Like All the Cool Kids (Fall Preview)

*Insert Pretty Picture to Draw People In*

As the curtain begins to fall on the summer season, the time has come to eagerly await  the upcoming fall season.

Since I’ve always admired them from afar, now that I have my own blow I thought I’d try out those cool looking “Season Preview” posts that I’ve seen other bloggers diligently put together. Even though it was a lot of work and took me forever, putting this together was pretty fun and I enjoyed doing it. Even though I was planning to put these in some sort of order, getting this out as soon as possibly trumps that, so everything’s pretty jumbled up. To be honest, though, since I have a pretty hopeful outlook regarding most shows a ranking probably would have been a pain in the butt. I tried my hardest to include all the shows on the season preview chart and to give some thoughts on each.

As for this upcoming fall season in general, I think it has a lot of potential. There are a few shows that have potential to set themselves a part from the rest, and few that look like they’ll by, at the least, an entertaining watch. Personally, though, I’m pretty excited for the shoujo adaptations coming out because I don’t think that enough good ones have been adapted. Overall, I have pretty high hopes for this season and I think it could possibly churn out a a few gems…and perhaps a few train wrecks.

While it may not be the best preview ever, I hope you enjoy skimming  reading through it.

Kyousogiga

• Director: Matsumoto Rei, Production Studio: Toei Animation, Original Creator: Todo Izumi, Series Composition: ??

 Three kids are stuck in a strange city causing massive mayhem through the land. They are searching for an atypical rabbit in order to return home. Koto, the eldest of the three, seems to have some sort of connection to this weird place ruled by a monk, a demon, and a priest.

Source: ANN

Unfortunately, I haven’t watched the first season ONA yet (with its grand total of 1 episodes). I’ve heard some good things about the show, especially concerning its eccentricity. I’ll probably give this show a look once I sit down and find some time to watch it’ episode prequel because it I think the concept is pretty surreal and perks my interest..

Battle Spirits: Sword Eyes (sequel)

• Director: Watanabe Masaki, Production Studio: Sunrise, Original Creator: Yatate Hajime, Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka

The story is set 14 years after Atlantia, the largest country in the world of Legendia, was torn apart by riots. The protagonist Tatewaki Tsurugi was secreted away from the chaos at a young age. Oblivious to his true birthplace, Tsurugi grows up as a spirited boy in the neighboring rocky land of Pacifis.

One day, Tsurugi suddenly comes across the Shining Sword, and his great adventure begin. An army of darkness is hunting down the 12 Sword Braves, and as the army pursues Tsurugi, a figure appears before him. Bringer is a Card Battle Droid entrusted with the duty of protecting Tsurugi. Trained by Bringer in the ways of the Battle Spirits combat, Tsurugi joins the other Sword Braves in rising up against the army of darkness with his Key Spirit Shining Dragon.

Source: ANN

Perhaps it’s the overly energetic children who are lit up by the colors of their clothing and gripping cards; maybe it’s the ugly mecha animals hanging out in the background; maybe it’s the the out of place guy speeding through the picture on his motorcycle; or maybe it’s the words “army of darkness”, “Shining Sword”, and “Sword Braves”; but I find myself wholly unattracted to this series. Ever since my Yu-Gi-Yoh days back when I was like seven, I’ve never much been into card fighting games.

Cross Fight B-Daman eS

• Director: Odaka Yoshinori, Production Studio: SynergysSP, Original Creator: d-rights/Takara Tomy, Series Composition: Hiroyuki Kawasaki

The anime takes place in Crest Land, where the mysterious B-Crystal has started to go berserk. The main protagonist Godai Kamon lives in the south area of Crest Land, and is an energetic boy who loves B-Daman. However, he lost his all past memories of B-Daman and his family, except for his big sister Aona who lives with him. One day, Kamon meets Galvan, a B-Daman at his local B-Daman shop, B-Junk, and he finds Galvan strangely familiar. Galvan becomes his partner, and he returns to the B-Daman battles once again.

Source: ANN

What the heck is B-Daman? Is it that weird phoenix thing in the background? What the heck is Godai holding? A figurine/box thing?? Oh how the clarity of this description (and poster) wins me over. Pass.

Kamisama Kiss

• Director: Daichii Akitaro , Production Studio: TMS Entertainment, Original Creator: Suzuki Julietta, Series Composition: ??

After her father having run away due to gambling debts, and being evicted from her apartment,Nanami meets Mikage, a strange man who is afraid of dogs. Nanami saves Mikage from a dog and tells him her story. He gives Nanami his house as a thank you for saving him. Nanami accepts the offer, due to having nowhere else to go. Mikage draws her up a map showing her where to go. Upon arriving, she finds that it is a rundown shrine. Nanami is then almost killed by Tomoe, who was expecting Mikage to finally return after his 20 year absence. She is then greeted by both Onikiri and Kotetsu, as the new land god of the shrine. Unable to accept Nanami as the new land god, Tomoe mocks her then leaves the shrine, which, without Tomoe’s power transforms back into a run-down state. Not wanting to rob Tomoe of his home and realizing that her powers as a god are too weak anyway Nanami leaves, but eventually is brought back by Tomoe after she seals a contract with him, making him her familiar.

