The second cour (or sequel) to Fall 2015’s Gakusen Toshi Asterisk, and we’re back following Ayato Amagiri and his harem for more fantastic fan service and inter-school battles. Although there’s no solid information out yet, rumors suggest that the upcoming season will cover up until the end of the Pheonix Festa. If you’ve watched the previous season of Asterisk War, you can expect to see more of the same, with some epic battles and cute girls. As a split cour, A-1 pictures will still be behind the production which almost guarantees consistency with the art and animation. One thing that hopefully also remains consistent is the quality of the soundtrack, after the unforgettable “Waiting for the rain” ending theme from the first season, and with Shiena Nishizawa returning to perform the opening theme again. With a pre-established harem in place, the new season is likely to feature more detailed arcs for character development, as well as of course getting to see a whole lot more of our favorite girls acting all cute. Gakusen Toshi Asterisk 2 is likely to be a solid choice for anyone’s watch list next season.

Based on an adult visual novel, Wagamama High Spec follows protagonist and ecchi romcom mangaka Kouki Narumi, a student at Ousui Academy. A secret known only to his best friend and younger sister, Kouki wants to keep his identity as a mangaka under wraps lest he be ridiculed at school as a pervert. But everything gets thrown up in the air when student council president Kaoruko Rokuonji finds out about Kouki’s hidden life, and uses it to rope him into joining the student council. Not much information is currently released regarding Wagamama High Spec, with little more than one key visual to tell us what we can expect the animation to look like. Although if it’s anything like said visual, it’s going to be a very pretty show. One of the upcoming season’s short anime at 5 minutes per episode, honestly any ecchi or harem fan should have this on their watch list to get their weekly bite sized portion of cute girls. Given the source material and length of the show’s episodes, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing heavy plot development in the show. But with the success of other ecchi short anime like Okusama ga Seitokaichou, this shouldn’t be much of a problem. Hopefully we can look forward to some great and gorgeous girls, as well as some steamy ecchi scenes.

An avid MMORPGer, Hideki Nishimura’s dreams come crumbling down after the girl he confesses to online turns out to be a boy. Flash forward two years to the present day, and Hideki finds himself still unable to trust girls after the incident. But now a cute girl online is proposing to him, so with the tables turned, what will he do? A fairly new studio, Project No.9 have produced a few ecchi shows prior to Netoge no Yome wa Onnananoko Janai, including Ro-Kyu-Bu! and Recently, My Little Sister is Unusual. Despite being such a new studio, from the trailer and key visuals the show is looking very nice, with some quality animation and a cute, bouncy art style. Adapted from a reasonably well rated light novel, we can expect a decent story with a focus on introducing the host of cute girls, along with some funny antics and inevitable misunderstandings. Netoge no Yome wa Onnananoko Janai is looking to be one of the most fan service filled titles of the season, and likely the guilty pleasure of many. With big chests, lolis, teachers and kitty girls, Netoge no Yome is looking to have some of the sweetest female treats of the season as well. We can’t guarantee it’ll have the best storyline of the season, but if as far as ecchi, harem action goes, it’s definitely one to watch.

Based on the MMORPG by CyberStep, Onigiri features a world where the supernatural and mystical legends of Japan come to life, and players fight against the evil Kamikui alongside 8 powerful allies. The new anime focuses on the 5 allies that are female and their fight against the Kamikui, with magic battles, comedy and fan service. Another short anime at 5 minutes per episode, much like Wagamama High Spec there isn’t a lot of information out about the Onigiri anime. Due to the length of the story in the game, we still can’t be sure whether they’ll be covering the official story in the show, or going for a less serious, original plot to show off the characters. True to the name, ‘Oni’giri features numerous oni characters, such as Ibaraki Douji, the red and black haired half cat girl, one of the most stand-out members of the cast. With this in mind we should be seeing a host of interesting and appealing characters, with some nice variety in design. Given that it’s being adapted from a game, and game adaptations have been notoriously questionable in the past, it may be a good idea to tread carefully and set your expectations for Onigiri too high. But with a short run time and come colourful fun looking girls, it’s certainly worth giving it a shot.

