So, the Fall 2017 anime season is just beyond the horizon, and it's promising to be a bit of mixed bag. A lot of shows to look forward too, however - in my opinion, of course.

The shows airing this season can be found here.

The most popular shows on MAL going into the season are:

1. Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara: The third season of Shokugeki no Souma. For those of us who haven't been reading the manga, it's nice to finally see the continuation of the story. For those who have been reading the manga, I'm sure it will still be an enjoyable watch for you too.
2. Kekkai Sensen & Beyond: The second season of Kekkai Sensen, one of the best shows of Spring 2015 season IMO. They've changed up the director, and the script writer - and while that does not bode well, I'm holding out hope that it will be good. For those looking for an urban fantasy that has a similar vibe to Cowboy Bebop, I'd recommend checking out the first season.
3. Black Clover: An adaption of what some have described as a fairly straightforward shounen manga. I haven't read it myself however, and it may very well be worth watching.
4. Himouto! Umaru-chan R: The second season of Himouto. It also has a few alternative titles, which translate roughly (keep in mind I don't understand Japanese, and had to use google translate) to "Why Bother?" and "God is dead, and we are living in his corpse." It promises to be a 10/10 masterpiece.
5. Dies Irae: An adaption of a visual novel. I didn't bother to read the synopsis, but a lot of the promotional material looks pretty cool.

Also worthy of note is Inuyashiki, which is an adaption of a manga by the same guy who did Gantz. I remember reading the first chapter and thinking it was pretty rad. Along with that, 3-gatsu no Lion is getting a second season. I put the first season on hold, but it was really good.

Along with all of this, the first part of Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel is coming out.

So yeah, lots of things to be excited about. What are you guys planning on watching?

 

Lol, Umaru a.k.a 'the most adorable, manipulative little cunt' is back!

 

This is a first where, after reading/skimming through all the shows there, there is absolutely nothing that I would want to check out for myself. Gonna have to wait for you guys to present your first reviews to see if there is anything better than what they make it sound.

I also want to despair at the fact that apparently there is now a siscon novelist genre, which is getting another entry. Great, just great.

 

Yeah, nothing I want to watch either. Maybe Code Geass but subs for that probably won't come out until the DVD/BDs do.

 

So many idols!

Love Live Sunshine was a genuinely great show, with well written characters, well done character development, and realistic, interesting character interactions. I'm more excited for the sequel than I have been for any anime in quite a while.

There's also Wake Up, Girls! and Idolmaster Side M. Wake Up Girls had a really solid story with well written drama and fairly unique characters. It was held back quite a lot by serious budget problems, but the new season promises to be the same quality of writing made better by better art and animation. Idolmaster Side M is a new story following a male idol group set in the same universe as the original Idolmaster.

Idols aside, there's plenty else to be excited about in this season. There are sequels to Shokugeki no Souma and Kekkai Sensen, both of which had great first seasons. There's also a sequel(?) (alternative version?) to Kino no Tabi, a 2003 anime which isn't very well known but was quite enjoyable. I'm not sure why it's getting new material 14 years later, but I'm excited nonetheless.

Moving on to new shows, there's a few things I think have potential, but nothing I'm super hyped about. Probably worth checking out:
- Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou. Interesting premise; animated by White Fox. (Steins;Gate, Re:Zero)
- Inuyashiki. Interesting premise.
- Imouto sae Ireba Ii. I think it would be a mistake to assume this will be the same as Eromanga-sensei. (And don't get me wrong- that show was truly terrible.) I've been assured that this show is not incest, and if you keep that in mind, the premise sounds like it could actually be a decent romance or drama. Also, the director is Shin Oonuma , who directed Kokoro Connect and ef. Those shows were great, but he's done some not-so-good stuff as well (Fate/Kaleid), so we'll have to wait and see.

 

Maybe it's just a symptom of getting older, but with each progressive anime season, I find less and less to be enthused about. Lots of formulaic shounen/shoujo, battle/magic/mech academy shows out the wazoo. Lots of moe-harem-shit.

I know it's hard to be original, but it feels like the anime industry has gotten stuck in a repetitive rut. For the last 5 or so years, seems like they've just been making the stuff they know will sell. Nobody is really taking big creative risks.

 

Watched the first episode of Inuyashiki. Was very amused by it.

