We at Animetics believe that ordinary anime seasonal blog previews are kind of boring. Thus, we made Spring’s preview into a wager-based game. Now, the winner of Spring’s game coolly makes odds for summer while the losers set themselves up for failure while chasing back wine and rum. Unless you’ve been reading us for a while, you’ve never read a preview quite like this. We’re taking mad bets on the Summer 2013 Anime Season, Vegas-style.

The Actual Rules:

1. Each show has a multiplier associated with it for each category, with a lower multiplier corresponding to higher odds of success. Betting on Fate/zero to be a popular show should not be given equal value with a surprise long-shot hit like, say, Koutoura-san.
2. There are 8 total categories, representing various different things which could happen to a show. Odds for each can be found here.
3. Will and Drew each get 100 Woolongs to bet on each category, 800 Woolongs total.
4. All of their funds must be wagered. Ya gotta go all-in! But you can spread it out however you like within the category.
5. Any net profit means the bettor wins. 801 Woolongs or more means victory, 799 or less means defeat, and 800 means you’re a witch/pillar man and must be burned.
6. “Winner” gets bragging rights and the unenviable position of making odds come fall.

You didn’t actually read that, did you? It’s cool, I barely read it myself, and I was the one doing the typing. On to the fun!

Category #1: Will be in the top 5 highest-rated series of summer on myanimelist

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Free! (x1.5) – It’s a series from kyoani that blew up on tumblr. We will definitely see a lot of people who watch and love this.
2. Monogatari Second Season (x1.5) – No Monogatari Series is below #250 in ratings on MAL.
3. Silver Spoon (x1.5)
It’s a series that’s airing in Noitamina from Hiromu Arakawa. This one looks great.
4. Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA*ILLYA (x2) – From what I have read of the manga it’s a really fun one, and TYPE-MOON fans love their stuff.
5. WataMote (x2.5) – Its an adaptation of a great series from a great director with subject matter that the kind of people who watch anime in America would identify with.

Drew: This one is more iffy, so I’m going with my best bet. Sequels have a well-documented ratings inflation effect, and we’re looking at a series where the original is in the top 150. 100 on the rock-solid Monogatari Series s2.

Will: 100 on Monogatari S2 for sure. I’ll probably be contributing to it’s high ratings too.

Category #2: Will be one of the 5 most popular series of summer on myanimelist

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Free! (x1.5) – Its Swimming Anime.
2. Monogatari Second Season (x1.5) – Its Monogatari.
3. Silver Spoon (x1.5) – It’s a Noitamina anime based on a popular manga from the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist.
4. WataMote (x2) – It’s subject matter is basically what every internet denizen has ever had to go through
5. Rozen Maiden (x2) – Rozen Maiden is a very popular franchise and this reboot seems poised to continue that trend

Drew: DxD a at x4 odds would be a calculated risk for top 1, but for the top 5? I’m betting it all on booblack. 100 on DxD New.

Will: I’m going to go 100 on Dangan Ronpa. It’s exactly the kind of thing US audiences love, it’s been getting some serious buzz on the internet, and I know the source material and staff are good.

Category #3: Will have a disparity of >2000 in placing between popularity and rating on myanimelist

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Highschool DXD New (x2) – Series like these tend to not have high ratings but have high viewerships. Ecchi series are like that.
2. Gatchaman Crowds (x2) – This looks like a gem that might not be found by many, unfortunately.
3. Tamayura ~More Aggressive~ (x3) – Fans of this series love it. People who are not fans usually haven’t heard of it.
4. Uchoten Kazoku (x3) – It’s a show that looks very good but also looks a little on the artsy side. Also looks Japanese as all get out.
5. Kamisama No Inai Nichiyoubi (x3) – There’s no telling how this one will go, both quality and viewership wise. Probably the most Chuunibyou anime of the year.

Drew: This category is tricky. 100 on Teekyu 2 because I believe in magic. Magic and undroppable 2-minute anime of questionable awesomeness/awesome questionableness.

Will: I’m going to go with Ro-Kyu-Bu SS for this one. The first season is almost already at it. Loli basketball draws a small but dedicated fanbase.

