Impression – Spring 2013 Anime Season at a Glance

The Spring 2013 Anime Season has brought us something that we were missing in the last season. Winter really lacked a true action series and that left quite a few anime fans high and dry. Luckily, Sunrise, Production I.G, and Seven Arcs decided to answer the calls of action fans everywhere. We’ve got mechs, samurai, and murderers that are all ready to throw down with with the bad guys and we haven’t even mentioned what is going on in Shingeki no Kyojin. Even though we have things that aren’t romantically driven in this season, it doesn’t mean that it is lacking in that either. Fans of high school comedies will get their fill and there are quite a few sequels to established series joining the fray. The diversity in the Spring 2013 Anime Season is sure to appeal to all kinds of fans. Do you feel like a kid in a candy store yet? Well, we decided to help make your search easier by introducing you to all of the major series that have come out this season.

Aiura (LIDEN FILMS) – Genre: Slice-Of-Life, Comedy

Unlike last season, there are fewer short-form shows like this one. This 5 minute show follows three high school friends and shows “what happens when nothing is happening.” And they mean it as the first episode was bare on any sort of narrative. On the plus side, the art is beautiful to look at even for a short series like this one, with nice character designs and beautiful watercolor backdrops. However, the short duration of each episode makes it difficult to flesh out the characters or form any semblance of a narrative thread.

Watching: Bryan

Aku no Hana (Zexcs) – Genre: Psychological, Drama

I haven’t seen a show become this controversial in such a long time. This show follows a misunderstood high school student who, out of impulse, steals his crush’s gym clothes and gets blackmailed by the most unstable girl in his class. It’s a psychological drama that really gets under your skin and makes you feel uncomfortable. A lot of criticism has been directed towards the show’s use of rotoscoping, giving the animation an unusual and often distracting quality. The narrative is slow in the beginning, but if you can get past the animation, I’m hoping later episodes can really capture the tense psychological atmosphere of the manga.

Watching: Daniel

Arata Kangatari (Satelight) – Genre: Action, Fantasy, School

So we’ve seen a lot of anime where normal Japanese teenagers get transported to alternate worlds, but Arata Kangatari puts a little spin on this tried and true fantasy formula. Here we have a two person switching scenario across apparently different worlds. Yeah…a lot of stuff doesn’t particularly make much sense to me, but maybe that’s just me. The animation is average at best, but the plot is interesting so far, and I like the idea of switching worlds, even though it’s an awfully popular plot device lately. I only have mild interest at this point, but for people who enjoy action, this may prove to be a promising series to follow.

Watching: No one except DungTranAnimeFan

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge (Media Factory) – Action, Fantasy, Romance, Seinen

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge is a series that really surprised me. I thought that we were going to get a simple romance, but we actually got a murder game. Although most of us may not be familiar with this kind of series, I think that it will appeal to people that enjoyed things like Mirai Nikki and Another. The series looks nice and I am enjoying the action, but I think that the fetishes that are thrown out at you may be a little much for some people to handle. I would suggest that you check out this series if you enjoy the intensity that comes along with a murder game, but casual viewers may want to try out something else.

Watching: Will

Date A Live (AIC Plus+) – Comedy, Harem, Mecha, Romance, School, Sci-fi, Shounen

I have been describing Date A Live to my friends as a mix of The World God Only Knows, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and Strike Witches. Although some of that may seem like a stretch, I think that some people may agree with me if they watch all four series. In a world where foreign entities threaten society, and conventional methods are ineffective at best, the unconventional approach of seducing the spirits must be implemented. I think that the action in this series will be taking a back seat to the harem element, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I would suggest this series to anyone that is looking for a harem anime and is possibly a fan of dating sims.

Watching: Bryan, Will

Devil Survivor 2 The Animation (Bridge) – Genre: Supernatural, Survival

As someone who has never played these games, I don’t know what to expect from the anime. However, the story has me intrigued, even though the survival genre isn’t exactly something that excites me all that much. The idea that these demons are being unleashed to test humans is reminiscent of War of the Worlds, which I enjoyed. I’ll be interested to see how the series progresses over time and how fleshed out the story can become.

Watching: Bryan

Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince (Dogakobo) – Genre: Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi

I was actually surprised by this one. The show centers on a dysfunctional team of teen robot pilots who end up being chosen to fight off a hostile alien race. The characters seem a little bland and even annoying, so hopefully some more development can upgrade them from being mere cardboard cutouts of certain character tropes. The real attraction here, like in Vividred Operation, is the action set pieces as the team fights off the alien forces in spectacular mech-on-mech space action. If the show can strike a balance between interesting character interaction and great action, it has the potential to be more than generic space fare.

