Summer 2018 Anime Challenge discussion thread

[Zed]

I haven't started many shows this season, but from the ones I did there were quite a few unexpected pleasant surprises in between them, there is nothing mind blowing, but they're mostly entertaining.

Good to okay shit
Titties: probably the greatest surprise of them all.
Planet With: random as hell but otherwise capable of holding my interest for 20 mins every week.
Cells at Work: I gotta give it to the show, if it makes me think children are cute, then it's doing something absolutely right.
Angels of Death: rather than good, I find it to be hammy entertainment. I'm also a fan of the RPG horror game style so that's a bonus point from me.
Working Buddies: Just because cats.
Banana Fish: it's a set up that I've seen quite a few times before, but still rather entertaining, and like ZK said before it lacks an identity.
Mongols: not as violent as I was hoping it would be, but still rather good. First episode didn't leave a huge impression on me, but I'm still looking forward for more.
Black Censors: If Attack on Titan was actually a diving manga.

Bad shit
Island: it's so goddamn typical VN adaption that I feel like they mass produce them in a factory.
Dead Inside: I had forgotten how funny the show was, this was a good reminder.
Happy Sugar bull: having a lesbian doesn't make pedophilia okay.
Seven Senses Yadda Yadda: this is 'couldn't even finish the first ep' level of bad.
Calamity of a horror movie: it takes Gonzo 6 years to make a below average typical shitty horror movie.

Carrying over:
Loli Ninja feat. Nobunaga: prolly the best of the 3 seasons so far
Captain Tsubasa: when nostalgia stabs, it stabs deep and hard.
Autistic Screeching: at this point I don't even care anymore, it's not as painful as it's just painfully mediocre.

From the good shit, only Planet With, Working cell, and Mongols remain as good shit, and by good I mean decent/watchable.

As much as I constantly joke that Grand Blue is the most perfect thing ever, I thought the adaption was weak from the first episode like I told Turkey over discord, the weaker artstyle and the sometimes long build up for predictable jokes are it's weakest points. Still good enough to draw the most laughs of me out of everything else this season though.

I don't think I've seen a show with potential that dropped the flag as quickly as Banana fish, even freakin' B the beginning lasted longer than this (not really). And Isekai quickly stopped trying to be funny and went back to reminding me that it's still a self empowerment fantasy with a fake sense of suspense and zero tension.

Working buddies has been going around in circles since the beginning of the season, it recapped the first season in the first episode (who the hell does that in an episodic short), and then threw a random live action episode to the mix, I don't even know what to think of this season.

Angels of death is like watching a playthrough with an unfunny commentator, you know, the kind you would watch to see him solve some of the hard puzzles when you're stuck while playing the game yourself. I stalled it after the 2nd episode until I finish the game so I don't know how dumber it got since then.

And for the bad shit, at this point I'd rather watch another year of Black Clover than most of them. Still a pretty mediocre season for the good shit.

 

[Starletka]

What's that? The best show of the season is Cells at Work?

So the best anime of the season is a weak remake of a much better series, and if that doesn't tell you how bad Summer 2018 is, then nothing will.

 

[Gens]

From the good shit, only Planet With, Working cell, and Mongols remain as good shit

Yeah, these are the only ones, I have a good amount of invested interest in now. And tack on Shoujo Revue for me as well, which was a nice little surprise.

That said, Planet With has actually shot up to be my favorite among them. I probably have the most hipster and unpopular opinion here. I'm enjoying it, that much.

 

[ZetsubouKaiji]

At this point in the season I'm already behind on everything but Starlight and Baki. Starlight I'm keeping up with because it's genuinely good and Baki because it's fitfully entertaining even if it's full of boring filler scenes. I've got zero interest in catching up with most everything else. Probably the only one I'm curious to catch up with soon is Planet With because I'm still curious about where it's going.

I'll eventually drag myself back into watching, but for now I'm feeling burnt out and a thoroughly mediocre season is giving no incentive to get into it.

 

[Zed]

Yeah, these are the only ones, I have a good amount of invested interest in now. And tack on Shoujo Revue for me as well, which was a nice little surprise.

That said, Planet With has actually shot up to be my favorite among them. I probably have the most hipster and unpopular opinion here. I'm enjoying it, that much.

Right now Baki and Shoujo Revue is the one of the few that I have yet to pick up from the show's, though while I know what to expect from Baki, I have no idea what Revue's about. Is it like Flip Flappers or something?

 

[Starletka]

At this point in the season I'm already behind on everything but Starlight and Baki. Starlight I'm keeping up with because it's genuinely good and backing because it's fitfully entertaining even if it's full of boring filler scenes. I've got zero interest in catching up with most everything else. Probably the only one I'm curious to catch up with soon is Planet With because I'm still curious about where it's going.

