Update whaaaaat?!

I'm fairly certain you were expecting some sort of official DEAD SITE IS DEAD post, but as it turns out I've finally decided to make a post explaining what my plans are for getting the site back up into a semi-working order. Although this site is very much still dead in a way, I plan on getting back into writing again, these may be reviews, might just be short episodic reactions, or maybe the odd AMV here and there and anything I really feel like writing about.

In all honesty this pic perfectly describes the current situation. I've been telling myself I was going to bring back the site, and then after looking at all the broken lines of code that I didn't even write myself, I grumbled and got distracted. After finding out nearly ALL the images were broken links from our main image hosting site of choice, I managed to get in contact with Pearz who thankfully had a raw backup of everything. Image restoration was the first order of business and everything is back. As you can tell, the above navigation links don't work at all, and it turns out the code we used is totally outdated and it needs a complete overhaul. Right now the plan is to finish up editing images and re-upload them to find a better fit. Once that's done I might be changing more small things like fonts, buttons, and getting some new banners up.

Overall don't expect a complete overhaul of the code but I am hoping to dabble in some aspects of it to at least let me get some general posting without any breaking points.

Shortly after my last post here back in July 2014, I went over to Goboiano as a writer, did a crap ton of writing articles for the start-up company and even managed to fly out to their Launch party in New York city. I wrote for them for about 6 months for free with promise of pay, but come the new year all the writers were dropped without much notice and some internal issues. From there I started writing up some AMV articles for Tokyo Otaku Mode, which was a lot of fun because I was actually compensated for my work, but after a little while it turns out they weren't allowed to have any more AMV articles, so I decided to take a break and now I've decided to get back into causal writing here.

So ya, that' about it. you might see some updates every now and then and maybe even some actual content.



Hearthstone - First Time Getting Legend

Hello, long time no post.



Hearthstone is one of the few games I play casually these days, and I finally decided to get legend ranking this month. I've been close a few times, but I never committed enough games to get it. Theoretically, as long as you can get to rank 5 and maintain a win rate over 50% you can get it; the higher your win rate, the lower the number of games you have to grind to get there. I was lazy and didn't track my stats and matchups, so I can't provide that.

I think it took me about 5 days of playing several hours a day from rank 5 to get it. Here are the lists that I used:


I used the shaman list to get to about rank 3 and 3 stars and used the hunter list the rest of the way because hunter games were usually quicker. Credits for the hunter list goes to JAB and the shaman list goes to Khymera. Check those guys out if you want to. Neither decks cost an exorbitant amount of dust, so try them out if you want to.

As far as posting on anime, I feel that watching it mindlessly for fun is more enjoyable that watching for something to write about. The three that I'm enjoying this season are Shingeki no Bahamut Genesis, Fate/stay Night Unlimited Blade Works, and Amagi Brilliant Park. Check them out and have fun!

-Bern


Tokyo Ghoul First Impression: A Living Nightmare


Ghouls; a merciless species of monsters that devour humans while masking their identity as they walk among clueless citizens in broad daylight. There is but one aspect of the Ghouls that differentiate them from your average everyday person, their inability to consume anything other than human flesh.

Tokyo Ghoul is an ominous dark horror fantasy as we follow ordinary college student Ken Kaneki. Kaneki is introduced as a total bookworm, his personality is weak as he seems to only have a single friend who is the polar opposite of himself. Kaneki also seems to have lost both his parents and lives alone, which doesn't really build up much character or helps make Kaneki all that interesting. Thankfully Tokyo Ghoul looks to capitalize on taking advantage of Kaneki's loneliness as his nightmarish new lifestyle is further emphasized by his isolation, creating a broader appeal of fear as he has no one to turn to for help.


Kaneki and his friend don't seem to care all that much about the Ghoul problem, in fact it seems that people are doing their best to live their normal lives without living in fear of the unknown. However this ignorant bliss can only last for so long as these Ghouls continue to haunt Tokyo. One day Kaneki encounters one of these ghouls and survives, but at the cost of potentially loosing his humanity as he is thrown into a living nightmare.

Ghouls need only eat once every few months to survive, raising the possible idea of whether or not there is a chance of co-existence, but as always there seems to be a chain of command of various factions in the Ghoul society as well as strong individuals who compete over territory. Tokyo Ghoul promises a dark atmosphere with a wonderful trip into the realm of true nightmares.


The first episode appears to promise plenty of blood and gore and looks to tell a story of a dark downward spiral that questions one's sense of being human. The pacing is packed with interesting events that concludes the introduction and gets set to reveal some psychological and action heavy encounters in the coming episodes.

~Djr7


Mekaku City Actors Review 7/10


Mekaku City Actors does an exceptional job of introducing a wide range of likable characters that weave an interesting and unique story that is sure to grip your attention as mysteries unfold. A key aspect of the show is how it will excite your visual senses among the bright vibrant colours and background settings.

Mekaku City Actors is an offbeat story about a complex timeline of supernatural events that brings the lives of 10 characters hosting a bizarre range of abilities together. You might be familiar with the Kagerou Project, a series of popular vocaloid music story tracks created by 23 year old Jin (Shizen no Teki-P), who has additionally spawned 4 light novels, and a manga adaption of his work. Mekaku City Actors is also animated by Shaft, which is a huge selling point as the studio is very well known for their wonderful art in producing the Monogatari series and several other highly regarded works.

Here is a list of the main characters who become part of the Blindfold Gang in Mekaku City Actors, they are also the main reason to watch the show since the plot is a bit convoluted towards the end in a rushed manner.




Member Number 07. The shut-in Shintaro

Shintaro is a genius with social issues who refuses to leave his room, until one day where a cyber girl called Ene appears on his computer screen and bothers him to no end. Shintaro has a special connection to a girl called Ayano and her past. Shintaro becomes involved with the Blindfold Gang as various individuals with red eyes and special powers start to gather, overturning his quiet lifestyle.













Number 00: The big sister Ayano

Introduced as a mysterious person with a red scarf, Ayano slowly comes into play as an important character connected to the events surrounding the current Blindfold Gang. Ayano has a special connection to Shintaro's past.










Member Number 06. The cyber girl Ene

Ene suddenly appeared on Shintaro's computer screen one day as a cute cyber girl with mischievous behaviour who loves playing pranks to mess with Shintaro. She can transfer between devices and is often trying to get Shintaro to leave his shut-in lifestyle as he refuses to leave his room. Ene is almost an exact copy of Nyaruko from Haiyori! Nyaruko-san in terms of her personality as well as voice actor.












Member Number 05. The idol Momo

Shintaro's sister, Momo is a popular idol who is always at the center of attention wherever she goes. Her energetic and upbeat behaviour stands out from everyone else as she has trouble trying to re-connect with her brother.















Member Number 01. The leader Kido

The Blindfold Gang's leader, Kido lives with Seto and Kano as a group learning to control their powers and recruit those who gain powers from having red eyes. Her ability allows her to completely hide her presence to those around her. She is often hiding her face and provides for some light comedy whenever Kano points out her inner personality.

















Member Number 02. The nice guy Seto

Seto is an average nice guy who gets a long with everyone. His ability allows him to see into the minds of others, but he would prefer not to use his powers as he finds it might destroy the need to communicate with his friends.















