Accel World: Preview + First Impression

Title: Accel World
Type: TV Series
Episodes: 24
Producer: Sunrise
Genre: Action, Romance, Sci-Fi
Airing: April 07, 2012

Synopsis
The year is 2046. Haruyuki Arita is a young boy who finds himself on the lowest social rungs of his school. Ashamed of his miserable life, Haruyuki can only cope by indulging in virtual games. But that all changes when Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and a virtual reality called the Accel World.


PV




Pre-thoughts
I never really watch PVs. I usually just skim over the chart a couple of times and whatever catches my eye then I'll watch it. I actually did watch the PV for this and I loved the character design for Kuroyukihime so... I was sold on this series. Sunrise have also done a lot of series that I like so there's also that.

First Impression
I love the concept of this show. Futuristic world with fancy technology, male lead with an inferiority complex noticed by the most popular girl in school, multiplayer fighting game, add a jealous girl into the mix and voilà! It just feels like a super mindless but fun show to watch. I like Kuroyukihime's character. She's rather interesting and I can't wait to find out what the story is actually all about. And... nice art is nice. Everything is so ~pretty~. Extremely appealing to the eye. I like that.

Hiiro no Kakera: Preview + First Impression

Title: Hiiro no Kakera
Type: TV Series
Episodes: 26
Producer: Studio Deen
Genre: Romance,
Airing: April 01, 2012

Synopsis:
Based on otome game of the same name.

The protagonist is a teenage girl (Tamaki) who revisits a small village, she remembers from her childhood and gets caught up in her family's history and supernatural dangers surrounding it.While walking along the hillsides waiting for the person who her grandmother sent to fetch Tamaki to the village, Tamaki comes across a small, white round object with sticks for limbs and talks. It runs off soon after, with Tamaki chasing after it. Soon Tamaki finds herself in a place where ‘it doesn’t feel like the world I came from’. She gets attacked by three slime creatures, and a male comes charging in to save her - by clamping his hands around her body and mouth and telling her to be quiet.


PV


Pre-thoughts
REVERSE HAREM? SIGN ME UP. That was literally the only thing I thought of before deciding I would watch this. I really don't mind the idea of watching a heroine surrounded by a bunch of bishounen, no matter how cliche it can possibly be.

First Impression
Studio Deen is still lame but the artwork by Kazuki Yone is pretty awesome. If you're not watching this though, what are you doing with your life? 100% made for a young female audience. It's too early to tell whether this show is going to be more plot or romance orientated by I'm hoping for the romance side since otome games aren't exactly popular for their revolutionary storylines. The pacing feels a little slow at the moment. Studio Deen seems to be going for a more mysterious atmosphere to the show. Hopefully it balances well with the lighter moments. 26 episodes seems a little long but again it's too early to tell. Either way, I'm pretty sure when this ends, I'll say I liked it. Reverse harem never fails me!

Ano Matsu de Matteru「PREVIEW」

Title: Ano Matsu de Matteru
Type: TV Series
Epsiodes: 12
Producer: J.C. Staff
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Airing: January 10, 2012

Synopsis:
The anime will be an adolescent romantic comedy. The three main characters are the two girls Ichika Takatsuki and Remon Yamano, and the boy Kaito Kirishima.

PV


Thoughts
I didn't notice this until I was on fansubwiki but romantic comedy, J.C. Staff, Tomatsu Haruka, director of AnoHana? Why wouldn't I watch this? J.C.Staff hasn't been to impressive with their recent works but I've really liked a few of their older works so I'm definitely giving this a chance.

Kill Me Baby「PREVIEW」

Title: Kill Me Baby
Type: TV Series
Episodes: Unknown
Producer: J.C. Staff
Genre: Comedy
Airing: January 6, 2012

Synopsis
The story follows the comedic life of a typical school girl Yasuna and her assassin classmate Sonya. Sonya’s attempt to fit in often fails when her natural assassin instincts kick in and Yasuna’s attempt to be more friendly with Sonya often gets her hurt or intimidated.

PV 


Thoughts:
I'm a huge fan of J.C. Staff for their work on Shakugan no Shana... not that that has anything to do with this. This looks really cute. The PV had me laughing out loud so if the entire series is funny, it would be a nice change of pace for me because I like to watch a lot of heavy drama all the time. Looking forward to some fun times unless the series drags on for too long. It won't be enjoyable anymore if it does.

