Autumn 2014 – Season Preview

Autumn 2014 is the fourth and final anime season of year. The Spring and Autumn season are usually the busiest or densest, featuring more total anime than the Winter and Summer seasons, and Autumn 2014 looks to be another enormous one in terms of volume of anime. But the question each season is hardly ever a question of volume but rather a question of quality… and that’s what I hope to answer, at least from my perspective, with my preview of the Autumn 2014 Season Preview. What anime am I looking forward to the most this season? Let’s continue and find out!

The Autumn 2014 anime season appears to be lighter than the median in terms of returning anime franchises, meaning there is more weight this autumn in the new anime franchises this season than in the previously established ones. However, these older franchises have proven themselves to be excellence or serviceable anime, and Autumn sees the return of several of my favorite franchises. Returning in Autumn 2014 are: Ai Tenchi Muyo!, Aikatsu! 3, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, Gundam Build Fighters Try, Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle, Log Horizon 2nd Season, Mushishi Zoku Shou 2, Psycho-Pass 2, Selector Spread WIXOSS, and Yowamushi Pedal: Grade Road. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for some), I haven’t watched the original shows from some these anime franchises, so I am not in a position to provide accurate information and predictions on each one, especially the shows I haven’t watched. As always, I’ll skip over the anime that I know nothing about because you probably already know what you’ll be watching among these anime and there are better resources out there for those franchises. So instead, in the section below, I’ll be providing my input to the shows that I am familiar with and can provide some explanation as to why I’m planning on continuing them.

The order of anime listed below is neither chronological nor alphabetic but ranked in order of my personal anticipation and how likely I believe I will watch that anime this season. Every anime is evaluated and placed into one of five tiers ordered: Will watch, Likely watch, Maybe watch, Doubtful but it gets a shot, and No dice. Within each tier, the anime are listed alphabetically. Dates are not included because who knows when and where these shows will be subbed and available to watch. So with that explanation and introduction, here is my preview for Autumn 2014:

Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works

Opinion: Although I have never watched the original Fate/stay night (something I have been meaning to do for years now), I am planning on watching this version since it is a completely new route from the first anime. With that noteworthy difference, it sounds as if this specific anime is open to newcomers of the franchise, meaning that I can finally begin watching this franchise outside of Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya. Those prerequisites have always felt like roadblocks for me, so hopefully this anime is welcoming and helps immerse people into the setting and stories that is Fate/stay night. As for the specifics of the anime, the production values are phenomenal, especially with the fighting animation. I have faith in the characters and the story and have a general idea of the setting, and each aspect seems engrossing or merely interesting. This is one anime that I have been looking forward to since it was announced, and I am happy it will be airing this autumn.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Mushishi Zoku Shou 2

Opinion: Mushishi is one of my all-time favorite anime franchises, so I am welcoming its second half this season after taking a break during the summer. I was encouraged with the direction of the series, in terms of its stories and its updated visuals, and I hope the series continues on this upward trajectory over the next 12 or 13 weeks. Really, each episode depends on the story, the characters and the mushi, so some episodes will be stronger than others, but I hope the series as a whole is better than the original Mushishi as well as the first half of Mushishi Zoku Shou.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Psycho-Pass 2

Opinion: The PV for the second season of Psycho-Pass would look great for just about any anime… but I don’t think it works well for Psycho-Pass. The emphasis on in-your-face action feels vastly different given the story and development of the original anime. And with a new writer, with Gen Urobuchi relegating his position to only “Planner”, I can’t be sure the series will have the same feel or effort as the original. The fact that the PV highlighted the action leads me to believe that this sequel will be merely a derivative of the first and fail to execute at what made Psycho-Pass one of the best anime of 2012-2013. This doesn’t mean I refuse to watch the series, but I do wonder what direction this franchise is going in and whether they can carry this series without Makishima and Kougami featured in prominent roles. I am excited to see the return of Psycho-Pass, but I’m adjusting my expectations now before I am set up for disappointment.

Plans for this show: Will watch

Hitsugi no Chaika: Avenging Battle

Opinion: Chaika was a serviceable anime last spring and returns again this season to complete its latter half. My main concerns with the anime were in regards to the story and how it pinballed around between so many different groups and organizations. The characters were enjoyable and I am curious to see where the anime is heading, but I am not expecting this to be near the top of the season unless several aspects of the storytelling are cleaned up. I hope the three-month hiatus was enough time to address these issues and to improve upon the artwork and animation since those are the areas where I want to see Chaika improve the most. If not, the anime will still be decent and worth finishing this season.

