So now it’s the Fall. We don’t really call it Fall here in the UK; it’s just Autumn. We’re not really Pagan anymore either, and the Autumnal Equinox (or Mabon) has been and gone. Anyway, you didn’t come here to hear me moan about seasons, at least not the one found in Nature…you came here to see what I’ll be watching for the next 3 months. First I’ll tell you what I’m not watching:
My Hero Academia season 4 / Sword Art Online: Alicization: War of Underworld / Food Wars!: The Fourth Plate / Chihayafuru season 3 / Granblue Fantasy season 2
Wow…that’s a lot of big anime franchises to come out in one season. The Fall has always been a season for big shows, though. Well here in this column, I found some ‘smaller’ shows to cover, and I’m looking forward to all of them, for all different reasons.
I’ve chosen 5 shows once again; 4 current season ones, plus my classic/out-of-season pick. Last season, it wasn’t the huge amount of shows-to-watch that wore me out; I think it was instead that some of the shows I did pick weren’t entirely my cup of tea. As well as that, I ended up doing that epic Symphogear Challenge, meaning I had to watch 5 seasons of mecha magical girls in a short amount of time. Trying to take it more easy this season by picking some less stressful shows.
Houkago Saikoro Club
Studio: Lidenfilms
Begins: Thursday. October. 03
(Available on Funimation)
I haven’t heard a lot about this one, but I’m quite hyped over it nonetheless.
Aya Takayashiki and Miki Takekasa are both new high school girls just getting to know each other. After following the committee president to a games store, they discover a whole new world of gaming. After learning a lot more about all sorts of games, from card games to tabletop ones, they decide to take this newly found passion to school, and form their own club.
I’ve played all sorts of non-video games in my childhood. As a teenager, I played a lot of Warhammer 40,000, even having my own huge Space Wolves army, and I also played a bit of Magic: The Gathering every now and then in college. I’m slowly getting back into both of those right now, and I still play a bit of Hearthstone both on my computer and my cellphone, and I absolutely love playing Artifact (despite it being universally seen as a dead game). Board games, on the other hand, are a world I’m a bit unfamiliar with. This is the perfect kind of show for a gaming nerd like me, and I hope it gets more attention than it currently is getting.
Apologies in advance if you find me geeking out over other games while covering Houkago Saikoro Club…I’ll just call it me ‘educating’ you guys in a hobby that I really do like, and am always looking for more people to get into. No doubt the others at OASG will poke me a lot during these next 3 months, telling me to actually cover the show more, instead of talking non-stop about card/board/tabletop games I enjoy.
Azur Lane
Studio: Bibury
Begins: Thursday. October. 03
(Available on Funimation)
I’m delving into some unknown territory here. I’ve heard about the fandom behind Azur Lane, but I know next to nothing about it, aside from that there are ship girls in it…like Kantai Collection.
Heck, I don’t even know that much about this adaptation’s plot either, soooo…if you guys can help me with Azur Lane, I’d be very grateful. Okay, so if I know nothing about the franchise and know even less about the plot, why did I pick it? I think this might have been a case of not really liking the sound of anything else?
Well, if you’re wondering why I picked a show like this, you’ll be wondering even more why I picked this next one. Don’t worry, I have a legitimate reason this time.
We Never Learn season 2
Studio: Studio Silver/Arvo Animation
Begins: Sunday. October. 06
(Available on Crunchyroll/Funimation)
I reviewed We Never Learn season 1 earlier on this year, and threw some shade at it. As I began the show, I liked the initial plot idea of a third-year boy, Nariyuki Yuiga, being asked to help with schoolwork for some of the school’s gifted students in return for a chance for college education free-of-charge…except that these gifted students had other career plans than the ones they were genuinely good at.
Fumino Furuhashi was a literary genius, but wanted to study astronomy, Rizu Ogata was a maths and science whiz, but wanted to get into psychology, and Nariyuki’s childhood friend Uruka Takemoto was the darling of the school athletics team, but needed help with her English.
I’ll get into more of how this harem is desperate to get into bed with Nariyuki in the future, but I should really say why I chose to cover season 2 in the first place, despite initially slinging mud at season 1. It’s because despite all the cringe-worthy moments and silly sex jokes, We Never Learn was actually a fun show to switch off to, and with more shows coming out that require your complete and undivided attention, something like We Never Learn can be quite…soothing for the weeb soul.
Perhaps this season will generate some more anime memes; the Distressed Fumino meme still gets me today. I tell you this: the viewers will be extremely happy to see the return of Distressed Fumino. I know I will.
Alright, before I move on, I’ll take this chance to say that, in the third week of October, I’ll be attending the Scotland Loves Anime event in Edinburgh. It’s an event that’s been going for around 10 years now, but this’ll be my first time going. There, the organizers, UK anime distributor Anime Limited, will be airing some recent anime movies including a couple of UK and European premieres. On the list for me are the following:
Ride Your Wave / Weathering With You / Children of the Sea / Mind Game / Psycho-Pass SS Films 1-3
There’s a chance that I might be able to catch a couple of other movies that aren’t listed there, but we’ll see if I even get the time. I’ll also get the chance to attend a special screening of Promare which Studio Trigger staff will be attending too, and you have no idea how much I’m looking forward to that! I’ll be writing a feature-length article on what went down there when I come back, but in the meantime, check out our own article on Promare here.
Right. Back to the list…
Kandagawa Jet Girls
Studio: TNK
Begins: Tuesday. October. 08
(Available on HIDIVE)
Call this yet another show for me to switch off to. Last season, I had shows like Lord El-Melloi II’s Case Files and O Maidens In Your Savage Season that required a lot of attention. I’ve picked shows like Kandagawa Jet Girls so I can spend the last months of 2019 just watching anime and not have to worry too much about any tangible plot. Does this make me sound like some kind of hypocrite, considering how much I didn’t like last season’s ecchi-filled Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? Well maybe this is the season where I tell myself not to stress over things like tangible plots and detailed storylines too much.
Yes…this is another show where I know next to nothing about the actual plot. Why did I pick it? Because…I like the idea of girls racing on jet skis?
Looking at this from a distance, I think picking some shows that are less ‘stressful’ might do me some good, considering that recently, I’ve been stressing quite a bit, and it’s even made me unwell for a short period of time. As for the classic/out-of-season show I’ll be watching, well you guys have chosen a show I’ve been meaning to watch for like forever.
Girls’ Last Tour
Studio: White Fox
(Available on HIDIVE and home video)
If you’re unaware of the plot here, it’s quite simple. An apocalypse has ravaged the entire planet, and two girls, Chito and Yuuri, have to learn to work together in order to survive. As they traverse the industrial ruins that remain, they travel on their Kettenkrad to find food, supplies, and maybe other survivors.
This show remains fascinating to see precisely because how simple it is. We get to watch the drama around these two, as they fight over tiny little things, only to later realize that they need each other to get through each day. Chito knows how to work machines and can read well, Yuuri is an ace sharpshooter.
I like the fact that I’ve picked some relatively ‘stressless’ shows for this Fall season. I’m getting a little tired of having to think of various theories on what’ll happen in future episodes. Maybe it’s the age talking…
And so while I’m avoiding the major franchises, what are you going to be watching for this Fall season? Will you end up getting absorbed in the likes of My Hero Academia and Chihayafuru, or will you be taking it easy, like me? Feel free to hit that like button and air your opinions in the comments below!