This is a guest post by ByrnedHead, because I didn’t feel like doing all this. I will, however, certify that Bokurano is going to be awesome. Any unrecognizable references are ADTRW jokes.
I’ve boldfaced the titles I deem “important,” and I fully expect the best show to be something I’ve completely neglected here. As usual, all information is from Moon Phase, PukiWiki, and the ANN.
By the numbers
Shows starting in April: 43, give or take
Mecha shows: 7 (includes Bokurano and Idolmaster)
Shows featuring girls with swords: 7 (not including Murder Princess and the Shana movie)
Production I.G. shows: 3
Madhouse shows: 5
Gonzo shows: 4
Bones shows: 2
Sunrise shows: 1 (it’s Idolmaster)
Dates confirmed until they’re delayed:
3/3 Reideen – Production I.G. remakes the classic mecha anime.
3/3 Moonlight Mile – probably not a weekly TV show. Also, not Planetes.
3/17 Dai Mahou Touge – This is an OVA, what’s it doing in the TV section – I don’t know. It’s episode 4, anyway.
3/28 Hitohira – Ayako Kawasumi as the main character’s best friend in a show full of schoolgirls.
3/– Keitai Shoujo – Yes, that means “Cellphone Girl.” Directed by the director of Happy Seven.
4/1 Tengen Toppa Gurren-Laggan – Delayed from January. Gainax’s giant sunglasses mecha show.
4/1 GeGeGe no Kitarou – As previously mentioned, only actual Japanese people care about this.
4/1 Hayate the Combat Butler – Adapted from the moderately popular manga. PenguinMan reports: “More comedy than fanservice. Most of the fanservice in it was on the chapter title pages. The rest is all rapid-fire Muteki Kanban Musume-like gags. Also, they actually made cross-dressing funny.”
4/1 Heroic Age – Well I never, Hisashi Hirai character designs in a mecha show. By Xebec. Much to my dismay, the main character’s name really is “Age,” not the verb that means “to bump a thread on 2ch.”
4/1 Seto no Hanayome – The ANN summarizes the manga thusly: “A young boy gets saved from drowning by a mermaid but, according to mermaid law, if a human sees a mermaid’s true form, both have to be killed. The only solution to the problem is for him to marry her.” Gonzo’s involved somehow. Halko Momoi as the mermaid.
4/2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – No website, and probably for good reason. For all I know they’re just broadcasting one of the American series.
4/2 El Cazador de la Bruja – Name means “Witch Hunter” in Spanish. Bee Train (with Yuki Kajiura) does some western-themed fantasy adventure thing. In a surprising twist, it’s a Bee Train show about a duo of women searching for something.
4/3 Claymore – Madhouse adapts this manga, which is a action fantasy about women with swords. Looks highbrow enough to compete with Production I.G.’s show about well-armed women; whether it actually can compete is another story.
4/4 Gigantic Formula – In case you forgot from the winter thread, this is a mecha show where each mecha is designed by a different person, to represent a different country. Then they fight or something.
4/5 Bakugan Battle Brawlers – Some silly show to promote toys, move along.
4/5 Kotetsu Shin Jeeg – Remake/sequel of the classic Go Nagai anime.
4/6 Kami-chama Karin – Extremely saccharine name, extremely saccharine characters, based on an extremely saccharine manga. Doesn’t Satelight have better things to do, like, oh, the Hellsing OVA?
4/7 Emily of New Moon – Wholesome entertainment based on a novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables.
4/7 Guardian of the Sacred Spirit – The production team that made GITS:SAC does something completely different. Looks like a girl with a spear in a Chinese-flavored historical fantasy.
4/7 Saiunkoku Monogatari – Another season. Last I checked, the fansubbers haven’t finished the first one.
4/7 Blue Dragon – This anime brought to you by Microsoft. And Akira Toriyama. I don’t expect great things.
4/7 Keroro Gunsou – this frog don’t stop
4/12 Ookiku Furikabutte – Baseball.
4/12 Princess Resurrection – An anime about Go-go Yubari? OK, I don’t know. That’s what the website looks like. Another Madhouse manga adaptation. If it’s anything like this image, I’m all in favor of it.
4/14 Spider Riders – Nobody watches this, seriously
4/15 Agent Aika – Virgin Mission – pantyshots
4/28 The Skullman – Takeshi Mori and Bones (!) adapt a manga from the creator of Kamen Rider.
Sometime in April:
Sisters of Wellber – Period drama. Production I.G. is involved, but the ANN says that “Trans Arts Co.” is doing the animation. I don’t think Production I.G. actually has enough staff to do Reideen, Girl With Spear, and this, all at the same time. We’ll see.
