To Aru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku (The Princess and the Pilot) - Review

Studio: Madhouse

Year: 2011

Director: Jun Shishido

Screen Play: Satoko Okudera

Original Creator: Koroku Inumura

Synopsis:

" As a beautiful daughter of the noble family del Moral, Fana was proposed by Prince Carlo, who is the crown prince of their country Levamme. However, since Levamme is at war with Amatsuvian, the marriage had to wait until the war ends. Meanwhile, as a bestado, the lowest caste in Levamme, Charles had always dreamed of flying and eventually became the ace pilot of the air force. Although he was often mistreated, a glorious chance came about when the Amatsuvian bombarded del Moral's home in order to get rid of the future empress. Charles was then entrusted with the top secret mission of delivering the princess to the prince."

2014 Winter Anime Season Preview

2013 is definitely not the best year for anime. Against the usual trend, Summer actually give us the best lineup, followed by a below-average Fall season, not just by Fall standard, but any standard. So how does the Winter fare? Well, I can only say it doesn't hold any surprises – it is as insipid as it has always been. There is the usual crop of fanservice driven shows that's the signature of every Winter. I don't know what I would be looking forward to if not for Bones' comeback after a year of absence. Oh right, seems like the much anticipated Sailor Moon remake will be finally making its appearance. So without further ado.

Interactive Chart via: http://anichart.net/winter
Synopsis credit goes to ANN & MAL.

Black Lagoon (two seasons + OVA) Review

Year: 2005 (2010 OVA)
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Action, Drama

Synopsis: [ANN]
Okajima Rokuro is a Japanese businessman…in a town full of Japanese businessmen. His normal day consists of social drinking with clients and being kicked around by his bosses. He finally gets a break though, as he’s sent by his company to the tropical seas of Eastern China to deliver a disc…only his boat gets hijacked by a band of mercenaries that were hired to steal it. “Rock” (as he is newly dubbed by his captors) catches the interest of the only female merc “Revy” as she thinks he’s worth a ransom, taking him hostage. However, the disc turns out to be more trouble than its worth, and complicates things both for Rock, and the mercenaries known as Black Lagoon.

Paradise Kiss - Review

Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Josei, Romance, Drama
Year: 2005

Synopsis:
"Yukari is a typical high-school student who listens to her parents and attends school everyday. As she starts to question her way of life, she encounters a group of fashion design students who has a clothing label known as "Paradise Kiss". The group needs to find a model to showcase their designs in an up-coming fashion show and decides to pick Yukari instead. Initially, Yukari was reluctant to be associated with this seemingly eccentric group, but eventually, she realises that they are really nice people. Furthermore, their passion and enthusiasm to follow their ideals and dreams make Yukari realise that she has not been enjoying her life and this motivated her to pursue her own dreams."

Free! - Review

Studio: Kyoto Animation
Year: 2013
Genre: Sports, Drama

Synopsis: [ANN]
"Four boys named Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and Rin all participated in a swimming tournament shortly before graduating elementary school and later parted ways. Years later, they reunite when Rin challenges Haruka to a race and wins. Not wanting to be defeated so easily, Haruka gathers Makoto and Nagisa and a new recruit named Rei to form the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club."


Afterthought 
This was not originally part of my review plan, but because I got several requests so here I am, humbly giving you my thoughts on KyoAni's latest effort. 

Hmm..I'm not sure where to start, all I can say is this is a niche anime, either you hold a rave party celebrating the chiseled abs or you could care less about it, and I place myself closer to the latter category. Sure, it was amusing to see KyoAni going in a completely opposite direction and actually trying to please the female population (at least a portion of it), but if you are not someone into fanservices, regardless of which kind, it probably doesn't have much in store for you. Mind you, KyoAni is extremely coy with the way they presented this, nothing is explicit and everything is implicit but no less obvious. You could try your hardest arguing this is a story purely about beautiful friendship between men, but don't expect too many people to believe you. Fan girls have a mind that could twist all male relationships into something romantic in nature, so with Free!, where the bromance vibe is borderline shonen-ai, forums are bound to overran with "pairing" discussions. I remember there is one scene where Rin pushes Haruka against fence, all I can think of at the time was damn, so much sexual tension. Yeah, you totally see where they are going with it. 

