Whenever Week 4 was, probably a long, long time ago: thoughts and observations on the symbolism of darkness and light in Zankyou no Terror, questioning the accuracy and reliability of Touko’s special ability in Glasslip, becoming unhappy with the direction Tokyo Ghoul is taking in relation to its story and its content, and a short rant on student governments and school clubs inspired by Hanayamata.

Best episode of the week: Space Dandy Season 2

Anime trending up this week: Sabagebu!

Anime trending down this week: Captain Earth

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 4)

Akame ga Kill! is bipolar. The two halves of Akame ga Kill!, couldn’t be more different. Everything that happens at Night Raid’s headquarters is completely carefree and lax. And then when they’re in the capital, it’s overly dramatic and heavy. It’s like they’re two independent anime combined into one series. It starts off with one half focusing on a humorous, happy-go-lucky, slice-of-life anime where friends get together and train and cook and spy on girls in their underwear. Then it becomes night and the anime goes Mr. Hyde with drama, action, superpowers, blood and death. It’s not a bad thing that the two halves are so different in Akame ga Kill!, but it is a bit strange at how stark the contrast is between the two halves and how they have virtually nothing in common.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 4)

When will they go on the offensive? Or maybe the better question right now, how will they go on the offensive? Provided what we’ve seen thus far, Inaho and the others are severely outnumbered and outmatched in terms of personnel, weapons and technology. In order to fight back, they’ll need to find some way to exploit these disadvantages, but they can hardly even think when they’re under constant assault. It’ll probably be around the time when Slaine joins alongside his princess, Asseylum, and Inaho for when we’ll see the Terrans go on the offensive.

Glasslip (Episode 4)

Touko’s fortuitous ability to see the future is extremely opportune for Glasslip, but one must question how accurate this talent is given what we’ve witnessed thus far. Perhaps the most notable examples are the times where Touko’s talent has been incorrect or different than what she forecasted. One might assume then that Touko’s soothsaying is erratic and unreliable, and that this scatterbrained girl may be acting on assumptions that are imaginary. However, one might view this as just the opposite. Perhaps Touko’s ability is indeed accurate, but there are actions that occur that alter these events and change the future that she once predicted. Perhaps everything that we’ve seen from Touko’s ability is in fact the truth, but because Touko changes her actions between these two points of time, the event in the future is different. Right now, there is no way to test this theory nor does it seem like the anime will address this point in the near future. If only I possessed her ability would I know whether Glasslip would answer this question or not. Then again, if I had her talent at predicating the future, how would I know whether it is accurate or not.

Hanayamata (Episode 3)

I’ll never understand the student governments and rules regarding clubs in anime. Why is everyone so anal about all these details that are really insignificant and trivial? So what if a club only has two or three people? Why does it always need to be four or five? I can understand that there may be issues with funding if there are too many clubs, but why not restrict funding if the club membership is below the five person threshold? Why do they go out of their way to denies these clubs and the special interests that these students have? And why do student body presidents and disciplinary committees take their jobs so seriously? They take whatever minute power they received from the school and wield it like a mighty hammer of justice, striking down every student that doesn’t fit precisely in their mold of the proper or appropriate student. And it’s not just Hanayamata… I wish it were just Hanayamata, but this kinda bullshit happens in every anime with a student president (so every school anime ever) and every anime that revolves around an after-school club (also every school anime ever). There’s always this pointless and unnecessary drama. I don’t get it. I never have, and apparently, I never will.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 17)

How do the Stands talk to each other? When Silver Chariot, Hierophant Green and Lovers were inside Joesph’s brain, they were able to communicate to each other. But why? Weren’t Polnareff and Kakyoin right next to each other in the real world? And what about Lovers? How was Steely Dan able to communicate with them through his Stands? Does this mean that Stands speak in real time in the real world normally? Is there a constant echo of a person and a Stand talking, not to mention the person and the Stand listening, too? That’s like Jotaro saying ‘yare yare daze’ and then hearing it 4 times at the same time. No, really, how does this work?

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 3)

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? is actually fun. I’m actually enjoying this anime. And this is exactly the reason why I’m uneasy about Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? heading into the future. For one, I don’t want the anime to become a harem. Please, don’t become a harem. I know that once the series heads down that path, it’s a slippery slope and the anime will slowly devolve into love triangles and drama and other stuff that is the opposite of fun and enjoyment. The other point that I am nervous about is when the novelty of the anime will wear out. So far, it’s been amusing to watch the characters play cards and then participate in an obstacle course, but I’m wondering when the series will start to feel repetitious and when it reaches its climax. Given that this series has 15 volumes of the light novel published, I’m hoping the series has a few ideas to keep itself fresh for the duration of this anime. And since the anime is slated to be only 12 episodes at this point, there’s a good chance that the series will stay enjoyable from start to finish. We’re already through with a quarter of the anime and it’s been above my expectations so far. If Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? can continue at this pace and keep up with this style of humor, then I won’t be afraid to call this one of the surprises of the season. If not, then that’s unfortunately what I expect of an anime of this style and caliber.

Space Dandy Season 2 (Episode 4)

One of the greatest assets of Space Dandy is that is s survey of diverse art styles, animation techniques and sakuga. Every episode features a new and different animation director (along with different overall directors, writers and other integral positions) and each new staff is able to instill their own artistic touch to the anime. And though this episode appeared to look normal or standard for Space Dandy, the episode contained an uncanny amount of highly detailed, extremely animated sakuga sequences. Of particular note was the song and dance at the end, but the episode featured brilliant animation throughout. The remainder of episodes might not all be as distinctive or as illustrious as some of the ones before this, but Space Dandy has done an outstanding job of diversifying its talent with these special artists and the visual style and appearance of these episodes the direct outcome of such an endeavor.

Sword Art Online II (Episode 4)

Why is the starting city of Gun Gale Online, haphazardly named SBC Glocken, so massive? Although the cityscape, the landmarks and the immense size are all impressive and intimidating, does a virtual city need to be so large that it takes the better part of a day to walk from one shop to another? Just what exactly is in all this wasted virtual space? And why is the transportation system within the city so shoddy and inadequate? Is there really no system of teleportation or instant travel or even fast travel besides motorbikes? What’s the point of forcing someone to run for 10 minutes to get from point A to point B? I could imagine if this were a battlefield or arena or a dynamic environment, but this is a city where people shop, relax and hangout with each other. It doesn’t make much sense. Then again, the basis of this complaint is derived from the senseless and pointless drama of Kirito needing to drive Sinon to the arena, so maybe I should be voicing my frustration to that rather than to the virtual city, SBC Glocken. Also, I can’t get over how stupid of a name the city is, but that’s an entirely different criticism.

Tokyo ESP (Episode 3)

In anime where characters have superpowers, you often never see multiple people wielding the same special ability. The only time such an occurrence happens is when several characters have trained under the same technique or discipline or when characters obtain the powers form others either by learning their skills or by absorbing it. But Tokyo ESP has obviously never heard of such a rule or it wouldn’t have two characters with the same teleportation ability. It is refreshing to see an anime ignore this law since it will allow the story and the characters to evolve in a way unique to the other superpower fighting anime. For one, it’ll force the characters to be creative with their abilities and require them to change their abilities in order to fight each other. It also erases the advantages and disadvantages inherit when one person controls an ability and the other does not. I’m hopeful that Tokyo ESP continues with this pattern and we’re able to see multiple characters wielding the same powers in order to showcase intelligence and tactics during the fight. There’s nothing that levels the playing field better than giving the two rivals the same ability and forcing their intellect, creativity, perception and comprehension to win the fight.

Tokyo Ghoul (Episode 4)

The focus of Tokyo Ghoul should be on Ken’s adaption to life as a ghoul and understanding the society of these monsters, not trying to fight random villains and whatnot. Tokyo Ghoul presented itself with a somewhat distinctive setting where a society of flesh-eating monsters lived in the shadows of urban Japan and offered us the opportunity to observe and study said culture through the eyes of a newcomer, Ken. Not only that, but with Ken being half-human and half-ghoul, the story of Ken would offer us a unique duality where we could compare and contrast the lifestyles and culture of humans and ghouls alike and why they fight and how they could coexist. But no, this freak wants to eat Ken and now they must fight him or something stupid. Really? That’s what Tokyo Ghoul is gonna become? That’s disappointing.

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 3)

For an anime about mountain climbing and one that emphasizes gorgeous scenery and breathtaking landscapes, the background art could be much, much better. While the illustrations are satisfactory or acceptable, the art and the style of the backgrounds feels a bit lacking when viewed in comparison to the reaction of the girls. For example, when the girls first view the majestic and specular Mt. Fuji, the scene is a bit crude and lacks detail. The trees in the foreground are depicted with blotches of paint and the city in the valley is featureless and blurry. The focal point of the scene, Mt. Fuji itself, features more effort than anything else, with its visible ridges, but the rest of the scene is just ‘meh’, if not worse. Now that’s not to say that the background in every scene should be photorealistic or life-like, but it should be better when the girls are appreciating the views or scenery, especially when they’re in awe or inspired. Unfortunately, this art style is probably here to stay since the backgrounds don’t often change midway through an anime. The wish should be that the animators use better techniques or put more effort and detail into these views as the series continues.

Zankyou no Terror (Episode 3)

There is a significant emphasis on darkness and light in Zankyou no Terror. In fact, the anime stresses it to the point where the darkness begins to feel heavy, that it carries weight and closes off the characters while the light acts as the opposite. Darkness and light have often been used symbolically throughout the history of storytelling, cinema and anime, so there are a number of interpretations or meanings for this imagery. One that comes to mind for me is that light often represents knowledge and understanding while darkness is linked to ignorance and naivety. This could be the explanation for symbolism used around Shibazaki’s character, where he’s solving the riddles in darkness (during the police briefings; in his office) and then explains the answers in clear, bright light (on camera, broadcasted throughout Japan). However, you see the emphasis of darkness and light for the other characters, too, including Arata, Touji, Lisa and the other members of the police department. For example, with Lisa, you could argue that she was trapped while living with her mother (dark) and then became free when she ran away from home (light). Similarly, we’ve seen Arata and Touji live in darkness in their apartment whereas their past, when the two were just children, was filled with light in that sterile and clean facility. For each and every character and situation, the weight of the darkness and the weightlessness of light may represent different meanings or themes. It’ll be interesting to see how this symbolism is used throughout the anime and how its significance is illustrated visually.

I am terrible at staying up to date with these posts, but whatever. Back during Week 5: concerns with the directing and storytelling in Tokyo Ghoul, considering the depth and complexity of Hanayamata despite its appearance, curiosity about the different perspectives in Yama no Susume Second Season, and wondering all the other things you could do with a Stand in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.

Best episode of the week: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Anime trending up this week: Hanayamata

Anime trending down this week: Tokyo Ghoul

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 5)

I’m not sure if Akame ga Kill! is the most shounen anime ever, but it’s the most shounen anime that I’ve ever watched. Everything from the character archetypes to the secret assassination organization to the forgotten story lines (when was the last time Tatsumi thought about his village and how he wants to save it?) to the unrealistic villains and especially to the overly dramatized and unmemorable fights, Akame ga Kill! embodies every shounen stereotypes like they’re collectables or antiques or something. And though I often decry anime for being “too shounen” (look no further than Tokyo Ghoul), there’s some entertainment and enjoyment from watching an anime that’s this shounen.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 5)

We know that Mars doesn’t have liquid water now and, judging from the recent battles in Aldnoah.Zero, Mars doesn’t have liquid water in the future either. If the red planet did have water, then you’d figure the engineers and machinists who developed these mecha would have designed these robots to survive in water and be adequate in aquatic combat. But no, they’re completely awful when in the water. Water is the one true weakness for Martian technology as it has proved twice in being the debilitating flaw against the supreme mecha that are otherwise impenetrable. You’d figure that when planning to invade Earth, a planet that’s blue for a reason, that they’d figure ways to prevent these liabilities from occurring, such as having an automatic shut-down for the beam sword when it’s engulfed by water. But no, apparently, they missed that slightly important detail and are now down two mecha as a result. Don’t be surprised to see water make a return later in Aldnoah.Zero as it has twice proven essential for the Inaho and the Earthlings to defeat these awesome robots.

