#selection project

Happy Birthday! (March 19th)

Raphiel Ainsworth Shiraha (Gabriel DropOut)

Mugino Sakuraba (Dream Festival)

Haru Yayoi (Tsukiuta.)

Suzune Miyama (SELECTION PROJECT)

Dan (Pop’n Music)

Hinako Kujou (Devil Survivor 2)

Hasumi Nagatomi (THE iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls)

Draco (Monster Musume)

Yoshitoshi Waku (Psycho-Pass)

Merengue (Animal Crossing)

Mamapianitchi (Tamagotchi)

Propaganda below the cut:

It’s officially pumpkin season, which means it’s time once again to appreciate some of the options we have for new anime coming out. So here’s some first impressions of the things that have caught my eye recently. As usual, I’m putting (*) next to anything available on Crunchyroll. 

I also have master lists for every season of 2021 so far, as well as 2020 and 2019 (because I don’t have a life).

New Shows!

Blue Period: The anime that perfectly encapsulates the experience of every teenager who considers the possibility of doing art for a living. The basic description would be that our standard bored high schooler, Yatora Yaguchi, discovers an unexpected spark of interest in art, and of course, ends up joining his school art club as is the typical anime fashion. But the tone doesn’t really fit with the slice of life high school club anime at all. It focuses a lot more on the reality of the art world and the amount of time, effort, study, and MONEY it takes to go to a fine arts university with no guarantee of being successful after you finish school (and also having to tell your Asian parents you want to go to an art school). The animation style itself isn’t my favorite, but it tries its best to communicate the feelings that certain colors, places, or times of day give to artists that inspire them to create. 

If nothing else, just watch the first episode for the art teacher grandma, the best girl of the year who delivers the most hilarious jokes and genuine life/art advice I’ve seen all year.

Heike Monogatari (The Heike Story): A historical drama set during the Genpei war that follows a young musician named Biwa who has visions of the future. After the death of their father, Biwa befriends the heir to the powerful Taira clan, who also happens to have supernatural sight. Eventually, Biwa comes to live with the auspicious family and begins to predict their downfall. There’s a lot more going on here, but the less you know going in, the better. It’s the Science Saru version of Dororo with fewer demons and an equal amount of political and family drama. It’s not going to be for everyone, but if you like weird period pieces, this is the anime for you.

Komi Can’t Communicate (Komi-san wa, Comyushou desu): A comedy in which a cool, beautiful high school queen named Komi is revered by everyone around her. But even though she seems aloof and mysterious on the outside, the truth is, she actually has terrible social anxiety that keeps her from holding conversations with her classmates. The show might have a common schtick, but it’s also got its fair share of heart with one of the sweetest first episodes of the year. Plus, it has some pretty good visual gags that remind me of Kaguya-sama and Sakamoto Desu Ga? But honestly, I think the real reason Komi can’t communicate is because her mouth is so tiny. 

King Ranking (Ousama Ranking): A fantasy series that focuses on the friendship between Prince Boji, a young, deaf boy who dreams of becoming his country’s greatest king, and Kage, a literal shadow that looks like a misshapen doughnut who comes from a clan of assassins. I didn’t expect this to be one of the most emotional anime of the season, and yet here I am, two episodes in and ready to cry over a little boy and his sentient figure eight. If you like characters who are clever and kind, but not very strong, you will be ready to adopt Boji in a heartbeat. Not to mention, the ranking system for the throne is very intriguing, and I want to see more of Kage’s shadow clan.

*Sakugan: A sci-fi/action piece that takes place far in the future, where humans live in underground colonies connected by a labyrinth filled with monsters. Our main characters are a father daughter pair, where nine year old genius Memempuu dreams of becoming a “marker,” one of the brave fighters who map the labyrinth and fight the kaiju. But no good dad would let his child do something so dangerous by herself, so instead of shooting down her dream, he goes along with her. It’s Deca-Dence meets Gurren Lagann. Even if we’ve seen this type of world building before, I love the pair’s dynamic, and there’s a lot of potential with this one.

