Winter Anime Catalogue 2014

winter14-mainimage

Welcome to METANORN’s Winter Anime Catalogue of 2014!

Winter is here to stay and so it seems my ever-visiting flu. This winter has been pretty bad for me but I’m coping with my unusual under the weather body. On a pleasant note, I’m making headways with my aniblogging plans this month and looking forward to the new lineup, which has more magic related shows and at least two agricultural school themed ones, studios are sure playing on niche this time around. Though, everyone’s been jabbering about Space Dandy, which should be awesome but I am also looking forward to Mahou Sensou, Noragami, Silver Spoon S2, Hamatora series along with Natsume and Mushishi OVA/Specials. With many Fall shows continuing, I can see my list at 15+ shows again but hey, that’s what I’ve been doing for many years. :3
 A new year means a new start…and new anime. Don’t make a New Year’s resolution to go to the gym or be kinder – resolve to watch as much anime as you can! Although, to be honest, this season’s pickings seem pretty slim so you might have time to do both. Everything is a blur except for SPACE DANDY, which is sure to be a blast. Funny how amongst all the shows about crazy magical powers and whatnot and all I remember is Spacy Dandy and Silver Spoon season 2. Yes, the show about farms. Not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one.
 Goodbye fall hello winter which means cold weather and another birthday for me also Valvrave will be finally over leaving me waiting for the next big batch of mecha anime with Nobunaga the Fool and sure why not I will give Buddy Complex a test run even though I think the name is dumb! That said I can’t really poke that much fun at it after watching that other mecha anime named Majestic Prince?! So yeah I am excited for that and just like Highway said we still have a bunch of fall stuff continuing on through Winter which means more mini talks with Jrow on Log Horizon!
I don’t know what it is this year, but the weather has been absolutely cold and snowy where I live. …So I’m not looking forward to the winter season itself (it went down to negative 30-something degrees celsius in the fall alone OTL), but the anime should be okay. Strike the Blood is continuing on of course (along with a ton of other shows), and some of the new anime look really interesting. I admit that a huge part of my interest in Noragami is about Kamiyan and Kaji. Space☆Dandy is rather exciting too, since I’m recently become rather fond of Watanabe’s anime.
Winter isn’t generally the biggest season of the year. But this year we still have a lot of two-cour leftovers from Fall season, so it’s actually more jam-packed than we might imagine. One thing to note is the apparent influx of romcom shows coming up. Perhaps they’re trying to warm our hearts to tide us over the cold weather? More seriously though, I’m definitely excited for the upcoming season, what with Bones attempting a serious return (looking ahead to Spring season as well) and Shaft again trying their hand at something different (for them).
A very busy Fall season is passing into the rear-view mirror, and ahead of us is Winter. A bunch of shows are carrying over, but I think there are quite a few interesting shows coming up, and it seems like so much of it is described as “romance”. I don’t think it’ll rise to the level of Fall here, but I’d bet I’m watching something like 22 shows this season, but I’ll definitely try almost everything.
Fall and winter make no difference to me when it comes to weather. Being a person who lives in a tropical country, all I get in every season are sun and flood- I mean rain. So damn you people who complain about snow. Give your snow to ME *sob* Well, at least I got my anime to keep me warm as I forget how snow will never fall in my country. Some anime sounds meh, but there are some I am excited about, from the classic Sailor Moon to the plain strange Nobunaga the Fool. There is also Seitokai Yakuindomo to keep my perverted level sane too. So yeah, this winter might be full of flood, water kind of flood and anime kind of flood.
With the coming new year, we also get a new season of anime, as usual. And as usual, I’m flying mostly blind with just a handful of picks, but with the plan to give a fair shot to almost every show. To be honest, I’m ready to crown one show the winner of next season, and every other show has its work cut out for it if it wants to challenge Seitokai Yakuindomo for that crown.

Better late than never as usual so enjoy our comprehensive list of Winter anime 2014, meticulously organized under categories for your viewing pleasure. So, read on without any further ado. Let’s start by wishing you

>>  HAPPY HOLIDAYS~~~  ✩*⋆ ⍋*☪⋆⍋⋆*✩ (⌒▽⌒) ✩*⋆ ⍋*☪⋆⍋⋆*✩

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324 Responses to “Winter Anime Catalogue 2014”

  1. Di Gi Kazune says:

    *scribbles down Little Witch Macadamia Nuts and Prisma Illya -Sapphire Version-*

    So far for a second season running, very little appealing to me. Only was seriously watching Arpeggio of Blue Steel…

    • Kyokai says:

      Well, HWY is working on an adios post for Arpeggio so ahoy~

      • Di Gi Kazune says:

        Initialize Quantum Reactors…
        Powering up plasma conduits…
        Now witness the firepower of this fullarmed and operational BattleStation!

      • BlackBriar says:

        Sounds like he’s hard at work. I hope he takes a break or he’ll get waterlogged. 😉 Metanorn can’t afford to have a man overboard and adrift at sea.

  2. The Kidd says:

    I completely forgot that Little Witch Academia 2 was coming out so soon. Totally psyched for that.

    • Kyokai says:

      Glad that you found it. Should be wacky as the first part. :3

    • Foshizzel says:

      Yeah I can’t wait for more Little Witch Academia 2! GOOD STUFF <3

    • HannoX says:

      I’d also forgotten it was going to be this soon. Since I threw money at its Kickstarter I’m really looking forward to this. Hope it proves wildly popular and successful so it can get an anime series (or movie) in two or three years.

