Another three months have passed, and you know what that means. After Spring's stellar performance, Summer definitely has a lot to live up to. Though I wouldn't mind this being a weaker season after how much I kept up with last time. Either way, I'm here to sample at least one episode of every anime that will start airing in the Summer season of 2022, and perhaps help some of you get an idea of what might be worth trying out. As always, these will be ranked to some extent and placed under very appropriately named categories, but since these are just my in-the-heat-of-the-moment first reactions of only a single episode, don't take that too seriously. Please treat everything in each category as relatively interchangeable in quality, and remember that my thoughts will definitely change as I watch more episodes or dwell on the premieres. Also note that I will not be watching any sequels to shows I haven't seen the prior season of (so no Overlord, Devil is a Part-Timer, Love Live Superstars, etc.), nor will I include shows that air late such as The Maid I Hired is Mysterious. But for now, let's take a look at what the kind, creative folks of the anime industry have given us to sample this summer.
I Sure Love the Taste of Shit on the Ground
Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World
You read the title of this one, you already know if it's going to be for you. Here's the deal with this one. I'm not horribly conflicted on it. It's ugly, poorly directed (despite having Shaft veteran Naoyuki Tatsuwa on it), and pretty boring for the most part. There's the edge of the protagonist chopping a bunch of guys in half that he gets over way too quickly, and that's the end of whatever potential narrative or tonal intrigue this episode has. That's 95% of the episode. However, 5% of the episode is a lead-in to what is definitely going to be softcore porn with sex slaves. When it comes to fanservice, it's genuinely titillating, that's pretty much where all of the resources on this show went. So am I going to keep watching more of it anyway just for the edgy porn? Yeah, probably, despite the fact that I'll have to trudge through many boring scenes that aren't porn to get there. Am I going to finish it? Probably not. Nice tiddies can only keep me entertained for so long, especially if the directing isn't good enough to keep them sexy, and the character writing doesn't have me invested enough in the characters to want to be titillated by them forever, and I have to trudge through a bunch of boring not-porn scenes. But hey, maybe Naoyuki Tatsuwa will cut to the chase and focus the most on what I care about with a show like this; there's an art to fetish stuff so who knows if they can sell me on this particular one. Either way, even a bad show can give me some level of intrigue if the cameltoe is actually as detailed and sexy as it was in this show. After Interspecies Reviewers, I trust studio Passione to make some nice softcore porn (though that one was barely a step below regular porn). If they can deliver the goods, this might move up the list, though I'm not confident that it will. Here's hoping this will eventually turn into half decent porn to indulge in once a week, and not simply a boring show with some porn in it occasionally.
You read the title of this one, you already know if it's going to be for you. Here's the deal with this one. I'm not horribly conflicted on it. It's ugly, poorly directed (despite having Shaft veteran Naoyuki Tatsuwa on it), and pretty boring for the most part. There's the edge of the protagonist chopping a bunch of guys in half that he gets over way too quickly, and that's the end of whatever potential narrative or tonal intrigue this episode has. That's 95% of the episode. However, 5% of the episode is a lead-in to what is definitely going to be softcore porn with sex slaves. When it comes to fanservice, it's genuinely titillating, that's pretty much where all of the resources on this show went. So am I going to keep watching more of it anyway just for the edgy porn? Yeah, probably, despite the fact that I'll have to trudge through many boring scenes that aren't porn to get there. Am I going to finish it? Probably not. Nice tiddies can only keep me entertained for so long, especially if the directing isn't good enough to keep them sexy, and the character writing doesn't have me invested enough in the characters to want to be titillated by them forever, and I have to trudge through a bunch of boring not-porn scenes. But hey, maybe Naoyuki Tatsuwa will cut to the chase and focus the most on what I care about with a show like this; there's an art to fetish stuff so who knows if they can sell me on this particular one. Either way, even a bad show can give me some level of intrigue if the cameltoe is actually as detailed and sexy as it was in this show. After Interspecies Reviewers, I trust studio Passione to make some nice softcore porn (though that one was barely a step below regular porn). If they can deliver the goods, this might move up the list, though I'm not confident that it will. Here's hoping this will eventually turn into half decent porn to indulge in once a week, and not simply a boring show with some porn in it occasionally.
Black Summoner
There's this brand of isekai that I've started to see more often recently, where the main character gets summoned to another world and just walks around while monologuing to himself about everything he sees. The key component to making this approach work is to create a protagonist who has charisma, and who has the kind of personality that makes us want to follow their inner world no matter where they go. Unfortunately, Black Summoner fails to cross that low bar, despite it's obvious attempts to inject personality into this story. The main character doesn't have much charisma to speak of, and mostly just describes the things he sees in the most mundane fashion imaginable. As you might expect, that makes his headspace pretty damn boring. It tries to get around this by having the goddess who summoned him stay around as a floating menu (who can apparently blush), and the writing seems to imply to me that we're meant to see their interactions as flirting. But the two have no chemistry, so that fails too. But this also has some more fundamental problems, such as having an exposition scene come right before a scene where the characters describe the thing that was exposited just seconds before, and having the most bland and uninspired fantasy setting imaginable. By the time our protagonist was looking at slaves and thinking that he needed some new party members, I was convinced without a lick of uncertainty that this show was never going to be for me. To give it some credit, the single advantage this one has over other isekai is its attitude towards the overpowered protagonist trope. The goddess lays it out clearly, she refuses to give Kelvin lots of money right off the bat because it would be more fun to watch him grow enough to get it himself. Kelvin gets his ass whooped by a slime and is clearly going to have to work to become strong, even while the series assures us that he will become overpowered at some point. But the fact that the series recognizes that it's far more satisfying to see someone earn their power does bring it a notch above others of its ilk. Unfortunately though, when that ilk consists of a lot of garbage, below average in most areas is enough to cross that bar.
There's this brand of isekai that I've started to see more often recently, where the main character gets summoned to another world and just walks around while monologuing to himself about everything he sees. The key component to making this approach work is to create a protagonist who has charisma, and who has the kind of personality that makes us want to follow their inner world no matter where they go. Unfortunately, Black Summoner fails to cross that low bar, despite it's obvious attempts to inject personality into this story. The main character doesn't have much charisma to speak of, and mostly just describes the things he sees in the most mundane fashion imaginable. As you might expect, that makes his headspace pretty damn boring. It tries to get around this by having the goddess who summoned him stay around as a floating menu (who can apparently blush), and the writing seems to imply to me that we're meant to see their interactions as flirting. But the two have no chemistry, so that fails too. But this also has some more fundamental problems, such as having an exposition scene come right before a scene where the characters describe the thing that was exposited just seconds before, and having the most bland and uninspired fantasy setting imaginable. By the time our protagonist was looking at slaves and thinking that he needed some new party members, I was convinced without a lick of uncertainty that this show was never going to be for me. To give it some credit, the single advantage this one has over other isekai is its attitude towards the overpowered protagonist trope. The goddess lays it out clearly, she refuses to give Kelvin lots of money right off the bat because it would be more fun to watch him grow enough to get it himself. Kelvin gets his ass whooped by a slime and is clearly going to have to work to become strong, even while the series assures us that he will become overpowered at some point. But the fact that the series recognizes that it's far more satisfying to see someone earn their power does bring it a notch above others of its ilk. Unfortunately though, when that ilk consists of a lot of garbage, below average in most areas is enough to cross that bar.
Hanabi-chan wa Okuregachi
This is a short series of "comedy" sketches about slots machines who turn into humans. I put "comedy" in quotes because I really struggle to call anything that happens in it "jokes." There sure is a cute girl who screams a lot, and a guy who gets surprised at her saying she's a slot machine. Riveting stuff. In all honesty, I can't be too mad at a show that only has 4 minute episodes (half of which are the OP and ED) and is otherwise so inoffensive in every way, but god is it ever boring. Not worth it even for a short to zone out to for a few minutes, and it gives me very little to actually say about it.
This is a short series of "comedy" sketches about slots machines who turn into humans. I put "comedy" in quotes because I really struggle to call anything that happens in it "jokes." There sure is a cute girl who screams a lot, and a guy who gets surprised at her saying she's a slot machine. Riveting stuff. In all honesty, I can't be too mad at a show that only has 4 minute episodes (half of which are the OP and ED) and is otherwise so inoffensive in every way, but god is it ever boring. Not worth it even for a short to zone out to for a few minutes, and it gives me very little to actually say about it.
When I say "mid," I Actually Mean Middling
Classroom of the Elite 2nd Season
I can't believe I ever sat through the entire first season of this show. There was some point where I thought it had potential, but the ride itself was a weird hit-or-miss mess with one hell of an identity crisis; peak light novel bullshit that's not nearly as smart as it wants to be. This season picks up right where the last left off, and seems to have decided to go in the driest and most boring direction possible. 50% of this episode was a bland exposition dump, and the other 50% was dry discussion. I guess there was also some monologue from Ayanokouji, but the dude has so little charisma that I couldn't find myself caring. What little character drama that does exist here is mildly interesting, but not enough to justify my sitting through any more of this, and most of the characters are so unmemorable that I literally don't remember most of them. My one draw to this series is that the girls are pretty hot, and the first season had enough fanservice to kind of keep me interested on that front, but this episode didn't even deliver enough sex appeal to whet my whistle, and its singular tiddy shot was blatantly out of place and incongruous with the tone of the scene. Still the only moment I felt any kind of engagement at all though. Top it off with ugly art direction and directing without any style or personality, and you've got a premiere that's just mind numbing. I sat through one season of this, and I won't make the same mistake again.
Shoot! Goal to the Future
This falls firmly into the "so bad, it's good" category for me. I think that it is intending to be campy and angsty in a way that is entertaining, but it fails because it doesn't understand what makes for good camp. The biggest thing that it's lacking is presentation, as bombastic presentation and direction help to sell camp in a way that content alone can't achieve, and unlike something like last season's Birdie Wing, this show's presentation is janky and lackluster, with no sense of direction or aesthetic cohesion. The other place it fails is in its characters, because this show seems to have 4 protagonists and three of them are horribly unlikable and difficult to root for or be invested in. So that leaves us with a show that seemingly randomly throws over-the-top melodrama at us right away without giving me any reason to invest in its characters, and without the kind of direction that would make it work as a pseudo-comedy, and it ends up being unintentionally funny rather than intentionally so. I started chuckling as our edgy protagonist started giving an edgy speech about how everyone is scum, and I completely burst out laughing when Hideto started yelling at the soccer club guy about how he won't be dragged into soccer anymore and then starts holding back puke, and with hindsight I think it was supposed to be funny by treating these moments with such a straight face, but I genuinely couldn't tell because the direction was neutral and I felt no reason to think I shouldn't take it seriously. About half way through the episode, we got some backstory on the school and some pictures drawn in classic 90's anime style, which made me think that this might be a pseudo-sequel to an older sports anime (in the same way that Mix is a pseudo-sequel to Touch, for example), and it seems that I was correct. Perhaps if I was familiar with Toei Animation's 1993 series Blue Legend Shoot!, this would land better for me. But as it stands, I couldn't laugh with this show because it just made me laugh at it, and if it's trying to be a serious sports drama it fails on every level. Maybe a fun watch with friends, but I'd rather just wait for Birdie Wing to come back.
Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer
Man, this one just breaks my heart. Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is one of those manga that I've been hearing about for years. Fans have sworn by it forever, and people have been hoping for an anime adaptation at least since it ended in 2010. Satoshi Mizukami's cult following is not to be messed with, and as I am myself a huge fan of his original anime series Planet With, I was seriously looking forward to this one. A creative and interesting concept, characters with potential, even the music and voice acting are pretty solid. But this one was dead in the water from its first trailer, because it's such a horrid production disaster even in this first episode alone that I refuse to stick around to see the total meltdown destined to come. This episode is so stilted, what little movement there is largely comes down to repeated cuts and sloppily manipulated still images. The lighting and compositing are atrocious, the backgrounds are ugly as sin and the textures they used make me want to puke, and sometimes it blurs the background for like no reason. This episode was clearly meant to be comedy centric, but the timing has absolutely zero punch, so none of the gags landed. The end of the episode contains its big, epic visual setpiece, and it's delivered without a hint of fanfare anywhere outside of the music. Seeing the biscuit hammer slam into earth should have been huge and terrifying, and it just wasn't. Amamiya seeing Samidare swear to destroy the world and immediately bowing to her should have been presented with grandeur, but instead I have no idea what it is he saw about her actions that made him think she had resolve worth following. This adaptation is soulless in every sense of the word, commissioned by a production committee that doesn't care about it beyond recognition of its name, produced by a studio way too busy with other projects, by staff who can't put their time or resources into it, for no reason other than a cash grab, directed without any personality or intrigue, and practically not animated at all. Truly, my heart aches for those who have been waiting for so long to see this manga get adapted. Maybe I'll check out the manga myself now, knowing that we'll probably never get to see a proper adaptation of this beloved property. The anime though, I won't die if I don't see the rest of this mediocre and soulless husk.
Man, this one just breaks my heart. Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is one of those manga that I've been hearing about for years. Fans have sworn by it forever, and people have been hoping for an anime adaptation at least since it ended in 2010. Satoshi Mizukami's cult following is not to be messed with, and as I am myself a huge fan of his original anime series Planet With, I was seriously looking forward to this one. A creative and interesting concept, characters with potential, even the music and voice acting are pretty solid. But this one was dead in the water from its first trailer, because it's such a horrid production disaster even in this first episode alone that I refuse to stick around to see the total meltdown destined to come. This episode is so stilted, what little movement there is largely comes down to repeated cuts and sloppily manipulated still images. The lighting and compositing are atrocious, the backgrounds are ugly as sin and the textures they used make me want to puke, and sometimes it blurs the background for like no reason. This episode was clearly meant to be comedy centric, but the timing has absolutely zero punch, so none of the gags landed. The end of the episode contains its big, epic visual setpiece, and it's delivered without a hint of fanfare anywhere outside of the music. Seeing the biscuit hammer slam into earth should have been huge and terrifying, and it just wasn't. Amamiya seeing Samidare swear to destroy the world and immediately bowing to her should have been presented with grandeur, but instead I have no idea what it is he saw about her actions that made him think she had resolve worth following. This adaptation is soulless in every sense of the word, commissioned by a production committee that doesn't care about it beyond recognition of its name, produced by a studio way too busy with other projects, by staff who can't put their time or resources into it, for no reason other than a cash grab, directed without any personality or intrigue, and practically not animated at all. Truly, my heart aches for those who have been waiting for so long to see this manga get adapted. Maybe I'll check out the manga myself now, knowing that we'll probably never get to see a proper adaptation of this beloved property. The anime though, I won't die if I don't see the rest of this mediocre and soulless husk.
Intrigue Enough to Whet my Whistle, But will I Keep Up With Them?
Parallel World Pharmacy
One of the more unique premises for an isekai series that I've seen, Parallel World Pharmacy follows an esteemed medical researcher who searches for a cure to the uncurbable disease that killed his sister, and ends up dying of exhaustion. He gets sent into the body of the son of a noble family of doctors in a world with medical knowledge roughly similar to that of medieval Earth, and will presumably use his newfound powers to advance this world's medicine. It almost strikes me as a medical version of Ascendance of a Bookworm, and there's a ton of potential for interesting stories here. Since his new life as the aptly named Farma de Medicis grants him a new younger sister, I'm definitely most curious to see how this will operate on the level of a family drama. But the more obvious intrigue is how he will use his power, in conjunction with the unique elements of this fantasy world, to change the world of medicine, and a plot twist towards the end of the episode adds a solid bit of intrigue into how this story is going to operate. However, there's one fundamental problem that makes me cautious of this show, and that's that my favorite part of the episode was the part before he got isekai'd. It dedicates this lengthy segment to quietly watching our main character go through the motions of work, with little hints of the grief that drives him forward. The lead-up to his death is genuinely sad, and paints a strong picture of the protagonist. But none of that prowess actually makes it to the meat of the episode. The character interactions are stiff and no one has any chemistry, and Farma doesn't have any real charisma due to spending most of the episode learning about the world and magic, and the length of his predecessor's amnesia. Watching him talk to the maid, go through dinner, and start his training just wasn't particularly entertaining. Interestingly enough, the script for this series is penned by Oregairu creator Wataru Watari, but unfortunately, none of the wit and chemistry that made Oregairu so great finds itself here; I guess this isn't Watari's own source material. But it's a shame, because that is the only real thing holding me back from really enjoying this. There is enough intrigue here to recommend to any fans of isekai, but whether I keep up with it personally, we'll have to see.
One of the more unique premises for an isekai series that I've seen, Parallel World Pharmacy follows an esteemed medical researcher who searches for a cure to the uncurbable disease that killed his sister, and ends up dying of exhaustion. He gets sent into the body of the son of a noble family of doctors in a world with medical knowledge roughly similar to that of medieval Earth, and will presumably use his newfound powers to advance this world's medicine. It almost strikes me as a medical version of Ascendance of a Bookworm, and there's a ton of potential for interesting stories here. Since his new life as the aptly named Farma de Medicis grants him a new younger sister, I'm definitely most curious to see how this will operate on the level of a family drama. But the more obvious intrigue is how he will use his power, in conjunction with the unique elements of this fantasy world, to change the world of medicine, and a plot twist towards the end of the episode adds a solid bit of intrigue into how this story is going to operate. However, there's one fundamental problem that makes me cautious of this show, and that's that my favorite part of the episode was the part before he got isekai'd. It dedicates this lengthy segment to quietly watching our main character go through the motions of work, with little hints of the grief that drives him forward. The lead-up to his death is genuinely sad, and paints a strong picture of the protagonist. But none of that prowess actually makes it to the meat of the episode. The character interactions are stiff and no one has any chemistry, and Farma doesn't have any real charisma due to spending most of the episode learning about the world and magic, and the length of his predecessor's amnesia. Watching him talk to the maid, go through dinner, and start his training just wasn't particularly entertaining. Interestingly enough, the script for this series is penned by Oregairu creator Wataru Watari, but unfortunately, none of the wit and chemistry that made Oregairu so great finds itself here; I guess this isn't Watari's own source material. But it's a shame, because that is the only real thing holding me back from really enjoying this. There is enough intrigue here to recommend to any fans of isekai, but whether I keep up with it personally, we'll have to see.
Engage Kiss
I'm honestly not sure what to make of this one. A bizarre action show full of "anime bullshit" from the creator of Saekano, I honestly didn't find a ton to latch on to here outside of the cool action scene that took up the second half of the episode. Though it was dynamically animated and choreographed, and very silly on every level, so it was a generally pretty fun time. The biggest strength of this episode is in the character Kisara, a yandere devil who can become superpowered by French kissing the protagonist. As far as yandere characters go, I find her to be very fun, and the constant sexual innuendo and awkward tension between the two protagonists makes for... a hook I guess. Honestly though, I couldn't make out most of the rest of the episode. The main character is poor, lazy, and doesn't pay his bills, but is some kind of demon fighter who has to "bid" for cases (I couldn't really make out what that entailed tbh) and then fight demons. It looked like they were in some kind of VR thing, but it also seemed like people didn't want them to cause a lot of damage and that there was high risk. I found some of the presentation of these sci-fi elements a bit confusing. Similarly, outside of Kisara, I couldn't find any other characters to invest in. Shuu and Ayano get fairly thread bare characterization, and don't have nearly the personality or gimmick that Kisara does. Hopefully, this will get shored up in later episodes. I can potentially see this being fun, especially if it chooses to lean into the weird anime bullshit and up some of the very light fanservice of this episode (some very dynamic crotch shots in this one, but not on screen long enough to actually see or be titillated by to count as fanservice), but I'd say that it's on thin ice for me right now.
My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World
I can't believe I'm saying this about a show with this title, but this was pretty solid. In this case, the first two episodes were released at once, so I'll be talking about both of them. Both episodes tell standalone stories. The first is an introduction to our main character Yuji and his particular power as a slime tamer. It's an edgy, kind of gritty, but surprisingly epic story of him being a badass and protecting the town. It's undeniably edgy in that "cringe teenager" way, but it owns that aesthetic thanks to its effective color palette, sleek animation, "cool" poses, a rockin' guitar heavy soundtrack, and the contrast of the goofy slimes selling the tone. The second episode has him join a party and go on an adventure. It's a bit less well produced, but still solidly directed, and seems to be setting up for a larger story. We also get Yuji's backstory, certainly generic but sold with gravitas thanks to the unique animation style it's presented in, and the way it ties into the events of the story. None of the characters are very fleshed out as of yet, but Yuji is that classic teen edgelord badass (despite being an overworked office worker who got isekai'd) and it has its own form of endearment, done better than in other similar shows. The real stars of the show are the slimes though, they're adorable and have some fun banter with each other. I'm tempted to watch more of this just to see them. It's definitely in the upper half of isekai power fantasies, though weather it will have something more resonant to offer is yet to be seen. But there's enough here for me to be curious, and a solid enough production to think that the creators have a clear vision for how they want to present this story.
