Summer 2016 First Impressions

- WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS -

I'm such a weeb. Here you are, whoever you are. The wonderful SUMMER 2016 FIRST IMPRESSIONS POST WOW CHOOOOOO CHOOOOOO.

And yes, I will write about ReLIFE in the Final Thoughts post.

MyAnimeList
Summer 2016 Final Thoughts

This Season:
Orange
Rewrite
Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara

Orange (2/13)

I Rate: 7.9
One Sentence: Interesting anime about the life of high school friends that utilizes flashforwards to tell the story and add a little bit of spice to the soup that is Orange. 

Orange has definitely brought some freshness to the stereotypical high school genre of anime, with its usage of various devices and an uncommon story. The unconventional thing about Orange is the flashforward that we are introduced to right off the bat, revealing a future where the group of friends are gathering to commemorate the life of a late friend. The main character, Naho, receives a letter from her future self, asking her to act differently in future events in order to live a high school life with no regrets. I like the way that the story in Orange is headed, but it doesn't strike me with any wow factor.

From the first two episodes I can't say much about any of the characters asides from Naho and Kakeru. Naho seems to be your typical shy and motherly high school female lead, however there is one gripe that I have: her blatant disregard of the letter. It seems ridiculous and unbelievable and she continually refuses to listen to the letter and pay heed to its warnings, despite the fact that all the events it has foretold have come true. On the other hand, Kakeru seems like a character who is carrying a lot of baggage, and has an interesting story to be revealed (that, and the guy is going to die).

The art is a bit different from conventional, but only when it comes to the faces of the characters. Asides from that, there really isn't anything that separates it from your typical anime. There are definitely moments of beauty in Orange, but more often than not the animation and art remain average. Personally I'm not a big fan of the opening or the ending, but they both do fit into the atmosphere of Orange.

When it really comes down to it, no, I do not think that Orange will be anything revolutionary or something that will destroy you in a beautiful and poetic way, but the point is that it doesn't need to. There was a decent amount of buzz around the anime before it came out, and I think that people expected too much out of Orange, when all it should be is an anime that tears a bit at your heartstrings and makes your eyes well.

Best Girl: Naho (though she's somewhat unlikable as far as female MCs go)


Rewrite (2/13)

I Rate: 7.3
One Sentence: Nothing amazing, but an interesting and worthwhile watch for any fans of the visual novel source.

There's a good chance that if you have not completed the common route in Rewrite, or know nothing of the visual novel, you will be very confused as to what is happening in the anime. In fact, I would go as far as to say that Rewrite is a mediocre anime, but a decent adaptation. My perspective is that of a person who has played the common route and finished a route or two, so there's a good chance that the adaptation sounds much better from my eyes.

Rewrite's plot has faithfully followed that of its source material, while making small changes in order to compensate for some of the VN's meaninglessly long scenes. For those not familiar, Rewrite takes place in Kazamatsuri, a green and modern city, and centers on Kotarou, a high school boy who has supernatural abilities. He eventually finds himself in his school's Occult Research Club, and he, along with the other members search for otherworldly happenings. Eventually he discovers that not all the members are as they seem, and that they all play a role in a very large scheme that is happening right in Kazamatsuri. I can't say too much about the story in the VN, as I have only finished one and a half routes, but the story is unique and I rather like it.

As for characters, Rewrite is home to characters who are largely two dimensional and not very exciting to watch (somewhat expected, as VNs tend to include just the popular archetypes of girls). There isn't much else to it.

8bit has done a nice and clean job with the animation, with very fresh and simple art, and smooth animation. The opening theme and ending theme are expectedly borrowed from the visual novel, but both sound good. For some reason I really liked the animation that accompanies both pieces, there's just something about them that feels great.

All in all, if you've played the VN (and liked it), watch it, it's a good adaptation and you'll enjoy the little things and the fact that Rewrite got an anime. Otherwise I highly recommend you to skip and watch something else.

Best Girl: burn me at the stake but Chihaya is pretty cool (though her route is kinda ehh)


Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara (3/13)

I Rate: 8.3
One Sentence: The long awaited second installment throws us right back into the Autumn Elections with more of the food showdowns that we love so much.

Shokugeki no Souma finally rewards its patient fans with a second installment of the well received first season, and it's been anything but a slow start. Each episode has whizzed through one showdown each, filled to the brim with dramatic cooking and the baring of chests. Plot is more or less the same, with the main focus being the tournament and an overarching story of the Elite 10 (that's what they're called, right?), but sped up to accommodate the shorter season.

