:anime: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month:: Little Witch Academia

What goes up…

Little Witch Academia

Official Site: Anime Mirai Page, Trigger Page
Additional Links: ANN Entry, MAL Entry
Video: YouTube, Crunchyroll

In the very same month that GAINAX announces a film version of its 2011 magical girl ONA Houkago no Pleaides/Wish Upon the Pleiades, Trigger--a new studio formed by former GAINAX staffers--streamed its own worldwide. The effort, Little Witch Academia, is its first full feature, which is part of this year's Anime Mirai slate, a government-backed initiative aimed at funding projects at anime studios that train and foster new talent in the industry.

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2013 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Normally, each season of noitaminA either has an original series or one based on preexisting material, with the occasional sequel or the even rarer short (Thermae Romae being the sole example). However, this stint of Fuji TV's venerable block is quite different from the past, as for the first time ever, a previously-broadcasted anime will be reran in it. . This show, now "retroactively" a noitaminA series, will be Katanagatari, an adaptation of NisiOisin's novel series (unrelated to his mega-hit Monogatari Series) that first aired in 2010 on Fuji TV. Even more unusual is that due to the hour-long runtime of each of its twelve episodes (one for each of the 12 volumes in the series), it will take up the allotted hour-long timeslot of the block for spring, meaning it will be the only title shown for the season.

So what will be of the summer session? It looks to be a return to normalcy (from the outset, at least) with an adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa's runaway smash Silver Spoon.

:anime: Anime Kibbles 'n' Bits ::04.09.13:: The (Actual) Return of the News Bits…

I may have had some fun a week ago, but this here is the true return of "Anime Kibbles 'n' Bits"!!

:Fri.04.05.13: Crunchyroll Scores Score of Major Simulcast Titles

Crunchyroll, more often than not, manages to obtain the rights to simulcast a good chunk of each season's new anime, but sometimes they have to share the lot of big titles with FUNimation, who doesn't post content on the site (as opposed to Sentai, who will often place them on both their sister company The Anime Network and Crunchyroll). Spring 2013 looks to be a good one on that end for the site, though, as they managed to nab Sunrise's Valvrave the Liberator, Mushi-Shi director Hiroshi Nagahama's Flowers of Evil, and the big Kazuya Murata (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos director)/Gen Urobuchi (Madoka Magica creator) joint project Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. Death Note director Tetsuro Araki's much-anticipated Attack on Titan adaptation (already settled?) and Yutaka Izubuchi (RahXephon) & Akihiro Enomoto's Space Battleship Yamato 2199 are still up in the air in terms of streaming homes (if any), but with Crunchyroll's quality service and being the only one in the game with 1080p-level streaming, hopefully those good-looking efforts will end up there with the other notable series…

:anime: Anime Kibbles 'n' Bits ::04.01.13:: Return of the News Bits

For the first time in five years, "Anime Kibbles 'n' Bits" makes its return back to HardDoor! If "Boxing Bits" can return, why can't its predecessor?

:Mon.04.01.13:

GAINAX To Develop Fighting Game
Legendary anime studio GAINAX doesn't just dip its feet into animation and merchandise pimping, but they also have a game developing department, as well. Though their catalog mostly consists of sims (one of which inspired 2002's Petit Princess Yucie), they have finally taken the step of developing a fighter, which will feature anime characters from their storied history, hailing from the likes of Evangelion (apparently with Khara's blessing), Gurren Lagann, Mahoromatic, FLCL, Nadia, and Gunbuster. Details on which other properties will be represented and which characters will appear, as well as preliminary game footage, will be revealed at a future event, but I'm fairly certain that they'll indulge on everyone's desire to pound Shinji Ikari in the face…