A lot of things
just felt so-so this season. Maybe it's because I had conventions to
worry about instead of just the shows themselves. Or maybe it's
because everything airing now pales in comparison to the Fist of
the North Star DVDs I'm working through. Regardless, here's my
thoughts:
Flying Witch
This show was
perfectly fine, but definitely not for me. The very definition of
“slice of life”, I couldn't get over the lack of any and all
conflict to appreciate how good it is at depicting just that. If
that's your thing, enjoy.
My Hero Academia
A
solid show in the Shonen Jump/superhero
traditions, My Hero Academia
suffers most from coming out after One Punch Man.
The extended bits of angst, while par for the course with subject
matter such as this, can't help but feel silly after remembering all
those anticlimaxes. The animation, while quite good, also can't
compete, although that's really being unfair. I still look forward
to seeing what My Hero Academia
does during its no doubt lengthy run.
Kagewani: Season 2
As much as I
didn't care about last season, here I am again for more. This run of
episodes is at least more engaging with an ongoing plot rather than
constant shitty monster-of-the-week episodes, but it's still
not something I'd recommend unless you have seven minutes a week to
burn like I apparently do.
Kiznaiver
God damn, did I
want this show to be better. But it never got as visually
interesting as I hoped it would, and most characters did not work.
Sure, some side characters could be somewhat endearing at times, but
main characters bearing the emotional weight came off as clingy,
selfish, sociopaths for the most part. Plus, most dialogue is
characters shouting their philosophical or emotional viewpoints; is
it too much to ask that supposed “friends” have an actual
conversation? Oh well, at least the season wasn't a total loss for
Studio Trigger...
Space Patrol Luluco
This show was just
fun insanity all the way through. If you hate gratuitous cartoon
cameos or ridiculously high energy, stay away I guess, but otherwise
I can't think of a better way this season to spend seven minutes.
Ushio & Tora
Epic conclusion to
an epic show. If you want to see the typical '90s long-running
shonen formula done to perfection, check it out. That is all.
Concrete Revolutio: The Last Song
Though much more
coherent than its first run, I still didn't like this show. There's
just too much random shit thrown in, from giant robots to Power
Rangers to magical girls to what feels like everything in between,
for one thing. For another, its optimistic ending felt out of place
after focusing its “everything sucks” mentality for so long.
Most importantly, I never felt anything for the characters. I can
forgive plot shortcomings if there's an emotional experience to be
had, but kinda like Kiznaiver, these guys only seemed to act
in service of the plot. The show does say a lot of interesting
things, that do deserve analysis, but I simply don't care
enough to spend any more time on it.
Twin Star Exorcists
A decent action
show, but very flawed. While the fights look good, the enemy hordes
never do much to stop their eventual...mowing down. Even big boss
enemies act alike; there's never any reason for one giant
monster being “tougher than any we've fought before”, except so
that a new side character can show up and dispatch them with ease.
If every good action scene has a “give and take” mentality, Twin
Star Exorcists concerns itself mainly with the “give”
portion, which isn't all bad. But you might want to steer clear if
you're allergic to painful rom-com hijinks.
Bakuon!!
A fun little
comedy, if you can get past the occasional gratuitous fanservice. I
like how cynical Bakuon!! can be about motorcycles
despite...being about them. I wonder how real motorcycle
enthusiasts feel about this one.
Macross Delta
Not much has
changed since my previous article on this; despite some great and
sorely-needed battles, the villains are more annoying than ever. I
guess not every race can get along after all if one absolutely
refuses to examine the morality of their own actions.
Sailor Moon Crystal Season 2
Holy shit, this
show is actually good. Not great, but a perfectly viable alternative
to the '90s version, which is all anyone ever wanted in the first
place. I'm glad I listened to the feedback and resumed watching
after this show's catastrophic first year.
Terraformars: Revenge
Speaking of shows
redeeming themselves, this one turned into a shockingly compelling
action series. It's no mean feat to make that verbose, dull,
overly-populated first season into something really cool, but that's
exactly what happened. Kudos to the Japanese for taking steps to fix
so many of the problems.
Assassination Classroom
Still good, but
I'm also glad it's ending now. The reveals feel mostly earned at
this point, and not many aspects have worn out their welcome like
they easily could have.
Joker Game
I feel really bad
for not liking this show more, because it's probably the most
competent of the lot. The stories are all compelling, and the themes
it deals in while looking at WWII-era Japan are explored quite well.
But I feel each episode's stand-alone nature can work against my
investment in the larger show, especially since no character is
supposed to have a concrete identity, being spies and all. It's
definitely worth your time, but I can't exactly say I was especially
looking forward to each new episode.
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Often called an
Attack on Titan clone for good reason, Kabaneri of the Iron
Fortress unfortunately falls far short in the story and character
departments. But the visuals were really something to behold, and
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't entertained all the way through.
Guess that's the thing about Tetsuro Araki as a director; even if his
buildup has issues, he'll still give you one hell of a climax.
Mayoiga: The Lost Village
I
was sorely tempted to do a write-up on this show, but was never sure
where to begin. It reminded me of the awful characters and writing
of Gundam: Reconguista in G,
but just might have been intentionally bad all along. I don't know,
but if you're looking for more WTF in your anime, this show deserves
at least a glance.
Kuromukuro
One of the most
low-key mecha series I've watched in a while, and I'm not talking
about how it's streaming virtually nowhere. Though the premise and
plot is nothing special, its willingness to follow the lead
characters through their day-to-day lives rather than rely on new
monsters every week or twist-a-minute writing set it apart from
similarly formulaic Sunrise shows. Not sure if I'll remember this
show years down the road as it has yet to deliver a really emotional
gut punch, but I'm enjoying myself for now. Consider looking it up
if Macross Delta isn't scratching your mecha itch.
And that's all for
this season! What will the next one bring? Only one way to find
out!
