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| (Spring 2015 Chart) |
Me, I go straight for the source material.
One, because I can get through manga 5000x faster than I can get through anime. And two, I love spoilers.
Here's some of the new Spring 2015 anime, and my impressions of their manga. This is ranked from the series I liked the least to most, not necessary which anime adaptations I want to watch the most.
15. Triage X
tl;dr A secret organization kills criminals, everything is themed around hospitals for some reason
Fuck, I read this after Denpa Kyoushi and oh boy if I thought it couldn't get any worse. This series is the other half of what's wrong with anime probably. After reading 200 chapters of Kyoukai no Rinne and 130 chapters of Denpa Kyoushi for the sake of this fucking post, I couldn't even get through 20 chapters of Triage X. I stopped at 10 as the halfway point, and even then I got there by flipping the pages as fast as I could. This one is even easier to pinpoint why I hate it so much.
It's ecchi bordering on hentai. Like whatever just go read hentai instead ugh. The art is okay or whatever, but there's so much ass and boobs in the way I can't tell what's going on. Why are they having a conversation in a shower? Why is the main protagonist the only guy in a team full of well endowed females? Why does he get a full body armour while the girl sidekick wears bloomers? Fuck it.
If the fanservice is like self satisfaction then the violence even more so. Is there a point in the violence? No, it's just there for the sake of I don't fucking know grittiness? There's random ass powers and a backstory I could not be less interested in. The exposition is the only thing bigger than the chests and it's just as unnecessary. Some secret organization killing criminals or whatever. This guy is made from parts of his best friend. I don't know.
I don't care. Read Until Death Do Us Part instead. Fucking read Denpa Kyoushi instead of this. I wish I could go back and unread this. Fuck it.
14. Denpa Kyoushi
tl;dr Genius otaku is forced by his sister to get a job teaching
I wasn't going to read this because it looked just so typical harem comedy wacky hijinks setup but I was like eh, I've already read ~200 chapters of Kyoukai no Rinne I'm pretty much invested in this gimmick post already.
And god how hard it was to force myself to read it all. Like with Kyoukai no Rinne, as I got further and further into it, I kept asking myself: how did this get published for as long as it did? It's hard to pinpoint why exactly I hate it, but I just do.
The girls are one dimensional, with typical anime girl setups and quirks. They have one single problem that causes the main protag to make a decision which surprises everyone but he turns it around with the power of fuck knows. Then they join his harem or whatever. Why are there so many girls in one class anyway? Why are half of them idols or seiyuus or maids? Also fuck tsundere imouto types.
Then the protag is some genius otaku guy with the power of ~*hacking*~ or ~*gaming*~ or something. The entire thing reads like the most obvious eight grade disease wish fulfilment it makes me sick. He's the underdog because he chooses to be, then he exploits some random technique that leaves everyone baffled including me because I literally do not care enough to read the exposition. And then he's all like fuck education, studying's for losers~ And every shallow 'life-changing' speech he gives is right and everyone's like oh he's so cool~ Ugh.
Well I guess it wasn't that hard to pinpoint why I hate this so much after all.
Instead of this fucker who goes around thinking he knows the best about everyone, I'd rather have Keima who actually changes as he interacts with the real world. Instead of a stereotypical blushing imouto, I'd rather have Elsie who's clumsy but does her job and has a life outside of her 'brother'. Instead of girls with problems that are solved by a guy coming in and playing a game with them, I want girls who grow by themselves and are heroines in their own right.
In other words, please read The World God Only Knows. Or anything other than this. Great Teacher Onizuka or something. I feel this series represents what's fundamentally wrong with anime. I hate this so much.
13. Sidonia no Kishi
tl;dr Guy pilots giant mecha in space to protect earth against alien monsters
If you read the summary above, you might think this is Evangelion. I can't say how accurate that comparison is considering I couldn't even make it to 10 chapters in this series. This isn't to say necessarily that it's a bad series. It's just not my type of series.
