Wooper: Are you ready for the season of sequels? We’re getting 15 this fall – that’s the most since spring 2018, which boasted nearly 20. What makes this season special, though, is that 7 of those 15 follow-ups belong to high profile franchises. That means a huge number of anime fans will be following multiple sequels this season. Even putting aside blockbuster properties like Sword Art Online, Seven Deadly Sins, and Food Wars, we found seven continuations that were worth bringing to your attention. And for those of you who prefer first seasons and original works, there are plenty of those here, too. With five writers currently on board, we’ve got a thorough mix of tastes and preferences represented in this preview, so we hope you find something to get excited about this fall.

We’re bringing back expectation tiers this time, so you can tell at a glance what we’re really hyped for, and what qualifies as a mere curiosity. With 19 shows being previewed, there are a bunch we won’t be covering, but they’ll appear in the poll below. Let us know what you’re interested in – we’ll take the results into account when deciding what to blog this October.

 

Middling Expectations

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Keishichō Tokumu-bu Tokushu Kyōaku-han Taisaku-Shitsu Dai-Nana-ka -Tokunana-

Studio: Anima&Co.
Director: Harume Kosaka
Series composition: Yuichiro Higashide
Source: Original

Amun: Everyone has something where their head tells them no, but their heart says yes. For me, I gamble on original anime works – I’m really hoping to stumble upon the next big hit. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still trying (I guess I saw the first episode of Re:Zero in Japan before the hype, so that counts, right?). Also, I have a soft spot for straight man rookies thrown into exotic situations – I can’t help it.

Tokunana is exactly such a project. With a composer who was previously an eroge company’s in-house writer (and did Fate/Apocrypha, to be fair) and director Harume Kosaka, an industry veteran without a major project to call his own, Tokunana has low expectations. As an anime original, this looks like a second rate Ghost in the Shell.

BUT. The trailer looked good, character designs look crisp, and as long as the plot can stay on point, this could be a nice, one season action show. For the staff’s sake, you can’t help but hope that this breaks out as the next Battlefront Blockade – it’s unlikely, but I keep my hopes up until I see the first couple of episodes.

 

Babylon

Studio: Revoroot
Director: Kiyotaka Suzuki
Series composition: TBA
Source: Novel

Mario: In any anime season, there is always a show or two that is destined to shake the waters – one that’s bold but utterly inconsistent, and sharply divides the audience. I’m thinking of Vatican Miracle Examiner or Kado the Right Answer a few years back, and it seems to me that Babylon is going to fit the slot. The premise about a prosecutor investigating and unveiling a whole underground conspiracy sure sounds juicy, and add to that, the original writer behind the novel is none other than the guy who wrote Kado’s script. Then we have the director who is behind other ambitious but messy works: FLCL Alternative and Psycho-Pass 2. Can’t say the art style in the PV looks that attractive, but even if this show turns out to be a hot mess, at least I’m sure that I won’t be bored by it.

Continue reading “Fall Season 2019 Preview” →

Wooper: The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, and the anime just keeps on coming. It’s time for our quarterly season preview, which we’ve trimmed down so it can look its best for the summer. Unlike previous editions, we won’t be examining every new show in this post. Instead, we’ve picked the 16 most promising and/or popular shows to preview (though there’s a bit of fodder near the start), and kept the rest confined to the poll down below. We’re still planning to give our thoughts on every summer series during First Impressions week, but when it comes to the season preview, we want to highlight the good stuff – or at least the stuff that won’t make you wonder why you’re an anime fan.

Most seasons have just a few great titles concentrated at the top, and this one is unlikely to be an exception. What’s interesting about this particular summer, though, is that the three most anticipated non-sequels are all action or adventure series. Two of them are big shounen properties, which our authors tend to have mixed opinions on, but these appear to have some serious promise. Will this be the miracle season where we all agree on what’s top tier, or will a handful of underdogs steal the spotlight once July gets underway? We’ll find out in a few weeks, but for now, let’s run down what might be worth your watch this summer.

