Alright, alright, here’s my preview of next season’s anime. So y’know, you guys can stop asking me on Ask.fm if I’m going to do one. Also, in last week’s “Everything Else” post, I asked what you guys were looking forward to. I still intend to discuss the results; it’ll just happen in a post later this week. In just twenty-four short hours, even. So if you were looking for that, just hold your horses. Alright then, let’s get started.
The “Stuff for Kids” Tier
Kaitou Joker
Magic Kaito 1412
Tribe Cool Crew
I don’t think these shows are worth previewing.
The “I Just Won’t Watch It For Some Reason or Other” Tier
Aikatsu! 3
Studio: Sunrise
PV: Who knows, who cares…
Synopsis: It’s a show about girls training to become idols at some prestigious school. Somehow, it got two sequels, and this is one of them.
Will I Watch It? Not in a million years.
* * * * *
Denkigai no Honya-san
Studio: Shin-Ei Animation
PV: Here
Synopsis: A slice-of-life comedy about some doujin shop and the people who work there.
Will I Watch It? Snore.
* * * * *
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Studio: TMS Entertainment
PV: Here
Synopsis: A 4-koma adaptation about a little girl who summons a bishie with fox ears. Throw in a dog spirit and a tanuki spirit as well, and you have yourself an anime series, I guess.
Will I Watch It? That ain’t my jam, dawg.
* * * * *
Sora no Method
Studio: Studio 3Hz
PV: Here
Synopsis: There’s hardly any information on this show out there. Something about a bunch of girls’ wishes coming true, and there’s a floating disc in the sky. Yeah… I’m bored already.
Will I Watch It? The characters look way too young. The guy who wrote this also worked extensively on Kanon, and that’s not a plus in my book.
* * * * *
Yowamushi Pedal: Grande Road
Studio: Toho Company
PV: Couldn’t find one.
Synopsis: This is the sequel to Yowamushi Pedal, which was about an otaku joining a bicycle racing club.
Will I Watch It? I didn’t watch the original series, which had thirty-eight episodes. I sure as hell am not going to start now.
* * * * *
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru
Studio: Studio Gokumi
PV: Here
Synopsis: This is what ANN tells you:
The story takes place in the era of the gods, year 300. Yuuna Yuuki lives an ordinary life as a second year middle school student, but she’s also a member of the “Hero Club,” where club activities involve dealing with a mysterious being called “Vertex.”
Buuuuuuuuut…
Will I Watch It? …if you watch the preview, it just looks like a bunch of cute girls doing fun shit in a club. Fun fact: Wikipedia has this anime categorized as a seinen! Unfortunately, the preview looks boring as hell, so unless Studio Gokumi deliberately lied to us about what the anime is about, I’m not interested.
The “I’ll Likely Watch Just One or Two Episodes” Tier
Amagi Brilliant Park
Studio: Kyoto Animation
PV: Here
Synopsis: A high school kid becomes the manager of some shitty amusement park. He then proceeds to hang out with a pair of moeblobs. Maybe there’s more; I don’t know, and I don’t really care. I just know that one of them thinks of herself as a real princess, so I guess we’re still obsessed with delusional girls, huh?
Will I Watch It? They dub this a “slapstick drama,” whatever that means. But we all know what Kyoto Animation is all about. Technically good but soulless animation, cute girls doing moe bullshit, and boring slice-of-life narratives are the name of the game. If you’re wondering why the Full Metal Panic! bear is in the promotional material, it’s because it’s written by the same guy. Does this change anything? Might this show be similar to Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu, an anime that I actually liked? I don’t know. It’s been a long time since Fumoffu, and I’m more inclined to use recent history as evidence. I’m not writing the show off completely, which is why it’s in this tier instead of the previous one. Still, the chances aren’t good that I’ll become a fan of this show, since early indications seem to suggest that the anime will be very fanservice-laden.
* * * * *
Gundam Build Fighters Try
Studio: Sunrise
PV: Here
Synopsis: This is the sequel to Gundam Build Fighters. Basically, in the future, Gunpla builders compete in tournaments to see who’s the best, but honestly, the trailer above explains the premise a lot better than I can, so just have a look if you’re interested (I’m not).
Will I Watch It? Probably not. I didn’t find the first series very appealing.
