Happy New Year anime fans! Well here we are. Another year, another round of anime that will surely keep us entertained over the next 365 days. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, how about we take it slow and start off with Round 1: Winter. While we all come to terms with putting another year behind us and deciding whether or not to actually go through with our New Year’s Resolutions, come with me on a journey of uncertainty and hope. A quest of discovery and understanding. A grouping of words that may or may not make sense. That’s right folks, itt’s time once again for me to run through my thoughts about what’s to come this Winter anime season. Whether or not you choose to agree with, or even read, said thoughts is up to you…though it sure would be nice if you did…just saying.
Space Dandy
Absolutely the craziest, coolest, funniest announcement of the Winter season…for me anyway. From the director of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo comes another series that is looking to be quite a wild ride. Join the crew of the Aloha Oe as they search the galaxy for new alien species, which they will then capture for profit. Heading the crew is the aptly named Space Dandy who, as some of you may have heard, is a “dandy guy in the space.” Along with his robot sidekick QT and a cat-like alien named Meow, the three will search for fame, fortune and, of course, boobies. Ah yes, the goals of all space faring adventurers. The noblest of pursuits…OK, maybe not. But at least he’s honest. As you can already tell, this is set to be quite the quirky little jaunt through space. Awesome alien species, sexy restaurants and a to die for pompadour? That’s the Dandy way.
Hamatora The Animation
From the glimpses I’ve seen, this looks to be an interesting series. In the far flung year of 2014, certain humans have been discovered to possess superhuman abilities, dubbed Minimum Holders. Two such individuals, Nice and Murasaki, run a detective agency and take a fairly laid back approach to acquiring clients, a good trait for detectives to have. However, when the Police ask for their assistance, the duo wind up investigating a serial killer with a penchant for a certain type of victim: Minimum Holders. Essentially it’s like a cop show with the added flair of stylish anime protagonists. The overall visual style seems very bright and colourful, somewhat strange regarding the rather macabre subject matter but hey, that’s to be expected. Yuki Kodama, the creator of Blood Lad, was involved in character design after all. Besides, who’s gonna let a few murders keep spirits down? Expect clashes between Minimum Holders, explosions of colour and hopefully some genuine detective work. I hope the Minimum Holders give their maximum effort…how’s that as a tagline? Yes? No? Ah well, I liked it. Does that make me self promoting? Yes? No?
Noragami
Who doesn’t love an anime with a powerful protagonist? As much as it’s cool to see the development of a nobody into a powerhouse, it’s kind of refreshing when somebody starts off with a wealth of power under their belt. So I ask you this, who’s more powerful than a God? Not much…sorry, I answered for you. Regardless, when a sweet middle school girl named Hiyori Miki runs to the bathroom in tears, due to another bout of bullying, she discovers a mysterious number scrawled on the wall along with the message “I solve your troubles.” Obviously she calls the number, I mean if she didn’t there wouldn’t really be a series to talk about. Anyway, her call summons a crude, unpredictable homeless guy who claims himself a god. With the ability to cut all who pass between this world and the one that lies beyond, just how will this strange being aid this cute, innocent schoolgirl? Probably by cutting things…sorry, I did it again. With the animation being handled by Bones, this is looking to be one good looking series. Don’t you think so?
Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
It’s such a sought after goal of villainy that it’s essentially a cliche. I speak of course of world domination. To rule over the enitrety of our precious planet and stand above all with the desire to demand worship and the power to enforce it. Luckily for literally everyone on Earth, nobody thus far has been able to accomplish such a dastardly goal. But what if somebody figured out a way to rule? To take over the globe and subjugate humanity? What if the one behind it was a cute little girl? With the Zvezda Plot, her sure fire plan for success, in mind Kate Hoshimiya will shock the world and attempt this magnificent stunt. You know, because it’s anime and everybody loves a cute character…even when they’re evil. Information about this series is definitely more scarce than the other Winter releases, but what has been shown proves to be rather piquing. In addition to the rahter out there plot, the art style is also very interesting. Each character possesses a unique design and an equally unique skillset to go with it. Of course a majority of the character appear to be cutesy girls, but why the hell not, it is anime after all. Plus, nobody suspects the cute ones.
Nobunagun
So monsters exist, pretty par for the course in anime. Naturally, some people possess special abilities which allow them to combat said creatures. You know, or the world would end in episode one. In this case, humans known as “E-Gene Holders” are able to summon weapons to aid them in combat. For added fun, these weapons are infused with the spirits of historical figures. When Japanese student Shio Ogura is visiting Taiwan on one kick ass sounding school trip, she is drawn into the world of monster fighting when she discovers that she can summon the spirit of Oda Nobunaga, in gun form no less. The title making more sense now? Alright, so this one is certainly built on a quirky premise, that being said it also makes history seem pretty damn awesome. I’m sure people would be way more interested in learning about the past if you could summon people as weapons…though that might cause some issues in present day society. Regardless, look forward to an action packed anime that just might teach you something about those memorable people of the past…or it might just show a lot of explosions and monsters. Either way, it should be good. Also, I have to give props to the title of this anime. It’s just so punny, I love it. You really Oda give it more credit…
Welcome to the special mentions section. It’s down here where some other series will take their residence in a rapid fire notation, in my humblest of opinions at least. First off is Buddy Complex, a mech anime from the company behind Valvrave. Like mechs? Like friendship? Give this one a go. Next up I’m going to throw a mention to Nobunaga the fool, yet another mech anime and the second Winter series featuring Oda Nobunaga. It appears he’s quite the popular guy this go around. Finally, a mention goes to Hoozuki no Reitetsu. A strange series that looks to be quite funny and, once again, historically based.
Quite the collection we’ve got this Winter. Let’s see how it goes shall we?