Black★Rock Shooter 2012「PREVIEW」

Title: Black★Rock Shooter
Type: TV Series
Episodes: 8
Producer: Sanzigen, Ordet
Genre: Action, Drama, Fantasy
Airing: January 2012

Synopsis:
Kuroi Mato just got into junior high school, and on the first day, someone catches her eye; her classmate Takanashi Yomi. The two meet.The innocent and naive Mato. The mature Yomi. Seemingly opposites, but the time they spend together only strengthens a growing friendship. But as they go into their second year at the school, they get placed in separate classes, and they begin to grow apart. But somewhere simultaneously… In another world, a young girl, blue fire residing in her eyes, Black Rock Shooter faces another young girl; this one holding a jet-black scythe, Dead Master, and a battle to the death begins to unfold.

PV


Thoughts:
I watched the 50 minute OVA back in February and frankly I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Obviously in a particularly moment I did but as a whole I didn't really understand how the events in the two worlds were connected. I'm not entirely sure if it's the quality of the video but the visuals in the OVA look better than the upcoming TV series. I'm hoping that this 8 episode series will not end with more questions than answers like the OVA. I also hope to see more of Black Rock Shooter's twin tails!

Brave 10 「PREVIEW」

Title: Brave 10
Type: TV Series
Epsiodes: 12
Producer: Studio Sakimakura
Genre: Action, Adventure, Historical
Airing: January 8, 2012

Synopsis:
A year before the battle of Sekigahara that ended the Sengoku Period, the ninja Saizou Kirigakure meets the miko Nami Isa as she's attacked by assassins. Her shrine was destroyed by Tokugawa Ieyasu for siding with Yukimura Sanada. Meanwhile, Sanada has been gathering ten warriors known as Sanada's Brave 10, who have the power to change history. As they gather one by one, Nami's own mysterious power awakens.

PV


Thoughts
In my opinion, there are two ways this could possibly go down: It could be totally epic or it'll be a completely lame failure. Of course I'm hoping for the epic possibility and from the looks of the teaser, the battles look pretty awesome. The plot doesn't sound half bad either but I suppose we'll see.

Mouretsu Pirates「PREVIEW」

Title: Mouretsu Pirates
Type: TV Series
Episodes: 26
Producer: Satelight
Genre: Sci-Fi, Space
Airing: January 8, 2012

Synopsis:
The story centers around a spirited high school girl named Marika. She keeps herself busy with the space yacht club and her part-time job at a high-class retro café. One day, two men suddenly appear and claim to be subordinates of her dead father. They demand that she assume command of the space pirate ship Benten Maru. A privateer ship's compact was made during a war of independence a century ago, and according to that compact, the ship must be inherited by the captain's next direct descendant. Marika finds herself embarking on a new life as a space pirate.

PV
The only one I could find was this one, filmed off a TV screen in a store...



Thoughts:
As usual,  it was the image that caught my attention and I was set on watching it before I even knew what it was about. The trailer looks fairly interesting but I don't know what to expect seeing as I've never seen a space opera (Macross, Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star) before. I don't have much to say other than 'I want to watch it', so I guess we'll see.

Inu x Boku SS「PREVIEW」

Title: Inu x Boku SS
Type: TV Series
Episodes: Unknown
Producer: Aniplex, David Animation
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural
Airing: January 12, 2012

Synopsis:
The Shirakiin house's daughter, Shirakiin Riricho, who has a complex about being unable to live independently and unprotected, feels the need to move out and live on her own under the condition of residing in the mansion named "Ayakashi Kan." In this mansion, only those who have cleared a very strict examination could reside in it, and for each resident, they are accompanied with one agent of the Secret Service (S.S.). Although Riricho has rejected the company of the S.S., while residing in the mansion she finds out that the agent dedicated to protecting her is actually the Fox Spirit whom she previously rescued.

PV


Thoughts:
I wasn't planning on watching this at first. I didn't even really notice it but one day I was just looking at the chart and the picture was just screaming out to me. Not literally, of course. The art style reminds me of Kuroshitsuji, as does the pairing, but instead of a boy, we have a girl. To be honest, I'm watching for the visuals. The synopsis sounds kind of silly. But heck, why not? From the looks of it, there may be a lot of bishounen (well, there's definitely at least one) and who knows, having not read the manga, I may well be surprised.

Another「PREVIEW」

Title: Another
Type: TV Series
Episodes: 12
Producer: P.A. Works
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Airing: January 9, 2011

Synopsis:
26 years ago, in a third-year classroom of a middle school, there was a student named Misaki. As an honors student who was also good at sports, the charming girl was popular with her classmates. When she suddenly died, her classmates decided to carry on as if she was still alive until graduation. Then, in the spring of 1998, a boy named Sakakibara Kouichi transfers to that classroom, and he grows suspicious of the fearful atmosphere in that classroom. In particular, there is a beautiful, aloof girl named Mei Misaki who wears an eyepatch and is always alone drawing pictures.

