Spring Season 2014: Early Impressions

[David75]

Ping Pong: The Animation
I agree, that dirty art/animation design from the 80-90s is truly awful, why would they even copy that?
Then, being able to withstand that, the ep felt particularly generic/usual in its plot and key scenes for a sports anime.
Doesn't mean it's a bad thing, but no surprises here.

Fuuun Ishin Dai Shougun
Droped, too much text written here.

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin
With the opening and all, I though to myself I would not like it, but it's your nice and usual "I have an unusual girlfriend" kind of anime. Seems like it might be fun, with some light mysteries and everydaylife quest, with a major plot in finding the girl's murderer.

Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka
Pre-purberty girls pedos are welcome here. And I'm ashamed to tell I liked the humor and atmosphere of that first ep. If only for that gun/soldier little girl.

Akuma no Riddle
Felt like they used some ideas from Danganronpa in have a assassins class or something. I can't tell if I hated it or not. I might
even watch ep 2 eventhough this feels like an all female are supreme beings show.

No Game No Life
Well, a strange one, might keep watching if the rules/games are not too tiring and/or repetitive.

Hitsugi no Chaika
MC heroïne is too tiring with her way of speaking. Also her long range gun used as an all magical purpose tool really is a dumb as hell idea because it wouldn't even work as a good dildo...

Soul Eater Not!
Everyday highscool life at death city Highschool? Why not.

Black Bullet
Zombie monsters transforming from human bodies because of a very complex and quick DNA virus that is extremely contagious.
Then lolicon girls that host the virus from before birth and can use its potential to fight against said monster, but with the catch they can turn to monster themselves...
Well no thanks.

Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara
It was nice for a first ep, I just hope it doesn't get too tiring by overusing the same ideas again and again.

Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san
Had good laughs. Terrible thing is that it's a 3 minute anime, why? but Why?

Knights of Sidonia
Human life forms on a ship/planetoïd wandering in space.
They have an ecosystem that recycle bodies.
They changed their DNA to have a third sex that can change according to the party they choose for mating.
They seem to have clones, lots of them.
They are somewhat self-sufficient and can survive if they find water and other elements in probably quite long time intervals.
They have fighting mechs and fight against fully organic enemy that can live in space and have tentacles...
They had no fights in 100 years. Come our male MC that seems to be the heir to a hero fighter and should prove the only one to be able to hold his own against the enemy, but only in a frame from 100 years ago.
Also, that show is probably 100% CGI, same kind used in that submarine/armore ship from last year.

The main events from first ep were totally predictable. No surprise at all.

[MFauli]

One Week Friends:

The setup seems extremely contrieved. Losing her memory every monday? Makes no sense. Adam Sandler did it better in 50 First Dates.

Not a must-watch, but I might end up watching it if im super-bored.

And yeah, this girl is like the perfect victim for domestic abuse. :/

[shinta|hikari]

Black Bullet
Then lolicon girls that host the virus from before birth and can use its potential to fight against said monster, but with the catch they can turn to monster themselves...

They are lolis, not lolicons.

[MasterOfMoogles]

In alphabetical order!

Abarenbou Kishi!! Matsutarou (Rowdy Sumo) - 2 episodes - Dropped - F
Worst main character ever? I just can't stand this guy to keep watching. He is a terrible person with no redeeming qualities. Even if he gets better, I imagine I'll still hate him.

Akuma no Riddle - 2 episodes - B
The plot doesn't really make any sense, but I'm all for mysterious murder games and the characters are interesting enough.

Atelier - not watched yet - expected D

Baby Steps - 2 episodes - B
A refreshing spin on the typical shounen sports anime with a not-hot-blooded protagonist.

Black Bullet - 1 episode - B
Interesting world (if not hilariously reminiscent of Attack on Titan) and fun characters. We'll see where it goes.

Blade and Soul - 2 episodes - B
I was expecting this to be terrible, but it is actually competent and the over-the-top action scenes are great. I look forward to more people dying in ridiculous ways.

Bokura Minna KawaiSou - 2 episodes - D
I'm not digging this so far, pretty boring with some stereotypical characters.
The MC is totally forgettable.
Also, isn't "kawaisou" an adjective meaning "pitiful" or something? Or maybe it is just something sounding similar.

Captain Earth - 2 episodes - D
I can't believe they're spending so much money on this and it is so bad and full of nonsense.
Between the techno-babble and ridiculous launching sequence that doesn't make any sense and isn't even that cool, I'm pretty disappointed in Bones. Star Driver was at least enjoyable for the ridiculous-factor, whereas this is not.

Date a Live 2 - not watched - expected C
First season was meh, but I like the premise of live dating sim with command center. We'll see if it continues to amuse.

Fuun Ishin Dai Shogun - 1 episode - D
The animation... is there animation? I feel like there is art and they move it around on the screen, but I don't know that I would call it animation. I'm sticking around for at least another because of the voice actors.

