Once again I'm forced to ask myself whether I'm pre-judging too much, because the two shows I expected to be the class of the season are head-and-shoulders above the rest of them in my esteem. I suppose the counter-argument to that is that I've simply become quite comfortable with my own tastes, and passably good at spotting quality based on source material, staff and style. In any case, it's safe to say this season has gone more or less how I expected it to, with no major surprises (good or bad) so far. Sadly, that means it's exceedingly heavy on generic formula series that offer very little that's distinctive, interesting or original. Every season has them, every Summer has a higher percentage, but this one seems to have an awful lot.
The positive spin is that this represents a much-needed breather for me as a blogger, as well as the fact that there are several strong shows carrying over from Spring or earlier to keep me occupied. It was always plain that this was going to be a major step down from a very strong Spring - Summer anime seasons almost always are - and at least I'm not going to have to leave any really good shows off the blogging schedule this season. The one real annoyance to this season is that it's very heavily weighted toward the weekends, so Saturday and Sunday feel as busy as ever while the rest of the week (to some extent excluding Thursday) feels quite slow.
Here's my take on the new series gracing our screens:
THE BEST OF THE BEST
JINRUI WA SUITAI SHIMASHITA
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: A
Comments: This was the series I picked as the likely standout of the season, and it's actually exceeded my expectations. The first two arcs have been stylistically very different but both brilliant - the most recent episode (a blistering dissection of the manga industry) was peerless satire, and one of the best anime episodes I've seen in years. So far this is a flat-out great series - visually striking with its storybook art, hilariously funny, energetic, and stunningly smart. Any season with at least one great series can't be a total loss, and thank goodness for "Jinrui".
NATSUYUKI RENDEZVOUS
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A-
Comments: Right in the NoitaminA sweet-spot. The start has been subtle but involving, with the emotional impact ramped up significantly in episode 3. This one has a "tortoise vs. hare" quality that I think is going to serve it well as it gradually builds in impact, with the potential for a huge emotional payoff at the end. Nothing exactly blows you away, but the overall package is very effective.
THE BEST OF THE REST
SWORD ART ONLINE
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: The most-anticipated and discussed series of the summer by far. I'm trying very hard not to get dragged into the ugliness with the angry LN readers and the general "SAO" haters (not easy) and focus on the show itself - which so far is quite good. It's not an especially original conceit but the premise does have some bite to it, and A-1 has done a pretty good job of world-building in the first three eps. The premiere was the best of the three, which isn't the most encouraging sign, but I've found all the episodes entertaining and competently produced.
TARI TARI
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B
Comments: If "Hyouka" is pure time-wasting fun and" Kokoro Connect" is pure plot and character development, "Tari Tari" is trying to be Goldilocks and get it just right - and so far, mostly doing so pretty well. It's not as lavish as "HanaIro" but still has that lovely stylized P.A. Works look, and the overall tone is whimsical with just enough story to keep you hooked. I don't see anything all that complex or challenging here, but there's enough edge to this familiar premise to make the show entertaining.
KOKORO CONNECT
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: I was pretty pessimistic after the first ep, but the last two have been much, much better. There have been stumbles and the visuals from Silver Link are average at best (though refreshingly free of SHAFT imitation), but this has the makings of a pretty interesting character study. And there are elements here that are potentially quite original, which is always a plus.
WORTH WATCHING
KINGDOM
Episodes Watched: 8
Grade: B-
Comments: If the animation were even average, "Kingdom" might rank much higher. As is, the first few eps were almost ruined by the overuse of bad CGI - which has thankfully been less of a problem since - and the animation in general is very lackluster. And that's a shame, because it's a good show - very well-written, with a good old-fashioned historically epic quality to the story of empire-building and betrayal in ancient China.
CHOUYAKU HYAKUNIN ISSHU: UTA KOI
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: It's no "Chihayafuru", but Kasai Kenichi's 100 Poets adaptation has had some very fine moments as it takes a turn at interpreting the "Ogura Hyakunin Isshu" through a cast of nobles at the Heian Court. I'm not crazy about the animation and the ED may be the worst of 2012, but on balance there's a lot of good here if the subject matter is of interest to you.
