[Winter 2018] Currently Watching (Winter 2018 Edition)

[Buckeye]

Not only is it a new season full of anime, but a new year as well as the calendar has turned to the year 2018. It might be freezing outside in most places around the northern world, but the anime is quite hot stuff this season as it usually is.

The link to the Fall 2017 Edition
Winter 2018 Anime Chart
Winter 2018 Anime Lineup Thread

Note
- Change the title of your post to reflect the contents.
- Do not use the Reply to Thread button; instead, click quote on the post you wish to reply to, or on this post if you're starting a new subthread.
- Edit down the quoted section to the relevant bits, nobody needs to read someone's epic list of watched stuff twice.
- Be nice to one another.
- Please discuss only what you are watching this season in this thread. Stuff watched during other seasons should be discussed in their respective threads.

Also, I'd like to add the following. The Currently Watching Thread is mainly meant for a general overview of how you're currently feeling about shows. It is not supposed to be a replacement for actual discussion threads. Try to keep heavier discussion (if possible) in the more specific discussion threads.

In addition, try to be careful of spoilers here. It's one thing if it's properly tagged and such. However, I don't want people to have to worry about someone randomly posting "Wow, X died in episode 17 of Y". Just a randomly made up example, but you get the idea.

[Buckeye]

Simulcast Interest Levels for Winter 2018

As I do every season, I size up the lineup and figure out which shows I'm quite excited for and stuff. This is also where I put the three-letter codes (plus dashes for sequels, spinoffs, and other things related to a franchise) so that I can fit the shows I'm watching on my sig. I put things in five tiers which are pretty self-explanatory, but just in case you need a refresher, I use tier names based on how the NFL injury report is structured (though this past season, probable is no longer on the report). They are as follows:

• IN: I'm going to watch it for sure, barring the lack of a streaming deal. This is mostly for sequels and continuing shows.
• PROBABLE: I'm checking it out, and chances are pretty high I will watch it, but it's not 100% guaranteed as I have dropped shows before that fall in this category.
• QUESTIONABLE: I'm checking it out with no real feelings of excitement one way or another, and first impressions will dictate which way I go in regards to my watchlist.
• DOUBTFUL: I may or may not check it out, and if I do the show will have to really impress me to warrant watching it because I came in without much interest or excitement for it.
• OUT: Not going to bother at all. This mostly applies to sequels to shows I haven't watched and stuff I'm not expecting to get streamed.

IN
[AMB] The Ancient Magus' Bride (continuing)
[3GL-2] March Comes in Like a Lion season 2 (continuing)
[CCS-C] Cardcaptor Sakura: The Clear Card Saga
[DAK-2] Dagashi Kashi 2
[OVL-2] Overlord II

PROBABLE
[DFX] Darling in the FranXX
[YUC] Laid-Back Camp
[ATR] Love is Like After the Rain
[YTB] A Place Further Than the Universe

QUESTIONABLE
[BSK-ON] Basilisk: Ouka Ninja Scrolls
[BEL] Beatless
[CIT] Citrus
[DXP] Dame x Prince Anime Caravan
[DMR] Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
[HTR] Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
[HMK] Hakumei and Mikochi
[H2M] How to Keep a Mummy
[ID7] Idolish7
[KJT] Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san
[KLB] Killing Bites
[KOK] Kokkoku
[MMD] Marchen Madchen
[MBC] Mitsuboshi Colors
[RDK] Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
[RGW] Record of Grancrest War
[RYO] The Ryuo's World is Never Done!
[GBS] School Babysitters
[SLS] Slow Start
[TJM] Toji no Miko
[TKR-H2] Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru season 2
[TAK] Takunomi (half)
[MCN] Mitchiri Neko (short)
[WBD] Working Buddies (short)

DOUBTFUL
[PSI-2] The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. season 2*
[FSN-X] Fate/Extra Last Encore*
[HEG-H] Hakyu Hoshin Engi
[JIC] Junji Ito Collection
[PTE] Pop Team Epic
[SRB] Sanrio Boys
[7HV] The Seven Heavenly Virtues
[SDY] Sword Dynasty
[VEG] Violet Evergarden*

OUT
Age 25 High School Girl
gdgd Men's Party
Gintama: Silver Soul Arc
Hitori no Shita season 2
Hugutto! Pretty Cure
Kaiju Girls season 2
Mameneko
Pochito Hatsumei
Robo Shikalion
The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of the Commandments*
Sentai Heroes Sukiyaki Force season 2
Silver Guardian II
Spiritpact season 2
Uchi no Ochopus
Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line

A couple of notes here is that Violet Evergarden and Fate/Extra would have been put up in a higher tier if they were being simulcast, but with Netflix having those shows that they in the Doubtful tier seeing that it's a matter of whether I'm willing to put up with watching it illegally or not. Word has it that Netflix will be simulcasting VEG, but somehow the US is not included even though it's dubbed and stuff, all done in the US. And DXP's fate is somewhat tied to VEG seeing that they are the only Wednesday shows this season. Also, a couple of sequels that I have watched are not guaranteed spots as that's the deal with Basilisk and Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru. With Basilisk, the story has a much different feel, while Hanamaru it was alright, but not something worth watching another season of, and of course it might be moot if it doesn't get picked up for streaming as it should have been by now.

So as usual, I am planning to take on 18 shows, give or take a couple, and with the lack of shorts this season that there's a good chance I'll take on that. So far, six are locked in (one of them being a half-length show) and four more are probably in unless the bottom falls out, leaving me with about 9-10 more shows to pick among shows in the Questionable and Doubtful tiers of shows.

