Season check-in will be out this week, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot today…
Anime that have graced our screens in the last two days:
- Sakamichi no Apollon
- Tsuritama
- Eureka Seven AO
- Sankarea
- Nazo no Kanojo X
- Fate/Zero (arguably best episode yet)
- Uchuu Kyoudai
- Hunter X Hunter
- Shirokuma Cafe
- Lupin III
And that’s not even considering the likes of Accel World and Kuroko no Basuke. Ten series that good – in 48 hours? I think it’s fair to say that as fans, we should really appreciate that this is a great moment for anime – especially considering that next season could just as easily be a forgettable one for all we know. No matter your tastes, you should really be able to find a couple of series on that list that are right up your alley.
Arabesque
April 22, 2012 at 6:49 amA good time to be an anime fan? Not for me, since I don't have the time to watch all these great shows *fumes*
Also, you missed putting Legend of Korra among those 😛
admin
April 22, 2012 at 7:23 amSorry, but I guess I'm enough of a purist that I don't think of it as anime. I don't value it less for that, but I still think of "anime" specifically as being of Japanese origin.
Snuckerpooks
April 22, 2012 at 6:53 amYeah, a lot is happening in the world of anime. As someone that just moved over here within the last month, there really is a shift of how many people are watching this season. In my classes I get asked if I enjoy anime/manga, I just say that I enjoy Bakuman but this seriously has a great line-up. Many of my students are stretching their time with the favorites that they like.
It really is funny to see how integrated anime/manga is into society as someone from America. Even in America, I come from an area where nerds stay in the closet, you don't talk about games around others; but here they are willing and open.
I guess it is as good a time as ever to be in Japan AND watching anime.
Yukimaru
April 22, 2012 at 6:58 amLooks like the awesomeness of this season has urged you (Enzo) to write this post 🙂
leokiko
April 22, 2012 at 7:06 amNext season also looks great for me actually. 2 new Josei's(we all know they usually are the best animes), Sword Art Online and a few others worth checking out.
It will be hard to beat this season, but getting quality animes is at least guaraanted for the Summer.
Nyangoro
April 22, 2012 at 7:12 amAnime definitely seems to be heading in an upward direction after all the struggles it's had recently. It looks like its began climbing itself out of the rut it was in in the mid to late 2000s. Companies have started to get a better idea of how to adapt to the current market, and so they're probably in a better financial position than they were a few years ago.
More money = more freedom = better shows. I mean, sure, it's still got its trends, but I think we've been seeing quite a bit more variety recently.
And I absolutely love it!
Justinnnnnn
April 22, 2012 at 7:16 amI don't get it…I hear many people saying 'the anime industry is dying'.
Really? Lately, I've watched some gorgeous-looking shows. Fate/Zero, BRS, Eureka Seven AO…And also some other great ones with a memorable story, like S;G.
I don't get it, where are the signs of this anime trend dying? As time moves on, I only see better and better animes airing :S
Snuckerpooks
April 22, 2012 at 8:09 amWell, the money within the industry is where I would think the industry is dying or having major troubles. Sure they can make tons of money off of figurines, spin-offs, manga sequels and whatnot. I would have imagined DVD/BD sales to be where they make it back, and piracy probably kills that pretty hard.
SQA
April 22, 2012 at 12:16 pmUS Companies stopped overpaying by about 500,000 USD per series for licensing, when licensing everything that was made each season. That's a huge drop in the amount of money heading to studios in Japan.
What's really happened is a popularity bubble burst and the industry is simply finding a new footing, for the time being. Things could change again rapidly. As long as the Japanese companies are still making money, the industry is fine. R1 localizations might be far less common, however.
Anonymous
April 22, 2012 at 8:23 amSince everyone seems to be spazzing about it, Enzo, do I need to watch the previous Eureka Seven first before I start going on the second season?
leokiko
April 22, 2012 at 8:27 amYou don't need to watch it, but it's much more entertaining if you know the previous series, since it's similar in style.
admin
April 22, 2012 at 5:04 pmPretty much agree. I think you'd be OK reading the character profiles, since E7 left a lot open to interpretation. Still, you'd certainly have a firmer footing if you watched the first series.
