Hey D_S Whatcha Watchin’? Spring 2014

v. Spring 2014

Archive: Fall 2013  |  Winter 2014

Consider this just a way for me track my own thoughts in a regular fashion. I usually do this in a .txt .xls, but figured I may as well put it on Crymore and share it with the few of you that are interested.

Detailed “analysis” will be provided in weekly status updates on Crymore proper. But feel free to chat it up in this thread~

 

Current Show Ratings – v2.7

  • I’m sure you can figure out how this generally works on your own.
  • Scores are not based on the episode, but my overall impression of the series by that point.
  • If applicable, I will link the scores to the weekly anime update in which I talk about those episodes. Don’t expect things to match up perfectly; I don’t like being too predictable.

 

Dropped

Episode 01 Episode 02 Episode 03 Episode 04 Episode 05 Episode 06 Episode 07 Episode 08 Episode 09 Final Score
Baby Steps 7 Dropped Dropped
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou 5 Dropped Dropped
Fuuun Ishin Dai Shogun 5 Dropped Dropped
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka 4 Dropped Dropped
Haikyuu!! 7  Dropped Dropped
Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara 3 Dropped Dropped
Kenzen Robo Daimidaler 4 Dropped Dropped
Majin Bone 3 Dropped Dropped
One Week Friends (Isshuukan Friends) 9 Dropped Dropped
Sidonia no Kishi 4 4 4 3 Dropped Dropped

 

To the Bitter End

Episode 01 Episode 02 Episode 03 Episode 04 Episode 05 Episode 06 Episode 07 Episode 08 Episode 09 Final Score
Akuma no Riddle 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 7
Black Bullet 6 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 5
Blade and Soul 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 7
Captain Earth (cour 1) 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8
Gokukoku no Brynhildr 6 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 7 6
Hitsugi no Chaika 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5
M3 – Sono Kuroki Hagane (cour 1) TBD
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (cour 1) 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 TBD
Mekakucity Actors 6 7 6 5 5 4 5 4 4 3
No Game, No Life 10 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
selector infected WIXOSS 4  4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 4
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 7
Soul Eater Not! 9 9 8 8 9 9 9 9 9 7

123 thoughts on “Hey D_S Whatcha Watchin’? Spring 2014”

  1. Pretty good tastes this season Dark_Sage

    My top 5 (non-sequels) are:
    1. No Game No Life
    2. The World is Still Beautiful (Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii)
    3. Baby Steps
    4. One Week Friends (Isshuukan Friends)
    5. Nanana’s Buried Treasure (Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin)

    All of which are rated a 7 or higher by Dark_Sage.

    Reply
  2. Isshuukan Friends a 9?

    Come on, that show is just a much shitter version of half of Ef – a tale of memories.

    It’s so ridiculously overrated this season. The characters are all one-dimensional, and I especially want to punch the MC in the face.

    Reply
      • I’ll forgive you if you promise not to watch anymore of it. It’s for your own good.

        I really want to know why people like it. Is it the whole “heartwarming friendship” aspect? Because it comes off as cheesy and shallow rather than heartwarming.

        Reply
          • Yeah, I think I watched up to episode four and then just stopped, I might finish it eventually but it was just really boring. Nothing happens but it’s not like a moe SoL where things are really funny and cute so it’s still entertaining.

            Reply
            • Exactly. Normally I’m a sucker for these SoL character-driven stories (I liked Clannad, 5cms, anohana, ef, etc.), but I just can’t stand this show. Nothing happens, and the characters are all really awkward.

              And what’s the deal with the MC? Is he in love with the girl? I have no friggin’ idea at this point.

              Reply
              • Yeah, it was just a hassle to watch so I stopped. It was so boring and the MC was just so whiney all the time. The girl was kinda cute but I don’t really like the animation style enough to like her

                Reply
  3. I think Brynhildr’s OP (animation) alone makes it better than a 6. It’s almost too appropriate for the setting.

    Reply
    • I certainly don’t think so. The OP made me think it would be dark, gritty and have some sort of post-apocalyptic setting in some form or other.

      Instead I get some stupid shit where every episode/arc is basically the same. Lab sends a single witch to hunt them, thy get some visions which they misinterpret or whatever, then they beat the witch, etc etc.

      My opinion of the show took a nosedive after the 2nd or 3rd episode. Delivered on absolutely nothing I was hyped about.

      Reply
      • Hm? If I assume that you’ve watched to the last episode, you’ve seen three witches “sent from the labs”. One was looking for runaway witches, one was guarding something, and the other was taking a day off. I’m impressed that you’re able to think those are all the same.

