First Impressions: Winter 2017

After an amazing Fall season it's time to roll into winter where i don't have many high hopes but maybe something will surprised me.... but first

Ground rules

1. I will TRY to give every show on Crunchyroll 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 time stamp 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

Blue Exorcist - Kyoto Saga

It has been a long time since this show ended.
According to MAL it finished in 2011... so yeah that's a long time between seasons.
I really enjoyed this show, i own it on DVD and regularly watch it (not to mention i have both OSTs and I'm really looking forward to getting me hands on this one... and i guess the movie one too eventually)
However I'm a little confused about where this one fits?
is it.... after the ending of season one (the logical choice except one kinda sorta important thing happens and i feel like they are acting like... that hasn't happened yet)
is it around the time of the movie (which now that i think about it I'm not sure where that fits in either)
However no matter what... i am just so happy to have another season... i know i complain about Natsume Yuujinchou having long breaks between seasons but at least it wasn't like this one.
I have high hopes for this and even if they do retcon the thing that happens at the end of season 1... I'm okay with that.
however it's being listed as a one cour show.... less happy about that... maybe it'll be a split cour? (i mean you make people wait that long and only give 12 episodes? cruel.)
still definitely going to be watching this one.

Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju

it's been a year since Season 1 aired and i loved the show then... even after this first episode i know I'm going to fall in love with it all over again.
After getting the back story of how the 8th generation Yakumo came to be we are now focusing on his Apprentice and how he hopes to keep an old art form like rakugo alive.
And i know this is going to hurt... there is only one way for this story to end... but i will sit back and enjoy it while it lasts.

March comes in like a lion

Still a lovely show, adore the animation and visual metaphor and i look forward t o seeing the character grow in this season.

New shows

Masamune-kun's Revenge

The amount of crap hot people get away with truly is unfair, that is the premise of this show. Enter Makabe, after years of hard work he has finally become the good at everything bishonen needed to get revenge on the childhood crush that rejected him.
The plan is simple, make this girl who is known for humiliating boys that like her fall in love with him and then dump her in the cruelest way possible.
It can't possibly fail! well... other then the small detail that this is a rich girl with an extensive information network... that could make things difficult.
I'm still on the fence with this one because even though  i enjoy the absurd premise and i love the "lets call out the fact that people who are attractive practically get away with murder" mentality... but right now i don't like the characters... so I'll give it a few more episodes (cause so far... there is not a new show I'm excited for) and just take it from there.

FOREST FAIRY FIVE

This is odd cause it's got these high detail 3d models for the backgrounds but then the characters models are super simplistic... it just doesn't mesh at all...
besides that it's only ten minutes long so pass.... i just had to comment on what i was noticing when i clicked it.

Saga of Tanya the Evil

Right off the bat i hate the style... like CG can be used well i anime but so often it's just terrible and chunky looking.
that and the design of the mages is so cutesy for this grim dark war story...
and I'm sorry i just... with the shit that's going on in the real world i just... don't want to watch a show romanticising war with cutesy anime girls.
And yes i don't like War anime at the best of times but i just can't with this right now... maybe it's good but what i have seen is just painfully bad... like who are these people? why do i care? who are the fighting? why? what are these peoples names? why are mages a thing that exist? why are said mages so young and cure while everything else is super gritter and even realistically proportioned?
so yeah... can't sit through this... sorry.... if i hear amazing things maybe I'll give it a chance but i seriously doubt it would ever be the kind of show i enjoy.

Fuuka

oh man meeting by bumping into someone and them accidentally seeing your underwear.... never seen that before...
but seriously what is this... the early 2000s?
Also i hope this colour aberration is only used for certain scenes/the intro cause... i can't even begin to describe how much i hate this technique.
*face palm* OK... anime... i can only talk about myself and the other girls i know but... OK so i know guys feel clothing is optional when home alone and underwear is a thing that is comfy... but girls aren't the same way... we don't just lounge around in out matching bra and panties... if we wanna be comfy it'll probably be a large loose fitting t-shirt or something like that... not shit you just happened to pick up from Victoria's secret.
The story is cute enough... it's nice seeing a protagonist who is believably shy and a love interest who is a bit more take charge... but i could seriously do without the fan service.

Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club

first - wow this title is bad.
second - wow the backgrounds look stunning... i guess as the show has the place (Kamakura) in the title it's important that the places actually look like Kamakura.
third - not a fan of club shows... not a fan of tourism show (which i think is a safe bet to assume this is one)... and i actually I am not a fan of bikes... like i understand people like them but i really don't... also so much CG.
so yeah it's super cutesy... about subject matter I'm not a fan of and i just would rather watch something else.

Schoolgirl Strikers

It's like Sailor moon but more panty shots... not played for fetish just girls flying around in short skirts... so.. a magical girl show that is trying to get a male audience?
the problem with introducing an ensemble cast like this in medias res is that they already know each other, why they are fighting, what their names are and we know none of this... or why we should care.. .which is why so many of these start off by introducing them one at a time over time
i mean they start off by fighting a monster... jump immediately to being in an all girls school except one if a volleyball start and they they are trying to figure out the school 7 mysteries.
oh no it's fav's voice... this can only end well... just like magical girl raising project... only good things...
anyways this school seems to gather magical girl groups to deal with distortions... and yeah everyone wears a short skirt so the camera can focus on low angled shots from behind.
oh boy amnesia just casually explained in exposition... good times.
Also... look sometimes we need exposition... but the exposition should say something... not just "listen to all these terms... sounds important doesn't it... sure nothing means anything but... look.. .terms"
I swear if you took a shot for every low angled ass shot you'd get alcohol poisoning
oh my god one of the magical girls teams literally fighting in bra and panties...  like i guess they are just being blatant with it but that is all this show is... there is no substance.

Spiritpact

I wasn't expecting a Korean intro song but i will say this animation is very pretty.
there is this odd geometric shapes all along the edges... not sure why there went with that as a style choice... not to mention that again this is a lot of exposition.
The concept is interesting enough... some humans that die but have strong spiritual powers remain as ghosts for 7 days... they can stay around longer if they form pacts with exorcists.
However the pacing is kind of atrocious. it is so rushed and so exposition heavy that i just kind of want it to sit back and take a breath.
so yeah not a bad show just too frantic for me.

Interviews With Monster Girls

oh boy... last time i watched a show with monster in the title i bailed after a few mins.... well lets give this a chance.
*blink* hello Suwabe... I'll get used to being able to pick you out instantly one day.... i was voice blind to him for so long it's weird that it's so far the other way now.
it wasn't bad... very chill but as long as they don't set up the teacher as any kind of love interest should be a cute little show.
A teacher wants to write a thesis on Demi-humans however he has never met one... until one day when he meets 4. a Succubus, a vampire, a yuki-onna (snow woman), and a dullahan. he simply wants to interview them.
granted some of the questions he asked the vampire would get him fired in a north American school but other then that it was cute.

Idol Incidents

apparently idols can fix everything (or at least be a ray of sunshine in a shitty dim world full of poverty and depression)
ok but seriously... i know idol m@ster is like super popular and Love live has been doing very well but that can be the reason we have like... 3-5 idol shows a season... what is going on?
also apparently you audition for being an idol by running up a hill.
so it's also about... an election... like Japan has a system of government known as a Diet... and these idols are called Dietwomen so.... i guess the two are connected?
but besides all that.. the pacing of this episode is atrocious... like it has 3-5 episodes of plot in 1 episode... just cause you are an idol show you don't have to have the debut right away... it can wait a bit. also.... i still don't fully know what a idol dietwomen is.... maybe.. an explanation would have been nice.
the character designs are cute but yeah I'll pass on this one.

elDLIVE

(or probably the more accurate/sensible translation of elDRIVE... that is how it's said in the show so that is how I'm saying it for the ramble)
Uh so... this kid hears a voice inside his head for most of his life... and then gets warped to a alien police station thingy... and then after passing a exam to become a alien police thing he finds out he was a special snowflake all along.... or something.
it wasn't bad and it did make me chuckle once or twice but it's not the kind of show i enjoy so... another pass.

Nyanko Days

Sorry but there is only one Nyanko i care about... and that is Nyanko-Sensei...
Also it's 2 mins long so... yeah...
but yeah girl would rather chill with cats then people... i wont say i don't identify with her but still short show is short so pass.

