Meta Team’s Spring Anime 2016 Picks

MetaTeam-Spring16-Picks

(」・ω・)」The short Spring’16 list… (/・ω・)/!

winter15-kyoHello, Metanorn readers! Happy Easter and hope you are all set to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. For a heads up, Metanorn will not be releasing our usual anime preview this and next season due to personal commitments. RL has taken a toll one me; I had to undergo a surgery 11 days ago and am recuperating but in no condition to spend long hours like before. While I recover and spend a bit more time with family for the next few months, Meta team will keep on kicking as usual. I will still write for the site for but not as regularly as before. However, I will still be around! Titles wise in Spring, looking forward to Boku no Hero Academia, Bungou Stray Dogs, Joker Game, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, JoJo,  Mayoiga and Sinbad. Now, let’s hear it from the rest of the Meta Team on their most awaited Spring series; these, you should definitely check out!

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winter15-foshMove over winter! It’s finally time for spring to start and boy am I ever excited for the next season because of a certain anime called Boku no Hero Academia! As a fan of the manga I couldn’t be happier, but at the same time I know it won’t be adapted 100% and it’s also being done by BONES who doesn’t have the best track record ever and most of their series seem to be always hit or miss; however I have faith that they will do something great with that one! Other that I’m excited to see Macross Delta, Bakuon, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4, Kiznaiver, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Kuromukuro.

Spring15-Fosh[ Boku no Hero Academia ] I think just about everyone knows that I have lots of love for the Boku no Hero Academia manga and when I heard that Bones was planning on doing an anime I got so excited! I guess we all can get that way when our favorite manga gets adapted! For me it’s really hard to explain why I love it so much without going into spoilers, but i’ll just say that Boku no Hero Academia has a lot of surprise emotional moments that pop up as the characters deal with their individual issues and reasons for becoming heroes! I will also mention tone wise if you’re going into this series thinking that it’s just going to be another goofy ass One Punch man i’ll just say it’s nothing like One Punch even though there are a handful of silly moments found in the manga, but who knows maybe Bones will make things a bit more light hearted? I certainly hope they treat the original material with care and I know I shouldn’t get my hopes too high because with any adaptation I know we can’t expect them to tackle everything! I just want them to show off the unique superpowers and I can’t wait to see Tsuyu Asui animated because she is the best girl or will that title go to Ochako Uraraka? Just kidding, but there are a lot of cool girls and guys in this series! So yeah I can’t freaking wait for Boku no Hero Academia.

[ Macross Delta ] I know this was going to come out in the 2016 winter season, but it was delayed for some reason? I wonder if they had to fix some some of the production stuff? Whatever the case I’m really happy to see another brand new Macross series! I think it’s been like eight years since Macross frontier tv series was released and Delta is connected to that series since they made a point to say it’s seven years after the events of Frontier? Either way I’m super excited and I did watch the first “episode” a few months back so I got a good idea how things might be for Delta like having the main idol girls double as mecha pilots? I don’t think i’ve ever seen that from any Macross series, but I know people are gonna be like what about AKB0048? Sure i’ll give you that one. So yeah count me in for Macross Delta! I’m also kinda curious to see if Ranka or Sheryl makes a cameo at some point? Then again I have a feeling if they plan on doing any cameos it will be something like one of her songs playing on the radio in the background much like how they used a few songs from Macross 7 in the Frontier Movies.

[ Kuromukuro ] Normally I have always consider PA Works as being that one studio that tends to do a lot of series that involve romances, drama and wtf supernatural themes which they have done over and over again, but with this fresh spring season it looks like they are tackling a mecha series?! Yeah that seems to be an odd choice of genre for them to be trying! Now I’m not saying they can’t ever explore other genres, I’m just not sure if PA Works can deliver on what most mech fans want in their mech shows aka robots fighting weekly;however at the same time there are plenty of past mecha series that I loved that just use the genre as a backdrop while things focused on character development like Code Geass, Eureka Seven and the latest Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans. So yeah while I have certain issues with PA Works choices in past series I’m really curious to see what they can do with the mecha genre and I know Kuromukuro it’s gonna look freaking amazing!

[ Kiznaiver ] Was anyone else bummed like me after Trigger’s last attempted series Ninja Slayer? I really tried my best to get into Ninja Slayer because I love Trigger, but it just wasn’t for me and I liked their last wacky short Inferno cop; however Trigger is back to full episode length with this new series which at first glance from the trailers appears to be more of a serious series instead of being something wacky and silly? At least I hope so! So what is it about this series that looks so interesting to me? I think the ideas surrounding the odd use of the “Kizuna System” since basically connects all the characters together and when one of them gets hurt the system divides that pain among the other characters? I’m curious to see how that is played out in the series and I wonder if the Kizuna System is only limited to just physical pain or does it also affect the Psychological side of things? I suppose if the team behind Kiznaiver is going to trying to be more serious I could see them exploring the mental side of things for the drama! So yeah I’m really hyped for this one because I want Trigger to do something great that gets people talking, but if it fails I’ll just watch their other series called Uchuu Patrol Luluco which is a short series.

[ Bakuon ]  is another series in the long running omg cute girls doing cute things genre or is this technically a sports anime? Sorta like Girls und Panzer? Anyway if you don’t know what this series is about I guess the short rundown is about a motorcycle themed club? While the concept sounds completely crazy I checked out the manga and I noticed things were more focused on the various personalities of the characters and how they interacted with each other; however most of the girls just came off as being super obsessed about motorcycles! Which is fine since that is what the series is about, but their obsession often forced the various girls to get into debates about which official brand of motorcycle was the best? Much like how anime fans act when talking about the best girl from any popular anime series! So yeah I’m definitely planning on watching this silly little series about motorcycles and who knows maybe this will become the newest “healing anime” much like the two past seasons of Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?

