What's up everyone. Man, the Summer season might be one of the weakest seasons of anime I've ever experienced. Almost absolutely barren, half the shows I finished were barely worth my time, and the two I was by far the most excited about quickly lost their steam and assimilated into the pile of relatively worthwhile hits, perfectly entertaining shows, but not the earthshattering classics their first episodes led me to believe. Perhaps to make up for those shortcomings, this Fall is looking to be absolutely stacked, at least based on my impression of the seasonal chart.
My Summer impressions list was a bit of an experiment, and I consider it a failed one. Reading back my post with it's new structure, I found it less engaging than what I had usually done, so I think I'll be returning to the old format here. I'll be trying out anything that seems like it might have potential (excluding adaptations of source material I want to check out, sequels to things I haven't seen, and a few other rare cases), and ranking them under very appropriately named categories. Unlike in the past, I'll be ignoring obviously generic isekai and the like just to give myself a break in a season with so much to offer. Given how stacked this season is and how much less time I have now, I think I'm going to try to be a little stricter in terms of choosing what I continue watching, but just because I'm not watching doesn't mean I don't think it would be worthwhile. The content of descriptions will always matter more than the rankings. With that out of the way, I can't wait to see what the end of the year brings for us anime fans.
Dropped Harder Than I Was Dropped On My Head As a Baby
The Kingdoms of Ruin
There's no other way I can put it, this episode was misery porn disguising itself as the prelude to some "magic vs. technology" shounen battle series. God put witches on this earth to help guide humans through adversity, but humanity collectively had an inferiority complex and felt the witches awesome power took their dignity. They had a technological revolution called the Gear Expansion who's crowning technological achievement is apparently the fucking smartphone, and started a literal witch hunt to genocide all the witches because they hate them so much and are now superior or something. Some of the things you'll get to see this episode include a very kind witch lady in a scenario it's impossible for her to escape, where the emperor rips her shirt off so everyone can see her titties, and then the witch lies to protect her friend, after which she gets shot point blank in the head, and then a bunch of machine gun soldiers destroy her body, and then they also cut her head off. Do you like seeing swathes of humans be irredeemably evil for no particular reason? If so, this is the show for you. It is assuredly not for me.
10 years later, witches are all placed in internment camps, and some of them are sold to higher-ups as sex slaves. But circumstances lead to an escape, and there's a revenge plot building up. Beyond the completely bland, irreprehensible evils of the episode itself, I have zero confidence in it's ability to explore this clumsy-at-best racism allegory with any degree of nuance or tact. It's a clear black-and-white struggle that doesn't mean anything, it can't think of any way to present the plight of the oppressed beyond literally stripping them naked and murdering them three different ways, and the episode's second big bad is a transphobic stereotype to boot, which alone makes me doubt the show's ability to consider the plights of the oppressed. This is just an edgy racism allegory as the pretense for magic vs. technology battles we don't even get to see this episode. It doesn't look too bad and the music is actually really good, but it's substance is not only vapid, but off-putting in a different way than was intended.
10 years later, witches are all placed in internment camps, and some of them are sold to higher-ups as sex slaves. But circumstances lead to an escape, and there's a revenge plot building up. Beyond the completely bland, irreprehensible evils of the episode itself, I have zero confidence in it's ability to explore this clumsy-at-best racism allegory with any degree of nuance or tact. It's a clear black-and-white struggle that doesn't mean anything, it can't think of any way to present the plight of the oppressed beyond literally stripping them naked and murdering them three different ways, and the episode's second big bad is a transphobic stereotype to boot, which alone makes me doubt the show's ability to consider the plights of the oppressed. This is just an edgy racism allegory as the pretense for magic vs. technology battles we don't even get to see this episode. It doesn't look too bad and the music is actually really good, but it's substance is not only vapid, but off-putting in a different way than was intended.
