Meta Team’s Top 3 Summer’13 Anime
(」・ω・)」Let’s not forget SUMMAAAHHH (/・ω・)/!
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[ Shingeki no Kyojin ] The most looked-forward to series of this year, which kept pace with its bloating fandom. Sure, there were a lot of static images and somewhat derpiness at times but Wit Studio and Production I.G somehow kept pace with the fan expectations. I have to say, as a manga reader, most of the action scenes came out more than brilliant, animated. The story has nothing new but characters dying right, left and center is something new compared to the shoujo/moe fluffiness that anime has become more than branded with. For a supernatural/horror fan, this story has been a treat in both animanga form. I also liked the fact that the staff took their time in hiding some easily spotted hints intelligently rather than just foolishly adapting everything off the manga as it is. Season two would be a while but hey, seeing Eren beat the shit out of Annie was the highlight for me. xD
[ Gin no Saji ] This was so far from my version of life that every episode fascinated me to no end. Of course, there’s still a long way to go to have a farm-based school in Japan but the idea is unique if not new. Also, a friendly MC is always welcome who is humble and full of faults rather than being perfect. The journey with Hachiken was great as he learned to make friends and eat the animals that he so lovingly raised. The question about the circle of life and how you should repay your debts however small and big really touched me. This was very slice of lifeish, almost reminded me how calm Space Brothers is and this too gives off the same air of happy-at-its-own-pace rather than break-necking plot. A good story with lovable character made me follow this till the end and look forward to the second season this Winter.
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[ Uchouten Kazoku ] Uchouten Kazoku did a lot of the things I wish Gatchaman Crowds had done. The story-telling and world-building was just so tight. Every event either told us interesting lore about the world or gave us important insight to the various family members. The plot was never really anything too ambitious (it’s technically about an election) so there was all this time to really endear us to this family of furry raccoon-dogs. I was won over instantly. I not only love tanooki (there is a tanooki plushie I bought in Japan behind my computer right now) but the whole family was just so lovable. The best part though is how they all interact. I’m going to miss seeing the antics of these guys. Benten will be especially missed because wow…they really translated that charming mystique about her really well, to the point where even I’m kind of enchanted by her ways.
[ Gatchaman Crowds ] Gatchaman Crowds tackles many issues. Social media, heroes, connecting with others and alien invasion. Although perhaps Kenji Nakamura bit off a bit more than he could chew, he did his best to convey some really neat messages about how society works when given social media…and magical powers. The concept was inherently interesting, so I’m not too put off by the messy execution. Furthermore, this show was just plain fun. It had bounce to it. Hajime gave the show so much life and colour, and the funky OST made even the most mundane things seem riveting. At one point all the milk in the school isn’t safe to drink and the students run around to tell other students. This isn’t all that amazing, but the GATCHAMAAAAAAN song adds some real pizzazz.
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[ Majestic Prince ] It’s no secret that I love giant robot anime on Metanorn and after Valvrave and Gargantia wrapped up, we were left with twelve more episodes of Majestic Prince. I will admit to being a hater at the beginning because of a certain character designer that worked on both seasons of Gundam SEED, but after those first few episodes I found myself addicted to the character interaction and the drama building up around the main characters especially near the end of the series. Action wise the CGI was quite impressive. Compared to Valvrave and Gargantia I would easily rank it number one and there are rumors of a second season in the works. I really hope that comes true because Majestic Prince deserves more love.
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[ Love Lab ] This series was so freaking hilarious for me even though I found myself laughing more with Watamote on a weekly basis but the comedy found in Love Lab was in the slapstick moments with Riko hitting Maki? Damn whenever those two girls are in the same scene I just can’t help but laugh. Also it helps that I am a huge fan of the character designer who worked on both seasons of Yuru Yuri and speaking of Yuri for a moment Love Lab is NOT a yuri series because all of the girls want boyfriends even though they attend an all girl school. Besides having lots of great comedic moments, the drama buildup of Maki discovering that Riko lied to her about having romance experience was handled nicely and in the end FRIENDSHIP wins! I hope we get another season of Love Lab.
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[ Uchouten Kazoku ] This is a worthy candidate for Anime of the Year. It was a very well-written family story (quite truly an Eccentric Family) that rode a steady stream of quality storytelling throughout; there really wasn’t a dull moment in the 13-episode series. P.A. Works did what most expect from them with art and animation, though I enjoyed that they took a step away from the style that was seen in shows like Tari Tari or Red Data Girl with Uchouten.
