Fall 2013 Season Preview

Have we really reached a new season already?

Unfortunately LoQ is not coming back to covering some ten odd shows this season. It was an unfortunate consequence of my personal life and lack of ability to prioritize this summer that I fell horribly behind and became incredibly stressed from pushing myself with my hobby, and I've come to realize the value of moderation. My goal this season is to cover my usual two shows at RandomC and some two to three other series here on LoQ over the course of the week. As a matter of course, I will be blogging the second seasons to series I've already covered, so you can expect Valvrave and Little Busters to take up the two definite spaces. As to a possible third, it will all depend on how much time, stamina, and interest I have in the series in question. You can vote for your most anticipated titles on the side bar; I'll be taking that into consideration! Keep in mind that anything I don't preview is up for grabs as well, and that this preview is only a small sample of a huge season meant to focus in on what I specifically am interested in covering this season.

Galilei Donna 「ガリレイドンナ」

Studio: A-1 Pictures

Blogging Status: Definitely Blogging

As a former astrophysics major, I've always held a huge fascination for astronomical subjects. Though Galilei Donna is an action series and likely won't rely on a strictly astronomical premise, I do find a series which references Galileo in the title to already be of huge interest. There's also the fact that this is one of two shows this season running on the NoitaminA block, and that's always something to keep an eye out for. The premise follows three female descendants of the famous astronomer as they're chased by bounty hunters; not a whole lot to chew on as far as information goes, but there's still something intriguing about the show that's definitely got me interested for now.

Gingitsune 「ぎんぎつね」

Studio: Diomedea

Blogging Status: Tentative

Do you like the supernatural? The mystique of Japanese folklore and spirits? What about the charm of daily life series? If so, then perhaps you should look to Gingitsune for your fix. This is a series that revolves around the lives of a girl who is able to see spirits and the kitsune who lives at her side and helps her solve people's problems. It's a seinen series, so supposedly higher on the maturity spectrum, and it's also a little slower paced and old fashioned compared to the sorts of shows that tend to air today. I'm reminded somewhat of series like Natsume Yuujinchou, though I've no idea if this will prove to be as melancholy or quite as retrospective as the former.

Golden Time 「ゴールデンタイム」

Studio: J.C.Staff

Blogging Status: Tentative

There is absolutely no way that I'm skipping out on Golden Time this season. As a fan of Toradora, I'm very excited to see another of Takemiya's light novels being adapted to the screen, and even more excited to see a cast made up of college students rather than the usual high school students. I don't love romantic comedies, but I do find that one or two a season tend to significantly brighten things up with my usually dark and tragic tastes, so I'm more than happy to add this to the watch list, if not the blogging list. The series follows Tada Banri, a law student whose friend, Mitsuo, has his own personal stalker, the seemingly perfect and beautiful Kaga Kouko, and the ensuing drama when she enrolls in their school.

Kakumeiki Valvrave Second Season 「革命機ヴァルヴレイヴ 2ndシーズン」

Studio: Sunrise

Blogging Status: Definitely Blogging

If there's something I've been impatiently waiting for since the end of the Spring season, it's the continuation of Kakumeiki Valvrave, a series I'm very much considering as prime time candidate for trainwreck of the year. There are so many reasons that I should dislike this series, but when its many disjointed and insane elements come together, I find it a highly enjoyable and fairly preposterous experience. I don't doubt for a moment that this is more of the same, nor do I think there won't be problems with certain plot points, but on the whole, I'm anticipating this highly, and you can expect to see it back on LoQ's blogging list without any qualms whatsoever.

Kill la Kill 「キルラキル」

Studio: Studio Trigger

Blogging Status: Tentative

Probably this season's most anticipated entry, Kill la Kill is brought to you by the creative forces of Studio Trigger and a huge chunk of the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann team. Personally, I've never seen TTGL (I have a backlog, I'm working on it), but I've heard infamously of its ridiculousness and its quality, so there's good reason to get pumped. However, having the same staff as a good anime doesn't necessarily mean that the new series will be of good quality itself, so I want to take that promise with a grain of salt. As such, I'm holding back a bit on the hype for this battle show until I can judge it for myself.

Kyoukai no Kanata 「境界の彼方」

Studio: Kyouto Animation

Blogging Status: Tentative

KyoAni's newest entry, Kyoukai no Kanata, is interesting on quite a few levels. It's been a while since an entry from this studio has genuinely interested me (not since Hyouka, actually), and I'm sure part of this comes from the fact that we're dealing with a rare fantasy series. Instead of the usual cute girls doing cute things, or the recent "sexy men doing sexy things" (nickname courtesy of LoQ's Ivan), Kanata is a show about a half-demon in disguise and a girl who can manipulate blood, and if that wasn't intriguing enough, it's also a light novel adaptation. That obviously doesn't mean this will count for quality, but it does mean there's probably a focused narrative, and that's something I'd pay to get out of KyoAni's gorgeous but somewhat shallow style.

Little Busters! ~Refrain~ 「リトルバスターズ！～Refrain～」

Studio: J.C.Staff

Blogging Status: Definitely Blogging

Here's another series I've been eagerly anticipating since the end of the first cour. Little Busters tends to get the short end of the stick as the most unpopular Key adaptation, but personally, it is my favorite one. I've made my case on the show and J.C.Staff already, so I won't reiterate, but I am pretty excited. The first season was all set up leading into the main route, Refrain, and I'm more than ready to see this quirky and melancholy cast of friends come back together so we can finally unravel the mystery of the world. I'm also ready to sob myself into an early grave, but hey, that's exactly what I came for.

Nagi no Asukara 「凪のあすから」

Studio: P.A. Works

Blogging Status: Definitely Blogging

Did somebody say fantasy? There's a lot of potential in this season's P.A. Works entry, and I've personally really enjoyed the last two highly, so I'm honored to be covering this one at RC this Fall. However, potential doesn't necessarily translate into success; there's a pretty talented team headed by Okada Mari working on this, and the premise sounds as immersive as the art seems to promise to be (despite being a bit more moe than usual), featuring underwater worlds and aquatic people, but this could easily turn out to be one of the biggest disappointments this season. Let's hope it isn't.

Pupa 「ピューパ」

Studio: Studio Deen

Blogging Status: Tentative

Oh dear, sweet Hylia, where do I get started with Pupa? Having read the manga, I can vouch for the grotesque and horrifying narrative at the center of this series, where a pair of abused siblings have their lives further complicated when one of them turns into a hideous man-eating monster. This is a really disturbing story, and it involves cannibalism, gore, and all sorts of creepiness and violence, but somehow, it's still a really intriguing one. I couldn't put the manga down despite very much wanting to, and seeing as this adaptation is headed by Mochizuki, I'm really interested in seeing where this goes, even if it does give me nightmares.

Samurai Flamenco 「サムライフラメンコ」

Studio: Manglobe

Blogging Status: Tentative

One of the most elusive titles this season, this is an original series by Manglobe. All we seem to know about it is that it's "a story for adults who don't wish to grow up" and that it's another action series on the NoitaminA block. It also seems to exude fabulousness and feel old fashioned somehow, as it follows a model turned superhero running around fighting crime. I don't know how good of a show it will be, as Manglobe has a bit of a mixed bag reputation, but since it is on NoitaminA, it wouldn't be fair not to give it a spin before deciding whether to watch it or not.