TheBigDave

Well, the Spring 2014 season just started this week. So here's a thread where we can have an ongoing discussion about the current season's shows.

There's some interesting new series. But nothing jumps out to me as a clear winner. Here's a couple that impressed me so far:

One Week Friends - I really like the art style. Seems like a very gentle show that will have both happy and sad moments. Hopefully it won't get too weepy.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - A-1 Pictures has been putting out some great stuff lately. The first episode was pretty interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Chaika: The Coffin Princess - I'm not sure why I watched the first episode, but I'm glad I did. Normally it's not my type of show, but I'll give it a couple more episodes to see where it goes.

PhantomStranger

You're forgetting The Comic Artist and Assistants, which looks pretty funny in its first two episodes.

Nanana's Buried Treasure looks like the series with a lot of potential to be a massive hit. Hopefully the backstory fulfills the early promise shown. I wonder if Nanana is really a ghost or another puzzle to be solved?

The other two are definitely worth a look, though the premise for One Week Friends seems like it could get dull very fast.

TheBigDave

I'm really enjoying Love Live! School Idol Project: Season 2. This year has been better than the last one. Normally, I don't watch idol shows. But this one's just so funny.

One Week Friends has become my favorite show of the season. The latest episode was great. Saki-chan is awesome. Now that they've introduced all the characters. I wonder where they'll go from here.

I still have to catch-up with that show. I've only seen the first episode so far.

PhantomStranger

I'm not hugely into sports anime but Baby Steps is fairly good if one likes tennis. There isn't much to it beyond the process of learning tennis, however.

If you want pure cuteness and fluffiness, check out Is This Order A Rabbit? A terrible name that gives no hint as to the series, but if you like girls doing nothing but hanging out in a coffee shop joking with each other, it's a funny series.

I've been less impressed with The Irregular At Magic High School. It hints at a deeper mythology and background for the main character, but the plotting is proceeding like they know it will get two full seasons. The show also takes itself way too seriously.

TheBigDave

I've been enjoying this show too. It reminds me of Kinmoza. Not much substance, just pure fluff. I had no idea that Angora Rabbits were a real thing.

TheBigDave

Yeah, I'm not sure why I keep watching this show. So far it seems like a giant info dump. Each scene only exists so that they can spend 3-4 minutes explaining how and why. But none of it makes sense. It's all bizarre jargon that only exists in their universe. I feel like I should be taking notes in case this stuff is actually important and comes up later in the show. There's going to be 26 episodes. So hopefully they've gotten everything out in the first couple episodes and they can finally get on with the story.

I like how all the terrorists that have secretly infiltrated the student body wear matching bracelets so that it's easy to identify them.

And the brocon/siscon stuff is a little creepy. But it's the only lighthearted moment in the show, so I actually look forward to it.

TheBigDave

Is anyone else watching The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior? I wasn't crazy about the first episode. But it's gotten much funnier as more characters have been introduced. And the romance is finally making some progress.

The artwork is amazing. I love the color palette they use. The background scenery blows me away. I haven't seen an anime show use such vibrant colors. It's really beautiful.

PhantomStranger

It definitely has an interesting design to the animation. The show has its funny moments, though I really don't think too much of the female love interest. She's barely said any dialogue in six episodes.

WTK

I'm growing to like the series. I wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning.

printerati

World Fool News - Didn't like the minimalist "Bob's Burgers" animation style, didn't laugh once during the first episode, won't be going back for more even if they are only ten minutes long. Watch Tonari no Seki-Kun instead if you want something short and funny.

Brynhildr in the Darkness - Just started this one last night. Reminds me of "Code Breakers" in some ways. Interesting enough to keep watching at this point.

printerati

Four episodes in, this show is quickly becoming a mess. Or maybe I just have a problem with character motivations and puzzle mechanics that are even less believable than a former teenage treasure hunter who is now a ghost who eats pudding and plays video games all day.