[angelmcazares]

I am still curating my simulcasts list for Winter 2018, but I will most likely stick with these 17 (ranked in order of interest):

1. Violet Evergarden
2. The Ancient Magus' Bride
3. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
4. Citrus
5. A Place Further Than the Universe
6. March Comes in Like a Lion
7. After the Rain
8. DARLING in the FRANKXX
9. Hakumei and Mikochi
10. Beatless
11. Kokkoku
12. Record of Grancrest War
13. Laid-Back Camp
14. Dagashi Kashi 2
15. Karakai Jōzu no Takagi-san
16. Overlord II
17. Killing Bites

[Buckeye]

Buckeye's Winter 2018 Anime Viewership Plan

Now comes the time that I lay out my plan of stuff that is on my bucket list to watch this season. Every winter is my bingefest where I watch only shows that I haven't watched yet, and having gotten a HIDIVE subscription that it will be heavy with Sentai shows. Anyway, the list is only tentative like always as not only will I not get to every show on the list, there will be shows not on the list that I'm watching as well (and I guarantee it this season, but I haven't figured out the rest of my list just yet).

^ indicates shows being rewatched

From the Beginning
^Chihayafuru
^Himouto! Umaru-chan
^Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
^Kakegurui
^Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions
^The Perfect Insider
^Yuri!!! on Ice
Gatchaman Crowds Insight
Brave Witches
Yuki Yuna is a Hero: Hero Chapter
Dream Eater Merry
The Tatami Galaxy
Chaika: Avenging Battle
Hiiro no Kakera season 2
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
The Great Passage
God Eater
Urara Meirochou
Fantasista Doll
Kabukibu
Idol Incidents
Mayo Chiki!
Brothers Conflict
Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle
Hikaru no Go
Hidamari Sketch: Honeycomb
Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom

Continuing Shows
^Seraph of the End (from episode 13)
Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters (from episode 39)
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (from episode 14)
Hunter x Hunter (from episode 77)
Naruto Shippuden (from episode 185)
Rurouni Kenshin (from episode 63)

And as for simulcasts, just look at the post above that assesses the preseason chances I assigned to each show in regards to how likely I watch it, adjusted for the company that's streaming it as from hereon out, that post goes in the currently watching thread instead of the season lineup thread. So that I have enough time to watch these shows, I have decided to hold off on continuing One Piece and Pokemon Sun and Moon until the spring (and in particular, I won't watch any more One Piece until after the entire Fishman Island Arc is dubbed, while Pokemon Sun and Moon is on break in America).

To begin the winter season Bingefest is Gatchaman Crowds Insight.

[Buckeye]

So at this time, I'm evaluating shows this season to figure out which ones are going to stay and which ones are not. Before I get to my formal first impressions, which are not coming until after Seven Heavenly Virtues begins, which is quite a ways away. I'm looking at 18 shows plus shorts as usual, but seeing that there are not many shorts this season that I decided to possibly go up to 20, and that Dagashi Kashi and Takunomi would together take up the entire allocation for short stuff as they are both half-length shows in the same time slot on TBS.

So to begin, there are five standard-length shows that are in from the get go as Ancient Magus' Bride and March Comes in Like a Lion are continuing, while the Cardcaptor Sakura, Overlord, and Saiki K. sequels are locked in as well. While Basilisk and Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru are sequels to stuff I have watched, I have been bored by the Basilisk sequel, while it was a chore to get through Hanamaru, so those two shows don't get the benefit. And then there's Dagashi Kashi that's half-length, so it's in, but doesn't take up one of the standard-length slots. To fill up my allotment for shorts, I'm just going to add Takunomi and nothing else in all likelihood given the severe lack of decent shorts this season.

So with five shows in, four are pretty much locked in barring a sudden drop in quality. They are A Place Further Than the Universe, Laid-Back Camp, After the Rain, and Darling in the FranXX as those are four shows I'm totally into. So nine shows are in, and 9-11 left to fill from the at-large shows.

So scanning through the rest of the shows, I will first list the shows that either I have dropped or have no reasonable shot at making the cut, going in order of when they premiered. Toji no Miko is just a storytelling mess, and while the action and character designs give me hope, everything else was off its game. Junji Itou Collection just isn't for me and even if I was into horror, it's an absolute disservice with the way it was adapted. Sanrio Boys just isn't for me. Pop Team Epic, the novelty has just about worn out. Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls has been too hard to follow for my tastes. Marchen Madchen is generic, cliched, and filled with all sorts of things that I don't want to see in a show like this. Hakyu Hoshin Engi just feels too generic and standard while not really offering much for my taste. Killing Bites is just another one of those shows that's all about action and fanservice, and not much beyond that. And while it hasn't aired yet, I'm not expecting Seven Heavenly Virtues to be that much different from Seven Mortal Sins, which is obviously a bad thing. And of course, there are the sequels to stuff I haven't seen, while Fate/Extra and Seven Deadly Sins are out because of Netflix having them, and thus no simulcast (though that could be changing with future Netflix shows). Violet Evergarden, however, is a different story and I'll get to that.

So after throwing out these 11 shows, that means the other 9-11 shows are between these: Mitsuboshi Colors, Idolish7, School Babysitters, Kokkoku, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru 2, The Ryuo's Work is Never Done, Takagi-san, Dame x Prince, Violet Evergarden, Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, Death March, How to Keep a Mummy, Hakumei and Mikochi, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, Record of Grancrest War, Beatless, Citrus, and Slow Start. In all, that's 18 shows, which means 7-9 will not make the cut. Among them, only one between DamePri and Violet Evergarden will make the cut, and would have easily been Violet Evergarden if it weren't for Netflix locking the US out of its simulcast even though it is up and ready for almost everybody else. And then I plan on only keeping three Thursday shows this season, meaning only one between Koizumi-san, Death March, and Mummy are staying while the other two are out. So choosing two out of those five, that leaves me with 7-9 slots left to choose between 13 shows.

