The halfway point - What should you watch of the anime Spring Season 2017

We're at the end of May. By now, most of the Spring 2017 anime season have passed their halfway point (all safe Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains due to the delay) and some of those have already reached the much-dreaded recap episode (it's almost pre-packaged with an anime series nowadays).

Overall, there is only one show that stands out from the rest, similar to Ms. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid last season. However, it doesn't stand out for the good reasons... It's more like a... "how low can it go" feeling everybody has while watching it. It's absolute trash and we know it. Yet, we can't keep our eyes away from it.

No, we're not even at rock bottom...
This is only episode 2 of Eromanga Sensei

The Sequels

Attack on Titan S2

• Genre: Seinen action with drama and horror elements
• Studio: Wit Studio - Directed by Tetsuro Araki
• Source: Monthly manga series
• Direct continuation of Season 1. (review of that soon)
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll & Funimation (limited regions only)

This season in two words: Beast Titan

Longer version: The story of the second season picks up where the first left off, with the revelation of the Titan in the wall. Soon afterwards, there's the rumor that titans have also appeared within wall Rose (the second wall). Panic spreads rapidly and the members of the Survey corps that didn't partake in the arrest of Annie are now sent on a reconnaissance mission to see what happened.

What the second arc of the first season kinda lacked, this second season makes up for in spades. The first half is pure survival horror. The characters have little to no weapons and there's an unknown presence of titans within the wall (or is there)? This added by the addition of the frighteningly Beast Titan who seems to be the commander of all titans and can make them do things our heroes never expected before.

Recommendation: If you haven't finished the first season, watch that first! Then come back for more here!

My Hero Academia S2

• Genre: Shonen Action, Heroes
• Studio: Bones - Directed by Kenji Nagasaki
• Source: Weekly Manga series
• Direct continuation of Season 1. Link to my review of season 1)
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll & Funimation (limited regions only)

While Attack on Titan's second season is only half as long as its first, the opposite is true for My Hero Academia. 25 episodes of Plus Ultra! This will contain the entire sports festival, but will also contain the "Field Training" and probably also the End-of-Term test arc (so I presume up to ch 69).

I'm hyped. How about you?

Recommendation: Watch S1 first, then this one!

Uchouten Kazoku / The Eccentric Family S2

• Genre: Supernatural + Dramedy
• Studio: P.A. Works - Directed by Masayuki Yoshihara
• Source: Original work
• Direct continuation of Season 1. (review of that soon)
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll (limited regions only)

In season 2 Yaichirō is setting up a shogi tournament and is getting really close with a female tanuki named Gyokuran. But the rival Ebisugawa clan tries their best to ruin everything. Next to that there's the return of Master Akadama's estranged son "Nidaime" (which basically means the successor). Yasaburo tries his best to keep the peace between everybody, but fails miserably. What happens can only be summed up as something foolish. But then again, it's in their foolish blood.

Canipa pushed this one in the past months, so I ended up watching it. Not regretting it. The Eccentric Family is a different anime from your typical shounen action series. It's about Tanuki's and Tengu's, about creatures that transform into humans and mingle between them.

Recommendation: While you can watch this second season without the first, it would be foolish to skip on the great first season. If you want something different in your anime, The Eccentric Family certainly fills that gap!

Yu-Gi-Oh! Vrains

• Genre: Card games
• Studio: Studio Gallop - Directed by Masahiro Hosoda
• Source: "Original" work
• Yet another Spin-off to the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters series.
• Legal stream: Not yet, currently only in Asia

Card games on surfboards in a VR world no less! The sixth installment of Yu-Gi-Oh! anime has started out on a high note and seems to be at least better than the previous two anime (Zexal and Arc-V). Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Too soon to become a definite recommendation. It's a long-running series that once again will encompass around 140-150 episodes. So we're in for a LONG ride!

Temporary recommendation: This anime seems to go in a similar attitude like 5D's. So if you liked that one, this one may pick your interest as well. We'll see how it evolves.

New anime: The "how low can we go" anime

Eromanga Sensei

• Genre: Slice of Life
• Studio: A1-Pictures - Directed by Ryouhei Takeshita
• Source: Light Novel
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll (US only), Daisuki (rest of the world) & Anime Strike

Izumi is a beginning Light Novel writer whose light novels are drawn by a person named "Eromanga Sensei". After his first series ends, he finds out that said Eromanga Sensei is actually his stepsister Sagiri, who has been a reclusive for the better part of the last year (or so). They slowly come to terms that one is writer and the other the artist. But Izumi wants his sister to get out of her room and go to school, while also trying to keep his career as a light novel author going. And then a rival appears.

There's no better misfire to talk about than Eromanga Sensei. Similarly to MaiDragon last season, Eromanga Sensei is thé meme anime of this season. But while MaiDragon was all about positivism and gave everybody a smile on their face, Eromanga rather jives off the "how low can it go" motif. The first word uttered in this anime is "Imouto", or little sister. And from that first word alone, you already know where this is going. Yes, this is a repeat of Oreimo. And according to what I keep hearing from people that have read the novel, this anime will go even lower in "little sister fetish" than Oreimo ever did.

Recommendation: I'd say to stay the hell away from it. But you're probably just like e and want to check it out either way, just to see what the fuss is all about. Hey: Your loss!

New anime: The good ones!

If you want to know which anime of this season will stand the test of time, you've just reached the end of that list. Yes, it consists of the sequels and Eromanga Sensei. However, among all other anime, there still are anime that I want to push as "really good" and worth checking out. I sincerely wish for these to pass the test of time as well!

Sakura Quest

• Genre: Slice of Life / Coming of age story
• Studio: P.A. Works - Directed by Souichi Masui
• Source: Original story
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll and Funimation (limited regions only)

Sakura Quest is about the titular Sakura who recently graduated and is looking for a steady job in the big city of Tokyo, fleeing the the countryside in this process. But she quickly finds out that finding a steady job in the big city isn't all she had hoped it would be. She gets disillusioned, but refuses her mother's call to go back to the countryside.

A temp job as playing a "queen" in a tourist attraction gets her triggered and off she goes. But due to a lot of miscommunication she is not really all that welcome. The old man requesting her thought she was somebody completely different (a dead actress in fact), while Sakura herself is shocked when the "queen" role isn't for 1-2 days. It's for an entire year, and her role requires her to promote the countryside; two things which she absolutely resents doing.

But after some hijinks, she agrees to the role of playing queen, together with the assistance of a few other young women/girls in town.

If this anime gives you flashbacks to Shirobako, it should. It is done by the same studio and it wouldn't surprise me if it had the same character designer attached to it. Other than that, this is a real coming-of-age story for young adults. This anime disrupts the illusion that you can make it big in the big city. It also shows the painful truth of many Japanese people fleeing the country to the big city and thus turning many countryside towns into ghost-towns (or soon-to-be ghost towns).

Recommendation: Must-watch for anyone of 20 years and above. However, this may be boring for teenagers (and young 20-somethings) who have not yet to venture into the real world.

