Summer Anime Catalogue 2014

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Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Original Creator: Io Sakisaka (manga)
Producers: Production I.G
AIR DATE: July 7, 2014
Episodes: 12
Director: Ai Yoshimura
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Io Sakisaka’s Strobe Edge manga is one of my favorites, so of course I wouldn’t mind checking out an adaption of Ao Haru Ride, which is pretty popular it seems. It’s our usual shoujo premise featuring a protagonist, Futuba Yoshioka, trying to reinvent herself in high school, jealous friends, and unrequited love with some potential for serious drama (I mean, why did this dude have to change his name to Mabuchi Kou?). While shoujo lovers will be all over this, the more casual fans will probably have to wait and see how long they can last since everyone usually has their own taste and limits when it comes to shoujo.

Usually when you have a girl reinvent herself for a high school debut, they are going cuter or prettier. But in this one, Futaba’s dressing down to try to avoid a repeat of middle school, where the other girls disliked her because she was cuter. I tend to love shoujo stories, until they start going around in circles, so this one will depend on how they manage to keep it fresh while prolonging the agony, or maybe they’ll go with some of the more recent trend where there’s actual progress and a couple? That would be nice to see.

possibly blogging // Hoshi [First Impression]

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Genre(s): Comedy, Slice of Life
Original Creator: Kinema Citrus
Producers: Kinema Citrus
AIR DATE: July, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Masaki Tachibana
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

It’s hard to get a good reading on whether a slice of life anime will be good because it depends on the mood more so than the story. But I will say that the premise sounds cute. It’s about a calligrapher who gets exiled to an island for being a dick. That’s it. It’s just about him trying to deal with island life, which is much more slack and a little more crazy. Especially for a city-loving boy. It features an adorable girl as his foil too. By all means, this should work well as an entertaining slice of life you can watch while just melting into your couch. It also has room for some touching moments amongst the calm. My only worry is that it’s produced by Kinema Citrus, the folks behind Black Bullet and Tokyo Magnitude. I have very mixed feelings about those shows so we’ll see how they handle this one.
The manga is pure slice of life, so I have no doubt the anime will follow suit. So you liked Non Non Biyori? Was it the cute girls, or the country life? It was probably the cute girls, which this has a bunch of. But I don’t think they will come off like Renge. They are rambunctious and as kid-like as they come. They play, they go a little nuts while doing so, they scream and brag, and fall down and get dirty. But there is also the city mouse in the country going on for the story. In short, It’s very active and reflective, and a little bit cynical, with great dashes of fun loving optimism. Naru is going to be a breakout character similar to Renge-chan from NNB, but far more free roaming, precocious and rambunctious. I’m looking forward to newcomer, and child voice actress, Suzuko Hara as Naru.

You can’t exactly say that the “bad attitude city guy gets put in a idyllic country setting and learns that he doesn’t know anything about life” genre is exactly fresh, but it’s usually not dependent on the plot for success. I generally like anything that’s Slice of Life, so I’ll probably love this no matter what, but I sure wouldn’t expect any major story arcs.

possibly blogging // skylion

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Genre(s): Comedy, School, Sports, Slice of Life
Original Creator: Kōji Ōji (novel)
Producers: Kyoto Animation
AIR DATE: July 2, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Hiroko Utsumi
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Free! is KyoAni’s attempt to pander to fangirls and fujoshi alike…and it’s working. Once they realized girls loved the show and even guys were getting into it, they decided a second season was in order. At least, that’s what I imagine. Or maybe they don’t care about money and just really enjoyed drawing chiseled abs for a change. All in all, Free! is a sports anime with a ton of drama, adorable antics, and half-naked highschoolers. Everyone on that show is ripped and it’s quite the sight to behold. Because it’s KyoAni, everything is beautiful. The seiyuu cast is top notch. The music is super catchy. It may not have the most substance in terms of plot, but that’s what makes it so easy to have another season of everyone’s favourite swimming anime.

Yeah, guys did like the first season, because KyoAni makes a good show, no matter what (well, Kyokai no Kanata wasn’t bad, just not very inspired). I sure wouldn’t expect anything different from the first season, although hopefully Rin isn’t such a terrible character this time (really, I totally disliked him, like a boat anchor dragging the show under the waves). I also hope for a repeat of the ED, which really captured that boy band feel, so even if that’s not my favorite style of music (no, I wasn’t a New Kids on the Block fan) it can be a lot of fun to listen to.

possibly blogging // Kyokai + Overcooled + Karakuri

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Genre(s): Comedy, Seinen
Original Creator: Kōtarō Kosugi (4-koma manga)
Producers: Feel
AIR DATE: July 3, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Munenori Nawa
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Studio Feel brings us this story of Nanako and her senpai Yukari who, at the request of Nanako’s uncle, become the local idols (the titular ‘locodol’) of their town. They are interviewed and literally become local idols. Their salaries are even paid via town’s taxes. Yukari is voiced by Sachiko Misawa, who I’d say definitely has the singing chops after her performance as Kuroyukihime in Accel World (and singing the second ED song for that series), and Miku Itou gives voice to Nanako. There’s not a lot of information out about this series, but we’ll see how that turns out, since a lot of the shows I like are similarly unhyped.

possibly blogging // Nobody wants this Loco Idol

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Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, School, Shounen
Original Creator: Izumi Tsubaki (manga)
Producers: Dogakobo
AIR DATE: July 7, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Mitsue Yamazaki
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Let me tell you about Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, which is one of two of my favorite mangas getting adapted this summer: Sakura Chiyo confesses to Nozaki, but instead of a reply, she gets an autograph because he thinks she’s his fan. Once she learns of his secret identity, the shenanigans begin. All sorts of new characters come in through the series, who all act wonderfull together to create a ton of comedic events. Plus, with so many characters, there’s quite a bit of mixing and matching so we’re not stuck with the same cast of characters all the time. However, turning 4-komas into anime has always been pretty iffy and already there have been a number of series that ended up falling short of their manga counterparts. Hopefully Gekkan Shoujo’s anime will keep to the manga, but if not, obviously read the manga because it’s too hilarious to pass up.

possibly blogging // Hoshi

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Genre(s): Slice of Life
Original Work
Producers: P.A. Works
AIR DATE: July 3, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Junji Nishimura
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Apparently I’m the world’s biggest PA Works fanboy, or at least Metanorn’s biggest. I always think they do a great job with a fairly basic story setup, because they’re so good at filling out the rest of a world, visually and in character details. Plus, they seem to always cast Saori Hayami, whose character Yanagi I immediately picked out as a really nice design (without knowing who the VA was). Giving PA Works a chance to show off their gorgeous scenery again, this show based in a seaside town features Tohko Fukami, who wants to be a glass artist, along with aspiring model Yanagi, summer transfer student Kakeru, injured athlete Yukinari, and others in what looks to be a really nice slice of life show, with the usual cast of great VA’s like Ai Kayano, Ryota Ohsaka, and Nao Touyama supporting newcomer Seria Fukagawa.

I’ll go ahead and vote myself in as the second biggest PA Works fan at Metanorn. Unless someone really wants it, then they can have it. I will echo Highway and cut short of gushing about how much a visual treat the show will be; but the storytelling nerd in me is incredibly curious about is how much of the glassblowing craft will be explored, and how it fit’s into the character dynamic. One of the most important facets of any show, and PA Works in particular. And, hey Risa Taneda is one of my favorite VAs. This should be the treat.

possibly blogging // Highway

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Genre(s): Comedy, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural
Original Creator: NisiOisin (Novel)
Producers: SHAFT
AIR DATE: August 16, 2014
Episodes: 5
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

This is the same comment we posted in Spring preview. Due to delay of broadcast, just adding this again to complete our list: It was previously speculated that Hanamonogatari will be part of the Monogatari second season but it was later revealed not to be so. You can call it a Shaft thing for separating a story, something they have already done with Nekomonogatari Black and previous hiatus after episode 12 of Bakemonogatari. However marvelously amazing that episode was, Shaft released the remaining three episodes of Tsubasa Cat almost 2~4 months apart. Yep, Shaft has been known to be temperamental with Monogatari series for some reason. Look at the still unreleased Kizumonogatari movie, which is supposedly the beginning of everything and to be released before even Nise or Nekomonogatari. I just feel bad for Hiroshi Kamiya because he recorded quite a long Koyomi scared shitless breathing for its PV along with some very amusing signature animation by Shaft.

