Summer 2006 Preview

Sadly, the summer anime season appears to be a rather tepid one. The year got off to a good start, with some wicked good anime in the winter and spring seasons (Blood+, Ouran High School Host Club). And I haven't even seen everything that I wanted to from this year, since I'm way behind in my anime queue and have nearly a dozen series that I need to make time for. So maybe it's a good thing that nothing has really caught my eye for the upcoming season.

But, since I do enjoy making lists so very much, I have made a list of upcoming shows that I'm keeping my eye on. I'll check out the first few episodes and moniter opinion in the community (specifically Omni over on Random Curiosity, because his blog has helped me find several good series I would have otherwise overlooked).

Note: Since I can't read Japanese, all my information is from second-hand sources (blogs, websites, and forums), so some of it may be inaccurate.

Watch List
From most to least anticipated



Kemonozume Sakaba
Guy loves girl. Girl loves guy. The problem? The guy is a monster hunter and the girl is a monster. Very Buff-Angel oh-so-angsty love, ain't it? This gives me Buffy and Blood+ vibes, both of which are good shows to be connected with.
Air Date: August 5, 2006
Episode Count: 13
Anticipation Level: 8/10 ('cause fighting and romance are a pretty good combination)


Bokura ga Ita
My interest in this is based mainly on the fact that it's a shoujo series and I'm a sucker for that genre. The basic plot involves a boy popular with the ladies (Yano Motoharu) and a girl who actually doesn't like him (Takahashi Nanami). Love-hate relationship that blossoms into romance? Cliche, but just my cup of tea. The art style doesn't appeal to me, but if this is a good production overall, that won't hinder my enjoyment too much.
Air Date: July 3, 2006
Episode Count: 26
Anticipation Level: 8/10 (Could be really good if done well, could be really bad if it cannot adequately compensate for its ugly art)



Mamotte! Lollipop
A young girl (Nina) eats a piece of candy that actually turns out to be a magic item that is part of an exam for a magic academy. Now there are two boys (who are part of the magic academy? I don't know) who have to stay with her. Again, the irresistable siren song of shoujo drives my interest in what I expect to be a fluffy tale that could be either craptastic or surprisingly (and guiltily) enjoyable, a la Karin. I'm really hoping for the latter.
Air Date: July 1, 2006
Anticipation Level: 7/10 (This might be one of the shows I secretly love but am too ashamed to admit to it)




Coyote Ragtime Show
The planet of Grazeland is going to be destroyed in 7 days because the Earth Federation Government is afraid that the war taking place on Grazeland will spread to other planets. However, there is a pirate treasure on the planet that some people want to find before it's too late. People keep saying it looks Cowboy Bebop-ish, and I agree with that. It could be good, gun-blazin' fun, but the maid-costume picture that keeps showing up in relation to it turns me off, as I'm not a fan of maid costumes being tossed in to animes just for the maid-fetish angle.
Air Date: July 3, 2006
Anticipation Level: 7/10 (The trailer's cool and it looks like the show might have some depth. But where the hell does that maid come from?)



Muteki Kanban Musume (Noodle Fighter Miki)
Miki is a Kamban Musume, which is a poster girl who is supposed to attract customers to the store (in this case, her parent's restaurant). Miki, however, always gets in fights and makes trouble. She also has a rival in the form of Megumi, the Kamban Musume of the bakery store. I think this could be a cute little series, and at 12 episodes it's short enough that it doesn't have to become repetitive and therefore increasingly dull (that doesn't mean it won't get repetitive and dull, of course).
Air Date: July 4, 2006
Episode Count: 12
Anticipation Level: 7/10 (could be a nice little diversion that helps me relax after work, could be grating)



Le Chevalier D'Eon
Centers around a cross-dressing noble man around the time of the French Revolution, possibly involving the mystery surrounding the murder of d'Eon's sister (I'm not sure if the source of this information is reliable). Apparently there was a real Chevalier D'Eon who was a cross-dresser and also a spy under King Louis XV. I have no idea how much real history will actually make it into the anime, although if I was placing bets, I'd say not very much.
Air Date: August 19, 2006
Episode Count: 24
Anticipation Level: 6/10 (the trailer looks cool, but the plot still sounds a little ridiculous)



Night Head Genesis
Two brothers with psychic powers are abandoned by their parents and raised by a labratory--until the day they run away. Looks kind of creepy, and if Supernatural (not anime, the show on the WB) and Fullmetal Alchemist have taught me anything, it's the fact that a show based around traveling brothers can be really awesome. However, the name for some reason makes me think of Neon Genesis Evangelion (because it starts with "N" and includes the word Genesis, basicallly). And that's just a weird association to make.
Air Date: June 2006
Episode Count: 24
Anticipation Level: 6/10 (Brothers = awesome, psychic powers = awesome, but does that mean that the show = awesome? Not sure on that math).




Innocent Venus
Post-apocalyptic series about life after simultaneous hurricanes kill 6 billion people and destory The World As We Know It. Of course, Japan survives, but is torn between the haves (Logos) and the have-nots (Revenus). The story revolves around two men who escape from Phantom, a special task force (were they part of the force? or captured by it? I'm unclear) and take with them a mysterious little girl, Noto Saya. Gritty futures and mysterious little girls are nothing new, but it could be interesting enough.
Air Date: July 26, 2006
Episode Count: 12
Anticipation Level: 5/10 (This is definitely on the wait-and-see-list. Sounds decent enough that I'll keep an eye out for it, but not really expecting too much).




