It’s that time again. Time for a brand new season of anime and brand new shows to watch. In this final season of the year, we have some brilliant new shows available to watch, even outside of Japan! With legal streaming services Crunchyroll, Funimation and Aniplex, you can see these episodes subtitled on the same day as the Japanese television release! As you’ve seen from our Top Anticipated Fall 2014 Anime List, there are some shows here that are really getting people excited!
Akatsuki no Yona – Studio Pierrot
Genre: Action, Romance, Fantasy
This new fantasy show features our protagonist Yona, a pampered princess yet to see the outside world. But when she witnesses a coup on the kingdom, she escapes with her childhood friend, her loyal guard. The appeal here is seeing how Yona evolves as a character when she is thrust into brand new circumstances and had her world turned upside down.
Akatsuki no Yona is available for viewing on:
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons – Sunrise
Genre: Mecha
It’s no surprise that Sunrise loves their mecha series. With their work on the Gundam franchise and many other series such as Code Geass, they’ve been the leaders in exploring this unique genre. This time, we follow Ange, a former princess of a world controlled by the mystical power “Mana”, which gives people the power to manipulate objects and machines. However, when it is discovered that Ange can’t use this power, she is cast off to a military island and forced to fight the constant threat upon this world, the Dragons. There are some absolutely brilliant action scenes here and some interesting themes. Although it should be mentioned that it involves sexual violence and is unsuited for younger viewers.
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons is available for viewing on:
Crunchyroll [North America Only]
AnimeLab [Australia Only]
A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd – Hoods Entertainment
Genre: Romance, School
This is based on an erotic visual novel, you can probably figure out the basic tone of the show from there. Whilst the chances of adult scenes in this series are next to none, the harem genre remains intact and it should be a somewhat fun series to watch through. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re a fan of the romance, harem genre this may be for you this season. It presents the setting and context of a book club and a cast of five characters, which the show will focus on throughout.
A Good Librarian Like a Good Shepherd is available for viewing on:
Funimation [US and Canada Only]
Denki-gai no Honya-san – Shin-Ei Animation
Genre: Comedy
If you’re looking for a laugh this season, you’ll get it here at the bookstore, Umanohone. Whilst the first episode of this series was certainly lacking, it has since improved dramatically, with some hilariously ridiculous scenes. It’s set in an “Electric Town”, a place where manga and games are commonly bought. Each episode features a series of different antics in this unique setting as the ridiculous characters collide.
Denki-gai no Honya-san can be viewed on:
Laughing Under The Clouds – Dogakobo
Genre: Action, Historical
Anime can be viewed for any number of reasons and Laughing Under The Clouds offers a unique appeal. Historical series are interesting in that they explore a certain part of local or foreign history and twist it in a way that can be presented as an entertaining show to watch. Here in Laughing Under The Clouds, we follow our characters as they are given the responsibility of transporting criminals to a lake prison. This was all due to the large crime rates in the Meiji era where carrying swords was banned and samurai started to lose their place in society.
Laughing Under The Clouds can be viewed on:
Funimation [US and Canada only]
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works [2014] – Ufotable
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural
We finally have it! It’s finally out! Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works is the biggest anime release of the year and a series that many viewers have been excited about. Based on a highly popular visual novel and acts as a sequel to the amazing Fate/Zero by the same studio, the Holy Grail War begins once again. With some of the best animation within the medium and a large narrative that takes the viewers on a wild ride, this is the series to watch this season. In just the first two episodes, we’ve seen some incredible fight scenes and some interesting character building and it’s setting itself up to be an amazing show.
Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works [2014] can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll
Hulu [US only]
Aniplex [US only]
AnimeLab [Australia only]
Hanabee [Australia only]
Garo: The Animation – MAPPA
Genre: Action, Fantasy
MAPPA are on a roll after their work on the brilliant Zankyou no Terror [Terror in Resonance] last season. This series, Garo: The Animation is a high action fantasy thriller following two Makai Knights, father and son, León and Germán as they fight against the Horrors, a type of demon, as they corrupt the kingdom. The action here is intense and exciting and that will be the appeal here as the show goes on.
Garo: The Animation can be viewed on:
Funimation [US and Canada only]
Hulu [US only]
AnimeLab [Australia only]
The Fruit of Grisaia – 8-bit
Genre: Drama, Romance
Adapted from a visual novel, The Fruit of Grisaia is set in Mihama Academy and involves our protagonist, the opaque and cool Yuuji and five female characters. Each of these characters has a heavy backstory, which unlocks their characteristics and helps develop the plot here. It’s very much about the evolution of the characters and that’s where the appeal comes from.
