Akaihane

The new Spring anime season is starting, so I guess it’s about time for me to start planning my viewing schedule for the next few months.

The Winter season was quite disappointing for me and I only picked up a single fansub, Nodame Cantabile, and now looking at a few things starting this April, I’m actually kind of thankful. It does look like it’s going to be a pretty good season. Of course that could mean an overload, as I’m still following a number of series from previous seasons, and only one is due to end sometime soon, Code Geass. (Though the subs of Hataraki Man, which finished in Japan back in December, are starting to pick up, so that will hopefully be off the list very soon.) A few of the other series (Mari~mite OAV, Mai Otome Zwei and Genshiken) are OAVs, so one episode of those every few months isn’t that hard to deal with. But I was hoping to get through a few more oldies, such as Sailor Moon S and SuperS (thankfully I’ve seen Stars), do a little rewatching and to get through a few more of those DVDs I’ve had on the shelves for a while (such as the Boggiepop Phantom box set I got from ADV at the London Expo in October).

But I shouldn’t be complaining when the Spring season looks worthly of the time investiment. If need be, some things can wait ^______^

When it comes to selecting new anime to watch, the first thing I go on is the visual style of the animation. It is anime after all, and if I don’t like the look of the animation, well, there isn’t much point picking the series up. The second criteria is that the story must capture my imagination in some way. Thirdly, before I make my final decision, I have a look over the crew and companies involved, mostly the director, the animation production company and then the voice actors. In some cases, the style and story will reel me in, but in cases where I can’t decide, the cast and crew become the main factor of whether to pick it up or forget about it.

Title: LoveCom (Lovely Complex)
Animation Studio: Toei Animation
Genre: Shoujo, Romance, Comedy
Opening Theme: Kimi + Boku = Love? by Tegomass
Ending Theme: Kiss ~ Kaerimichi no Love Song by Tegomass
Director: Kônosuke Uda
Seiyuu: Akemi Okamura, Akira Nagata, Fujiko Takimoto, Junichi Suwabe, Kae Araki, Kazuko Kojima

Official Website: LoveCom @ Toei; LoveCom @ TBS
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: Risa and Otani are always being laughed at as the comedy duo. Risa, a girl, is taller than the average girl, and Otani, a boy, is shorter than the average boy. The two are always bickering and even their teacher sees them as a comedy act. But as their friendship develops, so does Risa’s feelings toward Otani. (Taken from ANN)

Chances: Definite

With the number of shounen series I’m watching, I think I’ll need a little bit of high school shoujo romance to balance things out, and this certainly looks to be the best choice. I’ve been familiar with the LoveCom manga and live-action movie for a while and, although have never had the chance to check it out, have always liked the story; it really does sound like a riot. The cast also look great, and the crew have some good shoujo credits to there name, such as Sailor Moon and Gokinjo Monogatari. But the main element that has put this show on the watch list for me is the cute and colourful visual style of the anime and the character design. Really can’t wait for this one.

Title: El Cazador de la Bruja
Animation Studio: Bee Train
Genre: Action
Opening Theme: Hikari no Yukue by savage genius
Ending Theme: romanesque by FictionJunction YUUKA
Director: Koichi Mashimo
Music: Yuki Kajiura
Seiyuu: Ai Shimizu, Shizuka Itou, Aya Hisakawa, Fumihiko Tachiki, Kenta Miyake, Mamoru Miyano, Marina Inoue, Shinichiro Miki

Official Website: Elcazador.tv
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: Ellis, a young girl suspected of murdering a prominent physicist Heinrich Schneider, is on the run from an underground society called “Hunters” when she is tracked down by the bounty hunter Nadi in a small Mexican town. However, instead of turning her in, Nadi impulsively decides to help her and the two girls embark on a journey to Ellis’ hometown, where they plan on finding clues about her past. From there, they travel south to search for the mysterious Gemstone of the Inca Rose, the “Eternal City” of Wiñay Marka, and Ellis’ own obscure destiny. (Taken from ANN)

Chances: Medium - Will try out the first episode.

I do like the sound of the story, and I adore Kajiura’s compositions, so there is no doubt that the music will be fantastic. The voice cast looks great, Ai Shimizu, Mamoru Miyano and Shinichiro Miki in particular for me. But unfortunately, regardless of these factors, even though I’ve tried a number of times, I’ve never been able to get through a Bee Train series; I can’t help but find the animation poor and the composition slow and tedious. And one of my biggest anime disappointments over the last few years was their woeful adaption of one of my favourite manga, Tsubasa. And as the director and character designer are the same people here, I worry this would be a disappointment as well.

Title: Hitohira
Animation Studio: XEBEC M2
Genre: Romance, Shoujo, Slice of Life
Opening Theme: Yume, Hitohira by Yuuko Asami
Ending Theme: Smile by Mai Mizuhashi
Director: Akira Nishimori
Seiyuu: Ayako Kawasumi, Orie Kimoto, Daisuke Kishio, Emi Yabusaki, Ken Narita, Kyoko Hikami, Miho Miyagawa, Satsuki Yukino

Official Website: Hitohira
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: Transfer student Asai Mugi is a painfully shy girl, so much so that she can’t even speak when she becomes nervous. But despite this, she somehow is roped into joining the school’s drama club.

