The Catch-Up: Fall 2016

After the Wrap-Up and the Roundup, it’s time for the Catch-Up! Because it’s a bit silly to write a ‘first look’ post on shows that aren’t technically new, the Catch-Up gathers our brief impressions on new seasons of existing shows and reminds readers what we thought about their earlier installments. The Fall season is bringing us new episodes of Sound! Euphonium, Natsume’s Book of Friends, Ajin, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and Glorio Blog favourite BBK/BRNK. What’s remained the same and what’s new or different? We’re here to help you find out.

First Look: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid

Emu Hojo is both a trainee doctor and also a lover of video games. These two sides to his life come together in an unexpected way one day when he discovers the existence of a deadly virus threatening humanity, known as the Bugster. Now he’ll have to battle the viruses’ monstrous manifestations as the gaming doctor, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid!

Actually, it’s about Medics in Games Journalism.

First Look: ViVid Strike!

Fuka Reventon is an orphaned girl who struggles to get by and often resorts to street fighting. Found beaten up and abandoned by Einhardt Stratos, a member of the Nakajima gym, she’s offered the chance to join their martial arts team and come face to face with a friend from her past.

First Look: www.Working!!

Daisuke Higashida is forced to get a part-time job after his dad’s company goes out of business. With his options limited, he decides to apply at the local Wagnaria, which as a chain, and in a remarkable moment of sensibility in an utterly senseless show, is a totally different restaurant from the original. Here, he meets some one dimensional weirdos that you hope will be fleshed out but probably won’t, and has a beatific vision of St. Valentine. Not lying about that last part, by the way.

First Look: Magical Girl Raising Project

Koyuki Himekawa’s dreams come true when her favourite mobile game grants her the opportunity to become a real-life magical girl. Keen to try out her new powers helping people and gathering ‘Magic Candies’ to enhance her abilities, Koyuki soon finds out she’s not the only magical girl in town. Though soon, she might be…

First Look: Izetta, The Last Witch

During Totally-Not-World-War-II, the princess of Totally-Not-Switzerland works to protect her country from Totally-Not-Nazi-Germany. This includes saving and befriending the eponymous Izetta, whose magical powers will almost certainly be the key to ending the war.

First Look: Time Bokan 24

The 24th Century Time-Space Administration Bureau has a mission – to travel through time and find the ‘True History’ of every era, disproving the false lies that have been printed in the history textbooks. Ordinary 21st Century middle schooler Tokio is somehow roped into this crazy quest and together with his partner Karen and their motley crew they’ll have to save history from the bad guys.

First Look: Tiger Mask W

Under the leadership of the mysterious Miss X, the Global Wrestling Monopoly is coming to Japan to take down its biggest stars. They’re led by a mysterious masked man known only as Tiger the Dark. Japan’s only hope is its own wrestling superstar, the legendary Tiger Mask!

First Look: Magic-Kyun! Renaissance

Kohana Aigasaki is a new transfer student at Hoshinomori Private Magical Arts High School, where teen Artistas – people whose magic allows them to create sparkly, sparkly art – are taught how to create even better sparkles and maybe also get into show business.

First Look: Mob Psycho 100

Arataka Reigen is a psychic investigator who is an obvious fraud and incredibly bad at his job. Luckily, he’s got an apprentice, a strange boy named Mob who seems to posses legitimate supernatural powers.

First Look: Amanchu!

Futaba Ooki has recently moved to the seaside and is nervous about making her entrance at the local high school. Her worries are soon laid to rest, however, when an even stranger person turns out to be joining her class, and kooky, deep-sea diving Hikari Kinoshita is hell-bent on making Futaba her friend.

First Look: 91 Days

Seven years after the murder of his family and during Prohibition, Angelo Lacuza, now going under the name Avilio Bruno, returns to the mafia-controlled town of Lawless. His plan: infiltrate the Vanetti family by befriending the don’s son, Nero, and finally exact his revenge. Presumably within 91 days.