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The Spring 2015 Anime Preview Guide


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jymmy



Joined: 11 Nov 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:48 pm Reply with quote
Watched a couple more shows. Show By Rock!! was just bonkers and a mile a minute. Kind of reminded me of PriPara on LSD, though the actual jokes, story and characterisation are a step below compared to its first episode. Gave it 3 stars on the poll. I agree most strongly with the closing remark from Bamboo's review:

Bamboo wrote:
I can't recommend it in good conscience to most viewers, but I'll be tuning in next week for sure.


The first episode of Hello!! Kiniro Mosaic didn't have the charm of the best moments of the first season, but I'm happy enough that it's back. From sequels to good 2013 moe shows, though, Non Non Biyori Repeat is what I'm really looking forward to. I still liked Kiniro Mosaic a fair bit, though, and I'd love to get an episode as sweet and lovely as the first or last from the first season. The first episode of Hello!!, though, I found on the weaker side; I'd give it 2 1/2 stars if it were on the list yet.

The new series of Arslan Senki is the first exposure I've had to the franchise. I'm not sure what significance being an adaptation of Arakawa's manga has, other than giving it the character designs, of course. I agree that it seems well-trod material, but that a certain earnestness shines through. The first episode's set me up to want to
know what happens next, and the quality of the writing thus far has convinced me that it'll be worth it. 3 1/2 stars. As Zac's review suggests, I'll be taking a look at the OVA version... eventually.

The new season of Baby Steps drops us into the unfamiliar, and it's interesting to see Eiichirou defeated without giving his opponent a hard time or taking those small steps the series is named for while in the game itself. I look forward to continuing to follow Baby Steps, which was probably my favourite sports series last year after Ping Pong. Would give it 3 stars if it were there to rate at the moment.

penguintruth: I'm struggling to see the connection between Arslan and Plastic Memories, at least in the development of your post. Did you (seemingly randomly) bring up the latter because no one was annoyed by your first post criticising it?
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8458
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:15 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
Personally I thought they were gonna go with some sort of new secret recycling program that they tried on her to extend her life but it didn't really work. But after thinking about it your suggestion is probably what will happen, you know to keep it as simple as possible.


I was thinking that maybe the reason why she was taken off active duty was that she was starting to show signs of deterioration and they didn't want to exacerbate the condition by giving her field work. Of course, to be revealed at a conveniently dramatic time.

That way after our hero falls madly in love with her, we get the gut wrenching drama of him wanting to make the most of their remaining time together, sakura blossoms, wilting flowers, heartbreaking tragedy, blah blah blah. The same old, forced song-and-dance, sun rise, sun set.

Since it's only the first episode, this is just an educated guess, but given how simple and pandering the show is, it seems pretty clear what direction it's going in, even if it isn't those specific beats.

Trying to wring tears out of the viewers this obviously is kind of a tragedy in itself. Especially when they model the little girl robot at the end of the episode to be as adorably precious as possible.

Maybe I'm becoming too jaded.


Last edited by penguintruth on Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:18 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 11:17 pm Reply with quote
Show by Rock!! could use a couple more exclamation points to better reflect the energy. A lot of wtf wrapped in the cuteness overload, but Hello Kitty style is a bit out of my resonance range. Not unpleasant though (except for the boy band's name, which I keep misreading as an std Confused). I'll probably watch more.
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DangerMouse



Joined: 25 Mar 2009
Posts: 3980
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 12:08 am Reply with quote
jymmy wrote:
The new series of Arslan Senki is the first exposure I've had to the franchise. I'm not sure what significance being an adaptation of Arakawa's manga has, other than giving it the character designs, of course. I agree that it seems well-trod material, but that a certain earnestness shines through. The first episode's set me up to want to
know what happens next, and the quality of the writing thus far has convinced me that it'll be worth it. 3 1/2 stars. As Zac's review suggests, I'll be taking a look at the OVA version... eventually.


Yeah, I have solid hope that the writing quality will be able to deliver the character development and action/intrigue desire to see what's next I'm expecting based on this episode, so I hope they can pull it off and don't waste it.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18138
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 12:19 am Reply with quote
Someone asked at at the beginning of the thread what the big controversial series would be this season. These kind of things are hard to predict, but after seeing the first episode of Ultimate Otaku Teacher, I'm not surprised that it has ended up being the biggest offender so far.

