After allocating whatever free time I had in the past couple of months, I managed to get the season preview out on the week I was hoping, meaning there should be ample time to vote on the upcoming spring shows. Please keep in mind that most shows will likely be pushed out a week due to the natural disaster that struck Japan, so there’s anywhere from one and a half to two and a half weeks before the season starts. Once again, you can refer to the Spring 2011 Preview for any dates that have changed. The currently announced changes are marked in red and more are likely to come.

I realize it’s going to be difficult to pick 5 shows from the 43 that will be airing, but keep in mind that this poll is only intended to get an idea for what readers are looking forward to. Just vote for the five shows that you’re looking forward to the most, even if you plan to watch many more than that. Hopefully the season preview has given you a better idea as to what each title is about and if there are any that interest you. I’ve already categorized all the shows according to my expectations, so now I turn things over to you to share your thoughts. You never know, some fan sub groups just might be listening.

Note: The same poll will also be available on the sidebar. It is tentatively set to close on April 1st at 7:00 AM GMT, coinciding with the start of the new season. If the season start date gets pushed out, so will the poll.




127 Comments

      1. We should reserve ourselves not to declare a series as the “season’s best” for now. It is still to early to speculate and it just increases our expectations needlessly, besides none from the list above was been shown yet. We should avoid hyping a series because it might disappoint us like how too many viewers expected too much from FRACTALE (thanks to the hype) and it turns out to be a “good” series but not really as great as how it was promoted, as it turns out, another series outdone everything the series could offer. Just saying ~

      2. It’s fine if people want to make such bold statements. We can all look back on this post 3 months from now and see if they were right or not. Getting to compare pre and post impressions is one of the main reasons for this poll.

      3. I pretty much had high expectations for madoka already and it exceeded it too.

        nothing really strikes me up as “great potential” like what I felt in madoka though. but that might be just because of the huge amount of anime this season.

        well if I had to expect something good, it would be either seikon no qwaser or denpa onna.

        amado
      4. ok, heard ya! 🙂

        Since that is the case, I would declare that “Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko” is my bet for the best Anime of this season. Hear this people I’m preparing myself expecting things for this series like being SHAFTed, but I have faith on SHAFT and I’m OK with SHAFTed episodes since I know the BDs would be better lol

  1. Ao no Exorcist looks too good to pass on 🙂

    Along with TIGER & BUNNY, The World Only God Knows, C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control, and last but not least Deadman Wonderland 😀

    Ddadain
  2. I’m curious about a lot of them, so I’ve just voted for some of them. The actual list of those I’ll give a try:

    DOG DAYS
    TIGER & BUNNY
    Nichijou
    Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san.
    Hen Zemi
    Hanasaku Iroha
    Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
    Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
    STEINS;GATE
    Hidan no Aria
    A-Channel
    Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
    Ao no Exorcist
    Lotte no Omocha! (sounds weird, but who knows, might be good…)
    Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II
    C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
    Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.
    Deadman Wonderland

    In other words, plenty to watch this season.

    HenDarou
  3. C,Deadman wonderland, showa monagatari,aoi exorcist and Hyouge mono. Damn, there are lots of animes next season. Hope these anime dont fail me like that of the winter season.

    Unyty
  4. To be honest, I am that guy who vote for Sofuteni… Suman (you maybe have disappointed and say something like this: “Somebody watch that @*&#?” after i read your opinion. LOL yes. BTW! I don’t ride on the C-hype, but i will try everything except some shonen show which try to be look too cool (i can say annoying, as ao no exorcist or sket dance).

    Hunter
  5. I am saddened by the low votes Kaiji got. At least, I’m pertty sure it’ll get a better than average attention in Japan (the show is much popular among Japanese than your average oversea otaku)

    Anyway, beside that, I’ll probably watch Gintama once in a whole with Maria Holic if I feel like it. For all the other shows, I’ll just wait until the season is complete; like I always do.

    g0rth0r
  6. Ao no Exorcist, Denpa Onna, Hidan no Aria, Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai II, Lotte no Omocha!

    Also want to watch:
    A-Channel, AnoHana, C, DOG DAYS, Deadman Wonderland, Dororon Enma-kun, Hanasaku Iroha, Hen Zemi, Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi, Maria†Holic Alive, Nichijou, Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai, Seikon no Qwaser II, Showa Monogatari, SKET DANCE, STEINS;GATE, X-Men and Yondemasu yo, Azazel-san.

