Forum - View topicThe Summer 2014 Anime Preview Guide
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Hellwarden
Posts: 321 |
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I can't believe you guys are saying Rail Wars is generic!
The main character didn't sit by the window in the classroom scene! 5/5 
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meiam
Posts: 3674 |
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Yeah having the main character being ostracized because she's the most beautiful one doesn't really sit well with me, it's like the show is saying "don't worry, you don't have any friend because you're the most beautiful girl in the class" to the targeted audience. That and without realizing it's again equating being beautiful with being good and being ugly (or at least less beautiful than the main character) with being a bad character, you know until the episode where the friend make up with each others (ima say it'll be episode 5).
I dunno what I like less, this or show were the main girl character is unpopular until she start dating the popular guy who then show her how to apply make up and then all the girl realize she's beautiful and all decided to be friend with her. |
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Aldnoah Zero
Pretty solid first episode. The convoy scene and the mass devastation that came shortly after were both extremely well done. This show has some really great music during those parts as well, especially the second one. My main gripe with the episode was the part with the two kids at the very end, which was incredibly eyeroll-inducing. The behavior of the apparent main guy (on earth, at least) during the convoy scene struck me as odd, but it's possible the show is doing something genuinely interesting with the lead character. If the show doesn't carry through on that, then that would be another issue. Anyway, I'm very much looking forward to the next episode. Akame ga Kill I had a pretty good idea of what kind of show this would be, as I've been hearing about the content since before the anime was announced. I have a soft spot for violent grimdark schlock, like Brynhildr and this, though this one may go beyond what I can tolerate. (general content spoilers: spoiler[apparently it ends up having quite a bit of rape and is rather gratuitously cruel at times.]) My main issue was near the end when spoiler[Aria does her thing about the people being cattle and how she should be able to do whatever she wants to them.] It just did not work at all. On the plus side, I was worried the show would suffer from severe black mist censorship. At least in this episode, that wasn't an issue. I guess I'll keep watching it for now. Pripara Pretty decent first episode. Mireille was pretty great, especially when it turned out spoiler[the odd verbal tic was just part of her made-up character.] Like the bit of Pretty Rhythm I saw, it feels a bit... trying too hard compared to Aikatsu. The 'evil' headmistress/principal (though her goal is quite sensible) was a bit much and will take some getting used to. The CG was pretty solid though and the dance was alright. The show has some potential, I'm in for a few more episodes at least. Barakamon I went into this thinking the kid was a boy, because I thought I read that at one point. Though at least in this episode, she could have been and literally nothing would have changed. Anyway, she's absolutely adorable and easily one of my favorite characters this season. And while I had seen some pictures of the punch from the beginning, seeing it in the episode was still a treat. 2nd best first episode of the season for me. Hanayamata I had high hopes for this one and boy did it deliver. All I knew going in was that involved cute girls doing dancing things and that some people consider it yuri (though I've seen people disagree on this, so I'm guessing it's of the 'implied' variety). But while I'd like there to be yuri, it doesn't matter too much as long as it continues to be this good. It was a blast through and through, with a number of gorgeous shots and cute touches, like the on-screen text, the second half of the eyecatch and generally just well executed comedy. I also liked that Naru actually held her skirt up when she sat in the hallway, rather than it just magically sticking to her thighs. Between this and No Game, No Life, Ishizuka Atsuko is a director I have my on. |
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Ampharos
 Posts: 202 Location: New Jersey |
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I've only seen the Space Dandy S2 premiere, Nozaki-kun, Hanayamata, and Barakamon so far and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one of them. I'd wager that the last two are tied for favorite right now.
I'm really interested in Blue Spring Ride, though I often have a bit of a hard time getting into shoujo based on first episodes (it's kind of a love-hate relationship). I'm waiting until Akame ga Kill gets further along before I take the plunge; I prefer to binge watch action shows. |
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meiam
Posts: 3674 |
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Hanamataya (never typing that again) was definitely better than it had any right to be, pleasantly surprised. I hear there was some Yuri element in the source material, but I'm gonna guess none of them will be present in the story outside of some "wink-wink" moment.
