I guess this is the
time wherein we'll get to finally decided whether an anime is good or not. If
it's worth the time or not. Like Mashiro Moritaka said in chapter
174 of Bakuman., "the
last scene in a manga is important. After all, you can say that whether the
piece is a masterpiece or a flop depends on just that one scene."
In a similar sense, I believe that an anime can only be consider a true
masterpiece when the conclusion is very well presented.
With most of the
anime this spring season finally ending, I have to admit that I wasn't
disappointed at myself for calling this season (spring) as one of my fave anime
seasons. It was a fun 3-months with a lot of very interesting, inspiring and
fun to watch anime. Whether they may be 1-cour, 2-cour or long running series,
spring anime season has really proven itself to me that it's one of my fave
anime season out there (with fall anime season being the other one).
As I have mentioned
on my Summer 2012 Watch List post, I'll be making my Top 3 Anime for Spring
2012 post soon but for the meantime , here're my final thoughts/impressions on
the anime that I've finished this season(:
Uchuu
Kyoudai (14 of ???)
This past month, Uchuu Kyoudai had been focused solely on
building up Nanba Mutta's (Hirata Kiroaki)
teammates (or rivals) in the third test. The third test has also been explain
well. And honestly speaking, it's really interesting. Although these past few
episodes hadn't been the most moving ones for Uchuu
Kyoudai, they have been keeping very well with their style of comedy
which keeps me going. The strength of Mutta's dream has also been going pretty
well each time he gets to know the other members of his team.
Hunter
x Hunter (36 of ???)
Last month, I was
eagerly looking forward to Gon and Hisoka's match. AND I'm glad that it didn't
disappoint me although the outcome of the match was very predictable. Of course
I didn't forgot the promise they made when they were still in the Hunter Exam -
Gon returning Hisoka's number when he can punch him with equally. Anyway, when
Gon was finally caught by Hisoka's Bungee Gum I just knew that it'll be a one
sided match. Going over with how Madhouse Entertainment is going with this
adaptation and remake, I have to admit that it's really good. Watching this
match was just beyond awesome and their style is really good.
AKB0048
(9 of 13)
As an anime that I
never really plan to watch at the beginning, I'm pretty much happy to see how
much I'm liking this series. Although at this point, I can't remember why there
was an Idol Ban to begin with but I guess I can look it up soon. As of now, I
really like the direction of this series. With some character development done
each episode, I have to admit that with 13-episodes I don't think that everyone
will be develop well but as of now, the 4 main characters that we started on (Motomiya Nagisa,
Sono Chieri, Aida Orine and Ichijou Yuuka)
have been developed pretty well - well Ichijou isn't really that developed yet. With 3 generations of
understudies being shown, I don't expect to see further development on the 76th
generation since the focus right now is the idea of succession. With 4 more
episodes to go, I still have no idea how this will end but I do have a positive
outlook that this will end pretty well(:
Hyouka
(11 of 21)
With the current arc
that Hyouka is in now, I have to admit
that I'm still in thought whether this anime will turn out pretty good or what.
Although I have to say that I like all those many dialogues most especially the
most recent episode. With the mere mention of you're
special to Houtarou, we all see some character development in him. From
this point on, Houtarou's motto - If I don't
have to do it, I won't - won't be applicable any more. I'd like to see
him solve more mysteries.
Anyway, the latest
arc which a number of people seem to dislike have taken my interest
most especially the cliffhanger at the end of episode 10. Personally speaking,
I'd say that I found this more interesting compared to the Sekitani Jun arc although
I was pretty disappointed that it took so long for Oreki to come up with a
theory. Now with the concluding episode of the arc, I'd have to say that I
actually like it. I like how everyone just had to point out to Houtarou his
mistake and how Houtarou faced Irisu head one. Houtarou really had changed(:
Tasogare
Otome x Amnesia (Completed)
With the many good
anime this season, Tasogare Otome has got
to be one of my fave this season. First of all, I'd like to say this once
again, I really love how the atmosphere of the anime reminds me so much of
winter season's Another (which I expected so much from).
