We are officially hitting the halfway point for many of our Spring Anime titles. Around episode 4, you can usually tell whether or not a show is going to be worth watching. However, I feel like 4 isn’t a very binge-able amount of episodes, plus shows generally range from 12 to 26 episode seasons (and sometimes upwards of 30) and I just don’t think 4 episodes is enough to get you really invested in the over-arching plot. Halfway through the season, that feels like a sufficient amount of time to get you caught up and also invested by the time the next episode debuts.
3. Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
Ok, maybe you have been on the Sword Art Online train since the very first episode and never got off, or maybe you’re like me and you are kind of still on the train but in like…the caboose area, still interested but also kind of over it. In either scenario, I recommend Gun Gale Online.
This show takes place mostly in the video game world, but unlike SAO, the users don’t die if they are killed in the game. So, we know that there are real people behind these virtual ones, but you still really don’t want them to die in game. They keep it pretty intense and dramatic. Our main character is Karen Kohiruimaki, a university student who is very uncomfortable with how tall she is and desires to be small and cute like other girls. with a complex about her abnormal height. She begins playing a VR game called Gun Gale Online after it gives her the cute, petite avatar that she has always wanted, in game she calls herself “LLENN.”
As it turns out, Karen is really good at this game. Her character is small and fast, and she quickly becomes known as “the Pink Devil.” Eventually, she meets another player who calls herself “Pito.” Although they don’t know each other in real life, LLENN and Pito become fast friends. It is through this friendship that LLENN is convinced by Pito to participate in a battle royale. However, Pito is unable to make it and so LLENN is left to partner with a male known as “M,” they are the only two-person team going up against teams of five or more. The game may be virtual, but it turns out the stakes are really high.
Even though we know that Karen as LLENN won’t really die, you are still filled with that same desire for her success. You want her to be the best, you want her skills to take her to the next level, you are taken away by that determination in her eyes. Real or not, LLENN has to be tactical, and despite it being virtual, the combat and death scenes are adrenaline pumping and intense. The characters, at least their avatars since we don’t really know who they are in person, are interesting and likable. It great because everyone being portrayed may not be like that at all in real life, but we are just as clueless as Karen about it. Which makes them all the more intriguing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fplmNjFf6T4
2. My Hero Academia (Season 3)
Now, generally I try and focus on my Top 3 new shows, not just new this season – but brand new, no one has ever seen this show type of new. This time around though, I just had to pick a continuing show for my top choices because, damn, My Hero Academia has just been so good.
My Hero Academia is a pretty standard shōnen anime. Although I’m talking about Season 3 here, I still want to give those who have never seen it a brief synopsis. It involves teens in high school and they have, you guessed it, super powers. In this world, 80% of the world’s population is born with some kind of special ability. However, Izuku Midoriya was not one of those people. Still, he wants nothing more than to be a real hero and attend the prestigious hero academy, UA High, just like his idol, All Might. It is by All Might that Midoriya is given the chance he has prepared for his entire life: to become a hero. After inheriting All Might’s power, he puts Midoriya through rigorous training that only gets harder once he is accepted into UA.
Heroes and villains. What more can you ask for? Well, I mean. You CAN ask for more. And My Hero Academia provides it. I have seen my fair share of shōnen and while there is a certain….formula that is followed, this anime manages to stand out and makes those predictable scenarios exciting. Almost every episode introduces a new and unique power and while Midoriya is clearly the main character and meant to become the strongest, there are plenty of other characters who are incredibly strong, that includes the villains. I mean like Goku pre-super saiyan vs. Frieza strength villains. Any show that makes you question the lines of morality always gets bonus points in my book. While the villains aren’t the ones to do it, we are introduced to a number of heroes and anti-heroes who question the motives of those who desire to become heroes.
1. Megalo Box
This anime. I fell in love with it after episode 1. I don’t generally watch sports anime and Yuri on Ice!!! was the first time I really got into one. I’m sure Haikyu!! fans are displeased at this, but it’s not like I think it’s bad by any means, I’ve just never felt drawn to watch one. Yet, something about the cover image grabbed my attention and then the description made me even more curious so I simply had to watch it. I regret nothing.
In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Ashita no Joe, a popular manga from the late 1960s, Megalo Box is, I’m sure you can guess, about boxing. Not just any boxing though. Cyber-punk, almost apocalyptic future, type boxing. While boxers do still use the standard gloves, they are equipped with special mechanical limbs that attach to the arms and spine, known as Gear. The Gear is meant to increase the user’s speed and power.
Our protagonist, known as Junk Dog, is an underground Megalo Boxer. Because he lives in the slums and isn’t a citizen, he is left with minimal options to make money – so he does what anyone would do, works for Gansaku Nanbu, who works for the mob, and throws fights he could easily win. Fed up with living in the slums and knowing that his talent and skill is worth more than throwing fights, he convinces Nanbu and the mafia boss to get him into Megalonia, a worldwide boxing tournament that will decide who the best Megalo Boxer is. With that boss’s permission, he is granted a fake citizenship ID where he takes the name “Joe” (again, tribute to the original manga), and enters the contest that will allow decide if he is good enough to enter Megalonia. With only three months left, Joe must make a name for himself and also face off against top-ranked opponents to earn his spot in the championship ring.
I mean…it’s just awesome. Watch it. Nothing is wasted in this show. The pacing is perfect and no episode is pointless, each one gives you insight or makes a new connection. There are no one-dimensional characters, there’s no real troupes, and the flashbacks push the plot. The characters are so interesting. I mean, Joe is the best character (in my opinion) but everyone holds their own. It gives me a Cowboy Bebop feel with it’s characters and classic style. The way it’s drawn feels like its from the 90s but still somehow modern. It’s a perfect fusion. Oh and the music is on point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv3ofGRAWqM
