Episode Summary: Now that Ichigo Momomiya has entered high school, she’s become completely boy-crazy. With the help of her friends, she hopes to attract the attention of Masaya Aoyama, the most popular boy at school. As luck would have it, a random classmate gives Ichigo tickets to an exhibit on endangered species, which happens to be a topic Aoyama-kun is deeply invested in. When they “randomly” run into one-another in the courtyard, he’s excited to have the chance to go with Ichigo.
Though the exhibit itself is interesting, Ichigo’s idyllic date doesn’t last long before an alarm causes an evacuation of the premises. After being dragged outside, Ichigo and three other girls are hit by beams of light that cause them to see strange visions. When Ichigo returns to consciousness and meets back up with Aoyama-kun, they’re immediately attacked by a giant rat monster. As it turns out, the beam of light was more than just a daydream – it provided Ichigo the means to transform and fight with very cat-themed powers. Saving the world is great and all, but what about her budding relationship with Aoyama-kun?
Episodes: TBA (but these series generally run for a full year or so)
Source: Sequel of long-running franchise
Episode Summary: Yui Nagomi is an active girl who’d be right at home on the soccer team, but the reason she participates at all is for the delicious rice balls to be had afterward. As a resident of Oishiina Town she has her pick of delicious foods from around the world, and Yui wouldn’t have it any other way; as the daughter of a restaurant owner and someone who appreciates a scrumptious meal, she’s definitely in the right place.
When Mari, a citizen of the Cookingdom, arrives in Oishiina Town in search of some missing recipeppi fairies, they soon encounter Yui who revives them with some food. But not far behind are members of the gang who’ve been trapping the recipeppis and using them for their own dastardly ends. Yui gets wrapped up in the battle, and there she transforms into Cure Precious, a hero powered by the energy of delicious food!
Source: Related to PriPara, based on an arcade game series.
Episode Summary: Matsuri is a huge fan of Jennifer, the previous PriMagi champion. She wishes that she had the courage to compete to become a PriMagi superstar, but that dream seems to be nothing but a far-off possibility until a magical being named Myamu arrives through a mystical portal from her magic-suffused world and pegs Matsuri as a potential PriMagi competitor.
Matsuri is initially weirded-out by Myamu, whose forward nature and blathering about the differences between the “Treasured” (those who can use magic) and the “Earthly” (those who can’t) is creepy. Yet, Matsuri just can’t let go of her dream, and once she realizes the true extent and importance of that dream to herself she rushes to submit her application to the PriMagi competition. Luckily she seems to have the inherent gift of performance required by such competitors, and her initial success helps Myamu regain some use of her magic powers. But Matsuri isn’t the only person vying for this distinction, so what sort of challenges might she face in the future?
Story Summary: Ruka is a quiet girl with a longing to connect with others but an inability to do so effectively. She carries regrets with her after transferring schools, and can’t seem to change her situation for the better. When her roommate Hiori returns through the window of their shared dorm room after an absence, Ruka is immediately struck by her natural, outgoing nature. Though they are very different people, they seem to share a connection; the ring that Ruka found dropped on the ground one afternoon seems to make a pair with one that Hiori received from her sister’s belongings, and both house a power that neither could have imagined.
In a world that long ago featured the existence of magic, but has long since lost that ability. The story begins when the very normal high school student Mangetsu Kohinata meets Shingetsu Ernesta Fukami, who has migrated back to Japan from Germany, on a night with a full moon. – MAL
Episode Summary: Mangetsu is a typical high school student whose propensity toward helping others has resulted in her making lunches for many of her classmates. One evening, as the full moon shines brightly out her window, she realizes that she’s left a lunch box at school, so she goes to retrieve it. As she’s about the leave the school, the world seems to dissolve, leaving in its place an illusory world that’s somehow familiar, but very different.