Member Number 03. The eccentric Kano


Kano is one of the most entertaining characters due to his outgoing and deceitful personality. He shoulders a burden of his past and has the ability to alter his appearance to those around him. Kano decided that Kido should be their leader for their Blindfold Gang.













Member Number 04. The princess Mary

Mary is a cheerful girl who is often very shy around strangers. She is the first member to join the Blindfold Gang thanks to Seto and has the ability to capture anyone who meets her gaze and paralyze them in place.














Number 08. The youth Hibiya

The youngest member of the gang who is always picking fights with Momo. Hibiya is introduced early on but doesn't get involved with the Blindfold Gang until the end where he has very little use.
















Number 09. The towering silent Konoha

There isn't much to say about Konoha, he is introduced towards the end of the show and appears as an emotionless husk containing vast physical strength. His ties with his past provide an interesting twist on his life before acquiring abilities, but he is essentially shafted at the end and only briefly explained as to who he really is.











If I had one word to describe Mekaku City Actors, it would be "fun". The characters are extremely fun to watch as they interact and work together to solve their dilemmas, while helping their new recruits control their mysterious power and unravel the mysteries of the power's origin. The show was a hit with fans both new and those experienced with Jin's work, but unfortunately the anime doesn't do enough justice for Jin's Kagerou Project which depicts a much more complex and intertwining tale between all the characters. The animation suffers at certain points, especially at the end, but overall the bright vibrant style of Mekaku City Actors is a joy to watch.


The soundtrack for the show is an awesome J-Rock track list which is entirely composed by Jin himself, and provides a real sense of rock that will get you off your feet. Another thing to note on the show is the small ending clips depicting the story of the monster who finds love with a human, which ends up providing some important background information to the origins of the overall story and plot; a nice little segment that adds some charm.


The final 2 episodes of this 12 episode series were extremely rushed with poor quality on the animation, leaving a massive amount of confusion and uncertainty that betrays the wonderful build up of the first 10 episodes to fans. It's a big let down whenever a strong series falls flat at the end, but overall Mekaku City Actors was a treat to watch. Mekaku City Actors doesn't compare that well to the Monogatari series, but despite it's flaws, it's still an interesting story to take in. The basic plot is there, but unfortunately the show is wrapped up far too quickly.

~Djr7


Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin - Brief Final Thoughts

I haven't written anything in a long time so I thought I'd do so for the only spring 2014 anime that I followed this past season. There will probably be some spoilers if you want to proceed.

Nanana is a light novel adaption in the noitaminA timeslot for one cour so it only had 11 episodes. After watching the first few episodes, I thought it had the potential for a decent story. Many weeks later, I was severely underwhelmed. There exists different types of treasures on the island which different people seek out for their own goals. Perhaps the main plot line was to find the person who murdered Nanana. However, not much has changed at end of the 11th episode, except that the main cast is slightly closer and that the main character is more resolved to accomplish said main goal. Even the final scene after the ED only teases what happened with the Ikusaba and Yun-chan business.



There were some interesting characters introduced, but nothing really happened. Juugo kind of reminded me of Touma from the Index series, but with a more interesting background. However, not much of his family's organization was further explored. One could see that there were some intertwining relationships between several background characters that weren't made entirely clear either. The most fun character to watch was definitely Tensai. Her mannerisms and unflappable genius pretty much carried the show for me.

Overall, this was a short anime with some decent production that doesn't accomplish a whole lot. It honestly felt like a teaser for the light novels or perhaps a second season. I highly doubt the latter will come into fruition because the sales numbers for the show don't look too good. If you are considering watching this, but haven't yet, I probably wouldn't recommend it. Tensai's greatness alone doesn't make this worth watching.

-Bern

Black Bullet: 01-02 First Impression - Everyone gets a loli!



Black Bullet was one of the few shows I put on my "must watch" list for the 2014 spring season, and while it's definitely not the next big hit out there like previous shows, Black Bullet is definitely one of the better shows as of late.


The plot isn't all that interesting but it's something like the Attack on Titan setting, but filled with loli and a typical independent "high school" lifestyle with monsters and whatnot. Humanity has been pushed back to Tokyo where large structured barriers made out of a certain material are used to repel Gastre monsters from entering the city and bringing mankind to extinction. The Gastrea virus can take over humans and creatures, turning them into giant bug monsters typical of your fantasy Japan. A special squad made up of talented Promoters battle alongside cursed children (Initiators) against possible epidemics and removing any Gastrea that enter the city.

At first I was skeptical on the cuteness/humour side of things with the loli-ness and silly antics between protagonist Rentarou and his Initiator Enju which reminds me of Unbreakable Machine Doll, however it seems to just be an early introduction that helps make the second episode more effective as things prove to be anything but sugar and rainbows for the two.


Black Bullet does well in striking up some more serious themes with the discrimination towards the "cursed children"; children who are born with the Gastrea virus and yet they are the most effective means to destroying the Gastrea creatures to protect humanity from this parasitic mutation that seems to cause bugs and other monsters to grow to ridiculous sizes. 

Rentarou's own personal dilemma is also somewhat developed as he tries to make a living while balancing out his ideals with the cursed children, showing us that despite humanity's last stand hangs on the shoulders of these cursed children, everyone seems to regard them as tools and are looked down upon as freaks.


Black Bullet has also piqued my interest with an actual Antagonist, something that I have missed since Guilty Crown. Kagetane Hiruko is an elusive man of many skills for appearing unexpectedly while carrying out some rather distasteful massacres of those around him for no real reason other than to show how he shouldn't be taken lightly. This proper, yet insane person is the main factor of the show who seems interested in destroying Tokyo and mankind, or perhaps he just wants to show everyone the hard truths of their ignorant lives as they live in fear of the Gastrea. 

Not much can be said about the rest of the crew thus far, but Rentarou and Hiruko will keep you preoccupied for the time being as for once our protagonist isn't a whiny little bitch, but someone with a clear head and underdog attitude that challenges the norms of his lifestyle, while our antagonist is a mysterious butler-esqe psycho who wants to shake things up.


Episode 02

The "cursed children" discrimination issues surrounding Enju and Rentarou was enjoyable and I'm glad it took things to a deeper, more serious tone. Seeing the police officers take away one of the Lost Children (cursed child from outside the city) off to be killed was quite unexpected, but overall I felt the issues were well developed from Rentarou's and Enju's point of view.


We get a good sense of character development as Enju and Rentarou deal with the discrimination differently and not only that but our antagonist Hiruko even rises to the occasion to tear down the walls of their fake peaceful lives of keeping Enju's true identity a secret so she can act like a normal girl in school. Hiruko looks to be the deciding factor of the show with his potential to wreak havoc.


Hiruko unveils his own "daughter", Kohina, who appears to be a gifted Cursed Child who dual wields swords with murderous intent towards anyone. Hiruko shows off that he is a mechanical being who is part of a New Humanity Creation Plan, showing off a possibility that his goal is to wipe everyone out and usher in a new dawn of mankind.


Hiruko's sick twisted demeanor and Rentarou's own growth looks be the staple of the show and is definitely going to keep me returning for me.

