Preview of Fall 2012 Anime Series
The Fall 2012 Anime season is coming and it's going to give the spring season a run for its money in terms of quality. A lot of manga adaptations, a few light novel and visual novel adaptations and unlike the season which just passed, there are a few original works gracing us this season. On another note, even the sequels this season give reason to be excited and depending on the individual, may be the more anticipated series of the upcoming season. I read somewhere that Gen Urobuchi had an original anime in the works for the Fall 2012 Anime season but I haven't seen anything on it YET, so it's still possible that it exists and if it does I'll be sure to add it once information becomes available and it's been finally confirmed that the anime is indeed Psycho-pass.
Without further ado, let's look at the upcoming Fall 2012 Anime.
Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic
Source: Manga (Weekly Shonen Sunday) Studio: A-1 Pictures
Plot: A re-imagining of the 1001 Nights Arabian tales; a magi is a chosen one who is loved by the rukh (spiritual power) and is also a candidate to be the King of world. The story follows Aladdin, a young magi, who early on in his travels meets a young merchant by the name of Ali Baba who hopes to capture a dungeon - in this world magical dungeons have appeared randomly and can be captured. As their journey progresses both of our young protagonists will encounter various obstacles to test their strength and friendship, whilst meeting many important (and familiar) people.
Thoughts: Be warned! Based on the delay in the rumour and the actual announcement that ran in Shonen Sunday, the number of chapters of the manga already published, the style of the manga and the fact that Shonen Sunday don't have many anime series currently airing, it's safe to assume that this will be a long running shounen which goes over the 25 episode boundary we usually see and maybe even the 50 episode mark. That and the fact that A-1 Pictures have now ventured into producing longer running anime when they took the task of adapting Uchuu Kyoudai.
Now that the compulsory warning is over, I'm looking forward to seeing a manga I've been reading for a while get an anime and I'm going to enjoy watching this series from the start. The manga is a shonen adventure comparable to that of One Piece or Toriko in vision but also one which separates itself from the pack by having a dual-protagonist dynamic that works well and for being filled with more drama than the two series mentioned. If I wasn't already happy to watch this anime, when I found out A-1 Pictures was in charge, I knew I couldn't skip this series; just look at how aesthetically pleasing the animation is in the PV.
Last note: the author of the manga (Shinobu Ohtaka) is the same one for Sumomomo Momomo.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Absolutely - Read the manga, A-1 Pictures in charge and Aladdin is my favourite Disney film.
CODE: BREAKER
Source: Manga (Weekly Shonen Magazine) Studio: Kinema Citrus
Plot: One day Sakura witnesses something that no one else will believe; blue flames burning someone mercilessly to dust . The day after she meets Rei Ogami, the new transfer student who has a certain air about him that you wouldn't normally encounter and he soon reveals to Sakura that the blue flames are his doing and that he isn't going to jail for it because he is a Code; Breaker and thus above the law. As the story progresses, Sakura tries to understand Rei and his quest for vengeance all the while trying to prevent him from killing any more people, regardless if their good or evil.
Thoughts: The story is interesting on its own and based on the 20 odd chapters of the manga I read, I can see this series getting more and more interesting. It's a little darker than your typical shonen series and has a good mystery element to it, all the while possessing a romantic subplot making it resemble Ga-rei or Tokyo ESP in some aspects.
Looking at the production, Kinema Citrus isn't really noteworthy simply because their resume doesn't have anything eye-catching aside from a team up with BONES to produce Tokyo Magnitude 8.0. That said, this series feels more like a BONES production (maybe Kinema Citrus is a child company) with the director Yasuhiro Irie (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kurau Phantom Memory), instilling more confidence alongside the aesthetically pleasing preview, making me put this on my watch list.
Last note: the author of the manga (Akimine Kamijyo) is the same one for Samurai Deeper Kyo.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Absolutely - Read the manga (not quite as quickly as the others)
Robotics; Notes
Source: Visual Novel (5pb.) Studio: Production I.G
Plot: 2019, Divergence Ratio 1.048596. The near future, where a device popularly called the PokeCom, packaged with PhoneDroid OS, spreads, bringing the Augmented Reality world close to existence.
Chuuoutanegashima High School's Robot Research Club is in danger of losing its club status. Kaito Yashio, one of only two members, is only obsessed with robot fighting games, showing no interest in the Robo Club even in this situation. The reckless, useless club head, Akiho Senomiya, aims to complete a giant robot, struggling hard to avoid losing the club's status.
Then, one day, Kaito discovers the A.R. annotation that becomes the Kimishima Report. Written in that report is the indictment of someone named Kou Kimishima's conspiracy involving the world.
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: 5pb. don't need an introduction because I'm sure that everyone has heard of Chaos; Head and Steins; Gate by now, the latter being the monster success it is and depending on who you ask, the best series of 2011. So why should someone blindly give this anime a chance Well, it did nab itself one of the noitaminA slot's and the series is being backed by Production I.G. which is a first for a 5pb. anime adaptation and it's a 2-cour to boot!
Now the last noitaminA series to be 2-cour was rather disappointing (Guilty Crown) but then again that series was an original work and this one is an adaptation, so I'm placing more faith on Robotics; Notes and the noitaminA timeslot.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Very Likely - 5pb. + Production I.G + noitaminA = a recipe for a potentially great anime.
