Starting with the Winter 2013 anime season, three of the series I watched were just a series of short 2 or 3 minute things.
First of those is Ai Mai Mi. Four girls in a manga club deal with absurd situations - that's how TV Tropes describes it, and the weirdness isn't exactly something that is easy to describe.
Mangirl! is about a group of girls who start a manga magazine, despite their lack of experience. Although it didn't have the same weird situations as Ai Mai Mi, there were some pretty funny moments in there. Of course, it was a series of shorts, just like Ai Mai Mi.
Senran Kagura was 12 full episodes. The plot (ahem) focused on a secret school for ninjas. However, this anime was more about fanservice rather than story. Clothes came off during battle, camera angles that displayed the girls' underwear, that kind of thing. If you could put up with the fanservice, its actually quite an enjoyable anime in my opinion.
As a side note, the 3DS game Senran Kagura: Burst was recently confirmed for both a physical and digital release in Europe next year. I'm actually seriously considering buying it, as supporting the release of games you wouldn't expect to see outside of Japan is something I'm keen to do.
Vividred Operation was directed by the same person responsible for Strike Witches, and it showed. Magical girls fight off an alien invasion using the power of yuri. Another anime with a lot of fanservice, but it was enjoyable all the same.
The final anime for the winter season was Yama no Susume, another series of shorts. There are two girls, one who is afraid of heights, and another who absolutely loves mountains. Together, they climb mountains due to a childhood promise. This was a fairly enjoyable anime, and very sweet.
Attack on Titan started during the spring, though I didn't start watching as soon as episode one hit. However, after seeing quite a few internet related things about it, I decided to check it out, and wow, it impressed me.
The plot concerns humanity's struggle against colossal skinless giants known as "Titans". Walls keep the Titans out... at least for a while.
Attack on Titan is currently still airing, and I definitely consider it one of my favourite anime series this year.
A Certain Scientific Railgun S is another anime series that is currently still airing, having started in the spring 2013 season. Misaka Mikoto, Academy City's third ranked level 5 esper, comes across her clones and discovers they are participating in horrific experiments. The first half of the anime focuses on the Sisters arc from the original light novels (I think that's the origin of this one), and I believe a new anime-exclusive story for the second half.
As I enjoyed the first series of Railgun, this was one that I loved as well. In particular, the fight at the climax of the arc was great fun to watch, though it did put some of the other characters out of focus for a while. The second arc I can't say too much about for the time being, but the aforementioned out of focus characters get more screentime.
Yuyushiki was another schoolgirl series, where the girls are in a data processing club. When it focused on the club activities, they would effectively be googling the answers to existential questions. Any other time, they would be participating in the usual plotless slice-of-life activities. At first, there was a yuri subtext, but as the series went on, it became incredibly blatant about it.
I really enjoyed Yuyushiki; plenty of funny moments, the characters were fun to watch and it even taught me new things. Also, a data processing club where the aim is to find answers for questions appeals to me, as I love absorbing information, particularly if it happens to be completely useless.
Finally, Zettai Bouei Leviathan. This won points with me right away; it is set in a fantasy world. A fairy named Syrup recruits three dragon girls to defend their home against monsters. The characters all had their own distinct personalities, and they could hold their own in a fight (eventually). There were many funny moments thrown in, and the opening theme was pretty damn good.
So I didn't really watch that many anime series compared to what I am now in the last season, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. Actually, Yuyushiki appeared on a magazine cover in Kiniro Mosaic; that made me grin a little, I'll admit.
If anyone ever decides to roll out a sequel for either Yuyushiki or Zettai Bouei Leviathan, I will definitely watch.
Just as a reminder, here are the anime I am currently watching for this season:
- Attack on Titan
- Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya
- Fantasista Doll
- Chronicles of the Going Home Club
- Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3
- Gatchaman Crowds
- Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S
- Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation
- Kiniro Mosaic
- il sole penetra le illusioni ~ Day Break Illusion
As we come to the end of this season, keep an eye out for my Summer 2013 Anime Awards.
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