* * * * *
Nanatsu no Taizai
Studio: A-1 Pictures
PV: Here
Synopsis: A princess seeks the help of The Seven Deadly Sins, a group of knights that had once served the region of Britannia. With them on her side, she hopes to take the kingdom back from the Holy Knights, who are apparently evil bastards…
Will I Watch It? The art direction doesn’t appeal to me, but the manga supposedly has over five million copies in circulation. That sort of success has to warrant watching at least an episode or two, right?
* * * * *
Orenchi no Furo Jijo
Studio: Asahi Production
PV: Here
Synopsis: A high school kid finds a hot bishie merman in his bathtub, and I suspect the merman won’t leave. Oh, the hijinks they will have…
Will I Watch It? The anime sounds like it’ll be a boring comedy with some BL potential. Since I’m not into BL, we’ll just check an episode or two out and be done with it…
* * * * *
Ore Twintails ni Narimasu
Studio: Production IMS
PV: Here
Synopsis: See my tweet on this anime.
Will I Watch It? Is this a harem? I’m not sure, since the guy spends quite a significant amount of time as a girl. I mean, it could still be a harem, but not a very traditional one. I’ll just play it safe and put in this tier instead of the next one. Anyway, the premise sounds stupid enough that the show has a small chance of being ironically funny. In all likelihood, however, it’ll probably be boring like 90% of the shows on this list.
* * * * *
selector spread WIXOSS
Studio: J.C. Staff
PV: Here
Synopsis: A CARD GAME IS VERY SERIOUS BUSINESS. Oh yeah, it’s the muuuuuuch-anticipated sequel to selector infected WIXOSS.
Will I Watch It? Yeah, I wasn’t a big fan of the original series. I’ll check out a few episodes out of morbid curiosity, but chances are not good that I’ll watch all of it. Plus, I could probably use a break from Mari Okada, ’cause M3 is just breaking my balls.
The “Dumb Harem” Tier
Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai
Studio: Hoods Entertainment
PV: Here
Synopsis: An adaptation of an adult visual novel coming straight to us from the Hood(s Entertainment). Hell yeah! Get this… at some fancy, prestigious academy (these places are always fucking prestigious), the harem lead is the only member of the Library Club. Uh-huh. None of the other smart, rich kids want to read books. Yeah, definitely. But some “shepherd” keeps arranging it so that our harem lead runs into cute girls. Naturally, those cute girls will go on to join the Library Club, then together with the harem lead, they’ll work to make the school a better place! Wowee!
Will I Watch It? It sounds dumb enough to laugh at. Will I revive Harem Hill for this show though? Eh…
* * * * *
Girlfriend (Kari)
Studio: Silver Link
PV: Here
Synopsis: An adaptation of a mobile game where you date girls.
Will I Watch It? Would this anime be entertaining to mock by itself? See, I don’t know… For Harem Hill, this show would make sense, but by itself, I don’t think it deserves a post. And if I’m not going to write about it, I sure as hell wouldn’t watch it.
* * * * *
Grisaia no Kajitsu
Studio: 8bit
PV: Best one I could find…
Synopsis: So the five haremettes in this anime are fucked up in some form or fashion, and as a result, they must attend this school where they are isolated from the outside world. Why? ‘Cause they need to repent. Yeah, repent. Christ, why don’t you just make them wear chastity belts while you’re at it. Needless to say, this girls-only school is hardly girls-only, because the harem lead has just shown up. He’s about to rock these girls’ worlds!
Will I Watch It? This harem sounds even dumber than the library one, so yeah, I’ll likely watch it. But don’t just take my word for it! The visual novel was awarded the grand prize from the 2011 Moe Game Awards! Neat!
* * * * *
Madan no Ou to Vanadis
Studio: Satelight
PV: Best one I could find…
Synopsis: There are seven “Vanadis,” and they are feared because they’ve each been bestowed a powerful weapon from some Black Dragon. Oh by the way, did I mention that these Vanadis are also hot anime babes? Anyway, our harem lead gets his ass kicked by one of them, but instead of killing him, the girl decides to take him prisoner… didn’t see that one coming.
Will I Watch It? Those boobs in the picture above do not even look nice… Plus, what is this? A harem renaissance? After seasons with nothing to mock, you’re really going to do this to me, anime? You’re really going to shove all these harems down my throat?
