Summer 2013 Anime Lineup

[Sugami]

Here ya go http://anichart.net/summer

Bit late so I'll only highlight a couple of new anime that have particularly taken my interest. They're already dubbing this the loli season there's also a lot of highly anticipated sequels.

Danganronpa - If UTW pick it up you know it's going to be a class anime. If it weren't for the pink blood this anime would be perfect Think of it like a cross between Battle Royale and Phoenix Wright, the premise is all these "super duper" elite students of one discipline/characteristic are gathered and trapped inside of a school. The only way for them to get out is to kill someone else, but wait, there's more! They have to survive a certain period of time without being found out as the murderer, if they are then they're killed, if not then the rest are killed and they can leave. The main character is an ordinary boy who's been given the title of the "super duper luckster" though I guess that's already out the window considering the situation he falls in

Gatchaman Crowds - This is kinda like a somewhat odd superhero/superpower anime of sorts. It may seem a bit dull in places but I find the concept and execution pretty interesting.

Blood Lad - Or burudo radu I consider to be the spiritual success of Maou-sama, not quite as good in both premise and comedy but it's not far off. A human girl finds herself somehow lost in the demon world, a demon boss (vampire) then gets attached to her but "lets" her get eaten and she turns into a ghost They're then trying to find a way of turning her back into a human.

Stella Jogakuin Koutou-ka C³-bu - AKA Girls und Guns oh wait, we already had that it was Upotte! It's about an airsoft club at high school and the six members, one of whom is a shy girl who recently joined, just ended up stumbling into the club essentially. It has some nice airsoft action, some funnies and a little bit of feels hence I compared it to Girls und Panzer

Kiniro Mosaic - Lots of Engrish to be had Fun slice of life anime where a Japanese school girl has a home stay in England (I live there!) then a bit later the girl she stayed with comes to stay with her in Japan. Probably the feel good anime of the season

I'll also point out Brothers Conflict as the Shoujo-anime of the season, girl's dad/mum married into a family gaining 11 brothers, you can guess the rest. Also talking squirrel only she can understand The other Shoujo-anime of the season seem very BL so no thanks

There's plenty of new comedies out, none that really stand out above the others. Other than the ones already mentioned ones I enjoy are Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyou (Dog & Scissors), Servant x Service, Kitakubu Katsudou Kiroku (spiritual successor to Seitokai Yakuindomo), Love Lab, Watamote! and Gin no Saji (Silver Spoon). Actually scratch that I think Kitakubu is probably the funniest new anime of the season

[Sugami]

Seriously watch Danganronpa, I can't stress this enough. I did a bit of research and found out it's based on a PSP game. The art style is unique and it's so stylistic in places and at the same time can be cringe-worthy even with the pink "paintball" blood. Best way to describe it is f-ed up Phoenix Wright set in a school

Shirai, if there's only one anime you're going to watch this season this should be it

[Shirai]

I will once I get home,

Currently enjoying a vacation in Japan.

4 distilleries visited 3 more to go, and then 2 weeks of more vacation in Osaka!

And no, I won be watching any Anime here.

[Sugami]

You won't be watching anime in Japan? That's like going to Cadbury's World and not eating any chocolate

Can't you just go back to your hotel and turn the TV on?

[Shirai]

Most anime runs on Digital television, so no tv anime for me.
I wasn't truthful on the whole no anime though, I went to the premiere of the new Ghibli.
Pretty good movie by the way.

Whisky trail on day 4 of 6, destination Chichibu for Ichiro's distillery now.
Tomorrow morning a distillery in Kyoto and then move on to the Osaka hotel for 2 weeks.

[Asphe]

Plus all the good anime is after midnight. TV in Japan... it's like the 70s in the US. Thank goodness for 'cable'... no wait.. don't have that. Oh well, I'll download it all later, after I've had my FF14 for the day.

[Sugami]

After midnight? What's with all the ridiculous censorship then?

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

After midnight? What's with all the ridiculous censorship then?

The Japanese ask that too.

[Asphe]

I know rite? This, from the country that produces 'Tengirls' (do yourself a favour, don't look it up).

See, in Japan, prostitution (of all forms) is illegal. But... get the picture?

[Sugami]

I looked up tengirls...

[Shirai]

I looked up tengirls...

Look at what you did Asphe, you shocked Sug into a full stupor...
Will you take full responsibility?

[Mystiana]

I'm beginning to wonder if Shirai will actually remember the trip to Japan, or if it'll all be a happy drunken blur.

[Krissy]

I vote the latter.

[Alya Mizar (Tsybil)]

Don't just vote. Buy Shirai a drink.

[Shirai]

Whisky trail's been over for a few days cats, not saying I'm not drinking at all anymore but I am quite sober.

And even when I drink so much that I faint, my brain seems to remember everything anyway...

[Mystiana]

I would be quite happy forgetting the part where my head hit the floor, myself.

[Shirai]

Yep, I would like that as well.
It's one of the things that prevents me from drinking myself into a complete daze...

"Hey G. you.." "Yes, I know... Now turn down the sun!"