Outside several girls in magical mecha entities battle one-another, and they wonder why Mangetsu doesn’t seem to have her own suit of armor. One of them, Shingetsu Ernesta, defends Mangetsu until she’s able to hear the truth – at one time, the world was filled with magic, but it was sealed away to save humanity. Now, those from magical bloodlines meet at the full moon and battle for dominance until only one remains. Soon Mangetsu numbers among them as her powers are awakened and she quickly learns to draw upon them.
Three years ago, alien invaders ravaged the Earth–until they were defeated by a group of young women blessed with powers from a mysterious source. The girls went back to their normal lives after vanquishing the ghastly monsters, but that time of peace is about to end. The same malevolent creatures have resurfaced, which means it’s time for the Magical Girl Special Ops force to head back to the battlefront and defend mankind. – ANN
Episode Summary: Three years ago, alien life forms called Disas invaded Earth. An alliance was formed with a galactic entity, and magical girls (girls with the ability to join with spirits) became the planet’s best hope of defending against the alien menace. Asuka was one such magical girl whose efforts help to thwart the enemy. Though she’s left her fighting life behind she still feels the mental and emotional aftermath of the terrible experiences she had during battle.
High school is a different environment entirely, and while Asuka doesn’t quite fit in among her peers, she does eventually make a couple of friends who choose to help Asuka engage with her physicality (through track) and enjoyment of reading (through the literature club). Even when talks of re-forming a magical military squad start to trickle down to her, Asuka is adamant about living and enjoying this new, normal life – until a terrorist attack puts one of her new friends in harm’s way. The Disas may be long gone, but the world is still filled with crime, war, terrorism, and hatred; Asuka may have discovered a purpose worthy of bringing her out of retirement.
In the year 2045, the world has been contaminated by Irōsu (mysterious invaders who suddenly appeared), and humans find themselves restricted and contained. Standing boldly against these invaders are ordinary girls everywhere, without a powerful army or even weapons. The Shinjugamine Girls Academy is a school for these “Hoshimori” (Star Guardians) destined to fight the Irōsu. – ANN
Episode 1 Summary: Miki and her classmates at Shinjugamine Academy are trainees in the fight against the Irosu, alien invaders who arrived mysteriously, appear randomly (signaled only by a miasma that precedes their arrival) and who keep humanity contained and frightened. The girls lead typical lives, but are called up on when needed to invoke the powers given to them to fight and win against the Irosu. Unfortunately as of late, the classmates have been having trouble working harmoniously and seem to be phoning it in a bit. Not knowing just where or when an attack might occur, this makes the individuals running the program a bit nervous. The girls are ordered to undergo another round of training; it’s here that they’re surprised by an injection of new blood – a new member named Misaki.
Impressions: There was a time when I’d be immediately wary of an anime with a cast larger than about four or five main characters, but I’ve been proven wrong too many times to default to that position. Shirobako introduced an entire company full of animators, producers, and staff members while they sat around a table eating; by the end of that episode I definitely didn’t know many of their names, but the show never really suffered for its truthfulness about how much manpower goes into creating an anime. The Lost Village‘s internet-influenced bus full of misfits worked around its large cast size by giving each character a chance to prove how distinctly misanthropic or mentally-ill they all were, to (in my opinion) successful ends. So I’m no longer immediately put off by a cast of thousands, as even shorter anime series have proven themselves capable of using large groups for productive means.
The second round of training begins. Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link
This show introduces a number of characters during a chaotic battle in the first half of this episode. Each character gets a snappy line of dialog and the nature of voice-acting being what it is, that’s generally enough to leave a small impression on the viewer of the person’s basic personality. Whereas other series have counteracted the disorientation of these sorts of madcap intros by providing something else to grab onto, say an unusual plot element or interesting variation in tone, this one ends having not left much of an impression.
