天下制覇

Iron Man
http://bd-dvd.sonypictures.jp/marvelanime/
Studio: Madhouse
Genre: Action
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 1st

Summary: 
Tony Stark travels to the demilitarized Japan in order to turn his arc reactor technology to mass production and energy generation purposes instead of figghting supervillains, but it’s not long before his prototypes fall into the wrong hands and supervillains everywhere come after the retired superhero, forcing him back into action.

Personal Outlook:
The first episode was screened at Comic-Con earlier this year, and impressions were extremely mixed. "Good looking with anime cliches tacked on" is a phrase that occurs frequently. Iron Man isn’t exactly one of my favorite Marvel franchises anyway, and I doubt adding ditzy Japanese reporters falling onto him for panty shots is going to change that. Fridays have seven shows too, so it’s got plenty of competition.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Iron Miku, roll out!

Super Robot Wars OG: The Inspector
http://www.suparobo.jp/srw_lineup/srw_ogin/
Studio: Asahi Production
Genre: Action
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 1st

Summary: 
Sequel series. Six months after the war with the Divine Crusaders and Aerogaters seems to be over, the Earth is rebuilding and regrouping to protect itself from further alien attacks. However, sensing that the planet is weak, even more forces even while mysterious Inspectors pass judgment on the planet.

Personal Outlook: 
I do like the SRW series overall, but Divine Wars was so damn slow and tedious. Thankfully, OG2/The Inspector focuses on the Excellen side of things instead of Ryusei whining. However, Asahi’s nothing special and the staff is even worse. The last thing this director’s been in charge of was Prism Ark. Prism Ark. If that doesn’t terrify you, I don’t know what to say. They should just stop pussyfooting around and give Xiaomu her own show already.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Shhh. We’re the SRX. BOING!

Heaven’s Lost Property ƒ
http://newtype.kadocomic.jp/soraoto/
Studio: AIC ASTA
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 1st

Summary: 
Sequel series. Tomoki dreamed of angels and always woke up in tears. Then one day, an angel actually fell from the sky and took him as her master, using her magical powers to grant his every perverse desire. More angels and chaos soon followed, but the most recent angel to appear has come to kill him for violating the laws of heaven.

Personal Outlook: 
I absolutely detested almost everything but the production for the first episode of the previous season, but after hearing glowing reviews of the rest, I checked out the OVA episode during a slow day and it wasn’t so bad. I’m not ruling it out since it has absolutely no plot, but even at best, I reserve the right to spew bile at Tomoki in any and every way humanly possible.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
A wide assortment of bon bons.

Panty & Stocking With Garterbelt!
http://newtype.kadocomic.jp/psg/
Studio: Gainax
Genre: Action, Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 1st

Summary: 
A pair of spoiled and flighty angels have been thrown down from heaven to hunt ‘ghosts’ in Daten City. They’d rather screw around than do any work though.

Personal Outlook: 
It’s easy to rag on this show for its stupid naming conventions until you remember that most of the cast of Dragonball are named after underwear and vegetables. Reading about this show makes my head hurt. It’s like Gainax just threw as many random English words together and tried to have everything make sense, and that’s before we get to these cankled creatures using their underwear to make weapons. The whole thing seems like a brainstorming room gimmick that spun out of control and then ripped off Invader Zim’s art style. I’m not really sure what they’re trying to do here, but as Sym-Bi Titan showed, flashy art style only gets you so far.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
As fascinating as a flock of two headed sheep.

MM!
http://www.butaro.net/
Studio: Xebec
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 1st (Late Night)

Summary: 
Tarou is in love. But he’s also a masochist who gets a thrill from women abusing him to the point where his ‘pervert level’ is up to 3,000,000.  He’s desperate to change and have a normal relationship, so he goes to one of his school’s clubs for advice, but  the club’s president is a megalomaniac who only serves to fuel his perverse desires.