 

Kengan Ashura

Studio: Larx Entertainment
Director: Seiji Kishi
Series composer: Makoto Uezu
Source: Web Manga

Mario: Another Netflix original offering and this show looks and tastes like Baki from last year, with the trailer focusing solely on their fights. Moreover, it’s an entirely CG show that sadly doesn’t look that polished. While all these are enough for me to discard this show, there’s one saving grace from the show that holds me back. The key here is the director Seiji Kishi, who directed popular hits like Angel Beats, Assassination Classroom, and MY TYPE OF SHOWS such as Humanity Has Declined, Tsuki ga Kirei and Asobi Asobase. That being said, apart from Assassination Classroom, this is the first anime where he ventures over to shounen action-centric material, and the fact that this is his first full CG project doesn’t spark much confidence. I don’t know. I grow mixed on the Netflix model when it comes to how they handle their original anime. It’s true that they have larger budgets and allow more creative freedom, but for me they aim for more mainstream tastes. Stuff like Baki, this one or Ultraman last season aim for specific fanbases, and their more flashy titles: Carole & Tuesday, Little Witch Academia, Violet Evergarden are products of famed directors/studios producing something weaker than their true talents. Maybe just like last season’s work by Kenji Kamiyama (Ultraman), this one will come and go with a weak splash before vanishing altogether.

 

Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou

Studio: Asread, White Fox
Director: Kinji Yoshimoto
Series composer: Shoichi Sato
Source: Light Novel

Wooper: I managed to sprint through a few chapters of the Arifureta manga before I had to bail out. It’s based on a light novel, but assuming the manga’s story and characters are the same, the author must have been playing isekai bingo when he conceptualized the series. The MC is an Average Gamer who somehow attracts the attention of the school idol, and is therefore hated by all the handsome, athletic bros in his class. One day, when their bullying gets particularly vicious, he wishes they’d all get transported to a parallel world – and that’s exactly what happens. Video game logic sets in pretty quickly, everybody starts dungeon crawling, and eventually the nice guy protagonist is betrayed by one of his classmates and loses an arm. Last year’s Shield Hero was insulting enough; I don’t need to read any further to recognize this as one of its clones. Really, the only reason I previewed this was to look back and say “I told you so” when its defenders get to the penultimate episode and realize it was a waste of time. Not even White Fox, who usually do good work with fantasy series, can save this premise. In summary, if you’re thinking about watching this, don’t.

Continue reading “Summer Season 2019 Preview” →

HelghastKillzone: The Winter 2019 season of anime was pretty good, wasn’t it? It was filled with great adaptations, amazing animation work, hyped sequels, brand new movie releases from major franchises and the reimagining of old IPs. When it comes to the upcoming spring season though… I fear that it just won’t be as good as these last three months. We’ll give you our thoughts on what interests us but from a curious glance at the numbers from MAL and the PVs shown so far, it is certainly looking thin on hit shows.

Mario: Spring 2019 can also be seen as the season where the three arguably MOST INNOVATIVE auteurs working in anime today are releasing their new works. Shinichiro Watanabe, Masaaki Yuasa, Kunihiko Ikuhara… they all have changed the anime industry in some ways, and it’s unavoidable that their new works will be hyped to the sky.

This also marks the first time where Aidan steps down from editing this preview, so in a way, this is our first real collaborative effort for this type of post. Personally, doing this preview reminds me how much of a pain it is to run through these things. So we offer our gratitude for old man Aidan for giving his opinions on shows that we will eventually forget ever existed. As it stands, I’m not too sure if we will keep this format for upcoming seasons, but rest assured that we, the writers here, will come up with a more suitable format that still benefits you readers.

For this edition Helghast and I are also doing the Movie Preview section. Due to the nature of movie release, many films we preview below won’t be available to us for a good 6-months, or in some cases, a whole year, so this preview serves more as putting these titles into your radar. Keep in mind that this isn’t a comprehensive list (nor do we intend to make one), the list below is merely anime movies that we believe have some merits for you to check out. In the end, a whooping 13 titles are previewed for this season alone, just to say how the anime industry has been more concentrated to theatrical releases more than ever.

Again, sorry for the late post. If you are looking forward to certain shows this upcoming season, make your voice heard by either voting in the two lovely polls below or leaving a comment.

