So, since I noticed that at seasonal previews often omit movies and OVAs, I decided to make, alongside my usual seasonal previews, previews about all of the OVAs and Movies scheduled to come out in the upcoming Autumn Season. This list is based on Moonphase‘s data. Unfortunately, Moonphase has this habit of putting OVAs all over the place, also where they don’t belong, so it was a bit of a challenge to sort everything out.
Also, since I was a bit more thorough than usual, here’s a list of everything you can find on this preview:
– All animated movies scheduled to premiere between now and the end of November. Please note that it will usually take about nine months before most of these movies actually make it to the west.
– All standalone ovas that will premiere between now and November 15th (sorry about this indecisiveness. I changed my mind about this date halfway through compiling this list without realizing it).
– All DVD-specials and ovas based on television-series. Also of the ones that I didn’t finish. I won’t have much to say about them, but I decided to include them for completion’s sake.
This list will NOT cover:
– Live-action (so no Kaidan Restaurant Movie)
– Simple episodes of series that have already debuted (I do not want to repeat myself about Queen’s Blade’s OVAs over and over again). This also includes Gundam Unicorn and series of movies like Break Blade. The only exception to this is episodes that got announced after they were actually supposed to have been finished (Azazel-san for example)
With these previews, I’m not yet sure whether to set the dates between September 1st and November 30th or August 15th to November 14th, but next season I’ll be a bit clearer on the different dates.
Either way, my impressions of the upcoming Autumn season in terms of tv-series were a bit disappointed. There were quite a few interesting series (thank god it doesn’t have the quantity problem that the current Summer Season has), but there really wasn’t anything that really stood out as a potential classic and there were too many cute girls.
But holy crap, in terms of movies and OVAs it’s looking out to be an awesome season. There are a ton of interesting premises, ranging from slice of life to action, mecha and science fiction. A number of excellent sounding movies are set to premiere, and there also are a ton of spin-off OVAs and movies (meaning that they’re related in some way to a TV-series) with interesting concepts and great staff-lists. When you add to that the series of OVAs and movies that have been continuing from the previous summer season, we’re really in for something great here.
Nougyou Musume
Summary: Nougyou Musume is the whimsical story of Koshino Hikari and Hikaru, two sisters that farm the rice paddy left to them by their parents. – (Taken from AniDB)
Type: A short 3-minute OVA created to promote its manga.
Why you should look forward to it: The only thing that I could find about this thing is that Toei is going to animate it, and the character-designs are done by Sunagawa Masakazu, who is a relatively new animator.
Why you should not look forward to it: Yeah, don’t expect this one to stand alone as anything. 3 minutes is way too short, and this pretty much is a glorified commercial that somehow ended up at Moonphase.
First-Glance Potential: 0%
Metal Fight Beyblade VS Taiyō Shakunetsu no Shinryakusha
Summary: It’s summer vacation. In front of Ginga an Co, who are excited about a Beyblade tournament, Helios, a mysterious youth, stands in their way. In his hands, he possesses “Sol Blaze”, a Beyblade that has been passed down since ancient times. As intense battle between Ginga vs. Helios unfolds, extreme weather develops throughout the world. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie based on a kids’ franchise about spinning tops
Why you should look forward to it: The premise sounds so incredibly silly that it’s bound to provide a laugh or two.
Why you should not look forward to it: It’s another one of those kiddie movies. The TV-series it was based on was ridiculously poorly produced, so I really wonder whether this one even has what it takes to keeps a bunch of kids busy.
First-Glance Potential: 0%
Love Live
Summary: It’s about a group of girls who become idols in order to get more kids to enroll in their school in order to prevent it from getting closed down.
Type: Seems to be some sort of one-shot OVA.
Why you should look forward to it: Um… it’s animated by Sunrise?
Why you should not look forward to it: Due to be pre-sold at one of the comikets, I don’t think it’s hard to imagine the primary target audience of this series. It’s yet another one of those cheesy idol series.
First-Glance Potential: 0%
Sora no Otoshimono Unaired Episodes
Summary: Tomoki Sakurai often encounters a strange girl in his dreams asking for his help, but he can’t remember her face when he wakes up. When an Unidentified Mysterious Animal (U.M.A.) falls out of the sky, his life of pacifism suddenly becomes complicated. The animal turns out to be an angel, Ikaros. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: An unaired episode called “Project Pink”, which apparently was too dangerous for TV.
Why you should look forward to it: If you’re into fanservice obviously.
Why you should not look forward to it: To me, it seems no more than one of those pornish dvd extras, turned into an episode… so yeah, unless you’re really looking for that, stay away from this one.
First-Glance Potential: 0%
Da Capo P.S.P
Summary: Junichi Asakura lives with his adoptive sister Nemu in the crescent-shaped island of Hatsune Jima, a place where cherry blossoms bloom throughout the year. In this island, people have mysterious powers and attributes. For example, Junichi has the power to see other people’s dreams, and he was also taught by his grandmother to magically create sweets. One day, Junichi’s cousin and childhood friend, Sakura Yoshino came back from America all of a sudden. To Junichi’s surprise, she looks exactly the same as the girl that moved away six years ago, and hasn’t aged one bit. And she came back to remind Junichi of their childhood promise… It is a bittersweet tale of magic, love, hidden desires, and unattainable dreams. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: An OVA that comes shipped with the PSP ports of the Da Capo games.
Why you should look forward to it: If you like harems then this is one for you! This is a series that doesn’t put three or four girls around our main character. No, here the lead character can date 27 of them. 27!
Why you should not look forward to it: Da Capo is one of those franchises that refuses to freaking die. I mean, we’re at more than eighty episodes in total right now. Isn’t that a bit overkill?
First-Glance Potential: 0%
Seikon no Qwaser: Joou no Shouzou
Summary: In St. Mikhailov Academy, Oribe Mafuyu meets a silver haired boy called Alexander. He is a Qwaser, a being who can manipulate iron and draws his power from breast milk. A mystery surrounding an Icon transforms the academy into the setting for conflict between the various different Qwaser. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Seems like some sort of OVA or DVD side-story, but the actual format isn’t known yet.
Why you should look forward to it: 2010 really has seen anime progress further and further into pornography, with series like this one having a big part in the blame. Still, if you like that then this is for you. I also heard from a few people that the story itself has been quite decent, so who knows?
Why you should not look forward to it: Still, the thing remains: would the creators have chosen to turn this story into an anime if it didn’t feature breast feeding?
First-Glance Potential: 10%
Hidamari Sketch Hoshimittsu Special
Summary: It’s about a high school for the arts and the everyday life of four of its students. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Special based on TV-series. Two volumes seem to be scheduled.
Why you should look forward to it: All of the Hidamari Sketch series have gotten a special thus far, and this one is no different. I haven’t watched it, but if you liked the series you’ll probably like this.
Why you should not look forward to it: Blegh, Shinbo.
First-Glance Potential: 10%
Koe de Oshigoto
Summary: The story follows a high school girl named Kanna Aoyagi who becomes a voice actress for adult games. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: OVA, two episodes have been announced so far.
Why you should look forward to it: It’s being animated by a new company: Studio Gokumi. Apparently, it was formerly part of Gonzo, and it’s great to see that the parts it lost are starting over on their own.
Why you should not look forward to it: They really got someone terrible to write the script of this adaptation, though. Masashi Suzuki‘s previous experience in Kanokon, Seiken no Blacksmith and Shuffle suggests to me that he has no idea how to pace a story properly or make it interesting to the audience.
First-Glance Potential: 20%
Rawr! You Are Delicious
Summary: It’s about a Tyrannosaurus who comes across an Ankylosaurus baby all by himself and says, “Gaō! Omae Umasou Dana” (“Rawr! You look delicious.”) However, the Tyrannosaurus ends up adopting the baby as his own. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Why you should look forward to it: It could have its charms for a kiddie show.
