It has been a long while since I posted anything anime related on tBPII. However, a little while back, I did a small preview on my tumblr blog of what I elected to put on my 2012 Spring Anime check-out list. I thought it’d be good to post it here. Well, after watching the 1st episodes from the said list that has already aired (with the exception of Hyouka), you can bet there are changes on what I finally pick for my Spring anime viewing line-up.
Edited [16-Apr]: Audio for “Hiiro no Kakera OP – Nee” by Maiko Fujita is now included.
::THE BEFORE AIRING LIST::
Plan to Watch:
Accel World
Hyouka
Jormungand
Sakamichi no Apollon
Shining Hearts
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia
Tsuritama
Uchuu Kyoudai
Guaranteed Watch:
Fate/Zero S2 (Sequel)
Might Watch:
Hiiro no Kakera
Kuroko no Basuke
Sankarea
::The AFTER AIRING LIST::
Definite Watch (excluding sequels):
Tsuritama
OP: Tsurezure Monochrome [Fujifabric]
ED: Sora mo Toberu Hazu [Sayonara Ponytail]
– Hook, Line, Sinker… 1st episode draws me in and wowed me straight away. What’s more, it made me laugh. I love the brightly coloured animation. The characters intro and the voice acting is just spot on. It isn’t too over the top but it isn’t muted and understated either. Yuki is adorable in his own manic way and Alien-kun is hilarious and mysterious in an amusing way. Granny is a funky hipster to boot. The music gels wonderfully well with the wacky atmosphere of the show. I’m so watching this one to see how the odd group of characters plan to save the world. Now the question is, what are they saving it from? Fishy alien invasion?
Sakamichi no Apollon
OP: Sakamichi no Melody [YUKI]
ED: Altair [Hata Motohiro]
– Coming of age dramedy sprinkled with possible slice of romance, incorporating Jazz music as the backdrop? I’m in before it even begins and I thoroughly enjoy what this show has offered in its 1st episode. Although the music element is not so strongly obvious in its debut, what was presented is wonderfully subtle and rightly so, to complement the mood and tone of the episode. The character designs and settings are realistic and gorgeous. In some instances, the character art reminded me of ‘Paradise Kiss’. Kaoru and Sentaro played off each other well in terms of their differing personalities and that was wonderful to watch especially when the dialogue is well scripted. Everything feels natural as it should be. Like Tsuritama, I want to see more. One week wait is too long!
Uchuu Kyodai
OP: Feel So Moon [Unicorn]
ED: Subarashiki Sekai [Rake]
– How could I not like this especially after I was so taken in by Level E? 😆 This is another dramedy that has a good story to tell. The brotherly rivalry to see who is first to make their dream come through, aliens, space travel, the ups and downs of life, trying to make something of yourself, aspirations… yup, it reminds viewers of some parts of their child hood and adult hood and it is wonderfully told in the 1st two episodes that have aired. I’m on board to see whether Mutta achieves his goal (or not).
Jormungand
OP: Borderland [Kawada Mami]
ED: Ambivalentidea [Yanagi Nagi]
– I reckon somewhere in the list there’ll be an action anime and this is one I picked to watch. The outright action scenes certainly are impressive. The character designs are interesting, especially that of KoKo and Jonah. And Iwasaki Taku is once again helming the music. He has been lackluster in the music department of late. Hopefully, Jormungand will spark some form of revival for him. If the 1st episode is any indication, he’s appears to be doing something right. I love the team dynamics in play here and KoKo has a deadly sense of humour. What is it about her that keeps the team together as a tight unit? Looking forward to see where this is going indeed.
Kuroko no Basket
OP: Can Do [Granrodeo]
ED: Start it right away [Hyadain]
– I didn’t expect to include a Sports anime in my watch list but I did. I haven’t watch anything sports themed since OFURI (somehow *Chihayafuru* doesn’t count) and since I like basketball, I ended giving Kuroko’s debut episode a shot. I gotta say I like it more than I thought I would. Well that and my liking the blue-hair titular lead character whose shadow play amused me much. 😆 The main characters are interesting and engaging enough to make me want to continue watching it.
