One of the surprise anime hits of 2003 in the U.S. is Ai Yori Aoshi, a romantic comedy steeped in Japanese courtship traditions, which has been extremely successful in Japan where heroine Aoi Sakuraba is one of the most popular female anime characters.  Geneon (the new name for Pioneer Entertainment, see 'Pioneer Entertainment To Change Its Name') will the ship the fifth and final volume of the 24-episode first season of Ai Yori Aoshi on October 14, but the series, which finished airing in Japan last September, goes back on the air this month in Japan with a new season entitled Ai Yori Aoshi -- Enishi.  The second series takes place a year after the end of the first series and apparently is 12 episodes long.

Like the first 24 episodes, the second season focuses on Aoi and Kaoru, the college student who is reunited with his childhood fiance (Aoi).  The series' ample elements of drama, comedy, and romance arise from the conflict between traditional 'arranged marriages' and the freedoms and complications of contemporary life.  The anime series is targeted directly at teenagers -- and, like Love Hina, it has found its mark both here and in Japan.  With Tokyopop launching the Ai Yori Aoshi manga series in January, and a second season of the anime series airing in Japan now and probably due here late next year, this property should remain hot through 2004 and beyond.