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Spring 2016 Anime Preview!

March 20, 2016
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Hiya! I’m not dead~! (It’s getting to be something of a tradition to start these posts this way I swear).  So, I ended up taking the (rather good) Winter season off – wasn’t really a plan, but I ended up being pretty busy – radio silence ensued!  But I am a creature of habit and the compulsion to put together these preview posts is strong – so here we are with a look at what the next few weeks have in store for us during the Spring 2016 season.

TV

 

My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia)

Summary: Anime adaptation of Kōhei Horikoshi’s Shounen Jump manga series.

Midoriya Izuku was just a regular middle school student in a world where people with superpowers known as Quirks are the norm. However, he dreams of one day becoming a Hero, despite being bullied by his classmates for not having a Quirk. After being the only one to try and save his childhood friend, Katsuki, from a Villain, All Might, the world’s greatest Hero, bestows upon him his own quirk, One For All. The story follows Izuku’s entrance into Yuuei High School, a school that cultivates the next generation of Heroes.

Since I’ve been following the manga for this one I’m really excited for this adaptation!  Although I am a bit concerned that it’s a bit too soon – there are only 83 chapters available at present, which isn’t a lot for a shounen series really, but I can understand how the production team want to cash in on the current superhero boom.  My Hero Academia is a lot of fun, drawing on a lot of Western hero tropes, it has plenty of fun, interesting characters and there is tonnes of variety in the powers given to each person.  It isn’t particularly complex nor does it address any groundbreaking ideas, but its very solid and the central concept of believing in yourself and overcoming obstacles is delivered sincerely.

With Bones handling the project I think My Hero Academy is in safe hands (even if the director can be a bit hit & miss).  Definitely looking forward to this!

 

Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban)

Summary: Anime adaptation of CAPCOM’s popular courtroom battle game franchise.

A rookie lawyer Ryuuichi Naruhodou stands up to save his defendants by proving their innocence from unusual cases!
Is the defendant guilty or innocent…? Believing his client’s innocence Naruhodou stands in court and battles his rival judges. With the word of “OBJECTION!” and limited evidence, Naruhodou makes a comeback when all odds are against him and seems like there is nothing more he can do. Don’t miss out on the comical episodes between him and his mentor Chihiro Ayasato, assistant Mayoi Ayasato, rival prosecutor Reiji Mitsurugi, and numerous unique characters! The anime also depicts the childhood relationship between Naruhodou and his friends. With the skills inherited from his mentor Naruho reveals the truth!

I’ve never played the games, nor do I have any real interest in doing so.  Game adaptations are always a bit dodgy, so I can’t say this is massively appealing to me personally, but I’m sure there are plenty of others that are excited for Ace Attorney finally getting an anime adaptation with a fairly decent staff on board.

 

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Koutetsujou no Kabaneri)

Summary: Original series airing in the noitaminA timeslot.

As the world goes through the middle of an industrial revolution, a monster appears that cannot be defeated unless its heart, which is protected by a layer of iron, is pierced. By infecting humans with its bite, the monster can create aggressive and undead creatures known as Kabane.
On the island Hinomoto, located in the far east, people have built stations to shelter themselves from these creatures. People access the station, as well as transport wares between them, with the help of a locomotive running on steam, called Hayajiro. Ikoma, a boy who lives in the Aragane Station and helps to build Hayajiro, creates his own weapon called Tsuranuki Zutsu in order to defeat the creatures.
One day, as Ikoma waits for an opportunity to use his weapon, he meets a girl named Mumei, who is excused from the mandatory Kabane inspection. During the night, Ikoma meets Mumei again as he sees Hayajiro going out of control. The staff on the locomotive has turned into the creatures. The station, now under attack by Kabane, is the opportunity Ikoma has been looking for.

ATTACK ON TRAIN!!  Yes to anyone even vaguely interested in Attack on Titan, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress will look very familiar.  Here we have the same team from Wit Studio trying to recapture the phenomenal success that Attack on Titan garnered them by producing a very similar feeling original show.  I’m totally down with this, I loved Attack on Titan and I’m a big fan of Araki’s bombastic directorial style – the PV has his fingerprints all over it!

The only thing that can possibly put a bit of a brake on my enthusiasm for Kabaneri is that little voice in the back of my head that’s squeaking “Guilty Crown”.  Yeap, we do have to remember that this team got together for an original anime before and that ended up being Guilty Crown – which was massively entertaining, but definitely not good.  Still, all things being considered I’m definitely willing to get on the Kabaneri hype-train – it does look amazingly fun.

 

Joker Game

Summary: Anime adaptation of Kōji Yanagi’s spy mystery novels.

In the year 1937 on the eve of World War II, Lieutenant Colonel Yuuki of the Imperial Japanese Army forms the D Agency, an army intelligence outfit under his command and tutelage. Army General Staff attaches Lieutenant Sakuma to observe the unit’s performance. D Agency casts a wide net to find agents beyond Japanese military personnel, and Yuuki establishes D Agency’s tenets, which go against IJA doctrine: “Don’t kill, don’t get killed, don’t get captured”. With this, Yuuki trains a team of operatives who conduct missions against domestic and foreign powers.

Now this I am all sorts of interested in!  I already have a bit of a soft spot for historical shows and generally give anything Production IG produce a whirl.  Add in the cast filled with seiyuu I really enjoy, the fact the source material is an actual novel (not a light novel – very important difference) and the PV full of hot men in suits, and I think we have a potential winner in Joker Game.

