Spring 2018 was the best season for anime. We had shows the anime community had been anticipating for a while now like Steins;Gate 0 and Tokyo Ghoul:re.  We had some good quality anime this season. What stood out this season was the variety of good shows. We had a good sports anime with Megalo Box, a great supernatural comedy with Hinamatsuri, and an interesting historical anime in Golden Kamuy. Lets take a look:

Worst Anime of Spring 2018

Anime: Tokyo Ghoul:re

Genre: Action, Psychological, Supernatural, Mystery, Drama, Horror, Seinen

Studio: Studio Pierrot, Pierrot Plus

Introduction

Tokyo Ghoul:re is the third season of Tokyo Ghoul and is produced by studio Pierrot. Toshinori Watanabe was the director for this season. Changes were made to the character designs so the characters look different than they did in Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo Ghoul Root A.

Two years have passed since the CCG’s raid on Anteiku. Although the atmosphere in Tokyo has changed drastically due to the increased influence of the CCG, ghouls continue to pose a problem as they have begun taking caution, especially the terrorist organization Aogiri Tree, who acknowledge the CCG’s growing threat to their existence.

The creation of a special team, known as the Quinx Squad, may provide the CCG with the push they need to exterminate Tokyo’s unwanted residents. As humans who have undergone surgery in order to make use of the special abilities of ghouls, they participate in operations to eradicate the dangerous creatures. The leader of this group, Haise Sasaki, is a half-ghoul, half-human who has been trained by famed special class investigator, Kishou Arima. However, there’s more to this young man than meets the eye, as unknown memories claw at his mind, slowly reminding him of the person he used to be.

Thoughts

Director Shuhei Morita was greatly missed this time around. Tokyo Ghoul:re did not have the same feel as Tokyo Ghoul or Tokyo Ghoul Root A. It felt very uninspiring. The issues that plagued the first two adaptations were even worse here. Things were happening so fast and it was hard to really understand what was going on. You don’t really have time get invested in the new characters. The new characters were dull in the first place. Specifically, Sasaki’s squad Mutsuki, Suzuki, Saiko and Urie were all one dimensional. Many of the characters from last season get little screen time. The best moments were the scenes from Tsukiyama. They were some promising moments but they were ruined by poor execution and little development.

Conclusion

I did not have high expectations for Tokyo Ghoul:re especially after Tokyo Ghoul Root A but I was still disappointed. It was horrible.

 Most Disappointing Anime of Spring 2018

Anime: Steins;Gate 0

Genre: Scifi, Thriller

Studio: White Fox

Introduction

Steins;Gate 0 was my most anticipated anime of the season. The original Steins;Gate is one of my favorite shows ever and so I was really interested in the direction Steins;Gate 0 was taking. Many of the original cast returned. I did not expect Steins:Gate 0 to be on the same level as Steins;Gate. This was because Steins:Gate 0 tells a different story and this was not really a sequel, which I discuss here. Steins:Gate was special and it was executed properly. There was more potential for error with this one. Despite this, I was still expecting a great adaptation.

The story follows the eccentric, self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe, who has become a shell of his former self. Depressed and traumatized after failing to rescue his friend Makise Kurisu, he has decided to forsake his mad scientist alter ego and live as an ordinary college student. Surrounded by friends who know little of his time travel experiences, Okabe spends his days trying to forget the horrors of his adventures alone.

While working as a receptionist at a college technology forum, Okabe meets the short, spunky Maho Hiyajo, who later turns out to be the interpreter at the forum’s presentation, conducted by Professor Alexis Leskinen. In front of a stunned crowd, Alexis and Maho unveil Amadeus—a revolutionary AI capable of storing a person’s memories and creating a perfect simulation of that person complete with their personality and quirks. Meeting with Maho and Alexis after the presentation, Okabe learns that the two were Kurisu’s colleagues in university, and that they have simulated her in Amadeus. Hired by Alexis to research the simulation’s behavior, Okabe is given the chance to interact with the shadow of a long-lost dear friend. Dangerously tangled in the past, Okabe must face the harsh reality and carefully maneuver around the disastrous consequences that come with disturbing the natural flow of time.

