First Impressions: Spring 2016

and now slowly we get closer to fall 2016... the only season i really care about at the moment.

still that is six-ish months away... lets focus on the now.

A Quick Note

So... uh... normally i would have posted this about 4 or 5 weeks ago but something odd happened. 

there were quite a few shows that i was waiting on that we never got as simulcasts... i don't know if thats because there are just so many different hosts (crunchyroll, daisuki, funimation, MyAnimeList and hulu) that some shows are falling in the cracks but either way i haven't changed any of what i wrote before... as a bonus i'll give an update on the few shows i am watching. 

Ground rules:

1. I will TRY to give every show one Crunchyroll, Funimation and Daisuki a chance but that doesn't mean i am obligated to watch a full episode. If i stop early i will give a timestamp and reason for stopping.

2. No shows that are under 20 minutes in length, i don't like waiting a whole week for a 3 min gag. there are some exceptions it's rare.

3. No shows with Brother, Sister, Father or Mother in the title... too often it goes into incest... which i really do not like.

4. If the show is a second season of a show i didn't watch before i'm not going to talk about it here.

5. No card game shows, i may give them a chance but they really aren't my thing.

6. All opinions are my own and based solely on what i have seen. I tend to go into these shows completely blind. If i don't enjoy the show after 1 episode or even quit out of an episode early i'm not saying the show is bad... just that i didn't enjoy it.

Returning shows

Everything i watched last season is over.... so technically i have noting directly continuing but...

Sailor moon Crystal Season 3

I know this show was my number 1 disappointment of 2015... considering how much has changed (new animation, show airing on tv every week instead of web shows every 2 weeks, far more emotion and personality [if the previews are to be believed] ) i am going to give it another chance.... even if this is my least fav arc.... hopefully we get to Helios soon...
ugh... well that intro song is not something i enjoy but at least the animation is so much better... also find it funny how insistant they are that haruka is a he... in the original show it's assumed but never outright mentioned by everyone... but seriosuly i am so happy that the girls actuall have personality so far.
The transformations are so much better... still rubbery at times but such an improvement.
also i think this is the youngest the scouts have ever looked... these are 14-15 year old kids after all and it finally looks like it at points.
oh my god a monster was defeated by a scout without moon in her name... that rarely happens...
honestly... this was so refreshing after the terrible first two seasons... however this is personally my least fav arc... we will see how this goes but so far... so much better then before.

Update: i can't get over how good season 3 is... everything from the animation to the characters is perfect... can they remake the first two season like this? 


New shows

The Lost Village

oh this doesn't seem shady at all... what could go wrong?
Uh... well honestly there wasn't enough in the first episode to make me care... and considering how large the cast is... none of the characters were interesting or even likeable.
maybe i'll give this another episode but right now... the way i see it is that they failed to provide a hook.

Update: i have seen about 3 episodes... part of me wants to continue but the other part of me just can't bring myself to care. 

Ace Attorney

Honestly this could be terrible and i would love it.
what games do i love as much as Ys and Fire emblem? possibly Ace attorney... oh boy i adore this series... i really hope we get the next game (i want all the games that haven't been localized in this series but i have a feeling that'll never fly with capcom... but enough gushing... i shoudl actually watch this...
oh man... the animation in the intro is... not good... still i have hope... all the hope... please let this be good!
i mean... it's retelling the first game... it's fun... but the animation really could use some work... still i'm having fun... nice hearing all the original names (i know i could watch it with localized names but i am hearing the japanese... i'd rather have it be as accurate as possible.)

Update: letting this entire season air before marathoning cause... the animation is just so bad.

Pan de Peace!

kinda happy this is only a short show.
Moe girls make (and presumably eat) bread.
...egg... and strawberry jam sandwich? excuse me while i go throw up...
pass pass pass pass pass

Kumamiko - Girl Meets bear

Moe Priestess wants to go to highschool in the big town... moe talking bear spirit thing says no. she complains about first world problems and thats all supposed to make her endearing. Also... bears are really dangerous so any time i see a show be like "look how cute this realistic bear" is i kinda cringe... is... is this a stupid tourism show? ok to clarify sometimes anime gets made to promote something and yeah... this is painful... maybe it's just a gag for this one episode but man... just no.
I can't stand this much moe with so little plot... not for me but if that sounds fun to you... maybe you will enjoy.

