Super Sonico - 7.5 /10
This show had a really interesting run in terms of consistency for me - the first few episodes are bland, fanservicey nothingness, and the later episodes largely fall into this too - but sandwiched in-between are a run of standalone vignettes that arguably not only salvage this show from being forgettable nonsense but go one extra in terms of turning it into one of the best examples of its kind in terms of what you can adapt this kind of series into if you put your mind to it. As a weirdly insightful critique/analysis of what it means to be an idol/model in contemporary Japan, it's fascinating - posing weirdly close to the bone questions like is gravure modelling exploitative if the model is 'having fun' while doing it, or what someone like that really has as their dream in life. Sonico herself is the airhead that somehow has hidden depths to her, and the quite, contemplative episode where she takes a trip into the country to do a spot of soul-searching is excellent. The production values feel high, and Sonico's too chummy bandmates are well characterised too, helped along by a strong English dub all round.
K-On season 2 - 7.5 / 10
I know people adore K-On, but just as with the first series, while I always enjoyed it, I could never 'fully' get into it. There's only so much 'cute girls doing cute things' you can take, after all - and I'd argue shows like Hanayamata or Yuki Yuni is a Hero manage to do it with more depth and heart. For starters, the band's slacker attitude ceases being funny pretty quickly, and you actually start to find them pretty irritating. Yui, for example, despite being the glue at the centre of the show - starts to become this weird void of a persona - almost like a reverse Haruhi Suzumiya, who instead of livening up everyday life, sucks the essence out of it, transforming it into a hazy blur of pointless cake-eating and chibified emotes. You just can't get into any of the girls as personas - they're just weird, sexless puppets that have little bearing on real life (compare to say, the excellent Sound Euphonium). They exist only for the purposes of the show. All that said, I still enjoyed the show - and KyoAni's capacity as animators really makes even the tedious moments sing, but every time I sit down to watch K-On, I feel like it could be so much more.
Golden Time - 8/10
I loved ToraDora, so had high hopes for this - and while many of the emotional ingredients feel the same, it also feels like a completely different beast entirely. For starters, it's so refreshing to see an anime set at University instead of the endless high school re-runs. These are mature young adults, with mature lives, and a far better sense of themselves and all the imperfections we come with as humans. As such, you can buy into these people far more as realistic depictions - the dynamic of characters like Linda and Nana are fantastically done, as young women that don't necessarily feel defined by having to have a man in their lives. And as such, I personally found it really hard to get behind the female lead Koko, as endearing as her airhead persona was at times. But yeah, the blend of comedy and romance here was spot on throughout, and I really hope this does well over here when it gets its physical release.
And yes, I was absolutely gutted that the best girl, Linda, didn't win - but then, it's always the way, isn't it? The childhood friend always loses out in the end.
