Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory
It’s been nearly 12 years since we last saw Full Metal Panic, and Invisible Victory has been a long time coming. The prolific mecha series is back, but it still revolves around Sousuke, Kaname, and the rest of the characters fans know and love. Invisible Victory is a continuation of the series, picking up nine months after the events of The Second Raid.
The series creator, Shoji Gatoh, has said in interviews that Invisible Victory won’t have any kind of filler episodes, and its pacing will be at a breakneck pace. The series is a few episodes in at this point, and that’s clear to see, as Invisible Victory is adopting a darker, grittier tone than previous entries in the franchise. Spring 2018 has been a good season for mecha anime with Darling in the Franxx and Gundam Build Divers, and Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory is one fans shouldn’t miss. You can see it on either Crunchyroll or Funimation Now.
Shokugeki No Soma: San no Sara (Food Wars! The Third Plate)
Food Wars has been an absolutely unique anime so far, a cooking anime done in the style of an action show. The Third Plate continues the story of Souma Yukihara as he takes on the challenge of The Moon Festival, Tootsuki Academy’s annual gourmet event. This presents a chance for Souma to take on the Elite Ten, the council that rules over the academy, but he’ll discover a nefarious plot along the way.
The first cour of The Third Plate premiered last fall, with the second starting back up in April. The series is SimulCast every Sunday on Crunchyroll, so you have a bit of time to catch up still before The Third Plate hits its climax. There’s plenty of fun to be had with Food Wars, like always, just make sure you bring a snack when you watch, as all that gorgeously animated food can make you hungry.
Golden Kamuy
Golden Kamuy is a rare find in anime, a show that manages to effortlessly weave together elements of disparate genres. Part historical period piece, part slice of life, and part action anime, Golden Kamuy takes place during the turbulent late Meiji Era in Japan. The show tells the story of Sugimoto, a renowned soldier known as “Immortal Sugimoto” as he steps into Hokkaido’s Gold Rush with the hopes of making his fortune. There he meets an Ainu girl named Ashiripa, and together they have to uncover a mystery leading to a hidden treasure.
Golden Kamuy sets its tone from the get-go, with both animation and sound supporting the harshness of winter that the show tries to portray. While it, of course, isn’t absolutely historically accurate, the show does provide a fascinating window into the culture of the Ainu, indigenous people of Japan and Russia. It can be fairly violent at times, considering much of its subject matter revolves around convicts and war-related themes, but there’s plenty of action that stems from that. Golden Kamuy is off to a great start based on its first few episodes, and you can catch it SimulCast on Mondays on either Crunchyroll or Funimation.
Cardfight!! Vanguard
Cardfight!! Vanguard has been around since 2011, and has been fairly successful during the ensuing years. It definitely has similar elements to something like Yu-Gi-Oh, centering around a trading card game that takes place on an imaginary planet named Cray, which is popular the world over. The 2018 series is actually a reboot of the original, featuring brand new animation and storytelling.
The show’s main character, Aichi Sendou, is a timid boy whose prized possession and motivation is a “Blaster Blade” card that he received as a child. A twist of fate leads him to reunite with Toshiki Kai, the person that gave him the card, and his life starts to undergo some serious changes. This new season is made to more closely resemble the original manga, and everything is given a slightly edgier design. So far, only one episode has premiered, but it seems like there’s going to be more of an emphasis on storytelling this time, rather than just showing off card battles. You can catch it on SimulCast Saturdays on Crunchyroll.
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