With the first cour of ufotable’s Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works anime adaptation finished airing last December, preview images for the calendar have been revealed online. Keep in mind that it’s sold out everywhere right now so you won’t be able to get your hands on it anytime soon.
The first promotional video for the second cour was released last December and it was revealed that it is slated to air next April, during the Spring 2015 anime season.
Ponkan 8, the original character designer for Shirobako (and Oregairu) has been contributing special cover art for the series’ Blu-ray releases. The cover art for the third volume focuses on rookie voice actress Shizuka Sakaki (who is voiced by Haruka Chisuga).
The third volume will include episode 7-9 of the series. The third volume will go be released on February 25, for a total of 11,800 yen ($100). The bonuses which come with this volume are as follows: Newly illustrated 3-sided case by character concept designer Ponkan 8, a special booklet, a special episode and audio commentary.
Covers for volume 1 and 2:
Recent sketches by Ponkan 8 which were posted on his pixiv account:
The volume 1 cover of the Shirobako: Ueyama High School Animation Club spin-off manga by Mizutama was also previewed and is due for release this January 27.
Special bookstore bonuses were also previewed on Twitter:
New cover art for the theme songs were also previewed and are due for release this February 25.
Source: Crunchyroll
It has been 15 years since the beginning of the Digimon anime back in 1999 with the Digimon movie, which was soon followed by the TV series Digimon Adventure. A total of 9 anime films have been released in the Digimon franchise since then and for the 15th anniversary of the anime a Blu-ray boxset for 8 of the movies was released earlier this month, all remastered in full HD.
The Blu-ray boxset of the all the films contains all 9 anime films that were released from 1999 till 2006. All the films will be in full 1080p HD at a 1.78:1 ratio with traditional 2 channel stereo sound, whilst some films will have with emulated Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. Each of the films are bundled into their respective series and also feature all the trailers for each of the movies and audio commentary. All the 8 films are spread out on 4 Blu-ray discs and also comes with two additional bonus discs. The 2005 movie Digital Monster X-Evolution is not included in the boxset.
The movies in the collection include:
In addition to the films, there will be two bonus discs, one of which contains two Blu-ray 3D specials that require 3D glasses and a 3D compatible TV. The two new 3D animations, Digimon Adventure 3D: Digimon Grand Prix! and Digimon Savers 3D: The Digital World in Imminent Danger! The former 3D animation itself is directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The second bonus disc will be the OST to Digimon Adventure: Our War Game, which also includes the Opening theme of the first anime, Butter-Fly by Kouji Wada. In addition there will also be a 24 page booklet and the Mikatase box.
Digimon (Digital Monsters in Japan) is a large multimedia franchise that was based on Bandai’s Digivice products, which first released in 1997. The toys were based on Tamagotchis, which were also produced by Bandai. The toys were seen as more female orientated products, so Bandai created a new line of products for a male equivalent. The first anime adaptation, Digimon Adventure, was produced in 1999 by Toei Animation. A film and TV anime were released alongside each other in 1999, the movie being a 20 minute anime produced by Mamoru Hosoda (Wolf Children, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time). Since then there has been numerous anime series, toys, figures, manga, video games and trading card games in the franchise. 2014 marked the 15th anniversary of the Digimon Adventure anime and a new sequel anime titled Digimon Adventure Tri. will be airing this Spring.
Digimon The Movies Blu-Ray Box Set is currently available on Amazon Japan and is selling for ￥21,685 (~ $183.50 USD). A Blu-ray boxset of the first Digimon Adventure anime will go on sale on March 3rd.
You can also visit the 15th Anniversary website here: http://digimon-adventure.net/
And follow the campaign on Twitter: @Digi_advntr15th
Japanese and South Korean social media app LINE has released a new series of stickers, based on Clannad anime series.
