Geekology: Summer 2015 Mid-season Anime Review | Technobubble

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Ever had one of those Christmases where you weren't expecting to get a lot of cool gifts but ended up being pleasantly surprised?

That's exactly how the 2015 summer anime season is shaping up for yours truly thanks to some unexpected shows that are proving to be better than I anticipated. Yes, come to papa.

With the exception of new seasons for personal favorites such as "Non Non Biyori" and "Working!!", I wasn't quite sure what to expect with the rest of the new summer anime lineup. With half the season done, however, the selection's been quite solid so far with a nice variety of genres. Here's my personal ranking of the season's shows halfway through, which includes a tie for my top titles for the summer.

NO. 1 WITH A BULLET BILL

1. Gangsta (TIE)

I've never read the Gangsta manga so I didn't quite know what to expect with this show. I was in no hurry to find out either. In fact, I didn't start watching the first episode of the series until the third week of the season. The lesson as always is, I'm a doofus.

Set in the dark underbelly of Ergastulum, Gangsta feels like an Italian mafia drama complete with powerful crime families and other mobster conventions. It tells the tale of Worick Arcangelo, a former rich boy turned gigolo, and his partner Nicolas Brown, a "Twilight" with physical abilities beyond those of ordinary humans. Despite the latter's abilities, however, Twilights are typically shunned by society and often used as ruthless killers.

Nicolas is especially interesting among the Twilights, not just because of his high ranking as far as fighting ability but the fact that he's been deaf since childhood. Combined with the mental and emotional issues that come with his condition as a Twilight, Nicolas is a complex character that appears powerful and vulnerable at the same time. The brotherly relationship between Nicolas and Worick is particularly touching and one of the many strengths of the series. I guess you can say that it counts as a bromance. Gangsta sports an interesting cast of characters, too. It does a great job of fleshing its cast out, whether it be the trauma of former prostitute Alex or the fatherly nature of mafia boss Monroe. Nicolas' voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda also does a great job in emulating the speech of a deaf person, adding extra authenticity to the story.

Throw in a plot that puts the spotlight squarely on the dark parts of society that people usually look away from — crime, abuse, discrimination, prostitution, slavery, PTSD, drugs — and you've got a pretty powerful story. I'm seriously going to be very, very disappointed if Gangsta doesn't get picked up for a second season at some point in the future because of low disc sales. Come on, anime fans in Japan! I have faith in you — your almost unhealthy obsession with Love Live and Kantai Collection Blu-rays, DVDs and merchandise notwithstanding. Seriously, those things sell like crazy over there.

Speaking of other media, while Gangsta tied for my personal top spot this season, it's the clear favorite for me when it comes to best opening theme. I have yet to skip the opening credits each week because I love "Renegade" by Stereo Dive Foundation that much. It'll make you want to "renegade down," whatever that entails.

Recommended if you like: Jormungand, Black Lagoon

1. Non Non Biyori Repeat (TIE)

I've seen my fair share of anime series that I loved returning for a second season and going through a sophomore slump. Thankfully, that isn't the case with Non Non Biyori Repeat, which so far has managed to be as delightful as ever. Like Gangsta, this show has managed to be incredibly consistent episode to episode for your truly with nary a single letdown along the way.

For the uninitiated, Non Non Biyori Repeat is a slice-of-life anime that chronicles the lives of four main characters in a town that's so small, the school only has five students — and they're not even in the same grade. As someone who visits Japan a lot, I've always been fascinated by its shrinking towns, especially as the birth rate stagnates and more young people end up moving to larger metropolitan areas such as Tokyo.

Don't let the slice-of-life moniker fool you, either. While some entries in the genre are satisfied with simply showing characters doing, well, random everyday things, Non Non Biyori Repeat puts great effort in actually crafting a bonafide story that mixes humor with poignant moments. At its best, it'll make you laugh out loud till your cheeks hurt then tug on your heartstrings when you least expect it. I never thought I'd get teary-eyed because of freaking tadpoles. Fireflies, yes, but tadpoles? Wait, I think I just got something in my eye.

One of the best things about Non Non Biyori Repeat personally is how it reminded me so much of things I did as a kid growing up in a small town where I was able to wander around fields and fishponds while catching dragonflies, snails and, yep, tadpoles. Don't worry if you missed the first season either. Non Non Biyori Repeat actually starts from the beginning but tackles events that weren't shown in the first season so you can jump in no problem. Then again, I still recommend watching the first season if you can because it's just that good.

