:anime: HardDoor's Autumn Anime Preview - '08 Edition

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The autumn season of 2008 is upon us, and with it comes a fine mix of returning favorites, remakes, and completely new works. The summer played host to a good deal of intriguing shows and the fall appears to have even more. If anything can be derived from this year thus far, it is the apparent reoccurring theme among a few to have stories involving immortal characters and the suffering that that comes with the territory (and having to kill a bunch of supernatural creatures or bad people to finally pass away). Not to mention, the abundance of sequels to recent, popular franchises and especially remakes of older ones (anniversary years/exposure to newer audiences/cash cow milking/just plain ol' nostalgia). As before, this preview doesn't denote every single title, but it does list the ones that I've found to be of either interest or significance.


*Information courtesy of MOON PHASE and Anime News Network, as well as various other sources.


Bihada Ichizoku [Bihada/Beautiful Skin Family]

Debut: October 6, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Michiya Katou
Character Design:
Score:
Studio: Omnibus Japan
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
The twin Bihada sisters continue the family tradition of participating in the World Beautiful-Skin Competition, a 300 year-old pageantry with three billion females as contestants.

Personally...
For a show based on a manga that was created to sell cosmetic products, and was often packaged with such, this might be somewhat interesting to see (the fact that Bandai is behind all of this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise). The artwork of the source material is reminiscent of Riyoko Ikeda's (The Rose of Versailles), but the main plot line sounds a little suspect, if not flat-out vain, and a possible excuse to just use it as an advertising venue.


CASSHERN Sins

Debut: October 1, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Character Design: Yoshihiko Umakoshi
Score: Kaoru Wada
Studio: Madhouse
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A cyborg, named Casshern, rebels against a totalitarian force made up of robots that have enslaved the Earth.

Personally...
Casshern's a beloved classic, more so in Japan than in North America, and with so many popular shows of yesteryear reappearing in modern form, it was only a matter of time till this one got the same treatment (a live-action movie came out in 2005 to disparate, mostly negative, reviews). Though not helmed by Tatsunoko this time, Madhouse looks to have done an impressive job judging from the trailer. The artwork has with a very distinct, stylish tone that invokes the '70s style in a more present context (think the recent Getter Robo incarnations and Mazinkaiser)--and that sounds good to me given my being a fan of that sort of thing.


Chaos;HEAd

Debut: October 9, 2008
Format: TV (12 episodes)
Director: Takaaki Ishiyama
Character Design: Shuichi Shimamura (Original: Mutsumi Sasaki)
Score:
Studio: Madhouse
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A young, secluded teenage boy finds himself a "witness" to a series of murders occurring around his town, as the purported killer contacts him online to drop hints where the next murder will occur...

Personally...
It sounds like an interesting mystery/supernatural premise, and the fact that it is a Madhouse production is another plus (no pun intended really, as Nitroplus was the maker of the source game).


ef - a tale of melodies.

Debut: October 6, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Shin Oonuma
Character Design: Nobuhiro Sugiyama (Original: Naru Nanao)
Score: Tenmon
Studio: SHAFT
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A sequel to the recent ef - a tale of memories., which revolved around a set of love triangles, relationships, and secret yearnings...

Personally...
ef - a tale of memories. was one of most praised shows in the last year, so the sequel should generate more buzz for it--and perhaps even a licensing in the near future. It seems like it was pretty good, so melodies. has something to live up to...


Ga-Rei -Zero-

Debut: October 5, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Ei Aoki
Character Design: Osamu Horiuchi
Score: Noriyasu Agematsu
Studios: AIC Spirits, asread
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
A teenager with the ability to see spirits lends his talent to a girl who commands a spiritual creature of her own as they hunt down other such entities after school for a secret government agency.

Personally...
Despite sounding like it was cut from the same cloth of other "hunt 'em all", mostly spirit-related shows, it still seems like an interesting show to check out and it does have a few intriguing visuals based on the promo materials. That said, the anime pictures look quite different from the manga ones (though I fully say that as one who has never read the manga).


Hakushaku to Yousei [Earl and Fairy]

Debut: October 10, 2008
Format: TV (13 episodes)
Director: Koichiro Sohtome
Character Design: (Original: Asako Takaboshi)
Score: Takehiko Gokita
Studio: Artland
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
In 19th Century England, a teenage girl fascinated by fairies finds herself helping a young, dashing noble find a sword belonging to his family's heritage while on her way to London.