Seiren

This show is far to obsessed with fluttering skirts... but seriously was their a time slip and suddenly we are getting a bunch of shows we should have gotten 15 years ago?
uh... who are these people... why do i care...
i can't even sum this one up cause... like... there was nothing. Guy fantasizes about girl and is bad at school. like this was just a waste of time and set nothing up in the first episode... i don't even know the main characters name.... i barely know most of the supporting casts names.
and I'm sorry but the way it portrays all the girls as extremely flirty but then get mad if you pay attention to them... it feels like the creator has a big chip on their shoulder. so yeah yet another pass...

ACCA: 13- Territory Inspection Dept.

The art style for this looks pretty awesome... but if it's just going to glorify smoking (like the intro song and first few mins seem to be about) i will be out pretty damn fast.
and while there has been a bit more world building in this show i still have the same issues. Who are these people, why should i even remotely care about them losing their jobs (or later not losing their jobs), what do cigarettes have to do with it... and I'm sorry... it's really hard to enjoy something that focuses so much on smoking.. i know this is my bias showing through but i can't help it.

Gabriel DropOut

Gabriel is one of the top angels to ever graduate from angel academy... now she must travel to the human world to observe and make people happy.
However by chance she stumbles onto a MMO (already installed and hovering in the over world despite not having made a character yet) and everything changes.
she becomes a repugnant human being who is addicted to games and calls herself a fallen angel with pride...
there are also demons at this school... cause... why not?only the demons are responsible... but the angels are awful.
it's a bit too cutesy for me but i did chuckle i few times. still not the kind of show i enjoy.

Akiba's Trip The Animation

isn't this based off a game where you destroy peoples clothing cause they are vampires and you need to expose them to light? well I'll give it a chance even though... pretty sure it's not gunna be my cup of tea.
yeah it's... before the intro song and i already wanna stop.
the animation is weird and the fan service is the focus... maybe the game is fun but as a show it's just silly.

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

I'm getting a Nichijou vibe... not saying there is a connection just... a similar feeling a i guess.
This show doesn't seem bad... but I'm not a big fan of gimmicks (in this case a dragon being a maid) I'm not a big fan of moe (in this case the dragon maid being cutesy as hell as well as completely incompetent and it's plays as endearing.) and finally comedy shows in general tend to be hit or miss... this one is a bit of a miss.
so yeah no bad by any means (there is certainly worse this season) but this is just not the kind of show i enjoy.

Hand Shakers

I should add a new rules to my list... it's pretty much implied but... i should just make it official... no fully CG shows.
granted i guess this isn't fully CG but all the action bits seem to be and i just can't describe how much i hate the look.
however this show just lost me at the 4 min mark. you wanna treat your characters like that? fine... i don't want to watch.

Kemono Friends

I was expecting this to be a short show... somehow it's not.
the cg animation on this is so bad.. i wonder if they even tried to make the character look like they are walking on the ground.
but yeah again with an extremely cutesy style being adorable in every way and i... just can't.
again maybe not a bad show but definitely aimed at children.

CHAOS;CHILD

true story: when out for dinner with a group of friend i was discussing with a friend who has pretty opposite taste to mine about how nothing was really grabbing me this season... only sequels to shows i already knew i liked.
we both brought up being curious about this title.. pretty much both saying "didn't care for the show like this last season... but it has a semi colon so will give it a shot.
I guess that just goes to show you how good Stiens;gate was...
first off... wow that is one hell of a subtitle.
Chaos;Child: If you are God, and the delusion becomes reality. About what kind of the noids you get? Is it the sensual world? the despotic society? The destructive sanctions? Or...
... yeah based on that alone i may... not enjoy this show... but hey... wouldn't make it any different from anything else this season. OK time to give it a chance for real i guess.
Yeah.... this... isn't something i enjoy.
Look you wanna watch a show about crazy stuff happening in shibuya with a chat room as a framing device and a deceptive main character... watch Durarara... it's far better then this.
you wanna watch something that pretends to be deep about how we may or may not perceive the world go watch the matrix.
this is just trying way too damn hard... and falling flat on it's face in the process... i want to give it the whole episode but considering it's nearly 50 minutes long... i think I'm going to pass.

