2008 Anime Preview

Spice and Wolf (Ookami to Koushinryou)
EPISODES: 12
GENRE: fantasy, historical, drama, supernatural, romance
ANN, OFFICIAL, TRAILER
SUMMARY:

Lawrence Craft is a traveling merchant peddling goods from town to town. In Pasroe village, he experiences a life-changing event when he meets Holo, the wolf deity to whom the Pasroe townsfolk pray to for a good harvest. However, as human civilization becomes more and more advanced, Holo's desire to leave Pasroe and go back to her home in the North increases. She makes a bargain with Lawrence to take her back to her home and takes no for an answer.

COMMENTS: This anime is described as a fantasy novel without swords, so I guess it means it's slow-paced. The first episode looked promising. The characters look really good (Lawrence looks to me like the main character from Mushishi and the mostly naked Holo looks a bit like Lucy from Elfen Lied). I think perhaps this anime will have some religious undertones, considering that Holo is a pagan deity in a Middle Ages-like setting (a time when the Church was extremely powerful). It should be interesting how they play that out. In the meantime, I can sense the coming tension between Holo, Lawrence and Chloe.

Kara no Kyoukai (movie)
PARTS: 3
GENRE: fantasy, action, supernatural
ANN, OFFICIAL, TRAILER
SUMMARY:

To make their children exceptional, the Ryougi family has a tradition of training them to have split personalities. That way, a person can become a master of two things by switching personalities.

As a member of that family, Ryougi Shiki likewise possesses two personalities - a feminine side and a masculine side. But after falling into a coma due to a car accident and waking up only two years later, she finds that she has gained the "Eyes of Death Perception" ability but lost the other half of herself in return.

COMMENTS: The only reason I'm interested in this is that it's been awhile since I last saw a samurai anime and this only has three parts so it's not that big a commitment.

Gunslinger Girl IL Teatrino
EPISODES: 13
GENRE: girls-with-guns, action, drama, sci fi, adventure
ANN, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY:

From ANN: "When the Social Welfare Agency investigates the disappearance of an operative, their inquiry leads them right into the lair of their rival, the Five Republics. The assassin Triela infiltrates the hostile organization, but her search is cut short when she finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun..."

COMMENTS: I've planned on watching the first season but haven't gotten around to it. Now, it looks like I might be watching the second season and then just go back to the first season if the story gets too confusing. Yay for girls with guns!

Minami-ke 2 ~Okawari~
EPISODES: 13
GENRE: slice of life, humor, comedy
ANN, OFFICIAL (TV Tokyo), OFFICIAL (Starchild), TV SPOT
SUMMARY:

This anime follows the days in the life of the three Minami sisters. Elder sister Haruka is the responsible one; she takes care of the younger ones and is a good cook. Kanna is the eccentric middle sister who is prone to cause trouble and come up with very weird ideas and drags all her other sisters into it. Chiaki is the youngest, the bossy one; she hates Kanna but adores Haruka.

COMMENTS: I never thought I'd get into this anime. I haven't actually seen a lot of anime in the slice of life genre. This would be a first. The first season was really fun and hilarious, and I'm expecting the same thing from season 2.

Persona - Trinity Soul -
EPISODES: Unknown
GENRE: fantasy, sci fi, dark, action, shounen, supernatural
ANN, OFFICIAL, TRAILER
SUMMARY:

Set in the future-oriented city of Ayanagi, facing the Sea of Japan, a series of mysterious deaths and unexplainable occurrences, like bodies being turned inside out and a group of researchers who disappeared while inside a submarine, has Chief of Police Kazato Ryou chasing after clues to discover the cause or the culprit behind it all.

Meanwhile, two boys, Shin and Jun, return home after a lapse of ten years to reunite with their brother Ryou, only to be embroiled in the mysteries that surround the city. Now the fate of the brothers begin to change...

COMMENTS: This anime has been described as a potential Darker Than Black successor. Uh, I haven't watched that series and that's why I'm interested in this. I've seen the first episode and it looked pretty good. Nice animation and action scenes. The ghostly apparitions are reminiscent of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

Porphy no Nagai Tabi
EPISODES: 52
GENRE: historical, adventure, adaptation
ANN, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY:

From ANN: "Based on the French novel, Les Orphelins de Simitra (The Orphans of Simitra) by Paul-Jacques Bonzon. The story is of a Greek boy, Porphyras and his sister Mina, who have been orphaned after a devastating earthquake killed their parents. Rather than staying in a foster home, they decide to travel across all of Europe, and thus their adventures begin."

COMMENTS: No fansubbing group has picked this up. I can understand why: it's 52 episodes. Even if it were fansubbed, I prolly won't watch it anyway. Still, the art style looks really neat, don't you agree? I find that I like flat art against detailed backgrounds. Ghost Hound is one example.

Tokyo Marble Chocolate (OAV)
EPISODES: 2
GENRE: romance, shojou
ANN, OFFICIAL, TRAILER
SUMMARY:

A shojou from Production I.G., Tokyo Marble Chocolate is about the romantic relationship between an awkward boy, Yudai, and the energetic and cheerful, Chizuru. On their first Christmas spent together, Chizuru disappears.

This is a simple but poignant love story told from two different perspectives.

COMMENTS: I love the art style! And I like the simplicity of the storyline as it reminds me a bit of 5 Centimeters Per Second. But I'm thinking that since this is shojou, it's probably less melancholic.