Glasslip (Episode 5)

P.A. Works often features a singular, yet distinctive animation style with comparable character designs and background art. It has helped create an image for the studio based on detailed and vivid landscapes and cute moe girls who make cute moe expressions. If you need examples, take a look at Angel Beats!, Hanasaku Iroha, Another, Tari Tari, Red Data Girl, Nagi no Asukara, or even the promotional material for their next anime, Shirobako. P.A. Works is virtually defined by this visual style, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you enjoy the design. That being said, I think I’m starting to find myself growing tolerant or bored with the style. Glasslip is the eighth anime I’ve watched from P.A. Works, and the unique visual style of P.A. Works is becoming more commonplace and less characteristic with each new anime. When watching shows like Hanasaku Iroha or Tari Tari, the visual appeal was real since it was new, fresh and original. Now, I can’t necessarily say the same, especially when there’s only one new innovative technique on display in Glasslip. That isn’t to say that I will stop watching anime from P.A. Works since I don’t enjoy the style as much anymore, but I do feel that having the name P.A. Works attached to an anime won’t make it special anymore.

Hanayamata (Episode 4)

Hanayamata is probably the deepest anime about cute girls doing cute things. While the genre is typically shallow, focusing on mundane comedy and everyday slice-of-life adventures, Hanayamata includes a narrative about each of its characters and the issues in their lives. Hanayamata isn’t groundbreaking or philosophical, but the anime has solid characterization and splendid writing to bring out genuine reflections and introspection. Tami’s realization that her time is better spent smiling with friends than smiling alone is an outstanding example of how Hanayamata features complexities that seem foreign to a show of this style and this story. Hopefully the anime will continue this trend and allow the characters to grow as the story continues, especially for Tami, Yaya and Naru who all are making progress, but are nowhere near done maturing as characters.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 18)

Oh, just think of all the things you could do with the Sun if you had that Stand. Imagine starting your own solar power company and using the Sun to generate massive amounts of energy, able to make millions and solve the world’s energy crises. Imagine using the Sun to ward off deadly winter storms, by using heat to dissipate storm clouds or melting snow and ice in the aftermath. Imagine using the Sun as a means to light areas at night when light is necessary, such as in search-and-rescue situations where rescuers need to cover an extensive stretch of geography or accelerating the growth of plants by providing continuous energy for photosynthesis. Or even using the Sun as a source of entertainment, allowing summertime or sunlight activities to continue into the winter or into the evening. Imagine all the things you could do better with the Sun than becoming an assassin. Or think of all the other things you could do with these Stands than fight each other. Just think.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 4)

Whatever happened to the archeology/excavation subplot? Remember back in the first episode when Koutarou was working at that dig site, fell into a mysterious underground passage, activated some statue who turned into a multicolored hair goddess and… and then this chaos at the apartment happened? Has Koutarou not mentioned that to anyone? Has he already forgotten what happened soon after he moved into his new home? Have the viewers or the production team forgotten about that, too? I’m kinda curious to see what comes of that since it was the first significant detail of the story of Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? and something obviously meaningful to Koutaoru and his story. However, since the anime doesn’t seem to be too concerned with itself at this point, I’m guessing they’ll save those details for the very end and use it as a way to conclude this first season of Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?

Sword Art Online II (Episode 5)

Isn’t it ironic that Kirito was saving the lives of everyone in SAO and is now murdering everyone in PvP in GGO? Well, you could argue that Kirito needs to fight against the masses in order to save people from DeathGun (in turn, saving the lives of everyone in GGO), but it’s amusing to see how different the situations are between the games.

Tokyo ESP (Episode 4)

How selective is Rinka’s intangibility/phasing ability? From what we’ve learned, Rinka is able to move effortlessly through solid objects and even allow weapons like bullets and swords to pass through her. We’ve also learned the only matter that she can’t go through is other people, such as when someone is punching her. But how much control does she have over her ability? At first, we saw her sinking through the floor of her apartment, which is consistent with her ability? How come this doesn’t happen to her all the time? And what about her clothes or objects that she’s holding? Shouldn’t all her clothes fall off every time she activates her ability? And whatever she’s holding, shouldn’t that fall out of her hands, too? Maybe the question will arise later in the series when the antagonists try to fight against Rinka and use her ability against her, but for now, these are simple questions that will likely go unanswered since they’re not relevant to the story.

Tokyo Ghoul (Episode 5)

There are too many jumps in the content and story of Tokyo Ghoul. Not only does it feel like scenes have been dropped entirely, such as the transition between episode 4 and episode 5, but flashbacks and parallel scenes have been placed at questionable times, such as the one documenting Nishiki’s backstory. This style of directing has become such a problem that it is having a significant and negative impact on the storytelling. The narrative bounces back-and-forth between these scenes, creating a lull or valley or pausing the present, like the one during the battle sequence with Tsukiyama. Yes, the content from that flashback was necessary for the story and character, but was it right to place it in the middle of the fight? Was it imperative to include it there and not to fragment the scenes to build up to something or recall Nishiki’s past at the end of the battle? One way to grade an anime adaptation from a manga or other source is in how it fits material in an episode appropriately. Since the mediums are entirely different, adapting a manga without accounting for these modifications can lead to some awkward scenes as the methods may work better in one medium and not in the other. Situations like these are where I find legitimate criticisms with Tokyo Ghoul, rather than the normal bitching and moaning that this isn’t the anime for me. I am curious to see if this situation improves as the anime continues or if we’ll see a rush of material toward the end… or even worse, an anime original ending.

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 4)

Yama no Susume has exclusively been told through the eyes of novice mountaineer, Aoi Yukimura. Every episode has been an adventure where we learn about mountaineering through her eyes and her experiences. We follow her every step and every event through her perspective. In that sense, the anime is able to educate its viewers about mountaineering and allowing novice mountain climbers to experience these events through someone they can relate with. However, with three other characters always around Aoi, you can’t help but wonder if we’ll ever see the anime through their perspectives. Each character brings something different to Yama no Susume, and it would be very beneficial to see the anime through the eyes of someone experiences like Kaede or someone who takes greater pleasure in nature and the environment, like Kokona. We do earn some glimpses of their perspective when the other girls offer advice or recommendations to Aoi, but we rarely venture inside their head to see what they’re thinking, how they’re enjoying the mountain climbing or what their experiences are like. With the anime ending in December, we have plenty of time for the anime to explore the different perspectives for all the characters, though it’s a question of whether the anime wants to part with Aoi’s mind when the anime has been so successful with her as the sole protagonist.

Zankyou no Terror (Episode 4)

Are there too many riddles in Zankyou no Terror? Why do the police insist on continuing to solve the riddles, and only these riddles, and not try to stop the terrorists themselves? All we’ve seen the police do in this anime is contemplate the answers to various questions. There has been little to no action elsewhere, even in sensible areas such as expanding the force, increasing presence and surveillance or even enlisting the help of other agencies to track the terrorists down. It’s like they’re treating the symptoms but failing to address the underlying disease. Maybe soon we’ll see the tactics of the police change as the series is reaching its midway point since I doubt the series will sustain itself on mysteries and riddles alone.

This week: an analysis on the subtitle of Aldnoah.Zero and the meaning of fiat justitia ruat caelum, thoughts on the rigid, formulaic pattern of storytelling in Barakamon, the lack of character independence and the emphasis of friendship in Glasslip, and looking at the difference (if there is a difference) between Lisa and moe anime girls in Zankyou no Terror.

Best episode of the week: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Anime trending up this week: Yama no Susume Second Season

Anime trending down this week: Tokyo ESP

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 6)

I don’t expect much from Akame ga Kill!, and I highly doubt the series will adequately cover the problematic morals and nonexistent ethics, but I’d be euphoric if the series spent time on the fact that no one is good in Akame ga Kill!. Shounen anime often struggle with discourse or narratives on complex themes such as morality, instead often dumbing down the situations to simplistic and powerful quotes about justice, friendship and other boring buzzwords or by making their villains hilariously one-dimensional and unbelievably unrealistic. And with Akame ga Kill! apparently drunk on action and gore, I doubt the anime is worryingly concerned with any issues on morality or integrity, especially when the cast is trying to brutally murder each other because ‘those other guys are bad’. But still, the anime can point out the fact that both sides are wrong, and that’s what I want from Akame ga Kill!. I’ve been a little less than pleased to see Tatsumi join Night Raid without so much as a single thought and that no one in Night Raid is questioning their methods, their activities and their results, but there’s a slight sliver of hope that the series will arrive at this conclusion at the very end, with either Akame or Tatsumi reflecting on their lives. However, considering the difference in length between the manga and the anime, I doubt we’ll see that ending anytime soon. Still, the only intelligent discussion I want from Akame ga Kill! is for the characters to realize their faults.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 6)

The subtitle for Aldnoah.Zero is Let Justice be Done, Through the Heavens Fall. The subtitle is a direct translation of the Latin phrase, ‘fiat justitia ruat caelum’. The meaning of this phrase is that justice is absolute and must be realized regardless of the consequences. It is also known as Piso’s justice, based on the story of Piso’s judgment of a soldier who was ordered to be executed because his partner had disappeared. The story continues with the partner appearing at the execution, thus prompting the centurion to halt the execution and seek Piso’s new verdict. But despite the fact that the partner was alive, Piso ordered all three to be executed since the first soldier’s sentence had passed, since the centurion failed to perform his duty at the execution and since the partner caused two innocent men to die.

Although Aldnoah.Zero is not that cruel or merciless, we witnessed fiat justitia ruat caelum in this episode with the King of Vers, Rayregalia Vers Rayvers, declaring war on Earth despite the evidence that the princess, Asseylum, was found to be alive. Not only was the original sentence of war carried out despite proof that it was wrong, but we see Slaine, the one who presented this knowledge to Rayregalia, face some repercussions as well. The events in this episode and the previous episode are strongly derived from this maxim and help provide meaning to the tagline of this anime. What we’re seeing now from Aldnoah.Zero, with the war continuing and Slaine fleeing, are the results of this justice. Oh, and the Heaven’s Fall part of the subtitle? Yeah, that was the name of the devastating event when the first Martian robot landed on Tanegashima 15 years ago. And as the anime continues, we can expect more material related to this subtitle too, especially with Slaine and Asseylum still alive. How this will all tie-up and resolve still remains to be seen, but understanding this subtitle and its meaning is essential to understanding the message, the morals, and the story of this anime.

Barakamon (Episode 6)

A situation arises: Seishuu is in a rut; the locals are annoying him; he needs to write on a boat. The situation is connected to an underlying challenge for Seishuu; he’s lacking inspiration; he’s lacking motivation; he’s scared of messing up the boat. The situation leads to Seishuu doing something different: his perspective is shifted by Naru, Seishuu watches the locals at the beach; Naru messes up the boat for him. And the result of said situation parallels Seishuu’s growth as a calligrapher and as a person. But oh, does Barakamon feel very rigid, structured and formulaic. In fact, it’s not Seishuu’s calligraphy that feels ‘textbook and lifeless’ as was the opinion of one critic, but it’s the storytelling of Barakamon that is very textbook and lifeless. Every episode of Barakamon repeats this same pattern but with marginally different variations in content. And while this isn’t a necessarily bad pattern of storytelling to follow, each episode feels very automatic or mechanical, like it’s the same story told over and over again but with a view, a beach and a boat serving as the prop. I want the stories in Barakamon to feel more natural, to feel more genuine, and to flow independently from the rest. I want each new episode of Barakamon to feel different than the rest. Fortunately for me, most episodes are distinct in terms of content, significance and character growth, and that’s what makes Barakamon one of the better anime this season. What would help make it one of the best anime of the season is changing the stiff and formulaic pattern of storytelling.

Glasslip (Episode 6)

Besides Kakeru, no one seems independent in Glasslip. Yes, the characters all have their own individual traits and personalities, but they seem to always function as a group or units of a group rather than as separate, discrete people. And though Glasslip is an anime revolving around keeping this clique of friends together as they’re slowly drifting apart, it is fascinating to see that everything they do is in relation to someone else in their group. Kakeru acts as a brilliant contrast to the group, not only in how he interacts with them but how he acts independently of them. In fact, you can see it start to rub off on Touko now with how she is utilizing her ability, but it’s still in relation to the group that she’s trying to preserve. And this observation is not so much a knock on Glasslip considering the content and the story, but rather something the series has done well to emphasize. Seeing the characters interact with each other like this helps stress the importance of their friendships and reinforces Touko’s mission of keeping everyone together. The group mentality has been a point of emphasis for Glasslip, and the fact that all the characters, minus Kakeru, are dependent on each other is a marvelous way of showing us their cherished friendship.

