Winter 2018 Anime Final Thoughts Part 2

All right, I think I've got enough series to cover the next entry.  

A Certain Magical Index S3

There's no getting around it. This final arc is terrible. Yes, there's the occasional moment of fun in it, but for the most part it's been a dragged out waste of time.  You know how in some shows, they have the big moment that makes everything that came before feel worth it? This arc has gone in the opposite direction, making everything that came before feel like a waste of time. Season 3 is flat out the worst of them. The long wait wasn't worth it. 

Yes, one episode does remain and like an idiot I'll probably see what happens out of morbid curiosity. However the best way to put is this. I shouldn't have wasted my time with Season 3. In fact, I should have abandoned the franchise long ago. I need to learn that "I like this character" in this case Index herself isn't always a good reason to keep watching a show. Especially since the treatment of her during this important arc is just angering me quite a bit.

Hulaing Babies

The five minute format was both a blessing and a curse for the series. Actually I would have minded it a bit less if this had been multi cour then the episodes would have added up over time. Still despite that and a few other issues, the show was rather fun. It's definitely far from the best series this season, but it was a good way to spend time. Hopefully we can see these seven girls again.

The Quintessential Quintuplets

This was surprisingly decent. Sure due it being a product of it genre there were less than stellar moments. However the five sisters even the weaker ones could all be appealing in their own way. That said, I'm glad they kept it to five. Can you imagine if there had been twelve sisters?  In all seriousness, Miku is the best girl.  You are free to have a different/wrong opinion if you want. Please don't take me seriously, I just know someone is doing that right now.

Bang Dream Season 2

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes I made was dropping season 1 after a single episode. Since it almost made me miss out one of the best series of this season. For the record, I went back and gave season 1 another chance before S2 aired, it paid off. This show is full of so many fun moments, relationships characters and songs. 

I'm looking forward to Season 3 definitely. Which I'm glad is a thing because just knowing there is going to be one negates the few issues and worries I would have had after the finale of Season 2. Of course if they don't bring some things set up to a conclusion in Season 3, I am going to feel a bit sour at that point.

Grimms Notes The Animation

I love this series. Sure, I can't deny some issues. It had the occasional head desk line. The fights were often just rushed victories. Even so I still enjoyed some aspects of the battles. I also found some of the messages about fate to be interesting. It made good use of the whole fairy tale motif.  Yes, I might have just caught up in the flow, but the important thing is this series was a good experience. By far one of my favorites of the season.

I'm fine with Season 1 effectively ending with Insert Disc 2, my hope is a hypothetical S2 will be made with the goal of reaching the finale. Or at least they should reach it during an even less likely S3. I get the format allows them to visit as many zones as they want and the more chances to transform into pretty girls the better. However eventually things have to reach an end point. 

Aikatsu Friends

Want a good example of history repeating itself? I ended up enjoying another season of Aikatsu. Actually this may be my favorite season of Aikatsu yet. To be fair, it being most recent in memory does help bias me. Even so I just love the whole theme of friends and rivals. I love how the series was paced over all.  Having several episodes take place after the main event was very good. Heck, having what we got as the finale of S1 was fo the best. 

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That covers the series for this entry. I have finished a few more shows since working on this entry, but we'll save them for a third entry.  One hopefully made sometime on Sunday or later. Still the important take away is  this entry has one bad show, two decent shows and three very good shows. Well, good for me at least.

Winter 2018 Anime Final Thoughts Part 1

 The Season is coming to a close soon, so let's talk about the shows I've finished or will be finishing soon.  Instead of trying to cover a ton of shows in a single entry, I'm going to do them across multiple entries and we'll start with these series. Why them? Because they're the ones I've already finished due to them having already fnished airing too. All right, let's begin.

Egao No Daika

The main issue with the series was waiting for the climax. See the start itself was good and so was some of the middle. The problem is that as the middle continued impatience started to set in. Plus after a few episodes you start to think "We get it, life and wars sucks. Please move on to the promise of the opening". So a lot of my judgment of the series was influenced by worry and impatience. However now that the show is over, I feel a bit more positive.

Yes, I still think some aspects of the middle were dragged out. Sure some of the plot reveals are kind of meh. However seeing them finally meet was worth it. Plus it's nice to think about the bond as "sisters" they'll form over time.  So while I do have to admit the show had problems,  it ultimately satsfied my main concern regarding Lily and Stella. Even if it did wait until the last minute.

Pastel Memories

The show had some fun episodes sure. I especially liked episode 7. Sadly how it's held back by some rather questionable episodes too. Such as episode 4.  Which is made even worse because the very next episode does a much better job of representing um problematic stuff anyway. So episode was pretty much pointless too.

Over all it was a show with decent moments, mixed with some meh moments and a healthy dose of wasted potential. Sheesh the final episode even dedicate itself to having one of those dragged out first halfs. Where it feels like barely anything happens during it due to  pacing. Also this is one time they should have skipped the OP/ED.

Kemurikusa

One of those series I held off on starting until it was almost over.  That said, I'm glad I did get around to it finally. It's over all a pretty solid series that makes good use of its colors theme. Plus Rina is wonderful in all her twin tailed greatness. I wish I had a bit more to say, but seriously it's a good series and definitely needs to be tried.

Virtual-san wa Miteiru

On the negative side, the show had quite a few repetitive segments that just made me want to skip them. It was a definite example of hit or miss. On the positive side some of the segments were fun even if they were also repetitive. The positive makes me glad I tried the show, but the negative makes it hard to recommend as great. Still the show had enough going for it to keep me watching. And I guess it helps that because it's a collection of segments, I could skip stuff without much worry. Even if some segments crossed over.

Manaria Friends

The relationship between Anne and Grea was great over all. I also like how the series made use of the time it had. That said, my main two issues with the series is related to that. First, I wish the relationship could have gone further. Second, it would have been nice to get even just a few more episodes. There are other pros and cons, but those are the mains that come to mind.

Mini Toji

If you enjoyed the main series, you definitely need to watch this. Like with many other 2-5 minute series (especially spin-offs) it does have a focus on comedy, but what makes it work is that it does its best to stay true to the main series while still being a fun side series. It's definitely one of my favorite "shorter" series in awhile.

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That's everything for now. The next entry will come after more shows have been finished. I'm thinking there will be around 3 entries to wrap up the season, maybe 4.