My first impression of it is...this is the worst series to start in media res. What is happening? What is that creepy looking monster? Space? Dead grandfather? Underground? Fertilizer? Photosynthesis? Who? What?
I only got the gist of the story by looking up Wikipedia. Reading the summaries though...I laughed. Yeah it's got a seinen style, the art borders on creepy, it's hard to tell what's going on and there are weird space monsters but, it's such a typical series in the end. It's about a guy who turns out to have special abilities and he gets to pilot to specially cool elite mech. Then he has a harem of female characters who fall for him. Like, I just laugh because the style of Knights of Sidonia is so different but in the end it's still so very anime.
Hey, it made me confused as hell and its style turned me off in the first five chapters but at least I didn't personally hate it. Unlike the two entries above. As for this one, if seinen mecha shows are your thing maybe check it out. The anime might be slightly easier to understand though. As for me I'll stick to Bokurano or NGE.
tl;dr Girl joins school where club representatives fight each other with special powers
There's like two chapters of this scanlated. The summary up there I pieced together with information from Wikipedia and MAL. That's pretty much the reason why this is so low. I don't know anything about it. They haven't even revealed the powers yet.
But apparently it was NND series? I'm not interested in checking that out though. It seems a pretty standard setup with the supernatural powers in a high school setting. The anime should be decent - I'm not expecting anything mindblowing but it probably won't completely fail.
If it's NND series though, I'd rather go for the Kagerou Project. I don't think SHAFT was the best choice of animator for Mekakucity Actors (although I think their style fits the original MV format), but the story line seems slightly deeper than Mikagura School Suite. They follow the same format of people with unique powers, but Kagepro feels like it has more plot than just clubs fighting it out.
Then again, what do I know? Almost nothing. Not enough to get me interested in the anime or keeping up with the manga that's for sure.
But apparently it was NND series? I'm not interested in checking that out though. It seems a pretty standard setup with the supernatural powers in a high school setting. The anime should be decent - I'm not expecting anything mindblowing but it probably won't completely fail.
If it's NND series though, I'd rather go for the Kagerou Project. I don't think SHAFT was the best choice of animator for Mekakucity Actors (although I think their style fits the original MV format), but the story line seems slightly deeper than Mikagura School Suite. They follow the same format of people with unique powers, but Kagepro feels like it has more plot than just clubs fighting it out.
Then again, what do I know? Almost nothing. Not enough to get me interested in the anime or keeping up with the manga that's for sure.
tl;dr Adventurer is allied to a goddess, he goes adventuring in dungeons
Well, I'm still not sure why it's so high in the rankings. The concept of stats and dungeons and adventurers has been done to death and much better than this. The main character is boring. He's like I'm weaker than a girl I'm going to hella train. And like five girls are already in love with him.The female characters are boring, there's barely any plot beyond 'this sexy evil goddess wants him for herself', and I can't bring myself to be interested in anything.
Watch Sword Art Online instead. Yeah there's a typical protag and a typical harem, but at least Kirito has more skills than 'stats growing really fast' or 'said a nice thing to someone once'.
10. Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid
tl;dr Adopted magical daughter of mecha-class magical moms also befriends by shooting people in the face
It's a cute idea, seeing the first yuri magical girl wives raising their cute daughter in the future (paving the way for the likes of Madoka and Homura). I'm a sucker for time skips and all, but I think in the end my heart lies with the first heroines Nanoha and Fate. Will not be watching the anime.
9. Kyoukai no Rinne
tl;dr Girl who sees ghosts meets boy working as a shinigamiI wanted to like this manga, I really did. Inuyasha was one of the series that got me into anime (although I was tsundere about it at the time) and I hoped for a similar experience with this manga. Again, I couldn't get into it the first time I tried reading it, and I read a lot further than the Dungeon one because I wanted to like it. Still, like the first one, I also decided to try and give this one a re-read.