~Djr7

Conception 2: Children of the Seven Stars


Conception 2 is a Dungeon Crawler RPG with a unique twist on party creation/management that involves creating "Star Children" with the games 7 heroines. These Star Children are similar to the monster creation in Shin Megami Tensai games, as they are characters of different classes and abilities that will aid you in your labyrinth battles.

Outside of the Labyrinths, you can chat with the heroines, visit training grounds, create Star Children, organize your party at the dorms, and shop for new weapons or items at the store.


Concpetion 2 looks great, the 2D sprites are slightly animated for all of the story interaction as well as some 3D animation for chatting with the heroines. The game also features some nice animated sequences for the story and transformation scenes. A good portion of the game looks to be fully voiced and a few of the characters so far are well voice-acted.


The battle system features a very simple turn based attack pattern where position relative to the monster you are fighting is important. Depending on your speed stat, you will be able to see the turn order for you, your Star Children, and the enemy. You can position yourself to the left, right, behind, or in front of the enemy to attack them with basic attacks or use special abilities, each monster has different attack patterns that can inflict damage on you depending on where you are positioned.

A few mechanics are added to make the fights more entertaining, such as attacking an enemy head-on where you know he will be unleashing a devastating attack on his next turn. In doing so you will be able to increase the "Chain Gauge" which can slow down the enemy significantly, allowing you and your star children to attack multiple times in a combo.


In Conception 2 you play as the main hero of the story known as "God's Gift", a disciple born with an immense amount of "Star Energy" or "Ether" that is needed to purge the world of "Dusk Circles" that see monsters spew forth onto the world at an alarming rate. The Dusk Circles are mostly dormant and it's up to the disciples of the Fort City's Academy to save the world.


The game features 7 heroines where you will be able to chat with them and increase your bond between each other, once you have gained 100 Bond Points you can create a Star Child with any of the heroines, as long as you haven't made them upset or angry at you. You need 3 Star Children to create a new party to bring into a dungeon, up to a maximum of 3 parties (not including yourself). You can also bring along any of the heroines to fight alongside you, as each heroine has different stats and abilities. Another interesting factor is having the family bonus where you take a heroine and the Star Children of said heroine for an extra bonus to your combat.

Overall I am really enjoying the Demo for the game on the Vita and 3DS, and while the Vita version does take advantage of the large LED screen, the core gameplay is similar across the board with no concerns. I can't wait for the game to be released come April 15th.

Official Conception 2 Website


~Djr7

STRIFE: The Next Generation of MOBA First Impressions



STRIFE is a new Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) that is both fun and and easy to get into whether you have played other MOBA's or not.

Like most MOBA's you choose a character, hop into one of three lanes (or go jungle) and kill NPC minions for gold until you are strong enough to take out a bunch of towers on your way to blow up the enemy base to win the game. You fight alongside 4 others as you battle 5v5 where killing enemy players awards gold and makes it easier to destroy objectives.

Unfortunately the only other MOBA I have really played was League of Legends, in which case most people know this game as the worst gaming community in the world. A lot of issues that plague League are completely eliminated in STRIFE. I have played only two actual games against other players where I won with the best stats and where I lost horribly due to a leaver and a bad 2v1 lane phase, but I really enjoyed the balance of the game and how objectives are far more important than grouping up to kill the enemy. Even though I lost on the second game I had a lot of fun regardless and was happy to see that I got an award for the most damage to the enemy team. I have listed some of the mechanics that I really enjoy and some that I do not below.

The game is currently in a closed beta and will soon be wiping accounts as it gets set to release once ready. For more information check out the Free-to-Play STRIFE here.



Here are a few key characteristics of STRIFE that make it very enjoyable and stress free to play.

-Lane Choice -
It doesn't matter which lane you go into, any player in the vicinity of a last hit on minions gets the gold, this eliminates any concerns of which lane you go into and who gets last hits on the minions for gold.

- Never Leave Lane -
Games like LoL require you to teleport back to base in order to purchase new items or heal back up, but in STRIFE you can buy items while in lane, and once you've bought all the requirements for a really good item, that item will be delivered to you through a little courier while you are in lane. Also if you choose to not attack (or get attacked) after a certain period of time, you will start regenerating your mana and health, however this is carefully balanced out as you will not earn any gold if you aren't killing minions. You CAN teleport back to base if you choose for faster regeneration.

- Unlocked Heroes -
Everyone has access to all the Heroes of STRIFE, eliminating the need to play the game over and over with characters you don't like just to try out a Locked Hero.

- Matchmaking System -
In STRIFE, you choose your character BEFORE entering a game, meaning there is no competition or arguing over who gets to play which hero.

- Lots of NPC's to kill -
One thing I love about STRIFE is that there are always minions or jungle creep to kill, giving you an abundance of opportunities to get some gold, this also means that there is a bigger emphasis on dying as well as a bigger risk towards how you play the game. With STRIFE there is more importance on pushing lanes and denying your opponent the chance to get gold off of minion waves.  Minions have much more health and makes it easier to control lanes as well as pushing a lane. If a lane is pushed up then it opens up opportunities to roam about the jungle or other lanes for longer periods of time, forcing the enemy team to either push out that lane or risk leaving it to be pushed even further against them.

- Character Abilities -
Nearly all of the characters do decent auto-attack damage, meaning auto-attacks are usually your best source of killing the minions. Abilities are also lower on the cooldown time but have a higher mana cost, meaning that using an ability is more of a timing mechanic of when to use them rather than having someone who can just bursts high damage over a long cooldown phase. Character abilities are also very utility based, meaning that every champion has the option of doing damage as well as crowd control effects or escaping a fight, meaning there are less worries about which champion you play in a certain lane like LoL that creates champions for certain lanes and play styles.

- Minions do Damage -
Minions actually hurt throughout the game, meaning that lane pushing and choosing when to attack opponents is critical, rather than just having a late game hero run at you and kill you while shrugging off the minions like fleas.

- Player Based not Team Based? -
There are a few things that could prove this game to grade players on their own efforts rather than if they won the game or not. After a game you get to see the breakdown of your score including gold earned per minute, and any individual awards like who did the most damage to the enemy team or who helped out the most, hopefully this will be integrated into their future ranking system rather than simply if you won or lost a game to determine your skill.


There are a few things that do bother me with STRIFE though.

- Awkward Ability Level-UP -
Whenever you level up, you have to pull up a menu and choose which ability you want leveled, sometimes you might not notice that you leveled up as the pop up "Level Up" text can sometimes not stand out if your concentrating on your game.

- Potential Pay-toWin? -
Whenever you complete a game, you can choose one of three random chests that will give you 3 different currency types used for different upgrades. You have the option of buying "Gems" which are paid currency (Like RIOT Points) to choose to open another chest. I haven't looked into other specifics about what you can buy with these "Gems" but at the moment I don't think it will be a big concern. (It is similar to using RIOT points to buy Masteries in terms of effect on the game)


Final Notes:
I really enjoy STRIFE, I like that it is more focused on player skill and and has a greater sense of objective based gameplay rather than simply killing the enemy determines who wins or looses. I can't wait to see what the competitive scene is like and if things stay the way the are then there is a good chance I will be playing this rather than League of Legends. There is a lot more to this game like crafting and pets but I definitely recommend any MOBA player to check out STRIFE.

