2016 Fall Anime Season Preview

There are times when I think that time hates me. After all my work hours go by so slowly that one would think time has stopped. Yet my spare time flies by that I look at a clock and one minute later look again to see an hour has gone by. I barely feel this season even started and yet it’s already ending and we got a whole new lineup to see. I previously said the current season looked to be a rather weak one but it has brought a number of surprises. The question is whether that will happen again as this season is looking potentially weaker. The large amount of original shows certainly increases the chances of a number of hidden gems so you never really know until it’s over.

My usual method of checking out every bit of source material I could find didn’t fair too well this time due to the large amount of anime original and untranslated works. But if I could get my hands on it, I checked it out. This season we are doing something a bit different. My usual way of doing this has become a bit outdated not that we have a number of authors on the blog. So instead of the poll below being used to decide one of the shows I will cover, we will use the poll as a means of figuring out just what you want us to cover. Basically it will be more or less the same but the top pick may not be covered by yours truly. Feel free to vote for as many shows as you would like.

Once again thanks to Mario for gathering the images and the others for inputting their two cents on certain shows. Let us get started.

 

The sequels/prequels I don’t care about

12-Sai. Chiccha na Mune no Tokimeki 2

AJIN 2

Bubuki Buranki: Hoshi no Kyojin

BUNGOU STRAY DOGS 2

Cardfight!! Vanguard G Next

Digimon Universe: App Monsters

Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou

Hibike! Euphonium 2

Kaitou Joker 4

SHOW BY ROCK!! 2

Kidou Senshi Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans 2

Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ Maji Love Legend Star

ViVid Strike!

 

Series I don’t look forward to

 

Bloodivores

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60 years ago, a strange case of insomnia struck the population, forcing them to stay awake for more than a full week. The victims, completely sleep deprived, all went mad. To cure this illness, a new medicine was produced, but the side effects turned the patients into vampires. Humanity went to war against this new species and triumphed, but some of the vampires managed to survive. Born from a Human and a Vampire, the main character Mi Liu, “The Child of Hope”, is to represent the new hope that will connect the two species. Ringleader of a bank robbery, Mi Liu is arrested and transferred to a special prison of the National Defense Agency that monitors Vampires. Trying to break free with Anji, Mi Liu is attacked by strange monsters and he finds out that the prison location corresponds to the birthplace of Vampires, the old capital “Blue Town.” Why are Vampires trapped in Blue Town? What are those strange monsters attacking them? Our heroes must fight to solve those mysteries.

Studio: Creators in Pack TOKYO

What happens in the backstory of this show sounds much more interesting than the show itself. A world driven made by insomnia? That is actually a pretty interesting concept. But nope, it’s just backstory to justify vampires. Really gotta hand it to the scientists that somehow managed to turn people into vampires when trying to cure insomnia. Anyway we have no staff information and it might surprise some that this is an adaption of a Chinese web comic originally called Space-TIme Prisoner. Based on what little I read it’s really nothing to write home about. Fairly mediocre, much like The Outcast series airing in the summer season. I quite like that anime is being created of non-japanese works but I really wish they could pick something a little more worth it.

Brave Witches

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A Strike Witches spin-off, featuring the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing, the Brave Witches.

Studio:  Silver Link

Director: Kazuhiro Takamura

Music: Seikou Nagaoka

I don’t know a lot about strike witches other than it being a manga that was axed, then made into a light novel by the author of Familiar of Zero(Who unfortunately passed away three years ago at the age of 41. God rest his soul.) And then made into an anime Television series. All I really know about it was that it’s seems to be Kancolle before Kancolle was a thing. Either way this is a spin off with a brand new cast so I guess the previous entries won’t factor in too much. The previous director of the last two seasons of the show is here as well as the original manga creator. This looks to be a case of, if you liked the last seasons then this is for you. I however don’t care all too much.

 

ClassicaLoid

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The story follows high school students Kanae and Sousuke, who live in a provincial town that is trying to revitalize itself with music. One day, suddenly “Classicaloid” versions of Beethoven and Mozart appear in front of Kanae and Sousuke. When the suspicious-looking Classicaloids play music they call “mujik,” it has a strange power: stars start to fall, and giant robots appear. Now every day is tumultuous. Eventually, more Classicaloids start to appear such as Bach, Chopin, and Schubert. What is the great power that the Classicaloids have? Are they friends or foe to humanity?

Studio:  Sunrise

Director: Yoichi Fujita

Music: Seikou Nagaoka

Well this is certainly weird. Being sunrise we got mecha involved but oddly they have decided to involve classical music for some reason. Beethoven and Mozart have been purely bastardised as seen above and I don’t know what to think of this concept. The director has mainly done comedies with Gintama and Binbougami Ga under his belt as well as the recent Osomatsu-san. So I suspect this won’t be taking itself very seriously. Based purely on sunrises previous work I suspect this will end up being poorly written yet entertaining garbage. But frankly one can only tell when the first episode just what exactly we are in for. The trailer doesn’t give many hints as to whats to come.

 

Heybot!

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The anime takes place on the screw-shaped island country of Nejigajima and follows the two “Bokyabots” Hebot and the Yurui Prince Nejiru as they collect different “Bokya Neji” screws. When the Bokyabots wear the Bokya Neji screws on their heads, they’re able to compete in “Bokya Battles,” battles for who can think up and tell the best jokes.

