WINTER ANIME 2014 PREVIEW

::Sources::
Moetron, CR, MAL, ANN

Number of Titles: 37 and counting
Titles Excluded: Youkai Watch, Chou Zenmairobo: Patrasche

Last Updated: January 10th 2013
– Sailor Moon Removed from list, now expected to come out July 2014 (Summer 2014)
I’m not even going to bother changing the bloody preview banner.

 
Wooser no Sono Higurashi Second Season
Animation Company: SANZIGEN
Website: http://wooser.tv/
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 7th 2014
Trailers: PV | PV 2 |PV 3
Summary: Second season of Wooser no Sono Higurashi – 3D shorts centered around Wooser, a mysterious mascot character whose charming appearance belies a corrupt heart.
Note: 4 Minutes Per Episode

Team Impression
Eva: Didn’t watch the first season, pass. Wooser is cute though XD
Vantage: Didn’t watch the first season.
Chris: Cute. But no.
Oki: It looks cute but like?? I have no idea why ?? It’s just. .  . not something plot related I’m interested in.
Dan: Never watched the first season.
Sidekick: Pass because I didn’t watch the first season, and unless the anime in question is Teekyu I don’t watch shorts. Sorry!
MidnightDevont: Never heard of it before, it’s a squeal? Didn’t see the first one.

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Nobunagun
Animation Company: Bridge
Website: http://www.vap.co.jp/nobunagun/
Genres: Action, Shounen, Supernatural
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Shio Ogura is a Japanese high school student, who is visiting Taiwan on a school trip when she is suddenly attacked by monsters. Agents known as “E-Gene Holders” from the government agency DOGOO also arrive, who wield weapons infused with the spirits of historical figures. Shio is revealed to also be an E-Gene Holder when the soul of Oda Nobunaga awakens after she tries to rescue a friend.
Team Impression
Eva: The summary sounded pretty straight forward as one would expect for a supernatural action series until I read the part about Oda Nobunaga’s soul awakening which makes it intriguing in a weird way. Frankly I don’t know what to think of it, but I do know I will be checking it out.
Vantage: I’ll try this if people say it’s good, but casually sticking Oda Nobunaga onto everything isn’t very reassuring to me.
Chris: Just reading that summary makes my head hurt… the soul of Oda Nobunaga? E-Gene’s? This is almost as insane as Assassin’s Creed…
Oki: I am interested in this! I’ll give it a look and watch if it’s as cool as it sounds 😮
Dan: Well the PV is pretty lame, but I’ll check this out, anyway. Not sure if I particularly want to blog it.
Sidekick: The premise alone seems intriguing and my kind of crazy and bizarre, but in all honesty I don’t know what to expect from this. The director, studio and writers aren’t exactly a team I can really trust but they don’t seem bad either and are at least mildly competent. It could go both ways, but unless the first few episodes are utter crap I’ll at least give this the 3-episode rule to impress me.
MidnightDevont: Huh, it sounds kind of interesting. Not sure if it’s really my type of series, it could go either way and be really good or really bad. The whole soul thing is what is really throwing it off for me, otherwise it sounds really sort of neat. Might check it out, not sure about blogging though.

::Possible Bloggers::
Oki

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Nisekoi
Animation Company: SHAFT
Website: http://www.nisekoi.jp/
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Shounen
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: As a child, Raku Ichijo made a secret promise with his childhood sweetheart, keeping a pendant as a memento while his love took the key. He dreams of one day meeting his past love, but years later, reality smashes his hopes when Chitoge Kirisaki accidentally knees him in the face… Though Raku’s a normal high schooler, his family heads the notorious yakuza gang the Shuei-Gumi faction! And he’s dragged into family affairs when he’s forced into a relationship with Chitoge, the daughter of a rival gang’s boss!
Team Impression
Eva: Ooh I look forward to this one! It’s a great series, I have started reading the manga when it first came out but it’s been ages since I’ve last read it and I probably stopped around chapter 30. Actually now that I think of it, it seems to be a bad habit of mine…
Vantage: A SHAFT romcom directed by Shinbo! Definitely worth giving this a shot.
Chris: It may not be the smartest/most original/most interesting (as times) series, but I love it. Perhaps the fact I’ve read the manga is a bad thing, but I just couldn’t resist shotgunning this gem when I heard it was getting an anime… call me clingy… it’s just my kind of humor, you know? And besides, flipping SHAFT if animating this and Akiyuki Shinbo is directing! How could I resist?!
Oki: Looks super cute! But I’m worried about it since it’s got that whole ‘shounen’ thing going on and I HATE WAITING FOREVER FOR ROMANTIC RESOLUTION!
Dan: Shounen romcoms are a no go for me, I’m afraid.
Sidekick: My brother owns a few volumes of the manga so I checked it out but honestly it’s nothing memorable in the slightest. It’s a very generic shonen romcom with decent but forgettable characters, premise and art. Romance isn’t anything special, and the comedy is generic shonen jump fare, kind of like a PG-13 Midori Days/To Love-Ru (although I enjoy the former). I’ll give at least the first episode a watch to see some nice SHAFT visuals  but I doubt I’ll be sticking with this.
MidnightDevont: Sounds kind of like a romantic Hitman Reborn, honestly i’ve never been one for cutesy romance animes. Unless someone does an anime of Dawn of the Arcana then that’s a romance i’m shotgunning before anyone can blink. until then, count me out of the lovey dovey stuff.

::Possible Blogger::
Chris

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Robot Girls Z
Animation Company: Toei Animation
Website: http://www.robot-girlsz.com/
Genres: Comedy
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story revolves around a new team of “Toei robot girls” named “Team Z” that is made up of three girls based on Toei’s Mazinger Z franchise: Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, and UFO Robot Grendizer. Usually they perform in activities around Nerima ward in Tokyo to raise the awareness of the promising future energy source “Photon Power” (koushiryoku). However, there are times when “Mechanical Beast” team of girls emerge from the “Subterranean Empire” and attempt to steal the energy. Thus “Team Z” has to battle them to prevent this, though sometimes they just go and beat up the “bad girls” to relieve stress.
Team Impression
Eva: Right now I am under the impression there isn’t going to be much “plot” and more like a gag type of comedy. I’m not expecting much out of this one.
Vantage: Eh… no thanks.
Chris: Ew.
Oki: . . . the art style looks bad to me but I might watch an episode to see? I’m not interested in the probability of where it will go, though.
Dan: The trailer was wholly unimpressive. Like, it was a struggle just to finish that. So no go for me, I’m afraid.
Sidekick: Pass. I’m honestly not even going to check this out, unless I hear incredible things about it or unless this season has lots of stuff that turns out almost un-watchable. It sounds like a typical ‘girls are guns/tanks/toast/i don’t even know’ type of series that I can’t bring myself to care about.
MidnightDevont: No thank you, this sounds far too strange for me!

