[Summer 2014] Season of Sequels

[GeneD]

Bury me too. I think I wheezed out my spleen.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Never thought the "ALL OUT" from the first season could be beat

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I knew something was coming in the preview from some posts on twitter, but I didn't remember "ALL OUT", which actually made it better.

Tokyo Ghoul ep 7: So despite what I said about the show previously, this episode was actually a pleasant surprise. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The ghoul community dealing with the death of one of their own, how they can’t actually make much of a move in retaliation, and the Doves’ methods to hunt them down are some nice, interesting bits of world building. Even the characters seemed to come more alive. This doesn’t mean I take back my comment from before, this is the kind of thing we should have gotten from the start, not in 1 episode of 7, but it does make me feel a bit more charitable towards the show.

Zankyou no Terror ep 6: Still having mixed feelings about the direction this is going in. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I’m hoping we get more of Five’s motivation soon. She’s clearly smart enough to catch the boys without luring them into an elaborate trap, so I hope that even if she is crazy and likes to “play games” as Nine says, that’s not all she is.

Sword Art Online II ep 7: I’m sliding into active rage dislike of this show. The pacing stalling is getting desperate and shameless. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And worse, Shino is “overcoming” her gun-trauma as a direct result of being mad at Kirito. T_T It’s awful and sexist and none of the non-Kirito characters mean anything because Kirito is god and that’s why people like the show. I know this is a silly show which I shouldn’t take seriously but that part with Shino just riled me and just because a show is silly doesn’t mean it should get away with this kind of crap.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal ep 4: I agree with Nate, the Four Kings scene was great and I’m so glad they’ve stopped translating youma as “Evil” which was ridiculous. Too bad about the animation and production schedule. I don’t feel particularly positive about Usagi x Mamoru but I have no idea why.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 7: This show is trying so hard, maybe too hard, but it just can’t be taken seriously. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I actually think the characterisation of Eggs-kun and Slaine would both benefit if they become friends but lolnope we can’t have nice things.

Barakamon ep 7: Fishing anime! \(^_^)/ Naru with the stick and the cockroaches was hilarious.

Tokyo ESP ep 6: I literally forgot about this show until I went through my list and even then wasn't sure if I was up to date or not until I double checked episode numbers. Is there a term that means the opposite of “the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts”? Because that would apply to this show (and now that I think about it, to Aldnoah.Zero too). Azuma is great, Rinka’s really great, Rinka’s dad is the best, and yet the show flies so squarely under it’s potential. Granted most of the other characters are pretty generic, including the villains, which is never good in a story, and they just introduced Kung Fu Perv Panda which brought the whole episode crashing down. Anyway I still love Rinka, that she’s a pretty normal person just trying to do what’s right and gets beaten down a lot, but still wants to save the people she cares about and anyone else she can besides. So I’m still watching (when I remember to) but I’m sad about the missed potential.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 7: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The S with the Lorelei singing! And Mikorin copying his figures' poses! The art focus of the episode is great. I’d actually not mind if the romance made a little progress, but I'm not really expecting it to.

[MangaRocks!]

Free!: Eternal Summer episode 7:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: .
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
KISS ME.
PERFECT BODY.
PERFECT BODY.
I died laughing. I am dead. RIP me.

Bury me too. I think I wheezed out my spleen.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Never thought the "ALL OUT" from the first season could be beat

^ ...And you can put me right next to these two. Oh my gosh. Also: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Nagisa's protein powder + Makoto and Rei's reactions, ROTFL! ...*Ahem*-- as for the race, I'm glad their time allowed them to get through the prelims, even though they didn't beat Rin's team (actually, with all of them coming in first in their single rounds, I'm kinda glad they didn't just sweep this one, too). Also, Sousuke's advice to Nitori was surprisingly good, despite his attitude; and Rei's comments to Haru near the end were quite sweet.



Zankyou no Terror episode 5:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Whoa, was that a genuine Australian accent I just heard? Also, Twelve's "looking for a girlfriend who can make bombs and good food" line made me LOL. Anyway: Ah, so they *were* trying to make people (or rather, specifically Shibazaki, now) see a connection to the corruption/shady agency. Y'know, it's amazing how a story like this can shift its viewer's 'loyalty' with just one episode. I mean, seriously, forget whatever I said about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Twelve occasionally being pretty chilling-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Five is downright terrifying! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And the fact that she cares nothing at all for innocent civilians, while Twelve and Nine are at least trying to prevent any needless deaths (...Nine actually going so far as to genuinely risk his own life to save someone, no less!), just... wow. And man, I do not trust that police boss guy one bit, either (and Shibazaki's pretty furious about the whole thing, too, quite justifiably)... Can't wait for next week!



Aldnoah.Zero episode 7:

I’m amazed they could mess up the concept of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'Mars and Earth go to war with mechas.'

It want's to be cool, and I want it to be cool; but it's just boring. I'm not interested in the characters, and the Earth mechs (while the hover boots are neat) are just cannon fodder. The Martian units are all gimmick bots, they feel like cheesy level bosses.

This show is trying so hard, maybe too hard, but it just can’t be taken seriously. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I actually think the characterisation of Eggs-kun and Slaine would both benefit if they become friends but lolnope we can’t have nice things.

