This post kicks off what I hope to be a recurring feature of the newly revamped website! In this section you’ll find a review by ryuu_zer0 and I on the previous season of anime. Click “Continue Reading->” to view the rest of the post. Stay tuned for a Winter 2011 preview post in the coming weeks, as well as something extra special if I get my say! Now’s the time to subscribe via RSS to this blog if you haven’t already!
Saber and Rin thank you for reading the rest of this post!
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Have your own thoughts on the Autumn 2011 Season? Let us know in the comments below!
Ben-To
Studio: David Production. Director: Itagaki Shin.
A faithful depiction of university life.
Savage1: Lots of fanservice, and the first opening song was ridiculously awesome. A really fun anime to watch, and I can see why the Light Novels were so successful. This anime is what a poor university student’s life is.
ryuu_zer0: Quite simply, this is the best comedy anime this season. Every episode had me in stitches with absurd antics and hilarious characters. The OP song is great too.
Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukinai
Studio: AIC Build. Director: Saito Hisashi.
They apparently don't have any friends.
Savage1: Minami, the leader of our Light Novel translation group, and regular in #uwanime, (stay tuned for releases soon!) recommended the novels and told me I would find this show amazing. I find this show amazing. It reminds me of Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. Don’t expect much plot progression, but rather a nice comedy containing almost every trope imaginable. I watch this for the laughs and Kobato. Kobato is so fabulous.
ryuu_zer0: >watching a comedy show for the laughs. ISHYGDDT
C3
Studio: Silver Link. Director: Oonuma Shin
Why do people watch this?
Savage1: See below. (Eggmun typed up a giant rant involving /gaia/, but it isn’t SFW so I removed it, ask around in #uwanime for the full text).
ryuu_zer0: Dont bother watching this unless you’re really desperate for fanservice. No plot whatsoever and the characters are more annoying than arousing. Silver Link should just stick to Baka Test. <Savage1 insert: And maybe write a doujin.>
>studio writing a doujin
>silver link doujin
You wouldn’t be able to see anything, it would just be a lot of panels with random colour, scribbles and 9001 signs everywhere.
Carnival Phantasm
Studio: LARC. Director: Seiji Kishi
Gilgamesh says this anime is full of GAR.
Savage1: An OVA that I would only recommend to type moon fans. The Saber, Illya, and Rin episodes will make you go HNNNNNNGGGGGHHHHH. Offers a unique insight into the nasuverse, and the flamboyant portrayal of character relationships.
ryuu_zer0: This isn’t even this season in any conceivable way, so I dont know why we’re reviewing it. But i guess what the president says goes. These OVAs are very funny, but to really get the most out of it you need to be aquainted with the Type-Moon universe. And no, watching the Fate/Stay Night anime doesn’t quite cut it, I’m afraid.
Fate/Zero
Studio: ufotable. Director: Aoki Ei
I ask of you. Are you my master?
Savage1: Play the Fate/Stay Night Visual Novel to get the most out of this one. A prequel to the original Fate/Stay Night series; ufotable shows Studio DEEN how it’s done. It could still be enjoyable without prior understanding of the nasuverse, unlike Shakugan no Shana which throws technical terms at you every 5 seconds. Fantastic visuals, use of 2D painting over CG models, and a high budget makes this almost as good looking as the critically acclaimed Kara No Kyoukai Movies (but not as good as dem BDs trololol). Oh, and did I mention Yuki Kajiura does the music?
ryuu_zer0: Contrary to popular belief you DON’T need to play the F/SN visual novel to enjoy this anime. The animation quality is eye-poppingly good, and the plot is intriguing too. This is a very solid anime overall. Highly recommended.
Guilty Crown
Studio: Production I.G. Director: Araki Tetsuro
This anime is like this image. It's walking towards awesomeness, but hasn't quite got it thus far.
