The Winter 2015 Anime season is finally over. Personally I found that the season was a bit of a let down. Even some sequels weren't up to scratch. Yes I'm looking at you Aldnoah Zero....Below you will find the shows I thought was the best and worst of winter 2015. I'll also add my thoughts on the other shows that ended this season.
Best Anime Winter 2015
Cross Ange
Synopsis : Due to humanity obtaining the data technology that has evolved to a great amount - called "Mana" - the human race is able to subjugate all wars, starvation, pollution, and other problems on Earth by using its power, which is similar to magic. Earth has obtained the utopia of complete peace and no wants.
First princess of the Misurugi Empire, Angelize. As with everyone else, she also had no wants or worries. She was celebrated by the people of the empire, and was supposed to wear the crown. However, she realizes the shocking truth that she is a Norma. "Norma": An irregular existence that cannot use Mana, and are treated as heretics and as "things" rather than people. Having everything stolen from her, she isolates herself on a remote island.
What was waiting for her there was a fateful meeting with a group of Norma girls who know nothing but battle. The girls spend their days riding humanoid robot weapons called "Barameiru" hunting giant dragons that have come from another dimension to invade. Having her name taken from her, what will soldier Ange see at the end of the fight? What can she believe in? What will she obtain? The story of a single girl's fortitude starts now.
Tags : dragon, mecha, science fiction, transforming robot, violence
Thoughts : Cross Ange was quite the controversial Anime in some circles, make no jokes, Cross Ange is full of really dark themes that might upset some oversensitive people. Personally I thought Sunrise did a fantastic job with Cross Ange, there was never a dull moment, animation was good for the most part and the music was great. Using Nana Mizuki as a voice actress and for the music was a great idea.
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Synopsis : Arima Kousei is a former child prodigy who lost his ability to play the piano when his mother died. His daily life is monochrome, but it begins to gain colour when he meets a female violinist by chance. Miyazono Kaori is an audacious go-getter who is overflowing with personality. Enchanted by the girl, Kousei starts to move forward with his own legs at the age of 14.
Tags : manga, music, shounen, the arts
Thoughts : I know what you are thinking, yes I did choose Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso last season. But it's still valid as it only ended in this season. For an emotional coming of age anime. This is well worth your time.
Yowamushi Pedal - Grande Road
Synopsis : The sequel to Yowamushi Pedal and the continuation of the Inter High Cycling Race.
Tags : cycling, manga, shounen, sports
Thoughts : The sequel to the fantastic Yowamushi Pedal kept up the great pacing, introduced a fair bit of new characters. Really delved into all the characters involved and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the season. If you are a fan of sports anime. This won't disappoint.
Durarara!!x2 Shou
Synopsis : Half a year after the turmoil that rocked the entire city of Ikebukuro - Peace has once again returned to the city and people are living each day normally. The high school students enjoy their days of youth as the strongest and most dangerous man of Ikebukuro works diligently. The informant plots (or plans) a new scheme and the headless rider is pursued by the cops as she rides through the night... But soon this normal will be cut short by the abnormal. Slowly but surely, the unknown will seize the city and face an all new storm.
Tags : action, novel, violence
Thoughts : Durarara!!x2 was as expected. Brilliant. Lots of laughs, lots of action and some new twists and turns. If you are unfamiliar with the franchise. What are you waiting for? GO WATCH IT!
Saekano
Synopsis : One day, an otaku high school student Aki Tomoya has a fateful encounter with a girl amidst the beautiful cherry blossom trees. This meeting inspires Tomoya to design his very own gal-game (dating-simulation video game) featuring a heroine modeled after the girl he saw. In order to make his desire a reality, Tomoya must persuade a few eccentric creators such as the ace member of the art club, Sawamura Spencer Eriri and the school's top student, Kasumigaoka Utaha to join his development team. Meanwhile, Tomoya is shocked to learn that the girl he idolized as his muse for this whole project was none other than his boring classmate, Katou Megumi! But, this doesn't dissuade Tomoya. He is determined to give Megumi a total make-over within his game and raise her to be the absolute girlfriend that every man desires...!
Tags : clubs, comedy, high school, novel, parody
Thoughts : Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata or Saekano kinda took me by surprise. At first I was expecting a typical harem show about an otaku getting all the girls. But Saekano was more than that, all the characters were really well written, great animation and use of music. And the jokes kept on rolling. A must watch if you want something light hearted.
Worst Anime Winter 2015
Unlimited Fafnir
Synopsis : Twenty-five years ago, the world suddenly changed when monsters called Dragons appeared; seeking to ravage the earth and find mates. Over time, superhuman girls possessing the powers of the dragons, called D girls were born. Mononobe Yuu is the only male D in existence and is forced to enroll at Midgar - an academy for D girls. At the academy, he accidentally runs into Iris, a delinquent D girl, while she's naked, and even reunites with this long lost sister, Mitsuki, whom he was separated with at birth. Will Iris and Yuu, the boy who is supposed to become the strongest assassin, be able to challenge the seven dragons that threaten to destroy the world?
