Magic is a product of neither fairy tale nor legends but it becomes technology since age of unknown to many people. People dated first record as far as 1999 AD. Through the passage of time and many researches influenced by Eastern and Western countries, public has made well-known existence of magic. Even though it has becomes more well-known, not everyone can use magic and only talented ones or ones, blessed high aptitude, can use magic.
In year 2030, drastic climate cooling began which caused the food supply dwindled. Energy source were often fought over and in 2045, World War Three broke out and it lasted for 20 years. Because of the war, world population plummeted to 3 billions. The fact that this conflict didn’t escalate to a thermonuclear war, it was due to global solidarity of the world’s magic technicians.
At the end of 21st century, year 2095, magic is essential become part of your life and public considers magic as a technical skill. Under these circumstances, every nation is competing to develop magicians. There are nine magic high schools throughout Japan. First high school is one of the top magic high school and is affiliated with National University of Magic. It’s a top magic school which is known to send talented magicians to National University of Magic. At the same time, it’s also an élite magic school which is known to produce excellent magician. In term of magic education, there’s no official regulation about providing equal opportunity for everyone and it’s almost purely talented driven. It basically means that if you’re a talented magician, your future will be bright. On the other hand, if you’re just a so-so magician, you can only get so far using your so-so talent.
Far into the future, earth was destroyed by alien monsters known as Gauna and humans were force to flee aboard gigantic spaceships created from the remains of the planet. One of those said ships is called Sidonia. A thousand years after humans fleeing the Earth, Sidonia has developed its own human culture similar to Japan. With the advanced of technology, human cloning, asexual reproduction, human engineering such as controlled hybrid human/animal mutations and human photosynthesis are possible. Even thought it was said that there were many other ships that fled from earth, nobody knows what happened with the other ships and it’s assumed that Sidonia is the last ship of human settlement.
Year 2021, outskirts of Tokyo, mankind was under attack by an epidemic parasitical virus called Gastrea which spreads like an explosion; mankind was almost exterminated. ON the brink of extinction, mankind is forced to live within Monoliths made from Varanium and has managed to survive by staying within Monoliths barriers. Varanium is only metal that can subdue Gastrea and stop infection from spreading further.
The Cursed ChildrenTen years have passed, after much trial and error, mankind is gradually improving itself with ways to fight Gastrea. Normally, the Gastrea virus is only spread among humans through bodily fluids but there are very rare cases in which the Gastrea virus enters the mouth of a pregnant woman infecting her unborn child. Gastrea infected children can only be female and they are more well-known as the Cursed Children. Their eyes are red and the Gastrea virus is rooted deep within their bodies and as a a result, the Cursed Children inherited Gastrea’s regenerative and physical abilities, in other words, the Cursed Children have superhuman strength and abilities. Even though the virus infection on the Cursed Children is very slow, discrimination cannot be avoid and normal humans refuse to accept or view those Cursed Children as human. As a result, all Cursed Children live in area or a slum to be exact.
Black Bullet – Rentaro Satomi
Story
Rentaro Satomi was just a kid when he witnessed the attack and infection by Gastrea back on year 2021. Fast forward to ten years after, he works as a Promoter in his childhood friend Kisara Tendo’s Tendo Civil Security Agency. Promoter’s job is to control and lead Initiator who is essentially the Cursed Children. Promoter and Initiator always work together as a pair. Rentaro’s initiator is a lively Cursed Children named Enju Aihara who happens to believe that it’s a fate that they meet together and she believes that she is Rentaro’s long live partner. Civil Security Agency’s main purpose is to exterminate Gastrea and Tendo Civil Security Agency is certainly not the only in Tokyo; there are many other agencies along with promoters and initiators.
Chu~
First Impression
Black Bullet is based on a light novel by Shiden Kanzaki and it’s published by ASCII Media Works. The light novel is currently still ongoing and have 7 volumes out so far in Japan. Our main protagonist, Rentaro Satomi, is voice by Yuki Kaji. He’s well known as a seiyuu in anime such as Attack on Titan (Eren Jaeger), Magi: The Kingdom of Magic (Alibaba), Accel World (Haruyuki Arita) and Guilty Crown (Shu Ouma). Our main heroine, Enju Aihara, is voiced by Rina Hadaka. She has not done many works as main heroine in comparison to Yuki Kaiji and she did a lot of smaller roles back on 2013 along with one main role as Hozuki Ferrari in Galilei Donna. Ugh…… too many bad memories watching Galilei Donna President of Tendo Civil Security agency, Kisara Tendo, is voiced by Yui Horie who is a very well-know seiyuu and singer.
fripSide – Black Bullet Opening Theme
Black Bullet opening theme is sung by fripSide and it’s titled with the same name as the anime. We all are very familiar with fripSide, especially those who religiously watch To aru Kagaku no Railgun. The OP theme has a very familiar with beat and tempo and one could say that it’s very fripSide-ish or even Railgun-ish. It’s a very catchy and enjoyable song which I can find myself listening to it on repeat for hours.