Hmm... well, at least the battle was a *little* more interesting this time because teamwork, and also the fact that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: they got their hands on some hidden Martian tech now (although that was predictable, too). But yeah, I pretty much agree with all of the quotes above. (Also, that end... I mean, I know Inaho is smart to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: not just trust some random (apparent) Martian right away (especially when said person was not explaining his motives for trying to see the princess), and I do appreciate that they're not suddenly buddies or something, which would be unrealistic, but seriously, poor Slaine... (My rating for this is steadily falling with every episode now. What in the world happened to this series' potential...? )



Sailor Moon: Crystal episode 4:

Jadeite is still alive. I told you people!

Also, Kunzite hadn't yet shown up at this point in the manga, so his appearance here is yet another divergence. But one that I fully support. It was pretty rad seeing all four generals taunting Sailor Moon.

Yep, you were right. I'm typically quite critical of changes, so personally I'm still not quite sure what to make of this, but I'll grant that these particular changes certainly haven't been bad at all (yet), and that scene was indeed pretty cool, so I guess I approve for now.



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 7:

OH MY GOSH, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: THE UNIFORM. I can't stop laughing even still. HELP. And pretty much everything with Mikorin was priceless, too. Oh man, this is definitely on the same level as Oresama Teacher, now.



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 7:

Best episode of the series, LOL. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Given this show's usual mood-whiplash, that went pretty much exactly how I had hoped/expected, which means it was both a relief (he's alive!) and pretty hysterical (everything in the hospital, ROTFL). And ah, so the 'flower girl' (a.k.a. "Saikyou," as I'm sure she is) finally appears again, and says something very interesting indeed to Hajime...

[Nate]

I don’t feel particularly positive about Usagi x Mamoru but I have no idea why.

I'm not sure either. Most people I know are way more supportive of this version because Mamoru is only a high school student instead of a college student like he was in the original anime. :p

personally I'm still not quite sure what to make of this, but I'll grant that these particular changes certainly haven't been bad at all (yet), and that scene was indeed pretty cool, so I guess I approve for now.

The theory I've seen floated elsewhere is that the series might be setting up the four kings to become good guys again, kind of like what happened in PGSM. At this point though it's really anyone's guess, and the show is still pretty faithful to the manga despite Jadeite not dying and Kunzite's appearance, and cutting out Usagi getting drunk.

And of course the lack of mask on Sailor Moon. But I already complained about that.

[ForeverInspired]

I had to update this show. I just had to do it. It's that amazing.

Ao Haru Ride Ep. 6 - It's not fair how this show pulls so much on your heart strings. That last scene at the train station just was... well... incredible. Now, this is a good romance!

[KazeShiki]

Sword Art Online II ep 7: I’m sliding into active rage dislike of this show. The pacing stalling is getting desperate and shameless. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And worse, Shino is “overcoming” her gun-trauma as a direct result of being mad at Kirito. T_T It’s awful and sexist and none of the non-Kirito characters mean anything because Kirito is god and that’s why people like the show. I know this is a silly show which I shouldn’t take seriously but that part with Shino just riled me and just because a show is silly doesn’t mean it should get away with this kind of crap.

To be fair, I wouldn't call it sexist so much as just really bad writing. The guy had no clue what to write past vol1 so it turned into retcon side stories and game of the week escapades reusing a formula of Kirito god moding everything. Obviously, you need other characters to be interesting right? Too bad the guy can't write.

Aldnoah continues suffering from the same problem of no characterization and just throwing cliches at us. Really, the potential it had was all inflated hype because of Urobuchi. I'd say it's going pretty par for the course in my view as I don't think he's written anything notable since Madoka. Even if he only came up with the idea and wrote the first 3 episodes, it was already falling apart by the first couple episodes and the idea isn't exactly a good one without something to back it up. It still looks nice, and the music...uhh I generally like Sawano's work but the copy pasting is pretty exhausting after all these years.

Sailor Moon's production problems are only getting worse, sadly. Sounds like they're going down the path of Shingeki and just outsourcing animation, at least for the next episode, though that does not bode well for the future.

Obligatory Nozaki is great comment.

Also Hanamonogatari aired so subs should start coming. Shaft sure took the most lazy approach. Now we guess on whether season 3 or Kizu will be next heh.

[John_Smith]

I haven't noticed the tanuki.

I mostly noticed them on Nozaki's book shelves. I'm half wondering if they aren't hidden in other places, of if they were just there because his former editor give them to him.

Aldnoah.zero

Because the series is short (12 episodes), I'll probably still watch it, but my expectations are now low. Which, ironically might cause be to enjoy the series better.

To be fair, I wouldn't call it sexist so much as just really bad writing. The guy had no clue what to write past vol1 so it turned into retcon side stories and game of the week escapades reusing a formula of Kirito god moding everything. Obviously, you need other characters to be interesting right? Too bad the guy can't write.

Resisting urge to look at the spoiler... Without looking up anything, I can agree with the assessment that Reki Kawahara didn't plan on continuing the series past the first arc... the fact that it's called Sword Art Online is telling.

Honestly, I was hoping that the 2 cour thing would mean that the anime writers would give something for Asuna, Egil, and the others something to do, but now, it just seems like it's over compensation for the complaints they got about the first arc's time jumps. For me personally, I don't think I'll mind too much. Slow pacing isn't so much a trouble if you don't have to wait at week long intervals.


Maybe this is just me (because I'm still new to the whole anime thing) but it seems like this was an usually hyped season that is now being met with the brick wall that is reality.

[MomentOfInertia]

Sabagebu! #6 was good. I think I'm going to have to watch the B plot again soon.

