Another anime season has come and gone and it’s time again to reflect on and discuss some notable series of this past anime season. The Summer 2015 season delivered a wide variety of titles and genres and while not all of my chosen series lived up to their expectations, there were certainly a notable few that delivered, providing thrills, exciting cliffhangers, and were, in general, enjoyable watches. This post is dedicated to highlighting those shows that I personally recommend watching if you’re looking to pick up a series from this past season.
Before I begin, I thought I’d reiterate the purpose of these brief reviews for those who may not be familiar. I spend a good deal of time watching, thinking about, and analyzing anime. Prior to the start of each anime season (which is broken up into fall, winter, spring, and summer seasons), I meticulously comb over the list of upcoming premiers and choose the series I believe have the potential to be good, well developed, worthwhile shows, keeping in mind key points like plot, character development, positive or engaging content, and the like. Generally I have a pretty good eye for picking up on warning signs for animes that might fall short, be it for developmental or problematic content reasons. For instance, a “harem” classification is generally a pretty good indication to stay away unless you’re interested in that kind of male fantasy thing. But it’s difficult to get a real sense of the anime from a few sentences of description or even a promotional video, and while I often come across multiple websites previewing and recommending upcoming anime, I’ve found there’s a dearth of retrospective season reviews and, even more so, a lack of critiques that critically examine representation and potentially problematic content. With this in mind, I’m starting a regular quarterly series at the end of every anime season where I recommend a few new series for readers to try. If a choice isn’t on the list, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad anime, but rather that I either didn’t watch it, watched it but found it too problematic (be it in terms of its content or otherwise) to recommend or felt it was too prohibitive for the average viewer to pick up and begin watching (generally this applies if it’s a sequel or a non-standalone series. In short, let me wade through the bad shows so you don’t have to!
Akagami no Shirayuki-hime (Snow White with the Red Hair)
Shirayuki is a young herbalist born with unusually red hair who runs a small medicinal shop in her home country. One day she encounters the prince of the kingdom, Prince Raj, who immediately lusts after her. Determined to make her a part of his harem and have her rare looks be a “trophy” of sorts, he issues a royal demand that she become his concubine. Determined to escape this fate, she flees her home, escaping to a neighboring country. It is there that she unknowingly meets the prince of the country, Prince Zen. After she helps cure his wounds and he assists her in getting free of Prince Raj’s clutches, the two quickly become friends. It is then, after Prince Zen invites her to stay in his country, that she develops a newfound resolve for her life.
Story: Akagami no Shirayuki-hime may be the classic fairytale in name but it’s anything but in plot. Although set in an old, classic fantasy setting, there is nothing particularly fantastical about it. There is no magic, no fairy godmother or talking animals. Instead of relying upon magical elements, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime instead is somewhat of a slice-of-life series, a series that follows the daily lives of its main characters, the relationships between them, and the way they interact with their world. In it both Shirayuki and Zen learn a bit about themselves and each other, including what roles they play in each other’s lives. Yes, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is certainly a shoujo and there is a fair bit of romantic development between Shirayuki and Zen throughout the course of the series, but it develops fairly naturally and doesn’t bog the show down. However because daily life is so much the context of the series, the story does progress a bit slowly at times.
Characters: Just like the anime’s plot in no way resembles the original Snow White tale, Shirayuki is almost in no way similar to the namesake Snow White. Yes, she does have unusual and striking red hair, something that actually drags her into conflict from time to time, and the beauty component, but she is no damsel. She does get saved from time to time, but she saves others just as often. She’s smart, incredibly hard working, and driven, traits that are really highlighted in her devotion to her herbalist profession. Although perhaps not as compelling as she could be, she’s nevertheless a likable character that you find footing for throughout the anime. However, despite being such a character-driven story, Akagami no Shirayuki’s other characters are nothing special. While I wouldn’t say they were overly stereotypical, they’re somewhat bland and not particularly memorable.
Animation & Design: Although nothing particularly spectacular, Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is well directed and fairly well animated. I never noticed any particularly poor or rushed-looking art during my time watching the series. I also appreciated the gentle, authentic soundtrack that accompanied the show.
