By: Danielle Judka
It seems like this is the year of “Mecha and Magic Stuff”. While I personally don’t mind seeing these types of titles around, it seems like so much is going to happen that I’m going to get lost in the mix or perhaps even have to put some shows on the backburner. There are lots of potentially excellent choices for you to pick from, so here’s a small list of what to look out for!
Space Dandy – January 4, 2014
The return of Shinichiro Watanabe, to save anime and all that we know is good in the world, brings us Space Dandy! This show has such immense hype that it is getting a global simulcast, starting in America on Toonami of all things. The show follows the “dandiest man in space,” appropriately named Dandy, and while the content of the show is still shrouded in mystery, it will be focusing on his adventures through space with his robot. The voice cast is stellar, BONES will be animating it, and under the guidance of Watanabe, this show will be a contender for being one of the best of the year…I hope.
Action, Space, Adventure, Comedy
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha – January 16, 2014
I absolutely love the manga, and to see it adapted into an anime makes me even happier. The only thing I’ve seen Production IMS do was “Fantasista Doll”, which looked very good (though I can’t say much about the content of the show since I never really got around to finishing it). For anyone who’s seen “Kamisama Kiss”, it has a similar feel, with the protagonist becoming an important figure in the lives of fox gods. However, instead of the main character falling in love with the fox gods, she instead uses the powers granted to her to try and help the lives of her friends, score a bit in her romantic life, and try to stop herself from creating nonsense from her clumsy ways. It’s a cute series with comedic elements that you’ll smile and laugh at. All the characters have a bit of depth to them, and while the cast is not exactly big, it certainly is just enough to keep you well aware of plot details.
Comedy, School Life, Romance, Supernatural
Nobunaga the Fool – January 6, 2014
We got Nobunaga Oda, Leonardo Da Vinci, Jeanne d’Arc, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Magellan all together in one show – what’s not to expect? Mecha, that’s for sure. I had such high hopes for this show, and I still do. When the PV came out and I saw that the show had a mecha focus, I thought, this show is either going to be up there in terms of greatness or lose lots of potential by being just a tad too crazy. The production company Statelight works on titles such as “Fairy Tail,” “Hellsing Ultimate,” “Macross Frontier,” and “Log Horizon,” so I’m not worried that they can’t animate action. It’s a matter of whether they can successfully execute the content. While there’s no source material for the show, I am hoping they keep to the whole “East vs. West” idea and stick to it. This voice cast also makes my mouth water. The show will focus on the female lead, Jeanne Kaguya d’Arc (oh goodness, is this going to get weird quick), who sees visions of the future and accompanies Leonard Da Vinci to find Nobunaga Oda and put an end to all the battling. While the premise is bizarre, and the plethora of historical characters are apparent, this will hopefully be a show with an enjoyable ride.
Action, Mecha, History, Magic, Supernatural
Noragami – January 6, 2014
BONES never really fails me in visuals, but I have a love/hate relationship with their content. I’m really hoping this isn’t one of those. This is another show about magic-wielding kids at a school, with the protagonist being an outcast and wishing for her life to get better. While the premise is extremely boring, the PV really left me itching for more. The action is superb from what I saw, and BONES never misses the mark when it comes to animating action. I was tempted to read the source manga, but seeing as this is in the hands of a studio I like, I’m going to give them a shot to see how good the series actually is.
School Life, Action, Magic
image sources: http://www.entravity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/winter-2014-anime.jpg