Hanayamata (Episode 5)

Hanayamata isn’t an anime about yosakoi dancing; it’s an anime about forming an afterschool club on yosakoi dancing. Or, at least after five episodes, that’s the way it seems given the content of the anime and the story thus far. With the club finally established, now we can finally begin to understand yosakoi dance, from the choreography to the music to the costumes and to the culture. And, of course, the ultimate goal of the yosakoi dance club is to witness Hana, Naru, Tami and Yaya expressing themselves through this highly active, highly energetic medium. With the entire series up to this point about forming the club and the challenges Hana and Naru faced, we can hope the remainder of the series addresses these other topics with careful attention allocated to the characters and their emotional attachment to this form of art. I can’t wait to finally see all the beautiful choreography and animation that’s been promised each week with the dazzlingly and charming dances in the opening credits.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 19)

One of the most challenging aspects of the JJBA anime is replicating the quality and detail of Araki Hirohiko’s original artwork. David Productions has done a phenomenal job with the artwork in this season of JJBA. Perhaps the most notable examples are the profuse and innovative use of colors. The anime has been exceptional in this regard to bringing the environment to life and when adding a visual component to the tension and drama of the situation. Moreover, still frames of character faces have a vivid amount of detail in their appearance and scenes with motion or animation show a respectable amount of detail, especially during fights and other memorable moments. I have always been fond of the art in JJBA and wanted to take a moment to voice my appreciation of how David Productions is handling this anime adaptation.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 5)

Let’s just pretend this episode didn’t happen. And after what happened in episode 5 of Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, it shouldn’t be too hard. First, the villains that appeared have no connection to the story or any of the characters. Not before this episode and probably not again after. Even better is that they were entirely forgettable, without any memorable characteristics or jokes. Okay, we’re off to a great start. That storyline of ghosts being bought and sold? Yeah, that’s not going to have an impact on the series going forward, so we can forget about it, too. Any character growth that happened in this episode? Again, nope, nothing significant anyway. Sanae was pretty friendly with Koutarou before the ending of the previous episode, so everything that happened in this episode with the two working together just placed them back to where they were at the end of episode 3. And it’s not like any of the other characters did anything substantial… well, we learned they suck at fighting super powerful ghosts, but we can ignore that, too. Wow, it’s like this episode almost never happened, right? But what about the charm that Sanae wears? Okay, yeah, something minor did happen with this episode, but that was content that could’ve taken 2 minutes at the end of the fourth episode and that likely won’t come up again until the end of the series. So yeah, if we just follow these short and simple exercises, it’s like this episode never existed!

Really, this episode was incredibly unimaginative and woefully derivative. The content jumped and scenes were cute entirely, not to mention that it took until the middle of the episode to induce the main villain despite appearing at the very beginning. And nothing in this episode will have any impact or consequences moving forward since the storyline and characters were entirely isolated from everything else. It could have and should have been reduced to only a few minutes of content and have replaced some of the beach time in the previous episode. The fifth episode of Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? was a waste of time.

Sabagebu! (Episode 6)

Comedies are my favorite genre of anime, and I am thrilled with the humor, characters, art, and stories present in Sabagebu!. These and many other factors are what combine to help make Sabagebu! potentially my favorite comedy of the year. However, one characteristic that might be unnoticed or ignored is the fact that this anime does not have a narrative. Every segment of the anime is different, unique and independent from the last. Yes, the stories build off each other and relate to past events, but there is no central storyline about Momoka or Miou or anything about the Survival Game club. Everything is random, and that unpredictability creates a particular draw for Sabagebu!. Without needing to cater to a story or a narrative, Sabagebu! is free to do what it wants, and this is a trait common in many of my favorite comedies, such as Kill Me Baby, Nichijou, Joshiraku, Renkin Sankyuu Magical Pokaan, and Daily Lives of High School Boys. It’s a trait that isn’t essential or necessary for me to adore a comedy, but it certainly helps when the humor is always the primary focus and that a storyline or plot isn’t anchoring down. The lack of a central story or narrative in Sabagebu! is actually one of the better aspects of this anime and a substantial reason why it’s one of my favorites.

Space Dandy Season 2 (Episode 6)

Why do we register unknown aliens? Well, that’s easy, it’s to learn more about them, to understand them, and to realize and appreciate their existence.

Why do we register known aliens? Known aliens? Oh, you mean like that Cloudian? That alien being that many in the series already knew about, that seemed to have a constant stream of knowledge about where they live and how they act and what they do. Yeah, why would we need to register him when we already know so much about him and know where to find him and whatnot? Hmmmm…

Tokyo Ghoul (Episode 6)

What is anti-ghoul technology? What is it specifically about these weapons that makes them ideal for fighting ghouls? And why doesn’t every officer that hunts these monsters have these weapons handy? I am truly curious about these weapons, especially their origins, and I hope to find out more as we learn more about these special detectives.

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 5)

There has been a considerable increase in the amount of fanservice between the original Yama no Susume and this sequel. The first and fourth episodes featured bathing scenes with the onsen scene featuring Aoi embarrassing herself in front of her friends in the large, open bath. Then this episode featured two separate scenes of Aoi and Hinata pulling down each other’s skirts and revealing their panties for all the world to see… except, of course, for the viewers. And though these two examples are far from every ecchi anime, the first season of Yama no Susume never really had any scenes like this. Perhaps one rational is that Yama no Susume was always intended to have this mild level of fanservice yet never could include it due to the limited runtime of the first season. Another explanation could be that this season wanted to add a bit more flavor to the series than the first season and thought that off-screen or censored fanservice was the right path. Whatever the reason, there is still a considerable amount of fanservice in the series where there wasn’t fanservice before. It makes me curious to see how the series will play this angle moving forward, especially since hot springs resorts are synonymous with mountains in Japan. I highly doubt the series will venture far past the boundaries set by the fourth and fifth episodes, so really the question moving forward will be the frequency of fanservice in Yama no Susume.

Zankyou no Terror (Episode 5)

Imagine a girl, will you, in an unnamed anime. She’s a student, of course, and at school, she is quiet and reserved. That doesn’t mean she’s inactive or indifferent since she expresses energy and positive emotions around her friends. And she’s super cute, too, especially since she’s always in that school uniform with a miniskirt, so it’s a bit of bad luck that she’s a bit of a klutz and is undependable. And unfortunately, she’s not the kinda anime girl who cooks super-delicious cuisine but the kind that… well, do we really need to go any further? Do you have an idea in mind? Do you have an image of what she looks like? If you guessed Lisa from Zankyou no Terror, then you probably cheated and read ahead guessed right! And if you guessed any type of generic, moe anime girl, then you also guessed right!

At this point, in Zankyou no Terror, the fine line that divides the two is in the art and character design. If Lisa’s hair were any bright and brilliant color of the rainbow and if her eyes were huge and round, then maybe, just maybe, there’d be no difference between her and any type of moe anime girl. But because the art, character design, story and themes of Zankyou no Terror as so much more mature, we really don’t see Lisa as much of a moe character despite possessing many of the same attributes and personality traits. In fact, that paragraph that started this Zankyou no Terror review was written about Naru from Hanayamata, not Lisa (yeah, go back and reread it). But what separates the two at this point are two aspects: their respective art styles are vastly different and Naru has considerably more depth and complexity than Lisa at this point despite Naru being moe and Lisa being more mature. Now this isn’t to say that Lisa is moe or is destined to be undeveloped as a character, but that, at this point, she is akin to a moe character, just from a different visual perspective. It is a bit of a criticism on Lisa’s character to this point considering her importance and prominence in the story, so hopefully the series will begin to develop her character soon since the series is reaching and surpassing its halfway point with episode six.

Wow, I haven’t written for a while. So yeah, this post covers anime that aired about a thousand weeks ago. Still the articles are worth reading, trust me. In fact, some of the topics in this weekly review include: thoughts on blending the real robot and super robot genres in Aldnoah.Zero, appreciating the use of futuristic and alien technologies in Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, questioning Lisa’s role since the first episode in Zankyou no Terror, and trying to find the best episode to define Space Dandy.

Best episode of the week: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Anime trending up this week: Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?

Anime trending down this week: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 7)

Although I tend to dislike various idiosyncratic details of anime, especially if they parallel substandard writing, plot holes or general disarray, I do have a soft spot for whenever characters follow their instincts. For whatever reason, whenever a character does something based on instinct alone, I often enjoy it. As we saw with Leone in this episode, she followed her instincts and avoided falling into a trap against Esdeath. One might view the writing in this situation as inconsistent or lacking in explanation, but that’s exactly why I like it. I frequently criticize anime, sometimes unfairly, when they are not clear with a motive or reasoning, and that could be argued in this situation. However, what I enjoy about these scenes are that I understand gut feelings all too well and can relate to a character that decides for or against something based on these impulses. So while I am relatively unhappy with Akame ga Kill overall in terms of its writing, I did find this scene in particular to be one of the better in the episode, albeit it being for only a few shots.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 7)

Aldnoah.Zero is an anime about Real Robots fighting against Super Robots. If you are unfamiliar with the terms, Real Robot is a genre of mecha manga and anime where the mecha are largely governed by normal physics and realistic technologies. These robots don’t fly around or possess magic weapons, but instead are giant machines that feel heavy (watch how they walk, you can actually see their weight) and seem realistic. And as you might guess, the Super Robot genre is the exact opposite. These are the mecha that fly around and possess magic weapons and armor, often ignoring the real world and being born from the imagination of the writers and mechanical designers.

In Aldnoah.Zero, the Kataphrakts for the United Earth can be defined as Real Robots while the mecha fighting for the Vers Empire are entirely Super Robots. As you can already tell, the Super Robots clearly outclass the Real Robots and dominate in every fight. In this episode, we saw Hellas’ six flying forearms decimate the United Earth forces without much resistance. As a result of this inherent disadvantage, Inaho and his compatriots must find employ alternative strategies to combating these overpowering mecha, such as exploiting weaknesses or setting specific traps. It is a fascinating commentary about how the two sides differ in terms of their strategies, especially since you rarely see Real Robots fight Super Robots in the same setting. The writers have a solid foundation in what makes each genre appealing to the audience and are utilizing these aspects to their advantage when scripting the fights. Aldnoah.Zero forces the two sides against each other, and the result is a remarkable examination about the difference between these two mecha genre.

Barakamon (Episode 7)

Perhaps the most charming aspect of Barakamon is that the characters behave like people. That is to say, instead of watching an anime about anime characters, Barakamon is an anime about people. Whereas most anime have characters that feel like specific anime stereotypes or archetypes, you could believe the people in Barakamon are people… for the most part. It isn’t perfect nor is it trying to be, but the personalities and characteristics of the cast of Barakamon is more genuine and realistic than virtually every other anime this season. And this aspect of the characterization is a huge reason why I enjoy this anime as much as I do.

Glasslip (Episode 7)

Incorporating background characters into a story is a quick way to win me over with an anime. Hina Fukami, Touko’s younger sister, was a tertiary character throughout the first half of Glasslip, only present in a handful of scenes and voicing about a dozen lines. Now, she’s suddenly relevant to the main cast of characters and contributing to the content of the story (though she’s still primarily fanservice, what with that swimsuit and all). Still, it makes me happy to see the anime spend some time growing and incorporating new characters in its story. Without Hina, I probably would’ve found this episode to be stale. Instead, Hina adds a new dimension to Glasslip and helps alter the dynamic due to her relationships with the characters and how she influences their actions. Utilizing Hina in this role is a great development for Glasslip. Not only does it bode well for future episodes by adding another performer to the stage, but it also shows how to develop a background character into someone important. I’m looking forward to what Hina brings to the rest of the anime.

Hanayamata (Episode 6)

For an anime that prides itself on yosakoi dancing, you’d figure the dance sequences of Hanayamata would be dazzling displays of spectacular art, animation and choreography. And though the dancing animation we saw in this episode was an informal performance, a spontaneous moment born from the curiosity of inquisitive schoolgirls, I honestly expected better. The opening sequence for Hanayamata is features a few difference dance sequences and the motion and emotion are lively, energetic and passionate. The animation comes to life in the opening and that’s what I have come to expect with Hanayamata. And with so little dancing up until now in the series, I was expecting the first performance to be something similar to what we see every week in the opening. But no, the dancing animation was just very plain and ordinary. Of course, this wasn’t a live performance or anything, but I still wanted more from Hanayamata. Hopefully this sequence was more a tease than anything else, since I am expecting some brilliant animation from Hanayamata when the girls dance for real.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 20)

Why do they let the assassins go? What’s to stop them from attacking them again later? Or worse, what about killing other innocent people? We saw it happen already when they decided to let Steely Dan Dan of Steel go and he immediately endangered the life of a little girl. I can understand that Jotaro and the others are ‘good guys’ and are trying to show forgiveness, but still, show some intelligence.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 6)

One aspect of anime that always fascinates me is how people imagine futuristic or alien technologies. Whenever an anime is set in the future or deals with alien visitors, like we see in Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, I always find myself interested in their ways of living, the technology they use and how they use it. Theia and Ruth are from a distant planet named Fortorthe and have utilized a number of interesting technologies since their introduction to the series. We’ve seen spaceships and battle armors, teleportation and levitation, and even display screens that appear out of nowhere. Of course, given Theia’s status, we aren’t sure if these are everyday technologies or if these are reserved for the elite and royalty. In either case, the technologies don’t readily impact their lives compared to what we are accustomed to. That is to say, the lifestyles of Theia and Ruth are similar to what we see on Earth. The spaceship and teleportation are used infrequently as a means of transportation, the levitation helps reduce burden and decreases spills, and the display screens are similar to smartphones. We haven’t seen technologies that significantly change their lives either, such as technologies to feed them or rest them or extend their lives, like you see with other anime that deal with the future or aliens. Of course, these technologies don’t really impact the characters or story all that much, but it’s still interesting to see the byproducts of different people’s imaginations.

