Winter Anime
I am bored, actually it's more like I am procrastinating from doing work so I am randomly talking about the anime I am watching this season.
Actually I think winter is a really weak season this year but luckily we have a lot of carryovers and one very welcome sequel. ;)
Well going from least favorite to most favorite:
Why Am I still Watching These
Ixion Saga I was surprised how much I liked this at first because it really is the stupid comedy I usually dislike, but somehow this made me laugh and it almost seemed to be making fun of Sword Art Online. However, now that we are in the second cour I've come to realize that I am just finding it less funny and more dumb. Maybe if they had only stuck to one cour. Anime comedies just rarely do it for me I guess.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Was really looking forward to this one. People seemed to love the source material, the premise about economics sounded interesting but unfortunately the whole thing feels rushed and thus flat. Every thing happens so fast that I don't care about anyone. Perhaps this series has the opposite problem of Ixion, it needed to be two cours.
Actually the one thing these two series have in common is Kamiya Hiroshi. I happen to like the character he plays in both so despite not being enamoured with the series, well hearing Kamiyan is a guilty pleasure of mine I admit. Although I'd rather he be in series I love. However I guess if I have to cut anything because of school these would be the first to go.
Enjoying
Magi: A carryover from last season. Probably the only reason I am watching this because it is only 2 cours & I don't have to commit to a long shounen series (although I expect this one to get more eps eventually, I think its ratings & manga sales have been pretty good).
What I like best about this series is the good guys. Love the Aladdin/Alibaba friendship (I am sucker for those type of things), love the many awesome ladies: Morgiana & Hakuei are my faves and love Sinbad and his generals.
However what stops this from being a favorite is the villains to me are all annoying or one dimensional. Sadly it makes the actual conflicts feel kind of boring for me. But it's still an overall fun watch so I can't complain.
Tamako Market I am actually surprised how much I like this because I usually dislike this type of series. I think if this was more than one cour I might get bored but at only 12 episodes it feels just right. It's not as good as Hyouka of course and has some typical Otaku pandering but overall it's just a fun, relaxing watch. Not to mention I love the whole Japanese shopping district thing and how everyone is like one big family. I enjoy series with community focus like that.
And oh I find Tamako/Mochizou really cute (even though I would be surprised if Tamako ends up with anyone in the end). The bird is fun too.
The Best of the Bunch
Psycho Pass: Like Gen Urobuchi's other series I wouldn't actually say Psycho Pass is an absolute favorite of mine. I feel some of the world building is a bit weak but yet I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't constantly entertained and on the edge of my seat each week. Akane is one awesome female lead, Kougami is a great male lead, & Makishima is an excellent villain (got to love a villain who waxes philosophy & literature, doesn't hurt that he does it in the voice of Sakurai).
Gen Urobuchi is known for twisting genres but honestly he plays Psycho Pass pretty straight. If you read or watched a lot of dystopian fiction you've seen a lot of this before but that doesn't mean the execution here isn't top notch: with great dialog, characters, & actions this series makes my Thursday. Also the second Op sequence=pure awesome.
Shirokuma Cafe: My other Thursday staple. Unlike Ixion Saga which for me is a failure of a comedy, Shirokuma Cafe has now made me consistently laugh and smile for over a year. Comedy is subjective so maybe this isn't for everyone but I find this series consistently clever. It doesn't just rely on humor or absurdity, it's actually a pretty warm-hearted series. I've come to love every character: whether animal or human and I know when this series ends in a few weeks I am going to miss is terribly. Really after a stressful week there is nothing quite like watching Shirokuma Cafe to help cheer one up.
Shin Sekai Yori I actually can't decide between this or Psycho Pass what makes me more riveted each week. Now Shin Sekai Yori did have some weak episodes in the middle and some poor directing choices but overall this is one of the strongest stories and now that we are in the last arc everything has come together beautifully.
The Shin Sekai Yori novel won the award for "best Sci-fi story" in Japan, something equivalent to the Hugo or nebula here. I think the award was richly deserved. The world building of the series is excellent with a complex world. Morality speaking the series does not offer easy answers or solutions. But not only is Shin Sekai Yori great sci-fi, it is also creating a wonderful tragedy and has some of the best horror I've seen in awhile in well anything.
This is another series that will compete for best female lead and I also have come to love the relationship between the main male & female character, it isn't necessarily romance but love comes in many forms.
