Seasonal Reviews: Winter 2015 Pt.1

Welcome to 2015! Let's hope this year doesn't suck like 2014! Unfortunately, we have to start the year with the Winter season, and with so much of it dominated by continuing seasons, it's doubtful this is going to be the same wonderful surprise that 2014's was. I mean, sure, we got lesbian bears and a new Tatsunoko re-imagining, but we also have five different light novel adaptations, and every single last one of them is a harem show, four involving some sort of overly complicated yet mind-numbingly simple magic based mythology. Oh ...goodie.

Our newest seasonal reviewer, Danni, won't be covering full shows this time, but he will be submitting second opinions. He simply joined at a time when the assignments were already passed out, so I decided to let him wait till Spring for the big show. That, and there was barely anything for him to cover. Only eighteen shows this season are some form of premier, so everyone's loads are way lighter. As a result, everyone of the regular seasonal staff gets one drop that is usable once we reach the second part, while our assisting friends (Tama, Tom, Megan and Walt) are stuck with their given show.

We're also sorry to say that a few shows won't appear in this first part (ISUCA, World Break and Gourmet Graffiti Girls), but everything should be covered in part two.

Oh, and somehow Joe accidentally reviewed the new Fafner anime. I don't know how this happened, but I decided why not include it. This will be our rare continuation exception.

With that in mind, let's get to the main event and hope this isn't too painful!

Absolute Duo 
Walter Holleger

With the crisp winds and the bells of school letting back in, the Winter season has started, and what better way to sing it in than with a action school life harem series! At least I think it's a harem series, cause we only have one girl at the moment, but it's okay. The episode did a role call of it's main cast, so I know there is more on the way.

At Koryo Academy, students are given a weapon born from their soul, called Blaze, to learn to do battle with. Our protagonist, Thor Kokonoe, is an irregular (editor's note: GODDAMN IT LIGHT NOVELS), however, manifesting a shield instead of a weapon. This is where I'm suppose to talk more about the plot, but despite half of the episode being a big exposition dump, there isn't much else known about the plot, except the Absolute Duo system, which is a pairing system that creates teams of two that spend their three years of schooling working and living together. This pairs up Thor with Julie Sigtuna,  though we know little about her other than an interest she has in Thor martial arts prowess.

The first half of the episode features a couple fights, one foreshadowing future events, and the other as an entrance exam into the academy. Both fights make good use of angles for delivering blows, with one particular punch during the entrance exam given a good zoom that give it a strong impact. There's little else to say because the episode focused hard on exposition, so hopefully with the next episodes we'll start diving into characters and learning more about why people are learning to fight in the first place.

Weak Recommendation

Assassination Classroom
David O'Neil

My expectations towards Assassination Classroom were very mixed. It's an adaptation of a shonen manga, a genre that can be very hit or miss. Sometimes it provides shows that are fun and interesting (last year's Noragami, Seven Deadly Sins) but sometimes it can provide same-y, often dumb material that never amounts to much (last year's Nisekoi, Akame ga Kill). In addition I have mixed feelings towards the director of the series as well, who's produced shows I've liked, such as My Bride is a Mermaid, shows I've hated, like the Danganronpa anime, and shows I've been mixed towards, like Yuki Yuna is a Hero. This barrage of factors left me unsure of how exactly I'd end up feeling about Assassination Classroom, but two episodes in I'm somewhat surprised to say I actually like it quite a bit.

At Kunugigoaka Juinior Highschool, one of the most prestigious schools in Japan, there's a class where the misfits and the poor students are sent, known as Class-E. Yet it's these outcasts who have been tasked with an enormously important task: to save humanity. As it turns out, a mysterious creature (whom the students refer to as Korosensei, AKA "Unkillable Teacher") has destroyed the moon, and threatens to do the same thing to the earth in a year. The government has tried to end him, but he can travel at such incredible speeds nothing can so much as touch him. When Korosensei offers to be a Teacher at Class-E for unknown reasons, the class is tasked with finding a way to kill him by any means necessary. It's a fun set up, and the show utilizes it effectively. So far the show has done a solid job mixing up the new ways the students try to kill Korosensei, keeping them fresh and constantly entertaining. The humor in the show is also actually quite clever, as the show constantly plays with the audience's expectations by going in a totally different direction with a bit than it at first seemed.

A large part of why the show is so fun is thanks to Korosensei, he's really funny without feeling too forced like some similar evil mascot characters (*cough* Monokuma *cough*). Plus, there's an interesting twist about Korosensei, sort of, in that he's actually a very good teacher. His students retain information very well, have a lot of fun in class while still learning, and he even frequently goes out of his way to support them emotionally. He's really quite likable, and his more good natured personality adds a layer of sincerity to the show, while also adding to the humor, as he replies to assassination attempts with helpful advice and the like. The show it's flaws, the animation is very average, and so far most of the side characters seem pretty bland, but so far I'm having a good time with Assassination Classroom, and I'd say it's worth giving a look.

Solid Recommendation

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!
Thom "Tama" Langley

There are certain character types in Japanese anime that are usually restricted to one gender over the other-delinquents are usually male, nekomimi (people with cat ears) are usually female, and so on. Why do I bring this up? Magical Girls. Some series, like Puella Magi Madoka Magica explain why boys can't be magical girls, whilst others, like Sailor Moon shrug and simply ignore the question. As a result, Magical boys are few and far between in the medium. Well, until Cute High Earth Defense Club Love (say that three times fast) turned up, with five of them. Produced by the man who brought us hysterically funny "Aliens invade Meiji Japan" series Gintama, and Daily Lives of High School Boys, it's an irreverent take on the tropes of the genre.

And it begisn...with hot spring fanservice. You really can tell this series is aimed at a female demographic, can't you? Here's we're introduced to two of our main characters, En and Atsushi (spoilers; there are NO female characters in this show, as of yet) are discussing Japanese cuisine. Chikuwabu, in fact, and how it has no real group it belongs to, and doesn't really do anything. Just as this is beginning to feel a little bit Lucky Star...a pink wombat appears from a wormhole in the ceiling and drops into the bath. As...they do. He (and I'm guessing it's a he) decides to protect this planet. Our dynamic duo...are not so keen. However, resident hyperactive pretty boy, Yumoto, spots the wombat and merrily gives chase. He's an animal obsessive, it seems. Escaping fro the bath, our protagonists bump into three white-suited students, (more comparison to udon ingredients here), before Yumoto chases the wombat out of the bathhouse and up the street.
The next day at school, the wombat seems to have caught up to our protagonists via...their home-room teacher-who appears to be the wombat's puppet now. The wombat...seems very keen on protecting earth, and announces that he does it all for love. Yumoto turns up, and the wombat is suddenly very keen not to be helped. We're then introduced to the other two members of the "Earth Defense" club, Io, (who works the stockmarket) and Ryuu (who works...dating?). Our club of misfits has a problem, in that...well, they're not really a club, oh, and they need another member. Both problems are promptly solved by Yumoto.
We cut to a random character, who announces that chikuwabu has no purpose before he's bizarrely zapped, before the wombat decides to make them all magical boys. Via bracelets. Our enemy, so it seems, is the loveless. Which...takes the form of a giant piece of chikuwabu. MAGICAL BOY TRANSFORMATION. LOVE. Cue pretty much EVERY magical girl transformation ever, including the random nakedness, colourcoded transformations, flowing clothing, and IT'S SO COLOURFUL. And...it won't come off. And...pretty much every element of the whole magical girl outfit is...questioned, even down to the nature of love they're protecting.

