So having watched episode one of everything I definitely want to (except for late starters Zankyou no Terror, Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, and Tokyo ESP), here's how Summer is shaping up for me:
Totally biased rankings because I don't care
1 ) Hanayamata - Too cute for words (even these words). Lots of eye candy from Madhouse's wonderful artists, and easily the most moe of any of these shows.
2 ) Glasslip - Such a wonderful feeling of escapism (as with basically all PA Works shows), the setting and aesthetics of the show are to die for. I thought the first episode thrummed with an undercurrent of a truly emotional story building up, and I would compare this more to AnoHana than to Tari Tari at this early stage. Also I think I am in love with Hayami Saori's voice coming out of Yanagi's mouth.
3 ) Sword Art Online II - Don't Asuna and Kirito just look the cutest with their color coordination? Plus OH YEAH, Sawashiro Miyuki voicing one of the best secondary characters in the series.
4 ) Barakamon - Anyone who knows me might just accuse me of a slightly fetishistic love of rural Japanese dialects, but I had a massive smile on my face during the whole of this episode. I can imagine this at least reaching the level of something like Usagi Drop.
5 ) Tokyo Ghoul - I thought this was the most consistently exciting show so far, and really felt like it had a tangible, cohesive visual design. Plus Touka is... well, she seems like a very nice girl.
6 ) Aldnoah.Zero - Has a lot of potential, but has set itself up for a big fall if it doesn't deliver properly on the last five minutes of the episode. There was a lot of exposition here, and I didn't feel as engaged with the characters as I usually do even right at the start of Urobuchi's shows.
7 ) RAIL WARS! - The train bits were done in a really fun way! The "fanservice" is weirdly a complete throwback to ten years ago! I can't imagine this being anything less than entertaining.
8 ) Akame ga Kill! - 11.5 minutes of looking like a terrible rehash of every bad shounen series from the 90s turned into a last ten minutes full of tonal shifts and slightly more intrigue. It was a bit... well... silly, overall, but I think it can come back from this.
9 ) Sailor Moon - This felt just like a really old show should, for both better and worse. Also they seem to have ripped off Madoka Magica a lot.
10 ) Locodol - This was a fun enough little show, but I didn't think the main characters did enough to carry it. Perhaps when the cast expands a little.
11 ) ARGEVOLLEN - It's just like VOTOMS! Sort of. I expect this to be a slow burner, anyway.
Possibly more realistic ranking
Glasslip
Barakamon
Tokyo Ghoul
Aldnoah.Zero
Hanayamata
Sword Art Online
Sailor Moon
Akame ga Kill
Locodol
RAIL WARS!
ARGEVOLLEN