This anime has a lot of potentials to tell a great story and explores its main characters background past. In addition, not to mention that Rentaro and Anju seem to have that very personal relationship which other promoter and initiator don’t have. Anju goes to school just like a normal child even though she needs to hide the fact that she’s one of the Cursed Children. Rentaro wants Enju to experience life as a normal kid and he clearly cares a lot for Enju’s well beings. Another side I would like to see from this anime is how discrimination against the Cursed Children will affect Rentaro and Enju’s relationship. Despite what he believes and views of the Cursed Children, his environment and society tells him otherwise; I think it would be great if story expands on this aspect and the discrimination of the Cursed Children. On the other hand, Rentaro’s parents were believe to be killed during Gastrea attack 10 years ago and he still didn’t like when people bring up this topic of conversation. Possible plot twist here? Rentaro’s parents are found alive later on as as Gastrea.
So what does everyone think about this anime ? Is this still in your watch list for this Spring Anime 2014 season ?
With Kimi no Iru Machi (KnIM) manga ended back on February 2014, Seo Kouji has already started his next project, Fuuka, as it was hinted in last chapter of Kimi no Iru Machi. It’s about Yuu Haruna who meets a girl, Fuuka Akitsuki, who has an ability to draw people to her. Fuuka manga is published weekly in Weekly Shonen Magazine. If you have a twitter and have not followed @seokouji, I recommend you to do so. He often posted some sketches from Fuuka using his twitter account. Also, check out his twitter profile for some Fuuka goodness.
There are 11 chapters of Fuuka so far and I am pretty much up-to-date to the latest chapter; truth to be told, I totally forgot about Seo’s new manga until this weekend. From what I gathered so far, I say the pace started slowly but it started to pick up on chapter 5/6. Without revealing too much of the story so far, Seo’s new work is infused with ‘music’ theme in it while at the same time, he keeps romantic comedy aspect in Fuuka; after all, romantic comedy is what he’s known for from his previous series, Suzuka and Kimi no Iru Machi. Well he’s also known to give his reader a plenty of unexpected surprises ^^;;.
With that said, give Fuuka a try and you will enjoy it thoroughly if you’re a fan of Suzuka and Kimi no Iru Machi.
Winter season is ending and here comes the spring. The sun is shining (in some places) but it’s been raining quite a bit in Toronto. Good news is that the weather will be warm through out the week which is a good sign considering harsher winter that we went through here in Toronto. What’s even better news is new anime season has started and I say spring lineup looks pretty decent. Full chart can be found here. There are a few anime in my must watch list every week and couple others look promising.
Majin Bone
I originally thought that this is a mecha anime based on the anime chart but after watching the PV, it looks more like Kamen Rider or Power Rangers genre which is not something I usually into. For any anime that I’m not really into or excited about, I usually give it 2-3 episodes and wait until the anime finishes then watch it all at once. In addition, Majin Bone is anime adaption of a digital card game project similar to Card Fight Vanguard, Yu-gi-oh!, etc. Crunchyroll is streaming this anime and it already starts airing on April 1st, 2014.
I found myself enjoying Cardfight Vanguard quite a bit so I can see myself watching this anime. Just like any other card game related anime, the episodes tend to drag on and which was why I stopped watching Cardfight Vanguard.
Anime adaptation of Majin Bone, a digital card game project.
Anime season would not be complete without some high school drama. Based on some sources that I read across the Internet, people mentioned there’s a similarity between Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou and Suzuka. I love both anime and manga series of Suzuka and also another series called Kimi ga Iru Machi by the same author. The PV looks promising and I’m hoping this anime will keep me occupied during spring season.
Kazunari Usa, a high-school student aspiring to begin a bachelor lifestyle, moves into a new apartment only to discover that he not only shares a room with a perverted roommate that has an obsession for underaged girls, but also that another girl, Ritsu Kawaii, a love-at-first-sight, is living in the same building as well!
The PV looks pretty dark, however, the synopsis says otherwise. To me, it sounds like 1 guy with many girls scenario and I would give 2-3 episodes before I give it up .
The story is set at Myoujou Academy, a private girls’ boarding school. The 10th year’s Kurogumi class has 12 assassins with their sights on one target, Haru Ichinose. Tokaku Azuma is a recent transfer student who is also targeting Ichinose, but she gradually develops feelings for Ichinose.
selector infected WIXOSS
This anime reminds me of Accel World mixed with Cardfight Vanguard + Card Captor Sakura. The PV definitely looks promising and let’s hope the series will deliver until last episode.
