[Spring 2014] Season of Sakura

[KazeShiki]

Where is spring thread? Oh well, I'll just copy paste. Hey look sakura.

by yours truly

Much like the threads before it, this is a thread I created stole from blkmage for the discussion of new anime that will be airing on TV in Japan in the Spring 2014 season. Anime typically gets released and runs for a number of seasons. The year is divided up into four seasons: January to March is winter, April to June is spring, July to September is summer, and October to December is fall. Each season is approximately 13 weeks.

Here, we can talk about what shows look interesting, what we plan to watch, and generally get giddy and excited for things that we've been anticipating for a while.

---

Abarenbou Kishi!! Matsutarou
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/matsutaro/
Manga

The creator of Ashita no Joe brings us sumo wrestling.


Akuma no Riddle
http://akuma-riddle.com/
Manga

Girls trying to kill some other girl but fall in love instead.


Atelier Escha & Logy ~Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi~
http://atelier-ps3.jp/escha-logy/anime/
Game

Atelier fans rejoice before crying at another failed game adaptation.


Baby Steps
http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/babysteps/
Manga

Guy learns to play tennis.


Black Bullet
http://www.black-bullet.net/
Light Novel

Kids with superpowers try to save Tokyo.


Blade & Soul
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/blade/
Game

Because animating games with even less of a story line than normal is such a good idea.


Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/kawaisou/
Manga

Kana Hanazawa trying to voice a winning girl 2 seasons in a row. Romance and stuff.


Break Blade
http://breakblade.jp/
Manga

Don't you normally make movies out of the series? Someone's doing it backwards.


Captain Earth
http://captain-earth.net/
Original

Bones gives us a show about mecha in space. How original.


Cardfight!! Vanguard: Legion Mate-Hen
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/cf-vanguard-lm/
Sequel

Card Games: Season 4.


Date A Live II
http://date-a-live-anime.com/
Sequel

Season two of some guy looking to expand the harem he made in season one.


Dragon Ball Kai (2014)
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/dragon_kai/
Sequel

Reboot of DBZ continues with the Majin Buu arc.


Fairy Tail (2014)
http://www.fairytail-tv.com/
Sequel

Fairy Tail anime is back.


Fuun Ishin Dai Shogun
http://daishogun-anime.jp/
Original

Something about boats, giant robots, and virgins, but just look at that seiyuu line up.


Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?
http://www.gochiusa.com/
Manga

Slice of life involving rabbits and Sakura Ayane.


Gokukoku no Brynhildr
http://www.vap.co.jp/gokukoku/
Manga

A transfer student girl looks and is named almost exactly like MC's old friend. Since she has superhuman strength and can see the future, everything goes just as planned.


Haikyuu!!
http://www.j-haikyu.com/anime/index.html
Manga

Volleyball with a bunch of bishounen, so basically Kuroko no Volley.


Hanamonogatari
http://www.monogatari-series.com/2ndseason/
Sequel
***Note: Airing begins on May 31, replacing Nisekoi, for 5 episodes.

The finale to Monogatari Season 2. Except Koi was actually the finale. But spoilers because Nisio says screw the timeline. So yeah.


Hero Bank
http://herobank.sega.jp/anime/
Game

Another game anime. But it has Hiroshi Kamiya so what other reason do you need?


Hitsugi no Chaika
http://chaika-anime.jp/
Light Novel

Some ex-soldier stalks a girl carrying a coffin. Apparently it's a romance, so we can assume they fall in love.


Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san
http://www.dreamcreation.co.jp/inuneko/
Manga
*Note: Anime Short

Two very incompatible people fall in love, so the show makes fun of them.


Isshuukan Friends.
http://oneweekfriends.com/
Manga

A girl loses her memories every Monday but some guy wants to be her friend anyway. Incidentally, Jun Maeda already taught us how that goes.


JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders
http://jojo-animation.com/
Sequel

ORAORAORAORAORAORA


Kamigami no Asobi ~Ludere deorum~
http://kamiaso-anime.com/
Dating Sim

Reverse harem featuring Hayami Saori.


Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara
http://www.gaworare-anime.com/
Light Novel

Guy can see event flags and for some reason he ends up living with a bunch of girls.


Kantoku Fuyuki Todoki
http://fuyukitodoki.com/
Manga
*Note: Anime Short

Anno's autobiographical manga gets an anime.


Kenzen Robo Daimidaler
http://penguin-empire.com/
Manga

Apparently a mecha runs on ero-power, and Hikasa Yoko is forced to voice another girl with anime-sized breasts.


Keroro
http://www.keroro.com/flashanime/
Sequel
*Note: Anime Short

Something about frogs and aliens. Alien frogs, most likely.


Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R
http://www.ytv.co.jp/kindaichi_r/
Sequel

More mystery solving.


Kiniro no Corda: Blue♪Sky
http://www.ntv.co.jp/corda/
Game

Another reverse harem, but this one is about music, in theory. Spinoff of the previous Kiniro series.


Love Live! School Idol Project 2nd Season
http://www.lovelive-anime.jp/
Sequel

More fake im@s because idol anime.


M3 ~Sono Kuroki Tetsu~
http://www.m3-project.com/
Original

Apparently Mari Okada is writing a mecha. Will it have screaming teenagers and love polygons?


Mahou Shoujo Taisen
http://mahoushoujyotaisen.com/
Original

Pixiv artists need some love too. But seriously, support your favorite artists.


Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei
http://mahouka.jp/
Light Novel

Take SAO, replace the various games with magic school, combine Sachi, Asuna, and the sister into one character, and you get something like this.


Majin Bone
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/majinbone/
Game

Another card-game-game-anime thing. Yeah.


Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to
http://mangakasan.tv/
Manga
*Note: Anime Short

Guy writes manga with his assistant while his editor complains.


Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers
http://www.disney.co.jp/diskwars/
Sequel

Avengers in anime form


Mekaku City Actors
http://www.mekakucityactors.com/
Original

HikkiNEET goes outside for the first time in 2 years. Based off Kagerou Project, i.e. Vocaloid stuff.


Mushishi Zoku Shou
http://www.mushishi-anime.com/
Sequel

Almost a decade later, we get a season 2.


No Game No Life
http://ngnl.jp/
Light Novel

Sibling NEETs get summoned to an alternate world to become "saviors of humanity." Still NEETs though.


Ping Pong The Animation
http://www.pingpong-anime.tv/
Manga

Ping pong is serious business.


Pretty Rhythm: All Star Selection
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/prettyrhythm/index.html
Original

I'm not actually sure if this is a "sequel" or something else. But it's more Pretty Rhythm if anyone actually cares.


Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin
http://www.nanana.tv/
Light Novel

Guy runs away from home only to get haunted by a cute girl ghost who was killed and sends him on a quest to find her stuff which she hid around the world because they have magic powers so of course she needs to hide them from dangerous people who might kill her for them.


Seikoku no Dragonar
http://www.seikokutv.com/
Light Novel

Guy goes to a school for people who have contracts with dragons except he doesn't have a dragon. He gets a beautiful girl instead.


Selector Infected WIXOSS
http://selector-wixoss.com/
Original

Card games and little girls. There might be yuri.


Sidonia no Kishi
http://www.knightsofsidonia.com/
Manga

Aliens destroyed the solar system but a few humans survived and now wage war with said aliens.


Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii
http://www.ntv.co.jp/soreseka/
Manga

The king who conquered the world demands a princess who can summon rain from a small country. Except he's a kid. But they still fall in love.


Soul Eater Not!
http://souleaternot.tv/
Manga

Spin off, slice of life that only references the original Soul Eater.


Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/yugioh-arcv/
Sequel

It's time to duel. Again.

[MangaRocks!]

LOL. (Actually, I literally *was* LOL'ing at your descriptions just as much as I do at blkmage's, so nicely done. Also: That's a beautiful sakura pic!)


Things I'm watching for sure:

* Hanamonogatari - I'm a fan of the Monogatari series now, so I'll snap up whatever comes next (especially if it's going to come anywhere close to being as fantastic as Second Season!).
* Mekaku City Actors - I've heard a heck of a lot of good hype about this for some reason, and from what I can tell the story actually sounds like it could be pretty interesting if it's done right, so I'll definitely give it a shot, at least.
* Ping Pong The Animation - Unfortunately, the character designs in this are ugly as sin (IMO) , but it's being directed by Yuasa, so I'll also at least give this a shot.
* Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii - This one I'll keep a watch on the comments for to see if its adaptation is good first, but I'm reading and loving the manga right now, so if it's a good adaptation then this is a yes.
* Oh, and I'm planning on reading the Isshuukan Friends. manga, but haven't decided whether or not to watch the anime after that yet.

* ...And then, of course, there's: Mushishi Zoku Shou!

Actually, the first episode of this already aired, but I'll wait to post about it for a little while so it won't get lost underneath all the plan-to-watch comments. Suffice it to say for the moment, though, it's as awesome as ever! <3

[skreyola]

Hmm... from the descriptions, the only one I'd be interested in is Isshuukan Friends...
and the second season of Mushi-shi.

