:anime: HardDoor's Summer Anime Preview - '09 Edition

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It was roughly a year ago that I first started posting seasonal anime previews on HardDoor. It has never been my intention for HD to be an anime review site/blog like so many others and it still isn't, but I really wanted to comment on each of the season's newest shows and movies (or at least the ones that were either major or interested me). It was also because of how the seasonal boxing preview turned out--itself done on part of a whim, part of a want--that led me to try my hand at an anime edition. Over the previous three installments, the format as largely remained the same with a few more details, though creating a template has definitely made compiling such things easier and far less time-consuming. Ironically, like the first, this one comes much later than I hoped for, due to the lack of computer access for the last year, which has made the template all the more valuable in getting this completed in the time that I was able to.

With every season, there appears to be a reoccurring theme or pattern among the new shows--however unintentional or not. This summer has the distinction of featuring a number of things "new": be they a first-ever CGI feature from a particular major studio, a new "solo act" talent, a rare topic matter being covered, and the possible emergence of a great new power in the anime industry. It is also a season of "returns": from old partnerships and series being renewed, to the reemergence of certain individuals back in familiar genres and of certain themes. The strength of this summer's lineup seemed to have caught many by surprise, but it appeared likely from the beginning given how good titles were shaping up to be based on their staff credits and/or premise.

Due to the tardiness of this preview, and big thanks to my new-fangled iPod touch, I've had the opportunity to watch a number of the shows listed below as I was making this list. This means that some of the synopsizes are a little more accurate than just using information reported from ANN, official sources, and elsewhere. Even so, I treat the entries in the same bare-boned and open manner as usual, saving the fuller reports for the episodic reviews. However, this timing has also caused me to notice how some shows shape up beforehand. This has led to the exclusion of Kanamemo, which I was originally optimistic about until I came across some rather brazen loli content in a few screenshots afterwords.

I've really enjoyed making these previews for the last year, through all of the hard work, selecting, and planning that went into each one. It has always been fun, and while I really wished I had both the boxing and anime editions up far early as once on schedule with, I'm glad to have been able to bring this to you, nonetheless.

And now, enjoy yourself some great new anime this season--if you haven't done so already... ;) !


--HD

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


Aoi Hitomi no Onna no Ko no Ohanashi [The Story of the Blue-Eyed Girl]

Debut: August 13, 2009
Format: Film (TV)
Director: Minetarou Hirai
Character Design:
Score:
Studio: Shin-Ei Animation
Additional Links: ANN Article

Synopsis
A new girl stirs a ruckus in a WWII-era Japanese town, whose blue eyes and half-American parentage earns her the suspicion and scorn of many of the locals and schoolchildren (and teachers) due to anti-British and -American sentiments there. A boy in her class and a teacher may not share the same views of her as the others, but the lives of the children can only be but affected as the realities of the war hit closer to home...

Personally...
It should come as no surprise that Japan, and the topologically- and culturally-secluded island nation that it is, has had a history of xenophobia and racial ignorance and insecurity. While things have improved in the climate of globalization, the Internet, and more openness, those negative elements are still around and have poked their ugly heads out from time to time. With that, it's really great to see something like this being animated (and aimed at the young and family crowds), which looks to address those very issues, set even during a tense time like WWII. It's encouraging to see people, Japanese or not, take the step and try to tackle a sensitive topic like race and acceptance, which hopefully won't be just a "once-in-a-while" thing.


Bakemonogatari

Debut: July 3, 2009
Format: TV (15 episodes)
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo (Series: Tatsuya Oishi)
Character Design: Akio Watanabe (Original: VOfan)
Score: Satoru Kousaki
Studio: SHAFT
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A high-schooler, who is recovering from an encounter with a vampire, catches a classmate that fell down from a flight of stairs, noticing her seemingly weightlessness. Despite her (very) abrasive demeanor, he offers to introduce her to someone that helped him with his own unique problem...

