[Ended] When Supernatural Battles became Commonplace

Pros: Comedy, and unexpected coherence.
-It's Funny. That is always an opinion based thing, but it had me laughing all the time.
-The first time I've ever seen 'Chuunibyou' and not just 'ugh whatever' at it. Mostly because the character in question isn't completely in another world. He's actually paying attention to reality, he just likes to have his fun too.
-The presentation of the powers is...unique. I liked how they explained it, but talking about it would be spoiler'ish.

Cons: Short.
-The story literally starts to wind up into full gear, just as the anime ends. The most vexing of story and plot cliffhangers.
-Many of the reasons and situations for the worlds setting are either unexplained, or only briefly explained. I feel this is probably a side-effect of the short length of the anime, because what they do explain is well explained, if shallow. Again, spoilers, or I'd talk in more detail.

My Opinion: This was a wonderful little gem when I watched it. I was expecting it to be pure mindless comedy...but it actually wrapped the comedy package up nice and neat with a pretty bow of Plot on top. The story is clearly striving for a great deal of depth. It actively manipulates your perception of characters to hide or slip in subtle plot elements, which it later draws on. I love that kind of thing.

Impartial Judgement: If you want a strong dose of sensible surreal comedy, wrapped around a solid core plot, pick it up. If you can't stand cliffhangers, or actually like that solid plot and its story to resolve, maybe consider skipping this. I don't really get the impression this is the kind of show that would get a second season, but I've been surprised before.

When Supernatural Battles became Commonplace, Not even remotely shallow now

Last Seen: episode 8

Talk about high speed U-turns. When this last episode opened in, I was having to rev my brain up a few gears to try and catch up. The first thought I had was that I missed an episode...or two, but thanks to how thickly I ward against this with a 'current episode' list, I was able to dismiss it. Having done so, just a little while after when Litia is introduced, the pieces fell in place.

This show just got Big points in my book. They've done something I like to refer to as 'In Medias Res Weaving'. To explain what I mean when I say that: When a show weaves subtle foreshadowing elements into itself without drawing attention to them, and then later calls upon them all at once for the story. Basically, it is something you can only do with a story if it has been well thought out and planned.
It's one of my favorite things to experience from a show, because it opens up the potential for the show to do it again. Not a guarantee mind you, but the potential of itself is enjoyable for me, because it gives me an excuse to pay closer attention, and try to see it coming next time.

In summary, without spoilers, this show is now officially Great in my book. No particular part of it stands out enough yet for awards, but it most certainly is not just a comedy show. Comedy is going to be a strong part of it going forward, certainly, but I'm now starting to doubt that it is the core of the show anymore. A bit too early for a verdict on that though, need more plot.

[Aside]
As much as I would like it to be otherwise, I'm afraid there is going to be a distinct absence of opinions from me on most of the anime I'm watching this season. So many of them are adaptations of Mangas I'm already reading, or second seasons, or long running anime, that there just isn't anything worthwhile to say. The only exception would be Parasyte the Maxim, but ... well. That would just be me vomiting fan-juice all over the blog and I won't stoop to that. It would literally be, 'Hey that was awesome wasn't it!? And that was awesome too right! and that other thing is awesome! Awesome-awesome! Woo hoo!' or some such nonsense. In short, the show's got action and drama in spades, and whoever planned up it's show-to-show cliffhangers needs to be hugged, and strangled, in the same breath.
When I have a more constructive thought to convey, I will, but as it stands, I'm having a hard time mustering enough enthusiasm to keep up with the rest of them. Not because they're bad, but because...well. I already know them. Literally all they can do is impress me with flashy moving pictures, or disappoint me by doing something stupid with a story I like.

So a short summary in absence of meaningful posts:
Shows I'm looking forward to, week-to-week:
-Parasyte the Maxim
-When Supernatural Battles become Commonplace
-Madan no Ou to Vanadis
-I can't Understand what my Husband is Saying
Shows I'm watching and plan to finish, but frequently miss
-Akatsuki no Yona
-Akame ga Kill
Long running anime
-Fairy Tail
-Log Horizon 2
-Sword Art Online 2

Such concludes the short summary. As always, said list of things I'm watching is absurdly long and cluttered with ancient things, some of which are probably at least 2 years old, and many of which I know are at least 4-5 years old. I really should trim the fat and just decide not to watch some of them, but eh. I still wanna know how things end. It's a thing for me.
[Aside end]

When Supernatural Battles became Commonplace: Adding depth already?

Last Seen: episode 2

Well...that was fast. It has only been the second episode and already the tone was so...sedated. They spent basically the entire first half of the episode just in the setting of a Club doing its normal recreational style activities. That was really vague of me to say, but it was the only thing I could think of that doesn't spoil anything. The other half was spent...going deep. Like, straight up serious set. What really impresses me is how they didn't grind gears shifting tones. The tone shift was very fluid with the pace of the show, which is what I didn't expect. After this episode, it brings to mind the previous episode when Kudou was introduced and explaining herself. I recalled that, amidst the humor, that was peculiarly of a much more serious tone than the rest of the show. I was already expecting the show to play a few depth cards with the comedy cards, but not this fast, or this strong.

Thus it is, that I have come to the conclusion that this show isn't just using down to earth realism to balance out the comedy, that is to say: they are not using it to give us a break from drowning in comedy. Instead, it appears it is going to be a staple of the shows core tenets of activity.
That makes this show so much more valuable on my roster. I love these kinds of comedy shows the most. I enjoy my comedy a great deal, but it gets . . . dull? Grating perhaps? When there is just too much of it. Ah, I suppose one could say that it becomes too unrealistic when it is just all humor, all the time. There are several ways to balance out comedy, but realism is my favorite, because it brings the characters closer to home and heart.
Grant, it is much rarer to see comedy not being balanced these days than previously in time, but this kind of thing is a scale, and scales can be tipped too far one way or the other. So far, I'm finding this shows balance to be of surprisingly good quality. Not to mention that the things they get serious about are of good Human Interest value, which is a plus in my book.

[New][October 2014] When Supernatural Battles became Commonplace

Summary: Five students suddenly acquire supernatural powers...but soon realize that there are no wars, conspiracies, evils empires, nothing amazing at all, in their high school life. They instead decide to idly have fun by wasting their powers away.

First Impression: Comedy-Action. Whatever or wherever else this show tries to go, or feature, the core of this is definitely Comedy, plus action, in that order. After 'I Can't Understand my Husband' turning out to be a 3/5 minute anime, I suddenly was struck by the concern while re-reading this ones various summaries that it would also be a short-episode anime. Fortunately, it is not.

Personal Opinion: On account of it being a full episode anime, this is a show I'm going to look forward to week to week. From where they've started the show, the only place it can go is up. It either will maintain the status quo where it is, and stay comedy-action, or it will try to incorporate some depth with the comedy. If it succeeds or fails, ultimately the failure can only be entertaining, and the success intriguing.
To be straight-forward honest, I like the comedy in the show. At first I thought it was just going to be a 'Chunnibyou' (or however the roman'ization of that is spelled) centered story, which I personally don't find all that interesting, but instead it's straight up a fantasy/surreal story, and I've enjoyed just about the entire first episodes comedy, so I am pleased.

Pending additional episodes, I don't see this one becoming spectacularly amazing as far as plot-depth goes, I can already predict a handful of possible directions the story will go, and I'm not expecting any surprises from it. Regardless, I enjoyed it so far, and that's what counts in the end, right?