Positive Content: Shirayuki is an admirable female character. She’s incredibly driven and passionate about her craft. Once she finds her goal she devotes as much effort as necessary to obtain it. Even though she could have used her relationship with the prince to get what she wanted, she rejects the idea and at least attempts to do everything on her own. When officials or others in the prince’s company chastise her as valuable only for her looks she always proves them wrong.
Negative Content: Even for all of Shirayuki’s accomplishments, some of the “I must protect you because you’re a girl” rhetoric still rears its head. Furthermore, although Shirayuki does do what she can to get out of any sticky situations she gets into, she does end up getting rescued by Prince Zen from time to time.
The Bottom Line: Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is a dual adventure and romance series that derives charm from its intelligent and passionate heroine that, while slow at times, is worth a watch if you’re interested in a cute, lighthearted tale of romance and self-exploration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srPER56IQjY
Gakkou Gurashi! (School-Live!)
Yuki loves her school. She loves her teacher, her classmates, and even the classes themselves when she’s not falling asleep in them. She especially loves her after-school club, the School Life Club. Founded by a few of her friends and classmates, the aptly-named School Life Club camps out in and essentially lives at the school, enthusiastically diving into all the activities and fun the school has to offer. But things are not as carefree as they seem, because just outside the school walls is a reality that’s almost too tragic and bleak to face.
Story: When a zombie outbreak began to erupt in their hometown, four classmates – Yuki, Kurumi and Yuri – along with one of their high school’s teachers, Sakura Megumi, barricaded themselves in the school in an attempt to survive. But reality is too much for the terrified Yuki, who mentally retreats back to a time when life was simple and school was an integral and fun part of their lives. To make life more bearable, keep positive, and prevent Yuki from realizing the reality that faces them outside, the group created a club called the School Life Club, in which they act like they’re camping out at and helping to improve the school. Along the way they meet and rescue another member, Miki, and together they attempt to not only to survive their tough situation but thrive and grow. What appears on the surface to be a lighthearted series about girls in high school hides incredible emotional depth, drama and even anguish. Perhaps one of the most surprising anime of the season, Gakkou Gurashi! has a compelling narrative filled with foreshadowing and drama that keeps you hooked and invested to the very end.
Characters: Although mildly rooted in anime stereotypes, each of the girls adds something to the story and together they create quite the fun dynamic, each filling a necessary roll or gap in the group. Yuki hides her fear and inability to face reality with a carefree and upbeat attitude that, while reckless giving their setting, manages to instill the other girls with hope and positivity. Kurumi is a brave investigator and the muscle of the group who shows the girls that sometimes they need to take risks and be a little daring. Yuri is the planner and level headed one who takes care of the logistics of their survival. Miki is the outsider and realist who is filled with skepticism over what she sees as Yuki’s reckless and out-of-touch demeanor. Together they form a surprisingly successful survival team and watching their interactions, both positive and negative, is part of what makes the show so great.
Animation & Design: Much like how the story hides some dark underpinnings, Gakkou Gurashi!’s peppy, colorful, and upbeat art, animation, and music hides darkness under the surface. As most of the time we see the world through Yuki’s alternate reality where the apocalypse never happened, most of Gakkou Gurashi!’s aesthetics match a cute slice-of-life series set in high school. But as we progress further into the series as the facade starts to crack, we begin to see the darker truth and style lurking underneath the bright colors. This creates a very dynamic effect as both sides are on the extreme polar ends of each other. In this way, the design reflects and enhances the progression of the narrative quite nicely.
Positive Content: Gakkou Gurashi! is a very girl-positive series, with a group of high school girls proving that, with teamwork, they can survive even one of the most universally feared apocalyptic situations. As previously mentioned, by working together, they make up for each others’ weaknesses and find strength in one another. Considering that the zombie sub-genre very rarely features many main female characters let alone teenage girls, it’s an interesting change of pace.
Negative Content: Unfortunately Gakkou Gurashi! is not without its fanservice. Particularly considering that these are teenage girls, the lingering camera shots and swimsuit scenes feels unnecessary and pandering. However this, in my opinion, doesn’t happen often enough to be a turn-off for the series.
The Bottom Line: Cute and whimsical on the surface but hiding emotional and character depth underneath, Gakkou Gurashi! is an unconventional take on the zombie apocalypse narrative that makes use of Yuki’s fragile mental condition not only in its aesthetic design but in the revelation and progression of its narrative as well.
