Charlotte: The Side Character isn’t the only one with super speed 
Charlotte has one of the more interesting premises I’ve heard in a while. They take super powers, usually chosen to be persecuted or admired and bless it with an unique gray area. A rare condition, only a few adolescent boys and girls gain super powers for a short time during their young adolescent lives, losing it near the end of their school years. Fascinating and the reason why I picked up the anime in the first place. The characters also START off with solid personalities. Our protagonist Yuu Otosaka is a darker more scheming character, using his power of possession to cheat his way into a better life until caught by seeming hard-ass Nao Tomori. The cast is topped off with a power-induced split personality idol Yusa Kurobane, comedy relief, super-speed Joujirou Takajou and cutesy little sister Ayumi Otosaka.
Unfortunately, all the good and promise this show has quickly falls apart. Big stress on the world “quickly”. The pacing in Charlotte is just bad, everything just feels ridiculously rushed. Within the first few episodes we get thrown into a 500 mile-per-hour roller coaster too fast to feel any emotion or attachment with what should be a very endearing cast of characters. The very second episode we are immediately thrown into why Nao is rounding up super power kids, a sad backstory, character development and bonding time between Yuu and Nao. While I totally believe character development and bonds should be integrated through well thought out story, it’s hard to like characters when you can barely take time to enjoy a moment before being thrown into something new. To try and pad out this ridiculous speed they space it out with light-hearted moments among characters, unfortunately a few good jokes will only take you so far. I will admit, I thought the jokes were quite funny at first, poking fun at the flaws of incomplete superpowers and the troubles of living with your sibling. But Ayumi can only serve so many dishes with her famous pizza sauce before I’m saying “I get it”. It just felt like lazy and sloppy writing.
And… I’m barely hanging on. This has easily been my biggest disappointment of the entire season. The pacing alone is destroying what could’ve been a very strong and loved series. The only thing keeping me going is the hope that they are rushing through exposition for better pacing near the ending, but probably will only give this one more chance before dropping.
Gangsta: Sign Language is a No-Nonsense language
There’s a lot to like with Gangsta. A mature piece for sure, Ergastulum a morally loose city filled with prostitutes, gangs and thugs, is where we find our odd duo of Worick and Nicolas. The two work as “handymen”, taking care of unwanted jobs, from illegal deliveries to assassinations. While establishing a huge cast with the opening, I’ve bee delighted to see them focus mostly on our protagonists of Worick, Nicolas and the new-girl Alex. The setting while nothing new, provides ample opportunity for dramatic twists and good old fashion street fights. Speaking of, the combat has been very strong and well animated, however I would love to see more of it.
However, for a show about glorified thugs-turned-assassins, there really has not been a lot of combat. While I have no exact numbers to pull on, the majority of the anime has been dialogue and exposition so far. It’s still early so I sense the story is still ramping up and getting all the backstory out that it feels it needs to. Other than that, I have little to complain about this series.
And… I’ll Keep Watching. Gangsta is just solid, I don’t see it becoming a favorite series, but its still quite good. Definitely watch the opening if you haven’t, its a raunchy but very catchy opening and fits the setting quite well. Gangsta has promise, so I would definitely check it out if you have the chance.
God Eater: A Gaming Aesthetic 
I’ll say it right off the back, it took me a while to get adjusted to God Eaters visuals. It’s the type of anime I wish was animated normally, because it would be quite the sight if that were the case. However, as a video game based anime I can understand the choice to remain close to the original medium. All in all, I think the visuals despite being jarring at first are quite distinct and works quite well for them, reminding me a lot of the likes of RWBY.
As an outsider to the franchise the premise and storyline feel done, humans are being waged war on by a ruthless species of creature (Aragami) and only those “chosen” (God Eaters) can actually fight them. However as a science-nerd I do enjoy HOW the powers arise from some genetic modification mumbo jumbo which they’ve only hinted at thus far in the series. The main character, Utsugi Lenka/Renka (different based on translator) is a so-called “new-type” a unique and rare kind of god eater. He is a fairly typical main character stubborn and green, throwing himself in harms way as soon as he can. Thus we are introduced to the rest of the cast, the “A-Team” of God Eaters, when they come save him when he inevitably screws up.
And… I guess I’ll keep watching. God Eater is a game based anime, with a visual to match, I don’t expect it to be ground-breaking or award-winning but so far its a good action anime with the cool weapons you would expect from a game.
Rokka no Yuusha: Save the World in Style
Mesoamerican! A style that I now consider wholely under-utilized after starting this anime. I mean this anime is a marvel to look at if not purely for the reason that the design is just so interesting. I guess I’m just happy not seeing a school outfit or something out of Europe in 1500s. While I don’t love the very distinctly CG monsters, I will say if they are trying to make them feel “otherworldly” they are successful. The main characters all have such a distinct feels to them, given off by their physical appearances and increased by their actions.
Rokka no Yuusha has been a real surprise for me. I had never heard of it until it popped up on the anime previews for the season. I’m so glad I watched it on a whim, despite the tried and true story of heroes blessed by a goddess to defeat a the demon bent on destroying the world. As a guy who tends to favor characters over plot, I’m overjoyed at the distinct nature of these characters. Adlet Myer, the red-headed main character is a stubborn but crafty character who calls himself the “strongest man alive”. Right away we’re treated to an awesome fight between Adlet and two more traditional warriors in a competition. Rather than overpower them in the “strongest man” stereotype, he beats them with agility, gadgets and tricks like some medieval batman. Then he gets arrested, because what I didn’t mention was that he just broke into that sanctioned fight as neither a contestant nor a citizen of the city hosting the event. All this to get “recognized by the goddess” and it must’ve worked because in the very same episode all hell breaks loose and of course Adlet is chosen as one of the six “braves” to defeat the demon. He is then broken out of jail by another brave, bunny eared princess, Nashetania. Thus begins there journey to meet the other braves and combat the demon. What I love about this anime so far is how “human” the characters feel. Adlet is a man confident in his strength, but he isn’t some chivalrous knight, he uses all he can to win whether it be kicks or caltrops. Nashetania, on the other hand, is a strong warrior able to summon blades out of thin air, however she still is a princess and despite being overly capable, her inexperience in real fights shows, her reaction times and emotionality being sub-optimal despite her fighting prowess.
And… Of course I’ll keep watching. Definitely check this anime out if not purely for the design choices. The characters are intriguing and unique creating a compelling story, and the action has been a blast to watch.
twosensei 