Boy I’m not very good at this whole ‘being on hiatus’ thing. Already I’ve written two really long posts since the supposed hiatus. This just happens to be how I wind down. I’m weird like that.
For the record, I haven’t watched anime in over a week, so I’m at least one episode behind on everything.
A Grade
A- Sankarea
Episodes 1-3
The fact that this rather standard romcom with a morbid twist was any good came as a surprise to me. That it was this good blew my mind. It’s all down to the directing. What could have been a bland Yuji-Everylead comes off as relatable and human with flaws and dreams. Rea could have come off as a demeaning and voyeuristic handling of child abuse, but instead appears as a real person who is naive yet sympathetic. I never thought I’d say this, but bravo Studio Deen. You’ve elevated average source material with your excellent adaptation.
B Grade
B+ Minori Scramble
Thank god something good came out of Ufotable’s attempts at OVAs. Minori Scramble is a fantastically goofy slapstick comedy, one I haven’t seen done as well as this since Hare+Guu, and that was over 10 years ago. What I have to praise more than anything is that, while it’s cute, the cuteness is used as a means to create comedy, rather than relying on the cuteness itself to be the only draw. Genuinely charming and laugh out loud funny, I thoroughly recommend this. I also hope they make more, because it seems a shame to let this die at one short OVA.
B+ Aquarion EVOL
Episodes 13-17
I did not think Aquarion EVOL had taken the right direction at the start of this month. The show revels in its goofy cheesiness, and having something that downer happen didn’t mesh with the aim of the show. And yet Aquarion EVOL defied me. It both handled the drama incredibly well, all while keeping within the same goofy cheesy constructs that makes it so entertaining. It came out the other side a stronger show in which I cared about the characters even more. The banana robot mixed hot springs episode also proved that it hasn’t lost its craziest side either.
B+ Kids on the Slope
Episodes 1-2
Kids on the Slope is basically perfect. All the directorial cues hit their mark. The characters are well-defined and likable yet with proper flaws. The animation is amazing and meshes perfectly with the music. It’s pretty much bang on the mark. My only problem at the moment is that it’s all a bit too nice. I’m waiting for some sort of real drama to occur that makes me eager to tune into new episodes, because as of now I’m just not getting as excited as I probably should be for it. But apart from that, it’s perfect.
B+ Tsuritama
Episodes 1-2
I love Tsuritama’s approach to telling its story. It’s got this loopy, happy-go-lucky nature that makes it infectious. The directing is a little bit all over the place, leaving some stretches of episodes having remarkably little happen in them, leading to some rather dull stretches. But the wilder segments easily make up for that. I’m now waiting to see how all these seemingly disparate elements tie together to form some kind of overall narrative, but I’m certainly enjoying the ride it’s taking me on.
B Jormungand
Episodes 1-2
Jormungand’s plot doesn’t make a whole lot of sense at the moment, mainly because it’s non-existent. A whole load of people selling weapons and shooting and so on. But I don’t really care because the characters (well, mainly just Koko) make this show inherently enjoyable. I originally compared it to Baccano/Durarara style of introduction, but a closer comparison is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. These guys are just doing their jobs, you’ll pick up what they’re like along the way. Which is great, because this show has Koko. She is rather mentally imbalanced if I do say so myself. Oh no, is what I said.
B- Future Diary
Episodes 24-26
Barmy, loopy, crazy, nuts, tossing logic out the window and barreling towards some sort of psychotic conclusion. These are all ways I thought I would be describing the final episode, but instead it was an oddly low-key affair. OK this is still low-key by Future Diary standards, so there was still a re-writing of the entire universe, but it left me feeling oddly underwhelmed. Still, it was a fitting end to the series, and this month also included the fantastic episode 25. Totally batty anime, and I loved it for that.
B- Space Bros
Episodes 1-4
Space Bros has a bit of a problem with banging on and on with the same subject. Chasing my dream blah de blah we get it. The show will probably always be inherently enjoyable because Mutta is fun to watch. He’s like Kotetsu from Tiger and Bunny except cleverer and therefore less irritating.