Butareba - The Story of a Man Who Turned Into a Pig
I think I've made it clear in the past that I am no prude. I respect fetish art and, more importantly, enjoy it. There's even a much more "problematic" fetish series higher up on the list. And in fact, this sort of pseudo-ironic masochism fantasy is exactly my shit, I do want to be treated like a pig in the realm of fiction, sounds wonderful. ButaReba even implies something deeper and more sinister happening in the background that, for some viewers, might keep them curious about the promise of a deeper plot. My distaste for Butareba is simply because it sucks. It is a fetish show that not only fails to understand the appeal of it's particular fetish, but is also poorly written and paced as a whole. On the most basic level Butareba is essentially in the same school as My Life as Inukai-san's Dog, a show in which a man is reincarnated as an animal and finds himself in a unique relationship with a female caregiver, and typically gets himself into lewd situations, while implications of something mysterious builds up in the background. Inukai's Dog is by no means a great piece of fetish art, but if there's one thing it did get right, it's that it let it's female characters drive the series. These are voyeur fetishes that allow us to see angles and have interactions with cute girls that aren't possible with human characters, and they work best when we get to actually look at the girls. Butareba's biggest failing to me is how much emphasis it puts on the male lead's headspace, monologuing in great and frankly disgusting detail about everything he sees in Jess. As a viewer, we don't get to come to any conclusions about what she looks like or how we want to be treated by her, since Mr. Pig is there to monologue it the whole time, which kind of goes against the point of a voyeur fetish.
And it doesn't even have the decency to show us anything, because, while the pig monologues on great detail about how he wants to be treated like a pig, he immediately walks it back to say "but actually, I do want to treat you like a person, so don't do what I say like a servant." He will ask Jess to engage in the fantasy - to be spanked or see her tiddies - get excited at the prospect of that fantasy, and then say "oh, nevermind" when it's finally about to happen. It's almost like it's too afraid to commit to it's fetish, and the episode gives us nothing more than a panty shot to satisfy our cravings. Moreover, it's technically the second time the pig had seen her panties, and although she wasn't embarrassed the first time ("you can't help seeing what's visible to you" she says, even though the viewer never sees it), she's clearly embarrassed on this occasion. Rather than any genuine eye-candy or satisfying scenario writing, we get to listen to Yoshitsugu Matsuoka say shit like "I hope her skirt's on the short side. As a pig, I'd be able to get a view from below any time I wanted," but then say "actually, don't listen to me." And sure, it's obvious our protagonist is not fully comprehending the situation he's in, but the episode doesn't present any narrative intrigue, and foregrounds our protagonist being totally obnoxious to the point I wouldn't care about bad things happening to him (but wouldn't want to see it because it would come with obnoxious screaming and monologuing). Matsuoka really tries to elevate the material with his performance, but there's no improving this script.
And that's the worst thing about this show. It's script not only doesn't understand the point, it's also just a bad script. The pig spends nearly 4 whole minutes being dragged out of a shed in first person (I'd argue the episode basically doesn't start until after this point), and some of that time is dedicated to creepy monologues like the one above, but perhaps even worse is the attempt at actual prose, which I can only assume is taken from the light novel. "I'm huddled on the floor of a dim stable, covered in mud from head to toe. Why am I covered in mud? Because the floor is muddy. There are pigs all around me. It seems like I'm in a pig pen..." is just... clumsy, amateurish writing any way you look at it. We're not treated to detailed descriptions of the smell from his newly acquired pig nose, he just says "the smell of dirt, the smell of manure, the smell of straw, the smell of rust." I know he can describe things in evocative detail, he does so for Jess, but I suppose that dissonance in character voice is the closest example the show has to getting it's priorities straight. Any attempt at actual artistic merit proves unengaging. The first person PoV shots don't always match up with how the character is moving, and the cinematography is never ambitious even in the way Inukai's Dog was. Butareba is a failure of a fetish show with a half-assed attempt at implying narrative intrigue. It doesn't even have the decency to be offensive, it's just creepy and boring.