[Buckeye]

Post-Simulcast Report: January 1-15

The time is almost here for me to post my first impressions seeing that some shows are getting a really late start this season. That said, it has been more than 15 days since 2018 started, and as such here is my first post-simulcast report. As I do every winter, I do my usual bingefest where I go back to watch stuff I skipped and everything I'm watching for the first time as I aim to get 20-25 series finished by the end of the season. Note that while the Yuki Yuna sequel is a fall show, it technically still gets treated like a simulcast even though it ran over into January. Nevertheless, I included it.

Completed

Gatchaman Crowds Insight (1-12): B
Pretty much, the sequel has the same good things and bad things as the first season. It's fun and crazy, while the characters really stand out. The animation is nice and the comedy does a nice job in being amusing. The story was pretty underwhelming this season as there were just too much incongruity, and parts were just too hard to follow leading to a show that could have been great if it had cleaned that up. That said, it's entertainment value is up there, so it's worth watching.

Brave Witches (1-12): B-
If you liked Strike Witches, then Brave Witches is a solid complement that is worth watching, but if you don't, then you aren't going to like it. That said, this season tones down the fanservice compared to Strike Witches, and it pays dividends with a story that flows better and does a good job with character development. That said, this show does a few big things worse than Strike Witches as the grand scale of the story just didn't amount to as much as it did with Strike Witches, all while the action is inferior, and some of the characters really got on my nerves. But in the end, it's something those who enjoyed Strike Witches are going to like, while not so much with those not into it.

*Yuki Yuna is a Hero: season 2 (7-13): B

Dream Eater Merry (1-13): C+
This is one of those shows that was simply made for advertising the manga as it has an original story and doesn't really get into anything on a grand scale. The show has interesting characters, an intriguing setup, solid animation, and action. That said, the story had execution issues galore as it struggled to figure out what it wanted to be in the beginning, all while it ended up only taking care of one problem in the end while seemingly getting away from what it set out to do. Anyway, it was solid entertainment, but one where it was clear that it was all about bringing attention to the manga.

The Tatami Galaxy (1-11): A
Just about the only thing that would have been more perfect is if Shaft animated this show. Anyway, Masaaki Yuusa is at the top of his game with this show as his bizarre art style does wonders, while the narration by the MC is very amusing to listen to. When it comes to creating something outside the box, this is how to do it as it all clicks. Just about the only major problem with this show is the cohesiveness as that was lacking with each episode seemingly not building off the last one. But in all, Yuusa went far and beyond the conventional way of doing things, and the results are amazing.

Ongoing

[BEC] Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (1-8)
[CHA-2] Chaika: The Coffin Princess Avenging Battle (1-4)
[HIK-2] Hiiro no Kakera: Second Chapter (1-2)

[Buckeye]

Winter 2018 Season: The First Impressions

Now that I had a chance to catch at least one episode of every show, I now make my long-awaited first impressions post that assesses how likely I will watch each show this season. Stuff started as early as Jan. 2 when A Place Further Than the Universe led off the season so soon after the New Year, while the season premieres didn't wrap up until just last weekend with Fate/Extra being the last show out. So in trying to keep the assessment with how I felt during the decision process that I'll keep all impressions to the first two episodes if I did make it that far. Lots of decisions had already been made with these shows, but I won't tip my cap definitively for a number of these shows.

Once more, I use the same terminology in grouping the shows with Red Zone, Midfield, and Own 20 representing how close a team is to scoring on the gridiron, and by scoring that means in this metaphoric reference, the show locks its place on my watchlist. Red Zone means the show is pretty much locked up and unless the bottom totally falls out in the next two episodes, it will stay. Midfield means I have no strong indication one way or the other, and Own 20 means it will have to really step up its game during the rest of the trial period in order to make it, if I haven't dropped it already.

Red Zone
Ancient Magus' Bride - Continuing from the fall
March Comes in Like a Lion season 2 - Continuing from the fall
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Clear Card - It's more of the same Cardcaptor goodness, and the new story is so full of intrigue that it has me keep wanting to watch on.
Overlord II - This show continues to have a strong story and a well-constructed plot to go along with great animation.
Dagashi Kashi 2 - More fun times to be had, but having the episodes be half-length is much more fitting for a show where just about everything is stand-alone.
A Place Further Than the Universe - The show has a combination of great characters, an innovative story, and one that stays realistic as it does everything well to make what would otherwise have amounted to a gimmicky concept believable.
Laid-Back Camp - Easily one of my favorite new shows this season as it has cute girls having fun, but in an uncommon way as the cold weather camping is something different. And it's because of that concept that the cuteness really comes out.
After the Rain - This is a straight-up romance that does everything right while allowing the animation to do a lot of the talking. It's a no-frills type of story that makes for a well-told story.
Darling in the FranXX - Trigger is at it again doing an excellent job on the appeals factor with the show as it has been a spectacular mecha showcase so far. Stylistic elements are top notch, while stubstancewise it's not there, at least not yet. That said, this show will be a great visual ride going forward.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens - The drama in this show is really something. While this show doesn't have much style going for it, the drama, intrigue, and action all are solidly done to make for a show worth watching.
Takunomi - It's all about young adult women drinking, and doing stuff in their everyday life. While the show doesn't have much substance, this kind of show works for half-length episodes.

