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Spring forward, Fall back? Not so much in 2012 – while Spring mostly lived up to its billing as one of the best anime seasons in the last five years, Fall – while a notch or two below that on paper – looks like it has a chance to be very good as well.
At the very least this coming season should be a big step up from Summer – but there’s nothing unusual about that, as Spring and Fall are traditionally the most diverse and interesting seasons for anime. Previews of the shows on my radar are below the fold: as always, please take a moment and vote for your top picks in the Fall Season Poll in the sidebar.
One encouraging element of this coming season is that it looks to be fairly balanced, on paper anyway. We have several shows that seem to have major commercial appeal and might just be good series as well – Little Busters and Magi top that list – an interesting if enigmatic NoitaminA block and a smattering of less commercial “artistic” series. There are a few original series mixed in with the adaptations, and we have some sequels for shows that actually deserve them for a change – like Jormungand, Seitokai no Ichizon and Bakuman. All of the major studios are well-represented and there should be at least one series that meets anyone’s tastes in terms of genre.
With that, to the previews:
Jormungand Season 2: Perfect Order – White Fox
Director: Motonaga Keitarou
Writer: Kuroda Yasuke
Schedule: Tuesday 25:30, TV Tokyo– Premières 10/2/12
Episodes: TBD
First Look: No reason whatsoever to expect anything different here. White Fox’s adaptation of the Jormungand manga was almost note-faithful in the first season, and there are no significant staff changes for the second cour. If you enjoyed the first season you should enjoy the second, and I certainly did – I’m a big fan of the manga and I was surprised that the anime made so few concessions to try and make this quite difficult work more mainstream.
Bakuman Season 3 – JC Staff
Director: Kasai Kenichi/Akitaya Noriaki
Writer: Yoshida Reiko
Schedule: Saturday, Time TBD, NHK-E = Premières 10/6/12
Episodes: 25
MAL:
First Look: JC Staff has a huge schedule this season, and one of the highlights is this third (and presumably final) season of their adaptation of the popular Shounen Jump manga. Not possessed of flashy animation and criminally underappreciated, this adaptation has consistently gotten better over the first two seasons, and has tremendous appeal both as an inside-the-beltway study of the manga industry and a universal story of youth of the power of dreams. The manga just finished its highly successful run, and while there’s probably more than enough material to go beyond 25 episodes, my feeling is that JC Staff is going to wrap up the anime with this season.
Kamisama Hajimemashita – TMS Entertainment
Director: Daichi Akitaro
Writer: TBA
Schedule: Monday, 26:05, TV Tokyo – Premières 10/2/12
Episodes: Unknown
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: Though Suzuki Julietta’s manga has been licensed for quite a while (as Kamisama Kiss) I’ve never gotten around to reading it. But Daichi Akitaro is an important director, having delivered high-quality works like Fruits Basket and Bokura ga Ita (and the delightful 3-minute series Poyopoyo) and that’s enough to get a long look from me. The premise has echoes of Fruits Basket too, with a bit of Inu x Boku – a teenaged girl left homeless when her deadbeat Dad runs out on a gambling debt ends up sheltering at a Shrine with a fox deity. Nothing about the plot or the art wows me, but I enjoy Shinto-themed shows when they’re done well, and there’s ample reason to suspect this might be a solid series.
Ixion Saga DT – Brains Base
Director: Takamatsu Shinji
Writer: Yamataya Akatsuki
Schedule: Sunday, TV Tokyo, 25:05 – Premières 10/7/12
Episodes: Unknown
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: Generally speaking I’d be lukewarm to an adaptation of a MMORPG. But I always preach “the staff is critical” – and here we have the director of Danshi Koukousei and School Rumble. As if that weren’t enough it’s also the product of Brains Base, which has produced as high a percentage of good to great anime as any studio out there in recent years. The setup itself looks pretty standard – alternate world, young hero and a Princess to rescue, swords and sorcery – but with BB and Takamatsu-san involved, plus an all-star (and one Kaji Yuuki) cast it’s definitely worth a look.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic – A-1 Pictures
Director: Masunaru Kouji
Writer: Yoshino Hiroyuki
Schedule: Sunday 17:00, MBS/TBS – Première Date TBA
Episodes: TBA
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: No question, this looks to be one of the commercial giants of the season, and one that could run for several cour. Ohtaka Shinobu’s hit manga runs in Shounen Sunday, where things tend to be a little quirkier than in SJ. A re-imagining of the “Arabian Nights” saga, I like what I’ve read – and it seems as if A-1 will pour a lot of budget in, based on the previews. Kamichu creator/director Masunari Kouji (who also directed the theatrical Welcome to the Space Show) inspires great confidence, and stalwart Sagisu Shirou is in charge of the music. Cast is still unknown (apart from their silhouettes) and we’ll just have to hope the property is good enough to survive Yoshino Hiroyuki.
Robotics;Notes – Production I.G.
Director: Nomura Kazuya
Writer: Hanada Jukki
Schedule: Thursday 24:45, Fuji TV– Premières 10/11/12
Episodes: 22
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: Production I.G. owns the whole NoitaminA block this season (though there’s still talk PSYCHO-PASS could officially come from their satellite studio) but that doesn’t mean quite as much as it used to, given their inconsistent track record of late. Both shows are about equally hyped, and seem to strike a good balance between commercial and artistic – I suspect P-P might end up being better, but this adaptation of a VN from the team behind Steins;Gate certainly merits interest (there’s reportedly some crossover). Kazuya’s only previous directorial effort was the meh Sengoku Basura, though he has worked in lesser capacities on some classics, and Hanada Jukki is one of the most experienced writers in the industry.
PSYCHO-PASS – Production I.G.
Director: TBA
Writer: Urobuchi Gen
Schedule: Thursday 25:15, Fuji TV– Premières10/11/12
Episodes: 11
Preview: Preview 2:
MAL:
First Look: The involvement of Urobuchi Gen with PSYCHO-PASS has been rumored for a while, but was confirmed this week. That, combined with I.G. and NoitaminA, immediately makes this one of the most eagerly anticipated series of the Fall. The premise has a bit of Philip K. Dick to it – a near-future where a person’s mental state can be spontaneously measured, with the focus on the cops tasked with keeping the peace. Kana Hanazawa and Seki Tomokazu are the leads, but apart from The Butcher’s involvement very little is known about the staff yet. It goes almost without saying that this one will be dark, psychologically brutal and full of great dialogue – what remains to be seen is whether Gen can achieve the emotional resonance that often eludes him.
Chousaku Henkei Gyrozetter – A-1 Pictures
Director: Takamatsu Shinji
Writer: Satou Dai
Schedule: TBA, TV Tokyo
Episodes: TBA
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: So why am I previewing a show about a kids card trading game, where cars turn into robots? Simple – Takamatsu Shinji and Satou Dai. Gyrozetter tests two maxims that I frequently preach: never discount a show because it’s about kids, and always look at the staff. Takamatsu directed School Rumble and Danshi Koukousei (among others) and Satou wrote the original Eureka Seven. This may very well turn out to be kids stuff, but I’m sure as hell going to give it a chance.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun – Brains Base
Director: Kaburaki Hiro
Writer: Takagi Noboru
Schedule: Monday 25:35, TV Tokyo – Premières 10/1/12
Episodes: Unknown
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: It’s a pretty good season for shoujo, but the two shows getting the most buzz seem to be Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Sukitte Ii na yo. There are some similarities in the premise – 16 year-old girl enters into an accidental relationship with a boy – and I’d even go so far as to say there’s a bit of a rivalry between the fanbases. I haven’t read much of either manga but they both seem quite interesting, and Brains Base is as close to a reliable quality engine as any studio going. Kaburaki-san directed Kimi no Todoke, which I found quite dull, to be honest, but Takagi-san wrote the adaptations of Baccano!, Durarara and Sankarea. My sense is that this is slightly edgier than Sukitte, but that’s just a guess.
