The Fall 2009 season is upon us, so here’s the seasonal preview of all the shows that’ll be premiering! As usual, I’ll try to watch the first episode of as many shows as I can within certain parameters (in other words, not those kiddie shows), and what I list here are the chances of me actually blogging something based on my initial impressions from promotional material. However, even if I list the chances for a show as good or guaranteed, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll stick with it for more than a few episodes unless it actually is good.

By no means does this list reflect every single anime series that is going to be aired, though I did try to be as comprehensive as I could. Check out MOON PHASE for an entire listing, syoboi’s calendar for specific airtimes, and Fansub Wiki’s Fall 2009 page for who’s tentatively subbing what.

Technical Note: All times are given in a 24-hour, relative-day format where times are extended to show which day they belong to. For instance, Friday morning at 1:30AM would become Thursday at 25:30 to show that the episode aired late Thursday night.

Queen’s Blade – Gyokuza wo Tsugu Mono
http://queensblade.tv/
Premieres on September 24th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 08:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 19:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
The fighting series with copious amounts of breasts and fanservice is back for another uncensored run on AT-X. The story continues with the Queen’s Blade tournament that the large cast of women are participating in to decide the next queen, and it looks to feature a bunch of new characters (almost all busty females of course). I would say that the highly talented cast is the main draw for me, but like with the first series, I’m mostly just curious about how much they push the envelope with what they show. So if I do end up watching this series (and the odds are pretty bad), it won’t be seriously.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Show Queen’s Blade Promo Videos – WARNING! NUDITY! ▼

Asura Cryin’ 2
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/asura/
Premieres on October 1st, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 09:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 20:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Also coming back for another season on AT-X is Asura Cryin’, the series with story focused on parallel worlds and mecha. I didn’t watch the first series past the second episode because it didn’t hold my interest, and since I’ve been told the plot stayed rather cryptic throughout (meaning the sequel will probably be hard to just pick up), I highly doubt I’ll be following this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Show Asura Cryin 2 Commercial ▼

Kämpfer
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/kenpu/
Premieres on October 1st, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:29
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:29
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Replacing Pandora Hearts on Thursdays is a show centering around the novel concept of special high school girls who have to fight each other with guns, swords, or magic. The twist (if you could even call it that) is that the main character is actually a guy who transforms into a girl every time he has to fight. If you can’t tell, I don’t think this story concept is very interesting, and I found the manga to be only good for some mindless entertainment. For now, the main thing drawing me towards this series is the cast of Inoue Marina, Mizuki Nana, Horie Yui, and Nakajima Megumi, but maybe the first episode will surprise me.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Kämpfer Commercial ▼

Nyan Koi!
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/nyankoi/
Premieres on October 1st, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:59
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:59
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
From the director of Moetan comes a story about a boy who dislikes cats yet suddenly finds himself able to understand them thanks to a curse. And because of that curse, he now has to fulfill 100 good deeds towards cats. The original manga is cute thanks to the cat theme and is a decent read, though not too plot heavy. I’m not expecting too much out of it, but it’ll probably be a solid series if you’re looking for a high school romance comedy and like cats.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Nyan Koi! Promo Videos ▼

Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra
http://www.bantorra.com/
Premieres on October 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 22:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 9:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Tatakau Shisho takes place in a world where the dead are turned into books that contain all their memories. Those books are kept in a library entrusted to powerful Armed Librarians whose main enemy is a religious organization, and the story follows this conflict. The promo videos (see below) look really good (animation by David Production), and the series has a solid cast (Paku Romi, Ishida Akira, Kawasumi Ayako), so I’m really looking forward to it. The only downside is that the OP will be by ALI PROJECT since I still don’t like their music.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra Promo Videos ▼

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
http://www.project-railgun.net/
Premieres on October 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
If you watched To Aru Majutsu no Index, you probably don’t need to be introduced to this spin-off series at all. If you didn’t, To Aru Kagaku no Railgun centers around a girl who can generate electricity and mimic a railgun using coins as projectiles. The story follows her and her friends in a group that protects their city, and what I’ve read of the manga (admittedly only a few chapters as I didn’t want to go too far and spoil myself) has been quite entertaining. It’s a lot less preachy and confusing than Index, and I actually like Touma’s character in it. J.C.Staff is back to animate it, and as perhaps an added bonus, some of the Toradora team is working on this as well. I’ll definitely be watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed
Show To Aru Kagaku no Railgun Promo Videos ▼

