Forum - View topicSummer Season 2011: Final Weeks / Postmortem
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the Rancorous
 Posts: 2248 Location: Hunting the Dragon in Gransys |
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Gotta say, my two favorite airing shows are ones continuing from last season; Hanasaku Iroha and Blue Exorcist. I guess after two pretty good seasons, it should be expected to hit a bit of a lull.
I actually -out of morbid curiosity- tried to watch the 2nd ep of R15. Oh man... got about 5-6 minutes in and realized that this episode is actually worse than the first. Now that is a feat unto itself! I was going to give Blood-C another episode, but the reviews said that the 2nd episode is pretty much identical to the 1st, so that's a no-go. Cat God was 24 minutes of unfunny nonsense and its art-style drove me up the wall. Sacred Seven is still a friggin' mess, but maybe it's a mess I can have fun laughing at? We'll see. Moritasan, despite being only 3 minute episodes, is still boring. The Idolm@ster's 1st episode was enjoyable as it was portrayed like a make-shift documentary, but that aspect is completely gone after the 1st episode. Ep 2 was just girls fussing about costumes and pictures. Pretty boring. I'm managing to keep myself away from Twin Angel successfully. And I'm not touching that Manyuu Hikenchou filth. No way. But, this season is not a total loss. Ikoku Meiro No Croisee is still pretty good by ep 2 (haven't watched 3 yet), Yuru Yuri remains a fun diversion despite that very awkward boob-dribble scene  .
There's also The Mystic Archives of Dantalian that was very pretty even if it did make me go "WTF?!" I'm definitely watching more of it. I'm still torn on Kamisama no Memocho, I'll decide on that one this weekend. I still haven't gotten to Usagi Drop, Ro-Kyu-Bu, No. 6, or Mawaru Penguindrum, so maybe one or more of these will make my "like" list. |
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maaya
Posts: 976 |
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Indeed you should quickly get on with watching Bunny Drop, No. 6 and Penguindrum. The 3 best shows of this season by far (imho the only good ones actually). At least for now, hopefully they'll be able to keep their level. |
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Spastic Minnow
 Bargain HunterExempt from Grammar Rules  Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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Well, most shows are in episode 5 territory at least, so we're at the point where most people have dropped the shows... what are we left with?
First of all, as I said earlier, I had no patience for shows with "big E" EVIL villains this year or traditional action shows, so those were ditched early and Blood-C is hanging by a thread. Favorites of the season have been- Natsume Yūjin-Chō San: a welcome return. It's weird how well this mixes relaxing with creepy. The malevolent yokai in this would be pretty damn scary in a proper horror anime- I mean... an empty kimono gathering its desiccated body parts... that's the stuff of nightmares. Mawaru Penguindrum Weird, intriguing, some great art direction choices, the humor doesn't always work for me but it can be pretty funny too. Usagi Drop: A simply sweet show with good characters and realistically precocious kid. Kamisama No Memo-cho: the relationships in the show sometimes feel a little forced but its a good mix of likable characters and interesting mysteries. Ikoku Meiro no Croisée: It'd be nice if she was given something to do but it's still a pleasure to watch her daily discoveries. ALso liking to a certain extent: The Mystic Archives of /Dantalian/ no Shoka: The mysteries are neat little macabre things but this is a show that could benefit with a day in the life episode to help you connect with the duo. Ro-Kyu-Bu!: nothing great really, but it hasn't turned out as bad as I thought it'd be. Mayo Chiki!: A slightly less obnoxious and less cartoony version of MM!, I get some good laughs out of it. Morita-san wa Mukuchi: Still think this one is not well suited to the 3 minute format, but it's alright. No. 6- I don't really like either of the main characters much, they've been fitted too closely into what seems to be stereotypical seme and uke roles and leave little room for nuance Yuruyuri: Once again, noithing great, but it has its moments Idolm@ster: Actually the shallowness of this one is getting to me, still, cute girls doing cute things, I'll watch and root for the lovable little archetypes. Blood-C: repetive with a plot progression so slow it's driving me a bit mad, it better speed up soon. A normal show could have done what this one has done in 5 episodes in 2. R-15: I actually haven't watched past the first episode, but I do plan to watch once I can see an uncensored version. Continuing: Nichijou/ My Ordinary Life: This show has reached another level since the beginning of the summer season, it's always been funny but also always had a couple bits that were complete misses or were simply too drawn out, it's now become a much more tight and and consistently funny show. If they've been adapting the manga in order I'd say it's evidence of the author really honing his craft and perfecting the funny. Honto ni Atta! Reibai-Sensei: SO glad this continued, I thought it was done at 12 episodes. Unlike Morita-san this one is Perfect in its brief length and simple animation, keep coming with the funny little stories, please. Sket Dance: The way this show is, it seems like they're in it for multiple seasons, episodic adventures that hint at larger character arcs. Beelzebub: It's surprising how much I have come to look forward to this show now, it hung on the edge of being