Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge
Crime Edge is probably the weirdest series I’ve seen in a long time. I know weird is nothing new in anime, but this show’s weirdness comes from a different place: it’s tone. The central plot revolves around a boy who loves to cut hair and a girl whose hair can’t be cut, but a darker element thrown into the mix gives this silly concept an air of tragedy. There is much more to Crime Edge than one could expect from reading it’s basic description. I’m really interested to see how they utilize this weird tone as the story progresses.
Date A Live
Probably the frontrunner for my favorite series of this season, Date A Live takes a dark setting, cute characters, and an interesting premise and turns them into something quite compelling. At first I was somewhat wary of this show, but the first episode had me already excited to see how the story turns out. It is also worth mentioning that the direction in this episode really surprised and excited me. It’s been a while since the direction in an anime got to me this much. I have high hopes for this series.
Hataraku Maou-sama
It’s been a while since an anime has made me laugh out loud more than a few times in one episode, let alone it’s first. Maou-sama has done just this. Even though I almost didn’t make it through the lore-filled intro, I’m glad I stuck around. While the fish out of water premise is nothing new to this kind of series, the jokes themselves were definitely a nice break from your usual comedy anime fair. This series came out nowhere and quickly charmed its way into my heart.
Kakumei Valvrave
Another one straight out of left field, Valvrave is the first giant robot anime in a while (not counting Robotics;Notes) to get me emotionally invested form the get-go. While combining some of the tragedy of Evangelion and the nostalgia for the robot anime I loved as a kid, Sunrise manages to reinvent the genre yet again. I can’t remember the last time I cheered during a robot battle, and this one was in the first episode! The protagonist seems to be different from your usual wuss, and I can tell he’s going to get much darker as the series progresses. Check it out.
OreImo Season 2
It’s the second season of one of my favorite series! I’m glad that it’s here after what seems like an eternity of not thinking it was going to happen. You already know whether you want to watch it or not, so I’m not going to try and convince you here. I’m excited!
Shingeki no Titan
It’s been a while since there has been a macabre show that has really peaked my interest, but I think I may have found one in Titan. While the fantasy setting didn’t really catch my interest, the intense emotion and grand scale did. It’s also worth saying that, while the character designs are something one would expect from a series with bad animation quality, the animation is top notch and works together with the designs to produce a memorable visual style to accompany the interesting concept.
Shingeki no Titan
It’s been a while since there has been a macabre show that has really peaked my interest, but I think I may have found one in Titan. While the fantasy setting didn’t really catch my interest, the intense emotion and grand scale did. It’s also worth saying that, while the character designs are something one would expect from a series with bad animation quality, the animation is top notch and works together with the designs to produce a memorable visual style to accompany the interesting concept.
This one really surprised me. I went in to it knowing only that it was written by Madoka’s Gen Urobuchi and that it had some kind of science fiction setting. A good chunk of the first episode was nothing more than your basic alien fight science fiction army bullshit, but the remainder really showed the humor and character that the series is capable of. After only one episode, it’s hard to say whether this will be a great series or fall by the wayside, but hopefully it will succeed in reviving my love for Urobuchi’s work.
Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru
This title surprised me from the get-go with it’s brutal honesty. Many series have explored the idea of high school students that have no friends, but none more realistically than this. Both of the main characters stand firm with their opposing ideas and this leads to an interesting and enjoyable dynamic between them. Perhaps it’s because I see myself in the male protagonist, but I was instantly involved with this series on an emotional level. There are some gaps in the art quality towards the beginning, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all. I look forward to the development of this shows wonderful character dynamic.
Yuyushiki
I’ve seen a lot of slice-of-life-cute-girls-doing-cute-things anime in my life, but I’m happy to say that Yuyushiki still managed to surprise me in the most pleasant of ways. Having three characters, with two taking the role of the funny man and one straight man, is a refreshing change in dynamic in a genre crowded by four or five character groups. All three characters are cute and likable, and their antics still managed to make me laugh and smile. Also worth noting is the fantastic animation by studio Kinema Citrus, who I’ve never heard of before, but they seem to know exactly what they're doing. I’m excited to see what they can do and I hope I continue to enjoy Yuyushiki (The not-so-subtle yuri content wasn’t half bad either.)
