Toriko
Toriko and Komatsu are asked to retrieve a rare rainbow fruit by the IGO, whose specimen is being guarded by a tribe of troll kongs, vicious gorillas. Komatsu asks why Toriko doesn't just kill the gorillas who get in his way, but Toriko has a personal rule - he only kills what he intends to eat, and only eats what he kills. Soon they approach the fruit tree and must confront the silverback gorilla, who is tamed by Toriko's demonic powers. Toriko loves the flavor of the rainbow fruit so much that he adds it as the dessert course to his perfect dinner menu.
While I'm still not very interested in this show, I will give it this; I appreciate Toriko's rule about only killing what he's going to eat. It's still kind of disheartening to see rare creatures and vegetation get taken down (even if they're obviously fake), but at least there's a bit of morality in play. In spite of otherwise feeling pretty neutral about the show, I found myself drooling over some of the food being featured. I couldn't help myself, I just have a taste for delicious gourmet food. Unfortunately at its heart the show remains a fairly uninspired shounen outing, and I doubt a simple interest in delicious food is enough to compel me to watch any more.
Will I continue watching? Probably not. Though there are some amusing elements and the gourmet food angle is intriguing to me, the rest of the show isn't compelling.
Sofuteni
Kotone calls Misshi in early for special tennis practice, and soon learns that her creative way of combining karate and soft tennis aren't likely to fly, according to the official rules. The next day, Asuna sees a pretty blonde foreigner running down the street, who turns out to be a new transfer student from the UK, Elisabeth Wollens. Asuna invites her to be a part of the soft tennis club, where she fits right in. But it turns out that she has a past with Misshi - he once attended tennis camp as a child, and stayed with Elisabeth's family. This makes Kotone very jealous.
Second verse, same as the first. The comedy in the second episode continues to be as charmless, awkward and racy as it was in the first, though this time the show tries to throw in some false sentimentality by flashing-back to the time that Misshi got Kotone to join the soft tennis team. There's so much breast humor this episode that it makes me a little ill.
Will I continue watching? No, I don't even have any lingering curiosity about it.
The World God Only Knows S2
Keima and Kasuga go out on a date, hoping to get Kasuga's weak side to show itself. The date proves ineffective until the two "lovebirds" stop over in a park. A shared ice cream cone causes Kasuga's feminine side to burst forth, and her two halves begin to duke it out. Eventually, they come to the conclusion that being a martial artist doesn't necessarily mean that one can't also appreciate the cuter, softer things in life. Though the feminine side agrees to lay low for the time being, she asks that she get her time in the sun once Kasuga feels ready. As usual, things are sealed with a kiss, and Keima is able to release another soul.
While I do appreciate the message of this story - that one can be physically strong while still able to appreciate cute things and that it's wrong to force oneself to conform to an ideal which doesn't allow all aspects of one's personality to develop - it's the execution that really ruffles my feathers. Constantly interchanging "feminine" with "weak" is problematic enough. Though Keima and Elsee speak out against Kasuga sacrificing a part of herself to focus entirely on another, the resolution to the problem feels incomplete and unsatisfying. Before I get myself into even more trouble, I'll finish by saying that, despite some thoughtful input by a commenter on my review of episode one, during which it was explained to me how the invading souls work to change (and simplify) a girl's personality to that of a stereotype, I'm still not getting a strong enough indication that the plot is looking to address that in any direct way. It merely sounds like an excuse to make the female characters' characterization as simplistic as that of a "real" dating-sim-based anime.
Will I continue watching? Again, I have some morbid curiosity regarding this show, and I get the feeling that my complaints about the franchise won't register as valid until I buckle down and suffer through the whole thing. As for following it as a simulcast this season, though, I certainly have more pressing matters to attend to.
A Channel
Run manages to forget two important things as she stumbles out the door in the morning - her right sock, and her underwear. The rest of the day at school is relatively mundane, but a rainstorm causes all sorts of havoc for students trying to get home without becoming soaked in the process. Everyone ends up at Nagi's house where they take baths and let their uniforms dry underneath the heater.
The second episode of the series is much more punch-line-oriented than the first, though the more extended story arc revolving around the rainy after school adventure the girls have does a good job of stringing everything together pretty well. I guess I can't really peg this as something very different from most other slice-of-life comedies; it's just another show about some girls goofing around which generally isn't too tasteless (though the missing underwear gag got close). After the first episode's flashy opening scenes, I was hoping for something a bit more energetic than the norm, but this show appears to have settled into a slower, more expected pace. Not bad, but not especially compelling either.
Will I continue watching? Unlikely; if I do, probably not consistently.
Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
Kazuma suffers through his first day at school being called a pervert by Ibuki (since he shared an accidental kiss with her airheaded friend Ui), but manages to make friends with a few people from class (including the class clown, "Daigo"). When they stop at a convenience store for snacks, Kazuma discovers why his kiss with Ui tasted like cheese - it's her favorite snack flavor. He then learns the legend behind the Twin Mountains, and races to the shrine at the top, where there lives a very shy shrine maiden. Everyone goes out for snacks on the way home, and Ui relives a memory from childhood.
Recently I've tried to reign in most of my angry urges, even if certain series really push my buttons. So with a smile on my face, I'll state that this is the most pointless, inane show that I've watched so far this season *grin*. Its most standout feature is that it's so derivative as to actually kill the brain cells of the person viewing it (Disclaimer: it does not actually kill brain cells, but I kind of wish it did - it would make the painful experience of watching it less so).
Will I continue watching? In the mirror world, there's an evil version of myself with a goatee who's loving this show.
A Channel feels like a less interesting version of Hyakko. The characters are similar (just check out the cover of Hyakko) with the exception of Torako, who is the outgoing leader of the Hyakko ensemble. Without her, you have A Channel, which has no impetus to go anywhere.
I understand your criticisms of TWGOK, and knowing them, you won't like it no matter how much you watch it. I enjoy the physical abuse that Keima takes in each episode because he so richly deserves it, and it contrasts nicely with his indifferent and condescending attitude. This is one of those turn-the-brain-off guilty pleasures for me, something like Maria Holic is for you. Though I'm really enjoying the second season of Maria Holic over the first: Mariya's viciousness is more subtle and insidious, and Kanako has been made a little more detestable and is more deserving of Mariya's manipulation.
The Hunter's Words of Wisdom: "In the woods, never point your gun at anything you don't intend to shoot; never shoot anything you don't intend to kill, don't kill anything you don't intend to eat."
As for TWGOK, yeah. The flat personalities of the girls Keima deals with may be a feature, rather than a bug, but that doesn't mitigate the fact that he's being rewarded (by being allowed to live) for treating women as targets to be conquered through manipulation, rather than as equals and people worthy of having relationships with in their own right. And he's not going to learn any better until the final story...if then.