General

[quote=Yumtoast][url=http://i.minus.com/ibsDTKJctEdY5A.jpg]This one?[/url][/quote]

http://i.imgur.com/42IE1PA.gif

[quote=xoqtprincessxo]Well, until that shot of Kazama in the aftermath of whacking it to his cousin(?) instead of spending Christmas w/ her.

Strong everything ~( : / )~[/quote]
[url=http://i.minus.com/ibsDTKJctEdY5A.jpg]This one?[/url]

[quote=Yumtoast]"Merry Christmas!" followed by that karaoke montage was beautiful.

11/10[/quote]

Well, until that shot of Kazama in the aftermath of whacking it to his cousin(?) instead of spending Christmas w/ her.

Strong everything ~( : / )~

i know a lot of ppl are saying good things about akuma no riddle 6, have to agree

inugami to nekoyama is really funny too imo (last 3 episodes or so)

[quote=xoqtprincessxo]:^)
He was raised by mama Kong. She's a qt.[/quote]
"Merry Christmas!" followed by that karaoke montage was beautiful.

11/10

[quote=Yumtoast]Oh God that last episode of Ping Pong.

Why is Kong such a great person?[/quote]

:^)
He was raised by mama Kong. She's a qt.

Oh God that last episode of Ping Pong.

Why is Kong such a great person?

lol i bet i know what the 8.2 overall show is

@Yumtoast:

That's a good point, good, bad, and average seems fair enough to have some decent discussions. I find online forums have the problem of trying to be objective, but there honestly is not much of a point in the end, which is why I enjoy sharing general opinions, I don't bother typing up a paragraph to prove a point. Nothing wrong with it though.

[quote=Novagnome24]About Gintama, well, people must really love their Shonen Jump titles and their referential humor. Personally referential humor is a little iffy for me; if you get the reference, well good for you, you probably laughed, but if you don't, then the joke loses what was supposed to make it funny. Other thing to note is that when you don't get the reference, the joke by itself just looks like a random gag that doesn't even make sense.[/quote]
I love Gintama's crude humor, but I still don't think it deserves anything over a 9/10 when the first season was trash. It would be another story if we had to rate each season individually.

Alright then; honestly I've seen some really ugly "debates" on various anime discussion threads as well.

About Gintama, well, people must really love their Shonen Jump titles and their referential humor. Personally referential humor is a little iffy for me; if you get the reference, well good for you, you probably laughed, but if you don't, then the joke loses what was supposed to make it funny. Other thing to note is that when you don't get the reference, the joke by itself just looks like a random gag that doesn't even make sense.

[quote=xoqtprincessxo]I hope that 8.2 was Zvezda[/quote]
It was not. I liked Zvezda, but I don't think it deserved an 8 (on a scale where 5/6 is average and 7+ is something I would recommend).

@Novagnome24, @Fluxxxxx: They're tentative scores, so they don't carry much value. Though the last time I gave numerical scores of anime on Basil was in 2011 (or 2012?), and that was a nightmare. In my experience, I'd rather judge series by a 3-point scale (bad, average, good) on the forums since it focuses on discussion instead of sh/tting on my tastes.

A while back, I spent ages arguing with some MAL dbag when I claimed Gintama was an 8.x instead of a 9.x. It's not fun and no one wins. Also, on a side note, people on MAL are incredibly defensive when it comes to Gintama. Does anyone even know why?

@Novagnome24: discussing last season is fair game to me, i just don't see what is going to come up for this season that isn't already floating around. most stuff is middling or low-end with people having personal reasons to watch (prefs, bad taste, etc). no upsets as far as expectations went either.

@Deciduous Well, some of us want to see what he put down for last season, and I do like discussing stuff, even if it's mostly first impressions.

y'all itching to see speculative scores on series that aren't even half done, what's the point?
discussion would be so much better with a full picture of the series in mind.

[quote=Yumtoast]I finally got around to rating the anime that aired in winter, and decided to give tentative ratings to spring anime.