Source: Wikipedia

I suppose I should say this early on: I have a great love, or I suppose soft spot would be more accurate, for shoujo. Way back when I was first getting into anime and manga, I was a such a shoujo lover; I was so attached that I would breeze by any series without the tags shoujo or romance in them. Thankfully, I’ve learned that shoujo is not the greatest genre in the world and have learned to appreciate more genres. Though I’ve been unable to forget my roots and still read (and enjoy to an extent) a great deal of shoujo now.

Having said that I can now say that I am really looking forward to Kamisama Kiss. I started this manga over summer and liked it a lot. It tends to lean more on the comedy side of things, never really slipping into territory that is overly dramatic or angsty, making it a read that isn’t too heavy or frustrating. I think the characters’s interactions with each other are fun to watch, mainly because I find Nanami to be quite the affable character. She’s a bit of a ditz sometimes, but is generally a go getter and takes her duties as a god seriously, working to take care of her shrine as best she can. Tomoe is a bit of your stereotypical aloof love interest , but he grows on you. As with many shoujos, the romance is developed with lots of hints and sweet moments that never quite establish the pair as a couple (or at least as far as I’ve gotten). Even though it will probably take a while for the couple to form, there’s enough comedy, good drama, interesting characters, and pleasant hints to keep me satisfied.

So yeah. I’m pretty pumped about this adaptation and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

Robotics;Notes

• Director: Nomura Kazuya, Production Studio: Production I.G, Original Creator: Shijura Chiomaru, Series Composition: Jukki Hanada

It is the year 201. A device called the PhoneDroid, more commonly called the PokeCom, has gained wide-spread acceptance.

On the island of Tanegashima, Central Tanegashima High School’s Robot Research Club is on the verge of disbandment. Yashio Kaito shows absolutely no interest in the Club despite the situation and being one of the club’s only 2 members. He is fully absorbed in developing a robot fighting game. His attitude causes friction with Akiho, the other member.

Senomiya Akiho is the reckless Club President. She is determined to save the club by completing construction of a giant robot.

One day, whilst Kaito was in a park, working on his computer game as usual, he hears a girl’s voice and discovers the A.R. annotation of the Kimijima Report. It is an allegation of a plot by one Kimijima Kou’s with world-wide implications.

Source: aniDB ( translated and adapted from official site by Cranston)

Going off of the synopsis, it doesn’t sound terribly interesting which the setting appearing to be quite average and the characters not exactly the most imaginative sounding. Though, the last paragraph hints the show may go deeper than club antics, it’s kind of vague and hard to understand. Because I’m not particularly interested in this, I think I’ll hold off on this and see how it goes.

Medaka Box Abnormal

• Director: Saeki Shouji, Production Studio: Actas, Original Creator: NisiOisiN, Series Composition: ??

 Second Season of Medaka’s Box.

Didn’t see the first season and have no desire to. The dramatic poster and shredded clothes don’t do much for me. On a side note: being the Student Council President must be really hard…

Psycho-Pass

• Director: Naoyoshi Shiotani, Production Studio: Production I.G, Original Creator: ?? Series Composition: Gen Urobochi

In the near future, it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person’s state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term “Psycho-Pass” refers to a standard used to measure an individual’s being. The story centers around the “enforcement officer” Shinya Kōgami, who is tasked with managing crime in such a world.

Source: Wikipedia

Well…it sounds interesting. So far, things are boding well for this series with (what I think are really nice) character designs by Akira Amano, best known for Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, and the script being written by Gen Urobuchi whose popularity rocketed to the heavens after his work on Fate/Zero and everyone’s favorite, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica . I’ll probably end up sticking with this one for a bit, at least, to find out what it’s about. I am excited to see if all the mystery lives up to something. Though, I can see how this can crash and burn if not handled properly (characters are half baked, bunch of not-so-interesting one episode mysteries, pacing, etc.). Fingers crossed that this works out.

Magi

• Director: Masunari Koji, Production Studio: A-1 Pictures, Original Creator: Yoshino Hiroyuki, Series Composition: Hiroyuki Yoshino

 In a strange faraway land lies the mysterious labyrinth called The Dungeon. A young boy, Aladdin, and his companion Alibaba, attempt to penetrate the secrets of The Dungeon and obtain the treasures rumored to be hidden there. Within The Dungeon, Aladdin meets many different people, and eventually discovers his destiny.

Source: aniDB (translated and adapted from official site by Cranston)

And here we have another series with lots of hype behind it. I’ve been reading lots of good things about the manga (which is currently sitting on my plan to read list) and how it isn’t a typical shounen story. The story from what I’ve gathered through a M@D, glancing through some of the manga, and snippets in the PV (I know my stuff as you can tell) looks like it will be interesting if done correctly, mainly because of the hinting I saw of a darker story line, if that means much. I suppose my biggest worry is that I can see how this could turn into a typical shounen, but, hey, at least it’ll look pretty.

Ixion Saga DT

• Director: Takamatsu Shinji, Production Studio: Brains Base, Original Creator: Capcom, Series Composition: Akatsuki Yamatoya

Hokaze Kon is an otherwise normal boy who, one day, receives an inter-dimensional summons to the world of Mirror. He appears just in time to save the life of Princess Ecarlate, whose enemies are trying to prevent her political marriage. Kon, who knows nothing about Mirror nor the way home, attaches himself to Ecarlate’s entourage.