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Gin no Saji Second Season
Animation Company: A-1 Pictures
Website: http://www.ginsaji-anime.com/
Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Second season of Gin no Saji. Yugo Hachiken dreams of life separated from his family, so he takes the initiative by enrolling in an agriculture school. He thinks, with his talent in studying, no problems will arise no matter what kind of school he attends. He is proven wrong very quickly. Raised as a city boy, he is forced to uncover the inconvenient truth about agricultural life. Enjoy the story of Hachiken, as he tries to keep up with his new friends, farmers’ heirs, who are already accustomed to the harsh world of farming. With no clear goals or understanding of farming life, how will Hachiken survive this new, cruel reality? The story of a sweat, tear, and mud-stained youth begins!
Team Impression
Eva: Passing. I couldn’t finish the first season. It’s good, but just not my thing. I had a hard time watching it.
Vantage: The first season was entertaining; it really had no qualms with delving into the nitty-gritty reality of an agricultural lifestyle. I shall watch this!
Chris: I watched the first five minutes of the first season and gave up. My apologies.
Oki: I never watched the first season and the art style has always bothered me a little bit?
Dan: Didn’t watch the first season, yo.
Sidekick:  I’m watching this. I enjoyed the first season, and while it actually ended pretty well there are still many parts of the story left to tell, especially regarding Hachiken’s family. The change of director (the assistant director from season 1 has been promoted to director) should help as well, since the first season was good but mostly relied on source material to get by. I really hope the new director improves on the comedic timing and artistic direction though, that was what made season one less enjoyable than I hoped.
MidnightDevont: Once again, i hadn’t even heard of the first one? Can i get a season two to something I’ve heard of? It looks strange, don’t think i’ll be doubling back to watch season one.

::Possible Bloggers::
Sidekick

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Sakura Trick
Animation Company: Studio DEEN
Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/sakura/
Genres: Romance, School, Yuri, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 10th 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story revolves around Haruka and Yuu, two girls who go to a high school that is slated to be shut down in three years.To share something special between them, they share a kiss, and their relationship deepens from that moment onward.
Team Impression
Eva: It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen a new solid yuri show popping up. I’ll probably check it out for the hell of it, but I know I won’t be covering it.
Vantage: After years of loitering around the yuri line, they’ve decided to jump across it in a leap of faith, huh? Well, whatever – I’ll try this.
Chris: I almost took a leap of faith and decided to blog this but… no. I find it hard enough to blog about half-decent anime, let alone something that feels like yuri for the sake of yuri, you know?
Oki: I love yuri and this sounds adorable, but we’ll see if it’s actually worth anything. Dat moe art style. DO YOU SEE DAT MOE ART STYLE?
Dan: I think I’ll leave this be until I hear what it’s actually all about. If it’s a decent portrayal of a lesbian relationship, sure I’ll check it out. But if it’s just trying to be erotic or funny, I don’t think I’ll want to suffer through it.
Sidekick:  Pass. I read parts of the manga. It’s mostly just lesbian girls trying to be funny and failing miserably. They kiss though so if that’s something you look out for you should check it out. Also, DEEN has been improving a hell lot lately, so I doubt it’ll be /too/ bad.
MidnightDevont: Wait….a Yuri anime? an actual Yuri anime? Count me in! I will have to check this out! It looks super cute and sounds super cute and i totally dig Yuri!

::Possible Bloggers::
Vantage, MidnightDevont

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Mahou Sensou
Animation Company: MADHOUSE
Website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/mahosen/
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Magic
Airing Date: January 1st 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: In this modern magic action story, Takeshi Nanase is an ordinary high school boy who has a somewhat dark past. Due to certain circumstances, he formed a “fake” couple with his childhood friend Kurumi Isoshima, but otherwise, he lives a normal life. However, one day, he comes across a girl named Mui Aiba, in a uniform he has never seen before, collapsed on the school campus. This encounters changes Takeshi’s destiny completely. Mui tells Takeshi that she is a magician, and she apologizes, for she turned Takeshi into a magician, too. What Takeshi once knew as one world is actually two—the world where magicians live and the world where humans live.
Team Impression
Eva: Weirdly enough I’ve encountered this series a handful of time through its novel covers, and read the first chapter of the manga adaption, so naturally I am definitely psyched to see how this show will turn out! And this how has my favourite genres, so how in the world do you expect me not to watch it?!
Vantage: I found the PV rather intense! Although I’m not too fond of the character designs (in comparison to the LN) I’m more than happy to give this a go.
Chris: Honestly? I’m actually pretty excited (for want of a better word) for this. I don’t know, call me an optimist, but I have hope that this’ll be good… and, if not, I’ll just drop it…
Oki: I would love to watch this but it seems that everyone and their mother has jumped on this like frogger into a bus.
Dan: Once again, an underwhelming PV. However, I’m interested in the premise so I’ll give this a go!
Sidekick: Pass. A BIG FAT PASS. Madhouse has fallen. Just reading that premise makes my head hurt at how wonderfully…original it is. Let’s ignore the fact that the lead girl looks like Shana and the premise sounds like Shana and…you know what, I think you get it. This is going to be a typical light novel adaptation of a Shakugan No Shana wannabe, and that isn’t even a very nice anime to emulate.
MidnightDevont: Huh….you know, i’m kind of with Sidekick on this one. Sounds like Shana, which i never really cared for much anyway. I think i’ll take a pass on this one.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Chris, Dan

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Space☆Dandy
Animation Company: BONES
Website: http://space-dandy.com/
Genres: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Space
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Space Dandy is a dandy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come, first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety of aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!
Team Impression
Eva: Space Dandy gives me the retro vibes. While I am sure I will be watching this, I know for a fact I certainly won’t be covering it.
Vantage: A dandy… in space? o.O
Chris: This just looks overtly stupid and not in a fun way. Call me a pessimist.
Oki: . . . I. . .. I love this entire premise. DO YOU SEE THIS PREMISE? GUYS. IT’S. . . IT’S GREAT. DO YOU SEE HIS HAIR? Oh my god yes.
Dan: I’m definitely interested in this. I loved Samurai Champloo, and Bones is a studio I’m generally very happy with. Will this be too silly? I dunno. We’ll see how it goes.
Sidekick: I’ll definitely be checking this one out. Unlike most people in the community I’m not the biggest fan of  Shinichiro Watanabe, save for his work on Kids on The Slope and he doesn’t seem like someone that can handle a crazy comedy, but it seems to at least promise a fun ride. Also, the animation looks wonderful.
MidnightDevont: Yup yup! This, this is a thing that i am totally into. This sounds like a ton of fun. I love Shinichiro Watanabe, I love Bones, I loved Bebop and Champloo. Why wouldn’t i like this?

::Possible Bloggers::
Oki, MidnightDevont

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Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta
Animation Company: TMS Entertainment
Website: http://koiuta.tv/
Genres: Adventure, Drama, Romance
Airing Date: January 6th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: This is a tale of a prince who lost everything leaves for a journey with no guarantee of returning to his hometown safely. With hatred and revenge in his mind, he met several people that taught him about friendship…and love.
Team Impression
Eva: ASLJDASJDAKSDAS I’ve watched the spin-off movie Toaru Hikuushi e no Tsuioku (The Princess and the Pilot) and absolutely LOVED IT (if you haven’t watched it yet, DO IT, DO IT NOW!!!) and I was supposed to write up an entry on it too welp…. So naturally I am really excited for this! Obviously the animation isn’t going to be up to par to MADHOUSE’s production of the movie, but as long as the storyline and characters are good, I’m sure I’ll love it just as much.
Vantage: I’ve downloaded the prequel movie, though I never got round to watching it (I know I know, it’s been ages). If I somehow finish that before Winter 2014 starts I’ll give this a whirl xD
Chris: Every looks really excited about this… and so am I! Just look at those genres! Look at that summary! I’m practically drooling!
Oki: I have never seen anything related to this and I’m sure it will be good, but I’ll just wait for it to be licensed to watch it.
Dan: Like Eva, I absolutely adored The Princess and the Pilot, so I am super excited to see this series take place in the same universe. Count me in!
Sidekick:  I’ll be checking this out. *NOTE: this ISN’T related to the Index/Railgun franchise (thank heavens)* and honestly it seems like something I could enjoy. The promo art isn’t incredibly eye-catching though, I must admit. Moderate to high expectations for this I guess?
MidnightDevont: Huh, not too sure about it but it sounds sort of good. Not sure if I’ll be blogging it but like Oki I might wait until it’s licensed and watch it.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Chris, Dan, Sidekick

