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The Season Preview is up; please keep in mind that only series under consideration for blogging are included this time. If there is a series that I find I like later, or one that I'm asked to blog specifically, I will consider those as well.
The Fall Review will be up soon, please look forward to it!
This Winter seems somewhat lackluster, though that may be an effect of how good the Fall was this year, and just how many of those series are carrying over.
These are only the new series I'll be trying out this Winter; there are many other titles I won't be following, but that doesn't mean I think these are the only quality series in the group either; they're simply the ones that stood out to me from the research I've done so far.
Chihayafuru 2 「ちはやふる２」
Studio: Madhouse
Blogging Status: Definitely blogging
The follow-up to the 2011 series Chihayafuru, this is the one Winter title I knew I would be following from the moment it was announced. Continuing Chihaya Ayase's quest to become the best female player of competitive Karuta, Chihayafuru 2 promises the same engaging mix of sports and drama that the original series excelled at.
Chihayafuru did many things well, not least of all the way it captured youthful determination and the turbulence of emotions common to us all in our younger days. The karuta games were interesting to watch, the romance was developed quite well, and the spirit of hard work was contagious. Above all, the series delivered solid entertainment, and I for one cannot wait to see it continued.
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai 「ささみさん@がんばらない」
Studio: Shaft
Blogging Status: Tentative
I have yet to read the light novel on which Sasami-san is based, but I've been told that the series is more than meets the eye, which I hope is true because at the moment I seem to be poised to watch a series about a stalker. As fun as that seems, if there is some depth to be had, I'll take it; if not, I'll just have to conform to watching Tsukuyomi Sasami stalk her brother and his interactions with the Yamagi sisters.
I'm also told that the series boasts fantasy elements, but since I've steered clear of major spoilers I don't have any clue what those are; I suppose I shall find out when the series begins airing, but for now this seems to be a somewhat edgy romantic comedy in the making.
Vividred Operation 「ビビッドレッド・オペレーション」
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Blogging Status: Tentative
An impressive number of series this season are devoted to loli-like character designs, but the studio pedigree on this one interests me. Set in the distant future where peace has been achieved through science, the Earth finds itself attacked by aliens which can only be defeated through the use of a weapon known as a Palette Suit. Isshiki Akane and her friends don these weapons in order to fight the invaders in a heavily sci-fi based plot.
I can't say how well this series will actually fare once its on air, but there's quite a lot of A-list talent on the part of the studio and the screenwriter, Hiroyuki Yoshino, so it seems to have quite a lot of expectation to live up to.
Cuticle Detective Inaba 「キューティクル探偵因幡」
Studio: Zexcs
Blogging Status: Tentative
I don't know about this particular series, but I sure love me some detective stories (Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Monk, Gosick, Un-Go, Dantalian no Shoka, Detective Conan, Vampire Prosecutor, the modern Sherlock, etc.) and ones with fantastical premises are pretty fun to watch. Cuticle Tantei Inaba is about a werewolf detective with a fetish for hair who runs his own agency with the help of his two assistants. So far all I know is that one of the assistants is a "trap" and that the villain of the piece literally eats money, but that in and of itself seems like fun, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru So Desu yo? 「問題児たちが異世界から来るそうですよ？」
Studio: Diomedéa
Blogging Status: Tentative
I'm not really sure why I'm drawn to this one; the premise is ridiculous and we seem to have a harem from the start, but I'll try it out before I give judgement. The story revolves around a group of problem kids, one boy and two girls, who are summoned to another world by a girl with magical powers in order to help her fight evil forces there with their own powers.
If anything can be said so far about this is that the team working on it knows what it's doing, having been responsible for the similar Dog Days and Sekirei.
Amnesia
Studio: Brain's Base
Blogging Status: Will likely blog
Reverse harem this may be, but in the hands of Brain's Base, this series may just elevate itself to much more. This is an otome game adaptation, the story of a girl who awakens with amnesia, an unknown boyfriend, and a spirit helper, and her attempts to regain her memory. Nothing so special for an otome game, but Brain's Base has a knack for making great adaptations, and for choosing projects that they feel they can do a good job with. That's enough for me to give this a try, and hopefully I'm right about it being an interesting experience.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha 「まおゆう魔王勇者」
Studio: ARMS
Blogging Status: Will likely blog
This is one of the most highly anticipated series of the season, the adaptation of a popular fantasy novel. In a war between humans and demons, the Hero and Demon Queen decide that simply killing each other would not end the suffering from the war, and that it would be best to rebuild their world through political and economical means.
This is definitely an interesting premise, and for a lover of fantasy, it's downright addicting. It should be a smart series, if the hype lives up.
Tamako Market 「たまこまーけっと」
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Blogging Status: Tentative
This is likely the other series I'm going to drop unless it shows something really special in the first few episodes. This is a slice-of-life, following the life of Tamako Kitashirakawa, a girl who works part time in her family's mochi shop. I've never seen K-On!, but I've been told that I should expect something similar to that series, so perhaps I would be wise to check up on that first. KyoAni is famous for its beautiful visuals, but I could do with less of the loli designs, so I'm on the fence with this one unless it can deliver really good entertainment.
