It’s been a whole year now since OASG got its own domain, but I’ve been around for a little longer, reviewing all kinds of shows, both good and bad. I always hope each season will bring shows that I don’t entirely hate, maybe it’ll be this Winter… maybe it won’t.
This season will bring just 4 new shows for me this time around, as a lot of shows in this cour are sequels of shows I know nothing about…or genres that have never really interested me.
Fuuka
Begins: Friday, January 6.
(Manga available on Crunchyroll)
This has the look, and the feel, of a romcom. I haven’t seen one in a long time.
Transfer student Yuu Haruna is a shy young guy who practically lives on his smartphone. After meeting Fuuka Akitsuki, who doesn’t like cellphones, he invites her to one of his close friends’ concerts. Thus the love triangle begins.
This has elements of a lot of average romcom shows, so I won’t be expecting anything new. With the strong theme of music attached to this, I hope I’ll enjoy it though…to some extent. Perhaps I could call this a show to switch off to, like I did with Long Riders! in the Fall. So, to be honest, I won’t mind if I find this just okay.
Sangatsu no Lion
(Continues on Crunchyroll)
I’m continuing coverage of this fantastic show from last season. While the show has kept a lot of the SHAFT trademark traits that we all know, I’ve found it very interesting that they chose to adapt this in the first place. A coming-of-age story about a young man who lives in the world of shogi. It’s a world he has grown to hate and can’t escape from, thus he is forced to find positives in everything he can, with his fellow shogi players and the new friends he has made in the Kawamoto household, and thus build the self-confidence he needs.
Little Witch Academia
Begins: Monday, January 9. (Japan) (Available on Netflix)
Last season, Hibike! Euphonium 2 was the show I was most looking forward to, and this season, it’s this one, by Trigger. It’s had 2 great mini-movies in the past, but this show was revealed at the end of the equally great Space Patrol Luluco. The Little Witch Academia movies, along with Kill La Kill, made Trigger famous for its unique animation and kooky sense of humour. Netflix have managed to snap this up, since they have the 2 mini-movies as well.
Young Akko chooses to attend Luna Nova Magical Academy, after watching her favourite witch put on a show in her hometown, only to find her fellow classmates/witches are far better than her. She has trouble paying attention in class, she can’t ride her broom, and has to put up with the atypical superior girl who has no problem with putting her down.
I’m even planning to watch the dub which is something rare in of itself. The reason why is because I’ve met the English voice actress of Akko last summer at Amecon (Erica Mendez), and she’s quite possibly the nicest convention guest I’ve ever met…so that’ll be fun too.
Gabriel Dropout
Begins: Monday, January 9. (Crunchyroll)
This looks like moe fluff, and might as well be another show that I can switch off to, like Fuuka.
Gabriel is an angel who graduated from angel school at the top of the class, and thus moves to a human school to learn more about the world, only to find herself stuck playing a web game all day. It sounds totally silly, but I don’t really care, to be honest. After watching so many drama-filled shows in 2016 (Erased, Hibike! Euphonium 2, Sangatsu no Lion, orange), and realising that the Studio Key show I hated back in the summer (Rewrite) was getting a second season, I felt like I needed to wind down, hence my choices for this season. I had a spell in hospital last March, meaning I don’t want a repeat of last year and thus take a break again.
Due to episode delays, Long Riders! will be airing its final episodes in February, so they will be covered as well. I wasn’t that impressed by it, but it has given me more interest in cycling, which is a good thing.
SHAFT also begun airing episodes of Zaregoto back in the fall, and will continue into 2017, so I will be doing a one-off post in regards to that. Not everyone has been impressed with the adaptation though, however I think it’s because they’re comparing it to Monogatari too much.
This time, I’m changing the format of the column a little. I’m adding a show that’s either out-of-season, or a classic. I did a poll on my Twitter and let the readers decide, and they chose this:
Chihayafuru
(Available on Crunchyroll)
Not only have I not seen this, but I know absolutely nothing about karuta, so this will be a very interesting watch, considering so many have praised this. To those who don’t know, schoolgirl Chihaya spends most of her time supporting her sister, who is a model. After being introduced to karuta in grade school, she decides to form a club and eventually go competitive, to aim to be Japan’s best.
It was a 2-cour show, so I’ll be covering 2 episodes per post, so I can match it with the other 4 shows I’ll be watching.
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This is to be a very laid-back season for me; 3 slice-of-life shows, 1 comedy-fantasy show and a classic sports show that’s universally praised. I will be doing another out-of-season/classic show in the spring, but you will all decide which one it will be (out of the 4 I pick out).
This is also the time where I begin saving for con. Dragoncon in Atlanta is a definite, but Anime Expo in LA has been called off. I can afford it, but it was just a matter of dipping into my savings account; something I didn’t want to do. The PS4 ports of the Danganronpa games will start coming in March too, so that will take up any spare time.
Well, here’s hoping 2017 will rock.