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[ Highschool DxD New ] It doesn’t surprise me any that I’d put DxD New on my Top 3 considering how much I enjoyed season 1; it does surprise how much I feel DxD New is a legitimate top 3 anime. The story took a step up with Kiba and the holy swords and threw in some major players while retaining the high ecchi quotient DxD fans like myself know and love. Highway, Fosh & I discussed more on this series on Ep. 35 of MetaVerse.
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[ Railgun S ] While I wasn’t very high on the first Railgun series, I had hopes for Railgun S and it impressed me all the way through, enough so that I can say this is my favorite of the 4 Raildex seasons. While we had already seen Touma vs. Accelerator before, seeing Misaka deal with the issue herself for the first half of the series made for really great anime and gave chances to J.C. Staff to show off its prowess in action animation. ITEM was a nice mercenary-like addition with Level 5 Meltdowner, and even the anime-original arc with Febri grew on me with each passing episode and had a very entertaining finale. The “S” may be for sisters, but I’ll use it for “solid” to describe this season of Railgun.
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[ Free! ] BL and that’s it. Okay, there’s actually more to Free than its yaoi vibe. It has that magical friendship the boys formed at the end of the episode. With so many anime focusing on action and romance, having an anime that focuses on sport fused with friendship is definitely not common, and Free! took the spotlight with that. There is also the bishies and their hot damn sexy abs to freshen the eyes, not to mention all the lovey-doey gestures the boys did… Aw hell, I take back what I said. This anime is all about BL and that’s it.
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[ Shingeki no Kyojin ] Now that I think about it, there are so many things I hate about this anime. But mainly the two main characters who happened to have black hair. The male character is too emotional to the point where it pisses me off, and the female character is just an egoistic girl who will always mess things up. Seriously, they suck. Thankfully, the other characters are fine. Though the story is not mushy, the amount of pessimism in this anime never fails to depress me. Every time I finished watching an episode, I feel like a failed human being for not being able to protect this world from human-look-alike giants and climb walls with extremely illogically thin wires. The only reason I like this anime is because it’s full of blood and death, and I happen to like the mixture of those two in anime. But not the depression.
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[ Free! ] My reasons for putting this at number 2? …It was a dorama-filled swimming anime by KyoAni (with BL intonations). What else do you want from me? Okay fine, I guess I’ll elaborate. I don’t think anyone was expecting much (or at least I wasn’t) depth or real storyline after that first , uh, fabulous teaser that KyoAni put out originally for this series. Really, that’s all they needed to make the series successful for the fujoshi fandom. However, Free! went beyond that and amazingly had a pretty solid plot and characters. This wasn’t only good because of the animation, but the story was actually interesting to watch too, and there was a lot more universal appeal than I first thought this would have had. I mean, just look at all of the male viewers this managed to keep. Admittedly, I wasn’t so fond of the ending (other than Rei being the greatest character of the show), but by that point, I just wanted Rin to get his act together. Which he did. So this anime was pretty good.
[ Gatchaman Crowds ] Say what you want about the ending (…or the fact that the plot didn’t seem to be very organized, or the fact that very few characters were actually developed), I rather enjoyed this series. Hajime’s enthusiasm was contagious, the animation style was always interesting to see, and it brought up some interesting points and themes. …Some of which seemed really loaded (“Social media is great, guys. Look at it saving the world and stuff”), but they were interesting nonetheless. Seeing Rui struggle throughout the anime (and then eventually come to a conclusion) was really satisfying to watch as well. Oh, and the OST was really catchy. Though I should have expected as much from Iwasaki Taku (aka the guy who also composed the “Her name is Koko, she is loco. I say oh no.” song … and the rest of the Jormungand OST).
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[ Love Lab ] Love Lab turned out to be a surprise favorite of mine. Initially I was going to drop the series, but the more hilarious situations the girls ended up in, the more I couldn’t wait to watch another episode. It had a fun, laid-back atmosphere to help contrast the more serious shows I was watching during the season. Even the problems they encountered, like Sayo getting caught with her boyfriend and of course Riko’s lie about having a lot of dating experience, had the right amount of seriousness and comedy to not throw off the overall tone of the show. I also loved that it didn’t entirely focus on the girls, but gave some screen time to their siblings and other people around them as well, who turned out to be just as entertaining as the girls themselves. Overall it was a great comedy series that I actually wouldn’t mind re-watching.
[ Danganronpa ] I had been interested in Dangan Ronpa for a while (thanks to a girl I met at a concert), but I lacked the motivation to actually get the game, get the English patch, etc, etc., so when the anime was announced I was pretty excited. It turned out to be quite the dark, enjoyable ride (at least from the perspective of person who’s never played the game). Crime shows typically get boring quickly, but Dangan Ronpa managed to make each murder intriguing and complicated enough so that it wasn’t easy to pick out the culprit. The added mystery of figuring out how they came to this school also kept the show from falling flat, even when it was agonizing waiting for more clues and for them to piece everything together. Of course, Dangan Ronpa’s uniquely styled characters, setting, and trial sequence made the show not only more visually-appealing, but more enticing to continue watching. Hopefully they’ll animate Super Dangan Ronpa 2, so I continue to lazily follow this awesome series.