Source: aniDB (translated and adapted from official site by Cranston)

The romantic inside of me is already putting our hero together with the princess (as long as she’s not the loli on the right hand side); a foolish thought since I doubt that any romance that pops up will be only hints and never turn into anything. Oh well, a girl can dream can’t she?

I honestly don’t really know how I feel about this show. On one hand it sounds kind of interesting and I could see how this turning into a fun adventure series. On the other hand, this is adapted from a game, and those typically don’t turn out to be as interesting as they initially sound. I’m going to lean more towards it turning into a fun watch, so I’ll try and give this a shot (with the hopes of my wannabe romance becoming a reality).

Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb (sequel)

• Director: Shinobu Akiyuki, Production Studio: SHAFT, Original Creator: Aoki Ume, Series Composition: Miku Ooshima/ Nahoko Hasegawa

 Yuno has been accepted to her dream school: Yamabuki Arts High School. To attend the school, Yuno moves and starts to live in a small apartment building named the Hidamari Apartments located near the school. Once there, she starts making new friends like her classmate Miyako and the second year students, Hiro and Sae. Surrounded by good friends, Yuno starts moving towards her dream of being an artist.

Source: ANN

Never seen any of its predecessors. I hear its a cute show, but not obnoxiously so. I guess that explains the amount of sequels. On a completely random note: Do these character designs remind anyone else of Madoka‘s?

Busou Shinki

• Director: Kikichi Yasuhito, Production Studio: 8bit, Original Creator: Konami, Series Composition: Mashiro Yokotani

 Masato is a high school student who has been living abroad and has now returned to Japan. On his first day of school, he is awoken by An, his Arnval model Shinki. As he hurriedly prepares to depart, Aines, an Altines model, and Lene, an Altlene model, both make their way out from the boxes they had been packed within.

For the sake of their Master, they enthusiastically go about cleaning and squaring away Masato’s belongings. In the midst of this, they come across a box labeled “Valuable”.

What could be inside?

Source: aniDB (translated and adapted from official site by Cranston)

Iffy–Those character designs, besides having the usual fan service factor, look overly complicated for a show whose synopsis sounds really uninteresting. The whole female robots starting to clean high school boy’s apartment dampens my hopes of this being anything I’ll watch. Heck, I was bored at “Masato is a high school student who has been living abroad and has now returned to Japan.” I see useless fan service and equally useless male lead in this series’ future. Oh, and I’m sure that the box labeled as “Valuable” is a box full porno….or something of sentimental value; perhaps photos of deceased family members, or touching memories with friends, either option worthy of equally touching flashbacks.

Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

• Director: Kaburaki Hiro, Production Studio: Brains Base, Original Creator: Robico, Series Composition: Noboru Takagi

The romantic comedy centers around Mizutani Shizuku, a girl who has absolutely no interests except for school and her plans for the future. A boy named Yoshida would be seated next to her in class, but he has been constantly absent for one reason or another since the first day of school. By chance, she is sent to deliver class printouts to him, and that leads Yoshida to believe they are friends.

Source: ANN

Another shoujo adaptation! I know this is a source of woe and discouragement for many, but for me, the more good shoujo adaptations the better. Needless to say I am also eargerly awaiting this adaption of yet another manga I have enjoyed quite a bit. I know that most people were captivated by it’s eccentricly creative PV, but the source material for the series is also pretty good. The characters are all slightly eccentric, making them a fun bunch to watch. I thought the romance is cute because the leads play off each other well and have some sweet moments, but, then again, all shoujo romances are meant to be ”cute” and sugary sweet. In terms of the romance, I’m hoping to see couple formation close to the end so that I can have my couple, lovey dovey moments. As a high school shoujo, my expectations and standards aren’t terribly high, but the manga isn’t half bad and I with the director of Kimi ni Todoke, a series I enjoyed immensly, behind this, I think this adaptation will be pretty good. 

Although I’m not, surprisingly, looking at forward to this as the other shoujo airing this season, I still have high hopes that this will turn into an enjoyable watch.

Monsuno (American-Japanese Production)

• Director: Yoshiaki Okumura, Production Studio: LARX Entertainment, Original Creator: Pacific Animation Partners LLC, Series Composition: Michael Ryan

Chase Suno and his friends, Jinja and Bren, are on a search for Chase’s father, Jeredy Suno. However, they soon become involved in something else upon reaching their father’s lab and becoming involved with an organism known as Monsuno. Chase, choosing to side with his father’s work, denies S.T.O.R.M. access to the Monsuno and escapes.

They are now on the run from the military organization, S.T.O.R.M., while still looking for Chase’s father. However, a mysterious organization also has his eyes set on Chase and the group’s Monsuno.

Source: aniDB

So many pointing fingers!

On another note, since I live in the U.S., I’ve already seen some of this on and off again on the T.V. My ten year old brother loves it; I thought the dub was hilarious. I suppose that it could be worse, judging from what I’ve seen, but it’s so cheesy and childish that I can’t see myself ever seriously sitting down to watch this when there are so many other, more interesting series. Oh well, it is a kid’s show.

