What’s up, r/anime?

Chances are you took one look at the title of this thread and thought “what the fuck is this Redditor smoking”, and to that I say… yeah, that’s probably fair. While there have been plenty of long rewatches that included multiple different shows throughout on r/anime before (I’ve hosted a few myself), no one’s ever proposed an idea quite like this one before. But I really wanted to do something out of the box this year, and with 2016 being the first year I ever watched a bunch of seasonals as they came out, this is what I decided would be my crazy idea.

Perhaps this rewatch was born to make history?

As for why these specific shows and not [insert other show from 2016 here]? Chances are that other show either 1) has more/less than 12 episodes, 2) I haven’t seen it yet and didn’t know enough about it to host it blind, and/or 3) I didn’t think it was popular enough to try and force into this just because I kind of liked it.

What about the seven shows I did pick for this? Well…

What is Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto?

>Sophisticated, suave, sublime; all words which describe the exceedingly handsome and patently perfect Sakamoto. Though it is only his first day in high school, his attractiveness, intelligence, and charm already has the girls swooning and the guys fuming with jealousy. No one seems able to derail him, as all attempts at tripping him up are quickly foiled. His sangfroid is indomitable, his wits peerless. Will any of Sakamoto's classmates, or even teachers, be able to reach his level of excellence? Probably not, but they just might learn a thing or two trying...

Sakamoto desu ga? is a Studio Deen adaptation of the manga of the same name, full of plenty of comedic hijinks circling the titular COOL! COOLER! COOLEST! Sakamoto. If you’re looking for a series that’ll make you laugh at the absurdity of everything that Sakamoto does, this is the one for you.

What is Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions?

> Fear, survival, instinct. Thrown into a foreign land with nothing but hazy memories and the knowledge of their name, they can feel only these three emotions resonating deep within their souls. A group of strangers is given no other choice than to accept the only paying job in this game-like world—the role of a soldier in the Reserve Army—and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in their new world, Grimgar.

> When all of the stronger candidates join together, those left behind must create a party together to survive: Manato, a charismatic leader and priest; Haruhiro, a nervous thief; Yume, a cheerful hunter; Shihoru, a shy mage; Moguzo, a kind warrior; and Ranta, a rowdy dark knight. Despite its resemblance to one, this is no game—there are no redos or respawns; it is kill or be killed.

> It is now up to this ragtag group of unlikely fighters to survive together in a world where life and death are separated only by a fine line.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is an A-1 Pictures adaptation of the light novel series of the same name, with absolutely stunning background art as one way it stands out amongst the many isekai series out there. In addition to that, you won’t see any overpowered fighters in here; the main characters truly have to earn their victories with every ounce of strength they have.

What is Kiznaiver?

> Katsuhira Agata is a quiet and reserved teenage boy whose sense of pain has all but vanished. His friend, Chidori Takashiro, can only faintly remember the days before Katsuhira had undergone this profound change. Now, his muffled and complacent demeanor make Katsuhira a constant target for bullies, who exploit him for egregious sums of money. But their fists only just manage to make him blink, as even emotions are far from his grasp.

> However, one day Katsuhira, Chidori, and four other teenagers are abducted and forced to join the Kizuna System as official "Kiznaivers." Those taking part are connected through pain: if one member is injured, the others will feel an equal amount of agony. These individuals must become the lab rats and scapegoats of an incomplete system designed with world peace in mind. With their fates literally intertwined, the Kiznaivers must expose their true selves to each other, or risk failing much more than just the Kizuna System.

Kiznaiver is an anime-original series from Studio Trigger, and it certainly has the style to prove it even if it starts off rather tame compared to other series the studio is known for. If your flavor of dramatic romantic development is “complicated entanglements (with a sci-fi backdrop)” , this show should absolutely be up your alley.

What is Occultic;Nine?

> A blog disproving the supernatural, co-run by NEET teenager Yuuta Gamon and his enthusiastic best friend Ryouka Narusawa, becomes the catalyst that would bring together a group of people who supposedly have nothing to do with each other.

> These individuals include high school fortune teller Miyuu Aikawa, who joins Yuuta to work on the blog; realist Sarai Hashigami, who is stunned when tragedy strikes his family; doujin artist Ririka Nishizono, who has an uncanny ability to predict the future with her art; black magic practitioner and local curse expert Aria Kurenaino and her ghostly friend; Shun Moritsuka, a seemingly childish otaku detective; and reporter Touko Sumikaze.

> As this unlikely group, bound only by the strings of fate, find their way to each other, they are confronted with murder and other events that are shrouded by the presence of the supernatural. They must band together to solve the mysteries interlacing the city and their lives.

Occultic;Nine is another A-1 Pictures adaptation of a light novel series (albeit with a conclusive anime-original ending because the anime finished before the third LN was released). If the semicolon in the title gave you Steins;Gate vibes right away, that’s because both shows are part of the Science Adventure franchise and Occultic;Nine even has a Kanako Itou OP as well. While Occultic;Nine doesn’t reach the same heights Steins;Gate does, it’s still an incredibly fun mystery series despite the… eccentric pacing at times.

What is Yuri on Ice?

> Reeling from his crushing defeat at the Grand Prix Finale, Yuuri Katsuki, once Japan's most promising figure skater, returns to his family home to assess his options for the future. At age 23, Yuuri's window for success in skating is closing rapidly, and his love of pork cutlets and aptitude for gaining weight are not helping either.