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[ Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya ] One of the surprises of the season, I initially dropped it after 1 episode, only to pick it up several weeks later when I saw shots of Archer!Illya. What looked at first like a lighthearted magical girl show quickly became a high octane action fest with some of the most impressive melee combat seen in anime. Director Shin Oonuma is known mainly as that guy who is almost but not quite like Shinbo, and who knew he had such action skills up his sleeve? As a Type-Moon fan, I’m comfortable saying that this is by far the best TV anime adaptation of a Type-Moon work so far. I can’t wait to see what else Oonuma will pull out for the second season.
[ Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C³-Bu ] This was an even bigger surprise than Prisma Illya. A show about an airsoft club at an obscenely rich girl’s high school, it eschewed most of the typical high school club show tropes for a heartfelt character study on the young and immature newbie main character Yura. We got to see her slowly discovering her inner confidence through airsoft – with a bit of magical realism thrown in – before losing her way in her drive to succeed and finally finding it again. It ultimately didn’t do everything that it had the potential to do, but C3-bu was still a fun ride that pulled on the heartstrings. Gainax hasn’t been quite the same since Imaishi’s departure, but this was surely their best work in years.
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[ Uchouten Kazoku ] In the early part of the season, I called Uchouten Kazoku a “Masterclass on Storytelling” and it continued to be that until the end. Always showing us the story, even in flashbacks, it brought us into its own conversation. It wasn’t lecturing us. It wasn’t just showing us. It was *including* us. We were around the tables when things were remembered. We learned more details as stories were retold with different people present. We became friends with Yasaburou, learned Yaichirou’s strengths and weaknesses, met Yajirou and Kaisei and felt their pain as each finally opened up about Souichirou’s fateful night. We reveled in the manifestations of the Shimogamo idiot blood, with aerial fireworks battles, threatening Maneki-neko, the back and forth of the Fake Eizan Electric Railway. And the work done by PA Works was astounding. A departure from their hyper-realistic style (which I love), they brought out a beauty in Kyoto that was at once real and enhanced, almost like an HDR photo. Colors popped, the action was interesting, the characters were fun to look at (the ears, tho, ehhh I guess it’s a style thing). The style definitely fit the story, and added to make the whole much better.
[ Highschool DxD New ] It’s rare that an ecchi show is good enough to hold its own with well-written comedies like we had this season, but to me, DxD is the one that pulls it off. A good shounen-esque plot, but without the glacial pacing of most shounen stories, combined with the best ecchi in anime, makes for an easily watchable show with a lot of visual interest. Add in the acting of Kaji Yuki in this role that I think is the best for him and the great character designs and you have a show that pleases from start to finish. One thing I think is special about DxD is the personal growth of Issei throughout the whole series. He wants to grow, he wants to advance, and he actually does, as he turns from dope who does the wrong thing to guy who does the right thing. On the way, one girl after another falls in love with him, but in a rarity for a harem show, there actually feels like a reason for it. This series just holds up well, and I really recommend it to anyone, even those who go “Oh, it’s got boobs, it can’t be good.” This is the exception.
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[ Rozen Maiden ] This was the show that broke my Rozen Maiden virginity. Maybe that language is a tad bit unsettling. But hey, that fits right in with this show. Not having any prior knowledge of anything Rozen Maiden, I must say that this alternate take did a fine job of introducing me to the universe. The first episode certainly was intimidating, but after that, the pacing slowed wayyyyyy down to a very comfortable gait. Perhaps too slow, some might say. But those people have probably taken too many energy drinks or are part of the new hyperactive generation. Anyway, mysterious and unsettling are two good words to describe the show. It takes its time drawing you into the intrigue of the dolls and the “deathmatch” that they are pitched into. And all the way through, there’s a fittingly gloomy backdrop and atmosphere, accomplished very much with the use of bgm. If you’re looking for a more somber and sober show, this is it.
[ Prisma Illya ] My first experience of Prisma Illya was when I stumbled across the manga online. I read it a bit, and wasn’t impressed in the least. So when I heard it was being turned into an anime, I rolled my eyes with much vigor. And then I watched the actual product. And this time I was impressed. I don’t know what happened there; maybe something was lost in translation when I attempted my initial reading stint. But that doesn’t matter any more, because the show has me solidly sold. Amongst magical girl parodies, this one takes the cake by having sassy wands that dupe little girls into becoming powerpuff lolis. Who needs to deconstruct the genre (I swear people drop that word like a bomb without even know what it really means) when you can simply make it better with fevered bouts of in-your-face smackdowns and a dash of crass humor?
