[Summer 2014] Season of Sequels

[GeneD]

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 4: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Rin breaks out the Power of Friendship speech and it's only the fourth episode. I like that he also translates it into his captain-ing. And that Gou is actually decent at being the team's manager and makes meaningful contributions, even if she has ulterior muscle motives.

Zankyou no Terror ep 4: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I don't know enough about the psychology of abuse to probably know what I'm talking about, but I find it interesting and tragic that Lisa appears to attempt to call Twelve and Nine before she runs away from home, knowing what they are and given the fact that they've directly threatened her life. Also, I don't know if it's the intention of the show or not, but I don't really feel sympathetic towards the boys. I'm very intrigued by them, but I'm not at the point where I feel sorry for them really or am really rooting for them, even though it seems like they haven't actually killed anyone yet. Right now I just want to see who will win the "game" they're playing with the police. I agree with what Kaze said though, I'd like to see something shake up the plot formula a bit soon.

Glasslip ep 4: Dropped. Even the reappearance of Jonathan the chicken couldn't save me from the boredom.

Tokyo Ghoul ep 4: I hope MC-kun learns some street smarts, he's trusting nature is starting to get annoying, and that something happens to move the plot forward a bit more. I laughed at the "Why am I even taking a shower anyway?" line.

Tokyo ESP ep 3: I'm really stuck by how similar the show structure is to Ga-Rei Zero. I've not got much to say except that Rinka's dad is best dad.

Sword Art Online II ep 4: Pacing T_T. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I wish his avatar really was a girl.

And honestly, the whole point of Shino being broken is so a certain male can save her and add to his harem.

Oh of course, her deal makes so much more sense now.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 4:

Aldnoah desperately needs characterization.

This, so much. I'm still enjoying it though. I thought SPOILER: Highlight text to read: silver haired space boy would join the earthlings though.

Barakamon ep 4: I think I love the OP more than anything else about it, but I believe it's growing on me more and more overall too.

[Crossfire]

Sabagebu 4. I love this show so, so much.





Just some random images. There's also a Star Wars reference during the first skit.

[MangaRocks!]

Couldn't access CAA's site for the past few days for some reason, so posting this slightly late... Anyway, I added another Summer show to my viewing this week-- more on that below.


Free!: Eternal Summer episode 4:

Rin is a totally awesome (yet still adorable ) leader now. <3 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Also, LOL at them really trying to get their diets right and then the coach just brings over a pizza-- that was just so perfect. Oh, and I agree with GeneD about Gou, too.



Zankyou no Terror episode 2:

(So, I actually would have finally subscribed to Funi this week, except their darn site apparently doesn't want to accept my money. Guess I'm stuck with being a week behind on this show after all... /end mini-rant )

Anyway: Wow-- this show is continuing to seriously impress me. Not only was I on the edge of my seat throughout much of this whole ep. again, I also liked the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: detailed explanations of how the terrorists made the building collapse (including chemical reactions, etc.!) and why the police couldn't trace the video, and I also loved the cleverness of the whole riddle bit, weaving in multiple versions of the Oedipus myth to brilliant effect. And Twelve's rather chilling personality continues to... well, chill, LOL (...dude seriously scares me a bit... ). Really looking forward to the next ep.!!



Aldnoah.Zero episode 4:

Haha, I'm liking the unorthodox methods they're using to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: defeat the Martian mechs-- although this time it was the arrival of the other ship that really saved them (and the mech wasn't actually destroyed this time, either, just driven off). Not sure how much longer that particular formula can hold up episode after episode, though, so I hope there's some variety soon. On another note: Whoa-- that new ED was so good!! (Actually, I think the music is my favorite part of this show.) And on yet another note, I also have to mention that while a lot of the writing in this is pretty predictable (well, at least for me, at any rate ), and-- like a few others in this thread have already mentioned-- the characters really need some development, too, I'm somehow still rather enjoying it. *shrug* (...Maybe it really is the music, LOL... )



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episodes 1-4:

Well, I was already going to read the manga for this anyway because I adore the mangaka's other work; however, I finally gave in and decided to start watching the anime adaptation, too, due to all of the praise for it that I've been hearing. And I certainly do not regret it! I mean, IMO so far this series isn't *quite* as sidesplitting as Oresama Teacher (which I'm honestly surprised hasn't gotten an anime itself yet, come to think of it... ), but it's still pretty darn hysterical (and has only gotten even funnier with each ep.! ), so yeah, I'm thoroughly enjoying it!



