Comic Corrale: Winter 2016 Anime Premieres Part 1

Comic Corrale: Winter 2016 Anime Premieres Part 1

This season I see a lot of “what should I watch this season?” As someone who watches anime premieres for funsies, I thought I’d give my two cents on the premieres I’ve seen if it helps at all.

Lupin III Part 4 Ep. 1-5: Technically not a show to premiere in Japan this season. This series has had a bit of an odd release schedule. It was actually scheduled to air in Spring 2015 in Italy but got delayed until late August. It premiered in Japan in October before FINALLY premiering to English speaking audiences a few days ago. If you haven’t  check it out yet, I highly recommend you do!

Myriad Colors Phantom World 1: This series had a colorful start only to give way to the light novel clichés which it fails to even do well. The animation is fluid but that’s really all it has going for it. It’s self aware that it’s bad and continues to be despite that. You can probably give this one a pass.

Ojisan to Marshmallow 1: It’s about an overweight man who loves marshmallows and a woman who wants to do the diddlydoo with him. That’s literally all there is to this. At 3 minutes I found it entertaining enough.

Oshiete! Galko-chan 1: If you have the humor of a 5 year old you will likely enjoy this. Needless to say, I was laughing the whole way through.

Pandora Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 1: It is trash that I have no intention of returning to. It’s somewhat watchable at least, in that way watching a train wreck unfolding would be. Really though, there are so many other things in this world you could be watching other than this.

Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R 1: I admit, once it got rolling, I was entertained if only for the references to classic anime. Before it does entertain, though, it feels the need to mock every cliché from this type of show which bored me to tears.

Haruchika 1: The surprisingly positive representation of the LGBT community at the very end of the episode caught me off guard. It’s rare to see a protagonist who’s gay/bi/pan/etc. in animation who isn’t either meant to inspire fanfiction or to be mocked. In fact, I’ll likely continue watching simply to see where it goes from there.

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju 1: I’ve already seen this 48 minute premiere twice. Once alone and once with a family member and enjoyed it both times. Far and away the biggest standout, thus far, this season, I cannot wait for more.  

Erased 1: This made some good use of minimalism in some shots. That being said, the protagonist is grating with his internal monologues. Really, it’s the supporting cast that made this premiere shine. The plot is certainly compelling as well to an extent. I can kind of guess how it’ll unravel but given the more grim nature. I think waiting for it to finish and then having a marathon would be the best way to watch this show.

Tabi Machi Late Show 1: This series has by far been the least talked about on social media. It has Comix Wave’s practically trademark limited animation. The story is touching in the premiere. It manages to cover a lot of ground in its 7 minutes. This series is only going to be 4 episodes and will apparently be part of the “Comix Wave Omnibus.”

Sekko Boys 1: For lovers of guilty pleasure shows, Sekko Boys with what appears to be either very detailed or photoshopped statues is the go to show this season! It’s part of the Ultra Super Anime Time block in Japan which has produced some very entertaining comedies since it debuted last July and this certainly follows in that tradition.

Norn9 1: Complete with a name a ten year old would come up with, Norn9 has surprisingly detailed backgrounds. That’s really the only highlight of this first episode. Otherwise it is very much a copy and paste video game anime adaptation.

Prince of Stride Alternative 1: This series has some talent behind it, surprisingly, and it makes the end product look super stylish. Honestly, both writing and visually I was impressed by this premiere and am very much looking forward to more.

Bubuki Buranki 1: The character CG is laughable but the story is more than enough to carry this premiere. This is probably more a series for more mainstream anime fans and I feel it will succeed to that end. It really isn’t my cup of tea though I feel it’d be best watch with friends as it feels like a Hollywood flick.

Before I finish this I feel it’s worth mentioning there were a few shows that premiered that I couldn’t even finish: Girls in the Wastelands is probably the most painful premiere thus far this season. Phantasy Star Online 2 the Animation comes from the school of thought that it need not put in an ounce of effort and still succeed and needless to say it fails dismally for it. I will write up other premieres I watch at a later point so I guess that will be a part 2.