:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2016 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Finally!

After so long, finally Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress (Koutetsujou no Kabaneri) sees the light of day on noitaminA!! First announced late 2014, the series appeared poised to air with the other titles it was announced with, only to have next to nothing said for months on end. Instead, ERASED/BokuMachi was announced out of the blue and slated for the winter.  It was only until December that anything was revealed about Kabaneri, and what the news yielded since then were beautiful visuals, character designs by a returning legend, a potentially faint-inducing ED duet from Aimer and EGOIST's chelly, and yes, more comparisons to Tetsuro Araki and WIT STUDIO's much-much-lesser-known work, Attack on Titan…

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Re-/Preview 2015-16 Special:: noitaminA (Summer-Winter)

Suffice to say—right off the bat—this will be a very different seasonal preview for noitaminA…

:anime: —Emergency Interjection Protocol Implementation, Article 1, Section 1.1, Sub-Section 1a:: Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick of the Month - July 2015 Announcement—

A recent look at noitaminA's upcoming schedule has yield a few…interesting developments. "Interesting" enough that I, after much thought, have decided to do something a little drastic with what I had planned. This entails what I was originally going to do for July's Pick, but rather than have all of you wait in the meantime for a delayed post, I will come out and say that it is Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace, Seiji Kishi & Makoto Uezu's debut noitaminA entry, based on the mystery works of the titular author. There will be more on it in the write-up ahead, but you can watch for free right now at FUNimation.com and Hulu (though subscribers at the former can catch it as it airs, as opposed to the two-week delay for free viewers there and at Hulu).

Enjoy for now and stay tuned for later…

—HD

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2015 Special:: noitaminA (Spring)

It's the beginning of the spring anime season and with it comes another slate of noitaminA programming—but it comes with a catch this time around…

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2014-15 Special:: noitaminA (Autumn, Winter)

The autumn season is upon us and so is the second leg of noitaminA's 10th anniversary celebration! For the fall season, the much-pushed and -anticipated Your lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) and PSYCHO-PASS 2 will debut, with the former stretching into the winter season and Saenai heroine no sodate-kata. taking latter's slot then. With the number of returning favorites both on- and behind-the-screen, in addition to the amount of heavy-hitting new contributors and elevated profiles of these other anniversary projects to come, perhaps the best fit theme here would be "great expectations"…

Let's not waste any more time, here's noitaminA's upcoming slate for the autumn and winter 2014-15 seasons!!

(…But before we make haste,here's a friendly remember that all noitaminA series debuting throughout the duration of the block's anniversary will automatically be the "Free/Low-Cost Anime Pick" for their respective months (given that it a distro is available)!!)

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2014 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Nine years and three days ago, on April 14, 2005, Fuji TV launched their "noitaminA" anime block with the series, Honey & Clover. With the aim of breaking the trend of and expanding the demographic of anime programing beyond young and teen boys, noitaminA would become the birthplace of antithetical works of the likes of Paradise Kiss, Hataraki Man, and Ayakashi/Mononoke.

The great success of the Nodame Cantabile franchise (still its biggest to date), Moyashimon, Library War, and Eden of the East, as well as the notoriety of the block's quality and content helped fuel noitaminA's expansion to a one-hour format for its fifth anniversary. Since then, it has experienced its share of sleepers (Shiki, Black Rock Shooter (TV)), diamonds-in-the-rough (read: critically-praised, but poor-selling) (Hourou Musoko/Wandering Son, Princess Jellyfish/Kuragehime), high-profile flops (Fractale, GUILTY CROWN (sold decently, but not up the lofty expectations of its hype or as well-received), Samurai Flamenco), big hits (AnoHana, Bunny/Usagi Drop, PSYCHO-PASS), and even a live-action series (an second adaptation of the Moyashimon manga).

:anime: Anime Kibbles 'n' Bits ::03.29.14:: noitaminA 10th Anniversary, Gundam 35th Anniversary, and Macross 32nd Anniversary(?)!!

*rubs hands together* Lots of great anime goodness ahead, so put on a party hat and let's jump right in!

:Fri.03.21.14:

noitaminA Celebrates The Big 1-0!!

2015 marks the 10th anniversary of Fuji TV's lauded noitaminA block, and on Mar. 21st, the producers announced the slate of new works not just for summer, but for the whole year leading into it. Along with the previously-announced spring titles and the PSYCHO-PASS sequel, the list includes a mix of returning favorites, big names and studios, and big surprises…:

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2013-14 Special:: noitaminA (Autumn, Winter)

After an abnormal spring/summer session, Fuji TV's noitaminA block returns with a vengeance-and-a-half, opening the fall season with one series by the helmsman of one of their recent darlings and the other by the most unexpected--but certainly among the most welcome--of talents.