Zetsuen no Tempest ~The Civilization Blaster ~
Source: Manga (Monthly Shonen Gangan) Studio: BONES
Plot: Mahiro and Yoshino are old friends but one day Mahiro disappears after the murder of his family. A while later Mahiro returns just as the world is plunged into chaos, with the goal of finding out who killed his beloved sister and now with the help of a modern day magician named Hakaze. Yoshino gets dragged into this as well, however Hakaze has bigger worries; the world can end at any time and she might be the only capable of stopping it. As the threat of the apocalypse approaches, secrets about the boys pasts will emerge and they will have to choose to side with either Hakaze or those against her. Which will they choose
Thoughts: You excited You should be because BONES don't do a lot of shonen manga adaptations and this happens to be their 3rd one. The story doesn't really scream originality and it's actually a little funny that it shares some similarities with CODE; BREAKER (the vengeance aspect of the story) and Fullmetal Alchemist (the power of the magi has rules similar to alchemy in FMA) but it is a story of revenge, love and all things Shakespeare so that's why I'm planning to dive in enthusiastically.
Other than the excitement from BONES adapting a manga, the story itself being Shakespearian caught my attention and I really liked how in the manga Mahiro's quest for revenge has made him appear as an irrationally rational character (does that make sense ). The art is also something that's beautifully handled - no I'm not talking about the bishounen character designs - further making this series a force to be reckoned with.
The manga is ongoing, which probably means the story will remain faithful until the halfway point and then will go in a new direction to facilitate an original ending. This is something BONES did with the first Fullmetal Alchemist and Soul Eater and is something I'm fine with but I'm sure a few people would tell you they're against this sort of thing.
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Will I Watch : Absolutely - BONES adapting a manga with a Shakespearean story has me intrigued to say the least.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure THE ANIMATION
Source: Manga (Shonen Jump/Ultra Jump) Studio: David Production
Plot: The manga follows the random adventures of the Joestar lineage starting from Jonathan Joestar, known as JoJo to his friends and family. Each time the one carrying the Joestar name must confront the powers of evil and save the world, against the likes of Dio Brando or ancient beings thought to be vampires and immortals.
The story begins with Dio Brando, an evil man who manages to get taken in by Joestar family because his father managed to trick George Joestar into thinking it was him who saved his life. Dio instantly gets settled in and tries to push Jonathan Joestar, known as JoJo to his friends and George's only son, out of the picture so that he may inherit the Joestar fortune. JoJo may be kind and let a few things slide but even he has his limit.
Thoughts: The above description probably won't make sense unless you've read any of the sagas of the manga, so I'll attempt to put this into another perspective. If Level E can be considered the anime adaptation that was dragged out from the past in 2011, then the same can be said for this series except that it has way more fans. Until the anime announcement, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was the longest running manga to never get an anime and only had a couple of OVA's, a movie and some games to its name.
Having read Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the manga (Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency and Stardust Crusaders) and being halfway through Part 4 (Diamond is Unbreakable), I am excited to watch this series and a little interested to see what saga(s) get animated. Since Part 1 (Phantom Blood) has an anime movie I thought that the anime would start with season 2 but by the looks of it I may be wrong. I'd recommend people who aren't familiar with the manga to give this series a shot, so you can (hopefully) see what a semi-gag vintage battle story looks like. It truly deserves the word "Bizarre" in its title and has many pop culture references that many should be able to spot.
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Will I Watch : Absolutely - Read the manga, so I'll watch the anime.
To Love-Ru Darkness
Source: Manga (Jump SQ) Studio: Xebec
Plot: In the original To Love-ru series Rito Yuki, who is struggling to confess to the girl of his dreams Haruna Sairenji, somehow ends up engaged to the alien princess from Deviluke called Lala. Following his engagement, a wide range of misunderstandings and obscene scenarios ensue to make his situation more awkward and worse all together.
NOTE: This is technically a sequel but I've left it here because Darkness has it's own manga running monthly.
Thoughts: I never quite understood how To Love-ru ended up as one of the most popular shonen romantic comedies EVER, but then again I don't like series that are 98% fan service and I never understood Rosario + Vampire's popularity in the USA. I tried watching the first anime series a while back and couldn't get into it so I'm not gushing with joy for this series and have no desire to catch up on any of it. I read somewhere that the mangaka Kentaro Yabuki-sensei ended the original series in Weekly Shonen Jump just as he was going through divorce and that this sequel came after things settled down, and as I understand it you need to read/watch the original To Love-ru to understand what's going on.
I know that Xebec handled the original To Love-ru adaptation and the sequel Motto To Love-ru, so fans of the series will probably be happy to be having the same studio handle Darkness. With only 20 odd chapters of the manga out and 3 OVA's that were released bundled with the manga prior to the anime, it makes me think that this will be a 12 episode adaptation.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Not a chance - Didn't like what I saw of the prequel, so I'm passing altogether.
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
Source: Manga (Dessert) Studio: Brains Base
Plot: Shizuku only cares about her grades and comes off across as cold-hearted to most, so it's a bit surprising that after delivering some class notes to Haru she gets confessed to. This would be less of a shock if Haru wasn't a yankee (delinquent) with a much more innocent personality than one would have guessed.
Thoughts: The settings a little strange but amusing at the same time, and after skimming a few chapters of the manga I can see myself enjoying this series more than I should. I like how Shizuku is the one in charge in the story and how she has a "master and pet" relationship with Haru reminding me of Yankee-kun to Megane-chan. If I haven't made it clear by now, I love stories featuring delinquent leads and I'm excited to see a shojo series with this setting as a nice change from the typical shonen stuff that the genre tends to fall into 99% percent of the time.
In general it's very difficult for a shoujo manga to get animated unless it's very popular and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun's manga popularity rivals that of Kuragehime (another great shojo manga adapted by Brain's Base), making me interested in the anime a little more. Brains Base is a studio I hold in high esteem and since they're producing this series it makes it that much more likely that I'll be watching this series.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Very Likely - Sounds like my type of story and Brains Base always has my attention.
