Anime Previews and First Impressions of the Fall 2013 Season

Oct. 26, 2013

PS: I won’t be talking about any sequel series. The obvious rule with those is that if you enjoyed the first series then you’ll enjoy the sequel, and if you haven’t seen the first series then you shouldn’t watch the sequel.

Coppelion

Coppelion

This has already proven itself to be a rather intense series. You get thrown right in to where that summary leaves you. No build-up, just jumping right into being stranded in a nuclear wasteland with little direction as to what’s going on. So far each episode has been rather standard in its setup with the first episode being basic world and character introduction while the second and third have been an “overcoming the danger of the week” where the main characters are presented with a single issue to deal with. But there’s promises of bigger issues, such as just who the main characters actually are and why they’re doing what they’re doing, that show great potential down the line as long as the series keeps building itself up well. The animation is a little heavier than normal, with outlines being very pronounced, but this actually works to keep things dark and reinforce the feeling of dread that they’re instilling into their world. If you’re looking for a dark mystery show with some impressive visuals and decent action, definitely check this out.

Summary:Although Akihito appears human, he is half demon and immortal. One day, Akihito meets Mirai Kuriyama when it seems she is about to jump from the school rooftop. Disturbing events begin to unfold after Akihito saves Mirai involving demons and demon hunters alike.

I’ll admit I was a bit biased on this one going in because I recognized the name behind it. The production company behind this series, Kyoto Animation, has put out very few series I’ve disliked and has generally been a staple of quality anime for years. While they’ve put out a few shows I’ve found disappointing, I generally go into anything they make expecting it to be good. I’m glad to say this show doesn’t disappoint. The humor is spot on, the characters are already showing signs of depth, the animation in both the neutral settings and action scenes is glorious, and the premise leaves so many possibilities in where the story could go. While it’s not an issue for me, I do understand that some viewers are turned away by series containing moe, and if that’s the case you may not find this as perfect for you as I did. Moe is Kyoto Animation’s staple, and few of their series are lacking it completely, so you will find at least a few characters who may turn you away if you dislike the concept of moe. If you do like moe then know that it’s definitely here and even though it’s not in great amounts, it really makes the neutral settings between character moments and action scenes more lively. It doesn’t matter what you’re into, unless you’re turned away by moe then this is something you should check out.

Summary:The Fourth Progenitor, one of the strongest vampires in existence, has come into being. Himeragi Yukina, a Sword Shaman, has been selected to watch over this newly appeared demon and has been instructed to strike it down should it appear to show any hostile intent towards the human way of life.

So far, this one is coming out pretty alright. The way the characters are established has an interesting, if not exactly unique, setup but the characters themselves feel pretty strong. Himeragi appears to be heading down a rather predictable path of “the socially-clueless mercenary” but the way she pulls it off with the other main character is funny and entertaining so far, and I actually really enjoy the way they’ve set up who the Fourth Progenitor is. The action scenes are also looking great, though I do get the feeling that a bit more production value was put into those scenes than the rest of the show. I’m still on the fence with this one, though I can say it’s looking to be better than an average show and probably the only reason I’m not as impressed by it is that it’s been released side by side withBeyond the Boundary. With both shows filling a similar “fantasy action” niche,Strike the Bloodis simply being a bit overshadowed in that regard. However, this series doesn’t have any moe, so if that turned you away fromBeyond the Boundarythis show should still work for you. Basically, ifBeyond the Boundarysounded good, check this out as well.

Summary:Kano Shinichi is a thoroughbred otaku. One day he found himself transported to a fantasy world where elves live and dragons fly. And he is given a task. Not to fight monsters, but to enhance cultural exchange by becoming a “moe missionary!”

This show surprised me. Alot. I went into it expecting a rather simple comedy harem with a fantasy twist and anime in-jokes, and it is proving me entirely wrong. It’s focus so far is less on the fantasy world and magic or even the otaku lifestyle the Kano Shinichi is trying to spread and more on the troubles simply trying to incorporate two vastly different societies brings. Instead of simply being stuffed full of anime references (though it does have those and they are amazing if you pick up on them) it’s focusing on things like “how can we even teach these people about manga or anime if they don’t actually know Japanese?” and turning into more of a political/societal study akin toSpice and Wolf. It does have the setup of a harem as it sets up the various token love interest characters pretty quickly, so it still runs the risk of feeling the need to bring up those relationship drama angles later on, and the otaku references so far aren’t something a casual viewer would pick up on, so I wouldn’t label it the kind of series you could really appreciate fully unless you were at least a little aware of anime culture yourself. As impressive of a twist from my expectations this turned out to be and how well it’s handling that twist of genre, this is looking to be one of the most promising shows of the season though.

Summary:Tada Banri, a newly admitted student at a private law school in Tokyo, found himself completely lost after the opening ceremony, trying to find his way to the freshman orientation. At that moment, he ran into another lost freshman from the same school…

Unlike Outbreak Company, this show is simply surpassing expectations rather than twisting them. I also went into this series expecting a rather typical comedy harem, and so far it’s anything but “typical.” In a way, it’s already set about deconstructing the “childhood friend” character archetype and is showing a rather cynical approach to relationships as a whole for an anime. It’s also gone and done something I never thought could be done nowadays and made amnesia as a plot device something actually interesting. If it keeps this up it could very well become a rather dark deconstruction of the entire harem genre. Again, though, as with Outbreak Company, trying to subvert or break an overly-common setup runs the risk of not following through all the way, but only time will tell. So far, keep an eye on this one if you like drama shows.

