Posted by  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Summer has returned, and like (slightly delayed) clockwork, it’s time for another season preview. There are some strong contenders for your anime watching hours this summer. There are plenty of exciting sequels, such as the perennially popular Durarara!!x2 Ten, the triumphant return (and conclusion) of the aptly named workplace comedy WORKING!!!, the slice-of-life countryside antics of Non Non Biyori Repeat, and the third summer in a row of the magical girl spin-off Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Zwei Herz!. New adaptations include the Eastern European flavored GANGSTA, the JSDF invasion of a fantasy land in GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakeri, the ufotable video game adaptation of God Eater, and the apocalyptic emotional roller coaster Gakkou Gurashi!. There are even some great promising originals, such as the romantic comedy set on Mars, Classroom Crisis, and Maeda Jun’s likely tear jerker in Charlotte. There’s even a very special guest in the long-awaited fantasy of a new Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball Super! Some say summer is no good, but if even a few of these pan out, it could be a great season. This is Random Curiosity’s Summer 2015 season preview.
As a quick reminder, most entries are divided into two paragraphs:
- A brief introduction to the series and its premise, often with the starring cast of characters.
- The writer’s impressions, expanding on the plot and highlighting specific points of interest.
This season we’ll continue using our Expectation Levels. Remember, these reflect our own subjective excitement level for each show; they do not necessarily reflect how shows will pan out. For more information, check out the Overall Impressions section at the bottom, which includes an expanded explanation of each category and a list of all shows by expectation level.
Disclaimer: Back in the Age of Myths, i.e. 2012, previews were done by a single writer, Divine. Alas, none of the current writers are as awesome as he, so we’ve divvied them up among our staff (Cherrie, Guardian Enzo, Passerby, Samu, Stilts, Takaii, Zanibas, and Zephyr) in order to maintain the quality of this preview. We will try to point out what appeals to us in each series, in the hope that it will help you determine if it coincides with your tastes.
Disclaimer #2: Please note that this list does not reflect all the series airing this coming season. It is meant to be as comprehensive as possible, but omissions have been made for shows that stray from the anime norm or seem to be oriented toward young children. Please check out MOON PHASE for complete listings, syoboi for specific air times, and Fansub DB for a list of potential subbers for each series.
As always, thank you to the entire RandomC staff for helping with this preview. Special thanks go to Divine and Xumbra, who handled the promotional video encoding; Stilts, who organized yelled at people, edited, and was reliably handsome; Passerby, who did final checks; and Cherrie, who did pretty much everything else. We couldn’t have done it without you all (especially Cherrie). As a bonus, if you’d like a second opinion on any of these previews, check out LiA’s summer preview, entirely written by the irrepressible Guardian Enzo. (I’d know. I’ve tried. The guy just won’t stay repressed. Wait—that came out wrong.)
Finally, a special thanks to all of you for your continued support of Random Curiosity. I know we say this every time, but we’re not going to stop, dammit! Not until it stops being true. Which is never. So thank you, you remarkable, wonderful, kind, intelligent, and—might I say?—startlingly attractive individuals. You pretty much rock.
Technical Note: The chart below is ordered by the date and time that the shows premiere. The links in the schedule will take you to a series’ corresponding entry and the “Top” links on the right will bring you back. You can also use the back/forward buttons in your browser to jump between links you’ve clicked. All times are given in a 24-hour, relative-day format where times are extended to show which day they belong to. For instance, Friday morning at 1:30AM would become Thursday at 25:30 to show that the episode aired late Thursday night.
* Jump to OVA/Movies.
 |
From the original creator of Chu-Bra!! comes a new series of ecchi shorts. My Wife is the Student Council President! stars Izumi Hayato (Okitsu Kazuyuki), who is running for student council president. But when the beautiful Wakana Ui (Taketatsu Ayana) swoops in, promising the liberalization of love and throwing condoms into the audience, Izumi loses and ends up as her vice president. If that wasn’t enough, the newly-elected president ends up inviting herself over to Izumi’s house, and announces that she’s Izumi’s wife, thanks to an agreement—facilitated by alcohol—that their parents made when they were three. Each episode will be ten minutes long. I don’t need to have seen Chu-Bra!! to recognize why Nakata Yumi keeps getting anime adaptations. I sampled the Okusama ga Seito Kaichou! manga, and I found it cute, funny, charming, and deliciously ecchi. The manga itself is fairly risqué—they’re not afraid to show a little nipple in the opening chapter—but it’s as much the situation as the naughty bits on display that are arousing. The struggle between Izumi’s tsundere common sense and Ui’s airheaded forthrightness is funny from the get-go, and I think it’ll be great for a ten minute laugh break each week. This is being produced by studio Seven, which did the excellent Danna anime, as well as Strange+, and Strange+’s director and character designer, Furukawa Hiroyuki, is attached to this project. I don’t know how ecchi they’ll take it—the sexy situations are required, though the nip slips aren’t essential—nor if they’ll be able to capture Nakata Yumi’s adorable art style. I know the source material is fairly strong, though, so if it’s done right and a little cute/ecchi fun is to your taste, it could be a home run.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Ergastulum is a city of petty thieves and powerful mafia families, of sex workers and corrupt cops. It’s a city that casts a grimy shadow over the actions of its citizens, hiding the dirty nature that lies beneath. The streets of Ergastulum are ruled by four gangs: Paulklee, Corsica, Monroe, and Cristiano. Nicolas Brown (Tsuda Kenjirou) and Worwick Arcangelo (Suwabe Junichi) are two jacks-of-all-trades, dealing with the tasks that no one else dares to tackle in this dangerous urban jungle. But this powerful duo find themselves in trouble after they’re asked to deal with a new gang making waves in the territory of one of the top mafia families. Things are never as they seem in the dark alleys of Ergastulum, but this case may be one even they can’t handle. If you’re tired of current trends in anime, then look no further than GANGSTA. This is as far away from the anime norm as they come. GANGASTA. has a distinct southern European flavour, from the character designs, to their names, to the city of Ergastulum itself. On first glance, the easiest comparison would be BLACK LAGOON, though whether the plot is similar remains to be seen. One thing is for certain: GANGSTA. has the aesthetic and atmosphere of an anime from the late 90s or early 00s. I’ve always had my eye on the manga, so once the anime was announced I knew this was going to be an attention grabber. Murase Shukou is directing, which seems like a perfect fit when you look at some of his previous projects: Ergo Proxy, Michiko to Hatchin, and Witch Hunter Robin. One thing I’m most interested in, however, is how having a deaf main character is going to translate on-screen. It adds a new dimension to a story that already promises not to shy away from the dark side of human nature.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
In the year 3015, war was beginning. Two great powers of fantasy-Asia-with-airships vie for dominance over the continent, and caught in the middle is the small island nation of Nil Kamui, its sovereignty already having been subsumed. Perhaps none too pleased with this arrangement, Nil Kamui’s guardian deity, a red dragon named Red Dragon (Ootsuka Houchuu) goes berserk. So gloom and doom looms, there’s lots of fuss about who killed whom to avenge whom, and as usual it’s up to a rag-tag team of misfits, this time centered around one Ibuki (Inoue Marina), who is somehow connected to the Red Dragon, to set things right. Original anime are often wildcards, and there definitely is more we could know about Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Sen’eku (Red Dragon War). Well, it’s not exactly original, I guess. Chaos Dragon is actually an adaptation of a game run in the Red Dragon role-playing setting. As in tabletop RPG. I presume dice are involved. One particular bit of snark about bad fantasy is that they often sound like some guy’s D&D campaign, and here we are, an anime that is basically some guy’s D&D campaign. There are some big names associated with this particular game, though, including, among other notables, Narita Ryohgo (who wrote Durarara!!, playing this very season), Nasu Kinoko (the Fate guy, most of Type-Moon) and Gen Urobuchi (the other Fate guy, Madoka Magica). The protagonists of Chaos Dragon are actually characters these luminaries designed and played. That’s different. The anime staff may also catch some attention. Matsune Masato as director may be completely untested, but the script by Aikawa Shou (Fullmetal Alchemist) should be more promising. Most notable, though, is perhaps Sakimoto Hitoshi, arguably one of the greatest videogame composers of all time, delivering the music. So there’s fair bit of star power floating around, but there’s also giant CGI dragons. Hmm. Well, that just means Chaos Dragon will either be epically good or hilariously bad. That’s something to look out for, either way.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Released as part of the Aquarion series’ 10th anniversary, Aquarion Logos is the series’ third and newest iteration. The brainchild of Kawamori Shoji, Aquarion Logos revolves around a world where “letters” have displaced people’s voices as the main method of communication, powered by an ability to spread across the world in an instant. As time passes, however, a gap begins to form between the words formed by these letters and the truth of the world, leading to the creation of a world called Logos. The continued growth of Logos causes the letters to go berserk, threatening the real world with its chaos and forcing a group of children into action as humanity’s remaining hope. Leading the group is a young boy named Kaibuki Akira (Shimazaki Nobunaga). With a fateful cry, Akira and his group fight back using Voice of Creation. Here were go again. After
|
||||||||||||||
 |
In celebration of 50 years since famed mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo passed away, Lerche adopts some of the novelist’s ideas into an original anime series, Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace. With several unsolved murders occurring at a middle school, Kobayashi (Takahashi Rie) assists boy detective Akechi (Sakurai Takahiro) with solving specific cases, while Kobayashi’s friend Hashiba (Yamashita Daiki) worries from the side as the voice of reason. Together, along with a ton of canned coffee, the trio takes a break from schoolwork to assist investigators in finding the perpetrator of these various murders. Edogawa Ranpo’s legacy in his genre certainly lends this original anime credibility. There’s an expectation for the story to be the anime’s strong point. Although not many details have come out aside from some short PVs, fans of mystery and horror should find this a suitable fit for the niche this season. With experienced director Kishi Seiji on board, alongside a fairly experienced seiyuu cast, Lerche has some pretty good staff to make this a reality. Given that their animation quality has been steadily improving as a fairly new studio, there shouldn’t be any real problems with the animation quality either. At this point, the make-or-break will rely on whether scriptwriter Uezu Makoto can properly pay homage to Edogawa’s ideas. With work that is fairly hit or miss, ranging from Jinrui all the way to the infamous School Days, anything is up in the air, but fans should give the first few episodes a shot, especially fans of Edogawa’s original works.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
From the studio that’s known for its short format shows like Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken, Danchigai is another of DreamCreation’s, well, creations! Adapted from the 4-koma manga with the same name, this show is a comedic slice-of-life that focuses on the lives of four sisters and one brother all living together. Among the sisters, you have the levelheaded onee-san Mutsuki (Akesaka Satomi), the always sleepy Yayoi (Komatsu Mikako), and the two little twins Uzuki and Satsuki (Tokui Sora and Horino Sayaka). Rounding out the group is the man of the house, Haruki (Abe Atsushi), who is exactly like you’d expect him to be—a normal guy who tries to be a good brother to all of his sisters. Except when you’re the only guy in the house, you’re the one who typically ends up with the short stick! Small side note: this show is going to be a short-format one, AKA five minute run times. Plan accordingly! I’ll admit, even as the self-proclaimed slice-of-life connoisseur, Danchigai’s premise didn’t really thrill me at first. I mean, how often do we see a show try to make their punch line “guy thrown in with a bunch of girls, come see the results”? Luckily, the source material managed to get me excited pretty quickly. Focusing on the unique quirks of each character and tying them all together with some well timed jokes, the magic moment came when I realized just how connected I was with the characters after only a few pages—mind you, we’re not talking about some deep and emotional connection, but I found myself wanting to learn more about each and every one of them—something which I think bodes well for DreamCreation if they’re able to capture some of that magic in their anime adaptation. Because of the many things that separate good slice-of-life shows from the great ones, that’s the magic sauce that riles up all your senses and keeps you coming back for more.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Tachibana Hotaru (Komatsu Mikako) is a young girl cross-dressing as a boy, with a passion for survival games. After moving into her new apartment, she finds a mysterious man standing nearby. The next day at school, Hotaru’s best friend, Yajima Kanae (Horie Yui) tells her about a man who swindled her out of her money. Hotaru puts her skills to the test and confronts the thief, but he turns out to be the shady stranger standing outside her apartment: Masamune Matsuoka (Maeno Tomoaki), her new next door neighbour. Along with the perverted ero-mangaka Yukimura Tooru (Matsuoka Yoshitsugu), through a strange chain of events, the trio end up forming a survival games team with the intention of becoming the best in Japan. Talk about random. The more I look into the wacky premise of Aoharu x Kikanjuu, the more intrigued I become. My first impression was how similar in design this seemed to two series from the same magazine: Kuroshitsuji and Pandora Hearts, both of which are fan favourites that did well with their anime adaptations. Some more recent examples that appeal to a similar demographic would be Karneval and Makai Ouji, which both had anime adaptations that failed to garner much acclaim. If I were to place my bets, I think the sheer obscurity of Aoharu x Kikanjuu might result in it ending up in the latter pile, though it may be random and funny enough to find an audience. Still, there aren’t many survival game anime, so this should be worth checking out. And if you’re a fan of the cross-dressing leads, you should be sold.
|
||||||||||||||
|
I wish I could tell you why this show stands out as a sleeper for me, but I can’t. I’ve had a strong vibe since the very first preview images that Joukamachi no Dandelion was more than met the eye. I’ve never read the source material, and the synopsis doesn’t sound especially clever or memorable. But I can’t shake the feeling that this series could be really good. The last time I had a similar experience was with Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, and that certainly worked out – though the creator had a much more established track record. Could this show be one of those “so bad it’s good” scenarios – a premise so silly it’s smart? Well, it is a very silly premise – nine siblings with superpowers share a house monitored by 200 surveillance cameras, in place because the populace will eventually vote one of the nine to be the next king (replacing their father). About the only thing I can quantify is that I do like the art and character designs, and in director Akitaya Noriaki (Bakuman) and writer Yoshida Reiko the main staff is experienced and capable. I’m going to be disappointed to an irrational degree if this doesn’t turn out to be the sleeper of the season, and I have no firm reason to believe it will – except I do believe. We shall see…
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Hetalia is based off of a popular webcomic by Hidekaz Himaruya that focuses on showing the world through the eyes of personified countries. Each episode typically spans for five minutes and is full of over-the-top reactions and tons of satire. The draw for the series apparently comes from watching each country tout their culture (both the positive and negative aspects) while simultaneously reliving major historical events. While the story can jump around at times, the main storyline events take place during World War II with a cast consisting of Italy, Germany, Japan, United States, England, France, Russia, and China. Other nations make appearances throughout the series, but for The World Twinkle it looks like we’ll be getting appearances from the Nordics, some of the Micronations, and even some original content not found in the comics! For the truly curious, it seems this season will be covering content from Axis Powers volume 5 and 6. Let me be honest—I’ve never watched an episode of Hetalia in my life. Not because I have anything against the series, but I’ve just never had the chance. From what I gathered from my research (AKA bugging all my friends who are totally into the series), this feels like the kind of show you could fall deep into without realizing it. However, The World Twinkle is already pretty deep into the story, and it’d probably be best if you caught up with the 100 or so episodes before diving into this one. Luckily, at only five minutes each that only adds up to about 500 minutes or 9 hours. The only thing I have left to say for this one is a quote from a friend: “[this show] is racist in a non racist way.” After hearing that, you have to at least check it out, right?
