Winter Anime Season (Part 6)

Title: Hamatora
Release Date: January 7, 2014
Studio: Naz
Genre: Detective, Action/Adventure, Supernatural, Comedy
Synopsis: Friends and business partners Nice and Murasaki are the joint leaders of Hamatora, a freelance detective agency operated from inside a bar. Each member of Hamatora possesses a type of Minimum, or a special ability that activates when certain conditions are met.

Verdict: This may only be the second ever project for studio Naz, but it is already making the case for being one of the most fun and exciting series of the year. The pilot serves as a nice introduction for each member of the team and his/her special power. Nice, the scatterbrained leader, has the ability to see sound waves; much like his namesake, he often takes jobs that will allow his to help others. This often puts him at odds with the more practical Murasaki, who blames Nice's predisposition for their inability to pay the bills. To drive this point home, two jobs, one well-paying and one well-intentioned, arrive simultaneously; thinks go about as well as you'd expect.

Not pictured: Two rational adults reaching a consensus.

Meanwhile, their coworkers and fellow Minimun users, Birthday (yes, that's his real name) and Ratio, leave to work a third job as bodyguards. This allows veteran director Seiji Kishi (Seto no Hanayome, Angel Beats!) to highlight each character's separate strengths and, when a lead reveals that the cases are all related, how they work well together. By the the time the loose ends have come together, Hamatora is firing on all cylinders. The team members each have their own personal charm, and, more importantly, their own set of sweet moves to bust out when they activate their Minimum. Nor is the story lacking; the solution to the cases is unexpected (and amusing), and the first hints of an overarching villain are introduced as rumors of a Minimum user serial killer begin to spread. Between the winning cast, slick visuals, jazzy score and enticing plotlines, Hamatora is looking to be a fun watch.

Summer Premier Season (Part Six): Uchouten Kazoku

Title: Uchouten Kazoku
Release Date: July 7, 2013
Studio: P.A. Works
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life
Premise: In the city of Kyoto, humans, tanuki (raccon dog spirits) and tengu live among one another without intermingling. Except for Yasaburo Shimogamo, a tanuki who is fascinated by the world of humans and tengu, using his shape-shifting ability to move between societies.

Verdict: This seems like a slow burn, but a slow burn worth watching nonetheless. Aside from Yasaburo's opening narration, which basically reiterates the premise, there isn't much exposition; it's a welcome change from most anime that waste airtime by having characters or a narrator explain how the world works. Instead, the audience is dropped into the story and follows Yasaburo around town, learning the dynamics of Kyoto as he goes about his day. There's plenty to learn in spite of this hands-off narrative approach.

It's apparent Yasaburo doesn't hold much clout in his family due to his habits. He runs into two of his brothers, one older, one younger, and both view his shape-shifting with disapproval or confusion. He also pays frequent visits to his "Master" an old tengu who has lost his ability to fly, and, consequently, his sense of pride. Most importantly, he seems to be acting as a go-between for his Master and the mysterious Benten - a tengu with a sultry femme fatale vibe who might have a romantic history with Yasaburo, his Master, or both.

So far the show is playing its cards pretty close to its chest, but there's definitely hints of a bigger story waiting to be told. I have every confidence that said story will deliver because 1) P.A. Works has yet to disappoint me (seriously, go watch Angel Beats! if you haven't already) and 2) it's based on a novel by Tomihiko Morimi, whose other novel The Tatami Galaxy has already been adapted into one of my all-time favorite anime. With credentials like that, I have no problem waiting until next week to get the whole story.