    • BlackBriar says:

      That’s still to be announced along with some other upcoming interesting series.

  3. Irenesharda says:

    Well, not much to pick from this coming winter…reminds me of last winter. 😛

    So far the show on my list are:

    Noragami
    Buddy Complex
    Nobunaga the Fool
    Sekai Seifuku
    Inari, konkon, koi iroha
    Hamatora
    Mikakunin de Shinkoukei

    Not much, but I’ll also be keeping with Nagi no Asukara and Kill la Kill too.

    We’ll see what show’s I drop and which ones I keep. I will be joining you Fosh for the new season’s mecha. I don’t expect much from BC, but Nobunaga sounds good.

    • Kyokai says:

      Winter is really not that exciting but at least there’s some old shows to keep us company. Your list looks interesting but why it’s devoid of Space Dandy?

      • Irenesharda says:

        Not really my style or genre. It’s too bright and ridiculous for my taste. It reminds me of a space version of Samurai Flamenco.

        • Kyokai says:

          Actually it’s more on the trend of Redline and that was one awesome movie. Though, no worries, if that’s not your thing. From the pre-air, I’m happy to say, it’s nowhere near Flamenco.

    • Foshizzel says:

      I am ready for Nobunaga the Fool and Buddy Complex and I really hope it doesn’t end in a trainwreck like that final episode of Valvrave >.<

      • Irenesharda says:

        Sigh, that last episode was a bit of mess wasn’t it. 🙁
        However, after watching it a second time, I ended up actually liking it more than I did the first time.

        • Foshizzel says:

          Yeaaah I don’t even know what happened with that final episode and yeah after a second watch it wasn’t that bad but still what the hell…

    • BlackBriar says:

      You’re still watching Kill la Kill? High five! Based on some of your thoughts on the posts regarding the show, I thought it would be one you’d drop because of the fanservice. The story has gotten better and wilder now that the one responsible for the murder of Ryuko’s father has been revealed. One of the favorites is obviously Mako for her hyperactive antics. Never a dull moment.

      • Irenesharda says:

        Never cared for the fanservice, but the story’s okay. It’s not even close to being a good show, but I’ve dedicated myself to it thus far, I’ll go ahead and finish it. The new reveals about evil mother and the father’s murder has renewed my interests.

        • BlackBriar says:

          I’m more interested in finding out how Ryuko is going to deal with Nui Harime. Appearances in the last two episodes and she’s proven to be insanely overpowered. Nui acted all innocent but I could tell her heart was cold as ice and black as coal. That girl reeked of sadism and murderous intent.

    • Namika says:

      High five for putting Sekai seifuku on your list! ^w^

      • Irenesharda says:

        Don’t know much about it, but it sounds fun. 🙂

        • Namika says:

          Well, the director for this show is the guy who did Ao no Exorcist. And the composer is the same dude who made music for Free. (Can’t remember their names lol)

        • skylion says:

          I am prepare to LOLi Defend!

  4. belatkuro says:

    Some corrections:
    1. Since Yowamushi Pedal was also listed, Gundam Build Fighters and Hajime no Ippo Rising should be listed as well for Fall shows that will carry over for next season.
    2. Gundam BF should be listed under Sunrise in the Round Up page and Ippo for Madhouse(listing HxH is probably pushing it).

    And I counted…22 shows that I plan to watch. A step down from the 30 titles last Fall but more or less on par with how many I pick up every season. Coupled with the two-cour shows I’m carrying over(15) and, yeah, I am so dead. Watching anime is suffering. Why do I do this and what did I do to deserve this? щ(゚Д゚щ)

    The ones I’m looking forward to are Nisekoi, Mahou Sensou, Space Dandy, Gin no Saji, Chuu2 Ren, Buddy Complex and Seitokai Yakuindomo*. So yeah, I’m gonna need a lot of luck to survive this.

    • Kyokai says:

      Edits for Ippo and Gundam is done. Nope on HxH and I did mention in the roundup section for 90% coverage. 😛

      And I pity your free time for Winter already but don’t people have more time then anyways? If you are studying still, then hope you get less assignments.

      Interesting list, do check out Nobunaga the Fool and Hamatora as well. At least sounds interesting.

      • belatkuro says:

        Nope, been working for quite some time now. Not really a hard job and I manage to watch anime when I go home. I even sneak in reading a volume or two of an LN at work 😉
        It’s still quite a lot of titles to watch though so balancing time is crucial. I’ll manage somehow. At least I hope so.

        Yep, those are on my list to watch as well. I’m still undecided on the other Nobunaga anime though. One Nobunaga is probably enough for me.

        Offtopic but new F/SN preview. Get hyped!
        http://www.nicozon.net/watch/sm22543651

        • Kyokai says:

          No worries, I am reading the KnK LN at work too. xD Though, my work hours are longer and ugh. I am still doing this because well I love the community and Metanorn being my second home. :3

          And yeah, I saw the preview and like a Type-Moon tard sniffed hard and said, this is so fanmade! I mean, they are basically Fate/Zero shots and voice-overs along with some FSN and UBW clips and the actual VN screenshot at the end. Nothing new so I’m wondering if they have actually started production work or this is a teaser for reveal for this being a reboot or HF adaptation.

          • belatkuro says:

            The official website is already up though so that’s a start.
            But yeah, no new footage at all. It’s also killing me as to what they’ll do, a reboot of all routes or an HF adaptation. Seems we’ll find out next month/year according to the site.