|
||||||||||||||
 |
You have two options. Either a) release a fearsome youkai from its prison, risking death, but obtaining a badass spear and hairdo, or b) keep the youkai imprisoned and find a way to deal with the thousands of other youkai out to get you because you have this fearsome youkai in your basement. Oh, and you don’t get the spear or the hairdo. This is Ushio to Tora. Aotsuki Ushio (Hatanaka Tasuku), true to his temple priest father and shaman mother, must ward off evil spirits. In his case, he must defeat them with the Beast Spear, along with one vicious youkai, Tora (Koyama Rikiya). Though initially at odds with one another, Ushio and Tora fight together and earn each other’s respect as they unite against a common youkai menace, the nine-tailed fox Hakumenn no Mono. This will be a split-cour show, airing 26 eps in its initial run, followed by 13 eps in the back-half. Ushio to Tora’s original material dates back to the early to mid 1990’s, and as a result, may seem a bit dated art-style wise. In terms of actual animation quality though, the show looks excellent. Perhaps all those Teekyuu seasons were just buying time for MAPPA to reveal this revival work. The premise itself looks fairly interesting: two antagonistic parties who work together, and are leery of each other. A huge plus to this show is the addition of Nishimura Satoshi, whose work on Hajime no Ippo and Trigun lends tons of credibility to this project. Considering the character-driven stories of his past works, I expect Ushio to Tora to have that same emotional impact, similar to how InuYasha played out many years ago. For those looking for an action-packed demon-slaying story with character-driven development, give this 20+ year old story a shot.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Originally a 3D virtual singer created by Horie Yui, Miss Monochrome first appeared at the Horie Yui wo Meguru Bouken III ~Secret Mission Tour~ concert in March 2012. Her popularity led to a line of character goods, the creation of an anime short with her as the main character in 2013, and appearances in games such as Girlfriend (Kari). Now almost two years after her anime debut, Miss Monochrome makes her return in yet another anime short, attempting once again to change the world into a monochrome paradise by becoming a best-selling idol. Horie Yui will reprise her role as Miss Monochrome, and Fujiwara Keiji will also return as Miss Monochrome’s manager. Iwasaki Yoshiaki (Love Hina) will return as director, and LIDENFILMS and SANZIGEN will continue their collaboration on the animation. As an animated short with slice-of-life and comedic elements, your mileage will vary when it comes to Miss Monochrome. The first season had its memorable moments—who could forget the Roomba?—but left much to be desired as a series that was short in length, and not nearly as funny as other comedies airing at the time. It’s not a must-watch in any sense of the word—especially if you didn’t watch the first season, or disliked the first—but given the low time investment, it’s not a bad series to pick up on a whim. There are certainly worse series by far, and it might just end up being something you like, especially if you’re pinning for a series with Horie Yui attached to it.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Another one of those short-format shows, Wakaba Girl is based off of a 4-koma manga. It focuses on the life of Kohashi Wakaba (Ozawa Ari), a girl who’s deeply interested in the gyaru subculture. For those out of the loop like myself, gyaru is literally the romanization of the English word “gal,” and usually refers to those girls whose style involves tanned skin and blonde hair. Within gyaru are a ton of subcategories, but if you look up ganguro (a bit outdated now) or kogyaru, it’ll give you an idea of what it’s all about. Getting back on track, the story of Wakaba Girl follows Kohashi and her friends Kurokawa Mao (Ichimichi Mao), Mashiba Nao (Murakawa Rie), and Tokita Moeko (Izawa Mikako) as they do things that only cute girls can do. The premise of Wakaba Girl may not have grabbed you, but its staff and original creator might! Coming from the mind of Hara Yui, who also penned one of my favorites, Kiniro Mosaic, it has Ishida Kana of Mahouka fame on art design, Hanada Jukki from Love Live! on the script, and Watanabe Seiji of Full Metal Panic on animation. Now, I’m usually the last one to look at the staff to find insight into a show, but for something like this I think this is a pretty good indication that the show might be worth your time. Hanada knows how to craft an interesting story from girls spending time together, Full Metal Panic! was a pretty darn good looking show when it comes to animation, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that the character designs from Mahouka were fantastic. All of which could come together to create something fantastic! At the end of the day though, this is simply another slice-of-life that tries to add some quirkiness to help differentiate itself from the pack. Its staff gives me hope, and I do love everything Kiniro Mosaic, but I’d say you should tread carefully with this one.
|
||||||||||||||
|
In the near future of GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakeri, an adaptation of the light novel series by Yanai Takumi, a mysterious portal opens in urban Tokyo, from which a fantastical army of creatures and soldiers poured forth. The Japanese Self-Defense Force manages to push the marauding army back through the portal, creatively named ‘the Gate’, but still needs a strategy to contain it. To that end, the JSDF sends in special task groups to establish goodwill and diplomatic relations with the locals on the other side of the Gate. One is led by self-professed otaku Itami Youji (Suwabe Junichi). As he explores this new frontier, Youji picks up a veritable RPG party, including an elf (Kanemoto Hisako), a mage (Touyama Nao) and a… gothic lolita demigoddess thing (Taneda Risa). But it’s not all fun and games and fantasy harems. Youji has to deal with terse politics on both sides of the Gate, as world powers start eyeing the rich territory newly opened to Japan, and colonial fervour heats up again. If ever we manage to secure an entrance to Narnia, we would drive tanks through it. That’s a given. A new world filled with misunderstood peoples and dangerous fauna is basically Australia all over again, and just the idea of terra nullius makes colonialist powers start drooling heavily. So the conceit of Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri (Gate: The Self-Defense Force Fights Like This in Another Land) can be explored in interesting ways. The danger, though, is that it will morph into a jingoistic piece of overt nationalism where soldiers foray into an alien world and shoot bad guys to universal adoration. Otherwise, I suspect the feel of the show will be similar to that of fish-out-of-water adventures like the extremely similar Outbreak Company (though it should be noted that the GATE novels came out before Outbreak Company‘s) and Log Horizon, except instead of superpowered adventurers, it’s gunships and modern armour. There’s potential there, and the staff has at least Urahata Tatsuhiro on series composition as an experienced hand, so if you’re looking for slightly more mature fare for your light novel adaptations, GATE is definitely one to look out for.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Channeling humanity’s interest for space exploration, Classroom Crisis is set in a future where all the planets of the solar system have already been colonised. Shirasaki Iris (Amamiya Sora) is a third year student in Fourth Tokyo, within the Japanese Martian prefecture. Sera Mizuki (Ozawa Ari) is her close friend, and skilled mechanic, and Mizuki’s brother, Sera Kaito (Morikubo Showtaro) is their homeroom teacher and the program director put in place to develop their talents. Described as ‘school and workplace romantic comedy’, Classroom Crisis is taking a familiar anime scenario, but instead of it being set in a Japanese high school, it’s set on Mars! The details of this anime original have been slowly revealed, but as we see more character designs, and have a basic understanding of the plot foundation, I feel like Classroom Crisis may be the unexpected success of the season. I immediately think of Aria, purely because it’s also a slice-of-life set on far-future Mars. If Classroom Crisis can channel an ounce of what makes Aria so beloved, I think we could be in for something exciting. My hope is that it will make use of its premise and advanced technology, so that it doesn’t feel like generic slice-of-life girls cut and pasted into this interesting setting. Nagasaki Kenji is directing (NO.6, Gundam Build Fighters), so I have fair expectation for how this could turn out. Gundam Build Fighters in particular was pure fun, so if he can channel that joy into Classroom Crisis, then we should be in for pleasant romantic slice-of-life set on future Mars.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
In the years prior to the original series, humanity found itself under attack from aliens known as the Noise. Capable of turning humans into dust by contact and impervious to human 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 sacrifice of its previous wielder, Tachibana Hibiki (Yuuki Aoi) found herself fighting to protect humanity from the Noise, ultimately joining together with other Symphogear users in Kazanari Tsubasa (Mizuki Nana) and Yukine Chris (Takagaki Ayahi) to stop their advance, along with the Frontier Incident, an attempt to use the moon’s imminent collision with the earth to selectively weed out a large portion of humanity. It is now a hundred days after the Frontier Incident. No further attacks from the Noise have been reported, so it is believed that the alien scourge has been defeated. The appearance of entities with similar signatures to the Noise mean that the fight may not be over, however, and as a new group wielding immense strength and unknown technology arrives, a battle begins that could determine the fate of the planet. When it comes to Mizuki Nana, more is always better from my standpoint, and it’s awesome seeing her in a main character role that also allows her to demonstrate her singing prowess. Mizuki Nana’s presence doesn’t change the fact that the series is plagued by issues, however, and regular viewers should know what to expect by now. Symphogear revolves around girls fighting while singing various vocals, and the draw lies in its vocal compositions, action scenes, and its over-the-top nature. Masterful writing and great character development aren’t part of the package, and Symphogear is a series that ultimately caters to those looking for entertainment more than anything else. Given the proper expectations, the series is a lot more enjoyable than it seems, and the second season’s improvement makes this worth a watch for fans of the series. Those who haven’t seen the previous seasons would do well to catch up before starting GX, however.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Into the realm of over-the-top sex-based comedy comes Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai, where rebellion against strict ethics and morals is in the spotlight. In a country where ‘bad words’ are banned, Okuma Tanukichi (Kobayashi Yuusuke) joins the staff under the student council of a school renowned for its strict moral enforcement. Although recruited primarily by Kanjou Ayame (Ishigami Shizuka), his hopes are to get closer to his crush, student council president Nishikinomiya Anna (Matsuki Miyu). However, those dreams are quickly complicated as Okuma is recruited into another organization, the SOX, aimed at causing havoc toward the moral law and those who enforce it. His recruiter is none other than the same person, Kanjou Ayame, whose alternate panty-wearing persona is a renegade against the moral institutions. Locked in with the promise of opportunities to grow closer to Anna, Kajou and Okuma partner up to fight against everything morally sanitary. As with most comedies centered around sexual themes, Shimoneta is definitely over-the-top and unashamed. The humor is reminiscent of Seitokai Yakuindomo, Mitsudomoe, and Daimidaler, which just stick with the sex and run with it. It’s often a hit or miss for the audience, but fans appreciate each show’s lack of a filter, allowing for raw unabashed sex jokes to run wild. Director Suzuki Youhei has experience from HenNeko’s own quirky fanservice humor, making him qualified to take this high-energy comedy’s helm. Judging from the PVs, it’ll be a treat to hear the seiyuu say some ridiculous lines, especially with Ishigami Shizuka on board as the main—I’ve been a fan of her work so far, and it’s great that she’s getting more main roles. With the backing of J.C. Staff, Shimoneta looks great to fill the sex comedy niche of the season, though as with all shows in its genre, it might be a huge miss for some in the crowd.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Durarara!!x2 Ten is the second of three Durarara!! seasons this year, and picks up right from the end of Durarara!!x2 Shou. The recent gang war and incursion by Russian assassins have died down, but those were just skirmishes in the grand scheme of the chaotic Japanese district of Ikebukuro. Enigmatic kingpin Yodogiri Jinnai (Tobita Nobuo) has just taken down the previously reigning puppet-master, Orihaya Izaya (Kamiya Hiroshi), and seems to have dastardly plots of his own. Meanwhile, Normal High School Kid Ryuugamine Mikado (Toyonaga Toshiyuki) is sick of being a normal high school kid when there are superhumans like Heiwajima Shizuo (Ono Daisuke) and dullahan Celty Sturluson (Sawashiro Miyuki) running around, and agrees to take leadership of the remnants of a violent gang. With Ikebukuro embroiled in malevolent plotting, supernatural phenomena and questionable life decisions once again, there’s no doubt that this season of Durarara!! will be no less wild than before Being the second sequel of an old title, Durarara!!x2 Ten is probably the kind of series you either have already decided to keep watching or you never got into and aren’t. Despite the years and the animation studio shuffle in the middle, Durarara!! has remained, overall, quite consistent in its appeal. The show has its up and downs, but at its best it juggles a huge cast and multiple sub-plots all at once and makes them come together in a cascade of momentum that is very fun to watch. Even if you’ve followed along faithfully up ’til now it’s hard to know what to expect, and those who haven’t may still be interested in a spectacle similar in spirit, if not flair, to Spring’s Kekkai Sensen, itself a blood brother of Durarara!!‘s predecessor, Baccano! (which I must plug every time Durarara!! is mentioned, apparently). After the interlude that was Durarara!!x2 Shou, I’m hoping x2 Ten really gets the ball rolling.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Released in celebration of Key’s 15th anniversary, Charlotte is Maeda Jun’s first original anime series since Angel Beats! five years ago. Directed by Asai Yoshiyuki and animated by P.A. Works, the series takes place in a world where children have a chance to develop special powers upon reaching puberty. Otosaka Yuu (Uchiyama Kouki) is one such child, choosing to live a relatively normal life despite possessing an ability to control others’ bodies for a short period of time. One day, Yuu is suddenly approached by Tomori Nao (Sakura Ayane), another child with special powers. Their meeting sets the stage for a story about growth, their many experiences, and a cruel fate that links the two. A routine life changes to one filled with the unexpected, a promise to return home becoming their only guide down an uncertain road. When it comes to Maeda Jun, emotional bonds are front and center. His works are designed to make you feel for the characters, and it’s a formula that’s unlikely to change with Charlotte. Knowing what he’s aiming for doesn’t change the fact that you’re going to feel something either way, and this is a series worth watching purely due to his involvement. His resume speaks for itself, and his prior work in Kanon, Clannad, Air, Little Busters, and Angel Beats! are all series with people who swear by them, being either all-time favorites or memorable experiences they will never forget. With P.A. Works at the helm, Charlotte should be a visual masterpiece to boot. The major question here shouldn’t be whether you should watch it, but whether or not you’ll shed tears by the time this series is over. The foundations are here for an amazing series, and if there’s one show to keep an eye on this summer, this would be it.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
As far as anime comedy goes, it just doesn’t get much more reliable than Working. The disc (and manga) sales are consistent (and very high), the humor endearing, and the overall package one of the best character-driven comedies in anime. About the only things that change with A-1 Pictures’ flagship comedy are the punctuation and some of the staff. Now, five years after the first anime premiered, the manga is finished and this season is set to wrap up the story in anime form. This time around we have a new director (though that was the case with Working’!! as well), but I’m honestly not expecting any significant decline in quality. In contrast with mangaka Takatsu Karino’s other series Servant x Service, I find the main pairing to be the weakest element of Working. But the overall ensemble is one of the best in anime comedy, and the writing almost always snappy and smart. I love seeing series depicting young adults in the workplace – it’s a setting that’s far too rare in anime, and having worked in restaurants at that age myself, I can tell you that the humor in Working rings eerily true an overwhelming majority of the time. I’m glad to have it back, and the only bad thing about this return is that I’ll really miss it when it’s over.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Based on the venerated Gatchaman franchise, Insight is a direct sequel to 2013’s Gatchaman Crowds. The story is set in Tachikawa City, the “second metropolis” of the Tokyo area. Among the city’s 180,000 people are the Gatchaman, secret warriors who fight in reinforced suits which are powered by NOTE, which is the manifestation of spiritual powers in living beings. Individuals with latent powers are scouted to protect Earth from alien criminals, such as the mysterious entity known as MESS. The first season saw the irrepressibly optimistic Ichinose Hajime (Uchida Maaya) join the Gatchaman ranks during a conflict that involved the genius programmer Ninomiya Rui (Murase Ayumu) and the batshit crazy alien Berg-Katze (Miyano Mamoru). Now Hajime is back, along with new characters such as fresh Gatchaman recruit—and Hajime’s new partner—Misudachi Tsubasa (Ishihara Kaori); 19-year-old medical student and leader of a mysterious organization, Suzuki Rizumu (Umehara Yuuichirou); and a pacifist alien who crash lands on Earth named Gelsadora (Hanazawa Kana). Gatchaman Crowds is an odd little bug. I didn’t particularly enjoy it as it was airing, and if the first season had come out when I was busier, I probably wouldn’t have finished it at all. And yet, I find myself thinking about it more often than many more enjoyable shows. It tried to do a lot with the ideas of cooperation and groupthink and … to be honest, I’m still not entirely sure about a lot of what it was trying to say. The show suffered from Hajime’s brain dead optimism and Mary Sue (trope!) antics, but characters like Rui, Berg-Katze, O.D (Hosomi Daisuke), and Utsutsu (Koiwai Kotori) were more interesting. The same cast and crew are returning under the banner of Tatsunoko Productions, so I wouldn’t expect much of a quality shift from the first season. This one’s a hard one to suggest (or not) because I still don’t know whether I liked it (or not). What I do know is that the last-second cliffhanger from the first season insures that I’m going to watch at least a few episodes. I could drop it after that, but I have to know how Hajime is going to deal with all that. First season viewers, you know what I mean.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
An ancient legend tells that when an evil awakes from the darkness to turn the world to living Hell, the God of Destiny will call forth six brave heroes, granting them the power to save the world. But when the heroes are called, seven appear, causing suspicions to rise – one of the seven is undoubtedly an enemy. Among the seven heroes, Adlet Mayer (Saito Soma) is the one they suspect to be fake, a young boy who professes to be the strongest man in the world – but is it really him? There’s also Nashetania Loei Piena Augustra (Hikasa Yoko), the wild princess of the expansive kingdom of Piena; Fremy Speeddraw (Yuuki Aoi), the reclusive Saint of Gunpowder, who uses guns and bullets in combat; Goldof Auora (Uchiyama Kouki), a spear-wielding knight devoted to Princess Nashetania; Chamo Rosso (Kakuma Ai), the Saint of Swamps, a young girl who is heralded as the most powerful warrior of the current age; Hans Humpty (Suzumura Kenichi), a cat-like man with peculiar fencing skills; and Mora Chester (Satou Rina), a serious and intelligent woman, and the leader of the Saints. Which of these seven heroes is the impostor? I’m not usually a fan of fantasy LN anime adaptations, but there’s something about Rokka no Yuusha that has my interests piqued. The aztec-inspired world is certainly a unique backdrop for a fantasy story. But even if the setting wasn’t unique, the premise itself is enough to have me interested in finding out who the real snake in the grass is. Each of the seven main characters look and sound intriguing, and I’m sure each will have moments that will paint them as the impostor. It seems only natural that Takahashi Takeo is the director of this one, having worked on Spice and Wolf and Maoyuu Maou Yuusha, so this sort of fantasy anime should be right up his alley. Count me excited to meet these characters, explore this aztec-inspired world, and rattle my brain over the identity of the impostor hero.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