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 4:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hmm... so apparently the thing with Honey (and now a few of the others, as shown after the credits ) is actually some sort of 'regression' side-effect, not what I had originally assumed. Also, the leaders, at least, of the 'wild' Minimum Holders are indeed bad guys, and working with "Saikyou," no less (and now it's looking like "Saikyou" *is* Art after all, judging by that after-credits scene...).

[skreyola]

Glasslip ep 4: Dropped. Even the reappearance of Jonathan the chicken couldn't save me from the boredom.

It is getting pretty bad in that show. I don't really care about either of the stuck-up boys. Would like to see Yanagi end up with someone nicer than the guy she likes, but I really don't care about her, either. If it weren't for the premonitions aspect, I think I'd drop this show, too.

[Crossfire]

[ride of the valkyries intensifies]

Watched Aldnoah 5, Dandy 5, and Sabagebu 5. All of which were decent episodes in their own right, but something seemed... off to me. I don't know why.

[GeneD]

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 5: Mmm I was disappointed in this ep. The humour was fine but the drama felt forced and silly, especially the ending. I can only attribute it to the lack of Rin screen time. I guess it's Makoto personal drama time this week?

Tokyo Ghoul ep 5: Mamoru Miyano is King of Camp and channeling some Berg-Katze.

Zankyou no Terror ep 4: The sequence on the bike was great. And SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Lisa's with the boys now so that's gonna be interesting at least.

Sailor Moon Crystal ep 3: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Rei seems quite a bit different than in the original anime, not as "hot headed" but maybe that's because it was only her first episode. I have no idea what she's like in the manga. I miss Tuxedo Mask driving three buses tied together out of the twilight zone like in the original. Sad to hear about the production issues Toei seem to be having.

Tokyo ESP ep 4: Unexpected penguin/shark attack. And the characters from the first episode finally show up, so hopefully things will be heating up now.

Barakamon ep 5: Wow, that was possibly the most unique beach episode I've ever seen in an anime. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: No bikinis. Also the return of the fujoshi plot line was funny.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 5: This episode gave me a similar sense of disappointment as Free. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The "tell the emperor that the princess is alive" plot went nowhere incredibly fast and idk, the rest just felt really lackluster. Maybe the lack of characterisation is catching up with my enjoyment.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep. 5: Still funny. Mikorin is best girl.

It is getting pretty bad in that show. I don't really care about either of the stuck-up boys. Would like to see Yanagi end up with someone nicer than the guy she likes, but I really don't care about her, either. If it weren't for the premonitions aspect, I think I'd drop this show, too.

Is the premonition stuff still just centered around the other drama?

[skreyola]

It is getting pretty bad in that show. I don't really care about either of the stuck-up boys. Would like to see Yanagi end up with someone nicer than the guy she likes, but I really don't care about her, either. If it weren't for the premonitions aspect, I think I'd drop this show, too.

Is the premonition stuff still just centered around the other drama?

It's hard to say. None of the ones she's had have turned out like she thought they would (I think... it's a little vague whether the third one has been fulfilled or not), but they've all revolved around her group of friends (which I think will be true throughout).

[MangaRocks!]

Free!: Eternal Summer episode 5:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'The supercontinent of Pangaea,' LOL! Oh my gosh, these guys are just too adorkable. <3 Oh, and I thought that little bit of character development with Nagisa was quite good, actually.



Zankyou no Terror episode 3:

Again, I *really* like the fact that this series is actually bothering to explain things like how the terrorists SPOILER: Highlight text to read: infiltrated that plant in the opening episode and why they hadn't been caught after doing so, the details about the power line and the crane operator, and even the fact that they're *intentionally* leaving traces (and were actually relieved/elated when the police finally picked up on them-- the reason for which I'm quite intrigued to find out). I'm still really interested to find out what their actual objective is, too. Also: Guess it's pretty obvious that the case Shibazaki was investigating that got him demoted is connected with that unpleasant-looking facility Nine and Twelve came from. On another note, I'm also glad Lisa finally got away from her crazy mother, although given the fact of her own issues and her trying to call the terrorists first, I'm positive she's going to end up with them (although, to be honest, I actually expected that right from the start, LOL). Anyway, yikes, though-- judging by Twelve's statement, the two of them are indeed either planning to kill her, planning on dying themselves, or both by the end. The only thing that was a little cliché was Shibazaki's friend accidentally giving him a hint on how to solve the riddle, LOL , but whatever-- the rest of this show is just too good for me to care about a flaw as small as that. Need... next... episode...!



