Explore New Genres: 2017 Summer Must-Watch 5 Anime!
10 Check Points Discovering Your Favorite High Quality Anime
Sponsored Links
There must be your own trend when analyzing what you have watched till the end of the episode and what you will be hoping to watch for the next season. It is very difficult to select out your favorite anime when there are tons of anime in this world. As an otaku, it is very helpful to have your own check list before watching. This article raises 10 points that will help you select anime and also figure out what is important for you when watching it.
1. Director and Production Companies
The director’s name has strong influence whether watching or not watching the anime since director is the one who is responsible for the total work. If the director has attained in a famous work or produced a work that suited you, you should definitely watch the anime from the 1st episode. Below listed are two different directors who have produced popular and high quality anime in story and picture previously. If you do not have any knowledge about directors at all, try watching their works as a starting point.
Tetsurou Araki
Works… DEATH NOTE, Attack on Titan, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
Araki has worked on many anime works as a director and also as a designer of the storyboard. When creating, he sets a theme of “creating conflict of carrying humanity till the last minute”, so his works often includes some bloody and acrid taste. The two original works “Guilty Crown” and “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress” have both splendid reputation from many viewers around the world. If you like action scenes, Araki’s works should be must checked!
Akiyuki Shinbou
Works… Monogatari Series, Puella Magi Madoka Magika, Negima
As a scriptwriter, he believes that only the author of the original story is able to tell the truth of the it, so he acknowledges to bring the author to every meetings as possible. He also works as a video artist, but lets the young creators work on the main work, and then do their corrections. The simple layout without depth, wacky color usage based on the color red, and more strength on camera blocking than animated movements are what Shinbou puts strong work on when creating an anime. The original and unique way of showing animation has caught many anime fans’ heart.
Not only directors, but production companies are also important since the members of the production companies receive the project of the anime and work from drawing till recording. So, many directors are from specific production companies who have become independent as a director. For this reason, when looking up the past works, the directors and the production companies are mostly the same since they have strong bond from their previous works. For example, Araki has a strong connection with the MAD House since he first entered this company as an animator. Shinbou is a represented director for SHAFT INC. Other famous production companies are Kyoto Animation (ex. Free!, Hyoka, etc.), A-1 Pictures (ex. Black Butler, WORKING!, etc.), and TRIGGER Inc. (ex. THE IDOLM@STER, Sword Art Online, etc.)
2. Casts
Large number of anime otaku are very sensitive about the actors/actresses that act out the characters. The popularity of voice actors are increasing drastically and many fans do select anime by their favorite voice actors. If you have a favorite character and thought the voice is lovely, you should check out who is acting and search one’s other works that might be similar to your favorite character. The two booming actor and actress are the below that you should keep an eye on!
Toshiki Masuda
Masuda has debuted as the main character Masayoshi Hazama from “Samurai Flamenco” in 2013. After his debut, he appears on many anime as main characters most of the time. From 2015, his performance increased suddenly, and this year, he acts eight main characters from remark works. His characteristic is also popular among fans, because of his fun and lovable actions at talk events and in television.
Natsumi Hioka
Hioka became popular from performing Machi Amayado from “Kumamiko (Girl Meets Bear)” that was on air April 2016. She started to appear on television anime from 2014, and her expectation is raising from her debut. Her cheerful and young voice perfectly matched the character of Machi that was very popular among fans of original work.
3. Opening and Ending Theme Song Artists
The opening song is to enliven the story with the opening movie and the ending song should bring a perfect closure that excites the viewers for the next episode. These days, famous bands and artists are in charged of anime theme songs which is one of the trigger that anime now has less boundary between otaku and normal viewers. Mainly theme songs are separated in three types: bands/ artists, original group made within the work, or voice actor/actress artists.
Band Artists
Many bands became famous by having a tie up with the anime. Not only they have the chance to sell their names toward the viewers, but might have chance to continue singing the song for the specific anime if the season continues. UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, three piece rock band, has be in charge of total of three songs for “Tiger and Bunny” series, and the “Sugar Song and Bitter Step”, which is the ending theme of “Blood Blockade Battlefront” created a huge hit. Many fans started to listen to their songs from watching the anime that they are in charge of the music.
Original Unit From The Work
Theme songs that are sang by the characters from the work have increased within these few years. Anime from Manga Time Kirara (manga magazine) creates at least one original unit for the work. In summer 2016, NEW GAME!, one of the original work from Manga Time Kirara, created is original unit called fourfolium that sings both opening and ending song for the anime. What is good about this original unit is that not only fans of the voice actresses are excited, but the song sticks to create the atmosphere and theme of the anime, since it is the original unit created for the anime.
Voice Actors and Actresses as Artist
As they increase their work as actors, many voice actors and actresses start to sing as artists as well. This trend is increasing these days and it is in fact very difficult now to find actors that doesn’t sing. Since the voice is the sell for the voice actors, the fans are delighted by the fact of them singing, not just as characters but as themselves. For example, Toshiyuki Toyonaga sings many character songs, but he released his major single “Reason…” as a theme song for “Durarara!! Relay”, PlayStation Vita game, since he acts the main hero Mikado Ryuugamine in the work. Also, his second single “Day you laugh” has become the opening song for TV anime “Durarara!!x2 Ten”.
4. Original Anime or Not
Anime fans start off from figuring whether the anime has the original work or not. The anime has the base of whether the plot or the project has the original work or idea from the manga, game, novel, or etc. If there is an original work, the fans from the original work should definitely check the first episode and consider the work fits you or not. The original animation is hard to check the quality before the episode starts, so you should check the homepage or the information from the official the story line or the genre of the anime.