Personally...
You know a show is destined to be great if it has a cat dressed in a suit! All kidding aside (?), I was initially unsure of the merits of Hakushaku to Yousei, but after learning more about it and seeing the unexpectedly "delightful" promo picture, I now find myself looking forward to watching it more than before. The fantasy period piece of a story seems nice, it's an Artland production, and it has a good voice cast assembled (and a cat dressed in a suit!).


Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden: Ten no Haoh

Debut: October 3, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Masashi Abe
Character Design: Hirotaka Marufuji
Score: Kazuhiro Ishikawa, Shinya Naito
Studio: Satelight
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
An adaptation of the manga related to the Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) universe, centering on the story's nemesis.

Personally...
I'm not all that into the Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) mythology, but I do know that Raoh was a very popular character in it (so much so, that there was a public memorial held in Japan commemorating his passing in the story to promote the movie retelling of his final duel with the title character, Kenshiro). In addition, Satelight (Noein, Macross Frontier, Hellsing Ultimate) will be animating this tale, so it should certainly be a piece of eye (and aural)-candy at the very least.


Hyakko

Debut: October 1, 2008
Format: TV (13 episodes)
Director: Michio Fukuda
Character Design:
Score:
Studio: Nippon Animation
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
A private school teaching grades Kindergarten to 12th is the setting for four female high-school freshmen just enrolling there.

Personally...
The character designs look atypical and a little sloppy and unappealing, but its premise might make for some good school comedy if done right. Not the usual fare from Nippon Animation, who is better known for animating much of the works comprising of "World Masterpiece Theater," which is consists of animated adaptations of classic world literature.


Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens

Debut: October 4, 2008
Format: TV (13 episodes)
Director: Yutaka Yamamoto
Character Design: Kakeru Mima
Score: Satoru Kousaki
Studio: A-1 Pictures Inc.
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A young art student unknowingly carves a figurine from the wood of an enchanted tree, in which the goddess that inhabited it now takes residence in it and brings it to life.

Personally...
Kannagi looks like it could be pretty good, and the plot alone makes it sound like it could be fun. Based on the promo pictures, it looks similar in design style to A-1's series from the previous season, Birdy the Mighty Decode (not a bad thing at all). However, there is another aspect of the show worthy of note. The director, Yutaka Yamamoto, was the same that not only helmed the famous ED of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and held major duties on the series' production itself, but was also unceremoniously kicked out of Kyoto Animation for undisclosed reasons, though some may point to the quality of the first four episodes of Lucky Star and rumored bickering behind the scenes.


Kemeko Deluxe! (Kemeko-DX!)

Debut: October 04, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Character Design: Isao Sugimoto
Score: Ryuji Takagi
Studio: Hal Film Maker
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
A teen discovers a robotic female doll in his room, who declares to be his wife, and later spouts out a girl claiming to have been promised by him to marry her when they were younger...

Personally...
A very, very strange tale on hand. Luckily, that sort of thing is up my alley, and Kemeko Deluxe! looks like it won't be like any other show debuting this season. It has a cutesy, unorthodox look to it, and doesn't hurt that the character designs look familiar to Mine Yoshizaki's (Keroro Gunso/Sgt. Frog). It also appears that it is gaining in anticipation from others, as well.


KUROZUKA

Debut: October 7, 2008
Format: TV (12 episodes)
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Character Design: Masanori Shino
Score: Kiyoshi Yoshida
Studio: Madhouse
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
In a twist on the historical legend of Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Kurou), the brother of Japan's first shogun ruler of whom he lost to and subsequently committed seppuku, the figure instead finds meets a mysterious woman secluded in the mountains during his flight. As the two become close, she reveals that neither of them are capable of dying, with Kurou being cursed to live for one millennium to watch the country grow over time.

Personally...
A very interesting take on such a tale in history, and one that should help it stand out amidst all the other immortal-centric anime out there (Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi, Blade of the Immortal, Shikabane Hime: Aka). The manga artwork may indicate some nicely detailed animation to come (Madhouse has been very consistent in transitioning manga to anime as seamlessly as possible), and Tetsuro Araki involvement as director, following his star-making accomplishments on Death Note, should generate more intrigue.


LINEBARRELS OF IRON

Debut: October 3, 2008
Format: TV (24 episodes)
Director: Masamitsu Hidaka
Character Design: Hisashi Hirai
Score: Conisch
Studio: GONZO
Additional Links: English Site, ANN Entry, YouTube, English Trailer

Synopsis
A young teenage boy, daydreaming his way through a bullied existence, suddenly finds himself in the possession of a mysterious girl and a giant robot named "LINEBARRELS", as well as other powers. Now, the once-miserable life he led is swept away by the new lease and opportunity given to him.