After 18 years, Dragon Ball returns to our screens with a story continuing from where Dragon Ball Z ended. This new story is set to be released in manga form as well, but the anime version is coming first, and that’s what has everyone excited. For many, Dragon Ball was their gateway anime that perfectly captures the shonen battle genre. It’s a true classic, and one of the most popular anime/manga franchises of all time. Plot-wise, Dragon Ball Super takes place after the defeat of Majin Buu, when life is peaceful again. Son Goku (Nozawa Masako) is ordered by Chi-chi (Watanabe Naoko) to earn money while he continues his training. Meanwhile, Son Goten (Nozawa Masako) and Trunks (Kusao Takeshi) set out on a new adventure. Other than that, not much is known about the what’s to come, other than it will contain plot elements that tie into the two recent Dragon Ball Z movies, Battle of Gods and Resurrection ‘F’. Dragon Ball Super is almost guaranteed to be the most-talked about anime of the upcoming summer season. With the recent films returning to the canon story, it isn’t too surprising the anime series was brought back to life. Fans of this epic battle anime will be able to relive their childhood and watch a new Dragon Ball episode every week for the foreseeable future. Even Toei Animation’s recent track record with adaptations isn’t enough to kill this beast. As I write this, I’m watching the original anime in order to catch up, so I can jump on Dragon Ball Super when it airs – though maybe not Dragon Ball GT, since it doesn’t appear to be canon anymore. I don’t want to miss this one, and I’m sure all long-time fans of the franchise feel much the same.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
The story of VENUS PROJECT is set in not-so-distant future Japan. Data devices and video technology have progressed to new heights, and people are abuzz about a new form of entertainment known as Formula Venus. In Formula Venus—abbreviated as F-V—top idols battle in live performances utilizing all of their power, techniques, and experience. This story is about the drama that unfolds as the girls in the Venus Project aim for the top. This is another multimedia project, which includes the anime, a PlayStation Vita card battle game, a web comic, real-life events, a radio show, and probably more. It reeks (to me) of another shallow cash grab, where a bunch of corporate types are trying to make the Love Live! lightning strike twice, after how popular it became with its anime, rhythm video game, and character song CDs. But that comparison feels unfair, to Love Live. While Love Live never had an innovative plot, its focus from the get-go was on keeping the story simple and making us love the characters, but everything I’ve read about VENUS PROJECT reads like marketing jargon. It’s not helped by a plot synopsis that sounds more like Pretty Rhythm than something the older otaku the character designs appear to be targeting would like (skimpy outfits are in plentiful supply). The series will be twelve episodes long, sort of—six episodes of anime, while the other six will be a live-action variety show. In case it’s not clear, I’m not terribly excited about this one. Gods know I’ve been wrong before, but add a newbie director and character designer to the other red flags, and I believe my pessimism is warranted.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Based on a manga of the same name, Wakako-zake will be a 12 episode series of 3-minute shorts airing this season. Despite its juvenile appearance, the series actually started off as a seinen manga, which involves a 26-year-old woman named Wakako (Sawashiro Miyuki). Wakako loves to drink (hence, the name of the series) and enjoys finding the best foods to accompany her meals. She also prefers eating and drinking alone without the accompaniment of others. When she finds the perfect pairings to her sake, she lets out a sigh that sounds like “pushu”. This is meant to signify when she’s in her happy place. In case there are viewers who are also live-action fans, there will be a live-action release for Wakako-zake as well. Given that the anime may or may not be successful, I am surprised at the quick adaptation to a J-drama series. However, I think it’s more well-suited to live-action, given the context for the story. For those that are foodies like myself, you’ll completely understand what it’s like to find that perfect wine pairing with your meal. Or beer, or sauce or whatever it may be – it’s that sensation you get when you’re happy with finding that right combination. Wakako is someone whom I can relate to when it comes to eating and savoring your food. It’ll be interesting to see how this series compares to others, and how it does the manga justice. The animation studio (Office DCI) has never been credited for full animation production before, but has experience working with some bigger releases. Considering that the artwork is simplistic enough, and the anime is featured as a short, I can’t imagine how this production can flop. It will fully depend on the storytelling and plot of what happens to Wakako. I’m also noticing a trend with shorts these days that feature more young adults, and that’s always a good change compared to the hundreds of stories about younglings.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Brought to you by ufotable, God Eater comes in as the latest in a steady stream of video game adaptations. Originally developed for the PSP in 2010, the series takes place in 2071, nearly 20 years after the arrival of life forms known as ”Oracle cells.” Impervious to conventional weapons, the Aragami—renamed in recognition of their tremendous capabilities—bring humanity to the brink of extinction. As humanity’s final hope, living weapons known as God Arcs are built from the cells of the Aragami themselves. Their wielders become known as God Eaters. Directed by Hirao Takayuki (Kara no Kyoukai: Mujun Rasen), the animated series will focus on brand new God Eater and original character, Utsugi Renka (Kijima Ryuichi). Sakamoto Maaya, Sakaguchi Daisuke, Nakai Kazuya, and Hirata Hiroaki will reprise their original game roles, along with Shiina Go, the composer behind the original God Eater game and various games from the Tales series. When it comes to video game adaptations, hit or miss tends to be the name of the game, typically averaging out as series that leave something to be desired. With this in mind, God Eater is a series I’m cautiously optimistic about. It’s supported by what should be superb animation from ufotable (always a plus with action series), a director that made one of the better Kara no Kyoukai entries, and a composer whose memorable work helped shape one of the biggest JRPG franchises. The foundations are set for a series that should be decent at worst, with room to grow depending on how the story ends up being developed. The question is if that’ll work out well given the original material, and that’s something that’ll be worth watching to find out. At the very least, we’ll see a glimpse of what made this game so popular in Japan, and that works for me.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
The To Love-Ru series stars hapless harem master Yuuki Rito (Watanabe Akeno) and the gaggle of gorgeous girls who are in love with him. After Lala Satalin Deviluke (Tomatsu Haruka), first princess of the Galaxy-ruling Deviluke family, appears naked in Rito’s bath and falls in love with him, he found it difficult to confess to his existing love, the gentle Sairenji Haruna (Yahagi Sayuri). But that was only the beginning of Rito’s love troubles. In Darkness, the female protagonists have changed to Lala’s little sister, Momo Belia Deviluke (Toyosaki Aki), and the blonde-haired assassin Konjiki no Yami (Fukuen Misato). While Momo puts her make-Rito-a-harem plan into action, Yami battles with an unknown entity pushing her to finally assassinate Rito. Then there’s Momo’s twin sister, Nana Astar Deviluke (Itou Kanae), and her new friend Kurosaki Mea (Iguchi Yuka), who is a second-generation transforming weapon like Yami. While writing this preview, I tried to remember what happened, plot-wise, during the first season of Darkness. I got nothing. So I went back and watched part of it. Still nothing. Which is probably fine, because you don’t watch To LOVE-Ru for the plot. It’s all about the ecchi antics, baby! And with Darkness, the emphasis is on the ecchi. This is a harem show so ecchi it borders on hentai. Borders hard. Yuuki Rito is the patron saint of bumbling male protagonists who always end up tripping into every girl’s chest or crotch, but he does it so often and so reliably, it’s become a running joke instead of just lazy writing. There is some plot, centering mainly around Yami, Mea, and Mea’s master, but the main draw is definitely on the Momo/harem side. The major downside is that this is classic Xebec middle-of-the-road-quality animation, and the first season was so heavily censored on TV that it was all but pointless to watch. If you’re looking for something saucy with full serving of sexy girls, then To LOVE-Ru has you covered, with a likable cast of characters to enhance the pervy fun. You just may want to wait for the DVD/BD release, if season two is as heavily censored as its predecessor.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, lived a young girl named Shirayuki (Hayami Saori), who was born with rare, apple-red hair. Her singular appearance brings her to the attention of the local prince, who wishes to take Shirayuki as his concubine. Not altogether happy with this arrangement, Shirayuki decides to flee the kingdom, leaving only a lock of her hair behind. On her escape across the border, she is aided by a foreign boy named Zen (Osaka Ryota), and they strike a fast friendship. But Zen is blue-blooded and Shirayuki is a commoner; even the tersest of relationships between them is scandalous. Shirayuki decides she must conquer that social gap somehow, and she’ll do it through study and hard work. Kingdoms and their princes, a heroine named Snow White, some mention of apples—Akagami no Shirayukihime (Red-Haired Snow White) may sound like a deconstruction of fairy tales, and on some level that is true. But there are no wicked witches to speak of, no supernatural bogeys as villains. What is the purpose of bogeys in fairy tales, anyway? Any child with imagination already knows to fear witches. No, the fairy tale teaches that, with guile and courage, the witch can be defeated. In that sense, Akagami no Shirayuki is a straight fairy tale after all, except its bogey is mundane fare, things like social inequality and traditional gender roles. Outside of that, Akagami no Shirayukihime also has your standard shoujo offerings, about people, feelings and relationships, something that BONES has not animated since… Ouran High School Host Club? Director Ando Masahiro has a mixed portfolio, but I believe the source material for Akagami no Shirayukihime is solid enough that it can’t really go wrong. It’ll be much more mellow fare than that other fantasy shoujo show starring a red-haired heroine, but one can’t have enough medieval settings and strong female leads in anime.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Based on a free web-manga, Million Doll tells the story of Suuko (Kusuda Aina), an idol-obsessed shut-in who has one special ability: she can make any idol popular through the power of blogging. Continuing the idol anime trend, Million Doll provides a new outsider perspective to the popular genre. The avid blogger Suuko has her eyes on the Fukuoka idol Itorio in order to make her sell more, but before her plans can pay off, she is stopped by the charming otaku Ryu-san (Umehara Yuuichirou) and the underground idol Mariko (Itou Miku). From reading over the source material, I sincerely hope that Asahi Productions turns this ugly little web-manga into a sparkling gem. The character designs are pretty solid, but it’s hard to predict whether it will end up a success in animated form. This is one for idol anime fans, but there’s a certain Watamote feel to it as well, with a self-confessed female otaku as the lead. It’s an interesting twist on the idol industry, with a handful of up-and-coming seiyuu voicing the main roles. It’s also notable that Kawaguchi Keiichirou (Hayate no Gotoku!, Mayo Chiki!, SKET Dance, Minami-ke Tadaima) is directing. He’s got a tonne of experience, especially when it comes to comedies, so he might be able to turn this obscure web-manga into a respectable idol anime.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Being an honest person has its pros and cons. It’s great that people can come to you and expect honesty, but it’s also pretty bad if you want to, say, keep the fact that your crush is a vampire secret from everyone else. That’s Kuromine Asahi (Hanae Natsuki): an open book with a supernatural secret to hide. Upon learning that his crush, Shiragami Youko (Serizawa Yuu) is a vampire, Asahi’s new struggle is to keep his mouth shut about the whole thing. Of course, with this new discovery comes a chain reaction of discovering even more supernatural beings, such as space alien Aizawa Nagisa (Minase Iori) and devil Koumoto Akane (Ichimichi Mao). Hopefully no one around Asahi actively gets the scoop on them, such as, perhaps, childhood friend Akemi Mikan (Ueda Rein). That’d be a real problem. Boasting an older feeling, rougher, yet charming animation style, Jitsu wa Watashi wa looks to be a fairly entertaining romantic comedy. Falling into the veins of previous shows such as Rosario + Vampire, Jitsuwata is perfect for those who enjoy a good surface show without a lot of depth. Considering director Yamamoto Yasutaka’s experience with Servant x Service and the second season of Ika Musume!, we can expect some fairly quirky and energetic characters. With Matsuda “Nijine” Akito providing the soundtrack and a good cast of seiyuu, TMS should do a decent job with the adaptation. With misunderstandings and clumsiness abound, Jitsuwata continues a longstanding genre that should continue to entertain.
|
||||||||||||||
|
Another sequel slated for this upcoming summer season, Non Non Biyori Repeat focuses on the lives of Ichijou Hotaru (Murakawa Rie) and her friends Koshigaya Natsumi (Sakura Ayane), Koshigaya Komari (Asumi Kana), and Miyauchi Renge (Koiwai Kotori), who help her with her transition from life in the big city to living in a small village on the countryside. Along the way we get to see some of the unique things that only occur outside of the big city. From having a single classroom hold all the students to just how far some people will go to avoid being called a “country girl”, you could think of this show like a less serious but more fun Barakamon. Also, if you’ve ever seen the meme of a purple haired girl playing a recorder or heard something go “Nyan-pasu”, it comes from this show. If someone were to ask me to list my favorite slice-of-lifes, Non Non Biyori would definitely be in the top ten. The show has just the right mix of country jokes, slice-of-life goodness, and straight humor (typically delivered by the stone-cold faced Renge) that make each and every episode extremely fun to watch. It has top-notch seiyuu behind the characters, with some big names like Asumi Kana (always ends up being the short girl, am I right?), who always does great work to, Koiwai Kotori, whose unique voice as Renge is about half the reason why I watched the show in the first place. Most importantly, even though it’s a comedy, the show manages to take itself somewhat seriously every now and then, which leads to those unique and emotionally exhausting episodes that you never see coming and leave you wanting more. You won’t be missing too much if you don’t go watch the first season beforehand, but I’d highly recommend doing so. There are just so many little things you’ll miss if you don’t know what’s going on, and that’s part of what makes a show like this so much fun to watch. Now, if we’d only get a sequel for Barakamon…
|
||||||||||||||
 |
So, three kaijuu walk into a bar and the bartender says—oh, you’ve heard this one before? Well, it’s no joke, because this season we have a show where the villains of the Ultraman franchise meet up at a bar after work, where work is presumably getting beaten up by some costumed hero. Baltan runs the place, and he is aided by his wacky assistants, Dada and Kanegon. It’ll be three minutes of comedy every week as aliens and monsters and alien monsters meet together at the Monster Bar to drown their sorrows. Now, I’m not all that invested in the Ultraman franchise, and can’t really give a fan’s impression of Kaijuu Sakaba Kanpai! (Cheers, Monster Bar!), but I do think I understand what the appeal of this kind of show is going to be. There actually is a ‘Monster Bar’ institution in Japan, and this anime may well be part promotional, but I think its hook will be villain parody. It is the way of heroes to be defined by their foes. For example, Batman would be nothing without his rogues gallery of tragic villains. But the foes of Ultraman are simply monsters, flying turtles and giant insects and the like, not exactly known for their richness of personality. That’s where a comedy spin-off like Kaijuu Sakaba Kanpai! comes in, using a comedy setting as an excuse to give these monsters character, and a story while off the set, like a version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead comprised of bloopers. Drawing on Batman again, there was one episode of the 90’s animated series that featured the Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy and the Penguin meeting together to play cards while boasting about their exploits. Even if you haven’t watched it, that’s an amusing image in itself. It is the way of comedy to exaggerate the mundane into the absurd, or fit the absurd into the mundane, and I think that’s what Kaijuu Sakaba Kanpai! will be running on. So if you’re a fan of Ultraman, this series of shorts will give you a few giggles every week.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
From writer and veteran seiyuu Asano Masumi and veteran mangaka Hata Kenjiro (Hayate no Gotoku) comes a 4-koma adaptation about the voice acting industry. Sore ga Seiyuu! stars Ichinose Futaba (Takahashi Rie), Kohana Rin (Kouno Marika), and Moesaki Ichigo (Nagaku Yuki), three rookie voice actresses who are trying to make their way in the industry. The manga features small but humorous observations of the seiyuu industry. I blame Divine for my interest in this series. I didn’t used to care about seiyuu much—aside from obvious observations, such as realizing that Shana and Louise were voiced by the same person, I was largely oblivious—but somewhere along the way he turned me into a seiyuu connoisseur. But even if you lack a passion for seiyuu, there are plenty of other reasons to be excited about this show. Hata Kenjiro’s involvement is always a good sign, even if he’s not writing … though then again, who better to know about the foibles of the seiyuu industry than a veteran seiyuu like Asano Masumi? Speaking of seiyuu, the girls voicing the three main characters are all rookie seiyuu themselves, so we may get a Nanami from Sakurasou situation, where the seiyuu grow as actresses even as their characters (who are seiyuu) are growing as actresses. Mind blown. The promo videos look good, with Gonzo (holy heck, they’re still alive?) doing a fine job of adapting Hata Kenjiro’s famous style. This show is looking like a lighter Shirobako, with a tighter focus and more emphasis on gags. We might even see the occasional Hayate no Gotoku cameo, since this takes place in the same universe. One other interesting tidbit: Because the source material is a doujin, Asano and Hata don’t have a publisher, and have had to make all the decisions on this project themselves. I look forward to seeing what their unvarnished vision is like.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Based on the light novel of the same name, Overlord takes place in the year 2138, when virtual reality gaming is booming. Yggdrasil, a popular online game, is quietly shut down one day. However, a player named Momonga (Hino Satoshi) decides not to log out. As the game shuts down, Momonga is transformed into a skeleton wizard, and becomes the most powerful magic user in the world. As the world continues to change, with non-player characters (NPCs) beginning to feel emotion, Momonga decides on his course of action: With no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary young man (turned skeleton wizard) decides to conquer the new world the game has become. MMORPG-based anime are obviously on the rise, so new stories have to do something to differentiate themselves. Where Log Horizon had a protagonist who sometimes acted like a villain, Overlord dispenses with the subterfuge and goes for a full-blown villain protagonist (trope!). The idea of a protagonist who is not only unapologetically evil, but a skeleton to boot, is certainly intriguing, though I’ll need to know more about his motivations for conquering the game world before I jump enthusiastically aboard the hype train. If it’s just for the evulz (trope!), well, that’s not very interesting, and there’s the fact that the NPCs apparently gain emotions to make the issue thorny. Yet the fact that I’m already thinking about it this much means the story already has its claws in me. For MMORPG anime fans, this is an easy choice—give it a shot and see how it goes. For the rest, the devil is in the details, which we’ll find out when it airs.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou takes place in a world where humans and non-humans attempt to coexist peacefully. Through something called the “Cultural Exchange Between Species Act”, creatures that were once hiding in the shadows have appeared and are attempting to understand and integrate into human society. Normally thought to appear only in legends, everything from harpies to centaurs have appeared, with even an occasional catgirl running around every now and then! In order for these creatures to thoroughly integrate into society, humans interested in hosting a creature become “volunteers” and are tasked with teaching their guests everything they need to know about the human world. And here begins our story, when Kimihito Kurusu (Majima Junji), the protagonist of our story, becomes an accidental volunteer when Miia (Amamiya Sora), a snake-like lamia, is accidentally dropped off at his house. With the cover art and promotional material full of giant breasts, I wasn’t too keen about this show when I started to research it. With no expectations, I dove straight into the manga and happily realized there’s a lot more to this show than meets the eye. Yes, there’s a lot of focus on the hyper-sexualized content, but once you (and the characters) get past that, there’s actually a cute story hiding in there. Our main character isn’t the sexual deviant he’s made out to be, but just your average joe who totally understands how to treat a girl right. Through his actions, you really get the sense he could be a girl’s knight in shining armor without all the self-righteous nonsense. In terms of the “creatures”, I only managed to meet Miia the lamia and Papi the harpie (Ozawa Ari), but both were funny characters. Literally coming from a different world, they bring with them a sense of innocence as they try to figure out the little intricacies of living among humans. The character designs aren’t doing it any favors, with its focus on certain body parts, but I will admit that overall designs are pretty appealing. Lerche is heading the reins on this one, and judging from their work on previous shows like Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita and Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, I’m hoping for the best. So even if you’re turned off by some of the promotional materials, I hope you at least give this one the three-episode treatment!
