Anime Column] Anime writers' picks for the five hottest spring 2016 anime!

There are over 60 anime scheduled to air in Spring 2016. The volume is so large that just scrolling through the list of works would make your days numbered. So this time, an anime writer who has been reading too much April Fool's Day false news and lost between reality and fantasy has selected some of the hottest spring anime!

We have selected the original anime "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" from Noitamina, the popular fantasy extravaganza "Magi: The Adventures of Sinbad," the coming-of-age motorcycle comedy "Bak-ON! a popular fantasy anime, "Magi: The Adventures of Sinbad," a popular fantasy extravaganza, "Bak-ON!

Kabaneri of the Iron Castle

Noitamina's newest title for spring 2016 is a survival action story about humanity confronting the living dead, the Kabanes. Kabanes are similar to zombies in that they never die unless they shoot themselves in the heart and those bitten are also infected. The story takes place in the island nation of Hinomoto, where steam engines have developed. The worldview is vividly reminiscent of the industrial revolution during the Warring States period, and expectations are high for a steampunk story with a Japanese flavor.

In March, "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle: Introduction" was screened in advance for a limited one-week run and received rave reviews for its hard-hitting blood and steam. This is the first time in its more than 10-year history that Noitamina has screened an advance screening of a TV anime. The enthusiasm that Noitamina has put into this work can be clearly felt. Directed by Tetsuro Araki, with music by Hiroyuki Sawano and animation production by WIT STUDIO. Don't miss this original animation by the staff who worked on "Shinkage no Kyojin!

Magi: The Adventures of Sinbad

The adventure fantasy "Magi" series is now available on Anime-ism. It depicts the boyhood of Sinbad, the reigning High King of the Seven Seas. While it is a prequel that starts 30 years before the main story, the key point is that the cast continues to be cast. The film stars Daisuke Ono as the main character, and a cast of splendid voice actors passionately portray the characters as they were in their youth. Some of the characters have completely different personalities from those in the original story, and it will be interesting to see how the cast will perform these difficult roles.

The TV anime version is a reconstruction of the OAD from the original comic book, with new episodes and 13 episodes in total, and since the popularity of the OAD led to the decision to make it into a TV anime, the quality of the anime is well documented. The voice actors seem to be very enthusiastic about the project, as a surprise reading performance was given at AnimeJapan 2016.

Bak-ON!

is a school motorcycle comedy serialized in "Young Champion Isetsu. It features a variety of unique high school girls in the motorcycle club, such as Hane Sakura, who gave up riding her bicycle to get a motorcycle license, and Bute Suzunoki, whose big breasts almost spill out from her rider's suit. While one's eyes are drawn to these girls, an unusual amount of passion is also poured into the motorcycles.

Not only the bikes, but even the helmets are designed in cooperation with the manufacturers to match the actual bikes. They even recorded the sounds of the actual bikes for each model. Prior to the airing of the film, a sound screening was held at a movie theater. Directed by Junji Nishimura of "true tears" and "Glass Slip," and produced by TMS Entertainment. The duo of Champion and TMS, whose "Wimpy Pedal" was a huge hit, will switch from bicycles to motorcycles and go on a sprint!

Bungo Stray Dogs

Battle action depicting the activities of the BUSOU Tanteisha, a group of aliens who specialize in dangerous missions. The characters are based on real-life literary giants, such as Atsushi Nakajima, who spends his days wandering because of a man-eating tiger, and Osamu Dazai, a suicidal maniac who dreams of having a heart-to-heart with a beautiful woman, and other characters who have cleverly translated themselves and their works. The same is true of their different abilities, for which the titles of their novels are named: Dazai Osamu: Ningen Shikkaku (Human Disqualification), Akutagawa Ryunosuke: Rashomon (Rashomon). What kind of abilities will these literary giants, who are portrayed as good-looking characters, be able to display?

The original comics serialized in "Young Ace" has sold more than 2.5 million copies and was ranked first by a wide margin in Akiba Research Institute's " 2016 Spring Anime Anticipation Popularity Poll. Fans have been watching the series with keen interest. The staff of "Ouran High School Host Club" has reunited, with Takuya Igarashi as director, Yoji Enokido as series composition, and BONES as animation production. The action is well-developed, which is evident in the PV. All that remains is to see how far they can extend their popularity.

Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro

An anime adaptation of the gourmet music comic serialized on the web app "Shonen Jump +. The story is about the third generation of a pork cutlet shop owner, Katsumata Jyotaro, who realizes the similarities between pork cutlets and clubs, and aims to combine the family business and DJing as Tonkatsu DJ Agetaro. Although the unusual combination of the two might make one think that the story is kooky, the appeal of the story is its royal roadmap filled with the three principles of "Jump": friendship, hard work, and triumph. With the help of his friends, he hones his skills and gets the audience and the pigs excited with his DJ play.

Directed by "Sexy Commando Gaiden: Amazing! Masaru-san" and "Gag Manga Days. The film has already attracted attention for its touch that perfectly recreates the original work, and the encounter between the two Taro characters creates a groove that has never been experienced before. At the event, the appearance of a human headdress with the lower half of its body intact, much like the one that resembles Agetaro, was also a topic of conversation.

(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)