AnimeSuki Forums

Flower · 2013-11-05, 13:03

Let's talk about the current season, Autumn 2013.

The intention of the thread is mostly to discuss what's hot and new, but any thoughts on carryovers from previous seasons may be brought up, but do make sure you are talking about the most recent episodes (don't come here to rant about Naruto fillers from last year, for example).

Because it is still early, it may be a good idea to express grades in terms of keep/drop/stall if you're unwilling to give a rating at this point, or something like that. I'm more interested in which new shows are your priorities.

Previous formats went something like this, but obviously you are free to express your thoughts however you want; Your rating can be in terms of letter grades, numerical ratings, facepalms, Minkofaces, Deens, Ufotables, Sparkles, etc. Or maybe you don't believe in grades. Your explanations are far more important then what you actually gave out.

Name of Series:
Episodes Watched:
Rating:
Comments:
Status (Keep/drop/stall):

Also, I would ask that any specifics be kept in spoiler tags, please.

Nobody will arrest you for violating any formats or anything so post whatever thoughts and try not to comment on other people too much.

Dawnstorm · 2013-11-07, 03:16

Outstanding:

My favourite anime this season by far (and certainly in the top 3 of the year) is Kyousougiga. Fresh and fun visuals, delightfully anarchic and still warmhearted. I loved the OVA/ONA and had high expectation. The show exceeded them.

Excellent:

I quite like White Album 2. A fairly straightforward love-triangle plot, but the show shines with characterisation and subtle plot development. Also, it takes music seriously, which is something I absolutely demand from shows that have a music setting. The characters are likable, even the types I'd normally find annoying (Setsuna).

Golden Time feels to me like a more modern anime equivalent to those screwball comedies with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It's got a great soundtrack, appealing characterdesigns, and uses amnesia in a way I actually find interesting. It's probably becoming more serious; the signs are there. I'll see how it holds up.

Non Non Biyori: Wonderful scenery, nice character designs, good use of music. I like the little touches they add, like the preview being shown on a TV, while you see the characters not watching it (usually). Episode 4 was outstanding. Not so fond of the cute-little-sempai humour, but other than that I have no misgivings. Fun show.

Always Looking Forward to these shows:

Log Horizon is nothing special, but it's fun. I like the little things, like how monsters turn into loot. Akatsuki is adorable, but don't tell her I said that; she'd hate it. I'm actually curious in what direction they'll take the show. I just click with the show.

I dislike ecchi fanservice. Noucome devoted an entire episode to panty peeking and it was hilarious. That's all you need to know about the show. It's clever, energetic, and absurd. I'd knock it up a notch, if the comedic timing were better, but many jokes overstay their welcome.

Gingitsune had a slow start. I still liked it, because its style reminded me of shows I liked when I was a child (think mid to late seventies, early eighties). But the later episodes actually got better, and the last one I saw had some very interesting visual choices for their flashbacks. A word of warning, though: like, say, Tamayura, the show seems incapble of being mean. Unlike, say, Tamayura they sometimes try (never the main focus, though). When they do, they seem incredible naive. For me, that's part of the charm.

Yozakura Quartet is quite good, too. I've seen the first series, and to be honest, I preferred that series' character design by a huge margin. The characters here look too childish for my liking, and coupled with the - IMO - intrusive ecchi fanservice, that's a bit... off-putting for me. But it's not that big a deal, and I think this re-boot actually does a better job with the setting, and maybe also with the story (though it's a bit early to tell). At the very least, they're even, though.

Little Busters: Refrain is more enjoyable than I expected it to be after the first season. One of the first season's weaknesses was that the darker moments (sparse as they were) didn't really convince me; they felt either wooden or over-the-top. The second season gets it right. Add to that a more interesting visual style that tends towards the surreal at times, and an intriguing mystery, and I'm on board.

I'm unreasonably fond of Unbreakable Machine Doll. I don't know why. I dislike 3D animation, but it doesn't bother me here. Why not? Cooky-cutter story and characters. Sure, it's executed with confidence, but that can't be enough can it? If I look at what the show actually does, I shouldn't like the show as much as I do. But I do. I'm mystified.

