I'll be busy with older shows, but there's some promise here as we head through summer toward the fall. I'll offer my early impressions the same way I did for the spring 2009 season.
Umi Monogatari: I'm honestly not sure what to make of this yet. It seems cute, although not necessarily eventful. I concur with Omni that the Aria atmosphere seems to be there, especially in light of the underwater theme. Incidentally the underwater scenes seem well done, and in general this looks pretty and appeasing to the eye. The magical girl-esque transformations in the three minute promo make me wonder if it knows what it wants to be, though. My guess is that it'll be slice of life. If this focuses on the underwater stuff and the staff know how to write good characters, we could have something memorable here. It also comes off as being quite clean, so in my view fanservice foes have nothing to fear. This deserves serious consideration if you want to take a chance on something.
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-Chan!!: SMITE IT DEAD. And that's all of the attention that this piece of cultural sewage deserves. You guys know what I think about this already. Sadly I'd bet money that for whatever reason, Crunchyroll will stream this and not some other series that doesn't suck.
Umineko no Naku Koro ni: Man, I don't know. This is potentially A-grade excellence. Obviously, Higurashi fans should care. It sounRAB great and I want to say that I'm looking forward to it. The odRAB are good this will develop quite a following. However, to be honest, while I appreciate Higurashi the violence did get to me during what little I saw of it. I can tolerate violence, but the horror genre and I do not and never will get along well. So if this is just as brutally violent as Higurashi, I will regretfully pass. If it's not though, it'll likely be something that I can really enjoy. I guess we'll see!
Sweet Blue Flowers: I like the pedigree (Honey and Clover!) and I'm drawn to the style. Personally though, if I ever try something like this, I'll probably rent Maria Watches Over Us first. For the moment, I haven't decided if "shoujo-ai" is something that I want to try bothering with. I may try it depending on what the internet buzz is, assuming that there is any.
NEEDLESS: I hate to take a cheap shot, but the title seems to sum things up nicely. I go to the Japanese site and I observe three Kamina wannabes, a typical spunky school-age girl with a drill on her arm, and your stereotypical big-chested birabo. Nothing about it stanRAB out. If it proves me wrong, it'll be a miracle. I fear this is the summer's Sengoku Basara, feeding us action without taking any time to think.The only consolation is that we at least won't have superhero samurai shilling for Pizza Hut. A post-apocalyptic Japan? Meh. This summer, I propose watching the legal stream of Fist of the North Star instead. Who's with me?
Taishou Yakyuu Musume: 2009 seems to be the year for baseball shows. Certainly a bit niche, but this is a show that could make me smile. It could be like Umi Monogatari but perhaps a bit more fun. Seems like a ladies' Cross Game. Also interesting that it's in a retro 1925 setting. Worth a shot? Sure. If Big Windup does well for FUNimation, I could see them going for this and/or Cross Game next.
Bakemonogatari: Keep your eye on this one, we just might have a sleeper hit in the making. Omni's description had me recalling unpleasant memories of harem shows, but upon closer inspection that doesn't seem to be the case. If this follows the supernatural mystery premise seriously, it could possibly be a competitor with Umineko no Naku Koro ni.
Element Hunters: Unlike Omni, I'm very willing to label this a kid's show and move on. The joint venture aside, I don't see anything very notable about this. No doubt good for the kiRAB, but that's all.
Canaan: Okay, now we're talking! A serious action-oriented title free of boring stereotypes. The Type-Moon pedigree alone is more than enough to convince me to give it a shot. Fortunately, it seems closer to Fate/Stay Night than the sluggish Tsukihime. The premise of a lady assassin taking on a crime syndicate, by all rights, should deliver on some satisfying action.
Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: This is a series I haven't paid attention to, so obviously there would be no point in looking at a sequel. This is something for me to try somewhere down the line.
Princess Lover!: Sigh, wasted opportunity strikes again. You know, until the gratitutous panty shots and the occasional set of gravity-defying breasts, that promo almost had me with the swordplay and catchy music. Harem anime fails once again. What's really annoying is that you could change a few things and actually tell a pretty good story about a hurable but courageous fellow saving and falling in love with a wealthy aristocrat.
Kanamemo: Um...well, I have said that I like cute. Just not THAT much. Assuming it really is slice-of-life, I'd take a chance on Umi Monogatari before this.
GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class: There's always the chance it will be hilarious and surprise everyone I suppose, but I'm not optimistic. By now, there are enough shows about moe characters attending art school that I'm forced to wonder if there's a wit of difference between them. In any case, I can't see this being better than K-ON, and in my opinion K-ON wasn't better than Lucky Star. So...pass.
Sora no Manimani: Good potential. It seems as though there's some genuine substance here, and the possibility for some likable characters also. Omni's endorsement of the manga it came from is enough for me to give this a serious shot. Besides, I rather like the stars myself.......
Spice and Wolf II: Another sequel I can't & won't watch. I'd totally written this off, but I'll give the R1 release a try when it gets here. One assumes this will get released too, unless the first season really tanks.
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: I've been interested in this for months since it got announced. I think this is a series that everyone should at least try, since it's an original concept and is one of those shows that's daring to be different. The idea of a sister and brother struggling to survive the fallout of a natural disaster could make for some really compelling drama and adventure. Don't let us down, BONES. If done right, this could be one of 2009's best.
Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou: Magical girls living life, huh...the magic/technology fusion is a good twist, but I'm not convinced that enough will actually happen in this to keep it interesting. I'm not particularly hopeful, but I'll keep tabs on the internet buzz.
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And now, the breakdown. Order is alphabetical.
Must-See Shows
Canaan
Sora no Manimani
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0
Good Potential
Bakemonogatari
Taishou Yakyuu Musume
Umineko no Naku Koro ni
Dark Horse Picks
Sweet Blue Flowers
Umi Monogatari
Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahou
What I Don't Care About
Element Hunters
GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class
Kanamemo
Needless
Princess Lover!
Spice & Wolf II (no opinion yet)
Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei (no opinion yet)
"You Deserve To Die Ten Thousand Deaths!"
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!
