Yes, its that time again. I know this post is pretty late, having the Summer season having started and all (which means after this I still need to do another First Impressions post...), but better late than never, right?
...So on with the reviews. This End-Season review will list the top 5 anime that have ended their run this past season, excluding split-cours, which means that only anime that have completed their run this past season will be included, including multiple-cour shows whose run began before the Spring season. Since I'm not the Anime GOD, the following shows are the shows which I completed, and completed its run in the Spring season:
Assassination Classroom
Danmachi
Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]
Hibike! Euphonium
OreGairu Zoku
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
...Yeah, its a small bunch. But to be fair, there are a lot of two-cour shows this season and I dropped a lot of series midway through. On to the top 5 this season:
1. Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]
2. Hibike! Euphonium
3. OreGairu Zoku
4. Assassination Classroom
5. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
REVIEWS
1. Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works]
My number 1 show this season is certainly going to be a point of contention among many people. However, while this season was decent, it wasn't especially strong, and the sheer animation quality that ufotable offered was more than sufficient to make up for the flaws this show had. I'll say this flat-out - I'm a fan of the Fate series, and seeing one of my favourite visual novels translated into anime is a sheer delight. But anime is a completely different medium than a visual novel, and there are sure to be trade-offs.
Fate/Stay Night [Unlimited Blade Works] (henceforth F/SN UBW) had excellent material to adapt - and it knew it. The Fate franchise has been existence since the first visual novel was released more than a decade ago in 2004, and still retains a large following of fans. The Studio DEEN 2006 anime tried to adapt the show with as little setup as possible, while trying to incorporate some of the elements of the other two routes, but failed miserably, resulting in a complete fiasco - all while creating one of the most famous memes of all time - "People die when they are killed". F/SN UBW had to bear that in mind while it tried to adapt a different route from the anime, Unlimited Blade Works, with Rin as the heroine.
Unfortunately, for the uninitiated, the Fate Universe is too multi-layered and too complex to grasp within the span of a few episodes, and since the entire UBW was built on that foundation, without a proper grasp of the Holy Grail War and its multifarious mechanics, the story in UBW would seem really convoluted and indeed, overwhelming, filled with jargon no one cared to explain (for more on that, please read my first primer to Fate/Stay Night). The difference between an anime and visual novel storytelling medium also meant that a large chunk involving inner monologues of Shirou questioning his ideals was left out, causing the central conflict to feel hollow, shallow and contrived. That said, the newest iteration of the Fate franchise is undoubtedly the premier adaptation of Fate/Stay Night. ufotable sweetened the deal with its supreme animation quality, quite possibly one of the best ever made, but the central conflict was told quite well, even if not everybody understood all the details As for those who came only for the flashing lights, they were not disappointed.
I enjoyed the F/SN UBW anime immensely. While it may not be as epic as the visual novel, and certainly isn't perfect, it did what it had to do and did it well, having something for everyone, including special anime-original bits not present in the visual novel. With ufotable at the helm, superb animation is guaranteed, and it delivered. Sound was aptly and suitably used, especially one of the best soundtracks of all time, EMIYA. All in all, while I would be hesitant to recommend the anime to 'everybody', I consider F/SN UBW to be an excellent anime - and well worth the effort of catching up with the mechanics (I have a set of primers to do just that).
And let's not forget the Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel Movie that we are going to get at the end of the year. There's no better time to be a Fate fan, so if you haven't watched this show, you're missing out!
2. Hibike! Euphonium
After stagnating for two years, KyoAni has finally got back into its groove again with Hibike! Euphonium. Although the promotional image of four girls with instruments may induce a wave of K-ON! nostalgia, Hibike! is certainly not the reincarnation of K-ON. The music/slice-of-life elements aside, they are two completely different species. While K-ON! focused mostly on slice-of-life and other mundane elements, Hibike brought us a powerful emotional story, with much character development, drama and some yuri-baiting. The characters are no-longer one-dimensional moe-blobs, but fully-fledged multi-dimensional characters in their own right. I was hooked for the entire duration and was left wanting for more at the end.
For those who was waiting for another gem like Hyouka - widely believed to be one of KyoAni's finest work - your wait is over. It is not really fair to use Hyouka as the basis of comparisons though, and I would advise you to enjoy each anime in its own right. KyoAni does have a unique flair in storytelling, and while they are prone to squandering their talents on useless moe shows, when it does hit, it delivers. Hibike! Euphonium is a coming-of-age tale of human relationships, with music on the side. Music is more like the gel that connects them, rather than a centrepiece of the anime, It does take centre stage multiple times - after all this anime is about music - but it is as much about the characters as the music. All the characters are multi-dimensional and each one of them have a level of depth. They grow and develop through the series, and their growth is evident at the end of the series.