Space Dandy Season 2 (Episode 7)

I doubt there will ever be one episode that accurately defines Space Dandy. Given the diversity, creativity and lunacy of the series, I think it’s impossible to describe the series with just one episode. However, the seventh episode of Space Dandy 2 serves as a good example of what to expect with Space Dandy. It doesn’t capture the bizarre elements of certain specific episodes, but this rock and roll episode captures the brilliance and amusement of the series while showcasing the talents of its characters and their wacky adventures. Of course, given that simple criteria, many other episodes would also fit that description… but there’s just something special about this episode that makes it one of the best in this young series. I suppose the writer of this episode, Kimiko Ueno, is one reason why I adore this episode so much as she has consistently written the best episodes since the Deathgerian and zombie episodes. It’s her talent and understanding of the series that really speaks to me and what makes this episode one of my favorite. It is impracticable to define Space Dandy with just one episode, but the rock and roll band episode is likely the closest we’ll get to encompassing all of Space Dandy in just 24 minutes.

Sword Art Online II (Episode 7)

Although the story is remarkably better in GGO (which really isn’t saying much), the actual game of ALO is much more enticing as a watcher of Sword Art Online. ALO is much more engaging and social, a game where people work together to take down monsters instead of hunting and hiding and camping and sniping each other. Yes, the competitive aspect of GGO is appropriate for the Death Gun story, but it doesn’t make it more entertaining or interesting than the vibrant world of ALO. And with the side story inside ALO in this episode, we were offered the chance to look at the game uninterrupted by an asinine story; we saw online characters doing something fun. And guess what, that was the highlight of SAO 2 for me. Hopefully Death Gun’s death gun will backfire and kill him and end the story in an episode or two and provide Kirito the opportunity to go back to ALO and improve the series. Or better yet, why not just ditch Kirito and Shino completely and just focus on ALO for the next 19 episodes? I can dream, can’t I?

Tokyo ESP (Episode 6)

How many anime have mascot characters? Too many? Why yes, that’s the right answer. How many anime have two mascot characters? Two Too many? Why yes, that’s also the right answer.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m not a fan of mascot characters. Certain mascot characters are fine when they are more than just comic relief or perverted sidekicks. Peggy and Happosai Yodani Roshi aren’t the kinda mascot characters I like. They were making this anime tough on me with Peggy earlier, and now they’ve added a perverted panda that teaches martial arts. Great… just great.

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 6)

Really? Fuji? Already?

Isn’t Fuji, the tallest, most prominent, most picturesque and most distinguished mountain in all Japan, a little ambitious for the middle of Yama no Susume? I can understand that it might not be the most difficult mountain to climb, but isn’t this the kinda mountain you end a series with? Don’t you usually do small, unknown mountains close to home first and then build you way up to the biggest, best mountain for the finale? Why are we doing Fuji already when we have 18 more episodes to go? Are they planning on doing Everest next and then finish with Olympus Mons?

Actually… I’d like that if they went to Mars and climbed a mountain that’s 22 kilometers (14 miles) tall and about the size of France. Here’s hoping for Olympus Mons before Yama no Susume is over!

Zankyou no Terror (Episode 6)

The first episode was a tease; it suggested a much larger role for Lisa than what we’ve currently seen. The first episode provided us with some introspection to her character, as we heard her thoughts of Nine and Twelve when she first met them and against after being rescued following the collapse of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Not only that, but her perspective toward Nine and Twelve mirrored our own and the storytelling from her point-of-view would be relatable to the audience. Not only that, but her escape from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was arguably the highlight of the first episode and her decision to leap to Twelve (thus committing to him) after refusing to leap for the bullies into the pool provided an excellent backdrop for her character to grow and mature.

But since then, we’ve been reserved to watching Nine and Twelve play silly games with the police and now a friend from America, Five, is here to play games at an airport. Lisa’s character has had some interesting developments since the first episode, but she’s largely been relegated to a background character who provides comic relief and eye-candy for the male audience. You would think this anime would have more of a focus on Lisa’s character given the amount of content and attention she received in the first episode, but it hasn’t materialized like that episode would suggest. Fortunately, she’s found a role in the series being an accomplice to Sphinx and appears to be destined for something great soon. However, with the series half over, it’s hard to say how much of an impact she’ll have and whether the resolution of her character will be satisfying or not. Then again, I suppose I should wait until the end of the series to finalize my opinions instead of just relying on speculation at this point.

Back during Week 9: explaining why Tokyo ESP is the most disappointing anime of the season despite not being the worst, layering the education and presenting knowledge in Yama no Susume Second Season, why Sanae is more than just the #1 girl in Koutarou’s harem in Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, and wondering why more people don’t use photon swords in Sword Art Online II.

Best episode of the week: Aldnoah.Zero

Anime trending up this week: Akame ga Kill!

Anime trending down this week: Space Dandy Season 2

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 8)

One of the better aspects of Yama no Susume is how the anime structures its education and how it layers this important information. In the eighth episode of Yama no Susume Second Season, we were formally introduced to the topic of nutrition and hydration when the Kaede highlighted the importance of proper nourishment during challenging hikes. The subject was discussed much like any other during the anime with the girls discovering some novel aspect of mountaineering and relating to it through the particular events of this particular episode. However, the issue arose initially when the girls were scaling Mitsutoge and Kaede offered Aoi some chocolate since she was feeling exhausted. It was introduced then as something important, but it wasn’t an appropriate time to discuss it completely. However, by showcasing nutrition then, they were able to link it to a previous experience in this episode and how it improved Aoi’s experience at that time. The way the anime builds these moments of knowledge is a huge positive for as it’s able to link story events together and use them as teaching points for both the girls and any novice mountaineers watching Yama no Susume. The continued emphasis on education and information about hiking certainly defines the purpose of this anime, and this provides Yama no Susume with a genuine meaning beyond watching cute girls climbing mountains.

Tokyo ESP (Episode 8)

Tokyo ESP might not be the worst anime that I am watching this season, but it is certainly the most disappointing. The anime began with an electrifying and encouraging episode about supernatural humans with super-awesome powers destroying or defending Tokyo. The story was building up Rinka as some breathtaking heroine who was destined to save humanity from these terrible monsters, and we were introduced to most of the massive cast of Tokyo ESP throughout the episode. Since then, Tokyo ESP has failed to capitalize on that energy and excitement and has been attempting to return to that level by lethargically progressing through the lengthy history of everything for 7 episodes now. But it’s been 7 episodes of ‘meh’ and with an incredibly awkward backstory, too. All that was good about the first episode is gone, and everything since has been that of a subpar anime. Of course, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, this is not the worst anime of the season for me, but it’s had the most extensive decline. There is still plenty of time for the anime to recover and end with a bang, but given that everything since the first episode has been downhill, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this anime continue to sink.

Sword Art Online II (Episode 9)

If the Kagemitsu G4 (Kirito’s photon sword) is this powerful, why doesn’t everyone use it? Considering how colossal the game is, both in terms of size and popularity, and given the obsessive nature of its patrons, how come no one else has discovered the unlimited potential of these beam sabers? Not only do these light swords deflect bullets, and quite a few of them too, but they’re essentially one-hit kills, unlike virtually every other weapon in GGO. I seriously doubt that something so powerful would go unnoticed or underutilized for so long, especially since users can dual wield the sword and a gun together. Then again, considering the story of SAO 2, we’ve gotta make sure Kirito is the most distinctive and memorable character there is, so having him bring a sword to a gun fight and winning is the rationale behind this broken and illogical judgment.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 8)

There’s always a main girl in a harem. Whether it’s the first girl we see, the girl that the main character chooses in the end or whatever, there’s always one girl that stands above the rest in these harem anime. In Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, that role belonged to Sanae. Belonged to? Yes, belonged to, as in the past tense. And it’s in the past tense because Sanae has surpassed that role and become more than just a haremette. She’s in a category all by herself now, well above everyone else in Koutarou’s harem. Or simply, her character developed into such a unique role that her relationship with Koutarou is fundamentally different than that of everyone else. Since Sanae’s capture and subsequent rescue, she’s been much more active as a character and been linked predominately with Koutarou more than everyone else, including fighting alongside Koutarou when the other characters are merely spectators. Her character is much more dependent on Koutarou than everyone else, as she seems to always do stuff through Koutarou and only Koutarou. Given the accelerated pace of the series, perhaps there was some story events and character development that needed to be cut for the anime to fit in 12 episodes that explains more about their relationship since the events of Sanae’s arc were generally tame and their relationship has exploded since then. Whatever the reason and whether we’ll learn in the anime or not, it seems that Sanae will win out in the end… or rather, she’s already won.

Hanayamata (Episode 8)

Is Naru truly enjoying yosakoi dance or is she merely enjoying spending time with her friends? It’s important to distinguish between the two, especially since they are not mutually exclusive events and heavily dependent on each other; it’s because of her friends that she’s doing yosakoi dance and it’s because of yosakoi dance that she’s able to spend time with her friends. However, the enjoyment can be entirely different between the two. For Naru, yosakoi dance is synonymous with falling down, being uncomfortable, being nervous and now embarrassing herself in front of a crowd. There are only a few choice moments where she actually seems happy with herself when dancing. Contrast that with the other moments of the series where she’s spending more time with more people and trying to encourage her friends to make the right decisions. To me, it seems like Naru does not genuinely enjoy yosakoi dance but continues to do it because of its association to her friends. And this observation leads me to another question: will Naru ever enjoy yosakoi dance for what it is? Not just watching performances and being mesmerized, because we’ve seen that aspect of her already, but will she ever feel that passion and excitement that she does when she’s up on the stage and dancing brilliantly? I would love to see it happen, but I’m concerned with how much time remains in this anime given that it’s only one season. Maybe we need to petition for a second one? Who’s with me?

Glasslip (Episode 9)

Yanagi has quickly become the most interesting character in Glasslip. Whereas most of the cast is somewhere between lackluster and comatose, Yanagi is attempting to tear down her old self and reinvent herself as a new person… to turn over a new leaf and move on with her life. She really seems to be the only character that is action-oriented and the only one that is making significant strikes with herself. She’s even giving away her wardrobe to Hina, Touko’s younger sister, as a means to do so. Pretty soon, we’ll see what Yanagi wants to become with her new personality. More importantly, we’ll also see how this impacts her relationship with everyone else, seeing as she’ll be different than what she was before.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 9)

Given the absolute and total destruction we’ve seen of Earth in Aldnoah.Zero, you can’t help but wonder what’s happening in the other areas of the globe right now. We’ve only seen glimpses and heard rumors about what’s going on outside of Japan, but it seems like there are major wars occurring all over the globe. Are they on the same magnitude as what we’ve seen in Japan? You can’t help but wonder, especially seeing as the entire globe was attacked at the same time. Were some areas prepared better than others? Moreover, the knights staged their assault from the Moon, meaning that one side of the Earth was prone to their assaults while the side facing away from the Moon was not. Did that affect how the Earth was invaded and how humanity responded? The episode did provide a map of the Earth, showing the regions of the world currently in conflict and deemed hostile, and it appears as though East Asia and North America were hit harder than the rest of the globe. But we can’t really assess how the destruction compares or how those forces are faring compared to what we’ve seen and experienced in Japan. We might have to wait until an epilogue or something to witness the carnage and destruction of this war, but given the size and magnitude of this global event, I’m sure we’ll find out our answers eventually.

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 9)

The parallels between Night Raid and the Jaegers are quite pronounced, as well as quite amusing. It’s amusing because the two groups are almost mirrors of each other with one character being a parallel of their counterpart in the other. Additionally, the two organizations seem to have the same origins and similar objectives. It’s as if we’re seeing the two sides of the same coin, with Night Raid supposed to be the ‘good guys’ and Jaegers supposed to be the ‘bad guys’. But really, the two organizations are the same, but just employing different philosophies to their actions and their morals. I’d love for the anime to utilize these two groups as a means to point out the fact that neither is ethical or justified, but I have little hope for the anime to bring critical thinking when everything we’ve seen is superficial (action and fanservice). Then again, I’m watching this anime for these superficial moments, so I can’t really complain given the paradigm we’ve seen for this series.

