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TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

I'd like to preface this review with saying I general don't review sequels or side stories, because you'll find me usually saying it was as enjoyable, slightly less enjoyable, or slightly more enjoyable than the first or original story. This show has forced me to turn it into an exception.

Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka Gaiden: Sword Oratoria (which is a goddamn mouthful), better known as DanMachi: Sword Oratoria, is a spin-off side-story that shows the main story but from a different perspective. Who's perspective? ... The Loki Familia's, but more importantly from Ais' perspective.

The entire idea of the show started out well, being able to see things from how Ais saw them, but it very quickly degraded into watching Lefiya be the worst tsunyuri girl ever, every episode. For one reason or another, they thought Lefiya's "I have great potential but currently am fucking useless" mixed with "I love and look up to the girl that's my senior/hero" was going to end up with a good character. They could not have done worse with her. The constant naivete coming from Lefiya, the constant whining, the constant not being able to do anything remotely useful (until the very end), and the constant frustration that she gave me as a viewer was just horrendous. She alone destroyed the fun that this show could've given me.

On the topic of characters other than Lefiya who is probably one of the worst this year alone, every other character has the emotion or depth of a fucking brick, which is painfully tough and flat as an airway run strip. Ais continually acts like a robot whilst showing very little emotion, the twins are just there to be supporting characters and don't ever break that trend, Bete is an angry dick, and the three seniors are all very stiff. Loki probably portrays the most emotion, going from trying to cop a feel on anybody, to somewhat serious on certain matters. The best part of this show was seeing Bell and Hestia, which is just painfully ironic in this scenario.

The story revolves around Ais and the Loki Familia and how Ais goes from being mistaken as her mother to some darker things that may bring the world to ruin. Or something like that. The story in all actuality was less important than they made the character interactions out to be, and those as previously mentioned was like watching paint dry for 12 weeks. Other than some new characters that you can only see through Ais's perspective, Sword Oratoria was made out to be far darker than the original story from Bell. This didn't play out well because the original story did well as a lighthearted fantasy/adventure show. The story was like watching an extremely convoluted game of Clue with DanMachi characters, and then some fighting instead of guessing who the killer is.

One of the redeeming features of Sword Oratoria was that the art and animation were at least somewhat pleasing to look at in some situations. Some fight scenes were nicely done, some nice screenshots to be taken, but it never went up and beyond the "average" level that it had maintained through 12 episodes. The soundtrack was so laughably forgettable that I can't even really make a remark on it anymore in terms of whether it was good or not.

TL;DR: DanMachi: Sword Oratoria is a waste of 12 episodes that could've been put towards making a second season instead. All you'll get from this is how much you realize Bell and Hestia were the best part of DanMachi, and how the characters in this are painful to watch. I would not recommend this unless you really don't mind how awful the character and story are.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Hinako Note was Passione's attempt at CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) which ended fairly well, though at times the direction of the show felt lost.

Hinako has now just moved out to Tokyo in an attempt to become an aspiring actress. There's just one major setback: she freezes up like a scarecrow whenever she talks to any human being. How will her acting career fare as she receives help from her new roommates at Hitotose Manor?

The main cast of characters consisting of five (cute) girls all compliment ... each other in the way they interact with one another. Hinako, the scarecrow, Kuina, the ever-so-lovable glutton, Mayu, the super short doll like girl who's actually older than the prior two, Chiaki, the landlord and a dedicated actress (and best girl), and last but not least, Yua, who's super into Chiaki. All the girls are cute in their own right and spend their time in each episode doing cute things as formerly mentioned. However, sometimes, things go from cute to... uncomfortably erotic. Too many shots of pinup dresses and more revealing outfits that defined the outline of the body contrasted with the chibi animation that they would receive time to time and the core of the show itself. While they were good shots, it just broke the theme of the show (Hinako goes from "Flat is justice" to "Flat is injustice" in 0.2 seconds).

Moving along, the art and sound were rather good for me. The art and animation was of course cute and endearing (especially the chibi scenes), and the soundtrack was insanely good. Both the OP (while this one will make this listener end up with the biggest migraine of their life) and the ED are visually and vocally fun to view. Especially the ED, which in my opinion, is the best of the season just from the great choreography that went into it.

