Spring 2007 Preview! March 26
Spring season is just around the corner, and there are a lot of new shows starting up. 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 impression from promotional material. However, even if I list the chances for a show as good or guaranteed, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll stick with it for more than a few episodes. As it stands, Tuesdays and Sundays have a ton of promising shows, but I have to ultimately make a decision on what to and not to follow.
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 Spring 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.
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Hitohira http://www.hitohira.tv/ Premieres March 28th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 11:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 22:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This show is centered around a girl who has problems speaking when she’s nervous, yet somehow ends up in the drama club. I’m mainly interested in this because there’s a promotion video on the official site that didn’t look too bad and because Kawasumi Ayako is voicing the main character’s friend. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann http://www.gurren-lagann.net/ Premieres April 1st, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 8:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 19:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo GAINAX’s newest series is about a boy who lives underground and finds a robot that looks like a head. The mecha designs are thus pretty interesting looking, but the real draws here are the GAINAX staff (featuring director Imaishi Hiroyuki) and what looks to be, from the promotional material, plenty of high-octane action. My only concern is that this is airing on a Sunday morning, so it might be oriented towards a much younger audience. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Hayate no Gotoku! http://hayatenogotoku.com/ Premieres April 1st, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 10:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 21:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Kugimiya Rie is back in another one of those bratty girl roles she plays best. She of course voices Nagi in the upcoming animation of Hayate no Gotoku!, better known as Hayate the Combat Butler, which is about a boy named Hayate who becomes a butler because of a debt and the subsequent adventures he gets himself into. You may remember that I talked about this show a couple of months ago. I’m really excited to see how they adapt the manga (how many anime/manga references they keep in) and to hear the opening song by KOTOKO. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed |
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Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS http://www.nanoha.com/ Premieres April 1st, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 25:10 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 12:10 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Despite its fairly uninspired first season back in 2004, Nanoha came back with a bang a year later with Nanoha A’s, where an expanded cast allowed it to create an intriguing new Magical Girl franchise of team battles powered by German-speaking cartridge-boosted weapons and superior transformations. The result was an enormous (and slightly scary) following among anime viewers, and in response director Kusakawa Keizou now gives us a third season. During 26 episodes we’ll rejoin Nanoha and Fate, but 10 years have passed since their introduction. As full-fledged members of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, they supervise a new set of young ladies, voiced by Saitou Chiwa, Nakahara Mai, Inoue Marina and Takahashi Mikako (who returns in a new female part). (Thanks Patrik for the writeup) Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Heroic Age http://www.xebec-inc.co.jp/anime/heroicage/ Premieres April 1st, 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 XEBEC and the Fafner staff are back for a new space mecha show that seems to be steeped in Greek mythology. It’s about a princess Deianira who starts on a journey because humanity is being threatened, and she meets a boy named Age. I mention Greek mythology because Deianira was a wife of Hercules, and the official website lists 12 Labors, which would appear to be a reference to Hercules’ Twelve Labors. I still get a bad feeling whenever I see a show with Hirai Hisashi’s character designs, but I may just give this one a try. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Seto no Hanayome http://www.setonohanayome.com/ Premieres April 1st, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 26:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 13:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo I was quite taken aback by how serious and cool the official website looks given that the manga for this is relatively a light-hearted romance comedy (Edit: wouldn’t you know it, right after I finish writing this, they go and change the website). This story is about a boy who gets saved by a mermaid and then has to marry her or else face death at the hands of her yakuza father. Momoi Haruka voices San, and she also sings the opening song (along with Nogawa Sakura) - I’m mentioning that mainly because I haven’t heard her sing an anime OP or ED for a long time (no, Lovely Idol doesn’t count). Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Touka Gettan http://www.avexmovie.jp/lineup/momotsuki/ Premieres April 2nd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 25:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 12:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This is an animation of a h-game that’s also being released the same month about a main character who’s lost his memory. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that this was supposed to be a sequel of sorts to the Moonlight Lady hentai series, though they dropped the “Moonlight Lady II” part from the title. Also of note is how this is being animated by Studio DEEN and the Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito staff. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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El Cazador de la Bruja http://www.elcazador.tv/main.html Premieres April 2nd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 25:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 12:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo From the people who brought you Noir and Madlax comes a third series about girls with guns. El Cazador is about a bounty hunter protecting a young girl suspected of murder from other bounty hunters. Past experience has made me rather wary of the fact that Bee Train is animating this, though I may watch the first episode just to hear the OP by savage genius and the ED by FictionJunction YUUKA. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA http://www.sunrise-inc.co.jp/idolmaster/ Premieres April 2nd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 26:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 13:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo If there’s one show I really want to see this upcoming season, it’s Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA. For those of you who may not know, The Idolm@ster is a popular game about raising a pop idol. What XENOGLOSSIA does it is that it takes those characters and makes them mecha pilots - the mecha are known as iDOLs and their pilots are Idolmasters. Add to that the fact that Sunrise’s Mai-HiME/Otome team is working on this, and I think you have a fairly good recipe for success. And that’s not even counting the fact that there’s tons of top voice talent including Horie Yui, Tamura Yukari, Koshimizu Ami, Nakahara Mai, Noto Mamiko, and Yukana attached to this project. Edit: The first episode ended up being slightly disappointing, but I still look forward to seeing how this show develops. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed |
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Kiss Dum -ENGAGE planet- http://www.kissdum.com/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 25:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 12:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Kiss Dum is a show about a pilot in a defense organization created to protect against hostile aliens. There were rumors earlier about big problems on the production staff, but things seem to have been straightened out, and there was even a trailer shown at the Tokyo International Animation Fair. The renowned Kawamori Shouji of Macross fame (among other things) is doing the mecha designs here, which is probably why they resemble aircraft. It feels like there are a lot of mecha-related shows this season and they all seem to have their merits, so I won’t be sure whether I’ll be picking this one up until I see the first episode. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Claymore http://www.ntv.co.jp/claymore/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 25:26 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 12:26 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Claymores are a group of female warriors named after their weapons who are half human and half demon, and they protect humanity against the full demons. From what I’ve read and seen, I get the feeling that this will be a fairly violent and bloody show (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Other things to note are that Madhouse is doing the animation for this and that veteran seiyuu Kuwashima Houko is voicing the main character Clare. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Over Drive http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/overdrive/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 25:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 12:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Over Drive is about a kid striving to be the best at cycling. While I’ve got nothing against this series or against sports anime in general, I’m not really interested in this at all. If I wanted to watch a sports show this season, I’d probably pick Ookiku Furikabutte instead (see below). Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
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Oh!-EDO ROCKET http://www.ohedorocket.jp/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 26:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 13:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Despite Ayakashi Ayashi having soured me on anime set during the Tenpou Era, Oh!-EDO Rocket has a fairly interesting premise. It involves a fireworks artisan during that period getting approached by a beautiful girl who wants him to make a rocket that will reach the moon. The character designs look rather diverse, and the bright color colors make this series seem like it could be a lot of fun. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Saint Beast ~Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan~ http://www.saintbeast.com/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 26:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 13:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo I can tell you almost immediately that I have no interest in a show with multiple bishounen guys who are described as being strong, beautiful, and have a love for animals. ‘Nuff said. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
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Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo http://www.konnyaku.tv/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 26:15 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 13:15 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo A quaint looking story about a group of girls living in a dormitory that’s getting less and less students. This is another show based off an h-game, and although the plot doesn’t sound that interesting, all the blue skies make me feel like this will be a nice and peaceful summer show. Unfortunately, that alone isn’t enough to convince me to watch something, so we’ll have to see what the first episode is like. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ http://www.avexmovie.jp/lineup/wellber/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 26:43 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 13:43 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Sisters of Wellber is about about a princess who is caught between two countries on the brink of war and has to marry a prince of the opposing side. She ends up stabbing that prince and running away, becoming a fugitive in the process who comes under the care of a female thief. The story seems fairly interesting, and the promo video on the website made the show look pretty fast-paced, so I’m rather interested. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica http://www.polyphonica.tv/ Premieres April 3rd, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 28:15 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Tuesdays at 15:15 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo On the continent of Polyphonica, there are people who can control spirits with special music. This show is about a guy who contracts with a strong spirit (the red-haired girl) and their subsequent love and adventures. Some of the initial artwork shown on the website and from the game and light novels had me pretty interested, but the character designs shown on the anime’s website were a little less than impressive. I’ll have to see how it turns out. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Nagasarete Airantou http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/airantou/ Premieres April 4th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:20 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:20 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Here we have a boy who runs away from home, falls overboard from a ship during a storm, and somehow arrives on an island populated only by girls. Having read some of the manga, I don’t expect this show to have much of a plot, but I think it’ll be fun show with plenty of fanservice. Horie Yui is singing both the opening and ending songs, and she’ll also be voicing the female lead Suzu. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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RomeoXJuliet http://www.romejuli.jp/ Premieres April 4th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:45 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:45 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo You may recall me talking about this show several months ago, but if you don’t, here’s a recap: Gonzo has given the classic Romeo and Juliet story an update so that although the series still retains its medieval feel, it now takes place in an aerial city. Romeo’s father is a dictator, Juliet disguises herself to fight against him, and that’s how this star-crossed lovers story supposedly develops. The trailer on the official site impressed me quite a bit and still does, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching this. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed |
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Kishin Taisen Gigantic Formula http://www.gigantic-f.com Premieres April 4th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:50 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:50 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This is a show taking place in a time when countries are building mecha to fight to establish a new world order, and Japan’s mecha is piloted by a young boy and girl. But…before you write this off as another mecha show, I think it’s important to note that there are fourteen legendary mecha designers working on this show. It’ll take too long to list them all and their past works, but it suffices to say that they are veterans of Gundam, Macross, Evangelion, and much much more. The director, original creator, and original character designer all also worked together in the past on Kiddy Grade, so that’s something else noteworthy. If the first episode showcases some good mecha action, I can definitely see myself watching this. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Kotetsushin Jeeg http://jeeg.tv/ Premieres April 5th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 23:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 10:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Jeeg is a sequel/spinoff of the original show from back in 1975 and takes place 50 years after that story. I gotta say that with all the mecha shows this season, this one falls pretty low on my list since I’ve never seen the original, and the promo video did little to change that. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
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Darker than BLACK -Kuro no Keiyakusha- http://www.d-black.net/ Premieres April 5th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:25 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:25 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Darker Than BLACK is the show that will be replacing CODE GEASS in the Thursday late-night timeslot. It is being produced by BONES and shares much of the same production team that worked on Wolf’s Rain. Oh yea, and did I mention that Yoko Kanno will be composing the music, the opening song will be performed by abingdon boys school, and the ending will be by Rie fu? The story here revolves around a guy with special powers who works as a Contractor and is supported by an emotionless girl and the Hell’s Gate that appears in Tokyo. They’ve released a ton of promotional material on the official website, and it all made me quite excited about this show. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed |
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Koutetsu Sangokushi http://www.koutetsu-sangokushi.jp/ Premieres April 5th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 26:15 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 13:15 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia As the name suggests, this show takes place during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history 1,800 years ago. There’s actually some pretty major male voice talent attached to this show, including Miyano Mamoru (Light of Death Note, Tamaki of Ouran), Ishida Akira (Nagi of Mai-HiME/Otome, Athrun of Gundam SEED), Koyasu Takehito (Mu La Flaga of Gundam SEED, Fool of Kaleido Star). Still, something about this just turns me off, so I doubt I’ll be watching it. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
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Kamichama Karin http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/kamichamakarin/ Premieres April 6th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 17:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 4:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This is a series about seventh-grader who’s lost both her parents and her beloved cat when she finds out that she can transform into a goddess through her mother’s ring. I’ve read some of the manga, and if that’s any indicator, then this will be a cute and amusing magical girl-type show (maybe too loli for some people’s tastes). Nakahara Mai is voicing Karin and Sawashiro Miyuki will be voicing Kazune (figures that it would be a female voicing him). Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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sola http://www.sola-project.com/ Premieres April 6th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:28 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 12:28 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo I believe the title sola is their way of romanizing the japanese word for sky, sora. And the sky would be the key here, as this show has a boy who loves the sky and goes out early one morning to take a picture in the park. That is where he ends up meeting an unfamiliar girl voiced by Noto Mamiko. I’m excited to hear her in another leading female role (Nakahara Mai is in this too as the older sister of the main character), and the promo makes the show look very promising. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Shining Tears X Wind http://shining-world.jp/tv_tearsXwind/ Premieres April 6th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Fridays at 25:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 12:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This is based on the Shining Tears game from a few years ago and the Shining Wind game that’s to be released in a May of this year. It appears to feature characters and story parts from both games and will have some of the original voice actors, including Hoshi Souichirou as Xion. I haven’t played any of the Shining series, and I’ve had some fairly bad experiences with RPG -> anime shows, so it’s likely that I’ll stay away from this given the crowded field of other shows. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
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Kaze no Shoujo Emily http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/emily/ Premieres April 7th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 7:25 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 18:25 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Based on the Emily books by author L.M. Montgomery back in the 1920s, this show is about the life of an orphan girl living on Prince Edward Island in Canada. I hate to be superficial, but I really really don’t like the character designs (Emily’s forehead is huge). I’ve also never been a fan of animes based on classic books, so I’m pretty sure I’ll be skipping this one. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
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Seirei no Moribito http://www.moribito.com/ Premieres April 7th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 8:06 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 19:06 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This would appear to be Production I.G’s next big project, to be directed by Kamiyama Kenji, the director of the Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. series. It is about a female bodyguard who has to protect a boy whose body holds the egg of a Water Spirit. They are pursued not only by the Imperial Court but also by beings from a parallel dimension. You can find a much more detailed english summary on Production I.G’s own website. I’m interested in this show mainly because the trailers have shown some beautiful animation and great action scenes, and because I’m looking forward to hearing an opening song by L’Arc~en~Ciel and the ending song by Tainaka Sachi. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Blue Dragon http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/bluedragon/ Premieres April 7th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 9:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Fridays at 20:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo The blue dragon of the title is the main character’s Shadow (aka. the monster he controls), and the story is about three friends fighting against the guy who attacked their town. Blue Dragon is actually based on an Xbox 360 game designed by three video game and anime legends: Sakaguchi Hironobu, Toriyama Akira, and Uematsu Nobuo. Still, it should be noted that the anime is an adaptation of the game, so those three might not have any direct involvement with it. I do wish, though, that they had kept the original game cast which included Kawasumi Ayako, Inoue Marina, and Wakamoto Norio. As it stands, this strikes me more as a show made to sell Xbox 360s and merchandise than anything else. Oh, one last note: it was recently announced that the popular band w-inds. will be performing the opening song. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Lovely Complex http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/lovecom/ Premieres April 7th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 17:30 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 4:30 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia A shoujo series about a really tall girl and a really short boy who become known at school as a comedic duo. They help each other with their relationships, but in the process develop feelings for each other. The trailer shown recently at TIAF is shot in relatively low quality, but the anime itself looks like it’ll be visually pretty good (Toei is handling the production). The character designs shown there remind me a little too much of One Piece, and that may be because Maniwa Hideaki’s involvement with this. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Toward the Terra http://www.terra-e.com/ Premieres April 7th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 18:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 5:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Toward the Terra is a remake of a 1980 movie about a universe where humanity has environmentally destroyed Terra to the point where they have to migrate elsewhere. A mutant race called Mu develops in a new society where a super computer controls children’s births, and these Mu are exiled. The title comes from the Mu’s desire to return to Terra, and their hope lies in a special boy. You may remember that two seasons ago, I was rather excited about a new show called Ayakashi Ayashi that was taking the Saturday 6PM slot from Blood+. You may also recall that that show turned out to be a bust, at least for me. Now, half a year later, I’m once again excited about a show taking that time slot, but it’s a much more restrained excitement. The character designs look rather retro, but the animation in the trailers looks really good. UVERworld also sings the opening song, and the tiny bit from the commercials is already stuck in my head… Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Lucky Star http://www.lucky-ch.com/ Premieres April 8th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 11:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Lucky Star is a 24-episode Kyoto Animation work for spring and summer seasons to be directed by Suzumiya Haruhi director Yamamoto Hiroshi. It’s based on a humorous 4-koma, but I would assume that the episodes will have a story of some sort, much like Azumanga Daioh. Lucky Star centers around an athletic but lazy girl named Konata who loves anime and games - she’ll be voiced by Hirano Aya. If we want to draw some more Suzumiya Haruhi parallels, I find it ironic - perhaps intentional on KyoAni’s part - that Chihara Minori is voicing the quiet girl who doesn’t show emotions. In any case, I’m looking forward to a great comedy series by Kyoto Animation since I have a lot of confidence that they’ll do an amazing job with whatever they animate. Odds I’ll Blog This: Guaranteed |