* * * * *
Trinity Seven: 7-nin no Mahoutsukai
Studio: Seven Arcs
PV: Here
Synopsis: A bizarre incident caused the harem lead’s cousin to get sucked into another world. To bring her back, he enrolls himself in a magical academy, where he meets seven beautiful magic users. Do I even need to mention that they’re all female?
Will I Watch It? Sigh, throw it on top of the harem heap. We’ll sort these shows all out later.
* * * * *
Ushinawareta Mirai o Motomete
Studio: Feel
PV: Couldn’t find one.
Synopsis: An old school building is closing down, so the students hope to throw one great cultural festival to see it off. Strange things, however, are beginning to happen. People say they can see ghosts in and around the old building. Others are afflicted by sleeping sickness. Then of course, the school receives a transfer student and she’s probably the magical catalyst that will turn the school upside down. Well, maybe not.
Will I Watch It? Oh my god, it’s another harem. It’s also another visual novel adaptation. What’s going on here?! Fun fact: the title, which translates to “In Search of Lost Future” in English, is apparently a reference to a Marcel Proust novel. Still not convinced? The visual novel apparently sold very well in Japan. Eh? Eh?!
The “Meh…” Tier
Akatsuki no Yona
Studio: Studio Pierrot
PV: Here
Synopsis: So some princess falls in love with a guy, but they can’t marry for some reason or other. Oh, did I mention that they’re cousins? Anyway, she goes to tell her dad that she still loves this cousin of hers, but what should she find when she gets there? Her cousin killing her dad and usurping the throne! Gasp! I-I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding! But anyway, a servant, a hot bishie in his own right, helps the princess escape from the castle. They eventually embark on a quest to locate the four legendary dragons, because this will help them somehow.
Will I Watch It? It sounds like a shoujo that doesn’t take place in a school. It sounds like a shoujo that might actually have some adventure and swashbuckling to it. Okay, maybe not the swashbuckling part, but… eh, I’ll probably watch it.
* * * * *
Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo
Studio: Sunrise
PV: Here
Synopsis: So in the future, the discovery of “Mana” has allowed society to subjugate all wars, starvation, pollution, etc. Uh-huh. So what do I read next? Normal people who can’t use Mana are treated like heretics. Oh, what do you know! We can wipe out starvation and war by treating a certain class of people like shit! Well gee, I guess we’re all rich in America! Oh, those poor homeless “people” you see on the street? They’re “things,” so they don’t count. But I digress. Some princess (they’re all princesses, apparently) finds out one day that she’s a… normal person!!! So she gets bullied and ostracized for it, and ultimately decides to go to some distant island in order to isolate herself. There, she encounters other hot anime babes just like her. Then they hop into mechas and battle invading dragons from another dimension. Yeah, I shit you not.
Will I Watch It? The anime sounds dumb, but it has action so I’ll probably blog it just to say how dumb it is. If it turns out to be any good, then I’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s a win-win!
* * * * *
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works
Studio: ufotable
PV: Here
Synopsis: It’s another adaptation of Fate/stay night, but this time, the tsundere Rin Tohsaka will be the primary female character! Yay!
Will I Watch It? Nothing from the Fate/stay night universe has ever really captured my imagination, but maybe the third time will be the charm! Hah…
* * * * *
Gundam Reconguista in G
Studio: Sunrise
PV: Here
Synopsis: Some kid encounters a Gundam (they always do), and decides to join the Pirate Corps to fight the Capital Army.
Will I Watch It? Most Gundams are pretty mediocre for two reasons: their focus, and their underlying themes.
The problem with the focus is that Gundams are primarily made to push model sales. To sell more models, Bandai needs more shows to promote the mobile suits featured in new model kits. This tends to cause Gundam shows to fall into a flavor-of-the-week cycle, and this sucked all the soul out of Gundam Seed (in addition to the fanservice and shitty writing). On the flip side, this was a boon to God Gundam which had some fun with the need to sell new model kits. This is also why a lot of the Gundam OVAs are pretty decent, because in most cases, there aren’t new mobile suits to sell, except maybe one or two that the show is named after. 08th MS Team wasn’t treading any new ground, so the plot could focus on the characters instead of new enemy type G.
The antagonists always have a dearth of different mobile suit types in development for precisely this reason. Though in the case of the Universal Century timeline and Zeon, it successfully draws historical parallels to the Nazis since they too were racist fascists who loved coming up with a whole bunch of wacky shit.
