[Spring 2015] Season of Nostalgia

[Mouse2010]

So far the only thing I'm watching this season is Rin-Ne. Up to episode 6 now, and I am liking it more and more as I get further into it. It is sillier than the other supernatural action anime I've seen up until now, but I'm enjoying the silliness.

[Cadence]

Is anyone else watching Show By Rock!! this season? It is very silly, but have found it surprisingly enjoyable. ShinganCrimsonZ totally steal the show.

I'm also enjoying Hibike! Euphonium which I find fun for the music aspect, although the characters haven't really drawn me in yet. I've been playing in large ensembles for most of my life, but I never participated in school ensembles in middle/high school (alas, the local schools only had band programs and I am a string player through and through) so it is kind of fun to see the differences in the commitment level between the students, haha. It feels very real (at least, from my limited experience coaching middle school orchestra students). And visually, the show is gorgeous...reminds me that I should probably finish Hyouka one day.

Arslan Senki is good, but I admit I'm in it more for Arslan being cute than the actual plot.

Ore Monogatari (or is that Ore Bronogatari??) is probably my favorite this season, though. Kind of out of character for me, since I'm typically really outspoken of my dislike of shoujo romance. But OreMono is just...fun. It knows exactly what it is, and it definitely plays with it. I look forward to every episode.

[skreyola]

So, how is everyone enjoying their spring shows?
Here's my rankings, so far:

1. Plastic Memories
1. Arslan Senki
1. Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka?
(3-way tie)
4. OreMonogatari
5. Houkago no Pleiades
6. Hibike! Euphonium
7. Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken 2

Can't Find
?. Eikoku Ikke, Nihon o Taberu

Dropped
9. Yamadakun to Nananin no Majo
10. Urawa no Usagi-chan

Didn't Pick Up
8?. Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku (I've watched one episode, but I might still pick it up before the end of the season.)
11. Ameiro Cocoa
12. Triage X

[KazeShiki]

Plastic Memories ep8's ending was too cute. Like, I'm fairly disappointed in the direction it's going but I can't complain because it's too cute.

[skreyola]

Plastic Memories ep8's ending was too cute. Like, I'm fairly disappointed in the direction it's going but I can't complain because it's too cute.

You didn't see it going this direction from SPOILER: Highlight text to read: episode 1?
Also: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: What, no "Error."?

[KazeShiki]

I can't say it wasn't predictable, but the setting was good enough to allow for so much more. But it still ended up going down the most cliched path =/

[skreyola]

Ah, I see what you're saying.

Arslan Senki eps. 5-6 - Well, that was not as good as previous episodes, but it was still done well. So many pieces in motion, now. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen. I really liked that they SPOILER: Highlight text to read: didn't hurry off to aid the city. It was nice that they were true to the idea that their little band wasn't in a position to alter the course of the battle.
Still wondering about Kharlan's reasons. I hope they don't seem reasonable in the end, because that would be annoying.

[MangaRocks!]

Sound! Euphonium episode 7:

I'm also enjoying Hibike! Euphonium which I find fun for the music aspect, although the characters haven't really drawn me in yet. I've been playing in large ensembles for most of my life, but I never participated in school ensembles in middle/high school (alas, the local schools only had band programs and I am a string player through and through) so it is kind of fun to see the differences in the commitment level between the students, haha. It feels very real (at least, from my limited experience coaching middle school orchestra students). And visually, the show is gorgeous...reminds me that I should probably finish Hyouka one day.

^ Yay, us string players must stick together, LOL! Glad you're enjoying this, too.

As for this ep.: Lots of goodness here, as usual. <3 Aoi SPOILER: Highlight text to read: leaving because she knew she couldn't be serious about it, among other things; Haruka being told that she should also have refused if she really didn't want to be the president either; the truth in the statement that "You always have to play like you mean it" <3 ; and Hazuki's question at the end (along with Kumiko's reaction to it), bwahaha.



And Blood Blockade Battlefront, a.k.a. Kekkai Sensen, episode 7:

Black and Leo's conversation in the beginning was both amusing and interesting. And even more interesting was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the bit where Black joins the other Kings for a meeting or whatever... I'm quite curious as to whether this really is a split-personality (or possibly possession, given that it seems it's a Blood Breed thing), or whether he's just reaaaaally good at hiding his dark side... As for the rest of the ep., it was mainly just pure fun, and I loved that, too. Ah, this series... <3

[skreyola]

Euphonium ep. 7 - That episode was okay, but I was still left feeling kinda meh about the show. Each episode gets a little better, but the way it started out felt so rocky that I'm not sure I'll feel great about this show at all by the end of the season.

