@Shadowmage
Yeah, there’s not a great deal on offer, but I’ve liked what’s been there. It’s crazy how few anime there are this season, and, from what I’ve seen, there could be even fewer next season. Perhaps the bubble has “burst”, but that could be a good thing if it means studios are putting more effort into making fewer series that are better.

@Kavik Ryx
Someone’s gotta do the dirty work. Tell us all about it if you can keep your sanity.

@TIF
I’m so tempted right now to force you to write the first thoughts article for next season…

@Shinmaru
I think Ookamikakushi could be the sleeper hit in all of those. Ryukishi07 is a proven author and he’s shown he can put together incredibly elaborate mysteries that are atmospheric, but still manage to hold water at the end. It’s just up to the director and creative staff to make it work as an anime.

Vampire Bund has been pretty meh for me, but in an enjoyably bad kind of way, although I do agree with you that the television stuff in the first episode is actually good. But it’s downhill from that first episode. Ookamikakushi is starting to hit its stride (hopefully), though the episodes are still quite goofy overall.

Sora no Woto: They have me more interested in how screwed over the backdrop world is and after four episodes, they’re definitely not shying away from the moe, but it really isn’t anything more than a superficial attempt at pandering. There’s more here, but we have to go through the motions first in order to create an emotional attachment. So I’ll stay interested and when the shit hits the fan, it’ll be that much more interesting.

Durarara!!: Having not watched Baccano! first, this is coming off as a huge breath of fresh air for me. I have started watching Baccano! because of this, so I can definitely see the similarities. There’s an interesting mix of the fantastic and the familiar here, and everywhere there seems to also be a mix of the whimsical and the sinister. I can’t tell if this tale is supposed to be one of dangerous people in a dangerous town, or that danger isn’t as obvious as you think it is.

Dance in the Vampire Bund: Three episodes in and I’m not sure I get it, nor like it. Vampire stories are generally not my thing to begin with, so it takes some special care to make me stay interested. Shaft has done a vampire story before that kept me glued (Tsukuyomi – Moon Phase), but so far this one seems to be more subtext than anything. I’ll keep watching it.

Ookami Kakushi: Enjoying so far, even if it’s corny. The Peach-Pit character designs have me fantasizing that Hinamori Amu will show up somehow, but I’m not holding my breath. The brother-next-door was disturbing me from the get go, so it’s perfectly okay he turns out to be a pedophile. Not sure really what to think of this one as it is moving along at a snail’s pace. I’m okay with that, as long as the payoff is good.

Hanamaru Kindergarten: Y’know, I was hoping we’d get to see more Potemayo. I don’t really know what to say about this one so far. It’s adorable and innocent. Cute, not pedo. The sacchrine will probably give me diabeetus eventually, but so far it’s not boring.

Seikon no Qwasar: Dropped faster than dark matter into a fucking black hole. Yeah, I could have used a qwasar joke, but why? Why? “Why?” is what I have been asking since I watched the first episode. Why, God?

Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu: I don’t get it. My initial reaction is “they’re trying too hard”, but at what? Are they trying too hard to be funny? To do a rom-com? To do social commentary on the importance of testing? I just don’t get it.

Omamori Himari: Degraded into a moe-harem way too fucking fast for my tastes. There’s a decent approach here to the idea behind demons and humans warring with each other that seems to smack more of demon oppression than simple “good vs. evil” motif. That they’re wasting more time with the fanservice bologna instead of remaining focused upon the overarching plot idea is irritating. It’s not irritating because they’re doing this, it’s irritating because it’s almost expected and acceptable at this point that you can’t possibly focus on a plot when there’s bullshit to throw around instead. In other words, what we have here is another victim of the modern fanbase and it’s retarded demands. Because moe and fanservice get the bucks, the story gets shat on harder than Cyclops in X-Men 3. Hell, it’s not even good fanservice now that the cat-girl has stopped going for Master’s cock.

Ladies vs. Butlers: About as run-of-the-mill as run-of-the-mill fanservice / moe shows go. So far there isn’t even one remotely interesting thing to talk about. I’m still watching it because apparently I’m a glutton for punishment. Also, it’s somehow less offensive than Qwaser.

Chu-Bra: Pedo, not cute. Though, honestly, I have to give someone props for having the balls to make a blatant underwear fetish show. Then to make it with middle school girls just becomes the icing on the cake. So why am I not fapping to this with all the vigor of a puppy on a pile of towels? It’s got all the appropriate fap material here… but it’s just so fucking educational. I mean, I find myself actually learning something in every episode. Was women’s underwear always this complex? I throw on a pair of boxers and I’m good to go. Must be a good thing being a guy. I really can’t figure out if this is supposed to be a giant underwear catalogue for young girls or the Japanese Ministry of Comforting and Supportive Undergarment’s public service announcement about fittings. My world has been turned upside down. What should be pedestrian and familiar is weird and confusing and that makes me angry.

That’s about all I’ve seen. I haven’t seen any of the Hidamari Sketches or the Nodame Contabiles, so why start now?

Durarara!! is just great, right from the first episode. It’s like Baccano, yet it knows how to be different from it too.

@zzeroparticle
You really didn’t miss much last season. My favourite anime from last season was pretty much Railgun, which I think says everything. (Although I did fall way behind on Aoi Bungaku, and I must catch up).

@Akira
Another thing that really interests me about Sora no Woto that I didn’t mention in the article because I ran out of time to do so, is its timeslot. I really like the idea of Anime no Chikara, and if it’s handled correctly, it could be just as successful and (arguably) important to anime as Noitamina. I’ve always wanted to see more anime-originals, and that TV Tokyo and Aniplex have opened a timeslot to encourage that is just swell.

Even after three episodes, Ookamikakushi is still heavy-handed and corny. Like I said, the biggest conflict the main character has experienced is that his bishounen neighbour is hard gay for him. But I’m intrigued by the little things that are brewing under the surface. And I am interested in it either way, because even if it does fail, there might be something to say for Ryukishi07′s works being adapted into anime.

I was sold on Durarara before the show even started. Definitely going to keep up with it. I love the character designs, the jazz music is fantastic, and the storytelling is, well, it’s Brains Base. They don’t seem capable of making something truly horrendous.

As for Ookami Kakushi, I should watch more of it before I make a judgment. From the first episode, however, I can see that it looks interesting, but was a bit heavy-handed and corny. Hopefully it’ll turn out to be just fine.