I’ll be honest here: in terms of OVAs the upcoming season will suck. The continuation of the Tales of Symphonia anime is the only thing noteworthy coming out. On top of that there will also be very little original content: nearly everything is based off on some franchise or the other. I am not sure what it is, but producers seem to get more and more scared to put out movies and OVAs with an original premise.
However, and I don’t say this often: in terms of movies the upcoming season has the potential to become one of the best of the past decade. This season has four movies coming out that have the potential to be incredible due to the staff involved in all of them. Of course things still need to air and all, but really: it has been a long while since there were so many of these movies at the same time coming out.
Franchise Movies and OVAs
Comments: These are the OVAs and Movies that either just keep coming out, or that are a small release. Squid Girl and Rinne no Lagrange for example are getting OVAs that probably won’t be more than just random side-stories. The key here will be whether or not they’re fun to watch, it’s that simple. There is also an OVA of that Esthetica series by Arms coming out, which I don’t care about in the slightest. And bizarrely enough there will also be a Code Geass OVA. In which they’ll do exactly the same as what Kuroshitsuji did a few years ago in having everyone play cameos in Alice and Wonderland. That Kuroshitsuji OVA really was not good. Did the producers really look at that and said: “yeah, we can do that too”? As for the movies, Naruto is getting a new one, and it looks really dull and generic again. At least with Blood Prison I could imagine what it’d be about.
Ongoing OVA and Movie Series
Comments: There are lots of on-going OVA and Movie series coming out this season. To start with the OVAs: The Tales of Symphonia episode is especially looking interesting and more Azazel is always nice. Beyond that though, To Love Ru, Hakuouki, To Heart and Seitokai Yakuindomo all get more OVAs which I don’t care about, and let’s net get started on KissXSis. Kimi no Iru Machi and Holy Knight also both get continuations, but the first episodes of both these OVAs were really bad and cheesy romance, and not really worth it to continue. Also hell yeah! Berserk’s second installment. From what I heard of first impressions, it’s supposed to be amazing, but filled with ugly CG. Well, let’s see if the second movie will be able to improve on that, but regardless I am really looking forward to it. Yamato’s second movie will also arrive, and based on the first episode that was pre-screeened a few weeks ago we’re in for a very solid science fiction show with a lot of nostalgia value. Nanoha’s second movie though.. I am not looking forward to that one. Unlike the two above, those movies are just simple recaps with very little value on thir own. The only point about the first movie was that now Nanoha’s story could be viewed in movie format. There is no way in which that’s going to work for Nanoha A’s. The story is just to big for that.
Asa Made Jugyou Chu!
Type: OVA
Director: Hiromitsu Kanazawa
Screenplay: Hiromitsu Kanazawa
The Positives: Yeah…
The Negatives: It’s pretty much porn from Gohands again, this time with the director of Princess Lover.
Tight Rope
Type: Two Episode OVA
Director: ?
Screenplay: ?
Other Notable Staff: Isaku Natsume (Original Creator)
The Positives: You could probably guess by the picture, but this will be a shounen ai OVA. Nothing is known about this yet and who will end up handling it.
The Negatives: That’s a very emo sounding premise you’ve got there, guys… Granted, it is a kind of premise that could work well when in the right hands. But I really doubt that these hands are right. Especially with a two episode OVA like this.
Eiga Jewelpet Sweets Dance Princess
Type: Movie
Director: Hiroaki Sakurai
Screenplay: Takashi Yamada
The Positives: Studio Comet. Are you serious with the staff you gathered for this movie? The director of Kodocha, Les Miserables and and Geijutsuka Art Design Class, together with the writer of Ojamajo Doremi, Heartcatch Precure, Marie&Gali, Shion no Ou and Yumeiro Patissiere? The people who can totally make this premise work if they try?
The Negatives: And here is the ting with these two: if they try they can deliver some very charming and incredible series. If they don’t then the result is random fluff without much value. I have no idea what’s going to happen when both of them come together, though…
Fairy Tail Houou no Miko
Type: Movie
Director: Masaya Fujimori
Screenplay: Masashi Sogo
Other Notable Staff: Yasuharu Takanashi (Music)
The Positives: Fairy Tail fans, be delighted because this movie has a really good director assigned to it: Masaya Fujimori directed You Are Delicious a movie which was good on so many levels. The story is original so I think even I am going to take a peek at what he did here.