Finally like Psycho Pass, SSY has one of the best villains of the year Squealer. Although while Makishima is an example of a charming villain, Squealer is just the opposite. Just seeing him on screen fills me with complete dread, a wonderful performance by Daisuke Namikawa.
Uchuu Kyoudai I only thought this series would be 48 episodes but now it seems it will be continuing past that and will be much longer. Normally I would not continue a long running series with an unknown episode count but Uchuu Kyoudai is something special. Although I don't mind series with high school characters as I love coming of age stories, it is nice to get a series about adults. More importantly Uchuu Kyoudai shows that dreams are not just for young characters, but adults also have a chance to change their life around and pursue their dreams. I think that is beautiful theme and concept and what better way to show that then a story about brothers going to space.
Unlike Shin Sekai Yori and Psycho Pass, Uchuu Kyoudai is a simpler & more realistic sci-fi series. Although it supposedly takes place in the future, it feels like it can take place now giving you a realistic look of what it takes to become an astronaut and the joys & yet hardships of being out in space. Not every arc has been my favorite and some feel a bit slow, but overall this is an inspiring series that I am happy won't be ending soon. I could have read the manga but it's nice to know that I will be able to follow more of Mutta's (and Hibito's, Serika's, Kenji's, etc) quest to reach for the stars (quite literally speaking).
I Go Through Withdrawal Waiting for the Next Episode
Chihayafuru Season 2
Well no surprise that this would be my favorite as I already waxed poetically about it in previous posts. This season team Chihayafuru has become second year students and we now have two new first year members to the club. However other than those changes and characters becoming stronger players, we really have more of the same from Chihayafuru. However I don't mean that as a bad thing. Too many series like to make major changes but I say if it's not broke, don't fix it.
With the second season I feel like there was never a break from the first season. Of course the only difference is I now I understand what karuta is and I don't need to grow to love the characters (well except the new ones and I think that has already started). I feel like I have already become friends with these characters. When they win I am proud & inspired, when they lose my heart breaks for them. Although at the same time the series makes me care about their opponents. There are no bad guys in Chihayafuru, just characters of all ages & backgrounds with a love & passion for karuta and that passion is passed on beautifully to us the audience.
Wow that got long. :)
Actually I think winter is a really weak season this year but luckily we have a lot of carryovers and one very welcome sequel. ;)
Well going from least favorite to most favorite:
Why Am I still Watching These
Ixion Saga I was surprised how much I liked this at first because it really is the stupid comedy I usually dislike, but somehow this made me laugh and it almost seemed to be making fun of Sword Art Online. However, now that we are in the second cour I've come to realize that I am just finding it less funny and more dumb. Maybe if they had only stuck to one cour. Anime comedies just rarely do it for me I guess.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha Was really looking forward to this one. People seemed to love the source material, the premise about economics sounded interesting but unfortunately the whole thing feels rushed and thus flat. Every thing happens so fast that I don't care about anyone. Perhaps this series has the opposite problem of Ixion, it needed to be two cours.
Actually the one thing these two series have in common is Kamiya Hiroshi. I happen to like the character he plays in both so despite not being enamoured with the series, well hearing Kamiyan is a guilty pleasure of mine I admit. Although I'd rather he be in series I love. However I guess if I have to cut anything because of school these would be the first to go.
Enjoying
Magi: A carryover from last season. Probably the only reason I am watching this because it is only 2 cours & I don't have to commit to a long shounen series (although I expect this one to get more eps eventually, I think its ratings & manga sales have been pretty good).
What I like best about this series is the good guys. Love the Aladdin/Alibaba friendship (I am sucker for those type of things), love the many awesome ladies: Morgiana & Hakuei are my faves and love Sinbad and his generals.
However what stops this from being a favorite is the villains to me are all annoying or one dimensional. Sadly it makes the actual conflicts feel kind of boring for me. But it's still an overall fun watch so I can't complain.
Tamako Market I am actually surprised how much I like this because I usually dislike this type of series. I think if this was more than one cour I might get bored but at only 12 episodes it feels just right. It's not as good as Hyouka of course and has some typical Otaku pandering but overall it's just a fun, relaxing watch. Not to mention I love the whole Japanese shopping district thing and how everyone is like one big family. I enjoy series with community focus like that.