Selection Project: An idol anime that follows nine girls across Japan as they compete in the seventh annual Selection Project reality competition show hoping to become the next American Idol Selection Project winner. Our main character Suzune Miyama has dreamed of debuting as an idol ever since she was a chronically ill child, so by all anime logic, she should be a shoe-in to make it through the challenge, right? I’ll admit, idol shows can be really hit and miss for me, especially when they involve so many characters, but this one hits in a bit more dramatic way, and the reality show set up is unique and fun. The anime goes out of its way to make it seem like Selection Project could be an actual thing that airs in Japan, so I’m here for it.

The Vampire Dies In No Time (Kyuuketsuki Sugu Shinu): A wacky comedy about an incredibly weak, video game loving vampire and a renowned vampire hunter who reluctantly team up to fight crime/solve mysteries. As fun as it is, I hope they branch out from the gimmick eventually, because 12 episodes of the same thing is going to get old fast. If you like zany, out of the box slapstick like Heaven’s Design Team or Osomatsu-san, this is definitely worth checking out. Not to mention the OP slaps hard. 

*The Faraway Paladin (Saihate no Paladin): In our obligatory isekai of the season, we follow our main character Will as he grows up in a fantasy world being raised by his three parents...who all happen to be undead. Eventually, Will yearns to explore the mysteries of this world and his guardians while aiming to become a true paladin. All in all, this has been pretty light on the isekai elements so far and acts more like a straight up fantasy. And I have to appreciate that even though Will has been reincarnated as a child in a fantasy world with his adult memories, unlike the Mushoku Tensei protagonist, he isn’t a total creep to everyone. In fact, the first episode is incredibly sweet, and by the time it’s over, you feel like you understand the gist of this world and our three undead parents pretty well. I’m sure it will ramp up, but for now it’s a chill, solid fantasy world with an MC who might be a little bland for now but ultimately has room to grow.

Taishou Maiden Fairytale (Taishou Otome Otogibanashi): A romantic comedy period piece in which Tamahiko Shima, the youngest son of a powerful family, is forced into exile after an accident that kills his mother and cripples his right arm. While he’s brooding away in the mountains, he is surprised one night with the sudden appearance of Yuzuki Tachibana, a girl claiming to be his future bride. Together, the two live in isolation and must come to understand each other. There are a lot of ways a story like this could go wrong (especially since Yuzuki isn’t even 15 yet), but this was freaking adorable. The two are awkward and silly around each other, and it’s nice to have a couple where the guy is allowed to feel bad about the whole situation and also acknowledge how hard his fiancé works to make their future a good one. And even though Yuzuki is very sweet and conditioned to be a “perfect bride” she doesn’t fall for Tamahiko’s dramatic loner tendencies. The two work great together, and I’m excited to see where this goes. 

And speaking of romantic comedies….

My Senpai Is Annoying (Senpai ga Uzai Kouhai no Hanashi): A workplace romantic comedy, in which short, feisty Igarashi Futuba is annoyed by her giant, enthusiastic senpai Takeda Harumi (who is actually a pretty decent guy). I love a good height difference, especially if it involves one character having to knock some sense into people about not being patronizing to those who are vertically challenged. It definitely runs in the same vein as Wotakoi and Aggretsuko. If you love slow burn romances with contrasting heights and personalities, you’ll probably like this too. 

*Takt op. Destiny: This is an original action/adventure anime made by both MAPPA and Madhouse, so does it really matter what it's about? In the year 2047, monsters that hate music have taken over the world (or at least America), leaving a lackadaisical conductor, a mysterious girl, and their harried driver/handler on a road trip to New York, hoping to defeat the monsters and bring music back to the world along the way. And when I say conductor, I mean it in the sense that the mysterious girl is actually a magical girl who uses the conductor to unlock her power in order to beat up the monsters. Because of course she does. The animation is dynamic and perfectly oriented for an action show, but what stands out even more are the everyday scenes that show off the character relationships. I could watch these three bicker all day. We’ve all lived this road trip at some point. 

*Platinum End: Honestly, the plot of this anime never really mattered to me. It’s based on a manga by Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba, so watching it was inevitable. But yes, it is basically Death Note with an emo protagonist, a waifu version of Ryuk, and an even more over the top sense of drama with questionable morality. The whole thing revolves around our main character Mirai, who is given questionable powers by an “angel” who rescued him as he was attempting suicide. Supposedly, the manga was amazing up until the ending (but hey, people said that about Death Note too, and I liked that ending). I’m intrigued, but I wish it could have been made by Madhouse because the animation is just...okay. 

