Yuuki wants to know more about her true family and her forgotten past. The secret will be revealed. Yuki, Kaname and Zero will see the beginning of a new mystery and a forbidden love. (ann)

If you enjoyed the first series at all, you'll love the second. I've read the blood- and lust-drenched shoujo manga and I was shocked (in a good way) by the part to be covered in the anime. Yes, there is angst. Yes there is fighting. Yes, there is romance. Yes, there is a lot more secret lust and open blood. Great cast. Directed by woman director Sayama Kiyoko, and adapted by Okada Mari (true tears) from the manga.

Another anime it is very hard to predict. Writer Aikawa Shou is a top hand, having been series story editor for Fullmetal Alchemist and having written Oh! Edo Rocket and maybe even Simoun (under a pseudonym). The extremely gory manga has apparently been toned down for TV. Director Murata Masahiko did Gilgamesh and Night Head Genesis.

The lead seiyuu are Akiyama Nana, a young actress, model, and singer; and Nakamura Chise, an actress and gravure idol. It will be interesting to hear how actresses not trained as seiyuu do. It worked for the two main guys in Bokura ga Ita. OP by angela.

A funny manga and an excellent cast, with a director and writer who don't have enough of a track record to be predictable. The comic involves four girls, each amusingly loopy in her own way. Director Fukuda Michio did storyboards for everything from Ayakashi Ayashi to PaniPoni Dash. Writer Tomizawa Yoshihiko created Onmyou Taisenki and did the script for Starship Operators.

Hirano Aya certainly gets my attention, but so do Orikasa Fumiko, Kuwashima Houko, and Neya Michiko (Riza Hawkeye in FMA). These people could create great characters together. And this show marks a kind of return to the limelight for seiyuu Ochiai Yurika, who is most famous so far for ToHeart2, a heartbreaking personal blog updated several times a day, and an enormous number of posts about her on 2channel.

Unlike most of the previous Fist of the North Star animes, this story focuses not on the protagonist Kenshiro, but on the early life of his oldest brother and frequent enemy, Raoh. (ann)

The attractions here are writer Ohnogi Hiroshi (Noein, Aquarion, Birdy), who did the adaptation from the manga, and a cast including Nakahara Mai and Suwabe Junichi, with top sound director Aketagawa Jin directing them.

High-school freshman Nimura Kensuke has the ability to see ghosts, and his life changes when he meets Kagura, a girl with the power to summon a "Ga-Rei" ("eating spirit") called Byakuei. The two work together to find evil spirits and devour them with the Ga-Rei. (ann) From a manga.

Writer Takayama Katsuhiko adapted both Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora and ef-a tale of memories, so he is the number one draw to this show for me. Kitamura Eri plays the lead, and I look forward to that, too. From a manga.

Takumi is a high school student who is withdrawn and not interested in anything outside the 2D world. Serial murders have his town in an uproar. One day, when he is chatting on the internet, a man suddenly contacts him and gives him a URL. He finds a blog image at the site that suggests the next murder…which then really happens. (ann)

Shounen supernatural mystery adventure from Madhouse, directed by the director of the excellent family show Otogijushi Akazukin, and adapted by the writer who adapted Death Note. Starring KitaEri and Yoshino Hiroyuki, backed by a great supporting cast. From an interactive novel.

Casshern is about a cyborg who rises against the robotic armies that have subjugated all of humanity. (ann)

Madhouse is doing a total of five shows this season. This one is directed by the director of some Dragonball movies and Xenosaga, which doesn’t seem promising, but written by the writer of Shakugan no Shana, Witchblade, and Claymore. And that does seem promising.

A veteran cast includes Furuya Tohru, Chou, and Yajima Akiko. Remake of an older anime.