Winter Season Preview

The upcoming Winter Season will suck? Hell no! In fact, I see no way in which it isn’t going to be able to be better than the Winter of 2010. I’m actually very much looking forward to it.

I’d like to call it the season of mysteries: there are a ton of series that really can go anywhere, from bad to awesome. There are a lot of question marks in this season, but at the same time there are very few series that are completely hopeless at first sight. There are also 21 series, which is the highest of a small season since Winter 2009. What really intrigues me about this season how just about every series has the potential to become something really interesting.

It’s most of all a season for teenagers and romance, but there is a wide variety of different genres with action, science fiction, slice of life, mystery, historical, comedy and mahou shoujo. There also are a ton of different animation producers involved with just one series, ranging from the old veterans like JC Staff, Madhouse and Production IG to a lot of newcomers like David Production, Bridge and 8-Bit. Busiest will be Studio Deen (3 series) and Studio Pierrot (if you include shows carrying over from previous season, they’ll be working on a whopping six different series). The studios who impressed me the most while composing this preview were David Production, Pierrot, Shaft, 8-Bit and Xebec, the studios who impressed me the least were Zexcs, Studio Deen and Madhouse. Surprisingly absent are still Satelight and Sunrise.

The biggest problem with this season is that there are A TON of teenagers: only two series revolve around adults, and one of them is Wolverine. It’s also a season of rather generic character-designs, but instead there are a ton of interesting art directors, plus some of my favourite music composers are also involved here.

As usual, I tried to collect the information about each of the airing series, followed by a number of personal impressions. I don’t claim to be right with any of these impressions, especially considering how I have not read the source material of any of them. I can only comment on what I’m familiar with, which is the people who are going to adapt these stories, animate them and give life to their characters. If you want an impression of the source material of these series, I suggest you to find some sort of blog whose owner does read manga/games and light novels.

Oniichan no Koto Zenzen Suki Janain Dakara Ne—!!!

Summary: I refuse to write this down.
Director: Keitarou Motonage
Series Composition: Koyuri Ouba
The Positives: The director is mostly crap, but he is currently directing Katanagatari, which shows that he can really adapt a good story.
The Negatives: Just… no.
First-Glance Potential: 0%

Cardfight!! Vanguard

Summary: It’s a series based on a children’s card game.
Other Notable Staff: Jam Project (OP)
The Positives: At least we’ll be getting an energetic and hot blooded OP.
The Negatives: Seriously, how long are they going produce these cheap Yugioh rip-offs?
First-Glance Potential: 0%

Starry Sky

Summary: The heroine, Tsukiko, enrolled to a school that was recently changed from all-boys school to co-ed. Since the area where the school is conveniently rural and the rather exclusive curriculums the school has, up until now the heroine is the only one female who enrolled to the school. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Nobuhiro Takamoto
Series Composition: Makoto Nakamura
The Positives: Um, the series composition guy worked on at least a bunch of good series (the Air and Clannad movies, the Snow Queen)
The Negatives: OH GOD NO! Not Nobuhiro Takamoto! How many more series must he ruin after Hatenkou Yuugi, Ookami Kakushi and 07-Ghost? I liked his work on Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club, but after that this guy completely lost it. How does he still get work? And in fact, why does Studio Deen still go with this stupid of a premise?
First-Glance Potential: 0%

Haiyoru! Nyaruani: Remember My Mr. Lovecraft

Summary: The story centers around Nyarlathotep, a formless Cthulhu deity who can take on the shape of anyone it wishes, but particularly the shape of a seemingly ordinary silver-haired girl. Mahiro Yasaka is a normal high school student who is chased by aliens one night, until “Nyaruko” saves him. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Azuma Tan
The Positives: A couple of months ago, they made an OVA about this one. Apparently it was popular enough to warrant an actual TV-series. It’s also entirely done in flash.
The Negatives: I have not watched those OVAs, but with flash they do sound rather cheap. The producers also haven’t really worked on anything notable, and their only other experience is from a bunch of forgettably dull children’s comedies.
First-Glance Potential: 20%