Little Busters

• Director: Yoshiki Yamakawa, Production Studio: J.C. Staff, Original Creator: Visual Art’s/Key, Series Composition: Michiru Shimada

 Little Busters! story revolves around the main protagonist Naoe Riki, a young male high school student. When Riki was a child, his parents died, leaving him hopeless and depressed. A group of three young boys and one girl his age saved him who referred to themselves as the Little Busters, a group dedicated to fighting evil and preserving justice.

The leader of the group was Natsume Kyousuke who had a younger sister named Rin. The other two members were Inohara Masato and Miyazawa Kengo, who were rivals despite being friends. They took Riki out and played together with him during his time of need, making him the fifth Little Busters member. In time, Riki enjoyed playing with them, and his grief over his parents gradually faded away. Now, Riki and his friends are in their second year of high school, except for Kyousuke who is in his third year. They still hang out together, and enjoy their school life.

Source: Wikipedia

Ah, Little Busters. Somehow I always sort of figured this would eventually be made into a series. I mean, how could it not when every single Key adaptation has multiple comments asking for a Little Busters adaptation, constantly talking about how wonderful it is. Well, they finally have their adaption.

Like everyone else, I was shocked when I saw KyoAni wasn’t animating this since Key and KyoAni have become synonymous with each other. Although I’ve never played the VN and, when I read the summary, didn’t think much of it, I think I felt a similar feeling of anxiousness when I saw J.C. Staff is animating the show, considering their track record of tsunderes and okay stories. However, they do have some gems, so perhaps this will be their next one. Since I think animation-wise this series will turn out okay (even if it isn’t KyoAni quality), I think the biggest nail bitter is the director who has only really directed a few series. However, he has worked on some good stuff (story boarding several episodes in Mushishi, one episode in Saraiya Goyou), so I’m going to withhold judgement for now. Although, he does have a lot of pressure on him, working on something that most expected would go to KyoAni or, at least, to a more experienced director. I can only hope he’ll manage rise to the expectations of everyone who was expecting someone else to do his job.

If the PV is any indicator of what the story is going to involve, it will, shockingly enough, be like other Key adaptations which are initially filled with up-beat, positive people…until the fit hits the shan and the pasts, and all those traumatizing moments, are brought up. There is a lot of emphasis on the up-beat aspect in both the summary and PV so maybe this show will actually be what it appears to be at first glance….Hahah, yeah right.

Since I don’t know a about the VN or the story, I’m actually kind of looking forward to this show to see what exactly all these people have been raving about for years.

Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne– 

• Director: Keiichiro Kawaguchi, Production Studio: SILVER LINK, Original Creator: Daisuke Suzuki, Series Composition: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu

 After six years of living apart due to the death of their parents, the Himenokōji twins, Akito and Akiko, are finally reunited when Akito desires to live as a family once more. Although things are fine at first, Akiko begins to express her incestuous love for her older brother, who only sees her as his little sister.

Source: Wikipedia

Sleeper hit of the season right here, guys! I’m calling it right now.

…Pass.

Zetsuen no Tempest

• Director: Masahiro Ando, Production Studio: BONES, Original Creator: Kyo Shirodaira, Series Composition: Mari Okada

 The story revolves around Mahiro Fuwa, a teenager whose family was mysteriously murdered one year before and his friend Yoshino Takigawa. Mahiro is contacted by Hakase Kusaribe, the leader of the Kusaribe clan who was left stranded on an unknown desert island by her followers, and agrees to help Hakase in exchange of her help to find out the culprit for the death of his family. Upon learining of his friend’s intentions, Yoshino joins him on his quest to stand against the Kusaribe clan who intends to awake the “Tree of Zetsuen” whose power can bring ruin to the entire world.

Several dialogues and plot elements in Zetsuen no Tempest pay homage to the works of William Shakespeare.

Source: Wikipedia

I don’t know why but those pink spots under all their eyes bother me every time I look at them. Were they all crying or something?!

The story doesn’t sound too bad, actually. To be honest, though, it does sound a bit cheesy: ordinary boy and friend + magic girl involved in plot that may or may not destroy the world. I can also see the homages being payed to Shakespeare possibly working against the story’s appeal unless they are really well integrated. 

Unless this turns out to be atrocious (doubtful), I’ll probably try to keep up with since I’m a fan of BONES and I’m interested to see if the plot goes beyond a seemingly typical story line.

Seitokai no Ichizon (sequel)

• Director: Kenichi imaizumi, Production Studio: AIC, Original Creator: Sekina Aoi, Series Composition: Reiko Yoshida

The members of the student council of Hekiyou Gakuen are chosen by a popularity vote. As a result, all the members are cute girls except for Sugisaki Ken, who studied hard to enter the council.

Source: MAL

The hairstyles are mildly off-putting for me.

That aside, I won’t be watching this since I haven’t watched the first season.

Hiiro no Kakera Dai Ni Shou (sequel)

• Director: Bob Shirohata, Production Studio: Studio Deen, Original Creator: Idea Factory, Series Composition: Yoshiko Nakamura

 Second season of Hiiro no Kakera Dai Ni Shou.