Psycho-pass
Source: Original Studio: Production I.G
Plot: Set in the near future, when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term "Psycho-Pass" in the anime's title refers to a standard used to measure an individual's being. The story centers around the "enforcement officer" Shinya Kogami who is tasked with managing crime in such a world.
[Source: ANN]
Thoughts: When the remaining noitaminA series were announced right before the start of the Spring season, this was the series most shrouded in mystery. No information about the studio or the plot was revealed and the preview was even less helpful since all it did was focus on a gun for 30 seconds. Unlike Robotics; Notes which was well-known because of the company producing the visual novel and the studio in charge, by being an original work Psycho-pass was plunged further into mystery.
With this years noitaminA anime series being of high calibre (not really counting the Winter season), it makes it more than likely that I'll be watching this series. Along with Robotics; Notes, noitaminA seem to have gone back to running sci-fi/thriller anime for this season after 2 consecutive seasons of romance and slice-of-life anime which also happens to end their year with certain symmetry.
UPDATE (23/08/2012): A new PV has been posted and it revealed that Akira Amano, author of Reborn! is in charge of character designs. I'm quite happy with that since her art style is quite exquisite.
UPDATE (30/08/2012): It's confirmed that Production I.G is the studio behind this. Gives more confidence but I wonder if they can recover from their Guilty Crown fiasco which took place last year.
UPDATE (09/09/2012): Although it's been confirmed for a little over a week, an ANN news post has finally confirmed Gen Urobuchi as the screenwriter of the series..... This could be epic.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Very Likely - I'm hoping for a thriller and not just another sci-fi, because there hasn't been a notable thriller this year but might be swayed if it's a good sci-fi.
Kamisama Hajimemashita
Source: Manga (Hana to Yume) Studio: TMS Entertainment
Plot: Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity!
Nanami has all kinda of new responsibilities she doesn't understand, dangers she's unaware of, and a cranky ex-familiar who's...actually pretty hot. What's a new-fledged godling to do
[Source: Viz Media]
NOTE: The manga series' English title is Kamisama Kiss.
Thoughts: The plot resembles Natsume Yujinchou or even InuYasha for its supernatural elements, which doesn't really mean anything to me since I have yet to watch a single episode of either series. That's what I thought until I checked out the manga at which point I was reminded of Nurarihyon no Mago's supernatural elements but with a more sadistic male lead.
One the production side of things, TMS is back this season after a disappointing yet not horrible adaptation of Zetman and a very good job with Lupin III: Mine Fujiko to Iu Onna, presumably in a continued attempt to branch out from just doing anime adaptations of card/board games. Needless to say, their involvement isn't making this anime a "must see" in my opinion but it could still be a nice watch.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Unlikely bordering on Maybe - not really interested in the story if I'm being honest.
Sukitte Ii na yo
Source: Manga (Dessert) Studio: Zexcs
Plot: Mei Tachibana has spent her 16 years without a boyfriend or friends. One day, she injures the most popular boy in school, Yamato Kurosawa, due to a misunderstanding. For some reason though, it seems that he takes a liking to her and one-sidedly claims that they're friends. Furthermore, he not only protects Mei from a stalker, but does so with a kiss !!
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: At first I likened this series to Kimi ni Todoke but then I thought the main character sounded more like the male lead in Kaichou wa Maid-sama! The story doesn't scream originality but what can you do with shoujo romances There are only so many settings. The biggest flaw of this project is that Zexcs is the studio behind it and they have yet to produce a memorable anime, which begs the question why the Chief Director of Steins; Gate is attached to this series. Looking at the anime illustrations which are already out, I can't say I'm pleased with the change in the style of artwork which was much cuter and aesthetically pleasing in the manga.
If anyone checks on MAL, the director also did the first season of Seitokai no Ichizon and evidently didn't want to/wasn't asked to take care of the sequel. Now will this series wow me or bore me..... that is yet to be seen but it's not an anime I'm anxious to watch.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Unlikely - Kimi ni Todoke was good and Kaichou wa Maid-sama! was funny but this sounds pretty generic to me.
K
Source: Original Studio: GoRa x GoHands
Plot: In Shizume city there's a legend about a red king with demon-like abilities that single-handedly created the Homra organization. As long as you get accepted into Homra, you can gain extraordinary powers.
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: Unlike Psycho-pass which has been shrouded in mystery for months, this anime has been paraded online for months and had 3 previews out before most summer season anime had the chance to release even one and a 4th one just 2 weeks into the summer season. Now GoHands is one of the smaller studios, so it's resume isn't long but it does contain Seitokai Yakuindomo and the Mardock Scramble films but that's not really what has got me interested in this series.
Based on the previews and the chapters of the manga released from August onwards, I'm pretty excited with the setting and the direction the story could take. It gave off a Durarara!!-esque vibe with the city setting and what I assume to be the different gangs the characters belong to (check out the image to the right) but with a lot more supernatural action. Who knows This one might live up to the all the hype it created itself.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Likely - I want to see why this series has been promoted so much for so long.
Btooom!
Source: Manga (Comic Bunch) Studio: Madhouse
Plot: The story centers around Ryota Sakamoto, a NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) young man and a top-ranked player in the online combat game Btoom! One day, he wakes up on a tropical island without remembering how he got there. He sees a figure in the distance and asks for help. However, the figure responds by throwing something at Ryota a "BIM" bomb. In that moment, Ryota comes to realize two things: one, his own life is in danger, and two, he is now in the world of Btoom!
[Source: ANN]
Thoughts: My first thought was that this is just another SAO or .hack story except that it was captured in manga form and now it's being adapted into an anime. I thought that until I saw Madhouse was taking charge of this series, the character designs were being done (or should I say refined) by Takahiro Kishira and after I read a few chapters of the manga. Unlike the other Fall 2012 Anime which are set in virtual worlds, this one looks and feels like a survival game most. That may have to do with the clothing of the characters but the Island setting is also a big help.