Chances: Medium - Will try out the first episode.

This series looks pretty cute and I’m always up for a little more shoujo on top of LoveCom, but I don’t really know enough about the series or the manga to know if it’s going to be a generic school shoujo or something remarkable. There are a number of strong voice actors, notably Satsuki Yukino, one of my personal favourites, but this may not be enough to keep my interest. So it will all hinge on the first episode or two.

Title: Darker than BLACK - Kuro no Keiyakusha
Animation Studio: BONES
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Opening Theme: HOWLING by abingdon boys school
Ending Theme: Tsukiakari by Rie fu
Director: Tensai Okamura
Music: Yoko Kanno-sama!
Seiyuu: Hidenobu Kiuchi, Ikuya Sawaki, Masaru Ikeda, Misato Fukuen

Official Website: D-Black.net; D-Black @ MBS
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: In Tokyo, an impenetrable field known as “Hell’s Gate” appeared ten years ago. At the same time, psychics who wield paranormal powers at the cost of their conscience also emerged. Hei is one of the most powerful of these psychic agents, and along with his blind associate, Yin, works for one of the many rival agencies vying to unlock the mysteries of Hell’s Gate. (Taken from ANN)

Chances: Definite

You couldn’t really ask for a better line-up than the above. With staff from such amazing series as Cowboy Bebop and Wolf’s Rain to name a few, there is no indecision, and I will watch anything that Yoko Kanno is involved in (yes, a little bit of a weird statement, watching anime for the music). I also adore BONES; they are one of a handful of companies you can be sure of always having near perfection animation. I’m also delighted by the choices for the OP and ED, particually Rie fu as I’ve been listening to her Rose album innumeral times over the past few months. There is absolutely nothing to stop me from tuning into this series and I’m sure it will be the talk of the summer.

Title: Idol Master XENOGLOSSIA
Animation Studio: Bandai Visual, Sunrise
Genre: Mecha, Sci-Fi
Opening Theme: Binetsu S.O.S!! by Miyuki Hashimoto
Ending Theme: Yuukyuu no Tabibito~Dear boy by Snow
Director: Tatsuyuki Nagai
Music: Tsuneyoshi Saito
Seiyuu: Yui Horie, Yuka Iguchi, Yukari Tamura, Ami Koshimizu, Eri Kitamura, Kaori Nazuka, Kaori Shimizu, Mai Nakahara, Akira Ishida, Yukana

Official Website: Idolmaster @ SUNRISE
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: The show centers around mecha and reimagines the ten prospective idols as fighter pilots of those robots, eight of them also posing as students. The large robots in this case are called iDOLS and their pilots are called Idolmasters. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Chances: Medium - Will try out the first episode.

I knew from the first glace that this would be a SUNRISE series as the style is near identical to so many of the series they have produced in the past that I’ve watched. But even though the animation may be familar it will no doubt be of a good quality. And although the story as well has a bit of a deja-vu feeling to it, they do the whole mecha + girls thing well; I love Mai HiME, and enjoyed Mai Otome to a lesser extent. The voice cast looks really good and the crew has been involved in a lot of great shows such as Honey & Clover and Mushishi. But I am still unsure about watching the series in case it doesn’t have substance of it’s own and turns out to feel like a rehash of what has come before. I’m also not to sure if I’m really interested in a show about pop idols.

Title: Claymore
Animation Studio: Madhouse Studios
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen
Ending Theme: Danzai no Hana~Guilty Sky by Riyu Kosaka
Director: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Seiyuu: Houko Kuwashima, Motoki Takagi, Romi Paku

Official Website: Claymore @ Avex
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: In this world, from ancient times, people were eaten by beings called ‘youma’. For a long time, people lived without any means to counter them. However, a half-human, half-youma female warrior was born… Female soldiers known as ‘Claymore’ who, with silver eyes that can see through to the true form of ‘youma’, and carry a large sword as a weapon, continue to battle those which people have named ‘youma’. (Taken from ANN)

Chances: Most likely

This is probably the first anime of this season I was interested in as I recognised the name and the main character due to a familarity to the manga its based upon. It is produced by MADHOUSE, one of my all-time favourite animation companies, and I love what I have seen of the style so far. Romi Paku (Ed from Fullmetal Alchemist, Nana O from NANA) ) is also playing one of the main characters, which can only be a big bonus. But I haven’t quite been able to put it in the definite pile yet, so I will need to test out the first few episode to see if there is enough to keep me interested.

