Fall 2020 Season Conclusion

Dec 25, 2020 5:24 PM

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Jul 2018

564084

Fall 2020 Anime

Hello! Happy holidays to everyone! As far as I'm aware, most single-cour shows this season have already concluded or are soon to be over. I'd like to take this opportunity to stage a discussion overviewing the season as a whole!

What did you watch? What were the highlights? Disappointments? How do you think this season compares to others in the past as a whole?

Once the next season is underway, be sure to visit our upcoming Winter 2021 thread :)

What I watched this season:

Majo no Tabitabi Expected Score: 7-; Actual Score: 5
One of my most anticipated watches this season. I went in expecting grand tales of a magical world, and while I wasn't necessarily disappointed, the show did fall flat to some degree for me. Certain episodes definitely left a memorable impression on me, but the show ended up being little more than another show I was watching seasonally. Nonetheless, this show did not deserve the controversy it garnered rather early on. Many people were disgusted by the show's egocentric protagonist, but I found it refreshing to watch a bystander who chose to observe rather than go out of her way to get involved in everything with her powers. Overall, this show was pleasant and had it's moments, and I'd certainly watch another season. However, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for me.
Akudama Drive Expected Score: 5-; Actual Score: 5
The show I had heard the most about this season. Akudama Drive was sold to me as a high-octane cyberpunk thriller with ufotable-tier animation. While it didn't live up to its hype, I still had a lot of fun once I turned my brain off a little bit-- it was the anime equivalent of a futuristic action blockbuster. The writing and plot weren't great, the characters were unanimously subpar, but nonetheless I had a lot of fun with all the flashy fights and quirky visuals. There were definitely some lame moments and stupid sequences, but it met my expectations as long as I didn't take it too seriously.
Maoujou de Oyasumi Expected Score: 4; Actual Score: 5+
I picked up this show solely because I enjoyed the opening and ending songs, and I wasn't disappointed at all. Maoujou de Oyasumi was as fun as it was stupid, and that's okay. It's been a while since I had enjoyed a show like this, so I had a nice time waiting to watch my allotted weekly episode on Monday nights. I recommend this show to anyone who enjoys stupid, silly cute girl slapstick comedy shows like Gabriel DropKick or Machikado Mazoku. Expect nothing more than comfy shorts and you'll have a good time.
Assault Lily: Bouquet Expected Score: 5; Actual Score: 6
I actually picked this up last minute and binged through it-- I hadn't realized Shaft put something together for this season. Despite relatively low ratings for this show, it was probably my highlight of the season! The story and pacing didn't do the show justice (as expected from a toy commercial), but I loved the characters, art, and animation thoroughly. Assault Lily: Bouquet definitely had it's shining moments! It's no Madoka Magica, but I'd compare it to something like Darling in the FranXX or Magia Record-- gorgeous, sweet, and charming as long as you have good faith.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou Expected Score: 7+; Actual Score: 6+*
*The new entry of Higurashi is only halfway through its course, but I figured I would include it. Having watched the entire original show just as the new entry began to air, I still have my experience of its predecessor fresh in my mind. How does it compare, do you ask? Well, it's complicated. On one hand, the new adaptation looks fantastic and has certainly thrown me for a loop with some of its new twists. On the other hand, it hasn't quite managed to capture the essence of the original for me. Part of this is in fault of my knowledge of the true nature of the original premise, and thus some of the magic of horror and mystery is gone, so I won't hold too much against the new entry. However, I think that Gou is going to need to pull off something impressive in its second half to live up to its parent. Nonetheless, I'm thoroughly invested in this show and have high expectations for the rest!

Overall, this season was positively average, but not disappointing. No big hits, but just about everything-- except the one show I dropped-- was pleasant! Looking forwards to Winter 2021 (Attack on Titan Season 4 has been incredible so far, and I'm excited for the new season of Promised Neverland)

Please share your experiences! Feel free to comment on my own!

removed-userJan 8, 2021 12:53 PM

Dec 25, 2020 6:08 PM

mafoo5

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Aug 2016

Majo no tabitabi - 8
It was a pretty decent show with the exception of a few episodes that were awesome.

Jujutsu kaisen - 8
Pretty good show nothing bad about it.

Higurashi - 6
It's not done yet but so far it seems like they're just wasting time. It's an alright show though.

