Fall 2010 mini-preview

Another summer anime season has come and passed. Obviously, next up is Fall 2010. Before I get to the juicy part, though, I'd like to say one thing: I had moderately high expectations for Summer 2010. And the season promptly fell flat on its face and skidded a couple feet. Because of that, I'm not holding my breath for the fall season.

Now that my 2 bits about summer is in, time for the good part: the previews! There's too much to put in a mini-preview, but I'll get quite a bit in here. What caught my eye, looking at the lineup is Ironman. Yes, an anime of a Western comic book. Perhaps payback for the atrocity that is Dragonball: Evolution (which I saw on clearance for $1.19)? Either way, I might watch this just to see how Japan handles the Ironman name.


New seasons of current anime include: A Certain Magical Index 2, Arakawa Under the Bridge 2, and, yes, yet another season of Pokemon. Project Haruhi writer Jon gave me a taste of Index a while back. I may go watch the first season before I check this one out. Index revolves around the story of Kamijou Touma, an ordinary, Kyon-esque guy who gets drawn into the supernatural. That sounds awfully familiar...


Arakawa Under the Bridge tells the story of rich-boy Kou Ichinomiya, who swore never to be indebted to anyone. One day, Kou makes a strange promise: In exchange for having his life saved, he must date the girl that saved him, who just happens to be homeless. Again, I'd have to watch the first season to give a fair opinion.


Okay, now the long-runner: yes, the new season of Pokemon! (How many season are we at now?) Based around the brand-new games, Ash travels the land depicted in the new games. What adventures are in store for Ash? You'll have to tell me, because I have no plans of watching this one.



Planned OVAs and specials for this season will give us Queen's Blade, more ToHeart2, A Certain Scientific Railgun, and a few others. Notably absent is the Negima OVAs, which I expected after 1 in Spring and Summer.

I few other things that I noticed: Kyoto Animation does not appear to be animating any series this season, while SHAFT has a notable presence, animating at least 2 series. Also, there are a few moe series this season, though not quite as many as the past few seasons. Could moe be on the decline?

Overall, the fall season doesn't quite reel me in. The only really big name is Pokemon, which I feel has run its course. There are several new shows, with only a few returning from last season. And lastly, the OVAs seem rather light, with 12 planned for the season.

As always, I welcome comments. Expect a new poll soon!