SUMMER of (2010) ANIME

[blkmage]

I'll be you were wondering if there was going to be any anime next season. It turns out there is!

The chart, as always.

COPY/PASTED HEADER
Much like the threads before it, this is a thread I created for the discussion of new anime that will be airing on TV in Japan in the Summer 2010 season. Anime typically gets released and runs for a number of seasons. The year is divided up into four seasons: January to March is winter, April to June is spring, July to September is summer, and October to December is fall. Each season is approximately 13 weeks.

Here, we can talk about what shows look interesting, what we plan to watch, and generally get giddy and excited for things that we've been anticipating for a while. There's a handy chart of all the shows that are coming up, with a short blurb about the premise of the show and what studio will be handling it. As we get closer to the season, more information shows up, like the first airing date. Other information like staff and cast obviously won't fit, but it's not too hard to use the Google to find out.

WHAT ARE THE SUMMER ANIME HAPS
It's summer, which means that there are few enough shows that I can judge them all! What fun!

[color="lime"]Highschool of the Dead[/color] looks to be one of the big ones this season. It's got Madhouse behind it, so it shouldn't be terrible.

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin is the next Anime no Chikara show. There's very little other information about it.

[color="Lime"]Sengoku Basara 2[/color]: ARE YOU READY FOR HORSES WITH MUFFLERS AND MOTORBIKE HANDLES AND SCALING WALLS AT RIGHT ANGLES GUYS? PUT YOUR GUNZ ON

[color="lime"]Shiki[/color] is a supernatural/horror manga that I've heard very good things about. The only thing I've watched from Daume is the first season of Minami-ke, and that remains the best and only watchable season of that show, so I am optimistic.

Kuroshitsuji 2 is the second season of Kuroshitsuji. If you're happy about it, then you're happy about it.

Nurarihyon no Mago is a manga currently running in Weekly Shounen Jump. I have no idea what it's about, but it's being done by Studio DEEN, lolololol.

Tono to Issho looks like something none of us will watch.

The Legend of Legendary Heroes is some fantasy light novel adaptation.

Osaka Hamlet is another show none of us will be watching.

Amagami SS is based on a popular visual novel series. It looks to be the standard galge fare, but I'm probably going to give it a shot because of the buzz.

Ookamisan to Shichinin no Nakamatchi looks like someone ran out of original character designs.

Mitsudomoe looks like another comedy with 'those crazy kids these days'.

Strike Witches 2 is lol.

Asobi ni Iku yo! features a girl with animal ears but is not about economics.

Seitokai Yakuindomo is another show about a guy on an all-girl student council. Sigh.

Shukufuku no Campanella is another boring adaptation of something.

Seikirei: Pure Engagement is also lol.

Digimon Xros Wars is DIGITAL MONSTERS, DIGIMON ARE THE CHAMPIONS

WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Yeah, there's nothing that really stands out this season as top tier material. There are a few things that should be interesting to check out and will probably turn out to be good watches. I'd say Shiki and HSotD are the two to take a look at. Beyond that, it's up to personal taste, sense of adventure, and tolerance for bad shows.

[Wolf-man]

Highschool of the Dead sounds awesome! but it looks horribly inappropriate. Oh well I'll try watching the first couple episodes then probably end up dropping it after that. Sigh...maybe they will make a clean zombie anime or at least clean non-demonic horror anime would good. So far Death Note is the best I have gotten.

Just saw that the new Digimon series is on the list!!!!
WOOT!!!!!! That makes up for highshool of the dead...sort of.

[CrimsonRyu17]

I am here to sum up this season with one word.

"Eh."

[Davidizer13]

The Legend of Legendary Heroes

Call the Department of Redundancy Department, because someone needs to call them.

a second-year high school student who dislikes Christmas due to a past experience.

lolwut

It is meant to coincide with the release of new toy straps and capsules.

Honesty is a refreshing thing, isn't it?

[MightiMidget]

Shiki sounds potentially interesting, and I'll probably read some reviews of HSotD and see if it sounds worth it...but most other things there sound rather meh.

