Winter 2014 W5: Take it or leave it

This post was written by Dark_Sage. He is Dark_Sage.

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I meant to write this yesterday, but I ended up eating a bagel instead. (I ship cinnamon raisin x butter.)

Yeah, this is sort of like what I posted last week, but with more anime pics this time. W6 won’t be as lazy. Maybe.

 

Watch (10/10)

Sekai Seifuku – Bouryaku no Zvezda

Believe in the character designs and they will believe in you.

Sekai Seifuku - Bouryaku no Zvezda

If you’re not into stupid, mindless fun, this won’t be the show for you. But if you like, say, Kill la Kill for what it is, I think you’ll dig this one too.

This is pure entertainment, with all the baggage that comes with it.  (‘Course we all know Dark_Sage only flies first class, baby. Baggage ain’t much of a problem for me.)

 

Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta – The Pilot’s Love Song

If this show doesn’t end in tragedy, it’ll be the worst thing to happen to anime since Miyazaki didn’t kill himself in the 80s.

Broken promises, best promises
Broken promises, best promises

Here’s the deal: you’ve got drama, romances doomed to failure, murder, more murder, and an MC who may actually not puss out like the shitty fucking pedophile-pandering Japs always fucking do goddammit Japan why the fuck won’t you give us another goddamn Lelouch you useless motherfucking soppy soapless assholes, hugs, friendship, and love.

But even though Japan always ruins whatever the hell they get their greasy palms on, there is one thing that makes me think this series will live up to its premise. And that is the faces:

Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta 2 Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta 3 Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta 4 Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta

The series belabors the point that Kal-el’s fucked up, and that shit cannot end well. And so, I am putting all my faith in these raw displays of emotion, in the hopes they are significant and not just a case of the animators getting bored.

Japan, please do not fucking let me down on this one. I will buy as many plastic anime girls as you want, just let this show be good.

 

 

 

Watch (9/10)

Mikakunin de Shinkoukei

Moe may not be what’s killing anime, but it sure as hell is what’s killing my nutbladder.

Mikakunin de Shinkoukei - Engaged to the Unidentified
God, I wish. Holy fuck.

The series is cute. It is just too fucking cute.

Oh my hngh
H N G H

I don’t know what to say. It’s cute. Watch this.

 

Hamtaro Season 2

This is a low-budget, poorly executed Darker than Black X Psycho-Pass crossover. And it’s sorta okay.

Hamatora 1 Hamatora 2

Though the plot is legitimately good, the series suffers from the unfortunate designation of being fujoshibait. So rather than focusing on a core set of characters with depth who are called in to solve legitimate problems…

...we get stupid shit like this.
…we get stupid shit like this.

While I’m fine with fanservice (and think Free! was top-tier), the series is way too scatter-brained to be considered good.

That being said, I think you should watch it. Though it often falters, there’s enough in the show by way of plot and themes that it’s worth your time to experience. And if the staff ever end up finding their stride, we’ll be in for a treat.

Just don’t expect too much, because you’ll likely be disappointed.

 

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha

This is a romcom without much rom… and I guess the com’s rather limited too, considering Japan’s shit taste.

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
It’s funny because she thinks he’s trying to molest her, and he’s totally not. lol! w!

But, like Kamisama Kiss, this series is just too sweet to hate. Did you watch Kamisama Kiss like I told you to? If not, fucking do that, then come back to this post and be all “Whoa, a show like Kamisama Kiss? Fuck yeah, this is my jam, say no more Dark_Sage!”

Cuz, like, I don’t really wanna write any more than what I already have. I’m already late for fansub reviews. :x

 

Sakura Trick

Sakura Trick

This series has absolutely nothing but cute girls rubbing up on each other and sharing saliva.

Sakura Trick 2

I highly recommend it.

 

 

 

Don’t Watch (1/10)

No-Rin

No-Rin

Shit sux.

Space Dandy

Space Derndy

Shit sux.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren

Chuunibyou_demo_Koi_ga_Shitai!_Ren

Shit sux.

ImoCho – Recently, My Sister is Unusual

Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga.

Shit sux.

Mahou Sensou – Magical Warfare

Mahou Sensou – Magical Warfare

Shit sux.

Nisekoi

Nisekoi

Shit sux.

Nobunagun

Nobunagun

Shit sux.

Noragami

Noragami

Shit sux.

Super Sonico the Animation

Super Sonico The Animation

Shit sux.

Witch Craft Works

Witch Craft Works

Shit sux.

Z/X Ignition

ZX Ignition

Shit sux.

D-Frag!

D-Frag!

Shit sux.

Buddy Complex

Buddy Complex

Shit sux.

Buddyfight

Future Card Buddyfight

Shit sux.

Nobunaga the Fool

Nobunaga the Fool

Shit sux.

Wizard Barristers – Benmashi Cecil

[Doki] Wizard Barristers - Benmashi Cecil - 03 (1280x720 Hi10P AAC) [FABF7564].mkv_snapshot_03.02_[2014.01.30_11.39.49]

Shit sux.

Houzuki no Reitetsu

Hoozuki no Reitetsu

Shit really sux.