Anyways, back to Hanamonogatari, which is officially titled “Monogatari Series: Second Season +α”, to feature Suruga Kanbaru and is set after Koyomi graduates from high school. The story looks straight forward with speculation of more to be revealed about our very sporty Suruga voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro. However, from the PV, Ougi Oshino seems to be playing an important role and I sure want to know more about her with her involvement in some events in the second season of Monogatari. Overall, I expect to be trolled as usual but nicely so; not to mention, looking forward to the two new characters being voiced by Kana Asumi and Michiko Neya.

So the thrilling conclusion to Monogatari Series Second Season has an official air date! Except it’s not the conclusion, since Hanamonogatari “Suruga Devil” was actually the 3rd of the 6 stories that make up the Second Season. It was the arc chosen to be delayed mainly because its story stood on its own better than any of the other arcs. Naturally, Kanbaru Suruga who was mostly absent from the other arcs will be taking the lead here, opposite new character Numachi Rouka, who has been revealed to be played by Kana Asumi, someone to whom Shaft has turned very often, including one of her earliest big roles as Yuno from Hidamari Sketch back in 2008. Not the voice actor I would have expected, but I didn’t see Kaori Mizuhashi – who played Yuno’s buddy Miyako in Hidamari Sketch – as Oshino Ougi either.

This little side story doesn’t have the emotional weight of Nekomonogatari White or the silly fun of Kabukimonogatari or the sharp banter of Koimonogatari, but it does feature basketball, as well as some additional insights into a couple of the running threads of the Second Season. I hope you’re looking forward to watching the anime adaptation of what some fans have dubbed “Yurimonogatari” as much as I am!

possibly blogging // lvlln

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Genre(s): Slice of Life, Seinen
Original Creator: Sou Hamayumiba (Manga)
Producers: Madhouse Studios
AIR DATE: July 8, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Atsuko Ishizuka
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Not a lot of information to go on with this Slice of Life show about a normal girl living a normal life doing normal things. Naru is just going along doing normal things until one night she meets a fairy who then introduces her to the interesting world of Yosakoi dance. Madhouse has had some good stories lately, but has also had some flops and messes, so we’ll see how this one will turn out.

Madhouse is going mad with the color filters these days. It’s the GO Hands virus, I tell ya. But that artistic expression aside, this look to be an incredibly interesting show. I love how a slice of life can concentrate on a specific thing, like light music, or tea and cakes, and in this case the Yosakoi. I know next to nothing about it, which is awesome cause I get to learn new stuff in a very kawaii way!

possibly blogging // Nobody wants this shady dance

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Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Romance, School, Slice of Life
Original Creator: Ougyo Kawagishi (Light Novel)
Producers: feel.
AIR DATE: July 6, 2014
Episodes: 13
Director: Keiichiro Kawaguchi
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Let’s get the obvious out of the way immediately. The premise of Jinsei sounds fairly similar to SNAFU’s. There’s this dude who joins a club with several eccentric lady members and they go about solving others’ problems while quarreling amongst themselves. And if I remember correctly, comparisons abound to Haganai for SNAFU back when it was airing. So at any rate, all of these comparisons are meaningless. So let’s talk about something more useful instead, such as Jinsei itself. And… there’s actually not much to be said. Beyond the synopsis, there is surprisingly little information to be found about the source material. Probably the LNs didn’t garner enough popularity to make the jump from east to west, which might not be too promising. Having feel. behind the adaptation isn’t particularly encouraging either (you can be sure the girls will be cute though), but after their stint with the excellent Outbreak Company, I might look out for their name in seasons to come.

Yep, comparisons can get quite sticky. But if anything comes to mind for me, it’s Love Lab. That aside we are firmly in cute girls doing cute things territory. That sort of thing can get bogged down in mediocrity fair quick. It’s OK to start with broad characterizations, but that has to evolve into character. Without that, you get some serious failure very soon. Kiniro Mosaic ran out of steam midway, Non Non Biyori sprinted to the finish line like a champ. And K-ON just rules the roost. I feel that feel. has a good track record the past few years to pull off the sprint. I loved Minami-ke Tadaima, as it always built upon previous scenes and episodes very well. And it had vegetables. Will this one have vegetables?

possibly blogging // Sumairii

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Genre(s): ShounenAi, Romance
Original Creator: Eiki Eiki (story), Taishi Zaou(art) – manga
Producers: J.C. Staff
AIR DATE: July 9, 2014
Episodes: 11
Director: Kenichi Kasai
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

Ehhhhh there’s not much about Love Stage! except that it’s a shounen-ai with unbelievable beautiful characters. Well, the characters are in a showbiz, so I guess that part is justified. Anyway, the story is about our uke named Sena Izumi who is an otaku but is forced to enter into the showbiz world by his showbiz family (Father’s a singer, mother’s an actress and his brother’s a lead vocalist in a popular band). Here, he is reunited with Ichijo Ryoma, and love blooms between the two… Or something like that.

Surprisingly, the one who is going to do the anime is… J.C. Staff! Even I was surprised when I heard it. I thought it was going to be the usual DEEN or NAZ, but it turned out to be J.C. Staff. I was still in doubt though because of the lack of yaoi in their list, but then I see that the director is Kenichi Kasai (KimiKiss, Nodame Cantabile, Aoi Hana), and it seems that he has some experience with non-straight anime with Aoi Hana, so I’m a little bit relieved. I heard Aoi Hana was a good shoujo-ai anime, so let’s see how Kenichi Kasai handle this BL.

possibly blogging // anaaga

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Genre(s): Comedy, Romance, School, Supernatural
Original Creator: Takehaya (Light Novel)
Producers: SILVER LINK
AIR DATE: July 12, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Takehaya, Shin Oonuma
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

So a magical girl, an alien and a ghost walk into a bar and! Just kidding and sorry for the poorly written start of a bad joke, but the real plot simply follows a guy named Koutarou who is forced to live in a very small apartment with a budget of 5000 yen or 55 US dollars and to add to his misfortune the room he is staying in is apparently cursed? After hearing that my mind instantly jumped to Nanana’s buried treasure that just wrapped up. While I don’t know what to make of this series quite yet, one thing is certain, it definitely screams Kore wa zombie desu ka because that anime also had similar theme of combining various supernatural characters and forcing them to live together under one roof and that always managed to leave a huge grin on my face. So, I really hope this series can do the same thing! That said I think this will be more of a comical series instead of the over the top action-fest of Kore wa zombie or will it be something similar? I guess we’ll find out soon…
This looks like it’s going to be silly, rowdy fun. It’s got ghosts. It’s got aliens. It’s got mahou shoujos. And it’s even got Silver Link, possibly for the mahou shoujos (same director as Prisma Illya). Speaking of Silver Link, those guys have been doing good lately (I’m looking at you, Non Non Biyori) so count me in for something something 6-tatami show with supernatural comedy.

Dogpile every cute character trope! Get that one, hurry get that other one, they might go out of style! Yes, 8000 times, yes. This just looks like my love of the cavalcade of insanity made large and boisterous. I’m an early favorite for the ghost girl. Silver Link is just the cake, the rest pure icing…

possibly blogging // Foshizzel + Sumairii

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spring14-rom-hanamonogatari
Genre(s): Slice of Life, Music
Original Creator: Ikuyo Hashiguchi (Multi-media)
Producers: ZEXCS
AIR DATE: July 6, 2014
Episodes: N/A
Director: Toshimasa Kuroyanagi
[ WEBSITE ]

Seiyuu: Show ▼

Trailer: Show ▼

The only reason why this anime caught my interest is the word Hollywood, which is next to Shounen along with the number 49 that reminds me of AKB0048. And… I guess this the title is right in a way, since this is about a bunch of male idols create a boy band named Shounen Hollywood. They have their own theater named Hollywood Tokyo too! Reminds me of a certain Japanese idol band. I guess with the success of idol anime these days, they’re trying to do the same thing with the opposite sex. I’m not so sure though whether this will be as successful as UtaPri, considering the lack of promotion done for this anime. I mean, Miracle Train was so-so… But oh well, this is a good anime to pass time, so I guess I’ll watch this when I have nothing to watch (which is never).

The anime is based on Ikuyo Hashiguchi’s mixed-media project Shounen Hollywood. Recently, there have been a lot of mixed-media projects going around: Hamatora and you can dub Persona franchise in the same situation. In this particular case however, things started with a novel of the same name that was released two years ago. The story starts after fifteen-years of whatever transpired in the novel and the main setting is Hollywood Tokyo studio, where the ‘Shounen Hollywood’ idol group refine their talent. Produced by ZEXCS (DiaLovers, Cuticle Detective Inaba, Aku no Hana), so I don’t expect flawless animation and the character designs remind me of Zetman. Ugh, I get the heebeejeebees remembering that anime because I liked nothing of it except for the catchy opening. Though, we shave some very strong contenders voicing roles and as I don’t judge a book by its cover alone, I’ll definitely be sampling a few episodes to see how this fairs.

possibly blogging // Fangirl FI for fun

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We are the deadly team of Metanorn. When together, we usually come up with long, informative reviews and commentary. After all, we take fangirling seriously!
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242 Responses to “Summer Anime Catalogue 2014”

  1. Di Gi Kazune says:

    Already planned out summer’s watch list at the beginning of spring.