The only thing that could prove to be a touch contentious is the subject material.  World War II is a subject Japanese media tends to shy away from, unwilling to really address their culpability during that dark period in history, and I’m not really sure Joker Game will be any different in that respect.  But we’ll see – I’m definitely very interested in this show.

 

Kiznaiver

Summary: Original anime.

The fictional Japanese city named Sugomori City is built on reclaimed land. But as the years go by, the city’s population is decreasing. One day, Sonosaki tells her classmate Katsuhira: “You have been selected to be a Kiznaiver.” The Kizuna System, which allows Katsuhira to share his wounds, connects him to the classmates whose lives and personalities completely differ from his. The Kizuna System is an incomplete system for the implementation of world peace that connects people through wounds. All those who are connected to this system are called Kiznaivers. When one Kiznaiver is wounded, the system divides and transmits the wound among the other Kiznaivers.

Original show from Trigger with a fairly interesting concept, automatically sparks my interest, but in the grand scheme of things I’m not all that hyped for Kiznaiver.  I think it has something to do with the less than flamboyant presentation of the promotional materials – there isn’t really any of Trigger’s usual grandstanding going on.  Rather Kiznaiver feels a bit subdued and more serious than I’d normally associate with Trigger’s staff.  Maybe it’s down to the fact Imaishi isn’t directing the series and Mari Okada is taking the writing credits, and I’m less than enamoured of Okada’s writing at the moment?

I’ll definitely be checking this out (it’s Trigger after all, it will at least look good), but not sure if it will be a keeper – moody teenagers with superpowers aren’t really uncommon.

 

Sakamoto Desu ga? (Haven’t you heard? I’m Sakamoto)

Summary: Anime adaptation of Nami Sano’s manga series.

First year high school student Sakamoto isn’t just cool, he’s the coolest! Almost immediately after starting school, he began attracting everyone’s attention. The girls love him, and most of the boys resent him. There’s even a boy in the class who works as a model, but who is constantly upstaged by Sakamoto! No matter what tricks the other boys try to play on him, Sakamoto always manages to foil them with ease and grace. Though Sakamoto may seem cool and aloof, he helps others when asked, such as in the case of the boy in his class who was being constantly bullied. No matter what difficulties Sakamoto encounters, he moves through his high school life with confidence and class.

And here we have potentially the best comedy show of the season.  Sakamoto desu ga? is a multi-award winning manga series that consistently tops the bestselling lists in Japan, and this anime adaptation is in the hands of probably the best comedy director working at the moment, and it’s Studio DEEN who are enjoying a bit of a revival right now – I think this is going to be a winner.  For my part I just think it looks genius.  Shallow and throwaway, but lots of fun – definitely excited for this.

 

Bungou Stray Dogs

 

Summary: Anime adaptation of Kafka Asagiri & Sango Harukawa’s manga series.

Nakajima Atsushi was kicked out of his orphanage, and now he has no place to go and no food. While he is standing by a river, on the brink of starvation, he rescues a man whimsically attempting suicide. That man is Dazai Osamu, and he and his partner Kunikida are members of a very special detective agency. They have supernatural powers, and deal with cases that are too dangerous for the police or the military. They’re tracking down a tiger that has appeared in the area recently, around the time Atsushi came to the area. The tiger seems to have a connection to Atsushi, and by the time the case is solved, it is clear that Atsushi’s future will involve much more of Dazai and the rest of the detectives!

I’m a bit unsure about this one actually.  On one hand all the promo material looks amazing, it’s Bones with some of their most capable staff going all out to make this show look glorious after all.  But on the other I did attempt to read a few volumes of Bungou Stray Dogs last year and quickly dropped it out of frustration over the rather meandering plot – it was a case of style over substance.  Hopefully the anime adaptation sorts out the pacing issues because I really want to like this!

 

Big Order

Summary: Anime adaptation of Sakae Esuno’s manga series.

The story centers on an introverted high school student named Hoshimiya Eiji with a huge secret — he wished for the destruction of the world when he was younger. Fairies give certain people special powers called Orders. What Order Users can do with their power depends on their wishes. 10 years after the Great Destruction, Eiji struggles to come to terms with his immense power.

From the people who brought us Future Diary, comes something that looks remarkably like more Future Diary except it’s now called Big Order and involves super-powers that can destroy the world rather than cell phones that predict the future….and destroy the world.  Stick to what you’re good at I suppose!  I massively enjoyed Future Diary, so I have absolutely no doubts that I’ll enjoy Big Order too – just wish the character designs were changed, just looks like Yukki & Yuno all over again!

 

Bakuon!!

Summary: Anime adaptation of Mimana Orimoto’s manga series.

The story revolves around high school girls who discover the appeal of motorcycles. Sakura Hane is a high school student who looks a little bit like an airhead. On the way to her all-female high school one day, she is worn-out climbing a hilly road with a bicycle, but she sees a girl named Onsa Amano who is riding a motorcycle. Sakura immediately becomes interested in motorcycles, and she and Onsa join the motorcycle club at the school. Then, Sakura sets out to get her license.

I was fairly ready to dismiss this out of hands as another cute girls do cute things, only on motorcycles this time, show; but looking into it a bit more it seems there is more to it than that.  It kind of seems like the mangaka really just wanted to share his passion for motorcycles with the world and decided to stick some cute girls into the mix to make it easier for the masses to swallow.  The fact the anime website appears to be sponsored by a whole host of famous motorbike brands, and the PVs are showing off how accurate they’ve managed to get the engine noises, just further enforces the idea that the staff are just as invested in the bikes as the cute girls on them.  As a result I’m getting Girls und Panzer vibes, which is one of the few cute girls shows I legitimately enjoyed the hell out of.  Definitely giving Bakuon!! a chance even though the director isn’t exactly fantastic.

