New Anime: Summer 2010 Season Preview Guide

 
Hello Anime Vice readers, the summer anime season is here upon us, so let's take some time out of our busy lives to learn about the new shows we are all going to be addicted to. Now traditionally the summer season along with the winter season are the less popular of the four seasons, but we might have some winners this time around. Check out all the shows that will be released, and tell us which ones you will be willing to watch. 
                 

   

Amagami SS 

Title: Amagami SS 
Genre: Romance
Based On: The Playstation 2 Game "Amagami - Precious Diary"
Studio: AIC
Director: Yoshimasa Hiraike
Airs: July 1st
URL: http://www.amagami-ouen.com/
  
Story: 
Everybody is lonely during the holiday season, especially our main character, a second-year high school student. After a bad experience during past Christmas season, he decided that he must act now to ask out a graduation senior girl. However, like most games of this genera, there are multiple girls that can take the hero's heart away.  
   
Notable: 

• The story will constantly switch between the main heroiens, with each getting their own version of the story, and with each getting their own ending song.
• The main heroine Haruka Morishima will be played by Shizuka Itou, you might remember her as Boota from Gurren Lagann! 
• A romance anime, how romantic! 

   
                 

Asobi Ni Iku Yo! 

Title: Asobi Ni Iku Yo!  Genre: Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction
Studio:  AICPLUS+
Director: Yooichi Ueda
Airs: July 10
URL: http://www.asoiku.com/
 
Story:  
Memorial services are always a awkward, but what can make it even more awkward is if a cute catgirl crashes the party. The catgirl herself is not awkward, just the fact that she claims to be an alien from space that is. Poor Kio Kakazu now has to live with her, and only fan service and comedy can be the result; but can an alien catgirl and a human really fall in love? You will have to watch it to find out! (Short answer: with enough alcohol anything is possible.) 
 
Notable: 

• Super hot catgirl/alien/monster/esper/pirate living with shy young boy in an anime? Talk about original!
• Kanae Ito, who plays this mysterious catgirl is a relatively new voice actor, but you might remember her as Saten from Railgun.
• Dat ass! 

    
                 

Digimon Xros Wars 

Title: Digimon Xros Wars (pronounced "Cross Wars")
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Based On: Digimon
Studio: Toei Animation
Director: Tetsuya Endo
Airs: July 6th
URL: http://www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/digimon_xw/
  

Story: 

Digimon is back, and this time with brand new characters and brand new Digimon. Our newest Digimon master is named Taiki Kudo who meets a Digimon named Shoutmon who takes Kudo and his friends into the Digital World. Here they form an amazing team to battle against other Digimon teams in hopes of bringing down an evil empire. 
 
Notable: 

• Unlike the previous series, this will be the first to air on a network outside Fuji TV and air on a Tuesday as opposed to Sunday.
• This time Digimon have the ability to combine together to form one awesome Digimon, giving this show a Super Robot feel. 
• You might have recognized the main character's voice from the trailer. Yes, that's Minami Takakyama's Conan Edogawa.

  


Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy
Based On: An RPG by Sega
Studio: ZEXCS
Director: Itsuro Kawasaki 
Airs:  July 1st    
URL: http://www.denyuden.jp 

Story:
Our hero is Raina Lute, a slothful student at the Royal Magician's Academy of the Roland Empire. But when the Roland Empire wages war on a neighboring country, all of Lute's classmates die, leaving only him to obey the Emperor's command to find the relics of a Legendary Hero.

Notable:

• Director Itsurou Kawasaki has made quite a name for himself as a writer, producer, and director. He also directed the first season of Sengoku Basara, Arc the Lad, and quite a few others.
• Jun "Lelouch" Fukuyama will be voicing Reina, of course, and joining him as swordswoman Ferris Eris will be Ayahi Takagaki, best known as Gundam 00's Feldt Grace and Hanamaru Kindergarten's Hiiragi.

               

High School of the Dead

Title: High School of the Dead Genre: Horror, Action, Ecchi, Zombies 
Based On: High School of the Dead manga
Studio: Madhouse Studios
Director: Tetsuro Araki
Airs: July 5
URL: http://www.geneonuniversal.jp/rondorobe/anime/hotd/
 
Story: What do I really need to say here? It's about zombies, and Japanese High Schools, that's pretty much it! Ok, well maybe a little more. After a deadly outbreak from a disease that transforms normal people into zombies, a group of students band together to figure out what started this mess, and what they can do to survive.  
  
