Winter 2014’s Top 10

Man I’ve been busy trying to keep up with all the shows that have started this spring. Think I’m all caught up now right before the next week starts all over again. Now for my top 10 of the winter season! If you don’t see a big hitter here I may have not watched it or it just didn’t make my cut for me personally. *Count series by the season they end unless they are an ongoing series like One Piece.*
10. Wake Up, Girls!

I can’t say I’ve watched many Idol series before Wake Up, Girls so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The prequel movie is pretty much a must to watch to get the introductions of the girls and the main reasons behide way they join the group. The show doesn’t seem to have any pacing issues and I enjoyed watching the girls grow up a little throughout the show. Problems the group runs into are very real, almost to the point that I think the writer is making run of the industry.  Good drama and character development make Wake Up Girls a good ride.

 

9. D-Frag!

D-Frag! is easily the best comedy of the winter. Can’t say there’s is really a plot to D-Frag! as most slide of life comedies don’t have one. Have to say I thought of Pokemon in a lot of the episodes with each of the girls having a “type” as their weapon in combat. D-Frag! is best watched little at a time to really let everything soak in. Recommend you check out D-Frag! if you into a comedy with some very over the top girls that make delinquents look weak. 

 

 

8. Golden Time

Golden Time a romance that has many real issues in it under all the drama of the show. The writer of Toradora! really sends you on a roller coaster ride in Golden Time. There are some pacing problems in the middle of the show but nothing super bad. If you liked Toradora or are a fan of romance series then I say you should watch golden time and get your own opinion of the show. 🙂

 

 

7. Space Dandy

Space Dandy is a great random adventure every episode. Dandy is a space hunter searching for aliens of value so he can go to Boobies! With QT and Meow at his side you know you going to have fun no matter what happens. Hell you could watch Space Dandy backwards after the first episode and be 100% okay since there isn’t an overarching story. Almost free like doing that now I’m thinking about it. You will have fun watching this so go now!

 

*You should be watching it and not reading*

6. Log Horizon

Log Horizon will be compared to SAO no matter what I say. So here is the best way to sum it up: SAO is action based and Log Horizon is mind based. You watch everything unfold in SAO but Log Horizon makes you think about the world they are in and what they will do next. LH is dialogue-heavy compared to SAO but so wonderful. Most of the fights are won based on the tactics used and we don’t really see fighting up close but more through an general’s eyes.  If Log Horizon has any problems is that the show has too many characters with too few episodes to build them all up. With a second season coming, should see that problem go way.

5. Gundam Build Fighters

Gundam Build Fighters is 100% a kids show made to make money off of. The plot is simple: kid makes toy gundams and fights in a big tournament to win. At the end of the day you don’t need a big fancy story if the fights are enjoyable in gundam. Great to see a lot of the older models of gundams in the show, really takes you back. Fun show with good animation.

 

 

 

4. Buddy Complex

Starts off a little rough on the pacing but quickly fixed. Sunrise brings us a mecha that doesn’t throw any punches but steady wins you over.  Good writing and character development with a level-headed main character really won me over. Even sets up for future romance ties for the second season, which more mechas should have I feel. Buddy Complex won’t bore you with details or the same fight animations each battle but slowly draw you in till you hooked.

 

 

3. Kuroko no Basket 2

One of the best sports anime period in my eyes. Easily say I like Kuroko over Slam Dunk. If you never watched Kuroko before it’s about a high school basketball team trying to be the best in Japan. Sport plots all about the same for the most part. One of the things I really like about Kuroko is it never wasted time, it almost moves to quickly from game to game. Everyone should watch at least one sport anime and this is the best year for them it seems.

 

 

2. Noragami

Noragami has the best pacing in a show that I’ve watched in a while. You would think that a show just about a god and his problems after running into a girl would be all over the place but it isn’t. Great action-shounen anime that looks awesome and sounds wonderful to the ears. 

Noragami has the whole package for a masterpiece in only 12 episodes. When you have time, check it out.

 

 

1. Nagi no Asukara

Nagi no Asukara is a drama that will keep you on your toes and surprise you. Nagi gets #1 in my books for its wonderful character development in the cast. They really grow up over the course of the series and you will have your favorite fanships. If you can connect to the characters then you will like Nagi no Asukara as it is a character-driven drama, all the problems are because of the actions of the characters and not the world they live in.