Fortunately, chikuwabu is not terribly fond of love or humans. Everyone proceeds to get their own Cardcaptor Sakura-ish wand, (again, colourcoded), before they join Yumoto in fighting chikuwabu with their own element-themed attacks, which they pretty much half-ass the names on. One "By our Powers Combined" later, chikuwabu is defeated, not just by Yumoto, but by the quintet admitting they kinda like chikuwabu. Oh, and the power of love, which turns him back into the chikuwabu-disliking boy. The day is saved, but...the earth conquest club (and their green hedgehog mascot) lie in wait!

A very solid first episode-once it gets into its stride, (i.e., once the wombat arrives), it's a hilarious take on the magical girl genre-our cast is a likable quintet, especially Yumoto, who seems to be channeling Usagi via Gravitation's Shuichi. By far and away the other star of the series is the wombat, who seems to be two parts Luna to one part Kero-hectoring in parts, possibly answering to a greater plan, and constantly squabbling with our cast. The magical girl parody part is, in short pitch perfect-the outfits look good, the transformations are superb, our villains look the part, even with limited screentime, (if a little too much like Queen Beryl's cohorts from Sailor Moon,) and the magical attacks, especially with their on-the-fly naming, are both amusingly fanservicey and a great satire of the genre. What's also clear is that Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE! isn't afraid to note the absurdities of the genre-why can't we change out of these outfits? What love are we defending? Why are we shouting out our attacks? If every episode is as good as this first one, this could be an enjoyable little series. LOVE IS OVER.

Solid Recommendation

Death Parade
Joe Straatmann

If Death Parade can keep this up, it's going to be like candy. Dark, occasionally gruesome candy of death.... It'll be a weekly treat of gothic delight is what I'm saying. This one's based on a short called Death Billiards made for the annual Anime Mirai showcase that was initially created to help train young animators, and Madhouse has expanded it to a full series. The concept is very basic: There is a bar that exists between life and death called Quindecim where pairs of people show up before they're sent along on their merry (or not-so-merry) way. The calm, neutral-faced Decim explains they cannot leave the bar until they've played a randomly-selected game with the other visitor (Well, they can refuse, but a rather hideous feature hidden behind the bar highly suggests it's not recommended). Only it's not JUST a game. In the first episode, newlyweds Takashi and Machiko step out of the elevators with foggy memories except for their drive to their Honeymoon they were taking before their arrival. Forced to play darts against each other, the act of scoring points has a distinct effect on the other person, and one that slowly draws out the real issues behind the seemingly average couple. It's not a shining example of short fiction, but it manages to balance introducing the new world to the audience while also being an interesting enough story in its own right.

This is essentially the chess-playing Death from The Seventh Seal taking a trip to the Twilight Zone. It seems to be more episodically based than telling a full story, so obviously, the quality will depend on each episode's scripting if it is so (And there's still most of the main cast who need proper introductions, so there may be an overarching plot after all). It's off to a solid start, regardless of where it goes from here. Its greatest asset is it's absolutely gorgeous. The character designs of the visitors are much less distinct than the regular employees, but they are equally fluid in their animation. The surroundings are luxuriously detailed. If it wasn't in what is basically purgatory, it'd be my choice for my regular bar with exquisite paneling, a diamond chandelier designed like a jellyfish, and a classy jukebox in the corner for just the right ambiance. It has some creepy touches as well, and some may not pick up on them during the first viewing. There seems to be a woman about ready to play the piano in the back at all times during the game but never does, and certain fixtures in the balcony resemble people looking down upon the precedings but the eye never can quite confirm whether it's one or the other. The second episode flips perspective and shows what other cast members are doing during the first episode, so some of the curtain is pulled back on what certain details are and why they're there, but all of the details are certainly used to its fullest in the first episode.

There's a lot of show to go and many directions to take it. The opening credits seem to suggest there will be more fun with the main cast than the reserved Decim. On that note, the opening is an unexpected blast of funky. Whatever opening you are imagining this series to have, it's pretty much the opposite, and strangely awesome. I just want to say that if a dead pair does engage in a game of Dance Dance Revolution to decide their afterlife (Or at least some demented pub quiz), it will be hard not to automatically give this my staff pick for the season. The second episode turns the first episode on its head and suggests that there is a certain inhumanity to the process which may cause a misjudgment that requires a human touch to fix. Which is where the new woman who still has yet to be named (Literally, she has no name right now) comes in to shake up the deliberation process. Anyway, the show has a solid start, and regardless of whether they want to keep it strictly to business or dip into Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey territory from time to time, I'm with this show.

Strong Recommendation

Fafner -EXODUS-
Joe Straatmann

Editor's Note: This will be the only continuation we ever plan to cover. Joe made the review by accident, and I decided to include it anyways because it's a damn fine review. Spoilers ahead for the original Fafner, you have been warned.

Xebec still wants to make Fafner a thing, don't they? In 2004 near the height of the anime boom, Fafner was a high-profile release with all the bells and whistles right up to a score performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (After Geneon collapsed, snapping up the two OSTs for $10 was a steal). Putting together elements from such renowned titles as Evangelion and RahXephon, it lacked the distinct artistic voice of a Hideaki Anno or episodes penned such as the ones in RahXephon penned by surrealist Chiaki Konaka. Konaka's sudden introspective dialogue spills about the nature of existence may have put weird stutters in the pacing, but I will always remember when the series suddenly became bizarre above anything else. Fafner when all is said and done is a decent show, but also tries to play to such a wide audience with so many subdued characters that it ultimately becomes unmemorable. The only character I could remember before brushing up for the sequel was the one who was specifically made to die in an extremely dramatic fashion.

Regardless of whether it deserves the prestige, Fafner's tenth anniversary project Exodus certainly rolls out the red carpet. The first episode is as good looking of a product as I've ever seen from Xebec. The re-introduction of Tatsumiyajima island involves stunning pans over the scenery, the mechanical CG is smooth with great effort taken to blend it into the rest of the animation, and the computer monitors are given insane amounts of detail. The character animation follows suit, but there's a very strange thing going on with the character designs. The opening recaps the initial struggle of humanity against the alien Festum and all of the people surrounding the introductory skirmish in Hawaii are distinctly designed, even the guys who have all of one line. When it goes to the island with all the main characters, the updated designs make everyone look alike. The brusk, war-worn Canon now looks more normalized, which is understandable considering a large part of her arc from the first series was the struggle of being reintroduced to civilization, but she now resembles Toumi, another main character altogether. It'd be confusing if the Japanese didn't have that habit of saying characters' names every fifteen seconds. When the opening has two characters' of the same sex open their eyes on opposite sides, it's hard to tell if it's supposed to be a different character or the same person. At least Soushi still has his effeminate qualities. Don't let anyone ever hold that against you, Soushi.

