Summer 2011 Anime Preview

Posted Jun 19, 2011. 30 min read.

My sources are: AniDB, ANN, MAL, Fansub Wiki and Moetron

(Summer 2011 chart courtesy of Moetron)

Inumarudashi
Release Date: June 2011
Animation Production: Gathering
Episodes: ?

Summary: Yamada Takamo has always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, but when she has her first day she meets Inu-kun. Inu is a super problem child who to top all things, refuses to wear pants or underwear. How will she manage her new kindergarten career?

Impressions
Chidori3souske Good grief...why do we always find shows like this every season? I'm not really fond of the summary nor the art in the illustration so I'll probably pass.
Hikaru Both the art and the story looks a little bit childish. Definitely not my cup of tea.
Sid Seriously? Do I need to say anything? A kid who is a delinquent and also never wears pants? I'm not a huge fan of the kindergarten setting because it usually ends is rather awkward jokes that shouldn't be made at that age. The kid never wears pants... it seems like those jokes will be in more of an abundance. I'm on the fence about this one whether I should even bother picking it up. Probably one episode max.

Double-J
Release Date: June 2011
Animation Production: DLE Inc.
Episodes:

Summary: In a school where after school activities are mandatory among all students, Hajime and her friend Sayo come across a new club that they have never seen before. The club is called "The Cultural Activity Preservation Club." The two enter the room to find all kinds of analog jobs and activities, such as handcrafting mats and toothpicks. This is a unique cultural anime mixed with comedy so as not to bore you, this is Double J!

Impressions
Chidori3souske Hmmm...the summary isn't really interesting and there's no PV so I'm not sure yet if I'll pick this one. Maybe I'll try watching an episode then if it sucks then its dropped.
Hikaru A cultural anime in school setting looks interesting.
Sid The series doesn’t sound that intriguing and I don’t really know how good the comedy is going to be. I’ve also never really seen many series by DLE Inc. other than the American ones like Scooby Doo. I’ll give it probably two episodes before I make my decision.

Blade
Release Date: July 01, 2011
Animation Production: MADHOUSE
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: “Blade” has been a comic book, a movie trilogy, and a live-action television series, and now it’s going to be an anime, too. Marvel has been giving some of its popular comic book characters the anime treatment for a while now, and it looks like “Blade” is the next to debut.

Impressions
Chidori3souske The PV was quite interesting I'd give it that but like I said in the previous season I don't like 'East meets West' shows so its another pass for me. I'll just stick with the original trilogy movies.
Hikaru Another vampire-laden series eh? I’m expecting lots of hard-core action and blood.
Sid Although I don’t normally like the MADHOUSE productions because I’m not a fan of their “American to Japanese” thing, I might check this one out. I actually enjoyed the Blade movie quite a bit. Hoping it isn’t dubbed though.

Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 1000%
Release Date: July 02, 2011
Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Episodes:

Summary: Nanami Haruka wants to be a song writer, so she attends an idol training school filled with beautiful bishounen. The school pairs each aspiring songwriter with an aspiring idol, but Haruka finds herself paired with 3 idols! To make things more difficult, Nanami is also not allowed to date any of her beautiful partners!

Impressions
Chidori3souske A shoujo show with lots of bishies *drools* haha! Well might as well check this out since I really love this kinds of shows but I'm hoping it won't be stupid like other shoujo shows that was aired lately (yes Starry Sky I'm looking at you)
Hikaru Bishies, check! Awesome seiyuus, check! Plot and characters… we have yet to see.
Sid Not my cup of tea so I'm going to give this a pass. I don't see it being very good in terms of my tastes. Unless someone tells me otherwise that is.

Natsume Yuujin-Chou San
Release Date: July 04, 2011
Animation Production: Brain’s Base
Episodes:

Summary: Since he was young, a teenage boy named Natsume Takashi has been able to see spirits, but keeping this ability a secret has now become a heavy burden for him and has made his life difficult. This begins to change when Takashi inherits his grandmother's "Book of Friends". He discovers that she, Natsume Reiko, shared the same ability as him and starts to understand why he was always targeted by both good and bad spirits. After learning the true meaning behind the Book of Friends, which allows him to manipulate the spirits listed within its pages, Takashi undertakes a journey with his bodyguard, the infamous spirit Madara, to free the spirits of their contracts with Reiko.

Impressions
Chidori3souske This is another pass for me since I haven't watched the first two seasons.
Hikaru Yes, I will definitely be watching this. Having enjoyed the first two seasons, I’ve been looking forward to more of Nyanko-sensei’s antics with Natsume.
Sid The series doesn't seem all that great. The seeing spirits and keeping it a secret has been overplayed. I'm sure at some point he is also going to find a girl that he likes and try to have her understand what he is going through. I'll give it a go in case it is something better, but not very high expectations.