The Fruit of Grisaia can be viewed on:
Gugure! Kokkuri-san -TMS Entertainment
Genre: Comedy, Supernatural
Here’s another great comedy, adapted from a 4 panel manga. When Kohina, a self proclaimed doll summons the fox spirit, Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri discovers that she’s living alone unhealthily and decides to haunt her. In this case, haunting being looking after her. It’s light, it’s fun and it’s hilarious as Kohina’s blank, dry remarks clash with the enthusiastic Kokkuri. Add in a whole bunch of new characters trying to haunt Kohina for their own reasons, and you get a great silly comedy series.
Gugure! Kokkuri-san can be viewed on:
Gundam Build Fighters Try – Sunrise
Genre: Mecha
This is the second season of Gundam Build Fighters and offers a brand new story that expands upon the world. Set seven years after the original series, instead of following Sei and Reiji, we now follow the stories of Hoshino, Kamiki and Kousaka as they attempt to win the Gunpla Battle World Championships. Gundam Build Fighters is a very accessible series that works as both promotion and fan service for the Gundam franchise whilst still maintaining a brilliant plot on its own. It involves characters using model Gundams in battle and with the low stakes narratives, it is a very fun watch. Even though this series is a sequel, it can be watched independently, although you will need to watch Gundam Build Fighters if you wish to understand all the references involved.
Gundam Build Fighters Try can be viewed on:
Sunrise’s Gundam Youtube Channel
Gundam Recognuista in G – Sunrise
Genre: Mecha
A new chapter of the Gundam timeline has been unlocked. This time set in the Regild Century, protagonist Bellri, a member of the capital guard captures a highly advanced mobile suit from a group of space pirates. The mystery here is why the space pirates are trying to attack the Capital Tower in the first place and what on Earth a “Recognuista” is. It’s a new independent story in the Gundam Universe written by the main writer of other Gundam series.
Gundam Recognuista in G can be viewed on:
AnimeLab [Australia only]
AllTheAnime [UK only]
Chaika The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle – Studio Bones
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Toru, a young former soldier was left living a life of meaningless self-indulgence after the war ended. While searching for food in the forest, Toru met Chaika, a young girl carrying a coffin, and found a reason to live again. After she gave him a job to do, he declared her his master and joined her, along with his younger sister Akari, on a journey to fulfill Chaika’s goal. During their travels, other girls who look just like Chaika appear before them one after another, each claiming to be “Chaika” as well. One dressed in red, one in blue, and one in white… but all the “Chaikas” share the goal of gathering the emperor’s remains. Which is the real Chaika? What exactly IS “Chaika”? Many mysteries intertwine in a complex web, all centered upon “Chaika” and the remains. What truth will be revealed when all the remains have been gathered together? This is the second season of Chaika The Coffin Princess
(Source: Crunchyroll)
Chaika The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll [Excl. Australia]
Hanabee [Australia only]
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace – TRIGGER
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Romantic Comedy
The studio that brought us Kill la Kill has a brand new series! One one certain day, all of the members of the Literary Club suddenly gained superpowers. But with no enemies to fight against and with life continuing as normal, we get this fun series about these characters using their powers to mess around.
When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll
AnimeLab [Australia only]
Parasyte -the maxim- – Madhouse
Genre: Horror, Science Fiction
Finally, the 1980s horror manga has been adapted. By Madhouse, a very talented modern studio, no less! This is a series that doesn’t rely on jump scares or any type of shock horror. The fear comes from the premise and our attachment to various characters. When Shinichi’s right arm gets invaded by an alien Parasite, it is replaced with an alien creature with the ability to change forms and extreme strength. This antagonistic, but reliant relationship creates a constant tension as they know they need each other to live in this world being invaded by the Parasite creatures.
Parayste -the maxim- can be viewed on:
Log Horizon 2 – Studio Deen
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Log Horizon is back and we are ready to explore the world of Elder Tale Online once again! With the first season introducing us to the world that Shiroe is trying to change politically and economically, the second season expands on that by introducing new plot lines and goals. This time, we are presented with the question of “Where do the mobs in MMORPGs get the money they drop?” It’s questions like this that made the first season great and it’s good to see that this is being continued in the second season. The animation has taken a slight downgrade with the introduction of a new studio, but the main staff is carrying on in creating the narrative and music. And of course, the opening theme, Database returns once again.