 

The sequels/shorts we don’t care about

Araiya-san! Ore to Aitsu ga Onnayu de!? (softcore short)
Aikatsu Friends! Kagayaki no Jewel (sequel)
B Rappers Street (kiddie)
Bakumatsu: Crisis (sequel)
Beyblade: Burst Gachi (kiddie)
Bungou Stray Dogs 3 (sequel)
Chou Kadou Girl ⅙ (short)
Duel Masters!! (kiddie)
Diamond no Ace: Act II (sequel)
Han-Gyaku-Sei Million Arthur 2 (sequel)
Joshi Kausei (short)
Kedama no Gonjiro (kids)
KING OF PRISM -Shiny Seven Stars- (sequel)
Midara na Ao-chan wa Benkyou ga Dekinai (short)
Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!? (short)
Nobunaga-sensei no Osanazuma (short)
Rilakkuma and Kaoru-san (kiddie)
Senryuu Shoujo (short)
The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls Climax Season (short)
World Witches Series 501: Butai Hasshinshimasu! (short)
Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki (short)
Yousei Chiitan (kiddie)

Series we don’t care about

Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai

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Studio: Arvo Animation/ Silver
Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Script/Series composer: Gou Zappa
Source: Manga
Yuiga Nariyuki tutors three genius of different subjects in highschool to get a scholarship. Furuhashi Fumino is a genius on literature but horrible in math, Ogata Rizu is a genius on mathematics and science but literature and arts are terrible subjects for her and Takemoto Uruka is a genius in the athletic field but really bad in all the others. Together, they study very hard and want to get better at their worst subjects while Fumino and Ogata wants to go to college and work on these subjects for life.

Aidan: Well for this one let me ask you something. Do you remember Nisekoi? That manga and Shaft anime which had the internet fighting an endless waifu war over a series which was nothing but vapid harem antics that never led anywhere? A series born from a mangaka whose more interesting works like Double Arts got axed and just decided to make the most generic thing he could as a joke that became ridiculously successful? Well this series isn’t really related to that author but let me tell you that this is the new Nisekoi. Oh it starts with some promise of story and is even interesting to a degree. But make no mistake that much like To Love RU and Nisekoi, that story just evaporates and we are left with the harem girl of the week formula where each girl is given a momentary pedestal to give the impression that she’s somehow gonna get this guy only to be brushed aside by next chapter. The endless purgatory continues until the author finally decides to end it or stops getting paychecks. You may find some value in its opening episodes, readers, but take it from someone who read long into the series, this is just a waste of time. Continue reading “Spring Season 2019 Preview” →

Time is like a cat. When you want it to move fast it stops dead. When you want it to stop it moves fast. Occasionally it jumps around and every now and again it tries to kill you in your sleep. I don’t quite know where I was going with the metaphor but if we can take anything out of it, it’s that there are only so many analogies to time one can make for these previews. Let’s just say that the second and third Fate Heaven’s Feel movies are not out yet and really that’s all that matters.

I certainly professed certain doom for last season but I will admit to it not being quite as bleak as I would have thought. That said it was still a weak season where even the strongest shows didn’t have much of an impression. Luck would have it that the winter season is going to change that because we got some real contenders here. We got two manga adaptations held in high regard along with a golden oldie, a sequel to Mob and some originals with potential.

Rules are the same as previous previews, I seek out any source material I can to find out what we may be in for and there is a poll below for you lot to vote which shows you wish to be covered.

Once again thanks to Mario, Lenlo, Helghast and Wooper for helping out.

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

3D Kanojo 2
Ame-iro Cocoa 5 (short)
BanG Dream! 2
B-PROJECT 2
Date a Live III
Fukigen na Mononokean Tsuzuki
Mini Toji (short)
Piano no Mori 2
Shigeki no Bahamut: Manaria Friends (short)

Series I don’t care about

Bermuda Triangle: Colorful Pastrale

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Studio: Seven Arcs
Director: Junji Nishimura
Script/Series composer: Michiko Yokote
Source: Original
The glittering spotlights. The sparkling, fluffy, cute outfits. The charming voices while dancing with bright smiles. Under the dazzling lights on the big city stage, these would be the mermaid idols who swim and dance freely underwater. But far from this big city, the girls once lived in the peaceful village of Parrel. These girls, who would not even imagine such a glittering future for themselves, are instead just raising a fuss over the snack cakes they are eating. This is the story of the cheerful daily life of mermaids who strive their hardest everyday.

It’s a spinoff of the Cardfight! Vanguard franchise. It’s also about a mermaid idol group. My interest levels could not be any lower for this. Just introduce a high school and I would be done. Honestly the best I can see here is some cute mermaids being cute and stuff. But even that just sounds like a dull forgettable experience.

Circlet Princess

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Studio: Silver Link
Director: Hideki Tachibana
Script/Series composer: Nachi Kio
Source: Video Game
The game follows a fictional near-future e-sport that utilizes a “mixed reality system” developed from augmented reality technology. The story centers on a fledgling team of high school girls from Saint Union Academy who pursue the sport of Circlet Bout.