Churian 1/2, Piacevole, One room

all short shows.

Marginal #4

OK but.. .seriously what is it with all these idol shows?
the animation is nice but.... everything else is painful... so much exposition... so much trying to be funny and just... falling flat
about halfway through the episode there is no plot just... look here are some idols... and here are some other idols... yay idols... oh but look they go to shcool too... yay school!
just a little bit of plot would be nice.

Granblue Fantasy the animation

interesting animation? a bump of chicken intro song? is this anime based off a video game going to actually be decent?
I will say while the overall look is interesting... the line work is driving me nuts... imagine a drawing with a mostly dead sharpy and that is kind of the look you get... and then the colour doesn't always go as far into the line as it should (or it goes too far) making it look.... fuzzy... couple that with high detailed BGs that don't really fit the rest of the look and i just have to wonder... could there have been a better way to get this style across? even if just the BGs were treated the same way i think it would help.
but other then that one gripe... this wasn't bad... especially considering it's based off a game. will i watch it all? who knows... but I'll give it another episode at least.
i do wanna punch that little dragon mascot in the face though... it adds nothing but annoyance... not everything needs a mascot.

BanG Dream!

No seriously... what is with all these idol shows... are they just that popular?
to give this idol show credit it isn't just "oh hey look we are idols... we see the girls inspiration to start a band and hopefully in the next episodes we see her struggling to learn the guitar (cause this could easily pull a k-on and just have her be really good with no practice and that is all kinds of bullshit)
may give it another episode cause i have so little to watch this season but it's not the kind of show i enjoy so i probably wont stick with it.

*blink* . . . that.. can't be it... i thought Little witch academia was was this season?
it has to have been picked up by one of the simulcasts....
*checks*
hm... guess not... and if i can't watch it legally then i don't get to see it... thats a bit of a bummer.

alright so shows i can't watch (unless crunchy or daisuki pick them up later)

Kazu no Honkai - the premise has a school days vibe based on the description so I'm okay with not seeing this one

Little Witch Academia (TV) - yeah i never saw the movie so i was curious about the show and this kind of bums me out.

Urara Meirochou - uh looks a little on the cute side but nothing in the description seems too bad.

Reikenzan: Eichi e no Shikaku - a fantasy comedy about temporal distortions and getting back home... maybe it could have been good? *watches PV* well it looks like something from the 90's or early 2000 so... yeah

Onihei - show set in edo period... at least it didn't look super cutesy

6hp (six hearts Princess) - OK pulling directly from MAL here "the first episode of the anime was unfinished at airing time" WOW... apparently i blocked out an hour and only filled half of it then had the creator apologize and explain that two more episodes will be made as well as a redone first episode. Like MAL doens't even list studios or any information about this show... thats a pretty big embarrassment. now I'm curious *watches PV* So it's a fully CG anime and... WOW does it look terrible. the character designs are cute but what little they give away in the preview is just so bad it's hard to describe in words... so click the link (before i quote MAL) and see for yourself.

And that is it...
I feel like such a grouch this season but... after last season was so amazing (and considering next season is going to be even better for reasons)
to only be watching 4 shows
Masamuna's revenge (made it 4 episodes in so i'll probably continue unless it gets too harem-y i guess?)
Blue exorcist 2
Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 2
March comes in like a lion
maybe we can add granblue fantasy but i know me I'll probably drop it by episode 4...
also i guess interview with monster girls could be a tentative add but i am really creeped out by these students having crushes on their teacher (even though he wouldn't act on anything)
... it's all just a bit... empty.

and cutesy anime is fine.. i know i spend most of this blurb bitching about it but it can be done well... this season it just feels like they forgot to have some story with the cute.

So yeah not the best season for me Btu if you like hyper adorability then of boy... just watch everything i couldn't sit through.

at least next season we have my eccentric family 2, AoT2 and most importantly natsume yuujinchou roku... but I'll talk more about that and why spring 2017 will be super exciting for me personally.

For now i just think it'll be time to tackle the backlog of shows... until spring.
What shows are you enjoying this season? are there any shows i should give a second chance? please feel free to let me know.