[goldenspines]

Thank you, Kaze, your brilliant descriptions have probably saved me much pain and heart break. Also, that sakura picture is so pretty. *_*

Anyway, what to watch, what to watch...

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Stardust Crusaders - Time for the exciting adventures of "Where in the World is Dio Brando?"! =D
There will be more fabulous posing and time stopping action! Also hearts!

But for the rest of the season...

- Black Bullet - This might be okay. It looks classy enough, but looks aren't everything.
- Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - This looks adorable. I hope it's going to be adorable.
- Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? - This may be a little too cheesy for my tastes (baristas that look like they are grade schoolers?), but I can always use something cute to watch each season. I'll give it a first episode watch.
- Gokukoku no Brynhildr - This might be good? The PV looked somewhat promising, so I'll hope for the best.
- Haikyuu!! - I'm not a sports anime fan, but I need to change my ways. I need to. For volleyball!
- Hanamonogatari - Kanbaru is not my favorite character. Granted, I thought Nadeko was boring and dumb too until I saw her arc, so I'll be watching this. Still waiting patiently for the arc that may never come.
- Hitsugi no Chaika - I wasn't going to watch this, but after that PV with the zombie unicorn and that MC's stupid hair style, I need to check this out.
- Isshuukan Friends - This looks like it will be adorable and really sad and adorable again, so I'm definitely watching this.
- Kamigami no Asobi ~Ludere deorum~ - I will be watching the first episode, like I do for every dating sim anime that comes out.
- Keroro - I never did watch the original anime of this, but that's okay, because I like the manga. The shorts look like it's more of a fun omake-ish version of the series.
- Kiniro no Corda: Blue♪Sky - I will watch this in probably already lost hope.
- Mekaku City Actors - This looks very good. I will be watching this one.
- Mushishi Zoku Shou - I sadly never saw the original. Do I need to see the original to watch this series? I've read some of the manga....
- No Game No Life - I am on the fence about this one. A first episode watch at least.
- Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin - The PV for this confused me more than your description did, Kaze, so now I have to watch it to find out what it's about.
- Soul Eater Not! - Well, I liked Soul Eater, so maybe this will be good too? I have no idea, but I'll give it a go.


Wow, that list is long. Hopefully it will thin out a little after seeing some first episodes.

[GeneD]

- Mushishi Zoku Shou - I sadly never saw the original. Do I need to see the original to watch this series? I've read some of the manga....

After watching the first episode, I'd say no, you probably don't have to watch the original to follow the new series, but you'd be missing out BIG time because it's really fantastic.
Also is it just me or does Ginko's voice sound just a little bit different? I can't put my finger on just what exactly is different though.

As for this season in general:

Watching:

Mushishi s2
Isshuukan Friends
Mekaku City Actors
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii

Possibly watching:

Black Bullet
Captain Earth
Gokukoku no Brynhildr
Hitsugi no Chaika
M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to
Ping Pong The Animation
Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin

[KazeShiki]

Anytime Goldy, glad to hear my descriptions are so amazing. Mushishi is very episodic so you don't really need the 1st season but I imagine there might be small things that will throw you off a little. Also, I have very little info regarding Nanana, so I have no clue how that'll go, but hopefully it manages to be more coherent than my description.

Also is it just me or does Ginko's voice sound just a little bit different? I can't put my finger on just what exactly is different though.

Yes, I thought that almost instantly, which is weird because it's the same voice actor. I think it's just slightly higher pitched? I'm not entirely sure.

The most notable thing so far has been Kawaisou. And by that I mean light beams.

[Panda4christ:3]

I think the only ones I'm going to watch are Mushishi, Soul Eater Not, and Mekaku City Actors cx;;

[PLCDreamcatcher14]

Hmm...for me...

Captain Earth (Looks a little touching and look! Mecha!)
Haikyuu! (Volleyball!)
Isshuukan Friends (Aww...)
Kamigami no Asobi (Hey, I'm a girl. I like me a reverse harem.)
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san (Interesting...)
Ping Pong the Animation (Very...refreshing)
Selector Infected WIXOSS (This doesn't look like yuri...)And
Soul Eater NOT! (Um...a little too kawaii but MAKA! SOUL!)
look interesting...lol.

There are few others too but I need to watch their previous seasons first *cough*Mushishi*cough* I'll probably end up watching Isshuukan Friends, Ping Pong, and Soul Eater Not.