Unfortunately after almost 200 chapters I still can't really like this manga. It's, in a word, boring. There's a basic premise but no real heavy plot to keep me interested. If it's a boy working as a shinigami (with a supernatural family history) then Bleach has that covered. If it's a girl who sees ghosts working with a guy who wears track suits, is invisible to normal people, and solves spirit problems for people then Noragami did that way better.
The two points that I can say I like about it is the ship and the deadpan humour. The gags and endings are sometimes unexpectedly reasonable or low-key. But while that's interesting once in a while, when they keep doing that you start feeling cheated of a dramatic resolution. This is especially for 'conflicts' that are built up for longer than a couple of chapters. One example is the heroine, Mamiya Sakura's backstory of how she came to see ghosts. It had some promise, being a mysterious childhood memory and somehow Rinne's grandmother involved. But in the end they found out she just ate some candy because his grandmother accidentally bought her some. No drama what so ever. Denpa Kyoushi might take it overboard with the eight grader syndrome but this one takes it down too low.
The second thing and the main reason why I'm reading it is for the ship. Both protagonists are level-headed types, and it's kind of a nice change of pace having Rinne fall for Sakura first. But even with the ship, I can't help thinking that even Rumiko Takhashi herself did it better before. It's not as outrageously comedic as Urusei Yatsura, nor as real or emotional as Maison Ikkoku, or as dramatic and developed as Inuyasha.
The other characters fall short of interesting and end up being annoying most of the time. Kyoukai no Rinne tries to be too many things and doesn't manage to excel in any of them. I'll keep reading this because of the sunk cost fallacy, but I won't watch the anime. Read this if you're really bored, but otherwise there are a lot of other series you could be enjoying instead.
8. Re-Kan!
tl;dr A girl sees ghosts
Okay there's only one chapter of this out, but I'm putting it pretty high because it seems interesting and cute. It's a 4koma style, so mainly comedy. The girl treats spirits kind of like Sakura Mamiya from Kyoukai no Rinne below, but her interactions come off as cuter somehow.Instead of having a random assortment of characters who are so dense and single minded that it just starts to get on your nerves, the (two) characters that I've seen so far are (both) pretty cute.
I can't say much about this one, but unlike Mikagura School Suite, what I've seen so far promises a light, short and sweet experience. I don't think it's going to tug at any heartstrings or make me laugh out loud, but I think I'll check out the anime if I ever need a light snack.
7. Nisekoi Season 2
tl;dr - Because he nor his crush can ever confess, boy gets a harem and nothing happens
Showtime was one of my favourite chapters although I do agree her cold shoulder kind of took it too far; it really wasn't Raku's fault at all. I love seeing her accept her love, and despite still being tsun-tsun, actually try and make an effort to get closer to him. I mean, how many tsunderes manage to get from 'I-it's not like I like you or anything' to 'O-okay so it's because I l-like you'.
Unfortunately, there's a reason why this manga won the Cold War Award for Will They Or Won't They. After Showtime the manga moves into a stasis of cycling girls and never giving them much progress in anything. It was only recently with the Transfer development that some nice relationship drama happened.
I didn't really like SHAFT animating the first season. Romcom really doesn't seem like their thing, or at least Akiyuki Simbo's. I might pick and choose some cute Chitoge episodes, and if they get around to doing it, the Ruri visiting her grandpa arc. Now there's a beta couple I can get behind. I'm still following the manga intensely though, I need that plot resolution and more importantly just who is going to be the endgame couple.
*There are some other sequels/second seasons for Spring 2015 with manga as the source material, but Nisekoi is the only one whose first season I've already watched so it's the only one I'm including. It helps that I've already read the manga too.
6. Kekkai Sensen
There's only the first volume out scanlated right now, but I don't think it's too much of a pity. The artwork is kind of outdated and sometimes it gets hard to see what's happening. But the story has potential.