Alice & Zoroku

• Genre: Supernatural + a mix of Adventure/slice-of-life
• Studio: J.C. Staff - Directed by Katsushi Sakurabi
• Source: Monthly manga series
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll (worldwide) & Funimation (US)

A young girl named Sana has been imprisoned in a secret facility for many years. But one night she escapes. While she is being chased by the people from the facility, she somehow ends up in the arms of a regular old man named Zoroku. Sana, as well as other kids in the team chasing her, have special powers which are akin to mutant powers.

After a few intense chase scenes, Zoroku and Sana are able to get rid of the people chasing her. Since Sana doesn't really know anything about the outside world, Zoroku decides to take in the girl into his house, together with his granddaughter Sanae. Sana now has to get accustomed to all the things in this real-life world, while Zoroku has to handle his normal life as a florist. Yes, you read that right: a florist.

This was one of my favorite series from the get-go, if only the CG wasn't so horribly bad. Luckily, that has slightly improved (although only a little). But the things that made the first episode strong are still there. A good and interesting story, amazing sound design and music. And that general smile that remains on my face after each episode. It's just... warm.

Re:Creators

• Genre: Seinen, Fantasy Action
• Studio: TROYCA - Directed by Ei Aoki
• Origin: Original story
• Legal stream: Amazon Prime's Anime Strike

Souta is inspiring artist who is sucked in to the world of an anime and sees this anime's female protagonist (Celestia) fight with a "Military uniform princess" who is not from that anime. Through a magical force, all three are sucked back to regular old Japan.

Throughout the story, while trying figure out what's happening, Celestia and our hero try to figure out why characters from several games and anime are popping up in the real world. And slowly they are trying to find ways to boost their own power (by contacting the character's creators). But it is not a journey that runs as smoothly as these people think.

This show's concept is so original yet classic at the same time. It's like Jump Ultimate Stars, or Smash bros, or Marvel Vs Capcom! Take random characters from different franchises and have them duke it out. And while the story buildup has gone quite slowly, it (at this moment) is one of the most interesting anime at this moment. In fact, while other anime are starting to show their faults and problems, Re:Creators keeps rising in quality.

Recommendation: If you don't mind some dialogue-heavy scenes, this is a definite must-watch!

KADO: The Right Answer / Seikasuru KADO

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Political
• Studio: Toei Animation - Directed by Kazuya Murata
• Source: Original
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll & Funimation (worldwide)

First contact with an alien / inter-dimensional species happens when a big cube-shaped object appears out of nowhere and lands on an airfield, encapsulating an entire plane in the process. The survivors and the Japanese government try to figure out what happened, until the alien appears a few hours later, together with one of the survivors. This survivor is our main character Kojirou Shindou and is a negotiator (as in this being his actual profession).

We soon find out that this being (Yaha-kui zaShunina) wants to share his knowledge with all humans, but runs into a few hurdles: Actual Earth's politics! What IS the right answer to giving new information to all of humanity?

I personally have noticed I shouldn't try watching this late in the evening when I'm tired, because there's a good chance of me falling asleep. But when my attention has awakened, I find it a very interesting and especially a different kind of anime out there (although that CG+2D gimmick still tends to bother me from time to time).

Recommendation: If you're tired of cliche action or romance / drama series; this is an anime that offers something completely different! However, it might be a little "too different" for everybody's taste due to the level of politics / negotiations (thus lots of talking).

New anime - Average stuff

This group is the stuff that's neither amazing and noteworthy, yet also not bad either. There's some good stuff in there, and there's also stuff in there that makes you go: "Really?"

WorldEnd / SukaSuka

• Genre: Fantasy, with added drama and romance
• Studio:Satelight & C2C - Directed by Junichi Wada
• Source: Light Novel
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll (worldwide)

Full title: "WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? are you busy? Will you save us?" Only a Japanese Light Novel can have a title this long and convoluted.

Humanity has ended at the hand of the mysterious "beasts". Other races have taken over earth and blame the humans for the continued existence of said beasts. Our protagonist (Willem Kmetch) is a human who was frozen in time and has recently been "released" in present time, only to see it suffer.

He comes around doing odd-jobs and being part of the military. His most recent task now consists of protecting an arsenal of specialized "weapons" that will fight off the Beasts. Due to his own history with the beasts, he takes it upon himself to guard these weapons. But to his surprise, he quickly comes to the conclusion that said weapons are actually young female leprechauns (never seen such beautiful leprechauns in any literature ever). They're the only beings able to wield the "dig" weapons that can slay the beast and they can blow themselves up doing massive damage as well.

Willem quickly settles in and becomes the caretaker of all these young girls, but now tries to stop these girls from blowing themselves to smithereens.

Worldend is an anime with very high high notes, but also with a lot of low notes. The first episodes and some of the latest are really good, but then there are gems like episodes 3-5 that rank between mediocre to just plain bad. I really want this anime to end well since the story concept is REALLY interesting. But those bad episodes give me fear for the possible ending.

Recommendation: I want to say a must-watch. But there's a few episodes in there I really cannot defend from criticism. Take that as you will.

Grimoire of Zero / Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho

• Genre: Fantasy, action
• Studio: White Fox - Directed by: Tetsuo Hirakawa
• Source: Light novel
• Legal Stream: Anime Strike

The world of this anime is inhabited by magicians and beastmen. But regular species tend to hunt these beings to extinction. And since Beastmen are stronger than average humans and thus are often hired to hunt the female magicians (because they're witches and "witches are EVIL"). Our main character (Youhei) is one such beastman and has the looks of a white tiger. He's a mercenary hunting for witches, but once he comes across the magician named "Zero", his world changes. She is looking for the source of all current witches, the "Grimoire of Zero" (which is written by her). In return for Youhei's assistance, she promises to return him to a full human form.

Here's a story with a strong concept and starting point that just went average after a while. It's not bad at all, but you can see certain elements dragging it down, or making me go "Really? Is this necessary?". Albus (for example) is the McGuffin that moves the story forward, even if he/she is quite annoying. The main villain of the series (Thirteen) is the blandest thing you've tasted since tofu. And while there's a lot of potential in his character to be amazing (he has a mysterious power that turns mages into dust, he has great manipulative powers, he can have a sense of humor, etc), he generally just looks and sounds like he's bored out of his mind. And his design looks like he's an average Japanese man who just put on the world's laziest magician cosplay.

Recommendation: While I do quite enjoy it from time to time, this anime just has way too many missed opportunities. So you can skip it if needed to.

Akashic records of bastard magic instructor / Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records

• Genre: Fantasy, action, high school
• Studio: LIDENFILMS - Directed by: Minato Kazuto
• Source: Light novel
• Legal Stream: Crunchyroll (worldwide)

Sistine & Rumia are two girls that are going to a magic high school and are suddenly instructed by a new magic teacher (Glenn) who is totally lazy, a total bastard, a lech and god-knows-what else. Worst of all, everybody suspects that he doesn't know a lick of magic. He's the most useless bastard out there. Our two girls wonder how this "Glenn" was hand-picked to teach them the ways of magic.

