First Look: Summer 2013

I’m not sure how I feel about this season. I feel like I’m watching a lot of different anime, but none of them really get me excited to watch. There are a couple exceptions like Nekomonogatari (White) and Watamote which peak my interest but I’m not sure they will be “Must watch” material in the end. I think the problem might be the number of moe anime. So let’s jump right to it and start giving my first impressions of this Summer’s anime lineup. As usual I’ll color coat everything to be a worth picking up, on watch, and dropped.

Blood Lad • Danganronpa Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei • Fantasista Doll • Gatchaman Crowds • Gen’ei o Kakeru Taiyou • Gin no Saji • Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou • Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai 3 • Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi • Kimi no Iru Machi • Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist • Nekomonogatari (White) • Senyuu 2 • Servant x Service • Tamayura ~More Aggressive~ • Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jo-Gakuin Koutou-ka C3-Bu • Uchouten Kazoku • Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!

Blood Lad
Episodes Watch: 3

I have to say that the summary and first episode didn’t have me terribly interested, but it soon grew on me. Blood Lad isn’t the best anime out there this season but it has some charms. The characters are pretty fun to watch and the story isn’t terrible. The comedic acts mixed with a little bit of action are enjoyable. It does have some ecchi moments but nowadays I wonder which anime don’t. The anime isn’t going to be anything special, or I strongly doubt it will be. I don’t know how long it can keep my interest with a very linear story and uninteresting characters. I would say if you have time go ahead and give it a shot because it isn’t on the lower end of my watch list.

Danganronpa Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei
Episodes Watch: 4

Danganronpa gives me a strange feeling of whether I like it or not. I am happy that it has a rather interesting storyline and can keep the anime moving along killing off one member nearly every episode. The art style is also rather fascinating because it tends to change dramatically. It goes from a typical anime style to a CG ragdoll look which is actually quite twisted and creepy, very fitting for an anime revolved around murder. The way they compensate for censorship by making blood bright pink is also a nice touch. I think keeping it the standard crimson red would be a bit of overkill anyway. However, it isn’t the best anime and it does seem to be lacking. With one character dying off each episode you don’t have much time to get to understand everyone’s situation. The personalities of each character are different but they don’t go much deeper as to why. I’m assuming that characters that manage to live will be fleshed out a little more. I’m going to watch this one till the end because I’m curious to see how the producers expect to finish things off and hoping it doesn’t end half assed.

Fantasista Doll
Episodes Watch: 2

I couldn’t even give this anime the standard three episodes. The moe characters and weird splice between fantasy and Yu-Gi-Oh kind of threw me off. I don’t know why I thought I might like it, but after watching a couple episodes I knew that the characters would do me in. I feel like nothing will actually happen in this anime and in the end everyone is going to get along hunky-dory. So a drop for me.

Gatchaman Crowds
Episodes Watched: 3

I’m not sure what I expected from this anime but I remember being very excited when I saw the trailers and read the summary. I’m happy to say that three episodes in and I’m still rather interested. The art style, character designs, and storyline all seem to have something special about them. The idea of GALAX is also kind of cool. It kind of takes social behaviors of people and turns it into something good. I know I would be very happy to have something like that on my phone, but also very scared. I can see GALAX becoming one of the main plot points in this anime and curious to see how it unfolds. It’s borderline worth picking up, so if you have even the slightest interest I would suggest giving it a go.

Gen’ei o Kakeru Taiyou
Episodes Watched: 2

Another anime that got me because of the characters, and a bit from the art style. Moe characters just don’t do it for me and the way they are depicted also gave me an unsettling feeling. It’s strange to say that have absolutely loving Madaka Magica, but even when the characters were breaking down or angry I couldn’t take them seriously. I honestly wanted to give it a shot after the first episode have such a gruesome death scene, but the second episode did me in. If you’re into moe and action then this might be one for you. Unfortunately I couldn’t be bothered to care about the characters so I dropped it.

Gin no Saji
Episodes Watch: 3

I’m really not sure why I am bothering to watch this anime. I have no interest in farm animals and if you watch the first three episodes it kind of feels like an educational anime. It may be because of the main character. While he doesn’t seem to be particularly special Gin no Saji is doing a good “coming of age” type story. Another anime that I don’t think is worth picking up until a final review, but it has potential. It also might teach me a thing or two about animals. I never knew piglets would compete for a teat and use only the one they first latched onto. The more you know.

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou
Episodes Watched: 4

I’m pretty excited about this anime because it’s a little on the weird side. I’m not looking for any type of romance or miracle happening because of the obvious bestiality but the mysteries. Although they kind of finished things off pretty quick finding the killer from episode one, I think the anime can continue to be interesting. It’s kind of nice not knowing what arc will happen next. At the same time it is also frightening because Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou can end up falling flat on its face. I’ll keep watching it on watch and predict a preferred watched rating.

Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai 3
Episodes Watched: 3

It’s the third season of The World God Only Knows and I have to say it is starting out to be the worst. I actually lost interest in the story and the idea of having rushed conquests kind of kills it for me. But I think what makes it the worst is the fact they randomly introduced new characters that he supposedly conquered that we’ve never seen. I would fine with that if two out of five of them weren’t considered in the main re-conquest. It kind of kills it when you’re watching him have a strong connection to a character you’ve never witness him conquering before. It’s like the anime is trying to push people to pick up the manga to fill in the plot holes. Although I have this one on watch till the end, I’m not happy about it.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi
Episodes Watched: 3

I actually didn’t watch this one until all three episodes were released because I completely forgot about it after watching the trailer. I was really excited and glad that I picked it up finally. The art style is very attractive and has some of the best lighting effects I’ve ever seen. I’m a little curious as to why everything seems to take place at dusk or sunset, but it’s pretty nevertheless. I thought the characters were pretty interesting and I was kind of happy to see how things progressed. They had a great mix of action, comedy, and drama. Then I watched the third episode and I Now I’m not too sure how I feel. It was interesting and definitely unexpected but I have no idea where they plan to go from here. The final lines of “I’m going to become a gravekeeper” is very open ended. Since the anime managed to get me curious, I feel I should honor that curiosity and keep it on watch.