dropped for weeks but I'm enjoying quite a lot now. Less electrocutions, only one more pee-flood and I actaully really enjoy how Oga tends to just quickly pummel characters whose taunting you'd usually have to suffer for episodes on end until he finally "powers up" enough. Blue Exorcist/ Ao no Exorcist: meanwhile I fear this one is ending its honeymoon period of light-hearted adventure and entering its melee rounds. hmmm, don't know what to think yet, if I have problems with evil bad guys I'll certainly have problems with Demons. Hanasaku Iroha: In some ways its quite predictable, but its still well told and great to look at. Steins;Gate: It's a good story, but its definitely starting to feel like a game adaptation right now. Tiger and Bunny: I've let Hulu queue up two of these episodes currently, there's really nothing majorly wrong but despite some of its unique features it really feels like something I've watched before- or maybe read, it feels like a comic book and I mostly gave up on superhero comics years ago |
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Yttrbio
 Posts: 3652 |
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Spastic Minnow, you might think about giving Kamisama Dolls another shot. I seem to recall your problem with it was "generic psycho villain," and that's not really the case after the first episode.
For some reason, I feel like there are very few shows in which anything has actually happened. I'm liking this season, but most shows seem to be in a holding pattern in terms of plot. |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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Actually, I did. Second episode was fine, third episode.... actually added more psychos. |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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So, as this season winds down are there any really significant surprises or disappointments?
Always good but heading out an especially high note: Nichichou/ My Ordinary Life- widening the cast but losing none of the funny. Even better than it was at the last season interval and I really wish it just just keep going. Better than I thought: Yuruyuri- it's not fantastic but often has some really good moments and the occasional inspired comedy moments. Going downhill fast: No. 6- The most recent development- revealed in the first real info drop of the show (all the way into ep. 8) seems silly and guarantees this show will not be ending well. Instead of really explaining much they just added more complications. And the world's logic really seems to be falling apart. The rest are basically at the same expectations I've had all along, whether they be low (Blood-C, Ro-Kyu-Bu!) or high (Mawaru Penguindrum, Ikoku Meiro no Croisée) or average (Dantalian, Tiger and Bunny). |
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Unicorn_Blade
 Posts: 1153 Location: UK |
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I only watched three series from the current season and about two I am a bit on the fence, so it was not a great season all in all.
Steins Gate is the one I actually like the most. The last few episodes were not very even (well, one could argue that the whole series suffers of uneven pace, but that does not really bug me in this case)- because I genuinely laughed and even shed a tear once or twice, I can forgive the series some minor imperfections. Blood-C turned out quite a disappointment. For a long while it followed the same, boring scheme, and when it stopped, somehow did not become a lot better. The animation is nice, but the plot itself looks like a screaming cliche. No.6- this time I actually had a lot of expectation towards it. The art is stunning and the first few episodes were very promising. But apparently the makers were clueless as to where to go from there. Explanations far from satisfactory, and the pretty art will not be able to pull this one all by itself. I wish I had decided on Usagi Drop rather than any of the two above, maybe Ill catch up on it next season which did not look very interesting at the first glance. |
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smilewolfy
Posts: 28 |
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What I've seen and my comments:
Ao no Exorcist: I love this show, no matter what people say about it straying from the manga, they should just be happy they get new stuff from the shows they love, i don't want it to end Beelzebub: Cool and funny show I've been watching all year, I wonder when it will end? since the manga is really long Baka to Test: Ni: Just as good as the first season, one of my favorite comedy animes off all time Blood-C: Ok, it's way too slow paced, but somehow i find myself watching it every week, hoping for something to happen Kamisama Dolls: Just another generic anime that I don't really care for Mayo Chikki: Reminds me of Nyan koi, but cats have been replaced by cross dressing, not really special though Nichijou: Half the time it's really funny, but then sometimes it's just painful :/ Nurarihyon no Mago second season: I liked the first season, this one seems okay but I'm forcing myself to watch it Everything else I've dropped, including No. 6, R-15, Prince-sama, and other unmentionable shows |
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Mylene
 Posts: 2792 Location: Indiana |
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I've fallen behind on Mawaru Penguindrum because my husband watches it with me, but he hasn't been up to watching it deeply (looking for the hidden clues, meanings, various things Ikuni likes to toss in), so I haven't seen it for a few weeks. That said, I still love what I have watched, and can't wait to see how it spins out.
