Summer 2009 Preview

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Finals are done, school is out, and I finally get a much needed breather. The summer season is almost upon us, so now is a good time to look at this season’s line up, and hope for the best. Truthfully I haven’t been too into the last two season’s offerings. There were a few hits, but a lot of misses, but this summer seems to showcase a great deal of new shows, as well as some returning heavy weights, and promises to be one of the more hypefilled seasons of the year. With that said, let’s dive into it, and see what hidden gems we can expect in the months to come.

Plan to Watch

Tokyo Magnutide 8.0

Synopsis: An apocalyptic look at what would happen if an earthquake of a magnitude 7.0 or greater were to hit Tokyo. Mirai, a middle school freshman girl who goes to Tokyo’s artificial Odaiba Island for a robot exhibition with her brother Yutaka at the start of summer vacation. A powerful tremor emanates from an ocean trench, the famed Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge crumble and fall, and the landscape of Tokyo changes in an instant. With the help of a motorcycle delivery woman named Mari who they meet on Odaiba, Mirai and Yutaka strive to head back to their Setagaya home in western Tokyo.

My Two Cents: There are two things that immediately grabbed my attention. Studio Bones (which has been doing some phenomenal work lately), and the balls to the wall plot. I’m a sucker for post-apocalyptic, natural disaster type movies, so this goes right up my alley. What I’m hoping for is some authentic genuine human drama. I want to see the characters not only interact with each other, but create a very tense and moving dynamic that will allow us, the audience, to become completely immersed in their world. The plot offers some variety and spin on a classic storyline. Hopefully this won’t turn into your generic disaster thriller, but will actually transcend expectations and become a show about the human nature of survival, and the importance of human relationships in times of crisis. Or MAYBE I’m looking way too deep into this shit. In any case, count me in, the plot seems interesting, and it’ll be a good ride. But as a small note, am I the only one that senses a supernatural twist in this show? If aliens end up being the culprit behind the earthquake, kill me now. I hope this show stays on the realistic end of the scale.

CANAAN

Synopsis: Anime adaption of the game 428. Type-Moon’s Nasu Kinoko and Takeuchi Takashi are in charge of the anime script and character designs. They also made the script and character designs for one of the bonus scenarios in the game.

My Two Cents: I’m not a huge fan of TYPE-MOON related works, but that doesn’t mean I’m not impressed by some of the shows and games the company has been involved in. Kara no Kyoukai remains a staple of well crafted story blended seamlessly with first class and action sequences to knock your shoes off. But I always proceed with caution because I would rather be wary of the possibility of disappointment; that way I can expect the worst, instead of hoping for the best. Canaan has all the necessary pieces in play to be an amazing show, and I truthfully want it to succeed. I’m really anxious about this one, but I’m a bit apprehensive about the off chance of failure. In any case, let’s dissect this one, because it looks to be a damn good show.

The first thing that stood out to me as I researched this show was the visual novel that it’s based on, 428: Fusasareta Shibuya de. Now while I’m no expert when it comes to this sort of thing, this game has apparently received a perfect score from Famitsu magazine. That’s pretty fucking impressive to say the least. On top of that astounding achievement, let’s look at the staff involved. First we have the director, Masahiro Ando, who is well known for his works involving Bones productions. He has a solid track record, and is a heavy hitter in the industry. Ok, the director is solid. What about the script? Kinoko Nasu, the man behind many of TYPE-MOON’s previous works is in charge of that. There couldn’t be anymore more suited to write for this show. I’m sold on the script. Voice actors? Maya Sakamoto, and Miyuki Sawashiro? Good god, this project is looking to impress, and with such an all star cast, and rock solid source material, CANAAN is one to look out for this summer. A running candidate for one of 2009’s best shows, look out for this one, I know I will.

