Updated: 4 January 2012

Below is the listing of anime series being released over the Winter 2012 release cycle. I’ve omitted a couple, such as Gundam Seed, since it’s a remaster, so I don’t really view it as a new release – and probably not worth covering. As usual, the season features a couple of series that I’m definitely going to be watching, along with a couple of series I’d probably rather avoid. As per usual I’m only covering series releases – not included below are BD releases, movies, OVAs and some others.

The information compiled below was gathered from various sources: Moetron.com, Neregate.com, Anime News Network, MyAnimelist and bits and pieces off the various official sites.

Anime Release Schedule – Winter 2011/2012
Amagami SS+	Another	Ano Natsu de Matteru
Black★Rock Shooter	Gokujyou.	Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai!
Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki	Aquarion Evol	Inu x Boku SS
Zero no Tsukaima F	Nisemonogatari	Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama
Brave10	Mouretsu Pirates	Senhime Zesshou Symphogear
High School DxD	Kill Me Baby	Area no Kishi
Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi	Recorder to Randoseru	Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou
Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 2	Rinne no Lagrange

Amagami SS+

Synopsis: The second season of Amagami SS.
Genre: Romance
Release Date: 6 January 2012 (12 Episodes)
Studio: AIC
Official site: Amagami SS+ on TBS

All I know at this point is that it’s the second season of Amagami SS; whether it’s a continuation of events that took place in the first season is uncertain – given the format of the first season I’m not terribly sure how this is going to work out. The official site still has to put up story details, and I haven’t been able to find a PV for this season either. As far as I can make out, it still features the same characters as the first season.

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Another

Synopsis: Sakakibara Kouichi transfers into a new school, and almost immediately becomes aware of the tense, fearful atmosphere that pervades the classroom. The class seems to be hiding a secret, and at the center of everything is the beautiful, mysterious Misaki Mei, a quiet girl wearing an eyepatch who keeps to herself and is always drawing pictures. Drawn to her, Kouichi tries to touch her …
Genre: Mystery/Drama/Horror
Release Date: 10 January 2012
Studio: PA Works
Official site: Another

I tend to find the classification of horror to be something of a misnomer for the most part, but one thing that these anime do manage quite often is to create a lot of suspense, and I believe Another is going to fall squarely into this bracket. The PV itself was enough to get me interested, and the voice acting sounds superb. The series is based on a novel by the same name.

There is also currently a live-action movie in production, with an expected release in Summer (July 2012). Another is on my list of definitely watching this season.

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Ano Natsu de Matteru

Synopsis: No details just yet
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Release Date: 10 January 2012 (12 Episodes)
Studio: JC Staff
Official site: Ano Natsu de Matteru

What caught my interest with this particular title is that the creator of the Onegai Teacher/Twins franchise as well as the character designer for the same series would be collaborating. Also involved with the series is KOTOKO, although from appearances she’s not performing any of the credit songs, but she is writing the lyrics for them.

It also features some strange small alien creature ^_^

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Black★Rock Shooter

Synopsis: Kuroi Mato and Takanashi Yomi meet on their first day in junior high. Seemingly opposites of each other, they become friends and form a close bond. In their second year however, they get seperated into different classes, and they start growing apart – added to this is the addition of Mato’s new classmate. Jealousy starts boiling in Yomi’s heart. At the same time, in an alternate world, a young girl – Black Rock Shooter – faces another girl – Dead Master – and a deadly battle unfolds.
Genre: Action/Drama
Release Date: 3 February 2012 (8 Episodes)
Studio: Ordet/Sanzigen
Official site: Black★Rock Shooter

I did watch the initial OVA that was released a while back, and to be honest, even while I enjoyed watching it, it confused the hell out of me. So with any luck having eight episodes to watch will clear things up a little bit. I hope.

The synopsis I used is from the OVA – and I’m expecting the overall storyline to stick to this to a degree. It’s amazing to think though, that this entire franchise was created as a results of a single song – Black★Rock Shooter which was performed by Vocaloid Hatsune Miku.

