Anime UK News Winter 2014 Anime Season Guide
This is the Anime UK News guide for the Winter 2014 season which runs from December 2013 to February 2014. With the aid of Anime News Network, My Anime List and anime charts, we have collected some information on some of the titles due to air. My sarcasm has been dialled down, useless filmographies trimmed and the facts have been given prominence. A link to most of the anime’s websites has also been included.
This season looks to have many familiar elements not least because some shows were pushed back due to production issues but there are also the usual sequels and adaptations of light novels, incest and ecchi, school-based comedies and moe. Amidst all that there are some great looking original titles from the likes of Shoji Kawamori, Yutaka Yamamoto, Shinichiro Watanabe, and Tensai Okamura. We’re talking about little girls leading evil world-conquering organisations made up of nutters, idols bringing relief to disaster-struck areas, Nobunaga saving the galaxy (twice, no less!) and without being a girl or surrounded by a harem, and Space Dandy, the dandiest man in space!
Here’s the list of (most of) the new shows airing during the season:
Space Dandy
Try not to dance during the trailer!
Synopsis
Dandy is an alien-hunter tasked with finding new species of aliens that have never been seen before. With the aid of a robot named QT and an alien named Meow, he journeys to different planets when not going to “Boobies,” a restaurant full of voluptuous waitresses.
Welcome back, Cowboy Bebop… I mean Space Adventure Cobra… Ah, this 26-episode anime is actually an original idea from Shinichiro Watanabe and reunites him with some more of the Cowboy Bebop writing staff in the form of Dai Sato and Keiko Nobumoto. Between the three they have also been responsible for Kids on the Slope and episodes of Eureka Seven, Macross Plus and Wolf’s Rain.
Staff: Shinichiro Watanabe (Chief Director), Shingo Natsume (Director), Dai Sato, Keiko Nobumoto, Kimiko Ueno (Scripts), Yoshiyuki Ito (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Junichi Suwabe (Dandy), Uki Satake (QT), Hiroyuki Yoshino (Meow), Maasaki Yajima (Narrator),
Studio: Bones
Nobunagun
Synopsis
High school girl Shio Ogura is visiting Taiwan on a school trip when monsters attack. These creatures are called “Evolved Invaders” and the military is useless against them but then… the mysterious E-Gene Holder agents from the government organisation DOGOO appear! What’s special about these guys is that they wield weapons infused with the spirits of great historical figures – Gandhi is a barrier and Newton is a gravitational manoeuvre. It just so happens that Shio Ogura has the e-gene and can wield a weapon! Hers is infused with the spirit of Oda Nobunaga. He is now a giant machinegun. He is… Nobunagun. Genius. Let the battle commence!
Based on a manga by Masato Hisa, the idea used here of historical characters brought back to a modern setting is familiar (Read or Die, Afterschool Charisma, anyone?) but the only name that stands out on the production side is Hiroshi Yamaguchi who worked on New Dominion Tank Police and Aquarion Evol.
Staff: Nobuhiro Kondo (Director), Masato Hisa (Original Creator), Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Series Composition), Hiromi Matsushita, KAZZ T (Character Design), Hirofumi Nakata, Kenichi Takase (Mechanical Design),
Voice Actors: Shiori Muto (Shio Ogura), Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Jack), Chiwa Saito (Geronimo), Yuu Asakawa (Newton), Sumire Uesaka (Galileo), Akira Ishida (Vidocq), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Ghandi),
Studio: Bridge
Wooser’s Hand to Mouth Life (Wooser no Sono Higurashi) Second Season
Synopsis
Wooser’s Hand-to-Mouth Life gets a second season. The original was a series of 3D shorts based on Wooser, a mysterious mascot character who lives on the internet. He may look cute but he has a corrupt heart that craves money, eating and gals! Fittingly enough Wooser is voiced by Mamoru Miyano who played Light Yagami in Death Note!
Staff: Toyonori Yamada (Director), Yoshiki Usa (Original Creator/Character Designer), Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Series Composition), Tomoko Fujinoki (Character Design),
Voice Actors: Mamoru Miyano (Wooser), Haruka Nagamune (Ren), TiA (Yuu), Minori Ozawa (Rin), Yuri Sato (Miho),
Studio: Sanzigen
Pupipou!
Synopsis
Wakaba Himeji is a fifth-grade girl who can see things other people cannot. This scares her and she keeps her distance from others which renders her lonely. Then, one day, she meets a mysterious soft, pink creature that cries “Pupipou!” and finds her life changing.
Pupipou! Is based on a horror comedy web manga by Rensuke Oshikiri and is directed by Kaoru Suzuki who has directed episodes of Hellsing and Date A Live.