A browser game adaption huh? These are rarer than your regular old Gacha game adaptations, considering the last one I remember is Kantai Collection. Still it seems the appeal here is the same. The fanservice was high in that trailer and it’s basically just hot girls fighting each other. I would say this doesn’t look to have anything worthwhile. I see the series composer is the original creator of Aokana. Guess it sucks that VN company basically went defunct. Move along, nothing to see here.

Continue reading “Winter Season 2019 Preview” →

What happens when the anime season ends? That’s when the anime season begins. You would think that after all these years of this I would stop being surprised at a brand new anime season hitting faster than expected but it’s just one of those things you constantly underestimate.

Now last season we had a decent run with some stand out shows and this would normally be the point where I tell you that the next season coming also has potential greats in it. But this time I am afraid I cannot say that for I have done the research and this season is truly barren. There may be a few alright shows here and a new Jojo is always welcome but everything else is just bottom of the barrel. If those original shows don’t turn out to have merit this could very well be the worst season of anime we have had in a long time. Considering that is coming from me of all people that should at least give you an idea of the quality we are dealing with.

So same rules apply, I will check out all the source material I can to give an idea for what we are in for and there is a poll below for you to vote on what you wish to be covered this season.

Once again thanks to Mario for images, some previews and layout help and Wooper and Lenlo for editing.

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

Fairy Tail (2018) (sequel)
Bakutsuri Bar Hunter
Devidol! (short)
Souten no Ken: REGENESIS 2 (sequel)
Grimms Notes (???)
Gurazeni 2 (sequel)
Gyakuten Saiban: Sono “Shinjitsu”, Igi Ari! 2 (sequel)
Himote House (short)
Hora, Mimi ga Mieteru yo! (short)
Hoshi no Shima no Nyanko TV (short)
Inazuma Eleven: Orion no Kokuin (sequel)
Jingai-san no Yome (short)
Kira Kira Happy ★ Hirake! Cocotama (sequel)
Okoshiyasu, Chitose-chan (short)
The iDOLM@STER: Side M: Wake Atte Mini! (short)
Pingu in the City 2 (2018) (short)
Seizei Gambare Mahou Shoujo Kurumi 2 (sequel)
Senran Kagura SHINOVI MASTER -Tokyo Youma-hen- (sequel)
Shuudengo, Capsule Hotel de, Joushi ni Binetsu Tsutawaru Yoru (short)
Sono Toki, Kanojo wa. (short)
Space Battleship Tiramisu II (short)
Sword Art Online: Alicization (sequel)
Toaru Majutsu no Index III (sequel)
Tokyo Ghoul:re 2 (sequel)

Series I don’t care about

Akanesasu Shoujo

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Studio: Dandelion Animation Studio
Director: Jin Tamamura
Script/Series composer: Shougo Yasukawa
Source: Video Game
October, 2018. Girls who live in a provincial city perform a certain ritual. The girls are in the “Crystal Radio Club.” It is an interest circle that Asuka Tsuchimiya, a girl known for her cheerfulness, started with friends in her high school. That ritual was considered just an urban legend. However, with several conditions coincidentally falling into place, it stops being fun and games…

I originally had some hope that this would be a kind of horror anime but the trailer unfortunately confirmed that it wasn’t. What this does seem to be is a mixture of a cute girls doing cute things club and supernatural battle anime. Not to mention it’s for a smartphone app so likely another gacha game. The director was previously involved with A Sister’s All You Need, and the scenario writer hasn’t done much to write home about. I honestly wouldn’t expect much from this.

Anima Yell!

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Studio: Doga Kobo
Director: Masako Sato
Script/Series composer: Fumihiko Shimo
Source: Manga
The story follows Kohane Hatoya, a 1st year high school student who is a bit clumsy and scared of heights but who has a very bubbly and outgoing personality. Kohane decides to join the cheerleading club to try to make friends and overcome her weaknesses.

It’s a 4-koma manga with four cute girls in a club so you know the drill. Quickfire gags and cute girls being all cute and shit. I’ve only seen two chapters of this but already this feels too much like many, many things I have seen before. The cheerleading aspect is pretty much superfluous and can be interchanged with any school activity you so desire. The characters are copy pastes of the same archetypes you have in these kinds of series, and while these chapters were short, I found my eyes glazing over before I finished. My taste for humor has never been all that compatible with anime but even then I feel this series just isn’t really funny. To me this is an anime to fill a quota for an anime season. We gotta have a cute girls doing cute things show so let’s slap something together to just tick that box.