I do have to say I'm annoyed at all the show going something like: Show: "Hey we have three main character; this very original one, this very talented one and this boring average one, guess which one is the main character!" Me: "Sigh, it's the bori-" Show: "The boring one obviously!" It feel like having had a good childhood/school day ruined me for most story set in school, can't related at all to these character. I wonder how common place the japenese manga/anime writer really think blond is in the usa, I understand they use the blond hair to indicate visually that a certain character is foreign, but its a bit jarring to have most foreign character be blond. |
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xyz
Posts: 243 |
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Bakumatsu Rock 1/5 Unattractive characters. Stupid story. Dropped
Free! 4/5 Light and fluffy. Will follow. Glasslip 3/5 Main pair is so bleh. Will try a few more eps. Rail Wars 2/5 Premise ok but the fanservice made it look cheap. Will watch another ep. Most likely will drop. Shonen Hollywood 4/5 A tinge of satire but good reflection of idol industry. Will follow. Aldnoah - Zero 3/5 Unattractive characters designs. Story has potential. Will watch another ep. Barakamon 5/5 Slice of life, beautiful setting. I like. Will follow. Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun 5/5 Likeable characters and funny. Will follow. Dramatical Murder 2/5 It's kind of boring but will watch another ep for the pretty boys. Akame ga kill 2/5 Everything about this is so average and uninteresting. Dropped. Ao Haru Ride 5/5 I like what I see. Will follow. |
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Hidders
 Posts: 61 |
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Spoiled by the third sentence, Carl. How cruel...
[EDIT: Concerns Re: Hamatora. Condensed from a separate thread. - Key] The first week of a new season of anime is like Christmas. Sometimes you get new socks and sometimes you get cash you can take to the bank. Bakumatsu Rock - Hella weird (rock music & government idols in the shogun era) but I stuck through the episode and towards the end it started to feel like it was going to be a gem. Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen - Boring as all fudge, I couldn't get through the first episode. I'll try again later, maybe it picks up in episode 2. Free! Eternal Summer - Already a given that it's awesome. Glasslip - Boring. The main chick is fricking annoying as hell. I am a little interested in the main boy's personality, I hope it's as dark as it appeared with the chickens, I might keep watching if it is. Tokyo Ghoul - [expletive] amazing! The hype for this was rewarded nicely. Though I still think Toka's a boy... She should have been a boy. Shounen Hollywood - Pretty, but not reverse-harem pretty. I'm curious to see where it goes and if it'll manage to avoid needless romance with annoying side-chicks. Sword Art Online II - Just a setup episode but I liked it well enough to watch next week's episode. Still don't care for Asuna so I'm hoping she stays in the real world while Kirito goes into GGO and saves the day alone. I hope Kirito's avatar gets hit on lots by plenty of bishounen. 
Barakamon - This MC is the best! This is going to be a nice summer series, super cute. There needs to be more series about adult men raising/befriending children, I'd gobble them up! Aldnoah.Zero - I think it has potential. I liked the first episode and am looking forward to the second. The main boy has a 'my pace' personality, I love it! Praise for the pimp stick! DRAMAtical Murder - Another Nitro+ title that has had it's yaoi-guts ripped out. It's not great but it isn't too bad, yet. At least there's bishies to look at. The robo-pets are neat. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun - Not bad! The MC is annoying as all hell but Nozaki is a saving grace. I'll definitely be watching the next episode for OKAMOTO Nobuhiko voicing Mikorin. Cats love Nozaki. Akame ga Kill! - Another surprising find. Bloody and unforgiving, just the way I like it. I'll be watching the next episode for sure! Though, I hear it might become a bit on the harem side so I'm not sure if I'll stick with it for long. Last edited by Hidders on Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:49 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Thatguy3331
 Posts: 1811 |
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For Space Dandy, I really enjoyed the episode. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard and I can't say I expected to do so from a show I usually consider "comedically passive". I'm glad it's back because if anything I just enjoy how outright weird and bizarre it can get and if it keeps this up to the finish like I'm sure it will then I'm positive I'm going to enjoy the next set of episodes.