Space Patrol Luluco

reminds me of the panty and stockings look... didn't really get into that show because of the content but the art was always lovely...
this is a short so anyways... just shy of 8 mins an ep.
anyways the style is very nice for this kind of show... but i really don't care about anything thats happening... it's just crazy for no real reason.
not bad at all just not the type of show i like... love the style though

BAKUON!!

Moe girls on motorcycles...
truth be told i know a lot of people who ride motorcycles... my father, family friends... and honestly i don't get the appeal. so adding on so much moe is just... hard to stomach... wait is the bike talking? oh man... innuendo spewing bike... yeah...
nope
nope nope nope
i was already not enjoying this... that just pushed it a little too far... at least it's not moe girls eating cake but still... ugh.

Cerberus

the first few minutes were looking like the most generic fantasy BS but honestly... i enjoyed the episode... at least enough to be curious about what happens next.
Fantasy anime tends to be hit or miss but this has a bit of a slayers vibe... focusing more on comerdy and outrageous magic and attacks.
will it be good? maybe not but i think i'll enjoy it for now... as long as it keeps having plot we'll be good.
but how to describe it... a boy is helping his parents seal a dragon, things don't go according to plan... fast forward (probably 10 years) and the boy is a little eccentric but vows to be a wandering swordsman.

Hundred

first - wow i thought the last show opened with all the cliches... immediately outdone
second - oh great... exposition... i love being told shit... who needs to show anything... telling is the most direct method.
third - omg another military show were the uniform makes brests look like two balloons painfully attached to those poor girls chests.
fourth - this is a harem show right?... so many girls... don't know any of their names... pass
*reads comments* wait the character who is obviously a girl is being called a guy...... yeah i'm out... thats just lazy character design. like if she was a girl who wanted to be a boy that would be different... it seems like she's only pretending to get closer to the main guy...

JOKER GAME

oh man that art... getting all the persona vibes. I know the two  aren't connected but that art style is just so unique and i love it.
In the end this may not end up being the type of show i enjoy (cause the main characters are all kind of monsters) but i'm definitely curious enough to give it another episode.
The show is about a Spy Training agency and the first mission they are forced to go on.
also they play poker... kind of.
the first episode is stunning to look at so give it a chance but yeah... not sure if it's worth a full watch just yet.

Update: the show becomes very episodic after the first arc and i am enjoying it even if i am a few episodes behind. 

Crane Game Girls

please be short.... please be short...
YAY.
also wow i thought Ace Attorney had the worst animation this season... i was really really wrong.

Twin Star Exorcists

Crunchyroll has been promoting the hell out of this particular title... lets see if it's any good
ok, if he were running at such speed and angle to run into a girl of similar hights chest i think two things would happen.
1. they would be knocked over because momentum is cruel
2. she would be winded from pretty much being headbutted in the chest.
oh and i guess his neck would really hurt from dealing with the colision.... so three things.
i mean those are not air bags... there is a chest plate
again with the outright telling.... exposition is fine but telling me EVERYTHING when it could just as easily be shown over time is just frustraiting... if everything with the TV Tokyo logo at the start going to be this generic?
now as much as i was complaining... this show isn't bad but i have a sinking feeling that'll it'll just be another monster of the week show... i'll give it another episode but not going to be surprised if it ends up not being the type of show i enjoy.

Update: i gave it a few more episodes and while the reveal was kind of neat i just can't bring myself to care about a story that already has a certain conclusion. 

Bungo Stray dogs.

i know a lot of people are looking forward to this... lets see why.
First off - this is going to be my fav show this season... i will be amazed if anything bumps this
second, it took a while but HIROSHI KAMIYA... i was worried he wouldn't be in any shows i was watching this season...
but seriously... this was great, funny, showed shit instead of telling. animation was lovely gotta love some Granrodeo
it's about a detective group that all have some kind of supernatural powers. and boy do i love shows i can describe in one sentence.
but yeah this was so good and so refreshing after the sheer amount of moe crap.