Aldnoah.Zero episode 5:

...Okay, so it's still staying formulaic. And then that whole thing with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the emperor... Yeah, I have to agree with GeneD on all of the following:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The "tell the emperor that the princess is alive" plot went nowhere incredibly fast and idk, the rest just felt really lackluster. Maybe the lack of characterisation is catching up with my enjoyment.

Sailor Moon: Crystal episode 3:

I had heard beforehand that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Jadeite supposedly didn't die in this ep. like he was supposed to, which would be the first real change of note... but IDK, it seemed kinda ambiguous, to me. Anyway, though, if that was indeed SPOILER: Highlight text to read: an escape instead, I'm not sure why the makers of the show would've felt the need for that change; but hopefully whatever they're planning there will work out well (because I *really* want this adaptation to be a good one ).



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 5:

Oh yes, this is indeed only just getting even funnier! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh my gosh, that extremely annoying old editor of his, bwahaha. And that next-chapter-blurb in the manga and Nozaki's reaction to it were *perfect,* ROTFL!! Oh yeah, and also ROTFL at the conversation Nozaki and his current editor had, and then Nozaki trying to think/act it out afterwards (and everyone else's reactions to that, too)! I mean, holy crap, by the time it got to the cart scene I was laughing so hard that I had to pause the video! (Now *that* is what I expect from this author! )



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 5:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Okay, so NVM, it looks like I was right the first time and Art isn't "Saikyou" after all-- rather, it's looking like "Saikyou" is going to turn out to be the girl that was keeping him hidden after Moral killed him (or, rather, thoroughly attempted to ) back in S1. (There does still need to be some explanation of what his issue is, however-- especially after this episode, but more on that in a minute-- which this season had better come through on...) At least a hint at what might be causing the Minimum Holders' side-effects was revealed here, though. (Also, LOL at the little day-in-the-life-of-Murasaki segment in the middle of the ep. ) But that end... wow, I was not expecting Gasquet to get killed off at this particular point, nor in such a nasty way , nor Art just standing there when he saw it happen. What a waste...

[skreyola]

Glasslip ep. 5: This show is still just barely holidng my interest. Yanagi's SPOILER: Highlight text to read: proactivity helped some, but the show is still probably one more bad episode from being a drop for me.

[John_Smith]

So, the only anime I'm watching from this crop is Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, which is positively hilarious.

SAO II is on hold. Since I watched the first season in two days, I plan on doing the same with this second season. Anticipation is killing me.
Also on hold: Aldnoah.Zero. I'll probably watch it once it's finished airing.

EDIT: What I said about Aldnoah.Zero? Same for Sailormoon Crystal.

You sound like you really want more people to watch this... and this image might just cause me to join in.

[Crossfire]

It's fun. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's honest-to-good fun. And while Sabagebu might not be everyone's cup of tea, if you like comedy, SOL, or random shenanigans (or airsoft!!!), I think people should give this a try. There's a surprising amount of Western references as I mentioned in previous posts (Star Wars, Michael Jackson, Apocalypse Now), and I would imagine more to come.

[skreyola]

So, the only anime I'm watching from this crop is Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, which is positively hilarious.

My reaction to the description was Meh, but I've been enjoying this one far more than I really feel I ought to like a show that's about a girl who likes a guy who has no inkling she cares about him. So many funny moments.

Ironically, the show I thought I would enjoy boatloads is the one that's turning more Meh with each episode.

[Nate]

Sailor Moon Crystal ep 3: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Rei seems quite a bit different than in the original anime, not as "hot headed" but maybe that's because it was only her first episode. I have no idea what she's like in the manga. I miss Tuxedo Mask driving three buses tied together out of the twilight zone like in the original.

Original anime Rei and manga Rei are quite literally almost completely different characters. Do not expect her to be like she was in the first anime at all.

I had heard beforehand that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Jadeite supposedly didn't die in this ep. like he was supposed to, which would be the first real change of note... but IDK, it seemed kinda ambiguous, to me.