TL;DR: Hinako Note is another CGDCT show that at times, was really cute, but at other times was really bizarre and on the off-beaten path to weirdness. With an astounding sound track, the chibi scenes and other cute parts are sure to make you fall in love with the cast and the show as a whole.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Renai Boukun (also known as Love Tyrant) is practically a parody to the ever so popular Death Note but in the form of a RomCom. Oh boy.

Seiji Aino meets Guri and is told she'll die if she doesn't kiss someone in 24 hours, he goes for the power play and kisses her. Which wasn't the right move. At all. From here on out, he's forced into an unreasonable relationship with the self-proclaimed angel and now they're on a mission to make couples.

Along the way, Seiji ends up picking ... up Akane and Yuzu to add them to his harem of girls. All three girls are in relationship with him. Guri is a mischievous girl who wishes to ship yaoi couples. Yuzu is an earnest girl who wants the love of her sister, Akane, whom would kill for Seiji. Literally. With this cast of characters, a fun RomCom would be ensured, correct?

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Many episodes are just filled with repetitive scenes of the same slapstick-esque gag humor that everybody seems to love. You can't go twenty seconds without Yuzu falling into Seiji's arms, Akane stabbing something, or Guri getting distracted to something she found interesting. The only time this isn't ensuing is when Seiji screws something up, so he gets monologued for about a minute by somebody (usually Yuzu) and then they set off to fix the problem. This in turn makes for a rather bland RomCom. Too much overused comedy, with the added fake and heavy romance they attempt to display is underwhelming. I guess it's worth mentioning that Shikimi, a girl who was surprisingly not added to the harem, was a major sadist.

TL;DR: Renai Boukun attempted to be a funny, wacky RomCom that strayed off the beaten path at times. With really simple characters, the humor isn't as impactful as it could've been. I wouldn't say the show isn't worth watching, but don't expect this to be the funniest show you'll ever watch.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Oh, Clockwork Planet... How I had such high hopes for you, and in a way, you didn't let me down at all.

Clockwork Planet revolves around a world made out of... gears and clockwork parts. Go figure. The earth's resources had been used up to it's fullest, so a mysterious man known as Y made the Clockwork Planet by himself. Fast forward a hundred years or so, and we have Naoto Miura, an aspiring clocksmith. Someday, a female automaton falls through his roof, and discovers that she's not functioning properly. ... He then uses his insanely OP talent of being able to hear how the gears move and see their locations to fix RyuZU. She ends up making Naoto her master as they move on to greater and bigger things.

The problem with this show is that it's insanely cheesy and so poorly done that I honestly believe Xebec was trying to make a joke of this show, in and of itself. The goofy animation, lines, and ideals spouted from Naoto made this a great show for just turning off your mind and watching on autopilot. Marie, on the other hand, is just about as annoying as you can get. With her constant "I am regarded as a genius, yet I can't do anything!" bullshit will frustrate just about anyone and everyone that watches this show. All the other characters are absolutely not important and are just there to wreck havoc upon the world at large. I'd just like to mention as well, Naoto should've been a female character.

The art and sound direction are less than mediocre. As formerly mentioned, the art/animation is just really lackluster, and the same goes for the sound. There was several really odd scenes with the animation (see last episode with the hand clap of Marie and her friend) that just felt so out of place.

TL;DR: Clockwork Planet is only enjoyable if you're able to turn off your brain and just watch for the awfulness. If you're a super serious person who watches for amazing action scenes, insanely moving dialogue, or exponential character growth, this is not the place for you. Only watch this show if you're okay with having a good time watching something really, really underwhelming.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism (referred to as BSM from here on out) is surprisingly enough not a show about Machiavelli, but of a student named Nomura. Nomura has transferred into a formerly all girls school, but is now what is essentially a correctional facility. Either you be corrected into being a drag queen, or you get stabbed by some girls. Interesting story, right?

While BSM is at the end of the day just another one of your action/harem shows, it's enjoyable enough. Nomura's "I give zero fucks" attitude is refreshing compared ... to the "I'm dumb as hell and can't figure out 6 girls like me" harem MC. From day one at school, he's already getting attacked in the form of being corrected by Rin, the first of six harem girls. Of course, Nomura ends up showing his badass-ness and wins the battle... and ends up kissing her due to a sidekick hitting him which forced the kiss situation. *sigh*

On the other hand, you have a pure french girl who secretly wants to be dominated, an emotionless but insanely cute girl who while is okay with being nude herself whilst fighting, can't focus if the male MC is at the same time. Following up is a girl who owns bears for a living (bonus point for being the "Kyohohohoho" of the season), an insanely dangerous loli, and the main antagonist Amou. Amou was made to be this untouchable godlike fighter, but of course falls to Nomura's badass tactics in what started as a somewhat interesting fight that inevitably degraded into a match of fisticuffs. Excellent. Did I mention that Amou secretly wanted Nomura['s dick] super badly?

