Do you remember sometime in November, when I was lamenting at the lack of promising anime gracing the winter season? Well, it seems the tides have turned now that we enter January, when most of the anime would be beginning. There is now a long list of anime to expect, and I shall talk about the new additions that sound interesting!
1. Boku no Imouto wa Osaka Okan
Another of those “Boku no Imouto” kind of anime that has gained some popularity among otakus. This one talks about a guy who has lived a decade apart from his sister and is looking forward to seeing her again, except that she has turned into an Osaka Okan, which means “Osaka Mama” in translation. I have no idea what a stereotypical Osaka mother acts like, but this sounds like it would be educational about Japanese culture and quite funny at the same time. And it has started airing since 21st December, so you can watch it immediately!
2. Ai Mai Mi
If you missed Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai from last season, Ai Mai Mi may be right up your alley. The description is tantalising — 4 girls in a manga club may be fighting evil invaders threatening Earth, facing off against rivals in tournaments and dealing with other absurd situations when not drawing manga. Sounds like a bunch of silly girls to me. Starting on 3rd January!
3. Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman
If you like historical action/adventure, this anime is for you. It is about a phantom thief who operates at night during the Bakumatsu era, which spells the end of the shogunate rule over Japan. It sounds intriguing, romantic and has a pretty acceptable art style. Airing 7th January.
4. Mondai-ji-tachi ga Isekai kara Kuru Sou Desu yo?
Freakishly long title which I shan’t bother finding a translation for. Basically this anime holds no pretense about showing off its bishounen and bishoujo art. The plot is about a guy (who looks pretty pretty to me) who is apparently bored with the world. He receives an envelope that transports him to an alternate world, where he finds 2 girls who were also transported under the label of “problem children”. And it turns out they were summoned to overthrow a devil.
Yes, nobody cares about the cheesy plot. The art is kinda nice. Starts 11th January.
5. Cuticle Detective Inaba
I’m not sure what sort of anime this is. It’s about a private detective who is part-wolf and part-human, who was created artificially. He solves mysteries with the help of his sidekicks, who comprise a cross-dressing secretary and a “relatively normal” teenager (?). And the antagonist is a mastermind goat with a taste for money, literally. What. Starts January at an uncertain date.
6. Amnesia
Probably the shoujo anime to look forward to, Amnesia is about a girl who wakes up with no memories of her past. A boy appears before her, introducing himself as a spirit named Orion. He helps her to regain her memories. Obviously some bishounen art is required to keep this storyline strong. Starts January on an uncertain date as well.
Other anime this season includes yet another historical samurai anime and also a number of anime about little girls doing wacky things. For guys who love comedy and lots of girls, this season would be paradise for you. For people who love watching about school clubs, there is an ESP club (Kotoura-san) and a manga editor club (Mangirl!) to look out for as well.
For the list of all anime, view this chart! http://neregate.com/blog/2012/09/12/winter-2012-2013-anime/
The Exalted Salvation Show 