[Fall 2015] Season of Studying

[skreyola]

From yesterday, when I couldn't get into the forums:
Hakone-chan ep. 3 - That was not bad, but not particularly great. 3/5

From tonight:
Asterisk War ep. 2 - That was great, until the last five minutes. What is it with this season? Nearly every show has an excessive amount of gratuitous bath nekkidiness. I'm not sure if this show should get any points for treating her behavior as unusual. On a positive note, I absolutely LOVE the character of Saya. 3/5

StarMyu ep. 3 - Rumors cleared up pretty quickly. He won't follow one pacer, but what about the other one? 4/5

[skreyola]

Sakurako-san's Bones ep. 3 - Another great episode. Glad the magical-girl transformation sequence is still there but shortened. A sad story, but not as sad as it could have been. 4/5

[skreyola]

35th Test Squadron ep. 3 - That was better than the second episode, but still not what I started out thinking I was watching. Bits and pieces of this are interesting, but other parts of it are just annoying. I don't think I'll pick this show up for the season. 3/5

Perfect Insider ep. 3 - Hmm... while the events look more and more sordid each episode, they're being handled with unusual finesse. I didn't expect this kind of mystery. 4/5

I'm not sure if this season should be renamed Season of Fanservice or Season of Mystery... but there's precious little studying going on.

Asterisk War ep. 3 - Pushy girl much? In spite of that, this was a good episode. If this show continues like this, I may keep watching it. 4/5

[MangaRocks!]

Haikyuu!! S2 episode 4:

Hilarious, adorable, and happy-inducing, as always.



Owarimonogatari episode 4:

Ohoho man, the underlying unease/creepiness/sense of mortal danger in this was excellent. SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ougi has always been creepy, and given what we've seen of her/its actions since Second Season I'm 100% sure that she/it is an antagonist (at least from the perspective of the characters we've been following), but something about her/it felt so openly dangerous here... ...On another note, while I have quite appreciated the fanservice being kept to an almost nonexistent minimum until now, I do have to admit that I actually laughed out loud at how Hanekawa got Araragi to choose her (especially because of its parallel to that one bit in Kizu)...



Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru episode 4:

Hmm... still not 'great'-level; however, it may have finally upgraded itself from 'decent' to 'good.' (It's still rather predictable, though...)



And Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider episode 4:

This show is just too interesting! SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I was not expecting a robot (and a strangely specific one, at that-- hint, hint! ) to be thrown into the mix... Also, more seriously-messed-up-ness on the young Doctor's part in those flashbacks + clues + setup here (with the robot and the multiple personalities and the title namedrop and the color purple and the out-of-place statue in the sitting room and the oddly-decorated bedroom and the dress and etc...). Oh, and I always keep on saying that the interactions between the MC's are fantastic (because it's true! ), and of course they were again here; but I also have to mention that something about that one scene toward the end SPOILER: Highlight text to read: where the two of them are in the video room talking about what detail is bothering each of them most was so perfectly framed visually, too. I'm not even sure what made me love it so much; there was just a sense that the direction of that scene was so *right.* Can't wait for next week!

[skreyola]

Heavy Object ep. 4 - Not as interesting as the first three episodes, but still pretty good. I wonder how they're going to get onto that thing. 4/5

Chivalry of a Failed Knight ep. 4 - The main thing that's interesting about this show is his ability. Not sure that's enough of a reason to keep watching. 4/5

I really need to figure out which shows I'm keeping for this season.
I'm watching Hakone, Starmyu, Sakurako, Heavy Object, GochiUsa, and probably Asterisk War.

[skreyola]

Hakone-chan ep. 4 - Not much to say. This episode was cute and no naughtiness. 4/5

GochiUsa ep. 3 - As usual, this was pretty silly, but in a fun way. 4/5

Asterisk War ep. 4 - The story bits were interesting, but the fight scenes were pretty lame. 3/5

[skreyola]

StarMyu ep. 4 - That was solid if not noteworthy. 4/5

[skreyola]

Sakurako's Bones ep. 4 - Start of a two-parter. She has interests that go beyond bones. I guess she got a pretty good forensic education while studying osteology. I wonder what is killing the men. Looks like she has solved it already. Is the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: painting the source, or just the catalyst? 4/5

[skreyola]

Perfect Insider ep. 4 - Wow. A deluge of clues. I don't know what any of them mean, yet, except that Dr. Magata has been seriously messed up for a long time. Did her uncle look familiar to anyone, at the end? 4/5

[MangaRocks!]