If you want to add me on STRIFE my username is Djr7

~Djr7

Spring 2014 Anime Season Preview

The new season is upon us!
Here at Clan Rain we have been on a bit of a hiatus, but hopefully this new season brings us out of our winter hibernation.
~ But most likely it will be just me (Djr7) and the odd article or two from Pearz

Here is the full list of shows for 2014 Spring

Now onto the shows at hand! this took forever to get up due to the ridiculous amount of anime this spring (56 total?) Special thanks to Ouro for helping me edit.


David Production
Genre: Action, Adventure, Shounen
Description: Sequel to the JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken TV series, adapts the 3rd part of the original manga. The story follows Joutarou Kuujou, the grandson of Joseph Joestar. Joutarou is a troublesome student who regularly gets into fights at school. He is put in prison after beating up three armed men and a trained boxer, but he refuses to leave, claiming he’s possessed by an evil spirit. Joseph Joestar soon arrives with his friend Muhammad Acdol. Joseph explains that Joutarou’s “evil spirit” is actually a Stand, a manifestation of psychic power.


Bern's Thoughts: I think I’ll get around to starting the series eventually, but not now. I hear it’s one of the better battle manga out there.
Djr7's Thoughts: Apparently this show is quite popular but I’ve never gotten into it.
Pearz' Thoughts: I been meaning to pick up the Jojo series, I hear good things about it. Alas, I have a tendency to never work on my backlog. 
Ouros’ Thoughts: Same thing as Pearz, I heard good things about the series but didn’t want to put time aside to catch up to season 2.






Bones
Genre: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Shounen, Supernatural
Description: Soul Eater Not! begins before the start of the original Soul Eater story. As Tsugumu Harudori enters the gates to Shinigami Buki Shokunin Senmon Gakkou, she encounters Meister Maka Albarn and her weapon Soul Eater Evans. By a turn of events weapon Tsugumi is assigned to not one, but two Meisters. Her hectic days with the gentle Meme and high-class lady Anya begin.


Bern's Thoughts: Nope, I never got into the series.
Djr7's Thoughts: Soul Eater is one of my favourite shows and while I will obviously check out the first episode, I cannot say for certain what this will be like Soul Eater. Judging from the PV I really don’t see anything resembling the awesomeness that is Soul Eater. Time will tell.
Pearz' Thoughts: I heard the manga original manga ended, I even went out to find and book mark the exact place I stopped and I still haven’t finished it. I don’t think I will be watching this. 
Ouros’ Thoughts:  I never watched the original, and I don’t want to put the time to watch it.





C_Station
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, School
Description: Learning to ride and tame dragons comes easy to most students as Ansarivan Dragonar Academy, except for the first year student Ash Blake. Poor Ash is the laughing stock at school because, despite his unfashionably large star-shaped brand that marks him as a future dragon master, he has nothing to show for it. His dragon has never appeared. One fateful day though, Ash's dragon awakens in full glory, but appears different than any dragon ever seen before, in the form of a beautiful girl! What's worse, Ash soon discovers that his new dragon has attitude to spare, as she promptly informs him that she is the master and he the servant.


Bern's Thoughts: Hmm, I think I read the first few chapters of the manga a long time ago, but I couldn’t get into it. This seems like one of your run-of-the-mill light novel adaptations. I’ll pass.
Djr7's Thoughts: Reading the description it sounds like something I could get into and enjoy, but after watching the PV I really can’t say that I will end up watching it at all. The art doesn’t look all that great and I doubt this is something we haven’t seen a billion times before, but despite that I might check out the first episode.
Pearz' Thoughts: Oh god, there was a day when they tried to pretend these shows had something more than just meaningless fanservice. When writers realized that no one cared, this is the result. Probably won’t be watching.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Sounds kind of plain, might watch an episode or two to see how it is.




Tatsunoko / DongWoo Animation
Genre: Music, Shoujo
Description: Pretty Rhythm All Star Selection will feature the three main heroines from the previous Pretty Rhythm television anime series. Aira from Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream (the first Pretty Rhythm series), Mia from Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future (the second Pretty Rhythm series), and Naru from Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live (the third Pretty Rhythm series) will teach the new, unnamed heroine. The new girl is training to become an idol, and the three previous idols will show her Prism Shows from the past to show her ways to shine.

Bern's Thoughts: Nope, I was never into the Pretty Rhythm series.
Djr7's Thoughts: Not a chance.
Pearz' Thoughts: I can’t say I know much about this series.
Ouros’ Thoughts: hah!



Baby Steps - Manga Adaptation -

Pierrot
Genre: Sports
Description: The story follows “Ei-chan,” a punctual and earnest boy who has strived for straight A’s since elementary school. The 15 year old high school boy stops by a tennis school to deal with his lack of exercise. There, he meets Natsu, a beautiful, earnest girl who only has a passion for tennis. In turn, he awakens a deep passion for tennis within himself.


Bern's Thoughts: I do watch some sports anime, but I’m not particularly interested in tennis.
Djr7's Thoughts: The art bugs the hell out of me and I have no intention of watching a sports anime.
Pearz' Thoughts: Sports and … nope.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I heard the manga was pretty good. I might check it out to see the buzz about the sports genre. The only thing that’s turning me away from this series is its animation quality.




Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R (Returns) - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Toei Animation
Genre: Mystery, Shounen
Description: Related to the Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo TV series. Hajime Kindaichi, a junior that barely made it past tenth grade has a knack for solving murder mysteries with support from Miyuki, his childhood friend and love-interest who encourages him when all seems lost, and Detective Kenmochi


Bern's Thoughts: Mystery shows are always hit-or-miss for me. That being said, I never knew about the first series and the films, so I don’t think I’ll start watching now.
Djr7's Thoughts: I never even knew about the first season so doubtful I will look into this, although it does sound interesting.
Pearz' Thoughts: Never really liked the old school art styles. I prefer my same faces with giant eyes.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Didn’t watch first series and doesn’t sound interesting.




Abarenbou Rikishi!! Matsutarou - Novel Adaptation -

Toei Animation
Genre: Shounen, Sports
Description: The story follows Matsutarou Sakaguchi, a giant roughneck man with strength far beyond ordinary people. He never uttered words like “work hard,” “strive,” and “dream” like the typical shounen manga protagonist. However, he is stronger than anyone and peerless in sumo wrestling. His greatest weakness is his own carefree personality. He grows into a full fledged sumo wrestler.


Bern's Thoughts: Pass on sumo.
Djr7's Thoughts: I really don’t care for sports anime.
Pearz' Thoughts: Please no more sports.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Not really into sumo, and the animation turns me off.





Haikyuu!! - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Production I.G.
Genre: Shounen, Sports
Description: The story follows Shouyou Hinata, who began playing volleyball after seeing the "small giants" who played the sport when he was in elementary school. He suffers a crushing defeat in his first and last tournament in middle school at the hands of rival Tobio Kageyama. So, Hinata joins Kurasuno High School's volleyball team, vowing revenge against Kageyama.


