Clephas
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Konosuba- Comedy fantasy isekai. Tbh, this series is so famous I don't see any reason to advert for it. I also didn't like it, lol.
Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut- Decent mech battles, story is incoherent due to a lack of background on the setting (basically they couldn't fit it into a single season). Still worth it for the battles, though.
Reikenzan- Cultivation/wuxia anime that is actually pretty interesting. Sadly, after two seasons it basically trails off...
Koukaku no Pandora- Interesting series following the cybernetic Nanakorobi Nene as she stumbles around the incidents on an island.
Dimension W- Good action series in a science-fantasy setting. Unfortunately, like most anime series, it never gets a conclusion.
Divine Gate- Fantasy in a modern setting. Protagonist is a nearly-emotionless young man who spent most of his childhood being abused by his parents while his brother was favored, but he doesn't have even the slightest amount of resentment to him. Some decent action, but the story doesn't go anywhere.
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One Punch Man- This one doesn't really need an introduction. Op protagonist despairing at his own power in a world full of monsters punches his way through them while hoping for a challenge and looking like a dope.
Rakudai Kishi- Kvan, this series has ecchi elements, but it isn't central to the story. This is a fantasy romance focusing on a guy who has no talent trying to become a magic knight. To do so, he trains himself beyond the limits of humanity, treating himself brutally, enduring horrible unfairness from the school he attends, and eventually proving his ability to the world. The romance in this series is 'tsundere genius princess falls for the guy who sees through her to her hard work and dedication without dismissing it' type. This series needs a second season, badly, but the single season so far was good enough that I've rewatched it ten times.
Heavy Object- A science-fiction series based on a world where oversized monster machines piloted by gene-altered supermen became the basic unit of warfare. The old nations are long-gone, replaced by semi-feudal organizations that duel over territory and resources. Generally a great series to watch, one of several from this season.
Gundam Tekketsu no Orphans- Not my favorite Gundam series, it is a solid fourth to me (With 00, 08th MS Team, and Wing being first, second, and third). Like in most of the Gundam series, the protagonists are child soldiers who have little choice but to fight in order to survive. The action is fairly high-quality though the tech levels are somewhat lower early in the series than the standard for Gundam (not many energy weapons, most close-up weapons are physical ones, most mechs suck, lol)
Shomin Sample- Anime version of the VN concept of 'A normal guy goes to a rich girls' school as a test'.
Asterisk War- Series with a lot of potential that never went anywhere, despite getting a second season.
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Charlotte- Surprisingly good fantasy in a modern setting.
Overlord- One of my favorites. Protagonist gets trapped in the form of his avatar from a VRMMO and transported to a new world along with his pet NPCs, who become self-aware. While it is often amusing, the bigger attraction is the overpowered flexing of the protagonist even as he pessimistically indulges his paranoia.
Gate- One of my all-time favorites, if only because the concept of the JSDF against fantasy Rome tickled my fancy so greatly.
Jitsu wa Watashi wa- Fantasy rom-com that is mildly amusing. Not one of the best anime ever, but it is still decent and one of the few choices from an era where rom-coms were mostly gone.
Monster Musume- Ecchi comedy with monster girls (real monster girls, not just beastgirls, lol). This was part of the brief fad where monster girls became a big fetish and VNs and anime about them were common.
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Danmachi- Great fantasy series with good characters. Great adventures and character progression, but it is gradually heading toward harem ending, lol.
Owari no Seraph- Vampires in an apocalyptic setting. The action is good, the story gets incoherent at times but is made up for with the quality of the drama.
Kekkai Sensen- Decent fantasy series in a modern setting. Cthulhu Mythos influence.
Denpa Kyoushi- Comedy series that follows a genius programmer and scientist who 'can only do what he likes to do' as he teaches his students in dramatic ways that would get any real teacher fired.
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Ansatsu Kyoushitsu- I enjoyed it and it is massively popular. However, I'm sure some people hate on it.
Shinmai Maou- Ecchi fantasy in the modern era. All the seasons of this anime are devoted to giving us blue balls.
