Fall 2016 – Initial Impressions

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Okay boys and girls — it’s time to wrap up the preview week with a rundown of everything the season has in store… well, almost. Unlike other seasons, I’ve trimmed down my watching list quite a bit (it used to be 15-odd shows, but now it’s nearly half that number). But 7 shows is still enough to make a reasonably “able” list of titles. And indeed, this season is surprisingly capable in just the first week alone. I may have been a little unimpressed at the titles at first glance, but all of these shows have given me reason to think otherwise. A good chunk of these shows are original titles, and it’s surprising that these titles are pretty strong contenders. I really hope this season keeps things up, because as it stands I’m totally looking forward to it.

So let’s run things down, starting with the shows that gave the most distinctive impressions: Continue reading →

Fall 2016 – Previews (Part 4)

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Oops. This is a little late because I got a little busy over the weekend. Nevertheless, all the shows are in, and it’s finally time to wrap up this Fall 2016 preview guide. I honestly wasn’t expecting to hit my regular 4-part preview post, but hey, there WERE two shows thrown into the mix that I had no intention of watching. To round things up, we’ve got parallel worlds and (not so) parallel boobs, er… ghouls? I dunno what that last one is about, really, but yeah here goes– Continue reading →

Fall 2016 – Previews (Part 3)

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Oh yes. Oh, oh yes.

It’s finally here. Sound! Euphonium 2 is just as grand a production in as graceful an execution as you’d expect, and its first episode comes to us as an extended pilot viewing. But that’s not the only thing that wowed me for this third installment of previews. Yet again do I catch wind of “that one show”, and this time around it’s about ice skating and flabby abdomens. Yup, I’m talking about Yuri!!! on Ice, which for many reasons has reignited my interest in this year’s fall offerings. I may have said I thought this season was dull, but boy was I delightfully misinformed. Continue reading →

Fall 2016 – previews (Part 2)

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Anime shows are always like this. Even though you tell yourself you’re only gonna watch “x” number of shows, you always get wind of that “one show” everyone’s talking about. I don’t like bandwagons or hype, but man was I glad I didn’t miss the chance to watch this. Of course, I’m referring to Izetta: The Last Witch. But this isn’t going to be another “preview” masquerading as a “previewS”. There’s actually one other show I’m going to be sharing today, and it just so happens to fit quite well with Izetta, it being about spirits and the demon realm. Continue reading →

Fall 2016 – Previews (Part 1)

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Correction: it should be PREVIEW minus the “s”. Yep, there’s only one show in this preview. So why don’t I just title it Preview of [show name]? Consistency, my friend. I’m a victim of OCD, bring me some Sertraline.

The other reason is that all the other shows I plan on watching air much later in the week. That and the fact that I’m only planning on watching five shows this season… unless someone insists that I check out so-and-so. But yeah, this post is just an extended preview for the first episode of — Continue reading →

Summer 2016 – season end ranking

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I disappeared this season. Yeah, I know. But I was still watching animu. You can never stop watching animu. But regardless of how dedicated you are to watching (or undedicated to writing), this season felt like a chore to get through. Not really because the shows weren’t any good to begin with, but because their best moments really only took place in the last few episodes. That said, anyone who lacked the patience might have skipped out on a legitimately good show had it not been for a mix of odd pacing, boring plot flows, and wishy-washy animation. For whatever reason you had in dropping a show mid-season, you might want to think about picking it up again after reading the season end ranking. Because frankly, quite a number of shows I would have dropped out of frustration (or boredom) actually turned out pretty well. Good things come to those who wait, apparently, and that was no different for this season’s batch of misfits. So how did they do? Let’s run ’em down, from worst to best!

Continue reading →

Not dead (no, really…)

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Okay, the last post I ever wrote was the opening to the Summer. It’s Fall now. Yes, this is me. Get used to it.

But as life goes on, so does this blog, and ever do I find myself floating back, itching to write down a thought or two. It seems that new seasonal offerings always spark a sort of interest to talk about something, even if the prospects of the upcoming season aren’t exactly all too exciting, so to speak.

