and lo behold, anime just sank a little further into the gutter of public opinion.

It's not that I can't appreciate romance or emotional drama it's that I think I have a much lower tolerance for inserted or contrived melodrama in a narrative, especially when I've seen shows nail aspects of drama or romance without falling into these traps. My problem was probably having my first dedicated high school slice of life/romance be Flowers of Evil. The high moments in Kokoro, the moments where the internal struggle between the characters were balanced perfectly with the external forces exposing the raw and unfiltered human within, reminded me of the feeling Flowers of Evil was able to consistently exude throughout the entirety of its series.

Everything else just feels like a step down in comparison.

Have you seen Bakemonotagari?

Im not sure if i can handle the toothbrushing, Sota.
:P

So Haikyuu is pretty fantastic.

Its instantly shot itself up to one of my favorite shows of 2014. The author seriously needs to be commended for being able to juggle this many distinct characters and being able to provide meaningful development for nearly everyone up until this point. Episode 17 in particular is just like a microcosm of everything that I've enjoyed about this series to date. It highlights not only how far each of the characters have come on their individual paths but also how much further each of them have left to grow. Peppered in between we have the match analysis itself, the strategy involved, the why and how they're using their team's strengths differently this time. Withholding information in order to best use their tricks in the most opportune moments. I didn't expect going in to this show to become interested in the ins and outs behind Volleyball of all things but here I am surfing through episode after episode waiting to see more of what the show has to offer. Seriously guys, do not miss out on this show. I dislike sports anime but Haikyuu (and Ping Pong, why am I the only one who's seen Ping Pong) should definitely be on your watch lists.

Today marks the end of the 4th week of Winter 2015, which means I have seen the first three episodes of every show I am watching(I watch on a free Cruchyroll account, so I am a week behind). I thought I would post a quick review of everything I have seen, including Fall 2014 leftovers, going from worst to best.

#8 - Log Horizon: Honestly, this show has been disappointingly boring. Ever since Akatsuki's arc ended the show has been on a downward spiral for me, and this new arc following the young members is simply the worst yet. Every week I have to force my self to sit through an episode of this and every time it feels like a wasted effort.

#4 - Parasyte: For those of you who have seen this, you know I do not have to justify this. For those of you who haven't seen this, what the fuck were you doing last season?

So yah, that is my list for this season. I am glad to be watching only 8 shows, as the last season watching 15 shows almost burned me out. I would love to hear some people opinions, as it would be nice to start an actual discussion on here again.

Am I the only one that's noting the pretty distinct drop in quality on the Parasyte front? Not so much in an animation perspective or anything (though the show has never reached the heights on that front since the first couple eps) but more on the overall writing front. It's one thing to fumble pretty much all of the interactions between Shinichi and the female characters (you don't want to get me started on how the scenes where Female Protag 1 is recalling all the "weird" things going on with Shinichi while ignoring his sudden ability to jump out of two story windows) but the writing as a whole has just sort of taken a pretty stark drop in quality. I just can't get over how the initial handling of the detective character was handled. Last couple episodes have been a bit more interesting as the focus has shifted into how the Parasyte faction is organizing itself but man, please step it up. This show went from a legit Top 5 AOTY contender for me to just dropping off my radar on that front entirely.

And yeah, with the exception of the episode with Kanami's introduction Log Horizon's been pretty middling as well. S1 was definitely more entertaining.

every show has boring or poor arcs, hopefully this will end up a good setup for the next season. *hopes a lot*

Get on dust and throw an app into HvLP - then this thread will be mostly HvLP guys speaking anime, lol.

Join us too! o/ And join our channel, Anime Empire!

Channel? Yes.

HvLP? No.

Don't take it personally. I love the dudes at FA.

Also: SoTa, if they ever give out "Buddy Codes" for PS2, can you toss one my way? I'm still waiting on mine, playing WT until I get mine.

I may just be posting this list to keep bullying people into watching Ping Pong.

I'm not the only one that likes it! It got anime of the year on GAF!
D:

My personal list was ...

Haikyuu (maybe a little tactically motivated to push support for it because Ping Pong was totally eclipsing it)
Ping Pong
Mushishi
Nozak-kun
Space Dandy

... and having finished HxH just this weekend I'd have probably have put it up there too.

Not having access to the Funimation hitters would kill this season for me. Maria the Virgin Witch, Yatterman of the Night, Rolling Girls, and Death Parade? Only thing Crunchyroll has that comes close is Lesbian Bear Storm. It's a show I'm still thoroughly enjoying by the way, especially now that they've finally got around to doing some backstory on the 2 female bear persons.