Visual Prison: Okay, this isn’t a serious recommendation, but I want to shout out Visual Prison for having a hilariously genius concept (having vampires masquerade as visual k bands) but actually being a ridiculously mediocre nightmare. It is pure fujo bait that feels like a fever dream from my teenage years, like Utapri’s goth, stupidly serious little brother. It crammed four performances (plus the opening credits song) into the first episode, three of which are within the first ten minutes, and I can’t tell you a single thing about any of the characters except that they’re all pretty singing vampires. It is impossible to feel bad while watching...whatever the hell this thing is, especially if alcohol is involved. Please experience this insanity with me. 

Continuing Series!

*The Aquatope On White Sand (Shiroi Suna no Aquatope): If you missed it last season, this original anime from PA Works focuses on the friendship of two girls who are struggling to keep a small, run down aquarium in Okinawa afloat. The first half of the show was an amazing ride, and I was more baffled than excited when I learned that it was continuing for another cour. The first half had a perfect ending point, but the story does proceed in a logical way, so I hope it doesn’t drop the ball. The characters, visuals, and music are all top tier, so if you missed it during the summer, now is the time to grab your tissues and catch up. The first twelve episodes alone would make it one of the best shows of the year!

*86 (second cour): The sci-fi drama that ripped our hearts out and stomped on them earlier this year is back, and I am so ready! As one of the stand out shows of the spring, 86 is the story of the war driven Republic of San Magnolia, who is constantly fighting their neighboring country using “unpiloted” robots. But of course, these robots aren’t unpiloted at all, and we follow the rag-tag group of teenagers and their handler Lena as they fight for their lives and discover what it means to treat other people as fellow humans (yes the whole thing is definitely an allegory for racism and military control). It feels like something that would have come out in the YA dystopian craze (in a good, nostalgic sort of way). With some of the best music (composed by Hiroyuki Sawano), drama, and character development all year, I can’t recommend this enough if you’re in the mood to suffer. 

*Let’s Make A Mug Too (season 2): An adorable slice of life about a girl who joins her school pottery club and ends up making a connection with her late mother through her love of pottery. It’s so sweet and chill with a really heartfelt message about finding inspiration and what it means to create something. Also the main character’s dad is a major dilf, so what more could you want?

But there is more.

The anime itself is only fourteen minutes per episode, but if you’re watching it on Crunchyroll, they include a special along with each episode of the four main voice actresses going to the town the anime was based on/takes place in, and doing all sorts of things for another 8-10 minutes (including showcasing some of the real life artwork that actual high school students have made that are in the anime). So not only do you get cute girls doing cute things in anime, you get cute 3-D girls doing cute things in real life. It’s 100% a tourism promotion, but I don’t care because the VAs are all so lovely and funny. So if you missed it earlier this year, please give it a chance if slice of life is your thing. 

Honorable Mention

*Fena: Pirate Princess: A super fun adventure anime that mixes Western traditional pirate based fantasy with Japanese culture. The story revolves around Fena, a girl with a mysterious past who finds herself on a journey to uncover the secrets of her family’s history (yes, it’s basically pirate Anastasia). Since it started airing so late last season, I didn’t give it a chance until about half way through the show, and I’m glad I did, because I’m having a ton of fun with this. Fena and the crew are delightful and hilarious with just the right amount of drama. It will be almost done by the time this list comes out, but I couldn’t leave it out. The world building is great, and the villains look like One Piece characters, so what’s not to like?

Mieruko-chan would be a solid horror with its genuinely creepy designs for yokai, if it wasn’t constantly muddling its tone with incredibly distracting, unnecessary fanservice that ultimately ruins the vibe. And I’m sure The Night Beyond The Tricornered Window will satisfy anyone who wants the explicitly bl version of The Morose Mononokean that cuts out all the good parts of the manga. Also Demon Slayer is airing Mugen Train on Crunchyroll, so there’s that too. 

Kizuna no Allele is an idolish music series directed by Kenichiro Komaya. Wit Studio and Signal.MD produce the series. Deko Akao wrote the show’s scripts. The first season/cour aired from April to June 2023. Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the sixty-third article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on Jan. 20, 2024. The…