But while he initially disappoints everybody in his class by being lazy and uninterested, events that happen in the second episode trigger him to become a bit more motivated and shows his pupils how to actually be better at magic. Bit by bit, piece by piece, Glenn shows everybody why he's the best magic teacher out there, even if he keeps a lot of his snarky wit.

Personally, I hated the first episode. The jokes were not funny and the forced gag of running into a girl's changing room was so bad, it made me drop this anime instantly. So it will be a drag to get over that initial let-down. But afterwards, the anime does get better, piece by piece. But there are (and remain) a lot of contrivances to get people to like this Glenn character. Also, Sistine remains very annoying and is an unnatural character with Easter eggs for eyes.

Recommendation: It's certainly a somewhat enjoyable show to watch (it's one of the most-watched new series on Crunchyroll, if that is an indicator), but there are just better anime with both magic and with high school settings out there.

New anime - The disappointments

Renai Boukun / Love Tyrant

• Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Romance (kind of)
• Studio: EMT² - Directed by Atsushi Nigorikawa
• Source: Weekly manga series
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll & Funimation (Worldwide)

Boy receives mysterious note to kill people with a heart... oh, no no no. That's a different series. This is a lot less serious.

In this case, a Cupid named Guri ends up writing our main hero's name (Seiji Aino) in a parody of said death note: the Kiss note. And unless he finds and kisses his true love, he will die. And he succeeds in doing so in the very first episode; with the only catch being that his crush that he ends up kissing (Akane) ends up revealing herself to be a Yandere who already had a crush on our main character. And then our regular cupid decides that it would be fun if she write Akane's name and her own as a relationship in said Kiss note. Why? Because she thinks love triangles are fun! And thus hijinks ensue.

I originally picked this one up because of the interesting pitch and the amount of comedy in the first episode. However... After watching 6 episodes, it's become clear that having good "pitch ideas" is the only good thing this anime has going for it. The overarching story is boring and the characters (while initially funny) quickly reveal themselves to be one-dimensional cardboard cutouts (the only exception being Guri herself).

Recommendation: Skip it. While the first episode is good and genuinely funny, you will only get disappointed by the end.

Atom: The Beginning (Season 1)

• Genre: Sci-Fi, Seinen Action (with elements of Slice of Life)
• Studio: Co-production between OLM Inc, Production I.G. and Signal MD - Directed by Katsuyuki Motohiyo (lead) and Tatsuo Satou
• Origin: Monthly manga series
• Legal stream: Amazon Prime's Anime Strike

This anime is a prequel to Astro Boy (or "Tetsuwan Atom" as it is known in Japan). And by that one sentence this anime should have picked your interest already, since Astro Boy is one of the first mainstream "shonen action" series ever created.

This prequel tells the story of Astro Boy's creators and how they slowly create the "Bewusstsien" (self-awareness) AI that Astro Boy runs on and makes him as human as possible for a robot.

I've been looking forward to this anime for a long time, and for most part I'm getting what I wanted. But is it thé best anime out there? Sadly enough, no. The first 6 episodes build up the story a little too slow to be REAL good.

Also, I've read the manga (or what IS translated of it) and suddenly noticed the big problem of this show. Half of this show if filler. I'll go into more detail when I do a full review. But think about it, a show that isn't hyped that much tries to sell itself by replacing half of its run-time with filler. Who thought that was a good idea?

Recommendation: It pains me to say this, since I love any re-imagination of Astro Boy. But you better wait until there's at least a second season. Then watch them together. As it stands, this first season alone will not be enough to satisfy you!

Granblue Fantasy

• Genre: Fantasy, action
• Studio: A1 Pictures - Directed by Yuuki Itou
• Source: Game for Android & iOS
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll, Funimation & Hulu (limited regions only)

Girl falls out of the sky, boy saves her from her fall and protects her from the "evil army", although he dies in the process. Girl revives boy and now he has powers. This is a story with floating islands, airships, mythical creatures and magic!

This anime has been panned for being a run-of-the-mill fantasy RPG turned anime. It's mediocrity at its finest.

And while I personally am enjoying the series, I can admit that this series never rises above being "average". The dialogue (and often the art) seems ripped straight out of the game, since it seems so generic that it could appear in a text box and nobody would bat an eye. But at the same time, this anime gives LOTS of room for people to abridge it. I found it to be very funny to ad-lib dialogue over the actual dialogue spoken, since what I was hearing was run-of-the-mill anyway.

Also the voices. Katalina = Celty from Durarara, Vyrn = Happy from Fairy Tail, Rackam = Sanji from One Piece, etc. Once you hear it, you cannot un-hear them being other characters.

Recommendation: If you like anime based on fantasy RPGs and you have nothing else to watch, give this one a shot. Anybody else may skip this one, since it's very forgettable.

Warau Salesman new / Laughing Salesman new

• Genre: Seinen, drama
• Studio: Shin-Ei Animation - Directed by Hirofumi Ogura
• Source: manga from the 80s/90s
• Legal stream: Crunchyroll & Funimation (US only)

Every person has a dark desire in their heart. It is up to the mysterious laughing salesman Fukuzouto Moguro to find what these people are longing for and "selling" it to them. But each of these pieces of happiness brought upon his customers comes with a limit. When these humans reach past these limits, disaster will strike (and it strikes hard).

I was genuinely interested in this anime from its premise. However, after you've seen one or two episodes, you basically have seen thme all. The story becomes repetitive WAY too fast for its own good.

But to give credit where it's due, the OP is animated wonderfully! When you skip this anime, at least check the OP.

Recommendation: Skip it! Watch Hell Girl (Jigoku Shoujo) instead of this disappointment! On that end: New Season of Hell Girl this coming Summer season!

Anime to be watched / Continued

There's still some good anime out there, but I just haven't found the time yet to watch or continue watching.

• Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul: Just started with the first season. I'll get to this one later!
• Tsuki ga kirei: Loved the first episode! Really good! But I'm just not a romance anime fan, so it might take a while to finish it.
• Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism: Kinda liked the first episode, but then forgot about it. May drop it, may continue. Dunno yet.

New anime - Dropped after 1 episode

These are the series that are so disappointing or "not my style", I've dropped after one episode be. For more detail as to why, I refer to my Starting point blog.

• The Royal Tutor: I know there will be many fans of this series. But it's not my style. It's aimed at girls to gawk at boys. I dropped it, but I'm not going to hate on it.
• Hinako Note: Cute girls doing cute things for the sake of being cute. Not my style, but I know there are people that love this kind of genre.
• Boruto: I'm sorry, but I'm apparently one of the few that hated the first episode. But I saw the flaws in it and saw how this series is going to fall in the future. And none of the promo video's that have appeared ever since have picked up my interest. It remains dropped.
• Clockwork Planet: Was "meh" after the first episode, and couldn't be bothered to pick up the second episode.
• Sword Oratoria: The first episode was "okay" at best, but I kinda forgot about it... and so did most other people. I don't hear anybody talking about it anymore.
• The King's Avatar: Not understanding the praise people give this series. The CG is awful and the dialogue and story is very unnatural and awkward.
• ID-0: Mediocre CG, mediocre story and characters you cannot connect with. ID-0 simply does not work.
• Sakurada Reset: The first episode is boring me to tears. And from what I hear, it didn't get much better later on. Stay away from it.
• The Seven Mortal Sins: Some of the best animation of this season went to a glorified hentai. Nuff said.
• Tsugumomo: Fell somewhere between generic as hell and borderline annoying me.
• Anonymous Noise: HATE THIS PIECE OF SH... STOP SINGING! Just STOP singing!
• Frame Arms Girl: Is one of the most popular shows in Japan ATM. And I can understand why. But it's not my kind of anime. It's a glorified toy commercial.
• Kabuki-bu: Had high hopes for this, but dropped it after 1 episode. It's so bland and Generic, I could predict what would happen without even seeing the rest of the season.