BINBOUGAMI GA!
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: This is the show that takes on "Haiyore! Nyaruko-san's" mantle as the screwball, fourth-wall breaking comedy of the season. I 'd rank it about on par with that show so far - it hasn't made me laugh quite as hard, but it seems to have a better grasp of the character dynamics when it chooses to go into "serious" mode.
ON THE FENCE
KOI TO SENKYO TO CHOCOLATE
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C+
Comments: I don't like it as much as I did "Mashiroiro Symphony" at this stage, but there's enough that's unpredictable in "Koichoco" to keep me interested, at least for now. Interestingly for a VN adaptation, the plot is more interesting than the characters (and non-existent romance) so far.
MOYASHIMON RETURNS
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C+
Comments: I didn't like the first season as much as I feel like I should have, and I don't like this season quite as much as the first. Something about this premise and cast just doesn't quite click with me - the comedy is only mildly amusing and I don't really feel anything for the characters. It's an interesting conceit and that keeps me watching, but I never miss it when it's over.
ODA NOBUNA NO YABOU
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C
Comments: It's better than I expected, but - and I know this sounds odd to say in a medium where selling shows about cute girls on Blu-ray is the primary creative imperative - I find "Oda Nobuna" oddly sexist, or at least chauvinistic. I dislike the notion that if the Sengoku warlords were kawaii girls - even the ruthless Oda himself - they'd be prone to crying and unwise decisions driven by emotion, and that it's up to a modern male to make sure things don't go off the rails. It's better than most Sengoku alternative histories and "cute girls as..." shows, but it just doesn't sit right with me.
EBITEN
Episodes Watched: 1
Grade: Incomplete
Comments: Subs are a dicey proposition, the only available versions are horrendously bad quality, and the first ep was a mixed-bag comedically. But at least it didn't come out of a cookie-cutter, and it does have those great Inugami Kira ("Seitokai no Ichizon") character designs. I want to see at least one more episode before I decide.
DROPPED
LA STORIA DELLA ARCANA FAMIGLIA
CAMPIONE
MUV-LUV ALTERNATIVE
KONO NAKA NI HITORI
JOSHIRAKU
HAGURE YUUSHA NO ESTETICA
DAKARA BOKU WA, H GA DEKINAI
Only two top-category series and five that are of real interest isn't exactly a haul, but with the strong carryover from earlier seasons things aren't a total loss. This is what the blogging schedule looks like at the moment:
MONDAY:
DEFINITELY BLOGGING: "Kingdom" (generally late due to subbing schedule), "Uta Koi"
TUESDAY:
DEFINITELY BLOGGING: "Ginga e Kickoff" (on broadcast hiatus till 8/25)
WEDNESDAY:
None
THURSDAY:
DEFINITELY BLOGGING: "Eureka Seven Astral Ocean, Natsuyuki Rendezvous, Shirokuma Cafe"
PROBABLY BLOGGING: "Binbougami Ga!"
MAY BLOG/DIGEST: "Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate"
FRIDAY:
PROBABLY BLOGGING/DIGEST: "Accel World"
SATURDAY:
DEFINITELY BLOGGING: "Kokoro Connect, Sword Art Online, Hunter X Hunter 2011"
POSSIBLY BLOGGING/DIGEST: "Ebiten"
SUNDAY:
DEFINITELY BLOGGING: "Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, Uchuu Kyoudai, Hyouka, Tari Tari"
DEFINITELY BLOGGING, POSSIBLY DIGEST: "Mobile Suit Gundam AGE"
PROBABLY DROPPING:" Oda Nobuna no Yabou"
WATCHING BUT NOT BLOGGING: "Fairy Tail, Area no Kishi, Kuroko no Basuke, Poyopoyo, Kuromajo"
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