Back during Week 10: expanding my theory about the primary and secondary focuses of Hanayamata, an example of the magnificent cinematography in Zankyou no Terror, what made episode 23 of Captain Earth the best in that anime, and the return of the subtle yet sensational running gag in Space Dandy Season 2.

Best episode of the week: Hanayamata

Anime trending up this week: Captain Earth

Anime trending down this week: Aldnoah.Zero

Zankyou no Terror (Episode 8)

Cinematography is often a challenge for anime given the constraints of the medium and the difficult production schedules. Nevertheless, Zankyou no Terror defies these limitations and utilizes various techniques that have led to some dazzling and vibrant shots. For example, in this episode, there was a scene where Shibazaki and Hamura were walking and talking. A good majority of dialogue in anime are shot close-up (tight shots, head shots) where you see a character’s face talking with little to no motion. However, this scene was shot at an extra-wide angle showing a busy road and a commuter train running in the background. Not only does this provide the anime with some diversity in its shots, but it also breaks up the monotony of close-up shots while also providing a dynamic environment, with cars and trains zooming by. And it’s not like there’s any meaning or symbolism behind these cars or the train… it’s just details they added to the anime to improve its quality. And all that without even mentioning the fact that the two detectives are outside the first vertical third (if you don’t understand, look up the Rule of Thirds) of the shot, too. Of course, there are many other notable examples in this episode and throughout the series beyond this one, but this one in particular stood out to me in how it drastically improved the scene. Shots like these and other fine cinematographic techniques are the reasons why I adore certain anime directors more than others. Shinichirou Watanabe has consistently shown a keen use of cinematography in his anime and continues to do so in Zankyou no Terror.

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 9)

I understand what Yama no Susume wanted to accomplish with the two Americans hiking Mount Fuji. What they wanted to do with these characters was establish the fact that Mount Fuji is a popular destination for international tourists, not just Japanese nationals. And in a sense, they did just that. But the random lines in English sprinkled across this episode were more unintentionally hilarious than anything else. And I know it gets even better in the tenth episode too, in the hotel room. Those English voices were intended to be another educational point for Yama no Susume, but it quickly turned into the most amusing aspect of the series for me. I hope they continue to make appearances in future episodes.

Sword Art Online II (Episode 10)

Without a doubt, the settings of Sword Art Online are my favorite element of the anime. The diverse and magnificent environments, the social hierarchies in these online communities, the games they play and the people they see… all of this encompasses why I am enjoying this season of Sword Art Online. In particular though, and what I want to focus on this week, are the visuals of these physical (or virtual) locations. I barely mentioned it when complaining about the sheer magnitude of the starting city, SBC Glocken, but I absolutely love the design and how it’s presented in the anime. It’s the same for all the various battlegrounds that Kirito and Sinon fought in, especially the ruins and now the desert landscape. I am confident the anime will continue to impress me with future environments too, once this GGO arc is over… which hopefully is sooner rather than later.

Space Dandy Season 2 (Episode 10)

The best comical feature of Space Dandy is also the most subtle. Throughout the series, there has been a running gag that is hardly ever emphasized, or even mentioned, but has played a key role in a number of scenes… and it was on display again in this episode. What is it you ask? It’s the fact that Dandy has never hit his target, not even once, with his laser gun. Yes, every time Dandy pulls out his weapon, you can guarantee that his lasers will go everywhere except at his target. And this running gag has been used throughout the series, beginning in the first episode when Space Dandy was about hunting new aliens. The fact that this running gag has remained a constant in this series is something that helps connect Dandy between every episode and the series as a whole; it’s one of the few things you can count on in each episode. And whenever we see this ongoing joke, Dandy destroying everything around him but his enemy, I can’t help but laugh every time. It’s an incredibly subtle piece of comedy in Space Dandy but it’s my favorite joke in the series.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 9)

Did anyone else notice the dramatic and significant shift in art style and cinematography during the middle of this episode? I’m assuming that this is when Shin Oonuma awoke from his slumber during this series and added his artistic touch, since the use of light, colors and camera angles paralleled his work from his previous anime. Not only was the scene visually impressive with its brilliant art, but the scene felt very odd and out-of-place, not only in this episode but in this series. Really, the animation and art has been mediocre in Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, so it was exceptionally surprising to see such a high level of quality and effort put into such a simple scene. It makes me wonder what the series could have been if it had a larger budget… not only to improve the visuals in this series but to extend it to two seasons so that it didn’t feel rushed with multiple scenes cut out. Then again, you can’t help but wonder how every other anime would be different if it had better art and more time to tell its stories, so it’s not like Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? is the only anime with issues in its visuals and its limited time-frame. Still, I think improves in both those areas would significantly improve the series as these are currently limiting factors in my evaluations for this anime.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 23)

Frequently, when older anime are rebooted or when older manga are adapted, the technologies of the previous generations vanish and are replaced by the gadgets seen and used in the present. If you want two recent examples, look at the differences between Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon: Crystal or with Ping Pong the Animation: both anime have swapped their outdated technologies (floppy disks, game consoles) with sleek, modern alternatives. However, JJBA is not like that. Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, is set in the year 1989. And the best way for it to feel like 1989 is to employ the technologies of that era in the anime. Satellite phones for international calls, CRT televisions, the lack of personalized computers, boxy or angular vehicles… just everything feels dated or somewhat antiquated. Perhaps the era would be better expressed if Jotaro and friends were traveling across the globe since the differing geographies and cultures don’t emphasize the technologies or fashion or social aspects as if this anime took place solely in Japan. However, I am fond of how the anime makes it feel like it is in 1989 through various elements in the setting despite some of the difficulties and challenges of doing so.

Hanayamata (Episode 9)

Hanayamata is an anime about yosakoi dance. At the same time, Hanayamata is an anime about everything else but yosakoi dance. That is so say, Hanayamata is about yosakoi dance, but yosakoi dance is secondary to everything else? Confused? Good.

What I mean by these esoteric remarks is that Hanayamata is an anime that focuses on the lives of the girls around the yosakoi dance club. What connects all these girls and is a constant throughout the story is yosakoi dance. However, the anime tends to focus its stories more on the girls, their challenges and how they grow as characters. I alluded to this concept earlier in the season when I explained that Hanayamata was more about forming the club and connecting with the girls than about yosakoi dance… and now I want to expand on that theory. Rather than just being about the club itself, Hanayamata is an anime about the girls who love yosakoi and who dance yosakoi. That doesn’t mean the anime is about yosakoi dance, especially with this episode revolving about the fragmented and estranged relationship between Sari and Machi. That was the primary focus of the episode. But what brought them together? The girls of the yosakoi club, meaning that yosakoi (or rather the club) was the secondary focus of this episode. And really, that has been the pattern of this anime since its first episode; it’s an anime about the girls growing up with yosakoi dance as a secondary element to their stories. So yes, Hanayamata is an anime about yosakoi dance, but this wonderful, imaginative and passionate anime is about so much more.

Captain Earth (Episode 23)

Captain Earth has shown flashes of excellence, but it has never put it together for a full episode before. Habitually, the anime would readily fold on itself through any combination of unceasing and excessive jargon, unexplained or vague story mechanics, dubious character decisions, lackluster fights or any number of other significant issues related to the storytelling or characters. However, Captain Earth managed to forget these traditions and forged an episode that was actually pretty darn great. What I wanted from early on in this series was an explanation and introspection from the villains. I yearned to learn their philosophies, to understand why they made their decisions and why some felt conflicted with their morals and their missions. The twenty-third episode of Captain Earth finally answered some of these queries with each Kill-T-Gang member speaking directly to Daichi. However, what was impressive about this episode is that they spoke indirectly about themselves. Each question they asked was a reflection of their character and the decisions they’re making. It finally gave the characters depth and gave a motive to their actions. It provided context to their characters and we were able to see them as characters and not nameless, faceless villains that fly around in cold, metal mecha in the depths of sublunar space. This is what I wanted all along from Captain Earth, and it finally delivered in easily the best episode of this anime.

Barakamon (Episode 9)

No other episode so perfectly demonstrates the fact that Seishuu is an adult that acts like a kid. The dichotomy of Seishuu’s character is split between the two scenes at the playground and at the river canyon. At the playground, Seishuu was like a child, readily arguing with the older children rather than taking control of the situation like an adult. At the river canyon, Seishuu was like an adult, warning the kids of the dangers of the vine swing instead of being a kid and enjoying it despite its obvious dangers. However, this schism in Seishuu’s character makes him ideal for the anime being how he interacts with the children and teenagers and how he behaves around the adults. This is a pleasant trait to Seishuu’s character that has been employed throughout the series and was particularly noticeable in this episode.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 10)

Everything reminds me of Needless. Everything. Don’t believe me? Just ask my one and only friend legions of devoted followers. So yeah, when watching this episode, I immediately was reminded of this outstanding scene.

Too bad Aldnoah.Zero isn’t this awesome. I really, really wish more anime were honest about these ‘fake character deaths’ since they’re played out so dramatically but are usually just awful. And these scenes in Aldnoah.Zero were pretty much awful.

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 10)

Tatsumi’s relic, Incursio, is easily the best relic for him in Akame ga Kill. The villains (Jaegers) now have an identity for Tatsumi, being Esdeath’s ‘lover’. However, Tatsumi will want to keep his identity a secret to them when fighting and Incursio accomplishes that better than any other relic. Not only does Incursio cover Tatsumi’s face, meaning that no one from Jaegers can identify him on the battlefield, but Incursio also has the ability to turn invisible, meaning that there’s another layer of protection in hiding Tatsumi’s identity. This means that Tatsumi will be able to fight without Esdeath and the others knowing who he is or where he is. And this can be extremely valuable later on in the series should he be seen in public by Jaegers or Esdeath; they won’t know that he’s a member of Night Raid because Insursio prevents them from identifying him. It’s almost as if this relic was purposely designed for Tatsumi in this situation since the two fit like a hand in a glove. Not only is this the only relic that hides the face of the user, but it also comes with a cloaking device that hides the user completely. It’s perfect for Tatsumi to hide his identity like he did in this episode against Wave, and I can see Incursio having this continued benefit for the duration of the anime.

Back, during the Summer anime season, for week 11: defining acute mountain sickness and understanding its role in Yama no Susume Second Season, why I absolutely love the development of Asseylum in Aldnoah.Zero, questioning the balance of character development and death in Akame ga Kill!, and thoughts on changing the name of Hanayamata to Hanayamatasa.

Best episode of the week: Yama no Susume Second Season

Anime trending up this week: Tokyo ESP

Anime trending down this week: Tokyo Ghoul

Zankyou no Terror (Episode 9)

“So your plan is to put a bunch of bombs on an airplane and drive it into the terminal of an international airport here in Tokyo?”

“Yup.”

“And you think this will bring out the terrorists who we’re going after?”

“Of course it will. I don’t see how there are any flaws with this plan.”

“And you’re planning to play a game of chess with them once they get to the airport as a way to capture them and arrest them?”

“Yeah… about that… so when am I getting these bombs?”

“…”

~sometime later~

“So your plan is to strap a bunch of bombs to this girl, put her in a Ferris wheel and wait for the terrorists to show up and save her as a means of finding out where the atomic bomb is located?”

“Yup.”

“And if they don’t tell you, you’re planning on letting the bombs detonate, killing them and leaving the bomb somewhere in Tokyo?”

“That’s my plan! So, where are the bombs?”

“…”

My main question, nine episodes into Zankyou no Terror, is who is supplying Five for all these crazy missions, and who is allowing her to do so?

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 10)

Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is an ailment that occurs when people living at low altitudes ascend to higher altitudes at rates faster than their bodies can acclimate or adjust to the new environments. The cause of AMS is due to the decreasing partial pressure of oxygen (O₂) at higher altitudes, meaning there is less oxygen absorbed in the body each time they breathe. In addition, strenuous physical activity like hiking demands a lot of oxygen in the body, so there is a greater need for oxygen at these high altitudes, too. Since there is less oxygen per breath and the bodies of the hikers are in dire need of oxygen (hypoxia), people will begin to breathe heavier and faster (hyperventilation). This hyperventilation causes more carbon dioxide (CO₂) to be expelled from the body, especially with the low partial pressure of carbon dioxide at high altitudes. Carbon dioxide plays an essential role in determining the pH of the blood (in the form of bicarbonate) and breathing off too much carbon dioxide will cause the pH of the blood to rise (respiratory alkalosis). Additionally, there are other changes going on in the body, such as increased cardiac output, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, increased production of hemoglobin, and other physiological changes. These changes can manifest themselves in a number of symptoms, but primarily as headache, fatigue, and lightheadedness. This is what Aoi is experiencing right now on Mt. Fuji and why Kaede recommended she stop and rest at the inn. Now, you may be wondering why the other girls don’t have altitude sickness and why Aoi is the only one. In reality, all the girls are facing the same struggle as Aoi, but their bodies are acclimating to the difficult environment better or they are in better fitness than Aoi. Kaede, Hinata and Kokona are all dealing with the same environment as Aoi and may have milder symptoms than her, though we aren’t able to see it directly in the anime. Additionally, we also know that Aoi had difficulty sleeping the night before and that can contribute to AMS.