I can't believe I'm saying this about a show with this title, but this was pretty solid. In this case, the first two episodes were released at once, so I'll be talking about both of them. Both episodes tell standalone stories. The first is an introduction to our main character Yuji and his particular power as a slime tamer. It's an edgy, kind of gritty, but surprisingly epic story of him being a badass and protecting the town. It's undeniably edgy in that "cringe teenager" way, but it owns that aesthetic thanks to its effective color palette, sleek animation, "cool" poses, a rockin' guitar heavy soundtrack, and the contrast of the goofy slimes selling the tone. The second episode has him join a party and go on an adventure. It's a bit less well produced, but still solidly directed, and seems to be setting up for a larger story. We also get Yuji's backstory, certainly generic but sold with gravitas thanks to the unique animation style it's presented in, and the way it ties into the events of the story. None of the characters are very fleshed out as of yet, but Yuji is that classic teen edgelord badass (despite being an overworked office worker who got isekai'd) and it has its own form of endearment, done better than in other similar shows. The real stars of the show are the slimes though, they're adorable and have some fun banter with each other. I'm tempted to watch more of this just to see them. It's definitely in the upper half of isekai power fantasies, though weather it will have something more resonant to offer is yet to be seen. But there's enough here for me to be curious, and a solid enough production to think that the creators have a clear vision for how they want to present this story.
Phantom of the Idol
This one is a deadpan comedy following the newfound relationship between a vain and unmotivated male idol and the ghost of a much more passionate famous female idol. Niyodo is wholly unmotivated to do his job and is just looking to make easy money off of his looks, while Asahi can take over his body to relive her dream of standing on stage again, making them a perfect match for each other. Little about this premiere is laugh out loud funny, but it's consistently pretty amusing, and it has a few clever little ideas sprinkled throughout that definitely make me think it has potential on the comedy front. I particularly love Niyodo's hardcore fans and their dinner party post-credits, their existence is not only hilarious but also makes the success of the group more believable in spite of Niyodo's utter incompetence. While the relationship between Niyodo and Asahi seems like it might become sweet later on, Niyodo himself is immediately difficult to root for because he's, as the show puts it, a scumbag. Nothing wrong with making your protagonist a terrible person, but the show definitely has an extra challenge in allowing me to invest in him, though this is somewhat made up for by the much more immediately likable characters of Asahi and Niyodo's idol partner Yoshino. It's somewhat limited in terms of animation, but has some fun expressions and is generally directed in a lively way. I think I can see this one becoming solid.
These Two Might Go Either Way
Teppen - !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laughing 'Til You Cry
The Gintama director helms a celebration of manzai comedy. Naturally a match made in heaven, this show is a series of fun little manzai sketches rendered with snappy direction, appealing character designs, varied concepts, and expressive animation. Weather or not you like this show is going to basically entirely depend on how you feel about manzai routines, as this series is essentially nothing but a bunch of disconnected manzai sketches. That being said, I personally like manzai, and found this to be a fairly enjoyable and humorous premiere. The characters are silly and fun, and as someone who is a big fan of characters who are idiots, a series that necessarily has so many "funny men" is always gonna be up my alley. The biggest downside to this show is definitely its length and structure. As a series of semi-connected comedy sketches, it basically sells itself on a single gimmick, and I found that gimmick getting a tad worn out by the time the eyecatch rolled around. I do think it picked itself up a little in the second half, particularly by better explaining what the overarching plot of the series is built around (yes, it does have one), but I still came away thinking that this show would have worked better as a series of half-episode shorts. Regardless, I had a good time with this episode and it clearly has talented staff working on it, and now that it has established it's gimmick it might start to dig more into its characters and the competition they find themselves a part of. If you want some quality time watching straightmen calling out idiots for their idiocy, then this is a solid example celebrating this classic Japanese art form. Oh, and just to make it clear, I expect every single person to type out all 15 exclamation points every single time they write the name of this show. To not do so would be an insult to the artist, just making that clear.
Prima Doll
Prima Doll is like a Violet Evergarden lite with a tinge of Girls Last Tour. Focusing on mechanical dolls who were once tools of war now adjusting to peaceful society while working at a café (overall similar setting to Violet as well), this first episode tells a bittersweet sob story about the relationship between a young servant girl and the battle doll she was separated from. While the show is very cute and colorful, even funny on one occasion, it has a consistent tinge of melancholy. These aren't people, but androids, separated from their purpose and their past identities. They live in a world torn by war, but in a peaceful town. Families are torn apart by war, and reunited again, but it's never quite the same anymore. Once you lose a part of yourself, you can't necessarily regain it. This contrast of cute, idyllic mundanity, brutal war, and melancholy longing is my biggest draw to the series, it's a tonal space that I absolutely love. Where this episodic story fails over the likes of Violet Evergarden is in somewhat lacking characterization. Too much time is spent on set-up, so while the story at the episode's center hinges on the reuniting of a familial relationship once torn apart, I felt I didn't get to see nearly enough of that relationship for it to fully land, and Chiyo and Yugiri don't get fleshed out enough as individual characters to empathize with them completely. Their story is still sad, but not the heart wrenching tearjerker it wants to be. That being said, I'm not entirely sure what this show's larger goal is, as this was seemingly a one-off story but there are hints of a potential overarching plot. Either way, I want to see these characters get fleshed out more, because I love the atmosphere it sets and I'd be down for great character driven stories in this setting. It also has some lovely visuals, very pretty artwork for both characters and backgrounds, and a few standout animation moments here and there. What this show is going for is extremely my shit, so I want to see it succeed and I think there's enough here to give it an honest chance. Apparently this is from Key (of Clannad and others), so here's hoping that this is the good kind of cry-bait.
Prima Doll is like a Violet Evergarden lite with a tinge of Girls Last Tour. Focusing on mechanical dolls who were once tools of war now adjusting to peaceful society while working at a café (overall similar setting to Violet as well), this first episode tells a bittersweet sob story about the relationship between a young servant girl and the battle doll she was separated from. While the show is very cute and colorful, even funny on one occasion, it has a consistent tinge of melancholy. These aren't people, but androids, separated from their purpose and their past identities. They live in a world torn by war, but in a peaceful town. Families are torn apart by war, and reunited again, but it's never quite the same anymore. Once you lose a part of yourself, you can't necessarily regain it. This contrast of cute, idyllic mundanity, brutal war, and melancholy longing is my biggest draw to the series, it's a tonal space that I absolutely love. Where this episodic story fails over the likes of Violet Evergarden is in somewhat lacking characterization. Too much time is spent on set-up, so while the story at the episode's center hinges on the reuniting of a familial relationship once torn apart, I felt I didn't get to see nearly enough of that relationship for it to fully land, and Chiyo and Yugiri don't get fleshed out enough as individual characters to empathize with them completely. Their story is still sad, but not the heart wrenching tearjerker it wants to be. That being said, I'm not entirely sure what this show's larger goal is, as this was seemingly a one-off story but there are hints of a potential overarching plot. Either way, I want to see these characters get fleshed out more, because I love the atmosphere it sets and I'd be down for great character driven stories in this setting. It also has some lovely visuals, very pretty artwork for both characters and backgrounds, and a few standout animation moments here and there. What this show is going for is extremely my shit, so I want to see it succeed and I think there's enough here to give it an honest chance. Apparently this is from Key (of Clannad and others), so here's hoping that this is the good kind of cry-bait.
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The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting
A badass yakuza member who's a bit too free flying gets put in charge of babysitting the yakuza boss' adorable daughter Yaeka in order to give him a sense of responsibility. Said yakuza guy must take care of her while protecting her from enemies and ensuring that she doesn't see anything too gruesome. Hilarity and cuteness ensues. While that short blurb captures the general idea of the show, this first episode kind of doesn't get that far. A significant portion of it is dedicated to the set-up, so a lot of the charm of its family drama doesn't get to show itself until the very end of the episode, when Yaeka finally starts opening up to Kirishima. Not to say that this episode was boring or anything, simply that we don't get to see a ton of what I believe is going to be the main crux, mainly the relationship between Kirishima and Yaeka. However, there are a few reasons that I suspect I'm going to really like this show as it goes. For one, its one major comedy scene landed for me. It's the kind of weird joke I'd expect out of something like Spy x Family, but it's a fun and makes for a good basis to set up my expectations for its brand of humor going forward. However, it's Kirishima himself who really makes it work for me. He adapts to his role as a parent pretty quickly, and gives it his all to try and get Yaeka to open up to him even when she's difficult due to her own circumstances. He's surprisingly good at his job, and the moment of them really opening up to each other was incredibly sweet, with Kirishima being extremely open not only about what she should do, but about his own feelings and how they relate to her situation. It's the kind of relationship that I can easily see myself becoming super invested in when it starts to come more into focus. Although I mentioned the show's comedy, its actual tone is much more low-key and even a bit melancholy, with Yaeka's family situation being extremely awkward, and Yaeka herself having to deal with a dead mother, a Yakuza boss as a father who can't come to events, and her one mother figure in her aunt having to work all the time. I like it's tone, and it gives me hope that we'll dig into some of these sadder parts of the characters. While it's not quite the same, if you're missing something like Spy x Family, this show might scratch part of that itch (with a bit of Deaimon mixed it). This was a decent premiere that makes me think I'll probably like the show. Also, all the men are unbelievably sexy. Just throwing that out there.
A badass yakuza member who's a bit too free flying gets put in charge of babysitting the yakuza boss' adorable daughter Yaeka in order to give him a sense of responsibility. Said yakuza guy must take care of her while protecting her from enemies and ensuring that she doesn't see anything too gruesome. Hilarity and cuteness ensues. While that short blurb captures the general idea of the show, this first episode kind of doesn't get that far. A significant portion of it is dedicated to the set-up, so a lot of the charm of its family drama doesn't get to show itself until the very end of the episode, when Yaeka finally starts opening up to Kirishima. Not to say that this episode was boring or anything, simply that we don't get to see a ton of what I believe is going to be the main crux, mainly the relationship between Kirishima and Yaeka. However, there are a few reasons that I suspect I'm going to really like this show as it goes. For one, its one major comedy scene landed for me. It's the kind of weird joke I'd expect out of something like Spy x Family, but it's a fun and makes for a good basis to set up my expectations for its brand of humor going forward. However, it's Kirishima himself who really makes it work for me. He adapts to his role as a parent pretty quickly, and gives it his all to try and get Yaeka to open up to him even when she's difficult due to her own circumstances. He's surprisingly good at his job, and the moment of them really opening up to each other was incredibly sweet, with Kirishima being extremely open not only about what she should do, but about his own feelings and how they relate to her situation. It's the kind of relationship that I can easily see myself becoming super invested in when it starts to come more into focus. Although I mentioned the show's comedy, its actual tone is much more low-key and even a bit melancholy, with Yaeka's family situation being extremely awkward, and Yaeka herself having to deal with a dead mother, a Yakuza boss as a father who can't come to events, and her one mother figure in her aunt having to work all the time. I like it's tone, and it gives me hope that we'll dig into some of these sadder parts of the characters. While it's not quite the same, if you're missing something like Spy x Family, this show might scratch part of that itch (with a bit of Deaimon mixed it). This was a decent premiere that makes me think I'll probably like the show. Also, all the men are unbelievably sexy. Just throwing that out there.
