Spring Anime 2014 (Part 6)

Title: Mahouka KouKou no Rettousei (The Irregular at Magic High School)
Release Date: April 5, 2014
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy, School Life
Premise: Based on the light novel by Tsutomu Satou. Siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki Shiba are about to begin their studies at the distinguished First High School, a top-tier magic academy. Not all is well, however, as the school is divided between elite Course 1 students and lower-ranked students of Course 2.

Verdict: Well it wouldn't be high school without a clear social division along class lines, would it? Tensions flare early and often in this first episode, and you can bet that spells are going to fly between Course 1 and Course 2 before the end credits roll.

After a brief vignette showing magicians doing battle in a futuristic environment, the show opens with Miyuki and Tatsuya on the morning of their induction ceremony. Miyuki can't believe her brother has been placed in Course 2 (he destroyed to written test, but had the worst practical scores), and it soon becomes clear that Tatsuya is hiding something when it comes to his magical abilities.

The rest of the day is spent introducing classmates, including shy bespectacled aura-reader Mizuki Shibata, chipper, baton-wielding Erika Chiba, and Leonhard "Leo" Saijo. Things go smoothly until Miyuki attempts to sit with her brother and his Course 2 buddies, prompting an intervention from the other Course 1 students. Barbs are traded and the two sides come to blows, attracting the attention of the school's disciplinary committee.

The series earns points for its integration of science fiction and fantasy elements, a kind of anachronistic ballet. Magicians cast their incantations with pistol-shaped Casting Assistance Devices (CAD), and ninjitsu is revealed to be an ancient magical art. Satou's world smoothly combines these disparate elements to make a magical school show unlike any other. If the light novel and manga's impressive sales numbers are any indication, Madhouse has another hit on its hands for the spring season.

Spring Anime 2014 (Part 5)

Title: No Game No Life
Release Date: April 9, 2014
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Fantasy, Psychological, Comedy
Premise: Sora and Shiro, a brother and sister pair of hikikomori NEETs that excel at online games, reign undefeated under the moniker "BLANK." After defeating a mysterious opponent, they are transported to an alternate reality where everything from petty disputes to national borders is decided by playing games.

Verdict: This is the latest in a line of popular "socially awkward loner gets sucked into favorite game" series that have popped up. First came Sword Art Online and Btooom! in 2012, followed by last year's Log Horizon. It's easy to see why shows like these would appeal to members of Japanese society's robust gaming otaku subculture. The protagonists of these series are usually quiet, withdrawn, unproductive members of society, gaming to escape their mundane realities.

When they wind up living their favorite pastime, they usually react with elation - here their formerly useless skills are suddenly invaluable, the countless hours spent honing odd abilities finally bearing fruit. However, at the end of the day, all of these slackers-turned-heroes try to return home. At the end of the pilot, our fearless protagonist Sora notes this trope and proceeds to do away with it completely: "Why would they try to go back to a world like that?"

This is the mentality with which Sora and his sister approach life, scorning the outside world, sunlight and other people. They play online games from sun-up to sundown, subsisting on rations and convenience store food. The pair is on the tail end of a five-day gaming bender when they receive a strange invite from an anonymous source online. After a pitched battle of computer chess, brother and sister are whisked away to Disboard - world ruled by gaming. Sora and Shiro waste no time diving into their new environment, traveling to a town where a new king is being determined via poker game.

The fantastical setting, and Shiro and Sora's nonchalant, devil-may-care reaction to it, is very intriguing. It also doesn't hurt when a studio as world-renowned as Madhouse is handling animation duties; even the most mundane games become suspenseful action sequences. It will be interesting to follow this series and see what shenanigans Sora and his sister get up to in their new digs.

Spring Anime 2014 (Part 4)

Title: Hitsugi no Chaika (Chaika the Coffin Princess)
Release Date: April 9, 2014
Studio: Bones
Genre: Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Premise: Based on the light novel series by Ichiro Sakaki. Toru Acura has lost all purpose in life, wandering the countryside in search of work. When he stumbles across Chaika, a coffin-toting, gun-wielding wizard, Toru and his sister, Akari, join Chaika on a quest that will affect the whole land.

Verdict: From the opening scenes, I found myself drawn into this world and its fantasy/steampunk atmosphere. The show is a heady mix of swashbuckling swordplay, magic rifles, Victorian clothing and, interestingly enough, carnivorous killer unicorns (more on that later).