Staff: Kaoru Suzuki (Director), Motoshi Chujo (Series Composition), Takumi Yokota (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Shiho Sasaki (Wakaba Himeji), Chisato Mori (Pou-chan), Mai Goto (Reiko Azuma), Kottomi Otsuka (Naoya Yuuki), Setsuo Itou (Ryouhei Ameyama), Keiji Fujiwara (Misao)
Studio: AIC Plus+
Double Circle
Synopsis
The story takes place in Kasasaki and the citizens of said city explore ideas of energy, environment and economics through the power of ICT and technology!! Characters include Akane, an engineer for Toshiba, Emu, a foreigner who lives in a bathhouse, Nanoha, an IT child prodigy and Tama-chan a woman who may come from outer space.
This anime is a series of shorts – six 5-6 minute episodes – that has resulted from a collaboration between the electronics firm Toshiba and the city of Kawasaki. So far the staff are unknown but one of the figures we do know is that of the character designer who is Kinako (Gatchaman Crowds).
Staff: Kinako (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Asagi), Asami Seto (Akane), Daisuke Namikawa (Emu), Chiwa Saito (Nanoha),
Studio: AIC Plus+
Tonari no Seki-kun
Synopsis
Yokoi is a diligent schoolgirl who sits next to a boy known only as “Seki-kun.” Said boy is a slacker, notorious for not paying attention, and spends his time creating amazing little distractions on his desk such as a detailed golf course that uses the desk’s contours or a war played out by paper shogi pieces.
This anime is based on a manga by Takuma Morishige and gets a series of short episodes (10 minutes long) directed by Yuji Mutoh (Crayon Shin-chan).
Staff: Yuji Mutoh (Director), Takuma Morishige (Original Creator), Masae Otake (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Hiro Shimono (Seki-kun), Kana Hanazawa (Yokoi),
Studio: Shin-Ei Animation
Youkai Watch
Synopsis
Keita is out and about exploring a forest one summer day when he discovers an old capsule toy vending machine. He uses it and receives a mysterious watch. That’s not all, as he meets a ghost butler named Whisper who tells Keita that the watch allows him to find supernatural creatures! Keita, Whisper and their companion Jibanya explore their town for ghosts to battle!
This anime is based on the 3DS game and I wrote about this in another season preview. It’s finally getting a release but still no info on staff or cast!
Staff: N/A
Voice Actors: N/A
Studio: N/A
My Big Sister has Arrived (Onee-chan ga Kita)
Synopsis
Tomoya Mizuhara is a 13-year-old boy who lives with his father. When his father remarries he gets a new older sister, 17-year-old Ichika. At this point normality goes out of the window because Ichika’s affections for Tomoya are overwhelming and she has scary friends like the sadistic Ruri and big-breasted quarter-Japanese girl Marina.
This anime is based on the manga and is our first incest show of the season! Apparently the series consists of 12 three-minute episodes. In a spin on the incest format, said sister is the older one while brother is the younger one. Take that Cyclops Shoujo saipu.
Staff: Yoshihide Yuuzumi (Director), Riko Anzai (Original Creator), Takeshi Oda (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Aimi Terakawa (Tomoya Mizuhara), Juri Nagatsuma (Ichika Mizuhara), Marina Inoue (Marina Mochizuki), Omi Minami (Ruri Hayasaka), Fumi Morisawa (Yuko Mizuhara), Ibuki Kido (Mina Fujisaki), Kenji Takahashi (Soichiro Fuji),
Studio: C2C
Mikakunin de Shinkoukei
Synopsis
When Kobeni Yonomori turns 16, a strange thing happens. No, she doesn’t find out she has supernatural powers or genes that allow her to pilot giant robots, she is confronted by a young man named Hakuya Mitsumine and his younger sister Mashiro who claim to be her future fiance and sister-in-law. Without questioning how or why, Konbeni lives with them and her older sister Benio.
This anime is based on the 4-koma manga by Cherry Arai where the cute antics of a bunch of characters will have to sustain the slight and weird premise.
Staff: Yoshiyuki Fujiwara (Director), Cherry Arai (Original Creator), Ai Kikuchi (Character Designer/Chief Animation Director)
Voice Actors: Haruka Terui (Kobeni Yonomori), Yuri Yoshida (Masahiro Mitsumine), Eriko Matsui (Benio Yonomori), Wataru Hatano (Hakuya Mitsumine),
Studio: Dogakobo
Magical Warfare (Mahou Sensou)
Synopsis
Takeshi Nanase is a schoolboy with a dark past who pretends to be in a relationship with his childhood friend Kurumi. Things get weird when he encounters a girl named Mui Aiba. She has collapsed on his school’s campus but is wearing a uniform he has never seen! When she comes around she tells Takeshi that she is a magician and she changed Takeshi into a magician and his world has changed into one where humans and magicians live together.