If Legend of the Legendary Heroes' did not look so much like a D.Gray-man parody in its artwork I'm seeing? I maybe, maybe would try it. But the closeness in the advertising doesn't sound worth it.

[MasterDias]

Shiki is based on the manga adaptation of a horror novel by The Twelve Kingdoms author Fuyumi Ono.
I gave the manga a brief look awhile back, but not enough to really form much of an opinion.

[KeybladeWarrior]

Sengoku Basara 2 looks interesting. Well, at least Japan is starting to go away from the moe craze.

[Falx]

Highschool of The Dead sounds like the best thing I won't be watching.

I don't understand the desire to give women spine-snapping breasts and think it's attractive.

[Falx]

Ugh... Mistsudomoe's summary sounds off putting... I was hoping it would be a clean comedy.

[Atria35]

Highschool of the Dead- I enjoy action flicks, and this looks like it might be fun (I actually have a preference for the animated ones- it's easier to take the whole cheeziness when I know it's totally not real in the first place. Cheap live-actions disappoint me in every way unless they're the comedy/parodies)

Shiki- looks fascinating. It might turn out to be a Higurashi rip-off, but I'll definately check this one out!


Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin - Well, it can't be any worse than anything else on here.... right?

I'm so disappointed by how Nurarihyon looks. Can that hair get any bigger? ><" XP

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I echo the Shiki sentiments. Check the teaser trailer, here. Since it is going to air in the noitaminA timeslot, does that mean that Funimation will be streaming it?

[blkmage]

Ah yeah, I would hope that that's the case. And I really hope that means they'll be streaming the Moyashimon live-action drama too, but unfortunately, that is significantly less likely.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

The only thing I'll be checking out this summer is the Kure-nai OAD, because Kure-nai is awesome. But hey, fall has Tegami Bachi, Bakuman, new Brains Base, and probably more.

[MightiMidget]

I'm looking very forward to the second season of Tegami Bachi in the fall. Yay! The Shiki trailer looks cool, and interesting, and I like the animation, so...looking more and more likely as something to watch.

BTW, @TheSubtleDoctor, love your new avatar.

[Atria35]

I'm looking very forward to the second season of Tegami Bachi in the fall. Yay! The Shiki trailer looks cool, and interesting, and I like the animation, so...looking more and more likely as something to watch.

I'd never thought I'd go out of my way to say this on this board, but it looks like a rip-off if Higurashi no naku koro ni- I'd recommend watching that first so you can see what's considered one of the 'gold standards' for horror in anime. I have to admit, I'll be following it too out of curiosity because I could be wrong, but the setup is.... eeriliy similar.

[blkmage]

I'd never thought I'd go out of my way to say this on this board, but it looks like a rip-off if Higurashi no naku koro ni- I'd recommend watching that first so you can see what's considered one of the 'gold standards' for horror in anime. I have to admit, I'll be following it too out of curiosity because I could be wrong, but the setup is.... eeriliy similar.

That's a fairly strong accusation there which, upon doing a bit of research, I've found is completely unfounded.

First of all, the only thing that Shiki shares with Higurashi is premise and setting, which, considering Higurashi's unique narrative structure, is only superficial, unless you also somehow know Shiki's narrative structure. The only way Shiki can be a ripoff of Higurashi is if they share the same "twist". It's the twist that makes Higurashi what it is, not the premise. Simply sharing a similar setup isn't something I'd consider ripoff material.

Secondly, the original novel for Shiki was published in 1998. The first installment of Higurashi was released in 2002.

[Atria35]

That's a fairly strong accusation there which, upon doing a bit of research, I've found is completely unfounded.

First of all, the only thing that Shiki shares with Higurashi is premise and setting, which, considering Higurashi's unique narrative structure, is only superficial, unless you also somehow know Shiki's narrative structure. The only way Shiki can be a ripoff of Higurashi is if they share the same "twist". It's the twist that makes Higurashi what it is, not the premise. Simply sharing a similar setup isn't something I'd consider ripoff material.

