Meta Team’s Top 3 Summer’12 Anime
(」・ω・)」あおー！ (／・ω・)／ こっ！
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Summer was pretty busy for me. I was literally buried under many trainings and workshops along with lots of new responsibilities at work, which meant less time for aniblogging but I still somehow went by and my Fall list now looks massive. I ended up following more of the two cours and long running shows than the actual Summer shows however there was no lull or lack of releases. This season, I’m blogging Shin Sekai Yori and K but trying my best to squeeze in some JoJo in the middle whenever I can because it’s too amusing and awesome to let go.
[ Hyouka ] For people who didn’t like this… What’s wrong with you?! I still remember wondering about this and asking around on twitter, if I should check it out and got into some interesting conversations, one of them led to a post by Martin even. Hyouka is slow-paced but atmospheric with indulgence over character development. The mysterious are not deep neither hard to figure out but the way of reveal is what set this series apart. Houtarou’s processing of every piece of information and data was brilliantly portrayed and down the line of finding clues over mini-mysteries, we got to know about the characters as well. Everyone came alive for me and I adored all four of them, even when all of them minus Houtarou annoyed me at one point or another. This was a good moe for me, when I categorize most as meh.
[ Natsuyuki Rendezvous ] This was the highlight of Summer season for me. Definitely a worthwhile addition to my favourite Josei list because it dealt with some painful realities but still managed to be a heartfelt love story. You really don’t find such stories in this day and age because somehow simplicity of emotions is not trending anymore; though, Natsuyuki did it brilliantly. Of course, supernatural element of a ghost and possession added complexity but everything worked out and you really end up rooting for everyone rather than taking side (I just couldn’t take sides because all three of them had their reasons). This was a beautiful story with its quirky fun and highly-charged emotional moments at unexpected turns.
[ Phi Brain S2 ] Everyone should be DOWN WITH PUZZLES because they have FEELINGS, LOVE and FRIENDSHIP… No seriously. I would never see puzzles in the same light again because \watching Phi Brain has made me appreciate them even more. The intricacy of how it’s devised to its execution, all have become a new formula under this series setting. I’ve come to love the Phi Brain children with their cohorts so even when a beach episode chimed in, I kept on watching. I’m pretty sure the capable staff can chug out another season or two of same awesomeness. If they do, I’m sure the puzzle-loving crowd of Metanorn would again crown them under our top 5 seasonal series. :3
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Boy oh boy summer sure went by fast didn’t it? The last thing I remember was complaining about all the heat which brings tons of random thunderstorms and LOTS AND LOTS of rain for us Florida people out there and this brings an end to the summer anime season…so what anime of this season stood out the most out of everything else? Honestly a lot of it was hit and miss for the most part because of the lack of AMAZING shows, but of course some of them carried over from the previous season. That said there were plenty of surprise hits for me personally like Tari Tari, Bimbogami ga! Koroko Connect, Dakara Boku wa, H Deninai, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita and the thrilling end to the always crazy and addictive Phi Brain s2! Well damn my list is all over the place huh? I just can’t help but love almost everything! So readers what was the best and worst anime of summer 2012 for you?
[ Eureka Seven AO ] I forget how excited I was whenever this series was originally announced, but I think I remember saying something like “OH MY GOD MORE EUREKA SEVEN!? HELL YES!” after hearing that news I really had no idea what the series was going to follow for a story; however after the first few episodes everything slowly pointed towards Ao being the son of Eureka and Renton? Then again Bones had me hook line and sinker with mecha because I just finished watching Aquarion EVOL. Reviewing this series was interesting because it got a great conversation going over twitter with JoeAnimated, illegenes, Wendeego, Vuc, Donkangoljones, and Otou-san. I always had fun doing those mini talk “podcasts” every week with Jrow, so yeah I have to give him a shout out for helping me out with those recordings and our special guests JoeAnimated and Amuro! More Show ▼
[ Rinne no Lagrange ] YES!! Rinne no Lagrange was so much fun to watch and blog, but it had plenty of ups and downs in terms of overall plot because they never really explained a whole lot at the start of the series. Then again that added an extra wow factor for those surprise reveals. I remember at the start most people out there on twitter simply wrote Rinne no lagrange off as another “mecha-fan-service -yuri-ish-anime” and yes I agree with them for the most part because they did have several fan-service shots at the start that they always seemed to imply that the three main girls had a yuri-like relationship on screen; however after you get through those random moments you get pulled in by the characters! Like Madoka? Who could seriously hate someone as enthusiastic as her? Yes I know at the start she did get very annoying to most of us, but that is what I loved about her because I have a similar attitude with everyday life. Overall, I would easily recommend Rinne no Lagrange to anyone that likes hyper main characters, random fan service, giant mecha battles or amazing soundtracks! Did I mention the OST? Because DAMN I loveeeeed it! Anyway Rinne no Lagrange might not be ver “maru” to quote Madoka, but I had a lot of fun with it and I need to give a shout to Kara for being an awesome tag team partner! WE ROCK!
