The 2008 Spring Season Preview, Pt. 3
Now ends our three-part 2008 spring season preview. I wouldn’t necessarily say we saved “the best for last” but there are some interesting ones in here that have caught my eye. Four of those being Itazura na Kiss, Amatsuki, Blassreiter, and Himitsu - Top Secret. My blogging choices here aren’t as plentiful as they were in the first two parts but things can change once all the first episodes are seen which has happened countless times.
Thats said, the the jump to see our thoughts for the final few shows of the 2008 spring season.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 8th
OP: “Kokoro Film (ココロフィルム)” by ALvino
ED: “Kemuri (煙)” by Makichang
Production: MADHOUSE
The story takes place five decades from now, when brain scanners have been perfected to the point that the government can retrieve up to five years’ worth of memories from people’s minds — even if they are dead. The investigators of the National Research Institute of Police Science’s 9th Forensics Laboratory must weigh the ethical choices in the ultimate invasion of privacy as they delve into people’s minds to solve crimes.
Thoughts
Leon: Do I sense a mind-f*ck anime here? Whatever it is already has an interesting summary. The character designs aren’t what I’m used to seeing…but the same thing can be said about Kaiba, especially since MADHOUSE is doing both of these shows. Anyway, I’m up for some mind-diving!
Youko:
You gotta be kidding me…
Someone call me when there’s a show that’s not set in the future.
Blade: It has a great premise that seems thought-provoking. Please make it a good show and don’t waste the potential it has, guys!
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 10th
OP: “Kimi = Hana (君＝花)” by pigstar
ED: “Baby Romantica (ベイビーロマンチカ)” by SCRIPT
Production: Studio DEEN
Misaki is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami, has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys, Usami is a famous novelist who also writes steamy boys’ love novels on the side. When Misaki cracks open one of these books and reads sentences like “Misaki licks every inch of Usami’s hot body”…well, let’s just say that all hell breaks loose.
Thoughts
Leon: Leon doesn’t do yaoi. Why? Leon isn’t yaoi-bait. Yaoi or shounen-ai, which ever you prefer to call it, just isn’t my thing unless it’s a joke. Not to mention most of the characters, especially the older guy looks friggin creepy. So, this gets a “nope” from me.
Youko:
Um, okay, it’s at least not futuristic.
(Who the hell put this on the list anyway, Leon?)
Blade: YAOI ALERT! There are already enough shows I’m interested in so this one is out. Still let’s see… the director of Higurashi is behind the show, so it can’t be that bad. Still, I heard some horror stories about this one, so… I’ll let others do the research for me.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 5th
OP: “Kimi, Meguru, Boku (キミ、メグル、ボク)” by Motohiro Hata
ED: “Kataomoi Fighter (片思いファイター)” by GO!GO!7188
Production: TMS Entertainment
Based on a shoujo manga by Tada Kaoru serialised in Margaret.
It was love at first sight for Aihara Kotoko as top student Irie Naoki delivers a speech on the first day of high school. After 2 years of secret admiration, “I don’t want it” is the rejection she gets when she plucks up enough courage to hand him a love letter. Dejected, Kotoko vows to give him up. By a twist of fate, Kotoko’s house collapses; her dad and her put up at a friend’s place, who happens to be Naoki’s father. And thus, life with Naoki begins and Kotoko’s love for Naoki rekindles again. Much laughter ensues when scatterbrain Kotoko makes her countless advances (supported by Naoki’s wacky mum) on ice-cold Naoki who hates girls and is a genius at practically everything from studies to sports.
Itazura na Kiss tells the love story of Kotoko and Naoki from their days as high school students to their marriage. The story continues after the marriage as they continue to grow as a couple.
Thoughts
Leon: This seems like a good replacement for true tears. What I’m really liking about this is the fact that the story, or at least their relationship spans 10 years and shows them growing as a couple. Not many romances out there do this so Itazura na Kiss has me hooked with that particular plot point so far.
Youko:
I admit, I actually want to see how this one is like. Nothing too fancy and doesn’t sound very shallow.
Blade: This isn’t the first love story we are going to have this spring, but it has the most potential. Mainly because the show spans over 10 years, which is a good device for the writers to come up with an effective character-development. This, however, doesn’t necessarily result in a good show making, so I’ll watch out just to be safe.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 12th
OP: “Chōsai Kenbo Sengen (超妻賢母宣言)” by MOSAIC.WAV
ED: “Kyōran Senki~Nichijō no Kamisama~ (狂乱戦記 ～日常ノ神サマ～)” by Ayumi Fujimura
Production: Nomad
About 1,000 years ago, there was a creature called “Enka”. Enka was very powerful and almost ruined the world with destruction and holocaust. Human beings were in danger of extinction. The survivors banded together against Enka, and they managed to defeat it. However, Enka left a ominous curse before its death.
