Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Dropped! This week we’ve started actually watching shows. We’ll be dropping some of them just as quickly. If you want to see how off our preseason predictions were, feel free.
Anyway, this will cover everything that aired from April 1st through April 7th, excluding a few shows that were not picked up or that were simulcast at a later date. In addition, while the titles we use may vary some, the order is based off of the Japanese titles as given by AniChart, with full-length shows first and shorts after.
12-sai
Buggy: Now, Chris, I didn’t watch 12-sai because I’m still expecting someone to pick it up for release soon. You did, however. First impressions?
Chris: Well it’s kind of hard to relate to this show because I have yet to experience what it is like to be a 12 year old Japanese girl, but there were some thing I found relatable from my days in middle school. Boys like to tease and the girls can be really malicious.
From a technical aspect, it certainly isn’t the best looking show and pacing was a little off at points but the characters are lovable and it managed to keep my attention even though I was very light-headed when I was watching it.
B: So I’m guessing you’ll be keeping it, then?
C: For now.
Chris: Watching
Buggy: Waiting for it to be licensed
Anne-Happy
B: Next up, a title change has bumped Unhappy from the bottom of our list to Anne-Happy at the top.
C: So Andy, this series has been getting very mixed responses from people
B: Has it really? Most the response I’ve seen was positive.
Or wait. Are you setting up a joke?
C: No, making any joke regarding this show’s title is fruit hanging so low it’s halfway buried. I heard several people (mostly on ANN) found it to be a little boring.
B: Interesting. Then again, I don’t put a ton of stock in ANN’s opinions. But you’re saying that they were…displeased with it?
Wait, I think I messed my joke up.
Anyway. I was expecting this show not to be bad, but it exceeded my expectations. I honestly quite liked it.
C: Indeed, it was delightfully charming. If I had one big complaint it’s that I felt Hibari’s construction sign fetish fell a little flat with me.
B: I’m not a huge Cute-Girls-Doing-Cute-Things Slice-of-Life person, but this one’s got a strong enough concept, a good enough cast, and good production and direction, so I’m on board for now. It’s won me over. Now it just has to keep me invested.
C: Agreed, I am sticking with it as well.
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
Bakuon!!
B: And here we come to my first drop of the season.
C: Same, but at least I watched the episode in full. -glares-
B: Excuse me, but I believe that I am the one who gets to choose which shows I torture myself with.
Anyway, I did not care about this one. The humor fell flat for me, the characters were more obnoxious than lovable, and the show’s really not doing a great job of selling me on motorcycles.
C: It just felt too exclusive to me. It seemed like it was meant specifically the biking crowd which, shocker, I am not a part of.
Buggy: Dropped
Chris: Dropped
My Hero Academia
C: AHHHHHHHHH
It’s finally here and it’s amazing!
B: I was worried that the manga wouldn’t be adapted well. Those fears have been put to rest. The only issue I really have is where the episode left off. I’m going to be honest, the beginning’s going to be a bit of a slog until things really start going.
C: Same here, and it just ended so abruptly.
This is just fantastically directed and really pulls you in to liking Deku right of the bat (which trust me, isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do in a shonen series)
B: I know there are some people who aren’t fans, but that’s to be expected. Battle shonen is a niche genre anyway and I don’t think this episode is going to sell people on the story. But I’ve already been sold so that’s not an issue for me. I’m sticking with this one, obviously.
C: As I am, heart and soul.
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching, heart and soul
Bungou Stray Dogs
B: I was not expecting this one to be a comedy. But it is, and it’s fantastic, and I love it.
C: I have a feeling the constantly suicidal guy being played for laughs as going to rub a couple people the wrong way but as someone who’s been down that path, I am fine with it.
This is another show that I found to be very intriguing and given how vaguely named everyone’s powers are, I am very curious to see the ins and outs of how they work.
B: It’s definitely one that could end up losing me somewhere down the line, but it’s a show that’ll have to work at losing me rather than at winning me over. I suspect that if I drop this one, it’ll be late into the season and only because I’ve fallen behind too much.
C: I’ll stick with it for as long I can. My biggest concern is that I remember my feelings towards Stray Dogs being similar to that of my initial feelings towards Hamatora…and well, we all know how that turned out.
B: No we don’t because we haven’t seen it. But I feel like I get the picture.
C: It was a clusterfuck, Andy. And not the fun kind.
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
Endride
B: This show fucking rocks.
Oh, wait, I forgot a few words. What I meant to say was this show features a protagonist who fucking loves rocks.
That’s about all I ended up taking from this one.
C: All I remember from show is that there is a kid who loves rocks and an evil king who weilds a giant safety pin for a weapon.
B: I got halfway through that snorefest before I decided it wasn’t worth my time.
C: You decided to end your ride pretty quickly
B: Indeed. Did your ride end as well?
C: Indeed.
B: Good. Now that we’re done with this show, let us never make that awful joke again.
C: Indeed.
Buggy: Has ended his ride
Chris: His ride has ended
Ace Attorney
B: Well, the good news is that it’s just like the source material.
The bad news is that it’s just like the source material.
C: I just didn’t feel like there was any charm to it. It felt like it was a quick cash grab.