Space Dandy continues to entertain, though I wound up missing the first part of this weeks episode.

[skreyola]

2 - Hanayamata Ep. 5
3 - Ao Haru Ride Ep. 2 (This may overtake Hanayamata soon)

I've now seen 5 episodes of Blue Spring Ride, and it is now #2 in my ranking, as predicted. I don't think it'll overtake Girls' Monthly Nozaki-kun, though.

Regarding Ep. 5: Things are developing nicely, but SPOILER: Highlight text to read: we now have a love triangle. I was kind of expecting it ever since he helped Yuuri cross the stream. Be interesting to see how that plays out. I kind of want SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Futaba to tell Yuuri that she's interested, but will let him decide between them (but not in a "You have to decide between us right now" way). You rarely see that happen in fiction, and it could be much more interesting that what usually happens.

[Crossfire]

Aldnoah 7. Daaaaaang, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Slaine got played like a fiddle. Can't say I didn't see the power-up coming, which is to be expected for a mecha anime I suppose. Still, I wonder what will happen to the poor guy.

Also watched Sabagebu episode 7. Be warned, there is a really, really, questionable scene- but I otherwise loved it (surprise!). This show never ceases to amaze me. And FYI, the website at the end of the first segment is legit.

[KazeShiki]

Honestly, I was hoping that the 2 cour thing would mean that the anime writers would give something for Asuna, Egil, and the others something to do, but now, it just seems like it's over compensation for the complaints they got about the first arc's time jumps. For me personally, I don't think I'll mind too much. Slow pacing isn't so much a trouble if you don't have to wait at week long intervals.


Maybe this is just me (because I'm still new to the whole anime thing) but it seems like this was an usually hyped season that is now being met with the brick wall that is reality.

Well, pacing aside, anime has been pretty faithful to source throughout, so it was highly unlikely they would add anime original material. The complaints you mention are pretty irrelevant since 1)that was straight out of source and 2)Japan didn't mind it. It does look like they'll finish GGO arc early and stuff some side stories at the end which will be weird. That, or they'll just drag it out even more later on.

This season wasn't hyped that much. Aldnoah and Zankyou were pretty hyped due to the people working on it, but the same people who were doing most of the hyping are also enjoying them the most so I'd say it's par for the course for any given season. Next season is probably the most hyped season in years.

[GeneD]

To be fair, I wouldn't call it sexist so much as just really bad writing. The guy had no clue what to write past vol1 so it turned into retcon side stories and game of the week escapades reusing a formula of Kirito god moding everything. Obviously, you need other characters to be interesting right? Too bad the guy can't write.

Well sexism and bad writing aren't mutually exclusive and something can be unintentionally sexist, which I think might be the case here, since it seems to be a by-product of god!Kirito. Not that that means the show/novel doesn't still deserve to get called on it though. But yeah, terrible writing is definitely it's main problem. The thing with Shino was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me, on top of the portrayal of any female character since part 2 of season 1 and arguably since before then.

I'd say it's going pretty par for the course in my view as I don't think he's written anything notable since Madoka.

This. I haven't seen Fate/Zero but wasn't particularly impressed with Psycho-Pass or Gargantia.

I'm not sure either. Most people I know are way more supportive of this version because Mamoru is only a high school student instead of a college student like he was in the original anime. :p

I laughed because in one of the eps of the original anime I watched recently, Motoki makes a comment along the lines of "I'm not going to date a middle school girl." and Mamoru thinks of Rei, who he's currently dating, and cringes like a champion.

and cutting out Usagi getting drunk.

Hahaha that was in the manga? SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Kissing a drunk 14 year old, stay classy, Tuxedo Mask. Her Disguise Pen might have made her appear older though, it was a bit hard to tell, which makes it somewhat less awkward.

[Nate]

Hahaha that was in the manga? SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Kissing a drunk 14 year old, stay classy, Tuxedo Mask. Her Disguise Pen might have made her appear older though, it was a bit hard to tell, which makes it somewhat less awkward.

Yeah, it was. After fighting the monster she said she was thirsty and grabbed a glass off the table and drank it, gets drunk, and passes out in Tuxedo Mask's arms. I'm feeling like having her just be tired is probably the better option here. :B

Also I think at this point Tuxedo Mask is probably supposed to know who Sailor Moon is, given that Luna straight up talked to him.

[KazeShiki]

Well sexism and bad writing aren't mutually exclusive and something can be unintentionally sexist, which I think might be the case here, since it seems to be a by-product of god!Kirito. Not that that means the show/novel doesn't still deserve to get called on it though. But yeah, terrible writing is definitely it's main problem. The thing with Shino was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me, on top of the portrayal of any female character since part 2 of season 1 and arguably since before then.

Fair enough. I won't deny SAO has its share of sexist writing; I was just specifically referring to the part where SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she is recovering thanks to being angry at Kirito. Everything from her PTSD to her current state to her recovery just screams bad writing. I'd say her relationship with Kirito is sexist whereas her personal issues are bad writing, so now I realize your complaint has some overlap there and was probably misinterpretation on my part.

I'd say it's going pretty par for the course in my view as I don't think he's written anything notable since Madoka.

This. I haven't seen Fate/Zero but wasn't particularly impressed with Psycho-Pass or Gargantia.

Actually, Fate/Zero was quite a good piece of writing. But it was written several years prior to Madoka and Urobuchi had nothing to do with the anime, so I don't count that as "after Madoka," although the anime was fairly faithful to the source.

