Summer 2017 Preview!

Preview by Pancakes

If spirits could live among men, it probably wouldn’t take long for some to fall in love with each other. Only natural, right? Such romance is commonplace in Enmusubi no Youko-chan’s world, although spirits—being longer lived than humans—often suffer seeing their loved ones die of old age. At least until the Fox Spirit Matchmakers get involved. In exchange for payment, the Matchmakers seek out the reincarnations of former lovers and help then regain the memories of their past romantic lives, all in the hope that spirit and human both can continue their relationship anew. As a novice Matchmaker, little Tushan Susu (Asumi Kana) tries living up to this duty, but hilariously fails more often than not. Escaping from an angry clan head Yaya (Yonezawa Madoka), Susu runs head first into the young demon hunter Yuechu Bai (Hatano Watari), who in exchange for her candy stash keeps her safe. It’s a strange pairing, but hunter and fox soon find out they have more in common than meets the eye.

Well we certainly have an interesting one here. Based off the Chinese manhua Huyao Xiao Hongniang, Enmusubi is the latest Chinese series seeing Japanese adaptation. Normally that would immediately induce concern—remember Bloodivores or Hitori no Shita?—but Enmusubi has one key thing going for it: prior adaptation. This show is condensing four ONA seasons into a two-cour run, meaning beyond the new Japanese dub, everything else largely stays the same. This is actually a good thing believe it or not, because Enmusubi is probably the best Haoliners-made anime of late. Barring a chaotic first season of comedic character introductions, Enmusubi settles into an entertaining romance tale once the main plot gets going. Besides the intriguing reincarnation theme, food junkie Bai and his money grubbing really make this show, particularly his depraved interactions with airhead Susu and her cute, naïve assumptions. If the Japanese dub can keep the same feeling and retain the comedy—which shouldn’t be too hard with Asumi pulling airhead duty—Enmusubi could be one of summer’s hidden gems. With all the fun I had binging the ONAs, I got my hopes up here.

Preview by Passerby

The scions of the rich and powerful do not attend normal schools in Japan. They are sent to Hyakkaou Private Academy, where the core curriculum is neither reading, writing, nor arithmetic. It’s gambling. Yes, there millions of yen are wagered over playing cards and roulette wheels, and one’s status is determined solely by one’s proficiency in games of chance. The heirs of business empires and political dynasties have no need to demonstrate ability in the academic or the athletic, so they engage in powerplay instead, honing their skills at reading opponents, building alliances, rigging rules, and manipulating vast fortunes to crush their peers. But along comes mysterious transfer student Jabami Yumeko (Hayami Saori), and she has different ideas about gambling. Gambling is all about risk. Bets that are hedged are investments. Games that are rigged are scams. The thrill of gambling is in the highest stakes and the possibility of losing everything. True gambling is irrational. True gambling is madness. And Yumeko is a true gambler, for she is utterly, deeply mad.

So, high school Kaiji? Something like that. There’s plenty of stories about gambling, much in the sports drama vein—after all, how much more direct can a thriller be than with literal wagers and risky bets? In this adaptation of Kawamoto Homura‘s manga Kakegurui (Compulsive Gambler), though, there are no plucky underdogs to root for, nor sparks of human compassion that triumph. Instead we have a full cast of sociopaths, split between the evil and the wretched with no sympathetic middle ground, and it’s about finding the least unlikeable one to stand behind. It’s the same reason why one might root for Hannibal Lecter or Dexter; sure, they’re homicidal maniacs, but they’re our homicidal maniacs, and we count on them to murder all the other ones. The end result for Kakegurui is a twisted psychological thriller where our protagonist basically has to out-crazy all comers, for the less crazy is the one who breaks. I have no doubt Garo’s Hayashi Yuichirou directing and skilled veteran Kobayashi Yasuko writing can work together again to deliver a gripping watch, and studio MAPPA is always a good sign. There’s not much competition in the dark, psychological thriller department this season, and those are never for everyone, but I take nothing away from Kakegurui by saying it’s the one to look out for.

Preview by Takaii

I won’t mince words here: I didn’t get far through the original Luck & Logic series, and I’m pretty open to most things. That said, I think the decision to follow a slightly different path when it comes to the whole Luck & Logic world may be the thing that’ll be able to rope me back into the series. Dropping any attempts at a serious tone, it looks like we’re going to get a slice-of-life story that revolves around Liones Yelistratova (Asahina Madoka), a princess from a small nation who is attending the ALCA in hopes of becoming a successful Logicalist. (For the uninitiated, a Logicalist is someone who’s made a contract with a Goddess from the “other” world and can go into a “trance” where their contracted Goddess temporarily bestows upon them great powers they use to protect the world from “foreigners” that are coming over from that “other” world.) Along the way, we’ll meet a ton of different Logicalists, all of whom have their own unique personalities as well as their own reasons for attending the ALCA.

To put it simply, it feels like Hina Logi: From Luck & Logic is going to be something along the lines of a school-life/slice-of-life show that integrates magic and magical-looking girls to spice things up. Toss in a more relaxed character design that seems to (based on promotional material) jump from clean and heavy lines to chibi and deformed and I think you have a winning combination for a really fun show that’ll liven up anyone’s summer anime fare. For some light housekeeping, Hina Logi: From Luck & Logic will be animated by Doga Kobo where Akagi Hiroaki (episode director for Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, GJ-bu) will be directing and Sugawara Yukie (Sword Art Online) will be handling the series composition. Sure, some of those shows may tip the scale in either direction for some people, but with the over-the-top nature of SAO and the head behind some amazingly fun slice-of-life series, I think we’re in for something good with this show. That said, if you’re looking for a serious show that tries to tackle the idea of unknown entities invading our world and the people in charge of protecting us, Hina Logi probably isn’t that.

Preview by Zephyr

The next chapter of the Fate franchise arrives in the form of Fate/Apocrypha. Set in a parallel world to Fate/stay night, the series takes place shortly after the events of the Third Holy Grail War. Rather than leading to the Fourth and Fifth Wars as we saw in Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night respectively, the series diverges from the original timeline with the sudden disappearance of the Greater Grail. Following an extended period without Grail Wars, a family of magi called the Yggdmillennia secedes from the Mage’s Association and reveals that they are in possession of the Grail. With a mysterious servant at hand, they slaughter all but one of the fifty magi sent by the Mage’s Association to reclaim it. But the remaining mage manages to activate an underlying system within the Greater Grail, triggering the summoning of fourteen servants and the start of the Great Holy Grail War. Summoned by the grail to be the war’s mediator, Ruler (Sakamoto Maaya) oversees the conflict between the Black Faction (with members from Yggdmillennia) and the Red Faction (representatives of the Mage’s Association). The series will be directed by Asai Yoshiyuki (episode director of Star Driver, UN-GO, Zetsuen no Tempest), with series composition by Higashide Yuichiro (Fate/Apocrypha’s original creator).

With the success of Fate/Grand Order in Japan, its imminent arrival in the U.S., and the tremendous reception recent Fate anime have received, the Fate franchise is arguably at the apex of its popularity. As such, a new adaptation wasn’t surprising, and Fate/Apocrypha is a fitting choice given the presence of Ruler, a servant we’ve seen cameos of but have yet to see in any official capacity aside from Grand Order. Interestingly enough, the series is a product of A-1 Pictures rather than ufotable—likely due to the latter’s work on the Heaven’s Feel movie trilogy—and a new studio brings both questions and a chance to see something stylistically different. It’ll be hard to trump the excellence ufotable brought, and it can be worrying seeing a first-time director in the hot seat, but the inclusion of Fate/Apocrypha’s original creator will go a long way toward helping this adaptation. The fact that we’re getting to see a large cast of characters we haven’t seen before makes things even more exciting, and it’s always great having GARNiDELiA and EGOIST performing themes for a series. Still, it’s a Fate series through and through, and whether that’s a good or bad thing for you will determine if this’ll be worth a watch or not.

