Sorry for the tardiness on this post! Here are my thoughts on some of the animes I watched this season! This post includes the first 7 shows that I finished, while my Part 2 post will include the last 8. Look in the tags for the shows covered in this post, and check under the cut to see my thoughts!
Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace (8.0 / 10)
This is a middle-of-the-road, yet enjoyable show directed by Seiji Kishi; it had interesting ideas with up-and-down execution.
The animation wasn’t amazing, but not bad either. It has the standard look of a Lerche show, but with some interesting visual touches (mixture of dark and bright colors / lighting / textures, skull & butterfly imagery, background people appearing as silhouettes, stage-play scenes, etc.) OP & ED songs were also great (with ED definitely being my favorite ED of the season).
The characters were definitely a quirky bunch, ranging from the main trio including Kobayashi (who’s so bored with his life that only life-endangering activites excite him), to the strange supporting cast like the Shadow Man who wears a paper bag on his head...
The story starts out with episodic gory mysteries, then goes into the Twenty Faces overarching story (which involves themes of punishing those the law cannot [& shortcomings of the law]). The events of the latter story are a bit predictable, but still kept my interest.
There’s a lot of “messed-up” traits going on withinin the mysteries (along with character traits)! It plays with some of Edogawa Ranpo’s tropes: mutilation, bondage, S&M, love, sexual themes, etc! (as this series is inspired by his literature. I haven’t read any of his stuff, btw)
The 11 episode limit hinders its overall execution a bit though; certain character development & plot lines could’ve gone into more detail or foreshadowed better (the “twist” involving the autopsy girl towards the end comes to mind).
While not without its flaws, this show was still a fun time for me! It’s not one of this season’s heavy hitters by any means, but this show was still interesting and worthwhile for me. It’s a really solid effort overall!
GATE: And So, The Self Defense Force Fought [Cour 1] (8.0/10)
This was a solid show overall; it’s a nice approach to a harem with fantasy and military elements.
Also, I really liked how the main human characters were in young adults (low-30s) in the military!!! This was a really nice change of pace for me! (regardless of certain ones being otakus). The fantasy characters are still in that typical 17-18 yr old range though (or at least physically appear that way).
The animation / art has that typical A-1 Pictures art-style to it (which isn’t a bad thing!) but also drawn to accommodate older characters.
There is nice lighting & character rendering, and had its moments of fluidity as well. There’s not as much action as you’d think, since there’s a lot of low-movement scenes (which isn’t a bad thing).
The characters were fun! They had a mix of different personalities (along w/ a slight language barrier). Itami is kind of a dense harem lead but not that bad at all (and somewhat relatable in a weird way?). Itami’s military co-workers are a fun foil to him too personality-wise, despite not getting much focus themselves.
I liked the main 3 girls as well (Lei Lei is my favorite), but Rory always talks like she’s horny, and I wish Tuca had more to do. Pina was alright (& got an decently-funny quirk by the end :P )
The plot / premise is quite interesting; i like the two-worlds aspect and the clash of different technologies. It can definitely be very Japanese-nationalistic at times (i.e. Japan seen as overpowered. There’s possibility for weakness shown though). Seeing the interactions between the two sides (and them learning about each other) is also a large appeal for me.
There’s lots of military talk; sometimes strategy, sometimes diplomatic talks and other times about weapons.
THIS SHOW SHOULD’VE BEEN 2-COUR; I’VE BEEN LIED TO
Joking aside, this half was pretty solid (despite no real wow-factor yet). I’m looking forward to the rest in the winter season!
Ore Monogatari! (8.5 / 10)
This was a really nice & well executed romantic comedy! It’s a nice breath of fresh air in this genre, and It’s so sweet and sugary it’ll give you cavities~
It’s the kind of show to put a big fat smile on your face… the show is sometimes cheesy but you can’t help but smile!
The art & animation by Madhouse was really good! They’ve done some really good visuals in recent years, that’s for sure!
Visuals was super bright with pastel colors, and mostly consistent with fluid movements… it just looked really nice!
The character designs were cute too! It took me a while to get used to Takeo’s look, but i think that was the point considering his character.