[drill]

Opinions on first episodes so far...
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? - This was alright, I guess. I might watch episode 2 though to see if it gets any better.
Black Bullet - a bit dark, but i really like both of the MCs in this one.
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - haven't really made much of an opinion yet, but episode 2 will determine if i keep watching this.
Gokukoku no Brynhildr - a bit interesting, the MCs past isnt all that interesting, especially since it was brought up sooo much.
Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara - well... lets see... quite a predicable anime. None of the characters really stick out either.
Kamigami no Asobi ~Ludere deorum~ - way too many flowers... but really, the characters just weren't that interesting.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - interesting MC and setting. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this one.
Isshuukan Friends - As expected, this should be a nice anime to watch. I really like this art style as well.

EDIT: Mekakucity Actors - Wow... this exceded my expectations greatly. I will probably give it a 9 or 10 when its finished. Also, Takane is a great character.
ADDED: Atelier Escha & Logy - good enough to watch, but not anything special

[ClaecElric4God]

So I have a question. Why does every mecha anime ever have like...exactly the same kind of robot armor? They all look like Gundam to me... Also, is it just me or do an abnormally large amount of these have mostly female casts?
Anyways, to watch this year. Well, I didn't even keep up last year, so we'll see how that goes. But this.

Black Bullet looks interesting.
Break Blade - It was already on my watch list, found it somewhere else. But mecha usually loses my interest pretty quickly, sadly enough. We'll see.
Captian Earth, maybe? But again, same as above.
Haikyuu!! because volleyball. Seriously, this made my day. I am so excited. I wouldn't complain at all if it was basically Kuroko no Volley.
"Two very incompatible people fall in love, so the show makes fun of them." Best line ever. But I'm not planning on watching this. Okay, moving on.
Isshukan Friends - Why? I have absolutely no idea.
Kamigami no Asobi ~Ludere deorum~ - Because...pictures? Really, I don't have anything else to go on. Though drill's report lessens my interest.
Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R - Mysteries are always good.
Kiniro no Corda: Blue♪Sky - Huh. Weird. Mostly, I just have to see if it is possible to make music interesting.
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Anything comparable to SAO has to be interesting.
Mekaku City Actors - This looks interesting.
No Game No Life - This sounds like it's the same thing as that.
Sidonia no Kishi - I get the feeling I won't like this, but I'm curious.

That about sums it up. We'll see what happens.

[goldenspines]

First episode impressions!

- Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusders: Great, as expected. I forgot how much Jotaro was a jerk before he gets friends, though. Next episode is Kakyoin, so I am hyped! 8D

Also, my dear, dear friends, Crunchyroll is making all of the Jojo anime available to watch. Not only are they streaming this new season, but they are releasing the previous season (part one and two) as well! You no longer have an excuse not to watch it! Go, watch! Here: http://www.crunchyroll.com/jojos-bizarre-adventure#

- Black Bullet: This doesn't seem my cup of tea, really, but it might improve, so I'll keep it on the list for another episode. Granted, it reminds me a bit of the premise of Pacific Rim except no giant robots (YET???). But giant monsters attacking Tokyo? It may be good or it may be too stereotypical.

- Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou: Light beams aside, I think this might become one of my favorites for the season. I like all the characters so far (even the creepy roommate is tolerable), and the story it just super cute so far.

- Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? - This is actually fairly cute. Not sure if I like the MC, but I like everyone else!

- Haikyuu!!: I almost cried at the first episode. THE FIRST EPISODE. I thought sports anime were boring. I've been lied to, this is beautiful and heartwarming. Also, this is what volleyball is all about. <3

- Hitsugi no Chaika: I was disappointed at the small part the zombie unicorn played and for lack of interest beyond that, I may end up dropping this one. May keep it on for one more episode since I like the sister character.

- Isshuukan Friends - This is the cutest and probably is going to be the saddest.

- Keroro - Enjoyable and a bit too short, but Sgt Frog is okay in any form.

- Kiniro no Corda: Blue♪Sky - I just...can't continue this. I'm going back to my La Corda d'Oro manga.

- No Game No Life - MadHouse seems to be taking a stab at trippy looking animation, but still, they are beautiful character and setting designs. I'm still on the fence about this series, though. I don't hate it, but I'm not sure if where it's going is going to be anything interesting. I'll have to wait and see. The first episode ended, er, a bit worrisome, though (and that preview...erm)

- Soul Eater Not! - I just...well, the art style is really not the same and I think I shot myself in the foot coming into this anime and expecting the brilliant and Tim Burton-esque atmosphere that the original Soul Eater gave us.
Soul Eater Not! lives up to its name quite well so far, but I'm unsure if that's going to be a good thing.

Still need to watch:
- Mushishi Zoku Shou
- Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin

Since waiting on:
- Mekaku City Actors
- Hanamongatari

Added:
- Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii: Decided to watch the first episode on a whim and it wasn't half bad. The characters are good and the story seems like it's going to be interesting. I can't see a romance coming from this, but I guess we'll see how they handle it.