Vermeil in Gold
This show is very dumb and very horny. I'm sure that's all I need to say to convince to either watch it or to stay far away. Personally though, I had a great time with this silly, hilarious sex comedy. The story follows a student at a magical academy who is unable to summon a familiar, until he manages to summon a sexy devil who drains his mana either through kissing or sex, and hilarity and sexual hijinks ensues. What makes this show work for me is twofold. One is its presentation, which is surprisingly competent and even has a few genuinely inspired moments of cinematography. The gag at the very start of the episode where Alto explains to his childhood friend Lilia that he has to summon something by the next day or be held back, and we get this dramatic camera turn that lands on her holding an over-the-top pose and facial expression to convey her shock, is a fun example. Though I'm bothered by the weird lines that appear on half the background objects, the general art direction is also pretty solid. The other thing that makes it work is that generally over-the-top and self-aware attitude. This show has no pretenses about being anything other than shlock, and it owns it in entertaining ways. The titular Vermeil is genuinely seductive (I do love Maaya Uchida's voice), not only towards our main character, but she wins a dual against Lilia by groping her (we don't see it, but we do see Lilia's reaction which make it look like she just orgasmed). Lilia is by far my favorite thing about this episode though. She's this absurdly dramatic childhood friend and love interest who switches personality at the drop of a hat. After Vermeil clings on to Alto during class, she confronts him, takes off her bowtie and just lobs it at Alto to challenge him to a dual, and she absolutely doesn't hold back during said dual. When presented with the notion that losing the dual means she'll have to do whatever Alto says, she actually just starts touching herself, the camera making absolutely sure that I know where her hand is, and that detail makes this take on this common gag oddly refreshing to me. She's extremely theatrical and I love it, and it really tied this premiere together for me, showing that it has more to it's comedy chops than just sex humor. And it even seems like it might have some genuine emotional heart, with the episode ending on a kind of sweet scene between Alto and Vermeil. I'm of the mindset that media criticism should not focus on what a show is about, but how it is about it, and I believe that this show is about its particular brand of sex comedy in a way that is cohesive, more than functional, and extremely entertaining. What can I say, sometimes I down for the horny stuff.
This show is very dumb and very horny. I'm sure that's all I need to say to convince to either watch it or to stay far away. Personally though, I had a great time with this silly, hilarious sex comedy. The story follows a student at a magical academy who is unable to summon a familiar, until he manages to summon a sexy devil who drains his mana either through kissing or sex, and hilarity and sexual hijinks ensues. What makes this show work for me is twofold. One is its presentation, which is surprisingly competent and even has a few genuinely inspired moments of cinematography. The gag at the very start of the episode where Alto explains to his childhood friend Lilia that he has to summon something by the next day or be held back, and we get this dramatic camera turn that lands on her holding an over-the-top pose and facial expression to convey her shock, is a fun example. Though I'm bothered by the weird lines that appear on half the background objects, the general art direction is also pretty solid. The other thing that makes it work is that generally over-the-top and self-aware attitude. This show has no pretenses about being anything other than shlock, and it owns it in entertaining ways. The titular Vermeil is genuinely seductive (I do love Maaya Uchida's voice), not only towards our main character, but she wins a dual against Lilia by groping her (we don't see it, but we do see Lilia's reaction which make it look like she just orgasmed). Lilia is by far my favorite thing about this episode though. She's this absurdly dramatic childhood friend and love interest who switches personality at the drop of a hat. After Vermeil clings on to Alto during class, she confronts him, takes off her bowtie and just lobs it at Alto to challenge him to a dual, and she absolutely doesn't hold back during said dual. When presented with the notion that losing the dual means she'll have to do whatever Alto says, she actually just starts touching herself, the camera making absolutely sure that I know where her hand is, and that detail makes this take on this common gag oddly refreshing to me. She's extremely theatrical and I love it, and it really tied this premiere together for me, showing that it has more to it's comedy chops than just sex humor. And it even seems like it might have some genuine emotional heart, with the episode ending on a kind of sweet scene between Alto and Vermeil. I'm of the mindset that media criticism should not focus on what a show is about, but how it is about it, and I believe that this show is about its particular brand of sex comedy in a way that is cohesive, more than functional, and extremely entertaining. What can I say, sometimes I down for the horny stuff.
Isekai Ojisan
Something that I think Isekai Ojisan gets better than a lot of comedy series is the basic concept of subversion. Much of the base of great humor comes in making you expect one thing, but then showing you something else at not exactly the time you expect. It's difficult to explain without outright spoiling some of the jokes, but suffice it to say that this series really "got" me on multiple occasions, building up to one likely gag so well that it totally threw me off guard when it went in a different direction. As a satire of isekai tropes, it's a good time. The central premise is that the main character's uncle was in a coma for 17 years, and during that time he existed in another world, but woke from the coma and came back to earth in the future while keeping his isekai power. Basic gags about isekai tropes are a dime a dozen, but this show still does them particularly well. What really elevates it though, is its more unique elements. Ojisan lived in the late 90's and missed out on massive swathes of technological advancement and historical events, leading to a ton of hilarious and unexpected gags. Ojisan was a big gamer, but entered his coma just a few years before otaku media tropes really became codified, so you get fun ideas like how he couldn't figure out that the girl with him in another world is a tsundere because he went into a coma just before the idea got popularized. The series also just overtly includes big name brands, not only name dropping Sega, Nintendo, and Sony outright (because as someone who went into a coma 17 years ago and was a big Sonic fan, Ojisan is just devastated that Sega lost the console wars), but footage from Sonic the Hedgehog just appears on screen. And it's for the better, it elevates that material a lot if you're in the know, but is still funny even if that particular cultural divide isn't familiar to you. This combination of isekai tropes casually existing in the real world, humor focusing on Ojisan missing out on world events and learning to cope with zoomer culture (did I mention he becomes a YouTuber?), and the weird and silly events of Ojisan's past and how they affect him now, make for a surprisingly multifaceted comedy, and the delivery is more than strong enough to make it work. I also like the art style, with the gritty and mundane color palette highlighting the bitter and casual nature of the comedy, and the thick linework for the characters being interesting. This show is a product of its time, a piece of media that could only exist in this time and in this culture, and that alone makes it interesting.
Call of the Night
Back with his third anime about sexy vampires, Monogatari and Vanitas director Tomoyuki Itamura brings us a stylish dramady about a depressed, repressed, and detached teenager who learns to start letting loose with the help of a sexy vampire lady. It really hits that urban fantasy aesthetic, the dark and eerie colors, and empty streets and parks, all creating that strange, mysterious feeling of being alone at night. It's freeing, particularly relatable to me as a night owl (who also coincidentally has trouble sleeping), but also has a sense of wonder and off-kilter mystery to it, like something might be watching you. A perfect contrast to Kou's frustrating daily life, with Nazuna an escape from the women who he can't stand during his daily routine. Since this is the Monogatari director, Call of the Night brings all the artsy glamor of a Monogatari episode (despite this being at Lidenfilms), all the head-tilts, lighting shifts, color palette swaps, and ultra-detailed fanservice that comes with it. Itamura seems to really get the way that vampires and sex appeal are intrinsically tied. And though the dialogue isn't Monogatari tier, it still holds its own. I particularly like Kou's delayed and chill reactions to stuff. Kou and Nazuna share a fun dynamic that I look forward to seeing more of. I'm not actually sure where the story is going from here, beyond Kou just getting used to night life with his new vampire dom girlfriend (although it seems like he might be aromantic/asexual? Nazuna confirmed an LGBT ally though, that's pretty based) and improving somehow, finding greater fulfillment in life and perhaps bringing that into the daytime as well. Classic coming-of-age stuff I'm sure, just not sure of the specifics beyond hanging out and getting blood sucked, which makes it hard to really get a grasp of what the show will do going forward. But still, a stylish urban fantasy with fun characters and a weird, sexy vampire lady is always going to be a good time, so I'm here for more of it.
Back with his third anime about sexy vampires, Monogatari and Vanitas director Tomoyuki Itamura brings us a stylish dramady about a depressed, repressed, and detached teenager who learns to start letting loose with the help of a sexy vampire lady. It really hits that urban fantasy aesthetic, the dark and eerie colors, and empty streets and parks, all creating that strange, mysterious feeling of being alone at night. It's freeing, particularly relatable to me as a night owl (who also coincidentally has trouble sleeping), but also has a sense of wonder and off-kilter mystery to it, like something might be watching you. A perfect contrast to Kou's frustrating daily life, with Nazuna an escape from the women who he can't stand during his daily routine. Since this is the Monogatari director, Call of the Night brings all the artsy glamor of a Monogatari episode (despite this being at Lidenfilms), all the head-tilts, lighting shifts, color palette swaps, and ultra-detailed fanservice that comes with it. Itamura seems to really get the way that vampires and sex appeal are intrinsically tied. And though the dialogue isn't Monogatari tier, it still holds its own. I particularly like Kou's delayed and chill reactions to stuff. Kou and Nazuna share a fun dynamic that I look forward to seeing more of. I'm not actually sure where the story is going from here, beyond Kou just getting used to night life with his new vampire dom girlfriend (although it seems like he might be aromantic/asexual? Nazuna confirmed an LGBT ally though, that's pretty based) and improving somehow, finding greater fulfillment in life and perhaps bringing that into the daytime as well. Classic coming-of-age stuff I'm sure, just not sure of the specifics beyond hanging out and getting blood sucked, which makes it hard to really get a grasp of what the show will do going forward. But still, a stylish urban fantasy with fun characters and a weird, sexy vampire lady is always going to be a good time, so I'm here for more of it.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
I feel like I have to note that with some of these premieres, I have them ranked higher or lower based less on their potential and more on what they give me right away. There are a lot of shows that I think might have a more impressive payoff than this show, and so I feel a bit weird putting it up here. But this is a show that is refreshingly straightforward about its story and appeal, with characters who like to cut right to the chase, and that makes for a devilishly effective hook right now. This is a stylish historical piece in a world where the Shinsengumi were all murdered, and so must be replaced by a bunch of criminals all on death row who have to fight masked samurai with cursed swords. It has a cast of loud and eccentric characters who are immediately interesting and likable, who somehow shout their motivations at us in a way that feels totally natural to what's happening in the story. Their personalities, dynamics, and motivations are established immediately and efficiently, making for some very solid characterization right off the bat. Most importantly though, it's stylishly directed and has slick action animation and choreography. I absolutely love the aesthetic, it's cartoony but a bit gritty, with thick linework for the character art and solid backgrounds. I hope we get to explore more of this beautiful setting. It's major visual fault lies with the odd filter placed over everything. It reminds me of a show from a few years ago called Angolmois, which similarly to this show, wanted to give the impression of everything taking place on top of pages of a scroll, but does so by placing the animation underneath an ugly filter designed to imitate that aesthetic. It's far less distracting in this show thankfully, and other than that, it's a strong visual package that seems to handle its characters well too. Definitely seems like it will be one of the stronger action shows this season, I think I'm gonna have a fun time with this one.