[Nate]

Oh yeah I missed this comment.

I'd say it's going pretty par for the course in my view as I don't think he's written anything notable since Madoka.

Boy I'm gonna come to your house and slap you until you can't see straight. Kamen Rider Gaim is friggin' amazing and I will not stand here and let you slam it like that.

[MangaRocks!]

Hanamonogatari episodes 1-5 (complete):

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Eh? Ougi is male 'right now'? ...Okay then. Regardless, I'm pretty sure she/he/whatever is actually an 'it' (and one I'm not too fond of, if those hints from Second Season were any indication... ). Anyway, on to the more important stuff: YAY, KAIKI SURVIVED!! And oh my gosh, that running sequence was hilarious, LOL! Seriously, though, every scene with Kaiki in it is instant win. And the "Some things won't be resolved just by running away from them" line + all that backstory on Kaiki and Suruga's mother (plus how Suruga saw right through Kaiki's dialogue and made him {mostly} tell the truth ) was excellent! Also, LOL at the whole sequence when Suruga met back up with Araragi again (and oh my gosh he looks so cool now with long hair! <3 ...Even if his car is round, ROTFL )... although, just when you might be thinking that he's a lot more mature, he pulls out that siscon 'wish' speech (of course). And of course the final confrontation was excellent, too, even if 'quieter' than a lot of the others, and that very last line delivered by Araragi was perfect. Quite looking forward to Kizu and Final Season (whenever they make them)!



Free!: Eternal Summer episode 8:
Makoto teaching the kids was just too darn adorable! <3 And he was so good at it, and enjoying it so much-- he should totally do that for a living! Also, I quite liked the new guy SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (Kisumi-- haha, sneaky! ), and those flashback images + Haru's reactions were pretty amusing, too. Oh, and Sousuke's advice foreshadowing that reveal about his shoulder was a nice touch, and that at least puts his attitude this whole time into perspective. Finally, that next-ep. preview: Ah, finally some development for Haru? I'm looking forward to it!



Zankyou no Terror episode 6:

It was interesting how this episode was a quieter one, but somehow still felt like it was only 10 minutes long (and, of course, I mean that in a good way! ). SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First things first: Oh wow, so Twelve has synesthesia. That explains that scene with the white feathers (as well as the feathers in the OP, I assume), and also provides yet another quite-interesting aspect to his character. As for the bit with Shibazaki, it was pretty awesome to see a number of the other police members (including the kinda rude one ) just as dissatisfied with the way things are being run, and decide to team up with him. (Of course, it remains to be seen what their influence will be, but I'm liking that plot point so far, anyway. ) Speaking of liking plot points-- Lisa: While I don't really approve, LOL (oh man, she's even willing to try and work up to making/setting bombs...? ), it did feel strangely good when she finally got an okay from Nine to be truly 'in' their little group. And on a sidenote, so much for the good English, LOL (well, aside from the blonde dude, I guess). Finally: I'm curious as to what this particular 'game' is going to entail... and how Lisa will fit into it, since Five doesn't know about her yet, and her involvement is obviously being set up for something. And speaking of Five: Well, she's still crazy scary (in all senses of the term ), but I've also noticed the somewhat interesting fact that she seems to be fixated on Nine in particular, instead of both Nine and Twelve... And then there was that great cliffhanger, too. Quite looking forward to more, as always!



Aldnoah.Zero episode 8 (last ep. of this series that I'll be commenting on-- explanation as follows):

I don't think he's written anything notable since Madoka

^ Well, personally, I actually thought that both Psycho-Pass and Gargantia... were quite good (particularly the former) , hence my now-great-disappointment with A.Z. Speaking of which:

...Okay, that's it-- this show finally got me actively annoyed. Logically, you would have thought that any military's standard procedure would have been to capture Slaine once his craft was disabled, to try and get some enemy intel out of him if nothing else. Instead, for no apparent (and certainly no good) reason at all, they just left him there to get picked back up by the other Martians, at which point this (quite literally) became Torture Slaine: The Episode. What the genuine heck. My ability to 'suspend my disbelief,' as the term goes, is quite a healthy one; but I'm sorry, that just tossed it right out the window, because that was clearly done against all logic for the sole purpose of thus being able to show Slaine being being brutalized for half the ep. (if not more). (Also, would Cruhteo seriously do an about-face that quickly? ) Not even the music can save this show now-- despite my dislike of quitting stories once this far into them, I give up; this is now dropped.



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 8:

Oh gosh, Kashima and Hori... I just can't...



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 8:

Wow, this ep. was surprisingly good. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First: Yep, as I thought-- flower-girl is "Saikyou." Also, wow/yikes on Hajime's backstory (although the bit with little-Nice was pretty cute until the end there ), and I guess we have a pretty good explanation of why only the main characters' Minimums are deteriorating now, too.

[MomentOfInertia]

Sabagebu episode 7. As noted above, there is a scene that is quite questionable in content. Said scene is a brief flashback early in the third part of the episode. It's a "X must be mad at me because...." bit, played for laughs of course.

Missed Space Dandy this week due to schedule issues. (Sorry, I can get SD off hulu in a week or two, Doctor Who never gets posted anywhere.)

[Crossfire]

Might be too late, but I feel like I should say it anyways- avoid Sabagebu episode 8 like it's some sort of horrid disease. It's an episode ripe with fanservice and... general stupidity in the worst sense. I really hope it goes back to the previous tone and humor next week.