Acute mountain sickness is a very common disease in hikers, and I’m thrilled to see it used to such a dramatic effect in Yama no Susume. Seeing Aoi, and only Aoi, experience this now, while on the ascent to the top of Mt. Fuji, is going to do wonders for the anime. It’s creating a divide between the characters, between Aoi and her friends, and causing her to fail at her goal when everyone else could go on to reach the top. This moment will define Aoi’s character moving forward, not only for how she feels about herself and mountaineering in general but how Aoi feels about her friends who did not have as severe a case of AMS as she did. It’s heartbreaking to see Aoi go through these struggles because it will have a lasting negative impact on her character. Yes, even after her AMS is gone and she’s bright and cheery again, this moment will cast a shadow on her character until she finally reaches the summit of Mt. Fuji.

Sword Art Online II (Episode 11)

I know that Sword Art Online is an anime about virtual reality massive multiplayer online role-playing games, but when was the last time we saw the real world? Everything we’ve seen recently has been the BoB tournament in GGO and Kirito’s harem in ALO watching it. Everything has been within a game for the last few episodes now, and the scenes in the real world do little to contribute to the overall story line or Shino’s debilitating fear of guns.  Compare that to the previous arc of SAO (ALO) which featured a number of scenes in the real world to develop the relationship between Kazuto and Suguha and for them to create drama with Asuna’s sleeping body. I’m not saying that this focus on GGO is necessarily bad, but it’s incredibly different than ALO and more akin to SAO when they were trapped in the VRMMORPG with no escape. It’s just an interesting transition between the three games with SAO and GGO being much more similar to each other than ALO.

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? (Episode 10)

I was never ecstatic with the main storyline of Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, being about the four girls trying to take over apartment 106. And I’ve never been really happy with the individual character stories that have taken over the anime with each girl getting their own arc to develop their characters and strengthen their relationship with Koutarou. However, these stories fulfill more to the series than playing silly games and never making progress with who is taking over the apartment. Yes, the various games they played were more fun and entertaining, but the really didn’t add to the series like the way these character arcs do. Now, we’re seeing a purpose to these characters and understanding why they are where they are now. They’re becoming meaningful and helping us relate to their problems and why they need the apartment so badly. And with that knowledge in place, now it’s time for the games for each character to take over the apartment. Now is the time for the anime to go back to the silly story about each girl wanting to take the six tatami mat apartment for themselves. Unfortunately though, I doubt this anime will receive a sequel since now is the time for the anime to shine with its various games about deciding who gets to keep that special, little residence.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Episode 24 [Finale])

The biggest issue with this season of JJBA is the lack of a true villain. While it’s true that Dio was sending every assassin he could find to kill Jotaro and friends, we never really saw the mastermind of this arc. Dio was relegated to a minor role thus far and his brilliance as a character was muted as a result. Instead, we had a lengthy series of secondary antagonists each week that never really built up to anything. Compare that with Part 1 and Part 2 where each fight was building up to Dio or Cars. Compare that to now where the final scene was everyone getting out of their car and posing in the Egyptian desert. With that in mind, I am anticipating the second half of Part 3 to be much, much better than this first half.

Hanayamata (Episode 10)

We know why Hanayamata is named Hanayamata – Hana, Naru, Yaya, Machi and Tami – all two character Japanese names – but why couldn’t the anime be named Hanayamatasa (or some variation) to include our favorite club supervisor, Sari-sensei, who also has a two character Japanese name. Yes, the anime is named after the girls who dance in the Yosakoi Dance Club, but Sari is an essential character since the club couldn’t exist in its current form without her as a teacher. She’s proven her worth to the club too, time and time again, especially in this episode by securing a spot in the Hanairo Festival after registration ended. And Sari has warmed up to the club itself, too. As she continues to spend more time with the girls, she’s become engrossed with yosakoi dance and has even practiced with the girls when she isn’t sexually harassing them. Sari might be the sixth most important character, at the very least, but she’s still an integral person to the club, the girls and the anime. I can understand why her name is not included in the title of the manga and anime, but I strongly believe her character has done enough to warrant a spot… you know, if the mangaka ever decided to change titles or make a sequel (can we get a sequel, please?) or something.

Glasslip (Episode 11)

Hina is the best character in Glasslip. No, it’s not because she’s a particularly great character but because everyone else is rather flat or tame as characters. Hina is the only character right now that brings any type of energy or performance to the screen. She provides value through her entertainment and quickly improves the scene through her humor. Everyone else in Glasslip is calm except for Touko. It’s like everyone is hiding their emotions or having trouble expressing them. And while it does work to prevent the anime from being overly dramatic or artificial, it just feels empty. That is to say, you’re not going to see characters bawling or fighting or overreacting in Glasslip (thank God), but you’re not going to see anything resembling drama either. And in this lackluster environment, Hina thrives as a character thanks to her bubbly personality and comic relief. It’s easy to see why Hina is the best character in Glasslip, though there isn’t much, if any, competition from the other cast members.

Barakamon (Episode 10)

Seishuu is a jerk for leaving like that.

Aldnoah.Zero (Episode 11)

I particularly enjoy the development of Princess Asseylum. When the series started, she was naïve, idealistic and weak. She stood on the sidelines and watched. She talked, but her words had no weight. And at first, she was fine with that, wearing a disguise and pretending to be someone else – someone who wasn’t important. She figured they would end the war with her having minimal involvement (once they see that she’s still alive, they’d stop attacking, right?). But as the war dragged on and more and more lives were lost, Asseylum chose to change her ways. She wasn’t forced to change at this point, but chose to take a more active role in ending the war. He began to act like a princess instead of a pedestrian, and discarded her disguise. And as a result, her character began to develop a little, but she was still the naïve, idealistic and weak princess that we saw at the beginning of the series. Now, with the United Earth HQ being bombarded after her plea for peace was rejected, we’re seeing Asseylum experience genuine character growth. For the first time in the series, we see her become angry at the weakness of her character and the rejection of her ideals. She’s realizing now how little weight she has despite being in a position of power and that her longing for peace means nothing to the people around her. So she’s changing. She’s taking an active role in the story now. She’s even getting in a kataphrakt and heading out into active combat. Asseylum isn’t there yet, but you can see she’s getting there. And with a second season in the near future, we can hope to see more of this Asseylum rather than the one we saw throughout this first season. Unless, of course… you know… unless something happens in episode 12…

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 11)

Akame ga Kill! has a high turnover of its characters. People appear, people die, you move on to the next antagonist or nakama. Sheele and Bulat? Who? Don’t you mean Chelsea and Susanoo?

However, the question with any character that’s given a face, a name and a few lines is how well they serve a purpose in the series or how well they’re developed as characters. For Sheele and Bulat, we understood their role in the anime and had a couple minutes with their backstory to understand their motivation and purpose. And then that was it. For Dr. Stylish, we had even less. And for many other characters, they didn’t even last an episode. Is this adequate for these characters? Is what we’ve seen enough to make us feel bad for when Sheele and Bulat die or for us to feel satisfied when villains like Dr. Stylish dies? It’s hard to say given the massive number of characters and the limited time for each, but it feels like all these characters that keep appearing are a little empty. It’s like the series realizes a character will die soon so they go over their history to try to make them seem deep or complex. But that’s not really good storytelling or character development; in fact, in a series like Akame ga Kill!, it’s a harbinger of death or the opposite of how you want to develop a character. But then again, if these are all just throw-away characters, why even bother to develop them when they’re just gonna die anyway? I am torn on the subject because I want to learn more about each character, yet I know that 90% of the cast will be dead before the anime is over, and there’s no point in spending too much time on a person when they’re will only have a chance to impact the series for a few episodes. The happy medium, and what I truly want from the series, is better storytelling when trying to develop these characters and understanding how to better utilize each person early on rather than waiting for their final moments before adding purpose to their character. Really, the only one I’ve been happy with so far is Bulat, but his development as a character never really satisfied me, especially early on when all he was known for was being gay. Hopefully the series continues this pattern and begins to develop the characters early after their appearances since watching underdeveloped characters like those mentioned at the beginning of this post is never really substantial or noteworthy.

This week: why episode 13 of Yama no Susume Second Season might be the best episode of anime of 2014, distress and worry that Psycho-Pass 2 will be a fanservice anime or a shell of its former self, examining why the melee choreography of the fights of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works are so enjoyable, and concerns over the evolving comedy in Amagi Brilliant Park.

Best episode of the week (and maybe even the year): Yama no Susume Second Season

Anime trending up this week: Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

Anime trending down this week: Psycho-Pass 2

Akame ga Kill! (Episode 15)

The storytelling is unbalanced in Akame ga Kill!, which results in some episodes being mind-numbingly boring, like episode 15. The issue with this episode is that there was a huge infodump in the middle where all that happened was dense backstory, brief character exposition, and laying out the plan for the next giant battle. Of course, with all that out of the way, the next episode or two will be nothing but pure action and fanservice… nothing more than sensational battles, charming comedy, and sexy female characters. It’s a trade-off I often dislike in anime, where one episode sacrifices itself by being all story-centric to make the other episodes around it more entertaining. To be honest, I enjoy an anime more when the two aspects are integrated together rather than isolated like this. However, to me, Akame ga Kill! is an anime where the story and characters are secondary to the entertainment, so I can tolerate such a trade-off provided that the fighting/fanservice episodes are significantly more enjoyable than the tedious and lackluster story-centric or character-centric episodes. This episode wasn’t the worst in the series, especially since it recovered at the end with the promise of a colossal battle between members of Night Raid and Jaegers, but I want to see shows integrate their material better instead of being bipolar like this.

Amagi Brilliant Park (Episode 2)

So… the comedy has slumped. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since I predicted this in my First Impressions post for Amagi Brilliant Park, but the sudden drop-off between episode 1 and episode 2 is somewhat shocking. Don’t misinterpret what I mean here… Amagi Brilliant Park is still amusing and featured a number of witty or hilarious jokes, but it just wasn’t the same caliber or quality that we saw in the first episode when we saw the incredibly shitty amusement park for the first time. Additionally, this episode focused primarily on developing the foundation for the story by elaborating on the dire situation of Maple Land’s inhabitants and introducing an antagonist, Chris Tucker Kurisu Takaya. Again, that’s not to say that Amagi Brilliant Park is bad or that it’s on the wrong track – honestly, I believe it’s moving in the right direction with this episode – it’s just that the comedy changed so quickly between episodes that I feel a little lost. There is hope for me, however, that my ideal humor will continue in subsequent episodes with the various employees needing to fix up the park for its patrons. I can see that brand or style of humor continuing for a majority of the series as the amusement park struggles in its miserable, decrepit state, so hopefully this situation can salvage the rich and robust comedy from the first episode. If not, I’m sure I’ll enjoy Amagi Brilliant Park just fine… just maybe not as much as I hoped I would.

Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Episode 1)

A successful fight in anime depends on competency in a collection of basic areas: animation/cinematography, choreography, intensity/emotion, originality/innovative, and significance to the characters or story. The fights seen thus far in Fate/stay night have been exemplary in each of these categories. However, what I want to focus on in this review is the truly remarkable choreography (and a bit of cinematography) in these sequences. The two major fights that we’ve seen thus far have featured melee combat, meaning the two sides are fighting with weapons at close range. A majority of anime will often depict these fights as turn-based, where we see the actions of one character first and then the reaction of the other as separate shots. To contrast this, FSN has selected the majority of its shots to feature both of the characters on the screen at the same time, meaning the two components of melee fighting – action and reaction – are performed together at the same time more often than not. What is challenging about this method of choreography is that in these fights it requires the two sides to be in constant motion and to constantly be reacting to the movement or actions of their opponent. In other words, the choreography must be fluid between the two, especially since FSN wants to show the two characters on screen at the same time (it is worth noting there is a significant association between choreography and cinematography here). However, FSN is brilliant in this regard and each fight features choreography that is both elegance and marvelous, which deeply appeals to me as a viewer. The style of choreography that we’ve seen in these first couple episodes is an obstacle for any anime, especially with the given shot selection of FSN. However, FSN has been truly extraordinary here and has given us some breathtaking moments already. I can only hope we see this pattern continue with melee combat since the fights that we’ve seen thus far have been genuinely astonishing.