Am I the only one that's noting the pretty distinct drop in quality on the Parasyte front? Not so much in an animation perspective or anything (though the show has never reached the heights on that front since the first couple eps) but more on the overall writing front. It's one thing to fumble pretty much all of the interactions between Shinichi and the female characters (you don't want to get me started on how the scenes where Female Protag 1 is recalling all the "weird" things going on with Shinichi while ignoring his sudden ability to jump out of two story windows) but the writing as a whole has just sort of taken a pretty stark drop in quality. I just can't get over how the initial handling of the detective character was handled. Last couple episodes have been a bit more interesting as the focus has shifted into how the Parasyte faction is organizing itself but man, please step it up. This show went from a legit Top 5 AOTY contender for me to just dropping off my radar on that front entirely.

And yeah, with the exception of the episode with Kanami's introduction Log Horizon's been pretty middling as well. S1 was definitely more entertaining.

In other news I just finished watching Hunter x Hunter. It's pretty much the best long running shounen I've seen, now to wait 5+ years for the author to come up with enough new material to justify a continuation of the TV series. It ended off at a pretty good point though.

Today marks the end of the 4th week of Winter 2015, which means I have seen the first three episodes of every show I am watching(I watch on a free Cruchyroll account, so I am a week behind). I thought I would post a quick review of everything I have seen, including Fall 2014 leftovers, going from worst to best.

#8 - Log Horizon: Honestly, this show has been disappointingly boring. Ever since Akatsuki's arc ended the show has been on a downward spiral for me, and this new arc following the young members is simply the worst yet. Every week I have to force my self to sit through an episode of this and every time it feels like a wasted effort.

#7 - KanColle: This show is bad. There is no other way of putting it. The only reason this placed above Log Horizon is because this show is interesting, and I can hope that it will improve. I look forward to seeing more of this show, but I will not be surprised of it turns out to be one of the worst shows I have seen.

#6 - Naruto Shippuden: I really should't have to explain my self here. Naruto is still Naruto: Not the best, but not terrible either. I am enjoying this latest season; this latest flashback has proven to be interesting.

#5 - World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman: Now we get into the good shows. This one surprised me a bit, as I went in expecting an over the top ecchi filled with more fanservice than plot just like Trinity Seven, but it ended up being a fairly good anime that has a lot of qualities that remind me of RWBY. I'm excited to see where this goes to say the least.

#4 - Parasyte: For those of you who have seen this, you know I do not have to justify this. For those of you who haven't seen this, what the fuck were you doing last season?

#3 - Saekano -How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend-: This show is amazing. The romance is done in just the right amount of doses, but it still allows the comedy to take the spotlight. This show is hilarious, and this is definitely my favourite of the new anime that have come out this year.

#2 - Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: This is definitely one of the best romance anime I have seen. But this show isn't good due to its romance, it is good due to the absolute perfect amount of emotional conflict. Over the many arcs, this show has put its characters through some amazing emotional challenges, and the characters reaction are not over the top. Are you reading this Foundation? Good. Now watch this show, and Saekano as well.

#1 - Akastuki no Yona: If you ask me why I am putting this show in the #1 spot, I won't be able to tell you. This show is painfully generic and is as predictable as a small child making a choice between chocolate and broccoli, but nevertheless every Tuesday I am super pumped to see the latest episode of this show. It could be due to the comedy, or the subtle romance, but I feel, if anything, it is due to the likeable characters. I have no quarrel putting this in my top spot for this season, even if I don't know why.

So yah, that is my list for this season. I am glad to be watching only 8 shows, as the last season watching 15 shows almost burned me out. I would love to hear some people opinions, as it would be nice to start an actual discussion on here again.

Get on dust and throw an app into HvLP - then this thread will be mostly HvLP guys speaking anime, lol.

you assume that i would redownload and play dust again.

New Warlord patch seems cool :D

It seems that a couple days ago Monty Oum, the creator of RWBY, died due to an allergic reaction to a simple medical procedure.

I'm sure at least some of us will miss him, even though RWBY was not technically an anime.

Aside from that saddening news, I hope everyone has a good day. I'm going to go watch the latest episode of Akatsuki no Yona now.

:O

RWBY should be praised - it was the closest thing to anime america has ever come. I hope people follow in his footsteps, but with a better plot, lol.

RIP Mont Oum. o7