- Gokukoku no Brynhildr: High school guy meets girl that looks like his dead childhood friend? And she's a witch because of like, surgery or something? Not sure about this one, but I might keep watching. Also, aliens are probably involved somehow.

[Lynna]

As a KagoPro fan, I will be watching Mekaku City Actors for sure, and maybe Isshukan Friends. There are lots of other interesting ones, but I don't really have a lot of time right now...

[KazeShiki]

So I have a question. Why does every mecha anime ever have like...exactly the same kind of robot armor? They all look like Gundam to me...

Sounds to me you need to watch more mecha like this or this or this or this or this or even this. Okay, the last one is almost a joke because the series just gets more and more mecha. I guess it also depends how general you want to get with "robot armor" since even within the Gundam franchise, there is a huge variety. For the record, I kind of get what you mean, but "every mecha anime ever" is a huge exaggeration.

Looks like Gochuumon will make for a decent substitute for Non Non Biyori.

[GeneD]

I watched the first episode of the following:

Love it:
Mushishi S2: I'm hoping Ginko's voice actor gets back to what he sounded like in S1 soon, but otherwise I'm sure this will be just as wonderful as I expect it to be. Oh did I mention how perfect the OP is. Aside from using the Ally Kerr one again I don't think they could have picked a better song.

One Week Friends: We're all going to cry our eyes out aren't we. *insert terrible frienzoned joke here*

Haikyu!!: I wasn't planning on watching another sports anime right now, but I really, really like the art style and it made me feel warm and fuzzy and much happier than most of the other new shows.

Will give it a few more episodes:
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii: I've heard good things about the manga so while it didn't really grab me, it was interesting enough to keep watching.

Captain Earth: I laughed at how ridiculously easy it was for him to be allowed on the mech.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Ahahaha why am I doing this to myself? The sister is annoying and it feels like the show can't decide if it wants to make fun of the brother-sister romance or take it seriously.

Black Bullet: Eh idk.

Hitsugi no Chaika: This was better than I expected, though I wasn't expecting much. Like Goldy, I like the sister too.

Dropped:
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to: 15 minutes of boob and panty-shot jokes. No thanks.

Nanana's Buried Treasure: Too much fanservice, boring characters and my suspension of disbelief cracked like an egg on the "island for students by students" bit.

No Game No Life: Why would that woman bet her gold for the MCs' lives, ok I guess she's supposed to be seen as really greedy and make them her slaves or something but I just found it incredibly dumb. Also the MCs are not likable, are they supposed to be?

Still to come:
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou: I decided to watch this given how most of you said it looks promosing.
Ping Pong the Animation
Mekaku City Actors

[MangaRocks!]

Still holding off on Soredemo Sekai... until I hear more about its adaptation (since apparently the first ep. was almost entirely anime-original... ) and Isshuukan Friends. until I actually read the source, and of course I'm still waiting for Hanamonogatari and (Funi's *free* stream of) Ping Pong to start, but I *have* watched...



Mushishi Zoku Shou ep.'s 1-2 ( ):

First things first: I *LOVE* the new OP! <3 And I also really liked how they connected the end of the first season to the start of the second with Isaza. As for the second ep., wow-- I had forgotten how cute/pretty those little shell-mushi were, and that final scene SPOILER: Highlight text to read: with them all flying was so beautiful. (And the stories themselves-- as well as the anime's adaptation of them-- are as fantastic as always, of course.) Oh man, this show...



And Mekakucity Actors ep. 1:

...This can basically be summed up as weird, humorous, I-have-no-idea-what's-going-on, and *very* similar in art and direction to Monogatari (for obvious reasons, of course; and, BTW, I mean that as a compliment). Whatever it is, though, I certainly enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing where this goes!

[KazeShiki]

I'm going to have to hop on the Goldy Jojo train after ep2. Mushishi is really great as always but Jojo looks to be taking this season no contest.

About Soredemo Sekai - 2nd ep followed the manga very closely this time. As for the first ep being anime only, I thought it was a good way to introduce Nike's character as the awesome heroine she is. I admit they could've done it better, but the idea was a good one. This coming from someone who generally criticizes anime original content and likes the manga so should mean something.

[ClaecElric4God]

So, I'm behind the game a bit, but I have two to comment on.

Haikyu!! - Just...wow. It's gonna take a lot to top this as my favorite anime of the year. I was pretty nervous about the sport of volleyball being butchered by well-meaning artists who care more about storyline and drama than actually getting things right, but I am overwhelmed. The animation is so good. I mean, those spike approaches!!! I'm even impressed by how they portray bad plays. And like...the mechanics of volleyball and everything. This is going to be awesome. My sister and I (who both played volleyball in middle/high school) were watching this and commenting on how realistic it is. I'm really excited to see where this goes.

