It’s that time of the year again, folks – the time where we can sit down and gather the best shows of the year and compile them into one neat little list. It’s been another riveting year for anime and otaku culture in general, and the studios have delivered some absolutely magnificent content for us, both in the shape of new shows as well as continuations of running ones. My personal favorites in fact are one of each! But that’s enough small talk, let’s get down to business. This year’s list shall be done in order of DVD and Blu-Ray sales, so rest assured, very little can be left to bias. Hope you enjoy!
Yahari Ore No seems like your typical romantic comedy anime – and for some, that’s okay! Some people (myself included) don’t actually care if a show seems cliche or not, as long as it is entertaining. This show however, goes over and above the expectation. What seems like a cliche show turns out to be a hilarious yet emotional adventure.
I thought we’d be higher on the list…
The story follows loner protagonist Hachiman Hikigaya as his antisocial behaviour leads to a teacher’s concern, forcing him to join a club. The “Volunteer’s Club” as it is called, and he is then asked to join his club members – one of which is the icy but beautiful Yukino Yukinoshita. Those of you who are in the know would know that Yuki translates to snow in Japanese, so even the names are selected with a tongue in cheek humor. Partially slapstick, partially satirical, and partially romantic, this show has smooth, colorful and vibrant visuals with an equally vibrant soundtrack. It is more than your typical rom-com and the sales show it! It sold 10,012 copies of DVDs and Blu-Ray discs combined this year, which is quite an achievement. For those who are interested in watching, this Brains Base and TBS production can be downloaded right here!
Produced by both well known and lesser known names alike, such as FUNimation, Lantis, Pony Canyon and White Fox – Hataraku Maou-sama (literally translating into “the devil is a part-timer”) follows the comedic misadventures of the devil himself! More specifically, Devil King Sadao who is defeated by Emillia and thus is banished to modern day Tokyo. As his skills as a devil king are useless in this world, he now has to work oddjobs to simply sustain himself. It already sounds hilarious, and this is just the description!
First I take over this restaurant, then I take over this list!
Working in a parody of the real world fast food chain McDonald’s, Sadao faces various funny situations episode after episode and this is considered by many as the funniest show of the year. Definitely worth the watch for someone looking for a laugh. Some complain the story is too slow paced, but with a show like this, one doesn’t expect much of a story to begin with. Combined DVD and Blu-Ray sales were as high as 11,433 copies this year and this thirteen episode hilarious ride can be found right here!
The second season of incest-friendly slice of life comedy more simply referred to as OreImo has managed to top charts for the second time since its release, being the 3rd highest sold back in 2010 when its first season was released. This show needs little introduction as not only is it exceedingly popular, but it has been so for several years. However, for those who do not know, it is about loser older brother Kyousuke Kousaka who discovers his “little miss perfect”, goodie two shoes sister Kirino Kousaka is actually an avid otaku – her favorite games being incest themed eroge!
I bet you wish you had a sister who would do this to you as well. Trust me, it’s no fun…
A strong yet attractive tsundere lead as well as a witty, unexpectedly likeable protagonist, this show swept pervs over when it first released, and continues to do so even today with its second season. I use the term perv in jest, however, it does indeed have a deep, fulfilling feel-good story, albeit caked behind light ecchi and occasional fan service! Having said that, it is absolutely unmissable for fans of the series, but also recommended to those who haven’t seen it yet already. Visually pleasing animation with a funny, yet interesting story and great characters, this show managed to sell 15,977 copies this year. For those who wish to give this controversial show a spin, here’s a link for the first season and here’s one for the second!
Another continuation of a long running series, this is actually the second season of an adaptation of the original Toaru Majutsu no Index. A supernatural sci-fi adventure/comedy that was extremely popular in its original run years ago, thus spawning this canonical, yet independent spin-off of one of the arcs. The focus of this arc is on the story of Mikoto Misaka, the powerful brown haired esper girl who has a strong sense of justice and what is right. She is easily one of the most likeable characters in recent years and fans have come to love the brave little schoolgirl.
It seems people like us after all!
What many fans like about this show is the fact that unlike most supernatural shows in which characters have powers, every power or increase in strength is given a logical reason, rather than just for the sake of “looking cool”. (I’m looking at you, Bleach). Too many shows have paper thin excuses for a sudden burst of the protagonists power, launching him up to be the most powerful character in the series. Something many have come to dislike. Luckily, Raildex does no such thing throughout its storyline. Even better visuals than before and thrilling storyline, it managed to sell 16,869 copies in the year 2013, earning its rank, and holding its ground as one of the greatest shows in anime history. Check out the second season here!
For those who watched the first season, you would know that this show certainly isn’t for kids! With a mature rating, the second season of Infinite Stratos includes much of the first season’s occasional glimpse of ecchi, however, that isn’t to say it is an ecchi show -far from it, in fact. Infinite Stratos is pretty much any teenage boy’s wet dream. It is about a boy named Ichika Orimura who lives in a futuristic world in which a specialized armor called Infinite Stratos has been created, however only women can operate this armor, and thus society is dominated by women. Ichika accidentally activates one set of armor in the IS training academy one day, and as it turns out, he is the only male that can operate one. He is then sent to be trained in the military academy that until then was exclusively dominated by girls.
A mecha anime with almost nothing but strong, sexy girls. Like I said, every teenage boy’s wet dream. Fortunately, going beyond just tapping into our wildest fantasies, the show actually has a reasonable plot line and beautiful visuals. It is, however, for the most part simply a mecha harem anime, and thus one cannot expect the depth of Serial Experiment Lain from something like it. It’s enjoyable for what it is, and if one is looking for a sexy joyride with some sci-fi action thrown into the mix, this is exactly what you’ll want to be watching. With a whopping entire ten thousand more copies sold than the last show in the list, the second season of Infinite Stratos sold 26,601 copies. Here are links to download the first and second seasons!
One can deduce simply from the name, the type of show this is. An idol show. Idol shows are simply about a person, or group who want to become famous, usually through music. Many shows have run on this formula, and are quite successful. This is one of them. The story takes place in a city with three distinct districts of different types of people. There is, however one school which is on the verge of shutting down due to a lack of students. Nine girls set off to become famous pop idols to then restore the fame of their school and keep it from shutting down. While the story may seem generic, it is pulled off excellently, and one comes to understand what to expect from these kinds of shows. Idol shows are a dime a dozen, but this is certainly the prize out of this year’s entrants.
Look guys! We’re finally famous!
Produced by Sunrise, Lantis, and NIS America, the show has a large cast of varied and unique, yet equally cute main characters. It isn’t difficult to pick out a waifu or two from a show like this! Fans of the slice of life genre will not be disappointed, as it is funny, interesting, and the characters are well developed, not to mention beautifully animated. The theme and feel is actually very reminiscent of one of my personal favorites K-ON! For fans of that show, I certainly recommend this one. 27,635 copies were sold, so it goes without saying that this was one popular show. Download now from right here!
Having caused girls (and perhaps boys too, that’s okay, we don’t judge!) to nosebleed week after week by depicting young athletic men almost entirely naked, it is no surprise that the show Free! may be construed by some to be no more than just fan-service for girls. Predominantly used as a basis for yaoi shippers, it does indeed come across as this, but do not be confused, Free! actually has an underlying story with strong themes regarding competition, value of hard work, friendship and overcoming the odds. It is very much, a sports anime, no less than Kuroko no Basket or Slam Dunk.
Bet you didn’t expect to see us here!
The story follows Haruka Nanase, a life long swimming enthusiast and accomplished swimmer who was part of a winning swim team in elementary school. Now in high school, he is one day challenged and defeated by an old friend in a race. Disappointed in himself, he gathers together a new team consisted of old faces and new to reclaim his throne. With an enjoyable story, likeable characters, and absolutely stunning animation (especially with the water effects that give you a real sense of either being under it or splashed by it) this show has most certainly earned its spot on any list consisting of the best shows in 2013. To seal its place, Free! proves itself by having sold 30,332 copies this year. It comes highly recommended, if one can get past the idea that this is a yaoi fan-service show (which it isn’t, though one cannot be stopped from seeing it as one if they want to) this is a wonderful show that anyone can enjoy and appreciate. Moreover, it is produced by a personal favorite studio, Kyoto Animation. Download it now here!
Sequels of slice of life romance/harem comedies are often a disappointment as compared to the first (looking at you Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai) Mainly because they mess with the integrity and conclusion of the first. It leaves you feeling like the entire first season was a waste of time. Thankfully, this isn’t the case with the second season of A-1 Picture’s Uta no Prince-Sama. Fans of the first season will surely enjoy and love this one just as much. While this is a shojo harem anime, there is a decent storyline one grows to truly enjoy and grow attached to. The plot revolves around amateur songwriter Haruka Nanami who dreams of writing songs for her favorite pop idol. After being enrolled into an arts school, she thrives through challenge after challenge until finally coming out on top. The second season begins as she is enrolled into her Masters program, only to find another series of challenges lay ahead! The animation style is nice looking and the characters are certainly deep and varied enough to make for an interesting dynamic between the various ones shown. Selling 33,054 copies in this year, this is the third highest grossing anime of the year, and proves the shojo demographic is running strong. Watch the second season now here!
Unsurprisingly, Monogatari is back this year, topping the charts once again. Last year having achieved the most sales, it was only expected that it would return. Holding a respectable position this year, the Aniplex series continues, its unique animation style and thrilling arcs capturing hearts a second year in a row. One wouldn’t be surprised if this comes to be known as one of the best series’ of all time. Anyone familiar with the first season who enjoyed it will certainly be blown away by the second one.
We’re here to save this list from angry otakus.
Boasting a cast of adorable, unique and well developed characters as well as a solid set of thoroughly engaging arcs, the series does not disappoint in the least. One can expect all the sexy little flashes of ecchi as well as clever dialogue and enthusiastic voice acting we have all come to enjoy. For many, it is an alternative favorite show of the year as opposed to what some may think of as over sensationalized shonen action anime. This is a very strong contender in its own right with its amazing visuals, sci-fi/slice of life theme and excellent production quality. Selling an entire eleven thousand more copies than what came before it in this list, Monogatari sold 44,856 copies this year (well, that escalated quickly) and can be checked out right here. This one comes highly recommended to fans of the genres mentioned. Of course, the original from which it is adapted is available here as well as its first season here.
This would not come as a surprise to many, but one show that has undoubtedly swept the world this year, converting many people who were not previously fans of anime in general into hardcore enthusiasts, is the critically acclaimed Shingeki no Kyojin – more commonly known by its English translation: Attack On Titan. Since it began airing in early April of 2013, the show managed to get audiences hooked into its magnificently crafted dark world with its own alternate history and unique setting. The show mixes a true sense of terror with genuine badassery as the lead character Eren and his friends quest to protect their city from the impending threat of enourmous skinless man-like beasts known as “Titans”. These giant monsters can be hundreds of feet tall and demolish cities within minutes. There is always a feeling of dread when one is shown on screen. This is easily the most exciting show of the year.
Keep Calm and Attack!
The mind blowing visuals and spectacular animation make for some of the most memorable action scenes ever made in an anime – large scale God of War like fight scenes blend in with the dark themed more calm scenes in which the story and characters are masterfully developed with the help of the spot on voice acting and expertly written script. The word “epic” isn’t epic enough to describe this show.
Do not let this lead you to believe however that this is an action oriented show. While there are many a fight until the climatic conclusion of the show, this is without a doubt an emotional story that revolves around revenge, loss, suffering, redemption and survival. One begins to feel a close connection with each and every character the more they develop, and they are done so very well. Overall, there is absolutely nothing left to chance with this show. It has without a doubt earned its place at the top of the list. Cosplayers across the world line up and order their Attack on Titan merchandise and Recon jackets. Move aside Kirito, there is a new king.
Having sold an unbelievable 55,693 copies of DVD and Blu-Ray discs already, this show is also the highest grossing of the year. Produced by Production IG, Mainichi Broadcasting, Pony Canyon, Kodansha, Wit Studio, and the Shingeki no Kyojin Team, this masterpiece is available for download here.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone at Haruhichan! See you next year! <3
Are there any shows you feel should be in the list? Are there any you feel should not have been? Comment and let us know what you think, and let us know what your favorites of 2013 were. Let us all be thankful for this wonderful year in anime and hope for an even better 2014!
(Special thanks to username “something” from mania.com for providing us with the stats.)
If you did not get enough of her during our last review, prepare for another dose of fan service. Professional one-stop hobby shop E2046.com has provided us with yet another figure of the busty, pink haired Nitroplus mascot; Sonico. As expected from the team, she looks gorgeous, and the piece is better crafted than ever (we can imagine why the artists spent more time on this one *nudge nudge wink wink*)
Sadly, she’s wearing more than last time, but that doesn’t mean one wouldn’t be motivated to… you know… provide her with some… “polish”. Yeah, polish, that’s it. Jokes aside, she is dressed as a cheerleader and I can assure you, she’s motivational alright! Tied-up shirt, knee-high platform boots and cheer skirt with detachable pom-poms and all, she’s completely decked out in the standard cheerleader garb. Let’s not forget her signature headphones!
The cute pose she is in really brings out the character in the figure, as not only does it look adorable, but it fits the cheerleader image. What one really comes to appreciate upon closer inspection however is how detailed the ends of her hair and the streamers in the pom-poms are. Each individual strand in both her head and the pom poms are articulated to give a very realistic feel. One should be warned about how fragile they may be, however no complaints have been logged about breakage. Regardless, it is better to be careful with them.
Without getting too carried away, let us take a look at the paint job on her body. She’s been expertly handled (that sounds so dirty) and as a result, her slender waist, up to the clothes covering her voluptuous chest are well painted and detailed – the creases from the shirt being stretched due to her womanly mounds are visible. She has, as they say “curves in all the right places” and her face is just as pretty as one would come to expect. Her eyes are surprisingly detailed – in fact, more detailed than any other figures I have reviewed thus far. Color scheme is perfect, as is size and placement. These people know what they’re doing!
