Summer 2014 Anime Season Preview

Ahhh… It’s been a long time since I did one of these posts, all you Russian spambots who read this.  In fact, it feels like it was exactly one year ago.  Time really flies, doesn't it?

This season is going to be a big one, especially considering all the high-profile sequels coming out.  New Black Butler, new Free… the internet will be a veritable swarm of fujoshi.  There’s also a new Sword Art Online, but we don’t talk about that in these circles.

(also, I’m not talking about everything, because I don’t have a lot to say about every new show.  I mean, what to say about the new Sailor Moon? “Um… new Sailor Moon, watch it if you like the original.”  That’s pretty weak.)

Dawnleaf Watches Mahou Shoujo Taisen (Magica Wars): Episode 1 – Gainax, This Was Your Last Chance

…And you screwed it up.  I highly doubt that that five-girls-in-a-tea-club-SOL-comedy will end up being good (and I know that nobody else has any expectations for it), so this really was Gainax’s last chance.  Think about it.  When did they last make anything good?  Panty & Stocking was fairly well-received, but it was an extremely love-it-or-hate-it affair.  That was three and a half years ago.   What have they done since then, in terms of TV series?  Nothing.  Three and a half years is a long time to not make anything notable. 

Dawnleaf Watches selector infected WIXOSS: Episode 1 – Pronounced “WicRoss”

It was either this or Blade and Soul, and I decided to go for the one where the characters are actually wearing clothes, even if they are a bunch of moe schoolgirls.  And Blade and Soul’s PV makes me think of Ikki Tousen just a little, and thinking of Ikki Tousen gives me an irresistible compulsion to close out of whatever browser window I’m on and cry.

Dawnleaf Watches The World Is Still Beautiful: Episode 1 – Breaking Hiatus Just In Time for SPRING BREAK

You see, the promo art is desperately trying to get guys to watch this, because it’s almost an upskirt shot.

Dawnleaf Watches Unbreakable Machine Doll: Episode 1 – Close Call

Hey, y’all?  Remember Pokémon?  Of course you do, you’re lying if you say that you don’t remember that anime, because you have all seen at least snippets of it.  Well, my best snappy one-sentence summary of Unbreakable Machine Doll is that it’s Pokémon aimed at the teenage male demographic.  Yes, we’ve got those proxy battle and creatures with fun designs, but we’ve also got a developing harem and a fanservice doll.  Literally.

Dawnleaf Watches Beyond the Boundary: Episode 1 – Boy Meets Girl

“Don’t worry; it’s only a flesh wound!”

Now, I read the summary of this originally and my mind started going “Bakemonogatai ripoff alert”, but I kindly told it to shut up because Kyoto Animation would never make something like Bakemongatari.  And I was actually right.

Dawnleaf Watches Coppelion: Episode 1 - Of Magic Skirts and Thick Outlines

For me, one of the hardest parts of blogging like this is when I come across an anime like Coppelion.  Because, well, my reaction to it is very difficult to articulate.   Because me just saying “THEANIMATIONTHEANIMATIONTHEANIMATION” over and over in a post would just be boring, but that’s really how I feel.  So, I guess the easiest place for me to start is trying to describe dat animation.