Fall 2011 season and what do I plan to watch.

Latest chart as found in neregate.com

The new season is only half a month away so I guess it’s time to start thinking which shows I’ll be watching. I’m really a person who doesn’t like reading extensive previews, as I am lazy to hunt for the info but the primary reason is that previews and summaries usually do not tell the whole story, and even worse they often give wrong impressions.

I would also say that they create unnecessary hype too but these days the hype is created anyway via social media, it’s unavoidable.

So, my method is a mix. I will follow shows that are sequels of anime I’ve watched in the past, will follow the noitaminA shows, some hyped shows with the hope I won’t be disappointed (much!) and for all the rest that make it through the initial filtering (some shows are obvious that I cannot watch from their preview) I start watching them all with the intention to start dropping from episode 3 and on. I try to follow that rule, but at times I either drop even from the 1st episode (the really bad cases) or I decide to drop a lot latter if I cannot decide.

Here is the list of sequels, prequels, spinoffs, retellings and any anime related to a previous aired one that I will try to watch during the Fall 2011 season:

• Shinryaku!? Ika Musume The squid girl is coming back for another season of fun slapstick comedy and laughter.
• Working’!! The pre-air first episode has already aired, no way I will miss this!
• Bakuman Second Season I’m still not sure if I will follow the 2nd season, it’s one of those shows that lose a lot of their appeal if you have already read the manga, something that I have done in this case.
• Tamayura ~Hitotose~ Technically not a sequel, but it is related to the Tamayura OVA and I tend to like the slice of life genre.
• Last Exile: Fam the Silver wing I suppose it is Gonzo’s attempt to make a come back for real. The original Last Exile was a good show with likable characters and very good aerial combat scenes all wrapped up in a post apocalyptic sci-fi package, a package I often find irresistible. That means that expectations are high for this one, something that makes me skeptic as the rule is that sequels are mostly inferior.
• Shakugan no Shana III (Final) The final part of what turned out to be a trilogy, I will follow it for the sake of completion and because I am a Kugimiya fanboy as it is no longer has the same appeal when I first watched season one. Shana was one of my first shows back in 2007 when I started watching anime regularly and for that it holds a special place for me.
• Hidamari Sketch x SP A Hidamari special, the king of slice of life. Enough said.
• Fate / Zero Prequel of Fate/Stay Night, a show I liked a lot at the time, enough to order the Visual Novel from Japan and play it through the end. Expecting a lot as it is a show based on Type-Moon’s work.

And then there are several OVA/OAD/ONA/Specials that will be released, I plan to watch the following ones: Kaminomi OVA, Hourou Musuko, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, Aa Megami-sama, Kimi ni Todoke BD special, Ikoku Meiro special, Kaibutsu Oujo, Usagi Drop BD special, Carnival Phantasm 2nd season, Seitokai Yakuindomo.

These are already a lot, but there are more, the hyped/famous shows:

• Hunter x Hunter Never watched the original one, this one apparently a retelling of the story so it is not required to know about the original.
• Gundam AGE A Gundam is always worth checking out, this one already being bashed from many because of the character choices. The PV had me worried to be honest, but I prefer to form my opinion the usual way, by watching the first episodes.
• Mirai Nikki  Started reading the manga this is based on once, has some nice ideas but I eventually dropped it. I’m willing to give the anime a try.

And for last, the noitaminA shows: Un-Go and Guilty Crown. There many more on the chart some of which I will try and possibly continue, not forgetting that there is no guarantee for any of the shows in the above list that they’ll be worth following to the end.

I guess October will be busy, I hope I have enough free time as that month will be a little tough with my work schedules.