It is just unbelievable how very good Ace of Diamond is. It almost feels like its cheating it is that good. How is it that Ace of Diamond continues time and time again to hit it out of the park? It is a mix of a few things really, excellent production from Madhouse and Production I.G. and the incredible source material from mangaka Yuji Terajima. All of it comes together for what is truly sports anime at its best.
Picking up at the fever pitch we left off last week, we see Chris continue to unite the team and form an unstoppable battery with Ejiun. Chris and Eijun truly understand one another and it is the chemistry between the two that drives the episode. Slowly over the course of the episode we see Eijun refine his talents with the help of Chris, but at the same time we see Chris slowly fall apart with his injury.
As I speculated last week, the injury rears its ugly head here, proving to be one hell of a dark cloud overhanging Chris. The real kicker here however is the mysterious Zaizen. As the game plays on, a player by the name of Zaizen continues to call the shots, marking plays for his team, all of which seem designed to play towards Chris’ weakness. Who is this mysterious Zaizen? Well it is hard to tell at this point, but it seems that he may very well have a past connection to Chris. I’m not sure I missed any moment explaining that, but the episode ends in a very interesting way. Zaizen calls himself to the field, vowing to finish Chris off.
All of this raises some interesting questions. Who is Zaizen and what is connection to Chris? Does Chris’ injury have anything to do with this guy? What kind of havoc will Zaizen cause on the diamond? We of course have to wait until next week’s cour capper to get our answers, but we undoubtedly are instilled with intrigue by this character.
Last week we saw Chris at his best, and this time we see the other side of that coin, perhaps the side that pushed himself too hard and caused his injury to begin with. Chris can’t help himself, he sees a diamond waiting to shine in front of him and he wants to make that happen. The Chris and Eijun relationship has really come into its own here and the cast has been well established at this point. I suspect things won’t exactly end well for Chris, he even admits this looks to be his last match. The injury storyline has run quite deep and rings true for any athletes who have suffered the same fate.
For Chris it is a real passing of the torch moment to Eijun. The passing of the torch tale is one that plays out often in sports films and shows, heck it even plays out in real life. Despite not exactly reinventing the wheel there, Ace of Diamond just does it so well. It takes what is a common sports tale and much like Chris does to Eijun, Ace of Diamond makes that old tale shine like a diamond. It takes something oldschool, a classic no dout and makes it new. Ace of Diamond is really just too good, story-wise, character-wise, tonally and emotionally, it is pitch perfect.
As we move onto the end of this cour, Ace of Diamond continues to excel and while it seems like the story of Chris is winding to a close, the story of Eijun looks to be only just beginning.
OniAi: Complete Series Studio:Silver Link Publisher:FUNimation Format:Blu-ray/DVD Combo Release Date:December 31, 2013 Price: $49.98 – Available Here
Overview In the North American anime scene, there are a few companies that only release anime with subtitles and there are a couple that only release English dubs of their licenses. There is one that dabbles with both, but until now FUNimation was a company that would always provide every anime release with an English dub. Now for the first time ever, they are releasing an English subtitled version of the show and it just so happens to be OniAi, a series that probably never would have been released otherwise. Well, now that it has been released, is FUNimation’s first subtitle only release worth picking up?
Story
To start with let’s get this out of the way. I happen to really enjoy harem and ecchi shows to the point that anytime an anime is announced I’ll be watching it. In the ecchi harem genre there are shows that manage to bring along a plot to go along with all of the T and A and those that don’t. OniAi happens to be the latter but for a series such as this it isn’t always required as the characters and comedy can make them just as memorable.
That being said, the story may seem a bit taboo to some initially but this is far from the first time a story like this has been brought West. The Himenokouji siblings have spent the last six years living apart from one another but when Akiko learns that she will soon be living together with her brother, Akito, again she is overjoyed. In fact she is happier than any sister probably should be but there is a reason for this, Akiko has such a major brother complex that she fantasizes about all of the sexual things they can do to one another.
Sadly for Akiko, and good for Akito, the two spend little time alone under the same roof as the student dorm fills up with the rest of the female members of the student council. The only heir to a mega corporation named Anastasia Nasuhara, Akito’s childhood friend Ginbei Sawatari, and the student council president Arashi Nikaidou. Even Akito’s young fiancée from his previous residence moves into the house and takes over as the dorm manager further into the series.