Perfect Insider ep. 4 - ... Did her uncle look familiar to anyone, at the end?

^ He's SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the director of the lab, who was killed in the helicopter.



Haikyuu!! S2 episode 5:

This past week I finally read all the rest of the currently-available chapters of the manga, and that has only made me even more excited than I already was to see it all animated! As usual, this ep. was excellently done; and while the events within it weren't necessarily the usual happy-inducing kind , what they're going to lead to in the next ep. (and beyond) is awesome. Can't wait for more!! <3



Owarimonogatari episode 5:

*WOW.* The care and depth of realism put into showing the very specifically-broken psyche that many abuse victims have was *incredible* (as was the voice acting, which superbly brought it to life). As downright amazing as (uh, most of ) Second Season was, *this* season is simply and wholeheartedly blowing me away (and without any caveats yet, besides!).



Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru episode 5 (DROPPED):

Meh, this just dropped back down a point again. Y'know, this is just too predictable + the one-off characters are a bit too irrational for me to enjoy it, so I'm giving up. Dropped. (Oh well. *shrug*)



And Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider episode 5:

Holy crap, this episode was so intense. From the further details about what happened in the past to the mental/psychological/moral/emotional/etc. tension within and between the two MC's (both as themselves, as well as trying to figure out Shiki)... just, wow. (In fact, I'm still not sure I caught all of the nuances going on in that conversation near the end. I quite look forward to a marathon rewatch of this series once it's finished! )

[skreyola]

Perfect Insider ep. 4 - ... Did her uncle look familiar to anyone, at the end?

^ He's SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the director of the lab, who was killed in the helicopter.

Ah, yes. That's what I thought.

Heavy Object ep. 5 - Qwenthur's quick thinking, the classic literature references, and the dipping gun were awesome. The teasing and fanservice, OTOH, I really could have done without. Also, naughty Q. 4/5

[skreyola]

GochiUsa ep. 4 - That was cute, and the second part is part of a longer arc. Interesting. I wonder what her sister is like... a little hint at the end, perhaps? 4/5

So, the season is about a third of the way through, so here are my rankings so far (through ep. 4):
1. Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?? - 16 (5-way tie)
1. Heavy Object - 16
1. Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru - 16
1. StarMyu - 16
1. Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider - 16 (a lot of very close titles at the top, this season)
6. Gakusen Toshi Asterisk - 13
7. Onsen Yousei Hakone-chan - 12

I hope there's some more distinction between them at the next comparison.

[skreyola]

Hakone-chan ep. 5 - Hakone undergoes a change and deals with some problems. Who is the girl at the end? Hmm... I'm having a hard time keeping all the characters straight. 4/5

Asterisk War ep. 5 - The plot thickens. This series has a lot going on, and it does a pretty good job of presenting it all pretty clearly. Now, if they could just do less fanservice and girl-magnet-MC, it would be a great show. 4/5

[skreyola]

StarMyu ep. 5 - Pretty solid episode. Was not at all surprised by the choice of team leader. The personal interaction in this show is pretty flimsy but manages to still be enjoyable to watch. I'm a little surprised I seem to be the only person watching this. 4/5

[skreyola]

Sakurako-san's Bones ep. 5 - Nice. She had the right of it all, and there was still a twist. Nice to see more of Kujou's emotional side.

[MangaRocks!]

...In other good news, we finally got a computer again, so I can now check out that stuff I hadn't been able to this past month. Expect more comments than usual in next week's post~



Haikyuu!! S2 episode 6:
I grinned the whole way through this. <3



Owarimonogatari episode 6:

Okay, so the answer was pretty much exactly what I had suspected (well, minus the literal SPOILER: Highlight text to read: decomposition ), but to my slight surprise the resolution was SPOILER: Highlight text to read: a very quiet one-- almost anticlimactically so. Although, given how broken Oikura was, her accepting it and moving on so easily does rather make sense, I suppose. (And, in the end, this arc was more about Araragi than it was about her anyway, so I really have no complaints. ) Other things of note: Ougi was not only as interesting as usual, but her/it/whatever being extremely angry was actually amusing instead of scary (here, at least) ; the piano music was beautiful; I found it really interesting how this slots into Second Season chronologically + the fact that this was (apparently) the first time that an SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'oddity' (aside from Ougi, I mean) wasn't involved; and those texts at the end were just plain adorable. <3



And Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider episode 6:

The start of this ep. incorporated a bit of summarization/recap rather cleverly, IMO, weaving in some more great characterization of the MC's at the same time (...have I mentioned their interactions are fantastic? More than once? ). And then those great characterizations/interactions continued right on into the rest of the ep., too (of course!). As for the plot: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Ah, so did they just figure out the message? And as for the flashback: I figured the uncle actually did (at least part of) the killing along with Shiki, and I wondered if the aunt was lying/not telling the whole truth about what she saw. Guess I was right on both counts...

