Autumn 2017 Week 7

And the strong season continues as we go into the second half of some shows (second quarter for others). I think my buzz words this season have been around ‘feels’, ‘pretty’, ‘shiny’, and ‘wow’ but that probably isn’t a bad thing. It kind of means I’m having a great time watching even if I’m not being quite as critical of some shows as I probably should be (Land of the Lustrous kind of feels like it is in the category). Then again, other shows have certainly earned my ire and seem to just rub me the wrong way (not looking at you Juni Taisen). Still, here is my current list of what I’m watching and where it is sitting.

Well, having now watched half a season I know which shows are fighting for my least favourite show this season, what are you watching that you kind of wish you had left off your watch list?

Must Watch

March Comes in Like a Lion Season 2 (Episode 27)

“It just kind of gets it and it speaks to me and I am totally in love.” – My thoughts after episode 26 and episode 27 gave me no reason to revise that statement. I am totally in love with this show and it just seems to get better every episode at the moment. I know from season 1, eventually we’ll hit a couple of episodes that don’t quite get the tone or don’t resonate as deeply, but overall, this show remains truly wonderful.

Land of the Lustrous (Episode 6)

I loved that new legs weren’t an instant fix for Phos. Phos is going to have to work hard if they are going to find a way to put their new legs to good use and find the purpose they’ve been searching for since the beginning. That said, the action this week was very nicely done and we’re learning more about the characters and fleshing this world out just a little bit more each week. Still fantastic to watch.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride (Episode 6)

The fall out from last week is covered in this episode in the form of character reveals and some new character introductions. This show continues to do some excellent world building and Elias and Chise continue to be fleshed out in interesting and yet subtle ways. Really looking forward to what is next for Chise in this story.

Girls’ Last Tour (Episode 6)

Another fantastically engaging episode. This one seemed to have a bit more purpose than normal but that was probably because the girls encountered another character who had an actual goal that she was working toward. The girls themselves remain relatively aimless and that’s fine because they are all kinds of entertaining.

Usually Entertaining

Recovery of an MMO Junkie (Episode 7)

A switch in the perspective gives us more time to understand Sakurai and to realise he is every bit as insecure as Morioka. This remains a fairly charming watch and one which has made me fairly invested in the relationship between the main characters. Really enjoying.

Kino’s Journey (Episode 6)

This episode worked well enough but didn’t really make me care about any of the characters in it. The show still looks stunning, there’s some interesting ideas in it, but I’m not sure overall about it. Might need to move it down next week.

Just Because (Episode 6)

Episode four was a fantastic follow up and almost seemed to be a mini-climax to some of the plot points developed throughout the first three episodes. Yet I remain very interested in this show. Mostly because the question of what these characters will do now that one’s confessed and one’s been shot down before he ever got to is one that really interests me. For the most part this show is fairly solid but there are definitely scenes where the visuals aren’t quite up to scratch and the general slow pace is a little bit of a problem for me, but I’m really enjoying it overall.

Anime-Gataris (Episode 6)

Fortunately, after the lull that was episode 5, episode 6 plunges us head first into a sea of references all delivered with high energy and some fairly compelling charactersiation for a parody of a high school comedy anime. A great time can be had just identifying the references, but these characters are becoming more and more fun in their own right even as they exemplify many of the tropes in the anime they discuss. Great fun this week.

Okay, I Guess

Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ (Episode 6)

RIght, after five ordinary but reasonable episodes I guess I can let go of the fact that I truly found episode 6 both pointless and obnoxious. Hopefully the final reveal of the episode is setting the tone for episode 7, in which case this will be back on track. If we get another episode like episode 6 though, this one may tumble down the list in terms of my enjoyment.

Black Clover (Episode 7)

This show is firmly setting into mediocrity and isn’t really looking like it plans to rise above any time soon. That isn’t to say there isn’t any potential here, but so far it has failed to deliver anything of real substance.

King’s Game (Episode 7)

I had to move this below Black Clover despite enjoying it more personally. The lack of any redeeming qualities in this show just make it impossible to actually recommend as a watch to anyone except the most ardent fan of try-hard bad horror. Though if you like appalling characters that are hampered by dismal writing in a horror like setting you might be entertained.

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (Episode 7)

This show has definitely settled into mediocrity. While some people seem to be really loving it, the story is incredibly predictable (and not in a good way) and so far the show hasn’t managed to make me care about a single character. All and all, I’m watching this for the sake of hoping to be proven wrong and maybe we’ll get a good ending.

UQ Holder (Episode 7)

This episode was mostly set-up for a fight that we don’t end up seeing in this episode. It continue to progress the story, such as it is, though at times I have to wonder what is driving this? The characters aren’t interesting enough for it to be character driven, and they have very little overall motive. Some characters have goals and there are a few things we are heading towards but none of that is providing any compelling sense of forward movement in the story. All and all, still watchable but still not particularly good.

Sengoku Night Blood (Episode 7)

Another incredibly pointless episode. This gets one more try before I actually do drop the show for real. While I was happy enough to put up with fluff that didn’t really do much besides go through standard reverse harem tropes even while set in the warring states era having introduced werewolves and vampires, I am finding the last few episodes incredibly dull.

They Made This?

Dies Irae (Episode 5)

Episode 5 actually almost made sense and kind of explained a little bit of information in a way that didn’t leave me more confused. I still feel there is so much that I need to know in order for the rest of this story to even begin to make sense, but at least this is a step in the right direction. This show may even make it back to okay.

Tried and Dropped

Evil or Live (Episode 4)

My Girlfriend is Shobitch (Episode 2)

TWOCAR (Episode 1)

Taisho Mebiusline Chicchaisan (Episode 1)

Love is Like A Cocktail (Episode 1)

Konohana Kitan (Episode 1)

A Sister’s All You Need (Episode 1)

Urahara (Episode 1)

---

Thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed this post and like the blog, consider becoming a patron to support further growth and future content.

Thanks,

Karandi James.