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Gokujyou. {Moved to Spring 2012}

Synopsis: Kuribayashi Minami returns to Japan after an extended stay in the US. She enters an elite girl’s high school Gokurakuin Jyoshi High School (Gokujyo), planning to use her looks and personality to dominate the school; however, she didn’t take into account the highly eccentric, and perverted, nature of her classmates. Needless to say – things don’t go as planned.
Genre: School-life/comedy
Release Date: Spring 2012
Studio: No details
Official site: No details

Gokujyou is based on a manga by the same name, and if said manga is anything to go by, this is a series that’s going to be offering plenty of fan-service. However, given the lack of details about the series so far there’s a chance it may be pushed back, according to Zana over at Neregate.com.

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Papa no Iu Koto wo Kikinasai!

Synopsis: Segawa Yuuta is a university freshman who rather unwillingly takes on the task of watching his older sister’s three daughters while she and her husband goes on a trip. The plane they are on, however, goes missing, and in order to prevent the girls from being separated through adoption, he decides to look after them himself.
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: 11 January 2012 (26 Episodes)
Studio: Feel
Official site: PapaKiki on Starchild

This makes me think of Aishiteruze Baby! only funnier and with triple the amount of trouble. The three girls include two teenagers and one three-year old, with one of the girls (I’m not saying which) being a tsundere. Based on a series of light novels by the same name, the series is a good length as well – 26 episodes. I approve of this. While I have no guarantee that there will be character growth in the series, it leaves plenty of space for storytelling. Needless to say, this series is also on my watchlist. The video below are character song CD announcements rather than an actual trailer for the series, but I figure it serves much the same purpose.

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Aquarion Evol

Synopsis: Set 12,000 years after events in the original series, beings from another dimension invade a city modeled after present-day Hong Kong, and the cast, piloting a new version of the Aquarion mecha, rise to the challenge of pushing them off.
Genre: Mecha/Action
Release Date: 9 January 2012
Studio: 8 Bit
Official site: Aquarion Evol

I didn’t particular enjoy the first Aquarion series, and as a matter of fact I still need to finish watching it. How much relation this particular series is going to have with that one, I’m not sure about, since how much can you connect to events 12,000 years in the past. So this particular series isn’t on my radar, but I might take a look at it to see if it captures my interest.

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Inu x Boku SS

Synopsis: Shirakiin Riricho is the daughter of an influential family who feels trapped by the fact that she can’t live independently and without protection, and decides to move out and live on her own. Under the condition that she resides in a mansion called Ayakashi kan, she gets her wish, although each resident of the mansion is accompanied by one Secret Service agent. Riricho initially rejects the agent, until she discovers that the agent assigned to her is a Fox-spirit which she had rescued years ago.
Genre: Comedy/Supernatural
Release Date: 13 January 2012
Studio: David Production
Official site: Inu x Boku SS

This series is based on a manga by the same name, and that this point I don’t really know enough about it to offer any guesses as to how good it’s likely to be. The PV, however, offers a glimpse of some nice character design and good quality animation – in the absence of any definite signals though, I’m going to go out on a limb and put this on my watchlist … although maybe a little towards the bottom.

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Zero no Tsukaima F

Synopsis: The fourth and final season of the Zero no Tsukaima series, which follows the misadventures of Louise and her hapless, slightly perverted familiar from Earth, Hiraga Saito.
Genre: Fantasy/Comedy/Romance
Release Date: 7 January 2012 (12 Episodes)
Studio: JC Staff
Official site: Zero no Tsukaima

I had honestly come to the conclusion that the 3rd season of Zero no Tsukaima was the final season, or at least, it seemed pretty damn final to me. Although, my memory might be a little fuzzy because it did air 3 years ago. However, it turns out that this season is now the final one … officially. Hence the F. It’s on my watchlist for the simple reason that I’ve always enjoyed the Zero no Tsukaima series, and I want to see if Saito finally mans up and grows a pair or if Louise finally kicks him to death. Time will tell I suppose (I think he should choose Siesta, but that’s just me)

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Nisemonogatari

Synopsis: No details
Genre: Comedy/Supernatural
Release Date: 7 January 2012 (13 Episodes)
Studio: SHAFT
Official site: Nisemonogatari

The PV below is the original announcement advert for Nisemonogatari, so don’t get confused when it starts off with scenes from the prequel :) Bakemonogatari is one of those series I haven’t gotten under the belt yet, and I have a feeling I’ll end up regretting it if I don’t get there soon.