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[ Free! ] I watched this because I was sorta forced to… but I found it surprisingly better than expected. Having swam competitively in the past, this series did hold some appeal to me with its swimming aspect. Additionally, the journey of building a team from scratch to take on the best gave Free! an underdog storyline that works decently well in nearly any show to keep viewers interested. Plus, the animation is sublime, as is expected from KyoAni, and the music wasn’t half bad either, which made the constant fangirling I had to hear throughout every episode much easier to endure.
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[ Free! ] 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.
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[ Rozen Maiden ] I’m rather new to the Rozen Maiden world, and even though I didn’t know a thing when I first started watching this show, I feel like I can really appreciate it and see why everybody loves it so much now. Perhaps the pacing was really off sometimes (ok, most of the time – after the first episode I was falling asleep after every episode) and maybe Jun is a really annoying slob of a main character, but you can’t deny that the idea of the 7 Rozen Maiden sisters and their world of magical sparkles and KILLING EACH OTHER TO BECOME THE ONE really draws you in. That, coupled with beautiful animation and adorable dolls made for quite an enjoyable experience. (I still really don’t like Jun though.)
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Related
Tags: AWESOMENESS, Metanorn Team, Roundup, SUMMER ANIME 2013
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments
why so random ..zz
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Random post or do you mean something else? If its the post well our writers are in different timezones so it takes a while to create these top 3 of the season posts xD
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Good thing this post is centered on the Summer season animes and Summer 2013 was stronger than those of the previous years. If it were on the Fall season’s set of animes, I’d have trouble picking out and classifying the favorites at this moment. That one is always the most strenuous. There are too many interesting shows floating around right now.
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 323 comments
finally someone get’s it :3
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Uchouten Kazoku
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S
It was pretty easy to pick my top three. The Eccentric Family was brilliant on all levels and as Jrow says, an easy contender for AOTY. Probably one of the best written shows this year. Fun, believable, characterizations, interesting motivations and a level of viewpoints that just simmer like a fresh nabe. Hold the tanuki, please.
It was because of Prism Ilya, that I put extra effort, despite 50+ hour work weeks and other numerous commitments, into finishing Fate/Zero. Now I know that really wasn’t needed to “get” Ilya, but I felt I needed to have the culture down. I’m glad I did, as it became a favorite, and Prism Ilya makes it there, too. The Installs that both Ilya and Miyu undertook as Archer and Saber were intense!
Railgun S. I do loves me some Academy City. And thou it has some derpy repeated stuff, I found that I enjoyed it and looked forward to the next episode very much. ITEM has become one of my favorite teams, and all the promise that it holds in the LN volumes will be true to the show as well.
Best Mentions. Servant X Service, Kiniro Mosaic, and The Sunday Without God.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I fell off the wagon early with Uchouten around episode four I think? I should go back and finish that series off! It seemed to be the hit of the summer season.
FK YA Prism-illya! I wasn’t sure how that series would go down because I was fully expecting the normal take on magical girls fighting the boss of the week every time, but it was a fun ride and I can’t wait for season two <3
Oooooooh yesssssssssssssssss! Railgun fTW! I wish we had more episodes and I agree 1000% that Item was one of the best team reveals of the season, but I have high hopes for a season three in the future or even a Railgun movie? Either way I can't wait! That and we kinda have to sit around waiting for Index s3 announcements...
Servant x Service = LOVEEEED
Kiniro Mosaic = SO FREAKING CUTE
Sunday without god = Ai why so dumb
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Endymion was a weird show; so I kinda hope they don’t do a cameo laden derpy Railgun film. Oh, who am I kidding, do it, do it JC.
I’ve read the Prism Ilya manga, and it is a unique take on the magical girl genre, with all the usual trappings. Silver Link is boss, bring on 2wei!
Yeah, Ai was the special kind of MC, wasn’t she?
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
I’m kinda wondering, will they adapt the Liberal Arts City arc as a movie or for Railgun S3?
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I want the sports arc! I am reading the manga and things are getting CRAZY with Misaka, Touma and another lvl5? YES I love the progress so far.
Liberal Arts City I don’t think I am familiar with that arc yet, but do you know when it happens in the novel? Currently I am in 15 with GROUP, ITEM and BLOCK doing their thing.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Liberal Arts would make a great movie. I want the series to focus the manga, as Fosh says, The Sports Arc.