As for the story, it's about a guy who has too much pride to just admit his love for his swim buddies. No, really, I think I summed it up pretty well. The angst comes across as more comical than angsty, because you know exactly what's going to happen eventually – Rin gets his mind out of the gutter and come to terms with his feelings. It helps that Haruka and Rin have opposing personalities, Haruka being the reserved eccentric, and Rin the hotheaded tsundere. It seems that in the realm of anime, the theory of "opposite attracts" never fails. If you think about it, each of the five guys in Free! embodies a well-known stereotype, aside from the two I already mentioned, there is also the shouta, the glasses, and the gentleman. The creators clearly didn't have to think hard on it. I really don't have too much to comment on the plot, it couldn't get more conventional even if tried. 

Yes, then there is the collection of sculpted abs and utterly ridiculous looking swimsuits, which are more memorable than anything else in this show. Though I suppose that's the point. Why haven't anyone thought of using swimming as a plot device for fanservices?  It's pretty damn convenient if you ask me, it's really one of the only situations where the characters can constantly strip down to bare chest for a good reason. Smart move, KyoAni. The animation quality is what we have always seen from the studio - clean, crisp, and detailed, but nothing too special considering their designs are similar across the board.

All in all, it's been an enjoyable ride, nothing more and nothing less. If you like fanservices and bishonen in ridiculous swimsuits, Free! is the thing for you, just don't expect a deep plot that ponders on sophisticated philosophical questions, you won't find any here.

Overall Score: 7/10

Shingeki no Kyojin - Review

Studio: Wit/Production I.G

Year: 2013

Genre: Action, Military, Post-Apocalyptic 

Synopsis: [ANN]

"Several hundred years ago, humans were nearly exterminated by giants. Giants are typically several stories tall, seem to have no intelligence, devour human beings and, worst of all, seem to do it for the pleasure rather than as a food source. A small percentage of humanity survived by enclosing themselves in a city protected by extremely high walls, even taller than the biggest of giants. Flash forward to the present and the city has not seen a giant in over 100 years. Teenage boy Eren and his foster sister Mikasa witness something horrific as the city walls are destroyed by a super giant that appears out of thin air. As the smaller giants flood the city, the two kids watch in horror as their mother is eaten alive. Eren vows that he will murder every single giant and take revenge for all of mankind."

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi (Sunday Without God) - Review

Year: 2013
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural

Synopsis: [MAL]
God abandoned the world on Sunday. As a result, nobody in the world can die or reproduce. A little girl, Ai, is the gravekeeper for a village. She has prepared 47 graves for the eventual deaths of every member of the village. Later, a man who identifies himself as "Hampnie Hambart, the 'Man-eating Toy'," which is coincidentally the name that Ai's mother left behind as the name of her father, arrives in the village and slaughters everybody. Just what is going on?"

Space Dandy Spazz

Original Article: Anime News Network

Wait..wait..WAIT..before I can collect my thoughts, allow me the freedom to celebrate like a madman, for I cannot verbally describe just how excited I am for this piece of confirmation (KYYYAAAA!!!). Bones (or Watanabe rather) finally drops the bomb after remaining disconcertingly silent for almost a year, which mind you, is nerve-grating on those of us eagerly waiting for the official announcement since its first mention last October. If these is such thing as starvation strategy, Bones sure as hell applied it to max effects. What initially revealed to be a Fall series is postponed to the Winter season – kind of what I've been expecting after hearing no wisp of anything throughout the past few months. But FINALLY, it's here, with its glorious staff in tow (oh so glorious I can overlook the super late release). 

Bones is founded by the very people who gave birth to Bebop, arguably one of the most innovative anime I've seen to date, and I can't think of anything more gratifying than seeing the team reunited after 15 or so years. Frankly, I would jump to anything with Watanabe or Dai Sato's name attached, but this brings another level of anticipation when the great minds are joined. Now, I believe there is one more name we should be seeing on there and that's Yoko Kanno – it would be quite odd and hugely upsetting if she's not part of the all-star cast. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. In terms of plot, from what I can gather, it rings with as much flamboyance as Star Driver – almost teetering on the verge of being ridiculous – and I suspect no speculation at this point will do the eventual release justice. Though one thing to be said, comedy is not the easiest element to manipulate and using it as a selling point is a risky move, in spite of Bones' unabashed daringness. Good news for me is I've always liked Watanabe's unpredictable sense of humour and it's one of the few times comedy clicked with me as far as anime is concerned. No question about it, Space Dandy, with its pompous name and even more pompous art design, stems from the very spirit of Bones, a studio who doesn't have "low-key" in its creative vocabulary. The show feels retro, very retro, and Americanized like Bebop, so I think I have already succumbed to the nostalgia assault. 