Preview by Takaii

For those of you who didn’t catch Touken Ranbu Hanamaru, which focused on the more slice-of-life side of swords who have been turned into Ikemen-personifications, Katsugeki looks like it’s going to focus on the grittier side of swords that must defend the present from demons and monsters trying to change the past.

This time around we have a whole new studio heading the ship, and completely different swords leading the story for this iteration of Touken Ranbu’s adaptation from online game to anime. With ufotable behind the animation—the studio who handled, among other things, the recent adaptations of the Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero series—it’s not too hard to guess that there’d also be amazing people working behind the scene. With Shirai Toshiyuki (Fate/Zero) directing, Fukasawa Hideyuki (Unlimited Blade Works) handling music, a handful of people dedicated to weapon animation, a historical researcher, and even a swordsmanship expert, I think you’d probably be underselling the show if you said it had a packed staff. What gets me excited about this adaptation,though, is the plot’s central focus. Instead of giving us lots of different moments (and in turn, swords) to pick and choose from, it looks like we’ll be focusing around Kunihiro Horikawa (Enoki Junya) and Kanesada Izuminokami (Kimura Ryohei) as they lead the charge to save the past from being changed by beings from the future. Overall, I don’t think you have to look any further if you wanted a show based on the Touken Ranbu IP that focuses on all the serious aspects. With a studio and people who have experience bringing a story to life through the use of pretty good storytelling and amazeballs animation, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, especially if you’re feeling a little nervous after what Hanamaru became.

Preview by Zephyr

In the years prior to the original series, humanity found itself suddenly under attack from aliens known as the Noise. Capable of turning humans into dust on contact and impervious to weapons, the Noise drove humanity to the brink of destruction, and were stopped only by those wielding armor known as Symphogears. Having acquired a Symphogear after the death of its previous wielder, Tachibana Hibiki (Yuuki Aoi) found herself fighting to protect humanity from the Noise, coming together with other Symphogear users in Kazanari Tsubasa (Mizuki Nana) and Yukine Chris (Takagaki Ayahi) to stop their advance and prevent the moon from colliding with the earth in what became known as the Frontier Incident. Joined by former enemies of previous seasons, the group awakens to new powers just in time to prevent alchemists from breaking the planet into pieces, ultimately setting up for this year’s new series in Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ. Pronounced “Axis” and led by Ono Katsumi (the director of Symphogear G and GX), the newest iteration will see our Symphogear users thrust into another life or death fight to save the planet.

And so, the Symphogear train keeps on going. You’d think they’d slow down after releasing three seasons in just over three years, but it seems like Mizuki Nana’s desire to continue the series is all that’s needed, and we’re getting not only a fourth season in AXZ, but also a fifth one in the near future. As I mentioned in my last Symphogear preview, having more Mizuki Nana is always welcome, and this is the rare series that makes use of both her acting and singing talents. Unfortunately, masterful writing and great character development aren’t exactly part of the package, and Symphogear is a series that ultimately caters to those looking for entertainment and great music more than anything. There have been notable improvements across the board since Ono Katsumi took over as the franchise’s director following the first season, and with the destruction of entire mountains just to prevent a shuttle crash in the first episode, the third season brought the franchise to another level in terms of over-the-top action scenes. Last I checked, the BD sales across seasons have also increased correspondingly, and this is certainly one of those series that is worth watching provided you go in with the right expectations. One would do well to catch up to the previous three seasons before watching AXZ however.

Preview by Zaiden

Poor sod gets hit by a car and dies. But wait, there’s more! Who else is ready for transported-to-another-world anime meets mecha? Dying was possibly the best thing that could have happened to our mecha-otaku protagonist. Reincarnated as Ernesti Echevarria (Takahashi Rie), he finds himself thrown into a fantasy world where giant humanoid machines called Silhouette Knights rule the skies. Providing magic as their energy source, only pilots qualified from the academy are allowed to operate these behemoths. Accompanied by Archid (Sugawara Shinsuke) and Adeltrud (Ohashi Ayaka), the ever faithful Walter twins, Eru signs up for the academy and sets his sights on becoming the youngest Knight Runner – those deemed worthy enough to pilot the Silhouette Knights.

Yamamoto Yuusuke will be bringing his experience from Aquarion Evol to this adaptation. Though Knight’s & Magic enjoys a highly fascinating premise built upon a promising fantasy world, it has a few shortcomings. Firstly, Eru is pretty much your standard light novel protagonist, other than his enthusiastic obsession for mecha. Aside from that, he is a charismatic and eccentric genius who values friendship above all else. You could really say that mecha are his one and only true love, given how he shows no care for the various girls fawning over him. Although crises and war primarily drive the story, don’t expect to find any deeper meaning. These themes mostly lack substance and are merely used to flex Eru’s capabilities at every opportunity. But there are still many things about Knight’s & Magic that are enjoyable, and well worth your while. If you like isekai (transported-to-an-alternate-world) stories, mecha, and highschool battles, then Knight’s & Magic is exactly the show you are looking for.

Preview by Takaii

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun (or Cleanliness Boy! Aoyama-kun) is the story of a young first year high school student named Aoyama (Okiayu Ryotaro) who is amazing at soccer. So amazing in fact that he is the international representative for Japan’s youth league. However, such amazing skills don’t come for free, and in Aoyama’s case his balancing feature is that he could be used to define the word cleanliness. Refusing to head the ball or slide in for a tackle, he’ll go as far as refusing to throw the ball back in unless he’s wearing a pair of gloves. Alongside him are Zaizen Kaoru (Seki Tomokazu), a second year who was the previous shot caller on the high school’s soccer team, and Gotou Moka (Haruno Anzu), a female first year who carries around a spiked baseball bat who just happened to meet Aoyama-kun back in elementary school.

I have conflicting feelings about this show. It has a fairly unique premise that tries to tie together two totally different genres, but I’m not sure how well the idea of a clean freak being a fantastic soccer player goes together. I do have a soft spot in my heart for characters who are a little crazy, and when the subject matter is a soccer player who refuses to do things in order to stay “clean”, I can only imagine what kind of hilarity could ensue. Toss in the fact that there is the possibility that the show could also run with the whole playing soccer element and I can honestly say there’s a small fire slowly growing in me the more I think about this show. In terms of the people behind the scenes, not much stands out, though we do have a veteran studio (Studio Hibari) handling the animation. All-in-all, I have pretty decent expectations for Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun and I’m hoping it can deliver.

Preview by Pancakes

It just wouldn’t be a proper season without a battle academy show, and here to fill that illustrious void is Battle Girl High School. Based off of COLOPL’s popular mobile RPG, BGHS centres on an invasion by the mysterious Irousu, an alien presence responsible for contaminating most of the known world. With humanity increasingly contained to small segments of land, it falls to the Star Guardians of Shinjugammine Girls Academy to help save the day. As Star Guardians are the only individuals capable of fighting against the Irousu, the Academy’s sole duty is to train ordinary girls into these dangerous, yet essential, weapons of war. It’s not an easy life protecting the world, but the Star Guardians will do what it takes to see their job through.

It’s hard denying the deck appears stacked against BGHS. It’s a game adaptation—and mobile at that—running the same battle academy alien invasion shtick seen countless times before. Sure, BGHS is not exactly Schoolgirl Strikers or Ange Vierge, but having those as family is not conducive toward optimistic thinking. Not helping matters is the likely adaptation route. BGHS plays a lot like Kancolle, where the player is a (male) teacher responsible for training—and head patting—a class of girls. With an in-game story structured around this relationship, BGHS’ adaptation will likely also go the way of Kancolle’s and create something anime original for the sake of simplicity. No guarantee of failure of course, but we saw how well ship girls worked for those unfamiliar with the game. BGHS’ success will boil down to target audience. If only aiming for game fans we may not get much, but if the show goes for broad appeal we could see something amazing. Considering the stacked voice acting cast (Sakura Ayane, Yuuki Aoi, Amamiya Sora, oh my) and Silver Link’s recent track record, it’s definitely possible, particularly if BGHS yields an enjoyable story. The concept may sound generic and the show here only for advertisement, but there’s nothing stopping BGHS from being entertaining all the same.