WHITE ALBUM
http://www.whitealbum-tv.com/
Premieres on October 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Fridays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
This is the continuation of the series that started in January, and it follows a 1980s love web involving one guy and a bunch of girls, the main two of whom are popular singers. You may remember that I got rather fed up with the first series because of its deliberate pacing and dropped it part-way through, and it’s probably for the best that I did because most of the people I’ve talked to about it who did finish the first half didn’t have anything good to say about it. Regardless, I have no plans to pick this up again.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Seitokai no Ichizon
http://anime.webnt.jp/seitokai/index.html
Premieres on October 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:58
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 12:58
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
As the name implies, this series is about a student council. In it are several beautiful girls and one guy, and the guy’s ambition is to make the girls into his personal harem. Along the way, there’s tons of meta-humor and references to other series like Higurashi and Haruhi. Patrik hated the light novel the anime is based on, and he told me that it’s dialogue-heavy and resembles the humor parts of Bakemonogatari, but not nearly as good. That alone makes me curious about this series, though I’m not sure if I’d blog it even if I did find it funny since I have a poor track record with pure comedy series (divine and jaalin write about them so much better).
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Seitokai no Ichizon Commercials ▼

Seiken no Blacksmith – The Sacred Blacksmith
http://www.blasmi.com/
Premieres on October 3rd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 09:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 20:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
From the studio that made Samurai Champloo comes a new series about a relatively inexperienced female knight whose sword breaks during battle, but she’s luckily saved by a powerful guy who also happens to be a blacksmith. The plot sounds a bit like run-of-the-mill fantasy action with monsters and everything, and the promo videos only reinforce that notion, so normally I probably wouldn’t put this very high on my priority list. But since it’s being produced by the studio manglobe, I’m cautiously optimistic about it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show Seiken no Blacksmith Promo Videos ▼

Tegami Bachi – Letter Bee
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/tegamibachi/
Premieres on October 3rd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 22:55
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 9:55
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
It seems that everything is better with fighting: whereas Tatakau Shisho above is about warrior librarians, Tegami Bachi is about warrior postmen. The story takes place in a highly segregated and dangerous world where postmen (called Letter Bees) have to fight giant bugs in order to reach their destinations, and it follows one young boy in particular who first gets delivered as a letter (he’s the actual letter/package) and as a result of that, aspires to become a Letter Bee. A lot of it is typical shounen fare, but I found the manga hard to put down, so I’m pretty interested in this series. The one potential downside is that Studio Pierrot will be animating it, so the production quality might be all over the place, and there could be a lot of filler. That’s not going to stop me from watching the first episode though, especially not when Suga Shikao and HIMEKA are performing the opening and ending songs.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show Tegami Bachi – Letter Bee Commercial ▼

Tentai Senshi Sunred 2
http://www.sunred.jp/
Premieres on October 3rd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 23:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 10:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Another series getting a sequel is Sunred, a comedy about the normal lives of a superhero and the incredibly inept evil organization that constantly tries to go after him. I watched the first few episodes of the first series a while back, and while it’s an amusing concept, the humor was inconsistent, and it’s not the kind of series I’d want to follow regularly.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
InuYasha -Kanketsu-hen- (The Final Act)
http://www.ytv.co.jp/inuyasha/
Premieres on October 3rd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 26:20
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 13:20
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
I don’t think this series needs much of an introduction, but just in case: InuYasha centers around a modern girl who gets thrown into the past and meets a half-demon, and it follows their quest to recover the shards of a powerful jewel. It’s a fun series, and the original broadcast covered up to volume 36 of the manga. The new series, which is bringing back the same Sunrise staff and cast, will cover up to the end of it. I watched and enjoyed a good portion of the original many years ago, but my memory is really, really fuzzy, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t watch the last couple of seasons of it, so I’ve been trying to read the manga to fill those holes. Basically what this means is that I’m going into the new series with no knowledge of what will happen, which is pretty much the same as I did for the Fullmetal Alchemist series running right now (and it’s worked out pretty well). The news that Do As Infinity will be performing the opening song just makes me even more excited to see it. Oh and I almost forgot, Viz is apparently going to be simulcasting this on Hulu for viewers in the US.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed
Show InuYasha -Kanketsu-hen- Promo Video ▼

Sora no Otoshimono
http://anime.webnt.jp/soraoto/
Premieres on October 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 11:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
From the folks at AIC ASTA who animated Bamboo Blade comes Sora no Otoshimono, which follows a normal boy who loves his peace and quiet. He’s always been haunted by a dream of a girl though, and one night, something called an Angelroid Type crashes near him. It’s in the form of a large-breasted girl with wings and has futuristic technology that can grant his wishes. They made a pretty nice-looking PV for the series (see below), but after reading a few chapters of the manga, I’m not so enthusiastic about it. It’s an android-discovers-human-side story mixed with some normal high school comedy stuff, and it takes a while to really get going, so I’m not going to get my hopes up for it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Sora no Otoshimono Promo Videos ▼

