Roving Thoughts archives

My (Twitter) reactions to the first episodes of the Summer 2016 season

As before I've decided to collect here all of my tweeted reactions to the first episodes I've seen (in the order I saw them).

• DAYS episode 1: That was a reasonably fun and appealing instance of its genre, although its genre is not particularly my thing. ♯

• Tales of Zestiria the X episode 0: This was pretty decent by itself but the end sequence suggests that this was all background. →

• Taboo Tattoo episode 1: The writing is embarrassingly clumsy but the show might be an okay popcorn watch for action and some bits were nice. →

• D.Gray-man Hallow episode 1: I have no opinion here because this can't really be followed without way more D.Gray-man context than I have. →

• Scared Rider Xechs episode 1: That was surprisingly competent and engaging. It moved quite fast and mostly skipped (bad) exposition dumps. ♯

• Regalia - The Three Sacred Stars ep 1: I like shows that drop you in the middle of stuff, so I liked this. Also that action & that ending. →

• Planetarian episode 1: That was well made and a solid story, but it basically has to be a tragedy and tragedies are not really my thing. ♯

• Alderamin on the Sky episode 1: That was a pretty decent start. Not splashy or great, but competent and in a genre I often enjoy watching. ♯

• Qualidea Code episode 1: That was a fun and decently done instance of its genre. I may be reading a few things into the prequel bit, tho. →

• 91 Days episode 1: Oh, I like this. We've got characters and a situation and some suspense and intrigue, and people in over their heads. →

• Thunderbolt Fantasy episode 1: This is 100% committed to its aesthetic and that is awesome. I'm happy to watch fantasy Chinese martial arts. →

• Mob Psycho 100 episode 1: This is a very well made show that basically doesn't work for me. Part of it is that Reigen is irritating scum. →

• Prisma Illya 3rei!! episode 1: It turns out that PI is significantly improved by simply having a plot going on. Who would have guessed? →

• Battery episode 1: I have to call this 'delicately drawn'; it's pretty quiet and reasonably understated. The two leads interact well. →

(A → means there's further discussion on Twitter, a ♯ means that's it.)

I've not looked at Orange or Sweetness and Lightning, both of which are getting praise for high quality, because both seem to be in genres that almost never work for me and there have been enough other first episodes that I've wound up feeling overwhelmed by them all. I may change my mind about this later (and update this entry accordingly).