Preview by Zaiden

Inaba Yuushi (Abe Atsushi) lives an unhappy and lonely life, Hase Mizuki (Nakamura Yuuichi) being his dearest and only friend. Yuushi’s parents died when he was young, and although his extended relatives looked after him without complaining, he could tell he was an unwanted burden. Eager to move out after graduating middle school, the scheduled student accommodation burns down before Yuushi can take up residence. Problem is, Yuushi is desperate to move out of an oppressive home environment but is faced with reluctance from his relatives to pay for more expensive accommodation. He finds a deal which seems too good to be true – the catch being that his new accommodation is located within a haunted house. Here, regular humans and supernatural creatures live in harmony, something that disturbs an initially unaccustomed Yuushi. Fellow human resident Kuga Akine (Sawashiro Miyuki) helps Yuushi gradually ease in. In fact, she can even exorcise evil spirits! An eventful high school life awaits Yuushi, predominantly consisting of character development gained through interactions with his newfound youkai friends.

I’ve read plenty of the monthly manga releases and know I would definitely enjoy an anime adaptation of Youkai Apato no Yuuga na Nichijou. My slight concern would be over the choice of director, Hashimoto Mitsuo, who has mostly worked on action-packed stuff under Toei Animation. The key visuals have me worried that Hashimoto may adhere to his usual directorial style, which may be to the detriment of any focus on character development – something I value the most in this series. Seeing the protagonist come of age while being shaped by his supernatural encounters really puts his struggles with life into perspective. Having lived a long time, his supernatural friends are often wise and approachable in providing moral guidance or emotional support. So it’s no wonder that Yuushi comes to prefer their company over that of most ordinary people. You also slowly learn about how the youkai lived their humans lives, the circumstances of their deaths and what keeps them anchored to the world of the living. There are some pretty chilling stories, but they are often accompanied by heartwarming ones too. This might be one to watch if you really liked Natsume Yuujinchou, that is to say coming-of-age stories set in a high school context involving the supernatural.

Preview by Zaiden

Imagine a world where you are not free to fall in love, and where your marriage is arranged by the government once you reach sixteen or older based upon genetic compatibility. This is the world of Koi to Uso, where star-crossed lovers Nejima Yukari (Osaka Ryota) and Takasaki Misaki (Hanazawa Kana) cruelly find out they are not meant to be. Despite having loved each other since elementary school, a government notice arrives just as Yukari confesses, assigning him a marriage partner. You may be thinking, why not just ignore the notice? The problem is that ignoring the notice carries a heavy penalty, equivalent to having a stigmatic mark of shame within society that ruins all your future prospects. Left with no other choice, Yukari acquaints himself with his equally reluctant marriage partner, Sanada Lilina (Makino Yui). So begins the tale of a love triangle, set in the backdrop of a fictional world where lies are forbidden and love doubly so.

The characters are what you would typically expect of love triangle stories, with Yukari being quite a generic protagonist as the nice guy with a flat personality who has everyone falling for him. But he functions completely fine as a tool utilised for exploring conflicts and injustice inherent to the fictional work’s speculative society. His interactions between his original love interest Takasaki and his arranged marriage partner Lilina are what drive this series. Being the creative force behind Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo and Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari, I’m fairly confident director Takuno Seiki will do a good job conveying the more lighthearted moments in the series. The question will be whether he can capture the heavier exploration of societal issues resulting from such an intriguing premise, namely state-sanctioned erosion of free will and self-determination. A deep level of engagement is required to flesh out these ideas, and it would be a shame if they ended up becoming oversimplified for whatever reason. It could be very hit or miss, but if the idea of a love triangle with an unconventional premise is something that piques your interest, be sure to check out Koi to Uso.

Preview by Passerby

If you wander off main street, slip away from the crowd of the shopping district, and walk down to the basement of a nondescript building on the corner, you’ll find a door with a picture of a cat on it. Inside, you’ll find a quaint little eatery called the ‘Youkosho no Nekoya’. With a respectable fifty-year history, Nekoya prides itself on its Western-style cuisine, which has groomed a steady clientèle of office workers looking for food both appetising and affordable. There, at the glazed oak tables amid the dim mood lighting, you can indulge in dinner with class, open a bottle from the chef’s personal cellar, and have a pleasant chat with the friendly staff. If you visit on a Saturday, though, Nekoya’s door will not open. It’s closed for business. But rumour has it that Nekoya still serves on those days, just to a different set of customers. For the restaurant sits not only on the corner of the shopping district, but on the corner between worlds. And on Saturdays Nekoya prepares a special menu—for diners from lands beyond imagination, from all walks of life, each with their own story to tell.

I don’t know if ‘food anime’ can be considered a genre unto itself, but we certainly have anime that make it their main appeal to show off delicious food like, say, Koufuku Graffiti. In that sense, Isekai Shokudou (Other-World Restaurant) is definitely a food anime. Every chapter of the source web-novel-turned-light-novel by Inuzuka Junpei features a different dish described in detail down to the sensation of every bite, and I’m sure the anime adaptation will seek to rouse our appetites as well. What separates Isekai Shokudou from other shows is not the food served—which is fairly familiar (though delicious) Japanese cooking—but the people eating it. The ‘Other World’ part of the title involves folks from a fairly standard sword-and-sorcery, Tolkien-based fantasy world crossing over into our mundane one to sample our cuisine. If there’s one thing humanity can boast about in the modern age it’s food, and watching people from a pre-industrial, feudal society taste the fruits of 21st century culinary science and be floored by it makes one appreciate all the good things we may have taken for granted. It’s the happiness that only a warm meal can bring. And honestly? I got hungry just researching this show. Watching it will be simply delectable.

Preview by Stilts

From Hiroyuki, the mangaka behind Doujin Work and Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to, comes an anime about a very stupid girl. Aho Girl stars Hanabatake Yoshiko (Yuuki Aoi), a high school girl who is an idiot in everything. Academically, socially—you name it. She’s as dull as a sack of hammers. This leaves her studious, serious, and constantly pissed off neighbor Akutsu Akuru (Sugita Tomokazu) to look after her, often with violent results (for Yoshiko). Add in level-headed best friend Sumino Sayaka (Harada Sayaka), the Public Morals Chairwoman (Uesaka Sumire) who’s a closet pervert, and more zany characters down the line, and life is never boring when Yoshiko is stupiding around.

Aho Girl is a manga best enjoyed in small doses. It’s novel for the female lead to be the victim of the male lead’s vicious punches, but Yoshiko is so damn stupid that she’s not compelling. That means it’s up to Akkun and the secondary characters to carry the day, with Yoshiko as the chaos around which their lives revolve, and only some of them are up to the task. I’m quite fond of Sayaka, but it’s only later when characters like Akkun’s sister, their homeroom teacher, the playground kids, and the dog appear that Hiroyuki’s gags really start hitting. (The dog is the best.) Hiroyuki is still a great comedy writer, so he’s making good use of a sub-par setup, but I worry the anime will be too much at one time of what I only enjoyed in small doses, even though each episode is only 15-minutes long. The cast and staff is sick though: director Kusakawa Keizou has a huge resume, series composer Aoshima Takashi has a ton of experience writing comedy series in particular (Gabriel DropOut, Himouto, Minami-ke, Mitsudomoe), and the seiyuu slate is stacked with comedic powerhouses. Heck, I’d watch a show just to hear Yuuki Aoi, Sugita Tomokazu, and Uesaka Sumire be silly. If you’re looking for a comedy, go into this with appropriate expectations and you just might enjoy it, idiots and all.