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Nourin
Animation Company: Silver Link
Website: http://www.no-rin.tv/index.html
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: When the national idol Kusakabe Yuka suddenly retired from the entertainment business, it shocked the world and it devastated teenager Hata Kosaku. Kosaku was Yuka’s biggest fan and her departure left him depressed. His classmates at the Tamo Agriculture School finally are able to get him to leave his room and attend his class, but to everyone’s amazement, Kusakabe Yuka (her stage name) comes into the class under the name Kinoshita Ringo as a transfer student. Kosaku realizes he has the once in a lifetime opportunity to get to personally know his dream girl and, together with his group of friends, try to find out why she is here and become closer than just classmates.
Team Impression
Eva: Another agriculture story! Well I am certainly willing to give this one a whirl since it looks cute! I may or may not do a first impression, if anything it will be a Quick Look.
Vantage: I’d be fine with watching this, but I don’t think it’s something I’m willing to invest the time to blog about.
Chris: This looks like a lot of fun, but it’s not something I really want to blog about. I mean, it just seems a bit too… forced? There’s potential here, don’t get me wrong, but if this guy’s getting depressed because his favorite idol has quit the business… I can already tell that I’d spend 500 words a post bitching about him…
Oki: I think this idea is super cute but . . .uhm. . . also kind of stalkerish. I FELL INTO A DEPRESSION BECAUSE OF AN IDOL AND NOW I STALK HER is another way of putting this summary. I mean, I know it won’t play out that way but I look at this and start going ‘sitting on a park bench.  . *guitar riff*’
Dan: Yeah, no. Bored by the concept.
Sidekick: I’ll give the first episode a try but my expectations aren’t high. It’s done by bloody Silver Link that doesn’t really do anything good, and just because it’s set in an agricultural college I don’t think it changes anything much. Tell me when the anime has talking bacteria and gothic lolita traps. I might be more interested then.
MidnightDevont: Huh, sounds cute i guess. Not something I’d honestly want to blog about though.

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Nobunaga the Fool
Animation Company: Satelight
Website: http://www.nobunaga.tv
Genres: Action, Mecha, Sci-Fi
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The Western Planet and the Eastern Planet. Once upon a time, the two sides were bound by the “Dragon Pulse” spanning the heavens. The civilization that once had prospered has now turned to a tale of dreams, as the inextinguishable flames of war tear the realm asunder. The two planets remain engulfed in endless battles. The return of the super technology known as “sacred treasures” could revolutionize the world order, but no one knows of them but one person—a “heretical girl.”A girl from the Western Planet, Jeanne Kaguya d’Arc, saw heavenly visions of the birth of a “Star Messiah” who will save the world. She embarks on a journey to the Eastern Planet with Leonardo da Vinci, “the one who observes the world.” They come across the heretic of the Eastern Planet and “the greatest fool of the day,” Oda Nobunaga.
Team Impression
Eva: /SCREAMING OKAY THIS MAY SOUND STUPID BUT ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I AM SUPER PSYCHED IS BECAUSE  YOU HAVE THIS GLORIOUS EPIC SPACE BATTLES (AND I’M A SUCKER FOR THAT STUFF) AND ITS EPIC CHARACTERS !!! I can only hope this won’t disappoint! 

Vantage: There have been far too many shows involving the Sengoku period lately (of variable quality) but I think this one’s left a really good first impression on me. Not only is it a mecha/sci-fi, the original creator is Kawamori (of Macross fame, more recently Aquarion Evol, AKB0048) which is a huge plus. I’m sure this’ll be a grand project.
Chris: I’m almost certain this’ll be amazing, but I’m just not feeling it. I don’t know, elaborate plots with Sengoku themes just aren’t doing it for me these days…
Oki: There’s mecha and shit but not interested in blogging it
Dan: Space battles? Mecha? DONE I AM SOLD.
Sidekick: HELL YEAH. Joan of Arc and mechas and Nobunaga Oda. All put together and presented in a nice package with a pretty little bow by none other than SHOJI KAWAMORI. He’s one of the craziest directors in the industry, and he’s made a ton of (good/great/awesome) craaaazy stuff. He knows how to have fun, has a great sense of humor and yeah. Definitely the series I’m looking forward to the most.
MidnightDevont: Pretty sure i said this in my intro post, but i don’t do Mecha shows. Totally just not my thing.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Dan, Sidekick

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Tonari no Seki-kun
Animation Company: Shin-Ei Animation
Website: http://www.t-sekikun.jp/
Genres: Comedy, School, Seinen
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The original manga revolves around a girl named Yokoi who sits next to a boy only known as Seki-kun. During class, Seki-kun continues to not pay attention and instead creates amazing little distractions, such as a detailed golf course with the course’s hole being a dent in his desk, or an entire dramatic war being played out by paper shogi pieces. Yokoi often finds herself getting reluctantly interested in his games, even though they always seem to end up getting HER in trouble with the teacher!
Team Impression
Eva: Honestly I’m not that interested, but since everyone saying it’s good I might as well check it out.
Vantage: This promises to be hugely entertaining 😀 And as each episode is only 10 minutes long, what have you got to lose?
Chris: Eh?
Oki: When the promo poster looks that derp, I think it’ll say something about the animation. No thanks, I just. . .dat art style. . .
Dan: Not interested.
Sidekick: I’ve heard good things about the manga so I’ll definitely check it out, but I must admit that both the promo art and team doesn’t make it very enticing. Especially the director. He directed Green Green, and honestly I think watching cow manure for an hour could be better for my eyes. Moderate expectations for this one.
MidnightDevont: Um…i honestly think this is going to go on to be one of those animes i see in amv’s and go “god that looks weird, glad i didn’t blog about that.”
 

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Maken-Ki! 2
Animation Company: Xebec
Website: http://maken-ki-two.com/
Genres: Action, Ecchi, Martial Arts, School, Super Power, Harem
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Second season of Maken-Ki!
Team Impression
Eva: Oh geez, boobs! *rolls eyes*
Vantage: 2/10 Would not bang.
Chris: Oh geez, boobs! *licks lips*
Oki: I am conflicted. I love boobies, but these shows bore me very fast. I mean. . . does someone want me to review this show just to talk about epic boobies and hot girls? Cause I won’t lie- there will be no plot discussion if I cover it. Just BOOBS- THE BLOG REVIEW
Dan: Oh wow, look at all that plot. And the personality of those girls.
Sidekick: Pass. I’ll laugh at you if you tell me you’re watching this for the plot.
MidnightDevont: So uh…yeah no.

