Spring Anime Previews 2016

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With March approaching it's final days, the Spring season is upon us! This year's bounty is quite varied, ranging from Asterisk Wars to Ushio to Tora 2 (there weren't any series past "U").

Anyways, I've made of a list, separated into "Will Watch / Looking forwards to", and "Check this out maybe". My choices aren't exactly inspired, but they definitely line up with my traditional picks. Who knows? It's always fun when something not on your list ends up surprising.

I'm a little worried, as my "will watch list" is probably not going to end up on Crunchyroll, the service I have a subscription to. My best bet is to hope for stuff to end up on Daisuki.

Edit: I actually planned to talk about Macross Delta, but I highly doubt that there's going to be any legal way of watching it. Harmony Gold has a strangle hold on the "Macross / Robotech" series outside of Japan, making it very difficult for any company to do anything with the series. So thanks for that, Harmony Gold. You haven't done anything with the series in a decade. Let it go already!


Planning to Watch:
  • flying witch
  • Kumamiko - Girl Meets Bear
  • Kiznaiver

Planning to Check Out

  • BAKUON!!
  • Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (if possible)
  • Joker Game
  • Sakamoto desu ga. (Haven't you heard? I'm (i Sakamoto)
  • Twin Star Exorcists





flying witch (J.C. Staff)

Note that the title is stylized with no capitalization. This is a wonderfully charming series. While it's title is 'flying witch', the fantastical aspects of the series aren't a huge part of the story. It's primarily a nice little Slice-of-Life set in the Tohoku prefecture of Northern Japan. It's a fun series where magic is sort of common place? Or it's not, but it's not really treated as fantastically as it usually is. This kind of relaxed light comedy slice of life thing is really my jam these days, and sort of has been forever.


* * * * *


Kumamiko: Girl Meets Bear (Kinema Citrus)

If flying witch has that sort of rural charm, Kumamiko goes all the way and sets it's story primarily out, and fully expect to enjoy myself again once the anime is out. It's a cup in a remote village way out in the sitcks. I remember loving the manga from the little bit I checked ountry bumpkin girl with her doting, goofy talking bear. I saw someone likening it to the Calvin and Hobbes relationship and it's probably one of the closer pairs to compare it to. It'll be a fun little series, hopefully fun of cheery fun and a whole lot of heart.


* * * * *


Kiznaiver (Trigger)

This is Trigger's latest project. It's locked up on Crunchyroll, so I figured I might as well check out the series that's exclusive to the service I'm subscribed to.

Most of the series on this list are ones that I'm relatively familiar with. Kiznaiver, however, I know next to nothing. Mari Okada is writing the series, so I can expect the story to be better than average (with average these days being pretty low), and Trigger's work generally has been pretty good looking when left to their own devices.



And now, the other stuff that might be worth a check. Click on the titles to go to an AnimeNewsNetwork(.com) page for the trailer.




Or in this case, maybe not. The series seems revolve around motorbikes, to the point where they've struck deals with real world gear companies for licensed products that the characters wear and use. Motorbikes are cool, but the main character really doesn't make the best first impression. I did a quick look through of the manga, and I'm a little worried about it drifting off too much into the moe, and given some of the characters, that might just make it a less good K-ON!. Unfortunately, it looks like it's also a booby-anime. The tight-fitting motorcycle suits, and the general riding position of bikes are likely going to become common shots in this one, making it sound a lot like a series to write off. Watch the trailer and you'll see what I mean almost immediately.




The next series from the studio that brought us the super massive phenomenon, Attack On Titan. The series has all sorts of things going from it. The hype of having WIT on. The character designs are really fricking cool! EGOIST is back doing the opening! The writer team from Code Geass are on it! Oh. That's where one of the problems is. See, the last series they were on ended up as Guilty Crown- a mess of a series that was pretty much a mess in every aspect except for it's music. I think the production might be trying to bill this as the next Attack on Titan, hoping it hits big, but now that it's been locked up by Amazon, for US Prime Subscribers, I don't think it'll hit as big as they think. If it does end up big at the North American cons, you should ask people how they've watched it and see how many have done it legitimately.

Being in Canada, I won't be able to watch this, despite being a Prime subscriber because 80% of the Prime benefits don't apply to my Canadian subscription. I'm looking forward to seeing how this does though. I'm genuinely interested in whether this shapes up to be a hit or a massive flop.



Set just before the 2nd World War, this spy series sounds like it's going to be a supremely tense series in every way. Probably will be a stressful, exhausting watch.


Sakamoto desu ga?(Studio DEEN) / Haven't you Heard? I'm Sakamoto.

The titular Sakamoto looks fucking *~FANTABULOUS~*. If I end up watching it, it'll be to watch this fabulous walk fabulously while performing his every day actions fabulously. He is fabumax, with the greatest of ease.



















TwinStar Exorcists (Studio Pierrot), Ushio to Tora (MAPPA)

Both of these are pretty true to the shounen formula, though the latter is much more so. The former has couple in an arranged marriage, which sets up it's own unique character dynamics. Part of the charm for that series is seeing the main couple grow closer and learn more about each other (almost always from other people while their partner is out cold). I burnt out from Ushio to Tora after 20 something episodes, and I don't think I'm ready for more. Twin Stars, maybe? It's looking unlikely at this moment.





I mean, why not? 

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