Plans for this show: Likely watch

The subsequent section of the preview contains all the new franchises that are beginning in Autumn 2014. After finishing my research on the season, I must admit that I am surprised at how many shows I am uninterested in and how many shows I anticipate not watching. I won’t go as far as to say that Autumn 2014 is a disappointment already, since that would be premature and ignorant, but it does seem to be one of the weakest seasons in recent memory. And that’s really the question with these new anime are anticipating the quality or value of these anime before they start. What this means is that I will need to broaden my horizons if I want to watch as many anime as I normally do and maybe try a few shows that I normally wouldn’t other. It could also mean that I have the time to go back and finish a few anime that I have passed up otherwise. It really all depends on the next few weeks and how I receive these anime and whether I want to keep them or not. For now, here are the shows I’m planning on watching this season based on my initial research this season:

Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu (Parasyte: the Maxim)

Opinion: Parasyte earns the top spot of the season in the new anime category based largely on my intrigue with the premise and the production values in the PV. However, that does not mean I don’t have my reservations with this series. For one, I will need to see how the relationship between Shinichi, the main character, and Migi, the Parasyte that lives in his hand (voiced by Aya Hinaro, so I hope she sounds exactly like Haruhi), develops and how they survive against the other Parasytes. If the battles are akin to the standard shounen franchises, like Tokyo Ghoul, it’ll drop the anime considerably… but it still could be one of the best anime of the season even if it’s plagued by shounen tropes more than its alien invaders. The anime is 24 episodes, so I am sure the focus will be founded in character development and understanding of the dire situation instead of action and horror, which I hope are flavors and not too overpowering. The visuals are impressive and the art style blends elements of the original early 90s manga with clean, modern animation. It looks to be a good anime, but how good is the question at this point in time.

Plans for this show: Likely watch

Akatsuki no Yona

Opinion: I don’t know what it is about shoujo romances, but I love shoujo romances. Combine that with a vibrant fantasy setting, a story of life on the run, and a cute protagonist and you’re well on your way to making one of the better anime this season. Almost every aspect of the anime is something that appeals to me, but I am a little curious of how serious the anime is. What I am looking forward to the most is the development of Yona’s character as she is a pampered princess who losses her country and must grow as a person to survive. This might be one of the better surprises this season, and it is one of the few new franchises I am looking forward to at this point in the season.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Amagi Brilliant Park

Opinion: Amagi Brilliant Park looks to be an amusing and comical anime based on its charming premise of a romantic couple restoring a failed amusement park. I’ve always enjoyed comedy anime, even if they have shortcomings with their characters and their stories, so I’m predicting that I will enjoy Amagi Brilliant Park based on its genre, it’s superior production values and its predominately female cast. I am not expecting great things from this anime, such as a philosophical discourse on the declining value of amusement parks, but it will be a positive pick-up this season should it provide adequate entertainment value. And though that sounds shallow, that might be all I really want from this anime. The one thing that catches my eye with the PV are the four fairies, leading me to believe there is some level of fantasy in this anime, so that might add a dimension to the anime I was not expecting otherwise. That and they might provide a level of fanservice that I wasn’t expecting either. Well, whatever happens, so long as I am laughing or smiling with Amagi Brilliant Park, it’ll be a worthwhile anime to me.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo

Opinion: It’s a Sunrise mecha anime where semi-nude girls pilot giant humanoid robots and fight dragons from another dimension. Okay, that has my attention… but what else does this series have to offer? Besides being the ultimate combination of teen boy fanservice (fanservicey girls, giant mecha, fighting dragons), I’m not sure what else this anime has to offer besides entertainment in the forms of action and skimpy outfits. It might have a decent story or characterization, but the PV and the synopsis don’t really provide any depth or insight into the series. That being said, I wouldn’t mind a somewhat ecchi anime about mecha fighting dragons, but the anime needs to be more than shallow entertainment and fanservice to make it watchable. I do like the character designs, the battle animation and the fact that it’s a Sunrise mecha anime, but I’m not sure whether it will be worth keeping or not. Guess we’ll find out soon whether this is more than boobs, butts, robots and dragons.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Gugure! Kokkuri-san