|
||||||||||||||
 |
A new original series created by Hobby Japan and animated by studio feel and PRA, Bikini Warriors is … well, exactly what you’d expect. The setting is an RPG-style world with swords and magic, where adventurers form parties to challenge the demon king’s right to rule. But, all the adventurers have beautiful, enormous breasts, and wear bikini armor! I could point to the trope Exactly What It Says on the Tin (trope!) and knob off for a pint, because the above synopsis tells you everything you need to know. But I’m a professional, so I’ll continue. This is an original series about boobs. Oppai. Tits. Big breasts. Giant jiggling gazongas! With character designers such as Hisasi, Tony Taka, and Saitom, many of whom are former or current ero-mangaka, each pair of breasts have been lovingly crafted for maximum impact. Er, I mean each character. Did I say breasts? I meant each character. (Keep it together, Stilts.) This is being produced in part by studio feel, which I could have told you from watching the promotional videos, what with all the bouncing and gainaxing (trope!). With a newbie director and the script writer from Momo Kyun Sword, I wouldn’t expect much from the plot. But you know what? Neither does the production team! They apparently owned up and said there’s no point in watching Bikini Warriors other than all the gargantuan oppai. I’d appreciate their honesty, if it weren’t oh so sad. Bikini Warriors is exactly what is sounds like. It’s about breasts. Boobies. Sweater puppies. Blouse bunnies. Bikini stuffers. Tatas, wahwahs, howitzers, knockers, cannon balls, twin peaks, love melons, chi-chis, double whammies, BOOBS! It’s about boobs. You’ve been informed and/or warned.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
An expansion of their “SuzakiNishi” radio program, Suzakinishi THE ANIMATION will debut this summer. The anime will star the eponymous up-and-coming seiyuu, Suzaki Aya and Nishi Asuka. On the original radio program, the two voice actresses propose and discuss new business ideas. The first time I heard about a radio program being adapted into a TV show, I thought it was bizarre. But that was StarTalk, and Neil DeGrasse Tyson can do pretty much anything he wants, as far as I’m concerned. As for the idea of two seiyuu proposing and discussing business ideas … well, I’m not proud of this, but my first instinct was a patronizing, “Oh, that’s adorable.” But let’s say that Suzaki Aya and Nishi Asuka actually have some good business ideas, and their conversations are interesting. (And I’ve definitely listened to a few seiyuu radio shows that were excellent.) Why animate them? Aside from the promotion aspect—they got me writing about it, after all—it takes away the central advantage of radio, which is that you don’t have to watch it. But I’ll stop—this isn’t the place for rants. I have no idea how this will be animated, but the weak (assumed) premise and the inexperienced director don’t fill me with confidence. There’s so little information right now that, who knows, it could be something great. But unless you’re a big fan of Suzaki Aya or Nishi Asuka, I have a feeling that you, like me, probably won’t bother to find out.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Based on the light novel of the same name, Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan is set in a world where humanity is on the ropes. Driven off the land by magical armored insects, humanity now lives in floating cities. It was then that wizards—aerial combat mages who fight the insects with magical powers—came into being. Age Kanata (Matsuoka Yoshitsugu) is one such young man, who lives on the floating wizard academy city of Misutogan. He was once the celebrated Black Master Swordsman, the elite ace of the S128 special team, but he’s now despised as a traitor. One day, he’s assigned as the instructor of E601, a team that has suffered ten consecutive defeats. Three girls belong to the E601—Whitale Misora (Yamamoto Nozomi), Eisenach Lecty (Touyama Nao), and Flamel Rico (Nomizu Iori)—who each have one or two quirks. This is a magical-fantasy-action-harem anime based on a light novel with a Matsuoka Yoshitsugu main character, and I’m now taking bets on how many season previews in a row I’ll write a variation of that sentence. (This is the third in a row, by the way.) They’ve jammed in all the hallmarks of the genre: magic combat, one guy, multiple girls, senseless jargon, and a school setting just because. Which is not to say that all shows in this genre are bad—last season we had DanMachi, and it turned out quite well. But when a show is being worked on by the director (Inagaki Takayuki), writer (Yamaguchi Hiroshi), and studio (diomedea) of Seiken Tsukai no World Break, a show so messy I dropped it after one episode, you’ll have to excuse me if my skepticism is over 9,000. I peeked at the manga adaptation, and it’s a giant pile of clichés (trope, trope, trope, troooope! Need I go on?). I’m also not clear as to why Kanata is considered a traitor, though it doesn’t appear to stop certain people (girls, mainly) from thinking the world of him, nor keep him from being ridiculously good at everything he does. (And kind, and handsome, and smart, etc.) This seems like another paint-by-numbers magical-fantasy-action-harem adaptation, but it could be more. I just wouldn’t go in with high expectations, given all the facts lining up against it.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Coming back for its third iteration is the Shounen-Ai favorite Junjou Romantica. The story’s unique twist comes from focusing on three couples simultaneously, each addressing romance and societal issues in their own way. The entire cast will be reprising their roles, with Takahashi Misaki (Sakurai Takahiro) and Usami Akihiko (Hanada Hikaru), Kamijou Hiroki (Itou Kentarou) and Kusama Nowaki (Canna Nobutoshi), and Miyagi You (Inoue Kazuhiko) and Takatsuki Shinobu (Kishio Daisuke) leading the charge as the three couples. Undoubtedly full of the hot saucy Shounen-Ai that the series is popularly known for (bed pushing for instance), returning fans also await the engaging drama and plot that made the show popular in the first place. Although my foray into Shounen-Ai has been limited to covering shows like Love Stage!!, I’ve heard good things about Junjou Romantica. Though it can get pretty hardcore while staying softcore, the show does an excellent job exploring issues such as questioning one’s sexuality and navigating some serious misunderstandings and expectations. With Kon Chiaki as director and the same Studio Deen coming back with most of the same staff, I expect that fans will not be disappointed after their six-or-so year wait. The concept of exploring three simultaneous romances is risky, but evidently has worked in the show’s favor, delivering triple the action for the price of one. Interested fans should check out the first two seasons from 2008—although it can suffer at times from the ‘forcing oneself’ trope of Shounen-Ai, males and females looking for a good romance can find it here.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Himouto! Umaru-chan focuses on the interesting life of Doma Umaru (Tanaka Aimi), the girl everyone at school aspires to be. She has the looks, the smarts, and the personality that would put any popular girl to shame—and she knows it. Except, that’d all be over if anyone found out about her one dark secret: she’s a complete and total otaku at home. As soon as she closes that front door, Umaru transforms from the definition of society’s perfect girl into the perfect shut-in. Donning a super cute hood poncho thing, you can typically find her either lying on the floor, stuck on the computer, or shoving a ton of snacks into her face. And if she’s not doing some combination of those things, she’s typically abusing her older brother, Taihei (Nojima Kenji). Either with her childish behavior or using her outside persona, she’ll do whatever necessary to make his life as difficult as possible—all the while not even feeling a drop of guilt. Himouto! Umaru-chan caught me completely off guard. If you’re like me, just reading the premise probably won’t do much for you. But once you’ve seen the promotional video or read some of the manga, you’ll quickly understand what a mistake you’ve made. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but something special happens the first time you see Umaru transform into her otaku self. It might have something to do with how she’s able to completely contradict every single thing that makes her perfect in the eyes of society within a mere few seconds. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a show jump from “I’m not watching” to “I’m totally watching” as fast as this one did. As an added bonus, the source material has some pretty good content (especially whenever older brother Taihei winds up with the short end of the stick), which leads me to believe the transition from 4-koma into anime should be a pretty smooth one. In terms of studio, I doubt there’s any reason to be concerned. A quick glance at Dogakobo’s recent works will lead you to awesome series like Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun and last season’s Plastic Memories. All in all, I think this show has everything going for it, and unless something horrible happens, I can already see it being one of my favorites for the upcoming season!
|
||||||||||||||
|
Is your heart ready for an emotional roller coaster? Because if you haven’t fortified yourself for the feels coming your way, I’d recommend adequately preparing yourself as soon as possible. Gakkou Gurashi is a story based around the lives of high school kids Ebisuzawa Kurumi (Ozawa Ari), Takeya Yuki (Minase Inori), Wakasa Yuuri (Ichimichi Mao), and their sensei Sakura Megumi (Kayano Ai), as they try to keep themselves alive and functioning throughout a zombie apocalypse. Lucking out by being on the roof during the outbreak, the group end up as the sole survivors and use the school as their base of operations. Forming the School Life Club, the four try their best to utilize what limited resources they have as they attempt to figure out just what to do. But as with any large-scale disaster, danger lurks in every corner, and sometimes you can’t even trust your own eyes. Let me be straight with you: if the anime captures at least a tenth of what made the manga so good, we’ll be in for an epic adventure full of tears and more tears on top of those tears. With an intricate story that places the focus on just how emotionally difficult it is to live in world ravaged by an unknown virus or disease, you quickly get invested not only in the story or the world, but with the characters who you feel connected to. Characters who quickly become more than just faces on a screen, but people who your heart would break in half for, should something happen to them. Along the way you learn just how difficult it is to handle the loss of loved ones, how crazy the human psyche is (and the insane lengths it’ll go through to protect itself), and just how important it is to cherish the here and now when there’s no guarantee of a future.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
Hachimitsu Private Academy was once a revered all-girls’ boarding school for the elite, built on the outskirts of Tokyo. But the current school year is changing everything, as a new revision to the school policy has been put in place: boys can now be admitted into the school for the first time. On his very first day, Fujino Kitoshi (Kamiya Hiroshi) discovers that he’s one of only five boys in the entire school. The ratio of male to female is 1:200, so the odds are stacked against him and the other four boys. But Prison School is not like your typical anime, when a boy surrounded by a harem of woman is a blessing. At Hachimitsu Private Academy, that may as well be a curse. I’ve been hearing about Prison School since the manga started in early 2011. Some claimed it was pure garbage, others said it was a perfect parody manga, others just revel in the fanservice. One thing is for certain, you’re either going to love or hate it – there’s no room for neutral opinions with something so crass, in your face, and unapologetic in its ecchiness. It’s not even cute or endearing with it’s gross, borderline-hentai antics. As someone who has no interest in watching ecchi anime, Prison School seems like something I should avoid like the plague. However, many interpret the series as a parody of the genre, so I feel like I should at least give it a shot before I judge it. There are many who love the manga, and I’ve seen a great deal of hype for the anime since Mizushima Tsutomu (Genshiken Nidaime, Girls und Panzer, BLOOD-C, SHIROBAKO) was announced as director. J.C. Staff consistently delivers solid adaptations that seem to ‘get’ the source material, so I’m confident that, whatever it is that fans love from the manga, it will be reflected in this adaptation.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
So you’ve had a long day at work, your boss is an ass, your colleagues are incompetent, and there’s nothing to do but to drink your sorrows away, all alone. Your room is dark, the silence gets cold. You know what you need? A night under the stars, with a handsome beau to lie beside you and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Thankfully, Summer 2015 has your uncomfortably specific fantasy covered. Makura no Danshi is directed in the first person, so that the audience may fully immerse themselves in sensual voices tickling their cochlea. Each week will feature a different boy to titillate, and all shall, no doubt, be charming in their own way. It’s a short and simple sort of show, and there’s definitely strength in simplicity. Even with all the ecchi this season, the strangest show you’re not going to admit to watching is still Makura no Danshi (Pillow Boys. I know, I know). That said, Japan does already have a dakimakura industry, so Makura no Danshi is not really that off-beat, all things considered. It’s simply harder to define, since it abandons all semblance of plot and instead focuses on conveying a very specific experience to the viewer. Sure, Makura no Danshi is not exactly high art even for escapist fantasies, but it’s certainly different even as it is straightforward. It was apparently intended as a soul-healing anime, and that’s certainly what you should say if anyone asks you questions. Well, none of that is really that important. Makura no Danshi has a clear niche, and it should be easy enough to judge whether you fall within it.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
After a short break following its first cour earlier this year, the second half of the anime adaptation of the popular social network game The iDOLM@ASTER: Cinderella Girls is here. Join the stoic producer (Takeuchi Shunsuke) of 346 Productions once again as he shepherds the girls of the ambitious Cinderella Project, a collection of newbie pop music idols, on the path to stardom. As of the first season all of the Cinderellas have debuted and performed in their first major stage event, but this is but their first step. Shibuya Rin (Fukuhara Ayaka), Shimamura Uzuki (Ohashi Ayaka), Honda Mio (Haya Sayuri) and their friends have another cour of hard work ahead of them, striving towards their dreams, as long as the magic remains. When I introduced The iDOLM@ASTER: Cinderella Girls earlier this year, I made a point of it being akin to a hyper-positive sports anime, and to some extent it unfolded in that way. Compared to its 2011 predecessor, though, Cinderella Girls has turned out to be nittier and grittier, with more focus on the business of being a professional performer. The whole Cinderella motif is still at work—about girls wanting to become princesses—but that is used to highlight the actual menial process required. It’s not all balls and fancy dresses here. That said, none of this is approached with much cynicism, keeping The iDOLM@STER as ultimately feel-good anime, aimed to brighten your week with a story where earnest effort and good-natured camaraderie are rewarded. The song and dance numbers are gravy. It’s not the most sophisticated fare, sure, but a simple show with solid execution is a treat in its own way.
|
||||||||||||||
|
The action-packed magical girl spin-off of Fate/stay night returns for its third summer in a row. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya stars Illyasviel von Einzbern (Kadowaki Mai), who was a normal girl until the talking wand Magical Ruby (Takano Naoko) turned her into a mahou shoujo! Since the first season, she’s become best friends with fellow magical girl Miyu (Nazuka Kaori), been pushed around by Magical Ruby’s and Magical Sapphire’s (Matsuki Miyu) former masters, Tohsaka Rin (Ueda Kana) and Luciagelita “Luvia” Edelfelt (Itou Shizuka), and even met, fought, and ultimately befriended her clone / other half / cousin / sister, Chloe “Kuro” von Einzbern (Saito Chiwa). But with the revelation of a dangerous eighth class card, and after a punishing battle against Bazett Fraga McRemitz (Nabatame Hitomi) that their team only barely survived, the danger isn’t over for Illya and friends. Not by a long shot. A successful spin-off should take what made the original successful and bring it in a new direction, and that’s what Prisma Illya does. It fuses punishing Fate-style kinetic combat with classic Nanoha-style gratuitous magical girl explosions. So far, this has led to two seasons that have both featured some of the best action scenes of their respective years, and that’s saying something, given the competition. Both seasons have been faithfully adapted, with smart tweaks to the material to fit the medium—which is a sentence I wish I could write more often. The second season improved on the first in nearly every way, from animation to pacing to the strength of the source material—and the first season was already excellent. And we still have half of the 2wei manga left to adapt! The whole cast and crew are back at SILVER LINK, so we have every reason to expect another well-animated, smartly-adapted season. The major downside is that we usually get 10-episode seasons, which looks likely again. I’ll say the same thing I said about the first two seasons: if you like fantasy, intense magical action, quirky humor, or would like to see old friends in a different setting, this show is for you. For everyone else, don’t underestimate Prisma Illya just because it’s a spin-off. It’s a near-ufotable quality Fate adaptation with the grimdark uber-pain swapped out for magical girls kicking ass and blowing @#$% up. As a wise man once said: Shut up and take my money!