LINE users can purchase this sticker collection of Clannad where they’ll be able to attach them to messages and send to friends who also use the app. The collection itself is currently on sale for 50 coins (normally 100) and contains 40 stamps. LINE itself is one of East Asia’s most popular social media apps, with over 400 million users.
Source: Key Twitter, otakomu
From the popular idol-themed franchise, THE iDOLM@STER, the matured beauty known as Takane Shijou has received a figure based on the idol costume seen on the illustration from the sixth volume of THE iDOLM@STER Blu-ray and DVD.
The level of detail on the outfit is outstanding, and her confident expression and playful pose are simply to die for plus her gradient hair is faithfully reproduced. This figure is by Phat Company.
THE iDOLM@STER – Takane Shijou 1/8 Figure – Pre-orders are available on JList and are scheduled to be released in July 2015.
Every other Monday, Man At Arms’ team of blacksmiths and craftsman will be build fans’ favorite weapons. This week they’ve recreated a real version of Ryuuko Matoi’s Scissor Blade.
Earlier this month they also recreated Inuyasha’s Tessaiga:
The ninth issue of Akita Shoten’s Weekly Shounen Champion magazine this year is announcing that mangaka Masuda Eiji’s Jitsu wa Watashi wa manga has been green-lit for an anime adaptation set to air some time during the year of 2015.
The story of the manga is centered around Kuromine Asahi, a current high school student who is unable to lie. His emotions show on his face unwarranted, thus revealing his inner intentions. Kuromine is romantically interested in an emotionless seeming girl named Shiragami Youko. However, he accidentally finds out her secret- that she is a vampire! Will he be able to keep this secret and succeed in his love life?
Jitsu wa Watashi wa is a manga written and illustrated by Matsuda Eiji. It has been serialized in Akita Shoten’s shounen manga magazine, Weekly Shounen Champion since 2013 and has been collected into ten tankoubon volumes. An anime television series adaptation has been recently announced and is set to air in 2015.
Volume 1-10 covers:
Jitsu wa Watashi wa synopsis from Haruhichan:
Meet Kuromine Asahi, “the man who can’t lie,” On the way home, he just learned an important secret. That his crush, Shiragami Youko, is actually a vampire!
Can Asahi actually keep her secret?
It’s a fun, clumsy, one of a kind vampire romantic comedy!
More information will be released in the near future.
Source: ANN
The most recent issue of Media Factory’s monthly magazine, Comic Alive, is announcing that the Non Non Biyori staff and the theme song artist, nano.RIPE, are returning to working together on season two of the anime, Non Non Biyori Repeat! As of yet, there have been no announced voice cast changes. nano.RIPE will perform the opening song.
The main cast from the first season includes:
The production cast includes:
Non Non Biyori is a comedy slice of life manga written and illustrated by Atto. The manga began in 2009 and was published in Media Factory’s Monthly Comic Alive magazine. To date, there a total of 7 volumes that have been produced, with the 8th volume scheduled to release on March 23rd next year. An anime adaptation of the series was made during the Fall 2013 anime season. The adaptation was produced by Silver Link (Strike the Blood, Kokoro Connect) with Shinya Kawatsura (Kokoro Connect) directing. To date the manga has sold over 1 million copies in Japan. A key visual has been released for Non Non Biyori Repeat, along with a homepage background update on the official website.
Official website background:
Non Non Biyori Repeat Key Visual:
Non Non Biyori Repeat synopsis from Haruhichan:
The second season of Non Non Biyori
Sources: Official Website, Otakomu
One of the most popular anime series last year is the second season of Love Live! School Idol Project, which is also the third highest selling anime Blu-ray on Amazon Japan in 2014. The 6th volume of the anime’s Blu-ray has been released, so we can now compare it with the TV release.
Generally, the Blu-rays are better than the TV version, since they have time to reproduce scenes of the anime that may have been rushed to make schedules and deadlines. They can also uncensor scenes that were deemed unfit for Japanese Television. It is also the studio’s biggest avenue for profit. We have done a series of these TV and Blu-ray comparisons before so make sure to check them out here.