No matter which angle you look at this beauty from, she’s absolutely dripping with that spunky allure a lot of us are so fond of. The term in Japanese being “genki”, Sonico’s expression and pose both capture the mood they were trying to portray excellently. Looking at her from behind is just as enjoyable. We did say she was more covered than before, but all that does is leave more to the imagination – we’d be lying if we said we did not try to sneak a peek up that little skirt of hers!
Standing at 32 centimeters and weighing a little over one and a half kilogram, Sonico comes with a stand on which to prop her cute little figure on to. Normally priced at over $220, she comes at a 25% discount, making her a much more affordable – $167. For those who did not know yet, Sonico shall also be starring in a new show of her own in the Winter 2014 season, so expect demand to rise. Get her while she’s hot! (Well, she’ll always be hot… But you know what I mean!) Order her here now and while you’re at it, get yourself a box of tissues – you’ll thank me later.
It has been revealed, though unofficially, that an anime adaptation of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan is currently in production. The news was revealed visiting the Haruhi website via an android device. The anime has been reported to air in April 2014. Additionally, another series titled The Jump of Asahina Mikuru will also air during that time. Information on both these anime is scarce.
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan is a spin-off manga in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya franchise, where it stars the eponymous character Yuki Nagato. The series takes place in the alternate universe established in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The series is written and drawn by Puyo, which started in February 2010. To date, the series has a total of 5 volumes with the 6th volume releasing on December 26th this year.
There is very little information regarding the anime announcement of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, including whether or no Kyoto Animation will produce it. Two other spin-off manga were also produced into anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and Nyoron Churuya-san.
After an interval of a few months, we at Haruhichan recieved yet another figure from our friends over at our favorite premium anime figure site E2046.com! This one is easily the one we’re most excited for yet, and we had been waiting for it to come in for quite some time. It is none other than protagonist of hit 2012 anime Sword Art Online; Kirito Kirigaya!
Being the most popular show of the year as well as a personal favorite of mine, we were absolutely psyched to finally have it for ourselves. The guys at E2046 masterfully brought Kirito to life with their expert workmanship and an attention to detail that would border obsessive. The result of course, is no less than amazing.
Wearing his signature all-black outfit he gained through leveling up in the game world and toting his famous dual blades (one of which he purchased from Lisbeth, as fans of the show would remember) Kirito strikes a cool pose as he holds the Dark Repulser (his green blade) extended outwards while holding up the Elucidator (the black blade) up to his shoulder level.
It’s a pretty stylized stance to be in, and the show was known for its epic sword fighting sequences with video game-like (literally) swordplay and posing, so it’s certainly representitive of Kirito’s character as the lone-wolf former beta-tester.
From the ripples in his pants to the fluttering of his coat, the famed solo player looks just as cool as he did in the show. One can even see the creases in every piece of cloth and from the tiniest details, such as the buttons on his boots up to more iconic pieces like the silver chestplate or his sword straps. Let’s not forget the detail of the swords themselves, each one being a precise copy of the ones shone in the series. The color, design, and texture are all top notch and the effort the designers put in really shines through.
A rear view further demonstrates this attention to detail and strive for realism as the wavering of the back of his coat is in clearer view. The sheaths of his swords can also be seen and any comparison between this version and him in the show would that would be made would result in one coming to the conclusion that they are indeed almost identical. We checked ourselves!
In addition to the figure, the piece comes with, as displayed in the above photo, a stand on which to place Kirito as he poses stoically. As a “Gathering Surprise”, E2046 offer this black stand with metallic plate that really helps the figure stand out among your collection. If you have other E2046 products, however, it would go well with the collection!
A side view offers unimpeded view to the Dark Repulsor as Kirito holds it parallel to the Elucidator. Although not complained about by customers, one should be careful with the swords, as too much pressure or force may cause it to bend, or even worse, snap off. But of course, a figure collector already knows how to take care of his collection, so hopefully no one will be facing any problems with that!
Kirito’s expression and hair are both the one he would wear most often in the show during battle sequences. His eyes narrowed and lips pursed, ready for action while his dark hair draping around his face, though windswept from all the fast movement. All in all, this piece is a definite must have for fans of Sword Art Online and figure collecting alike. Being the most iconic show of the year 2012 and perhaps the beginning of a long-lasting, memorable series, any person who calls himself a fan of the either subculture has to have this. Looks great and feels great. Kirito looks badass and handsome at the same time without comprimising his look from the original manga or show.
The figure stands at 19 and a half centimeters (a little over a foot) and weighs roughly a kilogram (2.2lbs). He comes in four pieces, so some minor assembly is required, but nothing too demanding. He is prepainted and pre-posed, leaving very little effort for the end customer. At a full price of over $180, this item is on a special 20% discount and thus available for only $145 right here at E2046.com! Paired with this gorgeous Asuna figure, I believe this would make for an excellent addition to any collection, or even just a great start to one! At just over $300, one could have both of them! An excellent deal, as that is the price of some solo figures. Having two main characters from Sword Art Online in the same collection? Now that’s something I’d certainly kill for. Order now and bring Kirito and Asuna to you as soon as possible and have a very happy Christmas indeed. Link Start!
There was an announcement earlier in the year that Naoshi Komi’s romantic comedy manga, Nisekoi, will be receiving an anime adaptation. The adaptation has been confirmed to release in January next year during the 2013/2014 Winter anime season. In addition to the anime announcement, the main cast members and production team of the upcoming anime has been confirmed. The Nisekoi anime will be produced by SHAFT, known for the Bakemonogatari and Puella Magi Madoka Magica series.
From SHAFT, will be Akiyuki Shinbo who will be directing the series, and Nobuhiro Sugiyama design the characters. Shinbo is the main director at SHAFT directing many of the studio’s top anime. Sugiyama has worked as character designer on many anime series in the past, such as Arakawa Under the Bridge and ef: a tale of melodies.
The main cast members are as follows: Kouki Uchiyama (Soul Eater Evans in Soul Eater) will voice Raku Ichijou.
Nao Toyama (Kanon Nakagawa in The World God Only Knows) will play as Chitoge Kirisaki.
Kana Hanazawa (Mayuri Shiina in Steins;Gate) will be voicing Kosaki Onodera.
Kana Asumi (Kiyal Bachika from Gurren Lagann) will be voicing Marika Tachibana.
Other roles include:
Mikako Komatsu (Neko in K) voicing Seishirou Tsugumi
Yumi Uchiyama (Emma in Walkure Romanze) playing as Ruri Miyamoto
Yuuki Kaji (Eren Jaeger in Attack on Titan) as Shuu Maiko
Takehito Koyasu (Aokiji from One Piece) will play as Claude.
A new key visual art was also recently released, which showcases the characters (from left to right) Seishirou Tsugumi, Chitoge Kirisaki, Kosaki Onodera and Marika Tachibana.
You can also check out these two magazine scans that detail the characters and the story of Nisekoi itself.
The Nisekoi manga started off as a one shot series by Naoshi Komi in January 2011. Komi then released the manga as a series later on in the year, when it appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump. Since 2011, 9 volumes have been released for the romantic comedy and a voiced comic has also been published. Viz Manga has also picked up the series late 2013 for English localisation, announcing that the chapters would be translated and released in Viz’s Weekly Shonen Jump Alpha. Viz will also release a localised version of the first volume in early 2014.
Here is a plot synopsis of the manga and soon to be anime, from MAL:
As a child, Raku Ichijo made a secret promise with his childhood sweetheart, keeping a pendant as a memento while his love took the key. He dreams of one day meeting his past love, but years later, reality smashes his hopes when Chitoge Kirisaki accidentally knees him in the face…
Though Raku’s a normal high schooler, his family heads the notorious yakuza gang the Shuei-Gumi faction! And he’s dragged into family affairs when he’s forced into a relationship with Chitoge, the daughter of a rival gang’s boss!
The Nisekoi anime adaptation will release in January 2014.
In the meantime you can visit the series’ official website here: http://www.nisekoi.jp/
A long 72 hour countdown has been streaming since November 21st and a teaser site, listing the date of the countdown’s conclusion were created by Atlus. Both these occurrences had one thing in common: Persona. The event at the end of the countdown would the Persona Event, which was streamed via Nico Nico Live and across multiple locations in Japan on large video screens. But what would happen at the end of the countdown? Throughout the entire countdown, various videos and images have released that composed of characters from Persona 3 and Persona 4, so it could be a sequel to either or some stage production. But it could also be the fabled next installment in the Persona series…
How about all of the above (except the stage production)!!
Let’s head on a journey called the Persona event, where the games, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth( a 3DS spin off) Persona 4: Dancing All Night (a dancing game on the Vita), news of Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold, and the holy grail that is Persona 5….
Above is the long and last minute countdown to this anticipated event. And at the event’s opening, the Japanese voice actress of Teddie from Persona 4 began narrating… but we shouldn’t talk about that for now… All the images below have been captured from the live stream at Nico Nico, so excuse us for the bad quality images.
Thus the event has started and Teddie is our host throughout tonights reveals. And the first game to be revealed is…
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is the first game to be announced at the Persona event and boy it is very different. The game is a spin off from the main series of games and is the first game in the Persona series to be on a Nintendo consoles. Shadow of the Labyrinth will not be developed by the main Persona team at Atlus but rather another development team that has produced RPGs for Nintendo’s 3DS. The game will be developed by the team behind the Etrian Odyssey series and even the gameplay resembles it. The game will also feature shadows as the main enemies.
The game will play similarly to previous Persona games but with some major changes:
First, the game will have the characters in a smaller deformed design, called chibi.
Second, the game features a collaboration cast of characters from both Persona 3 and Persona 4. This is the second game in the series to feature cross over characters but this games does not feature any age differences in the characters, as did Persona 4 Arena. The game will feature the full cast from both games, so some voodoo magic might’ve occurred for some characters.
Third, the game will feature first person dungeons. The first Persona games, and early Shin Megami Tensei games featured first person dungeons, but were later replaced with third person or aerial view dungeons as technology became better. The battles themselves will still be in third person and function similar to the last two Persona games.
Fourth, the game will feature two new characters to the series: Rei and Zen. Both characters are currently shrouded in mystery.
Lastly, the game will have a divergent story as you pick which team, the SEES from Persona 3 or the Investigation Team fromPersona 4. Picking either team will have dialogue and event changes throughout the story. Whether this means that the game will feature different endings is unknown.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be out for the Nintendo 3DS on June 5th 2014. The game is a spin off game and will most likely not be considered canon.
The next game showed is Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold. While the game has been announced before, a new trailer released for the game during the event that showed the three new combatants in game: Junepi, Yukari and Sho. While nothing too flashy was revealed initially, a strange silhouette of a familiar man appeared, Adachi. Adachi, from Persona 4, will be appearing in Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold. Whether or not he will be a playable character or just a story character is still unknown.
The game also revealed the arcade release of the game: November 28th this year, so Japanese players can head over to their nearest arcade next week and play the game. On a related note, the game has been announced that it will be releasing on the PlayStation 3 in 2014. A big announcement and odd since the game is not currently being planned to release on the Xbox 360, since the original fighting game did.
Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold will feature three (four?) new characters and a new story. The game will be out in Japanese arcades next week, whilst the PlayStation 3 version will be out mid 2014.
In a really bizarre turn, Atlus has announced another new spin off title to the series that no one would have seen coming, Persona 4: Dancing All Night. The game is a music rhythm game featuring the Persona 4 characters, for now the main protagonist and Rise are taking lead, and music from the Persona series. It is a really odd decision but Rise is in an idol getup so much is forgiven. Additionally, both characters throw out some sweet moves. The game will be co-developed by the Persona team and Dingo, a Japanese developer known for making rhythm games such as Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA.
The game will be out for the PlayStation Vita in mid-late 2014. There really isn’t much to say about this announcement other than the game might resemble Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f. Maybe playing this game to see Kanji dance square it off might be worth the purchase…
After that odd announcement, it may seem that the event is to a close. The fans are disappointed that spin offs were announced and no mention of something major. Alas, Teddie continued to talk (with no real Japanese knowledge, I don’t know what about) but eventually a large envelope appeared. Teddie has received a letter! Is he going to open it and read the contents?
No… oh ok… Teddie is busy talking and saying his thanks so I guess the stream is pretty much over…
After that odd announcement, it may seem that the event is to a close. The fans are disappointed that spin offs were announced and no mention of something major. Alas, Teddie continued to talk (with no real Japanese knowledge, I don’t know what about) but eventually a large envelope appeared. Teddie has received a letter! Is he going to open it and read the contents?
No… oh ok… Teddie is busy talking and saying his thanks so I guess the stream is pretty much over…
It wasn’t…
What happened were as follows:
But what does this all mean?
That is right, the faithful, anticipated and much wanted Persona 5 has been announced! Not much, or anything at all, is known about the fifth major installment in the Persona series. Otherwise, the trailer itself shows some cryptic message: “You are slave. Want Emancipation?” and a series of chairs. The final image, seen below, shows 25 chairs in 5 rows with the first chair in each row having a ball and chain attached.Oh, and that Persona 5 will be out on PlayStation 3 in winter 2014. This doesn’t include the January and February winter but end of year winter 2014.
Another thing to note is the two names that are shown. The first name that is shown is Katsura Hoshino, he is the creator of the D. Gray-man manga and he will be the director of the game. The second name is Shigenori Soejima, an illustrator and character designer of previous Persona games who be the character designer of Persona 5.
Persona 5 will be out on the PlayStation 3 late next year. In regards to the release on a current generation console when the PlayStation 4 is out, note that Persona 3 released on the PlayStation 2 4 months before the release of the PlayStation 3 and Persona 4 released on the PS2 2 years into the PS3’s life.
The Persona series started off in 1996 on the PlayStation as a spin off in the Megami Tensei. Titled Megami Ibunroku Persona, or Revelations: Persona in the west, the game featured a series of high school characters who could summon a persona, a physical representation of their personality. The game received positive reviews and is considered as a hit. Since then, 3 main line games were released and numerous spin offs, re-releases and adaptations. Persona 2 released in 1999 and was made up of two games:Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. The game was a success in Japan but the game failed to receive good international support. The next game wouldn’t release until 2006 on the PlayStation 2. Persona 3 was a massive hit in both Japan and overseas selling over 500,000 units worldwide. Persona 4 followed the same path of success in 2008.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be out for the Nintendo 3DS on June 5th 2014.