But there’s a lot to talk about. For one, I was able to watch Kingsglaive about a month ago when it premiered in the cinemas. There’s a whole lot of discussion going around as to whether or not Final Fantasy XV will truly be worth the time (and effort), but fans are telling critics otherwise.

Back to the seasonal offerings, I only have about five shows I’m interested in, three of which are actually sequels. I’m also planning to do a rundown of the (massive) season that I sort of trudged through, which although was not as exciting as it should have been (which was to be expected) was nonetheless entertaining to a certain extent.

But why the sudden desire to write again? Well, most of it probably boils down to the fact that I’m on sabbatical in the United Kingdom. So far, the UK is turning out to be a very lovely place. The weather isn’t as disagreeable as many people make it sound, and the people are ridiculously friendly.

So yeah, I’m gonna try this one more time with the expectations of things blowing up in my face (as they always have). Yeehaw!

Summer 2016 – Initial Impressions

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Okay, so let’s go through what we’ve got this Summer. To be honest, I wasn’t very excited for this season. Perhaps the only thing that really caught my attention was Food Wars! since it’s a manga that I’m actually following. Everything else is pretty much a wild card – even the “venerable” Psycho Mob 100 which is, apparently, the show “to look out for” (most likely because of its OPM roots). Times like these are pretty much shooting in the dark, and though I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the results, there weren’t that many shows that I could honestly say weren’t very good save for a few. And these shows were probably just formulaic and, well, not very engaging. I’ve wondered for a while if it’s because I’m getting older (one of the shows I decided to drop was a Visual Art’s/KEY work, which used to be a non-negotiable probably 10 years back), but either way it’s been a steady first week, but really just one wild card after another.

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But before everything else, I’d like to apologize for disappearing last season. I mentioned in my previous Spring impressions that I was utterly floored at how writers are able to do the things that they do every season — and that still holds today. The difference is that I’m not a professional writer — I just like to rant about anime and share my thoughts. With that put into perspective, I’m a little more pragmatic as far as how frequently I can update the site. Either way, all that matters is the anime — so enough talk, and let’s do this! Continue reading →

Summer 2016 – Previews (Part 4)

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It’s the final stretch for the summer previews. I honestly wanted to put another four in this round up, but the remaining titles didn’t inspire me as much, so I’m finishing off this list with three more titles: a psychic, a bunch of cops, and a father and daughter. Summer 2016 really is an odd mix of titles, and I’m kinda amiss to guess where any of these titles are headed. It’s a wild card game indeed, but that ain’t stopping us from having fun. Let’s do this!

Psycho Mob 100

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Coming from the mind that brought us One Punch Man, Psycho Mob 100 easily falls into a very peculiar demographic, what with its decidedly unique character designs and off-the-wall humor. There’s a mix of hype and high expectations when this is paired with the talents of Studio BONES, but this first episode hardly meets any of that. For one, it’s quite dull, underwhelming and pretty much not that engaging. Apart from the hit and miss comedy, there’s the obviously sloppy-looking character designs that might not exactly be inviting for the average viewer. But for its worth as an animation, this is definitely top tier. Continue reading →

Summer 2016 – Previews (Part 3)

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The shows just keep coming! For this preview, two Visual Art’s/Key shows, more OP teens, and dancing puppets. Yes, that sounds very weird, but that’s exactly what this season is shaping up to be — weird and markedly divisive. Oh well, let’s break it down!

Rewrite

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It’s been a while since I’ve watched anything that was based off of a Visual Art’s/KEY visual novel, but I don’t recall them ever being this kooky. The brand has seen better days with memorable titles like CLANNAD and Kanon. The more recent titles like Angel Beats and Little Busters were either divisive or overly esoteric. Rewrite seems to continue that trend of eccentric storytelling that makes me wonder if it’s just me growing out of stories like this or just the brand being its good ‘ole self. For one, it plays off like Continue reading →