Studio:  Bandai Namco Pictures

Besides Gintama the studio hasn’t done much worth a damn. Looks to be a screwball comedy and the main purpose is the sell some toy line. This not worth anyone’s time.

 

Idol Memories

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The anime takes place 2035 where virtual reality technology has evolved enough that people can experience world travel and other live event experiences from the comfort of their own home. In this space, idols perform live events for a worldwide audience. As worldwide popularity of idols performing in “VR Rooms” increased, the Kanon Private Academy was established on Beginning Island to train new idols. These idols compete and strive to reach the top of the “World Idol League.” The anime will focus on the six idols who make up two units “StarRing” and “Shadow.”

Studio:  Seven Arcs

Director: Katsuya Kikuchi

Series composer/Script: Hiroshi Ohnogi

If it’s something I wish the entertainment industry would take into account, it’s that you don’t make a hit product by chasing the coattails of another hit product. Perhaps i should be thankful that Seven Arcs isn’t making another Dog Days sequel but this isn’t exactly an improvement. Director is a newbie and the scriptwriter is mixed. I see BIrdy and a number of Eureka Seven episodes in his resume but I also see Rinne No Lagrange, Seisen Cerberus and some rather underwhelming titles here. So Virtual Reality has reached the levels dreamed of it in this series and the best use they can think of for it is Idol groups. A change in priorities may be required. Look, I am fairly certain I know exactly who this anime is trying to dethrone and it most certainly not going to succeed. I predict this being mediocre at best and forgettable at worst.

 

Long Riders!

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The manga follows Ami Kurata, a first year college student with no special qualities. One day she happens to notice someone riding a folding bike, immediately falls in love with it, and uses all her savings to buy one. She eventually gets introduced to the world of long-distance bicycling and road racer bikes, and she forms a cycling team called Fortuna with four other female college students from the same school. Their goal is to ride in a “brevet” or long-distance event called “Fresh.”

Studio:  Actas

Director: Tatsuya Yoshihara

Series composer/Script: Natsuko Takahashi

Cute girls on bikes…didn’t we do this already? Pretty sure we had cute girls on motorbikes. Is mountain bikes such a massive distinction? I really do have to wonder if they are running out of ideas for this particular genre. We have had cute girls doing manga, games, music, photography, survival games, tanks, running battleships, being battleships…what’s next? Cute girls being janitors? Cute girls insurance salesmen? Cute girls conmen? Really I am not sure what to say here. Look at that image up there, you know what you are getting. The only question is if it’s your thing or not.

 

Lostorage incited WIXOSS

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The official Twitter account for the WIXOSS trading card game announced that a new anime project titled Lostorage incited WIXOSS will be broadcast this fall.

Studio:  J.C. Staff

Director: Katsushi Sakurabi

Series composer/Script: Michihiro Tsuchiya

Music: Maiko Iuchi

I remember watching the first season of wixross and it was a complete mess. Filled to the brim with Okada angst and generally tried to be dark without having the writing skill to pull it off. Okada isn’t writing this one but the guy who is has pretty much nothing good to his name. The director fairs a little better with Flying Witch and Asatte no Houkou but I really don’t see this series improving on it’s pretty terrible storytelling. May be premature but I pass on this.

 

Luger Code 1951

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The story centers around the young linguistic genius and university professor Testa. He is introduced by his senior, Sergeant Rossa, to the Allied Cryptanalysis Department. There, he is tasked to break the enemy werewolves’ code, which the werewolves are using to encrypt their radio transmissions. Testa is astounded, as the only sound the encrypted code produces is the howling of a wolf. His research yields no results, and he resolves to capture a live werewolf for better cryptanalysis. After exhausting all possible means, he finally finds a female werewolf, Yonaga.

Studio:  Studio Deen

Director: Shinya Takahashi

Series composer/Script: Katsuhiko Takayama

This is an odd one for you see what this anime is adapting appears to be a three chapter concept which was the winner of some shounen jump competition. The theme of the competition was “your original scenario in the image of Shounen Jump” but orignal isn’t the word I would use to describe it. Despite the interesting concepts of werewolves and a German setting, this story is firmed rooted in the standard tropes of the shounen genre. Shonen Jump works especially. Based on the source I read this will be a rather mediocre action show but what interests me is that there are only three chapters which suggests that either this will be a 3 episode show or Studio Deen plans to go anime original to make the rest of the cour. This looks to be the director’s first time directing though he has had experience in an number of different areas. The script writer may have Gai-Rei Zero and Full Metal Alchemist in his resume but his recent work has been terrible as of late. I don’t really hold out much hope for this as even with good hands the story itself is just rather unremarkable. Unless they can rework the material into something more interesting this is bound to be forgotten fast.

 

Magic-kyun! Renaissance

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A world where art becomes magic. In this world, people who can inspire passion with their Magic Arts are called Artistas, and are employed in show business. In Hoshinomori Private Magical Arts High School, where Artistas are taught, a strange new student named Ohana Aigasaki transfers into the school.

