So far, Kurenai is the only show that I think might equal my top shows of the past year (true tears, ef, Blue Drop, Hitohira, Lucky Star), but this is a very broad season, with many good shows, several of which could develop into something great. I covered 24 shows in a previous post. Here are ten more that have debuted since then.Nijuu-mensou no Musume -- Hirano Aya is at her best, acting and singing the ED in this promising retro anime telling the story of a girl who willingly joins a famous thief, in order to get away from the hell she is enduring with her step-parents. Full review.Real Drive -- Strong Production IG animation and a complex and interesting Shirow Masamune (Ghost in the Shell) plot make this a promising show. Directed by Furuhashi Kazuhiro (Chevalier D'Eon). The cast includes Fujiwara Keiji and Kawasumi Ayako. The character design features strikingly large-hipped women, and we see the same man at 25 and at 80. The look has great clarity and the plot doesn't.Toshokan Sensou -- More wonderful animation from Production IG in a promising story of a girl joining the para-military organization that defends freedom of publication from an opposing pro-censorship organization. The strong outlines used in some of the charcter dsign are fascinating. Echoes of Planetes in the relationship between the leads. Inoue Marina (Yoko in Gurren-Laggan) shows why she got 20 roles last year.Net Ghost Pipopa -- Kimura Shinichirou (Karin, Mahoraba) directs this surprisingly entertaining kids' show about a boy who fears the Internet and three "Net ghosts" who become his companions. Fine cast includes Satou Rina (Negi Springfield), Shiraishi Ryouko (Hayate), Arai Satomi (Kozue in Mahoraba), and Yahagi Sayuri (Karin). oHagi (Yahagi's nickname) is one of my favorites, and shows her stuff in ep1. What a voice.Golgo 13 -- Could have been made in 1985. Static animation well used to tell the story of a sniper hired to shoot a hijacker. Brutality, blood, and expressionless super-male faces -- but I enjoyed it.Junjo Romantika -- Want yaoi? You got it. The dominant male forces the brother of the man he loves to accept being mastur*ated. And that's in the first five minutes. Later, they both regret the brother's becoming engaged. Yes, there is a story in there somewhere. Directed by Kon Chiaki (Higurashi), with a great cast including Sakurai Takahiro, Canna Nobutoshi, Itou Kentarou, Kishio Daisuke, and others.Kyouran Kazoku Nikki -- Madly funny story of a guy who is dragooned into being the "dad" of a "family" made up of dangerous alien descendants who need to be socialized to humans in order to stop them destroying the world. Top cast includes Fujimura Ayumi, Kondou Takayuki, Hirohashi Ryou, Tomatsu Haruka, Hanazawa Kana, Satou Rina. Fujimura-san shows why she is becoming a favorite of directors. Hanazawa-san has one of the two or three most moe voices in anime (she and Sasaki Nozomi are at the top of my list).Kaiba -- Wonderful, surreal animation from Yuasa Masaaki and Madhouse. Here's a selection of words from posts on AnimeSuki: existentialist, Dali-esque, theatre of the absurd, stream of consciousness. The words all attracted me, but I ended up bored when I actually watched the show. Too much for me, but if your taste is good enough, you may be as thrilled as some other people are.Uchi no San Shimai -- Slipping in under the radar is this animated version of a popular blog on child-rearing, showing the amusing parental travails of a family with three girls under ten. I'll need a sub to really understand the dialogue, and I can't even find a Chinese sub yet. Simple animation, but cute and interesting.Himitsu - Top Secret -- A secret technology allows police to read the minds of murder victims and find the killer. With Seki Tomokazu, Namikawa Daisuke, and Nonaka Ai. This would be a show to watch, if there weren't so many other good shows already.
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