I feel like I have to note that with some of these premieres, I have them ranked higher or lower based less on their potential and more on what they give me right away. There are a lot of shows that I think might have a more impressive payoff than this show, and so I feel a bit weird putting it up here. But this is a show that is refreshingly straightforward about its story and appeal, with characters who like to cut right to the chase, and that makes for a devilishly effective hook right now. This is a stylish historical piece in a world where the Shinsengumi were all murdered, and so must be replaced by a bunch of criminals all on death row who have to fight masked samurai with cursed swords. It has a cast of loud and eccentric characters who are immediately interesting and likable, who somehow shout their motivations at us in a way that feels totally natural to what's happening in the story. Their personalities, dynamics, and motivations are established immediately and efficiently, making for some very solid characterization right off the bat. Most importantly though, it's stylishly directed and has slick action animation and choreography. I absolutely love the aesthetic, it's cartoony but a bit gritty, with thick linework for the character art and solid backgrounds. I hope we get to explore more of this beautiful setting. It's major visual fault lies with the odd filter placed over everything. It reminds me of a show from a few years ago called Angolmois, which similarly to this show, wanted to give the impression of everything taking place on top of pages of a scroll, but does so by placing the animation underneath an ugly filter designed to imitate that aesthetic. It's far less distracting in this show thankfully, and other than that, it's a strong visual package that seems to handle its characters well too. Definitely seems like it will be one of the stronger action shows this season, I think I'm gonna have a fun time with this one.
Shine Post
Shine Post is, thus far, a classic idol anime in every sense of the word. A group of three passionate and talented girls in an idol unit can't seem to attract an audience, and have three months to fill a venue of 2000 people or else break up. Alongside the support of an unwilling manager, they must work to move up the ranks and attract a fanbase. However, this show wouldn't be as high up as it is if all it had going for it were a generic idol plot, and that's where this show's biggest draw comes in, the one thing that it has over every other idol anime: Kei Oikawa. For those who are unaware, Kei Oikawa is one of the most underappreciated directors working in anime right now. Most known for his work on the second and third seasons of Oregairu, Hinamatsuri, and most recently Uma Musume, the man has a clear style and basically just makes a bunch of bangers. Kei Oikawa's fingerprints are all over this first episode, and alongside a few genuinely interesting plot elements, this show elevates itself ahead of the pack as an idol show to look out for. This show has numerous areas of intrigue that move it ahead of most of its contemporaries. For one, it's extremely well animated, and seemingly never stops moving even for some of its most mundane scenes. It imbues the characters with tons of personality, and the actual performances are among the most well produced and choreographed that I've seen. The performance that opens the episode and inspires our protagonists to become idols actually feels like a big performance to me, and that's not a sense I usually get for idol performances. This episode is also genuinely really funny. Oikawa brings back the humor and facial expressions that made Uma Musume such a joy to watch, and the quirky characters and their deliveries of the jokes landed hard and made me laugh out loud. Most importantly though, the actual story has tons of intrigue. Our manager character seemingly has the ability to tell when people are lying, and that has something to do with "shine." Our main character is the only one who's completely true in her words and thus doesn't shine, and I'm very curious to know what this means both for her and for her more shiny group mates. It means her friends are putting on an act, which is already a strong hook for drama. The manager is also apparently so talented that he takes attention away from other performers through the success of his own, and this episode has already introduced some other performers working at this company, which makes for a very intriguing avenue for potential drama. This was a fun episode with tons of potential, helmed by a director I trust more than most, and so I think it's going to be one to look out for.
Shine Post is, thus far, a classic idol anime in every sense of the word. A group of three passionate and talented girls in an idol unit can't seem to attract an audience, and have three months to fill a venue of 2000 people or else break up. Alongside the support of an unwilling manager, they must work to move up the ranks and attract a fanbase. However, this show wouldn't be as high up as it is if all it had going for it were a generic idol plot, and that's where this show's biggest draw comes in, the one thing that it has over every other idol anime: Kei Oikawa. For those who are unaware, Kei Oikawa is one of the most underappreciated directors working in anime right now. Most known for his work on the second and third seasons of Oregairu, Hinamatsuri, and most recently Uma Musume, the man has a clear style and basically just makes a bunch of bangers. Kei Oikawa's fingerprints are all over this first episode, and alongside a few genuinely interesting plot elements, this show elevates itself ahead of the pack as an idol show to look out for. This show has numerous areas of intrigue that move it ahead of most of its contemporaries. For one, it's extremely well animated, and seemingly never stops moving even for some of its most mundane scenes. It imbues the characters with tons of personality, and the actual performances are among the most well produced and choreographed that I've seen. The performance that opens the episode and inspires our protagonists to become idols actually feels like a big performance to me, and that's not a sense I usually get for idol performances. This episode is also genuinely really funny. Oikawa brings back the humor and facial expressions that made Uma Musume such a joy to watch, and the quirky characters and their deliveries of the jokes landed hard and made me laugh out loud. Most importantly though, the actual story has tons of intrigue. Our manager character seemingly has the ability to tell when people are lying, and that has something to do with "shine." Our main character is the only one who's completely true in her words and thus doesn't shine, and I'm very curious to know what this means both for her and for her more shiny group mates. It means her friends are putting on an act, which is already a strong hook for drama. The manager is also apparently so talented that he takes attention away from other performers through the success of his own, and this episode has already introduced some other performers working at this company, which makes for a very intriguing avenue for potential drama. This was a fun episode with tons of potential, helmed by a director I trust more than most, and so I think it's going to be one to look out for.
Extreme Hearts
Extreme Hearts is the newest work from Nanoha writer Masaki Tsuzuki, as well as some of the core animation staff behind the Reflection and Detonation films, as well as Vivid Strike. If you're familiar with Nanoha, you'll have an idea of the style of storytelling to expect. If you think about it too much, your brain will explode from all the nonsensical worldbuilding details and general happenings of the story, but this incredibly stupid story is told with bucket loads of heart and memorable characters so it's impossible to not at least have some fondness for it, as I developed for the Nanoha crew earlier this year despite not actually enjoying the majority of the franchise in the traditional sense. Vivid Strike makes for the most obvious comparison here, since this is yet another sports series; and Vivid Strike was my favorite Nanoha entry by a wide margin, so that's a good sign already. However, Extreme Hearts' first episode has some of the tightest writing I've seen from Masaki Tsuzuki to date. Despite being a sports series, it spends the majority of this first episode on character building, and it does a great job of it. We get to spend tons of time with Hiyori as she goes about her daily life, and we can always sense the weight on her shoulders. She's never downtrodden or outright sad, but there's a sense of sadness and loneliness weighing on her due to her failed singing career, and that makes it all the sweeter to see her endearing relationship with her only fan. And even when the sports competition is mentioned, we get some light drama between these characters, which not only fleshes them out, but also makes for a totally natural way to introduce our third main character. The episode also contains one of the better training montages that I've seen. Hiyori has some natural athletic ability, but is a novice at the sports, and that shows itself in what we see. She's not great at any of them and can't beat the more experienced athletes training her, but we still get some slight improvement in a believable way. And when she's at the competition itself, she struggles on her own even while the fruits of her training clearly paid off. And somehow, all of that is stuffed into the first episode. It's remarkably well paced, somehow managing to fit in character building, a dramatic conflict with a resolution, a training arc, and most of a soccer game in the span of 23 minutes, and none of it feels rushed or unnecessary. Maybe Tsuzuki is just weirdly better at sports stories than fantasy/action shows, but this is a huge improvement over most of what I saw in his previous work. We've yet to see the bulk of how the tournament will function, and how the music aspect will be integrated, and I'm worried that this won't have the production quality to make it land well (sirens blaring in my head reminding me of the awkward climax of Vivid Strike), but there's tons of potential here and the writing seems tight.
Extreme Hearts is the newest work from Nanoha writer Masaki Tsuzuki, as well as some of the core animation staff behind the Reflection and Detonation films, as well as Vivid Strike. If you're familiar with Nanoha, you'll have an idea of the style of storytelling to expect. If you think about it too much, your brain will explode from all the nonsensical worldbuilding details and general happenings of the story, but this incredibly stupid story is told with bucket loads of heart and memorable characters so it's impossible to not at least have some fondness for it, as I developed for the Nanoha crew earlier this year despite not actually enjoying the majority of the franchise in the traditional sense. Vivid Strike makes for the most obvious comparison here, since this is yet another sports series; and Vivid Strike was my favorite Nanoha entry by a wide margin, so that's a good sign already. However, Extreme Hearts' first episode has some of the tightest writing I've seen from Masaki Tsuzuki to date. Despite being a sports series, it spends the majority of this first episode on character building, and it does a great job of it. We get to spend tons of time with Hiyori as she goes about her daily life, and we can always sense the weight on her shoulders. She's never downtrodden or outright sad, but there's a sense of sadness and loneliness weighing on her due to her failed singing career, and that makes it all the sweeter to see her endearing relationship with her only fan. And even when the sports competition is mentioned, we get some light drama between these characters, which not only fleshes them out, but also makes for a totally natural way to introduce our third main character. The episode also contains one of the better training montages that I've seen. Hiyori has some natural athletic ability, but is a novice at the sports, and that shows itself in what we see. She's not great at any of them and can't beat the more experienced athletes training her, but we still get some slight improvement in a believable way. And when she's at the competition itself, she struggles on her own even while the fruits of her training clearly paid off. And somehow, all of that is stuffed into the first episode. It's remarkably well paced, somehow managing to fit in character building, a dramatic conflict with a resolution, a training arc, and most of a soccer game in the span of 23 minutes, and none of it feels rushed or unnecessary. Maybe Tsuzuki is just weirdly better at sports stories than fantasy/action shows, but this is a huge improvement over most of what I saw in his previous work. We've yet to see the bulk of how the tournament will function, and how the music aspect will be integrated, and I'm worried that this won't have the production quality to make it land well (sirens blaring in my head reminding me of the awkward climax of Vivid Strike), but there's tons of potential here and the writing seems tight.