Possibly Blogging: Boku no Hero Academia // Kiznaiver // Kuromukuro

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winter15-ocThis preview format is nice in a way because we get to skip over all the garbage and just focus on what we think the next big hits are going to be. If our intuition is good, this can save everyone a lot of time. How economical!

Spring15-OC[ Koutetsujou no Kabaneri ] If you’re wondering why this show looks so much like Attack on Titan but with zombies, it’s because it’s being made by the same team (Tetsuo Araki as the director and Studio Wit doing the animation). So right away we have an immediate guarantee that this will look gorgeous and be filled with bombastic, adrenaline-filled action and theatrics. With this much pedigree behind it and a story involving zombies and horror elements, of course I can’t help but hop on. It’s a rather safe choice, although the over-dramatic tones seen in just the trailer alone may turn off some viewers.

[ Big Order ] Much like my number 1 choice, this is kind of a “soul sequel.” Many of the staff working on Big Order worked on the Mirai Nikki anime, with both works originating from the same creator. You can tell it’s by the same dude because the plot is suspicious similar, as it’s about kids who each have their own special abilities that allow them to grant wishes in different ways. Now, you would think this would result in something more upbeat, but of course it results in bloodbaths and tragedy. So basically, this is another safe choice by me since I really liked how kooky Mirai Nikki was and I think Big Order will give me more of that. Looking for action that’s a little on the dark and deranged side? Go for Big Order.

[ Flying Witch ] I’m going to be very busy this spring (and summer…and…fall…and winter…), so I need a relaxing show to smooth out my rough edges after a long day at the lab or at school. Flying Witch promises to be exactly that, with an air of serenity akin to that of Non Non Biyori. As most iyashikei (healing) anime begin, the main character moves to the country to start a new life. The twist here is that the main character is (almost certainly) a witch. Now, I love watching badass wizards casting impressive spells in largescale battles, but I’m also down for some lazy Sunday afternoon magic. Forget slamming orcs with fireballs, let’s see a girl use a simple spell to make a nice cup of tea. Ahhh….

[ Mayoiga ] I love horror. I’ve seen very few traditional horror movies because they’re usually terrible, so I turn to anime to get my full fix of spooky happenings. Mayoiga looks ready to satisfy that craving for me, with a story about a busload of kids getting lost in a mysterious, isolated village that was toted as being a utopia. Long story short, it’s not utopia and they all get screwed over to various degrees. It sounds like a great premise for a horror show. However, the staff behind it make me feel a little uncertain, so it’s a big lower on my ranking. You have Mari Okada (Black Rock Shooter) who has a talent for making everything so dramatic that even forgetting to give back someone’s pencil can turn into something a character commits suicide over. It’s ridiculous. Sometimes she’s on point, but most of the time, her work is very unrelateable. I’m definitely going to check it out, but I’m very wary about what I’m getting into.

[ Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4 ] Ahahaha, you got worried you didn’t see this until you scrolled down, didn’t you? Did you think someone had replaced the real Overcooled? Don’t worry, you’re not in some alternate universe, I included Jojo on my list! Ever since the anime adaptations started, I’ve gotten really into Jojo. It fits with the usual type of action show I like: ludicrous, borderline nonsensical, and flashier than a Las Vegas casino. Part 4 continues with the Jojo legacy, promising more action and more intense Stand battles. I was not a fan of Part 3, as it fell into a dull routine of introducing a new villain each week. I almost dropped it at one point, it was so bad. But I’ve heard that by Part 4, Araki finally got a handle on what he wanted to do with Stands, so this arc has some really cool villains to watch out for. I put this as my number 5 because I got burnt pretty bad by how disappointing last season was…but once a Jojo fan, always a Jojo fan. I can’t stop now!

Possibly Blogging: Mayoiga // Flying Witch // Big Order // Koutetsujou no Kabaneri

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winter15-karaSpring is something I’m really looking forward to this year, since it means that I’ll finally be free of all of these papers and presentations. I’m not familiar with many of the new things airing, so I’m hoping that this anime season will surprise me with some good things. But for now there are a few series that have caught my eye already.

Spring15-Kara[ Mayoiga ] I’ve been in the mood for some dramatic anime, and what better to fulfill that than an anime about a bunch of people searching for a utopia? Of course, the whole (supposedly) utopian village being in ruins mystery is also really intriguing, as well as the “and then we disappeared” line from the PV. As OC has already mentioned, Mari Okada is part of the staff too, so even better if you’re searching for some angst among the characters. I was kind of hoping for an older cast when I read the synopsis, and some of the characters look pretty young. We’ll see how this plays out, since there seems to be some diversity in age, and there do seem to be a lot of people involved in this trip.

[ Kiznaiver ] Oh look, another anime with Mari Okada’s name attached to it. But also, it’s being done by Trigger, which is probably a selling point to a lot of people. I’m personally attracted to how Shirow Miwa (author of Dogs: Bullets and Carnage) did the character designs for this anime, but the plot seems interesting too. Sharing wounds does seem like a good deterrent for war. Plus it seems like the characters will be sharing their pain not just physically, but maybe emotionally (though maybe the emotional part isn’t through the fancy wound sharing system, but we’ll see) too, so I’m looking forward to seeing the character growth that may or (may not) come from this.

[ Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu ] Another anime about a guy being summoned to another world, but this one has an interesting premise with the protagonist having some sort of time rewind power that happens when he dies. I’m mostly excited about this because White Fox is doing the animation, and their work tends to be pretty solid, but the part about the protagonist trying to save the silver haired girl he meets from death also seems like an interesting premise. Not just because BokuMachi just aired and trying to save someone from dying by repeating time is an interesting subject to explore, but also because it seems like the protagonist will go through a lot to try to make things right.