        I realize that it would be spoilers, so I can’t say why it’s appropriate that they’re dying while the rest of the world is healthy and they look fine when the world looks destroyed around them, but it should be clear by the end of the season. At least, it’s safe to say that it will get darker and grittier.

        Reply
        • Well fine, I was exaggerating a bit, but I’m not lying when I say I find all their encounters with enemy witches incredibly dull.

          And I’ll take your word that it gets darker and hopefully better. Because at this rate, the pacing and foreshadowing seems so bad, it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere good.

          Reply
          • Well, you can take a peek at the manga. It’s scanlated past where the anime will likely end. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict the OP will remain the best part of the anime.

            The emphasis is never witch on witch action (except, in a different sense, for the bath scenes), and there’s more of the stuff you hate, but I do guarantee things like “the end of the world” will become a factor.

            Reply
      • It’s Shaft on enough downers to kill a horse. The story’s non-existent and the pacing even less so.

        The only decent parts in it were blatantly lifted from Bake, and the “we so deep” parts were even more cringey than Texhnolyze.

        Honestly, I’m curious to see what you find enjoyable from it.

        Reply
        • I don’t know. I found the otherworldly “dreamscape” in the second half of episode 4 rather intriguing. Kind of gave a Madoka/Shinsekai vibe.

          Reply
          • I stopped watching that show and have started watching Knights of Sidonia. Its a Macross Frontier type with its loli singer missing.

            Reply
          • yeah it’s honestly garbage, I really tried to give it a chance and forced myself to watch the first four episodes but it was too bad. no story/plot, just headtilts and bullshit.

            Reply
            • Is it really THAT bad? I mean sure, I’m not saying it’s anything above a 7, but after watching the likes of M3, Captain Earth, Black Bullet and Kanojo, it’s a goddamn relief to watch Mekakucity.

              Or maybe I just have bad taste.

              Reply
              • All those shows are shit too. I’m not comparing them to other shows. I came into City Actors with some expectations.
                1. It was shaft
                2. Fans said how good the manga was
                3. SHAFT killed parts of the show, etc.

                But of course, you should never trust fans. The show made me want to fall asleep.

                Reply
                • I came into it with expectations, and my expectations were absolutely trashed. It felt like no one involved cared about the show at all, and they just went through the motions because they were paid.

                  I think I’ll be happier if I never see another head tilt for the rest of my life. Just giving the manga a voice-over would have been better than what they did.

                  Reply
              • I’d put it at about equal with all of those except Black Bullet which is definitely better IMO. Black Bullet, while is pretty shitty, is at least entertaining with it’s cheap action and loli cuteness. Mekaku is just boring, it’s like a drinking game but you kill yourself everytime there is a pointless head tilt because at this point they are just trying to live up to their reputation for them

                Reply
      • Nobody enjoy that show unless you already read the manga or watched the PVs.
        MCA anime looks pretty terrible tho.

        Reply
  4. Captain Earth is the one show that’s pissing me off. I just saw it’s 25 eps long too – if it was only one cour I’d have finished it, but I’m probably going to drop it now.

    It’s corny. Really corny. The antagonsists are universally smug, sneering pricks and the main pair could easily be Jessie and James expies from Pokemon. They even fly off into the horizon with a twinkle of light when they’re defeated. And the show is full of goofy-as-fuck terminology, even by the standards of sci-fi shows, and all of it’s Engrish. There is so much stupid shit in this show. No Game No Life is full of stupid shit but it’s awesome. Captain Earth just doesn’t have the flair.

    The mecha battles are alright, though they make up about a fifth of the show at most. I did like that ridiculously unnecessarily complicated combining sequence too.

    Reply
    • His fucking boomerang is what go me the most annoyed. Like he has a mecha and some weird magic gun and he still carries a stupid boomerang with a holster and everything. I mean it’s no wonder he had no friends at his old school. And yeah it really is way too corny, it’s not funny because I feel like I am watching a kids show. ‘Belly Button Forte’, ‘libido’, ‘orgone energy’.

      /end rant

      Reply
    • Looks like someone’s never been exposed to A Midsummer Night’s Dream or to any Freud.

      Not that Captain Earth is a masterpiece by any means, but the fun lit references, which manage to build into an interesting commentary upon the sources of its terminology (as opposed to Evangelion-style willy-nilly misappropriation), make it a very satisfying watch for me. (It probably helps that I’m an omphalophiliac .)And that ED! The seminiferous ejeculate rolling down from the phallic sex organs of the pink-and-white lily, penetrating the surface of the mind and birthing the Anima Herself, who rises thence through the outspread legs of the virile masculine mech… Jesus fuck I need to go take a shower.

