A Look Back: Summer 2014 Anime (Part 1)

         Okay... this #Anime #review was a much bigger task then I originally thought so I'm splitting #summer2014 into multiple parts. I will be going through each title in alphabetical order. My impressions here will be much shorter than my previous reviews, but hopefully it tells you something. I may decide to do a more in depth review about the more popular titles later, but for now this will be a good "should you watch" guide. I haven't seen everything, nor would I want to, but I've seen a good amount of them. If you'd like to know how much I've seen of a particular series, my hummingbird account is linked in the "about me" section. I try to keep it up to date. Alright, enough with the explanation. Let's get to it!

1. Akame ga Kill!

By White Fox and directed by Tomoki Kobayashi who worked on things like "Katanagatari" and "Monster"

 

It is basically a shonen with some harem influences. The show is bloody and brutal. In fact, I think the show tries too hard to be that way. The fights are great, but the story is a bit lacking. The art style is good for the most part. There are times when they try to show extreme emotion that looks awful. I think perhaps they were going for a manga feel, but it just came off as strange. If you can look past the lack of story, and characters being killed off, you may like it for the fights.

 

Anime you may also like: Berserk, Brave 10, Attack on Titan
Should you watch? Yes.

 

 

    2 Aldnoah.Zero

 

 

This was by A1- Pictures and directed by Gen Urobuchi. He is one of the better known directors and was the main guy behind "Fate/Zero" and "Psycho-Pass".

 

This is a mech political anime. There is a lot of back story they just gloss over. The characters aren't great. Other than the aloof main character, none really stood out. The music by Hiroyuki Sawano gets a mention for being amazing. It is truly the best thing about the show. It has great music and it seemed like the animation budget went to massive destruction. There is some heavy CGI use in parts. Unless you are a major fan of Gen, I would skip the show and get the sound track.

 

Anime you may also like: Code Geass, IS: Infinite Stratus

Should you watch? No 

 

 

    3. Ao Haru Ride aka Blue Spring Ride

 

This was by Production I.G and directed by Ai Yoshimura. She worked on storyboards and directed some episodes for "Anohana", "Gintama:The Movie", and "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU".

 

This is a romantic comedy slice of life. I have not seen it yet. The show looks like any Anime in its genre. It should be good if you like them, but nothing new here if you don't like the genre

 

Anime you may also like: One Week Friends, Nisekoi
Should you watch? Maybe

 

    4. Bakumatsu Rock

By Studio Deen and directed by Itsuro Kawasaki. Worked on "Le Chevalier D'Eon" and many video game adaptations.

 

This is a historical music anime... I know, it sounds like a strange combination. One of the reasons I have yet to see it. The show looks solid, but for a very specific kind of anime fan. If you like idol groups and 19th century Japan, give it a try. If not, you might want to pass on it for now

 

Anime you may also like: I got nothin. Love Stage maybe?

Should you watch? Maybe 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    5. Barakamon

 

Made by Kinema Citrus and directed by Masaki Tachibana. His work includes "Tokyo Magnitude 8.0", "Noir", and ".hack//Quantum"

 

This is a slice of life comedy. It deals with a small rural town and is a heart warming anime. The interaction between the protagonist and the villagers, particularly the young girl Naru Kotoishi, leads to some funny and adorable moments. It was nice to see a comedy without any romance for a change. This was one of my favorite Anime of the season.

 

Anime you may also like: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai aka Haganai

Should you watch? Yes

 

    6. DRAMAtical Murder

 

Made by NAZ and directed by Kazuya Miura. He has limited experience and worked on "Kisudamu", and "AKB0048".

 

This show tries to be psychological I think, but fails to meet the mark. It becomes more about the virtual video game they play. There are some gay characters and actions in this show. If an occasional guy on guy kiss bothers you, you may want to skip it. Honestly, you may want to skip it regardless. There is some cool fights in cyber space and the protagonists past has some decent twists. It doesn't save the anime from being a waste of time. overall, I'd say the show is shit.

 

Anime you may also like: D.Grey-man, Mirai Nikki aka future diary, Chaos; Head
Should you watch? No





    7. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma🌟Illya 2wei!

This was made by Silver Link and directed by Shin Oonuma. He directed things like "WateMote", "ef: A Tale of Melodies", and "Baka and Test".

This is a spinoff of fate/stay night. It reuses some of the characters to make a magical girl anime. Yep, magical girls. This is the second season of it as well. It reminded me a bit of kill la kill and cardcaptor Sakura. It is weird to see a spin off like this, but it isn't bad. There are some bits of fan service that can be a bit much, but overall it is a okay anime. If you are a fan of the main series, watch it for the laughs. If you don't really care for the main series, than you might want to skip it.

Anime you may also like: Soul Eater NOT, Sailor Moon Crystal
Should you watch? No





    8. Free! Eternal Summer

 Made by Kyoto Animation and directed by Hiroko Utsumi. He has worked on "Clannad" and "K-On!".

This is by KyoAni so you know one thing going in; the animation is top shelf. They are one of the best and it shows. Now the story is pretty much a harem type wrapped in a sports anime, just with guys. It is strange seeing the stereotypical personalities of girls on guys. This is what many lady anime fans have been waiting for I think and now they have it. This is the second season. If you like sports anime, you may like this... if you keep an open mind.

Anime you may also like: Haikyuu!!
Should you watch? No







    9. Locodol

This was made by Feel and directed by Munenori Nawa. Work includes "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu" aka "Haruka Nogizaka's Secret"

This is a idol slice of life school anime. It really isn't much of a comedy, just a slice of life about two local idols. The characters are well thought out and the animation is good. The story is a bit lacking, but fine for an idol anime. If you like slice of life, you will feel right at home here. For an idol anime, there really isn't much music in it either. If cute is your weakness, look no further.

Anime you may also like: Love Live, K-ON!
Should you watch? Yes

              Well, that's the end of part one. Part two will be in 1-2 days. I am a bit behind schedule but I'm getting there. As always, thanks for reading.