Bern's Thoughts: Not really interested in volleyball.
Djr7's Thoughts: Another sports anime, they just keep popping up.
Pearz' Thoughts: How many sports anime can we get this season?
Ouros’ Thoughts: I’ll check it out for the same reasons as “Baby Steps,” and Production I.G. seems to be more promising than Pierrot.




Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin - Novel Adaptation - [Trailer]

A-1 Pictures
Genre: Comedy, School, Supernatural
Description: The story centers around the treasure of Nanana, a ghost who was once a beautiful NEET girl. A boy named Juugo was forced to transfer to a high school on the "special student zone," an artificial island by his father. With only 40,000 Yen a month to live on, Juugo chooses a low-rent apartment that happens to be haunted by Nanana. Juugo and members of the school's adventure club join a "treasure hunt royale” on the island for the Nanana Collection, a treasure that possesses mysterious power.


Bern's Thoughts: Romance, a ghost girl, A-1 Pictures, is this AnoHana without all the drama? All kidding aside, I’ll probably give this a try.
Djr7's Thoughts: I think I might actually give this a try. “Might” being the key word here.
Pearz' Thoughts: Seems random enough to give at least an episode or 2.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Worth a shot.




Ping Pong The Animation - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Tatsunoko Production
Genre: Seinen, Sports
Description: The story revolves around two long time friends Smile and Peco who are both members of the ping pong club at their high school and are both very talented at the sport. However, Smile's quiet personality keeps him from being able to win against Peco. The club's teacher takes notice of Smile's talent and works to change his attitude toward the sport.


Bern's Thoughts: I may be asian, but I never got into ping pong.
Djr7's Thoughts: PING PONG!
Pearz' Thoughts: Now if it was an anime about just pong maybe, otherwise another sports anime...
Ouros’ Thoughts: Not my cup of tea, especially if the animations are like how it looks in the picture. But, I might check it out since it seems to be more than just a sports genre.




Gokukoku no Brynhildr - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

ARMS
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Description: The story revolves around high school boy Ryouta Murakami, who cannot forget his female childhood friend whom he let die in an accident. Feeling that he must fulfil their promise of proving the existence of aliens, he has continuously looked up at the sky as a member of the astronomy club. One day, a girl named Neko Kuroha who looks exactly like his childhood friend appears as a transfer student. It turns out that she is a magic user that has run away from a research lab.


Bern's Thoughts: The manga has quite a few chapters translated, but I never bothered to check it out. The plot seems okay, but I don’t know how to feel about this being written by the same author as Elfen Lied.
Djr7's Thoughts: Definitely gunna give this one a shot.
Pearz' Thoughts: Okay, I guess interests are peaked, I’ll see where this goes.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Now that Bernzo brings it up, I remember reading this. Don’t know why I dropped it though, probably because I didn’t want to wait for monthly releases. As Bern said, this is written by Okamoto Lynn, author of Elfen Lied. If you liked Elfen Lied, manga or anime, Gokukoku no Brynhildr is definitely worth a shot. Both series have a dark atmosphere or feel and are similar in several other ways. ARMS, having also made the Elfen Lied anime, will most likely follow through on the “dark atmosphere” that Brynhildr has. My only concern is if ARMS will make their own ending, as with Elfen Lied, since the Gokukoku no Brynhildr manga is still ongoing… I guess that’ll depend on how well the anime does.




Mekaku City Actors - Music Videos - [Trailer 1] [Trailer 2]

Shaft
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Supernatural
Description: Shintaro Kisaragi, a HikiNEET who shut himself inside his room for 2 years, had been living his life normally until he met a cyber girl named Ene, who appeared in his computer screen when someone anonymously sent him a mysterious e-mail one year ago. One day, Ene messes with Shintaro's PC which causes him to go outside for the first time in two years.


Bern's Thoughts: I’m not interested in the vocaloid stuff.
Djr7's Thoughts: I’ve been hearing a lot about this anime adaptation of music videos, and I guess thats enough to get me interested. Will watch the first episode to see what it’s like.
Pearz' Thoughts: I am not sure, the last vocaloid based anime (BRS) turned out as a trainwreck. (Leave my BRS out of this Pearz!)
Ouros’ Thoughts: I’ll give it a shot, not sure what to expect though.




La Corda D'Oro Blue Sky - Game Adaptation -

Tyo
Genre: Music, School, Shoujo
Description: The story follows a girl named Kanade and her relationships with the orchestra members and the other boys at her school.


Bern's Thoughts: Yuck, I usually can’t stand watching shoujo.
Djr7's Thoughts: No comment.
Pearz' Thoughts: Insert witty comment about shoujo anime here.
Ouros’ Thoughts: E) All of the above.




Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Brain's Base
Genre: Comedy, Romance, School, Slice of Life
Description: The story revolves around  Usa Kazunari, a boy who is now living alone thanks to his parents' job transfer. However, this new Kawai-Sou apartment complex is filled with only odd perverts. And yet, Ritsu Kawai, a senpai he adores, also happens to live there…


Bern's Thoughts: This could be some decent slice of life. The art from the trailer looks pretty good too.
Djr7's Thoughts: There are a few shows from Brain’s Base that I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I have a feeling I might get absorbed in this one.
Pearz' Thoughts: Probably not, generally don’t like my slice of life.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Generally, always willing to watch slice of life. Will check this show out.




Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yattemita - Manga Adaptation -

feel.
Genre: Comedy, Seinen
Description: In the story, high school girl Nanako became her town's local idol at the request of her uncle. She and her upperclassman Yukari, a girl who seems perfect but ends up being an airhead, both become idols of their provincial area. They get interviewed (by the town's shopping center), go on television (low-budget cable), and hold concerts (on the roof of the department store). The girls' salaries come from the town's taxes.


Bern's Thoughts: I typically don’t watch idol anime.
Djr7's Thoughts: Another idol show with a funny low budget twist? I have only ever seen a bit of AKB0048 but I don’t think I will ever really get into an idol based anime.
Pearz' Thoughts: I love my idol shit, hopefully this won’t let me down.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I don’t know? Depends on how I feel… Ehh? Get it? Probably a “no” for this one.




Blade and Soul - Game Adaptation - [Trailer]

Gonzo
Genre: Action, Shounen, Martial Arts, Fantasy
Description: An anime adaptation of NCSoft's Blade and Soul MMORPG, directed by Stein;Gate's Hamasaki. The game lets players make a character from four different races: the tall and strong Gon, the curious and wise Jin, the beautiful and graceful Kun, and the cute and spiritually tuned Lyn. The player can then train their character to become an Assassin, a Blademaster, a Destroyer, a Force Master, a Kung Fu Master, or a Summoner.


Bern's Thoughts: I never bothered with Blade and Soul. Pass.
Djr7's Thoughts: I am still pissed off at NCSoft for dropping the bomb on the Blade and Soul N.A release. I played a bit of the game on the chinese servers and really do enjoy it. So I think I will end up watching the first episode just for the hell of it but I highly doubt I will end up watching it past that point.
Pearz' Thoughts: Making an anime adaptation of a game that is pretty much a failure? I guess I can try. I wonder if they will just follow the main storyline of the game.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I was interested in the game, not really interested in an anime version of it.