Seiken Tsukai no World Break- For chuuni fans, this anime is pure delicious delicious junk food. For everyone else it is meh, lol.
Absolute duo- One of several 'modern-day fantasy' anime that came out during this season and one of many during this particular three year period. It is completely average, unfortunately... though I still enjoyed it.
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Kiseijuu- Semi-apocalyptic story about aliens who take over the heads of people by the larva reaching their brains. The protagonist manages to stop this with at tourniquet and ends up with a smartass sociopathic talking hand. The story is brutal and full of despair but surprisingly interesting to watch.
UBW- Pretty much 70% of all FSN fans' favorite route from the original game brilliantly turned into an anime by ufotable's able hands. If you like Fate, a great series to watch. Anti-fate people need not apply.
Akatsuki no Yona- Story about a spoiled young princess of a barely-civilized Chinese-style nation (basically in transition from tribalism to aristocracy) that gets caught up in a coup. Standard hero story with her as both protagonist and heroine. It's an interesting watch, but because the anime is only one season, it doesn't finish anything.
Terra Formars- Basically an apocalyptic horror story of terraforming gone wrong due to cockroaches being cockroaches. Lots of gore, death, and generally disgusting enemies.
Madan no Ou- There are several things I love about this series (and no it isn't the way the Valkyries' don't care about their own nudity, ecchi). The first is the realistic approach to the way armies during the feudal era came together. In this anime, the protagonist doesn't mysteriously manage to raise a massive force from a small domain or BS like that, but basically goes to war with a single aide because his fief is so small. I say this is realistic because the lowest ranks of nobility during the Dark Ages often only ruled over fifty or sixty people, making armies or even squads of troops impossible to support. The second is the protagonist being an archer instead of a 'classic' swordsman... it just tickles my fancy since every duke and his baron are a swordsman in series like this. The third is that it sticks to the classics of the 'humble hero' trope with the protagonist. He doesn't care about power, only the good of his people, so he is quite happy giving his fief over to someone who will actually protect it if it comes to that. It's really too bad they never released a second season, considering how much fun I had watching this one.
Inou Battle- Another series that ended before it really got started, it begins as a comedy about characters with seemingly harmless superpowers looking for a purpose for them. A darker scene behind their everyday lives apparently exists, but the anime ends before it becomes relevant (seriously, what were they thinking?)
World Trigger- Basically a middle-of-the-road quality shounen series in the same vein as Naruto, Bleach and all the rest. Not really that interesting as these series go, but then the themes involved have been done so many times in so many different forms that there really isn't anything left to cover.
Trinity Seven- This is one of many fantasy based in a modern setting series of a similar type that came out in the years surrounding it. If I had to compare it to another anime or VN, it would be 11eyes. It has a similar feeling to it, where a previously ignorant protagonist basically gets tossed into things with no background to understand what is going and somehow manages to thrive.
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Tokyo Ghoul- This could have been so much better... it was good but not so good I want to rewatch it.
Akame ga Kill- Great fantasy story, only downside is that the ending is kinda blech.
Argevollen- Down in the dirt mecha action during a large-scale war. Fun to watch, story is meh.
Rokujouma- Comedy science fantasy with a bunch of wacky heroines.
Seireitsukai no Blade Dance- Decent fantasy action with a tsundere main heroine that never goes anywhere.
Aldnoah- Top-quality science fiction story. Worth watching if you like science-fiction action and war.
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This is one of those seasons full of halfway decent action fantasy (not isekai, for those who hate isekai, lol). Some of it is crap, but most of it is interesting to watch.
No game no life- Pretty famous for a lot of reasons. One was accusations against the mangaka for plagiarism. The other was the high-quality of the anime and demands from the fans for an immediate second season that never materialized. However, the prequel movie (that came out years later) is godly (if you ignore the abominable localization that has nothing to do with what the Japanese characters are saying), so please watch it.