My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex
Sigh. I cannot fucking believe that I'm saying this about a show with this title. But it's good. And not like My Isekai Life, where it's decent enough at what it is but I'm not sold on it. No, this show is completely, conventionally good. This show doesn't deserve to be as good as it is, but here we are anyway. Only in anime would you get a show with that title that's just a genuinely well made show; a family drama and romantic drama masquerading as a salacious fetishy rom-com (and occasionally succeeding at that mask in fun ways). Here's the pitch. Mizuto and Yume used to date in middle school, but suffered a bad break-up and ended on bad terms. Their parents end up getting married, and they live under the same roof now. In order to preserve their parents happiness, they hide their previous relationship and their bad beef from their parents. The series is largely built around the tension between the characters, and how they navigate this unique scenario together. They bicker in ways that are believable for exes with all the petty squabbling and one-upmanship, and they both try to maintain a sort of superiority over the other. But the thing that actually makes it good is that the characters feelings are far more complex than you'd expect, and their actual relationship has a lot going on. For one, the show already implies some of the reasons behind their break-up, despite not telling us their actual backstory together. Yume, despite her cool demeanor, is very impulsive, apparently to the point that she had a reputation for it at her previous school. Mizuto calls her a "maniac," and that impulsiveness shows itself at the end of the episode, so I buy into it. Mizuto then, is very detached. Unlike Yume, he doesn't really care that much about what happens to him, and finds it easy to brush things off. So naturally, these characteristics contrast each other, and it's clear why they may not have worked out. Yume likes to do stuff on impulse and loves attention, while Mizuto is more laid back and doesn't like putting himself out there. Yume sees it as a sort of front that she wants to remove while he sees her as a crazy weirdo. But the thing is, while this all makes sense, the two also clearly still harbor feelings for each other in some way. Yume wants his attention, she's upset that Mizuto thinks nothing of her grabbing on to his arm. Mizuto still finds her attractive, and is still gentlemanly enough to protect her from doing something she'll regret on impulse. Both of them still think back to that first confession, when their feelings were the most pure and the most strong; those feelings still linger and they can't just abandon them wholesale. The romantic and sexual tension between the characters is palpable, and their complicated feelings for each other make for genuinely compelling drama. Combine that with the fact that they're now step-siblings who are hiding their past from their parents, and you've got a recipe for a fun and spicy romantic drama. The presentation is definitely meh visually, but the lack of music highlights the tension so I think it was a smart choice for this episode. All in all, I simply can't believe that this isn't just competent, but compelling. Anime is a fascinating beast sometimes.
Sigh. I cannot fucking believe that I'm saying this about a show with this title. But it's good. And not like My Isekai Life, where it's decent enough at what it is but I'm not sold on it. No, this show is completely, conventionally good. This show doesn't deserve to be as good as it is, but here we are anyway. Only in anime would you get a show with that title that's just a genuinely well made show; a family drama and romantic drama masquerading as a salacious fetishy rom-com (and occasionally succeeding at that mask in fun ways). Here's the pitch. Mizuto and Yume used to date in middle school, but suffered a bad break-up and ended on bad terms. Their parents end up getting married, and they live under the same roof now. In order to preserve their parents happiness, they hide their previous relationship and their bad beef from their parents. The series is largely built around the tension between the characters, and how they navigate this unique scenario together. They bicker in ways that are believable for exes with all the petty squabbling and one-upmanship, and they both try to maintain a sort of superiority over the other. But the thing that actually makes it good is that the characters feelings are far more complex than you'd expect, and their actual relationship has a lot going on. For one, the show already implies some of the reasons behind their break-up, despite not telling us their actual backstory together. Yume, despite her cool demeanor, is very impulsive, apparently to the point that she had a reputation for it at her previous school. Mizuto calls her a "maniac," and that impulsiveness shows itself at the end of the episode, so I buy into it. Mizuto then, is very detached. Unlike Yume, he doesn't really care that much about what happens to him, and finds it easy to brush things off. So naturally, these characteristics contrast each other, and it's clear why they may not have worked out. Yume likes to do stuff on impulse and loves attention, while Mizuto is more laid back and doesn't like putting himself out there. Yume sees it as a sort of front that she wants to remove while he sees her as a crazy weirdo. But the thing is, while this all makes sense, the two also clearly still harbor feelings for each other in some way. Yume wants his attention, she's upset that Mizuto thinks nothing of her grabbing on to his arm. Mizuto still finds her attractive, and is still gentlemanly enough to protect her from doing something she'll regret on impulse. Both of them still think back to that first confession, when their feelings were the most pure and the most strong; those feelings still linger and they can't just abandon them wholesale. The romantic and sexual tension between the characters is palpable, and their complicated feelings for each other make for genuinely compelling drama. Combine that with the fact that they're now step-siblings who are hiding their past from their parents, and you've got a recipe for a fun and spicy romantic drama. The presentation is definitely meh visually, but the lack of music highlights the tension so I think it was a smart choice for this episode. All in all, I simply can't believe that this isn't just competent, but compelling. Anime is a fascinating beast sometimes.
Smile of Arsnotoria the Animation
This was a bizarre first episode for a number of reasons. It opens up on this weirdly fluidly animated opening section where two girls are on some kind of watch for a magical academy, but then their time ends and they get ready to have a tea party. It's almost over-animated, and it lasts like two minutes. From there, we see these two characters go to the school store to buy biscuits for the tea party, where we learn a bit about their strengths and personalities, and get some worldbuilding regarding the currency of their school and the adorably weird little monsters that bake the snacks. And from there, we get to the tea party, where the rest of the episode functions basically like Lucky Star set at a magical academy. It indulges itself in mundane conversational dialogue built on meandering banter and contrasts of the characters personalities. It even has its own version of Lucky Star's infamous chocolate coronet scene, where the girls debate about the correct order to spread toppings on their scones. Though it's controversial, I loved that chocolate coronet scene, so this kind of meandering, character driven dialogue is right up my alley. The episode was nothing but comfy and pleasant vibes made from seeing distinct and surprisingly well realized characters just talk about random shit. I'm not saying that this episode is as good as Lucky Star, but rather that it has some of the same strengths and general appeal. What really sells it for me is the animation and body language, as the characters always move and pose in ways that make sense for their personalities. Tori has an abnormally strong sense of smell and is extremely shy, so whenever she gets nervous she puts her hair in front of her nose, presumably to knock back some of that smell. It's adorable, and contrasts Mell's very open and carefree posture as they walk in the hallway together. Little Al is always sleeping or slouching, which makes it stand out more the one time she gets energetic and uses her weird chuuni powers to try and break a jar of jam. Little things like this help bring the characters to life for me. This episode also had a few interesting directing touches, very Shaft-like in how it cut away to words on the screen to describe new terms the audience wouldn't be familiar with, or how it uses the girls adorable ahoge to convey their feelings. That Shaft-like touch isn't an accident of course, as this was the second show this season directed by Shaft veteran and Koufuku Grafitti director Naoyuki Tatsuwa. Koufuku Grafitti is another show that's largely about just talking and eating, and it's a show I'd consider among the most underrated I've seen, so that definitely gives me a degree of confidence in this one. However, there's one confounding factor in this first episode that I just didn't know how to react to. While 20 minutes of this episode were magical academy Lucky Star, the final two minutes just randomly became magical academy Attack on Titan. Legitimately that dramatic of a tone shift, after the end of the tea party we get a "warning" sign and then see a town on fire and a bunch of guys get brutally murdered, including plenty of blood. The color palette suddenly became brown too, it's a completely different show that just got inserted into this cute sitcom for some reason. I don't think I've ever seen a show tone shift that drastically in such a short amount of time in my entire life, it was fucking wild (though in hindsight, some odd features of the show proper seemed "off" and may have been warning signs). I can't tell if it's clumsy or genius, but either way, it definitely has me intrigued and makes me want to see more. I'd have already done that anyway though, having been happy with the prospect of having 23 minutes of comfy meandering conversation every week, but a dark twist certainly has me intrigued.
This was a bizarre first episode for a number of reasons. It opens up on this weirdly fluidly animated opening section where two girls are on some kind of watch for a magical academy, but then their time ends and they get ready to have a tea party. It's almost over-animated, and it lasts like two minutes. From there, we see these two characters go to the school store to buy biscuits for the tea party, where we learn a bit about their strengths and personalities, and get some worldbuilding regarding the currency of their school and the adorably weird little monsters that bake the snacks. And from there, we get to the tea party, where the rest of the episode functions basically like Lucky Star set at a magical academy. It indulges itself in mundane conversational dialogue built on meandering banter and contrasts of the characters personalities. It even has its own version of Lucky Star's infamous chocolate coronet scene, where the girls debate about the correct order to spread toppings on their scones. Though it's controversial, I loved that chocolate coronet scene, so this kind of meandering, character driven dialogue is right up my alley. The episode was nothing but comfy and pleasant vibes made from seeing distinct and surprisingly well realized characters just talk about random shit. I'm not saying that this episode is as good as Lucky Star, but rather that it has some of the same strengths and general appeal. What really sells it for me is the animation and body language, as the characters always move and pose in ways that make sense for their personalities. Tori has an abnormally strong sense of smell and is extremely shy, so whenever she gets nervous she puts her hair in front of her nose, presumably to knock back some of that smell. It's adorable, and contrasts Mell's very open and carefree posture as they walk in the hallway together. Little Al is always sleeping or slouching, which makes it stand out more the one time she gets energetic and uses her weird chuuni powers to try and break a jar of jam. Little things like this help bring the characters to life for me. This episode also had a few interesting directing touches, very Shaft-like in how it cut away to words on the screen to describe new terms the audience wouldn't be familiar with, or how it uses the girls adorable ahoge to convey their feelings. That Shaft-like touch isn't an accident of course, as this was the second show this season directed by Shaft veteran and Koufuku Grafitti director Naoyuki Tatsuwa. Koufuku Grafitti is another show that's largely about just talking and eating, and it's a show I'd consider among the most underrated I've seen, so that definitely gives me a degree of confidence in this one. However, there's one confounding factor in this first episode that I just didn't know how to react to. While 20 minutes of this episode were magical academy Lucky Star, the final two minutes just randomly became magical academy Attack on Titan. Legitimately that dramatic of a tone shift, after the end of the tea party we get a "warning" sign and then see a town on fire and a bunch of guys get brutally murdered, including plenty of blood. The color palette suddenly became brown too, it's a completely different show that just got inserted into this cute sitcom for some reason. I don't think I've ever seen a show tone shift that drastically in such a short amount of time in my entire life, it was fucking wild (though in hindsight, some odd features of the show proper seemed "off" and may have been warning signs). I can't tell if it's clumsy or genius, but either way, it definitely has me intrigued and makes me want to see more. I'd have already done that anyway though, having been happy with the prospect of having 23 minutes of comfy meandering conversation every week, but a dark twist certainly has me intrigued.
