[Summer 2014] Season of Sequels

[GeneD]

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 11: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Is it bad that I don't want Haru to change his mind about swimming professionally? I can't be sure that that's what's gonna happen but we'll see I guess. I don't actually have a problem with people putting pressure on him to decide what he wants to do/decide on something else to do while he decides what he wants to do. I have a problem with everyone putting pressure on him to do what they think he should. Before I ramble some more (see my twitter from last Wednesday for details), all this stems from me being able to significantly relate to Haru's statement that you don't just find a dream by looking for one, although apparently the problem is that I never went looking in Australia. XP

I hope Sousuke's story isn't going to end with Whelp I swam the relay with Rin so now I have nothing left to live for and resign myself to working in my parent's store for the rest of my life. Because that's terrible and sad. I hope Rin takes him on a dream hunting trip in Australia too.

Tokyo Ghoul ep 11: So the awful and pointless torture scene has put quite a damper on my checking out any possible season two and the (abruptly ended) manga. Maybe I'm being hypocritical since the show has high violent content in general, but idk, this was particularly disturbing and the fact that it's completely senseless but is used to further the plot anyway makes it even worse.

Zankyou no Terror ep 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The fact that Twelve left Lisa cuffed while he was de-bombing her distracted me severely, although I realise it could have been to help keep her as still as possible.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 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.)

That is pretty neat.

Tokyo ESP ep 10: Kudos to this for having a decent villain back story and exploring a bit of how his thought processes went to get him to where he is now. Unfortunately, despite having all the right pieces, the show continues to be extremely lacklustre.

Sword Art Online II ep 11: Staring at Sinon's butt literally causes Kirito to have a revelation about Death Gun. Don't let anyone ever tell you fan service doesn't pay.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 11: No comment since I had a hard time even remembering what happened in this ep. At a guess, Slaine was angsty, princess was angsty, Inaho was deadpan, fans made egg jokes.

Barakamon ep 10: I loved the bit where Naru crawls under the house, it's so authentically childlike.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 11: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That sleepover was priceless, especially Nokazi "adapting" it for his manga and that all the other guys know how Chiyo feels. This not even over yet and it already deserves a re-watch.

[MangaRocks!]

Tokyo Ghoul ep 11: So the awful and pointless torture scene has put quite a damper on my checking out any possible season two and the (abruptly ended) manga. Maybe I'm being hypocritical since the show has high violent content in general, but idk, this was particularly disturbing and the fact that it's completely senseless but is used to further the plot anyway makes it even worse.

...Oookay, that is not sounding good at all. Currently rethinking my previous intent to check out the manga, as well...

Zankyou no Terror ep 9: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The fact that Twelve left Lisa cuffed while he was de-bombing her distracted me severely, although I realise it could have been to help keep her as still as possible.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hmm... when I was watching, I guess I just figured he didn't bother because it would've wasted time that would be better spent actually defusing the bombs, LOL , but I hadn't thought about keeping her still-- that's an interesting possibility, too!

Sword Art Online II ep 11: Staring at Sinon's butt literally causes Kirito to have a revelation about Death Gun. Don't let anyone ever tell you fan service doesn't pay.

ROTFL!

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 11: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: That sleepover was priceless, especially Nokazi "adapting" it for his manga and that all the other guys know how Chiyo feels. This not even over yet and it already deserves a re-watch.

^ All of this.

[skreyola]

Ao Haru Ride - ep. 10 - I am so impressed with this anime. I LOVE SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the way Yuuri and Futaba are treating each other as they move forward. It's so genuine and healthy! I hope they can keep that up, even when he has made his choice.

[Nate]

Sword Art Online II ep 11: Staring at Sinon's butt literally causes Kirito to have a revelation about Death Gun. Don't let anyone ever tell you fan service doesn't pay.

Man staring at women's butts always just gets me slapped. There is no justice in this world.

[Vii]

FreeES Episode 12: G'DAY HARU
My wish for Engrish has been granted and then some. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Native English speaking VAs!
There were no kangaroos but there were cockatoos so it's all good.