Secondly, the original novel for Shiki was published in 1998. The first installment of Higurashi was released in 2002.

Really? Well, then I recind my statement- the premise looked incredibly similar. I mean, small village in the middle of nowhere, villagers hiding a secret, murder.... okay, I can see how there might be differences in the story. But the initial look at the preview really didn't show many differences between it and Higurshi, so that's where I got my impression.

[MightiMidget]

I'll probably end up watching Higurashi first, just cause it's on hulu now. But we'll see. =) For the most part though, one thing is more than likely ripping something off from something else no matter what you try. (poor wording oh well.) I don't know enough about either yet, but you never know, Atria, it might surprise you. (or it could be even worse than you fear, but hey.)

[blkmage]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that "mysterious things happening in rural villages" seems to be a common setting/trope for Japanese horror.

[CrimsonRyu17]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that "mysterious things happening in rural villages" seems to be a common setting/trope for Japanese horror.

The first Godzilla movie does this in 1954 as well.

[blkmage]

Here's an interesting post that came up in my feed reader about Shiki, the novel.

[Atria35]

Here's an interesting post that came up in my feed reader about Shiki, the novel.

.... Hmmm..... Curiouser and curiouser....

[blkmage]

As was my suspicion, it seems that the reason Crunchyroll didn't get many shows is that there are now many other interested parties competing for licenses and killing fansubs. For next season's streams, we've got:

Funimation
Legend of Legendary Heroes
Kuroshitsuji 2
Seikirei 2 (more like suckyrei mirite)
Shiki
Sengoku Basara 2
MOYASHIMON LIVE-ACTION HELLS YES THIS IS THE GREATEST AAAAAAAAA

Sentai
Highschool of the Dead

As you can see, there's not much left for CR to take.

[Wolf-man]

Well I don't care so long as someone gets Digimon Xros Wars.

[Blitzkrieg1701]

Well said, good sir. Well said.

[blkmage]

So some interesting stuff has been going on in Japan.

When Sengoku Basara 2 was confirmed for summer, there was also the interesting note that it would be running in the super-expensive Sunday 5pm timeslot. The timeslot has been running anime since spring 2008, and there have been three shows that have run during it: Code Geass R2, Gundam 00 Second Season, and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Obviously, with predecessors like that, there was a ton of concern that the Sengoku Basara Production Committee was just throwing money down the drain.

As it turns out, Sengoku Basara is doing pretty alright in its new timeslot, and by pretty alright, I mean crushing all of the shows that ran before it. Recall that Sunday 5pm is not a late-night slot, so the shows that run in this slot tend to represent shows that are more mainstream than usual.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

So some interesting stuff has been going on in Japan.

When Sengoku Basara 2 was confirmed for summer, there was also the interesting note that it would be running in the super-expensive Sunday 5pm timeslot. The timeslot has been running anime since spring 2008, and there have been three shows that have run during it: Code Geass R2, Gundam 00 Second Season, and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Obviously, with predecessors like that, there was a ton of concern that the Sengoku Basara Production Committee was just throwing money down the drain.

As it turns out, Sengoku Basara is doing pretty alright in its new timeslot, and by pretty alright, I mean crushing all of the shows that ran before it. Recall that Sunday 5pm is not a late-night slot, so the shows that run in this slot tend to represent shows that are more mainstream than usual.

*Dances*

[Cadence]

As it turns out, Sengoku Basara is doing pretty alright in its new timeslot, and by pretty alright, I mean crushing all of the shows that ran before it. Recall that Sunday 5pm is not a late-night slot, so the shows that run in this slot tend to represent shows that are more mainstream than usual.

Wait, seriously? I didn't see that coming. Am I thinking of the right Sengoku Basara...the show featuring a bunch of dancing samurai in the op, and the wannabe bike gang...with horses? Maybe I ought to finish watching the first season so that I can find out what all the excitement is about this second season. =)

[Sheol777]

Thanks for this again, blkmage

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Maybe I ought to finish watching the first season so that I can find out what all the excitement is about this second season. =)

YESSIR