    The top 3 shows consists of:
    #1 Illya
    #2 Miyu
    #3 Chloe (traces a chair)

    Himegoto would be #4, just because, A TRAP IS FINE TOO!

    To quote a character: Checkmate.

  2. Martin says:

    I’m definitely on board for Aldnoah.Zero purely for the staff roll-call, but also because I’ve not watched a mecha show in absolutely ages. I’ve never got into Gundam and ever since Code Geass they’ve all seemed to immature and ’emo’ for me, so I’m hoping Urobuchi and Aoki can cook up a winner.

    Psycho-Pass is one of those names I’ve seen bandied around a lot, but the new series could be a handy point to get onto the bandwagon.

    More Monogatari is always a good thing – I’m not particularly interested in Kanbaru on her own, but it’ll be nice to catch up again with the cast as a whole. Time to get Shinbo-d~!

    SAO? I didn’t dislike it outright, but it was a tad mediocre. I watched it for the KiritoxAsuna pairing more than anything. Might pass on this one.

    The spring season proved that I can’t seem to find the time and energy to give more than three or four new shows the attention they deserve, so I’ll keep my eyes and ears open for recommendations as the season goes on!

    • Foshizzel says:

      Hahaha ya the mechs of today are really focused on emo main characters who hate the world, but there are a few good ones that I would recommend like Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince, Aquarion Evol and Knights of Sidonia which wrapped up last week! Both are interesting and yeah I am all aboard the hype train for Aldnoah.Zero! I really hope Urobuchi does well with his own series.

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        His last mecha series kinda… didn’t too well. I’ll wait until the body count goes up to 1/2 the cast then perhaps start.

        • Foshizzel says:

          Gargantia? He was only assisting on that one if you are talking about that anime.

          • BlackBriar says:

            Assisting yet you could feel he was working certain parts. Like that whole deity crazed cult and their twisted customs.

            • Namika says:

              I wouldn’t say that Gargantia was bad. Quite the contrary – I think it was actually quite a great show. It just wasn’t what you would expect from a show Urobutcher laid his hands on, even slightly.

            • BlackBriar says:

              True. Gargantia was tame compared to Urobuchi’s prowess with Fate/Zero and Psycho-Pass. Those two were unforgiving.

            • skylion says:

              …is everyone ignoring the dead squiddies….

            • akagami says:

              “Nuuuoooooooooo, I just killed my 700 times removed cousins!!?!!”

        • Di Gi Kazune says:

          *whacks spammy*

          • BlackBriar says:

            A single whack isn’t going to cut it.

            • Di Gi Kazune says:

              *readies Starlight Breaker*

            • Namika says:

              And a Fleija :3

            • BlackBriar says:

              Are we beating him into submission or taking him out completely? Because the latter is looking more like the possible choice.

            • Namika says:

              Okay, let’s first beat him into submission. If that doesn’t work, lets send Nina to take him out :3

    • Kyokai says:

      I am very hyped about Aldnoah and I hope it’s grittier than Gargantia. And I highly recommend you Psycho-pass. You can imagine it anime version of True Detectives. It’s really really good, one of Urobutcher’s best.

      • BlackBriar says:

        I strongly second that recommendation on Psycho-Pass. Anyone who hasn’t seen it is definitely missing out on an excellent series. It’s more than worth your time.

        • Namika says:

          I would, once again, repeat that statement. It’s a smart anime that will make you think and get you on the edge of your seat.

    • Namika says:

      I’ve watched only a few mecha anime but all of them kinda seem dull compared with CG. I’m probably just biased, I love that show to bits and pieces but still…

  3. anaaga says:

    Kaji Yuuki as Nobunaga? Did that historic figure ever lose a limb?

    He might lose an arm in this show. Kaji Yuki rule can definitely reinvent history because it’s Kaji Yuki

    • Kyokai says:

      I don’t think his role is too big, Mamoru plays the kid supposed to replace him. I have a feeling he will be appearing in flashbacks, etc.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Maybe a tragic concert accident will claim his arm?!

    • HannoX says:

      Nobunaga was killed in RL, so I suppose he could have a limb chopped off and die, thus needing to be replaced.

    • skylion says:

      Ah, my half hearted joke has grown some wings!

    • BlackBriar says:

      Another series centered on Nobunaga? Really? We’ve already had two this year so far. Well, one did better than the other. As in Nobunagun outdid Nobunaga the Fool. And it’s weird thinking of Yuki Kaji taking the role when I’m still thinking of him as Hideyoshi aka Monkey in Nobunaga the Fool.

      • anaaga says:

        ZAFOOOOLLL was actually good until the second half of the series. Kawamori doesn’t know what he’s doing with his story(ies). At least the ending was satisfying though

        • BlackBriar says:

          I’ve downloaded the final episode but reluctant to see through after what a huge mess the penultimate one became. It was as if the show was making things up as it went along, and poorly.

        • HannoX says:

          I quit after the third or fourth episode. It was already becoming such a mess by then and Nobunagun was so much more enjoyable.

        • skylion says:

          He’s much better when he gives high style and aplomb, in a very straightforward manner. M3 was not very watchable for me, and Za Fool, just didn’t have the punch that EVOL had.

      • thorgriim says:

        Every studio wants to make a Nobunaga type series, im just waiting for Shaft to try it…waiting…

  4. belatkuro says:

    Small correction on the Pokemon XY title. It’s Hakai no Mayu to Diance. It’s in the trailer.
    Don’t forget about the new Pokemon that can Mega Evolve into Madoka.

    New season is upon us. Summer is usually the weakest season along with Winter but last year was surprisingly good. Let’s see how this season fares.

    The shows I’m totally excited about are:

    1. Fate/Illya 2wei: Obvious enough if you know me. 2wei is a step up from the prequel with more twists and challenges. Some fans like to say that this is like the UBW route in terms of balance and tone.
    I’m excited to see all of the characters again plus the new ones(excited to see Bazett and Caren). And more loli action, in more ways than one.
    I’m wondering how much it’ll cover since the first season covered 2 volumes in 10 episodes and 2wei is 5 volumes.
    I’m excited either way.

    2. SAO II: Despite the polarizing reception of this show in the internet, mostly leaning on the negative, I still like it. The source material is one of my favorites and while the adaptation had its share of problems, I still enjoyed it. Most fans(what’s remaining of them anyways) consider this arc to be their favorite. Personally, I like the SAO arc more plus the current arc in the LN, which is the longest one, is shaping up very well.
    Nonetheless, I’ll definitely be watching this. Sawashiro as Shinon is already a big reason to watch it.

    3. Blade Dance: Despite its generic plot and characters, I’m actually excited for this. I picked it up on B-T because there was an active translator and I gradually grew to like it. Granted, I almost stopped reading it because the first volumes(which the anime will be covering) weren’t that good but it kicked in later on when the actual Blade Dance started.
    The voice cast for the characters are mostly newbies(a lot of shows this season have newbie seiyuus it seems) or haven’t had been casted much so I’m eager to see how they fare. Some of them sound decent enough in the PV.

    4. Sailor Moon: While I only watched bits and pieces of it back when I was little(god I feel old now), I definitely won’t miss the chance to watch this. It’s one of the most, if not the, iconic franchises in anime and it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t heard of it.
    It’ll be a nice experience to watch it in its original language since I watched some of this dubbed(in my language). The cast is pretty much one of my incentives as well to watch this, though I’m surprised they’re keeping the original seiyuu of Sailor Moon. Can she still pass up as a high school girl with her voice?
    Let’s see I guess.

    Other shows that I’m picking up are:
    Jinsei
    Space Dandy 2
    Akame ga Kill(currently reading the manga)
    Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun
    Ao Haru Ride
    Re:_Hamatora
    Free! Eternal Summer(one of the few males who liked it)
    Glasslip(never failed to watch a show from PA Works)
    Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen
    Tokyo Ghoul
    Zankyou no Terror
    RAIL WARS!
    Persona 4 the Golden Animation
    Rokujouma no Shinryakusha
    Tokyo ESP(better continue the manga before the season starts)
    Hanamonogatari
    Aldnoah Zero(the director sure loves to do shows with ZERO in the title)

    Shows that’s still tentative:
    Hanayamata
    Nobunaga Concerto
    Barakamon
    Momo Kyun Sword

    21 definite with 4 tentative, plus 9 carryovers.
    Still a lot lower than my record back in Fall so this is very much manageable. Doing this for so long helps in managing your time for everything.
    Looking forward to the new season. It’s the start of the Fate bonanza that will last for half a year or more. Plus the thing that I had predicted and dreaded a long time ago: Mahouka and SAO airing in the same season. RIP internet.

