Spring 2008

I believe all four of my series (Spice and Wolf, True Tears, Shakugan no Shana Second, and Bamboo Blade) will end soon, so the way is clear for me to pick up 4 new series this Spring. I’ve found that 4 series is a good number for me, and what I usually like to do is pick 2 double cours series and 2 single cours series so that I always carry over half of my blog list. Because of this, I am sometimes swayed to watch mediocre shortened series.

As usual, art style and production values factor heavily in my decision to blog about a series. I recommend heading to some of the more extensive lists out there for additional information, since I’ll just be posting my impressions. I also don’t include any shows for little kids or shows with really fugly or retro art because I never end up watching them (and they rarely get subbed anyway).

Front-Runners

• Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion R2: I will almost certainly not blog this series (since I didn’t do the first series, regretfully), but I will definitely be watching the angst-fest. I have very high expectations for season 2, and look forward to making snarky remarks about all the characters =D.
• Nabari no Ou: This is the show I am most looking forward to. It’s got ninja action and nice art, which is enough to convince me. This sounds like another Flame of Recca to me.
• Soul Eater: Haha, is this a followup to H20 or a prequel to Gundam Wing? The promise of a strong manga storyline and a qualified studio for the animation bodes well for this series.
• Nijuu Menzou Musume: If this show can string together some kind of a plot, there is a good chance it will be one of my double cours series. However, I am not usually into detective stories and if I was an art thief I would never send a warning beforehand.

Also Ran

• Macross Frontier: I don’t know anything about Macross, but I have heard that prior knowledge is not a prerequisite for the series. Any big brand name with a good budget can catch my eye, although space monsters and dogfights are not usually my cup of tea.
• Kanokon: This looks like Spice and Wolf gone stupid, but the art looks decent. If it’s a 13-episode affair, it stands a good chance of making it on my blogging list.
• Toshokan Sensou: Information management and book soldiers… that sounds horrible, but at 12 episodes I might still go for it.
• Wagaya no Oinari-sama: I guess this will be my backup fox-deity show. Did I mention that this is a gender-confused fox deity?
• Blassreiter: Gonzo animating zombies makes me happy. This could be a fun dumb show to watch, similar to Dragonaut.

Limped

• D.C. II S.S.~Da Capo II Second Season~: I’ve only heard bad things about “Da Crappo” and I haven’t watched any of the previous seasons.
• RD Sennou Chousashitsu: I am never cool enough to enjoy these types of shows.
• xxxHOLic Kei: I didn’t watch the first series, but I do like to look at the funny proportions and giggle.
• S-A ~Special-A~: I don’t like this art style at all, and that is usually the only thing that can get me to watch a show about shoujo schoolhouse love. The premise reminds me of Sumomomomomomomomomo.
• Kure-nai: This could be confusing, but the mention of conflict-mediation gives me warm fuzzy memories of Big O.
• The Tower of Druaga ~the Aegis of URUK~: Gonzo + Game Adaptation is like double the fail, but I still like to check out the first few episodes in case there are any well-animated fights with pointless CG.
• Itazura na Kiss: The idea of following a budding romance over 10 years is interesting, but I don’t like the character art that much.
• Kyouran Kazoku Nikki: Whenever you get a cast of odd stereotypes there is a chance for the show to be stupid but entertaining. We’ll see if this can make it onto my list of guilty pleasures.

Sat At Home On The Couch

• Bus Gamer: I think they meant “Biz Gamer” since this has to do with outwitting your rivals for the purpose of corporate espionage. I rarely get up for these “Haha, I just outwitted you” types of shows, so I will likely pass.
• Kamen no Maid Guy: I wish the website had more information, because that is an awesome name for a series.
• Allison to Lillia: Every season I see a show like this and think to myself how the series will probably be both awesome and extremely boring at the same time.
• Vampire Knight: I am instantly reminded of Zombie Loan, but in a bad way. I only watched Zombie Loan because it was by Peach Pit, and I can already see the production values of this show slipping before my very eyes.
• Monochrome Factor: That guy with the long white hair is definitely evil, and the fact that he is wearing lipstick does not enhance my view of the series.
• To Love-Ru: This is a fanservice show. I feel that these series work better in manga form, because the production values are usually bad, and then what is the point of even watching?

Related posts:

1. Spring 2007
2. Likely Fall 2007 Blogging Lineup
3. Winter 2007