[MomentOfInertia]

MoI watching current anime? can it be?!

Asterisk War 0-5
It's like a lighter Irregular at Magic High with more fanservice.
3/5 I'll follow it for now.

[skreyola]

Perfect Insider ep. 5 - Hmm... Is the gift a callback or a foreshadow? I don't have any idea what's happening in this show 90% of the time, but it remains a compelling watch. The morality/philosophy of these characters is really out of kilter. Where are you taking us, Shiki? 4/5

[MomentOfInertia]

Asterisk War #6
Now with 70% more jiggle and harem drama. Starting to debate weather or not this show is worth my time.

[skreyola]

Asterisk War #6
Now with 70% more jiggle and harem drama. Starting to debate weather or not this show is worth my time.

That makes me sad. I hope it doesn't come to that, for either of us. Is IaMH worth a look?

[skreyola]

Heavy Object ep. 6 - Tough situation. Could have done without the moaning suit and the miniskirt stuff. 3/5

Hakone-chan ep. 6 - The plot line is getting a bit flat. And these spirits are rather manipulative. 3/5

[MomentOfInertia]

Hakone-chan - skimmed though. Meh. Dropped.

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon #0-2
First ep was a bit heavy on fanservice* , second had pretty much none. Novel setting. I'll keep watching.

*Seriously, what is it with these guys? you're there you're grab'n you realize you're grab'n ... and you just sort of stare at each other for ten seconds. arghleblargel harumph. guh. 8[

Also the size tag seems to be percentage based.
-----

Asterisk War #6
Now with 70% more jiggle and harem drama. Starting to debate weather or not this show is worth my time.

That makes me sad. I hope it doesn't come to that, for either of us. Is IaMH worth a look?

It'll probably get better, the episode was mostly introducing the new girl and setting up her relationships with the MC and the others. With that taken care of, hopefully we'll return to the overarching plot.

IaMH is a heaver, more mature show. More intrigue The main is a chessmaster rather than another goofball newb. I am more familiar with the LNs the show is based off of than the show itself (still haven't finished it, got sidetracked and am now just getting back to it). MAL has it tagged for an R rating. Aside from violence and some blood the thing to watch out for is that the MC has an unusual relationship with his sister, it is implied/assumed to be a ah, romantic one. This is not the case. Though he is very protective of her and she is possessive of him for spoilerly plot reasons. Slow starting but I like it. I haven't seen much fanservice either(again, not finished though).

[skreyola]

Asterisk War #6
Now with 70% more jiggle and harem drama. Starting to debate weather or not this show is worth my time.

That makes me sad. I hope it doesn't come to that, for either of us. Is IaMH worth a look?

It'll probably get better, the episode was mostly introducing the new girl and setting up her relationships with the MC and the others. With that taken care of, hopefully we'll return to the overarching plot.

IaMH is a heaver, more mature show. More intrigue The main is a chessmaster rather than another goofball newb. I am more familiar with the LNs the show is based off of than the show itself (still haven't finished it, got sidetracked and am now just getting back to it). MAL has it tagged for an R rating. Aside from violence and some blood the thing to watch out for is that the MC has an unusual relationship with his sister, it is implied/assumed to be a ah, romantic one. This is not the case. Though he is very protective of her and she is possessive of him for spoilerly plot reasons. Slow starting but I like it. I haven't seen much fanservice either(again, not finished though).

I sure hope so.

Thank you for your reply. I am putting that on my Pending queue. It sounds better than what I've been watching this season.