To be honest, this whole shebang almost seems too perfect to flop – I just don't see any room for it to go down that path with regards to the staff. Neither Dai Sato nor Watanabe has ever dished out half-hearted work in their respective career and they have every motivation to pull off something spectacular here. One thing we have to take note is Space Dandy is not Cowboy Bebop, while it's inevitable to draw comparisons, at the end of the day it's a different adventure altogether and one that demands to be viewed through fresh lenses. If it does fail to live up to expectation, I have a feeling Watanabe's "not an anime to be taken seriously" remark will be liable on one level or another. I, myself, is a little wary of Bones going unrestrained like they did with Star Driver. Yeah, it was a fun show (and utterly ridiculous), but definitely not my favourite offering from Bones. Any concerns aside, I haven't felt this excited for an anime in a long time; a large part of it has to do with the old team steering the ship and it's a ship I don't intend to miss. 

Suisei no Gargantia - Review

Kotonoha no Niwa (Garden of Words) Review

2013 Summer Anime Preview

Pre-preview comment: 

Yay~! Finally rolling in the preview for the summer season, it took me much longer than expected due to interruptions entirely out of my control. Personally, I'm finding the lineup decent, not jaw-dropping – summer rarely is, but better than I anticipated going by the limited information we have (and definitely better than last summer). As usual, no preview for sequels/ovas/movies (though I am excited for the new Miyazaki movie).

Notes:

* High volume of comedy, some could be good

* Don't expect many dark series, not a great time for sci-fi (but hey, the current season is all about that) 

* Lots of pandering/fanservice, especially for the guys, but the ladies also get their eye-candies, so niche fans of all genders, rejoice

* Rozen Maiden new adaption
* Bones is sitting out for another season
* Carryover from last season: Shingeki no Kyojin (Otherwise, nothing from I.G)

Kimi no Iru Machi

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

Studio: Gonzo 

Genre: Romance, Drama
Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi

Series Composition: Reiko Yoshida

Synopsis:

"Eba Yuzuki, a girl from Tokyo moves to a countryside to attend high school. She lives together with a guy named Kirishima Haruto whose father is an apprentice of Eba's father. Haruto never agrees to let Yuzuki stay at his house and always rejects her. Another girl, Kanzaki Nanami, comes whom Haruto might be in love with. So... what will happen in this story?"

Comment:
For now, the premise is anything but interesting, and I won't be surprised if the eventual release turns out to be run-of-the-mill type of anime. Curiously, it's not the first adaption of the manga, 2 OVAs were released previously, and the little attention they garnered was apparently enough to land itself a full-fledged series. But even disregarding the bland premise, I don't have much reason to be hopeful with Gonzo being in the sorry state its in.

Interest Level: Low

Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou

[Original]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: AIC

Genre: Mahou Shoujo 

Director: Keizou Kusakawa

Series Composition: Michiko Itou

Synopsis:

N/A

Comment:

The new Madoka? Even the visual has a Shaft feel to it. The synopsis is yet to be revealed, so there is not much to comment on. All I can say is the staff behind the show does not wow me in the least. The director seems to be very experienced with the Mahou Shoujo genre, but the amount of fanservice-infested titles under his name is alarming. And what do you know, the series composition is handled by none other than the script writer of the infamous Queens Blade. Though, I am intrigued by the PV, so I will give this an episode or two to prove its worth.

Interest Level: Low ~ Medium

Servant x Service

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

Studio: A-1 Pictures 

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

Director: Yasutaka Yamamoto

Series Composition: Kento Shimoyama

Synopsis:

"Anime about the staff of the health and welfare section of the ward office of a certain city. Newcomers Hasebe Yutaka, Yamagami, Miyoshi Saya, and their supervisor Ichimiya Taishi go through the everyday quirks of working at their office."

Comment:

Would I be weird to think this is actually kind of interesting? School is the usual setting for slice of life shows, it's not everyday we get an anime about office relationships involving an older cast of characters. I think it's a welcoming change. A-1 Pictures is a great studio, they might not deliver the most consistent production value, but they are more than willing to experiment with different genres. Lately they seem to have taken an interest in slice of life series geared towards an older audience (Silver Spoon is their other project this season), and truth be told, shows like this don't need phenomenal animation to be appreciated. Though, I'm wary of comedies, more often than not they don't strike a cord with me, so while Servant x Service already has the hook, whether I end up sticking with it will depend on the style of humor and execution. On an irrelevant note, the title sounds like a token of fanservice no matter how many times I read it, oh how I wished they used a different name.

