Now that virtually every new spring series has debuted, it’s time to see which shows managed to distinguish themselves amidst the anime landslide. Not every one of our top picks for this season’s premieres panned out, but there’s a bit more depth on offer here than there was last winter, so that’s something to be optimistic about. In fact, we’re happy enough with this new crop of shows that our Weekly Summary column will be making a return, only it’ll be more of a Biweekly Summary this time. The first post will go live in just under seven days, so you can look forward to periodic thoughts on half a dozen shows or so – including some of our First Episode Award winners, which can be viewed after the jump. See you next week!
First Episode Awards
Best First Episode (The Death Note Award)
Kowloon Generic Romance
Spent All Their Efforts on the First Episode (The Kyoukai No Kanata Award)
Moonrise
Best Animation (The Samurai Champloo Award)
Shin Samurai-den Yaiba
Season Sleeper (The Gargantia Award)
Anne Shirley
Worst First Episode (The Bleach Award)
Catch Me at the Ballpark
Exceeded Expectations (The Hyouka Award)
Apocalypse Hotel
Best Continuation (The Natsume Book of Friends Award)
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes
Most Disappointing First Episode (The Berserk Award)
The Dinner Table Detective
Best Background Art (Made in Abyss Award)