Winter 2012 Anime Season

This winter doesn't look that exciting, but hey, there could be some nice surprises. (Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero, anyone?)

01/02

Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi:
The fourth season of a charming series (charming enough for me to get a Nyanko-sensei mug at Animate when I was in Tokyo this past summer) about a boy named Natsume who inherits the book in which his grandmother Reiko wrote down the names of youkai, binding them to her. Subsequently, the youkai whose names are in the book track down Natsume to have him return their names to them.

Still catching up on what has aired. I'm sure the fourth season will be good.

Seiyuu:
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsuboushita!)
Ishida Akira (Mai Hime's Nagi)
Itou Miki (Marimite's Sachiko)
Sawashiro Miyuki (Canaan, Blue Drop's Hagino)

01/04

Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama:
An adaptation of the Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama (New Prince of Tennis) manga that serves as a sequel to the original series, about a boy named Ryouma who wants to surpass his father who won four consecutive tennis championships as a pro. PV streaming here.

I'm not into Prince of Tennis, but I'm happy for the fans who are looking forward to more of it.

Seiyuu:
Minagawa Junko (Aria's Akira)
Ono Daisuke (Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian)

01/05

Amagami SS+:
The sequel to an adaptation of a dating sim. One high school boy, six girls, two episodes per girl. PVs here and here.

Pass.

Seiyuu:
Satou Rina (Marimite's Tsutako, Railgun's Mikoto)
Shintani Ryouko (Mai Hime/Otome's Aoi, Hidamari Sketch's Sae)
Itou Shizuka (Marimite's Rei, Saki's Hisa)
Yukana (Mai Hime/Otome's Mashiro, Futari ha Precure's Honoka)
Asumi Kana (Hidamari Sketch's Yuuno)

Kill Me, Baby/Baby Please Kill Me!:
Yasuna tries to make friends with an assassin named Sonya. Sonya mistakens Yasuna's aggressive attempts to befriend her with threatening behavior and keeps trying to kill her in response.

The trailer is really annoying. (Update: More trailers here and here! Thanks to Felix for mentioning them.) Doesn't look like something I'll follow.

Seiyuu:
Takabe Ai (Aoi Hana's Fumi)
Kugimiya Rie (a lot of tsunderes, Marimite's Touko)

Recorder to Randoseru:
An adaptation of a gag manga about a 17 year old girl who looks like a little kid and her 11 year old brother who looks like a grown man. PV here.

Pass.

Seiyuu:
Kugimiya Rie (a lot of tsunderes, Marimite's Touko)
Hirano Aya (Suzumiya Haruhi)
Nanjou Yoshino (CANAAN's Maria)

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes Dai-Ni-Maku:
The second season of Tantei Opera Milky Holmes, about four girls who are part of a detective agency that tracks down criminals who commit crimes using superhuman abilities.
In the first episode of the first season, the girls lost the "Toys" that granted them their super-detective abilities. I'm not sure what happened after that. Not watching this season.

Seiyuu:
Sawashiro Miyuki (Canaan, Blue Drop's Hagino)
Shintani Ryouko (Mai Hime/Otome's Aoi, Hidamari Sketch's Sae)

01/06

High School DxD:
Issei attends a mostly female private high school to fulfill his dream of creating a harem. On his first date with his first girlfriend, his girlfriend kills him. He wakes up next to his busty red-haired sempai Rias, who tells him that she is a devil and she revived him as her demonic servant. A few other girls want Issei also. Promos streaming here.

Pass.

Seiyuu:
Hikasa Youko (K-ON!'s Mio
Taketatsu Ayana (K-ON!'s Azusa)
Itou Shizuka (Marimite's Rei, Saki's Hisa)

Senki Zesshou Symphogear:
Two girls named Tsubasa and Kanade form a singing duo called Zweiwing. Using weapons called "Symphogear," they must protect the earth from a threat called "Noise." They have two fangirls named Hibiki and Miku (seen at the top of the picture above). PV streaming here. The picture quality sucks, but the official alternative is inaccessible outside of Japan.