  7. I only voted for the four that I KNOW I will watch: A-Channel, Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai., Hanasaku Iroha, and Nichijou. C, STEINS;GATE, and Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko are all cool looking too, but I could also see myself getting bored with them if I have to watch week by week.

    It’s funny, but with certain shows it really makes a big difference if you marathon them or watch them week by week. Something light and fuzzy like K-ON! for example, is best when you have breathing room between the episodes. Something like FRACTALE, as I’ve discovered by marathoning the last few episodes to catch up, is really much easier to follow when you watch them one after another.

    I think if I plan to watch C or any of the other more complicated looking shows, I’ll try putting time aside to marathon them in chunks as the season goes by, but otherwise, I find I lose interest in shows that I have to rack my brain to remember all that happened the week before.

    innerchihiro
  8. I can’t believe Ao no Exorcist has taken the lead so far. Another damn series with a fucking lead character who, after knowing he has a special power, wants to become stronger to overcome some shitty problem. Come on, there are a lot more good series out there.

    I’m not going to waste my time watching that SHIT.

    Syaoran Li
    1. If this series comes from a manga/novel then I guess you use some spoiler tag in expressing your thoughts. As an almost exclusive anime viewer (with a very small number of manga titles that I read) I wish I could watched the series first before I could read those kinds of views, Thanks.

      1. I don’t like his choices of words though, feels like trolling or how it may affect my impression of the male character when I haven’t even seen one episode yet, because I’m not really into male characters that fits that description, it didn’t help that he seem to not like the manga or whatever it is due to it. Oh well, I’ll just have to watched it, to see is to believe.

  9. Top 5: Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai, [C], Deadman Wonderland, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

    Full watching list:
    A-Channel
    Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai
    [C]
    Deadman Wonderland
    Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
    Hanasaku Iroha
    Hidan no Aria
    Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
    Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II
    Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
    STEINS;GATE

    I also want to watch Kaiji, but I haven’t gotten around to starting the first season yet and I’m planning to wait until I get that done. Might check out an episode of Exorcist because of the hype, but I don’t know if it’ll be my style.
    Been waiting forever for a Deadman Wonderland anime! * ^* Here’s hoping they don’t screw it up with pacing, censoring and an original ending. I also see Ano Hi Mita as being really good from my instinct, but that might be bias xD Something about it seems to stand out.

    Aisu
    1. There are only 4 listed in your top 5 Aisu.

      As for Anohana, I wasn’t enthralled by the premise originally, but once that second PV hinted that Menma’s dead and Jintan feels responsible for it, it suddenly became one of the shows that I’m looking forward to the most.

      It’s as if Jintan became a hikikomori and somehow forgot that traumatic experience whereas everyone else still remembers. That would also explain why everyone’s changed since their childhood except Menmna.

      1. Ah! My derp! I forgot to list STEINS;GATE as the 5th I voted for.

        Exactly. The animation itself seems very smooth and I like the distinct character designs. Even though the premise appears simple, I get the feeling that there’s going to be a lot of revelations during the course of the show. If they’re throwing out hints already that Menma’s dead before it even starts airing, there’s likely going to be a completely different climax.

        I’m also curious about Anaru since she seems to have something to do with what happened, and Yukiatsu appears to have a conflict of his own from his expressions.

        Aisu
  10. my top 5 must watch animes:
    1. Ao no Exorcist
    2. STEINS;GATE
    3. C
    4. Hidan no Aria
    5. Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II

    i will also watch this animes depending on their 1st episodes:
    1. Seikon no Qwaser II
    2. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
    3. SKET DANCe
    4. DOG DAYS

    k0na-yume
  11. This season looks great, feels like ill spend all my free time watching anime … Well only Gintama alone would make this season totally awesome XD, but Hen Semi, Tono to Issho, Deadman Wonderland, STEINS;GATE … ah can’t wait

    Prochy
  12. Come on people (guys) be true to yourselves. Vote more for Seikon no Qwaser. =P

    My picks were: Deadman Wonderland, KamiNozo2, Lotte no Omocha, Seikon no Qwaser and Sket Dance.

