Anime Spring 2009 Anime Season

[Shinmaru]

Yep, another season, another anime thread. While the winter season had a number of solid but unspectacular series, the spring season appears to offer some really exciting shows. Don't know if it match the fall in terms of sheer number of watchable shows, but I could see it getting close.

For the curious, here are some spring previews [b][URL="http://www.animevice.com/news/2009-spring-anime-preview-30-new-anime/814/"]here[/URL][/b], [b][URL="http://that.animeblogger.net/2009/03/08/that-spring-2009-anime-preview/"]here[/URL][/b] and [b][URL="http://www.joshsanimeblog.com/2009/03/19/spring-2009-anime-preview/"]here[/URL][/b].

[b]Shows I am definitely interested in watching[/b]:

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10216"]Fullmetal Alchemist[/b][/URL]: Damn right I am watching this. Never saw the original series, nor have I read the manga, so everything in this show will be a fresh experience for me. I'm a big BONES fan, and the vocal cast (including the additions) is absolutely killer, so I could not be more excited about this series.

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10474"]Higashi no Eden[/URL][/b]: The premise is interesting enough and has the potential to be an excellent story, and the production quality should be wonderful. Also, at 11 episodes, the storytelling will hopefully be lean and quickly paced. I'm actually almost as excited for this as I am for [b]FMA[/b]. Amusing note: The character designs threw me off enough that I had to see if the author of [b]Honey and Clover[/b] also penned this series. (No, she didn't, but she did do the character design for this show.)

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10541"]Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~[/URL][/b]: Mainly because, even if the story sounds sort of basic, I can be somewhat assured I'll get something different from a series with Nitroplus origins. (Although the [b]Chaos;Head[/b] adaptation ended up being a bit disappointing in the end.) Plus, assassins are a personal weakness of mine. I could really see this show going either way, but for now I am optimistic enough to put it in this category.

[b]Shows I am partly interested in watching[/b]:

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10468"]07-Ghost[/URL][/b]: This is a show that could either be pretty good or fall flat on its face, but the pairing of Mitsuki Saiga and Sho Hayami as the leads has me interested.

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10562"]K-On![/URL][/b]: It's KyoAni, so that automatically earns it a shot. Not the kind of show I would expect to be a classic, but it could be a fun, light diversion. I'm mainly expecting something funny and entertaining, with the requisite fantastic KyoAni production values.

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10464"]Natsu no Arashi![/URL][/b]: SHAFT, with Akiyuki Shinbo at the helm, is basically another automatic for me, no matter what the show. The premise doesn't exactly light me on fire, but hey. On the plus side, there is a good assortment of seiyuu I enjoy (Ai Nonaka, Hitomi Nabatame, Yui Horie, Kaori Nazuka).

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10436"]Pandora Hearts[/URL][/b]: Fantasy normally is not my thing, but I've been giving more series along these lines a shot lately, and my horrible bias is slowly dissipating. The storyline does have a decent bit of potential, so I'll be watching.

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10271"]Sengoku Basara[/URL][/b]: Just because the story and epic battles could be interesting, and I really need more Norio Wakamoto in my life. (With the added bonus of Mamiko Noto, Sho Hayami, Romi Paku and Takehito Koyasu.)

-- [b][URL="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10668"]Souten Kouro[/URL][/b]: More historical anime, but this time with Madhouse + Mamoru Miyano as a Chinese emperor. Sure, why not?

[Ryosuke Forever]

Higashi no Eden looks really good from the trailer that I saw. I never did finish FMA, but I am reading the manga so some of this will be familiar. Higashi overshadowed my original Phantom hype, it still looks good. I saw bits and pieces of the OVA.

(first time on otakuboards, XD)

[Botar]

Don't be hatin' on Pandora Heart! Just kiding. Oh, Ryosuke Forever, you should finish FMA, it's joygasmicly awsome, and welcome to the boards! Hope you love it here.