Afterword

Yes, there's still a few series to add. still to be added are the short anime. Though I can be just as short about that: "Please Take my Brother Away" / "Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai" is the best short anime of Spring 2017! Nuff said!

To be updated soon. Until then, V out.

Updates

• June 06th: Added Grimoire of Zero, Akashic Records and the Drops list

The Starting Point - First impression of Anime Spring Season 2017

So I got this crazy stupid idea to watch at least one episode of every single anime this season, just to give a "first impression" of what the season is like (I'm a sucker for pain, apparently).

Winter 2017 was quite good. Usually the Winter and Summer seasons of anime are weaker than spring and Fall, but this year it seems to go the opposite direction. Winter has been a pleasant surprise, but Spring doesn't really hold many strong titles compared to other years. At least, that was my impression before watching any anime this season. Let's see if that will hold up.

How am I handling the first impressions?

For every anime title out there, I'll list what I initially thought of it based on initial assumptions (text, promo video's, art, short info, etc). Then I'll give my "response" to the first Episode, a good/bad thought on the OP and ED of each anime (if shown on the first episode) and if I'll keep on watching it or not.

Don't be surprised if I drop a lot of series after the first episode. I only really have the capacity (read as: Free time) to handle 5-10 new series each season, so I'll only hang onto those that really peek my interest (and two slots were already taken in advance). The rest gets dropped, or gets the 3-episode test.

And yes, not every single one is in this list yet. Haven't watched it all yet. Also not every single anime has started airing yet. But I'll update this post as much as possible until every single anime of Spring 2017 is in here.

So without further ado...

V's first impression of every single anime of Spring 2017

Started Airing April 1st

My Hero Academia S2

Expectations: Loved the first season, so this one had a place on my to-watch list before the first episode even aired.

2 episodes aired of the 25, and I'm already hooked. First episode was a slower setup episode; episode 2 is where the school festival really kicks off.

OP: Kind of expected more of it. It's okay, but not noteworthy nor memorable. The ED is quite good.

Rating first episode: 7,5/10.

Status: Will keep watching

Attack on Titan S2

Expectations: When April first was about to arrive, I suddenly remembered that I never really finished the first season due to reading the manga instead. Quickly fixed that one!

After Episode 1: Two words: BEAST TITAN! Ooooh boy.
Art: Same as season 1. No shift downwards, and the integration of 3D with the horses seemed to flow better than in S1

OP/ED: IG re-hired the band from the original first OP to do this OP to reclaim that magic. But while it's okay, it's just not as good as the original one. The ED is kind of eerie. Not sure what to make of it.

Rating first episode: 8,5/10. It's exciting me! Want more!

Status: Will keep watching, duh!

The Silver Guardian / Gin no Guardian

Expectations: This is a Chinese anime that's also being broadcasted / redubbed for Japan. First one of these for me, so I don't know what to expect from China.

After Episode 1: Surprised at the length of 13 minutes. Kind of short introduction. But as far as it goes, it's the most entertaining of the "Generic Shonen Action series" this season (and that's rather saying something of the rest of this season...).

OP/ED: OP is one of the best this season. Not amazing, but still good. ED is okay.

Rating first episode: 7/10

Status: Giving it the 3-episode test.

Started Airing April 2nd

Granblue Fantasy the Animation

Expectations: Based on a mobile game RPG, created by the people behind Final Fantasy VI and IX (interesting). And it seems like a story setting to my liking. So kind of high expectations.

After episode 1: Jeezes, the term "generic" pops up a lot this season. This one is no exception. Yeah, the story seems pretty generic at this point. But luckily it's the kind of story setting I like. Animation is good. But there's those typical anime tropes like flying creature that doesn't need flying, the girls-don't-run-this-way running and random monster appearing/disappearing depending on when the camera needs it. Other than that it looks good. It has a typical look-and-feel of a late 80s/early 90s anime, where fantasy RPG anime were more common (I like that).

OP/ED: I instantly recongized something Familiar with the OP. It's Bump of Chicken! That's always a nice extra! The ED is pretty bland, though.

Rating first episode: 7/10. Could be better, it could be worse.

Status: Giving it three episodes, to see if it remains "generic", or gets better.

Tsugumomo

Expectations: Seems like a B-rate version of To Aru Majutsu no Index at first glance. It's from the pretty new Studio Zero-G. Oh yeah, this anime has ecchi pasted all over it before I even saw a promo video... Yeeey [/sarcasm]

After Episode 1: Well, 3 minutes in and we already have our first boob-grab scene. *sigh*, a few second later a panty-shot *deeper sigh*... And by the end of the episode we get our two full naked people. Yeah... err... Also: Do I need to mention the amount of plot holes and lack of explanation on crucial elements? And I feel that's too bad, because the concept seems interesting, the animation is really solid and the sound is REALLY good (one of the best OSTs this season from first episode impressions). It reminded me of classic Naruto tracks. And checking up, that ended up being true: It IS the same Composer (Yasuharu Takanashi).

OP/ED: The OP is hyper, but not in a good way; the ED is okay.

Rating first episode: 5,5/10. Lots of good, lots of bad, resulting in a mixed bag end result that's only really aimed at 14-16 year old boys. For the rest of us: Skip it.

Status: Dropped

Alice & Zouroku / Alice to Zorouku

Expectations: Girl with magic powers meets grumpy old man (from Up?). That's a story that could go either way. This is from JC Staff, with the Director of Flying Witch and the music composer of Flip Flappers. Well, that means at least the music will be good?

After first episode: This story is REALLY good and interesting. The music is really good and fitting! So why this horrible CG? Oh my god, I couldn't look away from the horrible CG cars. What year are those renders from? 2006? How is this possible in 2017? I think I could make better renders in 3D and I'm a friggin' amateur!

Rating first episode: 7,5/10. I would've given more, but the CG really made me take away one point. Just too distracting compared to the rest.

Status: Watching it. I mean, the story IS good.

World Fool News

Expectations: How... How of all things did THIS get a second season greenlit? Anyway, YAY! The first season was already weird and funny. Can't wait for the second one.

After Episode 1: Oh, come on. Re-using the same OP/ED as two years ago? That's cheap! Also, this first episode felt kind of weird, but did set up something that may recur in this second season. Curious to find out.

