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.

Winter Anime Season (Part 9)

Title: Nisekoi (aka Fake Love)
Release Date: January 11, 2014
Studio: Shaft
Genre: Romantic Comedy, School Life, Yakuza
Synopsis: Raku Ichijou, the high school-age heir of a yakuza clan, finds his life thrown into turmoil when he buts heads with a blonde-haired, short-tempered transfer student named Chitoge Kirisaki. Matters are further complicated when he discovers that she is the heir of a rival gang and that they must pretend to be in love to prevent an all-out war.

Verdict: I can honestly count on one hand the number of anime relationships that I have actually cared about: Ashitaka and San from Princess Mononoke, Spike and Faye from Cowboy Bebop, Ai Tanabe and Hachimaki from Planetes, and Renton and Eureka from Eureka Seven (honorable mention to Makoto and Chiaki from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time). So my first inclination was to write this show off as another moeblob rom com. But. What this series lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in presentation. The combined talents of studio Shaft and director Akiyuki Shinbo (both of whom are responsible for the instant classic Puella Magi Madoka Magika) make for a series of slickly animated and beautifully arranged moments that are impossible to dislike. And it doesn't hurt that Raku's observations of and interactions with his crazy mafia world are often gut-bustingly funny. Although serious romances usually have me rolling my eyes, I don't mind keeping up with a show this pretty.

Winter Anime Season (Part 4)

Title: D-Frag!
Release Date: January 6, 2014
Studio: Brain's Base
Genre: Comedy, School Life, Slice of Life
Synopsis: Kenji Kazama and his band of delinquents are determined to take over their new school but hit a snag when they stumble upon the weird shenanigans of the school's Game Creation Club and its even weirder president, Roka Shibasaki. Based on the popular manga series by Tomoya Haruno.

Verdict: Don't expect any life-changing revelations or shrewd commentaries on man's complicated nature here, this is pure, wacky, escapist comedy at its finest. Not surprising considering Brain's Base has a penchant for putting out quirky comedies with bizarre characters (e.g. Princess Jellyfish, My Teenage Comedy SNAFU, and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun). The first episode features a wide range of feats of absurdity, including the most hilariously twisted parody of Pokemon since Egoraptor's PokeAwesome series.

"Defeated now, bitch?!" indeed.

D-Frag isn't here to make you think, it's here to make you laugh, and it's doing a bang-up job so far.

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 4)!

Title: Nagi no Asukara
Release Date: Oct 3, 2013
Studio: P.A. Works
Genre: Supernatural, School Life, Romance
Premise: Hikari Sakishima and his three friends, all children from a race of sea-dwelling humans, must attend school with humans on the surface after their underwater middle school closes its doors. Hikari must contend with the ridicule of his land-dwelling classmates, the ire of his fellow sea-dwellers, and a surface boy who has taken a special interest in his childhood friend, Manaka.

Verdict: I probably should have expected this since P.A. Works was involved, but this really registered with me on an emotional level. This will probably hold true for any viewer who has known young love, especially love of the unrequited variety. As Hikari opines in the opening scenes:

"What can I do? Without someone else, she just wouldn't get through life. I have to be with her."

By the time the end credits roll, however, it's apparent to everyone (except perhaps Hikari himself) that he may actually be the one who needs her. The surface boy, Tsumugu, throws many a wayward glance in Manaka's direction, and she doesn't seem to mind the attention. To make matters worse, Manaka's friend Chisaki carries a flame for Hikari; and there's a touching scene where she reveals she is torn between her feelings for Hikari and her friendship with Manaka. Experience says this unrequited love rectangle is sure to only get more complicated as time goes on.

To keep from telling another stale young love story, Nagi no Asukara also adds supernatural elements. Legend has it that all humanity is descended from the ancient sea god, originally living underwater. When a faction of mankind ditched their gills to live on land, the sea god became angry, leading to mankind's travails with droughts and fights over fresh drinking water. Mankind sent sacrificial maidens out to sea in boats to appease the sea god, and sea dwellers are supposedly the offspring of the sea god and said maidens.

Despite these shared origins, it is clear that tensions between the land and the sea are running high. Surface kids tell Hikari and his friends that they "stink of fish" and vandalize his older sister's workplace. The men of his underwater village gripe about fishermen who fish outside of their designated zones. Hikari, who is heir to the shrine where his father serves as high priest, must lend an ear to his fellow villagers' complaints and try to make sense of it all.

It makes for an interesting mix of elements. There looks to be a large ensemble of characters, and write Mari Okada (whose past credits include the excellent Wandering Son and tear-jerking Anohana) seems more than able to communicate everyone's frenzied jumble of emotions. Supporting characters like Lord Uroko (who is already my favorite) should flesh out Hikari and co.'s underwater world and provide some lighthearted moments between bouts of teenage angst. P.A. Works looks like they have another hit on their hands with this one.

The Fall Anime Season is Here (Part 3)!

Title: Kill la Kill
Release Date: Oct 3, 2013
Studio: Trigger
Genre: Action/Adventure, School Life
Premise: Wandering transfer student Ryuko Matoi has just arrived at Honnoji Academy in search of clues to the identity of her father's killer. Immediately clashing with domineering Student Council President Satsuki Kiryuin and her four elite underlings, Ryuko unwittingly kicks off a civil war for control of the school.