Personally...
Let's see: direction by Akiyuki Shinbo (The SoulTaker, Natsu no Arashi!), character designs (and animation direction) by Akio Watanabe (The SoulTaker, Hoshizora Kiseki), score by Satoru Kousaki (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kannagi), and animation by SHAFT (Natsu no Arashi!)? The staff list alone is enough has me wanting to see it, since I'm a big fan of each of their work and styles. Add with it a reasonably interesting story, and you have one of the shows that I'm anticipated the most this season.


CANAAN

Debut: July 4, 2009
Format: TV (13 episodes)
Director: Masahiro Ando
Character Design: Kanami Sekiguchi (Original: Takashi Takeuchi)
Score: Hikaru Nanase
Studio: P.A. Works
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A series of strange happenings in the city bring together a very disparate group of individuals from very different walks of life...

Personally...
This series, based on a Type-Moon visual novel (428 ~Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de~), was actually announced last October, but seemed interesting enough to keep on the radar for when it was to come out. Its debut came much later than I expected, but now it's here, it looks to be getting good reviews (not to mention that it looks quite good, anyway). Perhaps helping its cause is Sword of the Stranger director Ando being at the helm, with Red Garden scripter Mari Okada and Noein scorer Hikaru Nanase contributing, as well. A three-part film series on the show is scheduled to start in the fall.


Cencoroll

Debut: July 28, 2009
Format: Film
Director: Atsuya Uki
Character Design: Atsuya Uki
Score: ryu (supercell)
Animator: Atsuya Uki
Additional Links: ANN Entry,

Synopsis
A curious young girl becomes involved with a boy and his oddity of a pet, as they combat another boy and his own strange creature who is threaten their town.

Personally...
When its official website says "A Film by Atsuya Uki", they really do mean "A Film by Atsuya Uki". In the spirit of Makoto Shinkai, everything outside of ryu (supercell)'s score was done by one Atsuya Uki. The film itself was announced about two years ago, with a trailer that debuted at the same time, and is the product of the Anime Innovation Tokyo program, which was started to help back upstart animators like Uki and studios. It's a wonderful cause and it looks like they have a good number of other works for such a program. Crunchyroll looks to be a possible streaming venue, but no word has been said on that front recently, though trailers of Cencoroll and others can be found on their profile page there. Hopefully it does get on there at some time, as the film looks spectacular and especially good.


Evangelion: 2.0 You Can [Not] Advance

Debut: June 27, 2009
Format: Film
Directors: Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki (Chief: Hideaki Anno)
Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Score: Shiro Sagisu
Studio: Studio Khara
Additional Links: ANN Entry, Affenheimtheater Tags

Synopsis
The retelling of the landmark Neon Genesis Evangelion television series continues, with the introduction of new Eva pilots, new Evas, and new plot twists...

Personally...
I've never been a hardcore Eva fan like many other fans, but I've never been a complete hater of the franchise either (like many other fans). I was neutral on the television series that this tetralogy has been based on (though I liked the oft-controversial last two eps. and thought that they were befitting), and liked Death & Rebirth, but thought that The End of Evangelion (a retelling of the said two eps.) was an unmitigated masterpiece and absolute work of art (more of an "experience" than anything else).

With the less-than-spectacular experience of movie retellings of TV series--not just anime--and EoE in mind, I was in the middle over how the four-part Rebuild of Evangelion movie series--which were to retell the entire story with new animation, elements and changes for a new audience unfamiliar with the original--would turn out. Watching the first movie, the first thirty minutes felt too close to the first episode, but everything after that was near (if not) spot-on perfection, addressing many of the problems that irked me about the series as well as those that didn't bother me as much.

It was almost a masterpiece (for the reasons before), accompanied by a stellar production and writing, so I've certainly been anticipating 2.0. Many have said that it includes some very major changes, but if 1.0 was any indication, that was long since a given going into it. Anno and his specially-formed cohorts at Khara did a great job with the first film, so I'm sure the second will be even greater.


Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! (Charger Girl Ju-den Chan)

Debut: June 25, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Shinichiro Kimura
Character Design: Atsuko Watanabe
Score: Akifumi Tada
Studio: Studio Hibari
Additional Links: ANN Entry, Crunchyroll

Synopsis
Charger Girl Plug is a somewhat ditsy girl from another dimension charged with brightening the dispositions of despondent people by, well, "charging" them up and refilling their being with energy.

Personally...
Let's see: directed by Shinichiro Kimura (Burn Up Excess), based on a manga by Bow Ditama (illustrator for Mahoromatic), and animated by Studio Hibari (Training with Hinako)? By the look of the staff list alone, the show looks like a real piece of work with its brain prominently stuck on one subject matter (not as if that couldn't be deferred via its promo picture or very "NSFW" trailer). To be fair, though, Kimura and Hibari have had their fare share of suitable anime (even a few children's shows from the latter), and Ditama's designs have been quite appealing (not in that way), but you can't quite overlook some of the other, ...erm, "gems" in their repertoire, either.

What is perhaps more offensive than the saucier material is how dull and boring it is (at least, through the first episode). And oddly enough, the series is being simulcast at Crunchyroll--but in an edited form (not like the untouched version would have made any difference...). And unsurprisingly, it's in the same timeslot that another sure-fire award-winner was in this past spring, sharing a few of its more questionable traits, as well...


Kara no Kyoukai - the Garden of sinners: Satsujin Kousatsu

Debut: August 8, 2009
Format: Film
Director: Shinsuke Takizawa
Character Design: Takashi Takeuchi (Original)
Score: Yuki Kaijura
Studio: ufotable
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
The popular film series Kara no Kyoukai - the Garden of sinners comes to an end with the seventh and final chapter, "Satsujin Kousatsu".

Personally...
Kara no Kyoukai was something I came across by chance a while back--its odd title intriguing me--yet other things and titles got in the way, slipping to the back of my mind. Only when everybody kept chirping about it months later did I decide to take a look at it, in which I would soon become among the ones singing its praises. It's a (very) dark, complex, and serpentine story with intriguing characters, depth, and a well-suited atmospheric score by Yuki Kaijiura--her best yet. Backing it is the exceptional animation production by ufotable, as well as great direction and writing (surely makes up for the studio's earlier Coyote Ragtime Show). It's been quite good through the first five, so I have high anticipation in seeing how the last two films round everything out.


Kawa no Hikari

Debut: June 20, 2009
Format: TV (special)
Director: Tetsuo Hirakawa
Character Design: Tsukasa Tannai
Score: Masaki Kurihara
Studio: GALLOP
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
In this family-friendly ecological tale, a family of rats find themselves on the move after their home is destroyed by a construction project.

Personally...
I'll be the first one to tell you that environmental animations have largely been awful. Some aren't (Arjuna wasn't too bad, though others say otherwise), and KnH looks like it could be a pretty decent one if executed well enough. And no, having a puppy with Aya Hirano's voice will not be enough to meet that criteria...


Mai Mai Miracle

Debut: August 15, 2009
Format: Film
Director: Sunao Katabuchi
Character Design:
Score:
Studio: Madhouse
Additional Links: Shouchiku Films Site, ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
In 1950s Japan, a young girl and a new student from her class journey to a magical thousand year-old land that has ties to her family.

Personally...
Ah, Sunao Katabuchi, my professed "King of Disparate Shows" (or something along those lines). Though the talented director is most famous for the violent, more adult, and worldly Black Lagoon, his resume has largely been made on making family-friendly fare like World Masterpiece Theater's Meiken Lassie and the award-winning Princess Arete, his most recent directorial work in the genre, as well as providing screenplay work on Hayao Miyazaki- co-helmed Sherlock Hound.