Natsu no Arashi ~Akinai-chuu~
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/natsunoarashi2/
Premieres on October 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
SHAFT‘s only new offering this season is the sequel to the spring’s Natsu no Arashi. As you might remember from the spring preview or my write-up of the first episode, it follows a boy who meets a beautiful girl who he thinks is a ghost after seeing her in a photo from 60 years ago. I didn’t watch the entire first series, but divine did, and he thought it was a fun comedy series with some great time paradox humor and good character development. The second series should continue this, and with the way he made it sound, maybe I should be watching this on Sundays. By the way, if you’re confused/curious about the commercial below, divine tells me it parodies this PV.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show Natsu no Arashi ~Akinai-chuu~ Commercial ▼

Miracle Train ~Ooedo-sen e Youkoso~
http://www.miracle-train.tv/
Premieres on October 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 26:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 13:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
If you watched or know about Hetalia Axis Powers, you’re probably familiar with the concept of turning WWII countries into pretty boys. Well, now Miracle Train is here, and it’s doing the same for train stations! I’ll pause here for a moment to let you soak in the absurdity of that concept…. The series appears to be aimed at girls and is about those guys solving various people’s problems, but the really crazy thing (at least in my mind) is that Kasai Kenichi of Honey and Clover and Nodame fame will be directing it (I should point out that it’s not a J.C.Staff series). Regardless, I highly doubt I’ll be watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Shin Koihime†Musou
http://www.mmv.co.jp/special/shinkoihime/
Premieres on October 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 11:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 22:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
This is the follow-up to last year’s series that re-imagined the Romance of the Three Kingdoms plot with an all-female cast, and this second series will continue with the same two main characters and their new battles. My interest in this title is really, really low because I didn’t find the first series interesting or promising enough to watch past the first episode, and I’ve had no experience with the games it’s based on.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Show Shin Koihime Musou Promo Video ▼

Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu
http://www.kirumin.com/
Premieres on October 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 17:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 4:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu is a light-hearted comedy about three sisters who find a magical compact that allows them to transform into animals. So why am I even mentioning this here when I state above that I normally ignore all kiddie shows? It turns out that this show is created and being partially produced by Kawamori Shouji and Satelight. That’s right, the same people that made popular mech shows Aquarion, Macross Frontier, and most recently Basquash are now working on this. It’s a bit puzzling to say the least, but it doesn’t make me any more likely to watch this show.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Show Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu Commercial ▼

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purezza
http://www.nogizaka-haruka.com/
Premieres on October 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 26:14
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 13:14
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Yet another series getting a sequel is Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, a story about a beautiful closet otaku girl who becomes friends with a boy who knows of her secret hobby. The new series should pick up where the first left off, with the two main characters very close and with her father still not approving of the relationship. Divine, who blogged the first series, described it as a romance comedy with a heavy emphasis on the romance. Hopefully he’ll be interested in writing about it again because I’m leaning towards picking up a different Monday show (see below).
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purezza Promo Video ▼

Kobato.
http://www.kobato.tv/
Premieres on October 6th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 20:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 07:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Kobato tells the story of a girl whose goal is to go to a certain place, and to do that, she needs to heal wounded hearts and fill a special bottle. Along her journey, she’s accompanied by a dirty-mouthed and often-angry stuffed dog who serves as her guide. I know all that sounds vague, but that’s really all they say in the beginning. Probably the most important thing to note is that this is a CLAMP work, and that’s immediately apparent in the character designs (many familiar looking faces even pop up). The original manga is incredibly cute and endearing, and I’m hoping Madhouse does a good job animating it. The promo video was certainly promising, and I’m definitely planning on watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed
Show Kobato. Promo Video ▼

Kimi ni Todoke
http://www.ntv.co.jp/kiminitodoke/
Premieres on October 6th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 24:59
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 11:59
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Production I.G‘s sole series for the season is popular shoujo manga Kimi ni Todoke. It follows a misunderstood girl who wants to get along with everyone in her class but is hindered by how creepy she sometimes looks, and the open and friendly boy she meets and starts to get along with. What little I’ve read of the manga has shown it to be a pretty well-written love story that does a great job conveying character emotions, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Production I.G adapts it since they’ve done so much great work in the past. The lead role is tailor made for Noto Mamiko too.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed
Show Kimi ni Todoke Promo Video ▼

11eyes
http://www.mmv.co.jp/special/11eyes/
Premieres on October 6th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 25:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 12:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a popular PC game, 11eyes follows the story of an eye-patch wearing boy who, along with his childhood friend, gets transported one day to an alternate world that’s distinctive because of its red night, huge black moon, and monsters. The characters in this look somewhat generic, but the story seems like it’d be at least a decent supernatural action one, and I’ve seen some good things said about the game, so it might be worth a watch.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show 11eyes Promo Video ▼

Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume Countdown
http://takanotume.jp/
Premieres on October 6th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 25:21
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 12:21
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a popular and award-winning flash animation created by a single guy, this comedy series follows the eclectic members of a secret society in their quest to take over the world. It reminds me a bit of some of the stuff that Williams Street produces, but I didn’t find the original all that amusing (the videos are available on YouTube in both Japanese and English), so I doubt I’ll be watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Sasameki Koto
http://www.sasameki.com/
Premieres on October 7th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 26:20
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 13:20
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
If you like yuri series or enjoyed the recent Aoi Hana, then Sasameki Koto might be the show for you. It features two girls at a normal high school, the first of whom openly likes other girls and the second of whom secretly likes the first girl. The main story follows the second girl, and there’s a good dose of humor plus some crossdressing thrown in to go along with the romance (can you guess which girl in the picture is the trap?). The few chapters of the manga I read made this seem like a decent title, though I got the feeling that the plot didn’t move forward very quickly. In any case, it might be worth checking out since there’s a dearth of Wednesday shows this season.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini
http://www.d-black.net/
Premieres on October 8th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:25
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:25
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Given how much I’ve already said about this show, I don’t think there’s much left to cover, but let’s review. Darker than BLACK is a series from BONES about certain people with special powers who have to pay a price (unique to each of them) to use those powers. The first series took place in Tokyo around a place called the Hell’s Gate, but this sequel will take place in Russia and will have a bunch of new characters to go along with the surviving old ones. It’s got most of the same staff and cast working on it, but unfortunately, that doesn’t include composer Kanno Yoko. It’s also very likely to be only 13 episodes long, and I suspect that means one coherent arc instead of a bunch of mini-arcs like the first series had. Regardless, the promo videos make it look pretty exciting, and I’m definitely planning on watching it.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed
Show Darker than BLACK Ryuusei no Gemini Promo Videos ▼

Aoi Bungaku Series
http://www.ntv.co.jp/bungaku/
Premieres on October 10th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 25:20
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 12:20
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Aside from Kobato., Madhouse‘s other new series for the fall is actually six separate stories, all of which are classic literary works published in the early to mid 1900s. The six are: Dazai Osamu‘s Run, Melos! and No Longer Human, Souseki Natsume‘s Kokoro, Akutagawa Ryuunosuke‘s Hell Screen and The Spider’s Thread, and Sakaguchi Ango‘s In the Forest, Under Cherries in Full Bloom. These are good stories, and they’ve tried to make it a little more appealing by advertising the fact that some famous mangaka (Obata Takeshi, Tite Kubo, and Konomi Takeshi) worked on the character designs, but it’s hard for me to get excited about a series like this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
FAIRY TAIL
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/fairytail/
Premieres on October 12th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 19:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 6:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
This is the Monday show I was alluding to above in the Nogizaka Haruka blurb. It’s a popular Weekly Shounen Magazine series about a female mage who meets a reckless but powerful boy from the infamous mage guild Fairy Tail. She’s able to join Fairy Tail with his help, and the story follows their adventures. I’ve only read a little bit of the manga, but it seems like a fun series, and a lot of people I know are excited about it. A-1 Pictures and Satelight are working together to produce it, so I’m hoping for good things. The caveat of course is that this is the kind of shounen series that can drag on forever, so while I’m keen right now on seeing it, that interest can go away quickly if there’s too much boring filler-esque material.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show FAIRY TAIL Commercial ▼

Kaidan Restaurant
http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/kaidan_restaurant/
Premieres on October 13th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 19:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 6:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a long-running children’s book series, Kaidan Restaurant is a collection of ghost stories. Each episode of the anime adaptation will apparently feature three of them, with the first two being about an elementary school girl’s encounters with strange events and the third being a standalone short. It’s an interesting idea that seems perfect for Halloween coming up, but it’s borderline a children’s show, and I can’t see myself following it because of its short stories format.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
KIDDY GiRL-AND
http://www.kiddygirl-and.com/
Premieres on October 15th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 24:40
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 11:40
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
For those of you who can still remember, Kiddy Grade was about two girls with special powers who are part of a galactic trade and police organization at a time when humanity has expanded into space. This sequel takes place 50 years after the events of the first series and follows two relatively new members. Having never watched the original series and having heard very mixed reviews about it, I’m cautious about a sequel, but the character designs are appealing, Satelight is animating it, and what I’ve seen of the manga doesn’t seem to indicate that the story will require too much prior knowledge.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Show KIDDY GiRL-AND Promo Video ▼