|
||||||||||||||
| Release Date | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 06/17 | Nanatsu no Taizai: Ban no Bangai-hen OVA | 七つの大罪 OVA http://www.7-taizai.net/ |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 15. |
| 06/19 | Haiyore! Nyaruko-san F OVA | 這いよれ！ニャル子さんF OVA http://nyaruko.com/ |
|
| 06/23 | Sanzoku Diary | 山賊ダイアリー http://kc.kodansha.co.jp/title?code=1000005732 |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 6. |
| 06/24 | Angel Beats! OVA | エンジェルビーツ OVA http://www.angelbeats.jp/ |
Episode 2 of 2. |
| 06/24 | K: RETURN OF KINGS PRELUDE -COME BACK- Movie http://k-project-come-back.jpn.com/news/ |
BD/DVD Release. |
| 06/24 | Mahou × Shounen × DAYS!!!!! OVA | まほう×少年×Days!!!!! OVA http://www.fwinc.co.jp/mahoushonen/ |
|
| 06/24 | Shirobako OVA http://shirobako-anime.com/ |
Episode 2 of 2. |
| 06/24 | Sousei no Aquarion Love | 創勢のアクエリオンEVOL OVA http://aqlogos.com/news/20150321/post-3 |
Special Event Screening. |
| 06/26 | Amagi Brilliant Park Special | 甘城ブリリアントパーク 特別編 http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/amaburi/ |
Bundled w/ BD/DVD Vol. 7. Unaired episode. |
| 06/26 | Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 3 – Kagayaku Mono Ten Yori Otsu コードギアス 亡国のアキト 第3章 http://www.geass.jp/akito/ |
BD/DVD Release. |
| 06/26 | Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama vs. Genius 10 OVA | 新テニスの王子様 OVA vs Genius10 http://tenipuri.jp/ |
Episode 5 of 5. |
| 07/01 | Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai After | 百花繚乱 サムライアフター http://hyakka-ryoran.net/news/news.php |
Bundled w/ Niθ artbook. Episode 2 of 2. |
| 07/03 | Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova DC 劇場版 蒼き鋼のアルペジオ －アルス・ノヴァ－ DC http://aokihagane.com/ |
BD/DVD Release. |
| 07/15 | PSYCHO-PASS Movie | 劇場版 サイコパス http://psycho-pass.com/ |
BD/DVD Release. |
| 07/22 | Durarara!!x2 Shou: Watashi no Kokoro wa Nabe Moyou デュラララ!!×２ 承 第4.5話「私の心は鍋模様」 http://www.durarara.com/ova/ |
Bundled w/ BD/DVD Vol. 6. Episode 4.5. |
| 07/22 | THE LAST -NARUTO THE MOVIE- http://www.naruto-movie.com/index.html |
BD/DVD Release. |
| 07/25 | Saki Biyori OVA | 咲日和 OVA http://www.jp.square-enix.com/magazine/biggangan/introduction/sakibiyori/ |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 14. |
| 07/31 | Strike Witches Operation Victory Arrow Vol. 3: Arunhemu no Hashi ストライクウィッチーズ Operation Victory Arrow vol.3アルンヘムの橋 http://w-witch.jp/news/ |
Part 3 of 3. |
| 08/07 | Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Yotarou Hourou-hen 昭和元禄落語心中 与太郎放浪篇 http://www.rakugo-shinju-anime.jp/ |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 8. Episode 2 of 2. |
| 08/21 | Hozuki no Reitetsu OVA | 鬼灯の冷徹 OVA http://www.hozukino-reitetsu.com/oad/ |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 19. Episode 3 of 3. |
| 08/26 | Ghost in the Shell: ARISE – PYROPHORIC CULT 攻殻機動隊ARISE PYROPHORIC CULT http://kokaku-a.jp/tv/bddvd.html |
BD/DVD Release. |
| 08/26 | Isuca: Gokuraku | ISUCA 第拾壱話「極楽」 http://isuca.net/news/ova |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 7. Unaired episode. |
| 08/28 | Gakuen Handsome The Animation | 学園ハンサム The Animation http://www.liverp.co.jp/ani_pu/gakuen-handsome/ |
|
| 08/28 | Mujaki no Rakuen | 無邪気の楽園 http://www.ya-arasi.com/magazine/list/?id=mujaki |
Bundled w/ LE manga Vol. 8. Episode 2 of 2. |
| 09/11 | Pri Para Movie: Minna Atsumare! Prism☆Tours 劇場版プリパラ み～んなあつまれ！プリズム☆ツアーズ http://pp-movie.com/ |
BD/DVD Release. |
Summer used to be considered one of the weaker seasons, but for the past two years, I’m not sure that’s been true. Studios seem to be spreading out their schedules, putting stronger shows in summer, while still leaving the winter reliably underpowered. There’s a lot of potential in this season, with some reliably strong sequels, though it’s in the new adaptations and the originals that my hopes lie. As I said in the intro, if even a few pan out well, this could be an enjoyable season, even if there seem to be more shifty, lazy, or downright depressing shows at the bottom of our expectation scale.
Speaking of, onto the rundown. Our rubric remains the same, with the five main expectation levels, ranging from High to Low, plus Niche and Established for special cases. Hopefully this guide will help those of you with limited time understand which shows to try first, based on our preliminary examination of the show’s staff, seiyuu, and source material. Failing that, it’ll give you something to make fun of us for when we invariably peg one or two wrong.
We arrived at these levels by convening our regular (and reliably shady) “anticipation council,” which consists of Zanibas, Zephyr, and everyone’s favorite writer (in my dreams), Stilts. While we’ve gone to great lengths to be as objective as possible, we’re all squishy, fallible human beings, and even the most well-considered predictions can prove themselves wrong in a hurry. Take these with a grain of salt.
Note: Lists are sorted in alphabetical order.
The Rundown:
High expectation shows give us reason to believe they have the makings of a very good series that should appeal to the widest audience in their given genres. If you consider yourself a “casual” fan who only gets your toes wet every season by watching the “best” shows (i.e. popular ones that generate the most buzz), then these are the ones we feel you should keep an eye out for. We’re also expecting good things from these shows, so if they fall short, disappointment is understandable.
- High Expectations: Charlotte , Durarara!!x2 Ten, WORKING!!!
Moderately High expectation shows are ones that came close to joining the High expectation crowd, but missed out due to one or two elements that gave us concern. The series underpinnings are generally strong, but there is just something that keeps us from putting all our hopes and dreams on these shows. They still have most of the makings of very strong series, so if you watch only the “best” shows but want more than what the High category provides, keep an eye out for these as well.
- Moderately High Expectations: Akagami no Shirayukihime, Classroom Crisis, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Zwei Herz!, Gakkou Gurashi!, GANGSTA., GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakeri, God Eater, Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace, Rokka no Yuusha
Moderate expectation shows, also known as “True Moderate”, don’t provide any immediate indication that they’ll be amazing in retrospect. This is often the case with shows that fall into one of anime’s overused plot devices, which most people, particularly self-proclaimed critics, will perceive as mediocre at best. However, in many of our experiences these shows still provide a great deal of entertainment and may turn out a lot better than they appear. They’re good for “regular” fans who are aware of all these tropes and don’t mind seeing them used in different settings. Personal tastes come heavily into play, so your mileage will vary.
- Moderate Expectations: Aoharu x Kikanjuu, Aquarion Logos, Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Sen’eku, Gatchaman Crowds Insight, Himouto! Umaru-chan, Jitsu wa Watashi wa, Joukamachi no Dandelion, Junjou Romantica 3, Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan, Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou, Overlord, Prison School, Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX, Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai, THE IDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls 2, To LOVE-Ru – Trouble Darkness 2nd, Ushio to Tora
Moderately Low expectation shows don’t seem to be aspiring to much, but it’s hard to call them bad exactly. They might focus on senseless humor or fanservice, but there’s often at least one element that elevates them above other members of their genre. Once again, personal taste comes heavily into play with these shows, because if they’re part of one of your favored genres then chances are you’ll enjoy them no matter what. Just don’t expect them to break the bank with originality.
- Moderately Low Expectations: Danchigai, Million Doll, Okusama ga Seito Kaichou!, Sore ga Seiyuu!, Wakaba Girl, Wakako-zake
Low expectation shows don’t seem to be striving for much and choose to focus on more frivolous aspects such as senseless humor and fanservice. That doesn’t mean they’re the bottom of the barrel and shouldn’t get any consideration, but simply that you need to keep in mind what kind of show it is. Generally only “avid” fans will be interested in seeing what these have to offer, because they’re already watching all the better shows.
- Low Expectations: Bikini Warriors, Kaijuu Sakaba Kanpai!, Miss Monochrome The Animation Season 2, Suzakinishi THE ANIMATION, VENUS PROJECT -CLIMAX-
Niche shows break away from the norm by being slower-paced, extremely dark/grotesque, or even controversial. In most cases these shows are oriented towards older audiences or those who feel that anime has become far too repetitive and want something different. Shows of this category tend to be highly under-appreciated, but can turn out to be hidden gems for that very reason. Includes some works oriented toward younger audiences.
- Niche: Makura no Danshi
Established shows are generally long-running manga/anime series, geared towards younger viewers who are already fans of them. A commonality is that they all air early morning on weekends or well before midnight on weekdays so that “normal” people can watch them. They aren’t very dependent on expectations, but a love for never-ending shows and a willingness to get into all the material that’s out if they’re completely new to you. Shounen series fall into this category, hence why we treat them differently.
- Established: Dragon Ball Super, Hetalia: The World Twinkle
Finally! Finally! I almost died waiting for this! Thank you so much every time RC writers~~~!
Prison School is AOTS already.
https://randomc.net/image/Miscellaneous/Summer%202015%20Preview/prisonschool.jpg
From what i saw, this Show is for S&M Lovers and Hard on the Line Ecchi Fans, where to Love-RU are to soft. Playing with Female Dominas
BDSM…
Boobs of the Season.
I liked the Prison School manga’s first arc for ONE character and one character alone- Mari. For the duration of the first arc she was subjected to very little fan service, the few scenes that did exist were extremely tame in comparison to what the other female characters were put through. Mari was the ruthless mastermind, a regal, untouchable Black Queen, standing above all that ecchi nonsense, orchestrating and directing it all with an iron fist. My kind of girl…until the second arc when she was deposed by the boys, put into a position of vulnerability, subjected to the author’s sadistic perverted whims and sexualized- the manner in which she is developed as a character later on almost makes Arc 1 Mari and Arc 2 and onwards Mari seem like completely different people, h*ll even the way she is drawn changes rather drastically over time.
As for the argument that Prison School is a parody of the ecchi genre? Utter nonsensical apologetic sophistry. Sure, all the ecchi scenes are over-the-top-ridiculous and extreme, borderline H, but this was not done out of parody. Yeah, sure perhaps the over-the-top-ness is meant to be funny, which it often is. However, it has become evident over time that the author’s primary intent in doing this was never parody but rather to dazzle the audience with sheer shock value. As the series goes on the ecchi scenes are becoming incrementally more gratuitously extreme, escalating as the author tries to find ways to continue shocking the audience with his sadistic perverseness. The relatively recent Mari/Kiyoshi scene with the snake pit and the most recent Hana/Kiyoshi scene under the sheets are prime examples of how extreme and utterly insane the ecchi scenes have gotten in recent chapters versus the comparatively tame fare of Arc 1.
Having said all of this, I will be watching the anime however- it’s likely a 13 episode show, which will probably conclude at the end of the first arc, which I did like, if only for just one reason…
Prison School parodies many things but it is definitely not a parody of the ecchi genre.
In fact, I would label it as strictly comedy. Even with its high amount of ecchi, it’s the comedy that’s great here. The ecchi is just used as part of the comedy.
In most ecchi anime, comedy is secondary as the primary focus is on ecchi. With Prison School, it’s the other way round.
No average, reasonable, unbiased commentator would agree. Shock-and-awe style, extreme, borderline p*rn ecchi is a central part of Prison School’s DNA. Prison School simply wouldn’t be Prison School anymore without it- it is what defines the series and sets it apart from other ecchi comedies. Now, if your argument was simply that Prison School is particularly strong in terms of its comedy I might be inclined to agree. However the argument that its defining feature of gratuitously extreme ecchi exists for comedic effect alone is, quite frankly, absurd. There are plenty of absolutely hilarious comedy/ecchi series which do not have to resort to the shocking and often disgusting lengths that this show will go to, ostensibly, if we accept your argument, for comedy’s sake- like Sora no Otoshimono for example.
Certainly, a little crassness can make things funnier, but even so one does not have do as Prison School does to obtain maximum comedic effect from crassness (As proven by other funny, but comparatively tame [BY FAR] ecchi shows like Sora no Otoshimono). The level of crassness employed by Hiramoto Akira in Prison School far exceeds the boundaries at which crassness through the law of diminishing returns ceases to add comedic value to a scenario. In fact, it is often so extreme that the risk of offending the audience and driving them away is far greater than any comparatively nominal potential comedic gains. Had Hiramoto Akira simply wanted to pen a comedic ecchi series, as a rational actor he could have done so easily without resorting to such gratuitously crass methods and taking on the risk of offending readers if the associated comedy wasn’t strong enough. But he did take on the risk of doing this. He chose to take on the difficult task of attempting to pen a series so crass that it had to be funny IN SPITE of its crassness, rather than because of it.
As a rational actor, why did he opt to take on such a burden? Well, I must imagine that he felt the risk was worth it as being shockingly crass sets his manga apart from others in the same genre. Which would draw readers in, after which its comedic strengths would retain them.
To conclude, shocking crassness is a foundational aspect of Prison School’s formula, a calculated inclusion by author Hiramoto Akira for the purpose of setting his manga apart and drawing attention to it- and is not simply an incidental characteristic of its comedy- evident because it is so gratuitously applied that it is usually an encumbrance on comedic effect, rather than a boon; so insanely extreme that scenarios must be funny IN SPITE of the crassness instead of because of it. Although credit must be given where credit is due- being able to craft a series that a broad audience finds funny in spite of being gratuitously crass is a form of genius in of itself…
^^^
Essentially, crassness of the magnitude found that is in Prison School is something rational actor-authors would more or less never choose to incorporate into their works to enhance comedic effect. Because the risks of doing so far outweigh the advantages- although crassness can make things funnier, this relationship is not a direct one- whether and how much the crassness of a joke/scenario adds to its comedic value is mostly a case-by-case basis sort of thing, unrelated to the degree of crassness employed- unless a joke/scenario is too crass at which point potential comedic benefits usually all but vanish in the face of risking offense to a large portion of the audience; achieving comedy now becomes a form of damage control. The author must now work doubly hard to attain a comedic effect strong enough to outweigh the offense to the audience- the joke/scenario needs to be funny in spite of its crassness, deriving comedy from other elements such as situational absurdity, because it is so offensive that any comedic benefit coming from being crass is wholly subsumed and superseded by being overwhelmingly offensiveness.
If extreme crassness is used in a comedic work it is almost never for the sake of increasing comedic effect because it almost always results in a massive net negative to comedic value by virtue of being too offensive. Therefore where extreme crassness is employed in a comedy it is probabilistically certain that the intent of a rational-actor author in doing so was not for the enhancement of comedy. His/her intention must have been to instead draw attention to his/her work and distinguish it from others, in the absence of parody, more high-minded reasons such as satire and political/social/philosophical commentary, or rare, obscure reasons such as adherence to reality in semi-biographical fiction. Prison School parodies, but in ways unrelated to its crassness which is more or less never parodic. And there is absolutely nothing high-minded about Prison School. This is a series that has faux-philosophical debates about bo*bs and b*tts. And there are no special circumstances such as being a semi-biographical work of fiction that justify its extreme crassness. Hence, the most plausible conclusion is that the primary purpose of its crassness is simply to distinguish itself and seek attention…
ALL ABOARD!!!! hope they stay true to the content..too bad it was a rumor about madhouse taking the reigns…….SAMU if ecchi isnt your thing maybe you should sit this one out…
but like others have mentioned…its mostly COMEDY…brilliant comedy!
Come on, I’m not ready for this yet! I’m still reeling from the last episode of Oregairu! You come too quickly, summer season!
i feel like i could die if oregairu doesn’t get a new season
Yeah, the ending was too vague and open ended. Here’s to the next season… *hands beer*
even with toei animations’s bad track record in recent years that’s not gonna stop me from getting excited over a new dragon ball series, because this dragon ball is the reason why digimon’s premiere got pushed back to november (probably).
Gotta love that Gate pic with Lelei’s missing legs.
https://randomc.net/image/Miscellaneous/Summer%202015%20Preview/gate.jpg
Someone didn’t tell the artist the size the picture was going to be, and someone else was sleepy or drunk when this was officialized xD
A new case of loli. She’s smol because she doesn’t have legs. (I’m sorry. -_-)
I’m all hype for the Gate anime because I was a major follower of something similar in TV series form,
the Stargate series..the original movie, SG-1, Atlantis, Universe, the extra 2 movies related to the series, I’ve watched them all.
Gate anime could potentially be a long running story etc if they dive into questions like:
– is there more than one Gate?
– how many Gates are there? (aka leading into multiple places / planets / cultures / communities )
– who’s monopolizing the Gates?
– who made the Gates?
It’s not really missing though lol
If I remember it correctly there’s a menu or advertisement there so to make the post clean they remove it
It’s that time again. As usual, will pick about more than half of the list regardless of genre and just see what happens. Though looking at the list, there seems to be quite a lot of shows coming out. Summer is usually a bit lower than this regardless of quality. Ah well.
My picks:
>God Eater
>TLRD 2 – I watch it for the PLOT
>Akagami no Shirayukihime
>Jitsu wa Watashi wa
>NNB Repeat
>Overlord – planned to read this last month but CCC got in the way
>MonMusu – read about 8 chapters but stopped somehow. May continue before the anime starts.
>Okusama ga Seito Kaichou
>Kuusen Madoushi – obligatory LN magical-fantasy-action-harem anime with Matsuoka. Don’t think I’ll get tired of it actually.
>GANGSTA
>Gakkou Gurashi
>Chaos Dragon
>Aquarion Logos – more mecha porn
>Ranpo Kitan
>Aoharu x Kikanjuu
>Joukamachi no Dandelion
>Ushio to Tora
>Im@s CG 2 – still stalled on the last episode somehow
>GATE – may try the LN or manga, whichever comes first
>2wei Herz – my most anticipated show of the season. After what Illya experienced in UBW, she’ll get some payback for it here. The material left to cover will be a blast. I hope Silver Link delivers seeing as they’re extremely busy this season.