Overall I feel disappointed by the episode though. Barring that taking a two-day trip to Australia is kinda pointless money-wise (does Rin have frequent flier miles to spend?), the whole "I found my dream" thing was lackluster and rushed considering all that was built up to it.
I have no problem with Haru wanting to swim professionally, but if it's to give Rin something to aspire to...that's not a good reason to swim. He should choose swimming because it's what he wants to and would enjoy doing, not for Rin's sake, not for the sake of the people who see his talent and want him to pursue it, for his own. The same would be true if he chose cooking or art or anything else.
I mean, it's possible that imagining himself on an international stage spurred Haru into wanting to swim, but given that Rin's "I admire you" speech was like two scenes before it makes me think Rin affected Haru's choice at least partially.

I did enjoy the scenes with Rin and his homestay family and his middle school experience.

I hope the finale is filled with all the happy feelings like first season finale, but I'm skeptical especially since there's not a whole lot left resolve and the "Haru found his dream" note doesn't resonate with me as much as I'd like.

I also hope there's more FrFr videos after the season ends because those were great

EDIT:
Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 12:
I require a second season. I've caught up to the manga but still, I desire MORE.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Not only was there a not-a-kiss scene there was a not-a-confession line. Ooooh my heart.
There was quite a bit left out of the "how Chiyo met Nozaki" flashback in adapting it.
Kashima lifting Hori huehuehuehue
And Nozaki's little brother cameo! (I forget his name)

[MangaRocks!]

Okay, so I heard something about a certain change made in this week's episode of Sailor Moon: Crystal that, if true, I won't be too happy about , and (aside from pretty much just the first episode + Sailor Jupiter's intro ep.) it's not like this was the greatest adaptation anyway, unfortunately (plus, the long airing gaps between episodes were getting kinda annoying, besides), so at this point I think I'm just going to put this on hold and let a bunch of ep.'s build up that I can marathon later. *shrug*



Free!: Eternal Summer episode 12:

...taking a two-day trip to Australia is kinda pointless money-wise (does Rin have frequent flier miles to spend?)...

^ IIRC, Rin had at least one airplane ticket mailed to him about two episodes back (that was what was in that special letter sent to him from Australia), so it probably wasn't as expensive as it could have been.

Anyway: The... adorableness... cannot... handle... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh, and although I was basically expecting something like that to happen, I have to admit that I still shrieked with laughter when they got to the room and there was only one bed. (I guess the comic timing was just too good, LOL. ) Also: "My name sound like girl, but I am boy!" and "It's hotter than hell," ROTFL. Oh my word, this episode. <3 Over the course of this season, Rin has definitely become my favorite character of the series, and this ep. only served to cement that further. The only thing that felt a bit off (despite me also expecting it) was the fact that Haru SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'got' his dream so suddenly. I mean, this is obviously not the first time I commented about certain aspects of Haru's 'development' being sudden, but IDK, this just felt even more 'off' than what I had commented on before. Oh well...



Zankyou no Terror episode 10:

Okay, wow. This episode felt like it was 5 mins. long. And almost nothing went like I expected it would. And I'm still kinda reeling from processing all of it. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: The two things that happened that I *did* expect were, #1, for Twelve to go and help Nine again despite his 'betrayal' (but he apparently survived that, too, so again my expectations were {thankfully} thwarted there), and #2, for Five to go after Nine (but then she kissed him and killed herself, what the...??! I guess she felt like she finally won...? Although I'm still not entirely sure if that was real or just some sort of hallucination on Nine's part, since it looked like he had headshotted her through the windshield before the car crashed... but I suppose that doesn't really matter in the end). Everything else was fairly unexpected, from Nine turning himself in at the very beginning (which was *definitely* a surprise! ) to the a-bomb actually releasing at the end (accompanied by that rather epically chilling de-masking + final line in the video). I'm really curious as to what Nine wanted to say/do/accomplish during the press conference (and if we'll ever know), and how on earth this is all going to end. Hope the finale's a good one!



Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun episode 12 (end):

Oh man, that was the *perfect* finale! The entire first half of it was hysterical, and the second half was both funny and sweet-- in fact, somehow even the expected SPOILER: Highlight text to read: troll managed to be sweet, as well! <3 I'm going to miss this show so much-- but we've still got the manga, and I'm going to start reading it today!