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Bokurano http://bokurano.jp/ Premieres April 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 Bokurano is a psychological drama about a group of kids who get convinced to play a game where they have to defend Earth from alien invaders. Of course, the game ends up being all too real and the consequences are fairly horrific. The latest promo video showed some really good footage and I really like the Ishikawa Chiaki (vocalist of group See-Saw) song. Still, this is being animated by Gonzo, so I would assume that all the normal Gonzo rules apply. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Kaze no Stigma http://pc.webnt.jp/stigma/ Premieres April 11th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 27:38 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 14:38 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Gonzo is also working on a show I’ve had my eye on quite a while now called Kaze no Stigma. Almost everyone who sees the red-haired girl above immediately thinks Shana (myself included), but from what I’ve seen, the story is quite different. It involves a boy who didn’t have talent for the fire arts and lost to the red-haired heroine. As a result, she gained the family’s sword and the boy was banished. The boy returns four years later as a master of the wind arts, but he becomes suspected of murder. I wish there were more promotional material, but magazine spreads like this don’t hurt. Odds I’ll Blog This: Good |
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Ookiku Furikabutte http://www.oofuri.com/ Premieres April 12th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:25 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:25 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo This is based on an award-winning manga about a boy who was the ace of his middle school baseball team mainly because it was managed by his grandfather. He thus rises up to high school with no confidence in his abilities but ends up on the baseball team anyway and shows the guys that he actually does have some skills. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read of the manga, so I might give this a look to see what the anime is like. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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Kaibutsu Oujo http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/kaibutsu/ Premieres April 12th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:55 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:55 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo As the name suggests, Princess Resurrection is about a princess with the power to resurrect and the boy who gets involved with her and has to fight against the monsters that come after her. I’ll be really honest here: the actual show doesn’t interest me as much as Kawasumi Ayako voicing the princess does, though I don’t know if I’ll watch this just because of her. Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent |
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THE SKULL MAN http://www.skullman.jp/ Premieres April 28th, 2007 Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 24:00 Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 11:00 Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo Based on a 1970s manga that was later expanded upon by a different author, this is a dark story about a masked anti-hero who fights evil with his mutant powers. BONES is animating what looks to be a show with plenty of action and violence, and popular band TOKIO is singing the opening. I suspect that because it’s release is so late into the month and because I’m not particularly interested, I probably won’t watch it. Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor |
I apologize for getting this list out so late. As you may be able to tell from the amendments I made to some of the earlier entries, I’ve been working on this write-up for a while now. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would to write - I spent roughly 25 hours on researching and compiling the 37 shows that you see above. And that’s not including the kids shows, Saiunkoku Monogatari, and Emma. I made a decision to omit those latter two because they were second series of shows that I hadn’t seen the first series of. The only reason I included Nanoha StrikerS is because my friend convinced me to let him write it up. I also omitted Denno Coil because it’s coming so late into the season in mid-May, though that doesn’t mean I won’t give it a look when the time comes. And even without those, I will probably still have too much on my plate because of the vast field of potentially good series.
Like last season, I’ve uploaded a torrent with the promotional videos and commercials of many of the shows I’ve just talked about. Included in the pack (24 files total) are: Bokurano, Darker than BLACK, El Cazador, Gurren Lagann, Hayate no Gotoku, Heroic Age, Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA, Jeeg, Ookiku Furikabutte, RomeoXJuliet, Sisters of Wellber, sola, Terra e, and THE SKULL MAN.
Torrent Link.
The important question is of course, what are you going to be watching?
As always, Comments, Questions, and Suggestions are welcome.
xOnic at 9:00 pm on March 26th, 2007
Woot RomeoXJuilet
qwertypoiuy at 9:07 pm on March 26th, 2007
it looks to be one of the best seasons ever i am looking to
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
El Cazador de la Bruja
Hayate no Gotoku!
Claymore
Darker than BLACK
Seirei no Moribito
Lucky Star
Bokurano
THE SKULL MAN
brooklyn otaku at 9:07 pm on March 26th, 2007
OMNI!!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!! JUST GOT A BREAK AT WORK AND YEAH!!! HERE IT IS, YOU ARE THE F-ING MAN, MY ANIME NIGGA FO LIFE
Haohmaru at 9:09 pm on March 26th, 2007
You picked the right anime IMO. Can’t wait to read your first impressions of the new shows.
