The title is a multi-meaning pun on the abbreviation for mayonnaise chicken, and also for the term “lost sheep” (mayoeru hitsuji), so Mayochiki! is short for Mayoeru Shitsuji to Chikin Yarou (Lost Butler and the Chicken Dude).

Based on a light novel by Asano Hajime (with illustrations by Kikuchi Seiji), it’s the story of a young man named Sakamachi Kinjirou who’s just going through his own average life with his own problems when he bumps into Konoe Subaru by accident in the boy’s bathroom at school. Which would be no big deal under normal circumstances, except that… Subaru is a girl, but no one is supposed to know. (The novel won Media Factory’s Rookie of the Year Award in 2009.)

Konoe Subaru, as drawn by Kikuchi Seiji for the cover of Mayochiki! volume 1.

The cast includes Hino Satoshi (Saito in the Zero series) as Kinjirou, Iguchi Yuuka (Index) as Subaru, Kitamura Eri (Sayaka in Madoka Magica) as Subaru’s mistress Suzutsuki Kanade, and Hanazawa Kana (Kuroneko in Oreimo) as Kinjirou’s little sister Kureha. The animation studio is feel (Yosuga no Sora, Fortune Arterial) and the director is Kawaguchi Keiichirou (Zettai Karen Children, Hayate no Gotoku).

I have some hopes for this one, as I’ve read the first novel and it’s decently entertaining (if not terribly original). The voice casting seems like a stretch, it’s as if they’re trying to cast everyone against type to see how well they can do. But I guess we’ll see for sure when it hits the screen, which should be some time in July.

All Kuroneko, all the time.

There’s also a preview up on the official site. I will update this post when I am able to embed the preview.

Learn English, the Haruhi way!

The new book (technically books, since there are two volumes) takes the text from the very first Haruhi light novel and gives it a full English translation, with explanations for more difficult English phrases.

Haruhi secures club room, and Nagato.

Of course, this is not the first time a company has mixed English and anime/manga characters. Several years ago, Kodansha released bilingual versions of popular manga such as GTO and Card Captor Sakura. These books were fully translated into English, with the Japanese text off to the side.

Cover for Moetan 3... wait, they made three of these?

And some of you might remember a book series called Moetan, which was turned into an anime series in 2007. Not to mention Pixel Maritan, which used English text from sources like the movie Full Metal Jacket.

I’m never going to run out of Weird Wednesday material, am I?

SKET (Support, Kindness, Encouragement, Troubleshoot) Brigade. No actual dancing.

SKET Dance (streaming at Crunchyroll) is a pretty entertaining show about a group of high school students who are… well, basically they’re handymen. They take on jobs that no one else wants to do. I guess you could call it sort of a detective-themed show, with a case or two per week. This was actually from the first week, but got buried. It airs in prime time for kids (6 PM JST on Thursdays), so no naughty stuff and not much violence.

A guy, four girls, and a bunch of guns. What could go wrong?

Hidan no Aria (English title, Aria the Scarlet Ammo) is a fast-paced action love comedy based on a light novel by Akamatsu Chuugaku. In fact, the pacing and comedy remind me a bit of last season’s Infinite Stratos. (It’s not exactly a coincidence that Akamatsu and IS author Yumizuru Izuru know each other, and were recently interviewed together on the official IS and Aria web pages.) The difference? The main male lead is not a doofus… at least, not all the time. I had a lot of fun with the first episode, and I’ll be keeping an eye on this.

Six friends, growing up together, then growing apart.

Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi ha Mada Shiranai (a title so long that everyone calls it “Anohana”) is an original anime project by director Nagai Tatsuyuki (Toradora, Railgun), scriptwriter Okada Mari (Rosenmaiden), and character designer Tanaka Masayoshi (Toradora, Highschool of the Dead). It starts off a bit slowly, but then as more of the backstory gets revealed we start to understand why things are the way they are. There’s potential here, if you have the patience to follow it through.