I'm only a little behind on Bunny Drop since it's straightforward so my husband finds it relaxing to watch. It's a really soothing show, and I like that they continue to focus on Daikichi more than Rin. It's cute, sure, but the show isn't about cuteness, it's about overcoming the challenges that life throws at you. I'm still utterly amazed that my husband watches the show with me though! He usually has no interest in "human drama" type series. He's still so intrigued by the fact that the story continues to be about Daikichi and his inner workings. Plus, it's always nice to see a series where a guy isn't a total putz when it comes to things like taking care of a little girl. I'm looking forward to the end of Hanasaku Iroha and Tiger & Bunny. They're series that my husband doesn't follow (go figure on the T&B), so I'm actually pretty much up-to-date on them. I enjoy them both well enough, but I will admit that if either were released on BD/DVD in the U.S., I'm not really sure if I would buy them. They just don't grab me the same way that the new Summer 2011 shows did. They lack an emotional hook for me, which is a shame, because they're certainly entertaining enough. |
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einhorn303
 Posts: 1180 |
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I'm another person who's actually enjoying Twin Angel. I like it because:
1. The show is self-conscious of it's absurdity, and revels in it. Like when Haruka and Aoi are talking about how their secret identities as Twin Angel must never be revealed...in a school bathroom stall. And how, in Kurumi's typical "magical girl naked henshin," she's self-aware of her nudity and embarrassed. And one of the villains Twin Angel fights is a stereotypical fat otaku uploading anime onto YouTube...It's a very subtle parody, like a mix of parody and homage at the same time. But it actually has made me laugh out loud multiple times. 1. The main voice cast is amazing. Yukari Tamura, Mamiko Noto (my favorite VA, probably), and Rie Kugimiya. How much money did they spend on that? 3. Kurumi's character is so cute. The show improved tremendously when she showed up. 4. With Nine and Tesla in episode 8, it seems like the show will actually have a reasonably good story. I'm also watching: Croisee in a Foreign Labyrinth: This and Taisho Baseball Girls has made me realize that I love historical dramas set during periods of social change. It'd be great if this got BD from Sentai, the beautiful Parisian scenery could use it. I don't really find Yune all that cute, though. Hanasaku Iroha: Sometimes it can be a bit too teen-drama-ish with all the "fest it up" stuff, but it feels refreshingly real. It's like, it's not slice-of-life...it is life. Nichijou: I must forgive the show for falling behind on it...episode 13 and onward have been really good. Comparing this to Azumanga Daioh is like comparing Red Skelton to Monty Python. Well, maybe that's too strong of an analogy... Cardfight!! Vanguard: The amazingly high frequence, and dramatic timing, of spoiler[Aichi losing] sets this apart from every other card-game, or sports in general, anime ever. What the...it's almost too realistic. Ro-Kyu-Bu!: It's an alright show, but none of the characters stand out much. I like how it actually takes basketball really serious...it's like, worlds apart from K-On!. Morita-san wa Mukuchi: The idea of a show where the main character never talks is pretty interesting. But I think it'd be better if it had more focus on Morita-san. |
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TheSwedishElf
Posts: 300 |
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I think the one and only funny thing about Mayo Chiki is how its fans keep acting like it was just such a shock to find out the butler is a chick. NO! Really? The butler who looks and sounds absolutely 100% nothing like even an effeminate guy is a girl? WHAT A TWEEST!