Log Horizon Season 2 can be viewed on:
Lord Marksman and Vanadis – Satelight
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
This is a series yet to show its full colours. We are introduced to a fantasy Western Europe in this ongoing war between various territories. Vorn, the lord of one such territory must rise to defend it by asking the help of his once enemies, the Vanadis. It’s setting itself up to be an interesting story, but there is much more to be explored, including the special powers that some characters seem to have and the political nature of this world.
Lord Marksman and Vanadis can be viewed on:
Funimation [US and Canada only]
Wolf Girl and Black Prince – TYO Animations
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Wolf Girl and Black Prince offers a strange twist on the base shoujo romance genre. Whilst the art style is very much based on these romance series, the plot takes a very different turn. Erika, a compulsive liar tells members of her high school class that she has a boyfriend in an attempt to find common ground. Little did she know, the person who she’d picked out as her fake boyfriend turned out to be the sadistic Kyouya. It’s this constant tension and characters that are both dislikeable and likeable that makes this show interesting as it goes on.
Wolf Girl and Black Prince can be viewed on:
Gonna Be The Twin-Tails!! – Production IMS
Genre: Action, Romantic Comedy, Gender Bender
It’s series like Gonna Be The Twin-Tails that makes me wonder whether anime has any limits on how ridiculous their plots can be. Soji Mitsuka is a high school student who loves the twintails hairstyle. So when alien creatures invade the Earth and start stealing away people’s twintails, Soji steps up to use a secret technology that transforms him into a twintail warrior. Yes, that image above is of the male protagonist, Soji. It’s an absolutely ridiculous series that doesn’t take itself seriously for a second.
Gonna Be The Twin-Tails!! can be viewed on:
Funimation [US and Canada only]
Psycho-Pass 2 – Tatsunoko Production
Genre: Science Fiction, Action
This is a series that has Psycho-Pass fans worried. With the original writer, the talented Gen Urobuchi and the original studio, the brilliant Production IG replaced with significantly less prestigious creators, there is a chance that this second season may not hold up to the goals of the first season. Thankfully, the first episode has quelled some of these concerns with a great scene redefining what sort of person Akane is and reintroducing the far more orthodox inspector, Mika.
Psycho-Pass 2 can be viewed on:
Selector Spread WIXOSS – J.C Staff
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Psychological
The anime selector spread WIXOSS revolves around the hugely popular card game WIXOSS. Supposedly there are special cards called LRIG cards that only certain girls called selectors are able to use. These selectors use the LRIG cards to have battles in another dimension that cannot be accessed by other humans. The winner of these card battles will have their wish granted. This is the second season of the series and is the sequel to Selector Infected WIXOSS.
(Source: Crunchyroll)
Selector Spread WIXOSS can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll [Excl. North America, Australia, UK]
Funimation [US and Canada only]
Sword Art Online II: Mother’s Rosario – A-1 Pictures
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Whilst many believed the second season of Sword Art Online II to only consist of the Phantom Bullet arc, it seems that for the Fall season, it will be following the Calibur and Mother’s Rosario side arcs. With the Calibur arc not being very interesting, it’s the Mother’s Rosario arc to look out for as it focuses on Asuna rather than Kirito. It involves a story involving someone even more powerful than Kirito and is a generally emotional story. It makes a large change from previous arcs where Kirito defeated anything in his way and instead approaches a much more interesting subject.
Sword Art Online II can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll
Daisuki
Hulu [US only]
Aniplex [US only]
Your Lie in April – A-1 Pictures
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
A-1 Pictures were working on 5 shows last season and it definitely showed with animation quality drops in various places among each series. However, with most of them put on hold or finished, the art and animation quality has improved drastically and it really shows in Your Lie in April. This series about a boy who despises the piano due to his mother’s obsessively strict teachings in the past learning the value of music once again thanks to the free spirited Miyazono Kaori. This is building itself up to be a beautiful story about music and A-1’s animation and art matches this.
Your Lie in April can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll
Aniplex [US only]
Hulu [US only]
AnimeLab [Australia only]
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis – MAPPA
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Rage of Bahamut is a very entertaining action filled show that seems to throw back to the early days of animation. With a pair of bounty hunters, constantly at each other’s throats it introduces a fun character dynamic. It’s something unique and the animation supports this with MAPPA once again showing their stuff. It’s the protagonist’s antics that hold a lot of the appeal and make up the show’s fun atmosphere whilst still following a serious plot.
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis can be viewed on:
Funimation [US and Canada only]
SHIROBAKO – PA Works
Genre: UNDEFINED
This is a very unique series by the acclaimed PA Works, creators of Angel Beats, Nagi no Asukara and Another. It is an anime about making anime. So who better to make an anime about making anime than an anime studio? It’s a series that opens the door on these closed animation studios and we watch as the team work together to create their new series. It has such an educational insight and entertainment value in the regular problems that the studio needs to overcome that it has become a personal favourite of the season. What it lacks so far in plot, it makes up in premise and a series that is able to do that is valuable.
