Archive for September 2013
Fall 2013 Anime Guide
I still remember the hot summer days we spent in Akiba, surrounded by anime goodies, maids and promotional videos, which presented some interesting anime series! Back in Germany I now present you the Amazing Japan Fall 2013 Anime Guide! But before we come to this season’s anime let’s go through some of last season’s series. This summer anime season offered us very nice and enjoyable shows such as Monogatari Series Second Season (still ongoing), Dangan Ronpa, Shingeki no Kyojin (still ongoing), To Aru Kagaku No Railgun S (still ongoing), The World God Only Knows: Goddesses Arc, Servant X Service, Genshiken Nidaime, Kamisama no Inai Nichiyōbi, Watashi Ga Motenai No Wa Dou Kangaete Mo Omaera Ga Warui! and Silver Spoon. What was your most favorite series this season?
This fall’s anime line-up will consist of almost 50 series! The top three anime voted by Japanese fans are Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Kuroko’s Basketball 2 and Valvrave the Liberator Second Season.
After reading Ohtaka Shinobu’s amazing manga and watching a well-done anime adaptation I am really looking forward to the second season of Magi, covering Aladdin’s time studying magic in Magnostadt! Another interesting series this season is Tomonori Inoue’s Coppelion about a Tokyo being under a blockade, due to radioactive contamination from a nuclear accident. Other anime on my watch-list include KyoAni’s dark fantasy series Kyōkai no Kanata, Kyousogiga, which already inspired an interesting ONA, Kill la Kill by the staff of Gurren Lagann, The Pocket Monsters: The Origin starring Red and Green, Log Horizon with a scenario similiar to Sword Art Online and Yozakura Quartet ~Hana no Uta~, which will be a retelling of the first season with the animation quality of the OVAs!
What’s on your watch-list?
Super Seisyun Brothers / Super Seisyun Brothers ―超青春姉弟s―
On Air: September 13Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. The story involves two pairs of teenage elder sister and younger brother, Niimoto’s who are a bit of narcissist and Saitou’s who look a bit mysterious, and their everyday life in school and at home.
Diabolik Lovers / ディアボリックラヴァーズ
On Air: September 16Plot Summary: Adaptation of the PSP game. Komori Yui lives her life together with six brothers. Although it is not a common every day life. It’s actually quite a radical one, she is oppressed by them, and blood is demanded, as they are all vampires.
Miss Monochrome The Animation / ミス・モノクローム -The Animation-
On Air: October 1Plot Summary: Original story. In order to be more in the eyes of the public, Miss Monochrome begins working to become a top-selling idol. Spacey Miss Monochrome once again runs around the idol show biz world, being tossed around by others.
Coppelion / コッペリオン
On Air: October 2Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. The story is set in 2036, after radioactive contamination from a nuclear accident has put Tokyo under a blockade. Three high school girls have been sent to this dead city. Due to genetic engineering, the three girls have been impervious to radioactivity since birth. They form a special forces unit, codenamed “Coppelion”, in the 3rd Division of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force.
Kyōkai no Kanata / 境界の彼方
On Air: October 2Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. The story follows a 2nd year in high school named Akihito Kanbara. Despite his appearance he is only half human, being half yōmu Akihito is invulnerable to wounds. One day, he meets freshman Mirai Kuriyama as she seemingly tries to jump from the school’s rooftop. Due to her ability to manipulate blood, which is unique even among members of the spirit world, she lives a rather lonely life. Disturbing events begin to unfold after Akihito saves Mirai.
Kyousogiga / 京騒戯画
On Air: October 2Plot Summary: Original story, which already inspired an ONA. Hidden within Kyoto is the “mirror capital” where youkai and humans live together and no one ever dies. It is protected by three people – Kurama, Yase, and Myoue – as they await the return of their parents, Myoue Jonin and Koto. One day a young girl named Koto (same name, different spelling) wanders into the city from a different dimension looking for her mother. A mecha-geek with red eyes, it’s not immediately clear whether she’s human or youkai. Her arrival upsets the long peace that had ruled the capital.