    I’m also really interested in “C: something something money.” The art looks nice, but I’m still confused about its premise. Hidan no Aria and Toriko are also on the watch list.

    xcswmboy
  13. Hm…it was quite easy for me to choose this season.
    1. Ao no Exorcist
    2. A Channel
    3. Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II
    4. C something (<- either this or Denpa)
    5. Deadman underland

    Saberic
  14. 1.STEINS;GATE
    2.C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
    3.Deadman Wonderland | デッドマン・ワンダーランド
    4.Ao no Exorcist | 青の祓魔師
    5.Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II | 神のみぞ知るセカイII
    and anime from SHAFT
    6.Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko | 電波女と青春男
    7.Maria Holic Alive | まりあ†ほりっく あらいぶ
    i should watch all this on the next season, i miss so much Itou Kanae as Elsie and crazy gamer Shimono Hiro as Keima. Animation, story, and comedy is the priority.
    but my first priority is of course laughing happily
    i want to laugh as much as i watch mitsudomoe and kore wa zombie on this season too.

    shageki
  15. Sticking to my original post on Spring 2011 Preview list, the series I’m looking forward the most would be:

    1. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko – because it is a SHAFT, and I like the premised + character designs look great!
    2. Maria Holic Alive – again because it is a SHAFT and I like the first season, more Mariya!
    3. Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II – like the first season + the new Demon girl looks promising 🙂
    4. Nichijou – I was moved by Kiiragi’s pose + its KyoAni + I like the setup 🙂
    5: STEINS;GATE – I’m curious of the premise

    Plus all series I’m looking forward too also that could fill up the rest of the “7-8 series limit” I could follow in a weekly basis:

    – TIGER & BUNNY
    – Hen Zemi
    – Hanasaku Iroha
    – Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji Hakairoku-hen
    – Hidan no Aria
    – Ao no Exorcist
    – Seikon no Qwaser II
    – C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
    – Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai
    – Deadman Wonderland

    As for the rest, the chances of watching those series will depend on the positive feedback from other viewers or when the series is set as “completed”

    Based on my experience with previous Anime seasons, 7-8 series is the most I could watch and follow on a weekly basis, anything more than that is difficult for me given I also watched series from previous seasons that I decided to passed on and wait till the time the series is set as “completed,” and of course real life…being in the work force.

    With this much series to be release this season, not counting the OVAs and movies, I think this upcoming season would be great!

    PS: This should silent those critics who seems to believe that anime is going downhill/dead, the industry is still thriving after all ~ YES Anime is very much ALIVE and here to STAY! 😀

    Banzai Anime! Banzai Japan!

  16. wow! there are more than five shows I’m really looking forward to watching!
    But I’ll probably only end up liking a couple of them.
    A lot of them sound really good and look promising, hopefully they don’t disappoint!

    Himawari
  17. well my expectations are:
    seikon no qwaser – season one had some cool fights, along with blood and gore. sometimes have a hard time to watch though….
    ao no excorcist – after seeing so much advertisement, it might be great.
    denpa onna to seishun otoko – sounds kinda like arakawa, interesting anyway.
    deadman wonderland – heard yanderes are in here…
    C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – title and art looks good.

    now that I also have more time, I might pick up the others but these are for now as well:
    kami nomi zo shiru sekai – hope they do better in this one, I wanna see ayumi again.
    a-channel – expecting yuri…
    hidan no aria – characters look a bit cute and cool.
    sengoku otome – also expecting yuri…
    Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai – having simultaneous things happening. sounds a bit similar to durarara but I wont expect too much.

    this spring has a LOT so I might not be able to watch all the series I want to despite being free.

    amado
  18. Hanasaku Iroha
    STEINS;GATE
    Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
    C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control
    Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai

    those 5 are my most anticipated shows but I’m also looking forward to The World God Only Knows

    Der Fur Shur
  19. There’s a lot of series that might be good. Personally having hopes for
    i) Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai (should be sad)
    ii) C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (interesting premise)
    iii) Hanasaku Iroha (Working!! season 2?)
    iv) STEINS;GATE (another interesting premise)
    v) Toriko (food anime is kind of hard to screw up)

    Gintama, Maria Holic and Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai are pretty good returning series
    A-Channel, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko and Nichijo might be very good
    Hidan no Aria should be at least average
    Will be watching Lotte no Omocha and Hen Zemi to see if it oversteps good taste or ends upat least average

    Zaku Fan
  20. [Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai.]
    [Ao no Exorcist]
    [C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control]
    [Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II]
    [Lotte no Omocha!]

    The comment tab in the sidebar is pretty cool. Keeping it?

  21. My five:
    1+2: The noitaminA shows. Always interested in them.
    3: New Gintama. Been eagerly waiting all year for its return.
    4+5: Ao no Exorcist and Deadman Wonderland. Never read either manga but might try the manga if the anime is interesting. Heard good things about both.