Preview by Zaiden

Tsurezure Children is an adaptation coming from Wakabayashi Toshiya’s 4-koma collection, depicting various scenarios of high school love. The result is a fun, lighthearted romance series, showcasing little snippets of how different couples respond to developments in their respective relationships. These delightful stories range from a shy guy with self confidence issues to a socially awkward otaku being infatuated with a girl who takes the same bus as him. Off the crazy end of the scale, there is also that girl who mingles her own blood into some homemade chocolate, hoping to win over a guy’s affection. The spring time of love blossoms as we are treated to many loveable characters, partially defined through their unique relationship dynamics.

The diversity of perspectives is what makes Tsurezure Children feel so refreshing. I feel it really adds to the humor, when certain couples resort to asking for advice from other couples, who may even have similar problems themselves. You can be sure to expect different problems or unexpected developments, that aren’t just the same old run-of-the-mill formula. There’s so much I can go into detail about, but I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for anyone. Just expect a cute and fluffy romance, told in a sequence of short story-style arrangements! While I have my doubts about Kaneko Hiraku, who has an illustrious directorial record consisting of nothing but extreme ecchi or straight-up hentai, Urahata Tatsuhiko is in charge of both the script and series composition. As the man behind the scripts in the latter seasons of ARIA, Haganai and Hanasaku Iroha, I feel there’s actually a pretty high ceiling here, depending on whether Kaneko-san can take full advantage of the resources he has been provided. If a balance is found, a work that is exceedingly interesting may result! I really look forward to seeing how their creative talents mix. Sure to be a harmonious mélange of blossoming love, Tsurezure Children will be a definite treat for those who find themselves easily engaged with love stories of any kind.

Preview by Pancakes

Quiz shows, they’re the sort of oddball thing you might catch grandparents—or embarrassed girlfriends—watching on occasion. But competitive quizzes do actually exist outside of evening television, and at Bunzou High the Quiz Research Club is wholly devoted to playing these games. After entering into the school, Koshiyama Shiki (Horie Shun) is quickly pressured to join the club by its suspicious and overeager president Sasajima Gakuto (Satou Takuya), but manages to escape with only a promotional flyer. Unfortunately for Shiki though, his quiz club problems are far from over after accidentally catching a glimpse of fellow classmate Fukami Mari’s (Kawashima Umika) precious undergarments. Blackmailed by Mari into joining the club with her in exchange for her silence, Shiki is about to discover what the hidden world of competitive quizzes is all about.

Oh Japan, may your quirky premises never cease. With competitive sport club-life shows all the rage right now, it was just a matter of time before we got something like this, but really, competitive quizzes? Nanamaru Sanbatsu certainly gets points for thinking outside the box. The manga is your typical paint by numbers club setting—timid, loner protagonist, a group of eccentric club members who slowly become good friends, club retention challenges—but using quizzes as the thematic glue offers some unique and interesting possibilities. Much like wildly popular Jeopardy!, Nanamaru’s emphasis on knowledge over physical prowess allows for a degree of audience “participation” just not possible from more traditional sports stories. Hate exercising but like answering questions and wracking the mind? This is the show for you. Helping Nanamaru in particular is its fun starting arcs and confirmed one-cour run, meaning the show—for better or worse—should not noticeably slow down or stumble over time. If you have a thing for facts or simply enjoy a good, adventurous club-life series, consider giving Nanamaru a try. With such a wild premise, it could easily be one of summer’s biggest surprises.

Preview by Passerby

Remember that famous piece of ancient Chinese literature, Journey to the West? Don’t you think it needs a dieselpunk spin-off sequel? Well, mangaka Minekura Kazuya sure did when she wrote the original Saiyuuki, and now the sequel of the sequel of that manga is getting an anime adaptation in summer 2017. The story goes something like this: the setting of Journey to the West has moved to something resembling the modern age, and in the land of Toungenkyou, humans and youkai (the Southeast Asian supernatural bogey variant) live in peace. But one day, the youkai suddenly turn on the humans, slaughtering them as if gripped by insanity. Turns out, someone is trying to unseal an evil demon lord via forbidden techniques, and the reverberations are driving the youkai to madness. And it’s happening in the west. Maverick monk Genjou Sanzou (Seki Toshihiko) must get the band back together again, and he and his entourage of misfits are charged with journeying westward once more, to the source of this incident, battling assassins and strange phenomena as they go. Now, they’ve finally arrived in India, where the chaos is only more intense, and the four are forced to face the pasts they left behind 500 years ago.

The first thing to note about Saiyuuki: there sure is a lot of it. Just as the original Journey to the West has inspired countless variations, so too has Saiyuuki. The first manga was a creature of 1997 (so, 20th anniversary, I guess), and despite the mangaka’s health issues she’s just kept on drawing since then, and now we have dozens of volumes as well as movies, OVAs, musicals, and, of course, TV anime series. For those of you thinking about jumping into Saiyuuki for the first time this season, attracted to Journey of the West reimagined with badass pretty-boys going on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (and who can blame you? I strongly recommend that you catch up on some of the previous material first. Although Saiyuuki is largely episodic action adventure, at least flip through the manga to get a sense of the overarching plot. For returning veterans of the series, I’m not sure what to tell you to expect. The Reload Blast edition of the manga hasn’t actually gotten very deep yet, so it’s unclear how much will be adapted in what way. The staff is also mostly new, although some voice roles do return. Hopefully, this fresh series will be able to capture the central appeal of Saiyuuki: an old-school action romp, with a dark Chinese folklore twist.

Preview by Choya

The Mizuki Diving Club (or MDC) has fallen on hard times and is on the verge of collapse from the combination of financial troubles and the threat of losing sponsorship. However, a new coach, Kayoko Asaki (Nazuka Kaori), persuades the club’s parent company to give them another year of support on one condition: One of their divers must have a position on Japan’s Olympic diving team in a year’s time. The story is told from the point of view of Tomoki Sakai (Kaji Yuuki), a diver whose potential had been wasted during his time on the diving team. However, when he starts receiving Kayoko’s supervision, a new world is opened before his eyes alongside his teammates.

I was skeptical about whether this was coming out to capitalize on the popularity of Free! when I first saw the poster. After all, there’s a cast of buff swimmers and exclamation points!! However, what sets this series apart from KyoAni’s smash hit is its long history. DIVE!! began as a set of novels released from 2000 to 2004 by Mori Eto, the original author of the award-winning Colorful. The series also had a live-action film adaptation in 2008, and a manga around the same time. I admit that what piques my interest the most about the new adaptation is knowing that it’s an older story from a talented writer, and the noitaminA label, but the story sounds like the makings of an engaging sports drama. A high-stakes gamble with the careers and passions of a diving team on the line, tension between divers fighting to remain relevant on a team that’s only starting to improve, a coming-of-age story of a teenager tasked to handle the pressure of thinking beyond the future to continue diving, a determined coach fighting tooth and nail to make sure her team on the verge of collapse can rise from the ashes as Olympians—sounds like a thrilling uphill battle for survival! For those who are in it for the manservice, you should be in for a treat, but there is also a lot of promise to DIVE!! that should be on your radar if you’re looking to scratch that sports anime itch.

Preview by Choya

For the average person, a trip to the convenience store is a quick, easy way to grab food and sundries. For the students in Konbini Kareshi, the convenience store becomes a special meeting ground they can meet, relax, and make small memories. While first-year students Mishima Haruki (Terashima Takuma) and Honda Towa (Suzumura Kenichi) anticipate their upcoming school life, Sanagi Nasa (Kaji Yuuki) continues his club activities as the sole member of the cooking research club, and Asumi Natsu (Kamiya Hiroshi) opts to remain alone during his second year as his older friends Nakajima Mikado (Tachibana Shinnosuke) and Sakurakouji Masamune (Sakurai Takahiro) watch over him. Whether it’s to grab snacks or magazines, the six boys pay the convenience store a visit during significant moments in their lives. The anime follows them as they fall in love with girls at school, tracking their emotional state and personal lives up through the moment of their confessions.

