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Spring Anime* 2017 Lightning Review

*just the shows that I watched of course

For the first time ever, I’m leaving out shows that I dropped, so if you remember me talking about a show but it’s not listed here, I was either bored by it or just didn’t enjoy it anymore after a certain point, and that’s really all there is to say~!

Shows Included: Alice to Zouroku Watch, Boku no Hero Academia S2, Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism, Cinderella Girls Gekijou, Clockwork Planet, DanMachi Gaiden: Sword Oratoria, Frame Arms Girl, Hinako Note, Kabuki-bu!, Little Witch Academia, Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen, Pokemon Sun & Moon, Quanzhi Gaoshou, Renai Boukun, Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records, Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭, Seikaisuru Kado, Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?, Tiger Mask W, Tsugumomo, Twin Angel Break, Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho

Reminder that there are spoilers in the reviews below

Alice to Zouroku Watch I feel like this was a great concept to begin with, but after the initial six or so episodes, it really seemed like the writer/s were like “okay, what do we do now?” It would have been much better as a six episode mini-series. To focus the last six episodes on new characters, rather than developing a new scenario around characters that have already been introduced, is a huge waste of everyone’s time. It was also quite disappointing that they built up this relationship between the two titular characters, and then they share hardly any screen time in the second half at all, and considering their dynamic was the backbone of the story, it really just fell flat for me. That being said, it was a nice light-hearted affair that was half supernatural and half science fiction. I would love to see a spinoff about the special agent with the Dream of Alice to basically have any weapon. 7/10

Boku no Hero Academia S2 I actually had a few problems with this season. The previous season ended with “This is the story of how I became the greatest hero of them all” or something to that effect, but it didn’t really feel like they did much to further that this season. Instead we got LOTS of development for other characters, especially Todoroki, who, if you had asked me what his name was after the first season, I wouldn’t have had the slightest clue. I loved the Uravity vs Bakugo fight, it really showed that Uraraka has potential for greatness and wasn’t so one note as her powers had seemed previously (in my opinion.) My biggest gripe of the season was the final fight, and how pointless it was. If the point was to frustrate Bakugo with what he felt like was an unearned victory, they should have had Deku and Todoroki be disqualified for (unintentionally) bringing too much danger to the audience, or something along those lines, making Bakugo the de facto winner. Instead they made a big deal about Deku and Todoroki’s fiery collision causing a thermal shockwave/explosion which could have hurt people, only to then have Bakugo basically do it to himself, over and over, while escaping Todoroki’s ice, without any indication of harm whatsoever. It was stupid, is what I’m saying. Also Deku’s lack of a definitive victory of any kind has worn beyond thin. Still a great show, just thought there were some hiccups this season. 8/10

Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism As harem-y as this was, it was still a really great “trials of the swordsman” story, and the influences were very prominent with each new challenger. Aomu is an incredible character, and while I felt they were wasting her by not having her around much of the season, it just made that much more impact when she showed up in the final three episodes. I can’t see this idea stretching much farther than where it left off, so if the manga/LN continues from that point I don’t think it’d be very interesting, but if you like swordsmanship type shows (like Chivalry of a Failed Knight) then this should be up your alley. 8.5/10

Cinderella Girls Gekijou I’m not heavily invested in CG, but I enjoyed most of this. It was a bit tough remembering who some of the characters were at times, and then also not knowing some of the characters because I haven’t read the manga or played any games or any of the side content was kind of frustrating, but all in all, a short, cute gag show. 8/10

Clockwork Planet Besides the horrific facial design for pretty much every major character, this turned out to be a quirky, fun action show. It was nice to see the male and female leads be in a dynamic that was not romantic, but still loving, in a way, as they eventually adopted a parental role for Anchor. I think it got a little full of itself with some high tier philosophy that wasn’t necessary, but most people who have watched a lot of anime are probably used to that by now, so it may not be a detractor for you. If you’re looking for something different that’s not too involved but fun, this is the show for you. 8/10

DanMachi Gaiden: Sword Oratoria I was pretty game for this, as it felt like there was a lot left on the table deliberately for Ais in the first season. Lefiya was an interesting character, and one that reminds me of a character I have in mind for a series that I’ve been daydreaming of for a decade, in that she’s kind of the protagonist, but Ais is definitely the protagonist. Kind of like in the movie DREDD where Judge Dredd is the star, but the movie follows or at least we experience most of the movie with Cassandra. It feels like the type of series that every season could have a different cast of characters and as long as it still fit in the time frame and world as the others, it would be enjoyable. That is my subtle way of asking for a Season Three that deals with the Hephaestus familia. 9/10

Frame Arms Girl This was actually one of my favorite shows of the season because of how silly it was. There was action at some points, but the best parts of the show were the girls just interacting with each other and the human world, fully knowing they are toys of some kind. Not much to really say about it other than that; it’s brought to you by Kotobukiya, so if you love their statues you will appreciated the design of the characters. 9/10

