I actually did watched Joshiraku but decided to drop it on the first episode not because it was bad but I believe that one needs to truly understand the Japanese's culture and language to be able fully to enjoy this series. I just feel that subs isn't really applicable to the series. Therefore I will not be reviewing it for this post. Also, sorry that I took quite a long time for the 2nd part. Had some personal issues going on. Sorry about that.
Yup! This is the 2nd season of the wacky short 3mins production, Yurumates 3D. For this season, it continues with the usual lifelessness of Yurume and her dorm mates, however with a new character that was introduced near the end of the first series. It is none other than Sae's imouto, voiced by Ayane Taketatsu.
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| Green:Matsukichi, Orange:Kumi, Blue:Sae + imouto, Pink:Yurume [source] |
For those who did not know it yet, Yurumates 3D is a Slice-of-Life Comedy series that runs for around 3 mins each episode. The 'plot' is about Yurume, who is preparing for the Tokyo University's acceptance exam. She meets her apartment mates, Matsukichi, Sae and Kumi who are all trying to get accepted into the college, though they have failed numerous times before...
Well, there isn't actually much of a plot in the series let alone seeing the characters actually preparing for their exams... All they are actually doing are lazing around and enjoying their time. The main attention of this series would be its gags. Although on some occasion, you might need to do some deep thinking to understand what the joke is about, I would say it is pretty good (comedy-wise) overall.
I would recommend it to comedy lovers and those that doesn't mind spending 3mins of their life each week on the series. Definitely not for someone who has an over-serious mindset.
Again, as this series isn't a full ~30mins running series, I would rate it based on the "laughable meter" and "fascinating meter. I would give it a 7 for the laughable meter and 6 for the fascinating meter, which would add up in total of a 6.5 on average.
Yuru Yuri ♪♪ - #yuruyuri
Yuruyuri, Hajimari yo~ Yes! This is the 2nd season of Yuruyuri previously announced. Had a lot of fun watching the first series and unbelievably had an even greater time enjoying the new season! That previous episode's ED animation by Chinatsu is just too wwwwww!
Okay, Yuruyuri is a Slice-of-Life Comedy with quite some Shoujo-Ai themes. Anyway, there isn't much of a plot in this series... It's more about the four main girls having fun and enjoying their time with of course some other minor but important characters from time to time as well. It gets better on every episode I would say. The previous two episode(introduction of the Onee-chans and Imoutos, Chinatsu-featured episode) was just simply too awesome.
Comedy-wise I would actually say that it deserves at least a 8.5 this season and at least a 7 for the previous. It is just too good to be missed if you are a comedy lover. Just a single episode intro by Akari-chan almost made me laugh my stomach out! Her dango missiles is just way too coooooool. Will definitely recommend this series for those who loves comedy, all the fun in anime and moeblobs lover~ Also, off-topic but my favorite character would be Himawari, favorite gag character would be Akari, favorite sister pair would be Himawari and her imouto + Akari and her siscon onee-chan.
Rating the series, I would give it a 6.2 for the plot(not much plot so I am rating it on how smooth the episodes went), 7.4 for its art(the ending of episode 8 shows that how good this series is even with Chinatsu's art 'talent' for the animation), 8.7 for the characters(Just look at Akari and how goods the staff have done her expressions) and finally 7.7 for the audio/sounds (the sound effects in the series is actually pretty good. The seiyuu cast are awesome too~ Theme songs are above average as well.) Overall, I would give the series a 7.5 overall but seriously the second season deserves waaaaay higher!
Okay, Yuruyuri is a Slice-of-Life Comedy with quite some Shoujo-Ai themes. Anyway, there isn't much of a plot in this series... It's more about the four main girls having fun and enjoying their time with of course some other minor but important characters from time to time as well. It gets better on every episode I would say. The previous two episode(introduction of the Onee-chans and Imoutos, Chinatsu-featured episode) was just simply too awesome.
