[Silencer]

Wow, not going to lie, reading the overview on TV Tropes about Sakura Quest was a real rollercoaster of interest. Up, down, up, sideways, loop-the-loop. The basic premise? Sounds good. Bit more detail? Sounds kinda awkward and terrible. But some of the themes? Cool. Oh, it's a "spiritual successor" to Shirobako?!?!?

Now I'm torn. I absolutely love Shirobako, but outside of the initial "struggling to find work and adapt to a new place to live" the plot sounds kinda off-putting to me. Which seems familiar, and it is, because Hanasaku Iroha (mentioned in the same paragraph as Shirobako on Tropes) basically did the same thing to me when I read that page. Hmmm...

[D'rek]

Maark Abbott, on 04 January 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:

For the sake of argument, let's say the top 5 are:

Sakura Quest
Ancient Magus Bride
Hajimete no Gal
New Game!! S2
KonoSuba S2

You can probably change the bottom three about as they're all on par with each other. New Game season 1 was a lot stronger, mind.

So you're saying you really like ensemble cast comedies/dramedies (and also Magus Bride)

[D'rek]

@Silencer - Sakura Quest is, like, intentionally boring, in a way, and it needs to be in order to emphasize the sedate pace of rural living. PA Works is headquartered out in the countryside, after all, I'm sure there was at least an undertone of "let's show people how pleasant it is out here" if not some outright sponsorship money thrown into the project by rural tourism groups. So the whole show is relatively subdued in its pace and emotions. Plus it goes for realism where plenty of other drama anime nevertheless have violent slapstick, giant robots, explosions, etc.

So there was always going to be a lot of fans critiquing it for not being very exciting. Every realistic and/or sedate anime gets that. But if you enjoy calm, more mature drama/dramedy then Sakura Quest is pretty good. As Maark said, it has a fantastic mix of believable success and failure, getting you engaged in the characters' attempts to revive the town and having no idea if each new project will actually work or not.

The Shirobako connection is... overstated. I think it's more of a marketing gimmick than anything (especially with how PA Works then bundled in Hanasaku Iroha to call it the "working girls trilogy"). Sakura Quest is still goofy in spots but it doesn't go for the fantasy elements like Shirobako, and SQ's structure is more of a long single construction instead of Shirobako's various sudden crisis events. The personal character struggles and cast dynamics have a much different style to them, too. Personally, I think Shirobako is the superior show, but that's not a slight on SQ at all - practically nothing is as good as Shirobako!

If anything, I'd say SQ is more like Flying Witch than Shirobako in a lot of ways.

Maark Abbott, on 04 January 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:

S1-18: I've picked up ' A Place Further Than The Universe" which up until this morning at least was the sole 2018 new season upload on Crunchyroll. Artwork in a similar style to Anime-Gataris, and the storyline is about a listless young lass who finds herself drawn into an expedition to Antarctica, amidst a subtext that I imagine involves helping a new friend to find their missing mother. Episode 1 was pretty strong so I'll be interested to see where this one goes!

Woah! How have I not heard of this yet, that sounds amazing. I'm definitely checking this out!

[D'rek]

(Triple poooooooooooooooooooooost!)


So I gave it some thought and my top 5 for 2017 are going to be:

The Dragon Dentist
Re:Creators
Sakura Quest
Urara Meirochou
Ancien and the Magic Tablet (which I totally forgot to post about in this thread when I saw it... oops)


With the caveats that:

{a} Princess Principal would easily have made the list, if only they'd announced a forthcoming season 2 by now (but without a continuation that ending grates too much). And paradoxically, Urara Meirochou only tenuously made the top 5 despite it not getting a second season announcement (it's ending wasn't so bad, but it also could really use a continuation to make the story more complete).

{b} I basically dropped Ancient Magus Bride around episode 5 because I was finding it boring and realized they're never going to actually talk about the whole bride thing. I've been meaning to get back to it, but keep lacking motivation to do so.

{c} I have not yet seen Made in Abyss, Land of the Lustrous, or Tsuki ga Kirei, which lots of people have been raving about. There's a good chance at least one of those will overtake one of the above. Also Rakugo season 2, but I still haven't seen season 1.

{d} I have also not yet seen The Night is Short Walk on Girl, Lu Over the Wall, two major movies I expect I am really going to like.


Honourable mentions to Food Wars S3 which was hella entertaining with a huge drop in animation quality, to Atom:The Beginning for having the audacity to try and add a prequel to the holy Astro Boy and turning out pretty alright, and to Attack on Titan S2 for actually living up to the four years of hype for me. Also Chinese MMO Batman.


Worst Five (that I watched at least a third of):

Love Tyrant
Kado
Masamune's Revenge
Seiren
SukaSuka

[LinearPhilosopher]

Re creators gets my pick for show of the year, though more the caveat that MHA technically started in 2017. Otherwise MHA in a heartbeat.

still 2/3 of the way through made in abyss but im really enjoying it thus far, though it does take a while to draw you in, and i need to watch land of the lustrous.