I went into Miss Monochrome with the expectation to dislike it. Well, 5 minutes aren't a waste of time... This show is hilarious. The deadpan character type expertly executed. Never give up. It doesn't matter that you don't actually know what you're doing...

Kill la Kill is fast paced and fun, and very good when it's good. However, it's also very annoying when it's annyoing. And so far, there's been more of the latter for me. But there's no way I want to miss the good moments. Also, Mako saves every scene she's in.

BlazBlue: Alter Memory is fun gameservice for me. From the source material, it could have been a master piece. It isn't. But it's the next best thing: fast paced, fun, and indulgent. There's one character in particular I'm very curious about...

Entertaining when I watch them, but I wouldn't really miss them:

Outbreak Company is, like Noucome, a meta show. Unfortunately, it tries to be serious at times, which fails for me. It's still a fun watch. My favourite character would be the lizardman gardener.

Tokyou Ravens is interesting at times, but mostly it's predictable. The 3D-animation stands out like a sore thumb, and the female lead is straight from the textbook with little extras... boring. But other than the 3D atrocities I like the show's visual style, and the plot is undemanding and engaging enough to pull me through.

Superseisyu Brothers is... there. It passes the time. Nothing else to say about it.

Samurai Flamenco has the misfortune of being about a genre that bores me to tears. The show itself is clever and funny at the worst of times, and hilarious at the best of times. I want to like the show more than I actually do, but I can't help it. I just find those masked heros... boring and non-descript. This show is funny, but it doesn't click with me. Pity. It deserves better.

Magi 2 is pretty much the same as Magi 1 - which, for me, means alternately entertaining and eye-roll inducing.

Eternally on the brink of being dropped, but never quite tripping over:

KyoAni is on its way to become one of my least favourite studios. The latest episode of Kyoukai no Kanata was its silliest. It was also its best, and that's... sad. When it's trying to be serious, it's trite. When it's trying to be funny, it's embarrassing (imagine you're a teen, and your father tells dirty jokes to your friends - that's what the fanservice feels like to me). There's the rare moment, when the show isn't trying to prove that it's KyoAni show, and then it's actually good. I mourn the potential.

The cards are stacked against Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio from the beginning. I'm not that interested in battle ships, and moefying them isn't an additional draw. There's that awful 3D trend again. Yeah. I tried it because of Uezu/Kishi combi: I thought it might surprise me like Kamisama Dolls did. It didn't. And yet... everytime I almost decide to drop it something happens that catches my interest. We'll see.

Dropped:

Strike the Blood is just about as generic as it can be. It might get better later; I won't find out.

Coppelion has great setting visuals going for it. Other than that, nothing. I hate it's over-the-top dramatic tone. I wouldn't mind the school-uniform-in-a-radioactive-zone nonsense if the show didn't take itself so serious. But it does. Oh, well.

Walkure Romanze. Did I mention I dislike ecchi fanservice? Then why did I even start this? Answer: I liked the character designs.

ETA: I totally forgot that I watched and dropped Gallilei Donna. It's generally fluff, but the constant repetition of the name "gallilei" grates so much that I found the show unwatchable. One character with awful hairdo says the name so much that I suspect she used to be a Pokemon of that name...

The Jury Is Out:/

Nagi no Asukara is very interesting, but the latest episode was so awful that it almost single-handedly undid what the show did right from the beginning. I'm going to stick with it, but I imagine it will be a rollecoaster ride. I'll love it in its quieter moments, but when everyone starts crying I'd better leave the room.

Archaeon · 2013-11-07, 03:23

Outstanding

Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai

A masterpiece. Watch it for the plot.

Flower · 2013-11-08, 13:51

May as well add my current list. ^^

A List: Gingitsune; Golden Time.

B List: Kyoukai no Kanata; Little Busters: Refrain; Nagi no Asukara; Kyosougiga.

C List: Non Non Biyori.

Carryovers: Monogatari Series Second Season (B List ranking); Hunter x Hunter (B List ranking).

Still on trial: Outbreak Company; Tokyo Ravens.

Dropped: Indestructible Machine Doll; Galileo Donna; Yozakura Quartet; Coppelion; Strike the Blood; Arpeggio of Blue Steel; Rwby; Yowamushi Pedal.

Will watch later on: White Album 2.