Earth is under attack by an life form known as the Savage, and only one thing can stop them, weapons known as Hundred. Desiring to become a Slayer, one who can wield a Hundred, Kisaragi Hayato has begun attending Little Garden, a battle school. But not long after he joins, odd things start happening, like his roommate Emil Crossford who for some reason seems to know him, or the fact that the ‘Queen’ of the school is now challenging him to a duel. From the synopsis alone, Hundred gives off a very similar vibe to Gakusen Toshi Asterisk and Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry from the Fall 2015 season, with the fantasy school setting, first episode duel, and of course the harem of cute girls. With that mind, we can probably expect to see some action packed fights, comedic misunderstandings, and delicious fanservice. The studio, Production IMS, have previously done other similar shows such as Shinmai Maou no Testament and Date A Live, so we can likely expect similar things from Hundred in terms of production quality and style. Hundred is looking to be one of the ‘safest’ harem shows of the season, with a fairly similar feel to a number of popular shows that have aired recently, as well as girls with some fairly standard looking archetypes. On top of being a light novel adaptation, Hundred might not do anything particularly flashy or clever, but provide more of the standard ecchi harem goodness we’ve come to expect from a couple of shows each season.

On the way back from the convenience store, Subaru Natsuki gets unexpectedly transported to an old fantasy world, a far cry from modern Japan. What’s more, not long after his arrival he finds himself cornered in an alley, fighting for his life, only to be saved by a beautiful silver haired girl. But things don’t get much better after that, with them both getting killed shortly after. However much to Subaru’s surprise he wakes up in the exact same place as when he first arrived in the strange new world, time apparently reversed. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu is on its way to being one of the best looking titles out of the new season’s selection of ecchi and harem shows, with some very detailed animation and varied character designs. The main characters are voiced mainly by fairly new seiyuus, with Subara voiced by Yuusuke Kobayashi, Arslan from Arsland Senki, and the female lead voiced by Rie Takahashi, Megumi from Winter 2016’s KonoSuba. With Megumi being such a popular character recently, it’ll be interesting to see the performance they both give in Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu. From current trailers and visuals, the show seems to be more focused on plot and action rather than fan service, although there are of course still some very cute girls. Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu is looking to be a good recommendation for more than just ecchi and harem fans, and one to keep an eye on in Spring 2016.

A kamidere, in the simplest terms, is an anime archetype for characters with a god complex. The word derives from the roots ‘kami,’ which means god and then the common suffix of ‘dere,’ which means loving and is commonly seen attached to other anime archetypes like tsundere and yandere. Admittedly, the ‘loving’ aspect might be rather tough to find in such characters, but that shall be discussed in a little bit. To begin, the essential thought process for such characters cover a couple aspects. First, they tend to believe they are destined for greatness. When your dream is to conquer the world, it would be a bit strange if you actually didn’t feel this way. The second is that they are certain that the life they lead surpasses or is beyond the grasp of their fellow men. This facet of their personality generally acts as the catalyst for them turning into kamidere. The moment you start believing that you are above your fellow man is the moment you have developed a god-complex. As a result, it should not come as a surprise that many of these characters come off as confident, if not just arrogant.

Death Note follows Light Yagami as he creates a “utopia” through the power of the Death Note. The Death Note is simply a journal owned by shinigami, gods of death, that has the power to kill the person whose name is written into it. There are quite a few rules that go along with how to properly use such a journal, however, the price of using the Death Note is that you can neither go to Heaven nor Hell. Well, after the shinigami Ryuk drops his Death Note on purpose into the human world, it falls into the hands of the idealistic and slightly bored Light. From there, Light begins to use the Death Note in order to create a world that he sees as just, but his version of justice is questionable to say the least and catches the attention of the world-renowned detective known as ‘L’. A pretty obvious give away that Light is a kamidere is the simple fact that he wants to create a utopia that he’s the god of. He goes so far as to say “I am the God placed here to save the weak and create a perfect world.” If that does not depict a god complex, then only god knows what does. Admittedly, Light is a genius, one that not only is able to successfully outplay L, but also create his utopia within the span of the show. To do this he uses everyone and everything at his disposal. In fact, even the people he’s been closest to are nothing more than tools. During his father’s last breaths, instead of being legitimately sad, he tries to use the moment to find out the actual identity of ‘L’ in order to kill him. Anyone who desires any sort of intimacy with him is used as means of a spokesperson or scapegoat. It is quite sad if you consider that his initial goal was to protect the weak and innocent. The ends don’t always justify the means, and that’s something Light should have remembered.