Persona 4 Arena: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold will be out in arcades on November 28th this year, and on the PlayStation 3 mid next year.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night will be releasing on the PlayStation Vita in Autumn next year.
And finally, Persona 5 will be out on the PlayStation 3 in winter 2014.
Note that all release dates are for Japan only and that no European or North American release date has been announced.
At the recent Live5pb.2013 event at the Tokyo Dome City Hall this saturday, developer Nitro+ and publisher/developer 5pb. have announce a new game: Chaos;Child. Chaos;Child will be the fourth instalment in the series of science adventure games, following Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate and Robotics;Notes. The game has been announced to release some time in 2014 with no announced platforms.
5pb. has also release a pretty piece of promotional art for the game, which presumably features the main characters of the game.
From the game’s subtitle, it reads:
If you are God, and the delusion becomes reality. About what kind of the noids you get? Is it the sensual World? The despotic society? The destructive sanctions? Or…
The text itself is rather ominous and carries little weight as of now. Another odd thing is that these “Power Seals” have been distributed to attendees of the Live5pb.2013 event. The seal itself has been noted to be an important item in the game. Further information on the “Power Seal” and its significance is expected to be announced in the near future.
Chaos;Child, as the name indicates is related to the first game in the series Chaos;Head. Chaos;Child will be set in the same world as its predecessor and in the same city of Shibuya, but after the game’s conclusion. The game’s setting are as follows:
November 6, 2009.
A local Earthquake occurred in Shibuya with a magnitude of 78.
The city of Shibuya, and the area surrounding Shibuya Station is devastated, and the final death toll is 3851 people.
It is currently the year 2015.
The story begins with the reconstruction of a post- earthquake Shibuya…??
Along with this new string of information, a promotion video was also released to showcase the game’s visuals, music and voices.You can check our some pictures of the event below:
The current production is composed of both 5pb. employees who have worked on previous 5pb. titles and newcomers to the series:
Game Director : Yusuke Matsumoto [5pb.]
Animation Director: Kanji Wakabayashi [5pb.]
Planning and Original Story: Chiyomaru Shikura [5pb.]
Producer: Matsubara Tatsuya [5pb.]
Main Character Designer: Mutsumi Sasaki
Sub-Character Design/Uniform design: Yukihiro Matsuo
Main scenario writer: Eiji Umehara
Sub-Scenario writers: Masashi Kimoto, Yasumoto Toru and Naotaka Hayashi [5pb.]
Scenario Assistant: Masashi Takimoto
Script Written by: Hayashi Naotaka [5pb.]
Di-Sword design: Choco
Music Composer: Abo Takeshi [5pb.]
The promotional video of Chaos;Child has been leaked onto youtube:
The series of science adventure games is a collaboration between developers Nito+ and 5pb. The games play out similarly to modern visual novels but notably with the usage of the main character’s device casually known as a trigger. All games focus heavily on scientific methods and theories and are incorporated into the game. The first game in the series was Chaos;Head, which released in 2008 for the PC. The next game, Steins;Gate released in 2009 and finally followed by Robotics;Notes in 2012. All games have been released and re-released on multiple platforms. All three games also received numerous adaptations in manga, novels and anime. The most well received anime, Steins;Gate also received an original film set after the events of the anime.
Chaos;Child is expected to release in 2014 with the platforms being unannounced. In the mean time you can visit the game’s official website: http://chaoschild.jp/
Do you remember back in September when Atlus launched a new red teaser site with the logo of their very own Team Persona, 3 boxes with X in them, the names of Japanese cities, and a date that just so happens to be this Sunday? 5 days before the promised day, the site has just been updated with a picture that Persona fans should be bear-y happy to see.
If you go the the website here, and try clicking on one of the 3 empty boxes, you should see an image of a cute bear, a should-be familiar face to anyone who has played Persona 4 (NOTE: This might have changed by the time you read this article). If you click on all the boxes until they all display the same image, they should tremble in union before showing another random Teddy image.
Hopefully this will finally be an announcement for the long-awaited “Persona 5” that fans have been begging for for years. Chances are that it is not related at all to the Persona 3 movie being released in Japan this Saturday, seeing as how this announcement is scheduled to take place the day after it’s release, and hopefully it won’t be another re-release or spinoff of Persona 4, because as awesome of a game it is, the fans have had enough of it.
If the saying “You are what you eat” is true then anime fans rejoice as Japan serves you with its latest anime food trends launched these past weeks.
Pokemon Juice
Packaged in Pokemon XY characters cans, Pokemon Juice comes in two flavors: Orange and Apple. Beverage company, DyDo Drinco featured the said anime brand to make healthy juices more appealing to kids.
Pokemon Orange stars Pikachu, Gogoat, Froakie, Helioptile, Pancham, and Yveltal.
While Chespin, Sylveon, Fennekin, Fletchling, and Xerneas and Pikachu, again, appear on Pokemon Apple variant.
Pokemon Juices are available in most stores and vending machines across Japan since November 4. As a quick thirst quencher or anime collection, this Pokemon beverage will definitely be a hit for kids and kids at heart.
One Piece Gum Gum Fruit Buns
Famous convenience store chain, 7 Eleven, started offering sweet buns shaped like a Gum Gum Fruit from the anime, One Piece. Unfortunately, you won’t be getting any special ability but they do taste good with its whipped cream and blueberry jam filling!
7 Eleven will also be having other One Piece promos wherein customers can win special posters, towels or a Monkey D. Luffy figure.
Cactuar Pretz
With the upcoming Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Ezaki Glico and Square Enix collaborated for a limited Cactuar-decorated Pretz in its original roasted corn flavor.
Customers who will purchase two Glico items will also receive special Lightning Returns card. Each card has a code wherein users can download a free weapon for the Final Fantasy smartphone game, Pictologica Final Fantasy.
These items are cute enough for you to buy them all and the rare collectibles are just to hard to resist! Japan definitely knows how to make the rest of the world jealous, so until the next batch of new and cute food treats, bye bye ♡.
The Wind Rises, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica The Movie – Rebellion and A Letter to Momo are in The Oscar Mix for Best Animated Film Nominations
Last Tuesday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its long list of submissions to be considered for possible Oscar nominations in the Best Animated Feature for the 86th Academy Awards. A total of 19 films were submitted which includes three anime films: Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s The Wind Rises, Akiyuki Shinbo and SHAFT’s Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica The Movie Rebellion-, and Production I.G and Hiroyuki Okiura’s A Letter to Momo.
The other animated films are:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Epic
Ernest and Celestine
The Fake
Free Birds
Frozen
Khumba
The Legend of Sarila
Monsters University
O Apóstolo
Planes
Rio: 2096 A Story of Love and Fury
The Smurfs 2
Turbo
According to the Academy rules, there will be 5 nominees in this category since there are more than 16 films submitted and accepted. The Academy will announce the official slate of nominees on January 16, 2014. The list also includes films that haven’t been released yet, in Los Angeles, California, such as Frozen.
Last year, From Up On Poppy Hill and The Mystical Laws were submitted but were not nominated. In 2011, no anime was submitted for considerations and Summer Wars was submitted for the 83rd Academy Awards last 2010, but was not nominated as well.
In 2003 Studio Ghibli’s The Spirited Away got nominated and eventually won the coveted award.
The Academy will announce the official slate of nominees on January 16, 2014. And the awards ceremony takes place on the 2nd of March.
Meet Inori Aizawa, Microsoft’s latest mascot for Internet Explorer.
Sporting a Windows-themed frilly dress, white tights and black gloves, this cutie definitely caught attention when she was revealed ahead of debut event at the Anime Festival Asia 2013 in Singapore. Here’s Inori herself with her introduction on her Facebook page.
Hey everyone! My name is Inori and you can think of me as a personification of Internet Explorer.
“When I was younger, I used to be a clumsy, slow and awkward girl.
However, just like the story of ugly duckling, people told me that I have really matured and changed over the years. I feel confident in my abilities now, and I’m eager to show you what I can do.
Why don’t you get to know me a little better?”
Ah yes, Microsoft definitely admitted their slow browser’s reputation but like Inori, maybe they’re both confident in their newer selves? You can know more about that and Inori herself by downloading the new IE11, when it eventually goes live. PS If you don’t download it, Inori will cry.
Sea*A Idol, Valerie Tang voiced the anime mascot and she’ll also be making a special Inori cosplay appearance this Saturday at the Microsoft’s marketing launch in Singapore; all happening in the Anime Festival Asia 2013.
If you saw my previous post, you should know that I love Shin Megami Tensei. No other franchise has been able to use mythology and religion in a greater way than SMT has. However no game is perfect, and just like there are bad Pokemon, Shin Megami Tensei has a small chunk of crap as well. In my last post, I praised some of my favorite demons for their design and their usefulness in the games, but I didn’t actually mention any demons that I didn’t like. So here is my top 8 least favorite Shin Megami Tensei demons.
Please know that this list is only my opinion. If you like any of these demons, then good for you, I’m merely expressing why I don’t like these demons. Also, you may say I’m not being fair, since I’m mostly judging these demons by their design, but in SMT it’s hard to bash a demon statistically because, unlike other games of the monster summoning genre, the monsters’ stats don’t carry over from game to game, meaning that 1 demon could be a low to mid level demon in one game, and be the ultimate boss of another.
If you’re wondering why this is a top 8 instead of a top 10 that’s mainly because I love this series so much that I can only think of 8 demons that I find absolutely repulsive, but the ones that I do, I have to make a list about them.
8) Cherub (latest design)
Anyone who is, or has been a Christian should know what a Cherub is, but in case you don’t know I’ll give you a quick reminder. Cherub is one of the highest ranking angels in the Christian hierarchy, they are usually categorized in the First Sphere, and NOT a bow-wielding baby with wings! A Cherub, armed with a flaming sword, was placed in front of the Garden of Eden to keep Adam and Eve out after they were kicked out of the garden. The prophet Ezekiel describes cherub as a 4-headed monster with the face of a man, a lion, an eagle, and an ox, which was similar to his old SMT II design, which I like, but what in YHVH’s name is this? Is that what you call an angel? Instead of having the face of the 3 animals I just mentioned, he’s on an island with statues of those animals? Where is the flaming sword? Why does he need an island? We know he has wings, is he too lazy to fly around on his own? if he is then that kind of defeats the purpose of him being an “angel”, considering that laziness is one of the seven deadly sins. His overall design isn’t horrible, but when I think of an “angel”, this is the not what I would have in mind, and at least he isn’t a flying baby.
7) Basilisk (new design)
In European lore, a Basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance. Would I have ever guessed that by playing? no, at least not with this design. When you think of “Basilisk”, you probably think of the giant snake from Harry Potter, or a dragon, or anything but a freaking yellow lizard. When I look at this thing, I see a demonization of the Geico gecko. You might think this thing is big by looking at the artwork, but it isn’t, in fact its so small my player might accidentally step on it while looking for stronger demons.
6) Lilith (SMT IV redesign)
If you read my top 10 favorite article you probably saw Lilith on my honorable mentions list, the OLD design that is. Unlike most people, I actually like most of SMT IV’s redesigns, my favorites are Ashtaroth, Asmodeus, Yaso Magatsuhi, and Merkabah. But out of all the other demons they could have re-designed, why did they have to re-design Lilith? a fan favorite! Okay, if you are going to re-design Lilith, why would you make her look like that? In case you didn’t know, Lilith is a temptress in Jewish lore, a succubus and the first wife of Adam. So… am I supposed to be attracted to this thing? It’s twice my size, has 4 arms, and a big bloody mouth. If this was what Lilith really looked like, it’s no wonder Adam broke up with her.
5) Belphegor
Do I have to explain? Look at him! He is a demon sitting on a toilet. Okay, Belphegor is a demon of the Goetia, one of the seven princes of hell, and represents the sin of sloth (laziness), remember how earlier I said that laziness was one of the seven deadly sins, yeah, Belphegor represents that. I can understand that his design would need some of prop to explain his lazy nature, but did it have to be a toilet of all things? it could have been a chair, or a bed. I know he represents laziness, but is he really so lazy that he can’t even get up off of his toilet? He can’t go around tempting humans and fighting angels if that’s the case, because that defeats the purpose of him being a demon, and isn’t that what makes them demons? In Persona 2: Innocent Sin you literally fight him inside the restroom, but even then he still gets up out of the stall to fight you, so this whole design is just one big paradox. He probably wouldn’t be on here if it weren’t for the toilet, but since he has one, I have to include him.
4) Bael (SMT II design)
Another demon of the Goetia, and one of the seven princes of hell (depending on who you ask). This time, he is based on (but not synonymous with) a Semitic god, rather than representing a deadly sin, yeah, the only deadly sin committed here is how boring this design is. If you simply Google “Baal” and click the link that says “Baal (Demon)” you will see a 3-headed monster with the face of a man, a cat, and a frog, and has spider legs, not this abomination. The original design was more like this, why would they change it? If you’re going to change it, at least make it something better than a naked man riding a frog with a cat on is neck, not to mention he was knocked down from level 78 to 55, and had all his stats (except luck) drastically decreased. This is a perfect example of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Hopefully if Bael returns in a modern SMT game, we’ll see his old design, instead of this.
3) Hamsa
Okay, well at least Garuda, Yatagarasu, and the other generic birds look like they give a crap. Hamsa’s face just screams “du-du-du-du-derp, I’m a demon-derp!”. He is literally a duck, wearing a helmet. Can’t they be more creative? In Hindu lore, Hamsa is the steed of Brahma, one of the 3 main deities, so why the lame design? Garuda is the steed of Vishnu, another main deity, and he looks awesome, so why does Brahma have such a lame ride? There isn’t really much else I can say about this design, other than the fact that I feed sorry for Brahma.
