Spring Anime Roundup: First Impressions of New Shows Part 1

Spring has "Sprungu" and a fresh batch of anime has hit the airwaves! This post contains just a short analysis of the first episodes of series we recommended to Tyrants a couple weeks ago and a few new shows that we think you might be into. Mind you this is an analysis of first episodes, so while we won't be covering the whole series, there will be SPOILERS as I talk about the first episodes!

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?

Watch it on: CrunchyRoll

Dubbed or Subbed: Subbed

I listened to the hype machine on this one and man was I disappointed. I guess with the goofy and overtly long title I was expected an action/comedy adventure mixed with some light romance. What I got instead was pre-teen angst and drama that took itself so seriously it was almost laughable.

In the opening episode, we learn that Goddesses come down to Earth to live among humans and select certain ones to fight for their honor. In return, they are granted privilege to fight in this huge dungeon and gain riches and power. Our main character starts things off by almost getting murdered by a minotaur, only to be saved by a much stronger female. He instantly falls in love and our story begins.

I can't even begin to go over how my dreams were crushed watching this show. This kid instantly feels he's destined to spend his life with this random girl and wants to be strong to impress her. I have no problem with the gender role reversal and the guy longing to go after the more powerful girl. What I do have a problem with is how this kid in the process of a week goes from meeting, to falling in love, to running from a bar crying because someone in the guild of the girl he likes said something discouraging about him. Furthermore, much of the humor relies on the main character's sexualized Goddess who's always trying to bone him...and it's really not that funny. It's actually really stupid, the more I think about it.

The intense sexuality, overly dramatic script, and sequence of events lead me to believe this anime is really aiming for a "coming of age" audience and doesn't look like it'll be hitting the mark for a lot of the adult crowd. Take that as you will...I'll probably give this one another episode or two before I officially call it quits.

Gunslinger Stratos

Watch it on: CrunchyRoll

Dubbed or Subbed: Subbed

Based on the popular arcade game released in Japan in 2012, Gunslinger Stratos should have been in our Spring anime list in place of Is It Wrong To Cry When A Girl You Met Doesn't Like You (I still can't get over it). I happened to notice this one in the "New" category on Crunchyroll, and damn was it a blast. If the rest of the series lives up to the first episode, I see this one making my "best of" list for the end of Spring.

The story follows Tohru, a high schooler (surprise surprise) in training to go to war. Things are all kind of fuzzy starting out, but the animation and futurist style are very much on point. Things kick off with a really trippy dream, and really just go from there. I don't want to ruin the end of the episode for you because it's honestly really cool to watch. Parallel universes, time travel, lots of guns, and violence are what you can expect from this one. Eagerly awaiting episode 2!

Seraph Of The End

Watch it on: Funimation

Subbed/Dubbed: Subbed

Feels alert on this one. Seraph of the End does a really good job of mixing childhood innocence and foolishness and showing you just how incredibly wrong that can go. I mean...damn.

Adult humans are killed off by a vampire-created virus and the remaining children are forced into slavery by their vampire overlords. The first episode follows Yu, and his orphanage "family" and shows their transition from the day the incident happened until current time. Yu seems to be the only person upset about his vampire overlords and wants to escape. His friend Mikaela urges him to make the best of the situation and helps provide for the orphanage by letting a Vampire noble use him for food and stuff. After we get well established with Yu and his family of young children that went to the same orphanage as him, Mikaela returns from the vampire's house with a map to escape the city. Sounds great, right?

Remember how I talked about childhood innocence and foolishness?

Yeah, turns out the vampire intentionally let them find the map and Yu watches his entire family of very young children and Mikaela get slaughtered. Yu does manage to escape, however, and swear vengeance, so he's got that going for him. He befriends an anti-vampire group outside their underground city and the story begins.

I really liked the animation in this one and the sweeping visuals of the city were very impressive. The out-the-gate violence against children (they don't do the cut away with blood streaks for most of it) makes me think we are in for a gore fest on this one, so be prepared!

Blood Blockade Battlefront

Where to Watch: Funimation...except it's not on their site yet...you can find it online though...I just can't link you to it.

Dubbed/Subbed: Subbed (Will be Dubbed at some point)

Wow, did I feel like I just stepped right back into the world of Cowboy Bebop on this one. That's not at all a bad thing of course, but the animation style right down to the random jazz breaks really had me wanting to pop that series back in for old time's sake. Honestly this series feels like a spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop now that I think of it, and I'm completely fine with that.

Leonard Watch is a human stuck in former New York City, otherwise known as "Jerusalem's Lot." The natural and the supernatural live together in the greatest city in the world; they're trapped from leaving, and outsiders trapped from entering. For this reason, the world is fascinated by New York's transformation and it quickly becomes a hub for all alien/supernatural/human life. Leonard unwittingly gets drafted by Libra, a group set on maintaining order in the Big Apple, and keeping criminal organizations from getting a stranglehold on what is now considered "the most powerful city in the world."

It's pretty awesome how the Japanese creators were so spot-on in capturing the essence of New York. Besides the fact you'll constantly recognize where our characters are in the show, it's hilarious how three months into this phenomena, New Yorkers are operating as normal. Even its new alien and supernatural inhabitants quickly adapt and unify under the fact that they are all "New Yorkers." A cafe blows up due to some demon on a bank heist rampage, and people are there the next day ordering coffee amongst the rubble. It's hilarious, and in another sense almost symbolic of the spirit of New York.

I didn't truly understand the title of the show until watching the episode, but in case you were curious as well, Libra fights using their own blood. I don't fully understand it still, but at least there's some clarity in that way. Like I said, this show feels very much like a spiritual successor to Cowboy Bebop in terms of animation/music/humor/action, and you should be very happy that it is. Watch this one now.

FOOD WARS!

Where To Watch: CrunchyRoll

Dubbed/Subbed: Subbed

This is another one I just happened to see while browsing new series on CrunchyRoll and what the f***. This is going to be the weird anime of Spring 2015. The easiest way to describe this show is it's about a kid whose cooking gives people orgasms. Yep. There's more to it than that, but I feel like that's all you need to know going into this show. I guess I should also tell you there's a weird squid penetration scene as well. I don't know if I like documenting on the internet that I watched this show.

That being said, the show was pretty funny, and I guess food can be THAT good sometimes. Watch it if you want, but don't tell people I sent you.

Plastic Memories

Where To Watch: Crunchyroll

Dubbed/Subbed: Subbed

This is not an action anime. I know that's going to be our wheelhouse from here on out, but the first episode of this one was good enough that I decided to give it another shot next week. Plastic Memories is about a future where androids exist and are indistinguishable from humans. The bad part is that the androids' minds deteriorate and decay after 9 years and 4 months. Our story follows a company who collects these androids from their human buyers before their expiration date.

It was a bit cheesy, but the sci-fi element to it is what kept me watching. Seeing the emotional connection these humans would share with their purchased androids was moving, and the goodbyes were heartfelt enough that I had to remind myself I was watching a Japanese cartoon. No, we don't see an android that manages to get past its expiration date, which is why I'm for sure watching episode two in hopes that we do. Like I said, this one is not heavy on the action and has some of that angsty romance, but it wasn't so much that I couldn't make it through the episode.

All right, that's it's for Part 1 for now! Hopefully you found some new shows to follow or to ignore based on your interests. Let me know what you think I should keep covering or shows that should be analyzed in part 2 (yes, Digimon will be covered).