There are some vague references within the character dialog to the forever-looming threat of the Irosu, this anime’s malevolent foreign invader antagonists. Though not particularly creative, the idea itself is perfectly serviceable as something to challenge our heroes and serve as an ultimate goal. The issue is that throughout the first episode, several references are made to how poorly the characters are working together and how their power as a group is unfocused and lacking, and yet there’s not any situation where the beasts with which they’re engaged are shown to pose any kind of mortal threat to the characters. There’s not element of danger or any indication that any of the characters might lose out or become injured, and so it’s really difficult to stay engaged. I found my mind wandering over and over again as I resisted the urge to check Facebook or get up for a snack, and this was all while characters were in battle – ostensibly the most dynamic parts of the episode. it’s a bit maddening just how dull the experience is.
f*f – Idols and heroines. Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link
This show also seems to be an awkward genre mashup, as at least a few of the heroines appear to moonlight as idol singers, and the franchise’s Wikipedia entry seems to make reference to several different (internal?) idol groups and songs. This isn’t bad in itself, but I have to confess I’ve never really been a fan of idols or idol culture so the fact that that aspect seems shoehorned into this action series doesn’t really appeal to me personally. It also has the distinct air of trying too hard to appeal to too many different demographics at once which is almost always a poor choice; of many of the anime series I like the best, one commonality between them seems to be that the creators aimed to appeal to a certain fan group, made a product that has high quality attributes (story, animation, characterization, theme, etc.), and ultimately broadened the appeal in that way. From Yuri!!! On Ice to Puella Magi Madoka Magica, to Haikyu!, this has proven to be true. So I can’t really buy when a series seems to haphazardly take shots in several directions without hitting a target.
There’s an odd bit of pandering in this episode that I feel is worth mentioning as it didn’t land very well with me. For whatever reason, I’ve noticed over the last five or so years that the amount of low-grade yuri content in otaku anime seems to have seen an uptick. Shows like Sakura Trick and Yuruyuri make very mild plays at same-sex female relationships, not really to advocate for those relationships, but to provide them as another option for fetishization in shows aimed primarily towards male otaku viewers. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the shows are without other merit, or might not also have appeal to people who identify with those relationships, but I don’t think their use is meant to be enlightened or representative of ally-ship. The two overt idol characters, Kanon and Shiho, are introduced as kind of an “are they or aren’t they…?” couple in this episode, and some romantic aspect to their relationship is implied over the phone. Not only does this feel forced in a show that’s already got too much going on, there’s literally no other reason one would care about the characters at this point so it feels as though someone, somewhere is just checking off of a list.
Friends, companions, or… lovers? Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link
Needless to say, this isn’t really a standout entry in the season, and there’s not much reason to recommend it over other, better-produced game-based anime like Touken Ranbu or some past examples like the Rage of Bahamut series. It’s probably more interesting if you’re a fan of idols or have some interest in the voice actors providing the dialog (of which there are many, considering the size of the cast). Add to that the fact that this is a HIDIVE exclusive, which makes it prohibitive to check out if your budget only affords one or two of the big streaming services, and this makes Battle Girls High School pretty skippable.
Pros: It’s a mostly inoffensive first episode.
Cons: Attempts to flesh-out characters feel forced, the antagonists don’t seem to pose a real threat, and the mix of genres is scattershot.
Liones Yelistratova is the naive princess of a small nation, who goes to Hokkaido to enter ALCA, an educational institution dedicated to teaching Logicalists who uphold world peace. Liones enters Class S, and encounters many unique classmates, including Logicalist Nina Alexandrovna. – ANN
Copyright 2017 (c) Doga Kobo
Streaming at: Crunchyroll and Funimation (Simuldub not yet available)
Summary of Episode 1: Liones, a princess from an unnamed nation, arrives at her new school having stowed-away on a freight ship and hitchhiked in the back of dirty farm carts to make her way through Hokkaido. She’s a total mess when she arrives on the doorstep of ALCA, an academy dedicated to taking talented individuals and training them in the ways of contracting with individuals from “foreign” dimensions, a role referred to as a “logicalist. Lion, as she prefers to be known, doesn’t seem to have any inherent talent, and in fact most people who meet her peg her as an airhead. But she’s assigned to class-S, meaning that she’s already formed at least one contract (even if she might not remember actually doing so). During lunch on her first day, Lion demonstrates some aptitude with the process, though whatever being with whom she contracts seems a little bit malevolent. Classmate Nina knocks Lion back to her senses; Lion is just happy that she truly belongs in class-S now.
