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Wow. What a week it's been. Not only have we announced 20 SIMULCASTS, we still not done yet! Apparently there are two more titles that will be announced soon, so stay tuned in for that. Then we launched Otaku-verse Zero season 2 and 07-Ghost! There's so much stuff going on it's hard to keep track of it all. Moreover we wanted to thank everyone who supported and continues to support the Japanese relief effort. We cannot express how thankful and grateful we are for everything you've done! |
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 Every time fan-favorite series ends, fire and havoc break out on the proverbial streets of Crunchyroll. Rightfully so, as no one wants to see their favorite show come to a close. However when it makes a triumphant return, those same proverbial streets are filled with rejoicing fans, ecstatic and unable to control their happiness. There are more colon-upper-case-D’s than you can shake a stick at.
Such is the case with three powerhouse series: Gintama, the World God Only Knows season 2 and Tono to Issho.
Quite some time ago, Gintama ended spurring the consternation of fans and instigating the influx of theories surrounding its end and whether or not it would return. Those that bought into the return theory: good call.
 What’s Gintama going to be up to this season? While we have no idea we can be sure that it’ll be filled with a high level of hilarity and unpredictability. We do know that he and his gang, wherever they go, will create awkward situations and a variety of troubles. Troubles, they of course try to solve, but in reality make it worse.
Then we have some series that follow in the same pattern as Tegami Bachi by taking a season or two hiatus, to return refreshed and rejuvenated. Such is the case with the World God Only Knows and Tono to Issho. Both series went on holiday, had a great time and are now back on Crunchyroll with a great level of energy that viewers will definitely feel.
 What can we expect with this new season of the World God Only Knows? Well, Keima will still be Keima; and Elsee will still be Elsee. But what’s exciting about this new season of the World God Only Knows is that they both will continue their mission to capture actual 3D girls and fulfill their contract. Whether or not it will stay true to the manga is yet to be seen, but it will be an interesting and exciting journey with this modern day odd couple.
Then there’s Tono to Issho. The Japanese humor is ripe and ready for its global consumption. There is a lot of skepticism regarding this title because 1) it’s a short title and not episodic and 2) the humor is hard to digest.
In Crunchyroll’s press release regarding Tono to Issho, one of their employees said something very poignant regarding this particular series: “What we love most about this program is that we are able to shine the spotlight on Japanese humor and help globalize it to the rest of the world. While humor is hard to translate across borders, Tono to Issho does a brilliant job showcasing Japan’s amazing culture and translating these humor mechanics, to make this a truly unique series.”
I couldn’t agree more. So it will be exciting to see how each series will fair during its return. Hopefully these three series will show that a sequel can do just as good as the first release.
 
 We are all too familiar with the unfamiliar, whether it’s our first day at a new school, going to college, starting a new job, or moving to a big city. We know those butterflies that always seem to have the ability to sneak into our stomachs making us more nervous than we really should be. Stepping out of our comfort zone is always a challenge but it always helps to shape us in the person we become.
This here is Marvelous' display of such right here on Crunchyroll with two of it's BRAND NEW simulcasts!
 A Bridge to the Starry Skies (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi) is based on a Japanese adult bishojo game which will definitely be a fan favorite. It’s a story of new beginnings with Kazuma Hoshino moving to the beautiful countryside to take care of his little brother, Ayumi Hoshino. Not being accustomed to the streets of the countryside, he gets lost and meets Ui Nakatsugawa. If he wanted to be the new student in class and didn’t want any attention from his classmates, he’s sure in for a surprise. This story is a promising love comedy as new relationships are created and developed filled with lots of beautiful young women for our eyes to enjoy.
Watch A Bridge to the Starry Skies (Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi) every Tueday at 10 a.m. PST!
Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai – Under the Innocent Sky is a story that takes place in the big city of Yanagihara. It is a story of life in the big city where people converge for all different reasons. They are all living in the same place with chances of crossing each others paths. Those who moved to the bustling city of Yanagihara have left a place familiar to them to face the challenge of adapting into a new environment. There will be joys, sorrows, heartbreaks, love, passion, etc that all happen under the beautiful expressionless starry sky. This tale may be filled with the mundane day to day life but it will definitely be an unforgettable one. Go on, give it a try and I promise, you won’t regret it.
Watch Oretachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai – Under the Innocent Sky every Sunday at 10 a.m. PST!
 This season, Crunchyroll has licensed four titles from Kadokawa for a myriad of anime madness. Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi, Deadman Wonderland, and Astarotte’s Toy are three of their creations that vastly differ not only in the art but in the storylines. With such variety, there is sure to be one that will fit your interest.