The preview ended up reminding me of the manga Psyren in some ways but of course in the end it came back to remind me of a more seinen SAO (maybe because there was attempted rape).
I'm still not huge on the virtual world setting, but Sword Art Online is being done quite well so it's still possible that this series could appeal to me if it's handled correctly.
So apparently it's not a virtual world setting, thus making this series more like Psyren. Not affected my decision all that much but definitely something to consider.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Likely -
Busou Shinki
Source: Action Figure/MMORPG Studio: 8-Bit
Plot: The slice-of-life battle story is set in a future that has neither World War III nor an alien invasion just an ordinary future set after our current age. In this world, robots are part of everyday life, and they contribute in various aspects of society. "Shinki" are 15-centimeter-tall (about 6-inch-tall) cute partners made to assist humans. Equipped with intelligence and emotions, they devote themselves to serving their "Masters."
These Shinki can even be equipped with weapons and armor to fight each other. Such Shinki are named "Busou Shinki" (literally, "armed divine princesses"). In particular, the Shinki Ann (Arnval), Aines (Altines), and Rane (Altrane) serve a high school freshman named Masato. Things change when a new Shinki, the bellicose Staarf, joins them.
[Source: ANN via MAL]
A series of 10 five minute ONA's aired in the Fall 2011 Season
Thoughts: I remember I watched the first episode and thought it wasn't bad (it was 5 minutes long, so a little hard to be bad) but then I tried to watch the rest of the ONA's and couldn't get through it. It's a very shounen series and in theory could have been a little darker but it's nothing special.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Unlikely
Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne
Source: Light Novel Studio: Silver Link
Plot: After 6-years' separation, Himenokouji Akito reunites with his twin sister Akiko and they live together once more. However, in the interim, Akiko had developed a serious case of bro-con, romantic feelings for Akito.
It doesn't stop there as Nikaidou Arashi, the student council president of his new school, vice-president Nasuhara Anastasia, and Sawatari Ginbei Haruomi, who followed Akito all the way from Kyoto, all move in with him one after the other.
[Source: AniDB]
Thoughts: I'm tired of all of these harems coming out and I'd rather they not involve female characters with big brother complexes. I'm a little disappointed that Silver Link is doing this series, after they did a pretty decent job with Tasogare Otome x Amnesia and Kokoro Connect and to be honest I can't judge the director Kawaguchi Keiichirou because I haven't seen any of the anime he has directed.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Unlikely - The genre isn't for me but I might have to see why Silver Link chose to adapt this.
Girls und Panzer
Source: Original Studio: Actas
Plot: In the world, the manipulation of tanks (Sensha-do) is one of the traditional martial arts especially for girls. Miho doesn't like Sensha-do and moves to Oarai Girl's High School. But the chairperson of the student council orders Miho to participate in the national Sensha-do championship.
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: It looks like the director of Shinryaku Ika Musume is returning to comedy after a brief venture into the horror genre with Another. The plot made me think of Upotte!! straight away, which isn't a good thing but I can't tell what genre this series is going for and probably won't until I actually sit down and watch the first episode, so I'm not going to write this series off just yet.
Looking at production, Actas hasn't done anything I find noteworthy but looking at the preview I thought the art style looked smooth and attractive enough for an action series; whether this does end up as an action series or a comedy or any other genre I don't know but the animation looks good enough.
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Will I Watch : Unlikely - but still going to give it a shot for Ika Musme director.
Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
Source: Light Novel Studio: J.C. Staff
Plot: The school romantic comedy revolves around a second-year high school student named Sorata Kanda who lives in Sakurasou, the dormitory for problem children at Sorata's school. One day, Mashiro Shiina a cute girl who happens to be also a cosmopolitan, brilliant artist moves into Sakurasou.
Sorata thinks to himself that he should protect Mashiro from the weirdos at Sakurasou, but Mashiro has a surprising secret: she has no idea how to take care of herself. She gets lost if she goes out, and her room is a complete mess. Sorata's dorm mates designate him as the "master" of Mashiro, and thus, an ordinary boy and a brilliant girl must live like "a master and his pet."
[Source: ANN]
Thoughts: With a plot that sounds like reverse version of Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun but with a much needier character (Shiina), this series doesn't make me as confident. J.C. Staff sometimes do great work but at the same time they have quite a few series that have bored me/made me drop them 3-4 episodes in but the biggest turn off for me was the preview which showed another harem romcom with nothing new going on.
Still seeing as how I'm giving an anime with a similar setting a shot, this one should still be considered and if anything used as a comparison.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Unlikely - but still giving it a shot.
Hayate no Gotoku! Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Source: Manga (Weekly Shonen Sunday) Studio: Manglobe
Plot: Hayate Ayasaki is an unlucky teenager who has worked since childhood to make ends meet due to his parents' irresponsible behavior. One day on Christmas Eve, he finds out that his parents were planning to sell his organs to the Yakuza to make money, leaving behind a massive gambling debt on his shoulders of 156,804,000. While running away from the debt collectors he ends up meeting Nagi Sanzenin, a young girl who is the sole heir of the wealthy Sanzenin estate, and due to a misunderstanding, Nagi ends up falling in love with Hayate. After he rescues Nagi from some kidnappers, she hires Hayate as her new butler.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Thoughts: I'm well aware of the existence of Hayate no Gotoku as a manga, 2 seasons of anime and an anime film but I have never watched/read a single episode/chapter of this series. I would write this anime off but the mangaka Hata-sensei and Shonen Sunday have both made the effort to make it clear that this is not a third season but instead a new anime.
