Amagami SS

Amagami SS is yet another show based on a visual novel that seems "iffy". The main character is incredibly pathetic, even for this genre.  When the show opens up, he's talking about his past a bit. Apparently, two years ago, he asked a girl out, she agreed, and then stood him up. In his mind, this was so emotionally scarring that it's still affecting him a full two years later. Now that he's a second year in High School, apparently he's ready to start dating again, before the seniors graduate.

My impression of the first episode was that the show is very generic. So far, none of the characters really stand out, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Often in shows like this, some characters are too over-the-top, and just have ridiculous personalities that provide comic relief at the expense of a stronger storyline.

From what I understand, the show will have a format that involves "rebooting" the show after each girl's arc, which is something I usually don't like, as it means many weaker plots rather than one strong plot. In my experience, it's best to modify the story so that you get to "meet" each character, and learn a bit about them, but it doesn't actually go down each path in sequence.  That's what Clannad did, and it worked pretty well, as opposed to Kanon, which didn't actually restart after each path, but went down each of them in sequence anyways, making it seem very disjointed. The only time this method really works is when the VN itself was intended to be played like that, where you are supposed to go down each character's path in sequence, like Ever 17. Now, this VN may have been like that, I really don't know much about it.

A couple things I did like were the character design and lack of any real fan service. The character design is pretty standard stuff, but there's something about it that seems fresh. I can't really put my finger on it. The lack of fan service could mean that the show has a sense of shame, as opposed to shows like Mayoi Neko Overrun or High School of the Dead, which is a good thing, although pretty rare these days.

All in all, I'm nervous for this show. I hope it turns out to be more interesting than the first episode hinted it would be.

Still to come this season:
High School of the Dead
Ookami-san to Shichin no Nakamatachi
Mitsudomoe

Possibly:
Seitokai Yakuindomo
Strike Witches 2
Shi Ki
Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin
Nurarihyon no Mago

I'll make an effort to at least watch to first episode of most of those.