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Shin Tennis no Ouji-sama

Synopsis: No details
Genre: Sport
Release Date: 5 January 2012
Studio: Production IG
Official site: New Prince of Tennis

PV at this link – I couldn’t find anything on Youtube yet. I’m not a huge fan of sports anime in general, so I probably won;t be watching this particular series. No word on the number of episodes yet, but I’m going to wager on it being a longer than average series.

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Brave10

Synopsis: No details
Genre: Action/Historical
Release Date: 8 January 2012 (12 Episodes)
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Official site: Brave10

Brave10 seems like it could be a must watch for those who are fans of Samurai action, and also for fans of the Sengoku Era – probably one of Japan’s most violent periods in its history. I’m not a particular fan of either, but the PV below makes me a little interested, so I may be giving this series a look at some point down the line.

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Mouretsu Pirates

Synopsis: No details
Genre: Comedy/Sci-fi
Release Date: 8 January 2011
Studio: Satelight
Official site: Mouretsu Pirates on Starchild

A cute high-school (as per usual) girl taking control of a group of grizzled pirates – do we smell a boatload of fan-service shots incoming? I do – but who cares? While I don’t have an episode count for this particular series, I don’t expect it to be more than the usual run of 12 to 13 episodes. Mouretsu Pirates isn’t a must watch, but I probably will be giving it a look at some point down the line.

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Highschool DxD

Synopsis: Hyodo Issei is a completely perverted high-school student who gets killed on his first date – by the girl he is dating. He gets reincarnated as a minor devil, and returns to school as the underling of Riasu, a high-level demon who also happens to be the prettiest girl on campus.
Genre: Comedy/School-life
Release Date: 6 January 2012
Studio: TNK
Official site: High-school DxD

I’m not really expecting any depth from this particular series – I mean, just look at the URL – haremking. Says it all really, doesn’t it. In keeping with current broadcasting standards, it’ll probably be censored to a large degree, so even if you are planning to watch it for loads of fan-service, it would probably be better to wait for the DVD/BD releases. Although I’m a little puzzled by the time-slot.

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Kill Me Baby!

Synopsis: Yasuna is a school-girl who happens to be classmates with a professional assassin, Sonya. Sonya tends to struggle to fit in with the normal students in her class, and Yasuna is on a permanent mission to befriend her – unfortunately, Sonya’s reactions to Yasuna’s attempts to become a little closer tend to be rather instinctive.
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: 6 January 2012
Studio: JC Staff
Official site: killmebaby.tv

Kill Me Baby! is going to be very much slap-stick – featuring one girl who’s a killer and another girl who, being the resident idiot, is continually knocking on death’s door. It’s going to be a relaxing breather from the more brainy or serious stuff.

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Area no Kishi

Synopsis: Aizawa Kakeru, believing himself to be less than talented at soccer, manages the school’s soccer team, while his brother Suguru plays for the team. Suguru, however, believes that his brother is denying his own potential, and continually pushes him to start playing. Kakeru’s crush also makes an appearance, and the two brothers set their sights on the national championships.
Genre: Sport
Release Date: 7 January 2012
Studio: Shin-Ei Animation
Official site: www.tv-asahi.co.jp/knight/

I probably say this too often, but I’m not a huge fan of sports-themed anime series in general, and because of that, I’ll probably be giving this series a skip.