Wolverine

Summary: Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing factor that allows him to recover from virtually any wound, disease or toxin at an accelerated rate. – (Taken from Wikipedia)
Director: All we know is that Rintaro directed the pilot.
The Positives: The trailer, indeed, looks amazing. Why can’t Rintaro direct the entire series?
The Negatives: Usually, I’d be really looking forward to this series. But yeah: Iron Man. Both Iron Man and Wolverine were made in a time in which Madhouse concentrated just about all of its talent on finishing the movie Redline. All I’m asking for now is for this show to at least not have the same sloppy script that Iron Man has. Is that too much to ask?
First-Glance Potential: 30%

Beelzebub

Summary: The story follows the “strongest juvenile delinquent”, Oga Tatsumi, a first year in “Ishiyama High” the school for delinquents. One day while sleeping next to a river he sees a man floating down it, he pulls him to shore and the man splits in half revealing a baby boy. This boy is the son of the demon king and he has been chosen as the one to raise it with the baby’s demon maid Hilda. The story follows his life with the child and at the delinquent school. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Nobuhiro Takamoto
Series Composition: Masahiro Yokotani
The Positives: I really like that Studio Pierrot is finally doing a lot of other projects again aside from Naruto and Bleach. The manga is also supposed to be hilarious, so I’m intrigued.
The Negatives: But dear god, could they perhaps have chosen a bit of a better staff to do it? Nobuhiro Takamoto has no idea how to correctly adapt a source material (that was at least my impression from watching his adaptations) and why is he doing two shows this season? Masahiro Yokotani isn’t really much better with his work on World Destruction, Maria Holic and Reideen (though granted his smaller works are a bit more interesting).
First-Glance Potential: 30%

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?

Summary: The story centers around a lazy high school boy named Ayumu Aikawa who gets killed during a spate of mysterious serial killings. However, Ayumu is resurrected as a zombie by a necromancer girl named “Yuu” (Eucliwood Hellscythe), who Ayumu had just met before dying. Ayumu reawakens in a world surrounded by “masou shoujo” (magically equipped girls) and vampire ninja. Ayumu is assigned the duties of a masou shoujo by a magical warrior girl named Haruna. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Takaomi Kanesaki
Series Composition: Makoto Uezu
Other Notable Staff: Shigeru Morita (script), Machida Touko
The Positives: This show has a pretty interesting scriptwriter: he did research on the settings of various mecha series (what the heck he’s doing at a mahou shounen/shoujo like this I don’t know, though).
The Negatives: The rest of the staff is a bit of a mess, though: the director only directed Macademi Wasshoi before, the series composition is written by a guy whose works range from Katanagatari and Tentai Senshi Sunred to Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka, Amaenaideyo, School Days, Seikon no Qwaser and Tayutama, while Machida Touko worked on series ranging from GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class and Muteki Kanbanmusume to Allison to Lillia, Ookami Kakushi and Lucky Star. Sure, it’s not a complete recipe for disaster… but it’s quite close.
First-Glance Potential: 40%

Suite Precure

Summary: The Eighth Precure Series.
The Positives: Nothing is really known yet, so all we can do is wait until they announce the staff. If it is as good as Heartcatch Precure though, then we’re in for something awesome.
The Negatives: Toei is getting notorious for its sequels, though: a good example of this is Marie & Gali 2.0 and Digimon Xros Wars: the fact that they made one great series says nothing about its sequel.
First-Glance Potential: 50%

Houkago no Pleiades

Summary: By Gainax and Subaru – The Pleiades is the English name for the star cluster that the Japanese call “Subaru” — the origin of the car maker’s name and six-star logo. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Shouji Saeki
Other Notable Staff: Hiroshi Kato (Art Director)
The Positives: I really am not sure why a famous car brand is targeting otaku of all people. Still, it holds potential. The director did direct some of the best parts of FLCL, plus the art director is an incredibly experienced guy. That also really helps.
The Negatives: I have not seen “This Ugly Yet Beautiful World” and “He is My Master”, but I’m a bit concerned here, as they’re considered the two worst things that Gainax produced.
First-Glance Potential: 50%