Helps that the show is eye candy too, there are lots of scenes that could be wallpapers. 🙂

 

 

Top OP & ED of Winter 2014

With the winter season now over, it’s time to look back at the best Openings and Endings from the winter in my opinion. Lets hop too it then!

Honorable Mentions

Wizard Barristers OP “JUSTITIA” by Lia”

The show may not have been the best of the season but I did enjoy the opening. Does a good job showing off what the show was about.

Mikakunin de Shinkoukei ED “Tomadoi→Recipe by Mikakuning!”

Just a really fun song once you understand all the characters. Pretty funny at the same time.

Top Endings of Winter Season

#3 Witch Craft Works ED “”divine intervention” by fhána”

Have to say that this ending is what got me through some of the episodes of WCW.

#2 Mahou Sensou “Born to be” by nano

Ending to Mahou Sensou was it’s shining star for the series. Way better than the show and almost my favorite ending of the season.

#1 Noragami “Heart Realize” by Tia

Easily the best ending for me this season. Really brought out the emotions for myself. Noragami really out did itself this season in the quality of work it showed in the opening and ending.

Top Openings of Winter Season

#3 Space Dandy “Viva Namida” by Yasuyuki Okamura

Never know what your about to see in every episode of space dandy and the opener really got you pumped for whatever was coming. I don’t think I ever skipped the opening on a space dandy episode.

#2 Noragami “Goya no Machiawase” by Hello Sleepwalkers

At first I didn’t really care for the opening of Noragami, but it grew on me much like the show did.

#1 Nagi no Asukara OP2 “ebb and flow” by Ray

The second opening for Nagi no Asukara really caught the change in pace for the show right. Even the small changes in the opener over the course of the last 12 episodes was nice. My favorite for the season, looking forward to next season.

Dandy, Space Dandy! Plus Saki and Witches are here too.

Dandy, Space Dandy!

There’s been a lot of hype on this show, here’s hoping it doesn’t fail on us.

Yep Dandy spends half the episode debating Butts vs Boobies while at a Boobies Restaurant chain. Dandy is a bounty hunter that specializes in catching new aliens and turning them in. The show makes fun of Dandy and any type of plot at all. So if you like a moving plot then you will not like Space Dandy. I don’t see any plot coming any time soon, his going to be busy running around with his out of date robot and the cat alien.

Space Dandy should be funny though I didn’t think any of the lines were very funny but some of the screen action is funny. I won’t be able to take the show serious in any form and the show seems to know that all to well.

Art is very good, BONES did a great job with the look and feel of the backgrounds and character designs. Overall if you can stand the no plot and Dandy being a Lupin type then you will enjoy the colorful Space Dandy. I’ll be watching this show for the ride, just not something to not hop on the band wagon.

First Impression: 8/10

Saki: Zenkoku-Hen

Saki:Zenkoku-Hen is the second part of Saki  side A and side B storylines. If you don’t know about Saki then in a nut shell is a anime about female Mahjong with superpowers. Closest thing to it would be Hikaru no Go.

I love Saki, really love it even the lesbian themes in the show. Its been three years since the end of side b Saki as we been waiting on the manga to create new source material.This season is all about Nationals, but I only think we’ll get up to the captain fights because the captain fights are about to end in the manga. So there’s no way 12 episodes could finish nationals without making up material. Even if they do make up material like they did at the end of Saki side a I’ll still be watching.

Nothing really happens in the first episode of Zenkoku, we get a intro to all the other teams in nationals which by the way the cast is huge this season. Saki and the team just kill time mostly till the start of the matches. Next episode will be the flashback of the team training they did for nationals.

First Impression: 7/10

Witch Craft Works

Witch craft works came off as a little weak to me. The main duo in the show are backwords: the girl is the strong stupid one and the boy is the one needing to be saved. A strong female character isn’t a bad thing but it comes off as too forced in the anime. As for the plot, Takamiya Honoka is trying to be captured by the tower witches for some random reason. Kagari Ayaka the fire witch is the protect him like a princess and she’s his knight. That’s all I know from the first episode. The fighting scenes against the army of bunnies looked the best as the rest of the time the world is lacking in detail. Readers of the light novel say its good so I’ll stay around and watch this but its not going to break any records.

First Impression: 6/10