Interest Level: Medium 

Kiniro Mosaic

[4koma]
WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Gokumi 

Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life 

Director: Tensho

Series Composition: Yuniko Ayana

Synopsis:

'The story begins with Oomiya Shinobu, a 15-year-old, seemingly pure Japanese girl who actually did a homestay in Great Britain. Even after coming back to Japan, she still misses her time overseas. One day, an airmail letter arrives from Alice, the girl in Shinobu's host family in Great Britain. The letter reads: Shinobu, I'm coming to Japan! The Japanese/British girls' mixed comedy follows the lives of Shinobu, Alice, and other girls from both Japan and Great Britain."



Comment: 

Sounds like another "cute girls doing cute things" show pandering to guys. Anime has a tendency to depict foreigners as either crude cultural stereotypes (Americans are expressive without restraint, for instance) or as Japanese souls wearing foreign skin. Judging by the PV, I have no reason to believe this one will be any different. Hell, I can't even tell who's British if not for their hair color, which is not a great indication when we are talking anime. The studio behind the job is no one impressive (I have to admit though, their lastest Dansai Crime Edge is a beautiful show on many levels), and the core staff are new talents, so I sure ain't getting any reassurance here. All in all? I don't see this one taking me by surprise any time soon.

Interest Level: Low

Fantasista Doll

[Original]
WIKI | ANN | MAL
PV1

Studio: Hoods Entertainment
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Hisashi Saito
Series Composition:
Synopsis:
"revolves around cute dolls who fight and power up with special cards"

Comment: 
Honestly, I feel like I've seen this PV three times already – this season's crop of series is getting ridiculously repetitive, and I've only just began the preview. The director has only ever directed some ecchi shows that I will likely never watch, so no compelling factor to be had there. 

Interest Level: Low 

Blood Lad

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Brains Base

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural

Director: Shigeyuki Miya 

Series Composition: Takeshi Konuta

Synopsis: 

"Blood Lad follows Staz, a vampire that is obsessed with the human world, and Fuyumi, a human girl that was killed and turned into a ghost after wandering into the demon world. Staz promises to help Fuyumi regain her humanity by bringing her back to life, as it means that he would be able to visit the human world"

Comment: 

Now this is what I call good fun. Blood Lad is probably the most anticipated series for the Summer season and I can understand why – the premise is so preposterous that its potential knows no bound. I'm all for wacky fun when it's executed right and according to multiple accounts, Blood Lad seems to fit the bill. It's also a comfort to have Brains Base behind the wheels – in spite of the disservice they've been doing themselves lately – and judging by the record, I feel this is a perfect match for the studio's creative vision. After the dreadfully bland Amnesia, this is exactly the thing Brains Base needs to put itself on the table again. Neither the director nor the script writer has a career record distinct enough to put my mind to peace, but we've seen perfectly capable new talents before, so benefit of the doubt I shall give. The animation, though, is surprisingly simple and not entirely up to my taste, but all things considered, I very much look forward to see what it has in store for us.

Interest Level: Medium ~ High 

Uchouten Kazoku

[Novel]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: P.A Works 

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy 
Director: Masayuki Yoshihara
Series Composition: Shôtarô Suga
Synopsis:
"In Kyoto, there are three kinds of residents: humans, raccoon dogs, and tengu. Shimogamo Yasaburou is the third son of the Shimogamo raccoon dog family. His father, Souichirou, had been the head of Kyoto raccoon dog community until he was eaten by the human members of "Friday Club". While taking care of old tengu, fighting with other raccoon dogs, and playing with a psychic human girl, Yasaburou approaches the truth of his father's death."



Comment:
Well, I think that's about as fascinatingly strange as it gets. From the creator of Tatamy Galaxy, we have ourselves yet another utterly crazy adventure destined to be remembered by critics and casual consumers alike. I've yet to finish Tatamy Galaxy, but there is no denying it's been one of the strangest (and most frustrating) experience I've had with anime; I plan to pick it up again in the near future when I'm in the mindset to take it all in. Like it's predecessor, Uchouten Kazoku makes no signs about being subtle and while I don't see it clicking with everyone, the weirdness is begging to be checked out. What's surprising here to me is the choice of studio working on this – it just doesn't seem to fit anywhere in the picture P.A Works has been building for themselves. Regardless, it's always great to see studio taking risks by tackling project vastly different from what they've already done, and it's even more exciting to see a well-established studio taking that extra step. The crew steering the ship is a sturdy lot with strong resume to show and I'm putting my trust in them to deliver some quality fun. Let's wait for it!