[Mouse2010]

Okay, I jumped on the Arslan bandwagon. Watched episodes 1-5 in the last few days. I love it! I don't find it boring at all, so far.

I do admit that Arslan himself, as a character, isn't my favorite. I really dislike the way he was drawn (despite liking many of the other character designs), and he seems quiet and timid, making it harder to attach to him as a main character. As someone else said, though, his personality has potential. He seems intelligent, kind, and open to new ideas. Those are all really important traits for a future king, I think. I *was* actually impressed with his swordsmanship in the first battle: did anyone notice that he did a pretty good job of defending himself until help came for him? It looks like those lessons in sword play paid off, despite his complaints.

My favorite character so far is Daryun. Daryun arguing with Narsus is the best. (Will we ever get to SEE some of Narsus' art, I wonder?) Arslan seems to be fortunate in having some strong, intelligent supporters.

My one major complaint about the series is that there are not any strong female leads, at least not so far.

[skreyola]

Okay, I jumped on the Arslan bandwagon. Watched episodes 1-5 in the last few days.
...
Will we ever get to SEE some of Narsus' art, I wonder?) Arslan seems to be fortunate in having some strong, intelligent supporters.

My one major complaint about the series is that there are not any strong female leads, at least not so far.

You stopped at the end of 5? How did you stop in the middle of the 2-part episode?

Narsus' art: Do the words 'Cannot Unsee' mean nothing to you?

If the OP or ED (I forget which ) mean anything, there is at least one strong female involved with the story.

[skreyola]

Plastic Memories ep. 9 - This episode was a little bit painful to watch, because of all the awkwardness. Also fanservice. There's a major turn at the end, but I'm not sure if it will make the show awful or terrific. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Is she doing it so he will be able to keep work and personal separate, or is she doing it so he can't get any closer to Aila? :-s

[Mouse2010]

You stopped at the end of 5? How did you stop in the middle of the 2-part episode?

Sheer exhaustion! If you have a baby who wakes you up two or three times a night and a three year old who gets up about 6 am, you just can't stay up late watching TV. Sometimes I watch three episodes rather than just one or two, but that's really livin' on the edge. ;-)

But I'm caught up through episode 8 now. And yes, I see my concern about the lack of women characters is being addressed. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Farangis is definitely strong in the sense of being a good warrior. If you have to have only one token girl in a band, at least she is not just there as support for the menfolks! I am also really intrigued by her ability to communicate with djinn. We haven't seen many references to the supernatural in the story so far, so that's interesting.

[skreyola]

I'm sorry for your exhaustion. That certainly makes sense of stopping there.
Arslan Senki ep. 7 - She's an impressive archer. Her hearing leaves something to be desired, though. Interesting turns and twists, in this episode. I wonder what will happen with Helen of Troy... well, I guess we can foresee what will happen, but nothing is certain.

[MangaRocks!]

Sound! Euphonium episode 8:

Ha, Kumiko not noticing that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shuuichi rather liked her-- which had been fairly obvious to me-- and thus being totally blindsided by the invite was priceless. That said, I both slightly was and mostly was not surprised that the story went with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: him going to the festival with Hazuki but not accepting her confession in the end. The "tuba being support" line + Hazuki breaking down after leaving the festival was pretty heartbreaking, though. Also, wow-- the entire sequence with Kumiko and Reina was quite the character piece...



And Blood Blockade Battlefront, a.k.a. Kekkai Sensen, episode 8:

...Welp, I guess the whole thing with Zapp's old master pretty much explains why Zapp went completely overboard in the opposite direction... (Making him say all that stuff about himself was just priceless, though. ) As for the plot, there was also some interesting SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (and rather sad) new info on the barrier, as well as Black and White (so, it seems it really *is* SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a possession thing on Black's part, and not a willing one, either-- looks like Black and White had to make the same sort of 'choice' that Leo and his sister did -- and White is staying at the hospital for reasons other than her health, too). Bring on next week!

[skreyola]

Sound! Euphonium ep. 8 -

That said, I both slightly was and mostly was not surprised that the story went with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: him going to the festival with Hazuki but not accepting her confession in the end. The "tuba being support" line + Hazuki breaking down after leaving the festival was pretty heartbreaking, though. Also, wow-- the entire sequence with Kumiko and Reina was quite the character piece...

Mini-Midori was so cute. Especially when she SPOILER: Highlight text to read: hugged Hazuki when Midori did. When Hazuki said tubas support from the wings, my heart broke. The Kumiko and Reina sequence was very interesting.
This show is slowly getting better, but I don't like the uneasiness of the feeling of not knowing where the story is trying to take me. I really hope SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Hazuki ends up with Shuuichi, and Kumiko finds another guy she fits with, because she's not into him at all, despite what her classmates may think.