“My child, sleeping where no one knows, will wake up 1,000 years later, and it will succeed my will to ruin the world.”
2063 AD: Several children that are potential heirs of Enka are discovered via DNA testing. However, even with the latest technology, no one can identify the true child with certainty.
Therefore, the Japanese Imperial Agency for Supernatural Phenomena, which handles supernatural phenomena and abnormal life forms, launches an operation.
OPERATION: Peaceful Family
They gather potential children of Enka into one place to watch each other and find the true child. Also, they expect that the child will develop a love of family while it is living as a member of a family, and that he/she will feel reluctant to kill his/her family, i.e. by destroying the world.
The person who plays the role of the father is Midarezaki Ohka. He works for the agency, and was chosen to be the father before he was aware of it. The mother is Kyoka, a possible child of Enka. Add to this five possible children and a strange family life begins.
Thoughts
Leon: This is an odd one. So odd that I don’t even know what to say. The synopsis that I read does sound interesting but it made my head hurt. In a good way. I’ll check this out just to see what it does for me. One good thing about this show is that MOSAIC.WAV is doing the OP theme!
Youko: Okay, I just read the word “enka.” Now, my first thought was, this is a show about singing enka? Could this have been the result of Jero-san’s modern enka music?! No? Okay good. So now in essence, it’s like these children have Marlocks? I’m on the fence with this one, especially since it’s um… yeah, I won’t bother going into the setting yet again.
Blade: Neko-mimi, moe, chibi, all those words come up when I saw the scan for this show. Nothing is known on the show, and because of that, and its first impression, I won’t bother looking more into it.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 7th
OP: “Joy to the World” by Hiroki Takahashi, Toru Ohkawa, Masaya Onosaka and Daisuke Ono
ED: “Aiai Kasa” by Tegomass
Production: Yumeta Company
A girl named Angelique attends an all-girls school wanting to become a doctor to help people. However, creatures called “Thanatos” that drain the life out of things appear. With that, our heroine, with various other guardian, attempts to dispel these malicious creatures.
Thoughts
Leon: How many of these have there been? I hardly remember any of the previous ones being subbed or anything. It appears to be standalone but I could be dead wrong on that one. Normally I wouldn’t watch something like this but if there are subs I will check it out just for the girl.
Youko: Okay, so it’s about a little girl fighting some Spanish folklores? Uh…never mind. Not sure how I’ll deal with this.
Blade: Reverse Harem shows are for those who like their romance show out of character, as in seeing beautiful bi-shounen guys prancing in skimpy outfits and seeking one girl. Eh… No.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 3rd
OP: -
ED: -
Production: Studio DEEN
Yuri Shibuya is an average high school student whose passion in life is baseball. That is until he intervenes in the bullying of a classmate, Ken Murata, and gets his head dunked in a toilet. Surprisingly he is sucked into the toilet, and ends up in another world. When he reaches dry land, he sees some people dressed in medieval costume and speaking in some weird vernacular. He assumes that it is a theme park of some sort. The people seem to be fightened by him, pelt him with rocks, and begin to form a small mob. He’s rescued by Adalbert von Grantz who uses some form of magic so Yuri understands the local language. Konrad Weller and Günter von Christ then rescue Yuri and take him to Blood Pledge Castle, the residence of the Maoh, where he soon finds out he is the new Maou or Demon King will rule over the Shin Makoku (”New Demon Kingdom”) (眞魔国).
Thoughts
Leon: Well, I haven’t seen the first or second seasons so it’s safe to say I won’t be seeing this one. Next.
Youko: Never touched this show since the beginning. Nope.
Blade: I haven’t watched any of the other seasons, but if it gets a third season, I guess there’s a decent reason why it did. I won’t blog it, but I may watch the other seasons… That is if I can survive the shounen-ai elements.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 5th
OP: “Casting Dice” by Yuuki Kanno
ED: “Namae no Nai Michi (名まえのない道)” by Kaori Hikita
Production: Studio DEEN
Based on the shoujo manga by Takayama Shinobu, serialised in Comic Zero-Sum.
History isn’t Tokidoki’s strong subject. He’s even forced to do make-up work at a high-tech history museum to bring up his failing grades. After losing an eye to a virtual reality monster in an Edo-period simulation, he finds himself unable to leave the game. Could it be real?
Thoughts
Leon: This seems like something I can get into. It seems like it’ll be similar to .hack and that’s a good thing. I’ll be watching but not likely to blog it.
Youko: Wait, the guy’s name is Tokidoki? As in “sometimes”? Um okay, these descriptions are getting more ludicrous than I imagined. So it’s some type of virtual reality thing with more eye problems. Hey, at least it’s set in Edo… I think.
