Manyuu Hikenchou – 01

「千房 離反す」 (Chifusa Rihansu)
“Chifusa Defects”

If I’m not going to give this anime an impartial and unbiased first look, is there anyone else out there who will? Chances are no, so if you’re still interested in hearing me out, bear with me for a moment before jumping to any predetermined conclusions. Strap yourself in. This is a long post.

Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi – 01

「900秒の放課後〈前篇〉」 (900-Byou no Houkago (Zenpen))
“900 Seconds After School (Part One)”

So we have ZEXCS animating and the screen writer Morita Shigeru of Kore wa Zombie fame creating something? I’ll admit that I wasn’t too excited with the premise of this show but I was blown away with how well this first episode played out.

Nekogami Yaoyorozu – 01

「貧乏神インスペクト+」 (Binbougami Insupekuto)
“God of Poverty Inspection”

Local deities in the 21st century are what it’s all about in the adaptation of mangaka duo FLIPFLOPs’ 2007 fantasy comedy series. At first glance, the character designs are reminiscent of the ones seen in the Touhou Project anime. Replace the demons and youkai with gods and we have Nekogami Yaoyorozu — or at least, that’s the immediate visual impression that AIC PLUS+’s anime gives off.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni! – 01

「僕とみんなと海水浴っ!」 (Boku to Minna to Kaisuiyoku!)
“Me, Everyone, and Sea Bathing!”

While I wouldn’t say that Baka Test came off the strongest during this first week of new shows, it was a really fun watch. Plus it has a strong back story going for it since it is a sequel. Here’s to a strong second season for this show!

THE IDOLM@STER – 01

「これからが彼女たちのはじまり」 (Kore kara ga Kanajo-tachi no Hajimari)
“It’s the Beginning of These Girls from Here On”

Fans of the IDOLM@STER franchise should be happy about this incredibly faithful adaptation, as it felt like I was watching someone play the Xbox 360 game it’s based on before my very eyes. The twelve aspiring female idols (and one producer) constantly broke the fourth wall to communicate with the nameless cameraman (soon to be producer), whose unvoiced lines were subtitled for most of the episode.

BLOOD-C – 01

「あまつかぜ」 (Amatsukaze)
“Heavenly Wind”

Production I.G and female mangaka group CLAMP’s latest addition to the Blood franchise is here, and it uses the same concept as the variations before it in an all-new story. That concept entails a high school girl named Kisaragi Saya (Mizuki Nana), who uses the “Goshintou” katana passed down by her father’s shrine to defeat ancient vampiric demons known as “Furukimono” that prey on humans.