Anime 2008 - Attack of the Sequels!
TO WATCH:
Hatenkou Yuugi
Plot: Girl is told to go on journey, meets guy, they travel together... it's a road anime.
Why I Want To See It: I've been craving shoujo lately. I just really like the "person/group travels and meets people" thing. It also helps that I really enjoy the casting of the three main chracters (Sanae Kobayashi, Takehiro Sakurai, and Shinichiro Miki).
Major (Season Four)
Plot: Goro + Baseball + America + ...Romance?!
Why I Want To See It: Because Major is awesome. I'm really excited for this season because I hear there will be some romance.
Shigofumi
Plot: Angel girl and her talking staff deliever letters from the dead.
Why I Want To See It: The whole thing makes me thing of Kino's Journey and Shinigami no Ballad mixed together. (I think the Kino thing mostly comes from the talking inanimate object and Kouhaku Kuroboshi's original character designs.)
Ookami to Koushinryou
Plot: Traveling salesman finds wolf goddess in his wagon. They travel.
Why I Want To See It: OMG JUN FUKUYAMA! *coughs* I mean um... I've read a few chapters of the manga based on the novels and I really like the characters. It's another road anime for this season.
TO THINK ABOUT:
Persona: trinity soul
Plot: Based on a video game I haven't played.
Why I Might Want To See It: Not playing the game has never stopped me before... and this season is light on shows. If I hear some positive things (and that I can follow it fairly well without the games) then I might give it a go.
Yatterman
Plot: A boyfriend/girlfriend team try to stop the badguys.
Why I Might Want To See It: I've never seen the original and I pretty much glossed over this before. But I saw the commerical for it and I really like the bright, colorful, cheesy 70s feel it had. It probably won't get subbed, but if it does I might give it a try.
SEQUELS:
(They get a special section since I'm either not done with the season(s) that came before or I'm sure when I'll get around to them.)
Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Plot: Itoshiki is still in dispair. His class is still weird. Nami is still normal.
Watching It Because: The first season was a really nicely done dark comedy. I loved the characters (poor Nami).
Minami-ke Okawari
Plot: The three Minami sisters go about their lives... now with different animation!
Watching It Because: I've really enjoyed the first season, but the change in crew makes me wonder how it will be.
Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino-
Plot: Cute girls shoot things while touching on deep, meaningful things.
Watching It Because: The first season wasnt' bad... I wasn't a huge fan (needed way more Claes), but I enjoyed it well enough. The complete change in cast and crew makes me even more wary though.
Aria the Origination
Plot: Cute girls + Gondolas + Warm and Fuzzies
Watching It Because: I love and hate Aria. I love the characters and the feel of the show... but I always want to curl up and take a long cap after watcing more than two episodes at a time. Also this might just be the last series since the manga just ended.
That's all I've really got my eye on at the time. Something else might jump out at me based on word of mouth, but for now... this is what I've got. Alos everyone should see the H20: Footprints in the Sand PV. It's hilarious.
Fall is here and that means it's time for new anime series!
DEFINITELY WATCTHING
Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji
Plot: Man gambles.
Why I want to see it: Because it's from the mangaka and the team that brought us Akagi - one of the most badass series I've ever seen. I don't know if Kaiji will be as awesome (he looks a more nervous than totally badass), but I'm just looking forward to more of those awesome noses.
Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro
Plot: Demon acts as detective to eat people's mysteries.
Why I want to see it: I've heard some really good things about the manga. And I really like Neuro's character design (those eyes are awesome.) Also Takehito Koyasu as Neuro = Megas Awesome
Shakugan no Shana II
Plot: Tsundere Shana and Yuuji are back to kick more ass.
Why I want to see it: I ended up enjoying the first season way more than I thought I would. I really hope the second season is as enjoyable. (And here's hoping to way less Yoshida. >_>)
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
Plot: War. Tragedy. Gundam.
Why I want to see it: I've actually never seen a Gundam series so this will be a first for me. The staff alone is enough to catch my interest... director Seiji Mizushima (Full Metal Alchemist, Oh! Edo Rocket), writer Yousuke Kuroda (Honey & Clover, Gungrave, Hellsing OVA), music by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell films), and character designs by Yun Kouga (Loveless)... it can't be (that) bad, right?
Genshiken 2
Plot: The continuing adventures of the coolest group of nerds ever.
Why I want to see it: Because it's Genshiken. (Also Madarame.)
Moyashimon
Plot: College can talk to germs.
Why I want to see it: 1. It's noitaminA. 2. It just sounds really, really neat.
Ghost Hound
Plot:Supernatural series about three boys who can let their souls cross into the Unseen World.