As strange as it sounds, this romantic slice-of-life show might just be one of the more fascinating shows this season. The anime comes on the heels of the end of Date Hayato’s tenure as the director of the entire Naruto anime, making it the first project he’s directed since the anime ended this year. That alone makes this anime highly anticipated to see what he can do after spending fifteen years with Naruto, but the fact that he gravitated toward an original romantic high school story is very intriguing. It also helps that there’s an all-star cast with Koshimizu Ami, Tamura Yukari, Sawashiro Miyuki, Kugimiya Rie, and Horie Yui joining the guys. Although there’s a lot of anticipation on the staff, the premise itself is gearing up to be a refreshing series of love stories. I like how the convenience store becomes the center of the story as a hub for the students’ lives, and am curious about the role it will play in getting the couples together. Will they come together by their own fruition outside of the store, or is there something in the store’s onigiri? Regardless, I’m already thinking about how Konbini Kareshi will turn out.

Preview by Stilts

This original anime stars nine girls on a quest to revive their fruit-growing home town. Action Heroine Cheer Fruits is set in a time when local heroines have debuted all across the country, and whose action live events have become a hit trend. In Hinano City, high school girl Shirogane Misaki (Ichimichi Mao) and eight other girls decide to become local heroines (at the urging of Misaki’s aunt, the prefectural governor) in order to revitalize their flagging town through their exciting action shows.

Love Live and Sakura Quest meets Samurai Flamenco, maybe. I’m sure there are more parallels I could draw, but I don’t want to be reductive. Pulling inspiration from other stories is fine! What matters is if the results is good. This is an original series, though, so there’s only so much we can know before it airs. The staff at Diomedea doesn’t look too shabby, and the seiyuu cast are all up-and-comers who should be up to the task. The nine girls are varied in their interests and personalities, as is expected from a cute-girls-doing-cute-things show. The promo videos don’t reveal much, save that the animation looks fine and the humor will probably be soft and fluffy. I make a habit of previewing shady originals, but this one doesn’t look shady. It could be nice! Though it could also be a boring disaster if the execution isn’t there. I give it the benefit of the doubt though, so if cute-girls-doing-hero-show-things sounds like fun to you, give this one a try.

Preview by Stilts

Nearly two thousand years ago, in the south sea of Beloskur, a gigantic hole was discovered. The titanic pit became known as the Abyss, and nobody knows how deep the enormous cave system goes, nor why it’s inhabited by strange and wondrous creatures and full of mysterious ancient relics whose uses remain a mystery. The Abyss has drawn in generations of adventurers, all looking to make their fortunes in the cryptic depths. They became known as Cave Raiders. In Oosu, the town on the edge of the Abyss, there lives a group of orphans, among them a troublemaker named Rico (Tomita Miyu). She dreams of becoming a great cave raider like her mother. One day, while exploring the murky depths, she’s nearly killed by a monstrous snake known as the Bloody Maw, but is saved by a little boy who turns out to be a robot…

It’s always a good sign when I don’t want to stop reading the source material. This is a story that thrives on wondrous mystery, striving optimism, and outrageous world-building beauty. Seriously, look at the key visuals, the manga, or any of the promo videos. See those backgrounds? Look at those! Stunning is too meager a word. The very idea of the Abyss calls to the explorer in all of us, for we humans have a hard time leaving stones unturned. Add on the fantastic creatures and an enigmatic robot boy who doesn’t know who he is, and I’m already salivating for the series to start. This series presses so many buttons, and they’re not even my buttons. I’m not an explorer type, and world-mysteries aren’t my go-to. Even then, this is a show I have a hard time not recommending to everyone. So I won’t resist. I recommend this to everyone! I don’t promise it will be fantastic—I could only read so far in the manga, and stories like this always have trouble living up to the hype their first few episodes create—but for the beauty of the backgrounds alone, and the wonder of the setting, it’s worth a shot. This could be something special.

Preview by Stilts

18if is part of “The Art of 18” multimedia project that currently includes a mobile game and a VR game. The anime stars Tsukishiro Haruto (Shimazaki Nobunaga), a young man who wakes up in a dream world and meets a mysterious girl called Lily (Nazuka Kaori). Professor Kanzaki Katsumi (Koyasu Takehito) takes an interest in Haruto and his ability to see Lily, and recruits him for his research on the dream world. When in his diver form (in the dream world), Kanzaki appears as a gentlemanly cat. What else, if anything, is going on in the dream world, or in this anime, remains a mystery for now.

I don’t honestly know if 18if will be a mystery, or if that’s just the tone mobcast’s and Gonzo’s marketing blitz is opting for. The best thing you can do to see whether you’re interested in this anime is to watch the promos, because if you read the first paragraph, you know almost everything else. To me it feels like they’re going for a dream world mystery that’s more cryptic than sinister, though the red hue suffusing the promos begs to differ. It could go either way. I really wish there was more information, because what we have isn’t enough to grab a hold of; it’s not enough to even potentially rouse my interest. That doesn’t mean it won’t be good, though. It just means we don’t know until the production team coughs up more info, or the anime begins.

Preview by Pancakes

Miracles and divine acts may seem out of vogue in the modern world, but for many people the supernatural retains importance as proof of faith. Investigating the validity of miracles, however, is no small task, and for this purpose the Catholic Church employs the Assembly of Saints. Based out of the Vatican, the Assembly consists of an array of priestly “miracle investigators” wholly responsible for determining whether a miracle is in fact a miracle. As part of the Assembly’s investigations, the brilliant cryptanalyst and paleographer Robert Nicholas (Suwabe Junichi) is partnered with good friend and genius scientist “Joseph” Hiraga Kou (Okamoto Nobuhiko) to research a claim of stigmata and tears falling on a statue of Maria. While the job is already difficult as is, things only become more challenging when an eerie incident upends the entire investigation.

If one did not know better, one would think we are looking at the anime Dan Brown. Acts of God, threats to the Church, copious use of archaic Christian history, hell we even have Robert Langdon in the form of Robert (heh) Nicholas—stubborn penchant for knowledge and all. It’s an unusual premise for anime, particularly when thematically similar series (ex: Trinity Blood) enjoy veering the way of the vampire. Given Vatican Kiseki Chousakan—like The Da Vinci Code—prefers passing over strict historical accuracy in favour of story, the strength of this show will primarily rest on the adaptation of its intriguing mystery plot. If it can spin us a good, religiously-infused yarn and maximize the suspense, it could quickly become one of summer’s top shows. Director Yonetani Yoshimoto is certainly up to the task given his fantastic work with Shokugeki no Souma, and J.C. Staff is easily capable of keeping the visuals up to par. Considering the Vatican does actually investigate miracles in real life, Vatican Kiseki Chousakan could prove quite interesting for more than one reason.

Preview by Pancakes

If you could turn back time for any reason, would you? It’s certainly an option in Jikan no Shihaisha’s world, where time-eating demons offer those seeking reversal of time the means to do so: simply sign a contract to see past mistakes corrected and senescence reversed. Well, until the demon is done consuming their “time” and erasing them from existence. Combating this issue is the sole purpose of the Chronos Rulers, time manipulators whose mission is stopping demons before they can contract with desperate people. At least that’s their intended objective. For Victor Putin (Fukuyama Jun), being a Chronos Ruler means tracking down the demon whom he contracted with and defeating it before he himself runs out of time. With his memories slowly disappearing and his age constantly reversing, Victor fights alongside his partner Kiri (Kugimiya Rie) to ensure that no demon and human can ever make his same mistake again.

I must admit, Jikan no Shihaisha really captured my interest. Besides its origins as a Taiwanese manhua, Jikan’s premise feels a lot like D. Gray Man took Curious Case of Benjamin Button’s premise and fused it with Bungou Stray Dogs. Weird abilities and comedic characters interspersed with moments of seriousness and crazy boss fights, yielding a story as much entertaining as it is intriguing. Victor in particular exemplifies the style, comically failing at gambling and popping up in unexpected places before busting out an eccentric repertoire of time-sensitive card tricks. And that’s before touching on his infamous last name. The components are definitely here for a decently fun shounen adaptation, but there are some noticeable concerns. Matsune Masato’s sole directorial experience comes from Chaos Dragon, and Project No.9—barring its work on NetoYome—is not a studio one particularly looks on with glee. It’s an honest crap shoot what we end up with, but I’m cautiously optimistic so long as the manga is faithfully adapted. With time already being such an ubiquitous theme, any series willing to venture outside that box deserves a little support.