Yuru Yuri
Release Date: July 04, 2011
Animation Production: Dogakobo
Episodes:

Summary: Four fun-loving schoolgirls take over the former room of a tea ceremony club for their own "Gorakubu" (amusement club).

Impressions
Chidori3souske Errrr...lolis .....again. I guess I'll try at least 1 episode? To tell you guys the truth I'm craving for some yuri shows lately, hopefully this would satiate my cravings haha!
Hikaru Moe is written all over this. While I can still stomach shounen-ai, shoujo-ai is… I’ll pass.
Sid I guess I should at least try it...?

Kamisama Dolls
Release Date: July 05, 2011
Animation Production: Brain’s Base
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Kyouhei, after moving away to Tokyo from his old town to get away from the events that happened, is on a goukon with his friends, including his old neighbor, Shiba. After drinking for a whole night, he and Shiba discover a dead, bloody, body in the elevator. He is told by his younger sister, Utao with her Kamisama Doll, that Aki, an old friend, and his Doll, are the culprits responsible.

Impressions
Chidori3souske This is one of the shows I'm looking forward this season. The plot seems interesting and even the PV hooked me and now there's a lot of questions in my head so yeah, this one is a guaranteed watch for me.
Hikaru Art looks okay and so does the plot. Maybe I’ll try this out.
Sid I kind of liked the trailer for this anime. The animation doesn’t look all that great (given that it is a low quality video PV) but the story seems interesting enough. Controlling a robot with your mind?! That is just awesome. As for the summary the series seems quite dark. It also seems to be rather unique, which is always a good thing. Plus the fist bump in the PV sold me.

Morita-san wa Mukuchi
Release Date: July 05, 2011
Animation Production: Seven
Episodes:

Summary: Based off Sano Tae’s manga, this series follows the everyday life of Mayu Morita, a girl who is exceedingly gentle and thoughtful, to the point that she does not say much of anything to anyone in high school.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Errrrr, looks boring but a little slice of life show doesn't hurt so I'll try a couple of episodes.
Hikaru I’m not really a fan of slice of life so I’ll pass.
Sid Seems kind of boring, or at least sounds boring. I don’t know if I will watch this till the end, but I’ll give it a go. I’m sure that it can’t be all bad. I also don’t have anything against a good slice of life. Probably only going to give it 2-4 episodes and I’ll let you know my decision during the first looks!

Nyanpire the Animation
Release Date: July 06, 2011
Animation Production: GONZO
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: The story is anything but cute. A cat is abandoned and left to starve, only saved from death by a gift of blood from a vampire. This cat lives as a seemingly ordinary house cat.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Passs....kiddie show. Also, GONZO is still alive? O_o
Hikaru I guess this is another series geared toward the younger audiences.
Sid I’m honestly getting a bit tired of cats and cat related things. I’m a bit thankful that it isn’t a cat girl themed anime, but that’s about all the credit I can give it. I’m going to pass thing one because it just doesn’t seem worth the effort.

Usagi Drop
Release Date: July 07, 2011
Animation Production: Production I.G
Episodes:

Summary: When Diakichi returns home from his grandfathers funeral, he finds in his garden a girl named Riin, who turns out to be his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter. When no one else will take her in because of the shame her existence brings to the family, Daikichi defies everyone and decides to raise her, despite his lack of any experience with children.

Impressions
Chidori3souske I'm really looking for shows that could wrench my heart and make me cry so yes I'll check this out.
Hikaru Unless I see some good reviews, this is another slice of life series that I don’t think I’ll have to see.
Sid Ever since I watched Aishiteruze Baby and Kure-nai I’ve become a huge fan of this cliché story. Something about taking care of a poor little kid that has been abandoned by everyone else just gets to me. Who knows maybe I actually have a heart? I’ll probably watch this all the way through unless it absolutely kills me in the first four episodes.

No. 6
Release Date: July 07, 2011
Animation Production: BONES
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Since the age of 2, Shion has been raised as an elite in the exclusive area No. 6. Now on the night of his 12th birthday, his life takes a sudden turn.

Impressions
Chidori3souske As much as I like reading dystopian novels, this anime draws me like a candle draws a moth. Bring on despair and the dark atmosphere and try to top off Urobochi Gen and I'll praise this show. Yes, I definitely watch this one.
Hikaru A socially stratified society and a heart-gripping chase. Maybe this is worth watching.
Sid I’m a fan of science fiction so I want to check this one out. The trailer looked pretty good too. The animation doesn’t seem bad, and the mystery behind it kind of makes it interesting. It seems to have a bit of action as well. The simple and cool title No. 6 is kind of cool too. I’ll keep it on watch till the end.

