strange the singer sounded.
My recommendation? Skip this and just watch a good and real slice of life/romance/drama anime. That'd be more worth your time than this piece of crap.
The six main characters in Glasslip are supposed to be very close to graduating high school—seventeen as it is in Japan. The five main characters in Nagi-Asu are just fourteen years old (meaning they're still in middle school), but they act far more mature and kinder than all of the leads combined in Glasslip. While the characters of Nagi-Asu grow and mature, the characters of Glasslip seem to stay the same and even go downhill into very unlikable territory.
I don't know. Whenever I think of P.A. Works I think three things: 1) beautiful and topnotch animation, 2) love triangles (or polygons in some cases), and 3) a friendly, slice of life atmosphere. Glasslip has all but one. Care to guess what that one is? In fact, I don't even know why Glasslip is listed as a "slice of life." If you've seen episode two (don't worry; it's not even that big a spoiler), then you know this show suddenly became a bizarre and crappy sci-fi. Get this: the main heroine and the new kid, "David" (as everyone—and I mean "everyone" as in the whole anime community—calls him) can see the future through glass. . . . Glass. . . . Let that sink in for a moment. . . . Just . . . what the hell . . .?
I wouldn't mind so much about the random sci-fi element thrown in there if the characters were more likable. The way they act reminds me so much of the characters in Golden Time: they're indecisive, rash, and mean-spirited. The second David appears on screen everybody in the group save for one or two act so cold to him. And for what reason? None. No reason whatsoever. Okay, granted one thought David was a threat to his and the main heroine's "relationship" (or lack thereof), so he was just acting like a jealous twerp. But that does not excuse his or any of the other character's treatment toward David.
However, not all the characters in the show are bad. On the contrary, the side characters are far more interesting than the main six. Sadly, though, they only receive a few seconds of screen time every episode, a minute at most. The animation is also worth praising, but you can tell P.A. Works spent a lot of their budget on Nagi-Asu (but they shouldn't regret it: that show looked freaking amazing). I like the opening and ending songs of Glasslip, though the ending song was catchier. The opening felt very mellow and liberating, but considering the content of the show it did not fit at all. The ending is cute, but the chibi style really threw me off and the first time I heard the song I thought how strange the singer sounded.
My recommendation? Skip this and just watch a good and real slice of life/romance/drama anime. That'd be more worth your time than this piece of crap.
Rail Wars!
Yet another disappointment from this anime season (though not as much as Glasslip after seeing a certain PV). Rail Wars! could've been something great. I mean, let's start with the title: Rail Wars!. Think about that for a second. What do you think when you hear that? Well for me, I think of some sort of major conflict involving railways—and trains! Now let's talk about that: trains. Motherflippin' anime can't even focus on that: Instead, it'd rather focus on plot. No, not plot plot, but plot. Still don't understand? Lemme explain . . . through images from the anime:
SO. MUCH. FREAKING. PLOT.
Hooray for bouncy boobies, yay for ass shots . . . OH MY JESUS CHRIST, ANIME, GET A FUCKING GRIP! Okay, so you want to put in giant tits? Fine. Want fat asses taking over two-thirds of the screen? Fine. But do not take out anything related to trains when the anime is supposed to be about trains—at all!!!
So now that my rage has settled down (not . . .) let's move on. If you want to watch this anime, okay, go ahead. But don't be expecting any kind of development, may it be character or story progression.
Let's talk about the other thing that made Rail Wars! sound awesome: the synopsis. Do you really think it's about a battle between terrorists and security guards on a train? HELL NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT. I mean, it would've been awesome and amazing for an anime to be about that, but Rail Wars! isn't focused on that. It has bigger things to worry about, like—I don't know—fan service!
All I can tell you about this show is that it's awful and you should not watch it. A definite skip.
Let's talk about the other thing that made Rail Wars! sound awesome: the synopsis. Do you really think it's about a battle between terrorists and security guards on a train? HELL NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT. I mean, it would've been awesome and amazing for an anime to be about that, but Rail Wars! isn't focused on that. It has bigger things to worry about, like—I don't know—fan service!
All I can tell you about this show is that it's awful and you should not watch it. A definite skip.
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MADE IT PAST THE RANT . . . AGAIN! YOU DESERVE A COOKIE! *hands you cookie*
And now, I bid you all farewell for the moment. I hope you all enjoyed reading my mid-season impressions of the summer 2014 season. Though I've had a couple disappointments, most of the shows airing this season have been very impressive, and I have a feeling summer 2014 is going to be winning the "Season of the Year" award. Like, look at how much variety there is: action, adventure, comedy, romance, drama, slice of life. There are so many anime shows to choose from that it's near impossible for you to not find one and enjoy it from beginning to end. And with that, take care, otakus!