And it doesn't even have the decency to show us anything, because, while the pig monologues on great detail about how he wants to be treated like a pig, he immediately walks it back to say "but actually, I do want to treat you like a person, so don't do what I say like a servant." He will ask Jess to engage in the fantasy - to be spanked or see her tiddies - get excited at the prospect of that fantasy, and then say "oh, nevermind" when it's finally about to happen. It's almost like it's too afraid to commit to it's fetish, and the episode gives us nothing more than a panty shot to satisfy our cravings. Moreover, it's technically the second time the pig had seen her panties, and although she wasn't embarrassed the first time ("you can't help seeing what's visible to you" she says, even though the viewer never sees it), she's clearly embarrassed on this occasion. Rather than any genuine eye-candy or satisfying scenario writing, we get to listen to Yoshitsugu Matsuoka say shit like "I hope her skirt's on the short side. As a pig, I'd be able to get a view from below any time I wanted," but then say "actually, don't listen to me." And sure, it's obvious our protagonist is not fully comprehending the situation he's in, but the episode doesn't present any narrative intrigue, and foregrounds our protagonist being totally obnoxious to the point I wouldn't care about bad things happening to him (but wouldn't want to see it because it would come with obnoxious screaming and monologuing). Matsuoka really tries to elevate the material with his performance, but there's no improving this script.
And that's the worst thing about this show. It's script not only doesn't understand the point, it's also just a bad script. The pig spends nearly 4 whole minutes being dragged out of a shed in first person (I'd argue the episode basically doesn't start until after this point), and some of that time is dedicated to creepy monologues like the one above, but perhaps even worse is the attempt at actual prose, which I can only assume is taken from the light novel. "I'm huddled on the floor of a dim stable, covered in mud from head to toe. Why am I covered in mud? Because the floor is muddy. There are pigs all around me. It seems like I'm in a pig pen..." is just... clumsy, amateurish writing any way you look at it. We're not treated to detailed descriptions of the smell from his newly acquired pig nose, he just says "the smell of dirt, the smell of manure, the smell of straw, the smell of rust." I know he can describe things in evocative detail, he does so for Jess, but I suppose that dissonance in character voice is the closest example the show has to getting it's priorities straight. Any attempt at actual artistic merit proves unengaging. The first person PoV shots don't always match up with how the character is moving, and the cinematography is never ambitious even in the way Inukai's Dog was. Butareba is a failure of a fetish show with a half-assed attempt at implying narrative intrigue. It doesn't even have the decency to be offensive, it's just creepy and boring.
Ragna Crimson
I can respect the aesthetic sensibilities of 13 year old boys. I was a 13 year old boy myself once, and although the chuunibyou fantasy stories I was into weren't quite this edgy (at least to my memories), I have fond memories of reading novels like the Maximum Ride series, which this show reminds me of not in content but in spirit. Even now, I've managed to enjoy the edgy power fantasies aimed at this particular demographic, such as the decently fun World's Finest Assassin. Ragna Crimson will definitely appeal to this demographic and I think a lot of young teenagers are gonna think it's the coolest, most epic and dramatic thing in the world. But as far as fiction for the chuunibyou edgelord phase all boys once had, this is clunky to the point of feeling like it was written by a 13 year old boy. It has it's moments of charm here and there, it's not a wholly negative experience, but everything about it from the script to the production feels unpolished and amateurish, at least to my current adult sensibilities.
It takes it's dramatic sensibilities and plot set-up from a whole host of modern edgy fantasy stories. I mostly get vibes of Attack on Titan for more than a few reasons, but with hints of light novel fantasy in how it presents it's action scenes and it's underdog (who's actually a tragic overdog) protagonist. It's a straight shot to it's demographic, but I feel like it doesn't quite understand how those stories tick. What it takes from those stories is that characters explain everything in blatant terms, yell a whole lot even when it doesn't really make sense, and have some violence while the color palette changes drastically. It's the clunk of the protagonist making a tough decision and then breaking the 4th wall to ask "wouldn't you do the same thing," which I would have thought is rad as hell as a young teenager, but reads as totally out-of-nowhere and distracting to my present self. It's revealed at one point that the dragon god doesn't attack a particular town because he likes one specific cake shop, and he kept the town safe in exchange for cake. The shop goes out of business so he decides to attack. There's a lot wrong with this plot point inherently (if this agreement is what kept the town safe, why was it not a priority to keep things running no matter what), but I think the thought behind it was to show the dragon god as uncaring and flippant. Instead, he reads as petty and unreasonable, more like a tantrum than the unpredictable and uncaring god who destroys cities over small whims.