    Honorable mention:
    Sket Dance and Toriko (I’m a Jump nerd), Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (Like the first season well enough to continue watching, but not overly enthused about it), Kaiji and STEINS;GATE (Heard good things about both previous anime, but never got around to watching either. Will watch if I catch up on the earlier series.)

    Seems to be a very promising season for me. More new stuff to watch than usual.

    boznia
  22. Well, it’s gonna be an absurdly packed season, isn’t it? As a side-note, I love what you’ve been able to do with the site over the past year, Divine. It’s truly remarkable what you (and your newly-formed review crew) have done for RC. Kudos to you guys

    DJd
  23. I have a feeling a lot of peeps are gonna be disappointed with C. and a few will be surprised by X, ya dig? it hurts my SOUL, but i had to pass up on dat APPLESEED and BUNNY cuz MAN! that CGI looks CRAPPY, step up ur CGI game Nippon, its embarrassing! Dororon Enma-kun looks FUN though………..
    *Crack head scream*>>>AND WHEN IS THE NEW HELLSING ULTIMATE COMING OUT!?!?!?!

    BROOKLYN otaku
  24. Looks like this season is really weak as I thought.
    Nothing goes above 10%, and no one can decide on a great hit right now.

    We’ll just have to wait and see.
    I voted for the anime I would like to see reviewed by RandomC!

    1. You have to consider the fact that we are talking about 40+ series here, compare to last season of only 20+. Of course the votes would be more spread out. Plus its all good that it means we have more series to choose from.

    2. It pisses me off how many people whine about how weak they think a season is before it starts every single freaking season. This season seems like it has a bit of everything, and I personally think it’ll be one of the better seasons in recent times, so I really don’t know what is wrong with people’s expectations. Do these moaners seriously expect a dozen gurren lagann or clannad afterstory-class anime each season and sequels to all their favourite shows? Be content with a little less,guys/:

      Smuglord
  25. The next season is a bit of comfort… But I will miss Madoka… God is so cruel to show me a gem I instantly obsessed over and suddenly says “you can’t have it…”

    Moondogg
  26. Exorcist, SnQ II, X-Men, Deadman Wonderland and Tiger and Bunny are my picks for the season … Lotte I’ll definately give a try, though I’m not sure it’ll go in the direction I’m wanting it to 😛

    Guardian
  27. I’ve been relatively pleased with the last two seasons, but nothing this coming season is really jumping out at me at all. I was surprised by a few shows this season that I didn’t think I’d like, so I can only hope the same for next season, although at this point I can’t really imagine what it’ll be…

    Foofie
  28. First five that came to mind just from memory so I took it as a sign of being interested via my subconscious desires.

    1. A-Channel
    2. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
    3. Hanasaku Iroha
    4. Moshidora
    5. Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai

    ryaku-aku
  29. Is it me, or can people vote more than once? After I put in my 5 votes I exited the site and then came back and it let me vote again. Can this be fixed or is the vote not counted and it just doesn’t tell you that?

    As for my expectations:

    1. Ao no Exorcist
    2. STEINS;GATE
    3. Hanasaku Iroha
    4. Ano Hana
    5. Nichijou

    Seems like a good season for production values and series length. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a season with so many 2 cour series, and they all look good. Feels good man.

    Kioku
  30. I am not that interested in any of the series this season (or at least not as much as the animes from this past season). What I will probably check out once the season start though are:

    -Ao no Exorcist (Action/Fantasy always intrigue me. It’s just my most favorite combination of genre)
    -STEINs=S;GATE (I didn’t like its prequel, however, the preview does seem interesting.)
    -C (Well… Sure seems to have a pretty unique plot. Just hope that it can deliver)
    -Maria Holic (I was mildly amused by the first season, but Madoka has increased my appetite for Shaft’s work quite heartily, so I might check this out for the sake of that.)
    -Hidan no Aria (The character design is too much of the generic otaku bait for my taste… However, if the action is done very nicely, and the story ends up not being as generic as it might be, I might just follow it for the heck of not having better things to watch this season)

    What I also might check out:
    -X-Men (Cyclop’s design is so unbelievably flamboyant to the point that I just have to see the first episode to see if it would be laughably bad or actually kinda good.)
    -TIGER & BUNNY (I actually do like the character’s design. Don’t know what to make of the story though.)
    -30-Sai no Hoken Taiiku (What the hell are they going to do in this anime? I AM CURIOUS!)
    -Hen Zemi (I LOVE SEX COMEDY. Particularly ones about weird fetishes.)
    -Deadman Wonderland (The plot sounds interesting. I haven’t read the manga yet though.)