Personal Outlook: 
Oh, Xebec. You and your… shows. This isn’t even Xebec’s A-squad either. Nobody in a key role in this show has worked on anything but disasters. The premise does have some potential for subversion of the usual cliches that anime likes to lean on which I do so love, but then I remember that this is Xebec. All they can manage lately is drawing breasts, and they can’t even do that consistently. On the other hand though, it airs in the evening (my time), which means people are usually up and around, and there’s little more fun than mocking terrible shows in a group. I’d wager more on Xebec making it so bad that it’s amusing than it actually being good.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Objection! Assumes vagina not in evidence!

Bakuman.
http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/bakuman/
Studio: JC Staff
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 2nd (Early morning)

Summary: 
Takagi, a talented writer, convinces Mashiro to join him in creating the most popular comic in Jump. At the same time, Mashiro confesses his feelings to his crush, Azuki, an aspiring voice actress. She accepts, on the condition that both of them fulfill their dreams first. Their quest to break into the world of Jump begins.

Personal Outlook: 
A Jump show about Jump. I may hit something or someone. Have I mentioned that I sort of hate Jump yet? It’s like an anthology dedicated to ass-pulls, and a story with the nebulous goal of "do the nebulous unnamed masses like us?" combined with teen drama just exacerbates things. Anyway, this is JC Staff’s watercolor/romance team who has been sleeping for awhile, so the staff’s solid if you liked those shows. I’m not a huge fan, but Saturdays are looking a bit thin. On the other hand, everybody and their dog will probably cover this, so… whatever.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
…It’s… warm…

Letter Bee -Reverse-
http://www.tegamibachi.com/
Studio: Pierrot
Genre: Action
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 2nd

Summary: 
Sequel series. The continuing adventure of the post-apocalyptic mail carrier and his search for his mother. He’s now threatened by a new group called Reverse who seek to steal the packages from Letter Bees to change the world.

Personal Outlook: 
More Jump. Great. I was completely unimpressed with the first season beginning with almost 18 straight minutes of exposition with the most animated thing in the episode being a CG insect. Nothing I heard about successive episodes convinced me that they had altered that formula in the slightest. Like all Jump action shows, it’s a mess of exposition about what the characters just did/can do/will do, then a self-esteem speech about believing in yourself/your friends/the heart of the cards, and then, if you’re lucky, giant breasts. Letter Bee is not lucky.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
♫ And if the sun comes up tomorrow, Letter Bee~ ♫
                         

Hakuoki -Blood Record-
http://www.geneonuniversal.jp/rondorobe/anime/hakuoki/
Studio: Studio DEEN
Genre: Pretty Boys
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 2nd

Summary: 
Sequel series.Pretty pretty Shinsengumi boys have to protect a pure blooded girl from demons, even while some of them have consumed a potion to make themselves stronger that is eating away at their soulds.

Personal Outlook: 
Another sequel that was tedious as hell and only amusing for about an episode because it was so corny. Add Deen’s lacklustre production to the mix and all you get are long still shots of identical looking pretty boys staring longfully into the camera and looking tortured about their duty. I hear this stuff is like crack to lonely women.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
So, I heard you like cocks.

STAR DRIVER -Radiant Tact-
http://www.star-driver.net/
Studio: Bones
Genre: Sci Fi
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 3rd (Early Morning)

Summary: 
Beneath the ruins on an island lie 20 Cybuddy statues, sealed by priestesses who can never leave the island. Each Cybuddy contains the ability to move through an alternate dimension called Zero Time, and a secret organization wishes to bring that power into reality. However, the cheerful boy that washed up on the island looking for a school to have fun in may hold an even bigger secret that will shake the foundation of the world.

Personal Outlook: 
I’m half tempted to watch this just to make incessant Galaxy Angel jokes. The I remember that it’s mecha parallel dimension pokemon, Bones, and involves Cybuddies. Hell, there’s a King Cybuddy. I already cannot take this show seriously. That’s probably a good thing. All that said, this isn’t Bones’s usual staff, so rules about them totally pissing up the ending may or may not apply. Then again, one of the characters is named Head. Actually, I think that goes in the Pro column.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
"Posers, right?" "Right."