Why you should not look forward to it: I’m not really sure whether this is going to be the same as the television series or not. I mean, it’s going to suck if the movie is just a collection of the five-minute episodes of the tv-series.
First-Glance Potential: 20%
Mayo Elle Otokonoko
Summary: All I managed to find was that it’s about a boy who dresses like a girl.
Type: A Promo Doujinshi OVA
Why you should look forward to it: I can somewhat support what Keiichiro Kawaguchi is trying to do: experimenting with a ton of different formats, ranging from long series to short doujin OVAs.
Why you should not look forward to it: … but couldn’t he really pick better premises?
First-Glance Potential: 30%
Air Gear: Kuro no Hane to Nemuri no Mori -Break on the Sky-
Summary: A face-off between Ikki and Ringo on their rocket-powered roller-blades. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: A OVA to bundle with a manga volume (adapting one of the later chapters of the manga)
Why you should look forward to it: First, I want to say that the manga author has one of the most awesome names. Second of all, the staff for this OVA is completely different from the Air Gear TV-series: instead of Toei, we now have Satelight and it’s going to have the director of Fairy Tail, Ichi the Killer and Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchou To.
Why you should not look forward to it: The script will be done by Jun Maekawa (he wrote the series composition for the Prince of Tennis, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Bomberman Jetters, the second Digimon series and Sisters of Wellber). Obviously not the right guy to try and stuff the manga’s story into this OVA.
First-Glance Potential: 30%
To Aru Kagaku no Railgun OVA
Summary: Academy City is a highly developed place in terms of technology. It is said to be 20 to 30 years ahead of the rest of the world. 80% of it’s 2.3 million residents are students. The focus of studies here is directed towards esper powers. Misaka Mikoto, one of the top level espers in town, shares a room with Kuroko Shirai, another high level esper who is a member of Judgement, a law enforcing agency composed of students. Both attend to Tokiwadai, a private school reserved for the high-leveled and the rich. Kuroko’s partner at Judgement, Kazari Uiharu, is a low level esper who studies at Sakugawa middle school. Her best friend and classmate there is Ruiko Saten, a level zero (no esper powers). Together, the four encounter several adventures in the exciting scientific town. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: This one really seems like a normal OVA, rather than a DVD-special.
Why you should look forward to it: It’s probably going to be just a side-story, but if you liked the characters then this will be up your interests.
Why you should not look forward to it: I personally dropped railgun after a few episodes, mostly thanks to one particular character (the one with the twin-tails) who was really, really annoying. There also probably isn’t going to be a lot of plot in this OVA.
First-Glance Potential: 30%
ToHeart adnext
Summary: A collection of stories focusing on the girls of the ToHeart series
Type: Two-shot OVA
Why you should look forward to it: Its director has done a ton of stuff, along with a ton of storyboards, plus the direction of DNA2, which was pretty good.
Why you should not look forward to it: 3 television series. 4 ovas. Isn’t that a bit much for a harem?
First-Glance Potential: 30%
Kuttsukiboshi
Summary: The anime centres around two girls’ “risky” summer vacation together. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Two-shot OVA
Why you should look forward to it: We’re talking about a one-man project here: Naoya Ishikawa, a freelance animator, entirely made this OVA by himself apart from the music and voice acting.
Why you should not look forward to it: I suspect that Primastea had little to do with the actual content this time, and seems more like a vehicle for animators to showcase their projects, but really? I mean, combined with the premise I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned into some semi lesbian porn or something.
First-Glance Potential: 30%
Kowarekake no Orgol
Summary: One rainy day, young musician Keiichiro takes shelter in a shrine, where he meets an abandoned android girl, whom he is told may never function well again. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie, 34 minutes long + 7 minute side-story. Not sure yet whether it’s going to be original or recap.
Why you should look forward to it: It all depends on whether this is going to be simple recap or original, really. If it’s the former, then it’ll be a nice addition to an OVA that just was too short.
Why you should not look forward to it: If it’s the latter, however…. yeah. Keiichiro Kawaguchi as the director is a huge question-mark because of his influence on both good series (Hayate the Combat Butler, Zettai Karen Children), bad series (Nyan Koi) and really really bad series (Moetan).
First-Glance Potential: 40%
Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai Flag 0
Summary: Katsuragi Keima is known on the net at the Capturing God, while in real life he is an otamegane who hates all real girls. However he is approached by Elsee, a devil from hell, to help her in catching runaway spirits that hide in people. Apparently the spirits only hide in the hearts of girls and the only way to get the souls out is by making the girl fall in love so the spirit gets forced out. Keima must capture all the spirits in the world so that his contract with hell ends. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: A DVD to bundle with the 10th volume of the manga. A prequel to the TV-series in a way.
Why you should look forward to it: I have been told that the manga is actually making fun of harem cliches. Of course, that’s no guarantee on how the creators of the anime are going to adapt it, but it definitely made me more interested in this series.
Why you should not look forward to it: The danger with these OVAs that are shipped alongside manga volumes is that they become either manga commercials or inaccessible to anyone who hasn’t read it. So, is this going to a Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu or a Kurenai? At this point it’s impossible to say, even though it’s a great chance for the producers to introduce people to this series.
First-Glance Potential: 50%
Yondemasu, Azazel-san
Summary: The story revolves around the detective Akutabe, his assistant Rinko Sakuma, and the various magical demons that Akutaba uses for his cases. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: The second anime dvd, to be shipped alongside the manga.
Why you should look forward to it: Here is one that completely passed my radar (I’ll try to get a review up for it as soon as possible), but when Tsutomu Mizushima is directing it may very well be good for a quick laugh, because this guy is certainly going to know how to translate the jokes to animation. With so few episodes, he can really grab the best chapters of the manga. It’s also one of those very few comedies done by Production IG.
Why you should not look forward to it: The chief animation director of Ookiku Furikabutte’s second season is going to design the characters and the character-designer of Himawari is going to direct the animation. Why not reverse them?
First-Glance Potential: 70%
Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A wakening of the Trailblazer
Summary: It is the year A.D. 2307. Fossil fuels on Earth have been depleted entirely, with mankind turning to the next available power source: solar energy. During this time, 3 orbital elevators with solar power generation systems are built, each under control by the Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations (formerly United States of America), the Human Reform League (Russia, China and India) and the Advanced European Union. However, not all countries are able to enjoy the benefits of this system, leading to widespread resentment and war. Arising out of the conflict, a mysterious military organization known as Celestial Being appears, dedicated to end all warfare using Mobile Suits called Gundam. This begins the stories of Gundam Meisters (pilots) Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tiera Erde as they are thrown into conflict between the 3 superpowers and the various other factions. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie sequel of a TV-series
Why you should look forward to it: Yes! Against my fears, it turns out that this isn’t going to be a recap movie, and instead this will come with its own story. Kenji Kawai still is doing the music, Seiji Mizushima (Ooedo Rocket, the first Full Metal Alchemist) is still doing the direction and the script is still written by Yosuke Kuroda (he also wrote Ookiku Furikabutte, Infinite Ryvius, Risky Safety and Phantom).
Why you should not look forward to it: Obviously those Sunrise executives. I think I’ve repeated often enough how I hate how in the past number of years, especially with their popular franchises, they restrict their staff way too much and have them descend everything into strings of mecha battles that all look the same. This happened to the second season of Gundam 00. Will the movie be able to avoid it?
First-Glance Potential: 70%
Mazinkaiser SKL
Summary: The new project is billed as the return of the MazinKaiser anime franchise, which is itself a spinoff from Go Nagai’s classic super robot manga and anime series, Mazinger Z. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Why you should look forward to it: Ah, Mazinkaiser. More hot-blooded mecha based on the original Mazinger. The director Jun Kawagoe has a lot of experience with these giant robot remakes with Kotetsujin Jeeg, Shin Getter Robo and Transformers.