B- Fate/Zero
Episodes 14-16
For a show that’s supposed to be about Rider and Waver, they’ve gotten rather little screentime these past few episodes. I mean, these side characters are all right. They’re rather too in love with their own voice, saying nothing in one sentence than can be said with 5, but isn’t that par for the course for this show. At least their stories are pretty interesting. Still though, I’d rather like to see the main attraction take centre stage again.
B- Lupin III: Fujiko Mine
Episodes 1-3
The quality of this new Lupin III series has been a bit all over the place. I loved episode 3 with Goemon. It’s story was well told and endearing. On the other hand, episode 2 was a mess. Trying to fit the larger-than-life Lupin characters into a noir style story simply doesn’t work. You need more subtlety, which this show simply doesn’t have. Also there’s Fujiko’s tits, which just get silly with them flying all over the place. When it hits the mark, it’s a pretty damn great show. I just hope it realises how silly it is and sticks to doing that.
B- Mysterious Girlfriend X
Episodes 1-3
I genuinely like the story Mysterious Girlfriend X is telling. This alternatives take on teenage romance, challenging the social norms of what you should do in a relationship, is something I appreciate. But the drool. Oh god the drool. After the first episode, I thought the drool fascination would slowly die down, and my reaction to it would become increasingly tepid until I barely noticed it was there at all. Instead, the reverse has happened. It’s gotten to the point where I actively push my screen away, shut my eyes and cover my ears when the drool appears again. I probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as bothered by it if they didn’t revel in it so much.
C Grade
C+ Eureka Seven Ao
Episodes 1-2
Eureka Seven Ao hasn’t quite clicked with me yet. I haven’t found a character to latch onto yet, so all I’ve gotten from the show is a whole load of technobabble I can’t make sense of. The scub coral has arrived, quick unload the MXP-Fighter Unit 01 to unleash the seventh swell with the aliens swearing off the Japanese from unleashing the defence force from invading the potato fields on the last christmas on Tuesday. It’s all dramatic and beautifully animated, but I just haven’t found any reason to care yet.
C+ Buta
Buta is part of the Young Animator Training Project, which they decided to have another round of in 2012. Buta was just like any of the four from last time round. Decent story that doesn’t have a whole lot to it. Some pig helps little fox dude save his map or something. It had a pretty clear Porco Rosso influence, what with the old warrior pig who acts indifferent towards people but actually has a heart of gold. I guess it’s worth watching for that if nothing else.
C Kuroko’s Basketball
Episodes 1-3
I’ll probably get bored with this show eventually, but for now at least I’m engaged. The characters have distinguishing personalities and the lead two play off each other quite well, as they do with the female manager. Shame the animation quality is probably the shittest all season, which makes the basketball matches turn into be a bunch of still frames and speed lines, but I like the show’s over-exuberant shounen energy. The part where they stood on top of the building and yelled out to the school was entertaining.
C Medaka Box
Episodes 1-3
There is one thing about Medaka Box that keeps me coming back. Even though it has terrible animation, dull set-ups, an atrocious opening song, a measly attempt at a Kyon-ripoff, constant obsession with Medaka’s tits…well, OK there’s a lot of problems. But I keep coming back because of Medaka herself. She’s basically Jesus with tits. There’s something fascinating about watching the entire world warp around her presence, and how each character is defined by how they act around her. The show is trying to depict her as a force of nature, and certainly achieves that. It doesn’t really achieve anything else, but Medaka alone is somehow enough to keep me watching.
D Grade
D+ Gakkatsu
Episodes 1-3
I suppose in the field of shitty 5 minute comedy flash shorts, Gakkatsu is probably the best I’ve seen. That’s obviously not saying much, but hey, baby steps. It’s about a class sitting around and discussing some aspect of life. It’s set up is similar to Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, except without the imaginative artstyle, the satirical characters, the social satire…well, maybe there’s a bit of social satire, but not enough to keep my interest. It is only 5 minutes per episode though, so at least it avoids the Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei problem of running its single set up into the ground. Yeah I had to get in my dig at that show in here somehow.