Dragon Crisis

Summary: Kizaki’s story begins when a high school boy named Ryūji is dragged by his cousin Eriko to rescue a girl from black-market dealers. The blue-eyed “girl” turns out to be a dragon who is inexplicably fixated on Ryūji — following him even when he is bathing and sleeping. Ryūji has to protect the girl from the black-market dealers and others. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Hideki Tachibana
Series Composition: Hideyuki Kurata
Other Notable Staff: Masashi Ishihama (character-designs, animation director)
The Positives: We’re getting a pretty interesting animation director here paired up with Studio Deen: Masashi Ishihama previously directed the animation of Read or Die and the Girl who Leapt Through Time, along with a ton of other interesting stuff. Hideyuki Kurata also still intrigues me, even though his works from the current season (Ore no Imouto and TWGOK) failed to live up to his standards. He did write Now and Then, Here and There, Brigadoon, Kamichu and Sasameki Koto, after all.
The Negatives: I do fear that Hideyuki Kurata is putting too much on his plate, though. And as with The World God Only Knows, he’s again stuck with a mediocre director, as Hideki Tachibana’s only other direction experience was H2O…
First-Glance Potential: 50%

GOSICK

Summary: The novels are set in 1924 in the small Alpine country of Sauville, where Kazuya Kujo studies abroad at the Saint Marguerite Academy. Kazuya joins forces with Victorique, a girl with deductive powers that rival Sherlock Holmes’, to solve mysteries. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Hitoshi Nanba
Series Composition: Mari Okada
Other Notable Staff: Kotaro Nakagawa (will do the music)
The Positives: Mari Okada is an excellent scriptwriter: she’s got guts, she’s solid and is overall pretty dynamic…
The Negatives: …but Holy Hell is she busy this season. I mean, if Otome Youkai Zakuro goes on for two seasons she’ll be working on four series at the same time. What the heck? I’m also not really fond of the whole premise and the punny title (Gosick, Gothic, har har). Plus, we’re getting the director of Heroman. Yeah.
First-Glance Potential: 50%

Kimi ni Todoke Second Season

Summary: Kuronuma Sawako is nicknamed Sadako due to her resemblance to the girl from the Japanese horror movies “The Ring”. Shunned by her classmates, her life starts to change after she befriends Shōta Kazehaya, a very popular boy in her class. Kuronuma Sawako’s one wish in life is to make friends. That’s a difficult proposition when everyone who meets her cowers in terror. She admires her classmate, Kazehaya-kun, a popular, easygoing and 100% refreshing guy who is nice with everyone, even with her. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Hiro Kaburaki
Series Composition: Tomoko Konparu
The Positives: Granted, Kimi ni Todoke is a very pretty shoujo series: Production IG really put in effort to make the first season look as crisp as possible, and this trend will likely continue onto the second. The script itself will also be pretty good, becuase Tomoko Konparu has a ton of experience as a writer on series as Les Miserables, Kodocha, Nodame Cantabile, Genji Monogatari Sennenki and Ashita no Nadja.
The Negatives: The problem though is the whole set-up of this series: it’s just such a cheesy shoujo flick where hardly anything out of the ordinary happens. It could be much worse, though. I’m definitely looking forward to this series more than Starry Sky.
First-Glance Potential: 50%

Freezing

Summary: The story revolves around Kazuya, a boy who lost his sister in humankind’s fight against beings from another dimension. He enrolls in Genetics, a military academy for combat training against the dimensional beings. There, a group of girls known as “Pandora” prepare to fight the unknown enemy. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Series Composition: Masanao Akahoshi
Other Notable Staff: Satoru Kuwabara (Art Director), Seiichi Morishita (Director of Photography)
The Positives: I’m intrigued by that art director: his style is the complete opposite of what you’d expect for such a generic-sounding fanservice fighting series. Same goes for the director of photography. In fact, everything about the staff here is intriguing: the direction and the series composition guy have both made series that range from awesome to incredibly dull: Takashi Watanabe directed Boogiepop Phantom, Starship Operators and Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou, Masanao Akahoshi adapted Letter Bee, Soukou no Strain, and co-wrote Zone of the Enders.
The Negatives: But yeah, Takashi Watanabe also directed Shana, Lost Universe, Ikkitousen and Slayers Revolution, while Masanao Akahoshi also was behind the adaptations of Railgun, Viper’s Creed and Ikkitousen Great Guardians. Add to that that ACGT is just about the most generic you can get in terms of graphics, and you’ve got yourself a series that really can go anywhere.
First-Glance Potential: 50%