Tags : fantasy, harem, novel, school life, seinen
Why it Sucked : In anime one Rule of Thumb is, if it has dragons, it's probably going to be bad. Unlimited Fafnir didn't stray from this in any regard. Sloppy animation, paper thin characters, more plot holes than swiss cheese and an ending worse than being tortured by nails scratching a blackboard. Yes this show is really that bad. Steer clear!
Absolute Duo
Synopsis : Blaze is a weapon that is the manifestation of a human's soul. Kokonoe Tooru happens to be qualified for this, but for some reason his Blaze is not a weapon, but a shield. Moreover, he enrolled in a school that teaches combat skills, and thanks to the school's Duo partner system, he ends up living with a beautiful silver-haired girl.
Tags : action, ecchi, fantasy, harem, novel, romance, school life, violence
Why it Sucked : Absolute Duo? More like Absolute Trash.. It's not even a case of a bad adaptation of a decent Light Novel. Even the source is terrible. This show isn't even worth it for the fanservice.
ISUCA
Synopsis : When Asano Shin'ichirou decided to look for a job in order to pay his rent, his teacher suggested that he should work as a housekeeper. He managed to be hired by Shimazu Sakuya, the 37th head of the Shimazu family, who is tasked with exorcising and eliminating unwanted creatures. However, Shin'ichirou accidentally released one of the creatures that Sakuya captured, and now they must cooperate to catch it.
Tags : demon, ecchi, fantasy, harem, magic, manga, seinen
Why it Sucked : ISUCA was a mess from start to finish. The only good characters never got any screentime. The protagonists were dull, more annoying than interesting. The plot was everywhere and nowhere at once, nothing was really explained, There was a complete lack of character progression. ISUCA isn't worth remembering. Best you erase if from your minds. Or file it under "AVOID"
And for the rest?
For the rest of the shows that finished this season. I'll only share my thoughts on each that finished this season.
Kantai Collection : Kancolle was fun at times, had decent production values. But all in all it's nothing to write home about. Then again if I was a huge fan of the game things would probably be different.
Shinmai Maou no Testament : An enjoyable fanservice show, with a fair bit of action and jokes. Has it's flaws. And sadly the TV release is overly censored for a show relying on it's fanservice.
Tokyo Ghoul Root A : I'll admit I wasn't a fan of the first season, and the second season didn't do much to change that. Kaneki was still a whiny girl, and the end felt like a cop out to me.
Akatsuki no Yona : A great fantasy adventure anime set in a historical Chinese setting. Lost a bit of steam midway but picked up nearing the end again. If you want a cool female lead and tons of sword fighting and the like, give this a shot.
Military! : A short comedy with very few good jokes. Not the worst waste of time ever.
Shirobako : Really enjoyed this anime, I liked most of the cast, except for one or two guys. But nevertheless a great anime that gives a possible idea of the amount of work that goes into making an anime.
Parasyte - The Maxim : For some reason I just couldn't get attached to this anime. If I had to use a song to describe it, it would be Crawling by Linkin Park. Felt like the show was trying to be overly edgy. And in the end they decided, less edgy more philosophical. And then ended on complete cop out.
Garo - The Animation : Great action anime that surprisingly not many talked about while it was airing. Had some good emotional scenes too.
Death Parade : Started off reasonably well, with just enough plot twist to make parts of it unpredictable. The plot was all over the place though, initially it was a "game of the week" kinda show, and then it went all existential and ended where it began.
Log Horizon 2 : Database intensified, that is all.
Ace of Diamond : Great long running baseball anime which doesn't follow the same formula as others like Major. Really want to watch the second season when it airs.
Aldnoah Zero Season 2 : After the fantastic first season, Aldnoah Zero 2 was disappointingly dull, it fell like they had no idea where to take the story. Music and Animation was top notch though.
Maria the Virgin Witch : Really good show from Production IG, had me shocked at moments :O
Dog Days Season 3 : A bit more action orientated than previous seasons, but still good.
Seiken Tsukai no World Break : A good example of when a show can be so utterly terrible, that it's good.
The Rolling Girls : Great music, and fun characters in whacky adventures. Well worth watching!
Yuri Kuma Arashi : Are you a fan of Utena and/or Mawaru Penguindrum? Then this is for you. Also YURI!
Koufuku Graffiti : Shaft did a great show with Koufuku Graffiti, always felt hungry after watching an episode..and strangely aroused. Tsuyuko was the best character by far!
I think that is all of it. What was your experience of the past Winter 2015 season? Was it good all round or also a bit meh for you.
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