 

Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu (Re: Life in a Different World from Zero)

Summary: Anime adaptation of Masahiro Yokotani’s light novel series.

Natsuki Subaru is an ordinary high school student who is lost in an alternate world, where he is rescued by a beautiful, silver-haired girl. He stays near her to return the favour, but the destiny she is burdened with is more than Subaru can imagine. Enemies attack one by one, and both of them are killed. He then finds out he has the power to rewind death, back to the time he first came to this world. But only he remembers what has happened since.

I was all ready to dismiss Re: Zero out of hand because it checks so many of the Shitty LN Adaptation boxes, but I have heard positive things about the series which makes me want to check out a few episodes.  The time-travel / groundhog day concept is interesting, if not particularly original, but the writing will really have to be something special to get me to look beyond the painfully generic looking character designs and basic concept of dull as bricks MC-kun falling into an alternate world and gaining super-special powers & a collection of hot anime babes.

 

Kuromukuro

Summary: Original series.

During the construction of the Kurobe Dam, an ancient artifact was discovered, and so the United Nations Kurobe Research Institute was established. Intellectuals from all over the world gathered to study the object, and the children of those researchers attend Mt. Tate International Senior High School, including the institute head’s daughter, Yukina Shirahane. In the summer of 2016, a lone samurai once again awakens.

Original mecha series from PA Works!?  Did I read that correctly?  PA Works doing a mecha show and not one of their identikit high-school rom-coms?  What madness is this?  To be fair the studio really seems to be trying to branch out these days, so even if they can’t quite leave the overly polished looking teenagers completely behind I do have to applaud the attempt.  Of course me being me I am contractually obliged to check out any new mecha series that comes my way, so I will of course be looking at Kuromukuro, and I’m always willing to give a Tensai Okamura directed series a fair chance.  Hopefully this will be better than its bland character designs suggest!

 

Twin Star Exorcists (Sousei no Onmyouji)

Summary: Anime adaptation of Yoshiaki Sukeno’s manga series.

Rokuro is from a family of exorcists who remove the evil Kegare, but his real dream is to be a singer, a soccer player, or anything other than an exorcist. When another exorcist name Benio arrives, Rokuro is suddenly inflamed with competitive spirit and decides to put his natural knack to good use. Their rivalry gets more complicated when they both learn they are the destined “Twin Star Exorcists,” two ultimate fighters fated to marry and create the prophesied child who will eliminate all the Kegare in the world.

This looks like one of those popcorn shounen action shows that I can’t seem to quit.  I mean there isn’t anything particularly unique here – it’s Pierrot who adapt shounen shows on automatic pilot at this stage, and there isn’t anything that’s jumping out at me as being great/awful at the moment.  In a smaller season I’d probably be more than happy to sit through this, but this season I just don’t think I’ll have time for it.

 

Endride

Summary: Original series with smartphone game tie-in.

Endra is an unknown world beneath the surface of Earth, where the giant Adamas shines above, and seven-coloured bands drift across the skies. One day, Asanaga Shun, an ordinary yet positive and bright 15-year-old middle school boy who lives in the Land Above, discovers a mysterious crystal at his scientific businessman father’s company, and the moment he touches the crystal, he is transported to Endra. There, he meets the recently captured 16-year-old prince Emilio, who strongly despises the current king, Deruzain, and was imprisoned after seeking vengeance against the monarch.

The promo materials for Endride are full of hype for the authors of Rurouni Kenshin & Bastard being involved, but all they did was provide the character designs – which explains why our two main characters look like they belong in completely different shows.  There is a very dated feel to this entire series, which is strange given it is an original series!  I think it’s the rather tired concept of falling into an alternate world, the lacklustre animation thanks to Brains Base no longer being the powerhouse it was in the early 00’s and those dated character designs.  It’s very hard to get excited for Endride, but it could surprise me?

 

Flying Witch

Summary: Anime adaptation of Chihiro Ishizuka’s manga series.

The comical story follows the 15-year-old witch Kowata Makoto and the other boys and girls in her daily life. With her black cat Chito, the somewhat aimless girl moved from Yokohama to live with her second cousin at Aomori in verdant northern Japan.

Looks perfectly pleasant if this is your kind of thing.  Unfortunately I still haven’t really developed the patience to enjoy shows that are this placid, so I won’t be checking out Flying Witch.

 

Hai-Furi

Summary: Original series.

“In the sea we live, the sea we protect, and by the sea we go … Blue Mermaids!”

Japan, 100 years after plate subductions caused many other countries to be submerged. To save the remaining countries, the coastal cities that had been built up were launched into the seas, and the seaborne routes between them expanded. With this expansion, a need for personnel that could safeguard the seas arose. Women began to seek employment in this new industry, and soon, the “Blue Mermaids,” those who keep the sea safe, began to be a source of admiration for many.

The childhood friends Akeno Misaki and Moeka China sought to become Blue Mermaids themselves, and together with others who shared their dream, they enrolled in Yokosuka’s Marine High School.

You know with the world setting being a global community rebuilding itself after a cataclysmic event sunk large swathes of the earth’s cities, and looking at the people training to keep a more marine centred society safe, there was the potential for Hai-Furi to be very interesting indeed.  Instead we get moe fluff with super genki teenagers going about their ordinary lives…….*sigh* why can’t we have nice things?

 

Hundred

Summary: Anime adapation of Jun Misaki’s light novel series.

