Last season was a surprise…
…because there were a good majority of shows I enjoyed, so the elitist in me had to eat humble pie. I never expected to enjoy a show about a sociopath in the body of an Imperial loli mage…and I don’t think even Crunchyroll were expecting so many to like Saga of Tanya The Evil. It might even get a home video release in the West, which will please the right-wing media immensely.
For the spring, I’ll be carrying on with my 4 shows in the season, along with monitoring a show that’s out-of-season. I guess you could call this one a ‘classic’ compared to Chihayafuru, age-wise.
To those who are labelling me a heretic for not choosing season 2 of Attack on Titan, I’ll say this: I like the show, but I just don’t see the hype. I already know it’ll be good and popular…just, not for me. I’ll watch it another time. So, for any juicy gossip on the show, ask the others here on OASG, as I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to talk about it.
As for the shows I’ll be reviewing this Spring…
Little Witch Academia
(Continuing on Netflix)
Netflix have bagged a good show in this. They bought the rights for the 2 mini-movies that were crowdfunded years ago, and thanks to the huge popularity of the 2017 adaptation, this will reach so many more people when Netflix release the official English-language version. I think it’s also rather neat that the Japanese home video release will also have English subs, which is a rarity in Japanese releases.
I anticipate things will heat up in the second half, now we know what the Shiny Rod actually is. These mini-stories in episodes will begin to wind down, I hope.
Sakura Quest
Begins: Wednesday. April. 05.
(Available on Crunchyroll)
I heard about this a while back and drew comparisons to Shirobako, well after some investigating, I discovered more than that. Sakura Quest is, in fact, the third of what P.A Works are calling the “working” series; the first being Hanasaku Iroha and the second being Shirobako. This show seems to be a little quirkier than its predecessors though.
5 girls work in the Tourism Bureau in their little provincial town. When the townspeople revive its “micro-nation” project (apparently developed during Japan’s bubble economy period), the girls are elected as tourism ambassadors, or ‘monarchs’. The show highlights a year in the life of these 5 girls as ‘monarchs’.
I’m anticipating this to be a 2-cour show, like Hanasaku Iroha and Shirobako were, which is something I don’t mind, since I enjoyed both and this looks like quirky P.A Works fodder…the good kind, unlike Glasslip or Charlotte.
eromanga sensei
Begins: Sunday. April. 09.
(Available on Crunchyroll)
By the writer of Oreimo, this show operates on a very similar level: dull and squeaky-clean brother discovers his NEET of a little sister is not just an otaku, but draws hentai.
This is already ringing alarm bells; eromanga sensei looks very silly, but we said that about Oreimo, and turned out to be rather funny, despite it having a very bad sequel show with the creepiest ending ever (NB: Oreimo was rated 18 here, which is like R-rated but stricter!). Am I expecting hints at incest in this? I hope not. I know I like to keep things PG-13 here on OASG, but this does have the capacity of being an adult show. Will it be the obligatory show I regret? Time will tell.
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata flat
Begins: Thursday. April. 13.
(Available on Amazon Video)
I’ve been waiting for a good long while for this one. I was one of the few people who really loved season 1, and didn’t see it as dull or mundane. I liked how it drew several comparisons to any other regular romance visual novels by having its atypical characters, and then just bringing in a completely different kind of character: boring, unexciting and the kind of person you’d forget instantly. Megumi Katou is, in fact, one of my all-time favourite anime girls, and easily beats the other four highlighted girls.
Season 1 of Saekano ended when lead character Tomoya was begging his otaku-hating cousin Michiru to write the music for his game; she eventually relented when she discovered all the members in her band were hardcore otaku themselves, and had in fact been playing anime/game songs at their sets without her fully knowing. Now we’re in season 2, the game they are making should be making some progress. I understand Izumi (the obligatory kouhai) will make a return, which will definitely make Eriri (the obligatory tsundere childhood friend) very happy.
Haibane Renmei
(Available on Funimation and home video)
My out-of-season show, as chosen by you. Secretly, I’m very happy you chose this. It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve seen this, and it’s been this show (among a couple of others) that I recommend to anime newcomers. I have an old US import of this by Pioneer (when they were still around), and thus was completely unaware that this had a license in the UK.
Haibane Renmei takes place in a town completely cut off from the rest of the world. Some are ‘born’ into this world as Haibane, isolationists gifted with wings and halos. Main character Rakka has no memory of her past life, and finds everything in this new life very frightening, but she has her fellow Haibane to help her out. Rakka is always asking one question: who is she really, and where did she come from?
By the guy behind Serial Experiments Lain, this has gained a cult following since its release way back in 2002. It has one of the best opening episodes I’ve ever seen, and the soundtrack is just as chilling and haunting as Serial Experiments Lain‘s.
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Another laid-back season for me: I’ll be watching more wonderful Little Witch Academia, I get to watch a classic I haven’t seen in nearly a decade, plus more Megumi Katou, which is a good thing for me. There’s bound to be a hiccup (or several), but it happens every season for me so I just wait for it to happen, and then complain at the end…a lot.
Anime Expo has had to be called off for me, plus I am slowly starting my own business, plus Overwatch, Nier: Automata, Danganronpa and Mass Effect: Andromeda have taken up a lot of my spare time, so busy busy for me in the Spring. I was very ill this time last year, and now I feel a little excited for what 2017 will bring, both on screen and what will happen IRL.