Spice and Wolf II

Synopsis: The official Japanese website of the Wolf and Spice franchise has confirmed that a second television anime season has been green-lit. Director Takeo Takahashi and screenplay writer Naruhisa Arakawa will return for Spice and Wolf II. However, Toshimitsu Kobayashi (El Hazard: The Alternative World, Fate/stay night) will replace Kazuya Kuroda as the character designer and chief animation director. Likewise, the Brain’s Base studio (MazinKaiser, The Boy Who Saw the Wind) will be animating instead of IMAGIN. The anime adapts Isuna Hasekura and Jū Ayakura’s acclaimed novel series that avoids the usual sword-and-sorcery trappings of fantasy stories and focuses on how business (and religion) gets done in a medieval world — with a wolf girl. Jun Fukuyama and Ami Koshimizu will reprise their roles as the peddler Lawrence and the wolf girl Horo who embark on a journey together.

My Two Cents: Fuck yeah. It’s about damn time. If you’ve been following my blog, you know exactly the amount of insane praise I give this show. I expect more of the same fantastic chemistry between Horo and Lawrence that was present in the first season. Even though a new studio is in charge, much of the staff remains unchanged. I don’t have much to say about this expect that I’m already swelling with excitement. One of the shows I’m looking forward to the most.

Bakemonogatari

Synopsis: The short stories in the two volumes of Bakemonogatari deal with a high school boy named Koyomi Araragi and strange students he encounters. (“Bakemonogatari” is a wordplay on the Japanese term bakemono for supernatural creatures and the term monogatari for stories.) One student, a girl named Hitagi Senjōgahara, almost literally falls into his lap, only to have him discover she has no weight.

My Two Cents: INTERESTING is the first word that comes to mind. I can already see the direction SHAFT wants to take this show. The plot allows for some extremely experimental and abstract concepts to be animated, so it’s no wonder SHAFT took this show under its wings. Of course Akiyuki Shinbou will be reprising his role as SHAFT’s lead director. I’m looking forward to this show a great deal, just to see how it will be handled. Will it have the same quirky sense of humor as previous works done by SHAFT, or will it take a serious direction like that of the -ef- series. Only time will tell. As a side note, Supercell is producing the OP for this show? That’s pretty darn cool. Count me in.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Synopsis: Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place in 1986 during the time frame of October the 4th and the 5th on a secluded island named Rokkenjima. The head of the wealthy Ushiromiya family, Kinzō Ushiromiya, who lives on and owns Rokkenjima, is near death, and eleven of his family members arrive on the island to discuss how Kinzō’s assets will be divided once he is dead. Also on the island are five of Kinzō’s servants, and his personal physician. After the eleven family members arrive, a typhoon traps them on the island and shortly after people start to get mysteriously murdered.

My Two Cents: My most anticipated show of the summer. It seems the more I’m looking forward to a show, the less I have to say about it. I guess I don’t want to spend the next 4 paragraphs praising it, so I’ll just end it here by saying as a spiritual successor to Higurashi, I expect MUCH from it, and I know I won’t be disappointed. I haven’t played the games yet, but I’m already aware the Umineko is linked to the Higurashi universe directly, or indirectly. General consensus has already acclaimed the Umineko series of visual novels to be just as good if not better than Higurashi. If that’s the case, July 2^nd can’t come soon enough.

Zan Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei

Synopsis: This year’s 21st issue of Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine will announce on Wednesday that a third television anime adaptation of Kôji Kumeta’s Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei manga has been green-lit. Zan Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei will premiere on UHF television stations throughout Japan in July. Hiroshi Kamiya, the winner of the Best Lead Actor Award at this year’s 3rd Annual Seiyū Awards, will reprise his role as the world’s most negative person who happens to teach a high school class.

My Two Cents: Hello sensei, we missed you. It looks like SZS is SHAFT’s cash cow, not that it’s a BAD thing.

Taishou Yakyuu Musume

Synopsis: The first book in the series begins with Koume, the 14-year-old daughter of a Western-style restaurant owner, who commutes back and forth to an girl’s academy. One day during the commute, she is having a conversation with her friend who everyone calls “Young Miss”. They decide to form an all-girl baseball team and have a match with a boys team.

My Two Cents: Slice of life and baseball? Hey sounds good to me. And oh look, is that Noto Mamiko providing her voice? Alright you got me, I’ll be following this one.