Impressions: Over the last couple of years there have been a few anime series that have drawn their narratives at least in part from the real-life world of anime voice acting. Shirobako, Girlish Number, and Seiyu’s Life! all feature scenarios in which actresses lend their voices to anime series of somewhat questionable quality, though only the latter two really put the situation front and center. These meta “anime-within-an-anime” are typified by their one-note characters, defined more by tropey archetypes than any sort of actual humanity. These shows also tend to be built by committee, with product tie-ins and other commercial concerns given more weight than creating something that can stand on its own. These situations are humorous and relatable because at some level as anime fans we know them to be true; not every anime creation can be a piece of art for the sake of art – sometimes it’s just meant to make money and give people a quick dose of something goofy and simple.
Liones arrives at school. Copyright 2017 (c) Doga Kobo
Hina Logic is like the purest real-life expression of this idea. The visual presentation is competent, the heroine is stupid and sort of likeable because of it, and her friends all run the gamut of moé archetypes – there’s a strong, emotionless girl, a snaggle-toothed goofball, a set of twin sisters with opposing temperaments, and a snooty ojou-sama who’s the class rep. There’s a little bit of a magical girl element, a little bit of clunky fanservice, and an incredibly thin plot that revolves around magical cards (product tie-in!). It’s all just kind of frothy and vapid, without much of anything to grasp onto and seriously be critical about. While it may just be me projecting, I almost feel as though I can hear from within the workmanlike performances the strained smiles and forced enthusiasm of the actresses as they try to talk up this show at a press event, internally aware that “hey, it’s just a paycheck after all.”
This was my poor attempt at being funny about something that used to make me very irritated. Toy commercial cartoons aren’t scarce in the West by any means (I mean, dear lord, G.I. Joe and TMNT were almost nothing if not a mechanism for getting kids to beg their parents for cool toys, and I used to eat both of those up), but I used to get really bent out of shape whenever my chosen form of media entertainment would deem it necessary to waste its time and mine churning out cash-cow advertisement entertainment rather than hoity-toity high art aimed directly at me. I’ve definitely gotten over it at this point, and now I’m just sort of fascinated by the anime production system itself and how adver-tainment is just one of its many facets.
The class rep and her cronies grill Liones about her situation. Copyright 2017 (c) Doga Kobo
As for this episode’s actual merits, the entire thing is much the same as the acting – workmanlike. Adequate. Mostly inoffensive. There’s some trashy fanservice that didn’t sit well with me; in one case, the mascot creature burrowed into a character’s blouse wreaking havoc for an uncomfortable length of time while the camera focused on her chest, which felt par for the course. There was also at least two and I think three bathing scenes with a lot of steam and light beam censorship, the issue being that the characters are rather young and look even younger, which makes it all feel extra gross. While I think really heinous and upsetting fanservice has mostly gone out of style since the previous incarnation of this website, which I’m extremely thankful for, I still find that most of that kind of content doesn’t make the show more appealing. It mostly just feels like a band-aid hastily-applied to a show that doesn’t have much of merit.
In any case, aside from the few sad attempts at pubescent sexual humor, Hina Logic is the type of anime that doesn’t prompt a lot of thought or reaction, because none of it stands out and it’s not really meant to be thought-provoking or unique. It’s these types of anime that are always so difficult for me to write about, mostly because I want readers to know whether they’d be interested or not but I can never really find an angle to latch onto. I will say that, while Katsugeki! Touken Ranbu gave me the impression that the game on which it’s based might be kind of interesting and fun, Hina Logic doesn’t do anything to flatter its associated game properties. And that’s perhaps the most damning thing one could say about an anime meant to sell something.
Pros: The show is exceedingly inoffensive.
Cons: This episode feels strained in several different ways. There are a couple examples of fanservice that are very shoehorned in.