Isshuukan Friends - This anime is incredibly adorable. Definitely a keeper. For episode 2: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I actually totally expected the diary thing to backfire, with how much they kept talking about it and how helpful it would be. I thought it was gonna be one of those "Everything she wrote disappears, leaving blank, meaningless pages" things. At this rate, it almost seems too easy. I'm a bit disappointed he doesn't have to work at making friends with her each week. But it's still good. Shogo is my favorite, hands down. Is no one else seeing Oreki here?

[goldenspines]

I'm going to have to hop on the Goldy Jojo train after ep2. Mushishi is really great as always but Jojo looks to be taking this season no contest.

Nothing can stop the Jojo train.

I'm still giddy over that opening, though.

For reference to all others: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j64JegzWf3c


Update on other first episodes:

- Nanana: The premise seems like it won't be that bad, but I think I'll put this one on hold for this season (watching too many other things. x.x) If someone else continues to watch this, let me us know how it goes!

- MekakuCity Actors: I....what just happened? For the love of SHAFT I'll keep watching though, but I am seriously confused. There's probably some deep meaning behind all the stuff in the first episode, but I have no idea.


Also, the second episodes officially sold me on Kawai, Isshukan Friends, Haikyuu!! (finally, I'm watching a sports anime), and Soredemo Sekai. Everything else is still up in the air, but those are the series along with Jojo that I will be following for sure.

Jojo is still great. I will do my civic duty and keep you all updated on how great this series is every week. For those following it on Crunchyroll (without an account), the second episode with Kakyoin is coming up. Prepare yourself for EMERALD SPLASH.

[GeneD]

More first episodes:

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou: Maybe I expected more than I should have or maybe it's just not my cup of tea. Dropped.

Ping Pong the Animation: Well it's definitely a Yuasa show. I'll give it a few more episodes, but since I'm still watching Tatami Galaxy I might be a bit Yuasa'd out.

Mekakucity Actors: Idk, the not-Miku computer girl got on my nerves and the story didn't really give us much to go on. Somehow I feel like the style of the show is trying too hard, which is something I never had a problem with in Bakemonogatari.

And the rest:

Mushishi Zoku Shou ep 2: This episode was so beautiful. It ranks among my overall favourites for this show.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei ep 2: I'm only watching ep 3 to see the explanation about the fight at the end of this episode.

Captain Earth ep 2: Protagonist-kun won major points when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he doesn't rage or tantrum at the evil government man who wants all the kids under his complete control and uses a pain inducing headset to achieve this. Nope, he just toughs out the pain to get some distance, telepathically summons his magic gun they confiscated and blows their pain transmitter to smithereens.

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii ep 2: At least I get the title now. Nike's awesomeness will keep me watching.

Haikyuu!! ep 2: Tobio makes the best faces.

Black Bullet ep 2: I liked this episode much more than the 1st. Although I have to put out a warning, there's some rather graphic violence happening to a young girl that was harsh, though in terms of gore alone it's not really worse than ep 1. Anyway, the social stigma against the "Cursed Children" was part of what caught my interest and the plot's already moving with no sign of any "monster of the week" nonsense that I was expecting. So now I'm actually looking forward to more.

Isshuukan Friends ep 2: I almost died from adorableness overdose. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I was also expecting hijinks with the diary like Claec mentioned and that he'd have to make friends from scratch with her each week, but I think the show handled the situation much more realistically, like how Kaori works out that she must have spent lunch everyday with Hase. I think it will also allow for more character development.

I'm super tempted to catch the Jojo train, but I need to finish 10 episodes from the previous season first...

[drill]

Second episode opinions:

Atelier Escha & Logy - Fairly good, but nothing outstanding.

Favorite character - Escha

Black Bullet - This was good as well, I wasn't expecting the plot to move along this fast though.

Favorite character - Enju

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - Definetly better than the first episode, but a lot of the characters are kinda dry.

Favorite character - Ritsu

Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? - A bit better than the first episode, I definitely like all the characters.

Favorite character - Kokoa

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - I'm not really sure how to feel about this anime anymore.

Favorite character - Kana

Isshuukan Friends - I predict something is going to go wrong soon, when that happens, I'll be very sad.

Favorite character - Kaori

Kamigami no Asobi - They definitely have too many characters to keep track of, other than that, nothing too major either way.

Favorite character - Apollon

Kanojo ga Flag wo Oraretara - Unlike KnA, I can actually keep track of the characters which is a plus, not too much else going for this anime though.

