Summer 2016 Mid-Season Recap

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

*You'll find out why there are only 5 animes in this graphic. Soon.

Ah, we've hit the middle of the summer 2016 season.  (At least, for most animes, this is the middle.) I've been dying to write this post since episode 4 for most of these animes. And I'm happy to be able to share my thoughts on all the animes I've been watching this summer!

Dropped


Hatsukoi Monster
This is actually the only anime I've dropped so far. I've put another on hold, but I may drop that one too. If you saw my First Episode Test for this anime, you know how much I hate it. It's so lewd and childish. I couldn't take it seriously.  I only watched the first episode out of pure curiosity. And, man, was that a stupid idea. This anime takes the loli genre and turns it on its head. Instead of cute, young girls, we have bishounen boy-esque guys who are actually just elementary school kids. If that doesn't turn you off, all the penis jokes will. I can tolerate a certain degree of 'potty humor', but this anime was so immature even I couldn't finish it. Don't watch this unless you're in the need of some awful, immature humor.
Check out my First Episode Test of this anime.
I wouldn't even watch this anime. Weekly or not. It's disgusting.

On-Hold

Battery

At first, this seemed like an innocent sports anime. (Thanks to Haikyuu for getting me mildly into sports anime.) But the main character was such an annoyance. He was so rude to everybody. I didn't understand him. And his little brother was jumping in at inopportune times. Please, calm yourself. I was so mad that I couldn't appreciate the only good thing about this (Go the catcher, in case you were wondering.) Sorry but not thanks.
Check out my post on why I dropped this anime. 
Since I haven't seen past the first episode, I can't tell you to binge watch it or watch it weekly. 

Watching


Orange
Ah...this anime makes me smile. Or cry. Or both? It's a moving story. I didn't expect this to me so amazing, but it truly is. It's an emotional story that tackles depression in a way I haven't seen before in anime. Kakeru keeps putting himself down in ways that seem possible. He regrets a lot. But so does Naho. And Naho feels real. She hesitates to tell him about her feelings. She is reluctant to do what the letter says. A lot of shoujo main characters, or anime characters in general, would carpe diem and take the letter at face value. But she questioned it. And that's what I would do.
I say...watch this in a binge. So you can cry a lot all at once instead of rivers every week. Plus, there are a lot of twists that would be better done all at once.


Mob Psycho 100

I only watched this because people said it was good. Or would be good. But I'm surprised at how much I like this. It's a visually appealing anime (Even though it takes some time to get used to the unique art style.) The characters are gaining depth. Mob has a backstory that I don't know yet. But I'm intrigued. I can't wait for the next episode each week.
This anime can be watched weekly. And it's fine that way. But I say binge watch this baby because it would be better to see him explode multiple times all at times instead of once every few weeks.


New Game

This is such a fluffy anime. Aoba is adorable and moe. The rest of the girls are moe. It's an anime about being friends and becoming an adult. I can't say no to that. There aren't a lot of plot points, and I'm not learning diddly squat about the video game industry. But I'm fine seeing Aoba go about daily life. Plus, I'm rooting for Ko and Rin. They're very cute together.
I say...weekly. It's cute and something that works for every week. If I watched this as a binge, I'd be plowed over with the cuteness.

Morose Mononokean
I might be one of the only people who likes this anime. Most have written it off by now, but I do enjoy it. It's sweet and funny. Ashiya has a lot of room to grow. I can't wait to find out his secret. (It was implied that Ashiya is something more.) He truly cares for people, and I like that. Abeno has a lot of skeletons in his closet as well. And Fuzzy just brings a smile to my face. 
It doesn't matter if you binge watch this or not. I say weekly since it's a good pick-me-up like 'New Game'.

Amanchu
I actually didn't want to start this anime. I mostly did so after Twitter exploded with praise for it. The animation is definitely gorgeous and is something to stick around for. (I can't wait to see more open water scenes!) But I stick around mostly because of the friendship (I also want Pikari and Teko to have a cute yuri relationship. What can I say? I'm a dreamer.) The friendship is amazing. Strangers then friends then diving buddies. There's trust in that friendship. Something that isn't in a lot of friendships. I also like Teko's journey. She's becoming independent and learning more about herself. I find that adorable and interesting. I want to see her struggles because I know she'll get through it. Pikari or not.
Binge watch for sure. It's so cute and sweet that I just want to consume all of it at once! 

