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「あまつかぜ」 (Amatsukaze)
“Heavenly Wind”
Production I.G and female mangaka group CLAMP’s latest addition to the Blood franchise is here, and it uses the same concept as the variations before it in an all-new story. That concept entails a high school girl named Kisaragi Saya (Mizuki Nana), who uses the “Goshintou” katana passed down by her father’s shrine to defeat ancient vampiric demons known as “Furukimono” that prey on humans.
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「びしょぬれネズミ」 (Bishonure Nezumi)
“Drowned Rat”
If it’s Thursday it must be NoitaminA, if it’s the second slot it must be an edgy fantastical series, and if it’s BONES sci-fi the plot must be indecipherably complex. So far, No. 6 looks to be meeting demand in all three areas.
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「りんどうの女の子」 (Rindou no Onna no Ko)
“Bellflower Girl”
I am in awe at how the very first episode of Bunny Drop managed to bring tears to my eyes.
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「運命のベルが鳴る」 (Unmei no Beru ga Naru)
“The Bell of Fate Sounds”
The premiere of Revolutionary Girl Utena/Sailor Moon director/writer Ikuhara Kunihiko’s original new series makes its way to television airwaves and leaves a very mysterious and promising first impression. All the mention of bearing sins and fighting fate in the commercials comes front and center almost immediately, yet raises just as many questions as I had originally.
Update: I incorrectly deduced that the possessed Himari is Oginome Ringo (Miyake Marie) based on the episode credits and how she’s been described as heroine who’s just as important as Himari. In reality, Ringo is actually the schoolgirl who walked by Shouma. My apologies for any confusion this may have caused.
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「神は来たりて」 (Kami wa Kitarite)
“God Arrives”
The adaptation of Yamamura Hajime’s action fantasy manga may not have ranked very highly in the seasonal poll, but I was pretty sold on what I read in the early parts of the manga. The promo material left me with a good first impression, and Brain’s Base delivers impeccably with this premiere episode, quickly reminding me of all the potential that I saw.
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「妖しきものの名」 (Ayashiki Mono no Na)
“The Name of a Monster”
Years ago, Roger Ebert (from my hometown of Chicago) wrote the following review of the abysmal film “North”: “I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie.” Well, I love Natsume Yuujinchou. I love love love love love Natsume Yuujinchou.
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「中学デビュー！」 (Chuugaku Debyuu!)
“Middle School Debut!”
I’m never opposed to a series about cute girls doing cute things, so I’m always up for a slightly different spin on it. To that end, we have a trio of trio of middle school girls, Akaza Akari (Mikami Shiori), Toshinou Kyouko (Ootsubo Yuka), and Funami Yui (Tsuda Minami), and the unofficial “Fun Club” they run in the ex-tea ceremony clubroom.
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「入口 “Entrée”」 (Iriguchi)
“Entrance”
To most viewers, this will undoubtedly be the slowest and most uneventful new series of the season, and be quickly written off as “boring” or “dull”, but for Aria fans such as myself, it’s one of my most anticipated adaptations of the season, featuring a heartwarming 19th century story about a young Japanese girl named Yune (Tooyama Nao, Kanon in Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai), who travels to Paris, France to work.
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「イシの目覚め」 (Ishi no Mezame)
“Awakening of the Stone”
It’s the battle of good versus evil using stones, and I don’t mean the rocks you pick up off the ground.
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「彼女について知っている二、三の事柄」 (Kanojo ni Tsuite Shitteiru Ni, San no Kotogara)
“Two, Three Things You Should Know About Her”
J.C. Staff’s latest adaptation kicks off with an hour-long special, providing ample time to introduce the premise and characters, and wrap up the first case so that we have a better idea of what this series entails.