And Re:␣Hamatora episode 12 (end):

Well. Can't say I was expecting that backstory reveal. I guess with that it's no wonder why SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Art was so messed up. Doesn't excuse his actions, of course, but both his mental instability and the true reason behind his plan are now understandable, at least. In fact, everything was wrapped up quite neatly here-- SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Art's brother/Art himself, what Moral told Art before he (thought he) killed him, what Minimums actually are, why Art needed to 'stock up' so many of them for himself, why Nice was able to survive/come back from both of his apparent deaths (the one during the escape when they were younger and the one here at the end of the series), and even Birthday getting healed! <3 (Also, on another note, ROTFL at the random little Easter-egg shot of the fake idol guy and the creepy long-haired girl together; and the last scene in the graveyard had me laughing while saying "...What?" ) All in all, to my pleasant surprise I was actually quite satisfied with this finale, and fairly satisfied with the entire series (both seasons) overall.

[Nate]

Okay, so I heard something about a certain change made in this week's episode of Sailor Moon: Crystal that, if true, I won't be too happy about

Out of curiosity what is the change you heard of?

[MangaRocks!]

Out of curiosity what is the change you heard of?

It's in this review; the relevant portion being: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: "...this episode made a subtle but damaging change from the manga. It includes a scene that doesn't happen there, wherein Luna tells Usagi that Tuxedo Mask, the dude she's crushing on, might be dangerous. Usagi responds by literally running away from her responsibilities, jeopardizing her friends' lives in their upcoming battle, and doesn't go back until he shows up to disprove those suspicions and tell her that he believes in her. This happens differently in the manga. There, she leaves the scene normally, and although Usagi is separated from the other senshi at the beginning of that battle and gains the courage to take up the mantle of leadership by talking to Tuxedo Mask, her conflict isn't rooted in the possibility of a romantic relationship with him, at the expense her relationship with the other senshi. A particularly illustrative detail is that, in the manga, Tuxedo Mask catches Usagi while she's running towards the battle, but in this anime he catches her while she's running away. This choice indicates to me that the showrunners don't understand the real value of the feminist reputation they're capitalizing on. The anime complicates the scene so that the manga's original resolution is no longer adequately feminist. It even goes against the theme song: "Even girls have unshakable wills/We will fight on our own/Without leaving our destiny to the prince,” which was obviously not included in the manga. Here, Usagi did leave her destiny to the prince, albeit emotionally rather than in combat. That's not a good shift. A big part of why Sailor Moon is beloved is its open feminist intent, and while I think the manga is a bit dated on that front, this new anime isn't doing itself any favors by making that worse. Small changes have a big impact, and I don't think they're being thought through. Ideally the show will eventually acknowledge that Usagi chose a man over the group and never apologized for it. Otherwise... uh, sketch."

Now, if that's accurate, while unfortunate, it's not like it's *that* bad in and of itself, necessarily (it just kinda changes the tone a bit, although I suppose that's bad enough); but it also comes after other changes that I was already only so-so on in the first place. (Seriously, is it *really* that hard to adapt this material faithfully? ) Plus, they're not going to get to the (IMO) best part(s) of the story in this season, regardless, and I'm not sure if they're even going to make more episodes after this, so... yeah. All of that + the long wait times between episodes pretty much contributed to a great big "meh" on it from me right now, LOL. I'll still marathon the rest of it later, though.

[Nate]

I'd disagree with that bit of the review, although the description of what happens is indeed accurate.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Tuxedo Mask catches her and apologizes for causing the huge problems in the episode. He says he wants the Silver Crystal, but he doesn't have any special powers like the Sailor Guardians, and that's why he did what he did, although he didn't mean for the consequences of his actions to be that bad. This, and this is a key thing that the review missed, is Usagi immediately says "I'm the same. I'm supposed to be the leader, but I don't have any special powers either, even though I'm supposed to protect the others." And, this is really important, Usagi immediately, without anything said or done by Tuxedo Mask, says "I guess that means I just need to try harder." Usagi admits her flaws, but realizes it and instead of saying "Oh woe is me I cannot do anything" she admits she needs to put forth more effort. However, she's still not sure what to do right now, and that's when Tuxedo Mask basically tells her that the power she had to gather the others together, to make them smile, that's what her power is. I don't really see this as terrible as that reviewer did, the scene itself I mean. Now, seeing it as bad that Usagi ran from the battle after being told not to trust Tuxedo Mask, that's a different story. I can see how that would rub some people the wrong way, but it doesn't to me. She's been saved by this dude countless times, and even beyond that they're still connected from their past lives in the Moon Kingdom, even if they're not fully aware of it. It makes sense that Usagi would get really mad at Luna for telling her not to trust this guy that as far as she can see, has been on their side and completely trustworthy. Especially given that in the original anime, Usagi and Luna fought all the time. Yeah the manga is different in its storyline but honestly I don't mind that much. Your views may be different though.

