What I'm Watching this Anime Fall Season 2014 Part Two

Believe it or not, this time around I had to make my "what I'm watching" a two parter! So here is my continuation of that list, if you didn't see part one Read it Here.

Denki-Gai no Honya-sa

Synopsis
Umio is a shy kid who just started his part time job at a manga store smack dab in the middle of the city. But his lifestyle isn't as glamorous as the neon lights that illuminate the city. Umio's closest friends are his co-workers who are all unique characters, to say the least, and although they're nice people, they have their quirks. They are a tight knit group of friends, have nicknames for each other and spend their weekends inside, sheltered from the extravagant scene happening on the outside.

Airs October 2nd 2014

Genres: Slice-of-Life, Comedy, Seinen

Source: Manga Updates

My Thoughts
You typically can't go wrong with a seinen comedy in a unique setting. It seems like there's going to be a lot of references to the otaku lifestyle in Japan (as it is set in a manga store) so I imagine it will be similar to Genhisken. There's nothing like a nerdy comedy to spice up the list for the season.

What I'm Watching This Fall Anime Season 2014

This fall is jam-packed with some promising titles and I'm really excited. We've had a great summer with titles like Glasslip and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, but with those coming to a close let's look at some interesting titles playing this fall. There's too many animes to list in just one post, so here's part one of this awesome list!

Shirobako

Synopsis
Five girls chase their dreams. The story revolves around the everyday troubles and hardships that occur when working in the anime industry, and the results and conflicts that happen day-to-day among the group of girls.

Airs October 9th 2014

Genres: Comedy, Slice-of-Life, Seinen

Source: Yaraon

My Thoughts
 I guess the latest trend with manga and anime is to tell stories about working behind the scenes on manga and anime. There have been titles like Bakumon, Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to, and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun that show the ups and downs of working on manga, and now we get Shirobako that deals with anime. It looks like it will have a similar pace to Servant x Service, but features 5 female protagonists (with not too many love interests in sight). I'm curious, but I don't necessarily have my hopes up that this will be a stellar hit. Mostly because all female cast shows tend to have a particular style that I rarely find funny. But you never know!

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Synopsis
Piano prodigy Arima Kosei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital that resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano even though his hearing was perfectly fine. Even two years later, Kosei hasn't touched the piano and views the world in monotone, and without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kosei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kosei was used to.

Airs October 10th 2014

Genres: Drama, Music, Romance, School, Shounen

Source: MangaHelpers

My Thoughts
I typically enjoy music themed animes, and one with a love story mixed in will definitely keep me interested. The story sounds like just the right amount of teenage angst to be compelling, and will hopefully offer some curveballs rather than be too predictable.

What I'm Watching This Summer Season 2014

Another season has ended, and I'm already looking towards what new shows I'll be watching week after week. Below is my personal list of what I think will be promising, as well as appealing to my personal taste. They're not all along the lines of a josei series (in fact, there's none airing this season surprise surprise) but they look like something a josei fan could enjoy nonetheless!

Zankyou no Terror (Terror in Resonance)

Summary

In an alternate version of the present, Tokyo has been decimated by a shocking terrorist attack, and the only hint to the identity of the culprit is a bizarre video uploaded to the internet. The police, baffled by this cryptic clue, are powerless to stop the paranoia spreading across the population. While the world searches for a criminal mastermind to blame for this tragedy, two mysterious children—children who shouldn't even exist—masterfully carry out their heinous plan. Cursed to walk through this world with the names Nine and Twelve, the two combine to form "Sphinx," a clandestine entity determine to wake the people from their slumber—and pull the trigger on this world. (Summary via Funimation)

My Thoughts

By the director of Space Dandy and Kids on the Slope, this is a psychological thriller that looks equal parts dark and compelling. I love dark anime done right, so hopefully this one makes things interesting this season.

First Episode Aired July 10th 2014

Space Dandy Season Two

Summary

This is the second season of the original series Space Dandy. The story follows the antics of Space Dandy, his personal robot QT and alien delinquent Meow. Together they are a group of alien bounty hunters who set out to find new alien species so they can make some quick cash. This of course is no easy task, and leads them all over the solar system and beyond in search of aliens that haven't been identified yet. (My Summary)

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the first season of Space Dandy, and I can't wait for its return. Every episode was a new adventure, and the crazy scenarios kept things interesting every time. It took inspiration from Western cartoons, but still retained that Japanese wackiness I love. I know not everyone enjoyed this series as it is very different to Cowboy Bebop, but I find it artistically enthralling and generally entertaining. I can't wait to see Space Dandy's return!