            • Kyokai says:

              Yep. At least the website is legit and someone in ufotable really did make the teaser like a fanboy. With the enthusiasm of TM-tards, I’m sure whatever get confirmed would be good news and make us foam at mouth. 😉

              Except for that, waiting forever for Mirai Fukuin! ><

            • belatkuro says:

              Only 2 more months for Mirai Fukuin BD. Subs…whenever UTW feels like it.
              Compared to Ataraxia or Tsukihime 2, that’s nothing. Hang in there! 😀

            • Kyokai says:

              Oh I know. Being a Type-Moon fan can really make ANYONE a patient fool because you have to wait for everything forever. Remember, Mahoyo was supposedly getting subs this year but oh well, another year gone for waiting. Though, at least for Mirai Fukuin, I can assure that with BD release, UTW would be all over each other to finish it but with the kind of competition that is going on these days, an/other sub group/s might pick it up.

            • d-LaN says:

              And here I am lonely waiting for peeps to translate the Fire Girl LNs. Oh well, at least F/Ap have chinese translations.

            • Kyokai says:

              For Apocrypha, I use canonrap translation. Oh I completely forgot about this:

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wShYm4bSlqs

            • d-LaN says:

              The chinese translation is up to the whole 2nd volume lol. (I have seen the latest TLed part in chinese ady) But still, kudos to canonrap for translating F/Ap into english.

            • d-LaN says:

              http://forums.nrvnqsr.com/showthread.php/3173-Fate-Apocrypha-Free-Range-Spoiler-Thread?p=1368941&viewfull=1#post1368941
              Also, found this bit of interesting tidbit frm an interview wh Nasu/Higashide/Konoe.

              Btw, have you seen/heard the new Fate/Extra CCC Fox Tail manga? Seems like it will include cut contents frm the game like the 3 other Sakura clones and Unknown Servant. Chinese scans of it are up to 2 chapters.

              My impression of a scene tht contains F/E CCC spoiler: Show ▼

            • Kyokai says:

              Thanks for the link, I’m going to keep that link for later reading but yeah, haven’t really gone through CCC stuff yet.

              As I can’t read Chinese or Japanese, waiting for English is going to be a while… I’ve only seen the character designs when the CCC website went live but at least it looks interesting.

        • BlackBriar says:

          Yeah but that’s scheduled for Spring 2014 so you’re still in for a wait. The second season for Prisma Illya has yet to be announced with a release date. But this might lead to criticism and I might be part of it. If Fate/Stay Night is getting a reboot then there shouldn’t be a reason for Tsukihime not to get the same treatment. I demand equality!!!

          • d-LaN says:

            Personally, I think its best tht Tsukihime anime gets rebooted only after the Tsukihime Remake come out.

            …………Being T-M fan is suffering.

    • Namika says:

      Well, your list is still as impressive as ever o-o
      You should get a medal or something 😀

    • anaaga says:

      The ones I’m looking forward to are Nisekoi, Mahou Sensou, Space Dandy, Gin no Saji, Chuu2 Ren, Buddy Complex and Seitokai Yakuindomo*

      You are my new best friend

    • Irenesharda says:

      Wow, that’s a lot of shows, I could never be able to watch that many at one time. Trying that along with keeping up with grad school would kill me. 😛

  5. crow says:

    @Saki Zenkoku-hen

    … but it’s hard to grasp just how amazing they are when you don’t understand how the game works in the first place.

    This isn’t really an excuse when you can find a lot of detailed guides for riichi mahjong on the net. If you want to learn more about the game, all you need is reading comprehension and willingness to learn 😉

    • Karakuri says:

      Perhaps I should have wrote that as

      “Saki makes me wish I actually understood mahjong for a short-lived period of time that normally only lasts while I’m watching the show since I’m too lazy/busy/some other excuse to actually look up the rules even though I’m sure they’re fairly easy to find” xD

      It’s a good thing that Saki is still perfectly watchable without knowing a thing about mahjong.

    • BlackBriar says:

      I’ve been hearing about this show Saki for a while and have never seen it. What’s that show even about?

      • akagami says:

        I haven’t watched it, but I think it’s about moe girls doing awesome TM moves at a mah-jong table. I don’t really get or like the game so I never tried to watch the series. But seeing as it,s on, what, 3rd or 4th? season, I’m guessing it’s pretty popular.

  6. zztop says:

    Is Nisekoi’s plot worth following on a weekly basis?
    This question is amied at the manga followers, BTW.

    I’ve read the gist of the series on Wikipedia, but I’m not sure about the whole romcom tag.

  7. d-LaN says:

    Since I’m on a finals schedule I will just keep things simple:

    Will watch:

    Z/X Ignition (I’m getting a DeSu/SMT vibe just with cards instead of 3DS/cellphones and the setting + some characters sounds interesting. JSDF loli is mine There also a spin-off game made by NIS with a global focus)

    World Conquest Zvevda Plot (Character designs is delicious. This looks like Sgt Frog/Squid Girl type of show whom I enjoyed watching. Also the male lead is a trap >_>)

    Hamatora (Saw the manga, I like. There a side character chick who looks like a short haired Fuyumi lololol)

    Chu2koi Ren (Somebody, force me out of my laziness to finish the series!)

    Interested:

    Nobunaga THE FOOL (I can’t lol enough at the “Jeanne Kaguya d’Arc”. So, as my first Kawamori anime what should I expect?)