Try if you like: Barakamon

REST OF TOP 10

Working

Anime shows can lose steam by their third season as the sense of newness disappears and things that were once novel start to become a bit tired.

"Working!!" certainly was at risk of going through this, especially if relationships between potential love interests continue to go nowhere for the sake of extending the series. A show about the lives of the employees of family restaurant Wagnaria, part of the show's charm involves the relationships between its various characters after all. So imagine my surprise when Working's third season started to bump up the awareness levels between certain pairs who shall remain unnamed as I don't want to spoil it for folks who have yet to watch shows from any of Working's various seasons. Could it be? I'm actually seeing — gasp — some progress? Even everyone's favorite freeloader gets some plot progression as well.

At the same time, Working continues to deliver the chuckles thanks to its goofy cast of misfits. Definitely one of my favorite shows of the season so far.

Try if you like: Servant x Service, Minami-Ke

Gakkou Gurashi

I don't even know what I should write about this because the first episode was such a surprise and I really don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet. If you find yourself being turned off by its cute-looking style or try watching it and feel super bored 15 minutes in, just keep watching. Just trust me on this one, OK? Also, do NOT read any Internet discussions or check out wiki pages and whatever before you watch it. This thing is best experienced diving in blind. Once you've watched the first episode, then feel free to decide whether or not you want to continue.

Try if you like: Puella Magi Madoka

Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa

Despite starting off with an interesting premise — a guy who's unable to keep secrets being tasked with keeping the biggest secret of his life to protect his dream girl — I really wasn't incredibly impressed with the initial episodes of Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa. Just like my philosophy with food, however, I have to try something multiple times before giving up on it and it certainly paid off this time.

Although this rom-com started off a bit slow, Jitsu Wa gets on the proverbial roll by its fourth episode, which has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life. Seriously, that segment with the Aizawa "figurine" is an all-out gut buster that'll have you laughing and feeling sorry for poor protagonist Eromine, er, Kuromine-kun at the same time. Add the arrival of even more hilarious characters and Jitsu is finally hitting it stride. I think I'll be holding off on reading the manga so I can enjoy this freak show of an anime even more.

Try if you like: D-Frag

Shokugeki no Soma

One of the stragglers from the previous season, the show follows protagonist Yukihira Soma and his student life in the cutthroat world of the elite cooking school, Totsuki Culinary Academy. The second cour of this shonen show disguised as a cooking anime (and manga, of course) keeps serving up some good cooking action and laughs. It also continues to have the most universal appeal among all the shows this season, at least as far as my family concerned. My brother, my niece, my young cousins, heck even my mom likes this anime and all of them have varying tastes. It's a show that's pretty easy to get into.

Try if you like: Yakitate or any shonen manga, really

Himouto! Umaru-Chan

I'm not a big fan of bratty kids. Then again, I also have a weakness for "chibi" characters and bratty Umaru's inner form is as cute as they come. I mean, that maracas scene in the opening credits gets me every time. Anywho, this show is about the titular Umaru, who's a beautiful and intelligent model student to the outside world but an unapologetic, lazy slob at home who does nothing but play video games and eat junk food. This happens much to the consternation of his older brother, who usually ends up being the victim to "inner" Umaru's hijinks. The temper tantrums might be a turnoff for some folks but it's a pretty funny show with lots of homages to otaku culture. It's opening intro is also one of the cutest things you'll see this side of the Witch Activity ending theme for Witchcraft Works, minus the guilt of seeing poor chibi witches strapped to various contraptions.

Try if you like: Lucky Star; Denki-Gai no Honya-San

Ore Monogatari

Is it possible to have a low stress show about romance? That's the premise behind Ore Monogatari, which continues to ladle spoonfuls of sugar on its plot in its second cour. The show details the love life of Takeo Gouda, a romantically awkward yet overall nice guy who typically has bad luck with women due to his ginormous size and not-so-good looks. Anyway, he surprisingly ends up in a dream relationship minus any of the extended drama usually seen in other romance-type shows, which usually take forever before the main couple starts an official relationship. Then again, the show is more than just a romantic tale, with the awesome bromance between Takeo and best friend Sunakawa Makoto being the most compelling part of the show at times. Dude is an awesome friend and the best wingman any guy could ever ask for. The show is also pretty funny.