Psychic Detective Yakumo
http://www9.nhk.or.jp/anime/yakumo/
Studio: Bee Train
Genre: Bee Train
Information Links: ANN Entry
Premiers October 3rd

Summary: 
When Haruka’s friend collapses, she turns to the supposed psychic and antisocial Yakumo for help. He’s quickly revealed to be a complete fraud when it comes to being psychic, but relies on his ability to see and interact with ghosts in order to solve mysteries.

Personal Outlook: 
Meh. Beetrain. They’re branching out slightly from "girls with guns" at least. Not that their other attempts have met with anything but dismal, CG-laced failure. I’m also starting to get really tied of these "I can see ghosts" characters that solve crimes with their plucky young friend. I’m pretty sure that I’ve already seen this show at least three times, and none of them by Bee Train. It should have some great music at the very least.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Ghosts of musicians past.

My Little Sister Can’t Be This Cute
http://www.oreimo-anime.com/
Studio: AIC
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 3rd

Summary: 
Kyousuke just wants a normal life without trouble, but one day discovers that his little sister has a massive collection of age-inappropriate games and associated paraphernalia, mostly centering around the ‘love’ between siblings. Now he’s in on her secret and has to keep it at all costs.

Personal Outlook: 
AIC’s been pretty decent lately, but I’d be more confident if anybody involved with this project had worked on a decent comedy within the last decade. At least, unlike Nogizaka Haruka, it doesn’t have Noto messing up the joint. Even so, any time "wishes for a normal life" is in the protagonist’s description, I die a little more inside. A main character’s hook should not be "I hate interesting things." All that doesn’t really add up to a recipe for success.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
"My Little Sister Can’t Be a Dinosaur!"

Samurai Girls
http://www.hyakka-ryoran.tv/
Studio: ARMS
Genre: Action
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 3rd

Summary: 
In an alternate timeline where samurai reign supreme, Yagyuu Muneakira transfers to a new school and is immediately thrust into a battle instigated by the student council when a hole opens in the sky and Yagyuu Jubei falls into his arms with no memory of her past and the true soul of Yagyuu Jubei Mitsuyoshi sleeping inside her.

Personal Outlook: 
The first episode already aired about a month ago. It was fun enough and I like the art style, but it mostly reminded me of what a mediocre action show should be, unlike what we suffered through last season. It’s definitely a step up from the last few shows from ARMS, and perhaps despite the lack of pants, the most tasteful they’ve made in their history. It has a solid staff backing it too, a far cry from their usual stable of slackers. Hopefully they’ll cut down on the exposition in future episodes and keep this a stylish and fun action show.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
And this is why there aren’t action shows where men’s clothes explode.

Arakawa Under the Bridge × Bridge
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/arakawa_ub/
Studio: Shaft
Genre: Not Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 3rd

Summary: 
Sequel series. Kou’s continuing life living under a bridge with his supposedly alien girlfriend and the bizarre cast of characters that congregates around them.

Personal Outlook: 
I made it through the first season, but I’m not entirely sure how. Aside from the weird character designs, this was about as formulaic as Shinbo could possibly be. It had its moments, but for the most part, it was just an endless display of double takes and close-ups of eyes. I’ll give it a chance, but at the moment, I think I’d rather cover any of the other Sunday shows over this.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Please do not poke the alien.

Reminders of Heaven
http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/yosuganosora/
Studio: feel
Genre: Romance, Drama
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 4th

Summary: 
The Kasugano twins are suddenly orphaned when their parents are killed in a car crash. As their lives fall apart around them, Haruka clings to the past for strength while Sora looks at the present with resentment and bitterness. However, their lives must go on and they must look ahead to find a new future.