    Buddy Complex (Title sounds so yaoi and the trailer doesn’t help XD So this is VVV less shiny little brother? We shall see)

    Mahou Sensou (Its Madhouse)

    No-Rin
    Nobunagun

    Wizards Barristers: Benmashi Cecil (Not too fond the main lead design for some reason)

    We shall see:

    D-Frag!
    Super Sonico The Animation
    I, kk, KI
    wake up, GIRLS! (The title ^^)
    Noragami
    Witch Craft Works

    Leftover:

    Strike The Blood
    NagiAsu (I will marathon it up to date!)
    Tokyo Ravens

    • zztop says:

      Nobunaga the Fool’s character designs will be done by illustrator Kazuki Yone, who also designed the characters for the Hakuoki and Hiiro no Kakera romance games.

    • Kyokai says:

      Buddy Complex (Title sounds so yaoi and the trailer doesn’t help XD So this is VVV less shiny little brother? We shall see)

      Valvrave had the same vibes btw but from the looks of it, the other dude is a craaaaazy SOB so this might actually turn into a S&M contest. As it’s Sunrise, even after rolling my eyes, I will test it.

    • d-LaN says:

      Ah crap. I forgot to include GG 575 and Kill la Kill in my list. Hiro Kanzaki character design is always a plus and I like the Red Bean/Green Tea naming theme. Green tea and red beans cake are absolutely delicious

      • Kyokai says:

        Well, you can always add to your enormous list. xD

        • BlackBriar says:

          A list is always subjected to getting smaller or bigger depending on the show.

          • d-LaN says:

            Or IRL circumstances. Or laziness. Just look at what happened to my list back in Fall 2013 preview >_>

            • BlackBriar says:

              Wow, your list was insanely huge at the start of the Fall 2013 season.

  8. Namika says:

    Sailor moon anime. Sailor moon anime! >_< That's such a blast from the past, I wonder when will I be able to see it?? O_O Kyaa~
    Aaaaand no Pupa. No fucking Pupa. -_- Come on, people, what is wrong with you? 🙁 I wanted to see it so bad. Regardless of the bad reviews the manga has received, I really wanted to see that show. TT^TT
    Gin no Saji, yaaaaaaaaay~ Just a little more <3 I love that show so much. Can't wait to see more of Hachiken <3

    I'm not gonna make a list this season, because I almost never stick to it 😀 Though I gave almost all of the shows I said I would last season, I didn't continue any of them. So I'll go with being impulsive this season.
    Though there are a couple of shows that I'll probably try out, like Noragami, Sekai Seifuku and Hamatora the animation.

    • Kyokai says:

      It might be a special or OVA. We’ll see when it releases. And, about Pupa, as we covered it in Fall, I added to our skiplist rather than talking about it again. It is releasing but there will only be 3 episodes.

      I loved Hachiken too. He’s so adorable, it also helps that I love Kimura Ryohei too! xD

      A spontaneous list works and we’ll keep you posted enough for what’s to watch out for. Btw, check your twitter for a juicy news. 😉

      • Namika says:

        Oh yeah, there it is. Didn’t look at the roundup ^^” But yay. 3 episodes or whatever, I’m watching it.

        YES, his voice is so adorable <3

        • d-LaN says:

          Pupa have 12 episodes with each of them being 5 minutes it seems.

          • Kyokai says:

            Now it’s 12 episodes. I hope at least this time, the news doesn’t change. From the way things have been delaying for this, it seems as if some horrible horror is being released.

          • Namika says:

            Ur right. The info was changed so much that I don’t know, what to expect. Before you told me about 3 episodes I was convinced there would be 13. Now d-lan said there would be 12…

            ah whatever, I’ll try it regardless. Horror is so rare these days that I’m in for just about anything o-o Though something tells me I’ll be eating these words at some point in the near future -_-

          • Namika says:

            ANN says that it will be 3 minutes per episode O_O

          • BlackBriar says:

            That time limit is even more lacking than Diabolik Lovers’ 15 minute run per episode. How is anything supposed to be covered and understood?

            • d-LaN says:

              I sort of have mixed feeling abt it. Acc to wht the manga readers said, a regular airing time for Pupa will be overkill o_o @Kyokai is sort of right in tht aspect as the BD ver hints to have uncensored scenes that will be too shocking to air on TV.

              Maybe it will only cover a volume at most? The manga ended anyway so there tht.

            • Kyokai says:

              I think the actual story would be revealed in BDs because if you guys see the trailer, it looks like the little girl is eating her own brother? I plan to check out the manga soon but it will be pretty gory. I don’t think we will get anything meaningful out of the 3 minutes running even for 12 episodes. I just don’t want to see darkness-kun and beam-chan ALL OVER. >>;

            • Namika says:

              It should be either terrible or brilliant. Though something tells me what is most likely to happen here -_-

  9. Namika says:

    Feast for Spammy!

    Lets start the kill count 😀 How many comments got eaten?? 😀

    • Kyokai says:

      By the time the day ends, the count might be legendary!

      • Namika says:

        We shall see, if Spammy trolls only selected readers 😀

        • BlackBriar says:

          I doubt it. This post will be attracting everyone so it’s unlikely there will be any special treatment among commenters from Spammy. It’s an all you can eat buffet for the insatiable monster.

          • Kyokai says:

            He’s been rearing to go for a few days since Ness and I had been working on the draft. I can already see it’s belly extend with overeating. Oh boy.