WIXOSS is a card game that’s popular with teenagers. Supposedly there exist “Rulig Cards,” female character cards with wills of their own. Special girls can hear the voices of the Ruligs, and those who possess them are called Selectors. These Selectors have card battles in a dimension that other humans cannot access. It’s said that whoever triumphs in these battles will have their wish granted. Ruko Kominato is the latest girl to find a Rulig card. She names hers Tama, and without any further explanation is thrown into her life as a Selector.0
Baby Steps is one of anime in my watch list this season since I used to play tennis and enjoy sports manga/anime thus Baby Steps quickly becomes one of my favourite mangas. In before you start comparing to Prince of Tennis, there’s no super impossible move in this anime and the author really tried to make it as realistic as possible. The main character, Maruo Eichirou (Ei-Chan) is a beginner in tennis and many opponents underestimate in the beginning until he proves them wrong. Who does not love an underdog story in any sport ?
Maruo Eichirou (Ei-Chan), a first year honor student, one day he decides that he’s unhappy with the way things are and his lacks of exercise. He finds a flyer for the Tennis Club and decides to check it out. He’s instantly captivated by it. With no prior experience and poor physical conditioning, E-Chan joins the club as he embarks on a tennis journey using his smarts, dedication, and work ethic.
Love Live! 2nd season is the continuation of Love Live! School Idol Project anime which ran for 13 episodes during winter anime 2013. I’ve been enjoying more and more idol series these days. I watched Wake Up! Girls last season and am looking forward to Love Live! School Idol Project 2nd season this spring season.
Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: Akihabara—a pop culture mecca that’s evolving by the minute; Kanda—a conservative, cultured city where history and tradition reign supreme; and Jinbo—a quiet area reserved for a more mature, sophisticated population. Amidst this culture clash, the school now faces closure due to the enrollment of fewer and fewer students. With the school planning to close within three years, nine female students come together with one thing in mind—form a pop idol group to revive the school’s popularity and keep it from shutting down. “In order to protect our beloved school, there’s only one thing we can do… become pop stars!” Their goal is simple: Become an overnight sensation and use their nationwide media exposure to promote their school and bring in a wave of new students to the ailing area. A simple but solid plan, they figure. Naturally, they’re nervous and wonder if this plan can really succeed, but for better or worse their new journey has begun… “All we can ask for is just a tiny bit of support from you. We truly believe that with your help, we can change the world around us. We will make our dreams come true!”
Is this Bakuman with some ecchi content included? This anime series is based on the manga with the same title. For those who follows the manga closely, what do you think about this series ? Bakuman is one of few anime series I really love because the story alone so any mangaka slice of life anime series, I most likely will enjoy it. I cannot wait to watch this series and I hope it delivers.
The story depicts the work-life of a perverted mangaka, Aito Yuuki, and his assistant, Ashisu Sahoto. Constantly pressured by his editor and lacking experience with girls, Aito asks Ashisu to act as a reference.
I’m not sure how I feel about this series. Soul Eater was a pretty decent series but I cannot say if the side story will be as good as the main series. In before you mentioned To Aru Kagaku no Railgun because that anime is an exception and it’s even better than the main series, To Aru Majutsu no Index. Does anyone look forward this anime ?
Soul Eater Not! is a side-story to the main series, focusing on a freshman halberd named Tsugumi Harudori, who befriends two other meisters, Meme Tatane and Anya Hepburn. All three take part in the NOT (Normally Overcome Target) class at DWMA and learn to control their powers in order to overcome their difficulties to have a normal life, as opposed to the battle-oriented EAT (Especially Advanced Talent) class taken by Maka, Soul, and their companions.
OP of Black Bullet is certainly captivating. For those who are a fan of To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, fripSide is no stranger and it’s a very typical ‘fripSide’ song since I didn’t even need to check who’s the singer and I already know who it is ^^. Trailer looks promising and I’m looking forward to it.
A near future, where humans have been defeated by the viral parasites named Gastrea. They have been exiled into a small territory and live in despair, side-by-side in terror.
In this world trapped in darkness—
Rentaro, a boy living near Tokyo and member of the “Civil Security”—an organization specializing in fighting against the Gastrea—is used to accomplishing dangerous tasks. His partner is Enju, a precocious young girl. They fight thanks to their peculiar powers until one day, when they receive a special assignment from the government. This top secret mission is to prevent the destruction of Tokyo…
Set in a near future, this thrilling heroic-action story… starts now!
