Anime Review: Winter 2015 Anime Season

Winter was definitely an interesting season for anime. There were quite a few shows that gained some popularity in the beginning of the season, but then the hype faded as the quality dropped for a few of them. Anime that were going to be favorites of mine decided to make 180s and become either boring, bad, or both, and anime that I wasn't even planning on watching made it on my favorites list. This just goes to show why I shouldn't hype myself up over shows that haven't finished airing yet ._. Then there were the shows where I expected great things, and got great things, though those were sequels, so does that count? Ah, whatever. Here are my final thoughts on the anime I finished this season:

Death Parade:

I’m actually planning on releasing a QuickThoughts video about this anime soon, so I’ll keep this section of the post short. Death Parade was an entertaining show to watch weekly. The episodic stories that developed new and different characters were very interesting to watch and I found myself really liking it. The show was new, it wasn’t afraid to incorporate some psychological elements, the presentation is out of this world, and the characters were pretty likable. That is, until the finale went and ruined it for me. I really did not like how this show decided to end. The final episode felt rushed and relied too much on melodrama instead of actually founding a subtle basis for emotional connection beforehand. Not to mention that the show tried to present its ideas through pretty hurried exposition, which left no time for the actual events to sink in, and when it ended, I was left unsatisfied. However, I don't think it's a bad show, because when it's good, it's insanely good; but the not as good elements are glaring, and comes very close to overshadowing a decent show. Overall, I’d say that the quality of this show is very inconsistent, depending on the episode. There are some episodes that absolutely blew me away with how good they are, especially episodes eight and nine, but then there were others that felt empty and/or pointless. Though, I’d still say it’s an above average watch, and would recommend it to someone who needs something unique. I give it a 6 out of 10.

Yuri Kuma Arashi:

A ton of controversy surrounding this show arose in the beginning of the season only for the community to move on around a week later. Well, I said in my Winter First Impressions that I liked the show, and that hasn’t changed in the slightest. Actually, the show got better as it progressed. The last few episodes were really good, and I liked how the show decided to focus more on the character relationships later on, incorporating all of the strange surrealism and ideas it mentioned with it. As for all the themes in the show, that probably deserves a longer blog post or video if I wanted to talk about them in depth, but the main idea is to not conform, as to conform is to be invisible. Although, I will admit that the show has some problems. The characters could’ve received more time to develop, and there were a few plot holes, but at the same time, Yuri Kuma was more about expressing emotion than anything else, and for that, I praise it. I give it a 7 out of 10.

Your Lie in April:

I honestly don’t think anyone expected this anime to be nearly as popular as it turned out to be. I mean, yeah, A-1 Pictures produced it, but for a mature romance anime to become popular is a huge rarity. As for my thoughts on this show, I liked it, but I didn’t fall in love with it like basically everybody else did. For one, the second half was not nearly as good as the first, and while I don’t think it’s bad, it has its issues. Like, why did the show shift the focus away from Kousei’s and Kaori’s relationship, which is the best part of the show, to multiple irrelevant side stories? However, what this show does well, it does incredibly well. Kousei is one of the best main characters I’ve seen in quite some time, with a definable personality and great character development. Kaori’s very well written too, acting as a juxtaposition to Kousei’s quite demeanor by being bright, upbeat, and extroverted. I also love the visuals, not just for its technical grace, but also for its symbolism and beautiful color pallet, creating some very powerful scenes. I’d recommend checking it out if you need a good romance anime, or want a good introduction to anime revolving around music. I give it a 7 out of 10.

Parasyte the maxim:

Ah, Parasyte. What a ride this has been. This show was thrilling, intense, heartfelt, and well written, at least for the most part. Towards the end, there were some writing choices that felt a little rushed and unneeded, and the last two episodes were like "Ferngully With Monsters: The Anime", but overall, I still really enjoyed this show, and think it's one of the best fall leftovers from 2014. It's certainly one of the best thrillers to come out in recent years, and the character development of both Migi and Shinichi is handled really well. The good far outweighs the bad here, and while I do think the manga is better, the anime is still a great watch. My only real complaint besides the strange ending was the dubstep music, which ranged from decent (like "Next To You", my favorite from the OST) to downright mood-breaking. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Durarara!!x2 Shou:

Oh, Durarara!!. Of course you'd be anime of the season. Why did I ever think otherwise? Okay, technically, the next show I'll be talking about is anime of the season, but that show began airing in Fall 2014, so if we're talking about pure 2015 anime, then it'd be Durarara!!x2 Shou. All of the insanity from the first season is still here, with brand new characters and events to spice things up, and the pacing has actually improved from the first season. Okay, yeah, it did feel slightly rushed at times, and there were moments where I had trouble understanding what was going on, but those were the exact same problems I had with the first season, and that's also what makes the show so enjoyable. You watch Durarara!! for the cool characters and seeing them end up in insane situations that you can't ever see coming, and I think that this season actually did a better job with that setup than the first. The only aspect I didn't like was the obvious drop in animation quality from Season 1, but Studio Shuka is just starting out, so I'll cut them some slack. Not every new studio can be a MAPPA or a Wit, I guess. Also, the cliffhanger at the end of episode 12 is the bane of my existence. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Yona of the Dawn:

Sometimes, you come across a show that you have absolutely no expectations for, but it turns out to be the best thing you've seen in quite some time. That is Yona of the Dawn for me. I did not expect this to be nearly as good as it turned out to be, and it's now high on my favorites list. The story was well paced, the world building was solid, the character development for nearly every character was absolutely fantastic, the character interactions were fun to watch and helped build character, and the presentation was just great! Studio Pirreot did a fantastic job with the coloring and the lighting, and the actual animation was fluid. The OST is the best from the season, no contest (except maybe Durarara!!x2). This show is now high on my favorites list, and that's a pretty big feat. Second season when? I give it a 9 out of 10.
P.S. Yona x Hak is my OTP.

So, that's what I finished watching over the Winter Season! Here are some anime I may check out later:

Maria The Virgin Witch: I heard good things about it, so even though it's outside of my normal comfort zone, I'll give it a shot.

Garo The Animation: I saw the first episode, thought it was really good, and put it on hold to watch when it's finished airing. I'll get around to it eventually.

Yatterman Night: Heard mixed things, but I'll try it out anyway.

Magic Kaito: I'm actually watching this right now (at least after Jojo's Bizarre Adventure 2012), so expect some thoughts on this in the future.

Shirobako: This was probably the most well-received anime of 2014-2015, so why wouldn't I watch it? 
The Seven Deadly Sins: I heard something about this eventually being on Netflix or something. If that's true, I'll watch it.

And here's what I dropped:

Tokyo Ghoul √A: I got bored really quickly. Still haven't seen past the first episode, and I don't really intend on continuing it.

The Rolling Girls: Same as the former, except I lasted until the fifth episode. The first two episodes were so enjoyable, but then it just got dull and uninteresting.
Saekano: Hated episode 0, but I heard that the actual show is different. May watch it again, but I'm not putting myself through more episode 0s if I can help it.

What are your thoughts on this season? Leave it in the comments and I'll see you all next time!