[ Yuru Yuri S2 ] AKAARIINNN! That phrase started my extreme love of Yuru Yuri back in July 2011. That was a great year because it introduced us to Chinatasu, Akarin, Yui and the best character of all time Kyouko? Err I mean TOSHINOOOU KYOUKOOOO! I loved how over the top that girl got. I mean one minute she is quietly reading and the next minute she explodes with hyper energy. Yuru Yuri obviously has “Yuri” in the title so I bet it is a constant yuri-fest right? I can say yes and no to that fact, but it doesn’t completely avoid the subject. When you have characters like Kyouko, Chinatasu, Ayano and Chitose who always have yuri on their minds, but nothing to hardcore most of it seems playful and comedic like the famous kiss scene from season one? Who could forget that crazy kiss with Chinatasu and Akarin? IT WAS HILARIOUS. More Show ▼
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Summer ’12 was not a strong season for anime, something to be expected after a pretty solid Spring season with lots of interesting series. The only Summer-debuting series I had any real interest towards was Binbougami Ga; having Dakara in my top 3 is almost by default had I not kept up with Campione. Sword Art Online is an alright one, but we’ll be talking about that plenty by Fall’s end.
Fall ’12 has a pretty good list of shows. I’ll be watching plenty, but blogging no more than I did in Summer. I’ll be covering Sakurasou’s Pet for a very nerfed version of MetaFap this season (sunbeam-chan being a bitch) and I’ll be joining Fosh for weekly podcast discussions of Robotics;Notes.
[ Eureka Seven AO ] The end is near yet so far away. I can still give credit to 22 episodes of some really engaging anime that marks, in my opinion, a return to form for Bones studio. Such impressive art and animation, the story leaves me thinking about the show’s universe as a whole and Fukai Ao has actually been an alright lead in Astral Ocean. It’s been fun talking w/ Fosh and the others on the “mini-talk” podcasts and surely we’ll have bunches to say in November when the series officially concludes.
[ Binbougami Ga! ] Amongst a pile of crap, the one debuting anime I enjoyed from this season actually had a shit god in it. Comedies are difficult with me because I’m not too high on them in anime form and few can break me into laughter, and Binbougami was able to crack me up and have a decent story hold it up just enough. The way Binbougami does parody is a little different in that it does something of its own with it, such as how the Fist of the North Star reference became a class trend rather than just a typical shoutout to old timey anime. You can’t just pop shit up or say a line and I laugh going, “haha they referenced something!” Sakura & Momoji were the funnest part of the Summer anime season for me and more of them in the future would be welcome.
[ Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai ] Can’t believe I’m actually putting this in my top 3. Good god, Summer anime sucked balls.
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I must confess that I didn’t watch a whole lot of shows this season. So many shows looked exactly like the kind of thing I actively try and avoid, so I picked my favourites from only a handful of shows. That doesn’t make my pick for Phi Brain as number one any less valid though! Although Summer felt like a quiet lull, the upcoming Fall season seems to be packed with exciting shows to make up for it. I’m more cut out for violence than melodrama. So as we honour the summer shows that rose above the rest and say goodbye, we must also welcome the new Fall shows too. I’ll be blogging Psycho-Pass, Btooom!, and continuing my tag team of Sword Art Online. I’ll do my best to keep you guys happy~ ;D
[ Phi Brain 2 ] Calloused fingers run through the practiced motions, turning the rubix cube around in an almost instinctual twisting motion. He barely even needs to look at what his hands are doing – the colours just seem to line up like soldiers as a sheer result of time passing by. However, his fingers slow down a fraction of a second from their task as the gravity of the situation begins to sink in. Instead of focusing on the cube in his hands, his thoughts wander to the huge stakes of the puzzle. It’s never just a puzzle – there’s always a life at stake. Every Saturday morning crossword and 5th grade math equation could mean life or death for Kaito and anyone close to him. He breaks out into a cold sweat, his heart now pounding faster than the rhythm of his nimble fingers across the cube. He’s going to lose it all if he doesn’t make it. 5 more seconds. Then 4. Then 3. 2. Before the timer buzzes, Kaito finishes the puzzle and cries out in triumph. Or in agony. No one understands what torment this high school drop-out feels from his life-consuming puzzle addiction. As if he were underwater, he can hear a distorted voice from far away. “You did it! You solved it Kaito!” Suddenly, he’s catapulted back to reality and he realizes what’s going on. Kaito is surrounded by his horny, homosexual harem who are so hot and bothered by his puzzle skills that they can’t refrain themselves from his charm any longer. Kaito accepts the challenge with a curt nod, entering Phi Brain mode to calculate just how their bodies should all fit together in his bed to make their jigsaw “puzzle time” truly perfect. Let’s…play up.
[ Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita ] I like shows that get you to think. Jintai failed to be a convincing comedy after the first 2 episodes (I don’t think I actually laughed or smirked after that point) but it always had a fun “message of the day” that could be interpreted multiple ways. In fact, my favourite part of Jintai was probably reading the posts after since different people would glean different intended meanings from each episode. It was a clever show – really clever! – although the execution wasn’t always as sharp as I’d have liked. Some points flew over my head while others were so broad that the diffuse statements made me unsure if the topic really mattered to me. Still, Jintai had an amazingly cynical yet comedic tone that made it stand out this season. Best character of the season? The fairies. No contest!
[ Kuroko no Basuke ] My expectations for this show were very low when it started. Kuroko no Basuke is a typical shounen sports manga with flashy moves that regularly make Physics professors cry, gorgeous bishounen, and tons of spirited catchphrases about being the best at (insertsporthere) in the world! However, it’s a particularly good and exciting typical shounen sports manga. The characters are loveable, the action is great, and the special moves are so over-the-top that it makes it so that literally anything can happen on the court. There are no limits to what can happen, and what kind of opponents can appear. However, the number one reason this show is such a winner is most likely the sheer volume of bishounen (who seem just as interested in other hot guys as I am). The amount of fujoshi-pandering keeps fangirls like me hooked, but at least I don’t have to feel too ashamed since there’s some actual depth behind all the locker room flirting.
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To be honest, I’m actually disappointed with summer anime’s lineup. Not that my expectation was high since it was summer and all, but DAMN. I even have to find comfort on last season’s anime. Fortunately, there were some entertaining summer anime that will be mentioned in my list. But damn…
[ Kuroko no Basuke ] You might think that it’s just my bias kicking, but that’s not true. I truly enjoyed Kuroko no Basuke. The basketball styles are exaggerated like crazy, but that’s what makes the whole thing interesting. It was able to pump my adrenaline just by watching it, and every cliffhanger left me in despair, making me crave for next week’s episode. Look, I’m exaggerating right now. Look at what this anime did to me. The story might be shallow and dramatic at times, but who cares about that when the anime is exciting already? Not to mention the bishies and the homosexual tension among the characters. The viewer can literally ship every character with each other. Whoops, I guess I do have some bias after all.
[ Hyouka ] “Whoa, I wasted half an hour of my life by watching it,” was my first reaction to Hyouka. The main character’s dull personality was disappointing at first, and the whole idea of a Classic Club was just silly. Now it’s time for me to apologize because I was wrong about Hyouka. Though it started weak, the characters grew in me, and their weak points became their plusses. The stories are somewhere between ordinary and exceptional, and that’s what makes Hyouka more enjoyable. Let’s not forget the thin line between friendship and romance some of the characters have with each other, making this anime more appealing for romance lovers like me. And them pwetty animation!
[ Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon 2 ] I’m probably the only Horizon fan in METANORN, but I’m a proud Horizon fan. The world in Horizon and its complexity never cease to amaze me. It astonishes me how some of the most complex system and unwritten rules are created out of the simplest things in this world (such as flower!). While it might not have the best character design in the anime world, I take my hat off to the author and his rich imagination. Ono Daisuke did a great job voicing a talking hat- er, ninja too. (bias revealed)
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I think I’ve figured out that I like the summer and winter seasons for the fact it’s just so much easier for me to figure out what to watch. When there are only a handful of show I actually care about, everything is so much easier to manage. Anyways, I liked what I saw in summer and I’m ready for Fall to bring it’s best …and worst.
[ Hyouka ] What can I say about this show that I haven’t already? The plot was extremely slow, mundane and nothing ever happened. …Though eventually that became the best part about it since it let the characters shine through. The stereotypical characters became more than just that and all of the four main characters had some pretty intricate (yet believable) personalities. Not only that, but since KyoAni paid a huge amount of attention to details, the scenery of the place just came alive (…plus the fact that KyoAni is like the god of anime quality). Overall though, I really liked blogging this since there was just so much to talk about and analyse each episode. It was more than just Houtarou solving a mystery, there was always something deeper there. Sure, I was severely disappointed at the beginning, but sticking with Hyouka really paid off in the end. …Points for also having an ending that I actually liked as well.
[ Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita ] – This was endlessly entertaining. I can’t say that I pondered each episode deeply like I’ve seen other people do, but I did enjoy it on a satirical level. It went into the morbid notion of humanity ending and then got away with addressing topics like the fall of civilization while making things… less… morbid since those fairies were just the most adorable things ever. It addressed some really complex issues in such simple terms. I can see where people were unhappy with how vaguely this anime addressed each topic (and even I have some questions as to what some things meant), but it went far enough for my satisfaction. The fact that the story wasn’t chronological helped with that too. The messages were vague, when the story actually took place was vague and somehow and in the end the vagueness just kind of… worked together.