Honestly, I thought the average was going to be a lot higher than [url=http://i2.minus.com/iELqIoKRUQtMi.png]6.5/10,[/url] though we do have 6+ weeks to go before the season ends.[/quote]

As with above, can we see titles with the scores? People's opinions make for some good conversation. :0

@Yumtoast I hope that 8.2 was Zvezda

@Yumtoast Is there any chance we could see that with the titles? I'm curious when it comes to people's ratings, and I do want to see what somebody thought of the Winter season.

I finally got around to rating the anime that aired in winter, and decided to give tentative ratings to spring anime.

Honestly, I thought the average was going to be a lot higher than [url=http://i2.minus.com/iELqIoKRUQtMi.png]6.5/10,[/url] though we do have 6+ weeks to go before the season ends.

@Yumtoast: i think it would be more befitting to put it in 6 episodes each volume instead of 4... basically 2 volums in 12 episodes instead of 4 volumes in 13 episodes...

[quote=xoqtprincessxo]I have no problem with it though. I'm generally very forgiving when it comes to animation if everything else is on point.[/quote]
I had no problem with the art or animation either, until Sakuma appeared.

Dear God, those eyes.

@xoqtprincessxo: oh i get that, some of the split-screen cuts directly copy frames from the manga! it's just that while early episodes put them to great stylistic use, there's stuff like episode 3 having Wenge and Smile stock-still while the ball bounces between them (ha). there was also the long pan across sections that lit up to move ever so slightly, along with the constant blackness during Kazama's match.

i'm really not huge on anim quality, like i rarely notice unless it's overtly good, but i want to feel righteous in drooling over Yuasa. Ping Pong isn't at the point where the story is fleshed out enough to compensate. it's kind of a flip to Kemonozume, which had a looser style/similar anim hiccups, but the story was so strong by this point that it balanced.

@Plenair: Jotaro is a hard sell as far as characters go. I'd start by saying his calmer, quieter presence helps prevent a cacaphony of colorful personality. Between Joseph and Polnareff, there's so much OTT personality going around that having calmer characters like Abdul and Jotaro balances it out. There's also Tarot symbolism, as most characters embody elements from the Tarot that names their Stand. Jotaro, as The Star, represents hope and [b]serenity[/b].
His personality pretty much boils down to having a harsh exterior that truly cares about his friends and family. Current examples being his outrage at Holly's condition and her attempts to pretend nothing is wrong, as well as his selfless attempt to save Kakyoin.

[quote=Deciduous]i'm going to be overly dramatic here and say i feel like a traitor for losing Ping Pong enthusiasm
the most recent episode seems to have gotten a lot of hype for Kazama's matches which fell flat for me. even between episode 3 and 4 there were way more noticeable instances of non-animation and it's worrying and looks weird. it kind of hurts the rep of a show that was thriving on unconventional aesthetic and motion when the front-end quickly falls to stock anim and still characters. i suppose we at least have a lot of characterization going on. :V

from what i've seen outside of the show, it's probably due to scheduling issues than anything else...and maybe BDs will have those gaps filled. it's just like i'm getting brought down by the first "meh" episode of the show, bc even 3 had some great imagery and sobering life moments to counter the encroaching issues.

(on the other hand, JoJo's is plowing ahead like an beautiful purple road roller. episode 5 brought tears to my eyes and it's a damn shame there's probably going to be a mid-series break)[/quote]

.....

Son......

Okay I'll give you that. I have no problem with it though. I'm generally very forgiving when it comes to animation if everything else is on point. Think of it like a glorified manga. The cut frames give off that impression anyways.

[quote=EMSfreeze] black bullet kinda turned meh, especially black bullet...

they frigging ruined the anime by rushing the **** out of it... i am really sad, because the LN was waaaay better...[/quote]
IIRC, episode 4 of Black Bullet covered roughly 100 pages of the LN.

That's quite a lot.

so far keep watching NGNL, jojo.
rettousei and black bullet kinda turned meh, especially black bullet...

they frigging ruined the anime by rushing the **** out of it... i am really sad, because the LN was waaaay better...

