2008 Summer Shows

Here's my list of shows that I'm following this summer.


Name: Chocolate Underground
Airing: 6/12 - Thursdays

Japanese Name: チョコレート・アンダーグラウンド

Official Site: http://www.choco-bar.jp/index/next.html

Number of Episodes: 13

Summary: Based on Alex Shearer’s novel Bootleg, in which a new political party called Good For You takes over and bans unhealthy items, including chocolate. In response, a group of kids start moonshining– chocolate, that is. They set up their own factory and create bootleg chocolate in order to undermine the new government (giapet)
Thoughts: This is actually an internet series and I'm not sure if it's going to be subbed or not. It also sounds a little silly but it could have potential. Plus I like the character designs.


Name: Telepathy Shoujo Ran

Japanese Name: テレパシー少女 蘭
Official Site: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/anime/ran
Airing: 6/21 - Saturdays
Number of Episodes: 26
Summary: Ran is a bright and energetic first-grader in junior high school who possesses supernatual abilities. Together with her two friends who also have supernatural powers, Midori and Rui, the threesome are constantly embroiled in mysterious circumstances. The threesome team up to solve these mysterious events. (AniDB)
Thoughts: I think this could be a really interesting series, but the fact that the characters are so young could be a turnoff. I guess I'll watch a few eps and see how it goes.

Name: Ultraviolet: Code 044
Japanese Name: ウルトラヴァイオレット:Code044
Official Site: http://uvcode044.jp
Airing: 7/1 - Tuesdays
Number of Episodes: 12
Summary: Ultraviolet is set in a dystopian future where vampires are used by the government to strike terror in the hearts of citizens and to keep them in check. Main character "044" is a female warrior who is genetically engineered with high combat skills and ordered by the government to annihilate a vampire army. (AniDB)
Thoughts: I'm probably one of the 10 people that actually liked the Mila Jovovich movie Ultraviolet. So I'm actually really looking forward to this one. Plus, I'll watch anything with vampire regardless.

Name: Antique Bakery
Japanese Name: 西洋骨董洋菓子店 ～アンティーク～
Official Site: http://www.fujitv.co.jp/jp/b_hp/antique
Airing: 7/4 - Fridays
Number of Episodes: 12
Summary: Tachibana, grandson of a rich businessman and newbie in the world of managing; Ono Yuusuke, famous pastry chef and even more infamous “devilish homosexual”; Kanda Eiji, a retired young boxer with a thing for pastries; Kobayakawa Chikage, servant friend of Tachibana and current romantic interest of Ono, who is clumsy yet serious and stoic to a fault (most of the time). Together, these four men maintain a small yet elegant cafe known as “Antique”, where they and all their customers can come together to cherish one of the few but truly important things in life: cake. (ANN)
Thoughts: I've read the first volume of the manga and I generally enjoy Fumi Yoshinaga's stories, so I'll definitely have to watch this one. I hope more people watch this one because it's not BL like one would expect.

Name: Ryouko’s Strange Case Files
Japanese Name: 薬師寺涼子の怪奇事件簿
Official Site: http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/yakushijiryouko
Airing: 7/6 - Sundays
Number of Episodes: 13
Summary: The story revolves around Ryouko Yakushiji, a 27-year-old multilingual investigator that graduated from Tokyo University's elite Department of Law, and the bizarre cases she faces while working for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Yakushiji not only has to deal with supernatural beings in her line of work, but also her rival Yukiko Muromachi, another equally talented and beautiful police investigator. (AniDB)
Thoughts: This series looks awesome and I'm really looking forward to it. The character designs are really nice and the story sounds interesting. Plus, it seems to be one of the few more serious series this season so it'll be a nice change of pace.


Name: Natsume Yuujinchou
JP Name: 夏目友人帳
Website: http://www.natsume-anime.jp
Airing: 7/8 - Tuesdays
Number of Episodes
Summary: Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him. Containing the names of these spirits, a binding contract was formed between the spirits and the owner of the book. Now, Natsume is determined to free the spirits and dissolve the contracts. With the help of a spirit cat, his days are filled trying to return the names to these spirits. (ANN)
Thoughts: This one looks like it could be a lot of fun. Hopefully it doesn't fall into the spirit-of-the-week trap though. The spirit cat is really funny looking too.


Name: World Destruction ~Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin~
Japanse Name: ワールド・デストラクション ～世界撲滅の六人～
Official Site: http://wd.sega.jp/anime
Airs: 7/8 - Tuesdays
Number of Episodes: 13
Summary: World Destruction is based on– or at least related to –an RPG being put out in Japan by Sega around the same time the anime airs. The plot revolves around Kirie, a boy who has immensely destructive powers for reasons he doesn’t know. He meets a group of people including a woman named Morte, who is part of a terrorist organization aimed at destroying the world. (giapet)
Thoughts: I watched the teaser trailer for this one and it looked really well animated. This could easily be a mediocre series though but I'll give it a shot.


Name: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Japanese Name: 乃木坂春香の秘密
Official Site: http://www.nogizaka-haruka.com
Airs: 7/11 - Fridays
Number of Episodes: 13
Summary: The main character, Ayase Yuuto is your average boy
without any special traits. He attends a private high school where he is one of the many and doesn't stand out, until, one day, he happens to discover the secret of the school princess Nogizaka Haruka, and his life changes drastically from there on. (AniDB)
Thoughts: More than likely this will get dropped after one or two episodes. A lot of times these otaku-pandering series just don't appeal to me. Maybe because I'm not a guy? I don't know. I'll give it a chance though, it might surprise me like Lucky Star did.

So, only a total of 8 shows. That's not a lot compared to what a followed this past spring. I guess it'll give me a chance to catch up a little, there's still some shows that finished a while ago that I never got around to.