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Z/X IGNITION
Animation Company: N/A
Website: http://zxignition.tv/
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Game, Sci-Fi
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story is set in the not-so-distant future. Five “Black Points” suddenly appeared around the world as portals to parallel worlds. Immediately after, strange creatures began their invasion from these portals. These creatures are the inhabitants of five worlds—the same worlds in different timeframes. In order to ensure their own future timeframe survives, each of the five invasion forces battle to wipe the other future timeframes out. The key is one card-shaped device.
Team Impression
Eva: This can either be a hit or miss. I always give these types of shows a chance when it premise interest me enough, so we’ll see. If there’s a solid plot and interesting characters, there is a chance that I might do a First Impression or Quick Look.
Vantage: As sceptical as I am about this, I might as well give the first episode a go, just to see whether all that pizazz has any proper substance behind it.
Chris: Game-type anime have never really interested me, and this has done nothing to sway my opinion. I mean, sure, I loved Yu-Gi-Oh (before I lost track of the episodes and fell behind) ‘n all, but this just looks poor.
Oki: Man this poster looked so freaking epic and then. . .cards. OF COURSE IT’S CARDS. OF COURSE.
Dan: My catch phrase this season is fast becoming, “I’m not interested.”
Sidekick: Pass. This should probably turn out to be a nicer-looking version of Yugioh or Vanguard or whatever. Never bothered with these, probably never will.
MidnightDevont: I’ll give it the three episode rule to check it out, but that’s the most i can say about it.

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Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
Animation Company: Production IMS
Website: http://inarikonkon.jp/
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Supernatural
Airing Date: December/January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Fushimi Inari is a shy, not-so-bright middle school girl living in Kyoto’s Fushimi ward. She has a crush on her classmate Tanbabashi, but cannot express her feelings. One day, as thanks for helping a fox pup, the deity Ukanomitamanokami grants her the ability to change her form.
Team Impression
Eva: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE MANGA (funny enough I ship the secondary pairing instead of the main lolz), and I’m all up to date. I am just not entirely sure whether it’s something I can blog about. Either way, I’ll be giving it a whirl to see if I can or not. It’s such a sweet series, I absolutely adore it.
Vantage: The character designs are really easy on the eyes (: But yeah, I’ll definitely be watching this. It looks cute, and it seems like Eva holds it in high regard!
Chris: I want to resist with all my strength, I really do, it’s just that… how can I resist a romantic comedy? With shrine-maiden outfits to boot!
Oki: Eh, I’m a little worn out on traditional Japanese culture shows, blame my terrible Japanese class.
Dan: Premise really isn’t catching my attention.
Sidekick: Checked out parts of the manga. It’s pretty decent, although it’s nothing too special. Considering the smaller amount of anime this season I suspect that I’ll be sticking with this. Also, it’s a brand new studio’s first work so I’m sure they’ll at least put in decent amounts of effort to make this good.
MidnightDevont: Sounds cute but two people are already looking into it. I might check it out but not blog about it.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Chris,

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Saki: Zenkoku-hen
Animation Company: Studio Gokumi
Website: http://saki-anime.com/
Genres: Game, School, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 5th 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Sequel to the Saki series covering the Inter High School Mahjong Championships. The Combined Training Arc will be also be animated.
Team Impression
Eva: Never watched the series.
Vantage: Calling shotgun! Imagine my joy when I realized I’d be getting my beloved Saki one season earlier than expected! This is a show where everyone is gay and cannot afford pantsu, while the title character takes pride in mercilessly destroying her opponents while painting a flower blooming on the edge of a cliff onto their crying faces. Mahjong, yo.
Chris: If only I’d watched the first season… everyone just seems so happy about this, you know?
Oki: I will never forget mocking this show in an anime con and a guy getting pissed at me. I was 17, and it was hilarious to watch a grown man freaking out over a mahjong loli show. Oh, review? Nah I’m good, lol mahjong.
Dan: Didn’t watch the first season.
Sidekick: I’M CRYING. I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS FOR TOO LONG. It’s been too long since I last saw taco girl and underwater mahjong and lesbian team members and oh god. Also, they still don’t seem to be wearing any underwear. Great! In all seriousness though, this is a fun series, even though it’s flawed and far from perfect. Definitely watching this.
MidnightDevont: More squeals of things I’ve never heard of! Hooray! someone radio me when 07-Ghost gets a second season.

::Possible Blogger::
Vantage

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Seitokai Yakuindomo 2
Animation Company: GoHands
Website: Starchild Records
Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Second season of Seitokai Yakuindomo.
Team Impression
Eva: I tried the first season and it bored me. Not interested.
Vantage: Haven’t watched the first season, as oddly sexual as it is.
Chris: Second season? I guess I’ll have to pass then…
Oki: Booooooring
Dan: Again, didn’t watch the first season.
Sidekick: PASS. One of the biggest PASSes I can give. Nothing in this show is funny in the slightest. I fastforwarded the episodes I watched. Sped it up to x3 so I could finish it quick. Yup.
MidnightDevont: …..-wanders off into the “i didn’t know that had a season one” corner again* Gosick season 2? Pandora Hearts? Something I’ve heard of!?!?!

*

Noragami
Animation Company: BONES
Website: http://noragami-anime.net
Genres: Action, Adventure, Shounen
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: At the boundary between this realm and another, there live eight million gods, dead spirits who serve the gods, and other assorted spirits who help and meddle in the affairs of humans. A sweet middle school girl named Hiyori Iki has been enduring bullying from her classmates, and she goes to the restroom by herself to cry. Scrawled on the bathroom wall is a phone number and the message, “I solve your troubles.” After Hiyori calls the number, she encounters a homeless boy wearing a jersey who calls himself a god. The boy, named Yato, is rough, moody, lazy, and never listens to anyone’s wishes, but he had the power to be a god… that no one knew of.
Team Impression
Eva: Will watch but won’t cover.
Vantage: Aha, this has Kamiya Hiroshi, of Monogatari fame! That immediately warrants trying this out, at least in line with the three-episode rule. I’m not so sure about the plot, but let’s not sweat the small stuff 😀
Chris: One of the main characters is a God… and the animation actually looks pretty dope… I suppose I can give it a go?
Oki: OH BABY IT HURTS SO GOOD, SOMETIMES LOVE DON’T FEEL LIKE IT SHOULD
Dan: Agree with Chris, the animation in the PV looked pretty ace. Bones always delivers in that respect. Shockingly, I am actually wanting to give this a go. I’ll give it a first impression, but as for blogging, well. It depends just how shounen it is.
Sidekick: Other than it being a BONES series (which means pretty animation but probably meh everything else) I don’t see it being a masterpiece or whatever. The story is very typical ‘goody two-shoes girl gets bullied but gets saved by whatever’, and the trailer doesn’t make the show any more exciting. Will definitely give this at least 3 episodes though, I trust BONES enough for that.
MidnightDevont: This was the series i’ve wanted from the get-go, from the moment i saw the winter anime list! I totally want this show. BONES is always a pretty good company when it comes to anime other then the endings to it’s series. That aside this looks and sounds like it’s gonna be a wonderful series, I’m excited for it.

