Autumn 2016 Anime: What I Will Be Watching

The last anime season of this year is quickly approaching, so once again I’ll be looking ahead to what I will be watching – this season might just be my most anticipated yet.
With a fair few shows piquing my interest this season, I’ll be breaking this list down into two parts: must watch and may watch.
It should go without saying, but must watch shows are the ones that I know I’ll be watching.
‘May watch’ shows are ones that will be on my radar, but of a lower priority.
Information came from MyAnimeList and AniChart. The air dates listed here may differ slightly. The shows are listed in alphabetical order, and I’ll try to include both English and Japanese (well, romaji) titles where possible.

Must Watch

Here be the shows that I will definitely be watching when October rolls around, no questions asked.

Brave Witches

A Strike Witches spin-off set between the first two seasons that focuses on the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing. Of course, I expect fanservice to play a big part here. However, Strike Witches also has some mighty fine aerial battles and hopefully there’ll be more to see in this spin-off.
Due to air on October 6th.

Flip Flappers

Two girls called Papika and Cocona go on adventures in another dimension called ‘Pure Illusion’ to search for a mysterious crystal. From what I can tell, this is effectively a dimension-hopping magical girl story. That is something that is right up my street.
Due to air from October 6th.

Hibike! Euphonium 2 (Sound! Euphonium 2)

Second season of high school band drama. I watched the first season, and I’ll be sticking around for the second. Part of me hopes that it will diverge from the source material, but another part of me fully expects that not to be the case. I’m not here for the KumiRei ship, though if we do get anything I’ll consider it a bonus.
Due to air from October 5th.

Keijo!!!!!!!!

The most exclamation marks I’ve ever seen used in a title. An alternative title for this is Hip Whip Girl… Anyway, this is a fanservice show where girls compete in a sport called ‘Keijo’, which involves knocking their opponents off a small platform into a swimming pool. They can only use their breasts and backside to push them off. I have no doubt that this is not going to be the most high-brow of shows, but neither was Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid and I enjoyed that.
Due to air from October 6th.

Long Riders!

A girl takes up cycling after seeing a folding bicycle. This sounds like it could be BAKUON!!, but with bicycles instead of motorbikes. The fact it’s another girls’ club show is what’s got me interested.
Due to air from October 8th.

Lostorage incited WIXOSS

A new series featuring the WIXOSS card game. Probably going to be dark, taking into account the tone of selector infected WIXOSS and selector spread WIXOSS.
Due to air from October 8th.

Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku (Magical Girl Raising Project)

Magical girl survival game. I was pretty much sold on this concept when I first read about it. As more characters have been introduced, I’ve just been further convinced of watching it. I can’t say no to a ninja magical girl, after all.
Due to air from October 2nd.

Mahou Shoujo Nante Mouiidesukara 2nd Season (I’ve Had Enough of Being a Magical Girl Season 2)
Second season of a show about a magical girl who doesn’t want to be a magical girl. The first season is middling, here’s hoping things improve with this second one. Due to air from October 5th.

Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume (Ping Pong Girl)

Cute girls playing table tennis. Out of the sports anime airing this season, this is the one I have greatest interest in. The question is whether this will be more sports or girls’ club. It could even be a mix of both, which would probably be the best option. I’m sure those who have read the manga will know, but I’ll be going in with almost no knowledge of this one.
Due to air from October 4th.

Show By Rock!! Season 2

Second season of Show By Rock!!. Looking forward to seeing the return of Plasmagica, ShinganCrimsonZ and others. There’ll also be a few new bands appearing.
Due to air from October 2nd.

Shuumatsu no Izetta (Izetta The Last Witch)

The title also has a German translation: Izetta, Die Letzte Hexe. This series will focus on Izetta, the last of a clan of witches, and Fine, the princess of the small Alpine state of Altstadt. My interest in this was sparked by this visual:
As more information has been revealed, this is definitely something that has piqued my interest.
Due to air from October 1st.

Soushin Shoujo Matoi (Matoi the Sacred Slayer)

Series about a magical girl who is also a shrine maiden. With all these magical girl shows airing in autumn, I’m feeling spoiled. Ah, maybe I’ll consider them all a birthday present from Japan’s animation industry to me. In case you’re wondering, my birthday falls on October 5th.
Due to air from October 4th.

Stella no Mahou (Magic of Stella)

Series about a group of girls who develop doujin games. A girls’ club anime about girls creating games is something that very much appeals to me. NEW GAME! covered working for a company in that industry, this will provide a different approach. That’s assuming it doesn’t put that aside in favour of cute girls doing cute things.
Due to air from October 3rd.

ViVid Strike!

Seems to be about a pair of girls who were bullied when they were younger, so one of them seeks to get stronger. Vivio and Einhard are present, tying this up to the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise in some way. It’s another magical girl series. I don’t know if we’ll ever get Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid season 2, but hopefully this will be able to fill a void in its absence.
Due to air from October 2nd.

That covers all of the shows I will definitely be watching, and I might even cover Magical Girl Raising Project, Flip Flappers, ViVid Strike and Matoi the Sacred Slayer on a weekly basis.
If you’re curious, my top three picks of the upcoming season are Magical Girl Raising Project, Flip Flappers and ViVid Strike. Regardless of what anime proves to be the best in the end, I definitely feel like I’m in for a treat this autumn season.

May Watch

These are shows that I may or may not pick up, dependent on a variety of factors – time, information, availability on streaming services, etc.

All Out!!

When it comes to sports, rugby is one of the few that I’ll actually watch – more specifically, rugby union. This anime is about a high school rugby club – basically a sports anime about rugby. I probably would have definitely picked this up out of curiosity in a quieter season, but there’s a lot of magical girl shows I’d rather focus on. Due to air from October 7th.

Bishoujo Yuugi Unit Crane Game Girls Galaxy (Crane Game Girls Galaxy)
IT seems the Crane Game Girls have more crane game techniques to share. I thought the first season was all right, and the fact that it’ll probably be more shorts makes this something I will likely pick up. Due to air from October 5th.

Drifters

An adaptation of a manga by one Kouta Hirano – the very same person who brought us Hellsing. Just from the PV alone, it has a very similar feel to Hellsing Ultimate – that’s a very good thing. Looks like it could be quite action-packed, as well as very bloody. Another show that I’ll very likely pick up.
Due to air from October 7th.

Girlish Number

A college student called Chitose Karasuma aspires to be an idol voice actress. I think this is a show where I’d need to check out the first episode or three to determine whether I’ll stick with it. Currently I don’t know too much about it, hence it’s inclusion on the ‘May Watch’ list. Due to air from October 7th.

Idol Memories

Virtual reality idol groups compete for number one spot in the Idol League. Again, a lack of information prevents this from being put on my ‘Must Watch’ list. Also, Love Live! Sunshine!! has left a very high bar for other idol anime.  Due to air from October 3rd.

Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On

An anime adaptation of the Monster Hunter Stories game, in which people don’t hunt monsters but instead use them as steed to ride into battle. I don’t really know too much about the game. I don’t know whether this will spoil the game or not, so I may just hold off on watching it dependent on whether the game gets released outside of Japan or not.
Dur to air from October 2nd.

Nazotokine

Anime about solving puzzles. Currently not much other information about it floating around.
Due to air from October 5th.

Out of the shows listed here, I reckon that Drifters is the one with the highest likelihood of being picked up. Crane Game Girls Galaxy is also in with a shout, since I did watch the first season.