First Episode Aired July 6th 2014

Sailor Moon Crystal

Summary

Sailor Moon is returning for a bi-weekly episode special that retells the first tale of Sailor Moon versus the Dark Kingdom. Taking artistic inspiration from the drawings of Naoko Takeuchi, Crystal is recreating the story of the original story manga. It will retell the story over a 26 episode span. (My Summary)

My Thoughts

It's Sailor Moon, you can't convince me not to watch it. That said, hopefully it isn't horrible! I really enjoyed re-reading the manga, so I'm hoping that the anime stays true to the manga and gives me what I've been waiting to see for over a year!

First Episode Aired July 5th 2014

What Animes to Look Out for This Spring 2014

Hey everyone! Long time no post, I know. I've been very busy with school, but I've also been really busy reading and watching anime and manga to give you some reviews! So look forward to that very soon. In the meantime I'm looking at Spring 2014 shows that myself, and other josei fans should look out for and check out. So here's my list!

 

Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yatte Mita.

Comedy and Seinen

Summary via Anichart: The story is about the life of a high school girl, Nanako, and her senpai, Yukari, who end up becoming the town’s local idols (locodol) upon the request of her uncle. However they would soon learn that their new idol lifestyle is less than stellar as they are only be interviewed by the town’s shopping center, appear on low-budget cable television, and perform concerts on top of the roof of department stores. The girls’ salaries come from the town’s taxes.

My Thoughts: There's a lot of animes focusing on becoming or being an idol nowadays, but this one seems to appeal to an older audience by painting it in a not-so-picture-perfect way. I'm wary of young girls and the seinen genre, but I'm going to see what it's all about anyway.

 

Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii

Shoujo, Romance, Fantasy and Adventure

Summary via MU: Nike, the fourth princess of the Rain Dukedom and one who holds the power to call forth the rain, travels to the Sun Kingdom to marry Sun King Livius for her country, despite her own reluctance. She soon discovers that the King, who conquered the world in only three years after his ascendance to the throne, is still a child!! Furthermore, for trivial reasons, he has demanded that Nike call forth the rain…!?

My Thoughts: A fantasy shoujo title will always pique my interest because it will be in the female perspective, and it reminds me of a nostalgic favourite of mine, The Vision of Escaflowne. I wonder how it's going to flesh out a romance that involves a child king, but perhaps he's not the love interest after all. Either way it has my curiosity.

 

Mekaku City Actors

Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi and Supernatural

Summary via AniChart: Shintaro Kisaragi--a HikiNEET who shut himself inside his room for 2 years and has been living his life normally until he met a cyber girl named Ene, who appeared in his computer screen when someone anonymously sent him a mysterious e-mail one year ago. One day, Ene had been messing up with Shintaro's PC. which cause him have to go to outside world for first time in 2 years.

My Thoughts: I just looked up HikiNEET which is a combination of someone who is a NEET (not employed or educated) and a Hikkomori (being socially withdrawn). I think having a strange main character always makes for a more interesting story as we see it through their eyes. I can imagine that this anime will also be colourful and full of life (as you can tell from the artwork above). It reminds of Durarara! which had a similar style, so who knows what this anime will explore.

Are You Watching Golden Time? Because You Should Be!

A little seinen series that has taken over my free time is Golden Time. I did a first impressions review here, but since the first couple episodes it has exceeded my expectations and become one of my favourite anime series of all time. Why may you ask? Well keep reading to find out!

Deep Character Development

This show will have you second guessing yourself, especially when it comes to what characteristics you find admirable in a character. There will be characters you like, some you don’t, but over time you’ll find yourself changing those opinions. It’s fantastic, and Golden Time does it so seamlessly, showing you how life is complicated for everyone; you’re going to sympathize with those you might have had a hard time sympathizing with earlier on. With some of the most interesting unique characters I’ve seen in a long time for a more mature anime, this show does it refreshingly well.

First Impressions of Golden Time

The new anime season is upon us! One of the first titles to be released for the season is Golden Time. A comedy romance anime will have any josei interested as it features an older cast of characters freshly graduated from high school. There’s only one episode out so far, but does it warrant a second look for next week? Let’s find out! This quick review is spoiler free!
It begins with a scene out of context but introduces the 3 main characters, Tada Banri, Yanagisawa Mitsuo, and the female love interest who is riddled throughout the intro, Kaga Kouko. Tada stumbles into his entrance ceremony at law school late, giving the audience the impression that he’s hard working but might not live up to everyone’s expectations. Kouko is conniving as the swats that rose bouquet in Yana’s (Yanagisawa’s) face. And Yana plays off as a too cool, but somehow very befuddled young man. He however holds the mysterious past with his involvement with Kouko, who in his words, is someone to be feared. The anticipation that plays through the episode is funny and exciting, making the comedy romance duo a nicely executed combination.