The Pocket Monsters: The Origin / ポケットモンスター ジ・オリジン
On Air: October 2Plot Summary: Adaptation of the original game. This time the story centers around Red encountering a strange Pokémon in the fierce battle with Team Rocket’s leader Sakaki (Giovanni). The characters are based on Nintendo’s original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green (released as Pokémon Blue in North America) video games. Rival Green, Gym Leader Takeshi (Brock), Red’s mother, and Team Rocket also appear in this anime special set in Kanto, the region where everybody’s Pokémon adventure started.
Aikatsu! 2 / アイカツ！ 2
On Air: October 3Plot Summary: 2nd season of Aikatsu! and adaptation of the arcade card game. The story will involve the rise of a new idol school “Dream Academy” who poses a threat to Ichigo, Aoi, and Ran.
Golden Time / ゴールデンタイム
On Air: October 3Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. The college romantic comedy of Golden Time revolves around Banri Tada, a college student who lost all of his memories upon graduating his high school. The story follows Banri, Kōko Kaga, a girl whose seemingly perfect looks belies her hidden regrets, Kōko’s significant other Mitsuo Yanagisawa, and other students at Banri’s college in Tokyo, including NANA Hayashida, Chinami Oka, Nijigen-kun and NANA-senpai.
Infinite Stratos 2 / IS<インフィニット・ストラトス> 2
On Air: October 3Plot Summary: 2nd season of Infinite Stratos and adaptation of the the light novel series. Infinite Stratos (IS), a weaponized exoskeleton system, has become the dominant tool of warfare and conflict. Unfortunately for the men in society, only women are able to operate Infinite Stratos…with very few exceptions. One of those exceptions is Ichika Orimura, an orphan raised by his older sister, who is herself a famous IS pilot. When his compatibility with Infinite Stratos is discovered after he accidentally touches one at the age of 15, he is given a scholarship and enrolled in a school that specializes in training IS pilots. Which means an interesting life surrounded by girls for this shy, unassuming boy.
Kill la Kill / キルラキル
On Air: October 3Plot Summary: Original story. Ryuuko Matoi carries a large weapon shapes like half of a pair of scissors. She’s looking for the woman with the other half, who killed her father. Satsuki Kiryuuin, student council president of Honnouji Academy, is said to know the woman’s identity, so Ryuuko transfers there. Those who arrive at the school receive a special “reverse uniform,” and Satsuki has used that power to rule the school in fear.
Nagi no Asukara / 凪のあすから
On Air: October 3Plot Summary: Original story. Long ago, humanity lived in the sea. But the humans who longed for the land left the sea behind. They cast aside the special raiment they’d been given by the sea god that let them live in the ocean. The thinking of the sea humans and the land humans became as separate as the places they lived, and as countless time passed, they forgot they were once one people. This will change as the land-dwelling human Tsumugu Kihara befriends four girls who live in a village at the bottom of the sea.
Outbreak Company / アウトブレイク・カンパニー
On Air: October 3Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. The story centers around Shinichi Kano, a “thoroughbred class” otaku with his father being a light novel author and his mother being an eroge artist. Having no special talents except for his vast knowledge, opinions, and insight on moe, the Japanese government assigns Shinichi as a “moe” evangelist to the Holy Eldant Empire, a parallel world accessible through a thick forest in the Mount Fuji area. In this fantasy world, Shinichi forms a deep friendship with the half-elf maid girl Myucel and the beautiful young empress Petralka. Even as he deals with the threats of war between different factions, he worries that he himself is an invader to this wondrous land.
Freezing Vibration / フリージング ヴァイブレーション
On Air: October 4Plot Summary: 2nd season of Freezing and adaptation of the manga series. Set in a slightly futuristic world where Earth has been invaded and is at war with aliens from another dimension called the Nova, the story follows the adventures of a Japanese boy named Kazuya Aoi who enrolls for training at a special school for genetically modified girls called Pandoras who battle the aliens, and their male partners, called Limiters, who use a special power called “freezing” to limit their opponent’s mobility. The protagonist makes the acquaintance of an unusual older girl named Bridgette L. Satellizer who appears to be the most powerful Pandora in her class, but has not yet chosen a male partner to be her Limiter, and in spite of the warnings of all his friends, he decides to be her Limiter.