Summary: (Author’s note; I’m not making this up)17-year old schoolgirl Ryuuko transfers to a new school where the students have school uniforms that give them superpowers. Weilding half of a giant pair of scissors, Ryuuko attempts to take down the hierarchy of superpowered student council members in an attempt to discover who killed her father.

Watch. This. Show. Turn your brain off and just do it. Don’t think about it, just watch it. This is the best kind of stupid, over-the-top, nonsensical fun I’ve seen sinceTengen Toppa Gurren Lagann(which makes sense since both shows were made by the same people).

Summary:The story revolves around Raul, a boy who did not become a Hero, since the demon lord was already defeated just before his Hero exams. His dreams dashed, Raul spends his days working at a magical hardware store in the capital.

This show is very back and forth. I’ll start by pointing out the biggest low point, since it’s really the only low point but one so apparent that it’s hard to recommend this show to anyone despite everything else being incredibly promising; the fanservice. This is one of those shows that didn’t need any fanservice as the premise didn’t call for it and was unique enough on it’s own to carry an interesting story, and yet for some reason can’t go 90 seconds without showing bouncing breasts or panty shots. The problem is…all that “unique premise able to carry an interesting story” stuff I was talking about? This show totally does all that too. It’s showing the struggles of someone who worked for years to get into a specialized field only to have “the economy” suddenly change and make all those years of effort meaningless. It’s also addressing some of the same kind of prejudice and societal issues that Outbreak Company is going with. With the Demon Lord defeated, should people still not like the normal, “average joe” demons who are no longer at war with anyone? What of the other heroes who got put out of the job? This show has so much potential, but unless you’re like me and are pretty much numbed to fanservice it’s going to be really difficult to look past that.

Summary:The story begins when 30,000 Japanese gamers are trapped in the fantasy online game world Elder Tale. What was once a sword-and-sorcery world is now the real world.

Wait…haven’t we seen this show before?Log Horizon’spremise is nearly an exact copy of the showSword Art Online’spremise, and that makes it really tough to try and judge on it’s own merits. Nearly everything I’ve thought about this show has been a comparison to Sword Art Online, and as divided as people’s opinions were over Sword Art Online it means any comparison will hold wildly different merits depending on if the audience liked or dislikedSword Art Online. Speaking as someone who lovedSword Art Online, I can say this feels weaker but not by such a margin as to make it a bad show.Log Horizonfeels more like an actual video game, but as a resultSword Art Online‘s world felt more real. While the fact that you respawn and don’t permanently die inLog Horizonmeans there’s another layer to this world being inescapable since suicide was always a way out inSword Art Online, it also takes away alot of the tension and risk with things like major boss battles and PK’ing. And the fact that there’s no objective for escape inLog Horizonalso adds another layer to the inescapability of this world, but it also means that now we’re just seeing the players wander randomly about an MMO world. As with all series on this list, it definitely has potential though and given some more explanation could evolve into something great and unique. All I have left to say is that if you come into this series having never seenSword Art Online, let me know. I envy your ability to have no prejudice.

Summary:Hagiwara Sakura and Miyazawa Elena are the leading members of a popular idol group. One day, Elena is injured by the attack of a female pro-wrestler, Kazama Ruo, during the recording of a TV program. Sakura gets mad at Ruo and gives her a dropkick.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this. Maybe a sports anime that tackled a rather unique sport in wrestling. Maybe even if it wasn’t much about wrestling at least to have over-the-top fight scenes like seeing Zangief and Mike Haggar slamming into each other. This anime did nothing of the sort. It is the same issue withI Couldn’t Become a Hero Long Titlebut without a unique premise. The wrestling is just an excuse to get the female leads into revealing skin-tight outfits and the actual matches only ever consist of these girls getting contorted into various gratuitous positions for extended periods of time. While screaming in pain. There is nothing to this show but shallow and cheap fanservice, so I guess if that’s your thing then have fun. Everyone else, steer clear.

Summary:Ragna the Bloodedge, an SS-class rebel, has appeared in the city of Kagutsuchi. The apparent aim of Ragna is the destruction of the system controlling the world. To collect the bounty, a motley array of unrivaled fighters converge on Kagutsuchi.

Everyone always said the Blazblue fighting games would make a good anime. It already had the style and is known for having an especially well-developed story for a fighting game series. So why not cut the middle man known as gameplay and let everyone in on that story? So far, it’s looking pretty good. I’d say it’s moving a little too fast though, and if you haven’t played the games you might have aFate Zeroproblem where too many characters are thrown at you at once. It’s delivering on what you want from it though, the fighting. In 3 episodes it’s managed at least just as many fight scenes, and all of them are awesome. Characters have the same personalities and fighting styles as in the games, and if you played the games but never went through all the story modes to get it, then this is a nice way to finally get around to seeing what people have been praising. But I’m nearing the end of my article here and losing focus in writing, so I’ll wrap this show up with one final statment; My main man Iron Tager hasn’t appeared yet so this show sucks. 0/10, needs more Tager.

Again,these aren’t all the shows being played, but they’re the ones that caught my attention. We’ll see how these pan out in the future, but hopefully I’ve given some of you something to look into, and if you think you’ve seen one worth watching that I didn’t mention let me know in the comments! Until next time, Reaperfan out.