While I can technically say the London Philharmonic Orchestra returns, it's because almost all of the music in the initial episode is recycled from the first series. There are some new cues in the second (As well as new songs from pop group angela who've been attached to the franchise since the beginning), but they're also brief. Its disappointing, but I understand anime companies don't have 2004 money these days. It's not nearly as much of a problem as the first episode being really dull. I understand catching up with the main characters is an essential part of sequels and Fafner is just as much about how modern civilization rebuilds and maintains at the brink of oblivion as it is about how it defends itself, but I find myself completely uninterested in what they have to talk about and what they're doing. Kind of surprised generic sullen anime hero is running a cafe, but other than that, the plot can't get here faster and the second episode thankfully complies. The follow-up is the usual re-introduction to combat with a typical crony that has new tricks, but it's more than competently done.

It feels like prettier more of the same. Like most sequels, really. There are elements of Fafner I like and am interested in seeing if they can be properly expanded. The Festum on the surface are the usual bunch of collectivist aliens, but they have rather odd and creepy details like constantly asking, "Are you here?" to its enemies. I would like to see them expanded to more than the script writers waving explanation away with the excuse, "They are beyond our understanding." Two children with psychic connections to each other and the possible ability to speak to the Festum suggest this will be a focal point. If you like Fafner-and there are far worse things out there for you to like-this business-as-usual attitude should be fine. If you came out liking parts of the first series but feeling underwhelmed and bored, there are no twists or turns so far likely to make you think any differently about its sequel.

Weak Recommendation

THE IDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls
Jonathan Kaharl

There is a very good chance that this will be my only good assigned show this season. Hooray. Kind of sad that Cinderella Girls didn't have the ambition to be something amazing or groundbreaking, but what it does is definitely serviceable. It's another IDOLM@STER adaptation, with the first series being released a few years back with a different cast and staff. I caught the entire twenty-five episode run this week (yes really) and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Both shows are about struggling idols trying to make it big and follow there dreams, each group lead by a different producer at a different company. The original series had a Gainax/Trigger staff member directing, giving the show a wacky energy and bright, simple colors with heavy contrast. It made for a good comedy, while this series is significantly more reserved. The director this time around, Noriko Takao, is making his first full series directing attempt here, while his resume contains storyboard and episode direction credits on tons of significant shows from the slice of life and comedy genres, including even the original IDOLM@STER (where he directed the series single best episode). Judging by these first two episodes, he was the perfect man for the job and really makes the franchise his own.

That's both a good and bad thing. Off the bat, Cinderella Girls goes for a much more calming, lived in atmosphere. The backgrounds are simply stunning, works of art in their own right. Where the areas of the old series felt like sets for the story, every single place here feels like it has its own story not being told, with tons of little details, from the smallest of items to bits of wear and tear. The sakura pedal scene in the first episode is especially breathtaking, which also helps sell that Rin (one of the main characters) would decide to try being an idol after seeing Uzuki's smile. The show can really tell a story with simple movements and sights, which is very impressive. The new producer is a hilariously stern, terrifying man who's as soft as a teddy bear deep down, but also unable to express himself at all. The three main idols (Uzuki, Rin, and Mio) are also all strong personalities in their own right. Uzuki is the most stock, but she has heart and desire that is absolutely necessary to balance the group. Rin's reserved nature actually feels a little refreshing, while Mio's energetic and egotistical personality brings some good balance between the two.

Where the series falters a little is the other characters. So far, it seems that the series is avoiding the ensemble set-up of the first series and focusing on these main three, leaving the other idols as background characters right now. Hopefully that will change, but as they are now, they don't feel like characters proper. The odd quirks of some of them feel out of place in the more grounded style at play, and some are just odd (the tall girl has a weird mouth and I have no idea why). I do like a few of them (the loli character's slacker personality is weirdly hilarious to me), but they definitely need more screen time, and the second episode ends with only the main three getting their first idol job. There is promise here, but I'm not sure all the stylistic elements will mesh well together. Time will tell.

Solid Recommendation

KanColle
David O'Neil

One of the most bizarre combinations that's ever come out of Japanese entertainment is easily that of cute young girls, and military equipment. I guess some genius saw how the military otaku and "moe" fans were two of the biggest trends among geek culture in Japan, and decided the only logical conclusion is to slap those two together. As a result we've gotten shows like Girls und Panzer (girls with tanks), Upotte!! (girls with guns- wait, they are guns? What?) and Strike Witches (where the girls have plane legs or something). The newest series to follow this trend is Kantai Collection, shortened as KanColle, based off the mobile phone game popular in Japan.

Normally I'd spend a decent chunk of my review of the first few episodes explaining the set up and world of a show, or at least everything important people should know going in. Unfortunately, KanColle has explained next to nothing about it's world and how it works. The series falls into the same category as Upotte!!, as instead of having the cute girls use the military equipment, they instead are the military equipment. In this case, World War II ships. Yes, all the girls in KanColle are actually anthropomorphisms of war ships from WWII. If that sounds strange, don't worry, the show makes sure it doesn't explain this at all. Despite trying to sell itself as an actual story, with a world and characters, it doesn't care to explain how exactly these girls have the spirits of WWII ships, or are the spirits, or whatever they are. Still though, maybe they decided to skip the expositions so they could get right to the good stuff, the story and characters. I doubt it, because they're all subpar as well. The characters are incredibly bland. Usually these moe anthropomorphism shows usually at the least open a door for varied personalities, but nearly every girl has the exact same generic moe girl personality without even the smallest details or personality traits to add variety. I mean, one of them acts like an idol? So if you wanna watch an idol show....with one idol, there's that.

The story is currently non-existent, instead leaning more towards slice of life, but it's not even good slice of life. So far the show seems to just be drudging down the list of moe slice of life tropes until it's time for an action scene to come along. The action is the worst part though, as the somewhat decent 2D animation used throughout the rest of the show is thrown out for some of the most jarring, awkward CG animation I've seen in ages. Characters are stiff, animations lack energy, and it constantly switches between 2D and CG to make it even more difficult to watch. And the action just lacks flair, despite the fun premise the first big action scene was very tame and almost boring at times. It didn't help that since all the characters have the same wooden plank of a personality I wasn't invested or interested in the fight at all. With all this, so far KanColle is off to a remarkably underwhelming start. Unless you're already a fan of the series, I can't think of any reason the show could be worth watching at this point, with it's sloppy action, bland characters, and formulaic conflicts.

No Recommendation

Maria the Virgin Witch
Joe Straatmann

Simply armed with the title Maria the Virgin Witch and not else, I can't say I had the highest expectations. I knew it was based on a manga and had the sinking suspicion they were going to sexualize just about everything around Maria because it seems like the kind of irony an anime would do with something with this title. My suspicion was correct, as this series loves to show Maria bathing, sleeping in the nude, and asking questions of how her succubus familiar goes about her work she REALLY shouldn't be asking. But you know what? It totally works! Half historical fantasy, half sex comedy, this series' initial effort is very likable and borderline delightful at times.