Otogi-Jushi Akazukin
The world is divided by the gods and now has two sides: one with magic and the other with science. Now there is a little boy (who, with the pigtails in the images I looked at, looks awfully like a girl) who has the power to unite the two sides. There was a multi-part OVA that came out in 2005, with only the first part being subbed. The warm reception of the OVA, and the general positive buzz of the show, put it on my list. Of course, the translation of the title on the official website to Fairy Musketeers makes me want to reconsider. This might be referring to the name of the OVA, but still. Fairy. Musketeers. The entire show looks too cutesy for it's own good.
Air Date: July 1, 2006
Episode Count: 39 (definitely will create cuteness overload)
Anticipation Level: 4/10 (I'm honestly not really looking forward to it, since I'm already getting a sugar high just looking at the picture. Fairy Musketeers. Seriously, people)



Angelique (Koi Suru Tenshi Angelique ~Kokoro Mezameru Toki~)
The Queen of the Galaxy is dying and two girls are chosen as candidates to replace her. They must go through a series of tests to prove who is more capable, helped by 9 bish gaurdians, of course. Based on a dating sim video game for girls (not that the vast array of bish makes that obvious or anything). Although I dislike harem animes, male-harem animes don't get the same automatic negative reaction from me (Fushigi Yuugi and Pretear received much love from me). What can I say? I just swing that way. I'm not one of those girls, however, who will watch every male-harem show or watch a show just for the cute guys. If it is Fushigi Yuugi quality it will be quite good. If not...it will be like every other bland male-harem show out there and not worth my time.
Air Date: July 8, 2006
Anticipation Level: 4/10 (Cute guys not withstanding, it seems pretty forumulaic and silly. If I hear good buzz, I'll definitely watch. Negative or no buzz will probably kill my remaining interest).



Project Blue Earth SOS
Like Innocent Venus, this is a show that I'm considering, but not that excited about. A group of teenagers (Billy, Benny, and Lotta) attend the opening ceremony of a bullet train that can travel from Tokyo to NYC in 90 minutes. However, the train vanishes. And it's not the only thing that mysteriously disappears--many other things go missing as well. The UN creates a special task force, Labyrinth, to uncover what is happening.
Air Date: July 2, 2006
Anticipation Level: 4/10 (this sounds even crazier after I typed up the synopsis. And, yet, despite the craziness, it still sounds kind of boring ).

Shows That Didn't Make the List (which means that they don't deserve my time and energy to get pictures for them, sorry)

Honey and Clover II
Probably the most anticipated show of the season because of the much-beloved original about a group of poor college students. I still haven't gotten around to seeing the first Honey and Clover and therefore there is no point in seeing the sequel. I still have my doubts about whether or not I'll actually like Honey and Clover, but there have been so many good things said about it that I'll certainly give it a try.

Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z
I want to know exactly why this saw the light of day. The Powerpuff Girls already looked slightly anime-ish, and they were beloved because they were silly and cute and chibi and good for when you had nothing better to do than turn on Cartoon Network. Now...now...they have short skirts. And possibly breasts. And seem to have grown up a decade or so and why oh why did they mess with a good thing?

Binbou Shimai Monogatari
A story of two orphaned and monetarily poor sisters (although I'm sure that they're rich in love!). Very slice-of-life, which to me sounds terribly dull. But some people like the nothing-really-happens-but-watch-it-anyway anime. I think the word "heart-warming" is usually applied to these types of shows.

Tsuyokiss
Harem anime. 'Nuff said. While some people gobble up harem animes like candy, I find them uninteresting.

Tonagura
Harem anime, which is bad enough, plus a really pervy male lead. Yech.

Zero no Tsukaima
Ordinary high school student Hiraga Saito suddenly gets summoned by Louise, a beautiful but haughty and talentless student at a magic academy. With a kiss, Louise turns Saito into her familiar, and he is forced to stay with her. Seems like typical girl abuses guy, girl falls in love with guy anime, with magic thrown in. The description at animenfo.com does not make it appear any more appealing: "Every day, he is abused, scolded, and loved? by this haughty but cute girl. This is how his exciting days filled with courage, humiliation, and love begin." To me, this humiliation of the love interest is not appealing, and in fact offends my shoujo sensibilities.

Flag
In essence, somehow the image of a flag is able to bring two warring countries to the peace table. But the flag gets stolen by terrorists (if flag-stealing is the future of terrorism, we should all be very, very afraid). Now, of course, the flag must be recovered, probably with lots of buildings and innocent bystanders getting shot and blown up along the way.

N.H.K ni Youkoso!
Many people are interested in this one, but it doesn't appeal to me. This show is about a paranoid hikikomori (essentially, a recluse) who blames the NHK (a broadcasting station) for his isolation, and has decided to do something about them and their evilness.

Chokotto Sister
A little boy desperately wishes for a sister and one Christmas Santa gives him one. Merry Christmas!