Sunday, October 20, 2013
This anime season looks awesome. I can’t remember the last time I was this impressed with an anime season’s lineup. It’s been a year since I started writing these quarterly anime roundups, and I can definitely say that this season has been the most promising so far (especially more than last season). A lot of the shows in this season are futuristic, and I’m really excited about quite a few of them. So which ones are worth checking out and which ones aren’t worth an ounce of your time? Let’s find out.
Shin Sekai Yori: From the New World
This show takes place a thousand years into the future. Humanity has declined, and is now living in a post-apocalyptic world. So even though the show takes place in the future, to the eye it looks like the past. The main hook of the show is a bunch of schoolkids learning special powers and saving the world or something or other.
But holy crap. The opening sequence to this show was absolutely wicked. I didn’t really know what was going on at the time, but the show really grabbed my attention from the start. The show is really interesting but also pretty creepy and freaky. The show doesn’t really divulge where it plans on taking the story and the characters, so it really makes me curious about what’s going to unfold in the rest of the show.
Who should watch this show: People who like shows about little kid mages with a creepy kind of atmosphere.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty good. This show definitely intrigued me.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty good. This show definitely intrigued me.
Code:Breaker
Code:Breaker is adapted from a story by the guy who made Samurai Deeper KYO. The story isn’t really revealed, but the main guy has some sort of otherworldly powers that he’s been using to set people on fire. The main girl gets mixed up in things somehow, and the episode ends with a bunch of other guys (who I assume have otherworldly powers as well) saying stuff about how things are starting up (so it’s begun, etc).
The opening song for the show is pretty cool, but other that that the show didn’t really grab me. The animation style is pretty bland in my opinion. The overall feel was kind of mysterious, but there was little humor or action to speak of, at least not until the very end. It gets kind of intriguing around the halfway point, but the first half was nothing special at all. The second half piqued my interest a bit, but I don’t think it was enough to save the show for me.
Who should watch this show: People who like a bit of supernatural mystery and strange powers.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty bad. Probably won’t continue with this one unless people tell me it turns out super awesome.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty bad. Probably won’t continue with this one unless people tell me it turns out super awesome.
BTOOOM!
BTOOOM! is the name of a videogame which the main character is really good at. The hook here is that he and a number of other players get trapped in some real-life survival challenge on an island and forced to play out a live version of the game. Seems kind of like a mix between Battle Royale and that Hollywood movie Gamer that I never saw.
This show was pretty cool. It had a pretty strong start and a nice opening as well. The animation is really pretty which is definitely a plus. There’s a lot of confusion right from the get go, like why they’re on this island and who put them there to kill each other, so it’s very intriguing. This anime seems pretty cool, I’m not exactly sure where it’s going, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
Who should watch this show: People who like real life video game type things and Battle Royale type motifs.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Good. This show really stuck with me even after watching a bunch of other shows so I’m excited for the next episode.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Good. This show really stuck with me even after watching a bunch of other shows so I’m excited for the next episode.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
The show sells itself as a romantic comedy with “a fresh new angle.” The two main characters are a high school girl and a high school boy who is one of the most ridiculous characters in any anime I’ve ever seen. Weird romance and lots of laughs ensue.
This show is so funny. I was laughing out loud a ton during it. The animation is really nice and I like the characters’ wacky personalities so far. This show is really awesome and I can’t wait to see more of it. It’s definitely a contender for funniest show of the season, mostly due to the main guy’s character.
Who should watch this show: People who like super off the wall characters stuck in a romantic comedy.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Oh yes. Definitely going to watch more of this one. No idea where the story is going, but it’s too funny not to watch.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Oh yes. Definitely going to watch more of this one. No idea where the story is going, but it’s too funny not to watch.
Zetsuen no Tempest
This show has a dystopian setting full of fantasy and world-saving. It seems to be about modern day mages and one of the main characters is on a journey of revenge with his powers. The show is packed with action and emotion.
The animation in this one is really nice (is it just me, or does this season have some really good looking shows?). The action is pretty cool and the show seems like it could have a lot of potential. It’s hard to tell though, because I’m not really sure where the story is going, but it sure is intriguing.
Who should watch this show: People who like magic and revenge and stuff.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty good. I’m really interested in seeing what happens next so I plan on checking out a few more episodes at the very least.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Pretty good. I’m really interested in seeing what happens next so I plan on checking out a few more episodes at the very least.
