Final Season Review: Spring 2015

It is time to put it all together. The good, the bad, the worst. Here are my charts and final thoughts on the anime of Spring 2015 as a whole.

Spring was rather refreshing after the cold, non-eventfulness of winter (although I personally could have done with a lot less of all the negative events in my life). After having so much grief with last season, this one managed to not only come with tried and tested staples like Highschool DxD but actually surprised with a number of good ones. The best of them all probably came as the biggest surprise (although perhaps one should learn to stop underestimating whatever KyoAnime does) and sadly still seems to go underappreciated in many circles.

But all in order. Just like last time I will keep up the order from my weekly reviews. All on-going series' scores only reflect what is there to this point.

Danjon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darō ka (DanMachi for short

Right at the start we have the pleasure of the second strongest anime this season. Despite the severely misleading title (which I consider a somewhat bad business decision as it might attract the wrong kind of people), this is not your standard harem with loads of fanservice and very little else to be appreciated. Oh no.

DanMachi is much more an adventure series with a fantasy setting, a lot of cute girls (and goddesses) around to spice things up and an aptitude for battle scenes that is surprisingly grand and pulled DanMachi from merely good to very good in the final stretch of episodes.

Bell's character can at times be a little too mediocre and dull but the Minotaur fight, the arguably perhaps best action episode of the season, also served to endear him more to us as the type of person he is. He really does shine whenever it gets hairy and the fights in the later episodes were not just spectacular but defined Bell as a competent protagonist who did not just have luck or some such thing (as some would accuse him of).

That being said, the quality of the season did waver a good bit and apparently there were quite a few things from the novels being rushed and cut but of course, that's a normal occurrence for such adaptations. I never felt any great loss personally in that regard, however, there were certainly a few episodes that felt off. While Hestia is certainly more than just her internet popularity makes her out to be, at times her possessive jealousy over Bell can get a little over the top and really hurts her character. Those are thankfully the minority though and such epic heights like the fight against the Minotaur or even the final battles, plus the great depiction of emotional tense situations makes it easy to overlook some of the weaker episodes.

DanMachi garnered a lot of attention lately and it is earned. I dearly hope the "Fin" at the end is not a bad sign because it would be sad (and stupid) not to make more of this.

Rating: 9/10

Assassination Classroom

I have said numerous times that I do not necessarily share the passion and hype about this show, yet this series still remained one of the better ones throughout the grinding sea of mediocrity last season and could still compete with all but Euphonium and DanMachi most of the time in its second half.

The second half rather often took a far more serious tone than the first, especially for the finale. While I suppose that was unavoidable at some point and in part I actually had wished for it, seeing this play out leaves you with mixed feelings. Assassination Classroom is at its best with its particular branch of humor and as such serious parts tend to drag and not work out so well. While I am not as opposed to or disappointed by these parts as some others have, it leaves me a little at odds with this series.

Certainly Assassination Classroom is a solid series but it doesn't do anything particularly special, at least not for me.

Rating: 7.5/10

Fairy Tail

With that awful half a year worth of ugly and very much offending fillers finally over, Fairy Tail is back on track and showing why I (and many others) actually love this show. As far as typical shounen anime action goes, Fairy Tail can still dish it out and compete with the best as long as it stays on track.

The Tartarus Arc has been long expected (too long) and so far is holding up to all the promise. Considering we are not that deep in yet, I cannot honestly say too much about it yet, only that I am finally looking forward to each Saturday's episode again.

Rating: 9/10

Plastic Memories

Hoo-boy, indeed... I think no series has caused that much of a stir around a single episode and the direction (for the worse) it took because of it than Plastic Memories did in this season. It was consequently hard to stay open-minded and civil about this anime from then on and that remained until the end. I shall try and keep things neutral but I am afraid I, too, have been very much affected by all this.

Starting strong and considered perhaps one of if not the strongest series of the season, Plastic Memory introduced us into a world of Giftias, artificial souls in life-like robot bodies which had a warranty on them. In the midst of all this were placed a boy and a Giftia girl fated to fall in love. The series never made a secret about this and that never was my real grievance with it. For several episodes we were introduced to the harsh reality of retrieving these Giftias, ripping apart loved ones and those plastic memories. It was sad but beautiful and artistically well done. The execution of the drama was great and very promising as we dived deeper into the shadier world of the business.

Then came the midway point and Episode 7. In a decision I still struggle to understand the creators threw all the promising aspects overboard, making the retrievals and the plenty teased shadier side of the business all but disappear and instead focusing entirely on the dying girl romance spiced with some of the worst attempts at sitcom in the process that one can imagine. Sitting through the rest of Plastic Memories became much more of a chore than the enjoyment most of the first half had been.