Asterisk War ep. 6 - Yuck. That SPOILER: Highlight text to read: swimsuit was entirely unnecessary. And so was the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: long scene of nothing but her breasts bobbing up and down. And the plot development there was in the episode didn't seem to go with anything else that I cared about. Crazy to think Hakone-chan might overtake this show. 2/5

[skreyola]

Sakurako-san's Bones ep. 6 - This show has done a very good job of keeping up the variety. Every case is a different type of mystery, with a different type of resolution. The situation this time was pretty interesting. And I liked the way a realistic scenario was the cause of a lack of communication. Very solid episode. 4/5

StarMyu ep. 6 - I didn't want this to be better than Sakurako-san, but it was. Not sure why I didn't want that. Interesting developments. Onii-san... 5/5

[skreyola]

Perfect Insider ep. 6 - We finally learn, maybe, what Subete ga desu ni naru. And probably a few more hints. I think this show might have a SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Spoiler Title... but I've had a feeling since early on that I know who the killer is... but it's still exceedingly strange, if I'm right. But we got a new suspect, today... Moe finds a clue... and so does the sensei. Interesting that Michiru says those same things... 4/5

[MomentOfInertia]

Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon #3-6
I am amused by some of the humor and intrigued by the setting, but the fanservice is too much for me to go and recommend this to anyone. 3/5

[skreyola]

GochiUsa2 ep. 6 - Not much to say about this episode. That train was a little wonky. I guess I was just tired of Mocha. 3/5

[MangaRocks!]

...Aaaaand then the internet couldn't get hooked up in our new place until today for some reason , so it was back to just the phone-accessible ones again anyway this past week, LOL. Oh well; expect comments on my newly-checked-out shows in *next* week's post instead, then (including the newly-licensed Digimon Adventure tri.! ).



Haikyuu!! S2 episode 7:
And here comes that long-awaited beginning of backstory and growth for Tsukishima, which is only going to get even better and more satisfying from here! <3



Owarimonogatari episode 7:
Oh my gosh, this new OP gave me goosebumps. (...Of course, it then took a hard U-turn right into hilarious ridiculousness thanks to Kanbaru {at least at first}... ) Anyway, I was a little confused when Araragi mentioned that SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Shinobu wasn't there-- since I was 100% certain that she was already inside his shadow/physically connected to him/whatever by this time-- but then I looked it up and realized that I had somehow completely forgotten the part where SPOILER: Highlight text to read: she 'disappeared' in Hachikuji's Second Season arc (whoops! ). On the other hand, thanks to SPOILER: Highlight text to read: the fire burning the building and all that I *did* get that this was set during the SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Tiger arc (which means that we will finally get to see why Araragi didn't 'appear' until its end {and was in tatters when he did}, too! ). Finally: Ah-- so that previous servant of Shinobu's *didn't* (completely) die, then? Interesting...



And Subete ga F ni Naru: The Perfect Insider episode 7:
Holy Engrish, Batman! I mean, seriously, LOL, wow-- that has to be the longest sequence of the sort that I've ever seen in an anime. Now, to its credit (and my mild but pleasant surprise), it was a lot more decent than many other Engrish sequences I've seen in both grammar and pronunciation; however, it also somehow lost all vocal emotion/tone in 'translation,' which still made it a bit robotic and awkward. Oh well... Anyway, as for the plot: SPOILER: Highlight text to read: I'm still totally suspicious of the whole 'sister' thing-- there are too many little things that are 'off' about it (as well as other details still left to be explained). I'm still betting that somehow the 'sister' is actually Shiki (indeed, I've suspected that from the moment they said that she looked 'almost identical' to her...). And I'm almost certain they showed that journal somewhere in the flashbacks, too. Plus, I don't think that they're actually going to go down the 'literally uploaded her mind' route-- I think that was some form of (clearly very realistic) AI, and almost certainly programmed by Shiki herself, but despite what they obviously wanted you to assume, I don't think that it was 'actually' her, if you know what I mean. Speaking of which: The beginning of that 'fantasy' sequence was hilarious. Holy crap, though, I actually got goosebumps when SPOILER: Highlight text to read: 'Shiki' (or rather the AI program she created of herself, if I'm right) showed up (also, the music during that whole thing was fantastic ). I also absolutely loved the reveal of the real start of SPOILER: Highlight text to read: Moe and Saikawa's relationship, as well as the fact that Saikawa 'is actually quite emotional but actively suppresses it'-- I actually noticed something to that precise effect a few ep.'s ago, when he was very kind to Moe after her nightmare, yet purposefully kept his distance at the exact same time; it's like his heart and his mind are going in two completely different directions, with his mind (mostly) in control (for now).

[skreyola]

Hakone-chanep. 7 - That was awful. 2/5

Heavy Object ep. 7 - It's getting fun, now. Did they just leave that guy behind? I wonder what was in the e-mail. 4/5

[ClaecElric4God]

Rustyyyyyyyyy. Come tell us what's going on with Utawarerumono. I was planning to watch it only because the first season was a complete and utter disappointment and I wanted to see if it could redeem itself. If not, I won't waste my time.