Other good shows
AOT season 2
Tanya Saga of the Evil
Princess Principal


Overall 2017 was a good year.Quite a few gems and here to 2018 being better.

Watching update:
Finished Magus bride: It was interesting, it had it moments of cool and the show is beautfiul to look at. But it won't have any lasting impact on my mind.

Made in abyss: Really like this ozen character liking how the more we find out about the world, the more the mysteries draw you in.

[D'rek]

D, on 04 January 2018 - 05:39 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 04 January 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:

S1-18: I've picked up ' A Place Further Than The Universe" which up until this morning at least was the sole 2018 new season upload on Crunchyroll. Artwork in a similar style to Anime-Gataris, and the storyline is about a listless young lass who finds herself drawn into an expedition to Antarctica, amidst a subtext that I imagine involves helping a new friend to find their missing mother. Episode 1 was pretty strong so I'll be interested to see where this one goes!

Woah! How have I not heard of this yet, that sounds amazing. I'm definitely checking this out!

Just watched the first episode. I'm in love, that was sooooooooo gooooooood. If they keep this up it'll be in my top 5 ever. OMG OMG OMG OMG

[Maark Abbott]

Silencer, on 04 January 2018 - 10:00 AM, said:

Wow, not going to lie, reading the overview on TV Tropes about Sakura Quest was a real rollercoaster of interest. Up, down, up, sideways, loop-the-loop. The basic premise? Sounds good. Bit more detail? Sounds kinda awkward and terrible. But some of the themes? Cool. Oh, it's a "spiritual successor" to Shirobako?!?!?

Now I'm torn. I absolutely love Shirobako, but outside of the initial "struggling to find work and adapt to a new place to live" the plot sounds kinda off-putting to me. Which seems familiar, and it is, because Hanasaku Iroha (mentioned in the same paragraph as Shirobako on Tropes) basically did the same thing to me when I read that page. Hmmm...

The characters make it very worthwhile. Additionally, I've actually gone through a location transition in much the same way as the MC so there was the personal aspect of it.

D, on 04 January 2018 - 05:38 PM, said:

Maark Abbott, on 04 January 2018 - 08:56 AM, said:

For the sake of argument, let's say the top 5 are:

Sakura Quest
Ancient Magus Bride
Hajimete no Gal
New Game!! S2
KonoSuba S2

You can probably change the bottom three about as they're all on par with each other. New Game season 1 was a lot stronger, mind.

So you're saying you really like ensemble cast comedies/dramedies (and also Magus Bride)

Yes, pretty much. Although I'd actually forgotten that Youjo Senki released last year too so add that in. Aho-Girl too. I like me comedies. Gabriel DropOut was up there as well.

On that note: picked up Ramen Daisuki Koizuki-san. I need something zany on the seasonals and this may fit the bill.

[D'rek]

Devilman Crybaby just arrived on Netflix and it's all sorts of fucked up (in a good way... probably?). You need to see this to believe it.

[Maark Abbott]

I'll have a looksee, D'rek. Once I get the wife's Netflix login again anyway...

Picked up a few extra seasonals:

Record of Grancrest War
Citrus

And Izetta still makes me cry.

[Dolmen 2.0]

My top 5 of 2017 is still being developed but here's what I thought.

I like the slice of life, Shounen, anime movies, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Comedy genres.

I picked an anime that topped each category, so I went for a top 6 with no order in mind.

Slice of life pick: New Game!!

Beating Sakura Quest by a Margin because I just like and relate strongly to the passions of the characters which had me invested in the story. It was believable and interesting. It took a predominantly male work situation and added a feminine perspective that encouraged women. I think it deserves some praise for doing this without taking itself too seriously.

Shounen Pick: My Hero Academia

Because MHA did things with the story with single episodes that other shounen fail to justify in entire seasons. It's by the book Shounen but its well done, carefully considering what it's trying to represent with its characters. I haven't watched Re: Creators which might fill this spot because I love anything Sawano Hiroyuki scores and the fights looked like a variation of Fate Zero. I did not Enjoy attack on Titan S2 as much as everyone else. I read ahead and I still love the story but the hypes gone. Boruto is pretty ok. DBS is good popcorn but none of the shounen had me glued to the screen like MHA.

Anime Movie Pick: Your Name.

Why? Because I cant explain the story to anyone without taking a moment to let the feels coast by.

Sci-Fi Pick: Atom: The beginning

Because animation fluidity and brilliant characterization hinting at how it all started for the fathers also had a ton of lovely easter eggs, I really enjoyed.