Kuuchuu Buranko
http://www.kuchu-buranko.com/
Premieres on October 15th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 24:45
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 11:45
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Taking over the noitaminA timeslot on Fuji TV is a story about a psychiatrist with unorthodox methods for his unique patients (like a man with an erection that won’t go away). The series looks really colorful in a trippy sort of way, with production to be done by Toei, and it will apparently be a hybrid of regular animation and live-action, with gravure idol Sugimoto Yumi playing the sexy nurse (see promo video below). I’m intrigued by the style, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time for this given the other Thursday series airing that I’m more interested in.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Kuuchuu Buranko Commercial ▼

Fuyu no Sonata (Winter Sonata the Animation)
http://anime-wintersonata.com/
Premieres on October 17th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 12:00
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 23:00
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList
This Japanese and Korean joint venture project animates the hit Korean drama of the same name from 2002. From what I can tell, it’s a complicated story about lost loves and tragedy, and trying to summarize it in one or two sentences probably isn’t the best idea. The animated version’s style reminds me a little of WHITE ALBUM, and it will feature the original Korean actors voicing their characters, so the series will be in Korean with Japanese subtitles. It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Show Winter Sonata the Animation Promo Videos ▼

As you probably noticed, there’s a ton of sequels this season – almost a dozen out of thirty-something series. This is good because it means that I know what shows I already like, so it’s a bit easier to choose what I’ll probably be following, but it’s bad because it leaves less room for newer stuff. There’s a ton of promising non-sequels too – Kobato. and Kimi ni Todoke for example – and I’m hoping I don’t miss out on anything really good (I’m aiming to follow 8 to 10 shows). That should be a little less likely than usual thanks to how the shows are spread pretty well throughout the week for once, instead of being all concentrated on Thursday and Sunday as they have in past seasons.

As always, comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome.

124 Comments

  1. Popular (new) series:

    11eyes, Sacred Blacksmith, Nyan Koi, and Letter Bee.

    The first Nogizaka was a bit too…lovey-dovey for me so I’m not sure I want to follow this one. I haven’t watched the first DtB yet, but I hear it’s good / decent.

    Things I’ll follow for sure:
    BIRI BIRI, 11eyes, Blacksmith, some mindless comedy, and whatever turns out to be surprisingly good.

    dszx
  2. Wow, three of your guaranteeds are ones I’m planning to watch. Gonna be a hectic season but I hope Kimi ni Todoke pulls off the romance as I haven’t been pleased with the recent offerings of last season.

    Cecelia
  3. I didn’t know Kanno is not the composer for DTB 2. That really is a big let down.

    Btw there is no indication about how many episodes this series is going to be. I highly doubt it is 13. Did you get the info from somewhere?

    kakot
  4. I’m definitely checking out Shin Koihime†Musou. I played the game and finished it (all campaigns, including the secret one), so I’m looking forward to the TV series. The first TV series was ok (at least after playing the first game too).

    Sailor Enlil
  5. Kuuchuu Buranko looks like it could be good, I love the stranger anime. On the other hand Queen’s Blade be taking it to the HNL.

    Hole
    Nuvva
    Level

    Bonus points to name where that comes from 🙂

    Feenix
  6. hmm well

    I dunno the only series that I’d watch for sure is Darker than black… and… OMGOD!!! KIDDY GRADE 2!!!!! X_X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

    i’ve read kimi ni todoke(LOVE), Kampfer(MEH), Fairy Tail(BORING RIGHT NOW), Nyan Koi, but i couldn’t get too into Kobato after the first initial chapters… o_o

    Nyan Koi however I found to be hilarious, but you’ve got a point the plot is light… though I do highly enjoy the presence of that 1 long haired chick who wore to much make up ):3…

    Seiken no Blacksmith – The Sacred Blacksmith, seems fairly interesting… but it gives off the same feeling Valkyria Chronicles gave me… meaning I should once more expect horrible tactics and wasted movements and such that follow the laws of anime T_T…. DAMNIT!

    Putang
  7. Kimi ni Todoke is SUCH a wonderful, adorable shoujo manga and I am SO happy that Production I.G. is producing it! <3 The previews look promising and the manga released so far is great so I have high expectations for it and I’m glad that you’ll probably be blogging it! =)

    catie
  8. YESS!!!!! the new season looks great and ive been excited for a lot of these series for a while. heres my list

    Darker than Black 2 – loved the first one and this one looks promising
    Inyuasha 2 – one of the first animes ive ever seen and needless to say im excited
    Kimi ni Todoke – Loved the manga but slow scans have kept me on one chapter for awhile so hopefully i can finally fidn out what happens next
    Fairy Tail – Rave was one of my favorite mangas of all time and fairy tail looks just as promising and im looking forward to see a new adventure anime
    Tegami Bachi – I read the manga for a while and it was interesting but didnt hold my interest for long however im sure the anime will be very beautiful

    hopefully u can blog all of these omni and thnx for everything

    Sean
  9. Are you really going to be able to pick up five new shows or at those things that divine or the others will be covering? You haven’t even blogged the last month of Tears to Tiara yet.