Sukitte Ii na yo – ZEXCS
Director/Writer: Satou Takuya
Schedule: Saturday 25:30, Tokyo MX – Premières 10/6/12
Episodes: TBA
MAL:
First Look: ZEXCS doesn’t have the cachet of Brains Base, but we do have the director of Steins;Gate and Seitokai no Ichizon steering the ship (F/SN too, but we won’t talk about that). I really have no idea how this will stack up next to Tonari (pun intended) – or if it even matters – but since both are featured in the shoujo magazine Dessert, the comparisons seem inevitable. This one seems a little more reflective and mature to me, and I’ve heard comparisons made to Bokura ga Ita, one of the best (and most infuriating) shoujo romances ever. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how both shows play out.
Little Busters! – J.C. Staff
Director: Yamakawa Yoshiki
Writer: Shimoda Michiru
Schedule: Sunday, Time TBA, Tokyo MX – Premières 10/7/12
Episodes: TBA (2 cour)
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: In the time I’ve been an anime fan, I can think of few series that have been as anticipated, discussed and pleaded for as Little Busters. Instead of being thrilled with the news, though, many fans chose to focus on being disappointed that J.C. Staff was chosen to adapt the KEY VN rather than Kyoto Animation. KyoAni does a remarkable job with visuals, it’s true, but J.C. Staff is unfairly derided as a second-class studio when in fact they often do very good work – and their most recent promotional video and art has been quite impressive. Whatever happens, it’s inevitable that LB will be the subject of endless argument and debate – with expectations as high as they are and the wait having been so long, this is going to make the kerfuffle surrounding SAO seem like Zen meditation. I’m not sure which is going to be more entertaining, the show or the reaction – but I go in with a clean slate, as I did with SAO (apart from my knowledge of earlier KEY adaptations). Truth be told there’s nothing that noteworthy about the staff and cast apart from a rare Horie Yui appearance as a boy, but I know J.C. Staff is going to make LB a top priority, and I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt until they give me a reason to do otherwise.
To LOVE-Ru Darkness – Xebec
Director: Ootsuki Atsushi
Writer: TBA
Schedule: Friday, Time TBA, Tokyo MX – Premières 10/5/12
Episodes: TBA
MAL:
First Look: There’s not much pretense about To LOVE-Ru, but that’s one of the things that makes it tolerable. This is about fanservice to the point that it borders on hentai, but it’s hentai with good production values and great art. I’ve always liked manga artist Yabuki Kentarou’s style, and Xebec has always done a good job bringing it to life. Once upon a time there was a halfway-interesting romantic triangle here, but I don’t think anyone’s much worried about that at this stage. Darkness shifts the focus off Rito, Haruna and Lala to side characters Momo and Yami, and new girl Mea.
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai! – Kyoto Animation
Director: Ishihara Tatsuya
Writer: Hanada Jukki
ScheduleWednesday 24:30, Tokyo MX – Premières 10/3/12
Episodes: Unknown
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: More than any studio, KyoAni is like a private club. They very rarely go outside their tiny circle, and Chuunibyou is no exception. Ishihara-san directed Kanon, Clannad and Haruhi, Character Designer/Animation director Ikeda Kazumi is all over the KyoAni catalogue. But you can bank that any KyoAni show is going to look great, and this one looks to be the most adventurous material they’ve tackled in a while. It’s based on Torako’s LN series about chuunibyou – “second-year middle school disease” – basically the belief that the world revolves around you, but here exaggerated comedically to the belief that one has superpowers and can save the world. The previews have been a hoot, and this looks potentially quite strange and, by KyoAni’s normal “cute girls being cute” standards, pretty risky. They’ve also gone outside the KyoAni stock cast for the four seiyuu that have been announced.
Seitokai no Ichizon 2 – AIC
Director: Imaizumi Kenichi
Writer: Yoshida Reiko
Schedule: Saturday, Time TBA, NicoNico – Premières 10/13/12
Episodes: Unknown
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: I loved the first season of SnI, and waited patiently for two years for this sequel – but there are some troubling signs. Foremost, this is being streamed on NicoNico like Ebiten rather than broadcast, which may mean only LQ raws and trouble finding a subber. We also have major changes – studio change (DEEN to AIC) new director, new writer, and two major cast changes. Still, presuming they stay close to Sekina Aoi’s source material things might be fine – because this is very funny, smart and original character and situation comedy. The cast if full of memorable characters, my favorites being “Taicho” Sakurano Kurimu and one of the best male leads in comedy, Sugisaki Ken.
Zetsuen no Tempest – BONES
Director: Andou Masahiro
Writer: Okada Mari
Schedule: Thursday 25:55, MBX – Premières 10/4/12
Episodes: TBA
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: BONES’ entry in the Fall sweepstakes, this one features Sword of the Stranger director Andou-sensei. It’s a manga adaptation but with Okada Mari writing, all bets are off. It’s certainly an interesting premise – a teenager’s family is murdered, and he and his friend team up with a witch who’s been marooned on an island by her acolytes. There’s also a rather unusual twist in that the series is a homage to the works of Shakespeare. From what I’ve seen this is pretty violent, dark and emotionally intense – it’ll be very interesting to see how this material works in combination with a strong director and loose cannon writer.
Code:Breaker – Kinema Citrus
Director/Writer: Irie Yasuhiro
Schedule: TBA, MBX
Episodes: TBA
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: I wasn’t familiar with Kamijyou Akimine’s manga before the anime announcement, and to be honest I wasn’t blown away by the first couple of chapters. But his Samurai Deeper Kyo is a noteworthy series, and Irie-san directed the excellent Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood adaptation for BONES, the frequent collaborator of Kinema Citrus. Solid cast includes a too-rare appearance by Miki Shinichiro.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – David Production
Director: Tsuda Naokatsu
Writer: Kobayashi Yasuko
Schedule:Friday 24:30, Fuji TV – Premières 10/5/12
Episodes: TBA
MAL:
First Look: Araki Hirohito’s legendary shounen manga has been the subject of many incarnations and adaptations over the decades – though never a full TV series – and makes an odd and interesting choice for a 2012 remake. The manga has a massive 106 volumes and has been running since 1987 (though is took a break in 2003 and transferred to a seinen monthly in 2004). The chronicle of the Joestar family spans the period from the 1880’s to the present, and cycles through many main characters, though it looks as if the anime will focus on original MC Jonathon Joestar and villain Dio Brando. It’s hard to know just what to expect but I’ll be watching with great curiosity – I’m a fan of David Productions’ adaptation work (they did brilliantly with another elderly shounen manga in Level E) and director Tsuda-san did quite well with the very unusual Inu X Boku SS.