Studio:  Sunrise

Director: Yoichi Fujita

Series composer/Script: Mitsue Yamazaki

Would it be ignorant for me to say that I have absolutely no interest in this one whatsoever and doubt it would be worthy of note? Well the director was an assistant director for Pengiundrum and also directed Gekkan Shojo Nozaki-kun. Series composer has Sunday without god and a lot of old Shoujo series under his belt. Though he did also doing series composition for what I can accurately assume is the ten thousand sequel to Uta no Prince-sama. (Well to be honest it’s the fourth season of it. But I swear I have seen this show on previews more times than I can count.) So will it be any good? Probably not but if it’s your thing then knock yourself out.

 

Monster Hunter Stories: RIDE ON

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CAPCOM announced during Tokyo Game Show 2015 on Thursday that its upcoming Monster Hunter Stories game will receive a TV anime adaptation. The anime will premiere in 2016 on Fuji TV.

Studio:  David Production

You know when I think monster hunter, the last thing that comes to mind is a kids TV show. I mean the game series is about going out into the wilderness to kill monsters so you can harvest their bodies to make better armour and weapons. I notice the kids up there aren’t getting ripped apart by those monsters which gives the impression of this being more of a Digimon/Pokemon style show. Which quite frankly defeats the purpose. It’s Monster Hunter, not Monster Befriender.

 

Nanbaka

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Four men are assigned to the prison: Juugo, a man who attempted to break out of prison and ended up extending his jail time; Uno, a man who likes to gamble with women; Rokku, a man who likes to get into fights; and Niko, a man who likes anime.

Studio:  Satelight

Director: Shinji Takamatsu

Series composer/Script: Mitsutaka Hirota

Obnoxious is the word of the day. This is somewhat similar to servamp except you remove all the action and replace it with comedy. Did I mention that the comedy of servamp is what I hated the most about it? The characters all just have a single quirk and it’s just a directionless series of skits with them having wacky adventures at a prison. I know I don’t tend to take to comedy but this one really is terrible. Unless you are a fan of “shout till it’s funny” comedy, I wouldn’t recommend this.

 

Stella no Mahou

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The story follows Tamaki Honda, a first-year high school girl who joins a somewhat peculiar “SNS-Bu” circle that makes doujin video games.

Studio:  Silver Link

Director: Shinya Hasegawa

Series composer/Script: Fumihiko Shimo

Cute girls being indie developers. Yeah that’s a show that everyone…really…wants. Look you guys have got to be running out of ideas at this point if we are going to this level. This is the first work for the the director but he has worked on a large number of shows as a Key animator and Character designer. Guy even did key animation for Evangelion and Utena of all things. And now he’s working on this, oh how his soul must be crushed. Series composer previously did Kokoro connect and Kanon 2006. But well they also did Infinite Stratos. Well…I normally try to not be too openly dismissive but I think there no one here would would blame me for expecting absolutely nothing from this? Right?

 

Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume

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Ever since their champion was defeated, the world of girls’ junior high ping pong has been in turmoil. Koyori is the new smirking transfer student at her junior high and she’s ready to shake up girls’ ping pong.

Studio:  Kinema Citrus

Director: Yasuhiro Irie

Series composer/Script: Hideyuki Kurata

Cute girls play Ping Pong…really? You guys really are running out of ideas at this point. Let’s see, the director of Fullmetal Alchemist brotherhood and Alien Nine? And the series composer has more misses than hits. I read the first chapter of the manga and it’s well…meh? The ping pong aspect could make it visually interesting but the interaction between the girls is pretty much the standard cute girls routine. If you look up the promotional materiel for this show, do you see the girl with the boobs? She’s generally the butt of boob jokes. Yep, that classic joke that never gets old…in theory. Also the girls tend to get rather sexually excited when playing ping pong which just has me wanting to tell them to calm down. It’s ping pong, not a heavy night of yuri loving. You are not going to learn any ping pong moves during this show and it’s likely going to be more about girls gone wild than actual ping pong but well at least it’s trying. I suppose.

 

Time Bokan 24

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The anime centres on Tokio, a junior high student living in the present time who is suddenly made a member of the 24th century’s Space-Time Administration Bureau. Immediately, he learns that the history he has learned in the textbooks is wrong, and there is a more interesting version of history where the peerless beauty Cleopatra is actually the comic duo of Cleo and Patra, Momotarō is more of an ogre than actual ogres. Together with his teammate Karen, they use the 24 Bokan Mecha to search for the True History.

Studio:  Tatsunoko Productions

Director: Takayuki Inagaki

Series composer/Script: Yoichi Kato

Seems to be a rather unremarkable but harmless little show. Can’t say the director has directed anything of note. The series composer has two Aikatsu sequels and that’s about it. The concept is somewhat novel but I can’t see it carrying the show. I am rather apathetic about this one.

 

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

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The year is 2205. The “historical revisionists” have begun attacks on the past in their plot to change history. The Saniwa, who have been charged with protecting history, can imbue life into objects. Strongest among these are the Touken Danshi. The story centers around their cheerful lives.

Studio:  Dogakobo

Director: Takashi Naoya

Series composer/Script: Pierre Sugiura

Oh no. Not another card game adaption. I have been wary about these before and there isn’t a show that’s proved me wrong yet. This season Ange Verge is particularly garage for example. The promo image already has far too many characters and I don’t see myself getting attached to any of them. The staff looks to be new to the business as this is the director’s first show and the series composer only previously did the script for Kumo Miko. I may have a fondness for Nitroplus(The makers of the card game) but I am fairly certain is show will be terrible at worse, unremarkable at best.