This anime is based on a light novel and is directed by Yuzo Sato (Kaiji) and written for the screen by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Walkure Romanze, Monster). It looks like a generic light novel adaptation with a bland protagonist who is surrounded by lots of girls.
Staff: Yuzo Sato (Director), Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Series Composition), Hisashi Suzuki/Lunalia (Original Creators), Ryouma Ebata (Character Designer/Chief Animation Director)
Voice Actors: Mamoru Miyano (Takeshi Nanase), Nao Toyama (Mui Aiba), Asami Seto (Kurumi Isoshima), Jun Fukuyama (Takao Oigami), Kazuya Nakai (Kippei Washizu), Kenichi Suzumura (Kazumi Ida)
Studio: Madhouse Studios
Robot Girls Z
Synopsis
The Robot Girls Z are Z-chan (Mazinger Z), Gre-Chan (Great Mazinger), and Grenda-san (UFO Robo Grendizer) and they are defending Photon Power Town from the mechanical beast girls DouBlas M2 and Garada K7 who are led by Baron Ashura, a megalomaniac.
How does Toei Animation follow up the exciting, beautiful and bizarre Kyousogiga? With a series of shorts featuring moe girls dressed as robots from Toei’s anime catalogue.
Staff: Hiroshi Ikehata (Director), Kazuho Hyodo (Series Composition), Tetsuya Kawakami (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Mariko Honda (Z-chan), Kazusa Aranam (Grenda-san), Inori Minase (Gre-chan), Aya Hisakawa (Ashura),
Studio: Toei Animation
Wake Up, Girls!
Synopsis
A small production agency in Sendai called The Green Leaves Entertainment is on the verge of bankruptcy following the flight of its roster of stars but the president has an idea – produce a new idol group! We follow seven girls who want to star in the “ideol sengoku jidai” Idol Warring States Period! of the modern day.
This anime is an original idea and while it may not sound wholly original, the location of Sendai, the biggest city in Japan’s Tohoku region, offers some chance that this may be good for drama because it was one of the locations heavily affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami. So please, hold your cynicism at bay. The director is Yutaka Yamamoto (Fractale) and music comes from Satoru Kousaki (Lucky Star). A film of this will also be on release the same day the TV anime is aired.
Staff: Yutaka Yamamoto (Director/Original Concept), Touko Machida (Series Composition), Sunao Chikaoka (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Airi Nagano (Airi Hayashida), Kaya Okuno (Kaya Kikuma), Minami Tanaka (Minami Katayama), Mayu Yoshioka (Mayu Shimada), Miyu Okamoto (Miyu Takagi), Noriko Hidaka (Junko Tange)
Studio: Ordet/Tatsunoko Productions
Sakura Trick
Synopsis
Haruka and Yuu both go to a high school which is going to be shut down. They want to share something special between them and so they kiss and their relationship deepens.
This anime is based on the 4-koma manga where innocent love is the theme of the day. It is directe by Kenichi Ishikura (Hidamari Sketch x Hoshimittsu) and character designs come from Kyuta Sakai (Humanity Has Declined). Haruka s voiced by Haruka Tomatsu (Sword Art Online) and Yuu is voiced by Yuka Iguchi (Monogatari Series Second Season).
Staff: Kenichi Ishikura (Director), Tachi (Original Creator), Kyuta Sakai (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Haruka Tomatsu (Haruka Takayama), Yuka Iguchi (Yuu Sonoda), Hiromi Igarashi (Shizuku Minami), Mai Fuchigami (Kaede Ikeno),
Studio: Studio DEEN
Nisekoi
Synopsis
Raku Ichijou is a high school student and son of a leader in the Shuei-Gumi yakuza family. Chitoge Kirisaki is the daughter of a rival gang leader and the new transfer student in Raku’s class. After the two bump into each other Chitoge runs off just before Raku realises that he has lost a pendant given to him by a childhood sweetheart. Raku forces Chitoge to help him find the pendant and during the search they begin to dislike each other!
This anime is based on a popular manga that is running in Shounen Jump. It is directed by Akiyuki Shinbo (Bakemonogatari) and it has character designs by Nobuhiro Sugiyama (Arakawa Under the Bridge).