            • BlackBriar says:

              Is there any chance he’ll finally burst and release all the captive comments? Hehehe…

            • Kyokai says:

              Hahahaa, not a chance! 😉

            • Namika says:

              Hmm. At this pace, Spammy will need a strict diet, before his belly will burst because of all of the eaten comments 😀

            • Kyokai says:

              Well, I’m keeping it in check with my special whip and saving comments, no worries… 😉

            • BlackBriar says:

              In Kyokai, we trust! 😀

      • BlackBriar says:

        That’s hard to believe considering the carnage from 2013,s Summer Anime Catalogue. The post with the most comments in the site’s history.

        • AllenAndArth says:

          I doubt it…but it would be cool if it happened

          • BlackBriar says:

            I guess it happened for Summer because everyone had a lot more free time. The Fall Catalogue got about less than half the amount of comments if I remember correctly. So it probably depends on the season and what’s playing during that period.

        • skylion says:

          Yeah, we rather broke things…

          • Kyokai says:

            Nothing really broke except for a record but then again, who says THAT would be the end. 😉

            • AllenAndArth says:

              Ohhh The Boss-Lady wants a repeat on it!
              All forces to the stations /o/
              and
              How’s it going Boss-Lady? I really missed you guys o/
              AAA crazy biologist, animal tamer and carpenter extraordinary is back to annoy you o/

            • BlackBriar says:

              @AllenAndArth: It sounds like the Boss Lady is issuing us a challenge. She should be careful what she’s asking for. I’m raring and ready to go for the long haul!! 😀

            • Namika says:

              Well then let us not disappoint the great Kyokai-san~ 😀 :3

            • Kyokai says:

              @AllemAndArth, It’s a free country and hey, it’s holidays after all! xD

              I’ve been busy but pretty much back in the aniblogging gear. Good to see you active here again and nope, you are not annoying at all! 🙂

              @BB and Namika-chwan, you guys are welcome to go crazy. 😉

            • Namika says:

              Roger that! lol

            • BlackBriar says:

              With pleasure! I’m already in the process of doing so.

          • BlackBriar says:

            Broke things? We basically obliterated everything with the number of comments on that post. That was way more than what I, you, Highway (I think it was before he became one of Metanorn’s bloggers) and d-Lan on a Meta post a long time ago.

            • skylion says:

              Well, it will be until tonite or Sunday before I have the time to do more than just lurk about. But I do plan to misbehave.

    • d-LaN says:

      So I guess I’m the first victim of Spammy? But I’m surprised tht it feels pretty generous today XD

  10. skylion says:

    Gonna take me a bit of time to get a full breakdown of my plans for the new season. But, much like HWY, I have to have my chuuni. They’ve already released a Lite episode, and it is barking fun.

    Oh, and yeah, EVIL LOLi OVERLORD! Thanks for the name drop, Fosh.

  11. AllenAndArth says:

    this season seems to have some interesting’s ones

    • AllenAndArth says:

      Saki’s back! I almost forgot to comment on this…and the Dark Flame Master too 0o07
      i’m shocked

      • Kyokai says:

        Return of some oldies for sure.

        • AllenAndArth says:

          still, let’s hope we get a good Mecha anime this time… I didn’t like valvrave(did I get the name right?) and the Gundam: Build Fighters isn’t that good either…
          At least in the Sci-Fi department we had IS 2 to save us

          • Kyokai says:

            You can check out Nobunaga the Fool, if not Buddy Complex. You got the spelling right for Valvrave yeah. I think S1 was better than S2 but I still have to watch the finale so can’t really give any big opinions.

            • AllenAndArth says:

              i’m not that keen on the Buddy Complex, i’ll still see it though, but, Nobunaga The Fool i’m definitely going to see, it’s one of the most interesting’s

            • Kyokai says:

              I’m not so keen on it either. But yeah, Sunrise, so at least will give it a 3 episode test.

            • AllenAndArth says:

              normally I put up until the fourth…some times they only get good after the fourth

            • Kyokai says:

              Yeah, I do the same. Even however Flamenco is going, I’m sticking around.

          • Highway says:

            Boy, if you were counting on IS2 to save you from anything, you gravely miscalculated.

            I’d say that the best of that genre this season was Arpeggio of Blue Steel. Transforming and docking ships, excellent combat, futuristic abilities.

            • BlackBriar says:

              My favorite ability in the show was the Klein Field. It also has a nice ring to it when speaking the word.

          • anaaga says:

            I actually like Valvrave better because of the plot and the refreshing mecha. Though in season 2 it became so dramatic, but the mecha are deinitely pretty.

            Nobunaga the Fool should be checked. Dem trailers look interesting. The mecha in Buddy Complex looks meehhhh, same old mecha that looks similar to Gundam

            • Foshizzel says:

              Yeah Valvrave was entertaining and a lot of fun because it was somewhat refreshing take on mecha+supernatural with all the vampire stuff thrown in!

              Nobunaga the fool looks interesting even though I am not a huge fan of the character designs but thats fine as long as it proves entertaining and the mechs look good then ill watch it~

              Buddy Complex I dunno it sounds like SAO+Gundam with the MC going to another world to fight…

            • BlackBriar says:

              Valvrave gets my seal of approval for being bold by bringing in something new. I’m still getting into mecha but when I saw the ending to the first episode, I flipped my lid. Of all things that could have popped up, I didn’t expect vampires. It was awesome!!

            • AllenAndArth says:

              so I forgot about blue steel…

  12. Jrow says:

    Good job on the preview team! My lack of participation comes mostly from my return to writing retirement and general lack of interest in shows this season. There’s older shows and movies I’d like to get to, and I have PS4 games to play, too!

