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Happy 2013 and welcome to Crunchyroll's biggest season yet! We've got 18 continuing titles and 23 new ones, for a total of 41 simulcasts this season! If you haven't already started following the shows, go check them out now! As many of you have heard already, the Crunchyroll app is now available on Xbox 360!! With HD support and access to Crunchyroll's vast library and simulcast selections, it's the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon bundled up and marathoning your favorite series. We also have some cool contests going on, including a haiku contest for Wooser's Hand-to-Mouth-Life, as well as our weekly caption contests! Winter 2013 is coming out of the gates strong so let's keep it going! |
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As many of you guys know already, the Crunchyroll app has arrived on Xbox 360! Now you can watch your favorite anime and drama on the big screen, with 720p HD supported shows available right off the bat, as well as the rest of Crunchyroll's massive library! Xbox LIVE subscribers and Crunchyroll Premium Members can access the latest simulcasts, and free samples are available for everyone to try out the service. The Crunchyroll app can be found in English in all Xbox LIVE markets except Japan, Slovakia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
With over 10,000 hours of content across 20,000+ episodes, it's the perfect thing to curl up on the couch with this winter! For those of you who want a little more activity, the Crunchyroll app on Xbox LIVE is also compatible with the Xbox 360® Kinect® Sensor, meaning you can get your exercise waving your arms and jumping around to watch your favorite shows. On the other end of the spectrum, the voice command system means you can also simply tell your Xbox 360 what you want to watch, zero movement required!
With our 2013 Winter season just starting, there's no better way to keep up with the latest episodes than on the big screen in HD, so for you Xbox 360 users, head over to the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and download the Crunchyroll app!
Crunchyroll's Winter 2013 Season is our biggest yet, with 18 continuing titles and 23 new shows, making for a grand total of 41 simulcasts this season! Not sure what to watch this season? Check out some of our favorites below!
 Based off of an otome visual novel by Idea Factory, AMNESIA features a heroine whose memories have mysteriously vanished. Luckily, a spirit by the name of Orion is there to help her regain her lost memories, part of which involves interacting with the 4 extremely good looking young men around her. Beautifully animated by Brains Base, the animation and character designs alone are eye candy enough, never mind the pretty boys!
 One of the sleeper hits of the Fall 2011 season, Chihayafuru's highly-anticipated second season, Chihayafuru 2 returns! The traditional Japanese card game, karuta, once again takes center stage as the season opens with Chihaya recruiting new members to join the karuta club. However, as longtime fans know, Chihayafuru is more than just competitive karuta, and with wonderful character development and romantic themes as well, who knew karuta could be so exciting?
 Considered by some to be the spiritual successor to the fantasy series Spice and Wolf, Maoyu features the same creative team (director Takeo Takahashi, writer Naruhisa Arakawa) and lead voice cast (Jun Fukuyama and Ami Koshizumi as the Hero and Demon King, respectively), and even those economic elements that set it apart from a typical fantasy story. Fifteen years have passed since the war between the Demons and Humans started, and one hero has finally managed to make his way to the lair of the Demon King, only to discover... he is a SHE?? And thus, the unlikely pair set out on a journey to end the war and find a way to bring peace and prosperity to both the Demons and Humans alike.
 A highly-anticipated series continuing from last season, Little Busters! is based off of the visual novel of the same name by the company Key, known for other titles such as Air and Clannad. Little Busters! follows the main character, Riki Naoe, and his group of childhood friends: the Little Busters. Needing enough people in the group to form a baseball team, Riki begins to recruit multiple girls from his high school to join their baseball team. And for those of you who are wondering where the previous 13 episodes are, Crunchyroll WILL be airing all of them at a later date!
 Although the title says "Courtesey of Zettai Karen Children," THE UNLIMITED Hyobu Kyosuke actually has very little to do with the series it originally came from, save for some of its cast of characters and the titular character, Hyobu Kyosuke. Originally the main antagonist and leader of the ESP terrorist organization P.A.N.D.R.A., Hyobu now has a role reversal as the protagonist in THE UNLIMITED, although that doesn't stop him from ruthlessly pursuing his goals and blowing up anyone who might stand in his way. Aside from the returning P.A.N.D.R.A. crew, THE UNLIMITED introduces new characters Yugiri and Andy Hinomiya, the latter of which is actually a double agent infiltrating the criminal organization. Trying to divine Hyobu's true intentions and his interactions with Andy are what really drive the show; that, and the fast-paced, action-packed fight scenes with physic warfare and explosions abound certainly never hurt either.
Of course, those are the just tip of the iceberg when it comes to new shows this season at Crunchyroll! Check out our full Winter 2013 lineup below!
Continuing Titles:
Naruto Shippuden
Naruto Spin-Off: Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals
Hunter x Hunter
Fairy Tail
Space Brothers
Gintama
Saint Seiya Omega
Folktales from Japan
Polar Bear Cafe
Ixion Saga DT
Magi
Blast of Tempest
Shin Sekai Yori
Cardfight!! Vanguard: Asia Circuit
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
Aoi Sekai no Chushin de
Saki Episode of Side A
Bottom Biting Bugs
Winter Simulcasts:
Boku-no-imoutowa"Osaka-okan"
Love Live! School Idol Project
Encouragement of Climb
Mangirl
Ai-Mai-Mi
Oreshura
Maoyu
Cuticle Detective Inaba
Ishida & Asakura
Student Council's Discretion Level 2
Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East
THE UNLIMITED Hyobu Kyosuke
gdgd Fairies 2
BAKUMATSU GIJINDEN ROMAN
Da Capo III
AMNESIA
Senyu
Chihayafuru 2
Vividred Operation
Problem Children are Coming from Another World, aren't they?