Kmos · 2013-11-09, 10:08

All watched up to current episode unless mentioned and will continue to watch unless mentioned.

Kuroko no Basuke - 9/10
Log Horizon - 9/10
Samurai Flamenco - 9/10 - lovely new series, great characters. Best anime OP song of the season by Spyair.
Yowamushi Pedal - 8/10 - like the new sports anime and how it's introduced
Kill la Kill - 8/10
Machine Doll wa Kizutsukanai - 8/10 - Reminds me of Saber Marionette kind of, sort of. Like the cute, zany ED.
Kyoukai no Kanata - 6/10 - moe supernatural and don't know where it's going atm.
Strike the Blood - 6/10 - nice setting, but story could be better, hope it picks up.
Coppelion, Galilei Donna & Tokyo Ravens - 6/10 - slow starts for world setting and still feels like a waiting phase for something to happen. May drop in a few epis.
Magi - 6/10 - my excitement for this series has waned.
Valvrave - 5/10 - watching for mecha pew pew and some decent sounds otherwise ???

Kingdom - 9/10 - still awesome as it continues on and reach awesomer heights and beyond.
Hunter x Hunter - 9/10 - still great, watching in batches.

SeijiSensei · 2013-11-09, 10:26

Having dropped both noitaminA shows this season, I'm left with just two -- Kill la Kill and Miss Monochrome. Both of them are hilarious, though Kill la Kill has a lot of depth in terms of satirizing the authoritarian aspects of Japanese culture. That is a recurring theme in Nakashima Kazuki's work like his script for Oh! Edo Rocket. All the seiyuu in this show are veterans, and it shows. At 27, Koshimizu Ami who plays the lead is one of the youngest members of this troupe. The antagonist is voiced by Ryouka Yuzuki, who turns forty in January.

Miss Monochrome is a vehicle for Horie Yui with occasional guest appearances by other members of the "ever-17" group of seiyuu like Inoue Kikuko. It's the funniest anime short I've watched since Higepiyo.

2013-11-05, 13:03	Link #1
Flower Blooming on the mountain Join Date: May 2010 Location: Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light....	Autumn 2013: General Impressions Thread: Post Your Opinion and Grade... Let's talk about the current season, Autumn 2013. The intention of the thread is mostly to discuss what's hot and new, but any thoughts on carryovers from previous seasons may be brought up, but do make sure you are talking about the most recent episodes (don't come here to rant about Naruto fillers from last year, for example). Because it is still early, it may be a good idea to express grades in terms of keep/drop/stall if you're unwilling to give a rating at this point, or something like that. I'm more interested in which new shows are your priorities. Previous formats went something like this, but obviously you are free to express your thoughts however you want; Your rating can be in terms of letter grades, numerical ratings, facepalms, Minkofaces, Deens, Ufotables, Sparkles, etc. Or maybe you don't believe in grades. Your explanations are far more important then what you actually gave out. Name of Series: Episodes Watched: Rating: Comments: Status (Keep/drop/stall): Also, I would ask that any specifics be kept in spoiler tags, please. Nobody will arrest you for violating any formats or anything so post whatever thoughts and try not to comment on other people too much. __________________

