If Brynhildr seems a shade like Elfen Lied, it’s because ARMS is adapting this series from Okamoto Lynn’s sci-fi manga. Brynhildr starts with Murakami after an accident with his childhood friend Kuroneko that costs Kuro her life. Later, a girl named Kuroha transfers into school and she has Murakami completely convinced that she is indeed the Kuroneko he once knew. More like Elfen Lied and less like the ecchi stuff ARMS is more known for, Brynhildr’s early chapters present a story that might be well enough for some to follow along with as questions are asked about the existence of aliens along with who Kuroha really is. Early animation footage isn’t impressive, but I think ARMS might have an ok show here for this season.

Errr…I know sports anime have their fanbase, and Sumo is the national sport of Japan, but I’ll be honest and say that neither of those things appeal to me. “I Wanna be the Strongest in the World!” this is not.

Is it alright for me to be somewhat excited over a volleyball anime? Sports anime are a dime a dozen, but the last time there was a volleyball anime it was in the 70’s. It could have potential to be a rather fun watch on a weekly basis. Hopefully we’ll get some beach volleyball with women at some point, but even with a focus on guys it seems like it could be good. Plus this is being produced by Production I.G, so at the very least we should get some high quality animation.

Sports anime are mostly the same, which is why even as an avid sports fan I watch so few of them. You gotta work hard like Ippo does, you can’t phone it in like Ace of Diamond did a couple seasons ago. In fairness, not many sports anime or anime in general can ascend to the quality of Ippo. Baby Steps is about a boy nicknamed E-chan who joins the tennis club, and the series already has a 25-episode listing on MAL which seems fairly common with sports-themed shows. As a sports fan, of course I’ll try it out (to borrow a tennis term, I’ll play a game), but I don’t even think it’s the top sports show this season to look forward to.

Alright, now we’re talking. We’ve got a new Bones mecha anime from the same team that worked on Star Driver. Say what you will about Star Driver, but it had some gorgeous animation and unique mecha design. Captain Earth seems to be reveling in sci-fi goofiness with invaders from Uranus, so I’m expecting something interesting at the very least.

I’m not going to lie, I love the movie 50 First Dates. I am a sucker for those sappy romance comedies and this anime looks like it’ll bring the feels. Brain’s Base has brought us some great anime over the last few years and I am hoping this is the next great one from them. I really like the material, but I will say that the voice actors are relatively new and the staff isn’t quite as veteran as I’d like. Still, the trailer already showed me enough to be interested. I think if you don’t like the slow paced sappy stuff, then you should probably steer clear from this.

You know those things in stories called “flags” that signal upcoming events in the plot, such as a death flag foreshadowing a certain character dying? Well here we have a main character that can actually visually see those flags when they appear. There’ve been lots of similar premises for rom-coms in the past, most recently that multiple choices one comes to mind, but this stands out as actually kind of interesting to me. The art style here is decent and I feel like this has potential.

I think this is another case of me having more faith in the studio than the content. It really is your standard harem ecchi show about a manga artist and his assistants. I don’t expect this to be some kind of AAA, anime of the year contender, but Zexcs has proven to me that they know how to make me laugh. I might not keep up with it, but I sure as hell will give it a chance. If it can entertain me on a weekly basis, then that is all I need from it.