Summer 2009 Preview!

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.

Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Itekureta Koto~
http://www.sea-story.tv/
Premiere on June 24th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:29
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:29
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a popular line of pachinko machines (I never thought I’d start a blurb like that), Umi Monogatari (lit. Sea Story) is about a pure girl who lives in the ocean and finds a ring. This ring takes her on a journey above water, but it also leads to the release of a great evil. ARIA fans will be happy to know that this is being worked on by several people from the ARIA team, including director Satou Junichi, and I think the promos reflect some of that same atmosphere. There’s actually been a lot of promos, as you can see below, and this looks promising.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good

Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!
http://mv.avex.jp/juden-chan
Premiere on June 25th, 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
Let me start by saying that I’m not convinced that this series is anything other than a vehicle for fanservice and nudity. Originally by the author of Mahoromatic and KissXsis, Juuden-chan is a story about a clumsy girl whose job it is to inject energy into people who are depressed. If that doesn’t tip you off on what kind of series this’ll be, then maybe a visit to the official site where you can remove some of the main character’s clothing will. And then there’s the promo video (see below) that’s got the main character orgasming during a transformation sequence. It should thus come as no surprise that Juuden-chan is taking over Queen’s Blade‘s AT-X timeslot. It might be interesting to watch just for shock value, though I suspect they’re going to be hard pressed to push the envelope more than Queen’s Blade did.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Umineko no Naku Koro ni
http://umineko.tv/
Premiere on July 1st, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
From the people who produced Higurashi comes the animated version of the next of 07th Expansion‘s visual novels. This time, the story involves a secluded island, a wealthy family, a string of mysterious murders, and a witch. I’ll be honest here: I never really got into the Higurashi series because I’m not a fan of psychological mystery/horror stuff, whether it be live-action or animated. Certainly Umineko looks great on paper, with a top-notch cast and some nice looking promos, but unlike a lot of the people I talk to, I’m not really excited about it. Maybe the first episode will change my opinion.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent


Aoi Hana – Sweet Blue Flowers
http://www.aoihana.tv/
Premiere on July 1st, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 26:08
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 13:08
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Replacing Ristorante Paradiso in the still relatively new NOISE timeslot on Fuji TV is a series by the J.C.Staff team behind Honey and Clover and Nodame Cantabile, which includes popular director Kasai Kenichi. Aoi Hana tells the story of two girls who were friends when they were young and become reunited as they start their high school years. It’s a nice slice-of-life romance that develops a lot of shoujo-ai relationships, and I’ve liked what I’ve read of the original manga, so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll end up watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
NEEDLESS
http://needless.jp/
Premiere on July 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
If I were to describe what makes up a generic action series, NEEDLESS would come pretty close to fitting that description. It involves a small band of powerful people fighting against an evil organization that’s trying to develop an immortality elixir in post-apocalyptic Japan, and there’s plenty of fighting, gore, hugely muscular men, and big-breasted scantily-clad women. Madhouse may yet prove me wrong by making this awesome, but from what I’ve read of the manga and without some more anime promo material, it’s hard for me to get really excited about this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Taishou Yakyuu Musume.
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/taisho/
Premiere on July 2nd, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Thursdays at 25:59
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Thursdays at 12:59
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Whereas K-ON! had cute girls playing in a band, the show replacing K-ON! this summer will have cute girls playing baseball. Taishou Yakyuu Musume takes place in 1925 at an all-girls school and involves the formation of an all-girls baseball team and their struggles against male teams. The promos don’t convince me this will be all that interesting, but it’s being done by J.C.Staff and has a pretty talented cast led by Nakahara Mai. If the pacing isn’t too bad, I might end up watching this.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
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


ELEMENT HUNTERS
http://elementhunters.com/
Premiere on July 4th, 2009
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, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Taking place in a future where chemical elements have started disappearing, this series is about a group of young teens hunting elements in another dimension. Normally I’d label this as a kiddie show and move on since the goal apparently is to teach kids about chemistry (the official site even features a periodic table), but this caught my eye partly because it’s being produced as a joint venture between NHK and a Korean animation company but more so because it has an OP that’s going to be sung by Ishikawa Chiaki. I may watch it just to hear that song.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
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



Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/zetsubou3/
Premiere on July 4th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Saturdays at 24:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Saturdays at 11:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
SHAFT and director Shinbou Akiyuki‘s other series for the summer is the third Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei TV anime. For those of you who might not be familiar with it, SZS is a comedy series about a very pessimistic high school teacher and his class of quirky students. I personally never made it very far in the first series because what I did see wasn’t all that funny, but a lot of people love this series and its style of humor. Luckily, Trillian is one of those people and is considering returning just to blog the show.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Princess Lover!
http://www.prilover.tv/
Premiere on July 5th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Sundays at 24:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Sundays at 11:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
This season’s based-on-an-adult-game harem series is Princess Lover, and um, it would appear to involve exactly what the title suggests (seriously, the title makes me laugh). It involves a normal boy who, after losing his parents in an accident, is given a chance to succeed his powerful grandfather (voiced of course by Wakamoto Norio) and is sent to a prestigious school. It almost goes without saying that there are plenty of beautiful girls at this school, including the aforementioned princess who happens to be quite well-endowed. I don’t really see this as being anything other than your average romance harem series, but maybe the relatively new studio GoHands will surprise me. The music in the promos is pretty catchy too.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent


Kanamemo
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/kanamemo/
Premiere on July 5th, 2009
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, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a 4-koma manga, Kanamemo follows a girl who’s all alone after losing her only relative, her grandmother. To survive, she lives and works in a newspaper shop, and the story follows her everyday life and the unique people around her. Since the premise here doesn’t really interest me – it sounds like it’ll turn out to be a nice little slice-of-life show, but not much more than that – I think the most noteworthy thing about this show is that it features some good voice actresses, including all three of the female leads from Toradora. That’s probably not enough to get me to watch more than one episode though.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

Note: This video is tiny because the original video from the official site was tiny.
GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class
http://mv.avex.jp/ga/
Premiere on July 6th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Mondays at 26:14
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 13:14
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Also based on a 4-koma manga is this comedy series about five girls who are part of an art and design class. The manga has a lot of jokes and cute characters, and it’s like a cross between Hidamari Sketch, Sketchbook, and maybe Azumanga Daioh. Arguably the biggest draw though is the voice actresses they have lined up for the five main girls, including Tomatsu Haruka, Sawashiro Miyuki, and Horie Yui, but like with Kanamemo, that’s not enough to keep me watching unless the show itself turns out to be really good.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor
Sora no Manimani
http://www.mmv.co.jp/special/soramani/
Premiere on July 7th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Tuesdays at 10:30
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Mondays at 21:30
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Aside from CANAAN, the other series I’m probably most excited about this upcoming season is Sora no Manimani. It’s a romance comedy that follows the plight of a guy who loves books but is coerced into the high school astronomy club by his hyperactive and hilarious-to-watch childhood friend. The manga was a joy to read, and the promo (see below) for the animated version drew me in immediately with its great music that reminded me of CLANNAD. I’m pretty much sold on this series, at least for the first few eps.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Good
Spice and Wolf II
http://www.spicy-wolf.com/
Premiere on July 8th, 2009
Airtime in Japan (JST, GMT+9): Wednesdays at 25:15
Airtime in U.S. (EDT, GMT-4): Wednesdays at 12:15
Information Links: ANN Encyclopedia, AnimeNfo, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
In terms of what I’m excited about, on the other end of the spectrum from CANAAN and Sora no Manimani is Spice and Wolf II. For those of you who haven’t seen the first series, it’s about a merchant who is joined on his journeys by a wolf harvest deity in the form of a girl. The lasting impression that it made on me was that it was somewhat boring at times and too often overly complicated with medieval economics themes that didn’t appeal to me. The recent episode 0 OVA didn’t do much to change my opinion of the overall show, though it did remind me that Horo can be very cute sometimes (Koshimizu Ami does a wonderful job with her). If you did like the first series though, you’ll happy to know that it looks like the entire staff and cast is back, and the promos might look promising. As a side note, what the heck did Fukuyama Jun do to his hair!? (see video below)
Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor


Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
http://www.tokyo-m8.com/
Premiere on July 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
The show succeeding Eden of the East in the Noitamina timeslot is a series that looks at the aftermath of an 8.0 earthquake hitting Tokyo. The story follows a middle school girl who’s bored with her life (up until this point at least) and her journey with her brother to get back home amidst everything going on around them. I really should be more excited about this series since it’s technically a BONES production (I say technically because Kinema Citrus is contributing as well) and has an interesting enough concept which, unlike most other series, isn’t based on a manga or novel. Unfortunately the promo video for this series just doesn’t sell me on it like, say, Eden’s promo did several months ago, so it’s not as high on my priority list.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent
Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou
http://www.gendaimahou.com/
Premiere on July 11th, 2009
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, AniDB, MyAnimeList, syoboi
Based on a light novel, Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou is about a clumsy high school girl who has a child-like body and wants to change herself. After getting a flyer for a magic academy, she enters into the world of modern magic that involves computers and programs. The mix of magic and computers could be interesting, and the promo makes the show look decent, but I get the feeling that this’ll turn out to be just another magic series with a bunch of pretty girls and a main character who starts out weak but has a gift for magic. Still, if the Nomad team working on this does as good a job here as they did with sola, then this might be worth watching.
Odds I’ll Blog This: Decent

Note: The above list does not include the second Hetalia Axis Powers series because I don’t consider that show to have ended. The second series is essentially just a continuation of the first, without any break in between, under a slightly different name. It might as well just be one long series.

This is probably one of the shortest previews I’ve written up – there just aren’t quite as many series during the Summer and Winter seasons, and this Summer seems especially light. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though considering that most of the Spring shows I’m watching and blogging did not end, so I don’t have that much time to pick up a lot of new ones. As noted above, I’m most interested in CANAAN and Sora no Manimani right now, though Bakemonogatari is a close third. Sora no Manimani has the additional bonus of airing earlier in the week, which is good considering how heavy my current schedule is for the latter half of the week, to the point where I’m having to put off blogging shows like Basquash! and Tears to Tiara for several days so that I don’t overload myself on weekends. In any case, I’m looking forward to checking out all the new shows, and maybe something will turn out to be much better than expected.

Oh and as a side note, for those of you keeping count, Horie Yui is in six shows this season. That’s a third of all the new anime offerings this season which I think is kind of a crazy amount, but great if you like her voice. Tomatsu Haruka‘s not doing too bad either with four roles in new series, plus all the series she’s in that are still airing like Basquash! and Cross Game.

Also, does anyone actually want the videos above for download via a torrent? I’ve done that in the past, but not too many people used it, so it seemed like wasted effort. As always, comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome.

108 Comments

  1. Lelouch V Brit

    So Much to Watch, Not Enough Time!

  2. Akiyama

    I’m looking forward to CANAAN, but outside of that.. there’s nothing that appealing.

  3. sean

    wow 2009 looks pretty bleak for anime

  4. ewok

    CANAAN is probably only one to pick my interest, perhaps along Umineko NNKN, as i’ve always fancied myself with whodunnit – even getting the Higurashi pretty much solved by end of season 1. Takano-military biological research-exterminatus! Not that it was that hard to guess…

  5. invisibleouch

    nice, been looking forward to this.

  6. God~Knows~

    Economic slump = Anime slump?
    What the hell do I waste my time on now during summer?Roll around the carpet?!!

  7. dszx

    Summer 2009 doesn’t look too promising; I’ll probably end up watching Bakemonogatari, CANAAN, and some random comedy.

    There’s a lot of sequels coming out in Fall though; I’m looking forward to seeing some closure in Shakugan no Shana III.

  8. shuffleair

    Aoi Hana seems to interest me, mainly because J.C. Staff is handling the series. Not to mention Taishou Yakyuu Musume as well.

  9. illu

    For me, it’s just Aoi Hana – Sweet Blue Flowers. LOL I don’t even want to watch anything else! MUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA~~~~ shoujo-ai ftw xD

  10. Nanatsuya

    In defense of Mahoromatic (a personal favorite of mine) Ditama was only the illustrator. Nakayama, the actual author, tends to create a much more comprehensive story in his works while Ditama’s style can be surmised by KissXsis…

    As a big Type Moon fan, Canaan is going to be the show that makes the summer season all better. Nice to see P.A. Works keeping the character designs true to Takeuchi’s style, at least a lot more so than Fate or Tsukihime…

  11. Amatsu

    not much to look forward to this season.