Gundam Reconguista in G (Episode 3)

I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen (or ever paid attention to) a toilet being in the cockpit of a mecha. We saw the pilot’s chair convert to a toilet twice in this episode, with Klim and Bellri both using this unique feature. I never considered it before, but it makes sense to have such a facility onboard a mobile suit given how long these fighters might be stuck in these machines. And after thinking about that predicament, I can’t help but wonder what happens in all the other mecha anime I’ve watched…

Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle (Episode 1)

The first season of Chaika needed more Chaikas. Simple fact. No questions asked. Three Chaikas is a start, but it was definitely not enough. With the first episode of the second season of Hitsugi no Chaika formally introducing to us a new Chaika (Vivi), I can see that Chaika is finally addressing its most glaring weakness. Hopefully, we’ll be introduced to the twin Chaikas (the pair wearing black on the cover of the eighth volume of the light novel) soon, in order to increase the Chaika density. Oh, and if other characters turn out to be Chaikas, too, that’d also be great. In fact, I’m hoping that by the end of the series, everyone is a Chaika. Could you imagine how good this anime would be if there were a hundred Chaikas running around? But even then, that still might not be enough. However, the point is that Chaika is still adding Chaikas to the series… and that’s never a bad thing for an anime like this.

Parasyte (Kiseijuu) (Episode 1)

How does Migi fashion itself into metal objects with just Shinichi’s hand? Where does this metal come from? It’s not like this metal is naturally within Shinichi, where Migi just simply rearranges the anatomy of the hand to produce sharp metal in the exterior. No, it’s like Migi is taking the organic material of Shinichi somehow turning it into metal… and then back into a normal, fully-functional hand when it’s through. And while we’re on this subject… how does Migi talk when it doesn’t have lungs? And why would it even have lungs if its entire circulatory system is connected to Shinichi’s? Oh, I knew I shouldn’t have considered real-world anatomy and physiology with this anime… or really… any anime (especially most of my favorites).

Psycho-Pass 2 (Episode 1)

One might argue that Gen Urobuchi is overrated as a writer, but the first episode of Psycho-Pass without him was both worrying and frustrating. It was a resounding disappointment, a plunge from the first season, and Psycho-Pass is now devolving into a soulless, fanservice anime. Wait… fanservice anime? Yes, I mean fanservice in the sense that the content of this episode was meant to be eye-candy for the fans and nothing more.

Purposeless action and gratuitous explosions for the sake of action and explosions? Check.

A deadpan and stern Akane who is now intended to be the badass of the group (who now poses every so often)? Check.

No relevant narrative, questionable writing and superficial characterization? Check.

Check, check and check… sounds like a fanservice anime to me. But don’t get me wrong, as I, too, enjoy genuinely good action… but not like this and never in an anime like Psycho-Pass. There always needs to be a sense of meaning or purpose; otherwise, it comes across as emotionless and self-serving. Contrast this with the first episode of the original season of Psycho-Pass where we witness Akane’s idealistic humanitarian and Kantian values challenged when Kougami exploded the criminal and Akane immediately disciplined Kougami. Where was the relevant characterization in this episode? Or even easier, what was the purpose of this episode? And bloody hell, what happened to Akane, too? She was the only character to retain her humanistic qualities following the first season of Psycho-Pass. Her character was much livelier, altruistic and enthusiastic during the first season… even smiling and humble in the epilogue of the finale. Now she’s some cold, unsympathetic badass? Are we just going to ignore all her characterization, her maturity and complexity as a person and completely rewrite her to be the champion of some in-your-face action series?

I had my reservations about the second season of Psycho-Pass when I learned that Gen Urobuchi was being replaced by Tow Ubukata. I figured the series would dip with a sequel given that two-thirds of the genius from S1 are now missing (Kougami and Makishima), but I figured that the anime would continue to build from its setting and introduce a new story that challenged Akane’s philosophy again. What I didn’t expect was for her characterization to be ignored and dismissed, and rewritten to be someone she isn’t in a shallow and simplistic anime that just so happens to be set in the same world as Psycho-Pass. What made Psycho-Pass one of my favorite anime is that it had genuine character development, expressive and scholarly dialogue, and an exciting plot that challenged the philosophies of its three primary characters. There was none of this in the first episode of Psycho-Pass 2, and I have a grim feeling that these elements will be forgotten for the sake of action and badass-ery. I pray that this first episode is a fluke and was scripted to thrill or entice the fans of the franchise… but dismal garbage like this had the opposite effect for me.

Shirobako (Episode 1)

There’s just something about a work-place setting in anime that greatly appeals to me. It doesn’t necessarily need to involve adults, like Shirobako graciously ensures, and it doesn’t necessarily need to be at work full-time either, say splitting its time evenly between work and school. It’s just a setting that has grown on me more and more in recent years. Now that doesn’t mean that every anime with a work-place setting is worth watching, with Denki-Gai no Honya-san being a perfect example, but there seems to be a better chance of me watching and enjoying an anime in some employment setting than most others.

Yama no Susume Second Season (Episode 13)

Up there with Ping Pong the Animation episode 10 and Space Dandy S2 episode 3 is Yama no Susume Second Season episode 13 for best anime episode of the year. Unlike the preceding two anime which need no introduction, Yama no Susume Second Season seems to be relatively anonymous or disregarded as an anime this season. A few quick searches confirm this claim, and they reveal a nominal amount of discussion or dialogue on the series. However, it’s obscurity as an anime has no correlation to its quality or its entertainment (or its education about mountaineering!), and the thirteenth episode was easily one of the most inspiring and satisfying episodes of the year.

What made this episode so outstanding, so remarkable is that it felt complete despite its multifaceted story and its phenomenal characterization. The episode successfully integrated three separate plots – star-gazing, firefly watching and Aoi and Hinata getting lost as children – into one coherent story where each element has a significant impact on the other. The episode was magnificent in how it personified Aoi and Hinata, how they thought about each other, how they acted around each other and showed the strength of their friendship, both in the past and in the present. The visuals was exceptional and truly paramount for a series of this nature, featuring a diversity of aesthetics that range from oil pastels (how often can you say that about an anime?), to a detailed, cartoony style and back to the traditional/moe art style but at a much higher quality and excellence than normal. Everything about this episode was perfect, far exceeding even my wildest imagination for this anime and delivering an episode that is captivating, charming and exceptionally beautiful. I could not recommend this episode enough, even to outsiders of the franchise who know nothing else about the series besides these two short paragraphs. Please watch this episode since it is one of the most incredible and gratifying episodes of the year.

The first day of 2015 means it’s the first day we can turn, look back, and reflect upon 2014 as a whole. Today, I aim to present the results of my own introspection and analysis on all the anime I watched in 2014. I will present my final thoughts on the most remarkable, memorable and outstanding anime that aired in 2014 by revealing lists for both my favorite characters of the year and the top anime of 2014. So, how exactly will I remember 2014, and which of the anime that aired is simply the best to me?

A quick note before beginning: the lists for 2014 will have 14 characters and 14 anime because it’s the least I could do to honor 2014. Additionally, these lists are just on the television anime of the year and will not include movies or OVAs. Furthermore, it includes any anime that aired in 2014 regardless of when it began or when it ends, so some of the anime and characters from previous years will be making appearances again.

Top 14 Characters of 2014:

Honorable Mentions: Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4 the Golden Animation), Dio Brando (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders), and Akane Tsunemori (Psycho-Pass 2)

All three characters appeared in this favorite character list for previous years when their original anime aired. However, the reason they failed to make the list for 2014, despite retaining most of their strong characterizations and commanding influences in their franchises, is either due to their reduced roles in anime this year (Dio) or a significantly substandard sequel or spin-off of the original anime (Naoto and Akane) that affected my perception of them this year. For example, Naoto didn’t really change as a character for Persona 4 the Golden Animation, but she never shined like when she had her character arc or when she helped solve the murder mysteries like in Persona 4 the Animation. I want to take a moment to still acknowledge their place as some of my favorite characters of all-time, as I still have high praise for each. However, given their lack of screentime or disagreeable sequel/spin-off, I feel that they don’t meet the same criteria as the candidates for Top 14 Characters of 2014.

14. Inari Fushimi (Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha)

Inari’s selflessness and unyielding resolve to help her friends through Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha made this special lass one of my favorites. Combine that with her frequent comical situations and her bright cheery smile, and it’d be impossible to dislike this sweetheart protagonist.

13. Aoi Miyamori (Shirobako)

Aoi Miyamori is our perspective to the modern anime industry, were we view our five heroines maturing as young professionals while also learning the inherent hardships with anime. What makes Aoi such a remarkable character is how well she relates to everyone around her and how easy it is for us to relate to her. Due to her characterization, it is easy for us to understand her trials and triumphs as well as her passion for anime. Aoi is also extremely expressive, thanks to the wild array of reactions and expressions she has. She is a fun, optimistic character and an outstanding lead for Shirobako.

12. Saber (Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works)

What makes Saber so notable is the contrast between her serious and sensitive sides. In battle, her gallant and altruistic personality is incredible as she does whatever she can to protect her master, Shirou. But outside of battle, Saber is a thoughtful, compassionate girl who works to make her allies better people. However, in making everyone better around her, she makes herself the best character in FSN: UBW.

11. Aki Mikage (Silver Spoon S2)

Aki is a gentle and amiable farm girl who always wears a smile on her face. Aki might be a little dimwitted, but she is continues to diligently work on improving herself, her farm and those around her. Aki manages to make everything around her better, and her character improved in this second season by revealing some complexity to her character and her situation with the family farm.

10. Tokaku Azuma (Akuma no Riddle)

What I find impressive about Tokaku’s character is how she evolved throughout Akuma no Riddle. Her story is one of how ignored her duty as an assassin and fought to protect Haru’s life, becoming the exact opposite of what she was. We watched Tokaku develop from an emotionless, cold-blooded assassin to a thoughtful, benevolent person. And though she never really expressed her emotions, she you could tell she was happy with her new life. Moreover, this process was due to her choice, under her own willpower, and she labored to make herself a better person which is why I think so highly of her character.

9. Aoi Yukimura (Yama no Susume Second Season)

Aoi Yukimura was always timid, fearful, and nervous when trying new things, and throughout Yama no Susume, she retained these characteristics. Still, that did not prevent Aoi from attempting something new, and we saw her grow through each challenge. Her character development was rich throughout, and we always were around to witness her anxiety and share in her achievements. She even became more knowledgeable and outgoing and ambitious, and even made a friend in Honoka before the season ended. Aoi’s development as a character climbed to new heights in this second season, yet she still felt like the same character in the beginning given her chemistry with Hinata.

8. Hiyori Iki (Noragami)

Hiyori continues along with this theme of generous and kindhearted characters, as her role was memorable in Noragami for working hard to support both Yato and Yukine rather than solving her own problem of leaving her body for long periods of time. What puts Hiyori high on my list is her comedy and curiosity, how she was frequently in a humorous situation and how she explored the world of the gods and tried to improve it despite being merely a human. Also, that cat tail that linked her soul to her body was both innovative and very cute.

7. Najenda (Akame ga Kill!)

Strong and resilient, Najenda was a lone beacon of that stood for justice and integrity in a world drunk on brutality, sadism, corruption. She deviated from the norm, from her comfortable home in the Empire, and reinvented herself, making her life a mission to return peace and safety to humanity. Najenda is also intelligent, smooth and actually quite friendly, and works to act as a mentor for the young assassins she trains. In an anime thronging with characters you’re supposed to disagree with or dislike, Najenda was there for you to admire, respect and agree with. Because of how well she contrasts everyone else in Akame ga Kill!, I adore her as a character that much more.

6. Yaya Sasame (Hanayamata)

For me to enjoy a tsundere, there needs to be a balance between the two halves and more than just that one-dimension to their character. Thankfully, Yaya embodies these qualities and much, much more in Hanayamata. Despite her calm and cool personality, Yaya struggled with jealousy and dishonesty, was unsure how to express herself, took it out on her best friend and nearly lost her for it. As her story arc resolved, Yaya displayed outstanding character development and evolved into a compassionate friend that reflected how Naru treated her. Moreover, she continued to keep that happy and suave personality and continues to work hard to support Naru and the Yosakoi Dance Club.

5. Naru Sekiya (Hanayamata)

Remember that tidbit of Yaya almost losing her best friend? That’d be Naru. Like Yaya, Naru faced her own challenges in Hanayamata, which was that she lacked self-confidence, was always nervous, and easily frustrated. Yet, she was the friendliest, gentlest girl and loved everyone around her. Naru would always strive to make everyone around her better, even if she was afraid or didn’t know what to do. Throughout the series, she supported every character through their difficulties and she matured as a result. Naru’s story in Hanayamata is easily one of the best of the year.