Umi Monogatari

Synopsis: Marin and her sister Urin live in the sea. One day they find a ring fallen into the sea. They get out of the sea and meet a girl Kanon, the owner of the ring. Kanon tells them she doesn’t want the ring anymore because it was given by her boyfriend whom she just broke up with, and she throws it into the sea again. Marin thinks Kanon is still in love with him and looks for the ring. But she accidentally breaks a seal on the sea floor…

My Two Cents: I’m starting to become a sucker for punishment. Every time I see a romance related show I always tell myself. “Hey, it’ll be different. It won’t be your generic stereotypical romance story, it’ll shine above the others.” I’m usually always wrong. Let’s hope this time I’m right.

Sora no ManiMani

Synopsis: Saku Ooyagi returns to his hometown after seven years and is soon reacquainted with his childhood friend, Mihoshi Akeno. The reunion is far from merry since the last memory they have of each other is of her falling off a tree and him saving her. In any case, Mihoshi is determined to improved their relationship and forces Saku to join the astronomy club she founded.

My Two Cents: I swear I must be the biggest sucker for the slice of life genre on this planet. I just can’t get enough…

NEEDLESS

Synopsis: Year 2130, after the third world war, large contaminated areas known as “Blackspots” formed all over Japan. Large Walls were used to quarantine off these “Blackspots”. In time, signs of inhabitance appeared within these wastelands. Among the survivors who had been abandoned inside the Blackspots, labeled as “those who were unneeded”, came forth possessors of uncanny abilities — Fire, wind, brute strength…they were defined by their supernatural abilities. Others, fearful of their powers, expelled them and named them Needless.

My Two Cents: Sounds like your traditional action anime fare. But Madhouse is behind it, so I’ll take a gander. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised just like I was with Soul Eater. I’m not holding my breath or anything though.

Yoku Wakaru Gendai Maho

Synopsis: The story revolves around Koyomi Morishita, a clumsy high school freshman girl who is often mistaken for a grade-schooler because of her shortness. Koyomi becomes a disciple of Misa Anehara, a 25-year-old graduate student who happens to be one of the most powerful modern-day magicians

My Two Cents: Why do I subject myself to this torture? I must be a real glutton for punishment. Once again, I’m giving this show the benefit of the doubt. PLEASE surprise me. I beg you, don’t make me lose faith in anime any more than I already have.

Kanamemo:

Synopsis: Nakamachi Kana is a junior high school girl. Her grandmother passed away and she was left all alone. She finds a newspaper carrier station and starts working as a live-in carrier. Her room has a hole on the wall. Other female workers living next door comes in through the hole and start a wild merrymaking.

My Two Cents: Ambiguous summaries always leave me in dismay. It sounds like an extremely dramatic and moving story about a young girl’s struggles by trying to survive in today’s ever growing, fast-paced society, but that’s expecting too much. The last bit with “wild merrymaking” has me worried. I’m HOPING this show portrays a realistic representation of life’s ups and downs, but I DOUBT I’m going to get that.

GA Gejutsu-ka Art Design Class

Synopsis: The Moon Phase Comments diary reports that a NetMile Research survey has leaked the news of an anime adaptation for Satoko Kiyuzuki’s GA Geijutsu-ka Art Design Class manga. The slice-of-life manga revolves around five freshman girls in a high school art class. The manga has been running in Heiwa Shuppan’s Comic Cute! magazine and later in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Carat since 2004, and two volumes have been compiled and published. According to the web diary, Hiroaki Sakurai (Di Gi Charat, Kodocha, Cromartie High School) will direct off scripts that will be supervised by Doko Machida (Allison & Lillia, Lucky Star, Tears to Tiara). Atsuko Watanabe (Fight Ippatsu! Jūden-chan!!) will reportedly design the characters that AIC will animate.

My Two Cents: I’m not too sure about this one, but it seems quite entertaining, and will definitely have tons of, “awwwww” moments. It’s slice of life, so I’ll definitely check it out, but didn’t Hidamari Sketch already do this? We’ll see. At the VERY least, the staff looks quite respectable, so count me in.

Seitokai no Ichizon

Synopsis: A TV anime adaptation of Sugizaki Ken’s light novel series of the same name, the adaptation was announced on the cover note of the fourth volume. The members of the student council of Hekiyou Gakuen are chosen by a popularity vote. As a result, all the members are cute girls except for Sugizaki Ken, who studied hard to enter the council. This novel is about the endless chattering of the members with full of parodies of “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”, “Dragon Ball” etc.

