Kekkai Sensen is Getting a Second Season

Plans for a second season of Kekkai Sensen have surfaced! The new season will air in 2017, and Studio Bones will return to produce the animation.

However, big staff changes are being made. Shigehito Takayanagi (Dagashi Kashi director) will replace Rei Matsumoto as the season's director. Yasuko Kamo (Dagashi Kashi script writer) will be replacing Kazunao Furuya as the season's writer.

Despite these changes, Taisei Iwasaki will return to compose the soundtrack and the voice cast will reprise their roles.

Kekkai Sensen was an adaptation of Yasuhiro Nightow's monthly manga series, but features an original storyline. The anime kept the spirit and humor of Nightow's manga, but included new characters and an original main story arc. Despite complaints by manga fans, Kekkai Sensen became one of 2015's highest selling anime.

Kekkai Sensen joins Code Geass and Full Metal Panic! as big name sequels that will premier in 2017.

9 Anime with Iconic Snow Scenery

Winter brings cold winds and beautiful snow. Have you been lucky (or unlucky) enough to get snow? If not, you can always admire the snow scenes from anime. They always look so idyllic!

1. 5 Centimeters Per Second

2. Nisekoi

3. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

4. Nana

5. Nagi no Asukara

6. Wolf Children

7. Kyoukai no Kanata

8. Your Lie in April

9. Love Live!

7 Times Microsoft Turned Their Products into Anime Girls

The internet has been personifying objects since the beginning of time. It's just what we do. One of the most well known of these practices is the OS-tan, which personifies software as cute anime girls.

While the majority of the creations are fan made, Microsoft has actually dabbled into the practice themselves as a way to market their products to Asian consumers. Here are a few of their most well known mascots.

1. Nanami Madobe - Windows 7

Nanami was one of Microsoft's earliest attempts at personifying their products for Japanese consumers. While not the first mascot, Nanami was the first one to receive an anime video, which is a basic guide on building a PC.

2. Claudia Madobe - Microsoft Azure

Claudia is Microsoft's most popular mascots. She was created to help teach developers about Microsoft's Azure platform. The character has an active Twitter account, a series of web comics, and even a figurine.

3. Unnamed Character - Microsoft Virtualization

This unnamed character is on the Japanese page for Microsoft Virtualization. I guess she was not good enough to make Bill Gate's waifu list ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. Hikaru Aizawa - Microsoft Silverlight

Hikaru was created by Microsoft Taiwan to teach people about the Silverlight development tool. The characters has starred in a series of web games and seasonal wallpapers. 

5. Madobe Yū and Madobe Ai - Microsoft 8 and Surface RT

The twin sisters to promote Windows 8 and, at the time, Microsoft's latest tablet. The characters had a line of official products to celebrate the launch of both products.

6. Inori Aizawa - Internet Explorer

Inori was created in an attempt to boost mass appeal for Internet Explorer. The character was popular enough to have social media accounts, an anime short, and an official anime version of Internet Explorer. Too bad it's now Edge.

7. Tōko Madobe - Windows 10

Tōko is Microsoft's latest mascot. Not much has been done outside of wallpapers, but she did have a marketing push before her release.

Attack on Titan Season 2 is Coming April 2017

It is finally here! The oft delayed second season of Attack on Titan actually has a release window. Volume 21 of the manga included an announcement stating that the new season will premier in April 2017.

The heavily anticipated 2nd season was originally announced in November 2014, and had rumors of premiering in 2015 and 2016. 

Attack on Titan has been dominating manga sales charts ever since Hajime Isayama debuted it in September 2009. Wit Studio worked on the first season, which included 25 episodes and 5 OVAs. A two part anime movie compilation and a two part live-action movie series were also produced.

Tetsuro Araki will return as the chief director, Hiroyuki Sawano will return to compose the soundtrack, Wit Studio will produce the animation, and the original voice cast will reprise their roles.

Are you excited to finally get to watch the second season of Attack on Titan?

DanMachi Gets a Spin-Off Anime for Spring 2017

SB Creative announced that the Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? spin-off anime, Sword Oratoria, will premier in April 2017.

The spin-off novels are written by series creator Fujino Ōmori and casts Aiz Wallenstein as the main character. Sword Oratoria is more mystery based than ecchi-action-romance compared to the main series.

An animation studio was not revealed, but J.C. Staff did adapt the mainline DanMachi series in 2015. It is not known if the original voices of Aiz and the Loki Familia will reprise their roles for the spin-off.

Here are the 9 Original Anime for the Winter                            2017 Season

1. Hand Shakers

Genre: Action

Studio: GoHands

Premier: January 11

Quick Pitch: Hand Shakers are partners who can summon Nimrodes, which are weapons born from the psyche of the partners. Hand Shakers compete and fight with other Hand Shakers in order to have their wish granted. The top pair will also have a chance to challenge God.

2. Kirakira Precure À La Mode

Genre: Magical Girl

Studio: Toei Animation

Premier: February 5

Quick Pitch: The newest entry into the Precure! franchise. The tag line is "Make food! Eat! Fight!"

3. Little Witch Academia

Genre: Action / Comedy / Fantasy / Magic

Studio: Studio Trigger

Premier: January 8

Quick Pitch: Akko enrolls in the Luna Nova Academy in order to train as a witch. When not in class, Akko and her friends Sucy and Lotte get wrapped up in dramatic events and face off against rival students.

4. One Room

Genre: Slice of Life

Studio: Typhoon Graphics

Premier: TBD

Quick Pitch: A short format series that focuses on, "three stories fostered in your room."

5. Seiren

Genre: Romance

Studio: AXsiZ / Studio Gokumi

Premier: January 6

Quick Pitch: An omnibus style series that will comprise of independent three story arcs containing four episodes. Shōichi is a second year high school student and is anxious about growing up. During the summer, he meets a girl and forms a relationship. Each of the three arcs will focus on a different "main girl."

6. Sentai Heroes Sukiyaki Force: Gunma no Heiwa o Negau Season

Genre: Comedy

Studio: Studio 4ºC

Premier: January 9

Quick Pitch: The short format comedy focuses on a team of sukiyaki ingredients that fight to protect Gunma prefecture.

7. BanG Dream

Genre: Music

Studio: Issen / Xebec

Premier: January 21

Quick Pitch: The original anime entry into a multi-media project. Kasumi comes across a star-shaped guitar in a pawnshop. Feeling a magical rush, she gathers four other girls to form a band.

8. Marginal#4 Kiss Kara Tsukuru Big Bang

Genre: Music

Studio: J.C. Staff

Premier: TBD

Quick Pitch: The original anime entry into a multi-media project. Marginal#4 is an idol unit composed of normal high school students. The members juggle between daily high school life and their idol activities.

9. Ryuu no Haisha (The Dragon Dentist)

Genre: Action / Fantasy

Studio: Studio Khara

Premier: TBD

Quick Pitch: A two-part original anime project that expands on a short shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2014. Nonoko is a dentist who is tasked with protecting her country's guardian dragon from tooth-cavities. One day, she finds an enemy soldier that has been resurrected from the inside of the dragon's tooth, which is a sign that a disaster is coming.

Are you planning on watching any original anime during the Winter 2017 season?