As for the underlying theme, just about every Gundam show out there follows the same basic formula: boy finds Gundam, boy gets caught up in intrasolar conflict, boy uses his superpowers to force a victory for pacifism. War is bad, but unlike Paul Baumer, a Gundam protagonist is generally equipped with genetic superiority or pre-destined bullshit that gives him the edge to overcome pretty much any obstacle except for other ubermenschen. It’s not at all clever, and makes the protagonists really hard to identify with.
The protagonist in Turn A Gundam, on the other hand, doesn’t have anything particularly special about him compared to the average person. As a result, he has to learn how to pilot the Turn A Gundam through experience and without the assistance of superhuman reflexes. Also to its credit, Gundam 00 takes the boy supersoldier trope and accepts the third world school of soldiery. Warriors are raised, not born, and while the two Gundam pilots are genetically engineered, the others are by all accounts normal dudes who just happened to have really fucked up childhoods, thereby making them the perfect candidates for some super soldiery.
So uh, I guess I’ll watch Gundam Reconguista in G…
“B-b-but I thought you said you don’t watch Gundam?
You should know by now that I say a lot of things.
* * * * *
Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle
Studio: Bones
PV: Here
Synopsis: This is the sequel to Hitsugi no Chaika, which was a story about a girl trying to recover her father’s remains in order to give him a proper burial. Oh yeah, her father used to be the Immortal Emperor Gaz, so people aren’t too keen about this. They think she might try to revive him and bring back the Gaz Empire. Then there are some other stuff to worry about like how there are multiple Chaikas… I can’t really describe the whole story in just a few sentences, so you’ll just have to watch the first season if you’re that curious.
Will I Watch It? I honestly thought the first season was pretty mediocre. It was watchable, sure, but it was one of those shows I instantly forgot about as soon as I stopped watching it. But like I’ve said, it’s watchable so I’ll cover the second season. I’m just not excited about the prospect of doing so. Hopefully, we’ll get some real answers to some of the story’s bigger mysteries. Also, nice pose there, Akari.
* * * * *
Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de
Studio: Trigger
PV: Here
Synopsis: Kids in a club wake up one day to find that they have superpowers. That’s cool. But they still have to go to school, so…
Will I Watch It? I’m not going to get excited for this anime just because it’s produced by Trigger. First, it’s a light novel adaptation, which I’m already wary of. Then, I see that the main lead is surrounded by a bunch of cute girls, so it looks like a shitty harem. I’m not saying that it is a shitty harem. I’m just saying that the set-up seems haremish. Finally, the premise sounds dumb as hell:
However, the members still look forward to the possibilities of adventure, and continued to believe that with each day, they were getting ever closer to those days of fantasy. Their days of romantic comedy and battles with extraordinary powers begin!”
Hopefully, Trigger is keeping mum about some twist that will make the anime worth watching, ’cause otherwise, Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de looks mundane right from the get-go. But hey, sometimes we just gotta make money…
* * * * *
Log Horizon Season 2
Studio: Satelight
PV: Best one I could find…
Synopsis: Naturally, this is a sequel to Log Horizon, which was yet another anime about people finding themselves trapped in an MMO world.
Will I Watch It? I’ll soon have a post up on what I thought of the first season. Long story short, I wasn’t a big fan, but I’ll probably blog the second season anyway since it’s about an MMO.
* * * * *
Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji
Studio: TYO Animations
PV: Here
Synopsis: Some girl pretends to have a boyfriend, but she picked the wrong photo to show her friends. The guy in the photo is actually a classmate of hers, so she quickly tries to get him to play along. Unfortunately, the guy’s an asshole (he’s a shoujo bishie, so of course he is), and he proceeds to take advantage of the situation by… uh, treating the girl like a dog.
Will I Watch It? I highly doubt the girl is as vain as she’s supposed to be. She’ll probably have a good heart, and even though the guy treats her like shit, she’ll fall in love with him. And I highly doubt that the bishie will be as sadistic as he’s supposed to be. He’ll eventually want to protect her, pat her on the head like a dog, and do all the other mundane bishie shit. But we’ll see…
* * * * *
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Studio: A-1 Pictures
PV: Here
Synopsis: Some kid used to be a piano prodigy, but his mom died. The anime’s description even makes it a point to say that our hero’s world has been monochrome since then. Trauma is a helluva drug. His life slowly starts to improve, however, when he meets a female violinist. All of sudden, his life gains color! Technicolor! Oh god, I hope the girl doesn’t turn out to be a manic pixie dream girl.
