The Kawaii Menace

The fall anime season is coming up, and members of the otakusphere are trying to decide which series to follow. (The only one I’m interested in at this time is Ghost Hound, because of the credentials of its creators. It may well be a botch, but if so, it will be an interesting botch.) You can read the press releases, watch the trailers and click all over the various websites, but ultimately there is no reliable way of telling how good a show is without watching some of it. However, I have found three criteria that help me narrow the list of candidates.

Possibly good:

1. Series based on novels. Examples: Crest/Banner of the Stars; Suzumiya Haruhi; Seirei no Moribito; Kino’s Journey (short stories in this instance, but still literature, not manga); possibly Oh! Edo Rocket, though I’m not sure which version came first.

2. Series reflecting one person’s vision. Examples: Haibane Renmei (Yoshitoshi ABe); Shingu (Tetsuo Sato); Denno Coil (Mitsuo Iso); Cardcaptor Sakura (Nanase Ohkawa (of CLAMP))

Probably lousy:

3. Series based on games. Examples: too numerous to mention. H-game conversions or RPG-based epics, they all stink. I have never watched more than a few episodes of any. (I would like to see more of the Waragecha Five from Master of Epic, though.)¹

Based on the first criterion, the series to check out in October are Rental Magica and Strait Jacket. I can’t tell from the write-ups I’ve seen if the second criterion applies to any of the new shows. The third criterion rules out at least half of the new crop. I have even less interest in the anime Clannad than I do in the band.

1. Sakura Wars TV might be an exception, though I quit part-way through the first episode. [↩]