Forum - View topicThe Best and Worst Anime of Summer 2016
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Izanagi009
 Posts: 464 Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
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Best for me:
-Mob Psycho 100: bombastic, energetic and surprisingly relatable, ONE has generated another hit that will impress animation fans, make fans of absrud deadpan laugh and make action fans holler - Thunderbolt Fantasy: while not technically anime, the show still has anime sensibilities and with it, the most over the top Wuxia experience I've seen in a while with a straight man in Shang Bu Huan/ Sho Fu Kan and a memorable side cast with fun choreography and perfect use of effects -91 Days: a hard hitting show that grips your heart with a revenge story and gang politics in prohibition America, this Japanese look at a period of American history is memorable for the relations between Avlio and Nero along with a story about humanity and revenge -Re:Zero: a much needed satire of the self insert "transported to another world" narrative, Subaru makes an excellent case study about how to truly become a hero and not simply be content with being seen as one. Memorable characters and a plot where the main character learns with every loop makes Subaru's struggle gripping Worst show to me: -Taboo Tattoo: a show so bad, that two episodes were enough to turn me off, Horrible fight animation, awkward camera, tropey characters, poor balance of serious and comedic content, and general unoriginality make a bland product and the later episodes turn it into a future case study on what not to do in plot development just as The Room has become such a case study for film |
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John Thacker
Posts: 1006 |
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I thought it was a very strong season. In addition to the favorites already listed, my wife and I enjoyed Re Life as well.
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Parsifal24
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My Best of the Summer goes to Mob Psycho 100 I could not stand One Punch Man so I wanted to see if this was any good or I could just decide One's stuff was not for me.
Well, I came away really impressed not so much with the technical merit as impressive as that is. But with the fact that it made me care about characters like the Body Improvement Club or Tome Kurata. Even Arataka Reigen who could have been a grating con man came away as earnest and even insightful. So yes the visual polish is nice but that's really only the surface level of it. The real draw is that I came away caring about almost everybody and I had an emotional connection. As sometimes Anime that are technical spectacle can end up soulless being used just to show off the technique of the animators. Honourable Mentions: Orange: this gets an inclusion in that it nailed the tonal shifts from happy and bright to bleak and introspective without suffering too much whiplash and Yamashita, Seiichirou nailed Kakeru Naruse's spoiler[depression and suicidal mind set] without making it sound whiny or self-absorbed. Also Hamasaki, Hiroshi's direction deserves to be praised as well. Love Live Sunshine: This is more a personal favourite than anything else as it "stuck the landing" and took a group of new characters and new Seiyuu and overcame the entrenched love of fans of the previous series and made their own statement. Worst: Berserk: It almost feels like everything bad that has been said about this series has been said better but I was never a fan of the original series so my disliking it is not based on complaints about adaptation. No, my problems have to do with its character writing while the animation is the most egregious part of the series. I found the writing to be much worse it felt like an epic fantasy dumbed down to a JRPG style dungeon crawl. Dishonourable Mention: Re-Write I watched this haveing not seen a Key Visual Novel Anime in years and boy did this show me that I am not the same person I was years ago. Rewrite is a tonally confused threadbare and emotionally manipulative tchotchke |
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rpgothic
 Posts: 27 Location: UK |
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My top two were easy to decide
This art club has a problem New Game It was a lot harder to decide worse as I had about 5 shows at the bottom, so I picked Days as it's about soccer and I can't stand soccer (the shows it was competeing with were, tsukiuta, b project, cheer boys and hatsukou monster) |
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Valhern
 Posts: 916 |
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Favorite of the sesaon: Mob Psycho 100
This was one of the most incredible adaptations I've ever seen, and if I didn't give it a perfect score is because I know it's not the greatest part of the source material. The production team made this show their own, while still retaining its core, making something simple phenomenal, I hope I can live to see more of this team together. Runner-up: Sweetness and Lightning Sweetness and Lightning managed to punch me in the gut for six to seven episodes straight, even if the thematic wasn't particularly appealing to me. This show just feels real and wants you to feel for real. Plus, I love realistic children in anime. Perhaps my biggest nitpick is the lack of a longer arc for three or two episodes in the final stretch, not something with high stakes or something, but something less auto-conclusive. Less favorite of the season: Berserk (counting this cour) Re:zero (counting two or more cours) About Berserk, I feel like it had its interesting moments and ideas in at least two episodes, but it's just a small light in way too much darkness. And Re:zero...boy, I