Will I Watch It? I kind of dislike the way the characters are drawn, but it’s not a big deal. The anime seems harmless, actually. I’m not excited for it, but I’m not turned off by what I see either. Actually, check that. In the preview, there’s a moment where the heroine plays a melodica as she’s dancing barefoot. Meanwhile, a bunch of birds flutter around her just to add drama to the scene. I’m not quite sure what the anime’s trying to convey here, but it looks corny as hell. I feel as though my arteries got clogged just watching it. Yeah, yeah, her free spirit will sweep the melancholy male lead off his feet, but ugh…
For what it’s worth, this will share the noitaminA block with Psycho-Pass 2. Of course, something like Nanana’s Buried Treasure also got a noitaminA slot, so by itself, this isn’t much of a distinction.
* * * * *
SHIROBAKO
Studio: P.A. Works
PV: Here
Synopsis: Five girls try to make it in the anime industry.
Will I Watch It? Oh, a show about working girls. That might have potential–…
Oh… nevermind then. I’m somewhat kidding, of course. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stuck it in this tier. But P.A. Works has burned me plenty of times before…
* * * * *
Terra Formars
Studio: LIDEN FILMS
PV: Here
Synopsis: Humanity sent moss and cockroaches to Mars in an effort to terraform the red planet. When humanity returned five hundred years later, the cockroaches had evolved into Terraformars, a bunch of man-killing, bipedal descendents…
Will I Watch It? I wrote about part one of a two-part OVA here; the OVA is a prequel to the anime series. But long story short, while the premise sounds intriguing, I was disappointed by the story’s heavy reliance on shounen-esque action to carry the day. Also, commenters who have read the manga seem to believe the story has racist undertones. Since I haven’t read the manga myself, I can’t comment on that.
* * * * *
World Trigger
Studio: Toei Animation
PV: Here
Synopsis: A gate to another world opened up, allowing monsters called Neighbors to come through and attack humanity. All seemed lost until Borders, a group of people using the power of alien technology, showed up to fight back against the invaders. Since then, everything has been relatively peaceful until a humanoid monster comes through the gate one day…? That’s all I can gather about this show.
Will I Watch It? The premise doesn’t sound like anything special. Once again, a bunch of children have the power to change the fate of the world. The character designs look a bit youngish, and that’s not really appealing to me. ‘Meh’ perfectly captures how I feel about this show with the little information that we’ve been given.
The “It Might Have Potential” Tier
Garo: Honoo no Kokuin
Studio: MAPPA
PV: Here
Synopsis: First, I know nothing about the Garo tokusatsu drama series, but apparently, the anime is only related to it by name and name alone. So why not just create a whole new story? Oh well… Second, the PV tells me nothing other than that there’s a lot of fire, and some dude in a set of armor will likely kick some ass. Finally, the Wikipedia page for the anime says one thing, but the various anime charts I’ve found say another. According to the Wikipedia page, the hero will help some prince and his mother reclaim the throne from the late king’s evil advisor. But according to the anime charts, some Makai Knight will save a girl from death after she’s been tainted by demon blood. So which is it? Maybe the anime will be about both sets of stories, but if I had to pick, give me the one with all the demons.
Will I Watch It? I guess. I have nothing much to go on, but MAPPA has been doing a pretty good job with Terror in Resonance. Oh yeah, if anyone cares, the screenwriter is the same guy who worked on Attack on Titan. This doesn’t matter to me, but it might mean something to some of you.
* * * * *
Kiseijuu
Studio: Madhouse
PV: Here
Synopsis: Parasites from outer space enter through our ears and noses in order to take control of our brains. Luckily for Shinichi, he was wearing headphones, so Migi, one of the parasitic aliens, could only burrow itself into his right hand. Since Shinichi’s brain is still intact, he and the Migi decide to form a bit of symbiotic relationship. They then fight other parasite-controlled humans.
Will I Watch It? If you take a look at the preview, there’s potential here for some interesting moments of body horror. Unfortunately, Madhouse is handling this adaptation, and they haven’t impressed me in years (no, I do not enjoy Hunter x Hunter). On the one hand, body horror… but on the other hand, Madhouse… body horror, Madhouse, body horror, Madhouse…
It turns out my girlfriend actually read this manga, and she thought it was okay. She’s even less of an anime/manga fan than I am, so y’know what? Fine, I’ll stick this in the “It Might Have Potential” Tier. Don’t disappoint me, Madhouse (you probably will).
