Attack of the New Season

The recent crops of anime that have been surfacing in Japan have increasingly swung over to the unholy land of fan service and regurgitation. The midterm summer season, which gaps the space between when the big important full season series that aired in October end and when the next new hyped shows begin, has usually been filled with less then inspiring titles. This year is the worst that I have witnessed in the number of years I have been faithfully following the Japanese season cycles, searching for the freshest newest series’. Usually I will view the mass majority of the new titles airing and offer up a few paragraphs for each, giving a short plot synopsis and my initial reactions to the shows. This year however, I don’t want to destroy that many brain cells and have resorted to fast forwarding through episodes to get a general feel for them. Out of the dozen or so shows, probably more really, I have settled on just 3 to watch, and what is really sad is that only one of them is new.

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood is just a retell of the original series based on the on going manga, so no real new ground there, but definitely a welcomed and familiar story. The incredibly cute and kid friendly Chi’s Sweet Home was green lit with a second installation of the 3 minute slice of life series subtitled Chi’s New Home.

So while we see that two of the three brand new TV series I have decided to watch are continuations and rehashes of shows already aired one wonders out of the bounty of new shows what the third and new series is all about. Could it possibly the semi anticipated fantasy series based on the semi popular ero game filled with gratuitous nudity, ludicrous body fluid and fanservice, Queens Blade? Could it be the great American past time summer sizzler shonen sports romp Cross Game? Or possibly the attempts to tap into the highly lucrative fan base that gave us 2 seasons of the riveting mecha sports series Eureka Seven (also slated for a theatrical release soon) in the basketball mech series Basquash! While I was tempted to watch the bi-shonen Victorian supernatural thriller Pandora Hearts, I also knew I couldn’t forget about the apparent homage to over the top action video game titles with Sengoku Basara. I also passed up two titillating fantasy titles, Slap Up Party and Tears to Tiara. No, I finally made my choice and with bypassing the amazingly cleaver fanservice laden Asura Cryin’ and Valkyria Chronicles. I settled on Higepiyo.

Now you may say, but why settle for a 5 minute off the wall comedy about a bearded chicken that acts like an old Japanese man when you have such comedic gems as Charady’s Daily Joke or K-on. But no, I have to stand my ground and keep my self from being inundated with too many quality shows, even if it means I have to forsake watching the thrilling super natural mystery Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom.

Now I may find room for other series, as I am backlogging season two of Hayate the Combat Butler seeing as I have only watched 6 episodes from the original series and I have some mild interest in Shangri-La and Eden of the East. I have yet to get to these titles u to so much time being spent trudging through the pile of quality crap presented to me so far.

I think I’m beginning to hate fanservice.