Before writing this post I would just like to say sorry about my previous post. It was a day that was supposed to be celebrated but ended up really badly due to a few misunderstandings. Fortunately enough, those flaws I had which were being held against me at the time ended up helping the situation and me and my family were able to celebrate the event (my sisters 18th) with smiles on our faces!
Looking towards the future now, I'm back with a smile on my face and a new series! I call it, "Kami 7 Series". Kami 7 literally meaning "Top 7" or "God 7", something which is mainly used by Wota for the 48 group AKB48. I called this series Kami 7 simply because it sounds a lot cooler than Top 7 xD
This series will literally be me listing my top 7 favorites of anything! This is something that I've been wanting to do for a while now so I hope you all enjoy it!
The first one, as the title says, will be my top 7 anime from the summer season of 2014! Everything said in this post will be my opinions and mini reviews on each respective anime so far. I will try my best to not spoil any parts of the anime!
*I take no credit in the photo's or anime plot summary's i've used. (found them all on tumblr & myanimelist)
KAMI 7
7. Hanayamata
Genres: Seinen, Slice of Life
Episodes: 13
Age Permission: +13
Plot Summary: Normal appearance, normal intelligence, normal in arts and sports... just normal. This is the entirely normal 14-year-old, Naru Sekiya. While she admires "Heroines" she continues to live a normal life until one moonlit night she meets a fairy. This foreign girl then guides her into the extraordinary world of the yosakoi dance.
Before watching this anime I was really wondering whether it was worth it. There was little hype for it and it vaguely reminded me of K-ON! and Lucky Star, so I was going to put this anime on the "seasonal anime i plan to watch but never get the time too" bench. I'm glad I didn't though because this anime is filled with everything I could have wanted from a slice of life anime.
Just like previous similar anime's K-ON and Lucky star, this is not an anime where you can sit through and watch the whole season. It's very slow paced and doesn't have a general plot, but it's a really fun anime to watch on a Sunday night with a cup of tea, shortbread and scones (or maybe that's just me haha). The editing and art style is absolutely beautiful and easily on par with my other favorites Kyoukai no Kanata in terms of artist style. The characters took a long time to develop but now that we're already half way through this anime we can see the character development in a lot of them, especially the main character Naru.
I personally like this anime because the main character, Naru, reminded me of how I was during my first few years at secondary school (Middle/High School), so I'm looking forward to how she turns out in the end of this series. It's an entertaining anime that makes you express various emotions while watching the girls' friendship progress, but as originally stated, its just your typical slice of life school girl anime~ It's neither amazing or horrible, but it was good enough to make it onto my Kami 7 list!
Story: 6/10 ● Characters: 6/10 ● Art: 9/10 ● Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall: 7/10
6. Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal
Genres:Demons,Magic,Romance,Shoujo
Episodes: Ongoing
Age Permission: +13
Plot Summary: New Sailor Moon anime commemorating the 20th anniversary of Sailor Moon.
Usagi Tsukino is a second-year middle school girl who is a little clumsy and a crybaby, but she is full of energy. One day, she meets Luna, a black cat with a crescent moon on her forehead, and she transforms into Sailor Moon, a sailor-uniformed pretty guardian of love and justice!
Can Sailor Moon really find the Illusionary Silver Crystal with the other Sailor guardians, and protect the princess...?!
My first anime wasn't Sailor Moon (It was Pokemon and Tokyo Mew Mew ^^;)
Honestly, the only reason why this isn't higher up in the list is because I've already read the manga and watched the anime years ago, so it's not as amazing as It would have been if I did know the outcome of this series. Despite that, It still made it on the list because I love the series too much and when I found out it would be remade, I was overjoyed.
They really stuck to both the anime and Manga's concepts, yet enhanced the overall look and the way the characters speak, which its a huge plus. I know many people who watched the original Sailor Moon don't like this new one because it "doesn't do the original justice", but I think it really does! Everything just looks a lot more prettier and bright, and honestly I'm a sucker for awesome Anime Art so this is literally perfect.
Due to the this being a ONA that updates every fortnight, and the fact that its a remake, there isn't much to say about this anime except, I'S REALLY GOOD SO IF YOU LIKE MAGICAL GIRL ANIME WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!
Story: 7/10 ● Characters: 6/10 ● Art: 9/10 ● Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 8.5/10
5. Free! Eternal Summer
Genres: Comedy, School, Slice of Life, Sports
Episodes: 13
Age Permission: +13
Plot Summary: Second Season of Free! The Iwatobi Swim Club returns! As their third year begins, Haruka, Makoto and Rin are still swimming strong, but choosing plans for their futures loom, and as friends both new and old make their way into the picture, rivalries will take root once again. Will the team make it out stronger than before or sink under pressure?