Preview by Passerby

Imperial calendar, 451. The Turkiye Devleti, a stratocracy in what we might know as Anatolia. Rumours of war are brewing. The neighbouring Balt-Rhein Empire has grown increasingly belligerent of late, and there are those in its ruling circle who will jump at any casus belli to leverage its superior military against Turkiye. And within Turkiye itself, civil unrest stirs. Long has it been ruled by the Diwan, a council of generals or ‘Pasha’, but long has its politics been calcified and now two factions have entrenched themselves in deadlock. There are the doves, who are paralysed with fear of provoking powerful rivals. But the hawks are all too eager to lash out at any perceived aggression with swords drawn and a taste for blood. Tensions are high, and into this fray steps Tughril Mahmut (Murase Ayumu), a newly appointed Pasha and the youngest to ever earn the title. He has seen the ravages of war first hand, and is willing to fight to maintain the peace. And fight he will—not just enemies on the battlefield, but also conspiracy, intrigue, betrayal, and historical grievances that threaten to engulf the entire world in violence.

It sounds oxymoronic that there can be such a thing as ‘historical fantasy’, but Shoukoku no Altair, while not exactly ‘history’, is definitely ‘historical’, and so that’s what we’ll call it. The setting of the original manga by Katou Kotono is based on one of the less explored territories of history, especially in anime: Turkey. How the Ottoman Empire, conquerors of Byzantium, heirs of Rome, sprang up then got to where it is today is fascinating stuff, and while Shoukoku no Altair isn’t actually about that (again, not actual history), it does a remarkable job portraying the broad-stroke context of an older time: culture, governance, geopolitics and all the strife that occurs when they clash. There’s no question of the material being engaging, so it’s only an issue of how the adaptation goes. I don’t think we need to worry much about that, though, as director Furuhashi Kazuhiro is an old hand, and screenwriter Takagi Noboru is no slouch either. Everything looks good so far, and we’re set for at least two seasons of this thing so we’re going to be in for a ride. If you at all enjoy history, politics, or, I dunno, baklava, then you should definitely check this one out.

Preview by Takaii

A spin-off of the author’s previous work Hitorijime Boyfriend, Hitorijime My Hero follows the lives of high school teacher Ooshiba Kousuke (Maeno Tomoaki) and delinquent Setagawa Masahiro (Masuda Toshiki), both of whom also appeared in Hitorijime Boyfriend. When it comes to the story itself, it typically ends up with Setagawa in a losing battle trying to understand the actions of his beloved teacher Kousuke while struggling to understand and accept the emotions he feels within himself. Through it all we get to see the evolution of two people as they both grow and learn from one another.

After diving pretty deep into the source material, I think I can safely say that if the subject matter resonates with you, Hitorijime My Hero won’t disappoint, especially if you’re a fan of romances and romantic comedies. However, for those who don’t know, the yaoi undertones are strong in this one and may detract from the actual story if that type of character interaction isn’t for you. However, as someone who isn’t into that genre (but has friends who are super fujoshis and involve me sometimes), I must admit that the story was compelling enough to keep me reading. With the perspective revolving around the delinquent Setagawa and his struggles of self-acceptance, it almost feels like an underdog story where you’re never 100% sure what may happen. In terms of its transition into an anime though, I’m not sure how things will go. With animation, story, and characters the driving factor for a show like this, the thought of a newbie studio (Encourage Films) with a newbie script writer doesn’t assuage my worries. Still, even with those reservations, I feel like this show could be a scrappy fighter that manages to do something special with the limited resources it has.

Preview by Zaiden

Sweat glistens and flies through the air. Bodies energetically twist and turn, coordinated by tapping feet keeping time to the music programme. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to get your dancing shoes on, because mangaka Takeuchi Tomo’s Ballroom e Youkoso is receiving an anime adaptation! The story follows Fujita Tatara (Tsuchiya Shinba), a listless high school student struggling to find purpose. His life is turned upside down after a fateful encounter with professional dancer Sengoku Kaname (Morikawa Toshiyuki), who rescues him from bullies. After a taster lesson and having watched videos from a dancing competition, Tatara resolves to recreate his personal image. Thus, lacking any prior experience or knowledge, he wholeheartedly embarks on a foray to pursue competitive ballroom dancing. Although competitive dancing is an important aspect of the plot, the main character’s relationships form the primary focus – intimate connections and heated rivalries alike.

There are parallels between Tatara’s journey and the ones we see in series like Hajime no Ippo or Baby Steps. All three protagonists work incredibly hard to make up for their late start and lesser experience, as they aspire to become the best in their respective sports. In addition to these similarities to Ippo and Maruo, there is something deep and disturbing about Tatara I can’t quite put my finger on. While certainly a nice kid, Tatara is quite possibly a latent psycho, though I’m not too certain if this will get covered in a single cour adaptation. If you like seeing a protagonist slowly but surely working their way up, Ballroom e Youkoso will definitely tickle your fancy! Although Production I.G.’s inexperienced director Itazu Yoshimi is an unknown variable, the quality of the source material means this adaptation is brimming with so much potential. If the dancing animation sequences can be done to at the very least a level similar to the choreography Mappa used in Yuri!! on ICE, Ballroom e Youkoso can potentially contend for anime of the season.

Preview by Choya

Kimihara Himeno (Fukagawa Seria) is a shy but friendly girl who lives an ordinary life as a high school student in Japan. She’s also a centaur, a mythological being with the top half of a human and the lower half of a horse. Luckily for her the rest of the world is inhabited by various mythological creatures, allowing her to fit in well with fellow humanoid classmates who have wings, tails, horns, halos, and animal ears. Himeno enjoys hanging out with her friends Naraku Kyouko (Shiraishi Haruka), a cool and composed half-Satyr, and Gokuraku Nozomi (Kuwahara Yuuki), a hot-tempered demon. Together, they aim to live a fun, relatively normal school life as they interact with other classmates, worry about falling in love or overeating, and learn more about those around them.

One aspect of the series that could make or break the adaptation is what tone the anime will go with. Early chapters of the manga center around Himeno’s daily routine and friendships, but the slice-of-life tone isn’t always prevalent. The series doesn’t take long to invest time into fleshing out the different races of humanoids, the history behind supernatural race relations, and how laws adapted to a predominantly supernatural society. After reading through many of the chapters, it was an interesting read that got me excited me about the potential of monster girl stories that explore the deeper nuances of their lore. The only thing that makes me uncertain about the show is the staff behind it. Director Konno Naoyuki’s best known directorial efforts were 009-1 and Togainu no Chi. Additionally, the adaptation will be helmed by Haoliners Animation League, the Chinese animation company who created Bloodivores. It’s that skepticism that makes me worried the adaptation will drop the ball on much of what made the manga special. Still, I’m mostly optimistic from the initial previews that the anime will be able to capture the essence of the manga. It’s a cute monster girl slice-of-life, so that triples the chances of it working out smoothly, right?

Preview by Passerby

London, 1872. But it’s not that London, and it’s not that 1872. Rather, the 19th century London of Princess Principal is more akin to Berlin 1963; it is a city in the fictional Kingdom of Albion, currently under occupation, and is divided between east and west by a great wall. On one side of this wall is the Queen’s Mayfair School, a perfectly ordinary educational institution for upstanding young ladies across the country. For five of the students there, though, this is all just a cover, and they are in fact professional spies, planted in the city as part of a larger ring. Meet: Dorothy (Taichi You), the driver; Beatrice (Kageyama Akari), the muscle; Angie (Imamura Ayaka), the protagonist material; Princess (Sekine Akira), the… princess; and Chise (Furuki Nozomi), the obligatory Japanese character. Together, they engage their unique abilities in the dangerous business of national espionage, a business that just happens to be filled with plenty of guns, fast cars, and explosions.