    Omni's #1 Fan
  10. Jaberlen: As I said at the end of the post, I’m aiming for 8 to 10 series, which is about normal for me.

    kakot: Kuwashima Houko let it slip during an event a couple of weeks ago. I talked about it in this post.

    Kiseki: Yea, I know, but I figured if I didn’t include it, then someone would point that out.

    Omni’s #1 Fan: I’m actually working on TtT right now. It’s the only thing other than Bleach I have between now and Thursday. As for shows divine has covered in the past, I most likely won’t be watching/following those, and what I wrote in the preview reflects that.

    avexmode: I didn’t include OVAs on this list. There are tons of those in the next months.

  11. At last Omni, I was waiting for this.

    This fall season isn’t too bad; I’m definitely watching Sasameki Koto and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. And I’m interested in Sora no Otoshimono because of its mangaka’s other manga series( particularly Watashi no Messiah-sama). I’ll give 1-2 episodes to see how the newly beginning series will be. As for the sequels( there sure are a lot), I will not be watching except Nogizaka Haruka and maybe KiddyGirl.

    Maximilian
  12. Thank you Omni for making this preview and for including shows you are not interested in.
    I know why Queen’s Blade is at the top of the list because in my opinion it the best show out this fall.I would compare it to Claymore with tits and ass for people who haven’t seen it. The shows looks like they are mid season quality because I thought the fall was the flagship shows. Other than QB the only show I will probably watch is Nogizaka Haruka which the first season was good if you like romance shows that aren’t extremely sentimental like Clannad and over the top like Kanokon. I would have also said Kiddy Grade if they would have kept the same characters from the first season. I wonder what happened that they dropped Kiddy Grade season 2 when they showed animation screens and character art of it in Newtype I believe two years ago and make a spin off.

    Roger
  13. MUST WATCH SERIES

    Inuyasha
    Kiddy girl
    Kobato
    Sora no Otoshimono
    Asura Cryin’ 2
    Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra
    Tegami Bachi – Letter Bee
    Seiken no Blacksmith – The Sacred Blacksmith

    hmm I waiting For Tsubasa Chronicle Season 3 T_T !

    hellknight
  14. I will definitely watch Inuyasha, Nogizaka and Fairy tail, I have been excited about them when I saw they were being done. There are a few more I plan on checking out including the Blacksmith and Asura Crying but I am not sure how long I will keep them up, especially asura. thanks for the preview.

    draksig
  15. My, my. Letter Bee+ Natsu no Arashi+ Darker Than Black = guaranteed, can’t wait. The rest, hm… it will depend solely on your reviews Omni (or RandomC staff’s opinions in general) as I don’t really have the time to watch the first episode of everything this season, so I’m countring on you guys 😉

    Zenzen
  16. haha best news from omni^^ i’m glad that you will blog inuyasha kanketsu hen which i definitely will watch!! but i really want to know how many episode it will be. i will definitely watch haruka too, perhaps even Kimi ni Todoke

    BlackSun88
  17. I really hope Sasameki Koto is a proper yuri series and isn’t going to go the way of Maria Holic.

    Also on an unrelated note I have a quick question for omni (if he’s reading this). What happened to you blogging Tears to Tiara you seemed to have stopped at episode 22? Have you dropped the series?

    seryass
  18. KIDDY GRADE’S SEQUEL!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!
    *does the Yatta dance*

    Kiddy Grade was pure epic. I hope the new series will have the same depth, drama and plot twists as the first.

    Thanks for the list. I thought the new season was going to be riddled with a couple of boring series, but I’m glad I’m wrong.

    Nalface
  19. I was a bit disappointed with Index, despite all the fanfare. Though I hear the Railgun manga isn’t so bad, plus most of the Toradora crew will be doing this, including director Nagai Tatsuyuki.

    With Honey & Clover II and Toradora under his resume, I’m cautiously optimistic Nagai will do this better than the Index crew (even though this isn’t a romance comedy).

    Kinny Riddle
  20. Anime to watch :
    to aru kagaku no railgun
    kampfer
    seiken no blacksmith
    tatakau shisho
    Aoi Bungaku

    Thinking to watch becuz of your review :
    Kimi no todoke
    Natsu no arashi.

    Guess I’ll follow your review first on the above two

    aiueo123
  21. My to watch list:

    Kimi ni Todoke
    Kobato
    Fairy Tail (one of my favorite mangas, but the promo is disappointing… not just the voice actors, but the animation too… it’s only decent)
    The Sacred Blacksmith
    Aoi Bungaku (because Kubo Tite is one of the character designers :P)
    Kuuchuu Buranko (not sure, I don’t really like the fact that it will half-live action)
    Kampfer
    Railgun
    11eyes
    Letter Bee
    Winter Sonata
    Darker than Black
    Natsu no Arashi

    And Inuyasha, but I’m still only watching the first series (at episode 122).
    I saw the first Kiddy Girl series in the TV, but didn’t really like it, so I won’t give it a try.