Generally, it can be expected for what started off as confidence to turn into arrogance as the narrative develops. The reason behind this is that kamideres often do have a few skills/attributes that are at an exceptional level. Their communities frequently observe and praise these characters at a young age for intellectual brilliance or physical promise. Many have already accomplished quite a few incredible feats in their life or have attained a certain status. It is their belief in their skills as well as the supportive environment that allows them to appreciate and love life for all the possibilities it brings. Thus, kamideres can often see the good or at least true talent in other people. However, their abilities also tend to immediately seclude them from their society as they are hoisted onto a pedestal. It’s from this point that they receive the opportunity to see all that is wrong with the world. Throw into the mix a supernatural ability to change the world (Lelouch’s Geass in Code Geass or Akashi’s Emperor Eye in Kuroko no Basket) when the character has reached such a stage and, well, there’s no stopping them now in trying to enforce a new world order. Did that escalate too quickly? The mixture of their reasoning and character traits generally lead to a very interesting plot as the characters are forced into an extremely dynamic environment. In general, a story that follows someone trying to conquer anything, especially something as grand as the world, will have lots of action and some political intrigue as well. That’s exactly why a revolution is a common setting for a kamidere.

In a futuristic world where mobile mecha known as Knightmares exist, Japan has been conquered by Britannia and declared as District 11. The Japanese people, unhappy with Britannia’s rule, have formed resistance groups. One such resistance group is under the lead of the tactician Zero, aka Lelouch vi Britannia, an ex-prince who wants to get revenge on his father for murdering his mother and exiling him and sister. It is with the power of Geass and his supreme intellect that he is willing and capable to take on the overwhelming force of a world superpower. “Before creation there must be destruction. If my soul stands in the way, then I'll toss it aside. Yes, I have no choice but to move forward.” Here’s a prime example of Lelouch exalting himself past normal human standards, albeit, in a slightly painful manner. Lelouch, like Light Yagami, has an enormous intellect and when given the power to create change, allows himself to dive headfirst as a leading revolutionary. He also has a slight tendency to use people in order to get what he wants. Unlike, Light though, Lelouch does feel guilt over using human life and is actually affected by his personal relationships while relying on them heavily. Though he is ego-centric and believes he is the only one capable of reigning in a new future, it is purely a future for the people. SPOILER: Thus, his willingness to sacrifice himself as the final act of the rebellion.

A nice thing about this archetype is that it can actually be used for various effects outside of drama/action. Admittedly, it is generally entertaining to watch a leading kamidere, such as Light Yagami from Death Note, go all-out in his/her desire to change the world. Nonetheless, if kamideres were always associated with such drama, then the archetype would be rather dull in respect to the other anime character structures, which tend to allow more room for differing subtleties. Thankfully, the spectrum of a kamidere has quite a bit of range. For example, there’s the more humorous type of kamidere like Black Star from Soul Eater, who’s greater than god attitude is consistently used for comedic relief. I mean when someone has the guts to declare the majestic statement: “Are you scared? I understand. The first time I saw my reflection in the mirror, even I was frightened by how BIG my reflection was.” It takes quite the ego to even utter such a statement, but Black Start has a plethora of lines that touch upon his lack of humility. There’s also Keima from Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows) who views himself as the “God of Conquest” for having beaten an unheard amount of dating sims. “I don't give a damn about the real world,” is one of his most famous quotes, which demonstrate just how far he has removed himself from the realm of mortals. Also, despite the fact that he doesn’t have any aspirations for world conquest, his confidence when it comes to winning over a girl is on display throughout the series. With such characters, it’s not too hard why some could see kamideres as the drama queens of the anime world. They are after all the characters who demand immediate attention the moment they are on-screen. They’re also the type who will blow a fuse whenever something goes slightly off the planned course. Whether that’s have the tides of battle turned by an unexpected opponent or simply someone, who they would refer to as a ‘peasant,’ touching them without permission depends on the character. The type of character will also determine whether or not the audience finds such an outburst rather attractive or simply childish. If you take a character like Jamil from Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, then chances are you will see his frustration as simply childish and self-delusional to the fullest extent.

Acting as a prequel to Fate/Stay Night, Fate Zero depicts the events of the Fourth Holy Grail War and the reasons why it is considered one of the most horrific and gruesome wars within the series. Though the narrative follows several characters, the main figures are Kiritsugu Emiya, who is known as a “Mage Killer,” and the noble Sabre spirit he summoned, Arturia. Well, opposing Kiritsugu and Sabre as one of the most deadly antagonists is the Archer spirit of Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh considers himself as the most powerful beings in the universe. He dons a complete golden armor set, becomes extremely irritated when Berseker touches him, and demands that Sabre become his wife. “Ephemeral and brilliant one, fall to my embrace. That is my decision” is apparently a reasonable proposal in his mind. Even though there are a few redeeming moments, such as when he pays his respect to Alexander the Great, overall, the guy is quite the tyrant. Nonetheless, he is the “King of Heroes” for a reason and has the power to back up almost everything he claims. He is, after all, the one heroic spirit who was capable of becoming corporeal again and existing within the human plane of existence.