Psycho Pass
This show is kind of like a cop show with a bunch of ex-criminals bent on stopping crime in a futuristic world. People have different colored passes that correspond to how much of a threat to the world they are and the police force is out to capture and rehabilitate.
Again, the animation here is pretty impressive. I was really expecting it to be kind of cool, but the episode just wasn’t all that exciting. There’s lots of neon signs and cool lighting and colors to look at, but I just couldn’t get excited about the show or the characters in it. I feel like it’s wasted potential and watching it was actually a bit frustrating.
Who should watch this show: People who like futuristic cop shows with pretty colors.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Bad. I just didn’t really care for this one.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Bad. I just didn’t really care for this one.
Kamisama Hajimemashita
This show is about a girl who was just abandoned by her debt-dodging dad and finds herself homeless. That is until she takes up a strange man’s offer to live in his house. It turns out that his house is a shrine, and living in it involves taking over his job as the local earth deity.
Kamisama Hajimemashita was done by the same people who worked on Fruits Basket and the animation style similarities are very apparent. The character faces and varied expressions are great. The show seems pretty interesting with deities and spirits and demons and all that, but I don’t really feel as though it’s the kind of show I’d want to follow. It’s not necessarily a bad show, I just don’t feel like it’s something I’d really be interested in seeing to the end.
Who should watch this show: People who like female leads and bad-boy fox demon love interests.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not good. This show just isn’t my style.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not good. This show just isn’t my style.
K
This show is kind of vague about its premise, but it has something to do with characters who have some sort of otherworldly powers and there seems to be a side trying to keep order and one side tearing things up and making some trouble. There’s something about the reincarnation of colored kings and some other stuff I can’t really remember, but that’s not really important.
The important part is that this show looks absolutely amazing. I really cannot remember the last time I saw a show this pretty. It also has a really nice selection of music which really adds a lot to the atmosphere of the show. The special effects for the characters’ powers are pretty cool and the action is really nice. It’s a very pretty show and an absolute joy to behold.
You can really tell that this show has some high production values. It’s easily the best looking show this season. This show has tons of style and looks veryvery promising. I’m not really sure exactly what’s going on yet or where the show is going to go, but the first episode definitely hooked me enough to see what happens next.
Who should watch this show: People who like pretty colors great music and awesome shows.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Definitely going to. This show is just oozing potential.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Definitely going to. This show is just oozing potential.
Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!
The story in this one involves chuunibyou (middle-school syndrome), which is basically when kids are still immature and play out fantasies rather than act like young adults. The show centers around a guy (trying to conquer his chuunibyou) and a girl (still very much in her chuunibyou) and their lives at school. I’m not really sure what else there is to the story yet, but that’s the basic premise.
I really like the feel of the show. It’s very happy and lighthearted. If Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun is the funniest show of the season, Chuunibyou is a close second. The animation uses brown lines to outline everything instead of black which gives all the characters a really interesting look. The show’s pretty great so far and I really enjoyed this first episode. I’m not exactly sure where the story will be going, but it’s definitely good enough so far for me to watch some more episodes.
Who should watch this show: People who like great humor and goofy comedy.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Great. I really like this show and plan on following it for a while.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Great. I really like this show and plan on following it for a while.
Shows That Could Have Been Much Better
Busou Shinki: Seems kind of dumb right from the get go. Show is about miniature customizable female robots that people fight against one another. Seems like a really strange one here. I don’t like it. I lasted just over 5 minutes before I couldn’t take anymore. I’ll pass on this one.
Girls und Panzer: This show seems to center around school girls and military tanks. The first couple of minutes were not very impressive at all and I found myself not really interested in watching any more of it. I watched it for about 7 minutes before I had to stop. It just doesn’t really seem like my thing. Not very funny or interesting or anything.
Little Busters!: Starts off pretty generic and not really exciting. Has something to do with school kids fighting stuff. I got pretty bored after about 7 minutes so I shut it off.
Robotics;Notes: The show starts out pretty average. It doesn’t really ramp up in excitement from there. The animation is solid and the robots are kind of cool, but overall it’s not too impressive. I highly doubt I’ll be watching any more of this one.
And as usual, there were also a handful of shows that I just didn’t check out and a handful of sequels that I never watched the original for (sorry!).
Bottom Line: This season of anime is like, super fantastic. I can’t even say what my favorite show was. So many great new shows. But if I had to pick a top 3, they would be Chuunibyou, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, and K.
So tell me, which show is your favorite from the season? Any shows I missed that you think deserve some recognition? Let me know down in the comments!
