List of Summer Season 2011 TV Anime in Japan
by Gia Manry,With 25 new anime series set to start in less than two weeks, ANN has put together all the most important information about each show, including directors, actors, studios, and— most importantly —plots, so that you can decide which shows you're interested in watching once the analysis of the season, including some pointers on new directors and particularly prolific themes and voice actors you'll be seeing throughout the summer. As always, watch for ANN's season preview guide, which will launch as new episodes come available in July.
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Title: SILVER LINK. Genre: Comedy Website: http://www.bakatest.com |
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| Summary: In the first season of this goofy high school comedy, we met the of class F— the lowest-rated class in their high school —who were trying to fight their way to the top rank, which would afford their class a better room and other resources. Literally; the twist that sets Baka and Test apart from other high school comedies (kinda) is that the school in which it's set features, for undisclosed reasons, a videogame-esque challenging system to allow an underdog class to compete with the spoiiled intelligencia. |
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Title: Animax, Friday July 1 at 10:00 a.m. JST Studio: Madhouse Genre: Action Website: animax.co.jp/marvelanime/blade |
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| Summary: The final— as far as we know —anime in a series of four collaborations between the U.S. comics studio Marvel and Japanese anime Studio Madhouse follows Blade, a half-vampire born from a woman who was pregnant when she was attacked by an undead. This particular iteration puts Blade, also known as the Daywalker, in Japan (of course), where he's tracking down the vampire who killed his mother: Deacon Frost. But Frost hasn't been sitting idle in a hot spring, either; he's been setting up his own vampire organization: Existence. |
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Title: Production I.G Genre: Fantasy Website: www.blood-c.jp/ |
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| Summary: The latest in Production I.G's variations-on-a-theme Blood+ What is known is that series regular Junichi Fujisaku is teaming up with famed manga creation team CLAMP to create the story and character designs of Blood-C, which means, at risk of sounding cliché, that anything could happen. Especially since I.G also has a Blood-C movie coming out in 2012. |
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Title: Gainax Genre: Fantasy Website: dantalian.tv |
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| Summary: Based on a light novel series by Gakuto Mikumo, Dantalian's hero Huey inherits his grandfather's estate. While exploring the old man's decrepit mansion, he finds a young woman named Dalian who turns out to be the key— or perhaps the gateway —to a world of supernatural trouble. |
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Title: Ikoku Meiro no Croisée Starts: Chiba TV, Monday July 4 at 12:30 a.m. JST Studio: Satellite Genre: Slice-of-Life Website: ikokumeiro.com |
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| Summary: In the late 19th century, — now home to the enormous Japan Exp —began a love affair with Japanese culture. Croisee (also titled Gosick, created the manga that this anime series adapts. |
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Title: ZEXCS Genre: Fantasy Website: www.itsu-ten.jp |
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| Summary: Positing itself as a "reverse school fantasy," Itsu-Ten revolves around Taito Kurogane, a young man who exchanged a promise with a vampire nine years prior to the start of the series...and then forgot about it. It may not sound so "reverse" after female vampire series like Rosario + Vampire, but the series comes from Takaya Kagami, the author of the Legend of the Legendary Heroes light novel series. |
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Title: J.C. Staff Genre: Magical Girl Website: twin-angel.tv |
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| Summary: Voice actresses Yui Horie). The twins are named Nine and Tesla Violet. Yes, Tesla. Take that, nerds! |
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Title: Brains Base Genre: Fantasy Website: www.kamisama-anime.jp |
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| Summary: College kid Kyohei grew up a rural village that worships spirits known as kukuri, spirits who inhabit (in this series) strange, alien-looking vessels. Kyohei tried to escape by running away to Tokyo to go to school, but unfortunately, all the supernatural problems— plus his little sister Utau, the fugitive criminal Aki, and two kukuri —have followed him to the big city. |