 If you are looking for a day-to-day story where the past is never the past and will always be a part of your present and future, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi is a story for you. Ritsu Onodera quit working for his father’s company to show that he could get a job on his own. He works at the publishing company, Marukawa Shoten where to his dismay; he is assigned to edit manga where he has no interest. His boss, Takano Masamune, gets on Ritsu’s nerves from the very beginning and they start off on the wrong foot. However, Ritsu will learn that his boss’ old name is Saga, an older classmate from his high school days that he fell in love with.
 If crime and suspense is your interest, Deadman Wonderland, will definitely be your cup of tea. Ganta Igarashi has been convicted of a crime that he hasn’t committed. He was suspected as a criminal when one day, a strange man covered in blood and crimson armor, Red Man, massacres Ganta’s entire class except for him. Red Man embeds a red crystal shard into Ganta’s chest which further proves his guilt which sentences him to a life time imprisonment in Deadman Wonderland. Ganta will try to prove his innocence as he learns more about the place and the dark secrets that the prison authorities are hiding. Deadman Wonderland will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat.
For all the harem fans out there, Astarotte’s Toy, is the one for you. Naoya is taken to a magical land where he is to enter succubus Princess Lotte’s harem. Due to a bad childhood trauma, Princess Lotte has a strong dislike toward men and tends to surround herself with women. Princess Lotte is a selfish one but Naoya agrees to stay with her in her harem when he learns about her loneliness. How will Naoya fit into Princess Lotte’s harem?
Whether you tend to stick with certain genres, this list of titles is sure to pique your interest to try something new.
 The slice of life storyline normally depicts the everyday life of ordinary people, sometimes but rarely, with fantasy or science fiction elements involved. While in the literary world, this style has been popularized by authors such as John Steinbeck, it has found more recent acclaim and reception in the anime culture, becoming an inherent genre within this rich subculture.
This season, Crunchyroll gears up to showcase two unique takes on the slice of life storyline with the additions of Hanasaku Iroha and Nichijou – My Ordinary Life.
 First there’s Hanasaku Iroha, which centers around 16-year-old Ohana Matsumae who moves from Tokyo to out in the country to live with her grandmother at an onsen ryokan named Kissuisō. While restarting her life there initially seems daunting, Ohana begins working at the inn, makes friends with the other employees and watches her life take an unexpected twist.
Brilliantly animated and the contextual usage of lighter, more pastel colors indicates a heartwarming slice of life drama, sprinkled with comedic relief and compiled to form a fabulous series to take in this season.
Then there’s Nichijou, otherwise known as My Ordinary Life. If you think this is going to be a typical story of school life, you'll be surprised to know that the ordinary definitely doesn't happen in My Ordinary Life. A vague synopsis? Perhaps. But it should be noted that in the first OVA released on March 12, everything but the ordinary happens on this slice of life comedy. For example, while some of the characters address the hardships of school, especially when scoring a 1% on a test, a robotic girl Nano Shinonome tries to give the small 'Professor', who has a cold, some medicine, and then tries to get advice from their talking cat, Sakamoto. Okay, okay…what?
Rest assured the absurdity and hilarious antics won’t stop there as we’ve got a whole season to make our sides ache with laughter.
Two very polar slice of life stories provide perhaps not only the evolution of this genre but a much needed diversity of titles to view on this spring season’ showcase.
Be sure to check out Hanasaku every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. PST and Nichijou – My Ordinary Life every Saturday at 9 p.m. PST.
 “Support”, “Kindness”, “Encouragement” and “Troubleshooting”.
The acronym says it all: Sket Dance is here on Crunchyroll!
SKET is a high school brigade whose mission is to help kids in trouble. Upon consultation, they will offer a tailor-made solution. Bullies, a ghost, lack of self-respect, a missing pet or a broken videogame, you name it! Serious, surreal or laughable, come to meet the threesome and they will do their best to find an answer. Come on in anytime! To tell you the truth, they are not so much in demand and are just hanging out iｎ their club room, bored to death most of the time! This show will follow their antics and adventures together.
Normally I’d try to sell you on why you should watch this series and how awesome it is. However this time I’m just going to recite some facts and let those speak louder than some sensational talk.
Sket Dance is a series written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara and serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump – so I’m sure that all of those who’ve been reading it thus far are super stoked about it becoming an anime series.
Moreover, Sket Dance won the 55th annual Shogakukan Manga Award in 2009 for best shōnen manga and following that line of prestige, the anime series which will be aired right here on Crunchyroll will be produced none other by Tatsunoko, some company that produced these little, unknown titles called Neon Genesis Evangelion, Yatterman and Robotech! Maybe you heard of them, maybe not. If not, please stop reading now and watch it before my head explodes out of disbelief.
In any case, facts speak for themselves.
So, if you’re interested in seeing what could be an amazing series that has the potential to reach the upper echelons of awesome anime titles, stay tuned and don’t forget to watch Sket Dance every Thursday at 2:30 a.m. PST.
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