Summer Anime Picks 2008

Damn. Its summer already. I haven't even caught up on all the Spring shit I was trying to follow. Ugh. Oh well. Thankfully, by its nature, Summer (like Winter) is light on new stuff. ...Sorta. So! Having found a place that does anime summaries (in addition to snobbish like opinions for each anime), let's begin.


Ikkitousen: Great Guardians

Summary: First season introduction- Seven schools are constantly ‘at war’ with each other, and the students within - both male and female - have become skilled fighters and constantly battle with rival schools. Their lives and fates are guided by strange jewels that contain the spirits and destinies of warriors from the Sangokushi period. One girl, Sonsaku Hakufu, has recently moved to Japan and is apparently destined to unite the schools as her counterpart united seven countries long ago. But, like all heroes, there is a darker side to her fate, and as always there is a constant struggle by those around her to break the chains of their own destinies and make their own lives. (From AniDB)

Why I'm Interested: Mainly 'cause I watched the first season. I probably won't follow it right off though, 'cause I skipped over the second. Which brings up a great point. Ikkitousen is basically intense fight scenes that result in the female characters getting their clothing torn so we can see as much of their naughty bits as possible during the time slot its being aired in. Most attempts at plot kinda...well, fall apart. So I can't help but ask...what the hell was the point of this season? I mean, I watched the first and didn't even feel there was a need for a second! Don't get me wrong. It was entertaining enough so that I'll definitely give S2 a try, but still...of all the series they could've given a second season to that NEEDED it...including Oh! Great's "Tenjou Tenge" and "Air Gear" series, or even series they could've given it to that don't really need it but was a good enough series that it deserved to be revisited (Mai-HiMe)....WHY this one??? Can someone tell me? Please?

Will I go past five episodes? Ehhh...with broadband? Sure. But there's no way I'm going to force my poor modem to try and download 13 episodes of something that'll probably only get a 7 from me.

Telepathy Shoujo Ran

Summary: Ran is a bright and energetic first-grader in junior high school who possesses supernatual abilities. Together with Midori (her friend who also has supernatural powers) and Rui, the threesome are constantly embroiled in mysterious circumstances. Ran is troubled by her powers because it seems to spark off the ill intentions of people in contact with her. However, with the support of her family and peers, Ran learns to deal with her ‘other’ side and accepts who she is. The threesome also learn how to team up as a whole and solve these mysterious events. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: I like the occasional mystery. Of course if it gets too shoujo-y, I'm out. But the base concept sounds appealing enough.

Will I go past five episodes? All depends. Most likely this will be a hate it or love it-type show.

Slayers Revolution

Summary: This season’s story takes place at the time when Lina and Gourry start a new journey to look for Gourry’s new sword with the power of magic. It will also include a new character named Pocota who is said to have cast a Dragon Slave using the Sword of Light. Sylpiel and Prince Phil are also reported to appear. (Moetron)

Why I'm Interested: SLAYERS BITCH! Lina Inverse is fucking full of win that I have no doubt she just threatened someone with Dragon Slave to make a new season because she felt she wasn't being worshipped enough. Take THAT, Haruhi fans! I haven't even watched all of the first three seasons and I love this universe SO much. Now its got updated animation and STILL has the amazing Seiyuu legend Megumi Hayashibara voicing Lina? Fuck...depending on how much its connected to the last three series, I may watch this even without having seen the first three. (And if you're not interested in watching this classic--you fail. We're taking your anime fan badge and forcing you to watch 6,000 hours of Pucca, Spongebob, and whatever other shitty American cartoons I can think of.)

Will I go past five episodes? Most definitely...eventually.

Strike Witches
Summary: When a mysterious force suddenly attacks the world, only the girls who have magic can fight against them. They install weapons in their own bodies and fight in the sky, the land, and the sea. The battle to protect the world begins.

Why I'm Interested: Well, first off, I'm not sure how anyone could think I'd avoid nearly ANY series with a description that ends with "the battle to protect the world begins". But aside from that, we all have our own definitions of what can be seen as awesome. Some people like monkies/gorillas. (I never, EVER got this. I presume its something about you humans close relation to them.) Some people like shounen-ai. Some people like shows about quirky shit like baking bread. I think a lot of ideas are awesome, and its an ever-expanding list. The newest addition? Lolis who are part-loli, part jet-planes. Fucking pwn.

Will I go past five episodes? Prolly not. Plate's already full and I'm having trouble keeping up with what I already have.

Mission-E
Summary: Sequel to the previously aired Code-E, set five years after the final episode in near-future Japan. It will feature a new a new lead named Maori Kimizuka, who will join Ebihara Chinami, the lead from the first season. Both are TYPE-E users adorned in the above pictured rainbow uniforms, and wield supernatural abilities. OZ, the place Chinami and Maori work at, aims for the the adaption of TYPE-E users into society, are in hostility with the “Foundation” who advocate the isolation and control of TYPE-E users that those men belonged to. (AS)

Why I'm Interested: I was already partially interested in Code-E (about a girl who emits electromagnetic waves when her emotions go wild...just quirky enough to be entertaining), but it sounded very slife of life and I very rarely fuck with that. (Clannad's an exception.) But then I learned Mission-E was decidedly more action-y, so now I'm both interested in Mission-E and more interested in Code-E due to the obvious change in tone it had to go through to lead to this. Plus those outfits are sleek.

Will I go past five episodes? Gotta go back and watch Code-E first.