Why you should not look forward to it: The big problem with this series is Shin Mazinger: when that series did just about everything you can do with the Mazinger franchise, how does this movie plan to top that besides a better animation? The original Mazinkaiser OVA already fell into its shadow, so this movie is really going to have to be more than just a homage.
First-Glance Potential: 70%
Heartcatch Precure! Hana no To de Fashion Show… desuka!?
Summary: Erika’s mother has been invited to Paris to hold a fashion show. The lead characters will be its models. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie, based on the TV-series.
Why you should look forward to it: I am seriously intrigued by that premise. I mean, it’s sounding a lot better than the premise of the All Stars movie, and if the creators can really get the slice of life right, and really portray the characters as they explore Paris, it’ll make for an awesome movie. As long as the creators don’t make it too epic, I have high expectations of this. The staff won’t be the same as with the TV-series, do take note of that. The director especially is intriguing: Rie Matsumoto. She is relatively young (only 30 years old), this really is going to be the first anime she works on. For Toei, this is a very risky move, but I’m really interested in her style here.
Why you should not look forward to it: I’m not sure why, but I’m a bit biased against these kinds of movies based on long-running franchises. I’m not sure why, actually, because I’ve seen very few of them.
First-Glance Potential: 80%
Tamayura
Summary: For her first year of high school, Fu Sawatari moves to Takehara, a scenic old town near Hiroshima, on the Inland Sea. Her father, who has passed away, grew up in Takehara. She loves taking photographs with his old film camera, a Rollei 35S. This “healing” slice-of-life anime from the director of ARIA follows her and the friends who gather around – (Taken from ANN)
Type: OVA with at least two volumes confirmed.
Why you should look forward to it: Reiko Yoshida behind the script is also a very solid choice with her experience behind Maria-Sama ga Miteru, Popolocrois, Saiunkoku Monogatari and Umi Monogatari. And the Chief Animation Director of Aoi Hana only makes this even better.
Why you should not look forward to it: This really could have been a standalone TV-series just as easily, right? I know that in this way the creators will really have the chance to pace the OVA correctly, but I’m mostly worried about its short length here.
First-Glance Potential: 80%
Yozakura Quartet – Hoshi no Umi
Summary: The story revolves around a quartet of teenaged heroes: A super-strong girl named Hime, a mind reader named Ao, a conjurer named Kotoha and an ordinary, powerless boy named Akina. The three girls and Akina protect the city of Sakurashin from supernatural threats – (Taken from ANN)
Type: This OVA will be unlike the TV-series: it will reset its storyline and follow the manga instead.
Why you should look forward to it: Take a look at that artwork here. I don’t know about you, but that is by far the best artwork of any TV-series or OVA I saw when I compiled this Autumn Season Preview. The OVA will have a completely different staff compared to the TV-series (which was a really good staff by the way, which really makes me wonder why it turned out to be such a bland series). The director, Ryoochimo Sawa is a newcomer: he only directed the sixth ED of Hanamaru Youchien (which was cheesy (but what did you expect with the source material), but really well animated). If that wasn’t enough, the music will be done by Atsushi Suemitsu, who composed together Nodame Cantabile’s OP. Now if that isn’t going to be a feast for the senses then I don’t know any more.
Why you should not look forward to it: I’m very intrigued by the intentions of the mangaka: how exactly did he imagine carrying on the story of the manga through just an OVA? Won’t that be too short?
First-Glance Potential: 80%
Umikara no Shisha
Summary: The only thing that I could make out is that this is about a “Messenger from the Sea”, who protects a city that is about to get destroyed.
Type: Independent movie. Pretty much a one-man project.
Why you should look forward to it: Why the heck is there hardly any English information about this movie? I searched, but neither ANN or AniDB has any entry about the Messenger of the Sea, even though it looks like a terrific piece of animation, especially considering that it was just one guy who wrote, directed and animated it. It’s entirely in black and white, but that gives it a really interesting sense of style.
Why you should not look forward to it: It’s supposed to be a short film, but I can’t find anywhere how long it’s supposed to be. 5 minutes? 60 minutes? Could be.
First-Glance Potential: 80%
Onigamiden
Summary: The film’s story revolves around the war between oni (demons) and humans in the former Japanese capital of Kyoto, 1,200 years ago during the Heian period. The anime adapts a 2004 two-volume novel by the same name from author Takafumi Takada. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Why you should look forward to it: Studio Pierrot, finally doing something that is not shounen again! This really caught my attention.
Why you should not look forward to it: I’m really doubting whether I should get worried about the director, Hirotsugu Kawasaki. Yes, he did direct Spriggan and a Naruto movie, but those were completely different from what this is going to be. I mean, this guy’s visuals surely are going to rock here, especially in the combination with Studio Pierrot’s animators (especially when they can gather their best artists), so who knows whether this is a genre that he can deliver a great cast of characters in?
First-Glance Potential: 80%
Koisento
Summary: The story is set in 2710 in the city of Nara, where the national capital has been relocated. For historical preservation and tourism, the country’s cultural treasures — including entire buildings — have been moved en masse and assembled inside a humongous building. A second-year high school student named Shinichi is visiting Nara on a field trip. No matter where he looks, there are deer everywhere. Shinichi is getting bored when suddenly, a deer takes off with his bag, leading to a mad chase through the streets of Nara. In the middle of the chaos, Shinichi helps a mysterious, beautiful girl named Toto who is being chased by unknown followers. Because of these odd circumstances, the two ended up in on a sight-seeing date throughout the locales of Nara. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: OVA; not sure how long it’s going to be.
Why you should look forward to it: The director of FREEDOM and Kakurenbo? I must say, that this is one of the most interesting romantic comedies I have seen when making the Autumn Season Preview for this year. There are some cliches, I know, but I’m very interested in what kind of science fiction the creators are playing, 700 years into the future with talking deer running around everywhere (yes, the deer has a voice actor). I mean, I’m not really sure what’s up with Sunrise lately, but I’m really digging the way that they are experimenting with all sorts of interesting movie and OVA premises.
Why you should not look forward to it: I can’t think of anything, unless you’re really not a fan of romantic comedies. However, I’m not a fan of that genre either and I’m looking forward to this one.
First-Glance Potential: 90%
Armored Trooper Votoms: Case;Irvine
Summary: ?
Type: If I understood correctly: there will be three movies released of Votoms to mark its end. The first is this Case;Irvine, set to premiere in November. All three movies are completely different, it seems, with different staff. Only the third one will have Ryousuke Takahashi.
Why you should look forward to it: It’s Votoms. I also like this idea very much in which three different kinds of staff are set to adapt and finish off this franchise. I was a bit unhappy to see that Ryousuke Takahashi (an amazing director IMO) wasn’t involved in the first two, but with the announcement of a third movie which DOES feature him, I suspect that he does have his influence on how they are meant to play out.
Why you should not look forward to it: I can’t find anything about the director and scriptwriter of this series, though. They’re complete newbies, and the only thing that I could find was that the director did a storyboard for an episode of Sora no Otoshimono. So unfortunately, we probably won’t get Ryousuke Takahashi’s tight direction. But really, who knows? Perhaps these guys were chosen because they really can become great writers in the future. Or it was just the influence of Sunrise’s executives rearing their heads around the corner. Please don’t let that be the case!
First-Glance Potential: 90%
Redline
Summary: Red Line is about the biggest racing game of the universe and it’s only held once every 5 years. And naturally everyone wants to take part. Follow the racings skills of men and women alike. – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Movie
Why you should look forward to it: There is Madhouse of course, but the director Takashi Koike is also very interesting. He did the opening animation of Samurai Champloo, directed the animation of World Record (Animatrix) and directed Trava – Fist Planet, which I still have to see. At the very least this is going to be great to look at. It gets really interesting for the script, though: Yoshiki Sakurai, who also wrote the script of the xxxHolic Movie, along with a number of episodes from Ghost in the Shell, Seirei no Moribito, xxxHolic and Otogizoshi. On top of that, Yuji Enokido will also be writing the script. Yeah, that’s also the guy who wrote Utena, and is also working on Star Driver.