I'm still following Jojo, Mushishi, Ping Pong, Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, One Week Friends, and Baby Steps, though I'm 1 episode behind in almost all of them now (since I've been catching up on Hunter X Hunter). Baby Steps has been my only disappointment so far, but it was mostly my fault for being optimistic when I knew it was Studio Pierrot. I'm trying my best to withhold judgment/criticism until the first tennis match, since that's where it really counts.

[quote=Plenair]I'm down to only Soul Eater Not! and Jojo now. I not that enthusiastic about Jojo right now, I'm not really liking Jotaro as much as Joseph.[/quote]

This exactly, Jotaro is somewhat likeable, but really is just another generic badass character. I think the idea of stands appeals to me more than the hamon etc did, at least it's better than phantom blood.

NO game no life by far my favorite anime

Continuing Jojo (still need to start on No Game No Life from whatever season)
ICU MUSHI-SHI

for some reason, whenever someone mentions Ping Pong animation, i cant help but imagine/remember the VN with similar name (which is nothing alike, in case you're wondering)

i'm going to be overly dramatic here and say i feel like a traitor for losing Ping Pong enthusiasm
the most recent episode seems to have gotten a lot of hype for Kazama's matches which fell flat for me. even between episode 3 and 4 there were way more noticeable instances of non-animation and it's worrying and looks weird. it kind of hurts the rep of a show that was thriving on unconventional aesthetic and motion when the front-end quickly falls to stock anim and still characters. i suppose we at least have a lot of characterization going on. :V

from what i've seen outside of the show, it's probably due to scheduling issues than anything else...and maybe BDs will have those gaps filled. it's just like i'm getting brought down by the first "meh" episode of the show, bc even 3 had some great imagery and sobering life moments to counter the encroaching issues.

(on the other hand, JoJo's is plowing ahead like an beautiful purple road roller. episode 5 brought tears to my eyes and it's a damn shame there's probably going to be a mid-series break)

[quote=Fluxxxxx]That's kinda how I see it, but I honestly think Brynhildr started off mediocore, and became a terrible train wreck, so my line would have lowered much more inconsistently. I predict NGNL to also go downhill, shame the first 3 eps were really good.[/quote]
I had incredibly low expectations for Brynhildr, hence the consistent drop instead of a sudden fall.

[quote=iVege]Latest Nanana episode brought it down from one of the more promising anime this season to something I don't really want to watch anymore.

It was quite interesting before episode 4.[/quote]
I was more distracted by the animation outsourcing going on with episode 4. A number of the scenes were clearly not done by A-1, the most noticeable one being the closeup on Tensai. [url=http://i2.minus.com/iRYKEfxP3F2U5.png]This is not consistent.[/url]

[quote=Yumtoast]Brynhildr was worse than NGNL from the very beginning.

It's not worth picking up.

I made [url=http://i1.minus.com/iFaHEesbcuyvG.png]a graph[/url] for reference.[/quote]

That's kinda how I see it, but I honestly think Brynhildr started off mediocore, and became a terrible train wreck, so my line would have lowered much more inconsistently. I predict NGNL to also go downhill, shame the first 3 eps were really good.

Latest Nanana episode brought it down from one of the more promising anime this season to something I don't really want to watch anymore.

It was quite interesting before episode 4.

I just got caught up with mahouka. Dat bro con.

[quote=Novagnome24]Okay, I think Gokukoku no Brynhildr might be even worse than No Game No Life at this point.[/quote]
Brynhildr was worse than NGNL from the very beginning.

[quote=bloodIsShed]only watching Mushishi, Love Live S2, gochuumon and NGNL. was going to try Akuma no riddle, but maybe i should skip that, after reading the comments here[/quote]
It's not worth picking up.

I made [url=http://i1.minus.com/iFaHEesbcuyvG.png]a graph[/url] for reference.