This series could be stupid fun (think Cutey Honey), or just stupid. I'll try it. Update: Yuri alert for episode 1, thanks to caitlyn.

Seiyuu:
Yuuki Aoi (Madoka Magica's Madoka)
Mizuki Nana (Nanoha's Fate)
Takagaki Ayahi (Sasameki Koto's Sumi)
Sawashiro Miyuki (Canaan, Blue Drop's Hagino)

01/07

Area no Kishi:
Kakeru has no soccer talent, while his older brother Suguru is the captain of the Kamakura High School soccer team and a member of Japan's national under-15 team. Kakeru's life "changes after a tragic accident," which I'm assuming means that Suguru dies and Kakeru plays soccer again in honor of his brother's memory and discovers his hidden talent. PV streaming here.

Probable pass.

Seiyuu:
Fukuyama Jun (Lelouch)
Itou Shizuka (Marimite's Rei, Saki's Hisa)

Brave 10:
A year before the battle of Sekigahara, a ninja named Saizou saves a miko named Nami from being killed by assassins. Tokugawa Ieyasu destroyed Nami's shrine because she sided with Yukimura Sanada. Yukimura gathers super-powered warriors known as the Brave 10 to change history, and as more of the (all-bishounen) Brave 10 gather, Nami's "mysterious power" awakens. PV streaming here.

So...Fushigi Yuugi meets Sengoku Basara.

Seiyuu:
Ono Daisuke (Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian)
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou-sensei)
Nakai Kazuya (One Piece's Zoro)
Satou Rina (Marimite's Tsutako, Railgun's Mikoto)
Sakurai Takahiro (Code Geass' Suzaku)
Koyasu Takehito (Utena's Touga)
Asakawa Yuu (Azumanga Daioh's Sakaki)

Moretsu Uchuu Kaizoku:
A high school girl named Marika finds out that her father was a space pirate and she has inherited command of his ship and crew.

This show's title translates as Violent Space Pirates, but its official translation is Bodacious Space Pirates. Its trailer is as hilariously bad as its official English title. At least Bodacious Space Pirates isn't any worse than the title of the light novels this show is adapting: Mini-Skirt Space Pirates.

Seiyuu:
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Matou, Morita-san's Mayu)
Kayano Ai (Last Exile: Fam no Ginkyoku's Millia)
Tomatsu Haruka (Morita-san's Miki)
Kanemoto Hisako (Sora no Woto's Kanata)
Satou Rina (Marimite's Tsutako, Railgun's Mikoto)
Satou Satomi (K-ON!'s Ritsu)
Hikasa Youko (K-ON!'s Mio)
Itou Shizuka (Marimite's Rei, Saki's Hisa)
Kaida Yuuko (Strawberry Panic!'s Amane)
Horie Yui (Aoi Hana's Kyouko, Hourou Musuko's Anna)
Nanjou Yoshino (CANAAN's Maria)

Zero no Tsukaima F:
The fourth and final season of the Zero no Tsukaima series, about a high school boy samed Saito who gets accidentally summoned to the magical Tristien Academy by a mage named Louise to be her familiar. He isn't what she wanted to summon, but she can't try again, so they're stuck together. Tsundere love blooms. PVs streaming here.

Tried the first season. Not my cup of tea.

Seiyuu:
Kugimiya Rie, playing the character type that made her mega-popular.
Kawasumi Ayako (KnM's Chikane, the Fate franchise's Saber)
Noto Mamiko (Marimite's Shimako)
Horie Yui (Aoi Hana's Kyouko, Hourou Musuko's Anna)

01/08

Aquarion Evol:
A sequel to the 2005 Aquarion series, taking place in Hong Kong 12,000 years in the future.
PV here.

Never saw Aquarion; not interested in its sequel.