Last season had a lot of wasted potential anime. This season had Plastic Memories which is a category of its own because it hurts so much to see a show that build up a great premise throw it aside for something that it is at best only half-competent at. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against romance stories if they are well-executed. The failed attempts at comedy further served to hamper the already weak execution on this end and honestly wasted a whole lot of time that could have been better used to actually make the path they decided on more competent. In the end, the only thing halfway decent was the last episode which is almost ironically unexpected and unfortunately far too late to salvage the bad stumbles on the way.

I think Gabriella already echoed most of my thoughts on this show. It would have been better off to focus solely on the romance part from the beginning if that had been the intention. The sci-fi drama and worldbuilding only served to tease with plotlines that ended up unfinished. And while plotlines that end up in the nirvana are already a big no-no for any kind of storytelling, it is made worse by such plotlines that showed a lot more promise in execution than the main plot. Plastic Memories is not a bad show per se but it is entirely too inconsistent and stumbles into so many pitfalls of basic story construction that it remains a bigger disappointment than most shows would which merely waste a good premise consistently from the beginning.

Rating: 7/10

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Vivid

Despite my skepticism in the beginning, Vivid turned out well enough. It certainly cannot hope to reach the heights of the earlier seasons but it does not necessarily have to. The source material does not give too much but what is there has been well adapted. The fighting portions are neither too long nor too boring. I might have wished for the one or other fight that might have not been in the manga to have fit in but it's okay.

The new transformation can be an issue for some as would be some of the nudity shots within or other areas but frankly I don't see the problem as Vivid isn't exactly doing something here the genre and to a degree the franchise has not done so before. We see things like that fairly often in Magical Girl anime and most often it has less intention of fanservice and more to do with purity or some such thing. I guess some people could be easily offended, however, for me it seems that being part of anime for so long, makes me understands things a little differently.

Nanoha has been my personal masterpiece series ever since I discovered it and I'll take whatever I can get. It is somewhat disappointing as such that the series has already ended after 13 episodes. While the pacing had never been an issue in the main franchise and is perhaps one of its strongest suits, Vivid is structured differently and the break leaves us only partway through the entire experience. With a far less tight and focused plot Vivid might have done better with a longer initial run. Well, at least we have been promised more.

Very little can be put at the anime's feet. If the plot has to be criticized it is due to the manga equivalent. A shame really, as Nanoha's production team can do a lot better on its own.

Rating: 7.5/10

Highschool DxD BorN

The king of ecchi harem action/adventure/fantasy series has returned and for the most part did so in a befitting fashion. After the awful attempts last season, especially the censor madness of Testament, Highschool DxD comes back just in time to show just why it is regarded the top of its genre by many.

Very few harem series of this definition manage very well. They all try to balance heavy fanservice with plot, action and most often some sort of fantasy elements. In doing so they very often fail or at least stay far behind of what any element by itself could have achieved. Highschool DxD BorN once again shows splendidly how to successfully juggle these elements into a mix that while perhaps not accumulating to a masterpiece series lands it as the undisputed king of its genre.

All praise aside though, BorN had its weak moments. Even to someone who never read the novels (like me), the way this season rushed through its source material often became painfully obvious, resulting in many open questions, hastened explanations and events and somehow leaving room for an exclusive "finish" that I heard was not part of the novels this way and as such failed to deliver to some degrees. Some plot decisions along the way were also rather... weak and unoriginal.

Despite all the small missteps, with Highschool DxD BorN I am arguing on a much higher level. While these failings prevent a higher score, BorN has still been more enjoyable than just about any of its numerous genre equivalents since... well, since New I guess. ^_^

Rating: 8/10

One Piece

I think I would mostly repeat myself from my Midway Impression etc., so I'll keep this short. The Dressrosa Arc is still running and it is still the finest thing One Piece has produced in many years. The only thing I can blame this arc for is that it practically forgot Nami and Co. existed. Well, we are finally getting into the hot phase with the fight between Doflamingo VS Luffy & Law starting and I am excited to see how this all plays out.

Rating: 10/10

Show by Rock!!

This Show I almost threw away after the first episode as I just could not stand the CG. While it did not exactly turn out into anything great, I am glad I gave it another chance. Show by Rock!! was despite some of its flaws probably more enjoyable than most stuff last season.

The biggest problem Show by Rock!! had to deal with was trying to press in a story about some big evil music dictator on top of a story about bands, music and competition complete with fights against giant Dark Monsters by use of that certain CG. These parts ate up a whole lot of time which could have been better spent on character development and actual MUSIC instead of the badly executed battles that came with it. The parts that actually dealt with the characters were decent enough and could have probably been made much better with more time. As it is, most aspects of this show are rather rushed and shallow as a result.