Staff: Akiyuki Shinbo (Director), Naoshi Komi (Original Creator), Nobuhiro Sugiyama (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Kouki Uchiyama (Raku Ichijo), Kana Hanazawa (Kosaki Onodera), Nao Toyama (Chitoge Kirisaki), Yuuki Kaji (Shu Maiko),
Studio: Shaft
Z/X Ignition
Synopsis
Sometime in the future, five portals to parallel worlds appear around the globe. Known as “Black Points” these portals allow alien creatures to invade the earth. These creatures are from the same worlds but different timeframes and in order to ensure that their own future timeframe survive, the invasion forces battle each other. A mysterious card-shaped device appears to be important.
This anime is based on a card game created by Nippon Ichi.
Staff: Yuji Yamaguchi (Director), Nippon Ichi Software (Original Creator), Junko Watanabe (Character Designer/Chief Animation Director)
Voice Actors: Maaya Uchida (Chitose Aoba), Yui Ogura (Azumi Kagamihara), Miyuki Sawashiro (Ayase Kamiyugi), Mikado Kurosaki (Yuuichi Nakamura),
Studio: N/A
Hozuki no Reitetsu
Synopsis
Houzuki is an aide to the Great King of Hell, Enma. As an advisor and aide he tries to resolve problems that occur in hell including a rampaging Momotarou. In his spare time he fawns over cute animals and raising “Goldfish Flowers.”
So if you’re going to follow-up the vicious, dark, violent and all-around excellent Attack on Titan, you create something more light-hearted right? Not necessarily. We get a slice-of-demon-life comedy about a functionary in a supernatural world populated by popular characters from Japanese folklore. This anime is based on the manga by Natsumi Eguchi which runs in the seinen Morning manga magazine. The anime is directed by Hiro Kaburaki (My Little Monster) and Midori Gotou (Guilty Crown) is overseeing the scripts.
Staff: Hiro Kaburaki (Director), Midori Gotou (Series Composition), Hirotaka Kato (Character Designer), Original Ccreator (Natsumi Eguchi)
Voice Actors: Hiroki Yasumoto (Hozuki), Daisuke Hirakawa (Momotaro), Takashi Nagasako (Enma Daio), Eri Kitamura (Oko), Sumire Uesaka (Peach Maki), Yumiko Kobayashi (Shiro)
Studio: Studio Wit
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha
Synopsis
Inari Fushimi is a shy school girl who lives in Kyoto’s Fushimi ward. She has a crush on classmate Koji Tanbabashi, but cannot express her feelings. One day, as thanks for helping a fox pup, the deity known as Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami grants her the ability to change her form.
Production IMS? A new animation studio. This anime is based on the shoujo romance manga by Morohe Yoshida and directed by Toru Takahashi, a vet of the anime industry who has worked on things like AD Police, Azumanga Daioh, Death Note, and Monster.
Staff: Toru Takahashi (Director), Touko Machida (Series Composition), Yuka Takashina (Character Designer), Morohe Yoshida (Original Creator)
Voice Actors: Naomi Ozora (Inari Fushimi), Houko Kuwashima (Uka-no-Mitama-no-Kami), Hiroshi Okamoto (Koji Tanbabashi),
Studio: Production IMS
Wizard Barristers – Benmashi Cecil
Synopsis
Tokyo in 2018 is different to the Tokyo of today because humans and those who can use magic coexist. To keep magic users in line there are laws and “magic courtrooms” allowing justice to be served. “Benmashi” or wizard barristers defend magic users in court and our protagonist Cecil is the youngest Benmashi in history!
This anime is based on an original idea from Yasuomi Umetsu who directed Mezzo Forte, and who has a work currently airing in the form of Galilei Donna. The animation comes from studio ARMS (Queen’s Blade: Rebellion).
Staff: Yasuomi Umetsu (Director/Series Composition/Original Concept, Character Designer), Michiko Itou (Script), Kenji Fujisaki,
Voice Actors: Rui Tanabe (Cecile Sudo), Ayana Taketatsu (Moyo Tento), Junichi Suwabe (Kiba Sameoka), Rumi Ookubo (Koromo Sasori), Marina Inoue (Quinn Erari), Miho Arakawa (Tsunomi Kabutohara)
Studio: ARMS
World Conquest: Stratagem Star (Sekai Seifuku – Bouryaku no Zvezda)
Synopsis
Zevzda is a secret society bent on world domination! And led by a little girl!
This anime is based on an original idea from Tensai Okamura (Blue Exorcist, Darker than Black). Character designs comes from Kouhaku Kuroboshi (Kino’s Journey) and music is composed by Tatsuya Kato (Free!). This could be the dark horse of the season.