It's not immediately a storm of cliches, and the ones are make it just enough to be interesting. I like the seemingly uselessness of the protag's magic eyes, because there's room for some unexpected ways of using it. There's a specialized fighting organization, like there always is, but the characters seem pretty unique. The first volume would be a decent standalone read, although nothing to gush about.
Still, the anime looks pretty high quality and I feel like this is one of those series that is much more suited for animation. And if the anime expands on the premise maybe the plot and characters will grow on me.
I almost wanted to put this above Owari no Seraph, but the manga itself was too short for me to really judge it. I want to watch this anime, if not only just to see what's only on a bit more clearly and in HQ.
5. Owari no Seraph
First chapter: Please, I would eat an anime figurine if it turns out their escape plan was successful and all the orphans made it out alive. Yup there it is. I bet his blond childhood friend doesn't really die and gets turned into a vampire antagonist or something.
Fifth chapter: Yup, there it is.
The set-up looks so typically fantasy shounen weird anachronism stew. You have some revenge fuelled, dark haired protagonist teenager who's a prodigy at fighting but needs to learn the importance of friendship (using a classic sword of course). You have a shy boy in the support role (using arrows) which he befriends by saving him from bullies. You have a caustic rival logic type in the lancer role (dual wielding slightly different swords). You have a tsundere child prodigy in pigtails in the heavy hitter role (using some axe thing). The only one they're missing is a white mage type.
Then you have story about this teenager who's just so special and unique that girls are tripping over their feet at him. (Why are all the weapons female anyway?) He holds some dark power that's the key to the war between two species. He gives speeches about friendship and family. It sounds like it could not be more typical.
And yet there are some things that stand out to me, that I like about it. One is Shinoa, the heroine. I like her dry humour, although I felt like she got melted a little too quickly by the protag (not as fast as Tsundere Pigtails ofc). Still, I like that she's developing along with the protag, even though she was set up to be this knowledgeable observer.
Another thing I like is that the protag was set up to be this angry revenge filled guy, but a couple chapters later and he's giving friendship speeches left and right. Again, progressed maybe a little too quickly, but I'll take an optimistic hero over a pessimistic one thanks. This is especially because he still wants kill vampires but he recognizes that he has new people to protect. I thought he'd take at least another story arc to sort those out but good for you, Yuu.
The third thing I like is Mikaela, the childhood friend turned totally expected vampire. What I didn't expect was that they didn't play up the rival angle at all. I thought it was going to be a case of Kirito and Eugeo in the SAO Alicization arc, where the blond, lighthaired, gentle foil to the dark protag becomes the primary antagonist. But instead, Mika genuinely tries to save Yuu, and Yuu also Mika. I really love that their friendship is kept in. Not so much a fan of the loli vampire grandma, despite her seemingly good intentions towards Mika. Sorry but Eva's the only loli vampire grandma for me.
This manga looks like the most average mish-mash of general shounen tropes, and it's true that I constantly think of other shounen shows when I read it (Tsuki, you're such a tsundere jerk whether you're playing volleyball or killing vampires). But there are little bits where it subverts your expectation, just a bit. It's not an instant favourite but it's not the worst thing you could be watching. I for one will keep an eye on this manga, just to see where it goes. Hopefully, it can surprise me a little more.
I might also watch the anime, because I'd like to see some of those bits that I like with Mikaela and Shinoa. But it's a series that I'll probably only think about once I'm done with the things I really want to watch.
4. Ore no Monogatari
3. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
Okay I wasn't sure whether to put this one in front of Ore no Monogatari because I didn't have the best impression of this series at first.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible. It was just kind of typical. The usual magical romantic comedy with its fanservice and wacky hijinks. First off, I really hate the gender switch trope unless its de-constructed in some way. Then for the few first chapters it was just Yamada and the girl Shiraishi getting up to magically induced situational comedies with their body switching. A couple of romcom sidekicks join in their gang, including a flirty camp guy friend type and a delusional dark haired Betty girl type.
