First Look at the New Titles for the Fall of 2013

With good timing, I return to the realm of reviewing anime when the all-important Fall season kicks off in Japan, which brings a plethora of new titles and returning series.  The advent of legitimate internet streaming allows me to be on the up and up for some of these viewings!  The volume of titles viewed by me will not be anything like it used to, but here’s a rundown of first impressions on three new shows I recently previewed.

     I Couldn’t Become a Hero, so I Reluctantly Decided to get a Job…I actually didn’t get far enough into the first episode to understand what the series was ultimately about.  I couldn’t tell if it was a reality based absurdist comedy or a magical realm based comedy.  Either way I stopped watching it after the first unnecessary panty shot about 5 minutes into it…coupled with overly jiggely breasts and other fan service annoyances.  Apparently though, according to ANN, it’s about a guy who becomes unemployed as a fantasy style warrior/hero when he and his compatriots defeat a demon king.  He then has to start working a job at an appliance store and everything changes when the daughter of the defeated king applies for a job at the same store.  Regardless, the pervert pandering fan service will prevent me from finding out if the actual plot of this title is even worth my time or if it’s just a vehicle for jiggling breasts, moe bi-shojo and panty shots.  Next!!

     Beyond the Boundary is a reality based fantasy series with  school age slice of life touches.  The series deals with high school student Akihito Kanbara who has been stabbed by underclassman Mirai Kuriyama.  Luckily for Akihito, he is immortal thanks to his mother coupling with a spirit creature known as a youmu.  There exists a world unseen to most people filled with these youmu, who come in all shapes and sizes.  A select few humans are able to see them and take it upon themselves to hunt them; they are collectively known as Spirit World Warriors.  Akihito is the product of a Spirit World Warrior and a youmu (at this point it is unknown if that was consensual or not…but his moms off her rocker so it probably was).  Due to his odd genealogy he is unable to be killed.  Mirai, a bespectacled mousy type character (damn galge stereotyping!) is the last remaining member of a powerful and feared family of Spirit World Warriors.  Once she discovers that her sempai cannot be killed she uses him on a daily basis for practice in dispatching youmu, much to his annoyance.    In a bid to make his life less annoying Akihito convinces her to stop attacking him and he will help her integrate with the other Spirit World Warriors in the city.

    After watching the first four episodes of this series I don’t know how interested in it I am.  The first episode was mildly entertaining, but by the fourth it starts to stink of every other spirit fighting series.  You have characters with dark pasts, a growing cast of Spirit World Warriors, thickening plots and hidden agendas.  I really have never been into onmyouji type stories…and fear that this could turn into something akin to Bleach.  While the two main characters are agreeable they also fall into tried and true and tired character types rampant in anime.  The one thing that is keeping me watching the series so far is it, in some odd way, reminds me of The Melancholy of Harumi Suzumiya…in feel not in story.  I will give it a few more episodes to decide if it’s worth my time or not though.  If you enjoyed Bleach, Shonen Onmyouji, Kekkaishi or Ushio and Tora you will probably enjoy this series.

     Samurai Flamenco is an offbeat real life comedy that deals with male model, Masayoshi Hazama, attempting to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a super hero, like the ones he watched as a kid on TV.  Unfortunately for him two things are setting this dream off track; he doesn’t have any super abilities and there aren’t any super villains.  Not to be dissuaded though, he has a friend tailor him a super hero outfit and decides to get his feet wet in the hero business by stopping petty crimes ala Batman.  His first encounter with an unruly drunkard ends in disaster as he gets attacked and winds up in an alley, naked, tending to the damage done to his costume.  In steps local police officer Hidenori Goto, who at first thinks Masayoshi is a perverted prowler.  When Masayoshi spills his beans to the officer, Hidenori decides it’s better to make sure this would be crime fighter keeps out of trouble and offers to become friends with the delusional model.  After hitting the streets for another attempt at hero work, he is almost beaten to death by a gang of delinquent teens when Hidenori shows up to make sure nothing bad happens.  The teens run off but, not so worse for wear, Masayoshi is more determined than ever to become a super hero for the city.  

    This is so far the only new series that has really perked my interest.  It’s funny, light hearted and the two main characters are likeable.  It will be interesting to see where the series goes beyond the first episode.  Both parties want to keep this super hero thing secret and Hidenori goes through great pains to hide the fact from other police officers that this super hero wannabe exists and he knows him personally.  How long can both keep the secret from being exposed, how long will Hidenori let his new friend pursue this insane, dangerous dream and how long until Masayoshi gets into some serious trouble?

   There are a few other titles that have started airing that I need to check out…but the bulk of them are not of any interest to me.  Either they are continuations of titles that I refused to watch in the past or new ones that follow the same, dreaded harem/galge/moe stereotypes and storylines.  How long until this cash cow is used up and we can get back to some really interesting story telling?