Rating first episode: 6/10

Status: Watching it

Started Airing April 3rd

Warau Salesman / The Laughing Salesman

Expectations: Picked my interest because this is from the creator of Doraemon. And if Doraemon is the light side of a coin, this is the dark side.

After episode 1: This was pretty good. The episode really loves to drench itself in the dark atmosphere of the story. This is clearly part of the darker Seinen route Shin-Ei Animation is taking as of recent. Can't say I dislike this change.

The only thing that is really holding this anime back is the art style of the creator. While it's not bad, it really doesn't flow that well with the darker story. I have instant "Hell Girl" flashbacks on how a dark story with semi-realistic drawings made that so much more compelling. Maybe Ask Naoki Urasawa to "pimp" this manga the same way he pimped Astroboy into Pluto?

OP/ED: The ED is meh, but OMG that opening is GREAT! Not just the song itself, but the visuals surrounding it! Cool!

Rating first episode: 6,5/10

Status: I'll give this one the three-episode treatment.

Souryo to Majiwaru Shikiyoku no Yoru ni...

Expectations: What a friggin' title. It literally means "On a Lustful Night Mingling with a Priest". The poster and the tags "Josei" & "Romance" usually mean it's not for me. Also Studio Seven? I dare you to look up the other works. It surprised me, to say the least.

After Episode 1: Watched this several days after I wrote the "expectations" and already forgot my own tagline. Boy, you can imagine my surprise when this started... I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say there's two versions of this anime. Just don't bother with the censored version. The uncensored version at least has "something" going on in its 4 minutes runtime.

Rating first episode: 3/10. It fits in a certain category, so the production value of this is kind of low.

Status: Dropped

Sekai no Yami Zukan

Expectations: A short anime with a real horror-like poster. Kinda curious what this one is going to give. Definitely going to watch this!

After episode 1: Wow, that was a downer. Ooh, boy that was bad. I knew it was a short... But it's like only 3 minutes-short. Animation is limited to literal moving pictures, most of the sound is a narrative and even that was "okay" at best. Damn' it.
Jeezes, for 3-minute shorts on low budgets, at least Inferno Cop was entertaining to watch. This: NOT!

Rating first episode: 3/10

Status: DROP!

Started Airing April 4th

Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor (Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records)

Expectations: Seems like a fenservice-heavy series, focused on magic. Probably not for me

After episode 1: OMG the cringe is real. Seriously, being self-aware doesn't make bad or cringy jokes better. It just makes it obvious that you're using bad/cringy jokes. The general plot (a useless guy becomes a teacher) is an interesting concept for a comedy. But I haven't laughed as of yet. The jokes were predictable and cringy.

The animation was great, but I don't like the way the eyes are colored for the girls. The eyes look like friggin' Easter eggs! Also no OP/ED as of yet, but that'll probably start from ep2 onward.

Rating First Episode: 5/10

Status: Dropped. At the moment, a lot of people are defending it. So it may improve. But it's gonna have to go a 180° from here onward to convince me to come back.

Frame Arms Girl

Expectations: So... this anime is based on a toy-line of mecha girls. That should say enough of my expectations.

After episode 1: Honestly, this was better than I expected. Still nothing great, but it clearly has some good production value for an advanced toy commercial. Because that is basically what this anime is. A 12-episode advertisement for the Frame Arms Girl Model kits. Heck, the first half of this first episode even was a tutorial on how to assemble the model kits! It doesn't even try to hide it's a toy commercial!

The OP is quite good, ED is "okay" at best. But the best thing about this anime in general is the blending of Computer Graphics with 2D animation. Of all the spring series, this series (of all things) is the one that blends it the best. The "real-life" people and environment is 2D, the toys and battle arena is 3D. Clear distinction from the get-go and it pays off. It works better than Kado or ID-0 (even if only for an advanced toy commercial).

Rating first episode: 6,5/10. Not bad for a toy tie-in, but that's what this anime remains. A tie-in to sell toys.

Status: Dropped

Started airing April 5th

Boruto - Naruto the Next Generation

Expectations: It was only too obvious that Studio Pierrot would milk the Naruto franchise dry. Don't have high expectations for it. But there are still a lot of Naruto fans who watched it until the last episode (yeah, really), so this will probably sell, I guess? Maybe it'll surprise me, but I have no faith.

After episode 1: Well, my low hopes were confirmed. The story was so poor I think I literally yelled "Bullshit" twice at the screen (suspension of disbelief only goes that far). The animation was decent enough most of the time, but did turn wonky at times on certain character models. Yes, it IS better than Shippuuden's animation. But the animation for that was already terrible half of the time, so if reviewers give this aime credit for being "a lot better than Shippuuden", that's not really a big praise.

The only thing that saved it was a kind of good OP (not amazing, but still a good starting OP none the less).

Rating First episode: 5/10

Status: DROPPED! - If the first episode is an indication of how the rest of the series will be handled, I'm not wasting my time on it.

Royal Tutor Haine (Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine)

Expectations: I had no idea what to expect of this. It's a comedy about a tutor to a group of princes...

After Episode 1: I'm still wondering why this didn't get the label "Shoujo", because it's clearly aimed at girls. The comedy? It's trying TOO hard for it too work, but I did chuckle a few times. The art? Very well done! The story: Boring as f**k. The characters: Pretty boys for girls to gawk at. So yeah, it's clearly NOT aimed at me.

Rating first episode: 6/10

Status: Dropped it for obvious reasons.

Busou Shoujo Machiavellism

Expectations: NONE. Seems like a typical Shonen action series of a dime in a dozen. Might be good, might be bland. Title somehow reminds me of Busou Renkin

After episode 1: Okay, that was a little better than expected (better than Akashic Records at least), but still nothing too amazing. Art is decent enough; story is cliché as hell, but still okay. And the action is quite good.

Rating first episode: 6,5/10

Status: Iffy about this one. I'm going to give it the 3-episode test. I may drop it.

Sakurada Reset

Expectations: A supernatural mystery by David Production, known for the JoJo franchise. Let's just say I have expectations here.

After episode 1: This... was... boring (*yaaaaawn*). I genuinely had to keep myself from falling asleep, it was THAT boring.
Jeezes, this anime has issues. The main two characters are basically emotionless, and the anime uses 20+ minutes to convey the ENTIRE story setup that other anime try to split over multiple episodes, only to then have a few story twists to trigger an interest in the last minute or so. Too bad most people had already fallen asleep at this point, because yaaaaaawn...

And that's sad, because there's some potential in here. At times, I genuinely thought this was the setup for a movie like the Girl who leapt through time, or Wolf children. But the entire presentation is just so boring.

Rating first episode: A 4/10. The animation is good, the sound is good. The ED is good... but that's about it.

Status: Dropped. Though that ending... I'll keep an eye on further viewer feedback, just in case.

Love Kome: We love rice

Expectations: I honestly have no idea what to expect of this. Is this going to be like Yakitate Japan or Food Wars? What is with that weird-ass synopsis? Anthropomorphic RICE? Whaaaaaaa...?

