Preview of Fall 2012 Anime Series

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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.

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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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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.

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Will I Watch : Likely -

Busou Shinki

Source: Action Figure/MMORPG Studio: 8-Bit

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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.

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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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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.

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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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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.

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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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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=]
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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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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=]
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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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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:

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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

Links: MAL, ANN, AniDB, Wiki

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):

1. Robotics; Notes
2. Jormungand 2
3. K
4. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun
5. 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.