Spoiler

Alien roadkill is one way to get crazy powers I suppose. I wonder if they're going to explain it, or just take it as it is and use it as the premise.

 

Blend S is AOTS.
Dies irae anime is a terrible adaptation, what were they thinking?

 

I started watching Dies Irae this morning. My internet blipped partway through, and the video paused for 20 seconds. I couldn't find the enthusiasm to restart it.

Is the source material very good?

 

I'm really digging the second season of Kekkai Sensen. Honestly, if I didn't know that most of the staff changed, I'd never guess that was the case. The first two episodes of the new season were actually better than most of the first season.

This one shocked me, but Houseki no Kuni is really, really fantastic. The show is animated in 3DCG which might scare people away, but it's by far the best 3D animation I've ever seen. The characters look similar to traditionally animated ones and manage to be fluid and expressive. The background art is really gorgeous, and that combined with the CG animation results in a style that I haven't seen before but am really loving. The show's VA cast is knocking it out of the park, and the character writing is absolutely on point, giving us easily the best character interactions this season (so far).

In addition to the characters, Houseki no Kuni is doing a great job developing an interesting world. It feels like a worldbuilding show at it's core, with the main point of the story being to let us learn more about the world. The show also has pretty well choreographed action scenes. I seriously cannot get over how good the action looks for a 3DCG show. The soundtrack and sound design are on point as well. The opening and ending themes are awesome, both the song and the visuals.

I feel like I just went down my checklist of "things that make good anime good". but I really believe Houseki no Kuni is excelling in all aspects. This is the most excited I've been for a currently-airing show in at least a year, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

 

Yeah. Yery long, sometimes feeling juvenile and/or pretentious, but ultimately it's the peak of chuuni fighting VNs (燃え). So if you're into that there's nothing better.

 

I really enjoyed Kekkai Sensen, despite it never causing any waves. The anime-only story was actually done very well and provided a good running thread to what is an (arguably) episodic manga.

The entire staff changeover is what makes me hesitate. I'll probably wait until it's done and binge it.

 

The first episode of Beyond was somewhat promising. The fight scenes were oddly directed at some points - I can't actually remember if that was a problem in the first season or not- but overall the story seemed to keeping in line with the first season's quality.

 

Houseki no Kuni is AMAZING.

This most recent episode... just wow on every scale. Animation, world-building, and characters are all wonderful, especially Phos. This is probably my favorite anime of the year.

PLEASE WATCH IT.

 

I recommended these shows to Jon on IRC, but might as well provide more detail as to why.

Garo: Vanishing Line: You remember those violent, weird-ass OVAs from the 90's? This show is basically those with a generous helping of AMERICA. Plot is big punchman literally named Sword wields a mystical armour and protects the civilians of Not New York from Horrors, monstrosities feeding on souls. An orphan chick named Sophie gets wrapped up in his world when looking for her missing brother. They're probably not going to bang, they're more like siblings atm. First episode features some questionable shakycam, but if you get that past, the rest's smooth sailing. Especially episode 8, hot fucking damn. If you like it, also check out the first anime series ("Honoo no Kokuin") and its movie. Don't check out the second series ("Guren no Tsuki"), it's shit.

Mahoujin Guru Guru: Radically different from the above. Cute, comfy, hilarious show. Something like the fourth incarnation of a manga but still good. Plot is Dragon Quest parody but the hero and his sidekick magic are like 10. Can get a very tiny little bit skeevy sometimes, but it's easy to get past and the rest of the show is very much worth it.

Netjuu no Susume: Romance anime about a NEET in her 30s(!), her online life roleplaying a guy online, and the younger guy pretending to be a chick online in the same guild as her. Will apparently be wrapping up sooner than I expected, which is a shame.

 

Currently halfway through binging B3&B. Despite the lack of story arc I'm enjoying it a lot. The setting is nice and the characters (new and old) are great.

Episodic is good fit - anyone know if it did well or not?

 

The September and December volumes of Kekkai Sensen Back 2 Back sold pretty much the same, so not really.

 

Shame. Hopefully the good critical acclaim convinces them to try another season? I just finished it and it's definitely something that can support lots of stories. Heck, we only saw 3 1/2 of the 13 kings!

(Not enough Femt too.)