Shin Sekai Yori – A-1 Pictures
Director: Ishihama Masashi
Writer: Sago Masashi
Schedule: Tuesdays, time TBA, TV Asahi – Premières 10/2/12 (webcast 9/28)
Episodes: TBA
Preview: Preview 2:
MAL:
First Look: It would probably be too much to call it a sleeper, but if there’s one series on this crowded schedule that isn’t getting enough attention, it’s Shin Sekai Yori. I tend to enjoy adaptations that come from novels (as opposed to LNs) which can often develop a richer world and characters without being slave to the conventions of the light-novel medium, and this looks like a really detailed and compelling fantasy/sci-fi premise. Kishi Yuusuke’s story spans two time-skips and starts when the five child protagonists are 12, so it’ll be interesting to see where A-1 chooses to focus the adaptation. I love the setting of a tranquil Eden hiding dark secrets, and young protagonists on a dangerous quest to save the world – it has “classic” written all over it. Ishihama-sensei hasn’t directed many shows, but has worked in various capacities on a striking number of classics. The previews and art are beautiful, and despite not being as big a name as some other Fall shows, I think Shin Sekai Yori has a chance to be the best show of the season.
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo – J.C. Staff
Director: Ishozuka Atsuka
Writer: Okada Mari
Schedule: Monday 24:30, Tokyo MX– Premières10/8/12
Episodes: TBA (2 cour)
Preview:
MAL:
First Look: It’s Okada Mari again, with another adaptation. This time it’s a LN series about a high-schooler forced to moved into the Sakurasou apartments after he’s kicked out of his dorm for having a cat. His new pet is a classmate who also happens to be a famous artist – and completely lacking in common sense. The concept of a fish-out-of-water guy in an apartment full of eccentrics reminds me a bit of Mahoraba, a show I liked a lot. It’s Ishizuka’s first time in charge of a series, and it’s great to see a young (30) and female director getting a chance. Really though, it’s Okada who will be the story – and based on her track record over the last two years, that makes this a crapshoot, though my gut tells me this might be the better of her Fall series.
K – GoHands
Director: Suzuki Shingo
Writer: GoRA
Schedule: Thursday 26:25, MBS – Premières10/4/12
Episodes: 13
Preview: Preview 2: Preview 3:
MAL:
First Look: K has been something of an odd duck since the first preview showed up months ago. A somewhat mysterious project, it inspired a lot of speculation based on the dribbles of information in the short clips – was it a fujoshi show? BL? Shounen? One thing’s been clear from the beginning – the production values in the previews have been off-the-charts great, and a quite justifiable buzz has surrounded the show as a result. Truth be told we still don’t really know much about what K is about, except that it’s full of bishounen and a couple of kawaii girls. My sense is that this show is going to be more about its sense of style than its story or characters, and I’m highly skeptical GoHands can come close to maintaining the God-tier animation and art of the PVs – but I’m certainly going to be watching with keen interest to find out.
Btooom! – Madhouse
Director: Watanabe Kotono
Writer: Kuroda Yousuke
Schedule: TBA, Tokyo MX
Episodes: TBA
Preview: Preview 2:
MAL:
First Look: Well – it’s Madhouse, it’s sci-fi, and it has an anime newbie as the male lead. Plus, Inoue Junya’s manga is quite dark, touching on themes like domestic sexual abuse and online gaming addiction. I’m not that crazy about the art and character designs, but I like the diversity in the cast and I sense an edge here that could separate this series from the pack. It’s also nice to see another female director get a chance to make an impression.
Will Definitely Blog: Jormungand, Bakuman, Magi, Robotics;Notes, PSYCHO-PASS, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Sukitte Ii na yo, Little Busters!, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, Seitokai no Ichizon (if it’s subbed), Zetsuen no Tempest, Shin Sekai Yori, K. Wow, seeing it written out like that, that’s a lot – and there are other shows on the “maybe” list that could be excellent. Hunter X Hunter, Ginga e Kickoff (as released), Shirokuma Café, SAO and Uchuu Kyoudai will carry over too – though that’s less carry-over than this season – and there’s Doctor Who as well. Realistically, take that “Definitely” list as written in pencil – there’s no way I’m going to be able to cover that much. That’s the curse of a good season I guess – and while I don’t see as much potential for greatness at the top here as I did with Spring, this season has a lot of depth. On the plus side, that means I can set the bar pretty high for a show to make the cut.
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OVA/Movie:
I don’t see this as a great OVA crop, and as usual Summer was the peak for theatrical releases. Here are the titles I’ll be keeping an eye on:
Accel World (OVA) – 9/13: Comedy-centric.
Eureka Seven: Astral Ocean (OVA) – 9/20: Also a comedy-centric OVA, featuring trap Ao dressed as his mother.
Haganai (OVA) – 9/26: Unaired Episode 13 of the TV series. We also have a second season to look forward to next year.
Inu X Boku SS (BD Bonus) – 9/26: Unaired episode of the charming series, one of the pleasant surprises of 2012. A second season seems very likely based on strong BD/DVD sales.
Amagami SS+ Onsen Special (BD Special) – 10/03: Self-explanatory, no? Lots of Haruka, please.
Minami-ke (OAD) – 10/05: Out first chance to get a look at how Feel does with Minami-ke in advance of their 2013 Winter TV adaptation. I adore this property, but it’s never been the same without Ohta Masahiko directing.
Sankarea (OAD) – 11/08: Another OAD from the best looking DEEN series in years. Second season is iffy, so pray we get a few threads resolved or else we likely never will outside the manga.
Theatrical:
Tiger & Bunny Movie 1: The Beginning (Sunrise) – 9/22: First of a planned two-film series. More Kotestsu is always a good thing, and T & B was a successful series that seemed to lend itself to further exploration.
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica Movie 1/2: Hajimari no Monogatari/Eien no Monogatari (SHAFT) – 10/6,13: By contrast, Madoka Magica seemed to have wrapped itself up naturally, and this looks like a pure cash-in. The first two movies appear to be recaps for the most part, with a third film to be released next year.
Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Part III (XEBEC) – 10/13: Again – obviously.
009 Re:Cyborg (Production I.G.) – 10/27: I’ve never been a huge fan of Cyborg 009, but the presence of Kamiyama Kenji (Seirei no Moribito, GiTS: SAC) as writer/director and music by Kawai Kenji instantly makes this a project of great interest. Based on the PVs I’m not impressed, to be honest – but in Kamiyama I trust.
Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo (Khara) – 11/17: Anno Hideki’s reboot of the Eva franchise continues. I liked the second film a lot better than the first, and I see some subtle and interesting changes that I think are for the better (they seem to reflect Sadamoto Yoshiyuki’s manga influence). OTOH, Mari is pointless. But it’s Eva – I can’t possibly ignore it.
Nerawareta Gakuen (Sunrise) – TBA: The concept art for this one is really lovely. The story of violent school politics and psychic powers doesn’t look especially transcendent or original, but it’s worth a look.
Asura (Toei) – 9/29: Tiger & Bunny director Satou Keiichi brings us an “unremittingly dark” tale of a boy who’s mother tries to eat him during a famine in medieval Japan (really – unremittingly dark?). Could be a real sleeper – the art looks fantastic.
Snuckerpooks
September 5, 2012 at 10:40 pmFor me… Bakuman steals this season easily.
Read the whole manga and loved it. Can't wait to see it come to life in season 3!
admin
September 5, 2012 at 11:02 pmAm I right that they could easily do two more 25-episode seasons if they wanted?
azeriraz
September 5, 2012 at 11:28 pmIf there were to be a fourth season of Bakuman it could be done in 12 episodes. Still 25 episodes might work as well and I do hope that J.C. Staff don't rush it, otherwise the anime could end poorly.
scineram
September 7, 2012 at 11:53 pmThe manga is over. They really should end it with this adaptation.
alualuna
September 5, 2012 at 10:47 pmI have read part of the mangas for Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Sukitte Ii na yo. Tonari started off quite nicely, but I gave it up at some point as I felt it was just going in circles and too much succumbing to the same old. I always thought it was too bad, because the premise was great – and the lead female wasn't the stereotypical shoujo heroine.