Volume 6 of the Love Live! School Idol Project Season 2 Blu-ray includes episodes 10 and 11 of the series. There are many minor changes so check out the small notes in between each scene. Do note that these contain:
The images on the left are the TV version and the images on the right are from the Blu-ray release
The 6th Blu-ray volume of the anime also includes:
Love Live! School Idol Project is an original anime produced by Sunrise studios that aired in January 2013. The conception of the anime project started in 2010 by Dengeki G’s Magazine. The editors wanted the project to be heavily influenced by fans, such as the costumes, hairstyles and names. Throughout this process, a manga of the project simply called Love Live! began in early 2012 by Sakurako Kimino and Arumi Tokita. The next part in the project was the anime series, followed by an app and an OVA. The second season titled Love Live! School Idol Project 2nd Season started began airing from April 6, 2014 to June 29, 2014 with a total of 13 episodes.
Love Live! School Idol Project synopsis of the series from Haruhichan:
Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: Akihabara—a pop culture mecca that’s evolving by the minute; Kanda—a conservative, cultured city where history and tradition reign supreme; and Jinbo—a quiet area reserved for a more mature, sophisticated population. Amidst this culture clash, the school now faces closure due to the enrollment of fewer and fewer students.
With the school planning to close within three years, nine female students come together with one thing in mind—form a pop idol group to revive the school’s popularity and keep it from shutting down. “In order to protect our beloved school, there’s only one thing we can do… become pop stars!”
All the images above are from Love Live! School Idol Project Season 2 Blu-ray Volume 6, which is currently available on Amazon Japan for ¥5,594 (~ $47.57 USD). Volumes 1-5 and the final volume, vol 7, are also available on Amazon Japan.
You can visit the anime’s official website here: http://www.lovelive-anime.jp/
Alternatively, you can follow them on Twitter: @LoveLive_staff
Source – Potenavi
Title (English): Gourmet Girl Graffiti
Title (Japanese): 幸腹グラフィティ
Animation Studio: Shaft
Genres: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of life
Episodes: 3/?
While everyone else was looking forward to their sequels this season, or other high profile anime adaptations, my most anticipated anime this season was actually Koufuku Graffiti. A marriage between renowned anime studio Shaft (Monogatari series, Madoka Magica series) and my favourite writer in anime, Mari Okada (Toradora!, AnoHana, Nagi no Asukara) had me drooling in anticipation as soon as I heard it. And it’s not just because of the food, which is the theme of this anime.
Ryou Machiko has been living on her own ever since her grandmother died. She’s always had a love for cooking and she was always good at it, but ever since her grandmother’s passing, she feels like she can’t make good food anymore. One day, Ryou’s aunt calls her and tells her that Ryou’s second cousin, Kirin Morino, will be attending a school near Ryou on Sundays and asks that Ryou take care of Kirin while she has school. The two have only met briefly in the past, so there is a lot the two don’t know about each other. Kirin does know that Ryou is a good cook and Kirin loves the food that Ryou makes. The anime follows these two as they live together, as well as Kyou’s close friend Shiina.
This is a nice anime to relax with. There’s no major plot to follow, just these girls’ lives. That being said, it is a seinen anime, which means a larger than normal focus on the characters and their development. There’s been a few moments so far that are heart-warming, and help develop the characters. I’m sure later on there will most likely be more of these moments, if Mari Okada’s other works is any indication of what is to come.