I'll eventually drag myself back into watching, but for now I'm feeling burnt out and a thoroughly mediocre season is giving no incentive to get into it.

I keep telling myself I'll catch up once Utena watch is over

Spoiler

 

[Gens]

Right now Baki and Shoujo Revue is the one of the few that I have yet to pick up from the show's, though while I know what to expect from Baki, I have no idea what Revue's about. Is it like Flip Flappers or something?

It isn't anywhere close to being as good as Flip Flappers or wild. The Revue/fights scenes, are tons of fun, and so are the surrealist visuals, but you have to sit through quite a bit of not so good stuff first to get to those. I do enjoy it, but I really wouldn't go out of my way recommending it to other people, without some caveats. It's still an idol show but with a surrealist bend to it. Planet With is more consistently entertaining to me, with it's bonkers madness imo.

Probably the only one I'm curious to catch up with soon is Planet With because I'm still curious about where it's going.

A wise choice indeed, out of everything else this season, which has really only escalated in it's absurdity.

Tbh though man, if I really, really narrow it down deep inside my heart. It's really only the surreal shows of this season, that give me any real desire to keep up with on a consistent basis, and have any interest in talking or posting about. The other stuff, isn't nearly as interesting.

 

[Zed]

So how are Asobi Asobe and Chio-chan going, are they worth the risk?

 

[Thrawn]

I'm behind on every single thing but have every intention to get my points on the last day.

 

[Gens]

So how are Asobi Asobe and Chio-chan going, are they worth the risk?

Asobi, is a decent yes, Chio-chan, is a hell no.

I still don't like that adaptation as a manga reader.

 

[Zed]

I'm behind on every single thing but have every intention to get my points on the last day.

So far I only started 3 out of my lottery, and I was caught up with 1 of them, but a new episode came out, so I'm no longer caught up.

Asobi, is a decent yes, Chio-chan, is a hell no.

I still don't like that adaptation as a manga reader.

As a grand blue manga purist, I understand even though I'm not really a purist and I'm loving my show. In that case, I'm gonna skip straight to the manga.

 

[Rascal]

So how are Asobi Asobe and Chio-chan going, are they worth the risk?

I would reccomend Asobi. It's seiji kishi flexing his comedic timing which has never not gone well AFAIK. But the artstyle is extremely hard to look at sometimes. It's like they took a school SOL, added fifteen thousand reaction faces and cranked the lerche brightness and colorfulness factor to 11.

Out of a possible five. Five being Kino.

 

[g3data]

So how are Asobi Asobe and Chio-chan going, are they worth the risk?

Make sure your next Sunday is an Asobi Funday.

I'd agree with @GenSan when it comes to Chio-chan but it made the casting choice of the century by having Chiaki Omigawa as Chio's bestie so I have to like it.

 

[ZetsubouKaiji]

I would reccomend Asobi. It's seiji kishi flexing his comedic timing which has never not gone well AFAIK. But the artstyle is extremely hard to look at sometimes. It's like they took a school SOL, added fifteen thousand reaction faces and cranked the lerche brightness and colorfulness factor to 11.

Out of a possible five. Five being Kino.

I was surprised after all the terrible comedy in Ass Class. He's apparently not that bad at directing comedy if the material is actually good.

 

[Starletka]

Everything I'm watching this season is mediocre and I have to force myself into watching it (yes, even swimming homos). Pretty much the only decent show is Lupin.

I take it back. I picked up Grand Blue since then, and I like it. I also pretty much dropped everything else.

 

[Rascal]

I was surprised after all the terrible comedy in Ass Class. He's apparently not that bad at directing comedy if the material is actually good.

He's good at it either way whether you like the material or not. I'm not a fan of most of the material of asobi but he makes it funny with his directing. The comedic timing basically makes the show, same thing with the comedy in Angel Beats, whereas AC just had both clever character driven jokes that flowed rapid fire at you (due to the material) and good timing. Probably one of the many reasons I like the anime better than the manga.

 

[LordRider]

This season has been so weak its incredible. I'm down to just Overlord, Dragon ball Heroes (which just releases episodes randomly, and in the end is just a big commercial), Working Buddies and Cells at Work for Summer Anime (and MHA Season 3/Lupin Part V carrying over from last season, but that's not part of this challenge). Of those, CaW and DBH could go either way. I really hope that Fall is better.

 

[Gens]

Brief half-way season update:

Planet with is pretty much the only show I give any real shits about. It's quirky, charming, defies/subverts my narrative expectations, and it's got a simple cast, but I think works really well in the context of the show. It's never stopped being a thrill ride for me, with it's stellar sound design, weird cool mecha designs, batshit insane energy and it reminds me, mecha shows don't all have to be dour political affairs like Gundam. Most fun, I've had with a mecha show in awhile. I feel like @Taek would undoubtedly enjoy it, and he'd have an interesting reaction to it. (P.S. There's a girl who does Judo)

I'm just going to keep gushing about this every week, and saying how underrated it is.