Favorite character - Nanami

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Wow... that battle was pretty cool. The vice president definitely deserved that too.

Favorite character - Tatsuya

Mekakucity Actors - They took out my favorite character D: and its only the second episode. Also, way too much backstory in this episode. I was waiting for her to meet up with episode 1's MC, but she never did

Favorite character - Ene

[DaughterOfZion]

Oh way-oh!

I pretty much never follow anime as it airs but seeing as I'm a fangirl of at least half of the men (And counting~) in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure I've started following it on CR this season. I enjoyed the first three episodes well enough so far but I don't think I'll get excited until my favorite character stops being mostly hidden in shadows.

My only complaint for this last episode- Where my Jojos posing on Cadillacs at?

[MangaRocks!]

@KazeShiki: Thanks for the info about Soredemo's adaptation! Between your comments about ep.'s 1-2 and the also-good things I've heard about the adaptation of ep. 3, I've decided to go ahead and start watching this soon.


Also: As for the JoJo train that everyone else is hopping aboard , while I'm not planning on watching the anime right now, all the recent hype about it both here and elsewhere has finally gotten me quite interested in reading the manga, so rest assured I will get around to that (I have a reading plan, and JoJo's on it).




Ping Pong The Animation episode 1:

...Huh. Well, my comments on this ep. are: #1, I don't think I'll ever truly get used to that art style, LOL (it took almost the entire episode just for it to stop being distracting to me ), but oh well; #2, I think that's the first time I've heard Chinese spoken (correctly, I mean, at least as far as I can tell) in anime; #3, I was quite amused by several characters' snarky personalities/comments/translations (and the aforementioned Chinese characters were pretty interesting, too); #4, I really liked the ED; and #5, well, I don't really know what else to think about the show so far yet otherwise. All that said, I'm certainly intrigued enough to keep going.



Mushishi S2 episode 3:

Beautiful as always. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And man, when characters get emotional in this, it always affects me, too. <3 This is the highlight of my Spring-show week right here.



And Mekakucity Actors episode 2:

If I enjoyed the first ep., I loved the second. The whole first part was hilarious , the middle part was surprisingly serious , and then the end went from cute and funny to simply intriguing. (Plus, I loved all the background music in this one, too.)

[skreyola]

So, I finished another show and decided to start watching Isshuukan Friends. I'm really digging it, so far. Like the MC already; he's a good guy. The concept is like 50 First Dates, and I think it'll be enjoyable.

[GeneD]

This seems to be the season where I have to give everything at least 2 episodes since there were a bunch of 2nd episodes that I thought were much better than the 1st's. Case in point:

Hitsugi no Chaika ep 2: Count me impressed, I really liked the fights in this. Tooru seems to actually use his brain during battles, taking advantage of his surroundings and his opponents' weaknesses. And realistically, his plans don't always work out either, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: like the cart completely failing to get in the way of the tank-thing. I'm not sure how I feel about his reasoning that since he's a soldier, war is fine with him. I liked it at first when he used it as an "excuse" to Gillette and his team, but I'm not sure I like it as an actual character motivation.

Ping Pong the animation ep 2: I loved loved loved the "robot" sequence, the music and animation was so cool. This is a definite watch for me now.

Mekakucity Actors ep 2: It was kinda a given, but I really liked the music in this one.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr ep 1-2: I heard good things about the manga, so I'm sticking with it for now.

Mushishi ep 3: While the characters where always an important part of the show, I feel like so far this season the personal stories of the characters each episode have sort of taken the limelight from the mushi. I'd like to see more specifically mushi stuff.

The Irregular at Magic High School ep 3: First mostly enjoyable episode except that they SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ended the episode in the middle of the fight.

Captain Earth ep 3: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I like that Daichi has had to be saved by someone else in each (most?) of the fights so far. Makes it a bit more realistic.

The World is Still Beautiful ep 3: Does anyone know how old the kid King is anyway?

Haikyu!! ep 3: All the feels and all the epic pout faces.

[skreyola]

Isshuukan Friends Ep. 2: I want to know what she wrote SPOILER: Highlight text to read: as she was about to fall asleep and then woke up!

[KazeShiki]

The Irregular at Magic High School ep 3: First mostly enjoyable episode except that they SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ended the episode in the middle of the fight.

That is because SPOILER: Highlight text to read: it wasn't a fight. It was supposed to be one of those "MC only dodges/uses self defense techniques while taking no hits until opponents get tired" scenes. I do think they did a bad job handling that, but it would just be a scene cut to the end of the "fight" even if the episode didn't end.