The Negatives: The scriptwriter is the same as for the TV-series, which I hope will work out because the annoyance of the characters lead me to quickly drop the show.
Toshokan Sensou: Kakumei no Tsubasa
Type: Movie
Director: Takayuki Hamana
Screenplay: Takeshi Konuta
The Positives: The director and screenplay writer are the same as for the Toshokan Sensou TV-series, so if they did have some sort of vision that was cut off at the really incomplete ending of the TV-series, then this is the place to show it. Toshokan Sensou does have potential. The TV-series did not find it, but it also did not cut it off. The director in particular is very volatile: he made some awesome stuff and some dull stuff, often in the very same franchise. Anything could happen at this point.
The Negatives: Still, before the advent of Guilty Crown, Library Wars was my least favorite installment of Noitamina, especially after the Armed Librarians came, and did everything that it should have been. If I had to give the movie one advice: pick one plot, and develop it. The TV-series was all over the place and therefore didn’t really do anything quite well. Keep your focus here.
Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki
Type: Movie
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Screenplay: Mamoru Hosoda, Satoko Okudera
Other Notable Staff: Takaaki Yamashita (Animation Director)
The Positives: Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo)’s next movie looks really interesting. It’s closer to Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo again, and looks to be a very personal story, about a grown woman and a mother, of all things. That really isn’t something you see everyday, and with these writers on board it’s bound to become really interesting
The Negatives: Hmm, my only concern would be that the focus would lie too much on the children, and there are enough movies about kids already. But heck, with these creators they’ll end up balancing things really well.
Blood-C – The Last Dark
Type: Movie
Director: Naoyoshi Shiotani
Screenplay: Junichi Fujisaku, Nanase Oukawa
Other Notable Staff: Naoki Sato (Music), Kazuchika Kise (Character Design, Chief Animation Director)
The Positives: If you want to know why I’m looking forward even more to this than compared to the TV-series, just watch this video. That is the third opening for the Blood+ TV-series, and the guy who directed it will direct the new Blood-C movie. It is a gorgeous and very artistic opening, and if you look at some of the other episodes he’s worked on, like Sengoku Basara’s second episode, or Chevalier’s eighteenth episode, the amount of passion he puts in his direction and visuals is just completely stunning. He already showed that he is a very clever director with the cute romance OVA Tokyo Marble Chocolate, but here he gets to direct a full fledged action movie. Written by Clamp who have shown that they had huge guts with their complete re-imagination of the Blood franchise. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to this one.
The Negatives: Overall the direction of Production IG has taken after Blood-C has worried me. I really hope that this wasn’t caused by Blood-C’s backlash, but ever since they have been so incredibly safe. First Guilty Crown and the Prince of Tennis, now Shining Hearts and Kuroko no Basuke. And it’s such a pity, because these guys need to go back to their days in which they took huge risks and delivered on some of the most imaginative and bold series out there. I really hope that this movie won’t be the last of that side of theirs that we get to see. Have some balls, IG!
Code Geass – Bokuko no Akito
Type: 4-Part Movie Series
Director: Kazuki Akane
Screenplay: Kazuki Akane, Miya Asakawa
Other Notable Staff: Ichiko Hashimoto (Music), Shuuichi Shimamura (Chief Animation Director)
The Positives: I have been looking forward to this for so long. For those new to this blog: Kazuki Akane is like, my favorite director ever. He directed three of my most favorite anime ever (Noein, Escaflowne and Birdy the Mighty Decode). I don’t care whether he’s doing the Code Geass sequel next, it’s an original story in any case so this can be taken anywhere he wants. He has been working on this for years now, and I’m really psyched what he is able to do with this franchise. The staff isn’t a dream team, but together they can do some really interesting stuff.
The Negatives: Miya Asakawa did write the Mars Daybreak, a show with some very flimsy plot twists, so she does need guidance because her scripts on Noein, Birdy the Mighty Decode and Overman King Gainer were amazing.