Still keeping up with Aldnoah as well. Probably going to watch this ship sink completely, if only to see how Slaine gets even more royally screwed by life (or should I say bad writing?).

[MangaRocks!]

Mushishi Zoku Shou Special - "Path Of Thorns":

Oh man, was that amazing. (I mean, it always is, of course , but that particular story... and adapted in such a brilliant way, right down to the expressions in Kumado's eyes... just, wow.) As GeneD said in the other watch thread: Perfection. <3



Free!: Eternal Summer episode 9:

Hmm... well, that was far less "Haru character development" and far more SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "SUDDEN OVERDRAMATIC BREAKDOWN" than I'd hoped for, but whatever.



Zankyou no Terror episode 7:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Tense as always. And I liked the fact that Shibazaki & co. figured things out so quickly. I also liked how they kinda worked with Nine and Twelve at the end (not like they really had any choice, though, LOL, but still ). And ah, so Five wasn't discounting Twelve after all... though she was still underestimating him (and Nine, for that matter).

Speaking of Twelve, though, it's obvious now (well, actually, I think it's been pretty obvious for quite a while, but you know what I mean ) that he likes Lisa. And with the foreshadowing of that "you should have sacrificed your queen" line a few episodes back... crap-- he is totally going to die within the next couple of ep.'s (almost certainly in the process of protecting Lisa, especially given the fact that Five is going to target Lisa from now on), isn't he?

Now that the airport subplot has concluded, I have no idea what's coming next (aside from the Five-targeting-Lisa thing), and I am eagerly looking forward to finding out! (...Unless it really does involve Twelve dying, of course, in which case sadface. Still, I'm really loving this show regardless, and am sure that whatever happens will be done well, at least. )



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 9:

ROTFL!!! Seriously, I can't even say anything else about this now except that if you're not already watching this show, please just do so!



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 9:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Wait, why did they just put Moral in the OP? ...Anyway, LOL, the rehearsal for the play was pretty amusing. (And quite cute, too. ) And as for the serious stuff: Well, going by the previous ep., it seems that Art's whole "have to kill Nice" thing was pretty much explained by Hajime's Minimum power (and its activator)-- namely, that it appears he's intending to force her to activate it (via the despair caused by killing Nice, obviously) to basically have it get rid of everyone's Minimums completely, all at once (through just him, once he'd collected them all / by gathering the remaining Holders into one spot / most likely, a combination of both). Only thing that's a bit confusing to me is, if he wants there to be no more Minimums, then how does he intend to prevent anyone from being born with Minimums in the future? Or does Hajime's Minimum power actually erase even the potential for the mutation, too? (...Although, on second thought, that particular question is probably too deep for this series, LOL. ) So, anyway, it's obvious what he's intending by rallying the Holders together. That end, though-- crap, no, Birthday's illness returned...

[skreyola]

I had to update this show. I just had to do it. It's that amazing.

Ao Haru Ride Ep. 6 - It's not fair how this show pulls so much on your heart strings. That last scene at the train station just was... well... incredible. Now, this is a good romance!

It was pretty good, even though I thought they had one or two too many "hide-the-truth" shots before they did the reveal.
I certainly hope SPOILER: Highlight text to read: nobody was rooting for YuurixKou. His line about Futaba sniffing when they played Cops & Robbers shows he's been in love with her for as long as she's been in love with him. Why else would he notice what she does so much? When Yuuri asked her if she liked him, I literally spoke to the screen: "Don't lie. Don't lie. Don't-- Rats."
So, I just watched this episode, and I gave it the first 5-star rating in this series.
A good romance, indeed, if they can avoid silly drama from that other thing.

[GeneD]

I'm woefully behind on commenting. So that and my Gosick marathon made me a bit glad there was no new Zanterro or Barakamon last week. There wasn't right, or did I just randomly miss episodes?

Zankyou no Terror episode 7:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And with the foreshadowing of that "you should have sacrificed your queen" line a few episodes back... crap-- he is totally going to die within the next couple of ep.'s (almost certainly in the process of protecting Lisa, especially given the fact that Five is going to target Lisa from now on), isn't he?

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ack no don't say that! He is my favourite, I will be very unhappy if something happens to him.
I liked this ep more than the previous two and that moment when Nine was standing behind Five with a gun was just so cool.

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I didn't really find Haru's outburst to be overdramatic. It's probably the first time that I could relate to him better, since I also had serious doubts about what to do after high school. Heck, I'm years out of high school and still sometimes feel that way. But overall the episode was way heavier than anything we've seen so far, so I was glad ep 8 gave us so much adorableness, like a sort of advance apology.

Tokyo Ghoul ep 9: I am feeling much more positive about the second half of the show so far. But SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the apparent influx of foes at the end of this episode has me worried about the pacing and that they're going to overload us in the remaining episodes.

Aldnoah Zero ep 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I liked the development that dead?Princess = boat's coming down. Adult characters remain the best ones in the show, I cheer every time that doctor shows up.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 9:

Obligatory Nozaki is great comment.

[Vii]

FreeES Episode 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I agree with GeneD, I also don't think Haru's outburst was overdramatic; I relate to it a lot as a high school senior myself. I'm already worn out of being asked what I want to do with my life and the looming threat of making life decisions.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 1-8: Somehow I missed this at the start of the season and I'm glad I now picked it up because it's great. It's consistently made me laugh and I love the characters and their goofy relationships and the shoujo satire and the musical cues and it's just delightful.