Isshuukan Friends Ep. 2: I want to know what she wrote SPOILER: Highlight text to read: as she was about to fall asleep and then woke up!

I was too lazy to pause but they did show at least part of it for an instant and it was something along the lines of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "please God, if even just once..." Given that and her attitude the next day, we can surmise she poured out some pretty extreme emotions of desperateness.

No Game No Life is showing some promise but has a bad habit of switching from great to bad pretty fast.

Nanana is probably going to be one of the shows I watch for a couple great characters rather than the plot (or lack thereof).

[skreyola]

Isshuukan Friends Ep. 2: I want to know what she wrote SPOILER: Highlight text to read: as she was about to fall asleep and then woke up!

I was too lazy to pause but they did show at least part of it for an instant and it was something along the lines of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "please God, if even just once..." Given that and her attitude the next day, we can surmise she poured out some pretty extreme emotions of desperateness.

I did see what they subtitled, but it obviously wasn't the whole thing, so I want to know what it was. Maybe we'll find out in an episode soon.

[MangaRocks!]

Soredemo Sekai... episodes 1-4:

Well, as mentioned before, I'm really enjoying this series' source manga, so I thought that the first (mostly-anime-original) episode would be kinda unnecessary; however, to my pleasant surprise (and just like KazeShiki said ), it was actually rather good (...well, I mean, aside from that kinda annoying 4th-wall-breaking 'humor' near the end, LOL). And then the other ep.'s-- which *have* been well adapted-- have of course been great so far (aside from just a slightly faster pace, and the art not being *quite* as nice as the manga ). Oh, and to answer GeneD: Actually, IIRC I don't think the manga has outright stated anyone's ages yet, although the translation is rather far behind the raws ATM, so I'm not sure if it's stated later on. I think the main couple is totally adorable whatever their ages, though.



Ping Pong The Animation episode 2:

Wow. I think I've just officially fallen in love with this! To my surprise, I *am* getting used to the art style; the dialogue and character interactions are awesomely hilarious ; Smile's personality was shown here to be really quite interesting; and the drama of that match at the end was quite something, too, LOL. ( + Robot sequence FTW!)



Mushishi S2 episode 4:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Loved the subtle feeling of tension underlying this episode. And even though I read the manga a while ago, somehow I had actually completely forgotten what happened to the one brother in this particular story, so I was pretty much on the edge of my seat there at the end. (Also: Those crows... *shiver*) As usual, can't wait for next week!



And Mekakucity Actors episode 3:

I really liked the new characters (Kano had me cracking up ), and I also really liked how the end of it wove right in to the first episode and showed what was really going on behind the scenes of that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: hostage thing.

[blkmage]

Some highlights in case you haven't checked them out yet:

Captain Earth is a Bones mecha show, but more importantly, it's done by the Star Driver team, headed up again by Igarashi and Enokido. This time, they're going with a more traditional take on the genre instead of the highly stylized approach they took with Star Driver. Of course, there are cryptic messages and obscure references all around if you look hard enough.

Ping Pong isn't just a Yuasa show, but it's based on a manga by Taiyou Matsumoto, who's most well known for Tekkonkinkreet. The characters might look awful, but the direction and animation has been pretty fantastic so far despite Yuasa having had to beg on twitter for animators not too long ago (you might notice the OP only got finished this week).

[goldenspines]

It's Blkmage! *waves*


Update on Jojo for everyone, since I'm a bit behind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkanHSvFq3Q

I should have seen this coming in the ED, but I had no idea. I spent a good while grinning and laughing to myself over this.

Kakyoin continues to be cool and all the women love Jojo. And never fly in a plane with Joseph Joestar (we learned that in part 2!).

Content note for those looking at watching Jojo, the currently airing season has some non-detailed female nudity (Dio's victims). Granted, we could talk about the shirtless Dio too that I think the animators are having way too much fun portraying (those pants, though. The heart belt too!). Actually, in truth, I'm thinking Dio is portrayed exactly how he needs to be. (it is very hard to explain this without sounding weird, but it's true!)


Besides that, the shows I've definitely stuck to this season beyond Jojo are Soredemo Sekai (with every episode I love this more and more), Kawaisou (light beams aside, this show still has something about it that makes me curious and want to watch more), Mekaku City Actors (SHAFT is the only reason, really. It is good so far, though), Isshukan Friends (Shogo is the best. I think I've seen too many heart breaking anime that something sweet and wonderful like this is, while an abrupt change, rather nice overall), and Haikyuu!! (still because volleyball).

I'm trying to decide whether to add one or two more shows to that list. Either Hitsugi no Chaika, No Game No Life, Nanana, or Black Bullet. I'd like to get to all of them, but I think I lack the time.