Not ambiguous at all, he clearly teleported out. It becomes a lot more obvious when you see how it went down in the manga:



Since we didn't get crispy skeleton Jadeite, it's pretty obvious that Jadeite survived. But, given the corner-cutting this show has been doing on everything except the music (THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD), I could be wrong...I doubt it though. If we see the crystal coffin next week then we'll know. I'm pretty confident he survived though which would again mean that this is not being faithful to the manga, and things could potentially be more interesting.

[skreyola]

I feel like all I'm doing this season is complain, but Barakamon is starting to seem less appealing. I watched ep. 4 tonight. The show is cute, and fairly enjoyable, but it's starting to get old how Naru keeps being the catalyst for Sensei to improve, and always by doing something completely inappropriate and messy. It's like the MC is her, not him. I'd rather the others on the island help him out, and I'd rather they say something thoughtful than make a huge mess that he has to clean up. I dunno... I might drop this show, for all that I like the real MC.

[John_Smith]

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 5: At last, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the raccoon in the opening makes its true first appearance! Except- it's not a raccoon. I had no idea these things existed prior to reading the show's wikipedia page. Although... am I the only one who noticed that they've been appearing the background a lot prior to this episode?

Sabagebu episodes 1-5: Firstly: The main character is a terrible, terrible, cruel person... And I find myself looking forward to the next act of cruelty.
I didn't like the first two episodes, besides the fanservice, the show's over the top seriousness contrasted with absolutely over the top ridiculous situations caused me to cringe more than laugh. But now, I think I'm getting used to the humor, and am finding it funny.
My favorite thing to happen in the series so far is episode five's aerial battle... I'm not certain if I was supposed to be laughing at it or not, but I liked it purely from the standpoint that it was cool.

I didn't mention this before, but I've also been watching Irregular at Magic High. I haven't been enjoying it very much, but I'm too stubborn to stop. That being said, the last few episodes have started getting a little better. They've been focusing on action (something the anime is actually good at) and have started hinting more heavily about deeper plot. I got a big feeling of calm before the storm in this last episode (#18).

[skreyola]

I haven't noticed the tanuki.

[GeneD]

I feel like all I'm doing this season is complain

Aw it happens to the best of us. Frankly, I think I think (want to believe) I enjoy Barakamon more than I actually do, which makes no sense but it's the only way I can describe it. As if I like the idea of the show more than the actual show itself. From what I've heard about the manga though, it might be more what I'm looking for so I'm quite keen to check it out.

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 6: An excellent return to form and as a bonus we got an episode with actual swimming. Lol at poor Rei's race.

Tokyo Ghoul ep 6: For some reason I thought SPOILER: Highlight text to read: at least one of the little girl's parents were human, though I wasn't sure who and turns out I was wrong anyway. Not as fun anymore now that there's no Tsukiyama to camp up the place, but I was surprised that I actually didn't want the whole ghoul family to die.

Zankyou no Terror ep 5: Mmm this episode, I meant to rewatch it but haven't gotten around to it yet. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: It was a turning point for me because with the introduction of a new "antagonist" Five, my emotional investment in Nine and Twelve has increased a lot, but my overall intrigue with the plot seems less and the change for me seems almost proportional. Maybe because it's now 100% confirmed the boys don't actually want anyone (innocent) to die. I was taken aback by Lisa's "role" in this ep, so hopefully it will move on to something more interesting than har har animu cooking soon.

Tokyo ESP ep 5: This is probably the show I care least about this season, but it's not actively annoying me enough to drop it. As such nothing interesting enough happened to comment on.

Sword Art Online II ep 6: :/ Eh Kirito was kinda gross and I wish Shino was destined for better things than a notch in his harem.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 6: The adult characters are the most interesting. I'm glad they followed the Slaine/Emperor plot to its logical conclusion this ep though and that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: he's finally gonna join the Earth forces.

Barakamon ep 6: All through this episode I was wondering SPOILER: Highlight text to read: where Tamako was, and was expecting her to walk in at some point and have an opinion about all the guys. Needless to say, the post credits scene was gold.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 6: No Mikorin this ep, but more Seo is always a win.

[MangaRocks!]