[Crossfire]

So, just finished the last episode of Aldnoah. Nothing could have prepared me for that ending, it was completely different from what I was suspecting... in a really good way. Bloody, dark, and generally depressing- and Slaine finally realized how much of an idiot he was. Oh yeah, and this isn't even the proper end- Season 2 will be airing January 2015.

Ultra-spoiler ahead, I strongly urge people to watch this episode if you're even the slightest bit interest in this series.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I still can't get over the fact that they killed off Inaho and the princess. By Slaine no less, the same guy who has thus far been trying to save the princess and kill her would-be assassin- when in fact the exact opposite ended up happening. I'm reeeeally curious to see what's in store for the second season.

[GeneD]

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 12: Mmmmm this episode. I was disappointed, but I guess I was kinda expecting to be. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Rin and everyone going on about how much he admires Haru was so cheesy and in your face it completely broke suspension of disbelief for me. I wouldn't have been surprised if random Aussies started stopping Haru in the street to tell him how much Rin admires him. I like Rin, but I found him a bit insufferable this ep, which started off so well with the airport scene, but I will say that I liked that he apologised for ep 9. Also, wanting Haru to basically swim for him, that's not healthy. Whatever will he do if Haru gets injured like Sousuke and can't swim competitively any more. Building your dream/ambition around another person is the worst idea, Rin. And it makes you come across much more manipulative than what you probably are.

Haru's dream, ugh no, this is why I didn't want him to go pro, because I couldn't see any way how they could do it naturally and believably. Not after he's been putting up such a fuss about it all season. Vii said it better than I can, but I be perfectly happy with him going pro if they handled the reasons/whole situation better. They didn't. Kyoani, I am disappoint. Also, none of the Iwatobi guys were involved with Haru's revelation, which is sad.

Sure the English was fun, the flashbacks, too extensive cute and the bed thing was mildly funny and incredibly predictable, but yeah, all the other things I mentioned just brought the whole thing down IMO.

Tokyo Ghoul ep 12 END: Well this episode consisted solely of more torture (and a bit of aftermath), so yeah, don't have much to say about it. Overall the series had a dull first half, a better second half but with two disappointing last episodes.

Zankyou no Terror ep 10: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Well, did not expect Five to just kill herself. Although I'm guessing she knew she had very little time left from whatever physical ailment she has as a result of the Athena project. That and the fact that her people let Twelve and Lisa go just like that after she collapsed (and then them just messing around for 90% of the ep I could scream) seemed like really sloppy writing to me. Nine's end video and the flying a-bomb were really chilling and exciting, so I'm still optimistic about the ending.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I'm really curious as to what Nine wanted to say/do/accomplish during the press conference (and if we'll ever know)

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I'm guessing he wanted to reveal the truth of the Athena plan and those involved to the public? It's not particularly good that we still don't really know the goals of our protagonists this late in the game.

Tokyo ESP ep 11: We've finally come full circle. Although I don't understand why Rinka is suddenly such an expert fighter when she's been consistently beaten so badly until now. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: And without her powers to boot. Also, magic pelican, didn't see that coming. And despite it all being so bland I still rather like Azuma.

Sword Art Online II ep 12: So, anyone who knows anything about the novels, are they gonna wrap the Death Gun thing up soon and then have something else for the rest of the season or not? Cause I'm strongly considering dropping it after the Death Gun arc if they do. I'll probably drop it regardless, when the new "season" starts.

Barakamon ep 11: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Huh, I was expecting more drama about Handa leaving the island. I liked his apology to the director and the phone call.