Thoughts

Lets start with some of the things Steins:Gate 0 did right. Exploring Okabe’s mind after he failed saving Kurisu was great. The entire atmosphere and mood was on point. As a viewer, you can feel something is missing and there is a hole in Okabe’s heart. Okabe was so anxious and so against time traveling after losing Kurisu, he got into a heated and tense confrontation with his best friend Daru. One of the highlights was seeing how a scene with Kurisu and Okaba in the original Steins;Gate play out from a different perspective. Because Steins;Gate 0 is related to events in Steins;Gate,  it gave me a deeper appreciation for that scene and for the story in general.

Despite all this, Steins;Gate 0 has some glaring issues that overall left me disappointed. One of the key issues is the pacing. Now the original Steins;Gate had a similar problem where the first half was very slow. However, it more than made up for this after a crazy second half with high stakes. Where Steins;Gate fails is that it builds things up slowly and then right when things start heating up, they go nowhere. This happens repeatedly until the last few episodes where the ending seems a bit rushed. This makes for a frustrating watch. This was due to the studio trying to fit weak arcs together that were not very interesting to the overall plot. Another issue is the terrible actions scenes and choreography. Steins;Gate 0 is not an action anime but the rooftop scene near the end of the series is so ridiculously bad that it can not be ignored. The action was poor and some of the dialogue was very cliche.

Conclusion

Steins;Gate 0 had alot going for it. However, it would’ve been best if some arcs were less focused on and more of the overall plot was developed. That way, the ending episodes didn’t have to be rushed. The ending itself was good for the most part and I like how Okabe’s video came about. Overall, I was disappointed in how the plot came together and the severe pacing issues.

 Most Underrated Anime of Spring 2018

Anime: Hinamatsuri

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Scifi, Slice of Life, Seinen

Studio: feel.

Introduction

Hinamatsuri was not on my radar but it ended up being one of the best shows of the season.

One night, a strange object falls on the head of Nitta, a member of the yakuza. Inside the box is a strange young girl named Hina. She has tremendous supernatural powers, and Nitta finds himself reluctantly taking her in. Her powers can come in handy for his yakuza business, but he also runs the risk of her using them on him. Not to mention, if she doesn’t use her powers, she will eventually go berserk and destroy everything around her. Nitta and Hina begin their strange life.

Thoughts

Hinamatsuri is a good comedy. Not only did it make me laugh but there was a ton of heartfelt moments that make you really appreciate it. Unlike most comedy shows, the primary setting is not in a classroom. The characters are put in different situations and different settings and then hilarity ensues. The buildup to the jokes are well done and properly executed. Even though there is a supernatural element in the show, it’s not anything too over the top and serves as a good setup for funny scenes.

The cast have a great dynamic and you really believe that they are more than just characters on a screen. Hinamatsuri also touches on interesting themes such as homelessness and the challenges teenagers balancing school and work.

Conclusion

Hinamatsuri was a nice surprise this spring season. It was definitely a good watch.

Best Anime of Spring 2018

Anime: Boku No Hero Academia 3rd Season

Genre: Action, Comedy, School, Shounen, Super Power

Studio: BONES

Introduction

I was heavily anticipating this season of Boku No Hero Academia. The anime has become huge and for good reason. It takes the standard shounen elements and executes them really well.

This season of Boku no Hero Academia, covered the Forest Training Camp Arc, Hideout Raid Arc and the Provisional Hero License Exam Arc.

Thoughts

The fight between Deku and Muscular was the highlight in the Forest Training Camp Arc. It had me on the edge of my seat. The visuals were great and the music was epic. The Hideout Raid Arc was the best arc. All For One finally makes his appearance and he does not disappoint. All Might vs All For One was one of the best fights this year. It was beautifully animated. Boku No Hero Academia knows when to step it up on the animation quality for the big fights. The Provisional Hero Licence Exam Arc was slow and not as exciting.

Conclusion

Overall, this season of Boku No Hero Academia delivered and was the best anime of this season. I have high hopes and I’m excited to see where the series will go next.

Honorable mentions: Megalo Box, Golden Kamuy, and Wotaku Ni Koi wa Muzu Kashii