Great new year anime news, as it's been announced that there is to be a new Tiger & Bunny anime project. The 2011 anime series was really fantastic, and given that it was very Westernized by anime standards, I'm surprised it didn't take off over here to the extent that it could have (although there is a live-action Hollywood version in pre-production). If you haven't seen it yet, now would be a great chance to catch up, it's a great series that answers the question "What if humans started to gain powers" with "turn it into a reality TV show". In some ways, it's something of a precursor to My Hero Academia.

So obligatory WHAT THE f*** at Devilman Crybaby. I've just started it and well... this winter season has gotten off to a good start indeed. By being completely depraved and crazy beyond even what I'd expect anime to be.

 

Picked up Ancient Magus' Bride because of hype and things, that's a lot nicer an anime, seems like a rather pleasant story with a few dark undertones as you said Brett. On the side of retro I now have Gintama as my regular 'don't know what to watch' show (it's ending this year :cry: which means I'll finish it in 2024) and I've picked up Code Geass too.

 

I'm also thinking of starting Pop Team Epic as well because of er, well, this:

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/021/669/Screenshot_245.png

Yeah, I've heard about Pop Team Epic, it's been described as an "anti-comedy" and very troll-y, so I'm not too sure how to take it. I'll probably wait and see what you make of it before investing time in it. I'm still deciding what to watch this cour, as so far there hasn't been many series that have tickled my fancy. I'll probably watch the 2nd series of Dagashi Kashi when it starts, and I'll likely pick up A Place Further than the Universe as well, but as usual I'll post what I'm watching in a few weeks.

 

I've just finished marathoning both series of Himouto! Umaru-chan, which was a delightful little comedy. It's about a girl, Umaru, whose public persona is of a hard working, beautiful, diligent student, but the moment she gets home, she becomes a lazy, junk food-addled slob who is dependent on the support of her put-upon brother. It does take a while for it to click, as the character of Umaru starts off as a highly unlikable character, but as the series progresses and we are introduced to other characters who get to know Umaru in both her public & private personas, she does become quite endearing.

 

Plus, the ending theme for the 2nd season is the most

Oh yes, I've heard of Umaru-chan, however only in the context of the title character being the worst person ever :lol: Was surprised to see it got a second season although if they tone down her antisocial qualities later on that would explain it.

So this is what I'm watching this season, apart from the 2nd half of The Ancient Magus' Bride -

 

Dagashi Kashi Season 2 - The 2nd series of the show about a Japanese candy-enthused girl and the teen proprietor of an old Japanese sweet shop. There's been a few changes since the first season, mainly cutting the run time to 12 minutes, but it's still a diverting watch. Hotaru one of my favouritely designed characters in terms of costume.

 

Darling in the FranXX - Given that this is made by the studio behind Little Witch Academia, there was no way I wasn't going to pick this one up. In a post-apocalyptic world, humanity is under threat by creatures called klaxosaurs, and are defended by robots controlled by male/female pilots in their teens. One boy, Hiro, is banned from piloting a mech, but after meeting Zero Two, a girl with klaxosaur blood who has a reputation for irreparably injuring her co-pilots, he hopes to find a way back.

 

Pop Team Epic - I relented. It's absolutely bonkers by any stretch of the imagination - it makes Nichijou look like Pride & Prejudice in comparison. I usually skip a lot of the second half of each episode, for reasons that become apparent if you watch it.

 

A Place Further Than The Universe - this has been the highlight of the season so far. A girl who's too afraid to take risks befriends a girl whose mother disappeared on an Antarctic exhibition, and with 2 other girls they set off on a trip to the South Pole. Despite the somewhat farfetched plot, it's an absolute joy - rib ticklingly hilarious in place, emotional in others (the end of episode 5 hit me particularly hard). Plus it has one of the most charming opening sequences of an anime I've seen in some time.

I really didn't actually like Pop Team Epic that much! Maybe I'll give it another go but it was just too much Robot Chicken-like and basically a shitpost too far. Being able to skip half of the episodes means it's mercifully short but eh. The Your Name parody in the first episode, the first part of it, before they put an awful joke in, was the best thing there.