Aldnoah.Zero ep 12 END: So I realised (belatedly) that Slaine has done exactly nothing of use since episode 7 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: when he helped them fight the lady with the flying fists. He got captured, got captured by different people, ate some chicken, then was let go and given his own robot and then faffs around for the rest (almost half) of the show until the princess gets shot. By the guy he knew was after her. The guy who was like, "here have a robot, oh and I've been trying to kill the princess all season long so feel free to try to stop me any time kay." I can't even say that I care much about Inaho and Princess being shot. But yeah, hooray for anyone who was looking forward to more because there's gonna be a second season.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal ep 6: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh dear, this episode kinda drove home that Usagi isn't the smartest heroine out there. I know she's not supposed to be but this seemed particularly silly. You just said you were the leader of the team and now you're worried about your secret identity? Maybe it's a translation mistake/issue idk. Also: there's no time to hesitate! like you have been for the last 10 minutes. Secret base FTW though.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun ep 12 END: Saviour of the summer season! Seriously I've griped about everything, so I'm glad there's one thing I enjoyed wholly. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Everyone pairing off for the festival was cute, and I honestly couldn't say who my favourite "couple" is. Mikorin didn't get a pairing though did he? And the kiss cop-out managed to not be annoying like I feared. Oh wait, I do have one gripe: Season 2 where? In the mean time: to the manga!

[KazeShiki]

Sword Art Online II ep 12: So, anyone who knows anything about the novels, are they gonna wrap the Death Gun thing up soon and then have something else for the rest of the season or not? Cause I'm strongly considering dropping it after the Death Gun arc if they do. I'll probably drop it regardless, when the new "season" starts.

Yeah it's ending soon, and then they'll get into...probably the random side stories which will be of even less interest to you than GGO, which incidentally, is around the place I dropped the novels.

Aldnoah never managed to get me to care about any characters. They mentioned some things that almost interested me...and then never went anywhere with those plot points. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I also have absolute confidence in the writers to bring supposedly dead characters back to life, so I find the ending incredibly lackluster and overly dramatic, although to be fair, I guess it was still better than the rest of the season which wasn't very good either.

Zankyou no Terror has no chances of wrapping this up well. And yes, SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I am also confused at how Twelve and Lisa are just magically ignored after essentially being caught. Though maybe they didn't want to get anywhere near the complete useless character that is Lisa for fear of her infecting them with her absurd levels of uselessness.

Tokyo Ghoul ending like that means I have to consider whether I want to go through another season or not instead of just throwing it into the pile of 1 cour shows I'll never touch again.

Rokujouma was better than I expected. For a harem, it has surprisingly little fan service, and while the girls all invariable fall for our MC, they actually have enough personality and quirks to not be terrible characters. So that's already better than 99% of other harem. It's a pretty fun watch and better than most of this season, though I think that's more due to everything else being so bad.

Nozaki-kun is easily anime of the season. Any complaints I might have for it are really complaints toward any comedy in general. The finale was a combination of romantically cruel and the epitome of what makes the show so great.

[Nate]

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal ep 6: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: You just said you were the leader of the team and now you're worried about your secret identity? Maybe it's a translation mistake/issue idk.

I noticed this and mentioned it on another board, and while nobody there speaks Japanese and can confirm, the general thought is that it was probably just a translation mistake, that Usagi was saying she is the leader of a team.

[ForeverInspired]

College is getting in the way of my shows, and the only good thing about that is that I really appreciate the shows I get to watch (and I figure out which ones are truly "good"... sometimes they seem to all blend together after a while). Besides the sport shows, which have been consistently staying at the top of my list, I have enjoyed the small Black Butler series (can't get enough of Sebastian's mannerisms), Nozaki-kun, and Blue Spring Ride. I'm sad to hear that Terror of Resonance isn't doing too well. I'm an episode behind and still find it very intriguing. Oh, the Monogatari episodes were good, but it took them long enough. Now, will they ever release Kizu? I want Araragi to have short hair again and be a central character again.

Oh well, I feel so behind with my current shows and will probably have to put half of them on hold if I want to pick up 1-3 shows this fall.

[KazeShiki]

I noticed this and mentioned it on another board, and while nobody there speaks Japanese and can confirm, the general thought is that it was probably just a translation mistake, that Usagi was saying she is the leader of a team.

I went back to listen to the scene in question, and at the very least, that sentiment is wrong. Perhaps there is a better way to translate it, but it is definitely not a mistake.

The main problem is Japanese tends to be pretty ambiguous and highly contextual. What she literally says is "(I am) everyone's leader." The use of "everyone" is actually fairly specific in colloquial Japanese speak and thus can be translated as "the team," whereas "a team" would be less accurate. While one can argue it's obviously referring to the previously mentioned Sailor Scouts (and in the end, it is), that's not really how the conversation worked. The best way I can explain it is she is half talking to herself, so she mentions a "new" (except not) group of people without expecting her listener to know who she is referring to, but she is still specifying the group (or team) to herself, rather than just generically mentioning she is the leader of a team. So yes, she is saying she is the leader of the team, but she doesn't expect him to know who that refers to, because Japanese works like that.