The first season is still sitting on my plan to watch list, so I’ll be passing on this one.

CODE:BREAKER

• Director: Yasuhiro Irie, Production Studio: Kinema Citrus, Original Creator: Akimine Kamjiyo, Series Composition: Yashiro Irie

Riding the bus one day, Sakurakouji Sakura looks out the window to see people being burned alive with a blue fire and a boy her age who’s unharmed and standing over the people.

She comes back to the site the next day and there are no corpses or evidence of any kind of murder, just a small fire. She then goes to class to find there’s a new transfer student, Oogami Rei, who looks exactly like the boy she saw before and wears a black glove only on his left hand.

Oogami is a Code Breaker, one who “does not exist”. He is a seemingly cold-blooded killer who follows the principle of “an eye for an eye”, to “use evil against evil”. Convinced that killing is not right, Sakurakouji sets out to stop him and penetrate his icy heart.

Source: MAL

The summary sounds kind of lame. The characters are all coming off as cookie cutter and my interest isn’t exactly piqued by the summary. The PV gives me slightly more hope. My opinion of the characters isn’t changed, but the story itself looks like it may possibly go beyond the “penetrat[ion] of [Oogami’s] icy heart.” The director is also behind Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood so that’s a plus. Overall, though, I doubt I’ll be much into this. I’ll give a good shot, but I guess we’ll see if I stick with it or not.

Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de

• Director: Yanagisawa Tetsuya, Production Studio: 5th Avenue, Original Creator: Anastasia Shestakova, Series composition: ??

  In the battle between parodical Segua (Sega) Kingdom and Ninterdo (Nintendo) Empire, the light-footed Gear (Sonic) appeared to defend his kingdom from the threat of Ninterdo’s powerful emperor, Marcus (Mario).

Source: ANN

Those names are hilarious, especially Segua and Ninterdo. Ah the creativity.

Pass.

Initial D Fifth Stage (sequel)

• Director: ?? , Production Studio: Animax, Original Creator: Shuichi Shigneo, Series Composition: ??

 A new Initial D anime that will air this November on Animax’s pay-per-view service. Listed at 6 episodes with a set of 2 episodes being made available per month.

Source:….The Season Chart…..

All I know about this franchise is that it’s about cars and possibly racing. The CGI doesn’t look very beautiful. Pass.

Teekyuu

• Director: Itagaki Shin, Production Studio: MAPPA, Original Creator: Roots, Series Composition: ??

 Slice-of-life story about a group of four girls on the school tennis team. They rarely play tennis.

Source: ANN

Who needs a tennis racket to play tennis when you can use a radish??? That is the real question here.

I think that, at this point, people need to stop trying to create the Light Music Club because lightning rarely strikes twice, meaning K-ON was pretty much a lucky strike. I predict mediocrity, at best.

I would pass on this completely, but because Justin is such a considerate leader, I shall be watching at least one episode of this.

Gintama (sequel)

• Director: Fujita Yoichi, Production Studio: Sunrise, Original Creator: Sorachi Hideaki, Series Composition: Akatsuki Yamatoya

Sakata Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi Shimura continue to scrape a living as freelance jack-of-all-trades at Edo while amidst the several odd humans and aliens that inhabit the peculiar metropolis.

The TV series will be a rerun of the previous series with additional new episode(s).

Source: MAL

I keep trying to get into this series, and I really do think that it’s funny, but I tend to peter off after about 3 or 4 episodes. I think I keep getting deterred by the sheer length of the series….

So, for now, pass.

BTOOOM!

• Director: Watanabe Kotono, Production Studio: Madhouse, Orginal Creator: Inoue Junya, Series Composition: ??

Sakamoto Ryota is an unemployed 22 year old who lives with his mother. In the real world, there may be nothing special about him, but online, he’s one of the world’s top players of the combat game called Btooom. One day, he awakes in what appears to be a tropical island, though he has no memory of how or why he has come to be there. while wandering around, Ryota sees someone and calls out for help. The stranger responds by throwing a bomb at him, now Ryota realizes both that his life is in danger, and that he has somehow been trapped in a real-life version of his favorite game. Will Ryota be able to survive long enough to figure out how and why he ended up there.

Source: ANN

Why is there such a trend these days with people playing/getting suck in these kinds of games? Anyways, a friend of mine tells the manga isn’t that bad, though she wasn’t a fan of the ecchi aspects. Browsing through some pictures of the series, I’m trying to figure out what exactly Blondie’s purpose is other than a romantic interest and fan-service. She doesn’t look like she has much of a purpose, to be honest.

Unless the fanservice or characters become  horrifically terrible, I think this will probably make an, at least, okay action flick. It looks like a brainless, but possibly fun watch.

Wooser no Sono Higurashi

• Director: Yamada Yoyonori, Production Studio: SANZIGEN, Original Creator: Usa Yoshiki, Series Composition: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu

The daily life of Wooser, a mysterious “animal” that lives on the Internet, with a cute look but a terrible personality.

Source: ANN

Don’t their eyes scare you? I mean, look at them. they’re black holes in the middle of their faces. No light dot or anything. It’s kind of creepy…

Anyway, I tend to stay away from these short series due to their infamy, and I shall be continuing that with this.