On-topic.
Grabbed myself one of this summerś Blu Ray releases last night.

[Asphe]

GITS: Arise is actually good.

Look for Uchouten Kazoku, it might seem weak but it can grow on you (and it's from PA Works). Besides, it's past the middle of the year and I'm officially over-moed.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi has more than enough of that moe stuff anymeow.

[Sugami]

GITS: Arise is actually good.

You sound surprised I prefer the SAC art style but I did really like vol.1 and true to GitS it's pretty hard to follow even when they're explaining it to you

Uchouten Kazoku I gave up on, can't even remember what it was. Not the weird god running around as a girl, was it? Found it a bit dull.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi didn't interest me enough to stick with, if I didn't have work getting in the way of anime watching I'd probably watch more of it but I don't have time for it currently. The only Kamisama you need to watch this season is The World God Only Knows

[Shirai]

GITS: Arise is actually good.

I'll have to wait for another 13 days before I can go and watch it.
I'll be in Japan until August 11 and then it'll be about 16 hours on airplanes, trains and trams until I am back home, where my loyal Blu Ray player is.

[Asphe]

GITS: Arise is actually good.

You sound surprised I prefer the SAC art style but I did really like vol.1 and true to GitS it's pretty hard to follow even when they're explaining it to you

Naah, not so much surprised as disappointed it wasn't a full-blown series.

Uchouten Kazoku I gave up on, can't even remember what it was. Not the weird god running around as a girl, was it? Found it a bit dull.

Yeah, it's not going to a 'K-On'. You kinda have to know the culture/backstory/etc. Think on how different western style ghost-stories are, compared to japanese/korean/chinese ones. Kazoku is a bit like the Addams Family / Japanese style.

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi didn't interest me enough to stick with, if I didn't have work getting in the way of anime watching I'd probably watch more of it but I don't have time for it currently. The only Kamisama you need to watch this season is The World God Only Knows

Well, not to sound sexist or whatever... but you are 'God is not here on Sunday' is what I translate the title as. It's somewhat derivative... but everything feels that way to me now.

Remember how I used to grade anime into 'Will watch again', 'Might watch again', 'Watched once' and 'Never watch again'. Or A, B, C and D as I call it. I'd put 'Sunday has no God' as a C. So far, the only A this season is 'Attack on Titan', the rest being solid Bs. Well, you never know. I go through my 'lists' of 'stuff' and I sometimes downgrade some As and upgrade some Bs.

[Sugami]

Yeah bit disappointed GitS Arise isn't a TV series but I guess they can get away with more with an OAV series.

Saying I'm sexist for liking The World God Only Knows? It's an awesome anime and not just about trying to "conquer" girls He spends most of his time getting beat up by them anyways, the demons and goddesses have big roles to play as well.

To be fair Attack on Titan is a carry over from the last season. Danganronpa is definitely an A, Gatchaman Crowds I'd give A as well. Stella A due to girls playing air soft Lots of good comedies this season too.

[Shirai]

Even though I am a Crunchyroll mod now, I am a tad behind on newer anime titles.

GitS is one that has childhood sentiment for me, so I follow everything GitS basically.
The same goes for Berserk.

Anything else, I am going to have to go by you guys.

@Asphe,

Anything aside from Den Den Town, Tennoji, the plethora of Book-Offs and the Mandarake I should visit in Osaka as Otaku?
(I have a railpass, so anything by (JR) train will do too.)

The following weekend though, I'll be here:

(The right one is for me)

[Asphe]

Yeah bit disappointed GitS Arise isn't a TV series but I guess they can get away with more with an OAV series.

Saying I'm sexist for liking The World God Only Knows? It's an awesome anime and not just about trying to "conquer" girls He spends most of his time getting beat up by them anyways, the demons and goddesses have big roles to play as well.

To be fair Attack on Titan is a carry over from the last season. Danganronpa is definitely an A, Gatchaman Crowds I'd give A as well. Stella A due to girls playing air soft Lots of good comedies this season too.

Fan of 'The World God Only Knows?'... why you are no better than a High School DxD follower! You must atone for your sinful nature by watching Aku no Hana... twice and every episode of Free!

Yeah, Stella A... I don't think it's as good as Girls und Panzer but still...

Even though I am a Crunchyroll mod now, I am a tad behind on newer anime titles.

GitS is one that has childhood sentiment for me, so I follow everything GitS basically.
The same goes for Berserk.

Anything else, I am going to have to go by you guys.

@Asphe,

Anything aside from Den Den Town, Tennoji, the plethora of Book-Offs and the Mandarake I should visit in Osaka as Otaku?
(I have a railpass, so anything by (JR) train will do too.)

The following weekend though, I'll be here:

(The right one is for me)

Aren't you just going to follow the locals around? I'm not saying that you'll be following cosplayers trying to get up-skirt shorts (but I'm implying it )

Anyway, it's a big place. Although seemingly 3/4 of the people disappear at night only to return from the suburbs in the morning.

American Village aka 'Ame-Mura'... just to see how weird things are lol.

