Category: Season Preview

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.

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 23:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 10:30 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. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

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

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of October shows. Much much more after the jump, including a bunch of promo videos.
Edit: I’ve added 11eyes, Shin Koihime Musou, Seitokai no Ichizon and Inuyasha promo videos.

The Spring season seemed to go by really fast, and now Summer is finally here! The selection is a little bit more limited than the Spring season, but there’s still around 20 new shows premiering, not including OVAs or kiddie stuff. 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 Summer 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.

Bakemonogatari http://www.bakemonogatari.com/ Premiere on July 3rd, 2009 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 23:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 10:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi The first of SHAFT and director Shinbou Akiyuki‘s two summer series is about a high school guy who meets different girls in each of the story arcs, all of whom are have something supernatural going on with them. I know I haven’t been the biggest fan of SHAFT’s style over the past several seasons since it tends to favor comedy and inside jokes (with the exception of maybe ef), but I’ve heard good things about the novels that this is based on, and the promos for this series show some very high production quality, so I’m willing to give this a try. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

CANAAN http://www.canaan.jp/ Premiere on July 4th, 2009 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 22:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 9:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi The show I’m probably most excited about this upcoming season is CANAAN. It’s based on a scenario created by Type-Moon founders Nasu Kinoko and Takeuchi Takashi for the Wii game 428: Fuusasareta Shibuya de about an assassin-like girl in Shanghai going up against a crime organization whose leader was responsible for terrorism in Shibuya. It’s being produced by the P.A. Works team that did true tears, and the promo videos look great, but if that’s not enough, it’s got an A-list cast as well including Sakamoto Maaya, Sawashiro Miyuki, and Tanaka Rie. Basically, this show should have everything going for it in terms of production, story, and cast, and I’m definitely planning on watching it. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of July shows. Much much more after the jump, including a bunch of promo videos.

As the Fall and Winter shows are finishing, here’s a preview of the Spring 2009 shows premiering next week and beyond. There aren’t quite as many new shows premiering as last fall – 28 major titles not including kiddie stuff or OVAs – but that still leaves a huge variety of shows. And for once my schedule isn’t filled with continuing series, so theoretically I can watch something new for every day of the week (unlike this past Winter season when I had almost all of the Fall shows carrying over). As usual, I’ll try to watch the first episode of as many shows as I can within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

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 air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Spring 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 – Rurou no Senshi http://queensblade.tv/ Premiere on April 2nd, 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 Queen’s Blade is about a competition to choose a beautiful queen, and all the contestants are big breasted warrior women. They threw in some tentacle monsters for good measure, making this probably the closest you can get to straight up hentai. Certainly the promos (see below) are filled with nudity and ridiculous character designs, including one character whose bra is a pair of hands formed by her hair. And given that ARMS and GENCO are producing this and AT-X is airing it, I suspect that it’ll turn out similarly to Ikkitousen: DD and GG, though it’s been announced that the AT-X version will indeed feature the nudity. All this is to say that I’m not expecting this show to be very deep, however in its defense, it’s got one helluva cast, from Hirano Aya to Kawasumi Ayako to Noto Mamiko to Tanaka Rie and Kugimiya Rie. I might watch an episode of this just to see how far they push the envelope, but there are too many other potentially good Thursday shows to take this one seriously. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Eden of the East http://juiz.jp/ Premiere on April 9th, 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 If Ristorante Paradiso isn’t your thing and you want the series that truly looks like Honey and Clover, then look no further than Eden of the East because it’s got H&C’s mangaka Umino Chika doing character designs. And after seeing the trailer, it also happens to be one of the series I’m most excited about. Being animated by Production I.G, Eden of the East is an original story of a Japanese girl on a trip to America who gets saved by a naked guy in front of the White House. The guy, who is also Japanese, has no memories and carries only a gun and a cell phone with tons of money on it. The mystery deepens to involve terrorism and a missile attack on Tokyo. The trailer really, really impressed me, particularly their choice of music (I can already tell that I’m going to love the ED), so I’m really looking forward to seeing this. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of April shows. Much much more after the jump, including a bunch of promo videos.

Sorry this took so long to get written up – leaving for a week set me back a week in terms of working on this. Regardless, the new year is upon us and with it is another new season of anime. Since this isn’t a spring or fall season, there are relatively fewer new offerings, but that still leaves around 24 major titles, not including the kiddie shows and some long-running shows. As usual, I’ll try to watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

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 air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Winter 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.

