Japanator's Spring '10 preview, part 4

10:00 PM on 03.28.2010   |   Brad Rice

And here we are, at the end of our Spring 2010 preview. It's been a long and tiring road, with quite a few shows that I'm sure you're looking forward to. And many more that you probably are never going to watch. Like K-ON!!, even though we'll be talking about it non-stop here.

I'll just apologize in advance.

So, with this final batch, the shortlist looks like this: SD Gundam Sangokushi, Senko no Night Raid, Betrayal Knows My Name, Working!! and Yojo-han Shinwa Taikei.

Take a look at part 1, part 2 and part 3 to see if there's anything you missed, and enjoy the show!

SD Gundam Sangokushi
Studio: Sunrise (Every Gundam ever)
Director: Kenichi Suzuki (Gundam Evolve)
Air Date: April 3, 2010

Normally, this item would not be on our list. The show amounts to nothing more than a franchising opportunity with the already popular line of SD Gundam figures. We have standards after all. But it appears Tim Sheehy doesn't, since he readily volunteered to watch this.

The plot is the beaten-to-death story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but this time all the characters are super-deformed Gundams! Oh joy!

Tim, I hope you enjoy this show, and I expect you to write an Annotated Anime for it every week.

Senko no Night Raid
Studio: A-1 Pictures (Kannagi, Big Windup)
Director: Jun Matsumoto (Persona: Trinity Soul)
Air Date: April 6, 2010

The second series in "The Power of Anime" presentation that's going on (So Ra No Wo To was the first, if that's a warning flag for anyone), this is a series about Japanese spies in China during World War II. The series revolves around a spy organization, and how they were buried in history.

So, Japan is tackling it's wartime history? Oh, this is going to be good. There's no way that they can avoid the field of landmines that is going to be this topic. So, it'll be interesting to see how much the story interacts with the setting it's in, or if they'll just try to breeze over it as much as possible. 

Ben Huber will be tackling this one.

Uragiri wa boku no name wo shitte iru (Betrayal Knows My Name)
Studio: J.C. Staff (Hatsukoi Limited, Hayate the Combat Butler)
Director: Katsushi Sakurabi (Tsukihime, Gunparade March)
Air Date: April 12, 2010

Our protagonist here is a boy who can sense peoples' feelings just by touching them. Exciting, isn't it? Well, what can you expect when the kid is found in a bush as a baby. I can't say that the series really sparks any particular interest, but Karen Gellender is all over it.

This is yet another J.C. Staff show, which at this point, I must admit I have my doubts as to the quality of this one. The plot seems a little shaky, with the big mystery being a guy claiming to be the protagonist's older brother suddenly showing up, and the cast doesn't titillate me.

Working!!
Studio: A-1 Pictures (So Ra No Wo To, Valkyria Chronicles)
Director: Yoshimasa Hiraike (Solty Rei, SaiKano)
Air Date: April 4, 2010

With a preview episode already out, we already have a good idea as to what Working!! will be like. Essentially we have a protagonist who is now working part-time at a restaurant filled with a cast of hilarious (not especially) co-workers and their everyday adventures. Think K-ON!, but with food.

Of course, each of the girls working there fall into different moe types, and the protagonist, with his fetish for cute things, is sure to fall in love at some point. Still, it's an enjoyable show for those just looking for a laugh.

Expect Colette Bennett to be tackling this one.

Yojo-han Shinwa Taikei
Studio: Madhouse (Death Note, Black Lagoon)
Director: Masaaki Yuasa (Mind Game, Kaiba)
Air Date: April 22, 2010

One of the oddest tales, this one follows a third-year college student through some rather odd experiences. Coming from the director of Kaiba, I really can't say what we'll be getting from this -- but what we'll be getting will undoubtedly be good.

Sadly, I can't pitch it to you much better, but check out the promo trailer. Until then, wait for Karen Gellender to cover the show.