 

Darling In The Franxx I've been wondering about, but mechas aren't really my style and I've already got Code Geass on the go, which I am enjoying, see my sig, but to do two might be overload. I'll see how it pans out by the end of the season. And even though I've never watched Dagashi Kashi I agree so much on Hotaru, beautiful looking design! A Place Further Than The Universe I've heard a few good things about so I may give it a go.

 

The things I've picked up so far this season (apart from the second half of Ancient Magus again):

 

Devilman Crybaby - hinted at this in my earlier post but I've got through it all now, it being the first of a new deal that Netflix have with studios. A remake of the old Devilman manga, it's a horror story about a boy who finds out that devils are invading the human world and through an incident, becomes a devil himself (in a manner a little bit similar to Parasyte, half-human-half-monster fights the monsters). It contains a LOT of graphic sex and violence but is really engaging watching and it obviously gets very dark. Very good start to the year.

 

Violet Evergarden - In a Victorian steampunk setting with BEAUTIFUL animation, a war has just finished. It follows the title character Violet, who clearly played a big part in the war under an officer she calls 'the Major'. She's aiming to become an Auto Memory Doll, in this world, people who write letters on behalf of those who can't express themselves properly. Thing is, Violet is herself rather emotionally challenged. It's a really sweet story so far but I just need to emphasise how gorgeous it looks again (it and Ancient Magus have been a treat for my eyes lately), I feel like it's going to get better as it goes on.

 

Kokkoku - A family made up of layoffs, NEETs and underpaid workers discover that the grandfather of the family has a stone that can stop time and let them move around in 'Stasis'. Trouble is, a religious cult made up of thugs has a lesser stone allowing them to also move around and they want the greater stone. Very thrilling stuff with a propensity for incredible cliffhangers that I'm waiting on each week. Also features a

.

Okay so I love Yuri On Ice now

I'm just surprised it took you this long :D

For all you anime fans that live in the UK, Netflix has just added The Garden of Words. It's directed by Makoto Shinkai, who was also behind the monster hit Your Name. Although I'm not as big a fan of Shinkai's back catalogue as I am about Your Name (Voices from a Distant Star did nothing for me, and 5 Centimetres Per Second didn't resonate with me), this one is absolutely fantastic. Plus it's only 46 minutes, so it's not a massive time investment.

I've been watching Kakegurui on Netflix, it's SOOOO good. It has some very... gratuitous moments in it, to say the least, but the storyline is really interesting and has kept me interested. It's about a school where things are decided based on gambling, and the stakes get really high. That's all I'll say, but it's definitely worth the watch. It's only 12 episodes!

I've been watching Kakegurui on Netflix, it's SOOOO good. It has some very... gratuitous moments in it, to say the least, but the storyline is really interesting and has kept me interested. It's about a school where things are decided based on gambling, and the stakes get really high. That's all I'll say, but it's definitely worth the watch. It's only 12 episodes!

 

I've been thinking about that for a while ever since the kerfuffle about it being kept off of Netflix for months (and it's all over my recommendations). May give it a look soon.

 

By the way, Koro-Sensei (from Assassination Classroom, for any newcomers) has just won the 4th Reddit best guy contest - a knockout contest where the winners get retired into a hall of fame, joining Code Geass's Lelouch, Monogatari's Araragi and Cowboy Bebop's Spike. Really cool shock winner and one I was voting for since the beginning, obviously. He beat Light Yagami from Death Note in the quarterfinals, Kazuma from Konosuba in the semis and all the way to beating Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist in the finals. Which is a feat as FMA is supposedly one of the best animes ever, where I am in it now, I'd say it's good but not THAT good. Anyway, very happy for the best tentacle teacher getting recognised as the awesome character that he is and apparently lots of commenters picking up AssClass as a result *.*

 

also Pop Team Epic has done something that may lure me back, episode 8 is being aired 8 times continuously. As a Haruhi fan I'm amused and scared.