Notable: 

• Blood, breasts, and Zombie killing, you can't get better than that.
• Main character Takashi Komuro will be played by Junichi Suwabe, who also played such notable roles as Archer, and Greed. 

     

Kuroshitsuji II 

Title: Kuroshitsuji II
Genre: Action, Comedy, Supernatural, Fantasy, and a little bit of Boys Love for the ladies
Based On: Kuroshitsuji 
Studio: A-1 Pictures Inc., Square Enix
Director: Hirofumi Ogura
Airs: July 1st
URL: http://www.kuroshitsuji.tv/index2.html
 
Story:  
The world of amazing butlers and their tiny yet cute masters is back, but this time with all new main characters. It is unknown at this time whether or not the original main characters will play a role in this story, but I assume that they will at least poke their heads in here at least once. 
 
Notable: 

• The new master Alois Trancy  is a tad bid more cowedly than Ciel. However, if anime taught me anything, its that cowedly characters can grow up to be the most bad ass people we ever get to lay our eyes on.
• His butler Claud Faustus is almost certainly a reference to the famous German legend of Faust or Faustus, about a man who sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge.
• This new butler will be played by Takahiro Sakurai, who also voiced many great characters like Code Geass's Suzaku Kururugi.

              

Mitsudomoe

 Title:  Mitsudomoe Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life 
Bassed on: Mitsudomoe manga
Studio: Bridge
Director: Masahiko Ohta
Airs: July 2nd
URL: http://www.mitsudomoe-anime.com/ 
 
Story: 
The word story and slice of life should never be in the same sentence, so as you can guess Mitsudomoe isn't heavy in this department. Basically it is about the lives of three little triplets who are in sixth grade. Other than that the trailer does seem to have a bit of a Kodomo no Jikan vibe to it, where one of the triplets seems to get pleasure from stepping on her teacher's Acorn Andy.   
  
Notable:   

• Winner of this season's "Cute not Pedo" award. 
• Opening song not sung by Ali Project, that's always a step in the right direction. 
• This is actually based from the Mitsudomoe manga by Norio Sakurai, so read it now if you can't wait.

 
             

Nurarihyon no Mago 

Title: Nurarihyon no Mago 
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Shonen, Supernatural
Based On: Nurarihyon no Mago manga
Studio: Studio DEEN
Director: Junji Nishimura
Airs: July 5
URL: http://www.nuramago.jp/ 
 
Story: 
Rukuo is just your average teenaged boy, except that he has 3/4 demon blood in him. Why is that? Because his grandfather is the head of the Nura Youkai clan, a clan of demons. Rukuo is next in line to become clan head, but unfortunately he hates his demon side, and many demons would hate hating a human be their leader as well.  
 
Notable: 

• Junji Nishimura, the director of this anime, also directed the old school Ranma ½ television series.
• ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWER, Taku Iwasaki Gurren Lagann's composer will also be creating the music for this anime.
• If this wasn't bad ass enough, Rukuo will be played by Lelouch, aka. Jun Fukuyama, himself! 

  

  

Occult Academy

Title: Occult Academy Genre: Action, Comedy, Horror, Supernatural 
Studio: Aniplex
Director: Tomohiko Ito
Airs: July 5
URL: http://www.occult-gakuin.jp/ 
 
Plot: 
Another anime that will attempt to take control of some of those blood thirsty Harry Potter fans who are now hungry for anything similar. The story is about a time traveler named Uchida and his run in with the daughter of the former headmaster of an academy focused on the occult, named Occult Academy.  
 
Notable: 

• Occult Academy has a relatively new director, who previously had active roles helping the Death Note anime, and the Monster anime. 
• Shokotan, the famous cat-eating blogger will be singing the OP. She also sung Gurren Lagann's OP as well.

  
  

Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi  

Title: Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi 
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Studio: J.C. Staff
Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Airs: July 1st
URL: http://www.otogi-bank.com/
 
Story: 
Ookami Ryoko is a member of a special high school "fixer" club, where she fixes her high school's problems. (kind of sounds like a janitor club to me.) Anyway, this anime is basically Shrek the anime, featuring characters parodying different popular fairy tails. 
 
