What, another year already?

This is not Re:Zero.

There are a lot more shows each season these days than there used to be. I'm willing to give a lot of them a try, but I'm not quite as willing to slog through something in hopes it gets more interesting later. Lest you think I'm being too negative because I dropped 10 shows before the fourth week, bear in mind I'm still watching 17. Cripes, that is a lot. No wonder I never make any progress through my sizable backlog of anime I'd like to re-watch someday.

Definitely not Hane. Definitely not Haruka, either.

Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu (Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club) is a blatant attempt to promote tourism in Kamakura as well as encourage more people to ride bicycles (read: buy bicycles and bicycle-type accessories). The show caught my attention because it stars Ueda Reina in the lead role, effectively making it Bakuon!! except with bicycles instead of motorcycles. Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu is not nearly as good as Bakuon!!, but it does have some real charm as an introduction to bicycling and to the Kamakura area.

Landmarks and potential attractions are all clearly identified, too.

I don't know Kamakura at all, but it's a cinch the various locales depicted in the anime are all famous tourist-friendly landmarks. There are a number of shots obviously framed in such a way that visitors will be encouraged to replicate them. As someone who once juggled a camera and an old PDA with a washed-out screen in Heidelberg trying to line up perspective and angles correctly, I can appreciate the thoughtfulness displayed here.

This shot might be more difficult to replicate than one of, say, the Buddha statue.

The bicycling portions are accessible and informative, doling out more advanced information as the season progresses. (There are also live-action instructional shorts at the end of each episode.) It does present cycling in an extremely positive light, compared to Bakuon!! which had a bit of fun with the potentially negative aspects of motorcycling. Really, Bakuon!! is just more fun overall, whereas Minami Kamakura Koukou Joshi Jitensha-bu is more...pleasant? It certainly is a pleasant show, where everything is great and oh so nice. I don't mean it as a criticism, but this relaxed approach does seem to cap the upper limit as to just how good the show can get.

Go on, Shizuka, curse the bitch out.

I started watching Idol Jihen (Idol Incidents) because Ueda Reina is in it. Unfortunately, she's not in it much, although the OP suggests there will be more to her character later. The show itself is all right, but just barely. It frankly plays out like a rejected Aikatsu! arc, which is fine for a few episodes, but maybe not enough for a whole season. I was also expecting the entire Diet to consist of idols, but instead the idol parliamentarians are just various members of fractured idol-based opposition parties trying to challenge The Establishment comprised of old, unpleasant, corrupt politicians and uncaring corporate assholes.

Rocket Nerd promotes her vision to her hallucination.

Idol Jihen has its moments, but through seven episodes there's only been one episode I fully liked (the one with the gosurori ghostbuster), but that was mostly due to execution. I am a bit tired of the constant struggles against Old People. The show falls flat when it tries to present these battles in a semi-serious fashion involving such weapons as Children's Feelings. The show is much better off when Old People instead get swayed by idols doing idol things and everyone realizes how much better off the world can be after their idol epiphanies. Well, at least the OP and ED are catchy.

Walk it off.

Keijo!!!!!!!! is not just a better sports anime than Shakunetsu no Takkyu Musume (Scorching Ping Pong Girls), it's a better show overall. This is probably contrary to conventional expectations from prior to the start of the autumn 2016 season, but I think most viewers now accept that Keijo!!!!!!!! turned out to be much better than anyone reasonably hoped before the season began.

So far so good.

A while back, it was about a year ago, I think it was, I decided to check out more of THE iDOLM@STER's action, right, figure out what Million Live! had going on that I didn't have going. Although I was a (secondary) fan of the "real" iDOM@STER and knew of Cinderella Girls from its anime adaptation, Million Live! I only knew from the various cards people would upload to the Danbooru.

I'm guessing Umi smokes this girl.

Well, it turned out there were quite a few Million Live! characters (and a shit ton of Cinderella Girls). At a whim, I decided to start burning through all the bios to see if perhaps there was one I'd be likely to favor best. I even started a a spreadsheet compiling the official data. (This spreadsheet has since grown out of control.) It sort of felt like shopping for a mail-order waifu from a catalog since I was at least semi-consciously intent on determining which Million Live! was best Million Live!.

I don't actually know anything about this event.

Coincidentally, this was also about the time I lost my previous disinterest in anime figures. I reasoned that as my anime-type hobby didn't seem to be going away, it probably wasn't just a phase, and perhaps that made it all right to spend some money on anime tchotchkes. And maybe a display box of some sort. But not a display case, that's going too far. After all, I would only be getting one. (Heard this one before, have you?) I just had to figure out which one. Preferably not one which would cost me like two hundred damn dollars only to melt during a relentless Southern California summer.

I can't tell if this is an exhibition or a competition.

Also coincidentally, this was about the time I learned of the Rookie Seiyuu Awards. Ueda Reina won that year for Hanayamata, so I watched that (it turns out it's really good) and a bunch of other shows with Ueda Reina roles, even token ones. (It turns out Ueda Reina is really good too.) Anyway, those of you who happen to be Ueda Reina fans probably already know where I'm going with this, as will anyone who is an actual fan of THE iDOLMASTER: Million Live! itself rather than just a fan of the idea of THE iDOLM@STER: Million Live! like me.