don't know where to start. First of all, the structure of Re:zero feels wrong. We have three episodes, one double, the ultimate goal of this arc is Emilia recovering her election emblem, and she does! Next episode, we know about the upcoming election, and you know when that combes back? Seven episodes later! We have six to seven episodes focusing entirely on only one character, arguably the best constructed one in the series, while never advancing, and also some episodes is just repeating the sequence unnecesarily. Now, when we get to the election, the election is relevant for two episodes, after that it's the obvious plot point that will allow Subaru to join forces with the other candidates. And ultimately, the only reason why the elections were there was for Subaru to make a glaring mistake and hava a conflict with Emilia, which is okay, but that's NEVER resolved in the context of the elections, we literally go to a completely different route just...because! World-wise, it also feels weak. I liked the overall feeling of the first city, and that it has a range of species around the whole world. But the most important point of world-building here was the Witch Cult, and the Witch Cult was horribly irrelevant. We end the series and we know NOTHING about the Witch except that Emilia looks like her; the Witch, by rejecting Betelguese, blows up completely the purpose of the Witch Cult, because if Betelguese is a major figure in it, but the Witch does not accept it, then...what? Why should I care for what it isn't if I won't know what it is? I don't really care about the magic mechanisms of this world because all of those look like asspulls to me, especially Crusch's convenient power of "reading the truth in the wind", but I'll get to that later. Thematically... I don't get it. I'm serious here, I don't know why are we in this setting. I don't know why SUBARU is here, what's his purpose. what was his purpose in his early life. We know nothing about him in the real world, what he did, from what role was he supposed to transform. Instead, all we know is that he is an otaku and that tries to play the hero. The trope is classic and okay, but it felt funnily cheap. Character-wise was what I was trying to get to. Rem is easily the best build character here, she is so well-built that it makes the problems in everyone else HORRIBLY obvious. In episode 19, we have a lenghty monologue of Subaru hating himself, and the reception of that is Rem, the one who loves him ABOVE ALL ELSE. She won't ever tell him what he needs to change, she will just love him, and that's in-character, yes, but it doesn't help. At the end of that arc, to me Subaru is still a jerk, and all he learned to do was negotiate and be smarter with his words, but you know what? IT'S IRRELEVANT. Crusch says he doubts him but she magically has a power to tell he is saying the truth, therefore it was useless! And the way he made the connections between White Whale and Crush are completely incoherent, the one that was played off as a joke was more convincing that everything else. And I still haven't gotten to Emilia. Emilia has literally no agency in this show. I have no idea what her "selfish" desires are, in the "correct timeline" she doesn't remember saving Subaru, and when we get to the end and we are cleverly told "this is what it's all about" you know what it's all about for Emilia? To fall in love at some point with Subaru. Subaru literally says this, that's the only thing Emilia will be doing. I got that off my chest, I wanted to say that because I never commented in the reviews. |
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Barbobot
 Posts: 460 |
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There were worse shows that aired this season, but was there any worse show that Nick Creamer actually watched? Apparently not. Most of the reviewers in this list opted to disqualify a show if they didn't actually watch all/most of it. I can only assume Nick didn't watch some of the other choices picked for worst, like Taboo Tatto, First Love Monster, Cheer Boys, etc. |
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5357 |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 2614 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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This post was flagged for having novel spoilers without informing that it was novel spoilers that were behind the spoiler tags. I have not seen the anime or read the novels, so I wouldn't know, but I'm leaving this warning out there for anyone who may read this post. --willag
I agree that Emilia is the weakest part of the story and that she lacks agency - I enjoyed the series in spite of her. I didn't think that it was about her eventually falling in love with Subaru, though - I interpreted that line as being spoiler[that it was all about keeping her alive for her mother, the much-maligned witch, who couldn't be quite as bad as everyone said because she literally rearranged the world to save her daughter by bringing in an outside force.] It'll likely be more clear when we get past this point in the novels, but I felt as if in the end the story was about spoiler[the witch] rather than Emilia, or even Subaru. |
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goatnuke
Posts: 60 |
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I feel Bananya could have done more with its concept, sure, but looking for plot in a set of three minute shorts advertising plush toys is a little silly. Not everything has to be a big narrative engagement and this is coming from someone with a career in screenwriting. You went into the show with false expectations if you expected anything more than cats who live in bananas doing cute/silly things. Although again, I do feel many of the episodes failed to make much of themselves.