Midfield
The Ryuo's Work is Never Done! - The characters are great, and the show's more light-hearted take on shogi is nicely done. That said, there have been some really awkward moments that threaten to uproot this show, and that pedo vibe seems to be hanging around, but so far it hasn't been a big problem.
School Babysitters - So far, this show has been quite a pleasant surprise as I like the chemistry and development of the characters. While I question the use of the episodes containing two stories, it's pretty entertaining stuff.
Kokkoku - The show hits on some things and misses on other. The show does a great job on the mystery and drama aspect, but not so much on the storytelling aspect where major plotholes are present. That said, the show does have its production values that makes it worthwhile to watch.
Hakumei and Mikochi - It's one of those cute shows where the characters are just doing amusing things and not much else. It's a fun time to be had, but at the same time doesn't really add much other than the big gimmick in that the characters are all tiny.
Mitsuboshi Colors - It's a straight-up cute girls doing cute things show. Cute and amusing it is, and not much else, which is what I have come to expect out of these kinds of shows, but at the same time it doesn't do much to differentiate itself from other similar shows.
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody - It's a highly cliched isekai show at its core where it does so many things that many others of this kind have done before. That said, the MC's journey has been pretty interesting so far, while at the very least that OP card he's trying to hold in check. However, the cliches are just piling on, so it might not be worthwhile.
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles - It's another one of those cute girl shows and while the characters are nice and the humor is decent, it's very repetitive, and it's one of those shows where by seeing just one episode means you have seen it all.
Dame x Prince Anime Caravan - It's another one of those otome game adaptations with all of the typical problems. That said, this show has some good things going for it with a good MC, a solid story, and an atmosphere of intrigue. That said, this show does go over-the-top to the point where it gets away from the story to play out these antics, while the characters can get really annoying. There's that, and the animation just isn't up to snuff. While it would have been in the bottom tier in most circumstances, it's the only Wednesday show that's available to watch, so I'm not writing it off.
Slow Start - Another cute girls doing cute things show in a season that has a lot of them. Out of all such shows this season, the art quality is the best. The girls are cute, the stories are all decent feel-good stuff, and the show manages to change things up quite a lot so that it doesn't overdo it with the main gimmick of being a year behind. That said, it just about does nothing to stand out.
Idolish7 - This is one of the better boy idol shows out there as there's great character development all while the MC is one of the better ones in a reverse harem setup. There's lots of intrigue going on that makes it worthwhile. That said, this show still falls into the same kinds of traps that make it unappealing in that the boys can be quite a handful to deal with.
Citrus - This show has a pretty decent story going for it, but the characters are an irritating bunch. I'm not exactly liking the direction this show is going after seeing these characters getting all confrontational and annoying.
Record of Grancrest War - This show is a decent entry to the fantasy genre this season as the show delivers on its action, characters, and drama. However, it is not up to snuff when it comes to the story as it's not where it should be, all while development is severely lacking for the MC.
Beatless - This show has an interesting premise and some nice artwork seeing that the character designer is the same one who did Guilty Crown, but so far the story has been really slow to develop, and this lack of upwards movement has been the biggest problem to this point.
Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san - This show has some well-done humor that is always fun to watch. That said, it's humor that gets repetitive and stale, and while it's not necessarily a bad thing, it's something I'm bound to get tired of unless it changes things up.
Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru season 2 - It's more of the same from the first season of the comedy, slice-of-life version of the popular franchise for fangirls. The show has pretty much the same good things and not-so-good things about the first season with the biggest one being that the characters are too hard to follow, though this season slows down the new character introductions because that already happened in the first season.
How to Keep a Mummy - This show is good for its humor, but at some point it gets repetitive and pointless. Still, there are lots of intriguing storylines with the other characters that have yet to show up.
Mitchiri Neko - It's a short with cats doing cute things, and not much else to it. Still, it would be worthwhile because of its short runtime.
The Seven Heavenly Virtues - It's a fanservicefest and devoid of any story, which is what I was expecting. That said, it's far less painful to watch than Seven Mortal Sins as it's only five minutes long, but in any case it's terrible.


Own 20
Violet Evergarden - This show has been hyped up and so far it has delivered with great animation, an interesting story, and all sorts of well-executed plot developments. It would have been a lock from the start if it were actually getting simulcast, which Netflix stubbornly refuses to do for Americans even though they dubbed it and are showing it to the rest of the world.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. season 2 - It continues to deliver on the comedy like the first season, but the reason for it being here is because in a surprise move nobody saw coming, apparently Netflix has it even though they didn't have the first season.
Fate/Extra Last Encore - This show takes a Fate show and gives it a Shaft twist leading to something far more surreal than anything in the franchise. That said, the show starts off being too gimmicky while not really explaining stuff, though I see that happening in due time. Once again, it being on this list has more to do with Netflix than anything.
Pop Team Epic - I give credit for the creators in making something so intentionally bad that it's funny. That said, while it's great for laughs, the novelty wears off pretty quickly, especially when it keeps on replaying an episode with different voices for the main characters.
Marchen Madchen - This has just been a generic cliche-ridden mess. The story is too nonsensical while things are just happening for no good reason. That said, at least the girls are interesting and things Hexennacht is something where the show will hit its stride.
Killing Bites - This show is nothing more than a guilty pleasure as while it does all of the gimmicky stuff well, this show is hindered by having one of the worst MCs of the season. The show has an interesting story, but its presentation has just been awful.
Toji no Miko - While having girls and action make for a formidable combination, unfortunately it doesn't always translate well. For this show, the storytelling has been really bland, while the characters just are tropey with not much going for it to leave its mark.
Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls - I was expecting it to be like the original season, but so far it hasn't been anything like it. The storytelling has been bland and just about non-existent, while the animation is hard on the eyes, and there's too much going on that I'm not sure where the show's priorities are. In all, the story just has been too hard to follow.
Hakyu Hoshin Engi - This show is just full of problems as while the animation looks a lot better than the original show and the story has a pretty solid foundation, it's one that just relies on doing too many things that just don't complement each other leading to a show with a discordant story.
Sanrio Boys - It's a show made with fangirls in mind about pretty boys getting into girly things. The story had some appeal, but ultimately I just didn't get into it.
Junji Ito Collection - It's horror, so it's not my cup of tea. Some of it was interesting, but in the end it's something that just isn't to my liking.

