I could have sworn that I just recently posted my fall anime series picks. I'm still on catch up mode on the titles I picked out previously, with some dating back from summer. In any case, the more the merrier for me. I will never lament that there's nothing to watch, just that there's not enough time to watch it. And in my book, that's something to be grateful for.
The year's winter selection features two sequels. One is the New Prince of Tennis, which makes me want to marathon Prince of Tennis for the umpteenth time. As impossible as the characters' signature tennis moves were, the series was always fun to watch.
My most anticipated anime this season is Another. I don't usually favor horror in my anime, because the Japanese tend to go weird on their scary stories. But this particular title had me hooked since I watched the preview. I think watching American Horror Story has made everything else seem tame. Now THAT was really, really bat shit crazy.
The rest of this season's picks are heavy on the girl leads, featuring a variety of themes, including space pirates, symphogears, mechas, magic, aliens, fox spirit posing as Secret Service, and unexpected adopted daughters.
The most surprising series is a collaboration between Square Enix and Sunrise. The intro to the series reflects my sentiment exactly. Who would have thought that these two giants, one most known for creating fantasy and the other for creating sci-fi, would team up to adapt a manga about the Daily Lives of High School Boys. The title is the description of the entire series. That's it. Yet, I ended up liking it.
Oh, and there's that anime about baths.
Here is my list of selections from the Japan anime winter season.
New Prince of Tennis
The Seigaku tennis club has been invited to train at the U-17 camp. Seigaku is one of the middle schools invited and
must compete with high school players to prove they are just as good.
Recorder to Randoseru
Miyagawa Atsushi is an 11-year-old boy who is 180
centimeters tall. Since he has a grown-up looking build but acts his
age, he has always been running into troubles. On the other hand, his
17-year-old elder sister Atsumi is only 137 centimeters tall. Even
though she has a childish looking build, Atsumi takes good care of
Atsushi.
The Knight in the Area
Miyagawa Atsushi is an 11-year-old boy who is 180
centimeters tall. Since he has a grown-up looking build but acts his
age, he has always been running into troubles. On the other hand, his
17-year-old elder sister Atsumi is only 137 centimeters tall. Even
though she has a childish looking build, Atsumi takes good care of
Atsushi.
Senki Zesshou Sypmhogear
Humans have been menaced by mysterious monsters called "Designated
Aberrant Disaster: Noise". Tsubasa and Kanade are a popular vocal unit
"Zwei Wing". They wear the new weapon "Symphogear" and fight against
Noise to save the earth.
Mouretsu Pirates
The story centers around a spirited high school girl named Marika. She
keeps herself busy with the space yacht club and her part-time job at a
high-class retro café. One day, two men suddenly appear and claim to be
subordinates of her dead father. They demand that she assume command of
the space pirate ship Benten Maru. A privateer ship's compact was made
during a war of independence a century ago, and according to that
compact, the ship must be inherited by the captain's next direct
descendant. Marika finds herself embarking on a new life as a space
pirate.
Nisemonogatari
The black swindler Kaiki Deishu, who once deceived Hitagi, returns to
town and spreads the incantation which cursed Nadeko before.
Rinne no Lagrange
Madoka Kyouno is an energetic girl who is full of passion. As the proud,
and only, member of the Kamogawa Girls' High School Jersey Club, she
goes around helping people in need. Madoka's life is turned upside down when she is suddenly asked by a
mysterious girl named Lan to pilot a robot. Motivated by her desire to
protect the people and city of Kamogawa, Madoka agrees to pilot the
resurrected Vox robot to fight against extraterrestrials that have come
to attack Earth.
Another
26 years ago, in a third-year classroom of a middle
school, there was a student named Misaki. As an honors student who was
also good at sports, the charming girl was popular with her classmates.
When she suddenly died, her classmates decided to carry on as if she was
still alive until graduation. Then, in the spring of 1998, a boy named
Sakakibara Kouichi transfers to that classroom, and he grows suspicious
of the fearful atmosphere in that classroom. In particular, there is a
beautiful, aloof girl named Mei Misaki who wears an eyepatch and is
always alone drawing pictures.
Ano Natsu de Matteru
When a group of friends decide to make a movie over a long summer
holiday, they end up learning a little about filmmaking and a lot more
about each other and themselves. What begins as a simple way to avoid
the summer doldrums quickly turns into something much more complex,
intimate and revealing, as the maturing relationships between the
members of the young cast take on new, and sometimes very unexpected,
turns.
Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou
The original gag comedy manga follows the humorous
yet "realistic" everyday life of Tadakuni, Hidenori, Yoshitake, and
other students at a boys' high school.
Papa no Iukoto wo Kikinasai!
Segawa Yuta is a freshman of a university. He lost his parents when he
was small and was raised by his sister Yuri. Yuta has been living alone
since Yuri got married to a middle aged man when Yuta was a junior high
student. One day, Yuri visited Yuta's apartment and asked him to take care of her
three daughters while Yuri and her husband were on a trip. He
unwillingly accepted the job but the plane Yuri took went missing. In
order to prevent the daughters from being adopted separately by
relatives, Yuta decided to take in all three girls. A life of a strange family in a tiny apartment begins.
Inu x Boku SS
The Shirakiin house's daughter, Shirakiin Riricho, who has a complex
about being unable to live independently and unprotected, feels the need
to move out and live on her own under the condition of residing in the
mansion named "Ayakashi Kan." In this mansion, only those who have
cleared a very strict examination could reside in it, and for each
resident, they are accompanied with one agent of the Secret Service
(S.S.). Although Riricho has rejected the company of the S.S., while
residing in the mansion she finds out that the agent dedicated to
protecting her is actually the Fox Spirit whom she previously rescued.
Brave 10
A young ninja named Saizo Kirigakure is trying to find meaning and
direction in his life when he encounters Isanami, who is fleeing from
assassins. He manages to save her life, and she then asks him to act as
her bodyguard until she reaches her destination. When they arrive in the
protected territory of Sanada, Saizo falls into a meeting with Sasuke
Sarutobi, leader of the famed ninja group. Sanada has gathered these
bold and talented ninjas together in order to bring an end to Japan's
era of war. Meanwhile, Isanami's mysterious hidden power comes to light.
Thermae Romae
The story is a comedy about Lucius, an architect of public bath houses
in ancient Rome, who time-travels to various modern-day baths in Japan.
The author explores the two cultures in the world that have loved baths
the most: the Japanese and the Romans.
Black★Rock Shooter
In spring, two girls meet: Mato and Yomi. They each sense
something in the other that they lack in themselves, and are drawn to
each other in spite of their contrasting personalities. Though initially
hesitant, they form a strong connection. But they both have secrets -
and in an empty world, two girls fight: Black Rock Shooter and
Deadmaster. A strange being, Black Gold Saw, watches their mysterious
battle, laughing. This is the story of two girls, in two worlds,
entangled by the threads of fate.
All summaries and images from My Anime List,
except for the summaries of New Prince of Tennis and Black★Rock Shooter, which are from Anime News Network.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Anime, Must-Watch, TV, Winter