Seiyuu:
Kayano Ai (Last Exile: Fam no Ginkyoku's Millia)
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Matou, Morita-san's Mayu)
Nakajima Megumi (Macross Frontier's Ranka)
Nakamura Yuuichi (Macross Frontier's Alto)

Nisemonogatari:
A sequel to Bakemonogatari, starring Araragi's two younger sisters Tsukihi and Karen.
I didn't care for Bakemonogatari, so I don't see myself getting into this series.
Yuri fans might be interested in returning character Kanbaru Suruga, who identified as a lesbian in Bakemonogatari. She attacked the main character, Araragi, out of jealousy over his girlfriend Senjougahara, who she fell in love with before he ever met her. They resolved things and became friends. (Something similar happens later in Bakemonogatari with a girl who's jealous over Araragi. Same resolution.) Not something that would make me recommend Bakemonogatari in, say, my yuri panel, but she's there for anyone interested. I would be happier with her portrayal if she showed interest in other women (besides Senjougahara) and wasn't treated like another pair of boobs to expand Araragi's harem, but what can you do.
First PV here. The second one is too creepy for me to comfortably link to.

Seiyuu:
Kitamura Eri (Madoka Magica's Sayaka)
Kamiya Hiroshi (Zetsubou-sensei)
Saito Chiwa (Madoka Magica's Homura)
Katou Emiri (Sasameki Koto's Kiyori, Madoka Magica's Kyuubey)
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Matou, Morita-san's Mayu)
Sakamoto Maaya (CANAAN's Alphard)
Sawashiro Miyuki (Canaan, Blue Drop's Hagino)
Shiraishi Ryouko (Saki's Mako)
Horie Yui (Aoi Hana's Kyouko, Hourou Musuko's Anna)

Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki:
An adaption of a 4-koma about a cat named Poyo and the people it encounters. Daichi Akitaro (director of Fruits Basket and Kodomo no Omocha) is directing.

*shrug*

No noteworthy seiyuu.

Rinne no Lagrange:
An icy blue-haired girl named Lan recruits a girl named Madoka to pilot a robot to protect their city from space aliens. A busty ditz named Muginami joins them. PV here.

Eh.

Seiyuu:
Kayano Ai (Last Exile: Fam no Ginkyoku's Millia)
Seto Asami (Hourou Musuko's Takatsuki)
Noto Mamiko (Marimite's Shimako)
Tanaka Rie (Canaan's Liang)
Iguchi Yuuichi (Hourou Musuko's Mako-chan)
Nanri Yuuka (Hourou Musuko's Chiba)
The OP and ED will be sung by Nakajima Megumi (Macross Frontier's Ranka).

01/09

Ano Natsu de Matteru:
A romantic comedy about two girls and a boy by the people who created the story and original character designs for Onegai Teacher. PV here.

Ano Natsu's Onegai Teacher connection doesn't do anything for me (tried Onegai Teacher; didn't like it), but I might try an episode because of its director, Nagai Tatsuyuki (Honey and Clover II, Railgun, Ano Hana). Probably won't stick with it, though.

Seiyuu:
Tomatsu Haruka (Morita-san's Miki)
Asumi Kana (Hidamari Sketch's Yuuno)
Tamura Yukari (Nanoha)

Another:
A horror series about a boy who transfers into a class that's under a curse that leads to "a string of unavoidable deaths."

The premise isn't original, but since when is that a requisite for something being entertaining? I'm actually looking forward to this. Going by the trailers, it could be genuinely creepy in a Jigoku Shoujo or Vampire Princess Miyu way.
Trailers streaming here and here.

Seiyuu:
Nonaka Ai (Madoka Magica's Kyouko)
Yonezawa Madoka (K-ON!'s Ui)

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou, or Daily Lives of High School Boys. Surpise, it's a slice-of-life comedy about a group of boys who are friends in high school. The most interesting thing about is that it's based on a manga that was serialized online. Extended (really extended) previews can be found here.

I think I'll pass.

Seiyuu:
Sugita Tomokazu (Suzumiya Haruhi's Kyon)
Ishida Akira (Mai Hime's Nagi)
Koshimizu Ami (Marimite's Kanako)
Yuuki Aoi (Madoka Magica's Madoka)
Saito Chiwa (Madoka Magica's Homura)
Takagaki Ayahi (Sasameki Koto's Sumi)
Hikasa Youko (K-ON!'s Mio)
Kobayashi Yuu (Saki's Yumi)
Yukana (Mai Hime/Otome's Mashiro, Futari ha Precure's Honoka)

01/10

Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai!, or Listen to me girls, I'm your father! An adaptation of a light novel series about a university student who becomes responsible for raising his sister's three kids after the plane that his sister and her husband fly in goes missing.