All the main characters from the last season carry over into this one, though obviously there is a highlight on the contenders for the Autumn Elections. Yukihira is still his calm and confident self, Tadokoro gets knocked out but is chill about it, and Hayama continues to be the dark horse of the whole shindig. Nothing new here, but we are finally getting the backstory of characters like Alice, so we've got that going for us.

As always, the art style and animation in Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara is lively, bold, and dynamic. The art is rich with deep colours, complementing the nature of the show, and it's always a sight for the eyes when watching. Opening is refreshing and suitable for a show like Shokugeki no Souma, though I can't the latter is the same for the ending.

There isn't much to say when it comes to Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara, you could easily throw the 13 episodes in along with the first season and call it a single one (though you'll notice a change in pace for sure). Nonetheless, I'm sure that I'll very much enjoy this second season of the anime to its fullest, with all its absurd antics, erotic scenes, and dramatized cooking.

Best Girl: don't like Erina, Alice is eh, so gotta be Tadokoro

Spring 2016 Final Thoughts

- WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS -

So the good chance that my watch list of airing anime would increase near the end of the season ended up flopping, and all I have to offer to you are the same four that I introduced in the Spring 2016 First Impressions post.

MyAnimeList

Spring 2016 First Impressions

This Season:
Ansatsu Kyoushitsu 2
Mayoiga
Re:Zero
Sakamoto desu ga?

Ansatsu Kyoushitsu 2 (25)

I Rate: 8.1
One Sentence: A very fitting and great conclusion to what was a fantastic series of friendship, action, and comedy.

When the spring season began airing and I was greeted with the lovely image of a second season of Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, I was actually planning on not watching the second installment. I felt that the first season was enough for me and that the second would be mostly the same content and structure. But, obviously since I am writing this post, my thoughts have changed, and I have indeed indulged in yet another season of Ansatsu Kyoushitsu.

Ansatsu Kyoushitu 2 follows up right where the first left off, and we ease back into the regular routine of one-off episodes, with students getting their personal highlights as they continually try to assassinate Koro-sensei. This was what I was afraid of, but even at that, the content managed to stay relevant and fresh. However, at the midpoint of the season things take a serious turn and the anime slips on a darker side. This transition was incredibly smooth and could not have been done better. I'm also very glad that the show started preparing for the ending relatively early, through revealing Koro-sensei's past and setting up for the finale. In my mind, Koro-sensei allowing the E-Class to kill him was the best ending; it emphasizes the teacher's strongest weakness, his students, and it also benefits the students.

The cast remains the same, with the addition of Itona as a member of the E-Class. Character development is highly focused on Nagisa, with other students getting little attention. I do not think that this was sufficient, but in the end Nagisa feels like a relatively changed and different person, and that goal was accomplished. Putting that aside, all the other characters remain likeable and easy to root for.

I have always been a fan of the art style in Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, and very much enjoyed the vibrant, high contrast, colour scheme of the anime. The lining of characters is somewhat rare but adds to really make them pop. The opening theme is catchy and well suited for Ansatsu Kyoushitsu 2, and while I initially thought that the ending was a bit out of place, it did make for the dramatic and emotional moments.

Overall, a genuinely enjoyable and great show to watch. I recommend if you're looking to invest some time into a longer series and have the patience to wait for the anime to pick up.

Best Girl: Nakamura for her tragic unrequited love and not butting heads with Kayano (even though Kayano's love is also unrequited...)


Mayoiga (12)

I Rate: 6.7
One Sentence: While Mayoiga is able to provide an entertaining anime to watch, it is only so due to the hilarity of the show, and lacks anything to invoke deeper thought or interest.

To begin, I will say that despite my seemingly decent rating of the show, Mayoiga is an absolutely terrible show from start to finish. However, there is one single redeeming quality that presented Mayoiga a rating of 6.7 from me: the novelty value. I watched the show as it was airing, and every week the discussion threads on Reddit and MyAnimeList would blow up with hilarious comments and banter. This sole reason was the main motivation that I used to watch the show to its completion.

Story and setting. Despite its poor execution, the story and setting were interesting: A group of societal misfits travel to an undiscovered village to start anew and are faced with embodiments of their psychological scars, dubbed Nanaki. It was quite a good idea, and a little bit of it was able to peak out at times during Mayoiga's run, but besides that it is wasted.

A large concern coming from the premiere of this anime was that there were too many characters, and I can safely say that yes, that concern was valid. After a quick count there are 31 characters, and there are still other characters that appear later in the show's run. Most of the characters are static and one-dimensional, however there are a few that become dynamic with the revelation of their past and what caused their psychological scar. I think the tool of flashbacks was severely underused, and when it was used, it wasn't done in the best way. The few revealed pasts of the characters are interesting, but some may seem completely silly and absurd.