After Sword Art Online (SAO) and Log Horizon (LH), here come No Game, No Life, another gaming related anime. The concept of ‘stuck in a game’ seems to be a popular theme in Japan. While Sword Art Online and Log Horizon have their own audience and I would not compare them side by side as there are few things I like/dislike from both of them. Will No Game, No life be able to distinct themselves from SAO and LH? I like the idea how everything is decided by games in the alternate world and it sounds like an ideal world for me to live in ^^.
The story of No Game, No Life centers around Sora and Shiro, a brother and sister whose reputations as brilliant NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) hikikomori (shut-in) gamers have spawned urban legends all over the Internet. These two gamers even consider the real world as just another “crappy game.” One day, they are summoned by a boy named “God” to an alternate world. There, God has prohibited war and declared this to be a world where “everything is decided by games”—even national borders. Humanity has been driven back into one remaining city by the other races. Will Sora and Shiro, the good-for-nothing brother and sister, become the “Saviors of Humanity” on this alternate world? “Well, let’s start playing.”
Hitsugi no Chaika
14-year old girl carries a big coffin and has a sniper gun…. yah…. I’m not sure what this anime is all about but since it’s available on Crunchyroll, I might as well give it a try and see how it goes.
Toru Acura is a 20-year-old retired soldier meandering through life now that the war has ended. He encounters Chaika Trabant, a 14-year-old sorceress carrying a coffin, and follows her in hopes of finding meaning to his life again. The two travel with Toru’s adopted sister, Akari, the employed member of the group and thus Toru’s source of income.
The PV looks interesting and I gather it’s about survival in space and defending a ship using a huge robotic weapon ie. Gundam-like-weapon …. obviously. I always appreciate mecha anime so I’m willing to give it a try.
It’s been a thousand years since the Gauna, a strange alien race with no known method of communication, destroyed the solar system. A portion of humanity managed to escape using enormous “seed ships” like the Sidonia, which have allowed them to maintain the population while drifting through space. Nagate Tanikaze is a young man who has been raised deep in the bowels of the ship. When he goes into training to pilot the huge robotic weapons known as Gardes, Nagate is entrusted with piloting the legendary unit known as Tsugumori. Nagate and his fellow pilots put their lives on the line against the Gauna, in the ultimate battle for the survival of humanity!
Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?
Cafe Rabbit House is full of cute anime girls and that’s the only reason you need to watch this anime ^^;;.
Cocoa arrives at the cafe Rabbit House one day, excited for rabbits. She actually all but lives in that cafe. She meets lots of different girls there, including a tiny and cool girl named Chino, a tough and soldier-esque girl named Lize, a spacey and quintessentially Japanese girl named Chiyo, and the ordinary but dignified Sharo.
Escha & Logy no Atelier: Tasogare no Sora no Renkinjutsushi
This anime is based on a game with same title. The game is part of Atelier series and just like any other atelier series, it tells a story a young alchemist or in this case, two young alchemist who works for Development Department. I love character design and arts on Atelier series in general so I definitely will follow this series.
This world has gone through many Dusks, and is slowly nearing its end. Within this world, in the western reaches of the “Land of Dusk,” there was a nation that prospered thanks to its use of alchemy.
There, in order to survive the eventual arrival of the “Dusk End,” the people devoted their efforts to rediscover and recreate lost alchemic technologies. Rediscovered technology from the past era was gathered in the alchemy research city known as “Central,” where research was conducted on how to halt the advance of the twilight.
One of the heroes is a young man who researched alchemy in Central, the other a girl living in a small town on the frontier. This girl’s name is Escha. In the process of using her knowledge of ancient alchemy to help others, she was assigned to the Development Department. The young man’s name is Logy. Having learned the newest alchemic techniques in Central, he requested a transfer to this understaffed town to make use of his abilities, and meets Escha when he is assigned to the Development Department as well. The two make a promise to use their alchemy together, and bring success to the Development Department.
Mahouka Koukou No Rettousei
Mahouka Koukou No Rettousei is based on a manga series with the same title. It’s about a story of elder brother who is a low achiever and younger sister who is a high achiever in a magic school where it separates students into two groups of talented and normal students.
Magic is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a technology of reality since a time unknown to people. Supernatural power became a technology systematized through magic, while magic became a technical skill. A “Supernatural Power User” became a “Magic Technician.” Magic Technicians (in short, Magicians) are nurtured through Magic High Schools and Universities.
This is a story about:
Tatsuya, a defective elder brother low achiever.
Miyuki, a perfect, flawless younger sister high achiever.
After both siblings entered a Magic High School,
The stage of daily turbulence was unveiled—.
So which anime is in your watch list this season ? are there any other anime that you would recommend ? Share your must watch list by commenting below.
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