Why you should not look forward to it: Um, the sound director, Youji Shizumu isn’t the best guy with most of his work ranging from Stitch to Hero Tales. This movie will be a feast for the eyes. But also for the ears?
First-Glance Potential: 100%
Mardock Scramble: The First Compression
Summary: Why me? It was to be the last thought a young prostitute, Rune Balot, would ever have…as a human anyway. Taken in by a devious gambler named Shell, she became a slave to his cruel desires and would have been killed by his hand if not for a private investigator and his self-aware Universal Tool, Œufcoque. Now a cyborg, Balot has not only physical powers, but the ability to disrupt social environments. She chases after Shell, his partner-in-crime Boiled, and faces down a variety of insane villains in this pulse-pounding cyberpunk noir adventure. – (Taken from AniDB)
Type: First Movie of a scheduled trilogy.
Why you should look forward to it: I’m intrigued: finally GoHands is going to do an actual interesting project. And I really love the use of colours on the promo art here. Especially the one who originally created this story is intriguing: Tow Ubakata, who also created the original stories for Fafner, Heroic Age and Chevalier. This guy’s awesome, and he’ll also be writing the script for the movies.
Why you should not look forward to it: The only one I’m a bit iffy about is the director, Susumu Kudo. I’m not really sure whether someone who has mostly directed cheesy romantic comedies will really be able to make this story come to life.
First-Glance Potential: 100%
.Hack//Quantum
Summary: In .hack//Quantum, the characters Tobias, Mary, and Sakuya form a party and embark on a high-difficulty-level quest in The World R:X. (The World R:X is the new version of The World – (Taken from ANN)
Type: Three-part OVA
Why you should look forward to it: Kinema Citrus is back. They really did an awesome job with Tokyo Magnitude, so I’m glad that they got a .Hack series next. The soundtrack will also again be fantastic with Kou Otani as the composer. But it gets even better: Masaki Tachibana, the director of Tokyo Magnitude is also going to direct this thing.
Why you should not look forward to it: The problem with this show is obviously the length. I mean, why can’t this be a full fledged series? It would be awesome to see another actual .hack television series and these people really know how to make such a thing work.
First-Glance Potential: 100%
Summary: Based on a shounen manga by Ikeda Akihisa, serialised in Monthly Shounen Jump. By a bizarre coincidence, Tsukune Aono has accidentally gotten himself admitted to a youkai academy, a school attended by monsters. Just when he thinks he’ll run away from there, he meets the beautiful girl Moka and his mood turns ultra happy. However, she transforms into her true form when the rosary on her chest is taken off, she’s a super vampire! – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: Ugh… I don’t even want to imagine what would happen when Bad Gonzo gets combined with Shounen Jump. Dragonaut may have its issues, but at least it tries to come up with an interesting plot, something I can’t say from this… thing. A guy who meets a girl who happens to be a “Super Vampire”? Come on. And I’m not going to even bother ranting about the art on the official site.
Ayakashi
Summary: Adapted from the 2005 adults-only superhuman battle action visual novel game Ayakashi. Ayakashi is a parasite life force that gives superpowers to its host, taking in return the host’s entire life force. Kusaka Yuu is a student that lost his will to live after the death of a dear childhood friend, until the day a mysterious girl, named Yoake Eimu, appears. From that moment on, his life would never be the same again. Hunted by Ayakashi and their hosts, the power within Yuu awakens and a never ending battle begins. – (Taken from shomazta)
Thoughts: Well, first of all this is a hentai-game adaptation, which already works against it. Second of all, am I the only one who’s reading a synopsis that sounds awfully similar to that of Mushiuta? Just replace “Ayakashi” with “Mushi” and change a few names here and there and voila, there’s hardly a difference. Still, it might be interesting to see a different take on the same premise, with a little less angst than Mushiuta… but then we return to the first point in that this is a hentai-game adaptation, and the screen will probably be filled with generic character-designs, pantyshots and other kinds of fanservice.
H2O ~Footprints in the Sand~
Summary: ???
Thoughts: Nothing much can be said about this series, apart from the fact that it’s got cute girls and it’s a hentai-game adaptation. The staff behind it also is unimpressive, with the only one standing out being the guy behind the series composition: Jukki Hanada. He worked on all kinds of series, ranging mostly from bad to mediocre, but also Red Garden, Abenobashi and Ichigo Mashimaro are among them. I doubt that he’ll be able to save this series, though. The characters look generic, and it’ll probably end up being another cheesy love-story.
+ Shows With Small Potential +
They are my noble masters
Summary: Seems to be another hentai-game adaptation
Thoughts: Nothing is really known about this series, but judging by the title and the promo-art, it’ll probably involve some guy who gets to work under that boss-like looking girl. Ah well, at least it gets a few points for putting effort into the character-designs. No staff is known, other than the voice-actors, but I don’t really care for that.
Ookami to Koushinryou
Summary: Wikipedia JP says the series talks about a peddler named Craft Lawrence, a travelling merchant who’s wandering around the country-side selling and buying various things in villages he visits. His life changes one day when he finds a beautiful girl sleeping inside his coach full of the village’s finest sheaves. What’s more, she looks to be a cat girl. More like a wolf girl, to be exact, as she introduces herself as the village’s wolf sage who’s kept it blessed with good harvests for years and years. Her name is Horo and she wishes to return to her hometown in the North. The cocky girl bargains her way out of the village by making a deal with Craft to take her with him. The story is described as a fantasy novel with neither swords nor magic. – (Taken from Toua)
Thoughts: Well, it’s definitely got the shounen-premise, but it does sound more interesting than your usual story, and the travelling premise does hold potential. But then again, this is from the same staff that was behind three notorious series whose only purpose was to deliver as much ecchi as possible: Hit wo Nerae, Cosmopolitan Prayers and Love Love. That can’t be a good sign…
+ Interesting-Looking Series +
Persona -Trinity Soul-
Summary: Aniplex’s A-1 Pictures is adapting the Persona 3 PlayStation 2 role-playing game as a television anime series under the name Persona -trinity soul- for a January 2008 premiere. The anime is set a decade after the game, and will centre around three brothers in a future city where the dead have risen with their skins turned inside out. The Persona games themselves are spin-offs from the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series. – (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: Ah, another RPG-adaptation, and yet again I have no idea what to expect from this one apart from zombies. The people who worked on it worked on both masterpieces (the guy behind the screenplay did the series composition of The Third and the script of Darker than Black, another one worked on the script of Chevalier), they also worked on a bunch of hentai-series and Innocent Venus. It also has the director behind Blood+, which was a great series but had a terrible finale. Ah well, at least the potential’s there. Let’s hope it doesn’t get screwed up.
Noramimi
Summary: A world where mascots aren’t just marketing tools. Families contact mascot agencies, to find a suitable one for their children. This story focuses on one such agency, which has its very own mascot: Noramimi, the syrup-stirring Kaminari Kozo (Lightning Kid). – (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: This series comes from the IKKI magazine, which has seen three other adaptations so far: Tetsuko no Tabi, Bokura no and Narutaru, all of which I loved. That’s basically the biggest reason why I’m looking forward to this one, despite the rather strange style of the manga. I’m not sure about the director, who did a couple of random episodes here and there, including a few from xxxHolic. The guy behind the series composition also doesn’t say much, all the noteworthy things he did before was write the script for the Snow Queen and the screenplay for the movie Air, both of which I’ve seen almost nothing.