[ Sousei no Onmyoujii ] I always pass this series in bookstores and think that I should look into it since it seems pretty shounen, but I never do… So now at least I’ll be able to see if the anime is any good. The story seems pretty generic with the protagonist, Rokuro, being from a family of exorcists (and not wanting to be one), and then having him partnered with some girl who he’s destined to marry and have the ultimate exorcist kid with. The selling point for me though will be if there are interesting fight scenes, and/or interesting interactions between the main cast. Since Rokuro and Benio are supposedly destined for each other, I hope that they at least have some kind of chemistry. The character designs aren’t my favourite, but Pierrot did some nice animation in Akatsuki no Yona (and they’re probably making money now with Osomatsu-san’s popularity), so hopefully the animation is good too.

[ Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystal III ] Wow, I feel like the first season of this just came out. But anyways, while the previous seasons weren’t too popular (despite the crazy amount of hype it generated, and not to mention the never ending stream of merch) I’m rather looking forward to this season. Mostly because this is my favourite arc of the manga, and also because my favourite lesbian couple will finally be (re)animated. A rather large change however, is that one of my not-so-favourite directors (Chiaki Kon) will be in charge of this season. Now, she screwed up Arcana Famiglia pretty badly, but I feel like Higurashi and Golden Time did well because the source material was good, so hopefully Sailor Moon will be the same.

Possibly Blogging: Mayoiga // Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu

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winter15-highwHmm, spring. I guess it’s time to actually look at what shows are going to be replacing the ones that I’m watching now.  *goes to take a look at some previews* Ok, Looks like some of the look good and others look ok. Here’s a few thoughts on what I am looking forward to.

Spring15-Hwy[ Bakuon ] I like vehicles. I like racing. And while motorcycles aren’t the favoritest thing I like to watch, I’ve spent plenty of saturday nights watching Supercross, and plenty of Sunday mornings watching FIM MotoGP rooting for Valentino Rossi. So I’m pretty interested in a club of motorcycle riding, not because I think that they’ll bring a whole ton of motorcycle animation, but because it’s talking about something near my interests. And of course, I like shows with high school clubs, and especially ones where there’s some gender-expectation-busting going on. And I would be lying if the idea of girls in unzipped motorcycle leathers didn’t cross my mind…

[ Flying Witch ] While OC calls these ‘healing’ anime, I’ve never really subscribed to that kind of description. To me they’re just wonderful stories about people, doing normal people things with their lives. They have the normal troubles people do, they have the normal developments people have, and if they’re a witch or something else, well, to be honest it doesn’t matter. The promo for this show looks fabulous, the music sounds fabulous, and I’m really looking forward to this one.

[ Kuromukuro ] It’s no secret I’m a huge PA Works fanboy. I have liked and enjoyed all of their series I have watched, usually a lot more than the rest of the world. And I’ve always found them able to catch the essence of humanity in their shows, to really reflect the things that make us interesting people, individuals, complex beings that are not easily reduced to simple descriptions (and their least successful series at this, Charlotte, was necessarily hamstrung by Jun Maeda’s writing). So I’m really interested in seeing how they can make this show captivating, like most of their series.

[ Mayoiga ] There have been quite a few mysterious setting shows lately, with things like Sakurako-san and Erased, so we’ll see if this show about a creepy bus trip can bring that kind of great atmosphere and character depth. Unlike OC, I’m usually happy to see Mari Okada be in charge of a show, as quite a few of her series have been great successes for me, and Tsutomu Mizushima has directed my all-time favorite show in Girls und Panzer and quite a few other really great shows (Shirobako, Witch Craft Works). This is the kind of pedigree I think is going to make a great show. Honestly, the only thing that could fill me with more confidence about the show is if it was being made by PA Works. Hopefully Diomedea’s penchant for kinda cheaping out doesn’t affect this one too much.

[ Unhappy♪ ] There’s always room on the list for a bubbly girls school anime. This one is looking in on Class 7 of the First Years of Tennogofune Academy, which is apparently the dumping ground for the bad karma kids. Not necessarily the bad kids like in Baka to Test or Ansatsu Kyoushitsu, but just the ones that have bad luck. The goal for these girls is to turn their luck around and have a fun school life, and that means that they probably will. Shin Oonuma is in charge of this one, and that’s a name I always like to see when you’re talking this kind of show, but Silver Link has been kind of hit and miss lately. Oonuma was able to get great results out of Silver Link for shows like Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?and Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, but then they also had the atrocious Shomin Sample recently. I’m hoping that this will keep it together, and give us a nice bubbly school girls show.

Possibly Blogging: Flying Witch // Kuromukuro // Bakuon 

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winter15-skylionThat was a really good Winter season, and it looks like this Spring is going to continue with that trend. As always there should be something for just about anyone’s tastes. For me I look forward to some of the light comedies from some newer, less established studios, along with what could be a heavy hitter. I’ll see you as the season get’s deeper… Honorable Mentions: Shounen Maid, Sansha Sanyou, Hai Furi and Hundred.

Spring15-sky[ Kuma Miko ]  This is the story of Machi Amayadori and her long time friend and ally Natsu Kumai. They live in small rural village in the northern Touhoku region of Japan in a Shinto shrine. Machi is middle school aged miko, and Natsu is a bear. He is literally a bear. He really is a bear. He’s also a worry wort, and oh yeah he’s the shrine’s patron guardian, so that makes him a kami as well. So when Machi wants to venture into the world outside their daily rural life, Natsu naturally over-worries, fearing that the relative isolation combined with her natural scatter brainedness, has made her naive in her expectations. So he sets about to test Machi to see if she can stand the rigors of life outside her village. (he’s good with online browsing, has a fast internet connection and loves to order necessities from Amazoom! he’s a modern bear). Will Machi pass the ever-increasingly bizarre tests, or will the outside world come in and give her a break? If there was ever a show that I’ve been champing at the bit for, this is the one. I’ve read what is available of the manga, and it’s simple, yet effective storytelling is both charming and heartwarming. Kinema Citrus has yet to return to the remote south-western Japanese islands for a new Barakamon series, so this north-eastern, Ainu-infused slice of life tale is just the ticket.

Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu ] He has fallen in love with this beautiful silver-blue-haired girl from another world; but the burden she carries is far beyond anything that Natsuki Subara has ever imagined. But he doesn’t want to see her hurt, so he vows to stay by her side and face her monumental fate with her. He will learn about her, from her, and long to protect her; and in doing so gains the mysterious magic of “Return”, an ability that turns time back “to zero” whenever he dies. But by using this power, his past, everyone else’s memories could be lost or rewritten to the point of no return. Now, Subaru must fight the strange fate that could doom him and all who he has come to hold dear. He cannot forget, even when everyone else has, the often harsh truths revealed to him by his deaths, and therefore, his “Returns”.  I’ve seen this dismissed as “another droll LN” adaptation, but most of the preview material really paints a nicely realized fantasy world. It’s manga adaptation is quite charming, and seems to love playing around with the tropes as much as it can; going straight when some would make fun, and vice versa, and making it work within a sharp character study, and also, as the synopsis implies, quite dark and tense.  We had a nice one-two punch with Konosuba and Grimgar last season, so I’m hoping 2016 is the year that keeps good old fashioned fantasy anime on a roll. I’m looking forward to the visual treat from animator/designer Sakai Kyuuta and the emerging talent of Rie Takahasi as female lead Emilia-sama. And of course, Beatrice the Drill Loli!

[ Kiznaiver ] Our story is set in the fictional city of Sugomori, which is built on reclaimed land and was once a rich and prosperous, but is now in decline. We have Katsushira Agata, a young high school boy living in the city and who somehow has a body that cannot feel pain. He is soon guided by the mysterious girl, Norioko Sonozaki, to become a chosen member of the Kiznaiver (which is pronounced key-zu-na-ee-ver…as in kizu, as in wound, and perhaps even naive), a group that shares wounds and pain across the group, which he soon learns are his own classmates; and are judged as not being able to get along with other people. But Sonozaki claims that the Kiznaiver is an, “experiment,  one that is still incomplete, and it wants to guide a world filled with war and violence to peace” From there this collection of young boys and girls will face trials and learn to share each other’s pain. Well this one looks like it has huge thematic chops to go along with it’s tight ensemble cast of characters, sharing pain and life. If you haven’t guessed who conceived this original story, you’ll soon learn that you are deep in Okada-Country, who loves drawing upon modern life and give it wild and fantastic visions. With Trigger’s penchant for action and intense character design, we could either be in for one heck of a battler show, or we could get well stuck in the mud. 

[ Netoge no yome wa Onnanako ja Nai to Omotta? ] In the, sometimes, very confusing space of online anonymity and alt.identities, there are bound to be some wounded egos fighting in the gender wars. One of those self-inflicted casualties is Hideki Nishimura. While online he confessed to someone he thought was a girl, and it turns out they were a boy all along. So Hideki swears to hide this shame and never trust another “girl” online ever again. But one day, cause you only ever need the one, a girl does confess to him online and it really is a girl – by the name of Ako Tamaki. Now she has a bit of trouble with social communication considering she is a total game head, so our male lead and his offline guild are going to try to help her adjust to the real world and a real confession. 

“And you thought there was never a girl online?”, looks, on it’s surface, to be purpose built to offend as many Type A fans as possible. But to me it looks to be built from the Watomote construction pile, where they explore the odd bits of nerd culture and derive the humor from subverting our expectations while also pandering to our biases. It sound clumsy, messy, weird, but somehow I cannot help but think they’ve find something fun and endearing in it. The studio, Project No.9, looks to have a history of very underlooked, relatively good series, in their short time on the scene. I’m a fan of Ro-kyu-bu and Sakin, Imouto, and both of them are fairly good – character driven shows – despite the rather tropey look to them. We also have Winter 2016’s Shoujo-tachi wa Kouya o Mezasu, and it has a surprising amount of story and character depth that betrays it’s very simple animation. Neotoge, just to shorten the name, looks to be built along the same premise. So I’m going in with a few mild expectations.

[ Bakuon! ] In a world…where two-wheeled engines of doom are threatening to take over the entire world, all of humanity’s hopes hang on a crew of beautiful young high school girls. But one of them, the air-headed Sakura,who just might see the machines as a savior, just cannot seem to earn her driver’s license. Join her, Onsa, Hiriji, Rin, and the rest as they race against a dying world, and into your hearts…against all odds. It’s ROAR!!…..literally that’s what the name translate to… Yeah, I know I make it sound like some far-future, post-apocalyptic epic, but really it’s just cute girls doing cute motorcycle things in their motorcycle club. Just don’t say,” it’s like K-ON except with bikes” or I will reach through this computer and reformat your hard drive. In all honestly it looks like it’s gonna be pretty fun; not a huge budget smash, and with the creators behind it, no slouch either. Hey it’s from the guy that directed all of the Dog Days franchise (and gave us Glasslip, but unless you’re Highway and/or I, that hardly matters, right?), you’re either on board with that mix of goofy drama, quirky comedy, and unabashed cute or you aren’t. 

Possibly Blogging: Kuma Miko // Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu // Kiznaiver // Netoge

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spring15-irenesWell, winter is gone and the flowers are beginning to make themselves known again. For me, there are only about two seasons and then two short transition periods in between, but I’ll pretend it’s spring here for me too. But this does mean that now we get a whole new season of anime to prey upon and while I enjoyed Winter’s fare, Spring seems to be delivering some delicacies as well. I can already see some that I definitely will be watching, some I might be blogging, and I hope you all can pray for me as I try my best to keep up this time. 😛Also, because this season is so stacked, I had to at least list two more series as my Honorable Mentions/Runners-up. The first is Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu. Honestly this could have easily taken my #5 spot, but I just so happened to write an intro to Endride first. This series sounds really good with the fantasy world building and a guy who can continue to go back to a certain point when he dies, a girl who has a great destiny, I really almost missed this one on my first look over but I’m glad that I was able to catch it the second go round. The PV looks really good too. The other is Mayoiga. A mystery premise. 30 people alone in a desolate village. Mari Okada? Yeah, I’m game. Now, on to my regularly scheduled top 5 list…