I was first drawn to Princess Principal in the hopes that it would be a gender-flipped Joker Game, because there is no time when I don’t need my espionage anime fix. Looking further into it, I’ll say: probably not. Princess Principal is definitely not historical fiction of any sort, and their spies are more Hollywood spies, running and gunning and crashing cars in pyrotechnical ways. Or at least that’s how I think it’ll go, because one can never be entirely sure with original anime. This one is a collaboration between studios 3hz and Acta as well, and they both seem to delight in hiding what their original shows are actually about. One thing I can say with some conviction though: Princess Principal has the potential to actually be pretty good, just judging by the staff. Just to start: Tachibana Masaki (Tokyo Magnitude 8.0) on direction, Okouchi Ichiro (CODE GEASS) on series composition, and Kajiura Yuki (that Kajiura Yuki) on music. That’s a lot of talent lined up for Princess Principal to be just girls with guns. While one can never be entirely sure about original anime, I’ve got high hopes for this one.

Preview by Zaiden

Due to a traumatic past, first year high school student Nukui Kyou (Inoue Yuuki) has become a hikikomori. His sole source of solace in life comes from secretly producing Vocaloid songs and uploading them onto the internet for fans to enjoy. One day he receives a fan message, asking to meet up at a certain location. Touched by the gesture, Kyou decides to meet his fans in spite of his hikikomori misgivings. At the meeting place, three elementary school girls await him: the crybaby Gotou Jun (Oono Yuuko ), the headstrong Momijidani Nozomi (Endou Yurika), and the somewhat sleepy Kaneshiro Sora (Koga Aoi). These three girls want Kyou to help them break into the music industry. Kicking off a symphonic ballade of little girls making great songs together, watch how Kyou guides them to fame, recognition and stardom.

Fans of Ro-Kyu-Bu, roll up, roll up. It’s time for you to get back to jail! The appointment of Yanagi Shinsuke, director of Ro-Kyu-Bu SS, all but guarantees your daily dose of sweet underaged justice. Seiyuu stars like Iguchi Yuka, Kana Hanazawa and Itou Kanae all provide assistance from supporting roles, but Hidaka Rina leads an otherwise rookie lineup, being the only veteran seiyuu among the main cast. I’m not too concerned about the lack of experience because, if the PVs offer any indication, the voice acting and music seem pretty promising. Note that enjoying Tenshi no 3P does not default you to lolicon status. After all, why shouldn’t you be able to like awesome music in conjunction with cute girl antics? As someone invested in Vocaloid songs, it would also be interesting to see how the Vocaloid industry functions behind the scenes.

Preview by Pancakes

Mochizuki Touya (Fukuhara Katsumi) is just your average high school lad. Unassuming and well-mannered, for him life is but an adventure to experience. At least until God throws a wrench into things by accidentally electrocuting the poor boy with lightning. God, making mistakes? Even the divine creator is shocked, and thus chooses to give Touya a second chance out of atonement for His error. Resurrecting Touya in a fantasy world, God also grants our lucky winner one wish for anything to help him in his new life. Deliberating fast, Touya chooses only one simple item: his smartphone. Sure it might lack internet and phone calls will prove troublesome, but Touya is a forward thinker and knows the information stored on the device will help tremendously. It’s a big new world, and Touya aims to learn about it all.

Let’s get the obvious out the way: Isekai wa Smartphone is not KonoSuba. Yes, the premise sounds the same, and sure, Touya looks like Subaru reincarnated, but these are completely different shows. Unlike KonoSuba’s parody/satire mix, Isekai veers into slice-of-life territory and fully commits to the harem route. Touya travels around, meets girls, and builds the harem before repeating the whole process. It’s a bread and butter concept, although Isekai gets brownie points for at least running a literal harem—no joke, Isekai’s world allows polygamy. The more contentious issue, however, will likely be Touya himself. The kid is Kirito-level (i.e. SAO) overpowered, he solves all the problems, gets all the girls, and hardly runs into a threat he cannot easily beat. And that’s before involving the magical smartphone and God’s continuous support. No beating around the bush here, Isekai is your typical wish fulfillment show, albeit with a quirky new look. While these series are a dime a dozen now, they can still prove entertaining with proper execution, particularly if the harem girls become memorable in their own right. Should Isekai rein in the worst excesses of it premise and keep things lighthearted, there’s no reason it cannot become one of summer’s better fantasy-esque shows.

Preview by Stilts

New Game! tells the story of one Suzukaze Aoba (Takada Yuuki), a recent high school graduate (though you wouldn’t know it by looking at her) who landed her dream job at a game development company! At Eagle Jump, not only does she get to work for the company that made Fairies Story, the series that got her interested in 3D model design and graphic work, but she gets to work with the character designer she so admired, Yagami Kou (Hikasa Youko)—and on a sequel to Fairies Story to boot! That was the first season. Now Aoba and co are back, including shy character designer Takimoto Hifumi (Yamaguchi Megumi), who communicates through instant messenger; relatively sensible monster designer Iijima Yun (Takeo Ayumi); boisterous animator and figurine collector Shinoda Hajime (Toda Megumi); orderly (if easily flustered) art director Tooyama Rin (Kayano Ai); irresponsible company director who brings her cat to work Hazuki Shizuku (Kitamura Eri); short-tempered gun nut of a programmer Ahagon Umiko (Morinaga Chitose); and Aoba’s even more childish best friend Sakura Nene (Asahina Madoka). Join back in for a moe look into the game development industry as the girls of Eagle Jump keep striving (and working overtime) together.

This is a cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime of the highest order. New Game! delves into some true elements of working life, and occasionally one of them will hit a working stiff (like yours truly) on the nose—overtime is bull$*&#—but mostly everything it does is mined for cute. It does that infantilizing thing moe moe shows often do, where adult women act like blushing middle school maidens, so if that annoys you, steer clear. If you’re looking for something light, fluffy, and pretty darned funny—and as tooth-achingly sweet as a chocolate eclair buried in a mound of sugar—this will do the job. It’s a breath of fresh, moe air after a long day, and as far as CGDCT anime, it’s just aboutat the top. With all the staff and cast returning, and a few new characters being added, I expect all the same and more from season two.

Preview by Cherrie

The story of Mahoujin Guru Guru follows Nike (Ishigami Shizuka), a strong and overly confident 13-year-old boy and Kukuri (Kohara Konomi), a witch, as they try and save the world from the evil demon named Giri. In this universe, there exists a type of magic known as “Guru Guru” which is the same type of magic which Kukuri wields – but to Nike’s dismay, not very well. They start their story by marching towards Kodai Castle (along with many other heroes) as the Kodai King has promised 50K gold coins to anyone who can defeat Giri. As they reach the Castle and meet the King, Nike manages to pull this peculiar sword from this special chest box which marks him as the Master Hero. And thus, this is the start of their adventures as the King sends them on their way to fulfill their mission of protecting the kingdom.

Mahoujin Guru Guru will be a reboot of the original series which started in 1994 and aired for 45 episodes. Remember the good ol’ days when anime used to be longer than 12 episodes? Man, I miss those days. Anyway! What appears to be a kiddie show, is actually a comedic, fantasy series featuring a young boy and girl as they travel around the world killing monsters. The artistic style reminds me a lot of 90’s anime aimed at children, but the story and content itself is probably better suited for older audiences. Back when the manga first released (in 1992), the jokes and plot parodied the stereotypical shounen/adventure manga that you saw out there… but nowadays, I daresay that this type of comedy and series is not uncommon. However, it is rare to see a 90’s anime getting a remake – unless it’s expected to do very well. As a 10+ year running manga, I certainly anticipate a strong following for this anime and since it’s coupled with Production I.G, I expect nothing short of a well done adaptation for this series. After following a lot shounen anime, it’s always refreshing to see how some shows try and break some tropes.