Fairy Tail New Series - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

A-1 Pictures / Bridge
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic
Description: Lucy is a 17-year-old girl, who wants to be a full-fledged mage. One day when visiting Harujion Town, she meets Natsu, a young man who gets sick easily by any type of transportation. But Natsu isn’t just any ordinary kid, he’s a member of one of the world’s infamous mage guilds: Fairy Tail.


Bern's Thoughts: I watched a bit of the first season when it first came out, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Djr7's Thoughts: I never did get into Fairy Tail, although I know I should. The new season looks a bit different due to the change in staff but overall it looks interesting and I think I might go back and watch it.
Pearz' Thoughts: Nope, I would just read the manga.
Ouros’ Thoughts: What Pearz said.




Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Seven
Genre: Shoujo Ai, Comedy, Slice of Life
Description: The story revolves around Suzu Nekoyama, a timid shy tsundere girl who loves dogs, and Yachiyo Inugami, a super masochistic, air-headed, friendly girl who loves cats. One day after a few fateful meetings, the two find themselves attracted to each other. In response to Inugami's instinctive approaches, Nekoyama is always bashful. Their friend Aki has to work hard to make jabs at some of the situations of the two, and also to stop Inugami from going berserk.

Bern's Thoughts: Yuri? A pass from me.
Djr7's Thoughts: I think this has the most interesting setup for a description and I actually want to see how this turns out, tsundere + masochist = win.
Pearz' Thoughts: Getting a MM! vibe from this, maybe I’ll watch an episode.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I hear that this is a short. I don’t really watch shorts, but I’ll see how this goes.






Black Bullet - Novel Adaptation - [Trailer 1] [Trailer 2]

Kinema Citrus
Genre: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Seinen
Description: In the year 2021, mankind was defeated by Gastrea, a parasitical virus, and is forced to live within a wall made of Baranium monoliths, a metal that is able to subdue Gastrea. Soon, the "Cursed Children", female children born infected with the Gastrea virus who are able to control them which gives them superhuman abilities, was discovered. Civil securities are formed to specialize fighting against Gastrea, operating with the pair of an Initiator, who are cursed children, and a Promoter, serving to lead the cursed children. Ten years after the war, Rentarou Satomi, a high school student who is also a Promoter in his childhood friend Kisara Tendo's Tendo Civil Security, along with his Initiator Enju Aihara, receives a secret mission to prevent the Tokyo Area's destruction.


Bern's Thoughts: I’ve read a few chapters of the manga, but I didn’t bother to keep up with it. Maybe I’ll check out the anime.
Djr7's Thoughts: Definitely one of the more interesting shows for myself that I am looking forward to. I hope the plot is as interesting as it sounds.
Pearz' Thoughts: I feel this is going to end up like Aria of the scarlet ammo for some reason. I’ll see.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Sounds interesting, will probably watch it through.





Mahou Shoujo Taisen - Variety Show -

Gainax
Genre: Magic
Description: “Mahou Shoujo Taisen” is a project created from a variety show for the Otaku “2.5 Chigen TV” (2.5 Dimension TV). The characters are the mahou shoujo (magical girls) that represents each local town in Japan. The characters that won from the second illustration competitions that were held on Pixiv will appear in the anime.


Bern's Thoughts: As with idol shows, I typically don’t watch magical girl shows.
Djr7's Thoughts: A really cool idea to have numerous artists involved in the 47 characters (one per Japan’s prefecture) as well as voice actors that were born in each prefecture doing the voices for their prefecture character. I think I will watch the first episode just because it’s a wonderful idea.
Pearz' Thoughts: That sounds interesting… tell me more...
Ouros’ Thoughts: I like my mahou shoujo and I’m curious what they will do with the show. I’ll be checking this out.




Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Light Novel Adaptation - [Trailer] [Trailer 2]

Madhouse Studios
Genre: Magic, Romance, School, Sci-Fi, Shounen
Description: The Magic University Affiliated High School is welcoming its new students, and names the top student with the best grades at the time of their arrival the Bloom, and the student called the Weed is the Bloom’s replacement. Siblings Tatsuya and Miyuki are designated as the Weed and Bloom respectively. Miyuki is given the title of Bloom due to her amazing grades, while Tatsuya is given the title of Weed due to his poor magical practical scores. Tatsuya, the young man who always has a farsighted expression, and Miyuki, the young woman who feels far more for her brother than sibling love.


Bern's Thoughts: Gary stu: the animation? I’ve read some chapters of the manga, and tiny bit of the novel. This will likely be the most popular show of the season.
Djr7's Thoughts: Sounds interesting, I’m not big on the whole sibling love thing (CURSE YOU OREIMO!) but I will definitely be checking this out.
Pearz' Thoughts: I actually read a few chapters of this manga years ago. Not sure why I dropped but most likely cause it was boring.
Ouros’ Thoughts: After reading other descriptions of this show, it sounds pretty interesting. The plot definitely has potential, but it’ll depend on how well they use it.




Selector Infected WIXOSS - Original - [Trailer]

J.C. Staff
Genre: Game, Psychological
Description: Hope, Desire, Greed. Girls with each of these feelings in their hearts are being swallowed into the vortex of a dangerous game.


Bern's Thoughts: Anime original gives this some potential, but an all-girl cast will probably result in a pass from me.
Djr7's Thoughts: Oh man this looks intense! looking forward to this to hopefully quench my thirst for thriller. The fact that its an original is also a bonus.
Pearz' Thoughts: I always love anime originals but J.C. Staff usually lets me down.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I’m not the biggest fan of “being stuck in a dangerous game” plots, but I usually watch them since they’re most of them are interesting. Also it’s hard to pass on originals, so I’ll check this one out.




Akuma no Riddle - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Diomedea
Genre: Action, School, Yuri
Description: The story is set at Myoukou Academy, a private girls’ boarding school. All the students in the 10th year’s Kurogumi class are assassins with one target, Haru Ichinose. Tokaku Azuma is a recent transfer student who is also targeting Ichinose, but she gradually develops feelings for her.


Bern's Thoughts: Yuri again? pass.
Djr7's Thoughts: This looks pretty good, I do like the art style and this looks more promising than the Severing Crime Edge which I also thought looked good but really wasn’t. Fingers crossed.
Pearz' Thoughts: Okay i’ll see where this goes. Can never go wrong with assassins.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Mmm, yuri and assassins. Now that’ll hit the spot.






Kenzen Robo Daimidaler - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

TNK
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Mecha, Seinen
Description: The story centers around a high school boy named  Kouichi Madanbashi who has Hi-ERo particles, the power source to operate the robotic weapon Daimidaler. With the help of Kyouko Sonan from the mysterious Prince Beauty Parlor organization, he stands up against the Penguin Empire that troubles humanity.


Bern's Thoughts: I never really understood the appeal of mecha anime.
Djr7's Thoughts: I couldn’t help but laugh at the PV, the mech looks horrible. Highly doubt I will watch this.
Pearz' Thoughts: Probably not, I pretty much dropped buddy complex already and that seems more gripping then this.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Doesn’t sound that interesting, the mix of genres for this are turning me away from this show.