    • Kyokai says:

      For Pokemon, I used ANN, so Hakai no Mayu is all good.

      I am looking forward to Fall more than Summer but I’m liking the overall variety of Summer. Though, my interest is piqued about Caren and Bazett as well (obviously due to their genes!), and I really want to see Illya-Archer again. Best of first season really.

      • skylion says:

        Caren and Bazett kick so much ass in the manga, I hope they preserve it the anime. There will be an Archer. Yes there will be…

    • skylion says:

      And more loli action, in more ways than one.

      Yes, DAT KURO! LOL…..i

    • skylion says:

      I think this is the first season since I started watching again circa early ’11 that I have less than twenty. Which is fine by me. More focus is good.

    • BlackBriar says:

      9 carryover animes? Captain Earth, M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane and Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei I’m aware of. But I don’t remember that many two cour series starting out in Spring. What are they?

      It’s the start of the Fate bonanza that will last for half a year or more.

      If you count the three months of Prisma Illya for the Summer plus the Fate/Stay Night remake in Fall which will most likely be a two cour series, we’re in for 9 months of Fate related material. From July 2014 until April 2015. Die-hard Type-Moon fanatics fans will go drunk on this.

      • belatkuro says:

        Baby Steps, Captain Earth, Fairy Tail, Haikyuu, Jojo, Mahouka, and M3 from Spring. Plus 2 ongoing with Hunter X Hunter and Pokemon XY (yes I’m still watching it).

        It’s a great year to be a Fate fan definitely. Won’t you join us. We won’t bite >:D

        • BlackBriar says:

          It’s a great year to be a Fate fan definitely. Won’t you join us. We won’t bite >:D

          Hehehe… I’ve already joined you all but I’m still a fledgling. Since Fate/Zero. Can’t say Shingetsutan Tsukihime because I was unaware of what company made it at the time. Plus it was the English dub. Still a long way to go.

          • Kyokai says:

            Go watch Kara no Kyoukai right nooowwwwwww.

            For Fate though, just wait for ufotable’s version. I don’t recommend DEEN’s because it does not exist.

            • skylion says:

              Will I be the one, during ufotables /Stay Night run that is hollering for more Illya?

            • BlackBriar says:

              Go watch Kara no Kyoukai right nooowwwwwww.

              Speaking of that, I actually downloaded one of the movies: “Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin” but I never got around to watching so it’s been sitting in my external hard drive for the longest time.

              Besides that, my anime movie backlog consists of: Ao no Exorcist, Gintama Final Chapter The Movie: Eternal Glory to the Odd Jobs, Hanasaku Iroha the Movie: Home Sweet Home, Sakasama no Patema (Patema Inverted), Steins;Gate: Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu and Toaru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki.

              The only exception against those was Blood-C: The Last Dark. I’ve been too caught up with the anime seasons and everything else.

            • Kyokai says:

              Don’t watch Mirai Fukuin! It’s the last movie so it’s like watching the end before beginning. Whenever you do get to it, start with release order of the movies so 1 to 7, then Epilogue, Extra Chorus Special and THEN Mirai Fukuin. Yes, that’s similar to watching a one-cour series with the total run-time.

              If you have seen the Gintama anime, your priority should be Odd Jobs movie because it’s fricking hilarious. I have to watch the rest of the stuff you mentioned too, minus Index movie, which I zipped through but didn’t like that much.

            • Di Gi Kazune says:

              Illya Route! Illya Route! Illya Route! Illya wants… Onii-chan~~.

        • Namika says:

          I’m finishing my exams on 9th of july, so I’ll probably be the next recruit. And I’ll start the season with Fate/Zero :3

    • JPNIgor says:

      SAO arc is really the best. There’s hardly any other arc where the same sense of danger is present. The current arc is simply fascinating and you can see the world shaping up to be what is shown in Accel World, but it’s nowhere near the same tension of the first arc.

    • Namika says:

      How can anyone pass SM up?!
      Okay, now I’m taking it too far, but it really is one of the most iconic anime ever. But it was so strange to watch the trailer and see Sailor Moon well-animated. It’s just so strange, I have no idea how to describe it 😀

  5. belatkuro says:

    Spammy ate my tl;dr. Summer appetite?

    • Kyokai says:

      Trying to find under 400 hoard.

      • BlackBriar says:

        It must be tough. One of mine got caught as well. The time of the seasonal Anime Catalogues have arrived once again and Spammy is taking full advantage.

  6. il-Palazzo says:

    Gundam-san got adapt!? Really!?

    Oh man, this is the best news of this season. Definitely have to check it out. The manga is friggin’ hilarious.

    Only if there is anyone who would sub it. Please someone sub it.

    • Kyokai says:

      With the Gundam fanboys all around, I am pretty sure it will be subbed. I mean, Char and Amuro doing stupid things is simply gold.

    • Foshizzel says:

      This whole year is going to be great for Gundam fans! There are lots of series coming out 😀

    • anaaga says:

      SOMEONE BETTER BE

  7. BlackBriar says:

    Summer has arrived and we say goodbye to Spring… NO!! Oh, come on, man. It’s just going to get hotter where I am. Well, the roster of new animes may be worth me enduring the intense heat. A lot of anticipation here for me is based on whether or this Summer will outdo last year which was surprisingly strong. The titles here don’t look so bad and we have some nice sequels.

    Most anticipated:
    Akame ga Kill!, Aldnoah.Zero, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya 2wei!, Hanamonogatari, Tokyo ESP, Tokyo Ghoul, Zankyou no Terror

    Moderate:
    Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal, Free! Eternal Summer, Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus, Momo Kyun Sword, Persona 4 The Golden Animation, Psycho-Pass New Edit Version, RAIL WARS!, Re:_Hamatora, Shirogane no Ishi Argevollen, Sword Art Online II

    Maybe:
    Glasslip, Majimoji Rurumo, Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?, Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance

    Akame ga Kill!: I remember Karakuri mentioning this in one of her posts and said it was a good story and involved a lot of deaths. The PV seems to support that statement though what was shown was scarce. So I’m checking this out mostly on her judgment. Odds are the Megane-chan will be commandeering this and if that’s the case, she’ll be happy. Akame ga Kill being a confirmed two cour series means a good six months of action if handled right. I have faith White Fox won’t censor most of the violence and gore after the acceptable job they did with Jormungand.

    Aldnoah.Zero: The mecha genre is alright in its own but the sheer mention of Gen Urobuchi’s involvement is more than enough to give this series a change. The Urobutcher has created strong stories before that have left marks.

    Persona 4 The Golden Animation: I’m still not how much of a difference will be made redoing an already completed series and the only change is adding a single new character. Even if said is voiced by one of my favorite female seiyuus Kana Hanazawa. Still, if this is happening, it wouldn’t feel right without the KaraCool Tag Team.

    Psycho-Pass New Edit Version: I already blew through the original first season when it aired initially for Fall 2012 (To be honest, the downloaded episodes are still stored in my external hard drive) though I’ve yet to take the English dub for a spin. Despite that, I may be inclined to do so again as a refresher course in preparation for the second season that’s on its way this Fall. Plus I’m curious about the added material. And for those who haven’t seen it all, it’s a good opportunity for them to finally join Urobuchi’s particular psychological club. Trust me, it’s worth it.

    Sword Art Online II: The second half of the first season was kind of a drag, watered down after the threat of death from player loss was extinguished. I admit that but it didn’t cause me to hate the show as a whole. My pet peeve, however, was how quickly and mercilessly Asuna was downgraded from stand-alone female badass to defenseless damsel in distress. Making Kirito once again the only overpowered character. That was painful to watch at times. At least here, Kirito’s playing on a completely different turf with someone (Sinon) who seems exceptionally more powerful and skilled than he is. So there might actually be a long awaited challenge for this show’s protagonist. The premise of players dying in real life from the effects of a game, even in the same fashion sounds like material straight out of The Matrix. It’ll be a pleasure hearing Miyuki Sawashiro’s voice again.

    Tokyo Ghoul: I’ve heard rumors of this being an excellent long before an adaptation was announced but I admit I was too lazy to even give the manga the light of day. After seeing the advertised promos that have been about, my interest surely has been piqued. It looks dark and violent as they come with a lot of tragedy. Somehow, I can see Overcooled blogging this. Tokyo Ghoul appears to be the kind of series right up her alley. Plus the characters in the PV were rocking Shiki style eyes in their transformed state. Natsuki Hanae is voicing the lead. This new seiyuu sure is getting notice.