[MangaRocks!]

Zankyou no Terror ep 10: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: ...her people let Twelve and Lisa go just like that after she collapsed...

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hmm... my thoughts on this (at least before I watched the finale ) were that the reasoning there was sort-of twofold-- one, that the priority for the U.S. people was getting the a-bomb above everything else, and two, that Five was just plain obsessed with catching/beating Nine: As for the latter, Twelve (and Lisa) were nothing but a means to that end for her, and she probably thought that after pounding the whole 'betrayal' thing into Twelve he would no longer be of any help (and indeed, he very nearly wasn't); and as for the former, once Nine retrieved the a-bomb and ran, they probably thought Twelve wouldn't have any more intel on what *exactly* Nine was doing with it and where (and it also indeed appears that he didn't really have all of those details, since it seemed like he thought the bomb was actually going to go off near ground-level or something). Then again, with what happened in the finale, I'm not entirely sure that line of thinking holds up any longer ; but that's what I thought of it at the time, at least.



And now for my last two finales of this season (that I'll be commenting on, that is; and in reverse of their airing order for once because reasons, LOL):


Zankyou no Terror episode 11 (end):

Wow. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Well, first things first: Holy crap, they actually went there. That entire sequence (which spanned nearly the whole first half of the ep.) was incredible. Second (sort-of expanding on the first): Finally someone mentioned the fact that the a-bomb was strange considering Sphinx' no-direct-deaths-if-possible policy until now-- and then they found out it was intended to be a large-scale EMP (although, of course, they also pointed out that if they didn't do something there would still be indirect casualties, given the planes and other electrical equipment that would be knocked out, but it looks like they managed to get that done in time).

...And then came the ep.'s second half.

The second half interestingly started off quite surreal, with Nine, Twelve, and Lisa playing like actual normal kids for once. Then came Shibazaki... and, unfortunately, the U.S. characters as well. I was okay with the bit with Shibazaki, since (as mentioned in the show) it was their plan to be caught by him in the end anyway. But man, the whole sniper thing... (Aargh, so *that* was what all the foreshadowing was about. Ugh. ) I mean, yes, Five killed herself rather than have her death be prolonged, and Nine was quite literally dying right as he spoke to Shibazaki, so Twelve probably had only a few more days to live at most; but that was still really cruel.

TL;DR: The first half of the episode was amazing; the 'playing' sequence was surreal but sweet; and as for the end itself, I guess that was about as satisfying as could've been hoped for, given that it looks like the Athena stuff was indeed getting exposed and all (...only thing I would've changed would've been for the U.S.-character stuff to not have occurred there-- I mean, the poor kids were literally just about to die anyway, and IDK, I guess I was just way too attached to Twelve for my own good ); oh, and that last bit with the credits was rather beautiful. I just... I don't quite know how to explain the way I felt after watching it-- it was like a sort-of drained/empty feeling, but yet not quite? That said, the show did also leave me thinking about it for a good while afterwards, which usually tends to be a good thing. All in all, while this series definitely had its flaws, IMO it was very good even so, and well worth the watch for me.



And Free!: Eternal Summer episode 13 (end)-- which I purposefully watched after Z.N.T. because I knew it'd cheer me up no matter what, LOL:

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Well, at least there was a *slight* explanation about Haru's dream stuff, even if it was still a bit too cheesy and sudden. On the other hand, the two little make-up conversations Haru and Makoto had were so sweet, and YEEEEESSSSS MAKOTO ACTUALLY DID CONFESS THAT HE FELL IN LOVE WITH TEACHING KIDS (nice one Vii ) AND HE DECIDED TO DO THAT FOR A LIVING, AHHH I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW! <3 Oh, and wow, I did not expect to tear up, but when Rei and Nagisa started crying while they were talking the night before their race I just couldn't help myself. Finally: LOL at the inclusion of the hallucinating-animals thing again , and I actually really liked that they didn't even focus on the times/placement at the end, because at that moment for them it didn't matter. <3 And I was grinning the whole way through the stuff at the end. (Also: Using that one shot from one of the original promos {before S1 aired} as the last scene was a great 'full-circle' kind of moment, too.) So yeah, this was a really feel-good ep., and I was quite satisfied with this finale.