Spring15-Irene[ Koutetsujou no Kabaneri ] Wit Studio was founded in 2012, and a year after they debuted, they struck gold with their runaway hit, Shingeki no Kyojin, which found massive success in both the East and West. And ever since then, Wit has been trying to copy that success with each of their bigger projects(at least until they finally get the gears going on the Attack on Titan sequel), first with Owari no Seraph, and now with Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Well, hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 😀Koutetsujou no Kabaneri takes place in an alternate world where if suddenly during the industrial revolution, an evil monster with a heart of iron appeared and started to infect humanity, turning them into zombies monsters that can only be killed by piercing their own iron coated hearts. Humanity quickly falls on the food chain and begins to the approach the endangered species list, and now for some reason all of humanity now lives inside of train stations and are always on the move on great steam locomotives. And it’s at one of those train stations that a ridiculed engineer named Ikoma strives to take his world back from these monsters and once again free humanity. Yeah….again, if the formula ain’t broke, don’t fix it. It drew me in, and I’m sure it will do so for a many others who are looking for their fix while waiting for the actual Titans to return. The entire gang is back together again, with Tetsurou Araki directing, back with Code Geass and Guilty Crown writer, Ichiro Okouchi, and our favorite epic musical composer, Hiroyuki Sawano. Even Kaji Yuki is back, though this time in a supporting role. Despite the familiarity, I’m looking forward to having a good time with this this spring.

[ Bungou Stray Dogs ] Well, while sky isn’t too enthused for this series (he just can’t seem to understand the ridiculously loony and madcap genius that was Kekkai Sensen), I am actually pretty excited to check this series out. Bones might have had some hiccups here and there (yeah, even I don’t know what the heck they were doing with Concrete…) But more times than not, they have hit it out of the park, and this series seems to be the right amount of zany and  fun and excitement that it will grab my attention and run with it. As usual, I have not read any of the original material and I have no prior knowledge of this series, and while supernatural detective stories are a dime-a-dozen, if done right, they can be quite the treat.

The start of this split-cour series, has our main character getting thrown out of an orphanage (what era does this even take place in that they still call it an “orphanage?) and he ends up meeting a couple of interesting characters that introduce him to a hidden supernatural world all around him. I know it sounds rather cliche, but it’s all about execution, and having a mix of flavors from Descendents of Darkness, to Kekkai, to K, I’m game. 

[ Joker Game ] The time is 1937. FDR has just been sworn in for his second term as US President. The Hindenburg Disaster shook the world. An upstart mogul named Walt Disney premieres his pet project, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. German Chancellor Adolf Hitler holds a secret meeting involving finding “living space” for the German people. And the Japanese fully invade China and begin the second Sino-Japanese War in earnest. Yes, it was quite a busy year, and one that would be followed with quite a few “busy” years to come. However, instead of concentrating on the atrocities the Japanese were committing against the Chinese at this time, we find ourselves focusing on the much more peaceful world of military espionage as we meet a disillusioned soldier who sets up a maverick Japanese version of the A-team, that they call “D-agency”,  who have to face threats both foreign and domestic. WWII is not nearly as popular a setting in Japanese popular culture as it is in the Western world for obvious reasons, and it’s for that very reason that whenever they DO decide to take a chance and use that time period as a story’s setting, and even more rarely, try to tell a semi-realistic historical drama use Imperial Japan as the backdrop? It definitely stirs up curiosity and interest. Joker Game does continue Japan’s persistent hypocritical stance in completely ignoring what was really going on at that time, but it does give us an interesting look at the world of WWII era espionage and those who didn’t fight on the front lines but instead in the shadows, went through to get the job done. I’m always interested in checking out historical seinen drama anime, and this one gives me flashes of Baccano and 1931 Night Raid, which is great in my book. But FYI, as this is trying to lean on the side of realistic, be prepared for this to be a sausage fest. There is currently only one female cast in this series and she is in a small supporting role, the IJA was completely composed of males and so pretty much, is this series. 

[ Kuromukuro ] I have an on-again/off-again relationship with P.A. Works. The kings of Slice-of-Life, they have some series where they knock it out of the park, and others that are just a snooze fest. I’m not the biggest SoL fan anyway, and it usually takes something really “out there” for me to take a chance on it. Well, I can definitely say that P.A. Works has got my attention this time. It’s not everyday that they take one of my favorite genres and put a P.A. spin on it. This season doesn’t in the way of mecha series, so I’ll be latching on to this and watching it closely. There has been little information about the series so far. Right now we know it’s about some artifact that was discovered and the children of the scientists studying it. There have been two previews out so far for the series. The first one appealed to mecha fans like me, and gave a sense of urgency, potential disaster, and a sense of the power of the main mech itself. The second one switched gears entirely and seemed to be entirely for that loyal P.A. audience, showing a more slow, leisurely slice of life theme as we see each of these students and the ups and downs of life that they will have to endure. Now the question will be, will it be more one side or the other? Or will it be a mixture of both? With this experimental 15th anniversary original special, we’ll just have to wait and see.

[ Endride ] If you haven’t even heard of this series, you’re not alone. Announced only a few short months ago, Endride is an original fantasy series, that while it does sound rather derivative, it has potential to be quite a fun ride. We have a fantasy world hidden under the Earth’s surface (I think both Wells and Verne and several others have beat you to the punch there.) and our young male hero finds himself transported to this new land and suddenly gaining a new power, and he just happens to meet a young deposed prince fighting for his rightful throne, that needs power very badly.

