As usual, the new season rolls in while I have a backlog from seasons past. I have some high hopes for Chihayafuru and Ano Natsu (also known under its fanon title "Onegai Summer"). Also queued are the Tatsuo Sato's pirate show and Lagrange. Not to mention that I am still plugging at Haganai, too. Nonetheless, I can't help marking a couple of new anime.

Althogh I never was one hotly anticipating an upcoming series, I essentially unretired for Idolm@ster TV anime. Considering what a success that project was both for myself and for creators, it's difficult to ignore AKB0048. I think it has good chances. We cannot be sure, of course. The premise is somewhat similar to Sakura Wars in that the idols perform canonically [1], in-show, while moonlighting as mecha pilots or otherwise fighting a guerilla war, Gundam Wing style. This is different from Xenoglossia, where characters did not perform -- except Yayoi, perhaps.

A thousand ways exist in which AKB0048 may yet fail, but it does not have to fail.

In addition to AKB0048, I noticed that Seiji Mizushima is going to direct Natsuiro Kiseki. Preview at THAT makes it look like cute-girls-doing-cute-things type of thing, while Crusader fails to appreciate Mr. Mizushima's contributions to anime directing (never seen Oh Edo Rocket, apparently). While Tatsuo Sato's Mouretsu being not quite the work of genius we came to expect from him means that a director is not a guarantee, he was constrained by the original source. Natsuiro Kiseki is listed as original story, which makes Seiji Mizushima's work easier. Of course he carries the responsibility for any screw-ups as well.

BTW, how's this snap judgement at Sea Slugs:

Leenina: Looks like harmless enough entertainment, but the fact that it’s just a star vehicle for a group of pop idols is sort of disheartening.

Heh.

[1] The scheme is also used in an American cartoon series T-Rex, coincidentially set in a faux-1930s environment. Ask Don.