Taking place during the Hundred Years' War in medieval France, the story centers on Maria, a witch who has the usual cabin in the woods. Some nearby villagers seek her help, while others closer to the Roman Catholic Church brand her as a heretic. The war between France and England is almost at her doorstep, and ever distasteful of battle, she does all she can to prevent death, whether it be using her succubus to "calm the tensions" of the military leaders, or something more direct. The witches in this alternate history mostly play supporting roles for their country in fear of the church's wrath, but some act as free agents to whomever puts up the gold. Maria prefers to work in the shadows, but is not hesitant to enter the frontline when she promises to protect a little girls' father or simply wants to save the life of a young man who had the desire to kiss her hand.

Production I.G. pretty much nails the look of this show perfectly. The character designs are a bit of a cross between Dragon Quest and Slayers, utilizing simple-yet-expressive faces and costumes that fit the people who wear them without saying too much. The colors are bright without counteracting the menace of war in medieval Europe. The craftsmanship is laudable from the backgrounds speckled with character to a shot where the sun convincingly sets in the middle of a conversation. I think the only nit I can pick is the animated flags throughout the first episode look like they're made of laminated paper. Not a deal breaker on any imaginable level. I don't know if they'll be able to keep it up, but the animation has a certain cinematic quality instead of something running on a television budget.

As for Maria and her issues with sex, it plays the character just right. She's a sheltered teenager who's slowly getting urges yet has a certain playful innocence about the subject, and the comedy comes from that. It's actually kind of adorable. She has her disdain of warfare, but the lengths she goes to obviously is more motivated from the emotional surge of protecting a boy who went as far to kiss her hand to show his appreciation. It's hard to get mad at the blatant fan service and sex humor when the show works on such a level of earnest sweetness. It also balances the comedy with the fact that people are horrifically dying in mud pits at this point in time. The battle near the end of the first episode gets a little muddled, but all-in-all, it has the makings of a winner.

Strong Recommendation

Military!
Jonathan Kaharl

Oh boy, I know what I'm dropping!

I don't think a show has ever managed to get on my bad side as fast as Military! has. It's a truly, truly pathetic series, and I can confidently say that it's utter garbage after just a single episode. The idea for this series of shorts is that this nobody kid's salesman dad signed the wrong paperwork and somehow ended up in the army, and nobody is letting him leave because he's not assertive enough to explain his situation (which is admittedly kind of funny). As a result, people are now trying to kill said kid, so his dad sent him two bodyguards. They are both little girls, and I mean little as in the size of toddlers, who use high grade military weaponry and hyjinks ensue. Well, I say hyjinks, but a better way to describe it would be several minutes of pointless noise and terrible sex jokes.

With little girls the size of toddlers.

Yeah. It's one of *these* shows.

It's amazing how much this show managed to annoy and disgust me within three and a half minutes. Not even Himegoto managed to break me until the third episode. The humor comes from the absurdity of little girls using major weaponry, but this quickly wears out its welcome as the animation is barely existent to allow for any good sight gags, while the rest is just countless noise. Nobody ever shuts up, and it becomes grating within the first thirty seconds. It doesn't help the show chooses to be gross, making two awful dirty jokes involving one of the girls mistaking the kid's penis for a gun, and another being that the second girl has a rabbit on her panties and that's funny somehow. I get Japan accepts dirty humor more than western tastes do, but did it have to be with these character designs? This show just makes me want to take a shower and listen to a white noise machine so I can regain my sanity. There is absolutely nothing of merit here.

No Recommendation

Rolling Girls
Stephanie Getchell

The first series from the winter season I've had the chance to touch, and it's a bit of an oddball. Right away, I felt vibes of Kill La Kill coming in thanks to some similar animation techniques, some character designs, and the overall craziness that both these series share. However, I'll admit, that introduction piece was a little confusion, making me catch up and understand while I finished the episode. From what I've gathered, after a massive war finally concluded, Japan has separated itself into independent nations with vigilante gangs as a kind of army for those nations and end up in fights over turf and such. The main character of this series, Nozomi, has recently become a trainee to one of these groups with her older sister as the captain. The majority of the episode just dealt with more world building and small bits of exposition more than anything rather than the plot line since the general summary of the series makes it seem like there's going to be a plot. We just haven't seen it yet.

Looking at the first episode, it's a bit all over the place, yet it's a kind of organized chaos with just loads of energy to burn. This is great because we can see what the series wants to be with a no holds bars kind of attitude. However, this can be some cause for concern because that same high energy and organized chaos has the potential to become complete and utter chaos, turning it into a train wreck. It's something that I've seen happen before. Off the top of my head, I believe Tokyo ESP is a good example, even though it's not as high energy as Rolling Girls. Since it is too early on to tell, and since I only have one episode to discuss this week, there's not a whole lot for me to go off of. There's is something unique and fun here, and I am interested to see where the director plans to go (seeing as how, from what I know, this is his first work). For now, I love the energy, I like the visuals, and I do like the characters. I have my worries, but, then again, who doesn't when they've only seen one episode?

Strong Recommendation

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend
David O'Neil

Saekano -How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend- is a strange case. The show has one of the worst otaku-pandering harem premises I've ever come across. Tomoya Aki is a deeply otaku, anime blogging (man talk about a loser amirite) high school student who one day has an encounter just like something out of one of his precious visual novels. This perfect moment inspires him to bring together the harem of incredibly attractive and talented girls he happens to be friends with because, you know, harem anime, to make a visual novel based on how it made him feel. But when he reencounters the girl from that perfect moment, it turns out she's just an average, ordinary girl. Aki has her join as well, as he tries to help her become the visual novel love interest he'd dreamed of.

Saekano is absolutely terrible, shamelessly so. And I don't mean shameless in the typical sense, I mean the series is clearly fully aware and constantly draws attention to how terrible it is. The very first scene centers around the harem of girls taking a bath together, having a conversation about how terrible fanservice is. The next scene features the protagonist narrating exposition, followed by one of the girls calling him out on how awkward and forced the exposition sounds. It's almost bizarre, watching the show as it hits all the wrong notes than waves it's arms around yelling "look at us, hitting all the wrong notes, how crazy is that!". I'm not sure why they're doing it yet, if they're just trying to get a laugh out of being self referential, or if the original author honestly thought making a story riddled with cliches and shitty writing was okay as long as you made it clear you knew how shitty it was. It doesn't, by the way. I've considered the possibility that the show could actually plan on doing something more clever with it's clear self awareness of the harem tropes it's utilizing, but so far it simply seems to be meta-humor for the sake of meta-humor.

Despite the show currently just being an trashy harem with a bizarre sense of self awareness, as far as harems go it's not really that bad of one. The show's first episodes were fairly funny, with some good jokes and slapstick mixed throughout with some really funny moments here and there. In addition, the animation is incredibly pretty, with a bright, pleasant visual style and animation that is filled with a remarkable amount of finesse. It's filled to brim with little moments of extra movement and character acting that lazier shows would've left out, and it helps the show greatly. Yet, I still find it difficult to recommend the show fully. It's fun, and nice to look at, but at its core Saekano still just seems to be a typical otaku pandering harem, no matter how aware of that the show is. There's potential here, but in its current state Saekano at it's best no more than dumb (well animated) fun.