And then in Index, skip all those parts and get to important things. Like the Birdways…
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
@Fosh Its one of those BD special LNs and the TL is up at B-T. Its abt Misaka and co going to field trip to an man made Island in… California i think?
@skylion I just ask that the anime team do justice Acqua badass-ness.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’m glad you took the time to finish Fate/Zero finally. Nasuverse is filled with a lot of depth and even in case of different stories, the number of characters and what they can do is never fully explained so you are kept guessing. For me, Illya was an entertaining series. It became more so when rather than just using the magical girl transformation, the girls took the visage of servants. That was definitely the best part and now I can’t wait to see Gilgamesh in second season because as I heard, it gets fiercer, which is all good. :3
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I don’t know if I will dip another toe into the rest of the Nasuverse; but I do have an interest in the Garden of Sinner films….As it stands Fate/Zero started of rather slow and ponderous to me, and it quickly started to take shape just before they went into the season break. After that I devoured them. It was The Butcher at his best.
I’ve read all the available manga for Prism Ilya, and they do quite well in taking a ton of scratched and dented magical girl tropes and do a fine repair and polish on them. As Silver Link is quickly becoming one of my favorite studios, I await the next season with relish.
Oh, the Gilgamesh Install blows everything away…
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Well, the actual nasuverse is bloodier than Butcher’s take but he did a job well done so no criticism for him. I just wish the ufotable FSN adaptation that has been confirmed picks up Fate/stay night with its full glory, something DEEN completely failed at.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I did watch the first two episode of FSN. Wow. Just utter blech. Yes. Ufotable to the rescue.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
IKR? DEEN completely raped it to bits. >>;
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Ach, Spammy ate that reply…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, I didn’t put Genshiken Nadiame down as a Best Mention.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
One of these days ill check out Genshiken! I just didn’t want to watch the newest season without having some past season experience~
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I dl’d and watched like the first two episode of the first series….and it felt so disconnected to me. That’s personal. I thought the new show did a good job on carving it’s own turf, with nods to the past. As it is, I could pick the past relationships out of context; the show did rather oversell those things. It’s a great show, watch it with little regard for the previous…
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I watched more than half of the first season (before Nidaime started airing), and the third season is definitely better (at least for me). I’m a bit interested in the development of Sasahara and Ogiue’s relationship, which I’m guessing was second season, but that’s really the only thing I think I’m missing out on.
I do think that maybe Nidaime put a little too much spotlight on Hato, and could have used more of the other first year girls, instead of making them so single-note.
And I have to say that that show was perhaps the most difficult to understand the nuances, with kuuki yomenai being such a major factor in how the relationships and explanations work.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I have to defend the Hato angle, as so much was set up with her. If they do another season, I think that will pay off nicely.
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
I’m glad to see so much love for Uchouten Kazoku; it really stood out as an excellent series in many ways.
As for me:
1. Uchouten Kazoku
2. Gin no Sagi
3. Rozen Maiden
Honorable Mention: Genshiken Nidaime, Servant x Service
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
All five there were ones I enjoyed. And Uchouten Kazoku definitely did stand out for being a very different sort of show. Definitely worthy of acclaim.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
While doing Summer preview, I was almost scared how P.A Works will handle Uchouten Kazoku due to HanaIro slowness but they ended up adapting it very well.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 104 comments
Good to see that Love Lab was pretty well received here.It’s a shame I didn’t know of this site back then as it wasn’t blogged on either of the two anime blogs I like to read.It was definitely a fun show and it’d be nice if it gets a 2nd season.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Love Lab was fun to cover, even if it was a challenge to write about sometimes without just saying what happened. I’d like to see more of the show also, because we were just getting to the point where the girls were interacting with people outside of the school.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
My top three have to be ServantXService, Gin no Saji and I guess a three way-tie between Rozen Maiden and Danganronpa and Free.
I didn’t watch that many summer anime looking back on it. Or I never finished a bunch. I still need to finish Prism Ilya, Majestic Prince and AoT is sitting at episode 13, probably never to be finished as the fandom was really getting to me with spoilers everywhere to the point that I just did not care anymore.
My honorable mention goes to Watamote because at least Tomoko can be popular on the internet. XD
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Nice choices for your top 3! I loved Servant x Service and Danganronpa for “guess the murderer” of the week.
YESSSS finish Majestic Prince! I had a blast with that mecha and same for Prisma illya <3
OMG WATAMOTE FTW~
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I still think Gin no Saji deserved more love because it was a unique SoL show. I just fell in love with Hachiken’s character in the end, being voiced by Ryohei Kimura was a plus.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
My parents grew up in rural South Eastern Kentucky. I showed them a few spots in the show, especially the Road Kill episode. As I predicted, both of them laughed along with the characters when the truck hit the bear. For the record, their favorite anime is Hanasaku Iroha. My Dad love Manager-san.