5. PV
First, watch this video below.
Did you get how “Re:Life in a different world from zero” is like from this video? Before the anime broadcasts, most of the anime official uploads promotion videos on YouTube or plays commercials on television. The promotion video includes the main scenes from the first episode, so the fans are able to find out the main points of the story and the total quality of the anime before watching it.
6. Character Design
The whole illustration depends on who the character design is in charged of and how the quality of the plot is drawn. The below illustration is Shoyo Hinata’s character plot from Haikyuu! The character’s every expression that he might see in the anime are drawn. The fans are able to compare with the original manga.
Since it the illustrations of the anime is based on the character designer’s plot, many anime otaku consider by the main character designer. We chose two designers who are raising their fame.
Utako Yukihiro
Yukihiro draws beautiful illustration for B-Project. She was originally a manga drawer, but started engaging in anime and game character designing. Her twitter (https://twitter.com/mielelatte), full with illustration, is popular among fans that illustrations are mainly new drawings that is filled with love toward the work.
Hiroko Yaguchi
Yaguchi has worked mainly as an animation director in animation movie, and designed the character plot for Aikatsu from the start to end of the season. From her beautiful and Aikatsu-loving illustration, fans call her as god, and fans are still sad not able to watch her illustration move on TV, since Aikatsu ended this winter and switched to Aikatsu Stars!, totally new story with different character design.
7. Broadcasting Station and Time Frame
Depending on the broadcast station and whether when the anime is on air, the category and the genre of the anime differs. The anime that starts around 5:00 p.m to 7:00 p.m on Tokyo Television Series is anime for children who come home from school and to watch before or during dinner time. Tokyo Television series have Pokemon, Yokai Watch, NARUTO, Aikatsu Stars!, Jewel Pet, and more anime mainly for children. Late at night, anime mainly for young adults will be on air with a maximum of three anime in a row. This is why Tokyo Television is famous for anime. On Fuji Television, there is an anime time block called noitaminA which is set every Friday from 0:45 a.m to 1:15. Overall works of noitaminA have high quality in story and illustration that gradually raised the good reputation of it, and many otaku try the first episode of the anime broadcasting on noitaminA just seeing the name of it. Works that were broadcast on noitaminA are No.6, Guilty Crown, Psycho-Pass, and more.
8. Story
If the story is boring, there is no way your motivation continues watching the episodes. At the same time, if you don’t watch the first episode, you won’t understand if it fits you or not. So, we recommend in any season, try watching the first episode, and if the time allows, watch many as you can. Check the website and find out information on that interests you. The story line is on the website most of the time, and as we explained earlier, if the original work (manga, novel, game, etc.) exists, check that as well!
9. Reputation on Previous Work
Some anime are works that have been on air previously. The fans continue see the next new season, but for those who haven’t seen the previous anime have difficulties and resign seeing the anime since it is difficult to catch up. However, if the reputation of the anime is good, (and most of the time it is good since the popularity is reflected) you should at least check again check the first episode. The works that are or were on a long run with high reputation are Durarara!!, LoveLive! Series, Seven Deadly Sins, and Hikyuu!
10. High and Equal Quality on Drawing
The fans are sensitive about the drawing overall. There are animated works or scenes that are terribly drawn compared to other works or episodes in the same series. Those scenes become famous or legendary told from that horribleness among fans and anime otaku. For example, Dedenne from Pokemon XY is drawn in low quality that many viewers are even excited to watch how Dedenne will appear each episode. In high rate, anime that successfully end with good reputation are drawn beautifully and equal in quality. Guilty Crown and Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works are known as anime with high level drawing every episode.
Guilty Crown Official Homepage: http://guilty-crown.jp/
Fate/ stay night [Unlimited Blade Works] Official Home Page… http://www.fate-sn.com/ubw.html
By looking at these ten points, there are already several anime that we would like to recommend coming up this autumn!!
Yuri On ICE!
The anime develops on the ice where Japanese ice skater Yuri Katsuki, standing on the edge of his ice skate life, and Russian ice skater Yuri Plisetsky, future invincible ice skater, challenge Victor Nikiforov, who have retained the championship for five years. The casts announced are all famous, and this original work is created by the tag of Mitsurou Kubo, manga drawer, and Sayo Yamamoto, animation director. With a strong cooperation of Miyamoto Kenji, who is a retired Japanese ice skate dancer and currently works a coach and choreographer, the anime has high expectation in reproduction of the the real movement of ice skating.
Yuri On ICE! Official Homepage… http://yurionice.com/
Fune wo Amu (The Great Passage)
The sea of words is eternally wide, and a dictionary is one ship that floats on that big sea. Unsuccessful salesman Mitsuya Majime meets a sociable flashy guy named Masashi Nishioka. This is a story of a man who got enchanted by the creation of a dictionary and another man who got enchanted by that passion. The original novel is a successful hit by Shion Miura and the character design is by Haruko Kumoda, who is a manga artist (famous for Shōwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjū). Also, the broadcast block is noitaminA.
Fune wo Amu Official Homepage… http://www.funewoamu.com/
Sponsored Links
Maririn
one mad anime otaku is your order? Here I am! Marina from dance vocal unit "DaizyTune" is a writer of TGU.
NEXT
360° of Yume-Kawaii at a Maid Cafe With BPM15Q! New Song “Kataomoi Wazurai” Performed at maidreamin!
PREV
Risa Satosaki Reveals Everything in the MV for “S!NG”!
Which Couples in Which Anime Are Best? Shipping of The Year 2016!
