Thursday, March 29, 2018

Spring 2018 Anime Watchlist

My Hero Academia Season 3
Third Season of My Hero Academia.


Studio: Bones (Creator of Fullmetal Alchemist: BrotherhoodNoragamiMob Psycho 100Bungou Stray DogsSoul EaterCowboy Bebop, etc.)
Genre: Shounen, School, Superpower, Comedy, Action
Preview


Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple

Power users around the world are suddenly committing suicide one after another, in all cases after a strange fog appears at the scene. At a request from Ango Sakaguchi, the Armed Detective Agency head out to investigate Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, a power user who calls himself "collector", and a man suspected of being tied to the incident.

Studio: Bones (Creator of Fullmetal Alchemist: BrotherhoodMy Hero AcademiaNoragamiMob Psycho 100Soul EaterCowboy Bebop, etc.)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Supernatural, Mystery
Preview


Caligula

Mobius is a perfect digital world for the imagined benefit of humanity by μ, a virtual idol program that attained sentience and self-awareness. Only humans who are suffering in the real world and strongly relate to μ's songs are lured into Mobius.
Once they enter, people often forget that the real world exists. Regardless of age or gender, they are turned into students and forced to experience school life over and over, which μ considers "the most radiant time in a person's life."

Studio: Satelight (Creator of Hellsing Ultimate)
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Preview


Dorei-Ku the Animation

What if you could enslave anyone you ever wanted? Well, this comes close. The SCM lets you enslave anyone who is also wearing an SCM, at a price. One must win over the other, at the cost of anything, in order for the other to become their slave.

Studio: TNK (High School DxD), Zero-G (Tsugumomo, Dive!!)

Genre: Psychological, Drama
Preview


Gegege no Kitarou (2018)
(Kitarou of the Graveyard)

A remake of a well-received anime whose fans entailed from children to adults in Japan. For those who are unfamiliar with the series, Gegege no Kitaro is known to be the trigger of the supernatural folklore boom in Japan. It’s originally a manga created by Mizuki Shigeru who sadly passed away in 2015.

Studio: Toei Animation (Creator of One Piece, Dragon Ball)

Genre: Comedy, Demons, Shounen, Supernatural


Golden Kamuy

From the new up-in-coming Geno Studio (Kokokku) comes Golden Kamuy. In Hokkaido, the far northern lands of Japan, Sugimoto survived the Russo-Japanese war of the Meiji era. Nicknamed "Sugimoto the Immortal" during the war, he now seeks the riches promised by the gold rush in hopes of saving the widowed wife of his now deceased comrade from the war. During his hunt of gold, he finds hints of a hidden stash of gold by corrupt criminals. Partnering with an Ainu girl that saves his life from the harsh climates of the north, they venture into a survival adventure to race against the criminals that seek the hidden stash.

Studio: Geno Studio (Creator of Kokkoku, Genocidal Organ)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Historical, Seinen


Hinamatsuri
(Doll's Day)

This one I'm super excited for. One night, a strange object falls on the head of Nitta, a member of the yakuza. Inside the box is a strange young girl named Hina. She has tremendous supernatural powers, and Nitta finds himself reluctantly taking her in. Her powers can come in handy for his yakuza business, but he also runs the risk of her using them on him! Not to mention, if she doesn't use her powers, she will eventually go berserk and destroy everything around her. Nitta and Hina's strange life together is just beginning.

Studio: feel. (Creator of Tsukigakirei)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Slice of Life, Comedy, Supernatural, Seinen


Hisone to Maso-tan
(Hisone and Maso-tan)

Straightforward and innocent Hisone Amakasu is a Self-Defense Force rookie stationed at the Air Self-Defense Force's Gifu Base. She was struggling with the fact that she sometimes hurts people unintentionally by her innocent words and decided to join the Air Self-Defense Force, hoping to maintain a certain distance from people. This decision led her to a fateful encounter which profoundly changed her life. It was the "OTF" dragon hidden in the base and it chose Hisone as his pilot. When it soared into the sky with Hisone, her fate as a dragon pilot was decided. It is said that dragons have a key to the future of the world.

Studio: Bones (Creator of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, My Hero Academia, Noragami, Mob Psycho 100, Bungou Stray Dogs, Soul Eater, Cowboy Bebop, etc.)
Genre: Military, Fantasy


Legend of Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis - Encounter

In humanity's distant future, two interstellar states—the monarchic Galactic Empire and the democratic Free Planets Alliance—are embroiled in a never-ending war. The story focuses on the exploits of rivals Reinhard von Müsel and Yang Wen Li as they rise to power and fame in the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance.

Studio: Production I.G (Creators of Psycho-Pass)
Genre: Action, Military, Sci-Fi, Space, Drama


Liz to Aoi Tori
(Liz and the Bluebird)

The movie is based on one of the novels from Ayano Takeda’s series Sound! Euphonium. We follow two girls, Mizore and Nozomi, and the fleeting yet beautiful moments they have. For now, the movie introduces us to its key visual, preview stills and some details about the movie in general.

Studio: Kyoto Animation (Creators of Clannad)
Genre: Music, Drama, School


Mahou Shoujo Ore
(Magical Girl Ore)

This story is about a 15-year-old girl who is a newbie idol in love with her best friend's brother who is also a popular idol. But she runs into a scary yakuza guy and finds out that her mother was an ex-magical girl, and the yakuza guy was her mascot. Her love interest gets kidnapped by demons that look like burly men with cute squirrel heads. So she contracts the yakuza to become a magical girl, which in this story means she turns into a handsome guy in a magical girl outfit. On top of that, her love interest shows an attraction toward her magical guy form. Her best friend turns out to be in love with her and also becomes a magical cross-dressing guy to save her life.
Thus, their manager, who is a magical girl geek, then decides to turn them into an idol unit.