2) Erzulie
Look at this thing. Look at it! Is it a purple blob? no. Is it Medusa? no. Is it Nicki Minaj? no. It’s a freaking goddess of love in Haitian Vodou. Now, just by looking at this thing would you ever think it was a friendly spirit? no, because it’s butt-ugly, seriously, it looks like Oprah Winfrey fused with Jabba the Hutt. Is this how Atlus views the Haitian lore, probably not because there is Loa in SMT and he looks cool, so why this? The worst part about it is that it’s in the Megami race, you know, a race for beautiful goddesses like Laksmi, Parvati, and Amaterasu, so why in YHVH’s name is this thing in there? it should be in the foul or haunt race. That’s all, for a goddess of love, the only thing loveable about this thing, is that it’s only in one of the SMT games.
1) Diana
Every once in a while, in monster taming games, there will be a few designs that people will make immature jokes about, a good example being the rumor about the Pokemon Musharna looking like an aborted fetus, or Castform having a pair of breasts. Well this thing, has breats all over it. Breasts on her head, breasts on her shoulders, breasts on her hips, breasts on her elbows, breasts on her knees, and even breasts on her feet. What were they thinking!? Diana is the Roman goddess of hunting, so that doesn’t explain why she’s covered in boobs from head to toe! and why the Demiurge would you ever want to use this thing in battle. Thank YHVH it’s a Light-aligned demon, so I don’t have to see this abomination in battle. You see Atlus, it’s monsters like this that need redesigning, not Titania, Bael, or Lilith. If you ever see this thing on the fusion screen in Strange Journey or SMT IV, don’t fuse it, it isn’t even that good in battle anyway. That is all, horrible design, please try again.
You’re probably thinking “where’s Mara?” Well as much as I find that thing hideous and distasteful, I don’t think I can bash it’s design. I’m sure it wasn’t penis humor the artists were going for when they designed him, and I was scared to death when I saw him in Persona 3.
Thank you for reading my article, I hope I didn’t offend anybody. Once again, I love SMT, but I feel like I had to rant on some of these designs. If you disagree that’s fine, but please keep flaming to a minimum.
Anime related video games have primarily been released on consoles, with the expectations of MMOs, browser games and Visual Novels, and one of the industry’s largest franchise hasn’t appeared at all on the home computer. But you will get to play the first ever Naruto game, in just a few days in fact. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst will be releasing on Steam on October 22nd in North America and on October 25th in European Regions. The game will be available for purchase and download via Steam, with all the standard steamworks features. The game will also be sold via retail for consoles; existing owners can download the new content as a piece of DLC.
*The following content contains spoilers from the most recent episodes of the anime.*
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst is an enhanced version of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Namco Bandai Games, and debuted on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in March this year. The game is the fourth entry in the Ultimate Ninja Storm series that started 2008. The series’ core gameplay is a one on one battle between the shinobi of the Naruto universe. Players battle it out in a 3 dimensional arena and deal out combos, jutsus, items and super attacks to defeat the opponent. Players can also utilise up to 3 support characters that deal additional damage.
The game launched with 80 playable characters, spanning from the entire franchise of Naruto, from the original anime series to the current- and beyond- of Naruto Shippuden. The game starts off from the Five Kage Summit Arc and deep into the Fourth Shinobi War Arc, bypassing the anime’s story at the time of the game’s release. The game not only features one on one battles, but the story mode also include boss battles against gigantic foes, an open-ended Konohagakure to explore, and numerous side missions to take on. The game also feature local and online multiplayer, with a few varying modes and tournament systems.
Here are the box art of the game for the PC, PS3 and 360 (Australian version):
Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst for the PC will be an overhauled experience from the consoles. The game will undergo many enhancements visually, adding in more particle effects, dynamic and smooth lighting, and higher frame rate. It will contain all the currently release costume DLC packs, which total up to 38 additional costumes. The game’s cinematics, which are done extremely well and make up a healthy portion of the game, are revamped in what’s being called as a Director’s Cut. The game will also include 100 extra missions, increasing the game’s longevity.
Some screenshots of the new revamped cutscenes can be seen below:
In addition, the game will contain a bunch of new exclusive content. Full Burst will have a new chapter that revolves around the fight between the Uchiha brothers, Itachi and Sasuke, and the slimy Kabuto Yakushi. Players will then be able to play the character in its full Sage Glory, making a total of 81 playable characters.
Some screenshots of the new chapter can be seen below:
You can also check out the latest trailer for the game:
Naruto was first released as a manga in 1999, two years after the pilot chapter. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series started its serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump and has exploded into one of the most popular manga series to date. The manga is both popular in Japan and western nations, selling over 130 million copies in Japan alone. Since then, the series has received numerous adaptations and interpretations, with an anime series that ran from 2002-2007, and a sequel anime series- both produced by Studio Pierrot. There has also been many movies, OVAs and video games based on the franchise, including Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 Full Burst will be out on Steam on October 22nd in North America and October 25th in Europe. You can pre-order the game via Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/234670
The game will also be out in retail and as a DLC pack on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on the same days. The game will feature both English and the original Japanese voices, with English and local languages subtitles.
Christ, it’s like the world is out to get me. Anime releases this season require diving head-on in a cesspool of ideas produced by every desperate author seeking recognition. To boot, a lot of times, I imagine the editors hearing an idea and going, “I did not understand shit… – That’s perfect! Now make it complete nonsense. Don’t leave a doubt that you need to be locked in asylum.”
Gundam? Damn, I picked up the wrong anime.
Despite this being the case with editors, I always imagine that in most of the cases, the author comes up with a perfectly logical, brilliant idea, which the industry manages to trample, break and pulverize it to bits, before it even hits its first normal public reviewer that could even express his opinion.
This is Gundam… Right? I’m sure I downloaded an Italian adventure anime. I’m being trolled here.
But that is not the case with Galilei Donna (super-excited, right?). Unlike a high percentage of other things from the anime industry that get torn up, shredded and turned to crap by the end, this one was already crap to begin with. I mean the main idea was bad, and the subsequent plot, development scheme and everything else just kept getting worse.
Wait, what? Err, what were the past 4 minutes? Promo? Montage? I’m actually watching the right thing?
The idea, as usual, start with a family that are the descendants of Galilei. He picked the short straw here, out of famous people, but I really wonder how old Galio ever got around to shagging a Japanese woman. Furthermore, since he was alive round the 16th century, presuming, he was a respectable Italian, he had at least about 6-8 mistresses in his life, and since kids limit was not an issue back then, pass the third, divide by the square root, take a bite of the abacus then swallow and we can imagine the dude in 23rd or whatever century we are looking at in this anime would have about 5000 descendants give or take 500. I’d make fun of the fact that their family name is Ferrari, but there is just too much to make fun of in this thing. Let’s ride on…
. . .
So… why pick the 3 Japanese ones? Cause, duh, this is not Italy and for a manga writer learning more than 6 Italian words would result in ulcer. So yeah, this is the story of the ThreeJapanese Descendants of Galileo Galilei that live in alternate universe that give a fuck about what he actually did… Well tries to – because we got mecha built by 12 years old. “Just go with it”, winks the author.
No, it’s fine. Shoot me and get it over already.
Okay, you pretentious prick, I’ll bite. I’m not one to judge based on the cover. Just let me wipe the bloody tears. Due to your lack of cultural immersion in Italian history, further than a Wikipedia page and a quick read through the menu at your local restaurant that serves pizza – you managed to instantly cliché Italians to being fat sleezebags. Well kudos to you, I hope you come with me to Sicilia, I know a familia there that teaches respect.
Seriously, who ever participated in the making of this better not show his face anywhere around Italy.
Then of course the author is not done with that. He and his editor, sucking up the remaining fumes of desperation together with whatever other chemicals they had in their bathroom, decided on the rest of the elements they want to mix in. I’ll shortly bullet point them.
For when that diarrhea strikes nothing stops it like a suppository.
Mecha Theme:
– Goldfish. Fucking ferocious gold fish. With rockets. Yeah. Cause, hell, we considered mecha seagulls, but they were already used in Gundam, Tokyo Ravens or something.
– Balloon Mecha. Nothing easier than a 500 ton mecha to fly. “Technology?!” asks the author “Nobody cares about explaining that. It just flies. It happens in the future. That solves everything.” To which we ask, why even bother using the Galilei name?
– Gun-Bike. Cause if you can’t surpass something at 35 km/h, why not just add a gun function. Making it actually go faster might be dangerous, wouldn’t want children doing that. And it’s a stun gun. That never hurt anyone. And you say sorry before shooting. It’s ok… What is the criminality rate in japan again? Of course it’s low if maniacs like this are free to publish. It’s like saying there are no criminal acts in a country where stealing, murder and rape are legal.
1. You probably misunderstood, what you have there is a flamethrower, cause a rocket would get you 350 km/h not 35. You made enough smoke to block out the sun. 2. It’s velocità. That thing Italians add above the a is not a decoration. 3. If there was a Canadian nearby, he’d be compelled to shoot you. And the author for his stereotypes.
Character Theme:
– The villain, is not villainous, but plain retarded. Or he will be the hero villain. Which being retarded makes him stronger in stressful situations and super useless against anything that normally he would have no problems against. Which in the end is still retarded. Does anyone see where this is going? It’s taking me straight to the hospital.
When in doubt, with the wardrobe, become the wardrobe. Leave nothing unused in terms of garments.
– The daughters are – the first is silly/genius/cute/innocent, second is immature/unsocial/not sarcastic or witty (because that requires intellect)/bratty, third is sleazy/lazy/annoying/a failure of a human. I’m dying inside.
– The father is a workaholic. That’s it. We don’t need to develop him. Just replace him with random dude A. Call me an ambulance.
– Mother is hysterical and illogical. Why not. I mean it defines most mothers. The authors especially, most likely when he told her he will become a great manga author. Coroner better.
It hurts to hear… let alone watch. I wonder if I can dig up a real descendent and claim copyright for his name. Maybe then they can make the girls the descendants of the Harlem Witches.
To end this. The plot is weak. The animation is good, but that is to be expected in the current day. But damn me if I will watch something just because the animation is good. If you want a good amount of images without any story, might as well get a deviant art account. If this was an action anime, it would do a lot better than Tokyo Ravens, only if it was not so darn gone set (dog-on-scent?) on going bonkers. The mecha scene went from something possibly impressive to being pure ridiculous.
Would you make up your mind what kind of anime I am watching?!?!?!
Conclusion: Wait for all the episodes to come out. At least a couple more if bored or watch this in one go. Really. It might be good for later. But now, just don’t touch the thing. Treat it like that cheese grandma sent four years ago that is currently festering in the back of the fridge. Aging will either improve it, or at least kill you in one go. Seriously, at the moment it is a cluster of damn crazy ideas packed into one episode. It’s too flimsy to follow.
Recommendation: This is theoretically a mess of action, mecha, sci-fi and adventure with probably some other things thrown in. But let’s leave it as an Action Sci-fi Anime. For you that are specifically looking forward to this sorta thing, and you just started watching anime, go and have a look at what the tops of your gender are. This will not be there. For oldies, that have watched everything up to this point and really have nothing more to look forward to, have a look and think forward. If you are looking for something else, other genres or have something else – this – should stay low priority for a moment when you have a lot of free time.
One-Time Intro: Right, I never particularly was good at introductions. I’m just here to give you a short review on what might be worth on watching this season in terms of shows.
It was to be expected that anime will become more popular in the coming years, since the internet is expanding like an obese child locked in an fully equipped candy factory. As such the new people coming into contact with Anime culture and animation will keep coming. These people will most likely bump into the new releases, rather than the older ones and hopefully will end up here, or somewhere asking for some advice on what to watch.
My reviews generally target newer people to the industry, but also people that are generally busy – such as myself and need an idea on what should be watched. Then again this is not Kurogane’s Anime blog, which is damn hard to follow in my opinion, since the people there are open to everything and analyze everything – each chapter – which is fine, for a debate blog, but not for a reference on what to watch. I won’t use a grading system, but I’ll tell you what you should basically expect from the series overall.
That being said – let me start a review on the recently released Tokyo Ravens. Right of the bat we go into flashback world to establish foreboding elements. Then he wakes up, quite literally, perfectly establishing current situation. Christ, people, wouldn’t want anyone surprised by something. He might gasp and express some real human emotion. Also, just once I wanna be in the skin of one of those expandable rent-a-cop that say “FREEZE, you are under arrest”. I wonder how their brain works. “Pssst, Betty, she did not freeze. What do we do now?”
Probably the only action scene in the whole episode.
Next we start of by questioning if it’s a sci-fi or that the character is on an acid trip. Based on the next few minutes of video, we find it’s both. Sadly the first episode is all about establishing the current situation. It’s like blending the manga and giving a whole serving, of this is what hit the fan.
Totally bro. That cloud is eating the sun.
The anime finally establishes itself as an Action series somewhere in the last 3 minutes of animation. And that actually lasted for about one minute tops. And then again some bizarre situations ensue. At moments like this, I imagine that the people drawing the series just went on a strike and decided if they don’t finish in the next hour they commit suicide.
I love it when your mouth leaves your face. That chocolate was like super-glue.
Now typically, when you have her establish herself as a bad guy (well – when you give her some many fucked up attributes that “The Voices” come into play) – when she declares not holding back against his girlfriend and armed with a Mecha?!… I expect that tragedy that makes characters grow is ensured – Fullmetal Alchemist or something.
I’ve seen this setting in porn before. It’s hard to explain otherwise, but I have high hopes for ep. 2 of this.
I literally got up, blinked in fascination, as if Azano Kouhei realized: “Shit, how about something more that glittery tears happens, and we put an important character through a psychological trauma that requires more than the intellect of a 12 years old to surpass.” But no, he’s rubbing his hand like a catholic priest in a kindergarten, waiting for the next cliche to jump on.
That face! No bugs here. Just overloaded personalty. That choco-banana was roofied.
Currently it seems like the main character is just faffing about on purpose – which seems that more forced since it does not want to seem on purpose. The female love interest distances herself from her feelings so much that she’s a step from psychotic. Which funnily enough the others characters acknowledge and are describing as mysterious. Trust me fellas, we call that something else. Shrieks have a field trip with these ones.