[scribbledreamer]

Ao Haru Ride Ep. 11-12: I really like how this ended. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I've enjoyed this show since the beginning, but the backstory was a very welcome shift from the romance to the more serious aspects of the show. And the Futaba/Kou confrontation was super sweet. I was a little surprised that there wasn't a more solidified romantic conclusion, but I can't complain about the ending. Off to read the manga.

Gekkan Shoujo Nokaki-kun: I'm going to miss this. I think I've laughed harder at this than any other anime I've watched. As far as the ending goes... SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Isshuukan Friends flashbacks with the fireworks line.

[Vii]

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

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: YEEEEESSSSS MAKOTO ACTUALLY DID CONFESS THAT HE FELL IN LOVE WITH TEACHING KIDS (nice one Vii ) AND HE DECIDED TO DO THAT FOR A LIVING, AHHH I AM SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW!

I SO CALLED IT AND I AM V PROUD OF MYSELF

FreeES Episode 13: That was good. I very much enjoyed this finale.
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Gonna bullet list this because my thoughts are all over the place:
- I like that Haru's reasoning for choosing his career was cleared up a bit. Doesn't change that the previous episode was too easy to misinterpret (and was definitely too Rin-centric for a Haru-focused episode) and could really have used more time and more nuance to the resolution, but whatever. The finale played off like Haru had come to his decision in a more natural way so that shortcoming was easier to ignore.
- Haru and Mako's apology scenes were very cute. As well as that black hoodie Haru was wearing. Also Makoto in glasses.
- The reminiscing/kouhai-crying scenes were a bit of a stretch for me. A little too obvious a recap and a little too much bawling (it was sweet at first though.)
- I'm kind of ambivalent toward the mushroom-trip relay. On the one hand, it was hella weird to watch; I understood the symbolism but man does the imagery stick out. On the other hand, it (along with the bg music) created this great sense of calm and peace during what would normally be a tense racing scene, which I really enjoyed.
- I love that the option for Sousuke to go back to swimming is put out there.
- College Mako in new glasses. I approve.
- I loooooove the throwback to the original PV right at the end. Like MangaRocks said, it gives a very "full-circle" feel, like it's really complete now. Just putting that scene in was a much, much more effective "look how far we've come" than the overt reminiscing earlier.
- ｆｏｒ ｔｈｅ ｆｕｔｕｒｅ
Overall I have enjoyed this season just as much as the first. I doubt I could choose between the two. Compiling Eternal Summer with the first season (and the original PV because why not), it has seriously one of my favorite series since I just flat out enjoy watching it. Now if it would ever be released on DVD...

EDIT: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Holy cow I mentioned Mako's glasses twice here without realizing it. I clearly have my priorities straight.

[GeneD]

I went back to listen to the scene in question, and at the very least, that sentiment is wrong. Perhaps there is a better way to translate it, but it is definitely not a mistake.

The main problem is Japanese tends to be pretty ambiguous and highly contextual. What she literally says is "(I am) everyone's leader." The use of "everyone" is actually fairly specific in colloquial Japanese speak and thus can be translated as "the team," whereas "a team" would be less accurate. While one can argue it's obviously referring to the previously mentioned Sailor Scouts (and in the end, it is), that's not really how the conversation worked. The best way I can explain it is she is half talking to herself, so she mentions a "new" (except not) group of people without expecting her listener to know who she is referring to, but she is still specifying the group (or team) to herself, rather than just generically mentioning she is the leader of a team. So yes, she is saying she is the leader of the team, but she doesn't expect him to know who that refers to, because Japanese works like that.

Thanks for the explanation. Even without the language hijinks that scene was just awkward in general IMO. Also I thought I was the only one watching Tokyo Ghoul.

Free!: Eternal Summer ep 13 END: Okay first off, I apologise to anyone following me on twitter who got flooded with Free! live-tweeting. I'm probably going to be repeating myself a bit, so sorry for that too. Less screencaps though. XP

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I agree with MangaRocks and Vii that the explanation Haru gave was nice to have, but, for me, it didn't quite get rid of the bitter aftertaste left by The Episode That Shall Not Be Named.
The flashback masquerading as reminiscing scene was pretty awkward and I couldn't help but laugh at the second year tears, and unfortunately it wasn't exactly the good kind of Free-makes-me-laugh.

