We might be a little late, but as always, here are our thoughts on some of the shows of the most recent anime season~

Non Non Biyori Repeat
Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life

I’ve been waiting for this show to continue for a long time, and it’s finally here again. Time to lay back and relax while watching one of the most charming and also soothing shows I’ve probably ever watched. Just as the first season, the second season features our favorite group of friends going about their everyday life in Asahigaoka, doing nothing thrilling nor exciting, yet for some reason, some of the most entertaining and intriguing things you could imagine. This show truly entrances me in the weirdest ways, and I like it~

Working!!!
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

This season is packed with sequels to awesome yuri-ish shows, and this might actually be my favorite. The yuri might be slim, but I will never lose hope that Yachiyo and Kyouko will somehow get together. I know that there is a certain blond guy standing in the way—and the fact that I actually like him doesn’t help at all—but no matter how hard it will be, I’ll be rooting for them until the very end! The first episode alone showed us that the path to “yuri wonderland” might be hard, but I won’t lose faith!

Bikini Warriors
Genre: Action, Ecchi, Fantasy

I know what you’re thinking, but I’m only watching this show because it’s short-form. It’s a little bit surprising how much fanservice is crammed into each four-minute episode of Bikini Warriors. There’s really no plot to speak of, as it’s all about ogling the four girls as perverse camera angles show every square inch of their scantily clad bodies. At least the humor is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, so it’s not as bad as it could have been if it were taking itself seriously. Still, there’s little redeeming value involved, but I’ll continue watching anyway, because four minutes of cringeworthy T&A isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Charlotte
Genre: School, Super Power

It would be easy to say Charlotte is just another anime centering around students with superpowers, but that would be selling it a bit short. The wielders of these temporary abilities aren’t trying to save the world or anything like that, but are instead using them to prevent others like themselves from becoming the lab rats of scientists by warning them of the implications of their ability usage. It’s great that this anime has a good heart and all, but it’s not all seriousness, as there’s a good amount of comedy as well. I love how this feels different compared to the others shows on the list. It’s funny without being crude, and tackles serious matters without being too melodramatic. This one seems like it’ll be a winner.

Danchigai
Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life

This one is a slice of life with a family of four sisters and one brother who are living alone while their mother is away overseas. There are some slice of life anime that are fun and interesting, then there are ones like Danchigai. I’m not saying it’s terrible or anything, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been done a million times before and been done so much better. The characters are mostly bland, but what is odd is how this show is kinda like a harem anime featuring the brother as a siscon. Other than that, it’s exactly how you’d imagine a sibling-based slice of life going, fighting and all. The show is only three-and-a-half minutes long, so I probably shouldn’t be too harsh, but this is average in every way.

Gakkou Gurashi!
Genre: Horror, Mystery, School, Slice of Life, Supernatural

The combination of slice of life and zombies is perhaps the best thing ever, so it’s not too surprising that this is one of the better shows of the season, IMO. It’s not Highschool of the Dead by any stretch, but the zombie apocalypse makes Gakkou Gurashi! feel like a breath of fresh air for the slice of life genre. Thanks to the walking undead, there’s much more tension and introspective moments than your typical SoL, which is great. The balance between the contrasting elements feels about right, and I’d guess it’s maybe 75/25 or even 80/20 in favor of slice of life. The group of survivors are generally likable, but Kurumi & Yuki are the stars so far, while Miki & Yuuri are almost afterthoughts. It’s more than just cute girls doing cute things, so Gakkou Gurashi! deserves some praise just for the sake of being different. Oh, and there’s not really any yuri here.

Gangsta.
Genre: Action, Drama

This gritty action-drama explores the seedy underbelly of a city and its shady inhabitants. The great thing about Gangsta. is that it’s not all action (even though the action is quite good). I’d say drama and storytelling play at least as large a role, which makes the story more substantial and gives it a bit of depth. The show sports some colorful characters, with the two protagonists being two of the better characters of the season (especially Nico). The pacing is steady for the most part, but I wouldn’t go as far as to call it brisk by any means. That’s fine by me, as I was expecting more straightforward action, but got something far more interesting instead. After all that positivity, it’s nice to see others share my sentiment and currently have this as the highest-rated anime (on MAL) of any on this list.

God Eater
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Military, Supernatural

The first thing that should be mentioned about God Eater is how nice it looks. Seriously, the visual style is great and stands out even compared to other good-looking shows. A byproduct of the PSP game of the same name, God Eater draws some comparisons to Shingeki no Kyojin in that it’s humanity couped up in a city behind walls, only to have those walls penetrated by enemy forces and an elite few must save everyone. Aside from that similarity, it’s hard to point out any one aspect in which God Eater comes close to SNK in. The plot developments are cliché, the characters are average, and the enemy antagonists aren’t that great. There was a decent amount of hype for this, but other than the impressive visuals, it’s done nothing to live up to that hype. It’s still a decent action anime, but my expectations for this have taken a nosedive.