Love Live! School Idol Project Second Season - Original -

Sunrise
Genre: Music, School, Slice of Life
Description: Sequel to the Love Live! School Idol Project TV series. Honoka Kousaka loves her school. That’s why it’s bad news for her when she finds out its being shut down due to the lack of new students. In order to bring in more students, Honoka decides to start a “school idol group”, which is certain to get the eyes of the public. To make this dream a reality, she gathers together her close friends and classmates to make the best idol unit possible.


Bern's Thoughts: Didn’t watch the first season.
Djr7's Thoughts: I really don’t watch idol shows.
Pearz' Thoughts: Oh shit season 2 is here! Idol shows are the bestest.
Ouros’ Thoughts: If it’s for idols, I’ll skip a season to watch this.




Date A Live II - Light Novel Adaptation - [Trailer]

AIC Plus+
Genre: Comedy, Mecha, Romance, School, Sci-Fi
Description: Sequel to the Date A Live TV series. The story centers on an ordinary high school boy named Shidou Itsuka who meets a spirit girl who has been rejected by a devastated world. The girl, who Shidou names “Tohka”, happens to have wiped out much of humanity 30 years ago, and now she is back, The only way to stop her is to date her.


Bern's Thoughts: Didn’t watch the first season.
Djr7's Thoughts:  Despite being very disappointed with the first season I actually managed to find some enjoyment out of the characters. Definitely going to follow up on it and watch the new season, hopefully the new characters thrown in will go well with the current ones.
Pearz' Thoughts: As terrible as this show was, I kept watching. Guilty pleasure of the season, bring on the lives!
Ouros’ Thoughts: Didn’t watch the first season. But, I’ll watch season 2!




Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Studio Pierrot
Genre: Shoujo, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Description: The story revolves around Nike, the princess of the Rain Dukedom who has a mysterious power. She can control rainfall. After losing a game of rock, paper, scissors to her older sisters, she is forced to marry the king of the Sun Kingdom, Livius I. Livius conquered the world in 3 years, and is known as the “Dreadful King.” However, when Nike meets him for the first time, she finds to her surprise that he is a boy younger than she is. Livius abruptly asks Nike to call forth the rain, and when she refuses, he has her thrown in jail. The story follows the two who, while at first are a married couple only in name, gradually begin to establish an emotional bond with one another.


Bern's Thoughts: Yuck, more shoujo.
Djr7's Thoughts: In all honesty this might be one of the better shows, then again my predictions aren’t all that great :P, still I will see how it is.
Pearz' Thoughts: Wtf am I reading, I can’t watch something that claims a person conquered the world in 3 years! Flying, fairies, magical beams of light are ok, but world conquest in 3 years? Thats too far man.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Umm, okay… that’s a no for me. Plot feels rather bland and seems to be too shoujo for me.




Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara - Light Novel Adaptation - [Trailer]

Hoods Entertainment
Genre: Comedy, Romance, School
Description: Hatate Sota is a high school boy who has an ability to visualize “flags” for future events such as “death flag”, “friendship flag”, and the “romance flag”. Despite the flag-viewing ability, he avoids making friends with others due to a trauma he experiences in a ship submergence accident. Four beautiful girls get interested in his strange way of living, and they begin to live with him at the school dorm by force.


Bern's Thoughts: This could potentially be hilarious. Willing to try it.
Djr7's Thoughts: FLAGS EVERYWHERE! Well might as well see what the first episode is like.
Pearz' Thoughts: Oh shit, romcoms yay!
Ouros’ Thoughts: Sounds silly, but I always have room for shows that are enjoyable.




Escha & Logy no Atelier: Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi - Game Adaptation - [Trailer]

Studio Gokumi
Genre:
Description: The world has gone through many Dusks, and is slowly nearing its end. In order to survive the eventful arrival of the “Dusk End,” the people gathered and devoted their efforts to rediscover and recreate lost alchemic technologies in a city known as “Central”. One of the heroes is a young man named Logy who researched alchemy in a Central, the other is a girl named Escha who lives in a small town on the frontier. Logy meets Escha when he is assigned to the Development Department. The two make promises to use their alchemy together, and bring success to the Development Department.


Bern's Thoughts: I’ve never played the games, but this fantasy setting seems kind of interesting.
Djr7's Thoughts: I have never played any of the Atelier games so I’m not sure what to expect, i’ll watch the first episode at least.
Pearz' Thoughts: I’ve always been meaning to play the games but haven’t. Guess watching an anime is the same thing! Hopefully it won’t turn out like that Shining anime about bread.
Ouros’ Thoughts:  Never heard of this game, but the plot sounds interesting enough to check out. I think I’ll like the alchemy aspect of this anime.




Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

White Fox
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Description: The story follows Kokoa (a pun for “hot cocoa”) as she visits the cafe Rabbit House. Kokoa meets lots of other girls there like Chino (from “cappuccino”) as well as other girls with pun like names.


Bern's Thoughts: Uh, what? Pass.
Djr7's Thoughts: My head actually hurt from putting this on here, I can’t say why, but don’t expect me to bother with this one.
Pearz' Thoughts: Sounds amazing watching an episode till my brain melts from my head.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I don’t know, this sounds really iffy. From other descriptions, this seems to be your generic slice of life. And… I do like slice of life, so it wouldn’t hurt to check it out.




Captain Earth - Original - [Trailer]

Bones
Genre: Sci-Fi, Mecha
Description: One night right before summer vacation, Daiji Manatsu, a second year in high school, sees a weird round rainbow floating in the sky above Seed Island and ventures there alone. He has seen this rainbow before. With the memories of his father’s mysterious death and an encounter of a mysterious boy and girl, Daiji arrives on the island while the alarm of building labeled “Earth Engine” is going off. Someone asks him if he’s the captain, just as robotic intruders from Uranus called “Kiltgang” arrive. The battle around the shining stars is about to begin.


Bern's Thoughts: Pass on another mecha anime.
Djr7's Thoughts: CAPTAIN PLANETTT!!!!!! wait sorry I must be mistaken. Its an original, and by Bones, so I will most likely check this one out.
Pearz' Thoughts: Starting to move away from mecha based anime after Valverave. It was the mecha anime to end all others.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Originals are always worth a shot. The show looks to be promising since the writer has been involved with several well known shows; a couple that I really like.




Hitsugi no Chaika - Light Novel - [Trailer]

Bones
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Description: Toru Acura is a 20 year old retired soldier meandering through life now that the war has ended. he encounters Chaika Trabant, a 14 year old sorceress carrying around a coffin, and follows her in hopes of finding meaning to his life again. The two travel with Toru’s adopted sister Akari, the employed member of the group and thus Toru’s source on income.


Bern's Thoughts: Dem eyebrows though. This looks interesting enough.
Djr7's Thoughts: A sorceress with a kick ass sniper rifle who carries a coffin on her back? SIGN ME UP!
Pearz' Thoughts: I might read a few chapters to decide if I will watch anime.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Sounds interesting, I’ll have to see an episode or two before I can decide if I’ll watch the series or not.