[skreyola]

Houkago no Pleiades ep. 8 - This show is cute, but it doesn't seem to really be going anywhere, except to farther and farther reaches for each piece of Kobato candy... erm, engine fragment. Still no clue as to why redcape wants them.
Interesting that all the girls SPOILER: Highlight text to read: see Minato and none of them remark on the similarity in appearance.

[KazeShiki]

hmmmm Arlsan Senki ep 9 changed a few things from the manga. Not sure if previous stuff has been changed, but definitely noticed things like SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Arslan going to try to save the family when he meets Etoile again. In the manga, they just bump into each other at a river. Also, Narssus and Daryun run away from Silver Mask in the anime but it's the reverse in the manga.

[skreyola]

Dungeon ep. 9 - This show continues to be fun and interesting, and would be a really great show if not for the fanservicey camera angles and outfits. Not sure why Bell needs SPOILER: Highlight text to read: another knife, given he has one made by a goddess... unless it's foreshadowing that the black knife Hephaestus made will shatter when he needs it most, but that seems inconceivable, given her stature as a blacksmith. Looking forward to seeing where the show goes.

Plastic Memories ep. 10 - Wow. That was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: fast. Didn't expect that to resolve so quickly. Now, I'm hoping that this goes bittersweet, not forced drama ending or unreasonable happy ending. Still, glad Kazuki got that off her chest. There was one smiling face in the last bit that surprised me...

[MangaRocks!]

Sound! Euphonium episode 9:

Wow... Hazuki is quite the champ. Not only did she take SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the heartbreak surprisingly well (sure, burying it under a veneer of brightness, but still), but she also opened up about her inner thoughts to Kumiko about her initial selfishness (and making Kumiko at least aware of the possibility of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: feelings for Shuuichi in the process), as well as wholeheartedly cheering on everyone, as she promised. <3 SPOILER: Highlight text to read: (And to top it all off, there was her failing the audition, which was of course not surprising-- she's a very new beginner, after all-- however, her reaction just impressed me even more, LOL.) Speaking of the auditions, the way they (as well as the practicing beforehand and everyone's reactions during the results afterwards) were 'filmed,' so to speak, was perfect-- making it easy to feel everything that the characters did. <3 (And speaking of *that,* oh man, Kumiko's little "Crap, I might have raised the bar for myself" realization after saying that she'd been playing for seven years was so darn realistic it hurt, LOL. {Yeah, I've felt that, too...})

...Also, in case I somehow wasn't convincing enough on my own in all of my previous posts (LOL ), I'm just going to leave this here as confirmation: "How Sound! Euphonium Totally Nails Being a Band Geek" + Comments.



And Blood Blockade Battlefront, a.k.a. Kekkai Sensen, episode 9:

The three kings were LOL/vague , the action was LOL/awesome , and SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the little bit more backstory on Black and White + Black's possessor's cruel ultimatum was quite interesting (as well as sad ). Also, I couldn't help but "Aww" when Klaus basically told Leo that he truly has a place with them now. This was quite a good buildup episode, and I can't wait to see the last few ep.'s!

[skreyola]

Euphonium ep. 9 - The music drama is getting better, but the show is starting to annoy me pretty strongly. Everyone keeps telling Kumiko she's in love with Shuichi when it's pretty obvious she has no interest in him, and I think the only reason she's thinking about him so much now is that everyone keeps accusing her of being in love with him. We're supposed to believe that the bumbling conductor is actually a semi-famous genius. And the romance subplots are drowning out the interesting music plot. I'm not sure if I'm annoyed by this show because of the rough start or because it's actually becoming more annoying, but it is getting harder to watch.

[MangaRocks!]

...it's pretty obvious she has no interest in him...

Actually, I've thought back over what was shown throughout all the previous episodes, and I'm starting to become convinced that Kumiko's a bit of an unreliable narrator on that point. The way that (as the saying goes) she protests just a little too much, the way she treats Shuuichi (which always seemed a bit tsundere to me, TBH-- in fact, I originally just naturally assumed that if any couples were going to happen they'd probably be one simply because of that fact; it was only when she didn't make any moves at all that I thought it might go the Hazuki route {which is obviously not happening, so back to Kumiko we go, as I'd originally assumed in the first place}), and most importantly her body language/eye expressions... yeah, I'm thinking that it was indeed more of an obliviousness/denial/fear of change/whatever thing than actual disinterest.