Then the series switches itself up a bit by revealing that the power of switch bodies is actually Shiraishi's power, and that there are six more of these 'witches' with other special powers like precognition and telepathy. These stories arcs up the plot a bit and makes it more interesting, although they never let go of fanservice and light hearted hijinks entirely.
Then the first Seven Witches arc ended, I was pretty satisfied. Sure it didn't make me obsessed with it, but it felt like a really whole story. Imagine my surprise when it continued then. I mean you had a confession for crying out loud! Isn't every comedy supposed to end with a wedding? But here's the reason why I put Yamada to 7-nin no Majo ahead of Ore no Monogatari. The second arc is even better.
I love Shirashi's way of dealing with relationships. She's not one of those shoujo chicks who jump to conclusions every time they see their man talking to another girl but she also shows that she can be cute and upset like a regular girl as well. I love how the series explores different friendships and pairings with a expanded cast. And wow the plot, the second arc is just piling on one revelation after another. Almost every other chapter ends with a cliffhanger where they discover ANOTHER secret about the witches or their past or a character's motivation. So many reveals all over the place and all of them setting up this huge power play between three large factions.
Unlike the first arc, the second arc gives me enough (almost too much) plot to make me anticipate the next chapter coming out. It's also the reason why this is ahead of Owari no Seraph, another series stuffed to the brim with generic tropes, except supernatural shounen mystery fighting tropes instead of supernatural shounen romantic comedy tropes. The second arc abandons those predictable hijinks (although some can still be found lightening up the atmosphere) for a more meaty plot.
Unfortunately the Spring 2015 anime definitely won't include the second arc. The most we can hope for is a second season but in the meanwhile, I'll probably skip the anime for this one and go straight to checking the manga updates.
2. Arslan Senki
This was the only series in all 15 where I said 'ah damn it' when a 'No next chapter' notice popped up. I might say, oh Arakawa Hiromu I knew you'd have good taste, except Hero Tales and Silver Spoon didn't interest me very much. The Heroic Legend of Arslan however is great.
First of all I love the secret heir getting back their throne stories, especially when they gather important allies with the power of heart and compassion, show character development as they learn more about their country outside of the castle walls, and become frighteningly good leaders on their own (Hello Akatsuki no Yona~<3) It has really nice pacing and a whole slew of politics and shady royal histories going on that I can't wait for the plot to uncover. I can already see their band of allies forming, and I do like Arslan a lot.
Instead of complaining or dwelling on the misfortunes of his life he has the sense to move ahead, and when he doesn't know what to do he asks his advisers. The last part is really great because he is still a kid and his experienced allies are ready to teach. I can't wait to see how far he can go, and most importantly, I can't wait to see him standing at the head of his loyal subjects ushering in a new golden age for his kingdom.
I'm definitely up for the anime, considering how much action there is, but I'll also be eagerly awaiting new manga updates.
1. Shokugeki no Soma
Yaaaaaaas. Time to see delicious food in full colour! I love almost all cooking manga for the same reasons I love sports manga really, so I'm glad to see this one get an adaptation. The fanservicey reactions I don't really care too much about but I'm sure it'll make it more popular? (lbr, Yakitate! Japan had one of the best taste testing reactions of all time)
But right now I feel like the manga's in a good place, so I'm suffering from that source material reader syndrome where I wish the adaptation would catch up faster. I mean the early stuff is great, because its what got me hooked in the first place, but right now we have Souma looking cool in a chef's outfit, growing his skills, and that old antagonist senpai being all 'I respect you as a rival' senpai. I'm trying to keep it from being spoiler-y for the people who are going to see the anime first but seriously, loving that senpai right now
Anyway, watch this for the hero pulling random ass super moves from nowhere, shocked reactions from judges and bystanders as he somehow defeats the favourite, all which results in a cornucopia of food porn and fanservice. I might pass on the anime though, if only not to give my diet more reasons to fail.