No, you're crying over the 12th episode of A Place Further Than The Universe.

Pokemon is the only anime I sometime watch :lol:

No, you're crying over the 12th episode of A Place Further Than The Universe.

 

I'd fire back with episode 10 of Violet Evergarden! Saw the whole plot coming as soon as the episode started and still had tears streaming by the end.

 

(must start A Place Further Than The Universe though)

Someone use myanimelist?

No, you're crying over the 12th episode of A Place Further Than The Universe.

 

Just got to this one and god though I was prepared what with pretty every episode prior breaking me down slightly more at the ending part (particularly the endings to episodes 10 and 11), this one just had me as a wreck the whole way through. What a brilliant, brilliant show (and I've still got one episode left to hopefully get some happy closure on it). It felt like it knew it was hitting it out of the park right from the start, I don't think I've ever been so eager to watch a show just centred around cute girls from episode to episode, although that's because they're not just cute girls and the plot is really tight and driven, all of them are incredibly strong and individual characters. Very glad I listened to you and the entire internet saying to pick it up.

 

Also, Spring 2018's started and my god this season just from the outside looks stacked with things I need or probably want to watch. My Hero Academia S3 (which I've already seen the first episode of but it's basically just a recap/filler episode so nothing really new there), Steins;Gate 0, a new cour of Shokugeki, a new SAO 'alternative' thing, Persona 5 The Animation, and probably a hidden gem or two like A Place... somewhere, I have about 10 shows I still want to finish. :lol:

Just started watching Sword Art Online, really gripped by it so far! (I'm on S1E7)

The only two series that I'm watching week on week so far this season is Steins;Gate 0 & My Hero Academia Season 3, nothing else really appealed to me/were available for streaming on Netflix/Crunchyroll/other.

 

What I have been watching recently is Aggretsuko , which recently dropped on Netflix, and absolutely love it. It's about 20-something accountant who deals with her horrible experiences in the workplace by doing death-metal karaoke. Retsuko is one of those characters that I can completely empathise with, even though she's a) female, and b) an anthropomorphised red panda.

 

Also recently finished Samurai Champloo, which was recently added to Netflix. It's not as good as Watanabe's best work, Cowboy Bebop, but it is pretty decent in places.

Same for Steins;Gate 0 and MHA S3, they're both knocking it right out of the park and I'm finding it very easy to go from week to week with them (seriously, every episode a cliffhanger and demanding more). Also just finished the fall cour of Food Wars S3 so with them having a new spring cour I'm going to be on that as well.

 

I'm finally coming towards the end of a lot of the series that I'd started but hadn't finished so I will be looking for new things to pick up soon. Aggretsuko caught my eye, I don't know how much I'd enjoy it but I might give it a look.

 

Just started watching Sword Art Online, really gripped by it so far! (I'm on S1E7)

 

excellent to hear! It's a very good starter anime, especially the first half of the first season.

Aggretsuko was so relatable, amazing little cartoon series. First time I've ever watched any sanrio stuff, I'm sure it's not normally like that but a great load of fun.

 

Darling in the FranXX - Given that this is made by the studio behind Little Witch Academia, there was no way I wasn't going to pick this one up. In a post-apocalyptic world, humanity is under threat by creatures called klaxosaurs, and are defended by robots controlled by male/female pilots in their teens. One boy, Hiro, is banned from piloting a mech, but after meeting Zero Two, a girl with klaxosaur blood who has a reputation for irreparably injuring her co-pilots, he hopes to find a way back.

 

I've started this as it was getting too big to ignore, definitely seems the big new show of 2018. And even though Zero Two is a total fantasy girl she's great, it's giving me proper nostalgia for teen years in a way few anime do accurately, the show itself is anime personified (and really quite good) but in a different way from the way that MHA was anime personified. It's completely using mechas and this really weird cockpit pairing system as a metaphor for... well I couldn't say what, but it's being fairly unsubtle about it.

 

the ridiculous innuendos are half the entertainment :ph34r: (coupled with the characters being completely oblivious about that sort of thing as a legitimate plot point)