Ueda Reina, center, with some of her fellow Hanayamata seiyuu.

It turns out Kousaka Umi is the not-quite-anime-character perfect storm. Some of you already know that—in the absence of any other key indicators—I start my character ranking determinations based on the various candidates' hair. Kousaka Umi's extraneous twin braids immediately put her in towards the top of the list, because I love me some twin braids. The top of the list, incidentally, included such company as Kitazawa Shiho whom I liked from the iDOLM@STER movie because she was such a bitch to everyone for no reason, and Nanao Yuriko (whom I also liked for her hair, even though she wasn't a bitch to anyone in the iDOM@STER movie). I'm also partial to enthusiastic Top Fuel Genki characters in general. Add in some real-deal athleticism, and I'm basically sold. Wait, there are also random ballet-themed references and non sequiturs? Someone's been reading my old journals. I'm totally in favor of a ballet-trained idol even if it means she is probably really bendy.

Actually, she is really bendy.

At this point, I was tracking Kousaka Umi as the likely best Million Live! idol, but she didn't have any anime presence to speak of. Was she in anything else besides the game? Thanks to my aforementioned serendipitous curiosity about anime figures, I decided to see if possibly a Kousaka Umi figure existed. And yes, it turned out one did. This was somewhat perplexing, as she was also the only Million Live character who had an anime figure of any sort at the time. It's still not clear to me why; if there was only going to be one, I would have expected one of the characters from the movie. Anyway, finding out a Kousaka Umi figure did exist and that it did not cost two hundred damn dollars worked out pretty well. Especially since this way I could claim my lone anime figurine was somewhat esoteric despite being part of a well-known franchise.

This Kousaka Umi anime figure came with an extra face.

You know what's next, right? As I understand it, most (or at least many) Cinderella Girls characters are not yet voiced, but every Million Live! character is voiced. Kousaka Umi, you've surely already guessed, is voiced by Ueda Reina.

"ココロ☆エクササイズ" is quite catchy.

Well, shit. Umimi not only cruises through all the checkpoints (at least on paper), she has an anime figure which was apparently under-appreciated even when it was the only game in town as far as Million Live! figures went, AND she's voiced by my favorite newbie voice actress. So there you have it. This was a no-brainer. Also, if you're reading this on August 10th, then it means I managed to get this written in time for her designated birthday. Happy 16th birthday again, Umimi. You're my THE iDOLM@STER: Million Live! Best Girl.

Hane gets by with help from her reliable imouto.

I was expecting to enjoy Bakuon!! on general principle, but I'm still surprised to see it at the top of my Spring 2016 rankings. Silly and a little irreverent, Bakuon!! is a charming show about high school girls who really like motorcycles. If you've seen much anime, you're surely familiar with the "girls really enjoy this thing" brand of moé pandering. For example, K-On! did this with guitars, GIRLS und PANZER did this with tanks, and Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai did this with incest.

Objects in mirror are larger than they appear.

In light of this, I get the feeling "Girls Really Like a Thing" shows probably do better when the Thing in question is a bit esoteric or at least a niche interest among the show's target demographic. (Mountaineering, for example, as opposed to yet another girl who loves anime, manga, and video games.) Then again, specification alone wasn't enough for Haifuri, so it's just a rule of thumb at best.

Raimu breaks a lot of laws on this show.

The above K-On! mention may remind longtime readers I railed against "retard moé" seven years ago and cause them to wonder why I enjoyed Bakuon!! so much when its lead character is, to put it mildly, dumb all Hell. It is entirely possible I like Hane largely because of my Ueda Reina bias, but I think an important distinction relates to how Hane and her idiocy fits within the world around her.

Onsa and Yukari could exchange haircare tips.

Specifically, Hane does not make life more difficult for those around her. Moreover, her idiocy is more along the lines of startling ignorance rather than a lack of capacity to reason or learn. The impolite axiom "stupid people make everything more difficult" frequently manifests as a narrative tool or comic trope to rally action and reactions among a story's characters. This was certainly true in the K-On! episodes I watched, where Yui's, um, peculiar mannerisms (autism, some boasted) coupled with Ritsu's laziness to construct comedic situations opposite the serious Mio.

The motorcycle brands themselves are also essentially characters in the
show, from Honda and Kawasaki to even Suzuki and Amazon.co.jp!

Hane, on the other hand, clearly does not know much about anything, but she's eager to learn—at least about motorcycles. Her enthusiasm for the subject makes her endearing because her more knowledgeable friends are happy to educate and indulge her in their shared interest. Maybe I like Hane because everyone else likes Hane. She seems like she'd be fun to be around, maybe ride some motorcycles and go camping with, even if she is dumb as all Hell.

Get pumped, witches.

As you can see from my per-episode chart, it took a while for Dagashi Kashi to secure the top spot I predicted, but it's in good company. Konosuba is my current number four show, but its rating is higher than what I gave my top show, One Punch Man, autumn 2015. I certainly disagree with people who claim this is not a very good season. Besides, there are at least three "NOT KID'S STUFF" serious shows worth watching1 in addition to some entertaining lighter fare, so I'm pretty deaf to most complaints.