The dog established itself by far as the best character. Just look at it!
I am trying hard not to judge something sci-fi that floppily tries to establish itself in current reality like some weak Harry Potter fantasy. But when the dude already shares chromosomes with Abe-no-Seimei, I want to see the blond blue-eyed girl that ancestor shagged Merlin. For a dose of originality I hope she has a moustache.
Seriously, just make an anime only with the dog – I’ll watch it.
Conclusion: Established Sci-fi. Action series – requires a few more episodes to even discuss. Worth watching… only if you are bored.
Recommendations: for new comers this will get you established probably with every cliché these types of anime throw at you. Go ahead and watch it. You will most likely enjoy it. For people like me… well that is what I had -> key for. Forwarding fast enough. People that are busy and can’t watch more than 2-3 anime a week, and usually need the weekend to keep up – this anime should be a mid-range priority. Watch some cool stuff like Monogatari or a RomCom you like.
Trivia: I did not add a picture of the love interest. Watch it for yourselves.
This post is going to be dedicated to my favorite of all time video game franchise, Shin Megami Tensei. No other franchise has been able to take mythology and religion and implement it into a video game with such a dark and dramatic storyline better than anything I have ever played. With Shin Megami Tensei IV just having been released, a crossover with Fire Emblem coming up, Atlus being bought by Sega, the 40+ games in the series, and over 700+ demons, it would only make sense for me to amass a list of my 10 favorite demons in the series.
Some things to note before I start:
-This is my personal opinion, feel free to share yours but please try not to make the comment section a battlefield.
-If there is any false information on here let me know in the comments so I can fix it.
10) Yggdrasil
“The ash tree known as the World Tree in Norse lore. Its branches cover the entire earth, its trunk pierces the sky and holds up several worlds, including Alfheim, the abode of the Light Elves. Its three roots stretch into Jotumheim and Asgard. It is said that it will live through Ragnarok.”
-Strange Journey Copendium
I don’t know where to begin with this thing. I first saw him in Strange Journey when I was wondering around sector Bootes and I found the side-quest from the Disir. Later in the game I came to Sector Eridanus and fought him, not only did I get a great item for winning, but I also unlocked one of the most useful Law demons in the game. I used him from the moment I was able to fuse him to the very end of the game. He has some of the highest strength and vitality for his level, and his design is amazing. I don’t know if it’s the snake tail, or the tusks, or what is is about his design that I like the most, but he is truly a force to be reckoned with.
9) Cu Culainn (Soul Hackers design)
“A gallant Celtic hero, son of the sun god Lugh. He is said to have beaten an army singlehandedly. He was cursed to die after spurning the war goddess Morrighan, and was impaled on his own mighty Gae Blog.”
-Strange Journey Copendium
When I first saw this guy in Devil Survivor, I fell in love with his design. Being a hero from Celtic lore, he looks like a mix between a Lord of the Rings character and some sort of fantasy anime hero, which is awesome. However, despite loving his design I didn’t use him very much because I didn’t have any demons with lots of stat bonuses in strength. However, when I saw him in Soul Hackers I almost dropped my 3DS, mainly because his stats were god-like for his level. 19 strength, 14 endurance, and he’s only level 39! I know I used him until he was at least 10 levels lower than me (in Soul Hackers demons don’t level up). In most games he is summonable mid-game and is usually only summonable after a side-quest is completed. He is without a doubt one of the best demons to pick up on your playthrough of any SMT game.
8) Metatron
“The greatest and most mysterious of the angels.
He has many names, such as the Voice of God and Angel of Contracts. His name is said to originate from the “one who serves behind the throne,” and he acts as God’s representative. He has immense power, and his body is the largest amongst the angels. In contrast to his duty to maintain the world, he is said to have a merciless side and has slaughtered hundreds of humans who disobeyed him”
-Devil Survivor 2 Copendium
Do I really need to go into detail on why this guy is awesome? Just look at him! He’s a robot angel, what more needs to be said? Well, Metatron is the voice of God, meaning that whenever people think God is speaking to them, it is actually Metatron acting as his vessel. He is almost always the most powerful angel of the herald race in many SMT games. I started to like him when I used him in Devil Survivor 2, because he is one of 3 demons that can become invincible to everything except almighty damage, in many games he also resists everything! He was loads of help in my battle against Lucifer in both SMTIV and Devil Survivor Overclocked. My only complaint is that he is only accessible very late in the game or in new game+, but once you get him he is well worth the wait.
7) Alilat
“The Arabian mother goddess also known as Allat. She was thought to reside in the Black Stone at the Kaaba.
She and her son, Dusura, were worshiped there by desert nomads.”
-Strange Journey Compendium
Before playing SMT, I never thought there would ever be a game that made rock monsters look cool, I was wrong. When I first saw this thing I thought it was some sort of demonization of the Washington monument, it wasn’t until I got more into the series that I realized what it truly was. Alilat was one of the 3 main idols worshiped by the people of Mecca before the Muslim religion was introduced, its origins go back to the traditions of the ancient Sumerian Civilization brought to pre-islamic Arabia by nomads who idolized rocks in their daily life, which explains its design. As if this weren’t enough, in most games it is the only demon in the giest race, making it extremely hard to obtain. In most games it specializes in vitality and magic, while having some of the most helpful moves in the game. In Persona 3 it is the ultimate persona of the empress arcana, and learns repel slash/strike/pierce, very useful.
6) Lucifer (Old design)
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 2000 years, you should know who Lucifer is, but I will give you a quick reminder. Lucifer is a prominent figure in various religions, most famous in Christianity and Judaism, he was the most beautiful angel in heaven who fell from grace after rejecting God’s authority. As expected, in most of the SMT games he plays a very important role, usually as a possible antagonist. He represents the Chaos faction, and will usually tempt the player into believing that there is no need for God’s order, and that strong should rule over the weak. He is almost always the most powerful demon of the Tyrant race, and in Persona 3 and 4 is the most powerful demon of the Judgment arcana. Before I played SMT, I never thought I would ever get to use the devil in battle, and have him be so useful, unlocking him requires much grinding and maybe even beating the game, but once you have him, you’re unstoppable.
5) Beelzebub
“Lord of the Flies and the prince of Hell.
He is established as a high-ranking demon in the Bible, and his flies carry souls down to the abyss. He may be a bastardization of the Canaanite god Baal.”
—Devil Survivor 2 Compendium
One of the demons notorious for being hard in almost every SMT game he is in, Beelzebub is without a doubt one of the most popular demons in the MegaTen series. Most people genuinely mistake Beelzebub for being synonymous with Lucifer, but not here, the developers of SMT knew what they were doing. Beelzebub is actually a Philistine god and one of the seven princes of Hell according to Christian sources. In Judaism, he is noted to be a mockery of the religions that surrounded the worship of Baal. What I love about this guy is… well… everything, the evil look, the skull necklace, the staff, and the skulls on his wings. In the SMT games, he is one of the highest level demons, close to Lucifer in power, and is usually one of Lucifer’s best minions. In both Devil Survivor games he naturally resists everything. In Nocturne, his signature ability is Death Flies, which deals severe almighty damage to all foes and instantly kills them unless they are immune to death. The only real problem with him is that because of what I mentioned earlier, his boss battles are extremely hard, but once he is on your side, it will all be worth it.
4) Titania (Old design)
“The queen of the faeries and King Oberon’s wife. She is based on the Roman goddess Diana.
She was later seen as a faerie and was recognized as a queen in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.””
—Devil Survivor 2 Compendium
As some of you may know, Titania is the fairy queen from William Shakesphere’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (unlike Queen Mab who is mentioned in “Romeo and Juliet”). She is the wife of Oberon, who was cursed so that he would not become taller than a child. At first I wasn’t a big fan of Titania when I saw her design in Strange Journey, I honestly thought she was a rejected Disney villain, however once I saw her old design in Devil Survivor 2 it was love at first sight, not only because of her look, but because of her properties too. She was weak to phys attacks, but she nullified all elemental magic, luckily, since I pass phys repel to all my demons, I had a near-invincible demon with very high magic stats, I know I used her up until the very end of the game. While having high magic stats, and resisting all magic in most games, Titania is one of the best demons to have in any play-through of an SMT game.
3) Throne(left) and Lailah(right)
Throne:
“The third of the nine orders of angels. It is said that they carry the throne of God. Of the angels with physical form, they carry the highest rank.”
—Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Compendium
Lailah:
“An angel in Judeo-Christian lore that presides over conception.
She is the intermediary between pregnant women and God. When a woman conceives a child, the seed is given to God, who then decides the child`s sex, appearance, and destiny. After such things are decided, a new soul is placed into the woman`s womb.”
—Devil Survivor 2 Compendium
Both of these things are similar in design and they’re both on here for the same reason so I thought that I should put them together at number 3. Lailah is the Jewish angel of conception. In the book “Before You Were Born”, she is the angel that brings souls and the seed together and then sees to it that the seed is planted in the womb, making her the good counterpart to Lilith, who seeks to kill newborn children as they come out of the womb. Throne on the other hand, is the 3rd of 9 classes of angels. First mentioned by Paul of Tarsus in Colossians 1:16, they are related to the throne of God, and are living symbols of God’s justice and authority. They come the closest of all Angels to spiritual perfection and emanate the light of God with mirror-like goodness. They background is interesting and all, but the real reason they are on here is because if their designs. A man wearing a black robe attached to a flaming wheel, and a creepy lady wearing a silk hat with black feathered wings? Just by looking at them, you’d assume them both to be evil, but according to their descriptions, they are very good. In Devil Survivor 1 and 2, Lailah was one of the most helpful demons you could get early in the game. She is one of the first demons to get an amp skill, and has no weakness. Sadly, her brother Throne was not in Devil Survivor, but in Persona 3 he was available at just the right point in the game, resisting fire while blocking light, he was perfect for taking out that annoying sleeping table.
2) Abaddon (Old design)
“The king of the abyss that appears in the Revelations of the New Testament. He controls locusts and plagues.
He leads the seventh order of demons who appear at the sounding of the fifth trumpet on Judgement Day, when he will bring a horde of locusts to make people suffer. His name in Hebrew means “destroyer” and “endless pit.” It’s thought that his origins lie in deification of the natural disasters caused by locust swarms.”
—Devil Survivor 2 Compendium
The angel of the abyss from Revelation, whose name in Hebrew means “Place of Destruction”. He is usually considered to be related to Lucifer, or ever another name for Lucifer, but he is actually a righteous figure, he is even responsible for casting him into the abyss, he was also summoned by Moses to cause the great rains during the Ten Plagues of Egypt. I’m not a huge fan of his Nocturne redesign, but I absolutely love his old design. Just by looking at him you can tell that he is bad news. First of all, I’d like you to look at him and tell me what he is? A frog? Slime? Outside of SMT he is depicted as a giant locust, but in SMT, I have no idea, but that just goes to show how creative the designers are. Another reason he is on here is because of his usefulness in Devil Survivor and Persona 3. In Devil Survivor 1 and 2, his signature ability is anti-most, which resists all elemental magic, including curse… What? When I first saw that ability on the fusion screen I thought the developers were trolling me, well they were, sort of. The drawback was that his weakness was phys, but this can easily be countered with anti-phys, which shouldn’t be hard to find once you can fuse him, and best of all when you fuse him away you can pass this skill to the new demon, making almost any demon in the game a magical wall. In Persona 3 he learns null/strike/slash/pierce as well as absorb strike, making him a perfect physical wall.
1) Satan
“The prince of darkness in Judeo-Christian lore, known for his role as the snake that tempted Adam and Eve at Eden. It is also said he is sent by God to test man’s piety.”
—Persona 3 FES Compendium
Today it’s first grade knowledge that Satan and Lucifer are the same thing, but would you believe me if I told you that was not actually the case? The mix-up is most likely a bad translation of the bible into English, and the makers of SMT knew this too well. Rather than being portrayed as an evil, power hungry villain, in SMT Satan is portrayed as a tempter and accuser of evil who works for God. His main job is to test people by tempting them to do things they know are wrong, and then judge them when they die, It was Satan who is responsible for tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden, and tempting Jesus in the desert, not Lucifer. But enough of back-story, what about his design? Well, what is there not to like about it? The six arms/wings/breasts. 6 fingers per hand, the two bone tentacles, or that menacing look? When I played Persona 3, just seeing that I could use Satan shocked me, in fact, before I played Persona 3 I never thought I would get to use Satan in battle, and in Devil Survivor 2: The Animation I was actually cheering him on at the end. Battle wise, he is a menace, with his signature move in Persona 3 being black viper, which deals massive almighty damage to one foe, he is perfect for taking out bosses. Also, he is needed for the strongest fusion spell in the game, Armageddon. With the amazing design, interesting back-story, and sheer power that he possesses, Satan is truly a power to be reserved for the best of the best.
These are the demons that didn’t quite make the cut but still are very important to me:
-Alice
-Laksmi
-Parvati
-Cthulhu
-Jack Frost
-Samael
-Nebiros
-Norn
-Shiva
-Surt
-Nyarlathotep
-Lilith
-Amaterasu
Thank you for reading my article, I hope you enjoyed it. What are your favorite demons from the Shin Megami Tensei series? Post them in the comment section down below.
Whoa we have 44 shows this season excluding kiddie shows and shows that promotes toys. In this preview I’ve included Movies that would be released this season. I’ve also embedded the PVs in this season preview so that you could watch it on the same page. Though there are some that I can’t embed so if you can’t see the PV just click on the link above/below the video.
I made this as thorough as I can so I hope it’ll be a good guide to your anime watching this fall.
Summary:
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.
Impression: Great works by the series composition staff so maybe it’ll turn out great despite the not so impressive summary and PV. After Servant x Service I’ll need a dose of comedy and slice of life so I think I’ll try this one.
Summary:
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.
Impression:
Ooooh since Free! is only one cour I’m glad we got another bishie anime this season but I’m a bit wary since director-san is a newbie and this is another one of those game adaptation so my expectation in this is low. Though I like the idea that our protagonist is living with 6 vampires and damn I find the PV quite sexy www. I just hope the girl is not annoying like the girl on Amnesia.