2013-11-07, 03:16	Link #2
Dawnstorm Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Austria	Outstanding: My favourite anime this season by far (and certainly in the top 3 of the year) is Kyousougiga. Fresh and fun visuals, delightfully anarchic and still warmhearted. I loved the OVA/ONA and had high expectation. The show exceeded them. Excellent: I quite like White Album 2. A fairly straightforward love-triangle plot, but the show shines with characterisation and subtle plot development. Also, it takes music seriously, which is something I absolutely demand from shows that have a music setting. The characters are likable, even the types I'd normally find annoying (Setsuna). Golden Time feels to me like a more modern anime equivalent to those screwball comedies with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It's got a great soundtrack, appealing characterdesigns, and uses amnesia in a way I actually find interesting. It's probably becoming more serious; the signs are there. I'll see how it holds up. Non Non Biyori: Wonderful scenery, nice character designs, good use of music. I like the little touches they add, like the preview being shown on a TV, while you see the characters not watching it (usually). Episode 4 was outstanding. Not so fond of the cute-little-sempai humour, but other than that I have no misgivings. Fun show. Always Looking Forward to these shows: Log Horizon is nothing special, but it's fun. I like the little things, like how monsters turn into loot. Akatsuki is adorable, but don't tell her I said that; she'd hate it. I'm actually curious in what direction they'll take the show. I just click with the show. I dislike ecchi fanservice. Noucome devoted an entire episode to panty peeking and it was hilarious. That's all you need to know about the show. It's clever, energetic, and absurd. I'd knock it up a notch, if the comedic timing were better, but many jokes overstay their welcome. Gingitsune had a slow start. I still liked it, because its style reminded me of shows I liked when I was a child (think mid to late seventies, early eighties). But the later episodes actually got better, and the last one I saw had some very interesting visual choices for their flashbacks. A word of warning, though: like, say, Tamayura, the show seems incapble of being mean. Unlike, say, Tamayura they sometimes try (never the main focus, though). When they do, they seem incredible naive. For me, that's part of the charm. Yozakura Quartet is quite good, too. I've seen the first series, and to be honest, I preferred that series' character design by a huge margin. The characters here look too childish for my liking, and coupled with the - IMO - intrusive ecchi fanservice, that's a bit... off-putting for me. But it's not that big a deal, and I think this re-boot actually does a better job with the setting, and maybe also with the story (though it's a bit early to tell). At the very least, they're even, though. Little Busters: Refrain is more enjoyable than I expected it to be after the first season. One of the first season's weaknesses was that the darker moments (sparse as they were) didn't really convince me; they felt either wooden or over-the-top. The second season gets it right. Add to that a more interesting visual style that tends towards the surreal at times, and an intriguing mystery, and I'm on board. I'm unreasonably fond of Unbreakable Machine Doll. I don't know why. I dislike 3D animation, but it doesn't bother me here. Why not? Cooky-cutter story and characters. Sure, it's executed with confidence, but that can't be enough can it? If I look at what the show actually does, I shouldn't like the show as much as I do. But I do. I'm mystified. I went into Miss Monochrome with the expectation to dislike it. Well, 5 minutes aren't a waste of time... This show is hilarious. The deadpan character type expertly executed. Never give up. It doesn't matter that you don't actually know what you're doing... Kill la Kill is fast paced and fun, and very good when it's good. However, it's also very annoying when it's annyoing. And so far, there's been more of the latter for me. But there's no way I want to miss the good moments. Also, Mako saves every scene she's in. BlazBlue: Alter Memory is fun gameservice for me. From the source material, it could have been a master piece. It isn't. But it's the next best thing: fast paced, fun, and indulgent. There's one character in particular I'm very curious about... Entertaining when I watch them, but I wouldn't really miss them: Outbreak Company is, like Noucome, a meta show. Unfortunately, it tries to be serious at times, which fails for me. It's still a fun watch. My favourite character would be the lizardman gardener. Tokyou Ravens is interesting at times, but mostly it's predictable. The 3D-animation stands out like a sore thumb, and the female lead is straight from the textbook with little extras... boring. But other than the 3D atrocities I like the show's visual style, and the plot is undemanding and engaging enough to pull me through. Superseisyu Brothers is... there. It passes the time. Nothing else to say about it. Samurai Flamenco has the misfortune of being about a genre that bores me to tears. The show itself is clever and funny at the worst of times, and hilarious at the best of times. I want to like the show more than I actually do, but I can't help it. I just find those masked heros... boring and non-descript. This show is funny, but it doesn't click with me. Pity. It deserves better. Magi 2 is pretty much the same as Magi 1 - which, for me, means alternately entertaining and eye-roll inducing. Eternally on the brink of being dropped, but never quite tripping over: KyoAni is on its way to become one of my least favourite studios. The latest episode of Kyoukai no Kanata was its silliest. It was also its best, and that's... sad. When it's trying to be serious, it's trite. When it's trying to be funny, it's embarrassing (imagine you're a teen, and your father tells dirty jokes to your friends - that's what the fanservice feels like to me). There's the rare moment, when the show isn't trying to prove that it's KyoAni show, and then it's actually good. I mourn the potential. The cards are stacked against Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio from the beginning. I'm not that interested in battle ships, and moefying them isn't an additional draw. There's that awful 3D trend again. Yeah. I tried it because of Uezu/Kishi combi: I thought it might surprise me like Kamisama Dolls did. It didn't. And yet... everytime I almost decide to drop it something happens that catches my interest. We'll see. Dropped: Strike the Blood is just about as generic as it can be. It might get better later; I won't find out. Coppelion has great setting visuals going for it. Other than that, nothing. I hate it's over-the-top dramatic tone. I wouldn't mind the school-uniform-in-a-radioactive-zone nonsense if the show didn't take itself so serious. But it does. Oh, well. Walkure Romanze. Did I mention I dislike ecchi fanservice? Then why did I even start this? Answer: I liked the character designs. ETA: I totally forgot that I watched and dropped Gallilei Donna. It's generally fluff, but the constant repetition of the name "gallilei" grates so much that I found the show unwatchable. One character with awful hairdo says the name so much that I suspect she used to be a Pokemon of that name... The Jury Is Out:/ Nagi no Asukara is very interesting, but the latest episode was so awful that it almost single-handedly undid what the show did right from the beginning. I'm going to stick with it, but I imagine it will be a rollecoaster ride. I'll love it in its quieter moments, but when everyone starts crying I'd better leave the room. Last edited by Dawnstorm; 2013-11-07 at 16:41.