[ Phi Brain 2 ] There’s just something magical about a show that can make solving a Rubik’s cube THE most badass and death defying feat ever. On top of that though, Phi Brain took things even further this season and added in one of the weirdest (yet strangely shippable) character relationships that I’ve seen. Phi Brain was pretty great to begin with, but that finale was just the right amount of drama and epic puzzle action. I guess what I liked about the show was that it had all of the elements of your generic shounen anime, but it replaced all of the physical fighting with a battle of wits. Puzzles can be just as badass as punching through brick walls (…and apparently if you’re good enough at puzzles, you can do both). Season 3 is going to be fabulous.
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Well, this season wasn’t quite as magical as the one that preceded it, but it did have what I believe is the best show of the year, which is saying something considering what else came out this year. I don’t know how fall will shape up, but at least we’ve got Shaft returning with the one cute-girls-doing-cute-things series I enjoy, Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb. I’ll be blogging that one. Another sequel that I’m (not at all ironically) looking forward to is Medaka Box Abnormal. Look forward to more coverage on that!
[ Hyouka ] I already wrote quite a bit with Kara about my love for this show. Hyouka was a wonderful coming of age tale that was outstanding at building its characters, better than pretty much any other show out there. Kyoto Animation flexed its production muscles, using its best-in-the-business animation to try some more abstract art than its usual, resulting in quite possibly the most beautiful TV anime ever. Tanaka Kouhei‘s poignant – at times magnificent – soundtrack was fitting accompaniment to the best anime of 2012.
[ Joshiraku ] As a huge Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei fan, I was caught off guard by Joshiraku. A comedy series based on another comic written by Kouji Kumeta with character designs by Masayoshi Tanaka of Toradora/AnoHana/NatsuMachi fame? How had I not heard of this before? And it delivered, providing the same sort of meta/political/wordplay humor that had made Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei so funny. I looked forward to new laughs every week, and it never let me down. It also had the best opening and ending of the season, and the art was surprisingly good, with comically fluid animation and plenty of variety in the girls’ costumes. Joshiraku is one of the best anime comedies I’ve seen.
[ Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita ] Humanity Has Declined built up a lot of hype with an unforgettable first episode, only to slowly waste its goodwill, failing to deliver more than some groans and chuckles with each episode. It was in the final arc that it finally gave us a reason to care, telling the cliche story about the abused loner at school about as well as it can be told. It was a beautiful sendoff to a show that didn’t fully make good on its promise, and it was enough to push it to my top 3 of the season.
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While I didn’t quite have the time to check out every show this season, the few I did manage to stay up to date with were well worth the effort. (By effort I mean squeezing episodes in between classes, work, and studying!) With that said, I’ll be taking a break on episodic blogging this upcoming season, but I’ll be pitching in with the usual Saimoe posts and hopefully some occasional digests, first impressions, or editorials. So, I’ll be seeing you around!~
[ Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita ] By far the most intriguing show to watch this season. Every episode presented some extremely peculiar scenarios and even now I’m trying to piece together the timeline of events. Jintai is one of those rare shows that leaves me curious and questioning long after the episode ends. “What’s the significance of this character’s name, or that ambiguous dialogue?” It led me searching for answers on blogs and various websites, and for me that’s a very entertaining thing to do. And anyway, who could resist those adorable fairies?
[ Hyouka ] I never planned on watching Hyouka, and in fact was waiting for it to end first, but a sudden urge led me to start the show and I regret nothing! I loved the lighthearted mysteries, but of course the main pleasure came from watching the relationships between the main cast grow. I can’t find a single weak point in the cast, as they all grew on me over time. The production quality was spectacular as well!
[ Joshiraku ] Although I’m still only about ⅔ of the way through Joshiraku (the subs take some time to be released, which is something I shouldn’t complain about!) this comedy anime has been one of the most downright hilarious I’ve seen this year. Give it a try if you haven’t already!
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Damn, it was a hot summer if you take into considering Haguure Yuusha. Some of those scenes were almost hentai worthy. But in all honesty, it isn’t really a summer without Queen’s Blade, but Dakara H Ga, Dekinai filled that spot admirably. Other than that I was rather impressed by this summer’s lineup because of the sheer quality of titles that have evaded this season before. All in all I was quite impressed by some of the shows and it has me hyped for a star studded fall seasons. Good work Anime Studios! The summer season wasn’t complete trash.