::Possible Bloggers::
Vantage, Dan, MidnightDevont

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Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okaishiinda Ga
Animation Company: Project No.9
Website: http://www.imocyo-anime.com/
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Ecchi, Romance, School, Shounen, Supernatural
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: High school girl, Kanzaki Mitsuki, just got a new older brother when her mother remarries a fellow divorcée with a son. Soon after, her new step dad gets transferred overseas and her mother follows him there, leaving Mitsuki alone with her new step brother, Yuuya. Feeling abandoned by her mother, she stays distant from Yuuya, never really getting along very well with him nor even keeping a conversation with him. However, one day, Mitsuki gets visited by an angel/ghost named Hiyori who takes over her body and tries to make sexual advancements towards Yuuya. Hiyori is the lost spirit of a girl who died but can’t reach the gates of heaven and reach eternal peace. To reach heaven, Hiyori puts a belt on Mitsuki called the TST that fills up every time Mitsuki feels sexual feelings from Yuuya, whether it be from going on a date, kissing or even sex. For every time it fills up, Hiyori gains a step on a bridge that connects her current situation and the literal gates of heaven. If she wants to get rid of the annoying Hiyori, Mitsuki has to make some bold and sexy moves against her own brother, even if he is just a step brother.
Team Impression
Eva: Pass. Good grief…
Vantage: Do we really have to have one of these each season? I’m still fairly butthurt over how they ended Oreimo, you know.
Chris: Oreimo’s ending has put me off the incest route forever… I’ll never forgive you Japan!
Oki: This is my ‘lolz how about no’ face, but since you can’t see it, imagine an angry cat who tried to eat a waffle but was foiled by heir human.
Dan: How about a big, fat NO?
Sidekick: PASS. God help me, it’s the chastity belt anime. Don’t know how it could sound any worse. Also, they’re doing the whole NOT BLOOD RELATED THING SO IT AIN’T INCEST arsepull again, which I’m incredibly sick and tired of.
MidnightDevont: NOPE! Just nope!

*

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren (Season 2)

Animation Company: Kyoto Animation
Website: http://www.anime-chu-2.com/tv/
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 9th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Second season of Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
Team Impression
Eva: Errr while I did enjoy the first season, I don’t know if I really want to cover the second season. It’s up in the air for me. At least the PV looks super badass and dat music!
Vantage: I loved the first season, though like Eva, I’m unsure of whether I want to cover this as well. Also, I actually had no idea it was filled with so much anime-original content!
Chris: Frothing. At the mouth. The first season was amazeballs and I’m sure this second season will be great… but can it be as great, that’s the question? It’s Kyoto Animation, it’s Chuunibyou, it’s romance, and comedy, and drama and it’s amazing, but… No, I’m not going to blog this. I’ll watch and I’ll weep, but that’ll be all.
Oki: The art style is….so not me. Just. . . .so not me. But everyone else, have fun.
Dan: Ahhhhhhh! I loved the first season, so I am very keen for this. Echoing the others, not sure if I want to blog, but I am down for a First Impression.
Sidekick: I enjoyed the first season quite a bit, and it’s definitely one of KyoAni’s better works (-: The transition to the more dramatic second half from season 1 could have been better improved and it lacked characters with real depth that I can latch onto but it’s not bad in the least. I’m worried about the introduction of this childhood friend character though, and the first season ended so well so I’m having mixed feelings about this. Still, more Dekomori is always good! DEATH!
MidnightDevont: Oh hey! I’ve actually heard of season one for this one, but i didn’t watch it. No thanks for me, but have fun for the people who liked season one.

::Possible Bloggers::
Vantage (?), Sidekick

~~~

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Wake Up, Girls!
Animation Company: Ordet / Tatsunoko Production
Website: http://wakeupgirls.jp/new/
Genres: Music, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 10th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Green Leaves Entertainment is a tiny production company on the verge of going out of business in Sendai, the biggest city in Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region. The agency once managed the careers of magicians, photo idols, fortune-tellers, and other entertainers, but its last remaining client finally quit. In danger of having zero talent (literally), the president Tange hatches an idea of producing an idol group. On the brash president’s orders, the dissatisfied manager Matsuda heads out to scout raw talent. Matsuda makes a fateful encounter with a certain girl…
Team Impression
Eva: Heh~ so it’s an idol story! Definitely count me in to check it out! I hope it’d be good like Idolm@ster!
Vantage: An idol story… it’s been a while since I’ve watched one of those. I suppose I’ll give it a whirl (:
Chris: You can wake me up any day, girls…
Oki: No.
Dan: Dan says no to idols.
Sidekick: Oh look, it’s Yamakan saving anime again! What could possibly go wrong? What? I hear a faint whisper…*Fractale…* What’s that? Won’t hear it! He’s saaaaaving anime alright! (PASS!)
MidnightDevont: Oh hai there K-on/Idol-M@ster. Yeah no.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Vantage

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Future Card – Buddyfight –
Animation Company: OLM / Xebec
Website: http://fc-buddyfight.com/en/
Genres: Game
Airing Date: January 4th 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Adaptation of the Future Card Buddyfight card game.
Team Impression
Eva: Not interested. Next!
Vantage: No.
Chris: …Buddyfight?
Oki: NOPE.
Dan: Lol.
Sidekick: PASS. That name though…’Buddyfight’. Excuse me, I lol’d.
MidnightDevont: ….what? No.
 

*

Hoozuki no Reitetsu
Animation Company: Wit Studio
Website: http://www.hozukino-reitetsu.com/
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Supernatural
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The dark comedy revolves around the fierce god aide to the Great King Yama, Hoozuki. Calm and super-sadistic, he tries to resolve problems that often occur in Hell.

Team Impression
Eva: I must have encountered this title hundreds of time when I am browsing through manga to read, and yet I never actually read it. Well that’s a good thing since I won’t be manga-bias, so I will be checking it out- I mean, it’s a comedy taking place in hell!
Vantage: Ooh, it’s a comedy set in hell? Looks good! Today’s anime climate is far too saturated with the same premises just in disguised formats, so anything that breaks away from convention is very much welcomed.
Chris: “problems that often occur in Hell“…what, did the air extractor that removes the smell of burning flesh break, or what? That said, that promotional poster makes ‘hell‘ look like a nice place…
Oki: Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I’m not interested in the concept.
Dan: Problems that occur in Hell. Right-o. I’m going to pass.
Sidekick: Hey, it’s by WIT Studio again, the guys who did Attack On Titan. Titan had it’s problems but it was for the most part a decent debut project so I’m pretty excited to see what they have in store for us with this one. I really, really like the visual style, it’s really traditional and vibrant, so if all else fails I’ll at least watch this since it looks pretty.
MidnightDevont: Soooo this sounds awesome, i’m honestly really into this concept. I loved Zetsubou-sensei and other things that are dark comedy’s like this. I am totally in for this!

::Possible Bloggers::
MidnightDevont

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Pupa
Animation Company: Studio Deen
Website: http://www.pupa-anime.com/
Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Shounen, Psychological
Airing Date: January 10th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The “life-and-death sibling” story follows Utsutsu and Yume Hasegawa, a boy and his little sister who find themselves all alone. One day, Yume sees a mysterious red butterfly and her body undergoes a strange metamorphosis—into a creature that eats humans. Utsutsu struggles to find a way to restore his sister.

Team Impression
Eva: I AM STAYING FAR AWAY FROM THIS ONE. I’M SURE IT’S GREAT AND ALL, BUT ALL THAT GOREY DETAILS I’VE BEEN HEARING VANTAGE PEOPLE FREAK OUT ABOUT IT (NOT IN A GOOD WAY) – NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME.
Vantage: After taking a look at the manga, I can’t believe they’ve actually decided to animate this o.O The gore scenes are a bit too frequent to censor through silhouettes, so I doubt they’ll hold back, given the right TV studio airs it.  And contrary to what I said in the Fall preview, I don’t think I’ll be blogging this. Just watching it is quite enough.
Chris: Got my hopes up last season, never aired.  I’ll watch it. That is all.
Oki: It looks freaking fabulous so I’ll watch even if I don’t blog >_>
Dan: READY FOR PUPA TO SAVE ANIME? I KNOW I AM.
Sidekick: OH GOOD GOD IT’S FINALLY HERE. I’ve read some chapters of the manga, but I struggle to call it ‘good’. It’s not bad either, it’s just…it’s hard to explain. It’s incredibly bizarre. Still, it’s done by a very competent director at the recently revived Studio DEEN and the trailer is SICK. Did you know they actually had the voice actor for the girl chew actual meat in that PV? It’s little things like this that make me confident of the team in charge. They’ve got heart to make this as creepy and memorable as possible. Normally I steer clear of horror, but this will be an exception.
MidnightDevont: I have heard SO many awesome things about this show! I have been told i would love it and the concept and the poster and the pv for it all look amazing! I am going to watch this blogging it or not!

::Possible Bloggers::
Sidekick, Dan, MidnightDevont