...the bumbling conductor...

*Sigh*... Y'know, this is normally the part where I'd explain (again)-- in detail-- that Taki-sensei is, in fact, not 'bumbling'; however, it's pretty clear that there are opinions that debate is not going to change, LOL, so at this point I think I'm just going to leave it at us agreeing to disagree.

[skreyola]

...the bumbling conductor...

*Sigh*... Y'know, this is normally the part where I'd explain (again)-- in detail-- that Taki-sensei is, in fact, not 'bumbling'; however, it's pretty clear that there are opinions that debate is not going to change, LOL, so at this point I think I'm just going to leave it at us agreeing to disagree.

I'm not convinced she has any feelings for Shuichi, in spite of the reactions we've seen. As I said, I think the only reason she's thinking about him so much is that other people keep asking her about it. It's called mental priming.

I never agree to disagree, and I hate that phrase. I don't see why you think I'm so devoted to my opinion that it's pointless to discuss it. That's a little bit insulting. I just haven't seen him do much as an advisor to the band. What I've seen you talk about before is his responsibilities toward a club, not his expertise. Please explain how he's not bumbling. He may be some kind of musical genius, but he's done precious little on the screen to help the musicians improve. All he does is tell them to practice more, and the auditions are the only time we've seen him devote time to any of the students individually. Or have I missed something?

[MangaRocks!]

...I never agree to disagree, and I hate that phrase. I don't see why you think I'm so devoted to my opinion that it's pointless to discuss it. That's a little bit insulting. I just haven't seen him do much as an advisor to the band. What I've seen you talk about before is his responsibilities toward a club, not his expertise. Please explain how he's not bumbling. He may be some kind of musical genius, but he's done precious little on the screen to help the musicians improve. All he does is tell them to practice more, and the auditions are the only time we've seen him devote time to any of the students individually. Or have I missed something?

My sincere apologies, skreyola; I was not intending to come off that way. It's just that we've seemed to have almost polar opposite opinions on/reactions to a lot of what's going on in this show so far, and not only has that been commented on quite a bit, but neither of us has really changed our minds on any of those points through that discussion (a good example of this is what we just discussed with Kumiko's feelings/etc.-- I explained why I thought certain details of the show indicated that there was something there, you explained why you didn't, and neither of us conceded our stance, so at that point there's no longer a whole lot of places the conversation can go regarding that particular element ... and that's happened a number of times now)-- so I just didn't want to make it seem like I was belaboring the point now or anything (...although I guess that kinda backfired, LOL. I'm sorry).


As for Taki-sensei, alright , here's the outline of what I would've mentioned:

* He's always seemed quite competent to me (which would be the opposite of bumbling).

* My previous comments on/explanation about his duties as club adviser still apply-- again, the senpai are supposed to do most of the day-to-day teaching; Taki is *not* every student's private tutor (nor would it even be possible for him to be, on top of his normal teaching schedule + club duties + etc.).

* ^ That said, earlier on, once they were ready, Taki actually was shown to train/improve them extensively, onscreen as well as off.

* IIRC there was a rather large timeskip in this episode; I see no reason to assume that meant he wasn't continuing to help offscreen (in fact I assumed just the opposite).

* And well *before* the auditions were held, he had clearly already been helping students one-on-one when asked, given how naturally they asked in this ep. (granted, that was a pretty quick bit of dialogue, and thus easy to miss, but that nuance was definitely there).

Another thing to keep in mind with this series is that it doesn't show everything onscreen, nor spell everything out, even by dialogue; there's a lot of stuff that's shown via body language/facial and eye expressions/vocal tone as well as by simply just being implied.


And, again, I apologize for earlier, and will continue to discuss this as long as you'd like.

[skreyola]

I must have missed those bits of dialogue, then. It's also possible that I've missed something because of a subtitle translation error. I didn't expect him to be every student's tutor, but I didn't notice that he had even been helping those who were struggling the most. The training I've seen has all been in the group setting, and very seldom involved anyone's name individually (Clarinets, rather than some student's name).
So, it may just be that the show started off so roughly.
That being said, the fact that the students reacted with as much surprise to his methods as I did means that they were not what was expected by these students from a club advisor. This may be more complicated than either of us is admitting. Just a thought.

Dungeon... ep. 10 - I don't think the god-mode party will end well. But who thinks Bell-kun will SPOILER: Highlight text to read: level up again by making it down to Lvl 18? And we finally learn why Lili's bag is so big. It's not SPOILER: Highlight text to read: to carry loot out but to hold her Crazy Prepared supplies.