[quote=bloodIsShed]only watching Mushishi, Love Live S2, gochuumon and NGNL. was going to try Akuma no riddle, but maybe i should skip that, after reading the comments here[/quote]

yeah i'd say to avoid it unless youre just in it for the art/sound.

only watching Mushishi, Love Live S2, gochuumon and NGNL. was going to try Akuma no riddle, but maybe i should skip that, after reading the comments here

Okay, I think Gokukoku no Brynhildr might be even worse than No Game No Life at this point.

[quote=Fluxxxxx]Regarding Akuma no Riddle, is anyone else annoyed by it so far? Episodes are 1 assassination per ep making it feel stand alone and I feel like since the creators seemed to want it to be dark, the new episode after has its mood ruined. Haru also is the same after every assassination, so i'm not really seeing the possible development and yuri this show can potentially have. Not really that bad, but meh.[/quote]
Nothing significant has happened, even after 5 whole episodes.

boredom and disappointment

Regarding Akuma no Riddle, is anyone else annoyed by it so far? Episodes are 1 assassination per ep making it feel stand alone and I feel like since the creators seemed to want it to be dark, the new episode after has its mood ruined. Haru also is the same after every assassination, so i'm not really seeing the possible development and yuri this show can potentially have. Not really that bad, but meh.

Edit: I also think Date A Live II is pulling out more BS then the first season. Dafq happened to shido?

@fluxxxxx lol no problem mate, glad you're still on board. Happy 4 u srs

[quote=xoqtprincessxo]@Fluxxxxx I think you have Peco and Smile mixed up. But anyways, here's the way I see it.

First off, the coach is perceptive enough to know just how to push the glasses guy's buttons. He's manipulative, but generally means well when it comes to ping pong. We might see his motivations for wanting to train a champion athlete later on, but for now we just know that he's v passionate. He might be trying to live vicariously thru his players, or he might be a v sincere dude who just wants his athletes to succeed.

As for the other two, there's only been enough time to establish a baseline personality, so whether or not they fit into the character molds you're talking about is something that can easily change. However, we have been given two things. We know that Glasses Guy is heavily influenced by the bullying that he experienced in the past, and he's convinced himself that he actually enjoys not connecting with anyone. He was stuck in the locker, so he copes with it by accepting the locker wholeheartedly and rejecting everything outside of that locker.

We also know a lot about Chubby Cheeks in the context of his relationship with Glasses Guy. As far as I can tell, he likes Glasses Guy because GG is a lot better than others at ping pong, yet can never seem to beat CC. That leaves you with one hell of a self esteem boost, and it's prob why he says something along the lines of "Where did GG learn to play like that?" with a v serious look on his face at the end of ep 2.

This means that after the second episode, we have grounds for growth for both glasses guy and chubby cheeks, which is all you can really ask for. How will GG react to being dragged out of his comfort zone? Will he close the locker door again, and think that being challenged was unpleasant? Will CC have to start coping with jealousy, or will this display motivate him? If he becomes jealous, will he try and drag GG into competition to heal his ego? If he becomes jealous, will he eventually move past it, or will he crash and burn when he realizes that GG will always be better than him? Is he Vegeta 2.0? If it motivates him, will he be the support that GG needs to become a great ping pong player?

There's a lot of ways this can play out brah.[/quote]

last 2 eps are much better than first 2, sorry i doubted you T_T

@Novagnome24 Each episode of Mushishi is largely stand-alone, so it's probably not necessary to watch the first season as long as you have a general idea of who the MC is and what he does. That doesn't really apply to Jojo.

If you like that kind of stuff though, give Mononoke a try

@xoqtprincessxo
Yeah that's what I've assumed. I'll definitely watch Ping Pong and I guess I'll give Ishuukan a try. Gotta watch the first seasons of Mushishi and JoJo's first though.

I MIGHT check out Chaika and even Daimidaler (even though it's stupid) but I'll see. I'll probably continue watching NGNL and Gokukoku though just to see how bad it can get.

@Novagnome24 This season's must watch: Jojo, Mushishi, Ping Pong, Ishuukan Friends.
Captain Earth is a little flimsy, but I would still follow it.