The art and animation so far is a big standout point. The animation has Shaft’s usual high quality attached to it, but it seems they really put extra effort into Koufuku Graffiti. The parts of the anime that looks like it’s had the most work done to it is the dishes that they eat, as well as the scenes where they’re eating said dishes. There’s something about the way they food moves: it’s enticing, it’s in slow-motion, it highlights all of the most delicious looking parts of every dish. There’s also the way the characters eat it: there’s all sorts of sparking effects, the slow-motion eating, their detailed descriptions of what they’re tasting as they eat it… It makes you hungry! I’ve never wanted food this bad whenever I was watching something before. It’s almost impossible to not want to jump into the screen, sit down with them, and eat whatever they are eating. I don’t mean to sound weird, but that’s my honest feelings on this. There’s also something erotic about it as well that may make it a little bit awkward for some people, but it just makes me hungry and it makes me laugh because of how ridiculous it is.
The art style is reminiscent of some of Shaft’s past works, primarily Hidamari Sketch and Nisekoi. There’s the usual art style, but the art changes when the characters are eating, and they look more life-like during those scenes.
The soundtrack is usually relegated to the background for the most part, but during some of the more intimate scenes, the music comes in and helps add to the atmosphere which is always a plus in my books. The OP 「幸せについて私が知っている５つの方法」(Shiawase ni Tsuite Watashi ga Shitteiru Itsutsu no Houhou) and ED 「笑顔になる」(Egao ni Naru) are okay songs in my opinion. For some reason, I do like the OP even though it is a little plain. Perhaps, I’m still too much in love with Kantai Collection’s opening to appreciate Koufuku Graffiti’s.
So far, this is a decent anime with a bit of character development and its now famous/infamous eating scenes. Until it ends, I’m unsure if this will be one of Mari Okada’s weaker works or not. I do believe in her ability to create realistic and well executed characters though. There are hints of that in the episodes so far, and I don’t believe they have announced how long Koufuku Graffiti is going to be. Hopefully Koufuku Graffiti picks up a little bit, but as a primary slice of life watcher, it’s doing a good job so far.
What do you guys think of Koufuku Graffiti so far if you’re watching it? Let me know in the comments!
A wonderful 1/8 scale figure of Sinon from the popular anime series Sword Art Online II will be hitting the markets this March. She comes in landing pose while carrying the infamous and deadly sniper rifle, Hecate II. With an amazing level of detail and all the presence and beauty you expect from a first-rate figure by Griffon Enterprises, this item is the perfect addition to your Sword Art Online collection.
Sword Art Online II – Sinon 1/8 Figure – Pre-orders are available on JList and are scheduled to be released in March 2015.
Today we’ll be taking a look at Newtype’s February 2015 issue from JList which includes a Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV) Booklet! This issue contains a total of 4 great posters along with previews, character profiles, articles, manga, and other great content. Most of the anime posters are anime series that are currently on-going or receiving new content sometime soon.
This issue can be purchased here, more info on where to purchase the magazine will be at the bottom of this post.
Don’t forget to view our NyanType – February 2015 issue and Megami – February 2015 issue posts! View our posts of older issues here.
Cover and Back
Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova
Dog Days 3
Monogatari
Yowamushi Pedal
Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (TV) Booklet:
Random articles, previews and manga pictures from the magazine:
If you are currently learning or plan to learn Japanese, I highly recommend you to try a copy of this magazine to study with. It is not only packed with posters, it’s also packed with previews, character profiles, articles, manga, and other great content which is great for studying and practicing with.
My favorite posters from this months issue would have to be Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova and Monogatari.
You can purchase the issue I covered in this post here or you can subscribe to JList‘s Newtype subscription service for $11~$15/month here. All sales made through JList help us continue to bring unique content to the site as well as supporting us!
If you want us to review a different type of magazine each month, let us know. Also if you had the chance to win a poster or two from above, what would it be and why? I’m curious to know what posters anime fans would want on their wall. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
With the Psycho-Pass Movie debuting in Japanese theaters last January 9, Shunya Yamashita who is a professional illustrator and character designer and widely known for designing Kotobukiya’s bishoujo figures of the heroines of DC, Marvel, Street Fighter, Tekken and Star Wars, has posted his take on the movie’s version of Akane Tsunemori.