In the end I fear that while there were some enjoyable parts Show By Rock!! does not really have anything that makes it stand out and allow it to be remembered a few seasons from now. Yet for quick entertainment it serves.

Rating: 7/10

Go! Princess Precure

Geez, I don't know what to say anymore. The earlier excitement about the show starting fairly strong has mostly diffused by now. Now Go! Princess Precure is decent enough. Just as Doki was decent or Happiness Charge was decent if you put all the ups and downs together. A recovery from the Smile fallout. No, not now and I fear it may never happen.

Toei is just too damn lazy these days. If SMC has not proven that to use yet, the way the midway point revelation and coming fourth Precure has been telegraphed is like taking a hammer and smashing the truth over the viewer's heads. Precure has never been really unpredictable but I have seen secrets and revelations handled WAY better before. The Twilight -> Towa -> Cure Scarlet bit was practically clear the moment they actually mentioned Towa's existence.

The second biggest grievance I have with this series is the way that character-wise (up to now) it consists of one princess-hopeful and two Mary Sues. Despite how adorable Kirara is, nothing can change the fact that her and Minami are too perfect and as such lack any great room for self-improvement and character development. One per team is okay and normal but two stretches the limit of what can be done with them.

Consequently the focus is more often than not on Haruka, much like Megumi took up a large bit of spotlight last season. Only that it now happens far earlier. At the very least the development is handled decently enough. Haruka isn't just the try-but-never-succeed kind but learns more and more, improving towards her dream. Still, considering the repeated theme, she still doesn't hold a candle to Nozomi's charm.

Furthermore there has been quite some good, typical Precure action in the fights early on, although it feels like even that has regressed a little bit as of late. The setting's novelty is also likeable and makes a nice change from the usual town setting with family, normal school life etc. Still, even on that end I feel like a little more could be done with it.

Rating: 7/10

Mikagura School Suite

This show begins and ends with the main character. A girls-obsessed main character with more than a few naughty fantasies thrust into a school that is entirely dictated by club battles of a supernatural nature. Sounds like your typical fantasy harem setting, yes? And it would be... If our main character wasn't Eruna... a girl.

Yep, a lesbian lead. A very clear start-to-finish lesbian lead. The novelty of that, the sheer uniqueness of that situation that takes the standard harem approach and makes just one little change no one else has ever dared in such a fashion, this is what drew me to Mikagura and kept me until the end.

Thankfully, Mikagura School Suite is more than that and you should not expect some hot, lesbian scenes – outside of Eruna's fantasies. This show is fairly normal, there are even boys and they are not even made evil or something (at worst there is Eruna's annoying admirer). It is quite a normal anime, just with a lesbian lead and that is okay. In fact, it's probably better than emphasizing that point too much. A Yuri-inclined in a normal setting is something also unheard of and in the wake of Yuri Kuma's critique, Mikagura is heartily refreshing.

Unfortunately, Mikagura is also not exactly anything special. As I said in the beginning, this series rises and falls with the lead character. Eruna brings a relentless energy and positivity to the contest-driven world of Mikagura. As such, as long as the series stays fast-paced and energetic, it usually is a lot fun. Eruna's personality is riding the edge of annoying and grating at times but for the most part stays on the safe side, breathing life into this anime.

It becomes problematic whenever the anime tries to be anything deeper. It doesn't really work, one or two episodes at the end notwithstanding. As much as the novelty and Eruna's character drive this anime, it is often the most it can achieve. It even makes fun at its own (negligent) treatment of the club battles in the end.

It's also quite clear that the budget for this anime certainly wasn't very high, the way practically every non-important NPC only appears as white "paper" figures.

Despite all that. Mikagura was a fun ride for the most part and the novelty of the main character earns it extra marks in my book. I will miss Eruna and Co. for sure.

Rating: 8/10

Kyoukai no Rinne

It took me a whole lot of time but sometimes after the Midway Impressions post I started to grasp and fully appreciate Rinne for what it is. Especially because I started to see my own sense of dry humor reflected greatly in this anime. It might appear dull and uninspired but the deadpan gags are really Rinne's greatest strength.

For that reason, even Sakura as she is, is beginning to grow on me. At first I felt her absolute monotone expression of feelings, her inability to show any stronger reaction about anything as a real weakness. It made her rather unlikeable to me. Put into perspective of the anime's main theme, her constant deadpan attitude resonates well with the sense of humor displayed. That doesn't mean it's a particular great way of doing things. Sakura certainly lacks the strength to be a memorable main character and her attitude can easily put people off.

As strong as the series' comedy aspects are, it becomes consequently somewhat of a problem when moved into more serious territory and downplaying the humor in the process. The beginnings of the romance web that is now being established also feels a bit off.

Kyoukai no Rinne is not what I expected but I have grown to enjoy it. Not a show for a full evening watching, but on a weekly basis, it certainly works.

Rating: 7.5/10

Houkago no Pleiades

If there is an anime this season that needs to be called a late-bloomer Houkago no Pleiades is certainly up there at the top of the list. The premise was interesting, I had no problem seeing a traditional magical girls anime for once again... Unfortunately the execution fell more than a little ways off and took its sweet path finding the way back to a steady and at times actually good execution in the end. By this time I wager a lot of people already jumped off and I can not quite blame them.

Pleiades biggest fault was being too flighty. Big words and concepts were introduced, being thrown around and then either rushed through in a hastened explanation that makes you wonder if the creators themselves knew what they were talking about, or entirely discarded until a later point (if not completely forgotten). It took almost its entire run for Pleiades to actually make sense.

While there is no problem with a slow, gradual buildup, that was mostly the problem, it wasn't really gradual. There was little concrete foreshadowing, no proper teasing of information and events to come. Pleiades lumbered along most of the time without a care in the world whether it should actually concentrate on presenting a coherent story. This often left many of us saying in the beginning "I really want to like this but..."

Beginning somewhat with the character episodes and kicking into high gear for the remaining quarter/third of its run, saved Houkago no Pleiades from being a total disaster. Yet, even then, it was a little too late. If there had been a proper and coherent buildup to everything, things would be different. As it is, the final stretch felt like the creators suddenly remembered they actually had a plot to tell and then crammed everything they could into these episodes. The result was better than the beginning but one could not deny the poor execution. It didn't help that Minato's fate – the driving force behind anything plot-related in this anime – was left utterly unresolved, not even allowing a last scene or glimpse when everything was "reset".

Houkago no Pleiades has not been a total disaster in the end but I still certainly had hoped for a good bit more.

Rating: 6/10

And now, Ladies and Gentleman, anime fans worldwide, last but certainly NOT least...

The definite, undisputed Queen of the Season, Empress of the Year and at least a definite candidate to be promoted into Anime Godhood...

Hibike! Euphonium

I fully admit I was not expecting anything at all going into this anime. Which was probably a better attitude than those of others who declared it a new K-On! and stayed away. By which they missed out one of the finest pieces of anime from start to finish that I have seen done in years – despite everything that even last Winter Season threw at us.

To pin down the success of Hibike! Euphonium on any one thing is both impossible and easy. Everything. Not a single episode, shot or plot thread in Euphonium felt or was in any way wasted. The richness of detail in animation, careful shot selection and beautiful sounds is only part of the greater whole.

It was a journey, a story from failure to success and everything that comes with it. The ugly as well as the beautiful. The incredible realism in not only main character Kumiko but also the other characters didn't make them out to be typical anime stereotypes but very relatable people and yet still managed to keep them likeable.

Here any comparison with K-On! already falls apart. Success does not fall to the band members with little effort, they have to work at it through painstaking effort, painful competition with each other and finding the drive to succeed. This is wonderfully reflected in main character Kumiko who starts off as a girl who plays Euphonium because no one else usually did where she was before. She doesn't really have ambitions and selected the school because of the uniforms... Very quickly we learn to appreciate her down-to-earth and normal personality as very relatable. Over the course of the series and her interaction with her band members, the hard practice and odd "friendship" with Kousaka Reina, Kumiko formed her own ambition, grew to accept that she loved playing Euphonium and that she wanted to succeed.

The interaction between Kumiko and Reina is also one of the cornerstones of this anime. It doesn't matter whether you want to call it Yuri-bait, actual attraction or whatever, the execution of each poignant moment shared between them beats any half-baked romance series (I am looking at you Plastic Memories) and only a minimal amount of time is needed for that effect.

Hibike! Euphonium is simply impressive. From the beginning to end, everything is thought out AND executed masterfully. You rarely ever see a dedication like this throughout an entire series' run. There are always down phases, episodes that do not quite work. In Hibike! Euphonium I cannot, for the life of me, name one episode that did not meet A grade standard.

While Kyoto Animation has certainly set fairly high standards in the past with anime like K-On! or the recent Amagi Brilliant Park, they have certainly outdone themselves with Hibike! Euphonium. It will be hard for anything coming along this year to beat this anime in pure constant quality at least. If you belong to those skeptical before, go watch it now. You will not regret it.

Rating: 10+/10

Rankings

Seeing as only Assassination Classroom remained from one last season and I do not include Precure, One Piece or Fairy Tail, I can make do with one list this time.

1. Hibike! Euphonium (by a mile)
2. DanMachi
3. Highschool DxD BorN
4. Mikagura School Suite
5. Assassination Classroom
    Kyoukai no Rinne
7. Show by Rock!!
    Magical Lyrical Nanoha Vivid
    Plastic Memories
10. Houkago no Pleiades