[NiJ] Anime Summer 2013

Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club Season 1 Review

Back in elementary school, Haruka, Makoto, Rin, and the younger Nagisa swam together in a relay and brought a championship home to their local swim club. Afterward, however, Rin moved to Australia to pursue his swimming at a prestigious school, his sights set on one day swimming in the Olympics. Haruka, who loved the water, stopped swimming, effectively dissolving the relay team; before too much longer, the swim club closed its doors altogether.

Danganronpa: The Animation – Episode 04

Danganronpa has some serious star power in its cast of characters, but that doesn’t mean the visuals or story can be ignored. The episodes following the first are full of melodrama, and while the voice acting is great, the characters themselves are way too over-the-top.

Danganronpa The Animation – First Impressions

Danganronpa: The Animation has finally hit the summer season, and this much-anticipated anime has a lot of hype to live up to…Thus far Danganronpa has been…mediocre. I already know some of the plotline for Danganronpa, and while that knowledge is intriguing, this first episode isn’t great at selling its story to me.

Sunday Without God – Episode 04 Review

Sunday Without God is very interesting, from an animation standpoint. The saturated and sometimes blown-out colours continue, with glows and colour washes that create a whimsical atmosphere to contrast with the macabre nature of the show. Episodes two through four see Ai gain and lose her father, and some details about the world come to light that prove deeply disturbing and highly intriguing, marking the beginning of a plot arc I anticipate with delight and dread.

Gatchaman Crowds – Episode 04 Review

Gatchaman Crowds has gotten pretty interesting in the last couple episodes, and surprisingly, it hasn’t devolved into a “monster of the week” show, but actually has some interesting stuff in it.

Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club: Episode 10 Review

After the events of episode seven and the angst race, Free! has definitely taken a turn for the angstier, with lots of side glances, snide smirks, and glares. Rin is still an insufferable asshole, obsessed with winning, and even the addition of more backstory in episode ten can’t help him (in fact, it just made it worse, since there wasn’t much of a reason for his actions). However, Free! has made it clear just how amazing the rest of the Iwatobi Swim Club is.

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA: Episode 04 Review

First and foremost, Prisma Illya is a parody. A parody of magical girl genres, card game shows, and Fate/Stay Night itself. It’s easy to remember this when the show does things like Illya calling Ruby out on teasing her by stating that “a magical girl’s greatest weapon is her cuteness,” or the way Illya stumbles about her first battle (and runs away).

Gatchaman Crowds – First Impressions

Gatchaman Crowds is the latest installment/spin-off of the famed Gatchaman franchise, first started by Tatsunoko in 1972. It’s a fresh, modern take on the series with a slick new look and an interesting design.

Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club: Episode 07 Review

Seven episodes in and it’s pretty obvious that KyoAni knows their main demographic. We all knew from the start, but these recent episodes have definitely played right into the hands of the fujoshi crowd.

Silver Spoon: Episode 04 Review

Silver Spoon has easily been my favorite series this season, from the fantastic art to the characters that really grow on you, and I’ve been digging it above all the others. Main character Hachiken has been developing and catching on to farm life pretty well, and his friends make for a colorful group of characters. Mikage, the girl he has a crush on, meshes well with him, and their personalities really balance each other.