Spring 2012 (Megas) Anime Preview

February 4, 2015March 19, 2012 by Dark_Sage

This post was written by Dark_Sage. He is Dark_Sage.

Brace yourself.

~Table of Contents~

Chart

Excellent Shows

Medaka Box
Tasogare OtomeXAmnesia (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia)
Sankarea

Good Shows

Accel World
Nazo no Kanojo X (Mysterious Girlfriend X)
Zetman
Eureka Seven Ao
Jormungand

Shit Shows

Saki: Achiga-hen episode of side-A
Hyou-ka
Beyblade Zero-G
Ozuma
Shining Hearts ~Shiawase no Pan~
Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future
Saint Seiya Omega
Koi-Ken!
Natsuiro Kiseki
Upotte!!
Fushigi no Umi no Nadia Remastered (Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Remixed)
Uchuu Kyoudai
Acchi Kocchi
Hiiro no Kakera
Tsuritama
AKB0048
Sakamichi no Apollon
Kuroko no Basuke
Ginga e Kickoff!!
Yurumates
Sengoku Collection
Gakkatsu!
Haiyore! Nyaruko-san

Season 2 Shows

Fate/Zero
Queen’s Blade: Rebellion
Kore wa Zombi Desu ka? OF THE DEAD
Kimi to Boku
Cardfight!! Vanguard
Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle

Summary

Chart

Here’s the chart that I modified. Click it for a readable version. This is your tl;dr guide if you want an easy reference. My descriptions go in the order of this chart. The order of the shows in each “tier” is based on how good I think they will be relative to the other shows in that tier. This does not apply to the “season 2” shows because I’m too fucking lazy to order those.

The Excellent

Medaka Box

Medaka is an alternate reality Haruhi Suzumiya. Sassy, full of herself, and amazingly gifted. Gist is, she’s the school president so she’ll take care of any suggestions she finds in the school suggestion box. That’s the entire plot of the first arc (think Sket Dance, but good). From there, shit gets real.

The show evolves into a really awesome Battle Royale filled with zany and interesting characters. I marathoned nearly 60 chapters until I realized I should get some sleep. It’s super addicting. You don’t get this kind of fun every day. The show comes highly recommended from yours truly.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/756/medaka-box_ch01_by_red-hawk-scans (read through chapter 58 for this preview)

Tasogare OtomeXAmnesia (Dusk Maiden of Amnesia)

A high school boy is able to see the school’s resident ghost. Turns out she’s quite cute and friendly. They go around trying to solve the mysteries of the school to help find out her past and how she died.

But hold the fuck on. This isn’t fucking Scooby Doo. This is a romance-drama, and beneath the cute veneer you get the idea Ghost-chan really didn’t have a nice, peaceful death. As long as the studio follows the manga to a T, you’ll be seeing some really excellent directing — the manga is absolutely filled with suspense done well.

My description is kind of shit. The show’s really one you have to experience. Look forward to it.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/3763/tasogare-otome-x-amnesia_v1_ch.1_by_dbr-scans (read through Volume 6 for this preview)

Sankarea

MC is obsessed with zombies — REALLY obsessed — and meets a girl who’s living in a controlled, incestuous situation. She ends up dying and becoming a zombie.

Sankarea is an interesting blend of ideas. Tons of ecchi and comedy help mask the fact that there is some seriously dark shit going on in the background. (And no, this isn’t High School of the Dead — it actually has a plot and characterization.)

The series manages to work really, really well. And it keeps going places. Places that I don’t want to spoil. Anyway, if you’re intrigued by the premise, go for this show. It’s gonna be so great.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/2015/sankarea_v1_ch1_by_milky-translation (read through Volume 2 for this preview)

The Good

Accel World

This is the tale of Fatsuyuki, a fat kid with nothing going good for him in his life. He’s weak, bullied, unloved, and completely responsible for his current situation. By some sick twist of fate he discovers a battle royale game in the virtual world… and he decides to become a fighter to attain the fabled LEVEL 6 STATUS.

Sounds shit, right? Well, it sort of is, but… there’s just something about Accel World that begs a second look. You have a character who is absurdly pathetic managing to beat all the odds against him. Now, this isn’t exactly unique to Japanese series; in fact it’s pretty much the plotline of everything that’s been done before. But you’ve never seen a sack of shit like Fatsuyuki, so seeing him beat his fate is oddly entertaining.

Expect the regular quirkiness from Battle Royale series. Say what you like, but they’re sure fun. Add Accel World to your watch list if you want. It’s not like there’s much else this season to watch.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/6489/accel-world_ch1_by_riceballicious (read through Chapter 9 for this preview)

Nazo no Kanojo X (Mysterious Girlfriend X)

Essentially, this kid decides to taste a girl’s drool that was pooled on her desk. (Who hasn’t done that?) After this, he gets sick and she visits him, explaining that he’s probably sick (love sick to be specific) because he tasted her drool. She explains that he will go into withdrawal if he doesn’t continue to taste her drool, so he does. Based on an exchange of drool, they can determine each other’s feelings and realize they’re in love… or something.