One of the reasons why I've been a fan of his is how completely different something like Arete--deliberately-paced, softly-designed and -colored, and perfectly fine for children-- is compared to Black Lagoon--gritty, action-packed, brutal, suitable chiefly for an older crowd. Yet even past the divergent thematics and artwork, there are the constants of superb storytelling, a great understanding of the world each story inhabits and how it affects it (complemented with an appropriate, memorable score), and an attention to the characters and to the quality of animation. To be able to craft two great works so vastly dissimilar is tantamount to the kind of talent that Katabuchi holds.

After the big success of BL, he returns to his roots with Mai Mai Miracle, which is based on the Japanese novel, Mai Mai Shinko to Sennen no Mahou. The movie looks very nice, featuring the kind of softness found in his other family works, and is animated by Madhouse, who also did Black Lagoon. Though it is slated to debut in Japan on Nov. 21, it will make its premiere at Switzerland's Locarno International Film Festival on Aug. 15.


Needless

Debut: July 2, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Masayuki Sakoi
Character Design: Hiromi Kato
Score: Tatsuya Katou, Masaaki Iizuka
Studio: Madhouse
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
In WWIII-ravaged Japan, humanity comes to grips with a new type of man: "Needless", those who have been infected with a mysterious illness behind the warded-off areas of the country, and in turn, have been granted superhuman powers and abilities.

Personally...
Despite the serious-sounding sci-fi premise, its actually billed as an "action comedy" with (as the ANN article notes) "bishoujo x violence". It certainly looks more that way based on some of the promo material, but I also gather that it looks to have some fanservice and loli content, as well. Regardless, it might turn out to be a good romp in an over-the-top way. It's a Madhouse production and has a GRANRODEO-sung OP, so it also has those things going for it.


OVA Utawarerumono

Debut: June 5, 2009
Format: OVA (3 episodes)
Director: Kenichiro Katsura
Character Design: Kenichiro Katsura (Original: Tatsuki Amazuyu)
Score:
Studios: AQUAPLUS, Chaos Project
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
In this OVA sequel to the 2006 fantasy anime, the masked Hakuoro and his friends set out to identify a baby found abandoned in their land.

Personally...
From the few episodes I saw of the first series, it was pretty good, something in the vein of Record of Lodoss War in terms of feel, which was refreshing in a genre susceptible to mediocrity. The story seems to reside primarily with the first episode, with the other two also being standalones (which may explain the lack of potential build-up from the given premise).


Sora no Manimani

Debut: July 7, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Shinji Takamatsu
Character Design: Hajime Watanabe
Score:
Studio: Studio Comet
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A timid high-school boy becomes reacquainted with an old friend after moving back to his hometown. Though their relationship was strained following an unfortunate event years before, she invites him to her astronomy club nonetheless, where their romance begins to sprout...

Personally...
What sounds like a premise for a romantic drama in the spirit of Shinkai is actually the basis for another goofy romantic comedy from School Rumble animator Studio Comet, director Takamatsu, and character designer Watanabe (hmm, sounds familiar...). Even so, I like the plot a good deal, even if a "drama" seems more enticing.


Spice & Wolf II

Debut: July 8, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Takeo Takahashi
Character Design: Toshimitsu Kobayashi (Original: Juu Ayakura)
Score: Yuuji Yoshino
Studios: Brain Base, Marvie Jack
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
A traveling merchant and his wolf goddess companion continue their journeys in this sequel to the popular and well-received 2008 series.

Personally...
Many people liked Spice & Wolf when it came out, which lent no surprise to a second season being tapped. I liked its sensibilities from the first few episodes seen, as it was more focused on business and other more personal aspects than the fantastical--very unlike most fantasy tales, even among the more layered ones. Its debut just so happens to come close to FUNimation's distribution announcement of the first season, which was licensed by Kadokawa Pictures USA last year.