Hinako Note I had really strong Wakaba Girl and Lucky Star vibes from this show, but also ANNE HAPPY mixed in a bit as well. I think it would have been more appealing if this had been a story about Hinako moving away for college, because then the fan servicey stuff (which was really out of place, reminiscent of Bakuon!) wouldn’t have been so awkward and unnecessary. I think they should have fleshed out the landlady character more, she just kind of felt like a background character most of the time despite being somewhat the lynchpin of the show. They also didn’t really seem to do much theater stuff, which hurt it in my opinion in a season where it’s standing next to Kabukibu. Decent, cute, and moe~blob. 8/10

Kabuki-bu! SPEAKING of, WOW, what a great show. I loved the hell out of this show, so much that it’s my show of the season. If you missed out on this show, you should really give it a chance. It has several classic storytelling items; underdog story, forming a team, bending the rules to find success. Several character archetypes I enjoy a lot as well; princely girl that the girls swoon over, cocky guy who is kind of dumb but is reliable when it counts, girl who cares a lot about everything she’s into and couldn’t care less about things she’s not. There is a lot going on in this show and to cover it all here would A) take too long and B) spoil a great show, but suffice to say, if you don’t know anything about Kabuki, this show will teach you the basic stuff, and it doesn’t beat you over the head about it (like some sports anime do.) 10/10 highest recommendation

Little Witch Academia I love this show, but the ending was a bit too... dramatic, for me. I didn’t really understand Croix’s goal; she wanted to prove that she could be on Chariot’s level and didn’t need to be chosen (though she wanted to be) by the triskelion to achieve it’s power, but then what? She built up all of this power on negative emotions, but she wanted to reshape the world into a better place? It was weird, but I liked Croix’s dialogue and VA. I also think it was kind of lame that Chariot didn’t get to tell Akko who she was on her own terms, like it would have been enough for Akko to arrive and see Chariot confronting Croix without having seen her transform, find out her hero may have stolen her dreams, and then have Akko save the world and have Chariot reveal herself, asking for forgiveness. The idea of regaining hope after being disillusioned with your all time hero is enough without having had to also pile on the betrayal of her teacher/mentor, in my opinion. It felt like it was overwritten, like they really, REALLY wanted to make an impact, but it didn’t because we’ve known since the OVA who Ursula was, so it was more just feeling bad for Akko that she didn’t put two and two together fast enough, honestly. Was really happy about the minor cast getting their own time to shine, especially Amanda and Constanze. 9/10

Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen This show is continuing, but I just wanted to say if you’re looking for a short breather type anime in between more dramatic or high action shows, it doesn’t get much better than this for currently airing stuff! Continues

Pokemon Sun & Moon It’s the best, most palatable Pokemon anime in ages. I’m still watching it week to week, so that should be proof enough. The intro theme is so damn catchy, one of the rare few that I listen to it all the way through every episode. Team Rocket is fucking incredible this season, by the way. Continues

Quanzhi Gaoshou I wasn’t sure what to think about this at first, but it became one of my favorite shows of the season. The protag is so unabashedly a wish fulfillment fantasy that it’s kind of charming in a way. And the way that the things he does in the game, there is like 0% chance of being able to do it in the real actual game is what makes it so fun. It’s in Cantonese (I believe, please let me know if otherwise), but after the first couple episodes I didn’t really notice. I feel like this season set up the atmosphere of the game’s community within the game more than the community outside of the game, so hopefully there is a second season that actually explores the characters themselves a bit more (especially the boss at the cafe, vastly underutilized.) 9/10

Renai Boukun A literal harem anime, though obviously it was a bit of a parody on the side. The way Guri was changed was kind of abrupt and not really that convincing, so it was weird that they played it so seriously. The writing of Yuri could have just used more everything positive, but for a wlw character, even one in love with her half-sister, she was OK, considering how bad it could have been (she was portrayed as fairly pure and innocent outside of the stalker habits, when she could have just been a raging lust demon like lesbian/bi girls tend to be portrayed.) I liked this show’s version of god though, it was pretty funny. Not especially memorable but enjoyable. 7/10

Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records It actually took me a good minute to remember what this show was about, but then I remembered Re=L is a character’s name in it, and how ridiculous that was, so I remembered all of it. It was very much the otaku teacher show from last year but with magic in it. The 100% slutty school uniforms for these middle school girls was really gross, as someone who generally enjoyed outfits like Ryuko and Satsuki’s in KLK, these were just overly sexual for no reason or purpose. I would have liked more scenes with Celica in them, because it felt like she had way more going on behind the scenes, similar to Ais in DanMachi, than we will likely ever see. Honestly I’d give this show a pass, there’s not much redeeming value here unless you’re into the “guy who is OP but pretends to be lazy and carefree because of the trauma he’s accrued” trope (that only Gin-chan can pull off.) 6/10