The IdolM@ster
Release Date: July 07, 2011
Animation Production: A-1 Pictures
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: A new anime based on Namco Bandai's hit game series, The iDOLM@STER.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Hmmm...I'm quite skeptical with video game to anime adaptations but I'm really curious since the video game counter part is quite popular on the internet and I keep on seeing lots of people cosplaying it. I think I'll watch it and see what other people like about this game.
Hikaru A reality show for idols, anime version. This one’s a pass.
Sid Another anime based of a video game. Although it did come out for the Xbox I don’t believe it was ever released in America. I’m probably going to give this only one episode and make my judgment from there. I’ll be honest, my hopes aren’t high, but it could turn out to be a pretty good comedy.

Blood-C
Release Date: July 07, 2011
Animation Production: Production I.G
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: The series continues the story of Saya Otonashi, an anemic living with an adopted family who battles Chiropterans. Not only is she the only on who can defeat them, but they are linked to her past into the mid-19th century.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Woooo! yeah! Another series that I'm looking forward this season. CLAMP+Blood+=Awesomeness. I'm really a fan of the original Blood series and the movie and let's not forget CLAMP so yes...YES! I'll definitely watch this.
Hikaru What will happen to Saya this time? With CLAMP doing the animation art plus the directors in charge of Blood the Last Vampire and Blood+, this can be one of the great series to look forward to this season.
Sid I’m a fan of the Blood series so I’ll probably watch this till the end. Though I’m afraid that I’ve forgotten too much about the past Blood seasons. I’m hoping that doesn’t effect what I think about it. I’ll take it into account for the review if it does don’t worry.

Mayo Chiki!
Release Date: July 07, 2011
Animation Production: Feel
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Subaru is the handsome butler of one of his classmates. Due to an accident in the toilet, Sakamachi finds out “he” actually is a girl disguised as a male butler. And with that his quiet highschool life ends.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Seems interesting since the summary reminds me of Ouran where the girl is seen cross dressing as a guy. Might as well watch this and see if its worth my time.
Hikaru The story is too ordinary and the hints of ecchi made me lose interest in this one.
Sid Butlers are cool I guess, but not sure what I think about butlers that are actually girls. It seems a bit overplayed. The trailer also suggests quite a bit of ecchi involved. I’ll still give it a shot because it might have some good comedy here and there and the ecchi doesn’t look terrible. I just don’t have that great of experience when it comes to maids and butlers *cough* Ladies vs. Butlers *cough*.

R-15
Release Date: July 09, 2011
Animation Production: AIC
Episodes:

Summary: Akutagawa Takuto is a teenage porn novel writer. He enters Hirameki Gakuen, which accepts only geniuses with outstanding talent. He leads his classmates with his porn skills to win the interclass competition.

Impressions
Chidori3souske What in the world? Who thought of this plot?! With that kind of summary and no PV available....sorry its a pass.
Hikaru Pass.
Sid Lol what? I’m sorry but I just can’t get behind this summary at all. I’m passing this one before I even start it.

Dantalian no Shoka
Release Date: July 15, 2011
Animation Production: GAINAX
Episodes:

Summary: The young man Huey took over the old mansion of his deceased bibliomanic grand father as well as the book collection that's stored in there. But there was a condition: he also had to inherit the "Bibliotheca". When he inspects the mansion, Huey discovers a cellar filled with piled up books. In the midst of them he comes across a black-dressed girl who's silently reading a book. She's called Dalian and has a big lock hanging in front of her. She herself is the entrance to the "Bibliotheca of Dantalian" which contains the prohibited "Phantom Books".

Impressions
Chidori3souske Now, now she reminds me of Index with all those books. Seems interesting but I'm hoping it won't be like Index where the characters keep on babbling random jargons I can't understand. I'll give it a try but if it didn't catch my attention then its dropped.
Hikaru The art and setting is similar to Gosick. I’ve started reading the light novel so I’m looking forward to watching this.
Sid The summary sounds rather interesting for this series. The name “Huey” doesn’t sound all that appealing though. I’m hoping that he is a cool main character, just with a funny name. I’m not sure how good this series is going to be since the manga hasn’t progressed past chapter 6 in English. I’ll give the standard episodes since I don’t know much about it.