Update: still probably my fav show this season... just hits all the right notes for me.

Super Lovers

i'm a little concerned that this is called a yaoi when the age difference between the only male characters is kinda huge.
*watches intro song*
oh i just know this is going end with me being mad.
so i don't tend to like shonen-ai or shoujo-ai cause it gets rapey... like i think i have seen one shonen ai that doesn't fall back on that particular "no really means yes" trope... (because fun fact no never means yes)
now add the fact that one of the characters looks like he's under the age of consent... (which in Alberta is 16 and that is where the show appears to be set) and this gets so creepy so fast i can't even get through the intro song.
now maybe that isn't what the show is about... but the intro song is showing them like the main pairing so i am going to pass

Anne-Happy

well the school uniform is adorable
also she brings new meaning to genki girl... if this wasn't a comedy i would think she is hiding something dark.
so.... they are all in a school for gifted girls... their gift is being incredibly unlucky.
and then comedy ensues...
not the worse of the moe crap i've seen as of late, i know a friend of mine will like it... me? not so much.
If i wanted to go watch a slice of life comedy... i'd probably be more likely to put in Azumanga Diaoh then this...

And You Thought There is Never a Girl Online?

Well.... other shows with terrible titles have been ok.... maybe this will be as well...
Honestly... it wasn't the worst i've ever seen. The premise is simply based aroudn the fact that you really don't know the gender of people you play online games with unless you talk over chat or meet face to face..
will i keep watching? doubtful.. it's a bit too fanservicy for my taste but who knows, if this deals with things like bullying or game culture it could be really good...
it's probably just going to end up like a harem though... call it a hunch.

Shonen Maid

I'll be honest, my immediate reaction to the title was "what cause i boy doing maid work is so unheard of it can just be the title?"
but this show was super cute! Chihiro recently finds himself alone with no family to support him after his mother passes away.
out of the blue a man claiming to be his uncle appears and brings him to a mansion.
unable to accept everything he tries to refuse the uncles help and runs deeper into the house...
which just happens to be a filthy mess... chihiro refuses to stand for this injustic and spends all night cleaning... just to find the next room he enters is just as bad.
His uncle then comes up with a plan, he'll hire the kid a s a house keeper and in return he will get room and board as well as his schooling paid for.
unfortunately for chihiro his uncle is a costume designer with a penchant for frills... so the housekeeping uniform is similar to that of a maid with frills everywhere.
even in just the first episode it does a really good job of getting you attached to all the characters (that have been introduced at this time) and much like Bungo Stay Dogs i will not be surprised if this ends up being one of my favs this season.

Update: still a cute episodic show... can be a bit sugary sweet at times but i'm still enjoying it. 

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

i'm surprised with a title like this that it isn't a short show.
wow this is painful.
the main character is lazy... like... incredibly lazy... barely able to move around.
and we are supposed to just follow his antics.
yeah theres a difference between slice of life and just... following one really unlikeable idiot be allowed to be an unlikeable idiot...
maybe there is plot... i can't stomach anymore of this.

Kiznaiver

another show that Crunchyroll has been aggressively promoting.  done by trigger... i'm a little worried that it may not be my kind of show cause i have never liked a show by trigger.
maybe this will change that.
the animation is lovely... not completely sold on the story just yet but i probably will give it another episode since this was mostly introductions
The show is about a group of people connected by a shared wound and a certain motto.
Also even though i know this is Trigger... the art direction has a bit of a Shaft feel... either way looking forward to learning more.

Update: i gave it a few more episodes... again i find it really hard to care about anyone in this show. 

Haifuri

Moe navy highschool.
uh... i guess the highschool that focuses on one specific thing (almost always to help the military) genre just isn't for me... i find shows like this a little creepy cause it almost feel propaganda-ish... i'm not saying thats what this show intends to be but at the same time... thats probably exactly what this show intends to be.
but yeah Moe girls on a navy ship as a highschool.... pass.