Since we didn't get crispy skeleton Jadeite, it's pretty obvious that Jadeite survived. But, given the corner-cutting this show has been doing on everything except the music (THE MUSIC IS SO GOOD), I could be wrong...I doubt it though. If we see the crystal coffin next week then we'll know. I'm pretty confident he survived though which would again mean that this is not being faithful to the manga, and things could potentially be more interesting.

Indeed, I have read the manga, and that bit I highlighted is precisely what I meant, LOL-- with the way it was animated, I wasn't entirely sure if I was supposed to take that as him disappearing, or, y'know, him disappearing. Oh well; let's see how this turns out...



Free!: Eternal Summer episode 6:

ROTFL at the Mikoshiba brothers (and Rin's facepalm reaction, bwahaha) , and also at Rei's race SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (although I still would've liked to have seen it, LOL ). Seriously, though, this show... <3 Oh, and I actually was not necessarily expecting SPOILER: Highlight text to read: all of the Iwatobi guys to win their individual races (and with times that moved them all on, too), so I was quite happy about that.



Zankyou no Terror episode 4:

This newest riddle/investigation had a great buildup to a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: rather unexpected conclusion, and I mean that in a good way. And *wow*, that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: bike scene was really something-- I actually watched that sequence twice! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And then Lisa and Twelve genuinely laughing about destroying the world at the end of it was so surreal... (Again, in quite a good way.) Also: Right from episode 1, I had been expecting Lisa to end up with them, and that Twelve would be the one to bring her in, too; yet, even still, I was not expecting Twelve's... emotions about it, I guess? It's kinda hard to describe, but there's just something there that is a bit deeper than I was expecting, given his apparently-kinda-psycho nature; so I was pleasantly surprised at that.



Aldnoah.Zero episode 6:

I think I've finally figured out that I am indeed pretty much just watching this for the music, Slaine, and Marito, LOL. I mean, seriously, when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Inaho's new 'proper' mech was having technical issues and he had to resort to his trusty old trainer, oh my gosh, that was sooo cliché! At least SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Slaine basically saved the day at the end there instead of *just* Inaho again, though. I hope this gets more interesting again soon...



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 6:

I seriously adore this show. <3 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh my gosh, Nozaki's face when Seo's song instantly put Waka to sleep... and then that entire sequence on the roof...! Also: "So depressed..." ***SPARKLE!***



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 6:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Okay, so now Art's real motives are even more obscured and confusing than before (although I knew precisely what the plan for that one particular 'scene' was going to be as soon as the baddies started filming it... ), but we got a more detailed explanation of his original Ability out of it, at least. Seriously, though, I really hope that Murasaki isn't actually dead...

[scribbledreamer]

I feel like all I'm doing this season is complain, but Barakamon is starting to seem less appealing. I watched ep. 4 tonight. The show is cute, and fairly enjoyable, but it's starting to get old how Naru keeps being the catalyst for Sensei to improve, and always by doing something completely inappropriate and messy. It's like the MC is her, not him. I'd rather the others on the island help him out, and I'd rather they say something thoughtful than make a huge mess that he has to clean up. I dunno... I might drop this show, for all that I like the real MC.

I do see what you mean. There's so many great characters in this show, it'd be nice to see more of them interact deeply with him, instead of just for laughs. Despite that, I don't really mind that Naru's pretty much the catalyst - mainly because my family adopted a little girl fairly recently and she's taught me so much, even at her young age. (Plus, she's a lot like Naru, so that's another reason I don't mind. The comparisons are hilarious sometimes.) I did feel like the show was dragging a bit for a while, but the most recent episode pretty much changed my mind. I still love this show.
On episode 6: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: This was one of the better episodes, in my opinion. I love how the townspeople care for him so much, and I loved the confrontation between Sensei and Kousuke. The fact that he was grappling with going back - He may have changed, but he's still driven by the determined to win, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Plus, this episode made me laugh so much. When he rolled off the deck to steal the magazine... And Naru and her insects...

Ao Haru Ride Episode 6: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I didn't enjoy this episode as much as the others. Can't say I'm a big fan of the love triangle of sorts now, either. I did think they did a pretty good job of keeping Futaba's feelings and actions realistic - I've been there before - but Yuuri hasn't grown on me enough for me to really like the new development. And though the last scene was pretty cliche, the soundtrack and animation were beautiful, so I actually really liked it. Futaba's internal dialogue was pretty good, too.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 6: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That rooftop scene was fantastic. And trying to create the manga: "Applying screen tones is a first-year's job." And Nozaki's reaction to all of it was great.

