Warmer weather, cherry blossoms, picnics—it’s springtime, which also means a new season of anime!
Most people get excited about the transition from winter to summer, but for me, spring has always meant an increase in seasonal allergies, lots of rain, and being stuck inside studying for final exams. So, I must admit, that I never really look forward to the next couple of months, even though I don’t have to worry about school anymore.
I think my lackluster attitude toward the spring may also be observed in my anime picks for this upcoming Spring 2016. There aren’t that many shows being released this season that are getting me really excited, not as many as this past winter season, anyway. I mean, what could possibly top ERASED or Durarara!!x2 Ketsu?
Even so, there are a couple of anime that look like they have the potential to draw me in and keep me watching, so, without further ado, here’s what we recommend for Spring 2016.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Crystal – Death Busters-hen
A few months have passed since the defeat of Death Phantom, and Usagi, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Chibiusa have all enjoyed their daily lives in peace and harmony. With the third evolution of their standard Sailor forms and much stronger elemental abilities, the four Inner Sailor Soldiers are prepared for anything.
Chibiusa is glad to train in order to become the sixth Sailor Guardian of the team by transforming into Sailor Chibi Moon, and using the mystical moonlight-related abilities of her own mystical weapon- the Pink Moon Stick. With the mystical Cosmic Heart Compact in her possession, Usagi now transforms into the third evolution of her regular Sailor form and is even stronger than ever with the Spiral Heart Moon Rod as her newest weapon.
However, new forces arise out the blue, stealing peoples’ pure hearts using vile monsters called Diamon. In addition to this new threat, two new mysterious Sailor Soldiers appear, but have ambiguous intentions. To make matters worse, Mamoru and Rei begin to have vividly recurring nightmares about the annihilation of the world, where the Messiah obliterates everything and everyone with a long sickle-like weapon.
As new mysterious and secrets are brought to light, these new villains (known as the Death Busters) are harnessing a great power within someone that will lead the Earth toward nonexistence with the requirement of the mighty Holy Grail and the supremely powerful Silver Crystal held by Chibiusa. Also, another Sailor Guardian is introduced; one who is considered the strongest and most feared of all (Plot Summary from Sailor Moon Wiki).
Sailor Moon is one of my all-time favorite anime. It was my gateway into the world of anime, and so when I, along with many other Sailor Moon fans, discovered that the manga was going to be faithfully adapted into another anime, I was ecstatic.
Sadly, Sailor Moon: Crystal hasn’t lived up to all of my expectations. While it does faithfully follow the manga, which I love, and it even includes new canon that was never completely confirmed in the original manga—like the love affair between the inner senshi and Prince Endymion’s bodyguards—the animation makes it difficult for me to watch. The anime feels like reading a manga, but not necessarily in a good way; there’s very little motion, and frame after frame, viewers are give simple scenes that show a character talking and very little other motion besides the movement of their mouth.
Even so, I’m going to give Sailor Moon: Crystal another chance. The first and second seasons were always my favorite in the original anime, but this season is also exciting, because we get to finally meet the outer senshi. The Sailor Moon fandom was very excited when the trailer was released and we got to see Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus together.
Sailor Moon: Crystal Season 3 will be available to watch on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and NicoNico.
Flying Witch
15-year-old Makoto Kowata is a witch. Accompanied by her black cat Chito, the somewhat aimless girl moved from Yokohama to live with her second cousin in Aomori in verdant northern Japan (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
Beautiful anime scenery, cute character designs, a minimalist, slice-of-life feel—after watching the first and second promo previews for Flying Witch, I knew that the type of aesthetic it was presenting was the kind that I love the most.
I don’t know very much about this anime or the manga it was adapted from, but it reminds me a lot of the Someday’s Dreamers series, which is set in a realistic Japan, but with the mystical element that witches and magic exist. The series has a very slice-of-life feel in which you watch the characters go through the trials and tribulations of growing up, but at the same time, they also grapple with what it means to be a witch.
If Flying Witch is anything like Someday’s Dreamers, it has the potential to be satisfying slice-of-life anime.