Rokka no Yuusha (Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers)
Long ago, an evil entity known as the Majin or the “Demon God” terrorized the land, devouring humans and filling the world with demons. A single warrior known as the Saint of the Single Flower or the Goddess of Fate stepped forward to face this great evil and was the only one capable of sealing away its great power. However, not even she could destroy it completely, so she prophesied that each time the Majin would be inevitably resurrected that six of the land’s most powerful warriors, each bearing one petal of her flower symbol on their body, would step up and seal him away once more. Flashing forward to the present day, Adlet, a man who proclaims himself to be the “strongest man in the world” performs daring feats of fighting skill in order to “convince” the Saint of the Single Flower to choose him as one of her six warriors, known as the Braves of the Six Flowers. When the petal tattoo does appear on his body, he sets out on a journey to meet up with the rest of the Braves and defeat the Majin. But things go far from how he planned when the Braves finally meet up together ad release that there’s seven of them.
Story: On the surface Rokka no Yuusha seems like simply a fantasy adventure; an intriguing one sure, but distinctively under that label and, more than likely, a story of good versus evil. While that’s certainly true, Rokka no Yuusha is far from a generic fantasy combat anime. The key draw for Rokka no Yuusha instead lies in its last genre tag: the mystery tag. Although a few episodes are spent gathering all the Braves together, the rest of the season consists of the Braves trying to figure out why there’s seven of them, what that means, and if there might be a traitor or fake lurking amongst them, and it’s a surprisingly riveting mystery. Misdirection and subtle clues abound, enough to make even those who are certain they know who the fake Brave is second guess themselves. Although the season ends without the complete narrative coming to a close and it’s doubtful it will get a second season, the mystery does get solved and the final episode is fairly natural and satisfying.
Characters: As a mystery where the characters are constantly trying to figure out who might be an enemy hidden amongst them, character motives and, to a certain extent, histories, are thoroughly explored. Making use of its short number of episodes, every bit of dialogue succeeds in somehow contributing to characterization or advancing the plot along. Despite its large cast of characters, each one manages to be distinctive and unique. The eclectic nature of all the characters also certainly adds to the entertainment factor. Adlet is an incredibly likeable protagonist with understandable goals and desires. Rather than find his strength in brute power and force like most of the other Braves, Rokka no Yuusha does a good job of stressing that Adlet’s power – and the trait that earns him the title of “strongest man in the world” – is his intelligence and emotional strength.
Animation & Design: Perhaps the most intriguing visual component of Rokka no Yuusha is derived from the fact that it’s set in a Mesoamerican world. Because of this, the landscapes and character designs are original, full of character, and certainly unlike anything I’ve seen before in anime. The animation is not very consistent, however, and you can tell that the studio probably struggled a bit with budget and time. The occasional CGI, however, is undoubtedly the weakest component of the anime as it’s rather clunky and not too visually pleasing.
Positive Content: Over half of the cast and Braves are women, which is a refreshing change of pace in a fantasy anime that does not revolve around fanservice. Another element of the Rokka no Yuusha universe that I found positive were the existence of Saints. A Saint is a human who has been gifted the power of a god, which manifests in a supernatural control of some item or natural element. There are a variety of Saints, each with their own speciality including fire, blood, blades, the sun, mountains, and gunpowder. But what is particularly interesting about the Saints is the fact that Saints are always women and that, given their special abilities, they are generally amongst the strongest warriors in the world. In fact, most Braves tend to be women because of this. Combine this with a central female deity and you get an intriguing female-centric universe.
Negative Content: Beyond some revealing outfits and a few questionable fanservice-y moments, Rokka no Yuusha generally does not have any content I found particularly off-putting.
The Bottom Line: Rokka no Yuusha is a fantastical take on the mystery genre, combining an interesting universe with memorable characters and a tense, thrilling manhunt to create an engaging viewing experience.
While there were other shows worth watching this season, including Gangsta, Joukamachi no Dandelion, and Charlotte, various narrative or content issues prevents me from being able to fully recommend them here. Regardless, if you’re looking for another series to watch beyond the ones I’ve detailed above, I’d recommend giving one of those three a try. Hopefully with what I’ve listed above, you should be able to find something that interests you! Got another series recommendation from this past season or disagree with one of my picks? Wondering what I thought about a particular show from this season I didn’t discuss? Leave a comment below and let me know!