Hourou Musuko

Summary: Shuichi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Ei Aoki
Series Composition: Mari Okada
Other Notable Staff: Takako Shimura (original creator), Akira Ito (Art Director)
The Positives: The source material which was written by he author of Aoi Hana really makes such a dull sounding premise worth watching. The art director of Baccano and Durarara also promises a lot of interesting things here. Mari Okada as the scriptwriter should really be able to get the best out of that source material…
The Negatives: …if she wasn’t so goddam busy. I’m also not sure whether the director of Girls Bravo is good on a cross-dressing series, but his work on Ga-Rei Zero shows that he can do much more than blatant fanservice.
First-Glance Potential: 50%

Mitsudomoe 2nd Season

Summary: Newly hired elementary school teacher Satoshi Yabe is assigned to class 6-3, room of the extremely problematic Marui triplets: Futaba, Mitsuba, and Hitoha. Newly hired teacher Satoshi Yabe is terrorized by his new students the Marui triplets. Satoshi Yabe alias Yabe-cchi is just starting his new life as an elementary school teacher. On his first day of work he falls in love immediately with the natural airhead School Nurse, little does he know that in his assigned class the law is made by the Marui triplets. Can Yabe-cchi survive this ordeal or will the three sisters get the best of him … – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Masahiko Outa
Series Composition: Takashi Aoshima
The Positives: 8 episodes! That means that they have really put some thought into how much material they still have left. The whole staff of the first season will also be working on the second season. It had its flaws, but when it was funny, it really was hilarious.
The Negatives: Still, there are very few comedy sequels that actually manage to be as good as their predecessors. The first season was already getting repetitive, so how will the second season solve this?
First-Glance Potential: 60%

Infinite Stratos

Summary: Infinite Stratos (IS), a weaponized exoskeleton system, has become the dominant tool of warfare and conflict. Unfortunately for the men in society, only women are able to operate Infinite Stratos… with very few exceptions. One of those exceptions is ORIMURA Ichika, an orphan raised by his older sister who is herself a famous IS pilot. When his compatibility with IS is discovered after he accidentally touches an IS at the age of 15, he’s given a scholarship and enrolled in a school that specializes in training IS pilots. Which of course means an… interesting life surrounded by girls for this shy, unassuming boy. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Yasuhito Kikuchi
Series Composition: Fumihiko Shimo
Other Notable Staff: Hikaru Nanase (Music), Chinatsu Houjo (script/screenplay), Shunichiro Yoshihara
The Positives: Fresh blood: 8-Bit finally decided to adapt their own series, which is always nice. The character-designs are terrible, but the background art is going to be gorgeous, not to mention that Hikaru Nanase is one of my favourite composers. The director of Macross Frontier needs to pay attention to not dabble into romance too much, but I’m very interested in what he can do without Shoji Kawamori’s influence. Plus, we have the guy who wrote the adaptations of Air and Clannad.
The Negatives: Though granted, Fumihiko Shimo did write a bunch of stories I did not like, like Burst Angel and Gravion… Not to mention that the premise at first sight reeks of those two. I’m willing to give this one the benefit of doubt at this point, though. It seems ambitious enough for that.
First-Glance Potential: 60%

Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica

Summary: Madoka is an kind, friendly, but ordinary second-year middle school girl. She wonders aloud what she should do if she can grant whatever you may wish through magic. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo
Series Composition: Gen Urobuchi
Other Notable Staff: Yuki Kujiura (Music), Takashiro Kishida
The Positives: Shinbo again, but really: for the first time since bloody ages he’s actually directing again, instead of slapping his name on top of an already existing director again. Plus, the character-designer of Noein? Yuki Kajiura behind the music? I’m definitely intrigued here. On top of that, we’ve got the series that is written by the original creator of Phantom, who also wrote the series Blassreiter. This might just well be the series to really remove the bias I currently have about Shinbo.
The Negatives: So really, don’t screw this one up, Shinbo. It’s a mahou shoujo, but this feels like it’s going to be the most unique Shaft-series since ef (it’s certainly is the first Shaft series that I’m actually looking forward to since a LONG time). Don’t ruin this by making it a flimsy Tsukuyomi Moon Phase clone or something.
First-Glance Potential: 70%