Erio, shes weirder than she looks.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko is based on a light novel by Iruma Hitoma. The main character, Makoto, just wants to have the regular kind of youth (“seishun”) that you see in manga and anime – hanging out with friends, going out with girls, stuff like that. He even keeps track of it with his “seishun points”. He thinks things will get better when his parents are going overseas and he moves in with his aunt in a big city (which looks suspiciously like Nagoya, where I lived for 3 years). However, things never quite go as planned, and his cousin Erio is the main reason why: she’s weird. Very weird. One of the Japanese terms for this is “denpa” (literally, radio waves), which refers to the thought that some people are receiving signals that no one else can hear. It’s an interesting concept, but the first episode is a bit on the slow side with a lot of exposition and not much else. I do want to see where it’s going and how the other characters fit in, so I’ll keep watching it for the time being.

Rin and Yukio, twins. Really.

Ao no Exorcist (streaming at Crunchyroll as “Blue Exorcist“) starts off as the story of Okamura Rin, a hard-luck 15-year old boy who lives at a church. He hates school, he can’t seem to hold a job, and his younger twin brother seems to be better at everything. The priest who took him in as a child knows something that he doesn’t though. Based on a shounen manga by Katou Kazue, it’s a supernatural violent action thriller-type show (it airs at 5PM on Sundays, though, so violent but not gory).

Its not just a jail.

Deadman Wonderland (streaming at Crunchyroll) is set in a dystopian near-future. Ganta, the main character, is framed for a brutal mass murder and sent to jail with a death sentence. Not just any jail – Deadman Wonderland, which doubles as an amusement park. There he meets the mysterious Shiro, who seems to know him. Based on a shounen manga by Kataoka Jinsei and Kondou Kazuma (who also collaborated on the Eureka Seven manga), it’s shaping up to be a violent adventure with a lot of secrets to be unraveled.

Kimimaro and Mashu from C: CONTROL

Finally, [C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control (streaming at Funimation as “[C] CONTROL“) is an original anime project from rookie director Nakamura Kenji and scriptwriter Takagi Noboru (Baccano). The theme is money in the future, but there is a bit of a “Summer Wars” vibe going on. The virtual world is called “Kinyuugai” (“Financial District”) instead of Oz, but the visuals are similarly surreal and fantastic. The main character, Kimimaro, is in need of some money (who doesn’t?) to get him through college, and through a series of events gets invited into the Financial District world. The first episode just gives a brief taste of what’s going on, and leaves you with a whole host of questions.

So, that’s the new spring 2011 lineup. There’s pretty much something for everyone there, I think. Have you decided what you’re going to watch and what you’re going to skip?

MixxZine issue 3. If it wasnt already a collectors item...

Later they changed their name to Tokyopop, and expanded into publishing standalone manga paperbacks. They’ve had a checkered history with fans, but the main draw was always the content. Titles like Fruits Basket, Cowboy Bebop, and Cardcaptor Sakura were brought over and translated (some would say adapted) for English-speaking audiences.

Fruits Basket, one of Tokyopops most popular titles.

They had a penchant for branching out into new areas. They started publishing original English-language manga-style comics. They published Korean manhwa. They even started a reality show called “America’s Greatest Otaku” (streaming on Hulu).

However, earlier this year, it became clear that Tokyopop’s days were numbered. They laid off most of the editorial and management staff in February and March. Much of this was put into motion by Borders’ bankruptcy and liquidation in February, as a major retail partner was now gone.

Outspoken founder Stu Levy posted a note on the Tokyopop website recounting the company’s history (from his perspective). The Germany-based publishing operations will remain, as well as the film and TV divisions.

Will we remember Tokyopop fondly? What do you think?

High School DxD's girls, as drawn by Miyama Zero.

Written by Ishibumi Ichiei and illustrated by Miyama Zero, High School DxD is the story of a regular boy who, through various circumstances, ends up as the demon servant to the president of the Occult Club.

Main characters in High School DxD, clockwise from top left: Akeno, Rias, Yuuto, Koneko, Arshia, Issei.

The characters all have chess piece rank designations, from pawn (the demon servant boy, Hyoudou Issei) to queen (club vice president Himejima Akeno) to king (club president Rias Gremory).