All the characters make for a funny combination as it seems Kouko runs the show. Their interaction is entertaining, and I look forward to what hijinks they’re going to get into. The love triangle is obvious, but there’s a lot of anticipation regardless. The inclusion of other girl characters later on in the episode alludes to some sort of harem type dynamic, but that isn’t really deterring me as each character feels unique enough to not be a cliche. The setting is also interesting, as it thrusts you into a colourful university with the clubs that are recruiting freshman. It opens up the antics to the other students, which could also play for some interesting comedy later on. But it’s not just about the comedy, small internal monologues from Tada suggest that this show is going to attempt to get at the heart of young love and new experiences; entering college is a big step in anyone’s life, and there’s a lot of life experience to be learned from it. I’m glad to see this show will be lighthearted,while also addressing deeper issues too.
Will I stay for next week? Yes!This show has a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to what it has to offer by addressing an older audience. If you’re a romance fan, a drama slice of life fan or a josei fan you should give this first episode a try, you might get hooked like me!
Christina

What I Watched Summer Anime Season 2013

We’re still freshly into the new anime season with each series having 4 or 5 episodes to pick up and watch. Each new season makes me excited along with a bit uneasy. Sometimes there really isn’t anything to pique my interest, but luckily this season is plentiful! So let’s start my list.

Genshiken Nidaime

If you’ve watched the original Genshiken then I’d definitely recommend checking this out. But if you’re new to the series they do a good job on filling you in on who’s who, plus there’s a whole new female cast so you won’t be jumping into an already fleshed out series. The show starts within the first few weeks of school, the club finding new club members again so the cast is fresh for veterans and newbies alike.
What I really like about this anime is that it appeals directly to the Josei demographic (set in university, with a dominantly female cast). The girls are all otakus, and all have their quirks. The cast is likeable, the story is light and interesting, and it gives a female perspective of the fangirl demographic. Check it out! It’s exploring new territory with a comedic twist,

Love-Lab

I have a soft spot for light-hearted shoujo, so Love-Lab hooked me right away. All the characters are likeable and funny making for a comedic look at high school romance. We all remember what it was like before we had our first boyfriend, we read Seventeen magazine incessantly, did those stupid quizzes, and giggled about cute boys until our lungs gave out. Sometimes it’s fun to travel back to those carefree days. Love-lab is a fun time all around.

Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C3-bu

 
Don’t ask me how I stumbled into this anime, but it had me smitten by the end of episode 1. That long confusing title means Stella Women’s Academy High School Division Class C3. I bet you’re looking at it and thinking “that anime with a bunch of young girls wielding guns right?” but you’re wrong! They’re airsoft BB guns. SO much better right? Well actually yeah. It’s a group of girls who play out war scenarios using BB guns, and it makes me want to run out and play some paintball. It’s definitely a Girl Power anime with a Slice of Life spin on it. Who knew playing with BB guns could help you learn about yourself as you go through high school? Each character is quirky and fun; it gets you hyped up to do something fun while showing that girls can kick butt too. I love it.

Watamote

I don’t really know why I’m watching this one. I’ll be honest. The protagonist is so weird and unlikeable it almost makes me want to shut it off… but I don’t. So I can’t say I recommend this anime, but I will say it’s just weird enough to keep my attention. If you want to see a life in the perspective of a shut-in otaku then give it a shot. It makes you think about your weird tendencies, I think we all have them, however this protagonist has them all so there’s something strange for everyone. You’ll laugh and then some, but if it’s not for you I totally understand. I’m not sure if I’ll finish the series, but for now it has my attention.

Servant x Service

This anime got my attention when I found out it’s by the same writer who did the hit manga/anime Working!! This time around however it’s set in a more adult setting of the welfare section of a ward office in Japan. You follow 3 newcomer young adults and there adventures being in a civil service job (fun right?). Well actually, this anime is light and enjoyable. No 2 characters are alike making for funny mishmashes as well as making light of situations that we all deal with in the workforce. Check it out if you’ve been feeling uninspired in the workplace!
Thanks for reading and I hope these suggestions will get you thinking about what to watch this anime season!
Christina