This Winter seems somewhat lackluster, though that may be an effect of how good the Fall was this year, and just how many of those series are carrying over.
These are only the new series I'll be trying out this Winter; there are many other titles I won't be following, but that doesn't mean I think these are the only quality series in the group either; they're simply the ones that stood out to me from the research I've done so far.
Chihayafuru 2 「ちはやふる２」
Studio: Madhouse
Blogging Status: Definitely blogging
The follow-up to the 2011 series Chihayafuru, this is the one Winter title I knew I would be following from the moment it was announced. Continuing Chihaya Ayase's quest to become the best female player of competitive Karuta, Chihayafuru 2 promises the same engaging mix of sports and drama that the original series excelled at.
Chihayafuru did many things well, not least of all the way it captured youthful determination and the turbulence of emotions common to us all in our younger days. The karuta games were interesting to watch, the romance was developed quite well, and the spirit of hard work was contagious. Above all, the series delivered solid entertainment, and I for one cannot wait to see it continued.
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai 「ささみさん@がんばらない」
Studio: Shaft
Blogging Status: Tentative
I have yet to read the light novel on which Sasami-san is based, but I've been told that the series is more than meets the eye, which I hope is true because at the moment I seem to be poised to watch a series about a stalker. As fun as that seems, if there is some depth to be had, I'll take it; if not, I'll just have to conform to watching Tsukuyomi Sasami stalk her brother and his interactions with the Yamagi sisters.
I'm also told that the series boasts fantasy elements, but since I've steered clear of major spoilers I don't have any clue what those are; I suppose I shall find out when the series begins airing, but for now this seems to be a somewhat edgy romantic comedy in the making.
Vividred Operation 「ビビッドレッド・オペレーション」
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Blogging Status: Tentative
An impressive number of series this season are devoted to loli-like character designs, but the studio pedigree on this one interests me. Set in the distant future where peace has been achieved through science, the Earth finds itself attacked by aliens which can only be defeated through the use of a weapon known as a Palette Suit. Isshiki Akane and her friends don these weapons in order to fight the invaders in a heavily sci-fi based plot.
I can't say how well this series will actually fare once its on air, but there's quite a lot of A-list talent on the part of the studio and the screenwriter, Hiroyuki Yoshino, so it seems to have quite a lot of expectation to live up to.
Cuticle Detective Inaba 「キューティクル探偵因幡」
Studio: Zexcs
Blogging Status: Tentative
I don't know about this particular series, but I sure love me some detective stories (Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Monk, Gosick, Un-Go, Dantalian no Shoka, Detective Conan, Vampire Prosecutor, the modern Sherlock, etc.) and ones with fantastical premises are pretty fun to watch. Cuticle Tantei Inaba is about a werewolf detective with a fetish for hair who runs his own agency with the help of his two assistants. So far all I know is that one of the assistants is a "trap" and that the villain of the piece literally eats money, but that in and of itself seems like fun, so I'm looking forward to this one.
Mondaiji-tachi ga Isekai Kara Kuru So Desu yo? 「問題児たちが異世界から来るそうですよ？」
Studio: Diomedéa
Blogging Status: Tentative
I'm not really sure why I'm drawn to this one; the premise is ridiculous and we seem to have a harem from the start, but I'll try it out before I give judgement. The story revolves around a group of problem kids, one boy and two girls, who are summoned to another world by a girl with magical powers in order to help her fight evil forces there with their own powers.
If anything can be said so far about this is that the team working on it knows what it's doing, having been responsible for the similar Dog Days and Sekirei.
Amnesia
Studio: Brain's Base
Blogging Status: Will likely blog
Reverse harem this may be, but in the hands of Brain's Base, this series may just elevate itself to much more. This is an otome game adaptation, the story of a girl who awakens with amnesia, an unknown boyfriend, and a spirit helper, and her attempts to regain her memory. Nothing so special for an otome game, but Brain's Base has a knack for making great adaptations, and for choosing projects that they feel they can do a good job with. That's enough for me to give this a try, and hopefully I'm right about it being an interesting experience.
Maoyuu Maou Yuusha 「まおゆう魔王勇者」
Studio: ARMS
Blogging Status: Will likely blog
This is one of the most highly anticipated series of the season, the adaptation of a popular fantasy novel. In a war between humans and demons, the Hero and Demon Queen decide that simply killing each other would not end the suffering from the war, and that it would be best to rebuild their world through political and economical means.
This is definitely an interesting premise, and for a lover of fantasy, it's downright addicting. It should be a smart series, if the hype lives up.
Tamako Market 「たまこまーけっと」
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Blogging Status: Tentative
This is likely the other series I'm going to drop unless it shows something really special in the first few episodes. This is a slice-of-life, following the life of Tamako Kitashirakawa, a girl who works part time in her family's mochi shop. I've never seen K-On!, but I've been told that I should expect something similar to that series, so perhaps I would be wise to check up on that first. KyoAni is famous for its beautiful visuals, but I could do with less of the loli designs, so I'm on the fence with this one unless it can deliver really good entertainment.
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