Continue reading “Fall Season 2018 Preview” →

Like a backup singer coming on to do an encore, the summer season rolls in to leave us rather underwhelmed. Not to say there isn’t anything here as there are certainly two or three that I consider quite important, but after that Spring season any follow up is bound to disappoint. Some shows may have tripped along the finish line but it was a season bound to be remembered with quite a few shows that stood out. The summer season has some potential but I feel like it will be good R&R for those of us that fell behind on shows from the last season.

Usual rules still apply, I check out whatever source material I can and see what we might be in for. Poll is below where you can vote for the shows you would like to get covered this season, though take note that even if you vote Attack on Titan season 3 to the top, I am still not covering it. Maybe someone else will but I sure am not going to.

Thanks to Wooper and Mario for contributing to the blurbs and for gathering the images. You know what you are here for so let’s get things started.

 

 

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! 2 (short)

Aru Zombie Shoujo no Sainan (ONA)

Baki (ONA)

Gintama.: Shirogane no Tamashii-hen 2 (sequel)

Free! Dive to the Future (sequel)

Joshiochi! 2-kai kara Onna no Ko ga… Kudattekita (short)

Marvel Future Avengers 2nd Season (sequel)

One Room 2nd Season (sequel)

Overlord III (sequel)

The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls Theater 3rd Season (sequel)

Hataraku Onii-san! No 2! (short)

Neko Kikaku (ONA)

Oshiete Mahou no Pendulum: Rilu Rilu Fairilu (sequel)

Yakusoku no Nanaya Matsuri (ONA)
Yama no Susume: Third Season (sequel)

Yami Shibai 6 (sequel)

 

 

Series I don’t care about

 

Aguu: Tensai Ningyou

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Studio: Studio DEEN

Director: Bob Shirohata

Script/Series composer: N/A

Source: Web Manhua

Ai is an ordinary girl, and a dancer. Her friend Machi is also a dancer, but Machi is a genius. Watching Machi’s talent often makes Ai feel down. But one day, Ai finds out Machi’s secret: the existence of the Aguu, palm-size entities who grant genius talent upon those who hold them. In order to save Machi, who has become a “Seamstress” who makes Aguu, Ai becomes a “Savior.” The Saviors are a group of people who have fought the Seamstresses for generations.

 

I can’t say I have encountered that many memorable Web Manhua. I think maybe Dice, The Gamer and Tower of God were ones I followed for quite a while but they all basically got worse as they continued. Funnily enough there was an awful lot of what we called pornhua where it was web manga which has a focus of a lot of sex scenes. Obviously this doesn’t fall into that category but I am just stating that I haven’t really encountered a manhua that made me wish for an anime adaption. Got no source for this one but I just get the feeling this won’t be on anyone’s radar. Director did Gravitation and Hetalia so indeed this doesn’t quite make me think this will defy expectations. Props to Deen for picking something unconventional but I think they went a bit too far off base for this one. We shall see how this turns out.

 

Back Street Girls

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Studio: J.C. Staff

Director: Chiaki Kon

Script/Series composer: Susumu Yamakawa

Source: Manga

A group of 3 yakuza failed their boss for the last time. After messing up an important job, the boss gave them 2 choices: honorably commit suicide, or go to Thailand to get a sex reassignment surgery in order to become “female” idols. After a gruesome year training to become idols, they successfully debut, with overwhelming popularity, much to their dismay. This is where their tragedy truly begins.

 

I would applaud anything that takes pot shots at the idol industry, and an anime about Yakuza going transvestite to sell themselves as idols certainly has novel factor. Sadly that’s about all it’s got as the one joke can’t carry a story. I am reminded of Mahou Shoujo Ore where the show was less about using an absurd situation to pull off jokes and more about pointing out the absurdity of a situation and telling us to laugh. Comedy requires change and one the reasons KonaSuba works so well is that it changes up things all the time and has a whole continuity to use as comedy fodder. Telling the same joke over and over again just results in the joke getting more stale with each telling and while this may interest people at first, I feel that after one or two episodes most viewers will have moved on.