Visually, it's honestly a mess. It tries it's darndest to be cool and artsy, but it comes across as if the production wasn't up to the task of ambitious direction. It's got a lot of clumsy editing, some of it's dramatic stings read more like comedic punchlines, and it's drastic shifts in color palette feel more like a filter was applied to the screen. One scene attempts a dramatic sunset where light reflects off the character's hair and sword in a wide shot, but the reflections don't look cinematic as much as they look like they weren't really complete. The dragon designs are totally generic, and the moment the series well and truly lost me was when a humanoid fellow with sword tentacles said he was supposed to be a superior dragon. I'm not sure why a superior dragon would ever look like a human, or want to take a human form; it removes any sense of alien threat and also just looks generic as hell. Perhaps I'd be less harsh if this episode weren't a double length premiere, but I spent the last 40 minutes hoping it would end. I can, to some degree, understand the appeal of this one, but it is the epitome of "not for me" both in content and execution.
It takes it's dramatic sensibilities and plot set-up from a whole host of modern edgy fantasy stories. I mostly get vibes of Attack on Titan for more than a few reasons, but with hints of light novel fantasy in how it presents it's action scenes and it's underdog (who's actually a tragic overdog) protagonist. It's a straight shot to it's demographic, but I feel like it doesn't quite understand how those stories tick. What it takes from those stories is that characters explain everything in blatant terms, yell a whole lot even when it doesn't really make sense, and have some violence while the color palette changes drastically. It's the clunk of the protagonist making a tough decision and then breaking the 4th wall to ask "wouldn't you do the same thing," which I would have thought is rad as hell as a young teenager, but reads as totally out-of-nowhere and distracting to my present self. It's revealed at one point that the dragon god doesn't attack a particular town because he likes one specific cake shop, and he kept the town safe in exchange for cake. The shop goes out of business so he decides to attack. There's a lot wrong with this plot point inherently (if this agreement is what kept the town safe, why was it not a priority to keep things running no matter what), but I think the thought behind it was to show the dragon god as uncaring and flippant. Instead, he reads as petty and unreasonable, more like a tantrum than the unpredictable and uncaring god who destroys cities over small whims.
Visually, it's honestly a mess. It tries it's darndest to be cool and artsy, but it comes across as if the production wasn't up to the task of ambitious direction. It's got a lot of clumsy editing, some of it's dramatic stings read more like comedic punchlines, and it's drastic shifts in color palette feel more like a filter was applied to the screen. One scene attempts a dramatic sunset where light reflects off the character's hair and sword in a wide shot, but the reflections don't look cinematic as much as they look like they weren't really complete. The dragon designs are totally generic, and the moment the series well and truly lost me was when a humanoid fellow with sword tentacles said he was supposed to be a superior dragon. I'm not sure why a superior dragon would ever look like a human, or want to take a human form; it removes any sense of alien threat and also just looks generic as hell. Perhaps I'd be less harsh if this episode weren't a double length premiere, but I spent the last 40 minutes hoping it would end. I can, to some degree, understand the appeal of this one, but it is the epitome of "not for me" both in content and execution.
I Shall Survive Using Potions
Honestly, I wasn't even going to check this one out at first. The generic poster full of bland character designs, an isekai light novel about an asinine OP power, it seemed like an easy enough skip. I justified my decision to give it a look upon realizing that the main characters were all women, and isekai tend to consistently be bad less often with female leads. I Shall Survive Using Potions isn't unwatchable garbage, it certainly gets around some of the most annoying genre tropes, but it's so thoroughly poorly thought out, and lacking in any heart, intrigue, or care, that it proves as boring as my gut had warned me, and it's my own fault for not listening.