With Akito living in the residence with all of these girls, Akiko’s urges towards her brother are often kept at bay not only through the interference of the rest of the girls but also because Akito, despite doting on his sister when he can, always treats her just like a brother should and only sees her as a sister, nothing more. Still, five girls under one roof and Akito trying to support himself through a secret side-job, he has his hands full whenever the girls turn their attentions towards him.
As you may surmise from the description there, OniAi is almost the pure definition of a harem series. There is a bit of spice thrown in here with Akiko’s brother complex but it is something that has been explored numerous times in the past so outside of her never say die attitude it is pretty standard. What helps make OniAi enjoyable, and a guilty pleasure, is that despite the cookie cutter setting, I found the comedy in the series to be hilarious.
While what may make one person laugh may make another person disgusted, a lot of the comedy found in OniAi is what fans of this genre are looking for. We have the never say die brother loving sister with perverted laughing and fantasies, Anastasia who is helpless when it comes to basic household tasks has a cold demeanor and enjoys teasing the Himenokouji siblings though she does let some warmth show through, Ginbei who is a great cook but is concerned about her childish body and how Akito sees her, the predator like Arashi who goes after anyone in sight, and finally Arisa who is incredibly capable and highly intelligent but probably is a bit of an odd addition thanks to her age.
This cast of characters helps take this series which sadly has almost no storyline to it and helps make it worth watching for the comedy alone as each of these girls has their own hang-up either about themselves or Akito and there is a fair bit of development and backstory revealed for both Anastasia and Ginbei, though the rest of the cast is given very basic reasons for liking Akito.
However despite how he interacts with these girls and resists his sister at every turn, Akito is a rather bland male lead with only his secret job as an author lending some worth to his character as he simply tries to ignore the various advances these girls make on him. There is an interesting bit of information dropped at the very end of the series concerning his family, but even Akito himself says that it is a story for another time, which sadly leaves viewers with little to invest in or go on except for some great character based comedy and your standard harem antics.
Visuals OniAi is a strange series that features some great looking scenes usually followed by rather mundane low quality animation. The characters are great looking with some nice looking face designs and use of coloring for the hair and any close-up of a character’s face for an expression is priceless. Sadly many mid-distance shots or group images feature very low quality looking animation and poor facial detail with a lot of inconsistencies.
As far as the backgrounds and scenery go, OniAi is also very limited as most of the events take place at the dorm or at school, though it is nice to note that each girl’s room has a different theme. For fan service, OniAi takes things to the limit by providing a lot of linework for a girl’s body and also shows nipples, however despite initial impressions of throwing a lot of fan service at the viewer all the time, a lot of the ecchi moments come from Akiko’s fantasies, the president’s advances, or various moments of trying on clothing/swimsuits and subsequent wardrobe malfunctions.
Audio
Now this is the very first time that FUNimation has released a title without an English dub but to be honest, it probably would have been awkward for the English voice cast to perform a lot of the lines found in the series. It also is likely for the best as the Japanese cast has done a great job with these characters as Anastasia’s deadpan tone and Akiko’s laugh and the sound effects she makes probably wouldn’t have transferred into English well.
The background music throughout OniAi is pretty basic though a few standard themes are used for specific moments. The opening theme “Self Producer” by Minori Chihara, the voice actress for Anastasia, is very catchy while the ending theme “Life is Love” is sung by the female cast and is similarly enjoyable.
Extras Since this release does not contain any English voice work, OniAi does not come with any of FUNimation’s standard commentary tracks. Instead it features one nice set of bonuses alongside a bunch of standard on-disc extras. The standard inclusions include two clean versions of the opening song, one clean version of the ending song, albeit not the final version of it, and a US trailer for the show.
The final bonus includes almost twenty minutes of features broken into small segments. These features focus on the female cast and while they start with basic chibi art, it ends up with each of the characters naked in lewd situations, including one that may make people feel uncomfortable due to the age of the girl highlighted.
Overall OniAi is a guilty pleasure, plain and simple. The story is nothing to write home about as there pretty much is none outside of Akiko’s brother complex and a bit of backtstory exploring Ginbei and Ana’s feelings for Akito. However it is helped thanks to some great comedic moments provided by a likable cast of female characters playing off a basic lead that usually makes jokes funnier thanks to his attempts to dodge his current situation, even though the comedy will likely only work for certain types of anime fans. OniAi’s fan service heavy release probably wouldn’t have made it overseas if it wasn’t for this subtitle only option, but fans of harem series would be careless to let this series pass them by because of that.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
I don’t think Ron Burgundy has a good grasp on time, or reality for that matter. But I’ll be damned if he isn’t the best news anchor in human history! And a nice guy to boot, as we wished us Down Under a Happy New Year!
