First Look: Fall 2014
The fall season is filled with some pretty interesting, and not so interesting anime. I have to say that I haven’t been very excited to watch any of the new shows with a couple exceptions. Most of my focus will probably be on second season shows this time around. Hopefully you all are keeping up with this season and can let me know what YOU think about the series so far! Per usually this is my on watch, dropped, and worth picking up anime!
Akatsuki no Yona • Amagi Brilliant Park • Danna ga Nani wo Itteru ka Wakaranai Ken • Denki-Gai no Honya-san • Donten ni Warau • Gugure! Kokkuri-san • Hitsugi no Chaika • Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de • Kaitou Joker • Kiseijuu • Log Horizon 2 • Magic Kaito 1412 • Mushishi Zoku Shou 2 • Psycho-Pass 2 • Sanzoku no Musume Ronja • Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso • Shirobako • Terra Formars • World Trigger
Episodes Watched: 3
I’m actually looking forward to how this anime turns out because they tease to a very badass Yona at the beginning. Unfortunately we have yet to see her new transformation and we’re currently stuck with a very whiney, rather useless Yona. I’m holding onto the hope that meeting the new characters will bring new life to this series because three episodes in we have yet to find one. The only problem I see is the pacing. It has taken this long to establish a decent background for Yona, Hak, and Soo-won, yet we have a ton of other characters to get through. Hopefully this turns out to be a pleasant surprise with some good action and romance #TeamHak.
Episodes Watched: 4
Probably my favorite of the new series this season. I’m really enjoying the characters, unique story, beautiful animation, and mysterious backstory. Of course the backstory has to be tragic and there is going to be a great reveal as to who our main character truly is, but until them I’m enjoying the ride of laughs and excitement. I can’t see this anime going off the deep end so I’d suggest picking it up this season if you haven’t already.
Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken
Episodes Watched: 4
I’m really keeping this going because the episodes are so short and it has given me a couple chuckles and smiles. It isn’t all that great so I wouldn’t suggest picking it up, but it has its moments. I’m actually quite interested in a story about an otaku husband and his very normal wife. It’s fun watching her explain to her friends why her husband is so weird, or why she even bothered to marry him. Yet there is something about her smiling and looking at him so sweetly that brings the warm and fuzzies to my heart. If you’re looking for something short, sweet, and a little crude than this might not be a bad choice. I’ll probably not be reviewing this one in full since it’s difficult to say much about a short, but I’ll probably be tweeting about it quite often if you want to catch me there.
Episodes Watched: 2
I’m mostly dropping this one because of time restraints because it was borderline funny. It was a bit too ecchi for my tastes and not at all what I was expecting. Dneki-Gai no Honya-san did have some pretty funny parts but nothing to really make me laugh out loud or chuckle. I’m sure that there are plenty of other people checking this one out so don’t worry about catching a full review somewhere else. As for me I’ll be dropping this one.
Episodes Watched: 1
It’s pretty rare for me to drop an anime after one episode, but Donten ni Warau was extremely boring for me. There was nothing about it that I enjoyed and the three brothers weren’t really in my style of characters. I’m sure it will have some sort of story going on in the near future (or possible now), but a series with zero grip in the first episode I’d find hard to believe will be worth watching.
Episodes Watched: 4
Easily my favorite comedy of the season. It’s pretty rare for me to be caught off guard with punchlines in anime since I’ve watched so many, however, Gugure! Kokkuri-san gets me every time. I’ve laughed on every episode and always excited to watch more next week. It’s a great mix of sweet and sour that’s only exemplified with brilliant voice acting. I’d suggest anyone to pick this one up especially with some of the more dramatic anime this season.
Episodes Watched: 1
I’ve only watched one episode but I know I’ll be watching this one till the end. I was actually looking forward to a second season after the first ended. I’m happy that it was released so soon, and I definitely suggest anyone to check out the first season if you get the chance. It may actually surprise you how it turns out.
Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de
Episodes Watched: 1
Another anime I’ve only watched one episode of but want to watch for the rest of the season. I know by the time I post this four other episodes have already been released, but I figured why wait holding off the inevitable? As I mentioned in the preview I’m actually quite interested in the plot and the first episode caught my attention enough to continue. Hopefully I haven’t jumped the gun too early on this one!
Episodes Watched: 2
I’m actually sad to say that I wont be watching this one for the season. The series was a blast to the past and reminded me a lot of some of the older anime I watched as a kid. I really liked the nostalgia kick but not enough to keep going. Still I’m sure this is a good anime and really have nothing against it.
Episodes Watched: 3
I’m pleasantly surprised with how the series is going. It’s evolved into something much more interesting than I expected and see a lot more plot development happening. They do a rather good job keeping the anime uncensored while still offering some pretty gruesome gore which other anime this season have failed to do. I don’t have too many concerns when it comes to this one except the main character. He seems to step up to the plate when he needs to, but still that awkward, geeky kid anime seem to love. I was debating whether I would suggest people to pick Kiseijuu up this season and ultimately came to the conclusion that the main character might hold the series back.