B: It’s so disappointing. It’s ugly and boring and is more concerned with making nods to the visual novel than to adapting it in a way that works in animation
It’s a hugely popular property, but it’s like A-1 didn’t even try.
C: The prosecution rests. This show is not good.
B: And yet I will keep coming back for more disappointment.
C: I might. The verdict is still out for me.
Buggy: Guilty of watching
Chris: The verdict is still out
Hundred
B: Surprisingly I actually got through a full episode of Hundred.
C: This show just screams light novel adaptation at the top of its lungs.
B: I’d say it doesn’t scream it at the top of its lungs as much as say through a megaphone in a loud but unenthusiastic voice. It’s all the badness of a light novel adaptation with none of the heart.
C: But all the silly names.
Needless to say, I dropped it.
B: I was willing to give it a second episode, but then realized that no, I actually wasn’t.
Buggy: Dropped
Chris: Dropped
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable
C: Let’s move on to a series where our support is, dare I say, unbreakable
B: I’m going to nitpick because I love JoJo and say that this first episode looked great but was, for the most part, a bit on the boring side. I only say that because I know that hype is sure to follow.
C: I wasn’t bored at all. I felt it gave us a good idea of what kind of person our new Jojo is.
B: “Boring” is a bit too strong a word, but I’m just not quite in full hype mode yet. Which is good, because it means my hype will probably only build from here. Anyway, of course I’ll keep watching it. It’s Motherfuckin’ JoJo.
C: Of course I’m sticking with Motherfuckin’ Jojo.
Buggy: Motherfuckin’ JoJo
Chris: Motherfuckin’ JoJo
Joker Game
C: I dig it. There’s a very nice appropriately unsettling mood for a very unsettling time period.
But goddamn Sakuma is such a naïve wet blanket.
B: I love how they establish the concept, if nothing else. The metaphor of the Joker Game for politics as a whole? Very strong moment.
C: A possible problem I can see in the future is that when you have spies that are blank slates made to adapt to anything…well, it makes them blank slates.
B: Yeah, one character like that is interesting, but it’s harder to pull off as an ensemble. We’ll have to see where it goes, though. I’ll be around long enough to see that.
C: It pulled me in enough to make me want to stick with it.
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
B: CHOO CHOO MOTHERFUCKER
C: I say one thing about this show. It looks like Araki had a fucking blast directing this.
B: THE KABANERI TRAIN HAS NO BRAKES
I don’t expect this show to be good. But it’s certainly going to be fun and hype as all hell.
…At least for roughly 8 episodes.
C: And it is gorgeously grimy
B: I will reluctantly stick with this one.
C: I have a feeling I’ll be in it for the long haul.
B: Same here. I just don’t like admitting I enjoyed it.
C: But the biggest question is how many scenes from this show will the internet set to music from Thomas the Tank Engine?
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
Kuma Miko
C: This is fucking adorable and I am in this for Natsu. However, I was totally unaware of the seinen label that AniChart had, so when I got to the second hat, I was totally blindsided when we got to the shrine maiden tale.
B: A lot of people felt pretty turned off by it. Not big fans of kumalingus.
C: Apparently not.
B: I was looking forward to it because it looked comfy. It’s more of a comedy instead, which isn’t what I was looking for. I’ll give it another shot or two, but I feel like it won’t be strong enough for me to make the final lineup.
C: My biggest fear is that it will have pacing issues, but I’ll see where it goes.
Buggy: Giving it another shot
Chris: Watching
Macross Δ
B: Chris, you watched Macross Triangle. I did not.
C: Oh boy, let me tell you about the wild ride I had.
So I wasn’t intending to watch this. I just clicked on it because I wanted to check out the opening and ending. Surprise, surprise, it didn’t have it. But the show started with exposition on how there’s a virus and it’s stirring up mass riots all over the universe and what-have-you. So I’m like, okay, you have my attention.
So I’m watching this, and inconsistent CGI, an annoying girl who wants to join an idol group, and a male protagonist who can make robots dance. And then a riot happens, so I’m like cool, lets get to the chaos.
So infected people in robots are shooting up the place and the defense force comes in, and it’s the idol group. But they aren’t in the jet-transforming mechs that Macross is known for. They go through this magical girl transformation and start a musical number.
So they’re fighting off the riot, they got these mech backup chorus line that fight for them and them these pretty boys show up and start causing trouble and a fight breaks out, and then annoying girl joins in and so does the MC and he is dodging bullets while dancing.
And all of this calamity is in like the last 10 minutes of the show!!!
B: So…is that an “it’s good” or an “it’s bad” or…?
C: I don’t know
I’m baffled.
I’m confused.
B: Sooooooo…should I watch it?
C: Fuck it, go ahead. I might keep it but it will be a sporadic watch.
Buggy: ???
Chris: Maybe watching sporadically?
Mayoiga
B: This is one I’m going to keep watching just to see every single one of these jackasses die horribly.
Except for Lion. Lion can stay.
C: Well, I was certainly right to be wary about a show that needed to be crowdfunded a month before airing
THEY CGI’D BUS SEATS AND YET SOMEHOW THAT IS NOT THE WORST USE OF CGI THIS SEASON!
