First, I want to share my concerns about the Japanese situation. This proud country took such a heavy toll. Sadly, it’s something that you can’t avoid when you know that you live on the pacific fire belt, only limit the effects. That’s something Japanese might have been beginning to forget. Nature always make sure you never forget again.
I’m very concerned and even now, I’m following what’s happening, how daily life goes on thanks to overseas broadcasts and my family who lives over there.
Even if Japan is labelled a rich country, even for a country like that, this cataclysm is something one can’t comprehend. Whole cities engulfed in the spades of few minutes, its citizens disappearing without a noise, as the whole country was still shaken at the same time by the earth wrath.
Japan needs help. Because it is our duty as human beings to care for people in despair, who have lost so much on that fateful day.
Here’s a link to the federation of international red cross and red crescent societies.
On a more cheerful note.
Here comes a new fruitful season of anime, and damn it looks like it’s a promising one.
There are action shows, slice of life, comedies, mature shows, and my favourite story of the moment, that I followed since its debut.
Provided you like at least one of the categories mentioned above, there’s no way you won’t watch and follow one of them.
Astarotte no Omocha!
Shounen, Romance, Comedy
If you have already read my previous posts about this series, then you’re aware I just love this story.
It is about the young succubus Astarotte, who has come to the age where she needs to form a harem in order to live. Fact is, she hates male because of obscure reasons. Then comes Naoya, who discovers Astarotte is actually a lonely princess. Things get even more complex when his child, Asuha, and her mother get into the canvas.
This lovely tale mixes lots of topics, including adulthood. It’s a sweet and sour story, with happy and sad moments. A funny fantasy tale, with lots of crazy heroines: a swordmaster, a secluded scientist, a narcissic challenger…
I think ASCII mediaworks is going to continue to be a studio that makes fair anime adaptations. The level is quite good, without being outstanding yet, but it shows that they really care about artwork. The backgrounds are particularly very well drawn, the character design very cute.
Guess who plays the Tsundere role? Kugimiya Rie, indeed.
This is definitively a show to keep on everyone’s agenda.
Hidan no Aria
Shounen, Action
This is an adaptation from a manga made by Akamatsu Chuugaku and Kobuichi. Touyama Kinji is a student who attends a school where special classes promote combat abilities among Butei, armed detectives. He meets an astounding girl, Aria H. Kanzaki, who saves his life, as Butei seem to be targeted by some sinister individual. Fact is that Kinji’s abilities are triggered by women lust, making him wanting to protect them at any cost.
J.C. Staff continues its Shounen series and this time, it’s some sort of love comedy, mixed with gunfights, detective plots, and even a serial killer trail. So what’s the catch? Maybe the heroine, being kind of lonely and the tragic past of the hero, who comes to realize his life might have a meaning at least.
Again, in the usual tsundere role, you find the Tsundere Queen: Kugimiya Rie.
A Channel
Slice of Life, Comedy
Tooru is entering high school, that her childhood friend Run attends. She meets Yuuko and Nagi. Each one of them have their own personality. Tooru is short and agressive, but cute. Run is friendly but an airhead. Yuuko is beautiful but is a scaredy-cat. Nagi is smart but very lazy. Well to be true, I’ve only shortened their personality a little, it’s just more than that.
After the multiple waves of Slice Of Life series made from 4-Koma, including Lucky Star and K-On, it’s really hard to renew this genre. But it’s also a good way to view episodes of slow paced stories, warmful yet sad, colorful and funny. So I guess there will be various reasons to watch this show. For example, it might be interesting to watch the way how stereotyped characters progressively turn into fully fledged legends. Oh, and the producer is ANIPLEX.
Nichijou
Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy
Let’s meet with Shinonome Nano, Aoi Yuuko, Naganohara Mio and Minakami Mai. It’s the story of high school students, about their daily life and how they struggle everyday, just to keep on their sanity. Well, not quite, but with all the event happenings, one would soon turn crazy. Shinonome Nano is a cyborg, developed by an original doctor, and she struggles to maintain some sort of cover so as not to be spotted as a robot. That is to say, she has that huge mechanism in her back that tells anyone for sure that she is. In fact, everyone already knows!