I also liked the typography that added to characters’ thoughts next to their heads (like in Akatsuki no Yona)!
The story was following the first year of the relationship between Yamato and Takeo! I really liked seeing their many trials & successes.
I liked how it only took 3 episodes for them to confess! The focus was more on the relationship itself, which was nice to see.
The progression of the show is very slice-of-life… there’s a lot of kinda petty drama, but it didn’t really need big drama to begin with. Their relationship progresses slow & steady, but at times you could argue that the episodic stories gets a little old…? (It didn’t bother me too much, though.)
The characters were super great and a big reason of this show’s success!
Everyone is just such a good person!!! Takeo cares so much for Yamato and other girls in general. Yamato is super cute and precious; a cinnamon roll who only had eyes for Takeo! Sunakawa is chill and is an ultimate bro! He’s super supportive of Takeo and is very helpful & perceptive! His sister was pretty cool too and had a nice mini-arc with her feelings for Takeo~
Ii also liked Sunakawa’s mini-arcs with his dad in the hospital and the grey-haired crush, along with the Christmas eve episode! The other characters were alright, even though there’s no real standout (aside from the girl who called Takeo “Master”! and grey-haired girl like i mentioned before)
The final 2-episode arc felt a little rushed? i still liked the way it ended though!
This is one of the best romance-oriented shows I seen in a while! If you don’t mind status quo stuff, check this out!
Gakkou Gurashi! (9 / 10)
This show is super cute but also has a much darker side to it. The big twist at the end of the first episode really sets the tone for the rest of the show!
The artstyle by Lerche has super bright colors and cute character designs that are rendered really nicely... aside from when it’s, well, darker! The horror elements in the show are drawn pretty well (including expressions of shock on the characters) and adds to the feeling of dread and despair quite a lot! The animation itself is fluid enough… it doesn’t blow anything out of the water, but it does action quite well!
There was also a shift to a watercolor visual style during the graduation scene in the final episode, which looked nice too! Basically, visual style shifts looked pretty good here!
The small cast of characters are pretty cute and fun! Each of the four girls has their own role in the group, both personality & story-wise!
Yuuki’s actions & thoughts are interesting since she’s delusional about the whole zombie thing (which wears off over time, showing her growth!). Kurumi & Yuuri were a good friendly pair, and Miki was the good “reality-check” character. Megu-nee was a great delusion & role model for the girls as well, and Taroumaru is as cute of a mascot you could ask for... you will get attached!
However, the story, premise, and execution together is the big reason I really like this show! Seeing these girls try to live normal lives during a zombie apocalypse was a big draw for me, along with the feeling of subtle dread & sadness throughout.
The combo of moe slice-of-life and dark zombie survival was just a really interesting mixture to see play out, and was really well done in my opinion! I liked all the drama and the good execution of zombie story tropes as well!
The world-building was really well done, as we slowly learned how the outbreak started and how everyone met over time! This was especially effective in the reveal of Megu-nee’s real state as well. It’s almost like our understanding of the world mirror’s Yuuki’s mental recovery...
The climax in the final episodes was probably my favorite part though! There were just so many things happening and going wrong; I was wanting to know how they’d survive all this! The final episode was also as happy of an ending as it could’ve been (Taroumaru’s “second” death still got to me though...!)
Overall, this show was a big highlight of this season for me, and probably my pick for Anime of the Season!
Durarara x2 Ten (8.0 / 10)
This second cour (out of 3) of season 2 was definitely better than the first one! There’s a lots of interesting plots going on that aren’t so easy to understand right away.
Art & Animation by Shuka was of similar quality to x2 Shou, but with a bit more polish and less off-model moments. The big city atmosphere is still strong here as well!
As for the characters, they’re still relatively the same personality-wise with a few exceptions. Certain character’s alliances & positions shift around as well (such as Vorona going with Shizuo, Izaya creating his own “hot-pot alliance,” and Masaomi coming back to revive the Yellow Scarves!). The most notable change is Mikado’s personality & increased role in the Dollars & Neo Blue Squares. He’s starting to lose touch with reality...