    Free! Eternal Summer: I can already hear the fangirls roaring sparing no expense in the process. Since Free is back for a second round, we can only expect Shark-kun to make a return. This new character joining in, voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya (Strike the Blood‘s Kojou Akatsuki, Black Bullet‘s Tamaki Katagiri, Hitsugi no Chaika‘s Albéric Gillette), I wonder how he’s going to factor in with the rest of the group.

    Glasslip: Not sure how I feel about this one, to be honest. P.A Works has some hits and misses and all but the premise has me skeptical. Can’t say it’s doing well to grab my attention, because it’s not. To show some sort of leniency however, I’m automatically going to instate the 3 episode test.

    Hanamonogatari: Annoyed was I when Kanbaru’s arc wasn’t coupled with the others in Monogatari Series: Second Season but at least Shaft is making amends by showing it all. All 5 episodes in a marathon, no less.

    Re:_Hamatora: The Minimum Holders are back! While the harsh backlash from a handful of viewers is beyond me (Feel free to riddle the fifth episode with bullets, though), the show was fun. More so if you’re not expecting some grand overreaching plot, which there wasn’t and didn’t appear that way from the get-go. The cliffhanger from the first half was unexpected and left me baffled so I was really eager to see what comes next. Plus Emiri Kato’s character Hajime is finally joining in on the action and she made an impression with her explosion of anger towards the end. The promo I saw shows that things are getting serious. And I immediately fell for the new OP “Sen no Tsubasa” by livetune adding Takuro Sugawara (from 9mm Parabellum Bullet). Even went as far as downloading the video so I could listen to it repeatedly. The OP release can’t come quick enough.

    @Kyokai: For Re:_Hamatora, ANN states the time skip is not a year but a three month period from where the first half left off.

    • skylion says:

      I’m watching all your Maybe’s and all of your Most Anticipated. But only two of your moderates.

      Yeah, I do wonder about PA’s track record. Glasslip looks like it could be a scheduled “miss”. But I always give then a chance, cause they are still pretty darn awesome.

      Ah, Urubutcher! His siren song of death and despair…how we ably rise to hear it…

      GGO (aka SAO II….the show doesn’t take place in Aincard…so I’m going to refer to it as GGO) Despite it’s obvious flaws, I loved watching the original from week to week, and even AOL was good in it’s real world flavor. I have no doubt fun will be had this time around.

      White Fox on Akame no kill is just like beans and rice. Tasty and full of flavor…if you like BLOOD!

    • JPNIgor says:

      Really wanted to watch Psycho-Pass and Persona 4, but I don’t have the time to spare to watch rereleases. Maybe if someone praises them enough on Metanorn, I’ll give them a try.

    • akagami says:

      My take from the hater camp.

      Hamatora disappointed me a lot. I would have preferred it stuck to the episodic route more, the whole plotline with Moral didn’t appeal to me at all and Art doesn’t interest me at all – he was just there but didn’t really accomplish anything. Add in the whole “we’re special and being persecuted by normals” plotline and the whole thing left a bitter taste. Add to that the fact I never really got emotionally invested in any of the characters and there goes my interest.

      While the ending was unexpected, I felt annoyance more than anything, around the actions that occurred and the assumed consequences rather than the cliffhanger aspect. I’m not a big fan of realism in my anime, especially fantasy. But that’s just me, and I’m sure I’m in the minority vs. most bloggers.

      • Kyokai says:

        Actually, I share your sentiments on Hamator, akagami. I loved the case-wise episode than the Moral PLOT. The last episode just pissed me off because they did spend time in talking about Art’s childhood so what the hell happened? I’m definitely not going to blog this except for FI but I guess as I have seen S1, I’ll marathon S2 when it’s done.

    • Kyokai says:

      @ BB, About Yoshimasa Hosoya’s role in Free! (I’m so glad he’s included because he’s one of my favourites <3), I'm pretty sure he has been introduced to increase the sense of competition in the boys. He seems pretty serious from whatever we have seen in trailers.

      About the time skip on Hamatora, I got it from one of the press releases on the sequel. We'll have to see, which one turns up right. 😉

  8. Kyokai says:

    Just a note about spammy today, I see some bots going overactive so if anyone’s comment goes missing, please comment here and we’ll save it. Currently, the spam is already over 1000 and in a few hours I’m not sure it’s going to go down.

  9. JPNIgor says:

    I’m kind of glad that this Summer Season is not populated with shows I like just from looking at them. That said, for someone just starting college, I still picked a lot of shows to watch…

    Akame ga Kill – You guys made it look spectacular. I hope it lives up to the expectations you guys built on me.

    Rail Wars – Seems kinda nice, if I got it, they are four friends from school who decide to work together on the railways, that’s gotta be something cool.

    Sword Art Online II – I liked the first season of SAO, so I’m really hyped for the second season. With that said, I’m wondering what they are going to do with the world created for Gun Gale Online. I hope the animation of the background will be great since it’s in a dystopic future but the fights will be less exciting because Kirito is as OP as ever and gunfights are that much boring to watch than swords. But the real life has a good part on the LN, hope they make it like that on the anime as well.

    TokyoESP – didn’t really understand but the pool of characters picked my attention.

    Sabagebu – Picked this one in hopes that they will make it a whole different thing from Stella C3.

    Ao Haru Ride – I can’t let any RomCom pass by me.

    Barakamon – Love anime about people being taken out of their comfort zone.

    Free! 2 – I’m one of those “some boys” who liked Free. I liked it more because of the sports premise and the music, it was great.

    Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun – Remind me of the background story of the Mangaka-kun and the Editor-san in Mangaka-san & Assistant-san. Looking forward.

    Glasslip – Did you guys notice that the trailer mentions that the main girl get the power to look into the future? And those visuals, that sceneryporn, of course I’m gonna watch it, specially after Nagi no Asukara…

    Hanamonogatari – Since it’s the arc that puts everything together on the Second Season of the Monogatari Series, it’s a must watch.

    Jinsei – Watching it in the hopes of it being anywhere closer to the dinamics of SNAFU. But man, they didn’t even try to make the main guy look cool in any ways. He looks plain and boring XD

    Zankyoku no Terror – Looks like the Coppelion events being caused by two adolescents. Hope it’s good.

    Fate/kaleid – How could I not watch it after that awesome fight near the end of the first season?

    • skylion says:

      gunfights are that much boring to watch than swords. But the real life has a good part on the LN, hope they make it like that on the anime as well.

      …ever see Madoka Rebellion? If they can pull of half of that, it should be good to go.

      I’ll see ya there for Ilya!

      • JPNIgor says:

        I hope they do so, but unfortunately they can’t have multiple guns appearing out of nowhere, so I’m still in doubt. You see, the sword fights on the first season is not as spectacular as shown on the anime. The LN describes each move and there aren’t many. The same goes for the gun fights. He describes how Sinon puts her target on the crosshair, and breathes hard before giving a winning one shot…

        See you there! o/

    • Kyokai says:

      On Zankyou no Terror, good thing is the fact that it’s not a post-apocalyptic series like Coppelion. Things will unfold in front of us with different incidents, I would like to see things get from bad to worse. xD

      • JPNIgor says:

        That’s what I’m hoping for. And I hope they will really have a good reason for it. Would hate to discover at the end that they did it because they hate their lives…

  10. Hoshi says:

    ~Can’t wait for all the Free! fangirl madness (◡‿◡✿)
    *starts wearing ‘I heart Makoto’ shirt*

    • skylion says:

      Oh, my goodness…

    • BlackBriar says:

      I have a feeling it’s already begun but starting off as a slow churn. They’re being quiet for the moment.

    • Di Gi Kazune says:

      Let it go! Let it go!

      No more moeblob from that studio. Kyoto Manimation now 😛

      • skylion says:

        Bite your tongue! More K-ON!!!

        • akagami says:

          I really enjoyed both seasons and the movie, even if it wasn’t really archive worthy. If a S3 was announced, I’d watch it in a heartbeat.

        • BlackBriar says:

          Bite your tongue!

          My sentiments exactly.

      • BlackBriar says:

        Those words are blasphemy! More shows like Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, Hyouka and Kyoukai no Kanata are that studio’s best work! Don’t go changin’!

        • d-LaN says:

          Agree 10000000%. Free! is pretty much the gender flipped of K-ON w/h swimming anyway. (Not that I dislike Free!)

          Plus KyoAni is also animating another Shoji Gatoh LN “Amagi Brilliant Park”.