Weak Recommendation

Samurai Warriors
David O'Neil

I have nothing against watching bad anime. It's important to be reminded why not every show works as well as the better ones, and in some cases I can get a kick out of just laughing at how bad a show can get (*cough* Cross Ange *cough*). What I really can't stand more than anything, is watching a boring anime. When I'm just powering through twenty minutes of slow, substance-less garbage, that doesn't even have the effort to keep my attention, when I'm constantly checking how much time is left in the episode, when I just want a show to end so I can go do something more exciting like watching grass grow, that's where I tend to draw the line. This brings us to Samurai Warriors.

Samurai Warriors is an adaptation of a video game spin-off of the popular hack and slash Dynasty Warriors series. It falls in to the the category "historical" fiction, but realism shouldn't be expected. It takes place in the "Warring States" period of Japanese history and some characters are based off real people, but the samurai have inexplicably superhuman abilities, everyone wears ridiculous outfits, and battles clearly aren't anything near historically accurate. That didn't really matter to me though, after all it sounded like a fun way to spice up history with some exciting, over the top battles. But Samurai Warriors is not exciting. It is slow, it is boring, and it is completely lacking in any fun or personality. The first half of the episode is spent with exposition and talking, as characters sit totally still flapping their mouths about battles I don't know why I'm supposed to care about. Luckily, the characters seemed to have just as little interest in how things turned out as well. The characters may I add, can't even be described as "one note" because that would imply they at least had a single personality trait, which most of them simply do not. Nearly every character has about the same energy and array of unique qualities as a wooden plank.

In the second half of the episode the action finally comes around, and even while watching a bunch of (supposedly human) samurai single handedly destroying watch towers, crashing through stone walls, and known gates seemingly just by swinging their spears really really hard I STILL managed to be bored to death. The animation in the action is actually serviceable, or at least a few notches above the motionless dialogue sequences in quality, but the fight choreography is slow and lifeless, and the fight itself just lacked any energy or sense of fun. And that pretty accurately describes the show as a whole. A cheap cash in meant to capitalize of fans of a game franchise, with no identity, and nothing to offer unless you're a fan of said franchise, and even then you'd probably be better off just playing the game rather than sitting through this empty 20 minute test of patience and attention span.

No Recommendation

The Testament of Sister New Devil
Jonathan Kaharl

I was actually looking forward to this show. Yes, really. Now, I did not expect this ecchi action series to be good, for I am not insane. I merely expected it to be incredible. My expectations were met and I am satisfied. The Testament of Sister New Devil is a bad show, do not get me wrong, but it is the type of bad I can dig. It's trashy, mildly serious, somewhat aware of itself, given solid production values but ridiculously stupid art direction, and given a cast of characters that somehow work in some insane porn logic way. It gets everything wrong in just the right way, but it's also a show that's only going to appeal to a very, VERY small crowd (besides the usual filthy otaku audience).

Trust me, just about all of you will despise this show. But when you're as filthy as me, you start to appreciate ecchi like this. The first half of the series pretends its an entirely different type of show and actively pokes at the awful imouto genre, with the main character getting two new sisters and starting to bond with one (whom even fake straddles him to wake him up I shit you not) ...while the other fucks around with him by planting an imouto porn game in his room, one of the little moments where the show is preparing you for the second half. At the halfway point, the proper opening plays and the series reveals itself as a magic based action ecchi, where the main character is a spiritual warrior and his new sisters are demonic royalty that try to take his home for their own uses, only to later reveal that they're from the faction of good demons and that the factions that want to war with humanity really want them dead.

This is when the show starts to work and enters that weird Seikon no Qwaser limbo of terrible and entertaining, mainly with the younger sister. She's a succubus and sadist that exists solely to be as gross as possible at all times, even taunting another demon by saying their constant failures to defeat her gets her going. It's so blatant and awful that it becomes hilarious, and the first episode manages to work in a few bits of humor like this throughout, especially with that halfway reveal. The show knows exactly what it is and is not ashamed at all in that identity, and that confidence, as completely misplaced as it is, somehow manages to both work for and against itself. Shows like this are like the modern anime equal of trashy grindhouse flicks, exploitative and awful and somehow wonderful. They hit that perfect note of awful, and if future episodes can keep up with that level of breathtaking failure, I'm going to have a fun Winter.

No Recommendation (unless you love trash like I do)

Unlimited Fafnir
Joe Straatmann

This series either picked the best time to be released or the worst. An action harem, its basic setup is dragons showed up 25 years ago, and soon after, humans began exhibiting the powers of the dragons. These people are called Ds. The story centers around Yuu Mononobe, the only male D in existence who transfers into an all-female school on Midgar Island. He is shortly introduced to the entire school, where all the women quietly whisper about the mysterious male D, and when he is escorted to his homeroom, it is demanded he show off his D powers to prove himself. I have a question: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE THE DISTINGUISHED ELDER AND TRY TO ANALYZE ANIME PROPERLY WHEN I CAN'T STOP SNICKERING LIKE A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD AT A BASIC, LIKELY ACCIDENTAL PENIS EUPHEMISM?!

My apologies. I merely needed to get this out of my system in the first update, or else it would threaten to plague the rest of my reviews. As I was saying, Yuu is a male with special abilities that are normally given to females, so he's sent off to an all-female school to harness his skills. Instead of just transporting him to the island academy by normal methods, he is stuffed into a military container or something (This all happens offscreen) just so he can show up on the beach unannounced while a naked Iris Freyja lays semi-conscious for the sole purpose of waking up, discovering a man over her, and freaking out at the "pervert." Then Yuu's sister Mitsuki comes upon the scene and berates him. Because of course his sister's on the island. The rest of the opening episode involves the usual introduction to the rest of the stereotypes and spilling a Big Gulp full of exposition into the audience's lap. Humans are fighting a war with the dragons, and it's only with the Ds' abilities to convert dark matter into tangible elements and weaponry are they able to fight back. Unfortunately, the Ds must be selective about who fights, because certain dragons are drawn to certain Ds, and if they come into contact with their "mates," the humans turn into dragons and must be destroyed as well.

This was the series I feared I was getting when I received Fruit of Grisaia last season. An absolutely dull, predictable harem adaptation jammed with cookie cutter characters, insipid dialogue, and absolutely mediocre artistry. The character designs are unimaginative, the "dragons" range from Evangelion knockoffs to monsters ripped from a Square Enix bestiary, and the 3-D CG throws magic disco globs around stiff animation that takes every shortcut in the book. Most curious among the series' laziness is the naming of everything. Of course, the main naming scheme is Norse mythology. It's called Ultimate Fafnir and it takes place on the island of Midgar which is owned by a government known as Asgard. But as it gets into the finer details, the Norse naming breaks down. They allow a few Greek names like Basilisk into the dragon nomenclature, but when it comes time to show off special abilities, the series goes straight off the rails. One of the girls' special abilities involves creating the Necronomicon out of dark matter and then using it to release gigantic walls of highly-compressed air to destroy the desired target. Yes, that's what the Necronomicon does.