Other than that, Manglobe will be the 3rd studio to do an adaptation of the series (SynegySP and J.C. Staff were the first two), but I don't know how well they did which may be a blessing or a curse. Manglobe's resume is a mixed one for me since I really enjoyed Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai but found the adaptation of Deadman Wonderland to be poor when compared to the manga, so it's going to have to be left to see what they do with the series; I don't actually think Deadman Wonderland is the best example since it's a completely different genre but still. The involvement of the mangaka in planning of the anime does leave the impression that the series might turn out better than it's predecessors.
Last note: apparently this is an "original" anime that doesn't follow the manga all that much.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Maybe - Comedies are a hard sell with me, but I'm inclined to give this series a shot based on its reputation.
Shinsekai Yori
Source: Novel Studio: A-1 Pictures
Plot: About one thousand years into the future, civilization has been retrograded and humans are living dispersed within small communities. People in this era have a psychic power called "Juryoku" which materializes things they imagine. In the absence of advanced scientific technology, people are using this power as a major source of energy.
One day, a girl called Saki, along with her friends, finds a small archive robot outside the town. It records the ancient history of humans. It tells them that Juryoku was found in the 21st century and the discovery caused a world war between psychics and non-psychics. The psychics won this war and thus their reign of terror began.
When the adults in town figure out that the children discovered this forbidden knowledge, they seal their Juryoku and exile them. Saki and the others end up in a forest where they meet a huge hairless bipedal mouse known as a "Bakenezumi" and get involved in a violent war the creatures are currently engaged in.
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: This is A-1 Pictures' second adaptation this season alongside Magi and it gives off a different impression. The previews would have you believe that this is darker than it looks and has a story with apocalyptic elements in it, which would make for an interesting watch. Just reading the plot reminded me of certain Kamisama Dolls elements, an anime that I enjoyed a lot but one that wasn't a financial success and thus never got its sequel.
Other than the previews looking great and the seemingly interesting story, A-1 Pictures has been the best studio this year and has dominated with its 3 anime which have already aired (Tsuritama, Uchuu Kyoudai and Sword Art Online), not mention their beautiful animation which never disappoints thus leading me to be confident in this series' potential for greatness.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
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Will I Watch : Very Likely - A-1 Pictures and an apocalyptic story = excitement!
Chuunibyo demo Koi ga Shitai!
Source: Novel Studio: Kyoto Animation
Plot: Yuuta Togashi, a boy who used to suffer from chuunibyou, and Rikka Takanashi, who still has the syndrome, made a true contract with each other (that is, they are dating). They are in the middle of enjoying real life to the fullest...or should be. However, Satone Shichimiya a.k.a. Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII, a friend from middle school and the one suffering the most from chuunibyou, appears and turns Togashi's life upside down. And so, a battle between Saturn and Jaou Shingan (True Eye of the Devil King) begins.
[Source: ANN]
Thoughts: With their adaptation of Hyouka ending recently, Kyoto Animation have set their sights on adapting this romance novel which incidentally won an honourable mention in the first ever Kyoto Animation Awards and if I'm not mistaken, a win (even honourable mentions) guarantees an adaptation. Anyone who's familiar with the studio's work knows that they consistently bring out high quality slice-of-life/romance series the likes of which include Clannad and Nichijou so there is always reason to watch out for their 2 anime per year. Speaking of the two series I mentioned, their director Tatsuya Ishihara, who is the studio's veteran director responsible for 5 out 9 KyoAni adaptations (sequels not counted separately) which include Suzumiya Haruhi, Kanon (2006), Air and the swo series already mentioned is staffed with this adaptation.
The director and studio team up is extremely reassuring but what really seals the deal for me is the novels which are adapted by KyoAni since they always tend to be good romances or slice-of-life series like Hyouka which wasn't great as a mystery series but was really good as a 'school life' series. My only worry is that the Chuunibyo disease resembles the Hysteria Mode of the male lead in Hidan no Aria, an anime I dropped after 4 episodes.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Very Likely/Absolutely - not 100% guaranteed since I don't know the source material and the plot description is a little bit unclear.
Little Busters!
Source: Visual Novel (Key) Studio: J.C. Staff
Plot: Little Busters! story revolves around the main protagonist Riki Naoe, a young male high school student. When Riki was a child, his parents died, leaving him hopeless and depressed. A group of three young boys and one girl his age saved him who referred to themselves as the Little Busters, a group dedicated to fighting evil and preserving justice.
The leader of the group was Kyousuke Natsume who had a younger sister named Rin. The other two members were Masato Inohara and Kengo Miyazawa, who were rivals despite being friends. They took Riki out and played together with him during his time of need, making him the fifth Little Busters member. In time, Riki enjoyed playing with them, and his grief over his parents gradually faded away. Now, Riki and his friends are in their second year of high school, except for Kyousuke who is in his third year. They still hang out together, and enjoy their school life.
[Source: Wikipedia via AniDB]
Thoughts: I swear if AnoHana didn't have Menma in it, this is the series it would have turned out like. I'm well aware of Key's reputation as a visual novel producer mainly because they have had 3 of their VN's adapted by Kyoto Animation which includes Clannad. I'm inclined to say that the weak link in all of this might be J.C. Staff whose work is either hit or miss depending on one's taste and the rather inexperienced director Yamakawa Yoshiki, whose directing resume only holds Hatsukoi Limited and most recently Kill Me Baby!
Other than my own thoughts, I'm guessing this is one of the more hyped series out of all the Fall 2012 Anime as I'm sure I've heard it's name pop up on more than one occasion.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Likely - I like that the VN is done by such a reputed developer and the story could turn out to be a very good drama.