Personally...
I've been watching this series very closely ever since it was announced months ago and based on the first trailer, it certainly looks to be one of the highlights of the season. GONZO has definitely been treating it that way, apparently employing high-quality animation and CGI work in the grandiose promo, going out of their way to screen the first episode at Anime Expo 2008, creating an English language page with sufficient details on the series, and even producing an English language trailer (with decent, though varying, results...and curiously available to only Japanese residents on the outset).

LINEBARRELS OF IRON also boasts an impressive list of contributing staff members--including character designs by Hisashi Hirai (Gundam SEED/SEED Destiny, s-CRY-ed, Heroic Age), Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass, Planetes, s-CRY-ed) as "Creative Producer" and Ichiro Itano (Macross, GANTZ, Blassreiter) as "SFX Director"--and voice actors (including--though not limited to--Mamiko Noto (Witchblade's Masane), Jun Fukuyama (Code Geass' Lelouch), and GONZO stalwart Jouji Nakata (Hellsing's Alucard)).

Many cross-relations abound between all of the talent involved, so it should be interesting to see how well it all plays out in the show. Nevertheless, I'm really anticipating it, and with GONZO's worldwide digital distribution movement growing and its English language advertising for the show, it is perhaps of little surprise to see it get treatment similar to that of The Tower of DRUAGA and Blassreiter internationally and be shown on YouTube.


Michiko to Hatchin (Michiko e Hatchin) [Michiko and Hatchin]

Debut: October 15, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Sayo Yamamoto
Character Design: Hiroshi Shimizu
Score: Kassin
Studio: manglobe
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
A voluptuous, free-spirited young woman tears through a high-level prison and makes her escape alongside a little girl who wishes to escape from her strict foster parents towards freedom and to evade their pursuers.

Personally...
I came across this series by chance earlier this year while perusing manglobe's site and became very interested by the Latin-influenced style of the promo material. It's one rarely seen in anime and it looked like it could be employed well, so I continued to keep an eye on the show. The character designs look great (especially for a first-timer in Hiroshi Shimizu) and not overly glamorized and the colors and settings have a regional Latino look to them. Only the fourth show from manglobe, a good amount of the chief staff is either relatively new to the anime scene or have had slight experience in their given production roles, though veteran director and music connoisseur Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, manglobe's own Samurai Champloo) will be working on it as "Music Producer".

My one possible gripe with Michiko to Hatchin is that they didn't go "all the way" and use completely Latino names, instead using Japanese first names and Latino last names. This was my main concern when I first discovered the show and its title, as it was billed to be a very Latin-flavored work, yet the characters had Japanese names but looked nothing like it. The use and portrayal of ethnic characters in anime has improved well over the years, though there are still a few issues out there, one of which is tying such an apparent character to a Japanese name and/or ethnicity. Here, you enter a sticky situation, as it certainly isn't wrong to have mixed characters one hand, but on the other, it looks like they are only part-Japanese, or at least have Japanese names, to make them relatable (or more "ethnically-friendly") to the Japanese audience.

Knowing manglobe's penchant for fusing disparate cultural aspects (Samurai Champloo and its mixing of hip-hop and Japanese history, Trip Trek's use of an English-only cast) and having seen the second trailer to Michiko to Hatchin, I, for now, might view it as another fusion project by the studio, this time combining aspects of Japanese and Latino cultures. I can't say for sure that that is or will be the case, but I still very much anticipate watching it when it debuts.


Mobile Suit Gundam 00 2nd Season

Debut: October 5, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Character Design: Michinori Chiba, Yun Kouga
Score: Kenji Kawai
Studio: SUNRISE
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
Continuing from the first season, the story takes place four years following the aftermath of the battle between Celestial Being and the United Nations Forces. The Earth Sphere Federation, which arose from the conflict, and its independent security task force, Arrows, have established world peace--but at the cost of political and ideological freedom. However, Celestial Being is beginning to mobilize once more...

Personally...
I really enjoyed the first season of Gundam 00, which debuted last fall and ended this spring, did a very good at incorporating real-world politics (as it was the first Gundam series to take place in the A.D. timeline) with a compelling story. It definitely cleaned out the bad taste left by Gundam SEED Destiny and Fullmetal Alchemist (directed by Seiji Mizushima) with me, so it was nice to see something good come of Gundam 00. The first season's ending was done very well and provided quite the cliffhanger not only with the aftermath of the final battle, but also with the surprise timeskip that followed. Even aside from being a big Gundam fan, I am absolutely looking forward to what's in store in the second half.


