So, new season of anime. For those who don't know all of what's out this season, here's something that might help:
http://thenullset.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/spring2009v2.jpgSo, what's on everyone's plate to watch this season? I've only got a couple series I'm enthusiastic about watching:
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood: I really enjoyed the first time around, and this one promises to stick to the manga. I've heard good things about the FMA Manga, but haven't read it, so I'm eagerly watching this one weekly. Plus, Funimation is going to be putting the subtitled episodes up on their website for free a few days after they air in Japan, which is something I'm really interested in. It not only pretty much eliminates the ethical problems that fansubs present, but serves as an interesting direction for the industry. I know that a few other examples of this have happened, but this is the first series that has tempted me with it. Well, first if another certain series hadn't aired first...
Hayate no Gotoku! Season 2: I enjoyed the first season of Hayate, and the second series seems to promise a continuation of the insanity, so I'll be watching. Plus, Crunchyroll has the license to put the subs for this series out very quickly after the episode airs in Japan. Again, since this is an official release, it doesn't present the same sort of problems Fansubs tend to. The subs they had, though, weren't really the best. I won't let that deter me, though.
Guin Saga: I don't know much about this series, but another anime forum I go on posted some discussion about it, which made it seem interesting enough to check out at least for a couple episodes. Plus, I haven't had a good "fantasy" series in a while, so it'll be a nice change. There was also a trailer put out in English a little while ago, which means that this series may be released online, similar to the two previous entries, but dubbed. If that happens, I'll be watching the dub (assuming, of course, it's listenable), because as interesting as official subbed versions a few days afterwords is, an official dub within a week of the Japanese airing is even moreso. That's the sort of innovation I want to support.
K-On!: This one's on a trial basis at the moment. Kyoto Animation's last series,
Clannad and
Clannad ~After Story~, was the best series I've seen in quite a while. Great characters, lots of growth, really enjoyable comedy for a not-comedy series, and awe-inspiring animation. K-On doesn't seem to follow most of these trends, but at very least, I'll still give it a shot. The animation quality's good (as always), even if the character designs aren't. It'll get a few episodes to prove itself, but the first episode wasn't really enthralling. Wish they'd gone for the next season of Haruhi instead.
Valkyria Chronicles: Normally, I'd be wary of video-game adaptations, but VC is one of the games making me want to buy a PS3 sometime in the near future. It seems like an interesting story from the little I know, and the art style (particularly in the game, but also the anime to some extent) is very interesting. I've got the first episode, but haven't watched it yet.
That's about it for me. What about all of you who still regularly watch anime?
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