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Merida
 Posts: 1946 |
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Space Dandy was awesome, i'm completely in love with this show.
I hope somebody stronger than me will watch Re:Hamatora and post summaries because after suffering through the first season, i don't feel like watching more but i'm still kinda curious about whatever ridiculous conclusion they will come up with in the end. |
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grooven
Posts: 1473 Location: Canada |
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Quite a few good ones here.
Ao Haru Ride: I love shoujo and this was done in such a way that makes it different and beautiful at the same time. I'll be following this one. Glasslip: Reminds me of True Tears too much I wish there was more glass focus. The love triangle hits you over the head right away which was annoying that should be spread through out. I'll give it a try anyway. Barakamon: Really great I found myself laughing several times out loud. The antics of this town are quite something 
Sailor Moon: As a fan of the old series this was refreshing to see the manga plot. I will be very interesting to see how it will play out. I enjoyed the opening it was a nice change from that old one. Though like everyone I hated the transformation sequence. Free: Well, it's Free! what is there to say
Aldnoah.Zero Seems good so far, I wish the Earth male main character wasn't so damn bland. I'll give it a chance. Need to see Tokyo Ghoul, HaNaMaYaTa and Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun |
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Ali07
 Posts: 3333 Location: Victoria, Australia |
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Hanamayata - Geez, that band of young teens is pretty good...
I'm not really into CGDCT series, but I have watched some that I liked. This was a nice start, but nothing in it that I really want to follow. One funny thing. Just like when I saw the last PV for this one, I couldn't help but think "vampire" whenever I saw Hana. Dem teeth
Ao Haru Ride - In terms of the whole "not acting feminine" thing in this first episode, it does seem to be indicative of a wider spread problem. It could be seen as a base for some character growth for Futaba and the other girls. Of course, some may know how things are developing and I could be totally wrong there. The way Kou acts seems to be a catalyst for change. Could simply be playing the villain, as he thinks that's the type of push she needs. Of course, he has said he has undergone some changes, which wouldn't be surprising to see a young teen change when their parents go through a divorce. Seems the bases for both characters are in the negative, in terms of personalities. Kou has turned cynical and Futaba has made herself seem less feminine in order to fit in. While Kou looks to be the catalyst, I'm expecting to see Futaba to turn out to be the one that changes him and others due to her own personal decisions. I really enjoyed this first episode. I usually enjoy first episodes that leave me thinking about the possible routes the show may take. Kind of why I also really liked Glasslip, for different reasons. Ride for the interpersonal relationships and Glasslip, while having those type of relationships within the group, for the potential sci-fi element (there are signs there, but it seems most overlooked hints in the promos). Of course, just because there are some things that make it seem like it'd fit, doesn't mean that is the path they'll take.
Re:Hamatora - Happy with seeing more of Hajime. I always wanted her to be more involved during the first season, I really hope that Hajime doesn't end up taking a back seat again. It felt like Hajime and Neko were just...around...during the first season, Honey being the only female that was really involved. I did love the conversation re:Hajime that Ratio and Birthday had! As for spoiler[Nice's return, I was always of 2 minds. I wanted it to stick, only due to the impact of it all...but, he was the main reason I enjoyed the first season, so I didn't want him dead.]