Blade: This sounds a little too cheesy for my taste, but Studio Deen is behind the helm, and I don’t recall they done anything bad in recent years. I’ll give it a chance, a slim one.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: March 14th
OP: -
ED: -
Production: Studio Izena
When three complete strangers, Mishiba Toki, Nakajyo Nobuto and Saitoh Kazuo, are hired by a corporation to compete in the Bus Game, an illegal dog-fight conducted in strict secrecy, they are given the team code of “Team AAA” (Triple Anonymous). This group of three who differ entirely from their living environments to their personalities have to work together effectively, but without mutually wiping out their mistrust of each other or prying into each other’s privacy. They only have one point in common - each of them need a large amount of money for their individual circumstances. To get the money, they must play in the game despite their very own lives being at stake.
Thoughts
Leon: The first episode is out but I have yet to watch it. I’ll eventually get around to it but at the moment it’s not high on my priority list.
Youko: Okay, I watched the first episode and things went down a bit too fast and weird for me. First off, the 17-year old annoys the crap outta me. These other two guys seem like pricks too. The only thing they all have in common is no explained reason of wanting a billion… yen, is it? Don’t think it was all that interesting to me.
Blade: Once the OVAs are all out, I’ll watch this. It is popular among manga readers so why not? Just the premise makes me giddy.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 11th
OP: -
ED: -
Production: The Answer Studio Co., Ltd.
Based on the long-running action adult manga by Takao Saito.
Golgo 13 has been called a Japanese counterpart to James Bond, except with a darker character, a much more hardcore attitude towards sex, and a complete lack of morality. Golgo 13 is described as a mystery man of undetermined origin, possibility being at least part Japanese, who takes any assignment for any employer (it has been said he has worked for the CIA and the KGB) as long as the right price is given and will always fulfill his contracts, even if he has two or more opposing contracts at the same time. He is an uncanny sharpshooter, with near 100% accuracy and capable of lethal trick shooting, and regularly uses a customized, scoped M-16 rifle in his assassinations. He also is a heavy smoker of cigars.
Thoughts
Leon: So apparently this guy is a BAMF. For those who don’t know what that means Golgo is a Badass Motherf***er. I’ve been meaning to check out the movies as well. Depending on if someone subs this and if I need to know watch the past stuff (which I doubt), I’ll be checking it out for sure.
Youko: Hey, doesn’t sound too shabby, but I could be wrong. I’ll see how this fairs before complete judgment.
Blade: I don’t know why, but this seems like a very popular franchise in Japan I am not aware of. It even had NES games, seriously. Even so, I hope this one has substance to support its so-called “Legacy”.
ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
Airdate: April 5th
OP: “Detarame na Zanzō (デタラメな残像)” by GRANRODEO
ED: “sad rain” by Aki Misato
Production: Nitroplus, GONZO
Set in the near-future, in a town in Germany. There have been incidents of dead people coming back to life, transforming into “grotesque shadows”, and attacking people. Living people show up who can transform themselves into demons whenever they want. They used to be regular humans, but when they gained this power to transform, people rejected them and called them demons. But they still use their powers, each for his own reason. However, they cannot deny their fate: to fight in a deadly battle royal with others who have turned into demons.
Thoughts
Leon: With Nitroplus along side GONZO on this, it seems like it’ll be a great effort. The animation and character designs look great and is sure to be pure-action eye-candy. I’m quite interested in the pink-haired girl at the moment. As for the main guy, he looks kinda like Hei from Darker than BLACK if you ask me…
Youko: Does “near-future” count as anything? Okay, sorry for having so much hate towards these. Maybe it’s just me again. Anyhoo, it at least has something else going for it, that being these um “grotesque shadow” things. A bit of an alien invasion thing I guess. If it’s any good I might give it a shot.
Blade: Thanks to the combined “effort” of Rosario+Vampire and Dragonaut, it’s hard to respect Gonzo like we did back in the Chrono Crusade days. The premise is already cliched enough to make me pass this one. At least it has a song by GRANRODEO, which I bet I’m the only person who cares about that minor detail.
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Kyouran Kazoku Nikki — I’m looking forward to seeing what this anime will bring since the plot reminds me of Suzumiya Haruhi, plus Kamisama Kazoku, which for both anime I enjoyed watching a lot.
[...] Kita ze Inbou! - ãã¿ãé°è¬! wrote an interesting post today on The 2008 Spring Season Preview, Pt. 3Here’s a quick excerpt Now ends our three-part 2008 spring season preview. I wouldn’t necessarily say we saved “the best for last” but there are some interesting ones in here that have caught my eye. Four of those being Itazura na Kiss, Amatsuki, Blassreiter, and Himitsu - Top Secret. My blogging choices here aren’t as plentiful as they were in the first two parts but things can change once all the first episodes are seen which has happened countless times. Thats said, the the jump to see our thoughts for the fi [...]