>Classroom Crisis
>Symphogear GX – Nana wills it.
>DRRR Ten
>Charlotte
>Working!!!
>Gatchaman
>Rokka no Yuusha – planned to read the LN this month but CCC again.
Tentatives:
>DBZ Super – as much as I like DBZ, I don’t think I like to hear Goku’s Japanese voice.
>Bikini Warriors – I like ecchi and boobs as much as Stilts and there’s Tony Taka and Hisasi in the character design but I feel like it’s not enough to make me watch it.
>Shimoneta
>Prison School – read the manga a few years back but I don’t remember any of it but I do remember I felt uncomfortable in some of the scenes.
Picking up too much, time management, no life, etc.
Boring
the key on not getting disappointed is not to expect much, you’re doing well already.
Don’t pretend you know anything about me.
I don’t have any expections of anime… if there are good ones, that’s fine, I will probably watch, if not, well then so be it, I have other entertainment besides anime. don’t be a nerd.
ILLYA, IM COMING FOR YOU.
> Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na SekaiTop
Animation: Genco
Someone fix the studio please. It’s J.C.Staff
And BTW, judging from yesterdays animated PV, Classroom Crisis really reminded me of Uchuu no Stellvia but I doubt any of the Random Curiosity staff watched it.
On reviewing some sources, J.C. Staff is assisting with animation, as is mentioned in the body of the preview, but Genco is still listed as being in charge of production.
As for Stellvia of the Universe, it had a bit of a space opera edge while Classroom Crisis seems to describe itself as a rom-com, but of course we shall see. It’s an original series open to original twists, after all. Rejoice, it has been mentioned.
Isn’t the rule is to post the animation studio not the production company.
Animation Work: J.C.Staff
Work: Genco
Work – production
Animation work – animation production
It’s not a hentai there production studios in general are more known and more significant than animation ones.
The ‘rule’, I suppose, is to be informative, and J.C. Staff does get mentioned in the preview. If the issue is really bothering you, I will look further into the cooperative arrangement between Genco and J.C. Staff and review the info box.
Just that it strange not to see the anime-studio where while the series actually has one. I doubt a lot of people here even know who is Genco. They prefer to see familiar title there instead of some production company.
Uchuu no Stellvia? I watched it. But i am no RC Staff, just an Veteran Fan
Fixed. I think the reason I get these wrong is because I do the info so early on that it updates over time and I’m not aware =( my bad.
I’m looking forward to Akagami and Hetalia the most.
https://randomc.net/image/Miscellaneous/Summer%202015%20Preview/clarines.jpg
Been waiting since it showed the PV for Zen and Shirayuki to finally hit the screens. Second favorite couple of all time and all.
Looking forward to this, as well. I hope it’s similar to Akatsuki no Yona.
Dammit Takaii, you just spoiled the twist in Gakkou Gurashi.
I don’t think so, but maybe it’ll help people be more inclined to watch it.
@Takaii, if you hadn’t mentioned the feels, I would have skipped over Gakkou Gurashi because of its moe/slice of school life-appearance.
Your post was intriguing, so I checked out/caught up in the manga. Now it’s one of the shows I’m looking forward to most this summer. 🙂
Was looking forward to Charlotte, glad it’s on the high expectations list for you guys as well.
Man, a few of these in here I follow from other means. Please, please, please, don’t screw them up. 🙁
Huzzah! Truer words have rarely been spoken
Personally I’m hyped for Working!!! and Prisma Illya on the sequel side (Non Non Biyori and Symphonia too but to lesser extent). On newer material, I’ve heard many good things about Gates and Overlord.
But my biggest expectations lie with Rokka no Yuusha. What I’ve read of the LN (3 volumes) is some of the best fantasy/action/adventure from recent memory. And with mystery thrown into that mix, I feel it gets very close to being unique. Some of the strong points include smart action, well-written characters who break in half most cliches they seem to fit and nerve-wracking mysteries that are hard (not impossible) to figure out but make perfect sense afterwards. Simply put, it’s an awesome treat.
I’ll try to contain my expectations of the series though. If watching LN adaptation animes has taught me anything, it’s to watch my expectations.
@Gate:
And Try to recreate the JSDF into JSAF. GATE reminds me of Zero no Tsukaima, and a bit of outbreak Company. Just with the JSDF Part of both Animes spinning a bit longer, and where in Outbreak Company the Real World succeed into conquer the Fantasy World. So there you get my JSAF reference (Japan Self Attacking Force). I would not be surprised if some sponsor would be some Hawk faction in the Real Life Politics. But if you go there and Magic would invent an Protection against their Ballistics Projectiles Weapons (Our Guns are shooting Ammunition like a Slingshot with Gunpowder. Or some Magic where Gunpowder reaction render useless. Voila! the JSAF must trust on their Human Strength skills like Sword and shield stuff. Welcome to Fantasy fighting style
So, this Anime has already dark Clouds on their Horizon
List of Animes that get my curiosity:
GoD Eater (World Design)
to Love-RU (If you like Highschool DxD)
Sore ga Seiyuu (curiosity)
Overlord (World Design)
Monster Musume (World Design, even when their Face reminds me of Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse Suits)
Bikini Warriors (see to Love-ru. Well more for the Ecchi… yes yes)
Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan (for the feeling seen this somewhere else)
Himouto! Umaru-chan (3 Episode Test for the Comedy)
Gakkou Gurashi! (Survivor thing… Project Omega Man!!)
Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Sen’eku (Fantasy Setting, World Design)
Hetalia: The World Twinkle (wondering about the cliches of the Countries)
Miss Monochrome The Animation Season 2 (i give it a try for the sake of the Sing and Voice Actor)
Gate (reason see above to see, if i am right)
Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Zwei Herz! (illya and her friends are back!!! i miss her since her death in Fate/Stay)
Classroom Crisis (Curiosity)
Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX (Lets see, i left out the 2nd season)
Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai (this Show surly focus on dirty Jokes and Pantsu shoots)
Charlotte (one of my favorite Studios since Little Busters)
WORKING!!! (i loved the first Season)
Rokka no Yuusha (World setting, design and Curiosity)
That’s all for now.
@WorldwideDepp: Re. Gate. Unfortunately, my post which had details on Gate is “awaiting moderation” for… reasons (seriously NO idea why) so I can’t just put “see below”.
I’m a big fan of gate and regularly follow the manga (no TL for novel or LN – there are both, novel = original source/”canon” as the web novel no longer exists). As I mentioned in my MIA post, I would not consider this similar to Outbreak (and I’ve seen other manga readers respond similarly to that comparison so it’s not just me). There’s some general/superfical similarities (modern world meets fantasy), but Gate has much more serious/dark moments. It’s not always grim-dark by any means, but they are there. The story can be brutal (and IMO realistic) at times. As for ZnT – even less similar. Honestly, I would never have thought to compare the two.
Hopefully my post will be approved and provide some helpful information. I definitely would recommend to check out Gate anime, but if this sticks to the manga/novel (LN might be more “PG”), it’s not going to be a light-hearted fluffy romp like ZNT (particularly) or Outbreak.
Thank you for your explanation
Don’t feel too bad — my comments sometimes get stuck in moderation hell to.
I think the length made the filter lose its mind.
@Takaii
if you make an Post with more then 3 Pictures, you get Moderation
if you use some “Keywords” you get Moderation
If you send the twitter RC account an message, your IP get Blocked. You need a fresh new IP to post again
That is what i found out myself… *not looking to some special person*
I hope they do a decent job with Gate, I love the manga, but if that picture is anything to go by, I’m a bit afraid – I mean, Leilei looks too young and girly, and I don’t know what to make of Itami. Hopefully we’ll get those awesome curb-stomps properly rendered
Show Spoiler ▼
*keeps fingers crossed*
What shows are continuing from spring season?
It’s pretty obvious that Arslan is a 2 cour, but what other shows are (please say Danmachi).
DanMachi is 13 eps. And as I heard they covered all the LNs somehow.
Ore Monogatari and Shokugeki no Soma are 2-cours.
To add: Baby Steps, Kyoukai no Rinne, Ninja Slayer, Denpa Kyoushi, Ace of the Diamond.
Yes!!! Summer anime season here I come!!! I’m the most excited about GANGSTA. And Prison school!!! I’ve read both manga’s religiously and i hope that they turn out to be the best animations of the season!!
Aww yeah, God Eater in animated form. Hopefully Kanon Daiba gets some good screen time, God Eater wouldn’t be the same without her.
If they did adapt the first God Eater game somewhat faithfully, I can probably assure that the story won’t be… spectacular. So from the anime, don’t expect some sort of grand story. You are watching this for either a) fan of God Eater (me), or b) fan of Ufotable (also me). Of course, I’m always up for surprises.
Overall, I’m not expecting much from the anime despite how hyped I am for it. I am only expecting to see one of my most favorite games animated, with Ufotable quality animation (hopefully).
The more I scroll down, the more horrified I am because HOLY SHIT, SO MANY THINGS I WANT TO WATCH.
This is gonna be a good season.
Gate is probably my most expected title, since I love military themes and like fantasy too.
other than that, i’ll probably watch loads of continuations , plus whatever surprise new discoveries pick my curiosity
Only two anime I’ve planned to watch:
– Charlotte : P.A. Works, Jun Maeda, awesome scenery, awesome BGM, feels,
please don’t end up like Glasslip.– Prisma Illya : Illya totally deserve a second chance in lighter and softer universe. Also, awesome spin-off.
I’ll give Rokka no Yuusha and Gangsta 3-episodes rule.
https://randomc.net/image/Miscellaneous/Summer%202015%20Preview/rokka.jpg
Aztec-fantasy and awesome character design.
https://randomc.net/image/Miscellaneous/Summer%202015%20Preview/gangsta.jpg
Damn it feels good to be a gangsta… *thug life*
read the manga for gangsta first you will love it, before watching the anime
For me, this summer season comes down to one show – Gate. The manga’s a favorite – one of the few manga/LN I still actively follow. That’s not to say I won’t watch/try any other shows, but barring a pleasant surprise, how Gate goes so goes my summer season for the most part.
Quick note about the series – it started as a web novel noted for, among other things, its right wing, nationalistic politics. It was then published as a novel (not light novel) with the politics toned down some. After that, the novel was adapted into an LN “for easier reading”, with (based upon comments I’ve read), the politics toned down again among other things. My impression (which could be wrong) is that the LN is more “PG” rated than “R” like the novel and manga. Manga’s the latest adaptation and is supposed to be quite close to the novel. It’s definitely NSFW and has some “adult situations”, though Gate never degenerates into uber grim-dark dystopia for the sake of being grim-dark.
While the military hook is certainly one reason I like Gate (it does have its “gun porn”), the story IMO is actually surprisingly good. Itami is *gasp* 33 years old rather than in HS or middle-school. Certainly not hax/OP. He’s a good, if…atypical, leader who’s not stupid and can get the job done if not quite according to SOP. He also cares about those under his command. Rory (the… “gothic lolita demigoddess thing” >_>), is a fun, likeable character. She’s definitely one of the most popular (perhaps the most popular) characters among Gate manga readers based upon comments I’ve read. There are some other good, if not great, side characters as well, and at least for the manga, there are (intentionally) funny moments to go along with the more serious plot lines and action. One thing I like about Gate (manga) is that it integrates comedy with serious stuff well. Not always the case with some series.
With the large caveat of who the hell knows how the adaptation will turn out, based on the manga, I would not say this is comparable to Outbreak Company and less so for Log Horizon. Yeah, you can find some general similarities in the setting (Outbreak Company more so), and there are some “fish out of water” type comedy moments (manga – which could have added some of that), but different type of story in general – certainly less light-hearted overall than Outbreak and I’d say Log Horizon as well. Plus, this isn’t an MMORPG. No levels, XP, etc. There’s magic, but not a ton of spell slinging. Bullets flying? There’s definitely that (and cannon shells, and RPGs, etc.). To be clear, however, the manga by no means is all battles. As for the right wing, nationalistic politics, I’d be surprised if that was completely removed. I expect other countries will not be shown in a very favorable light (though quite possibly not as bad compared to the novel/manga).
If this was based on the manga and they stuck to that and didn’t rush the presentation/cut a bunch of material, I’d be very excited for the anime adaptation. But it’s (apparently) based upon the LN, and I’m not entirely sure the degree of variation between the two. Got burned by that with Maoyuu Maou Yuusha anime. I have other concerns as well. :/ The way a number of recent “adaptations” have turned out isn’t exactly encouraging for one thing. I REALLY hope the anime doesn’t blow through source material. At most they should end with the second novel/4th LN volume. Even that might be rushed pacing. Then there’s the possibility of detrimental anime only changes/additions/etc. Finally, there are some things in the PV which give me the impression the story will be watered down towards “PG” shounen rather than per source “R rated” seinen. Nothing wrong with PG shounen per se, but a large part of what makes the series work and more realistic (IMO) are those grim-dark scenes/plot lines. The empire is a combination of medieval and Roman Empire eras – neither of which were exactly utopias.
TL:DR = While I definitely think Gate is worth checking out/”3 Episode Rule”, I would go into this with completely neutral expectations. Hopefully, the anime will surprise to the upside. Hopefully.
I’m only excited for Charlotte.
This Summer, it’s “Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Sen’eku” and “Joukamachi no Dandelion” (with its kind of “Big Brother” idea into the series’ storytelling) for sure… 😉
But I might also watch out for some others, such as “Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace”, “Classroom☆Crisis” and “Akagami no Shirayukihime” 😉
CM for Gakkou Gurashi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw-WkbDHBT0
์์์New PV for Symphogear GX (With new scenes from GX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLcpO8S8tvY
Please update them into the preview
Non Non Biyori: Happy fun times. Please spend less time picking on poor Komari, thanks.
Prisma Illya: Why did they even split 2wei up in the first place? That was a terrible idea. They should have just made it a 20-episode 2-cour series, with no split.
SYMPHOGEAR!: Some people dismiss this series, but I love it. Although I admit that I first watched it completely out of order (seeing some later episodes of the second season first), so I came in on the awesome stuff and then went back to see how it all started. I wouldn’t recommend that for everyone, but I had gotten the impression from some reviews that the series was darker than it actually was, and if I hadn’t watched what I did first, I probably wouldn’t have watched the series at all and realized how much awesome fun it is.
NON NON FREAKIN BIYORI 2
To everyone that gonna skip Gakkou Gurashi! because you don’t like moeshow / slice-of-life / cute girl doing cute thing
DO NOT SKIP THIS
IT IS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECTED
AT ALL
IT IS ACTUALLY VERY VERY GOOD
Shh. It’s supposed to be our secret (;
Well, let me see. “Genre: Drama, Horror.”
And “…Characters who quickly become more than just faces on a screen, but people who your heart would break in half for, should something happen to them. Along the way you learn just how difficult it is to handle the loss of loved ones, how crazy the human psyche is (and the insane lengths it’ll go through to protect itself), and just how important it is to cherish the here and now when there’s no guarantee of a future.”
Nope, I’ma skip this. If I become invested in a character and something terrible happens to them, it wrecks me. I mean I become unable to function effectively for days afterwards. I can’t concentrate on anything, I can’t do my job, I can’t think of anything but what happened and how I want it to not have happened. If this show is designed to hit people where it hurts, I’m going to stay away from it.
Oh, you should TOTALLY watch this then. It’s NOTHING like that at all. NOTHING. AT. ALL.
(Whistles innocently.)
Honestly, I can’t wait. I know it’s going to wreck me and turn me into a crying little monkey, and I’m okay with it. It’s THAT FREAKING GOOD. (Let’s just say… if you couldn’t handle Madoka, stay the hell away.)
no sure about dragon chaos but i will try, the same with god eater only for ufotable
simoneta some¿?the name is long, i been waiting for a GOOD love comedy like in old days(seto no hanayome, school rumble) maybe could be more o less good maybe…
things i learned today:
stilts lives off the TvTropes website
You didn’t know that already? Ufufu~. Picking apart stories for what makes them tick is my JAM. Also, I’ve gotten lost in TVTropes like 15,532 times ;_;
I’m still in the mental asylum suffering withdrawal syndrome from being immersed in TV Tropes for almost a year before deciding to pull the plug and not open that page again.
@Reikakou:
Pretty sure there’s a trope about that.
My freaking god. What another season filled with goodies!
-Overlord- I’ve been a fan of the LN since the good samaritans of skythewood translations started giving us the english badass juice. I must say THIS is my most awaited anime of the season. After the sickeningly heroic DanMachi (Mind you, I loved the anime, Im just sick of the hero trope), a trip to the dark side is just what the doctor ordered. Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!
-God Eater- Ufotable, enough said. And I must admit that I did enjoy the game ^.^ …. to bad it went unnoticed in my country T.T
-Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Zwei Herz!- As a proud veteran fan of the Fate franchise, it would be a sin not to add Illya to my to-watch list
-GANGSTA- since i just recently rewatched Black Lagoon simply because it was AWESOME, i must admit that GANGSTA tickled my interest. Unrestricted corruption and violence has been sorely missing in anime this days.
-GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tataker- I’m actually a bit reluctant about watching this one. Mind you, the premise caught me hook line and sinker….. but I (who did not read the LNs) get the feeling that this anime wont hesitate to paint the JSDF as the best military unit in the world…. something of which I highly doubt.