Continue reading “Summer Season 2018 Preview” →

Some seasons feel like they have ended before they have truly begun but that last season really couldn’t have ended any sooner. It’s funny as the word bad doesn’t quite describe it as the anime last season was basically fine quality wise. But everything was of such mild averageness that it sucked the enthusiasm out of all the writers on this site, including myself. There wasn’t a single anime that I would consider great and far too much easygoing fluff shows that didn’t leave much of an impression.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel my friends as this new season just may make up for the old one’s failings. We got a lot of sequels admittedly, but they are sequels to interesting shows at least, some of which needed a sequel very much. Not to mention we got high potential shows which are not sequels. Last season it was hard to find anything worth watching but this season we may have too much we want to watch. Both are not exactly ideal but I much prefer the latter to former.

So same deal as last time. I check out all the source and staff and see what we might be in for. Poll down below to vote which shows you wish to have covered. Thanks to Mario for gathering images, helping out with the format and chipping in on a few shows. Also forgive me for the lateness of the preview but things have been very busy lately for me.

 

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

Akkun to Kanojo (short)

Amai Choubatsu: Watashi wa Kanshu Senyou Pet (short)

Amanchu! Advance

Beyblade Burst Chouzetsu

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu HAPPY KISS

Fumikiri Jikan (short)

Hoozuki no Reitetsu 2: Part II

Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin

Koneko no Chii: Ponponra Daibouken 2

Ladyspo (short)

Lupin III: Part V

Lostorage Conflated WIXOSS

Omae wa Mada Gunma wo Shiranai (short)

Oshiri Tantei (short)

Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara – Tootsuki Ressha-hen

Tachibanakan Triangle (short)

To Be Hero 2

Uchuu Senkan Tiramisù (short)

Souten no Ken: REGENESIS (prequel)

Wakaokami wa Shougakusei! (short)

 

Series I don’t care about

 

3D Kanojo

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Studio: Hoods Entertainment

Director: Takashi Naoya

Script/Series composer: Deko Akao

Source: Manga

Hikari Tsutsui is a high school boy who is satisfied with the virtual girls he encounters in anime and games. He does not have many friends and he lives in his own world. One day, when he is stuck on pool cleaning duty, he is approached by Iroha, a “real girl” who is showy and popular with boys.

The good thing about this show is that the manga is complete so this could very well be a full adaption. The bad news is this is overdramatized shoujo nonsense where people get bent out of shape over the slightest of trivialities. There are likely those who might find it engaging but as for myself I just look at this over idealised version of love and shake my head. I can’t really see the relationship in this one as anything natural and more comes across as teenagers getting all over excited about pure infatuation. This is the director’s second show with his first being Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru. Series composer fares better with her most recent work being “After the Rain” in the current season. She also did Snow White with the Red Hair and Flying Witch so this looks to be in good hands on that front. If you happen to like Shoujo manga or anime this this might be for you but most certainly not for me. I hate shoujo with a passion.

 

Aikatsu Friends!

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Studio: Bandai Namco Pictures

Director: Shishou Igarashi

Script/Series composer: Yuuko Kakihara

Source: Original

The new anime will have a theme of “Aikatsu with your friends!” and will center on a new protagonist named Aine Yuuki, who is good at making friends, and is enrolled in Star Harmony Academy’s general education track. She befriends Mio Minato, the school’s top idol, and becomes an idol herself.

Aikatsu Friends is a 38 episode show about idols in a high school and boy do I sure have no interest whatsoever. This is a spinoff of Aikatsu which is a show that had 178 episodes…oh my god. Look, I just don’t see this franchise having a story that requires 178 episodes to tell. I sure do look forward to the day the idol craze dies and hope it isn’t replaced by something more annoying. Director and Series composer did nothing of note. Sorry about not putting a lot of effort into this one but let’s be blunt, if you aren’t already into this series I am fairly certain this show isn’t going to suddenly convert you.
Continue reading “Spring Season 2018 Preview” →

We reach years’ end and looking over it we got a pretty good year of anime. Quite a lot that I actually need to catch up on and this winter season might give me a chance to do so. I don’t mean to say this upcoming season is bad, but rather it’s just looking to be a season full of shows that don’t appeal to me personally. There is a large portion of slice of life feel-good anime here which isn’t really to my tastes. Even without that, we just came off what I consider to be a pretty great season of anime so anything after that is going to be a step down no matter what you do.

Anyway let’s lay down the ground rules. Naturally I checked out all the source material I could so I can give you all an idea of what we are in for. Vote for as many shows you like in the poll below and the writers will use that as a guide for what shows to cover.

Let the games begin.