Quiz Magic Academy

Debut: September 12, 2008
Format: OVA (1 episode)
Director: Keitaro Motonaga
Character Design: Kumi Horii
Score: Tomoki Hasegawa
Studio: AIC PLUS
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
Students of a magical academy participate in a competition of trivia-based quizzes.

Personally...
Quiz Magic Academy has "bad news" written all over it. A rather nice-looking show from yet another AIC derivative (AIC PLUS), its story revolves basically around what its title suggests--trivia-based quizzes at a magical academy--which sounds like a rather flimsy plot to base an anime, or even a manga, on and it doesn't help that video game-based shows are rarely the type to yield pleasing results. On top of that, there is a slight air of stupidity (or, more appropriately, stupidness) to it. But hey, at least the character designs and animation look fine and they got Tomoki Hasegawa (NANA, D.N.Angel) to do the score. Will it be "so bad, it's good"? Is this the guilty pleasure of the season? Comes complete with odd names (including one curiously close to the disease name "malaria") and a side order of slight ecchiness.


Rosario + Vampire Capu2

Debut: October 1, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Takayuki Inagaki
Character Design: Mariko Fujita
Score: Kouhei Tanaka, Shiroh Hamaguchi
Studio: GONZO
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A hapless student who is accidentally enrolled into a school for monsters and becomes unwittingly involved with a female vampire and other feminine consorts is showcased further in the second season of Rosario + Vampire.

Personally...
Let's just say I had little to no love for the first season of Rosario + Vampire and certainly have no amount of anticipation for the second. The former, which I only got through three or four episodes of, was among the most misogynistic and sexist titles I had seen in a while, and it didn't help that the production as a whole was unremarkable and it was up to its neck in clichés and over-baked fanservice. Interesting ideas going in, sloppy and poor execution coming out. None of the reviews for the other episodes suggested anything changed (looked more as if it got worse), so unless Capu2 is an improvement, I seriously doubt I'll stick around for it.


Seto no Hanayome (OVA)

Debut: November 28, 2008
Format: OVA (2 episodes)
Director:
Character Design:
Score:
Studio: GONZO, AIC
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
[Not much information is out about it, yet]

Personally...
Seto no Hanayome, the TV series, was among the best frantic comedies since the likes of Excel Saga and FLCL, and one of the most underrated anime around. Hopefully, the OVA will live up to what came before.


Shikabane Hime: Aka [Corpse Princess: Aka]

Debut: October 2, 2008
Format: TV (13 episodes)
Director: Masahiko Murata
Character Design: Chikashi Kubota, Kikuko Sadakata
Score: Norihito Sumitomo
Studios: GAINAX, feel
Additional Links: ANN Entry, YouTube, Joost, Hulu, FUNimation, ANN Article, Trailer

Synopsis
An immortal girl, the "Corpse Princess", must make good on a deal with a monk to take down 108 corpses if she is to find her way to Heaven.

Personally...
GAINAX's first new anime feature since their breakout hit Gurren Lagann, the manga adaptation seems to tread on familiar ground, but it could still be worthwhile to watch. That particular plotline has been played on by a number of other anime productions recently (especially the "immortal" aspect of it), yet there is a lot of potential there and perhaps they and co-producer feel (JINKI:EXTEND, D.C. ~Da Capo~) can strike at that (of course, that depends on what the manga accomplished). Regardless, that hasn't stopped FUNimation from taking notice, quickly picking up its full license after only three episodes. The show can be viewed for free (via streaming) on either YouTube, Joost (plug-in required), or Hulu, and in a higher-quality video for download at the distributor's own site at a low cost.


Skip Beat!

Debut: October 5, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Kiyoko Sayama
Character Design: Tetsuya Kumagai
Score: Akifumi Tada
Studio: Hal Film Maker
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
A teenage girl who followed her beloved childhood friend and aspiring singer to Tokyo suddenly finds herself spurned by him after discovering what he really thinks of her. To prove him wrong and top his own success, she begins to vie for a spot with a rival talent agency, which is where her path towards that goal is met with a few bumps and new opportunities along the way.

Personally...
It sounds a little idealistic and stale (in terms of what sort of developments occur along the way), but the source manga has a high rating and is popular, so perhaps there is more to the story than what its description belies...