In conclusion, I've learned that I really hate anime stereotypes, it's pretty hard to write a good plot then draw it so that it makes sense, and I really like cooking manga. For a final tl;dr - on my 'To Watch' list for Spring 2015 is Arslan Senki, Kekkai Sensen, Owari no Seraph, Shokugeki no Soma, Re-Kan! and Nisekoi S2.
tl;dr Supernatural world suddenly replaces New York and a guy gets magic eyes
There's only the first volume out scanlated right now, but I don't think it's too much of a pity. The artwork is kind of outdated and sometimes it gets hard to see what's happening. But the story has potential.
It's not immediately a storm of cliches, and the ones are make it just enough to be interesting. I like the seemingly uselessness of the protag's magic eyes, because there's room for some unexpected ways of using it. There's a specialized fighting organization, like there always is, but the characters seem pretty unique. The first volume would be a decent standalone read, although nothing to gush about.
Still, the anime looks pretty high quality and I feel like this is one of those series that is much more suited for animation. And if the anime expands on the premise maybe the plot and characters will grow on me.
I almost wanted to put this above Owari no Seraph, but the manga itself was too short for me to really judge it. I want to watch this anime, if not only just to see what's only on a bit more clearly and in HQ.
5. Owari no Seraph
tl;dr - Allen Walker orphan has dark powers, uses Innocence demon weapons to kill Akuma vampires for vengeance. (Seriously they even dress like the Exorcists in D.Grayman)
First chapter: Please, I would eat an anime figurine if it turns out their escape plan was successful and all the orphans made it out alive. Yup there it is. I bet his blond childhood friend doesn't really die and gets turned into a vampire antagonist or something.
Fifth chapter: Yup, there it is.
The set-up looks so typically fantasy shounen weird anachronism stew. You have some revenge fuelled, dark haired protagonist teenager who's a prodigy at fighting but needs to learn the importance of friendship (using a classic sword of course). You have a shy boy in the support role (using arrows) which he befriends by saving him from bullies. You have a caustic rival logic type in the lancer role (dual wielding slightly different swords). You have a tsundere child prodigy in pigtails in the heavy hitter role (using some axe thing). The only one they're missing is a white mage type.
Then you have story about this teenager who's just so special and unique that girls are tripping over their feet at him. (Why are all the weapons female anyway?) He holds some dark power that's the key to the war between two species. He gives speeches about friendship and family. It sounds like it could not be more typical.
And yet there are some things that stand out to me, that I like about it. One is Shinoa, the heroine. I like her dry humour, although I felt like she got melted a little too quickly by the protag (not as fast as Tsundere Pigtails ofc). Still, I like that she's developing along with the protag, even though she was set up to be this knowledgeable observer.
Another thing I like is that the protag was set up to be this angry revenge filled guy, but a couple chapters later and he's giving friendship speeches left and right. Again, progressed maybe a little too quickly, but I'll take an optimistic hero over a pessimistic one thanks. This is especially because he still wants kill vampires but he recognizes that he has new people to protect. I thought he'd take at least another story arc to sort those out but good for you, Yuu.
The third thing I like is Mikaela, the childhood friend turned totally expected vampire. What I didn't expect was that they didn't play up the rival angle at all. I thought it was going to be a case of Kirito and Eugeo in the SAO Alicization arc, where the blond, lighthaired, gentle foil to the dark protag becomes the primary antagonist. But instead, Mika genuinely tries to save Yuu, and Yuu also Mika. I really love that their friendship is kept in. Not so much a fan of the loli vampire grandma, despite her seemingly good intentions towards Mika. Sorry but Eva's the only loli vampire grandma for me.
This manga looks like the most average mish-mash of general shounen tropes, and it's true that I constantly think of other shounen shows when I read it (Tsuki, you're such a tsundere jerk whether you're playing volleyball or killing vampires). But there are little bits where it subverts your expectation, just a bit. It's not an instant favourite but it's not the worst thing you could be watching. I for one will keep an eye on this manga, just to see where it goes. Hopefully, it can surprise me a little more.