Dec 25, 2020 6:18 PM

removed-user

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Jul 2018

564084

mafoo5 said:

Higurashi - 6
It's not done yet but so far it seems like they're just wasting time.

I've had a similar experience-- I really hated the pacing of the last arc (Tataridamashi-hen). They're basically restaging my least favorite arc from Kai and it's terribly boring. So far, the first arc was my favorite. The second was alright, but it didn't live up to its original counterpart. Let's hope they do the next arc justice!

removed-userDec 26, 2020 12:48 AM

Dec 28, 2020 5:25 AM

w80707

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Sep 2020

Munou na Nana 7->9
Plot twist after plot twist after plot twist. Some said that the murders were illogical, but afterall this is a show full of super-powers. Don't use too much brain power while watching this show, just enjoy those plot twists.

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko 6->6
Nice wholesome show. The only problem is its art style which makes it look like an old anime.

Maoujou de Oyasumi 5->7
I didn't expect so much hardcore neta from this show.

Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou 8->5
I thought this show would be decent due to the popularity of its LN. But the anime itself is so weird. I'm not sure why but I couldn't turn off the analytical/critical mindset while watching this show.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 6->7
Isekai with kuma. It seems like all the character's eyelashes are purple for some reason.

Dogeza de Tanondemita 5->5
Well, you know ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

100-man no Inochi no Ue ni Ore wa Tatteiru 8->5
The art was terrible. For the story, only the last half of the last episode was good. Anyway, I'm looking forward to season 2.

Majo no Tabitabi 7->8
Elaina is my waifu. The ending was pretty interesting. I think we will get a season 2 for this show.

Tonikaku Kawaii 7->7-
Average art, average music, and average story. Although hinted in a lot of scenes, the background of Tsukasa wasn't truly revealed. Maybe there'll be a season 2?

Kamisama ni Natta Hi 9->8
Nearly perfect music and decent art. The story was a bit rushed. Maeda Jun said it would be the saddest anime in the world. I don't think so. Although the ending wasn't perfect, it still counts as a happy ending for me.

Senyoku no Sigrdrifa 8->7
Too much fan service. The story was supposed to be serious and dark (just like how Tappei Nagatsuki ruined Subaru's life) but those fan service just ruin it. Btw, Azuzu is my waifu.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei: Raihousha-hen 7->6
A sequel of Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei. Nothing really special about it. Is it wrong to try to find rettousei in Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei?

Jan 2, 2021 4:24 AM

ducklife

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Feb 2019

Watched a decent amount of stuff this season, but still a couple shows I haven't fully caught up to. For the ones I have finished:

Jujutsu Kaisen - Well animated big action shonen with some dark and interesting moments that kinda separate it from others in its genre. About what you'd expect from it. 8/10 so far, hopefully 2nd half is even better.

Sengoku no Sigrdrifa - Cute girl fight monster in WW1 planes. Plot is whatever, has some interesting bits towards the end but overall it was kinda generic. Main reason to watch is the endearing characters and the shockingly really slick animation, especially in the smaller character moments. Ending felt too clean though, if that makes any sense. 7/10.

Adachi to Shimamura - Nice yuri romance/coming of age story. Very character focused and heavy on inner monologue and dialog, with very natural if sometimes bizarre banter and character interactions. Biggest downside is inconsistent animation, and the feeling that it felt like it didn't go anywhere. Romance anime with not even a proper confession scene smh 6/10.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear - Kuma cubed. Standard, inoffensive isekai power fantasy except the mc is in a bear costume. It's an anime that certainly exists, that sometimes has cute moments, and sees the bare minimum of character and plot development to feel like not a waste of time. But again, power fantasy where there's no conflict, no real danger, and where any problem gets miraculously solved by the MC by the end of the episode. 5/10 it was occasionally entertaining I guess.

Assault Lily - Probably my biggest disappointment this season. I really wanted to like it, because the premise sounded like it could be alot of fun. But it just kept dropping the ball. The insistence to keep tacking on new characters every episode, barely developing the main pair and practically ignoring everyone else. The infodumps and exposition that kept happening every single episode without fail. Conflicts that held no real stakes. Laughable worldbuilding. Shitty pacing. Just so many issues that kept piling up that really irritated me. 3/10.

