Season Preview / Series Introduction

Summer 2011 Preview!

As the summer season draws upon us, it’s time to take an in-depth look at what’s just around the corner. There are 26 shows to choose from, marking a significant increase from the 16 offered last summer. Brain’s Base is making a splash this season with three productions, all of which show a lot of promise. Sunrise is back with another original series, leading the way in the fantasy department. BONES and Production I.G are going the sci-fi and heartfelt drama route with their noitaminA shows, plus the latter is providing an original vampire series of its own. GAINAX also makes a rare appearance, providing the standout mystery series of the bunch, though J.C. Staff may have something to say about that with its own adaptation. It’s a bustling summer season with a lot of high school romantic comedies to round it out, which is great for getting back into the blogging swing of things.

* A season poll is available on the sidebar. It will automatically close on July 1st at 6:00 AM PST to coincide with the start of the season.
* This preview will be kept at the top for the next while, so be sure to scroll past it or check the Recent Entries on your right for new posts.

Ao no Exorcist / First Impressions / Series Introduction

Ao no Exorcist – 01

「悪魔は人の心に棲む」 (Akuma wa Hito no Kokoro ni Sumu)
“Demons Live in the Human Heart”

Coming from A-1 Pictures, Ao no Exorcist is a modern representation of what I perceive to be a “classic shounen.” You know, the type that some of us are familiar with from our childhoods watching Toonami. The type that doesn’t use much of any “commercial guarantees,” but boast excellence solely on storytelling. I mean, not even a single female appeared until the sixth minute of this show! Yeah, my mind was blown too.

Deadman Wonderland / First Impressions / Series Introduction

Deadman Wonderland – 01

「死刑囚」 (Shikeishuu)
“Dead Man Walking”

I didn’t know about this series before, but after burning through 40+ chapters of the manga in a day, I was sold and was excited for the anime adaptation to come out. My main fear was that there would be excessive censoring because it’s TV anime, not DVD or theaters, and also that the one cour may not be enough. There’s quite a bit of material and getting cut short would be no good.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Hidan no Aria – 01

「La Bambina」
“The Girl”

J.C. Staff is back with the Toradora duo of Majima Junji and Kugimiya Rie in their latest light novel/manga adaptation, except this time we have a bunch of armed detectives in training known as “Butei” (Busou + Tantei). As I described in the Spring 2011 Preview, the attention to detail with the Butei specializations and the weaponry they use is one of the highlights of this series.

Anohana / First Impressions / Series Introduction

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Boku-tachi wa Mada Shiranai. – 01

「超平和バスターズ」 (Chou Heiwa Basutaazu)
“Super Peace Busters”

I want to say long names correlate with quality, but that wouldn’t really be true. Luckily, I can say Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai will most likely pave the way (wow that’s a mouthful).

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control / First Impressions / Series Introduction

C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control – 01

「complication （複雑）」 (Fukuzatsu)

Money is power. Money is the root of all evil. That’s the theme in this supernatural finance series. At least, that’s the impression I got seeing a debt-ridden businessman making a deal with devil at a bank ATM, complete with an evil sounding machine voice and demonic taxi driver. I didn’t really know what exactly I was getting into before this episode, since the subject matter was unusual, but the potential is exciting.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko / First Impressions / Series Introduction

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko – 01

「宇宙人の都会」 (Uchuujin no Tokai)
“City of Aliens”

I’m not gonna lie, I wanted to watch this because I like Buriki’s designs, and to that end it delivers. The only SHAFT show I’ve even liked was Madoka, and that didn’t even finish, but wow, this show is just entertaining as all hell.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Hoshizora e Kakaru Hashi – 01

「クマなら、ここで終わってた」 (Kuma nara, Koko de Owatteta)
“If It Were a Bear, It’d Be Over”

Despite the generic feel feng’s (pronounced “fon”) latest adult romance simulation gave off, its anime adaptation turned out much better than anticipated due to the seemingly generic characters themselves. The disparity between my initial impression coming in and the one I left with was quite surprising, because my research into the premise along with the promo video had already given a very good idea of what I was in store for.

First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

Seikon no Qwaser II – 01

「銀色の百合姫」 (Kiniro no Yurihime)
“Silver-haired Lily Princess”

Amazingly enough, the excessive censoring that Hoods Entertainment’s sequel has been subjected to is within reason, as we no longer have ludicrous camera zooming and completely off-screen panning that make it hard to discern what’s even going on. Instead, broadcasters have gone with the more typical (and bearable) bright white lights, a bit of cropping, and dramatic music to mask the girls’ moans of pleasure.

First Impressions / Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai / Series Introduction

Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai II – 01

「一花繚乱」 (Ichi Hana Ryouran)
“Flower in Bloom”

After a season without Keima and Elsie to brighten up my week, I’m glad that this show still has all the things I love about it. Besides never taking itself too seriously, I’m glad that Keima seems to have reverted back to his otaku, 2d loving self. While I wouldn’t say it was a complete relapse, it felt nice to see him go crazy over his current predicament.