Bokurano – Stay with me here – This is a mecha show, based on a manga from the creator of Narutaru, animated by Gonzo, but the director, character designer, and music composer are all straight out of Studio Ghibli. As for the plot, it has a lot of kids that will probably all end up dead.
Sugar Bunnies – No, it’s not a horrible harem show, it’s just promoting some stuffed animal merchandise.
Nagasarete Airantou – This is the horrible harem show.
Shinkyoku Soukai Polyphonica – Adaptation of an h-game from the creator of Scrapped Princess, I believe.
Darker Than Black – Both Bones shows have really silly names. This one has Yoko Kanno!
Towards the Terra – Adaptation of an old sci-fi manga. The plot sounds a bit dated.
Romeo & Juliet – Gonzo realized that Gankutsuou was successful, so they’re doing it again. A few things to keep in mind: none of the Gankutsuou team is working on this, and there really isn’t enough material in the play for a 20+ episode TV show. Juliet has a sword, though.
Lovely Complex – Romantic comedy manga has already been adapted into a live-action movie. Alert: Toei Animation.
Ooedo Rocket – No website, but the ANN says that it’s by Madhouse, and directed by the director of FMA. Other than that I know nothing.
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS – 26 more episodes of STAND BY READY.
Lucky Star – Kyoto Animation adapts a 4-panel comic strip about a bunch of girls in high school. It’s not Haruhi, and it probably won’t be Azumanga Daioh, either. MrVacBob said “sort of like a moe Genshiken.”
Idolm@aster Xenoglossia – fnord
Kaze no Stigma – Gonzo makes something that looks really generic. That chick sure does have a flaming sword!
Sola – I honestly have no idea, the website is strikingly uninformative. It has Mamiko Noto and Mai Nakahara in lead roles, though.
Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshi Tan – A prequel to some show that ran in 2003, with a lot of bishounen. One of the dudes has heterochromia.
Shining Tears – Based on some PS2 fantasy RPG, with character designs by internet superstar Tony Taka.
Touka Gettan – Harem, based loosely on actual hentai. I guess that’s sort of like how the Mezzo TV show was based on Mezzo Forte.
Kono Aozora ni Yakusoku wo – Some dating sim thing. For some reason the website has a webcomic on it.
OverDrive – Some sports thing, but I can’t actually tell what sport it is. Maybe boxing or something. Pity it isn’t [url]http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/view/91177
Victorian Romance Emma – Another season!
Kotetsu Sangokushi – “Sangokushi” means Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I think, but that male lead seems to have the super-arm thing from Scryed. Fancy costumes.
Sometime in May:
Dennou Coil – Looks like a weird drama from Madhouse about a bunch of kids. Originally slated to be a movie, now it’s a TV show, :psyduck:
Sometime in Spring:
Devil May Cry – Yeah, this is a good idea.
Tetsuko’s Trip – Looks weird. We’ll never see raws of it.
Wangan Midnight – No website, but it’s basically Initial D. Kaji or someone can talk about why it’ll be great. The urge to make a “wangs at midnight” joke is nigh-overwhelming.
True Tears – No website, the ANN reports it’s based on a dating sim.
Sometime later than Spring:
Zero no Tsukaima 2
Higurashi 2
Haruhi 2 (still theoretical)
Kiddy Grade 2
OVA
2/23 Genshiken Episode 2. Raws are available now.
3/21 Today in Class 5-2 Episode 4. Is anyone actually watching this?
3/23 Bakuretsu Tenshi -Tenshi Sairin- – Guns and boobs, as only Gonzo can do it.
3/26 Murder Princess – First episode of 6. Bee Train (no Yuki Kajiura) adapts a manga from the creator of Comic party. Awesome name.
3/28 Marimite episode 3.
3/28 Ichigo Marshmallow episode 2.
4/04 Sakura Taisen New York NY – First episode of 6. They’ve been making Sakura Taisen things forever, it seems. I bet they don’t all take place in New York in the 1920’s, though.
4/25 Genshiken episode 3.
4/25 Ichigo Marshmallow episode 3.
4/27 Saiyuki Reload – Some OVA I guess, I confess I don’t really care.
5/25 ICE – A 3-part original sci-fi thing.
5/30 Marimite episode 4.
6/08 Tales of Symphonia – OVA adaptation of the video game.
AWOL:
Hellsing episode 3
Movies
3/3 5cm per second – Makoto Shinkai’s 3 new short films. The first one was streamed on the internet, raws are available now.
4/21 Shakugan no Shana
4/21 Kino no Tabi
4/21 Inukami!
4/28 GeGeGe no Kitarou
Later than spring:
Summer: Clannad
9/01: Evangelion rebuild (first movie)
TBA:
Kara no Kyoukai
Redline
Highlander