Potential Meter: 50%
Miss Monochrome Release Date: October 1, 2013 Genre: Music, Slice of Life Animation Production: LIDEN FILMS, SANZIGEN
Summary: “Miss Monochrome” is an original character design from seiyuu Horie Yui. In March 2012, she first used the “Miss Monochrome” character as a 3D virtual singer to sing her songs at her concert “Horie Yui wo Meguru Bouken III ~Secret Mission Tour~”. Later, the character appeared in a range of merchandise as well as in the social network game “Girlfriend (Beta)”.
According to the setting, Miss Monochrome loves only the monochrome style, dislikes all kinds of color, and always dreams about changing the world into her favorite monochrome color.
Impressions:
This one will be an anime short based on Horie Yui’s original character design. Well I love Horie Yui but I’m not too interested with this anime so I’ll pass on this one
Summary: In the story, Gaimetal, a metal ore with high amounts of pure energy, was discovered 50,000 meters (160,000 feet) underground in 2047, and mining began all around the world. However, Gaist, metallic lifeforms whose bodies are entirely encrusted with Gaimetal, emerged in 2055 and began attacking people. In 2064, Rekka, Hayato, Kurama, and Siren are among those who suit up in Gaist Gear and battle over 100 varieties of Gaist creatures.
Impression:
This looks like a original shounen show from Studio Pierrot and we got little info about it as of now so I think I’ll pass on this one since the summary doesn’t really interest me.
Potential Meter: 10%
Kyoukai no Kanata Release Date: October 2, 2013 Genre: Fantasy Animation Production: Kyoto Animation
Summary: Akihito Kanbara is a high school sophomore in the literature club who believes himself to be a “Meganest”, and although he appears to be human, he is actually half Yōmu, which makes him invulnerable to wounds, due to the fact that he can heal so quickly, and also immortal. One day, Akihito meets freshman Mirai Kuriyama when it appears as if she is about to attempt suicide by jumping off of the school rooftop. Mirai is isolated because of her ability to manipulate blood, which is considered heresy even among other members of the underworld, so she is shunned. Soon after Akihito saves Mirai, disturbing events begin to arise.
Impression: WOW everything is so darn interesting in this KyoAni show of the season. That megane girl at the PV is so badass, hell everything in the PV is so badass! Here’s to hoping that finally, KyoAni will be stepping out of it’s comfort zone and hopefully this one will be full of action just like what the PV gave us if not it’ll be another slice-of-life KyoAni show which honestly, I’m getting tired of. Impressive staff and cast but director-san is a newbie so hopefully he’ll man up to the demand of an action packed anime. KyoAni is really good in adaptations so I guess I’m confident that this will be loyal to its light novel counterpart . I’ll definitely pick this up.
Summary: Hidden within Tokyo is the “mirror capital” where youkai and humans live together and no one ever dies. It is protected by three people – Kurama, Yase, and Myoue – as they await the return of their parents, Myoue Jonin and Koto. One day a young girl named Koto (same name, different spelling) wanders into the city from a different dimension looking for her mother. A mecha-geek with red eyes, it’s not immediately clear whether she’s human or youkai. Her arrival upsets the long peace that had ruled the capital.
Impression: This series marked the first time Banpresto and Toei Animation collaborated together and these two companies launched a ONA last December 2011 which I failed to watch during that time. The summary is interesting and I like the animation style from the PV so I’ll probably pick this up. I didn’t have a chance to watch any of the director and original creator’s works so I don’t how this will turn out but for now I’ll try this out.
Summary:
Many years after a great tragedy killed 90% of the people in Japan, three girls arrive in the ruins of Tokyo. In the devastated capital, their unusually clean clothes set them apart. But that’s not the only strange thing about them – they also each wield supernatural powers. They call themselves “Coppelion,” and are on a mission to save the people of Tokyo.
Impression: Wow that was an impressive PV so the girls are so badass. The premise is interesting though this is just director-san’s second series he’s directing but he’s behind the key animation of several impressive action anime so this series really look promising. The script writer’s works are all mediocre so I don’t know how will that affect this series. Oh and the cast are all famous seiyuus and the lead role goes to Kana-tan! I’m loving this already.
Potential Meter: 90%
Aikatsu! 2nd Series Release Date: October 3, 2013 Genre: Card Games, Idols, Music, School Animation Production: Sunrise
Summary: Starlight Academy is facing a predicament thanks to the rise of the new rival idol training school, Dream Academy. The Dream Academy’s “cool beauty” Seira Otoshiro is a major new idol with talent in rock music and perfect pitch, while Kii Saekusa is a genius who enrolls in the academy’s producer course.
The two academies face off for the honor of training the top idol.
Impression: Didn’t watch the first season so this one is a pass.
Potential Meter: ?
Golden Time Release Date: October 3, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Romance Animation Production: J.C. Staff
Summary: Tada Banri is a newly admitted student at a private law school in Tokyo. Due to the after-effects of an accidental fall from a bridge shortly after high school graduation, he lost all his memories from before then. At the time of the accident, Banri’s soul had escaped from his body, and the Spirit of Tada Banri came into being, carrying his memories from before graduation.
Banri finds himself completely lost after the opening ceremony, trying to find his way to the freshman orientation. At that moment, he runs into another lost freshman from the same school, Yanagisawa Mitsuo, and they hit it off at once. Somehow arriving at their intended goal just on time, there appears in front of them a beautiful girl holding a bouquet of roses, who hits Mitsuo across the face with them and hands the flowers over to him. This stylish, well dressed, and perfect woman is his childhood friend Kaga Kouko. As children, they had promised to marry each other one day, fulfilling their dreams. In order to escape from her, Mitsuo had gone out secretly and taken the examination for this well-known private college, but she also took the law school entrance examination, catching up with him there.
Impression: Oh yes! We got another one of those Rom-Com J.C. Staff (Toradora!, Ano Natsu de Matteru) shows! The premise is interesting and the staff behind this have worked on similar shows and with Shimo, Fumihiko-san behind the series composition I got a feeling this will surely tug my heart strings. Oh and Horie, Yui-san will be the lead though her voice on the PV sounds like Hanekawa’s voice but still, I love her ojou-sama voice. Will definitely pick this up.
Potential Meter: 90%
Kill la Kill
Release Date: October 3, 2013 Genre: Action, School Animation Production: Studio Trigger
Summary: Ryuuko Matoi carries a large weapon shapes like half of a pair of scissors. She’s looking for the woman with the other half, who killed her father. Satsuki Kiryuuin, student council president of Honnouji Academy, is said to know the woman’s identity, so Ryuuko transfers there. Those who arrive at the school receive a special “reverse uniform,” and Satsuki has used that power to rule the school in fear.
Impression: Whoa big names there. Though the premise does not make any sense for now I bet everything would be new and creative specially with those talented people listed above. Oh and the music in this is the same person behind Shingeki no Kyojin’s music I got a feeling this will be one epic series and thankfully it’s a 2 cour series! Btw the main girl’s costume if so freaking ridiculous.
Potential Meter: 95%
Outbreak Company
Release Date: October 3, 2013 Genre: Fantasy Animation Production: feel.
Summary: Having a light novel author father and an eroge illustrator mother, Kanou Shinichi is a thoroughbred otaku. However he does not have any special power except for his broad knowledge, sharp insight, and impeccable instinct about “MOE” and its products, from manga to anime to games to light novel to figures. 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 monster or embark on a quest, but to enhance cultural exchange by becoming a “moe missionary” in this fantasy world! He meets a palace guard who has a bit of fujoshi taste, a half-elf maid, and the empress who is a little girl. He comes up with the idea of building a school. At first it runs as a comedy but later there are serious matters that Shinichi needs to face: ethnic discrimination, social problems, conflict with neighboring countries, sabotage by opposition elements including Japanese government, etc. Can he overcome the obstacles, successfully bring “moe” culture to the fantasy world, and help the people there as well?
Impression: From the creator of Scrapped Princess comes another series which I dunno if I should take seriously or not. Unfortunately the summary just doesn’t make any sense. So far I’m not inclined in picking this one up. Though Sakaki, Ichirou’s work sure have unusual stories and premise so I think it caught my interest for a bit.
Potential Meter: 30%
IS -Infinite Stratos- 2 Release Date: October 3, 2013 Genre: action, drama, romance, science fiction, tournament Animation Production: 8-bit Studio
Japan engineered an armed powered exoskeleton “Infinite Stratos” (IS) and it became the mainstream of weapons. Since only women can operate IS, women dominate the society over men. Orimura Ichika is a 15 year old boy and accidentally touches an IS placed in the IS pilot training school. He is found to be the only man who can operate IS and forced to enter the training school. Ichika’s busy school life surrounded by girls has begun.
Impression: I wasn’t able to finish season 1 cause I was really disappointed with the story since it was all about the harem building of the main guy. I don’t even know why this one got a season 2. If season 2 got better let me know and I’ll pick up season 1 again and watch this too but for now this one is a pass.
Potential Meter: 20%
Nagi no Asukara Release Date: October 3, 2013 Genre: – Animation Production: P.A. Works
Summary:
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.
Impression: Whoa!! An Okada, Mari show this season! I just love her works so yeah I’ll pick this up and prepare my body wwwww. Will she make a heart wrenching series, will she inspire us or is it both? Well, I’m going to watch this one and find out. I just wish we got some idea on the premise cause the summary is VERY vague but looking at it, it seems like a romance anime heck I wish it’ll have romance. Definitely looking forward to this!
Set in a slightly futuristic world where Earth has been invaded and is at war with aliens from another dimension called the Nova, the story follows the adventures of a Japanese boy named Kazuya Aoi who enrolls for training at a special school for genetically modified girls called Pandoras who battle the aliens, and their male partners, called Limiters, who use a special power called “freezing” to limit their opponent’s mobility. The protagonist makes the acquaintance of an unusual older girl named Satellizer el Bridget who appears to be the most powerful Pandora in her class, but has not yet chosen a male partner to be her Limiter, and in spite of the warnings of all his friends, he decides to be her Limiter.
Impressions: I did watch the first season (if your interested here’s my review) but gosh I’ve already forgotten what the story is about (well it’s really forgettable www) and how the anime ended all I can remember is I really like Satellizer. Seems like it will pick up where the first season left off and expects girls ripping each others clothes out and of course bouncing boobs. Well it got some decent action and I tolerated the first season and hopefully this installment the fanservice would be done by a person with good taste.
Potential Meter: 20%
Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku o Ketsui Shimashita.Release date: October 4, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Animation Production: Asread
Summary: Raul had always wanted to be a hero, but failed the exams necessary to become one. He reluctantly took a job working at a small electronics store called Magic Shop Leon. His life is dull but busy until a new girl comes applying for a part time job. She’s the daughter of the demon king who defeated him in his exam.
Impression: The summary looks mediocre and the PV is full of ecchi tones. Even the staff’s works are unfamiliar and the cast too are all newbies. Not expecting much from this so I think I’ll past on this one.
Potential Meter: 30%
Strike the Blood
Release Date: October 4, 2013 Genre: Action, Fantasy, Romance Animation Production: SILVER LINK. & CONNECT
Summary: The Fourth Primogenitor—That’s the world’s strongest vampire that should only exist in legends. Accompanied by twelve Kenjuu and spreading calamity, this phantom vampire appeared in Japan. For the observation and obliteration of this Fourth Primogenitor, the government and Lion King decided to dispatch an attack mage known as a Sword Shaman. However, for some reason, the one chosen for the observation was a apprentice Sword Shaman girl, Himegari Yukina. Wielding the strongest anti-primogenitor spirit spear, Yukina arrived at Demon District, Itogami City. What is the true identity of the Fourth Primogenitor, Akatsuki Kojou, she encountered over there!?
Impression: I love the PV it’s full of action and beautiful girls. I’d like to see the chemistry between the vampire and the hunter since this has romance elements in it. I think I’d trust the staff on this one since they are behind some great shows oh and here’s to hoping we’ll have one awesome OST on this one since Aketagawa, Jin-san is the director.
Summary:
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. The main lead Shiroe attempts to survive with his old friend Naotsugu and the beautiful assassin Akatsuki.
Impression:
So premise seems like Sword Art Online all over again looks like this one’s salvation will be on the execution. I’m really hoping it’ll be interesting despite the de ja vu summary. Can’t really judge this one yet since I’m not too familiar with the works of the staff (I haven’t finished maoyuu maou & inu x boku www) but we got one all star cast so I guess I’ll give this one a couple of eps.
Potential Meter: 60%
Kuroko no Basket 2 Release Date: October 5, 2013 Genre: Sports, Comedy Animation Production: Production I. G.
Kuroko’s Basketball The Teiko Middle School Basketball Team. The class that produced three perfect seasons in a row, with five once-in-a generation players, called “The miracle generation”. There was another player who all of them respected… A legendary 6th player. An up-and-coming power player, Taiga Kagami, is just back from America. When he comes to Seirin High School, he meets the super-ordinary boy, Tetsuya Kuroko. Kagami is shocked to find that Kuroko isn’t good at basketball, in fact, he’s bad! And he’s so plain that he’s impossible to see. But Kuroko’s plainness lets him pass the ball around without the other team noticing him, and he’s none other than the sixth member of the Miracle Generation. Kuroko makes a pact with Kagami to defeat the other members of the Miracle Generation, who have all played basketball at other schools. A battle of light (Kagami) and shadow (Kuroko) begins!
Impression: I love the 1st season of Kuroko no Basket with it’s exciting basketball action, interesting story and drool inducing bishies so I’ll pick this up.