The art in Mayoiga is decent, above average at best. Nothing stands out here, or in the sound department.

To sum up the problems in Mayoiga, and what makes it a do-not-watch:

• lack of meaningful, interesting characters
• terrible lack of flashbacks and explanations for 30+ characters, who all supposedly have psychological scars
• the aforementioned 30+ characters, which a good 3/4 of are useless

Spare yourself and skip Mayoiga next time you're looking for something to watch.

Best Girl: Maimai, for that priceless pout in the opening


Re:Zero (14/25, ongoing)

I Rate: 8.7
One Sentence: An action, mystery, and thriller entry for this season about Subaru, a normal teenager who is teleported to a RPG-like world where he is cursed with returning to a checkpoint every time he dies.

Re:Zero reminds me much of Erased, in that it has its viewers in its grasps and in a frenzy right off the bat with an original idea and execution. Currently the anime holds a rating of 8.67, sitting at rank 45 on the MyAnimeList top anime list, and I highly agree with its rating.

I am in love with the story and how it is being presented to the audience. The future is never certain, and neither is the past, this device brought into play by Subaru's curse that sends him to a checkpoint after death. He is put into a world where the king (or whatever authoritative body was in place) has fallen and a royal selection is due, in which the new ruler of the empire will be chosen out of select candidates. Subaru bumps into one of the candidates, Emilia, and decides to align himself with her and help her win the right to rule the empire. Naturally though, there are those who are opposed, and that is what brings about the main conflicts in Re:Zero.

There are a good amount of characters in Re:Zero, but the trio that have the most depth to their personality are Subaru, Emilia, and Rem. Subaru gets an amazing amount of development and time focused on him, as expected for the main star of the show. However it's not just pouring screentime for him, the way that he develops and the way that it is conveyed to the audience is brilliant. Subaru transitions from the typical "MC who can do anything if he puts his mind to it" to a very very ugly "egoistical and pitifully weak MC". It's a great twist to everything and adds to how original and fresh Re:Zero feels, especially in the character department.

What's a good anime without some spectacular art? The art style is pretty conventional for the regular scenes, but where Re:Zero absolutely shines is in the detail and expressions of faces. In the episode where Subaru cracks and undergoes his transition to a distasteful character, there are some genuinely terrible and scary faces that nobody ever expects from the MC. The work and effort that is put into these expressions is astounding, and definitely provides an impact. Art aside, the soundtrack is superb, along with great opening and ending themes.

If you haven't heard about Re:Zero this season you've either been hiding under a rock or not watching anything. I implore you to pick it up as it passes its midpoint of the season, or at least give it a chance. Granted, it may not suit everybody, but Re:Zero is definitely causing waves this season.

Best Girl: pretty sure there would be a riot if I picked anybody else except for Emilia


Sakamoto desu ga? (12)

I Rate: 7.8
One Sentence: Ridiculous and hilarious in every aspect and leaves you always wanting more of Sakamoto.

It seems that every season there is always that one over the top anime that is crazy enough to keep you interested, and in a good way (and no, Mayoiga was interesting in a bad way). For the spring 2016 season, Sakamoto desu ga? most assuredly snags this title, and it adds itself as one of the most eccentric  anime that I have watched.

You would expect a lack of a linear story in a one-off show like Sakamoto desu ga?, but when all is said and done and the last episode has been finished, one has to wonder if there wasn't some sort of greater story arching over the events of the last 12 episodes. That is the case with this show, and while there isn't anything tangible to support this, it feels like you've gone through a journey with Sakamoto and his class.

There really isn't much to say about characters, and we don't see any development, albeit that tearful last glance from Sakamoto that reveals quite a bit. All of the characters in Sakamoto desu ga? are pretty run of the mill, but they are amplified by how amazing Sakamoto is. A truly amazing person is able to bring out the best and worst in everybody. There are obvious examples of this, from Kubota's transformation to Atsushi's dark moments, that speak to how influential Sakamoto was.

The art in Sakamoto desu ga? is pretty standard, being quite clean and fluid. Personally I thought the opening was very appropriate for the show and enjoyed it very much along with the animation sequence that accompanied it.

For those who have trouble reading in between the lines or understanding implications, there is this useful comment on the Reddit discussion page for the last episode. This is the reason as to why I feel there was at least some sort of story in Sakamoto desu ga? Anyhow, theories aside, Sakamoto desu ga? was a terrific watch that made me laugh and grin, while delivering a swift punch to the gut at the end of it all.

Best Girl: Fujita (I think she was the class rep)