D Saint Seiya Omega
Episodes 1-2
It’s weird how something so colourful and so extravagant could be so bland and forgettable.. From what I can tell, most of it is fighting for fighting’s sake. The characters aren’t interesting. I don’t think I’m a fan of super sentai stuff. Not that I’ve seen much, but I was never into Power Rangers as a kid. Nor Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who I think might count as a weird form of super sentai. Or any western superhero comic book stuff. Or even the entire Precure franchise. I dunno, but dressing up in a silly costume and fighting dumb bad guys never appealed to me as a kid, and that doesn’t appear to have changed.
D- Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
Episodes 1-2
The completely obvious and inevitable happened. The gimmick of the first episode was just a flimsy shield hiding what was a thoroughly generic romcom. The main character is a Yuji Everylead. The female lead’s ghostyness doesn’t appear to have any interesting commentary on something or other. You know, the way the irregularities of the female leads in Sankarea and Mysterious Girlfriend X are commentaries on something, I saw nothing of the sort in Dusk Maiden. That’s the kind of thing that gets me interested, because I happen to be a pretentious prick like that.
E Grade
E+ Polar Bear Cafe
Episodes 1-2
Your characters are animals. Har har har. Now what? Is that it? Do you expect to carry the entire show on that? That’s one joke! You can’t carry an entire show on that. Polar Bear Cafe fails because it hasn’t got a clue how to tell jokes. Its comedic timing is pot anyway, so it’s not like the jokes would have any impact even if they were funny. I’ve heard people describe it has one of those ♥~healing~♥ anime, which I’ve always read as ♥~nothing interesting ever fucking happens~♥, so that probably explains why I’m so down on it. OP is still awesome though.
92 Comments
“E+ Polar Bear Cafe”
No.
“On the other hand, episode 2 was a mess.”
Welcome to another episode of Scamp Has Awful Opinions.
I second this notion.
New Lupin is a mess. It has the same writer as BRS had, you know.
1. Wrong. 2. Don’t care.
I know this probably doesn’t warrant a response, but why not:
I’ve read your praise of the episode for its Noir-vibe. I didn’t feel the noir vibe worked because noir needs subtlety and nuance, which the characters in Lupin don’t have. They’re larger than life characters. The episode tried to take that away from them and it left it feeling shallow
Ah, so I’m back to disagreeing with you about nearly everything; the world has righted itself once again!
The most frustrating show on this list (other than Lupin) has to be Dusk Maiden. It looks so amazing in places, which actually just makes it more infuriating that Silver Link decided to put actual effort into this crap. Not even with Sankarea levels of talent could a decent series be made out of the source material.
HAR
HAR
BUT THAT’S WRONG
Totally gold.
Despite having the biggest budget for any anime last year (or this year so far), Fate/Zero’s direction fails to deliver.
Nope.
Yup.
Talking heads are so interesting to watch
You just don’t care about the most of characters, that’s all.
Well at least the effects are shiny
yeah, I find myself disagreeing with a lot of scamps opinions, other than BONES works.
He’s still a bro though so it’s cool.
Polar Bear Cafe isn’t a “healing” anime. Compare:
Tamayura: [Girl returns to town where she lived with father who is now dead, and makes friends and works towards her dream.]
Polar Bear Cafe: [A Panda and a Penguin walk into a bar.]
Darn, now I might have to pick up Sankarae as well.
The agony of too much anime&games and not enough time! \o/
Polar Bear Cafe? A kuuki-kei/iyashi-kei anime?
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. This is me telling you need to actually watch and finish an iyashikei show before you talk about one, because it’s pretty obvious how you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Now man up and watch YKK.
