dugan

Little Witch Academia.

TheBigDave

Watched that last night at Crunchyroll. It was really good. I wish they'd turn it into a series.

http://www.crunchyroll.com/little-witch-academia

I'll have to check it out when I get a chance. There's so many good shows this season. Hopefully I can fit another one into my schedule.

RayChuang

I was VERY impressed by Little Witch Academia--it had a very stylish look almost unlike anything I've seen in anime--but it doesn't have the "feel" of Western animation. Somebody wave a LOT of Japanese yen at the Trigger anime studio to turn this into at least an OVA!

printerati

I finished AKB0048, and am still not sure how I feel about it. It was a fun ride, but the amount of fanservice builds and builds over the course of the series (which is more than a little disturbing since most of the girls are under 18, and one of them is 11), and the second season starts off very poorly with a ridiculous kidnapping, trial, and rescue operation all crammed into the first episode. I'm not sure if there are additional seasons or OVAs planned since the stories of most of the girls could easily be continued, but everything was at least sort of answered by the finale.

I started The Pet Girl of Sakurasou and am loving it just two episodes in, several LOL moments already.

RayChuang

I've seen all four episodes of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet and it's probably one of the best shows of this Spring 2013 anime season--the animation quality is phenomenal all-around. I can't wait to see this show on home video on Blu-ray disc.

dugan

What is it with Nyarko-san and Oreimo having the exact same jokes this season? A few weeks ago it was "Let's go shopping for anime merchandise." This week it was "Please pretend to be my boyfriend."

PhantomStranger

I was blown away by the art design in Little Witch Academia. The story itself is basically an all-girls riff on Harry Potter, but the animation is classic Western comic book design from outside the superhero genre. Think the older Disney comic books in the 1960s. I see a lot of influence from Carl Barks and other classic Disney artists. I've never seen it done in anime, though that style is still very popular in European circles.

printerati

Finished The Pet Girl of Sakurasou and loved every minute of it, really hated to see it come to an end.

Started Attack on Titan and am still not crazy about it four episodes in. Maybe it's because I just finished Pet Girl, but the characters all seem pretty dull and nondescript.

dugan

I started watching The Pet Girl of Sakurasou based on your recommendation. I'm two episodes in and I like it so far. Artistically, at least, it's fantastic.

What I'm not sure I like is the fact that every anime that I've watched recently (Oreimo, Sword Art Online, Koe de Oshigoto, Nyarko San, and now The Pet Girl of Sakurasou) was about anime or related stuff like manga or videogames in some way.

printerati

Thanks! I had noticed it among the Crunchyroll featured titles several times, but I'm not sure I would have taken a chance on it without all of the other recommendations here. I will warn you that the involvement of anime, manga, and videogames only increases as the series progresses, but I really never found it distracting or off-putting since it is always "filtered" through the eyes and thoughts of the characters.

Four episodes in, Attack on Titan has none of that (and they couldn't even incorporate it without going completely off the rails), but I'm just not feeling the character development. It doesn't help that the first four episodes have already seen the characters age five years.

Also, I watched Little Witch Academia last night based on your recommendation, and I enjoyed it. Thanks for that!

TheBigDave

That seems to be a common theme. But there's some great shows this season that don't involve that stuff. Check out Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, Henneko: The Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat, and The Devil is a Part Timer.

You get more backstory about the characters in episodes 5 & 6. I think the first couple episodes are creating the setting. Now that the characters have grown up, things will slow down between battles and we'll learn more about them. But I could be wrong, I haven't read the manga. Either way, I'm really enjoying the show. I can't wait to see what happens.

chrisc31

I am watching Birdy the Mighty: Decode on dvd.

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dugan

By the writer of Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero? I'm going to wait until it's finished and then I'm going to marathon it.

Also, if you're a fan of his anime at all, then I recommend buying the just-released Saya no Uta videogame from jastusa.com (NSFW). It's his masterwork.

chrisc31

I am going to start watching

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Spottedfeather

Haven't picked it up yet, but I'm really looking forward to the Tenchi Muyo blu-ray set. I wish they'd do a Girls Bravo set, too.

PhantomStranger

I have ambivalent feelings on Birdy the Mighty. I thought it started out very strongly and then it lost me somewhere in the middle. Recommended for fans of American superheroes.
Now this is a good show.

printerati

So, I'm sticking with Attack on Titan for now. Episode 5 ended with something of a shock, and the backstory in Episode 6 was great. I also started Devil Survivor 2, which has been pretty enjoyable despite both the ridiculous storyline and the use of cell phones (which I won't "spoil" here).

chrisc31

I started watching

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PhantomStranger

I am 8 or 9 episodes into School Days. There is some brutal emotional terrain it covers, particularly the spineless boy in the middle of the love triangle. I hadn't read much about this show before watching it, which didn't prepare me when I was expecting another lighthearted school drama.

PhantomStranger

It's a fluffy high school club show, but GJ Club has its charms. Not much of a story, but a lot of playful banter between the girls and the main character.

TheBigDave

Just finished the first season of A Certain Magical Index. It's interesting to see how this show ties into the 2nd season of A Certain Scientific Railgun.

That was a really fun show. Took me 2-3 episodes to get into the groove. But by the final episode, I was sad to see it end.

PhantomStranger

I keep meaning to try these related shows, since they seem to be so popular. But it's hard finding time when I have so many unfinished series to watch. I just blew through the second season of Medaka Box in a couple of days. That series really flips the script from the first season to the second season, going from a somewhat normal high school show to a crazy, over-the-top slugfest in its second season.

TheBigDave

If you watch these, I'd suggest starting with Railgun. It's easier to get into. Basically it's cute school girls with special powers. Lots of comedy and action.

Index is more convoluted, mixing magic with religion. They spend a lot of time explaining everything. I'm only watching Index because the Railgun characters are a major part of the storyline.

chrisc31

I started watching my dvd All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

dugan

For those who liked The Pet Girl of Sakura Hall: I recommend a videogame called Cherry Tree High Comedy Club, where the main character (you) is essentially the animation student from that show. They even have the same hair!