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

25-sai no Joshikousei (short)

Ashita wa Doyoubi

Basilisk: Ouka Ninpou Chou

Dagashi Kashi 2nd Season

gdgd men’s party (short)

Gin no Guardian 2nd Season

Gintama. Gin no Tamashii-hen

Hataraku Onii-san!

Kaijuu Girls 2nd Season

Mameneko

Overlord 2nd Season

Pochitto Hatsumei: Pikachin-Kit

Saiki Kusuo no Ψ Nan

Takunomi. (short)

Yowamushi Pedal: Glory Line

Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

Series I don’t care about

Dame x Prince Anime Caravan

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Studio: Studio Flad
Director: Makoto Hoshino
Script/Series composer: Naruaki Kobayashi
Source: Video Game
The story of the game follows Ani, a princess from the minor nation of Inako. Ani is sent to the signing ceremony that will bring peace to the rival nations of Mildonia, a mighty military country, and Selenfaren, a powerful theocracy. Ani is supposed to help steer the signing ceremony along, but she runs into trouble when she encounters a handful of obstinate princes.

It’s an otome game adaption, therefore it’s terrible. Now I wouldn’t be judging a book on the cover here normally but frankly I have yet to see a good otome adaption. Maybe it’s a fault with the source material or something but these anime adaptions just end up pretty bad. This most certainly looks to be falling into the same pitfalls as its predecessors. Director of Uta no Prince-sama and Series composer did Nanoha Vivid. Sorry but I really don’t see this changing my opinion on Otome adaptations.

Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku

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Studio: Silver Link.
Director: Shin Oonuna
Script/Series composer: N/A
Source: Light Novel
29-year-old programmer Suzuki Ichirou finds himself transported into a fantasy RPG. Within the game, he’s a 15-year-old named Satou. At first he thinks he’s dreaming, but his experiences seem very real. Due to a powerful ability he possesses with limited use, he ends up wiping out an army of lizard men and becomes a high leveled adventurer. Satou decides to hide his level, and plans to live peacefully and meet new people. However, developments in the game’s story, such as the return of a demon king, may cause a nuisance to Satou’s plans.

And the Isekai quota for the season is filled. Yep, this is an Isekai anime alright. Everything you would expect from one. Protagonist is transported to another world, this time no real explanation as he falls asleep at the job and bam! Isekai-ed. WIthin minutes in the world he becomes a overpowered god. Enter harem and from there it’s the escapist fantasy adventures of everyone bowing before the protagonist’s glory. I read a bit far in this one but I certainly got bored fast. The big problem with this Isekai besides the usual stuff is that it lacks any sort of direction. It’s never really made clear what the protagonist’s objective is in this world, and as the story goes along it becomes clear that there wasn’t much thought put into what the protagonist should even do in the fantasy world. Also fair warning, if the slavery aspect of Magus Bride rubbed you the wrong way then this will most definitely condemn this series. For out of the harem of girls the protagonist acquires, five of them are his literal slaves. The story goes out to say he has no intent of sleeping with them but this aspect is rather sleazy nonetheless. We got the director of Baka no test, Prisma Illya, A sister’s all you need, Watamote and Ef. Certainly a divisive portfolio. Unless you happen to like Isekai no matter what I wouldn’t recommend this, and even then I am sure your Isekai fix is satisfied with Overlord 2.

Continue reading “Winter Season 2018 Preview” →

Yet again we are here in a new season of anime even though it feels just a moment ago the summer season had started. Seasons come and go, stupid controversies rise and fall and yet life goes on as it has always gone on. Well then enough with the sloppy rhetoric and let’s just get to what you are all here for. I must say that this season is looking very promising indeed as while we don’t have the abundance of shows present in the summer season, we do have quite a number of shows with the potential to be something real special. Depending on how this turns out I may be dropping less shows than I usually do and end up watching a majority of the season.

Same values as usual apply as I check out the source material of everything in the season along with the staff to give a better idea of what might turn out well. Below is a poll which can influence what we writers pick up to cover for this season so vote for as many shows as you want. Truth be told a lot of us have already decided on what we will cover for this season, but should we change our minds we will certainly take the poll results into account when choosing a new show.

Once again thanks to Mario for gathering the images and helping with the format. And thanks to Wooper and Lenlo for helping with editing. Let’s get rocking.