Mao at 9:12 pm on March 26th, 2007
Wow awesome spring list OMNI. I was waiting for it to come out :D.
Foe me i’m gunna go for Lucky star, Kamichama Karin, RomeoXjuliet, Hayate no Gotoku, Kaze no stigma, MGLN Striker S, That’s it really…. Including with the still-running death note and Bleach of course.
Sux that Geass will end so soon. Can’t wait till fall for it’s second season.
Reason’s I’m watching the 6 series
Lucky Star- one word, KyoAni.. anyhting by Kyoani must be watched, can’t wait for Clannad
Kamichama Karin- I’m a sucker for cute animation. i thought pita-ten (same artisit- Koge Donbo)was a pretty interesting story, aside from the cuteness, the plot twist were good.
RomeoXjuliet- Studying Romeo and Juliet in GR 10 ( in GR 9 right :D) Might as well learn it in something i enjoy right? LOL well that’s not the real reason XD.. I wanna watch it cause the RomeoXjuliet story have interested me for quite some times… But i just can’t bring myself to read it ( I don’ tlike reading LOL).. I know I’m so Lame XD
Hayate No gotoku- Aside from Comedy LUcky star, I want to watch the highly anticipated Hayate the butler. I read the manga after a whole bunch of forums were talking about it. I thought it was funny :D.. made me laugh… out loud… though people started staring at me in the bookstore >.
Mao at 9:14 pm on March 26th, 2007
Mao at 9:16 pm on March 26th, 2007
Kaze No stigma- I can’t say that for sure i’m watching the series right now. It’s on the edge of watch or skip. It seems Shakugan no Shana-ish and the Shana story did interest me. meh… can’t decide
MGLN Stricker S- I think it’s just the fandom that’s making me wanna watch this show. I mean i never even watched the first or secon season… well i tried but i could never make it past episode 1. I’ll still watch it since so many people are gunna talk about it LOL
So Death note has around 15 episodes left to conclude the entire Nia and Mello arc as well. Geass is ending on this week ( well the TV will stop airing)
Bleach will forever be ongoing
Kyoshiro blah… Sora- Finished airing
Shuffle! M- Finished airing
Manabi straight- finished airing
Busou Renkin-near finished
in other words i got no other reoccurring show to watch other than bleach +death note.
I guess everything’s pretty much finish…. NOW TO WAIT TIL APRIL 4 FOR MY SPRING SHOWS!
EDITuh Sprry about the triple double posting… somethign wrong with the stuff i typed up… GOMEN Ne
Fuhrer at 9:20 pm on March 26th, 2007
Wow this season looks awesome. There is just to many shows that I want to watch, dont know when I will find the time to watch them all.
Im really looking forward to
Darker Than Black
Lucky Star
Romeo & Juliet
Nanoha Strikers
Hayate no Gotoku
El Cazador de la Bruja (Loved Noir and was midly amused by Madlax so this should be decent at least)
Idolmaster Xenoglossia
Kaze no Stigma (Sound like Avatar to anyone else? I hate that show but this might be good.)
Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~
And a few other I will try depending on how the reviews are.
But yah, Great season? Or Greatest Season?
The_way at 9:20 pm on March 26th, 2007
Too many shows to watch this season…and your preview made me want to watch all of them @_@
Totali at 9:23 pm on March 26th, 2007
Oh wow I am definitely excited about the upcomming season. Hayate no Gotoku!, Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA, Nagasarete Airantou, Darker than BLACK -Kuro no Keiyakusha-, and Lucky Star are at the top of my list. Of course I will also be checking out a lot of the others. Can’t wait!!!
Maceart at 9:25 pm on March 26th, 2007
sola, idolmaster, hitohira, and probably one more “wild card” anime.
I’m putting all or nothing on sola though.
Shinji103 at 9:34 pm on March 26th, 2007
Nanoha StrykerS, Hayate, and Seto no Hanayome. My favorite upcomers oif this coming season, /and they’re all airing on the same day less than a week form now!/ There /IS/ a God!
Then we get Darker than Black and Jeeg both 4 days later, followed by Kaze no Stigma 8 days later. W00T!
Batt!tz at 9:34 pm on March 26th, 2007
thank you omni, as usual you are my sole guide for what to watch next
seems there’s a few i’m looking forward to, hopefully more than last season..