Staff: Tensai Okamura (Director/Series Composition), Kouhaku Kuroboshi (Oiginal Character Designer), Tatsuya Kato (Music)
Voice Actors: N/A (Venera-sama), N/A (White Robin), N/A (White Eaglet), N/A (Robo-ko), N/A (Plamya-sama), N/A (Uumu Kyouju)
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Witch Craft Works
Synopsis
Ayaka Kagari is perfect. Beautiful, academic and athletic. She’s also the most powerful witch in the world! Her classmate Honoka Takamiya should consider himself a lucky guy considering that Ayaka considers her purpose in life to be to protect him!
This anime about a helpless male being protected by a witch may look generic and the manga wasn’t anything to shout about but it’s directed by Tsutomu Mizushima (Girls Und Panzer, XXXHOLiC) and the writers have worked on titles like Cowboy Bebop and K-ON!.
Staff: Tsutomu Mizushima (Director), Ryu Mizunagi (Original Creator), Reiko Yoshida, Michiko Yokote (Scripts), Yukie Hiyamizu (Character Designs)
Voice Actors: Asami Seto (Ayaka Kagari), Yuusuke Kobayashi (Honoka Takamiya), Shiori Izawa (Tanpopo Kuraishi),
Studio: J.C. Staff
No-Rin
Synopsis
Kousaka Hata is a student at Tamo Agricultural High School (Tamo Nourin Koukou, shortened to No-Rin) and an idol otaku. The latest transfer student is the idol Yuka Kusakabe whom Kousaka adores. Other stereotypes abound at this school including a girl with a local dialect, a childhood friend, a bishounen with glasses, a girl with large oppai and a zany female teacher, as well as a cute animal mascot!
This anime is based on light novel set in a school full of generic archetypes designed to be otaku-bait. It’s only distinguishing feature seems to be the setting which is an agricultural colle… Oh wait, looks like Moyashimon and Silver Spoon already did that… It’s directed by Shin Oonuma (Watamote, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia) and scripts come from ichiko Yokote.
Staff: Shin Oonuma (Director), Michiko Yokote (Series Composition), Shiratori Shirow/Kippu (Original Creators), Masahito Onoda (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Shintaro Asanuma (Kousaka Hatta), Yukari Tamura (Ringo Kinoshita), Chiwa Saito (Natsumi Betsuki), Kana Hanazawa (Minori Nakazawa), Marina Inoue (Kocho Yoshida),
Studio: Silver Link
Hamatora
Synopsis
There are people with special powers they have inherited from their ancestors. These powers are known as “Minimum” or “Minor Miracles” and the possessors of these powers are known as “Minimum Holders.” Partners Nice and Murasaki form a detective agency called Hamatora in Yokohama in 2014. Said office is a table in Café Nowhere. A friend of theirs named Art, who just happens to be a cop, asks for their help with a serial murder case where all the victims are “Minimum Holders”.
This anime is part of a mixed media project involving a game and manga. The anime comes from a new studio called NAZ and is directed by Seiji Kishi (Persona 4 The Animation, Danganronpa) and has character designs from Yuki Kodama (Blood Lad manga).
Staff: Seiji Kishi (Director), Jun Kumagai, Touko Machida (Scripts), Yuki Kodama (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Ryota Ohsaka (Nice), Wataru Hatano (Murasaki), Hiroshi Kamiya (Art), Emri Kato (Hajime), Eri Kitamura (Honey), Jun Fukuyama (Birthday)
Studio: NAZ
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! Season 2
Synopsis
Yuuta Togash is a high school freshmen who was once a “chuunibyou patient” – an overly self-conscious middle schooler. Ashamed of his past he tries to start high school with a clean slate but his classmate Rikka Takanashi, a “current” chuunibyou patient, figures out his secret and forces Togashi into “making a contract” with her.
This anime is a sequel to the popular series Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions.
Staff: Tatsuya Ishihara (Director), Jukki Hanada (Series Composition), Kazumi Ikeda (Character Designer/Chief Animation Director), Torako (Original Creator)
Voice Actors: Jun Fukuyama (Yuta Togashi), Maaya Uchida (Rikka Takanashi), Juri Nagatsuma (Satone Shichimiya), Azumi Asakura (Kumin Tsuyuri), Sumire Uesaka (Sanae Dekomori), Kikuko Inoue (Nanase Tsukumo)
Studio: Kyoto Animation
SoniAni – Super Sonico The Animation –
Synopsis
This anime is based on the mascot Super Sonico, a girl with huge breasts who is the mascot of the “Nitro Super Sonic” events held by Nitroplus. In her backstory she has been a photoshoot model, game character, musician and college student and she is a member of a three-piece girl band named “Daiichi Uchuu Sokudo” (Fastest Speed in Space) as the vocalist and guitarist.
