Happy New Year! Yes! It is 2014 and the Anime team here at Capsule Computers are here to kick the year off in a big way; with out Winter 2014 Anime Picks! Guy and girls out there, it seems as though we’re in for the start of a great year of Anime because the series’ that are airing in this season actually look really good and, even though I dismissed a lot of them at first because I was entirely focused on Space Dandy, I now realise that there’s so much more to be excited for.

Can I just say that last year was an absolutely fantastic year for the Anime industry, some great titles were released and most of them, good or bad, got fans of the medium really pumped and it makes me happy to see a lot of folks out there in good spirits but I’m also hoping that 2014 blows 2013 away with the Anime seasons to come!

Hamatora The Animation

Now I happen to absolutely love series’ set in the present or the future that revolve around a bunch of young fighters with supernatural powers and it seems as though that’s exactly what Hamatora The Animation is so obviously it is on my list. It’s a series set in Yokohama in 2014 so you know that the environments and backgrounds are going to look brilliant, it seems like the big issues it works around is that of these “Minor miracles” or “Minimum”. It’s a semi-mystery story where a bunch of super-powered detectives jaunt around town getting up to all different kinds of mischievous while also solving some odd crimes.

See now all that makes sense to me and simply writing about it is getting me excited to watch it but what I truly like about this title is that it is actually a mixed-media project and the idea of that is really interesting. A manga for the series launched in November of 2013 and the next media platform to be conquered is television which comes with the air of this series. There’s also talks of a game in the making which I guess is why it is called Hamatora The Animation and not just Hamatora to be simple. I’m very excited for this release and I really do hope it takes off so we can see it grow and expand into whatever media platforms are left.

Hoozuki No Reitetsu

See this one is a bit of an odd pick for me because, despite the fact that is a supernatural-based series it is also a slice-of-life title and I’m usually never into those but it seems as though the release of Eccentric Family last year opened me up to the fusion between reality and mythology. The series revolves around Hoozuki who is the aid to the great king of hell…King Enma who, if you’re anything like me, you may know from the series Dragon Ball Z, Goku died every second episode so he was in constant communication with ol’ Enma.

Hoozuki is fairly calm as an entity but he IS a demon so he’s also super cruel and, I guess, a bit of a tool so he’s not to be taken lightly. He pretty much does what he needs to do around hell which may include taking down a giant monster that’s rampaging about or simply just ushering a new and scared soul into his or her eternel demise, it looks like it could go either way. I’m curious to see how this one turns out and I’m going to go ahead and say that the only reason this series has my attention is because of the supernatural element but I’m sure it will keep me interested for more than just that because it’s meant to be a comedy and there’s nothing I love more than a good chuckle.

Noragami

There may actually be too many supernatural Anime titles for me to handle this season but I’m going to endure because I’m so damn into the sub-genre that I don’t think I can just stop at one. Hiyori Iki is a cute, young girl who actually seems to get bullied a fair bit at school which is unfortunate but we’ve all been through it, one day she runs off to the bathrooms to cry in “private”, she notices a little scribble on the wall of the stall which says “I solve your troubles.” alongside a number, she calls the number but nothing really happens so she goes about her day as normal.

Later on in the day she comes into contact with a young, homeless man who proclaims that he is some sort of God. Turns out this “God” or “Spirit” has immense power and the ability to cut down any and all who pass between the world we’re living in and the next. It’s a shonen-type series about a bunch of “Gods” who I assume will get into some pretty gnarly battles so I’m in! It’s also animated by “Bones” which is a good enough reason as any to watch the series.

Space Dandy

Do I even have to explain why I’ll be watching this series? Obviously you all know about Space Dandy because it would have to be one of the most anticipated series’ of 2014 and that’s simply because it’s a Shinichiro Watanabe project and everything that man touches turns to gold. Dandy is an alien hunter who travels the galaxy searching for brand-new alien races for every new one he discovers he gets a fairly big payout so I guess he’s something like a bounty hunter.

It seems like a more comedic and flamboyant version of Cowboy Bebop and that’s pretty much what i expect from the series. It has aliens, it has robots, it has a man with a Bancho-like hairstyle and it was created by Shinichiro Watanabe, I honestly don’t know what else to say, it’s already my favourite Anime of the season and I’ve only seen a couple trailers for it. I’ve got big hopes for this one but I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku No Zvezda

I’m going to be entirely honest and admit that I’m not too sure what this series is about, I know it has something to do with world domination and considering I’ve been trying to do that for years and failing at it maybe this Anime can give me some pointers that’ll help me figure out what to do next. It revolves around a girl named Kate Hoshimiya who seems to have a pretty good plan on how to take over the known world, it’s called the Zvezda Plot and it looks as though it might actually work.

That’s as much as I know about it but I base my interest on the art style of the series, all the characters look great and they all have really unique designs, I can imagine it’s going to be a fairly high-octane series so I’m looking forward to that. I just hope the idea of world domination is executed as well as it possibly can but I guess we’ll soon find out wont we?