Sorael at 9:34 pm on March 26th, 2007
I’ll probably give all the shows that you’ve given decent and above, a shot. The following shows are the ones i’m expecting to finish to the end:
Darker than Black - Cool title, i’m expecting a lot from that alone.
Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo - I’m a sucker for these type of shows. I need at least one show where i dont have to think.
Claymore - The manga is pretty good so far (volume 9) and the images i’ve seen of the anime look pretty slick.
Heroic Age - Fafner part deux?
Kiss Dum ~Engage~ Planet - Those plane designs look awesome. Macross had some of my most favourite mecha designs ever.
ShinSenshi at 9:36 pm on March 26th, 2007
This season looks amazing, thanks for the write-up! The one’s you’re likely to blog seem really awesome, and I’ve been looking forward to most of those. Shout out to Bokurano since it sounds sweet.
deathgod at 9:37 pm on March 26th, 2007
nice, i ahve lot to watch this spring!!
no matter what i cant die yet now!! even if i jump a 100 story building ill live to watch these
ShinSenshi at 9:41 pm on March 26th, 2007
Saiunkoku was really pretty good as well, first season, kinda ARIA esque at times with random pauses in plot to have you stare at their awesome animation for 30 mintues with nothing going on, but that was cool too, since it was really well animated.
Have you seen Higurashi no Naku Koro ni? OMG. Second season for that was announced IIRC, not for the spring obviously, but definitely looking forward to that when it comes out later this year.
Kaito at 9:44 pm on March 26th, 2007
This season looks to be pretty good.
For sure I’ll be following Hayate no Gotoku, StrikerS, and Lucky Star.
Might be interested in checking out Kaze no Stigma, Darker than Black, and Idolmaster.
Then again, judging from history, I’ll probably end up watching a bit of each and every series before I settle with a finalized list. lol
Tamberine at 9:48 pm on March 26th, 2007
Darker Than Black
Lucky Star
Hayate no Gotoku! AKA Hayate the Combat Butler
Koutetsu Sangokushi (Could be another Scryed*looks at the arm)
Seto no Hanayome
El Cazador de la Bruja
~Thats my list in what I will watch but I hope they are good to watch. We shall soon see.
Hudson at 9:49 pm on March 26th, 2007
OK here are some of my recommendations for some of the show.
Nanoha Striker S - I suggest not blogging this. the 1st 2 seasons were just too over the top with the battles to the point that it was just ridiculous and the characters where poor at best. Fate most notably. And even though the girls are now 6 years older (yes you mis read their ages) i feel that this will just more of the same old same old. Oh and BTW the Wands speak English not German.
Hayate no Gotoku! - I’m looking forward to this one too.
Seto no Hanayome - I suggest blogging at least the 1st 5 episodes because this looking interesting to say the least. Nothing like being forced to marry a hot yakuza princess!
El Cazador de la Bruja - no. this is nothing but a Madlax rip-off
Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA - ubber coolness. im glad you are going to blog this!
Oh!-EDO ROCKET - again i say no. the ONLY anime i ever liked with this kind of over the top animation was Abenobashi.
Saint Beast ~Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan~ - GOD KILL THE CREATOR OF THIS FUCKED UP IDEA!!!
Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo - i have played some of the h-game and like Shuffle it has a very good promise as an anime version. Blog it!
Wellber no Monogatari ~Sisters of Wellber~ - another Madlax type story but at least this one has alot more promise! Blog it!
Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica - GET REAL! no bloggie please.
Nagasarete Airantou - MUST BLOG!!!!!! MUST BLOG!!!!!! MUST BLOG!!!!!! MUST BLOG!!!!!! MUST BLOG!!!!!!
Kamichama Karin - there is alreadu ONE bad magic girl anime comming out, we REALLY don’t need another one.
sola - looks cool. I look forward to this one being blogged…. if you do.
Toward the Terra - simply no…
Lucky Star - droll….. blog please…
Bokurano - Blogging this is a must.
Kaze no Stigma - no. seen the trailer and me not likey all that much.
Ookiku Furikabutte - HELL NO! when will the Japanese learn that these sports animes DO NOT WORK! and if any of you mention Prince of Tennis i will smack the poohpie out of you!
Kaibutsu Oujo - must blog.
And those are just a few of my recomendations…. BTW what happened to Tsubasa Chronicals season 3!?