The concept sounds bad but the staff behind this have decent works under their collective belt. The team behind this include Yosuke Kuroda, writer for Btooom! and Highschool of the Dead, Kenichi Kawamura, director on episodes of Black Lagoon and Kaiji and Masafumi Tamura, animation director on a couple of episode of Mawaru Penuindrum.
Staff: Kenichi Kawamura (Director), Yosuke Kuroda (Scripts), Masafumi Tamura (Character Designer), Fo Sakabe (Music)
Voice Actors: Mai Goto (Misuzu Fuji), Mami Ozaki (Furi Watanuki), Ryota Takeuchi (Manager Kitamura), Studio: White Fox
Noragami
Synopsis
At the boundary between this reality and another, there live 8 million gods, dead spirits who serve the gods, and other spirits who help and meddle in the affairs of humans. A sweet middle school girl named Hiyori Iki is the victim of bullying. One day when she goes to the toilets to cry she sees a phone number and the message “I solve your troubles” scrawled on a wall. She is about to encounter one of these supernatural creatures when she calls upon him and he shows up in the form of a homeless, unemployed person who is crude and unpredictable but also possesses supernatural abilities.
This anime is based on a manga by a female creative duo going under the name Adachitoka and t is directed by Kotaro Tamura (Baccano!) and written by Deko Akao (Arakawa Under the Bridge). Character designs comes from Toshihiro Kawamura (Cowboy Bebop, Golden Boy, Gosick).
Staff: Kotaro Tamura (Director), Deco Akao (Series Composition), Toshihiro Kawamoto (Character Designer), Adachitoka (Original Creators)
Voice Actors: Maaya Uchida (Hiyori Iki), Hiroshi Kamiya (Yato), Yuuki Kaji (Yukine), Aki Toyosaki (Kofuku), Jun Fukuyama (Kazuma), Rie Kugimiya (Nora)
Studio: Bones
Lately, My Little Sister’s Been Acting a Bit Strange (Saikin, Imouto no Yousu ga Chotto Okaishiin Da Ga)
Synopsis
Mitsuki Kanzaki lives with her step-brother Yuuya and all is normal until she is possessed by the spirit of a girl named Hiyori Kotobuki who must try and fall in love with Yuuya to move towards the “Gates of Heaven.”
Incest makes another appearance again this season and it takes the prize for most contrived set-up. The creator, Mari Matsuzawa, evidently loves this kind of stuff, judging by her other works (Hinadori Girl).
Staff: Mari Matsuzawa (Original Creator),
Voice Actors: Chinami Hashimoto (Mitsuki Kanzaki), Junji Majima (Yuya Kanzaki), Hisako Kanemoto (Yukina Kanemoto), Yui Ogura (Hiyori Kotobuki),
Studio: N/A
Maken-Ki! Two
Synopsis
Takeru Ouyama is a member of a school where people fight with mysterious items called Maken. Fellow students include an enigmatic girl named Kodama, a girl named Inaho who claims to be Takeru’s fiancee, and his childhood friend Haruko.
This is the sequel to Maken-Ki! And a new team of staff are involved with this production including director Hiraku Kaneko (The Qwaser of Stigmata).
Staff: Hiraku Kaneko (Director), Yousuke Kuroda (Scripts), Hiromitsu Takeda (Original Creator), Akio Takami (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Tomoaki Maeno (Takeru Oyama), Noriko Shitaya (Haruko Amaya), Hitomi Harada (Aki Nijo), Iori Nomizu (Inaho Kushiya), Misuzu Togashi (Azuki Shinatsu), Sayuri Yahagi (Kodama Himegami)
Studio: Xebec
Seitokai Yakuindomo Season 2
Synopsis
Takatoshi is a new student in a recently gender-integrated high school (524 girls and just 28 boys) and is asked to join the student council as vice president. He is the only boy among the student council officers.
A sequel to a slice-of-life anime full of ecchi and double entendres.
Staff: Tozen Ujiie (Original Creator)
Voice Actors: Satomi Satou (Aria Shichijou), Sayuri Yahagi (Suzu Hagimura), Shintaro Asanuma (Takatoshi Tsuda), Yoko Hikasa (Shino Amakusa), Asami Shimoda (Kotomi Tsuda), Yu Kobayashi (Naruko Yokoshima)
Studio: GoHands
Go! Go! 575
Synopsis
This anime is based on a Sega game called Project 575 which allows players to create songs using the traditional Japanese 5-7-5 syllable meter found in haiku and tanka. The game is available for iOS and will be released on the PS Vita in time for the anime. Character designs comes from Hiro Kanzaki (Oreimo).