Kimi no Iru Machi
Episodes Watched: 2

I watched the OVA before watching the first episode as suggested by people on Animetake. I’m really glad that I did because I would have been completely lost otherwise. I would have thought that the heroine was a complete jerk and had no sense of relationships. It is obvious that this anime will have a lot of drama but for once I’m actually excited to see how it progresses. It’s nice to watch a romance that has two people who know right from the beginning that they love each other. On top of that they actually have friends who seem to care about their relationship, expect for the heroine’s sister of course. I do have a little problem with the art style though. It’s nice to see an anime go back to the roots keeping it looking classic, but they could have tried a little harder. Multiple times I’ve noticed minor jumps in motion and inconsistencies. This may have been ok back in the day, but I feel now you can fix those without straying from the classic art style; a minor problem for a pretty solid romance anime.

Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist
Episodes Watched: 1

I don’t know why I thought I might like this anime. I knew right from the start it wasn’t going to be good and don’t have much to say other than it doesn’t fit my tastes. I don’t want to give it a negative review just because I have a biased opinion about the genre so I thought it would be a good idea to drop it early. I’m sure a couple of my other co-writers will give it a fair review in the end.

Nekomonogatari (White)
Episodes Watched: 3

If you haven’t started watching the Monogatari series all I have to say is, why do you hate yourself? Bakemonogatari is easily in my top five favorite anime. Nisemonogtari was entertaining but it didn’t have my favorite character Senjougahara in it and the toothbrush scene… well we don’t have to explain more than that. Finally, Nekomonogatari (Black) pulled everything together and made the characters come to life for me. The story continues with Nekomonogatari (White) and I couldn’t be happier where they are taking it. I’m very happy with the direction they are taking it and can’t wait to see more. I do miss Araragi but I think I can live without him for one season if it means more Senjougahara. Pick all of them up! Watch them! Love them!

Senyuu 2
Episodes Watched: 4

Again, if you haven’t picked up Senyuu there is a serious problem. It is easily the funniest anime short out there, and now that they came out with a season two I’m again falling off my chair laughing. It doesn’t need amazing art or a good story line to be one of the best comedies out there.

Servant x Service
Episodes Watched: 4

This anime reminds me a lot of Working!! (Hmm I wonder why)… It’s nice to see an anime that doesn’t take place in middle school or high school. The characters are in their twenties and working at an actual job. Something I can relate to even though I’m not working directly in public sector. All of the characters are funny and have their own charm. The sweet little stories are enjoyable to watch and kind of helps you unwind after a real life day of work. I’m keeping this one on watch and expect it to be a high priority watch by the end.

Tamayura ~More Aggressive~
Episodes Watched: 4

I’m a sucker for Tamayura and am happy to see that the second season can still get to me. The latest episode was very touching and I’m expecting a lot of great things from it. If you haven’t picked this one up and you’re a fan of slice of life I suggest giving it a watch. It has a lot of heart warming scenes that could bring a tear to your eye.

Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jo-Gakuin Koutou-ka C3-Bu
Episodes Watched: 4

At first I thought this anime was going to follow in the footsteps of K-ON but with airsoft instead of music until I saw the latest episode. I’m kind of happy that I decided to stick with it for one more episode before making my decision. I think that it might actually end up being more than people original anticipated. It does a great job switching art styles depending on what world Yura is in. C3 might end up being one of the better anime this season if it keeps heading in the right direction. I’m definitely keeping it on watch.

Uchouten Kazoku
Episodes Watched: 3

This is probably my fourth or fifth favorite anime of the season. Uchouten Kazoku comes with something different than the other anime this season. Heck its different than most anime out there. It does a pretty good job mixing fantasy with slice of life and has a mysterious story to keep people interested. The characters are unique and I’m kind of happy that the main character, Yasaburou, isn’t the stereotypical hero. He is actually rather selfish and doesn’t care much about his family’s status in society. He doesn’t go completely out of his way for his brothers but he does still care. He makes fun of them constantly and even tries to make them beg for his help. It’s a strange dynamic they have going but it works. I’m curious to see where this one ends up going.

Watashi ga Motenai no wa Dou Kangaete mo Omaera ga Warui!
Episodes Watched: 3

Watamote is probably one of my favorite anime this season. It’s a great dark comedy that kind of makes light of someone who is actually suffering from depression. I know that might sound a little harsh but they actually do a good job making it entertaining. I’m laughed during every episode and always look forward to the next. The opening is easily the best of the season and I’m probably going to grab it when it comes out. The ending is a little on the cute side and not as good but still enjoyable to listen to from time to time. The art style is also superb. I’m especially happy with the way they depicted Tomoki’s characters. He’s supposed to be rather popular because of his club activities and girls seem quite interested in him. However, the resemblance he has to his sister is uncanny. It goes to show that looks don’t make someone, though it doesn’t hurt. I think the person who summed it up quite well is HappyLeeErin, and I strongly suggest watching her first impression of Watamote (as well as her other videos!).