While unapologetically a Madoka-inspired Magical Girl show, it does take its own approach and has a more gradual pace. A slightly warm Cherry Pepsi to Madoka's crisp, icy Vanilla Coke.
Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka
While I really liked the premise, I feel the execution fell short on all fronts. Lackluster animation, characters, and dialogue led me to literally fall asleep during the final battles.
A Certain Scientific Railgun S
An improvement over the first Railgun season! Railgun S takes Misaka's arc from Index and properly develops it and gives it the weight, drama, and time it deserves.
Violet Evergarden: The Movie
The Violet Evergarden Movie is a crowning end to the series. Absolute top quality polish and professional artistry in storytelling, themes, symbolism, and signature KyoAni heart-healing catharsis all abound.
Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance
Now that the Rebuild of Evangelions’s own different story is rolling, the pacing is much more natural and you’ll be on the edge of your seat - or hiding behind it, I literally pulled a muscle in my neck recoiling in horror at the excellently animated action.
No Game No Life: Zero
NGNL Zero is a strong prequel movie with a much heavier and more serious tone than the series. I was caught off guard and cried multiple times throughout. It's worth watching the series for this movie alone.
Flavors of Youth
A beautifully animated coming of age vignette piece with a professional polish, but not very memorable at the end of the day.
Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone
A completely revamped and beautiful beginning to a different Evangelion story. It was so nice to see crisp HD updates and detail, with more focused storytelling with pieces of the fat trimmed out, but this first movie is mostly the same story you know.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Haruhi has its own fun thing going on. It doesn't "feel" like really any other anime, and that's part of what has made it a mainstay of anime history. That, and a very notorious arc. I really enjoyed this one.
Charlotte
Charlotte feels a lot like Angel Beats after the caffeine rush wears off. The lows aren't as low, but the highs aren't as high. Overall a more palatable experience with emotional moments, but still suffers from similar shortcomings.