Sukitte Ii na yo too has an interesting female lead – a total outsider of a girl who lives life by herself, preferring to be friendless rather than bow to peer pressure. Somehow she ends up with one of the most popular boys in school, but they are a pretty cool couple. It's a more interesting story than Tonari and with some mature topics (bullying, anorexia, kids bowing to peer pressure but also some interesting bits about real friendships), but, that said, quite some of the conflicts, the side stories and supporting characters are like in every other shoujo. It has alway s made me wish that we could cut out all that which we've seen before and that the author would have focused on Mei, the female lead, only.
I expect both anime will be okay, but neither mind-blowing.
alualuna
September 5, 2012 at 10:55 pmWow! One of the rare days that I manage to comment on your blog!
Forgot to say: fingers crossed I'll be able to catch Nerawareta Gakuen at Scotland Loves Anime. Meanwhile, I'm super excited for Hosoda's Ookami no Kodomo Ame to Yuki, which is screening both in London (LIFF) and in Edinburgh (Scotland Loves Anime).
admin
September 5, 2012 at 11:04 pmI'm white-hot with rage at not being able to see Ookami here at any time in the foreseeable future.
alualuna
September 5, 2012 at 11:27 pmWell, Ookami no Kodomo just started its international festival run. It's only had a one-off screening in France and is on the programme in Australia (Reel Anime) later this month, and now for two festivals in the UK (I think they were working together with this particular screening though).
It'll get to you eventually… you can read my review to tide you over once I've seen it. 😛
admin
September 6, 2012 at 12:59 amCongrats on finally being able to comment, BTW! 😉
alualuna
September 6, 2012 at 12:41 pmI doubt it's going to last, but I'll keep trying.
Kinny Riddle
September 17, 2012 at 5:59 pmI've seen Ookami no Kodomo and it's GREAT.
Easy to understand premise about wolf-man (not quite werewolf) meeting girl and giving birth to wolf-kids, and then wolf-man dies of accident, leaving girl to raise them alone, and in time they must decide where their destinies lie – being a human or being a wolf.
As expected of Hosoda Mamoru, premise is still good enough to make a profound plot and characters. The mother is the true heroine of the story.
Beckett
September 5, 2012 at 10:48 pmI missed the announcement on the second season of Haganai, that's something to look forward to I guess.
In terms of this season, it has potential. Quite a few of the shows you are excited for though are second seasons of shows that I haven't seen, so if I can ever find time between Guild Wars 2 sessions I'll have to add them to my list of shit to watch.
Vanth
September 5, 2012 at 10:51 pmYou may wanna blog Red Data Girl by P.A. Works as well. Its my most anticipated title right alongside Psycho-Pass.
admin
September 5, 2012 at 11:11 pmI don't believe RDG is airing this coming season. I haven't even seen a final date.
Vanth
September 5, 2012 at 11:24 pmHmm, you could be right about that. The updated charts don't list it. One of the oldest unrevised chart did, which kinda got stuck in my head.
Litho
September 5, 2012 at 10:53 pmCan't really see anything on the same Jinrui here. Will probably give the 2 I.G NoitaminA titles a go, though (can't do worse than Guilty Crap, can they?).
I'll probably stick to the manga for Jormungand. Just don't have much time to follow that many shows these days.
I did follow the Tonari Kaibutsu manga for a while, but it dragged on with pointlessness like most other shoujo, so I'll pass. Chicks seem to dig Sukkitte Ii na Yo, but from what I can tell (via mangaupdates), it's the smutty type of Sex in the Campus bed-hopping type shoujo, which isn't really my thing.
personally, I'm just hoping Jinrui ends well and the next Mardock Sramble movie comes out soon.
admin
September 5, 2012 at 11:12 pmMy money is on Shin Sekai Yori being the surprise great series. Mardock is opening in Japan on 9/29.
elianthos
September 5, 2012 at 11:59 pmEh… as a fan of shoujo it pains me to say that I'm not expecting anything more than average results at best from Sukkitte. I can tell you that's no BGI for sure though ^^;.
The Sukkitte manga itself is readable and relatively tame (at least the chapters I had read some months ago), but the mangaka's track record is pretty meh. Her previous works belong to the Bad Smut camp (and I'm saying that as a fan of smut – yeah there are a few good titles in the genre among a ton of *beeeep* – ).
About Tonari No etc etc… I'm placing my hopes on the white rooster in the picture ^^;.
That said, my taste in shoujo&josei goes more towards historical usually (Kaze Hikaru and Ooku, anyone?) and sci-fi usually (7 Seeds, sort of) … it's pretty hard for shoujo high school romance to grab me unfortunately (Lovely Complex and His&Her Situations own my soul in this area XD.
Manga-wise… I'd love for Sakisaka Io's Strobe Edge or Ao Haru Ride to be animated: these are the two titles in recent years who played the romance angles straight and in a 'normal' setting/characters – no big tragedie, no extra comedic effects, 'average' people – in a succesful manner.
Masami Tsuda's Eensy Weensy Monster would make for a lovely shoujo anime series as well, arguably with good cross-audience appeal too. )
Litho
September 6, 2012 at 3:34 am@Enzo
Oooh. Shin Sekai Yori does look rather good. Kinda giving me NOEIN and Dennou Coil vibes right now, for some unknown reason. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on that one (via your blog, naturally). Much thanks.
@Elianthos
I'm more of a seinen & josei type myself (though I think I'm officially in the Oyaji demographic now). I do try some shoujo from time to time, but seem to prefer one-shots or short series with one or two volumes. Still, I'd rather see more josei get animated.
alualuna
September 6, 2012 at 12:50 pmI'm not sure I would want Strobe Edge or Ao Haru Ride animated, because I would worry too much that they would mess it up. I would want it in really, really talented hands because Sakisaki Io is a star in my book. Love her stuff (that's one blog post I've been meaning to write for ages but films keep distracting me.)
elianthos
September 6, 2012 at 2:18 pm@Litho: 7 seeds is very long ( on the good side, content-wise it blows basically all the seinen-shounen-shoujo titles about a similar subject out the water :p. Tamura Yumi's works can take a some volumes to hit their stride, once they do though you'd better buckle up ) but Eensy Weensy Monster is two volumes total if you haven't read it yet ;).
And I believe that at 32yo I'm in the Oyahji demographics as well. I'd be all for more josei being animated, as long as their source material, if any, is good. Ironically enough though all the manga titles I love the most curently (and that I'm buying) belong to not-josei… the last josei mangas I truly enjoyed and purchased were Honey&Clover and Nodame.
@alualuna: well, it's an issue I have with any manga title I love, myself. Lovely Complex for instance suffered pacing issues and they skipped a lot of the post-declaration volumes in the anime, to my dismayas I consider LoveCom to be one the few series that on top of being insanely funny tried telling a story beyond the 'let's get together' point and imho mostly accomplished that.
The Bokura Ga Ita anime stopped at a very early point, wherein the most of the emotional punches came in latter volumes.
Yet for all their shortcomings from a reader POV they still managed to capture a bit of the magic od the source material, and made much more people aware of said material existence.
—
Eeeh another Sakisaka Io addict! :D. This woman manages to turn me into a teenager in love&friendship every time. It's almost scary, as as a teenager I was an extremely composed specimen (if anything I was a bit of a Ren ) X,DDD.