In a short video – which has been embedded below – Ron asks Australians what it’s like to live in the future mere hours ahead of the U.S., wondering if we have flying cars yet… Check out the clip, and if you haven’t made up your mind on watching Paramount Pictures‘ Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, read our review here.
The New Year is upon and if you’re like me, that means that you have 365 new days with which you can plan, write, and/or play role-playing games (RPGs) of the pen and paper variety (a number which doesn’t factor in things like consuming food, sleeping, and participating in gainful employment). The question then becomes exactly what systems should one play? There is of course the stock and standard Dungeons and Dragons with its various offshoots, which can always be considered a sturdy choice, but I am here to suggest to you a couple of indie games which you may not know of but are of similar excellence…
I understand that when you’re first starting out, role-playing systems can seem like convoluted mazes filled with owlbears and only a few degrees away from just school yard make-believe (I shot you! Nuh-uh! Etc). It therefore becomes important that players are able to find an entry, a gateway game before moving on to harder systems. It is for this that I introduce to you; Dungeonslayers.
Dungeonslayers is a good entry point for players and game masters who have no experience whatsoever with any form of role-playing. It’s like Dungeons and Dragons but with a lot less complex maths and rules. The system is simple, character creation is streamlined between three basic classes (more in the expansions), with players choosing to specialise between a fighter class, a mage class, and a rogue class. This might seem stifling at first but there is enough variation that each character can be made to play very differently. The setting itself is the spirit of brevity; you are adventurers in a dungeon who are searching for macguffin/glory/loot. It’s a good game for newbies because of this simplification but can also hold appeal to veterans with providing them the opportunity to flesh out a character with your own story without having to rely too much upon forming continuity with a setting. Another really awesome aspect of Dungeonslayers is that all the resources you need are available as a free PDF download from the site, so now you have even less reason to not try and get into pen and paper RPGs in the new year.
I’ll be honest with you folks, my teenage years were hard on me. Weird things were happening to me physically, my sexuality began to express itself, and emotions became… a thing. Now imagine going through all that but as a barely restrained teen werewolf, an ever-hungering ghoul, a vengeful witch, or a shy ghost with a propensity to turn invisible. Where pen and paper meets Buffy, you have Monsterhearts.
Monsterhearts is a good diversion for players looking for something different to the run-of-the-mill dungeon crawl, but don’t want something that will turn into a long campaign. The game sessions are divided into ‘seasons’ (akin to ‘adventures’ in D&D) which helps keep stories contained with characters experiencing growth and development not just in terms of stats but also getting ‘growing up’ actions to represent them becoming more mature with game mechanics. Monsterhearts does a number of things interesting mechanically in that each character archetype has their own unique abilities which give you incentives to play them with a particular personality (the impetuous werewolf for example or the hungering ghoul for instance). Hell each, character archetype even has their own ‘sex move’ which will help you portray their character in even the most intimate of ‘encounters’. The character archetype sheets are available for free online, but the designated games master should definitely buy a copy of the full rules to also get pointers on how to create a setting which is frighteningly hostile, sexually charged, and filled with intrigue (or in other words; High school).
Are you one of those people who watches the Game of Thrones television series and thinks to yourself: “Dang, this show does NOT have nearly enough sex, intrigue, and bloodshed”? If so, then the self described ‘anti-D&D’ RPG; Houses of the Blooded, will fill that gaping hole in your life with a caress, a kiss, and a blade drawn across the neck. This is an amazing game I would recommend to players with more experience due to the nature of the beast (in terms of mechanics) and the greater requirement for collaborative storytelling.
Upfront, this is not a game for the faint hearted, the game can be played with all the players working together to improve their own standing amongst the medieval society of the sorcerous nobility… but the question arise: can you really trust them? The answer is a resounding ‘no’. In this game, if you don’t expect your fellow players to manipulate/betray you then you’re either a fool or not playing the game properly. The mechanics allow you to strengthen your character with a variety of personality aspects, but for each aspect you get you also must provide a flaw and a way that that strength can be used against you by another player. However, whenever you are manipulated or have your flaws exploited, you obtain ‘style’ points which can then be used to do the same to others. The only other way these points can be obtained is through advancing the narrative in an awesome way, regardless of whether it benefits your character. The game empowers you for making yourself vulnerable and you become vulnerable when you are powerful, which in turn creates a vicious cycle. This cycle will ultimately lead to your downfall but if nothing else; your character will go out with style.