One new-ish character that got some more depth this season was Akabayashi! We learned about his history with Anri’s family, which adds a really interesting layer to his actions~
This season is definitely more plot focused than the others, especially in the later half. It’s really hard for me to describe everything going on in this show, but I still find it interesting and it’s executed quite well. (Heaven’s Slave dealing, Yodogiri Jinnai, the Dollars’ actions, Shinra & Kadota getting hospitalized, the list goes on!)
The finale was yet another cliffhanger, just like last season. Izaya got taken out yet again!
Overall, this was an interesting and solid middle arc for this second season! It served as some good buildup to what will surely be a crazy final cour in the winter!
Gatchaman Crowds Insight (8.0 / 10)
This second season was really good! Its shift in focus from traditional fighting to social commentary (mob mentality & social atmosphere) was cool to see!
Tatsunoko Productions did a nice job with visuals here, just like last season! It’s very bright and colorful, with a cool, modern look to it! Unfortunately, the CGI is still kinda jarring...
All the characters are just like we remember them from season 1! There’s hardly any character development for old characters per se; it’s mostly them just doing what they do best (with Rui being a slight exception as she’s tested by one of the antagonists). That being said, at least Hajime showed more complex emotions later on in the show (doubt on her face, pain / anger with blood, etc.)!
The new characters like Tsubasa and Gelsadra get a good amount of development though (which isn’t a surprise, since they’re new). I really liked the growth they showed over the course of the story! Even the show’s society was kinda like its own character, as it developed over time as well.
As mentioned before, the shift from action to social dilemma was an interesting change of pace! It let the story become much different from traditional action shows~
I also liked the bait & switch with the initial antagonist (from Rizumu -> Gelsadra)! Both antagonists were morally grey in different ways (ends justify the means vs. uniting everyone). The show’s overall message may or may not be hammered in by the end, depending on your viewpoint (It didn’t bother me too much).
Overall, this season was really interesting & solid from start to finish! I appreciate the different direction this show took versus season one for sure~
Charlotte (8.0 / 10)
This show was definitely the most hyped show of the season! While it did lose steam in the later third, I still had a good time with this show.
The art by P.A. Works looked quite nice! There’s a nice mix of muted colors and bright colors, along with sparkly lighting effects. The animation itself was pretty smooth and consistent too!
The main characters were a lot of fun too! It was cool seeing Yuu as a scumbag turned helper, and Nao’s deadpan snarky personality was a breath of fresh air for me! The other characters (both main and supporting) had less of an impact on me, but were still enjoyable.
I found the premise to be pretty interesting, as I liked seeing the student council help others with dealing with their powers! Learning the circumstances of the story over time from Yuu’s perspective was also cool to see.
The first half was more character-driven, while the second half was more plot-driven. Unfortunately, the pacing towards the end of the show (beginning with episode 8) was the biggest issue execution-wise. It was super apparent at that point that they were stuffing too much plot in too little time. For example, I found the time-travel story elements to be interesting, but weren’t realized to their full potential due to the rushed pacing. The pace also didn’t help its more-dramatic moments, really; since it gets rushed, it feels more over-the-top than it should.
That’s not to say that all its dramatic moments were ruined! I really liked the execution of episodes 6 & 7 in particular (which focused on Ayumi’s life & death, and Yuu’s slide into depression).
What I really *didn’t* like was how the final main conflict was against seemingly random foreign terrorists that had no build-up at all! The events of that conflict itself were still interesting, but these enemies combined with the rushed pacing made this episode underwhelming...
That being said, I did like the final episode, execution-wise! It went back to the strengths of episodes 1 and 7, as it just focused on Yuu on his own, facing the elements. Aside from a couple “over-the-top”-isms from him, the execution was pretty low-key and a good way to end the show tone-wise. (Opinions on this episode are pretty mixed though, so YMMV.)
While the execution of this show was a mixed bag, I still had a great time watching it and enjoyed the themes and ideas it had going for it. It can technically be called a disappointment, but it was still one of the animes that I enjoyed watching the most this season~