 

Watashi ga Motete Dousunda

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Kae Serinuma is what you’d call a “fujoshi.” When she sees boys getting along with each other, she loves to indulge in wild fantasies! One day her favorite anime character dies and the shock causes her to lose a ton of weight. Then four hot guys at school ask her out, but that isn’t exciting to her at all — she’d rather see them date each other!

Studio:  Brains Base

Series composer/Script: Michiko Yokote

So a fat fujoshi girl gets immensely depressed because her favorite anime character died. Thus she proceeds to starve herself to death in her room. Yet as it turns out this happens to be the greatest diet plan of all time as she not only slims up but becomes really good looking. Then suddenly a bunch of guys are all interested in her and she gains her own harem. I don’t think I need to point out that this plot is problematic. For one they never seem to address the fact that no one wanted her before yet boys want her now, even so much to put up with her fujoshi tendencies. So the moral of the story is that it doesn’t matter if your personality is rotten to the core, as long as you look pretty on the outside then everyone loves you. I am making this out to be more insidious that it really is to be honest. The story itself is a rather harmless unremarkable harem show. I consider it better than usual shoujo tripe but overall I can’t see this being recommendable.

 K-Off: I gave a quick read through the manga under someone’s recommendation and to its credit, the premise isn’t as problematic in the way you’d expect at first. Her sudden attractiveness is an issue that’s raised time and time again – but on the contrary, the gimmick is done to death. It isn’t boring at the very least, so watch out for this if you don’t mind brainless shojo comedies.

 

Series I am middling on

 

All Out!!

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Gion Kenji is short and perpetually pissed off about it. Iwashimizu Sumiaki is tall but timid. Although it’s bullies that bring this unlikely pair together on the first day of high school, it’s the rugby club that will make them friends.

Studio:  Madhouse Studios

Director: Kenichi Shimizu

Series composer/Script: Masahiro Yokotani

Do you happen to remember Day’s last season? Well here’s Day’s again, except with Rugby instead of football. Well admittedly there are a few more differences than that but really this plays all the usual sports anime tropes. I have come to lose all interest in this kind of series as I know how this goes and I know exactly how it’s going to end. All to often a sports series ends inconclusively, more so than a usual anime series. Always with a life goes on ending that waits for another season never to come or pushes you to read the rest in the manga. However even then I find sports series tend to be the most interesting at the start and then fall into a pattern when the rookie reaches a level of expertise. When it hits that pattern, all development just grinds to a halt. Chihiyafurya was a good example of this as it managed to get two 25 episode seasons and still went nowhere by it’s finale. After all this set up is done I know what awaits is a pattern of train, win a game, train, win a game, train…and there is only so long that can hold interest. If you like this kind of series then this should be entertaining for you. However be warned that it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

 

Flip Flappers

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How does the world look in your eyes? Papika and Cocona, the heroines of the story, hold the keys to open the door. When the two girls meet, their adventures in a different time and different overlapping dimension called “Pure Illusion” begin. Many things in Pure Illusion will stand in the girls’ way on their search for the mysterious crystal called the “Shard of Mimi,” an item that is said to grant any wish. However, when the girls find themselves in danger, the Shard of Mimi shines, and they are able to transform.

Studio:  Studio 3Hz

Director: Kiyotaka Oshiyama

From the studio that brought you Dimension W we have…something. A magical girl series perhaps? The trailer displays a rather interesting art style with some impressive animation which intrigues me. The staff appear to be newbies that have mainly done key animation for other series and the animation studio is fairly new. Still I actually find this quite interesting and believe it can hold potential, provided those transformations don’t get too fanservicey. Depends on how seriously the story plans to take itself. Based on the trailer I get the feeling of it being more that meets the eye but again this needs to be shown to get a gauge of it’s real quality.

 

Fune wo Amu

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The series follows the employees at the Genbu Shobō publishing company. Araki, who is a veteran editor for the dictionary department, is looking for a successor now that he’s approaching retirement age. After Majime Mitsuya — a salesman who’s a poor talker — meets Masashi Nishioka — Araki’s coworker who is sociable and frivolous — Araki overhears their conversation and decides to recruit Majime into the department. The story follows “the awkward humans” Majime and Masashi as they work together to compile a medium-sized Japanese dictionary titled “The Great Passage” (Daitokai).

Studio:  ZEXCS

Director: Toshimasa Kuroyanagi

Series composer/Script: Takuya Satou

From a studio that brought you more crap than you can count comes an anime that actually seems somewhat interesting. Personally I take anything I can get that moves away from the high school setting and an anime about working adults fits my demographic. Still the Director is a first timer and the series composer has pretty much nothing of worth. I am willing to give this a chance for while slice of life is massively abundant, slice of life with working adults is a much rarer subcategory. The trailer shows promise and the animation looks quite good so it could end up being one of the most interesting titles of the season. Provided it’s done right.

 

Girlish Number

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The story follows the lives of Chitose Karasuma, a college student who aspires to be an idol voice actress, and other young women in the industry.