... and lots of shopping centres... oddly enough, I don't really shop. Most of the stuff I buy is via online except for underwear/swimwear but if you're at the cosplay thing, just follow others around I guess. Others are surely in the same boat.

When I first came to Osaka... I went to 'Ame-Mura' and... Universal Studios. Lol? Else... Dotonbori? I could give you the names of places... except I don't know those. I just followed people around... so nowadays, I go here, turn left there... walk half a klick and so on.

PS Now that you mentioned JR.... maybe you should try 'Doyoma', it's near JR Osaka / Umeda too. It's a bit like Austin Texas.. i.e. party town. Well if San Fran was a party town.

[Shirai]

I was at Dotonbori two days ago, nighttime is excellent for taking pictures there.
And the Okonomiyaki place is pretty good. (Not Tsuruhashi Fugetsu)

I'll keep Ame-Mura in mind, haven't been there yet.
I think I have seen most of Osaka by now though, Namba, Abenobashi, Dotonbori, Den Den Town, the harbor district with Kaiyukan, been up the ATC, and even wandered around at the end of random metro lines.

I'm kind of running out of ideas and still have a week to spend here after the WCS.

Ah well, for now I'm enjoying Laputa on YTV. ^_^

[Sugami]

I don't watch Highschool DxD, I'll watch shoujo-anime but not that crappy BL stuff

[Asphe]

I was at Dotonbori two days ago, nighttime is excellent for taking pictures there.
And the Okonomiyaki place is pretty good. (Not Tsuruhashi Fugetsu)

I'll keep Ame-Mura in mind, haven't been there yet.
I think I have seen most of Osaka by now though, Namba, Abenobashi, Dotonbori, Den Den Town, the harbor district with Kaiyukan, been up the ATC, and even wandered around at the end of random metro lines.

I'm kind of running out of ideas and still have a week to spend here after the WCS.

Ah well, for now I'm enjoying Laputa on YTV. ^_^

Then take a train out of town Do it while the air is 'local' and not 'China Quality'. Go to the nothernmost part of Japan, see that marker that the guy in that anime went to when he was trying to find himself. Go to Okinawa wearing a T-Short (not a misspelling) captained "I'm a US marine!" Locally, there's that place that rents out rooms based on your weight...

YTV ehh? Be sure to count the number of channels... when you get home you can gob-smack those who think Japan is all that.

I don't watch Highschool DxD, I'll watch shoujo-anime but not that crappy BL stuff

DxD is definitely not yaoi or BL or anything remotely appealing to fujoshi , it's like that Samurai Ryokkan or the usual harem anime, about as close as you can get to hentai without being it.

There is another 'Highschool Boys' anime though. That one I liked, 'Daily Lives of Highschool Boys'. The DxD is not this. Even though I like the VAs in DxD... I couldn't watch more than the pilot episodes.

[Sugami]

Yeah I was referring to Free! and the other one about the BL Highschool DxD looks pretty dodgy, had already been running a bit when I found out about it so didn't bother with it.

I've given up on season 2 of Hakkenden, one of the more interesting shoujo-anime but I sadly don't have the time for it.

[Shirai]

Then take a train out of town Do it while the air is 'local' and not 'China Quality'.

Yep, having a resting day today because WCS wrecked me over the weekend but need to get myself a second suitcase so I can bring back the stuff I bought here.
Tomorrow I'm going to make a trip to a ryokan with a couple of friends and stay there overnight.

Then when I get back to Osaka I'm going to have to start packing, I leave on the 11th but I have to make another trip to Tokyo on the 9th for the A-nation Island Anison generation concert in Harajuku.
And the 10th I'm either climbing the Sky tree or if it's cloudy I'll go to Comiket and make some pictures of the Gundam at Daiba.

Go to the nothernmost part of Japan, see that marker that the guy in that anime went to when he was trying to find himself.

Hokaido is still on the planning, but for another time, but when I go there I have friends I can stay at so that will be an entirely different vacation altogether.

Go to Okinawa wearing a T-Short (not a misspelling) captained "I'm a US marine!"

Been there, in August 2009, I melted... aside from that they appreciated my T-shirt saying that I am a Dutch person a lot better.
As in, most locals gave me "The eye" until they read what was on my T-shirt.

And aside from the Yonabaru Tug of War matsuri I found Okinawa quite boring to be fair...

Locally, there's that place that rents out rooms based on your weight...

What would they charge for a guy that weighs about 100KG?

YTV ehh? Be sure to count the number of channels... when you get home you can gob-smack those who think Japan is all that.

You mean those 5 standard channels I have at the hotel here?
I was glad to sometimes see the Hanshin Tigers play (and lose ), to see Laputa was a real big surprise but the commercials every 5 minutes kind of ruined it...
Sure there's a decoder box as well, but the only thing the catalogue has is porn, porn and even more porn, all scrambled by blocks of lego too.

Considering that though, I have over 110 channels at home and usually there's crap on all of those as well. But it came with the package so I can't complain.

[Mystiana]

The only thing I use my TV for is sports, games, and netflix/movies. I don't even know why I have over 800 channels, but that was the cheapest package I could get.