2013-11-08, 13:51	Link #4
Flower Blooming on the mountain Join Date: May 2010 Location: Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light....	May as well add my current list. ^^ A List: Gingitsune; Golden Time. B List: Kyoukai no Kanata; Little Busters: Refrain; Nagi no Asukara; Kyosougiga. C List: Non Non Biyori. Carryovers: Monogatari Series Second Season (B List ranking); Hunter x Hunter (B List ranking). Still on trial: Outbreak Company; Tokyo Ravens. Dropped: Indestructible Machine Doll; Galileo Donna; Yozakura Quartet; Coppelion; Strike the Blood; Arpeggio of Blue Steel; Rwby; Yowamushi Pedal. Will watch later on: White Album 2. __________________

2013-11-09, 10:26	Link #6
SeijiSensei AS Oji-kun Join Date: Nov 2006 Age: 74	Having dropped both noitaminA shows this season, I'm left with just two -- Kill la Kill and Miss Monochrome. Both of them are hilarious, though Kill la Kill has a lot of depth in terms of satirizing the authoritarian aspects of Japanese culture. That is a recurring theme in Nakashima Kazuki's work like his script for Oh! Edo Rocket. All the seiyuu in this show are veterans, and it shows. At 27, Koshimizu Ami who plays the lead is one of the youngest members of this troupe. The antagonist is voiced by Ryouka Yuzuki, who turns forty in January. Miss Monochrome is a vehicle for Horie Yui with occasional guest appearances by other members of the "ever-17" group of seiyuu like Inoue Kikuko. It's the funniest anime short I've watched since Higepiyo. __________________ Taking Anime Seriously - Politics by the Numbers - Sports by the Numbers - MAL List - Avatars - Images

2013-11-07, 03:23	Link #3
Archaeon Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012	Outstanding Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai A masterpiece. Watch it for the plot.

2013-11-09, 10:08	Link #5
Kmos Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NY	All watched up to current episode unless mentioned and will continue to watch unless mentioned. Kuroko no Basuke - 9/10 Log Horizon - 9/10 Samurai Flamenco - 9/10 - lovely new series, great characters. Best anime OP song of the season by Spyair. Yowamushi Pedal - 8/10 - like the new sports anime and how it's introduced Kill la Kill - 8/10 Machine Doll wa Kizutsukanai - 8/10 - Reminds me of Saber Marionette kind of, sort of. Like the cute, zany ED. Kyoukai no Kanata - 6/10 - moe supernatural and don't know where it's going atm. Strike the Blood - 6/10 - nice setting, but story could be better, hope it picks up. Coppelion, Galilei Donna & Tokyo Ravens - 6/10 - slow starts for world setting and still feels like a waiting phase for something to happen. May drop in a few epis. Magi - 6/10 - my excitement for this series has waned. Valvrave - 5/10 - watching for mecha pew pew and some decent sounds otherwise ??? Kingdom - 9/10 - still awesome as it continues on and reach awesomer heights and beyond. Hunter x Hunter - 9/10 - still great, watching in batches.