Outside of the Beavis and Butt-head chuckling, there's not a lot to like here. I don't even know if I can recommend it to someone desperate for a harem because after the encounter on the beach that tells the audience it's exactly the show they think it is, it is surprisingly chaste. The "transformations" of the girls to their special powers involve sparkly printer scans over their school uniforms, and the most invasive fan service involves constant outside shot of frilly skirts. I suppose there's one person out there who's found their heaven. There're only two things left of interest: If it can do anything with its somewhat interesting premise of people fighting dragons that are attracted to them, and just how far they go with it. I am not particularly interested in either, but it's my assignment, and I guess I have to pay the price of getting two really good series this season....

No Recommendation

Yatterman Night
Stephanie Getchell

I guess you can kinda say that there's two magical girl shows this season with Yatterman as one of them.... Kinda. Leopard is a young girl who's always grown up believing that Yatterman is an amazing hero and fights for justice and the little guy. However, when her mother becomes sick, she as well as her friends try to get medicine from the Yatterman Kingdom, only to be sent away by Yatterman himself. This is because Leopard is a descendent of Doronjo, the leader of a thief gang known as Doronbo who was exiled when Yatterman Kingdom was established. With her mother now dead from her illness, Leopard, Voltkatze, and Elephantus, along with little Honorable Oda, take the mantle of Doronbo on once again in order to fight against, what seems to be, the corrupted Yatterman. Does this seem interesting to you? I hope so, cause I'm honestly not sold quite yet.

I'm trying to wrap my head around this first episode and digest what I saw, and it's not bad. The set up for the main story line is rather solid, and some of the visuals are really nice. However, it seems to be lacking something to me, and I can't seem to figure out what that something is. I could just be tired after spending a full day on a bus ride this week while I'm trying to play catch up on the winter season, however when I get that nagging feeling that something is off, generally the series in question isn't all that wonderful. I guess you can call it a woman's intuition or something along those lines, I don't know. Since I only have one drop to use this season, I really need to be careful which of my three series I decide to take out. For now, Yatterman Night has set itself up well, but I'm going to approach it cautiously next time and we'll see if I figure out that nagging feeling or not.

Solid Recommendation

Yurikuma Arashi
Thomas Zoth

If you're a fan of arthouse anime, you're probably well aware of Yurikuma Arashi, or "Lesbian Bear Storm" as it's popularly known. It's Kunihiko Ikuhara's (Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena) first animated series since 2011's Mawaru Penguindrum. Details of the series have been released with much pomp and circumstance over the past month, with some scandalously lewd magazine pinups that made many people question was Ikuhara was thinking. Now that the series has arrived, it has everything you might expect from an Ikuhara series: Flowers, magical girls, lesbians, mysteries, surreal imagery, and an odd sense of humor. But it's also very unlike previous Ikuhara projects in that it's only twelve episodes, and production is being done by the comparatively new studio Silver Link, most known for various harem light novel adaptations and the odd Watamote. Can Ikuhara's crazy ambitions really be scaled down to a single season?

The premise seems crazy even by Ikuhara standards, a surreal meeting of the historical Sankebetsu Bear Attacks in Hokkaido and the plot of (seemingly) Attack on Titan. According to the beginning narration, there was once a planet Kumaria, which exploded, causing meteorites to shower down on earth. The alien objects had strange effects on the world's bear populations, which rose up as a singular force and started devouring people. In an attempt to stave off the bears, people built a massive Wall of Severance to keep bears away from human settlements. At Arashigaoka High School (which translates to Withering Heights High), a young lesbian by the name of Kureha Tsubaki secretly shares her feelings of love with Sumika Izumino, a gentle girl who loves flowers. But their peaceful life is soon shattered when the Wall of Severance is breached by bear invaders.

Despite this being my most anticipated show of the season, my initial impressions of Yurikuma were decidedly mixed. With only twelve episodes to work with, Ikuhara appears to have concentrated his vision to its core elements. It's dizzying and spectacular, but it initially lacks the humanity and character of both Utena and Penguindrum (both of which I consider masterpieces). The most interesting characters are the bears, Ginko and Lulu, whose human-eating motivations are hard to relate to. The apparent protagonist of the series, Tsubaki, keeps her passion and personality in check, and comes off as little more than an empty yuri archetype. And while the backgrounds, sound, and design of Yurikuma are as rich and rewarding as anything from Penguindrum, very few things are actually animated. Even the surreal transition to the Bear Court lacks the jaw-dropping excitement of Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku or SEIZON SENRYAKU! But Yurikuma is nothing if not incredibly dense, and rewatches, internet discussions, and the premiere of episode two have helped to fill out Ikuhara's mad vision a little more fully. Concrete references to the Sankebetsu Bear incident have been found, but surprisingly so have references to horror movies Suspiria, The Shining, and even Psycho. A vague and overly-metaphorical script appears to have lost quite a bit in translation, as those fluent in Japanese have pointed out that the dialogue is full of puns and wordplay that the subtitles haven't yet managed to communicate. Ikuhara is also known to dish out clues as slowly as possible, meaning that things we think we understand in earlier episodes will almost certainly be turned upside down in the weeks to come.

Overall, Yurikuma Arashi has simply not started out as amazingly as either Revolutionary Girl Utena or Mawaru Penguindum, which both had first episodes that hit you like a truck. I can remember what I was doing the day I watched each premiere because of their effect on me. It's unfortunately likely that Yurikuma will not reach the heights of either of these two key Ikuhara masterpieces. With that said, even "merely good" Ikuhara is very good indeed, as viewers of Sailor Moon filler episodes can attest. Yurikuma is still a surprisingly dark, funny, surreal celebration of Ikuhara's obsessions, and a don't miss show for Winter 2015. Kuma Shock!

Solid Recommendation

Second Opinions

Absolute Duo

David: A few seasons back, for this site I had to watch Bladedance of Elementalers, a terrible fantasy harem light novel adaptation that I hated every second of. This season, I of my own free will watched the first two episodes of Absolute Duo, a terrible fantasy harem light novel adaptation. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, or maybe I was just bored. Who knows. But I can hardly say I absolutely hated Absolute Duo, sure it's riddled with fanservice, pretty boring, and filled with so many dumb tropes I often felt like I was watching a remake of other fantasy harems, but it at least had a few things going for it. Thanks to studio 8-Bit (behind last season's very pretty Celestial Method) the animation is actually pretty good, and in the OP it's flat out great. The main girl does have some funny moments and is pretty likable, when she's not taking off her clothes because har-har- she doesn't get that that's weird. It's also nice that at least so far it's barely even a harem, and seems to be mostly focused on one main romance. So yes, Absolute Duo is bad, but if you for some reason just have to watch a fantasy harem this season (or if you're like me and have little else new to watch early in the week) you could do worse than with this. I dunno, maybe it's just in my head I'm comparing it to Bladedance of Elementalers which was WAAAAY worse. Weak Recommendation