If you end up writing that blog post I'll happily check it out.
alualuna
September 18, 2012 at 5:37 pmI actually have a 3000 word draft of that post… just need to get round to finishing it! It's mostly a matter of polishing a paragraph or two, but some posts are much easier to write than others (just reviewed After School Midnighters, which took me only two days to write up, this manga-post I started probably two months ago!).
elianthos
September 18, 2012 at 11:32 pm@alualuna: ah, I know the feeling. I've stumbled on my own reviewer's block a few times already, the final touches can take a lot of my time.
Anyway, I'll be waiting for your brain juice (this sounds morbid).
Kim
September 5, 2012 at 11:20 pmI believe the Tiger & Bunny film is premiering near you in SF (I think that is where you are?). Would you be going to see it?
Anyways at the moment I plan to check out: Psycho Pass, Robotics Note, K, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun & Kamisama Hajimemashita (which is plenty for me). Of course I might adapt this schedule if people start talking about a hidden gem I am missing. Maybe I'll check out Sukitte Ii na yo as well.
Although some of the things people are saying about Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun above don't make me too confident, I seem to have a bad track record with shoujo romance when the romance is all there is to the plot line.
admin
September 5, 2012 at 11:22 pmWoot – I didn't catch that! Yeah, I'll be there.
Again, check out Shin Sekai Yori. Trust Enzo.
ShuA
September 6, 2012 at 12:08 amMy pick this Fall will be Little Busters, Psycho Pass, K, Magi Chuunibyou and Shin Sekai yori. I saw K screening and as you said the animation is god tier, a mix of 3D and 2D and It's really worthed to see K even just for the animation (at least ep 1). Little busters is very hyped and people says the VN is better than Clannad, so I'll definitely watch it, the same case for Magi Manga.
Psycho Pass and Shin Sekai Yori are my surprise pick. I still don't know too much about them, except both shows have quite dark theme.
Definitely a season to look forward to
Kim
September 6, 2012 at 12:32 amThanks for bringing Shin Sekai Yori to my attention as it does sound like it could be very good.
I will add that to my list (or maybe I shouldn't thank you bc I am trying to cut down on my watch list and failing miserably lol).
admin
September 6, 2012 at 1:04 amI have a suspicion that LB can't be great because Maeda Jun isn't capable of greatness as a writer – very goodness, maybe. I've always thought the reason Kanon was great was because the meat of the story came from Hisaya Naoki. Maybe JC Staff will tweak the story to make LB great – I'm sure the fans would eat them alive if they did!
Now then UroGen is confirmed for PSYCHO-PASS, I don't think it can qualify as a sleeper or surprise anymore.
elianthos
September 6, 2012 at 12:26 amEnzo, I'm starting to believe you're if not Kamisama at least the Duracell Bunny.
Series: my picks are— scratch it. My pick for now is just Shin Sekai Yori.
PsichoPass is a giant question mark, ditto on Robotics. PP interests me more concept-wise.
The two shoujo series: see my earlier reply post above…
The kid card show: well, I'd be very glad if it turns out good.
Jojo: I'll check out the first episode at least out of curiosity (I never avtually managed to check the manga in spite meaning to do so for years) but I suspect it's not my cup of tea.
—
Movies:
T&B. Kotetsu-saaaaan <3.
Asura could be good based on staff. But I need to be in the mood to appreciate dark subjects. Hmm.
Yamatooooo. I've fuzzy childhood memories of the original series, but so far I've enjoyed this version and also the movie (the latter in no small part thanks to Takuya Kimura I admit XD).
Cyborg: my memories here are way beyond fuzzy. But I'm curious. Again, in staff we trust.
I won't say about Anno's pet series 'cause I'd be irreverent, ahah.
Anonymous
September 6, 2012 at 4:05 amDuracell bunny? What are you trying to say?
admin
September 6, 2012 at 6:11 amI believe the metaphor there was actually the Energizer Bunny, ne?
elianthos
September 6, 2012 at 11:48 amDuracell came first ;D, and at least in Italy is still the leading brand. The bunnies also look different. I like the Duracell bunny more actually.
For your cultural enlightenment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duracell_Bunny XD
elianthos
September 6, 2012 at 11:58 amP.S.: please note which bunny was associated with drums first. HA. :p.
P.P.S.: wow, the things you learn in wikipedia. Energizer, you copycat embargoing beast XD. Here in old Europe we have both brands, but ads-wise the only and original bunny has always been Duracell.
*end of non-anime digression, thank you for your consideration*
SlushiZ
September 7, 2012 at 12:55 pmOver here, the commercials all have the energizer battery beating the Duracell bunnies….I didn't realize these companies and their fluffy bunnies were so globally catchy. lol
Kinni
September 6, 2012 at 12:36 amReally good list. But I have one correction, To Love-ru Darkness focuses more on Yami.
Also, have you got any news about Litchi Hikari Club? I think it might be really good?
admin
September 6, 2012 at 1:06 amAt three minutes and focused on comedy, I can't take Litchi Hikari too seriously. And TBH, I find the manga kind of repugnant.
Kinni
September 7, 2012 at 12:27 amOh, I just thought the synopsis looked interesting. I didn't know about the duration. Well, there's still plenty of good things to see.
†Croos†
September 6, 2012 at 12:42 amJ.C staff Little Busters! already passed the character visual art for me, now I'm curious how they will mess it with the story.
http://puu.sh/10jSL
http://puu.sh/10jTg
http://puu.sh/10jTF
http://puu.sh/10jTX
http://puu.sh/10jUq
http://puu.sh/10jUC
Altritter
September 6, 2012 at 3:14 amJojo steals the lineup for me. Nothing else really comes close to it, but I'll definitely be checking out five or six shows. Psycho-Pass could be good, especially with Gen's involvement, but I think I'm still wary of an original Production I.G NoitaminA anime because of Guilty Crown.
Grenadier Enzo
September 6, 2012 at 4:19 amSakurasou no Pet na Kanojo and Zetsuen no Tempest!
aliens
September 6, 2012 at 6:17 amboycottboycottboycott
GlassShadow
September 6, 2012 at 7:24 amThere are a ton of series that have potential this season. I prefer this lineup over the Spring season for the fact I've been so deprived of dark themed action series. I can just feel my thirst being quenched …lol Simply cannot wait. Besides, we have Madhouse doing seinen, Production I.G doing sci-fi, Bones doing fantasy mystery..I can't ask for more.
admin
September 6, 2012 at 7:34 amI would agree that this lineup looks darker than the Spring lineup. It also looks to have more big commercial series. Going in I don't see as many shows that look like they have a good chance to be classics as Spring had (we'll see) but it definitely looks deep, and has a nice variety of genres and styles.
GlassShadow
September 7, 2012 at 6:06 amAgreed. Magi, Little Busters, the two shojo adaptions, and certainly Code Breaker all fit the bill. And the season is already pretty intense with the Noitamina block being entirely sci-fi. All factors considered, we are going into the season with a lot of hype racked up by fanbases. While we probably won't be getting something like Hyouka, which is regrettable, but the season atmosphere is lively. I'm placing my bet on Psycho-Pass and Shin Sekai Yori being the best series this season, because these two have the most intriguing premise out of the pack. I personally like Bones a lot, so I'm excited for Zetsuen on a purely subjective standpoint, but with Bones, we always have to worry about ambiguous ending. By the way, what do you think of Litchi DE Hikari Club? It seem to be that overlooked series this season, but I'm kind of interested in it.
admin
September 7, 2012 at 6:15 amLitchi is going to the three-minutes and "humorous" so I don't put much stock in it.
belatkuro
September 6, 2012 at 3:12 pmThe Accel World OVA isn't comedy centric as far as I know. Its focus is the game 'Accel Assault'. At least that's what I can hear from the PV. It also shows some cool fights with KYH with wings. Not that it matters I guess. Just saying.
