Fall 2013 Season Preview

Source (Pixiv)

Once again, it's time to have unrealistic expectations about the upcoming anime season! Things are going to be a little different this time around for me, though. I'm going into my last year of grad school and am taking on more responsibility at my job, and since those things have to come first, I won't be watching as many titles as I normally do. I'm also doing away with first impressions posts except for what I'll cover for OASG. To that end, I apologize if I come off as harsher than usual in this preview. I have to thin the herd somehow.

Disclaimer: The following is my personal (and sometimes embellished) opinion based on the information available and is subject to change throughout the upcoming season. None of the opinions expressed are directed at any individual. You are welcome to express your opinion in the comments section, but anything overwhelming negative (name calling, abusive trolling, etc.) will be deleted.

This preview does not include: upcoming movies, OVAs, special episodes, sequels to shows that I have not seen the first season of (when seeing the first season is necessary to understand the plot), spinoffs that I have not seen the original material for, "kids" shows that I do not intend to watch, shows where there is little to no information available, re-releases, adaptations of games that I have not played, and shows intended to be shown on mobile platforms in Japan (such as cell phones).

Overall, please respect others' opinions and feel free to share what you're excited about in the comments below!

Walkure Romanze
Genres: Romance, School, Sports
Synopsis: The story centers around Takahiro Mizuno, a student training to be a begleiter (knight's assistant) at an academy where aspiring knights joust. He himself had come to this academy to train as a knight, after becoming the unrivaled junior champion in his own home country. However, an injury in a tournament's finals forced him to withdraw. Instead, he decides to be a begleiter to one of the academy's maiden knights and help her win.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. I was initially interested by the character designs, but after finding out that this is an adaptation of an adult dating sim, my interest went completely out the window.


Meganebu!
Genres: Shoujo, Slice of Life
Synopsis: The story revolves around a group of 5 glasses-wearing high school boys and their relationship.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Low. I'm not really sure what to make of this. It's based on a drama cd, and while I was confused about how "glasses guys" could work in that format, a PV for the anime was released featuring one of the guys talking about glasses the way Haru from Free! talks about water. It's an obvious bid to the fangirl crowd, but my continuing confusion on how the premise actually works is in this show's favor; I'll at least give the first episode a try.


Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Mecha
Synopsis: A restart of "Neppu Kairiku Bushi Lord", a previously stalled mecha mixed-media project. The anime will air this fall under the new name "Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road", as a collaboration between Bushiroad, video distributor Bandai Visual, software company Nitroplus, and anime studio Kinema Citrus.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. There is not much information as of this writing, not even a PV, so I don't even know if this is something I'd be interested in or not. Apparently this concept is from several year before I even knew that seasonal anime was a thing, so I don't have any previous knowledge to go off of. I honestly don't even think it's really airing this season, so this is probably all a moot point.


Tokyo Ravens
Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen, Super Power, Supernatural
Synopsis: Tsuchimikado Harutora was born into a prestigious Onmyoji family, but he can't see "spirit energy". Therefore, he's been enjoying a peaceful daily life with his friends at an Onmyo branch school. One day, his childhood friend Tsuchimikado Natsume, heir to the head family, suddenly appears. Will this cause his destiny to spring into motion!?
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. This is one of those shows were you look up "anime" in the dictionary and find a picture of it next to the word. Nothing here is grabbing me, since even in the synopsis it's parroting cliches I've seen over and over by this point. I don't mean to rag on the show--this would've been right up my alley in my earlier anime fandom days--but now that I'm more aware of recycled plotlines, I'll be leaving this one alone.


Kuroko no Basket 2
Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen, Sports
Synopsis: Second season.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. AWWW YEAH. I lucked out, since the announcement for the second season was made a little bit after I was done marathoning the first. I'm really excited to see more of this series.


Super Seisyun Brothers
Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, Josei
Synopsis: The story involves two pairs of teenage elder sister and younger brother, Niimoto's who are a bit of narcissist and Saitou's who look a bit mysterious, and their everyday life in school and at home.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Low. The fact that it's marked as a josei show catches my interest, but there's so little in the synopsis and PV that I'm still unsure. I'll wait to see what others say about it.