* * * * *
Sanzoku no Musume Ronja
Studio: Studio Ghibli
PV: Here
Synopsis: The anime follows Ronja, a young girl who belongs to a tribe of bandits. In fact, her father is the chief. Anyway, she makes friends with the forest animals, and even meets a young boy from another tribe. I hesitate to say more because I’m not sure how closely the adaptation will follow the original story.
Will I Watch It? Oh, a Studio Ghibli production about a young girl going on adventures? You don’t say… I know a bit about the Swedish book that this anime is based on, so it’ll be interesting to see what changes the story takes on as it crosses cultural boundaries. In any case, I don’t expect to be enthralled by the show, but at the same time, Sanzoku no Musume Ronja feels like a safe bet.
* * * * *
Shingeki no Bahamut Genesis
Studio: MAPPA
PV: Here
Synopsis: I have no clue. I just know it’s based off of some social card game.
Will I Watch It? So why is it in this tier? ‘Cause the preview makes the anime look cool as balls, man. I really have no idea what to make of the anime. Plus, I don’t particularly care for card games. But for what it’s worth, I don’t see any card games in the preview. Instead, I see people riding dragons. I see a giant statue of a knight come to life, ready to wreck stuff up. I basically just see a bunch of action. So yeah, I think the anime has potential. Plus, it shares the same director with Tiger & Bunny, and that can’t be a bad thing, right?
The “It Can’t Possibly Disappoint Me, Can It?” Tier
Mushishi Zoku Shou 2
Studio: Artland
PV: Can’t find one, but this show doesn’t really need one.
Synopsis: Basically, Mushishi is a very contemplative anime series about human nature and the world around us.
Will I Watch It? Without a doubt.
* * * * *
Psycho-Pass 2
Studio: Production I.G
PV: Here
Synopsis: More Psycho-Pass goodness. If you didn’t watch the original series, it’s a futuristic story about a future where the Japanese state actively monitors its civilians’ mental states. Even your future career is based on a score determined by the government. Anyway, when anyone shows a high disposition for crime, they are immediately put under arrest. In some cases, they can be killed outright. Who or what makes all these determinations? Something known as the Sibyl System. Needless to say, this seemingly utopian society is not what it seems…
Will I Watch It? Will Akane be proven right? Will someone eventually pull the plug on the Sibyl System? Can Akane’s Psycho-Pass continue to remain spotless despite all that she’s been through? How capable is Akane as a leader? Can another villain fill the gap Shogo Makishima left behind? Will Shinya play a large role in the sequel? There are so many questions for the sequel to answer… The original series certainly had its flaws, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Sure, Urobuchi won’t be writing the script for the sequel, but the set-up’s all there and Tow Ubukata is no slouch (I wasn’t a fan of Mardock Scramble, though). Since we don’t have to worry about world-building anymore, perhaps the story can take off right from the get-go.
But what about the movies?!
Uh, what about them? Truth be told, I’ve never previewed movies in these posts, I don’t feel as though I should start doing so. But uh, let’s see if there’s anything interesting on the horizon. Here, listen to some music while I go look…
…other than Expelled From Paradise, nothing else looks too appealing to me.
Moe Sucks 
Few things. Lots of moeblob series are seinens. What is strange about Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru being one?
Your image for Grisaia is connected to one of the later games and it’s quite spoilerific. The VN actually has plot, but most of it is rather weak so it would be best if they just adapted really funny common route. But it’s probably not happening.
The second story for GARO is description of the first toku series story. So I woud bet on the Wikipedia one being proper one.
Ronja is mainly done by Studio Polygon.
My point is that these designations don’t often mean much.
Most people who read this blog won’t care what they saw here about some visual novel adaptation, and I personally don’t.
Shrug, don’t care enough to change it. Studio Ghibli is involved so it’s good enough for me.
…It sounds like you have seen most gundam series. I know you pretty much pointed this out but its in regards to you saying mecha fights seem like giant hunks of metal clashing and you don’t get the appeal a while ago. So I took it you didn’t watch gundam because I found the action in unicorn,build fighters and even 00 have fluid action and are very well choreographed most of the time especially unicorn and build fighters. If you have seen those series and don’t consider that good action what would you describe as good action ? Or have you not really watched many gundam series past the first five eps because the action usually starts out slow and clunky because the first suits are slow and clunky especially on land that is the only instance it looks like metal hunks clashing into each other I can think of.
