Jin Kobayashi (School Rumble) current work will be serialized in anime by SHAFT (the Shinbo trippy dudes) soon in April 2009.
Taken from Wikipedia on plot:
13 year-old Yasaka is a boy staying at his grandfather's house during his summer vacation. One day he entered a store and met Arashi, a beautiful 16-year old girl working there. After trying to protect her from a man who claims to have been hired by her family to take her back by force, Yasaka ran away with her and now she stays at his grandpa's place with him. It didn't take much time for Yasaka to figure out that his new friend is far from an ordinary girl, as she possesses mysterious powers. The plot thickens when he finds a 60 year old picture of Arashi and another girl named Kaja, and to the surprise of all Kaja suddenly appears, and just like Arashi, her appearance hasn't changed at all since then.
Cast
Sayoko Arashiyama - Ryoko Shiraishi
Hajime Yasaka - Yuko Sanpei
Kaja - Kaori Nazuka
Jun Kamigamo - Chiaki Omigawa
Sayaka - Hitomi Nabatame
Hideo Murata - Hiroki Yasumoto
Yayoi Fushimi - Ai Nonaka
Kanako Yamazaki - Yui Horie
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo
Official Site
Now you have Mr Cop-Out-Ending Kobayashi working with Mr Trippy-Imagery Shinbo on one series. I predict the series will be very visually striking but in the end, shallow. But definitely I give this show a try. Something about it interests me and the chemistry of creative force also excites me. 13 episodes is planned so far. Standard moe tropes apply. But...I do fear the indecisive and cop out ending potential too.
Cheers.