[Schultzie]

I think that anyone who didnt hate FMA is going to check out the new season. While not the best of all time, it was kind of a perfect storm in anime (I blame Vic for that).

East of Eden looks pretty good too, I will probably check that one out also.

[Meggido]

I think even anyone who hated FMA should check out the new series since it's based of the manga which imo is very much the superior storyline.

ALready mentioned series I'm going to check out are [B]Full metal Alchemist 2[/B], [B]Pandora Hearts[/B], and [B]Phantom ~Requiem for the phantom~[/B]

Other series I'm going to check out:

[B]Asura Cryin'[/B] - Guy haunted by a girl who was his childhood friend is the basic story given however the picture on anidb suggests that there is more to it hten that.

[B]Hayate no Gotoku 2[/B] - this is a tentative as I hated the first season because it had no direct plot like the manga but was rather episodic. I might check this out to see if it actually has story plot this time.

[B]Senjou no Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles[/B] - Based on a game and one that is very popular. Not owning a PS3 I haven't had a chance to check out Valkyrie chronicles but this I will.

[B]Tears to Tiara[/B] - Another game to anime adaptation I want to check out. This could be good or could be as bad as Utawarerumono.

I'll probably have to check out more for reviews for a magazine I write/edit for but these are the main seven that I want to check out properly.

[Shishou]

[SIZE="1"]I am going to keep it light for watching airing series this season, plus there were only a few that caught my eye.

[I]Definitely watching:[/I]

-- [B]Fullmetal Alchemis[/B]t: I enjoy this series enough to watch it while airing. > >;;

-- [B]Higashi no Eden[/B]: I'm still pretty pumped up with excitement about this one, at first it because I thought it was another series by [URL="http://myanimelist.net/people/2891/Chika_Umino"]Umino, Chika[/URL] the author of [B]Honey and Clover[/B] - a series I love. Even though I know it isn't by her, the anime shows a lot of promise, plus at 11 episodes it's probably going to be fast-paced, and lately my attention span and time really appreciates that.

(By the way I just watched the trailer: I love the the character design, probably because it is so much like [B]Honey and Clover[/B], and I love how clean and full of quality the animation is.)

[B]La Corda D'Oro ~secondo passo~[/B]: I was hoping for something more than only two OVAs, but still it's worth checking out. I want to meet the newest addition to the cast of characters, as I have yet to be 'officially introduced'. (I haven't read that far in the manga and he wasn't introduced in the 1st season, so all I've seen are pictures.) I have no clue why I enjoy this ridiculously shoujo series as much as I do... It could be all the breathtaking fanart. @w@
[I]
Might consider watching:
[/I]
-- [B]Pandora Hearts[/B]: I dunno, something about this sparks my interest slightly, so hopefully it might just be worth checking out. The fantasy aspect sort of appeals to me.

-- [B]Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~[/B]: I'm a little iffy about it, but it looks like it has potential. What really caught my eye was the artwork looking so pretty; I'm a sucker for that. :rolleyes:

--[B]Ristorante Paradiso[/B]: This sounds as if it will be like the anime [B][URL="http://myanimelist.net/anime/1589/Bartender"]Bartender[/URL][/B]: calm, relaxing, and slow-paced. I'm up for watching it if I have time.[/SIZE]

[Nony]

I definitely have huge interest in Fullmetal Alchemist 2, although I don't know if I'll watch it this season. I loved the first FMA dub, so I may just wait for (quite a) bit to see how the dub cast comes along.
But, I will watch it someday. I love the manga, so it'd be cool to see some of the awesome parts animated.

As for the other anime up there... I think I'll wait on those too. lol Or at least wait until Shin or Des has seen some of 'em so I can pester them with questions on their opinions.

[Magus]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]At first I was going to say that none of those shows are worth me checking into, but I've come across a couple of series that seemed to have caught my interest.

[b]Fullmetal Alchemist[/b] - I guess I'm the only one that's not much of a fan of this series. With that said though, I still may check it out just to see what all the raving about the manga is like..

