Winter 2015 Anime Impressions Overview!!

It’s a month into the Winter 2015 season and here are my impressions on what shows are worth watching so you don’t have to go digging through the catalog to find what you like.

Aldnoah.Zero Season 2

As this is the show that I’m covering for the season, I’m not going to spend much time retreading old ground. The first season was great, but the starting point for the second season wasn’t good at all as it threw out its cynical atmosphere of the finale. I feel that Aldnoah.Zero could really uses more episodes in its runtime by fleshing out the first season, filling out the nineteen month gap and building up the sociality revolution that Slaine seeks to bring to the Martians. It’s mostly wishful thinking on my part but the last few episodes have pretty solid so far and hopefully, it can leave the its rocky start and push for a resounding finish.

Death Parade

I had heard of Death Billiards as it was one of works that released alongside with Little Witch Acdamdica as part of the Anime Mirai but never watched it until the morning of Death Parade’s premier. I’m glad I watched it because this is probably going to be my top show of the season for Death Parade combines Mushishi‘s exploration of the human condition with the purple lens flare and competition of No Game No Life. Backed up by the best opening credits of the season and the talent of Studio Madhouse, it’s highly assessable to all viewers of anime, both young and old. The presentation are created in such a way that it treats me like an adult and allows me to draw my own conclusions on the captivating stories behind the staff and ever rotating patrons of Quindecim.

Ansatsu Kyōshitsu (Assassination Classroom)

Just like Aldnoah.Zero, Assassination Class has a moon that has been half blown apart by a something that process an immense amount of power. However, unlike the mecha-filled explosion fest space epic of Aldnoah.Zero, Ansatsu Kyōshitsu goes for the insane premise of students trying to kill their teacher before graduation unless they want to experience the destruction of Earth firsthand. The whole show is an odd blend of heartwarming teacher/student relationships with murderous intent never very far off. When the teacher is a smiling yellow tentacles creature that can fly at Mach 20 and gives out free manicures, hijinxs are bound to ensure.

Junketsu no Maria (Maria the Virgin Witch)

Production IG is back to explore something that has been rarely touched upon and that is the Hundred Year War in medieval France. It’s art style lies somewhere between a typical Japanese anime and a production from Disney giving it a distinctive look that pleasing to the eye. Despite what the animation style might suggests, Junketsu no Maria is most definitely not targeted towards a younger audience as its own brand of sex comedy is cleverly interwoven with church politics and the brutality of its own setting. The characters are hilarious on every level and it’s looking only get more crazier as other witches, entire countries, the Catholic Church and Heavenly Realm are looking to get tangled in Maria’s witchcraft.

Rolling☆Girls

Studio Wit, the very same people who animated Attack on Titan and the Japanese-folklore centric Hōzuki no Reitetsu, is back with one of the most colorful and wacky shows of the season. With its eccentric battle system and creative locales, it’s goes far beyond of what a conventional anime entails but it doesn’t mean it’s a great show. While there are plenty of good moments, it doesn’t have the spark of shows that it draws inspiration from like Kill la Kill and FLCL. It also doesn’t help that the main narrative hasn’t presented itself yet although there are hints pointing to where the overall show is headed. In fact, I would say that Rolling Girls is somewhere along the standard of A-1 Pictures’ Sekai Seifuku: Bōryaku no Zuvizudā (World Conquest Zvezda Plot)where it had quirky concepts and plot but didn’t do anything special in its presentation. That being said, Rolling☆Girls is definitely worth a look, but don’t expect to be completely floored by it.

Tokyo Ghoul √A

Fans demanded more and now they have it, a mere three months after the first season ended on the most abrupt note I’ve ever seen, a brand new Tokyo Ghoul. Veering off into the original anime ending territory, Tokyo Ghoul √A is taking liberties with the source material. I don’t mind that anime have their own interpretation but the way it goes about introducing characters and throwing them into battle make that entire ghoul affair feel extremely rushed and underwhelming. I just see no way how this season can end on a coherence note with over 2/3 of the entire manga to work with. Animation-wise, those mere three months are certainly not enough to have Studio Pierrot break out of its reputation for some really subpar animation. Tokyo Ghoul √A is a fun ride so far but the possibility that the whole train might come barreling past the finish line with its engine on fire and half the passenger compartment missing, only grows with each passing week.

Kantai Collection

Fencedude is covering this show for the season, but I would like throw my two cents in on what I think about this mobile game adaptation. Having greatly enjoyed Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova - and Girl un Panzer, I was hoping that Kantai Collection would follow the same vein as though previous shows as they both had amazing action that I look for in an anime and a story that was fairly decent. Unfortunately, there is no such thing to be found in this magical girl show where the specters are traded for naval weapon systems bolted onto young middle-schoolers. Yes, the production values are quite high, but Kantai Collection doesn’t have the heart and soul of its predecessors as it goes about dabbling in mundane everyday struggles.

