Fall Season 2014 First Impressions

The end of 2014 is coming closer. Time feels like it’s going faster and faster. Let’s have a look at some of the shows this Fall.

I initially didn’t expect to pick up this much series in the beginning. I just went with the flow and picked up some shows which for the time being seem to be good picks. I’m pleasantly surprised by Inou-Battle wa Nichijou and while not knowing much about Amagi Brilliant Park prior to its release, it’s one my favorite shows so far for this season.

Love it. I really like this series so far. Amagi Brilliant Park revolves around a theme filled with magical being who feed off the amount of satisfied visitors they get. A certain amount of visitors will give them enough energy to survive, but also prevent them from closing. The new manager of the park, Seiya, will have to create a miracle to bring the park back to life.

The theme gives the producers room to create a diverse set of colorful characters. Of course the show isn’t without fanservice, but who am I to complain? I like it so far. The character designs seem to fit the overall theme and fall in line with the familiar designs from KyoAni. The show itself has set some good fundamentals at the beginning episodes to playfully introduce the audience to the story. I must admit that I hate the overly present main mascot of the show, but he’s probably there for comic relief. Or whatever function he might have, probably he is the metaphor and embodiment of Amagi Brilliant Park itself.

YES! Ufotable’s Fate/ franchise is back with Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works, creating new eyegasm scenes and profound storytelling.

I haven’t seen the original Fate/Stay Night adaptation and from different sources it seems to be the right decision to have been waiting for this remake. The main characters have been more matured and the battle for the ultimate price is continuing.
The major downfall of the series, which was also apparent in the previous adaptation(Fate/Zero), was the very detailed conversations. This can put off viewers and leave them thinking “just get it over with.”

The members of a club obtain supernatural powers and they are learning how to cope with those powers.

Inou-Battle wa Nichijou is comedic surprise of the fall season with its diverse characters and lively animation. The show is over the top at times, considering it is produces by Trigger, but not Kill la Kill over the top which was a bit ‘overkill’ for me. There are some animation similarities which give Inou-Battle wa Nichijou a more unique look and feel. Character design may seem familiar as they are done by the same artist who did the design for Hataraku Maou-sama. At first I thought Kantoku was the mastermind behind the colorful main cast.

The second installment of the Psycho-pass franchise, continuing the story of inspector Akane and her struggles with the Sybil system.

A new foe has been introduced that threatens to destroy or reveal the weaknesses of the Sybil system. An interesting way of storytelling to show that an automated judgment system will not be the salvation to all our crime related problems. The execution remains fairly the same to the previous season, although I must admit that the animation isn’t top quality in certain scenes which negatively impact the experience.

Sugar coated middle school love filled with Sakura leaves takes the stage in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.

This is one of the better looking shows this year once you get used to the somewhat shoujo like character designs. The story centers around Arima Kousei, a child piano prodigy who suffered domestic abuse by his deceased mother, who wanted him to become the best piano player in history of mankind(apparently). After that he stopped playing, but now that he’s met Kaori his hormones go super saiyan.

The series is so sugarcoated with innocent and young love that it becomes too much to handle at times. Not that there’s anything wrong with this sort of romance, but the way it is presented breaks down any realistic feel the show could’ve had. Despite this, the show is enjoyable and the music in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is soothing.

Shirobako centers around a group of girls who swore at the end of high school they would work in the animation industry. They would create their own animation series, but reality seems more hectic than they could’ve imagined.

In a separate post about this show I wrote that this series feels like an advertisement for the anime industry and showing that hard work is put into creating the series love or hate. On the flipside it could be a wake-up call to Japanese working culture where overworking seems to be the norm and not unusual. Shirobako itself needs some building as it is still exploring the different facets of creating an animation and not so much the story of the girls who made a promise in high school. They just seem to do their own thing with no emotional bonding for the viewer to experience during episodes.

Chaika and her companions set forth their quest in gathering the magical remains of Chaika’s father

The series has the same look and feel as the previous season. The story also progresses straight off from the previous season. I like Chaika’s appearance and mannerisms that make her a more approachable character. The side characters along the way, faced by our three heroes, are diverse and give room to explore the main cast’s feelings and motives. I must admit that Hitsugi no Chaika doesn’t really leave much of an impression this time. It doesn’t really try to engage its audience and the storytelling seems scattered with multiple storylines intertwining every now and again.

Sora no Method is entertaining, but I really don’t get what the show is about. And maybe that’s not the point, just look at it and think “she’s so cute!” I suppose.

A town has some kind of alien like saucer hovering above it and it has something to do with a girl that looks like a Erio rip-off from Denpa Onna. And that’s about all I’ve understood from what is going on. I’ll just keep watching this for no particular reason other than that it looks cute.

The second season of Log Horizon where Shiro and his friends try to figure out in what world they are stranded it. So far no big changes from the previous season.

My complaint remains, just like with the season, that there isn’t enough emotional bonding with the characters. Implying that I miss more world building outside where they are stranded in. We get some glimpses of the outside through background stories of characters. Yet, it is to minimal to really sketch a full picture of the world outside. Doesn’t anybody care they are trapped in an online world? Are they in a parallel universe that consists out of a simulated world? This show needs some time to work out its core, because leaving it vague as it is won’t make it more engaging than it is right now. And please do something about the odd hair designs with some characters. It really brakes down the overall experience.