Watching: Daniel

Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W (Xebec) – Comedy, Parody, Romance, Sci-fi

This is the official second season in the Haiyore! Nyaruko-san series. Describing this anime to people can be difficult because it is a story that takes the creatures from the Cthulhu Mythos, turns them into aliens, and has them take the form of moé high school characters. On the plus side, fans of the first season of this series should definitely enjoy this continuation. The harem continues to be the most prominent part of a series that tries to act serious at times, but will often turn to comedy before it starts to look like something that it’s not. I would suggest that fans of the first season give this a try and I think that fans of ridiculous harems with a prominent parody element should try out the series from the beginning.

Watching: Will

Hataraku Maou-sama! (White Fox) – Comedy, Demons, Romance, Shounen

I am pretty sure that if there is an anime that revolves around a demon king that is doing things that demon kings don’t do, then I have to cover. That being said, these series continue to surprise me. A demon king and his general flee their realm in the midst of a wartime retreat that results in them being stuck in Tokyo. This is obviously a romantic comedy with its focus on a demon king working at McDonalds and the things that come with having your enemy following suit. I suggest this series to anyone that is looking for a fun comedy that will end up being a casual watch in the middle of your week.

Watching: Bryan, Daniel, Will

Hayate no Gotoku! Cuties (Manglobe) – Genre: Comedy, Harem, Parody, School

I have to admit that I was quite cautious going into this next season of one of my favorite comedy series of all time. After the disappointment that was the first spin-off series from last season, I wasn’t sure if could get back into the Hayate no Gotoku series, especially since this is essentially just another spin-off. However, this first episode re-instilled my faith and reminded me of all the things I loved in the first two seasons. Perhaps my biggest complain about Can’t Take My Eyes Off You was the completely awkward character designs that made it difficult for a long time fan like myself to watch. That problem is no more in this new season, as the character art has reverted to what it used to look like for the most part and is definitely a massive step up from the previous iteration.

Watching: Bryan

Hentai Ouji to Warawanai Neko. (J.C. Staff) – Genre: Comedy, Romance, School

The series title might be suspect, but the actual story is more harmless (and more substantial) than one might think. I have some high hopes for this series, and J.C. Staff is on a roll this season because the animation here is great. The humor is spot-on and while we’ve had romcoms with perverted leads ad nauseum, the scenario created in Henneko feels really fresh. Also, the two main female characters are completely flat-chested and hearing Alibaba from Magi hit on Aladdin is incredibly amusing. I’m interested to see if this swapping and trading of personality traits will lead to any sort of character development and growth.

Watching: Bryan

Kakumeiki Valvrave (Sunrise) – Mecha, Sci-fi

When it comes to Sunrise venturing away from its trademark Gundam series, they have given us gems such as Scryed and Code Geass. I had similar hopes for this series because the animation is crazy good at times and we haven’t really had a good mecha series in a while. I will say that a lot of the stuff that we have gotten so far can be a little difficult to digest because the writing seems a little off at times and that isn’t just due to the fact that I feel like I am watching Gundam Seed every other scene. I am guessing that Sunrise enjoys the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality. I suggest that fans of Gundam watch this series because I don’t think that this is a good gateway into mecha, but it definitely appeals to established fans of the genre.

Watching: Will

Karneval (Manglobe) – Genre: Action, Mystery, Fantasy

This first episode just totally blew my expectations out of the water. I’m not sure why I had doubts because I have quite a history with liking anime series that featured an all-male cast (Tsuritama, Kimi to Boku., Kuroko no Basuke, etc.). I am greatly surprised (even though I really shouldn’t be) at how much I enjoyed this first episode. I like the character designs, and the setting is very diverse. The plot also has me intrigued, and I can’t to meet the rest of the members from Circus.

Watching: Bryan, Will

Mushibugyou (Seven Arcs) – Martial Arts, Shounen, Supernatural

I have been waiting years for another great samurai anime and I think that we may actually have one on our hands. I would like to warn everyone that wants to watch this series that our cast of heroes fight against giant insects, arachnids, and whatnot as the major part of the story, so people that won’t like seeing things like giant spider should definitely avoid this series. I guess that the best way to describe this series is that Edo is in trouble and it needs saving. Also, this is one of those series where death can be taken lightly at times because of the sheer number of people that get slaughtered by the bugs. I would suggest Mushibugyou to fans of fun samurai anime that are looking for a good action series.

Watching: Will

Namiuchigiwa no Muromi-san (Tatsunoko Productions) – Comedy, Slice of Life

I guess that we are always going to be given a short comedy that makes uncomfortable sex jokes. The whole mermaid thing isn’t really new, but I do enjoy the delivery. We get an odd amount of historical jokes that range from the French witch trials to the sinking of the continent of Mu. The one problem that I have with this series is the art style which just finds a way to piss me off while I am watching it. I would suggest this series to people that are looking for a comedy without a whole lot of depth, but only if you can handle head designs that look like they were made specifically to piss me off.