 

 

Thoughts, graphed

Somebody asked for this in 3D, so I obliged. I think this is how it works.

Temp_Graph_4_3D

Enjoy.

40 thoughts on “Winter 2014 W5: Take it or leave it”

  1. That Sekai Seifuku description is certainly rage inducing. Reminds me of every single comments on MAL about KLK and that show: ”STOP THINKING U MORON! :(”. Good job.

    Reply
    • Well it’s accurate, isn’t it? If you don’t like what KlK’s going for, you won’t like Sekai either. If you do, you will. Simple as that.

      I don’t expect people to agree with everything I say, but hopefully I can at least provide detail around series such that people can take another look at shows they would have otherwise ignored.

      Reply
        • Well, yes, but a 5-page deconstruction of Sekai Seifuku isn’t going to sway anyone’s opinion; it’ll just be preaching to the choir. This post was basically me making one last “hey, maybe you should check these series out; they’re pretty good” plea before the season gets too far out that people aren’t interested in catching up.

          I’ll be switching up the format next week, so maybe I’ll touch on those interesting themes you mentioned.

          Reply
    • I wanted to focus on the few standout series in this week’s post. Obviously I don’t hate everything that I gave a “1/10”, but I don’t think telling people to watch everything this season would be very effective. Had to draw a line somewhere.

      Reply
      • But putting Noragami in the same category as Wizard Barristers or Buddyfight is like topping that Bruegger’s cinnamon raisin with mentaiko, apple sauce, and shaving cream.

        Reply
  2. 90s. What kind of weirdo wants Miyazaki to kill himself before he made Mononoke?

    I suppose there’s an argument to be made that Spirited Away was worth four more years of Miyazaki fakery, but I don’t buy it.

    Reply
      • Kaguya-hime justifies everything Ghibli’s ever done. It also justifies the existence of Japan, and completely exonerates every war crime and artistic atrocity the country has ever committed. If Hitler had made Kaguya-hime, Hitler would have gone down in history as one of the good guys, on balance.

        Reply
        • If you’d like to put up an entertaining battle you could start by attacking the postulate that all Disney movies are garbage, which is demonstrably false [Disney makes a LOT of garbage, but anime wouldn’t exist without Disney and nobody who knows squat about the art of animation would call most Disney theatrical features “garbage”], and point out that this maxim is generally deployed only by butthurt anime nerds who want to distinguish their Intellectual Animu from Western “cartoons” because they’re too insecure to call a spade a shovel.

          “Waaah, waaah!” you could sing-song mockingly, tongue wagging and ballerina-bent hands akimbo. “Dark_Sage is a BIG BABY who only watches ANIME and is too good for CARTOONS the same way he’s above STUPID GIRLS! CryMore.GET!” Then you might want to wedgie him for literal butthurt like the tasteless elitist prick he would, in this scenario, be.

          All of this is strictly hypothetical, of course. Only if you wanted to entertain us.

          Reply
    • The great thing about Nobunagun is that it has no right to be as awesome as it is. Aside from the slightly interesting premise of historical figures being used to fight in modern times (and it’s not like that’s not been done before), it’s fairly generic, and the art isn’t great, and the characters are pretty flat most of the time. But somehow it manages to make me giddy every episode. I still rewatch the end of the first episode just because Shio going pyscho mode on all the Invasion Objects is so badass, and the music is great too.

      Though I’m still waiting for an anime with a female protagonist that goes from moe to monster as hard as Fear from C3 does.

      Reply
      • I like it, but I’m not sure I like it. There’s a strange blend of charm and mediocrity and I’m really confused over which is gonna win out. Hopefully the former, since it’s got some really cool shit going for it.

        Reply
  3. >Did you watch Kamisama Kiss like I told you to?

    I was waiting for Anime-Koi to finish the batch. Doesn’t seem like it will happen.

    Reply
  4. You have 9/10 and 10/10 for the Watch, can you at least have 2/10 over 1/10 for the don’t watch?

    I’m not saying that I like most or even any of those shows, but I don’t think it’s fair to put them in the same tier as Houzuki no Reitetsu.

    Reply
    • Originally I had Take It (9-10/10), Leave It (1-5/10), and Take It or Leave It (6-8/10). But that started to get way too long. The intended effect here was to highlight a few shows that I thought may have missed their intended audience and deserved a shot at getting people into them (well, Sakura Trick didn’t much need the help I guess). And the easiest way to do that was what I ended up doing.

      Reply
  5. If this show doesn’t end in tragedy, it’ll be the worst thing to happen to anime since Miyazaki didn’t kill himself in the 80s.

    LOL. I’ve been on the edge about following your blog and now I think you’ve got yourself a new follower. Glad I’m not the only one that has watched several Miyazaki movies and doesn’t like them and sees them more like Japan’s Disney’s movies– and at least to me, much worse.

    I might pick up Sekai Seifuku and Mikakunin thanks to your post.

    Reply
  6. Sekai Seifuku is my AOTS all the way. I hate that it’s apparently going to have 13 episodes when both Nisekoi and Nobunaga the Fool (2 of the worst shows this season) will each have at least 24.

    Reply

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