  12. KokWeng

    o.O .. i looking forward to some ~

  13. ahelo

    omni… are you gonna still blog suzumiya haruhi???

  14. Mainly Umineko for me, although I’ll check out CANAAN and Sora no Manimani.

  15. Omni

    ahelo: Of course, I’ll continue to follow all the new episodes of Haruhi.

  16. ZeD

    Well.. I’m a huge fan of the Umineko visual novel.. so I’m expecting goods things from this adaptation..

  17. Balgora

    this season….. sigh… seems like good ones only come in busy seasons, GUNDAM UNICORN!!!

  18. ServantAvenger

    FUCK yeah Canann!

  19. ruffles

    I was pretty set on only watching Zetsubou Sensei and Spice and Wolf, but now that I’ve got a bit more info on it, Canaan sounds amazing. Type moon, good cast, and good animation makes for what should be a pretty damn good mix. Umineko should also be alright, but it’s a waut and see thing for me.

  20. Jezreel

    Ommi you Know About Saint Seiya Lost Canvas?

  21. Chimasternmay

    Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Itekureta Koto~ = this one seems interesting so i’ll watch is it yuri?
    Aoi Hana – Sweet Blue Flowers = haven’t seen Yuri in a while so i’ll watch
    Bakemonogatari = i’m most looking forward to this one
    Princess Lover! = come on u have to watch one harem
    Spice and Wolf II = Horo can’t wait for her, for her i wont mind all the trading/marketing jargon
    Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 = seems different so i’ll watch this one too

    Other anime not sure until i read about them or skip watch them after they come out.

  22. Oh yey it’s Randomc’s summer `09 preview xD lol.

    Well, many say that the summer lineup for this year is cheap crap but I actually have a lot that I wanted to check in this season. I wonder why? xD Of course, guaranteed for me would be Umineko no Naku Koro ni ^-^

  23. Omni

    Jezreel: I was never into Saint Seiya and have only seen a couple eps a long time ago. All I know is that Lost Canvas is out on DVD this month.

  24. baka~

    remember the days when fukujun’s messy hair suited him better?

    quite a few anime of interest to pick this season. at any rate, im still deciding on what anime criteria i am to go for this season:

    1) watch anime based on story * tokyo magnitude and canaan looks decent
    2) based on animation * yoku wakaru “looks” good
    3) based on cast * sora no manimani’s lead is voiced by kanae ito which i rarely hear aside from shugo chara. and that one anime where the GAR dude wakamoto norio is tempting but im betting he would only have a very minor role

  25. Tan-Tan

    lol worst season xD

  26. darling piggy

    OMG i cant wait for CANAAN!!

  27. Oh Lawdy

    not enough action for me this summer

  28. ShiroiRyu

    Rofl…
    CANAAN, all mens look for…
    And i think it’s a just a decent anime like Higashi no Eden. :/
    I prefer to haven’t hope for anime like that… 🙂
    On other hand, i will wait principally for Wolf & Spice Season II, Princess Lover & Elements Hunters.

  29. Jezreel

    Omni: Ok, thank you my friend, I will find these dvd and I will buy
    grettins

  30. helen

    urgh… no good anime this summer… hope the recession ends soon in the anime industries… (apparently, it won’t end soon)

  31. JHAA

    Am I the only one that can’t view these videos? I have no issues before, and it’s fine on Youtube, etc. When I click on the play icon, it just turns into a circle and keeps spinning, but nothing happens. Internet connection is good. I’m using firefox, anyone know why?

  32. Unknown Voice

    Worst season ever.

    Will For sure watch: CANAAN

    And nothing else catches my eye…

  33. Gundam 00

    wow it’s a good season!!! Most are my type XD

  34. vin-nii

    tokyo magnitude 8.0
    it’s interesting cuz u don’t know how it’s going to turn out

    and of course CANAAN

  35. Anime Junkie

    I wonder which series Jaalin is picking up this season. Another 4-koma adaptation?