[ForeverInspired]

My rankings for the summer season:

1 Diamond no Ace - Ep 23 (this one is just something I can't get enough of)
2 Ao Haru Ride - Ep 5
3 Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun - Ep 5
4 Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus - Ep 4
5 Barakamon - Ep 5
6 Zankyou no Terror - Ep 4
7 Sword Art Online II - Ep 6
8 Free!: Eternal Summer - Ep 5
9 Re:␣Hamatora - Ep 5
10 Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Ep 18
11 Akame ga Kill! - Ep 5
12 Aldnoah.Zero - Ep 6
15 Captain Earth - Ep 18
16 Rail Wars! - Ep 5
17 Shirogane no Ishi: Argevollen - Ep 5
18 M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane - Ep 19
19 Glasslip - Ep 5
20 Yama no Susume: Second Season - Ep 2
21 Persona 4 The Golden Animation - Ep 4

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that Ao Haru Ride is placing very well. In fact, if Diamond no Ace was like a regular show (1 or 2 cour) and completed by now, I would give the first place to Ao Haru Ride hands down. So far, I've loved the drama and romance. It's sweet with some depth.

By the way, Tokyo Ghoul seems to be doing very well in the rankings of many anime viewers. People seem to like the plot and everything. It does sound intriguing, but I had a hard time getting through the first scene of the first episode (and I was able to last through Attack on Titan without this struggle). Would anyone further into the series want to enlighten me on how good this series really is? Is the plot and story as amazing as people say? I'll need a good reason to continue on. I really don't want to watch violence for the sake of violence if you know what I mean.

[GeneD]

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 7:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: .
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
PERFECT BODY.
PERFECT BODY.
I died laughing. I am dead. RIP me.

Oo I like doing rankings too. I have a bunch of ties though.

1. Haikyuu!!
2. Free!: Eternal Summer
2. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
3. Zankyou no Terror
3. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
4. Barakamon
4. Aldnoah.Zero
4. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal
5. Tokyo Ghoul
5. Sword Art Online II
6. Tokyo ESP
7. Captain Earth

By the way, Tokyo Ghoul seems to be doing very well in the rankings of many anime viewers. People seem to like the plot and everything. It does sound intriguing, but I had a hard time getting through the first scene of the first episode (and I was able to last through Attack on Titan without this struggle). Would anyone further into the series want to enlighten me on how good this series really is? Is the plot and story as amazing as people say? I'll need a good reason to continue on. I really don't want to watch violence for the sake of violence if you know what I mean.

I'm up to ep 6 and as you can see from my ranking, I don't think that much of it. The plot is kind of average and none of the characters stand out to me in a remarkable way. I like a lot of the concepts/ideas of the show, not so much the execution. The style is too over the top for the horror or suspense elements to really be taken seriously and there's very little world building other than "so ghouls live among humans and occasionally eat them". Despite this it's not drop-level annoying/bad and can be (mindless) fun at times; I'm still open to checking out the manga. Also the OP and ED are fantastic.

But IMO if you had trouble with the violence it's probably not worth it. Note that in that scene the violence was pretty sexualised (I know that sounds strange) which doesn't happen with most of the other violence, but isn't completely absent later on either. Most of the violence is pretty obnoxiously censored though, with inverted colours or great big black or white "beams" across the screen.

[MomentOfInertia]

Rankings? Okay, I'm not following much but here goes:

1 Sabagebu!
2 Space Dandy 2
---
3 Aldnoah Zero (dropped until/unless I hear awesome things)
4 Rail Wars (dropped after 1)

[Vii]

I haven't been up to date with the few shows I picked up this season so no rankings from me.

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 7:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: .
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
PERFECT BODY.
PERFECT BODY.
I died laughing. I am dead. RIP me.

Bury me too. I think I wheezed out my spleen.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Never thought the "ALL OUT" from the first season could be beat

[skreyola]

Okay, since everyone's doing these this season, here are my rankings.

Watching:
1 - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun Ep. 5
2 - Hanayamata Ep. 5
3 - Ao Haru Ride Ep. 2 (This may overtake Hanayamata soon)
4 - Barakamon Ep. 4

DROPPED:
5 - Glasslip Ep. 6
9000 - RAIL WARS! Ep. 1

I'm still planning to watch: Sailor Moon: Crystal, Akame ga Kill (maybe), and (if I get really bored before the next cour), Sabagebu.