After a brief monologue wherein our titular character is given a cryptic task that will set several things in motion, we are introduced to wandering worker-for-hire Toru Acura. A retired soldier who fought in the wars that led to the fall of the Gaz Empire prior to the series, Toru has lost all motivation after leaving the military. While scouring the mountain he calls home, Toru encounters Chaika, mistaking her for a rabbit. Their encounter is interrupted by the arrival of the aforementioned unicorn.

An entertaining chase and subsequent battle ensue, allowing Studio Bones to show off its prowess with slickly animated action sequences. Both Chaika and Toru display some visually impressive fighting styles, eventually triumphing over their not-so-cute-and-cuddly mythical prey. After a short trip into town and a humorous run-in with Toru's unemotional and hyperviolent sister, Chaika finally reveals her quest to the Acura siblings: the retrieval of a highly sought after magical artifact from the home of a local war hero-turned-aristocrat. Things head in an interesting direction from there, as the mark for the heist seems to be expecting unwanted visitors.

Hitsugi no Chaika is spinning an interesting thread so far, with intriguing characters and hidden plots aplenty. Keep an eye on this one if you like your fantasy violence mixed with a bit of mystery and intrigue.

Winter Anime Season (Part 5)

Title: Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta (Love Song for a Certain Pilot)
Release Date: January 6, 2014
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Sibling pilot trainees Kal-el (seriously) and Ariel Albus join the Aerial Division of Cadoques High, seeking love, friendship and the mythical End of the Sky. Based on the light novel series by Koroku Inumura.

Verdict: Holy shitballs, that was pretty. It's no secret that a lot of time, love and care has gone into crafting each detail of Inumura's world, and, in spite of some on-the-nose romance scenes later in the episode, a compelling story seems to be taking shape. Set in a fantasy world dominated by aviation, the story begins with "Kal" and Ariel's induction ceremony.

And you thought your first day of school was stressful.

After sharing a tearful goodbye with their sisters and father, the brother and sister jump in their plane and fly to their new home - Cadoques High, a pilot school built on the flying island of Isla. Once there, Kal sets about the arduous task of settling into his new life and getting to know his fellow trainees - including an odd but friendly girl named Claire Cruz.

Let the shipping begin.

There's plenty to like here. As anyone who knows me could tell you, I'm a huge sucker for flying islands in fiction, and this anime is no exception. The stunning visuals aren't exactly a surprise considering TMS Entertainment's storied history, but that doesn't make breathtaking realism of each scene any less awe-inspiring. The story also seems to be developing at a good clip, with plenty of interesting questions being raised by the time the credits roll. Is there class conflict between the trainees of Royal birth and the commoners? Who is Nina Viento, and why does Kal flip out at the sight of her? What is the End of the Sky and why did Kal promise his mother that he would find it? What happened to his mother anyway? Why is Ignacio Axis such a frigid asshole? Why is the main character named after Superman? All of this and more remains to be seen, and the next episode can't get here soon enough.

Winter Anime Season (Part 2)

Title: Noragami
Release Date: January 5, 2014
Studio: Bones
Genre: Supernatural, Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Comedy
Synopsis: Up-and-coming god Yato finds himself down on his luck when his Sacred Treasure, a type of living weapon, tenders her resignation. He resolves to fight evil by himself until a chance encounter with a high school girl changes his fortunes.

Verdict: This could be an early candidate for best anime of the Winter season, if not the year. Studio Bones has a successful track record as long as my arm, so the world of mangaka Adachitoka springs to life with vibrant colors and smoothly animated action sequences. Phantoms, supernatural ripples caused by strong emotions, come in all shapes and sizes; the first episode alone finds Yato facing down a giant red snake born from the malicious competitive spirit of exam week and a towering, gluttonous neon blue frog. Playing opposite Hiroshi Kamiya's Yato is Maaya Uchida as Hiyori Iki, a spunky, MMA-loving high school girl who finds herself caught up in the fledgling god's world after saving him from getting hit by a bus. Hiyori serves as a fitting stand-in for the audience since she often balks at the bizarre nature Yato's swashbuckling lifestyle. Although it looks like this is Kotaru Tamura's first turn as director, so far he seems to be doing a good job of balancing the fantastical with the everyday. After learning that her new companion fancies himself a god of immeasurable power, Hiyori's initial reaction is to call the police. Light moments like these sprinkled in between impressive supernatural action sequences make for an engaging viewing experience. If Noragami doesn't turn out to be one of the best series of the year, it'll still be one of the most fun to watch.

The Fall Anime Season is Here (Part 9)!

Title: Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru (aka Noucome)
Release Date: Oct. 9, 2013
Studio: Diomedea
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Premise: Kanade Amakusa is just like any other high school-age boy, except for his ability (or is it a curse?) of Absolute Multiple Choice: periodically Kanade is presented with two equally absurd choices, and whichever he chooses will come to pass in the real world.

