The Gold Standard

Soldiering on with the season reviews, comes Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid, Highschool DxD BorN, Hibike! Euphonium, and Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken.

Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid
“Device Mode: Ultra Beatdown”
ViVid did not break any expectations I had, as it ran closely to the manga in terms of building up to THE NATIONALS and introducing the gaggle of new characters that comes with it. I think my only disappointment was that no real sub group picked this up, and my fear is that it will not do well overall in sales to justify either more ViVid, or Force, and I really want Force to be animated, because that will be Nanoha proper.

I mean how can you turn down this face?

Title: Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha ViVid
Sub Group I Watched: Anon
Episodes: 12
Rating (1-10): 8

Hibike! Euphonium
“It’s all about that bass.”
I have to give it to KyoAni, not one, but two recent shows I actually enjoyed? Can this be the start of a trend?

This show struck my nostalgia box many times having been a baritone and trumpet player in elementary school. I often regret not continuing to play, because I have a soft spot for jazz, and trumpet especially is a chief jazz instrument. I might try to pick it back up one of these days, but until then, this show is rife with musical interlude and Oumae faces. It is just a shame that KyoAni really only seems to be able to shine with music-themed shows, which could also be fans jonesing for the K-ON! of yore.

Title: Hibike! Euphonium
Sub Group I Watched: Horrible
Episodes: 13
Rating (1-10): 8

Highschool DxD BorN
“BOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOSTBOOST”
You’ve heard me repeat the same lines about DxD. I think Issei is a pretty cool guy eh seduces women and doesn’t afraid of anything. This season tried to waste our time at the start with the typical POWER UP segment, but quickly devolved into the Next Big Demon Party, complete with angels, fallen angels, devils, the whole lot. We got a couple new reoccurring characters, the most interesting backstory on Koneko with her evil sister, and Asia of course stole the spotlight again and gave Rias a run for her money. Stupid Sexy Rias.

Not sure what a fourth season of this show would entail. I almost even wonder if Issei will ever get his harem. Or, will Rias and Co. become his harem?

Including Gasper.

Title: Highschool DxD BorN
Sub Group I Watched: FFF, OriginalSubs
Episodes: 12
Rating (1-10): 9

Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken
“Nerd marriage is hard.”
Three-minute shows are always good for a quick bite, or wifi on the toliet. I especially enjoy this show because it reminds me of my own household mechanics. Being married to a non-nerd can be tough when you want to talk about nerd shit and you don’t have any real nerd friends to talk about shit with. That’s why I dwell mostly online and write in this blog. I used to IRC for these things way back in the day, but those channels and people are long gone and I’ve yet to find something to replace it with. That is, when I remember to attach my irssi session and check the things I lurk on. No idea what level my Rizon IRPG character is by now. 90 maybe? It keeps reconnecting me.

Title: Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken
Sub Group I Watched: Horrible
Episodes: 12
Rating (1-10): 7