PV


Thoughts:
I love this sort of horror. I get really scared while I watch it but I definitely enjoy watching it. I was really afraid while watching the PV and that was during the day. Hopefully it doesn't fall short on the predictability side of it and manages to remain suspenseful. It's being done by P.A. works who also did Hanasaku Iroha and Angel Beats so for sure it's going to look good. I haven't seen any good horror lately so hopefully this is it.

Kyousogiga「PREVIEW」

Title: Kyousogiga
Type: ONA
Episodes: 1
Producer: Toei Animation
Genre: Supernatural
Airing: Premium screenings on December 1st and 4th. Online streaming on December 10th.

About:
In a world where humans and spirits have been thrown together in chaos, three forces vie for power. Just what are the steadily increasing Reality Count and Collapse of Negentropy? Having escaped from the Labyrinth of the Jabberwock, the beautiful Koto pursues the shadow of the “Black Rabbit”. Set in a Kyoto where time stands still, the story of the various people who pursue the Black Rabbit unfolds.

Story:
It’s Kyoto, and yet it is not.
A microcosm of peculiar origins, “Mirror Kyoto”.
A small incident causes a young girl, Koto, to wander into this world.
She runs into a mysterious monk, gets chased around by a tech-obsessed girl, and heartily enjoys her chaotic and colorful new life, but meanwhile, out of sight, a certain plan is being set into motion…
In this mysterious city where spirits and humans have been thrown together, the festivities are about to begin!

Source; official site, evetaku

PV


Thoughts:
Honestly, I have no idea what to make of the 'about' or the 'story'. It doesn't really make sense and I've also read that people who have seen it said it was difficult to understand. It does look really pretty though and somewhat reminds me of Alice in Wonderland at some points in the PV. I don't really know what to say, I mean it's apparently less than 30 minutes long. Well... one of the characters does look a lot like Yuuko from xxxHoliC. It's also a collaboration between Toei and Banpresto if that means anything to anyone? It means absolutely nothing to me. I'm just interested in a pretty looking anime. Rie Kugimiya is the VA for the main girl, Koto. Make what you want of that. That's all.

Dantalian no Shoka Preview and First Impressions

Airing
June 16, 2011 @ 0123
Every Saturday.

Producer
Gainax

Genre
Fantasy, Supernatural

Synopsis
Hugh Anthony Disward inherits an old mansion and a personal library from his grandfather. In the basement of the mansion, he meets a mysterious girl, Dalian. She is a Dantalian and a gateway to "Dantalian's bookshelf", which stores the prohibited books of the demons.

"Gensho (Illusory Books)", the prohibited books, endanger the balance of the world, but people are fascinated by the taboo. Hugh and Dalian solve the cases involving Gensho with their ability to access the Dantalian bookshelf.

Pre-season Thoughts

"I see a gun, fire, and Victorian era style. Disregard everything because this is the most necessary thing to pick up this season." 

As you may or may not know, I choose anime by the art style first. The ones I pick are always usually not the best but I have a far better chance of being able to finish it. Plot wise it sounded pretty original. I'd never heard of anything like it before so I wouldn't be expecting much coming into this series, albeit it seems like the typical anime I'd watch.

Typical anime for me = tsundere girl + boy + some sort of magic + MacGuffin

Considering the prospects as a whole, I wasn't expecting a masterpiece. I was just looking for a bit of fun.

PV


First Impression
It started off nicely, clearly explaining the situation. It wasn't overly poetic or beautifully done or anything but it set the premise for the story so you kind of actually know where the story was heading. I guess that denotes predictability in a way, but hey, it's the first episode. In a way, I found it a little boring at the beginning. I mean, I knew what was going to happen but at least it didn't confuse me. The art was somewhat mediocre. It was a bit strange seeing how insanely pale Dalian was. What I wasn't expecting was that it was a little scary. (Maybe it's just because I watched it in the middle of the night. Who knows.) Yes, I was thoroughly creeped out. Not to mention that ED. How freaky is the girl in the ED? I was scared watching that during the day.

Overall, the first episode was a bit rushed. It did introduce the story but everything happened way too fast and too much  happened in a short time span. It didn't seem to flow very well. Hopefully this show won't become episodic. There are only 13 epiosdes.

And another thing. I've noticed a lot of people comparing this to GOSICK. I guess Hugh and Dalian are somewhat similar to Kujo and Victorique in that they're a male and a female. Oooh, what a striking resemblance. The leads are of the same gender. Wonderful. Seriously though, the only similarity I've noticed is the Victorian era style. Really.