Staff: SEGA (Original Creator), Hiro Kanzaki (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Yuka Otsubo (Azuki Masaoka), Ayaka Ohashi (Maccha Kobayashi), Takashi Kondou (Takuma Hachimine), Masakazu Morita (Yukiya Minabe), Daisuke Namikawa (Akito Kimata), Go Inoue (Tetsu Suzuki)
Studio: White Fox
Happiness Charge PreCure!
Synopsis
This is the 11th TV anime series of the Precure magical girl franchise.
Staff: N/A
Voice Actors: N/A
Studio: Toei Animation
Nobunaga the Fool
Synopsis
The story takes place on both the Western Planet and the Eastern Planet, both of which were once bound by the “Dragon Pulse” which spanned the heavens. A civilisation that once prospered has turned into a tale of dreams as war tears the realm asunder. The return of super technology known as “sacred treasures” could alter the status quo but only one person knows of it – a heretical girl from the Western Planet known as Jeanne Kaguya d’Arc. She had heavenly visions of the birth of a “Star Messiah” who will save the world and so she, together with Leonard da Vinci, head to the Eastern Planet where they encounter another heretic, “the greatest fool of the day,” Oda Nobunaga.
Quite frankly this is the best idea in the season. It’s an original one and totally insanely inventive. Even better, it comes from Shoji Kawamori who is probably one of the few directors to be prolific and keep quality high. He has been behind the recent Macross series, Aquarion EVOL and AKB0048. Not only is this an anime, it’s getting a stage play!
Staff: Eiichi Sato (Director), Shoji Kawamori (Series Composition/Original Creator/Main Mecha Design), Yone Kazuki (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Yoko Hikasa (Jeanne Kaguya d’Arc), Tomokazu Sugita (Leonardo da Vinci), Mamoru Miyano (Oda Nobunaga), Takahiro Sakurai (Akechi Mitsuhide), Minori Chihara (Ichihime), Yuuki Kaji (Toyotomi Hideyoshi),
Studio: Satelight
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
Synopsis
Usagi Tsukino us a clumsy middle school student with a good heart. When she stumbles upon a talking cat called Luna she is told that she is destined to be Sailor Moon, “champion of love and justice”, and she must search for the fabled Moon Princess. Usagi finds friends who turn out to be destined warriors and together they fight to save the world from the Dark Kingdom (Queen Beryl, the general, Metallia).
This is the delayed reimagining of Sailor Moon which was supposed to have aired this Summer but never happened. It has been confirmed for a global release in January through Niconico by Momoiro Clover Z, so that’s as good as the word of God as far as Japanophiles are (or should be) concerned. Momoiro Clover Z are also lending their angelic voices to the OP and ED themes. No news on the staff or seiyuu yet because the internet would erupt with elation over the vocal goddesses involved.
Staff: Naoko Takeuchi (Original Creator),
Voice Actors: N/A
Studio: Toei Animation
Saki Zenkoku-hen
Synopsis
Saki Miyanaga is a high school girl whose family are incredibly competitive when it comes to mahjong games. Because of this she develops a new way of playing that allows her to stay on the thin line between winning and losing, the +/- zero score, an almost impossible score which relies mainly on luck and is harder to achieve than winning! Having always hated the game, her friend from middle school, Suga Kyotoro, forces her to play in the school’s mahjong club. Her developed skill and superhuman luck has made her a worthy mahjong opponent, even to the middle school’s national mahjong champion.
This is the sequel to the original Saki TV series and adapts the national tournament arc and it features the same cast and seiyuu from the first season.
Staff: Manabu Ono (Director), Tatsuhiko Urahata (Series Composition), Ritz Kobayashi (Original Creator), Masakatsu Sasaki (Character Designer/Chief Animation Director)
Voice Actors: Kana Ueda (Saki Miyanaga), Ami Koshimizu (Nodoka Haramur), Rie Kugimiya (Yuki Kataoka), Ryoko Shiraishi (Mako Someya), Shizuka Itou (Hisa Takei), Chinatsu Akasaki (Tomoe Kariju)
Studio: Studio Gokumi
A Love Song to a Certain Airship Pilot (Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta)
Synopsis
Karueru was once a prince but a revolution saw him lose what would have been his kingdom. He now embarks on a one-way voyage to discover the ends of the heavens where he encounters the levitating island of Isura and meets a girl who became the symbol of the revolution and another girl on a journey of her own.
Koroku Inumura’s five-volume light novel gets the anime treatment and information is thin on the ground but we do have a video for the books.