Even I have to admit that the story alone sounds cliche and one that we’ve seen for years in many different forms, and I am afraid of having a repeat of Comet Lucifer, and yet, I still have hope for this series. This is Brain’s Base’s baby, with character designs by the renowned Nobuhiro Watsuki (Buso Renkin, Rurouni Kenshin) and Kazushi Hagiwara (Bastard!!…the series, not the man…), and they’ve decided right off the bat that this series will be two-cour, so they do have some confidence in it. I personally am a sucker for revolution stories, so I’m game to at least give this a try. 

Possibly Blogging: Koutetsujou no Kabaneri // Joker Game // Bungou Stray Dogs // Kuromukuro (w/ Mechanorn)

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Your Top 5 most awaited Spring'16 series are:

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About

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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51 Responses to “Meta Team’s Spring Anime 2016 Picks”

  1. zztop says:

    @Kyokai: Hope you get better soon!

    Irenesharda: WW2 themes are pretty popular in Asian dramas, especially in China and Korea. Mostly they follow the same rule – the Chinese/Koreans are the brave, noble resistance defending their nation’s sanctity; the Japanese are cruel, merciless sadists.

    PS. Will you still be covering Erased and Akagami, or have you dropped them?

    • BlackBriar says:

      PS. Will you still be covering Erased and Akagami, or have you dropped them?

      Very unlikely she’d drop those two given what we know of IreneSharda’s taste in shows so far. I’d say the culprit for the absence of coverage is a tight working schedule.

    • IreneSharda says:

      No, I have not. RL just got in the way. I hope to do a large summary post on both in the next couple of days. Sorry about that.:D

    • Kyokai says:

      Thanks, zztop! I’m on the road to recovery. 🙂

  2. BlackBriar says:

    For a heads up, Metanorn will not be releasing our usual anime preview this and next season due to personal commitments. RL has taken a toll one me; I had to undergo a surgery 11 days ago and am recuperating but in no condition to spend long hours like before.

    That’s a big gap and a bummer as I had my thoughts reserved for the next Anime Catalogue. Oh, well. Guess I’ll have to mix it up here. Get well soon, Kyokai!!

    Seriously, though. What a disturbing line-up we have here. Mostly saturated by Slice of Life, Romance and Moe. Ugh, there’s a strong feeling my list will be rather short this Spring season 2016.

    Top 5 most awaited Spring’16 series are:
    Koutetsujou no Kabaneri
    Bungou Stray Dogs
    Joker Game
    Mayoiga
    Kiznaiver

    Moderate:
    Big Order
    Endride
    Gakusen Toshi Asterisk S2
    Hundred
    Macross Δ (Macross Delta)
    Magi: Sinbad no Bouken
    Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu
    Seisen Cerberus: Ryuukoku no Fatalité
    Sousei no Onmyouji

    Low/Possible Drop:
    Boku no Hero Academia
    Kuromukuro

    Koutetsujou no Kabaneri: After the epic PV, Kabaneri is easily the must see choice of the season despite being the closest to Attack on Titan’s mirror image possible, especially with the knowledge of it being helmed by the same team. More enticing that it’s in the capable hands of WIT Studio. As the series is from WIT, I’ll bet 50 bucks it falls under Funimation’s license like Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin, Rolling Girls and Seraph of the End/Owari no Seraph before it. All while betting another 50 that Overcooled will be the designated blogger.

    Bungou Stray Dogs: The impression left on me was like a combination of Durarara and Fullmetal Alchemist while using a fusion of the character designs from both mentioned shows. Very nice and there’s the feel there won’t be a single dull moment. The “Mystery” genre tag makes for an added bonus.

    Joker Game: Historical period centered premise with beautiful animation. I don’t think much else can be said to invite me in. Also, I can sort of see this being used as a way of showing the Japanese weren’t all bad in the previous century. But in the end, it’s all about perspective.

    Mayoiga: A creepy, supernatural setting for a series is always within my strike zone. The more ominous, the better. And part of the description “”In despair over the real world … wanting to escape the tedious daily life”. Surely a lot would relate to that. As there are no concrete hints, it should be quite interesting to see what unfolds.

    Kiznaiver: The last series I acknowledged from Trigger was Kill la Kill. After let-downs like Ninja Slayer and Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de, my expectations were somewhat shot. Since the PV for Kiznaiver looked good, I’ll go on a little faith.

    Boku no Hero Academia: I’m not sure about this one. It gives the impression of being ridiculously over-the-top in an unfunny manner. Like it’s just another below average action/comedy that will easily be forgettable in the long run. I had similar vibes with One Punch Man and wasn’t inclined on following that series to the end.

    Kuromukuro: For as long as I can remember, I’ve sworn off basically anything under the P.A Works label since they’ve been highly reputable for and mostly producing shows centered around genres I don’t find appealing in the slightest (Slice of Life, Romance). However, it seems the studio is taking a step out of its comfort zone with Kuromukuro. Chances are it could be good and I’ll stay on until the end or not and I discard it completely with extreme prejudice and never looking back. Much like a certain series this past Winter season, it wouldn’t be the first time my expectations were betrayed.

    • akagami says:

      Seriously, though. What a disturbing line-up we have here. Mostly saturated by Slice of Life, Romance and Moe. Ugh, there’s a strong feeling my list will be rather short this Spring season 2016.

      SoL, Romance, and Moe you say? (>’o’)> ♥

      I haven’t had a chance to check out anything from the spring lineup yet… is it that time already?!?

      • BlackBriar says:

        SoL, Romance, and Moe you say?

        Yeah, the “Unholy Trinity” in my book. In this Spring 2016 line-up, I count 7 shows with the “Slice of Life” tag, 3 with the “Romance” tag and looking at the promo art for a number of series, the feel reeks of moe.

        • Di Gi Kazune says:

          Itano Circus!

        • skylion says:

          Yes, by this time we are very much aware of the tripartite weakness of our resident Vampire Lover. Very much aware. We’ve been made very very much aware of it at this point. We are all very very aware that you don’t like these things. Very Very Very much aware. These are your garlic, your sunlight, your stake to the heart. But you know, even in the books, Dracula himself could venture forth in the sunlight. Sure, it was a pain at first, but soon he was in pursuit of Mina, so the sunlight was worth it. Be Dracula!

