Note: I apologize for a lack of images. As I am was preparing this, real life got a little in the way but as we are moving past episode 7 for most anime now, it wouldn't be much of a Mid-Season Report if I waited until I had more time, so bear with me.
I'll start with my picks off the overflow of generic harem settings.
Absolute Duo
I know, I know, but really I don't find it as bad as others. Julie is perhaps the saving grace for this anime as she is exactly the kind of character I enjoy a lot. What I like is that despite the harem-esque setting this is fairly much set in its focus on the "duo" principle. In a normal harem setting Toru wouldn't be so resolute in staying with Julie. Their interaction is interaction is interesting although I am still waiting to see what they can really do as a DUO (-> team) during battle. At the same time it is a little sad that despite the focus on Duo, almost any time away from these two is spent focusing on Toru, we barely get to see Julie do anything by herself, let alone the other characters.
The teacher is probably one of the most illogical beings in harem series' history. How someone can teach and do these things for years without being noticed and called on it. Sure, there is the probability of the headmaster being the real "villain" – and considering the equally bad reason given for her reinstatement I can see that – but that's just horrible cliché.
It's not a great series that moves anywhere beyond mediocre. But some elements are appealing enough to keep me watching. I won't expect much but will be happy with any surprise.
Rating: 6.5/10
Seiken Tsukai no World Break
Next one. I'm not really watching this for the plot but the somewhat cool battle scenes. Those are nice at least. The rest is pretty much standard fair. However, episode four manages to surprise with a surprisingly good character episode. World Break has a few strong points even if I can't really make much sense of what direction it wants to go so far. The opening battle sequence was enough to get me intrigued and it seems that we'll be getting at least some more of it fairly early on. World Break doesn't really break anything, much less the world, with its performance, but it's nice for a leisurely watch.
Rating: 6/10
Shinmai Maou no Testament
And here comes perhaps the arguably top pick of harem shows this season. Or at least it might be if not for the latest episodes. As weird as the title is, Testament starts out just as confusing. Over half of the first episode was practically flooded in every harem stereotype imaginable before the true story peaked through and we were presented with an actual rather likeable cast for awhile. Unfortunately the last episodes of Testament has fallen back into a bit too much fanservice – and censored one to boot – which makes me worry. So far this still holds the most promise, even if not exceedingly much. I am with Rebecca Silvermann here. This could be so much more if it just tried a little more.
Rating: 7/10
And now for the rest.
Yuri Kuma Arashi
So... yes... Um... The odd bird of the season. You cannot get much more odd than works from Ikuhara after all. I loved Utena, I never saw the other one. But just going by Utena I thought: Why not? The first two episodes left me very confused. In fact the first episode left me utterly bewildered and wandering around in a daze afterwards, wondering: Just what have I been watching? It does get a bit clearer after that. While I have studied literature, I am honestly not that into overly symbolic stuff. Utena was good for me because it featured a front story that actually made a 'certain' amount of sense and could be watched without giving the symbolism too much attention, at least not at first. Yuri Kuma can't be watched without giving it your full attention or you will only see an utterly crazy plot that seems to make no sense. My thanks goes to the dedicated reviews on ANN for pointing out some things for me, although it has become a good bit clearer on its own in the last few episodes.
I will not deny the genius of this show as to what it wants to portray while doing so in an over the top lighthearted way which initially leaves the viewer very bewildered. Yuri Kuma takes patience and it is advised to not watch this on evening runs where you just want to lean back and enjoy something. I am not doing that anymore.
Rating: 8-10/10, depending on whether you love this guy's work or not, the artistic genius can't be denied, however. The enjoyment factor may be another thing altogether (also very much depending on personal preference).
Kantai Collection
I'm going to be utterly frank here and risk offending all those KanColle fanatics... I'd rather want Strike Witches Season 3 now than this (granted I want that anyway but...). At least that was my initial impression and if I get really down to it, probably still remains that way. The biggest problem this series has is juggling a giant cast and wanting to somehow give screen time to every ship girl. This results in utterly flat characters that barely go into any real depth and by the time they do, it's already time for a change, like in the latest two episodes. What does give me hope that this is not going to be an utter fanservice anime (fanservice meant as appeal to the fans of the game in this case) is how the anime is willing to introduce controversial themes like an early character death and dealing with the fallout. Granted the execution is somewhat lackluster and falls back into rather predictable patterns much like everything else here, however, at the very least this shows that KanColle is trying to make something out of this that goes beyond a simple parade of all the girls. What exactly that will amount to I am not sure. I'd still rather have Strike Witches 3...