+ Definitely Looking Forward To +
True Tears
Summary: Dreams, hopes, and aspirations … are things that all people draw their visions of what the “future” may hold for them. Some are pastel-coloured; others are darker in hue; still others shine radiant and unblemished like the hands of the rain. What are my dreams? What are my hopes? What do I aspire to become? These are questions that the characters of this story ask themselves. But must all of them turn at last to weeping? Must they all harbour such darkness under the shadow of the wings of their hearts? Some of them carry the wounds of the past with them still, the burden causing them to lose sight of their dreams. Others see insurmountable walls between them and the things they dream of, causing them to walk away and give up. And still others — worst of all — have forgotten what it is to dream altogether. And so they smile, smile warmly and widely, in order to hide away the darkness and pain in their hearts … in order to shut out the future itself. But the moment a girl should step forth and say “no more” — that is the beginning and the end. – (Taken from Insani.org)
Thoughts: Finally! It may be me, but I believe that this series has been delayed for almost a year now. Still, it looks like it’s finally getting its adaptation in the upcoming winter-season. If I recall correctly, it’s based on a visual novel, though I’m not sure if it was adult or not. In any case, the premise sounds much better than a random hentai-game, so I’m going to assume it isn’t (correct me if I’m wrong), and for some strange reason, I’m quite interested in how this one will turn out. Especially considering that this series has the genius behind Simoun as its director! The series composition is also done by the woman who did the script for epics as Popolocrois, Red Garden, Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club and again Simoun. Okay, I know that Code-E could have been better, but seriously, it’s hard not to get excited when seeing these names.
+ Top-5 Looking Forward To +
Wellber no Monogatari Second Season
Summary: After the adventures of the first season, there’s still the matter of Tina’s back-story. In the meantime, I don’t expect the other countries in the world to sit around idly after what happened to Guernia
Thoughts: Ah, this is what I’ve been waiting for! I’m still not exactly sure why I enjoyed the first season so much, and while it wasn’t in any way epic or awesome, the storytelling was excellent and varied. Not to mention the cute shoujo-ai scenes. ^^;
Shigofumi
Summary: A story about a miracle, involving Fumika, a quiet but hard working girl who wears a uniform of a mail carrier, and her talkative staff and partner Mayama. The Shigofumi is a posthumous letter, the last resort of relaying a deceased person’s last message to his/her loved ones: family, friends, and significant other. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: Well, this series has been delayed a few times, but that only increased my curiosity in the premise, and it looks like it’s really going to arrive in the Winter-Season now. The guys who will be working on it are also some big names, who worked on many big titles (of which I admittedly only saw half or so): the director directed Cat Soup, Tokyo Tribe, Stellvia, Shingu and Nadesico and planned and produced other gems as Kino’s journey, Figure 17 and Azumanga Daioh and let’s not forget the hilarious script of Tsukikage Ran. The guy behind the series composition worked on famous series as RahXephon, Angelic Layer, Planetes and Eureka7 (seriously, this reminds me of how many good series I’ve still got left to see).
Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei Second Season
Summary: I think we all know this by now. A teacher with an extremely pessimistic outlook on life unleashes his frustrations on the class he teaches.
Thoughts: Well, with a bit of luck the subs for the first season will be finished right before the start of the second one. The first season really has been an excellent comedy-series that not only managed to crack me up over and over, but also was witty and smart, and tackled a lot of topics considered taboo. While others might hate the typical animation-style of Shinbo, I love it.
Hatenkou Yuugi
Summary: A young girl named Rahzel is booted out of her house one day by her father with the instructions to ’see the world.’ And so her journey begins, However, she won’t be doing it alone, for she befriends a stoic young man named Alzeido seeking revenge for his father’s murder. Alzeido and Rahzel are like oil and water, but even still, they feel strangely drawn to one another. This could be either the result of an underlying attraction — or their shared powers with magic. And so, the two reluctant allies travel from town to town, using their powers to help the helpless, while discovering their own respective places in the world. – (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: Strangely enough, the premise sounds a lot more interesting than when I first read it. This winter-season is definitely going to be a good season for travelling-series, and it’s going to be interesting to see the people that Rahzel and Alzeido run into. The father’s murder seems to suggest that there’s an underlying plot as well, so this could very well be a title to watch out for. To make things even better, it’s got the director of Sasami Mahou Shoujo-club and the series composition is done by the guy who directed Giant Robo and did the screenplay for Pet Shop of Horrors; these guys can really make something special out of this series.
Porfy’s Long Journey
Summary: Part of the World Masterpiece Theatre. In the original novel, Porphyras (Yuki Kaida) is a Greek boy who was orphaned with his sister Mina (Ayumi Fujimura) by an earthquake. The two siblings decide to embark on a journey across Europe instead of staying in their foster home in an unfamiliar country. – (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: I think it comes to no surprise that this is my most anticipated series of the season. Les Miserables has been a brilliant series, and I can’t wait what the next instalment of the World Masterpiece Theatre will be. To make things better, it’s going to be directed by Tomomi Mochizuki, who has been a director for decades. While I haven’t seen most of his most famous works (Kimagure Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku, Princess Nine), I have seen what he did with the first season of Ranma 1/2, Seraphim Call, Here is Greenwood and Ocean Waves, and I really can’t wait. This guy is excellent in combining light-hearted quirkiness with serious scenes.]]> 
Summary: 23-year old school teacher Aoki Daisuke has a huge problem. One of his precocious 3rd Grade students, Kokonoe Rin, has the hots for him?! Yes, mischievous Rin has proclaimed herself to be Daisuke-sensei`s girlfriend and is now on a warpath to win him over or cause him to lose his job…whichever comes first! Besides Rin, Daisuke`s got other problems to take care of — one of the students in his class, Mimi (one of Rin`s friends), hasn’t been attending school recently. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: I don’t get it. Why the heck are so many people looking forward to this? Are there so many paedophiles in the anime-community? Or is there some kind of amazing part about the manga that I don’t know about? Anyway, my prediction for the worst series of the season is going to be this one. I’ve seen few concepts that are as obvious as this one.
Goshuchou-sama Ninomiya-kun
Summary: One look 
Summary: In Kimi Kiss, you play as a high school boy who’s just come back from a lonely summer break. Will you end your high school career having never known a kiss? You decide to spend the new school year making sure to get some lip action. Luckily enough, when you return to school, you find yourself in the company of six hotties. The game begins with the start of the new school year and continues over one month, cumulating in a school festival. Your goal is to have one of the above girls confess her true feelings for you at the festival and give you a little smooch. The game lets you move about freely throughout the school grounds, selecting your desired location from a map of the full school. When interacting with the girls, the game uses what it refers to as “Matching Conversation,” a system where you select the topic that you think the girl is interested in discussing. – (Taken from Wikipedia)
Thoughts: Quite a subtle and clever title, isn’t it? This looks just like another one of those teenaged dating sims. Yawn. Interestingly enough, JC Staff will be animating it, but I doubt that they’ll be able to save this premise.
Prism Ark
Summary: ?
Thoughts: Another one of those hentai-game adaptations. It’s also got the director behind the notoriously bad Gravion, Battle Arena Toshiden and Fatal Fury. The entire cast seems to consist of cute teenaged girls, and yet it seems to deal with a fantasy-setting. I like fantasy, but when it’s so keen on delivering moe, I’ll think I pass.
Myself; Yourself
Summary: The story section tells us a bit about the setting of the game: Hidaka Sana is a 16-year-old boy who comes back to his old town from Tokyo after five years. His memories of the town do not fail him, the scenery hasn’t changed all that much. He starts attending the second year of high-school where he meets an old friend and his first love from his childhood. Life is what’s ahead of him, so he needs to jump over the gap between his memories and the reality infront of his eyes and move on. – (Summary by Toua)
Thoughts: The premise sounds rather dull. Especially the return of the childhood love returning has been done to death by now. This series is going to try very hard to impress me, because right now, I have all the reason to classify this as yet another one of those harems. The director also doesn’t sound too promising, as his previous series were Angel’s Feather and Chocotto Sister.
