Check-in Station Year in Review: 2013 (Summer)

There are some anime seasons that are just good.  There are seasons that are memorable.  And then there are seasons that are legendary.  The Spring 2006 season saw the debut of the most influential anime since Evangelion, Haruhi.  On top of that, it had Higurashi, Ouran High School Host Club, Gintama and Aria!  The Fall 2006 season aired the beginnings of Death Note and Code Geass, two juggernaut series at the same time!  Fall 1995 saw the debut Neon Genesis Evangelion and the first Ghost in the Shell movie.  And yet, I look at this Summer 2013 season and wonder – does this rank as one of the best seasons of anime ever?!  It’s insane to think about how low the expectations were going into this season.  My own expectations were near rock bottom.  When it came to what hype I had, it was all regarding the two returning series and nothing else.  Even then, Bakemonogatari‘s second sequel was getting a lot of hype from the anime community because of the mixed reactions Nisemonogatari received (I loved it).  And there was no telling if Symphogear G was going to be able to live up to the hype,pacing and expectations set by the first season.  But what we got this season was an ever rolling, ever growing ball of quality, memorable anime.

Summer 2013 was the little engine that could.  It was the nerdy kid turned super star.  Summer 2013 was the best of 2013!  And I’m proving it here!

Check-out Station: Symphogear G ep13 (nothing is impossible for someone who wears their underwear on the outside)

That is that! It is done! And this time I can actually muster up some words for the conclusion of this season, unlike for the original. I’m glad I watched this series, completed it and got to enjoy it for all its great and flawed and ridiculous parts!

Symphogear G ep12: you can’t fly with just one wing

First of all, the Moon is a device to keep people from communicating with each other?  What?!  How deep is your bag ridiculousness Symphogear G? Also, when did this show turn into just a series of misunderstandings? This is almost like a bunch of Gundam fights, where people are lamenting humanity’s inability to communicate with each other.  Oh man!  What utter nonsense!  That said, let’s get down to the important business of watching little girls try to kill each other while singing and wearing (or not wearing) the most ridiculous clothing.  

Symphogear G ep11: fighting your friends for your beliefs; fighting your beliefs for your friends

So you guys are gonna skip that massive cliffhanger from last week and just move on to another scene? Fine! Whatever! I don’t care! Whatever!

As the episode begins, we get to see Frontier in all its glory for the first time.

Symphogear G ep10: what is happening?!

The Royal Rumble continues!

Wow! Not a moment of slow down in this episode! I don’t even know how to describe what went down aside from calling it chaos.

Symphogear G ep9: the royal rumble of magical girl shows

I don’t think this show knows how to take it down a notch! Even though it has a small cast and draws from only a few resources, it keeps mixing the pot so that each show refuses to be formulaic. Though I will say the constant seems to be that show desperately wants to keep you excited and wanting its next installment.

We’re lead to be believe that Miku was blown to moe chunks at the end of the previous episode. But

Symphogear G ep7 & 8: Trouble’s her middle name!

Episode 7

This episode came to a hell of a conclusion, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves as this was a very Dragonball-Z type of episode.

What we get in the beginning is one hell of a confrontation, though I wouldn’t necessarily call it a fight. Hibiki’s rampage from the last episode has put her on the brink of defeating the Noise-spamming sociopath, Dr. Ver. It’s just too bad that near victory is just the start of a series of convenient coincidences, as the expressionless Shirabe and the genki Kirikia show up to stop her with their Gears. Their stand off leads to

Symphogear G ep6: magical girls don’t retire, they explode like a thousand suns!

In the span of one episode, the tables are turned, the hourglass is reset and once again Hibiki is the most fearsome creature on the planet!

Last episode’s cliffhanger is quickly resolved when we’re reminded that Symphogear didn’t study at the school of pretty prissy mahou shoujo like all the other good little magical girl shows. Mahou shoujo got its degree at the school of shounen battle manga, where lost limbs and death are only excuses to get stronger and kick more ass. The loss of Hibiki’s arm and the ensuing panic causes Hibiki to go berserk at the same time the Nephilim digests her arm and transforms into a larger evolved form. Amazingly, berserker Hibiki is able to regenerate her arm, much to everyone’s amazement. This leads to a ridiculous and brutal fight between the two literal monsters. A fight that the Nephilim is clearly losing.

Symphogear G ep5: Not for Kids!

Symphogear G seems to be sending a very clear message to the characters and the viewers. And that message seems to be that the road ahead is a dark and bloody one, not meant for those with doubts. Then again, people have been dying horrible deaths since the very early moments of the very first episode of the first season. So horrible deaths and a adult atmosphere shouldn’t come as even the slightest bit of a surprise to anyone who’s been watching. Still, a reminder seems to be needed. And this is one I won’t soon forget.

Symphogear G ep4: the power belongs to those watching and waiting

It’s a simple question. If you the person you stand next to is taller than you, are you taller than them if you stand on a stool that gives you the height advantage. The fact that some people will say yes, some will say no, and some will say that depends on when the picture is taken, shows that what you have may be a fluid situation, whether you like to admit it or not. And that’s the situation now in Symphogear G.  Fine is powerful, very powerful. But they are playing with fire, and may not be sure how to handle it. The stool is a precarious, wobbly place.  And it’s easy to fall from there, especially if the person who gave you that stool is waiting for it to break.