SHUFFLE! MEMORIES

[Munsu]

The series starts this January 7. Don't really have any info on it, but it seems like it'll be an alternate retelling of the story. Rin will probably choose another as his love interest.

I really don't like this idea. They should've simply picked a story to tell and stick with it, not come out with alternative possibilities. I would've preffered a straightout sequel of some sorts.

What you guys think?

[Ryllharu]

Well, Navel has made 3 or 4 Shuffle! games. The original, a new version with Kareha and Mayumi as possibilities. Tick! Tack!, focusing on Rin-chan (and other demon girls who look just like her with indistinguishably different hair tints), and then Really? Really!, which focuses on Kaede, Asa, and some new character (Sakura, I guess her name is from the Navel site).

Navel will crank out dozens of these to make money, doing a retelling of the same story doesn't really surprise me coming from them. If the new anime has a lot to do with Kaede, I can't say I'm all that interested, she was really boring in the game, the anime made her 100 times more interesting. In fact, Sia/Kikyou was the only one who was really interesting. (I forgot to play Asa after watching the anime).

I guess I'll really have to watch it and see how it turns out, but right now, I don't think I really care either way. As long as they don't completely burn through their budget and animate like crap as they did in the 2nd half of the final episode, it will probably be worth watching.

note: Kikyou is Sia's "evil" side who went unnamed in the anime.

[Munsu]

Yeah, I know there are different Shuffle! games, but that doesn't mean the anime has to cover all possible scenarios. I mean, for me it would make the last series worthless and fake. It's no different than all these H-Game adaptations that have multiple story-lines, but you don't see them shooting out anime series dealing with each different possible path. As I said, I would preffer that would've just picked a story to tell and stick with it. And if there's no sequel, then do nothing at all. The first SHUFFLE! series had a pretty good ending and if there's no story to continue it best leave it alone instead of ruining it.

Not to say that this series won't be good, hell it might very good... But I have troubles with it fucking up the story of the previous series, that's my only beef.

[Ryllharu]

I was saying given how Navel makes a good franchise and then milks it for all it's worth. After they bombed with Soul Link, I really should have expected them to do this.

But I agree, they can't please everyone, and they really shouldn't be diverging down a lot of different paths. I did like the ending, and the way they really built the material off it's mediocre source material (especially Kaede). That said, I wouldn't mind seeing Rin-chan or Sia better developed, they were somewhat underutilized.

[X-plicit]

Maybe it's a retelling of someone else's point of view?

[Kraco]

Seems like the first sub of the first ep came out:

Episode 1 xvid - Ayako
Episode 1 h264 - Ayako

The subber group's name doesn't immediately ring a bell for me, but with my spongiform brain, that's not really surprising anyhow...