Category: Season Preview

It’s that time of year again! While the snow’s melting outside and everyone’s out watching cherry blossoms bloom, the folks at RC have been busy preparing this spring’s anime preview. It features a total of 42 new shows, and many of them might sound familiar. There’s the long-awaited Mushishi Zoku Shou, a new season of FAIRY TAIL, the last saga of Dragon Ball Kai, and Soul Eater Not!, a spinoff of the original Soul Eater. Along with the familiar old shows, there always seems to be a new trend every season. This time I couldn’t help but notice the number of shows about NEETs (Mekaku City Actors, No Game No Life), and a healthy dosage of sports anime (Baby Steps, Haikyuu!!). There’s no shortage of different genres this season either – with not one, but two reverse harems, some great original mecha, and some much needed romance. It’s definitely not a season to be skimping on your watch list, so be prepared for a season of high expectations. Oh! And of course, a special thank you to you for reading!

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With winter already upon us and the third year of the Tyranny of Stilts set to begin, it’s time to introduce you to the upcoming anime season. Last season was strangely weak for fall, with many of the most highly anticipated series ending in disappointment while only a few dark horses stepped up to pick up their slack. Can winter, traditionally one of the weaker seasons, do any better? I think it may be able to, and that’s not just my eternal optimism talking. This season is pleasantly plump with original series, including the anime-saving space adventure SPACE☆DANDY, the ridiculous interplanetary mecha brawl Nobunaga the Fool, the world dominating loli fantasy Sekai Seifuku ~Bouryaku no Zvezda~, and the magical courtroom procedural Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil. Notable adaptations include the magical fantasy mish-mash Witch Craft Works, the airborne epic Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta, the Shaft harem romcom Nisekoi, and another ridiculous Nobunaga-based sci-fi romp in Nobunagan. There are encouraging sequels as well, including a second season of the perverted slice-of-life comedy Seitokai Yakuindomo, another season of ridiculously awesome mahjong with Saki Zenkoku-hen, the second cour of the deep agriculture coming-of-age story Gin no Saji, and the second season of KyoAni’s delusional romcom Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! There’s a lot of enjoy this winter, so join me for Random Curiosity’s Winter 2014 Season Preview. Read on to find out what you should be watching.

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Sorry for going all Garden of Words, but fall is definitely the envied big sibling of all other anime seasons. With 40+ offerings, hopefully all of you will find at least one show to immerse yourselves in, maybe while sipping tea as the leaves fall. Fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural, and sports fans can rejoice, as offerings like the watery Nagi no Asukara, post-disaster COPPELION, the surreal Kyousougiga (finally), and baseball epic Ace of Diamond fill the board as the dominating genres this season. Many series are also returning this fall, with shows like Magi, Kakumeiki Valvrave, and IS: Infinite Stratos returning to meet popular demand. Other interesting shows include the darkly themed pupa, Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio ~Ars Nova~, which will make heavy use of 3D CGI, and quite possibly the most ecchi offering this season, wrestling anime Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!. But enough from me, let’s get this preview on the road! Welcome to Random Curiosity’s Fall 2013 season preview, built by sweat, tears, and the rustling of the fall leaves.

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Ahhhh summer. Traditionally thought of as one of the weaker seasons, I for one think we have another excellent crop of anime ahead of us. But then again, what do I know – we all know I have terrible taste! There’s something to be said for looking at the numbers though, and this season is bringing us an astonishing 36 new series, rivaling the swiftly passing spring season. There is once again a wide variety of anime to enjoy. On the sequel front we have the third season of Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai, a reboot of the venerated Rozen Maiden series, and more of everybody’s favorite perverted onii-chan (next to me) with Monogatari Series: Second Season. Notable adaptations include the award-winning fantasy novel Kami-sama no Inai Nichiyoubi, magical girl manga and Fate/stay night spin-off Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, and another fantasy novel adaptation in Uchouten Kazoku. There’s not a lot of original material, but holding down the fort are the darkly mysterious Genei wo Kakeru Taiyou and the bishie swimmers of Free!. This is Random Curiosity’s Summer 2013 season preview! Hey, it’s hot outside, wouldn’t you rather stay inside and watch some anime? Well read on to find out what you should watch!

UPDATE: Episode counts have been added to some series.

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It has been said that every ending is a new beginning. Indeed, the end of the cold winter months signal the beginning of spring—and yet another new season of anime. Having given us some of the best series in recent years, the spring season has established itself as one of the strongest and most packed seasons, second only to fall. It seems like that trend continues this spring, as we have some 35+ series debuting (compared to the winter’s 31). Like the previous season, a wide assortment of shorts are also among them. Ultimately, despite the fact that this spring offers a wide range of series, it will likely be one remembered by fans of the fantasy, science fiction, and mecha genres for years to come. With series such as Date a Live, Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince, Kakumeiki Valvrave, Red Data Girl, Shingeki no Kyojin, Suisei no Gargantia (with UroGen!), and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S all falling under those respective categories, it’s just a great season to be a fan. Interestingly enough, I’m one such fan myself, and it makes me wonder if there was a measure of fate involved in me being the intro/outro writer this season. Regardless, it’s my pleasure to present to you Random Curiosity’s Spring 2013 preview, the product of countless hours from seven of our writers — many of which are coincidentally also celebrating their one year anniversary of writing here. How time flies!