Girls und Panzer 

• Director: Tsutomu Mizushima , Production Studio: Actas , Original Character Design: Shimada Humikane, Series Composition: Reiko Yoshida

In the world, the manipulation of tanks (Sensha-do) is one of the traditional martial arts especially for girls. Miho doesn’t like Sensha-do and moves to Oarai Girl’s High School. But the chairperson of the student council orders Miho to participate in the national Sensha-do championship.

Source: MAL

Possibly a tie with Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne–  and Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de for sleeper hit. Looks like we have another quality show on our hands here.

Pass.

Oshiri Kajiri Mushi

• Director: Masayuki Kojima/ Pon Kozutsumi, Production Studio: Kinema Citrus, Original Creator: Uruma Delvi, Series Composition: ??

A gag comedy about Oshiri Kajiri Mushi XVIII, a 10-year-old insect who goes Biting School to inherit his family’s Biting Shop business.

Source: ANN

I love his name….and this picture I found.

K

• Director: Shingo Suzuki, Production Studio: GoHands, Original Creator: GoRA, Series Composition: GoRa

Ashinaka High School is known for its unique setting: the entire campus is built on an island. Yashiro Isana, aka Shiro, is having lunch with a cat on one of the school rooftops. After his lunch break, Shiro goes on an errand for his classmate Kukuri to prepare for their upcoming school festival, only to be chased by some intimidating-looking men.

Source: ANN

Honestly, I’m not quite sure what to make of this series. GoHands isn’t exactly known for it’s innovative and intriguing stories and this will be the first work the director has worked on, although he had done a lot of animation work. On the other hand, the PV while chock full of cute looking guys and girls doesn’t look too bad. Unlike most, I’m not exactly hyping this up to be greatness. At this point, I’m not expecting too much beyond nice animation and some good action. That’s not to say, though, that I hope it will turn out to be more.

Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo

• Director: Atsuko ishizuma, Production Studio: J.C. Staff, Original Creator: Hajime Kamoshida, Series Composition: Mari Okada

The school romantic comedy revolves around a second-year high school student named Sorata Kanda who lives in Sakurasou, the dormitory for problem children at Sorata’s school. One day, Mashiro Shiina —a cute girl who happens to be also a cosmopolitan, brilliant artist— moves into Sakurasou.

Sorata thinks to himself that he should protect Mashiro from the weirdos at Sakurasou, but Mashiro has a surprising secret: she has no idea how to take care of herself. She gets lost if she goes out, and her room is a complete mess. Sorata’s dorm mates designate him as the “master” of Mashiro, and thus, an ordinary boy and a brilliant girl must live like “a master and his pet.”

Source: MAL

I don’t know. Something about a master-pet relationship doesn’t exactly draw me in and leave me waiting for more. Although to be fair, I do think that the premise of the romance sounds cute. I just don’t like the whole master-pet bit tacked on at the end which detracts from my initial fondness for the coupling.

As a romance fan, I will probably try my hardest to watch this. Looking at this show, I only have to real expectations/hopes: 1) the couple actually becomes a couple before the last one or two episodes, although if it turns out to be longer than the 12 episodes I’m expecting than I wouldn’t mind if the pairing takes more time to develop. I just want to see some couple action, and I’m hoping it’s not too much to ask for. 2) That there isn’t a whole lot of interference from Sorata’s potential wannabe girlfriends (I’m looking at you, hyperactive boob girl.). This is probably not going to happen, but a girl can dream can’t she?

Shin Sekai Yori

• Director: Ishihama Masashi, Production Studio: A-1 Pictures, Original Creator: Kishi Yuusuke, Music: Komori Shigeo, Series Composition: Masashi Ishihama

About one thousand years into the future, civilization has been retrograded and humans are living dispersed within small communities. People in this era have a psychic power called “Juryoku” which materializes things they imagine. In the absence of advanced scientific technology, people are using this power as a major source of energy.

One day, a girl called Saki, along with her friends, finds a small archive robot outside the town. It records the ancient history of humans. It tells them that Juryoku was found in the 21st century and the discovery caused a world war between psychics and non-psychics. The psychics won this war and thus their reign of terror began.

When the adults in town figure out that the children discovered this forbidden knowledge, they seal their Juryoku and exile them. Saki and the others end up in a forest where they meet a huge hairless bipedal mouse known as a “Bakenezumi” and get involved in a violent war the creatures are currently engaged in.

Source: MAL

I KNOW THE FIRST EPISODE IT OUT ALREADY, GUYS. No need to remind me how late this is…OTL

Anyways, this is one of the shows that I’m really looking forward to seeing this season. The plot sounds pretty interesting since it looks like it’ll end up dealing with some darker themes, and I, for one, aren’t that upset that the kids/teenagers are the main focus of the show. As long as they aren’t cardboard cutouts or blobs of emotion, they should be good enough and able to carry the story. Can’t wait to sit down and watch this.

Bakuman 3

• Director: Kosai Kenichi/ Akitaya Noriaki, Production Studio: J.C. Staff, Original Creators: Takeshi Obata (Art)/ Tsugumi Ohba (Story), Series Composition: Reiko Yoshida

Third season of Bakuman

I watched the first season. T’was painfully slow. ~A Poem Thing

I’ll get to this someday.