And oh I find Tamako/Mochizou really cute (even though I would be surprised if Tamako ends up with anyone in the end). The bird is fun too.
The Best of the Bunch
Psycho Pass: Like Gen Urobuchi's other series I wouldn't actually say Psycho Pass is an absolute favorite of mine. I feel some of the world building is a bit weak but yet I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't constantly entertained and on the edge of my seat each week. Akane is one awesome female lead, Kougami is a great male lead, & Makishima is an excellent villain (got to love a villain who waxes philosophy & literature, doesn't hurt that he does it in the voice of Sakurai).
Gen Urobuchi is known for twisting genres but honestly he plays Psycho Pass pretty straight. If you read or watched a lot of dystopian fiction you've seen a lot of this before but that doesn't mean the execution here isn't top notch: with great dialog, characters, & actions this series makes my Thursday. Also the second Op sequence=pure awesome.
Shirokuma Cafe: My other Thursday staple. Unlike Ixion Saga which for me is a failure of a comedy, Shirokuma Cafe has now made me consistently laugh and smile for over a year. Comedy is subjective so maybe this isn't for everyone but I find this series consistently clever. It doesn't just rely on humor or absurdity, it's actually a pretty warm-hearted series. I've come to love every character: whether animal or human and I know when this series ends in a few weeks I am going to miss is terribly. Really after a stressful week there is nothing quite like watching Shirokuma Cafe to help cheer one up.
Shin Sekai Yori I actually can't decide between this or Psycho Pass what makes me more riveted each week. Now Shin Sekai Yori did have some weak episodes in the middle and some poor directing choices but overall this is one of the strongest stories and now that we are in the last arc everything has come together beautifully.
The Shin Sekai Yori novel won the award for "best Sci-fi story" in Japan, something equivalent to the Hugo or nebula here. I think the award was richly deserved. The world building of the series is excellent with a complex world. Morality speaking the series does not offer easy answers or solutions. But not only is Shin Sekai Yori great sci-fi, it is also creating a wonderful tragedy and has some of the best horror I've seen in awhile in well anything.
This is another series that will compete for best female lead and I also have come to love the relationship between the main male & female character, it isn't necessarily romance but love comes in many forms.
Finally like Psycho Pass, SSY has one of the best villains of the year Squealer. Although while Makishima is an example of a charming villain, Squealer is just the opposite. Just seeing him on screen fills me with complete dread, a wonderful performance by Daisuke Namikawa.
Uchuu Kyoudai I only thought this series would be 48 episodes but now it seems it will be continuing past that and will be much longer. Normally I would not continue a long running series with an unknown episode count but Uchuu Kyoudai is something special. Although I don't mind series with high school characters as I love coming of age stories, it is nice to get a series about adults. More importantly Uchuu Kyoudai shows that dreams are not just for young characters, but adults also have a chance to change their life around and pursue their dreams. I think that is beautiful theme and concept and what better way to show that then a story about brothers going to space.
Unlike Shin Sekai Yori and Psycho Pass, Uchuu Kyoudai is a simpler & more realistic sci-fi series. Although it supposedly takes place in the future, it feels like it can take place now giving you a realistic look of what it takes to become an astronaut and the joys & yet hardships of being out in space. Not every arc has been my favorite and some feel a bit slow, but overall this is an inspiring series that I am happy won't be ending soon. I could have read the manga but it's nice to know that I will be able to follow more of Mutta's (and Hibito's, Serika's, Kenji's, etc) quest to reach for the stars (quite literally speaking).
I Go Through Withdrawal Waiting for the Next Episode
Chihayafuru Season 2
Well no surprise that this would be my favorite as I already waxed poetically about it in previous posts. This season team Chihayafuru has become second year students and we now have two new first year members to the club. However other than those changes and characters becoming stronger players, we really have more of the same from Chihayafuru. However I don't mean that as a bad thing. Too many series like to make major changes but I say if it's not broke, don't fix it.
With the second season I feel like there was never a break from the first season. Of course the only difference is I now I understand what karuta is and I don't need to grow to love the characters (well except the new ones and I think that has already started). I feel like I have already become friends with these characters. When they win I am proud & inspired, when they lose my heart breaks for them. Although at the same time the series makes me care about their opponents. There are no bad guys in Chihayafuru, just characters of all ages & backgrounds with a love & passion for karuta and that passion is passed on beautifully to us the audience.
Wow that got long. :)