And Fall certainly has some good titles and variety. From the ones you listed, I'm just gonna mention the shows that I'm not gonna watch. It would be Kamisama Hajimemashita, Chousaku Henkei Gyrozetter and
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo. I'm still on the rocks about Jojo(despite being a legendary manga) and the two shoujos, Tonari and Sukitte but we'll see. I will take a gamble at Shin Sekai Yori because you said it would be a sleeper. You sometimes pick out good shows 😉
Good luck blogging them all. You're quite something really for blogging a large amount of shows. I'll be sure to comment on most of them 🙂
Anonymous
September 6, 2012 at 3:22 pmJJBA will be the best show of this season.
Anonymous
September 6, 2012 at 5:03 pmSeconded. It's a shame its place on the poll here is so low though…
admin
September 6, 2012 at 7:06 pmIt's not doing too badly – middle of the pack. I'm not sure how many newer anime viewers are familiar with JJBA, since it moved to the monthly seinen mag and hasn't had any OVAs for a while.
Btooom is one I kind of see sleeper potential for that isn't scoring too highly.
Arabesque
September 6, 2012 at 7:21 pmWell, I guess that's why they are starting right from the beginning. That said, I'm sure the avg. anime had at least heard about Jojo at some point, so it's not like it's going to do badly (that said, I worry if Phantom Blood was really a good choice after all, since it's not exactly the finest jojo had to offer)
Anonymous
September 7, 2012 at 1:15 pmYeah, Phantom Blood is probably the weakest part, but I don't think it's bad and it's essential to the story of the overall saga. Also, this way they can get to Battle Tendency (My favorite part) so I'm glad they didn't start with Stardust Crusaders or something later.
Arabesque
September 6, 2012 at 7:18 pmHm, let's see … Looking forward to (in no particular order):
Kamisama Hajimemashita – Heard good things about the manga
Bakuman. 3 – Hey, if this is more of the second season type and not the early first season, then count me in again
Hayate no Gotoku – new season, so I'll check it out being a fan and all. Character designs suck major ass tho
Psycho-Pass – I have a few things to say about this … but I think I'll keep it to myself … anyway looking forward to it
Robotics;Notes – One thing this show has over Steins;Gate already, and that is it is going to look infinitely better than it.
Gyrozetter – Really promising staff
Zetsuen no Tempest – Should have some excellent action
Little Busters – I suspect the show will be fun. The fan base on the other hand will not be fun to watch. Not one bit.
Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb – self explanatory
Magi -yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.
K – curiosity
Shin Sekai Yori – I learned about this show some time ago, and I've been looking forward to see it. Definitely has signs of being a sleeper hit
Sakurasou no Pet no Kanojo – You may say that this might be a crapshot, I think it could actually be a fun come back to the old Okada. We'll see how it turns out, but I think there is more potential for a decent series
Jojo – I have been a fan of the manga for ages now, and seeing it getting a remake in a TV format gives me high hopes to see the later parts also animated as well.
Chuunibyou – I don't know. I think it's going to be interesting at least, but there just isn't the same draw as there with the past KyoAni projects. Still checking it out, but not expecting much …
Overall, I'd say that this looks like a promising season, with lots of potential for greatness here.
One more thing
''the director of Steins;Gate and Seitokai no Ichizon steering the ship (F/SN too, but we won’t talk about that)''
Why is that? It's not like it was a bad adaptation or anything. Outside of the filler material, the shows weakness was that it didn't manage to cover for the weakness in the VN.
It's not like the eventual Heaven's Feel adaption is going to be any better …
kanin
September 6, 2012 at 11:07 pmI feel like the only one who actually wants to watch Sakura-sou… The premise is nothing new when it comes to light novels, but I'm happy to see Okada coupled with a young female director, and the heroine had me sold.
Other than that… Chuunibyou simply because it's KyoAni and LB because I cried my heart out playing the true route. Robotics;Notes seems nice, and as I watched the first season of Jormungand there'd be no reason for skipping this one (though I didn't like the end of the manga that much).
kanin
September 6, 2012 at 11:14 pmOh, and Magi! I remember reading the beginning of the manga and not liking it, but I'll give a chance to its anime adaptation to see if I finally understand why it's so popular.
admin
September 7, 2012 at 12:10 amOh, I'll be watching Sakura-sou – as I said, my suspicion is that it might be the better of Okada's two series. It's just that where Okada is concerned, I think it's better at this point to do as Chiaki-chan says and not expect too much. That way if it's great, it's a bonus.
And yes, it's nice to see two first-time female directors on the schedule. I'm not sure I like the idea of pairing Okada with a first-timer, but it is what it is.
GlassShadow
September 7, 2012 at 6:13 am@Kanin, I have a nagging feeling Magi targets an younger audience, but this is only assumption made based on the first couple of chapters of the manga, which is kind of arbitrary considering how many chapters have been released. But we shall see.
Kinni
September 8, 2012 at 8:46 pmThe first chapters are just the first chapters, the story gets really awesome soon. And no, it doesn't target an younger audience.
JD
September 7, 2012 at 1:27 amDeym, so many of them! + HxH and E7:AO. I haven't even started watching Rinne no Lagrange S2.
I like my anime a bit dark, with a lot of depth (that almost drowns me), and with some smart humor. And I'm almost always sure to watch anything with Production I.G., BONES, and Sunrise on them.
And Eva! My favorite psycho-wacker.
Murkel
September 7, 2012 at 10:33 amBakuman:
IIRC, the first season covered ~34 chapters, while the second season covered ~57. The last adapted chapter was ch.91 out of 176. I think there is enough material for two seasons (85 chapters) although they'd have to tone down the pace of the second season. It would be possible to maintain or increase the pace and do a 12-episodes fourth season too.
That being said, I'm not sure I'm going to watch the third season. I have several problems with the material it should theoretically cover (including very filler-ish arcs, bad villain, characters acting OOC, and the awful things they did with a certain character).
The fourth season should be great, though.
Btooom!:
The manga is pretty good. The setting is a lot like SAO (MC being pulled into the game he's very good at but is now risking his life playing it).
It's a survival manga so you know what to expect. Being seinen, it does cross a couple of lines the average anime wouldn't dare to, which will probably put off some viewers (although thankfully, not as graphical as Battle Royale). The action and plot are great, just don't expect really deep characters.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun:
I remember reading about 10 chapters when that was all there was scanlated although I never followed it for some reason. And it was great. Funny, cute and didn't beat around the bush much.
I really like the preview too. It's not your average shoujo so why do the average preview? This tells me the staff knows what they are doing.
The rest of the adaptations fall into the "have come across countless times, never gotten around to reading" category so can't comment on those.
Oh yeah, I remember coming across the previews for Shin Sekai Yori some time ago by chance and thinking "Wow, this looks fantastic. How come I've never heard about this before?". So I'm in the same boat as you, Enzo. This has the potential to be excellent and I'm very much looking forward to it.
totoum
September 7, 2012 at 5:12 pm"That being said, I'm not sure I'm going to watch the third season. I have several problems with the material it should theoretically cover (including very filler-ish arcs, bad villain, characters acting OOC, and the awful things they did with a certain character).
The fourth season should be great, though."
That's why I say they should just skip some of this stuff and just get to the end without a 4th season.There's a whole arc I wouldn't mind seeing get cut.