Monster Musume ni Iru Nichijou
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem

This is basically a harem anime with monster girls. The diversity of the various girls is the main thing that sets this apart from other harem shows, because other than that, it’s mostly standard fare. The generic male protagonist doesn’t contribute much and is only there to be the faceless object of the monster girls’ affection. It’s a harem after all, so of course there’s a high amount of sexual tension and ecchi moments that are the backbone of the show. I’d say the comedy is of an acceptable quality, but it isn’t hilarious or anything. Overall, this seems like a fun and entertaining show that I’ll see through to the end. And watch out, KanColle… Monster Musume is getting its own browser game later this year.

Okusama ga Seitokaichou!
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, School

The basic summary of this show: The newly-elected student council president moves in with the runner-up/VP after her father promised his father her hand in marriage when she’s of age. The key to her winning the election was her promise of love liberation, so that’s something this show has in common with Shimoseka. Both shows are highly suggestive, but Shimoseka gets its point across more with dirty jokes, while Okusama relies more on overt sexual situations (including some mild nudity). Of course, there isn’t much in the way of plot development, but I think the comedy is also a bit subpar. Even though it could be worse, Okusama‘s eight-minute episodes aren’t the worst thing in the world, so I’ll soldier on and continue watching.

Prison School
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, School

Where do I even start with this one? This is a show that’s incredibly stupid and raunchy, yet is very entertaining at the same time. An all-girls boarding school starts accepting male students, and the five males who enroll end up immediately getting into trouble, incurring the wrath of the all-female Underground Student Council in the process. It’s then that the domination begins…. This is lilke Femdom: The Anime because it seems like you can’t go a minute without the guys being brutalized. And that’s actually a major source of the comedy. The show is just ridiculous and messed up in so many ways. There are also a few great characters, including a maniacal HanaKana that you can’t help but love. Based on the twisted things that’ve already happened, I can’t wait to see the many other WTF moments that Prison School surely has in store.

Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, School

Shimoseka‘s premise centers around one girl’s noble quest to liberate a sheltered society from the chains of oppression by sparking a sexual revolution. Yes, it’s every bit as ridiculous as it sounds. Sexual comedy is the very backbone of the show, and more often than not, the humor hits its mark. The cast of characters are highly enjoyable, and the show is home to the season’s best main character (in my opinion), Ayame Kajou. Like Prison School, this show is a victim of extreme censoring, but while PS‘s censoring seems a little more legitimate, Shimoseka‘s just seems like an excuse to entice viewers into buying the uncensored version in the future. In an interesting twist, one of the female characters is secretly in love with the female student council president, so this may be one of our best hopes for a yuri romance this season. That’s just sad.

Sore ga Seiyuu!
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

After Shirobako took a behind-the-scenes look at the anime industry not too long ago, Sore ga Seiyuu! is following suit, but is looking at the life of a seiyuu instead. The setting is certainly what makes the anime, and being able to see what all goes into that line of work is informative and eye-opening. There have been cameos from big-name seiyuus like Hiroshi Kamiya and Masako Nozawa thus far, which is cool and will hopefully continue. As for the rest of the show, I wouldn’t say it’s particularly funny, and the characters are adequate, but are lacking compared to a lot of other slice of life anime. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but there’s no yuri to be found here either.

Suzakinishi: The Animation
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

This is a short-form anime based on Aya Suzaki & Asuka Nishi’s radio show. Like almost every other show on this list, there isn’t really any yuri to speak of in this one either. There’s the expected cuteness of the girls and lack of any discernible plot, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out in the 3¹⁄₂ minutes it lasts. I guess the humor is slightly more crude than your average slice of life, since the first episode featured an exhibitionist, but other than that, it’s just seems pretty generic. The one saving grace for me is that since both Aya Suzaki and her character look just like Mako from Kill la Kill (who she voiced btw), this is the closest we’ll get to a Mako Mankanshoku slice of life. That alone is enough to ensure that I’ll continue watching.

Wakaba*Girl
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

This is yet another short-form slice of life, but this one is longer at nearly 8 minutes and is definitely better than Suzakinishi or Danchigai, in my opinion. The characters are likable and have more personality than you would expect in a shorter anime, which is a pleasant surprise. I sound like a broken record at this point, but this is yet another show with no yuri. To me, this show is entertaining enough that it could work as a full-length anime, thanks in part to the endearing characters. Eight minutes seems like it’s not enough time for a cute little show like this. Considering how short it is, I think Wakaba*Girl does about as much as you can ask for in such a limited time frame.