Hardly worth mentioning, but Silver Link. gave us some nice animation and art, along with some rather okay music. The OP is insanely fun to listen to for the first 15 seconds.

TL;DR: BSM is another action/harem show but is surprisingly enjoyable due to the MC's "not giving a fuck" attitude. The nonsensical way the fights play out are fun to watch, as well as playing "best girl of the show" simulator (it's Satori, by the way). Overall, a fun watch even if it does get boring from time to time.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records (RokuAka for short) is yet another of the required light novel adaptations of the season which showcases a story of MC-kun (in this case, Glenn) who pretends to be weak, but secretly has an immense talent or strength. He's forced into a situation with which he wants nothing to do with, and ends up meeting main love interest (in this case, Sistine). It's all said and done countless times while the setting and characters change from one place to another.

RokuAka unfortunately suffers ... a lot from the painfully overdone attributes and story it was given. Glenn Radars starts out as a massive dick, and ends up becoming more and more likable... or so I wish. Through the story, Glenn's reasoning and beliefs get ever so more and more frustrating to listen to. Even his laughably normal backstory of being a former pro and losing his former love interest because of his failure to be OP is just boring as hell.

Beyond that, your main love interest Sistine is a boring tsun-girl who's far too dere after 4 episodes. Your best girl who's unfortunately not main love interest is vital to the story, but is actually just there to be a hostage. Your kickass girl is basically emotionless except when it comes to Glenn. *sigh*

TL;DR: RokuAka is just another stereotypical light novel adaptation (just because it's a LN adaptation doesn't make it automatically bad, by the way) with the same setting, different location and different characters. Boring as hell all the way through, you wouldn't be missing out on too much should you choose to not watch this show.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

"I've come to realize that emotions aren't something you learn – they have to be experienced." —Gourai

Frame Arms Girl (F.A. Girl) is a show that had potential to be something great, but unfortunately fell short.

Ao Gennai receives a package from her father one day, which it's contents are revealed to be Gourai, a Frame Arms Girl. From here, their friendship grows as Ao teaches Gourai the variety of emotions humans feel. Along the way, they meet many friends and foes alike.

This story and setting had vast potential to be ... something so beautiful, but it ended up turning out poorly. Not only is writing fairly subpar, all the characters are really flat (in more ways than one). They each have the unique trait (Gourai is a hard worker, Jinrai is way too into ninjas, Base is childish, Materia twins are cunning and suggestive, etc etc) but it doesn't go any farther than that, with the exception of Ao and Gourai. The show is based around these two and their relationship, but it really feels like you're just watching a small robot learn to express emotion, which is pretty bland most of the time.

F.A. Girl constantly switched between 2D and 3D aspects, along with showing a lot of 2.5D shots. This worked for and against it, with the majority being against, unfortunately. Every now and then, they'd have a well animated scene (some fight scenes, like Ao / Jinrai vs. the Materia twins), but then other times it just felt awkward and out-of-sync (the finale live show in the last episode). As for the soundtrack, there's nothing really going for or against it. Both the OP and ED aren't awful, but there are plenty of other better ones.

TL;DR: F.A. Girl had the potential to be a great show, but didn't quite make it by a rather large margin. While there were some nice scenes and times where the show was enjoyable, you wouldn't miss out on anything should you choose not to watch.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Starting off, I will say if you think all Chinese animation is bad, you should stop here.

Quan Zhi Gao Shou (also known as The King's Avatar) is a surprisingly enjoyable show about one man's journey in the game of Glory. The #1 professional player, titled the "Battle God", Ye Xiu is forced to retire due his team's scheming business politics. He leaves and finds himself in an internet cafe nearby, where everyone happens to be playing Glory due to the new 10th server being open. From here he ... makes a new character and starts on once again through the path of Glory.

The animation and fluidity of this show is pretty astounding to me, at least. Granted, there are several reused clips and cuts throughout the show, it all looks very clean and enjoyable. I've seen too many shows where I would have loved it, had the animation been just that much better, and to my surprise, this show doesn't do a bad job of it. The soundtrack is lacking, but overall the OP/ED aren't too bad to listen to or watch.