SHIROBAKO can be viewed on:
Celestial Method – Studio 3Hz
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
This is a pleasantly surprising low fantasy story by a brand new animation studio that impressed viewers from the very start, not just with its animation, but with the characters and plot as well. With a large alien saucer appearing over a town, over time it is disregarded and becomes more of a landmark than anything. But there’s a mystery to be solved here and it’s these kids that aim to be the one to solve it. It’s a light story thus far and the premise alone is interesting enough to grab your attention.
Celestial Method can be viewed on:
Terra Formars – Liden Films
Genre: Action, Science Fiction
There is no reason to get excited about Terra Formars. I’m afraid that if you’re interested in the series, it will be best to watch it as a physical release. Terra Formars follows a bunch of genetically enhanced superhumans who go to Mars to defeat a hyperevolved colony of cockroaches, now with super strength. The issue is that these battles hold little context and you can’t help thinking throughout that there’s got to be a more efficient way of dealing with them. However, the largest issue is the massive amount of censorship the TV version of this show has. Sometimes it can go full minutes with blank screens and black squares around the screen obstructing our view from anything that might be somewhat potentially violent.
Terra Formars can be viewed on:
Trinity Seven – Seven Arcs
Genre: Fantasy, Harem
This is a story of magic… and harems. With the first and second episodes being drastically different, it’s not completely clear how seriously this series will be taking itself. Following Kasuga Arata, a person granted a large amount of magical power, he gets taken into Royal Biblia Academy and learns how to use magic as well as meets the members of the Trinity Seven. It seems like it may grow into something larger, but as of yet, it is unclear.
Trinity Seven can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll
AnimeLab [Australia only]
In Search of Lost Future – Feel
Genre: Drama, Romance
The story is set one autumn at the beginning of the 21st century in the Uchihama area. Uchihama Academy is growing by leaps and bounds. With the construction of a new school building, there will be one last General Club Festival at the old building that is slated to be closed. The students vow to go all out to make this final cultural festival a success. The Astronomy Club of the protagonist Sou Akiyama is filled with the big names on campus. Just before the festival on October 1, the club receives a request from the student executive committee to calm the uneasiness among the students. There are reports of ghost sightings, accidents, sleeping sickness, and other mysterious incidents at the old building. When Yui Furukawa, a quiet girl who transfered late into the school, appears before Sou, the gears of fate slowly begin to move.
(Source: ANN)
In Search of Lost Future can be viewed on:
Funimation [US and Canada only]
Hulu [US only]
World Trigger – Toei Animation
Genre: Action, Science Fiction
Shounen Jump battle series are a genre of their own. With One Piece, Bleach and Naruto being among them, they all follow a similar formula of everlasting battles. World Trigger feels like that’s the quality it wants to get at, but isn’t putting the effort in. The animation and art is some of the lowest quality I’ve seen in years and it’s cast of characters don’t seem to make it any more interesting. It’s relying on a plot that, to tell the truth, isn’t unique or deep enough to support the entire series as a whole.
World Trigger can be viewed on:
Yowamushi Pedal: Grande Road – TMS Entertainment
Genre: Sports
Following on from the first season, this bicycle racing series presented a really engaging narrative involving a friendless otaku (geek) as he joins the bicycling racing club and aims to win the Inter-high together with his team. The first season ended in the middle of the Inter-High competition and fans of the series have been anticipating this season in order to see the end. It is one of the best sports series of the year, the bicycle racing scenes are exciting and the characters are very likeable.
Yowamushi Pedal: Grande Road can be viewed on:
Crunchyroll [Excl. UK and Australia]
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru – Studio Gokumi
Genre: Magical Girl
In this fantasy world, supported by the mythical Shinju-sama, the Hero Club is selected to become magical girls and defend the Earth from invaders. That alone sounds like a pretty dull premise, but the way it’s executed is excellent. The transition of these girls from community service heroes to real heroes is an interesting concept and the action scenes henceforth are amazing. It’s taken the magical girl tropes and turned them into something even more expansive and dramatical, making for a more powerful cinematic experience.
Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru can be viewed on:
And that wraps up all the shows available for streaming this season. There’s a lot to choose from and I’m sure you’ll find a few that you enjoy. My personal recommendations would be SHIROBAKO, Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works, Gundam Build Fighters Try, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace and Parasyte.
Let me know what you’ll be watching in the comment section below.