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Title: AT-X, Saturday July 2 at 11:00 p.m. JST Studio: J.C. Staff Genre: Mystery Website: www.kamimemo.com |
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| Summary: The older-boy-meets-young-female-detective is becoming a rather familiar trope (see also: Gosick, and possibly this season's Dantalian no Shoka as well). Nonetheless, Narumi Fujishima serves as assistant to a rather unique released earlier this month doesn't give much away. Also of note: the series will premiere with an hour-long episode, rather than the usual 30 minutes. |
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Title: Hoods Entertainment Genre: Action/Comedy Website: oppaidaisuki.jp |
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| Summary: If you were actually sad when last season's Sengoku Otome ended...or Koihime Musō series...well, you get the idea. Manyū Hiken-chō follows the adventures of buxom swordswoman Chifusa Manyu during Japan's Edo era (17th to 19th century, roughly). Also, the show's website URL is infamous for meaning nothing more than "I love boobs." |
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Title: TBS, Friday July 8 at 1:55 a.m. JST Studio: feel. Genre: Comedy Website: www.starchild.co.jp/special/mayochiki/ |
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| Summary: It's bad enough when you have a wealthy classmate (Kanade Suzutsuki, voiced by Hajime Asano. |
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Title: Geneon Universal Genre: Adventure Website: capcom.co.jp/monsterhunter/ pokapoka_airuG/anime.html |
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| Summary: A series of anime shorts made for television, the series is set in the ever-popular (in Japan) Monster Hunter franchise and follows Airu, a feline monster. It's more or less a cute kids' comedy, as was its predecessor, 2010's MonHun Nikki Girigiri Airu Kiki Ippatsu. Naturally, the original series was developed to promote a then-new game, onHun Nikki Pokapoka Airu-mura. |
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Title: KBS Kyoto, Wednesday July 6 at 1:30 a.m. JST Studio: Seven Genre: Slice-of-Life Website: www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/moritasan/ |
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| Summary: If you check out Morita-san no Mukuchi's official site, you may notice that the actress playing protagonist Mayu Morita doesn't seem to get top billing: it's likely because the character isnearly silent, communicating largely by animated facial expressions. Don't worry, she's surrounded by chatty young high school ladies to fill the audio void, as it were. |
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Title: Natsume Yūjin-Chō San Starts: TV Tokyo, Tuesday July 5 at 1:30 a.m. JST Studio: Brains Base Genre: Fantasy Website: www.nasinc.co.jp/jp/natsume-anime |
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| Summary: The third season in a charming franchise, Natsume Yūjin-Chō follows the adventures of teenager Takashi Natsume, who suffers from his ability to see spirits (it tends to weird out his would-be friends). In the first season, he moved into a family home, where he discovered that his grandmother had the same problem...except that she instead decided to abuse the local spirits and demons by collecting their names (usually by trickery), thus granting her the ability to call them at will. After finding her book of names— and being pestered by spirits who want them back —Natsume decides to make it his goal to return all of the names. It is of note that Steamboy and Millennium Actress, is taking his place. |
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Title: AIC PLUS Genre: Comedy Website: www.mmv.co.jp/special/nekogami |
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| Summary: Yuzu Komiya runs an antique shop in which local deities have a strange tendency to run amok. One such creature is Mayu, a Cat God who leeches off of Yuzu and spends all day playing around. This comedy serves as a slice-of-weird-life, with a colorful variety of local gods visiting Yuzu and Mayu throughout the series. Think of it as a more colorful Kamichu!, if Kamichu! were a more standard comedy. |
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Title: BONES Genre: Sci-Fi Website: www.no-6.jp/#/main |
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| Summary: Set in the near future (2013), the titular No. 6 refers to a model city. Protagonist Shion, who has been raised explicitly to become an "elite" member of society, winds up saving the life of a young boy who calls himself Nezumi ("rat") on his 12th birthday. Unsurprisingly, this strange moment changes his life forever. No. 6 s Noitamina hour. |