Dragonaut ~ The Resonance
Summary: ?
Thoughts: And it’s Gonzo’s next attempt at a series. While I love their work on Bokura no for this season, I don’t look forward to Dragonaut. The trailer that can be found on the website really makes this one look like Witchblade, which failed to impress me. My prediction is that this series will basically dun down to action and fanservice. There’s a teenaged boy who meets a teenaged girl (surely the two of them can’t fall in love! That’d be way too obvious), and the trailer also showed a bratty blond girl. The only hope would be the guy behind the story concept, as he did the story for Sisters of Wellber as well. But then again, he also was behind Bakugan Battle Brawlers. -_-
Clannad
Summary: Clannad is set in a high-school located in some Japanese town. Okazaki Tomoya is a third-year student who doesn’t take his studies seriously. Always late for class, he’s seen as a delinquent by the rest of his classmates who are busy preparing for their entrance examinations. Needless to say, he hasn’t too many close friends either. Tomoya seems not to mind too – until one day he meets a girl, Furukawa Nagisa, who is left alone without friends on this school, because everybody she knew already graduated. What a clumsy girl, he thinks at first. But he can’t leave her alone and so, while helping her, he meets a few other girls from his school. Although he doesn’t care much about them at first, he soon opens his heart to them as they get to know each other better. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: And here we go again. I think it’s no new fact that I dislike Kyoani, and their tendency to rely way too much on moe character-designs and stereotypes. Yet again, we have the story about a guy who meets a couple of girls (and perhaps boys). The main girl also is clumsy (gee, where did I hear that one before), and the main guy is your typical loser. I’m not getting my hopes up for them, and only when I see with my own eyes that this will be more than just another whiny love-story I’ll change my mind.
Juushin Enbi – Hero Tales
Summary: A period piece, Jushin Enbu features Taitou, a young man who hates the empire that rules at the time, with his sister Laila as they learn of a mysterious power Taitou holds, unbeknownst to him. Taitou is the incarnation of a mysterious star that grants him a huge amount of power that he has yet to fully master. Joining them is Ryuukou, who has power similar to Taitou, just more honed. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: No, I’m not looking forward to this. It may be based on a manga that came from the same mangaka as FMA, but the director only did mediocre shows up till now, and a bunch of hentai-series. The story also sounds incredibly bland, and it starts out just like any other shounen-series does.
Genshinken 2007
Summary: Based on a popular comic about the Japanese otaku lifestyle, this manga follows Sasahara Kanji as he dives face first into a world of anime, manga, video games, pornographic doujinshi, and the like. Kio Shimoku pokes fun at every element of the otaku world, so sit back and enjoy the ride. This is an anime for hardcore fans, with very complicated references that will test your knowledge of all things otaku. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: I remember watching the first episode a few years ago, and not liking it. But then again, I didn’t really know anything about the otaku-culture back then. I may watch it at one point, though that won’t happen anytime soon, unfortunately.
Shows with Small Potential
Ryofuko-chan
Summary: The summary found on Wikipedia JP describes the story of Warrior Angels striving to receive the highest rank a Warrior Angel can receive–to be called Musou Tenshi (tl: Matchless Angel). The story focuses on a rori Warrior Angel Ryofu Housen, Ryofuko-chan. She needs to present seven gems from the battle arena to her Emperor, she also needs a good track record of taken heads from other warriors, say… ten thousand of them. With the assistance of another rori Warrior Angel, Chinkyou Koudai, the Emperor just might grant her that title. – (Summary by Anya)
Thoughts: This OVA has the potential to become good, but I remain sceptical for now. For now, the chance for this to lapse into a moe-fest is just too large. The director is going to be Yuuji Moriyama. He’s worked on lots of different series, but most of them remain unimpressive.
Kite Liberator – ???
Summary: In the previous series, “A KITE”, a killer, Suwa, suddenly disappears after she avenges her parents` death, and no one knows where she is. Several years later, a figure dances airily on the dark side of a big city. She is an angel of death, killing her victim gracefully and disappearing. Monaka is a normal high school student, though this quiet and modest life has a darker side. An angel of death is Monaka’s other persona. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: The biggest problem with this one is that the original Kite was a Hentai-series. That’s not really a good concept to work with, is it? The Director has also worked on many different series, but none of them were memorable. Ah well, at least it’ll look pretty. The art design is by Shuichi Hirata, who did the art for Noiseman Sound Insect and the xxxHolic movie, and also the background art for Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo.
Sketchbook ~Full Color’s~
Summary: Heroine: A very quiet high-school girl. Likes: Taking a walk, cats, sketchbooks, school’s Sui-mountain, relaxing at the art, picnic, neighbourhood cats on the way to school, strange surroundings, the art room during after-school hours, senpais that are just a bit strange, really odd creative works, rainbows, fireworks, sunsets, discovering tiny things that happens to anyone, any day, drawing quickly, quickly. Lots of laughs, just a bit of heartfelt emotion…? A faint smile, nostalgia slowly taking over. A high-school girl animation you’ve never seen before. – (Summary translated by dahl_moon)
Thoughts: 4koma seem to be popular these days. There are three of them in three successive seasons this year. In any case, let’s hope that Sketchbook will be doing a better job than Lucky Star or Azumanga Daioh. I’m just a bit freaked out by the fact that the character-designs come from the same guy who designed the characters in the overly GAR Moonlight Mile. ^^; The guy behind the screenplay looks interesting, though: Mari Okoda. He worked on Red Garden, Popolocrois, Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club and Simoun.
Shakugan no Shana II
Summary: Sakai Yuji was a normal student, but one day his normal life was gone. He was assaulted by a monster, Guze no Tomogara.It was a monster which came from another world, and was able to turn humans into light for him to eat. It was a girl with burning hair and red eyes (shakugan = flaming eyes) that saved him, while he was too surprised to move. Then, that girl said to him You don’t exist anymore. What she meant was… – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: So, the original series was rather “disappointing”. I think I’m still going to continue watching it, hoping that it’s going to get better. Shana must in any case get less whiny than she was in the first season, because I can’t stand another season full of “Yuuji;” “Yuuji?” “Yuuji!” anymore. The best solution would be the two of them breaking up, but that’s never going to happen.
Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
Summary: Yako’s father was murdered in a locked room. She then meets a man named Neuro Nougami who is a demon from Hell who eats “riddles.” He forces Yako to act as a detective so he can solve mysteries. Neuro longs to eat the ultimate mystery. – (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: The major thing I’m worried about for this series is that it comes from Shounen Jump. Among its countless anime-adaptations, only Death Note and Gintama turned out worthwhile, while the rest became a victim of filler or they just sucked to begin with. The manga of Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro is also known to be huge, hence my worries. The premise sounds intriguing, but I see no reason why this one could not go down the drains. Unfortunately, the staff hasn’t been announced yet, so I have no way of making a reliable prediction, though.
Interesting-Looking Series
Nasu – Suitcase no Wataridori
Summary: Pepe is a Spanish cyclist competing in an multi-stage Iberian cycling race similar to the Tour de France. He is a support rider for one of the teams competing in the race, and his role is to assist the team’s top rider in winning the overall race. – (Taken from )
Thoughts: The original movie was good, but it had one huge drawback: it was too directed. It seems that there have been no staff-changes made, so I think we can expect much of the same. An interesting detail is that the director has done the animation for various Ghibli-movies. Let’s hope that he’ll use these as inspiration.