Category #4: Will contain >1 kisses

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Highschool DXD New (x1.5) – its an ecchi series. I’ve seen a little bit of the first season, and it does employ the mouth candy.
2. Brothers Conflict (x1.5) – Otome games seem to be better at showing the mouth goods then harem games.
3. Kimi no Iru Machi (x1.5) – It’s a “realistic” romance and is from later in the manga, after the characters are already in a relationship.
4. Blood Lad (x1.5) – Vampire kisses. AH YEAH
5. Monogatari Second Season (x1.5) – Arararararararagi and Crab have been in a relationship long enough that they will kiss. also Shinbo knows how to pander tastefully.

Drew: 60 on TWGOK for safety, then the remaining 40 on the undeniable yuri teases Symphogear will contain.

Will: Feel like playing it safe, 100 on TWGOK.

Category #5: Will be licensed for Home Video release in the U.S.

NOTE: There will be no betting on Silver Spoon, Monogatari Second Season, or Servant X Service as they have already been licensed.

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Highschool DXD New (x1.5) – Funimation already has the first season so I would not be surprised if they get the second.
2. Free! (x1.5) – It’s the series that blew up hard on Tumblr. I doubt that anybody would pass it up.
3. The World God Only Knows Megami-hen (x2) – The first 2 seasons have already been licensed by Sentai.
4. Genshiken Nidaime (x2) – The other 2 seasons have been licensed by Media Blasters, although they might not be in the right shape to license it.
5. Rozen Maiden (x2) – Rozen Maiden recently got a re-release in the US so I would not be surprised if this series was also picked up.

Drew: Playing this one safe with the game-following U.S. crowd and putting 100 on Dangan Ronpa.

Will: Well, I have to go risky here, so everything on Fantasista Dolls. I don’t know, just wanted to bet on it, since it’s from the creator of Code Geass.

Category #6: Will contain >0 scenes where a character cries out of sadness

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Monogatari Second Season (x1.5) – Its Monogatari, a show almost literally about emotions.
2. Inu to Hasami wa Tsukaiyo (x1.5) – The PV has shown a lot of crying already.
3. Kamisama No Inai Nichiyoubi (x1.5) – Its grimdarky atmosphere shows that there will probably be some crying.
4. Uchoten Kazoku (x2) – It seems like this show would have some very hard, quiet, and sad scenes.
5. Silver Spoon (x2) – The show is about a kid being really out of his element, which usually means that we can expect some crying.

Drew: Maybe it’s the cheap wine, but it seems like I’ll be betting on Symphogear a lot tonight. 3x odds for tears in a show that I knew from what I saw of s1 likes to be emo is the sweetest deal on that board. 100 on Symphogear G (for “Gonna lose all your Woolongs”).

Will: Yeah, with Drew on this one. I can see that for sure, 100 on Symphogear.

Category #7: Will have at least one Explosion in episode 1

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jogakuin Koutouka C3-Bu (x2) – The show is about survivalist games, which seem like they would have some explosions.
2. Senki Zesshou Symphogear G (x2) – The first season was very explosion heavy.
3. Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA*ILLYA (x2) – The manga already had explosions; the only question is how far they will get in the first season.
4. Monogatari Second Season (x3) – NEVER DOUBT THE CRAZINESS OF SHINBO
5. Gatchaman Crowds (x3) – Its an action show about a group of superheroes; its screaming for explosions.

Drew: Can’t find one bargain I really like on here. Gonna go 30 on Gatchaman, 60 on Dangan Ronpa, and 10 on Teekyu.

Will: Lets go everything on Symphogear. I remember some explosions.

Category #8: Will place at least one single in the Oricon Music Charts

Sam’s Top 5 Handicaps:
1. Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA*ILLYA (x2) – TYPE-MOON fans are very rabid
2. Monogatari Second Season (x2) – So are Monogatari fans
3. Free! (x2) – And fujioshis
4. Senki Zesshou Symphogear G (x3) – The series is BUILT around singing
5. Hyperdimension Neptunia the Animation (x3) – Seems like the type of series that would sell well on music charts

Drew: Nana Mizuki’s voice at x3 odds? Done. 100 on Symphogear G. I almost want to demand prop bet odds on Vitalization specifically, but rules are rules.

Will: I don’t know anything about the music charts (they’re too mainstream for me), so I’ll just go with 100 on the show based around singing.

And that’s all, she wrote. That is, until the season starts and proves us all wrong in some very comical ways. Until then, enjoy the anticipation!