Zettai Karen Children
Based on the manga by Ghost Sweeper Mikami creator Takashi Shiina, this looks like it’s the replacement series for Hayate The Combat Butler, as it shares staff. It is about a military lieutenant forced to babysit three 10-year old psychic girls. Given it’s an anime made in 2008, that scenario is laden with the potential for creepiness, but I liked GS Mikami so Shiina’s getting the benefit of the doubt. The anime character designs have something of a nineties throwback look to them though not quite as clean as Shiina’s own line work.
God… “Nineties throwback”.
It’s worrying that I can use that phrase and have it mean something. With Slayers coming back I’ve a horrible feeling that angular early nineties anime look is going to become anime’s next “retro” look.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
More Code Geass. I’ve not actually seen any of the first series as TTGL was filling my mecha quota at the time. I get the impression from fan reaction that it’s more of a writers’ show, with more emphasis placed on the plot and script than the animation, whereas TTGL was very much an animators’ show (the greatness of TTGL’s writing is that it understands what works in animation). I described the last TTGL arc to my brother the other day and he said – “that sounds like the mecha show Tex Avery would make” – which is about right and A VERY GOOD THING. TTGL fans tend to rave about the animation and the emotion of the show, rather than the story. Code Geass fans come across as sci-fi fans first, animation fans second.
Or ravenous CLAMP fans that must consume anything those ladies come into contact with.
Nabari no O
HIGH SCHOOL NINJAS! It’s directed by Speed Grapher’s Kunihisa Sugishima. Hopefully free from GONZO and only having to do 13 eps means they might actually fulfill their promise. JC Staff can manage 13 ep series quite competently, so this might be fun. Same writer (Michiko Yokote) as xxxHolic though. To be fair she has done a lot that I like – Airmaster, Cowboy Bebop, Genshiken, Patlabor – as well as a lot I don’t, so this could be perfectly fine.
Special A
Some sort of romantic comedy based on the manga by Maki Minami. The anime character designs look soulless and devoid of charm. And Gonzo are involved.