Typical good looking anime boys swimming and being partially gay for each other. what more could you possibly ask for?! Free is a series that I didn't intend on getting into, but after all the hype about GODLY LOOKING ANIME BOYS SWIMMING I couldn't help but take a look at what the show was about. Needless to say, I got hooked and now I'm watching season 2! The second season was not what i was expecting at all. There is more drama, more competition, new faces, and a bunch of emotions that make you wonder whether watching this series was a good choice..
Well, It was! The Artwork got a lot better this season (which I didn't think was possible to achieve because last seasons was mind blowingly awesome) and the character development increased ten fold. Iwatobi swim club goes about their days preparing for tournaments while juggling the daily struggles of teenage boys. There are deep yet refreshing moments in this season which make it more enjoyable to watch too~
What makes me sad about this season is that they keep bringing up the topic of "what do you want to do when you graduate?" which makes me almost certain that this will be the last season of Free!.... But until then, I've got 5 more episode of this beautiful anime and will watch it happily.
Story: 6/10 ● Characters: 8/10 ● Art: 9/10 ● Enjoyment: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
4. Sabagebu!
Genres:Action,Comedy,Military,Shoujo
Episodes: Ongoing
Age Permission: +13
Plot Summary: Middle school girl Momoka is dragged into joining one of the strangest associations at her school, the Survival Game Club. Its members participate in various forms of paramilitary training under the watchful eye of charming and alarming president, Miou. How on Earth will the inexperienced Momoka survive her training, let alone Miou's company?!
Sabagebu made it to 4th on my Kami 7 list because it's easily one of the funniest anime of this season (or at least, out of all the anime I'm watching so far). It will have you gasping for breath at times and rolling on the floor with tears in your eyes. The series is episodic, which in my opinion is great because it leaves room for the club to have many random adventures without a specific plot. It vaguely reminds me of Seitokai no Ichizon in that sense, where having no plot makes the series more enjoyable.
One things for sure, this isn't your typical survival game anime like SAO. It's quiet the opposite in fact, which is something the Narrator of the show mentions constantly, to my amusement. The main character, Momoka has a really un-explainable personality which makes the show a lot more exciting to watch, you just never know what she's going to do next. The Survival game club go through many random obstacles and battles, mostly created by themselves, while being envied for their beauty and boobs (or lack there of).
Almost everything that happens during the battles are part of their imagination, yet the way the artists showcase that makes it look so real, to the point where the narrator has to remind the watches that "its fake, its all in their mind!". If you're looking for a dramatically random and hilarious anime with no key plot and not much character development then this is for you.
Story: 5/10 ● Characters: 7/10 ● Art: 6/10 ● Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 8/10
3. Fairy Tail (2014)
Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen, Adventure
Episodes: Ongoing
Age Permission: +13
Plot Summary: Continuation of the original Fairy Tail series. The story follows a teenage girl named Lucy Heartfilla who is determined to join the notorious magical Fairy Tail Guild. During a daring rescue, she encounters Natsu who is part of the guild and eventually offers her a place. They become teammates performing various missions for the Fairy Tail Guild. Be prepared for an action-packed adventure!
Fairy Tail is one of my favorite Shounen anime, so when it ended about two years back, I was devastated. Now that it's back I'm so excited. I was wondering whether it would be fair to include this into my summer season because technically, it started airing in spring, and isn't really a seasonal anime. However, I only started watching this part during the summer due to my exams going on in the spring..
Anyway, This is literally a straight up continuation of the original Fairy Tail, starting right where it left off at the finale of the Guild tournament. Anything I say past that point would be a spoiler haha. The characters have such a huge character development during this arc that really shows during the battles (for example, Gray and Juvia), and the story line gets really deep towards the end of the arc. The artwork however disappointed me due to the way they changed how a few characters look. Gajeel looks a lot less built and Cana looked horrible, just to name a few characters in which they mucked up. Despite the artwork changing for those few characters, everything is great and I'm super glad they have brought back fairy tail.
Fairy tail 2014 lost it's spark during the first few episodes, which disappointed a lot of viewers who were anticipating a better debut, but after about the 6th episode, the Fairy Tail feel came back to this anime and made it 1000.times better than before. I really hope that this doesn't end up like how Naruto Shippuden did, but we'll see what the future beholds~
Story: 8/10 ● Characters: 8/10 ● Art: 7/10 ● Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
2. Ao Haru Ride
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Episodes: 13
Age Permission: +13
Plot Summary: Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image & life as a new high school student. Because she's cute, she was ostracised by her female friends in junior high, and because of a misunderstanding, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has ever liked, Tanaka-kun. Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but now things can never be the same again. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?