Protagonist Kaoru is killed by a god's mistake in solving a space-time distortion, and sending her back to earth would cause a bigger distortion, so she gets isekai'd to a generic fantasy world instead, and decides that the ability to create any potion she wants at will is the best power. The premise is fine for what it is, but it almost feels like it actively goes out of it's way to make me not care. When she asks to see her family and friends in their dreams to say goodbye, her entire family literally doesn't give a shit. Her mom, dad, and siblings all have the exact same reaction, and when she asks them why they're not sadder, they just tell her they know she'll be fine. It doesn't even bother showing the goodbye to her friends beyond a brief gag (despite them appearing earlier in the episode). She was content with her life but also doesn't appear to miss it, and no one in her life bar one friend says they're going to miss her and that they don't want her gone even if she'll be fine, it all makes our protagonist and her life on earth feel contrived, unnecessary, and inhuman.
In the fantasy world, she ends up finding ridiculous amounts of information in almost no time at all, and never on screen. When she says "they" told her how much to expect at the inn and how much stuff costs, I think the "they" is meant to refer to one of the gods (given that she hadn't met anyone else up to that point), but we never see any of this information or any similar information given to her, so it all feels like she's picked up knowledge out of nowhere. The world itself is as stereotypical as you'd expect, and instead of doing anything interesting, the show just lampshades itself by saying "oh, this world sure is a generic world of swords and sorcery" and "oh, this guy is a stereotypical minor lord." It's a show that checks all the boxes so to speak, it feels like the result of a soulless hack of an author trying to write what they think will sell, and the one spark of creativity (when Kaoru drugs one of the lord's maids and steals all her and the lord's stuff while escaping his mansion) just feels absurd without humor. The perspective of a female lead doesn't save this one unfortunately.
Protagonist Kaoru is killed by a god's mistake in solving a space-time distortion, and sending her back to earth would cause a bigger distortion, so she gets isekai'd to a generic fantasy world instead, and decides that the ability to create any potion she wants at will is the best power. The premise is fine for what it is, but it almost feels like it actively goes out of it's way to make me not care. When she asks to see her family and friends in their dreams to say goodbye, her entire family literally doesn't give a shit. Her mom, dad, and siblings all have the exact same reaction, and when she asks them why they're not sadder, they just tell her they know she'll be fine. It doesn't even bother showing the goodbye to her friends beyond a brief gag (despite them appearing earlier in the episode). She was content with her life but also doesn't appear to miss it, and no one in her life bar one friend says they're going to miss her and that they don't want her gone even if she'll be fine, it all makes our protagonist and her life on earth feel contrived, unnecessary, and inhuman.
In the fantasy world, she ends up finding ridiculous amounts of information in almost no time at all, and never on screen. When she says "they" told her how much to expect at the inn and how much stuff costs, I think the "they" is meant to refer to one of the gods (given that she hadn't met anyone else up to that point), but we never see any of this information or any similar information given to her, so it all feels like she's picked up knowledge out of nowhere. The world itself is as stereotypical as you'd expect, and instead of doing anything interesting, the show just lampshades itself by saying "oh, this world sure is a generic world of swords and sorcery" and "oh, this guy is a stereotypical minor lord." It's a show that checks all the boxes so to speak, it feels like the result of a soulless hack of an author trying to write what they think will sell, and the one spark of creativity (when Kaoru drugs one of the lord's maids and steals all her and the lord's stuff while escaping his mansion) just feels absurd without humor. The perspective of a female lead doesn't save this one unfortunately.
Dropped Like a Hot Potato, But I Probably Wouldn't Eat It Anyway
Bullbuster
Bullbuster
It's strange to see a show that doesn't necessarily do anything particularly badly, but who's elements come together so awkwardly that the experience ends up shallow and boring. Bullbuster is significantly less than the sum of its parts, and is further de-elevated by failing at it's one central conceit. At it's core, Bullbuster is a mecha themed comedy series in the vein of the original Patlabor, chronicling the humorous escapades of an extermination office which monitors an island and uses mecha to kill the pests that have made it's residential areas unlivable. It attempts some absurdist gags and some humorous anticlimaxes, and fails utterly on both accounts. Absurdist humor doesn't work because it doesn't commit to its punchlines. The direction of scenes is flaccid, and none of it's big moments have any punch to them. When a mecha stops in front of their boss and raises his toupee off is head, there's no drama to the moment. It's not poorly animated, but the direction makes it look like a light gust of wind rather than a huge mecha making a sudden stop. Its anticlimaxes don't work because the build-up is never there, the show largely maintains a single tone and it doesn't have the deviation to sell jokes, and isn't chill enough to work as deadpan delivery.