Mahouka- One of my most-watched favorites, an overpowered protagonist series in an interesting setting where sorcerers are essentially designer babies and the descendants of designer babies created as weapons of their nations.
Blade and Soul- Decent Chinese-style fantasy based off of an MMO game that never really got much traction over here due to the glut of similar games at the time.
Seikoku no Dragonar- Fantasy series about dragon knights who bond with dragons and ride them into battle... except for the protagonist whose dragon is a bit unusual.
Hitsugi no Chaika- Fantasy series that is more than a bit creepy in practice. Still, has some good action and characters, so it is a good watch.
Black Bullet- First-rate post-apocalyptic science-fantasy. Basically a Muv-luv Alternative style situation combined with zombie infection type setup and a relatively stabilized situation. Protagonist is solid, but the downside is that the seeming main heroine is a loli and the other heroine is a psychopath that only shows it at certain times.
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Kyoukai no Kanata- Urban fantasy with some good action and weird characters.
Log Horizon- Trapped in an MMO. Protagonist is high-quality, interesting character dynamics.
Yuusha ni Narenakatta- Similar to Hataraku Maou
Strike the Blood- Basically a vampire version of To Aru
Tokyo Ravens- Onmyouji action in an alternate version of Japan.
Nounai Sentakushi- Comedy series that is pretty ridiculous and ecchi.
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Hoozuki no Reitetsu- really the only notable anime from this season. A funny series that delves into the underworld of Buddhist myth (mostly Japanese with some Chinese influences) in a humorous manner with the main character being the cold-blooded oni, Hoozuki, who is the personal assistant to King Enma.
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Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi- ... seriously, you thought it was nothing but sol after the intro? *sighs* you obviously didn't watch more than the first four episodes kvan. This series is basically a 'naki' type meant to create catharsis through the characters' experiences in the post-apocalyptic world, while slowly coming to certain realizations about the true nature of the world as it has become.
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Seishun Love come- Great rom-com series that was incredibly popular at the time.
Hataraku Maou- While this series is dated nowadays and it shows in the boring second season, it was still a good comedy fantasy at the time.
Suisei no Gargantia- Starts out as a mecha sci-fi in an obviously dystopian future before making its way to a submerged version of earth plagued by the same aliens the protagonist was fighting in space. Generally an interesting story where the protagonist slowly starts to gain humanity as he deals with the survivors of Earth's fall and the legacy of the ancestors.
Mushibugyou- Shounen fantasy about a world where hyperevolved insects are fighting a war against the shogunate. Great action, decent story, ends without a conclusion.
Crime Edge- Mystery/fantasy based in the modern age where psycopaths' artifacts both alter the minds of their descendants and grant them power. Interesting but the series ended without the main story going anywhere.
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Mondaiji-tachi- Interesting isekai fantasy that never got a second season, sadly.
Maoyuu- This fantasy series is one of my all-time favorites. There are a number of reasons, from the stylistic choices, to the characters, and certain key points in the series that made me cry or proud of the characters. Considering that it is only twelve episodes long, it is stunning how much content made it in.
Zettai Karen Children The Unlimited- Even if you didn't like the original series, this prequel/gaiden is awesome to watch. Great esper action with a much darker atmosphere than the original series.
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Most memorable for me was Zetsuen no Tempest. The complicated relationships between the characters and the sheer drama and scale of the story made it an awesome read.
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Kingdom- First steps of the journey of Qin Shi Huang and his future general. Generally speaking, good action, excellent story
SAO- SAO's first season is considered to be the best for a reason...
Dog Days- Child-oriented isekai sports.
Oda Nobuna- Koihime Musou-style protagonist goes back to a point in history. Pretty standard issue stuff from a VN perspective, the only unusual part being that it is an anime.
Campione- Ecchi-heavy fantasy in modern times
Dakara ore wa H dekinai- Low-quality ecchi fantasy comedy.
Hagure Yuusha- Heavy on the ecchi and action, story goes unfinished and unexplained. Similar to Ikki Tousen and Queen's Blade in that nudity occurs at random times for no particular reason.