  36. auntiebin

    my picks : CANAAN and tokyo magnitude..
    didnt know zetsubo can be that good to be back for a 3rd time…
    HETALIA AXIS POWERS!!!

  37. kota

    It might be my higashi withdrawal symptoms talking, but i’m really looking forward to tokyo magnitude. My other summer picks are canaan, bake, spice and wolf, umineko and zetsubou sensei. I might give the first episode of aoi hana a shot but the character design really isn’t suited for yuri in my opinion.

  38. outcast

    more horo, i hope we get to see more independant funny horo than in love/jealous horo. Somehow it doesn’t suit a god of wolves to be an insecure girl.

    I’m watching bokura ga ita, man that shit is pink and fluffy, not in a bad way though. Aoi Hana – Sweet Blue Flowers sounds like it might be in that same direction.

  39. deadguy

    +1 to the CANAAN bandwagon… can’t wait to fly on Air Caina ^^

  40. Dearka Elsman

    the only show that gain my attention is ”Umineko no Naku Koro ni”, a murder mystery anime. Other 2 anime that interest me are of course Spice and Wolf ll & Zetsubou Sensei

  41. Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
    Nuff said. 🙂

  42. Kanao

    >Certainly Umineko looks great on paper, with a top-notch cast and some nice looking promos, but unlike a lot of the people I talk to, I’m not really excited about it.
    Shouldn’t that tell you that you’re being too pre-judgemental?

    >because I’m not a fan of psychological mystery/horror stuff
    Then you need to at least stick around until Episode 2 (Ep1 will probably be 4/5 anime episodes) before you decide to disregard it. Fantasy elements start to show up there and kick it up a gear each subsequent Episode. And by the way, there’s some very awesome fight-scenes throughout Ep2-4.

    You need to remember that Umineko’s visual novel has already been fully translated. A lot of people are excited because they’ve read it and know how awesome it is. Considering everything else, the only possibility for problems is Studio DEEN. Even if you’re not impressed with the beginning, it’s not an exaggeration to say that each cycle is better than the last.

  43. Ninja Penguin

    Nothing really leaps out and says, “WATCH THIS!” to me. I’ll probably try most of them, then dump the ones that bore me.

  44. that one girl in Princess Lover! looks exactly like Sakuya from Sister Princess. If Horie Yui plays her, that would be scary.

  45. yUkishin

    hmmm…i didnt find anythng “appealing” for me to watch…-_-‘

  46. puyomon

    ALL OF YOU should watch Aoi Hana! No excuses!!!

  47. Exia

    This new season doesn’t look too interesting. Canaan looked nice and I love Zetsubou Sensei so those are my main picks for the new season.

  48. Link_Soul

    Summer is not looking good!
    I think its even worst than last spring 2009!

    Damn it!

  49. Andrea

    Princess lover song is very good 🙂
    I’m the only one who like “your average romance harem series” over strange and complex plots? 😀

  50. Hmm…nothing good except Canaan…oh well…

    *praying for a K-ON! season 2…*

  51. Zenzen

    Tbh I’m quite surprised by the lack of enthusiasm around here. Sure it won’t be the best season ever, but there are quite a few shows I’m looking forward to watching:

    ZSZS – huge shaft and SZS fan here, although I do understand why people don’t really like this.
    Canaan – if done right this might be one of my favourite shows ever.
    Bakemonogatari – shaft? I’m in.
    Sora no Manimani – I’m a sucker for such shows.
    Spice and Wolf 2 – the first series was boring!? Well maybe, don’t know. What I know is that I loved it and I probably will love the sequel.

    Also there are some decent shows:
    Umi monogatari
    Umineko no Naku Koro ni – opposite to Omni I have quite high expectations here.
    Aoi Hana – I won’t believe that the creators of H&C and NC would do a crappy show
    NEEDLESS – this might be the “it’s not great but damn it’s entertaining” series of the season (just like Chrome Shelled Regios turned out for me).
    Element Hunters – sound like Dennou Coil, might give it a go
    GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class – call me a wimp, but if this thing will be anything like Azumanga/Hidamari/Sketchbook then that’s a must-watch for me.

    So in total 5 shows that I’m going to watch for sure and another 6 I’m fairly sure I’ll watch. Not all that bad.