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Dolza
 Posts: 92 Location: Chicagoland |
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Best new Character in Anime for Summer '11
Hellbrick from Sacred Seven While the show is kind of dumb and beats old tropes like a rented mule, I look forward to having Hellbrick spice up the dull dialogue. Plus, who wouldn't love being able to have your punctuation manifest physically? |
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter Exempt from Grammar Rules Posts: 4613 Location: Gainesville, FL |
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Starting the final impressions. Still some shows to go, I'll write them up when they finish.
My patience for borderline shows seemed to lessen this show, especially for borderline action shows, I was even able to drop two of them relatively late in their seasons due to my inability to continue. Maybe my ability to drop those shows is what gives me the impression this season was, by and large, a bit better than some previous one. Still, there are a couple stinkers in my preferred genres as well. Approximately Favorite to Least Tolerated. Excellent Nichijou/My Ordinary Life I rated the first half as very good and rated one or two shows above it but the second half was such an improvement on a show I already enjoyed that as a whole it may have become my favorite series of the year. Throughout all 26 episodes there are sequences that are so funny it left me in tears- what it improved on as it went on was the consistency of hilarity (early episodes had large bits that either went too long, were too esoteric for a wide audience, or both) and despite enlarging the cast it became a much better integrated show. Nano and the Professor weren't only doing their thing, separate students felt like a part of the wider school and each character felt more defined. Very Good Natsume Yuujinchou San Still an episode left in this season but I feel comfortable putting this here. This series deals so fantastically with it’s relaxed nature. Even when the situation itself is tense the viewer feels at ease. Natsume is the definitive sympathetic character, the viewer feels for him and you can see why the other characters are drawn to him. The show is also brimming with imaginative spirits and is a pleasure to see and hear as well. Usagi Drop The show is wonderfully simple, an examination of a dramatic situation featuring a cute little girl and guy whose feelings I can understand. It’s sort of a Yotsuba &! that takes itself seriously… but not too much. Hanasaku Iroha If you’re seeing a pattern here, well… I like character dramas and this season had a number of very good ones. It is beautifully designed, it has characters that appeal to otaku types without pandering too much, it features well defined character dynamics but it never really goes for the heavy melodrama. It teases with it, the situations often feel like soap opera situations but time and again when characters stumble they end up acting rather reasonably and with the interests of others in mind. Mawaru Penguindrum (continuing) Okay, it doesn’t makes sense, and knowing Kunihiko Ikuhara’s reputation it may never completely satisfy, but it is a fascinating show with art design and story elements that compete with Madoka Magica for uniqueness. Kamisama No Memo-cho Like Hanasaka Iroha this too plays to otaku types without pandering to them, but while that was a family drama this is mystery series. The cases are urban and a bit dark but are not flashy. Occasionally it can go cute and the main female character, Alice, is a product of the times but the cases are quality stories, with only one completely comedic episode. There are a couple minior plot holes and a couple cases go a bit longer than necessary but I very much recommend the series. Croisée in a Foreign Labyrinth / Ikoku Meiro no Croisée / La Croisée Dans un Labyrinth étranger A sweet little girl character trying her best, sympathetic and friendly characters, a wondrous and romanticized setting, it’s a typical Junichi Sato set-up, but no one does a setting like this like he does. There are problems though, for such a sweet and calm little show it’s packed with too many issues to focus on, everyone has their own little problems and none really come close to resolution, instead it just resolves with everyone feeling a little more comfortable with each other. It’s very much a set-up for another series or two and I guess there’s no problem with that, I’ll watch. Good Steins;Gate I love the hard science time travel story, it follows its own logic well and makes you think it’s almost believable. Unfortunately most of first half is spent a bit frivolously and while it does well to establish its main character and his relationship with one of the main girls in this quasi-harem it takes quite awhile to get involved in the time travel sci-fi specifics and does far too little to invest in another girl whose story you are asked to be heavily involved in for the rest of the series. So, the second half mostly ends up being too heavy on the drama lays it on pretty thick. In