New Anime Season; New Experiences

With a lot of new anime starting, I thought it would be a good thing to talk about!

Ever since becoming an anime fan, I’ve been a casual watcher. In the beginning, finding a show was as easy as browsing Youtube for openings or videos until I found something I liked. As I began figure collecting, I often found myself seeking out figures I liked and watching the shows they came from. I was introduced to series like Fate, Mawaru Penguindrum, Ika Musume, Black Rock Shooter, and Seto no Hanayome this way. I soon found myself leaping into a series half way after having had my interest peaked by a figure. This last Wonderfestival, I was disappointed in the selection of figures, but this was only because I had not bothered to watch any of the newer anime. Shingeki no Kyojin was one of the series heavily represented at Wonderfestival, and after joining the fray in time for the last five episodes and loving it, I decided to try something different. Rather than waiting to see which shows would end up being popular, I would get to discover along with everybody else by watching anime week by week. This is a rather typical thing to do, but by committing like this it finally makes me feel like a serious anime watcher!

To choose what I would follow, I headed over to Random Curiosity which is a darn useful site. I came across Random Curiosity while watching Steins;Gate(one of the few shows I’d watched week by week) and found it immensely helpful in helping to get my thoughts straight after the weekly dose of madness. Since then, I’d returned several times while watching other shows, but this time my intent was to make use of the fall schedule they post. Not only does their fall schedule list all the up and coming animes(along with who will be blogging it), it gives a summary and expectations for the show which is perfect for an uncertain viewer like me!

So, based on what I’ve enjoyed previously and the anime community’s expectations, I chose a few shows to watch this season and after having already seen a few episodes, thought it would be fun to write about my impressions of them so far! And don’t worry, I won’t include and spoilers~

Coppelion

Coppelion takes place after a nuclear meltdown has overwhelmed Tokyo and forced the city to be evacuated. The story follows three genetically engineered highschool girls, called Coppelion, who are sent to the ruined city in order to search for and rescue survivors who failed to escape.

I do enjoy a good apocalypse story(not you, Guilty Crown) every now and then, so the show does not counter my tastes, but my main reason for going ahead and watching it was the high expectations there are for it. With three young girls who are not fully physically(why school uniforms?) or mentally equipped for their mission, the plot does seems a little too unbelievable, but I’m more than willing to give it time to develop. There may very well be reasonable answers to these questions, and I’m getting the feeling that there is something fishy going on, anyway. So far, I’m not in love with Coppelion, but I certainly do not hate it. I should also add that the scenery is quite nice. Tokyo is the nicest radioactive city I’ve ever seen!

Kyokai no Kanata

In a normal town in a normal school exist spirit warriors who fight dreamlike creatures called youmu. Akihito Kanbara,a youmu-human hybrid, meets Mirai Kuriyama who is the last remnant of a clan that fights by controlling their blood. The two deal with Mirai’s insecurities and help her to become a better warrior.

So far, this anime has proven to be one of my favorites. Not only do I like watching the world of youmu unfold, I found the characters easy to become attached to. Mirai is just the right amount of cute and standoffish, and Akihito is a snarky male lead which I’d much rather watch than the typical Mr. Bland. My opinion is highly subjective though as I can easily see that Mirai can come off as annoyingly clumsy. The character designs are disturbingly similar to those of K-on(this is Kyoto Animation) which is sure to cause moe moe kyun flashbacks during what is supposed to be a darker show, but the plot will hopefully help to separate the two. I’m looking forward to more and am secretly hoping for a Mirai figma. Too soon?

Kyousogiga TV

In an enigmatic world where creatures and humans live side by side, Koto and her younger brothers are pursuing a black rabbit on their quest to return home. But it appears that Koto may actually have something to do with this strange place.

Kyousougiga was originally a series of OVAs each lasting about five minutes. For that reason, it is not your typical story. I watched the OVAs in preparation for the anime, and noticed that the focus is on the animation. This does not mean the story is bad, but it is told unconventionally and ends up being rather difficult to follow. After starting the anime today, I can say that the TV version spells things out more easily while retaining the wacky nonsensical animation of the OVA. Like I said, this is not your typical anime, so it most likely will not appeal to everyone especially if you’re the type of person who wants everything to make sense. I also had some difficulty keeping names straight(and I’m usually good at that), but this is probably because I was thrown off by watching the OVAs and recap. Anyway, I do recommend this if you’re into colorful animation and atypical stories.