The "get back at the bullies" scene in question didn't bother me as much because I never saw it as attempting to be funny. Perversely heroic, maybe (and I think the scene could be criticized for how it plays that), but definitely not a joke. It was a lesson. And since Junichiro seemed to know exactly where the line was on mere bullying transcending into criminal behavior, I'm willing to assume that he also knows exactly what he can get away with without getting into too much trouble himself.

Now, that shouldn't be taken as approval of how he handled things, as he's playing a risky, edgy game there. And that definitely doesn't mean that he isn't still an ass.

Penguintruth wrote:
(NOTE: Referring to Plastic Memories.)
Trying to wring tears out of the viewers this obviously is kind of a tragedy in itself. Especially when they model the little girl robot at the end of the episode to be as adorably precious as possible.

Maybe I'm becoming too jaded.

I dunno, I am a bit jaded myself about all of the common stunts that anime pulls, but this still worked quite powerfully for me. I don't think that the Giftia being a cute little girl had much to do with it, either. Really, it was more the reactions of Isla and the old woman which tugged at me the strongest.

I can certainly understand where the concerns of you and some others are coming from (and the dumb joke at the end doesn't help), but to me this one has a different feel, the kind of thing that I only come across a handful of times in a decade. If I had to quantify that feel, it's the sense that the show is striving for something much more than just appeasing fans with run-of-the-mill antics. Every time before that I've had that feel, my faith that the series would handle things right has largely or entirely been justified, which is why I am willing to trust this one unreservedly.

Besides, when a new series doesn't have a single naysayer amongst five reviewers and has the highest poll score amongst any non-sequel, that should tell you something. Even Yuri Kumi Arashi didn't get universal praise in last season's Preview Guide.
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rheiders



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 1137
Location: Colorful Colorado :)
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 12:58 am Reply with quote
I only had time to watch one premiere today and I was feeling Seraph of the End so that's what I watched. The only things I've heard about the manga are that it's hacky and bad but, like Hope, I like vampires and I like dumb so I'll probably end up watching the whole thing lol. The backgrounds and costumes are stylish, at least. I like the evil vampire dude with the thigh-highs. Laughing

When I get some free time again I'll watch the new Utapri and try out Arslan and Plastic Memories. So far the season seems quite a bit weaker than last season for me, but that's a good thing because last season was so good I didn't have time to watch everything I wanted to xD
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Xristophoros



Joined: 01 Sep 2013
Posts: 149
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:03 am Reply with quote
yup, another piss poor anime season this is shaping up to be. we are lucky to get even two or three shows worth your time every year, let alone each season. thank goodness we have hosoda's "the boy and the beast" film to look forward to this year. it is funny seeing the contrast in anime fan opinions by those who became fans in the 90s or earlier, versus those who became fans at the end of the 2000s or later. those newer to anime are perfectly content absorbing mediocrity at an alarming rate and don't even know what makes for a good anime series. these "fans" will eat up everything they see and never seem to get full. c'mon guys, raise your quality standards a little bit and stop supporting trashy media before it is too late and the anime industey collapses on itself. eating junk food is unhealthy in case you guys didn't know Very Happy

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Shippoyasha



Joined: 28 Aug 2007
Posts: 459
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:10 am Reply with quote
Pretty split opinions on Show by Rock, review crew. But I'm glad some are really liking the inventiveness of it all. It definitely feels scattered now, and I hope they wrangle the plot together. But it definitely is one of the more risque and unique shows this season so far, using the CG to that extent with such a radically different style to boot.

The music was legit great in Show by Rock though.
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Shippoyasha



Joined: 28 Aug 2007
Posts: 459
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:18 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
I dunno, I am a bit jaded myself about all of the common stunts that anime pulls, but this still worked quite powerfully for me. I don't think that the Giftia being a cute little girl had much to do with it, either. Really, it was more the reactions of Isla and the old woman which tugged at me the strongest.

I can certainly understand where the concerns of you and some others are coming from (and the dumb joke at the end doesn't help), but to me this one has a different feel, the kind of thing that I only come across a handful of times in a decade. If I had to quantify that feel, it's the sense that the show is striving for something much more than just appeasing fans with run-of-the-mill antics. Every time before that I've had that feel, my faith that the series would handle things right has largely or entirely been justified, which is why I am willing to trust this one unreservedly.