Studio:  Diomedea

Director: Shota Ibata

Series composer/Script: Wataru Watari

Alright points for going with college instead of high school but didn’t we do this story already. I mean disregarding Shirobako, there was also Sore ga Seiyuu. Either way a manga chapter is out despite it being anime original and based on that this feels very much like this seasons “New Game” except with more factoids about the voice acting industry. I will give it points for throwing out how the voice actors phoning it in due to the anime being a boring light novel adaption. Not often I hear criticism of Japanese voice actors. Most treat them like golden gods who can do no wrong. Main point is that I have been here before and it was recently. Looking at it this provides nothing new so I really wonder what’s the point of going anime original with a concept that’s already been done. The director is a first timer. But one note of interest here is the creator and series composer for this show is a Wataru Watari, the creator of SNAFU or otherwise known “My youth romantic comedy is wrong as I expected” so perhaps this could have a dash of delightful cynicism to make it break from the mold. Though then again this is the guy who worked on the script of Qualidea Code which hasn’t been doing too great.

 

Keijo!!!!!!!!

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Kaminashi Nozomi (17) is an exceptional gymnast. So much so that colleges with some of the best gymnastic programs are trying to recruit her. Unfortunately for them, she has other plans. Due to her family being extremely poor, money is everything to her. That’s why she wants to step into the world of “Keijo.” “Keijo” is a type of gambling sport where girls stand on a small floating platform and compete against one another. The aim is to push the other contestant off of the platform into the water, but they are only allowed to use their butt or breasts to push the others off. Will Nozomi be able to compete in the intense world of “Keijo” and bring wealth and fortune for her family?

Studio:  Xebec

Director: Hideya Takahashi

Series composer/Script: Takao Kato

I am certain eyes have rolled upon reading the synopsis of this particular title. I too had a similar reaction. Is this another “Wanna be the Strongest in the World” where the sport is merely a means to shove as much fanservice in as possible? Well actually, no. Certainly on a surface level this story looks to be pandering to the lowest common denominator but there is actually more to it. To put it simply, Keijo differentiates itself from other fan service tripe by doing one thing. It treats it’s sport 100% seriously. I kid you not, in the world of this story, a sport where women use their breasts and ass to push each other off a platform is treated with the same level of respect as an Olympic sport. It is a factor with makes it utterly baffling yet unintentionally(Or maybe intentionally) hilarious. Imagine if you will, if women’s mud wrestling was dignified sport with no sexual innuendo or intent involved. The cognitive dissonance  just makes me laugh as the characters participate in a exam were judges stare at their ass with full concentration and without any sexual intent as they swing it in figure eights. Besides that we are actually looking at a typical sports anime that plays all the usual tropes. What will determine whether this anime works is if the animators can stop themselves from sexualising it. If they stick in ass shots and have the camera ogle the hell out of the girls then the illusion will be broken. For this to work, presentation is key and it needs to be as straight face as possible for it to get full effect. I am a bit worried on that front as the character designs have already gotten a bust size boost so it’s possible the anime might miss the point and attempt to  turn it into a fanservice fest. But if they stick true to the tone of the series this this could have people calling it the comedy of the year.

 

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku

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The novels are set in a world where a social game called The Magical Girl Raising Project allows one in tens of thousands of people to be a “magical girl” — possessing extraordinary physical capabilities and looks, as well as special magical powers that set them apart from the rest of the human race. But one day, in a district containing 16 magical girls, the administration announces that it must halve the number of magical girls to solve the problem of magical energy. At first, the 16 magical girls race to collect more “magical candy” than their competitors, but the rules quickly become twisted, and it quickly becomes a murderous battle for survival among them.

Studio:  Lerche

Director: Hiroyuki Hashimoto

Series composer/Script: Takao Yoshioka

I have long scoffed at the idea that Madoka “revolutionised” the industry. To me this felt like a misunderstanding birthed from its comparisons to Neon Genesis Evangelion as both were deconstructions of their representative genres. Truly the only thing Madoka birthed was a rise of Mahou Shoujo shows which have all been terrible to mediocre at best. Why is that though? The answer is that the balance of Madoka’s dark and light elements is one not easily accomplished. A story such as that can easily turn juvenile and tries too hard that the story turns unintentionally comical or contrived. It’s is something that requires a talented hand and the question is that does the writer of this show meet that criteria? Take note that it’s not as if I don’t want someone to try to make a story like Madoka as I feel the concept of dark Magical girls shows has more alternative story potential than was brought out in Madoka. I would welcome it but I am skeptical that someone really can carry that delicate balance of tones. Studio Leche has proven they can contrast between cute and dark with School-Live but sadly none of the people who worked on that are here. Instead we have the script writer from High school DXD, Ikkitousen, Dears and queen’s blade, as well as the director of Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka. This does not bode well. I would like to hold out hope that the original creator is somewhat involved and the original source might be excellent. Sadly no English translation of the novels exists so I can only speculate as to their quality. I like the idea of a magical girl battle royale but with a staff like this I find it hard to see this meet the potential of it’s concept.

 

Occultic;Nine

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The “paranormal science” story follows nine idiosyncratic individuals, linked by the “Choujou Kagaku Kirikiri Basara” occult summary blog run by 17-year-old second-year high school student Yuuta Gamon. Little incongruities that occur around these nine eventually lead to a larger, unimaginable event that may alter what is considered common sense in this world.

