Hope can be the cruelest thing of all. Is Spring of 2015 the season when anime finally emerges from the long, dark tea-time of the soul that’s enshrouded it over the last couple of years? There’s reason to believe it’s possible, but to me, this is a season that has […] Read more
This season’s poll comes with a big disclaimer. The total number of votes cast in this poll is down quite a bit from Fall, though I don’t think that’s too much of a surprise. I’m covering fewer series this season, and next season is one of the least-anticipated ever. Hopefully […] Read more
Is it Spring yet? There’s no sugarcoating the headline here – this is the shortest preview post I’ve ever done. Eleven series, that’s all – and believe me, this was not the most stringent selection process I’ve ever used. If this preview wasn’t going to be one I could send […] Read more
The big names win the day. Established franchises and mainstream shows – especially those with Urobuchi Gen connections, even if he’s not involved any longer – dominated the Fall Preview poll. Only Kiseijuu broke up a top 5 of sequels, and two of them were shows that didn’t even make […] Read more
Old Mother Hubbard’s got nothing on fans of good anime this season. Pre-season expectations aren’t always met by performance. And thank goodness for that, because a pretty mediocre 2014 doesn’t look as if it’s going to be bailed out by its final slate of shows. Is Fall 2014 the worst […] Read more
It’s all about having Tokyo in the title. Thanks to everyone for a magnificent turnout – participation was up 40% from the Spring Preview Poll, and the largest ever for a season preview poll. As for the results, I don’t see any huge shockers here – Zankyou no Terror and […] Read more
Summer 2013 made history, and for the right reasons. Can 2014 follow suit? By the time Summer 2014 begins, anime’s year will be half-over. And with a few weeks left in Spring, it’s looking like we’re on track for a pretty mediocre year. I’d call 2013 roughly average (2012 was […] Read more
Mushishi wins it wire-to-wire. Mushishi Zoku Shou never trailed in this season’s poll, and won by a quite comfortable margin. I think it was a fait accompli as soon as the series was announced, though it’s always interesting to see how LiA’s readership differs from Random Curiosity’s (their poll is […] Read more
The Winter of our discontent is drawing to a close, and it looks as if Spring is going to be a considerably better season for anime fans. Even by Winter’s normally low standards, 2014 was a rough one for anime. A few strong carryovers and a few very good shows […] Read more
Is it Spring yet? Mushishi, Baby Steps, Isshukan Friends, maybe Hi Score Girl… Spring hovers at the edge of the horizon like a mirage, promising an oasis of cool, clear water to soothe our throats, parched from the sand that is the Winter 2014 season. But this post isn’t about […] Read more