#Tren overanalyzes stuff

[tren-fraszka]

Tren’s anime roundup: Winter 2017

So I figured that as a horrible otaku that I am, I may as well do some roundup of anime I watched this season and give some recommendations... or not.

It will only contain shows I watched, but hey. It’s better than nothing. Also, I promise I will make some fun categories, so it’s not boring!

Best RPG team shenaningans

Konosuba 2 - if you love making fun of classic jRPG tropes and you haven’t seen the first season yet, you should totally go and see first season. Konosuba is basically a story of a REALLY powerful, but at the same time VERY dysfunctional 4-man party that is trying to save the world from demon king... or avoid the responsibilities for destruction they caused. Usually both.

Second season takes those shenanigans even further, featuring some really interesting ways of using the party members with high aggro (as we discover that priests have tendency to aggro undead if they are powerful and when you have a goddess in your party, well...). We also learn that masochistic paladins are literally the worst people to get possessed by the demon. For all parties involved. Except the paladin, herself. She had a blast.

The high comedic value continues to shine and while visuals dropped slightly during this season, I don’t think it was detrimental for the overall score of the series. The jokes were still great, the interactions between characters lively and the facial expressions remained top-notch.

I need 3rd season in my life.

Thank you for not blowing up the adaptation of manga I like THIS TIME A1 Pictures

Ao no Exorcist: Kyoto Arc - I have... strong opinions about A1 Pictures and they all come from their first adaptation of Ao no Exorcist manga. I really like this manga, okay. It’s all I want from a shounen series. Likeable hero, interesting side characters, conspiracies, overarching plot, cool fighting scenes. All the good stuff.

And then A1 Pictures came and after about 15 episodes of getting it right, they decided to do their own ending. And it was terrible. It’s the main reasons why I now have deep trust issues when it comes to adaptations of things I like.

So many years since the first Ao no Exorcist anime that made me into the salty person I am today, A1 Pictures returns with the adaptation that mercifully ignores their shitty original ending and rolls with the good stuff from manga.

It doesn’t mean I forgive you, A1 Pictures, but damn it’s the good stuff from manga. I may hate you a bit less now. At least until you try to desecrate another shounen I like, because I know this will happen sooner or later...

Sweetest coup d'état

ACCA - I’ve come, I’ve eaten the bread for 10 episode, I’ve took part in the biggest political turnover in the last two, because I couldn’t eat my bread in peace.

If you feel you need a series centering on a political intrigue with a mature lead and some nice food porn as a bonus, this is what you’ve been looking for. The initial development is rather slow, as the intrigue unfolds slowly, while the story centers more on worldbuilding, but the final payoff is satisfying enough to warrant a recommendation.

As long as you like this sort of stories, of course.

The most mature show

Demi-chan wa Kataritai - I didn’t initially plan watching this, because I thought it was one of those “cute girls doing cute things:, except the cute girls are demi humans (so like vampire, dullahan, yuki onna, etc.). Boy, was I mistaken.

Because this is a show about people with disabilities. Like, it’s not even subtle. This a show tackling the topic of difficulties that people who don’t fit the standard face. And it’s BRILLIANT.

I really love how the show approaches it, because it is not about dealing with bullies (there is like one episode with such plotline), but about problems with fitting into the world that does nor always take your needs into the account. It’s about small problems, like classmates not being sure if they can joke about the fact that dullahan’s head is separate from her body. Or the fact that dullahan needs a backpack, because a one-shoulder bag is inconvenient when you also need to carry your head.

It’s about accepting people who are different, but also being aware of their needs. It’s about learning of those differences and how they affect the life of such people. It’s about expanding the world.

It’s also a great comedy and one of the characters is a teacher who is succubus and she is really hot. Like seriously. She’s smoking hot while wearing a tracksuit. 10/10 would be seduced.

Best atheist versus god story in a World War I sauce

Youjo Senki - this series is many things and yet it never loses sight of what it truly is. A struggle of a very pissed off atheist against a god. Or Being X, as he lacks to call it. Or she. It gets confusing when the said atheist used to be a middle aged japanese salarymen, but now has been reincarnated as a girl into a XX century Europe. Except, in this world magic exists.

Yeah, as I mentioned, it’s a layered story.

While most of the story centers around the struggles of main hero(ine) as a soldier taking part in this worlds First World War, the core of the plot is the argument between the hero and the god. The main hero is not smart enough to realize that arguing with god right as he dies about the source of faith may be a stupid move. And he especially doesn’t seem to realize how stupid it is to present hypothetical situations to a being that can make them a reality.

(This is why you should read Bible kids. You can learn at least some basic mistakes to avoid when it comes to interacting with a powerful god. Shinto never prepares you properly for that.)

It’s an entertaining series with some over the top moments, but also a ruthless lead that makes sure we never stray from the goal. Hoping for 2nd season in the future.

Tren has a big soft spot for fantasy

Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari  - it’s no joke. I’m weak when it comes to jrpg settings. As long, as the series is not a storm of cliches with idiot hero and a girl falling from the sky (yes, I’m looking at you Granblue Fantasy), I will happily eat it.

Then again, Chain Chronicles is one of the better contenders that came recently. With it’s polished visuals and refreshing take on classic stories, it’s actually a series I can recommend.

The thing I liked the most was the fact that the series actually starts when most would usually end - on the battle with the evil overlord, where the main hero and his party fight together with the allies they have gathered....

...except they lose the battle. Now the hero has to figure out how to turn the situation around, while the chaos spreads through the world.... preferably before the evil curse takes over his body and turns him into a demon. I’ve seen people complaining that underneath this exterior it’s the same “friendship wins” type of story, but personally I have nothing against it. It was still refreshing to see a hero who has to face a failure and the toll it takes on him.

If you liked my ranting let me know! I’ve been thinking about posting more thoughts about the stuff I watch. I’m currently considering some analysis about Tanya being quiet literally a Satan and why Re:Creators is shaping out to be one of the best series of this season. Or I can make short roundup of what I’m watching in spring anime season. I’m easily influenced, so your voice counts.