I'm not surprised to see New Game's absence from these lists but I think it deserves special mention. On the surface it's a moe/fanservice series (albeit one that does that elements to their best potential) but it consistently had a lot to say about office culture. It could have gotten away with existing solely to have young working age women doing cute things but it takes the extra step to have insights on game development and the working world at large. It's worth checking out if you've ever worked a full time office job. It hits a pretty unique spot in that regard. I'm a little surprised to see Re:Zero on so many lists. Well, ok, I guess "surprised" isn't the right word given it's popularity but the second cour was a pretty big letdown for me compared to the first. It started off well enough, building on the subversive themes of the first cour and accentuating them with great big moments (episodes 15 and 18) but after that it devolved into pretty standard "fantasy/game world" fare. It remained well written enough but it seemed to become content playing largely by the rulebook of its contemporaries. One thing in particular that bothered me was how spoiler[Emilia's loss of trust in Subaru was ultimately written away without much fanfare in lieu of a happy ending. It was possibly my favorite moment of the entire series when she lambasted and ultimately disowned Subaru for not respecting her wishes and denying her her agency. Most anime wouldn't go there and I was excited to see the ongoing impact the direction would have. There's a lot to explore there. But then she just kind of forgets about it... which was a massive let down.] The show also left a few too many unresolved story arcs for my taste. I understand it's an ongoing series, we may get a second season eventually and ultimately anime is used to sell manga/light novels but regardless it left the thing feeling largely unresolved. I still enjoyed Re:Zero a lot on the whole but this second cour wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I enjoyed the new Food Wars season more than I anticipated too. It didn't bring back the glory of the first season's first cour but it made up for said season's lacking second cour. They figured out how to make the tournament engaging and threw in some quality twists/subversions that gave the future of the series new direction. I hope we see more of it. Outside of those shows it was a very solid season. Mob Psycho 100, 91 Days and Thunderbolt Fantasy all rocked. Berserk was problematic beyond its use of CG (not happy with the direction they took with Casca, she was one of my favorite characters in the Golden Age movies). It still managed to be enjoyable despite all that though. ReLife was a fun binge early on. Edit: Oh right, and Planetarian. That was great. It was a little overhyped for me but a good watch regardless. Last edited by goatnuke on Wed Sep 28, 2016 12:31 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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EighteenSky
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Ah some of the worst series here are based on the first episode or first few alone as I'd expected. I hate choosing that way since it never makes sense to me (not giving a chance to improve on initial poor impression) but judging a series on 1 episode seems to be the ANN way as evidenced by the 'Preview Guide' every season despite claims to the contrary. Like listening to the first song of an album, hating it, then saying the entire album is awful which is bizarre.
That said if they did hate the first episode I don't expect them to continue watching but unfair on that series to then make remarks as a series. Just don't talk about it.
Yeah I adored Macross Delta as well (though Hayate chose the wrong girl dammit!) but don't understand why people hated it. To be fair anything following up Frontier (which was damn near perfect) is always gonna have a tough time not being a disappointment to some. |
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7jaws7
 Posts: 704 Location: New York State |
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I'm going to exclude ReZero and TBF since one debuted in the Spring and the other isn't actually anime - even they're my two favorites of the season.
Favorite: New Game! - I'm a sucker for industry shows (Shirobako and Sore ga Seiyuu!) so New Game is an auto-win in my book. The characters are funny, charming and quirky. That's all that I ask for. Runner-up: 91 Days - This anime put me in a Baccano! mood, and I'm down for an occasional bloody good time. Worst: I have 3 anime dropped this season. HxH, Time Travel Girl, and and Taboo Tatoo. I'll give HxH a pass because for a hentai, it might not actually be all that bad. Time Travel Girl at least has some educational value; its basically just a lazy teacher's best friend. Of the three, Taboo Tatoo is the one I just can't defend. There were too many horrible excuses for things to happen. |
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annasartin
 Posts: 38 |
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Best: The Morose Mononokean
I couldn't get enough of this show, and really hope for a season 2. Runner-up: Heroic Legend of Arslan Would have been first, but 8 episodes just wasn't enough, and ending on a cliffhanger just added to the frustration. Worst: Seven Deadly Sins - Signs of Holy War I love this franchise, but these four episodes of basically filler were enraging after waiting 2 years for more of the show. Add to the fact that these four episodes are the reason that Arslan only got 8 and neither of these franchises got the slot time they really needed this season and I, with a heavy heart, have to dub this the worst of the summer. More tiny Hawk was cute, though. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18222 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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While it was good, it was also only really a B+ level series. And considering how tight the episode ratings were all season at the top of the chart, a B+ just isn't good enough to make the top rating spots. While I was expecting Mob Psycho 100 to get some attention, that it fared so well surprised me. I gave up on the series after a couple of episodes because it didn't really look like it was doing anything much different from OPM and I found the non-psychic lead guy to be obnoxious. Guess now I'll have to watch more and see if my opinion changes. |
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mangamuscle
Posts: 2658 Location: Mexico |
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Best:
Re:zero Honorable Mentions: Mob Psycho 100 New Game! Amanchu! Planetarian Worst: Taboo-Tattoo. I do not usually mention bad series, but I will make an exception for this one, stay away from it, you have been warned. ----------------------- I do not get where the hate for Hatsukoi Monster (which was weird, but not bad) or Macross Delta or Orange or Time Travel Girl comes from.
After watching episode 1 I hated Reigen guts, I was about to drop it but since the op and ed were cool, I gave it another episode and it became a keeper. Last edited by mangamuscle on Wed Sep 28, 2016 12:45 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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goatnuke
Posts: 60 |
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You'll come around to Reigen 
I liked the series from the get-go but I know people who loved it only after it took a few episodes to grow on them. |
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