          • skylion says:

            Well, if the Keion’s were dry and witless, then I agree.
            That will be my say for Free 2 btw. I didn’t like the first one very much, so I’ll avoid this one.

    • anaaga says:

      *join ‘I heart Makoto’ shirt*

    • Kyokai says:

      I cannot wait for the fangasm to take over internet. Of course, with return of Shark-kun :3

      • skylion says:

        Which will be the biggest fangasm. Free 2 for SAO 2/GGO?

        • BlackBriar says:

          Kind of inadequate calling it “Sword” Art Online when the arc is going to be centered on a game revolving around guns, when you think about it. The arc’s very title is “Phantom Bullet”.

    • Namika says:

      *adjusts glasses*
      Yes! It will be marvelous! *~*

  11. zztop says:

    Will watch Free! Season 2 and continue with Captain Earth.
    Will keep an eye on the others as they come out.

    • BlackBriar says:

      Keeping your plate clean until you see what you like that’s worth adding to it, eh? Not a bad move. Then again, it’s a method not easily maintained. Perseverance is demanded! Test your might!!!

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        Have been doing it for ages here. Since 2004. It’s actually easy if you have to balance it with the commitments of making moolah (so you can buy the stuff from what you actually watch) and time management.

        That and the idea of backlog. I used to pick up shows (entire seasons) on recommendation to watch. Then discovered that it did not fit into my preferences. My two biggest mistakes: Mahoutsuki ni taisetsuna koto ~someday’s dreamer~ and haibane renmei. Entire seasons. Archived. Will never be finished watching. Put it this way: rather sit through *monogatari slide shows.

        • akagami says:

          That’s too bad, I really enjoyed Haibane Renmei and would recommend it, but I understand how it might not be for everyone. Never heard or seen Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto, what’s it similar to?

  12. Joojoobees says:

    I agree that the Sengoku *altered* show is used way too often (like I could tolerate it every year or two, but instead we get multiple shows like this each season), but I think I will still check out Nobunaga Concerto. The artwork (like the washed out colors) makes it look more like an historical drama, which I like.

    I have a hard time believing that Rail Wars will turn out well, but the unusual premise is intriguing. I’m willing to check it out to see where they take it.

    Finally … Terror in Tokyo. How am I gonna ignore something like this?

    • skylion says:

      I don’t have high high hopes for Rail Wars as it just seems like such an oddball premise. But then, given that, there has to be much more going on for a studio to commit to it. I mean, it would be like doing a Settlers of Cataan anime. We know there will be wood for sheep, but you have to have more than that…

      • JPNIgor says:

        Guys, I don’t know why you guys are so aware of weird animes after Nanana.

        • BlackBriar says:

          Out of curiosity, why would Nanana be considered weird? The series didn’t give that kind of feel. Other than the titular character being a ghost, it was pretty much a modern day treasure hunting show.

          • Highway says:

            I find it true that Nanana didn’t really fit into the normal boxes: It was adventure and action without being serious, it was funny without being comedy, it was kind of fanservicey without being naked, and it was complicated and convoluted without being stuffy.

            Maybe it fit the Treasure Hunt kind of stereotype, but we don’t get a lot of them in anime.

          • JPNIgor says:

            You see, people were really skeptical about Nanana. It was thought to be just simple treasure hunting, but it turned out to be something more. If Rail Wars is listed as an action show, it’s gotta be something over the top and unusually amusing to be under this category.

            If it was listed as a slice of life show, I would be looking forward to it anyways, hoping for it to be close to Working! and Servant x Service.

    • Kyokai says:

      I’m really, really, really looking forward to Zankyou no Terror. It has everything to be a masterpiece and as it’s psychological, my hopes are 100% greater.

  13. skylion says:

    I am seriously going to have to give Hanayamata a good hard look. Sakurasou and NGNL director, K-ON and Gup writer/series comp…lots of my favorites.

  14. akagami says:

    Oh god, I’m still finishing up last season’s 22 shows (out of an original 30 I picked up)…

    And they start airing this upcoming week щ(ºДºщ) (in a happy sort of way – happy I get more anime goodness, wrrry as in “I got a huge enough backlog dammit”).

    • BlackBriar says:

      Oh god, I’m still finishing up last season’s 22 shows (out of an original 30 I picked up)…

      It’s an understatement saying it’s going to be rough for you when Summer kicks off and you’re still not finished with your current list. Much luck to you getting there.

      • akagami says:

        When things start to settle down and I can start whittling away at some of my backlog (which usually is near the end of the season because the shows have wrapped up), I tend to forget about the next season until preview posts like this one pop up, and hit me like a Mack truck. And then I scramble about trying to figure out what I’m going to pick up from the current season.
        ( •_•)
        ( •_•)>⌐■-■
        (⌐■_■)

        • BlackBriar says:

          That sounds like an enormous hassle to deal with. When I’ve made my mind up about what shows I’m watching, I make sure to see them all through to be on time for when the new series arrive. Unless it’s a two cour series, I try not to let my backlog build.

          • akagami says:

            It’s not so bad, because I’m in it for fun. Anime is life! (⌐■_■)
            If I was a blogger I probably would be the worst blogger, because I’d get around to blogging about an episode, like… two seasons later.

            • BlackBriar says:

              If that were ever the case here, Kyokai would whip you into shape. Her Death Perception is the perfect motivational means. 😀

            • skylion says:

              I know! One time she edited one if my dashes. It was horrible….

    • Kyokai says:

      Good luck with catching up on the backlog… >>

      • akagami says:

        I’ve been giving it a good fight and have managed to keep it hovering around 280GB (995 episodes/OVAs/movies) for the past few days.
        ੭•̀ω•́)੭̸*✩⁺˚
        Fight-o!

        • BlackBriar says:

          Hold it! Is that the amount on your external hard drive or other device? Wow, impressive. You’re close to my amount. Right now, I have 303GB of anime. Those that I’ve watched and have yet to watch. About 3/4 of it or more has already been watched.

          • skylion says:

            I’ve close to a TB and I’ve watch at least 6/8 of it. But then I’m an old fart with some time…

          • akagami says:

            I only archive shows I will re-watch, and movies are on discs. My archive drive is about 500GB atm. I have about 1.5GB of space dedicated for anime.

          • akagami says:

            Ehhhh, that’s 1.5TB. 1.5GB for anime would be brutal… that would be like 3-5 episodes at most.

            • BlackBriar says:

              Depends on where you’re downloading anime from. At cyber12.com where I frequently visit, a 12 episode series would have a memory total that’s just below, exactly or a bit over 1 GB. In the LQ section (as in the bottom section of whatever anime you’re going for) one episode from any series will range between 82 and 85 MB.

              Here are some examples of how much memory it amounted to for the full series I have. And it’s not much.
              Strike the Blood (24 episodes): 1,92 GB
              Kill la Kill (24 episodes): 1,98 GB
              Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda (12 episodes): 0,99 GB
              Selector Infected WIXOSS (12 episodes): 991 MB
              No Game, No Life (12 episodes): 989 MB
              Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? (12 episodes): 986 MB
              Brynhildr in the Darkness (Gokukoku no Brynhildr) (13 episodes): 1,04 GB

          • akagami says:

            And that 280GB is all unwatched~~~. With 40GB of unread manga. 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

    • Namika says:

      Whoa, that list O_O Good luck on clearing that up, Summer sure as hell will be rly fun for you. Both in good ways and bad 😀

  15. MR.KLAC says:

    well after spring anime hmm decent of blade-soul & the ANTI-issei aka kouichi (what a jerk bleep-hole).

    indeed maybe summer anime can get me wake-up watching as of now only 2 worth watch are illya s2 & momo kyun sword.

    • BlackBriar says:

      Meh, Blade and Soul in the end turned out to be a huge disappointment. An opinion I’m sure will be backed by a handful of others. A waste of great potential and that final episode felt a lot like an unnecessary OVA.

      • d-LaN says:

        I’m honestly wondering, does any1 here played the MMO? How is the game actually and how faithful is the anime to the game? Because I seem to recall a lot of ppl were hyped for the game but once the english release is on limbo no one talks abt it anymore.

  16. Irenesharda says:

    After a bit of an uninspiring Spring season, with only two shows that I really enjoyed, I hope to get more our of summer and I’m excited for what’s in store!

    My working watch list right now includes:

    Of course the mecha shows of the season Aldnoah.Zero and Shirogane no Ishi: Argevollen.

    I’m more excited over Aldnoah since I love the tagline “Let Justice be Done though the Heavens Fall” which is the classic legal Latin maxim, Fiat justitia ruat caelum. Also, I’ve never really seen a full Urobutcher show, and from what I’ve seen of his, I really like his style to so, hopefully this will be as great as we hope it to be. Argevollen looks like standard mech fare, but I’m a sucker for that stuff as long as it’s made well, so hopefully it will be awesome as well.