      Reply
  5. Anyone watching Mangaka-san to Assistant-san? That shit’s pretty funny though. Nonexistent plot but it makes you laugh, so it’s all good.

    Reply
  6. Is anyone still watching WIXOSS? I dropped it two episodes in, so I’m wondering if the recent episodes actually have any interesting Madoka/BRS level stuff.

    Reply
      • So is it significantly more interesting and tolerable than the first two episodes? Maybe I’ll pick it up again.

        Reply
    • Comparing the quality of the suffering in Madoka to that in BRS or WIXOSS is like comparing a fine glass of delicious Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny Cuvee Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru to that same glass of wine after I’ve drunk it, pissed it out, drunk it again, puked it back into the same glass, and then liberally infused the result with some of my Taco Bell shits.

      Reply
    • Blade and Soul is… Hmm, how to describe this…

      Okay, imagine like the IP owner of Blade and Soul was like “Hey random studio, make an anime. Here’s a summary of all the events we want to happen, the themes we want to touch on, and the general plot for you to follow. Everything else is up to you.” And everyone in this random studio decided to do their best to subvert the IP owner’s wishes.

      Like, there’s this one episode where we’re supposed to see MC-chan learn that the cycle of revenge is suffering. And to show this, the show has her taken under care of a couple whose daughter she killed. The guy part of the couple tries to kill her, but ends up killing his wife instead. So to atone, he shoots himself through the mouth with a fucking rifle, splattering MC-chan with his blood. No moral narrative, just blood everywhere.

      The themes of the show combined with what actually fucking happens makes the resulting episodes hilariously disjointed. But in spite of this tug-of-war going on behind the scenes, there is still enough lady skin shown to make it worth watching.

      Highly recommended.

      Reply
    • Only have Goku, Soul Eater, and Brunhildr releases on this comp. Might download M3 this weekend, but hotel internet is too slow to expect to download and watch something within the same week.

      Reply
      • It’s pretty awful so the first episode alone should give you enough reason to drop. The real thing you’re missing out on Knights of Sidonia, it’s way better than Captain Earth

        Reply
        • When I saw the previews for M3 and Black Bullet, I was expecting an epic, desperate “humanity’s back to the wall” type of struggle.

          Never have I been so wrong.

          Sidonia’s definitely much better (and I’m enjoying it), but it still isn’t as great as I thought. Maybe it’ll get better, but right now it’s just way too slow-paced. I’m also not feeling much of an “epic struggle for survival” vibe.

          Maybe I should stop trying to compare everything to Muvluv Alternative.

          Reply
      • I still found it a lot more bearable than some of the shows and am still watching it. I mean, it’s entertaining if you go in with low expectations. And like you said, tits.

        Reply
  7. Dark_Sage watching Nanana?

    I approve. One of the best shows this season next to NGNL and Isshuukan Friends, IMHO.

    And yes, Mahouka is shit.

    Reply
  8. You know, summer season is coming up in a few weeks. No matter how I look at it the season is less interesting than spring, but a few of the shows will likely be appreciated (Tokyo Ghoul, Akame ga KILL).

    http://livechart.me/summer

    The SAO sequel can be treated as a new series, since it’ll have a different setting and new main characters (aside from Kirito). Probably still will like it if you liked the first series and won’t if you didn’t, but for translation review purposes…

    Well, hopefully you’ll have more time for anime this summer.

    Reply
  9. Man, the ending of Lesbians with Knives is such bullshit;

    Spoiler:
    absolutely no one is allowed to die, not even when they’re very clearly killed on screen like Romeo and Juliet. Killing off Haru and and Nio and bringing them back to life a few minutes later just because was also terrible, not to mention the excuse given for Hsru and complete lack of excuse for Nio.

    Also, got to the end and still no lesbians, fuck this shit. Gochuumon has more lesbian undertones than this.

    Reply
      • I’d be inclined to share your sentiments if he hadn’t started with “Man, the ending of Lesbians with Knives is such bullshit.” For future reference, if you see someone on the internet mentioning a show you’re not completely caught up with, close the page and be done with it.

        Reply
        • I read two or three lines at a time, so, when there’s no break between “The ending is such bullshit; here’s what happened,” that advice is no good to me.

          Reply
    • Agreed. The ending was a massive cop-out. On the other hand, though, it was an anime-original ending and those are almost never any good.

      Reply
  10. Blade and Soul 13… Somehow the non-existent budget for something clearly planned as an OVA made it just that much better. Nearly made me forget about the previous few eps of the series.

    Reply

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