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High School DxD- Pretty famous ecchi anime series that even had several doujin eroge made about it. Has surprisingly good action for a harem-ecchi fantasy.
Papa no Iukoto- Good anime about a guy who takes in his cousins after their parents die. Lots of emotional moments.
Mouretsu Pirates- Rather incoherent science-fiction series based in a setting where space piracy has been normalized through a rather slapdash privateering system.
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HunterxHunter (2011)- Great shounen series. Ironically, the animation quality is lower than the original series.
Fate/Zero- Kvan, I know you have something against the Fate series, but if you can't recognize the sheer quality of ufotable's work on this, there is something wrong with you.
Haganai- High quality rom-com.
Guilty Crown- Weird fantasy series that has a lot of cool moments but is a bit incoherent overall.
Shakugan no Shana III- The conclusion of the series with the best action so far. Downside is that it jumps over a large swathe of developments between the two seasons.
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Dantalian- I actually helped fansub this one, and it is one of a very few anime I fansubbed that I didn't come to loathe. The concept is interesting and the characters are solid and well-developed. It is just unfortunate that it never got a second season.
Itsuka Tenma- I actually liked this one quite a bit, though it definitely is one of those anime you will either hate or love. Unfortunately, like many fantasy series of this era, it never got a second season and didn't end at a good cut-off point.
Kamisama no Memochou- This one was interesting... but it isn't to my tastes. Mysteries just don't do anything for me anymore.
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Ao no Exorcist- Low quality, overrated fantasy series with an interesting concept that was poorly presented.
Hidan no Aria- Low quality science fantasy ecchi with a Shana clone for a main heroine.
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Kore wa Zombie desu ka- Ridiculous comedy everyday fantasy with enough violence for it to be a Fate series but the atmosphere of FLCL.
Freezing- ecchi apocalyptic fantasy that somehow manages to be interesting for the first half but gradually just trails off.
Dragon Crisis- Setting and series had immense potential, but without a second season, there was no way for them to bring it to life. I was really fond of the idea of using relics to use magic-like abilities, as it had immense potential for a shounen-style fantasy action anime or a Fate-style dark fantasy action anime, lol
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Kuroshitsuji II- This sequel gives me very mixed feelings. On the one hand, I hated how it invalidated the ending of season 1's drama. On the other, the ending and leadup to it is awesome.
Densetsu no Yuusha- Great berserk scenes, weak comedy, generally an interesting series and concept. Unfinished.
Nuraryihon no Mago- Youkai lovers watch, other people not so much.
Asobi ni Iku Yo- One of the best ecchi harem anime to have come out ever. Not just because of catgirls, lol.
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Gundam Unicorn- One of the better Gundam series from the Universal Century universe, I'd say second place behind the 08th MS Team series. Action is top-quality, as is the animation. The story... is typical Gundam, lol.
Baka to Shoukanjuu- Low-quality comedy fantasy.
Omamori Himari- I have a weakness for non-human heroines, so I loved this one, but I was still annoyed that it never went anywhere.
Vampire Bund- A heavy-handed attempt at a modern vampire series that didn't quite match expectations.
Katanagatari- Violent series that is reasonably fun to watch, story is absurd though.
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Some companies utilize the rigid playing order well, but others do so poorly, seeking to hide lower path quality by forcing you to experience the lesser paths first. A classic example of this is Rui wa Tomo o Yobu as well as Comyu. In the former case, Rui's path is by far the weakest path in the game, and yet it is the first one you are forced to experience. The same goes for Benio's path in Comyu. This has a huge disadvantage, as it gives an impression that the game is lower quality than it actually is and leads to people dropping it without seeing the best parts. Ruitomo is still a top-quality game, but more than one person who has tried it at my suggestion has complained about Rui's path being so weak before dropping it.
On the other hand, Dies Irae does the same by enforcing that you play the game in the order of either Kasumi or Kei first, then Marie, than Rea. This actually works out ideally (especially since it links directly into the Shinzabansho canon), and it also allows you to ignore one or the other if you wish (Kasumi gets ignored the most often, incidentally, lol).
