(Credit: Expy)
Another anime season, another thread of nostalgia bitches crying about how anime was much better in the past. Pictures are in the order in which the shows are listed below, by the way.
September
Hetalia Season 4 (Studio DEEN)
More ambiguously gay Second World War cartoons.
Battle Spirits: Battle (Sunrise)
Sequel to the spin-off of the original badly disguised Bandai TCG TV advertisement .
October
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (Gainax) (Certified 7Th's choice!)
Gainax new "serious" project, directed by our bro Hiroyuki Imaishi. Crazy "angels" Panty and Stocking fight hellish creatures while fucking men and eating pastry. "Dead Leaves gone cute and catchy." Yoh Yoshinari animation everywhere. Show of the year right here, yo. Trailer.
Star Driver (Bones) (Certified 7Th's choice!)
Bones' new mecha show, by Doremi's Takuya Igarashi and Utena's Yoji Enokido. The self-declared "hottest guy in the galaxy" has to protect his waifu from an evil dominatrix and her army of slaves. Don't let the original character design by the Takeshi Obata copy-pasta twins, supposedly an alias for Obata himself, discourage you, the rest of the staff is solid enough to give warranty of its quality. Trailer.
Kuragehime (Brain Base) (Certified 7Th's choice!)
Noitamina show directed by Takahiro Omori and produced by Brain Base. The story follows the life of a bunch of real ugly nerd girls living with a real beautiful fashionable cross-dressing man. Based on the manga of the same name.
The World God Only Knows (Manglobe)
Manglobe manga adaptation. Girl-hating, bishoujo-game-expert nerd must capture runaway spirits hiding in girls by making said girls fall in love with him. Character design by Akio Watanabe of Bakemonogatari's fame.
Bakuman (JC Staff)
JC Staff does the Jump of the same name. Two kids try to be the best shounen mangaka of all time. Directed by Aoi Hana's Kenichi Kasai.
Milky Holmes (JC Staff)
JC Staff does mystery with cute girls doing the solving. Why can't Seiya Numata work on something good for once?
Otome Youkai Zakuro (JC Staff)
Manga adaptation by JC Staff. Supernatural alternate-history story that deals with the relationship between fox-eared female youkai and handsome government officials. It may have character designs by the artist of the Utena TV show, but it is sadly still directed by Chiaki Kon. Trailer.
A Certain Magical Index S2 (JC Staff)
Yet another JC Staff show. TOUMA TOUMA TOUMA TOUMA TOUMA TOUMA
My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute (AIC)
Based on the light novel of the same name. Brother and sister reconcile their differences when the brother discovers that the sister has a strong "little sister" fetish. Its main appeal is the cute character art by animator Hiroyuki Oda, who also happens to be the illustrator of the light novel release; I think this is the first time the original artist does the designs for the adaptation. Anyway, this show is the perfect litmus test to see how much you've been corrupted by them Japanese cartoons: if you watch it and think it is cuter than it is creepy, you're beyond salvation. Trailer.
Letter Bee REVERSE (Studio Pierrot)
Sequel to the original Jump Square adaptation.
Nougyou Musume! (Toei Animation)
SD-styled pseudo-moe anime about farmer girls.
Samurai Girls (ARMS)
Queen's Blade Asian-styled spiritual successor, now with more male self-insert protagonists.
Sora no Otoshimono Forte (AIC ASTA)
Sequel to the original bishoujo manga adaptation.
Togainu no Chi (A1 Pictures)
Yaoi/Guro VN adaptation by A1 Pictures. Trailer.
Motto To-Love-Ru (XEBEC)
Them sequels, man. Them sequels.
MM! (XEBEC)
Light novel adaptation about a masochist high-school student and the girl that abuses him.
Karl and the Mysterious Tower (Nippon Animation)
Nippon Animation show for kiddies; decent design work, as expected.
Rita et Machin (Nippon Animation)
Another Nippon Animation show for kiddies; won't get subbed, ever. Wonderful art design, though.
Super Robot Taisen OG The Inspector (Asahi Production)
Obari-directed adaptation of the second Super Robot Taisen OG game. Will supposedly feature "loads of quality hand-drawn mecha animation". Trailer.
Yosuga no Sora (.feel)
Yet another porn videogame gets a porn-less anime adaptation.
Fortune Aerial (Feel, ZEXCS)
Yet another porn videogame gets a porn-less anime adaptation.
Shinryaku! Ika Musume (Diomeda)
Comedy manga adaptation by Hare+Guu's director; follows the story of a moe squid-girl trying to get back at humans for polluting the seas.
Shinra Tantei Yakumo (Bee Train)
Adaptation of the popular light novel series of the same name. A young man uses his special ability to talk to ghosts to solve murder mysteries.
Hakuouki 2 (DEEN)
SEQUELS SEQUELS SEQUELS, OH GOD I'M DROWNING IN THEM.
Starry Sky (DEEN)
Otome game adaptation; the 12 constellations of the Zodiac are anthropomorphized as handsome young men that fall in love with the plain self-insert female protagonist.
Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru (Shaft)
Manga adaptation. Super-quirky whimsical maid comedy that supposedly isn't that bad. Except, it is by Shaft, so it will probably be not good at all.
Iron Man (Madhouse)
Ugly CGI bullshit. ABORT, ABORT. Trailer.
Pocket Monsters Best Wishes! (OL&M)
New Pokemon series based on the new Black & White games. Ash will never be a Pokémon master, deal with it.
Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge (Shaft)
Yet another sequel. I wasn't aware the original was popular enough for a sequel, I always thought Arakawa was destined to be forever in Saint Young Men's shadow.
