It’s autumn again, and that means a new season of anime is here. Yay! ð (I always feel like I should throw confetti around my office whenever I write new posts for this series.) When I first looked at the lineup for this season, I was a little disappointed, but after further investigation, it’s looking to be an interesting one. There’s going to be a second season of March comes in like a lion, which I love, and a whole new series of Kino’s Journey and The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Well, without further ado, here are my recommendations for Fall 2017.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Chise Hatori, 15 years old. Lost, without hope, and without family, she is bought for money–not by another person, but by a non-human sorcerer named Elias. Though she hesitates, she begins life anew as his apprentice and future wife. She moves on with her new and peaceful life, slowly but surely, until one day, when she finds a Japanese picture book among the many sent to her from London by Angelica. It is a fateful book that discovered her in her younger years, when she was still troubled and lonely. This piece is a prequel to Chiseâs encounter with the Thorn Sorcere (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
The OVA of The Ancient Magus’ Bride was a highly anticipated series. It was even released in select cinemas across the U.S. Now, a 24-episode series will be released this season. I have yet to watch the original OVA. I sampled a little bit of the first episode a few days ago, and when I saw Big Ben at the beginning, I got excited. (I’m a sucker for stories that take place in London after living there myself for about a year.) And after learning that Kore Yamazaki–the author of the manga, OVA, and anime–was inspired by Celtic mythology in the creation of the story, I’m even more excited to give both the OVA and this new extended series a try.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride three-part anime prequel OVA is already available to watch on Crunchyroll. The new 24-episode season will be available to watch on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Girls’ Last Tour
Civilization is dead, but Chito and Yuuri are still alive. So they hop aboard their beloved Kettenkrad motorbike and aimlessly wander the ruins of the world they once knew. Day after hopeless day, they look for their next meal and fuel for their ride. But as long as the two are together, even an existence as bleak as theirs has a ray or two of sunshine in it, whether they’re sucking down their fill of soup or hunting for machine parts to tinker with. For two girls in a world full of nothing, the experiences and feelings the two share give them something to live for (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou or Girls’ Last Tour looks a lot like Made in Abyss, which I recommended last season, although I have yet to watch it. These two shows have very similar artistic styles, as well as settings. The characters are children, drawn in a chibi-like manner, and the backgrounds and cinematography are breathtaking. The settings are both post-apocalyptic in nature, although the civilization in Made in Abyss seems to have it together, while the world in Girls’ Last Tour appears much more severe. There’s apparently no one else alive except the two main characters! Are these two shows the start of a new trend in childlike character designs juxtaposed against fairly realistic backgrounds?
Girls’ Last Tour will be available to watch on Anime Strike.
Inuyashiki
Ichiro Inuyashiki is down on his luck. While only 58 years old, his geriatric looks often have him written off as a pathetic old man by the world around him and he’s constantly ignored and disrespected by his family despite all that he’s done to support them. On top of everything else, his doctor has revealed that he has cancer and it appears that he has little time left in this world. But just when it seems things couldn’t get any worse, a blinding light in the night sky strikes the earth where Ichiro stands (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
After spending last weekend watching all of Satoshi Kon’s feature films, as well as Paranoia Agent, I’m on a bit of a Madhouse kick. Unfortunately, Madhouse has changed drastically since 2011, when its founder, Masao Maruyama, left and opened MAPPA. Luckily for fans, MAPPA has animated a fair number of decent shows, including Kids on the Slope and Yuri on Ice. Which is why I’m looking forward to the futuristic Inuyashiki. Based on the manga by Hiroya Oku, already available on Crunchyroll, this story is about an older man who, after a strange accident, wakes up to find he’s been placed inside a robotic body.
Inuyashiki will be available to watch on Anime Strike.
Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series
The story follows the travels of Kino, a young adventurer who rides a talking motorcycle named Hermes. They explore the people and cultures of different places throughout their adventures, spending only three days at each location (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
I watched the first Kino’s Journey anime back in college, after digging the series out of a DVD bargain bin. I have since resold the DVDs, but Kino’s Journey continues to have a warm, fuzzy place in my heart, regardless of how many rabbits Kino killed. It was all for survival, right?! I can forgive her for that. “Her”–I say this because for much of the original series, Kino’s gender is ambiguous. It is later revealed that she is a woman, but I’d like to think she’s genderqueer and/or non-binary. That’s my own little head canon. I hope this new series brings us new adventures for Kino, as well as more saucy Hermes.
Kino’s Journey -the Beautiful World- the Animated Series will be available to watch on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
March comes in like a lion – 2nd Season
The protagonist Rei is a 17-year old professional shÅgi player, who lives by himself, not having a real family, and has scarcely any friends. Among his acquaintances is a family, which consists of a young woman, Akari, and two young girls, Hinata and Momo, and who also keep a numerous number of cats (Plot Summary from Anime News Network).
Sangatsu no Lion or March comes in like a lion season two starts this autumn. It’s about Rei, a young shÅgi player, and his relationship with the Kawamoto family. I really enjoyed the first season of this show. Rei is a multifaceted character. He appears to be constantly depressed and a little bland at first, but as the show continues, you get to know him better and why he does the things he does. The story is based on the ongoing manga series by Chica Umino. Umino is the author of Honey and Clover, one of my favorite josei anime and manga series. I didn’t even have to look up March comes in like a lion to know that it’s based on Umino’s work. The way the characters are drawn–particularly their round, shiny eyes, flowing hair, and cute outfits–are Umino’s artistic style exactly.
March comes in like a lion will be available to watch on Crunchyroll.
[blocktext align=”center”]What simulcasts will you be watching this autumn?[/blocktext]
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