    Next on the list is Zankyou no Terror.

    This series looks to be interesting and grabbed my eye simply from the content. Looking at a terrorist event (that looks quite reminiscent of 9/11 despite being in another country) and seeing the story and events from the point of view of the young terrorist looks to be both disturbing and fascinating. It’s a short series, but I’m interested in seeing where it goes.

    On the SOL side, Glasslip and Free!: Eternal Summer.

    I loved Free! and unlike Highway (which we seem to have made a habit of disagreeing LOL) I absolutely loved Rin. I will be highly looking forward to this sequel and seeing where the gang will go next. As for Glasslip, I’m going into that on a trial basis. I liked Nagi no Asukara (even though I have yet to finish the series) which was my first show by this studio. I’m interested in seeing another venture by them, but I’m hesitant as what really drew me to Nagi no Asukara was the fairy tale world and the world of the sea people. Glasslip is all taking place in the ordinary world and I can see that becoming boring after a while for me, but here’s hoping.

    And lastly, there’s Tokyo ESP and Tokyo Ghoul.

    I don’t like horror practically at all, and so I have to be really into the series to even take a look. I tried Pupa a season ago, and just find that pathetic, and the last full horror series I finished was Shiki, which I enjoyed despite the creepiness, horror, and despair.
    Tokyo Ghoul looks interesting, but I will have to get an impression of the first episode to see if I will be continuing.
    As for Tokyo ESP, well, I like shows about characters getting superpowers, so I’ll be trying it out.

    • skylion says:

      I always remember “Let Justice Be Done…” from Oliver Stone’s Film JFK. Such a kick ass moment in that movie. So it does make me wonder how it will be applied to a mecha anime.

      Glasslip is very much on my list; as I so want to find out more about the art of glassblowing and how the show will handle that. Yes, there will be SOL moments, and PA is tremendous at that. But I cannot help but nerd out at the glassblowing. Even thou I seen it and done it in many RenFaires.

    • skylion says:

      I’ve got a reply for you, if Spammy gives it up~

    • BlackBriar says:

      Now I’m really glad I recommended Shiki to you when I did. It was a great series, wasn’t it? Even after 4 years (not officially yet) since its initial airing, the show is still awesome and sticks in my mind from time to time. Quite an impression was made from it. While that gave you your first official taste of the horror genre, Tokyo Ghoul might finish the job of getting you into it. Long before an adaptation was announced, there’ve been a lot of positive talk about its story, certainly regarding the horror and despair, that it is well constructed but I never got around to checking it out myself for any clarification.

      • Irenesharda says:

        Hey, I know these guys are “ghouls” and all, but I saw a few that actually look like vampyr material. Do you think we’ll get any nosferatu it this? The last few vampire shows have been disappointments (though Blood Lad was pretty good), it would be nice to have them featured again in a good show.

        • BlackBriar says:

          Nice idea. I’m not too sure about that but a small part of me is hoping so, though it’s unlikely. What I saw from the Tokyo Ghoul previews is that the ghouls share the same kind of eyes as the Shiki: Pitch black with a red iris for the center.

          Hmm, Blood Lad, for me, was below expectations. I know Strike the Blood wasn’t your kind of thing but I did enjoy it for certain reasons. I bet you’ll be guessing on what those would be. 😉

    • Namika says:

      Oh please, don’t take Pupa seriously. Please. I also watched it, but more because of a principal. I was considering checking out the manga, even though the reviews weren’t that good. But of course I didn’t, because I’m a lazyass.
      Shiki was quite dark but I don’t think it was that much into the horror spectrum. Try Corpse Party. Though that’s also not horror for me, more like an equivalent to the Saw, because the creepy factor is mainly focused on the gore. If you haven’t seen Higurashi you should definitely try it, whenever you’ll feel like you need some horror. It won’t disappoint, trust me. *captain obvious*

      • Irenesharda says:

        Anyone who knows me, could tell you that I’m actually a very sensitive and squeamish person. I can handle any type of blood and death in action, but I can’t even approach something like Halloween or Nightmare on Elm St. I’m not into horror or torture porn because I know that I can’t handle it and that I’ll be in for several nights of nightmares. So, I know that things like Saw and Final Destination and anything with Stephen King’s name on it, are a no go. However, I do like the classic monsters, more so because of the plot and sort of the sci-fi angle of it all, and I find I can handle it better.

        The tense atmosphere, the feeling of no escape, and certain scenes in Shiki creeped me the heck out. (Still shiver at that scene of that girl under the bed…) So to me, it was horror. Pupa on the other hand was so short and censored that I didn’t have time to feel anything. So that show fell flat on all levels.

        As for Tokyo Ghoul, the monsters don’t look that bad, and the trailers look interesting as well as the plot. However, depending on the gore level and the atmosphere, I’ll have to see if I’ll stick with it.

        • Namika says:

          I kinda envy you for that. I’ve been on a hunt for (anything) horror for years, but nothing can really creep me out. TT^TT besides a couple games like Slender and Amnesia.

  17. akagami says:

    22 shows this season I have on my watching list, of which I only have 8 as (almost) guaranteed. Will this be the season I can actually clear some of my backlog (this has about as much chance as the government wiping out the budget deficit this year)?!?

    Almost Guaranteed~
    ——————————–
    Glasslip – I don’t think I’ve ever met a P.A. Works anime I didn’t like (Actually, just checked the list of works and there are only two – Another (which I never watched because Horror is 恐い); and I never could get into Canaan so I never finished it). Slice of Life and Romance are two of my fav genres~~~

    Shirogane no Ishi: Argevollen – I’m a mecha fan, so this is an automatic shoe-in. Although I didn’t like Break Blade, but that was more a fault of the source material, as I found the manga went in a direction I didn’t like, and the anime was true to the source material. I’m not completely sold on the character designs, but I’ll live~ \(--)/

    Futsuu no Joshikousei ga (Locodol) Yattemita – I’m a big idol-genre fan, but the whole local town-idol thing makes me a little hesitant. BUT…… it has Misawa Sachika (Kuroyukihime)!!! Her voice was really good in Toaru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki as Arisa. I’m sold.

    Sword Art Online II – This series polarized the anime community (I was part of the “omg I love Kirito and Asuna”) camp. This could be a show about Asuna cooking for Kirito every day and I would still watch it. But def looking forward to the Gun Gale arc. Actually, I want more of the Aincrad arc, as well. Though I’d settle for the remade-Aincrad.

    Sabagebu – While C3-bu really disappointed me (I’m not sure why I watched it all), this has some of the people behind Yuriyuri and Love Lab, both series I enjoyed (the latter was really fun), so I’m definitely giving it a go (and more).

    Ao Haru Ride – OH GOD YES!!!!!!!!! Strobe Edge was great and I’m really enjoying Ao Haru Ride! Here’s hoping the anime is just as good as the manga is!!! Side note: why did they cast Kaji Yuuki as Kou? WRRRYYYYYY? That’s like having Jonah Hill playing as Heath Ledger. No, just no.

    Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya Zwei! – The first season was good, carrying on from there~ Mahou shoujo, go!


    Monogatari Series: Second Season -Hanamonogatari-
    – If you don’t know what this is, you’re a) living under a rock and thus have no internet and won’t be watching anime anyways, or b) you don’t watch anime, or c) you live under a rock under the rock in a).

    Following (for now)
    ——————————–
    RAIL WARS! – this really reminds me of
    Toshokan Sensou… if you can make an anime around libraries and turn it into an action anime, why not rail? And I enjoyed the former, so this one is going to get a test trial at the very least. And it has Fukuyama Jun!

    Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystal – I must confess, I’ve never ever even seen one second of this anime series. Since it’s getting a remake, I figure I’ll probably give this a whirl… good idea or bad? I do like shoujo series, just not Free |_・)

    ALDNOAH.ZERO – Normally a mecha series would get a “I’m in!” card, but with Urobuchi Gen involved, I’m a little scared (it could be really awesome or I’ll just hate it because of certain plot items). Not quite related, but they killed off all the characters I liked in Sidonoia no Kishi and I was left with a “go die lifeless stick” main character and a weak genderless love interest. Ugh. Holding my breath on this one (and hoping it doesn’t do a Sidonia).

    Barakamon – A wild card for me. This looks like it might be really charming, but it could also turn out to be something that just isn’t my style (and hence, boring to me). The kid designs look meh to me though.