Its like GATE is going to spare no expense Mary Stu-ing the JSDF…. but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. I mean DanMachi proved to me that just because Bell sounds, acts and is pretty much a copy-n-paste of Kirito doesnt mean that the anime is gonna flop like SAO.
Either way, this season is gonna be awesome!
The manga didn’t paint it as “best in the world”, just a proud military. That’s about all.
Hopefully the novel’s not that far different.
Well, when the main character beats some of the premiere special forces in the world, I think that’s the message they’re trying to convey.
So many to watch…. And this is just a summer!
ohohoh cant wait
I wanted a Yuri anime, so sad 🙁
Fate kaleid???
For me there are only four anime that I plan to watch with a strong possibility of more being added once reviews here start getting posted. They are:
-CHAOS DRAGON (I want to see just how crazy the story is.)
-Aquarion Logo (I enjoyed Evol even after t turned into a trainwreck. Let’s see how it goes.)
-Charlotte (Creators have brought up Angel Beats! in relation to it. That makes it an automatic must watch for me.)
-Fate/Kaleid liner Prisma Illya 2wei Herz! (I read the manga and I’ve seen every season of the anime so far. Hopefully it continues to deliver.)
So it sounds like Gate is an anime I should be watching :/
I know you folks put a lot of work into the previews, but is there anyway to add episode length (5min, 10min, 24min) to the info at the top of each preview. This season looks much better than Spring to me though.
The character designs in that Aquarion show look atrocious.
I’ve so been looking forward to this preview.. Thanks randomc team!
Yeah I’m sorry but no, Aquarion Evol was a fucking atrocious show in the end. Even the staff hated how it ended up. Enjoy your 12000 years of bestiality.
Summer looks nice… Some God-tier sequels and promising originals to look out for.
Gate got animated? I remember reading the translated web novel at one point though stopped half way thanks to author’s far-right views.
Sequels: Working!!!, Durarara!!x2 Ten, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
Will watch: God Eater, Gangsta, Aoharu x Kikanjuu
Will check: Ranpo Kitan, Rokka no Yuusha, Prison School, Classroom Crisis, Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai, Monster Musume
Nationalism: Gate
Read the manga for gangsta and prison school you will love both of them, especially prison school lots of hijinx and S&M.
Ok. Now I know why it took so long to release the post. 😀
The list for this season is just too long!
Akagami no Shirayukihime is an excellent manga with a great female lead so I hope more people will give the anime adaptation a try!
2015 Summer Anime Interest List!
Most Anticipated ☆:
God Eater
Overlord
Rokka no Yuusha
Anticipated Σ:
Charlotte
Durarara!!x2 Ten
GANGSTA.
Himouto! Umaru-chan
Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace
Moderate ▼:
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Aoharu x Kikanjuu
Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Sen’eku
GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakeri
Jitsu wa Watashi wa
Ushio to Tora
Low ◕:
Gakkou Gurashi!
Gatchaman Crowds Insight
Danchigai
Joukamachi no Dandelion
Junjou Romantica 3
Makura no Danshi
Prison School
+10 series continuing from Spring! 😀
This season looks amazing. So many shows that caught my interest so far.
Definitely watching Gatchaman Crowds; the rest I’ll decide later.
The thing with Crowds is that the characters were only used as vehicles to promote a certain ideology envisioned by the writers, and did not really grow or expand by much.
I hadn’t seen the actual premise of Aquarion Logos anywhere else before now. Thank you, Zephyr for the background.
Ohh! The story concept sounds so interesting! I can’t wait to watch the series and unlike others I am loving the character designs.
Facepalming with Aoharu x Kikanjuu. The whole story concept sounds deluded! Though I am still planning on watching.
Other than those two, I am most excited for Gatchaman Crowds Insight and more cute Maaya Uchida.
Finally after 2 seasons of nothing it looks like the drought is over.
GATE: Will be good as long as the censorship stays away. There is a lot of violence(physical/sexual) in this with brutally dismembered bodies displayed. Just hoping they don’t tone things down to appeal to a wider audience. Us mature readers/viewers can handle it.
GANGSTA: Reading the manga and loving it.
MONSTER MUSUME: For Papi and Suu
Gakkou Gurashi: For the FEELS!
Non non Byori and Himouto Umaru-chan: Both for the cute and relaxing atmosphere
Overlord: EVIL MC(???)
Ushio to Tora: Style from when I got into anime.
Gosh, so many shows, yet only ONE actual mecha anime for this summer.
Bummer.
Oh well, at least there’s some shows that looks promising enough this season. Unless more broken promises appears (Digimon Adventure Tri….grrrr)
And now, my short-short list for Summer 2015 – the testing waters edition:
(hopeful) Continuation(s)
World Trigger
Must watch
WORKING!!!
3 –
monthepisode trialAquarion Logos – it looks promising BEFORE the mechs came out, literal voice of creation? Wow.
GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakeri – Looks okay, for now. Zero promise of any follow through
Classroom Crisis – worth a watch, with a setting that’s not in a Japanese high school
God Eater – Hey, it’s an UFOtable production, what can possibly go wrong?
On the fence
Danchigai
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou – having saw the manga, this series may as well get drummed down to blog watch…
Blog watch
Charlotte
I did indeed feel GATE was highly nationalistic, to the point that I dropped the manga. The point where you tread into the waters of defeating both America and Russia (And I think China) is where regular nationalism becomes ultra-nationalism.
yep. i also dropped it when the japanese nationalist overtones began to come on quite strongly.
hopefully they tone it down in the anime (removing it altogether would be ideal, though probably unrealistic).
Well, if it make you to reconsider, the storyline swayed away from the nationalism after the “international” incident (at least the manga did)
Hmm, I’ll give it another shot then.
I believe it’s not more nationalist than any Hollywood movie about a world conflict was or would be.
The difference would be that American troops generally have more plentiful equivalent or better equipment, more training, and more actual combat experience than the typical Hollywood enemy. There’s a difference between a superpower beating an enemy and a small, anti-militaristic nation doing the same thing.
Even extraterrestially, if anyone could actually beat back an alien attack, it’d probably be China or America anyway, with actually huge reserves of manpower and equipment, and enough open land for maneuver warfare.
How is Gate ultranationalist? Does it negatively depict the big foreign powers?
Well this isn’t making me excited about the show. Uber-nationalism is exactly the sort of thing to trigger my cynicism and ranting subroutines =/
@SerRompalot: No question Gate pushes the line regarding nationalism and perhaps jingoism (later in the story), but as info600 rightfully points out, the focus does not always remain on the political stuff. If constantly focused on the nationalistic, et.al. themes, I probably wouldn’t stick with the series either. But the majority of focus thus far (manga) is on Itami’s group and the other side which for me is a good read. Going forward, I suspect the political stuff (incl. negative/unfavorable depiction of other nations) will return in greater focus. How much and to what degree? No clue.
—————
@brajt: Maybe, but to me Gate pushes things a lot with the mantra of “we’re the best”. I’m sure there are very capable, world-class Japanese soldiers special ops/counter-intelligence personnel (like with other nations across the globe), but it’s how it’s portrayed at times. I’ll forgo examples to avoid spoilers. Won’t lie, some of what happens reminds me a bit of the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” propaganda during WWII. However, so far Gate manga hasn’t crossed my tolerance limits, and I tend to just fluff off the more exacerbated examples (“yeah, yeah…”) since that hasn’t been a focal point, and I enjoy reading about the other side, Itami’s group, etc. Still, everyone has their own threshold for such things.
————–
@zztop: As I noted in my post above (which I guess was “TL:DR” :/), yes, some foreign powers are depicted negatively (China, the US and Russia), and there is a nationalistic theme. The unknown question for the anime is how nationalistic, and how negatively foreign powers will be portrayed. As I mentioned, there are several versions of the story. The web novel, from comments I’ve read, was very right wing political/nationalistic (probably jingoistic). That was toned down for the novel, and best I can tell, further toned down for the LN upon which the anime is supposed to be based. The anime could very well tone that stuff down ever more.
—————–
@Stilts: I’ll repeat what I said in my above post – my recommendation is to go into Gate anime completely neutral (i.e. NO expectations) other than, there is likely to be some nationalism and some portraying of other nations in a less than favorable light. How much, how often, to what degree – who knows? To me, the adaptation is a wildcard = check it out/”3 Episode Rule”, and go from there.
I’ve read the web novel at some point and yeah, I can definitely agree the author is full of far-right views.
I can’t wait to see fanboys defending the author’s ideas by saying “America did worse!, “Japan is a victim! They did nothing wrong!” and such.
If anyone decided to cover this series here on randomc I hope you guys are prepared for some political and historical “debates” in the comment section.
@jayce: Have you read the manga (and/or LN & novel)? My impression from reading comments is that the web novel was much more right wing political/nationalistic/jingoistic than the novel, LN or manga. How do the other versions compare to the web novel (especially manga since that’s all which is TL’d at the moment)? Thanks.
Didn’t think about it, but yeah, you’re right. The anime could be a land mine for historical/political debate :/
As someone who have played and loved God Eater Burst and was frustrated that God Eater 2 didn’t have an US port, it was already set to stone that I’ll watch the anime adaptation even if the plot was not groundmaking. But seeing that ufotable… my god… ufotable will be adapting this game, Jesus I think I’m going to melt. Fanboyism over the roof.
Also yay throwback to the very first anime that I watched, enjoyed and drew when I was a sniveling kid. Dragon Ball Super, here I come.
And given how good J.C. Staff’s spring adaptations, I’ll gonna watch their show this season.
And now JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED for our precious Illya!!! Go kick his ass really hard Illya-chan!
Oh wow, Symphogear GX and Prisma Illya on the same-ish day. Nanaha Vivid might not survive if they proceeded with the 2nd cour now, it would be on the same day as these two
I’m 100% sure gonna watch continuing series like working, symphogear, fate/kaleid, nyan pasu
2-3 episode rule for rokka, chaos, god eater, Shirayukihime, Overlord, Aquarion, Charlotte
I’ll try the others if I feel like it >.<
Aaaaaah the crew of Wagnaria, its good to have you back. Except Inami maybe.
I will pick
Prison School
To Love-Ru -Trouble- Darkness 2nd
Kūsen Madōshi Kōhosei no Kyōkan < Matsuoka again
Joukamachi no Dandelion
Charlotte
Wagnaria!!3
Okusama ga Seito Kaichou!
I need to catch up with the Working!! series if I want to watch Working!!!, but the third season is a must-watch for me. The same goes for Durarara!!x2 Ten. I’m sorry if I haven’t gotten around to watching Durarara!!x2 Shou yet!
ufotable’s and P.A. Works’ series are usually a treat to watch for the animation alone so God Eater and Charlotte are other series I look forward to watching.
Gangsta and Kangoku Gakuen: Prison School are not the usual types of series I watch but both premises sound interesting. I am curious to see what will happen.
Judging from the series I have watched of Madhouse, I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t give Overlord a chance.
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is definitely something I will watch. Enough said.
Thank you for the post, Random Curiosity!
Where is poll for new season?
You probably already know, but the poll is posted.
Another lackluster season line up…
“Working!!!” seems to be only show I’ll be catching weekly this summer – and even then, its riding on the small waves of chuckles I got from the previous seasons. Lets hope it doesn’t disappoint and come up with some new antics besides the ones that they’ve already done to death.
Didn’t know we would be getting another season of Nyan-pasu, but don’t forget about the chill bro.
Anyone got an episode count for Charlotte? I’m looking forward to it, but I’d rather avoid another rushed ending if someone decides to cut episodes halfway through like they did for Angel Beats. While I’m on that topic, I loved the 2nd special for that show.
I need to go rewatch some of Working!!, it’s been a while and I’m sure I’ll still get a good laugh.
TLRD 2 should kinda sorta maybe get into plot, but if there isn’t an uncensored version on air, I can wait. Based on the shadow, though, looks like we might get Show Spoiler ▼
Can’t wait for another season of Durarara and Prisma Illya.
The mystery one intrigues me, hopefully it turns out well.
After being burned by several recent adaptations *sigh*DxD*sigh* of LNs I’ve been reading, I’m gonna watch Gate with tempered expectations, though I haven’t read that one.
@Stilts
I’m gonna put the over/under on the “LN adaptation w/Matsuoka Yoshitsugu lead…” for 5 more seasons in a row (2 full years). LN adaptations don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
gakku gurashi
umaru
and GATE
wahaha waiting so long for them to make anime wahaha
I cant wait to see the first part of Gate be animated. Also like the fact that its the reverse: for once, the protagonists get the OP toys
How do people manage to keep up with all the anime series that are released in a season? I still have shows 3 seasons ago that I have yet to finish and at least 5 shows this season that I have yet to check out…
I have about 8 shows where I watch as it airs. A lot of shows I will start the first 3-5 eps. Then if I hear good things or get re interested I binge watch. A 12 ep series is only 4 hours or so if you skip intro/ed even less if you already watched 3-5 eps. Also helps anime is my number one priority for visual entertainment so i watch more anime then TV and movies. My personal life I work 9 hour days mon-thursday so I only work till 11am on fridays (it’s suppose to be for people who have cottages/boats etc to get early drive in). But most of the time I use that time to game or binge watch while I wait for friends to be off at 5 pm. So that’s how I personally catch up.
Also anime is one of those mediums that has manga and you can read through a manga a lot faster then almost anything else. So being familiar with source material helps you pick out what’s worth just reading and what would benefit from animation. Being cautious of anime version of ongoing manga is perfect example of wait to see approach.
Fate/kaleid, working, non non biyuri, symphogear and aquarion are established shows i must watch because I enjoyed previous seasons.
As for new stuff to pick up Akagami, Charlotte and classroom crisis looks interesting. I want to like GOD eater but being a game adaptation has me worried and wait and see approach, although ufotable did a great job with fate, so some hope it will be good.
Fantastic post and as per usual, I’m melting away from the mountains of research, sorting, write up, editing, formatting and calibrating work which was put into it. I raise my hat to you, good sirs and lady!
Question, are you guys planning to record/release a podcast any time soon? Maybe a sendoff to spring season or something like that, it’s been a whiiiiiile since the last one.
Not gonna lie, the Aquarion Evol OVA is actually what I’m looking forward to most. And it wasn’t until today that I learned that its Director’s Cut will be aired on TV right before Aquarion Logos’s double episode premiere. Suddenly, I’m really happy.
Aside from that, I’m actually looking forward to Danchigai and Dandelion the most, surprisingly. They look like they’re going to be fun, even at only 5 minutes.
I volunteer to cover Monster Musume. Feel that Stilts needs a brother-in-arms for ecchi fare.
Bikini Warriors, too. Need to cover RC in as much boobage as possible. Maybe some new side banners.
Dragon Ball Super and Monster Musume were the ones i was looking for but the one called Overlord caught my attention
Ty to the RC staff for the awesome post and all the hard work that went into it!! We readers always appreciate it 🙂
Honestly, if done right, Jitsu Wa Watashi Wa should be more than “Fairly entertaining.” Maybe I’m hyping it up a little, but from reading the manga I’d consider it very off the wall funny, and one of the best I’ve seen in awhile.
I’m really looking forward to Jitsu wa Watashi wa as well. Hope it exceeds expectations.
Scrolling past all these watch lists without a Jitsuu Wa in sight makes me want to cry. The manga is FUCKING FUNNY. This is not a romcom that uses its chapters to set up a tsundere blush or a pantyshot. It is a Nichijou or a Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou. An accidental boob grope in Jitsuu Wa would not be the last page of a chapter followed by a “BAKA” and a kick; it would be the entire chapter, somehow escalating page by page until there’s an entire brass band with instruments groping that boob. Jitsuu Wa Watashi Wa is a farce, built on panic, shouting, and a reaction face arms race.
Your Genres for “Rokka No Yuusha” are dead wrong. While it *is* set in a Fantasy world, it is first and foremost a Mystery, with only a little Action.
Where is my bloody Lupin III.
Here, but then it got pushed back. Fall 2015, if I recall correctly.
I’d agree that Symphogear does have its issues, but it’s still one show I’m really looking forward to. They do actually give an effort to throw in some seriousness with the backstories so the cast does feel like people who have been through some painful stuff (especially the main trio). Sure the main draw is the action and musical aspect that is directly tied in, but as a whole it’s still a good show. I think the second season did a good job raising the overall level and will see if the third season can take it a bit further.
Working will be a lot of fun as always. The comedy is always good and I actually don’t mind the main couple. You just hope things will turn out ok with that pair. Good to have this show back.
Kind of hope that Charlotte turns into a good new series. New stuff is fun since it can be more fresh and no expectations tied to it. But….sometimes they can be misses.
It’s nice that with UBW ending we have Fate Illya to pick up the slack. This is a great spinoff series. Taking all those good Fate elements and changing things up. Both seasons had awesome action and I’m sure Herz will add to that. I’m just hoping they also will cover the third manga Drei down the road.
Zephyr uses WAY too many cliché phrases.
We all use cliche phrases here and there so…
Only thing that really matters is if you can make an informed decision about the show or not.
https://randomc.net/image/Miscellaneous/Summer%202015%20Preview/overlord.jpg
regarding Overlord, the Game world didn’t become real (ala Log Horizon) the MC and GUILD HQ along with all NPC in the HQ were transport to a different world.