Studio: Pierrot Plus (Creators of Tokyo Ghoul:re)
Genre: Comedy, Magic, Fantasy


Mahou Shoujo Site
(Magical Girl Site)

Aya Asagiri is a middle school girl who has problems both at school with bullying and at home from physical abuse by her brother. While browsing online, a website pops up on her computer featuring a creepy looking person. This person appears to take pity on her, and announces that she has granted Asagiri magical powers.

Studio: production doA
Genre: Drama, Horror, Psychological, Supernatural


Persona 5 the Animation

Ren Amamiya is about to enter his second year after transferring to Shujin Academy in Tokyo. Following a particular incident, his Persona awakens, and together with his friends they form the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts” to reform hearts of corrupt adults by stealing the source of their distorted desires.
Meanwhile, bizarre and inexplicable crimes have been popping up one after another…Living an ordinary high school life in Tokyo during the day, the group maneuvers the metropolitan city as Phantom Thieves after hours.Let the curtain rise for this grand, picaresque story!

Studio: A-1 Pictures (Creators of Sword Art Online and Blue Exorcist)
Genre: Action, Supernatural, Fantasy


Piano no Mori (TV)
(Piano Forest)

A tranquil tale about two boys from very different upbringings. On one hand you have Kai, born as the son of a prostitute, who's been playing the abandoned piano in the forest near his home ever since he was young. And on the other you have Syuhei, practically breast-fed by the piano as the son of a family of prestigious pianists. Yet it is their common bond with the piano that eventually intertwines their paths in life.

Studio: Fukushima Gainax
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Music, School, Seinen


Saredo Tsumibito wa Ryuu to Odoru
(Dances with the Dragons)

The series takes place in an alternate world, staged mostly in the city of Eridana, whose territory is half in the Tseberun Dragon Empire, and half in the Lapetodes Seven Cities Alliance. Each half is separated by the Orielal River. In this world, special abilities called spell formulas (咒式, jushiki) exist, which are essentially chemical reactions augmented through special weapons that cause a magic spell-like effect. These special weapons are called Magic Staff weapons, and are as varied as regular weapons are. Spell formulists use these spell formulas to fight with "Beasts of Abhorrent Form," natural creatures that use spell formulas and pose a threat to humans, such as Dragons, Aions, or Enormes. The story focuses on the two main characters, Gaius Sorel and Gigina Ashley-Bufh, the only two employees of spell formulist dispatch office Ashley-Bufh & Sorel Co. They are met with a variety of requests from a variety of clients, all requiring the adept use of spell formulas.

Studio: Seven Arcs Pictures (Creators of Basilisk: Ouka Ninpouchou)
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi


Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou
(Let's Decorate the Promised Flowers in the Farewell Morning)

The story begins with Maquia, who is from a family where all the members stop aging in their mid teens. She has no parents and, although her days are peaceful, she feels lonely. Their peace is shattered when an army invades, seeking the secret to her people's immortality. Leilia, the most beautiful girl in her clan, is taken away, and the boy Maquia has secret feelings for disappears. Maquia is able to escape, but she loses her friends and her home. Wandering alone in the forest, she finds Erial, a baby boy who has lost his parents. The story follows the changing relationship between the two as Erial grows up and Maquia does not.

Studio: P.A. Works (Creators of Angel Beats!)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Top 5 Anime of Winter 2018 Season

#5 Darling in the FranXX


Trigger and A-1 Pictures colab to bring you this mecha powerhouse. If you're more privy to the Shounen genre then this is the show for you this season. Although technically it isn't finished airing yet, it could've placed higher on the list. Think Sword Art Online meets Kill La Kill. I'm sure people will be chanting, "Zero Two best girl!" for the rest of the year, possibly Girl of the Year. Darling in the FranXX places at number five because I appreciate the humor and the effort, but so far it feels like a standard (ctrl+c, ctrl+v) mecha anime that I know I've seen somewhere before.

Animation: 8/10
Soundtrack: 6/10
Story: 2/10
Overall: 5/10






#4 Kokkoku 
(Moment by Moment)



Holy Hell, I should have put Kokkoku at number one for it's OP - and that's it! Geno Studio is new to the game, but I do have high hopes for them! It is no secret I have a time-control love fantasy. About any story to incorporate time-control will have me in awe. Kokkoku is about a family with the ability to freeze time and trying to keep it out of the hands of evil. I mean, what more could you want?
Check out the opening!

Animation: 5/10
Soundtrack: 10/10
Story: 7/10
Overall: 7/10







#3 Sora yori mo Tooi Basho
(A Place Further than the Universe)


If your go-to genre of anime is slice of life, then this Madhouse original will probably be your favorite of the season. Never convoluted. Never boring. Best of both worlds. It is just an adventure from start to finish, and the emotion is insane (if this doesn't make you cry, you probably aren't a human). It sounds boring, some teens want to go to Antarctica, but I dare you to jump on and just ride!

Animation: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 8/10






#2 Koi wa Ameagari no You ni
(Your Love is Like After the Rain)


This one is at number two because it was my favorite one personally. WIT studio (Attack on Titan) adapted this story beautifully and effortlessly. On the surface it's a silly story about a teen with a crush on her manager, but the layers and emotions of this show are truly compelling and make you dig deeper into yourself.

Animation: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Overall: 9/10




Trophies are for Losers Lo-Fi Download

Attempted to make a lofi track. Download here:  Trophies are for Losers