Blade of The Immortal

Summary: ...Really? You NEED a summary for this shit? Its fucking legendary! *sighs* Oh well. Here: Manji is a crass, violent samurai with a special ability: he cannot die. Cursed with immortality by the nun Yobikuni as punishment for his ruthless deeds, he has grown weary of his ageless life. The only way to lift the curse is to slay 1,000 evil men. So Manji wanders Japan, shedding the blood of the wicked on his quest to finally die. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: Its REALLY not my kind of show, but fuck man....Blade of the Immortal is JUST legendary enough for me to give it a try. The main character can't be all that bad a guy since he's only going after evil fucks, so what the hell. Still. I can hear the bitching all the way from the future if this series doesn't turn out EXACTLY like the manga.

Will I go past five episodes? Most likely...eventually.

Koihime†Musou

Summary: Based on BaseSon’s adult PC adventure game “Koihime Musou”, set in the style of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. (Extra Summary 'cause that kinda sucked: What did I just say at the top of this thing? Japan does ENDLESS variations on Rot3K. This is the other end of the spectrum. Ikkitousen is Rot3K with LOTS of T&A...this will be the version with lolis.)

Why I'm Interested: I'm watching this just to see if my mind can actually process a loli version of fucking Lu Bu. Lolis = Adorable, cute things that give you the inexplicable urge to hug them whenever you look at them. Lu Bu = Fucking crazy bad-ass who can fuck up entire armies solo or brutally kill people on his own side if you look at him wrong. They really don't mix and I'm sure a LOT of fans will go into meltdown watching this. (Also. Since this one seems to be set in the past, it'll probably be closer to the source material than Ikkitousen, which is nice.)

Will I go past five episodes? I sure as heck intend to try...

Sekirei

Summary: Minato is a total loser. He’s failed to make it into college twice, he’s unpopular with women, and he’s unemployed. But suddenly one day he met a girl dashing inhumanely fast down the road he walked, chased by 2 bandits with electrical powers. From that day on Minato’s life changed forever. The Girl, Musubi was not any ordinary girl she was a “Sekirei”, and suddenly she just bestows Minato with the power of an Ashikabi, one of a mysterious set of “masters” in an awesome battle royale between hordes of cute girls (and males) with individual special powers called “Sekirei’s”. Eventually Minato’s true capabilities will release his useless self into truly understanding all of the Sekirei’s that he embarks to gather, and his own strength. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: Dammit. I'm torn. I'm sure I've said somewhere. If there's ONE anime stereotype/genre I never liked, it was the "milquetoast guy ends up with a harem of girls but doesn't fuck any of them because he's a total pussy". But its entirely possible there will be a couple of bad-ass fights in this, and there's already a bunch of hot chicks in it. In addition I'm told the plot of the manga eventually goes somewhere plot-wise, so presuming its at least 26 episodes, I have to at least give it a try.

Will I go past five episodes? Uhm..50/50 chance.

Zero no Tsukaima

Summary: First season introduction- Meet Louise, a budding magician. The students at the Tristein Academy call her “Zero Louise”, due to her current record of zero successes with magic. In fact, her magic tends to go spectacularly wrong. Now, as an important test of her aptitude for magic, she must summon a familiar to be her servant. At this critical moment, she summons up all her magic and wishes for a familiar that is “devoted, beautiful and powerful”, and gets… Hiraga Saito, an ordinary Japanese boy. It’s difficult to say who is more surprised and dismayed, but the rules don’t allow for second attempts. Louise is stuck with her strange familiar, and he with her. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: I'm naturally attracted to magic shows. Plus I read part of the manga and it was just downright hilarious. Of course, there's a problem...

Will I go past five episodes? Yup, you guessed it. Haven't even seen the first season. Might be a good idea to watch S1 and S2 first.

Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo

Summary: The story revolves around Ryōko Yakushiji, a 27-year-old multilingual investigator that graduated from Tokyo University’s elite Department of Law, and the bizarre cases she faces while working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Yakushiji not only has to deal with supernatural beings in her line of work, but also her rival Yukiko Muromachi, another equally talented and beautiful police investigator. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: Eh....it sounds kinda like TOKKO, which started off interesting but quickly got boring. Still. I get a feel off it that tells me it might be interesting. So I'll give it a shot.

Will I go past five episodes? The better question is whether or not I'll drop the thing entirely after five episodes. Hope not.

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

Summary: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu centers around Ayase Yuko and Nogizaka Haruka. Yuto is seemingly ordinary, but Haruka is attractive, intelligent, and rich, which prompts other students to idolize her and even give her French nicknames like “Nuit Étoile” (The Silver Star of the Night) and “Lumière du Clavier” (The Shining Princess on the Piano). One day, Yuko wanders into the school library in order to return a book and accidently stumbles upon Haruka’s deepest, darkest secret: she is a diehard fan of anime and manga, in other words, a regular otaku. Promising Haruka to keep this a secret, Yuko becomes her advisor and confidente of some sort and hangs out with her more, though earning some viciously envious glares from his fellow schoolmates. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: I'm naturally attracted to anime that, well, talks about anime. Its sort of looking at it from the inside looking in, plus I like seeing how the Japanese view their own otaku world. (I get the feeling they're not as critical of anime as we are.)

Will I go past five episodes? Depends on how well it walks the line between romantic comedy and Genshiken-type anime. If it does it well enough, yeah eventually.

Special Mention:

World Destruction

Summary: The game centers on a youth named Kirie Irunisu who secretly possesses the power to destroy the world. He is forced to join a party that aims not to save the world, but to eradicate it and start anew. (ANN)

Why I'm Interested: I'm not. I just wanted to point out that fortunately as a Hero I'm not allowed to kill or I would make the creator suffer a horrible, horrible death. KNOCK THIS SHIT OFF! What's sad is that video game adaptations usually suck, but I guarantee this one becomes a "sleeper hit". Ugh.