A mysterious life form known as Savage is attacking the Earth, and there is only one weapon that can counter it: the Hundred. To become a Slayer, a master of military arts who wields this Hundred, Kisaragi Hayato enrolls in the marine academy city ship Little Garden. However, Hayato feels a strange yet familiar sense of incongruity towards Emile Crossford, his roommate who somehow knows him from somewhere. On top of that, as soon as he enters the school, he is challenged to a duel by the Queen, the school’s most powerful Slayer, Claire Harvey.

They’re not even trying any more.  This is just The Asterisk War / Chivalry of a Failed Knight /Undefeated Bahamut Chronicle all over again.  Generic Shitty LN Adaptation at its shittiest.  Why are these series still being made?  They don’t even sell well now!

 

Kuma Miko – Girl Meets Bear

Summary: Anime adaptation of Masume Yoshimoto’s manga series.

The manga follows Machi, a middle school student who serves as a shrine maiden at a Shinto shrine and takes care of a bear, who lives on mountain in Japan’s northern Tohoku region. The bear, Natsu, has the ability to talk and is Machi’s guardian. When Machi explains to Natsu that she will attend a school in the city, he gives Machi a set of trials that she must pass in order to be able to survive city life.

I’d passed over this in the preview charts since it just looked like one of those cute quirky comedies that come out on a fairly regular basis, but then I looked at the PV and found myself really interested in watching at least the first episode.  It’s all the fault of that amazing, ridiculous song really…….kind of reminds me of Gugure! Kokkuri-san to be honest.

 

Mayoiga

Summary: Original series.

A shady bus tour of young men and women are headed to an elusive village called Nanakimura. A destination where people can partake in an utopian existence, free of the world’s obstacles… or so goes the rumor. Heading deep into the mountains, the bus is carrying 30 different individuals, each harboring their own expectations and troubled hearts…
What they had arrived to was an uninhabited village with lingering, faint scents of life and it was falling apart. Just what is the secret of Nanakimura?

If you just look at the surface of Mayoiga it does look like a very promising horror series, but then you look at the staff and that’s when I start to worry.  Tsutomou Mizushima is a genius director when given the right shows, however when given horror anime he is unfortunately pretty terrible.  Couple this with having that aficionado of melodrama, Mari Okada on board as the writer and I’m suddenly not wanting to touch Mayoiga with a bargepole.  I just think this director/writer pairing on a horror show is a disaster waiting to happen…….which weirdly could make it great trainwreck viewing.  We’ll have to see, but I’m really not optimistic about Mayoiga.

 

Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja nai to omotta? (And you thought there is never a girl online?)

Summary: Anime adaptation of Shibai Kineko’s light novel series.

Nishimura Hideki is a young man who once confesses to a person he thinks is a girl online, only to find out that the person is actually a boy. He keeps this story secret and swears he’ll never trust a girl online again. However, one day a girl online confesses to him, and it turns out she is actually a beautiful girl named Tamaki Ako. Ako cannot tell the difference between the online world and reality, and she is a loner who has trouble communicating. Hideki and his friends from the guild decide to work together in order to help her.

Those character designs are horrible for a start.  But yes this is another Shitty LN Adaptation, full of wish fulfillment and obnoxious ideas about women online.  Horrible.  Not touching.

 

Pan de Peace!

Summary: Anime adaptation of emily’s manga series.

Minami is an airheaded girl who is starting high school and who loves eating bread for breakfast. Baked goods bring happiness everyday to her and her classmates — the reliable Yuu, the pastry-baking Fuyumi, and the independent Noa.

I’ve been reducing the amount of bread I consume – I feel that watching this fluff would be detrimental to my health.

 

Sansha Sanyou

Summary: Anime adaptation of Cherry Arai’s manga series.

Futaba Odagiri is the new transfer student with a super energetic personality; Teru Hayama is the class president with a surprisingly mean personality contrary to her innocent looks; and Youko Nishikawa is from a formerly rich, now extremely poor family who still holds on to her princess attitude. These three unlikely students with clashing personalities become good friends and survive the day-to-day teenage life in a very funny story.

More bread involved here – also avoiding for health reasons.

 

Seisen Cerberus: Ryuukoku no Fatalite

Summary: Anime adaptation of Gree’s mobile game.

On a continent ruled by sword and magic called Kunaaan, there are three kingdoms with a fragile power balance that could spell disaster and war at any moment. Another power, the evil dragon Daganzord, also resides on the continent, and no one is powerful enough to stop him from spreading destruction in his wake. Bairo and Kismitete, and a party of wizards attempted to seal the dragon, but were foiled. This event becomes known thereafter as the Balbagoa Tragedy. Bairo and Kismitete’s son Hiiro is saved by Gill, and Hiiro swears to avenge his parents’ deaths and trains himself with the sword. When Hiiro turns 16, he sets out on a journey to slay the dragon, and Gill accompanies him, having no choice. Along the way, they meet many types of people and gain companions on their journey.

Digital trading card games are spawning a lot of anime these days, but not all of them can be as fun as Shingeki no Bahamut Genesis.  This one just looks like arse to be honest.

 

Shounen Maid

Summary: Anime adaptation of Ototachibana’s manga series.

Komiya Chihiro is an energetic elementary school student who lives with his mom. Chihiro is very good at doing housework and chores, and his mother’s motto is No work, no food. After his mother suddenly dies, a man named Takatori Madoka who claims to be his uncle shows up and asks Chihiro to come live with him. Chihiro initially refuses, but when he sees the horribly dirty state of Madoka’s rich house he decides to start cleaning it. Then Madoka makes another offer to Chihiro: that he comes to live with him, but in exchange Chihiro will do the housework. Chihiro accepts this deal, but suddenly finds himself in a maid uniform.

