Let’s be honest. Summer 2013’s anime season was pretty terrible. But luckily the anime gods have smiled upon us this fall season, because it looks to be one of the best seasons in the history of these roundups. I’m super excited about not one, but two shows – and two more are close runners up. Will you share my opinions? Maybe not. But let’s take a look at what we got here.
Strike the Blood
The show is about a high school kid who’s also a powerful vampire. The world in Strike the Blood is a world of magic and demons. They don’t live in secret though, so that’s pretty interesting. The main characters all live on a man-made island crafted by the government to contain and research these demon creatures.
The show has some really nice colors and an attractive art style to boot. The music is pretty pleasant as well. I was surprised with the first episode of this show – it was definitely better than expected. It’s interesting on its own but it also reveals just enough mystery to keep you guessing and curious about what’s to come. It seems very well done and I’m looking forward to seeing more and figuring out what’s going on.
Who should watch this show: People who like cool, new age vampires and demons.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Very good. I liked this first episode.
Strike the Blood (Second Opinion by Koichi)
Vampires, demons, and other fantastical beings live on a man-made island that was built to protect and research them. One particular Vampire, The Fourth Primogenitor, appears on the island but… he’s just a regular high school student. Or is he? I don’t ask that to be mysterious, I have no idea. So far I feel like there’s potential for this series to get good.
The groundwork has been laid and I like how they don’t really try to explain why all these creatures live here. I don’t think I’ll keep watching this one, but I can see why a lot of people would like it. Not your normal “Let’s get those Twilight fans watching!” series, so it’s not bad.
VERDICT: 3 Coke cans of blood.
Kyoukai no Kanata
The opening sequence to this episode was a huge surprise. I thought the show looked cool just from the animation but then I was just like, what? I was under the impression that this was just a normal high school type anime, but I was very wrong it seems. Anyway, the show has spirit warriors and youmu. The spirit warriors are responsible for containing and defeating youmu, but the main spirit warrior girl is having issues with hunting and battling them.
The main character is half youmu and as a result, he is immortal. The other main character is the last of a spirit warrior clan with the ability to control blood and form it into weapons. The show is pretty entertaining and the interactions between the two main characters are often hilarious. I feel like Strike the Blood piqued my initial interests more, but since this show was funnier, I imagine I’ll be more entertained with it as the show progresses.
Who should watch this show: Those who enjoy humorous anime with an otherworldly twist.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Great. This show really stuck out to me and I look forward to seeing more.
Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai!
The story centers on two girls from an idol group, similar to AKB48. These two members end up getting involved in a pro wrestling league for women. So basically the show is filled with busty girls in revealing bikinis rolling around in a ring together. The main girl ends up converting to an idol to being a full-time pro wrestler in order to beat the girl who humiliated her and her idols friends.
Do not, I repeat – do not watch this show with anyone you would be embarrassed around. The gratuitous shots and noises are abundantly frequent in this show. It’s ridiculous and the story just seems like an excuse to have these pro wrestling girls wiggle their ample jigglies about.
Who should watch this show: Those who like boobs. And gratuitous moaning. And jiggly wigglies.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: No. No more of this please.
Meganebu!
This is a very colorful show with a striking style that immediately stands out. It’s magnificent. The show is about a handful of guys in a glasses club. They are very passionate about glasses and are striving to create a genuine pair of x-ray glasses (in the first episode at least). The things they do don’t sound that exciting when described, but the animation style and the timing of everything really makes this show stand out.
You really have to see this show to fully experience it. The trailer does not do it justice at all. I haven’t seen a show quite like this in a long time. It’s incredibly unique and highly stylized. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much during an anime. I really like all the transitions and visual representations that occur during the show. I’m not really sure where the story is going to go here, but it’s so funny that I don’t really care.
Who should watch this show: People who like glasses and the hilarious antics of those who wear them.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Fantastic. This show is hilarious.
Log Horizon
This show takes place in a MMO, kind of like Sword Art Online I guess. Actually, yeah – it’s a lot like that since the characters in the game are stuck there and unable to log out. A small party is formed and the characters try and figure out what’s going on.
The show is a little silly and kind of funny, but I didn’t find myself caring much about what was going on in the show. See Koichi’s thoughts down below for more details. This show just didn’t stick out to me at all.
Who should watch this show: Someone who really, really likes shows along the lines of Sword Art Online.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Bad. I didn’t feel this show was anything special.
Log Horizon (Second Opinion by Koichi)
A bunch of people are stuck inside of an MMORPG. That’s like every WoW players’ dream, right? And, before you say “omg, this is just Sword Art Online” let me stop you there… Okay, fine, the basic premise is the same, and I have no idea where the story is going to go after the first episode, but I can say there’s definitely a difference.