I kinda feel like Sousuke got the short end of the stick, in terms of Rin being like, oh I'll just wait for you, and not idk also flying him to Australia to inspire him to make another attempt at recovery. It just seemed like such a stark difference to how far he literally went for Haru. But I guess it was left open enough that we can interpret it that he goes back to being happy and swimming if we want.

Also, where did Samezuka place in the nationals relay? Or didn't they swim it at all? I thought they would since they came second in regionals but I guess not?

For a second when they started the animal sequence, I was seriously worried Makoto was going off swimming erratically during the actual race, which I know would've been really silly but I was like "what are you doing that's not a real dolphin!" because he turned around and then he'd be disqualified and did you learn nothing from the season 1 finale?! Also I was paranoid they'd skip out on Rei's part again and was prepared to flip some tables. Aside from all that, the sequence was funny and a very Free! thing to do though, so I liked it.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: - I loooooove the throwback to the original PV right at the end. Like MangaRocks said, it gives a very "full-circle" feel, like it's really complete now. Just putting that scene in was a much, much more effective "look how far we've come" than the overt reminiscing earlier.

SPOILER: Highlight text to read: This. And the bit where Makoto goes to fetch Haru from his apartment/dorm/bathtub for their flight.

Stealing Vii's bullet list idea for the rest:
SPOILER: Highlight text to read: -Although I like the new song for the end, I was a bit disappointed they didn't play out with Future Fish. I did go listen to it afterwards though.

-Haru smiling so much this episode, what is this weirdness. Makoto was majorly adorable though.

-It was really cute that their families were shown in the audience.

-I'm glad Nagisa and Rei got some new club members.

-Makoto belly flops like a champion into the sakura-pool at the end there.

-Overall I loved the episode and it did a good job of closing out the series on a high note. I think I enjoyed this more than season 1 but the stink with Haru's development kept me from giving it a 9/10.

-I want a spin-off of Makoto in glasses college.

Zankyou no Terror ep 11 END: As with much of this show, I don't know exactly how I felt about this ep. This show seems to be one that I enjoy more as I'm watching it, than afterwards when I think about it. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: First off, the first half of the ep was really riveting and atmospheric. I loved that Shibazaki's daughter could help him figure out about the bomb.
Overall, idk. I'm disappointed with how they handled Lisa, since at the start I was more interested in her than any other character in the show and then they wrote her into the ground. My opinions on characters changed just about every episode, so I guess I got my one constant wish that Shibazaki wins.
I liked the surreality that the music lent to the scene where Sphinx and Lisa were playing around; also liked the numbered graves and that they specifically called Shibazaki their Oedipus, it was a nice call back to the riddles in the beginning.
I'm not sure Twelve was as sick as the other two, since he hadn't shown any symptoms and so, from a writing perspective they kinda had to shoot him, even if it makes no sense that he be shot first if Nine had the detonator. And I kinda felt like the boys should've come up with a better contingency plan than oh there's another bomb. I wasn't expecting them to survive, although I hoped, but their deaths, how it was done, seemed just a little bit pointless which made me sad. In the end the only thing that was 10/10 for me was, understandably, the music.

Tokyo ESP ep 12 END: In the end, though I liked individual aspects of this, the show was so average I can't even say I hated or disliked it. Too average even to drop, if that makes sense, which is probably worse than hate-watching something. Overall an unfortunate waste of time and potential.

Sword Art Online II ep 13: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Well the Death Gun arc seems to be over, though I'll probably watch the next episode for the full wrap up, but yeah, then I'm done with this franchise.

Barakamon ep 12 END: Man, I'm gonna miss the OP, which I'm sure is about 90% of the reason I liked this series. Still, it was a nice ending which fit the show well and I'll check out the manga sometime.

[skreyola]

So, here's my final rankings for the summer season:

Completed:
1 - Hanayamata
2 - Ao Haru Ride
3 - Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (almost tied for #2, but not quite)
4 - Barakamon (Haven't finished it, but I will, though I can't imagine it could overtake any of the top 3)

DROPPED:
5 - Glasslip Ep. 6
9000 - RAIL WARS! Ep. 1