Litchi DE Hikari Club (Lychee Light Club)
Source: Manga Studio: 
Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki (JP)
Plot: The story starts of with 9 boys, all in the Hikari Club, who are driven to make the ultimate Artificial Intelligence, and will stop at nothing to create it. The leader of the club, Zera, is an attractive boy who is very sick and twisted. He has complete control of the members. The second-in-command and previous leader, Tamiya, is not happy with the way Zera is controlling everyone, so he tries to reclaim the club, and eventually everything begins to crumble and turn into chaos.
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: This anime was one of the few that got announced quite late (about 5 weeks into the Summer season) and it also happens to be the only for which the manga has been over for quite a while.
While diving into the manga's prequel Bokura no Hikari Club (Our Light Club), I immediately noticed the artwork bore a striking resemblance to Teichii no Kuni, a manga I discovered not too long ago; what do you know It's by the same guy.
The manga itself is quite the dark horror that reminded me of when I sat down to watch Pink Floyd's The Wall, a piece of cinema that will forever haunt me in the best possible way and seeing a manga with a similar feel made me that much more interested in this series. Now I'm not saying the execution of this series is anything like watching The Wall but the Nazi organization the characters adhere to and their aim for world domination by creating an artificial intelligence is no doubt something we occidentals are familiar with, having been exposed to it in an array of media.
Even if this is an anime is technically a comedic shorts TV series I'm still excited to watch it.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Very Likely
Ixion Saga DT
Source: Game Studio: Brain's Base
Plot: The game and anime follow Kon Hokaze, a boy who embarks on a journey from our world to an alternate world known as Mira, which is full a mysterious energy known as Alma. After saving Princess Ecarlate from attackers, he soon finds himself in the middle of a struggle around Alma.
[Source: MAL]
Thoughts: I'm assuming this is Brains Base's replacement for Sengoku Collection, an anime I unfairly dropped after the second episode but picked up again recently. I'm pretty sure by now a lot of anime fans are sick of the number of anime set in the virtual world, seeing as how this season will see the continuation of Sword Art Online but based on the previews I'm actually going to put it out there that this series is different because it focuses a lot more on the comedy.
I do hope there isn't a struggle for survival because I can get that from the other virtual world anime airing this season but I do hope it's more than just a comedy relying on a stream of gags.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Maybe - It's possible with Brains Base's track record that this will turn out to be a fun watch.
Teekyu!
Source: Manga (Comic Earth Star) Studio: MAPPA
Plot: The story follows a girls tennis team which doesn't actually play that much tennis.
Thoughts: One of the few series that got announced quite late on in the Summer 2012 Season was this K-ON! but with tennis instead of music gag series. I know a lot of people are crazy for K-ON!, but that doesn't include me so based on the story alone I'm already uninterested.
The studio behind this series is very new (only founded in 2011) but they did co-produce Sakamichi no Apollon with Tezuka Productions, leaving me at a bit of an impasse. I'm going to give this series a shot but I'm not expecting all that much from it.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Unlikely - I'm against series such as this one 99.99% of the time.
Aikatsu!
Source: Card Game Studio: Sunrise
Plot:
Thoughts: Based on Bandai's card game about producing idols - literally, the game involves acquiring cards so that the girls can pass auditions - this looks a little like 2012's THE IDOLM@STER but I hear that Idolmaster was pretty good. There are some considerable differences though, the biggest one being the character designs, the story itself and presumably the overall quality of the animation.
The poster had me confuse this series with a magical girl series when I first saw it. Not a good start to a series that doesn't exactly have hype nor does the studio in charge.
It doesn't help that this series is taking Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal's timeslot, further hinting that this series isn't going to be for me.
Best way to sum this project: Sunrise's game adaptations suck but their original works are sometimes beyond amazing.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Very Unlikely - the least exciting anime on this list.
Haitai Nanafa
Source: Original Studio: Passione
Plot: The story of Haitai Nanafa revolves around an energetic middle school girl named Nanafa Kyan. Nanafa lives in Okinawa with her grandmother who runs the "Kame Soba" soba shop, her beautiful older sister Nao who is in high school, and her younger sister Kokona, who is in elementary school and has a strong ability to sense the supernatural.
One day, Nanafa witnesses a seal fall off of a Chinese banyan tree, and three spirits who live in that tree are unleashed. These spirits include Niina and Raana, who are "jimunaa" spirits. The third spirit is Iina, who is an incarnation of an Okinawan lion statue. As spirits start appearing one after another, the peaceful life of Nanafa and her family begins to change.
[Source: ANN]
Thoughts: This sounds a little like Cardcaptor Sakura crossed with Ga-rei. I'm no kidding. The big difference is that the animation quality is nothing to boast about and the artwork as a whole looks more appropriate for a shorts anime than a series.
Somehow I don't feel all that good about this series.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Unlikely
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And that concludes the new series airing this fall but before wrapping up this preview, there are of course some sequels coming out:
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Jormungand 2: Perfect Order
Source: Manga (Monthly Sunday Gene-X) Studio: WHITE FOX
Plot: The world renown arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar is back with her gang of bodyguards to continue her global adventures whilst encountering death and the possibility of being killed around every corner they turn. With the cliffhanger that ended season 1, it's time for our questions to be answered and for the plot to evolve into something new.
Thoughts: Seeing as how I blogged this series in the spring and how much I enjoyed it (it was my 3rd favourite of the season and the year thus far) I am more sure about this anime than any other, even the ones I'm absolutely watching. Because I haven't completed the manga (no scans online) I only know how the story will progress for a few episodes, but I can attest to the fact that it's more continuous than the very episodic 5 volumes that comprised the first season adaptation.
Having this be a 2-cour was a sly move from WHITE FOX because I'm suspecting that season 2 is going to bring something new to the table, instead of trying to top the already great season 1. Who knows This sequel might be on par and possibly better from one point of view than its prequel.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]
[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Absolutely - Hell, I'll guarantee that I'll blog this series episodically.