The art is very fantastic and the BGM is really great. I'd definitely get a
copy of the OST :D Of course the art and music wasn't the only one that caught
me in this anime, I really like the comedy and drama in this anime. The harem
wasn't the best but pretty decent, in my opinion. From beginning to end, I just
love Okonogi Momoe (Fukuen
Misato)! Anyway, the best parts of the series has got to be from when Kanoe
Yuuko's (Hara Yumi)
past has been revealed. From that part onwards, I watched one episode after
another. I was really moved with Yuuko's past and what happened after Niiya
Teiichi (Yonaga
Tsubasa) has finally found it out. The conclusion was okay. Definitely not
the best for this season but I'm fairly satisfied with it(: Niiya and Yuuko's
exchange of words was just great.
Yu-Gi-Oh!
ZeXal (49 of ???)
I know that people barely(or no one) reads my thoughts on ZeXal
but I'd still write anyway. LOL. Anyway, even though I still haven't fully
catch up on the currently airing episodes, I'd like to praise the series a
little with how the duels have actually gotten better ever since the appearance
of III (Ikeda
Kyousuke) and IV (Hosoya Yoshimasa).
The last duel I watched was Tsukumo Yuma's (Hatanaka Tasuku)
duel with III. Of course it was pretty annoying how they were all being
dramatic with all those friendship and family issues. III being jealous of
Yuma's bonds with Astral (Irino
MIyu) isn't the biggest surprise for me since III always makes me feel like
he's Kimi to Boku.'s Matsuoka Shun -
always thinking about things like friendship, other people and such. He even
has Shun's looks (except the hair. LOL.) and girly aura. Anyway, forgetting how
III is, I'm definitely looking forward for an interesting championship match :D
Kimi
to Boku. 2 (Completed)
So the second season
of Kimi to Boku. has finally ended and it
just left me with a bitter feeling for it. THEY NEVER SHOWED A YUTA X TAKAHASHI
EPISODE! o(>A<)o oh well, with how this second season turned out, I
pretty much like how the romance was leveled up a notch. All those Masaki x
Chizuru episodes were definitely worth the watch. Despite my undeniable rage
for this season, I have to admit that character developments were pretty good.
I really like episode
12 which was mainly about Kaname's feelings for Hisako's sister. Anyway, my
fave theme for this season was thinking about the future. I clearly remember 2
episodes where Shun-chan's thinking about what the future holds for them. It's
a pretty interesting thought that sometimes I think about it too. A quick
review can be read here.
ZETMAN
(Completed)
How did ZETMAN concluded its difficult high and low
run? In my opinion, it had been pretty decent. Although there are people who
finished it and didn't liked it. It's their opinion and point-of-view on the
series, I don't want to argue or anything. Of course, I wouldn't defend TMS
Production on how they did ZETMAN. I have
to admit that making a 13-episode anime out of almost 200 chapters manga is a
real pain but there could have been other things that they could have done to
minimize the negative feedbacks they just took. As someone who partially
appreciates the anime, I have to say that their main problem was the pacing and
the character development. They greatly struggle there that the ending didn't
catch half of the people who have watched it.
Jormungand
(Completed)
Jormungand was first referred to as oddly
similar to Black Lagoon at the beginning
of the season and I don't blame myself and everyone else who have did the
comparison. Both of them are pretty good on their own ways. They have their own
dept in each character's story and had those pretty good action scenes and
insane impossibilities. I guess that's what made them pretty awesome to watch.
SO what makes Jormungand entirely
different from Black Lagoon? I'm not entirely sure of this
since it's almost a year since I finished Black
Lagoon. I think that Black Lagoon
had a Koko Hekmatyar character. Other than Koko's presence in Jormungand, I also love Jormungand's BGM. It works perfectly for the anime! XD
SKET
Dance (64 of ???)