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Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi

Synopsis: The fourth season of the series.
Genre: Supernatural/Drama
Release Date: 3 January
Studio: Brains Base
Official site: Natsume Yuujin-chou Shi

It’s been going for a while now (the first season aired in 2005) – so I can only assume it’s relatively popular. This is still, however, a series I still need to sit down and watch from the beginning. The series is already airing as I write this, and of course some people are already jumping the gun and reviewing (is it possible to actually review a series based on its first episode alone) and giving it some rather excellent scores. I’d ignore those, but I can’t ignore some of the rather impressive user scores the previous seasons received.

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Recorder to Randoseru

Synopsis: The story follows the Miyagawa siblings – 11-year-old Atsushi, who’s 180cm tall, and his 17-year-old sister, Atsumi, who clocks in at only 137cm. Despite their appearances, they do act their ages, and Atsumi has a hard time taking care of her younger brother.
Genre: Comedy/Slice-of-life
Release Date: 6 January 2012
Studio: Seven
Official site: www.takeshobo.co.jp/sp/tv_rikoran/

Can you even imagine a 6 foot tall elementary school student? And someone who only comes up to his chest taking care of him? Mind you – the second bit I can do; anime is littered with younger sisters taking care of their older brothers – it’s practially a meme. It looks to be one of those cute, fuzzy-feeling types of anime, and I kinda wanna take a look at it. So maybe I will.

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Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou

Synopsis: The series follows the humourous yet realistic everyday life of three boys and their classmates at high-school.
Genre: Comedy/Slice-of-life
Release Date: 10 January 2012
Studio: Sunrise
Official site: danshinichijyo.net

So … Nichijou, but slightly more realistic? And with mostly boys? Or something … No – I’m not saying it’s a rip-off of Nichijou in the least – the “realism” of this particular series should mean that we’ll be exposed to a life that’s a little less … err … out there … than was the case with Nichijou. So, no plot to speak of, just a slice-of-life comedy about a bunch of ordinary high-school boys and their ordinary lives.

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Tantei Opera Milky Holmes 2

Synopsis: The second season of the series follows four popular students of the Holmes Detective Academy. The group is known in the city as Milky Holmes, and is respected for their ability to solve cases.
Genre: Comedy/Mystery
Release Date: 5 January 2012
Studio: JC Staff
Official site: milky-holmes.com

Yet another one of JC Staff’s rather incredible line up of series this season, although as much as I like JC Staff’s work in general, I’m not entirely sure this particular series is going to be my cup of tea. It’s a little bunch of girls running around solving mysteries, using tools that grant them powers. I’ll keep an eye on general feedback however, and make a slightly more informed decision later down the line. Haven’t been able to track down a PV for this one.

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Rinne no Lagrange

Synopsis: The series follows 17-year old Kyounou Madoka, a pleasant girl who likes to help people who are in trouble. Aiding her in her efforts is a large robot knows as Woks. Amongst the troubles she’s aiding people with are a bunch of invading aliens.
Genre: Sci-fi/Comedy/Action
Release Date: 8 January 2012 (12 Episodes)
Studio: Production IG
Official site: lag-rin.com

High-school kids with giant robots are a staple of anime, so I don’t suppose we’re going to be rid of them anytime soon. All the same, while there looks to be some fighting and so on involved, I don’t see the series taking itself as seriously as say, Macross or Gundam – it’s only got 12 episodes after all. Production IG is in charge here, so I’m relatively certain the production values are going to be of a pretty high standard. There do seem to be some whispers of a second season already, but I haven’t been able to confirm.

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Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki

Synopsis: A slice-of-life story about the Sato family and their rather rotund feline family-member, Poyo.
Genre: Slice-of-life
Release Date: 8 January 2012
Studio: DAX Entertainment
Official site: www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/poyo

It’s going to revolve around the cat. I just know it. Also, looking at the airing time (early on Sunday mornings) means this is probably squarely aimed at the kids – so I can’t gather the energy at this point to go look for a PV or come up with an opinion. You can shoot me later if I’m wrong :p

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