Beyond the drool fetish, what you have is a really cute romance anime. This isn’t your usual terrible “love triangle quadrangle pentagle” shit we’re always forced into. No, this is romance without the bullshit and it’s a really refreshing change of pace for a genre which has either been focused on “lol love comedy” or “super drama we will make you CRY” shows.

“This is a romance where the emotions aren’t forced on you. You just find yourself smiling naturally.”

I should be that guy who writes that kinda shit on the back of DVDs. I’d be so good at it.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/3241/mysterious-girlfriend-x_by_eval-powar (read through chapter 10 for this review)

Zetman

“Yeah! *grunt* *smash* *blood*”

That’s pretty much all you’re gonna get with Zetman. A guy who was born as a super-human devil-thing goes around and fights shit. There’s the story. You get more “deep” conflicts, interesting enemies, and side characters, but it all comes down to this dude smashing shit to pieces. If you’re cool with that, you’ll like the show. If not, don’t bother with it.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/23815/zetman_v1_ch1_by_no-group (read through Volume 2 for this preview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTqww3yzPTU

Eureka Seven Ao

This is a direct sequel to Eureka Seven. Ao is the child of Eureka and Renton (presumably) and he’s the main character. Basically, shit happens and the kid gets put up in a giant robot or whatever the fuck they call the things. From there, ADVENTURE!

Hopefully Bones doesn’t fuck this one up, but they probably will.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/83604/eureka-seven-ao_ch1_by_anonymous-scanlations (read through chapter 1 for this preview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEQWg4JvX3g

Jormungand

I really, really wanted to like this. A cute girl with an interesting cast of characters dealing in the arms trade. It felt like Black Lagoon all over again. Unfortunately, this is Black Lagoon without the fun.

Yes there’s drama, and yes there’s violence, but it’s not enjoyable. It’s just too slow to be good and the main character is a kid. Fuck that.

Why do I consider this “Good” then? A lot of the problems with the manga could be easily alleviated with an anime adaptation. The pacing could be fixed and the characters could actually live up to their potential. (I really want to see how a certain “Scarecrow” ends up depicted.)

Overall, I’m rating this watchable based on its potential. Just keep in mind the source material kind of sucks.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/75940/jormungand_v1_ch1_by_offtopia (read through volume 3 for this review)

The Ugh

Saki: Achiga-hen episode of side-A

This is basically Saki without the tits. I mean, all the characters are still lesbians, so there’s that, but the show looks terrible when the only characters are DFC. I can’t say I’m terribly excited about it, but I suppose I do owe it to the series to fap to the first couple episodes.

Hyou-ka

Can I wake up yet? Holy shit does this show look boring. I know the premise is that the main character is bored of everything and lazy, but making the viewer feel the same way is not cool.

Looks like pretentious mystery/slice-of-life shit with a 1/10 chance of being good. I’m not willing to take that chance, but if you are, go for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ05TQtK_vE

Beyblade Zero-G

If you’re a Beyblade fan, you already know you’re gonna watch it. Also, you’re too young for this site. Leave.

But why is Beyblade so far up my list? Simple. Because everything below it is far worse. Yes, kids throwing spinning tops at other spinning tops in pseudo-zero-g outranks everything else I’m going to talk about. Great job, Japan.

Ozuma

The mangaka of Space Captain Harlock scribbled down some ideas in a notebook back in 1922 and forgot about them. Now that his series have been recognized and he’s officially out of ideas, he decided to play the Nostalgia card bring out this “super-secret unreleased scenario”. You all know it’s going to suck, but hey, at least the animation will be pretty.

Shining Hearts ~Shiawase no Pan~

Shining Hearts is a video game. Video games rarely transfer well into anime. Series fans, don’t get your hopes up. This is gonna be a shitty, shitty rendition of the RPG series you love.

The characters/art design look great, but don’t get sucked in. We have to resist. We have to…

…

Aww fuck it, I know it’ll be bad, but I’m still excited for the series. Don’t tell anyone though. I have a reputation to uphold.

Pretty Rhythm Dear My Future

Useful for fap material but not much else. The series is basically about product promotion — selling costumes and jewelry to little girls. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but as someone reading this site, I highly doubt you fit that target audience.

Cute girls doing cute things — dancing and singing in this case — is what you can expect from the show.

Saint Seiya Omega

If you’re from Latin America, I’m sure you’re squeeing in joy. If not, you lucked out on not being subjected to this shitty series.