91 Days
This is a simple revenge story. There doesn't seem to be anything special about it. But I stick around. I want to see how Avilio will take his revenge. This is also some added mystery about the fourth person. And the mob politics are fascinating. (Even if I can't remember who belongs to which family.) Plus, Nero is funny.
Why watch a revenge story unfold each week? There's no reason for that. Watch this as a binge. The story will make much more sense, and you won't have to dig through your memories to remember what happened in the last episode. 

Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai Ga Aru
I almost wrote this anime off. It was annoying with the unrequited romance and episodic nature. I didn't expect that. But after a few episodes, I warmed to the unrequited love and even saw a barely-there overarching plot. I'm rooting for Usami. I want her to win over Uchimaki. Plus, I love seeing Uchimaki's creations. It's kinda meta. Art within art. But the episodic nature does rub me the wrong way sometimes. I want more art competitions and all. 
Weekly is fine with this anime. You get a slice of life with a little romance thrown in. A boost for the weekend. (This comes out Thursday or Friday.)

Bananya
Man, I can't believe I'm still watching this. But it's cute. It's cats within bananas. What can go wrong? Nothing. There really is no gain or loss from this anime. It's so short that you can watch it in between classes or during your lunch break. 
Since it's so short, binge watching this is fine. I think that all the episodes of this anime will equate to one or two of the normal, 20+ minutes episodes.

Finished

ReLIFE
I was intrigued by the premise. An adult who is put in a teenager's body? Whattt. And the story is interesting. We have complicated relationships and characters who are interesting. You root for the couples. I do think it needs a second season mostly because of that last reveal!
Unlike other animes, this was released all at once. So there was no weekly aspect at all. Binge watch is the only way to go.

The following Anime Awards of the Season is based on Magnitude Anime Reviews' additional thoughts.
Also, the following animes were featured in my graphic at the top! That's where those five come from.


Best Anime Overall 

Orange and Mob Psycho 100
It's a tie for this spot. Orange explores a unique view on regret, and I'm crying every episode. (No, seriously.) And Mob Psycho 100 isn't episodic anymore. Plus, we're exploring the non-psychic world too via Ritsu. And Mob has a backstory we haven't finished with yet.


Worst Anime Overall

Hatsukoi Monster
Penis jokes and reverse loli characters. There is no other explanation needed.

Best Female Character
Naho from Orange
Naho, as I said, is someone who is real. She hesitates and forgets. I could be Naho. I hesitate and forget. She feels unlike many other characters in anime. She is human. And, man, that's an amazing job on the writer's part.

Best Male Character
Ashiya from Morose Mononokean
This was a tough choice. I would have chosen Mob or Kakeru (Mob Psycho 100 and Orange respectively), but I felt like they didn't really fit (Plus, I'm trying HARD not to repeat animes on this list.) Ashiya is NICE. He's so freaking nice. But because he truly cares about people, I felt a connection to him. I wanted to be on his side. He really does want to help people. And he complains too. He might hate the situation and act all wimpy, but he soldiers through it. THAT'S real dedication.
PS: I do want to acknowledge Mob here, though. He's freaking cool. I want to see more of his backstory. BUT since we don't have his backstory, I can't say he's my favorite of this season.


Best Couple
Ko and Rin from New Game
These two aren't canon (The only couple that is is Kakeru and Naho from 'Orange'.) But I do ship these two. They're so cute together. Ko relies on Rin for a lot of things. And the anime has even added in a scene where Rin is watching a romance anime where the guy is resting in the girl's lap much like Ko is resting in Rin's lap. Hmmmm. 

Best OP

Million Clouds from Amanchu
This is tough too. I love all the OPs this season. They're all so amazing. (I even have the OP from 'Orange' on my phone. I've been meaning to put all of them on my phone, though.) But this OP is so beautiful. The vocals are beautiful. The animation is beautiful, and it really works with the timing of the song. The part that crescendoes corresponds with the Diving Club jumping into the water. And the ending animation (With Pikari and Teko holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes) always takes my breath away.
Check it out here! 

Best Animation
Mob Psycho 100
This is the most unique animation style I've seen in a while (Okay, One Punch Man kinda looks like this. Sorta. At times.) But it's unique. It takes some getting used to, but the sketchy-looking lines and blasts of color can be gorgeous. I love it.

What animes are you watching this season? Which ones are your favorites? Which ones did you drop?

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