In addition to this, Shirow Miwa, known for his work on the manga Dogs: Bullets & Carnage and with the band Supercell has done an Enforcer version of Takeuchi-P from The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls, as well as a Durarara!! tribute in anticipation of a serious Shizuo versus Izaya parkour chase:
Source: Crunchyroll, zi38
A commercial has been streamed online for the The IDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls anime revealing the first Blu-ray and DVD volume of the series and the contents of the release. The first volume will contain the first 2 episode of the anime and: a special Music CD with Volume 1 of the 346Pro IDOL Selection, a series of images and storyboards, animation cels, a special digipack drawn by character designer Yuusuke Matsuo, and a recording of the New Years special. The anime itself is directed by Noriko Takao (The iDOLM@STER, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya) and produced by A-1 Pictures (Sword Art Online, Aldnoah.Zero).
The first volume of The IDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls Blu-ray and DVD will be releasing in Japan on April 23rd. The BD will cost ¥6,800 (~ $57.80 USD) and the DVD will cost ¥5,800 (~ $49.30 USD).
Here is the main visual of the anime:
Series synopsis from Haruhichan
There are many idols with long-established talent agency 346 Production. And now the company is starting a new program, the Cinderella Project!
Girls leading normal lives…
They are chosen to be aspiring idols and see another world for the first time in this Cinderella story. Can they all climb the stairs that lead to the palace?
The magic begins now…
You can visit the anime’s website here: http://imas-cinderella.com/
And follow their Twitter here: @imas_anime
Japanese paid Television network Wowow have recently revealed that they will be rebroadcasting The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya this March, just in time for the debut of The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan in April. In addition to the anime series, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya will also be shown alongside 6 other anime by Kyoto Animation during March and April.
The broadcast will have all 28 episodes of the Haruhi anime, both seasons. Including that, the other anime that will be broadcasted includes:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya will be the first anime to be broadcasted in March, followed by The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya film. Hyouka will then air in late March and early April followed by the K-ON! movie. After that the network will show Sora wo Miageru Shoujo no Hitomi ni Utsuru Sekai and Tenjou-jin to Akuto-jin Saigo no Tatakai. The Tamako Market and, for the first time on TV, the Tamako Love Story movie will round out the Kyoto Animation broadcast on Wowow.
For more information about the broadcast visit: http://www.wowow.co.jp/anime/kyoto/
Source – Wowow
On August 30, 2014, it was announced on the slip-on cover of the seventh compiled light novel volume of Kugane Maruyama’s light novel, Overlord, that an anime adaptation is in production. Yesterday, it was mentioned during the Anime Japan 2015 Stage Presentation that the light novel’s cast for the anime will be the same as the Drama CD’s. An anime visual has also been revealed.
More information about the anime will be announced by the anime’s cast in the main event’s green stage at 5:00pm-5:35pm. Anime Japan 2015 will be held at Tokyo Big Sight on March 21 to 22, 2015.
Maruyama started the romantic comedy, dark supernatural fantasy, game and harem light novel, Overlord, on July 30, 2012 under the publisher Enterbrain. He served as the writer while so-bin (Danmatsu no Millennion) is in charge with the novel’s illustrations. There are currently eight compiled light novel volumes being sold. The first volume was published on July 30, 2012 while the latest volume was published on December 26, 2014.
The series received a manga adaptation illustrated by Fugin Miyama (Eureka Seven: New Order). The manga began publishing under Kadokawa Shoten’s Monthly Comp Ace magazine since November 26, 2014. The first compiled manga volume for the series will be out this month.
It has also received a Drama CD adaptation. It was included with the fourth and sixth compiled light novel volumes. The cast for the Drama CD will recur on the anime.