Shion no Ou
Summary: Yasuoka Shion lost her parents, and her voice, when she was young. In a murder. She was found amidst a blood-soaked room, and the only hint for the suspect was a Shougi board and one piece: the King. Now, Shion steps into the world of female professional Shougi players. As her popularity and fame slowly rises, so do the questions about her past, particularly the murder case that was never solved. – (Taken from Hanashi Scanlations)
Thoughts: I assume that Shougi is the Japanese form of chess that we see people occasionally play in anime? Anyway, it can be interesting to see an in-depth series about this topic, though I wonder whether the creators will be able to keep the matches exciting without making it feel too directed. It’ll all depend on the brilliance of the directors and the original manga. I like the murder and it also seems that Shion lost her voice during the accident. It could become interesting.
ef – A Tale of Memories
Summary: The story revolves around the protagonist Hirono Hiro, a poor high school boy who draws shoujo manga for his living. One cold Christmas night after meeting a very strange woman in a church, who tells him that he’s going to meet someone he has to meet, his bike gets stolen by another strange girl. He runs after her and finds her collapsed on the street. Her name is Miyamura Miyako and her bag got stolen by a man on a motorbike. Soon after, they start hanging out together, enjoying high-school life. Miyako falls for Hiro pretty quickly but naturally finds a rival in his childhood friend, Shindou Kei, who has been dictating Hiro’s life since ever. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: I usually don’t like it when a website plays a background song, but damn, that tune rocks! Just go to the official site if you want to hear it. I first thought that this would be a total failure, but I’m willing to watch if the other music is of the same high quality! The story sounds like an ordinary love story, but the music… *drools* Oh, but it is done by Shaft, interestingly enough.
Rental Magica
Summary: The basic premise of the show is about a kid named Iba Itsuki who inherits his father’s company, called Astral. Its business is commissioning magicians for various jobs asked of them by their clientele. The characters listed on the page correspond to the various magic fields that are shown in the show, Celtic, King Solomon (the 72 demons), Shinto, and Onmyodou. – (Summary Translated by Shouta)
Thoughts: Interestingly enough, this will be based on a shounen light novel. At the same time, there are also two manga-adaptations running: one shounen and one shoujo. I’m hoping for the anime to focus more on the shoujo-roots of the story, as I’m getting Ghost Hunt vibes from this premise, only with the different practices of exorcism being replaced with different practices of magic. The direction comes from the assistant-director of Popolocrois, and the character-designer did the character-designs for various Bee-Train productions, so this could be interesting. If it doesn’t go and focus on the shounen-elements of course.
Gundam 00
Summary: It is the year A.D. 2307. Fossil fuels on Earth have been depleted entirely, with mankind turning to the next available power source: solar energy. During this time, 3 orbital elevators with solar power generation systems are built, each under control by the Union (formerly United States of America), the Human Reformation League (Russia, China and India) and the AEU (Europe). However, not all countries are able to enjoy the benefits of this system, leading to widespread resentment and war. Arising out of the conflict, a mysterious non-profit military organization known as Celestial Being appears, dedicated to end all warfare using Mobile Suits called Gundam. This begins the stories of Gundam Meisters (pilots) Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tiera Erde as they are thrown into conflict between the 3 superpowers and the other various factions. – (Taken from Anime News Network)
Thoughts: I’ve got a confession to make: the only Gundam-series I’ve seen is Gundam Wing. It was actually one of the first anime I’ve ever watched, as it actually aired on Dutch television. It was a decent series, but I heard that the entire Gundam-franchise fell apart with the arrival of Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny, which were supposed to suck beyond belief. For this series, I’ve got no idea what to expect, though. The setting seems solid enough on one hand, but on the other hand, I fear that it might boil down to an emo-fest, or borrow some Code Geass influences (seeing as Sunrise is behind this series as well). Surprisingly enough, the director is currently working on Ooedo Rocket. The guy behind the series composition has worked on many different and varied series, for example he did the script of Excel Saga and Trigun, but also that of Kokoro Library and Spider Riders.
Suteki Tantei Labyrinth
Summary: ?
Thoughts: This is another one of these shows nobody knows anything about. I’ll give if the benefit of the doubt for now, as I admit that a title of “Wonderful Detective Labyrinth” sounds intriguing. The yellow-haired boy is probably Labyrinth himself. I just hope that his two maids will stay away from the stereotypes that plague maids oh so often. I’m not sure about the director, though. His series turn out either incredibly good or incredibly bad. He did epics as The Law of Ueki, Orphen and Jigoku Shoujo, but he also was behind the pieces of garbage that were Shining Tears X Wind and Star Ocean Ex.
Bamboo Blade
Summary: This sports manga is about a teacher, Kojirou, who is also the Kendo instructor at a high school who decided to take on a bet by his senior, as he is totally broke. The bet requires him to send a team of five female kendo students against his senior’s team. For the sake of his empty tummy, he has to win the match! This first volume starts off by having Kojirou trying to get more female kendo students (at the moment, there’s only one female kendo student at the kendo dojo). The first female he had set his eyes on, has absolutely no interest in joining the kendo club, despite displaying great kendo skill, while welding a broom. However, he won’t give up that easily. – (Summary by Ko from Litepeek)
Thoughts: This is one of those concepts that is completely dependant on the quality of the scriptwriters. If these guys are talented and know what they’re doing, the anime will become a success, though if they’re lazy, this anime will horribly fail. The director makes me worry about this, as he’s only done animation production up till now, he only directed a few episodes here and there. The guy behind the screenplay, however, shows that he might actually be able to pull this one off: he did the script of Excel Saga, and he also worked on Hellsing, Kamichu and Now and Then, Here and There before.
Minami-ke
Summary: Minami-ke is a manga following three sisters, Haruka, Kana, and Chiaki in their lives at home and school. It’s a funny series that depicts how these characters interact with each other and their classmates. It’s a story about ordinary girls and their ordinary adventures told in an extraordinary manner. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: This series somehow intrigues me. Especially that last sentence of the description. When I first saw the promo-art, I mistook it for yet another harem, but it seems that we’re dealing with a slice-of-life series here. The concept could have been more solid, and I hope for some kind of plot or at least some kind of conflict, but it’ll be a nice enough series. I’m just a bit worried about the original creator: he also wrote Kyou no go ni, an OVA that turned dull quite fast.
Tokyo Marble Chocolate
Summary: The story follows a boy and girl, both unlucky in love, as they begin to fall in love on Christmas Day. – (Taken from Wikipedia)
Thoughts: This seems to be another one of those Christmas OVAs that you see every year. We can expect art, similar to that of the Tsubasa Chronicle Movie, as both the director and the animation director worked on the animation for that movie. Interestingly enough, they also both worked on episode 18 of Le Chevalier D’Eon, an episode that may not have been the best of the entire series, but still was an awesome experience. I’m interested in what they can do for this love story.
Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji
Summary: Based on a gambling manga, published in 1996 and from the same mangaka as Akagi
Thoughts: I still need to watch Akagi at one point. I remember watching the first arc and really liking it. Anyway, I’m interested about what he was able to with the concept of gambling. I assume that this is going to be another dark and shady anime. It could become quite interesting.
Night Wizard the Animation
Summary: The anime will talk about a transfer student named Ellis and her good friend Kureha who’s president of a run-down astronomy club. At first they seem to be getting along well, but something happens to Ellis one day on the school grounds. Kureha witnesses how Ellis’ eyes turn blue while she starts chanting some mysterious words. – (Taken from Anya)
Thoughts: RPG-adaptations have given us the gems of Popolocrois, but also the flops of Shining Tears X Wind. It’ll be interesting to see where this one goes, though I must say that the staff is at least solid. The director also directed NHK ni Youkoso, which hints that this will start out annoying, with a great second half, and the guy behind the series composition also worked on Aria and wrote an episode for Saiunkoku Monogatari. This does give me confidence that enough time will be spent on fleshing out the characters. The animation company in charge is an unknown one: Hal Film Maker, though they already made gems such as Strange Dawn and Princess Tutu. They also did Aria, and although I haven’t seen it yet, I’ve heard many great things about it. So for now, I’ll be confident about this series.