My reaction to this series went from "Aww" to "... *hurl*" when I saw that this series' promotion uses the oldest of the three kids for service. F--- whoever enjoys that. Can we get an anime series about a man raising a child (or children) without any creepiness? (Including creepiness in the material following what's animated/the series' ultimate ending? Yeah, I'm still pissed about the Usagi Drop manga's ending.) Like, say, Yotsuba&?

Seiyuu:
Kitamura Eri (Madoka Magica's Sayaka)
Ono Daisuke (Kuroshitsuji's Sebastian)
Ohara Sayaka (Aria's Alicia)
Horie Yui (Aoi Hana's Kyouko, Hourou Musuko's Anna)


01/12

Inu x Boku SS:
In a high-class apartment building inhabited by the descendants of demons, who each receive a bodyguard, a girl gets a kitsune bodyguard who tells her "I want to be your dog." PVs streaming here.

???? o_o;

Seiyuu:
Hanazawa Kana (Black Rock Shooter's Matou, Morita-san's Mayu)
Miyano Mamoru (Ouran's Tamaki, Death Note's Light)
Sugita Tomokazu (Suzumiya Haruhi's Kyon)
Hikasa Youko (K-ON!'s Mio)
Nakamura Yuuichi (Macross Frontier's Alto)

Thermae Romae: A Noitamina series. An architect in ancient Rome named Lucius gets sucked into a drain while visiting a public bath. After freeing himself and emerging to the surface of the water, he finds himself in present day Japan. He gapes at the similarities and differences between Roman public bathing and Japanese public bathing.

This sounds...different. Doesn't sound like my cup of tea, though. Three flash-animated episodes will make up this series, based on a popular Comic Beam manga. A live action movie based on the same manga will premiere in April.

Seiyuu:
Ueda Kana (Marimite's Yumi)

02/02

Black Rock Shooter: Noitamina's 8 episode TV adaptation of the Black Rock Shooter universe.

Background for anyone who doesn't know:  
Black Rock Shooter started as a character that an artist nicknamed huke drew and posted on his Pixiv account. Ryo, the composer and lyricist for Supercell, a doujin music group that specializes in making songs using Hatsune Miku's voice, created a song inspired by huke's illustration (downloadable here on Supercell's website) and a music video with illustrations huke made for it. (Click the little symbol that's farthest to the right in the bottom-right corner if you don't want to see viewers' comments scrolling across the screen.) huke created more characters, like Black Rock Shooter's horned, scythe-wielding nemesis Dead Master. Most Black Rock Shooter fans are familiar with this popular fan video by a Nico Nico user named Anomaro-P. Black Rock Shooter became a wildly popular homegrown otaku icon, with toys, games, and other merchandise produced based on her, along with two manga series (Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul and a 4-koma called Black Rock-chan) and an OVA. And now BRS fans are getting a TV series, which will retell/expand on the OVA storyline. The OVA was about two girls named Matou and Yomi, who are best friends but exist as enemies, Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master, in a parallel dimension. The TV series will include several characters who didn't appear in the OVA. PV here.

The OVA was just okay, but I'm open to being pleasantly surprised by the TV series. I'll give it a shot.

Seiyuu:
Hanazawa Kana (Morita-san's Mayu)
Sawashiro Miyuki (Canaan, Blue Drop's Hagino)
Asumi Kana (Hidamari Sketch's Yuuno)
Kitamura Eri (Madoka Magica's Sayaka)
Noto Mamiko (Marimite's Shimako)

02/05

Smile Precure!:
The ninth Precure series. The evil emperor Pierrot (har har) seals away the Queen of magical Marchenland. A mascot named Candy finds five girls and asks them to find the Cure Decor to unseal the Queen.

The neon-tastic promo art hurts my eyes. But I'll try an episode.

No seiyuu information released.

And that's it!