Strike the Blood / ストライク・ザ・ブラッド
On Air: October 4Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. A government owned Lion organization have decided to send an attacking magician to erase the strongest vampire,The fourth primogenitor. Yet unknowingly, the one who was selected to spy was actually a trainee “sword shaman” girl – Himeragi Yukina.
Yūsha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shūshoku o Ketsui Shimashita. / 勇者になれなかった俺はしぶしぶ就職を決意しました。
On Air: October 4Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. Raul had always wanted to be a hero, but failed the exams necessary to become one. He reluctantly took a job working at a small electronics store called Magic Shop Leon. His life is dull but busy until a new girl comes applying for a part time job. She’s the daughter of the demon king who defeated him in his exam.
Hajime no Ippo Rising / はじめの一歩 Rising
On Air: October 5Plot Summary: 3rd season of Hajime no Ippo and adaptation of the manga series. Makunouchi Ippo is always busy with his night fishing job, and gets bullied a lot. After some inspiration from magazines, videos, and boxers, he decided to take up boxing. Boxing changed Ippo’s life, and now his dream is to become pro and fight in matches.
Kuroko’s Basketball 2 / 黒子のバスケ 2
On Air: October 5Plot Summary: 2nd season of Kuroko’s Basketball and adaptation of the manga series. Tetsuya Kuroko is a former member from the legendary middle school basketball team known as “The Generation of Miracles”. Upon meeting Taiga Kagami he decides upon becoming his shadow to help him become Japan’s greatest basketball player.
Little Busters! Refrain / リトルバスターズ～Refrain～
On Air: October 5Plot Summary: 2nd season of Little Busters! and adaptation of the visual novel. “Refrain” is the name of the last scenario that is unlocked when players complete the six heroines’ scenarios in Key’s original Little Busters! visual novel.
Log Horizon / ログ・ホライズン
On Air: October 5Plot Summary: Adaptation of the novel series. 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.” The main lead Shiroe attempts to survive with his old friend Naotsugu and the beautiful assassin Akatsuki.
Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono / てさぐれ！部活もの
On Air: October 5Plot Summary: Original story. CG anime that will center around the extracurricular activities of students.
White Album 2 / ホワイトアルバム 2
On Air: October 5Plot Summary: 2nd season of White Album and adaptation of the visual novel series. The story centers around a college junior named Haruki Kitahara and his relationships with Setsuna Ogiso and Kazuki Touma in the light music club.
Ace of Diamond / ダイヤのA
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. The story follows Eijun Sawamura, a pitcher who joins an elite school with a brilliant catcher named Kazuya Miyuki. Together with the rest of the team, they strive for Japan’s storied Kōshien championships through hard work and determination.
Gingitsune / ぎんぎつね
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. Makoto is the fifteenth generation heiress of a small shrine to the god Inari. Her father is still the shrine’s priest, but Inari’s divine messenger, Gintarou, has appeared to Makoto, marking her as true successor. Gintarou has the ability to see a short distance into the future and to find lost objects, but is unmotivated and foulmouthed. In spite of this, he becomes friends with Makoto, and together they help those who come to the shrine.
Magi: The Kingdom of Magic
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: 2nd season of Magi and adaptation of the manga series. In a fantastic middle-age world where slavery is very common, there are mysterious tall towers named “Dungeon” which mysteriously appeared out of nowhere fourteen years before the story line. Someone who conquers a Dungeon becomes very powerful and wealthy. Our hero Ali Baba is a teenager who works for merchants to support himself. He dreams for conquering a lot of Dungeons and becoming a very rich person. One day, he comes across with a strange young boy named Aladdin who carries a mystical flute with supernatural powers in it. Ali Baba and Aladdin agree to travel their first Dungeon together.
Meganebu! / メガネブ！
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: Original story. Akira Souma attends a rural school and has a passion for his glasses. He forms a Glasses Club and makes his various bespectacled classmates join.