Comedy-wise I would actually say that it deserves at least a 8.5 this season and at least a 7 for the previous. It is just too good to be missed if you are a comedy lover. Just a single episode intro by Akari-chan almost made me laugh my stomach out! Her dango missiles is just way too coooooool. Will definitely recommend this series for those who loves comedy, all the fun in anime and moeblobs lover~ Also, off-topic but my favorite character would be Himawari, favorite gag character would be Akari, favorite sister pair would be Himawari and her imouto + Akari and her siscon onee-chan.
Rating the series, I would give it a 6.2 for the plot(not much plot so I am rating it on how smooth the episodes went), 7.4 for its art(the ending of episode 8 shows that how good this series is even with Chinatsu's art 'talent' for the animation), 8.7 for the characters(Just look at Akari and how goods the staff have done her expressions) and finally 7.7 for the audio/sounds (the sound effects in the series is actually pretty good. The seiyuu cast are awesome too~ Theme songs are above average as well.) Overall, I would give the series a 7.5 overall but seriously the second season deserves waaaaay higher!
Binbougami ga! - #binbougamiga
Another comedy in the season but this one focusing more on parodies. I actually didn't thought it would be any good of a series because of the under-promotions of it before the season starts and also I find it limited in the sense that I don't think it could get that far. However, after hearing from my friend the first few parts in the manga, I actually have high hopes for it. I am actually impressed by the first and subsequent episodes but was a little disappointed in a few things.
This is a Parody Comedy with a Supernatural theme. The plot is that Sakura Ichiko is a girl so lucky that she is constantly absorbing luck from those around her and this has been endangering those who are around her. Momoji, the Bimbougami(God of Misfortune) has been sent to the mortal world to fix this imbalance. However Sakura do not wish to cooperate with her, so the Bimbougami had to find a way to 'outluck' Ichiko and suck her fortune away.
The commendable and better random parodies of the series would be the Dragonball and Fist of the North Star. However, I believe that this series is (badly) imbalanced in its plot and comedy in the sense that it often gets into a serious mood all of a sudden and vice versa. Also, a series can't survive on just pure parody in its comedy. This series is almost at that stage and that made me felt quite 'limited' (like what I have predicted) while watching. Indeed I am enjoying the episodes but in the recent episode, the comedies almost did not managed to entertain me anymore. Not sure if they are rushing to end the series on time or... But hopefully it will be good for the rest of the episodes.
I will recommend it to parodies lovers and not so much for 'pure' comedy lovers, because it is the parodies that are the more fun part of this series. Probably will not recommend it to those who have a 'refined' taste in anime and those that hates everything comedy.
Plot-wise I would say it is kind of generic except the "luck" element part of the series which has also been used quite some times before. Therefore I will give it a 5.6 for plot, 7.3 for the art(the series knows when and where to apply those 'extra' graphics for the parody and the animation is pretty decent too), 7.2 for the characters(I would say the character design is strong, but they definitely have lots of unique traits, also I personally thinks that the staff has done a pretty good job in the character animations, especially with the lots of parody), and 7 for the audio/sounds(still can't believe the OP is done by a male... Piko's 'feminine' voice is seriously too real that it is almost creepy. The ED isn't bad also. Seiyuu Cast... I would say only half of them are suited for their characters on average.).
This is a Parody Comedy with a Supernatural theme. The plot is that Sakura Ichiko is a girl so lucky that she is constantly absorbing luck from those around her and this has been endangering those who are around her. Momoji, the Bimbougami(God of Misfortune) has been sent to the mortal world to fix this imbalance. However Sakura do not wish to cooperate with her, so the Bimbougami had to find a way to 'outluck' Ichiko and suck her fortune away.
The commendable and better random parodies of the series would be the Dragonball and Fist of the North Star. However, I believe that this series is (badly) imbalanced in its plot and comedy in the sense that it often gets into a serious mood all of a sudden and vice versa. Also, a series can't survive on just pure parody in its comedy. This series is almost at that stage and that made me felt quite 'limited' (like what I have predicted) while watching. Indeed I am enjoying the episodes but in the recent episode, the comedies almost did not managed to entertain me anymore. Not sure if they are rushing to end the series on time or... But hopefully it will be good for the rest of the episodes.