After Episode 1: Oh, this was a short anime. But err... WTF did I just watch? Really, really? WHAT! THE! ACTUAL! F**K?! I think my jaw was dropped the entire time I watched this short. I simply cannot believe what I saw on my screen? What is this madness? What is this weirdness? What even is this supposed to be?

The whole scenery feels like a direct parody of Yu-Gi-Oh GX, up to the weird hair styles and attitude; the story is... rice. Really, rice. The amount of puns is almost intolerable. The plot is bonkers. But for some reason... I want to watch more. I need to know if the madness continues, or just goes from pun to pun each week.

Rating first episode: What kind of rating can I give this weird ass sh!t?! A 5/10? I have no idea! I genuinely have NO idea!

Status: I should drop this. I really should drop this... But I feel so intrigued to watch more. I just need to know... What IS Love Kome?

Makeruna!! Aku no Gundan!

Expectations: F**k, this IS being subbed? Oh well... This will be quick, I suspect...

After episode 1: Literally quick. It's a 4-minute short. And as expected, it's a kid-level short show. Only a basic premise is shown. Guess more will follow later on?

OP/ED: No OP yet, ED is okay

Rating first episode: 5/10: It's okay. It's clearly not aimed at me, but at kids

Status: Dropped. Come on, I can't waste my time on a show obviously not meant for analysis of any sorts.

Started airing April 6th

Sakura Quest

Expectations: Why does this look-and-feel remind me so much of Shirobako? Oh, right: Studio P.A. Works. Well, that explains a lot. Wait, they're doing two anime this season? Let's hope this isn't a B-title...

After Episode 1: HOLY COW! This legitimately turned into one of my favorites this season! I want more! This is so down-to-earth, yet funny. It perfectly captures what rural Japan is like and how young adults react to it. Yet, they make a good story of it! I really want to see what they make of this!

Rating first episode: 9/10

Status: Watching it! Why aren't you watching it yet?

Started airing April 7th

KADO: The Right Answer (Seikaisuru KADO)

Expectations: Seems like a political scifi series, with a look-and-feel of Ghost in the Shell SAC; but with CG. Seems interesting

After Episode 0 and 1: Interesting story, curious where this is going to go. Shindou as a "negotiator" is an interesting character. But the title description may result in this series being very political oriented. We'll see how they take this.

But OMG, that awkward mixing of CG and regular animation is giving me a headache! It's distracting! If you're confident in your CG skills, go full CG; if not: then keep your character models in regular animation. But don't mix it like this, for real! If a room is filled with a handful of classical animated characters and a few full CG models walk in between, that's just distracting you from the story!

Rating episode 0+1: 7/10

Status: Watching it at least for 3 regular episodes. Let's hope this mixing of CG and 2D doesn't get in the way of the story too much.

Clockwork Planet

Expectations: I Like the look-and-feel of this anime. Concept seems interesting overall

After episode 1: That was a bit of a downer. Seems like a pretty generic Shonen action series, with a share of fanservice (meh). The concept remains interesting, but it really feels like watching Elemental Gelade again (and THAT was a pretty generic fantasy shonen action series to begin with). I'll keep watching it for the moment, but I doubt I'll stay hooked longer than 3 episodes.

Rating first episode: 7/10

Status: Givin it the 3-episode chance, with a chance of dropping it.

Hinako Note

Expectations: Wanted to pick up Kiss Note; in my mistake I ended up with Hinako Note. That'll teach me. So yeah err.. no expectations. Looks like Cute girls doing cute things in cute ways (moe blob, thus). But for some weird reason, this is not from Kyoto Animation (huh...). Which is weird, because it sure looks like a KyoAni anime.

After Episode 1: This anime will tickle the fancy of the moe-fans. This is an anime right up their alley. It's cute girls doing cute things. In this case: theater. And the main character is a shy girl who transforms into a "scarecrow" if she gets too shy or is in too big of a crowd. Might be interesting, but definitely not for me (not a fan of moe shows who are moe because of moe).

OP/ED: The OP... is that an attempt to rip-off the Lucky Star OP? It's definitely in the same brand of hyper and randomness with a focus on "forced dance theme". The ED is cute and fun.

Rating first episode: 7/10

Status: Dropped. It IS good, I'll admit that. But it's just not for me. I hate watching Moe blob.

Love Tyrant / Renai Boukun

Expectations: This being somewhat of a parody of Death Note is already a plus in my books. Kinda curious as to what it's going to be.

After episode 1: OMG, this was hilarious! Much better than I expected! So fast-paced, so many jokes and unexpected situations.

OP and ED were both okay, but neither was amazing or anything.

Rating first episode: 8/10

Status: This goes on my to-watch list! Definitely!

Kabuki-bu

Expectations: This anime has something to live up to, to say the least. After two seasons of Rakugo Shinju, there's now an anime about Kabuki. And to top it off, it's also animated by Studio Deen.

After Episode 1: I guess I was in denial, since it was impossible for this anime to live up to the amazingness of Rakugo Shinju. But even without the comparison, it's only a "decent" anime. It's not bad at all; it's just... a typical club anime.
It misses something that would make it special, it just doesn't stick out the way it's supposed to. The OP and ED are okay, but not amazing. The main character is okay, but I would hate this type of person if I'd run into them in real life. He's like a Kabuki-weeaboo. And the story setup is oh-so-predictable. Boy wants to create club, everybody refuses. Boy then goes deeper as to why everybody refused and suddenly EVERYBODY joins! They get some hardships, they get over them; and at the final episode they give a big play and everybody loves them! And then season 2 is greenlit (calling it right now)!

Rating first episode: 6/10. It's okay, but sadly enough it never rises above the "okay" level. Kind of expected more.

Status: Dropped

The moon is beautiful / Tsuki ga Kirei

Expectations: The title already has a "romance" vibe to it. Probably not my style. Not much else to say about it.

After Episode 1: Wow, err. I'm impressed. This is a romance anime in school setting. But it's different from what I'm used to. This feels... real. This feels as if the characters aren't cardboard cutouts who say forced lines in either shonen or shoujo settings. This is two awkward kids who kinda like each other, but the boy is just an introverted bookworm/amateur writer, while the girl does sports, but has clear anxiety issues. And the best part is that it's being spelled out or used as a comedic/dramatic undertone. It's just who they are, like real people. And not just the main characters. A lot of other supporting cast feel "real" as well.

The OP is great; it's one of the better ones this season. The ED song is okay. The animation on the other end is also amazing. If people would say I was watching an animated movie, I would've believed them (it's that good).

Rating first episode: 8,5/10 - This may be a sleeper hit this season.

Status: 3-Episode test, to see if this "romance" anime can keep a guy who's usually interested in action, thrillers and comedies intrigued.

The King's Avatar / Quan Zhi Gao Shou

Expectations: Another Chinese anime, which makes me curious. But from first glance, it seems like the umptieth anime about a guy in a RPG world. Like we haven't had enough of those in the past few years...