Maybe we just disagree.
World Trigger is the only thing I’m really looking forward to. It sounds like fairly typical shounen fare, but something about the visual style (cubes!) is appealing.
Other than that, this isn’t looking like a very promising season. I was interested in Ronja until I found out it’s going to be CG. The trailer makes it look somewhat better than when that’s normally attempted, but not by much.
Why are cubes appealing?
I honestly have no idea, I just find the artwork associated with the show cool :P
If Garo Honoo no Kokuin looks half as bad ass as its preview sets it up to be I won’t even care about plot. Plus AOT screen writer knows a lot about making action appealing so that can’t fail me.Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo sounds super good. Gundam: G no Reconguista while it is not the gundam origins I have been waiting on for ever I will give it a watch. Chaika season 2 gets a watch. The fate remake I hear will be better than the original fate which was meeh so I may watch it. Gundam build fighters try as long as the keep up the kick ass fight scenes and gundam homages instant watch. Kiseijuu gets a watch.Psycho-Pass 2, Rakuen Tsuihou: Expelled From Paradise, and Shingeki no Kyojin Gaiden: Kuinaki Sentaku are instant watches.
Nanatsu no Taizai is a straight up shounen in the vein of one piece and the like. It’s pretty decent for what it is, but otherwise harmless. I’m sure I’d like it more if I was a few years younger and it was one of the first shounen I saw.
Haha, I keep wanting to talk about World Trigger. It sets up this big multidimensional setting where you could do some really interesting and weird things, but for the amount I read it never truly delivered on it’s possibilities. It could still go down that road, but I mainly get the impression it wont, and if it does only as a big last arc sort of thing. Or heaven forbid a long drawn out setting hopper like god damn Bleach was.
Kiseijuu is a classic so I really really hope that’s good.
Out of the stupid Harem shows I’m having a tough time deciding which I think is the stupidest. I’m gonna have to go Grisaia no Kajitsu, since it actually won an award. Cause just learning that a moe award is a thing has caused me to begin internally bleeding.
If my research is correct, Madan no Ou to Vanadis apparently has a few good things going for it… political intrigue, tactical battles (and actual warfare) and some fascinating world-building- it seems like the fantasy aspect is heavily based on medieval European (Slavic especially) literature/mythology. And if AnimeSuki forums are any indication, the characters are fairly decent on their own right.
Unfortunately it’s also got a significant amount of harem/fanservice elements. I’m quite leery of this kind of thing, so.. bleh. A bit of a shame actually… I can’t help thinking that this would be a show I’d happily sink my teeth into if not for the the not for the excess harem/fanservice . As it is, I’m quite conflicted.
People hyped up Mahouka too, so I’m not sure forums are the way to go.
Kiseijuu is really a classic.
I read it as when I was really young, either grade 2 or 3 in elementary school, and even then, they are yellowish already, from being stored for a long time in my uncle’s book rack.
I remember being pretty terrified by it, but when I tried to remember it now, it’s just another seinen. Nothing special.
Should be a good nostalgia, though.
A lot of them seem to be harem, and I almost never watch any anime featured in your harem hill.
The screenshot of the cockroach man piqued my interest.
Might read the manga soon, to see if the anime will be worth watching.
A dagger to my heart.
But I read Nisekoi’s manga. :-D
And tell you what, Raku is getting a foreign princess into his harem. I wish it gets sequel soon, so that I can enjoy another entertaining Harem Hill.
“Oh, we are standing side by side near a fence. Hazukashi~”
Wow, surprised you’re gonna try Gundam.
Also, they’re doing that stupid-ass Buddy Complex 2-part grand finale (Aoba Vs. Ancient Bizon IN SPAAAACCE!!!) at the end of September. Talk about a crappy birthday gift… I didn’t even want Buddy Complex to get a finale. I’m curious if you’re gonna be covering that, or if you’re going to skip it.
Well, I need a dumb mecha to replace Captain Earth.
This season look like revenge of the harems. I guess I’ll watch one or two random ones.
