Ask John: What are Some Anime Titles to Look for in 2005?

Question:
What are some (Japanese release) titles to look out for in 2005?

Answer:
Thankfully the anime industry is rather unpredictable. Upcoming anime releases that look good don’t always turn out to be so, and frequently titles slide in under the radar and turn out to be pleasant surprises. It’s also not uncommon for anime releases to sometimes not be announced until relatively close to their actual release. Considering that we’re still a few months away from 2005, it may still be a bit early to begin cataloging anticipated titles, but the internet has drastically increased the ability of American anime fans to know what’s in the works in Japan. Virtually every anime has its fans, and what I’m personally looking forward to may not appeal to other anime fans.

Xebec created an international smash hit with the anime adaptation of Ken Akamatsu’s Love Hina. They may be poised to do it again with the TV anime adaptation of Akamatsu’s latest popular manga series Maho Sensei Negima, which is scheduled to debut in Japan early next year. An entire school of pretty girls ought to appeal to male viewers. The 10 year old main character ought to appeal to female shotacon fans. The boys love TV series Sukinamono wa Suki Dakara Shouganai is also likely to bring squeals of approval from fangirls worldwide.

The StarShip Operators anime looks as though it may be a spiritual sequel to Vandread, a show which still has quite a fan audience in America. As Vandread proved, bishoujo and space opera can be highly entertaining when it’s done well. Divergence Eve, sadly, provides evidence of just the opposite, so there’s really no way to know yet on which side of the scale StarShip Operators will fall.

There’s been little discussion of Gainax Studios’ Kore ga Watashi no Goshujinsama, perhaps because Gainax itself has released little info about the show yet. The quality of Gainax anime has arguably waned a bit in recent years, but generally Gainax can always be relied upon to release at least decent quality anime.

Fans worldwide are eagerly anticipating the Ah! Megami-sama TV series sequel to the classic OAV series.

Based on its adorable website illustrations and Madhouse producing the animation, the Otogi-Jushi Akazukin anime may be a pleasant surprise. Madhouse is also reportedly to produce an anime adaptation of Hiromoto Shinichi’s Hells Angels manga series next year. If the animation is even half as unique as the highly stylized original manga, it will likely only appeal to a small, select audience of discriminating viewers.

Finally, on a personal note, although it probably won’t be a roaring hit among American fans that don’t prefer ultra cute anime, I’m eagerly anticipating the adorable little Binchou-tan anime TV series.