There were elements of fanservice and slice-of-life in those two other shows, but the battles were always the highlights as tanks shells and missiles are sent screaming towards the enemy in set pieces that always escalated into ludicrous proportions while tactical positioning and strategy meant more than the power of friendship. Coming from shows where girls actually drive 50-ton war machines or command warships that boasts lazer cannon and death beams, I’m severely bored with how Kantai Collection goes about its fighting that more rooted in Sailor Moon than anything else. This is more for the mobile game’s fan-base than any real attempt to create a product with any sense of depth.

For those of you looking for a good moe show, this fits the bill perfectly but this isn’t what I personally look for. Instead, I’m going put a video of the girls of Arpeggio of Blue Steel -Ars Nova- vaporizing their opponents in Kantai Collection mobile game while “Savior of Song” blasts from the background.

Yuri Kuma Arashi

What could go wrong with yuri girls hunting bears with a scoped rifle? A lot.

While the rest of the blogging community is rambling on about the deeper meaning behind the obscene amount of symbolism in the show, I’m left wondering why this isn’t titled “Symbolism: The Show”. The agonizing repetition of its themes and recycled scenes makes keeping up with this show each week a drag.

Dropped

The Four Generic Magical Harem LN Adaptations

Every season has one of these shows. Last season was Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de, which was actually quite good and had some genuinely outstanding moments. This time around, there is not one, not two, not even three but four of these things airing at the same time. I wouldn’t label any of them as good but rather just above mediocre enough to take a spot in my weekly schedule. Absolute Duo just keeps itself ahead of the pack with its intriguing and unique partnership between Tooru + Julie as they continue to push through their combat schooling and has a few other things that are atypical of the genre that it occupies. Other than that, it get progressivaly worse with Seiken Tsukai no World Break having a really cool chanting style of fighting but become insufferable whenever the imouto incestuous sister opens her mouth. Shinmai Maou no Testament is ecchi to the max while Juuou Mujin no Fafnir is just bland overall. Still, I’ll probably continue to watch all four of them as they’re all adorable in their own little way.

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata (How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend)

I was tempted to lump this in with the above generic harem category but the different subject matter, self-awareness and lack of actual magic powers doesn’t really fit into that classification. It’s more of show that pokes fun at the tropes, clichés, and current paradigm of the anime industry than being an drama. It’s not going win any awards but it’s good enough that Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata can garner a chuckle out of me each week.

Fall Leftovers

Parasyte -the maxim

Guys.

I have a confession to make.

I gave Parasyte the number four spot in my Top Five Fall 2014 Anime even though I stopped watching at about episode five. It’s just that after I blazed through the manga in two days, I lost the motivation and will to continue watching since I already spoiled the entire plotline for myself. However, that shouldn’t stop me from heaping praise onto it despite not catching up until two weeks ago because small things like actually watching a show shouldn’t matter. Jokes aside, everything about Madhouse’s adaption of this twenty-five year old manga remains of the highest quality as it faithfully reproduced with stellar visuals, tight pacing and that funky dubstep soundtrack as it consistently remains as one of the top shows for both Fall 2014 and Winter 2015.

Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo

I knew from the cover art and previews in the fall season that Cross Ange was going to be completely nuts with a female main character and dragons spewing out of a singularity and I was not disappointed in the least. The past seventeen episodes have been demonstrated that Cross Ange doesn’t really care about people’s expectations with its violence, full-on lesbianism and fanservice. and the plot is always driving itself forward in by upping the stakes and absurdness. This show certainly isn’t for everyone but if you can move past the first few episodes, it only steadily gets better from there making this one of my more pleasant surprises.

Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins)

I only started watching this show because Hiroyuki Sawano was doing the soundtrack but the Seven Deadly Sins is proving to be a really good type of shounen that doesn’t have a huge entrance cost of hundred of episodes that span multiple arcs and is completely devoid of filler. It’s main characters that makes up the Sins are overwhelming overpowered which is great, because watching training and leveling episodes are such a chore. The tournament to get back Diana’s weapon and recruiting Gowther are really enjoyable to watch and sets up . From what I’ve hear, the anime is on track close off the story before the manga will so it’s looking more to be a great ride until the end.

Final Thoughts

When I initially looked at the offering for the Winter 2015 season,  it was looking pretty bare outside of Aldnoah.Zero but I was wrong. Shows like Death Parade and Junketsu no Maria are really fantastic along with some surprises and other passable shows which is then buoyed by the leftovers from the fall season that continue to perform. I thought was I was going to have less shows to keep up with, not more, but winter is looking to be quite good in terms of quality and diversity. What shows are you watching and how do you feel about the winter season so far? Leave a comment below to share your opinions because I shared mine already and it’s your turn.