2014 Spring Anime Season Preview Picks
Welcome back to my season preview picks! I’m here yet again to select five shows from this new Spring season; if you want to check out the full list of new anime this season, check out genkinahito’s season preview articles.
Not a lot of shows are carrying on from the Winter, only Nobunaga The Fool and Nisekoi continue into this season, so I’ve had a bunch of new anime to pick from and here is my list.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
My obligatory sequel pick is none other than the popular third chapter of the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure story, Stardust Crusaders, which was where Jojo really became popular with the introduction of Stands and spawned many popular phrases and moments.
While no one in the west has ever streamed the first Jojo anime season, most likely due to copyright issues with some characters having names named after bands and the ending theme being ‘Yes – Roundabout’, Stardust Crusaders has the best chance of getting an actual UK stream and I certainly hope it does.
While this is a sequel, Jojo: Stardust Crusaders is one of those rare exceptions that can be watched without knowledge of the prequel.
I can’t wait to hear those ORAs and MUDAs when the anime starts on April 4th.
Ping Pong The Animation
The noitaminA block has had a pretty good recovery thanks to shows like Silver Spoon and Samurai Flamenco, and while I think Ryugajo Nanana no Maizokin looks extremely generic, the other looks like the complete opposite.
Ping Pong stands out due to director Masaaki Yuasa and key animator Eun-Young Choi’s animation style; both also worked on Tatami Galaxy and Kickheart, so some should know what to expect with this.
I will be interested to see how the show approaches the subject of the sport or whether it will balance that with some character building; whatever the case, this is another must watch on my end.
Knights of Sidonia
Two mecha recommendations coming up, the first one being the manga to anime adaptation of Knights of Sidonia.
If you have watched the promotional video for this then you will notice that the show is all CGI, which is a little worrying, but I’ve heard great things about the manga that has had plenty of English releases.
Knights Of Sidonia will also be streamed on Netflix UK in the summer once the broadcast is finished, along with a dub, so if that takes your interest, then you could wait or just enjoy the weekly viewing which I hope is picked up by Crunchyroll or Wakanim.
Captain Earth
Studio Bones come in after making some strong winter anime shows in the form of Space Dandy and Noragam;, now they are bringing back the Star Driver staff to make Captain Earth.
This is an original anime series and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of Star Driver, some
would have the opposite view but I’m expecting some great animation yet again, although Captain Earth looks less flamboyant.
So I’m expecting good things from Captain Earth and it’s another mecha show that I think is worth checking out.
Mekaku City Actors
This comes from a Vocaloid song series known as Kagerou Project, although Studio SHAFT have renamed this anime project Mekaku City Actors.
If you have been reading my season previews, you should know that I’m a fan of the animation studio and while Nisekoi hasn’t been the most original show ever from them, this one looks a bit more promising.
Again with Aniplex joining SHAFT again, I’m hoping for some amazing visual moments from this show at least. My only worry is that the show is only 11 episodes long, however, it’s one show to look out for and my wildcard for the season!
Before I end this article, I would also recommend Mushishi S2 to anyone who has watched the first season. While I haven’t watched it, anyone who enjoyed Season 1 should at least check this one out.
Thanks for reading, what anime this season are you all looking forward to?