PhantomStranger

Yeah, I think my earlier comments were too hasty in proclaiming it a great series. I really liked the first couple of episodes but as they've gone down the rabbit hole of piling on new characters practically every episode, it has become less entertaining.

The show that has really grabbed hold of me is No Game No Life. Once I got past the overly stilted first episode, I blew through six or seven episodes in a row.

printerati

We're all friends again in episode 5! Sorry about that whole leaving you to die in a trap thing, haha! Oh, and here's even more new characters and a brand new part of town!

TheBigDave

Love Live was awesome this week. I'm so happy they broke out Snow Halation for the big show. That's one of their best songs.

Here's a live concert performance:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FkQJpwsbquA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

printerati

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior wrapped up about as realistically as it could. I ended up enjoying this series quite a bit, probably my favorite one of the spring.

Nanana's Buried Treasure, on the other hand, went nowhere.

TheBigDave

These were my favorite shows of the season:

One Week Friends - I'd probably call this one my favorite show of the season. A very sweet and heartwarming show. I was a little worried that it might go over the top with the melodrama. But it always maintained a perfect balance and never got too sappy.

The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior - The funniest show of the season. It'll probably end up on my Top 10 list for 2014. The romance between the main characters takes a backseat to the hilarious comedy of the other boardinghouse residents. Mayumi and Sayaka are so evil.

No Game No Life - One of the best shows this season. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Great comedy mixed with suspenseful action and an intriguing storyline. Hopefully there's another season.

Love Live: Season 2 - I enjoyed the first season and this one was even better. The comedy is great, but the drama made it special. This season provides more insight into the characters motivations. And as everything winds down, it gets really emotional. Maybe too melodramatic, but I'm willing to forgive that because it was such a fun ride. I wish this show could keep going.

TheBigDave

These were some fairly average shows. Good but not great. A few drawbacks that kept them from being better.

Is The Order A Rabbit - A sweet show with almost no substance. It's just cute girls doing cute things. And that's about it. Even the comedy is more cute than actually funny. It's a fun way to waste some time.

If Her Flag Breaks - The first 10 episodes was mostly goofy harem comedy. And that was a lot of fun. The last 2-3 episodes it switched into some serious drama/sci-fi nonsense. And that was a complete mess that ruined the show.

Nanana's Buried Treasure - I had really high hopes for this show. The story was great and I loved the characters. But it never went anywhere and ended without a resolution. It was like the first 12 episodes of a 24 episode series. If it comes back for more, I'll watch it. I'd love to see the rest of the story. But if this is all there is, then it's a complete waste of time.

TheBigDave

Here's the shows I didn't like or dropped.

Dragonar Academy - A below-average show. I thought it might have some potential after the first couple episodes. But it just turned into boring cliches and too much fanservice (I'm tired of tentacles). Completely forgettable.

The Irregular at Magic High School - I watched about 7-8 episodes and gave up. They spent half of each episode explaining everything. I hoped the info dumping would stop after a couple episodes. But it didn't get any better.

The World Is Still Beautiful - I watched 2-3 episodes and couldn't get into it. Maybe I just didn't give it enough of a chance. I might go back and try to finish it.

Brynhildr in the Darkness and Riddle Story Of Devil - Watched 2-3 episodes and it felt like the show would get depressing. And I wasn't in the mood for that.

McHawkson

I think Brynhildr in the Darkness ended the series yesterday... It seems that they rushed the story to end the series. I have read some of manga and they left out so many important things. But oh well...

printerati

I haven't seen the final episode yet, but the slower pace of the series was my concern all along. The imminent threat in episode 12 was pretty sudden and out of left field.

PhantomStranger

My favorite show from this batch was either No Game No Life or Brynhildr in the Darkness. No Game No Life ended up being very cleverly written with the right blend of comedy and plot advancement.

Like others, Nanana's Buried Treasure became an intensely disappointing series by the end. It did have a few interesting characters but its plot was banal and convoluted.

jbhastler

So many favorites