Summer time again
There isn't anything airing this summer that I really wanted to watch, but hey, anime is fun to have playing in the background.
Here are some new shows:
Gangsta. 1-2! Based on a manga, in episode 1 the mafia hire the police who in turn, hire a couple independent contractors to take care of some troublesome drug dealers. They end up also helping out a prostitute. The contractors are made up of a one-eyed blond character and a sword-wielding deaf character. This is probably the first anime series I've seen where sign language is prominently on display. It's a gritty street anime, so if you like that sort of genre, this might appeal to you.
Aoharu x Kikanjuu 1-2! Another anime based on a manga, the class president is an overzealous fighter of evil and is female dressed in boy's clothes. Hotaru moves next door to Matsuoka, a club host. Have I already mentions how crappy FUNimation stream quality is. The rest of this progresses somewhat like Ouran Host Club. She accidentally does damage to the club and the host gets her to repay them by playing gun survival games. So there must be a PSA somewhere in this show...but hey, it's Japan. Kids wielding guns and shooting at each other is not at all a bad idea.
Charlotte 1! Is about a young boy who can possess other people's bodies for 5 seconds at a time. He uses the power to get to the top of the class, into an elite high school and win the interest of a girl. He gets caught by other students who have special powers and they force him to attend their school. While episode 1 sounds pretty unoriginal, the show is well-made and there were cute & funny moments.
Rokka no Yuusha 1! This is a fantasy anime about a young man who claims to be the strongest. He interrupts a ceremonial fight, gets thrown in prison and befriends a young girl. They talk about becoming one of the six flowers and defeating some legendary demon. She turns out to be the princess and one of the six. Kudos for pretty ombre hair, but the premise is rather uninspiring.
Akagami no Shirayukihime 1-2! based on the manga is a sweet shoujo story about a young red-headed herbalist/pharmacist and a head-strong prince. She runs away from her hometown since the prince there wants to make her his concubine. She inadvertently meets another prince and befriends him. There are pastels and sparkles.
God Eater 1-2! The premise of this also doesn't sound very original, but the execution is pretty good. This is based on an RPG game. Humans live behind a wall to protect themselves from Aragami. From the brief flashbacks, it appears that humans created the monsters themselves. A young boy, Lenki Utsuki, joins the elite task force who kill the Aragami. The first episode is about him joining, training, getting a special weapon, and then disobeying orders to kill some Aragami. The animation style is a little unusual, but interesting. ufotable is the production company so I think the continuous action is what will keep people interested, since the characters themselves are absolutely not unique.
Junjou Romantica 3 1-2! The third season and continuation of the yaoi manga. Misaki has passed his third year of college and is approaching a time where he'll be finding a job. His brother assumes he'll be moving out of the comfort of Usagi's home. Misaki is unsure of his future. A relative of Usagi comes to visit bringing out Misaki's jealous streak. This is still a mildly cute BL anime, but after so many volumes of manga, you kinda wish the mangaka would get Misaki to accept his feelings and well, end the manga. From the opening visuals, we'll get to see the Junjou Mistake couple this season.
Sailor Moon Crystal 26! the end. Well, Chibi-usa and Sailor Moon defeat Nemesis and all is well. While this really can't compete with any anime made today due to the simplistic story, gaping plot holes and lackluster animation production, it was a nice nostalgic return to the franchise. Hopefully, they plan on continuing the anime since the next story arcs are definitely more interesting. ~7/10 rating~ Despite the original anime's monster-of-the day formula, the original gave more depth to the characters and the background songs were cheesy, but sweet. This version folllows the manga more accurately, but only minimally added to the overall likability. I think most people are disappointed by this reboot's poor quality.
and continuing...
Arslan Senki 13.5-15! 13.5 was a rehash of the first half the series, and episode 14 brings in new theme songs and a new battle against a very stupid prince of the neighboring country. Narsus is able to easily about to come up with a plan to defeat the army, and uses the prince to help Arslan. So far, Narsus is able to plan far enough ahead to overcome their obstacles, and Daryun is able to prevent Arslan from getting killed. It'll be interesting to see if they ever encounter any set-backs.