Try if you like: Kimi ni Todoke

Ushio to Tora

I'm a sucker for old-school manga and anime and "Ushio and Tora" certainly fits the bill. By the way, am I the only one who finds it strange that stuff from the 1990s is now considered old school? Welcome to Oldsville, me. Anyway, the animators of this show do an excellent job in emulating and preserving the look of the manga, only making a few modern additions such as flat screen TVs, for example. The story follows protagonist Ushio who ends up getting his hands on his family's sacred beast spear and ends up joining forces with demon Tora. Admittedly, it starts out with a "monster of the week" feel but starts to heat up midway. If you miss old fashioned-shows from the '80s and '90s, this'll be like comfort food.

Try if you like: Zenki, '80s and '90s-era hot blooded anime/manga

GATE

When anime shows modern 20th and 21st century weaponry, it usually ends up as overmatched cannon fodder to robots or alien technology. "GATE" is the reverse, showing just how devastating and vicious modern weapons can be when unleashed at foes with essentially medieval technology. After a gate opens up in Japan and foes from a fantasy world start to attack, the SDF mobilizes and stages a counterattack with ruthlessly efficiency and overwhelming results. The show does a great job in portraying the sheer terror and helplessness felt by the folks with the lesser technology, even as the SDF soldiers do their best to treat the civilian population humanely and negotiate fair settlements with the nobles that they meet. It certainly has a lot of lighter and comic moments, too, but the battle scenes can be shocking and saddening and makes you think about the destructive power that humans have amassed today. Then you have the political games on all sides, too, so it'll be interesting to see how this all turns out. It reminds me a bit of Stargate, minus the Egyptian "gods."

Try if you like: Outbreak Company

STILL WATCHING

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime

Normally, I'm not a big fan of shoujo manga or anime. Then again, I find Akagami no Shirayuki-hime to be a well-written show without being overly flowery like some shoujo anime tend to be. Based on the manga of the same name, the show chronicles the life of Shirayuki, an herbalist who typically finds herself getting lots of attention — including the unwanted kind — because of her red hair. Needless to say, one thing leads to another and she finds herself crossing paths with love interest Zen. One thing I like about the show is how it doesn't just focus on the relationship between Shirayuki and Zen but also tries to shed insight on things like governance, politics and education. It's obviously still has shoujo traits but it doesn't smack you in the face with them.

Try if you like: Kamisama Hajimemashita, Spice and Wolf

Overlord

Remember when .hack's concept felt unique? With the advent of shows like "Sword Art Online," the whole person stuck in the gaming world concept doesn't seem as fresh anymore. Still, Overlord gives it the old college try, adding a twist by making the lead character the head of a monstrous faction that normally would be evil. Then there's the fact that despite his overwhelming power, the protagonist's lack of information about his new world makes him both a natural fit and fish out of water at the same time. The show is still setting things up at the midway point but I'm certainly intrigued to see what it cooks up as it moves forward.

Try if you like: Log Horizon

Classroom Crisis

Do you want to be blinded by science? Classroom Crisis centers around an elite team of students funded by a megacorporation who specialize in designing cutting edge rockets. Unfortunately, they burn through money like there's no tomorrow and suddenly find themselves facing an uncertain future. While science definitely seems to be the overriding theme of the show, it's really about family and backroom company politics as well as personal relationships. It also shows how ability and potential isn't automatically enough to get you what you want in the real world. How will the whole drama unfold? I guess I'll keep watching to find out.

Try if you like: Robotics;Notes

Charlotte

Teens having super powers sounds like an awesome thing for sure. Then again, when you have Key's Jun Maeda involved in a show's story, you know there's another shoe that's just bound to drop around the corner. It's like fans familiar with his work are preconditioned to treat every light and happy moment as the calm before storm. That's pretty much the gist with Charlotte, a story about how acquiring special abilities isn't all it's cracked up to be. Although, the protagonists in this show use their powers, for sure, it's mostly to find other ability users and dissuade them from using said abilities, lest it makes them a target for some unscrupulous folk. Although it doesn't quite stack up yet to some of Maeda's past work, you'll want to check this out if you like his stuff.

Try if you like: Little Busters

Wakaba Girl

This is the exactly the kind of show you probably need to watch after some of the more depressing shows this season in order to bring your mind to a happier place. The show centers around the titular Wakaba and her friends, with Wakaba playing the role of nice, sheltered rich girl with an interest in learning about the lives of common folk, which often leads her into all sorts of misinterpretation. It's based on a "yonkoma" or four-panel comic and falls under the cute girls doing cute things genre. It's basically an "iyashikei" or healing anime.