[KazeShiki]

I just binge-watched Punchline. The first episode was a huge turnoff when it aired but after hearing many good things about it from those who stuck with it, I tried it again. Wow this is really good. It really does live up to the hype of "from the writer of Ever17." The first 3 episodes weren't too great, and the premise regarding panties I still think is really unneeded and annoying every time it's used. I also have a big problem with a certain talking plot device, but the way everything is coming together is some very impressive writing. I want to say this is the most climactic ending of the season but unfortunately it has to compete with Jojo. Holy Goldy, this climax is amazingly perfect.

[skreyola]

Plastic Memories ep. 11 - That was very sweet, though Tsukasa is an idiot for listening to Yasutaka, ever. Sparkly time was good. Two episodes left. Cue the T=T...

[MangaRocks!]

I must have missed those bits of dialogue, then. It's also possible that I've missed something because of a subtitle translation error. I didn't expect him to be every student's tutor, but I didn't notice that he had even been helping those who were struggling the most. The training I've seen has all been in the group setting, and very seldom involved anyone's name individually (Clarinets, rather than some student's name). So, it may just be that the show started off so roughly.

Yeah, no worries; like I said, that dialogue went by pretty quick.

That being said, the fact that the students reacted with as much surprise to his methods as I did means that they were not what was expected by these students from a club advisor. This may be more complicated than either of us is admitting. Just a thought.

I will agree with that.



Sound! Euphonium episode 10:

Ah, so what happened in that flashback (which we finally got to see in full) did indeed affect Kumiko quite deeply. Natsuki talking things out with her (and completely blowing away all her fear/guilt/expectations/etc.) was awesome. Man, though, that drama after that rumor got started... pardon my (mild) French, but jealous people really suck. (I've thankfully not had to go through that sort of thing myself, but I know enough about human nature + have heard enough stories from others that auditions can indeed get that nasty {and sometimes even more so}, so it turning out that way was certainly not a surprise.) I also was not really surprised that Reina admitted that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she's in love with Taki-sensei (although he apparently has no idea about this) during her little explanation of how she knew him. (I highly doubt anything is actually going to come of that, but it doesn't really matter to me either way. *shrug* ) BTW, this episode marked the first time that we've actually seen Taki visibly angry-- he was obviously (and quite rightfully) deeply offended and hurt by the students' words, attitudes, actions, and overall disrespect. Haruka really stepped up at the end, though, by (gently, but firmly) telling them off, and Taki finally got a handle on it for good by stating that anyone who wanted to try again could, this time with their audition publicly performed and decided. I cannot wait to see the epic trumpet battle that is about to ensue!



And Blood Blockade Battlefront, a.k.a. Kekkai Sensen, episode 10:

ROTFL!!!!! Oh my goodness, this episode... Okay, first things first: The opening scene was priceless (and even more so after you know what led up to it ). And Zed's logical (and a bit more easygoing than I expected) personality was very amusing. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Oh man, Zapp's escalating hazing attempts failed miserably hilariously (on Zed's part, at least; his only reactions were calling Zapp out on it, getting intrigued by it, and eventually turning it right back on him later. In fact, it's poor Leo who ends up getting traumatized instead, LOL! )... and it actually only gets *worse* once the hazing stops and they try to find a *normal* place to eat! Oh my gosh... when Leo finally lost it completely, so did I (in a different way, of course, but you know what I mean ). Also, LOL that they didn't even show the battle, bwahahahaha!! It finally did get serious at the end, though; and man, the continuation of that scene is going to be quite something...

Also, on another note: Vol. 1 of the manga finally came in at my library, and after reading it, all I can say is *WOW*, because the anime is doing a fantastic job at adapting it! I've been hearing that the stuff with SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Black and White is anime-original, but if that's true, then holy crap-- because if the first volume is anything to go by, they literally didn't cut *anything* to fit it in (and they've woven it in very, *very* well, besides)! I'm honestly pretty stunned (and I mean that in the best way possible). Cannot wait to see the rest of the anime (and to read the rest of the {currently-available} manga, as well)!

[skreyola]

Arslan Senki ep. 9 - Is this guy's divination faulty, or did SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Arslan's company only give him an orison and leave his body exposed?

[skreyola]

Euphonium ep. 10 - I recognize he didn't have a lot of choice, but I can't help feeling that a second audition sets a bad precedent. The students were behaving disrespectfully. They agreed to audition, they weren't in the room to hear how everyone played, and they are demanding a do-over just because they didn't like the results.
Personally, I don't think it's even going to be close. Reina is obviously very skilled, and the other girl's practice didn't sound very good at all.
This show continues to be tedious and full of the unpleasant type of drama.