Ro-Kyu-Bu!
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: Project No.9 & Studio Blanc
Episodes:

Summary: Hasegawa Subaru enters a basketball club of Nanashiba High School, but the activity of the club gets suspended because the club leader falls in love with an 11 year old daughter of the coaching teacher. Subaru's aunt asks him to coach a basketball club of elementary school girls. At first, he is reluctant to teach small girls, but he devotes himself to the club as he knows the complex circumstances of them.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Errrr...sports themed anime. Not appealing to me but I'll check out the first episode.
Hikaru Girls and basketball eh? Let’s just hope this doesn’t turn into a harem of the coach. I’m not a sports fan but I’ll watch a couple of episodes.
Sid I don’t think this anime will be close to entertaining and will be more about awkward feelings for younger girls. Seeing as I’m not a huge fan of falling for little girls I’m going to give this one a pass.

Kami-sama no Memo-chou
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: J.C. Staff
Episodes:

Summary: Fujishima Narumi is a plain high school boy, who has been isolated in the class. His classmate Shinozaki Ayaka invites Narumi to the gardening club and introduces a hikikomori detective Alice to him. Alice hires Narumi as an assistant to solve mysterious cases involving an illegal drug "Angel Fix". But the drug entraps Ayaka into danger.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Ooooh seems interesting and its being animated by J.C. Staff. Despite J.C. Staff's disappointments for 2 consecutive seasons I'll still give them a chance but hopefully this one won't be another disappointment.
Hikaru Also “God’s Memo Pad”. A mystery that compels me to give it a chance, especially since it is animated by J.C. Staff.
Sid When I first saw the pictures for this anime as I looked them up for this preview I instantly thought SHAFT. However, it came to my knowledge that this is actually done by J.C. Staff (whom which I am a fan of as well). I think it’s something about the mix of cute girl holding a Dr. Pepper can while eating a strawberry on a balcony with rich colors in the background that made me think SHAFT. The summary sounds interesting so I’ll give it a go. And knowing J.C. Staff probably watch it till the end of the season.

Mawaru Penguindrum
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: Brain’s Base
Episodes:
Trailer 1, Trailer 2, Trailer 3, Trailer 4

Summary: New project from the director of Revolutionary Girl Utena, Kunihiko Ikuhara. The story will center around the lives of three siblings: Kanba, Shouma, and Himari Takakura, with Himari as the female main character.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Ever since I watched Madoka, series illustrations and even sometimes PV would always seem misleading to me. With a very cute illustration for the series and the dark dialogues in the PV this really caught my attention. I'll definitely check this out.
Hikaru Pass.
Sid I don’t really get much from the summary but the trailers seem really intense. It seems like one of those anime that might get you thinking, and quite dark. Talks about the future and love made me curious. Let’s see how it turns out.

Sacred Seven
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: Sunrise
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: A "new school battle action" project by Sunrise. The tagline is "People's memories change the world!"

Impressions
Chidori3souske What in the world....the machines looks like Knightmare Frames from Code Geass. Come on Sunride are you running out of creative juices? I'll try a couple of episodes maybe it'll be as good as Code Geass, who knows?
Hikaru Some of the scenes in the PV reminded me of Code Geass but the enemy looks pathetic. Probably okay to see the first few episodes for the interesting plot, art and seiyuus.
Sid The series seems really cliché and I probably wont enjoy it. It seems like one of those anime that will be about having “hopes and dreams” and “fighting for what’s right”. The trailer didn’t give me much in terms of actions so I’m not sure how that is going to go. From the little tid-bits I saw though, it doesn’t look that amazing. But alas, I will give it the standard 4 episodes.

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Ni!
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: SILVER LINK
Episodes:

Summary: The second season of the hilarious series Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu!

Impressions
Chidori3souske Hehe...so I'm the only one from the crew who haven't watched the first season. Oh well....Its another pass.
Hikaru I enjoyed the first season as well as the OVA. Those looking for comic school life and our favorite Hideyoshi must not miss this.
Sid I’ve been dieing for this to come out since the first season ended. I found this to be one of the best comedy anime out there. If you haven’t watched the first season what are you waiting for?! Grab a hold of it, burn through it, watch the OVAs, then get ready for the second season. Hopefully it doesn’t pull a Maria Holic…

Ikoku Meiro no Croisee
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: Satelight
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: The story takes place in the second half of the 19th century, as Japanese culture gains popularity in the West. A young Japanese girl, Yune, accompanies a French traveller, Oscar, on his journey back to France, and offers to help at the family's ironwork shop in Paris. Oscar's nephew and shopowner Claude reluctantly accepts to take care of Yune, and we learn how those two, who have so little in common, get to understand each other and live together in the Paris of the 1800s

Impressions
Chidori3souske The only thing that appeals to me is the cute girl in kimono but other than her the show looks mediocre. Maybe I'll try at least one episode if I have the time.
Hikaru I might give this show a try.
Sid I’m not sure what to think about this series since the trailer and summary don’t offer much. From what I can see it will be rather boring. Probably one of those anime you keep on the back burner of your weekly list to watch when there are no new releases. I’ll give it a go but not expecting much.

