Summer 2010 Anime Season: Part 1

Whilst the rather excellent spring anime season windeth down,
 I shall try my utmost to presage which incipient summertime shows might be well-liking,
and which might make Tezuka wailfully spin in his grave.

(Translation: "Yay! The summer anime season's almost here! I'll try to predict what will be good and what won't be."  This is just my random, dingbat attempt at Shakespearean English, for the hell of it.)

But yes!! New shows!! Even though I'm not very optimistic about most of them! But who knows, maybe there will be a pleasant surprise. There are nineteen upcoming summer shows, and I'll write about ten whoops nine of them in this post.

  Amagami SS:
"A second-year high school boy finds himself uneasy during Christmas time due to an experience in the past. However, this year at Christmas, he gets his last chance to ask out a graduating female senior named Haruka Morishima — or one of several other classmates. The story of the anime will be arranged in an omnibus format, with each heroine getting her own version of the story animated. Each heroine will sing her own version of the ending theme song."

So...it's a dating sim. (Specifically, based on a Playstation 2 dating sim by Enterbrain.) Is that it? 13 episodes of some guy taking a gaggle of different girls on Christmas dates?

On the positive side, the character designs look good, especially for a dating sim (no saucer-plate eyes). Plus, nothing like seeing a Christmas-themed show premiering in July. :)

Satou Rina, Shintani Ryouko, and Itou Shizuka have roles.

 Asobi ni Iku yo!:
"The story centers around Kio Kakazu , a high school freshman living in Okinawa. During a memorial service for one of his family ancestors. A mysterious girl with cat ears appears before him indroducing herself as Eris and claiming that she is an alien. However She be more troubling than he first realizes."

Holy crap, this sounds amazing. Really- a busty alien cat girl living with a high school boy? SIGN ME UP.

And more seiyuu nerdery- Tomatsu Haruka, Hanazawa Kana, Itou Kanae, Toyosaki Aki, veteran seiyuu Inoue Kikuko, Kotobuki Minako, and Horie Yui have roles.

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu - Legend of the Legendary Heroes:
That's quite a title. (It made me think of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. ^^)

"Raina Lute is a lazy student of Roland Empire Royal Magician's school. One day, Roland Empire goes to war against a neighboring country Estaboole, and he lost his classmates in the battle. After the war, Lute sets out for a journey to search the relics of a "Legendary Hero" at Emperor Zion Astar's command. And he finds out a deadly curse spreading the continent."
(Apologies for the crappy grammar and spelling in the synopses that I'm quoting. If I weren't so lazy, I would paraphrase them.)

The story doesn't sound especially interesting, and the trailer didn't grab my attention either. But it doesn't seem terrible or offensive- just not my cup of tea.

Takagaki Ayaki, Ono Daisuke, Fukuyama Jun, Taketatsu Ayana, Sawashiro Miyuki, and Sugita Tomokazu have roles.

Digimon Xros Wars:
The sixth season of Digimon- you already know whether you're going to watch it or not.

Shiraishi Ryouko and Takahiro Sakurai have roles. (Although, how many people are going to follow this show for the seiyuu?)

Gakuen Mokushiroku - Highschool of the Dead:
Same premise as every zombie movie ever made: a new disease arises that turns people into bloodthirsty brain-guzzlers, and it can be transmitted through biting. A group of high school students and a school nurse find that their school is overrun by zombies, and they need to find a way to get out alive.

On one hand, once in a while I enjoy watching a campy, bone-crunching zombie flick. And the director, Araki Tatsuro, has done a very good job on other grim titles, like Kurozuka and Death Note. He has also directed episodes of Black Lagoon and Aoi Bungaku (the awesome "Sakura no Mori" arc ^^). But the trailer doesn't look very appealing. I can get better zombie horror by renting a live movie- without the annoying panty shots and boob jiggling. But I'll give it a try.

Taketatsu Ayana, Kitamura Eri, Miyano Mamoru, Sawashiro Miyuki, Hiyama Nobuyuki, and Fukui Yukari have roles. (It will be like listening to K-ON!'s Azusa, Marimite's Kashiwagi, Strawberry Panic!'s Kagome, Canaan, and /insert the Miyano and Kitamura-voiced characters of your choice/ in a zombie flick.)

Iron Man: Madhouse's visually impressive animated adaptation of Iron Man is not premiering in Japan until this October, but it's premiering in the U.S. this July. (I wonder which channel it will be on...Adult Swim? Spike?)

Here is the trailer, again. (Hopefully this show won't be postponed any more.)

Kuroshitsuji II:
Musty Victorian mansion? Check.
Angsty rich kid with a tragic past? Check.
Tall, slightly campy bishounen butler? Check.
Flying cutlery? Check.

I enjoyed the first season because it didn't take itself too seriously, had likeable characters, and was just...fun for some light entertainment. (I'm currently following the manga. ^^) This season, focusing on a new, absolutely-not-in-the-original-manga butler and master pair, has many fans grumbling that it's a crass attempt to cash in on a popular franchise when a second season using the original characters isn't viable. (I agree, but it's not like the original was above fan-pandering, either. ^^;; I'll give the new characters a chance.) Here is the PV.

(Although personally, I'd kind of rather see this fully animated. XD)

Takahiro Sakurai (to the delight of many a fujoshi) and Mizuki Nana are playing the leads.

Mitsudomoe:
Based on Sakurai Norio's gag manga, "The story centers around the comedic misadventures of the Marui triplets of sisters in sixth grade."

*watches the trailer* ...no. Just...no.

Takagaki Ayahi, Tomatsu Haruka, Toyosaki Aki, Saito Chiwa, and Inoue Kikuko have roles in this. (My sympathies to them.)

Nurarihyon no Mago:
"Rikuo Nura, is 3 parts human and a quarter Demon, lives in a house of spirits with his grandfather, The current clan head of the Nura youkai. Rikou is set to be the next clan head, despit the fact he dilikes his demon side. He soon come to terms with his demon blood and decides to take his position as young master of the Nura house. However there are those who will certainly not allow it to be easy."

 As expected, Studio DEEN's art looks very well-rendered, although the story sounds banal. I might try the first episode. (The right execution could breathe new life into a stale plot line.)

Hirano Aya, Fukuyama Jun, Arai Satomi, Takahiro Sakurai, and Horie Yui have roles.

That's it for now. ^^