Interest Level: Medium 

Love Lab

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Dogakobo

Genre: Romance, School, Comedy 

Director: Masahiko Ohta

Series Composition: Takashi Aoshima

Synopsis: 

"The Fujisaki Girls Academy is known for their school body being composed of very proper students. The most prominent one of them is Maki, the student president who is admired by her classmates for her calm and polite demeanor. On the other hand, Kurahashi Riko is also admired but for having a very forward and boyish personality. Riko accidentally walks into Maki while she's practicing kissing with a pillow and learns that she isn't what everyone thinks she is. Riko is forced into keeping Maki's secret and join her in practicing all aspects of romance like holding hands and more."

Comment: 
Yeah, it's definitely a perverse premise, and probably not one for me. The manga is labeled seinen and when a bunch of cute girls are featured on a seinen show, you know you are in for some hefty antics/tropes/fanservices. The person on script appears to be a long-time patiner of director Ohta, and they both have more than enough experience in the school comedy department (Minami-ke, Mitsudomoe, Kotoura-san, etc.) and this series sits squarely in their comfort zone. I don't know, if you are a fan, I would assume the it is in capable hands? 

Interest Level: Low 

Gin no Saji

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Genre: School, Comedy 

Director: Tomohiko Ito

Series Composition: Taku Kishimoto

Synopsis:

"Yugo Hachiken dreams of life separated from his family, so he takes the initiative by enrolling in an agriculture school. He thinks, with his talent in studying, no problems will arise no matter what kind of school he attends. He is proven wrong very quickly. Raised as a city boy, he is forced to uncover the inconvenient truth about agricultural life. Enjoy the story of Hachiken, as he tries to keep up with his new friends, farmers' heirs, who are already accustomed to the harsh world of farming. With no clear goals or understanding of farming life, how will Hachiken survive this new, cruel reality? The story of a sweat, tear, and mud-stained youth begins!"

Comment: 

Adapted from a manga authored by the critically acclaimed Hiromu Arakawa, I think we have ourselves a fairly interesting comedy to look forward to. To be honest, it's hard to see how a story set in a farm can be appealing and I would think part of the reason for its massive public attention is the author behind it (Fullmetal Alchemist is truly a classic and Arakawa sensei will be remembered by it). When I did some digging, it seems many fans of FMA were disappointed by the direction Awakawa sensei has taken for her latest work – you have to admit, going from bad-ass shonen to slice of life comedy is nothing less than drastic. While it's hard to not make comparison between the author's two works, at the end of the day, each is an independent journey deserving to be judged by its own worth. As for the staff, the director of the wildly popular SAO is back to tackle his second directory job for a TV series and let's hope things wrap up nicely this time around – I don't think I need to remind you what a disaster the second part of SAO was. On paper though, he has a pretty solid resume boasting some great titles, including two Hosoda movies, which he worked on as the assistant director. The script is headed by the one responsible for the incredibly heart-warming Usagi Drop. I dare say we have a strong staff on the job and with Arakawa being the creative engine, I want it to be good. 

Interest Level: Medium 

Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1 | PV2

Studio: Gonzo

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural 

Director: Yukio Takahashi

Series Composition: Toshizo Nemoto

Synopsis:

"A nonsense comical mystery. Harumi Kazuhito is a high school boy who loves books and is a fan of novelist Natsuno Kirihime. One day, he finds Kirihime writing at a cafe, about to be shot by a robber. He protects her from the attack but is killed instead. Through the supernatural power of a book-worm, he is reincarnated as a dachshund dog. Kazuhito (as a dog) writhes in a painful bookless life, when a sadistic woman carrying a pair of scissors offers him help. She is Kirihime herself."

Comment:

"A nonsense comical mystery" LOL, is that really the best way to introduce a series? But I guess it might turn out exactly what it describes – a weird show for laughs, nothing more, nothing less. As a comedy (hell, aren't we getting a truck load this season), I think it has potential to be fun, let's just hope we are not greeted by massive tropes once the interesting premise runs out, that would be pretty disappointing. For now at least, the start point is original and I'm curious where it will take us, besides, I'm still waiting for the day Gonzo rises from its hell hole. 

Interest Level: Medium

Danganronpa Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei 

[Game]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Lerche

Genre: Action, Mystery, Horror, Psychological

Director: Seiji Kishi

Series Composition: Makoto Uezu

Synopsis:

"A group of 15 elite high school students are gathered at a very special, high class high school. To graduate from this high school essentially means you'll succeed in life, but graduating is very difficult. The school is presided over by a bear called Monokuma, and he explains to them that their graduation hinges around committing a murder. The only way to graduate is to kill one of your classmates and get away with it. If the other classmates discover the identity of the killer, the killer is the only one executed. However, if they fail to catch the killer, only the killer graduates and the others are annihilated. Which of the 15 will survive the bloodbath to come?" 