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live is still airing as of now.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
That is another series I never got into but I hear it is kind of fun and its like Aikatsu right?
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
It is similar with Aikatsu in terms of the genre, but it has more character drama and dark moments. I consider both as very good little girls’ idol anime, though.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Aikatsu has some interesting characters like the “vampire” cosplayer and a few others! I guess ill add Pretty Rhythm to my “watch eventually” list haha
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
My sister is currently watching it and she says she likes it a lot. She really loves all idol shows though. XD
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Good catch, removed from the poll.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
These choices are never easy and clear cut to make. Why do they make us suffer so?
My top 3 Summer Animes are:
Shingeki no Kyojin
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S
Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya
Shingeki no Kyojin: How could I not give this series its props? It’s not every day there’s a series that keeps on edge with every episode in its arsenal. Death, despair and so much feels! There are so much things talk about that it can’t be summed up in a few words but its strong points are in its world building, character developments and the frightening, relentless ability to hit you with unbelievable situations that there’s no way you can’t feel emotional.
Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S: More of the full throttle electric tsundere is always a pleasure. The Sisters arc was the best because it’s where Misaka is at her most vulnerable, she analyzes the aspects of her life and you see what she does to protect those she cares about even when there are times her enemies are out of her league.
Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya: Still a novice to Type Moon, I find Silver Link did well with a magical girl show that wasn’t cliché. Though Ufotable didn’t have a hand in it, the animation was flawless and characters were likable even when some were completely haughty. I’m looking at you Luvia. Plus, if I had to name the best fight in the series, it’s the one between Illya and Saber.
Honorable Mentions: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi, Mushibugyou, Danganronpa, Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou, High School DxD New, Gatchaman Crowds, Love Lab, Servant x Service, Gin no Saji, Uchouten Kazoku.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Illya was originally making my top 3 as well but then Uchouten and Gin no Saji happened. Overall a good season of Summer.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Were you bribed with ridiculous amounts of Electric Brandy from the Ebisugawas and bacon from Hachiken to betray your loyalty to Type Moon? I’m ashamed of you, Kyokai. 😉
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
The mental image of Kyo hoarding and lording it up on Electric Brandy and Pork Bowl Bacon is one that will not leave me for at least….wow…a few more moments.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Oh you two! 0__0
Sadly, I don’t drink and eat bacon, rather I was won over with the content of the two shows.
And technically Illya is not a Type-Moon/Nasu creation rather based on a doujin mangaka’s take on an AU, which they approved later. 😛
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
After watching Code Geass, I thought that nothing could grip my heart tighter and top it’s epicness, but then Shingeki no Kyojin happened. (almost) everything about that show is amazing!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
FFXIV has taken over my spare time >.<
I'm still finishing up some Winter/Spring shows, ahhh….
But have to say Servant x Service surprised me. I initially dropped it, only to pick it back up due to one of the bloggers I follow, and have been finding it lots of fun to watch.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
You don’t have to say that it wasn’t me who convinced you to restart ServantxService. I’ll be glad to continue in the delusion that it was. 🙂
It was definitely a very close 4th to HS DxD New for me, but unfortunately it wasn’t “Top 4 Summer Shows”. If it had ended with Lucy and Yutaka definitely a couple, it might have moved up.
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 51 comments
The comments of Prisma Illya surprises me, because it seems like this is something new for Metanorn.
Primsa Illya is awesome no doubt and it will certainly be even more awesome when the inevitable second season comes. But it just follows the trend that Pretty Cure and ESEPCIALLY Nanoha have already established years before Prisma did: Make Magical Girls AWESOME!. There’s even a PrismaxNanoha crossover manga, you might want to look into that.
I’m a little bummed that there’s barely a nod to Symphogear G. It was doing the same thing as Illya was doing, displaying badass Magical Girls.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Yeah, it really is a shame Symphogear G hardly got a mention. The second season outdid the first with flying colors and had a lot more action. I’d put that anime right alongside Prisma Illya.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yeah Prisma illya is quite interesting! I had no idea how fun it would end up being! Yeah Nanoha/PreCure has some awesome artwork and epic battles in the later episodes like Heartcatch’s final two episodes?! They are awesome~
I love me some Symphogear G! That was a ton of fun xD
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Smyhogear was good derpy fun, but I can’t say it was a favorite.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
I feel the same with Symphogear and Valvrave I like them but they are not the “best thing ever created” they certainly have issues of their own.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Prisma Illya and other related works of Type-Moon are definitely not new for Meta. ^^
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Just a friendly recommendation for the people who liked Uchouten Kazoku, watch Yojouhan Shinwa Takei (Tatami Galaxy). It’s from the same writer and Madhouse along with Masaaki Yuasa (that kickheart dude), did a pretty good job of it.