Itsuka Tenma no Kuro-Usagi
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: ZEXCS
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Taito has been really sleepy lately, and keeps dreaming of a female vampire who says she has given him her "poison." Sometimes he even thinks he hears her voice when he's awake. But after surviving an accident that should have killed him, Taito's world changes drastically and he realizes that his dreams are more real than he thought.

Impressions
Chidori3souske That's one hot vampire and the other girls are just moé ~_~. Seems interesting but I don't trust a ZEXCS production. Gosh, is that May'n voice I hear in the PV? Awesome song, way better than the Hidan no Aria OP and definitely one of the best songs from her in a while. Might as well try a couple of eps.
Hikaru Animation looks good and so does the story. I’ll watch this.
Sid Probably what caught my attention for this anime was the music from the trailer. Other than that though it doesn’t seem like it will be worth watching. But then again… that music was really freaking awesome so it kind of makes me want to watch it. Plus it seems to have a couple good points here and there. We’ll see how it goes, standard four episodes.

Nekogami Yaoyorozu
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: AIC Plus+
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Koyama Yuzu is running an antique shop. Mayu, a cat god (nekogami), is living off Yuzu and leads an idle life playing games. Lots of other gods visit Mayu and enjoy merrymaking.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Seems fine...I'll probably try a couple of eps but I'm not expecting much from this.
Hikaru Looks light and fun… I’ll try and watch a few episodes.
Sid Seems like a pretty typical comedy anime. I will probably check it out. I just don’t see it being anything special.

Manyuu Yikenchou
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: Hoods Entertainment
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: It is currently the Taiheimeji Era. It is a reign ruled by the Tokugawa shogunate. Inside this shogunate, there is a group of warriors that support the government. They are the Manyuu Clan. In this current era, breasts mean everything. If you have breasts, you are guaranteed wealth and popularity. If you lack them, you are rarely considered "human". Members of the Manyuu Clan help raise the future big breasts. Written on a secret scroll possessed by the clan, there is said to be various techniques on how to grow big and beautiful breasts. Chifusa is to be successor of the clan. However, she takes the secret scroll and runs away with it, hoping to fight against the cruel world that the Manyuu Clan has created...

Impressions
Chidori3souske Here ya go...another Sengoku Era anime with an ecchi twist. As much as I love badass girls with swords....seeing the PV with the girl's huge oppais jingling around just turned me off since its like I'm watching a hentai anime. Jeeez its a pass.
Hikaru I somehow regret seeing the trailer. Those who are not comfortable with fanservice must keep away from this title.
Sid It is clear to see that this anime is going to be crazy ecchi. Plus I checked out the manga a while back and I don’t think this is for me. While I do love a girl with swords as much as the next person, the periodic frontal nudity will kill it for it for me. Just read the summary too, come on. Sorry but I’m not going to bother even checking this one out.

Nurarihyon no Mago Sennen Makyou
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: Studio DEEN
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Second season of Nurarihyon no Mago.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Pass, I didn't watch the first season.
Hikaru I totally loved the story of the manga but the first season’s anime counterpart was a disappointment when it comes to the script and the slow pacing of the plot. Hopefully, the shortcomings of the first season have been cured in this one.
Sid I watched the first season and quite liked it. I know that the manga is still ongoing and I was debating whether to skip ahead and just read through the chapters. I’m glad I gave it some time for the second season to be released. Hopefully this season’s stories are even better than the first! Watching this one till the end.

Kaitou Tenshi Twin Angel
Release Date: July 2011
Animation Production: J.C. Staff
Episodes:
Trailer 1

Summary: Haruka Minazuki and Aoi Kannazuki are freshman high school students and best friends. During the day they help with school activities but at night they thwart enemies like Black Auction and other villains as Red Angel and Blue Angel, the Twin Angel team.

Impressions
Chidori3souske Good grief the song in the PV sounds like this is directed to younger audience. The mahou shoujo costumes doesn't appeal to me nor the summary and the rest of the PV. I'll pass again.
Hikaru After seeing Puella Magi, the Mahou Shoujo genre will never be the same. For now, I won’t be watching this.
Sid There were two OVA that were released about three years that I'm probably going to check out first before making my decision on whether or not to watch this series. The summary doesn't sound all that great, pretty standard. I see myself liking this series only if the characters are likable.