I think this is trying to be whimsical and cute, but just comes across as creepy pedo-bait to me with an older man abducting an orphaned boy to use as cheap labour and a human doll.

 

Super Lovers

Summary: Anime adaptation of Miyuki Abe’s BL manga series.

While spending summer with his mother, Haru meets Ren, a boy newly adopted by his mother. Getting along with Ren isn’t easy as Haru’s goal is to “civilize” him by the time summer ends. Their relationship slowly improves as Haru spends more time with Ren and in return Ren steadily warms up to him. Can they really become a “family” at the end of summer!?

Why can’t we have a decent BL adaptation?  Can’t I have one of those BL series where the story is about two consenting adults falling in love!?  Is that really too much to ask for?  Why is it that these problematic titles always end up being the ones to get the anime adaptation?  I suppose I should just be thankful it isn’t another season of Junjou Romantica, but this shotacon baiting thing isn’t much of an improvement.

Saying all that I’m obviously going to end up watching Super Lovers – beggars can’t be choosers it seems.

 

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge (Tanaka is Always Listless)

Summary: Anime adaptation of Nozomi Uda’s manga series.

Sighing, leaning on his elbows, sleepy eyes. Tanaka-kun is a boy that basically doesn’t try but isn’t disliked. This is a laid-back youth comedy about Tanaka-kun and the quiet Oota who can’t leave him alone.

I think this is about a fella who suffers from narcolepsy or something.  Nothing about it is really appealing to me – don’t really see the point of it to be honest.

 

Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou

Summary: Anime adaptation of Yūjirō Koyama’s manga series.

Agetarou works at his family’s tonkatsu restaurant in Shibuya, but he’s not very excited by the work. One day, he takes a delivery to the staff of a night club, and the worker lets him in to enjoy the club for a while. Agetarou finds that he loves the club, with its relaxed people and cute girls, all enjoying the music supplied by the DJ. He continues going to the club, until the night comes when the guest American DJ Big Master Fly puts on a show. Agetarou is inspired by Big Master Fly, and realizes that the groove of being a DJ is very similar to the groove of being a tonkatsu chef. Now Agetarou is determined to master both disciplines, though he is most excited to become a DJ!

Think this may be a short, but there isn’t really a wealth of information.  It does sound pretty amusing though, so I’ll definitely be giving it a look.

 

Unhappy♪

Summary: Anime adaptation of Cotoji’s manga series.

The story centres around class 1-7 of Tennogofune Academy, where all the students with “bad karma” or misfortune seem to have been gathered. Hibari, a student in this class, meets the unlucky Hanako and the perennially unhealthy Botan on her first day of school, and together they try to find a way to turn their school life into a happy one.

This couldn’t be anything else than a Shin Oonuma / Silver Link show – it has trash stamped all over it.

 

Sequels / Spin-offs

 

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4 – Diamond is Unbreakable

Summary: Continuation of the anime adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s manga series.

The coastal town of Morioh is plagued by the “Bow and Arrow,” an ancient artifact which manifests latent stand abilities in criminals and ordinary folk alike. At the same time as they are dealing with the huge influx of stand users—both good and bad—in Morioh, high schooler Jousuke Higashikata and his friends are searching for the culprit of a series of homicides.

Hell yeah more Jojo’s!!  I loved the first season of JBA with Battle Tendancy being my personal highlight of the series to date, and although it took me a lot longer to warm up to Stardust Crusaders, I was definitely more than onboard with it by the end.  Part 4 is widely praised as when Araki really sorted out what he wanted to do with the Stand powers & I am really looking forward to seeing Diamond is Unbreakable as a result.  You don’t really need to have seen the previous generations of Jojo’s to watch this one, but they’re so much fun I can’t see why you’d want to skip them!  Bring on another Bizarre Adventure, I’m definitely excited for this.

 

Concrete Revolutio S2 – The Last Song

Summary: Second season.

What if superhumans were real? Even better, what if every fabled superhuman existed at the same time, in the same place? Titans from outer space, life forms from a mystical world, phantoms and goblins from ancient times, cyborgs created by scientists, relics that rose out of the ruins of ancient civilizations. In another Japan, it’s not just a question of “what if”—it’s a reality. Some of the superhumans choose to keep their identities a secret, while others bask in their superhuman fame. Jiro Hitoyoshi, member of the Superhuman Bureau, keeps track of their doings.

It’s back!  My runaway favourite show of the Autumn 2015 season, I am massively hyped to have ConRevo back on my screen.  I have been making an effort to rewatch S1 in preparation for the continuation, and I have to say rewatching the show is even more rewarding.  There is just so much you don’t pick up on first time round, and things that make a lot more sense with the advantage of hindsight.  ConRevo is a brilliantly put together, multi-layered show, I really can’t recommend it enough.

 

Macross Delta (Macross Δ)

Summary: Latest entry in Shoji Kawamori’s Macross franchise.

Macross Delta is set in the year 2067, 8 years after the events of the latest Macross TV series, Macross Frontier. The story focuses on Walküre, a team of talented idols and Valkyrie pilots and the Delta Squadron, a team of experienced Valkyrie pilots as they battle against the Var Syndrome, a mysterious entity that is consuming the galaxy. But both must battle the mysterious Aerial Knights, a group of Valkyrie pilots from the Kingdom of Wind.