POWUH: 700-799 and Parkouring Fanboy with 776 comments
I can’t second this emphatically enough. Tatami Galaxy is one of my all time favorites, with some extremely tight writing. A wonderful concept executed very well by Yuasa and Madhouse, even better than PA Works’s work.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Will someone please keep Spammy from humping my metaphorical leg?
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Saved 😛
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I would list as the top 3:
1. Priya
2. Genei Taiyou
3. #3 is a lie!
Because those are the only things I have watched. Gen’ei Taiyou is so very underrated…
Since people want to rank their top anime, to put this forward: WOULD you buy the discs for the #1 on your top list?
/me goes back to listing Prisma Illya OST 2 – Shoujo Shinka!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Yes, I would very much buy my top picks.
POWUH: Occasional (51-75) with 68 comments
My serious top 3 list:
1. Kiniro Mosaic
2. Kiniro Mosaic
3. Kiniro Mosaic
My not-so-serious top 3:
1. Love Lab
2. Gin no Saji
3. Railgun S
I also see another vote for RKB on the poll. Who was it? FESS UP!
(I am in no way implying that second vote is mine. Nope. Not at all.)
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Kinpatsu in all it’s glory, eh?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Kinpatsu and Kokeshi
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
<3 your top 3 Kiniro Mosaic is greaaaat <3
YAY RAILGUN~
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
About the voting on RKB, both from guests. One was from Phils, while the other from an unknown location. How mysterious. 😛
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
So many shows tht I backlogged halfway/early and didn’t bothered are all being mentioned >_>
These are top 3 that I liked the most that I watched to completion and in no particular order.
-Railgun S (Screw the canonfags, the finale was awesome)
-Neptunia The Animation (Did I mention tht I’m a huge fan of the series?)
-Gatchaman Crowds (Not so awesome finale, but overall entertaining enough to get on top 3)
Honorable mention
Danganronpa: Not the best adaptation, but it is way more faithfull than DeSu2: TA and I liked it. (DeSu2: TA was OK, but its…. not so good as an adaptation)
Free: Not done yet (stopped at EP9), but I like the characters and sexy water.
Rozen Maiden: I admit, the show can be ZZZZZZ at time or I just have no idea wht the characters are talking abt at times. Still I like the dolls enough to keep going on until Fall season starts.
Prisma Ilya: This got backlogged at like, EP2 lol. But I like wht I see of it and the impression are good.
KamiInai: No one does dem pretty colors like Madhouse. I’m not tht bothered by Ai either so its a plus. (Then again, I backlogged it at EP3)
MJP: Shame that Fall happened and I’m so close to the end. The mecha porn is awesome and the plot just get better as it goes. Now can some1 just translate the side story manga?
C3 Bu: Would’ve prefer Girls und Guns but w/e, C3: The Line is OK as well.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Great list there d-LaN even though I did not like anything about Gatchaman minus the OST and some of the characters.
Free was a surprise for me and I would love to see another season of that.
MJP! I WANT ANOTHER SEASON <3 <3 <3
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Well, look forward for the who-knows-when-its-coming-out MJP game at the very least.
Lol @ gangsta goldfish avatar.
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Out of your list, definitely finish Prisma Illya and why no Gin no Saji? I think you’ll like it.
POWUH: Meta Resident and Werewolf Chaser with 1270 comments
Its one of those “check it out later” shows and then forgotten due to IRL busy-ness.
Will def finish PI…. until I can find a way to get the non-Nico ones and a computer tht can watch it. Ain’t watching that on college com yo.
POWUH: 600-699 and LN Enthusiast with 623 comments
My top 3 would be:
1. Prisma Illya: Was there any doubt I wouldn’t pick this? As a TM fan, I totally enjoyed it. The character design was weird(Shirou’s hair!!) but I got over it. As an adaptation it was nearly perfect in all regards. And let’s not forget about the highlight of the show which is the Saber Alter vs Archer Illya, complete with a new EMIYA remix. 10 episodes looked short but it was enough considering the length of the first series. Plus a second season announced which is awesome as the second series is where things really roll. If I’d make an analogy, this season is just the Fate route which laid the foundation of stuff. 2wei is pretty much UBW route.
Shame that the overall reception of this was pretty weak but it’s really more than meets the eye. Waiting for the second season and I would fangasm so hard if by chance the F/SN adaptation by ufotable would air in the same season as 2wei. Tall order but here’s hoping.