Bakuman 3
Source: Manga (Weekly Shonen Jump)*Completed Studio: J.C. Staff
Plot: After the mangaka duo Ashirogi Muto (composed of Mashiro Moritaka and Takagi Akito) finally managed to create a manga series that opened with a number 1 ranking, they must now maintain the high-ranking which is no easy task when Akina Aiko and Nizuma Eiji are trying their best to stop that through friendly competition. Not only will the duo compete against the established authors of Shonen Jack (what they call Shonen Jump in the series) but they will also have their friendship tested and meet a new rival or two. Can PCP compete against Crow or +Natural Will creative differences affect the duo's dynamic All of this to be found out this season.
Thoughts: So with manga ending it's run earlier this year, the biggest question which fans of the manga have been asking is whether this season of Bakuman will condense more of the manga into each episode, omit a few arcs or will it just continue in its normal pace with hopes for a fourth season. I'm personally hoping for a mixture of arc omissions and continued pace with a possibility of a fourth season.
Season 1's plot dealt with the difficulties of just making a viable manga series, Season 2 dealt with bouncing back and not settling for mediocre results and now Season 3 will deal with possibly the most shonen yet most exciting topics: competition and rivalry. On another note, anyone who's looked at My Anime List can see I consider both the Bakuman manga and anime to be very good when it comes to the slice-of-life genre, and now that the manga has ended I see this season as a nice reminder of a great manga.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Absolutely - Loved the manga, so looking forward to the weekly dose of Bakuman.
Seitokai no Ichizon 2 - Hekiyoh Gakuen Seitokai Gijiroku
Source: Light Novel Studio: AIC
Plot: The student council members of Hekiyou Academy in Hokkaido are selected by a popularity contest. As a result the members are usually a group of pretty girls. The sole male member is Ken Sugisaki, who entered the student council by becoming the top-scoring student in the level which he had to cram to achieve.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Thoughts: I may be wrong in putting this down as a sequel because there hasn't really been any definitive news that this is a sequel but there also hasn't been any definitive news that it isn't one. Based on the description alone, this series shares a similar premise with the similarly titled Seitokai no Yakuindomo but for reasons possibly relating to quality, it was never quite as popular. I hadn't heard about this series until I heard it was getting another anime, so I don't know how the first season played out and I probably won't have enough time to watch any of it to formulate my own opinion so I'll be giving this series a pass altogether.
What I can say is that this series will be handled by another studio, the character designer will be someone new and apparently two of the Voice Actors have been replaced as well (read here). The light novel series ended in January of this year also, so if it is a continuation fans could hope for something more faithful but be aware of the fact that this anime will be an ONA.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=] [/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Not a chance - I'm not interested enough to watch the first season in order to catch up.
Hiiro no Kakera 2
Source: Visual Novel Studio: Studio DEEN
Plot: Continuing off from where season 1 left off, this otome game adaptation is all about our heroine Tamaki who gets caught up in all of the supernatural happening when she returns to a small village from her past.
Thoughts: In an attempt to branch out and watch a reverse harem series other than Ouran High School Host Club, which I watched and loved for the comedy more than anything else, I watched a few episodes of season one which aired back in the spring season. However, it was yet another anime which wasn't for me and I ended up dropping this series with no remorse. No less, after I read Marina's (Anime B&B) thoughts on the series as a whole I was less inclined to give it a second chance and decided to give up on trying to watch it.
For those enjoyed this series, I'm assuming it's a continuation more than a sequel and that the series was always going to last 26 episodes.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Not a chance - Tried and couldn't watch season 1.
Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb (Season 4)
Source: 4-koma Manga (Manga Time Kirara Carat) Studio: SHAFT
Plot: Hidamari Sketch centers around a young girl named Yuno who finally is able to get accepted into Yamabuki Art High School, which she has longed for. To attend the school, Yuno moves and starts to live in a small apartment building named the Hidamari Apartments located across the street from the school. Once there, she quickly becomes friends with three other occupants at the apartments, including her classmate Miyako and two second-year students: Hiro and Sae. The events of the characters' everyday lives are shown as they attend the school together and get to know each other better. As the story progresses, the characters move up a year in school as the new school year comes, and two first-year girls enter to live at Hidamari Apartments: Nazuna and Nori.
[Source: Wikipedia]
Thoughts: I don't know if I would be looking forward to this series had I seen any of the first three seasons but I kind of assume that if an anime has managed to nab itself more than 2 seasons then it's done pretty well. I read somewhere that this series is mostly about cute girls doing cute things, so based on just that I would probably end up dismissing this anime but I'm sure it has it's fans who will tell me to give it a chance. Sadly I don't have the time to catch up with this series so I'm going to have to give this one a pass as well.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Not a Chance - Marathoning 3 seasons is not in my wheelhouse.
Initial D - Fifth Stage
Source: Manga (Young Magazine) Studio: 
Plot: Only the fearless survive in the white-hot world of street racing, as teams take on dangerous roads in the shadow of Mt. Akina. Behind the wheel of the mysterious "Ghost of Akina" is Takumi, on his way to becoming the greatest racer ever.
[Source: Tokyopop via MAL]
Thoughts: Initial D is one of those long running manga/anime series that I've never gotten round to or even considered getting into but have heard about through multiple channels, the most being references made in other Kodansha manga. With over 50 episodes of the anime and movie I'd need to sit through before even considering watching this series I'm going to have to take a pass but I'm sure fans will be happy to see this series return to their screens after 6 years.
PLEASE NOTE: This series is starting on November 9th (one whole month into the Fall season) and what's more, it will only release 2 episodes per month. The number of episodes is yet to be disclosed.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=]Pending[/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Not a chance - Too much to catch up on.
