The 3 Anime You Should Watch This Season: Spring 2015
banzaitokyo
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7 years, 10 months ago
The weathers been goofy this spring but at least the animes been pretty good. The spring anime season is well under way. Last season offered up some good picks and it looks like this one promises to deliver as well. Rich and I checked out each new series and chose the best of the best to present to you. So lets see which ones rose to the top this season.
John
Last season my expectations were pretty low and I wasnt surprised when I didnt fall in love with anything. This season my hopes were a bit higher and I found a few shows I have some genuine excitement for.
Theres some variety too weve got good action, good over the top goofiness, and some heartwarming cutesy stuff too. I might actually see some of these through to the end. Lets check em out.
Owari no Seraph (???????)
This anime tells the tale of a post apocalyptic world threatened by demons and vampires. The vampires hold many of the worlds remaining children in captivity. But one has escaped. Its up to this kid and the rest of humanity to fight back against the creatures of the night and save earth from certain doom. The main character gets recruited into a vampire hunting military group. He has to learn to fight, work as part of a team, and come to terms with the friends he lost during his escape from the vampires.
After the first episode of this show, I was mildly intrigued. I didnt feel like it really got rolling so I decided to watch a couple more. After the second episode I was much more interested. The story gets a lot cooler and more interesting. I also really like the art style. All of the backgrounds look like paintings which gives it a unique atmosphere. It has good action, good humor, and an interesting cast of characters.
Punch Line (??????)
This show is pretty goofy. The main characters spirit separates from his body, which is gets possessed by some entity. Now his only companion is a talking spirit cat. Also, if he gets sexually excited twice in a short amount of time humanity as we know it will be destroyed. But thats okay because he can go back in time to redo things since time and space dont work the same for spirit entities. His apartment complex is full of weird tenants, but his main concern is figuring out a way to return to his physical form.
Usually I dont like shows that are this far out there. If I read the description above before watching, Id probably dismiss this show as a stupid, over the top, derivative anime. But its actually quite amusing. I feel like its ridiculous enough to be funny, but not so much that youre disappointed. It strikes a good balance. It kind of reminds me of Space Dandy from time to time, and thats a good thing.
Ore Monogatari!! (???!!)
This is a really cute high school rom-com drama show. The main character is a kind hearted giant who always develops crushes on sweet nice girls. Unfortunately, those girls always seem to fall for his insensitive best friend who has no interest in them. When the big guy saves a girl from a groper on the train, the girl and the two friends start hanging out. The big guy assumes that she has a crush on his friend, and his friend actually seems a little interested in her. But could the girl actually be interested in the gentle giant? Maybe.
This show is very much about the characters which is wonderful because the characters are all very funny and amusing. Its also fun because youre not really sure whats going to happen. Who will the girl choose? Will the giant consider himself a candidate for love? I have no idea how long theyll drag out the confusion, but so far its really fun to see everything unfold.
Rich
This season marks the first time in ages I dont have a particular title to look forward to. But thats not a bad thing. Something special will emerge. Something always does.
In anime news, Ping Pong, my favorite series in recent memory, took television anime of the year at the Tokyo Anime Awards. Funimation announced the rights for its North American release. Also of note is Discoteks licensing of Dororo, a Tezuka classic about a swordsman battling demons for his stolen body parts. So keep an eye out for these special series. Now on to my spring 2015 picks!
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan (??????????)
This show is a spinoff of the Haruhi Suzumiya series. The characters Haruhi fans know and love (and hate) are back, but different. The timid bookworm Nagato is less robotic and doing her best to become more social, with the high school literature club in tow. Despite Haruhis arrival, expect less of the supernatural and more everyday Japanese school life scenarios this time around.
Those expecting the continuation of the previous Haruhi series are in for a surprise and perhaps disappointment. Instead of continuing with stories from the original light novels, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan depicts an alternate, normal universe from the manga series of the same name. As a fan of the series, Im glad to see Haruhi come back in any form, but only time will tell if it lives up to the originals potential.
Will The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan continue on as the simple moe/slice of life series it appears to be? Or will Haruhis appearance cause the show to spiral into the unique weirdness typical of the previous series? Perhaps the disappearance mentioned in the title holds the answer
Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (?????????????????????????)
I want to get stronger!
Although previous, embarrassing defeats make adventurer Bell Cranel seem far from his goal, he has a few things in his favor. One is a beautiful, well-endowed healing goddess at his side. The other is a plan: forgo the party, battle in dungeons alone, and hog all the experience for himself. Will Bell Cranels dangerous plan help him level up, gain confidence, and redeem himself? Or is he doomed to remain a weak noob in the dungeon crawling scene?
I have little interest in the dungeon crawler genre, _so Is it Wrong s_ well rounded, RPG-inspired cast, solid animation, and unique, satiric take on the genre has me hooked. As one might expect, its fantasy RPG world features all sorts of races, monsters, weapons, and job types.
This series is already making internet waves thanks to a breast enhancing ribbon donned by one of its female leads. And its off to a great start. Hopefully it can continue this momentum. Those with an RPG scratch to itch, but little time to invest should give Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? a look!
Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume DO (??????? DO)
Although Ninja Slayer is the flash series getting the most attention this season, my moneys on a tried and true title, Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume. In this comedy, Eagle Talon, a Tokyo based evil organization continues to plot world takeover with plans that would make even Cobra Commander blush.
(We couldnt find a PV (sorry), so this is a link to the first episode.)
Eagle Talons crude animation and humor matches its cast of characters that includes its fearless leader, The Chancellor, an evil scientist that looks like a cute teddy bear, and Yoshida, a young, red masked mascot character. Occasionally the unheroic hero Deluxe Fighter shows up to put an end to Eagle Talons evil plots.
Himitsukessha Taka no Tsume DOs style and tone means it has more in common with Cartoon Networks original Adult Swim cartoons than the average Japanese anime. But thats also what makes it cool. Sit back and watch the ridiculousness unfold!
Originally rumored to air this season, Digimon Adventure Tri is missing in action and presumably delayed. In theaters Im looking forward to the Sarusuberi, which looks to mix up great art and music. Dragon Ball Fukkastu no F sees the return of Freiza and all sorts of crazy, power-up infused mayhem.
Spring 2015 Anime Wrap-up
In summary, this season is looking like a pretty good one. Theres lots we already like and theres still plenty more to look forward to. Hopefully future episodes will just keep getting better! Im really enjoying my picks so far and Rich is doing the same. Hopefully our experiences have helped you figure out what shows seem worthwhile.
So tell us what are your top picks this season? Agree with our picks? Disagree? Let us know in the comments!
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