3. Haiyore! Nyaruko-san
You can't blame me for setting the bar a little higher, since it's the "third" season and I had expected something that would sell really well. But now that I think of it, perhaps the past two seasons of flash animation was created because the producers doesn't have confidence about the potential of this series; and whatever popularity that gave the TV series a go-ahead might be simply riding on the fact that it exist long enough for fanbase to exist. That's a crude sentiment, but I've always believe that to be the reason Bleach managed to last this long.
I really liked Nyaruko. I have a weakness for genki (energetic), go-getter girls that has a myriad of expressions, and her character herself should be a good enough selling point for me to enjoy these. But alas, Asumi Kana has a tendency to be really annoying with these kind of roles, and all the characters have paper-thin personalities. And I never liked the series's style of jokes, especially not when they recycle it over and over. I really want to like this show, but I simply don't find it entertaining at all.
2. Mysterious Girlfriend X
I might be a little bias with this one, because I've heard so much about this series being an "underdog", and that it even warranted so many posts on Sankaku Complex. What seemed like a unique, innocent love story turn out to be draggy, childish and unsatisfying. It does try very hard to be suggestive in its own way, but I found it really hard to swallow. Yoshitani Ayako has a beautiful voice, but she utterly fails as a seiyuu. I know that many people likes her work in this character, but it just feels so incredibly forced to be. It's her first role, after all. Maybe next time.
1. Hyouka
All shows began with a "hook", which is something that will make the audience want to watch the rest of the episodes. A "hook" is so important that all TV series, not just anime, end up pouring more budget into their first episode. It's actually common sense.
But for Hyouka, I can't tell what the "hook" was. Was it the problem solving ability of our protagonist? Is it the mystery of Hyouka? Or is it simply just the moé of Chitanda? None of these seemed prominent enough to be a "hook". And the combination of all the elements didn't lead to something amazing; we seemed to have jumped right into the boring middle part of a anime story. If anything, it's the art direction of Kyoto Animation that gives off any sort of entertainment value, and I strongly believe that the series will go under most people's radar if not for the studio. Look at the first pic above; that's a split second frame; yet it looked gorgeous. But what has the plot to offer? After half a season and a shit ton of dialogue, there hasn't been a moment I would call "exciting", which is something that should have happened. Given Kyoani's history of good investments (except for Nichijou), I don't doubt that there would be a epic plot twist or a magnificent ending, but I don't think that Hyouka has enough fun to keep me going till I get there.