Fuun Ishin Dai Shogun - Light Novel - [Trailer]

J.C. Staff / A.C.G.T.
Genre: Action, Shounen, Historical, Mecha
Description: In the late Edo period, Japan faced an unprecedented crises with the arrival of black ships thanks to Onigami, giant robots have existed in Japan since the ancient times. The country has remained in self-imposed seclusion from foreigner ever since. The story begins in this Japan that never experiences the Meiji Restoration.


Bern's Thoughts: They’ll stick mecha into anything won’t they?
Djr7's Thoughts: I really haven’t enjoyed any “historical” based anime in quite some time and i don’t think this will entice me at all.
Pearz' Thoughts: There are way too many anime about the shogun period.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Not a big fan of historical, and when they put mecha in it as well… now that’s just weird.




No Game, No Life - Light Novel - [Trailer]

Madhouse Studios
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Supernatural
Description: The story centers around Sora and Shiro, a brother and sister whose reputations as brilliant NEET hikikomori gamers have spawned urban legends all over the internet. These two gamers even consider the real world as just another “crappy game”. One day they are summoned by a boy named “God” to an alternate world. There, God has prohibited war and declared this to be a world where “everything is decided by gamers” even national borders. Humanity has been driven back into one remaining city by the other races. Will Sora and Shiro, the good-for-nothing brother and sister, become the “Saviors of Humanity” on this alternate world? “Well, let’s start playing.”


Bern's Thoughts: The trailer seems promising enough.
Djr7's Thoughts: Love the bright and colourful art style, I have high hopes for this one.
Pearz' Thoughts: Sounds interesting, makes me think of the useless bunny anime.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Actually reading the manga series, and enjoyed it so far. Will love to watch an animated version of No Game, No Life!




Isshuukan Friends. - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Brain’s Base
Genre: School
Description: High Schooler Yuuki Hase notices that his classmate Kaori Fujimiya is always alone, and seemingly has no friends. After approaching her Kaori reveals that she loses every memory of her friends each Monday. Despite learning this, Yuuki endeavors to become her new friend every week.


Bern's Thoughts: I do believe maneki_neko linked the manga to me in chat. I read a few chapters, but I don’t remember what I thought of it. Might check this one out.
Djr7's Thoughts: Oh yea this looks good.
Pearz' Thoughts: Woah, that seems to deep for me. Though I do like my suffering based anime...
Ouros’ Thoughts: Ohhhhhhhhhh, I love stuff like this. The four of us will suffer together.




Mushishi: Zoku-Shou - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Artland
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural
Description: Sequel to the Mushishi TV series. They’re neither plants nor animals. They differ from other forms of life, such as microorganisms and fungi. Instead they resemble a primeval body of life and are generally known as “Mushi.” Their existence and appearance are unknown to many and only a limited number of humans are aware of them. Ginko is a “Mushi-shi,” who travels around to investigate and find out more about the “Mushi.” In the process, he also lends a helping hand to people who face problems with supernatural occurrences which may be related to the “Mushi.”


Bern's Thoughts: I never watched first season; maybe I’ll get around to it one day.
Djr7's Thoughts: Wow apparently a lot of people liked this, but somehow I never heard of it, maybe i’ll go back and check it out. Or just add it to the backlog.
Pearz' Thoughts: I know the original was supposedly amazing but I could never finish it. It was too slow for my liking, so a solid no.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Sounds kind of interesting, unfortunately… I didn’t watch the first season.





Sidonia no Kishi - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

Polygon Pictures
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural, Seinen, Mecha
Description: It’s been a thousand years since the Guana, a strange alien race with no known method of communication, destroyed the solar system. A portion of humanity managed to escape using enormous “seed ships” like the Sidonia, allowing them to maintain the population while drifting through space. Nagate Tanikaze is a young man who has been raised deep in the bowels of the ship. When he goes into training to pilot the huge robotic weapons known as Gardes, Nagate is entrusted with piloting the legendary unit, Tsugumori. Nagate and his fellow pilots put their lives on the line against the Gauna, in the ultimate battle for the survival of humanity.


Bern's Thoughts: Wow, there’s quite a few mecha anime this season. The trailer looks good though.
Djr7's Thoughts: This looks really good, definitely gunna be watching it.
Pearz' Thoughts: As we get further down this list, I have quite a few of the manga ones opened up for me to read a few chapters of. This has been added to said list.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I feel like I’ve seen a plot like this before… Well, that won’t stop me from checking this show out. Depending on where the series will go with the plot, I might get into this.




Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to - Manga Adaptation - [Trailer]

ZEXCS
Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, Harem, Slice of Life
Description: The anime tells the story of professional manga artist Yuuki Aito and his professional/personal relationships with his assistants.


Bern's Thoughts: I read a bit of the manga, but dropped it after I got bored with it. I don’t think I’ll watch this.
Djr7's Thoughts: Might pick it up, I haven’t watched any other manga artist shows before but maybe I should?
Pearz' Thoughts: Only cause I loved Bakuman so much will I give this a shot. I feel it will ruin everything.
Ouros’ Thoughts: Read the manga and I got bored. Won’t be watching this.




Sadon Desu - Manga Adaptation -

Gainax
Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life
Description: The story revolves around Koume who enters a private high school. She hears from her friend Sasuga that if she enters the tea ceremony club, she can eat snacks. They bring along their classmates Mikaeru and Momiji to join the club with her. The president of the club is 11th grader Ayame.


Bern's Thoughts: An all-girl slice of life anime. I’ll pass. I wonder why it’s called “Sudden Death” though.
Djr7's Thoughts: No idea what to think, I usually drop these kind of shows, although some of them tend to stick like GJ BU. We’ll see if I have spare time for this one.
Pearz' Thoughts: Highly unlikely, I feel I should finish Non-non Biyori first.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I’ll have to watch an episode or two before deciding.




Kamigami no Asobi ~Ludere deorum~ - Game Adaptation - [Trailer]

Brain’s Base
Genre: Romance, School, Shoujo, Harem, Historical
Description: The story revolves around heroine Yui Kusanagi, who is ordered by Zeus, a god and the headmaster of a school he created, to teach the meaning of love to young and handsome gods. The reason he has for doing this is to cancel the negative effects of the weakening effects of the world of the the divine and the worlds of the humans.

Bern's Thoughts: I don’t think I’ll ever watch an otome game adaption.
Djr7's Thoughts: Not a chance in hell.
Pearz' Thoughts: I’ll end with a solid no here.
Ouros’ Thoughts: I’ll read or watch some shoujo, but this is just too much.


With a total of 56 some odd shows this season there is no chance in hell of me getting around to most of them, I think the most amount of shows I was able to effectively cover was about 14, so lets see if I can get a list off.


Shows I am mainly interested in:
Akuma no Riddle
Hitsugi no Chaika
Gokukoku no Brynhildr
Sidonia no Kishi
Ishuukan Friends
Date A Live II
Black Bullet
No Game No Life
Selector Infected WIXOSS
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

Shows I want to watch.
Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou
Mekaku City Actors
Soul Eater Not!
Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san
Ryuugajou Nanana no Maizoukin
Mahou Shouko Taisen
Kanojo ga Flag o Oraretara
Captain Earth

Shows I might try to watch:
Haikyuu!!
Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii
Escha & Logy no Atelier: Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi
Blade and Soul
Seikoku no Dragonar
Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to

~Djr7