~~~

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Witch Craft Works
Animation Company: J.C. Staff
Website: http://www.witch-cw-anime.jp/
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural, Seinen
Airing Date: January/February 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Takamiya Honoka is a regular student whose only problem seems to be that he sits next to Kagari Ayaka, the school’s #1 beauty. They have never spoken to each other before and any small interaction between them immediately results in her fanclub beating him. Yet when a falling part of the school’s building is about to send him to the afterlife, it’s Kagari that comes to his rescue. Only… she’s dressed as a witch, carrying him in her arms and floating on a broom?! Kagari tells him it is her mission to protect him and that now she can finally protect him openly rather than undercover.

Team Impression
Eva: I’m fairly confident I’m not going to blog this, but I am willing to see where this will go. If fanservice proves to be a bigger priority than the plot, then count me out of watching it altogether.

Vantage: While you can get a very mixed bag with J.C. Staff, I was actually really impressed by what they did with both LB! Refrain and Golden Time. If they can reproduce that here, then I’ve got no complaints.
Chris: I do love a good J.C. Staff production… however, this one looks like a bit much, you know? It is seinen, and I like what they did with Golden Time so… I’ll watch it…
Oki: It. .. . looks. . . . . .weird?
Dan: Premise seems boring and like a fanservice excuse, tbh.
Sidekick: PASS. It’ JC Staff, and that premise seems boring. I might check out the first episode since it’s a seinen and they’re usually the better stuff but my expectations are incredibly low for this one.
MidnightDevont: Huh….nah, the concept didn’t really catch my interest.

::Possible Bloggers::

*

Hamatora The Animation
Animation Company: NAZ
Website: http://hamatorapj.com/animation
Genres: Game, Shounen, Super Power
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story revolves around “Mini-mum” or “minor miracle” – special hereditary powers discovered only in an extremely limited number of humans.. Those who posses such are known as “Minimum Holders”.

Team Impression
Eva: Raise your hand if you intially read this as title as Hamtaro. Oh come on I can’t be the only one who did! The summary is pretty vague so it’s really impossible to tell just what kind of story this will be. I will be checking it out and hope for the best.
Vantage: These days, it’s usually a death knell if a show’s title has “The Animation” stuck on the end. Anyone still remember riding the Danganronpa bullet train?
Chris: “The Animation”? Oh no, not again… disaster impending… disaster impending… abort, life.
Oki: I thought it read Hamta- OH HEY LOLZ. Naaaaah. Just…everything about this feels so…meh.
Dan: Someone revoke Seiji Kishi’s rights as a director. Especially on adaptations.
Sidekick: PASS. Even though it sounds like a Durarara spin-off the source material ain’t from Ryohgo Narita and the director is bloody Seiji Kishi. He screwed up Danganronpa and Devil Survivor 2 was a boring mess. Like, I fell asleep watching it. Persona 4 was fine but I’m sure that was just luck. He sucks.
MidnightDevont: Hmmmmm…yeah no thank you. doesn’t sound like my kind of thing.

*

Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil
Animation Company: ARMS
Website: http://wizardbarristers.com/
Genres: Magic
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story takes place in Tokyo in 2018, where normal humans and those who can use magic coexist. As a result, there are laws against using magic, and a “magic courtroom” exists to preside over lawsuits regarding magic use. In these cases, “Benmashi” or wizard barristers defend those who use magic. The anime follows Cecil, the youngest Benmashi in history, and her associates as they defend clients in these cases.
Team Impression
Eva: The premise is quite refreshing and the preview really gets me hyped up. Definitely watching.
Vantage: I’m actually quite liking this premise; the PV managed to leave an impression on me at the very least. It’ll probably be one of those shows I’ll end up watching but not blogging, but I’ll sign up for it anyhow.
Chris: Phoenix Wright meets A Certain Magical Index? Color me interested…

Oki: I like the premise so I will watch from afar.
Dan: Magical barristers. I’m.
Sidekick: I’d pass this but damn, the second PV was absolutely amazing to watch. Crazy action everywhere with lesser fanservice than the first. As long as this focuses more on the story and action than the fanservice side of things it could be a pretty decent watch.
MidnightDevont: hmmmm, I might want to watch it but i’m pretty sure i’m not going to be blogging on this one.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Vantage

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SoniAni ~Super Sonico The Animation~
Animation Company: White Fox
Website: http://soniani.jp/
Genres: N/A
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: A series featuring Super Sonico, the mascot girl of Nitroplus.

Team Impression
Eva: Pass. I don’t care that it’s White Fox doing this, while I will probably watch the first episode, I already know I’m going to quickly get sick of the abundance of fanservice in stored for this character.
Vantage: It’d be amazing if White Fox could turn a flimsy premise like this into a show that’s actually good. Of course, in the unlikely event that happens it’ll definitely be accompanied by an unrestrained inundation of fanservice. I know! Let’s try blogging this for shits and giggles.
Chris: Oh Jesus Christ this is going to be bad… I can feel it in ma’ bones.
Oki: .. . . . but. . . .she looks so damn kawaii desu ne guys!!
Dan: Yeah, this isn’t going to turn out well.
Sidekick: PASS. I’ve seen lots of merchandise surrounding this character and she looks like a bloody prostitute. Also, was I the only one that thought Sonic was getting his own anime when I first heard about this?
MidnightDevont: No, just absolutely no. Way too much fan service going on just from the poster.

::Possible Bloggers::
Vantage

*

Sekai Seifuku: Bouryaku no Zvezda
Animation Company: A-1 Pictures
Website: http://www.sekaiseifuku-zzz.com/
Genres: Action, Fantasy
Airing Date: January/February 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story follows Zvezda, a secret society bent on glorious world conquest—and led by a little girl.

Team Impression
Eva: A little girl who is bent on world conquest, hahahaha this series could be fun if done right. Not enough information to give me an idea whether I’d possibly blog this, but for now I know I will definitely be checking out the first episode.
Vantage: Were it not for Okamura’s credentials I probably would have ignored this, although it still seems a little sketchy with such a sparse summary. Well, the three-episode rule is there for a reason!
Chris: I’m actually really interested by this series’ premise, but alas, I’m covering way too many shows this season to even give this a second look…
Oki: You can’t hear me but I’m laughing really loud right now.
Dan: So it’s directed by Okamura, so I am not going to immediately dismiss this, but I’m v. tempted to.
Sidekick: Ok, aside from the questionable fanart and the abundance of flat-chested little girls this show could have a lot to offer. It’s directed by the guy who did Darker Than Black so that’s gotta say something. As long as there isn’t pedophilia I could watch this.
MidnightDevont: Hmmmm, alright. I might give the first few episodes a go. Not sure about blogging about it, but I’m interested.