Studio:  A-1 Pictures

Director: Ishiguro Kyouhei

Music: Masaru Yokoyama

The directors only previous two works are Your Lie in April and Lance N’Masques so talk about hitting high and hitting low. The semicolon in the title and that the original creator is the director of 5pb who you may know for Chaos;head, Robotics:Notes and Steins;Gate. I don’t know his level of influence over these titles but it still makes me worried as two of them I consider flops and the third I pretty much give thanks to White Fox for adapting it so excellently while removing the dumber elements of the original storyline. It at least gives an idea about what we might be in for, most likely a story about a group of eccentric otaku individuals who get involved with a conspiracy of some sort. With a large amount of general slice of life grouped with high stakes drama. Whether it will be any good really depends on just how stupid this story is going to get. Will it pull its punches and provide another steins;gate? Or go full idiot and give us another Robotics;Notes?

 

Shuumatsu no Izetta

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If I am promised to the princess, then I will fight for her sake.
In 1939 C.E., the imperialist nation of Germania invaded a neighboring country. All at once, that war spread throughout Europe, and the era was dragged into a spiral of a great war.
Then, in 1940, Germania’s attack turned towards the Principality of Elystadt, a small Alps country abundant with beautiful water and greenery.

Studio:  Ajia-Do

Director: Masaya Fujimori

Series composer/Script: Hiroyuki Yoshino

This studio really hasn’t produced a whole lot recently. Most recent work was a Fist of the North star spinoff 3 years ago and before that their last series was Genshiken in 2007. Well this seems rather interesting with witches and war. Though the director has pretty much nothing worthwhile in his resume.(Depending on whether you liked the first Fairytail movie) Series composer has Denpa Teki no Kanojo(That needs a sequel), Mai-Hime and Macross Frontier here but he also did Vividred Operation and is listed as the creator of Seikon no Qwaser so um….yeah. Also was the main series composer for  Guilty Crown so i got to say I really can’t trust this guy when it comes to quality. Even Mai-Hime and Frontier had some pretty big problems.(Denpa still deserves that sequel though.) I am feeling rather cautious of this one, I have a bad feeling we may have a disappointment on our hands. But there’s always hope.

 

Soushin Shoujo Matoi

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It is 2016. Matoi Sumeragi, a second-year junior high school student, works part-time as a shrine maiden at Tenman Shrine in the city of Kamaya. Ever since being separated from her mother in early childhood, Matoi has been entrusted to her grandparents on her father’s side, but three months ago, she finally began to live with her father Shingo. In those circumstances, she only wishes for a peaceful, normal life.
Her close friend and part-time workmate Yuma Kusanagi is part of the family of the shrine’s chief priest, and is a candidate to be the successor shrine maiden. For generations, her family has performed exorcisms of evil spirits. She invites Matoi to one of these exorcism ceremonies, a so-called “Divine Possession” that she will attempt.
One day, Matoi and Yuma walk from the school to the shrine as usual, but when they arrive, they are greeted by the shrine’s now damaged grounds, and Yuma’s parents have both collapsed from their wounds. Matoi’s father Shingo, a police detective, launches an investigation, and he comes upon a man who does not seem entirely sane: his only witness. When he holds down the man, Yuma begins the ritual of Divine Possession.
Something strange then happens, not with Yuma, but with Matoi. Matoi Sumeragi, who had only wanted a normal, peaceful life, takes the role of a god, and gains the power to banish evil spirits! To get her precious everyday life back, Matoi must conduct exorcisms!

Studio:  White Fox

Director: Masayuki Sakoi

Series composer/Script: Yousuke Kuroda

Music: Tatsuya Katou

White Fox’s first show after Re:Zero, hopefully to grab a budget for Re:Zero’s second season which absolutely, positively needs to happen. It must, no excuses. The director doesn’t have much to brag about, unless you liked Needless or Princess Resurrection.(Or that Yuri ova) Series composer wrote the script for Ano Natsu de Matteru, Trigun Excel Saga and Gungrave. His series composer work is significantly impressive with Hellsing ultimate, Highschool of the dead, Infinite Ryvius, and Requiem for the Phantom. Not to say he doesn’t have duds but this guy might produce something quite interesting. So far the show looks like a pretty typical magical girl show but the synopsis does seem a little too detailed to be a by the numbers magical girl show. The trailer shows a lot of girls acting cute(Though those monsters seem a bit intense.) so frankly this really could be exactly what it appears to be. Regardless I will be keeping an eye on this one to see what it brings to the table.

 

Tiger Mask W

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In “The Tiger’s Hole,” the behind-the-scenes organization of the revived wresting world, two young wrestlers take a stand. One of those fighters has inherited the training facility and mask of a tiger that Naoto Itou left at the foot of Mount Fuji. The other fighter has been victorious at fierce competitions since entering The Tiger’s Hole, and has obtained the black Tiger Mask. A Tiger Mask that walks down the path of light, and a Tiger Mask that walks down the path of shadow. Neither of them have ever seen each other’s face… In the ring, the two are fated rivals, but their goals are the same: “Crush The Tiger’s Hole!”

