Spring 2017 Anime Season: Seventh Inning Stretch

For those who aren’t into baseball, seventh inning stretch is something that occurs before the seventh inning of the game. The audience stands up from their seats, stretch a little bit, then sing “take me out to the ball game”. It’s a traditional thing to do and since I started this season preview thing with a baseball analogy, I decided to continue because I’ve seen the sixth episode of some shows. It’s not a perfect analogy for the half way point because some series started airing later than others, but it’s what what I’m doing here. At this moment, this is where I stand on all these series that I am currently watching.

(Highest Tier, Watch Right Now)

Kado: The Right Answer

At this moment, Kado is my favorite series airing right now. It’s set in a realistic world were actions have consequences and a nencounter with an alien beyond our comprehension happens in a believable manner. After the last few episodes, I really want to know where this series is headed. The show has pulled off some plot twists that I never expected to happen at all. Also, the series is cg, but it’s not bad enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out.

Sakura Quest

Just like my post before it, Sakura Quest is yet another anime that is heavily grounded. It takes place in a small farming town where our protagonist who used to only want to stay in Tokyo wants to save it. It’s interesting to see how she and her grow that she assembled are going to save this town. It’s interesting stuff all around.

My Hero Academia Season 2

What can I say about this show that hasn’t been said already? It’s a tale as old as time, but the execution has been amazing. Even if the pace is slow, the energy and the high each episode has been giving me is amazing. Also, the tournament arc aspect has been incredibly fun because a shonen hasn’t had that in a long time either.

Re:Creators

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this show at first, but I really like the show so far. The very concept has unlimited potential and that’s why this show is placed here at the moment. Even if most of the show has been dialogue so far, but it’s been great and well characterized dialogue.  Also, the action is great and full of great choreography. Fictional characters fighting each other for one reason or another is always fun.

(Middle Tier, Watch These As Well AFTER Those Shows Above)

Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul

This series has changed its format from the first season to this one. The first season was a classic adventure story with a solid execution from its fantastic characters and setting. Virgin Soul takes place around single city and is kind of a dark story and is a little more political. I like that aspect and I like how the protagonist is a bubbly teenage girl who has no idea what is going on. She brings joy when there is barely any. I don’t think that I sold this well, but it’s been a lot of fun.

Attack on Titan Season 2

OMG, I’ve been loving this second season more than the first. I know that it’s slow paced, but the characterization is good, the horror elements are fantastic, and the action scenes are amazing. I honestly don’t get why people are complaining about it. I wish the show was like this the whole time. The second half of the first season didn’t sell the show as well as it could have.

Tiger Mask W

This is a wrestling anime that is in its final climatic arc. The drama has been good, the character writing pretty fantastic, and the consequences played up to however high of a level they could be. If the wrestling that’s on tv was real and energized like this, then I would actually watch it.

Tsuka ga Kirei

This anime about awkward teenagers who talk to each other better over texting then in person is incredibly charming. It’s even more amazing that they are dating each other somehow. The amount of issues they have to get through, with their lack of communication skills, to keep their relationship hidden is kind of endearing. Definitely worth the watch.

(Second to Lowest Tier, Still Pretty Good)

Berserk (2017)

This series has been a little on and off, but I’ve enjoyed it for the most part. Bad CG not withstanding, the characterization between each character is good, the world is fully developed, but the plot seems to be flailing around at the moment. Some episodes are better than others, which puts Berserk (2017) in this spot.

Grimoire of Zero

This is yet another fantasy series that is airing this season. Centering around a beast fallen named mercenary, a witch named Zero, and some kid named Albus, this series has been a decent road trip anime and has finally hit its dramatic arc recently. The character chemistry is what keeps me going though, because I feel like this type of world has been explored many times already. Still, can’t wait for more.

Suka Suka

It’s hard to describe in some ways. It centers around a protagonist who is the last living human on Earth and is now the care taker of secret weapons that happen to be girls. Some of these girls use sacred weapons that were used during the last human alive’s war days, so the drama is based around him watching these girls use the same weapons his friends used to. The episodes are extremely inconsistent. Sometimes the weekly episode can be fantastic, othter times, like this week, the episode can be as light novel as it can get and that’s boring. Still, it’s a very solid watch.

(Lowest Tier, why am I watching this?)

Atom: The Beginning

I thought this would actually be about the construction of Astro Boy, not these two scientist get involved in wacky adventures and the robot they made does stuff sometimes. I am honestly wondering why I a still watching this, because nothing worthwhile has happened yet. It’s extremely sad. Eh, maybe it will get better. I will hang around and see if it at least finishes strong.

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So yeah, this is how I feel about this season at the moment. Let me know how you guys think about it so far? Are those things that I am not watching that you like? Please let me know.