Coconuts and Saya are pretty lucky You is looking out for them.

Dagashi Kashi is an uncomplicated show, but it succeeds because it's easy to enjoy the characters and their candy-related shenanigans. Hotaru and Saya are the real stars of the series, but it helps a lot that Coconuts is not a potato, if you get my meaning. Sure, he's a little dense when it comes to Saya, but his observation that Hotaru is "pretty cute when she doesn't talk" is fairly astute for an anime male lead. Likewise, his buddy Tou is totally all right. I like how he's always slumming in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses. The dude is leagues above the usual shitheads male anime leads tend to surround themselves with. TYPE-MOON, I'm looking in your direction.

Fast cars and polite, well-dressed robots.

I'm probably enjoying Dimension W more than most people thanks to my growing appreciation of Ueda Reina. Still, her role in the show isn't nearly as large as I would have expected, so maybe I just enjoy the mysteries and the pacing more than most viewers. There's enough detail in each episode for me to follow the story, but not so much that it becomes predictable. I've read some of the manga, and there's actually a lot more background and world building in the source material that is absent from the anime. This is probably a wise decision, as it keeps things moving along and none of the omitted bits seem critical to the main story.

Yeah, I'm not watching the Toonami dub either, Mira.

The Toonami broadcast dub started airing recently, but I'm not sure Dimension W is really going to draw a large general audience. I don't think it's nearly episodic enough to engage anyone who isn't on board from the beginning. I'm totally with it, though. Depending on how the final arc shakes out, Dimension W could easily end up being my favorite show from this season.

Paper fans are a lot more durable than I'd imagined.

Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū turned out to be much different than what I was expecting. First episode aside, Rakugo devotes all of its time to an extended flashback covering the rakugo master's youth and his relationship with the now-deceased father of the surly lady from the first episode. There are homosexual overtones, but it's starting to look like the climax of the series may involve fighting over a woman. I'm doing Rakugo a disservice by commenting on it so lightly, as it is an excellent and serious show. We don't get anime this good very often, so anyone who complains about anime being all moé shit these days had best be watching it lest he be disregarded as a hypocritical crank hereafter. In other news, there's an amusing amount of Evangelion alumni in the cast. Voice actors for Kaworu, Kaji, Rei, and Touji all have important roles.

I bet that thing dies.

Like Rakugo, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! is a Studio Deen production, giving this oft-maligned studio two series in this season's best four shows. Crunchyroll described Konosuba as a pastoral. I agree with this view and would like to add that Konosuba comes across overall as the best case scenario for a NEET reincarnated in a fantasy world. Yeah, Aqua is a sloppy and generally horrid person, and Darkness' one shtick can get pretty tiresome rather quickly, but...you know, this don't seem so bad. I'd sleep in that stable. The show itself is quite funny and very refreshing considering the over-saturated Fantasy and Reincarnation genres we're stuck with. Even though Konosuba is my number four show of winter 2016, I feel as if it ought to be higher.

I want to read a 4-koma comic strip about Kayo's shitty life.

If you look at initial impressions from the first couple weeks of the season, you'll find near unanimous agreement claiming Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED) is the best show of the season. I can't agree with this at all, but I also can't disagree too vehemently. ERASED is very good when it's good, but it's also the sort of show that really hurts itself when it's bad. It's probably unfair to hold a time travel show to such a high standard that even minor plot holes become damning, but the plot holes (and contrivances) do bother me. I went over this already, though, and don't feel the need to revisit those criticisms at this time.

The rising sun was a bit much. P.S. Spoilers.

I should probably say a few words about the second season of Gate, particularly since I seem to enjoy it much more than most viewers. However, it's one of those shows that has so much baggage and requires so much context that it's just too much work to address at this time. At a minimum, it requires a lot more explanation than is appropriate for one of these little blog updates. Maybe I'll get around to it someday (just as maybe I'll get around to writing down all those Aldnoah.Zero thoughts. I will at least say anyone on the fence about starting the series should disregard the criticisms of opponents who are hostile towards military force projection as a matter of principle.

Meanwhile, Ojou helps you find her nipples.

Oshiete! Galko-chan probably deserves to be at the top of this list, especially considering I've given it a perfect score through eight episodes. However, it's an episodic short series with eight-minute episodes and essentially no continuity. Galko-chan is mostly deft observational humor and gags about Galko herself behaving differently than one might stereotypically expect, but it's fun to watch. Additionally, Noto Mamiko is really making the most of her role as the show's narrator.

This was a pretty good catch, especially since it doesn't have opposable thumbs.

I only intended to highlight three or four shows from this season, but there are just too many gems currently airing. I haven't even mentioned the latest Pretty Cure or any of the bad shows with good ideas. Back in the day, I'd probably have gotten a lot more mileage out of the current crop. Before the dark times. Before the Twitter. Well, that platform does seem intent on self-destructing, so maybe good ol' anime blogging will return one day.

Note 1: Rakugo, ERASED, and Ajin (which I dropped after one episode).