Personal Outlook: 
Pick your own translation for the title depending on whichever of the three or four ways you could read it. I was -this- close to just going with the subtitle "In Solitude, Where We Are Least Alone." Crank the melodrama up to 11, why don’t you? Nothing like a healthy dose of tearjerking and sad violins to distract from the incest themes, eh? While feel’s doing the animation, most of the staff is from Imagin, and the director in particular works mostly in porn… and Spice and Wolf. I’m not really sure what to make of that, except that I expect it to similarly be boring as sin.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
A real warrior has no time for love.

Maiden Demon Zakuro
http://www.otome-zakuro.jp/
Studio: JC Staff
Genre: Fantasy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 4th

Summary: 
In an alternate past, demons and humans live together in Japan. However, as humans continue to gain power, some demons resent them and seek to overturn the situation. Kei is part of the military task force that responds to demon related activities along with his half-demon partner, the powerful and mysterious Zakuro.

Personal Outlook: 
Another show that’s going to have to rise above its staff. Franchise-killer Chiaki Kon directing and the head writer’s portfolio is mostly shows that didn’t so much as end as collapse in a withering, mewling heap. It’s hard to go wrong with fighting female demon familiars, but since JC Staff is up to four shows for this season and the staff being what it is, I somehow doubt that they’re putting the man focus of their effort into this one.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
RARRRR! I’M A DEMON!

Invasion! Squid Girl
http://www.ika-musume.com/
Studio: Diomedea
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 4th

Summary: 
The Squid Girl journeyed out of the ocean to take revenge on humans for polluting the Earth, but her first attempt at conquest ends with her defeated and indebted to the family she tried to conquer. She soon finds that the human world is very different than what she expected, but the invasion must go on.

Personal Outlook: 
Basically the same premise as Keroro only with a girl in a squid hat instead of a batallion of alien frogs. Diomedea’s no Sunrise though. At least the Squid is apparently some kind of idiot savant, so it’s not a total ripoff. It has alien squids destroying things right there. I make no promises about being able to restrain myself from Terror From the Deep jokes though. Tentaculats still give me nightmares.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Four squid girls.

More To-Love-RU
http://www.j-toloveru.com/
Studio: Xebec
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 5th

Summary: 
Sequel series. The continuing adventures of Rito and his quest to protect the Earth by protecting the alien princess Lala from her suitors.

Personal Outlook: 
Jump show number 3 for the season. And Xebec to boot! It actually does have a completely new core staff, including Potemayo’s writer, but Xebec just subbed out one bad director for the master behind Kanokon and Ladies vs Butlers. I barely made it through the first episode of the first season. I highly doubt that I’ll give this anything more than a cursory glance.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff…

The World God Only Knows
http://kaminomi.jp/
Studio: Manglobe
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 6th

Summary: 
Keima’s abilities to ‘get’ any game’s girl are legendary. One day, he gets an e-mail challenging him to get a certain girl. Without thinking, he accepts the challenge, which enters him into a contract with a demon from Hell that forces him to hunt the spirits lurking in the hearts of real girls, people that eima wants nothing to do with.

Personal Outlook: 
There’s not a whole ton to say about the staff for this one, good or bad, and Manglobe’s a solid studio, but they have their ups and downs. Self-referential humor can be fun (Pengy and Macademy), but it all comes down to execution and whether they can keep things snappy. It’s all moot anyway since it’s airing on Wednesday all by itself, so my attention it its to lose.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
But can he teach a robot true love?

Detective Opera Milky Holmes
http://milky-holmes.com/
Studio: JC Staff
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 7th

Summary: 
In the future world, people use ‘Toys’ that grant them superhuman abilities like ESP and telekinesis. This has led to a boom in both minor crimes and the need for Toy-using detectives to track down the offenders and bring them to justice. Opera Koyabashi runs the detective agency, Milky Holmes, staffed by four cheerful and energetic girls.

Personal Outlook: 
This show confuses me. It looks like it should be airing at 9am on a Sunday, not in the middle of the night. The staff reflects that too, although with the head writer from Kampfer… I’m just more confused. On the other hand though, the thing that JC Staff does the best is bubbly happy light little comedies. And I do like super powers. But it looks so… sugary. I’m really just not quite sure what to make of this.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Three hauaus and one nipah.