other words, the story is very good to excellent, the pacing and characterization however have problems. Tiger and Bunny It does its Japanese take on Western styled superheroes very well, borrowing villain types and grandiose and bombastic superheroics to the hilt while bringing in the best of cute anime girls and utopian/dystopian ideals as well. The high amount of adult characters is a refreshing change to most anime hero types too. The only problem I have is how very sick I’ve gotten of western styled comic book action. YuruYuri It was occasionally very funny, it was also occasionally very tiresome Decent The IDOLM@STER (continuing) The girls are cute and appealing character types but that’s all they are. I guess you could say it’s cute and appealingly brain-dead. The cuteness kept me watching, the stupidity kept me asking “why?” [edit, now I've gotten to ep. 13 and realized it's actually a 2-cour show... wow, that's a lot of mindless cute girls. Gonna take a break and continue it when the CR not-even-close-to-simulcast of the show catches up. Dropped (after watching a majority) Blood-C It was simply a mistake making this into a series. From what I watched this could be pretty good at half it’s length and possibly quite good if condensed into movie length. As it was it was horribly repetitive and... repetitive. No. 6 This was also going far too slow, but unlike Blood C it had no real end in sight. I quit when an episode that promised to give some answers instead introduced more mysteries, one of which seemed to be really stupid and screwed up the logic of the world as well.. It had some good art going for it and some seemingly interesting characters, but “interesting” also become “unlikable” pretty quickly as well. Last edited by Spastic Minnow on Sat Oct 01, 2011 11:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Yttrbio
Posts: 3652 |
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I'm not necessarily recommending you do this, but you can probably safely skip to the latest episode (11) without any real loss of plot (certainly none that matters), avoiding the repetitiveness. |
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Crisha
Moderator
 Posts: 4290 |
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Whelp, I can only discuss the one series I have watched.
Steins;Gate Rating: 9/10 I waited until this show ended before I started watching (other than seeing the first episode earlier to determine if it was a series I was interested in continuing), and then I marathoned it. Perhaps it was because I marathoned it instead of watching in weekly, but I didn't notice as much of a pacing issue - or rather they never bothered me. I liked the light-hearted tone of the start and observing the characters' daily lives to establish the setting and personalities. However, perhaps it is telling of the series that I really don't remember much of the first 3-4 episodes after the first - too much fluff, not enough substance. Regardless, I had no issues with it despite the lack of recollection. While I enjoy the light-heartedness of the first half (with some heavy foreshadowing interspersed), the change in mood was also welcoming in the second half. And other than a few episodes (I'm looking at your 19 and 20), the second half didn't feel too melodramatic. Those two episodes just felt too forced to me, and I ended up rolling my eyes a few times. As such, I appreciated the slower pace in the following episode - and while Mayuri isn't my favorite character of the series, I liked being able to see more of her frustration at being unable to help out. Finally, IMO, the last three episodes were perfect - perfect in tone, perfect in pacing, perfect in resolution. So, great series. Having seen several reviews and knowing my preferences, here are some more series I definitely plan to watch: Tiger and Bunny Mawaru Penguindrum - I'll probably wait until the series finishes before I start it. Maybe by that time there'll be an announcement of a license. Bunny Drop Here are series I'll probably watch when I get the chance: Natsume Yuujinchou San - After I watch the first series and assuming I enjoy it enough to continue. Slice-of-life tends to be harder for me to get into - I have to be in a certain mood - but once I do I normally really enjoy the series. Hanasaku Iroha - I figure I'll have to be in a certain mood to start watching. Kamisama No Memo-cho - I like mysteries. Croisée in a Foreing Labyrinth - I like historical dramas. And then I hesitate on watching No. 6 and The Mysitc Archives of Dantalian. The reviews for the ending of the series in the former make me cringe, and the latter tends to sound so average. I like the sound of Dantalian's macabre setting and mood even if the characters are generic, and I do like mysteries, so I'll probably pick it up. Man, if only I could get something similar to Ghost Hunt's haunted mansion arc - I loved that arc. The rest of the series ranged from blech to decent, but THAT ARC... awesome. I turned out all of the lights in my house and watched it at midnight. |
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