The Anime-zing Race (Summer 2015 Edition): Week 1

New season, new race rules, same bad banner-making skills.

It’s finally time to start the Summer 2015 edition of The Anime-zing Race! As I mentioned in my last post, this season will work a bit differently, with more limitations on eligible shows and a number of non-elimination legs. In addition, this first leg will introduce another new aspect to the Race that I might do for any given leg.

Before we begin, though, there has been some changes to the race lineup. Castle Town Dandelion has ascended from the race, being way more like my preferred slice-of-life anime than I had expected, a look into what happens in Chaos Dragon has told me that I want nothing to do with that show, and Suzukinashi The Animation has not received a legal stream at the time of the race start, so those three are no longer part of the Race, and three shows need to take their place. Two of those shows will be Overlord and Sky Wizards Academy… but unfortunately, all of the remaining shows are either too ecchi (Shimoneta, Monster Musume, Prison School), too dark and gruesome (Gangsta), or are not streaming on CR or Funimation (God Eater). Or, they are sequels to shows I have not yet watched… so…

I am now allowing shows from past seasons to participate in the Race. There are two conditions, though, for bringing in a past show. First, I cannot have watched any episodes of the show already (not even one episode). Second, the show must be either: 1. A show for which a sequel season is debuting in the current season, or 2. A show which started in a previous season but is still airing new episodes. Shows that fall under 1 will take priority.

As such, based on those conditions, Gatchaman Crowds (Season 1) will be my final Race candidate. The full list of Race candidates are:

Actually, I Am
Aoharu x Machinegun
Charlotte
Classroom Crisis
Gatchaman Crowds (Season 1)
Gate
Overlord
Ranpo Kitan
Rokka: Braves of Six Flowers
Sky Wizards Academy
Ushio and Tora

While many of these shows already have two episodes up, this first leg will focus only on the first episode of each show. So, let the Race begin!

The Anime-zing Race: Changes and Plans for Summer 2015 Season

So I kind of gave up on the whole "The Anime-zing Race" project last season, mainly because the same couple of shows were always at the top or at the bottom, and one show dominated the season too much. I'll be doing it this Summer 2015 season, but there will be some changes...

1. Shows that I have pegged early on as likely favorites will not be eligible. The Race will instead determine which show will be the "breakout hit" of the season, surpassing my initial expectations to become one of my favorites.

2. Related to the above, if I watch a show's first episode and decide that the show is all too easily going to dominate the race, it will "ascend" from the race, and another show will take its place.

3. Sequels and continuing shows are not eligible.

4. Also not eligible are any adaptations for which I have read the original source material beyond about 2 episodes' worth. For this upcoming season, that mainly means that Gakkou Gurashi/School-Live! is ineligible, as I've read a good portion of the manga already.

5. I will be very hesitant to put any slice-of-life show among the race competitors. I judge such shows on very different standards and usually rely on them as relaxing diversions, so critically judging them for something like the Race is pretty hard. Such a show would have to be well below my average expectations for its genre for me to consider giving it a spot, and can easily "ascend" from the race after the first episode.

6. Only shows streaming on Crunchyroll or Funimation are eligible (I wouldn't be watching the show at all otherwise.)

7. Finally, there will only be 11 shows participating at the start of the race (just like in the actual The Amazing Race). Shows that "ascend" from the race or lose eligibility some other way will be replaced with a backup show. Plus, out of the 12 legs of the race, only 8 will be elimination legs, where the last place show will be eliminated; 3 pre-determined legs are non-elimination legs, with the last place show spared elimination; however, said last-place show must fulfill a certain additional requirement in the following episode or its final placement in the next leg will be two places below where it would have otherwise placed that week, which may be enough to eliminate the show.

I may introduce some other elements into the Race if I feel like it. For now, here's a look at the (potential) participants for this season's Race:

Actually, I Am (Jitsu wa Watashi wa): Honest boy discovers girl is actually a vampire, and must keep her secret, while other monster girls surround him. Since that other monster girl series is going to be too lewd for me, I'll have to make do with this one.

Aoharu x Machinegun: Because apparently, survival game anime is still a big enough thing. This one has more of a shoujo flavor to it.

Castle Town Dandelion: It's Big Brother but with magically-powered siblings (and audience voting).

Chaos Dragon: Fantasy RPG-esque anime ahoy!

Charlotte: A Key original work, like Angel Beats. Definitely could end up ascending in the first leg, but can't say for sure.

Classroom Crisis: A romantic comedy, but on a colonized Mars. Slight chance of ascension.

Gate: In which Japanese "soldiers" station themselves at a portal to a fantasy world, and one, who happens to be an otaku, gathers companions in said fantasy world and deal with inter-world relationships. (Outbreak Company all over again?)

Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace: A mystery/horror series on the NoitaminA block, based on the late Edogawa Ranpo's works.

Rokka no Yuusha: Six heroes will be called to conquer evil... so when seven appear, one must be an impostor, right? (Basically, The Mole in a fantasy world.)

Suzakinishi The Animation: Two seiyuu transfer into school to check it out. Not really sure what to make of it, so it's a slice-of-life that I'm allowing in the race's initial lineup; there's a slight chance of ascension.

Ushio to Tora: A priest's son and a youkai must team up to defeat a greater evil.

Backup candidates:

Overlord
Gangsta.
Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan

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If you want to see what I thought of various Spring 2015 shows, check out some of my reviews over at Beneath the Tangles, and check the comments afterwards for my thoughts on all the shows I've finished/caught up with this season:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

The Anime-zing Race: Spring 2015, Weeks 6-7

A double-episode for double the fun!

I fell behind on anime last week, so this week will feature two legs of the race. Last week, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan proved it had what it took to keep up with the front-running shows, and all the other shows put up good showings as well. In the end, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches could not quite keep up with the other shows, and ended up eliminated from the race, though not dropped from my watchlist.

The standings after Week 5 are:

1. Sound! Euphonium
2. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
3. Hello! Kinmoza
4. Baby Steps Season 2
5. My Love Story
6. The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan
7. Show by Rock
8. Re-kan
9. Rin-ne
10. Wish Upon the Pleiades
11. Mikagura School Suite
12. Food Wars - Shokugeki no Souma

Let's begin the next leg of the race!

The Anime-zing Race: Spring 2015, Week 5

It's one thing to stay on my watchlist; it's another thing to stay in the race.

Last week, my final watchlist was finalized, with most shows putting up solid to outstanding performances, and in the end, it was Plastic Memories that was the last show that had to be dropped from my watchlist. The standings are:

1. Sound! Euphonium
2. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
3. Hello! Kinmoza
4. My Love Story
5. Baby Steps Season 2
6. The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan
7. Show by Rock
8. Wish Upon the Pleiades
9. Re-kan
10. Rin-ne
11. Food Wars - Shokugeki no Souma
12. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
13. Mikagura School Suite

As a reminder, from now on, shows do not have to be dropped; they can simply be eliminated from the race, while I still watch the show outside of the race. That said, shows that are "out" will become lower-priority shows, which I am more likely to fall behind on.

This time around, Yamada-kun will be judged mainly on episode 4, while other shows will be judged on episode 5. So let's start the fifth leg of the race!

Spring 2015: What I'm Watching (Part 2)

And here are the rest of the shows I’m following this season:

RIN-NE
Show by Rock!
Sound! Euphonium
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan
Wish Upon the Pleiades
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches

Go past the jump for more details on each of these shows.

Spring 2015: What I'm Watching (Part 1)

If you've been following my "The Anime-zing Race" series of posts, you know what shows will be on here already. If this is your first time seeing one of these posts, this is my seasonal rundown of all the shows I'm watching, with some background information, whether the show is a sequel to anything you should watch first, what I think of them so far, and where the show is available for legal streaming.

Here are the shows covered in this first part. Later on, I'll add links such that clicking on each show will jump you straight to that show's entry, but for now I'd just like to get this out as soon as possible.

Baby Steps Season 2
Food Wars - Shokugeki no Souma
Hello! Kinmoza
Mikagura School Suite
My love Story!!
My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!
Re-Kan!

The Anime-zing Race: Spring 2015, Week 4

It's do or drop time.

All sorts of crazy things happened last week. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches invaded the race, forcing the leg to be a double-elimination and putting even more pressure on the competition. It was too much for Etotama, which tried too hard to become something more serious than it was, and it critically injured itself and had to be pulled from the race. Meanwhile, Plastic Memories suffered a huge slowdown and ended up at the back of the pack, but it was Ultimate Otaku Teacher who failed to gain tenure in my watchlist.

The current standings are:

1. Sound! Euphonium
2. My Love Story
3. Hello! Kinmoza
4. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO
5. Baby Steps Season 2
6. The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan
7. Re-kan
8. Wish Upon the Pleiades
9. Show by Rock
10. Food Wars - Shokugeki no Souma
11. Rin-ne
12. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
13. Mikagura School Suite
14. Plastic Memories

This next leg of the race is a very important one, as it is the last leg when the eliminated show will be dropped; every show that makes it past this leg will officially appear on my seasonal "What I'm Watching" posts, and in future legs, shows can be eliminated without being dropped--they'll end up as low-priority viewing, so I might fall behind on them, but as long as they don't do anything particularly ragequit-worthy, I'll still plan to finish them. This leg will be judged primarily on every show's fourth episode, except for Yamada-kun, whose latest episode is its third. So let's see which shows can stay safe during this critical leg of the race...