This is eMagi’s roundup of the anime fall season for 2008! The way we have done this is like a roundtable where our staff all gather around and give our brief viewpoints about the given titles of which will hopefully help you decide if they are worth watching for you. Due to the sheer number of shows being released, it will be broken into parts to make it easier to digest. The information such as the summary and details have been taken from various sources like ANN, AniDB and other blogs, so full credit goes to them. So let’s the show rolling!
Vampire Knight Guilty
Details
Number of episodes: 13
Website: http://www.vampire-knight.jp/
Japanese Air Date: October
Animation Company: Studio Deen (Fate/Stay Night, Simoun)
Seiyuu: Mamoru Miyano, Yui Horie
Summary
Second season of Vampire Knight. After the death of Shizuka Hio in the first season, Yuuki, Zero and Kiryuu will be faced with a greater threat to their life.
Yuki’s earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, wherein she was attacked by a vampire… And then rescued by another. Now 10 years later, Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her savior, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. But also at her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend who’s hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear, is now determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions. Is Kaname’s infatuation with Yuki the beginning of a forbidden romance, or is it something in her forgotten past that draws him to her. Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. And the price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death.
Vampire Knight Guilty Trailer
Bon: I follow the manga of VK so I know pretty much what to expect from Vampire Knight Guilty. I’m more likely to watch Guilty all in one big sitting once it has finished airing.
TaroTard: The manga of the series is very good, in my opinion. I watched the first couple of eps of the first series but wasn’t as excited about it, it seemed to be lacking something the manga had. Mystery and excitement… I dunno. Some of the character were fiddled with a bit including my favourite character too the vice president of the vampire school.
I must say the trailer did look rather impressive, very well done unlike a couple of the others I have watched today, it actually looked like it was trying to sell itself. Liked the music it inspires me to watch it again, but we’ll see =D
Chiisuki: I watched the first season, didn’t really think that much of it, the visual style was nice but it was just too damn dull without enough drama or romance to really keep me interested. I’ll probably watch a few episodes to see if there are any improvements but I’m not expecting much.
NeoBlade: Must admit I must be one of the very few who are not enthused about this series. I watched two episodes of the first season and it wasn’t good enough for me to carry on. I can see how it would appeal to fans with the usual pretty boys but I’ll skip this as its not gritty and dark enough for my tastes.
Gundam 00 Season 2
Details
Number of episodes:
Website: http://www.gundam00.net/
Japanese Air Date: October 5
Animation Company: Sunrise
Seiyuu: Mamoru Miyano, Hiroshi Kamiya
Summary
The sequel to Gundam 00. Here’s the synopsis for the first season.
2312 A.D. Four years have passed since the final battle between Celestial Being and the UN Forces. Humanity, after having established the Earth Sphere Federation, forms an independent security force, Arrows, separate from the formal Federation army to further unify nations and the will of mankind. But the reality is the inhumane oppression of anti-government powers, doctrines, and ideologies in the name of unity. Setsuna F. Seiei, after surviving the battle four years ago, has decided to once again fight with his Gundam.
Gundam 00 Trailer
Bon: Definitely watching this. Because I’m a sucker and it has the name ‘Gundam’ it automatically becomes better than average to me. I need my dose of Shonen pewpew mecha to balance out all the other stuff I watch happy.gif Season 1 was pretty good too, since they didn’t make the Gundams near invicible like in the latest few Gundam series (Wing/Seed/Seed Destiny) and actually vunerable to strength in numbers.
TaroTard: I only watched ep 1 of the first series at an anime event so unless I watch the rest of that series prolly won’t get around to this one tongue.gif When I watched the first ep of series 1 I wasn’t really grabbed I remember thinking it lacked the strong human element that was in Destiny, it seemed more like Wing. But after seeing that trailer there does seem to be a human side to it so maybe at some point I’ll get around to actually watching the first series ^^
Chiisuki: I don’t like mecha unless it has yuri with it enough said I’m afraid, I’m going to give this one a huge miss. All yours guys wink.gif
NeoBlade: Certainly watching this as I loved season one! It has plenty of characterisation in the series with a few twists thrown in, showing much more of the gritty and darker side of war and the effects it has on the population and the world around them. Also like Bon said, each Gundam and pilot has their own story, strengths and weaknesses all exposed in a massive melting pot as they each stand to decide for themselves and their own sense of justice.