Gochumon wa Usagi Desu Ka? - 1 episode - C-
I have nothing against cute girls doing random things, but please try to keep it interesting.

Gokukoku no Brynhildr - 2 episodes - B-
After episode 2, I'm starting to get pretty interested in the plot. We'll see where it goes. I feel like the OP is super spoilery though.

Haikyuu!! - 2 episodes - D
Typical sports shounen hot-blooded characters. I'm sticking around until the practice game in episode 3 and if that isn't good, I'm done.

Hitsugi no Chaika - 1 episode - B+
Poor Chaika and her broken speech. Her awesome rifle and the coffin antics were pretty great. Looking forward to seeing this progress.

Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san - 1 episode - Dropped - F
Even though it was a 3 minute show, I stopped to look how much longer was left 2 minutes in because it was so bad.

Isshukan Friends (1 week friends) - 2 episodes - B
I've read 10 chapters of the manga, and the anime has been pretty faithful so far. I wouldn't expect this to really go anywhere, but it is a nice slice-of-life/happy show. Her memory disorder is also pretty freaking ridiculous/convenient.

Jojo - Stardust Crusaders - 2 episodes - A+
JoJo! JoJo! If only the OP were as good as the original. That's pretty much my only complaint so far.

Kanojo ga Flag - 1 episode - C
Harem incoming? The MC has an interesting power (though it doesn't make much sense) so we'll see where it goes.

Love Live! 2 - 1 episode - C
It is Love Live. You're either in or out at this point. Episode 1 being all about stupid emo-nonsense was lame.

M3 ~Sono Kuroki Hagane~ - unwatched - expecting B/C?
No idea about this, but looking forward to checking it out.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - 2 episodes - C
Magic school isn't very interesting yet. Some weird bro-con vibes and a pretty tropey gary-stu MC. I'll stick around to see what happens though.

Majin Bone - 2 episodes D
This show is bad, I'll start there. I'm mainly watching for the lulz, but it might be better to wait for the English dub in that case.

Mangagaka-san to Assistant-san - 1 episode - B+
I read the whole manga and really liked it for its silliness and silly characters. I'm actually really disappointed this is only 12-ish minute episodes.

Mekakucity Actors - not watched yet - expecting A-/B+
Bring it, SHAFT.

No Game No Life - 1 episode B+
So far so good, if they keep building on what they have it should be very interesting.

Ping Pong - not watched yet - expecting D

Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin (Nanana's Buried Treasure) - 1 episode - B+
I like the art/animation so far. Nanana is an interesting character. Lots of potential plot threads dropped in just episode 1. We'll see if they can deliver.

Seikoku no Dragonar - 2 episodes - D
Pretty awful. Not sure why I'm still watching. Maybe we'll have more tsundere girl.

Selector Infected WIXOSS - 2 episodes - C
I'm waiting for some horrible revelation as to what happens when you lose 3 times. Hopefully they can deliver.

Sidonia no Kishi - not watched yet - expecting C

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii - 2 episodes - B+
Super fast pacing so far! I like Nike a lot, and am interested in seeing how she affects this setting.

Soul Eater Not! - 1 episode - C-
Soul Eater was okay (I'd rate maybe a C or C+ overall). Not has less interesting characters. Can it go anywhere?

Leftovers:
Nisekoi - current - A
SHAFT is doing great on this show. It is typical harem to a T, but very well executed.

Nobunaga The Fool - current - C
I'm in it for the voice actors. Gogo Miyano Mamoru! Tomokazu Sugita is always great, too.


Man, that is a lot of shows. Hoping to drop a few more soon-ish. I'm not even going to watch the other kid shows or otome shows.

[Kraco]

Atelier - not watched yet - expected D

I watched the first episode and will try to keep watching, though I can't yet say if it can maintain my interest. It feels like standing behind somebody playing a game and watching it over his shoulder. All in all this is thus very similar to Shining Hearts - Shiawase no Pan or Shukufuku no Campanella. Like I said in the season preview thread, I only wanted to see what Ateliers are like as I've never owned a PS and thus have been unable to play them (even if I wanted).

Very generic fantasy RPG setting and characters. I don't really even know what sort of games Ateliers are (aside from the extremely cute graphical designs), but I find it a bit hard to expect any dirty tactics or backstabbing to happen in this story.

[MFauli]

Since most seem to be done with their first looks:

Can somebody point me to the "serious, quality animation anime" of this season? No sequels included. I need something quality like Shin Sekai Yori or Shingeki no Kyojin. What should I go for?

[Ryllharu]

Can somebody point me to the "serious, quality animation anime" of this season? No sequels included. I need something quality like Shin Sekai Yori or Shingeki no Kyojin. What should I go for?

Based on the 1 or 2 episodes that have aired...Kenzen Robo Daimidaler.

