I’m going to be pretty depressed when this season ends. My top 4 shows are all ending in a months time and the upcoming summer season definitely has nothing at the same level as those anime ending. I’ve stuck a few shows on hold due to difficulty finding direct downloads though, like Big Windup and Tatami Galaxy, so I might pick them up next season. I did, however, see a list for the Autumn season. While I’m a little sceptical of the accuracy of the list, there’s easily enough in there to be extremely optimistic. So for now, let us enjoy the final months of these currently airing great shows, take a breather next season before diving straight into the epic fall lineup.
A Grade: One of the tops of the year. Get ready for some fanboying here
A Arakawa Under the Bridge
What a month it’s been for Arakawa. Each episode leaves my face in pain because I’m grinning so much. It has the right combination of laugh-out-loud moments, heartwarming moments and yet keeps this strange philosophical angle on how to enjoy life. I can’t wait to see things come to a head under the bridge with Recruit’s dad entering the picture. I’m really going to miss this show when it ends. Someone make a Saint Young Men anime now!
B Grade: Hugely entertaining stuff. Not amazing but definitely worth watching
B+ Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Some of the episodes at the start of this month had me fearing for the last arc of FMA being a bit of a downer. So much time was spent on a battle nearly being won only for a baddy to appear, then the baddies nearly winning only for a good guy to show up. It was really dragging the pace down. However the latest episodes have brought FMA right back to top form again, 59 in particular blew me away. Turns out it was just a momentary blip. I suppose after 60 episodes, I can be lenient and allow a temporary drop in form.
B Angel Beats
I find myself drawing comparisons between Angel Beats and Umineko. Both of them provide constant entertainment to see what next they decide to throw into the mix. The difference between the two is that the humour in Angel Beats is intentional. New plot elements are being thrown in except this time with a degree of though behind them. I can theorise safe in the knowledge that a lot of what’s being done is intentional. Yes, Angel Beats is a bit of a mess, but a hugely entertaining one never the less. Get chance and luck!
B– Durarara!!
The episodes involving Kida’s past was fantastic, especially the way it revealed yet another layer to the assholery of Izaya. However that’s been the only really good episode this month. The last two in particular have been watching Izaya trolling the internet and screwing over angsty teenagers. Not exactly riveting stuff. What’s stranger is this dip in form has coincided with Celty being turned into a minor character. I never realised before how integral she was to the quality of this show.
B– Rainbow
Rainbow has finally managed to win me over. Yes it’s one of the corniest anime of all time, what with the dramatic guitar being played during any scene when the guys are talking about how awesome Anchan is and the evil facial distortions. But they’ve really got me caring about what happens now. It’s got the right balance of hope and evil to keep you guessing as to whether Anchan will survive or not. Damnit Anchan, please can you survive!
C Grade: It’s good enough to keep watching but it’s not that memorable
C+ House of Five Leaves
I’m not quite sure why I’m still enjoying this as much as I am. The dialogue is so painfully bland and lifeless that it takes some fansubbing jokes to get me interested in them. I can’t tell the side characters apart either because they all have those bloody top knots. Yet I find myself enjoying each episode. The atmosphere is so easy to sink into that episodes tend to fly by without my realising what’s going on. Noitamina strikes again I guess, albeit in a slightly different way that usual.
C Giant Killing
What is it that Giant Killing is lacking? I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a better series lying around here somewhere, we just haven’t seen it yet. It’s entertaining enough I guess, it’s just I’m finding it hard to care about the characters at the moment. Something just isn’t clicking. Although the last episode hinted at the show turning a corner and we finally get to see some off this Giant Killing Tatsumi goes on about.
C Hetalia World Series
The main charm of Hetalia has worn off. All the main and half-main characters have been introduced and fleshed out. Now we’re just left with a new character addition every now and then. The charm of this series no longer stems from the concept, but by an episode by episode basis. Thankfully, with Hetalia, there’s always a good joke waiting just around the corner and at 5 minutes per episode, it’s not exactly a painful investment or anything. Wonder how long this season plans to go on for?
D Grade: I’ve lost interest in this anime. If it’s a D then I’ve probably dropped it
D Senko no Night Raid
Yeah I’ve given up on this. Episode 4 was just nonsense but at least had the excuse that it was trying to be nonsense. Episode 5 was meant to be part of the plot and yet was just as stupid. The animation has gone down the drain, especially judging by that Senko no Man Child screenshot there. I never cared about the plot and the characters weren’t doing anything particularly interesting. Anime no Chikara, I am disappoint. If next season’s Occult Academy is the last you’re going to produce and even that fails to impress, then you only have yourselves to blame.