Okay, I don't know
what SKET Dance is doing right now but
these past episodes weren't really their best. I know I did said that I somehow
like Agata Saaya
(Hanazawa Kana)
but her jump rope episode was pretty boring. Anyway, the current arc which I'm
watching right now is pretty interesting. I'd say that a body switch episode
always catches my attention (pretty good reason why I'm looking forward to Kokoro Connect this season?). Forgetting
about the romance or awkwardness that will go around Bossun and Himeko
throughout this arc, the most interesting one in here is Switch's observations.
HAHA. Sasuga Switch! XD
Sakamichi
no Apollon (Completed)
Should I say that
this is my favorite series for the season? Picking this series up as a part of
the anime that I'm blogging was pretty surprising on my part as well. I
initially never even planned to actually prioritize watching this series BUT
who would have thought that a series that's set in 1960s and have jazz music
could be this amazing? Probably that was only me. LOL. Probably the
overwhelming expectations that Sakamichi no
Apollon has been taking also made me curious of actually watching this
series. Anyway, other than the really great music we all expect this series to
have, I really love the drama that this series gives. I love how this anime
basically feels so natural and the characters being so alive. If Tsuritama has finishing as the thing that
bonded everyone, Sakamichi no Apollon had
jazz to bring Sentarou and Kaoru together. I never really appreciated jazz
until I watched this series. My final review can be read
here.
Tsuritama
(Completed)
Should I say
everyone's favorite series for the season? (OR probably almost everyone). Anyway, this series had definitely became
unexpectedly good on my opinion. Probably I was surprised at how much this
series had done so well because everyone's eyes had been focused on the other
noitaminA show, Sakamichi no Apollon.
With how this series go, it's pretty much reasonable why many people have
actually liked this series. For one, I don't notice any faults in the series.
As an anime that focuses on the friendship that uses fishing as a great excuse
to make their bonds stronger, this anime had done a really great job. There's
no wasted episode and all characters were well developed. The art is very fancy
and never looks boring. For more of my thoughts on Tsuritama, read my series
review(:
Acchi
Kocchi (Completed)
This series became
something I watch when I wanted to relax or so. The romance in this episode
just makes you want to join with all the nosebleed parade that's going on every
part. I really like all the main characters here despite being so stereotypical.
Also, with Okamoto
Nobuhiko voicing yet another attractive character. Otonashi Io's voice
practically reminded me of Usui Takumi from Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, another Okamoto
character. Noting another unforgettable character for me is Haruno Hime (Fukuhora Kaori) her
voice always rings in my head. HAHA. She's just too cute for words! XD I really
enjoyed this anime most especially all those cute romance going around about Io
and Tsumiki. I want more Acchi Kocchi! An
OVA could sound good but a second season would sound 10 times better :D
Sankarea
(Completed)
For me, Sankarea started off pretty good. I like how
they take each step one at a time. I believe that it works perfectly for this
type of anime but for some reasons, once the second half started, things just
started feeling a little slow and boring. Despite those things, the series
continues to develop and we continue to see more of the characters such as
Saouji Ranko (Yahagi
Sayuri) and Sanka Aria (Asano Mayumi).
Anyway, episode 11 was a really great conclusion for the series. I like how
Furuya Chihiro (Kimura
Ryohei) make some senses to Sanka Rea's father. As for episode 12, it
practically just ruined everything (for me, that is). Although episode 12
wasn't entirely empty, I just didn't like how it felt and how it's suppose to
be the final episode.
Natsuiro
Kiseki (Completed)
I didn't really
expected anything from this anime and for some reasons, it turned out pretty
interesting. I just decided to catch up to this series on some random idea and
I'm pretty thankful for Cely_belly from Cely_belly
nonsense for pushing me on watching this series. I watched this
anime one episode after another because it's really fun to watch and some of
their wishes were probably something I'd wish. Although I could probably have
wished for more. Anyway, this anime had more interesting stuffs other than
wishing to fly so for those who haven't watch this series and have decided to
drop it after the first episode, you suggest you go watch this. This anime's
pretty good for slice of life fans like me :D
Kuroko
no Basuke (13 of 25)
The ending of
Seirin's match with Seiho and their match with Shutoku had been really intense.