The characters themselves throughout the show aren't ever really covered upon in depth. There's quite a few of them, and at points it's hard to keep up with the names (you have the character's name and then their in-game name to match to them). However, each character has their own quirk or reason for participating in Glory which makes the enjoyment of the show that much more fun.

TL;DR - The show isn't awful, and you should give it a chance. It's pretty entertaining in it's own right, and capitalizes on its strengths. The only thing this show is really lacking is an actual story/plot, but it gets by without it.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

Ah, Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon. How you lived up to my expectations. Bless you, KyoAni, for creating something so fun and enjoyable to watch to kick off 2017.

Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon stars Kobayashi, a hard-working stoic programmer who happens to find a dragon out in the middle of forest while she happened to be drunk from a night of drinking heavily. The next morning when she goes off for work, she's greeted by the same intimidating dragon at her doorstep!? And what's more, the dragon then changes ... into a girl, who begs to be a maid for Kobayashi herself!? Meet Tohru (Tooru), the energetic maid dragon.

What really sets this show apart from other Slice of Life/Comedy shows is that it's really earnest and just gives off a warm, happy feeling. It doesn't try too hard to make you want to watch and love it, and laugh at some of the comedy it shows. All the characters you meet are entertaining in their own right, some of which coming with their own running joke. Watching Tohru try so hard to be the best maid she can for Kobayashi gives the same feeling of watching anybody learn to do something for the first time and seeing them trying their best at it. It's a good, warm, fluffy feeling on the inside. Kanna is a young but smart dragon who also lives with Kobayashi and Tohru. In the human world, she goes to elementary school and learns like any other student, yet befriends the person who all would say is stuck-up and rude. With an upbeat OP and catchy ED, this show immediately catches the hearts of many. KyoAni even teases us at some point by showing off this brilliant and extremely detailed 30 second fight scene, just to say "We can still do this."

TL;DR: While showing a cute and upbeat setting, Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon is an endearing and heartwarming show of dragons learning to live in the human world. A world class show in its own right (+1 if you get the in-joke), this show won't fail to make you smile and love it the entire way through.

TL;DR Section at the end of the review. This review may or may not contain minor spoilers.

ACCA: 13-ku Kansatsu-ka is my pick for the most underrated show of Winter 2017. With a different type of story, slow pacing, and fascinating characters, ACCA kept me so intrigued week after week after week.

The story revolves around Jean Otus, the second-in-command of the Inspection Department of ACCA. While starting off very slow, many questioned if ACCA was going to do okay this season or not. However, this slow build is exceptionally well executed for the story and the show, and is what really made the show great. At ... first, it seems to be just a show of Jean's experiences in the different districts, which in itself is not that exciting. What also made this enjoyable was the diversity and uniqueness to each district, and how they handled whatever the problem might've been at the time. This alone hooked me, as it was so fun and relaxing to watch how someone might go about a problem whilst thinking how you would personally go about it.

The characters as well start off slow, with Jean appearing as an aloof, go-with-the-flow kind of guy. That changes drastically throughout the story as he makes his rounds through all of the districts. Nino, the ever mysterious best friend to Jean makes you want to sincerely know what his backstory is, and how heavily he'll affect Jean and the others. Lotta, Jean's younger sister, is a (cute) young girl who runs the apartment complex they stay at, all the while keeping an upbeat and cheery outlook on everything (including sweets. Lots of sweets). As more and more characters get introduced, you find yourself surrounded in a vast cast of unique and superbly interesting characters. The one drawback to such a wide display is that there are a lot of things to remember and to keep in mind when seeing each character, as well as the fact that ultimately, it's centered around Jean (some characters suffer due to this).

ACCA boasts a visually attractive art style that fits the type of story nicely, along with a great OST (man, that OP is catchy as hell)! Even the main ED of the show was regarded as one of the best this season, and for a good reason. Madhouse does an excellent job of making this look good, sound good, and feel good.

TL;DR: ACCA is a slow political/drama show with lots of emphasis on diversity and character development. While focusing on the main character Jean, ACCA still does a terrific job of keeping you highly interested for what may happen next, regardless of the outcome. Highly recommended if you're okay with the slow pace that the show takes to truly introduce and explain everything.