Phi Brain – Kami no Puzzle 3/ ファイ・ブレイン ～神のパズル
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: 3rd season of Phi Brain – Kami no Puzzle and original story. Kaito Daimon is a brilliant 16-year-old teenager who loves to solve puzzles. He acquires an enigmatic item called the Armband of Orpheus that allows him to fully utilize his brain, but that consequentially drains him completely. Currently attending Root Academy as an honor student, he is invited by the school principal to confront a secret organization named POG that creates deadly Sage Puzzles to protect invaluable treasures and challenge the select few individuals capable of facing them. Given the title of Einstein, Kaito battles against the mysterious group in order to keep a promise he made as a kid while at the same time he heads towards the ultimate test: the Divine Puzzle.
Sekai de Ichiban Tsuyoku Naritai! / 世界でいちばん強くなりたい！
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. Hagiwara Sakura and Miyazawa Erena are the leading members of a popular idol group Sweet. One day, Erena is injured by the attack of a female pro-wrestler Kazama Rio during the recording of a TV program. Sakura gets mad at Rio and gives her a dropkick. To avenge Erena, Sakura enters the female pro-wrestling matches.
Teekyū 3 / てーきゅう 3
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: 3rd season of Teekyū and adaptation of the manga series. The story centers around four high school girls who belong to their school’s tennis club.
Walkure Romanze / ワルキューレ ロマンツェ
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: Adaptation of the visual novel. The story centers around Takahiro Mizuno, a student training to be a begleiter (knight’s assistant) at an academy where aspiring knights joust. He himself had come to this academy to train as a knight, after becoming the unrivaled junior champion in his own home country. However, an injury in a tournament’s finals forced him to withdraw. Instead, he decides to be a begleiter to one of the academy’s maiden knights and help her win.
Yowamushi Pedal / 弱虫ペダル
On Air: October 7Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. Sakamichi Onada is a wimpy high school freshman who loves anime. He initially wants to enter the anime club, but winds up joining the cycling club after meeting two classmates who are already famous cyclists. He undertakes the grueling training to compete in races, and discovers his own hidden talent in cycling.
Yozakura Quartet ~Hana no Uta~ / 夜桜四重奏 ～ハナノウタ～
On Air: October 6Plot Summary: Alternate retelling of Yozakura Quartet and adaptation of the manga series. Sakurashin is a town where supernatural beings called youkai can coexist peacefully with humans. The city was built around the “Nana-gou”, seven huge cherry blossom trees that connect the human and youkai worlds. About half of Sakurashin´s population is composed of youkais who have migrated from the other world. Four young but powerful individuals are chosen to protect the town and the gate.
The story revolves around a quartet of teenaged heroes: A super-strong girl named Hime, a mind reader named Ao, a conjurer named Kotoha and an ordinary, powerless boy named Akina. The three girls and Akina protect the city of Sakurashin from supernatural threats.
Arpeggio of Blue Steel / 蒼き鋼のアルペジオ
On Air: October 7Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. By 2039, global warming had caused sea levels to rise and large amount of territory to be lost. As though in response, a mysterious group of warships clad in mist, “the Fleet of Mist,” appeared in every corner of the ocean, and began attacking human ships. In spite of humanity mustering all their strength, they were utterly defeated by the Mist’s overwhelming force. All of humanity’s trade routes were blockaded by the Fleet of Mist, their political economy was destroyed, and the human race was steadily beaten down. Seven years later, the Fleet of Mist’s submarine I-401 appears before cadet Gunzo Chihaya. The humanoid life form that pilots the sub, who should be their enemy, is instead offering her services to mankind.
Gundam Build Fighters / ガンダムビルドファイターズ
On Air: October 7Plot Summary: Spin-off of the Gundam anime series. The story is set in the near future when GunPla Battles, competitions that pit Gundam plastic models against each other, have become popular worldwide in the “Second GunPla Boom.” Sei Iori, a first-year middle-school student and the only son of a model shop owner, is talented at building GunPla, but inexperienced in the GunPla Battles. He encounters a mysterious boy named Reiji who happens to be an accomplished Gundam Fighter. Together, they strive for the GunPla Battle world championships. Sei’s customized GunPla is the Build Strike Gundam.