The first episode was actually released a while ago so I’ve already seen it, and it certainly is more Macross.  I’m still not really sold on the idea of idol groups instead of the usual stand alone idols, but that’s mainly just down to my not really liking most idol anime.  It’s bright, colourful, dumb and filled with action – it’s more Macross, you should know if you like what Kawamori is selling by now.  I generally do enjoy his stuff so I’m open to watching more of Delta – at the very least it will be great eye-candy!

 

Ushio & Tora S2

Summary: Second season of the anime adaptation of Kazuhiro Fujita’s shounen manga series.

While cleaning out his family’s Shinto temple, middle-school student Ushio Aotsuki stumbles upon a hidden cellar which houses a dangerous yokai. The yokai, pinned by a legendary weapon called the Beast Spear for 500 years, attracts many other supernatural creatures to the premises. Ushio is forced to free the creature – whom he names “Tora” – in return for his help in defeating them. Tora, who wishes to eat Ushio but is stalled by the Beast Spear, begins to haunt the boy in the hopes that an opportunity will present itself. However, Ushio’s possession of the Spear seems to result in trouble after trouble, and Tora finds himself an unwilling ally to Ushio in his battles against various supernatural foes. Meanwhile, a greater danger lurks in the form of Hakumen no Mono, an incredibly powerful yokai with a thirst for destruction who is about to awaken from an extended slumber.

Continuation of this super traditional shounen show.  I really enjoyed the first season for the most part – the retro feel and very solid production made for an entertaining watch.

 

Magi: Sinbad no Bouken (Adventures of Sinbad)

Summary: Spin-off of Shinobu Ohtaka’s Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.
The series takes place 30 years before the events of Magi and focuses on Sinbad’s journey to become king.

So I’m a big fan of the Magi manga – couldn’t profess to be quite so enamoured of the rather lacklustre anime adaptation since it just didn’t quite capture the beautifully detailed art and sheer amount of bloody violence that are the manga’s selling points.  I’ve also been enjoying the spin-off manga that this anime is adapting, dealing with Sinbad’s early adventures and how he met his entourage & captured his djinn.  There have already been 5 OVAs what covered the first two dungeon captures, but I think this TV series will be starting from scratch again so no need to worry about watching them first.  You also don’t need to have seen the Magi anime since Sinbad is a prequel.

 

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE: 0096

Summary: Re-edit of the 2010-14 Unicorn OVA series for TV. Part of the UC timeline in Yoshiyuki Tomino’s Gundam franchise.

U.C. 0096. Three years after Char’s rebellion, Banagher Links, a boy who lives on the manufacturing colony Industrial 7, meets a mysterious girl named Audrey Burne. She claims to seek to prevent a potential war by interfering with the transfer of “Laplace’s Box” from the Vist Foundation to a Neo Zeon remnant group known as the “Sleeves”.

Okay so I’ve already seen the Unicorn OVA’s as I watched them as they were released.  It is a beautiful looking show with plenty of easter eggs for folks who’ve seen most of the shows in the UC Gundam timeline, so I definitely wouldn’t mind rewatching this re-edit as there should be some new footage mixed in.

 

Sailor Moon Crystal – Death Busters Hen

Summary: The third season adapts the Death Busters arc from the fifth and sixth volumes of Naoko Takeuchi’s original Sailor Moon manga.

Why does the promo art have to look so pretty!?  I don’t want to watch this since Crystal has been a massive disappointment on the whole with terrible animation and wrting, but the Death Busters arc is pretty great and I fecking love the the outer senshi, so the nostalgia pull is still pretty damn strong.

I’m going to end up watching this.  I just know I am, and I’ll be disappointed all over again.

 

The Asterisk War S2

Summary: Second season of the anime adaptation of Yuu Miyazaki’s light novel series.

Invertia was a meteor storm that caused an unprecedented disaster during the 20th century. Because of this disaster, numerous cities around the world were destroyed. However, within the meteor, an unknown element called mana was discovered. It allowed human technology to make rapid strides giving rise to a new species of super-powered humans, the Star Pulse Generation (Genestella). The Festas (Star Warrior Festivals) host battles between Genestella at a city of six academies called “Rikka,” also commonly known as “Asterisk.” Scholarship student Ayato Amagiri transferred into Seidōkan Academy in order to fulfill his own wish, swearing he too will fight in this city.

I don’t even know why this generic Shitty LN Adaptation warranted a second season, but here you go.

 

Kyoukai no Rinne 2

Summary: Second season of the anime adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s manga series.

The shinigami Rinne Rokudou, and Sakura Mamiya, the girl who can see ghosts, attend the same school. The two spend their days solving the worries of spirits. Rinne is so poor that he is forced to borrow money from Sakura to buy shinigami tools to solve their cases. Rinne and Sakura care for each other, but their relationship is not progressing. However, with the appearance of a new contracted black cat, a beautiful damashigami, and a person with whom Rinne shares a special circumstance, the situation becomes even more chaotic! Rinne and Sakura’s after-school time wrapped up in the world of spirits continues!

Did anyone actually watch season one of this?  I can’t think of anyone who did……I didn’t last past episode one myself & I generally watch everything!  But apparently it did well enough to get a second season – who knew?

 

Terra Formars Revenge

Summary: Second season of the anime adaptation of Kenichi Tachibana’s manga series.

With the space program attempting to travel to Mars, 21st century scientists were tasked with warming up the planet so that humans could survive on its surface. They came up with an efficient and cost effective plan of sending cockroaches and mould to the surface so that the mould would absorb the sunlight and the insect corpses would serve as a food source for the mould.
It is now the year 2577 and the first manned ship to Mars has landed on the planet and the six crew members are ready for their mission. But what they find are giant mutated humanoid cockroaches with incredible physical strength. The crew members are easily wiped out, but not before sending a transmission back to Earth. Now, humanity will send elite warriors to exterminate the mutated bugs and claim back Mars.