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko - Even more generic isekai. Whoever wrote this needs to realize the whole "slow life" fantasy/isekai genre doesn't necessarily mean nothing ever happening and no conflicts occurring. You can still have interesting events that aren't immediately solved by either the MC being super OP or by actually doing nothing. Like, compared to Kuma Bear, the other generic isekai anime, any sort of tension or stakes is even less believable, and the MC here barely has any agency of their own. Not to mention shoddy animation and the worst CGI I have ever laid eyes on, oh god. 3/10.

Ochikobore Fruit Tart Degenerate fanservicey idol anime. Idol anime elements are fairly minimal, its mostly a pure gag comedy with alot of raunchy jokes. Decently funny and surprisingly went real hard on its degeneracy occasionally. 5/10.

Still need to finish Akudama Drive and Majo no Tabitabi, might update the post once I do idk.

Jan 5, 2021 3:37 PM

mafoo5

Offline

Aug 2016

ducklife said:
Watched a decent amount of stuff this season, but still a couple shows I haven't fully caught up to. For the ones I have finished:

Jujutsu Kaisen - Well animated big action shonen with some dark and interesting moments that kinda separate it from others in its genre. About what you'd expect from it. 8/10 so far, hopefully 2nd half is even better.

Sengoku no Sigrdrifa - Cute girl fight monster in WW1 planes. Plot is whatever, has some interesting bits towards the end but overall it was kinda generic. Main reason to watch is the endearing characters and the shockingly really slick animation, especially in the smaller character moments. Ending felt too clean though, if that makes any sense. 7/10.

Adachi to Shimamura - Nice yuri romance/coming of age story. Very character focused and heavy on inner monologue and dialog, with very natural if sometimes bizarre banter and character interactions. Biggest downside is inconsistent animation, and the feeling that it felt like it didn't go anywhere. Romance anime with not even a proper confession scene smh 6/10.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear - Kuma cubed. Standard, inoffensive isekai power fantasy except the mc is in a bear costume. It's an anime that certainly exists, that sometimes has cute moments, and sees the bare minimum of character and plot development to feel like not a waste of time. But again, power fantasy where there's no conflict, no real danger, and where any problem gets miraculously solved by the MC by the end of the episode. 5/10 it was occasionally entertaining I guess.

Assault Lily - Probably my biggest disappointment this season. I really wanted to like it, because the premise sounded like it could be alot of fun. But it just kept dropping the ball. The insistence to keep tacking on new characters every episode, barely developing the main pair and practically ignoring everyone else. The infodumps and exposition that kept happening every single episode without fail. Conflicts that held no real stakes. Laughable worldbuilding. Shitty pacing. Just so many issues that kept piling up that really irritated me. 3/10.

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko - Even more generic isekai. Whoever wrote this needs to realize the whole "slow life" fantasy/isekai genre doesn't necessarily mean nothing ever happening and no conflicts occurring. You can still have interesting events that aren't immediately solved by either the MC being super OP or by actually doing nothing. Like, compared to Kuma Bear, the other generic isekai anime, any sort of tension or stakes is even less believable, and the MC here barely has any agency of their own. Not to mention shoddy animation and the worst CGI I have ever laid eyes on, oh god. 3/10.

Ochikobore Fruit Tart Degenerate fanservicey idol anime. Idol anime elements are fairly minimal, its mostly a pure gag comedy with alot of raunchy jokes. Decently funny and surprisingly went real hard on its degeneracy occasionally. 5/10.

Still need to finish Akudama Drive and Majo no Tabitabi, might update the post once I do idk.

so did you finish AKudama drive and majo no tabitabi

See All Discussions

» What Have You Been Watching In the Past Week? ducklife - Dec 7, 2020	7	by ducklife »» Apr 20, 2021 11:54 PM
Sticky: » Spring 2021 General removed-user - Apr 4, 2021	3	by ducklife »» Apr 16, 2021 12:28 AM
» Winter 2021 General removed-user - Jan 8, 2021	15	by removed-user »» Apr 4, 2021 12:28 PM
» Hot Takes removed-user - Jan 12, 2021	7	by mafoo5 »» Feb 10, 2021 4:17 AM
» 3x3 Favorite Anime removed-user - Oct 15, 2020	23	by coffeetea111 »» Oct 26, 2020 11:42 PM

Fall 2020 Season Conclusion

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