After Episode 1: I have to admit, it took some time to get used to Chinese voices instead of Japanese or English. But I wanted to stay neutral on this and gave it a fair shot. And there is potential in Chinese anime. Though it clearly still has ways left to go. A lot of this anime felt awkward to watch. The awkward mix of 2D/3D, the weird character interactions and emotions, the sound in general and the story pacing of this first episode all felt either "weird" or "off". And the only thing I can clearly give as a reason is "lack of experience" of the director (who is unknown at this point).

Rating first episode: 6,5/10. It's not bad... It just feels like there's many places for improvement left

Status: Dropped. I've never been a fan of MMORPG animes in general and this one sure didn't pick my interest.

Please take my brother away / Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai!

Expectations: A short slice of life comdedy about a regular sibling relationship (protection and teasing). Dunno how this is going to turn out. Never seen anything of this studio either.

After Episode 1: That was funny! But also waaay to short! Want more! Also, really well animated for it being a short! Kudo's!

Rating first episode: 7,5/10

Status: Watching

Started airing April 8th

RE:Creators

Expectations: From the director of Fate/Zero and Aldnoah Zero and the music director of Attack on Titan. Yeah, hype much?!

After episode 1: Interesting concept; episode one is interesting enough to keep watching. Fun how Celestia keeps her "animtated" body features after being transported to the "real" world. Her pointy chin AND feet make her stand out (which is funny).

OP/ED: No OP yet, the ED is amazing, though!

Rating first episode: 8/10

Status: This one is a definite must-watch!

Started airing April 9th

The Eccentric Family S2 / Uchouten Kazoku 2

Expectations: Overly pushed by Canipa Effect. See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT1EpFafZyk.
First had to watch the first season, though. Review incoming... sometime soon.

After episode 1: Yup! No drop in quality! This is the same stuff as season one! I'm watching this from beginning to end! And so should you!

OP/ED: OP is done by the same band as Season 1. And it's okay. Pretty good, though the song of the first season was more catchy.

Rating first episode: 8/10

Status: Watching it, though that may just be my foolish blood

Eromanga sensei

Expectations: With a title like that, you automatically lure in an audience. The concept of a brother and sister being writer and artist without knowing what the other one does is interesting... But this is an A1-Pictures show that's adapting a Light novel. So my expectations are limited.

After episode 1: Interesting setup to say the least. The opening episode was good enough. Though I wonder how this will remain interesting throughout the entire series. Knowing A1, it may spiral downwards quickly.

OP/ED: No OP yet, ED is quite good.

Rating first episode: 7,5/10

Status: Giving it a 3-episode test

ID-0

Expectations: The info on this anime is VERY limited to say the least, but it's by the creator/director of Code Geass. That should set some expectations at least.

After episode 1: Oo-kay, this requires some explanation. This is a full CG anime, where most of the airtime is spent with robotic units without drivers. I don't know if this was a story twist or a cost-saving measure, but the minds of the pilots are imprinted on the robots instead of actually showing the pilots. But that creates a HUGE problem: The robots have no facial expressions, thus also no real emotions.

Wall-E for example had the exact opposite reaction. Every robot has some form of facial animation so that it would be easier for the viewers to connect to the characters (which happened). But these robots do not have any facial expression and thus fail to link with the audience watching it. And since more than 50% of all screen time is devoted to these robots, that is a major issue.

I could not feel the "click". I could not connect to any of the characters. The main character is the only one who had some facial expressions in some scenes (and even that was limited), but she wasn't too enjoyable as a character.

Rating first episode: 5,5/10 - It's okay at best. Facial expressions aside, voice acting is "okay" and the story itself not too amazing either.

Status: Dropped

Starts airing April 10th

Grimoire of Zero / Zero kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho

Expectations: A fantasy anime from studio White Fox? With a lead character that looks like Guin as a White Tiger? Okay, color me intrigued. What can this anime do?

After Episode 1: Interesting starting episode. Nice character introduction and story setup. Music is also really good, which is to be expected since it's the same music composer as Hibiki Euphonium (Akito Matsuda).

Rating first episode: 7,5/10. Solid

Status: Will probably keep watching. Hope the story keeps up.

Starts airing April 11th

Anonymous Noise / Fukumenkei Noise

Expectations: Typical Shoujo look-and-feel, so probably not for me. But it is about music, so that is always a trigger for me to at least watch a few episodes.

After episode 1: Oh my god, I don't think I've ever wished so hard for somebody to just STOP singing in a show about music. But here it is. Annoying is the keyword that kept buzzing around my head throughout the entirety of this first episode. Annoying singing voice and interludes, annoying main character, annoying "shoujo"-style romantic interests, annoying plot setups. And the performance at the end: just no.... NO!

There was no OP yet, but I was so glad the anime was over, I even refused to listen to the ED.

Rating first episode: 5/10. Since it's a typical girls anime, girls may enjoy this more than I did. But for guys this warning: stay the hell away from it.

Status: Dropped

WorldEnd / Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?

Expectations: This long style title only means it's adapted from a Light Novel (and looking it up, it appears I was right). The title translates to "WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us?" No real expectations of this. Could be good, could be bad.

After episode one: This anime did something that rarely anime has ever done... Genuinely giving me the shivers. That rendition of Scarborough Fair? Caught me off-guard and was genuinely beautiful. Then again, I'm weak to folk classics done right. And this sure was done right.

Next to that, pretty solid opening episode. Got me interested to watch the rest.

Rating first episode: 8,5/10 - Giving it that half point extra for touching me with Scarborough Fair

Status: Watching

Starts airing April 12th

Kenka Banchou Otome: Girl Beats Boys

Expectations: Shoujo anime with pretty boys and the tag "romance". Yeah, that's not aimed at me, so 0 expectations

After Episode 1: What? How? HOW IS THIS A ROMANCE SHOUJO? HOW? This was non-stop fighting throughout the entire episode! And the "Girl beats boys" can be taken quite literally! It's also a short anime, and by god: the OP and ED had no right to be as good as they are.

This one genuinely surprised me. It's not amazing, but the first episode sure was good enough to at least see what happens the full first three episodes. I don't think I've ever been THIS wrong about a romance Shoujo (lol).

Rating first episode: 7,5/10

Status: Givin' it three episodes to see if it's just the genuine surprise talking here, or if it remains legit this good.

Room Mate

Expectations: This is technically the same as One Room, but with male characters instead (that's the literal descriptor). Since the female incarnation was panned, I was going to skip this... But it ain't no challenge if you don't pick up cringe titles as well, isn't it?

After Episode 1: Hahahahahaaaaa! This is so wrong it's hilarious! If this has ended, can somebody ask Joey & Aki to watch these live? This would make an amazing Youtube video! Also, that ending, though.

Rating first episode: 6,5/10. By itself it's not half bad. It's also so corny it becomes hilarious.

Status: Dropped. What? Did you really think I would watch the entire thing?

Starts airing April 15th

Sin: The 7 Deadly Sins / Sin: Nanatsu no Taizai

Expectations: Wait, wasn't there a 7 Deadly Sins anime just a few years ago? How can they release a totally unrelated anime with exactly the same title only a few years apart? *Sigh*... Let's see... This one is rated R+ with nudity and tagged as "ecchi". Yup, this will be the type of anime I hate, won't it? Oh, and the origin is a set of "ecchi" model figurines. Ooh, this anime has the making of something horrible, doesn't it?