23 Comments
I’ve found FMA:B’s final season on the whole not as thrilling as the build up to it was in the previous seasons. Like you said everything happens too cleanly, and I think the characters are too set in black-&-white tones for me to enjoy it more than just on a face value level.
Angel Beats seems more bark than bite. It likes to dangle these thought-provoking or poignant ideas in front of us, but then it derails into a fishing episode or generally turning serious scenes or characters into one-line comic relief (I’m looking at you, Ayato).
I’m going to finish some good shows this season, but next season looks thin and I’ve got enough titles lined up that I think I’ll limit myself to only 1 or 2 new shows this summer.
I wasn’t impressed originally with the way this season was ending. The combination of the black and white and the slow pacing showed it was taking things slightly too close to its shounen roots for my liking. However the latest episodes have put the plot and the themes of the show back in the forefront of things again so I’m happy again.
Giant Killing is like watching MLS games. THERE, I SAID IT!
But yeah, Rainbow’s still the winner despite the over-the-top melodrama it pulls at times, and Arakawa’s been a solid romp. I’m really not sure what to expect from summer’s offerings though and I do hope it kinda sucks so I can whittle down my backlog.
at times
You mean ALL THE BLOODY TIME amirite? I’m struggling to think of an anime that’s gone that corny so consistently before. Generally I don’t like that sort of thing but Rainow is winning me over
THAT LIST.
*dies*
I originally thought you were referring to the next season list, only to realise I didn’t put the link in properly. Fix’d
actually i was referring to the next season list. the last word linked correctly.
but yeah, excited for fall
I outsmarted even myself
I dont know about you, but I’m loving Giant Killing! Thing makes me want to bang tables and cheer ETU on.. and watch the World Cup, WAS IST DAS?!
Hell yeah, world cup time!
I’m going to have to start sticking a paragraph at the end of all my posts where I blabber on about the World Cup
that night raid screenshot gets me every time
There were other instances of terrible artwork but that was the worst of the lot
I’d like to see Tatsumi himself get on the field and show how good he is rather than messing with the players’ minds for a change. IMO this is the type of show that I’d rather watch in one go instead of waiting for each week for something significant to happen.
I’ll still continue to follow Tatami to the Galaxy at Hulu because it’s faster that way, that is if I can get past the “this program is brought to by ..” and having to sign on because this video is aimed to mature audiences, w,what?
Sports anime seem to generally work better like that. One Outs was much more fun to marathon as well. Cross Game was better weekly, although that barely counts as a sports anime
I can’t watch Tatami on Hulu because Funimation don’t like Europeans
“I can theorise safe in the knowledge that a lot of what’s being done is intentional.”
Haha, AB! is entertaining at times, and that includes having the rug pulled out from beneath ya every so often. It’s also unnecessarily pretentious. That’s fine. It looks like, if it was shown next season instead, it would have been a standout favorite.
I’m going to try to take advantage of the lack of good shows next season, by knocking out a few series that I just never got around to seeing. If worse comes to worse, I’ll be watching old Kung Fu movies.
It was probably the stand out series of this season anyway when the charts went up. I think it’s down on MAL as the most watched show this season, ahead of K-ON and Maid-sama.
I’ll be sad when FMA: B finally ends… because when it does, the manga will be over soon too, and I’ll have nothing for my FMA-obsessed mind to hold on to. It could be worse, though… they could create long filler arcs, a la Bleach and Naruto. I’ll be a sad FMA fangirl if they did that.
I still have yet to watch Arakawa or continue Durarara. D: Why have I been avoiding these shows for so long?!
Oh Hetalia. I’ll still love you, even though you’ve lost your original charm. Just remember to include the Nordics, m’kay?
It’s weird to think of FMA ending. MAL says there’s only 4 episodes left. 15 months of watching FMA…I’ve never followed a series for that long weekly before.
A+++++ grade: Tatami Galaxy
Unless it falls apart in the next five episodes, I really can see it as the best series of 2010. It trumps Arakawa in the intelligence part, although they’re equally funny.
I have seen 3 episodes of Tatami Galaxy and I have BIG problems with how Yuasa is handling something which such quality writing. But that’s for another day when I’ve seen more of the series
Usually there is some variation between my preference and yours when you do these, but I actually agree with your placement from top to bottom this month. Arakawa especially has been surprising in how consistently good it is. I’m torn between wanting another season and having it end on a high note, just because I don’t really trust SHAFT to not run it into the ground.
It’s because there’s no shojo this season.
I think Arakawa should end this season and end extremely well the way everything’s been set up so far. Shaft second seasons have not impressed me
Also awesome new avatar. Instead of thinking you’re a German psychopath I now think of you as a red-headed robot-piloting pirate chick
Sounds like an upgrade to me!