Aesthetics-wise, Hibike is visually pleasing, Another one of KyoAni's hallmarks is its beautiful animation, not on the same level as ufotable, but at the same time, with a completely different animation style. As this anime IS about music, the orchestral music does sound beautiful, especially in the last episode, but the soundtracks used in this show is all suitably used and are very apt for the theme of the show. The ending theme usually clashes with the emotional tone of the show though.
I enjoyed Hibike! Euphonium a lot, and I would certainly recommend it as one of KyoAni's finest works. With character drama, development and music, KyoAni has finally found its sweet spot and one can only hope it will carry this momentum to its next adaptation. For a studio that carved a niche for itself in slice-of-life and moe shows, but also in powerful character dramas, I expect great things from it.
3. OreGairu Zoku
I can't be bothered to type the entire full name of this show, but everyone should know this show. This show has one of the best depictions of human relationships and interactions that I have seen in recent times. The first season was mere preamble for the second season, where the story starts to deepen. The second season is certainly a different animal from the first, but each season does have its individual charm. While the first season excelled in showing Hachiman's unique albeit twisted view of the world, the second season shows the repercussions of his actions, and how his self-sacrificial nature actually harms the people around him more than it harms himself.
This show touches on some pretty deep themes that can hardly be addressed in a few episodes. From family difficulties to awkward relationships, OreGairu doesn't pull its punches. It delivers and really packs a powerful emotional dose. The relationsahips they form with each other is one of the most convincing ones in recent anime history, and its interesting to see how their fragile web of relationships holds up in the face of adversity. In fact, early in the season, the already thin thread that holds our trio's relationship together actually snaps, bringing them to the brink of self-destruction. Any more would be a spoiler but suffice it to say that OreGairu's second season has to be one of the more emotionally-moving show that has surfaced recently. Thirteen episodes is too few to flesh out the entire story, and I sincerely hope it receives a third season. The complex themes and multi-layered webs of relationships they delve into is both impressive and overwhelming. For a relationship that is at best fragile, to see the way they interact with each other as they deal with their own individual problems is heartbreaking to say the least, but at the same time, also extremely riveting. It is hard to discuss this show adequately without delving into spoilers, but suffice to say that OreGairu's second season is extremely riveting, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
4. Assassination Classroom
Assassination Classroom turned out to be a more enjoyable experience than I would have expected. The story took some time to pick up speed, but the final two arcs really delivered. Sure, its over the top, crazy, nonsensical , but its also fun enough for us to employ the age-old 'suspension of disbelief' and just enjoy the ride. The last two arcs really sealed the deal with me, although the rest of the anime was no slack either. While on the surface it seems like a light-hearted comedy, it actually carries a lot of deeper themes within. This is truly a coming-of-age tale where people shunned by society due to academic discrimination stand up for themselves, and find that they have more self-worth than they think. It is a reflection of the cutthroat society of academics in Japan, and indeed in many parts of the world, especially in Asian countries, where academic results are perhaps overly emphasised on, and academic results hold the key to a brighter future, despite contrarian evidence appearing everywhere. Entrenched beliefs are hard to change, but I digress...
Assassination Classroom really upped the ante with the final two arcs, really showcasing its chops. As one of the manga that consistently tops the Shounen Jump rankings (along with Shokugeki no Souma, also airing), Assassination Classroom is showing why it deserves its credentials. Twenty-two episodes is just two short a runtime, and I was left wanting more. The final arc ended no different from any other arc, and I was almost fooled to believe that there would be a twenty-third or twenty-four episode. And I would definitely be disappointed if there's no second season.
5. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
Yamada was a cute little story about a guy and seven girls with special abilities. Believe it or not, this is not a harem story, though it looks like everything you need for a good harem. It is based on a highly rated manga series, and I know many manga readers are fuming at how much they truncated the manga in order to fit it into a twelve-episode series. The truncation was quite obvious, even for anime-only watchers. The anime was rushed and blitzed through the manga in order to end it at a reasonable point. And to be fair - that was the only reasonable point to end it at. And let's face it - anime space is tight; this series could easily fit in a two-cour slot and still require some trimming to fit it all in. Normally, shows like this are just promotional material for the manga. But Yamada was a pretty good show, even as a standalone anime.
Some anime couples just works, and with a winning formula with the chemistry of the main couple, you don't really need much to make a watchable show. But Yamada-san went one step further and introduced a semi-compelling plot to go with it. The story was too rushed to develop the sense of urgency and to make it truly enthralling, but its pacing was enough to bring the atmosphere of despair and hopelessness into the show. The conclusion was also way too convenient, but I guess you got to work with what you're given. Most loose ends were more or less tied up, and the story ended on a happy note. I'm not expecting another season or anything; after all, this is just promotion for the manga, but it a decent anime anyway. Good job.
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