Volume 4’s Drama CD Trailer:
Volume 6’s Drama CD Trailer:
Cast:
Other Characters:
Synopsis of Overlord‘s light novel from MAL:
The story begins with Yggdrasil, a popular online game which is quietly shut down one day. However, the protagonist Momonga decides to not log out. Momonga is then transformed into the image of a skeleton as “the most powerful wizard.” The world continues to change, with non-player characters (NPCs) begining to feel emotion. Having no parents, friends, or place in society, this ordinary young man Momonga then strives to take over the new world the game has become.
Visit the light novel’s official website here.
Source – AnimeAnime, Gigazine
On January 23rd, 2015, the official website for the anime adaptation of widely acclaimed mangaka Takahashi Rumiko’s manga, Kyoukai no Rinne, began streaming first promotional video for the anime on Friday. The story centers around Mamiya Sakura, a girl who can see the supernatural, and Rokudou Rinne, a boy who performs shinigami-like duties.
Narrator & Text: Urusei Yatsura. Ranma ½. Inuyasha. Works of Takahashi Rumiko which are beloved throughout the world.
Narrator & Text: Here is Rumic World‘s latest work!
Narrator: Kyoukai no Rinne the anime!
Text: Kyoukai no Rinne‘s much-anticipated TV anime adaptation!
Narrator: His grandmother is a shinigami; his grandfather was a human. A dirt poor boy who is doing shinigami-like work: Rokudou Rinne.
Narrator: A girl who can see ghosts. A cool heroine who goes to the same high school as Rinne: Mamiya Sakura.
Narrator: An unbelievable after-school story about a shinigami-like boy and a calm and collected girl who work together to send the wandering ghosts to the circle of reincarnation!
Narrator: Supporting Rinne’s work is the black cat Rokumon and Tamako, Rinne’s grandmother and a first-class shinigami. Getting in Rinne’s way is Rokudou Sabato, Rinne’s father and a Damashigami, evil shinigamis.
Rinne: I will cut away your regrets from the living world. I’m a shinigami!!! *silence* Or something like that.
Narrator & Text: The Kyoukai no Rinne anime starts on NHK E Tele on Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.!!
Narrator & Text: Please look forward to it!
The main cast has also been announced:
As well as the production team:
Anime visual:
Kyoukai no Rinne was originally a manga by the widely acclaimed and very popular Takahashi Rumiko, the author of famous works such as Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2. Takahashi first released the manga in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shounen Sunday in October of 2009 and since then it has been collected into 23 tankoubon volumes. It has been recently announced that Brains Base will produce a 25 episode anime adaptation. The Kyoukai no Rinne anime will air in the Spring 2015 Anime Season.
Kyoukai no Rinne synopsis from Haruhichan:
As a child Mamiya Sakura mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma’s home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year, then one day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!
Sources: Official Anime Website, ANN
The official website of anime adaptation of Ayano Takeda’s music genre novel series Sound! Euphonium (Hibike! Euphonium) has released a new promotional video that introduces and reveals the main cast of the upcoming April series.
The anime’s website has revealed the first cast members of the Sound! Euphonium anime. Alongside the earlier revealed character designs, the main cast includes:
A new extended version of the anime’s first promotional video, which was first released at Comiket 87, was also revealed.
Here is the previous PV:
The main production staff of the anime includes:
Sound! Euphonium Welcome to Kitauji High School’s Musical Instrument Club is a Japanese novel by Ayano Takeda, published on December 5, 2013 by Takarajimasha. The story focuses on the Kitauji High School Music Club, which is steadily improving thanks to the newly appointed adviser’s strict instruction. An anime adaptation has been announced.
Sound! Euphonium synopsis from Haruhichan:
This is the story of the Kitauji Music club and its members. With the introduction of a new club adviser, the story depicts the students’ daily lives as they face challenges and obstacles.
The Sound! Euphonium anime will be airing this April during the Spring 2015 anime season. More information about the series will be revealed in the upcoming weeks.