Episodes Watched: 3
I still can’t believe how much I enjoy this series. I was overjoyed to see a second season and so far I’m not disappointed. They jumped right into the next arc and the character development is getting a lot better. I’m glad they are exploring a lot more support characters this time to spread the informative love. If you haven’t watched the first season go pick this that up right away. Don’t fall into the “it’s just another SAO clone” bandwagon. It’s truly something different and I’m excited to watch it.
Episodes Watched: 1
Another one that I really wanted to keep watching but alas had to throw down because of time. It really does remind me of Lupin III and I enjoyed the first episode a lot. The animation was very old school with some great voice acting and intriguing backstory. Hopefully if I find time I can marathon this one right at the last second, but I don’t think I’d have enough time to do a review anyone. If anyone else is watching this please let me know what you think! I’d be happy to hear your thoughts.
Episodes Watched: 2
If you haven’t started watching Mushishi I suggest dropping all of your backlogged anime and start this one right away. I’m thankful that one of my friends suggested I pick it up because I fell in love with it instantly. I’ve seen and read so much about it but never experienced the magic until recently. It has some of the best one episode stories of any series I’ve seen, and the soundtrack is phenomenal. I couldn’t contain believe how short the second season and felt empty when I watched the final episode. I couldn’t explain my excitement when I saw another season was being released. I urge you to pick this series up as soon as possible, you wont be disappointed!
Episodes Watched: 2
It’s pretty obvious that I would suggest people to pick this series up. It is probably one of the best thrillers in recent years and only getting better. The first two episodes pull you back into the world of the Sybil System and doesn’t let go. Psycho-Pass is both visually and mentally stimulating. I can definitely see entire classes dedicated to ideology discussions of a completely monitored world. I actually might go back and rewatch the last few episodes of the first season just to refresh my memory again in case I’m missing something important. I can definitely see this anime pulling a lot from the previous season as a main plot point. That being said, if you haven’t started this series now would be the perfect time!
Episodes Watched: 3
I was a bit hesitant to keep this on my watch list, but little Ronja was just too darn cute to pass up. I can’t say I’m a big fan of the CG art style but it definitely has all the beauty of a classic Ghibli film. Although I might have seen this being a better movie than a series, I’m always excited to see what Ghibli has in store. It seems like it could be a very touching story about a girl exploring the world. I know it may be difficult to get past the CG, but I really suggest giving this one a shot, it may surprise you.
Episodes Watched: 1
I’m mostly picking this one up because it reminds me a lot of Kids on the Slope which I enjoyed quite a bit, and a splash of Nodame Cantabile which I also enjoyed. I’m sure there will be ups and downs and it wont have quite the same impact considering they are in middle school, but let’s not judge a book by its cover shall we? I can’t say for certain but all of the main characters are really enjoyable and all have their own person quirks which make them unique. More importantly they are all skilled in some way or another so you don’t fall into the trap of the self-pitty party. My biggest fear is that the series will be end up in a vortex of drama where she-likes-him-but-other-guy-likes-her-and-first-guy-likes-another-girl sort of deal. Love triangles are overplayed and love squares are even worse. Honestly though I think this one will be a pleasant surprise with the non-cliché drama from just watching the first episode.
Episodes Watched: 3
Another anime I had to drop because of time restraints. The first three episodes didn’t catch my attention to keep going. I don’t’ really have anything bad to say about the series, but nothing good either. From the first three episodes I see it being a low priority watch at best. If it weren’t for all the second seasons this time around I probably would have kept watching. Sadly a drop for now.
Episodes Watched: 3
I actually didn’t expect to drop this one. I read a few chapters of the manga and found it quite interesting. I figured that it would be a bit like Deadman Wonderland in the sense the action scenes would be a lot better in animated form. Then I realized that anime censors the ever living hell out of series to the point where you are watching a black screen for a majority of the episode. And yes that is exactly why I dropped this one. I know that there can be better ways to express gore without just blocking out the entire scene. It pulled me way too much out of the anime and my attention started to drift. They also skipped a lot of back story which proved vital in later chapters. For a series like Terra Formars they need the audience to become attached to the main characters otherwise a lot of key scenes will be underplayed. I hate to be that guy but the manga did it better.
Episodes Watched: 2
I absolutely could not stand this show. I hated the characters with the passion and it had some of the corniest lines. The animation wasn’t all that great other than one or two fight scenes that lasted a few seconds. It’s as though the series wanted to create a villainous good guy but went about it all the wrong ways. Arrogance can work for a character, but not to the point of annoyance. I wanted to punt that little kid in the teeth with that stupid face he always made. The opening was really cool and the PV seemed neat, but I’m definitely dropping this one for good.