B: It’s not a good show, but it takes itself just seriously enough that it might be so bad it’s enjoyable.
C: Oh I’m sticking with this show. I need a good laugh.
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
Netoge
B: …You know, it’s really ironic.
This show is actually bad enough that I’m giving it a second episode.
C: I’m just trying to figure out where the hell you go from here.
It’s like, oh cool, we’ve met each other in real life and the girl that’s my waifu has rockin’ tits…what now?
B: I honestly find her extremely obnoxious.
C: It was on and off with me. I can at least relate with her because I feel that I too would be responsible for many accidental deaths.
B: I don’t know how long I’ll stick with this, but it was really fun to riff on so I’ll give it another episode.
C: I actually kind of liked the first half. I may stick with it for the sake of riffing as well.
Buggy: On the ropes
Chris: Might keep it to riff
Re:Zero
B: I’m surprised that I don’t hate this one.
C: I have so many mixed feelings.
B: It’s a fantasy time travel story, so it’s at least earned me a few more episodes to see where it goes.
C: The first half dragged on, but then picked in the second half but you could have easily trimmed 15 to 20 minutes off of that. And the dialogue was too self-aware at points.
B: I’m willing to give it a second chance.
C: So am I. It saved itself with the second half.
On a side note, Re:Zero wins this season’s award for Most Egregious Use of CGI. Animating chandeliers shaking and coins falling out of a bag were apparently too much work for them.
B: And all those computer-generated furries in the background….
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
Cerberus
B: Yaaaaaaaaaawn.
C: I’m going to be honest: I don’t remember a damn thing about that show.
B: Let’s forget we even watched it.
Buggy: Dropped and forgotten
Chris: Dropped and forgotten
Twin Star Exorcists
C: You know what? I’m giving it a second chance. I liked the fights.
B: You told me it wouldn’t be edgy, Chris. You lied to me.
I don’t know. There looked like there was a lot of stuff to like about that show. The direction and character designs looked pretty good. I just didn’t find it interesting and the protagonist annoyed me. I stopped about halfway through the episode.
C: I give the protagonist the benefit of the doubt with his behavior. If I acted like a shonen hero and got all of my friends killed, I’d be pretty pissy too.
Buggy: Dropped
Chris: Watching
Super Lovers
B: Super Lovers is…not as bad as I thought it would be.
Which only serves to make that awkward dark cloud hanging over it all the more uncomfortable.
C: Looks like it is going to its sweet time before it gets really skeevy. And I honestly have no idea what makes them SUPER Lovers.
B: I’m…going to give it a second episode. Because God help me I’m legitimately invested in Ren’s character arc.
C: I shall reluctantly do the same.
Buggy: Watching, but feeling horrible about it
Chris: Reluctantly watching. Very reluctantly.
Terraformars Revenge
B: Hey Chris, remember when I said I’d watch S2 of Terraformars?
C: Yes.
B: I lied.
Buggy: Lied about picking it up
Chris: Never said he’d pick it up in the first place
Crane Game Girls
C: Didn’t do much for me.
B: I’m not going to bother.
C: Although I am keeping “Our manage is a gorilla??” as a potential LN title.
B: It’s got pretty good animation for a 1-person YouTube project! Or I guess this is Japan, so NicoNico Douga.
C: Is that what it is?
B: Uh…no. But if it were, it’d maybe be more respectable!
You keeping or dropping?
C: In this giant crane game metaphor that is life, I’m dropping it.
Buggy: Dropped
Chris: Dropped
Kagewani II
C: Vagina owl!
B: I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes. I may not keep up with it every week, but if nothing else I’ll marathon the whole thing when it’s over.
C: Same here. I also liked the apparent red herring of the reporter being a new character.
B: Yeah, I genuinely thought he was going to be our new protagonist.
The show may not be fantastic-looking, but I think it’s otherwise a surprisingly good show.
C: It knows how to create atmosphere which is something a lot of horror series and movies as of late tend to fail at.
Buggy: Watching, or at least marathoning it once it’s over
Chris: Watching, or at least marathoning it once it’s over
Pan de Peace
B: This one’s short enough and enjoyable enough that I’ll probably stick with it.
C: A whole lot of fluff but I will support my fellow carb enthusiasts and stick with it.
B: But I did see a coronet, and I swear, if they start talking about which end of it to eat first….
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
C: Before we continue, I watched Onigiri and Ragnastrike Angels.
Onigiri was just too much to try to take in in three minutes and there were boobs flying around.
Ragnastrike Angels is quite literally a 40 second multi-part commercial. It shouldn’t even be on the list.
B: Huh.
Buggy: Didn’t watch either
Chris: Dropped both
Space Patrol Luluco
B: Based Trigger has saved anime again.
C: I had great time space-watching this space-anime on my space-laptop.
Space.
B: No substance. But it’s really, really fun.
C: I know I’m going to have a ball watching this
Buggy: Watching
Chris: Watching
And that does it for this edition of Dropped! Tune in next week as we add in a few more shows and begin to make the hard cuts to solidify our watch lists.