Murkel
September 7, 2012 at 7:55 pmIt's true they could probably squeeze the rest of the manga in a single season if they skipped two or three arcs but seeing the s3 teaser and how faithful to the manga they've been so far I don't expect them to. It'd be great if they did, though.
catsonmars
September 7, 2012 at 5:01 pmGreat work Enzo, one question though, do Sword Art Online, Kokoro Connect and Total Eclipse will continue throughout this season or will return in the winter, or later? Because if those shows continue, boy, that's a lotta shows to catch up!
admin
September 7, 2012 at 5:04 pmThanks! Kokoro is actually finishing, with episodes 14-17 being released on the blu-rays. I've long since dropped Muv Luv, but I forgot about SAO…
lkk
September 7, 2012 at 5:24 pmAs has been the case for the last few seasons, my actual I'm Watching list will be determined by the What Shows Are Streamed list. Here's my list of what I hope gets streamed with stars for the series I'm most wanting to see. (The starred titles are the ones I voted for.)
* Kamisama Hajimemashita
Ixion Saga DT
* Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Robotics;Notes
PSYCHO-PASS
* Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
* Sukitte Ii na yo
* Zetsuen no Tempest
* Code:Breaker
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
Shin Sekai Yori
* K
Btooom!
It's just a coincidence due to how you ordered the shows, but Kamisama Hajimemashita is also at the top of my Most Want To Watch list.
Seishun Otoko
September 7, 2012 at 6:53 pmThanks for the great preview Enzo. Autumn looks very promising and fuck yeah, a brand new work by Urobuchi sensei. I can't wait! Most looking forward to PSYCHO-PASS, K, Robotics;Notes, CODE:BREAKER, Shin Sekai Yori, Zetsuen no Tempest and Jormungand. Might check out Ixion Saga DT, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Sukitte Ii na yo, Little Busters!, To LOVE-Ru Darkness, Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, Seitokai no Ichizon 2, Hayate no Gotoku! and Btooom!
Anonymous
September 8, 2012 at 2:05 amso many shows to watch, so little time…
shiningninja
September 8, 2012 at 3:17 amI find it interesting how people group Suki tte inayo and Tonari vs Kamisama Hajimemashita. As a longtime shoujo fan, I'll be watching all three, but I'm most excited for Kamisama, and will probably marathon the other two adaptations from Dessert during uni breaks.
Also excited for Jormungand, Little Busters, Chuunibyou, Zetsuen.
I'll be keeping an eye on your blog to get exposure to some hidden gems, Enzo 🙂
admin
September 8, 2012 at 3:34 amGood to hear!
It's interesting to see Tonari getting about 2X the votes of Sukitte. On Animesuki they draw almost exactly even traffic.
elianthos
September 8, 2012 at 12:25 pmI'm totally charmed by the music in Shin Sekai Yori's 2nd trailer (the bgm in the first half especially). I've reloaded it thrice already XD. Bless your sleeper hit radar Enzo.
totoum
September 8, 2012 at 1:06 pmI'll be keeping watch on 4 (not really) rookie directors,there's been some great revelations earlier this year and I'm hoping there's more to come!
Ishihama Masashi with "from the new world"
Suzuki Shingo with "K"
Ishizuka Atsuko with "Sakura-sou"
Watanabe Kotono with "btooom!"
Should be a fun lcompetition to follow!
admin
September 8, 2012 at 4:35 pmIt's been a great year for directors named Watanabe, and Btooom is my 2nd sleeper pick of the season. So that's one I'll really be watching closely.
azeriraz
September 8, 2012 at 9:50 pmI'm willing to bet Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun will be the best shojo of the season, but I know some people will get annoyed with it based on all the chapters of the manga I've read.
Feels like all the good action series of the year were saved for this season! That's pretty much why my watch list will be in the double digits.
Einander
September 8, 2012 at 10:12 pmThe problem with Little Busters! is that the work is going to be incredibly difficult to adapt even before its sheer length is considered. With that additional burden, well… I'm hopeful but I'm not optimistic, and I'd be just as leery even if this was some kind of Anime All-Stars project. Some stories just won't work as an anime, and Little Busters! is sitting right on top of the line.
The fact it's apparently a two cour really, really isn't helping. I hope that's conjecture. Otherwise… Oh dear. That's bad. That's very bad.
admin
September 8, 2012 at 10:17 pmClannad was announced as a two-cour too, and you saw what happened there. I see no reason to think JC Staff wouldn't be thrilled at the notion of a "Little Busters After Story" or some such – the discs are certainly going to sell.
boingman
September 9, 2012 at 3:06 amWhile talking about LB, is this another "typical" KEYsoft sob story ("Air", "Clannad" which I never finished watching) or can I hope for a more happy story ("Angel Beats")?
My favorite series this year so far have been Fate Zero S2 and Jormungand S1, so Jormungand S2 is obviously at the top of my list.
Given that Steins;Gate was my favorite series last year with a great male main character, I have also high expectations for Robotics;Notes.
admin
September 9, 2012 at 6:06 amAngel Beats was happy? LOL
I think it's fair to say (KEY-heads may correct me) that LB is quite different from any of the other major KEY works (AB doesn't qualify as a KEY series in the classic sense). It was mainly penned by Maeda, though, which I suppose would theoretically relate it most closely to Clannad and Air.
Beckett
September 9, 2012 at 7:02 amThe end of Angel Beats was definitely sad but it had a lot more lighthearted/funny moments than, say, Air, which was almost non stop depression, or even Clannad, which had jokes and humor near the beginning but largely got rid of them later on when the drama really started. The scene with people rocketing out of their chairs into the ceiling still makes me giggle like a schoolgirl every time I think about it. So while I wouldn't call Angel Beats "happy" in the grand scheme of things, when comparing it only to other KEY works I'd say it definitely was.
Einander
September 9, 2012 at 7:40 amThe True Route, Refrain, is probably going to be its own cour, yeah. If the two cours are the lead up to that, then that's probably enough, but Refrain needs about 12 episodes all by itself. You really need the rest of the story to be long enough to properly develop it, though. And considering that they have a common route and seven different routes to go through… Three episodes per is an absurdly fast pace. Maybe two of those routes are extraneous and can be cut, the rest are important. And unlike Clannad, they can't hybridize the routes into one super-route. It can't be done, period. Trust me on this.
LB is pretty upbeat. The sad moments tend to be concentrated in places, and most of the story is about the happy school life of a group of pretty likeable people. I'd describe it as happier overall than Angel Beats, but the emotional parts are more brutal than that series ever gets.
boingman
September 9, 2012 at 12:22 pmWell I was saying that I considered AB "more" happy, not that it was constantly laugh and giggles. And wasn't the end itself pretty positive?
The end of "Air" was shockingly depressing for me. And after getting spoiled about the development of "Clannad", I decided not to finish watching it. Maybe I'll give it another try in the future, but right now I'd rather not. Yeah, call me weakminded.
Anonymous
September 10, 2012 at 6:43 amThe BTOOOM! link has the psycho pass trailer instead btw.
admin
September 10, 2012 at 7:13 amFixed, thanks for pointing that out.
shareme
September 10, 2012 at 9:47 amI was only looking forward to watching Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic this season but thanks to you, some are added namely:
PSYCHO-PASS : I almost always check out series with the word "psycho" on them (like MPD Psycho) but seeing Seki Tomokazu as one of the leads just sealed the deal.
Zetsuen no Tempest : Being made by Bones is reason enough and my female gaze like what it sees 😛 and coupled with "dark and emotionally intense" series… yep! I'm sold.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure : Not really planning on following it this season – would certainly watch it in the future – but knowing Davids Production will handle this series changed my mind. I was impressed on how they handle Level E and am now looking forward to how they will handle this classic series.