[ Kokoro Connect ] stole my heart. This show has been surprising at every turn, and not a week goes by that it doesn’t take my breath away. The characters are complex and interesting and really show arcs of growth throughout the series. The strongest aspect of the show is the way it uses its supernatural elements to enhance the drama, and not be the focus of it. Whether it be body switching, desire unleashing, or time shifting, this is a story about children trying to deal with a confusing world. It serves as a strong metaphor for adolescence in general. As a passageway from childhood to adulthood, we begin to question our decisions of the past and wonder what their ramifications will be going forward. Our identities become the focus of exploration and how those decisions are branches of our persona. If anything Kokoro Connect is show with the human element imbued into its dialogue, characters and narrative. It’s made out of the very fabric of our collective youth. I don’t know if this is just the show of the summer… it’s the show of the year for me.
[ Natsuyuki Rendezvous ] made me remember the relationships of my past. Every scene whispered memories that I had long tucked away. It shared my secrets with me like an old friend that I hadn’t seen for a while. The success of this series lies in its strong characters that drive the plot forward. Very close attention was paid to subtle aspects of the three leads to make them very relatable. Leaving this series felt like I was saying goodbye to some very old friends.
[ Uta Koi ] isn’t exactly perfect. There were flaws with the pacing, and the art and music quickly became tiring. What Uta Koi is a great homage to the past and the history of poetry. If you have even the smallest fetish for the written verse then this show is right up your alley. The fantastic characters are just icing on the cake.
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Like always, we compiled a team poll of Top 5 anime that ended airing in Summer season of 2012 and this time we have another interesting result. Along with the top 5 above, the latter five were: Eureka Seven Ao, Joshiraku, Binbougami ga!, Yuru Yuri S2 and Kokoro Connect. That was our team choice, now it’s your turn to tell us your own top seven of Summer and reason for selection. Till next time, ja ne~
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About Team Meta
We are the deadly team of Metanorn. When together, we usually come up with long, informative reviews and commentary. After all, we take fangirling seriously!
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
Horizon II, Dog Days 2, Moyashimon Returns and Ebiten are missing from the poll <.<
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Titles added.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I see Hyouka is in a lot of the team’s list! I still need to watch that, I have all 22 episodes + special just waiting for me to watch! It’s just a little bit behind on my queue list.
Summer for me was a bust, a lot of potential and a lot of duds and lowered expectations as the season went on.
My top 3 would be:
kokoro connect – absolutely loved this show, it’s cute, fun, and has romance! I ahve to admit the first time I heard about the gender swap premise I was worried it would turn into an ecchi type show, and I’m glad it didn’t (not that there is anything wrong with ecchi)!
After this it drops off a cliff (unless I include SAO, but it hasn’t ended yet), so I’ll go with Horizon (I liked the first season more, but the second was still pretty good), and then… ummm… probably Dog Days S2. It’s cheerful and fun. Tari Tari, Binbougami, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, Campione,
Hagure Yuusha, and Oda Nobuna all started out strong, only to fizzle a few episodes in, or just die right at the ending (Tari Tari, Binbou, Chocolate, Oda, I’m looking at you four).
On the other hand, Fall has been simply amazing… so many shows and so much viewing pleasure. I am so LADY.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Oh, and Eureka 7 Ao was great (I loved the original more, but I disgress), though I don’t really consider it a Summer show, since I only consider when it starts airing and not ending.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yeah I know what you mean about Eureka Seven Ao and yeah it did stop for 3 1/2 weeks during the Olympics and now we have to wait until November 19th to finish the final two episodes.
Original E7 was GREAT, but they also had more episodes to work with while AO only has 24…I wish AO had more time to develop their story and characters T______T
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Summer was easy to pick out what was good, bad and exceptional. Honestly, it wasn’t very strong. That won’t be the case when we deal with the top choices for Fall. My top three summer animes are: Rinne no Lagrange S2, Hyouka and Phi Brain S2. Even though two out of the three officially started from a previous season which makes it odd to classify them into the next.
The Honorable mentions are: Eureka Seven AO, Accel World, Oda Nobuna no Yabou, Hagure Yuusha no Estetica, Binbougami ga!, Dakara Boku wa, H ga Dekinai, Campione!, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, Who is Imouto?. I’ll even add Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse since I started watching again and it isn’t half bad.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
If we were having a poll of “Show you were most happy it’s over”, Accel World would win by a mile. I almost dropped it entirely with Haru’s whinefest in episode 15, but instead skipped through that episode and came back to it, and it came out acceptable. But for more of it? Yick.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
And booo, Spammy ate my big comment.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
fufufufu agreed 150% on Accel world bro! What the hell was going on with Haru all the freaking time? I don’t think I will watch another season of AW…maybe…they would have to change Haru >.<
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Those are excellent choices! Rinne <3 I MISS IT SO~
Wooo! E7AO, Oda Nobuna no Yabou and Binbougami ga! Also wonderful choices <3
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
What has me excited is that thanks to the cliffhanger, Oda Nobuna no Yabou has the possibility of a second season. Binbougami ga! was pretty good as well.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
These are both impressive possibilities…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
For me, the top three were Hyouka, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, and Tari Tari, with Oda Nobuna, RnL, Hagure Yuusha, and YuruYuri coming up behind. I did think the ending to KoiChoco was a bit of a letdown, especially given the promise it was showing 2/3 through, but found the end to Tari Tari to be excellent. It was a show that never pretended to be anything, it just was what it was, and was good at it. The show that had the best ending was YuruYuri, which paid off 2 cours of character quirks and relationship hinting with the funniest 15 minutes of anime I may have ever seen. Hagure Yuusha no Sexual Harrassment was unabashedly what it was, and having a super badass hero, who was basically untested throughout the whole series, when even he didn’t know how strong he was, was a lot more fun than it started out as.