Diabolik Lovers
Genres: Shoujo, Vampire
Synopsis: Komori Yui is a positive-thinking girl who nevertheless is troubled by seeing spirits and experiencing poltergeist phenomena. In her second year in high school, she transfers to a new school—a night school for entertainers and celebrities—due to her father's work. There are rumours that vampires exist among the student body, and Yui ends up living with the six sadistic Sakamaki vampire brothers.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Low. Oh boy, here we go again! As long-time readers of this blog have probably noticed, I try to give each otome game adaptation a fair swing, although they tend to be as bad as their female harem counterparts. I'll try the first episode, but I'm not expecting much.


Kyoukai no Kanata
Genres: Slice of Life, Supernatural
Synopsis: The dark fantasy follows a high school sophomore named Akihito Kanbara. Although the boy appears human, he is half youmu and invulnerable to wounds because he can heal quickly. One day, Akihito meets freshman Mirai Kuriyama when it seems she is about to jump from the school rooftop. Mirai is isolated because of her ability to manipulate blood, which is unique even among members of the spirit world. Disturbing events begin to unfold after Akihito saves Mirai.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. I've yet to meet a KyoAni show that I didn't like, so this has been high on my list ever since it was announced. Can't wait to see how they execute the story and the visuals.


Kyousougiga (TV)
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural
Synopsis: Three kids are stuck in a strange city causing massive mayhem. They are searching for an atypical rabbit in order to return home. Koto, the eldest, seems to have some sort of connection to this weird place ruled by a monk, a demon, and a priest.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. For those of you that may not know, this started as a confusing ONA that was apparently meant to give Toei the freedom to make a new prize figure line (as if Precure wasn't already enough) that got a "sequel" last year that filled in a lot more about the characters and the setting. It's a very loose reinterpretation of the Alice in Wonderland story, which Japan seems to be continually fascinated with. The second version sold me on it, and I hope that this TV version will be able to take that next step and give it a proper conclusion or at least tie up some lingering plot threads.


Outbreak Company
Genres: Fantasy
Synopsis: Kano Shinichi is a thoroughbred otaku. One day he found himself transported to a fantasy world where elves live and dragons fly. And he is given a task—not to fight monsters, but to enhance cultural exchange by becoming a "moe missionary"!
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. Just from the synopsis and the image, my understanding is that this is a wish-fulfillment light novel adaptation where an over-obsessed otaku character gets to literally save the world with moe. And then he wakes up, right?


Nagi no Asukara
Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Shounen
Synopsis: The series centers around two middle school friends, the indecisive crybaby Manaka Mukaido and Hikari Sakishima, who has looked after her since they were children.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. Here's another one where the image and the synopsis tell me nothing about the actual show. That seems to be the popular way to advertise this season. The manga synopsis mentions an underwater school, but apparently part of the setup involves said school closing. So much for that. I'll wait to see what others say about it.


Strike the Blood
Genres: Action, Shounen, Supernatural
Synopsis: A government owned Lion organization have decided to send an attacking magician to erase the strongest vampire, the fourth primogenitor. Yet unknowingly, the one who was selected to spy was actually a trainee “sword shaman” girl – Himeragi Yukina.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. This is the first time I've had to look up a word in a synopsis because I couldn't tell whether it was real or made-up. "Primogenitor" apparently means "ancestor." ...Why didn't they just use that word then? Anyway, this seems like a "grimdark" show that likes to use a thesaurus for its synopsis to make it sound even more grimdark. Also refer to what I said above about Tokyo Ravens.


Log Horizon
Genres: Action, Romance, Shounen
Synopsis: The story begins when 30,000 Japanese gamers are trapped in the fantasy online game world Elder Tale. What was once a sword-and-sorcery world is now the real world.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. Too soon? It does reek of trying to cash in on SAO's popularity. I suppose it's possible that it could be decent in it's own right, but I've had enough of this premise for a while.


Tesagure! Bukatsumono
Genres: School, Slice of Life
Synopsis: CG anime that will center around the extracurricular activities of students.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. This is from the same people who made Straight Title Robot Anime a.k.a. the people who made their MikuMikuDance videos into a TV show. Good for them. However, I'm still not interested.


Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta
Genres: Action, Comedy, Shounen
Synopsis: In a town where humans and demons co-exist, it takes more than a normal police force to maintain the peace. Enter the Hiizumi Life Counseling Office, a fantastic foursome of unique teenagers, each gifted with an amazing super power!
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Moderate. This wasn't on my radar at all until I saw the PV, which looks fantastic. The director worked on Birdy the Mighty Decode, and I can definitely see that influence here. I have no clue about what's going on with the story, but it did its job getting me interested.


Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai! a.k.a. I Wanna Be the Strongest in the World!
Genres: Action, Ecchi, Sports
Synopsis: Hagiwara Sakura and Miyazawa Elena are the leading members of a popular idol group Sweet. One day, Elena is injured by the attack of a female pro-wrestler Kazama Ruo during the recording of a TV program. Sakura takes revenge.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. Filed under: Premises That Might Be More Interesting If They Didn't Solely Exist To Satisfy The Male Gaze.


Ace of Diamond
Genres: Comedy, Shounen, Sports
Synopsis: The story follows Eijun Sawamura, a pitcher who joins an elite school with a brilliant catcher named Kazuya Miyuki. Together with the rest of the team, they strive for Japan's storied Kōshien championships through hard work and determination.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. I'll admit, the idea of a Madhouse/I.G. Joint production does sound cool, but sports anime tends to be a 50/50 shot with me. I'll see what others say about it.


Gundam Build Fighters
Genres: Mecha, SciFi
Synopsis: The story revolves around Iori Sei, a young but ambitious "Gunpla Builder" who has expert knowledge and building skills but is weak in maneuvering the models, and Reiji who has not much interest in Gunpla but possesses excellent control skills.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. I saw a preview while at AX this year, which convinced me that they were aiming towards young kids and longtime fans who wanted to see crossover battles. I am neither of those things, so I'm passing on this.


Gingitsune
Genres: Fantasy, Seinen
Synopsis: Gingitsune is about Makoto Saeki, the daughter of a Shrine Priest in Edo who is the only one who can see the shrine's messenger, Gintaro. It follows the everyday lives of the two as a go-between for the gods and humans.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Moderate. I want to be excited for this, but the staff and studio listings aren't giving me confidence. The best thing to come out of Diomedea so far is Squid Girl, and the director's credits list is kinda eclectic. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.


Yowamushi Pedal
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Shounen, Sports
Synopsis: Freshman and road racing cyclist, Shokichi Naruko visits Akihabara to get some Gundam plastic models for his younger brothers and meets Onoda who catches his attention because of the his cycling skill and later find out they go to the same school.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. Good for you guys. Refer to the above about sports anime.


Non Non Biyori
Genres: Comedy, School, Slice of Life, Seinen
Synopsis: Elementary school student Ichijou Hotaru has moved with her parents from Tokyo to the middle of the country. Now she must adapt to her new school, where there are a total of 5 students in the same class who range through elementary and middle school ages.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. I am amazed that the source material is not a 4-koma. Anyway, although I have a strange love for this sort of premise, I really have to keep to my goal of not picking up a ton of anime this season. Pass.


Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Synopsis: Suddenly, a fleet of ships with mysterious superweapons called the “Fleet of Fog” appeared all around the world. Humanity didn’t have the technology to fight such a fleet, so they were driven out of the sea.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. I initially read a synopsis longer than this, which had me completely baffled. Then I saw the PV, and they lost me at the CG. Pass.


Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku wo Ketsui Shimashita.
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Ridiculous Light Novel Titles
Synopsis: The story revolves around Raul, a boy who did not become a Hero, since the demon lord was already defeated just before his Hero exams. His dreams dashed, Raul spends his days working at a magic shop in the capital.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. On the one hand, the premise is a lot like The Devil is a Part-Timer, which I really liked. On the other hand, it's being adapted by the people involved in the production of Queen's Blade and Kiss x Sis. It's also a light novel. No thank you.


Samurai Flamenco
Genres: Action
Synopsis: Original anime scheduled to run on noitaminA for 2 cours. The anime's taglines read, "To those 'adults' who don't want to become adults..." and "Hero will never give up, never hide, never be defeated, never accept evil."
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. noitaminA lives again! Everything I'm seeing about this show looks completely fabulous. This is probably my most anticipated title of the season.


Galilei Donna
Genres: Unknown
Synopsis: The story is about three moons in the form of three of Italian astronomer Galileo's female descendants who are on international wanted lists.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. This one is a bit more shrouded in mystery, but since it's the other noitaminA title and I liked what little I saw at AX, I'll be watching this as well.


Kill La Kill
Genres: Action, School
Synopsis: Ryuuko, transfers into her new school, scissor-like sword in hand, and causes all sorts of trouble. Her main rival, Satsuki, is described as being every bit the protagonist that Ryuuko is, with the whole story centered around their relationship.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. Gainax is dead, long live Trigger! That said, despite the sudden cult status of Little Witch Academia, Trigger has yet to prove that it can deliver a good TV show. Hopefully it'll be just as amazing as it's expected to be. No pressure guys!