Medaka Box Abnormal (Season 2)
Source: Manga (Weekly Shonen Jump) Studio: Gainax
Plot: Medaka Kurokami is the student council president at her school. However unlike anyone before her, she is a freshman who won with a 98% majority in votes and her first act is to start a help box. With a policy of accepting any request, Medaka and her student council get into some pretty ridiculous situations.
Thoughts: If you read what I wrote on the Spring 2012 Preview you know that I was never a fan of the manga for this series and the first season didn't succeed in changing my mind about the story either, so this is without a doubt another show I'm going to pass on.
For anyone who did enjoy Medaka and her student council's antics I'm sure you'll be happy to see this anime return. I'm not 100% sure but I've read somewhere that this season will probably include chapters which turned this series into a fantasy battle story.
[spoiler intro="Preview" title=][/spoiler]
Will I Watch : Not a chance - Just no.
Gintama (2012)
Source: Manga (Weekly Shonen Jump) Studio: Sunrise
Plot: Life isn't easy in feudal Japan especially since the aliens landed and conquered everything! Oh sure, the new health care is great, but the public ban on the use of swords has left a lot of defeated samurai with a difficult decision to make concerning their future career paths! This is especially true if, as in the case of Gintoki Sakata, they're not particularly inclined towards holding a day job, which is why Gintoki's opted for the freelance route, taking any job that's offered to him as long as the financial remuneration sounds right. Unfortunately, in a brave new world filled with stray bug-eyed monsters, upwardly mobile Yakuza and overly ambitious E.T. entrepreneurs, those jobs usually don't pay as well as they should for the pain, suffering and indignities endured!
[Source: Sentai Filmworks via MAL]
NOTE: This isn't a sequel but a rebroadcast with new episodes.
Thoughts: Gintama is one series I've been meaning to get to watching/reading since I've heard so many good things about it. Since this is a rebroadcast with new episodes thrown in (much like the 2009 Suzumiya Haruhi) I have no problems with watching this series without having seen any of the 252 previous episodes. As I understand the comedy is quite outrageous and goes very well with the rather bizarre setting of aliens invading Edo Japan, making this series quite the loveable comedy.
Will I Watch : Likely - I hear a lot of good things but I'm picky with comedies.
Kyousogiga
Source: Original Studio: Toei Animation
Plot: It's Kyoto, and yet it is not.
A microcosm of peculiar origins, "Mirror Kyoto".
A small incident causes a young girl, Koto, to wander into this world. She runs into a mysterious monk, gets chased around by a tech-obsessed girl, and heartily enjoys her chaotic and colorful new life, but meanwhile, out of sight, a certain plan is being set into motion
In this mysterious city where spirits and humans have been thrown together, the festivities are about to begin!
[Translated from the official website by lygerzero0zero via MAL]
NOTE: This is the plot of the first episode which aired in 2011.
NOTE #2: Here's the release schedule for the 5 web episodes (this is an ONA).
Episode 1: Aug 31
Episode 2: Oct 27
Episode 3: Nov 10
Episode 4: Dec 8
Episode 5: Dec 22
Thoughts: I watched the first episode and if I'm being honest I couldn't really tell what was going on. With an animation style that rivals FLCL it definitely gave this story about demons and priests an interesting twist but the story itself lacked coherency. Most of the time I had to rewind the episode just so it made more sense. Still, with five episodes as opposed to the one that came out last year it may be possible that this ends up better.
Will I Watch : Maybe - If it's more coherent than the first episode then it could be fun to watch.
Overview and Potential Blogging Plans for Fall 2012 Anime
So like the spring season, this season has a lot going for it with a little something for everyone; be it romance/romantic comedy, action, adventure, comedy, drama or slice-of-life, the range covers pretty much every genre of anime imaginable. The range in terms of demographic seems to have been limited to shonen and shoujo works, with few seinen pieces and no 100% Josei works which disappoints a little seeing as how I've picked up and enjoyed a Josei anime for the past few seasons (Chihayafuru, Sakamichi no Apollon and Natsuyuki Rendezvous).
For me the list of what I'm planning to watch is rather extensive and will most likely consist of the following series:
- Magi
- Code Breaker
- Zetsuen no Tempest
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
- Shinsekai Yori
- Robotics; Notes
- Psycho-pass
- Chuunibyo demo Koi ga Shitai!
- Jormungand 2
- Bakuman 3
- K
- Little Busters!
- Litchi Hikari Club
Now of course there are a few other series that might make the cut but these are the ones I am almost certain to watch. Now the list may be a little long and may be too much for anyone who's looking for an overview of what the best potential series of the season could be, so if I had to choose a top 5 for highest expectations out of all the Fall 2012 Anime it would have to be (in no particular order):
- Robotics; Notes
- Jormungand 2
- K
- Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
- Zetsuen no Tempest
I chose these 5 for a a combination of reasons, from source material to studios in charge of production and Jormungand season 2 made the list because it's now at the point where the story becomes more continuous unlike the Season 1 adaptation.
In terms of episodic blogging for the season, I'll limit myself to two series and a third to be chosen by a poll and at this time I'm going to go ahead and choose one noitaminA anime to cover (which I do every season) and Jormungand 2 because I covered the prequel. I might cover the other anime in a weekly post like I did a few times this season for a few which I wasn't blogging episodically and the series for that will probably included a few series (maybe quite a few) from the list above and maybe some not on the list.
I will end by saying that the Fall 2012 Anime season is going to be epic and may end up being the best one of the year. Now I understand it's a bold statement seeing as how well the Spring 2012 season started and ended but with this number of amazing series it's hard not to think the way I do.
What series are everyone else looking for Did I miss any out Feel free to leave a comment.