Update: Flying Witch will be available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Joker Game
In 1937, before World War II begins in earnest. Lieutenant Colonel Yūki of the Imperial Japanese Army forms the “D Agency,” an army intelligence outfit under his command and tutelage. Army General Staff attaches Lieutenant Sakuma to observe the unit’s performance. D Agency casts a wide net to find agents beyond Japanese military personnel, and Yūki establishes D Agency’s tenets, which go against IJA doctrine: “Don’t kill, don’t get killed, don’t get captured.” With this, Yūki trains a team of operatives who conduct missions against domestic and foreign powers (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
I am definitely in the mood for a mature, historical anime, and Joker Game might be just the ticket. Fedoras and other 1940s fashion, neon lights, cigarettes, spies, intrigue, and a large cast of handsome male characters—Joker Game has the feel of an old, 1940s war drama, like Casablanca or Passage to Marseille. It’s based on the novel series of the same title written by Kōji Yanagi.
While the synopsis tells us what the show is about, I am interested in learning more. Does it take place in Japan? Or will we get to see other nations during this pre-World War II period? The preview shows the Eiffel Tower, so perhaps some of the show takes place in France, and a woman named Marie is shown in the preview as well.
I am a big fan of period films and shows, so I hope that this one will live up to my expectations. Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait and see if and by whom Joker Game will be simulcasted in North America.
Update: Joker Game will be available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Kiznaiver
The fictional Japanese city named Sugomori City is built on reclaimed land. But as the years go by, the city’s population is decreasing. One day, Sonosaki tells her classmate Katsuhira: “You have been selected to be a Kiznaiver.” The Kizuna System, which allows Katsuhira to share his wounds, connects him to the classmates whose lives and personalities completely differ from his. The Kizuna System is an incomplete system for the implementation of world peace that connects people through wounds. All those who are connected to this system are called Kiznaivers. When one Kiznaiver is wounded, the system divides and transmits the wound among the other Kiznaivers (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
Of all the anime listed here, Kiznaiver seems to be one of the most anticipated shows of Spring 2016 by anime fans. It’s an original anime being produced by the animation studio Trigger and Aniplex and directed by Hiroshi Kobayashi, the episode director for Kill la Kill.
The first advertisement didn’t show us very much, just brightly-colored boards with characters and their names displayed, and the second advertisement provides only a little more, showing us those characters walking around Sugomori City.
Even so, the overall synopsis and sci-fi aspects, plus the characters design and bright, colorful animation, is enough to draw me in to see what it’s all about.
Kiznaiver will be available to watch on Crunchyroll.
[blocktext align=”center”]What simulcasts will you be watching this spring?[/blocktext]
—
Rine Karr is an Anime Writer at Girls in Capes. She’s a writer and aspiring novelist by moonlight and a copyeditor by daylight. Rine loves good food, travel, and lots of fiction, especially novels, anime, manga, video games, and films. She’s also the Chief Copyeditor and an occasional contributor at Women Write About Comics.
I’d like to add one more anime to my Spring 2016 recommendations: The Lost Village. It will be simulcasting on Crunchyroll (http://www.crunchyroll.com/the-lost-village), and I think it has potential to be interesting. Here’s the plot summary from Anime News Network: 30 young men and women come together on a shady bus tour. The
tour’s destination: an illusive, possibly nonexistent village called
Nanakimura. In Nanakimura, one can lead a utopian existence, free of the
world’s obstacles, or so it was rumored, like an urban legend.
Actually, The Lost Village is my ERASED replacement for this season. I binged as much new anime as I could on Sunday! Two episodes were up and The Lost Village is SO GOOD so far.
I sat down a few weekends ago and finally binge watched ERASED. It was so good! I didn’t expect it to end well, but I’m glad it did. If the final end (with Satoru and Airi) hadn’t happened too I would’ve been mad! I must admit, I tend to wait until all episodes of a season are out before watching anything new. Sometimes, I’ll watch the first episode of a show when it comes out to gauge whether or not the show will be good, but I like to wait until all the episodes are available, so if I’m crying or yelling at my screen about something, I can go on to the next episode right away!
I already love Kiznaiver. I started Sakamoto Desu Ga too, and it was really funny, but would probably be better in short-form.
I somehow missed one other anime that I only just recently started, but that came out during the Spring 2016 season: Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. It’s really good, one of the best shows I’ve watched in a while, but it’s only available through Amazon Prime’s Instant Video Service. If you liked Attack on Titan, steampunk settings, and constant action, you might want to check Kabaneri out.