[John_Smith]

Rankings? I can do that...

1. SAO II (Yes, I not watching it yet but still, I wouldn't be me if I didn't put it here)
2. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
3. Sabagebu!
4. The Irregular at Magic High School

Waiting:
SAO II
Aldnoah.Zero
Sailormoon Crystal

This is depressing to see everyone placing Aldnoah.Zero low. I’m amazed they could mess up the concept of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'Mars and Earth go to war with mechas.'

[ForeverInspired]

By the way, Tokyo Ghoul seems to be doing very well in the rankings of many anime viewers. People seem to like the plot and everything. It does sound intriguing, but I had a hard time getting through the first scene of the first episode (and I was able to last through Attack on Titan without this struggle). Would anyone further into the series want to enlighten me on how good this series really is? Is the plot and story as amazing as people say? I'll need a good reason to continue on. I really don't want to watch violence for the sake of violence if you know what I mean.

I'm up to ep 6 and as you can see from my ranking, I don't think that much of it. The plot is kind of average and none of the characters stand out to me in a remarkable way. I like a lot of the concepts/ideas of the show, not so much the execution. The style is too over the top for the horror or suspense elements to really be taken seriously and there's very little world building other than "so ghouls live among humans and occasionally eat them". Despite this it's not drop-level annoying/bad and can be (mindless) fun at times; I'm still open to checking out the manga. Also the OP and ED are fantastic.

But IMO if you had trouble with the violence it's probably not worth it. Note that in that scene the violence was pretty sexualised (I know that sounds strange) which doesn't happen with most of the other violence, but isn't completely absent later on either. Most of the violence is pretty obnoxiously censored though, with inverted colours or great big black or white "beams" across the screen.

I think that I'll hold off on it then. Who knows, I might still pick it up on a whim in a few months/years. I just don't feel up to it right now. Thanks for helping me out on this one!

This is depressing to see everyone placing Aldnoah.Zero low. I’m amazed they could mess up the concept of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'Mars and Earth go to war with mechas.'

Honestly, even though it ranks low, it's not that it doesn't have potential. It really does. With this director, there is no reason for it not to turn out well in the end. I have a feeling that it's just having a slow start like Steins;Gate. Now, I could still be completely wrong (I have no idea what is beyond that which has been released to date). Nonetheless, I'm still holding on to that hope.

[MomentOfInertia]

This whole post is kind of spoiler-y, though it's just first ep/in the ad copy stuff.

This is depressing to see everyone placing Aldnoah.Zero low. I’m amazed they could mess up the concept of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'Mars and Earth go to war with mechas.'

It want's to be cool, and I want it to be cool; but it's just boring. I'm not interested in the characters, and the Earth mechs (while the hover boots are neat) are just cannon fodder. The Martian units are all gimmick bots, they feel like cheesy level bosses.

It just feels like cheap knockoff Attack on Titan with robots. Humanity sends out waves of nameless cannon fodder which are devoured (figuratively in this case) by their massive foes. While only a few clever characters cause damage to the enemy. AoT had more interesting characters, the maneuver gear was cool (the animations of it more so), and the titans were unique. AZ is just little robots versus big robots.

Unless I hear it's improved a lot I'll probably pick Irregular at Magic High School (another show that I wanted to be cool but didn't hold my interest) back up first.

[ForeverInspired]

^That's exactly it! I wanted to be more specific in why Aldnoah.Zero was falling so low for me, but I couldn't pinpoint it at the time.

[skreyola]

Barakamon ep. 5: the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: boy-love joke is getting really tired. They need to give it a rest. I've dropped more shows this season than I usually do... I'd hate to add this one to it, because it has such potential, but it's getting closer...

[Nate]

Jadeite is still alive. I told you people!

Also, Kunzite hadn't yet shown up at this point in the manga, so his appearance here is yet another divergence. But one that I fully support. It was pretty rad seeing all four generals taunting Sailor Moon.

Some really bad animation this episode too, especially when Umino and Motoki enter the arcade. And the worst part is due to the schedule, we won't see the next episode for three weeks. ;~; Well, at least we can hope that having an extra week in there will help the quality.. I won't hold my breath on it, but I'll do my best to remain slightly optimistic.