Fall 2016 Season Wrap

Let us all breathe a sigh of relief that I have finally finished the fall anime! Thanks to my three-week honeymoon and a terrible throat infection/fever, I had a lot of catching up to do after returning home. There were a ton of wonderful shows this past fall that I was almost sorry to complete. 2016 as a whole was actually a great year for anime, and the fall season capped it beautifully. I hope you enjoyed the season and year as much as I did, and that you’ll share with me your thoughts and personal favorites!

• Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
• Days (TV)
• Fune wo Amu
• Gi(a)rlish Number
• Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
• Hibike! Euphonium 2
• Keijo!!!!!!!!
• Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
• Natsume Yuujinchou Go
• Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
• Shuumatsu no Izetta
• Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
• ViVid Strike!
• Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
• WWW.Working!!
• YURI!!! on ICE

12 Days of Anime – #2 Girlish Number and the Ugly Underside of the Anime Industry

I didn’t actually enjoy watching Girlish Number this past fall, but I just had to include the show among my twelve moments of 2016 due to the impact it had on me as a viewer and anime fan. Many people have described it as a sort of antithesis to Shirobako, a P.A. Works series that for the most part positively portrays the anime industry. There are some trials that the characters go through, as well as some less than ideal coworkers, but the tone for the majority of the show was one of optimism. Diomedia’s Girlish Number enters with the point of a view of a fledgling voice actress and proceeds to reveal an uglier side of the industry where voices are chosen not for their skill and dedication, but for the girls’ names and looks as they would pertain to public appearances aimed at one thing: the customer’s wallet. It’s an interesting dilemma for the anime viewer; while on one hand I would prefer they maintain the integrity of the writer’s story by choosing quality over quantity, I also admittedly enjoy public events featuring bubbly and attractive staff. But the bottom line is that I honestly do not care what someone looks like as much as I care that they are the best in what they do.

Fall 2016 Set Menu

Here comes my favorite season, with its cooler weather perfect for cozy hats, mittens, and scarves and its turning colors of purple, red, and yellow. This season is also when I start craving soups and stews, and my hot beverage intake skyrockets. We also have our fair share of rainy weekends leading up to the winter months, so that hopefully means plenty of time for anime and gaming.

Right now, KWoo and I are working our way through the final portions of the PS3 version of Tales of Graces F. I had played it several years ago, but never finished it. He’s liking it much more than Tales of Symphonia, which we completed earlier this year. I actually found a rough draft for my initial review of Graces F, so I’m hoping that I’ll have the time this second play through to actually write about it.

But back to this season’s choices in anime. As usual, this “set menu” is subject to change as the weeks progress. For now, this is what I have chosen:

• 3-gatsu no Lion
• All Out!!
• Bungou Stray Dogs 2nd Season
• ClassicaLoid
• Gi(a)rlish Number
• Haikyuu!!: Karasuno Koukou VS Shiratorizawa Gakuen Koukou
• Hibike! Euphonium 2
• Keijo!!!!!!!!
• Long Riders!
• Magic-Kyun! Renaissance
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans 2nd Season
• Natsume Yuujinchou Go
• Occultic;Nine
• Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
• Shuumatsu no Izetta
• Stella no Mahou
• Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
• Watashi ga Motete Dousunda
• WWW.Working!!
• Yuri!! on Ice