Quick First Impressions - Spring 2015 Anime

Yes, Spring is here again, and with Spring comes a line-up of new anime. So what are the hits this season? Read on.

Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatteiru. Zoku
à First Season was pretty awesome, and the second season gives us more of the same. Same formula:
Hachiman’s shrewd and twisted look at the world + Yukinoshita’s kuudere + Yui’s genki = win
Verdict: DEF. WATCHING

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViViD
à If you’ve watched the original Nanoha, A’s and StrikerS, you cannot afford to miss this. Besides being a heavy dose of nostalgia, it is back to the original mahou shoujo style, although they grow up when they transform (not really a spoiler). It’s sure is a treat getting another Nanoha series after EIGHT years!
Verdict: DEF. WATCHING

Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka
à Pretty standard harem fare, with a little ‘gamey’ twist. Nothing particularly worth noting. It’s decently interesting, I guess… so I’ll stick to it a while more.
Verdict: On The Fence (henceforth OTF)

Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu
à Only for true Haruhi (or spefically Nagato Yuki) fans. This is basically Haruhi minus all the supernatural themes and Haruhi wackiness (which were the only reasons Haruhi was worth watching). Although I liked Haruhi (except the Endless Eight… ugh) and the movie (the original Haruhi no Shoushitsu, not the Yuki one), I don’t especially fancy Yuki as a character (without her alien counterpart), so no thanks. If you liked Yuki though, look no further.
Verdict: DROPPED

Shokugeki no Souma
à A shounen battle manga. Just that, instead of battles, it’s about food – it’s a cooking battle anime! And food porn. Lots of it. I loved the premiere although it could be a little less liberal on the fanservice. This one is definitely on my list and quite likely to hit the Top 5.
Verdict: DEF. WATCHING

Kyoukai no Rinne
à I’ve got mixed feelings about the premiere. While it was decently interesting, the format seemed pretty uninspired. It relies heavily on the uke-tsukkomi combo, but doesn’t end up particularly funny. Still, Takahashi “Princess of Manga” Rumiko is one of the most famous mangaka around, having created Ranma ½ and Inuyasha among many others and if she’s anything that her crecedentials state, this one is worth a second look.

Verdict: OTF

Denpa Kyoushi
à The premise was pretty interesting, but the execution leaves much to be desired. For that reason, I felt that the premiere fell pretty flat. The comedy was not funny at all, and the major conflict in the episode felt hollow and contrived. The conflict resolution could have been handled better too. The central premise is still intriguing, but my list this season is too huge already.
Verdict: DROPPED

Owari no Seraph
à If you thought Akame ga Kill was rough, having main characters getting killed off throughout the series, how about EVERY CHARACTER except the main character dying in the FREAKIN’ FIRST EPISODE. They made every character likable with a small character arc and then killed them off brutally. It’s still immensely enjoyable though.
Verdict: WATCHING

Gunslinger Stratos
à I didn’t really get what was happening throughout the episode. Basically some blue-haired guy and some pink haired chick are in a world where they teach combat in schools, and they they somehow get teleported into a world where people start blasting each other with guns. Yeah, pretty wacky to be sure. Decent animation, but it needs more than that to keep me watching.

Verdict: DROPPED

Plastic Memories
à A pretty interesting slice-of-life where the MC collects androids at the end of their service life. Heartwarming, cute and aesthetically pleasing. As usual not everyone can appreciate SOL, although I think there will be a lot more drama and introspection before we’re done.
Verdict: WATCHING

Fate/Stay Night UBW
à Best anime of the season. Guaranteed. ‘Nuff said.
Verdict: DEF. WATCHING

Kekkai Sensen
à I saw lots of flashing lights and destruction, but I didn’t really understand anything. The first episode was a complete mess, but I believe the studio meant for us to feel this way. I’m not particularly thrilled about this first episode, and it was confusing as hell, and I’m not sure whether I can take any more nonsense. Attention span is tight this season but I’ll give it another episode or two before deciding.
Verdict: OTF

Arslan Senki
à The introductory episode was a solid one, building up the main character for the rest of the series. The first episode wasn’t very exciting but it’s safe to say that it will soon pick up steam. I like the way they are building up the story and the first episode established the MC pretty well, so I’m excited to see where this goes from here. It’s not terribly original but so far I like what I’m seeing.
Verdict: WATCHING

Baby Steps 2
à One of my favourite sports anime return, and as usual it’s all about the journey and not the destination. It’s the most faithful manga adaptations I’ve seen for a while and if it continues the momentum into the second season, it will definitely do well.
Verdict: DEF. WATCHING

Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku
à Ridiculous from start to finish. The story (or lack of) is pathetic and the main character is extremely annoying. Worse still, they don’t even colour background characters. For the sake of your sanity, DON’T WATCH THIS.
Verdict: DROPPED

Hibike! Euphonium
à The reincarnation of K-ON? On the surface, the fact that it’s about another four girls playing music alongside the standard SOL sequences should sound the alert. But the first episode makes it clear that it’s a whole different species than K-ON. Firstly, the music is orchestral. Secondly, there is none of that SOL antics that permeated through the whole two seasons of K-ON. Thirdly, the characters (or at least the main lead) shows a lot more depth than the frankly one-dimensional characters of K-ON. There are similarities (well this IS slice of life), but this looks like a solid show. I’ll be catching up on this, to be sure.
Verdict: WATCHING

Ore Monogatari!!
à This is a pretty sweet rom-com revolving around a misunderstood ‘gentle giant’ whose crushes flock to his bishounen best friend. But upon saving a girl from a groper on a train, his chances start improving. This was a pretty enjoyable premiere, touching, sweet without being saccharine and subtly touching upon delicate themes. To be fair, it isn’t exactly novel, but what elevates the show from the rest is perhaps how relatable the cast seems to be. Romance series aren’t one of my favourites, but this one looks to be pretty good.
Verdict: WATCHING

Spring 2015 looks to be a pretty strong season indeed. With a bunch of sequels and a whole lot of new series, Spring gives us a breath of fresh air to dispel the stench of mediocrity that plagued the Winter season. With most of the Winter season ending after one cour, we start the Spring season on a relatively clean slate and I'm excited to see what else is in store!