Again I find myself somewhat mystefied.  Season one of Terra Formars only really served as an example of how not to do censorship, but somehow it must have done well enough to deserve a sequel.  God knows how.  I honestly don’t know anymore – maybe I need to hand in my aniblogger license.

 

Shorts

 

Hakuouki: Otogisoushi

Summary: Spin-off inspired by Idea Factory’s otome game franchise.

The series of anime shorts will feature the characters from the Hakuōki games in chibi form, and will feature a completely new story with the theme “A normal every day that might have existed.”

I’m honestly surprised it took so long for Hakuouki to get the generic chibi animation spin-off.  If I’m honest this will probably be more fun than the main series!  Hakuouki is a gorgeous looking series, but it is as interesting as watching paint dry most of the time – maybe the comedy spin-off will prove more entertaining.

 

Kagewani: Shou

Summary: Second season of the horror series.

Acclaimed genetic scientist Dr. Sōsuke Banba follows cases of unknown animal attacks that appear to be connected in some way with his own past and the scar on his left temple.

Now this I’m excited for.  The Kagewani series was easily my favourite short-form anime last year, and it ended on a hell of a cliffhanger, so I’m really keen to get into this continuation.  Great bite-sized horror series – check it out!

 

Onigiri

Summary: Anime adaptation of Cyberstep’s MMORPG.

Onigiri thrusts its players into mystical Japan, a land filled with mythical creatures of Japanese legend. Starting as a lone Oni, players fight against the malevolent influence of the Kamikui as their miasma spreads over the land. 8 NPCS, each with their own distinct personality and skills, ally themselves with the player to help build a legend, and quell the evil that has arisen. As you grow stronger together, so do the bonds binding you to each other.

It’s sort of cute how they try to make it sound like it isn’t a game about amassing a vast harem of scantily clad ladies.

 

Space Patrol Luluco

Summary: Original series.

Ogikubo is the name of the specially designated area in space in the Milky Way where Earthlings and aliens can live together. Luluco is a female middle school student who lives with her father, and no matter where she is, Luluco is a common, “super normal” girl. As she is living her normal life, one day the mysterious transfer student ΑΩ Nova abruptly appears before her. That meeting will change Luluco’s fate.

For some reason Trigger have put their main director on this short-form series rather than their main show this season.  God knows why.  Perhaps Imaishi just wanted to mess about on this show without worrying about structure and plot, because he’s drafted in the folks who made Inferno Cop & Ninja Slayer, and those were definitely some sort of fun fever dream.  This will probably be worth a look for that reason alone.

 

Usakame

Summary: Spin-off of Roots’ Teekyuu series.

The characters of Usakame initially appeared in the Teekyū manga as opponents of the main characters in the national team tournament. The website labels the characters as the “official rivals” of Teekyū.

No new Teekyuu series this season, instead we get a spin-off.  Still not watching it.

 

Wagamama High Spec

Summary: Anime adaptation of Madosoft’s eroge.

Kōki Narumi is a high school student who also draws a manga serialized in a weekly magazine. Because the manga he draws is a risqué romantic comedy, he keeps this fact a secret from everyone around him, with his younger sister Toa and his best friend Mihiro being the only ones who know. But one day, as the student council president Kaoruko Rokuonji is searching for male members for the student council, she finds out that Kōki is the manga’s author. Kōki joins the student council in exchange for Kaoruko not revealing his secret. However, the vice president, Ashe R. Sakuragi, strongly opposes him joining, and in the midst of all this, various requests and troubles of students begin to pile up.

Those character designs are horrible……that’s about all I have to say about this.  At least it’s only a short rather than a full length show.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Well Spring seems to be a pretty stacked season – plenty of things I’m definitely interested in checking out, and a good number of solid sequels too!  Hopefully we’re in for a really entertaining season.

As ever all information has been cobbled together from the ever reliable ANN, MAL, Crunchyroll, AniChart.net, Neregate, Senpai Anime Charts and everyone’s friend – Google.

First impression posts will be coming out in first few weeks of April – as ever I will attempt to get them done in a timely manner, but that probably won’t happen.  Until then~!

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from → Other stuff, Season Previews
19 Comments leave one →
  1. Rocco B permalink
    March 20, 2016 5:42 pm

    Glad to know your not dead Cara xDD.

    Reply
  2. Alex permalink
    March 20, 2016 8:15 pm

    I’m drowning under the sheer number of good titles, damn. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Helen permalink
    March 21, 2016 12:12 am

    “But on the other I did attempt to read a few volumes of Bungou Stray Dogs last year and quickly dropped it out of frustration over the rather meandering plot – it was a case of style over substance.” Thank god, finally someone who clearly read the same thing I did! I have no doubt that a good staff could make the series work but I see so many saying “and I read some of the manga and I’m pumped!” and all I can think is, that was a story without a really firm idea about how to create a plot and kept trying to throw “cool” things together and it wasn’t working, why are you excited?
    (also worried that ConRevo might get shafted with two other, shiny new series for Bones to work on but they have handled multiple productions at once before)

    Reply
    • Caraniel permalink*
      March 21, 2016 7:18 pm

      I am so glad I’m not the only one a bit apprehensive about Bungou Stray Dogs! Really hope the anime staff iron out the problems I had with the manga, because it does look impressive.

      Hopefully Bones won’t be too over stretched to put the effort into ConRevo 2 – I don’t think that will be a problem though, you can tell from S1 that the staff love the show.