Litchi Hikari Club

• Director: ??, Production Studio: Kachidoki Studio, Original Creator: Usamaru Furuya, Series Composition: ??

The story revolves around nine students at an all-boys school who create a god-like Lychee machine — that runs on lychee fruits — to seek out the beautiful women of the world. However, the machine eventually becomes self-aware and is soon equally capable of measuring beauty and executing justice.

Source: ANN

Well…um….I’ve heard that the manga is pretty intense, so I’m not sure what to make of this. If it’s too much for my tastes, then I’ll be dropping this like a hot potato. If it’s not too bad though, I’d like to see how it turns out with the machine and all.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure The Animation 

• Director: Naokatsu Tsuda , Production Studio: David Animation, Original Creator: Hirohiko Araki, Series Composition: Yasuko Kobayashi

This is the story of the Joestar family, and their battles against bizarre enemies. Jonathan Joestar’s battle against the vampire Dio Brando starts it all, and it continues into roughly each second generation of Joestars through all parts of the story.

Source: ANN

I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t even going to give this a second glance when I first saw this on the season preview chart. However, because I’m going to have to watch it anyway  I decided to give it a second look. Although the promo art originally turned me off a bit, if I look at it for a while, it doesn’t look too bad and, at the very least, isn’t like what one usually sees. The story, too, actually doesn’t sound that bad either, although the generation thing at the end makes me a bit nervous since I dislike skipping through time.

Haitai Nanafa

• Director: Hiroshi Kimura, Production Studio: Passhone, Original Creator: ??, Series Composition: Takeshi Konuta

The story of Haitai Nanafa revolves around an energetic middle school girl named Kyan Nanafa. Nanafa lives in Okinawa with her grandmother who runs the Kame Soba soba shop, her beautiful older sister Nao who is in high school, and her younger sister Kokona, who is in elementary school and has a strong ability to sense the supernatural.

One day, Nanafa witnesses a seal fall off of a Chinese banyan tree, and three spirits who live in that tree are unleashed. These spirits include Nina and Lana, who are jimunaa spirits. The third spirit is Iina, who is an incarnation of an Okinawan lion statue. As spirits start appearing one after another, the peaceful life of Nanafa and her family begins to change.

Source: ANN

“CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! CUTE! I.AM.CUTE!” This poster screams.

I doubt anything too serious will come from this. I’m expecting a bunch of cute girls running around with a bunch of cute spirits doing stuff. Unless I feel braincells dying, I don’t think I’ll dislike the show necessarily. I’ll probably end up forgetting about it because it’ll be a bit on the boring side. Who know, though, maybe this poster is trolling me and I’ll be completely floored several episodes in. “Hahaha,” laughs my common sense.

Jormungand: Perfect Order (sequel)

• Director: Keitaro Motonaga, Production Studio: WHITE FOX, Original Creator: Keitaro Takahashi, Series Composition: Yousuke Kuroda

Koko Hekmatyar, a young arms dealer sells weapons under HCLI, a shipping corporation. As one of the company’s unofficial weapon sellers, she secretly sells weapons in many countries while avoiding the local authorities and law enforcements as most of her work is actually illegal under international law. Travelling with her is her team of bodyguards who are mostly composed of ex-military veterans. Her latest addition to the crew is Jonah, a seemingly emotionless child soldier who is skilled in combat yet ironically hates arms dealers. Jonah joins Koko as he wishes to find the arms dealer responsible for his family’s death. What follows is Koko and her crews escapades around the world.

Source: Wikipedia

For the love of God, please, please, please, have some challenging bad guys. That is all I’m asking for. I like the team, I like Koko (’cause she is loco), and I like Jonah. All I’m asking for is that the terminator team finally faces some challenging opposition that takes them more than an episode and a half to beat.

Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!

• Director: Tatsuya Ishihara, Production Studio: Kyoto Animation, Original Creator: Torako, Series Composition: Jukki Hanada

Togashi Yuuta, a boy who used to suffer from chuunibyou, and Takanashi Rikka, who still has the syndrome, made a true contract with each other (that is, they are dating). They are in the middle of enjoying real life to the fullest… or should be. However, Shichimiya Satone a.k.a. Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII, a friend from middle school and the one suffering the most from chuunibyou, appears and turns Togashi’s life upside down. And so, a battle between Saturn and Jaou Shingan (True Eye of the Devil King) begins.

Source: ANN

I’m not quite sure, but for some reason I really like this picture. I don’t  necessarily like the characters in the picture, I just like the overall look of it with all the blurring going on.

Once upon a time, I thought KyoAni was the best thing since PB&J. I watched and loved nearly everything thing that they came out with. I was a goner. Although I have now come to the conclusion that they probably aren’t the best thing since PB&J, I still tend to look out for what they’re doing next since I like nice animation and I have a guilty pleasure for brainless slice of life. However, I find myself not exactly taken with the concept of this show. I suppose I like that there’s an established couple, though I’m not quite sure how to handle the whole chuunibyou battle thing. I feel like this is going to turn into a moe-blob show with no real plot. Well…I suppose I’ll check this out just to see.