Haikyuu 2-9: I'm way behind but I just got around to watching more of it and I like it very much. Yay sports anime.

I don't know if I'm caught up on Ao Haru Ride but part of me is wondering if I'll end up dropping it. Not because it's bad or anything, but because I don't have much drive to keep up with it. Eh.

And I still want to watch Zankyou no Terror. Maybe this weekend.

[MangaRocks!]

Zankyou no Terror episode 7:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And with the foreshadowing of that "you should have sacrificed your queen" line a few episodes back... crap-- he is totally going to die within the next couple of ep.'s (almost certainly in the process of protecting Lisa, especially given the fact that Five is going to target Lisa from now on), isn't he?

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ack no don't say that! He is my favourite, I will be very unhappy if something happens to him.
I liked this ep more than the previous two and that moment when Nine was standing behind Five with a gun was just so cool.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Well, he's actually my favorite character of the show, too; but it seems inevitable at this point, so I'm just trying to prepare myself...

I agree with you on that scene with Nine and Five, though.

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I didn't really find Haru's outburst to be overdramatic. It's probably the first time that I could relate to him better, since I also had serious doubts about what to do after high school. Heck, I'm years out of high school and still sometimes feel that way. But overall the episode was way heavier than anything we've seen so far, so I was glad ep 8 gave us so much adorableness, like a sort of advance apology.

FreeES Episode 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I agree with GeneD, I also don't think Haru's outburst was overdramatic; I relate to it a lot as a high school senior myself. I'm already worn out of being asked what I want to do with my life and the looming threat of making life decisions.

Well, for the record, I didn't actually have a problem with the simple fact that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Haru had a breakdown-- I mean, it was obvious that something like that would occur, and I do understand the pressure aspect, too. I think what gave me the impression that it was overdramatic was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: when he completely snapped during that conversation with Rin, and there not being quite enough buildup for it (IMO). I mean, yes, there was some buildup-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the little looks, him ignoring/being a bit annoyed at those topics when they were brought up previously, etc.-- but IMO it wasn't quite enough to support SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that explosion, especially when we really don't know what Haru's thinking most of the time. Contrast that with, say, Sousuke, where there was far more buildup for his shoulder reveal (and his emotional issues surrounding it), so it seemed a lot more natural (at least to me). That's all I meant.

[Vii]

Haru S2 Character Arc Summary:


(I forgot to post this with my episode 9 post D: I kept thinking of this comic after watching it)

Well, for the record, I didn't actually have a problem with the simple fact that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Haru had a breakdown-- I mean, it was obvious that something like that would occur, and I do understand the pressure aspect, too. I think what gave me the impression that it was overdramatic was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: when he completely snapped during that conversation with Rin, and there not being quite enough buildup for it (IMO). I mean, yes, there was some buildup-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the little looks, him ignoring/being a bit annoyed at those topics when they were brought up previously, etc.-- but IMO it wasn't quite enough to support SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that explosion, especially when we really don't know what Haru's thinking most of the time. Contrast that with, say, Sousuke, where there was far more buildup for his shoulder reveal (and his emotional issues surrounding it), so it seemed a lot more natural (at least to me). That's all I meant.

Ah. I personally think there was enough buildup. Guess that's where we differ.

FreeES Episode 10:
Did the first season switch around the character focus each episode as often as S2 has? SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I was hoping for a little more resolution between Haru and Rin after their confrontation, but neither seemed downtrodden from it during the relay so eh.
And finally we get the specs on Sousuke's injury. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Upon looking up Swimmer's Shoulder apparently surgery is an option to fix it after regular rehabilitation fails, but will likely decrease top performance/range of motion. Perhaps Sousuke would have the surgery (or just properly rehabilitate instead of getting impatient and ruining his shoulder again) but no longer aim to professionally swim and just swim for fun now since swimming with his friends/team is what he wants?
Next episode: Makoto Tachibana confesses he's actually fallen completely in love with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: teaching kids to swim

[GeneD]

Well, for the record, I didn't actually have a problem with the simple fact that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Haru had a breakdown-- I mean, it was obvious that something like that would occur, and I do understand the pressure aspect, too. I think what gave me the impression that it was overdramatic was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: when he completely snapped during that conversation with Rin, and there not being quite enough buildup for it (IMO). I mean, yes, there was some buildup-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the little looks, him ignoring/being a bit annoyed at those topics when they were brought up previously, etc.-- but IMO it wasn't quite enough to support SPOILER: Highlight text to read: that explosion, especially when we really don't know what Haru's thinking most of the time. Contrast that with, say, Sousuke, where there was far more buildup for his shoulder reveal (and his emotional issues surrounding it), so it seemed a lot more natural (at least to me). That's all I meant.

Ah okay, I see where you're coming from. Vii's comic sums up pretty much how I interpreted it. I would love to see a decent bit of Haru character development stem from it though.

Did the first season switch around the character focus each episode as often as S2 has?

I don't believe they did.

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 10:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Halfway through I was sure we weren't going to get any actual swimming, but I'm glad I was very wrong. So season 3 is gonna be nationals right?
I really want for Haru and Rin talk their issues out too, but I guess from the preview Makoto's inevitably gonna be the one to finally get through to Haru.
I totally called Sousuke lying about being scouted in like the second episode, but I'm sure tons of people did. All the while they were showing how he hurt his shoulder, I was thinking, where is his coach? A good coach should have been able to spot what has happening and put a stop to it, but anyway, this show has never been big on coaches.

