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