SPRING SEASON IN REVIEW – 2015

Spring gave anime fans a bounty of titles to look forward to, featuring series with longer pasts than a huge chunk of the viewerbase. Powerhouses like Ghost in the Shell, the Fate series, and a Haruhi spin-off landed along many lesser-known (but now just as loved) stories. Yet no matter how great they used to be, some veteran series found themselves being overshadowed by the rookies.

Plastic Memories

It’s seldom that an animation has the daring to take on genuine challenges of life past the feel-good nature of friendship, but Memories courageously shouldered the burden of mortality. Not only does the series ask important questions about death, it takes a very rare risk by attempting to give its own answers.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?

Not only is it completely acceptable to pick up girls in a Dungeon, but for Bell Cranel it’s as easy as killing a level one monster. Bell’s status as an irresistible ball of kitten-like adorableness manages to avoid leading the series into a mindless train of harem, but just barely.

Seraph of the End

Seraph is a series that did a lot of things right. The show rocketed out of the gates to the slaughter of thousands of people and was seemingly unafraid to rip the plot armor away from almost anyone. The powerhungry nature of the villains and the less-than-noble desires of the main character were all laid quickly bare to set an intense stage. Despite this, Seraph’s reception has been divided.

Triage X

Triage X would be a fine candidate for the most improved animation of the season. Many of the problems plaguing the first few episodes were fixed throughout the series to ramp up its overall quality.

Blood Blockade Battlefront

Battlefront stood out from the crowd within its first few episodes, diving into an interesting world with a diverse set of characters. The world of interdimensional monsters living alongside humans feels natural, the story makes a surprising amount of sense given its randomness, and it’s probably the most beautiful eye-candy of the season.

Show by Rock!!

Show by Rock is a musical adventure sporting everything from simple pop concerts to blasting away monsters from alternate realities through the mighty power of guitar shredding. The surreal story follows a young girl and her newly formed bad as they struggle to gain notoriety and become the best gig in town.

Punchline

Punchline is so intentionally ridiculous that it’s impossible to take a second of it seriously. When the show is trying to set up any kind of story or plotline, we find ourselves just waiting for the next terrible pun or slapstick gag. This makes for some fantastic moments that will have you feeling like an imbecile for laughing so hard at something so idiotic.