Now that we're a little over halfway through the current anime season, I'd like to share my thoughts on some other currently airing series. Please keep in mind that the following is only my personal opinion and that these shows are not completed.
Shows
Ao no Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)
Thoughts: After its first two introductory episodes, Exorcist could have easily fallen into a monster-of-the-week format, or focused on a never-ending series of power-ups typical to shounen shows, but instead the show has chosen to build up its characters and setting which could lead to something great down the line. If it keeps up this trend, this could easily turn into one of my favorites from this season.
Deadman Wonderland
Thoughts: One of the best shows this season, Deadman has delivered everything it promised with compelling characters, a terrifying setting, and a creepy plot. The violence in this title makes it not for everyone--this title is best recommended to the sixteen-years-and-up crowd. My only concern is that twelve episodes may not be enough.
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
Thoughts: This show isn't bad, but it's not good either. It's just... a harem show. The storyline is what you would expect, with only random changes to promote more fanservice, and the girls are defined by the usual cliches; there's the childish one with the brother complex, the tsundere, the big-boobed one who secretly likes cute things... It's certainly not the worst that's out there, but it attempts nothing in story or character development that hasn't been done before.
The World God Only Knows II
Thoughts: Continuing from where it left off in it's first season, The World God Only Knows is to the harem and dating sim genre as Ouran High School Host Club is to shoujo and reverse harems: a series that, while parodying the tropes that come with the territory, serves as an example of the best the genre has to offer. The increased focus on the real world in the most recent plot arc has been interesting to watch as the show drops some hints that Keima may be more attached to reality than he's willing to admit. A fun show every single week.Nichijou (My Ordinary Life)
Thoughts: Nichijou is the king of hit-and-miss humor. Not everyone will like it, as not all of the jokes are funny (or even comprehensible), but I've found something to laugh at each week and think that this show has some of the best visual gags that I've ever seen. This is the kind of show you have to watch for yourself to see if the humor will work for you; if you get a couple of laughs out of the first few episodes, then keep going. It's only going to get funnier from there.
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi
Thoughts: I'm not a huge fan of the yaoi genre for one specific reason: the rape. A lot of yaoi series present rape as just being another way to show love, which it's not, and this portrayal disturbs me on a number of levels. So when rape happened in this show, I basically gave up on the romantic aspect. I could go on for an entire post about this, so let's just leave it at that. The part of the show that is still keeping me interested though is the manga publishing angle. It's very Bakuman-esque, only with more bishonen. However, I don't recommend this series unless you are familiar with common yaoi tropes and can tolerate them.
SKET Dance
Thoughts: This is the show that Okami-san from last year should have been, minus the romance. SKET Dance is your typical shounen series, with a premise that could go on into eternity and a problem-of-the-week format. However, it also packs a lot of heart behind its characters, and it's obvious that the series is working really really hard to get people to like it. While not immediately memorable, it's not a bad way to kill twenty-five minutes.
Steins;Gate
Thoughts: With a crazy main character and a convoluted plot to match, Steins;Gate has the most plot twists out of any other show I've watched this season. It does pander to a couple of otaku tropes, being set in Akihabara, but they can be easily ignored to focus on the larger plot that involves time travel and alternate universes. Being a visual novel adaptation, it's dialogue-heavy, but a must-watch for any fan of the sci-fi genre.
Tiger & Bunny
Thoughts: My personal favorite this season, Tiger & Bunny takes everything that's great about the superhero genre and gives it a twist--what if superheroes were corporate-sponsored? That's not to say that this show is a ripping social commentary, because it's not. Instead, it focuses on its characters, drawing largely from the buddy-cop genre for it's own benefit, creating a believable atmosphere while still being entertaining. If ordinary people gained superpowers, this is probably what would happen.
Screenshots from Crunchyroll.com, Hulu.com, Random Curiousity and Google image search.
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