The most common use of Rigid Playing Order happens in chuunige as a genre. This is probably because the scenario directors and writers in these cases are far more likely to have a specific pathway to the finale than other genres. The methodology I came up with is to split heroines/paths into four tiers. I call these tiers the 'introductory path', the 'sub path', the 'main path' and the 'conclusion path'.
Introductory paths serve more as setting and character dynamic introductions more than anything else. They usually assiduously avoid presenting the 'hidden truths' of the setting and plot, while providing a truncated ending that deliberately falls short of what the reader would want. The aforementioned Benio and Rui paths, as well as the Anna path in Vermilion Bind of Blood all fall into this category.
Sub paths are a bit of an odd man out. For some reason, some VNs throw in random heroines and paths that have no real meaning for the story as a whole. Ayaya's path in Comyu and the 'normal paths' that sometimes appear in various games fall into this category.
Main paths are the most common type of path in plot-centric VNs. These paths have the quality of being conclusive when taken by themselves but do not resolve the plot's core conflict in a conclusive manner. Examples of such paths include Kei's path in Dies Irae, as well as most of the paths in Tasogare no Sinsemilla.
Conclusion paths are often represented as a true route, grand route, canon route, etc. The universal aspect of these paths is that they all resolve the core conflict of the plot in a conclusive manner, as well as tear the veil concealing most of the mysteries hidden in the other paths. They will often include variants of events that occurred in other paths that lead up to a grand conclusion, and there are often aspects of the plot that only make sense because you played the main paths prior to playing this type of path.
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21 hours ago, littleshogun said:
Well the reason why there's less VN with fantasy and science fiction setting is pretty clear, in which it need more money to make the assets compared to usual high school setting while it's just easier to write the story in form of WN (No need to draw sprites and background). Anyway as far as the difference concerned, I think mod Clephas here is more or less almost true. Also it should be noted that some of web novel writer are also just write it with on the spot idea, at least with my experience reading Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. For the length, well it depend on the story, although if the story goal is already achieved in two volumes then we can say that the rest of the volume are already trails off (ie Bakarina).
Almost forgot to mention that the author usually write his idea in web novel and then improved the idea in light novel, as shown with Reincarnated as Slime with several plot in ight novel are different from the web novel version. Although such occasion is usually rare, because from what I see in Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear both novel have mostly same contents (With several more POV of other characters in light novel).
About two-thirds of most web novel writers are just pulling it out of their rears as they write... including me.
Anime of the Year 2016-II Spring - Koutetsujou no Kabaneri
in Anime of the Season
A blog by kivandopulus in General
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Tanaka-kun - Mild comedy anime that is worth watching if you want something mildly amusing.
Sakamoto Desu Ga- Another comedy anime, this one focused around a guy who is Tanaka-kun's opposite. He is an active Mr Perfect, and most of the series is him doing stuff perfectly and amazing the characters to get a laugh out of the watcher.
Sousei no Onmyouji- A decent onmyouji fantasy with good action. Shounen anime, so it is a bit long.
Hundred- One of many futuristic science-fantasy series centered in the period between 2011 and 2017 (before almost all fantasy series became isekai). I recall it being enjoyable to watch, like most similar series from the era, but it wasn't terribly memorable, not the least of which because we never got an ending.
Joker Game- A spy anime that is actually pretty good to watch.
Shounen Maid- A young man with nowhere to go gets taken in by a touchy-feely artist (wealthy) as a cross-dressing maid. It is actually pretty cute and sometimes nakige-like in atmosphere (think Key).
Bungo Stray Dogs- Good action, story is incoherent with writers being incarnated with magic-like powers. Tbh, it feels like a throwback to the nineties and not in a good way. There are good episodes, but the basic concept is so silly that it is hard to take it seriously.
Koutetsujou no Kabaneri- Zombie apocalypse, protagonist is half-zombie, fights other zombies while being looked at with hate and suspicion by the normies. Nothing special.