SAO was about relationships and romance. Log Horizon seems to be more about action. If you loved SAO you may or may not like Log Horizon. If you didn’t like SAO you might like Log Horizon a lot more. The world in this one feels a lot more mysterious and has a lot more potential for exploration which makes it more interesting to me, though just barely not enough to keep me watching.
VERDICT: LEEEROOOOOOY JENKINS.
Yozakura Quartet – Hana no Uta
This is a show about youkai. There are youkai, half-youkai, magic, and otherworldly things. The main characters are using their abilities to keep the town safe from those who would do it harm.
The show gets off to a pretty slow start and doesn’t get much better from there. It has pretty colors and all, but the show itself is just not that gripping. There’s some neat things going on, like “Powerspeak” to create and control the size of objects, etc, but it’s just not enough. I’m not really sure where they’ll be taking the story in this one, but I don’t really care.
Who should watch this show: Anyone who really likes youkai and magic and action.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Bad. This first episode was really boring to me.
Gundam Build Fighters
This is not your traditional Gundam show. It’s more like Yu-Gi-Oh, but with Gundam models. There are no real Gundams, just model Gundams that fight each other in a VR arena. The better put together the model is, the better it will perform, but you still need a skilled “player” to control it. The main kid is really good at making models, but pretty terrible at “piloting” them. But then he runs into a mysterious boy who can.
This show is a little silly. It reminds me too much of a kids show (which it no doubt it), and I don’t really care or relate to any of the characters. The mysterious kid who pilots the Gundam really well is kinda cool, but other than that, the show was kind of boring for me.
Who should watch this show: Kids, or those who really love all things Gundam. Or those who wish to feel like a kid.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not so great. I couldn’t get into this at all.
Nagi no Asukara
In this show there are sea dwellers and surface dwellers and the sea people start attending school on land. When this happens, there is some conflict and racism, and everyone is uncomfortable and no one is happy. The physics and underwater stuff makes no sense at all and no effort is really made to explain how all this silly business works.
Well, the show does have some really pretty colors to look at – other than that, the show is really drab. It didn’t grab me at all. I’m not really sure what to make of it and I don’t know what to expect from the story either. It was a fairly lousy viewing experience.
Who should watch this show: Those who can suspend their disbelief and enjoy the lives of sea people.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Not good. I don’t get this show at all.
Kill La Kill
Remember how I said Meganebu! was unlike anything I’d seen before? Scratch that. Kill La Kill is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It grabs you right from the start and does not let go. Koichi does a good rundown of the story below, but the story isn’t even that important in my opinion. It’s just acting as the glue holding all the absolutely ridiculous and over the top hilarity you’ll be experiencing in this show. It’s marvelous.
Who should watch this show: Anyone who likes anime. Seriously. This show is crazy.
Likelihood of me watching another episode: Absolutely. No Doubt.
Kill la kill (Second Opinion by Koichi)
Things start out like every single anime ever made. There’s some kind of school/academy. Then there’s a transfer student (of course, the hero of the story). Then, above mentioned transfer student reveals she is searching for the other half of a giant pair of scissors that was left behind by her father’s murderer, does battle with members of the academy (who are wearing special “Goku suits” that give them powers), and… well, you’ll have to watch and see yourself, won’t you?
Kill La Kill is quite possibly the most ridiculous show I’ve seen in a while and I can’t tell if it’s trying to parody other anime or not, though that ends up making it a bit fresh in my opinion. I’ll be watching episode two as soon as I finish writing this paragraph.
Unexpected things happen over and over again in quick succession, like someone spamming the jab button on Mortal Kombat. WAWAWAWAWAAACHA!
VERDICT: 12,000 Johnny Cages.
Recap
I didn’t end up abandoning any shows after mere minutes this season but there were a handful of shows that I thought looked interesting but I just didn’t have room for in this post. Some of these I’m just going to wait and see what the rest of the internet thinks before I get into them, but I’m very interested in hearing more about the shows I didn’t get around to.
And as usual, there were also a handful of sequels that I never watched the original for (sorry!).
Last Season’s Recap: I didn’t end up following any shows from the last season. None of them were strong enough in my opinion.
This Season’s Bottom Line: This season is looking pretty awesome. Kill La Kill and Meganebu! are definitely my two top picks and I’m really excited about both of them. After that, Strike the Blood and Kyoukai no Kanata seem the most interesting I think. I’m excited to hear more about any potential gems I missed though.
So tell me, how do you think this season compares to the last one? Any new shows look good to you? What’s your favorite one so far? Any good ones I missed? Share your thoughts down in the comments!
The post Fall 2013 Anime Roundup appeared first on Tofugu.