Try if you like: Kiniro Mosaic, Gochumon wa Usagi Desu Ka

Rokka no Yuusha

This show centers on the "Braves of the Six Flowers," who are chosen by fate to come together in order to fight the Demon King and all that cliched stuff. There's just one problem. When they all finally meet — spoiler alert — there's seven of them. I'll leave what happens next to your imagination. Set in a world that looks part medieval and part Mayan (or is Incan?), Rokka no Yuusha presents an interesting premise centered on the enemy within. The timing is interesting, too, given that I just played "Lost Dimension." It admittedly has a slow pace, which might turn off some folks despite a healthy sprinkling of action scenes. If you like your action to come with a dash of mystery and intrigue, however, this might just float your boat.

Try if you like: Shingeki no Bahamut

God Eater

There sure are a lot of dour shows this season. Based on the video game of the same name, God Eater chronicles humanity's desperate struggles against powerful monsters that have taken people's place on top of the food chain. The show provides an interesting dichotomy as it introduces the powerful God Eaters, humans capable of wielding powerful weapons known as jinki that allow them to fight at a superhuman level. It even introduces New Type warriors with more potential than the Old Type fighters. Then the show crushes your hopes by showing that God Eaters are not infallible and can still be quite overmatched in battle. In fact, God Eaters coming back alive and not dying is sometimes more surprising than the opposite. Admittedly, the show can fall into some stereotypical tropes and it seems to have undergone some delays as well. If you like sci-fi stuff and monsters, though, then this might be your cup of tea.

Try if you like: Devil Survivor 2: The Animation, Knights of Sidonia

Baby Steps 2

The anime based on the tennis manga of the same name continues this season as it chronicles the steady rise of A student turned tennis player Maruo, who dreams of becoming a professional athlete. This show definitely has an analytical bent thanks to its main character's tendency to hyper analyze everything but it also throws in some relationship stuff in there as well. At the same time, it's the second of two chunky seasons so the element of newness isn't quite there anymore. Still, it's pretty solid and provides something different than most other shows.

Try if you like: Yowamushi Pedal

Kuusen Madoshi Kohosei no Kyokan

To be honest, I think there's just way too many of these types of shows in the last few years. At the same time, I'm finding this one easier to watch than, say, Unlimited Fafnir, which I just couldn't get into. Based on a light novel, the show is set in a world where humans have to live in floating cities after being driven away by giant insect-type monsters. The story itself centers around four characters, a fallen ace Kanata who is tasked with training the worst three-person sky wizard team in their city. Like I said earlier, I'm normally not a fan of these types of shows but this one is managing to sustain my interest. Maybe it's because I'm curious to see how the characters develop or because it doesn't feature blatant fan service so far (I mean, it certainly has its share but not at the level that some other similar shows do). Either way, I'll continue to give this one a chance and see how it goes.

Try if you like: Seiken Tsukai no World Break

Prison School

If you miss Ping Pong Club, this just might be what the doctor ordered. A story about five boys who enroll in a formerly all-girls school, the guys soon find out what happens when they're caught engaging in shenanigans a they're thrown in school's prison. I'm talking serious jail time complete with isolation and forced labor. Just be warned that the show can be vulgar and crass so it might make some folks super uncomfortable (I know I feel that way a lot of times when I watch it). The jokes, however, can be a stupid riot in a Beavis and Butthead sort of way so check it out if you like that kind of stuff.

Try if you like: Ping Pong Club

Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace

There are light detective mysteries and there are dark ones. "Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace" falls under the latter category. Be warned, the murders featured in the show can be grisly and macabre so it isn't for the faint of heart. Admittedly, I normally have a hard time watching shows with dark, disturbing elements like this but I'm continuing to trudge along for now. If you like dark mysteries, this'll be for you.

Try if you like: Psycho Pass, Danganronpa, Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, Majin Tantei Nogami

STUFF I’M NOT WATCHING BUT YOU MIGHT LIKE

Still haven't finished the first season of Durara!!X2 and have yet to start Arslan Senki. Yes, I know, I'm a slacker. Ecchi shows also aren’t really my cup of tea but if you like them, two shows that are getting a lot of positive vibes are Shimoneta and Monster Musume. Otherwise, I’m still trying to catch up on a bunch of other shows as well, so I'll update this list if any others catch my interest.