    Jinsei – Well, it’s a school comedy that’s also an advice-column. It has a school and comedy setting to it, so that’s two points in its favor, but the character designs lack impact and looks rather generic (-1). So we’re at… one? This one will get the 2-3 episode test, and by then I should have a good feel for the show.

    Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun – While it’s a romance and a comedy, both genres I highly enjoy, it’s also about making a manga. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a series that revolved around making manga (Sakurasou had it but it wasn’t a primary focus so that was ok)… so I’ll tentatively add this to my watching list but I don’t have high hopes for it.

    Himegoto – I have mixed feelings about this. It’s a 4-koma and has cute girls and a trap, combined with an inexperienced cast/staff. But it’s only 6 minutes long, so what’s the worst that could happen from trying it out? Right?… Right??

    Hanayamata – It has a strong cast and it’s slice of life! Swing factor: I have no idea what yosakoi dancing is. At all. For all I know, this could become the next best thing since sliced bread.

    Momo Kyun Sword – I don’t know anything about Momotarou nor have I ever seen anything related to him, but the premise seems interesting enough for me to take a chance on it, and the designs aren’t half bad. I’m leaning towards the horns side.

    Majimoji Rurumo – It has a LOLi witch. Isn’t that reason enough?

    Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? – This sounds like it’ll be really random, and random shows tend to be a hit-or-miss for me. Here’s hoping it’s the former, because the cast of characters sounds like it would make for an interesting comedy.

    Tokyo ESP – The premise sounds interesting enough, and the promo pics show a really large cast of characters. While I’ve enjoyed many of the superpower shows (Getbackers, K, DtB, etc.), the most recent two were lacking for me (Hamatora really disappointed me and Wizard Barristers wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be). And it doesn’t look like the staff and cast are very experienced. Mitigating factor – apparently the source material is pretty good. So there is that.

    Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance – Typical fantasy harem action shows. Even if it’s not awesome, I’m guaranteed to watch it. The only reason it’s in this list is because I don’t like the character designs. So we’ll see (I’ll probably still end up watching it lol).

    Strange+ Season 2 – Season 1 was short episodes of fun, so I’ll probably end of watching this. Though what I really want is another season of Teekyu.

    I really don’t know what to do
    ——————————–
    PSYCHO-PASS (New Edit) – While I enjoyed the original series, I didn’t enjoy it enough to re-watch again. I guess it depends on how much new content there is.

    Persona 4 The Golden ANIMATION – The P4 game and anime were great, and I thoroughly enjoyed both. I haven’t played the Golden version, so I don’t know anything about the new character. For someone who’s played it, is the new character worth re-watching the series?

    Specials, Oh Yes (because I liked the original series)
    ——————————–
    Kyoukai no Kanata Episode 0 Shinonome
    Ano Natsu de Matteru
    Kill la Kill
    Gokukoku no Brynhildr
    Mushishi Tokubetsu-hen: Odoro no Michi
    Tamayura More Aggressive
    Hayate no Gotoku!
    Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha.
    Girls und Panzer Kore ga Hontou no Anzio-sen Desu!
    Suisei no Gargantia Meguru Kouro, Haruka

    • Karakuri says:

      For Persona 4:

      Uhh, the new character is kind of interesting. She’s kind of a tsundere (ish), is kind of important plot-wise (at the end) and voiced by HanaKana. I don’t know if any of that appeals to you or not though.

      • akagami says:

        Good enough for me! #1 (indifferent), #2 (good), #3 (sold).

        Thanks Karakuri!

    • skylion says:

      Wow. I remember just last season when I did lists like this.

      Glasslip, GGO, and Fate/Illya are some of my high points this season. PA Works does great drama/SOL, and my nerdy side just love the glassblowing angle.
      I adored SAO even for it’s faults, so I’m game for this new game.
      And Illya is just to awesome to pass up. The manga material is going to get so good.

      Barakamon has such sleeper status to it. The manga is terrific, and it goes from sweet to sardonic in one page. I don’t think Kinema Citrus will have any problems with this.

      I’m so much in the groove for Hanayamata, just given the creative pedigree…

      • akagami says:

        I like making lists, because then a season or two later I can go back and compare against my initial pre-air impressions.

        It’s interesting to see which ones I thought would be good but disappointed and which ones weren’t really on my radar but ended up loving. NGNL wasn’t high on my list last season but absolutely loved it. I want a second season!

    • Highway says:

      My current criteria for whether I’ll try a show is “Did they air an episode?” pretty much. I seem to try everything, and then just not watch what didn’t interest me after that, so remember that you don’t need to follow a bad investment. 🙂

      Wizard Barristers I thought was going well… until that screwed up penultimate episode. The story was fine. The “animation”, not.

      • skylion says:

        Yep, it’s the anime fan’s version of the seefood diet…But, much like wine, there are only three types of anime. Good, horrible, and the ones that sneak up on you…

    • Namika says:

      Picking up Sailor Moon would be a good idea. It’s quite surprising that you haven’t seen it LOL

      • Highway says:

        Some of us missed the time period that Sailor Moon got popular. I’ve never seen anything of it.

        • Namika says:

          Too bad. Sometimes I feel like watching Sailor Moon is a universal thing that applies to all anime fans, even though I understand that I’m completely wrong. Since for practically all anime fans I know it was like a gateway into the medium.

        • Di Gi Kazune says:

          Let’s put it this way, Sailor Moon is the Elizabeth Taylor of Magical Girl Anime, ie, the Grandmother of Precure.

          • akagami says:


            I’ve never even seen a second of Precure either. But I’ve seen Madoka! And…. um… does Magical Girl Yue (Negima) count?

            • Di Gi Kazune says:

              Honestly speaking, Sailor Moon introduced North America to magical girl anime as it was the show that made it ‘big’.

              In this part of the world, it’s not such a big fuss. In the 80s, I’ve seen Lala, Gigi, Minky Momo, etc mahou shoujo anime. The concept remains the same, just rewritten for the times.

              Doraemon was already big here in the 1980s.

            • Namika says:

              It was also quite popular in Europe and Russia, considering that they even showed it in Georgia.

            • Di Gi Kazune says:

              And now… raped in the US… just like CCS.

        • BlackBriar says:

          That’s strange to find out. Sailor Moon was one of the first animes aired on Toonami when it began March 17th, 1997. To be more precise, it was in 1998. My god, that was a long time. I was 7 years old!!

        • akagami says:

          That is truth. I didn’t have cable as a child as well. But I did get to watch some American cartoons on the channels that were free over-the-air!

  18. akagami says:

    I hate you spammy.

    • akagami says:

      Please save my message Kyokai-sama! I forgot to save the post and it’s so much effort to re-type all that ヽ(。_°)ノ

      • BlackBriar says:

        Here’s a tip that can help. Type out your comment on Microsoft Word before posting it. You’ll save a lot of time and effort at once. Trust me. My comment above took nearly two Word pages. As if I’d spend my time re-typing all of that.

        • akagami says:

          Well, I had the whole post on my copy/paste function. But then I decided to copy something right after posting…. orz

          • BlackBriar says:

            Once I’m done typing it out, I just copy it onto the comment box. You’ve got to make sure not to copy anything else before pasting it. That happened to me a few times and it was unpleasant.

        • akagami says:

          That’s a good point, I use notepad for editing posts since that small textbox isn’t that great. Maybe I should start using it to save long posts from spammy, and I’ll just brute force the post. Round 5! Spammy 4, me 0.

          • Kyokai says:

            So, this really did happen in June guys. Our total spam will be 2 million in no time. (Click image for a better view)

            spam screenshot

            • Di Gi Kazune says:

              How much of it was over the past week?

              (PS spammy om nom nom nom’ed 4.5k legit comments :P)

            • Kyokai says:

              Around 100,000 last week alone. ><

    • Di Gi Kazune says:

      Let your hate flow! Then only will your journey to the Dark Side(tm) will be complete!

  19. Di Gi Kazune says:

    Ack! I knew I forgot one other show this season:
    Legend of Korra: Book 3.

    • anaaga says:

      *drown Korra in my pool of hatred*

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        I know how you feel after she defeated your Uniqlo, I mean Unalaq.

        • Kyokai says:

          Last season was so meh. The poll should be, can Korra get her act together?

          • Di Gi Kazune says:

            I have to say at the moment… it looks like they are taking the focus off Korra abit and onto the other characters as the season title suggests. *looks furitively after watching the first 6 episodes*

    • Namika says:

      I’m probably the only one off the bandwagon.
      Didn’t like the first season and never bothered to continue

    • BlackBriar says:

      Wow, that series faded out of my mind entirely. I never did see it past the end of the first season.

  20. Cassandra says:

    Off to look at the lists.
    So excited for this Summer 2014. So many anime series look like they may have a lot of potential.

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