Comment:

Battle Royale anyone? I'll admit, even when it's becoming one of the most overused premises, I still find it appealing. The fun is in the hunt, and with a season so light and fluffy, any serious mind twisting is much welcomed. Our last Battle Royale-esque anime Btooom! drowned from excessive cheese – when you spend too much time on dramatizing your character, the rest becomes less effective, and the rest is pretty damn important with a premise that capitalizes on plot rather than characters. I hope Danganronpa doesn't miss the point and veer off in a direction that stales the fun. I can't say much with certainty about the Kishi/Uezu dual here, they have proven capable before (Humanity has Declined), but I'm not sure they are successful in pulling my attention with the currently running Devil Survivor – and disconcertingly, Danganronpa is also a game adaption, which by the record means there is lots of room for things to go wrong. The studio behind the wheels is very very new, in fact, this is actually its very first TV series, so I have no idea what to expect on the production value side of things. Ahh, what da heck, I'm kind of excited about it.

Interest Level: Medium

Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C³-bu

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Gainax
Genre: School, Military, Comedy
Director: Masayoshi Kawajiri
Series Composition: N/A
Synopsis:
"Yura Yamato has just arrived at the high school division of Stella Women's Academy, when Sonora Kashima invites her to join a club called "C³". Sonora is the third-year student who became the new head of this club for military survival games. The other members include two second-year students (part-Japanese Karila Hatsuse and G36K-wielding Honoka Mutsu) and two other new students (Rento Kirishima whose family runs a Japanese sweets shop and the really short Yachiyo Hinata)."


Comment:
Yup, I'm clearly not the targeted demographic for this. The girls-with-weapons theme seems to be gaining popularity in recent years (Girls und Panzer?), but as I never got into it in the first place, any addition to the pile is irrelevant to me. Like I said, I'm not the targeted audience for it, and while that doesn't normally stop me (I'm a big fan of Shonen and some Seinen shows), certain tropes just don't work for me, and this one happens to be one of such. 

Interest Level: Low 

Brothers Conflict

[Novel]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1 

Studio: Brains Base

Genre: Romance, Shoujo, Harem 

Director: Jun Matsumoto

Series Composition: Natsuko Takahashi

Synopsis:

"Hinata Ema is the only daughter of a famous adventurer, Hinata Rintarou. One day, Ema learns that Rintarou is going to remarry with a successful apparel maker named Asahina Miwa. Since she doesn't want to disturb them, Ema decides to move out and live with her 11 new brothers in a mansion called Sunrise Residence. As they live under the same roof, romance is starting to grow between Ema and the Asahina brothers."

Comment:

When I'm just lauding Brains Base for its choice of source material, it decides to hand me this – another  wish fulfilling, fanservice riddled anime. Here I thought Amnesia was an experimental mistake, but to my dismay, seems like Brains Base wants to make it into a habit. If you want to pander, at least try to be subtle or at least tasteful about it, but Brothers Conflict isn't giving me any indication to believe so. The boys are nothing more than eye-candies, and the girl is the mary-sue every guy in the story mindlessly falls in love with. Well, to be fair, she probably has more personality than the nameless walking cardboard in Amnesia. Sigh, am I being too harsh? Just because I've outgrown shoujo tropes, doesn't mean they don't have any values to the younger audience, which I believe is the targeted demographic. Hey, it provides the perfect channel for me to complain and be all high and mighty, so in that sense it's not completely without merits. 

Interest Level: Low

Rozen Maiden (2013)

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Deen

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Action

Director: Mamoru Hatakeyama

Series Composition: Tomomi Mochizuki

Synopsis:

"Sakurada Jun spends his days online, ordering whatever he takes a liking to, only to return it before the payment is due. Due to psychological trauma from school, Jun generally keeps contact with people as little as possible. One day he finds instructions online that tell him to put his order into his desk drawer. Rubbing it off as a joke, Jun mindlessly does so only to find that his order instantly disappears from his drawer. A package suddenly appears, containing a beautiful antique doll. When wound up, this doll comes to life. Sadly for Jun, this doll Shinku views Jun as an equivalent for a servant. Despite the constant demands Jun now receives from Shinku, she slowly helps him overcome his fears of human contact as well as protect him from the deadly battles that come into his life due to her appearance."