Kotoura-San
AKB004: next stage
Little Busters!
Looking for that perfect gift for the anime fan that seems to own every DVD release and buys show merchandise straight from Japan? Well, look no more, because now you can purchase Crunchyroll Memberships in gift card form!
Not only does this give you the awesome Crunchyroll Anime Premium membership (in either 1-year or 3-month periods), but you actually get a physical, shiny gift card mailed right to your doorstep! And, for those of you who do all your shopping on Amazon, the Crunchyroll Gift Card is also listed on Amazon.com!
Another new addition to the Crunchyroll Store is the presence of the beautifully sculpted and popular Nendoroids and Figurines made by Good Smile Company!
Crunchyroll is now taking pre-orders for a number of these amazingly sculpted and cute items, so go check them out in the Crunchyroll Store!
 Written by SlayerNatsu
We return to the newest season of Gintama to find... Gintoki returning for the newest season. Fresh back from a sixth month vacation (bender), Sataka Gintoki staggers back to the base of operations for his odd job freelancing company, Yorozuya, to find that he has been replaced. It appears that in between seasons, a blonde, palette-swapped doppelganger named Sataka Kintoki has stolen Gintoki’s place as the protagonist of his own show.
 Gintoki’s confusion takes a dark turn after meeting this newer, nicer, and more functional version of himself. He soon discovers that no one in Edo seems to remember Sataka Gintoki or any of his past season's adventures. Instead, everyone fondly remembers Sataka Kintoki as the repeated savior of their district and the success of his business, Yorozuya. He comes across his DVD box sets to find that they now feature the blonde-haired Kintoki. Kintoki has even replaced him in this new season's opening credits, with a new golden logo replacing Gintoki’s silver one.
 So the genre-aware plot has now been established for the newest season. Gintoki must literally fight for his position as the anime's protagonist. To retrieve his stolen mantle, Gintoki must find out just how he has been replaced and why no one seems to remember him. He must also come to terms with the fact that Kintoki seems to be a replacement superior to him in every capacity. If they do battle, he will not only have to defeat a stronger version of himself, but also the entire supporting cast of his own show.
 Obviously this anime is comfortable shifting between serious and comedic themes. The plot and characters have a unique way of addressing the fourth wall that allows them to poke fun at themselves while still maintaining their serious veneer. In this way, the series carries some of the familiar comedic stylings of Western cartoons while set in an alternate history tale of Feudal Japan, kind of like a Looney Toons that isn't afraid to throw in a few clans of female ninjas, a robotic maid, and some cool sword fights.
 Written by SlayerNatsu
Absolutely Amazing! That's the only way to describe “Blast of Tempest." I dare you to not be stunned by the fight scenes in this series, especially the epic facepalm in the first episode! You’ll know what I mean when you see it. Everything in this show is top quality, from the animation to the story line, the music, and the characters.
 The protagonist Mahiro Fuwa is on a journey of revenge to catch the killer of his sister, Aika Fuwa. Hakaze Kusaribe is a mage and the leader of her clan known as the “Kusaribe clan,” a group which secretly protects the “logic”, or order, of the world. She is betrayed by her former aide Samon Kusaribe, who takes over the clan and leaves her on a deserted island to die. Mahiro, while searching for his sister’s killer, stumbles upon a wooden doll left by Hakaze to communicate with the outside world. They strike a deal; she will use her magic to find the killer he searches for, and Mahiro will stop whatever diabolical plans Samon has in store. Once Yoshino Takagawa, childhood friend of Mahiro and former boyfriend of Aika, is informed about Mahiro’s quest, he immediately tags along.
 The concept of magic is one of the most unique I’ve seen in anime thus far; a sacrifice made to the “Tree of Genesis” gives you magical powers such as defense, speed, etc. The sacrifice must be something made from “man’s knowledge,” meaning cars, computers, guns, and so on. Mahiro and Yoshino need the help of Hakaze because only the amulets she made and hid for emergencies allows regular humans to perform magic.
The rock group, “Nothing’s Carved in Stone” performs the opening theme “Spirit Inspiration,” and the song was stuck in my head for days on end (in fact I’m humming it right now)! The ending theme “happy endings,” sung by Kana Hanazawa, is upbeat and easy on the ears. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to match this type of action-oriented anime, but is still pleasing nonetheless. Overall, to my delight, I was reminded of the score for the remake of “Fullmetal Alchemist.” You can’t go wrong with that comparison!
 Those who love William Shakespeare are also in for a real treat, as some of the plot and dialogue are taken from various Shakespeare works. I must commend the writers because the references aren’t deliberately tacked on, but instead fit nicely into the story. I won’t go into too much detail for fear of spoilers, but Hakaze alludes to Prospero while Mahiro signifies Prince Hamlet.
If I had some gripes about the show, it would be the fan service regarding Hakaze. Her one and only outfit (remember, she’s on a deserted island) is basically a bikini. At times I rolled my eyes when I was subjected to her close-up clevage shots. It also might be confusing for some with the amount of terms used only to be explained in future episodes. I began to fully understand the concept of the show by the third episode. Please do not let that deter you, as these are only minor nitpicks. Without a doubt I’ve been thoroughly entertained and look forward to every new episode! Once you get the hang of it, be prepared for a non-stop thrill ride in this jaw-dropping adventure!
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