RIDE BACK http://www.rideback-anime.jp/ Premiere on January 11th, 2009 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:00 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Sundays at 10:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi RIDE BACK is a very intriguing story about a time of great political turmoil in the not-so-distant future, but it focuses on a girl who was raised as a dancer and is attending a university. She accidentally gets involved with the Rideback club – Ridebacks are a cross of motor bike and mecha – and puts her dancing skills to use on a Rideback just as things start to erupt politically. The original manga is very good, and I’m really looking forward to this anime adaptation that’s being done by Madhouse and Digital Frontier and has Mizuki Nana in the lead role. Trillian is just as excited about this series as I am and might be blogging this instead of me since I have a fairly busy Sunday schedule. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Hetalia Axis Powers http://hetalia.com/ Premiere on January 24th, 2009 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 25:52 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Saturdays at 11:52 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi It’s hard to describe Hetalia Axis Powers as anything but cute. Based on a popular webcomic, the series follows the adventures of the male personifications of various countries of the world, including the cowardly Italy and hard-working Germany, in a comedic parody of history (not always WWII-era and not always the Axis side). Studio DEEN is animating this, and each episode is only five minutes long, so it might be worth watching as just a quick dose of humor. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of January shows. Much much more after the jump, including a bunch of promo videos.

The new fall season is almost here, and it’s going to be quite a doozy with big names like Gundam 00 alongside sequels like Nodame Cantabile Paris and new titles like Michiko to Hatchin. There are a whopping 35+ series premiering – that’s not even counting the kiddie shows – and there should be something for everyone, from mecha to space operas to slice-of-life comedies to dark romances and more. As usual, I’ll try to watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the kiddie shows), and what I list here are the chances of me actually blogging something based on my initial impressions from promotional material – which incidentally there is a ton of this time around. 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.

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 air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Fall 2008 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.

Toradora! http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/toradora/ Premieres October 1st, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:20 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:20 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi Toradora! follows a guy and girl who are in love with each other’s best friends and decide to help each other out. Along the way, they develop a very unique and close relationship. The female lead here is a role that was tailor made for Kugimiya Rie due to the way she acts and how she treats the male lead like a servant (much like Louise or Shana). Being animated by J.C.Staff as well will probably only increase the likeness. Horie Yui‘s also has a role in this, and put all together, this is a series generating a lot of buzz – I’ve even heard it called the next Suzumiya Haruhi. I don’t think it’ll have quite that much impact, but I’ve liked what I’ve read of the light novels and manga so far, so I’m tentatively planning on watching this. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Linebarrels of Iron http://www.linebarrels.jp/ Premieres October 3rd, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 26:25 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Fridays at 13:25 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi The big series Gonzo is pushing for the fall season – to the point where they’ve released a PV in English – starts with a boy who meets a naked girl with no memories and obtains a mecha via an accident. He subsequently becomes a powerful pilot and has a to fight a lot of battles and such. My initial reaction to the plot was that it’s rather generic sounding, and it doesn’t help any that this is being animated by Gonzo and has character designs by Hirai Hisashi (those of you who have been reading RC for a while now will remember that, thanks to SEED Destiny, I get a bad feeling whenever I see a show with his character designs). On the other hand, this has a pretty strong cast including Fukuyama Jun, Hirano Aya, and Noto Mamiko, and the PVs don’t look that bad. Fridays are likely going to come down to a choice of this or Tales of the Abyss. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in October. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.

It’s that time of the year again: the start of the summer season! Summer isn’t as big as spring or fall – there’s about two-thirds as many shows premiering compared to this past spring – but there are still several exciting titles to talk about. As usual, I’ll watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

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 air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Summer 2008 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.

