It's that time of year where there are lots of new shows starting up in Japan. Here's a quick rundown of my thoughts on a few of them.

• Aria - The Natural - I know this isn't technically a new show, but the second season has started out quite nicely and by the second episode they've already done one of my favorite stories from the manga.

• Simoun - After one episode I rate this interesting w/potential. So far we've just got the slightest introduction to the story. But the animation is quite nice. The music is wonderful (includes some Bach I've heard). Yuri content. I can't wait to see more story.

• xxxHolic - One of my favorite CLAMP mangas finally gets its own series. So far I dig it, but will still wait to see how other characters are portrayed and stories are presented. Hopefully will be better than Reservoir Chronicle was

• Disgaea - Based on a PS2 game of the same name. This looks to be a fairly kid-centric telling of the story. Art and Voices seem to match the game. I'll have to look and see if the voices are the same. Not sure if I'll keep watching for long, but seems decent enough

• Strawberry Panic - Imagine Marimite, now suck out everything that was good about it. I always got a warm happy feeling when I watched it (well, except when it made me cry like a baby). This feels like an attempt to cash in on the popularity of it. There are high school girls, there is a yuri vibe, there is no heart. Next!

• Air Gear - Feels like a typical shounen series. Though I found myself drawn into it quite a bit as I watched. Kids with motorized inline skates who compete against each other for status. A fun looking series. I'll keep checking it out for an episode or two more.

That's it for now. Next time up I'll talk about Ouran High School Host Club, NANA, KIBA, Zegapain, Soul Link, and Utawarerumono.