Savage1: Before the first episode was released, everyone on /a/ was hailing it as the new Code Geass. Having watched it however i can say that I watch this show for 3 things: The music, Inori, and Ayana Taketatsu’s voice. Not that this show is bad; it just didn’t meet the hype surrounding it, and leaves you wanting more. The show is two-cour, so there is still a lot that can happen within the one season break to make this anime exceptional.
ryuu_zer0: I thought this show had the most potential after episode 1, but it kinda fell away after that. I expected brilliant writing and execution from the spiritual successor to Code Geass, and what I got was a constant stream of cliche after cliche and unimaginitve plot progression. That said, I still enjoy watching this show, and it’s still pretty decent overall. I still have hope that it will get much better in the second half.
Also, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing. supercell, have my babies.
Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai!
Studio: Lerche. Director: Motonaga Keitaro.
Pick a girl. Any girl.
Savage1: This show reminds me of the old days, back in 05-09 when I devoured harem shows after harem shows. Nothing really amazing, and lots of fanservice, but it’s watchable. Expect a non-commital harem end. But I’ll fill up the rest of the paragraph by saying the Oneechan is the best!
Mawaru Penguindrum
Studio: Brains Base. Director: Ikuhara Kunihiko
This show is FABULOUS MAX.
Savage1: From the director of Revolutionary Girl Utena, comes an anime that gets better and better each week. Coupled with two amazing opening songs, a fantastic plot and direction. Mawaru Penguindrum is highly recommended as one of the more solid anime’s of 2011. (Oh my god the plot twists).
ryuu_zer0: This anime is something completely different. It has a slightly convoluted, but engaging storyline, and it’s bursting with originality. Combined with solid artwork and musical score, it’s a definite recommendation.
Mirai Nikki
Studio: asread. Director: Hosoda Naoto. Licensed by Madman.
This anime scares me.
Savage1: I refuse to watch this until it ends, and people say it’s good. Not a big fan of Yandere.
ryuu_zer0: Ah, this is a tough one to review. Mainly because it’s 2 cour and I’ve only seen 7 episodes of it. But so far, it does look like it has potential. The pacing is great and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. However, it does suffer from some typical shounen-anime faults. Overall it’s definitely one of the better animes this season. Yuno is terrifyingly fabulous.
Persona 4: The Animation
Studio: AIC A.S.T.A Director: Kishi Seiji. Licensed by Madman.
Do you love this anime?
Savage1: Never liked the games, not going to watch the anime; see ryuu_zer0′s review.
ryuu_zer0: This show is a bit of a strange one. It follows the game storyline quite faithfully, so fans of it will probably enjoy this. From an outsider’s perspective, it has a certain quirky charm that you either like or hate with a passion. For the record, I was the among the former.
Shakugan no Shana III (Final)
Studio: J.C Staff. Director: Watanabe Takashi.
Don't make Shana cry. Watch this anime.
Savage1: If you like the Shana franchise, then you probably are going to watch this. I highly recommend giving the first season a shot if you haven’t otherwise. Watching this final season reminds me of the times when I was downloading chinese rmvb’s on dial up. Shana is awesome. You should watch this. The final season follows the Light Novels pretty well, and hopefully it will reach the same conclusion.
ryuu_zer0: Kugi Rie sucks (except for Taiga).
Tamayura ~hitotose~
Studio: TYO Animations. Director: Junichi Satou
Simple and Clean.
Savage1: This is exactly how slice of life should be done. I highly recommend watching the prequel OVAs: Tamayura, as well. No random fanservice and ::plot:: thrown in your face. This anime serves itself on a gold platter, with all the sides.
ryuu_zer0: A gem of an anime. The characters are adorable, and the whole show has a very relaxing feel to it. This is slice of life done the right way, and it’s probably my favourite show of the season. Now, if only the studio didn’t suck so much at mastering…
The Idolm@ster Xenoglossia
Studio: A-1 Pictures. Directors: Touko Takao, Atsushi Nishigori
Cute idol girls doing cute idol girl things.
