Although I'm not sure about who is who, but at least three
female directors we can find in the staff lists of this
season (12, 22 and 24 below). Maybe, it's not so surprising.
A lot of brilliant female artists are in anime and manga
industry for decades already.
Fukuyama Jun is very busy because he voices main roles in many
shows of this season. He won the first Seiyuu award last year.
This is the list of my ratings to new shows based on every first
episode I planned and watched. Ratings may vary episode
by episode. The number isn't the rank but only a sequence for
convenience. Sorted by stars.
Indication:
[for k:kids, s:shoujo, g:grown-ups]
(studio/production)
*:fair, **:enjoyable, ***:must see
a:good animation/artwork, d:good drama/story,
h:humorous/hilarious, m:good music, v:violent,
w:heartwarming, +:outstanding (e.g. a+ means
outstanding animation/artwork)
1) Soul Eater (Bones): ***, a+h+m
Once a kishin, an evil god, almost succeeded in destroying
the world of humans but the god of death stopped him.
Later, the god of death established a school of craftsman
and weapon to manage the security of the world. A student,
Soul, is a human-form weapon and Maka is his partner. They
have collected 99 evil souls. Now they attack a witch, Blair,
as the last collection to become a Death Scythe. But Blair
is so sexy as she knocks Soul out. How can they defeat her?
Director Igarashi and Bones show us brilliant direction and
stylish animation as they did in "Ouran Hi-school Host Club".
Characters' movements in fighting scenes are lightning quick
yet the choreography is beautifully done at the same time.
The work for the 10th anniversary of Bones.
2) Macross Frontier (Satellite): ***, a+m
In the 2059 AD, Macross Frontier, a fleet of space immigration
is attacked by a group of alien mecha at the midst of a
rock concert of Sheryl. She accidentally fells off from the
stage but Alto, a member of an acrobat flying team, catches
her in the air and she keeps singing in his arms. As an
alien's mecha is to attack an audience Ranka, Alto gets ridden
on an abandoned Valkyrie and fights back in order to save her.
Gorgeous graphics and animation. Simple but bold story that
develops very fast like a roller coaster. Kawamori's general
direction and Kanno Yoko's music with Sakamoto Maaya's song.
3) Nabari no Ou (J.C. Staff): **, adhm
Nabari is a ninja world yet unveiled to the public. Miharu
has the ultimate method of ninjutsu called "Shinrabanshou"
hidden in his body. One day, a group of Iga Kairo attacks
Miharu to take the method out of his body. When he is in
danger, the power begins to activate unintentionally and
drives them away. Afterwards, Tobari promises Miharu to
protect him. In the reality, there is still a ninjutsu dojo
in Chiba and many of its students are foreigners around
the world. The main difference between other sports like
Judo and Karate, Ninjutsu uses everything from coins to
paper as the weapon.
4) Marian and Lilia (Madhouse+Tezuka Pro): *, d
While Bill spends a vacation in the campus, Alison lands her
bi-plane in front of him. An old man tells them that he knows
a treasure that can end the war between Roksh and Suvail. Later,
a suspicious organization kidnaps the old man. Bill and Alison
try to rescue him.
5) xxxHOLIC Kei (Production I.G): *, h
Domeki gets cursed in his left eye by an evil spider since he
removed spider's nest from Watanuki's head. Watanuki feels
responsible for it and asks Yoko to substitute his left eye
for Domeki's. The request is accomplished and Watanuki loses
his eye. Domki, in turn, try to find his grand father's book
that would tell him the way to eliminate the spider's curse.
6) Kurenai (Brain's Base): *, av
The mother of Murasaki was almost confined in a back house
by her husband and died hopelessly leaving her guard Benika a
request of taking Murasaki out of the house. Benika, then,
fulfils the request and assigns Shinkuro to the guard of
Murasaki. Murasaki, age 7, is a well educated but arrogant girl
due to her circumstances. Shinkuro looks like a poor, weak and
imprudent hi-school student but he got trained with a secret
martial art. Story of women in a traditional powerful Japanese
family of patriarchy has been a popular drama for a long time.
Yakuza movies included.
7) Zettai Karen Children (Synargy SP): *, h
Kaoru, Shiho and Aoi are the only 7th level ESPers in Japan.
They are recruited by the security service bureau B.A.B.E.L. of
which main mission is to prevent crimes and disasters caused by
ESPers. Since Kaoru et al are still very young and aren't yet
socially matured, they also cause serious problems by themselves.
8) Amatsuki (DEEN): *, dm
In a virtual exhibition of Edo culture, Toki is attacked by a
demon Nue and saved by a swordwoman Kuchiha. Afterwards, he
finds himself in another world of magic that looks like Edo
and his classmate Shinonome also fell into the world two years
ago. Looks like a pale copy of "Twelve Kingdoms". The children's
song is "Tooryanse" that is a kind of Mother Goose of Japan.