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara
Himouto! Umaru-chan R
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru: Yuusha no Shou
Love Live! Sunshine!! 2
Hoozuki no Reitetsu 2
Osomatsu-san 2
ClassicaLoid 2
Cardfight!! Vanguard G: Z
Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10cm datta
Time Bokan: Gyakushuu no San-Okunin
Wake Up, Girls! Shin Shou

Series I don’t care about

Anime Gataris

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Studio: WAO World
Director:: Kenshiro Morii
Script/Series composer: Mitsutaka Hirota
Source: Original
The anime centers on Minoa Asagaya, a new high school student in Sakaneko Private High School. Despite being a novice to anime, Minoa’s classmate Arisu Kamiigusa invites her to make an “anime research club” at school. Through conversations with her classmate Miko Kouenji, as well as various anime-loving upperclassmen, Minoa gradually gets hooked on anime. While they stand against the student council’s continuous efforts to disband their club, and they ignore the impending end of the world, they talk about anime, whether in Akiba, or in real-life “sacred place” anime settings, or the hot springs.

I am very ready to write this off as a rather uninteresting show as all signs point to this being a cute girls doing cute things show. This appears to be an adaption of what was originally a short animation screened during intermission at TOHO cinemas. The PV points to this being just cute girls in a club as well. But there is one thing here that throws me off and that is that tiny detail in the description: “and they ignore the impending end of the world”. My interest in this show depends on how literal that statement is. That is the make or break point for this show for me, because an anime club by itself isn’t going to sell this show (I would be better off watching Genshiken). But an anime club at the end of the world? There’s something to get me interested. Director really hasn’t worked on anything of note and the same goes for the series composer unless you liked the anime X-men adaption or the New Prince of Tennis. Despite this I don’t have very high hopes for this as it likely won’t be anything of note even if it goes for the impending apocalypse scenario.

Continue reading “Fall Season 2017 Preview” →

Come one, come all, it’s time for the usual Anime season Preview and let me say this one took a lot more out of me than previous seasons. Maybe I am getting old or maybe it was the fact that I wrote a preview for a series and researched it only for to end up a short series. Making my efforts a waste of time. That would be the reasoning why there are previews of short series below when I usually disregard them. Either way, with holidays, moving to a new house, Dies Irae and just a general listlessness I found this season harder to write for. Looking at it overall I think this may be the weakest season of the year so far but we do still have a few standouts and some potential surprises that could save it.

So you know the drill. I check out every source I find from light novels to manga and give you a rundown on what looks to be great or terrible. Naturally peaking at the staff as well just to give a vague estimate on a series quality. Below we have a poll where you can rate what you want to be blogged this season which us writers will use as a reference when picking out shows. Whatever’s top of the list is guaranteed to get blogged. You have more than one vote so vote as many shows as you like.

Once again thanks to Mario for gathering the images, chipping in his two cents and helping with the format. Honestly makes this task a whole lot easier. Let’s get started,

 

The sequels/Shorts I don’t care about

Ikemen Sengoku: Toki o Kakeru Koi (Short)

Jigoku Shoujo Yoi no Togi [Hell Girl Season 4] (Sequel)

Kaito x Ansa (Short)

Musashino! (Short)

New Game! 2 (Sequel)

Nora to Oujo to Noraneko Heart (Short)

Seizei Gambare Mahou Shoujo Kurumi (ONA)

Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ (Sequel)

Skirt no Naka wa Kedamono Deshita. (Short)

Teekyuu 9 (Sequel)

 

Series I don’t care about

Action Heroine Cheer Fruits

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Studio: diomedea

Director: Keizou Kusakawa

Script/Series composer: Naruhisa Arakawa

Source: Original

Set in Hinano City, a tranquil area that cultivates fruits, but has lost its vitality. For the town she loves, high school girl Misaki Shirogane and other girls become local heroines (at the urging of Misaki’s aunt, the prefectural governor) and vow to produce action live events. The teen story depicts their strenuous efforts to revitalize their town.

 

Honestly sounds like an effort to merge Love Live with Kickass. We got the director of Sekirei, Fuuka, Dog Days, Campione, Asura Cryin’….Oh god it only gets worse and worse. Well he did Nanoha’s first three seasons so I guess that’s something. Series composer worked on more bad than good but well I thought Nadesico and Outbreak company where alright. I don’t see any real hope for this. I say the hero aspect won’t play much of an active role and this will just be a bunch of cute girls in homemade hero outfits. I have had enough of cute girls being all cute and stuff but give me a call if we got cute girls in insane asylum.

Continue reading “Summer Season 2017 Preview” →