For reference and for reference
Note that I said “other people” were calling it ~healing~, not me
Yeah, you better catch up, as some of your posts are bound to change when you do. Otherwise, yeah, I don’t get the appeal of Dusk Maiden of Amnesia.
I like it because of how it combines humor with dark & scary shit. Especially visually. I thought Scamp would at least be able to appreciate how a show can depict a boy and girl taking a stroll hand in hand while at the same time having the environment and mood be scary as fuck and not suited to me watching it at 4 AM.
Looks like Oonuma just loves Yuji Everyleads.
Oh, and dancing in the OP.
They don’t even do that well though. The ‘scary parts’ are them going ‘ooh something is going to happen ooh’. Sankarea does a better job of doing that anyway
That makes me laugh sometimes. Scary? Another was scarier than Dusk Maiden. The only thing that scared me was how painfully edited the slapstick was. The hand was clearly going to her face. How did it go to her boobs all of a sudden?
Well it’s not really well done, but I appreciate what they’re going for.
Really? I frankly found Another to be a joke – in terms of the scary meter. Then again, anything final-destination-like events, I tend to laugh at. Ghosts on the other hand, seem a bit more ‘realistic’. Maybe because if you’re going to make no sense, better go all the way, and not half ass it.
No, Another was never scary. It was extremely stupid. And when you lose to that, that’s how bad Dusk Maiden of Amnesia is in the scary department.
I’ve got to fundementally disagree here.
Sanka Rea is shit. It’s the same idol girlfriend drops into my lap even though I’ve done nothing to deserve it nonsense that’s peddled by every shitty anime trying to turn the miserable dreams of unsociables into cash. Oh not to mention that he already has a big busty girl lying around waiting for him to notice her, no that would be too much, we wouldn’t want to to point out how generically shit this pandering piece of crap is do we?
To be fair, you’re commenting with the “benefit” of having seen episodes 4 and 5. Hard as it is to remember back then, 1-3 were a whole lot better.
The same episode 3 with an assload of panty shots and upskirt scenes?
Quite possibly, but it moved the plot forwards in a way that 4 and 5 didn’t.
Does anyone really give a shit what they do to Wanko as long as they leave Rea alone?
If you think Rea didn’t get the fanservice treatment in the first 5 episodes, then you’re mistaken.
Hey Scamp,
Fuck your opinions.
You’re good friend,
Erif
For the most part, this is acceptable. I do disagree with you on a couple of points, however; the first three episodes, all of which took a different approach on storytelling, were great. It was the fourth episode I had issues with. Honestly though, I’ve had no problem with all the nudity, it’s one of the major selling points of the series.
Personally, I’ve kinda latched onto Ao, and Gazelle’s crew is not too bad either, but I couldn’t agree with you more. I thought not having watched the previous season was why I didn’t understand anything, but I now know that’s not the case.
Then there’s Space Brothers, possibly my favorite show this season. I don’t get that feeling at all from the show. Sure, I can understand your feelings, but who cares about your feelings! It’s not like this is your blog or anything, you selfish bastard.
Oh yeah, what the hell, you enjoy Aquarion more that Space BROS? Who are you?
Aquarion doesn’t bang on the same point over and over like Space Bros does. That’s my main problem with Space Bros
Yes, but Aquarion is formulaic as hell, and can’t be taken seriously.
Besides, I think Space Bros. is handled quite well, a lot of those points are the central themes of the shows. It’s not like “oh god I’m falling behind my brother” every waking moment, either.
and now I’m actually calling it “Space Bros”. It’s infectious.
got high hopes for sankarea and jormungand :D i was looking forward to medaka box but it turned out to be a not so good haruhi :(
Opinions, huh. And it’s strange that everybody keeps forgotting about comparing Medaka Box to the Scet Dance too xD
Jormungand’s 3-4 episodes were pretty damn good and I’ve started to love this show.
