August 2015 Media Thread

ArisKatsaris

This is the monthly thread for posting media of various types that you've found that you enjoy. Post what you're reading, listening to, watching, and your opinion of it. Post recommendations to blogs. Post whatever media you feel like discussing! To see previous recommendations, check out the older threads.

Rules:

Please avoid downvoting recommendations just because you don't personally like the recommended material; remember that liking is a two-place word. If you can point out a specific flaw in a person's recommendation, consider posting a comment to that effect.
If you want to post something that (you know) has been recommended before, but have another recommendation to add, please link to the original, so that the reader has both recommendations.
Please post only under one of the already created subthreads, and never directly under the parent media thread.
Use the "Other Media" thread if you believe the piece of media you want to discuss doesn't fit under any of the established categories.
Use the "Meta" thread if you want to discuss about the monthly media thread itself (e.g. to propose adding/removing/splitting/merging subthreads, or to discuss the type of content properly belonging to each subthread) or for any other question or issue you may have about the thread or the rules.

Rules:

Please avoid downvoting recommendations just because you don't personally like the recommended material; remember that liking is a two-place word. If you can point out a specific flaw in a person's recommendation, consider posting a comment to that effect.
If you want to post something that (you know) has been recommended before, but have another recommendation to add, please link to the original, so that the reader has both recommendations.
Please post only under one of the already created subthreads, and never directly under the parent media thread.
Use the "Other Media" thread if you believe the piece of media you want to discuss doesn't fit under any of the established categories.
Use the "Meta" thread if you want to discuss about the monthly media thread itself (e.g. to propose adding/removing/splitting/merging subthreads, or to discuss the type of content properly belonging to each subthread) or for any other question or issue you may have about the thread or the rules.

Things that we haven't dropped yet from the current season - there's a bumper crop:

Classroom Crisis - does for corporate politics what Shirobako did for anime production. I have had those conversations with management...
Game of Laplace - trappings of a detective/mystery series, but more psychological thriller than particularly rational so far; still, has potential and the thriller is well done.
GATE - still not sure, but still watching. Fantasyland attempts to invade Japan, Japan retaliates, SDF starts a softly-softly invasion of fantasyland (after basically a massacre of their entire combined armed forces, medieval knights vs modern weapons isn't really a contest). It raises interesting issues, and could get very good if it actually follows them up - though it has not so far, and will be quite banal if it never does; will report back here either way.

Honourable mention: Shimoneta. I was expecting a series with this premise to fail the ten second fanservice test, but we ended up watching the entire first episode and it is surprisingly worth seeing an episode (no idea if it remains worthwhile, we have not been brave enough to try a second!). Laugh-out-loud funny, unexpectedly high production quality. Think Fahrenheit 451 crossed with Gurren Lagann crossed with a whole lot of WRONG and WTF and NSFW.

EDIT: have read ahead in the GATE manga. It doesn't quite ascend to the epic "The Irregular at Magic High School" Kim-Jong-Il-propaganda levels of Gary Stu, but that's sadly the direction it's firmly headed in and unless they've rewritten the script for the anime it looks like it's going to avoid any redeeming features it's raised the possibility of. Pity. Dropping.

Gakkou Gurashi is by far my favorite show of the current season. For anyone who doesn't mind moe and wants to see a more exciting twist on the genre, I'd recommend watching the (entire) first episode with as little information/spoilers as possible.

I'm also enjoying GATE and hope that it plays to its original elements rather than being too haremy. I tried reading the manga but the only translation available in a readable resolution is very rough.

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August 2015 Media Thread

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August 2015 Media Thread

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