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2013 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Normally, each season of noitaminA either has an original series or one based on preexisting material, with the occasional sequel or the even rarer short (Thermae Romae being the sole example). However, this stint of Fuji TV's venerable block is quite different from the past, as for the first time ever, a previously-broadcasted anime will be reran in it. . This show, now "retroactively" a noitaminA series, will be Katanagatari, an adaptation of NisiOisin's novel series (unrelated to his mega-hit Monogatari Series) that first aired in 2010 on Fuji TV. Even more unusual is that due to the hour-long runtime of each of its twelve episodes (one for each of the 12 volumes in the series), it will take up the allotted hour-long timeslot of the block for spring, meaning it will be the only title shown for the season.

So what will be of the summer session? It looks to be a return to normalcy (from the outset, at least) with an adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa's runaway smash Silver Spoon.

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2012-13 Special:: noitaminA (Autumn, Winter)

Back once again is HardDoor's coverage of noitaminA's offerings for the season--but this one is a bit different than previous installments. For one, information on both series has been rather slow and vague until recently (Robotics;Notes had some since its PS3 game counterpart was announced, but it wasn't terribly clear what it was all about, whereas PSYCHO-PASS wasn't detailed until the last month or so). Two, with the latter taking up two cours and the former, thus far, looking like the standard 11 eps., no other series has been announced yet to fill Winter's of slot 11 eps.. And three, Production I.G is handling both series, returning to the block after the ill-fated GUILTY CROWN.

There tends to always be an unintentional theme each season, but instead of the "all-star staff/casts" of the past two, this one feels more like a case of "If that anime was popular for x reason, why not this one for x reason?!" It remains to be seen if that mindset will pay off (spoiler: most often than not, no), but fortunately, both series have been acquired by FUNimation for streaming, set for, well, today, so let's get on with the preview!

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2012 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Hard to believe that it has been a year already since I started doing seasonal previews for Fuji TV's venerable noitaminA anime block. What started off as a one-shot special preview for what looked to be an outstanding spring-summer lineup last April, has turned into perhaps the most popular feature on HardDoor, with that preview and the most recent being the second and third most-read posts here. More or less, it has become something of a regular feature on HD, but that is more of a testament to the continuing allure that is noitaminA's programming. Its pedigree has yielded a deserved amount of attention and anticipation with its varied, challenging (in more ways than one), and often high-caliber quality of work. Even when a recent work, for instance, in GUILTY CROWN turned out to be a rare disappointment for the block, there were still surprises to be found in the sleeper Black Rock Shooter and Thermae Romae.

This year's tandem of spring and summer offerings seems to have brought everything full-circle from a year ago with another very strong selection: one from [C] - CONTROL's Kenji Nakamura, another a returning fan-favorite, one representing a step-up for a studio accustomed to mostly assistance work and fluff pieces, and one particular title being the highly anticipated return and reunion of a famed director and composer duo. So, once again, let's take a look at what lies ahead for noitaminA!

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2011-12 Special:: noitaminA (Autumn, Winter)

Fuji TV's noitaminA block has regularly produced a number of high-quality and notable works, but its spring and summer lineups this year looked so promising, I decided to do a mini-seasonal preview special on it. It was intended to be just a one-time feature, but I was open to doing it once more if the block proved especially interesting once more. No offense to Fuji TV or noitaminA, but it seemed so unlikely at the time that they could possibly strike such gold again.

And yet, here we are…

Similar to the past two seasons, noitaminA looks to have pulled out all of the stops for their autumn and winter lineups, which carry a number of interesting notes. The first of those are the big-named staffs being assembled for UN-GO and GUILTY CROWN (by BONES and Production I.G, respectively (well, a division of the latter, anyway), who also handled the summer slate of titles), creating an intriguing mix of talent whose final products should yield some equally intriguing results. GUILTY CROWN's run, however, will be stretching into the winter as a two-cour series, leaving the second timeslot to the surprise entrant of a Black Rock Shooter TV series in January February 2012 (thus making it "A Very supercell Winter", with the group's involvement in both noitaminA shows for that season's lineup).

[UPDATE (01/10/12): NoitaminA made a surprise announcement of a fourth series to debut in the season, albeit a three-episode long, Flash-based animation in Thermae Romae, whereas Black Rock Shooter was pushed back to February. More after the break…]

:anime: HardDoor's Seasonal Anime Preview 2011 Special:: noitaminA (Spring, Summer)

Fuji TV's noitaminA block has produced a fine number of great titles over the years. Their slate for the spring and summer cours, however, looks particularly strong, enough so to warrant this special installment of HD's seasonal anime preview. While full-fledged ones of old are currently on hiatus due to time constraints, I thought it would still be worthwhile to churn out an edition for something like noitaminA. I have had my eye on these series since they have been announced, and hope they turn out as good as they appear to be. And knowing noitaminA's track record, their chances seem high…

So...We Talk Again...