Next episode: Makoto Tachibana confesses he's actually fallen completely in love with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: teaching kids to swim

Pffffthahahahahahahahahahaha. This is why I like you, Vii.

Also, can anyone tell me if season 1 has been licensed for physical distribution? I know Funi's got ES, but can't find anything about s1.

[Crossfire]

Aldnoah 10.

I can't. Don't even. Bullets magically disappear. Crazy people that tried to kill other people but were subdued were given back the gun they just tried to shoot people with. Evil dude just gave his sworn enemy a powerful giant robot for no reason other than 'lol let's see what he does now'. Russian soldiers in Siberia know what manga is.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And despite being one of the worst-written anime episodes I have ever watched I can't help but keep watching.

[Vii]

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 10:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I could totally see that proposed musical going the Ouran route and having Kashima lip sync.

[GeneD]

Tokyo Ghoul ep 10: My worries about all the new characters turned out to be mostly unfounded. And that one tough guy who has a crush on Rize was fun. Extended beat down scene wasn't. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Huh, I thought for sure Tsukiyama was dead. Miyano's too perfect to be killed off.

Zankyou no Terror ep 8: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Twelve. Please don't go. T_T I blame the boys for not keeping closer watch on Lisa, I mean, what did they think was gonna happen? :/ Also, this episode was a little predictable and I hope Shibazaki wins.

Tokyo ESP ep 9: Don't die WolverineDad.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal ep 5: Whether it's because the best Guardian showed up or because Toei had an extra week to work on it, I really enjoyed this episode.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 10: It was a hard pick but the most cringe worthy part of this ep was the captain tentatively asking Inaho SPOILER: Highlight text to read: multiple times if she should take over the CPR. Every girl wishes she could wrap a towel so expertly it will stay on during a stand off and while being thrown to the floor. Also, what Crossfire said.

Sword Art Online II ep 10: Robot horse

Barakamon ep 9: This ep felt a little disjointed to me, don't know why.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 10: Kashima's singing was beautiful. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Specifically the part where Chiyo and Nozaki are trying to claw their way out of the room and the grey filter.

EDIT: Favourite OP and ED's of the season: it was way too hard to pick, so I just made lists.

Openings

1.1 Barakamon -My life consists of waiting for the single to come out. I'm definitely gonna check out some of their other music too.
1.2 Tokyo Ghoul -Seriously love how the visuals tied into the music for this.
2. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
3. Aldnoah.Zero
4. Haikyuu!! OP2
5. Free!: Eternal Summer -Don't like this half as much as s1's OP.
6. Captain Earth OP2
7. Zankyou no Terror

Endings

1.1 Free!: Eternal Summer -There was no way this wasn't going to be #1.
1.2 Tokyo Ghoul
2.1 Haikyuu!! ED2 -Didn't like this at first but it grew on me in a big way.
2.2 Barakamon
3. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
4. Aldnoah.Zero ED1 + ED2
5. Captain Earth ED2
6. Glasslip -I like nano.RIPE but it sounds a lot like their other stuff and I quickly forgot about this once I dropped the show.

[MangaRocks!]

Aldnoah 10.

I can't. Don't even. Bullets magically disappear. Crazy people that tried to kill other people but were subdued were given back the gun they just tried to shoot people with. Evil dude just gave his sworn enemy a powerful giant robot for no reason other than 'lol let's see what he does now'. Russian soldiers in Siberia know what manga is.

^ Good grief. This just makes me more glad than ever that I dropped this with a vengeance a few weeks ago.



As for this week:


Free!: Eternal Summer episode 10:

Haru S2 Character Arc Summary:
[comic]

Bwahaha!! ...Okay, yeah, I guess that's pretty accurate.

BTW, I agree with both you and GeneD about Haru and Rin-- I was totally expecting there to be at least SPOILER: Highlight text to read: some sort of make-up conversation afterwards or something. But oh well. Speaking of Rin, though, man-- everything with him and Sousuke in this ep. was excellent. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Minus what GeneD mentioned about the coach thing, of course; but my suspension of disbelief was held pretty easily on that thanks to the tone of the show. Anyway, suffice it to say that my heart just about melted when Rin was crying, LOL. In fact, all the Rin and Sousuke stuff made it pretty hard for me to root for either team in particular during the relay (since I kinda wanted everyone to win, LOL -- and maybe even Rin's team a slight bit more), but I'm okay with how it ended up.

Also:

Next episode: Makoto Tachibana confesses he's actually fallen completely in love with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: teaching kids to swim

Ha! (And YES. <3 )

Finally:

...can anyone tell me if season 1 has been licensed for physical distribution? I know Funi's got ES, but can't find anything about s1.

I don't think it has yet, actually ... and unless the production committee changed or something between seasons in Japan, it would be kinda weird for Funi to only get S2, so I'm hoping S1 will get picked up sometime soon, too.



Sailor Moon: Crystal episode 5:

Now that was actually a good episode.



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 10:

Obligatory Nozaki is great comment.

Y'know what, I'm just going to quote-chain this, because it's just too perfect.



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 10:

...Well, crap. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Unless for some reason Art plans to use that dude's Minimum later, I guess there goes any hope for Birthday's recovery. Seriously, though, why did Hajime go there...?