Hajime no Ippo Rising Release Date: October 5, 2013 Genre: Sports Animation Production: MADHOUSE
When tragedy struck Riki Naoe as a child, he was rescued from grief over his parent’s deaths when four other kids “recruited” him for their group—the “Little Busters.” Now in high school, Riki and the other Busters are still fast friends, and though their vision of being heroes for justice may have faded, they’d still do anything for each other. Which is why Riki is now on TWO special missions. The not so secret one: recruiting new members so the Busters can form a baseball team. Preferably FEMALE recruits, as the current dude/babe ratio is an inconvenient 4 to 1. The OTHER mission, though… That’s the strange one. Because Riki and Rin, the group’s singular girl, are receiving odd messages, delivered by cats, concerning the existence of a “secret world” and assigning them tasks they have to complete. Were their youthful dreams of being crusaders not so fanciful after all? Or is there something even more vital at stake? Between steeling his courage to talk to girls, dealing with his own narcolepsy and facing his feelings concerning Rin, Riki may just need the strength of a superhero to solve the ultimate mystery of the Little Busters!
Impression: I’ve watched other Key anime like Air, Kanon, Clannad and even Angel Beats (if that one counts) but unfortunately this one didn’t seem to interest me and wasn’t able to pickup the 1st season. Since this is a sequel I’ll pass on this one.
Potential Meter: ?
WHITE ALBUM 2
Release Date: October 5, 2013 Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life Animation Production: Satelight
Summary: The story centers around a college junior named Haruki Kitahara and his relationships with Setsuna Ogiso and Kazusa Touma in the light music club.
Impression: Ooooh so this one is not a sequel since it is not related to the story of the first season. But this is another one of those game to anime adaptations so I’m not expecting much though Muruto-san, in charge of the series compositions, is also the person who wrote the scenario of the games so somehow I expect it to be loyal to the source material. So far, I’m not to interested in picking this one up.
Potential Meter: 40%
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle 3rd Season
Release Date: October 6, 2013 Genre: Action, Game Animation Production: Sunrise
Kaito Daimon would be a completely average high school student except for one thing: he’s a ‘demon’ at solving puzzles. Kaito is so brilliant, in fact, that when he’s asked to take some ‘special’ tests of his unique ability, he immediately suspects that the test itself is a test. Kaito suddenly finds himself caught up in a lethal Philosopher’s Puzzle made by the sinister group POG, a murderous maze of trap upon trap, where failing to solve the secret correctly will result in death! Fortunately, Kaito’s skills prove up to the first test, both for himself and his childhood friend Nanoha, who is also caught up in the deadly scheme. But now that he has been designated as a Solver, he is pulled into a new life where he must travel the world with other Solvers, attempting to solve the latest deadly riddles left by POG. There’s a new conundrum around every corner and each deception could lead to death, but once a riddle has been posed, you can count on Kaito to unfold, unravel and unlock it!
Impression: I didn’t pick up Phi Brain before so I’ll pass on this one.
Potential Meter: ?
Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!
Release Date: October 6, 2013 Genre: Action, Ecchi, Sports Animation Production: Arms
Summary: Hagiwara Sakura and Miyazawa Erena are the leading members of a popular idol group Sweet. One day, Erena is injured by the attack of a female pro-wrestler Kazama Rio during the recording of a TV program. Sakura gets mad at Rio and gives her a dropkick. To avenge Erena, Sakura enters the female pro-wrestling matches.
Impression: Well it got an all star cast but oh gosh the PV…I had to mute it cause it sounds so lewd…it’s Arms so yeah what more can I expect wwwww. Sorry but I’ll pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 0%
Diamond no Ace Release Date: October 6, 2013 Animation Production: Madhouse/Production I.G.
Summary: It is a manga of high school baseball. The main character, who is a pitcher from a country high school, accidentally gets teamed up with a catcher from a school with an elite baseball team. He decides to quit his school to attend the school that this catcher plays.
Impression: Whoa 2 big names in the animation industry teamed up to make this baseball themed anime. Is it that good? To be honest I don’t know and the summary didn’t even catch my attention and there’s still no PVs available as of this writing but the manga has been praised by some reviewers. Another thing to note are the Seiyuus…big names there but I’m afraid that’s not enough but I’ll just try a couple of eps first since with those 2 studios I got a feeling this might be a great show after all.
Potential Meter: 60%
Gingitsune
Release Date: October 6, 2013 Genre: Seinen, Slice of Life, Supernatural Animation Production: Diomedea
Summary: Makoto is the heiress to a shrine that was built in honor of Inari. Even though her father manages the shrine, Inari’s messenger, Gintarō (Shinichiro Miki), suddenly appears in her life marking her as the true successor. Gintarō is lazy and unmotivated, but has the power to help people. The series is described as a “heart-filled fantasy” as Makoto and Gintarō help people who come to the shrine and make new friends.
Impression: The PV, the summary and even the staff/cast didn’t caught my attention and the character design looks errrr weird and the way the fox spoke with only the side of the mouth moving was somewhat distracting. Oh well, with lots of other good shows this season I’m sorry but I’ll have to pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 40%
Teekyu Season 3
Release Date: Ocotber 6, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life Animation Production: MAPPA
The four girls of the Kameido High School tennis club play and don’t play tennis in their side-splittingly funny daily lives. The new club member, Yuri Oshimoto, is forced to be the straightman to her idiotic upperclassmen. Then there’s Kanae Shinjou, the stupidity-machine who can’t play tennis even though she’s in the tennis club; Marimo Bandou, the unpredictable super-pervert from Kansai; and Nasuno Takamiya, the air-headed, mysterious rich girl who tries to solve everything with money. Today, tomorrow, and the day after, regardless if they’re all there or not, it’s a tennis manga you can’t help but roar in laughter at!? And in the fall of 2012, you might get caught up in the “Teekyuu” whirlwind even further!?
Impression: I didn’t watch the previous seasons so this one is a pass.
Potential Meter: 20%
Magi: The Kingdom of Magic
Release Date: October 6, 2013 Genre: Adventure, Fantasy Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Summary:
The second season will be set in Magnostadt.
Impression: Can you believe it I still haven’t finished the first season? I heard lots of praises for this show so I guess it’s time to finish the first season before I pick this one up
Potential Meter: ?
Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta Release Date: October 6, 2013 Genre: Action, Comedy, Supernatural Animation Production: Tatsunoko Production
Summary: 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!
Impression: Good thing this is an alternate re-telling of Yozakura Quartet, which was broadcast last 2008, cause I wasn’t able to watch it. The trailer sure got me hooked with all those badass action and even the premise is interesting. I’ll pick this up.
Summary: 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.
Impression: Oh lol nice concept (jousting) for a harem show and I loved the animation during the jousting event. This one also based from a game so I’m not expecting much but man the girls are gorgeous and the animation was beautiful in the PV so it got me interested to at least check out a couple of episodes.
Potential Meter: 50%
Meganebu!
Release Date: October 7, 2013 Genre: Shoujo, Slice of Life Animation Production: Studio DEEN
Summary:
Akira Souma attends a rural school and has a passion for his glasses. He forms a Glasses Club and makes his various bespectacled classmates join.
Impression:
So, who wants guys with glasses? We got another bishounen show this season that would probably all girls out there giddy. The premise isn’t interesting for me even the PV so I’ll pass on this one.
Summary:
The story is set in the near future when GunPla Battles, competitions that pit Gundam plastic models against each other, have become popular worldwide in the “Second GunPla Boom.” Sei Iori, a first-year middle-school student and the only son of a model shop owner, is talented at building GunPla, but inexperienced in the GunPla Battles. He encounters a mysterious boy named Reiji, who happens to be an accomplished Gundam Fighter. Together, they strive for the GunPla Battle world championships.
Impression: This is a new take in the Gundam franchise that reminds me a lot of Angelic Layer. Though it’s not a bad thing to try something new but I’m missing the intergalactic space battles and human vs human conflict that is like a trade mark of the Gundam franchise. Well, I love mecha and this new concept is quite interesting so I guess I’ll give this one a try.
Potential Meter: 60%
Non Non Biyori Release Date: October 7, 2013 Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life, Seinen Animation Production: SILVER LINK
Summary: Elementary school student Hotaru Ichijou 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. Join their everyday adventures in the countryside.
Impression: Whoa the PV look so peaceful as well as the premise it looks boring but the staff behind this series have handled several great anime so I guess if they could handle this well it’ll be an awesome slice of life show. If you guys want a dose of moe with a slice of life story I think you should give this one a try.
Potential Meter: 50%
Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars nova (Arpeggio of Blue Steel: Ars Nova)
Release Date: October 7, 2013
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Seinen Animation Production: Sanzigen
Summary: By 2039, global warming had caused sea levels to rise and large amount of territory to be lost. As though in response, a mysterious group of warships clad in mist, “the Fleet of Mist,” appeared in every corner of the ocean, and began attacking human ships. In spite of humanity mustering all their strength, they were utterly defeated by the Mist’s overwhelming force. All of humanity’s trade routes were blockaded by the Fleet of Mist, their political economy was destroyed, and the human race was steadily beaten down. Seven years later, the Fleet of Mist’s submarine I-401 appears before cadet Gunzo Chihaya. The humanoid life form that pilots the sub, who should be their enemy, is instead offering her services to mankind.
Impression:
SANZIGEN, the studio responsible for the 3D CG of Black★Rock Shooter (TV) is back but this time they are producing their own anime. The premise is interesting and the action looks pretty but the draw back of the use of CG is the seemingly stiff postures of the characters. I also noticed in the PV that the facial expressions are also stiff though I don’t know if it was intentional since the girls here are “humanoid interface”. Here’s to hoping it’ll have one gripping story.
Potential Meter: 75%
Machine Doll wa Kizutsukanai
Release Date: October 7, 2013 Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Harem, School Animation Production: Lerche
Summary: During the early 20th century, along with technological advancements, scientists were able to develop sophisticated magic. The combination of science and sorcery was Makinot, circuits made from spells that were put into objects to bring them to life and even gain a personality. It was developed as a military weapon and has now spread throughout the world.
Akabane Raishin is now attending the Royal Academy to become the best in the world. Accompanied by the lovely teenage girl Yaya, who is actually Raishin’s puppet weapon, he plans on rocketing to the top of the class. However, his test scores come nearly dead last although his combat skills and determination are second to none. Raishin has to compete with the deadliest of classmates if he wants to come out as the king.
Impression:
Oh no, another interesting show this season (oh man I picked up A LOT of shows again) with a good combination of action, fantasy and even romance so I’m definitely in! My only complain I guess would be the ugly CG used in the PV but otherwise this one seems like a good show.
Potential Meter: 70%
Tokyo Ravens Release Date: October 8, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Shounen, School Animation Production: 8-bit Studio
Summary: In the “Great Disaster,” Japan has been thrown into chaos by onmyouji (a kind of magician). Harutora Tsuchimikado was born into an onmyouji family, but has no power whatsoever. His estranged sister appears to him one day to take him up the promise he made long ago to become her shikigami (familiar). A battle between onmyouji is about to begin.
Impression:
The premise have that ‘been there done that’ feel to it and even the PV isn’t that impressive but when I looked at the cast, wow, lots of famous names there. The great cast is not enough to make me want to watch this so I’ll pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 50%
BLAZBLUE ALTER MEMORY Release Date: October 8, 2013 Genre: Action, Fantasy Animation Production: teamKG & Hoods Entertainment
Summary:
The story is set in December of 2199, when the streets are full of anticipation for the end of the year and the start of the new one. Amid the celebrations, word spreads that Ragna the Bloodedge, an SS-class rebel with the highest ever bounty on his head, has appeared in the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. The apparent aim of Ragna or the “Grim Reaper” is the destruction of the system controlling the world. To collect the bounty, a motley array of unrivaled fighters converge on Kagutsuchi.
Impression: Another anime this season that is based from a a well known game. Best thing about this series is its cast who have portrayed several memorable characters in anime. Since this is based off a game, I’m not expecting much and the fact that Tachibana-san will be directing is enough to stay away from this series since his previous work Dragon Crisis! is horrible that I cringed with the memory. I’ll pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 10%
Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru (My Mental Multiple-Choice Power Is Completely Ruining My School Romantic Comedy)
Release Date: October 9, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Romance, School Animation Production: Diomedead
Summary: The story centers around 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. For example, he would have to choose between going nude from the waist up or the waist down in school. While in school, he is given another choice: 1) A beautiful girl will fall before him or 2) he will fall from the rooftop in female clothes. He chooses option 1, and a blonde girl named Chocolat falls before him.
Impression: Everything screams mediocre in this series (Even the title feels like a rip off of OreImo). Even the character design doesn’t look unique (the white haired girl reminds me a lot of Yuki Nagato of Suzumiya Haruhi ni Yuutsu). I’ll just have to pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 0%
Galilei Donna Release Date: October 10, 2013 Genre: Action, Adventure Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Summary: The story is about three moons in the form of three of Italian astronomer Galileo’s female descendants who are on international wanted lists.
Impression: Yes! New noitaminA show and it looks so interesting and packs a lot of action. The major draw back would probably be diresctor-san’s lack of directing experience. Oh and Hamaguchi-san’s work on the music of Girls und Panzer was so amazing so I’m looking forward to his works on this series. I’ll try a couple of eps.
Summary: Masayoshi Hazama has decided to become the superhero Samurai Flamenco in spite of having no special abilities or modifications. Hidenori Goto is a police officer who learns his secret identity by chance, which causes him all sorts of trouble.
“To those ‘adults’ who don’t want to become adults…” and “Hero will never give up, never hide, never be defeated, never accept evil.”
Impression: The other title in the noitaminA line up this season is no other than Samurai Flamenco. Looks like we’ll be having a super sentai anime which has a very catchy tag line. Little has been revealed on what this series is about so I’ll just try a couple of eps first.
Impression:
Oh gosh here we go again with this train wreck show. I’m not too sure if I’ll be a martyr and watch the second season cause the first one just gave me a headache with all the plot twist it delivered (some that doesn’t even make any sense). Oh well if I have the time I guess I’ll pick this up.
Potential Meter: 30%
Koroshiya-san: The Hired Gun Release date: October 10, 2013 Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller Animation Production: Opera House, Studio Mausu, The Klockworx Co., Ltd.
Summary:
The comedy story follows the title character, who is regarded by himself and others as the best hit man in Japan. He goes by the motto, “If I have an assignment, I will kill anything.” However, his “killing” assignments have expanded to include everything from summer vacation homework to housekeeping. “The hit man never fails to kill the target. Though he does not aim to, he also never misses the laughter.”