Preview by Zaiden

Hashiba Junichi (Asanuma Shintaro) is just your average male otaku, and a high school student who dreams of losing his virginity to a hot girl. Pressured and forced by his friends, Junichi asks out Yame Yukana (Nagaku Yuki), a gyaru who seems completely creeped out by him. So you would think M. Night Shyamalan wrote the script when Yame actually agrees! Romantic comedy ensues, as Junichi tries to figure out whether Yame is serious about him or whether he’s just her plaything. Maybe even both…?

Packed with fanservice of a kind that posterior connoisseurs might find lacking, Hajimete no Gal is definitely a load of silly fun, containing sprinkles of cuteness here and there, especially where the interactions of the characters are concerned. Despite being a desperate guy, Junichi frequently bails out on steamy situations, the reason constantly shifting between cowardice and virtue. Seeing his internal conflict play out is part of what makes the story interesting. On the other hand, Yame herself undeniably steals the show – she’s a charming character with a really amazing personality to boot(y). Since the manga showcases things from Junichi’s perspective, we are mostly left guessing about Yame’s thoughts and motives. I can’t wait to see Yame teasing Junichi to pieces, and I reckon she will put up a fight for the title of Best Girl Summer 2017. Make sure to keep your eyes out for this show!

Preview by Zaiden

Adapted from the light novel written by Kinugasa Syougo, Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e follows the perspective of protagonist Ayanokouji Kiyotaka (Chiba Shouya after he enrolls into Kodo Ikusei, a prestigious high school divided into social hierarchies completely defining your worth. Superior students receive better treatment, while the inferior students are openly discriminated against by the staff and faculty. What’s worse, the entire academy system is run off a merit system where points are allocated based upon variety of factors including academics and good behaviour. These points are precious, especially since they are extremely limited for the students of Class D, so they suffer an unprecedented points crisis after being penalised for disrupting classes. Accommodation and canteen food are provided free of charge, but Class D would be unable to enjoy any sorts of luxuries. Although Ayanokouji is cynical in his reservation and apathy, he begins to slowly change after getting to know his classmates, particularly Horikitai Suzune (Kito Akari) and Kushida Kikyou (Kubou Yurika). Noticing that Class D actually has a lot of potential, if not for the personal issues holding some back, it will be up to our trio as they work to help solve everyone’s problems. If they can overcome the first hurdle, what’s stopping them from rising to compete against the other classes?

Having recently read a bit of the original light novel, I was quite surprised at the quality of writing. Think Oregairu, especially when it comes to the interactions between our main trio, but with a far more generous serving of story in addition to the ample character development. There was enough to make me wonder how this didn’t receive an anime adaptation earlier. Classes based upon social hierarchy is a concept reminiscent of Ansatsu Kyoushitsu and Baka to Test, and like them our main cast are mostly from the bottom class that is struggling hard in seeking promotion. Since Kishi Seiji also directed Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, he should be able to replicate this premise, though I’m expecting some distinguishing influence from co-director Hashimoto Hiroyuki. I suspect this will be a dark horse of summer 2017, so make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to jump onto the bandwagon before it becomes mainstream!

Preview by Choya

“Do you think love can bloom, even on a battlefield?” This question is one of many that are explored in this comical story about the bonds created from the hobby that has destroyed controllers and ruined relationships. Amano Keita (Han Megumi) is a high school student who is terrible at video games, but he enjoys playing them regardless. He has no friends other than Uehara Tasuku (Toyonaga Toshiyuki), an outgoing student who keeps the facade of being satisfied with his life, but secretly loves video games. Then one day, Keita meets Tendou Karen (Kanemoto Hisako), the most beautiful girl in school who happens to be the president of the school’s games club. After she invites him to join the games club alongside the shy, unkempt Hoshinomori Chiaki (Iwami Manaka), Keita is thrown into a romantic comedy full of misunderstandings and wacky hijinks. Will Keita be able to trigger a flag for the romance options, or will he go home and be a family man? Only time will tell!

The show bills itself as a chaotic romantic comedy about gamers, which sounds like a neat combination. I assumed that it was going to be similar to Genshiken since that too was a show about a club that played a lot of video games. However, this show looks like it wants to explore the comedic potential that the character dynamics have, especially when some characters are more outgoing or open about playing games than others. I’m curious about the romantic aspects too, and if they’ll play a bigger role in the series as time goes forward. There’s room for Keita to have a love interest as he bonds with the almost too perfect Karen, and fights with Chiaki enough for them to be seen as the odd couple. When it comes to love comedies, especially light novels, it’s hard to gauge whether the show descriptions are embellishing their comedic chops, or if they strike a good balance. Those who are yearning for a lighthearted comedy about gaming with a twist of love will find Gamers! to be a charming, humorous take on gaming with friends.

Preview by Takaii

Jigoku Shoujo:Yoi no Togi is the fourth season of the Jigoku Shoujo or Hell Girl series that first aired back in 2005. The premise is simple: do you have someone who has wronged you so badly that you’d do anything to make sure that they’d get the favor returned tenfold? What if you could literally send them to the depths of hell where that person would be forever tormented and tortured? Would you do it? Even if it meant you would be dooming yourself to the same fate once you’ve died? For this fourth season, a few things to keep in mind. There will only be six new episodes, with the other six being pulled from older seasons as throwback episodes. Also, director Omori Takahiro who handled seasons one and two will return to handle this season. In addition to Omori, all the original seiyuu will be reprising their roles as well. All in all, sounds like an exciting time to be alive for old and new fans alike!

There are very few anime that have been able to go on for four seasons and even less that have also inspired live action television adaptations, multiple manga adaptations, and a live action stage play. But if you were looking for a series that has managed to resonate well with its audience, look no further than Jigoku Shoujo. With its plot following a rather simple formula (at least simple at first), most arcs follow a pattern of someone sending a request to the Hell Correspondence website asking for their tormenter to be eliminated. From here our titular character Enma Ai (Noto Mamiko) (AKA the Jigoku Shoujo or Hell Girl) appears and offers a straw doll to the requester stating that the tormenter’s soul will be taken to hell if they pull the string off as well as warning them that the requestor’s soul will also be marked to go straight to hell once they die. Creepy right? But what really makes Jigoku Shoujo more than your typical thriller is the way the story dives deep into Enma’s back story. Between exploring how she became the Jigoku Shoujo to what she’s learned and experienced after hundreds of years of actually running the Hell Correspondence service, you sometimes unexpectedly find yourself drawn more to the story than the thrill of the horror.

Preview by Stilts

From the minds of Nagahama Hiroshi (Mushishi) and American comic book legend Stan Lee (yes, that one) comes a brand new anime. One day, and all of a sudden, people all over the world discovered they had superpowers. In a moment that became known as the Reflection, some people become heroes (a handful), and others became villains (rather more than a handful). How did the Reflection happen? What caused it? With these mysteries yet unsolved, the world is plunged into turmoil as these superpowered humans clash.

While Stan Lee getting involved with another anime is certainly worthy of note, the name that interests me most is Nagahama Hiroshi. The driving force behind all the Mushishi anime, doing a superhero show? I don’t know if it’ll mean anything, but it’s an intriguing thought. While the premise seems well trodden, with HeroAca most recently exploring the superhero world, that comparison might not be fair. The focus here seems to be more on the chaos at the time when superpowers suddenly appear, and what that means for the world—more like the flashback scenes in Strong Female Protagonist, highly suggested by the way. That could be fertile soil to till, even if I have a suspicion it’ll turn into an orgy of action scenes real fast. Not that action scenes aren’t fun! This is an original series, so we won’t know much until it airs, but I’m at least more interested after researching it than I was after reading the minimal promo text. Why so coy, The Reflection? You nearly lost me. Silly The Reflection. Now let’s see what you’ve got.