Episodes 3 & 4 of Jormungand were wonderful. Sadly, I still can’t see the actual plot (unless you call assassins killing Koko as plot).
What the. Episodes 1 & 2 were good, episodes 3 & 4 suddenly has people running at each other full spraying with machine guns from 20 m away in open field and no one getting hurt while doing so.
Well this is new. I normally just get people agreeing with me on monthly roundups
Well I agree for the most, just don’t think that Sankarea is so great (manga reader). I miss his faces from the manga.
But…but…but the manga is woeful! How the hell could anyone prefer the manga to the anime?
Well in case that the manga is really that shitty the direction won’t save this anime. But it gets more serious later.
And again, Chihiro from anime looks more like emo without these 1000 faces.
just compare this scene
http://c.mfcdn.net/store/manga/7418/01-003.0/compressed/lsankarea_c03_47.jpg
and that shitty pathos from anime.
So instead of something that tries to build up the irony of the morbid beauty of the death scene, you prefer a reaction face gag?
I think that it’s more suitable here (in these half-gag anime) than Shafty pathos. Also I don’t like Black Holes.
A grade Sanka Rea.
I still cannot believe my eyes.
Because you’re dead wrong in this case. Not on Sankarea, but on everything else, yes.
I’m wrong on high praise for Tsuritama, Kids on the Slope and Jormungand?
I’m not watching Jormungand, but Tsuritama and Kids’ should be higher. Anything lesser than A- is bad. silly scampu
Kids on the slope is going downhill (pun intended).
The drama is fake and forced. Our introverted pianist suddenly gained the balls to forcefully kiss his new friend’s childhood friend? Lol? That’s sexual harassment buddy.
Stick to the music, it is far more interesting.
I still can’t believe you gave Polarbear Cafe an E.
And Sankarea an A.
And you said Kotetsu was annoying.
Then again, he hasn’t seen four and five I don’t think. You had to admit the first three episodes were pretty much flawless, but other than that, I think it’s slowly going to drop in quality from here on it.
Also, Kotetsu isn’t annoying, he’s Kotetsu.
I love Kotetsu and all, but his bumbling idiocy did get on my nerves once or twice
I am very disappointed with you, Scamp.
I imagine it’s because most people are two episodes ahead of you and hence are looking at the shows from a different viewpoint. But even if you had caught up, judging from your taste I kinda expect you to keep the same order but just drop all shows down a grade…
I don’t know with Lupin. Besides the amazing visual style, it’s still Lupin III and I’m not the biggest fan of Lupin so I just find it okay.
Bah!
Bah!
BAH!
BAAAH!!!
BAH.
The main reason I enjoyed Eureka 7 so much was because of its characters. I freakin’ loved Holland and, like yourself, have always been adamant that Anemone and Dominic should have been the main characters. AO’s still missing that element. I mean, it’s all very dramatic but, until I latch myself onto a character like the blood-sucking leech I am, I’m never truly gonna care.
I’m still cursing myself for bailing on Sankarea on the last second…
Who knew it’d be such a hit?
And also he was confused hereWatch Nyaruko, suprisingly I can’t see it on the list.
THAT thing is quite a hit.
Nyarlko is the surprise hit for many, and the BR pre-orders show it. However it’s not the type of comedy that 5camp’s likely to enjoy.
Is it any good? The only thing I know about it that it about lovecraftian monsters as moe girls, /a/ goes crazy about it and it has a trap.
No, it’s not any good. But if a shitload of Japanese pop culture references, lovecraftian monsters as moe girls, and traps float your boat, then you will like it.
I guess I’ll just ignore it then.
Okay, I’ll agree on Sankarea just ’cause you haven’t watched episode 4 & 5. But once you get to episode 4 & 5, I really hope to see the rating drop. I ended up getting frustrated with Chihiro’s ability to forget that Babu is moving.
space bros B because of dream chasing…?? pff Mutta is the best character of all spring 2012 animes. ok ok B+
Polar bear E???? and medaka C…serious? lol
Kids on slope is B because everything is perfect, its just that later will turn into… errr… its B+. ok
——————-
Amenesia 2 ep nothing interesting…C its ok
Sankarea A 3 ep. i guess its ok
its April Roundup… err.. its ok
wait u gave
space bros B
amnesia D
Polar E
medaka C – better boobs… so close to beat fujikos nipples.