[Buckeye]

Winter 2018 Simulcast Rankings: January

So after a month full of premieres and stuff, it's time I do my first simulcast rankings for the season. Everything is the same as before in that I take the shows, put them in one of five tiers, and then rank them, and for the first month I indicate whether the show is a keeper, in the drop zone, or I'm still deciding over it. This one is tougher to do largely because the premiere dates are scattered all over the season as shows began as early as Jan. 2 (A Place Further Than the Universe), which is unusual as shows generally don't premiere right around New Year's Day, and as late as Jan. 27 with Fate/Extra and Seven Heavenly Virtues not starting until the final week of January.

So with that, shows are tiered into five categories: Touchdown, Field Goal, First Down, Punt, and Fumble, indicating best of the season, very good, decent, bad, and god-awful, respectively. Rankings reflect only the material shown this season (so that means forget about what happened leading into this season for continuing shows). And to indicate whether or not I have made a decision regarding a show, I mark stuff with black for in, red for out, and blue for those I'm still deciding on and seeing that this is a chart for January, if I didn't make a decision by Jan. 31, I will mark it in blue (I have already made decisions for some of these shows already, just so you know).

Touchdown
The Ancient Magus' Bride
March Comes in Like a Lion season 2
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
Violet Evergarden
Laid-Back Camp

Field Goal
Overlord II
Darling in the FranXX
A Place Further Than the Universe
After the Rain
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. season 2
School Babysitters

First Down
Kokkoku
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
Idolish7
The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!
Fate/Extra Last Encore
Mitsuboshi Colors
Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san
Hakumei and Mikochi
Citrus
Slow Start
Today's Menu for Emily Family
Dagashi Kashi 2
Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru
How to Keep a Mummy
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
Record of Grancrest War
Beatless
Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
Takunomi

Punt
Toji no Miko
Dame x Prince Anime Caravan
Mitchiri Neko
Killing Bites
Marchen Madchen
Sanrio Boys
Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls

Fumble
Working Buddies
Pop Team Epic
Hakyu Hoshin Engi
Junji Ito Collection
Seven Heavenly Virtues

As I usually do almost every season, the majority of stuff begins in the middle tier. The two continuing shows start out on top, and CCS continues to be every bit awesome as the original series. Laid-Back Camp is easily one of the best slice-of-life cute girls doing cute things shows to come out in a long time as it's easily one of my favorite shows this season. Thanks to Netflix being so out of touch with the anime community that Violet Evergarden, which would have otherwise been a lock had it been simulcast by anybody else, will probably not make the cut (though I will be watching it sometime after the season), while Dame x Prince probably will because it's the only other Wendesday show this season. Likewise, Fate/Extra is out because of Netflix, while it appears Saiki K. is going to follow the same fate if it is what I think it is. That show was a lock coming in, but that was under the expectation that it would be on Crunchyroll with a simuldub from Funimation like the first season.

Anyway, to summarize what I have decided as of Jan. 31, 14 full-length shows are in, three half-length shorts are in (Dagashi Kashi, Takunomi, and Emiya Family), while Mitchiri Neko is the only short still remaining as a possibility to crack the watchlist. 9 shows are competing for the remaining four slots, and three of them are either-or situations with Violet Evergarden and DamePri being one of them (and I'm not too thrilled with having to resort to illegal streams for VEG), Beatless and Grancrest War for another (both are Friday two-cour shows, and I will only watch one of them), and Death March and Koizumi-san for the third Thursday show.

[Buckeye]

Post-Simulcast Report: January 16-31

Here is the second post-simulcast report of the season, and my bingefest continues. So far through the end of January, 10 shows are complete with 15 more on deck.

Chaika: The Coffin Princess Avenging Battle (5-10): B-
After a solid first half, the second half ends up disappointing in that the story was rushed, all while a lot of things just didn't connect very well. The characters didn't all get the attention they warranted, leading to characters suddenly doing something without properly justifying their actions and stuff. That said, it retains most of the core strengths of the first season, but the second half just zipped right along trying to cram a lot of stuff into just ten episodes, which led to an underwhelming ending.

Hiiro no Kakera: Second Chapter (3-13): B-
After an alright first season, this show really takes off in the second season as it's all about working together to defeat a great evil, all while lots of mysteries and schemes are unfolded to make it far more interesting. Those questions made for a nice ending as shows like these tend to be terrible as they were created to advertise an otome game. While the first half followed that conventional line of thought, the second half bucked that notion.

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (9-26): A-
This was all about tremendous character growth for the MC as it was nicely done. The music is great, the story was well-constructed, and best of all the show was crafted to be believable. All of that is supported with some great animation for its time. Just about the only things it did wrong was the pace of the story as things just went too fast to keep up with, and the transition between segments felt pretty patchwork.

The Great Passage (1-11): B
This is a show with lots of great character development, and going to show that there's always a need to keep updating the dictionary as new words are added all the time, and there will always be words that take on new meaning. This show pretty much developed the characters in that line of thought and it does a nice job in doing so. While the story was nicely done, it had some problem areas as there are large unexplained time skips and a story that just didn't properly connect, all while the story was hard to understand at times. But in the end, it accomplishes its objective very well.

God Eater (1-13): B
The show has great animation, amazing action, and everything else on the technical front. On the storytelling front, however, it was really slow out of the gates with a story that felt stagnant and dragged out, all while the characters had severe personality issues that was derailing this show. But the show greatly improves in the second half when things start to make sense and in the grand scheme of things, it comes down to a conflict between two lines of thoughts, each with its set of pros and cons. In all, it was very entertaining to watch and it did its job to market the games.

Ongoing

^[CHF] Chihayafuru (1-3)
[FDL] Fantasista Doll (1-3)
[HXH] Hunter x Hunter (77-80)
[JBA-SC] Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (14-20)
[UBC] Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle (1-2)
[UMC] Urara Meirochou (1-6)

And the bingefest continues with five more shows finished since then and possibly six for my next report that will close out in two days.

[Buckeye]

Post-Simulcast Report: February 1-15

February is in the second half, which means the window has closed for the first half of February. Five more shows down in the bingefest, and usually I go after the bad shows that I still have interest in, hence why none of these shows are top-of-the-line stuff.

Urara Meirochou: B-
The show is cute, while the comedy is excellent. It's a show with that fun kind of atmosphere as it does what a cute girls doing cute things show is supposed to do. That said, this show is dinged for its slow-moving story and its tendency for repetitive jokes as those are the biggest things that keep it from being nothing more than near-average. Not to mention, things didn't connect very well in the story. But in all, it's a good time to be had for those who enjoy these kinds of shows.

Fantasista Doll: C-
This show has a solid foundation for a story, but the execution is another matter entirely as it stumbles out of the gates with the MC being rushed into becoming caretakers for dolls, and then tell things with the master of the week formula, and then the end result is something that was something the previous episodes weren't really needed for. This show has interesting characters and an air of intrigue that made it worth watching, but it's hindered by a bland MC, a confusing story, and a lot of stuff that really just doesn't connect.

Kabukibu!: C
Things got off to a rough start in the beginning as the story was just a mess and the whole kabuki club thing was nothing more than a gimmick. But as the show progressed, the story got better and more interesting as there were social problems that came into play that made for a decent show. Above all, it's the kabuki performances that are the highlight of the show as that's nicely done. Even so, the show had execution problems galore as things just didn't support each other well enough, all while one big question went unanswered by the end of the show.

Idol Incidents: D+
This show is just a storytelling mess of epic proportions. The show has great artwork, nice music as to be expected from an idol show, and some interesting characters. But just about everything else was poorly executed with the biggest problems being the introduction of too many characters that were hard to keep track of, and the nonsensical nature of the show's story as things were just poorly laid out while totally ignoring realism to make it work. While it was a pretty ambitious idea to have idols and politics mix, it felt like the idea was just thrown out on a whim more than anything.

Mayo Chiki!: C+
This is a harem that's cliched like crazy as it checks off the laundry list of things found in such shows. The storywriting is pretty unimaginative while some of the characters were really annoying like Kanade and Nagare. That said, the show was still pretty entertaining as the comedy is solid, the main characters have an interesting relationship with each other, and there were enough fun moments. In all, it's a show that's satisfying for those who like these kinds of show, but overall it's nothing groundbreaking.

Ongoing

[BCF] Brothers Conflict (1-9)
[DBZ-K2] Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters (39-40)
[HGO] Hikaru no Go (1-21)
[JBA-SC] Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (21-22)
^[KGR] Kakegurui (1-7)
[UBC] Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle (3-6)
^[YOI] Yuri!!! on Ice (1-3)

[Buckeye]

Winter 2018 Season: The Finalized Watchlist

It took much longer than usual for me to finalize my watchlist, but I just did. So with that, here are the shows that I am watching for the season:

Watching

• The Ancient Magus' Bride (continuing)
• March Comes in Like a Lion season 2 (continuing)
• Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
• Overlord II
• A Place Further Than the Universe
• Laid-Back Camp
• After the Rain
• Darling in the FranXX
• The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!
• Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens
• Mitsuboshi Colors
• School Babysitters
• Kokkoku
• Slow Start
• Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
• Dame x Prince Anime Caravan
• Hakumei and Mikochi
• Record of Grancrest War
• Dagashi Kashi 2 (short)
• Takunomi (short)
• Today's Menu for Emiya Family (short)
• Mitchiri Neko (short)

Dropped

• Violet Evergarden
• The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. season 2
• The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of the Commandments
• Beatless
• Karakai Jozu no Takagi-san
• Fate/Extra
• Idolish7
• Touken Ranbu Hanamaru season 2
• Citrus
• Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles
• How to Keep a Mummy
• Killing Bites
• Toji no Miko
• Pop Team Epic
• Madchen Marchen
• Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls
• Hakyu Hoshin Engi
• Sanrio Boys
• Junji Ito Collection
• The Seven Heavenly Virtues (short)
• Working Buddies (short)

This season was incredibly difficult to narrow down, and while I say that for every season, this one is much tougher than in recent seasons (Fall 2016 was the last season where I didn't really have it nailed down until late in the season). In any case, Netflix threw quite a lot of curveballs with the way they are handling Violet Evergarden being ready for simulcast but inexplicably not streaming in the US while the rest of the world gets it, which pretty much coerced me into watching Dame x Prince with that being the only Wednesday show this season. Not to mention Saiki K. season 2 somehow ending up with Netflix seeing that not only did Funimation simuldub the first season, but it's on TV Tokyo where they and Crunchyroll have a partnership. The delay was mostly because I was deciding between Grancrest War and Beatless for the final spot as I was going to take one more two-cour Friday show seeing that those two caught my interest, but neither show made an overwhelmingly strong case. In the end, I went with Grancrest War, and I'll explain how I arrived at this watchlist at another time as usual.

[Buckeye]

And now I explained how I arrived at my final watchlist. To start off with are the locks, the continuing shows (Ancient Magus' Bride and March Comes in Like a Lion) and the sequels (CCS, Overlord, Dagashi Kashi). However, three sequels didn't make the cut for different reasons despite having watched their previous seasons as Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru just wasn't enjoyable enough for me to continue watching, while Seven Deadly Sins wasn't being simulcasted because of Netflix. But the big surprise is Saiki K. as Funimation simuldubbed the first season, but from the look of things the second season is going to end up with Netflix, a move nobody saw coming. So through this phase, four slots out of 18 are locked down while Dagashi Kashi is a short that count towards the separate shorts quota.

Next phase are the shows that didn't take long to lock down their spots, and those are A Place Further Than the Universe, Laid-Back Camp, After the Rain, and Darling in the FranXX as those were four of the shows I was anticipating the most. All four of them have been great as advertised, so in they go. At this stage, eight slots out of 18 down.

Third phase is to fill out the daily requirement quota, and at this stage, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays need a show (though Dagashi Kashi is a Friday show, I'm looking for a full-length show). For Monday, I liked what I saw in Ryuo and even though it's far from being the greatest thing out there (as indicated by the choice of studio), I was highly invested in that show. Wednesdays only had Violet Evergarden and DamePri, and unfortunately Netflix has shut America out of VEG, so that coerced me into watching DamePri. While it's bad, at least there are parts of this show I really enjoy, so I decided to go for it. And then Fridays are just full of disappointments all-around as this day has the most duds in its lineup since Saturdays of the Summer 2016 season. However, there was one show I really liked on that day in Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, so I have it met with that show. And for Sundays, it was full of good shows as I had a hard time picking two or three shows between five. In the end, I went with Mitsuboshi Colors, School Babysitters, and Kokkoku as the first show is perhaps the one I'm having the most fun watching this season, the second has an excellent story with great character development despite the two half-episode format, and the third has great drama, mystery, and intrigue. That meant Idolish7 and Hanamaru were out as the former is one of the better boy idol shows out there, but it just isn't my cup of tea, while Hanamaru I was just lost and I would like to go back and rewatch the first season before getting into the second. And lastly, I decided to have three Thursday shows this season, no more and no less. That meant choosing one show between Ms. Koizumi, Death March, Marchen Madchen, and How to Keep a Mummy. It quickly came down to Ms. Koizumi and Death March as Marchen Madchen was just a cliched mess, while I got bored pretty fast with Mummy. In the end, I chose Death March largely because Ms. Koizumi was getting repetitive, while I feel much more invested with the characters of Death March as at least that show had some strong source material (though it was going to be understandably difficult to adapt) even if the show is putting its flaws on full display. Through this stage, 15 slots are taken, leaving four more left to fill.

Next, the shorts as I liked Takunomi, while Emiya Family, with monthly episodes, was pretty entertaining. I decided to add one more short between Mitchiri Neko, Working Buddies, and Seven Heavenly Virtues. I picked Mitchiri Neko because at the very least, the show is trying to be different from the typical short stuff while Working Buddies was just unappealing in every way, and Virtues was just unwatchable trash as I have come to expect. And together with Dagashi Kashi, that's my load for short stuff.

And now the final phase as I have three more slots left. The contenders for the three at-large spots are not these shows that were quickly dropped: Basilisk, Junji Ito Collection, Toji no Miko, Hakyu Hoshin Engi, Killing Bites, Sanrio Boys, and Pop Team Epic. All of those duds fell out of favor. And with Fate/Extra being a Netflix postsimulcast title that I decided it wasn't in contention. So that left the following shows (not including the aforementioned Sunday and Thursday shows that were competing for those day-specific spots as if they didn't win it, they wouldn't be considered for an at-large spot) for the three spots: Takagi-san, Hakumei and Mikochi, Grancrest War, Beatless, Citrus, and Slow Start. In picking which three are in, I decided that only one between Grancrest War and Beatless (both two-cour Friday shows) made the cut. So between the other four in which two get picked, I decided that Citrus was rubbing me the wrong way, so that was squeezed out. While Takagi-san is a pretty good comedy, I felt that it was getting too repetitive for my tastes. So that meant Slow Start and Hakumei and Mikochi made the cut as I just love the characters in the former and the introduction of one particular character pushed it into keeper territory, while in the latter the feel-good nature of the show won me over. As for the last spot, it went into overtime as I ended up watching through the extended trial period for both shows. In the end, I decided that I liked the direction the story was going in for Grancrest War better than in Beatless. While both shows are largely disappointments, at least they had interesting stories, just ones that were poorly executed. So that's the Winter 2018 season.

[Buckeye]

Post-Simulcast Report: February 16-28

Another half-month in the books, and time for another post-simulcast report. This time, I only have two shows owing mostly to me taking up Hikaru no Go, which is 75 episodes long and I had forgotten about it until after I realized that March Comes in Like a Lion was going on break.

Completed

Brothers Conflict (10-12): C-
This show had some good ideas, but it just didn't work with only 12 episodes to work with. This large cast was so hard to keep up with as it was a chore trying to figure out who is who and everything. So in all, the story is just another one of those otome game adaptations that missed the mark, though it had some nice moments in it once the show focuses on the MC's character history. The biggest problem is that some of the boys are jerks that totally bring this show down. But in all, the journey as still decently entertaining.

Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle (7-12): C
It's another one of those gimmicky harem shows where the MC is someone who has the power that only girls are supposed to possess, and as such girls come to him. This show has a laundry list of problems as this is a show that Frankensteins aspects of so many shows in the harem genre in order to drum up appeal. The biggest problem with this show is the pacing as it is just rushed, especially the final two episodes as everything happened there should have taken at least four episodes, if not more. That said, this show has great characters, action, and animation, and at the very least it got the appeal part down, but the more important substance aspect, the execution was underwhelming.