So that is it my delicious friends. I hope I have given some suggestions which will be of value to you. If you have an opinion on these or all the other pen and paper RPGs which missed out and you enjoy, feel free to speak out in the comments. Otherwise, I wish you only a happy new year.
– Gamora, Star-Lord, Rocket Racoon, Drax and Groot –
Believe it or not the upcoming summer blockbuster “Guardians Of The Galaxy” is actually highly anticipated though only by what seems like a small group of people aware of how awesome it would be as a film. Marvel and Disney only recently released an image of the cast in costume as a teaser to all the fans who are shaking with excitement simply at the concept of such a film. We were originally met with promotional art of the team all in a row but now we’ve got the real thing and it is looking fantastic. Marvel/ Disney also released their Official Synopsis of the movie, so for you people out there who have no idea what “Guardians of the Galaxy” is, this one is for you:
“From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team – the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the universe.
To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits – Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Peter discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand – with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.”
– Original movie concept art –
Chris Pratt will take the lead as Peter Quill (Star-Lord) for the film, he’ll be backed up by his intergalactic team with Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax The Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon and “The Fast And The Furious” star Vin Diesel as Groot. The film also hosts big names like Lee Pace as Ronan The Accuser and Karen Gillian as Nebula, you may know Ms. Gillian as Amy Pond from the world-famous science fiction series Doctor Who.
Even though “Guardians of the Galaxy” hasn’t entirely hit the vein of mainstream pop-culture quite yet I can guarantee that by the time it gets its release on the 1st of August this year a lot of people will know who they are and what they’re all about. “The Avengers” took last year by storm but it’s time for them to move over because there’s another group of odd superheroes to look out for us and, Avengers, while you may be EARTH’S mightiest heroes…these guys are the guardians of the GALAXY.
The online media distributor Crunchyroll announced on new years eve that they have acquired the rights to stream the upcoming supernatural Anime; Hamatora The Animation. The Anime, which revolves around a group super-powered humans that solve odd and supernatural mysteries, will start its run both in Japan and on Crunchyroll on the 7th of January which is actually less than a week away. The series’ episodes will be released once a week, as per usual, and will be shown on Crunchyroll at 1:00pm EST every Tuesday.
Premium Members except for those living within Asia, the United Kingdom and Ireland will be able to watch it as soon as it is released on the 7th and Free members that are watching from Australia, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden will still all be eligible to watch though it will be a week after the Premium Member release. Hamatora The Animation is gearing up to be a great series and, considering it is a mixed-media project, it’s also looking like it’s going to be a fantastic franchise.
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
Just a dandy guy living the dandy life
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
Strike a pose for justice
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
You can always depend on the kindness of strangers…don’t hold me to that
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
She’s got the whole world in her hands…
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
History comes alive…to make you dead
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?
Once again for anyone living in Beijing China, the new year started off with a bang as the fourth annual Slash Only #4 event took place today! So as always it was another perfect excuse for the Capsule Computers Crew to attend and cover the event. Slash Only #4 event was open to the public with tickets being sold online and also at the door and were set at 40RMB (approx $5USD/AU) per person, so it certainly was a very affordable price if you’re a Dojinshi/comic book fan eager to pick up the latest Dojinshi’s and pop culture merchandise from popular TV Shows, Movies and games from the US and UK “Only” Yes you heard that right. Slash Only, only focuses on US and UK stuff and this time around absolutely NO Japanese Anime, Shows, games or movies were sold.
Slash Only #4 was held at the same place as Slash Only #3, the Beijing Garden of World’s Flowers (an exhibition centre for plants and flowers) The size of the hall was slightly larger than Beijing Workers Indoor Arena but still much smaller than other Dojinshi conventions we’ve covered in the past. A total of 600 tickets were made available to the public via online purchasing. As we’ve come to expect from Slash Only events, the organization was fantastic and the staff were very helpful. The event started at 9:00am in the morning. And as always the mad rush to buy Doujinshi and merchandise was on for young and old!