Jinrui wa Suitaishimashita was good as well, but I felt it too frequently devolved into ham-handed didactic storytelling, particularly of caricaturally simplistic viewpoints. Kokoro Connect I really liked through the Hito and Kako Random arcs, but I didn’t really care for the Kizu random arc nearly as much.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I got the KokoCo arcs mixed up. I liked Hito and Kizu, not Kako.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
I barely had time this summer so i had to put hagure yuusha and campione even though they suck…
honorable mentions for me are: Accel world, Dakara boku wa,H ga dekinai, kuroko, Oda Nobuna and Phi Brain.
Campione and hagure yuusha are not honorable but still it should be mentioned
my TOP 3: Accel, Oda Nobuna and Kuroko (as strange as it seems I love the manga and the anime wasn’t half bad)
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I know it’s a top post, but for shows that were straight out disappointing, Arcana Famiglia tops the list for obvious reasons. Just a terrible adaptation, boring and pointless. And I have to add Natsuyuki Rendezvous in because it had good momentum, a good story happening, and then they body-swapped. Not for an episode, not for 2, 3, but for half the freakin show. And Shimao was just a completely unsympathetic character to me, no matter how much they tried.
Campione and Boku H were also disappointing, Campione because it was so terrible and disjointed, even though it had great character art for Erica. Merging mythologies willy-nilly would have been fine if they’d made sense. And half the battles were boring “I’ma talk at you until you lose, and losing means you just walk away.” Boku H also had a great looking character in Lisara (and listen to, I thought Aya Endo did a great job with her), probably my favorite character to look at all season, but the show really seemed to cheap out, using that “let’s reduce the amount of area we have to draw” haze filter for half the series, having some episodes with just terrible animation (#11), and while I felt the story had a lot of promise when they got into it, it fizzled out too much.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
LOL don’t even remind me of that show. As for Natsuyuki, I felt that disappointment as well. I can’t say that I liked the original set up, but I felt like 50% of the show was Shimao acting like a child (I didn’t really sympathize with him either… or any character for that matter) and 50% that other guy wandering about some storybook world. …I have to say that the ending worked nicely though.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Jolly is the only good thing from that show
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
FK YA Jolly was awesome but 100000% creepy! Just kidding he was interesting and he loves science? Double points for him right there.
POWUH: 500-599 with 543 comments
I guess I liked Kokoro Connect up until episode 10, where I dropped it out of annoyance. Just having 6 characters in the club with obvious couples would have been better than making everyone in love with Taichi.
Other than that… really didn’t watch much. None of the shows were interesting premise-wise (to me) while avoiding ecchi and harem. That’s all I need to try out a show, but alas, there wasn’t much.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
AGREED! I felt the whole love triangle was pointless and it was kind of forced on Taichi just to provide random bits of drama? WTF no thanks! I still had fun with it but damn…I liked the body swaps and the turning into children WAYYYY better than the desires stuff >.< Summer was decent but overall you are correct there wasn't a lot to really enjoy I think I saw roughly half of that season? I liked Rinne s2 and Yuru Yuri s2! Lots of season twos!
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 304 comments
I liked Hyouka and…. that’s it. I ended up dropping everything else over the summer except for Kokoro Connect and Tari Tari, which are currently on-hold because I have a load of Fall anime that I’m trying to prioritize watching so I don’t feel like I can judge them.
It was a pretty disappointing season for me. But after such an amazing spring season (Tsuritama is almost definitely going to be favorite anime of the year), I think any thing that airs after it would have been kind of disappointing. Except for this Fall season. This Fall is pretty spectacular to me so far.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I liked Hyouka, Kokoro and Tari tari! They were nice shows even though there were plenty of zzzz moments between the three series, but very entertaining in the end! I could go for second seasons even though Kokoro isn’t really “over” same for Eureka Seven Ao.
Ooooh yearly? Hmmmmm tough call! I would probably lean more towards Rinne no Lagrange or Mouretsu Pirates or Aquarion EVOL! Lots of gooooood stuff <3
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
I’m riding the Sushi Kart, I LOVED Kokoro Connect for similar reasons even though there is still mixed views on the show in the aniblogsphere. Some would argue how the ending felt rushed (even though there’s still 4 more episodes left) and I believe the novel hasn’t finished as well?