Opinion: It’s nice to see Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss in another role… erm, no, wait, start over. Gugure! Kokkuri-san is another comedy anime this season that has captured my interest and warrants an episode or two once it starts this season. The PV features a style of gag-heavy comedy that I typically enjoy, and the animation style is cute and charming, leading me to believe the anime will be predominately a comedy before it’s a romance or anything else. As I’ve mentioned with other comedy anime, its main goal is to make me smile and laugh, so if Gugure! Kokkuri-san can accomplish that simple feat, then it’s worth keeping this season.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de

Opinion: Uh, yeah, another comedy anime, how about that? What makes Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de interesting is its take on a popular premise, school-age kids inheriting superhuman powers, but with an interesting, comical twist. Rather than having these kids fight monsters or aliens or other kids with superpowers, the anime is about them living their normal lives. It’s a unique take on a well-established anime cliché, so it might have some original humor to go with this stereotypical setting. My main concerns with this anime are that it’ll be flat compared to the other comedies, especially since it seems to be focused toward an otaku demographic until the other comedies mentioned above. However, the main criteria for comedy anime is how well they entertainment, so if this anime is hilarious or even slightly amusing, it’ll be worth keeping this season.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis

Opinion: Bahamut has one of the best PVs of the season. It has one of the best art styles of the season. It has one of the best settings of the season. But… but it’s based on an online card game? Being based on an online card game isn’t a deal-breaker, but it does raise a few red flags about the content, direction and purpose of the anime. Then again, one of my favorite anime of all time, Sengoku Collection, is based on an online card game, so there’s that. And given its origins, that likely means an original story. But beyond that, the PV for Bahamut features some outstanding animation, a magnificent setting and some unique characters. I’m pretty sure I’ll keep this anime for the season, but I have my doubts about the card game part until I actually see the first episode or two.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Trinity Seven: 7-nin no Mahoutsukai

Opinion: Trinity Seven looks to be one of the more generic anime of the season – one guy, lots of girls, fancy school, fighting abilities, strange abilities – but it does enough to warrant an episode or two based on how well I like these elements used together. It lacks depth and will likely have a shallow story and characters, but it looks to have an fascinating setting, likable characters and the promise of action. Whether these elements combine to cover the fact that it has weaknesses in its other essential fields remains to be seen, which is why I’m willing to give the anime a chance. I’m not sure how well the series will perform, but the art, animation and setting provide me with some level of hope.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru

Opinion: More often than not, I like these 4 moe girl slice-of-life anime where not much happens. And judging from the PV and the synopsis, it seems like this is exactly in the genre of those 4 moe girl slice-of-life anime that I like. However, I do have some issues with some of the shows in that genre, so it’ll really depend on how much I like the characters, the comedy, and how the chemistry works together. One thing to note with this anime is that it’ll air in mid-October, so we have a while before this one actually starts, but I do plan on keeping it around for an episode or two, even if I have a full schedule for the autumn anime season.

Plans for this show: Maybe watch

Danna ga Nani wo Itteru ka Wakaranai Ken

Opinion: Another comedy anime, but comedies that revolve around otaku humor or sexual humor don’t fare as well as most others. The art style is often cute and chibi, which is a positive for shows like this, but I’m not sure whether the jokes will make me smile or laugh. And I’m not sure this anime offers anything else besides jokes on sex and otaku. Guess we’ll see how well it performs once it airs.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Denki-Gai no Honya-san

Opinion: Another otaku-themed comedy, meaning another doubtful pick-up for the season. I don’t really care for the art style, the characters or the comedy, but it might change my mind after one episode if it can get me to laugh or smile. I’m not anticipating on keeping this anime based off the PV and the synopsis, but it deserves an episode since it is a comedy anime.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Garo: Honoo no Koukin

Opinion: The PV and synopsis do little to inspire me, but I know so little about the series that I believe one episode is in order to confirm my doubt. The art style for the characters looks rather plain and flat while the CG animation for the knight in armor doesn’t really appeal to me at all. The story seems pretty standard and straightforward with a prodigy child inheriting a legendary armor and destined to save the world. There are a number of other fantasy anime that I am looking forward to this season over Garo, but I still want to give it an episode to see if it can change my mind or if it confirms my original impressions.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Grisaia no Kajitsu