    Of the series premiering in Winter ’14, I’m only intending to look at 3 of them. Space Dandy because of the hype, Silver Spoon because I enjoyed the first 11 episodes lots and it has a very similar comfort level of enjoyment that Space Bros has brought me weekly, and Nisekoi because I’ve enjoyed the chunk of manga I’ve read so far and am curious of Shaft and Shinbo (though I thought Sasami-san was horrible).

    Hoozuki no Reitetsu looks the best out of the shows I’m passing on, and while I saw and liked season 1 of Chuu2Koi, I feel I’ve seen plenty enough of that series and can’t gather any interest in a season 2.

    • BlackBriar says:

      My lack of participation comes mostly from my return to writing retirement

      But it was good to have you back writing, even if it was just for Freezing Vibration.

      and I have PS4 games to play, too!

      I’ll be waiting on the coverage for that. I’ve got some questions to ask. 😉

    • Kyokai says:

      Why, thank you! And no worries, Jrow. You keep working on the podcasts and pop-in sometimes for rare writing projects. 😉

      You’ve compared Space Bros and Gin no Saji well because I kept up with both shows even when I was travelling, I like these two so much. And I hated Sasami-san too. I just couldn’t connect with the story at all, so not everything Shinbo produces (including Maria Holic), turns out gold.

      Hozuki for now looks like a trap to me, something like that Cuticle Tantei Inaba, which I thought would be great but was just average. But as the dude looks like Snape and I like the art style, I hope it would be something around black comedy rather than downright weird comedy.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Jrow-sama!! You always do cool behind the scenes stuff so you are the secret Metanorn ninja xD

  13. BlackBriar says:

    It’s Winter again, meaning the start of another year. Wow, that was quick because I can still remember myself watching Vividred Operation exactly a year ago. As usual, Winter doesn’t seem to be that impressive with the series it’s showcasing. In general, they seem pretty average but hopefully there’ll be some hidden gems to keep us busy until Spring. And this time, my seasonal list seems rather small compared to the previous ones. I count 19 series.

    Will Watch:
    Gin no Saji 2nd Season (The first half was very entertaining for a slice of life so I’m eagerly awaiting the second)
    Hamatora: The Animation
    Mahou Sensou
    Nobunaga the Fool
    Nobunagun
    Noragami
    Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
    Witch Craft Works
    Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil
    Z/X IGNITION

    Moderate:
    Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
    D-Frag
    Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
    Maken-Ki! Two (I missed the first season but I’m inclined to watch this one even without catching up with the story)
    Nisekoi
    Sakura Trick

    Maybe:
    Buddy Complex (The name doesn’t exactly inspire action but it’s from Sunrise and they made Valvrave. So I’ll give this one a shot)
    Hoozuki no Reitetsu
    Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta

    Plus, I have some nice Fall leftovers in Strike the Blood, Kill la Kill, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle S3, Tokyo Ravens, Log Horizon and Nagi no Asukara. Maybe I’ll with Golden Time and Samurai Flamenco as well. For the last two, I’m losing interest in the former and the latter is simply getting annoying.

    I’m actually surprised so few people (seemingly) have been talking about Gin no Saji. It’s by the author of the Full-Metal Alchemist manga and it’s a cute, funny anime that finally makes the high school setting into something new and exciting.

    No wonder the character designs look so damn familiar! I just hadn’t found a way to confirm things.

    • Kyokai says:

      Your list looks busy as usual. Looking at this I just realized that my list might reach 30 if I pick even 15 shows from Winter… Uh-oh, things do not look good for me.

      Btw, for Gin no Saji, I do remember us mentioning it was Arakawa-sensei’s work when we previewed that season. The comedy is a dead give away. xD

      • BlackBriar says:

        I try to have as much variety as I can so I try to watch as much as possible and so there would also be something to pass the time. Sometimes I don’t always manage to watch all that’s on my list and it would fall into backlog so I’m taking advantage of Fall’s end and the two cour anime break to catch up on some shows like Gingitsune and Kyousougiga.

        As for the list, I forgot to add Double Circle, Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road, Strange+ and Pupa. So the total number of Winter animes is actually 23 instead of 19. Plus, I’m still following most of the ongoing Fall 2013 animes and there’s 9 of them making a grand total of 32. I’ll get through somehow but something tells me some are going to get dropped to lighten the load.

        • Kyokai says:

          I foresee the same happening to me because I am watching a lot of carry over shows myself. But anyways, we gotta balance for what we love. xD

          • BlackBriar says:

            For the ongoing series, Strike the Blood (Obviously), Kill la Kill, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle S3, Tokyo Ravens and Log Horizon are definitely getting some love. Nagi no Asukara is middle ground while Golden Time and Samurai Flamenco are nearing the chopping block. The latter being more so.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Woop Woop Nobunaga the Fool! YESSS I WANT THIS!

      • BlackBriar says:

        Once the new year starts, it will be that much closer to seeing it.

    • akagami says:

      Hm, good to know about Samurai Flamenco. I was going to drop it after the first couple of episodes, but then they brought out the idol group, IDOLS !!! ahem . So I haven’t dropped it yet, but haven’t watched much more yet, though I have episode 3-8 queued up. Though from what I hear it goes supernatural quick, not sure how I feel about that.

      • BlackBriar says:

        I really can’t find a way to explain things about Samurai Flamenco to give you a full briefing. It’s going all over the place and in my opinion, very badly. The last post Overcooled made on it, though she didn’t say it outright but you could tell her patience was beginning to get thin with it.