    • Foshizzel says:

      Boku no Hero Academia: Well I will say tone wise it’s nothing like One Punch Man in terms of over the top stuff, but where it shines IMO is the characters themselves and how each of them struggle to get stronger as heroes and you learn why they became heroes in the first place.

      I don’t think it will be as forgettable in the long run lol because the manga is super popular, but will it be bigger than One Punch Man? Probably not! Then again I don’t think anything can top One Punch Man.

  3. Di Gi Kazune says:

    Yorokobe Shoujo!

    https://youtu.be/hxQrN2Q4aL0

  4. akagami says:

    Get better soon Kyokai! Surgery is never a fun thing, when I broke my ankle and had surgery, it took me about 3-4 months before I could start properly walking again!

    Best of luck!~~

  5. Di Gi Kazune says:

    -Finally- got off XCOM2 to actually read this post. After finishing the final mission. 😛

    Boku no Academia Hero – The anime version of the Xavier School for Talented Youngsters.

    Macross Delta – It’s Macross. ‘Nuff Said. Literally a Space Opera!

    Netoge – Poor fellow. Did not follow the Internet Rule: There are no girls on the internet. 😛

    I’m gonna wait until the FIs to make a watch decision. ‘Coz Disgaea is going to eat up time after XCOM2 😛

    • akagami says:

      ‘Coz Disgaea is going to eat up time after XCOM2

      Disgaea 5? I still need to pick that up and a PS4. Although the next Disgaea I have to play is Disgaea 3. I’m quite a bit behind in my games ƪ(‾ε‾“)ʃ

    • Foshizzel says:

      Yep i’m really happy to see Boku no Hero get an anime! Then again I’m bummed it’s only getting 13 episodes according to some websites…

      Yay moar Macross!! I can’t wait!!

  6. IreneSharda says:

    Just in case anyone missed this PV for the next season of Shingeki. (and I don’t mean that one…!)

  7. akagami says:

    Hmm, my drop list forecasting is getting better. 7 dropped, mostly the lower tier watchlist bucket. And added ERASED, which I wasn’t initially planning on watching but got convinced to. It turned out to be less horror/scary mystery than I thought it might be.

    Now then, let’s see what Spring has to offer. After BB got my excitement levels up, will the Spring lineup be up to par? (edit: 5 seconds in and 2 of the first 4 shows are drama/mystery and horror/supernatural!!?! That’s a good bait and switch).

    The Trump Haircut
    _________________________

    Gyakuten Saiban – Ace Attorney is coming to anime you say? This looks like it would be some light-hearted fun, and with A-1 at the helm, I’m expecting good things. HOLD IT! OBJECTION! … You’re right, there was nothing wrong with that statement. ( •_•) ( •_•)>⌐■ (⌐■_•)
    Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 2nd Season – The first season was a pleasant watch, hopefully we’ll get to see more of the student council presidents in action!
    Macross Delta – More singing galatic songstresses and airplane/robot pilots fighting unknown alien enemies to save humankind? Yes oh yes. And are those elf ears I see? Oh my. Looking forward to more good music and space battles~~~
    Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu – I didn’t know this was coming. I’m really into a lot of the tossed into a random fantasy world mangas adapted from LNs. This is one of the ones I am following, and has a likeable hero with a rewind twist (similar to Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow). Thumbs up!
    Bungou Stray Dogs – This sounds like it’s going to be a flashy action show mixed in with superpowers for hire. The shows with this setup have (as far as I recall) all turned out to be fantastic watches. With BONES at the table, it might very well continue the streak.
    Kuromukuro – P.A. Works can do no wrong by me. Except when they make a show about making anime or manga. But aside from that, I’m both feet in! Plus I’ve been lacking a good mecha series now that Heavy Object is ending, and I haven’t watched the older Gundam nor watched Gundam Unicorn, so no intention of picking this season’s Gundam.
    Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? – Yay, finally a SoL/romance show! This sounds like it has a good combination of SoL, romance, and comedy. I think the moral of the story here is to never confess to an online game player character. Or better yet, don’t fall in love with an online game player.
    Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge – Yay, more SoL! I was beginning to think there wasn’t any good SoL this season. And it has nice looking character designs. The other SoL candidates were about eating bread and people with negative karma… eh, I’ll pass.
    Kiznaiver – Unique character designs with an interesting premise (world peace through shared wounds? Hmmm…) And Trigger is animating, so I expect to be wowed stylistically.
    Hai-Furi – YAYYYY, now it’s starting to feel like a SoL season. Not seeing the romance though =/
    Flying Witch – Now we’re talking… after going down the list and seeing horror, drama, action, I was starting to suspect I wouldn’t get the SoL fill I wanted. And then WHAM, SoL is on a roll. Good times, good times are coming. I want to be a witch as well!!!
    Sansha Sanyou – Mmmm, this looks to be a good SoL. The same author and studio behind Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, which was a great SoL/romance series. *rubs hands eagerly*
    Big Order – I’m excited for this in so many ways. Superpowers with a godlike yet reluctant protagonist (I would like to believe that if I had superpowers I wouldn’t abuse them and instead use them sparingly). Add in good character designs and I’m sold (I love the redhead’s hair!)
    Usakame – The spiritual successor to Teekyuu, you say? Sign me up for these awesome over-the-top random shorts!