Saint Seiya is basically some lame shounen series based around boys changing into armor-clad Greek warriors. This one appears exactly the same as the first series where all the boys fight against the forces of evil. Expect lots of screaming and grunting to satisfy their 8-year-old target audience and not much else.

Koi-Ken!

Some generic romance anime based on a random visual novel. You already know what’s gonna happen and the personalities of the characters based on their hair color. Take a shot every time something unanticipated happens. Don’t worry, you’ll stay sober. I guarantee it.

People new to romance animes, have at it. Romance diehards, you know you’ll go for it. Casual romance fans? This isn’t ef. Don’t bother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aCmpdReEPw

Natsuiro Kiseki

Slice-of-life. Cute girls walking around doing absolutely nothing. Not a damned thing will happen in the show. I have no clue how people can enjoy shows in this genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2PW7gu9CKI

Upotte!!

Stupid. Gun nuts will eat this up, though.

It’s a middle school comedy with sexual humor (based mostly around the main female always imagining herself in gun form being handled by the main male character), but it’s not funny or sexy. Really, everything just falls flat — both its jokes and the females’ chests.

Upotte_Comedy_in_Quotes — This is the funniest scene in the entire manga. :/

Think Hetalia but with girls instead of guys and gun types instead of countries. And they REALLY go into depth on the gun stuff.

The story picks up when “the sisters” are introduced. And by story, I mean my dick. They’re hot. Gun fetishists will enjoy it, but as a whole the manga kind of sucked. I wouldn’t recommend watching the anime.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/11300/upotte_v1_ch1_by_animexis (read through volume 1 for this preview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OySXvMHHufo

Fushigi no Umi no Nadia Remastered (Nadia, the Secret of Blue Water Remixed)

Of all the Gainax shows they should have remastered (pretend for the sake of argument that there are any), they chose Nadia? Come on!

From what I can tell of the characters, the show is shit. The plot sounds like Ghibli gone wrong, which is saying something considering how terrible Ghibli is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95k8_Gs-PQk

Uchuu Kyoudai

A seinen damned to the title “Space Bros” despite there being nothing “bro” about the series at all. Old, boring people will justify their love of the series by throwing out the title in a desperate attempt to give the show sticking power with the easily led. I know the fanbase and I can say this will happen with 100% certainty.

This is a shitty story about two brothers and their dreams of going up into space. Now they’re both in their thirties and one is working for NASA and the other is a worthless sack of shit who is going to end up going to space alongside his brother because of poorly constructed plot devices.

If you’re interested in a space drama, you’re going to like this series. But be warned, this is seinen. This isn’t Gundam drama — it’s ordinary people doing believable things. Think Planetes. If you like critically acclaimed, passionless shit, this is the series for you.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/21001/uchuu-kyoudai_v1_ch1_by_extras (read through volume 1 for this preview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUB4ebxoYLI

Acchi Kocchi

Fuck you, Japan. You haven’t had a decent 4-koma-style school comedy since Lucky Star. That was 2006. Did you like Kill Me Baby? Nichijou? Congrats. You have shit taste. Your opinions are invalidated and you should be ashamed. But at least you’ll enjoy this terribad show, so be happy with that.

Manga: http://www.batoto.net/read/_/88244/acchi-kocchi_v1_ch1_by_sugoi-sugoi (read through volume 1 for this preview)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBqCI0P0AXM

Hiiro no Kakera

Reverse harem. If you’re into these kinds of shows, watch it. It doesn’t seem that bad. However, it also doesn’t seem like one of those reverse harems that everyone can enjoy. Ladies, this one’s targeted toward you. Eat it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PoQhadl6CE

Tsuritama

Like Kimi to Boku but with fish.

This is slice-of-life but with boys instead of girls. Another show aimed at the ladies. Sorry for dropping it so far down on my recommendation list, gals, but it has 0 appeal for me.

AKB0048

A bunch of girls form an underground idol group to fight oppression. Yes. It looks as bad as it sounds. Robots and CG girls alongside generic J-pop. Go Japan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CnW6vYFpo4

Sakamichi no Apollon

Who thought an anime about jazz-loving kids from the 1960’s would be good? The show looks duller than an emo kid’s razor blades.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b8M4pO4tBs

Kuroko no Basuke / Ginga e Kickoff!!

Sports animes. They’re about sports and shit. Sorry, I don’t really care about these kinds of shows. That’s the best description from me that you’ll get.

Yurumates / Sengoku Collection / Gakkatsu! / Haiyore! Nyaruko-san

chara_kanetsugu — Sengoku Collection pictured. Yes, this is official art.

These all seem to be those shitty five-minute shows that people only watch to increase their “animes I’ve seen” count. None of these look interesting at all and their animations appear to be shit.

But who am I kidding? You were never interested in how good these were gonna be. +4 to your MAL count. Yup, yup. Well, enjoy.

Season 2