Winter Anime Season (Part 3) (NSFW!)

Title: Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okashiinda ga (aka Recently, My Sister is Unusual)
Release Date: January 4, 2014
Studio: Project No. 9
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Supernatural
Synopsis: Yuya Kanzaki is thrown for a loop when his usually frigid stepsister, Mitsuki, suddenly becomes upbeat and affectionate. The cause: the disembodied spirit of Hiyori Kotobuki, who has possessed Mitsuki in order to earn Yuya's love.

Verdict: Oh myyyy. If this doesn't turn out to be the funniest anime of 2014, it's certainly making a case for being the steamiest. Never since the era of Seikon no Qwaser has there been such wanton display of girl-on-girl fanservice.

Seriously, I can't see the tits through all this story...wait.

The episode begins innocuously enough, with Yuya and Mitsuki joining their newlywed parents for breakfast before going through an uneventful school day. Mitsuki is cold toward her new brother at times, but there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until Mitsuki unexpectedly collapses on a footbridge while walking home. When she comes to in the hospital ward, she does the unthinkable...and wraps Yuya in a great big hug. The move surprises everyone, including Mitsuki, and it's not long before we are introduced to the culprit, Hiyori, and her unique (very adult, often censored) way of saying hello.

Hint: They're not shaking hands right now...

...Or playing video games.

When it's not busy devolving into a steamy pile of entangled school girl limbs, the show displays some talent for evoking laughs at the bizarre situation and teases some more supporting characters. Judging from the fact that most of them are female, it's safe to say that Mitsuki and Hiyori won't be the only girls competing for Yuya's attention. Judging from the first episode, first-time director Hiroyuki Hata only has more (literally) juicy moments in store for viewers.

Anime is for children, you say? Good luck watching this with your mom.

It remains to be seen if an actual plot will develop between healthy helpings of kissing and fondling. Until then, expect plenty of opportunities to break out your best Takei face.

I'm sorry...but I'm not sorry.

Winter Anime Season (Part 1)

Title: Witch Craft Works
Release Date: December 30, 2013
Studio: J.C. Staff
Genre: Supernatural, Magical Girlfriend, Harem, Comedy, School Life
Synopsis: Average high school student Honoka Takamiya suddenly finds his life turned upside down when a building mysteriously drops on him from the sky above. Honoka's is suddenly rescued by school idol Ayaka Kagari, who reveals herself as a witch sworn to protect him.

Verdict: Impressive production values and an intriguing premise save this from being just another harem. Based on Ryu Mizunagi's popular manga, the anime wastes no time throwing Takamiya into the over-the-top, silly and often dangerous world of witches. Facing such perils as falling buildings, armed bunny robots and Kagari's own rabidly jealous fan club, Takamiya rarely has time to process all of the weird circumstances in which he finds himself. His bumbling surprise and amusing observations are comically offset by Kagari's unflappable stoicism. Director Tsutomu Mizushima is right at home thanks to his work on gut-busters like Genshiken, Yondemasu yo Azazel san and +Tic Nee san, and the magical battles by J.C. Staff (Shakugan no Shana, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun) balance a sense of absurdity and danger. Much like Takamiya himself, the audience barely has time to breath in between new revelations that raise new burning questions. How does magic work? Who are the "Tower Witches" and why are they after Takamiya in the first place? Is Kagari always an emotionless doll? This show is enticing enough to warrant a second look.

The Fall Anime Season is Here (Part 5)!

Title: Outbreak Company
Release Date: Oct. 3, 2013
Studio: Feel
Genre: Comedy, Harem, Supernatural, Ecchi
Premise: After acing an online pop culture quiz, bona fide otaku Kanou Shinichi is recruited by an undercover government agency to serve as an economic liaison between Japan and a newly discovered fantasy world in another dimension.

Verdict: Pretty funny for a harem. I tend to steer clear of anime that is too heavy on the fanservice, but so far OC has given some substance to a genre that is often nothing but ass n titties. As is customary for a typical harem character, Shinichi is a thoroughbred geek. He is fluent in all pop culture references and tropes, maintains a significant collection of figurines, games, and tankobon, and, most tellingly, has no love life to speak of, having long since been rejected (by his childhood friend, no less!) for his peculiar interests. Likewise, the female characters introduced so far all fit into particular moe tropes: the timid and clumsy petite maid, the busty and mature older sister, and the fussy, temperamental younger sister.

Where the show really gets its legs is the unique setting: the magical kingdom of Eldant. Shinichi wakes up in this fantasy world filled with dragons, elves and lizard men after coming to what he thought was a job interview for a tech company. His interviewer turns out to be a government big shot who has scouted Shinichi to manage mass media distribution for his company, Amutec's, newly formed Eldant branch, in charge of marketing anime, manga and video games to Eldant's population. The job's appeal is easy to see - I don't think there's an otaku alive who would pass up the chance to explain the merits of Street Fighter compared to Dead or Alive to a real live elf - and this should give the show some substance in between conveniently angled panty shots. All in all the pop culture references and celebration of geek culture make this one harem I can get behind. Give it a spin!