  52. YouSuck

    Man you suck, how can you not like Higurashi or Umineko.

  53. Izaak

    Meh, I’m still miffed at how you didn’t blog Sora Wo Kakeru Shoujo. That was seriously an entertaining show.

    -Izaak, Lord of the Lotus Clan.

  54. Firechick

    I’ll likely watch Sea Story, Sora no Manimani, possibly Umineko since I’m turning 16 tomorrow, possibly Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and possibly Aoi Hana. But I still have some anime I need to finish/catch up to watching such as Shugo Chara, La Corda D’Oro and Mokke.

  55. Frito

    where’s the mecha genre gone to? i haven’t seen one that interest me since basquash; and i find that one really boring.

  56. Omni

    Anime Junkie: He isn’t sure at this point.

    Kanao: I’m simply outlining the reason why I’m not excited about it right now (b/c I’m not a fan of the genre that Higurashi was). I can see that the show has a lot going for it, and I’m certainly still going to give it a chance.

    Izaak: In retrospect, I probably should have.

  57. Asfad

    Disappointed at the lack of Umineko love in the comments. Currently playing through episode 3 of the visual novel, and it has been great. Playing through the visual novel has greatly increased my anticipation of the anime. Hoping they have a good budget for this one, can’t wait to see some of the awesome fight scenes animated.

  58. From that list, I think only “Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!” is it for me.

    >_>

    I dunno about you guys, but it seems that lately I’m getting a bit bored of anime & manga? I seem to be cutting back quite a bit these days.

  59. Ex-00

    i’m new here but please comment Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei D:

    I’m Kumeta sensei fan

    Random is the best Blog *-*

    etoo..

    Carajo pongan Zan Sayonara Zestsunou Sensei, no sean malos ;_;

  60. Raegria

    I’m a huge fan of the Umineko visual novel,too. I like concept “Anti-Mystery vs Anti-Fantasy” of this series. For Episode 2 – 4 of sound novel, it’s differrent from Higurashi and other psychological mystery/horror series (include horror movie). ….. only one (big) problem “Studio Deen”.

  61. Omni

    JHAA: I’ve tested all the videos and they look fine to me. Perhaps your ISP is blocking Yahoo vid? I don’t like using Youtube because they police their videos very strictly.

  62. jaalin

    1925 moe baseball show looks the most jaalin-type show for now

  63. phish

    thanks for the preview! ive got my 2watch list ready now

  64. buh

    Seems kind of pointless to put a torrent up since you can stream all of it here. But yeah, only a handful of shows that look remotely interesting.

  65. kadian1364

    Lots of slice-of-life shows, so I’ll probably find something I like.

  66. yuuji

    gonna watch everything…heh XD

  67. Elegant Destruction

    ok, why isn’t the 3rd series for Zoku Natsume Yuujinchou up there? T_T and it is such a great series.

  68. kitsune

    it’s quite funny that this season, no one can’t help but notice that Yui Horie is practically everywhere for our summer. . . YaY!

  69. Omni

    Elegant Destruction: I am not aware of any third Natsume series having been announced, but even if it was, it wouldn’t be a show this summer.

  70. robin

    The best thing I love about reading your blog is that you post OPs for all the new shows. I collect OP videos, so I hope you continue that trend again this season.

  71. TJ

    The summer season actually doesn’t look that bad now that I had a closer look at the shows. Probably will go with the ones with good buzz, like Canaan and Bakemonogatari.

  72. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: a guarantee for me (a disaster show for a change and abingdon boys school). Aoi Hana: in consideration. The rest: not interested.

    Summer isn’t the peak season in Japan, so ain’t expecting much.

  73. EJ

    hey what about shana isnt that summer????

  74. Omni

    EJ: Shana is not until at least Fall

  75. LQY

    I hope Canaan is really good!

  76. AnotherGeek

    So basically there nothing that interesting this season for me 🙁
    Too many generic, too too many.

  77. BROOKLYN otaku

    lot’s of KAAAAA-RAAAAAAAP!!!! but HEY! the sensei’s BACK IN THE HOUSE ,YAY!!!