As always, the Slash Only event organizers offered everyone attending a chance to pick up and collect the Slash Only trading card game cards. (similar to other card games like Magic The Gathering) These cards were not for sale this year but were given away to the fans once they purchased merchandise from any of the vendor booths. This was certainly a great little incentive cooked up by the organizers (GA EXPO) for the fans which everyone really enjoyed.
Today’s event drew an impressive amount of Cos-Play characters dressed up from US and UK TV Shows, Movies and Games. Check out the pictures below in the gallery (we also have a link to our full gallery images hosted on Facebook) a lot of effort and time was certainly spent into some of these outfits which I must say were very interesting and amazingly well designed. All in all Slash Only #4 event was a great day out for the fans, what better way to kick off 2014 with a fun and enjoyable Doujinshi event! Click on the link below to be taken to our Facebook gallery page for Slash Only #4 Event.
*note* only 40 images are present below. Full gallery of 260 images can be viewed on our Facebook and Weibo pages. Click on the links below to check them out.
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
Looking good, kids, very stylish!
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
What did the five fingers say to the face?
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
A lot of hobos THINK they can fly, apparently this one actually can…
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
Sometimes you just have to ask yourself: “Like…space, huh?”
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
Wow…this man is…beautiful?
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?
On first glance, nothing really stands out among the Winter 2014 line up. At least for me. It seems this season is dedicated to romantic comedies more than usual, leaving variety a little slim. Not that I don’t enjoy a good romcom from time to time.
But knowing the nature of anime there’s bound to be a few surprises waiting for us and the following shows have caught my eye more than others.
Buddy Complex
Here we go everyone. Another high budget Sunrise project featuring robots, teenagers and no doubt something completely unpredictable. If their last effort, Valvrave the Liberator, is anything to go by then we can expect more thrills and spills. Interestingly, it seems like the studio is continuing the “bromance” trend between two lead males, something that was quite refreshing to see in Valvrave.
Unfortunately the mecha designs aren’t doing it for me at this stage, resembling something like the flying Knightmares from Code Geass only a little fatter and more generic. Here’s hoping this really takes off in the plot department.
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
Another season, another Kyoto Animation show only this time it’s a sequel to a certain popular romantic comedy. Now I’m far from a fan of KyoAni’s recent work over the last few years, but Chuunibyou was one their few shows that I watched all the way until the end so I’m obliged to see what happens next.
Yuuta and Rikka now live together (they were practically living together before anyway) and a new challenger appears, calling herself Sophia Ring Saturn the 7th. Satone Shichimiya is another sufferer of the dreaded 8th grade syndrome. Personally, I’m looking forward to more Dekomori.
Nisekoi
Probably one of the more anticipated shows of this coming season, Nisekoi owes itself to its manga followers, an attractive art style and studio Shaft branding. It’s nice to see something other than Monogatari from Shaft every once in a while, such as Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko a couple of years back.
Raku Ichijo’s family heads a notorious yakuza gang, dragging him into a forced relationship with a member of a rival family, Chitoge Kirisaki. The two have to pretend during high school that they’re together, drawing parallels with a few other shows we’ve seen. It seems that Raku had a fruitful childhood. He carries a pendant from a childhood love that is locked, and Chitoge has the key. Suddenly, another two girls appear carrying keys.
Nisekoi is likely to be the premier romantic comedy of Winter 2014.
Nobunaga the Fool
There aren’t many “epic” shows slated for this winter, so we need to take what we can get. Luckily, Nobunaga the Fool is looking absolutely tremendous in scale and action, featuring a war between two planets, a re-imagining of the ancient Japanese hero Oda Nobunaga and colossal robots with swords.
With the staple voice talent of Mamoru Miyano (which could be good or bad, depending on preference) and a beautiful theme song, all that’s left to wish for is a good story and compelling characters. Please be good!
Noragami
From the studio that brought us Soul Eater and Darker Than Black comes Noragami, a show promising gods, spirits and a thumping good sound track. A middle school girl named Hiyori Iki suffers from bullying until she contacts a mysterious phone number proclaiming to “solve problems”.
The contact person calls himself a god but hardly cares for the troubles of others and thus receives no belief. But he can do one thing, and that’s to slice apart anyone who crosses between this world and the next. Why? Well we’ll have to find out, but it’s looking dark and very edgy with enough action to satisfy fans from either spectrum.
Honourable mentions: Hamatora The Animation, Inari Konkon Koi Iroha, Mikakunin de Shinkoukei, Wake Up, Girls!