This is what I meant when I said that it doesn't do anything bad, but ends up being less than the sum of it's parts. The characters are fine, they have well realized personalities and interesting designs. The robot designs are unique, bipedal but very rectangular and seemingly designed with pragmatism in mind. The sci-fi elements are it's one strong point, Okino explaining the pros and cons of bipedal mecha was legitimately interesting and seemed like it made sense. It's competently animated and has a few well delivered moments, and there's nothing inherently wrong with the concept, but the show dips below mediocrity into pure boredom because it refuses to deliver with any intensity. And unfortunately, the hideous CGI monstrosities it calls pests make it an eyesore to look at during climaxes anyway. Bullbuster is unassumingly bad, it's somehow entirely inoffensive and yet boring to the point of vapidity. It has little to offer and fumbles much of what it attempts, making it feel like a waste of time.
My New Boss Is GoofyThis is what I meant when I said that it doesn't do anything bad, but ends up being less than the sum of it's parts. The characters are fine, they have well realized personalities and interesting designs. The robot designs are unique, bipedal but very rectangular and seemingly designed with pragmatism in mind. The sci-fi elements are it's one strong point, Okino explaining the pros and cons of bipedal mecha was legitimately interesting and seemed like it made sense. It's competently animated and has a few well delivered moments, and there's nothing inherently wrong with the concept, but the show dips below mediocrity into pure boredom because it refuses to deliver with any intensity. And unfortunately, the hideous CGI monstrosities it calls pests make it an eyesore to look at during climaxes anyway. Bullbuster is unassumingly bad, it's somehow entirely inoffensive and yet boring to the point of vapidity. It has little to offer and fumbles much of what it attempts, making it feel like a waste of time.
Just to get it out of the way, no, this is unfortunately not a sitcom about Disney's beloved talking dog being an office boss. That show would have actually been good. My New Boss is Goofy is one of those shows that feels like it would work infinitely better as a short. It's separated into vignettes and each of them essentially tell the same joke. Protagonist Momose quit his job due to an evil boss who harassed him to the point of trauma, and is afraid of getting the same treatment at the new job. His new boss Shirosaki is mildly air-headed and generally a good, caring, attentive boss, and the contrast of his competence and his clumsiness makes the comedy.
In all honesty, the show is pretty hit-or-miss with it's gags, though I'd argue leaning notably more towards miss. I think it's best in it's most relatable or plausible moments, like when Shirosaki panics to get medication for stomach pain and ends up buying medication for menstrual pain out of habit since it's what he did for his ex-girlfriend. But most of the jokes aren't nearly that clever, and all of them have the same punchline of Momose saying to himself "ah, he's so cute." My New Boss Is Goofy is a one-trick pony with hit-or-miss variations on the exact same gag, spread numerous times across a 24 minute episode. It's both too insubstantial to be fun for the length of a full episode and too rote and repetitive to be entertaining for it's own sake. The result is an inoffensive, clumsy, and typically boring experience. Watch Cool Doji Danshi instead, it solves every issue I have with this show and has much of the same appeal.
In all honesty, the show is pretty hit-or-miss with it's gags, though I'd argue leaning notably more towards miss. I think it's best in it's most relatable or plausible moments, like when Shirosaki panics to get medication for stomach pain and ends up buying medication for menstrual pain out of habit since it's what he did for his ex-girlfriend. But most of the jokes aren't nearly that clever, and all of them have the same punchline of Momose saying to himself "ah, he's so cute." My New Boss Is Goofy is a one-trick pony with hit-or-miss variations on the exact same gag, spread numerous times across a 24 minute episode. It's both too insubstantial to be fun for the length of a full episode and too rote and repetitive to be entertaining for it's own sake. The result is an inoffensive, clumsy, and typically boring experience. Watch Cool Doji Danshi instead, it solves every issue I have with this show and has much of the same appeal.