Comment:

This is the show that popularized the catch phrase "desu~" and inspired an onslaught cosplays. Never thought I would see the return of Rozen Maiden after all these years and well, I'm damn excited for it and for sure I'm not the only one. I believe this is a new adaption rather than a direct sequel (which would be kind of odd considering the first anime deviated from the manga from what I've heard), so new comers should be fine without having seen the first adaption. I watched Rozen Maiden many years ago and I enjoyed it a great deal back then, though to be honest, I don't know how my sentiment will change with this new series now that I'm older. For nostalgia sakes, I just can't bring myself to skip out on this one. 

Interest Level: High 

Watashi Ga Motenai....

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1

Studio: Silver Link

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

Director: Shin Oonuma

Series Composition: Takao Yoshioka

Synopsis:

"Kuroki Tomoko is a super popular, high school girl who has had 50 years of dating experience and 100 boys... in the Otome game world. In the real world, she is a 15-year-old shut in who has all of the qualities of a "mojo" (a gloomy or unpopular woman). However, when school isn't going as she expected, and she isn't as popular as she had thought she was, she takes a look at herself in the mirror for the first time in a few years, and has some shocking revelations..."

Comment:
It's not the most original premise I've heard but I think it does have something going for it. Well, a socially awkward main character is no new invention, if anything, they are so common in anime these days I'm not sure if there are new grounds to be explored. I guess the hook here for me is we have a girl otaku as oppose to the typical male nerd, and if they polish up the execution, we might have a decent comedy in the making. Speaking of execution, it brings me to the staff, which isn't all that glorious by any standard. To be fair, the director is not that bad, I think he has worked on some interesting titles, but the series composition is in the hand of someone who has spent much time with ecchi and fanservice infested show. All factors accounted, the chances of a great work is incredibly low, but I guess we will see.

Interest Level: Low ~ Medium

Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1

Studio: Nomad

Genre: School, Comedy

Director: Hikaru Sato

Series Composition: Go Zappa

Synopsis:

"When a friend asks Natsuki what high school club she's going to join, she cheerfully responds "the go-home club" (meaning, she's not going to join any of them). However, she soon realizes that this club actually exists at her high school, and she's just expressed interest in joining it! Before she knows it, she ends up as one of the two new members of "the go-home club," which is a small group of eccentric school girls. One of the girls likes fighting bears, while another is ridiculously rich. But what exactly constitutes the activities of "the go-home club"?"

Comment:

School comedy is really flooding the scene isn't it and look, we have another one banking on the eccentric school club. Who knows, it may be quite interesting, but the staff on script is giving me every reason to look away – oh that resume, it's practically dripping fanservice (for the fanboys), lollicon, moe, ecchi...you name it, he has it. I'll give this an episode or two to convince me it's somehow different. 

Interest Level: Low

Gatchaman Crowds

[Original]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: Tatsunoko Production

Genre: Sci-fi, adventure

Director: Kenji Nakamura

Series Composition: Toshiya Ono 

Synopsis:

"The story is set in Japan in the early summer of 2015. 180,000 people live in Tachikawa City, the "second metropolis" of the Tokyo area. Among them are "Gatchaman" — warriors who fight in special reinforced suits powered by "NOTE," the manifestation of special spiritual powers in living beings. A council has scouted a group of individuals with latent powers to protect Earth from alien criminals. In recent years, the council has assigned Gatchaman warriors to deal with the mysterious entity known as "MESS."

Comment:

This is one of the few titles in this lineup to catch my attention immediately. How refreshing it is to finally see a sci-fi offering among a season populated with comedy. On paper, it sounds like fairly standard business evolving around super heroes saving the day, but the character themselves already seem like an interesting bunch. Kenji Nakamura is steering the ship and as director who's proven himself innovative (Mononoke, Tsuritama), I trust him to bring something new to the table. It's a tad strange this far into the pre-game, we are yet to see a PV. 

Interest Level: High

Free!

[Original]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1 | PV2 | PV3 | PV4 | PV5

Studio: Kyoto Animation

Genre: Sports 

Director: Hiroko Utsumi

Series Composition: Masahiro Yokotani

Synopsis:

"The story revolves around Haruka Nanase, a boy who has always loved to be immersed in water, and to swim in it. Before graduating from elementary school, he participated in a swimming tournament along with his fellow swimming club members, Makoto Tachibana, Nagisa Hazuki, and Rin Matsuoka. After achieving victory, each of the boys went their separate ways. Time passed, and in the middle of their uneventful high school lives Rin appears and challenges Haruka to a match, showing Haruka his overwhelming power. Not wanting it to end like this, Haruka, gathers together Makoto and Nagisa once again and brings a new member named Rei Ryugazaki to create the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club in order to defeat Rin."

