Summer Anime Overview: Part 3

My overview of this summer's anime continues with another post featuring some of the year's best and worst. Also, thank you to everyone who commented on yesterday's part of the summer anime overview! It has been one of the popular and enjoyable to write anime posts I have ever written. 

The Legend of Korra

First off, The Legend of Korra is NOT an anime; however, it is animated and is heavily influenced by Japanese animation, therefore I wanted to discuss the most recent season. After a somewhat disappointing previous season, Book 3 is off to a strong start with the introduction of a new element. With Lin Beifong being sidelined for the majority of Book 2, finally getting to see more of her and the history of the Metalbenders is very satisfying. The conflict between her and her sister is compelling and proved to be one of the best parts of the series thus far. Another improvement over the previous season is the antagonists, who are menacing and imposing, possibly the best antagonists since Azula in Avatar, providing the series does something interesting with them. So far, so good for Book 3 of The Legend of Korra. Also, I plan to review each season of Avatar and Korra in the near future, so be sure to look for that.

-8.3/10

Jinsei

Jinsei is another last minute addition to my watch list, and it turns out that was a good decision. Jinsei, the Japanese word for "life," is my darkhorse contender for best comedy (although Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun might already have it in the bag by now). While the cute moe-ness of the character designs might be off putting, the first few episodes were actually quite humorous. In a few ways, it reminded me of D-Frag, one of the funniest series of last winter. Again, Jinsei has yet to do anything special, but it is at least amusing and shows potential for great comedy and some laughs.

-7.3/10

Plot Summary: "The story centers around Yuuki Akamatsu, a boy who joins the staff of his school's second newspaper. The editor-in-chief Ayaka Nikaidou immediately assigns him to the life (jinsei) advice column. Three girls — the science representative Rino Endou, the liberal arts representative Fumi Kujou, and the physical education representative Ikumi Suzuki — answer requests from students about whatever is troubling them. "

Momo Kyun Sword

When looking for a guilty pleasure ecchi series, I decided to give Momo Kyun Sword a shot. Despite my low expectations, the series managed to best even those by being nearly unwatchable! The animation looks a decade old with ugly character designs and a plot that is so retarded that I cannot believe I wasted 20 minutes of my life on the first episode. Do yourself a favor and skip Momo Kyun Sword; it is not even worth posting a picture or plot summary, just avoid it like the plague!

-1.1/10

RAIL WARS!

RAIL WARS! garnered a decent amount of hype going into the season, and I have to say that it does not disappoint, providing you know what to expect. While the first episode features a little too much fanservice, the later episodes tone it down as it adds in some fun character dynamics and humor. The art style is certainly in the moe realm, but it actually looks rather good with a great amount of fluidity. For me, RAIL WARS! is one those series that entertains me quite a bit leaving me anticipating the next episode. Sure, it is nothing revolutionary, but it is fun and that is what I need sometimes. The series also features my favorite opening and endings songs of the season.

-7.8/10

Plot Summary: "The "dream railway paradise entertainment" story is set in a parallel world where Japan did not privatize its national railways. Naohito Takayama is an ordinary high school boy who dreams of a comfortable future working for the top-rated Japanese National Railways. He is assigned as a trainee in the Railways Security Force full of odd characters such as Sakurai, a troublemaker who hates men. On top of that, an extremist group called "RJ" plots to privatize the Japanese National Railways."

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?

Rokujouma no Shinryakusha features the most unique group of ecchi heroines I have ever seen. While the ecchi genre is mostly a guilty pleasure, mostly due to the awkward humor, Rokujouma no Shinryakusha certainly fills the void with its humor and varied cast of characters. Aside from the main male protagonist, the ecchi girls include a cute ghost, a magical girl, a member from an underground civilization that wants to conquer the surface world, and a princess from space! They all want the apartment for various absurd reasons, which leads to some hilarious antics. Later episodes have shown a little more character depth however, so maybe it will raise above the usual ecchi. But again, Rokujouma no Shinryakusha is not a particularly special series, but for those looking for a unique ecchi comedy, give it a shot.

-7.2/10

Plot Summary: "Now that he enters his high school career, Satomi Koutaro begins his life living alone in an apartment that only costs him 5000 yen per month, an extremely cheap deal even for this small apartment. There’s a catch: the apartment is apparently haunted by a cute ghost that has driven its prior occupants away. Next thing he knows, not only is there a ghost trying to drive him out of his new home, but magical girls and other unique female characters turn this small apartment into a battleground of sorts."

Are you interested in any of these series? Please comment below and let me know. You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 in these links.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.