I might also watch the anime, because I'd like to see some of those bits that I like with Mikaela and Shinoa. But it's a series that I'll probably only think about once I'm done with the things I really want to watch.
4. Ore no Monogatari
tl;dr Cute feminine girl falls for unattractive gentle giant
This one I mean come on, the art isn't that great, Takeo's reactions are so weird, the girl is a complete ditz, the dangerous situations they get into are so unlikely and nothing really even happens, so WHAT ARE THESE TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY FACE??? "You stupid couple" I want to shout at them, while I'm really crying because that stupid couple is the cutest stupid couple.
I love that Takeo is a hero amongst men, that he and Suna have a deep and meaningful friendship that doesn't lose to the romantic plot, that the three of make the best team, that Yamato thinks she's unpure for holding hands when she's purer than a unicorn, and I love that girls unexpectedly feel their heart beat because Takeo's heart is just that large - almost as large as his hands.
I love that the story really shows, without it being superficial, that looks aren't everything. The art isn't perfect, but its simple and almost sketchy lines accentuate the story and feeling rather than the looks. Takeo's reactions are weird but they just make him seem sincere and endearing. The girl is a ditz because she's just so innocent and in love. The situational problems are so unlikely (a fire? steel beams?) but you can't help but cheer when Takeo saves the day.
And nothing happens except a young love that's adorable to watch. Reading this makes me warm and fuzzy and sometimes teary-eyed from all that heartwarming. I don't have a high opinion of shoujo when its been adapted to anime but I really hope the show manages to keep this feeling.
I'll probably pass on the anime though, it's not really a show that makes me want to repeatedly re-watch. For those who are interested in it and don't have a manga/anime preference, I recommend the anime. If you're only going to watch it once, might as well watch the version accompanied by pastel colours and a cute shoujo soundtrack.
I love that Takeo is a hero amongst men, that he and Suna have a deep and meaningful friendship that doesn't lose to the romantic plot, that the three of make the best team, that Yamato thinks she's unpure for holding hands when she's purer than a unicorn, and I love that girls unexpectedly feel their heart beat because Takeo's heart is just that large - almost as large as his hands.
I love that the story really shows, without it being superficial, that looks aren't everything. The art isn't perfect, but its simple and almost sketchy lines accentuate the story and feeling rather than the looks. Takeo's reactions are weird but they just make him seem sincere and endearing. The girl is a ditz because she's just so innocent and in love. The situational problems are so unlikely (a fire? steel beams?) but you can't help but cheer when Takeo saves the day.
And nothing happens except a young love that's adorable to watch. Reading this makes me warm and fuzzy and sometimes teary-eyed from all that heartwarming. I don't have a high opinion of shoujo when its been adapted to anime but I really hope the show manages to keep this feeling.
I'll probably pass on the anime though, it's not really a show that makes me want to repeatedly re-watch. For those who are interested in it and don't have a manga/anime preference, I recommend the anime. If you're only going to watch it once, might as well watch the version accompanied by pastel colours and a cute shoujo soundtrack.
3. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
tl;dr Guy accidentally kisses girl, they switch bodies. He kisses six more girls with other powers.
Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible. It was just kind of typical. The usual magical romantic comedy with its fanservice and wacky hijinks. First off, I really hate the gender switch trope unless its de-constructed in some way. Then for the few first chapters it was just Yamada and the girl Shiraishi getting up to magically induced situational comedies with their body switching. A couple of romcom sidekicks join in their gang, including a flirty camp guy friend type and a delusional dark haired Betty girl type.
Then the series switches itself up a bit by revealing that the power of switch bodies is actually Shiraishi's power, and that there are six more of these 'witches' with other special powers like precognition and telepathy. These stories arcs up the plot a bit and makes it more interesting, although they never let go of fanservice and light hearted hijinks entirely.