Additional information, minor details such as staff, cast, and air dates, will be announced at a later time.

If you thought it couldn't get more surreal...

In this week’s Young Gangan magazine, Square Enix and AUTB Partners announced the production schedule, as well as the actors playing Nino and Riku. There’s an official teaser website as well. Pics of the cast after the break.

Kiritani Mirei, Hayashi Kento as Nino and Riku.

Kiritani Mirei, primarily a fashion model, plays Nino. Up-and-coming actor Hayashi Kento plays Riku. In the next issue of Young Gangan, due out in 2 weeks, they promise to announce more of the cast.

Sister, from Arakawa Under the Bridge

What I want to know is, who plays Sister? Wait, maybe I don’t want to know.

Akechi Mitsuhide, Date Masamune, Oda Nobunaga, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Historic Japanese figures, all of them. Look it up.

Sengoku Otome: Momoiro Paradox (streaming on Crunchyroll as “Battle Girls – Time Paradox“) knows its audience: People who know their history and are into cute girls portraying versions of the historical figures, much like Samurai Girls or Battle Vixens. Sengoku Otome is not (yet) as blatant as those two. It’s based on a series of characters from pachinko games instead of a manga or novel, so I’m not expecting much from the storyline.

Yuuko, Nagi, Tooru, and Run from A-Channel.

A-Channel is the heartwarming story of a girl and her friends. Well, it’s almost that simple. The girl (Run, pronounced somewhat like “rune”) is popular with boys but totally airheaded, and one of her friends (Tooru) is overly protective of her. Tooru is also a year younger, and is pretty unsociable without Run. From a 4-panel comic by Kurota bb, it seems to be kind of a daily-life style lightly humorous school comedy. Like K-On! without the music.

30sai no Hoken Taiiku (Health Class for 30-year-olds) is a short, 15-minute anime that is basically sex ed for the otaku set, with varying degrees of embarrassing situations. However, the humor didn’t click for me, probably because it was hammering on the same kind of joke over and over. Maybe it’ll get better, I don’t know.

Kampfer, for the love of...

Kämpfer für die Liebe (Fighter for Love) is a continuation of 2009′s Kämpfer anime. I say “continuation” loosely because the first episode aired was actually episode 2 of the second season, and because the story is not really why anyone who’s still watching it is still watching it. Everyone’s back, and they’re adding a character or two, but it’s basically the same thing.

And you could say the same about Maria Holic Alive, the continuation of 2009′s Maria Holic. A girl who’s allergic to boys transfers to an all-girl’s school, where she’s roomed up with the only boy. Hijinks ensue. Lots and lots of hijinks. Pretty much all hijinks all the time.

Junior high girls soft tennis club!

Softenni! is the story of a junior high girls soft tennis club. (Soft tennis has the same rules as tennis, but with soft, rubbery balls instead of the regulation balls with fabric on the outside.) It’s based on a seinen manga by Azuchi Ryou. There’s a lot of fanservice and physical humor, but the voice cast (led by Itou Kanae, Kitamura Eri, Itou Shizuka) and art are pretty strong.

Yondemasuyo, Azazel-san is another seinen manga conversion. It’s a 15-minute anime about a detective who uses demons to do his work. In particular, a foul-mouthed demon named Azazel who specializes in sexual harrassment. The humor was pretty crude for my tastes, and I didn’t like the character designs much, and this season is so full of other stuff to watch that I’ll probably pass on watching more of this.

Hen-Semi joins the crowd of 15-minute-long seinen manga conversions. It follows a college girl named Matsutaka (played by Hanazawa Kana) who joins a seminar on abnormal physiology because there’s a boy (Ishida Akira) she likes there. Of course, everyone in the seminar, including the boy she likes, exhibits extreme abnormal behavior in one way or another. It’s amusing, but probably low on the priority scale.

Boy meets boy, boy loses boy, etc.