Ongoing

[HSK-4] Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb (1-2)
[HGO] Hikaru no Go (22-71)
[KMB] Kill Me Baby (1-2)
[JMR] Maria the Virgin Witch (1-2)
[PRQ] Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom (1-2)
^[YOI] Yuri!!! on Ice (6-10)

Pretty much, the report is mostly working through episodes of Hikaru no Go and starting the next titles on my bingefest bucket list.

[Buckeye]

Winter 2018 Simulcast Rankings: February

Alright, it's way late, but nevertheless I'm still doing my next leader board. Things are quite complicated this season thanks to Netflix, and because of Violet Evergarden's arrival that comes not long after the season that I decided to delay doing my end-of-season leader board until mid-April (and even without the Netflix stuff, March Comes in Like a Lion ends on April 7), and they will include everything that's exclusive to Netflix in Violet Evergarden, B: The Beginning, A.I.C.O. Incarnation, and Sword Gai. Since these shows didn't become available until March that these will join in the final leader board. Anyway, here are my thoughts through the end of February, though it's kind of hard to keep track of that having watched some episodes into this month that ought to change my opinions. But nevertheless, here it is.

Touchdown
The Ancient Magus' Bride
March Comes in Like a Lion season 2
A Place Further Than the Universe (Promoted)
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
Laid-Back Camp

Field Goal
Darling in the FranXX
After the Rain
School Babysitters
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens (Promoted)
Kokkoku (Promoted)
Overlord II

First Down
Mitsuboshi Colors
The Ryuo's Work is Never Done!
Hakumei and Mikochi
Dagashi Kashi 2
Slow Start
Today's Menu for Emily Family
Takunomi
Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody
Record of Grancrest War

Punt
Mitchiri Neko

Fumble
Dame x Prince Anime Caravan (demoted)


Rising

A Place Further Than the Universe - The show is still hindered by slow pacing, but never is it wasting its time. These episodes go to show that it's all about the journey and not the destination as it does an excellent job in building character chemistry and relationships. And then there's the Singapore episode where it feels like a filler, but it adds another dimension to character building. Great stuff so far, and it's only getting better from there.

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens - While still plagued by subpar animation, the storytelling and drama take a step up in these episodes involving Saruwatari and Enokida. The stories are well-told and making them far more likable than before. This has been a nice sleeper show that is worth watching, and these episodes are the best so far after an alright beginning.

Kokkoku - The drama has been excellent in this show, and it has reached its peak in these episodes when there's just so much emotional heartbreak and other stuff to feel for the characters, and in particular Shoko Majima. While the end result was inevitable, how it got there was really something.

Falling

Dame x Prince Anime Caravan - These middle episodes are really stupid and while they are entertaining with the right mindset, it is not exactly what I wanted to see in these episode. At least it's not unwatchable crap as the comedy is at least decent, but I came here for a story and I'm not getting it in these fillerish episodes.

Overlord II - After a nice end to the lizard tribe arc, the show really takes its time with the buildup for the next arc, which is not what I had in mind. It's too soon to tell how it will all play out in the end, but I would have liked the pacing to be picked up a big seeing that the main characters are largely absent in this season.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - This has more to do with the fact that the story really isn't moving much. Not necessarily a bad thing, but at some point I want the plot to advance, and sooner rather than later. After those two, this one has the biggest dropoff, and it's not much at all.

[GingaDaiuchuu]

Science Adventure Anime Ranked

With the home video release of the last of the existing Science Adventure anime that's going to get a home video release out today, the Steins;Gate 0 anime only weeks away, and the tenth anniversary of the Science Adventure series just after that, it felt like a good time to rank and grade all of the Science Adventure anime thus far. For each one, I'll also note its availability, especially since all of the major installments are available on bilingual Blu-rays with all of the TV series and almost all of their extra episodes also available for streaming in both Japanese and English between Crunchyroll and Funimation, as Steins;Gate 0 will undoubtedly also be for its inevitable simulcast and SimulDub in the coming weeks.

01. Steins;Gate (A+) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese on Crunchyroll, English on Funimation
02. Steins;Gate Movie: Fuka Ryouiki no D?j? vu (A-) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD
03. Steins;Gate: Oukoubakko no Poriomania (B+) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese and English on Funimation
04. Steins;Gate: Kyoukaimenjou no Missing Link - Divide By Zero (B+)
05. Robotics;Notes (B-) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese on Crunchyroll, English on Funimation
06. Steins;Gate: Soumei Eichi no Cognitive Computing (C+) Japanese on YouTube
07. Occultic;Nine (C) Japanese and English on Blu-ray, Japanese and English on Crunchyroll
08. Ch?oS;Child: Silent Sky (C-) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese on Crunchyroll, English on Funimation
09. Ch?oS;HEAd (C-) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese on Crunchyroll, English on Funimation
10. Ch?oS;Child (C-) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese on Crunchyroll, English on Funimation
11. Ch?oS;Child Episode 0 (D+) Japanese and English on Blu-ray and DVD, Japanese on Crunchyroll, English on Funimation

Clearly, the semicolon has yet to live up to its sole runaway masterpiece in any other work. Given the gap between the significant installments of Steins;Gate and everything else, it's pretty much guaranteed that Steins;Gate 0 will also be above everything else, so it's just a matter of how far up it will be that remains to be seen. With it being the second full-fledged Steins;Gate TV series and the proper sequel/prequel/midquel/alternative version of the original Steins;Gate anime, I want to believe that it will end up at #2 with an A.