So, here finally comes the new show made by Kyoani. Somehow, it reminds you of the humor in Azumanga Daioh, with characters that are memorable. There’s this little hint of surreality, of dreamland placed on reality, and this mellow atmosphere that just makes you smile just by the thought of it. I think it’s going to be quite interesting.
Deadman Wonderland
Seinen, Science Fiction
Ganta Igarashi is your usual young high schooler. Until he meets some kind of strange creature that devastates his life, slaughtering his entire classroom. Ganta is then accused of a crime he hasn’t committed and sent to a special jail. Surrounded by craziness and violence, he manages to make allies and struggle for his freedom.
This story is quite apocalyptic, and very mysterious at the same time. Being a mature story, don’t expect it to be merciful. There will be dead bodies flying all over the place, so this isn’t a kids show. It’s not the gore aspect that’s interesting though, but the main plot.
It’s some sort of mix of science fiction and fairy tale.
OFFICIAL HP
Steins;Gate
Seinen, Science Fiction
A group of friends manage to create a device that allows them to send messages into the past. Unfortunately, an organization called SERN that manages time events tracks them and decides to terminate them.
While this scenario isn’t very innovative, with secret organization and time travel, the originality is more based on how choices affect the current timeline from the hero point of view. There are parts of mystery and detective events.
OFFICIAL HP
Ore-tachi ni Tsubasa wa Nai
Bishoujo, Romance, Comedy, Drama
Haneda Takashi has a secret. He’s supposed to have fled to Gretagald, some sort of parallel world. But he has ties left, his little sister Kotori, and his girlfriend Watarai Asuka.
Chitose Shuusuke’s a poor part-timer. He gets a disastrous first meet with his future co-worker Tamaizumi Hiyoko.
Narita Hayato is some sort of hard boiled character and has a hard time with human relashionships. Until he meets Otori Naru.
These girls relationships greatly influence those with these men.
What caught my eye was the degree of complexity in this scenario. It’s interesting if you are a fan of human relationship. Just imagine, in your whole life you’d meet with at most one thousand people, while there’s over six billions out there.
Sofuteni
Sports, Slice of Life
Harukaze Asuna, Sawanatsu Kotone, Akiyama Chitose, Fuyukawa Kurusu and Elizabeth Warren are members of the Soft Tennis club. Will they aim for the nationals?
It’s your usual sports series. But the catch is that the main characters are heroines, with regular love life. This might be fun to watch.
OFFICIAL HP
Hana-Saku Iroha
Slice of Life, Shoujo, Romance, Drama
Matsumae Ohana is a young sixteen year girl who begins to work in a Ryokan. While she learns about the job, she meets with her co-workers.
This studio has a very distinctive style. After their success with Angel Beats, Progressive Animation Works moves into a more intimate setting. The graphics are close to Kimikiss this time. But with this studio, everything is surprsing. Their backgrounds are just simply astounding. It’s just too bad they are shown for about ten seconds of playtime. I mean, the quality of their work is just so great.
Well you can make up your mind anyway with this preview.
Maria Holic Alive
Seinen, Comedy
This is the sequel to Maria Holic. Same studio, same craziness. I know for sure that it won’t be as successful as the first series because of the new shows, and that’s kindly sad, but count on me for watching this one. Even for the sake of watching the creative opening signed with SHAFT’s trademark.
OFFICIAL HP
Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko
Shounen, Romance, Comedy
The animation studio is SHAFT (once again). It kinda reminds me of Arakawa Under the Bridge, with this surreal humor, happenings and such. I guess this is another show to follow.
OFFICIAL HP
Alright, that’s all folks.
So the reason why this season is going to be great is mainly because of diversity. While one might argue about the fact these shows will have fewer audience, there’s no wise monkey to tell which one will be quite popular.
I’ve also considered Kami no Mizo Shiru Sekai II, aka Kaminomi II, but the big problem with this story is about how slow paced it is. And the audience will expect more action, that the other shows provide.
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