I like nice art, small episode counts, sequels to shows I’ve covered, and nice long walks on the beach. Now that I have a post to link to, I don’t have to give the whole spiel again. I’ll be carrying Macross Frontier into next season, but I should have 3-4 slots free. If this season is interesting, I may delay retro-blogging season 2 of Aria. I’m really excited to see a lot of 13-episode series this season, because I could be a unrestricted free agent for Fall 2008!

For more in-depth information and images, please check out THAT’s preview, Omni’s preview, or Aroduc’s preview. Sometimes I feel like it would be fun to go back and see what my prediction success rate is, but I’m still too lazy to do it.

Looking Good

• Birdy the Mighty Decode: One cour shounen?! SIGN ME UP!!! The artwork looks good and the chance for weirdness is high. Fortunately, I have no problems with dumb engrish titles.
• Zero no Tsukaima ~Miyoshi Hime no Rondo~: I already put in work for the first two seasons, so I will almost definitely watch the third season as well. I have a sinking feeling about this one, but hopefully they got a new director.
• Blade of the Immortal: I wonder how many episodes this will be, and I worry that Bee Train might cheap out on the budget for this show. Still, I liked what I saw of the manga and I remember there were some really powerful arcs. Please let this show have a big budget…

Just Looking

• Chocolate Underground: I liked Toshokan Sensou, but not because of the silly premise. The art on the site looks ok, and (almost) any show with only 13 episodes gets a chance in my book. If it’s true that each episode is only about 3 minutes long, this one is a lock.
• UltraViolet: Code 044: While battling vampires and basing your anime series on Hollywood movies sound bad, short violent shows always warrant a look.
• Slayers REVOLUTION: I’m kinda torn about this. Slayers was a series I really liked when I was starting on my path of anime, but it got old quickly. I also worry about the art for this latest sequel, since the source art is rather dated.
• Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto ~Natsu no Sora~: I like the artwork, but the fact that it is a sequel is a bit of a barrier. If the knowledge prerequisite is low, I might give this one a try for my slice-of-life requirement.
• World Destruction: RPG adaptations usually suck, but the low episode count might convince me to take a look. The idea of the protagonist joining a group to destroy the world could be interesting, but the other hand, it looks like there is a pirate mouse/bear in the group…
• Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: So the popular girl likes anime and manga… That sounds like a weak premise, but if the jokes are funny it might slip into my watch-list.

Looking Bad

• Telepathy Shoujo Ran: I’m not a huge fan of the artwork, and telepathy + mystery makes me fear that there will be a lot of boring talking-head moments.
• Sekirei: I don’t like super-busty character designs, and I’m not especially in the mood for harem at the moment. I especially dislike harem shows that make a point of having the alpha male be a total loser on purpose.
• Hidamari Sketch x365: Those weird head shapes kinda scare me, and I didn’t see the previous seasons yet.
• Strike Witches: It would rate lower, but I am slightly curious. The concept kinda turns me off as much as it turns Alto on, but I would really love it if Gonzo threw some bad CG in too.
• Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo: I like that it is only 13 episodes and the art doesn’t seem too bad. However, with the stiff competition this season, I probably won’t get a chance to check out this supernatural mystery series (not a favorite genre of mine).
• Natsume Yuujin-chou: Nothing about this show really stands out to me, and series in this genre can often be frustratingly episodic. I also get the feeling that this show will have an early exciting episode that will trick viewers into watching a slow, peaceful show.
• Koihime†Musou: People are getting more and more creative with the symbols in titles. 30 is too many characters for me to handle, but I might watch an episode or two just to witness the blasphemy and gender-bending. Will there be fat chicks?

Look Away

• Ikkitousen Great Guardians: Wow, a third season? Someone must really hate Romance of the Three Kingdoms!
• Seiyou Kottou Yougaiten ~Antique~: Haha, this show makes me think of the old banner at The Scrumptious Anime Blog.
• Mission-E: I thought the first few episodes of season 1 were kinda crappy, and I can’t see myself watching season 2. Props for the Tron outfits, though.