Verdict: I am pleasantly surprised. Usually romantic comedy anime cash in on gratuitous shots of bouncing boobies and underwear, but every once in a while there's a show that tips the scale more towards laughs than fan service. Noucome is just such a show. Good humor subverts the audience's expectations by introducing extraordinary elements to ordinary situations. And nothing is more extraordinary than Kanade's Absolute Multiple Choice.

Imagine having a completely innocuous conversation with a classmate and suddenly being forced to choose between 1) asking to touch her boobs and 2) asking her to touch yours. This is only the first of many difficult choices Kanade is forced to make throughout the day, and I'd really feel for the guy if I wasn't too busy laughing. Each Absolute Multiple Choice provides a one-two comedy punch of anticipation over which answer he'll choose and payoff watching his choices play out in reality. It's a unique gimmick that shouldn't get old for a while.

It's a bit early to comment on the anime's story since the catalyst for the romantic part of the show wasn't introduced until the end of the episode. After a day of dealing with particularly bizarre choices, Kanade is presented with the choice of either catching a beautiful girl who falls from the sky or catching his overweight neighbor; he elects the former and a new chapter of his life appears to begin. This girl from the sky claims she's here to rescue him, but it remains to be seen how she'll accomplish this. In the meantime, the shenanigans that are sure to follow should peak viewers' interest.

The Fall Anime Season is Here (Part 8)!

Title: Kyousogiga
Release Date: Oct. 10, 2013
Studio: Toei Animation
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Action/Adventure
Premise: A monk whose drawings come to life and his anthropomorphic bunny wife create and inhabit a fictionalized version of Kyoto for several years before disappearing. Some time later the monk's son, who has taken his name, encounters a young girl - the first human to cross into the "other" Kyoto in several years.

Verdict: Every once in a while an anime comes along that is so original, so wildly creative and ambitiously different, that it demands to be seen. At the turn of the century, it was FLCL. In 2010, it was The Tatami Galaxy. And when industry powerhouse Toei Animation trotted out the first Kyousogiga ONA roughly two years ago, I had a feeling that another masterful experiment in animation had come along. After viewing the first episode of the series proper, that feeling is quickly crystallizing into certainty.

Serving as a prologue of sorts, the first episode sets up the origins of "Kyoto" (spelled using the characters for "Mirror Capitol" and pronounced "Kyoto"). We meet Kyoto's creator, Myoe, a monk whose enchanted drawings become real. Myoe's unique talents get him relocated to a remote village in Kyoto, where he is immediately shunned by the superstitious town folk. Lonely, he draws a bunny with black hair and red eyes for companionship.

The bunny, named Koto, begins to develop feelings for her creator, and her love is noticed by a bodhisattva residing in a nearby Buddha statue. The bodhisattva offers to give Koto a human form, so that she may express her feelings for Myoe more clearly, and she obliges. At first reluctant, Myoe gradually warms to his bunny wife, eventually starting a family with her: Yakushimaru, a human boy, Kurama, a boy born from Myoe's drawing, and Yase, a demonic girl with bouncy blonde curls. When disdain continues to pour in from the outside world, Myoe and his family decide to depart to a different Kyoto that has been created from his drawings.

In this separate dimension, the family lives out many happy days until Koto reveals the unfortunate truth about her human form. Although she was given a human form to express her love for Myoe, she was supposed to relinquish it the moment her feelings were returned; although Myoe has loved her back for quite some time, she has selfishly remained in her form, not wanting to return to the world outside. Touched by her devotion, Myoe agrees to leave Kyoto with her, leaving his son Yakushimaru with the title of Myoe and appointing him to watch over Kyoto in his absence.

The story then jumps forward several years, when a fully grown Yakushimaru, now going by the name "Myoe," notices a disturbance at the entrance to Kyoto. Thinking his father has returned, he rushes to the source...only to find a magical hammer-wielding teenager named Koto and her twin younger brothers.

What brings Koto to this dimension, her connection to Myoe, and the whereabouts of the original Myoe and Koto remain to be seen. All that I know is that I'll be along for the ride. Despite the heavy exposition, newcomer director and series creator Rie Matsumoto is able to string together beautiful image after beautiful image. The streets of Mirror Capitol Kyoto are colorful, bizarre and teeming with character; Matsumoto has created an interesting world for her characters to inhabit, and if Koto's sudden arrival is any indication, it might not be the only one out there. I will definitely be tuning in to find out.