Why I want to see it: I'm a pretty big sucker for supernatural stuff. Plus it was created by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell) and has the director of Kino's Journey and Lain (which I will watch someday) working on it.
THE MAYBE PILE
Suteki Tantei Labyrinth
Plot: Boy solves mysteries.
Why I might want to see it: I'm also a sucker for mysteries. Also having Junichi Suwabe and Katsuyuki Konishi in the cast helps greatly.
Dragonaut: The Resonance
Plot: Boy meets girl with dragons and massive boobs.
Why I might want to see it: I'm not really sure. Maybe it's the part of me that craves cheese... maybe it's the part of me that's swayed by good character designs and a nice voice cast. I'm not really sure.
Rental Magica
Plot: Boy inherits magic shop.
Why I might want to see it: I really like the art for the novels and it looks like it could be a fun little series.
MAYBE WATCH WHEN THEY'RE DONE
Bamboo Blade
Plot: Man attempts to make female kendo team.
Why I might want to see it: I've heard mixed things about the manga, but I haven't heard anything that totally turns me off and the writer has worked on some series I greatly enjoyed (Read or Die, Now and Then, Here and There) so that's a plus for it.
Blue Drop
Plot: Something about aliens.
Why I might want to see it: I've heard some positive things about the first episode and I'm always open for a good shoujo-ai series.
KimiKiss Pure Rouge
Plot: Boy wants to kiss someone... lucky for him there are six female candidates for "someone."
Why I might want to see it: The director is Kenichi Kasai (Honey & Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Major)
Jyuushin Enbu -HERO TALES-
Plot: A boy, his sister, and his friend go after a sword that was stolen from him in ancient China.
Why I might want to see it: It was created by Hiromu Arakawa (Full Metal Alchemist.) The manga is very new and it will definitely go out in it's own direction, but Arakawa can create some really awesome characters. Here's hoping it's good.
The summer anime season is pretty much here and with it comes some interesting (and most likely short) titles. And totally ignoring the fact that I picked up way too many series in the spring... here's what I'm looking forward to.
Tetsuko no Tabi
Plot: Man loves trains. Man travels on trains. Man drags sane manga-ka across country as he rides trains.
Why I want to see it: Aside from Nobuyuki Hiyama as the train otaku, there's just something that I can't quite put my finger on that makes me want to watch it. I don't know how long it can hold my interest though.
ZOMBIE-LOAN
Plot: Girl with Shinigami eyes gets involved with her zombie hunting classmates.
Why I want to see it: Rozen Maiden is the only Peach-Pit title I've been exposed to and I really liked it... so I figured "What's the harm?" The voice cast looks good and I really like the character designs... two big pluses.
Mushi-Uta
Plot: Something about bugs that eat dreams and give out super powers.
Why I want to see it: The first thing about Mushi-Uta that caught my eye was the art for the novels. I loved it. Add on to the fact that writer for the has worked on some of my favorite series including School Rumble, Major and Ghost Hunt. If handled correctly this could turn out to be a very interesting series.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Plot: Depressed teacher wants to die. Overly optomistic student prevents this.
Why I want to see it: The premise just sounds good to me. The only thing that makes me want to move away from it is the presence of the most annoying voice I have ever heard... Yuko Goto (a.k.a. Mikuru in Haruhi. Thankfully it has Hiroshi Kamiya (Takemoto, Honey & Clover) and Marina Inoue (Yoko, Gurren-Lagann) too.
Zero no Tsukaima ~Futatsuki no Kishi~
Plot: Season two of Harry Potter: The Anime! I mean... another season filled with loli tsundere, Guiche, and horse whips.
Why I want to see it: Despite my initial thoughts I ended up loving the first season. It was just fun. Hopefully the second season will be just as fun when they toss in Louise's sisters.
Mononoke
Plot: A kickass and nameless man(?) travels around kicking supernatural ass.
Why I want to see it: I'm a massive noitaminA fan. I caught Ayakashi earlier this year and I loved the Bakeneko arc. The animation style was a delight and the medicine seller character was highly interesting. I'm so looking forward to this one.
Baccano!
Plot: Something about alchemists and the 1930s...
Why I want to see it: It just looks cool. There's a pretty big cast of characters (and some awesome voice talent like Keiji Fujiwara, Masaya Onosaka, and Norio Wakamoto) and a big group of some kickass things in this series (alchemist and mobsters and ghosts - Oh my!) This has the potential to be a lot of fun.
I don't know how many of these I'll actually end up watching, but I'll probably make another post in a few weeks after I've had a chance to check out the first episodes of most them.