[b]Sengoku Basara and Souten Kouro[/b] - Are those what I think they are? Samurai and Dynasty Warriors? O_O Done by Production IG and Madhouse... I just might get my action and artwork/animation fix this season afterall.

[b]Phantom ~ Requiem for the Phantom~[/b] - I don't really have much to say about this one. It just caught my interest that's all.

The rest of that stuff is not for me at all.[/FONT]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Magus'][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][b]Fullmetal Alchemist[/b] - I guess I'm the only one that's not much of a fan of this series. With that said though, I still may check it out just to see what all the raving about the manga is like..

[b]Sengoku Basara and Souten Kouro[/b] - Are those what I think they are? Samurai and Dynasty Warriors? O_O Done by Production IG and Madhouse... I just might get my action and artwork/animation fix this season afterall.

[b]Phantom ~ Requiem for the Phantom~[/b] - I don't really have much to say about this one. It just caught my interest that's all.

The rest of that stuff is not for me at all.[/FONT][/QUOTE]

[SIZE="1"]Pretty much summed up my list for the coming weeks/months. Although I may check out [B]Guin Saga[/B] as well because the trailer caught my eye.

[b][Edit][/b] Just caught the trailer for [b]07-Ghost[/b] as well and it's also piqued my interest.
[/SIZE]

[Dagger]

The first episode of Phantom rocked my world. It definitely has the potential to be the first not-really-sucky Nitro+ adaptation (fingers crossed). I absolutely loved how they used physical movement to portray [spoiler]Zwei's raw talent, what with him scrambling around Ein's bullets and so forth.[/spoiler] This show will be very enjoyable for people who liked the style & concept of stuff like Noir/Madlax/etc. but hated how slowly they moved. There's also onscreen blood in this one, thank heaven.

Am tickled with delight that others here plan on watching it. The OP and ED are great, especially the ED sequence--it's like Mashimo got inspired by Shinbou Akiyuki (the Shaft-Zetsubou guy). Someone post a thread when it gets subbed!

~Dagger~

[Magus]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]Oh yeah, I forgot to mention [b]Dragonball Kai[/b]. Like FMA, I'm not too thrilled about it (I've grown out of DBZ a long time ago), but I am very curious as to how this series will be narrowed down to 100 episodes. People are speculating that all the fillers will be removed, and it won't get pass Freiza saga.. "shrugs" I actually want it to go to the Cell saga.. All the good fights are in that one, haha.[/FONT]

[Shinmaru]

[b]FMA[/b] is definitely the cream of the crop of what I have seen so far. Very good first episode, with great production values, awesome action and good comedy. I am going to like this series a lot!

First episode of [b]K-On![/b] is not bad -- it's pretty much what I expected, actually. There are some good laughs, and I smiled pretty much every second of the show, so I feel good about continuing the series. Good lord do Tsumugi's eyebrows ever creep the hell out of me, though.

[b]Natsu no Arashi![/b] is all right so far. Apparently SHAFT throws the viewer right into the middle of the series and lets loose. I didn't feel [i]that[/i] confused, but maybe there are some things going over my head, and I do not realize it. The first episode isn't as funny as something I'd expect from SHAFT; however, the plot, involving [spoiler]time travelling escapades to retrieve a dangerous strawberry[/spoiler] is engaging enough. My favorites so far are Kaya (with a funny performance by Kaori Nazuka) and Sayaka (who could become an awesome, snarky character by Hitomi Nabatame).

And [b]Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~[/b]'s first episode is good enough for me to have made a thread about it, so I guess that should reveal how much I like it, haha.

[Jax Rhapsody]

HOw could there be a FMA2? IIRC didnt [spoiler]Ed kinda die in the end and it went back to the beginning when they;re mother was alive and Alphonse was a only child[/spoiler] that is if I watched it right.

[Meggido]

You my dear sir obviously didn't see Conqueror of Shambala. But then again it wouldn't matter since this series of FMA has nothing to do with the original.