Definitely Looking Forward To
Soukou Kihei Votoms: Pailsen Files
Summary: OVA release from anime series “Armored Trooper Votoms” utilizing the latest in 3D CG animation. Created by the original staff of the series, with an all new story about the end of the 100 year war. – (Taken from cdjapan)
Thoughts: I haven’t seen the original Armored Trooper Votoms, but I know that they were all directed by Ryousuke Takahashi, the director behind series as Hi no Tori, Flag and Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto. This means one thing for this OVA: lots of realism. It’s going to take twelve episodes, so there’s enough time for development. The first episode should be released on October 26th, while I assume that every month a new episode gets released. Definitely something to look forward to.
Moyashimon
Summary: “Moyashimon” is about a college student who can see bacteria/fungus with his naked eyes. He enters Tokyo Agriculture College and enjoys a campus life with strange professors and friends. Bacterias are very cute and manga is filled with facts/knowledge about bacteria (Mainly about fermentation – like how alcohols are made). – (Taken from Tsunami Channel)
Thoughts: This is one of those series where I have no idea what to expect. Those little creatures you can see on the homepage indeed seem to be bacteria and fungi, though they say nothing about how the actual character-designs will be. You wouldn’t say it, but they’re from the guy who did the animation in Death Note, so I’m interested in how he’ll do it. Natsuko Takahashi is also involved in the project (she’s really on fire for this season, being involved in three major series and all), so I’m eager to see her work on this one.
Maple Story
Summary: An adaptation of the popular MMORPG Maple Story
Thoughts: People keep comparing this series to Ragnarok Online, but I believe that it’s going to be way more similar to Master of Epic. At least, I hope so because Master of Epic was brilliantly cheesy. The promo art also seems to suggest we’re dealing with a comedy here. I’ve played the game at one point as well, and I’m interested in how such a cute MMORPG will be adapted.
Yumedamaya Kidan
Summary: In the fantastic story Naho (11) is an elder sister who enters her younger brother Jun’s (2) dream. They live with their father as their mother died soon after Jun was born. Naho acts in the mothers place in relation to her brother watching after him at home however and the situation is frustrating to her sometimes as she wishes to go out and play with her friends. A man with a slender figure who has a big trunk shows up before Naho one day. He introduces himself as Kotaro of Yumedamaya and he guides Naho into the dream world. Mysterious phenomenons begin manifesting themselves to Naho in her natural everyday surroundings after meeting Kotaro. She strays off into a dream-world of her younger brother and soon encounters her own mother. – (Taken from Anime News Service)
Thoughts: There are quite a few tv-specials aired this year. August brings us Miyori no Mori and Futatsu no Kurumi, and Yumedamya Kidan will air in November. All three are sounding really interesting, and I’d love to see them. Especially with Production IG behind this one.
Shugo Chara
Summary: Everybody at Seiyo Elementary thinks that stylish and super cool Hinamori Amu has it all: But nobody knows the real Amu, a shy girl who wishes she had the courage to truly be herself. Changing Amu’s life is going to take more than wishes and dreams–it’s going to take a little magic! One morning, Amu finds a surprise in her bed: three strange little eggs. Each egg contains a Guardian Character, an angel-like being who can give her the power to be someone new. With the help of her Guardian Characters, Amu is about to discover that her true self is even more amazing than she ever dreamed. – (Taken from AniDB)
Thoughts: I’ve been waiting for another good mahou shoujo to show up, since both Kamichama Karin and Nanatsuiro Drops failed to deliver, and this one could be it. A quest for self-discovery for our heroine sounds like it might actually turn out really interesting. It’s in any case better than some of the other series that will come out for this season. The guy behind the series composition also worked on Kaze no Shoujo Emily, which is a definite plus, and the director previously did episodes of shows like Noein (including its amazing final episode), Ooedo Rocket (the first episode, which was quite hilarious) and Boogiepop Phantom. These guys can make something really interesting out of this concept. 🙂
Top-4 Looking Forward To
Blue Drop: Tenchi-tachi no Gikyoku
Summary: In 1995, all 800 habitants of the isolated Kamikakushi Island vanished in one night, all but a single girl who lost her memory. The cause of the disappearances was never identified. Four years later, that girl, Mari, transfers to a girl’s dormitory school, Kaihou Gakuen, leaving behind her grandmother who had been her guardian ever since the incident. There, she meets Hagino. Hagino is the school idol and completes her student council responsibilities flawlessly. The moment she touches Mari’s hand, however, Hagino freaks out, straddling atop Mari, hands around her throat. Mari is afraid of and angry at Hagino, who pretends as if nothing had happened while in front of other students, but at the same time, somehow, she is attracted to Hagino too. In reality, Hagino is actually an alien who was sent to Earth in order to reconnoitre prior to an invasion. The event on Kamikakushi Island occurred when the 200-member crew of a battleship, the Blue, whose captain was Hagino and the island’s inhabitants had killed each other. The Blue was seriously damaged and hidden. Hagino had since blended into human society and continued her reconnaissance. Within her school life, while fighting with fellow students, Mari begins to come out of her shell. Hagino has been living a double life, but her encounter with Mari makes her face human beings, and gradually she begins to have doubts about her mission. While the invasion and war draws closer unnoticed, the girls begin to understand each other. – (Taken from AnimeNFO)
Thoughts: It’s been a while since the last good shoujo-ai series appeared, and I’ve got some great expectations of Blue Drop. I hope the director can handle it, though. The original concept comes from him as well, and he’s involved in many parts in the project. At the same time, he hasn’t really worked on many memorable projects in the past. So if this goes well, we may expect another masterpiece. But if it fails, it’ll fail horribly. Luckily, he has help from Natsuko Takahashi with the Series Composition, who has already proven to know what she’s doing when she wrote the scripts for numerous memorable anime.
Mokke
Summary: A fantastic story about two sisters. Shizuru is a high school student who can see monsters which ordinary people can’t, while her little sister, Mizuki, is easily haunted by these monsters. They are living with their grandfather’s home separately from their parents because of their abilities. The theme for each story is not horror-centric, but rather, of a heart-warming nature. – (Taken from ?)
Thoughts: A year ago, I would have been sceptical about such a slice-of-life series, though I’m glad that I’m beginning to appreciate the genre more and more. This series also sounds like it’ll turn into a real gem.
Tsubasa Chronicle Tokyo Revelations
Summary: A separate project from the Tsubasa Chronicle anime, this time handled by Production I.G. and Nanase/Ageha Ohkawa (CLAMP`s scriptwriter), Tsubasa TOKYO REVELATIONS are three 25-minutes OVAs covering the Tokyo Arc, which should have taken place in the anime after episode 42. Each of the three DVDs will only be sold in Japan in a special limited edition together with volumes 21, 22 and 23 of the manga. When Sakura, Syaoran, Fye, Kurogane and Mokona arrive in a strange and desolate deserted world and meet a mysterious hooded group, little can they imagine that the inevitable events that will take place in this world will make their journey take a dramatic turn and change their lives forever… – (Taken from Kathna/Miyazawa Lulu)
Thoughts: This is it! After a long time of waiting, Tsubasa Chronicle will finally be continued at November 16th, when the first of the three OVAs will be released. The question remains, though: will the rest of the manga get animated as well? Well, it will all depend on how well this OVA will sell. If it’s a commercial success, there’s going to be a large chance of more OVAs coming out. Let’s hope that this will be the case!
Ghost Hound
Summary: ?
Thoughts: This may be a mediocre season overall, but it’s a great one for the supernatural series. Both Mokke and Ghost Hound have something to do with spirits, and I’m both really looking forward to them. Ghost Hound seems to be much darker than Mokke, and it’s got a great cast to work with. It’s being produced by Production IG, and directed by Ryutaro Nakamura, who directed Serial Experiments Lain and Kino’s Journey. The guy behind the series composition and screenplay is Chiaki Konaka, who wrote the scripts for Yotsuya Kaidan (Ayakashi ~ Japanese Classic Horror), Narutaru, Hellsing and many more.]]>