I loved the Parasyte manga. And Madhouse is a good studio when they aren’t adapting awful LNs to rake all the money. Too bad they are using new character designs instead of the original super 90’s looking ones. Bahamut’s trailer got me hyped. And these kind card game related stuff tend to be unexpectedly good. The product placement is usually barely present. I’ve liked every Tomino series I’ve watched so far, even the terrible Brainpowerd. So I’m pretty much granted to like G-reco.
You have any recommendations for some of Tomino’s other stuff? I don’t think i’ve watched any show he has done.
Mobile suit gundam
Gundam and Zeta Gundam are the obvious choices. Zambot 3 and Daitarn 3 are really good, but both keep the 70s mecha anime format, monster of the week and all that, which can be a turn off for some people. Turn A Gundam and King Gainer are more recent so G Reco will probably be more like those, specially in not being a downer like most of his 70’s and 80’s work.
It’s worth noting that all he’s done is very episodic and never explains the setting explicitly.
They haven’t adapted a good source material in years though, so we can’t really use history as a gauge.
Got a point in that. Besides Hunter X Hunter the last good thing they did was Chihayafuru season 2. And if you don’t like either, it’s all the way back to Tatami Galaxy.
Jesus Christ, look at all those harem shows. Holy shit.
And my, do they look all alike. Who wants to make bets that they’ll all play out the same too?
I’m really excited for Parasyte, some trusted manga readers have told me that it might beat Ping Pong as anime of the year if it lives up to it’s source (or improves on it). Other than that i’m looking forward to the new gundam shows, psycho pass 2, garo and Donten ni Warau.
Pretty tall order.
The strong lack of mystery/detective anime ennerves me.
Magic kaito is supposed to be the spin off of detective conan i think, so sure its for kids, but like how naruto and dbz are for kids, i think its worth checking out.
For Reconguista in G, the director tomino said its supposed to be very different from the traditional gundam series and made for a younger generation, so maybe it wont suffer from your complaints.
Vandis looks like a harem but the director is the guy that directed Nadesico, a haremish show that was actually really fun, so this might turn out to be good.
I don’t see how Naruto and DBZ prove that it’s worth checking out…
Build Fighters is great if you have watched enough (or too much) Gundam before and can get excited about all the cameos, obscure models and so on being animated. Otherwise it’s just a kids show. I’m hopeful for Reconguista, anything has to be better then the last ‘proper’ Gundam, the AGE abortion.
Otherwise I guess it’ll be the usual for me – a huge line up and about three or four shows I actually bother to watch rather than read blogposts about. This season I only ended up with Aldnoah, AgK, SAO and Sabagebu on the schedule so it can only improve. And only one of those shows is any good.
Yeah, I’m not a fan of the self referential stuff, so I’m going to go with the one that has a “save the universe” story.
I’ve watched all Garo tokusatsu shows, including the one currently airing. Should be horrifically splendid, if the anime stays as true to the gore as the tokusatsu version.
Can you explain why? I’ve always been interested in tokusatsu stuff and the Garo anime looks really nice.
Garo’s a different breed of tokusatsu in that it typically deals with darker themes and is targeted towards adults rather than kids (as with Super Sentai and Kamen Rider). The fighting choreography is often at a higher level and there is a greater focus on the hero’s journey. We typically follow a single protagonist as opposed to a team (though the Garo protagonist often works with others). The monster designs are genuinely creepy and the show does a good job of showing both the monstrous and good sides of humanity. This portrayal is welcome in an industry that draws most of its revenue from toys and merchandise and therefore tones down violence and darker themes in order to make shows more kid-friendly (Super Sentai being the main example).
As a Garo fan, I’m excited for the anime. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s adapted. Live action is very different from animation and part of its draw comes from the CGI and/or rubber suit action and fight choreography.
“Also to its credit, Gundam 00 takes the boy supersoldier trope and accepts the third world school of soldiery. Warriors are raised, not born, and while the two Gundam pilots are genetically engineered, the others are by all accounts normal dudes who just happened to have really fucked up childhoods, thereby making them the perfect candidates for some super soldiery”
Curious then, what did you make of the Gundam 00 series in general?
Oh boy so many harems and so little time, as I thought harems are serious business in Japan, and they are scheduled for the arguably best anime season: fall, maybe I should watch 7-nin no Mahoutsukai, Grisaia and Ushinawareta Mirai o Motomete… but those don’t look dumb enough… Idk, time will tell if I should give Vanadis a chance too.