Studio:  Toei Animation

Director: Toshiaki Komura

Series composer/Script: Katsuhiko Chiba

Music: Yasuharu Takanashi

I didn’t expect to see an anime sequel to an anime made in the 80s which was based on a manga made at the end of the 60’s. I did check out the original manga and I am not certain as to how much it speaks for the quality of this newer adaption. I will say that the manga did contain a lot of fighting but not a lot of wrestling. I say this will not be an accurate representation of the sport as what constitutes wrestling in the manga can range from judo throws to karate chops. Director only has one previous work which was a film adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s Buddha manga and the series composer is a complete newbie. It’s decent as an battle manga but I don’t really see this being something that’s going to blow people away. It’s old school anime so it will be hot blooded and in your face. Maybe to a ridiculous degree.

 

TRICKSTER: Edogawa Ranpo “Shounen Tantei-dan” yori

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It is the 2030s. The Boy Detectives Club gathers under Kogorou Akechi, the mysterious detective. The group solves cases great and small using their unique skills. One day, a member of the club, Kensuke Hanazaki, meets the boy Yoshio Kobayashi. Kobayashi’s body cannot die due to the effects of the “Unidentifiable Mist,” but he yearns for death, and shirks from contact with other people. Taking an interest in him, Hanazaki invites him to join the Boy Detectives Club. Their meeting is connected to the fate tying together Kogorou Akechi, and the era’s greatest villain, the Fiend With Twenty Faces.

Studio:  TMS Entertainment

Director: Masahiro Mukai

Series composer/Script: Erika Yoshida

Music: Yuuki Hayashi

An Edogawa Rampo show? I don’t know, I have been burned before on this. For anyone not aware, Edogawa Rampo is a famous Japanese novelist and this work looks to be taking inspiration from his Boy Detectives Club series which features a character called Akechi Kogoro who could be considered Japanese Sherlock Holmes. After reading one or two of his short stories i have taken an interest in this author’s work as it is in the style of murder mystery that i have kind the fondness for. However a previous anime series called “Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace” mainly used his works as wall dressing and make a subpar spell it all out for you mystery show. Based on what I see here and the fact this is set in the future i think this show is following the same vein of thought. I even spotted some mecha in the trailer. The staff is all newbies and the studios recent work is Relife and Orange. I doubt this will be representative of Rampo’s work but perhaps it could be a decent story in it’s own right.

 

Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari

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Souta Tawara is a web designer working in Tokyo. When he visits his family’s Udon place in his hometown Kagawa Prefecture, he discovers a young boy. Upon confronting the boy, Souta soon learns his secret and decides to quit his job in order to take care of the boy, Poko. The daily adventures of the two slowly enfold as Poco energetically navigates his way through Kagawa, the “Udon Kingdom,” along with Souta.

Studio:  LIDENFILMS

Director: Yoshihide Ibata

Series composer/Script: Natsuko Takahashi

From the studio that brought you Arslan Senki and Schwarzesmarken comes…oh bloody hell…another slice of life? This even looks to be the same kind as Amaama to Inazuma of this summer season. Director’s previous work was that pointless Attack on Titan school chibi version. Series composer fairs a bit better with her writing the scripts for Gankutsuou, Hell Girl and Chrno Crusade. Her Series composition work is less encouraging though as while she has Ore Monogatari, she also did Norn9 and Divine Gate. She is also doing the series composition for long riders this season so I don’t expect her putting in her A game. As far as slice of life goes then “March comes in like a lion” is going to win this season without doubt. But if you want another slice of life or something to numb the pain of Amaama to Inazuma being over then this might work.

 

Series I do look forward to

 

3-gatsu no Lion

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Rei Kiriyama is a 17 year old boy who recently started living alone, financed by his salary as a professional Shogi player. Despite his independence, however, he’s yet to mature emotionally, and his problems continue to haunt him in his daily life. His relationship with his adoptive family is strained, and he has difficulties interacting with his fellow high school students.
Meanwhile, his professional career in Shogi has entered a slump. Burdened with the heavy expectations placed upon him, his wins and losses are fluctuating as his record and progression into the ranks begin to stagnate.
Acquainted with Rei are the three Kawamoto sisters: Akari, Hinata, and Momo. Unlike Rei, they live happily in their modest home, which they warmly welcome Rei into as if he were one of their own. He frequently visits the family, interacting with them and receiving the kind of care and affection he never quite had while under his foster home.
This is the story of Rei’s triumphs and failures, relationships new and old, and his growth as a person.

Studio:  Shaft

Director: Akiyuki Shinbou

Music: Yukari Hashimoto

I must admit that I am burned out on slice of life. Take heed that when you check out everything a season has to offer you tend to run into a lot of slice of life which could be the reason why this particular genre fails to excite me. Though truthfully I have never been fond of anime whose goal is to simulate average everyday life when I watch anime to escape from that very thing. Still this show differentiates itself from others in that the main character has a particularly tragic history. So basically you get slice of life hijinks and the main broods over his past time and again. Overall I do think the source has value and could make for an engaging watch. I say this is one to check out yourself as it does have potential to be a hit of the season.

 

Drifters

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The May 2015 issue of Young King Ours magazine announced than an anime adaptation of the manga “Drifters” is in the works. The story of the manga centers around Shimazu Toyohisa, the real-life samurai who fought in the pivotal Battle of Sekigahara. In his dying moments, Shimazu is transported to a world of magic with other famous warriors throughout history. These warriors are forced to fight each other in an endless battle.