After Episode 1: This anime has no right to be animated on this amazing level. Yet, here we are, with me in awe of the genius animation of a B-level anime that is just shy of being a full-blown hentai. It shouldn't mix well, but it looks amazing.

On a side-note, there is both a censored and uncensored version of this (due to obvious reasons). I "enjoyed" the uncensored one.

Rating first episode: 6/10. A raunchy anime like this usually only gets a score between a 3-5. But the superb animation really cranks this anime up a few notches.

Status: Dropped, though it'll be a pity to miss this high-level animation. Oh, well...

Danmachi Gaiden: Sword Oratoria / Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka Gaiden: Sword Oratoria

Expectations: My expectations is that this is going to be pretty average/generic fantasy RPG anime with lots of fanservice. Let's hope I can at least enjoy it without watching the original

After Episode 1: Wasn't originally going to watch this. But I'm almost through the list of the rest, so why the hell not? Anyway, this was... better than expected. I didn't watch the original, but form what I read on the forums this one has the clear advantage of not having Hestia in it, which ruined the parent series. This anime has to rely on small support/unknown characters to make the story. And it's quite okay. It's not amazing or anything, but it's not bad either (nor is it boring). Sadly enough the two main characters aren't that thrilling or interesting. Let's hope they can carry this story.

On a side-note: This Gaiden is what "A certain Scientific Railgun" is to "~ Magical Index"; a spin-off with ties to the original, but with its own original story.

Rating first episode: 7/10. It's solid and better than what I thought it would be.

Status: Err... giving it three episodes.. Not 100% sold on it, but again: it's not bad either.

Atom: The Beginning

Expectations: Hype! The prequel to Astroboy, handled by Studio IG... But the Director (Tatsuo Satou) is known to be hit-or-miss. Let's hope this isn't a miss, because I'm genuinely interested in this.

After Episode 1: This is Good stuff! This is a first episode that lives up to high expectations. The story is interesting, the animation is good, the OP/ED look amazing and the end result made me wanting more.

Rating first episode: 8,5/10. While it didn't blew me away in a matter like Sakura Quest, it's definitely in my top 5 of opening episodes this season!

Status: Watching it!

100% Pascal-Sensei

Expectations: This seems like a toy mascot show aimed at young kids. Could vary from generic/bland to good, who knows?

After episode 1: This was weird, yet unexpectedly funny. There were several jokes that really made me crack up. I could talk about them, but the jokes being unexpected is what made them work so well.

Also, that ED? It's so weird and absurd, yet very well done at the same time. Similar to the rest of the show, this caught me by surprise and thus made me smile.

Rating first episode: 7/10

Status: Giving it the 3-episode test. First one definitely got my attention. Let's see if this show can keep it!

Puripuri Chii-chan!!

Expectations: Wait, why am I watching this? Oh dear, this can't be any good... Well, at least it's only half length. So it won't be too much of a punishment.

After Episode 1: Well... it's cute to look at? That's about the only positive I can think of for this anime. It's an anime aimed at girls, so it's not surprising that I didn't think too highly of it.

The only thing that really stood out here was the ED, which I would swear was done by "Kyaru Pamyu Pamyu" (look it up). This anime does fit in her usual mix of weird and cute. So if it ain't her, it's at least somebody trying to imitate her style.

Rating first episode: 6/10. It's cute fluff, but otherwise harmless. But it's nothing groundbreaking either.

Status: Dropped

Airing May 10th

Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

Expectations: There's a huge delay on the start of this anime, due to the production issues on the previous Yu-Gi-Oh anime. Let's hope Studio Gallop can get its shit together. Otherwise, this will spiral down fast into bad territory.

Not yet aired

Maybe:

There's a few titles that do peak my interest, but I can't see yet, due to not having seen the first season. So let's classify this as: Maybe later

• Shingeki no Bahamut S2: Heard good things of S1; May pick this up. Who knows.

Not watching:

This is the group of anime of which I haven't seen the first season and/or have absolutely 0 interest in watching

• Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata ♭: The original is a "meh" harem anime from 2015 (which was a "meh" year for anime in general). The sequel was granted at the end of season 1, but any interest in it has wavered ever since. Don't see many people talking about it, so I'm not interested in picking it up, nor its sequel.
• Monster Strike S2: Haven't seen S1. Seems interesting, but not interested in the game.
• Nobunaga no Shinobi: Ise Kanegasaki-hen: Second season. Haven't seen S1 yet, so I doubt I'll watch this
• Kyoukai no Rinne (TV) 3rd Season: Haven't seen the previous seasons, so skipping it.
• Natsume's Book of friends 6th Season: Haven't seen the previous seasons, so skipping it.
• Berserk 2017: HA! HA! HA! HA! No. How the hell did a sequel get greenlit? Seriously? HOW?
• Future Card Buddyfight Battsu: Never seen the prequels, dunno the game. Skipping it.
• Duel Masters 2017: Is that Card Game still running? Nobody plays it over here. Definite skip, though.
• Beyblade Burst: Same. The franchise died in the west years ago. How is this still going on in Japan?
• Starmyu S2: Haven't seen the first one. Haven't heard anyone talk about it, so no expectations
• The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Gekijou: Not interested in the parent series, so no plans for this chibi spin-off either.
• Idol Time PriPara:: Never seen the original and clearly not aimed at me to begin with.
• Rilu Rilu Farilu: Never seen the original and clearly not aimed at me to begin with.
• Shonen Ashibe S2: Never seen the first season, clearly not aimed at me.
• Akindo Sei no Little Peso: Kids show, clearly not aimed at me
• Buppu na Mainichi: Kids show, clearly not aimed at me
• Mobile Emergency Police / Tomica Hyper Rescue Drive Head: Kidou Kyuukyuu Keisatsu: Want to watch the first ep, but nobody seems to be subbing it

That's it from me, now.

Until next time, V out.

Updates

• Update April 10th: Sorted according to started airdate. Added Granblue, Tsugumomo, Makeruna and Love Kome
• Update April 11th: Added Kabuki-bu, Sakura Quest, Sakurada Reset and Grimoire of Zero
• Update April 12th: Added Girl Beats boys, Please take my brother away & Anonymous noise, together with the "expectations of all other shows
• Update April 13th: Added ID-0, Room Mate and WorldEnd etc and Souryo to Majiwaru Shikiyoku no Yoru ni.
• Update April 14th: Added Frame Arms Girl, Sin, Tsuki ga Kirei and Sword Oratoria
• Update April 15th: Added 100% Pascal-Sensei, Puripuri Chii-chan and Alice & Zorouku. Almost done!
• Update April 17th: Easter Sunday was a day off, today we're back on track with some of the last, including Atom the Beginning.

Update April 18th: Added "The King's Avatar". All that's left is YGO Vrains.

Update May 2nd: Darn' it. I forgot to add The eccentric Family. Fixed that! Also, the airdate for Vrains is finally confirmed as May 10th. That's more than a month delay.