Fractale

Summary: The story is set on an island at the far reaches of a continent where the “Fractale System” is on the brink of collapse. A boy named Kurain embarks on a journey to search for Furyune — a girl who disappeared, leaving behind only a pendant. Kurain will eventually learn the secrets of the “System.” – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Yutaka Mamamoto
Series Composition: Mari Okada
Other Notable Staff: Isao Hayashi (Mechanical Designs), Yuusuke Tanaka
The Positives: Very interesting people behind the designs, and I must admit that this is one of the more interesting premises of the season. Mari Okada also really helps…
The Negatives: …but again, she’s so incredibly busy this season. The director of Kannagi has potential here, though he does have a tendency to focus too much on moe. But then again, the story here seems a lot more interesting than with Kannagi.
First-Glance Potential: 70%

Yumekui Merry

Summary: It’s about a high school boy named Yumeji Fujiwara who has the mysterious power to see other people’s dreams or nightmares. One day, he meets Merry, a beautiful girl who came from the world of dreams. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Series Composition: Hideki Shirane
Other Notable Staff: Masahiro Fujii (Character Designer)
The Positives: When I first read the premise, I didn’t think much behind it. But SHIGEYASU YAMAUCHI!? The director of Casshern Sins? This guy can even make crap like Kyou, Koi wo Hajimemasu be good.
The Negatives: The scriptwriter is… mediocre. He neither wrote really bad nor really good series. We’ve also got the character-designs of Zero no Tsukaima…
First-Glance Potential: 70%

Rio – Rainbow Gate!

Summary: It’s a Pachinko Game Adaptation from Xebec.
Director: Takao Kato
Series Composition: Mayori Sekijima
The Positives: Mayori Sekijima also wrote Zegapain, the Soultaker, Gad Guard, Petit Cosette and adapted Pandora Hearts, Skip Beat and the Samurai Pizza Cats. The director meanwhile also adapted Pandora Hearts. Who says that Pachinko adaptations can’t be awesome?!
The Negatives: Though granted, the director also did To Love-Ru, Megaman and Buso Renkin while Mayori Sekijima also wrote Hero Tales and Kaze no Stigma. Ah, but who cares, this really looks like another one of those rare Good Xebec series.
First-Glance Potential: 80%

Level E

Summary: Tsutsui Yukitaka is a freshman who has finally convinced his parents that he is ready to live on his own. When he arrives at his new apartment, he is surprised to find that someone has arrived before him; A young man who claims that he is an alien and that he is suffering from amnesia. A series of short stories involving aliens on Earth. – (Taken from ANN)
Director: Toshiyuki Kato
Series Composition: Yukki Hanada
Other Notable Staff: Yoshihiro Togashi (Original Creator), Kunihiko Ryo (Music), Itsuko Takeda, Yasufumi Soejima (3D Director, Visual Concept).
The Positives: This is BY FAR going to have the most interesting production values of the entire season. I mean, the creators composed an entire dream team here: we have Studio Pierrot and David Production animating a manga with art looking completely unlike what you’d expect from the mainstream, the character-designer designed for Blue Drop, Ristorante Paradiso, Mirage of Blaze and the Galaxy Railways, all of which are completely different. Not to mention that the guy behind the visual concept was also the guy behind the textures of Gankutsuou, along with the CG of Last Exile, the Book of Bantorra and the background art of Ritsorante Paradiso. If that isn’t going to be stylish then I don’t know anymore. Add to that, the director of Full Moon wo Sagashite and Maria-Sama ga Miteru’s fourth season (he also storyboarded a bunch of Simoun, Bantorra and Hunter x Hunter episodes which included some of the best episodes of those series), while Yukki Hanada wrote and adapted Kuragehime, Red Garden, Sola, Chobits and Rozen Maiden, and this becomes definitely the series I’m looking forward to the most this season.
The Negatives: Yukki Hanada, granted, did also write a bunch of mediocre series, like Idol Master Xenoglossia, H2O, the Girl who Leapt Through Space SA and Yozakura Quartet. Oh, and this is from a part of the creators of Mission E.
First-Glance Potential: 90%