Assassination Classroom

Danni: Honestly, this is one of the more disappointing anime I'm keeping up with this season. It has a great scenario, and Korosensei is incredibly interesting and fun to watch, but other than that it just kind of flops for me. It tries to combine horror anime mood and imagery with slice-of-life comedy in a way that is less nuanced and more whiplash. Once it's been in slice-of-life mode for a few minutes the jokes actually start landing, but when it goes from being a horror anime to a comedy within seconds it just leaves me a bit annoyed. Also, the cast (outside of Korosensei) is a bit boring, both in design and characterization. The ending of episode two teased a new student joining the ranks soon, and he seems like he has potential to be good at least. Weak Recommendation

Jonathan: This is not what I was expecting for this adaptation, and I mean that as a high compliment. Instead of adapting the silly style of the manga, the team here went with a grim, tense atmosphere that brilliantly contrasts with all the bizarre comedic beats and events. I just love it. Kudos to the voice actors as well, every single student has their own instantly apparent personality, while Jun Fukuyama could not possibly be more perfect as Korosensei. That man has range, damn. Strong Recommendation

Stephanie: I may or may not have possibly found my favorite series of the season (so far). It's so simple in premise, with the execution of it going well after watching two episodes. Then there's Koro-sensei who is probably the most wonderful thing I have ever seen because he's not only a cocky little twit, but he also cares about his students. It's odd when the student have to assassinate him, but there's obviously more going on here then anyone can guess. Also, it pleases me to see Jun Fukuyama voicing the role because he does already have a nice list of roles. This is just one more wonderful one to add to it! Strong Recommendation

Walt: As a fan of the Assassination Classroom manga and Matsui Yuusei in general, I had some high expectations for this adaptation, and whether or not the show met them, I still haven't decided. Still, this is a great first episode of start out on. The writing and character introductions are all strong, basically a near word for word of the first chapter. Korosensei's introduction is especially strong here with plenty of darker tones and strong upward angles. If the rest of the series is about learning to work through your shortcomings and become stronger for it, this episode was here to present the threat they had before them, and Korosensei is brilliantly made out to be that impossible obstacle to push the kids to accel. Granted, unless the anime takes it's own turns, I'm not sure how the darker tones would fit into the coming episodes, but for the introduction to class, this episode was not ass. Strong Recommendation

Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!

Jonathan: Little mixed on this one. The timing is a bit messy, and the animation is nothing to right home about. However, the concept is simply perfect. The magical girl spoof is spot-on, but not particularly hateful, just made ridiculous with new context. There's a lot of weird running jokes that somehow work, especially the mascot seemingly have killed a man to use his corpse as a puppet that actually gets commented on and then forgotten, not to mention some good word play ("LOVE SHOWER"). Ain't great, but you may get a few good chuckles if you're familiar with Sailor Moon and its ilk. Weak Recommendation

Stephanie: Originally, I was going to be covering this series, but because Tama had some problems in regards to access to Rolling Girls I offered to make a trade. Besides, Tama is more suited to cover this series than I am. But, anyways, this one is friggin wonderful! Automatically, you can tell this is a reverse magical girl show that is also parodying the genre. It has taken some of the stereotypes we see and just making fun of it to no end! I just couldn't stop laughing at how silly and ridiculous this show is, and it's a great series to watch, so far, for my own winter season line up! Pretty sure it helps that the director knows what he's doing since it is the same one who did School Rumble and Gintama (though I haven't seen either series). Strong Recommendation

Death Parade

Jonathan: It's good, but not great. Death Parade does the horror anthology thing better than a lot of its ilk through sheer atmosphere and the death games set-up (it's brilliant yet simple in its design), but the first episode really didn't have a moment or element that just wowed me. It's really enjoyable, just don't go in expecting something super special, like so many circles are claiming. Solid Recommendation

Stephanie: The premise of this series, when I read it, grabbed my attention. So far, Death Parade isn't off to a terrible start, however it's not a very strong one compared to all the other series I'm planning to watch. The first episode drew me in, but there were a few confusing things. Luckily, they were cleared up in the second episode, but that episode was moderately okay and not much of a standout. It's fine, I don't expect it to be a kind of game of the week deal, but it would be nice if those off episodes just had a little more something to them. Solid Recommendation

Thomas: I liked Little Witch Academia as much as everybody else did, but I always felt bad for poor Death Billiards, which seemed to disappear in the shadow of Trigger's standout Anime Mirai project. Death Billiards was apparently watched by someone with ties to a production committee, though, because now it has a whole series where creator and director Yuzuru Tachikawa can play with his wonderfully macabre little bar, the Queen Dekim. The first episode of the series watches pretty much just like Death Billiards, except the individuals and the game played are different. It does serve to introduce those new to Tachikawa's world the rules of the game, however. The introduction seems to suggest that Death Parade will focus more on the staff of the Queen Dekim rather than the visitors, but it's just as possible it will be a Twilight Zone-like anthology of human duplicity. It's dark, and fun, and I can't wait. Strong Recommendation

Maria the Virgin Witch

Danni: I heard good things about the Maria the Virgin Witch manga before the anime aired, but I nevertheless remained apprehensive. After all, its entire premise is about a young woman and the fact that she can't lose her virginity. That undeniably sounds like a premise doomed for disaster, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the premiere episode. The action is captivating and the jokes land well enough that the entire series could be nothing more than Artemis uttering innuendo that flies over Maria's head and I'd still likely place it in my top five. Also worth noting is the fact that the only reason the Church labeled Maria a heretic is because she's a pacifist. In this universe, witches and the Church aren't seen as inherently at odds with one another, which makes for a nice change of pace. My apprehensions about the premise haven't disappeared, but if the first episode is any indication, they won't remain around for too long. Strong Recommendation

Stephanie: I love this series. I love it! I love it! I LOVE IT! The story is off to a great start and the sexual humor is both fairly subtle and rather tongue and cheek. Then there's Maria, who is so noble but also has no understanding of what sex is in the least, which makes for a few funny moments. The writing is just simply wonderful, so far, so I know I am in for one amazing ride! Strong Recommendation

Thomas: Despite the painful title of this series, it's actually based on a manga by Moyasimon mangaka Masayuki Ishikawa, so I knew it wouldn't be a brainless fanservice series. It's actually about a witch in 100 Years War medieval France, who uses her magic to help local farmers and intervene in battles between the French and English. She also summons a Succubus who provides bawdy sex humor. The tone is therefore kind of inconsistent, switching between seemingly accurate medieval warfare, dragon summoning, and talk of sexual services provided to soldiers, which embarrasses poor naive Maria. It's an odd mix, to be sure, but I find it pretty entertaining. I look forward to seeing where this story goes. Weak Recommendation

Walt: This show featured far less sexual humor than the title would lead you to believe, but it's still well worth your time. A decent build-up to the coming story, clearly establishing characters, motivations, and setting, and a charming, albeit naive protagonist. The humor I mentioned is there, but it's well paced throughout the episode, giving it good impact. A strong start to what I hope will be a strong series. Strong Recommendation