Savage1: This isn’t the horrible anime that Xenoglossia was, but rather a relatively faithful adaption of an awesome xbox360 (and now PS3) game. With a huge number of quality songs, good character story arcs, and solid animation, The Idolm@ster is an anime I highly recommend to people new to the franchise.
ryuu_zer0: Idolm@ster is exactly what you’d expect and nothing more. It’s a series that may lead to multiple deaths-by-moe, but underneath it doesn’t really have much substance. Not that you need any to appreciate the music and overall cuteness of the show. tl;dr if you’re in the mood for a fluffy moe-fest, watch im@s.
Working`!!
Studio: A-1 Pictures. Director: Ootsuki Atsushi
This is my face when I watch this anime.
Savage1: The first season was average. When the second season was announced, I thought to myself: “Awesome, now we get plot.” Astushi. I am disappoint. The series has devolved into the constant repetition if Inami’s “problem”. Not that it’s a bad thing, it just feels like the endless eight again. Watch it if you have time, and have watched the first season.
Big Wall of Text Below: tl;dr stuff you should watch.
Stuff we haven’t really watched, but have been recommended.
Chihayafuru
Studio: Madhouse. Director: Asaka Morio.
Savage1: Eggmun dubs this “the best anime this season”. I might watch it eventually; and if an episode ever told the viewer to “jump off a cliff” I would immediately call search and rescue.
Kimi to Boku
Studio: J.C Staff. Director: Kanbe Mamoru
Savage1: Eggmun, a regular in #uwanime, and a translator for our LN group, says this is one of the best shows this season. And since he apparently has superior taste to all of us, I think we should take his word for it. I, on the other hand have only watched the OP, and it’s pretty good, so go figure.
ryuu_zer0: But seriously, this is a BL show and Eggmun was the only one that watched it.
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon
Studio: Sunrise. Director: Ono Manabu. Licensed by Madman.
Savage1: I haven’t actually watched this, but lots of people love this show (read: commie). So It’s on my “going to watch because people told me to watch it list”. You should add it to your list too.
ryuu_zer0: No this show sucks, don’t watch it. Join #uwanime and Eggmun will tell you why.
Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam
Studio: GONZO. Director: Chigira Koichi.
Savage1: People in the Clubroom have convinced me to watch this and the original Last Exile anime. From what I’ve seen, it’s really solid, and should be given a shot.
ryuu_zer0: Another two-cour show, so it’s kind of unfair to review it at this stage.
Mashiro-Iro Symphony
Studio: Manglobe. Director: Suganuma Eiji
Savage1: After watching Shuffle! and Kimi ga Nozomu Eien the only thing that will make me watch an Anime like Mashiro-iro is the promise of Sora in Yosuga no Sora. Currently waiting on Icy’s (another member in #uwanime) final verdict, but the general consensus has been: Watch it if you have nothing else to watch.
ryuu_zer0: MOAR RIBBONS
Shinryaku? Ika Musume
Studio: Diomedea. Director: Yamamoto Yasutaka. Licensed by Madman.
Savage1: There is always that one guy in the UWAnime Clubroom that wants to watch this. To me it’s a show that thrusts squid loli in your face and forces you to swallow. Might (read: probably won’t) give this a shot, but hey, there is a semi fan base for this show, so why not try it out?
ryuu_zer0: No review needed. Ika fans will know exactly what to expect, and that’s exactly what this show delivers.
Un-Go
Studio: Bones. Director: Mizushima Seiji.
Savage1: Bones is the studio behind this. /a/ like it, however after consecutive seasons of GOSICK and Kamisama no Memochou, I’m taking a break from detective shows for a bit. Lets hope ryuu watched this or else he’ll get mad :>.
ryuu_zer0: I never know what to expect from Bones any more so I’m not even going to try and comment on this until I’ve watched it.
______________________
And that’s a wrap! Thanks for reading this post if you did \o/. Sound off in the comments below about your own recommendations from the Autumn 2011 Season!
(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are that of it’s authors, and not of UWAnime).
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