Sekirei http://www.sekirei-tv.com/ Premieres July 2nd, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 23:30 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 10:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi Sekirei is one of the series generating the most pre-season excitement, partially because it comes from a fairly well established manga, and partially because there’s been a lot of promotional material for it. The story involves a worthless guy who failed his college entrance exams but one day has a beautiful and buxom girl suddenly fall out of the sky on top of him. The girl chooses him as her master, and they subsequently get involved in a battle royale with other fighters. The manga has a lot of fanservice and nudity to go with all the action, and if the PVs are any indicator, it looks like the anime version will follow suit. I’ve generally heard pretty good things about this though (I’ve personally only read a couple of chapters), and it’s also being worked on the same Seven Arcs team that did Inukami! and all three Nanoha series, so this might be something that might be worth tuning in for. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Zero no Tsukaima ~Princesses no Rondo~ http://www.zero-tsukaima.com/ Premieres July 6th, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:30 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Sundays at 11:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi If you’ve been coming to Random Curiosity for a while, Zero no Tsukaima is a series that probably needs no introduction since I’ve blogged both the first two series. You may also remember that, particularly towards the end, I wasn’t too happy with the second series and had questioned whether I would want to watch a third one. Well that time has finally come, and the decision is still up in the air. The third series will feature Louise and Saito going back to Albion to search for the fairy with mysterious powers (aka. Tiffania), and apparently Saito’s rune disappears as well. My issue with the series currently is that I know that the anime adaptation has completely ruined any semblance of the novels’ overarching story, and while that doesn’t necessarily prevent the anime adaptation from being good in its own right, the second series proved to be rather lackluster. Add to that the fact that this is airing on the same day of the week as CODE GEASS, and I’m less inclined to devote the time to blog this. In short, if the second series had been better, I’d mark this as guaranteed, but as it stands, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach with the first few episodes. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in July. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.

April means that another new season is upon us, and like the past fall season, it’s chock full of premieres, including some big names like CODE GEASS and Macross. With the exception of a few shows, I was relatively disappointed with the past winter season, so hopefully this one will be better. As usual, I’ll watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

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 air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Spring 2008 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.

Kanokon http://www.kanokon.com/ Premieres April 5th, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 10:30 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Fridays at 21:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi One of the two series this spring season featuring fox girls, Kanokon is about a weak-looking boy who transfers into a city high school from the countryside and, on his first day, he’s approached by a beautiful, big-breasted girl who’s fallen in love with him and is actually a fox demon. I put emphasis on big-breasted because every single description of her I’ve read includes some variation of that, and I think it should give you a good idea of what this series is really about. If you’re still unsure, just check out what the artwork on the official website changes into if you wait long enough, or see these magazine scans. The rest of the cast is made up of various other types of youkai, including a female wolf one who also falls in love with the main character. I don’t really have high hopes for this show because I see it as simply an outlet for fanservice, but there are enough big name voice actors working on this series (including Noto Mamiko and one of my favorites, Kawasumi Ayako) that I may have to watch the first episode. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki http://www.kyouran.jp/ Premieres April 12th, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 25:00 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-4): Saturdays at 12:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi If there’s one really wacky series this season, this could be it. In Kyouran Kazoku Nikki, an incarnation of destruction was defeated by humanity, but it had left a curse before dying: its child would awaken in 1000 years and destroy the world. Approximately 1000 years later, mankind is able to use DNA testing to figure out a group of people who could be that child, but they still can’t pinpoint exactly who. What they decide to do is to put all these people together in one family with the hope that the person who is the real child would develop love for their family and would no longer want to destroy the world. The wacky part comes in when you consider some of the characters in this family: a cat-eared loli (who’s the mother figure no less), a lion, a biological weapon, and a jellyfish. That’s got dysfunctional written all over it, so I think this has the potential to be hilarious. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in April. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.

Another year has come and gone, which means that it’s time for a new season to begin! Unlike Fall, which had a ton of shows, this upcoming Winter season is relatively light on new titles, though hopefully not on quality titles. As usual, I’ll watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

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 air-times, and Fansub Wiki’s Winter 2008 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.

GUNSLINGER GIRL -IL TEATRINO- http://www.gunslingergirl.com/ Premieres January 7th, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 27:00 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Mondays at 13:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi And speaking of which, after a four year period, Gunslinger Girl is getting another anime series too. For those who might not be familiar with it, Gunslinger Girl is about a group of cybernetically enhanced girl assassins who work for an Italian counter-terrorism agency. Now, it’s easy to dismiss this as another girls-with-guns show, however there are actually a lot of interesting themes explored here, including brainwashing and the relationships between assassins and their handlers – it can be a pretty dark series at times. In any case, the first anime more or less covered the first two volumes of the manga, and the sequel looks to pick up right where that left off. It should be noted though, that pretty much the entire cast and crew have been changed (Artland will be animating it instead of Madhouse), so the sequel will likely have a different feel to it. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Ookami to Koushinryou http://www.spicy-wolf.com/ Premieres January 8th, 2008 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 25:30 Airtime in U.S. (EST, GMT-5): Tuesdays at 11:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, syoboi First things first, I can’t help but be amused whenever I look at the URL of the official website. The series’ Japanese name translates to “Wolf and Spices,” but seeing spicy wolf just makes me laugh. Anyway, the show is about a traveling merchant who one day finds a wolf harvest goddess stowing away in his wagon. The two start traveling together, and she ends up helping him with his work. I haven’t read the light novels (here’s a review of someone who has), but supposedly they focus a lot on Middle Ages economics and trade, which sounds unique, however I don’t know how interesting that’ll turn out to be. The biggest draw to this show for me is actually the combination of Fukuyama Jun (Lelouch) and Koshimizu Ami (Kallen) voicing the two main characters. Plus, aside from Sisters of Wellber Zwei, Ookami to Koshinryou is the only other show airing on Tuesdays this upcoming season, so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll watch it. Oh, and ROCKY CHACK is performing the ED, and since I haven’t heard them since ZEGAPAIN, I’ll be looking forward to that too. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in January. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.