Rolling Girls

Danni: Rolling Girls is nothing if not unexpected. I added it to my list of anime to check out on a whim, and it paid off with my favorite premiere of the season. It was wonderfully colorful and chaotic, and the animation was excellent. As someone who has often wondered who would win in a fight between the Green ranger and a biker gang girl whose weapon of choice is a giant clothespin, I can't recommend Rolling Girls enough. Strong Recommendation

David: It's common knowledge that first impressions are important, and this is true with anime as well. To really hook an audience, the first episode has to really give the audience a good idea of what to expect throughout the rest of the series. And creating a strong first impression is what Rolling Girls does with ease while bursting at the seams with fun and energy. It's a bit early to tell where exactly the story is going, but the world introduced in the show is both vibrant and diverse. Different factions with unique identities battle it out in over the top, batshit insane battles that are a blast to watch. And for any fan of the animation of anime, Rolling Girls is an essential watch. The combination of the beautiful color-crazy art style blends perfectly with some terrific pieces of animation with dynamic, well choreographed action that's reminiscent of great looking action shows like Soul Eater and Tatsunoko's Yozakura Quartet adaptation. There's no telling yet if Rolling Girls will take its concepts in interesting directions, but so far it's grabbed my attention with an incredibe sense of fun and visual flair. Strong Recommendation

Joe: This show's opening volley of constant movement, information, and style changes makes me very dizzy. It's like a visual version of the first track on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon where elements of all the other songs crash together until a screaming voice rises into "Breathe in the Air." The problem is, Rolling Girls keeps the constant noise going, and it's hard to wrap my head around the thing right now. Obviously playing off Kill la Kill's manic pacing and style, the series has more rules and foundations it needs to cover than its inspiration, but the desire to keep jangling its keys at the audience overwhelms the storytelling. But there are bursts of potential brilliance, and I'm anxious to see the various post-war prefectures and their warped visual sensibilities one at a time. After all, Dark Side of the Moon is a pretty good album when all the songs get their own legroom. Weak Recommendation

Thomas: This was the best first episode of Winter 2015, which took me quite by surprise. Though I liked the sound of "Rolling Girls", seemingly an anime about tough as nails roller derby girls (I thought), it appeared to be a standard moe, slice of life series about fairly mundane girls travelling around a stylish, colorful Japan. Director Kotomi Deai has more ambition than that though, and I was blown away by a chaotic yet heartfelt tale of societal breakdown and superheroism. Taking place in a future Japan filled with warring states, we follow Dynasty Warriors-like heroes and the mere mob underlings that support them. Wonderful, colorful battle sequences ensue. It's a standout premiere for Deai, who is helming this as her first original series. Absolutely not to be missed. Strong Recommendation

Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend

Jonathan: This show has truly beautiful animation and lovely character designs. It also has a neat layer of self-awareness with the doujin circle premise, with almost obnoxiously clever conversations. Unfortunately, these strengths are overshadowed by the lame harem set-up and occasional moments of just no. A joke should not end with an attempted molestation of a cast member. That is not funny. Stop that. Add in the adherence to the very tropes the show lightly mocks, and it just feels disingenuous. These production values should have been used on a more clever show, or they should have released this long after the domination of Shirobako. No Recommendation

Yatterman Night

Danni: I know absolutely nothing about the previous Yatterman franchise other than the fact it exists, so I went into this episode blind towards any existing lore. Despite this, I never once felt lost. Something tells me this is a Yatterman reboot in the same way Gatchaman Crowds was a Gatchaman reboot: pretty much in name only. Crowds was nevertheless great, though, and judging from its first episode, Yoru no Yatterman could turn out pretty well too. Solid Recommendation

David: Lately a running trend with Tatsunoko has been taking their iconic characters from the series that made them huge back in the 60s and 70s, and putting a radical new spin on them. Casshern Sins was a dark, apocalyptic take on the original character, and after that Gatchaman Crowds questioned how superheroes fit into the modern, technology and communication driven world, all using the iconic Gatchaman franchise's name. The newest show following this trend is Yatterman Night, which is a spin off of the Yatterman series following the descendants of the original series's villain Doronbo. A younger, more naive Doronbo learns to put her faith in the idolized hero known as Yatterman, only to have her hopes crushed in an instant. This causes her to question her understanding of heroes and villains, and rise up against the heroes she believes are unjust.  It's an interesting new take on the conventional hero/villain set up, that holds a lot of potential. The characters are likable so far, the arc direction is good, and the animation in the show is great as well. It;s very much worth keeping an eye on, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next. Strong Recommendation

Thomas: Tatsunoko continues their project of re-inventing their classic properties, like Casshern Sins and Gatchaman Crowds. This time, their Yatterman was handed off to the director of Muromi-san and writer Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, a personal favorite of mine who wrote Milky Holmes, Miss Monochrome, and Wooser's Hand to Mouth Life. As I had hoped, it's great! What I didn't expect, however, was that it would be so serious and heartbreaking. The creative team was talented enough to deliver on the slapstick humor elements a Yatterman series would require, but this is their first project with dramatic chops, and they sell it completely. In a dystopian future, young Leopard re-assembles the super thief team Doronbo in order to defeat the Yatterman, who appear to have become evil due to their self-righteousness. Or is this just the misunderstanding of a young child? Can't wait to find out. Strong Recommendation

Yurikuma Arashi

Danni: I generally have a strong aversion to yuri anime. It's not that I don't enjoy yuri romance, I'm just put off by the idea of the majority of yuri being targeted towards men. So when I heard that Ikuhara would be directing an original yuri anime, I got pretty excited. Between his work on Sailor Moon and Utena, I've come to respect him a lot for his portrayal of women, especially queer women. We're now two episodes into Yurikuma, and it has not disappointed me one bit. I went int expecting something incredibly gay and perfectly silly, and got even more than that out of it. Only two episodes have aired and there's already a deep amount of thematic substance present. It'll be interesting to watch unfold over the next few weeks. Strong Recommendation

Jonathan: It's Ikuhara. If you've seen one of his shows (like Utena), you should have an idea of what to expect. It's drenched in obtuse symbolism, abstract fantasy, and has a cast filled almost entirely by lesbians. Basically, it's everything I am looking for in anime. This is actually a good place to start with the guy, as the titular bears are so ridiculous that they manage to make the obtuse strangeness entertaining while you're still trying to comprehend what you just witnessed. Also, there's a bear-man judge who says "shaba-da-doo." I should have just said that from the start. Strong Recommendation

Stephanie: I have to catch up on Sailor Moon, I have not seen Utena, and I have seen Penguindrum. I say this just to put out there that my knowledge of director Kunihiko Ikuhara is rather limited as I go into this series. And to be completely honest, I originally didn't want to watch this. But I've been hearing good things so I'll give it a go, and, well..... it's interesting. There's a lot of things in here that I've seen used both in Utena and Penguindrum so this isn't all that surprising. Just be prepared to possibly be confused if you're not all that good with symbolism and all that. Hell, I'm still trying to make sense of the two episodes I've seen, but I think it isn't that bad. It's not a stand out, right now, but still. Gao, gao! Solid Recommendation