It was a great character-driven series in my opinion and I enjoyed the roller coaster ESPECIALLY in the climax of Iori’s arc!! Even though we all knew she wouldn’t die (because it’s anime) it was still a touching and dramatic episode through and through AND AND AND OMG… those fricken PREVIEWS are the BEST previews I’ve seen in my whole experience with anime. It knows how to get your attention without spoilering you, tying it with the beautiful ED song…. sigh…. I’m gonna miss this show 🙁
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
To be honest I’m a bit annoyed at how they handling the extra 4 episodes, rushed through the 3rd arc and left us with an incomplete cliffhanger like that, but I’m not really anyone to complain. I heard the novel series will end with the next publish next spring, but that’s in Japanese ofc… English translation still struggling. Speaking of which, isn’t that when the last set of anime BD will be released? Good timing.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
There are so many shows I watched that would have had much higher ratings if they had ended at episode 8, 9, or 10. Kokoro Connect, Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate, Boku H, Natsuyuki Rendezvous (that one if they had moved the ending up and cut out some of the second half). Some really poor finishes.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
I agree with both of you, Kokoro Connect should’ve either went all the way and animated the extra 4 episodes weekly alongside the 13 OR end it a little bit sooner (like what Highway suggests) so there’s more room for a second season THUS maybe the last arc wouldn’t have felt so rushed 🙁
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
LOLOL Riding the Sushi Kart eh? Is that what we call it now? Fufufu you so crazy Tofu!
Kokoro Connect was alright I just got annoyed with the forced drama of a random love triangle! Thank god Yui was not part of that or it would have turned into CHAOS, but I like the whole idea of the swapping part even though that is cheesy and overused.
I feel you on the final episodes buddy! The same thing has happened to Eureka Seven Ao it hasn’t really ended yet and the fans will continue to wait until Nov 19th.
Previews were like “hold your breath” wait…wait…OH MY GOD WHAT THE?! Those were the best, but also very misleading as well because there were times when something was shown and you probably thought “is someone going to die next time?” those were my normal reactions hahaha
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Riding the Sushi Kart? Riding the Sushi Kart? Riding the Sushi Kart? Hmmmmm. This has some gas…
Yeah, that rushed last episode of Kokora, a blemish on an extensively beautiful face. I’m still champing at the bit for the last episodes. March of ’13? Rlly Silver Link?
POWUH: Meta Resident and Yōko Fanboy with 1246 comments
If Yui ended up liking Taichi too… oh god… but yeah, those previews were AMAZING! Would love to know what’s the new ‘plot’ for the next arc playing out within the 4 episodes.
And yes, I coin the phrase ‘riding the sushi kart’ >;D But I get the feeling Sushi already coined it
POWUH: 400-499 with 489 comments
Kuroko no basuke easily a favorite of mine. Hyouka has so many votes. I need to watch it. I demand a 3rd season of yuru yuri NOW
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I love you for demanding a 3rd season of Yuru Yuri! I loved that so much xD
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I almost don’t want to ruin the way they left it with that play. That was just too good.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Hahaha hell ya Highway~
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Agreed with Jrow…that season kinda sucked balls. I only watched a handful of shows.
HAHA I wrote so much it barely fit. That’s how much I love Phi Brain. I’m so pleased it made it to THIRD PLACE on our list. Season 3 needs to get first place when it comes out…I just need to convert more Metanorn writers into liking it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
Next season, OC. The next season of Phi Brain, we push it to #1.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Phi brain s3 and a MOVIE! Come on that studio can do it <3
POWUH: iLurker with 3 comments
It’s crazy how much better the second half of Hyouka was than the first.
POWUH: Meta Team and Megane-chan with 3214 comments
No kidding. As soon as they started going in depth with the characters, things got so much better.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Things picked up on second cour but I still liked the whole effect. Slow start was necessary in establishing the characters.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I dunno, I really liked the whole thing, and didn’t really feel like there was a big quality gap between the first half and the second half. I think it might have been more that the investment we put in the characters was larger in the second half than in the first half, which might make the first half a lot better if you go back and rewatch it.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Agreed.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments
lol ..i’ve been waitting for this voting session almost a year ..weelll can’t get enough of yuri yuri for me
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
We do this after every 3-4 months on the basis of seasons. ^^
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
No Horizon fan here? Good god, what is wrong with you people
*sobbing at the corner of a room*
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I am still debating w/h myself whether can I get pass the 1st episode of Horizon…. Too much boobs…. and I stopped halfway.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Hmmm…Best 3 eh… does the show I’m not dome with count?
*Not in any order*
Hyouka, Jintai and Tari Tari.
Honorary mention: Natsuyuki Rendevous (D*mn forgot to vote tht) and Accel World.
I’d include MLA: TE and SAO if not due to it hasn’t end airing.