Casual Watch:
Sankarea
OP: Esoragoto [nano.RIPE]
ED: Above your hand [Annabel]
– The premise is interesting enough for me to want to follow it on a ‘when I can’ basis. Rea, the lead female, seemed to have a tough life and her wanting to be dead is a sad thing. It does not help matters that she lives with a father who has a creepy fetish of photographing her in the nude. Not sure how being an undead would help eased her out of the situation.
Tasogare Otome x Amnesia
OP: Choir Jail [Suzuki Konomi]
ED: Karandorie [Aki Okui]
– This is another supernatural themed anime after Sankarea that I opt to watch at leisure. I guess it is because I’m interested in knowing how the main character Yuuko, died.
Hiiro no Kakera
OP: Nee [Maiko Fujita]
ED: Kono Te de Idaki Tomeru kara [Shuhei Kita]
– Why am I keeping this on my leisure watch-list? For O-chan, of course. :LOL:
Shelved for the moment:
Accel World
OP: Chase the world [MAY’N]
ED: Unfinished [KOTOKO]
– Dull first episode. Didn’t excite me as much as I initially thought it would. Maybe it’ll get better and I’ll pick it back up.
Shining Hearts
OP: Jisei-kai ~Toki Sekai [Kanae Itou, Mai Aizawa and Shiori Mikami]
ED: Fuwaffuwa no Mahou [Kanae Itou, Mai Aizawa and Shiori Mikami]
– Not really feeling it at this stage, pan or not. Kamiyan voicing 2 characters is hmm… surprising though.
Yet to Air:
Hyouka
By the looks of things, it is certainly shaping up to be a very good Spring harvest. And if the noitaminA shows continue their strong momentum moving forward, the best anime of 2012 might be from this very block.
the Brownie Post II 
glad to see another person who loved tsuritama as much as me 🙂 i can’t wait for the next episode!
seems like a lot of people like kuroko.. might give it a try tho i usually dislike sport animes…. 😀
love reading your thoughts ^.^
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@Icie: Thanks for dropping your comments. I reckon why so many anime fans enjoyed Tsuritama is because it is quirky and refreshing. I’m sure many viewers aren’t sure what it is actually about but the fact that the character intros are funny and interesting draws viewers to it.
On Kuroko, if you have seen ‘Slam Dunk’ and ‘Dear Boys’ (both basketball themed anime) and liked them, then it is quite likely that you want to check out Kuroko. What I like about Kuroko is its lead titular character whose personality is so deadpan that the other character hardly ever notice his presence. The way his non-presence affects the people and situation around him is what made the episodes interesting to me. Do give yourself a chance to check it out.
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just thought id stop by and say THANK YOU for encouraging me to watch Kuroko!! i LOVE it soo much…. i finished the manga in 3 days and now i reallly want to read more.. i know the chapters are at like 162 but the english is only at 134 T.T
oh and should i give slam dunk a try? i’ve seen a of comments comparing kuroko to it and saying it’s better.. but from what i’ve seen.. it doesnt look all that great. esp the art.
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U’r welcome. I’m glad you love the manga as do I. Yup the English fan-scanlation managed to catch up to chapter 134. The latest chapter is 162 which shows Seirin playing the quarter final round of the Winter Cup against Yosen, where Kuroko’s former GoM team mate Murasakibara Atsushi is an insanely strong opponent. I’m like everyone else, baiting my time anxiously waiting for the next chapter. 😛 Edit: Chapter 135 & 136 in English is up.
