animananime

Winter is coming to a close, and it’s about time for Spring! Yes, that means dusting out the closet and throwing out the remnants of a season that was, well, pretty okay when you think about it. Rakugo Shinjuu and ERASED were probably the highlights of last season, but there were still a couple other titles that were, if not memorable, enjoyable at the very least. After all of the shows of last season have finished their run, I’ll be compiling a recap post for Winter 2016. Look forward to it!

But yeah, we’re talking about Spring now. The line up is pretty so-so — a mix of hype and intrigue — and it’s pretty much a random bag of titles that are hard to anticipate. I haven’t read the source material for a majority of these titles, so who knows. But I’m not here to predict which title will succeed and which will flop — it’s all about what I want to watch!

You can check out my MyAnimeList for a summary of the titles I’ll be watching this Spring. So enough talk and let’s do this!

Bakuon!!

“Hey, what else can we make girls do aside from playing musical instruments or killing zombies? I know! Let’s make them ride motorcycles! BIG motorcycles!” If Junji Nishimura directed You’re under Arrest the Movie the way I remembered he did, then I’ll give the guy the benefit of the doubt. But yeah, it’s just cute girls doing cute things. VROOOM!!

 

My Hero Academia

People are expecting this title to be the break-out star of the season — and for good reason. The manga has a pretty typical shounen theme, but the execution is surprisingly unique and fresh. This is going to be a fun show, no doubt. And since it’s being helmed by studio BONES, this is definitely a show I’m looking forward to watching.

 

Bungou Stray Dogs

BONES is really spreading themselves out this season. Not only are they working on My Hero Academia and Bungou Stray Dogs, they still have the second cour of Concrete Revolutio to deal with. Hopefully this doesn’t translate to compromises down the line. As far as this show goes, it’s a wild card for me. Kinda like Getbackers meets Sherlock.

 

Concrete Revolutio: Choujin Gensou – The Last Song –

Concrete Revolutio was the underrated show of Fall 2015, weighed down by its niche pop art animation style and a non-linear narrative. People who weren’t patient enough easily dropped it, but give it some time and you actually have a very compelling piece of modern art. Add Gen Urobochi to the mix as this season’s episode writer and we’re in for quite the finale. Can’t wait.

 

Flying Witch

This one’s quite simple enough. Slice-of-life, nice animation style, beautiful background illustrations, and a protagonist that looks like Eru Chitanda. I need a good, relaxing show like this to wash down the hype of the entire season.

 

Gakuen Toshi Asterisk 2nd Cour

I’m honestly not expecting much for this show. I watched the first cour and it was pretty much ho-hum most of the way. Coupled with A-1 pictures habit of fan servicing and harem building, you can cash it in as just another sci-fi battle show. Let’s see if it does better this season now that it doesn’t have to stand beside it’s evil twin incarnate, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry.

 

Joker Game

A pre-World War II detective drama directed by Kazuya Nomura, who lead quite a number of memorable shows like Dennou Coil and Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. I’m sold by the idea alone, plus I’m a sucker for period dramas like this one. The animation choice also leans more towards a western-styled flavor, so that’s definitely another plus. Bring it!

 

Kiznaiver

Trigger studios is a name synonymous to “post-Gainax” works like Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia. It comes as no surprise that people flock towards their productions, similar to how people flock towards stuff done by Kyoto Animation. I honestly don’t know what to expect with this title, and it looks pretty obscure enough to be just decent. But who cares, I’m still interested.

 

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri

Another show that’s wrapped up in a lot of hype. People have likened Tetsuro Araki’s style of directing along the lines of taking a sledgehammer to an ironing board. The word “subtlety” doesn’t seem to exist in his vocabulary, and that’s got the critics writhing in their seats. But if it’s action for action’s sake, then there’s nothing really surprising there. This show is here to blow stuff up, and that’s about it.

 

Kuma Miko (Girl meets Bear)

I honestly had no intention of watching this show until I saw this Promotional Video. Screw it, this is too cute to miss.

 

Macross Δ

Okay, I’ll be honest. I’ve never watched the original Macross series. There, I said it. Burn effigies of my face in Times Square and turn my mangled corpse into a human pincushion. I’m guilty as charged. You may now continue with your lives.

 

Mayoiga

Tsutomu Mizushima directed Shirobako, perhaps one of the best shows of the year during its time. But after seeing the trailer for this show, I can’t help but have mixed feelings for it. Is this really some kind of mystery show, or is it a lame excuse for a bludgeoned piece of exposition?

 

Re: Life in a Different World from Zero

This was a last-minute add-on for me, simply because the visuals in the trailer are stunning. But who are we kidding, this is another boy gets trapped in an alternate world scenario. Nothing really new, and things look a little rehashed to be honest. But we’ll see.

 

And there you have it. As you can see, the list is very long, and I’m just about ready to kill myself. Depending on my assignment at Crunchyroll, I’ll be working on episode reviews for at least two shows this season, with the occasional catalogue review (I’m working on Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso at the moment), and a weekly recap of all shows… if my schedule permits. So with open arms, I welcome the Spring season – viva la anime!