I will recommend it to parodies lovers and not so much for 'pure' comedy lovers, because it is the parodies that are the more fun part of this series. Probably will not recommend it to those who have a 'refined' taste in anime and those that hates everything comedy.
Plot-wise I would say it is kind of generic except the "luck" element part of the series which has also been used quite some times before. Therefore I will give it a 5.6 for plot, 7.3 for the art(the series knows when and where to apply those 'extra' graphics for the parody and the animation is pretty decent too), 7.2 for the characters(I would say the character design is strong, but they definitely have lots of unique traits, also I personally thinks that the staff has done a pretty good job in the character animations, especially with the lots of parody), and 7 for the audio/sounds(still can't believe the OP is done by a male... Piko's 'feminine' voice is seriously too real that it is almost creepy. The ED isn't bad also. Seiyuu Cast... I would say only half of them are suited for their characters on average.).
Moyashimon Returns - #moyashimonR
I rushed to finish up the first season of the series and it was great! I love the Microbe Theater at the end of the show a lot. The comedy/plot balance is just on the right scale. However, it seems that this season focuses a little more on the plot.
Moyashimon Returns is the 2nd season of the Moyashimon series back in 2007. This series is a School-based Comedy. Sawaki is a boy who has the ability to see and communicate with microbe. Together with his best friend, Yuuki Kei, they attended the Agriculture University. They met Prof. Itsuki, a professor in the school, Haruka, Kawahama, Misato, Aoi, Oikawa and many others and this triggered a totally different university life than what they have expected.
I wouldn't say that the series have a strong plot but it definitely isn't a bad one. I believe that the balance between the comedy and plot is pretty well done. However, that was for the case of the first season. The second however feel a little more serious. If you have noticed, there are some obvious though not that major changes in the character art as compared to the first. Well, this is after all a season season after the gap of 5 years! I bet most of the animation staff changed. We are in fact quite lucky that the seiyuu cast remained the same from the previous season.
All in all, the second season continues the story from where it had ended previously. The series is also quite educational as one will be able to learn about the different microbes as well as the different fermentation processes and delicacies. For those who have seen the first season but not the second yet, the microbe theater does indeed remain as a feature of the show right at the end. However, I would say that it changed a lot. Can't really explain how it changed but you should be able to tell the difference if you have watched them. I would recommend it to those that would want some comedy in the all-so-serious plot.
I would rate it a 7 for the plot, 7.3 for the art, 7.6 for the characters(including the microbes) and finally 7.2 for the audio/sounds(the ED is actually similar to that of element hunter. The OP is performed by Claris, which i find it quite unexpected. Seiyuu cast wise is pretty decent.) Therefore the total average score I would give the series is a 7.3 however I feel that some episodes, especially those in the first season deserves a much higher rating.
Moyashimon Returns is the 2nd season of the Moyashimon series back in 2007. This series is a School-based Comedy. Sawaki is a boy who has the ability to see and communicate with microbe. Together with his best friend, Yuuki Kei, they attended the Agriculture University. They met Prof. Itsuki, a professor in the school, Haruka, Kawahama, Misato, Aoi, Oikawa and many others and this triggered a totally different university life than what they have expected.
I wouldn't say that the series have a strong plot but it definitely isn't a bad one. I believe that the balance between the comedy and plot is pretty well done. However, that was for the case of the first season. The second however feel a little more serious. If you have noticed, there are some obvious though not that major changes in the character art as compared to the first. Well, this is after all a season season after the gap of 5 years! I bet most of the animation staff changed. We are in fact quite lucky that the seiyuu cast remained the same from the previous season.
All in all, the second season continues the story from where it had ended previously. The series is also quite educational as one will be able to learn about the different microbes as well as the different fermentation processes and delicacies. For those who have seen the first season but not the second yet, the microbe theater does indeed remain as a feature of the show right at the end. However, I would say that it changed a lot. Can't really explain how it changed but you should be able to tell the difference if you have watched them. I would recommend it to those that would want some comedy in the all-so-serious plot.