**UPDATED: Episode counts have been added to some series.

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With Christmas and the end of the world (no relation) behind us, 2013 approaches at a breakneck pace, heralding the coming of the winter anime season. 2012 has passed by rapidly, and I for one feel like it was only yesterday that I first started writing for RC! Winter has long been one of the less active seasons for anime; just as the trees are devoid of leaves, the anime charts are… relatively less densely populated. Well that was a terrible analogy, especially when we have 31 previews for you to peruse! This seems to be a season of shorts, and from all manner of genres, from Yamakan’s anime-saving (just kidding!) Senyu., to the weird and wacky gdgd Fairies 2. It’s looking pretty good for adaptations too, with the popular 2channel-birthed fantasy light novel Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, as well as the fantasy romantic comedy Sasami-san@Ganbaranai as handled by SHAFT! On the sequel front, we have a long-awaited continuation in D.C. III ~Da Capo III~ – returning after a whole five years of absence – along with a fourth season of Minami-ke and second seasons of the surprise hit Chihayafuru, the ever hilarious Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, and the singing and dancing sci-fi original AKB0048. As for originals, we could well be in for a treat with KyoAni’s Tamako Market. This winter proved almost as busy as our fall preview, so continuing in last season’s trend, we’ve brought on a whole seven writers to give you a glimpse of what to expect! Have a look around, see if anything catches your fancy, and get fired up!

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* The season end poll is up in the sidebar.

Finally, the long-awaited fall season! Along with spring, fall tends to be one of the busier seasons, with everything from the debut of highly anticipated blockbusters to the continuation of venerable old series. And this year is no different! Hotly anticipated adaptations include the award-winning sci-fi light novel Shin Sekai Yori, the 5pb. sci-fi visual novel ROBOTICS;NOTES, and the Key romantic drama Little Busters! The sequel front has some heavy-hitters as well, among them the return of spring’s amoral action-adventure Jormungand, a brand new season of the comedy and harem classic Hayate no Gotoku, and the third season of the mangaka drama Bakuman. There are even a few original series to round things out, most notably Urobochi Gen’s PSYCHO-PASS. Fall is busy indeed–and like last spring, you’re fortunate enough to have not one, not two, but FIVE writers to help guide you through the shows you’ll want to be watching this season. Lucky for you, eh? So without further ado (that’s a lie; there’ll be a lot more ado before we’re done), let’s get on with it and talk about the 32 series we’ve previewed for you this season. Get excited!

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* A season poll is available on the sidebar.

With the summer season just around the corner, I thought I’d poke my head in and give an overview of the 26 new shows lined up. At first glance, there are some noteworthy continuations such as Rinne no Lagrange Season 2 and Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon II, but a closer look reveals some gems such as Yuruyuri ♪♪ and Moyashimon Returns. In terms of all-new series, we have the highly anticipated Sword Art Online, an adaptation of Accel World creator Kawahara Reki’s other virtual reality fantasy novel — TARI TARI, another original slice-of-life series by P.A. Works — Natsuyuki Rendezvous, a romance/drama airing in the noitaminA time slot — plus a good selection of romantic comedies to round everything out. So without further ado, let’s have a look shall we?

Note: I don’t plan to write any more season previews while I’m on my indefinite hiatus. This was a special case since I was personally asked to write this season’s.
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Without further ado, welcome to the first collaborative edition of the Random Curiosity season preview, now featuring more writers for you to love and adore than ever. (Please don’t stalk us too much though.) As you all probably know, Divine, our season preview writer/extraordinaire, is taking an indefinite hiatus so he has passed on the baton to the rest of us writers – and just in time for the spring preview too, which is generally one of the busiest seasons with 50 new shows and counting. As is standard fare, we have the usual batch of hotly anticipated sequels to recent shows such as Fate/Zero 2nd Season, Kimi to Boku 2, and Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? OF THE DEAD, but there are also sequels and spiritual successors to venerated older shows as well like Eureka Seven Astral Ocean, the return of the Saint Seiya franchise after 25 years, and the reunion of Cowboy Bebop’s director and composer for a new show after over ten. So dust off that TV, free up some hard drive space, or do whatever else it is you do to get ready, because this season looks highly promising. Long-awaited sequels, a diversity of genres, and a nice balance of original works and manga/light novel adaptations have filled the slate with many shows that merit more than just a passing glance, and made this is a season one where even the pickiest of viewers should be able to find something to enjoy.

— This preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.
— A season poll will be available a little later is available on the sidebar.
— Please forgive the tardiness of this preview, work on it wasn’t started until several weeks later than usual, due to the transition.

It feels like 2011 went by in the blink of an eye, as I haven’t even had a chance to look back on my favorites of the year. Before I do so, let’s first take a look at what’s just around the corner in the new year. Winter is generally not one of the busier seasons, but there are actually 23 offerings in 2012, which is pretty close to the 27 this past fall. Of the new titles, some of them stood out immediately — the sequel to my favorite romance of 2010 Amagami SS, the horror series Another, the sequel to Sousei no Aquarion, the TV version of Black Rock Shooter, the sequel to Bakemonogatari, and the fourth and final season of Zero no Tsukaima — but as is often the case when I put together a season preview, I discovered many are a lot more interesting than they originally appeared. Best of all, there is a wide variety of shows from various different genres, so there’s a good chance there will be something for everyone. Care to find out which ones I’m talking about? Then do read on.

* This preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.
* A season poll will be available a little later is available on the sidebar.