This month will prove to be a busy month for HardDoor, but also a very special one in many ways. I'll be working hard on a particular topic that I have been saving specifically for this month ever since I started the blog, and because of that, a few "sacrifices" will need to be made to accommodate this.

As such, the winter anime preview will be truncated to a basic listing and a few brief thoughts for each title (though I will still give the usual links, such as to free legal streaming). I'm still unsure of what I will do with the boxing edition, though I would really rather not drop it for the season.

The past two months have seen two free/low-cost anime picks and February will continue that unintended trend thanks to the streaming of a certain mega-franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary. It was originally going to be about the commemorating anime, but it will now include a few of its peers as well, most likely across two posts. And speaking of free anime (and back to "sacrifices"), some may have noticed the few, slight changes made to the Directory, including the recent section addition. It's definitely not the last and some big ones lay ahead over the course of this month and the ones to come--and maybe some outside it as well.

For a good while, I have had trouble with time and access restraints, but now I'm in a good spot and have switched things up a little, as evident with the consecutive posts for the last couple of days. All things considered, I'll probably start posting the "Decade's Best" lists next month ("Anime" is largely done, "Boxing" needs a little more cross-checking) and some other nuggets of joy. See y'all soon!

--HD

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

<--To Summer 2009 Anime Preview

When I first saw what was airing this fall, I was surprised at the amount of shows that seemed worth noting. Yet when I actually began to compile this season's preview and filter the titles, the girth didn't seem as remarkable, nor did titles themselves. A bit of time passed and I decided to review the list of offerings again, which revealed a whole slew of new ones that were added since then and were noteworthy enough to make it. And so, this year's autumn edition of HardDoor's seasonal anime previews is the largest one to date, featuring 21 shows in the main section, 23 shows "of interest", and six movies debuting in Japan in the "theater" section--a total of 50 works in whole (besting this Spring's record of 39)!.

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

<--To Spring 2009 Anime Preview

To Autumn 2009 Anime Preview-->

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.

:anime: Spring Anime Preview '09 - First Episode Review Pt. 2:: K-ON!, Haruhi S2

The second batch of first episode reviews for the spring season are finally here, featuring two shows that were quite good and two that were quite torturous to watch (yes, I'm probably the only one who wasn't enthralled with one of them...). The previews from last time were pretty long, so I tried to streamline and shorten by comments as much as possible (with a heavy emphasis on try...). As before, these are my general thoughts on the shows covered below and their premiere episodes, not synopsises or great dissertations. That said, one of the bad ones first...

:anime: Spring Anime Preview '09 - First Episode Review Pt. 1:: FMA:B, Saki, Shangri-La

With all of the anime that gets covered in the seasonal anime previews here on HardDoor, I figured it would be remiss not to provide a follow-up on their coverage. Normally, this would be difficult to do on a timely basis, but it has now been made easier due to the sheer number of companies and studios seeking out online ventures to showcase their newest works (which shows just how far digital distribution and advertisement have come). These reviews are not synopsizes or long dissertations of the episode, but my general thoughts on them (ok, well, some of them are long). This installment covers the first episodes of the series below, and I aim to have another follow-up every fifth episode. I should note that not every show covered is available through "official" means, per se, and coverage may change based on show and time availability. I intend to cover other new shows later, so be sure to keep an eye out! --HD

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

<--To Winter 2008-09 Anime Preview

To Summer 2009 Anime Preview-->

Spring's upon us and as is often the case, with it comes a massive influx of new titles. 2009's is no exception and with 18 shows covered in both the main and "of interest" sections, and three in the "theater" section, there is quite an amount of intriguing and potentially good shows set to debut. It took over twice the length of time to prepare this preview, as there were many works that I wrote extensively on (and because there were so many, period!). Though there hasn't been a definite theme among the shows like in past seasons, there is an unusually large number of original stories and new retellings to go along with the requisite adaptations. In all, this spring may prove to be an enjoyable one with the sort of works mentioned ahead.

:anime: HardDoor's Winter Anime Preview - '08-'09 Edition

<--To Autumn 2008 Anime Preview

To Spring 2009 Anime Preview-->

Even in the midst of winter there are a number of notable anime that are making their debuts (considering how late this is coming, most probably already have). While this season may not be loaded with as many potential hits like last season, it doesn't mean that there is a dearth of good shows to look out for. Each season seems to have its own inherent theme or trend, and this winter's seems to be one of "relations", be they sequels, continuing seasons of certain shows, or retellings of them. Around ten of the works listed here are related to previous ones, though there are also a few fresh titles--one a novel approach to robots, another being a landmark approach to how anime is viewed across coasts at the same time. Like always, this isn't an exhaustive of every work out there, just the ones I found interesting or of note. This season's main group is quite smaller than previous times, though that is mostly due to me never seeing some of the returning shows beforehand and simply because I found interest in just this handful. Pardon for this coming so late, due to various circumstances, but let's get to watching nonetheless, shall we?