These Are Why I Watch Anime
Tokyo Mew Mew New ♡
To make it clear right off the bat, I have absolutely no familiarity with the 2000's Tokyo Mew Mew anime. I never watched any of it, neither the original version in Japanese or the botched Mew Mew Power dub. This is my entry point into the franchise, and my opinion is not colored by any form of nostalgia. This first episode was delightful, just about everything I could want from the first episode of a cutesy magical girl anime. Aesthetically, everything about this was perfectly designed to capture that early 2000's shoujo anime feel. From the art style and character designs, to the fan club of girls all going after the random cute boy, to the protagonist's initial motivation being "I want to fall in love, I need romance," to the barrage of classic bishounen pretty boys, this show does a great job of recreating the feel of the era it initially comes from. Backed by fun, expressive, and adorable animation, a few notable sakuga cuts (including a great transformation sequence), and adorable outfits, I definitely love what this is doing aesthetically. Content wise, this was kind of bizarre for a number of reasons. For one, I don't think I've ever seen any show make as fast romantic progress as this one. It took around 7 minutes for Momomiya to score a date with the aforementioned cute boy, and only another 3 minutes after for us to get a kiss (accidental though it may have been). I think the most bizarre thing about this though, was how weirdly straightforward every character is about everything. Everyone immediately states their intent out loud, Momomiya is overt about her desire for romance, her friends question her for a second but immediately say they'll help her score a date and then actually do stuff for her, and said boy Aoyama talks bluntly about how human activity is causing animals to become endangered and ends up pulling out the weirdly dark line "humanity has committed a great many sins" right in the middle of a date. Oh yeah, did I mention that this show is about fighting climate change using the power of transforming into a catgirl? Yes, it's that based. Refreshingly blunt about these issues for its audience of children, I'm really looking forward to seeing how it tackles its environmental themes going forward. And I'm especially looking forward to meeting all the seemingly fun characters that were only hinted at this episode. While this episode didn't do a ton for the characters that did get introduced, I'm sure it'll flesh them out later, and it does too good a job of introducing its subject matter, aesthetics, and attitude for me to not love.
Yurei Deco
I'm a sucker for this kind of high concept sci-fi stuff, and Yurei Deco is a colorful and creative spin on an interesting idea. Taking place in a world that is fully digitized, where everything from the way you look to others (via virtual avatar or other upgrades) to the way you view the world can be controlled via VR/AR technology called Deco, which you need a currency called Love to operate. The story follows the mischievous Berry and her attempt to catch Phantom 0, a mysterious being who supposedly brings your Love counter to 0. Weird forms of currency and utopia obviously hiding a dystopia within are always intriguing concepts, especially when paired with the classic trope of paralleling the story with classic literature (Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in this case), but this show is mostly elevated by a charismatic protagonist and its fun and creative visuals. A run around town chasing a mysterious girl proves itself a natural method for introducing worldbuilding, and its animation set pieces present a strong touch for interesting perspective shots and direction. It was a joy to explore this colorful world, especially when it has such a unique and memorable visual aesthetic. The actual story is definitely on the obtuse side of things, its dialogue and descriptions can be a tad cryptic and difficult to parse (I'm not even entirely sure what "Love" is, seems like a combination of social media attention and general conformity), but I don't necessarily consider that a bad thing. Script writer Dai Satou has a solid track record for these kinds of bizarre and semi-obtuse sci-fi series, with shows like Eureka 7 and Ergo Proxy to his name, and teamed up with Science Saru, this looks to have the production to back such an ambitious idea. Masaaki Yuasa is also listed as the original creator, and I'm not sure how he's involved in this creatively but it's always exciting to see his name on an anime. I'm not entirely sure where this story is going to go and thus I'm not entirely hooked yet, but it has a hell of a lot to offer and definitely seems like it has some of the most potential for a strong payoff, so I'm very excited to see where it goes. And either way, I'm always down to see something as creative, unique, and aesthetically striking as this.
When Will Ayumu Make His Move
It seems like Souichiro Yamamoto is great at a singular gimmick: adorable romantic comedies starring two characters who both have crushes on each other, where one character teases the other and another character tries to tease back but gets embarrassed. Fresh off the heels of Takagi-san's third season in winter, When Will Ayumu Make His Move naturally captures much of that same appeal, but I find the writing and set-up of this series to be even more mature and refined than Takagi-san was at its beginning. In this series, Ayumu and Urushi are in an unofficial shogi club, and both are very clear about being in love with each other. Urushi practically begs Ayumu to confess, but the stoic and straight-faced Ayumu refuses to do so until he can beat her in a game of shogi. Much of the same kind of humor is here, but Ayumu plays Takagi's role here. He's stoic and speaks his mind without even thinking about the fact that anyone else would be embarrassed, and Urushi tries to tease him back to make him show some emotion, and it backfires on her every time because he basically can't be embarrassed. The thing that really elevates this series for me is that both characters very openly flirt with each other basically the entire time. It's absolutely fucking adorable, Ayumu may not confess but he will not hesitate to tell Urushi how cute she is, exactly what it is about her he finds to be so great in excessive detail, and then tell her in no uncertain terms that he wants to share an umbrella with her. And here, it's not mostly one-sided, because Urushi tells him outright that she'll hug and kiss him if he asks her out, and then later just straight up invites him on a date (even if she wouldn't let anyone know that she sees it that way). It's the kind of dynamic that makes me totally desperate to see these characters get together, which makes all their flirting that much sweeter, and all the progress they'll eventually make all the more satisfying. Just watching them interact is a complete joy that had me smiling ear to ear the entire time, and both characters are more than endearing enough individually that they can carry things even without the other. Like Takagi-san, it looks like there will be a few side couples as well, and the little hints of them we got this episode seem fun, so I look forward to meeting them. All in all, I do love my romantic fluff, and this ranks up there with some of the most endearing.
It seems like Souichiro Yamamoto is great at a singular gimmick: adorable romantic comedies starring two characters who both have crushes on each other, where one character teases the other and another character tries to tease back but gets embarrassed. Fresh off the heels of Takagi-san's third season in winter, When Will Ayumu Make His Move naturally captures much of that same appeal, but I find the writing and set-up of this series to be even more mature and refined than Takagi-san was at its beginning. In this series, Ayumu and Urushi are in an unofficial shogi club, and both are very clear about being in love with each other. Urushi practically begs Ayumu to confess, but the stoic and straight-faced Ayumu refuses to do so until he can beat her in a game of shogi. Much of the same kind of humor is here, but Ayumu plays Takagi's role here. He's stoic and speaks his mind without even thinking about the fact that anyone else would be embarrassed, and Urushi tries to tease him back to make him show some emotion, and it backfires on her every time because he basically can't be embarrassed. The thing that really elevates this series for me is that both characters very openly flirt with each other basically the entire time. It's absolutely fucking adorable, Ayumu may not confess but he will not hesitate to tell Urushi how cute she is, exactly what it is about her he finds to be so great in excessive detail, and then tell her in no uncertain terms that he wants to share an umbrella with her. And here, it's not mostly one-sided, because Urushi tells him outright that she'll hug and kiss him if he asks her out, and then later just straight up invites him on a date (even if she wouldn't let anyone know that she sees it that way). It's the kind of dynamic that makes me totally desperate to see these characters get together, which makes all their flirting that much sweeter, and all the progress they'll eventually make all the more satisfying. Just watching them interact is a complete joy that had me smiling ear to ear the entire time, and both characters are more than endearing enough individually that they can carry things even without the other. Like Takagi-san, it looks like there will be a few side couples as well, and the little hints of them we got this episode seem fun, so I look forward to meeting them. All in all, I do love my romantic fluff, and this ranks up there with some of the most endearing.
Lycoris Recoil
One of my most anticipated series of this season, Lycoris Recoil has gotten off to a very fun and compelling start that lives up to the names its attached to. The directorial debut of Sword Art Online character designer and chief animation director Shingo Adachi, this show is a visual treat. Beautiful character designs, gorgeous art direction, dynamic direction, and blessed with both expressive character acting and explosive action animation, this series delivers on all fronts for its technical merits, and definitely has me excited to see more of Shingo Adachi's work. But thankfully, it has a very intriguing story and immediately likable characters as well. Lycoris are sort of like assassins who protect the peace of Japan, but through organization cover-ups and various other means, it seems like the peace they protect is an illusion, or a false peace. Setting our protagonists to prioritize the everyman, helping people not in big explosive cases but by working with ordinary people to spread happiness around town, makes for an interesting contrast. What does it mean to protect the peace? I'm curious to see where the series goes with this, and the larger story that's been set up regarding an arms deal and seemingly a terrorist group who wants to "keep people ignorant" definitely has me interested. But outside of its aesthetic prowess, it was really the character interactions that kept me hooked. Its leads play their archetypes further than you'd expect, but it makes for a really great dynamic with Chisato's ultra-bubbly attitude contrasting Takina's deadpan to fun effect. Solid dialogue and hints of a few more layers to these characters definitely sold me on them both as individuals and on their dynamic. I definitely look forward to seeing these two grow closer, but also to the ways that their differing ideologies come into conflict with each other. So all in all, Lycoris Recoil was the complete package as far as I'm concerned. Its visuals, characters, and story all have me hooked in some way, and I think this show has a lot of potential to be extremely interesting, but even if it doesn't work that way, I definitely think it's going to be fun.
Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
Damn, Made in Abyss started out strong. Guns blazing on all fronts, this premiere recaptured all of the mystique, atmosphere, and horror that make Made in Abyss such a standout fantasy series. Taking place directly after the events of the film, we follow Riko, Reg, and Nanachi into the 6th layer of the abyss, where there is now zero chance of returning to the surface. However, this episode boldly spends most of its run time focusing on wholly new characters, people abandoned by their homeland who find the island that would eventually become Orth. It ends up being a great move, with the first half of this episode being thickly tonal, and the rest of it setting up some fascinating history. We get to meet some of the ancient civilizations that made their homes around the abyss, learn about their language (they came up with a whole new one btw) and their culture, and see what the abyss looked like hundreds of years ago. The series pulls no punches, with us starting on a new character's tragic and hard-to-watch backstory, even going as far as to give us a first person view of them getting branded. But none of this horror ever feels gratuitous, it's all relevant and plays into the series larger themes. The script during the character's discussion on the boat was poetic and beautiful, and it explains the nature of this series and how we should view it perfectly. "Beauty is in the eyes. Not in the physical sense, take it to mean the look in the eyes." The abyss is a scary place, but also a beautiful one. How you see it depends on the look in your eyes, on how much of the light you can see in the darkness. Once we return to Riko and the gang, we do get some of the episode's more odd and awkward points, with a big show made of Riko having to go to the bathroom, complete with loud and detailed farting noises as she takes a shit. It wouldn't be Made in Abyss without weird potty humor I suppose. But it was placed appropriately and even kind of funny, and just ends up being an odd feature of the series that does little to detract from my enjoyment. Carried especially hard by Kevin Penkin's outstanding soundtrack, this episode is everything I loved about Made in Abyss brought out in full force. All the curiosity and mystery, all the wonder of exploring a fascinating, terrifying, and beautiful fantasy world, and all the horror and gut-wrenching violence, it's all here executed just as well as anything. I'm insanely excited to explore the depths of the abyss with these characters, the story is going in a fascinating direction and I just get too much joy in seeing this unique world.