I’m really surprised you rated the Code Geass OVA so high since you gave the original series a poor score. Maybe the story won’t fall apart in the hands of somebody competent now
I don’t share your snap judgment about the past staff not being “competent” (as if you could say so based on the flaws of a single show, in spite of their past work on projects like Planetes) but, likewise, I believe Akane is a great director and expect this to turn out better.
It helps that a seasonal rather than weekly production schedule eliminates or reduces quite a few behind-the-scenes problems that plagued the original Code Geass (especially R2).
“If you want to know why I’m looking forward even more to this than compared to the TV-series,….”
“That Kuroshitsuji OVA really was not good. Did the producers really look at that and said: “yeah, we can do that too”?”
Nunnally is moe. That changes EVERYTHING.
I am looking forward to Blood-C – The Last Dark, but even more I can’t wait for an opportunity to see the new Library War movie. Unlike you, I was impressed by the TV series. I have a strong affection for the theme of fighting to protect the Freedom of Expression, so that is a major part of it, but I also liked the way the show came out. It had some good acting, and I thought the way the action sequences were handled were integrated well with the other components.
We out of that list I’m looking forward to Nanoha, Berserk, okami kodomo no ame to yuki and Azazel.
I’m boycotting everything to do with the geass and blood franchise. Geass should have stuck to one season and IG has milked blood far too much at this point, I’ll stick with the first blood movie instead. Just my opinion though.
I kind of agree with you, wasnt too taken with the recent Blood series though liked the live action movie. How much really can you get squeeze out of one original 40 minute OVA though?
Then of course theres also Rinne and squid girls ovas which I’ll watched out completion.
I keep seeing Hakuouki popping up everywhere, I watched season one a when it was goo, it was good but was often very uneven, tempted to watch season two of it as that seems more focused.
Huh? Akane’s been working on the Akito the Exiled for years? How do you know? Where’d you find that info?
The project was first announced with his name attached to it back in 2009/2010.
Beg to differ about Toshokan Sensou and Armed Librarians. Despite that they both have the word “library” in them, they have about as much in common as either have with Kokoro Library. Toshokan Sensou…heck, OK, I kinda liked it, but like it or not, it’s a bureaucratic/procedural show closely based on real life, a lot like Patlabor or a more serious You’re Under Arrest, and no real kin the the Magical Tragical Books o’ Bantorra –
I agree.
Considering I not only like Kazuki Akane, who is certainly a great director (Noein and Birdy the Mighty Decode were excellent), but also the original Code Geass series as well, I think that short OVA/movie series is quite promising.
However, it’s worth mentioning a couple of things:
a)It is not a sequel but a side story set at around the same time as the first season.
b)Both Sunrise and the original staff gave Kazuki Akane a lot of freedom, as the delayed release can attest to, but they were also involved in the planning.
c)If you really hate Code Geass, even taking the same material in another direction will probably not make you suddenly appreciate it. That’s not an issue for me, of course.
I’m not sure why you think Nanoha A is too big for a movie considering that the series was the same length as the first season which seemed to work fairly well as a movie. Anyway, personally I’m really looking forward to Mamoru Hosoda’s new work.
You say Production IG should have “balls” again, but hey, they need to survive. At least Guilty Crown, Prince of Tennis and Kuroko no Basket sell (Shining Hearts doesn’t, but it’s probably becaus it has no redeaming quality whatsoever. At least Guilty Crown had gorgeous animation).
All the anime they made that were “bold” and “imaginative” were sale duds, save for a couple (like Ghost in the Shell SAC).
So there’s a reason for all these so-called “unimpressive” series, stop thinking making only anime that have a very narrow target audience because of how creative and original they are can be a good business decision. (and sorry for my poor english)
dont forget that half of your fan base also thinks that you under rated code geass just because you had a predisposed opinion on it
your favorite director is probably going to do a good job of explaining those 1 or 2 plotholes you all freak out about so much
i bet after the series youll need to re-evaluated code geass and possibly bump it up to the 80s.
i agree it belongs NO WHERE near the 90s, but 70s? really >.>;
Code Geass belongs to the 50s really. Anyone who enjoys reading and can appreciate good storytelling and character development can tell you that.
I thought Code Geass was good, not great but good. I think some people are taking judgement from R2 and putting on this movie. Different director, different story, i’m up for it. i watched Code Geass 4 times 1st and 2nd season.