    Well, I will have plenty of time since all of the ongoing animes that I’m watching will end in october.

    viral
  22. Here are my lists for the season.

    Watching for sure (sequels):
    1. Asura Cryin 2 (s1 was somewhat disappointing, but I have to keep watching)
    2. To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
    3. WHITE ALBUM (same as Asura Cryin…)
    4. Natsu no Arashi ~Akinai-chuu~ (looking forward to this one!)
    5. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purezza (not so much this sequel though)
    6. Darker than BLACK: Ryuusei no Gemini

    Most-likely going to watch:
    7. Nyan Koi!
    8. Tatakau Shisho – The Book of Bantorra
    9. Seitokai no Ichizon (Patrik hates it but says it’s my kind of show…)
    10. Seiken no Blacksmith
    11. Tegami Bachi
    12. Kobato.
    13. Kimi ni Todoke
    14. Sasameki Koto (if it’s really like Aoi Hana + trap)

    Up in the air about:
    15. Sora no Otoshimono
    16. 11eyes
    17. FAIRY TAIL
    18. KIDDY GiRL-AND

    …and last but not least
    Considering blogging (!?):
    19. Kämpfer
    20. NEEDLESS (continuing on from this season)

  23. well after i read that Sasameki Koto on mangafox.

    It is allot clearer and focused on Shoujo Ai then Aoi Hana

    and the tall (violent) girl as claimed in the manga is so cute 🙂

    well i love it because the issue of being of the same sex isn’t the greatest issue.

    i just hope the anime story will be of the same quality as the manga

    *normally i like both versions but in my eyes this is something they shouldn’t mess up*

    teutates
  24. bah, damnit divine, i was hoping you’d blog haruka!

    There’s like 7 of the shows i have to check out and I’ll wait for someone’s opinions on the other shows before watching those. Seems like there’s more shows this season that sound interesting than in the last few seasons… or i just like more stuff now =/

  25. Darker Than Black and Kiddy Girl-And will be on my definite watch list. I will probably watch at least one episode of the other various series that take my interest and see if any of them catch my attention =)

    Liberta
  26. What a loaded fall lineup. Great preview as usual. A lot of them look interesting, though the only must watches for me so far are Railgun and Kiddy Grade 2. I’ll pick up another dozen shows, drop a couple, and that’s pretty much my fall watch list.

  27. Wow, I’m happy <3 Can’t wait, you don’t know how much I’m a fan of Inuyasha XD;
    I also hope to see the Eden of the East and Macross movies blogged in Nov <3!
    *_* So many good things coming out~

    Kristyn
  28. YES! You’re blogging Kobato. & Kimi ni Todoke!!! 😀

    Oh, gosh. I still haven’t finished the first Darker than Black. And now there’s going to be a second one?! @___@ Ugh, I’m so behind.

    lialiakicks
  29. There are like 10 show i must watch
    7 I might watch after an episode or two to see how good are they then the rest is just pass.

    but this is definitely a good fall season compare to spring and summer.

    Mike
  30. Just to clear something up – when it originally announced it was clearly started that the name Kiddy Grade 2 was only temporary. The newtype article at the time specifically stated that this was to be a considered a sequel:

    “The overall setting will remamin the same,” says show director Keiji Gotoh, stressing that there will be considerable continuity between the two series. “We haven’t decided exactly how many years apart the two shows will be, but the new series will definitely be a true sequel, so expect to see some familiar faces from the ES Force. We’re also planning a few very interesting opportunities for cooperation between the old and new characters.”

    The long wait after the pilot was presumable to do with whatever caused the change of studio. When the new title and new designs for Ascoeur were announced via the offical site ANN started calling it a spinoff and many people have run with that ball since, but the term was not used on the site itself and all that really changed was the name and the design of Ascoeur, since it was decided to make her nore energetic. This was all explained by Gotoh at the time on his blog (http://blog.goo.ne.jp/gocky_01/e/b5c0b64be4e610c4115727182f70b995).

  31. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purezza
    Seitokai no Ichizon
    Sora no Otoshimono
    Kobato
    11Eyes
    Queen’s Blade(I already watched)
    Kiddy Girl-And(sequel of Kiddy Grade, now popular in the Philippines since QTV Channel 11 1st watched this)
    To Aru kagaku no Railgun(optional, do I have to watch this after INDEX)

    cutemi2
  32. oh come on of all of the fall 09 anime really i would really request/recommend queen’s blade s2 look at it

    1.defy the odds of those “haters” & became unexpected hit
    2.pull a season 2 really more on the same year
    3.fanbase level went overload
    4.s2 got RIE TANAKA AS NYX aka females with “TENTS”

    really by this rate i would be not shock for a second if they pull a 3rd season!!!