Damn, Made in Abyss started out strong. Guns blazing on all fronts, this premiere recaptured all of the mystique, atmosphere, and horror that make Made in Abyss such a standout fantasy series. Taking place directly after the events of the film, we follow Riko, Reg, and Nanachi into the 6th layer of the abyss, where there is now zero chance of returning to the surface. However, this episode boldly spends most of its run time focusing on wholly new characters, people abandoned by their homeland who find the island that would eventually become Orth. It ends up being a great move, with the first half of this episode being thickly tonal, and the rest of it setting up some fascinating history. We get to meet some of the ancient civilizations that made their homes around the abyss, learn about their language (they came up with a whole new one btw) and their culture, and see what the abyss looked like hundreds of years ago. The series pulls no punches, with us starting on a new character's tragic and hard-to-watch backstory, even going as far as to give us a first person view of them getting branded. But none of this horror ever feels gratuitous, it's all relevant and plays into the series larger themes. The script during the character's discussion on the boat was poetic and beautiful, and it explains the nature of this series and how we should view it perfectly. "Beauty is in the eyes. Not in the physical sense, take it to mean the look in the eyes." The abyss is a scary place, but also a beautiful one. How you see it depends on the look in your eyes, on how much of the light you can see in the darkness. Once we return to Riko and the gang, we do get some of the episode's more odd and awkward points, with a big show made of Riko having to go to the bathroom, complete with loud and detailed farting noises as she takes a shit. It wouldn't be Made in Abyss without weird potty humor I suppose. But it was placed appropriately and even kind of funny, and just ends up being an odd feature of the series that does little to detract from my enjoyment. Carried especially hard by Kevin Penkin's outstanding soundtrack, this episode is everything I loved about Made in Abyss brought out in full force. All the curiosity and mystery, all the wonder of exploring a fascinating, terrifying, and beautiful fantasy world, and all the horror and gut-wrenching violence, it's all here executed just as well as anything. I'm insanely excited to explore the depths of the abyss with these characters, the story is going in a fascinating direction and I just get too much joy in seeing this unique world.
Chimimo
Yes, I'm being serious here. I went into this expecting some weird kids show with 3 minute episodes. Instead, I came away with a regular length 24 minute episode that ended up being one of the most weirdly charming and even kind of melancholically wistful (in a very subtle way) series I've seen in a long time. First of all, the obvious. The central gimmick of this show is the titular Chimimo, these adorable little white blob things with different kinds of designs. I don't know what it is about characters who are basically nothing but a circle with some other features tacked on, but every time something like this comes around, it's always top tier character design. Maybe these guys aren't quite Kirby level (cause let's face it, nothing beats perfection), but they're pretty fucking adorable, and their shenanigans made me smile the entire time. But my first surprise came with how surprisingly fleshed out the human characters feel. Besides the blobby bois, the series stars a trio of sisters who each have their own personalities and struggles, and not only do they feel distinct, but they talk in ways that hit close to home and feel realistic. With lines like "life without wi-fi is a living hell" and "the design [of this lunchbox] is so stupendously tacky that I can't bring myself to throw it out," I found myself feeling these characters on a weirdly personal level, their dialogue and mannerisms feeling distinct and real. Mei enjoys being on social media and seems to have a following but hides her phone usage from Mutsumi, and Hazuki goes to parties with friends often and comes home drunk (leaving a week-old lunch untouched as a result and having to hide it from Mutsumi), and Mutsumi hates uncleanliness and social media and doesn't like seeing Mei on her phone, and with all of these little moments the characters have to themselves I get the sense that they have an intimacy; that they've known each other for a long time and are super close, but also have little things about each other that clash and that they have to hide, but it's not a big deal because that's what familial-esque ties are like. Hazuki apparently entered an art contest and was beaten by someone her age, and she's kinda down about it, but we don't linger on it. And that attitude of just kinda rolling with things is what defines this show, and the idea that ties it together thematically and emotionally. The characters constantly mention all these little petty things that make their lives "like hell," before learning that the Chimimo are actually the minions of an envoy of hell who wants to take over the human world. But they take it in stride, and it doesn't even matter because the Chimimo are just so darn cute. One of them has a little mustache, and another has tiny wings and can breathe fire, who cares if they're technically hellish monsters. Said envoy of hell ends up getting into his own hell, and we rescue him and share a hotpot and give him a place to stay, and everything is alright. This tinge of darkness, that sense of "life is hell, but that's fine, we'll just take it in stride" is the emotional hook of the show for me, the element that brings the adorable aesthetic, sharp tongued characters, and overall thematic package into something charming, cohesive, and emotionally resonant. It's the energy of something like Rilakkuma and Kaoru, an adorable and fantastical show with a tinge of realistic edge and slightly jaded quarter-life angst. If everything is hell, and we share this hell with a million other weirdos each with their own problems and sensibilities, then we better just make the most of it together. The simple animation has its own charm (works especially well with the Chimimo), and it has really pretty background art and a solid soundtrack. I genuinely loved this episode, unironically my favorite first episode of all I saw this season.
Favorite OPs:
- Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- When Will Ayumu Make His Move
- Ao Ashi second cour
- Call of the Night
- Yurei Deco
- Made in Abyss season 2
- Chimimo
- Summer Time Rendering second cour
- Lycoris Recoil
Favorite EDs:
- Tokyo Mew Mew New
- My Isekai Life
- My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex
- Call of the Night
- Yurei Deco
- Vermeil in Gold
- Engage Kiss
- Summer Time Rendering second cour
Yes, I'm being serious here. I went into this expecting some weird kids show with 3 minute episodes. Instead, I came away with a regular length 24 minute episode that ended up being one of the most weirdly charming and even kind of melancholically wistful (in a very subtle way) series I've seen in a long time. First of all, the obvious. The central gimmick of this show is the titular Chimimo, these adorable little white blob things with different kinds of designs. I don't know what it is about characters who are basically nothing but a circle with some other features tacked on, but every time something like this comes around, it's always top tier character design. Maybe these guys aren't quite Kirby level (cause let's face it, nothing beats perfection), but they're pretty fucking adorable, and their shenanigans made me smile the entire time. But my first surprise came with how surprisingly fleshed out the human characters feel. Besides the blobby bois, the series stars a trio of sisters who each have their own personalities and struggles, and not only do they feel distinct, but they talk in ways that hit close to home and feel realistic. With lines like "life without wi-fi is a living hell" and "the design [of this lunchbox] is so stupendously tacky that I can't bring myself to throw it out," I found myself feeling these characters on a weirdly personal level, their dialogue and mannerisms feeling distinct and real. Mei enjoys being on social media and seems to have a following but hides her phone usage from Mutsumi, and Hazuki goes to parties with friends often and comes home drunk (leaving a week-old lunch untouched as a result and having to hide it from Mutsumi), and Mutsumi hates uncleanliness and social media and doesn't like seeing Mei on her phone, and with all of these little moments the characters have to themselves I get the sense that they have an intimacy; that they've known each other for a long time and are super close, but also have little things about each other that clash and that they have to hide, but it's not a big deal because that's what familial-esque ties are like. Hazuki apparently entered an art contest and was beaten by someone her age, and she's kinda down about it, but we don't linger on it. And that attitude of just kinda rolling with things is what defines this show, and the idea that ties it together thematically and emotionally. The characters constantly mention all these little petty things that make their lives "like hell," before learning that the Chimimo are actually the minions of an envoy of hell who wants to take over the human world. But they take it in stride, and it doesn't even matter because the Chimimo are just so darn cute. One of them has a little mustache, and another has tiny wings and can breathe fire, who cares if they're technically hellish monsters. Said envoy of hell ends up getting into his own hell, and we rescue him and share a hotpot and give him a place to stay, and everything is alright. This tinge of darkness, that sense of "life is hell, but that's fine, we'll just take it in stride" is the emotional hook of the show for me, the element that brings the adorable aesthetic, sharp tongued characters, and overall thematic package into something charming, cohesive, and emotionally resonant. It's the energy of something like Rilakkuma and Kaoru, an adorable and fantastical show with a tinge of realistic edge and slightly jaded quarter-life angst. If everything is hell, and we share this hell with a million other weirdos each with their own problems and sensibilities, then we better just make the most of it together. The simple animation has its own charm (works especially well with the Chimimo), and it has really pretty background art and a solid soundtrack. I genuinely loved this episode, unironically my favorite first episode of all I saw this season.
Final thoughts
This season is interesting to me because there's very little that I think is outright bad. The vast majority of what came out is watchable and potentially interesting, and even my least favorite premiere is one I'm going to keep up with for... let's call it science. It's a good season for the opposite of most seasons, not because of its best shows but because of its lack of truly bad ones, and that's kind of cool. There's something for everyone this season, and it still has no shortage of shows that seem truly worthwhile. So I guess I'm in for another season of keeping up with a million shows. But having a lot of good anime is nice. I hope this was helpful or entertaining, and I hope everyone reading enjoys whatever their favorites are this season.
This season is interesting to me because there's very little that I think is outright bad. The vast majority of what came out is watchable and potentially interesting, and even my least favorite premiere is one I'm going to keep up with for... let's call it science. It's a good season for the opposite of most seasons, not because of its best shows but because of its lack of truly bad ones, and that's kind of cool. There's something for everyone this season, and it still has no shortage of shows that seem truly worthwhile. So I guess I'm in for another season of keeping up with a million shows. But having a lot of good anime is nice. I hope this was helpful or entertaining, and I hope everyone reading enjoys whatever their favorites are this season.
Favorite OPs:
- Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- When Will Ayumu Make His Move
- Ao Ashi second cour
- Call of the Night
- Yurei Deco
- Made in Abyss season 2
- Chimimo
- Summer Time Rendering second cour
- Lycoris Recoil
Favorite EDs:
- Tokyo Mew Mew New
- My Isekai Life
- My Stepmom's Daughter is my Ex
- Call of the Night
- Yurei Deco
- Vermeil in Gold
- Engage Kiss
- Summer Time Rendering second cour
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