This is the latter part of my guide, which consists of 6 (and a half) more shows:
Bungou Stray Dogs
The Verdict: The show picks up itself beautifully in its 3rd episode. Now the main story kicks in we have a reason to care for those characters, just as long as they don’t spend time for those characters’ chit chat nonsense. The visual is one of the strongest of the season though, while the action scenes where they happen, are thrilling and exciting. I have a strong hope that it will get better from now on.
Keep Following: Yes. Not because I’m covering it, but because I see this one have a lot of potential to be memorable.
Recommended: I’ll say give the third episode a try and if you like it, then yes.
12-sai
The Verdict: This is sadly the most underseen titles on my list and I certainly can see why. But the show actually portrays quite sensitively and dare I say, maturely on what it means to be 12-years old, to find who they really are, to have a first crush, and to grow up. This is a shoujo adaptation so it means the growing process will lean more towards romance and friendship, but it’s not often we have a show that treats young kids as they are here. This is a nice little gem.
Keep Following: At least for now, yes. I will give it 3 more episodes.
Recommended: If this post by any mean a recommendation (it is), I would urge you to give it a watch. At least its 1st episode, because simple the show deserved more attention than it currently had.
Kuromukuro
The Verdict: Also known as “that Netflix anime”, this story about a samurai who wakes up few hundred years later, and finds the world starts to become a battlefield as well. I actually enjoyed the first half’s slice of life section before it all turns into battle here. Having a huge fight between two sides of which we have no idea of is not a great strategy. The main protagonist has a unique quirk and by the end of third episode, has grown into a likeable character, but very few information has been explained about the attacking side, and the main girl is just plain. The fight, by the way, is good to look at, but I don’t see it as a standout, either.
Keep Following: No. This is an easy skip.
Recommended: No. The story is still not enough for us to care, and if you want a truly epic action show, look no further than:
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
The Verdict: Just 2 episodes were aired so far (because of the earthquake), but it’s seems Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress is the show that most likely becomes a big hit. The animation and background art are stunning. The production as a whole is awesome. The pacing keeps you on edge all the time and even the character designs are gorgeous. But don’t expect a subtle moment because mostly they keep putting everything into MAX. The story and the character development, on the other hand, are shaky and not consistent. But this is to be expected from an action show so I have no complain.
Keep Following: Yes. I admit this show is not my cup of tea. But even me sometimes want to watch a pure action show where my heart races and my fist bumps.
Recommended: Yes. THE-MOST-ENTERTAINING-SHOW-THERE-IS this season.
Kiznaiver
The Verdict: While I said earlier that I think Joker Game is the show I’m most certain to solid, Kiznaiver is the show that have a potential to become a standout show of the season, since this show is the most creative show (at least for me) of this season. There’s a lot to like here, when forced the characters to be honest to themselves and confess their secrets to each other, there’s a sense of real emotional bonds and we, the audience feel it as well. While the “missions” are sometimes feel forced and ridiculous, the emotional strengths overcome most of it. The style here in Kiznaiver is excellent and unique (kudos to Trigger), the characters are great so far. Well I do hope that the second half of the shows can deliver the strengths that Kiznaiver had been established so far
Keep Following: Yes! Yes! Yes!
Recommended: Yes. As I said, the most inventive show of this season.
Flying witch
The Verdict: Flying witch has all the elements good slice-of-life shows have. The pacing is slow but steady the cast is endearing, the atmosphere is inviting. To mix some of the magic ingredients on top, and you have a show that both celebrate the everyday life and the magical life, making it a consistent magical realism show. The background and music both complement the atmosphere without being too stand out.
Keep Following: Yeah! The execution is strong enough that I don’t mind if story is about nothing.
Recommended: This is for me the most consistent of all shows. This is a nice contrast to Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress as well. (while Kabaneri tends to go bigger and bigger, this shows really like to show little details and very light on story). I’d recommend watching this after Kabaneri to balance it out)
Uchuu Patrol Luluco
The Verdict: This is the only short series (hence a half) that I watched and I absolutely adored it. Trigger has a very unique style, and this series would go as wild and as wacky as ever. The short running time also mean that it won’t wear out its welcome. This runs for 4 episodes (20 minutes so far) and I loved every moment of it
Keep Following: Yes. Too good to turn down
Recommended: Yes. Common guys! This just take like 5 minutes of your time every week. I would say this is a more unique looking anime of this season.
This concludes pretty much my guide. After the first 3 weeks I would say Joker Game, Kiznaiver and Flying witch are the top tiers (which we all covered here). I hope they remains consistent throughout the rest of the season. Okay, time to watch this new week’s episodes for me and I hope you guys enjoy my reviews here. Care to tell us which shows you are enjoying or is there any note-worthy shows that we’ve missed? Tell us more in the comments.
~SuperMario~