Rating: 6/10
Assassination Classroom
Probably one of these shows most looked forward to this season. I am still not utterly convinced but as the show nears its halfway point it certainly has become more interesting. The beginning was mostly bizarre and in my opinion not even all that funny. This changed with the latest additions to the cast and the extra contribution they are making to the cast and the assassination attempts. I have been told by my friend that it will get better and I can see it somewhat. However... until now I don't quite see the utter greatness... yet. The trend is going up though.
Rating: 7/10
Rolling Girls
The same that I said about Assassination Classroom can be said about this. I feel that all the comparison with Kill la Kill has not done Rolling Girls much good, certainly not my opinion and expectations. Aside from the wackiness Rolling Girls doesn't have so much in common with Kill la Kill. The good points about this show are definitely the colorful and detailed animation. Aside from that it started out fairly misleading in regards to the cast and plot direction. At first it actually seemed to be revolving around wacky, high-powered fighting like Kill la Kill for two episodes before it moved on to its actual main cast. Sadly said main cast is still rather underdeveloped, in part due to its late introduction, in part due to their relative inactivity so far. I can certainly see some promise in this anime but if something isn't done about the main group soon, I feel this anime will totally miss on building some sort of identification with the lead characters. Until now they seem rather bland. Even after moving away from the first two episodes, it was more about the new Bests and their crews, forcing the four "Rolling Girls" far away from the spotlight. Even if it is intended, it does not make for a strong core of characters and thus lacks identification for the viewers. Improvements are coming certainly but they are slow, Rolling Girls needs to pick up its pace. For someone like me who only cares about artistic wonders last out of all criteria, it won't do too much otherwise.
Rating: 7/10
Dog Days
If you read my End of the Year report, you know I actually just started to catch up with Dog Days in December, making it a rather smooth transition into third season actually. In a season filled with mediocrity, I am fairly glad to have this. Not that Dog Days by any means is anything great or extraordinary. But... at least after two seasons of Dog Days one knows what to expect. This anime manages to do what few others of its design do. Combing lots of cute girls and scenes usually reserved for harem-type anime yet still managing to downplay it to rather tame and harmless levels while providing a fun enjoyment each episodes without needing an overreaching plot. There is no real big threat aside from the occasional demons popping up and the most this takes to resolve is usually two episodes or so.
Just like that third season teased us with something bigger once again right from the bat... but it got resolved right in the next episode. And yet, one doesn't mind. What might be bland in other series, is a tried formula here that for some unexplainable reason actually works. With Dog Days I know what to expect, can lean back and just enjoy without any bigger expectations which sometimes can be a blessing.
Rating: 7.5/5
Maria, the Virgin Witch
And here is my surprising – even to me, especially to me – winner so far. I didn't even want to watch this at first. I don't usually like stories with too strong religious themes like this. However, Maria has a certain charm and nails many morality questions about war and religion in a surprisingly solid and creative way. The series is fun but also serious, making you think about certain stuff while not being overly patronizing about its morality but rather showing the different perspectives on an issue. Maria isn't just the odd witch that wants to have peace. She isn't just a "good guy" (or girl for what matter) but her view is quickly put into question as well, as much as the consequences of her trying to stop the fighting and how others think about (and not just the church or the angels). This makes this anime extremely interesting since it is hard to tell just where it is going. It doesn't just give you one truth. While on the surface, it would seem to be openly criticizing of religion here, I think Maria, the Virgin Witch portrays a rather realistic view on this historical period and goes right down to the dirty and unpleasant truths about people living in that age. Not many anime of this type are this historically-apt and this makes placing Maria as the foreign element in the middle work so well since what may seem good to some is a problem for others and you cannot so easily come with morality and say this is good and this is evil.
The anime does not pull any punches with its humor as well, getting downright dirty at times with the sexual references. However, this is a refreshing source of fun compared to lots of the same type of humor often seen in anime. From everything I've seen – and I say it again: to my own surprise – Maria, the Virgin Witch so far is my personal winner among the anime starting THIS season.