BlazBlue: Alter Memory
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Synopsis: Ragna the Bloodedge, an SS-class rebel, has appeared in the city of Kagutsuchi. The apparent aim of Ragna is the destruction of the system controlling the world. To collect the bounty, a motley array of unrivaled fighters converge on Kagutsuchi.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Low. I'm a fan of the games, but the storyline makes no sense whatsoever. In the games, that's hardly an issue; fighting games have never been known for their story, and in BlazBlue it's easy to ignore in favor of the game mechanics. In anime form, they won't have that kind of distraction. I'm checking out the first few episodes to see what the staff will do with this mess of a story, but I'm honestly expecting a trainwreck.


White Album 2
Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life
Synopsis: The story centers around a college junior named Haruki Kitahara and his relationships with Setsuna Ogiso and Kazuki Touma in the light music club.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. I watched the first season early on in my seasonal anime career. It was horrible. According to visual novel fans, this one is far better, but these were the same people who said that the first one would get better at the end, so you'll excuse me if I'm a little skeptical.


Kakumeiki Valvrave 2
Genres: Action, Mecha
Synopsis: Second season.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. I didn't even intend to watch the first season but got sucked in when I saw how ridiculous it was. I spent a lot of my time laughing at whatever plot twist it would come up with next... Well, except for *that* scene, but I'm sticking with Valvrave all the same.


Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 3rd Season
Genres: Action, Game
Synopsis: Third season.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. It's been nearly a year since the second season ended, which has given the staff plenty of time to come up with something fresh (since season two was season one in slightly different clothing). I will have a timer ready in the first episode to see how long it takes someone to talk about "the feelings of puzzles."


Golden Time
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Seinen
Synopsis: Tada Banri, a newly admitted student at a private law school in Tokyo, found himself completely lost after the opening ceremony, trying to find his way to the freshman orientation. At that moment, he ran into another lost freshman from the same school...
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Moderate. I was ready to completely write off this series since it was yet another light novel adaptation until I saw that it was from the author of Toradora. Let's see if they can handle adult romance just as well.


Unbreakable Machine-Doll
Genres: Action, Ecchi, Seinen
Synopsis: In a world in which magic was discovered and weaponized in the early 20th century, the series follows a revenge seeking young man and his bishoujo puppet girl companion as they enter a prestigious school.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. "From the guy who did Oreshura" was not exactly a ringing endorsement to begin with, and then they got a director who was mostly involved with Queen's Blade. No thank you.


Coppelion
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Synopsis: In 2016 a meltdown of a nuclear power plant creates a big catastrophe in Tokyo. 20 years later, the Self Defense forces dispatch 3 girls from the special unit Coppelion to search for survivors. But why aren't they wearing any protection against radiation?
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Moderate. This was supposed to air a while ago, but got delayed since it's premise was pretty close to real-world circumstances. Now that it's back, I'm still interested in seeing what it has to offer.


Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru a.k.a. My Mental Multiple-Choice Power Is Completely Ruining My School Romantic Comedy
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Ridiculous Light Novel Titles
Synopsis: Kanade Amakusa, a boy cursed with the mental power of "absolute multiple-choice" — a multiple-choice quiz will suddenly appear in his mind, and the choice he makes will become his reality.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: None. And here's yet another wish-fulfillment otaku-humor driven light novel adaptation. I can't wait for this fad to be over. Pass.


Pupa
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Shounen, Psychological
Synopsis: The "life-and-death sibling" story follows Utsutsu and Yume Hasegawa, a boy and his little sister who find themselves all alone. One day, Yume sees a mysterious red butterfly and her body undergoes a strange metamorphosis—into a creature that eats humans.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: High. I've heard a lot of good things about this series, and with Halloween coming up, I can't turn down a good psychological horror show!


Magi: The Kingdom of Magic
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Shounen
Synopsis: Second season.
Thoughts/Personal Hype Level: Moderate. The first season of Magi had the unfortunate luck to air at the same time as SAO, meaning that the animation was absolutely abysmal at points because the studio was clearly spending most of its effort on the more popular title. However, unlike most other manga fans, I liked what they did with it. Going in an original direction without breaking the rules of the world or the premise is hard to do. I'm excited to see what they do with this next arc.

Series information from MAL, Hummingbird, Anichart.net, and Seasonal Charts Inc. Images are from MAL and Google Image Search. Top image is from Pixiv, with all credit given to its artist.