Nagi no Asukara

In this world, humans live both on land and in the sea. After their middle school is shut down Hikari, Manaka, Chisaki, and Kaname find themselves attending school on land and are confronted with the cultural barrier between land and sea.

Right from the beginning Nagi no Asukara establishes not a love triangle, but a love square or maybe even a love pentagon– frankly I’m not sure yet. But what I am sure of is that with cultural taboos, unrequited love, and middle schoolers, this anime will be drama with a side of drama and extra drama on top. But as much as I say that I dislike drama, I do happen to like this show. The seaside town features lovely Grecian inspired architecture and the entire show is a goldmine for beautiful aquatic scenery. Especially the underwater village. That’s right, there’s an underwater village! I am also looking forward to watching the development between the sea and land people. Taboos both well known and unspoken divide the two, and although the common trend now seems to be overcoming tradition in favor of change, I hope to see the characters find a balance between retaining the traditions of old and embracing the new era they live in. This is especially important with younger characters who would benefit from understanding why the sea and land people act the way they do.

Super Seisyun Brothers

Super Seisyun Brothers is not a full anime, but series of short four minute episodes. The show involves two groups of siblings who are both different and the same. Chiko and Chika(blonde) enjoy beauty and are enamored with themselves while Mako and Mao(purple) are an odd pair who use hand puppets to practice for the unlikely event that they run into an alien of spirit. In spite of their differences, the siblings spend a lot of time together.

I was first hesitant to pick this up but eventually decided to because I like the art. And after watching five episodes, I can safely say that the show is about…nothing. If you enjoy watching four fictional people talk about their lives while a harmonica plays in the background, then this show is for you! That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. Just don’t expect much in terms of plot. Still, it’s a pleasant anime and nice way to spend four minutes!

Kill la Kill

Following the death of her father, Ryuko Matoi transfers to the tyrannical Honnōji Academy along with a scissor shaped weapon in order to find her father’s killer who holds the other half of the scissor.

Kill la Kill is the craziest show I’ve watched in a while. From the despotic high school to Ryuko’s skimpy battle outfit, absolutely everything is over the top. When I started the first episode, I was certain that I would drop it, yet by the end, I knew I had to watch more. And although I generally do not like excessive fanservice, Kill la Kill is so wacky that it fits right in!

If you’re easily offended by…anything, then this anime is probably not for you. But if you want to watch something and immediately wonder afterwards what it is that you just saw, then go ahead and give this show a try!

Log Horizon

Following an update, players of the MMO Elder Tale find themselves trapped within the game.

It should obvious why I chose this show. Sounds a lot like Sword Art Online, doesn’t it? Ever since SAO took my expectations, stomped on them, and laughed afterwards, I’ve been hoping to see a MMO death game done right. But watching Log Horizon and expecting it to pick up the pieces SAO left behind is not right because the two are totally different. Unlike SAO, Log Horizon is not a matter of life or death. In fact, the characters don’t exactly know what has happened to them or how to escape which injects some welcome ambiguity into the story. Log Horizon also manages to retain the MMO atmosphere in a way better than SAO by devoting time to strategy all of which is believable.

Actually, it’s a shame to spend so much time comparing the two because they have little in common aside from both being set in MMOs.

I doubt Log Horizon will end up being one of my favorite shows, but I’m interested enough to watch a few more episodes!

Magi: Kingdom of Magic

Magi: Kingdom of Magic follows Magi: Labyrinth of Magic, and is the only sequel I’m watching this time around.

After seeing a fair amount of Magi merchandise, I decided about a month ago to watch the first season, and really enjoyed it. Following this, I read the entire manga(still ongoing) and am excited to finally see it animated. One of my favorite things about Magi is the characters all of whom help to enliven the story more than any unbeatable super power could. The loveable characters combined with a vibrant world and sometimes dark plot actually remind me very much of Fullmetal Alchemist which makes me like it even more.

Being the second season of Magi, the anime picks up with Aladdin and the gang as he decides to leave behind his companions and journey to Magnostadt Academy which is responsible for the brutal destruction of Musta’sim Kingdom in order to improve his magic.

The Magnostadt arc is my favorite so far as it not only involves magic(I’ve always liked magic characters) but puts you in the odd position of feeling disgusted towards someone’s actions and sympathetic at the same time. I’m looking forward to being able to watch it and will have to prepare myself for the inevitable anime-only tweaks like in the first season.

Well, that’s all for now! There are two other shows I’m interested in, but since one has not aired yet, I’ll just leave those out of this post.
Are you all watching any of these shows? If so, what do you think of them?