Anime Column] Anime writers' picks for the five hottest winter 2017 anime!

The total number of new animations for winter 2017 is more than 40. The schedule is so fast-paced that even the New Year vacations are ignored, with the first episode starting as early as January 2. This month we will introduce five of them that you should not miss. Little Witch Academia," a school fantasy, "AKIBA'S TRIP -THE ANIMATION-," based on an action adventure game, "Handshaker," an animate 30th anniversary work, "Siren," a love story set in the same school as "Amagami," and "Ganko-chan," a puppet show. GANKO-CHAN", a short animation of the puppet play "GANKO-CHAN".

TV animation Little Witch Academia

A popular fantasy born from "Anime Mirai 2013," a project by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to nurture young animators, has been adapted into an animated TV series. The work raised $620,000 through crowdfunding, more than four times the target amount, and a sequel was released in theaters in 2015, attracting attention from overseas as well. The TV anime version of the story has been rewritten and spins a new story from the main character Akko's entrance into the prestigious Luna Nova School of Magic, a school for training witches.
The cast is led by lead actress Ban Megumi and features a familiar cast of voice actors. Director Yoh Yoshinari, who worked on battle scenes for "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Gurren Lagann," will continue to direct the film. The magical girl action is beyond the scale of a TV anime, and is sure to be a lot of fun. Animation production will be handled by Trigger. In the short anime "Space Patrol Luluko," produced by the same studio, her roommate Susie, who is a poison maniac, made a guest appearance.

AKIBA'S TRIP -THE ANIMATION-.

Based on the game series "AKIBA'S TRIP," which became popular for its ambitious battle system and strip action in which players fight while taking off their enemies' clothes. While the anime follows the world view, the characters and storyline are completely original.
Directed by Hiroshi Ikehata of "That's a Voice Actor! and directed by Hiroshi Ikehata of "That's a Voice Actor! He is enthusiastic about the project, saying, "I want to show the deeper side of Akihabara," since the game allowed viewers to explore the real streets of Akihabara. How will he depict Akiba, which is packed with everything from anime, games, maids, idols, computers, radios, and radios? Haruki Ishitani, who plays the main character, Tamotsu Denki Kai, makes his first starring appearance in this film. Takahashi Riie, Takano Marika, and Nagaku Yuki of the music unit Earphones will also line up for the anime for the first time in a while.

Handshaker

An original project by anime production company GoHands, animate group Frontier Works, and publisher KADOKAWA. Handshakers, who make full use of Nimrode, a weapon created by holding hands with a partner, fight to the death. As befits the title, the PV shows the moment when the characters hold hands with each other in great detail. Nimrodde have different abilities and shapes depending on who is handling them, and the action scenes are also a highlight of the film.
The film is set in Osaka, and when the project was announced, a teaser video was shown on a large screen in Dotonbori, a unique promotion. The key visual reproduces the streets of Osaka down to the advertisements, and the background art will also be a work of note.

Siren

Minoisai Takayama, character designer for the romance simulation games "Kimikiss" and "Amagami," is in charge of the original story. In this work, he also serves as series composition and character designer, and depicts a new coming-of-age in Kiichihigashi High School, the setting of "Amagami". The story is told in an omnibus format, with four episodes each featuring three heroines: classmate and class idol Tsuneki Yoh, game-loving senior Miyamae Toru, and childhood friend and honor student Momono Konjiko. The ending of the show features the singing voices of Sakura Ayane, Shimoji Shino, Kimura Tamari, and the other cast members.
Character PVs of the heroines, including the three, are now available on the official website. You can check their birthdays and other details of their profiles. The director is Tomoki Kobayashi of "Amagami SS+ plus" and the character design is by Tomoki Hosono, who also directed "Hataraku Maou-sama! and the character design is by Naoto Hosoda, who has also directed "Hataraku Maou-sama!

Gan, Gan, Gan-ko-chan

The first animated television adaptation of NHK's puppet show "Ganko-chan in the Zanzawa Forest," celebrating the 20th anniversary of its broadcast, features Gen, a human boy who comes from the year 2020 in a time machine, and meets Ganko-chan, a dinosaur girl who lives in the Zanzawa Forest and creates havoc in a world without electricity, gas, or running water. In fact, "Ganko-chan" is set in a very heavy setting in the very future after the extinction of the human race. Will the worldview, which is still full of mysteries, be revealed?
The cast continues to be made up of members from the puppet show. The animation will be produced by 10GAUGE. The studio that gained popularity for its stylish music videos for "Mob Psycho 100" and "Osomatsu-san" will be producing a five-minute slapstick comedy.


(Text by Katsunori Takahashi)