> However, Yuuri finds himself in the spotlight when a video of him performing a routine previously executed by five-time world champion, Victor Nikiforov, suddenly goes viral. In fact, Victor himself abruptly appears at Yuuri's house and offers to be his mentor. As one of his biggest fans, Yuuri eagerly accepts, kicking off his journey to make it back onto the world stage. But the competition is fierce, as the rising star from Russia, Yuri Plisetsky, is relentlessly determined to defeat Yuuri and win back Victor's tutelage.

Yuri on Ice is an anime-original series from Studio MAPPA. If you’re a fan of the type of sports anime where someone regains the passion they once had for their sport of choice (in this case, ice skating), then boy is this one for you. I thoroughly enjoyed rooting for Yuuri when watching this for the first time earlier this month.

What is Erased?

> When tragedy is about to strike, Satoru Fujinuma finds himself sent back several minutes before the accident occurs. The detached, 29-year-old manga artist has taken advantage of this powerful yet mysterious phenomenon, which he calls "Revival," to save many lives.

> However, when he is wrongfully accused of murdering someone close to him, Satoru is sent back to the past once again, but this time to 1988, 18 years in the past. Soon, he realizes that the murder may be connected to the abduction and killing of one of his classmates, the solitary and mysterious Kayo Hinazuki, that took place when he was a child. This is his chance to make things right.

> Erased follows Satoru in his mission to uncover what truly transpired 18 years ago and prevent the death of his classmate while protecting those he cares about in the present.

Boku dake ga Inai Machi is yet another A-1 Pictures adaptation, this time of a manga rather than a light novel. If you’re a fan of series with time travel as a prominent element in the plot, this one’s for you.

What is 91 Days?

> As a child living in the town of Lawless, Angelo Lagusa has witnessed a tragedy: his parents and younger brother have been mercilessly slaughtered by the Vanetti mafia family. Losing everything he holds dear, he leaves both his name and hometown behind, adopting the new identity of Avilio Bruno.

> Seven years later, Avilio finally has his chance for revenge when he receives a mysterious letter prompting him to return to Lawless. Obliging, he soon encounters the Vanetti don's son, Nero, and seeks to befriend him using the skills he has quietly honed for years.

> Set during the Prohibition era, 91 Days tells the story of Avilio's dark, bloodstained path to vengeance, as he slowly ends each of the men involved in the killing of his family.

91 Days is an anime-original series by Studio Shuka. This being the darkest show of the bunch is why I decided to save it to be “last” in the weekly lineup, in part to contrast with starting the week with the most lighthearted of the bunch. If you’re a fan of adult casts, the Prohibition era flavor of historical settings, or anything to do with the mafia, this’ll be your cup of tea.

#Wait, what even IS a rewatch?

Rewatches on this sub are effectively the weekly airing discussion threads, but for older shows and usually paced at one-per-day rather than one-per-week. This one’s going to be a bit special in this regard.

These are open to both people who haven't seen the show before as well as those who have – any discussion of events past that day's given episode must be spoiler tagged using r/anime's spoiler tag format, so as to not ruin the first-timers' experience. Reading their reactions or having those reactions yourself is half the fun of a rewatch, you know?

/r/anime's spoiler tag format is as follows:

[Sakamoto]>!Sakamoto is COOL! COOLER! COOLEST!!<

Which becomes [Sakamoto]>!Sakamoto is COOL! COOLER! COOLEST!!< when you don't break the formatting on purpose like I just did.

As for how to participate, just pick whatever you're comfortable with. Some people do bullet point live reactions, some people write essays, some just show up to share memes or fanart and then dip, some solely respond to other participants rather than having a top-level comment on their own – anything goes as long as you're not being rude!

So, plan ahead on what you're going to do, watch the episodes each day on your own, and be ready to jump in any time after the threads get posted!

#What's the schedule?

This is where the crazy part of the idea comes in, because as mentioned above, rewatches are normally paced as one episode per day. My reason for picking 7 shows with exactly 12 episodes (we’re ignoring any specials for the sake of this rewatch) is because the schedule is going to function like all 7 shows are newly airing on different days of the week, so we discuss 1 episode of each show per week for the duration of the summer season.

That means:

• Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto’s episodes will be discussed on Sundays.

• Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions’ episodes will be discussed on Mondays.

• Kiznaiver’s episodes will be discussed on Tuesdays.

• Occultic;Nine’s episodes will be discussed on Wednesdays.

• Yuri on Ice’s episodes will be discussed on Thursdays.

• Erased’s episodes will be discussed on Fridays.

• 91 Days’ episodes will be discussed on Saturdays.

Do note that this rewatch is only covering the main TV series for all seven of these shows. If any of them have specials that were released later, you’ll need to watch those on your own time.

If enough interest is gathered, this means that the rewatch will run from July 5th to September 27th (we’ll finish the episodes on September 26th, the 27th is just for an overall discussion thread). I intend to post the discussion threads at 5 pm EDT, the same time I posted this thread.

#I'm in, where can I watch these shows?

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto: No Legal Streams

Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions: Crunchyroll

Kiznaiver: Crunchyroll

Occultic;Nine: Crunchyroll

Yuri!!! on Ice: Crunchyroll and Hulu

Erased: Crunchyroll and Hulu

91 Days: Apple TV

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I look forward to hopefully taking a trip back to 2016 with all of you in a few weeks!

Until then!