Article: Summer 2009 anime preview
Here's another series of light novels (which first saw the light of day at the beginning of last year) to get the anime treatment - Seitokai no Ichizon (or "Student Council's Discretion" to give it something resembling an English title) features a high school which has its student council chosen entirely as the result of a popularity contest. In the case of this series, we're left with a council filled entirely with girls with the exception of a single male representative, who is left with the job of noting down the minutes of council meetings and thus acting as our window into the world of the students.
Should I watch it? It's looking like this is likely to be another humour and parody-filled series, so if you're comfortable enough with your knowledge of anime and Japanese culture then there might be plenty of laughs for you here. It's being animated by the same studio as Hetalia: Axis Powers, which might give you some idea of the kind of thing to expect.
Derived from a 2005 vintage manga of the same name, Sora no Manimani is an anime produced by Studio Comet of School Rumble anime adaptation fame. Indeed, the School Rumble link may stand them in good stead, as this series is another school-based, slice of life romantic comedy, featuring a quiet boy who moves back to his old hometown and meets his childhood friend many years after an embarrassing incident which spoiled their relationship somewhat. In a bid to improve this state of affairs, the pair end up joining the school astronomy club, and hilarity ensues. Hopefully.
Should I watch it? Again, this could be one for the slice of life comedy fans. There is some potential here given the presence of Studio Comet, but then again I get the feeling that this show's source material isn't going to be anything like as strong as School Rumble's, so it may end up faltering at the end of the day.
With its light novels and the first series of the anime licensed by Yen Press and FUNimation respectively, it should go without saying that Spice and Wolf has proved to be a popular series both inside Japan and out. The second season of this show continues the relatively sedate adventures of a medieval merchant named Lawrence and his travels alongside an ancient (yet beautiful, naturally) wolf deity named Horo.
Although there has been some consternation about the change in production studio for this second season (with Brain's Base taking over the reins from Imagin), the recently released "episode 0" OVA for Spice and Wolf II proved to be most impressive, capturing and arguably further improving on the wonderfully character-driven story set out by the first series of this show, and serving to further ramp up the anticipation for this new series.
Should I watch it? If you're looking for all-out action, sex or violence, then you can forget all about this series, but if you're in the mood for something than prizes character development and the relationship between those characters above all else then you'll absolutely love Spice and Wolf II. With the first series now licensed in North America, here's to hoping that Spice and Wolf II will be streamed legally and available to us UK viewers as part of that deal.
26/05/2009