Comment:
KyoAni never fails to make itself standout from the crowd and this time around, they've changed their selling strategy from cute girls doing cute things to pretty boys flaunting prettiness. What do you know, I think it's working, I find myself rather intrigued to what they are up to. We've seen all kinds of sports featured in anime before, but KyoAni is clearly not willing to let itself slip into the old shoes, so what do they do – make an anime about swimming, and shamelessly dishing out eye-candies just because they can. I mean really, it's about swimming and therefore chiseled abs is a necessity. Clever one KyoAni. For all others wanting a piece of the fanservice pie, you should watch and learn. No, in no way I'm being sarcastic, for someone who could care less about fanservice, male or female, even I have to admit KyoAni has perfected the art of pandering. Visually, it is as beautifully detailed as you would expect of any offering from the studio – I'm developing a fetish for animated hair thanks to them. As for the plot? Honestly, I have no idea what to expect and that, I believe, should be how things are.

Interest Level: Medium ~ High

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1

Studio: Silver Link

Genre: Mahou Shojo

Director: Takashi Sakamoto

Series Composition: Shin Oonuma

Synopsis:
"Spin-off of Fate/stay night with Illyasviel von Einzbern as the protagonist, living an alternate life as a school girl."

Comment:

Well, I'm not a diehard fan of the Fate franchise and honestly, I don't know what's in it for you if you aren't one. I would like to see someone try to convince me it's not another cute-girls-doing-cute-things show. Yeah, pretty hard eh? I much prefer the Urobutcher version. 

Interest Level: Very Low

Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist

[Manga]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1

Studio: Dogakobo

Genre: Supernatural, Fantasy 

Director: Chiaki Kon

Series Composition: Michiko Yokote

Synopsis:

"The story revolves around William, an aristocratic family's progeny with rare intellect. One day, his uncle lost his possessions after his business failed. Fearing that his family's name has been tarnished, William returns home and searches with his family's butler for anything that can be converted into cash. A search of the premises yields an underground room left by an ancestor. In the room is a magical seal, and William unintentionally summons a devil. The summoned devil tells William his name Dantalion, and reveals that William is the designator who can choose the acting ruler of the demon world."

Comment:

Not exactly groundbreaking stuff and it vaguely reminds me of many things at once (running along the line of Pandora Heart and Kuroshitsuji). I will probably watch it to kill time, though time happens to be the very thing I'm running short on. I guess we'll see. To say the least, I have some faith in the two good women keeping the show in check. Kon is a good director (Nodame Cantabile) and Yokote is a very experienced script writer, so as long as they don't go over board with the bishonen antics, I think it could be a interesting ride. 

Interest Level: Medium 

Choujigen Game Neptune: The Animation

[Game]

WIKI | ANN | MAL 

PV1

Studio: David Production

Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy 

Director: Masahiro Mukai

Series Composition: Shogo Yasukawa
Synopsis: 

"This is Gamindustri. Beings called the Goddesses rule the countries of this unreal world. The four Goddesses govern four states: Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. For many long years, these countries fought each other over the Shares, the source of the Goddess power. However, fearful that the conflict would pointlessly erode their countries' strenght, the Goddesses signed a Friendship Treaty forbidding them from taking Shares by force. Under the treaty, the Goddesses and their younger sisters took a step forward to a new stage in their relations. It was the dawn of a new, dymanic era marked occasionally by shared laughter, disputes as well cooperation. What does the future hold in store for Gamindustri?"

Comment:

Sounds like a series pandering to fanboys while making an attempt to be original, at least on paper. The winks, blushes, and bouncing boobs, yup....nothing new here. Besides, game adaption is a usually a good predictor of mediocrity. On an irrelevant note, they seriously need to hire better designers for the promotion poster. Skipped. 

Interest Level: Very Low

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi

[Light Novel]

WIKI | ANN | MAL

PV1

Studio: Madhouse, Starchild Records 

Genre: Mystery, Fantasy 

Director: Yuuji Kumazawa

Series Composition: Tomoko Konparu

Synopsis:

"God abandoned the world on Sunday. As a result, nobody in the world can die or reproduce. A little girl, Ai, is the gravekeeper for a village. She has prepared 47 graves for the eventual deaths of every member of the village. Later, a boy who identifies himself as "Hampnie Hambart, the 'Man-eating Toy'," which is coincidentally the name that Ai's mother left behind as the name of her father, arrives in the village and slaughters everybody. Just what is going on?"

Comment:

The premise has me hooked. Madhouse and mystery always pairs like wine and cheese. Also, hooray for originality. On the downside, light novel is almost never a recipe for greatness, so I'm on the fence for this one. 

Interest Level: Medium

The End =)