Then the first Seven Witches arc ended, I was pretty satisfied. Sure it didn't make me obsessed with it, but it felt like a really whole story. Imagine my surprise when it continued then. I mean you had a confession for crying out loud! Isn't every comedy supposed to end with a wedding? But here's the reason why I put Yamada to 7-nin no Majo ahead of Ore no Monogatari. The second arc is even better.
I love Shirashi's way of dealing with relationships. She's not one of those shoujo chicks who jump to conclusions every time they see their man talking to another girl but she also shows that she can be cute and upset like a regular girl as well. I love how the series explores different friendships and pairings with a expanded cast. And wow the plot, the second arc is just piling on one revelation after another. Almost every other chapter ends with a cliffhanger where they discover ANOTHER secret about the witches or their past or a character's motivation. So many reveals all over the place and all of them setting up this huge power play between three large factions.
Unlike the first arc, the second arc gives me enough (almost too much) plot to make me anticipate the next chapter coming out. It's also the reason why this is ahead of Owari no Seraph, another series stuffed to the brim with generic tropes, except supernatural shounen mystery fighting tropes instead of supernatural shounen romantic comedy tropes. The second arc abandons those predictable hijinks (although some can still be found lightening up the atmosphere) for a more meaty plot.
Unfortunately the Spring 2015 anime definitely won't include the second arc. The most we can hope for is a second season but in the meanwhile, I'll probably skip the anime for this one and go straight to checking the manga updates.
2. Arslan Senki
tl;dr - Weak/sheltered prince's kingdom is overthrown, he goes on a journey to reclaim it
This was the only series in all 15 where I said 'ah damn it' when a 'No next chapter' notice popped up. I might say, oh Arakawa Hiromu I knew you'd have good taste, except Hero Tales and Silver Spoon didn't interest me very much. The Heroic Legend of Arslan however is great.
First of all I love the secret heir getting back their throne stories, especially when they gather important allies with the power of heart and compassion, show character development as they learn more about their country outside of the castle walls, and become frighteningly good leaders on their own (Hello Akatsuki no Yona~<3) It has really nice pacing and a whole slew of politics and shady royal histories going on that I can't wait for the plot to uncover. I can already see their band of allies forming, and I do like Arslan a lot.
Instead of complaining or dwelling on the misfortunes of his life he has the sense to move ahead, and when he doesn't know what to do he asks his advisers. The last part is really great because he is still a kid and his experienced allies are ready to teach. I can't wait to see how far he can go, and most importantly, I can't wait to see him standing at the head of his loyal subjects ushering in a new golden age for his kingdom.
I'm definitely up for the anime, considering how much action there is, but I'll also be eagerly awaiting new manga updates.
1. Shokugeki no Soma
tl;dr - Boy makes orgasmic food to compete against classmates in cooking school.
But right now I feel like the manga's in a good place, so I'm suffering from that source material reader syndrome where I wish the adaptation would catch up faster. I mean the early stuff is great, because its what got me hooked in the first place, but right now we have Souma looking cool in a chef's outfit, growing his skills, and that old antagonist senpai being all 'I respect you as a rival' senpai. I'm trying to keep it from being spoiler-y for the people who are going to see the anime first but seriously, loving that senpai right now
Anyway, watch this for the hero pulling random ass super moves from nowhere, shocked reactions from judges and bystanders as he somehow defeats the favourite, all which results in a cornucopia of food porn and fanservice. I might pass on the anime though, if only not to give my diet more reasons to fail.
In conclusion, I've learned that I really hate anime stereotypes, it's pretty hard to write a good plot then draw it so that it makes sense, and I really like cooking manga. For a final tl;dr - on my 'To Watch' list for Spring 2015 is Arslan Senki, Kekkai Sensen, Owari no Seraph, Shokugeki no Soma, Re-Kan! and Nisekoi S2.
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