Rating: 8.25/10
Abandoned Anime
Death Parade: Not so much because of lack of quality. In fact, I dare say from what I've seen from the first two episodes, it's probably one of the stronger anime this season but I couldn't really get behind the concept. It's just not my thing. If this is not your problem, I certainly won't stop you trying it out. Not that I could anyway. ^_^
Isuca: Frankly, I gave that only one episode. That episode wasn't bad. But aside from not doing anything special that all the other potentially harem anime have done so far, plus combining it with lots of irritating censoring (and really one of these with Testament is enough per season), I couldn't be bothered. I have no real other reference so... can't really say.
Two (or more) Coeur Anime
Since it's all so dull, let's move right on to the anime continuing from last season or further before that.
Go Princess Precure
Technically it should go into the above listing but I feel bad judging a series that goes all year long and as such usually picks up slow along with single Coeur anime, so it goes here. And funnily enough, I could go revoke my own words right away. After the end of Happiness Charge I was left somewhat hopeful that Toei could actually pull off good Precure again but wasn't exactly expecting grand things. I was moderately excited about the prospect of a boarding school since this is the first time in all its now eleven seasons that Precure has moved the heroines away from their hometown as a setting. On the other hand the whole Princess thing sounded a bit TOO girly for my tastes... First episode was okay. Some good animation, but I wasn't sure yet... Then came the second and I was pleasantly surprised by already seeing high-quality, close-contact action the kind which made Happiness Charge actually enjoyable again for the final third of its run. The interaction here was also very nice and I really grew to like the second Precure right away although I tend to not like their type all that much. Furthermore, it's not just the boarding school thing, this season seems to be trying a whole range of new stuff. Sure, there is still a lot of repetition of themes but I doubt that can helped at this point.
I am having hopes that maybe we can finally get a full season of constant (good) quality which hasn't happened since before Smile... Hope, yes. Convinced, not yet. ^_^
Log Horizon
I am glad to have this now, really. While some episodes can drag sometimes, it's always a lot of fun and interesting to see the phenomenal skill at world-building. On top of that, episode 18 had perhaps one of the strongest character interaction scenes so far between Rudy and Isuzu. The arc right now is clearly building up for some high point, as such it is dragging somewhat but we are clearly getting to the action now.
Nanatsu no Taizai
And another of my top choices for last year that started out well and is only getting better now that the plot thickens and moves to a first climax. The last couple of episodes in particular were really good and making some real progress to what actual is going on where the first half was mainly about introduction, recruiting and getting a feel for the series. I stay with my opinion. This is shaping up to be one great, long series, so I hope it will get more recognition and a swift continuation.
Fairy Tail
All I am going to say... Finally that arc is over. I am sure not to be in the minority to think that this was the most awful filler arc in Fairy Tail history. This is ironic and sad enough. When Fairy Tail did make its break, I wasn't happy but looking back now I believe it was for the best instead of angering viewers with filler after filler or dragging out each episode needlessly long to the point of almost stopping any plot development (One Piece's Punk Hazard arc). This allowed them a fresh break and jump right back in the main action... So... Why aren't they doing this now? Or why not rather focus on some character arcs for the lesser used characters? Instead we get a horrible dull filler that had the effect of at first making me wish that the Celestial Spirits were like that all the time so that they could actually be USEFUL for Lucy (and thus make Lucy useful to), but then they get their own quirks which makes me revise me opinion. And as said, aside from that, it was utterly dull. Fairy Tail can do better, even with fillers. In fact, just before that arc were some nice filler episodes which were fun to watch. I have no idea who was responsible for this but that just makes this stand out so badly.
One Piece
Finally reached crunch time in the Dressrossa arc and it is every bit as great as I have been repeatedly told. Even at its lowest One Piece probably still remains every bit as entertaining as some of this season stronger shows. Always looking forward to each episode. One thing One Piece never lacks is a creative antagonist that is very well done to the point where the viewer really hates them but on a level can also appreciate their absolute viciousness. Donflamingo falls right into this category. I seriously want to see him go down hard but he makes for one hell of an antagonist that's for sure. Making a "bad guy" you can both love and hate for different reasons takes work that not many can achieve after all.
This concludes my report. IF my time allows it I may make small weekly updates from now on but I really can't say right now. That might be decided within the next week
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