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭ Didn’t enjoy this season. It felt like this season was far too busy trying to troll otakus to tell a good story. I didn’t get the feeling, at the end of the finale, that Tomoya would actually continue making doujin games, it felt more like he was ready to just continue hanging out with his girlfriend sidekick and going through the motions. Not every show has to have a happy ending, but I feel like most of them should have a satisfying ending, and this just didn’t have that, in my opinion. The thought of a show centered around Utaha and Eriri making their first AAA game together has merit though. 5/10

Seikaisuru Kado This show kind of shit the bed at the end. If the yaShunina’s goal was to bring a human to the anisotropic, and he thought Shindo was ready, why didn’t he just have him walk through the box that he used to transport him places into the anisotropic? He was willing to KILL HIM for refusing, so why give him the option to begin with? It was very odd. And the reveal of the woman negotiator being an anisotropic being as well was surprising, but the idea that she was ultimately there to make a baby, even a god baby, doesn’t sit well with me somehow. There was something off in the way the CG character models were presented as well that I just was never able to look past, and I couldn’t help but think in some moments where we’re meant to be awed by the imagery and effects how much better other studios would have done with traditional animation. The first 8 or so episodes are good sci-fi, the rest, your mileage may vary. 6/10

SukaSuka To be honest, I started skimming through episodes once her hair started turning red. It reminded me of Gokukoku no Brynhildr in a bad way. Obviously, being the big softie that I am, I wanted to see just a show about a soldier becoming a father figure to an orphanage, eventually falling for the woman caretaker while fighting off the advances of some of the younger girls (that part wasn’t necessary, but it is anime so it’s expected at this point, right?) Instead there was some kind of attempt at psychological horror and shattered memories type stuff that probably was meant to be deep but just felt like an imitation of everything that has tried it before. Not worth checking out really, one of those shows I will forget about by the end of next season. 6/10

Tiger Mask W As an anime fan and a wrestling fan, I enjoyed this show quite a bit. I actually knew all of the real wrestlers included in the show, so that was pretty fun seeing who all would show up. They did a weird thing where like... Ririko and Naoto were dating, but then she left at the request of Daisuke (the man Naoto is avenging) to help his son and then she fell in love with him instead while Haruna (Naoto’s manager) decides she loves Naoto, and all of this was revealed in like five minutes of one episode near the end of the show. it felt like the writers just kind of forgot that Ririko was dating Naoto and then had to cover their ass more than anything. The wrestling part of the show could be pretty up and down at times. Some episodes, Tiger would be absolutely covered in blood and dropped on his head and cut open and all kinds of other horrible things that don’t actually occur in real life pro wrestling shows, and then the next episode we’re lead to believe that a clothesline could end a man’s career. It was more noticeable in the first half of the season though. All in all a great love letter to an old franchise that also advertises some of the better wrestlers in the current New Japan Pro Wrestling roster. 8/10

Tsugumomo I actually read the manga for this series beforehand, and it has a pretty interesting concept, except it is actually pretty raunchy. Like, really raunchy. To the point of being vile in many cases (the characters teasing the protag about getting an erection around them in their younger forms was something they could have left out of the show, for real.) I ended up watching all the way through mostly to see the build-up to the first big fight of the series against Sunao, which end up being animated very well, I was quite happy with it. It’s hard to tell if this will get a second season, but i could definitely see it having several OVA, since things are... less restricted when it comes to those. 7/10

Twin Angel Break This would be a good entry-level magical girl show, at least for people who are familiar with the concept without actually having watched any. It felt kind of goofy most of the time, similar to Cinderella Girls in that it felt like anime characters acting in another show. Mary was great, and I wish there had been more moments of her in her down time, like when she blends up the medals and drinks them while thinking to herself. Of course the main thing I want to talk about is that there is a trans character who except for the first minute or so she appears on screen, is treated completely normally, even when she falls in love (and a villain falls for her), it’s initially played for comedy, but it ends up having a positive outcome on the plot, so I think it’s okay. There is also a girl who is sleepy, where’s a sheep mascot hoodie, is constantly tripping, and ends all of her sentences with “da baa”. She’s really cute and I was really expecting her to be end up being a mole or something but nope she’s just cute. 8.5/10

Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho Kabukibu was just so strong, that even this show couldn’t top it, and it was really really good. It was a bit like Spice & Wolf and Junketsu no Maria mixed together with the supernatural elements dialed up to 11. Zero is a great female lead, and it’s unfortunate that this looks like a one season show, because she feels like the kind of character you could write around for YEARS. Mercenary has a wonderful voice, and was believable all the way through, but especially when he stayed consistent at the end, waving off Zero’s advances, despite his growing affection for her. Watch Kabukibu, then this. 10/10

#spring anime 2017 #anime review #lightning review

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