Can’t wait to see all OP/EDs 🙂
Already love the PV/preview ver of Junjou Romantica OP/ED <3
Excited for summer line-ups!!
why is that goddamned samu previewing so many of them?
your reek full of jealousness
On my list:
Rokka no Yuusha
Gangsta
Akagami no Shirayukihime
Charlotte
I can’t wait to watch all or most of these animes and my most anticipated animes would be Gangsta, Prison school, Gate, Gakkou Gurashi, & Akagami no Shirayuki-hime
Certain to be good/High Expectations
Show Spoiler ▼
Potentially Above Average (or not):
Show Spoiler ▼
Above Average Expectations
Show Spoiler ▼
Average Expectations
Show Spoiler ▼
Below Average Expectations:
Show Spoiler ▼
Definitely going to be shit Expectations
Show Spoiler ▼
Concerning Prison School, did you honestly ask the art to be more detailed? I mean its not like anything can be done about it at this point. “I wish the artstyle was more detailed” is a more appropriate response than “make the artstyle more detailed”
sigh every time japan takes a leap of brilliance( spring season kekai sensen, yona, maria, arslan, euphonium)they always have to take two steps back(summer season)just to make the otaku happy. I’m not saying all these shows are going to be bad but last season was a sign of anime finally getting back on its feet in terms of storytelling and morality but now it looks like its going right back into the chair again.
I agree so I’m not watching anything this season.
Overlord, Monster Musume and Umaru are yes for me. Do not, I repeat, do NOT fuck them up, anime.
Somehow it feels like the number of quality animes are getting lesser and lesser each year.
Can’t wait for Gate: Thus The JSDF Thought There
I’m hoping that the anime will be closer to the manga than the light novels, as the manga is incredibly entertaining. The “Mary Stuing” that one would expect from the premise isn’t in the vein of 5 people blow up an entire army because Japanese are the superior race (looking at you Tatsuya), it’s entire JSDF COMPANIES blowing up armies (Roman/medieval) with a lot of firepower, and I mean a lot. When the 10 men squad of protagonists get into the fights with 300 people, they actually have to call in the calvary in order to do anything.
The one character that can be classified as a Mary Stu isn’t even Japanese, it’s a demigod. (Her personality is no where near as stupid as Tatsuya’s or his sisters. In fact, her personality makes her the fan favorite.
My one complaint (spoiler relating to depiction of foreigners): Show Spoiler ▼
Show Spoiler ▼
It’s an iffy statement but makes sense in context. The Japanese had been expecting Russia and China to attack, but not the Americans as well. They were shocked at what they found out. Between Russia, China, and the US, there’s only one country which has the highest probability of black men as soldiers.
Besides, it’s hard to be politically correct in a fight, don’t you think?
On the depiction-of-foreigners comment (it’s not very spoilery, btw … I clicked on it and don’t feel like I’ve had anything ruined for me):
There are people of Afro-Russian decent in Russia, and people of Afro-Asian descent in China. They’re not as common as African-Americans, natch, but they do exist. No idea how likely they are to be soldiers, either, though I know at least the Russians do have black soldiers. It strikes me as just a silly line, since the author could have made his characters guess they were Americans by any other number of reasons (uniforms, attitude, weaponry, or just wait until they hear one of them speaking … I don’t know the context of the scene).
One thing to remember, though: People in the rest of the world, and especially in largely homogeneous countries like Japan, don’t think about race like Americans do. They just don’t have to deal with it as much as we do. It’s quite possible for them to be casually racist (in the ignorant way, not a bigoted one) their entire lives without coming across someone of another race who will correct them. They’ll probably see one or two “gaijin”, but we usually have to come across a number of a certain group before one person will sigh and explain things, like “Don’t touch a black woman’s hair” or “No, that word is horrifically offensive, and let me explain why.” But even the most racially homogeneous places in America—from the southern most tip of Texas to the inner city of Detroit to the whitest, most hippy-tastic town in Oregon—have more people of different races than Japan’s ~2%.
Anime is made by Japanese people for Japanese people. Save for rare circumstances (Ex: Space Dandy), what English-speaking Westerners think just doesn’t matter. Try not to let it bother you too much.
@Stilts: I just see this as difference in cultures. Because Asiatic countries are normally homogeneous unlike the mixed pot of the US, they normally don’t think of race like we do. I personally think we should be more tolerant about that fact than running around message boards and forums shouting “NIPPON STRONK” and “jingoism” and what other words get reused concerning this anime just because of the difference in culture. I’m glad you understand this fact.
I myself don’t think that anyone should be offended at the line; it’s a line made at the spur of the moment and like I said before, I don’t think soldiers really think of political correctness during a firefight.
Gate is fiction, therefore any relation to the real world shouldn’t matter in the Gate universe. We forget that and instead pull out complicated documents of real life issues to prove that “the manga did not portray us right, this is heresy.”
I pray that you keep this in mind when you review it. Are you going to review it or is it someone else?
Personally the whole ID thing wasn’t a big deal for me, but I have to agree with Stilts that it is pretty stupid. If that’s the case, wow could other countries to abuse that method of “100% correct” ID to frame the US. It’s just not well written.
As for the “NIPPON STRONK” and “jingoism” aspects, it is there – at least in the manga (and almost assuredly in the novel if not more so based upon comments I’ve read). There is no question that the JSDF along with other Japanese forces/sections are portrayed in a most favorable light against other “RL” nations.
Minor Show Spoiler ▼
In terms of “jingoism, so far it’s not completely overt, but as I mentioned before there are developments (at least in the manga) which remind me of the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” propaganda during WWII, and I suspect those elements won’t go away.
“Gate is fiction, therefore any relation to the real world shouldn’t matter in the Gate universe.”
Yes and no IMO. True, if a fictional setting with uses some aspect of the real world as a setting has war in it, well, somebody’s gonna have to fight someone. Kind of hard to have a war without nations fighting. Then again, it’s also how things are portrayed, and how strong of any underlying message is trying to be sent. Zipang is also fictional, but wow does it have some WWII revisionist history. >_>
As for Gate anime, having watched Ep. 01, as I mentioned before it’s quite possible that that anime will cut out/tone down the political stuff. So far, that’s been the case, but only one episode.
Bah, meant this as as reply to @Jergens post above.
Yeah, this here has some kind of Posting Bug. my posting show above @jergens last one, too
Show Spoiler ▼
@Miss Monochrome
Well, this Anime is truly made for Hatsune Miku Virtual Idol Fans. Even her Voice is put through the Sound Synthesizer, and yes. it build around the Virtual Idol fan base, and Jokes.
@Classroomcrisis
Firt Impresion is bad
Why Bad?
Show Spoiler ▼
Well, the first Episode is a downer for me
also the extreme lack of Discipline is not helping it, for me.
@Gate
First Impression:
The Anime hit he right Buttons. a bit Military Otaku, a bit Fantasy Otaku and the seriousness in Life threatening Moments, to lead or protect Life. He even encouraging an simply Policemen back to his Senses. Yes, do the right think at the right time
First Impression: Good
btw, here in this Anime World…
Show Spoiler ▼
@WorldwideDepp: France is not in Asia. East Asian countries are usually homogeneous in race. Not being racist just fact.
@daikama: I disagree, I think it’s well-written as it is. You’re just taking it too personally imo. For the fight, the JSDF had been expecting people to ambush the group but only expected Russia and China. JSDF were shocked when the first person they killed was an American, since they were allies. It turns out the president ordered the SF to kidnap the group because he had been anticipating Japan to share the Gate with him yet Japan refused (the first ep showed him telling the world he was sending equipment to Japan). Remember that Gate was written in 2006, where Bush was seen as an idiot of the highest order. Dirrell is the somewhat retarded clone.
And no, that’s not being racist or jingoist or what have you; there’s been so many times we’ve had British mustache twirlers, or Hong Kong triad druglords, or middle eastern terrorists, as villains in our movies. Now the shoe is on the other foot, I don’t think we have a right to complain. It’s their work after all.
Nippon stronk is there, but it’s just on a negligible level. It’s natural that as protagonists of their own story they win. Isn’t that the case for each American military movie to come out? Besides, Japan not wanting to admit their crimes is nothing new; they’re a proud country, admitting to mistakes is not something embedded in their culture unlike to us Americans who think admitting to mistakes should be done. Instead, what they do well is making up for their mistakes. There’s also a wiki list of all the official apology broadcasts they’ve done, each PM does it every year. Imo it seems better to just accept this as part of life; it’s their culture and nothing you can do to change it, it’s not like they’re harming anyone today. (And before you say I’m a traitor or anything, my grandma was asian and became a comfort woman.)
No, Gate is fiction and you shouldn’t really connect anything to the real world. Fiction is fiction, real is real. They’re separate dimensions because I doubt the president of the US does bonehead decisions like sending troops ill-advised. I’ve watched Zipang too and to me it’s just another well-written story.
@Charlotte
It pass with great Honour!!!
Show Spoiler ▼
This Anime is Save!!. I put this right on my Watchlist!!
@Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX
Solid first Episode, with Action Sing and a Concert. Yeap, looks promising, in the last 1/3 of the Episode we get introduced the new villains. Oh well, lets see
@Rokka no Yuusha
The Timeline plays in the Land of Uruk, yeah in the Time of King Gilgamesh. The Setting is “fresh”.
Well, the Maid in the Prison dais all what i think about our “strongest men in the World”. But well, and in the End…
As i said the World setting is the Timeline of Land of Uruk. The City is an example of ancient Ruins. I remember of an old City that was surrounded with Water, and some old Race found it abounded, until the Water itself dry out, because the glaciers dry out, and the water lines became full of Sand. i think it lies in middle or south America.
Anyway, i got drive off. Setting at start. Well bear with this Boy and his behavior and the OVA begin to take his first steps..
Yes, the Episode feels like an OVA that is about to start. Like Chapter 1. Remember it is still an Fantasy World. So his Magic tricks is Anime Magic!! 🙂
Episode 1: looks good. but you need to gulp this boys behavior at the start
@Ushio to Tora
This Anime is “old school” fun. They also use not these New Age animations and stuff.
Btw, the Background music when they are playing soccer…
Do some old C64 freak knows it? “Outrun” music little bit modified 🙂
Link to compare 🙂 (I got you Background music-sensei)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEl7JuAI0nM
@Ushio to Tora Ep 03:
Yes, Ushio to Tora welcome on my Watchlist. You have a bit “Old school” feeling, but your story and humor is timeless. I am happy that you exist, and will watch with a smile on my Face the future Episodes. Thank you very much to not force this on today standards
on = with
@Akagami no Shirayukihime
Fist the VAs:
The Female reminds me of her:
https://randomc.net/image/Akatsuki%20no%20Yona/Akatsuki%20no%20Yona%20-%2009%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
Alone the self introduction give birth to this Picture in my Mind, combined with her Voice and Art of speaking
The first Male voice i hear:
https://randomc.net/image/Ansatsu%20Kyoushitsu/Ansatsu%20Kyoushitsu%20-%2001%20-%20Large%2006.jpg
(Sorry, dear VA). This Image jumped fresh into my Mind.
Not alone his Voice, also his style of speaking of this “Snowwhite” phrase
Oh, they EYES!!! The EYES!!!. her Eyes are okay, but the others.. Did you have only Budget fo her and the rest is poor? The Eyes are the door of their Souls… They looks like Wood puppets, with this kind of Eyes. especial this men that enter the Shop, and this old Obasa…
Put more effort in their Eyes!!!.
@Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou
It pass with honor, this “Darling” thing is a good Ecchi spiced Ramen, without crossover the line. And it is also set in Stone, that this Act will never happen, because Smith-san said it, too. So rest assured if you want Highschool DxD Ecchi/Fanservice and do not want feel dirty of watching an Hentai. Many laughs, some deep things, good “Darling” VA (oh and others,too)
Yep, if you seek an replacement for Highschool DxD, Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou you should give it a try. perhaps you like it, no you will Like it. Trust me, the Hentai boarder is not broken (well Ep 01)
And, please do not spoil us with the Manga. This kind of Shows i do not want to have Manga Pictures in my mind, when watching the Anime, and wondering in how they animate some “scenes” (If you know what i mean)
@Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou Ep 02:
If you expect Highschool DxD style jokes and Action. Your disappointment, just tune your serious undertone of Plot progression down for comedy, And Voila!. This Show is your Sweet Dessert like Highschool DxD
Your not be disappointment…
men sometimes i had my Spellchecker
@Bikini Warriors
Well, what should i write? You like watching standard Fantasy MMO Girls in Bikini Armor? then this 4 Minute is for you
Remember of this here (and perhaps it was the inspiration of it, somehow):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTGh0EMmMC8
@Bikini Warriors Ep 02:
Well what you expect? a sudden raise in Story telling? No.
This Anime showed us what the true gems are like. their Chest, Butt and Crouch Shots, and in the end they are tied in Ropes.. So, yep. These are the Crown jewels of this Show. Their Bodies
Keep in mind, the Episodes are only 4 Minutes long.. Not enough time to get on Full Speed. If you know what i mean…
@Overlord
Well, an “Dying” MMO World Server on his Last Day, and the Guild Leader just want to enjoy his last Seconds until the Power Down. But magical the World still exists, but “SAO Rules” kicked in. The First Episode is about to how our MC react to this. He seems am Adult reasonable Guy. But, you should watch for yourself.
Episode 1 is good, the 3DGCI is that well embedded that even i had trouble to see them, only my old veteran Eye helped me this time. 3DCGI is became so perfect, that you has now trouble to see them. Please continue this Path. In case you wondering, these Skeleton army in the first seconds, they where born, move and died as 3DCGI, you do not saw any difference, right?
So short story:
If you moved SAO as for it’s world not “Love story”, and want some Adult entertain. then this could be your Show
1/3 passed
If you moved SAO as for it’s world = if you loved SAO for it’s world
@Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan
Well, i am watched only 2/3 of the Anime, and i already disappointed of this “Someone, someone, there is a pervert here!” joke. Because it is already used two times.
And also, the weapon of this Boy, Final Fantasy 8 someone? A Flying City, Final Fantasy 8 someone? Looser are forming a Team to save the world? Final Fantasy 8 someone? (Well, until the FF8 Dance famous sequence). And a “Traitor” be the New MC? Even his Superior call him that? Um, okay all cliches hit. Well, lets see in how this goes on
Really, full of Cliches right from the Start
The Selfloved Godness Seiyuu, need a bit more “Deep” in her voice. Well, all Seiyuu’s here, need some tweaks. only our shy blond girl, is okay for me
The Sound needs a little boosto, to outshine from the Background noise. “What’s that? another lazy Anime?”
If they continue to play the Book of Cliches, then this 3 Girls just need some “Selfconfidence” to overcome their Crises.
The Red Hair one, to finally believe in herself and Win her first Fight ever
The Blond girl, to overcame her Shyness and Social Fear
But our Self-center Goddess girl, is not that easy. She should open more, and trust others, She is surly used to do all alone, or use some fans to do all for her. I bet she is all speak and nothing backup in Skill
So, if you want to be acknowledgment, leave the book full of cliches aside, and try to flesh out this Girls more. use the Manga Gaps or tweak them to your liking. because in the end, nobody will remember your Show. Only a Studio that do mass production “manga to TV” work
@Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan Ep02:
Okay, the voice and Emotions of the Seiyuu’s was better this time. Even if our MC Boy is still reading his Voice from the paper, mostly an monologue (yeah, blame Sore ga Seiyuu 02 for this).
Seems like the Girls also get now their Deepness. The Red Hair one is impatience. The Blond Girl is full of Shyness (and more Shyness if Boys get really close to her. Dumb Teacher for not seeing this). And our Self love Goddess know how to use or team up with them, but do not care of Friendly fire, as long the result are okay
This is really an interesting puzzle piece he has there. And also this “Traitor” was explained. But i think most of these “Traitor” thing on the campus are 2nd or 3rd hearing rumors. And i still wondering why the officials run with that. Traitor is harsh word. Slacker would be more accurate. But i bet this “Traitor” is there because it is some “military” World he lives in. Slackers are Traitors to the System… Oh boy. I just hope they do not step so much on this annoying “Traitor”. It sounds horrible after 5 times? i bet the MC did tell his close comrades to not tell the Truth, for some reason. perhaps to protect someones Face/Honor?
Some guy in Shining Armor take the Traitor blame to protect some Princess? *open the book of Cliche*
anyway. This Show are progressing. But it still has not reach the save Harbor
2/3 passed
@Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan Ep 03
I drop this Anime. Now our “Teacher” play a little Slave driver. Forcing our Shyness girl to overcome her crisis without really help. He just trow her into cold water and did not care if she just sink. And the other Girl he force her to Spy her classmate..
Seriously, this is crap
Please, trow this “Teacher” out of the building, with a big ass kick in my name
@God Eater
Hell YES!!!. Bombastic entry, All done righty. Hard Camera Cuts with Action, well that little bit. But Yes!!!
Cunning move to use these grain picture filter.
You done an impressive first step, God Eater
@Overlord
Overlord has something special on it. The story telling art and the World around him, somehow catch me into this Anime. It is not a little dream inside of all of us (and fans) to be a Hero? Looks like our Overlord will be an Undead Hero. Lucky his “underlings” obey him full heart. So there is no Thorn thirsty under his followers, and we can enjoy the World of Overload
I dunno. this Show has something special on it, that catch me.
This Anime is on my Watchlist
Can’t wait for RC’s Fall preview!
https://www.anime-recorder.com/none/87230/
Hello! recently found a cool site for playing online casinos. There is fast registration, big wins and instant payouts. Follow https://qyto.com/ja/bonus/welcome/ the link and earn big money. Good luck