I think the comedy falls right in line with the goofiness the Steins;Gate writer injects into his works. They are always filled with a fair amount of nice little slapstick here and there. And I thought the bathroom joke was cute and actually illuminating as to how the giftias actually have very human functions as far as defecation goes too. So it was more multifaceted than people are letting on. And the 'common schticks' can be a lot of fun when done with proper timing and flow in which the show did a great job of. The best gag probably being the 'over confident cat jump' by Isla.

And Xristophoros, I'm not really sure I agree that there's nothing in it for older fans of anime. I've grown up with the likes of 60s-80s anime (many which I still watch today) and I'm still pretty satisfied with the variety of shows out there today. Also, there's usually 4 or 5 unexpected gems in anime each season and there's some that really do look promising to me. I think rather than pining for some 'death of anime', it's best if people reward unique shows like Shirobako that comes around every so often each season.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:08 am Reply with quote
Didn't think I'd ever see Hope siding with criminals who incited rape over the one character who 1): rescued the victim from the sexual assault before something worse happened, and 2): stood up to the trio and made it so that they can never bully anyone again.

And I'm surprised that Hope wanted to see a fake threat being issued that would mean nothing and still allow the bullies to go on victimising people. I don't understand why she would be opposed to a real threat being issued with the warning that encouraging people to rape others is not okay.

Hope, if the victim was a friend of yours, or your sister, would you really have been okay with the trio getting off scot free with nothing to stop them from doing it again? I highly doubt it.
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JacobC
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Joined: 15 Jan 2008
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:14 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
Didn't think I'd ever see Hope siding with criminals who incited rape over the one character who 1): rescued the victim from the sexual assault before something worse happened, and 2): stood up to the trio and made it so that they can never bully anyone again.

And I'm surprised that Hope wanted to see a fake threat being issued that would mean nothing and still allow the bullies to go on victimising people. I don't understand why she would be opposed to a real threat being issued with the warning that encouraging people to rape others is not okay.

Hope, if the victim was a friend of yours, or your sister, would you really have been okay with the trio getting off scot free with nothing to stop them from doing it again? I highly doubt it.


I didn't side with the criminals or say their actions were remotely justified. Where the hell are you getting that from? Saying murder or arson is not a heroic or humorous response to murderers or arsonists does not mean you condone murder or arson on either side and you know it. There are a million alternatives for that character in that story apart from the way that he decided to take revenge in the specific way that he did, and I think you also know that. You're not stupid. This is such an illogical and monstrous spin on what I actually said that I have no choice but to view it as a deliberate personal attack, especially considering that final paragraph.

Invoking discussion of one of my own family members specifically (especially because you know I have a sister and it is that person specifically that you are invoking) is hideously inappropriate, this is your only warning to never ever do it again, and you will be put on moderation or banned if you do not immediately heed this one and only warning. I also strongly suggest that you apologize and acknowledge that you deliberately misrepresented what I said, in an incredibly disrespectful and personal way. Consider yourself unbelievably lucky that I'm letting you off the hook on this one with a warning to begin with.

Unbelievable.


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MidoriUma



Joined: 05 Sep 2014
Posts: 130
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:28 am Reply with quote
Um, are you ever going to post reviews of Nagato Yuki? It's kind of surprising that none of your reviewers know about it...
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ikillchicken



Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 7272
Location: Vancouver
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:30 am Reply with quote
Unlimited Blade Works
You know, I wouldn't go so far as to say I liked the original FSN despite the Shirou/Saber romance. I thought they were much more interesting as partners and comrades though. Any subsequent romance was superficial. Here though, I definitely appreciate the budding romance between Rin and Shirou. I'm not sure if that's because UBW Shirou is a bit less of a tool or just because I always liked Rin better than Saber but anyway, it's a good thing. They're really cute together. Shirou is just oblivious enough that Rin's tsundere tendencies feel believable. And it helps that the show backs this all up with a well realized sense of growing camaraderie between them. Anyway, this episode feels way more like a continuation of the first cour but that's just fine. The only real problem is that I don't feel like there's much to be said of it right now aside from the above. The implied "Saber Lily" stuff was mega gross I guess? I don't know. I guess the show didn't make a big deal out of it though so I won't either. A CG dragon would have been better though.
Rating: 4/5