4. Mako Mankanshoku (KILL la KILL)

Although Mako’s role in KILL la KILL was primarily comic relief, Mako was the only one to support Ryuuko throughout the series. From start to finish, Mako was almost always there for Ryuuko to fall back on. Her blissful, optimistic personality was always the right ingredient to push Ryuuko in the right direction, and her encouragement was integral to the success of the anime. Additionally, Mako had some significant roles later in the anime, which is a reflection of her admiration for Ryuuko. This is what a supporting character should be like in an anime, both in terms of their role as backing, as friends and as comic relief.

3. Joseph Joestar (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)

They took the best JoJo and made him even better in Part III. Even though Joseph Joestar was spectacular as the protagonist in Battle Tendency, his supporting role in Stardust Crusaders made him even more enjoyable. Joseph still retains some of his childish charm from the first anime, but he now is the rock for Jotaro and the others. Joseph is now wiser, more sensible and even more cunning than he was before. Additionally, his humor has evolved greatly, especially with his trademark exclamations in English. Joseph was always a beloved character, but now he is so much more. I am eager to see what happens to him in Egypt, especially since it will do more to his character in relation to his role in the story.

2. Ginko (Mushishi Zoku Shou)

Ginko is a phenomenal person with such meticulous detail in his character. Everything from his clothes to his tobacco to his hair and one green eye and his life have all been described and detailed somewhere in this series. Additionally, he represented more than just himself, symbolizing the transition of an evolving Japan. Additionally, his philanthropic personality as a mushishi allows him to positively affect the lives of society, diagnosing a person’s ailment and providing them the means to fix their problems. Ginko is truly inspiration as a character and a significant reason why Mushishi is one of the most beloved and celebrated anime of all-time.

1. Ryuuko Matoi (KILL la KILL)

Ryuuko continued to develop as one of my favorite characters of all-time in the latter half of KILL la KILL. With the second half of the anime, we understood more about her character, and how she continued to be lost and contradict herself, even becoming the enemy she was attempting to defeat. However, as she fought through her battles and was supported by those around her, Ryuuko finally found harmony in herself. Ryuuko ultimately became the person she always wanted to become, and we saw her display this new, positive persona in the KILL la KILL OVA. Combine that with everything else I wrote about her yesteryear, and it’s actually quite straightforward as to why Ryuuko is one of my favorite characters of all-time.

Favorite OP and ED of 2014:

OP: Yama no Susume Second Season OP1 (Natsuiro no Present [Summer-Colored Present])

Of all the anime openings this year, Yama no Susume Second Season OP1 has the best combination of song and visuals. While there is more than handful for my favorite OP song of the year, none even compare to the sensational colors, animation and themes present in this OP. The OP does an outstanding job of representing this remarkable anime, and its catchy, upbeat song does well to mirror the enthusiasm of the girls as they set off on their outdoor adventures.

ED: Witch Craft Works ED (Witch Activity)

Were you expecting anything else? After writing about the Witch Craft Works ED for my 12 Days of Anime post, is there any surprise to see it here? While it is true that I never watched any of the TV anime, the ED is so endearing and cute that I can’t help but listen to it over and over again. There were a few other EDs to consider here, but not brought the same level of enjoyment as this one.

Top 14 Anime of 2014:

Honorable Mention: Silver Spoon S2

Silver Spoon S2 is exactly 15th on my list (the only anime that I ranked a 9 to miss this list), so it’s very fitting to see it here as the honorable mention for 2014. The primary reason why I wanted to include it here over some notable movie or OVA is that I found this second season to be a significant improvement from the first, principally in how Hachiken’s character matured, how the events of the episodes was more challenging, and how the content of the stories affected the characters. The leap from S1 to S2 is one of the greatest in all anime for me.

14. Noragami

A pleasant blend of rich comedy and charming characters made Noragami a delightful anime for 2014. What made this anime memorable, and one of the most impressive shows of the year, is the dazzling chemistry between the main characters, Hiyori, Yato and Yukine, and how all three brought a different personality and perspective to both amusing and severe situations. The drama and story had some weaknesses, and the romance was nothing special, but they did little to really detract from the overall enjoyment of the series.

13. Aldnoah.Zero

Aldnoah.Zero had its faults, sure, but the anime developed and continued a distinctive theme throughout, both for its story and characters. It also impressed with its depiction of real robots fighting against super robots, making it one of the few anime to combine the two. These exceptionally different fields within the mecha genre provided a great contrast between the two armies, and it helped show the resourcefulness of Inaho. However, given that Inaho never changed, that most of the cast was underutilized, and that the action scenes were mediocre, Aldnoah.Zero places low on this list despite some of the best ideas and concepts of the year.

12. Space Dandy

Every episode was a unique adventure, leading the anime to fluctuate wildly between highs and lows. However, the finale did a marvelous job of unifying each individual story and provided an acceptable answer to why every thing was everything in Space Dandy. Furthermore, the artistic creativity and exceptional storytelling for most episodes made this anime one of the most unforgettable of 2014. I wouldn’t mind more projects like or Sengoku Collection this in the near future.

11. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Although Stardust Crusaders is a step down from Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues to impress in all major phases: art, characters, entertainment, setting, story, and sound. Of particular note is how the series managed to stay diverse in how it utilized each Stand despite repeating the same story pattern for a majority of its run across two seasons. The anime depended heavily on each Stand and each story, but the anime was consistently great with only a few episodes dropping to merely ‘good’. Still, I expected more after the success of S1, and I’m curious to see how this anime improves with the Egypt Arc beginning in January 2015.

10. Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha

Easily one of the biggest surprises of the year, Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha was notable thanks to its lead character, Inari Fushimi, and some of the best comedy of the year. Inari’s unyielding dedication to helping her friends and strangers was a bright spot in each episode, especially as she continued to mess things up and make situations even more awkward given her ability to transform into other people. Still, you couldn’t help but cheer for Inari and how much she cared for everyone around her. The setting was enchanting, the stories were thorough, and the characters beautifully detailed and developed, but I think the humor and amusement are what I’ll remember first when thinking back to Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha.

9. Shirobako

Shirobako is a brilliant anime that embraces realism in its story, characters and setting. And while the anime follows the lives of five friends trying to survive in the difficult animation industry, their struggles and challenges are very relatable to anyone who is beginning a new career. Shirobako allows the audience to laugh, cry, empathize and understand its characters, which is truly a marvel for both its content and characterization. Shirobako is also an outstanding ambassador for the animation industry and provides educational context within its stories. Fortunately for us, this is not the end of Shirobako as the anime will continue into 2015. Still, the 12 episodes we received in 2014 are easily one of the best of the year, and there is a good chance that it will be one of the best in 2015, too.

8. Yama no Susume Second Season

Yama no Susume Second Season turned a pleasant short about mountaineering into a charming, encouraging and satisfying anime about attempting new things, friendship, and growing-up. To me, most of the appeal of Yama no Susume was watching Aoi face her fears, try something new, experience a setback and actually work to overcome her challenges. However, what raised the series to prominence is how the anime handled the climb up Mt. Fuji and the episodes after the descent. The anime always had a high level of entertainment and education, and each story was crafted for the audience to have fun, learn something new, and watch these four girls grow up and grow closer together. With the anime introducing Honoka at the end and with Mt. Fuji still unresolved, I am hoping for another season sometime soon. Yama no Susume is a beautiful and gratifying anime, and I am can’t wait for it to continue.

7. Hanayamata

Hanayamata was spectacular in every category, but its charm, chemistry, and its utilization of its characters made it one of the best anime of 2014. Hanayamata has a fantastically special and exceptional identity thanks to its uplifting characters, heartwarming aesthetics, and Naru continuously striving to improve herself and inspire others around her. The chemistry between the characters was perfect, as each would support another through their hardships, and there was balance with their different personalities. However, my favorite part is that all six characters had their own convincing and distinctive stories intertwine with each other, and each of their conflicts were appropriately resolved throughout the series. And all this without once mentioning its matchless setting on yosakoi dance, its elegant dancing animations, its meticulous dedication to details and motifs, and its delightful comedy with chibi characterizations. Don’t get me wrong, Hanayamata is an anime about cute girls doing cute things, but you’d hardly notice given that the anime is so rich, so powerful, so expressive, and so remarkable.

6. Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (Pilot’s Love Song)

The setting is the foundation for every anime, and Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta had perhaps the most striking, picturesque, imaginative and comprehensive setting of the year. However, what elevates Pilot’s Love Song to the pinnacle of settings is that it is enriched by its connected with other works, including one of my favorite anime movies of all-time, Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsukioku (The Princess and the Pilot), and two other novels on other pilots in this world. And built from this setting is a very solid anime, about a story of friendship, discovery, betrayal, and romance with a pleasant cast of students going into war. The anime did have a number of setbacks, including some dreadful art/animation, awkward pacing and storytelling clichés, but the anime was innovative with its content and featured countless elements that I adore in an anime. I am very fortunate to have watched this anime in 2014, and I strongly recommend both this and The Princess and the Pilot to any and every fan of anime.

5. Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

Since I am new to Fate/stay night, I am unspoiled to its characters, the mechanics of this world, its setting and its story. For someone naïve to the franchise, I have been constantly intrigued and engaged with the story which is why FSN: UBW ranks so highly. However, the art is breath-taking and unparalleled this year, especially with its serene backgrounds and elaborate prop design (the best prop design I have ever seen in an anime). The battle animation is unsurpassed too, with each battle feeling overwhelming in terms of significance. The fights are so beautifully choreographed and precise that even the fights alone, with no context to the story or characters, would be among the top anime of the year. It’s also worth mentioning how interesting the Holy Grail War is to me with each master and servant. The only aspect keeping this anime from being higher is that there are lulls in the series when the dialogues and conversations seemingly last forever. Still, without a doubt, FSN: UBW is one of my favorite anime of 2014, and I’m excited to see it continue in 2015.

4. Ping Pong the Animation

Ping Pong the Animation is an incredibly cerebral and visionary anime that marries artistic symbolism with a methodical story. Everything in Ping Pong is clear and calculated, and the characters and story slowly evolve naturally around the five primary characters. The maturity of the characters is truly inspiration. Ping Pong also featured some of the most remarkable animation this season with the matches having unequaled cinematography, utilizing the camera like no other anime this year. The anime was often both exhilarating and mentally-stimulating, making it delightful for people who enjoy artsy anime and those who enjoy entertaining anime. No question, Ping Pong is simply one of the best anime that aired in 2014.

3. Nagi no Asukara

I frequently claim that romance is my least favorite genre in anime, but that’s more a critique about the quality of romance in anime than how I truly feel about the genre. Nagi no Asukara embodies all the correct qualities in a romance anime, which are conflict, emotion, comedy, and an overarching story beyond the romance that its grounded in or related to the romance. In a sense, Nagi no Asukara is one of the few perfect romances for me. The anime successfully narrated a story for each of the 7 primary characters, with each having an influence on each other and having a significant impact on the overall story. The setting, an amalgamation of two passionate, yet conflicting societies, a graceful and violent mythology, and a timeskip that completely altered the dynamic of the story and characters, is absolutely one of the best this year. Oh yes, and the scenic backgrounds throughout were truly a delight for my eyes. Nagi no Asukara is an incredible anime that helped reawaken my attention for romance anime.

2. Mushishi Zoku Shou

Mushishi Zoku Shou is a model of consistency, in that every episode demonstrates an astounding quality in its narrative, storytelling and themes. Mushishi Zoku Shou is masterful with its stories, not only being very eloquent with its characters, but relating their own personal struggles with the supernatural mushi of the week. Every episode is poetic and expressive, and every story is enjoyable to watch as it unfolds. Ginko’s kindheartedness and knowledge are particularly fascinating, since he provides each patient with the method to cure their ailment without doing everything himself (although sometimes, he pretty much does all the hard work). There’s also that level of mysticism and fantasy that makes every episode enchanting, and the setting is a personal favorite with its structureless world and scenic landscapes. What helped bump this sequel above the original for me is that I felt the content of the stories were improved, and the art took a step in the right direction. Thanks to Mushishi Zoku Shou, this franchise has quickly become a favorite of mine and is now one of my top anime of all-time.

1. KILL la KILL

Is there any surprise to see KILL la KILL as the top anime of 2014? KILL la KILL is everything I love about anime. With its unrelenting passion and unquenchable vitality, KILL la KILL was brimming with emotion in every episode, and it was illustrated through its glorious animation. The action was beyond ideal, with so many fights performed with so much energy. Its personality is highly explicit and unique to anime, and every episode exemplified its uncommon style, in terms of its characters, its visuals, its story and comedy. Yes, there are faults with this anime, like with every anime, but it excelled more than anything else in recent memory to me thanks to these points. The experience of watching KILL la KILL is unbelievable and one that I will truly cherish. Yes, without a doubt, KILL la KILL is the top anime of 2014 for me and safely within my top anime of all-time.