::Possible Bloggers::
Sidekick

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Happiness Charge Precure!
Animation Company: Toei Animation
Website: N/A
Genres: Fantasy, Kids, Magic, Shoujo
Airing Date: February 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: New series of Precure.
*More details will be added soon

Team Impression
Eva: SERIOUSLY?! JFC CAN’T THEY CHANGE THE *MAIN* LEADS’ (AKA LEADER’S) HAIR COLORS TO SOMETHING ELSE OTHER THAN PINK AND LIGHT BLUE?! WHY NOT GREEN FOR AN EXCHANGE?! OR HELL, WHAT ABOUT RED?! I guess pink is so popular for their main lead because it’s a ‘girly’ color. :\ *SIGHS* Not too impressed with the character designs… I’m still going to watch it though.

Vantage: How many of these are there going to be? I’ve only ever watched one episode of Precure in my life, and all I remember is being blinded by the visual rainbow of colours.
Chris: That title alone makes me want to puke rainbows, tear out my sugar coated spine, squeeze Hachikuji Mayou until she explodes, and then wallow in a pool of gooey hot caramel as it runs over my face and swallows me whole… Okay, now I’m hungry.
Oki: This show is super popular in Japan and I just don’t get it XD
Dan: I don’t do Precure, I’m afraid.
Sidekick: Er, never watched Precure. Doubt I ever will.
MidnightDevont: Noooo thank you. The amount of sparkles coming off of this show is enough to make a Twilight vampire run screaming into the night…

*

Pupipou!
Animation Company: AIC PLUS+
Website: http://pupipo.tv/
Genres: School, Slice of Life, Supernatural
Airing Date: December 21st, 2013
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Himeji Wakaba is a 5th year elementary school student, and she has the ability to see things that others can’t. They are mostly frightening evil spirits, and they tend to do bad things to people who are close to her. As a result, Wakaba has no friends and rarely smiles. On a couple of occasions, she brings home stray animals, but her parents won’t let her keep them. However, they’re worried about their sad, creepy daughter, so one day they decide that whatever Wakaba brings home next, they’ll let her keep. The next thing she brings home is a pink monster called “Pupipo”, but her parents stand by their decision and let her keep it. No one is quite sure what Pupipo is, but it protects Wakaba from the other things she sees. Pupipo also helps Wakaba make friends with an occult-obsessed transfer student and solve problems with bullying. Wakaba’s life is a much better place with her pet pink monster!

Team Impression
Eva: PUPIPO IS SO CUTEEEEEE!!!! I know I have to watch it just for the sake of Pupipo’s cuteness overload!!!
Vantage: Learning that this show is about a sad, creepy girl immediately reminded me of Watamote. I still remember having to pause that a couple of times each episode because it was just so cringe-worthy – I’ll approach this with caution.
Chris: That girl looks creepy… also, is that a pink Wobbuffet?
Oki: ^ what Chris said
Dan: What the hell is with that name? Pass.
Sidekick: PASS. Doesn’t seem interesting in the slightest, and I’m not a big fan of AIC.
MidnightDevont: D’awwwwww it’s kind of cute. She’s really kind of cute, I might check this one out!

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Onee-chan ga Kita

Animation Company: C2C
Website: http://www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_oneechan/
Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 8th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: The story revolves around Tomoya Mizuhara, a 13-year-old boy who suddenly gains a big sister when his father remarries. 17-year-old Ichika is a little strange, and her affection for Tomoya is rather overwhelming, if not scary. On top of things, Ichika’s friend Ruri is the ultimate sadist. Then there is Ichika’s big-breasted quarter-Japanese friend Marina.

Team Impression
Eva: I would be pleasantly surprised if this doesn’t turn into an imouto show. No seriously, I would. Probably passing though, it doesn’t catch my interest enough.
Vantage: Look on the bright side, guys… at least it’s not an imouto show, right? Innovation, one step at a time 😀
Chris: Imōto daisuki! And by that I mean f*** off Tomoya Mizuhara.
Oki: I was excited until I read the whole romance part because IS IT SO MUCH TO ASK FOR A BONDING EXPERIENCE ANIME BETWEEN TO PEOPLE ALA MICHIKO TO HATCHIN??
Dan: Kill me now.
Sidekick: PASS. Yet another NOT BLOOD RELATED SO IT’S OK arsepull.
MidnightDevont: ……Why, just why? No, i’m alright passing on this one.

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Double Circle
Animation Company:
Website:
Genres: Sci-Fi, Super Power
Airing Date: December 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: “Double Circle” means the community which evolves infinitely by the energy and ICT in the smart community project. People who live in Kawasaki become a hero, and beat an enemy who steals near from the time-stopped world to the evolving town Kawasaki.

Team Impression
Eva: Just to be clear, this isn’t a sequel to Gatchman Crowds, it’s entirely different. Intially I thought this was going to be a special when I first heard of it, so I am a bit surprised to see that it’s going to be a series. No complaints though. I will definitely be watching this, but I have my doubts I will cover it. And is it just me, or does the CG actually look worse than Gatchman Crowds?! (Not that it was bad, but Double Circle’s hero attires are incredibly bland!)

Vantage: I’m not all that interested in this – Gatchaman Crowds wasn’t my cup of tea, though admittedly that was partly because Hajime was too much for me.
Chris: I’m having Gatchman Crowds nightmares… take it away! Blurgh!
Oki:  *fell asleep during summary* zzzz
Dan: I really enjoyed Gatchaman Crowds. I even really enjoyed the CG costumes. The CG featured in Double Circle is certainly more jarring and not as well done as with Crowds, but I am willing to give the first episode a shot.
Sidekick: First off, I didn’t enjoy Gatchaman CROWDS. Secondly I’m one of those in the camp that Samurai Flamenco shouldn’t have done the twist in episode 7. Those should tell you what I feel about Sentai anime in general. Also, isn’t this some kind of advertisement for Toshiba or something?
MidnightDevont: This just looks boring.

*

Go! Go! 575

Animation Company: SEGA
Website: http://gogo575.sega.jp/
Genres: Music, Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Go! Go! 575 adapts the Project 575 games for PlayStation Vita and iOS, which allow anyone to create songs using the traditional Japanese 5-7-5-syllable meter found in haiku and tanka poems.

Team Impression
Eva: It looks pretty bland to me. Wake up, Girls! is probably going to be the only music show I watch this season.
Vantage: I sure hope the original series of games has its own sizeable fanbase, because this isn’t looking very impressive.
Chris: Cute… but no.
Oki: We all know how I feel about loli shows. *looks menacingly*
Dan: I think you mean No! No! 575.
Sidekick: Wait… people want to make songs from Haiku? And that’s popular enough to grant an anime? WHAAAAAAAAT????
MidnightDevont: I’m honestly with Oki on the whole loli show thing. Not my cup of tea…
 

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Mikakunin de Shinkoukei

Animation Company: Dogakobo
Website:
Genres: Slice of Life
Airing Date: January 9th 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Yonomi Kobeni, an ordinary girl, finds out on her 16th birthday that she is betrothed to Mitsumine Hakuya, a boy the same age as her. Hakuya moves in from the countryside and starts living with her, bringing his younger sister who is still a primary school student with him. Also added is his older sister who is already living with Kobeni and is two years older.
The story revolves around these four people and their identities as “couples” and “sisters-in-law”.