Title: Romeo x Juliet
Animation Studio: GONZO
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Opening Theme: Inori ~You Raise Me Up~ by Lena Park
Director: Fumitoshi Oisaki
Music: Hitoshi Sakimoto
Seiyuu: Fumie Mizusawa, Takahiro Mizushima, Aya Hisakawa, Ayako Kawasumi, Hirofumi Nojima, Kouji Ishii

Official Website: RomeJuli.jp
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: This is a story of a young and tragic love, set in the aerial city of Neo Verona. Tyranny rules this island in the sky after the Montague family took control 14 years prior. The disparity among the wealthy and poor is apparent in the present state, the earth dries and water stagnates. The sky itself is wrapped in a deep dense fog. Both Romeo and Juliet’s lineages are of present and past ruling families of Neo Verona. Romeo is the son of the current Montague dictator, Juliet (a beautiful woman) masquerades as a man (Odin); she’s the last descendent of Capulet the previous rulers who were killed by an assasin’s dagger 14 years ago. Her true background is not to be revealed to her until her 16th birthday while being raised by her sister. The cruel hands of fate introduces two people who will become “Star Crossed Lovers”. (Taken from ANN)

Chances: Most likely

Without a doubt, this is one of the big shows of the season. Not only is it an original turn on one of the best known tales out there, one I adore, it is a GONZO production, and the animation does look gorgeous in all its medieval splendor. But then, unfortunately the name GONZO doesn’t mean we are guaranteed greatness; they have a habit of either producing amazing or dire anime, which is one of the main reasons this show isn’t on the definite list for me. I’m intrigued by the original elements of the storyline, Verona being an island in the sky, Juliet an orphen as well as a fighter and hope that these changes will refresh such a famous romance rather than be to its detriment. The first few episodes will need to prove these points to be before I commit.

The OP is a cover of a song I unfortunately know best from the Westlife release, though thankfully with the preview on the official website, this version sounds much more pleasant to the ears.

Title: Bokurano
Animation Studio: GONZO
Genre: Horror, Mecha, Sci-Fi
Opening Theme: Uninstall by Chiaki Ishikawa
Ending Theme: Little Bird by Chiaki Ishikawa
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
Music: Yuuji Nomi
Seiyuu: Akira Ishida, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Ao Takahashi, Haruka Tomatsu, Hiroki Touchi, Junko Minagawa, Kana Asumi, Kenichi Suzumura, Kenji Nojima, Tomokazu Sugita

Official Website: Bokurano.jp
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: On a typical day during a summer vacation, a group of 15 children discovered a mysterious man living in a seashore cave, along with his high-tech gadgets. The man claimed to be a game developer creating a video game with 15 giant robots defending Earth from alien invaders and asked those children to test the game for him. The kids agreed happily at first, but soon they began to find the game horrifying, not only because of its realism but also for the first fatality among them happened right after their first victory. Worse yet, they had no idea how to stop or leave the “game.” (Taken from ANN)

Chances: Most likely

One of the first manga I bought was Shadow Star/Narutaru, so this series, coming from the same manga-ka, is an instant draw for me. Once again it is from GONZO, which means there is little doubt of the animation quality, but also that it could be a hit or a miss. I’m am happy to see, though, that the CGI here does merge a little cleaner into the animation than some of their previous works.

Title: Seirei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sarced Spirit)
Animation Studio: Production I.G.
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Opening Theme: Shine by L’Arc-en-Ciel
Ending Theme: Itoshii Hito e by Sachi Tainaka
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Music: Kenji Kawai
Seiyuu: Mabuki Andou, Naoto Adachi, Ako Mayama, Atsushi Ono, Emi Shinohara, Hirofumi Nojima, Hiroshi Naka, Kenichi Mochizuki

Official Website: Seirei no Moribito @ NHK; Moribito.com
ANN Info: Visit

Synopsis: Once every 100 years, a Water Fairy implants an egg into a person who then becomes the Guardian of Fairies. This time, the responsibility falls on Chagumu, the second prince of the New Yogo Kingdom.

Chagumu’s life isn’t easy. The king finds Chagumu an inconvenience and attempts to have him killed. As a result, the queen asks a female guard, Valsa, to protect Chagumu. In addition to this, beings from another world, known as Nayugu, constantly attack him in order to eat the egg carried in Chagumu’s body. (Taken from AnimeNFo.com)

Chances: Most likely

Being a Production I.G. series is an immediate positive for this series, and from the trailers and images, they have worked their magic here again as it looks wonderful. We also have an amazing director on board who before has worked on such greats as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Jin-Roh, and writers from such projects as Blood+, Le Chevalier D’Eon and the Casshern live-action movie. Music comes from the prolific Kenji Kawai who was the composer for the live-action movies as Dark Water and Death Note and anime Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor. It’s also great to know that L’Arc-en-Ciel are still involved in themes for anime series.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just the series that sparked an interest with me. For a list of anime starting in Japan this Spring, please check out the FanSub Wiki. I’d love to hear what everyone else is watching, their opinions on what I’m thinking of tuning into, and if they have any recommendations.