Heroic Legend of Arslan
This show exemplifies the principle that you can get away with being largely unremarkable if you do at least a few things well and next to nothing truly wrong. The character designs (straight out of FMA) are perfectly palatable but largely unmemorable. They're all reasonably colorful, reasonably distinct and reasonably detailed if never excessively so. The production values are also solid, middle of the road quality. The traditionally animated sequences get the job done even if they don't display any particular flair and the big battles, which are mostly CG, look at least passable (far from unwatchable anyway) even if they still look fairly stilted and robotic. On the notable side though, there are some really gorgeous backgrounds here. Even the more mundane scenes are really brought to life by their lush and detailed backgrounds. The story is, for the most part, equally passable. The characters are not especially likable at this stage, one being a hot headed religious fanatic and the other a hopelessly ignorant slave owning monarch. Both seem very genuinely well intentioned though I and this demonstrates some potential for interesting contradictions in ideology down the road. Also, while there's little in the setting or premise that I'd call original, none of it is so on the nose cliche as to be off-putting either. And the first episode plot at least provides a well paced, if not especially substantial, little adventure. The only other standout though is the strong, sweeping musical score which goes a long way to raising the tempo and turning the aforementioned insubstantial adventure into a fairly enjoyable one.
Rating: 3.5/5

Show by Rock
Wow, this might be the best CG I've ever seen in an anime. I mean...that's saying next to nothing because all CG in anime is at least somewhat bad. But look, this is how you do CG on an anime budget. Firstly, accept that less is more. Just because you can now over-design the shit out of everything doesn't mean you should. Secondly, stylize! The specific style of this show is not particularly something that appeals to me but it's the general kind of thing you should do. Don't just try to straight up mimic the style of 2D anime. It doesn't work. Really though, even putting aside questions of style, this is just really fluid stuff. I wonder if it was done with motion capture of some sort instead of the usual method. Anyway, as much as the CG impressed me, there's very little about this show that actually appeals to me. The odd moment of humor but otherwise this just isn't my kind of show. But yeah, I can see totally the appeal.
Rating: If you like that sort of thing/5

Blood Blockade Battlefront
The obvious comparison here is Trigun given the manga's author but the actual content is way more reminiscent of Baccano thus far. Or at least Baccano if it were set in Mos Eisley. Honestly, this episode is far from flawless. There's a ton going on here and not all of it lands. It feels like they're trying to do far too much right off the bat and the show is worse for it. That said, the show still succeeds in creating a (mostly) lively and vibrant world that's a whole lot of fun. The action sequences are top notch, managing to be incredibly fast paced and dynamic all the while capturing a sense of impact and weight. There's a lot of nice use of color as well. And hey, there are even hints that this show will have a quieter, intelligent side as well sometimes. I definitely hope this show evens out a bit. But even taken as is it is really good.
Rating: 4/5

P.S. Did anyone notice the spoiler[Pacific Rim] cameo? Laughing Actually, that makes me wonder if there weren't other cameos. None that I recognized but I wonder...

Gina Szanboti wrote:
That metaphor doesn't work here because they didn't lose their information, they gave it up willingly, albeit blindly. It's more akin to posting personal information to Facebook and then complaining that Facebook has your information. 'Cause every so often Facebook changes their rules and says they will now share all that with xyz, and then they don't because outrage, but they still keep that info for the next attempt once the furor dies down. Except Kagami has no reason to make a next attempt.


Talk about bad analogies. Facebook sharing your info with some marketing firm or government agency is a valid concern but it isn't even in the same ballpark as a dude threatening to publicly post your personal info with the express purpose of bringing down on you a hurricane of harassment or worse from people outraged by your apparent misdeeds. Regardless of how one gets the info and regardless of whether one actually intends to go through with it, threatening to do such a thing is an absurdly shitty and utterly unacceptable thing to do. I mean, I'm sorry but how is this even remotely controversial?