This episode did feel like it was poking fun at a couple of things. Those being harems and "moral of the story" endings. The first season of Hamatora had problems through it. The one that got to me the most was the animation. The overall story does interest me, I like some of the characters, so I'll be sticking through Re:Hamatora to see this one through. So far, out of the series that are making their debuts this season, Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun, Glasslip, Ao Haru Ride and Barakamon are all ones that have me totally hooked after the first episode. Re:Hamatora and SAO II are others that I will be watching in their entirety, but that is more down to their first seasons rather than their new season debuts. Previously invested and want to see them out. |
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rheiders
 Posts: 1137 Location: Colorful Colorado :) |
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Tokyo Ghoul (4.5/5): This episode was pretty awesome! It was very slick and well-directed with a lot of excitement. I'm kind of a sucker for the "reluctant vampire" thing and this one is executing it well so far. It may be twisted, but I'm eager to see the main character continue his descent into madness and cannibalism!
 Seems like a solid horror title overall.
Shounen Hollywood (3.5/5): They're not exactly reverse-harem "pretty", but I liked the visuals quite a bit for what the episode seemed to be trying to accomplish. If this show continues to be a somewhat more cynical and realistic look at idol culture and the idol industry, I'm definitely eager to see more. However, it'll be riding a fine line between subversive and sleazy--it'll all depend on how much the writers choose to buy into the idol BS they (so far) seem to be commenting against. Ao Haru Ride (4.5/5): Hm, I probably wouldn't have noticed the stereotypical shallowness of the other girls if others in the thread hadn't pointed it out--for better or worse it's a pretty common trope in shoujo, and I think it's a little unfair to blame one specific series for a systematic issue. That said, I was looking forward to this because I loved Strobe Edge, another Io Sakisaka manga which has been released in English. I like the way she writes characters and the slightly more realistic way she dealt with young love in that series. I liked its gentle optimism as well, and because of that quality I kind of doubt the series will end up condemning half the population as shallow and dumb--even the ED seems to suggest Futaba's just hanging with the wrong crowd right now (because she's lying about who she is) and will find a group of friends who really love and understand her. I could be wrong, of course, since I haven't read the manga. Anyway, I'm interested to know more about Mabuchi. It seems like his parents' divorce might have hit him pretty hard, not just because of the more cynical personality but because he was so insistent that Futaba not call him by his old surname. I'm a big sucker for classic shoujo romances like these, especially with themes of change and the passage of time, so I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship develop.
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (4/5): This is shaping up to be a pretty good season! This show was a surprise--super cute and quirky, and it got quite a few genuine laughs out of me. I'm looking forward to more from the "really pure, sensitive, and delicate" Mikorin next episode.
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phoenixalia
Posts: 1408 |
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About Ao Haru Ride:
Its been a while since I read the manga... And back then when I did read the manga that was when I'd swallow ANYTHING that was shoujo. I just re-read the first chapter. Now I know why I didn't like the anime. They crammed two big chapters in one episode. A lot of dialogue was left out. Especially on Futaba's part. They completely cut out the Cops and Robbers scene. Basically, they combined chapter 0 and chapter 1. To an anime only viewer it may seem fine, but to a manga reader like me, it doesn't seem that way. Then again, I should be grateful that it was made into an anime in the first place. But now I'm scared. Are the rest of the episodes going to be rushed as well, skipping on content? And regarding the whole 'boys liking cute obedient girls' thing, I feel it was handled better in the manga. And regarding Zac's comment:
I agree with this. But, to me, Futaba seemed much funnier and seemed to have more of a personality in the manga. And Tanaka was much better in the manga too, in chapter 0. The Cops and Robbers scene and much of chapter 0 in general fleshed him out a bit more, just enough to make me care about him. |
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jl07045
 Posts: 1527 Location: Riga, Latvia |
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Not sure if this has been answered in the thread, but are there plans to preview Knights of Sidonia now that it's on Netflix?
Last edited by jl07045 on Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Lactobacillus yogurti
 Posts: 916 Location: Latin America |
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If anything, it [Blue Spring Ride] has a slow start, but as someone who's read it I can say it gets more interesting.
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