Impression: The manga style sure looked badass but the summary nor the PV failed to get my attention and with a newbie director I think it’s better if I pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 20%
Yowamushi Pedal Release Date: October 13, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Drama, Shounen, Sports Animation Production: TMS Entertainment
Summary: Otaku Sakamichi Onoda has just entered high school and plans to join the anime club. In middle school, Onoda didn’t have any friends with whom he could talk about anime, games, Akihabara and other otaku things, and he is hoping he can make such friends in the anime club, but he finds out it’s been disbanded. In order to reestablish the club he tries to find 4 other people who would like to join.
Since he was a little boy, Onoda has ridden his mamachari—a bulky bicycle with a step-through frame mainly used for short rides, such as for casual fun or to pick up groceries—to go to Akihabara every week to check out or buy otaku things. Fellow freshman Shunsuke Imaizumi and bicyclist, while training, notices a boy (Onoda) riding his mamchari up a steep road.
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 on the mamachari and later find out they go to the same school. Later on, both Naruko and Imaizumi try to convince him to join the bicycle racing club, but will he?
Impression: It’s my first time seeing a sports anime about cycling so I’m quite interested on how this thing would turn out but I already got a lot on my plate so I’ll pass on this one.
Potential Meter: 50%
Pupa Release Date: October 2013
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Psychological, Shounen
Animation Production: Studio DEEN
Summary:
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. Utsutsu struggles to find a way to restore his sister.
Impression:
Oh YES! I have wished for a long time to watch a good horror and gory anime and seems like my prayers have been answered. The premise is interesting and it definitely got my attention so after writing this preview I’ll read the manga ASAP. Director-san is well known for his amazing visual style so yep I think this is left in good hands. I just hope we got more PVs.
Potential Meter: 90%
MOVIES
Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai. Movie Release Date: Aug 31, 2013 Genre: Drama, Slice of Life Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Summary: The story of the TV series will be retold from Menma’s point of view, and premieres in the summer of 2013.
Impression: The movie is a recap but it will be told in Menma’s point of view and yes I expect a LOT of tears to flow when I watch this. Can’t wait for the Blu-Rays!
Summary:
A CGI remake of the original Captain Harlock series.
Captain Harlock rebelled against the Allied Forces and has been plundering space ships for one hundred years. Why did he rebelled? How does he survive for one hundred years? With awe and fear to the legendary captain, the Allied Forces issues an order to assassinate Harlock.
Impression: OMG that CGI was beautiful and the action scenes is so badass. Now the question is when will be the Blu Rays be released? I want a copy like right now!
Summary: Second episode of Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito
Impression: The most awaited 2nd installment of Boukoku no Akito is here! Gah?! I totally forgot to watch the first movie! Anyway this was already release in theaters last sept so all we have to do is wait for the Blu-Ray and for me to watch the first movie.
Takanashi Rikka Kai: Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Movie Release Date: Sept 14, 2013 Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life Animation Production: Kyoto Animation
Summary: Summary of the first season of the show, as seen from Rikka’s perspective with new elements.
Impression: It’s only a recap as seen from Rikka’s point of view so I won’t be watching this one but to the die hard fans, go ahead and wait for the Blu-Rays to be released.
Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin
Release Date: September 28, 2013 Genre: Mystery, Drama, Supernatural, Seinen Animation Production: ufotable
Summary: Mirai Fukuin (lit. The Future’s Gospel) is a side story of Kara no Kyoukai novel series. It is divided into two parts.
Möbius ring
It’s about two psychics, Shizune Seo and Mitsuru Kamekura, who can foresee the future. Shizune was sick of her predictable boring life and Meruka became a professional bomber taking advantage of his supernatural power. When Shizune met Mikiya and when Meruka met Shiki, their immutable future started to change.
Möbius link
Taking place ten years after the events of Kara no Kyoukai, Ryougi Mana, Shiki’s daughter, spends the day with Mitsuru Kamekura.
Impression:
I have loved the Kara no Kyoukai movies with its thought provoking story that asks different philosophical questions and of course the love story between Mikiya and Shiki. Again, I’ll have to wait for the Blu-Rays cause I know it would not be shown here on this end of the world.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica Movie 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari
Release Date: October 26 ,2013 Genre: Magic, Psychological, Thriller Animation Production: SHAFT
Summary:
Madoka Kaname. Once a normal girl who led a happy life, she sacrificed herself to save other magical girls from the cruel fate that awaited them. Unable to let her memories of Madoka die, magical girl Homura Akemi continues to fight alone in the world that Madoka left behind, dreaming of meeting that nostalgic smiling face one more time…
Impression: Oh the wait has turned me into a grief seed. People from US and several parts of Europe are lucky cause they’ll get a chance to see this film while on this side of the world…it’s hopeless . I’ve been waiting for this and here’s to hoping the it won’t be disappointed and the Blu-Ray would be released ASAP. Oh Butch-Gen I give you the permission to mess up my mind again.
Sakasama no Patema (Patema Inverted)
Release Date: Nov 9 ,2013 Genre: Sci-Fi Animation Production: Purple Cow Studios Japan
Summary: In an underground world where tunnels extend everywhere, even though they live in dark and confined spaces, people wear protective clothes and lead quiet and enjoyable lives. Patema, a princess in her underground village, loves to explore the tunnels. Her favorite place is a “danger zone” that her village prohibits people from entering. Even though she’s scolded, Patema’s curiosity can’t be held back. No one ever explained what the supposed danger was. On her usual trip to the “danger zone,” Patema faces unexpected events. When hidden secrets come to light, the story begins to unfold.
Impression: Whoa interesting premise and PV so I will definitely pick this up when Blu-Ray is released. This movie is in good hands since the one directing (Yoshiura, Yasuhiro) is also the person behind Eve no Jikan (which is also one of the best anime out there).
Persona 3 The Movie # 1 Spring of Birth
Release Date: November 23, 2013 Genre: Adventure, Supernatural Animation Production: AIC A.S.T.A.
Summary: Terrible creatures lurk in the dark, preying on those who wander into the hidden hour that lies between one day and the next—the Dark Hour. A secret school club known as SEES defends humanity from horrors and disasters while working to solve the mystery of the Dark Hour once and for all.
Impression: I was able to play and love the Persona 3 game so yep I’m looking forward to this movie. I just hope it won’t be as disappointing as the Persona 4 anime.
Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Border: 2 Ghost Whispers Release Date: November 30, 2013 Genre: Mecha, Sci-Fi, Psychological Animation Production: Production I. G.
Summary: Second movie of Ghost in the Shell: Arise.
Impression: Still wasn’t able to watch the first movie but I will when I have the time.
Whew that’s a LOT of shows this season and many shows have definitely caught my attention. If you found some mistakes in the preview or something missing feel free to comment and I’ll work on it ASAP. So until the next reviews and previews!
According to a report from Nikkei, Sammy Sega Holdings will purchase Index, the parent company of Atlus for 14 billion yen, which converts to about 142 million US dollars. About a month ago, it was reported that Sega had bid on Atlus for only 20 billion yen. Sega’s purchase of Atlus will most likely be finalized this November.
For those of you that don’t know Atlus is the developer of Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, Trauma Center, Etrian Odyssey, and many other popular franchises.
According to Nikkei, Sega Sammy’s absorption of Index will strengthen Sega’s position in consumer in portable games. Sega Sammy has reported falling software sales in consumer and portable games in the past 2 years, mostly in Europe and North America, Sega has also become infamous recently for not localizing their games.
Back in June, Index was suspected for improper accounting. They reported that they earned a total of 18.3 billion yen last year from console/portable system games and smartphone games, however, investigators reported that they were exaggerating revenues using round-trip transactions. After that Index filed for civil rehabilitation bankruptcy, listing about 24.5 billion yen (about US$250 million) in debts.
Yesterday Sega issued the following news: “It was reported by some in the media today that our company would take over Index Corporation. However, this is not what our company has announced.”
Title: Corpse Party: Tortured Souls – Bougyakusareta Tamashii no Jukyou (コープスパーティー Tortured Souls -暴虐された魂の呪叫-) Genre: Horror Format: OVA Episodes: 4 Rating: 7.2/10
Summary: One rainy night after a school festival, a group of students from Kisaragi Academy decide to perform the “Sachiko Ever After” charm, which will unite them forever as friends. Once the ritual is done, a sudden earthquake transports them to Heavenly Host, a torn down elementary school. Unbeknownst to Satoshi and his friends, however, is the horrific past behind it which culminated in its demolition. As they look for each other and try to escape from Heavenly Host, they soon find out their lives are at the mercy of those affected by that same bloodied past.
There is no doubt that Japan’s style of animation has had a huge impact on the western world. However, the rise of Japan’s style of animation in popularity over the years has also caused many people to look down on some of the animation styles, labeling them as “lazy” or going so far as to call it an “inferior” form of animation. I’m writing this post to address some of the misconceptions and criticisms people may have toward this style, whether it be from the most brainless of haters to professional animators or animation “experts” that see it as inferior.
Please note that I am not trying to insist that anime is superior to western animation, what I am trying to insist is that anime is not inferior to western animation, and that one style is not more right than the other, because in the end, it all comes down to personal preference.
It should also be known that most anime today is still hand-drawn, while western cartoons are animated with computers, and anime studios don’t make as much money as American studios.
It’s only shows that are for kids (Pokemon, Digimon, etc.)
I can understand why lots of people might believe this, mainly because the first anime people think of that they remember growing up is either “Pokemon” or “Digimon”. Another reason people may believe this is that most animation in the west is targeted at little kids (there are exceptions though) and see adults who watch anime as “freaks” or “weirdos”. Because of this, people may jump to conclusions and assume all of Japan’s animation is like that. However people who believe this just haven’t seen any great anime yet, they need to dig deeper and realize that anime is more than Pokemon and that there are anime for every category, whether it be romance, horror, comedy and even hardcore porn.
The mouth flaps.
For the longest time people people have asked “why is anime so popular outside of Japan?” I will tell you why, it’s because of the accessibility to other cultures. As I mentioned earlier, there is so much anime out there that there is one to fit everyone’s taste, including anime this is targeted at western audiences. Unlike western animation, where the mouth is animated to watch the words perfectly. In anime, the mouth just moves up and down, and sometimes people see this as bad animation. However the reason they do this is not because the animators are lazy but because dubbing makes a lot more sense. Take a look at the video of “God Knows” from “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”, they animated it so that Haruhi’s mouth exactly matches the lyrics, but then take a look at the English version, it looks ridiculous right? If the mouth was perfectly synched then it would take away anime’s accessibility to other cultures. Despite being animated before voice-overs, unlike American cartoons, they still do a good job matching the mouth flapping. Even so, the mouth movement does not make one style inferior to the other, it all comes down to a matter of preference.
Less movement than western animation.
Another reason some people see anime as “inferior” is because sometimes there will be scenes where a character is talking on screen, but the only thing moving will be his mouth. This may or may not be true depending on the animator, but for the most part this is not lazy animation, it is simply part of the style. In anime, characters are drawn to look more realistic than western cartoon characters are, this also means that the characters are animated to depict more realistic movement. Unless you have ADHD, you probably don’t wave your arms around randomly when you are talking, especially during a dramatic moment. No normal human being on this earth would jump out of bed and run around screaming “I’m ready”. Sure, this technique may save money, but that isn’t why they do it. Even when they do this, depending on the situation, sometimes they will have a character’s hair being blown by the wind and moving or cherry blossoms flying across the screen.
They use camera panning to “cut-corners”.
Another complaint is that sometimes they use camera panning to make it look like something is moving when it isn’t. Once again, this isn’t because they are lazy, this is another unique part of the style that they do for effects. Sometimes during action scenes they will show a picture where the characters are still, but they will slowly be moving and have some sort of special effects on the screen. This is another part of the style that no other style of animation uses, in fact, it’s pretty unique since you have to use your imagination.
One time, the artist Pablo Picasso tried a different style of art where he took away some of the details from the face. It wasn’t because he was lazy, it was because he was trying something different. Saying that anime is inferior because of this technique would be like saying Picasso sucks because he didn’t draw like Leonardo da Vinci.
The episodes build up on one another.
I can see why this would be an issue to some people. Most people in the west view cartoons, or TV in general, only as a way to kill time on a weekend or after work. Many people are busy with their jobs and school which means they don’t have time to sit down and watch a show episode by episode from the very beginning, so most shows in the west do not do this (however there are shows that do this, a good example being “24”). Anime uses a style of storytelling where all the episodes are part of one story. I like to say “anime is like math”, you can’t do long division without knowing how to subtract, meaning that you can’t jump right in the middle of Death Note and have any idea what’s going on without watching earlier episodes first. This may be a problem for some people, especially since many anime on TV have hundreds of episodes, but I can say to people who don’t have the patience or the time to watch a show all the way through is that anime is not for them, but saying this is an inferior form of storytelling is like saying H.P. Lovecraft sucks because he doesn’t write like J.R.R. Tolkien.
What do you think?
Hopefully I cleared up some misunderstandings people have have about the Japanese animation. Once again, I’m not saying that the Japanese style is superior to all other styles. I’m trying to say that it is not inferior to other styles and I am addressing some of the reasons people might think this. In the end, it all comes down to personal preference. Even so, when you bring up all this technical junk, saying American animation is superior because it has more animation would be like saying “‘The Last Airbender’ had a higher budget than ‘The King’s Speech’, that automatically makes ‘The Last Airbender’ superior'”.
Do you think Japan’s style of animation is inferior or superior to American animation? Or do you think that they are both the same, leave a reply stating what you think.
Swaps4 Productions and Big Bang Studio are excited to unveil the highly anticipated launch of Melody's Melon Mania, featuring Projekt Melody! This captivating, free-to-play...
Kouki Uchiyama (Soul Eater Evans in Soul Eater) will voice Raku Ichijou.
Seriously, just make an anime only with the dog – I’ll watch it.
. I’ve been waiting for this and here’s to hoping the it won’t be disappointed and the Blu-Ray would be released ASAP. Oh Butch-Gen I give you the permission to mess up my mind again.