Summer Wars

Debut: August 1, 2009
Format: Film
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Score: Akihiko Matsumoto
Studio: Madhouse
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article, Affenheimtheater Tags

Synopsis
A family embarks on a great adventure to fulfill a grandmother's wish and save the world, as it and an alternative one begin to meld.

Personally...
Hosada & Co. might have another hit (including future ones) if Summer Wars turns out to be a hit commercially, even if the reviews don't reach the level of their breakout feature, 2007's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (aka "Tokikake", an portmanteau of its Japanese title). SW brings back the bulk of that film's staff, including Hosada, Sadamoto, screenwriter Satoko Okudera, Youji Takeshige (Background Art in Tokikake, Art Direction here), and animation director Hiroyuki Aoyama, and is an original story (by, I believe, the director). The many trailers of the film give the impression that is aesthetically reminiscent of Tokikake, though it is very different altogether (ok, the male lead does look a little like Makoto--but also like his VA...). It also contains some elements that invoke images of Digimon (whose TV sequel and films Hosada directed), among other things (non the least of which being "OZ", the name of the alternative world).

Even with said trailers, its description, and a preview of the first five minutes, its still hard to pin down the specifics of the film, though it seems to be true to the "lighthearted family adventure" theme that it is set as. As a whole, it doesn't look to bad (animation-wise, it looks great), but its importance for both Mamoru Hosada and Madhouse is major. He could feasibly become "the next Miyazaki" that everyone's been looking for (ironic, considering his abandonment of Howl's Moving Castle as director, and the bad blood that followed between him and Ghibli, along with Miyazaki unretiring to pick up the reins (though some say Hosada was pushed out because he was returning)) and Madhouse will have both another hit-maker in their ranks and greater recognition. Well, only time will tell...


Taishou Yakyuu Musume.

Debut: July 2, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Takashi Ikehata
Character Design: Kanetoshi Kamimoto (Original: Sadaji Koike)
Score: Takayuki Hattori
Studio: J.C.STAFF
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
Two teenage girls in mid-1920s Japan defy the conservative conventions of the era--and an insulting male baseball player--by forming an all-girl baseball team.

Personally...
I'm definitely always up for some positive female series, which TYM appears to be. It's especially refreshing after watching a few shounen or harem shows, which aren't exactly shining bastions of the female person. Princess Nine was the last (and one of the only) female baseball series to air, which treaded on similar grounds, but TYM sets itself apart by placing itself in a historical context. Absolutely one worth taking a look at.


Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

Debut: July 9, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Masaki Tachibana
Character Design: Atsuko Nozaki
Score: Kou Otani
Studios: BONES, Kinema Citrus
Additional Links: ANN Entry, ANN Article

Synopsis
An underwater earthquake measuring at 8.0 causes widespread destruction in adjacent Tokyo, leaving a little girl and her brother, with help from a young woman, to find their way back home through the devastation.

Personally...
The one of only a handful of anime centered around the premise of an earthquake and its aftermath, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 certainly had tongues wagging when it was announced only this past March. Many praised its originality before it ever came out--and with good reason. But aside from that, it's also a relevant and key subject an area that has experienced a number of major and highly-destructive earthquakes in the past. Because of this, BONES has gone out of their way to ensure that they encapsulate the realities of the ordeal by utilizing first-hand accounts from victims and data observed from the events. It was a real surprise when the studio announced TM-8 and it was great to hear an animation studio handle something like an earthquake event (with no sci-fi or fantasy tie-in), and it might be the most anticipated title for me in this preview.


Umi Monogatari ~Anata ga Ite Kureta Koto~ [Sea Story ~Something You Can Do~]

Debut: June 24, 2009
Format: TV (12 episodes)
Director: Junichi Sato (Series: Yuu Kou)
Character Design: Haruko Iizuka
Score: Ken Muramatsu
Studio: ZEXCS
Additional Links: ANN Entry, METANORN Post

Synopsis
Two sea-dwelling sisters happen upon a particular ring that has fallen into the ocean. Trekking outside of their ocean home, they arrive an island home to its owner, a rather "dark" high-school girl that wants nothing more to do with it. Their fateful meeting soon brings about a power that threatens the entire world.

