First Look: Gachiakuta

In a world strictly divided into the affluent and the poor, Rudo is a scavenger who takes pride in fixing and refurnishing old objects deemed “trash” by the privileged. After being framed for murder, he’s thrown into The Pit, a gaping abyss the inhabitants cast both their garbage and undesirables into. Rather than dying, Rudo finds himself in an unfamiliar world; an endless hellscape of garbage. 

First Look: Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX

UC0079. Zeon wins the One Year War, defeating the Federation and emancipating spacenoids from the rule of Earth. UC0085. Under Zeon rule, spacenoids still are not free. Amate Yuzuriha is a high schooler living on the ostensibly neutral space colony Side 6. Having lived in space all her life, she yearns for the world beyond the confines of the colony. A chance meeting with Nyaan, a refugee and smuggler, dramatically alters the trajectory of her life as she gets drawn into Clan Battle, the underground mobile suit duels that are held on Side 6. Elsewhere Challia Bull, a veteran of the One Year War, chases after sightings of the mysterious Red Gundam, once piloted by Char Aznable.

First Look: Vigilante: My Hero Academia ILLEGALS

Years before Deku becomes a hero, Kouichi Haimawari is an unassuming college student with heroic aspirations but a power ill-suited for highflying crimefighting. He’s contented with acts of minor altruism ranging from taking out the trash to helping people find lost items. However a chance meeting with vigilante heroes Knuckleduster and Pop☆Step pull him into the world of vigilante heroics.

First Look: GUILTY GEAR STRIVE: DUAL RULERS

Taking place between the events of Guilty Gear Xrd and Guilty Gear Strive, Ky Kiske and Dizzy are soon to be married. But not all approve of the joining of human and Gear. Old wounds remain from the cataclysmic war between humanity and its creations that nearly ended the world. When a mysterious girl with a hatred for Gears declares war against the Gears and any who would aid them, Sin Kiske and Sol Badguy must go on an adventure to stop her.

First Look: ZENSHU

Natsuki Hirose is a young animator whose meteoric rise has placed her in the upper echelon of the animation industry. However her next project stalls out, struggling to connect to the material in addition to the newfound attention she’s received. After eating a rotten bento, she wakes up to discover she’s been transported to the world of A Tale of Perishing, the childhood anime that inspired her to become an animator.

A Very GLORIO 2024: Gee’s Year in Review

If there’s a pervasive theme to 2024, I think it’s the constant sense of there never being enough time. This has been a noticeable trend for years, but this year it became impossible to ignore that a lot of anime were materially compromised, either in episode count or fidelity. The age of the 52 episode TV anime is dead, and I think the end of the 26 episode TV anime is not far off. We now live in the era of 13 episode seasons; a frankly inadequate number of episodes for many kinds of stories. Watching familiar stories try to fit themselves into this new format has been awkward to say the least. The shows I’ll be talking about are the ones I think are most significant, either good or ill, to my 2024 anime watching experience.

Look Back – Creative Survivor’s Guilt

I had the opportunity to see the animated film adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one shot manga. I was profoundly affected by the story when I first read it. The film hits just as hard. It’s beautiful, poignant, and deeply personal. It imbues the characters with animated humanity and warmth. To me, Look Back is about survivor’s guilt.

First Look: Dandadan

Momo Ayase, a high school girl descended from a family of spirit mediums, meets Okarun, an occult geek. Momo believes in ghosts but not aliens, while Okarun believes in aliens but not ghosts. To prove the other wrong, Momo agrees to investigate a UFO sighting while Okarun visits a tunnel rumored to be haunted. Turns out they’re both right. Momo gets abducted by aliens while Okarun gets possessed by a ghost. Together, they must fight the paranormal forces that threaten their everyday lives.

First Look: Uzumaki

A small Japanese coastal town is haunted by the shape of the spiral. The shape seems to manifest in every facet of of the town, from whirlpools and ferns to spiral patterns appearing on peoples’ bodies. As the inhabitants of are drawn deeper into the mystery, the town is grotesquely transformed by the spiral’s curse. 

First Look: Bucchigiri?!

Arajin Tomoshibi enrolls in a new high school, dominated by punks and delinquents of every stripe. A naturally timid kid, he’s struggling with his new surroundings. To make things even more hectic, a genie by the name of Senya decides to take up residence in his head.

First Look: Bang Brave Bang Bravern

The US military and the JSDF are engaging in training exercises with their Titatonostrider (TS) mecha when the planet is attacked by a mysterious alien force. Ao Isami and Lewis Smith find themselves in the middle of a fight for the survival of the human race. Things don’t look good for them, until a mysterious new robot arrives to save the day.

First Look: Dungeon Meshi

After a party member is devoured by a red dragon, Laios and his adventurer crew must delve the dungeon once more and rescue her before it’s too late. Running low on time, supplies, and manpower, the party resorts to hunting and eating the various creatures that inhabit the dungeon. What the rest of the party doesn’t know is that Laios is an absolute monster freak and relishes the chance to dine on the fantasy bestiary. Accompanied by beleaguered mage Marcille, professional rogue Chilchuck, and experienced monster chef Senshi, they embark on a daring culinary tour. 

First Look: Under Ninja

Ninjas have infiltrated every aspect of the modern world, working from the shadows as assassins and saboteurs at the every level of society. An unemployed Genin languishing at the bottom of ninja society, Kuro Kumogakure receives a job that may forever change the world of the ninja.

First Look: Bullbuster

The arrival of Kaiju-esque creatures have led to the formation of “pest control” companies that deal with them with specialized robots. However, the technology is rudimentary, the robots themselves being a couple steps above modern day construction equipment. With neither the technology or resources, can our heroes save the day while staying on budget?

First Look: Paradox Live THE ANIMATION

Absurdly pretty rapping youths duel each other with their Phantom Metal, an accessory that resonates with the wearer’s emotions to produce image and sounds. Legendary club “CLUB Paradox” hosts a rap battle competition between four teams; BAE, The Cat’s Whiskers, cozmez, and Akanyatsura. Which pretty but comically unskilled rapper will take the prize?