Accel World and Tari Tari

Even though there's so much to write about, I'm still too lazy to write or do anything at all. FUCK

Accel World

I have mixed feelings about this show. It immediately hooked me right from episode 1, establishing the futuristic setting, technology, and the characters. I knew that this was going to be fun, and it was. The main character didn't annoy me at all, unlike a lot of people. The story had very cliche elements but handled them in a good way, except for certain parts that I'll get into later. What I also found interesting is that the female characters where portrayed as being much stronger and smarter than everybody else yet still retaining their feminine qualities. The animation was also really good for some of the more pivotal fight scenes. I also liked the soundtrack a lot. A fusion of cool techno with synths or, my personal favorite, generically awesome guitar riffs. There were other styles in there too but it was still good. The mecha designs should be mentioned as well since they were pretty cool looking, especially Black Lotus.

One thing I really have to mention is the second half of the series. While the first half was great and exciting every step of the way, the second half took a huge downward plunge. The plot followed a single arc while before, it was going at a good pace knocking down multiple arcs. It focused too much on a single antagonist, who wasn't all that interesting to begin with. It followed a lot of the typical shonen writing and had very uninteresting plot development. There was a mini filler arc smashed in between too. I was one of the people that liked it but, at the time, I wanted it to be over quickly so we can get back to the main story. Of course, the main plot ended up being more of the current arc with no end in sight. It made me appreciate the filler all the more. The way everything ended was a bit shoddy too. There was some major development for three of the main characters but the way things happened made me feel like it was pointless, even though it wasn't, based solely on how it happened.

Infinite amounts of jelly.

I'm not sure if I'd like it the same way on a rewatch but I at least know that the first half is worth it. There were many sci-fi aspects that really appealed to me in this. The overall tone and plot had a somewhat mainstream feel to it but at least I, technically, enjoyed most of it. I hope that they adapt the rest of the novels.

Tari Tari
Another of the, somehow, many anime original productions that PA Works has done. A slice of life, high school, coming of age story with music as the main theme. As always, I really enjoyed the production values put into PA Works shows. Not necessarily the animation but just the overall look of everything. There were a lot of problems with this show, though. Being an original production, the story is completely made up as they go along. This always invites some of the same problems that plague such works. An example would be the characters and how they become friends without much development to do so in the first place. I remember watching one of the later episodes one day and thinking, "Wait, since when were you guys good friends?" I take it as a negative sign but I could also be the one at fault since I consume a lot of anime so who knows? The characters felt somewhat flat as well. That could be attributed to its short length and not enough time to flesh them out, even though they did get ample amount of development. There were little arcs that focused on each character, which at the end of those arcs had them overcome their dilemma. I'd say it was how rushed everything was, which made it seem cheap to me. The choir bits and various other songs were also kinda cheesy but that's just me.
This show was obviously made in order to sell. Sell what you ask? Anything and everything from merchandise to Blu Ray/DVDs. I wouldn't really rewatch this since it's done in my mind. I did enjoy it but it wasn't anything special to begin with, that's not to say that it's bad either. Giving it a watch isn't a bad thing at all. There were a lot of comparisons to Hanasaku Iroha since it was the same studio, character designer, and they're both anime original. I'd say that Hanasaku Iroha was my favorite between the two since I liked it more despite Tari Tari having a plot that was better put together. There are a lot of variables in place when it comes to storytelling and enjoyment.

By the time this is posted, more shows that I was following would already be finished. My opinions on those will come in the next post. I also left out Gundam AGE since I couldn't finish it in time. It became a bit mediocre but I'll get to my opinions on that later.