Personally...
Whenever Junichi Sato and "magical girls" come together, only very good things tend to come about (perhaps even for a pachinko-based anime like this one). Though not the series director, his high-level involvement bodes well for Sea Story, whose, uh, story holds a great deal of promise. The production looks high-quality and the character designs look very nice, as well. It's another series definitely up there as one of my most anticipated.


Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Debut: July 4, 2009
Format: TV
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo
Character Design: Hideyuki Morioka
Score:
Studio: SHAFT
Additional Links: ANN Entry

Synopsis
The third season of the popular Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei series continues the tale of the world's most negative person and his ward of high-schoolers.

Personally...
I've always wanted to watch SZS, given its funny setup and its superbly eclectic art style. The series put Shinbo and SHAFT on the map and has garnered them a formidable fanbase (and a heap of critical praise), so it's little wonder that it's back for a third outing.


-Other Shows of Interest-
There a good lot of great and notable shows debuting this season, and as usual, there are a select bunch that I'll write about in the main section. The others, the "honorable mentions", if you will, form the bulk of this part. Some of the shows here may be ones that are just worth mentioning, a few might be ones I'm on the fence about, and others may very well be intriguing enough to warrent being up above. In spite of this, it should be noted that there have been a number of good works that have been discovered right here in this section...

Elementhunters (07.04.09 - An NHK production with nice visuals and art style; seems to be aimed at children, with an apparent education tilt.)

GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class (07.06.09 - This season's installment of a group of cute (probably "moe") high-school girls in [insert type] class in a slice-of-life anime. "Krud-ON!" memories aside, at least Di Gi Charat and Cromartie High School's director Hiroaki Sakurai is heading it.)

Pénélope tête en l'air [2009] (06.29.09 - Based on a series of children's books, with wonderful and cute art.)

Princess Lover! (07.05.09 - Not the name of some hentai--though the character designs lean more on the "ecchi" side. At least its premise seems kind of interesting, in some "Hanasakeru Seishounen"-sense, and the animation quality looks high.)

Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas - Meiou Shinwa (06.09 - I'm not the biggest Saint Seiya devotee, but even I have to be impressed with how its latest installment looks to be shaping up with its animation and design styles.)

Utsurun Desu. (08.21.09 - Truthfully billed as "nonsensical", and utterly sublime...)

Weiß Survive (06.05.09 - Sounds like a weak excuse to shuffle out cards based on the show, but at only 3 minutes per 16 episodes, maybe it won't be so bad.)

Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou (07.11.09 - Seems like one of those kind of flashy, fanservice-y shows that could go either way, though its plot sounds promising. Available at Crunchyroll for view.)


-In Theaters-

First Squad (05.13.09 - The "Nazi" theme has been done into the ground, but this particular tale does look mildly interesting, being a Studio 4°C film and all. Technically, this should have been in the Spring Anime Preview, but it accidentally found its way here when I made this one, so I'll give it a pass...)

Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (08.22.09 - Production I.G's first CGI anime; it looks like a potentially good one, but let us not forget the experimental works they've done in the 90s and early 2000's...)

Redline (08.14.09 - Oddly enough, there was a live-action 2007 movie by the same name and with the same sort of premise. I haven't heard about any correlation, but that aside, the animation looks very slick.)


Symphony in August (08.22.09 - Based on the autobiography of singer Ai Kawashima (The Place Promised in Our Early Days), and directed by someone with high standards and expectation for what his studio produces--and it shows in the trailer. It really looks good from all aspects.)

Yatterman [2009] (08.22.09 - Tatsunoko Pro., Production I.G's progenitor, has been on a roll with their revival of their hit Yatterman franchise, which is very hot in Japan, so of course they can spare to put another movie out there of it...)