The last few episodes of Gundam 00 were gripping and was left on a real cliffhanger, I just hope now that this season carries on in the same tradition mixing politics, action and drama while not leaving the climax in the last two or so episodes a-la Gundam Seed Destiny where everything was rushed.
Rosario to Vampire CAPU2
Details
Number of episodes: 13
Website: http://www.rosa-vam.com/
Japanese Air Date: October
Animation Company: Gonzo (Last Exile, Witchblade)
Seiyuu: Daisuke Kishio, Rie Kugimiya, Nana Mizuki
Summary
It’s the sequel of Rosario + Vampire, based on a shounen manga by Ikeda Akihisa, serialised in Monthly Shounen Jump.
By a bizzare coincidence, Aono Tsukune has accidentally gotten himself admitted to a youkai acadamy, a school attended by monsters. Just when he thinks he’ll run away from there, he meets the beautiful girl Moka and his mood turns ultra happy. However, she transforms into her true form when the rosary on her chest is taken off, she’s a super vampire!
Rosario to Vampire CAPU2 Trailer
NeoBlade: Now I have seen parts of Season One of this and it was entertaining in parts… If you love ecchi! There is certainly plenty of that about in this and fanservice but I found the plot and storyline rather bland and characterisation lacking… Maybe I am looking at the wrong thing for such an anime? 
Bon: The first season of Rosario was pretty painful to watch through. The service was done badly, there was just way too much panty shots and no moe-ness. I heard that the manga was much much better than the anime adaptation, and I’m pretty put off the second season because of the experience of the first - the trailer didn’t really help to point out that anything had improved. If anything I’m more likely to pick up the manga from the beginning.
TaroTard: HAHA so this is eicchi and no storyline then? I was willing to put up with the eicchi because it looked interesting but if it lacks storyline then I think I’ll give it a pass as eicchi isn’t my cup of tea >P
Chiisuki: Ooo ‘Vampires, werewolves and pantsu’ is back 
this will be worth a giggle. I’m guessing this one is following the second series of manga when Moka’s little sister starts school and causes complete havoc. I have to watch it the last season had me in fits of giggles last time and I do like vampire Moka
NeoBlade: We’ll leave this series to you then Sarah! Haha, yeah I’ll be giving this a miss since while there isn’t anything wrong with a little ecchi (most anime series have it thesedays) I like something more substantial in the storyline to hold it all in place unless I just treat it as filler for when I’m bored.
Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka
Details
Number of episodes:
Website: http://www.mmv.co.jp/special/akasaka/
Japanese Air Date: October
Animation Company:TNK (Lovedol ~Lovely Idol~, Kannazuki no Miko)
Seiyuu: Rie Kugimiya, Aya Hirano
Summary
Adaptation of Feng’s 2007 eroge.
The story centers around a boy named Jun-ichi Nagase at a prestigious academy, and a female transfer student named Yuuhi Katagiri — who just happens to be Jun-ichi’s fiancée, as arranged by his family.
Akane Iro ni Somaru Saka Trailer
Bon: Haha, this looks like a typical show I would watch as a weekly ‘filler’ material to alleviate boredom. Eroge/H-game anime adaptations are generally pretty fun watches for me; as long as they don’t go over the top on fan service. Hirano Aya is always a plus
TaroTard: Meh I probably won’t bother this it looks far too harem-esque and fan-service to me not my cup of tea ta, one for the male population and women into their eicchi I guess. Enjoy guys ^^
Chiisuki: Haha ooo an eroge adaption, one of my guilty pleasures I do love a good fanservice show all be it to fill time and give me a good giggle, so I’ll probably watch the first few episodes. Plus with Haruhi’s Aya Hirano how could I not give it a try
NeoBlade: Screams filler to me so will hold out on what I think until I’ve seen the first episode or so. Not sure what else to add since for me a lot of this season screams filler also. It all pales in comparison of the mighty Gundam 00
Part 2 will follow tomorrow with each part coming daily until we cover all the series coming out!
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