Notable:  

• This might remind you of Hayate the Combat Butler since this is directed by the same person!
• Little Red Riding Hood as an anime character? Sign me up!

  
            

Seitokai Yakuindomo

Title: Seitokai Yakuindomo   
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Based On: Seitokai Yakuindomo manga
Studio: GoHands
Director: Hiromitsu Kanazawa
Airs: July 3rd
URL: http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/seitokai/
 
Story: 
Basically this is a story about high school that just started to accept male students. One particular male student is asked to be the vice president, the only male student council member. And as you can see from this trailer, the three other council members are crazy and probably want him in some way, especially the short one. 
 
Notable: 

• It looks like Nagi from Hayate will be making an appearance in this anime.
• Most of the staff who are working on this anime appear to be relatively new to the business, expect interesting results. 
• Piccolo will sadly not be making an appearance in this anime.

             
  
    

Sengoku Basara Two

Title:  Sengoku Basara Two (Ni) 
Genre: Action, Samurai, Epic
Based On: Sequel to the first season, based on the game franchise. 
Studio: Production I.G
Director: Kazuya Nomura
Airs: July 11
URL: http://www.sengokubasara.tv/index2.html
      

Story: 

The story of this anime will continue from the first season of Sengoku Basara. Basically this is an over-the-top remake of Japanese history, ie Dragon Ball Z meets the history books. Also with a new season comes a new game, which will be released in America as well.  

Notable:  

• Are you ready guys?
• Put ya guns on!
• This time T.M. Revolution will be singing the opening song, which is always a good thing.

      

Shukufuku no Campanella

Title: Shukufuku no Campanella
Genre: Ecchi, Fantasy 
Based on: An adult game
Studio: AIC
Director: Shinji Ushiro
Airs: July 2
URL: http://www.mmv.co.jp/special/campanella/ 
 
Story: 
One day an item engineer Leicester Maycraft was out chilling with his friends on a roof top waching a meteor storm, when one hits the building they are standing on. Leicester rushes inside to find a girl, who instantly proclaims that Leicester is her father. What will happen in poor Leicester's future, other than boobs and swords? 
 
Notable: 

• This show doesn't look good at all. 
• But if you buy the Blu-Ray it will come with special bath scenes in 3D, for people who have 3D televisions (all 2 of you).

 

  
Title: Shiki - Corpse Demon
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Based On: A novel series by Fuyumi Ono (Twelve Kingdoms, Ghost Hunt)
Studio: Doumu
URL: http://www.okiagari.net

Story:

Natsuno Yuuki is forced to move from his pleasant city to a quiet, presumably boring village called Sotoba. Shortly thereafter, the Kirishiki family moves into a abandoned old mansion and shortly thereafter begin the mysterious deaths. The story revolves around Toshio and Natsuno as they deal with the deaths that surround them.

Notable:

• First and foremost, this will be Gackt's first regular role in an anime series, as he plays a member of the strange Kirishiki family.
• The man in charge is Tetsurou Amino, best known for directing Macross 7, the SD Gundam OVAs, and the recent Lupin III: The Last Job special.
• Yasuharu Takanashi will be composing music-- he's worked on titles like Naruto, Fairy Tail, and Gantz, so you should expect a pretty solid BGM. 

  
    

Strike Witches 2

Title: Strike Witches 2
Genere: Action, Science Fiction, No Pants, Moe
Based On: The first season of Strike Witches
Studio: AIC
Director: Kazuhiro Takamura
Airs: July 7
URL: http://s-witch.cute.or.jp/ 
 

Story: 

Strike Witches 2 continues where the first left off. Strike Witches in a nutshell is basically a retelling of WW2, where instead of everyone fighting each other, they became friends. They did this because aliens attacked the earth, and the only way to defeat them is to send girls without pants to fight them with their fighter plane legs.  Yes, it doesn't really make sense, but that's why we love Strike Witches. 
 

Notable: 

• Pants are still missing, expect epic panty shots.
• A majority of the cast from the previous season will be used here as well. Why fix what's not broken?