/sign
I’d tell you how wrong you are, but I think you already know that.
And Minori Scramble was aggressively mediocre. “Hey kids, do you like wackiness? Then have some more wacky on top of your wackiness! We’d like to think hyperactivity is comedy.” Give me the wry, offbeat tunes of Nichibears any day.
I happen to like wacky humour, thank you. Also Nichibears isn’t ‘wry’. I believe the term you are looking for is ‘humourless’
I agree with you for most of the shows except i would put kids on the slope #1, its too perfect. I know you havent watched anime in the last week, so the little issue you have in kids in the slope has already been solved. Also Tsuritama just hasnt impressed me much definitely not more than Space Bros or even Mysterious GfX.
My Top 5: Kids on the Slope, Sankarea, Jormungand, Space Bros, Mysterious GFX.
Don’t you dare make me want to watch an anime (Sankarea) based on a manga I despised.
For the record, I’m giving Sankarea an INC. Top 5 so far are Kids on the Slope, Polar Bear Cafe, Tsuritama, Fujiko-chuwaaaaaan, MGX.
Not really relevant, but… Ever heard of Bungaku Shoujo, Scamp?
It’s a prime terribad material, just a tip for one of your next videos.
Would that be the OVA or the movie?
The movie is not all that bad. I would even call it good.
The OVA is kinda meh, but not terribad material if you realize that it’s meant to be viewed in conjunction with the movie.
All your tastes belong to us.
I mean the movie. And, well, it had it’s brighter moments (especially the start), but everything else felt like stupid melodrama. Slightly better than the one in BRS episode 2, but still felt really forced and it was just sooo long. Maybe if it was a 40 minute OVA, then maybe I would enjoy it more. But 1.5 hour movie was just too much.
I think he already made a post about Bungaku AGEESSSS ago
Yeah so much forced drama, still I find it funny when the girl falls of the building + got hit by a car = can still walk fine. Makes me wonder if she’s an superhuman or what
Ah, sorry, my bad. Couldn’t find it in his animelist so I thought he didn’t.
Thanks anyway.
I saw it ages ago and thought it was pretty shitty, but certainly not terribad
A- : Fate/Zero. Too dazzling to be anything less. Looks do matter people.
B+ : Hyouka (Love me moe blobs.)
B : Kids on the slope (Going downhill.)
B- : Sankarea/Kore Wa Zombie
C+ : Dusk Maiden/Accel World
C : Medaka Box
Would be mine. Lots of long, jet black haired females – delicious!
The later episodes of Sankarea will probably remind you of why you despised the manga so much. While I also do enjoy how it’s being executed, it’s still mirroring the story progression in the manga.
But if you think about it, even if the source material is bad, you have to give Sankarea props for being a very good adaptation.
In a way, it’s the same as Highschool of the Dead.
Oh, it’s an excellent adaptation and I won’t deny the work that’s being put into it at the animation level. It’s just feels like that effort could go into adapting something that’s, well, better.
Cry me a river.
Face it Diz, the manga for Sankarea is shit
No Scamp you just can’t handle the truth.
Too much unexpected B grade…BRAVO
What about Upotte?? That’s way more accurate and interesting than the brainless, storyless, characterless Jormungand.
Sankarea A-??? You’re dillusional… Definitely below C.
Tsuritama – a boring mediocre D
Tosogare no Otome x Amnesia C+
Shirokuma Cafe C-
Mirai Nikki F
#opinions
Sankarea is B not A-
Fate Zero, Eureka seven AO and Kuroko deserves higher rank
Polar bear is not bad
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