Non Non Biyori / のんのんびより
On Air: October 7Plot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. The slice-of-life comedy is set in a countryside school with only five students attend. The nearest bookstore is about 20 minutes away by bicycle and the video rental store is 10 stations away.
Fifth-grade schoolgirl Hotaru Ichijō transfers from Tokyo to this school and readjusts to the country life. Her fellow schoolmates are first-year middle schoolgirl Natsumi, second-year middle schoolgirl Komari, first-grade schoolgirl Renge, and Komari’s big brother Suguru in the third year of middle school.
Unbreakable Machine-Doll / 機巧少女は傷つかない
On Air: October 7Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. It is the early 20th century, and Raishin Akabane is a student puppeteer from Japan, who has come to the Walpurgis Royal Academy of Machine Arts in England to study the emerging field of Machinart: a combination of magic and technology with military applications. He is accompanied by a girl named Yaya, who is actually his Automaton: a living machine doll powered by magical circuits specialized in hand-to-hand combat. In the Academy, there is a combat tournament exclusive to the Top 100 students and their automata, to decide who shall be bestowed with the title of “Wiseman”, the greatest puppeteer.
BlazBlue Alter Memory
On Air: October 8Plot Summary: Adaptation of the PSP game series. 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.
Tokyo Ravens / 東京レイヴンズ
On Air: October 8Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. The story centers around Tsuchimikado Harutora. Despite the fact that he was born into the branch family of onmyōdō occult practitioners he can’t see “spirit energy”. Therefore he enjoys the life of a normal high school student. His childhood friend and heir to the head family, Natsume, suddenly reunites with Harutora and changes his daily life.
Ore no Nōnai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Come o Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru / 俺の脳内選択肢が、学園ラブコメを全力で邪魔している
On Air: October 9Plot Summary: Adaptation of the light novel series. The story resolves around Kanade Amakusa, a boy cursed with the mental power of “absolute multiple-choice” — a multiple-choice quiz will suddenly appear in his mind, and the choice he makes will influence and finally become his reality. While in school, he is given the choice: 1) A beautiful girl will fall before him or 2) he will fall from the rooftop in female clothes. He chooses option 1, and a blonde girl named Chocolat falls before him.
Galilei Donna / ガリレイドンナ
On Air: October 10Plot Summary: Original story. This “battle action adventure” takes place in the year 2061 AD, where global warming caused the beginning of an glacial era. The three heroines and descendents of Galileo Galilei living in Tuscany, Italy — Hozuki Ferrari (13), Hazuki Ferrari (20), and Kazuki Ferrari (17) — are suddenly targeted by a mysterious organization and end up on the international wanted lists. The organization’s purpose is something called “Galileo Tezoro”. Confused about the situation they were thown into, the three sisters join forces to overcome the crisis, but their personalities are too different, making this no easy task.
Samurai Flamenco / サムライフラメンコ
On Air: October 10Plot Summary: Original story. Masayoshi Hazama has decided to become the superhero Samurai Flamenco in spite of having no special abilities or modifications. Hidenori Goto is a police officer who learns his secret identity by chance, which causes him all sorts of trouble.
Valvrave the Liberator 2 / 革命機ヴァルヴレイヴ 2
On Air: October 10Plot Summary: 2nd season of Valvrave the Liberator and original story. Thanks to the development of the Dyson Sphere, The majority of the human populace lives in space. The Dorssia Military Federation, and the Atlantic Rim United States exist as major Military countries, while JOIR is a neutral principality, the story follows Haruto Tokishima as a normal boy going thru high school in T.C (True Calendar) year 71. This all changes when Haruto meets the humanoid weapon Valvrave.
Pupa / ピューパ
On Air: OctoberPlot Summary: Adaptation of the manga series. Utsutsu and Yume Hasegawa have been living all on their own. One day, Yume sees red butterflies and something strange happens to her body!! As the siblings are toyed with by “Pupa,” so begins their tale of heroic love…
Sources: tvtropes, neregate, ANN, anichart and biglobe
images from official websites copyrighted by their respective owners and creators
