More new series! More half formed opinions!
If there’s no picture, it means there’s no art from the anime out yet.
Shikabane Hime – Aka
WHAT IS IT? A Manga Adaptation!
GAINAX adapt Yoshiichi Akahito’s zombie manga.
After an extremely creative 2007, frankly this feels like GAINAX slumming it. Director Masahiko Murata isn’t the greatest creative force in the world, and screenwriter Shou Aikawa tends to have good ideas, but not necessarily the most solid execution. I’d rather see both on original material than an adaptation. Tellingly, there’s a follow up due later in the year by a different studio, making this feel much more like GAINAX in a work for hire mode, than the inventive studio they have the reputation for being.
Hakushaku to Yousei
WHAT IS IT? A Novel Adaptation!
Artland adapt Mizue Tani’s historical fantasy stories of a fairy-laden England.
Another series where the production staff is a bit of a mystery. Director Koichiro Sohtome hasn’t done all that much of note and animation director Maki Fujii has tended to work on bouncy otaku comedies rather than this sort of material. However, Artland have a history of matching their production to the material, so I’m expecting this to at least be a solid production.
One Outs
WHAT IS IT? A Manga Adaptation!
Yuzo Sato and Madhouse continue their seinen anime cottage industry.
In the past few years Yuzo Sato and Madhouse have created splendid adaptations of Noboyuki Fukumoto’s Akagi and Kaiji. His team are now creating an adaptation of Business Jump’s baseball manga One Outs by Shinobu Kaitani. In an anime landscape where most seinen manga adaptations tend to be from the moe end of the spectrum, Sato and his team have really stood out. This should be good.
Mouryou no Hako
WHAT IS IT? A Novel Adaptation!
Natsuhiko Kyogoku’s supernatural mystery novel gets an anime – and CLAMP character designs!
Ryosuke Nakamura steps up to direct and entire series, but more importantly Sadayuki Murai is in charge of scripts. Murai adapted Kyogoku’s “Requiem from the Darkness”, which is one of the great, overlooked series of the last decade. Not so sure about the rest of the staff, but it’s Madhouse, so right now that makes it worth checking out. No studio is turning out such a wide range of material, at such a high quality.
Kurozuka
WHAT IS IT? A Manga Adaptation!
Baku Yumemakura’s manga about an immortal swordsman from the 12th century gets the big budget anime treatment.
Tetsuro Araki directed with the Death Note anime. He did about as good a job as you could with that series, so I’m interested in seeing him on a show that might allow a bit more movement. This has Sony money behind it and Madhouse producing, so I’m expecting high production values.