    DE-KLAC_CADE
  33. wow, there’s so much to watch this season, but most probably i’ll only watch Darker than Black because it’s the only series i watched the first season before. I’ll also follow Kobato, wanna see how Clamp work on this piece. Too bad on 10th of Oct i’m not around, can’t watch Inuyasha on Animax…..

    treble89
  34. I’m still behind on the Spring line up. But the fact that InuYasha airs officially in English on the SAME day (unlike FUNimation and FMA: Brotherhood) is a plus. I haven’t watched the series since the last few episodes aired on Adult Swim here, and I’ve seen very little of it in Japanese. I’m looking forward to the subtitled version.

    (Also, I respect FUNimations efforts with FMA, it may be a week behind the Japanese release but it’s still official and free.)

    But I may take a look at some of the other stuff you’re blogging besides Inuyasha. After all, reading about Eden of the East on this site convinced me to try the show and I wasn’t disappointed.

  35. I´m looking forward for some of this series…
    Natsu no Arashi & Fairy Tail… Just because i read the manga 😉

    I don´t have the time to watch all of them, cuz i have some to finish first haha
    Nyan Koi! looks funny =)
    So, just these…

    IHM
  36. Hmm, some pretty interesting sequels we have lined up this fall. I can’t wait for some Biri-biri action, she was by far the show stealer in Index. I hope Blacksmith is good, from what little I’ve read about it, seems like it’ll be fun. Plus the art in the book, volume 1 anyway, is nice.
    Also, 100. woo.

    Meery
  37. Hey, Omni, do you think you could update schedule link on the topright with this season’s post? I tend to come back to these posts often once the season actually starts but by then it’s usually several pages back. Would make it a bit easier for me and anyone else who uses this as a reference. Thanks.

    Jerk
  38. Lol. Fairy Tail has an Anime. So watching it now.
    In other news: THANK GOD Inuyasha did not end with that ****ing retarding movie.

    Haha, Railgun. That’ll be fun. Better than the manga… I hope.

    Darker than Black. Ok, I swear, if there are just a bunch of all new characters, I am going to stop watching the first series. It’s such a drag!

    Yeah, I’m done wasting space.

    Zero
  39. I stopped watching Anime for a while, but I guess I’ll go back and check some of this out.
    Darker than Black 2 most definitely, since I watched the first series and loved it. And maybe out of sheer curiosity, the Winter Sonata animation (why do I do this to myself?? lol)

    Kagayuzen
  40. im expecting something better in inuyasha 2, cause the first season was to damn extended with naraku being an inmortal being, the finals episodes of inuyasha werent good, so i hope inuyasha 2 get the plot somewhere

    Trejon
  41. WOW. Why the hell are they making more Inuyasha? That show is garbage incarnate full of pointless filler and the villain escaping every 50 episodes to try the same plot over and over again.

    ferggggg
  42. Oh geez. With that first promotional trailer for Winter Sonata, I was almost convinced that you had uploaded the original movie for viewing. Can’t wait to go through that cheese and melodrama all over again in anime form. >>;;

    Bakazuki
  43. It feel redundant to watch Inuyasha, since I’ve already read the end, but considering it’s one of the first anime I watched, I should probably check it out.

    All I know is somebody needs to work on the next epic mecha anime.

    On that note, I wonder what’s happening with the Macross Frontier and Gundam 00 movies… haven’t checked up on that for a while…

    yanipheonu
  44. i’m waiting for Fairy Tail, Kobato, Darker than Black, Kimo no Todoke, To ARu kagaku No Railgun, The sacred Blacksmith and Tegami bacho.. yesh~

    So many anime to watch, make me excited

    arlulez
  45. 11eyes, Sacred Blacksmith, Nyan Koi, and Letter Bee.

    The first Nogizaka was a bit too…lovey-dovey for me so I’m not sure I want to follow this one. I haven’t watched the first DtB yet, but I hear it’s good / decent.

  46. FAIRY TAIL,Are you ready? HELL YES :):)
    Huuu I’m in love with this manga, so I think I will love the anime too 😉

    “Do whatever you think is right!!!That’s the way of the Fairy Tail mages!!!!”

    Natsu:’2 million?! Hold on! If we divide it by three.. Arghhh I can’t calculate!’
    Happy:’It is easy.I get 1 million, Natsu get 1 million and the rest is Lucy’s ‘
    Natsu:’You are smart Happy!’

    Must see it!!!!!

    Mirai

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