What more can I say? The Summary speaks for itself. The storyline isn't unique at all. If anything it's overdone, cliche even. This manga turned anime however goes beyond that typical school life romance you see in so many anime. If you haven't realized by now, I love romance anime. I'm a hopeless romantic, and that's why this is an anime I've come to love so much. Seeing Futaba so torn up about her relationship with Kou and savoring her friendships, and Kou not realizing he still has feelings for Futaba, really makes this series so dramatic and gives me a ridiculous amount of fuzzy feelings. Not the type of anime you should watch on an empty stomach.
The Animation is literally perfection. I love the simplicity that is used when its needed and the vivid scenery that's used almost constantly. The way they tried to keep a similar look to the manga's style is awesome too. The character development is great. We see different sides to all the characters both main and side, and get to see them all bond with each other while overcoming their relationship problems.
Personally, What makes this anime so good for me is the Romance. I just love how they're both in denial about their love still being strong. This anime really shows how school life love relationships are like. If you're into slice of life, romantic anime like Stand Up, or Kimi no Todoke then this is for you!
Story: 8/10 ● Characters: 8/10 ● Art: 9/10 ● Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10
1. Sword Art Online II / Gun Gale Online
Prequel: Sword Art Online
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Game ,Romance, Shounen, Adventure
Episodes: Ongoing (exp 26)
Age Permission:+13
Plot Summary: 1 year after the SAO incident, Kirito is approached by Seijiro Kikuoka from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Department “VR Division” with a rather peculiar request investigating on the “Death Gun” incident that occurred in the gun and steel filled VRMMO called Gun Gale Online (GGO). Kirito logs in to GGO even though he is not completely convinced that the virtual world could physically affect the real world.
Kirito wanders in an unfamiliar world in order to gain any clues about the “Death Gun.” Then, a female sniper named Sinon extends Kirito a helping hand. With Sinon’s help, Kirito decides to enter the “Bullet of Bullets,” a large tournament to choose the most powerful gunner within the realm of GGO, in hopes to become the target of the “Death Gun” and make direct contact with the mysterious avatar.
Jheeze, The summary's get longer with each anime leading to #1 don't they? Tried to make it as short as possible..
Well, wasn't this anime expected huh?
To be totally honest, SAO is far from my all time favorite anime, but damn did GGO make a huge impression on me. I was hoping to see a little action, drama, romance, everything really, and had high expectations, so I'm so glad that Aniplex and A-1 Pictures brought it to the table with a bang. This series is a lot more mysterious than the last, and there is still no clear plot other than "Kirito has to find this death gun guy while Sinon has to overcome her fear of Guns", yet because of this, it makes the anime so interesting to follow.
The animators did a great job. SAO can be praised to have some of the best graphics ever seen in anime history. The effects are so detailed and make literally everything about this anime seem 100 times cooler.
(heck now I sound like a SAO crazy fan haha) But really, I have nothing but praise for this anime right now.
Look at how badass Kirito looks here!!!
Sinon is a new character that I've easily grown to like. She has a rough background that not many can relate too, yet she's someone who people can take a liking to quickly. One thing I like about her is how her personality take a complete 180 when she's in GGO and IRL. She may become just another one of those girls who also like Kirito but right now she's looking pretty baddass herself.
One thing that I love the most about this new series is how they show you how hard it is to get rid of the memories of killing someone. If you can recall back the SAO season 1 where Kirito had to battle (and essentially kill) 2 members of another team to protect Asuna, they didn't really capitalise on his feelings during that time, but in GGO they look back at that moment and show huge amounts of character development in Kirito through that year after the events of SAO. They also show a lot more character development in Asuna, and the rest of the SAO survivors, especially the girls like Elizabeth and Silica, who have gotten over their crushes on Kirito.
The soundtrack for this anime is 100% better than the first one. I could listen to the opening song on loop and the ost's they play during battles gives it a lot more suspense and gets you more excited which is awesome too!
I was really disappointed with the second part of SAO (ep 14 - 26) and preferred the episodes before that much more, so I'm glad that GGO has brought that epic feeling back with this new season. If you haven't started watching it yet, WATCH IS NOW! Don't listen to what the many anti SAO fans say about the anime, because I did that and nearly missed out on such a great anime. I recommend it!
Story: 9/10 ● Characters: 8/10 ● Art: 10/10 ● Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9.8/10
And that's all for this series! This took a heck of a lot of time to write so feedback would be great! Also, please leave a comment on your favorite anime of this season and mention if you enjoyed this series and would like to see more of it!
Also, If you would like to follow my MAL, click here ^^
Also, If you would like to follow my MAL, click here ^^
Thank you ^_^
Before I go, here is a little something special~
Until now it's been ~
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