Here are some new shows:
Gangsta. 1-2! Based on a manga, in episode 1 the mafia hire the police who in turn, hire a couple independent contractors to take care of some troublesome drug dealers. They end up also helping out a prostitute. The contractors are made up of a one-eyed blond character and a sword-wielding deaf character. This is probably the first anime series I've seen where sign language is prominently on display. It's a gritty street anime, so if you like that sort of genre, this might appeal to you.
Aoharu x Kikanjuu 1-2! Another anime based on a manga, the class president is an overzealous fighter of evil and is female dressed in boy's clothes. Hotaru moves next door to Matsuoka, a club host. Have I already mentions how crappy FUNimation stream quality is. The rest of this progresses somewhat like Ouran Host Club. She accidentally does damage to the club and the host gets her to repay them by playing gun survival games. So there must be a PSA somewhere in this show...but hey, it's Japan. Kids wielding guns and shooting at each other is not at all a bad idea.
Charlotte 1! Is about a young boy who can possess other people's bodies for 5 seconds at a time. He uses the power to get to the top of the class, into an elite high school and win the interest of a girl. He gets caught by other students who have special powers and they force him to attend their school. While episode 1 sounds pretty unoriginal, the show is well-made and there were cute & funny moments.
Rokka no Yuusha 1! This is a fantasy anime about a young man who claims to be the strongest. He interrupts a ceremonial fight, gets thrown in prison and befriends a young girl. They talk about becoming one of the six flowers and defeating some legendary demon. She turns out to be the princess and one of the six. Kudos for pretty ombre hair, but the premise is rather uninspiring.
Akagami no Shirayukihime 1-2! based on the manga is a sweet shoujo story about a young red-headed herbalist/pharmacist and a head-strong prince. She runs away from her hometown since the prince there wants to make her his concubine. She inadvertently meets another prince and befriends him. There are pastels and sparkles.
God Eater 1-2! The premise of this also doesn't sound very original, but the execution is pretty good. This is based on an RPG game. Humans live behind a wall to protect themselves from Aragami. From the brief flashbacks, it appears that humans created the monsters themselves. A young boy, Lenki Utsuki, joins the elite task force who kill the Aragami. The first episode is about him joining, training, getting a special weapon, and then disobeying orders to kill some Aragami. The animation style is a little unusual, but interesting. ufotable is the production company so I think the continuous action is what will keep people interested, since the characters themselves are absolutely not unique.
Junjou Romantica 3 1-2! The third season and continuation of the yaoi manga. Misaki has passed his third year of college and is approaching a time where he'll be finding a job. His brother assumes he'll be moving out of the comfort of Usagi's home. Misaki is unsure of his future. A relative of Usagi comes to visit bringing out Misaki's jealous streak. This is still a mildly cute BL anime, but after so many volumes of manga, you kinda wish the mangaka would get Misaki to accept his feelings and well, end the manga. From the opening visuals, we'll get to see the Junjou Mistake couple this season.
Sailor Moon Crystal 26! the end. Well, Chibi-usa and Sailor Moon defeat Nemesis and all is well. While this really can't compete with any anime made today due to the simplistic story, gaping plot holes and lackluster animation production, it was a nice nostalgic return to the franchise. Hopefully, they plan on continuing the anime since the next story arcs are definitely more interesting. ~7/10 rating~ Despite the original anime's monster-of-the day formula, the original gave more depth to the characters and the background songs were cheesy, but sweet. This version folllows the manga more accurately, but only minimally added to the overall likability. I think most people are disappointed by this reboot's poor quality.
and continuing...
Arslan Senki 13.5-15! 13.5 was a rehash of the first half the series, and episode 14 brings in new theme songs and a new battle against a very stupid prince of the neighboring country. Narsus is able to easily about to come up with a plan to defeat the army, and uses the prince to help Arslan. So far, Narsus is able to plan far enough ahead to overcome their obstacles, and Daryun is able to prevent Arslan from getting killed. It'll be interesting to see if they ever encounter any set-backs.