Flying Witch

uh... slice of life where a girl is a witch and because she's seen as a adult in the witch world she needs to leave home... so she goes to live with relatives.
it doesn't seem like a bad show but there was nothing to really make me want to keep on watching... just looks like a extremely chill show... maybe i'd marathon it when it finishes... waiting week to week probably is not the way to watch this.
also there is something about the are i don't like... to the point it was distracting.

Endride

oh man... another really generic show.
boy like rocks, feels like looking into them will transport him to another world.
then one does... also gives him a weapon.
i love fish out of water stories but this just... has no hook.. at least not in the first episode... you want a show like this thats a million times better? escaflowne... this is just bland

My Hero Academia

I know a lot of people are looking forward to this show... i'm not... but who knows... maybe it'll surprise me.
... ok so yeah... it surprised me. still not a fan of the art but the story is far more interesting then i would have guessed.
Will it be my fav of the season? probably not... it's not a genre i tend to like... but it is good and i will be watchign more for now.
People started developing quirks (superpowers) and with the rise of these abilities people end up either working for the government as heros or for themselves as villains. however not everyone has these powers no matter how much they want them.

Update: past me was wrong... this is one of my fav shows this season... really really good. 

Three Leaves, Three Colours

i don't care that the american title spells colour the american way... i'm being stubborn.
moe comedy slice of life with so much bloom i worried that the brightness on my monitor was too high.
The animation is fluid... a bit bouncy and bubbly for my taste.
essentially a girl who used to be rich making friends after they cacth her eating breadcrumbs. she deals with the fact that she still has a rich person attitude but wants to make friends with commoners.
out of all the moe stuff this season, this has been the most enjoyable.
probably not going to watch it but it was not a bad show at all.

Re: Zero -Starting Life in Another World-

I held off on watching this cause the first episode was split up as 1a and 1b and i wasn't sure if the was like a normal show or just the two episiodes... but now there is an episode 2 so lets give this a try.
for being sucked into a parallel world... he sure is nonchalant about it. still i don't quite get why this was split up as a part a part b... they could have just done a showa Genroku Rakugo shinju and had a long first episode. especially since the two parts do not stand alone and the episode needs to be that long in order to get the point of the show across.
also i am enjoying this... i wasn't sure at first but now i know i am enjoying it.
the plot is about... uh... spoilers? determination? not sure how to describe it without giving it away so i'll just say this, watch both parts of the first episode.... yeah it's 50 mins but if by thay point you don't like it then you are at a good stopping point.

Update: yet another fav of the season, plus that ending song is just so lovely. 

Usakame

short show, but the light airy animation is kinda neat... still not going to watch.

Wagamama High Spec

short show so... pass... the uniform is cute at least.

Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

A show about how cool and stylish a guy in glasses is.... yeah i can probably get behind this... maybe
Also good for you Karamatsu... finally getting that stand alone anime you always wanted.... (karamatsu wishes he was this guy).
uh.... why not just... smother the flames with your uniform jacket... yes it will be ruined and you'll have to buy another but... it's more reasonable then what he actually does...
and that is not how anything works.... like... nothing at all.
uh well... i didn't really like this. it has no plot besides "look how cool this guy is" and that isn't enough for me.
maybe it gets a plot later but this first episode didn't hook me.

Big Order

so... it's been... about 8 weeks...
normally i would post these around 4 but i'll be honest... i hesitated with this one.
It's done by the same creator as Mirai Nikki (aka future diary) and that show actually gave me a panic attack a few episodes in.
so i didn't want to watch this show at all.
so i told myself "i'll just wait for other shows to air! then i'll post it"
but for whatever reason... there are about 6-10 shows that aren't being simulcast... so another show just never came around.
i kept telling myself i should give this show a chance... just cause it's the same creator doens't mean it'll have the same trigger.
still when i have panic attacks i find it really hard to go back to anything even remotely similar...
it's odd... this show is both extremely similar and very different from future diary... similar in character design and.. uh... yandere-ness
but different concept.
honestly i don't want to continue.... only made it 12 mins. 


And thats it! sorry this is as late as it is... hopefully more stuff gets simlucast next season (since i'm pretty sure a few of the shows we didn't get would have been good in my books)

also next time... i'll make sure to post these much sooner even if i am waiting on a title... thats what the edit button is for right?