Blood of the Reprimanded Hound
http://www.togainu.tv/
Studio: A-1
Genre: Pretty Boys, Action
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 7th

Summary: 
Japan is devestated after the third world war, letting a crime family take over the ruins of Tokyo and hold a deadly game pitting humans against each other. After being wrongly convicted, Akira is offered a chance for freedom by competing in the deadly game of survival.

Personal Outlook: 
It certainly does have a very flashy, bloody, and homoerotic trailer. The writer’s kind of horrible and coming right on over from JC Staff’s BL-fest. At least she’s found her niche. Of course, A-1’s writing in general lately has been a few ink blots short of a Samurai Girl. The trailers were impressive though, so I’m hopeful. Plus, making bad homoerotic puns is kind of my forte. This was supposed to have a special netcast today, but as far as I know, it hasn’t shown up in the viewable world, so… *shrug*

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Two A-1 escapees.

Yet The Town Keeps Going
http://www.tbs.co.jp/anime/soremachi/
Studio: Shaft
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 7th

Summary: 
Hotori has a normal job as a waitress until the owner suddenly decides to covert it into a maid cafe on a whim. However, the change does spark an influx of unique people who begin frequenting it for their own reasons as the cafe struggles to catch on.

Personal Outlook: 
A seemingly normal setting with a bunch of caricatures. Does Shinbo just spew this stuff out non-stop? At least it’s the (mostly) good Shaft writer, back from Bakatest. I’m cautiously optimistic and hope that Shinbo keeps his touch light (ala Hidamari) instead of his zero-budget directing nonsense that he’s been abusing like a crackfiend for the last three years.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
We wanna be protagonists too, dood!

A Certain Magical Index 2
http://www.project-index.net/
Studio: JC Staff
Genre: Exposition
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 8th

Summary: 
Sequel series. The continuing adventures of Touma, with the psychic ability to negate anything supernatural with a touch, and the electric girls and magical books that can’t keep their hands off of him.

Personal Outlook: 
As much maligned as Index was, I still thought it was a solid series, particularly the first half. It did get mired down in out of place and overly complicated exposition for absolutely no purpose at times, but that still doesn’t excuse them inflicting Railgun on us. We’re back to Index’s original cast and staff though, so hopefully they learned from their mistakes and can keep this a solid action series.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Because JCStaff’s track record for sequels is stellar.

Fortune Arterial – Crimson Promise
http://newtype.kadocomic.jp/fortune/
Studio: Zexcs, feel
Genre: Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 8th

Summary: 
In search of a normal and stable life, Kouhei transfers to a new school isolated on an island, but once there, he finds not only girls from his past, but a vampire as well.

Personal Outlook: 
Man, I feel dirty just writing that summary. So unabashedly generic for a porn game, and just look! It’s feel’s generic porn game adaptation team, that brought you such greats as Otoboku and kiss x sis. I expect absolutely nothing, but it’d be nice to be surprised. This is also the last of seven shows airing on Fridays. By that point, it’s either automtically doomed or watchable.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Being a vampire used to mean something.

Jellyfish Princess
http://kuragehime.noitamina.tv/
Studio: Brain’s Base
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Staff/Cast List: ANN Entry
Premiers October 14th

Summary: 
Tsukimi lives with a bunch of other social rejects who despise the fasionable. Then she witnesses a beautiful woman save a dying jellyfish and befriends her, only then learning that the woman is a man trying to hide from his family.

Personal Outlook: 
noitaminA’s new show, and you know how I get along with noitaminA! Mixed bag on the cast, and before anybody starts whining about Brain’s Base in relation to Baccano and DRRR, I have just one thing to say, Akikan. In any case I doubt this even threatens to fall into my particular sphere of interest, even counting my annoyance with the current Thursday situation.

Preseason Swing Rating: 
Two octomice.