Made in Abyss just didn't get under my skin. Princess Principal did, for whatever reason. Shrug.
Probably just as well, since it was a true sequel that only gave the barest introduction to the overall plot before tossing viewers off the deep end. I remembered just barely enough to fit all the character relationships and histories together—it's been a long time since Saiyuki Reload Gunlock came out.
Hmm. Zero and Apocrypha are light novel-based, and don't center around a standard-issue shounen protagonist with incipient harem the way the game-based series in the franchise do. I found Unlimited Blade Works pretty good despite that . . . but only after the reveal about Archer's identity came through.
A lot of episodes seem to have been animated by the studio's B team (if not their C or D team). And a "major plot twist" in episode 11 was glaringly obvious almost from the beginning if you just thought for a moment about the protagonist's bedroom and where we do (and don't) see him.
As for next season—the reason I have some hope for it is that there are multiple series that appear to be based on seinen manga without the premises suggesting anything especially ecchi. Since seinen (and josei) are aimed at adults, the plots are sometimes more sophisticated. Of course, they can also descend into hypersexualized garbage. Ugh. There are also several shoujo-based series, and a good shoujo adventure series is generally superior to most shounen ones.
Non-sequel series that I intend to try at least one episode of (unless I discover that they're actually shorts and not full shows):
- The Ancient Magus' Bride
- Dies Irae
- Ousama Game
- Inuyashiki
- Dia Horizon
- Code: Realize
- Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau
- Houseki no Kuni
- Garo: Vanishing Line
Yes, I have a bit of a thing for sappy shoujo with historical or sfnal/fantastical elements. We all have our guilty pleasures. Depending on the hit/miss ratio of the above, I may also try any or all of:
- Black Clover
- Netojuu no Susume
- Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (I think this is your "moe apocalyptic road trip" series)
- Juuni Taisen
- Konohana Kitan
- Enmusubi no Youko-chan
- Evil or Live
- Sengoku Night Blood
Add to that two continuations and a sequel (Kekkai Sensen and Beyond) that I'll definitely watch, and two more that I might pick up if things get desperate, and things look much better than they did this season for me, anyway.