If you want a show that's solid and entertaining to kill time, Hitsuga no Chaika is a very comfortable watch.

Ishuukan Friends is what Kawaisou could have been if character interaction is what you're looking for, so I wouldn't bother with Kawaisou. That said, it's visually stunning, so it has that going for it.

@Fluxxxxx
I'm probably gonna continue with Gokukoku just to see how much more of a trainwreck it can become. NGNL maaaybe because even I indulge in fan-pandering stuff like that occasionally.

Kawaisou... fine. I'll give it a few more episodes. It's just the first one was so weak...

[quote=Novagnome24]I wanna watch Mushishi; guess now's a good time to watch S1.

Anyways I watched only three shows so far; 2 episodes of Gokukoku, 1 of No Game No Life, and 1 of Bokura wa Minna.

Gokukoku is doing its setting wrong. Moe/fan-service and shock factor/horror is NOT a good combination. I feel like I'm supposed to feel shocked by some of these events but that's pretty hard when the scene before that was cute girls doing cute things and the scene after that is cute girls doing cute things. The moe just dilutes the "horror." Though quite frankly I'm not sure if the serious aspect of the show would stand alone by itself anyway.

No Game No Life is the most fan-pandering garbage I have ever seen. OP Main characters who wins without even explaining how, a setting that just screams escapism/wish-fulfillment, and the MC's sister... dear god. Just think about it: loli, shut-in, hardcore gamer, imouto, white hair, kuudere, child genius, and wears striped pantsu. This is the goddess of moeblob right here.

Bokura wa Minna is just flat-out unoriginal. Generic characters, generic plot, old, unfunny, and over-used jokes, uninteresting soundtrack, etc. Seems like the only thing it has going for it is its art, but that's it. Though I watched only episode 1 and I guess there IS room for improvement but if it keeps going this way I can't imagine it'd be good.[/quote]

Gokukoku: Have to agree with this, it's execution is as terrible as you mentioned.

No Game No Life: Really love the Art, sound, and Seiyuus for this one, love it as a guilty pleasure.

Kawaisou: You should continue this one, the first episode is much worse than the others, I personally think the soundtrack is pretty good too. The character interactions create a nice romcom, hopefully it doesn't try for drama, i can't see these characters fitting well for that type of anime.

ep 1 of bokura wa minna kawaisou was terrible imo, i didnt find it funny either
enjoyed the episode after that much more tho, its kinda meh but at least it has a nice style to it with a good op/ed

no game no life is fan pandering but it isnt garbage. if u hate this kind of stuff i have no idea y u are watching it cause its obvious based on the synopsis what its trying to be. also hikasa yoko is doing an awesome job IMO

I wanna watch Mushishi; guess now's a good time to watch S1.

Anyways I watched only three shows so far; 2 episodes of Gokukoku, 1 of No Game No Life, and 1 of Bokura wa Minna.

Gokukoku is doing its setting wrong. Moe/fan-service and shock factor/horror is NOT a good combination. I feel like I'm supposed to feel shocked by some of these events but that's pretty hard when the scene before that was cute girls doing cute things and the scene after that is cute girls doing cute things. The moe just dilutes the "horror." Though quite frankly I'm not sure if the serious aspect of the show would stand alone by itself anyway.

No Game No Life is the most fan-pandering garbage I have ever seen. OP Main characters who wins without even explaining how, a setting that just screams escapism/wish-fulfillment, and the MC's sister... dear god. Just think about it: loli, shut-in, hardcore gamer, imouto, white hair, kuudere, child genius, and wears striped pantsu. This is the goddess of moeblob right here.

Bokura wa Minna is just flat-out unoriginal. Generic characters, generic plot, old, unfunny, and over-used jokes, uninteresting soundtrack, etc. Seems like the only thing it has going for it is its art, but that's it. Though I watched only episode 1 and I guess there IS room for improvement but if it keeps going this way I can't imagine it'd be good.