To Love-Ru Darkness

• Director: Atsushi Ootsuki, Production Studio: Xebec, Original Creator: Kentaro Yabuki (art)/ Saki Hasemi (story), Series Composition: Atsushi Ootsuki

Sequel to To-Love-Ru, all of our main characters make an appearance along with some new additions. Rito continues to be caught in over the top uncensored ecchi scenarios.
The alien Deviluke sisters still use their unique abilities to grab Rito’s love confession. Nana and Momo have transferred into the school and meet Mea, who seems to be a worry free and joyful girl.
Momo in particular wants to share Rito and create a harem for him. While scheming her plan, she confronts Golden Darkness also know as Yami.
They are interrupted by possessed students who begin to fight with abnormal strength. Now the new plot line appears as a mysterious person who’s in control of the students tests Yami’s assassination skills.
Who is this new enemy?

Source: MAL

Hey, well at least they’re honest, making sure we know just who this show’s intended audience is. I think I tried to watch To Love-Ru a long time ago when it first started airing, but I got bored and stopped after about half an episode. I wonder if Rito’s picked a girl yet…

Aikatsu!

• Director: Ryuichi Kimura, Production Studio: Sunrise, Original Creator: Baindai/ Sunrise, Series Composition: Yoichi Kato

Hoshimiya Ichigo is a normal girl in her 1st year of middle-school. However, her life changes drastically when, at her good friend Aoi’s invitation, she is admitted into Starlight Academy, a famous school for grooming idols.

In the weeks and months to come, Ichigo meets many rivals, learns the skills of being an idol, and, using her Aikatsu! card, enters numerous auditions.

Source: aniDB (translated and adapted from official site by Cranston)

What’s an Aikatsu! card? Is it like a magical girl activator card? Idol shows don’t really interest me, but they don’t really repulse me either. I just find the majority of them boring and not worth my time. This one doesn’t look particularly ground breaking or intriguing so…Pass.

Sukitte Ii na yo.

• Director: Takuya Sato, Production Studio: ZEXCS, Original Creator: Kanae Hazuki, Series Composition: Takuya Sato

Mei Tachibana has spent her 16 years without making either boyfriend or friends. One day, she kicks a popular boy in school by accident, Yamato Kurosawa, because of a misunderstanding but for some reason it seems that he takes a liking to her and one-sidedly claims that they’re friends. Later on, he not only protects Mei from a stalker, but does it with a kiss. Soon Mei starts to make friends and begins to give those feelings of love back to Yamato Kurosawa

Source: ANN 

I’m not going to lie, I am really, really, really looking forward to this. Out of all the shoujo airing this season, this is the one I am both the most excited for and the one I am most worried about.

I started reading Sukitte Ii na yo. a few months back and fell in love with the story, mainly because the couple got together really fast and I liked how they looked together (I know. My standards are high.). Beyond the fast hookup, nice art, and glimpse at some more mature issues, this manga isn’t very…original per say. It follows a pretty easy formula in which one rival after an other shows up, only to be won over by Mei and reveal their deepest insecurities to her. The characters aren’t going to win any prizes for originality either, their pretty nice people. The drama can be a little drawn out and is chock full of angst. There is also a slightly smut element to the manga. Despite all this, I still enjoy the manga a great deal as a guilty pleasure of sorts. So, when I got wind of that it was going to be adapted, I was really happy.

The initial happy glow started to wear off once I started looking at the prospects of the series actually turning out to be well done. Zexes isn’t exactly the romance powerhouse of the anime industry and I’m a bit afraid that there may be a slightly excessive amount of fan service popping up. Although the  initial promo art wasn’t very promising, now that a PV is out along with some character design things, the animation looks like it will at least be decent (though I still have some issues with certain character designs). The director is also a source of worry since his work is a mixed bag. Although he’s worked on some really good stuff, he’s also done some mediocre work.

I’m really hoping that this adaption works out because of how much I like the manga. However, I have a sneaking suspicion that my hopes are going to be, almost inevitably, let down.

Chou Soku Henkei Gyrozetter

• Director: Shinji Takamatsu, Production Studio: A-1 Pictures, Original Creator: Ichimura Ryuutarou/Square Enix, Series Composition: Dai Soto

Anime adaptation of a card game which depicts battles between cars that transform into robots.

Source: MAL

Well, it sounds like a card game version of Transformers. I’m sure the figures will sell okay.

I really don’t want to watch this. Ugh.

Hayate no Gotoku! I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You

• Director: Masashi Kudo, Production Studio: Manglobe, Original Creator: Kenjirou Hata, Series Composition: Rie Koshika

Rather than a continuation of the previously animated Hayate no Gotoku seasons, this series will be independent and written by the author, Kenjiro Hata, himself.

Source: MAL

I suppose that for fans of the series who were unhappy with the handling of the adaption, this is great news with the author writing the series himself. The production studio also changed to Manglobe who has been on a bit of a downward spiral lately, but I think that in terms of studio standings, most consider them to be better than J.C. Staff.

Never really had much interest in the first adaptation of this show (Hayate’s hair always sort of bugged me), so no regrets here when I say I’m skipping this one.

~THE END