  14. MgMaster says:

    I’ll be trying quite a few shows:

    – Neppuu Kairiku Bushi Road
    – Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga
    – Witch Craft Works
    – SPACE☆DANDY
    – Noragami
    – Buddy Complex
    – Nobunaga the Fool
    – Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta
    – D-Frag!
    – Onee-chan ga Kita
    – Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
    – Strange+
    – Adventure, Fantasy
    – Nourin
    – Nisekoi
    – Seitokai Yakuindomo 2
    – Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! 2

    That being said, I’m not really looking forward to anything this season as it looks pretty damn bleak, even by winter standards, at least for me.

    Good thing I have Golden Time,Nagi No Asukara,Strike the Blood & Tokyo Ravens continuing from fall.Also Samumenco but I’m still not sure if I want to pick it up.

    • Kyokai says:

      Nice list there. I think you’ll still be busy with a lot of series if you follow our First Impressions. Usually, some titles surprise us while others have a good start and then they just fail. I really don’t want to predict anything around samumenco but will keep you posted on it as I’m at least not dropping it.

    • Namika says:

      I wouldn’t say that this season is too bleak or anything.
      I’m not hyped about any series either(except for a couple :3 ) but I’ll try to extend Christmas a little bit and try shows I wouldn’t normally tough. Who knows, they may be better than you expected ^_^

    • MgMaster says:

      Well, come to think of it I didn’t have much expectations for this fall either(by fall standards though) but it had a few nice surprises.Heck, one in particular that I had mediocre expectations AT BEST for turned out to be my favorite show of the year.

      I also ended up dropping a few as well though and I have no doubt I’ll do the same again. This is actually a really long list for me to have for the winter season as my watch-list for a rich season like fall & spring contains about 10-12 shows. I’ll be surprised if I’ll watch more than 1/3 of them beyond 3-4 episodes and I’ll probalby end up dropping a few after the 1st episode.

      Regardless of what I’ll end up dropping though, I find the process of trying out the new shows when they make their premiere quite fun. It’s the time when almost anything can turn out to be good(I remember even having some hopes for this thing).So as much as some of us claim to keep their expectations in check(*raises hand*), it’s still the moment when we’re the most hopeful, IMHO.

  15. Highway says:

    As usual, I tend not to get too hyped up for shows that aren’t out yet. Personally, I think my methodology of not being too excited for them allows me to keep from putting expectations on them that they might not live up to. Or maybe it’s just that I’m more forgiving than most people about silly shows. 🙂

    That said, I am most interested in Witch Craft Works and Nourin, although I’m kind of hoping Yukarin sings in the more grown up voice she has, not the cutesy one. The PV video isn’t bad, it’s kind of on the line.

    • Namika says:

      That’s a wise strategy. Expectations are what sometimes ruin a show.
      For example, I went to watch The girl who leapt through time expecting that it would be stronger than 5cm per second (cuz my lecturer told me it was, in her opinion) but it wasn’t. It wasn’t even close o-o in my opinion, at least.

      • Kyokai says:

        You should watch Garden of Words, now that was better than 5cm per second but again, depends on your taste really. I liked A Girl Who Leapt Through Time than these two titles because of my personal obsession over time travel. ;3

      • Highway says:

        Heh, both of those shows are ones that I’m not really keen to watch, given what I’ve heard of their story arcs. Voices from a Distant Star and Kowarekake no Orgel almost killed me, and after that I decided I was pretty much done with sad OVA’s.

        • Namika says:

          Nooooooooo~ why would someone ignore 5cm per second??? 🙁 It’s kinda sad at first, but when the main meaning sinks in you feel amazing. Well, at least that’s what happened with me. >->

          • Highway says:

            See, with me and those shows, the main meaning is overwhelmed by “We had to have this tremendous sadness inflicted on everyone in the story” so it’s like a candle a half mile away, completely dwarfed by the unhappiness.

            • Kyokai says:

              Both Garden of Words and A Girl Who Leapt Through Time are not particularly sad. They are very uplifting and end with a bit of hope rather 5cm, which ends at a very sad note.

            • Namika says:

              I think it’s the exact opposite. On first glance, 5cm per second may have ended on a sad note, but when you look closer, you understand that the sad ending is actually a beautiful beginning.
              Though this movie really is sad, that’s the beauty of it, if you ask me. It’s sad and nostalgic, but beautiful and powerful at the same time

            • Highway says:

              Eh, maybe sometime, but where my head is at with sentimentality, that’s exactly the kind of things that get me in trouble and very upset.

            • skylion says:

              The recent Psychic School Wars was incredible. Happy and sad.:-) 🙁

            • Foshizzel says:

              he recent Psychic School Wars was incredible. Happy and sad

              amen brother

  16. Namika says:

    Comment count – 92.

    • AllenAndArth says:

      comment count 98…99 with this one
      and
      Little Busters Refrain…it’s from Kei…Kei really loves to make people cry rivers with his VN’s…Clannad was that way…Tomoyo:After as well…not to mention Little Busters is also this way…I haven’t finished the refrain yet…I think i’ll wait out to see anime style…but Tomoyo:After…my goodness Key! WHY DOES HE DIE IN THE GOOD ENDING! T-T it was supposed to be the good ending you know? The happy one… and he died!
      and
      Sorry I just can’t control when it comes to Kei’s masterpieces

      • Kyokai says:

        Dude, I know where you are coming from. I’ve seen all Clannad so yeah. Key can be very sadistic and with JC adapting Little Busters, the anime just never piqued my interest. I might play the VN some time later but I am staying AWAY from Refrain for sure.

