There are a number of potentially good series this season. The three new series I am watching in addition to Chuunibyou - Psyco-Pass, From the New World, and Robotics;Notes - used the first five or so episodes for world building and character development. The central plot is only just starting to develop in each, making them each hard to judge. All three look to be excellent series, but time will only tell. Psycho-Pass has been best of the three so far, while Chu2byo has been my favorite new show this season. I'm also watching Sword Art Online, a vastly overrated, but still entertaining show.That's almost always the case with movie tie-ins. Even Evangelion's manga was pretty faithful to the story, but that only lasted so long.
Ah yeah, I heard about the one with Eighth Grader Syndrome and I recognize the name.
It seems from the reactions of others that this season has a ton of good stuff in it. Right now I'm still watching Ergo Proxy though
Psycho-Pass is part of the high profile Noitamina block (along with Robotics;Notes) on Fuji TV, which always guarantees a lot of attention, both in Japan and internationally. Katekyou Hitman Reborn mangaka Amano Akira designed the characters, further raising the show's profile.
Oh shit, that's great news. I really like his coupling of musical genres with genre anime. Space Western/Neo-noir + Jazz for Bebop and Edo-period Samurai + Hip Hop for Champloo. I wonder if his new anime will follow this mechanism...Medieval Fantasy + Metal?
I was always a fan of both, it's only been the last year or two that I stopped watching anime. The new season did a lot to coax me back. I'm a huge Clannad and Haruhi fan, so I had to watch Chu2byou. From the New World, Pyscho-Pass, and Robotics;Notes all looked to interesting to ignore. Actually sitting down and watching made me remember how much fun anime is. I have not been reading much manga recently anyway, I haven't really started anything new in a few months now.
SAO is an entertaining, watchable anime, I'm not going to undersell it. It is certainly not a masterpiece though, with major pacing flaws and some minor plot shortcomings. Worth watching if the interest is there, but not a show I would pimp to the unconvinced.Oh shit, that's great news. I really like his coupling of musical genres with genre anime. Space Western/Neo-noir + Jazz for Bebop and Edo-period Samurai + Hip Hop for Champloo. I wonder if his new anime will follow this mechanism...Medieval Fantasy + Metal?
Yeah, for some reason I had guessed that Sword Art Online might be a bit overhyped, I don't know. I don't like being that person who makes too much of a judgment on something I haven't watched, but with what I've seen of it and the hyper plus contrast with people saying it's style-over-substance I could see that might be the case. I'll watch it anyway I guess.
Apollon is a good slice of life anime. There are some minor differences in the story compared to the manga, and the ending is original obviously.
Yes, it was. I do remember bits and pieces. Guess, I will watch it again.
Got that right, SAO is indeed overrated. It decent at best. When I started it, I failed to understand all the fanboyism. I haven't read KHR, thought several times to add it to my reading list. I am downloading PP right now
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It's fucking amazing. I've been listening to the continuous mix on soundcloud on repeat for some days now. I think a lot of that has to do with how great the original album is, but it's great
Does Apollon have some kind of shounen-ai scenes in it? I've been wanting to watch it, but I read the genre somewhere else and mentioned such description, It turned me off. I guess I have to pick it again once Fall season ended.
Don't forget to give your thoughts on PP thread thornI am downloading PP right now
Glad you enjoy AnoHana. Some people say it's overrated but I totally love the show. Definitely one of the best shows I've seen until now.
I believe you're watching the best shows of the season, the only series I would really recommend to watch too is Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. Excellent show and only a few episodes out, you should definitely give it a try.
Exactly my thoughts on SAO.
I should add that the first episode has a heavy shounen-ai scene
put me off, others felt the same. That's the only remarkable scene I can remember though, starting from episode 2 there really isn't anything I would call Shounen-Ai. Pretty good show so watch it doku
While there is nothing overt in the manga, bromance definitely plays a big part in the story. Romance is secondary, it is the relationship between the male leads that drives the story. That relationship is in no way romantic. BL subtext can be found, but that would have more to do with audience perception, rather than anything taken directly from the manga. I have a feeling the manga places more emphasis on bromance, with more BL undertones, than the anime.
I can't imagine anyone thinking AnoHana overrated unless they were deliberately trying to be contrary. The characters are magnificent, memorable, flawed, but still all likable. Menma may be one of the all time great anime characters. The pacing is perfect, but still allowing the mystery time to develop, not giving away all it's secrets even after ten episodes. The main themes of the story - loss, guilt, forgiveness, moving on without forgetting - are handled in a mature, intelligent, emotionally real manner. What could have been emotional manipulation is handled in honestly. Overall it reminds me of the first volume of Emanon.
I've read the first two volumes of the manga. Good, but I'm not sure I want to watch the anime too. Five ongoing series is enough for me. I may reassess when SAO and Chu2byo end, depending on what debuts in January.
Forced to give it a rating, I'd say SAO is an 8 out of 10. Not a classic, but a fun way to spend twenty minutes. For me, the decision to animate those side stories for episode 3 - 7 really ruined the pacing. Because of that I found most of the Aincrad Arc to episodic. When the main story finally resumed it felt a little rushed, like the show had lost it's rhythm. The love story was outstanding though, Kirito and Asuna's relationship makes up for some of these flaws, maybe not enough to elevate the series to greatness.
There's one scene in the first episode that seems like BL, but it isn't at all IMO. It's there for comical reasons. There is absolutely no overt BL in the anime, but fujoshi will ship anything and everything.
I never understood why so little of Aincrad's 100 levels were explored. That is my main problem with SAO, an issue that I imagine can be traced back to the book. From what I understand only the Sword Art Online game was cleared at the end of the first novel in a ten volume series. I'm not sure why such a big world was created but left virtually unexplored. It also would have been nice if the psychology of being trapped in a life or death game was better developed, even if just a little. All of the characters and even the extras seem so well adjusted. I know the novels are meant for teens, but it would have been nice if the dark side of the situation was at least acknowledged.
I thought Magica got better after episode 5. The first few episodes were good, but still only world building. I thought the series really took off during Sayaka's storyline. I loved how the series explored the psychology of having super powers, the consequences of fighting, that evil and good ultimately have the same source. The series almost seemed like a commentary on supernatural action manga and anime. It was amazing how they turned a genre that generally relies on tropes into something so original and tragic.