2. Shingeki – The most talked about show this year.
A pretty great show and adaptation, pacing issues and still shots aside. The 3DMG movements and the OST are my favorite aspects of this. The characters are also great most of the time(*coughErencough*). I would love a second season of this as much as anyone but it would be a few years before we get one as there’s not much material available.
3. Gin no Saji – A show that I believe was judged from the beginning because of its author. Some, if not most, brushed this off because it wasn’t FMA. Well they sure missed out on a great story here. Farm life has never been this entertaining, informative and inspirational. Arakawa knows what she is doing and her love shows a lot in here. I especially loved the episode where Hachiken first rode a horse. The impact of that scene was just great. Glad that it’s a split cour and I’m certainly going to watch it next season.
Honorable Mentions:
Uchouten Kazoku: Admittedly the second show out of all the PA Works shows that I really liked. The art and animation was so unlike their usual works but it was a breath of fresh air nonetheless. And the characters are all likeable, even those twin brothers. I plan to watch Tatami Galaxy next as I heard it’s from the same author as this one. So yeah.
Highschool DxD: Delicious PLOT and BACKSTORY along with a solid plot and backstory. What more could you want. It was a good adaptation with decent pacing and great characters. Season 3 when? Also, oppai.
Railgun S: Just a special mention really. This would have been top 3 for me if not for that godawful Cloverfield aka Silent Party arc. The Sisters arc was perfect in every ways and one of the best Raildex adaptations but then Nagai Space had to bullshit the second half. Just…ugh. Water under the bridge now.
A season 3 would be nice if Nagai would stick to the source material. Fortunately, the next arc is pretty long and there’s not much opportunity to sneak in fillers so if he’ll stick to the source then I would be a happy camper. Of course this is the director who loves Saten to death so….
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Everyone is complaining about the still shots in Titans. But I found that rather interesting, and it didn’t annoy me at all.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Great list! I feel your pain on Railgun S and I will agree they did waste a lot of time on that filler arc with Febri and the sisters stuff is fine because I know tons of people that avoid Index and have no idea who the sisters are so it works for those fans of only Railgun. For the next season I want at least 1-2 “cannon” stories and maybe one filler or how about no filler at all? YES PLEASE and Saten is a very likeable character she has her moments.
DXD New I just finished and DAAAYUM the final three episodes were so good~
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Needs more Crimson Ruin “Switch” Princess. 😉
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I’ll look forward to the Illya S2 just because of Gilgamesh! xD
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Shingeki no Kyojin – because no matter what, this anime was incredible. And to me, if an anime grips my heart so much and makes me cry it means something. Though it’s kinda sad that people call it overhyped or mainstream. Well, it may be kinda mainstream, because even my mom watched it 😀 But it definitely lived up to the hype it got.
Free! – I didn’t expect this show to be so good. But it was! Not just because of the bishies and BL-ish tone. The atmosphere of Free is so unique and splendid, and the characters are very loveable. There was nothing that could be changed or done better. I need more *^*
Gin no Saji – I waited until this anime ended and then marathoned it. Oh the glory~ I loved it to bits. Hachiken was so cute and loveable, and the show was overall very endearing, lighthearted, but at the same time it was very meaningful. As expected of Hiromu Arakawa. Can’t wait for the 2nd season~ <3
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Titans is fantastic! I can’t wait to see if Toonami grabs that whenever it gets dubbed and I pray that Funimation gives us an awesome dub! Seriously AoT needs a quality dub not some garbage one, but I know most hardcore anime fans will not give a dub a chance in hell…
FREEEEEEE! I was shocked at how much I enjoyed that and I have to give KyoAni a high five for making it enjoyable for us males even though the homo-vibes were off the scale in that series ahahah
MOAR FARM ADVENTURES SOON!
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
I think (and hope) FUNimation will treat this anime seriously. FMA, Soul Eater, Ouran Host Club, Code Geass… all of those dubs were great. So I’m in high hopes..
NOOOO, I swear, those homo vibes are much more apparant in Kuroko no Basket than in Free 😀 Yeah, the tone was clearly BL, but not as obvious and straightforward, as you would expect.
YES!
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
– Titans eating humans that we like is depressing yet I still became used to it.
– Free! is all about water porn. Yep, it’s a thing!
– Hachiken’s an amazing straight man. xD
POWUH: Meta Resident and Metanorn's Hime-chan~ with 1758 comments
Yup, it is. But even that didn’t stop us from loving this show 😀
Water porn. Well said, Kyokai-san. Sexy water
He’s a wonderful, straight homo sapiens.
POWUH: iLurker with 11 comments
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