      Reply
  4. Mr. Flawfinder permalink
    March 21, 2016 12:57 am

    Too much big stuff I got to check out this season. I think KyoAni and Shaft are the only big-name studios not participating. Also, in non-anime related news, I caught up to Game of Thrones over the last few months and I’ll be joining in the discussion when Season 6 airs this Spring. Hooray.

    Generic Shitty LN Adaptation at its shittiest. Why are these series still being made? They don’t even sell well now!

    Shhhhhhhhh. People who speak out against the light novel corporation, even if there’s truth to their statements, have been known to suffer mysterious heart attacks from out of nowhere.

    Reply
    • Caraniel permalink*
      March 21, 2016 7:19 pm

      Game of Thrones is actually the show I’m most hyped for in the Spring season XD

      Reply
  5. Artemis permalink
    March 21, 2016 9:50 am

    I was thoroughly disappointed (and yes, even a little heartbroken) over just how bad the first season of Sailor Moon Crystal was as well. I’ll be trying out the new season though, because the staff change could potentially mean a significant step up – new director, new animation director, and a slight shift in character designs to boot. I wouldn’t say I’m optimistic, but I’m at least going to take a look before throwing in the towel completely.
    Other than that, happy to have a new BL series to gush over even if it ends up being terrible (which it probably will, but as you said, beggars can’t be choosers), and am probably most excited about Joker Game.

    Reply
    • Caraniel permalink*
      March 21, 2016 7:22 pm

      Gosh the heartbreak when Sailor Moon Crystal ended up being awful was crushing – why did you do this to us Toei!? Fingers-crossed the new staff can breathe life back into the remake – I really do love the Death Busters arc.

      I’m glad more BL anime are being made, it’s just a real shame none of the good manga get optioned for animation. One day……one day.

      Reply
      • samui permalink
        March 22, 2016 12:13 pm

        Maybe we can pray that a miracle will occur that something other than Junjou or Sekai ichi will be animated.

        Reply
  6. samui permalink
    March 21, 2016 11:16 am

    I might check at most 10 shows this season. I hope my Rakugo hangover will be over soon because I am now a zombie ready to gobble anything from that show. And my work plus my writing side job are not giving me much time – which is sad. 😦

    For my picks, Kagewani is a safe choice since it is a good storyteller (I pray the animation will improve), ConRevo because it is one heck of a show. For the others:

    Sakamoto feels like One Punch Man all over again in terms of comedy. I hope it is not a one trick pony though.

    The Attack on Train thing since it is a noitamina anime. I like AoT a bit so… why not?

    Joker Game because it might be a Baccano reincarnate.

    Stray Dogs since it’s Bones and the artwork looks awesome.

    That mecha PA Works show because it will be hilariously bad or really good (cough cough Haruchika and Shirobako as extreme examples)

    Even the fudanshi in me cannot bear to watch a shotacon called Super Lovers. Where is my Seven Days adaptation?! Is it that much to ask?

    BTW, thank God you are not quitting covering anime.

    Reply
    • Caraniel permalink*
      March 21, 2016 7:26 pm

      I don’t think we’ll have anything of Rakugo Shinjuu’s quality for a while – which is fine. Shows that good are pretty rare and I don’t think my heart could take that kind of turmoil on a regular basis!

      I think Sakamoto desu ga? will be more along the lines of NichiBros or Lucky Star – that sort of throwaway slapstick comedy. Should hold out for a season at least. Hell Gintama has managed with that sort of humour for over 200 episodes, I think Sakamoto should be grand.

      Not quitting aniblogging just yet, but I am getting quite sporadic with updates since life is just busy at the moment.

      Reply
      • samui permalink
        March 22, 2016 10:26 am

        Same here, I don’t think my heart can take another spawn of Rakugo. Nonetheless, color me curious with Sakamoto. Since Rainbow Days (well, Osomatsu to a lesser extent) made me lol this season, I am looking forward to Spring. Life is quite unkind with time at times, isn’t it?

        Reply
  7. daniel gann permalink
    March 22, 2016 4:12 am

    YESSSSSS Boku no Hero Academia! I loveeeee the manga and I hope Bones treats the original material well, but with any adapted work it’s impossible to please the die-hard fans! Anyway i’m super hyped for the anime ❤

    Other than that I'm excited for Macross Delta, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Kiznaiver and Kuromukuro.

    Reply
    • Caraniel permalink*
      March 23, 2016 8:56 pm

      I have faith in Bones – they’re usually a pretty safe pair of hands for adaptations & Hero Academia is pretty decent source material!

      Reply
  8. AngryJellyfish permalink
    March 28, 2016 7:08 pm

    I nearly missed this, you didn’t post your usual link on TSR! 😮 But a good preview as always.

    I’ve not decided whether I’m going to do my usual weekly rankings next season or not, as I feel the format’s getting a bit stale, but either way I should be able to find 17 watchable shows from this lineup. I’m probably most excited about Joker Game, JJBA and Macross, as well as Usakame.

    Reply
    • Caraniel permalink*
      March 28, 2016 9:14 pm

      Oh I knew I forgot to do something in my preview ritual! Ah well, TSR has your preview to refer to anyway ^_^

      I have no idea what I’m going to do with the blog this season – will just see what I feel like over the next couple weeks. There are plenty of decent shows coming out after all.

      Reply
  9. medievalotaku permalink
    April 3, 2016 8:05 pm

    Reblogged this on Medieval Otaku and commented:
    As always, Caraniel turned out an excellent preview post. Looks like I’ll be watching more from this season than I initially thought!

    Reply

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