It is the prequel to The Princess and the Pilot and it is directed by Toshimasa Suzuki who can shoot aerial combat as evidenced by his work on Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne and Soukyuu no Fafner. The concept is interesting, so the writers will have to be top draw and they are, with Shinichi Inotsume (Gosick, the underrated Zettai Karen Children) and the formidable Reiko Yoshida (Aria the Natural, Bakuman, Gaguard).
Staff: Toshimasa Suzuki (Director), Shinichi Inotsume (Series Composition), Koroku Inumura (Original Creator), Reiko Yoshidam Shinichi Inotsume (Scripts), Hiroki Harada (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Aoi Yuuki (Claire Cruz/Nina Viento), Kaito Ishikawa (Ignacio Axis), Natsuki Hanae (Kalel Albus/Carl La Il), Ayana Taketatsu (Ariel Albus),
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Neppu Kairiku Bushi Road
Synopsis
An asteroid collides with Earth and from the asteroid comes a deadly race of aliens called “Shinbo.” Humanity retreats to land reclaimed from the sea and puts its hopes of survival in a device called “The Mechanical Divine General,” a machine that can fight the Shinbo. Ame, princess of the refugees, and Sutou, who carries the blood of the Yagyu family, must awaken the power of the machine to save the world.
This project was meant to be released a few years ago as a tie-in for a trading card game named Five Qross but never made it to the screen. Now it is coming and it is directed by Masauki Sakoi (Needless, Pincess Resurrection).
Staff: Masayuki Sakoi (Director), Norimitsu Kaihou (Series Composition), Sunao Yoshida (Original Creator), Mai Toda (Character Designer)
Voice Actors: Kenn (Suto Yagyu), Megumi Han (Ame), Akio Ohtsuka (Sanda), Izumi Kitta (Hana Jijo), Sora Tokui (Yuzo Jijo), Suzuko Mimori (Rin Jijo), Mikoi Sasaki (Eri Jijo)
Studio: Kinema Citrus
Future Card Buddy Fight
Synopsis
This is the anime adaptation of Bushiroad’s Future Card Buddyfight Trading Card Game.
Staff: Bushiroad Inc.(Original Creator)
Voice Actors: Marie Mizuno (Gao Mikado), Shintarou Oohata (Drumbunker Dragon), Aimi Terakawa (Kiri Hyouryuu), Hiroki Yasumoto (Jacknife Dragon), Izumi Kitta (Noboru Kodou), Sora Tokui (Paruko Nanana)
Studio: Oriental Light and Magic/Xebec
Pupa
Synopsis
Utsutsu and his little sister Yume Hasegawa are close so when 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.
Billed as a “life-and-death sibling” story, it is based on Sayaka Mogi’s rather gory manga. It was original scheduled for the Autumn 2013 season but delayed due to production issues – essentially Studio Deen weren’t going to tone down the violence or bloodshed. Well, we’re getting it now.
The human character designs for the animation are a little different but the creature design is suitably unnerving. Tomomi Michizuki is the director and he has helmed such anime as House of Five Leaves and Kimagure Orange Road. The only voice actress announced has been Ibuki Kido (Kasumi Shinomiya in GJ Club) who voices the monster girl Yume Hasegawa.
Staff: Tomomi Mochizuki (Director), Sayaka Mogi (Original Creator),
Voice Actors: Ibuki Kido (Yume Hasegawa), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Utsutsu Hasegawa), Kyoko Narumi (Maria), Koji Yusa (Shiro Onijima),
Studio: Studio DEEN
Silver Spoon (Gin no Saji) Season 2
Synopsis
Yugo Hachiken is an ace at studying and believes that he can attend any school around the country and succeed. Then he heads to an agricultural school and finds that he’s completely lost while his classmates, who are used to the farming world, are totally fine. Yugo must study harder than he is used to so he can succeed in his new setting.
This tale is based on a manga by Hiromu Arakawa who is better known for Fullmetal Alchemist. The director is Tomohiko Ito (Occult Academy, Sword art Online) and series composition is overseen by Taku Kishimoto (Usagi Drop). Jun Nakai (Mardock Scramble) is handling both character designs and animation. Seiyuu include Ryohei Kimura (Kaoru in Kids on the Slope) and Marie Miyake (Ringo in Penguindrum).
Staff: Tomohiko Ito (Director), Hiromu Arakawa (Original Creator), Taku Kishimoto (Scripts), Jun Nakai (Character Designer/Chief Animation Director)
Voice Actors: Marie Miyake (Aki Mikage), Ryohei Kimura (Yugo Hachiken), Ayahi Takagaki (Tamako Inada), Katsuyuki Konishi (Shingo Hachiken), Kengo Takanashi (Hajie Nishikawa)
Studio: A-1 Pictures
