Welcome back, one and all, to another edition of This Week in Anime. Unfortunately, there is not much worth talking about this week, but that does not mean there is nothing to talk about. With that being said, let’s get into the stories.

Air Gear Mangaka to Adapt Bakemonogatari into a Manga

Ito Ogure, who is best known for his hit series Air Gear, was recently announced by Kodansha comics to be working on adapting the Bakemonogatari series into manga form. Kodansha had been teasing fans of the series for over two weeks about who exactly was going to be heading the project and today made their decision public. Ogure has been criticized in the past for his lack of narrative flair, but was chosen by Kodansha for his impressive artwork.

I can’t say that I’m particularly attached to the Monogatari series, seeing as I’ve never seen it, but as someone who has read some of the Air Gear manga that it will look good. Ogure as a mangaka is basically the exact opposite of Hijame Isayama(Attack on Titan), in that his art is really good, but his stories are somewhat lackluster.

New/Upcoming Releases

Since there is not a lot of other specific anime related news, here are some upcoming series/movies you might have missed.

Maquia

Maquia centers around a group of people known as the lolf, who happen to have access to eternal youth. Jealously of this small people rises, and eventually, the village gets attacked. Left stranded after her home is destroyed, Maquia finds herself all alone, until one day she decides to adopt an orphan boy, and her life with him becomes ever more complicated.

I’ll be honest: I don’t expect much from the film. That doesn’t mean I think it will be bad, however, I do need to see a bit more before I’m fully convinced this will be something special. The writing credit of Mari Okada is something to look at, but overall, at least for now, I’ll pass.

Grand Blue

College is a time in life that largely gets ignored in anime, but the announcement of a new summer anime is looking to change that.

Grand Blue follows Iori Kitahara, a new college student in Izu City. Iori decides that he really wants to join his colleges diving club, only to find out that the others are pretty crazy. Even though Iori really wants to dive, his crazy new friends and a lot of alcohol always seem to be getting in the way.

This could be fun…is really all I can say. The trailer shown above is not much to go, and the director is Shinji Takamatsu, who has most prominently worked on Gintama before this series. I guess I’ll say I’m optimistic, at least for now.

What do you guys think of the stories this week? How about the new releases? Let me know in the comments below. Also, if you like what your reading and want to support more of it, consider checking out The Aniwriter’s Patreon page. Even just a dollar a month would help. Thanks for reading and bye for now, Friendos!