K : It's… shiny, I give you that. Why do you have to put "fujoshi" and "BL", Enzo? Now I need to check it out. Good thing that it's only 13 episodes.
I'm still in the fence with Code:Breaker and my only reason why I kind of like to see it is because of Miki Shinichiro. Meh. I'll probably watch it after K and PSYCHO-PASS ended.
As for the movies, I'm really excited to see Tiger & Bunny Movie 1: The Beginning because more Kotetsu! I'm also curious about Asura because "child", "trauma" and "betrayal" sounds delicious.
dv
September 10, 2012 at 12:54 pm@Enzo: His new pet is a classmate who also happens to be a famous artist
You mean new roommate…
And to point to what i have said countless times… 2012 is the new BEST year for anime. And winter is not even out yet.
djmaca
September 11, 2012 at 1:50 pmK, LB or R;N? Which one will make an impact this season?
admin
September 11, 2012 at 4:51 pmWhy not all thee? LB will be one of the most talked about shows of the year no matter how good it is, or isn't. K and R;N are less of a lock, but K seems to have a square peg sensibility and visual flair that might appeal to some of the same fans as shows like Mawaru Penguin Drum. I think it'll be a highly popular niche series rather than a mainstream phenomenon. And R;N might have the potential to be a bust, based on I.G.'s recent history and the poor early reviews of the game, but if it hits, it could hit big.
Amutofan123
September 11, 2012 at 7:58 pmThere is a loooot I'm checking out this season. The three I'm most looking foward to though are Little Busters, Kamisama Hajimemashita (my favorite of the shoujo airing this season), and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun.
leokiko
September 12, 2012 at 4:08 amTime to give my opinion on which series I'm high and medium on anticipation in comparison to you. Hope our opinions are similar and I get to follow yet another series from you(reading atm HxH/Uchuu Kyoudai/SAO).
High on anticipation:
Magi – The Labyrinth of Magic: Something you wrote on your HxH blog post of episode 24 is good to mirror my thoughts on this: "I’m left to wonder how, as a pretty serious anime and manga fan, these series never penetrated deeper than the outer fringes of my fan consciousness."
^ I absoluted loved the manga, it was freaking awesome. Led by the hype, I read up until volume 5 or so, when the first big arc started. About the staff, I do mind the fact that Yoshino is writing this, but just seeing it animated is going to bring me joy. That's for sure. Hope he doesn't screw up though, of course.
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!: I love Romcoms, and the concept of this one can evolve into something absolutely hilarious, and I trust KyoAni to do it. The first trailer was fantastic and bumped this from medium to high on my list.
BTOOOM!: It's seinen. And it's Madhouse. *cries tears of joy*. Even the fact that the trailer didn't impress put me off to it.
Little Busters!: I'm not the biggest fanboy of LB! or VN's in general, but I absolutelly loved every single KyoAni's adaptations of Key works(I enjoy well-done melodramatic anime xD). So with the news that J.C Staff was the one working on it, I got kinda disappointed. But I won't judge the anime before it airs. I only played one route on the VN, so if J.C Staff makes an unfaithful adaptation, I won't know and will be able to enjoy the anime for what it is. It's certainly going to be awesome watching the reactions of the fans too, hahaha.
Medium on anticipation:
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: I love old-school shounen and the artwork revealed so far has been awesome. Can't be too optimstic though, 'cuz I never read the manga.
Robotic;Notes: Loved S;G so it was default that I would be looking foward to this. However, fans reaction to the VN and the generic trailers so far put this down a bit.
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo: Love Romcoms and the trailer gave me a good impression. Plus, there is a possibility for 2-cours and a completely told story. This isn't high because I have no clue how this premise will work out.
Shin Sekai Yori: This seems to be your most hyped anime this season, but the character designs looks awful to me. That's subjective, of course, but it's hard to ignore. Will still watch it though, since like you said, this is based off an novel..not an light novel.
*phew*. My longest post here yet, sorry about that :]
admin
September 12, 2012 at 6:56 amI'm not sure why people are so down on the character designs for SSY (a few people anyway). I like them – they don't look like cookie-cutter anime character designs. Have you checked out both the pre and post-first timeskip designs?
Should be a huge season for A-1, no doubt.
Anonymous
September 13, 2012 at 10:23 pmWhere have you been the last several years? They most certainly do. Flat coloring, dot-sized noses, same body time (male/female). Not a lot of depth or detail has gone into the designs, A-1 as per usual.
Check out Mamoru Nagano's Gothicmade for a better idea of distinct character design this year.
Anonymous
September 13, 2012 at 10:24 pm*body type
Passerby
September 18, 2012 at 3:55 pmTo me there's more the JC Staff/Little Busters "problem" than just being less pretty than Kyoto Animation. JC Staff productions, in my experience, usually suffer more problems in direction and screenplay than they do in animation. They also sometimes get creative with the source material (rarely to positive results), whereas Kyoto animation tends to favour being rigidly faithful.
The big thing, perhaps, is that JC Staff and director Yamakawa Yoshiki do not have the same experience adapting visual novels–specifically Key VNs–to anime. I'm not saying that this experience is absolutely vital to success but empirical evidence suggests that it helps. Kyoto Animation started with Air, then Kanon, then Clannad. They get better as they go. Compare Angel Beats, which was, in my very humble opinion, a narrative disaster-thon plagued with bad pacing, heavy handed exposition, and anemic development.
Jun Maeda often has a good story to tell but his writing is not Shakespearean. Any animation team wishing to adapt his work needs to think long and hard about how they are going to present it or they might come out looking dissatisfying.
totoum
September 18, 2012 at 4:23 pmAngel beats was not an adaptation,it was an anime original written by Maeda himself,he even had a hand in choosing the director (who was someone not related to the studio)
Passerby
September 18, 2012 at 4:27 pmThe point was that Angel Beats was an exercise in translating Maeda's writing to animation that did not go so well.
totoum
September 18, 2012 at 11:28 pmBut is it fair to compare works where different writers besides Maeda "translated" his work to anime form to an anime where Maeda did the writing himself?
Passerby
September 19, 2012 at 1:35 amI'm not sure what exactly would make this comparison "fair", considering that Maeda at the helm is not necessarily advantageous, but it is a useful one. Maeda writes visual novels. Screenplays are different animals. And a skilled production team needs to recognise these differences if they hope to come out with a good show.
admin
September 18, 2012 at 11:01 pmhis writing is not Shakespearean.
That might just be the biggest understatement in LiA history!
totoum
September 19, 2012 at 12:00 amI've now got my dark horse candidate,the "Hori-san to Miyamura-kun" OVA
I admit since it's only an OVA rather than a TV show the potential's limited (but I hope a TV show comes after the OVA) but my gut tells me this one could be a nice surprise,dare I say I'm blindly willing to trust Hoods when it comes to romance after their work on MGX?
Here's how under the radar it is:the OVA is coming out in about ten days, RC's super complete preview doesn't have it listed,don't see it listed in charts or tv tropes.But it exists!There's even a PV!
Altritter
September 20, 2012 at 2:21 pmJoJo PV for anyone that cares: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LncqRnznspk
I approve so far.
Snuckerpooks
October 3, 2012 at 1:47 pmThrowing an update for Bakuman 3 trailer on the website. It doesn't show much if you read the manga, but gives incite to some of the new characters and what is to come.
http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/bakuman/index.html