  78. vic

    Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni Umineko no Naku Koro ni

    =)

  79. bobara

    I loved Higurashi, especially due to those deep between the friends. Do you think I’ll enjoy Umineko?

  80. bobara

    Damnit, I meant “especially due to those deep bonds between the friends”

  81. Visitor

    Does anyone here know the title of the track(s) featured in the Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 promo? I’m liking that music…

  82. Visitor: not sure but if you go to the official web (the clip right at the main page), it’s abingdon boys school’s ‘Kimi no Uta’ (the OP).

  83. Visitor

    To clarify: I’m talking about the orchestral excerpts from the trailer featured here, not the J-pop songs for the OP/ED (thanks for trying jlyn101)

  84. kokoro

    i love your season previews the most!
    & they have just gotten better over time.
    especially how you’ve added all the promo
    stuff. it’s amazing. keep up the fantastic
    work:)!

  85. megalith

    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm………. CANAAN and Umineko are the only things I’m interested. Although I’m bit unsure about Umineko. This does look like a slump……..

    Overall pretty weak……… 🙁 Unless SNS season 3/remake comes then maybe I’ll change my opinion. 😀

  86. mike

    i hope CANAAN taps the type-moon stuff like vampires or magic association or The Burial Agency

  87. zero1328

    You didn’t mention this, but another point added to the long ‘positives’ list for Canaan is that “428: Fuusasareta Shibuya de” actually recieved a perfect 40/40 score from Famitsu Weekly, which is extremely rare; this makes it the ninth game to recieve it. Just that alone would almost guarantee my watching of it, let alone all the other stuff going for it.

  88. Kevin

    Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 seems to be a good fit to replace Eden.

  89. cutemi2

    Princess Lover & Gendai Mahou for now but I will try Sea Story 1st

  90. cutemi2

    I will also include Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!

  91. Meery

    No other blogger in the English speaking world is going to blog S&W2, thanks to CANAAN, so it’s pretty much up to you to do so in order to save the interwebs. 98% fact.

  92. FFFFUUUU

    Aoi Hana!!!!!!!!!!!

  93. Vsin

    Hmmm, CANAAN…that one girl (third in the third preview) wore her jacket by only putting the hood on, just like I did when I was younger.

    Just because of that, I’m watching XD

  94. gecd

    Umineko VN is PERFECT!!!!!!!!
    I just hope the anime won’t be an epic fail

  95. Omni

    zero1328: The thing is that that rating was for the entire game, and the special scenario that Type-Moon did for the game (which CANAAN will be based on) was only part of it. If they were making an anime version of the entire game with the same characters and story (which CANAAN is not), then that 40/40 score would be more noteworthy.

  96. MD

    Holy, I’ll follow all of these anime >_< and CANAAN, hope it’ll be good, the game looks amazing.

  97. Visitor: u’re welcome (abs’s music is more to J-Rock btw). seriously though, have no idea of the title. let’s wait for the soundtrack release.

  98. MD

    I thought LonE, Nipponsei and some others already released it ._.

  99. MD

    Oh god, wrong one!! I’m so sorry T_T please deleted these two comments.

  100. LQY

    YOU ARE WRONG!

    Taishou Yakyuu Musume IS NOT DECENT, IT IS EXCELLENT!

  101. Story

    Aoi Hana and Umineko for me.

  102. 23886

    Preview looks a bit pessemistic to me… :/

  103. lucehs

    This season simply sucks..other than spice and wolf II have nothing to look forward.
    Even if I get to focefully make myself to watch some few first eps of these I doubt any of them would actually cacth my eye.

    Worst anime season since these past 3 years

  104. Awesome.

    List to watch:

    1.CANAAN: Because first of all, I’ve watched True Tears, and seeing they were the creators. It’s nice to see something new and fresh to watch.

    And for the others, maybe Sora no Manimani because of the romance comedy twist into it.

    So far, alright Summer line up, just wish there was some confirmation with Shana Season 3.

  105. illusion

    >>Spice & Wolf II
    >>Odds I’ll Blog This: Poor

    Son, I am disappoint.

  106. Fellshadow

    How can you not mention DARKER THAN BLACK -流星の双子 or とある科学の超電磁砲?
    Both were great series!

Comments are closed