[Vii]

FreeES Episode 11: (ノД`)・゜・。
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Is it wrong that I want to see some KyoAni-animated kangaroos in Australia? Also I hope there's Engrish.
I can now see why there was no apology from Haru yet, his character arc wasn't over. If it's going to parallel Rin's arc last season, I bet it's not going to be resolved until the last episode.

Zankyou no Terror 1-5: I have finally started this after hearing good things about it and I really like it.

EDIT: (To avoid double posting)

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun 11:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hori really does look cuter with his bangs down.
Also, the fake hand. I am dead.

[MangaRocks!]

Free!: Eternal Summer episode 11:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I can now see why there was no apology from Haru yet, his character arc wasn't over. If it's going to parallel Rin's arc last season, I bet it's not going to be resolved until the last episode.

Yeah, I noticed that, too; and I agree, that's probably what will occur, LOL. Also, after the comments I made about SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Haru's little explosion a couple ep.'s ago, I have to admit that I was quite pleased with the bit of development that was given to him here (and will, I assume, continue through next episode and probably even into the finale). And man, you know you have great friends when they aren't afraid to confront you (and persistently, if necessary) when you really need it (even if you don't want to hear it). So yeah, this was a really good character episode. Finally: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh my gosh, Austraila. Well, this should be interesting...



Zankyou no Terror episodes 8-9:

...The sheer amount of willpower it was taking to stay stuck a week behind on this series after the end of episode 8 (and its next-time preview-- I've been looking those up after each ep., but man I should not have this time, LOL...) finally proved too much for me to handle. Anyway, since I had already typed up some thoughts on the former of the two episodes before caving in and watching the latter, I'll comment on them separately.

First, ep. 8: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ah, so in actuality Five is basically a spy; that makes more sense now. And man, I really hope Shibazaki and crew do indeed manage to do something about the "Rising Peace Academy" stuff. As for the stuff with Five capturing Lisa and thus drawing out Twelve... ugh, no...! I mean, it was plenty obvious that it was coming, so I fully expected (and tried to prepare for) it... but man, even still, I was basically mentally shouting "NOOOOO, DON'T!" at him when he left, because I know how that has to end, and I don't like it at all... (Also, Nine saying "Please don't go..." Gah...! ) On another note, it's interesting how this episode emphasized them 'not having much time left,' several times-- Twelve even saying that he's going to try to save Lisa in spite of the obvious trap *because* he doesn't have time. That seems really significant in a way other than just Five catching them...

And then ep. 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: So, we got lots of info on the Athena Plan and what they were trying to create (artificially-induced savant syndrome ), and yeah, it was pretty much as horrible as expected. (And also as tied in with Shibazaki's old case as expected.) Despite being expected, though, it was actually still interesting. And I was a bit surprised that it was Nine and Twelve who had started the fires, too, since I had previously assumed it was Five. Also: Aargh, confirmation that the 'running out of time' emphasis in the previous episode was quite significant indeed ... and oh crap, so it wasn't just plutonium, it was a full-on experimental a-bomb. Finally: Oh man, that entire sequence with Lisa and Twelve was simply superb-- from the ever-amazing direction to all of their expressions and emotions and everything in between. Plus, having been so completely expecting Twelve to die somehow only served to ramp up the tension of the end of that sequence even more. In all, I was very (and also quite pleasantly, obviously! ) surprised at the buildup and then thwarting of my expectations there-- and quite relieved that both Twelve and Lisa survived (for now), despite what Twelve had to do to make that happen (which obviously tore up his emotions ). (Oh, and I just had to comment that one neat little touch I noticed when I re-watched that sequence-- and yes, like the bike scene, that was another sequence I ended up watching twice! -- is that it's very nearly real-time.) So, yeah, I loved this episode. No idea what's coming next, but I cannot wait!



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 11:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hori really does look cuter with his bangs down.
Also, the fake hand. I am dead.

^ THIS.

Also: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Bwahaha, when he first met his current editor... And how he totally trolled Chiyo the whole next day (hand included!), oh my gosh. And then that sleepover... Finally, as for that next-ep. preview: NOOOOOOOO DON'T YOU DARE TROLL ME LIKE THAT (because we all know that is totally *not* going to be a kiss, LOL... )! Oh well. Man, I can't believe this show only has one more episode left; I could seriously just keep on watching it every week indefinitely. Well, I know what manga series I'm going to start reading after next week, at any rate!



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 11:

...Well, that was depressing. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First things first: Aw, finally some character background on Master! And it was fairly sweet, too. Unfortunately, that and the opening scene with Art/Skill/Nice were the only sweet moments of the ep.-- the rest of it consisting of the leader of the Freemums being absolutely horrible (...man, did I enjoy Art finally taking him down), and then Art (apparently) murdering Nice right in front of Hajime's eyes-- just as he had obviously been planning-- thus activating her Minimum (setting off a large-scale {possibly-worldwide} chain reaction of it, in fact), eliminating all Minimums + giving them all that really weird emotional state. ...Now, if the series had ended there, it quite possibly would've been the most epic troll ever , but there's still one episode left, so I highly doubt things are going to stay that way. And I think that's going to end up having something to do with Nice. Because one thing that stood out to me during the Nice/Hajime backstory ep. was that it kinda looked like Nice died there... and even if he didn't, he still had his Minimum (and a very strong one) afterwards, despite being the one who should've lost it first. So I assume that whatever explains that will have a role in fixing things (at least in terms of everybody's emotions, if not their Minimums) in the final ep.