Opinion: Part of me wants to like this anime, but the other part (the more powerful one) is telling me no. Still, I want to give this anime an episode since it seems alright, but I doubt this anime will materialize into anything substantial or worthwhile. Grisaia no Kajitsu seems very generic with its characters and its synopsis, but the PV does have interesting moments and the anime is tagged as a ‘psychological’ anime. Might it be good? It might, but it’ll have to show value in its first episode if it wants me to keep it around.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Gundam: G no Reconguista (Gundam Reconguista in G)

Opinion: For whatever reason, I just can’t get excited when watching this PV. There’s nothing really wrong with the anime itself, especially since I’ve watched and enjoyed previous Gundam series, and the PV seems to parallel a number of other Gundam anime. But the anime just seems flat, without there sense of excitement or energy or passion from the previous Gundam anime. I am curious to see how this anime performs, but I just can’t get excited for this like I can for most of the other anime on this list. Unless the first episode can prove my misgivings wrong, I don’t anticipate keeping this Gundam anime this season.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Kaitou Joker

Opinion: Yeah, so, this anime is outside my demographic… but it’s a comedy and I want to give it a chance. I just want to see what this is like as an anime, and see how it fares compared to the other comedy anime this season. If I like it, then great, I’ll keep it. If not… then no surprises from me.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Nanatsu no Taizai

Opinion: Nanatsu no Taizai is a fantasy shounen adventure anime, a genre that I typically enjoy. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about this PV or this synopsis which fail to instill me with hope for this anime. Then again, I know so little about this anime, that it deserves an episode to see whether this is worth keeping or not… and I very well could keep this anime if it satisfies me with its fantasy setting, an interesting story, some remarkable characters or electrifying action. Really, the first episode will likely dictate whether I keep this anime or not, but based on what I’ve seen thus far, it’s probably not going to be around for much longer than one episode.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Ore Twintail ni Narimasu

Opinion: Based on the PV and the synopsis, the anime looks and sounds bad. But sometimes, an anime that’s this bad has value in how entertaining it is. I want to give it an episode to see how it performs, but I imagine I’ll be bored with its story and characters before too long and end up dropping it before the first episode finishes. Still, I want to see if there is any value to this anime at all and will be giving it an episode to determine its entertainment value.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Opinion: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso seems pretty standard as a romance anime, which isn’t necessarily a good thing for me. The main male character doesn’t really inspire me, the music theme doesn’t excite me and the moe art style doesn’t infuse me with confidence. It just doesn’t look like the kind of anime that I like, but it’ll get an episode based on its noitaminA tag.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

SHIROBAKO

Opinion: I often enjoy watching anime that revolve around anime or manga production, especially since they provide a unique perspective on their work that you don’t see in most anime. Still, I just can’t get excited for SHIROBAKO whenever I watch this PV, and I believe I’ll feel the same way when watching this anime. The anime might turn out to be better than I am imagining it to be, which is why I want to watch the first episode, but there’s something off about this anime. Maybe I’ll have a better idea or understanding of what makes this anime inferior to most of the others, but for now, SHIROBAKO is a bit of a mystery to me.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

Sora no Method

Opinion: Of all the anime in this tier, Sora no Method is probably the highest, though it’s here at the bottom due to alphabetical order. The anime has plenty of potential in its setting and story and has adequate or above-average art and animation in the PV. What’s anchoring this anime down is the cast of characters which seem tedious or mundane. Maybe it’s the moe art style or the fact that everyone is a loli, but none of the characters look remarkable or fascinating. I imagine with a different art style and older characters, this anime would be in a tier or two above, but it isn’t. Of all the anime in this tier, this is probably the most likely to be kept since I’m sure I’ll adjust to the art style before the end of the first episode, but if the anime fails to capitalize on its setting and story, I wouldn’t mind dropping this after its first 24 minutes.

Plans for this show: Doubtful but it gets a shot

The first two sections confirm the lists of anime that I am planning on watching based on my knowledge and understanding of the franchises. All that remains in this season preview are the anime that I have already decided against. The reason why these anime are slotted here is because they either appear to already be flawed, boring, or simply outside my demographic. While these anime may in fact be watchable to some, they do not appear watchable for me. I doubt I’ll examine these anime any more than the PV linked in their sections. However, there’s always a chance for me to pick one or two up every season, so not all hope is lost for these shows if you see one of your favorites down here. However, for most of them, there’s already zero chance I’ll even think about them after writing my opinions for each.

Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai

Opinion: The award for the most generic anime of the season is a reserved parking spot on this list. No, you’re not able to move up once you’ve parked here.