Fantasy/Supernatural Pick:Made in the Abyss/Kizumonogatari
Very open category. Magus Bride was a good watch as was the Kizumonogatari OVAs. I'm thinking of giving this to Made in Abyss. Watch it to see why. It was a hidden gem in truth and so much like Grimgar but even more jarring to the feels. actually its a draw. because Vampire brawls still haven't gotten old and Dungeon Diving is not all rainbows. if someone could mash these shows into one it would be the perfect Anime.

Comedy Pick: Konosuba S2

It was genuinely hilarious throughout the Anime. Also, we rarely see such high-quality Explosion Sakuga. Season 2 was a lovely continuation from last season, possibly stronger than season 1 which was rare.

This post has been edited by Dolmen 2.0: 06 January 2018 - 11:51 PM

[D'rek]

Dolmen 2.0, on 06 January 2018 - 11:51 PM, said:

Anime Movie Pick: Your Name.

Why? Because I cant explain the story to anyone without taking a moment to let the feels coast by.

But that was 2016?

[Silencer]

D, on 07 January 2018 - 12:37 AM, said:

Dolmen 2.0, on 06 January 2018 - 11:51 PM, said:

Anime Movie Pick: Your Name.

Why? Because I cant explain the story to anyone without taking a moment to let the feels coast by.

But that was 2016?

Movie of the Year, every year, forever. XD

[Dolmen 2.0]

D, on 07 January 2018 - 12:37 AM, said:

Dolmen 2.0, on 06 January 2018 - 11:51 PM, said:

Anime Movie Pick: Your Name.

Why? Because I cant explain the story to anyone without taking a moment to let the feels coast by.

But that was 2016?

I watched it in 2017 If I recall correctly but also what Silencer said.

[LinearPhilosopher]

So grancrest war any good? will also be checking out A Place Further Than the Universe

Im also interested in the Junji Ito collection. Apparently his short stories are top notch in terms of horror.

This post has been edited by LinearPhilosopher: 08 January 2018 - 03:20 PM

[D'rek]

Dolmen 2.0, on 07 January 2018 - 04:57 AM, said:

D, on 07 January 2018 - 12:37 AM, said:

Dolmen 2.0, on 06 January 2018 - 11:51 PM, said:

Anime Movie Pick: Your Name.

Why? Because I cant explain the story to anyone without taking a moment to let the feels coast by.

But that was 2016?

I watched it in 2017 If I recall correctly but also what Silencer said.

Well if we're counting things we saw in 2017 that would change my list a LOT

Briar King, on 08 January 2018 - 04:54 PM, said:

I keep getting these ads for these dumb as fuck looking COOKING anime shows. I can’t tell if they are trying to be serious or not. I’m not willing to find out....

Well, what cooking anime shows are they? Some are actually really good!

Briar King, on 08 January 2018 - 04:55 PM, said:

Oh is Bladerunner 2022 good?

I liked it! It's just a short little prologue for the movie so nothing huge, but I thought it had some gorgeous bits.

[D'rek]

Briar King, on 08 January 2018 - 06:21 PM, said:

Food Wars is one and I saw another. They made me cringe watching ads

Because of the foodgasms?

[LinearPhilosopher]

Briar King, on 08 January 2018 - 04:55 PM, said:

Oh is Bladerunner 2022 good?

if you're a fan of the franchise sure. It was done be villeneuve as a bridge between the original and the recent sequal. Its about 10 mins so not terribly long.

[Maark Abbott]

LinearPhilosopher, on 08 January 2018 - 03:17 PM, said:

So grancrest war any good? will also be checking out A Place Further Than the Universe

Im also interested in the Junji Ito collection. Apparently his short stories are top notch in terms of horror.

Further... had great potential episode one. Same with Grancrest - too early to see if it'll actually be good or not yet but certainly the potential. The magic system is really cool.

[Dolmen 2.0]

So I thought I'd just slide by and suggest a slice of life anime I picked up yesterday.

Its called Servant x Service(2013).

It's all about Civil servants new to the job trying to figure their roles out. I don't want to explain too much but the reasons why they find themselves working are pretty funny and very relatable. If you liked New Game! or maybe Sakura Quest this might be interesting to watch if you guys haven't seen it already.

2013 was a dark time for me Anime-wise, it was all one Naruto shaped blur...

[Silencer]

Dolmen 2.0, on 09 January 2018 - 09:36 AM, said:

So I thought I'd just slide by and suggest a slice of life anime I picked up yesterday.

Its called Servant x Service(2013).

It's all about Civil servants new to the job trying to figure their roles out. I don't want to explain too much but the reasons why they find themselves working are pretty funny and very relatable. If you liked New Game! or maybe Sakura Quest this might be interesting to watch if you guys haven't seen it already.

2013 was a dark time for me Anime-wise, it was all one Naruto shaped blur...

Oh yeah, I quite liked that one. Made by the same people as Working! Which is also good.