And lol I saw ppl badmouthing MLA: TE for it turning into a harem. They hadn’t saw anything yet XD
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Man, watching Infinite Strat… er, I mean Total Eclipse was pretty eye-rolling this week. It didn’t help that Ishihara Kaori puts too much of Kyouno Madoka’s mannerisms into Lt. Cui, with the ‘Hmph’ and ‘Onnnnhhhh?’. But I guess it’s good that Madoka found more giant robots to pilot…
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
I’m more than seven episodes behind for that show. Still lots of CG?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
The CG is the good parts. The animation of the rest is pretty sketchy, especially faces and mouths. The newer mechs are growing on me some, and seem less ‘stack of boxes’. After they finished the last storyline, tho, the plot has kinda gone in a different direction…
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
the mechs actually have proper shapes now?
Gosh, how am I going to catch up and review everything at once. Uuuuuuuffffffffffffff
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Where there is a will, there is a way. I’m sure you can pull it off.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
GO GO GO I’m sure you can find a way to pull it off… I guess XD
Well I lacked a quality scanner eye so I can’t comment on the QUALITY moments but the Kamchaka (how do u spell tht again?) was pretty…. well epic. ATM though its the typical “calm be4 the storm” stuff of ML verse. But the CG of the TSF last episode was pretty good. (I have yet to ssee tht episode, curses h/work and why am I still here >.<)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
1)The PMS Cycle of Oda Nobuna. No fewer than six lolis in the cast, three of them major supporting characters, some good character and narrative pacing and Satou keeping it so tsundere. Oh, and Saru.
2) Bimbougami-ka Good comedy, good melodrama. Great characters and a strong sense of style.
3) Hyou-ka. What more needs be said. I would have placed it at number one if not for Year of the Loli status that Nobuna enjoys.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
<3 Oda Nobuna DAT Kanae Itou! She is the best part of that series and the music by Yasuharu Takanashi was AMAZING <3 gotta love his stuff from Fairy Tail and every other Precure! Anyway that was a surprise hit for me.
Bimbougami-ka was fun and hilarious at times, but the drama stuff kind of got in the way of what I wanted...ah well I know the main goal was going to be about friendships and all that jazz.
Indeed Nobuna was a giant loli-fest! There was what 5 or 6 little kids for a mirco harem? XD
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
…followed by Yuri Yuri (musical notes), and Tari Tari and Jintai. Kokoro Connect is in a class that transcends mere numeral lists, and that one is getting at least number two of the year from me; that depends on if Chu2Koi keeps up the steam.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yuru Yuri! I NEED ANOTHER SEASON <3
Tari Tari was good stuff even though I wanted more singing and less drama but I looked forward to every episode because it was ADDICTIVE and it had some great characters.
Jintai was CRAZY and hilarious every week I still laugh thinking about the chickens and bread robot! I wouldn't mnd another season of that if there ever was one.
Kokoro was alright minus the stupid love triangle drama...I just found it to be annoying, but I can see why some would like that part of the series...now we have to wait for the final 4 episodes T_____T
Chu2Koi is 100% good I haven't found one thing that is wrong with it well maybe Yuuta constantly avoiding his past self? I have a feeling he will revert back to the Dark Flame Master days! Come on Rikka you gotta push him! DO IT NOW!!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m the guy who liked the love triangle in Kokoro Connect. 🙂
I thought Tari Tari really was great. It was consistent all the way through, it didn’t try too much, and while it can be dinged for that, it also didn’t fail at anything it tried to do. And the songs were just terrific. I thought it was a really good look at high school, even if the redevelopment plan was stupid and overwrought. But the level of drama was perfect for the things the kids went through, particularly Sawa’s and Wakana’s crises / development. I particularly loved the arguments and mild tension (to everyone else, it wasn’t mild to Sawa) between Sawa and her father, I thought they were note perfect in a 17-year old girl and her “responsible”-minded parent.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10997 comments
Kokoro’s love triangle was one of the biggest reasons I watched; as I saw it from the first episode.
Tari Tari would have rated higher with me, as I had much higher expectations for the production given my adoration of Hanasaku Iroha. I felt a bit too random at times, despite how well it captured the slice of life it was aiming for. It didn’t let me down, just didn’t live up the the rather lofty standards I had for it. Given that P.A. Works has a new original romance show coming out next year, I hope I get more of the vibe I fell in love with via Ohana.
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
I always say, a season needs just one great show to be great, and Summer 2012 managed to do just that, despite the admittedly sharp drop off after the top 2 shows. I didn’t think any show could top Tsuritama this year, but Hyouka – which had partly aired at the same time – managed to do that easily. It was a reminder from Kyoto Animation that they’re still the best in the business, and when they get their hands on a good story with great characters, they can make something magical.
Also, wow, Kuroko is performing very well in the polls. We must have a high fujoshi readership!