9) Wagaya no Oinari-sama (ZEXCS): *, h
Some unknown demon of "wood" is after Toru. As a counter
measure, Oobaa-chan asks Toru's brother Noboru to release
a fox demon Kuugen that has been sealed in a large rock for
hundreds years. Afterwards, Kuugen becomes a guardian of
Noboru and Toru, and lives in their house. But Kuugen is
vulgar enough to be a headache of the brothers.
10) Toshokan Senso (Production I.G): *, ah
The government has restricted the code of publishing much
tighter and begun to take bad books out of shops and
libraries. The association of libraries declared the law
of freedom of library to fight back. It resulted in a
war and a pile of dead bodies. Two decades passed and they
are still fighting. Yu was saved by a member of a library
defence force when a policeman tried to take her book away
years ago, and now she joins the defence force.
11) Code Geass (Sunrise): *
Lelouch goes to Babel Tower and gets involved in a terrorism.
While he is searching for an exit, CC driving a big mecha
descends in front of him. She is shot by Britanian army but
she revives and makes Lelouch remember his lost memory as
he once was Zero. He uses his power and wipes the army out.
Need more depth in characters' personality.
12) Vampire Knight [s](DEEN): *, ah
In a snowing evening when Yuki was a kid, she was attacked by
a vampire and saved by Kaname. The parents of Zero were killed
by a group of vampires. Yuki's father took care of him and
Zero begun to live with them as a family member. Yuki's
father built Cross Hi-school to stop disorder between humans
and vampires but process is still incomplete. Now in the
hi-school, Yuki and Zero are member of the studen council,
and Kaname is their senpai.
13) Golgo 13 [g](The Answer): *
An American local flight is hijacked and ordered to fly to
Colombia. CIA manages Golgo 13 go out of a jail and offers
a job of three million dollars. Golgo 13 takes the job and
buys a good rifle to shoot the hijacker from 1 mile away
with only one bullet.
14) Kamen no Maid Guy (Madhouse): h
Naeka won in a kendo competition. She was observed by a woman
in maid outfits and a man with a mask. Naeka is awful in
cleaning and arrangement, and her house is full of garbage.
Her grand father sends Fubuki and Kogarashi as her house
maids to keep her life ordinary. Nonsense commedy without
a real plot. More than enough fanservices.
15) To-love-ru (XEBEC): h
Lito is a boy of misfortune. One day, an UFO dropps down at
him. Later, the pilot Lala who came from the Deviluke planet
warps into the bath tub while Lito is taking bath. Heavily
fanservicy.
16) Net Ghost Pipopa [k](Hibari):
Yuta falls into the net space, meets three ghosts, Pit, Pot and
Pat, and escapes from an evil virus.
17) Druaga no Tou (GONZO): h
An evil god Druaga revives. All expeditions to subjugate Druaga
are faild and Gill and his companies are sent to Uruk as the last
hope. Much like a nonsense commedy.
18) Kaiba (Madhouse):
Underground is the world of poverty while upground is of richness.
Kaiba who knows nothing is attacked by monsters, and tries to
escape from the underground. Looks experimental.
19) Monochrome Factor (ACGT):
One day, Akira meets a strange man Shirogane who looks and acts
like a woman. Later, a monster attacks Akira and friends. Shorigane
defeats the monster and makes Akira fight to save the world.
20) Sennou Chosashitsu (Production I.G):
Masamichi was a top diver but he encountered an accident and was
damaged seriously. When he wakes up, 50 years has passed. But now,
he is seeing a huge ocean of the network space in front of him.
21) Himitsu [g](Madhouse):
Aoki's new office is in Section 9 that is researching the MRI
inspection technology for feasibility study of adapting it to
crime investigation to get evidence stored in dead victim's brain.
22) Crystal Blades (Fantasia):
In large flame, a young girl is crystalized and disappears. Later,
Manami and Ayaka who are working for S&A private detective office
meet a sick crystalized girl whom bad guys are trying to capture.
23) S.A. Special A [s](Gonzo+AIC): h
Hikari has been trained with martial arts because her father is
crazy about the pro wrestling. Kei is the first enemy who defeated
her. Hikari is in the special A class which only 7 top students
belong. Hikari is still number 2 and the top is always Kei.
24) Junjo Romantica [s](DEEN): h
Akihiko who is a friend of Misaki's brother is an extraordinary
man who got a huge success in business. He is also not ordinary
in another aspect. Deep yaoi. I warned you.
25) Uchi no San Shimai (Toei):
Story of three daughters (age 5, 3, 1) of a female mangaka.
26) Blassreiter (Gonzo & Nitoro+): av
A monster, which is a fusion of dead man and a bike, intrudes a
bike race and killed racers and audience.
27) Kyoran Kazoku Nikki (NOMAD):
1,000 years ago, humans killed a space monster Enka. Vengeance
of its descendants is expected and the bureau of extraordinary
phenomena searches for them to build a family to calm their grudge.
28) Nijuu-Menso no Musume (Bones+Telecom):
Chizuko inherited her parents' huge fortune and her uncle begun to
take care of her. She is losing her health and believes that she
has been given toxic foods for a long time. When Nijuu-Menso steals
a jewel from her uncle's house, he also saves her.
--
/ Ishikawa Kazuo /
|