Can't say I minded the start too much really. It's obviously not ever going to be the best anime in the world and I'm honestly not expecting much more out of it. I mean, if it did offer more, I wouldn't be complaining but I can enjoy it just the way it is.

Usagi Drop Preview + First Impression

Airing:
8th July 2011 (Yes, that was last week.) 0045

Producer:
Production IG

Genre:
Slife of Life

Synopsis:
Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!

Fansub:
I do believe I'm watching Doki Fansubs. (Why is the fansub important? I've got no idea. In any case, anything is better than HorribleSubs ripped of Crunchyroll. To be honest though, after watching all these Korean shows, any Japanese fansub is way better.) 

Thoughts:
At first, I didn't really notice this show because the art really isn't too eye-catching. That's an understatement really. I had a look at the chart for the 100th time a few days before the season started and actually read all the synopses and thought it sounded really interesting and really felt like it was something I had to watch. So I ditched my plans of watching Blood-C (which I heard isn't too good) and went with this instead. 

PV:


First Impression:
Truly and completely honestly, my first thought was 'the art is weird'. The colours aren't that nice and it takes a bit to get used to. Well, for me it did. I didn't really like the way the scenery was done, but hey, each to their own. Story-wise, it was a good introduction episode. Nothing too extraordinary but it was nice. The story isn't extra special or different but I'm looking forward to a heartwarming series.

「PREVIEW」Ikoku Meiro no Croisée

Airing:
4th July 2011 0030

Producer:
Satelight (Fairy Tail, Macross Frontier, Shugo Chara)

Genre:
Slife of Life, Historical

Synopsis:
Based on manga by Hinada Takeda, who did the art for Gosick. Maybe that's why it caught my eye. 
The story takes place in the second half of the 19th century, as Japanese culture gains popularity in the West. A young Japanese girl, Yune, accompanies a French traveller, Oscar, on his journey back to France, and offers to help at the family's ironwork shop in Paris. Oscar's nephew and shop-owner Claude reluctantly accepts to take care of Yune, and we learn how those two, who have so little in common, get to understand each other and live together in the Paris of the 1800s.

Fansub:
According to fansubwiki, it's Interrobang. They're slow. My life is over. Just kidding. I'm just going to have to wait and see.  I should be thankful to those who sub these shows considering I don't understand much Japanese, especially conversational Japanese.

Thoughts:
This was the third series I decided to pick up this season with the firm decision that it was just something I had to watch. Oddly enough, it was the last series to catch my eye and I only saw it on about the 10th time I had a look at the chart. There's just something about the story that sits well with me. It really sounds like a beautiful story. I don't want to expect too much and see it fall flat but I'm hoping for something enjoyable. It doesn't have to be spectacular but I just has to be worth my time.

PV:

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 15 2011

Producer:

Shaft, Starchild Records

Synopsis:

The story revolves around a highschool boy named Niwa Makoto. He lives with his aunt’s family since his parents are away on business. It is there where he meets his mysterious cousin of the same age Touwa Erio — who happens to tie a futon mattress around her upper body and is a self-proclaimed alien. Her staple food is pizza. Erio had been missing for half a year and was found floating in the sea. She doesn't remember anything about what happened during that period of time, but she began to think that it was the act of an alien and wanders the neighbourhood wrapped in the futon.

Genre:

Comedy, Sci-Fi

My Thoughts:

First thought: Wow, the art looks so cool!

Second thought: Obvious ecchi from the suggestive picture... do I really want to watch this anymore?

And then after seeing the survey done by Dengeki, I actually went on MAL and re-read all the information. It turns out the synopsis sounds quite interesting. Well to be quite honest, it sounds like a This Ugly Yet Beautiful World x Yumekui Merry. One which I found to be a really nice anime whereas the other turned out to be a total snorefest that has ended and I haven't finished.

Only time will tell. I'll give this show a couple of episodes to impress me.

Hidan no Aria「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 1 2011

Producer:

J.C. Staff (YAY! They did Shakugan no Shana)

Synopsis:

The story takes place in Tokyo Butei High School, a special school where armed detectives — "Butei" — are trained to use weapons. Kinji Tooyama is a second-year-student who has a special ability, but he keeps it a secret to maintain an ordinary, peaceful life. However, when he gets caught in a bombing on the way to school, he encounters H. Aria Kanzaki, the most powerful S-Rank Butei student in Assault Studies.