Mormegil
April 22, 2012 at 8:33 amI'd say it's a great time to be an anime fan, definitely. I mean, Shinichiro Watanabe made his triumphant return this season!
I'm as cynical and jaded as them come, but even I can't make any excuses here.
Mizuhii
April 22, 2012 at 12:24 pmI somehow get the feeling I am weird. Everybody is praising this season for how great it is, yet I can't seem to find a single show that really got me hooked like Natsume or Chihayafuru did, to name the most recent examples. I completely lack a show I am eagerly waiting for every week, right from the beginning. Sure, shows like Tsuritama, Uchuu Kyodai or Sankarea (unfortunately, I haven't seen Sakamichi no Apolllon yet) are really… different shows and I like how they stand out. But I just really miss that 'getting hooked and fangirl the crap out of myself every week' sort of feeling. And by fangirling I understand excitement in general. Same goes for Korra :/
ruirui
April 22, 2012 at 12:30 pmand now… Hyouka will start airing +__+
definitely a good time to be an anime fan but not a good time to be a student if you dont have good "anime resistance"
Kentaiyoshimi
April 22, 2012 at 2:34 pmI just finished my exams yesterday, and I was giddy to find 4 great shows waiting to be watched after my last exam. this season is absolutely phenomenal. I, for one, think it is due to the amount of male protagonists in the shows compared to previous seasons.
It must be a lot of work to blog all the shows this season, since so many of them are so captivating and interesting to watch. Keep up the awesome work, GE.
belatkuro
April 22, 2012 at 2:39 pm"…think it is due to the amount of female protagonists in the shows compared to previous seasons"
Fixed that for you 🙂
belatkuro
April 22, 2012 at 2:42 pm…think it is due to the amount of female protagonists in the shows compared to previous seasons.
Fixed that for you 🙂
admin
April 22, 2012 at 5:08 pmI think there's more gender balance this season, and that certainly doesn't hurt. Those who prefer all-girl shows will no doubt choose to ignore that! But I still contend that most excellent-to-great series have mixed casts, and that it's a good thing for the industry to have both shows that are female-dominant and those that are male-dominant.
Early returns suggest Summer is going to return to the trend of the last few years, with a lot of otaku series and very few male characters. We'll see once the final lists are out.
Rayzakk
April 22, 2012 at 3:10 pmI really haven't found much I enjoy this season compared to others. This season seems filled with series that are trying to stand out just to much or people are excited about because they are so artsy, but I don't find them to be fun. If I've enjoyed anything this season it's been Dusk Girl and Accel World.
Dunn
April 23, 2012 at 9:27 amLurker de-cloaking.
I agree with you Enzo, it is a good time to be an anime fan this season with the abundance of wonderful shows. Every day of the week is a treat indeed.
Found myself watching almost all of the new servings and coming back here to read your opinions on them 🙂
Pretty much all bases covered for the many different tastes of fans.
What's your favorite pick of the lot?
Discounting Fate/Zero being the obvious one. Mine's Uchuu Kyodai for the realism and fervor in living to our dreams.
azuredaydreamer
April 23, 2012 at 5:19 pmI totally agree it's a great time to be an anime fan! Before I would have probably chosen 3-5 animes per season, but this time I got it all the way to 10. What makes me so happy is that they're all so good. My ultimate favorites being Hyouka, Uchuu Kyodai and Accel World. Summer doesn't look like it'll dip from that trend. I have 7 possible ones to watch already and that's only based from version 1. lol That's pretty good for summer considering I always found it the worst season in any year. But I'm really looking forward to Fall where we'll get the big names like Robotics; Note and Bakuman 3! I can truly say, 2012 has been a great year. 🙂