With October finally here, the new fall season is set to begin with a lot of promising shows including a new Gundam and a new Da Capo. As usual, I’ll watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

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 air-times, and AndrewLB’s Fall 2007 Wiki 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.

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun http://pc.webnt.jp/ninomiya/ Premieres October 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 27:13 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 14:13 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, syoboi The title character here finds himself – thanks to his own sister – living with a pair of siblings who are incubus and succubus, and it turns out that the succubus is afraid of men, so the main character has been chosen to help her get over it. But that’s not all! The rich and popular student council president is also his live-in maid. The whole succubus aspect sounds like it could have potential, but having not read the light novel that this is based on, I can’t vouch for how good the story is since at first glance it sounds rather haremish. Note: This is premiering on a Wednesday, but normal weekly first airings are on Thursdays on a different channel. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 http://www.gundam00.net/ Premieres October 6th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 9:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 20:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, syoboi The newest title in the Gundam franchise is about a group that wants to stop war on Earth, and they have (in a bit of an ironic twist) the power of four Gundams piloted by Gundam Meisters. It feels like it’s been way too long since I’ve watched a Gundam series, and since this isn’t taking place in the Cosmic Era, there’s no reason for me not to be excited about it. The promos have thus far shown lots of action, and I look forward to seeing how popular director Mizushima Seiji influences the show. It should be also noted that although this series totals a year’s worth of episodes, half of it is going to be shown in the next two seasons, and the other half will be reserved for a later date. Popular speculation right now is that CODE GEASS will replace Gundam 00 in the spring of 2008 before Gundam 00 comes back in the fall. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in October. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.

We’re now just two weeks away from the new season, so it’s time for another preview! This summer is filled with plenty of new adaptations along with several sequels including fan favorites Zero no Tsukaima and Higurashi. In fact, I think the only new show this season that is not based on a manga, game, novel, or previous anime is CODE-E. Anyway, before we get started, a few notes. As usual, I’ll watch the first episode of most shows within certain parameters (in other words, not the 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.

By no means does this list reflect all of the anime that are 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 air-times, and AndrewLB’s Summer 2007 Wiki 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.

Moetan http://www.ink-chan.com/ Premieres July 8th, 2007 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, syoboi Moetan was originally an English language study aid aimed at teaching otaku by using game and animated related phrases. It included gems like “When I fell in love with the her, I thought that the girl was my stepsister. I bet if I had known she was my real sister, I would not have fallen in love with her.” and “My friend found the picture I was hiding, so I tricked him by saying I have a sister that is a primary school student” and “All guys who like small breasts have large ones themselves.” Of course, there’s no guarantee that phrases like those are going to make it into the anime, but I think this show has the potential to be hilarious in so many different ways if executed correctly. Popular voice actress Tamura Yukari will be taking the lead role, and I’ve heard her English isn’t that bad, so I’m quite excited to see this. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed

Baccano! http://www.baccano.jp/ Premieres July 26th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 24:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 11:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, syoboi Baccano! is a show that intrigues me quite a bit because it has such a wide and diverse cast of characters. Although the back-story involves a group of alchemists who received a liquor of immortality from a demon in the 1700s, the main story takes place in America in the 1930s during Prohibition and involves those alchemists along with mobsters, thieves, terrorists, delinquents, murderers, and even a ghost. Having such a large cast probably wouldn’t work so well for a short series, but if this manages to be longer than 13 episodes, I think it could be a lot of fun. The trailer certainly had plenty of energy and music, and interestingly enough, several of the key staff positions (director, character designer, series planner, sound director, and music composer) all worked together in the past on Koi Kaze. In any case, I’m looking forward to this quite a bit. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Note: This is a rather long and fairly comprehensive list of the shows coming in July. Much much more after the jump, including the torrent link for promotional material.