You can visit the anime’s website here: http://anime-eupho.com/
And follow their Twitter: @anime_eupho
Title (English): Fleet Girls Collection: KanColle
Title (Japanese): 艦隊これくしょん -艦これ-
Animation Studio: Diomedea
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Military, (Slice of life?)
Episodes: 3/?
Usually, I write a single First Impressions article that contains all of the anime I’m watching in a season, but I’m splitting it up this time. I’m re-visiting Kantai Collection now that a few episodes have past. You can look at my First Impressions of KanColle after the first episode here. How is the ship girls anime doing so far?
In terms of a general story, it is still proceeding in episodic format with about a 75/25 split between moe/slice of life and action. I still feel this anime will focus more on the characters than providing a big overarching story. That being said, Episode 3 has given us a lot to think about when it comes to KanColle‘s future. Perhaps this cutesy, moe ship girls anime will be a little bit more than that given what had transpired in that episode. The fact that they were willing to go that far, opens up multiple paths for them to take. A bunch of theories have popped up on the possible future of KanColle.
*Episode 3 Spoilers Ahead!*
Some say that it would be a one-time event to show off that they are willing to kill off a character, to prove to the action watchers there is something more here. Others chime in and say there will be more deaths/sunk ships ahead, considering it is only episode 3 in an anime that could be two-cour. These people refer to World War II history as their primary argument. If you look at the episode 3, their mission takes place on W Island. W Island is a reference to Wake Island. At the Battle of Wake Island, the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi was sunk in battle. Likewise, in the anime, Kisaragi was killed. If they choose the historical route for this anime, there’s going to be a lot of deaths. The Japanese navy was all but destroyed in WWII, with only a few surviving ships. The more hopeful say that, this will be a one-time thing and that it will help the other characters get stronger as they learn from Kisaragi’s death. Who knows? A week from now these theories could be erased or proven right. Only time will tell.
*End of Episode 3 Spoilers*
Characters are likely going to depend on your taste. With such a huge number of characters, I’m sure it won’t be hard to find a favourite. There’s your standard polite girls, girls with more than one quirk in their personality, the tomboys, etc. I’m personally not a big fan of the game’s art, but I really like the anime’s art. Diomedea knows how to deliver cute girls, or at least they do in the two anime I’ve seen from them (Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, and NouCome). The music is pretty good. The BGM in the action parts especially, is a high point of this anime. The OP 「海色」 (Miiro) by AKINO from bless4, is one of the most addicting OP songs I’ve heard in a while and is easily my favourite of this season. The song seems kind of out of place for an anime like this, but it seems a little more appropriate after Episode 3. I can’t really judge the ED of the anime since every episode has had a different song. I believe the standard one will be 「吹雪」 (Fubuki) by Shiena Nishizawa, which played in episode 2. It’s a good song, but I’m not a big fan of the singing in it, and I like it more for its instrumental composition. It is interesting to hear some of the voice actresses doing so many different roles at once. It is getting a little easier to tell who is who, as characters of the same ship type have the same voice actress. All of the Kongou-class ships are all voiced by Nao Touyama for example (Chitoge Kirisaki from Nisekoi).
With the latest episode proving that turn of events, who knows what direction KanColle is going in. Some people are pleased that they were willing to go that far to help justify it being a good action anime. Others, like me, are a bit more wary now that this has happened. It seems more Western fans are happy with this turn of events, while more of the Japanese fans are unhappy. I’m on the side of the Japanese with this one. I signed up for something relaxing to watch while I have spare time. If it continues too far along the darker path, I may to have to do a rare thing I rarely do when it comes to anime: drop it. However, at the same time, I think it might be good for me to watch something a little bit darker every once in a while. I suppose only time will tell where Kancolle is going to go.
Anyone want to bring up their thoughts on KanColle so far? Do you like what happened in the latest episode, or did it turn you off? For anyone who has not watched it, does this give you an incentive to watch now? Let me know in the comments!