Tytania

Debut: October 9, 2008
Format: TV
Director: Noboru Ishiguro
Character Design: Noburo Sugimitsu (Original: Haruhiko Mikimoto)
Score:
Studio: Artland
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
In the aftermath of the empire of Tytania's conquest of another empire in the galaxy, a former Tytanian soldier joins arms with a rebellion to oppose his one-time homeland.

Personally...
If the old-school space opera feel weren't enough of a pull, then the staff members involved in the project might be. The director, Noboru Ishiguro, helmed and aided in the creation of the classic '80s shows Macross, Orguss, and Megazone 23, as well as the long-running Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and with Tytania, he has surrounded himself with some familiar cohorts. Yoshiki Tanaka, the author of LotGH, penned the original novels, whereas Haruhiko Mikimoto, character designer of the aforementioned Ishiguro works and illustrator of the Tytania novel covers, handled the original character designs for the anime rendition. In addition, the animation production will be handled by Artland, which worked on Macross, Orguss, and LotGH and had more recently been praised for its job on Mushi-Shi (which Ishiguro participated on as "Production Manager"). Among the rather large amount of talent from previous Ishiguro work coming together for Tytania include its sound director and one of the mechanical designers. Even not mentioning all of the great names attached, the story has the look and the earmarks of classic space opera lore, and with any luck, it should play out well.


Yozakura Quartet

Debut: October 2, 2008
Format: TV (12 episodes)
Director: Kou Matsuo
Character Design: Satonobu Kikuchi
Score: Akio Dobashi
Studio: Nomad
Additional Links: Kodansha Site, ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
Three super-powered teen girls--one with superhuman strength, another with psychic abilities, and the other with supernatural powers--fight alongside a normal boy as the four defend their city from otherworldly forces.

Personally...
I think that the show has a lot of potential. The situations for comedy and action are there and though the premise sounds reminiscent of a harem set-up or love triangle/pyramid, it doesn't look like it will tread into those waters (one can only hope). The artwork and character designs look attractive and Kou Matsuo (Red Garden) as the director certainly make its prospects more promising.


-Other Shows of Interest-
With so many shows making their debuts this season, I didn't want to turn this into an unwieldy master list of them (not quite the purpose of this preview). As such there are a few other titles of interest that haven't been covered, but that doesn't imply that the following are of a lower tier.

Gunslinger Girl -Il Teatrino- (OVA) (10.24.08 - The sequel to the acclaimed hit garnered anything but praise. Will the OVA follow-up live up to the original's standards?)

Lucky Star (OVA) (9.26.08 - The follow-up to the highly popular Lucky Star should definitely be one of the most anticipated of the season)

Mach Girl (09.13.08 - This was posted in the previous season's preview, but apparently, that was more of a preview showing. This is the official start of Tatsunoko Pro.'s feminized take on their classic Mach Go Go Go/Speed Racer , featuring a girl and her three-wheeled motor vehicle, the "Mach Pink", in three-minute-long episode shorts.)

Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: Juuryoku Sensen (10.24.08 - The third itineration in the CG series, it is a sequel to the 2006 OVA series.)

Mouryou no Hako (10.07.08 - Seems like it could be a good mystery show, with story composition by Sadayuki Murai, original character designs by CLAMP, and animation by Madhouse.)

Nodame Cantabile: Paris (10.09.08 - Considering how acclaimed the first show was, it remains to be seen how good its sequel will turn out with a new director on hand...)

ONE OUTS－ワンナウツ－[ONE OUTS -Nobody wins,but I!-] (10.07.08 - A baseball anime, if the title wasn't a potential give-away, though it does look mildly intriguing if not solely for the jerk-looking (presumably) main character...)

Tales of the Abyss (10.03.08 - Another video game with an "original animation" treatment, this time supplied by Sunrise. The staff's credentials aren't exactly enthralling, but at least the character designs look nice...)

Tentai Senshi Sunred (10.03.08 - No doubt, one of the oddest of the season, though it looks to be in good hands, as much of the Seto no Hanayome staff is behind this adaptation of two warring factions basked in spoofs of classic anime and tokusatsu ("special effects" shows and films, such as Power Rangers (an Americanized mix of Super Sentai shows), Kamen Rider, and Godzilla).)

Vampire Knight Guilty (10.06.08 - Vampire Knight, and its bevy of pretty characters, was received well enough to warrant a second season.)


-In Theaters-

Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann: Guren-hen (09.06.08 - The compilation movie to GAINAX's surprise megahit follows in the steps of other such films: condensing, and sometimes changing parts of, the main plot or story and adding new scenes to it.)