It has a depth and subversive quality that is unmatched by any other series this season. It is also able to transcend the medium a little bit in its second episode by using its shit website.

edit:
Honestly it is way to early to make that kind of assessment. A number of series haven't even had a second episode. I can also safely say that there isn't a series like that this season, especially like the former.

[shinta|hikari]

Mahouka.

[MasterOfMoogles]

I think it is a little too early to say if any of these shows will really be keepers. I ended up not rating anything A.

[shinta|hikari]

It would be amazing if you can rate shows A after the first or second episodes. Anime has a general tendency to taper off as it progresses, and first episodes more often than not fail to represent the rest of the content.

The reverse can also be true. Some start out really slow or generic, but get better as it moves along.

[Kraco]

Knights of Sidonia wasn't as bad as I expected. It feels like a mix between Gargantia (if it had stayed in space) and Macross, though of lesser quality compared to both. Like David said, so far it has been terribly predictable. The military side gives me a headache, nearly everybody's so naive and unprofessional, but I can forgive it a little considering they hadn't seen any fighting for a full century and on the other hand they are so poor and ragged, lacking resources that they can hardly be blamed for not being full of pure Prussian militaristic spirit. However, the show's not all bad otherwise. I've quite liked how the main character is so out of everything.

[shinta|hikari]

I was really looking forward to Sidonia, but then I get that crappy art style. I've been hit by Arpeggio already then this happens.

[David75]

I'm still following whatching that too.
I admit that if you can bear the almost monochrome and pure CGI art style, well there's something to that show.
The animation feels easy to read/understand even in fast moving scenes.
Anybody can die, easily.
That female commander does not hesitate to take the right decisions, regardless of the costs.

[Kraco]

Anybody can die, easily.

Still too early to say. For all we know, the people who died so far might have been destined to die from the beginning for the sake of creating such an atmosphere. But will central character keep dying through the whole show? Too early to say yet.

That female commander does not hesitate to take the right decisions, regardless of the costs.

Are they really the right decisions? They seem a bit dubious to me. Her decisions are conservative, yet disregard any lives lost. If she doesn't care about the death toll, she might as well accept some more sensible risks. But it's true she doesn't hesitate, which is always good for a military commander.

[MFauli]

I still cant get over just how shitty Ping Pong The Animation looks. Bad art, bad animation. No saving grave. And it sucks, because both plot and characters are to my liking, very down to earth, realistically portrayed. Although last episode was too cruel, when Tsukimoto told glasses-guy "you´re just not talented to play ping pong". Wow. That´s kind of a crappy message to send the audience. No, don´t even try, without talent you´re fated to be a loser. Ugh. Makes me hope that there´ll be another player on Tsukimoto´s level that is all about hard working and such, proving that you can overcome a lack of talent.

Nonetheless, this anime could have been so nice with proper animation quality.

[Xelbair]

Akuma no Riddle - its fun to watch and i enjoy it.

Atelier - it is.. fantasy moe anime with possible plot. light, it might be fun if you set your expectations right.

Date a live 2 - its date a live, dumb harem, in which protagonist knows about that.

Brynhildr - ep 2 hooked me, ep1 was weak. I'll keep watching it.

Chaika - weird fantasy setting, interesting characters.

JoJo - its a goddamn jojo, it is fabulous.

Mekakucity Actors - it is fun to watch, but it is SHAFTED hard. 1st ep was intersting, later ones were too.

No Game No Life - really fun show to watch, it is not 'fresh' as world in which everything is decided by games has been used recently(Mondaijitachi, Dog Days) but it is well executed

Mahouka - i know what to expect, i will watch it to just see some parts animated, and i hope that it will deviate from source.

Sidonia no Kishi - surprisingly, i really like this one - despite full CG... well Kingdom kinda made me immune to 'CG cringe'.

Dragonar - not another damned tsundere. nope nope nope.

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii - i've only seen one ep, but i'll marathon it later for sure.

Daimidaler - this is trashy ecchi series about penguins and mecha... what is there not to love?

[Edort4]

I actually find the art in ping pong refreshing. I find that it lacks in motions but I can stand it and like how they overcome it in its own way. I dont know about that message sending thing. Its just common sense that talent plus a bit of work will beat hard work 9 out of 10 times. I actually think that its worse that happy flower message about how you can be whatever you want if you work hard for it. I know lots of anime are focused for kids but any teen should learn truth and not be told blatant lies. Thats how you create the infantile society we have in advanced countries and all the depressions, suicides etc when youngsters (and no so youngsters) face reality.

[MFauli]

Im 28 and I still think you can be whatever you want if you put in enough effort. I also don´t see any "infantile society" with this line of thinking, as you still have to accept the "enough effort" or "hard work" part, which is something most people lack when they choose some high up-dream goals. But you´re not being held down by a lack of talent. It´s just takes a little more.