        • Namika says:

          I still have the pleasure of watching Clannad 😀
          Though comments like these postpone the watching process 😀

        • Highway says:

          I’ve been pretty disappointed in Little Busters and Refrain. And if this is what Key brings, I’m not interested in their other stuff. Ersatz emotion, extreme manipulation, trying to pass off selfishness as ‘for your best interests’, needless ‘heroic sacrifices’.

          • d-LaN says:

            IMHO, you have missed a lot of the points of the show not to mention you have some heavy negative bias to it. But w/e, I’m not the type who go all out when my opponent have no intention to change his views or listen to me.

            Also, that a bad way to view things. Sure they may share some signature styles and in Jun Maeda works similar themes, but they are explored differently in each works. (Or so I’m told) In fact, peeps who played their 2nd latest work Rewrite have mentioned that its a pretty different entry frm their past works.

    • Kyokai says:

      It’s 110 now. Seems like by the time I wake up tomorrow, things are going to get very interesting here.

      • Namika says:

        Yup. :3 At least, I hope so.

        This should be the thing. Every season we should try to beat the last season’s record. At least by one comment.

        • BlackBriar says:

          But there’s still a lot of work to be done and we’re falling short. Summer Anime Catalogue 2013 has 484 Responses while Fall Anime Catalogue 2013 has 206 Responses. We’ve gotten lazy… Unacceptable!!!

          • Namika says:

            Definitely!

            Though not having enough anime provoking discussion/fangirling can also be the issue :S

            • BlackBriar says:

              I see your point. Summer had shows like Free!, Gatchaman Crowds, Danganronpa, Rozen Maiden, Monogatari Series, Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya and Gin no Saji to talk about.

    • BlackBriar says:

      Liutenant BlackBriar reporting in. Comment count of this post: 115 and counting. Everything is moving smoothly. I and my unit will keep you posted.

  17. Sumairii says:

    (some comment about uggs and lasers)

  18. Sumairii says:

    On a more serious note, I find myself with the following on my PTW:

    Buddy Complex – Sunrise pls
    Chu2koi Ren – Rikka come back
    D-Frag! – hilarious drama CD
    Ginsaji S2 – I have to get through S1 first
    Hamatora – sounds like drrrrrrrrrr
    IKKI – surely there’s some clever official acronym or abbreviation
    Mahou Sensou – Madhouse pls
    Maken-Ki! 2 – boobs
    Mikakunin de Shinkoukei – looks like lots of fun
    Nisekoi – Shaftbo pls
    Nobunaga the Fool – because I’m a fool
    Nobunagun – tentacles in promo art
    Noragami – Bones
    Nourin – idol
    ImoCyo – Yui-chwan~
    Sakura Trick – my yuri senses are tickled
    SYD 2 – needs no justification
    Sekai Seifuku – loli takes over world
    SoniAni – boobs
    Space☆Dandy – has liberal use of the word “dandy”
    Strange+ – lolwhynot
    Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta – dogfights
    WU,G – Yamakan pls
    Witch Craft Works – nice hat
    Wizard Barristers – it’s about coffee, right?
    Z/X Ignition – fabulous cards

    • Foshizzel says:

      All good choices! I can’t wait for D-frag, Ginsaji s2, Hamatora, Nisekoi, Nobunaga the Fool, Noragami, Sakura trick, SYD, Sekai Seifuku, Space Dandy, Witch Craft Works and Wizard Barristers! DAaamn that is a lot of anime but YOLOOOOOOOOOO

  19. akagami says:

    I took a break playing some FFXIV and when I came back my anime backlog had went into overdrive :cries

    I need a year long vacation to clear out my backlog of stuff. I’m afraid to start looking at the previews because I know I’m going to pick up almost every show.

    • BlackBriar says:

      Hahaha… Well, you’ll have to pace yourself or you’ll end up burning out. I, myself, will be tackling 23 animes for Winter plus 9 ongoing Fall animes. I got to build a schedule as soon as possible.

      • akagami says:

        Hmmmmmmm…. for me, it’s more like I-just-don’t-have-enough-time-in-the-day rather than burning out. These days I’m lucky if I can squeeze in two shows a day. That’s just barely keeping up considering how many shows I’m watching from the current season, and not considering my immense backlog of shows waiting to be watched.

        • BlackBriar says:

          Define immense. Give a number of anime you haven’t seen yet.

          • akagami says:

            I just checked, I have 850 episodes on my HDD waiting to be watched. Most are single episodes, but some are movies. 260GB of anime goodness. Plus some drama CDs.

  20. MR.KLAC says:

    looking at first batch of 2014 anime give only 2 in my watch on it aka s2 of chuubiyou & maken-ki.

    rest still early to tell as long it’s 13eps or less to watch.

    yet wild card of them is space dandy give Funi dub version will be shown on toonami before it’s sub will arrive on jan 4.

    • Foshizzel says:

      Yeah I plan on watching everything and who knows maybe you will see Maken-ki on winter MetaFAP! I guess it depends what else we can throw in there…

      Space Dandy looks fun~

      • elior1 says:

        are you going to do a first impressions on saki season 2?

        • Kyokai says:

          Not sure on this as none of us have watched season one.

          • Karakuri says:

            I have, Kyo. …I just haven’t finished those last 4 episodes of Achiga-hen (the specials or whatever), so me covering first impressions of the 2nd season probably isn’t a good idea.

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