Team Impression
Eva: I’ll be giving this a whirl, it sounds really sweet. Probably not bloggable though.
Vantage: I wouldn’t mind trying out the first couple of episodes. Even if I decide to continue watching it though, the vast majority of slice of life shows are simply unbloggable.
Chris: Sure. Why not? I’m in. I’ll give it a go. First impression post… Here I go. Here I come… Nope, definitely the latter.
Oki: DAMN YOU LOLI SHOWS
Dan: Colour me unimpressed.
Sidekick: I’ll check out the first episode, but it’s a 4-panel manga adaptation. It’s the type of comedy in anime I despise the most. Still, the premise seems alright.
MidnightDevont: NOPE

::Possible Bloggers::
Chris

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Buddy Complex
Animation Company: SUNRISE
Website: http://buddy-complex.jp/
Genres: Mecha
Airing Date: January 5th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3 | PV 4 | PV 5
Summary: Aoba Watase, a high school boy living in a city called Maihama, leads a normal life of school, romance, and the swim club. Watase’s life changes when he sees a beautiful girl, Hina Yumihara, at the pool one day and discovers he is initially the only person who can see her. In order to keep his high school’s swimming club open by recruiting more members, Watase hopes to enlist Hina to appear in a promo video shot by Watase’s close friend, Gengo. Hina agrees, but on the condition that he does something for her in exchange – pilot a mecha for an organization known as Celebrum. Agreeing to her request, Watase is drawn into a world of fighting giant robots in a game-like world that he must save from Deutera Areas formed by aliens known as Gards-orm that threaten to destroy the earth. However, Watase soon comes to realize that the world that he is living in might not even be real at all and begins to find that everything he is doing is strangely familiar. As he questions the nature of the reality he lives in, Hina must continue to fight in order to protect the lives of those important to him. 
Team Impression
Eva: Ooh a new SUNRISE original mecha production heehee!!! *Squeals*. The summary is a bit confusing, but it’s still interesting, and then you have the previews that get me really pumped up!!! I am definitely giving this a shot! I mean, how could I not?
Vantage: Although they can be hit-and-miss, Sunrise are well-known for their mecha series. It definitely can’t hurt to give this a try, especially with such an interesting premise. Also, do the two guys in the promo pic remind anyone else of Haruto and L-Elf?
Chris: I’m sorry, but is this just Valverave for two year old’s? Nah, I’m just joking, but those characters (and that title) look like the dummed down versions of Haruto, L-Elf and Saki from Valverave… just an observation… I’ll give it a go though, just because it’s Sunrise, and also because it’s a Sunrise mecha series…
Oki: It’s. . .mecha. . .so I WANT TO SAY NO BUT I CANT BECAUSE ITS MECHA AND SUNRISE WHYJDHGJKLDSHGLJDH
Dan: It’s a Sunrise mecha. I physically cannot resist.
Sidekick: Nah. Unless this is the next Code Geass (not Valvrave pls) I ain’t very interested. Also, anyone plays DMMD here? Because the MC is called Aoba. Hehehe.
MidnightDevont: -points up to previous comment on Mecha shows- Nope, Mecha shows are not my thing.

::Possible Bloggers::
Eva, Dan

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D-Fragments
Animation Company: BRAINS BASE
Genres: Comedy, School, Seinen
Airing Date: January 7th, 2014
Trailers: PV 1 | PV 2 | PV 3
Summary: Kazama Kenji likes to believe he is something of a delinquent. Moreover, others seem to like to agree that he is. Of course, Kenji’s gang finds their way to a group of four not-so-normal girls—Chitose, Sakura, Minami and Roka—and all at once, whatever reputation he may have is nothing compared to the outrageous behavior of the girls. Shanghaied into joining their club, what will happen to his everyday life from that point on?

Team Impression (Coming Soon)
Eva: Omfg, I think… is it… holy shit this is the first Brains Base show of the season! I won’t be covering it, but I will definitely be watching it since it’s a comedy because why the hell not?!
Vantage: Poor guy looks like he’s got it rough! I guess I’ll try it, but I won’t promise anything else.
Chris: So silly…

Oki: (Coming Soon)
Dan: Well, this looks totally ridiculous, but it also looks like it could be a heap of fun. I’ll check it out; maybe it’ll turn out to be genuinely funny gem?
Sidekick: Brains Base used to be great, but lately they’ve fallen pretty hard. I’m willing to give this a try since it’s a Seinen and they’re usually the better anime but I won’t blog it. 

MidnightDevont: Huh, not really sure what to say about this one. It looks interesting. I mean from the summery I’d guess it was gonna be a harem but it’s not listed as one. Which is totally a good thing. I’ll check it out.

::Possible Bloggers::

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~Overall Thoughts~

Eva: This season seems pretty mild to me for blogging which is a good thing because I do need to be cautious with my load and hopefully this season’s schedule will work out a bit better for me (such as NOT CRAMMING EVERY SINGLE SHOW I WANT TO COVER ON THURSDAYS).  But I do have a handful of shows that I am confident I will be watching and am super excited for. In the mean time, Nobunaga the Fool, Buddy Complex,  Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta, Wake Up, Girls!, Wizard Barristers: Benmashi Cecil, Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha, Mahou Sensou are all the shows I am interested in blogging, but we’ll see how many of those I will wound up covering.
Vantage: As a whole, this season is pretty lacklustre. The only thing I’m incredibly excited about is Saki, and that’s not even a new show. That being said, not all is lost – shows like Mahou Sensou, Nobunaga the Fool, Noragami, Pupa and perhaps Buddy Complex may be able to shake things up a bit. In terms of blogging, I’ll only have Magi and Naruto carrying over, so I’ll be able to cover a couple that end up striking my fancy.
Chris: The Fall Season wasn’t all that great for me, and this isn’t really doing it either… why anime, why aren’t you giving me anything new and exciting! Honestly, the only shows I’m even remotely interested in are Nisekoi, Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha and Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren… guess I’ll have to re-watch Clannad, Toradora and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya again this season…
Oki: I feel weird about this season because there’s not a lot that seems amazing, but the few things that are amazing just seem great. Sailor Moon is just the epitome of this season, and I can’t stress enough that this season could be made by that show alone. There’s some other fun stuff but I’m mostly just excited to see Sailor Moon on screen again and review it! I feel like a kid again. I am a kid, but, well, you get it. I MUST HAVE THESE MINI SKIRTED HEROINES IN MY LIFE ONCE AGAIN
Dan: In case my lack of enthusiasm above wasn’t obvious enough, I am very underwhelmed by this season’s offerings. I will be watching Chuunibyou, Pupa and Sailor Moon for sure, and also trying out Buddy Complex, Noragami and Toaru Hikkushu e no Koiuta. I’m not overly fussed by the lack of anime grabbing my attention, though, since I’ll be continuing with Kill la Kill and Samurai Flamenco. Plus I’m working 6 days a week as of January (supervised practice is evil), so blogging more than three shows will kill me.
Sidekick: Compared to the monster that is the Fall ’13 season this one has a lot less anime I’m looking forward to so thank god for the 2-cour Fall series carrying over into Winter. Still better than the last Winter Season (I only watched Chihayafuru 2) but whatever. I’m interested in blogging Silver Spoon 2, Chuunibyou 2 and maybe Pupa. NOW WHERE IS MY LOVE STAGE ANIME
MidnightDevont: This season is…eh. It has some shows that i am super excited for but it’s also filled to the brim with things that bore me to tears. It’s honestly looking to be a lot of slice of life animes this season and those can either be super good or really boring. I don’t think anything outstanding and earth shattering is going to come out of this season. {Except maybe for Pupa, Noragami and for sure with Sailor Moon.} I’m hoping that some of these other shows will break our expectations for them and turn out to be really cool. I’ll just sit here and wait for the season that has Psycho-Pass season two….-sets up camp-