Midorima is hell amazing BUT Kuroko had been more interesting. The most
memorable thing about Seirin's match with Shutoku has got to be the first
basket Seirin has scored from them - Kuroko's EPIC PASS! Other than that part,
another interesting thing about this match was not how far Midorima can shoot
(although a full court was still pretty surprising) but Midorima's fellow
freshman, Takao Kazunari (Suzuki Tatsuhisa).
Anyway with the second half finally opening, I'm really glad to finally see
Aomine Daiki (Suwabe
Junichi - Aomine's voiced by Jun-nii. LOL.) on an episode. I can't wait for
Seirin's match against Aomine's team, Touhou. Wait. Maybe the right way to say
this is: I can't wait to see Aomine play. XD That
formless shot is something to see!
Spring
Season Final Thoughts.
With the end of June
marks the end of spring anime season. It had been a pretty great run with a lot
of fun anime to watch. I'll post my top 3 anime for spring probably once AKB0048 ends. Now, the series that actually
surprised me were:
- Sakamichi no Apollon - The setting and genre initially turned me off. Good thing I decided to pick this show up :3
- Kuroko no Basuke - I don't really like sports genre anime until I've seen this. I was convinced into watching this through Rei's post at Wan Abrar as well as Guardian Enzo's post in Lost in America. Now I can't believe how much I love this series. XD
- Natsuiro Kiseki - I really did planned to watch this but didn't watch it immediately since I've read a couple of blog posts saying that it isn't worth the time. I was really happy that Cely_belly from Cely_belly Nonsense pushed me into watching this. This is a really good slice of life/supernatural anime :3
- AKB0048 - It isn't really that good but it actually surprised me to the fact that this is actually a pretty decent show. I love the art (minus the character designs) and the music :3
Other than the
surprising series, there were also ones that disappointed me. Not to the extend
that I don't like them or anything. It's just that my expectations wasn't met
or the series had troubles in the middle of its run.
- Sankarea - Truth me told, I like how Sankarea began. I love the art, the character design and the pacing of the series but personally, once I reached the half of the series, it bored me. Other than that, the final episode also didn't please me. x_x
- Hyouka - I can't believe myself for thinking that this anime will go on high level mysteries. Although I still like the series as it is, I was just expecting this to have deeper mysteries and instead find a school-type mystery anime.
Now for series that
will continue to the next season, I'm looking forward to more great episodes of
Uchuu Kyoudai and Kuroko no Basuke. With Nanba Mutta taking the 3rd exam, I'm pretty
sure that this will take a couple more episodes and more character developments
among his teammates. The last episode (episode 15) was pretty interesting and
intense. As for Kuroko no Basuke, just
the mere appearance of Aomine Daiki made me excited for the second half.
As for the other
series, I'll try to watch Hiiro no Kakera
sometime around. It bored the hell out me with all the characters being
uninteresting and with plot itself being boring. As for Medaka Box, one of my friends suggest that I watch it. I don't
know yet but I'll think about it. For KoreZom,
I have no idea why I placed it on-hold :/ I'll go right into it (by the
weekends perhaps) since this season seems to be pretty boring (although I'll
still be blogging on a number of series). As for Nyaruko-san,
I just didn't had the time to finish it. Finally for the series that I have
never watched, any encouraging words for me to start the series? :D
On-Hold: Hiiro no Kakera, Medaka Box, Kore wa
Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD, Haiyore!! Nyaruko-san
Never touched (LOL): Saki Achiga-hen, Accel
World, Upotte!!, Nazo no Kanojo X