My Two Cents: Parodies Haruhi Suzumiya? Why does that make me cringe? It’s not like I enjoyed it when Lucky Star did it, so how’s this show fare any better. Well, this show will be on probation until I see the first episode for myself. Only time will tell.

Somewhat Interested:

Element Hunters

Synopsis: In 2029, a large scale ground sinkage occurred in Mediterranean Sea and chemical elements such as oxygen, carbon, gold, molybdenite, and cobalt suddenly disappeared from the earth’s crust. Human population was decreased by 90% in sixty years. Researchers found out that the disappeared elements were drained into a planet “Nega Earth”, which located in different dimensions. To save the Earth, a special team “Element Hunter” is organized. All the members are under 14 years old because young and flexible brains are required to access to “Nega Earth”.

My Two Cents: Looks generic, I’ll pass unless initial reviews prove me wrong.

Aoi Hana

Synopsis: In the original manga’s story, Fumi and Akira were close childhood friends until Fumi had to move away. Ten years after losing touch with each other, the two girls meet again as high school freshmen. The two struggle to reconnect after so much has changed, and both deal with the trials and tribulations of high school — sometimes independently and sometimes with each other’s help

My Two Cents: I have nothing against the shoujo-ai genre, in fact, I deeply respect and admire the genre’s dedication to character development, and emphasis on relationships, but as a general rule of thumb, I’m just not really attracted to the genre all that much. Hopefully this might be the show to finally lure me in. Here’s hoping.

Hetalia Axis Powers II:

Synopsis: Based on a popular web-released manga series by Hidekazu Himaruya, this has been described as a “cynical gag” story set in Europe in the years between WW1 and WW2 (1915-1939), using exaggerated caricatures of the different nationalities as portrayed by a gaggle of bishōnen. For example, the Italia Veneziano character is into pasta and women.

My Two Cents: I never caught onto this series. It’s quirky, and it seems to be aimed at the female demographic. I just don’t get it.

Princess Lover

Synopsis: Arima Teppei lost his parents in a traffic accident. His grandfather Isshin adopted him by force and ordered him to succeed the head of Arima Group Corporation. At Shuuhou Gakuen, a high school only for wealthy students, Teppei’s new life as a celebrity starts.

My Two Cents: Unless the initial reviews praise this show for being fresh and entertaining, count me out. We’ve seen shows like this time and time again. Enough already, I’m tired of the bland same old. Give me something new damn it.

Not Interested at All:

Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!!

Synopsis: Meet Plug, an unusual girl from a parallel world. Plug is a “Juuden-chan,” capable of “recharging” people down on their luck, spreading good cheer wherever she goes!

My Two Cents: No. Just no.

Weiss Schwarz

Synopsis: The manga creator Takuya Fujima has announced in a Tuesday blog entry that a television anime adaptation of the Weiß Survive card game manga has been green-lit. The story follows the main characters Takeshi and Michi as they get lost in the Card Battle world and have to win card battles to return home. Nobuhisa Nakamoto will voice the hero Takeshi, and Izumi Kitta will play the heroine Michi.

My Two Cents: It’s not the card game aspect that bugs me, or the overly generic moemoe style animation. It’s the no name staff, no name cast, weak source material, and two minutes per episode, that really grinds my gears. Yeah, count me out.

Well that’s my short little preview thus far. I’ll be sure to make one final version of this post a week before the Summer season kicks off. I’ll add all the bells and whistles then, but for now this is just my two cents.

An apocalyptic look at what would happen if an earthquake of a magnitude 7.0 or greater were to hit Tokyo.

Mirai, a middle school freshman girl who goes to Tokyo’s artificial Odaiba Island for a robot exhibition with her brother Yutaka at the start of summer vacation. A powerful tremor emanates from an ocean trench, the famed Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge crumble and fall, and the landscape of Tokyo changes in an instant. With the help of a motorcycle delivery woman named Mari who they meet on Odaiba, Mirai and Yutaka strive to head back to their Setagaya home in western Tokyo.

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