Studio:  Hoods Entertainment

Director: Kenichi Suzuki

Series composer/Script: Hideyuki Kurata

From the author of Hellsing we have Drifters and that would likely give you an idea of what this is going to be. Now the authors previous work which was faithfully adapted into hellsing ultimate was a series that depended on the rule of cool. After all it was a show about Dracula fighting vampires and Nazi’s, a concept which I feel cannot fail to peak interest. If you look at the story objectively, it was over the top, ridiculous and stupid as hell. Drifters is very much in the same vein as this time we have a story about famous historical figures getting thrown into a fantasy world to have a battle Royale against one another. So if you are interested in Oda Nobunaga teaming up with Yoichi to fight the likes of Joan of Arc, Rasputin and Anastasia Nikolaevna then you have come to the right place. Plenty of ultra violence, psycho smiles and badassery to go around. Still I don’t think it’s as good as hellsing and a lot will depend on the quality of the animation. The director is a newbie and the series composer is hit or miss. He has some good titles under his belt(Maria the virgin witch, Read Or Die OVA, Here Now Then and There) but some real duds as well.(Samurai flamenco, Grisaia, Oriemo) The studio is really bad as well with their primary output being porn and anime that’s pretty much porn. I would like to hope but there’s a high chance of this turning out to be pretty disappointing.

 

Natsume Yuujinchou Go

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Fifth season of Natsume Yuujinchou

Studio:  Studio Shuka

Director: Takahiro Omori

Series composer/Script: Sadayuki Murai

Music: Makoto Yoshimori

Psgels himself was quite fond of this show but I found it not really to my liking. Nothing to fault the show itself over as it is a fairly solid story if a bit too episodic at times. I have never quite liked the concept of Youkai which just felt like really silly and weird monsters. If there is one thing I can call a negative in this show it’s that even with four seasons this show hasn’t made progress towards wrapping the story up or developing the characters. Natsume may be getting a bit more involved with the youkai scene but overall it doesn’t really feel like the show has gone much of anywhere. I suspect the fifth season to follow in the same fashion. I don’t think I need to make a judgment on this as if you have watched the previous four seasons then it’s likely you are watching the fifth.

afgm: It’s been around half a decade, but Natsume Yuujinchou is finally back under a new studio but with a nearly identical staff from previous seasons. There is not much to say about this show, beyond the obvious fact that this new season has been long overdue, with many plot lines from the previous seasons remaining unresolved. I’m thankful that it appears that most of the main Youkai have kept their voice actors in the transition to the new studio, as the diverse cast is arguably the show’s greatest asset. The resurgence of Natsume Yuujinchou is a relief from the swamp of tropes, multicolored hair, and bug eyes that have plagued the past few seasons, and I’m thankful for this opportunity to rewatch this down to earth, cheerful series.

 

Yuri!!! on ICE

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The show’s story revolves around Yūri Katsuki, who carried all of Japan’s hopes on his shoulders to win at the Gran Prix Finale ice skating competition, but suffered a crushing defeat. He returns home to Kyushu and half feels like he wants to retire, and half feels like he wants to continue ice skating. With those mixed feelings swirling inside him, he confines himself inside his parents house. Suddenly the five-time consecutive world championship ice skater Victor Nikiforov appears before him, and along with him is Yuri Plisetsky, a young Russian figure skater who is already defeating his seniors. Victor and both Yuris take up the challenge on an unprecedented Gran Prix series.

Studio:  MAPPA

Director: Sayo Yamamoto

Series composer/Script: Sayo Yamamoto

More like Yaoi on ice if you know what I mean. Well the director/scriptwriter of the series previously worked on Michiko to Hatchin and Lupin the Third: The woman called Mine Fujiko. This series has another creator who made a manga about time traveling called “again!!” and two other alright manga. This is from studio Mappa, the same people who brought you Ushio to Tora, Rage of Bahamut, Kids on the Slope and Terror in Resonance. The animation in the trailer certainly is impressive with a lot of movement but I find myself cautious as to the quality of this series. Studio Mappa has yet to truly impress me with their works(Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Ushio to Tora) as while they are visually impressive, they tend to be lacking storywise. At the very least this should be interesting with the Ice Skating premise so it at least warrants a chance.

afgm: Yuri? On Ice? Well… kind of — but if you’re expecting a show about ice-skating lesbians, it’d be best to look somewhere else. Indeed, this is a show with over 10 characters, the minute minority of which are women. It is clear from the promotional material that if love will ever play a role in this plot, it’s going to be boy’s love; and a brief glimpse of romance (complete with quivering lips) in the promotional video all but confirms this. Yet unlike most anime with gay characters, romance does not appear to define this plot nor are the characters stereotypically frail or feminine. On the contrary, they weem well rounded with diverse motivations. What we can expect from this anime is an uplifting tale of redemption and self-advancement; discipline and competition; sportsmanship and skill. At its core, this is a sport’s anime — one with a beautiful score and a talented staff behind it. The director and original creator, Sayo Yamamoto, appears to be very talented and experienced. She worked as story board artist for Death Note, Ergo Proxy, Psycho Pass (season one), Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy. Moreover she was both director and storyboard artist for Lupin III: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine and Michiko to Hatchin, both of which were shows that pushed the boundaries of anime and were strong and beautiful in spite of their flaws. This show is one to watch.