Definitely an acquired taste. Captain Earth is a very artsy, some might say pretentious, series that is works on an incredibly slow boil. I'd say the amount someone is willing to get invested will proportionately pay off, as characters leave a lot of characterization in showing rather than telling (like one of BONES' previous mecha series, Star Driver, which Captain Earth is very much inspired by). Personally I thought it was okay, and can understand both sides of people who love it and hate it. I think this is one I'll want to do a full review of to sort out my thoughts, because I have a lot I could say about Captain Earth.
I can watch it, but I'm not really a huge fan. I do appreciate Argevollen for sticking to the real robot formula so adamantly, and I respect it for that. However, at the moment it isn't really a series that makes me excited to watch the new episodes ASAP. It's not great, but it's harmless. I'll keep watching it next season, so that might change.
I enjoyed it about the same as the first Prisma Illya. Chloe was a bit annoying at first but I warmed up to her as the season went on. The Bazett battle was absolutely amazing. One thing I noticed was how they took the fanservice through the roof and then some, which I don't really have a problem with (I'm no prude) but I know many people would. I look forward to the OVAs and sequels in the coming seasons. Hopefully there'll be more Rin.
I know that a lot of people really liked this, so, um... How do I say this without being insulting... I can't. It sucks. I went into Aldnoah with an open mind - the first two episodes had problems, but I would say that the positives outweighed the negatives. However, it quickly devolved into a juvenile power fantasy with some of the most absurd writing I've ever seen. The characters are simply bland, there are way too many of them and even the ones who get screentime are two-dimensional ripoffs of other characters (Asseylum = Lacus) at best. The soundtrack sounds nice at times but does not match the tone of the series at all, the CG and character designs are just unappealing to look at, and the only reason it wasn't one cour is because it's padded to hell (a whole episode consists of just Slaine being whipped, and every scene with Marito is just reminding the audience that he has PTSD), and even though I enjoyed the final episode more than I expected, it was too little too late. Would not recommend. Probably not going to watch season 2.
I have a special place in my heart for Cowboy Bebop. It's a series where every episode can be seen as the best episode (personal favorites: a toss-up between Waltz for Venus and Mushroom Samba, with Toys in the Attic and Cowboy Funk also being up there - yes I enjoy comedy). Digressions aside, Zankyou no Terror was decent up until its shark jumping introduction of Five. Unfortunately, the creator of one of my favorite anime just didn't deliver. It would've been better just as a straight terrorism drama, since the first episodes (and the last episode) where the entire conflict is Sphinx and the police are the best ones by far. Like Captain Earth, this is one I think I need more words to sort my thoughts out on.
I quite enjoy the Gundam-san manga, but find myself sort of forcing laughs out for the anime adaptation. Konishi too often goes into his "generic goofy" voice for Char, it uses way too much crude humor, and the timing just isn't as good. It's still funny, but it isn't nearly as funny as the manga. This might also be due to the fact that it didn't just adapt the best parts of the manga.
Mahou Shoujo Taisen is... Okay. Really it isn't anything to write home about in the writing department because, let's face it, four minute episodes. The animation is gorgeous, colorful, and energetic, though - as expected of Gainax. Music leaves a little to be desired, but it still sounds nice if you like electronic (and I do). It probably would have been better off as a series of 20-30 minute OVAs, though, since the breaking of each plot up into tiny bite-sized chunks makes it difficult to get invested. The Kyoto arc was pretty good, though.
On a whim, I checked out the first season of Yama no Susume earlier this year and found it to be decent. Well, it was apparently good enough to make me figure I'd check out season 2. The second season has slightly longer episodes (about ten minutes apiece, not counting opening and ending themes) and, well, it's a lot more enjoyable. It doesn't have as much character development as the first part, but the story structure is more complete, with the central goal of climbing Mt. Fuji unifying all the episodes. All in all, I liked Yama no Susume 2. Certainly reminds me that even though I prefer more ambitious stories, a slice of life every now and again is something to appreciate. Just for the record: the backgrounds are beautiful. Of course, I'm still waiting on the last 2 (or is it 3?) episodes since the subbers are kind of slow.
Ao Haru Ride was pretty dang good. While I did notice it has a bit of trouble passing the Bechdel Test, our two leads are both some of the most well written, three-dimensional, and genuinely interesting characters I've seen in a while, complete with - gasp - legitimate character flaws (hey, this is a big thing, I'm sick to death of main characters being cardboard cutouts who don't have any real noticeable flaws). While it wasn't as good as I hoped (I had pretty high expectations - my first thoughts after reading the plot concept were, "Holy crap, this sounds interesting, I gotta see this."), that doesn't mean it was bad. It probably would have been my top anime of the summer were it not for...
Oh, boy, M3 is a possible contender for the best anime of the year. It certainly was easily the best anime of the first half of the year. It's hard to pinpoint what makes it so good, because it definitely feels like the kind of show that could trip and become shit at any moment, but something about the writing and directing is simply brilliant. Each episode just gets more and more interesting. For the 99% of you who have never seen M3, and probably never heard the first thing about it, I'd say check it out. It deserves a hell of a lot more recognition than it got.
Thoughts on the season as a whole? I don't know. I guess it was an average season with the exception of M3. Had some good stuff, some bad stuff, but for the most part it was... Just sort of average. However, Fall 2014 is looking to be a great season. Fate/Stay Night, Build Fighters Try, G-Reco, and a grab bag to help suit whatever tastes an anime viewer might want.
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