Verdict: The only acceptable reason not to be watching this show is because you are reading this blog entry about why you absofuckinglutely must watch this show. For those of you who don't know, I like director Hiroyuki Imaishi, like, A LOT. His previous effort as series director, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, is still on a lot of people's Top 10 lists, and all of those people (myself included) jumped for joy when it was announced that he was starting his own animation studio. And boy, Trigger's debut project sure doesn't disappoint.

The tone is set from the opening sequence, as Head of the Discipline Committee Gamagori exposes, confronts and lays the smackdown on an unruly student.

Pictured: The Mother of All Smackdowns

The poor chap ends up ass-naked and embedded in the outer wall surrounding the courtyard, and everything about Honnoji Academy, from the overbearing oppressive atmosphere to the clearly defined villainous role of Sastuki Kiryuin, is made abundantly clear. Honnoji Academy is made up of a strict caste system, and Satsuki, whose father runs the school's board of directors, is alone at the top; even the school's principal recognizes her authority. Social status is determined by the school's special Goku uniforms, which grant special powers to the wearer. The higher a person is ranked, the more stars their Goku uniform has, with general students designated as no-stars, exceptional students as one stars, and Satsuki's chosen elite getting uniforms with two or more stars.

All white? It must be a bitch keeping stains out.

Into this delicate balance comes Ryuko, wielding half of a pair of gigantic scissor blades. She is searching for the owner of the other half, claiming that this person is responsible for murdering her father. Her blatant disregard for school customs quickly sets her at odds with the school's elite, prompting the captain of the boxing club to put Ryuko in her place with his Goku uniform's ridiculously over-sized boxing gloves. A defeated Ryuko returns to what remains of her house and finds, of all things, a living, talking school outfit which imbues her with powers of her own...WHEW! Still with me? Good.

In the hands of nearly any other creator this would be gobbledy-gook, but with Imaishi's trademark over-the-top action-oriented style it feels fluid and, more importantly, fun. There may be some well-warranted gripes about the skimpiness of Ryuko's outfit, but I'm still glad to see a show with not one but two solid female leads playing off of one another. The 24-minute episode blazed past, and seasoned Imaishi veterans know it's only likely to get more crazy from here on out. If you pick one series to watch this season, this is the one show worth "trying on."

The Fall Anime Season is Here (Part 2)!

Title: Kyoukai no Kanata
Release Date: Oct 3, 2013
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Genre: Action/Adventure, Supernatural, Slice of Life, School Life, Comedy
Premise: Easy-going high school student Akihito Kanbara's peaceful life is interrupted when he thwarts the suicide attempt of Mirai Kuriyama. When Mirai rewards Akihito's bravado by stabbing him through the heart, he, an immortal half-human half-youma, and she, a Spirit World Warrior sworn to hunt youma, find their fates irreparably intertwined.

Verdict: A surprisingly pleasant first episode. This one initially swept under my radar because of the cliche setting ( high schoolers dealing with supernatural powers? again?), but the writers have created an interesting dynamic between the lead characters. After their initial encounter, Akihito does his best to avoid Mirai's constant after school ambushes. The last scion of a special clan of Spirit World Warriors with the ability to harden their blood and shape it into weapons, Mirai is something of a pariah in the Warrior community. She has yet to kill her first youma, and has resolved to use the immortal Akihito as target practice. Akihito's childhood friend (and fellow literary club member), Mitsuki Nase, also happens to be the daughter of the most prominent local family of Spirit World Warriors. She warns Akihito not to become further involved with Mirai, although it is not clear whether this is out of concern or flirtatious jealousy (since this is an anime, it's probably both).

Studio Kyoto Animation has a significant track record of "school life with a twist" series under its belt, having previously released such classics as Full Metal Panic and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and their experience is apparent here. Lighthearted segments of everyday high school life are peppered with dazzling bits of smoothly animated supernatural fighting action, and the transitions between the two feel very natural. Writer Jukki Hanada has done a good job of whetting my interest and setting up some intriguing questions to be answered in future episodes. This remains one to watch.

Summer Premier Season (Part Nine): Gin no Saji

Title: Gin no Saji
Release Date: July 11, 2013
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Genre: School Life, Slice of Life, Comedy
Premise: When Yugo Hachiken fails to get into his intended high school, he enrolls at Oezo Agricultural High School instead, thinking that the easy classes will leave plenty of time to study for college entrance exams. What he doesn't know is that Oezo's curriculum also requires back-breaking amounts of hard labor. Shenanigans ensue.

Verdict: Conventional wisdom would tell you to leave this anime alone. The subject matter, farm life, is quite a departure anime's usual fare. The first episode, although energetically animated, is pretty forgettable. And finally, I can't see any otaku's Top Ten List including an anime about farming. Case closed, right?

Not quite. This particular anime about farm life happens to be based on a manga by Hiromu Arakawa.

Self portrait. JK, she really looks like this

 In case that name doesn't ring a bell, she's the brilliant creative mind behind everyone's favorite anime about alchemy: Fullmetal Alchemist. As it turns out, after wrapping up production on one of the greatest anime/manga series of all time (let's just say it's on a lot of people's Top Ten Lists) in 2010, Arakawa-sensei began work on this puppy in 2011. The story hits a bit closer to home than her previous efforts, as it is inspired by her childhood growing up on a Hokkaido dairy farm.

'Nuff said, you had me at "Hiromu Arakawa." If anyone could pull off an anime about farming, it's her. Production studio A-1 Pictures seems to agree, as they've already greenlit and scheduled a second season which will premier next year. If it takes a few episodes for this one to get going, I completely understand. Based on the author's track record, your patience is sure to be rewarded.