Genre:

Action, Comedy

My Thoughts:

Oooooh, my tsundere senses are tingling. Seeing the picture of Aria instantly makes me think "TSUNDERE ALERT!" at once. Well, I really like tsunderes as characters. They're so adorable. I don't know why but I'm looking forward to this one the most and it just happens to start airing right in the middle of my half-yearly exams. Great. I guess I just like girls with weapons... because I wish I could be a girl with a weapon. Don't laugh. It's so not funny. Did I mention I like the art style? It reminds me of Shakugan no Shana and Yumekui Merry. I also have this feeling I'll like the main character. We'll just have to see how she stacks up against my other favourite characters.

Some PVs:

Steins;Gate「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 2011

Producer:

Fronteir Works, White Fox

Synopsis:

Steins;Gate is set in the summer of 2010, approximately one year after the events that took place in Chaos;Head, in Akihabara.

Steins;Gate is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN who has been doing their own research on time travel tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them.

Genre:

Sci-Fi

My Thoughts:

I had originally thought that it was a continuation of Chaos;Head so I was going to watch it before watching this one. However, I was told that there's nothing similar besides the setting and the fact that the events occur 1 year later. The plot sounds pretty interesting. It sounds to me that there is a lot of scheming and plotting that will be involved in this and I hope it doesn't fall flat on its face like Code Geass did (in my eyes anyway).

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 11 2011

Producer:

Studio Gallop

Synopsis:

The series is set in the near future. Yuma Tsukumo is the number one bad boy at his school. Something unexpected happens as Ryoga Kamishiro challenges him to a Duel. When the mysterious entity Astral appears before them a new legend begins.

Genre:

Game

My Thoughts:

"A NEW YU-GI-OH! I HOPE THEY DON'T CANCEL THE DUB OF 5D's FOR ZEXAL LIKE THEY DID WITH GX!" Yes, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX was my favourite and they never dubbed season 4 because 4Kids wanted to dub 5D's. I honestly don't know what to expect but I've liked all the other Yu-Gi-Oh! series so I'll probably like this one. In any case, I'll be waiting for the dub even after all the trashing that the 5D's dub got. I actually liked that dub.. and didn't mind the editting.

Dog Days「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 2011

Producer:

Seven Arcs, Aniplex

Synopsis:

Republic of Biscotti faces a predicament by the invasion of Galette Leo Knights. In order to save the country, Princess Milchore summons a "hero" from the outer world. Shinku, a junior high school boy living in the Earth, is chosen as the hero.

Genre:

Action, Supernatural

My Thoughts:

Another original anime from Tsuzuki Masaki? YES! He did the screenplay for Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha which happens to be on of my favourite anime series. The art style is similar too! I really like the hair and the eyes. However, the 'Republic of Biscotti' is a little ridiculous. Biscotti is really nice though. This caught my eye at one when I first looked up the Spring line-up.

Ao no Exorcist 「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 10 2011

Producer:

A-1 Pictures

Synopsis:

This world consists of two dimensions joined as one, like a mirror. The first is the world in which the humans live, Assiah. The other is the world of demons, Gehenna. Ordinarily, travel between the two, and indeed any kind of contact between the two, is impossible. However the demons can pass over into this world by possessing anything that exist within it. Satan the god of demons, but there's one thing that he doesn't have, and that's a substance in the human world that is powerful enough to contain him!! For that purpose he created Rin, his son from a human woman, but will his son agree to his plans? Or will he become something else...? An exorcist?

Genre:

Action, Fantasy, Supernatural

My Thoughts:

The art is kind of interesting and I'm weirdly drawn to it. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a show I can't take seriously like Kore wa Zombie desu ka. Hoping for some epic kick-ass action, interesting mix of characters and a mad plot with no holes.

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control 「PREVIEW」

Airing:

April 8 2011

Producer:

Tatsunoko Productions

Synopsis:

The Japanese government was rescued from the brink of financial collapse by the Sovereign Wealth Fund. For its citizens, however, life has not improved, and unemployment, crime, suicide, and despair are rampant. Kimimaro, raised by his maternal grandmother after the disappearance of his father and the death of his mother, is a scholarship student whose only dream is to avoid all this and live a stable life. One day, however, he meets a man who offers him a large sum of money if he'll agree to pay it back. From then on his fate is radically altered as he's drawn into a mysterious area known as "The Financial District."

Genre:

Sci-fi, Action

My Thoughts:

YES! Finally a break from a slife of life and romance anime. I'm anticipating lots of action. I hope this is going to live up to my expectations. Besides the final two episodes of Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail and Hidan no Aria, I'm really looking forward to this one a lot.