  31. My list after trying to narrow down:

    Voted for TOP 5
    Hanasaku Iroha
    Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
    Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II
    Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai
    STEINS;GATE

    This is almost certain that I will watch, but I don’t expect too much:
    Maria Holic Alive
    Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi
    Hidan no Aria

    The first episode will tell me if I will try to watch these:
    Ao no Exorcist
    Deadman Wonderland

    I don’t even know if I will give these a chance:
    Hen Zemi
    30-Sai no Hoken Taiiku
    Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

    Thats it, who knows how it will turn out?

    Hoshi Akari
  32. Does anybody else think that Deadman Wonderland is not gonna air next season due to the recent cancelling of shows. I mean, Madoka has been cancelled indefinitely I am assuming due to images in the anime involving city-wide destruction, and Beelzebub has been suspended as well. Since one of the premises of the plot in DMW is a giant earthquake that has devastated Tokyo, doesn’t that make this show highly likely to be considered “sensitive” and taken off the air?

  33. Forgot what I voted for, though I chose from the series I was going to watch.

    Series I’ll likely stick with:
    Nichijou (Hope it gets funnier, since Episode 0 didn’t impress me enough)
    Hanasaku Iroha (Looks great, and drama aspect has me enticed)
    STEINS;Gate (Looks silently intense)
    Hidan no Aria (Not expecting much, but watching for generic J.C. Staff fun.)
    A-Channel (Should fill my slice-of-life need.)
    Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Erio is too cute looking to pass up, and I have decent expectations, after my impressions of Madoka)
    Hen Zemi (OVA sorta freaked me out, but I found it quite amusing.)
    Ao no Exorcist (Hype)
    Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II (liked the first season. Hope the 2nd follows up nicely)
    C: (Premise looks interesting)
    Anohana (Same reason as Hanasaku Iroha)
    Deadman Wonderland (Survival of the fittest setting. Nice)

    Soiyeruda
  34. I think I liked about 8 of the series you mentioned. Both noitaminA series look really good. Heard Tiger and Bunny going to be simulcast by Viz turns me off a little. Other than that Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko for the Shaft factor and Nichijou for the Kyoto Animation factor.

  35. My top 5 lists ;

    1. Ao no Exorcist (Look awesoome from pv)
    2. Ano hana (I like drama and the music seems pretty good.)
    3. Stein Gate (storyline might be good)
    4. Sket dance (comedy)
    5. Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II

    Pavella
  36. Will watch:

    X-men (Wolverine so far is great and anything set in the “depression” right after Dark Phoenix Saga is good for me.)

    Steins Gate (will try a few episodes, maybe will be good)

    Fireball Charming.

    Deadman Wonderland(one of my favorite manga)

    Everything else looks….bland.

    UnknownVoice
  37. Top 5 just by reading the previews, not in any order

    1) STEINS;GATE (Time traveling is an interesting premise for me as well)
    2) C: The Money of Soul and Possibility (Sinister and the concept of limitless money is interesting)
    3) Hanasaku Iroha (Not too sure, but it seems like an insightful anime)
    4) Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko (Loved Arakawa and am looking forward to Shaft’s next work :P)
    5) Moshidora (Seems really popular and I like the similar premise to Giant Killing)

    Of course I’ll watch more, there are so many new shows this season

    Chocolate
  38. Definite watches:

    Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai
    Ao no Exorcist
    DOG DAYS
    Hidan no Aria

    Depends on first episode watches:

    STEINS;GATE
    Toriko
    TIGER & BUNNY
    Sengoku Otome ~Momoiro Paradox~
    Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko

    Ruu27
  39. Lots of really interesting shows this season. Really pleased writers and producers are being allowed to explore really original premises. Sure, there’s still the generic stuff, but the impressive roster this season fills me with a lot of excitement. Hard to tell what I’m going to end up liking in the end, though I have a feeling Moshidora will be a winner.

  40. 1) Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai for me
    2) Hen Zemi
    3) A-Channel
    4) Nichijou
    5) 30-Sai no Hoken Taiiku
    6) Hidan no Aria
    7) C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control Top
    8) Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
    9) Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera
    10) Moshidora

    Comedy, slice of life or noitamina. I pretty sure that “Ao no Exorcist” will be average. I’m feed up with generic action anime with sci-fi or fantasy. Anyway, when I want generic action without depth, I’m playing videogame^^.

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