I would rate it a 7 for the plot, 7.3 for the art, 7.6 for the characters(including the microbes) and finally 7.2 for the audio/sounds(the ED is actually similar to that of element hunter. The OP is performed by Claris, which i find it quite unexpected. Seiyuu cast wise is pretty decent.) Therefore the total average score I would give the series is a 7.3 however I feel that some episodes, especially those in the first season deserves a much higher rating.
Natsuyuki Rendezvous - #natsuyukitv
In the beginning I was just watching the series out of pure curiosity. After around 3 episodes, it kind of looked great and I decided to watch it. However, it seems to me that the entire series is in a single constant mood. People called this the summer Sakamichi no Apollon, but I would definitely beg to differ!
Natsuyuki Rendezvous is a Romance Drama, a very 'different' kind in fact. The main characters are Hazuki, Rokka and Shimao. Let me first explain the relationship between the characters. Shimao is Rokka's late husband and Hazuki is Rokka's secret admirer. He later made advances on Rokka and they became a new couple. However, this is not that all. Apparently, Shimao has not pass on to the afterlife and is still lingering at the mortal world watching over Rokka. Rokka could not see him but Hazuki could. As Hazuki could see him, Shimao decided to do whatever he can to stop him and Rokka's relationship, although he also feels that Rokka deserves a new man in her life. Much into the story, we realize that Rokka actually still have a deep feeling for her husband and feels guilty in the relationship with Hazuki.
From the short summary of the series I just did, if you are not confused by it, it seems like quite an interesting series isn't it? However, I have no idea why is it that the entire series seems sooooo "dead" to me. It's like I am watching a big merry go round. I personally thinks that the mood in the series is much too constant and blue. Maybe that's how it is suppose to be, but I personally thinks that it should not be that way as it is much too negative. Perhaps they can include a few episode that starts and ends positively, i don't know. Also, I personally do not feel a 'sense of commitment' in the series. I have not have the feeling of "Oh I really want to know what will happen next!" in the series.
I would recommend it to really hardcore(experienced) romance watcher because I have a very good feeling that most starter of romance would not be able to have a deep feel of it(I personally thinks that I am not a veteran and neither a newbie either). I would not recommend it to those that dislike romance, those that gets bored easily with excessive dialogue as the plot and those that do not like to think(not that there are thinking required for this series but I just feels that one needs to be able to process what they have watched that week and than do a flashback to consolidate with the rest).
I would give it a 7.3 for the plot(was going to give it at least a 7.5 but main reason for the final verdict lies in the negative atmosphere i get), 7.6 for the art(not bad but nothing unique about it except the flowers and the "art book" world, because the whole series mostly happens in the shop house), 7.2 for the sounds/audio(the ED by aimer is really good, the OP has the series feel too but I believe they should not use the same "blue" kind of songs for both OP and ED. Seiyuu cast not much to comment, it is not bad, BGM and SFX wise nothing special.), and lastly a 7 for the characters(too little expression and too much monologue). The total overall would be 7.3
Natsuyuki Rendezvous is a Romance Drama, a very 'different' kind in fact. The main characters are Hazuki, Rokka and Shimao. Let me first explain the relationship between the characters. Shimao is Rokka's late husband and Hazuki is Rokka's secret admirer. He later made advances on Rokka and they became a new couple. However, this is not that all. Apparently, Shimao has not pass on to the afterlife and is still lingering at the mortal world watching over Rokka. Rokka could not see him but Hazuki could. As Hazuki could see him, Shimao decided to do whatever he can to stop him and Rokka's relationship, although he also feels that Rokka deserves a new man in her life. Much into the story, we realize that Rokka actually still have a deep feeling for her husband and feels guilty in the relationship with Hazuki.
From the short summary of the series I just did, if you are not confused by it, it seems like quite an interesting series isn't it? However, I have no idea why is it that the entire series seems sooooo "dead" to me. It's like I am watching a big merry go round. I personally thinks that the mood in the series is much too constant and blue. Maybe that's how it is suppose to be, but I personally thinks that it should not be that way as it is much too negative. Perhaps they can include a few episode that starts and ends positively, i don't know. Also, I personally do not feel a 'sense of commitment' in the series. I have not have the feeling of "Oh I really want to know what will happen next!" in the series.