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi (streaming on Crunchyroll as “World’s Greatest First Love“) starts off with a high school boy confessing his love to another high school boy. You’d think this should tell you right off whether this show is for you or not, but (maybe) you’d be wrong. After that we end up 10 years later, where the boy is now a man starting work at a publishing house to work on shoujo manga. It’s entertaining in its own way, and might keep the attention of people who don’t usually watch boy’s love stories.

Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream (previewed earlier) is pretty much as expected: a show for tween girls, with ice skating, fashion, and trinkets that I’m sure you could conveniently buy at your local accessory shop. Well, if you were in Japan at least. There are even live action segments with real live tween girls displaying the fashions and trinkets.

Astarotte no Omocha (previewed here and here, and streaming on Crunchyroll as “Astarotte’s Toy“) also delivers on expectations. Astarotte (who is called by that name once at the beginning, then after that only by her nickname Rotte) is a 10-year-old succubus princess who needs the, um, life seed of men if she is to survive to adulthood. The problem is, she hates men. Hijinks ensue, but the pacing is not as crazy as it could be. Might be worth watching just for the high-powered cast (Kugimiya Rie, Tamura Yukari, Horie Yui, Satou Rina, and Nabatame Hitomi).

Ibuki, Ui, and Madoka from Hoshizora he Kakaru Hashi.

Hoshizora he Kakaru Hashi (streaming on Crunchyroll as “A Bridge to the Starry Skies“) is the story of a boy moving back to the small backwater town he used to live in, with his sickly little brother. If that reminds you of the setting for Yosuga no Sora, well, it pretty much ends there. It’s based on a visual novel game, and it’s pretty light-hearted so far. And yes, there’s an app for that.

The World God Only Knows, this time with more tsundere.

Finally (and thank you for getting this far), Kami Nomi Zo Shiru Sekai II (streaming on Crunchyroll as “The World God Only Knows“) picks up exactly where the first season left off last year. This season starts off with Koshimizu Ami as Kasuga Kusunoki, the captain of the karate club. I’m a fan of the manga, so this is a must-watch for me. (Side note, the end card for the first episode was by Uro Tanomi, which is a psuedonym for Mino Tarou, the character designer for Love Plus.)

Would you believe there’s still more left for the spring season? I didn’t even watch Sket Dance, Jewel Pet Sunshine, Dororon Enma-kun, Heugemono, Yugioh Zexal, Seikon no Qwaser II, or Tono to Issho, all of which have aired. And there are several more new shows that still haven’t aired yet. Feel free to tell me what you think of those, or any of the shows I did cover, in the comments below.

Persona 4 The Animation. The title pretty much says it all.

The most recent announcement, via a teaser website, was Persona 4 The Animation, based on the game of the same name. The cast stays the same as the game as well. Animation production will be done by AIC Asta (Sora no Otoshimono series), and the director is Kishi Seiji (Angel Beats!).

Cube, Cursed, and Curious.

Over the weekend, Starchild announced C3 (pronounced “see cube”), which stands for Cube, Cursed, and Curious. (This announcement was first done via their email magazine, then a website showed up the next day.) Based on a light novel by Minase Hazuki (currently at 11 volumes), it’s the heartwarming story of a boy and the cursed cube named Fear that takes the form of a little girl. Animation production will be by Silver Link, and direction by Oonuma Shin (both known for the BakaTest series).

The third season is coming! The third season is coming!

Finally, Hata Kenjiro, the manga artist of Hayate the Combat Butler, casually mentioned on his twitter account that the third season of the anime should be coming out after the movie, which is due out in the summer. Since this is the first semi-official notice of more Hayate anime, I think it’s safe to think that he’s got some inside info. We can wait in expectancy, can’t we?

Homura and Madoka, together again...?

The broadcast of episode 11 had been delayed due to the massive earthquake and tsunami last month, and no additional word on the delay came until today.

Animation production company Shaft has had issues with timeliness before, in particular with web episodes of Bakemonogatari that were delayed for months.

11 more days for more Madoka.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is the most-talked about anime of 2011, setting the record for most discussion threads on the Japanese BBS 2ch (previously held by The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya).