Winter 2014 Anime Season Overview Week 1 – Sunday through Wednesday

(Shows Covered – Chuunibyou 2nd season, Log Horizon, Nobunagun, Noragami, Space Dandy, The Pilot’s Love Song, D-frag, Tokyo Ravens, Hamatora, Witch Craft Works, Nobunaga the Fool, Tonari no Seki-kun, Pupipo!)

Ok, let’s do this. I picked up too many shows (again), so I’m going to run a reality show here, and list the shows in order of my enjoyment of their last episode, those at the bottom might get the cut. Say I need to cut two shows, then the two at the bottom are gone. Say I need two to go away from Sunday, then the two shows rating lowest from Sunday are gone. If a show is consistently 1-3 on my list, but ends at the bottom one week (Samurai Flamenco) or is the only show I watch on that day (Koiuta), then it might get temporary immunity. Anyway, let’s go. (Maybe I’ll rate them by order of enjoying the show, rather than just the latest episode?)

Ah yes, I don’t plan to write about each show each week anymore in the weekly discussion threads, but I certainly did that for the first episodes, so each show links to my episodic write-up for that show in case you want to read more. I will have the second part of this post up on Saturday, and the placement there will also include the shows below, sans-description.

1) Chuunibyou 2nd season Ren Episode 1 

Though it might not be obvious since I rarely rank such shows higher than 7 on MAL, I love laughing, and I love RomComs. This is actually one of my most anticipated shows of the season, because I both laughed and smiled and teared up in the previous season.

This episode made me laugh, a lot. This episode reintroduced the cast, and although for now my wishes of seeing Yuuta and Rikka’s romantic relationships continue are put on hold, though I still hold faith for more to happen on that front. (though knowing what happened in the LN I think we might, once more, only get a “forward movement” moment in the final episode). The animation was superb, and had it been longer it could’ve beaten most dedicated action films/series who look good as well. Welcome back, Chuunibyou. I even liked the social commentary moment on how Rikka has made friends without changing, but Nibutani’s change only serves to isolate her once more.

Winter 2013/4 Season Expectations and Write-ups

A new season is coming up, so once more I look at the incoming listing of pain and suffer anime and choose what to watch next. The list will cover how likely and what form of write-up I’ll give each show, and how interested I am in it currently. I mostly went by random internet chatter, RandomCuriosity’s preview post, and the Neregate’s chart, I don’t really watch previews, which bit me in the ass with NouCome/Yuushibu last season, so let’s hope we don’t get a repeat this season.

I’ll give my current opinion on the shows that carry over. Show-names with a strike-through means I don’t plan to pick the show up, but wanted to discuss it. Interest scale is out of 3 stars.

Sunday:

Nobunaga the Fool – Sci-fi, over the top historic figures who fight, an anime-original which always is promising… I’m so ready. Also made by people who make good-looking shows.
Interest Rating: 3/3. I want this.
Write-up Potential: Dunno how far they take the ideas, post-episode notes with a chance of being upgraded.

Space Dandy – This show has hype riding in its wake, with Watanabe Shinichiro who is best known as the director of Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop at the helm. The show seems to go over-the-top, with a womanizing, alien bounty-hunter dandy-man at the helm. It seems really weird and over-the-top, so it could really go anywhere, but we have to trust in Watanabe.
Interest Rating: 2.5/3. It has hype surrounding it, it has pedigree, but it’s weird, so we’re going to have to see where it goes. Anime-original as well.
Write-up Potential: Potential for in-depth episode write-ups, but it’s always nicer to watch a spectacle without pause, and this is going to be a spectacle.

Buddy Complex – Sunrise, the studio behind most mecha, returns for another mecha story, about clashing super-powers and the power of friendship. Looks interesting enough.
Interest Rating: 1.5/3. Will give it two episodes.
Write-up Potential: Post Episode to not at all.