    The Last Supper?!?
    _________________________
    Endride – I’m reminded of this anime (forgot the name because I dropped it several episodes in) not so long ago where some guy from Earth switches places with some guy from a fantasy world, and everyone assumes they are still the same person. Except in this case, fantasy world guy didn’t get booted to Earth. Based on the synopsis, I don’t get why there is a partnership. What does a Earthing have to offer to a failed coup d’état prince and vice versa? I don’t get it. But it’s fantasy so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. Haven’t heard of Bridge however… and don’t think I’ve seen any of their works (I do have Valkryia 3 to watch on my backlog).
    Seisen Cerberus: Ryuukoku no Fatalite – It doesn’t sound like anything noteworthy (another random mobile game adaption?), but it doesn’t sound bad either. The designs aren’t great though… hoping this is at least better than Chaos Dragon (which is already a low bar).
    Hundred – I didn’t think it was possible, but this background sounds worse than Seisen Cerberus (did they even try to come up with a decent plot?) and those character designs look plain old horrible. Normally I wouldn’t even consider this, but my list this season is light, so I’ll pad it with likely droppable filler.
    Koutetsujou no Kabaneri – It sounds exactly like Shingeki no Kyojin, except there aren’t no-skin human-eating giants. I might give this a whirl, as I avoided Shingeki no Kyojin because of the aforementioned giants and how disgusting the looked.
    Wagamama High Spec – The romance is looking light this season. This looks like some relatively light fare (more comedy than romance), but we’ll see if it cane develop into something decent. I’m not big on the character designs though, they almost look CG-ish.

    Surprisingly, this series doesn’t have any shows which seem to be “average” for me. They all seem to fit in the “must’watch” or “likely drop” buckets this season. 19 shows, with 5 in the likely drop category. I am a bit disappointed though, no real romance shows this season.

    • BlackBriar says:

      Now then, let’s see what Spring has to offer. After BB got my excitement levels up, will the Spring lineup be up to par?

      Ummmm….. Glad to be of help…

      • akagami says:

        Nothing wrong with providing a good service, BB =)

        • BlackBriar says:

          No, nothing wrong with that. The weird part for me is that the service was outside my designated department. 😛

          • akagami says:

            Would you like a part-time job as a moe cultural art curator? We’re always looking to hire more capable people!

            • BlackBriar says:

              Nope, I’m good. I’m already the unofficial authority on vampire related material around here. Hehehehe… 😛

    • Foshizzel says:

      Macross Delta – More singing galatic songstresses and airplane/robot pilots fighting unknown alien enemies to save humankind? Yes oh yes. And are those elf ears I see? Oh my. Looking forward to more good music and space battles~~~

      Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss I’m really excited for that one <3 <3 <3

      • akagami says:

        Yes, and because of Macross Frontier I got to a nice Christmas present in the form of a dance video by Megumi Nakajima – Be Myself.

        Good lordy, has it been 8 years since Macross Frontier??? Wow.

        • BlackBriar says:

          Good lordy, has it been 8 years since Macross Frontier??? Wow.

          That’s nothing. The anime version of Naruto began in 2002 for the Japanese. That’s a whopping 14 years ago.

          • akagami says:

            Mmm, I meant that I didn’t realize there was such a large gap since the last Macross series. Isn’t Naruto still running? No idea since I don’t watch that.

            • BlackBriar says:

              Yeah, the anime is still running but the story hasn’t caught up with the manga that came to an end November 2014.

              For Fate/Stay Night, there’s an 8 year gap between DEEN’s version in 2006 and ufotable’s Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works that aired in 2014.

              Plus nearly a 9 year gap between Mushishi (Fall 2005) and its sequel Mushishi Zoku Shou (Spring 2014).

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        This time it has Fire Bomber a boy band to draw in the fujoshi!

  8. akagami says:

    When someone has a chance, please pass a get-out-of-spammy card my way~~ ^^

  9. BlackBriar says:

    @IreneSharda:

    Anime News: The Heroic Legend of Arslan 2nd Season Premieres in July

    Anime News: Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Anime to Return This Fall

    • IreneSharda says:

      I’m ultra excited for both. 😀
      Looks like I’ll have two definites for this summer and fall.

      I’m a little hesitant for Arslan, since recent rumors are that it will only be 5 episodes. I’m hoping that’s incorrect. 🙁

  10. zztop says:

    Academia: This is mangaka Horikoushi Kouhei’s 1st major success in Weekly Shounen Jump, and is shaping to be a breakout hit of the magazine. Compare to his previous work, Barrage of the Battle Star, which was canned after 2 volumes.

    Bungou Stray Dogs: This series is kinda gimmicky. All I’ll say for now is that it involves references to writers/authors of the 19th-20th century.

    • skylion says:

      Irene’s write up for Bungou Stray Dogs responds to some of my long standing gripes about BONES, but more specifically it references what I wrote up for the show for our Spring 2016 v1.

      I’m hoping that BONES can reign in the characterization and quirkiness and actually manage to say something. For all intents, with these historical authors and their weird superpowers, I’m going to go in expecting a very colorful, and something with so many deep cuts in regards to references that it’s going to feel like an Easter Egg hatchery is exploding at me….

      IOW, for my tastes BONES needs to chill out a bit and concentrate on telling a story and not screaming for attention. So yeah, gimmicky is what I going with as well.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Academia: Yeah I bet the creator is super excited! I know I would be! I just hope BONES delivers something fun <3

    • IreneSharda says:

      I’ve taken time to read the first chapters of both Bungou and Academia. I can already tell that Academia just isn’t my thing…at least in manga format. I might like it more in anime form, like how I grew to be addicted to HxH, but we’ll have to see.

      As for Bungou, I’m going to give it a chance. I wasn’t impressed by the first chapter as it was a bit simple and formulaic, but it’s gotten a lot of praise, so I’m going to give it a try.

  11. MR.KLAC says:

    give already skip pass winter 2016 (give might IF catch-up on it by dub watching version).

    as for this spring 2016 no buys on it for me to watch.

    give still trying catch-up on other things give consider past 2 years had some “reasons” to being over busy on it.

    but still summer & fall might just IF worth something.

    plus been trying catch up on dub watch & been watching arrowverse series of arrow, flash, legends of tomorrow plus give been too “busy” whole other “reasons”.

  12. skylion says:

    This is a pretty good promo vid (I’m growing to like Canipa), and features some of the upcoming Spring shows.

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