Xristophoros wrote:
yup, another piss poor anime season this is shaping up to be. we are lucky to get even two or three shows worth your time every year, let alone each season. thank goodness we have hosoda's "the boy and the beast" film to look forward to this year. it is funny seeing the contrast in anime fan opinions by those who became fans in the 90s or earlier, versus those who became fans in the mid 2000s or later. those newer to anime are perfectly content absorbing mediocrity at an alarming rate and don't even know what makes for a good anime series. these "fans" will eat up everything they see and never seem to get full. c'mon guys, raise your quality standards a little bit and stop supporting trashy media before it is too late and the anime industey collapses on itself. eating junk food is unhealthy in case you guys didn't know Very Happy


Contrary to your suggestion, at no point in time was there was ever more than a few truly worthwhile shows in a given season. Not for someone with such "high standards" anyway. If you seriously think otherwise you really need to look at an actual list of anime across the years. I don't know what exact era you hold to be the ideal time but if you actually break it down by season you'll quickly find that even in the best years you'll rarely find more than a few classics clustered together all in one season.

Of course, I suppose I also shouldn't discount the possibility that your high standards are just a recent development. You're not wrong that plenty of newer fans have a much higher appetite for mediocrity after all. It's just that this probably applied to you as well. Everyone has such an appetite initially. It comes with getting into something new. You aren't yet sick of all its cliches and tropes yet so even a generic dud seems fresh and amazing. If, even crunching the numbers, you still think that there was some point in time where there were more than a few truly worthwhile shows airing each season then it's pretty safe to say this is just you suffering new fan syndrome during that time. If you take off your rose colored glasses and actually revisit some of that shit I guarantee you'll find it doesn't hold up nearly as well.

I mean look, obviously things change. You're not wrong about that. Some times are better than others. But when you act like this you come off as the sort of tiresome cretin who invalidates the opinion of anyone who ever actually tries to make any sort of reasonable claim about the relative strengths and weaknesses of different eras of anime. I mean, if nothing else, can you not even wait until all the new shows have premiered? Really, it's been less than a week. There's a ton of stuff still upcoming. Grumbling at this point makes it seem like you just want to grumble.
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MidoriUma



Joined: 05 Sep 2014
Posts: 130
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:37 am Reply with quote
JesuOtaku wrote:

I didn't side with the criminals or say their actions were remotely justified. Where the hell are you getting that from? Saying murder or arson is not a heroic or humorous response to murderers or arsonists does not mean you condone murder or arson on either side and you know it. There are a million alternatives for that character in that story apart from the way that he decided to take revenge in the specific way that he did, and I think you also know that. You're not stupid. This is such an illogical and monstrous spin on what I actually said that I have no choice but to view it as a deliberate personal attack, especially considering that final paragraph.

Invoking discussion of one of my own family members specifically is hideously inappropriate, this is your only warning to never ever do it again, and you will be put on moderation or banned if you do not immediately heed this one and only warning. I also strongly suggest that you apologize and acknowledge that you deliberately misrepresented what I said, in an incredibly disrespectful and personal way. Consider yourself unbelievably lucky that I'm letting you off the hook on this one with a warning to begin with.

Unbelievable.


I actually got about the same impression from your review; what you wrote did come across as condoning it. Although I agree it was wrong of the other poster to make personal comments as he/she did, I do see where they're coming from with their original comments. Should I also be given a warning for this? Perhaps we can make a list of people who disagree with you, to be chewed out and threatened with a ban.
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JacobC
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Joined: 15 Jan 2008
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Location: SoCal
PostPosted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:44 am Reply with quote
MidoriUma wrote:

I actually got about the same impression from your review; what you wrote did come across as condoning it. Although I agree it was wrong of the other poster to make personal comments as he/she did, I do see where they're coming from with their original comments. Should I also be given a warning for this? Perhaps we can make a list of people who disagree with you, to be chewed out and threatened with a ban.


I challenge you to find a single sentence or sentence fragment in that review that says the girls were justified in their bullying or harassment in any way whatsoever.

You can't because it doesn't exist, but in case it wasn't clear enough for some of you, I'll say it again. No, of course I in no way condone the horrible behavior of anybody in that terrible anime, neither the "hero" or the villains. I thought my review was pretty crystal clear on that count, but if you need me to restate it again, I have.

I have also never banned or moderated a person because they disagreed with me on these forums. I do ban or moderate people who break the rules, one of which protects staff members and posters alike against personal attacks, which I specifically said is what I was warning him about. He knows I have a sister. Invoking that personal detail on top of a deliberate misrepresentation of what I said was extremely inappropriate. You can "get" whatever "impression" you want to based on feelings you pulled out of thin air, but there is zero evidence in my review of me condoning abuse or harassment from any character at all.

Lord have mercy, the spin of it all.
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