About Slam Dunk, it is quite old (hence the old school art) and is one of the first generation of Sports anime/manga that was rather successful in terms of sales and popularity. I reckon one can say that it’s a classic. Between Slam Dunk and Dear Boys (which came later), I preferred Slam Dunk. Honestly, Dear Boys kinda bore me after 7 volumes. I really didn’t like how the boys basketball team is tied too closely to the Girl’s team and they tried to create romantic entanglements which just sucks!. Kurobas>>>Dear Boys. Yes, read Slam Dunk over Dear Boys but read Kurobas for a more current feel of basketball. Besides, Kuroko is one interesting character who by the latest chapter is evolving as a player and isn’t just a static titular character. Even the other GoM players except for Murasakibara (whose arc is still ongoing but I suspect he might have a different opinion of Kuroko when this match ends) and Akashi (the manga haven’t gotten round to him yet) have all gotten character developments. I just can’t wait to see more. I really hope the anime is going to cover/animate at least the first round match of the Winter Cup. ^^
Oh, I don’t think one should compare Kurobas to Slam Dunk. IMO, it’s wrong the judge a series on such a basis. Although, they both about basketball as the central theme, the story and characters are different. The anime/manga should be judge on its own merit. Once you do that, then you can say which one you prefer much like I did with Slam Dunk and Dear Boys. Right now, I’m just hook to Kurobas. 😆
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i found kurobasu up to 138 😀 its getting so epic! GO KUROCCHII!!! such a cliff hanger tho >.>
ohh so that’s whats going on in the new chapters?? i wanna see whats so good about the captain dude! he’s so scary! lol. man, i want them to win for the teppei guy, but at the same time, if they win i feel like the mangas going to end there, cause then they’ll be no 1! 😦 lol…such conflicted feelings…
hmm.. maybe i’ll give it a try then. every basketball manga fans seems to think its a masterpiece. xD oh i’ve heard of Dear boys.. quite a lot of love/hate for it.. apparently the anime was bad too?
i loveee kuroko xD he’s so cute, and so different from all those other sports characters who are all about being the strongest and neverending powerups….. i like how this manga also focuses on some of the emotional parts the players feel, like kuroko wanting aomine to smile again. i thought that was reallly sweet.
the anime’s going to be 24 eps right? i really hope they get there >.< but i dont think so… there better be season 2!
i feel that way too…. everyone keeps saying slam dunk is better than kurobasu and it makes me sad xD cause i like kurobasu more
lol.. im so obsessed right now. xD
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These days I’ve more of a manga focus than an anime one. But Kuroko no Basket sure hooked me. So far they’re being very faithful to the manga too—which is a plus.
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@Vampirecat: Ha yes, I, like you, have been more manga-centric although I do watch the seasonal offerings of new shows. I just don’t have time to blog about what I watch. Leave that to the other ani-bloggers who’re doing a much better job at it. 😆 However, I do like to express my own impressions from time to time.
Oh yay, I’m glad you like Kuroko no Basket. I think that out of all the shows airing, it might not get as much attention as the other more ‘publicized’ series. So I do hope more anime fans would check it out.
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Nice to know your opinion.
Accel World. I don’t like main character. He’s got cute childhood friend who’s care for him, yet he’s still go emo.
I like Kuroko no Basket. It didn’t have the typical main character. Usually they’re either a clumsy boy who gets bullied, falls for a beautiful girl, or prodigy.
I’m glad that Kuroko is neither prodigy or newbie.
Jormungand. Koko is love.
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@Kencana: Thanks for reading.
– Accel World: Caught up with the 2nd episode and it still didn’t interest me. If anything, the story bores me. I won’t be watching it past this episode.
– Kuroko no Basket: Seen the 2nd episode and still enjoy it. Kuroko is a very interesting character despite his lack of ummm….personality and it really plays well against the other characters. It made me want to know how his character will develop (or not) and how his vision will influence Seiri’s basketball team.
– Jormungand: “Her name is KoKo, She is Loco and I said ‘Oh No”. 😆 Yup, KoKo is ❤
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