Watching: Will

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai. (A-1 Pictures) – Genre: Comedy, School

Thankfully, Oreimo 2 retains all of the awesomeness from the first season, despite the shift in production studios. A-1 Pictures did a great job of preserving the original character, and I didn’t even notice any large difference in animation at all. Just watching this first episode reminded me of why I loved the first season so much. The funny interactions between Kousaka and Kirino, as well as Kuroneko starting to open up, make for a great way to start off the season. While the first season heavily focused on the relationship between the two siblings, I feel like this season will show more of the side characters.

Watching: Bryan, Will

Photo Kano (Madhouse Studios) – Genre: Romance, School

The premise of this show, which is based on a popular dating sim, seems simple and innocent enough. A high school student gets a camera from his father and develops close relationships with the various girls he befriends through photography. Things get weird thanks to the supporting cast of the Photography Club, which uses their photography skills to try and get “tasteful” pictures of girls. It’s got the usual tropes of a harem comedy, with a clueless protagonist and a large cast of girls. However, the creep factor really brings the narrative quality down and the cluelessness of the protagonist only makes him less likable.

Watching: Bryan

RDG: Red Data Girl (P.A. Works) – Genre: Fantasy

This is one of the wild cards of the season, in my opinion. The story, about an introverted girl with the ability to destroy any electronic device she comes in contact with and the boy tasked with protecting her, is intriguing from what I’ve seen so far. The narrative chooses to focus on the conflict between the clashing personalities of the two protagonists as they are forced to work together. Focusing on the character development is good for drama, but I hope they go more in depth with the supernatural elements of the plot. Again, it’s finding that delicate balance of drama and plot progression that will make or break this one.

Watching: Daniel

Shingeki no Kyojin (Production I.G.) – Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy

Production IG has one of the season’s most anticipated shows. The story takes place in a world where giant beings called Titans threaten the very existence of human beings. The narrative is filled with drama and the action looks like it’s going to be top-notch. The art is heavily stylized and gives it a unique look that really brings out the intensity of its characters. With a thrilling and impactful first episode, things will likely get even more exciting in the coming weeks.

Watching: Bryan, Daniel, Will

Suisei no Gargantia (Production I.G) – Mecha, Sci-fi

My prayers seem to have been answered. Not only does this series look fantastic with its great blending of regular animation and CGI, but the story that we have been given is fantastic. Humans fled to the stars in order to escape the next ice age only to be caught up in a war with an alien race while the ice melts away and human life has taken new shape on top of the newly formed ocean planet. I have been searching for the next great mecha series ever since Sunrise decided that making Gundam Age was a good idea and I think that this series has way too much potential to be overlooked by anyone and that includes people that don’t usually watch mecha anime. I think that people who are looking for a quality series, regardless of its style, should definitely give Suisei no Gargantia a chance.

Watching: Bryan, Will

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S (J.C. Staff) – Genre: Action, Comedy, School, Sci-fi

Man, I totally forgot how awesome this series is. From the huge modern city atmosphere to the great characters, Railgun offers up a lot to like and is back and better than ever. This particular season focuses on one of the arcs from the main Index light novels, so going into this without having watched any of the previous seasons may not be a good idea. This time around it seems that the plot will connect more with the main series, as we can expect to see more of the Level 5′s in action. It’ll be exciting to see how all of these characters converge, though I’m a bit worried that I’ll be missing out on some stuff since I never watched the Index series.

Watching: Bryan

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru. (Brains Base) – Genre: Comedy, Romance, School

Oregairu takes the familiar setting of social misfits banding together and takes it to an extreme level. The emphasis on dialogue rather than actions creates a subtextual character development, as they interact each other and bounce ideas back and forth. This can be off-putting for people who want more straight-forward comedy and don’t really feel like reading an entire book on screen. Disappointing animation aside, the insightful dialogue and funny characters are enough to generate a large wave of interest within me. Interested to see what kind of scenarios arise between these aliens of society.

Watching: Bryan, Daniel

Yuyushiki (Kinema Citrus) – Genre: Comedy, School, Slice-of-Life

It’s really common to see at least one slice-of-life comedy every season. Taking after shows like Lucky Star and YuruYuri, Yuyushiki centers on three best friends who spend their time talking about random topics and going to the Data Processing Club. A lot of the laughs come from situational humor as well as the random topics that they talk about. The characters are at least amusing and the art is just fine. It doesn’t reinvent the genre but it still manages to be charming in its own way.

Watching: No one