I would recommend it to really hardcore(experienced) romance watcher because I have a very good feeling that most starter of romance would not be able to have a deep feel of it(I personally thinks that I am not a veteran and neither a newbie either). I would not recommend it to those that dislike romance, those that gets bored easily with excessive dialogue as the plot and those that do not like to think(not that there are thinking required for this series but I just feels that one needs to be able to process what they have watched that week and than do a flashback to consolidate with the rest).
I would give it a 7.3 for the plot(was going to give it at least a 7.5 but main reason for the final verdict lies in the negative atmosphere i get), 7.6 for the art(not bad but nothing unique about it except the flowers and the "art book" world, because the whole series mostly happens in the shop house), 7.2 for the sounds/audio(the ED by aimer is really good, the OP has the series feel too but I believe they should not use the same "blue" kind of songs for both OP and ED. Seiyuu cast not much to comment, it is not bad, BGM and SFX wise nothing special.), and lastly a 7 for the characters(too little expression and too much monologue). The total overall would be 7.3
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate - #koichoco
Koi to Senkyo to Chocolate is a Visual Novel adapted Romance Drama with a little bit of harem. The focus of the series is on the Food Research Club and of course the Election. Satsuki Shinonome(the girl on the far right), who is in the student council and also the head of the finance department, is one of the candidate to be the next student council president. She made a proposal to abolish 'useless' clubs that are nothing but a waste of resources. Food Research Club just happens to be in the list. In order to save the club, the member elected Yuuki Oojima to join the presidency election as well. They managed to get the support from other clubs in the same circumstances and made it past into the final round.
Again, I would say that the strong point of the series is most likely not the plot. In my opinion I would say that the better area of this series would be the character developments and relationships. For now I am unable to provide more details, because personally I feel that there are still many "holes" not yet covered in the series.
I would for now recommend light romance watcher. Why light? Well, because personally I feel that the romance in the series(not that it is bad) is developing but might still need a long time for it to actually bloom. This is the kind of romance series which stays "low" and more of the "starting" stages of a romance. Definitely will not recommend it to Romance hater or those which I call "blockheads".
I will give the plot a 6.8 for now and if they manged to connect well(especially the link between Chocolate, Love and Election) it will probably get at least a 7.5 from me. 7.6 for the art and animations, 8 for the characters(mostly because of the inter-relationships of the characters, the character design is pretty awesome too) and finally a 7.4 for the sounds/audio(seiyuu cast doing a pretty good job, OP and ED are around average but still enjoyable). And this would give a 7.4(rounded down from 7.45 because I feel that it doesn't deserve more than a 7.5 due to the plot. If the plot is able to improve, then it definitely would be higher than 7.5)
Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru! - #nakaimo
Kono Naka ni Hitori, Imouto ga Iru is a Harem Romance series. Based on the name, you can almost tell that, Plot, is of no importance here! So no plot summary for it~ The title actually states that either one of the girls above would possibly be the half sister of Mikadono Shougo, the heir of the Mikadono Group.
[Spoiler]
Well, for now 3 of them have been 'proven' not possible to be his younger sister(or is it? >:3), will the sister's real identity be in the remaining two? You have got to watch till the end to find out.
[/Spoiler]Actually the main reason for me not to drop it in the beginning was because I would like to see if my prediction would be the correct one. The other reasons... Well Obviously!? (>/////<)
This series would definitely suit moeblob series lovers, those with imouto-fetish(probably) and those that doesn't mind a little extra tease in their anime! Those that doesn't like even the sightliest of ecchi-ness in anime, moeblobs haters and those that find this series 'creepy' or simply disgusting will definitely have to say no to it.
For the plot, I would give it a 6.3(because the main point isn't it!), 7.4 for the art and animation(it should be higher but the dark holes and holy ray of lights destroyed some of the animation scenes),
For the next post it may be slightly delayed as well because apart from some personal issues, I will be probably compiling all the remaining series in that post because the season is ending soon.
終わり～
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