Well. I would say that it’s been a while since I’ve directly covered seasonal anime…but it really hasn’t. After making three videos about anime from 2015, which took up a lot of time and barely seemed to express my thoughts on any of the anime I was listing, I nearly vowed to never make content about seasonal anime again. Yet here I am, writing about Spring 2016’s season of anime. Why, you may ask? To put it simply, this season actually seems to be pretty fantastic. While I haven’t seen everything, many interesting shows have emerged, either as surprises or as expected, and everyone’s been talking about it. Why not hop on the bandwagon and share some of my thoughts, then? Let’s get started.
Space Patrol Luluco
Episodes Seen: 2
This show is probably the most adorable, zany, and charming show this season. While it is a short, and there isn’t a lot in terms of story and character to talk about so far, the world and scenarios are wacky and very entertaining. It reminds me of the more comedic scenes from Kare Kano or Kill la Kill, except that the over-the-top comedy is the entire anime. If those were your least favorite parts of those respective shows, you’re probably not going to like this one very much. However, if you’re in need of something that’s cute, funny, easily digestible, and feels very much like a Trigger-Gainax show, this is one to check out.
Rating: Will continue for now
My Hero Academia
Episodes Seen: 1
THE HYPE IS REAL! YEEEEES!
Okay, I won’t be like most of the people who are hyping it up for the sake of hyping it up. With that said, I was extremely satisfied with the first episode of My Hero Academia, and not just because it’s an extremely accurate adaptation of one of my favorite manga. Well, that is part of the reason, but more because BONES just captured what I love about this story: the genuine feeling of effort and care the creators have for it. It’s hard to describe what exactly gives me that feeling without spoiling everything, but this is probably the best popcorn material one can find in anime, as it has one of the best combinations of cheesy one-liners and genuine character emotions that I’ve seen.
The characters aren’t the most unique, but that’s not a problem when their personalities are well-developed, and they are. Each has their own reasons for acting the way they do, which is more than I can say for other shows that forget about character motivation entirely. The animation is great, and even though they probably won’t appeal to everyone, the character designs are unique and really make the show stand out among its peers. The story hasn’t gotten to the better parts yet – we are at only episode two after all – but the first episode was definitely a solid introduction. If you don’t like anime like this, My Hero Academia probably won’t change your mind, but as someone who does, this is a real treat.
Rating: Will watch until the end
Mayoiga (The Lost Village)
Episodes Seen: 2
I haven’t watched any of the “actual” comedies of the season yet, but unless they’re truly hilarious, Mayogia automatically wins comedy of the year from me. The genuine level of terrible writing, awkward dialogue, strange and unrealistic characters, and out-of-place music is honestly baffling to me. Nothing about this show makes any sense, and it’s to the point where I’m wondering if it’s intentionally bad or completely ignorant of its blatant issues. It's open to both interpretations, since you can always make the argument that no one is stupid enough to mess up a piece of entertainment this badly, but just remember: Birdemic, The Room, and Mars of Destruction exist. Either way, I’m having an absolute blast watching this terrible/secretly brilliant show, and laughing all the way.
Rating: Will continue for now
The Asterisk War: Season 2
Episodes Seen: 2
Speaking of terrible shows, here’s the sequel to my least favorite show of 2015, The Asterisk War! Or…a mildly improved version of it? Before all of you immediately unsubscribe/unfollow/unfriend/block me for merely suggesting that I may somewhat like a show that I and everyone else previously deemed horrible, I would like to point out that I still don’t like this show very much. The characters are all hollow shells, the world doesn’t make any sense, the sound mixing and design sounds off, and it seems to follow every anime cliché in the book. In other words, this anime still represents all the aspects I hate about modern anime. However, this season of The Asterisk War actually isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be – if anything, there are actually a few elements I like.
For one, the directing and cinematography have taken a step up. The first season was extraordinarily boring to look at, but this season is trying out some new visual cues, like how you can actually tell what’s happening during the fight scenes! Speaking of, the animation has improved from the first season as well. The color pallet is still awful, but the movement of the characters is less clunky, and some scenes have some great lighting. Finally, and most importantly, the story actually decided to focus on its only remotely interesting aspect: Ayato’s missing sister. I particularly like the scene where Ayato learns that his all-powerful sister lost to someone. His genuine looks of shock and dismay display something this show has sorely missed: tension.
Overall, while I still don’t like this show, I’d be remiss to completely bash it, because it’s finally starting to develop some interesting elements. It doesn’t stop the characters from being any less terrible or generic, but it’s a step forward. Besides, it’s still fun to make fun of the bad parts, which are still alive and kicking, and that’s what matters.
Rating: Will continue for now
Bungo Stray Dogs
Episodes Seen: 1 (watched twice)
You know, I didn’t think I’d find something this season that I’d like more than My Hero Academia. That was the show I was most excited for, and it delivered all I could’ve wanted. And while there are other shows this season that look great, like Joker Game (which I’m saving to marathon), Sakamoto (again, marathon), and Jojo Part 4 (marathon), I still didn’t think anything would top it (well, maybe Jojo, but you get the idea).
Then Bungo Stray Dogs decided to surprise the heck out of me.
I’m going to say upfront that this show could go either way for me. It could be another amazing experience like Kekkai Sensen (a show that’s very similar to this one), or it could fall off an amazingly steep cliff because it forgets to have a point/keep up the intrigue. I’d also like to point out how there may be some complaints about accuracy– most of the characters are based off of Japanese literary figures, and I’ve heard that Bungo does not portray them accurately – but it personally didn’t bother me that much. Despite all that, as of right now, Bungo Stray Dogs is my favorite anime this season, and its first episode was the most enjoyable episode of anime I’ve seen in a very, very long time.
To give you an idea, it made me laugh harder than Mayoiga, the characters are all interesting and solidly characterized, and the story leaves a lot open for the animators and writers to explore different supernatural ideas through words and visuals (which is something I’m always up for). On top of that, the opening and ending songs are amazing, the animation is fantastic, the music is perfect (thank you based Taku Iwasaki), and the voice acting was top-notch. I can’t say that it’s very deep or thought provoking (yet), but this is a show that could prove itself later down the line with its combination of strange humor, potential for creativity, and solid foundation.
Rating: Will watch until the end
Well, that’s all from me. Are there any spring shows that I am sorely missing out on? What’s your favorite spring show so far? Leave you reply in the comments and I’ll see you guys next time!