That said, Cells at work is still fun, and it scored some points for me this week, for stroking my muscular girl fetish. I've continued to lose massive interest in everything else. Hanebado, I feel like I'm just keeping up with, out of obligation, as the badminton player I am, but boi is it painful, and hurts my soul to watch, what massively wasted potential it feels like, women desperately need good sports anime representation, but this ain't it sadly, with the way it's been going. Banana fish, kind of disgusts me now, with how it uses rape. The backstory episode I saw was so friggin ridiculous, I couldn't believe this shit. I wanted consensual bananas here, not everyone weirdly trying to rape Ash.

 

[Ashariia]

I watch this Season:

Definitely:
Angels of Death
Overlord 3
Cells at Work
Violet Evergarden Ova

Maybe:
Banana Fish
Phantom in the Twilight
Zoids Wild
100 Sleeping Princess & the Kingdom of Dreams
ARAGNE: Sign of Vermillion
Walking Meat

Forced:
How NOT to summon a Demon Lord
Yuuna and the Hounted Hot Springs
Yuuna and the Hounted Hot Springs Ova

 

[Guest]

Sadly, just with 30 days left of the challenge i realized that i picked the worst anime out there in this season (lol)
Here are my thoughts so far ('-' ") /NOTE: i alternate english and japanese titles, i mostly use the shorter ones, i'll update this as i watch or finish new series
Guilty but Enjoying:
-Angels of Death (RPGM games are my drugs! i would rather prefer kirisame getting adapted though, love the ED)
-Banana Fish
-High score girl (- Mediocre CG -Annoying male lead +Videogames, cute girls, amazing OP and ED)
-Asobi Asobase (Nothing better than cute girls doing cute things -wait, wrong anime-)
-Chio's school road (Is almost creepy how much i relate to MC)
-Yakusoku no nanaya matsuri (Short but kept me interested 'til the end?)
-Flavors of youth

A little above average:
-SNK 3rd season (i have to rewatch past seasons, i don't remember a single thing...)
-Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight* (If the girls weren't such a pain in the ass...)
-Back street girls; Gokudolls (The joke got old fast, the "animation" is true garbage)
-Hataraku Saibou (Same as BSG;G cancer and platelets jokes, just no.)
-Free! Dive to the future (Look SKRS* but replace girls with grown men)
-Happy sugar life (everyone in this anime is insane, from yanderes kidnappers, to pedophiles with rape female traumas, i love OP and ED though <3)
-Harukana Receive (Hanebado, but you got beach episode twelve times!)
-Sunoharasou no Kanrinrinrinrinrinrin (<3) san (Me? Enjoying ecchi, this is bad news)


Mediocre enough:
-Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! 2 (Same as season 1 a little bit more annoying and cheap)
-Overlord III (Personal hate, same with past two seasons, i just can't stand isekai)
-Grand Blue (Watching men doing ridiculous in every chapter? No thanks, i have free!)
-Hanebado (SKRS*)
-Holmes of Kyoto (You tried, you failed, Holmes.)
-Sirius the Jaeger (Vampires, medieval times, siblings, revenge, werewolves? Hell most original anime so far in this season)
-Yuragi-sou no yuuna-san (You damn pervert *slaps* joke is already old enough, stop using it in every episode, i really like the colours pick, it's so "detailed")
-Double decker (only first episode and it showed off all their potential, basically uchuu senkan tiramisú instead of the mecha pilot thing, they're detectives/cops (ireallyhopeso).)

Bad:
-Shichisei no Subaru (Ok...y'all main characters need to chill, every side character look like monkeys straight out of a circus, also, this is what would happen if you do a crossover with SAO and anohana tbh)
-Jashin-chan Dropkick (you must be an extreme masochist if you're actually enjoying this series, awful art
style and flat characters? I'm surprised this got in tier 2 on a youtuber who has watched +1000 series)
-Island (Try to put a +50 hour game into a shitty 12 (i hope so) -24 anime, a total mess right? The exact reason because i dropped p5 The animation)
-Calamity of a zombie girl (More like, calamity of an intent of anime movie)
-Iya na kao sarenagara(...)moraitai (Girls showing off their pantsus to a pervert (us *coughs awkwardly*) while making a disgusting face and throwing trash at you )
-How to not summon a demon lord (Puts me awkward af, ok.... enough isekai for me this season =D)
-Joshiochi! 2-kai [...] (Ok, i tried taking it with humour, i mean, this is my first hentai, awkward af, i tried, i failed)