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Title: Studio DEEN Genre: Fantasy Website: www.nuramago.jp |
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| Summary: The second season of Junji Nishimura, has departed from the project, leaving it in the hands of second-time director Michio Fukuda. |
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Title: Nyanpire The Animation Starts: Kids Station, Wednesday July 6 at 11:00 p.m. JST Studio: Gonzo Genre: Fantasy Website: www.nyanpire.jp |
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| Summary: It may look like a Something Yoshimatsu") as a director. It also features the comic adventures of an adorable vampire kitten and his companions: angel cat Nyantenshi, normal kitty Chachamaru, and Masamunya, a cat whose look is loosely based on the historical figure of Japanese warlord Date Masamune. |
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Title: AIC Genre: Comedy Website: kadokawa-anime.jp/R-15 |
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| Summary: R-15: it's not a new movie ratings system, it's the latest romantic comedy revolving around a guy with a weird hobby/career. In this case, high school student Taketo Akutagawa is, in fact, a pornographic novelist. In the story, based on a light novel series (if the characters look a bit familiar, spinoff specialist Negima!? neo fame —illustrated the original novel), Akutagawa enrolls at a school for geniuses where he runs into "risque trouble." |
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Title: Studio Blanc Genre: Comedy Website: www.ro-kyu-bu.com |
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| Summary: High schooler Subaru Hasegawa just wanted to his school's basketball club— but it turns out that the team is inactive after the coach turned out to be an (alleged) lolicon. Exactly how this winds up getting Subaru a gig coaching five elementary school girls in the sport isn't exactly clear yet. |
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Title: Sacred Seven Starts: MBS, Sunday July 3 at 2:30 a.m. JST Studio: Sunrise Genre: Fantasy Website: www.sacred7.jp |
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| Summary: 17-year-old Alma Nidoshi has had to live with strangers for most of his life due to an incident in his past. One day Alma's carefree classmate Wakana Itō invites him to their school's club devoted to ores, minerals, and crystals. He is also approached by Ruri, the very young CEO of a wealthy foundation, who tells him that he holds the power of the "Sacred Seven"...and calls a monster out to fight him. |
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Title: A-1 Pictures Genre: Comedy Website: www.idolmaster-anime.jp |
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| Summary: Unlike 2007's iDOLM@STER: XENOGLOSSIA, who had the ittedly innovative idea of turning the popular Idolm@ster idol simulation game into a mech drama, The IDOLM@STER steps back the approach a notch: the new anime will simply follow the adventures of ten idol characters, largely voiced by well-known/popular Japanese singers and voice actresses— too many to list here. |
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Title: Usagi Drop Starts: Fuji TV, Friday July 8 at 12:45 a.m. JST Studio: Production I.G Genre: Slice-of-Life Website: www.usagi-drop.tv |
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| Summary: Bachelor Daikichi attends his grandfather's funeral and winds up leaving with Rin, his grandpa's very young illegitimate daughter, upon realizing that no one else in the family is willing to take her on out of embarrassment. Usagi Drop (Bunny Drop) is one of the two titles airing in the well-regarded Noitamina time slot on Fuji TV. |
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Title: Uta no Prince Sama— Maji Love 1000% Starts: Tokyo MX, Sunday July 3 at 12:00 a.m. JST Studio: A-1 Pictures Genre: Romantic Comedy Website: |
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| Summary: Serving perhaps as a counter to The IDOLM@STER, Uta no Prince Sama is based on a dating sim for female players. The story— a "slapstick" romantic comedy —follows heroine Haruka Nanami, who starts attending a performing arts high school and finds herself surrounded by hot guys who want to become idols. |
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Title: Yuri Website: yuruyuri.com |
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| Summary: Yes, Yuruyuri can be classified as a yuri title; the original manga (by Comic Yuri Hime S in Japan. The story revolves around for high school girls who take over a club room— the tea ceremony club's —in order to launch a "Gokuraku-Bu" (literally "Paradise Club") aimed simply at having fun. |
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