Dog Signal
Anime is severely lacking in two particular things: good stories about dogs, and adaptations of josei manga. It's this particular combination that had me interested in Dog Signal, but this dull and questionable premiere unfortunately left us back at square one. Samura Miyu was dumped by his ex-girlfriend and forced to take care of her dog, who just happens to be a spurn of Satan who barks constantly, pees everywhere, wants to bite you, and is generally just unpleasant to interact with. When he misbehaves on a walk, Miyu runs into Shinichirou Niwa, who gives advice on how to control his wild animal. The show has a loose plot but feels almost like an educational show about dog training, with some comedy interspersed to keep things entertaining. I'm also sensing a light yaoi pet play thing going on (not just because of the single gag about the topic), but I'll just ignore that for the moment.
In practice, while the advice about approaching dogs and holding the leash seems sound to me (if too broad to apply to the majority of dogs) as someone who's never owned a dog, the scenario is far too unnatural and unbelievable to work in the context of the story. For one, Niwa is supposed to be a professional dog trainer, but he comes off more like an arrogant magical dog whisperer. He can stop Miyu's evil monster puppy and make him demure just by snapping his fingers, but then blames Miyu (who was forced to take this dog against his will three days ago) for his failure to control him. Despite the dog's personality obviously being a problem, our new and barely willing dog owner is criticized for his lack of knowledge, which isn't bad in itself, but it does mean that our characters just aren't very likable. And beyond that, the comedy is lacking, the characters are dull, the visuals are bland, and the dogs aren't even cute, which might be a crime in itself. As a dog lover, this show doesn't satisfy my itch for an anime that really gets dogs, and is all around a mediocre experience I have no qualms about dropping.
In practice, while the advice about approaching dogs and holding the leash seems sound to me (if too broad to apply to the majority of dogs) as someone who's never owned a dog, the scenario is far too unnatural and unbelievable to work in the context of the story. For one, Niwa is supposed to be a professional dog trainer, but he comes off more like an arrogant magical dog whisperer. He can stop Miyu's evil monster puppy and make him demure just by snapping his fingers, but then blames Miyu (who was forced to take this dog against his will three days ago) for his failure to control him. Despite the dog's personality obviously being a problem, our new and barely willing dog owner is criticized for his lack of knowledge, which isn't bad in itself, but it does mean that our characters just aren't very likable. And beyond that, the comedy is lacking, the characters are dull, the visuals are bland, and the dogs aren't even cute, which might be a crime in itself. As a dog lover, this show doesn't satisfy my itch for an anime that really gets dogs, and is all around a mediocre experience I have no qualms about dropping.
Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange
I'm honestly shocked I haven't heard about any other anime about firefighting. It seems like a perfect subject for this medium, these intense stories of people steeling themselves to jump into burning buildings to save others. Anime is known for stories about people struggling to get stronger and for testing themselves or breaking their limits to save others, and men jumping into fires makes for epic and memorable visual imagery, so a story about firefighter trainees at boot camp seems like a perfect match. Which is why I was so saddened that Firefighter Daigo is unbelievably fucking boring. Rather than an inspirational showcase of masculine grit as heroes train to save others, the series almost plays like a documentary about what you might experience at firefighter boot camp. I have no idea if it's accurate or not, but exposition about what firefighters learn about and who their boot camp leader is doesn't make for entertaining fiction.
The actual drama this episode introduces is thread bare at best, and aside from the fact that the protagonist - not the titular Daigo but another trainee named Shun - is an insecure asshole with an inferiority complex, and that Daigo is vaguely a loner with a few secrets, I haven't gotten to know anything about these characters that might get me to care about them. The lead is a condescending hypocrite, and the boot camp instructor plays the stereotypical version of that role. Naturally, the one female character with any screen presence (and presumably plot importance) basically doesn't even get a line of dialogue. I've found nothing here to latch on to.
And if the promise of intense missions to save people is what you're here for, you can dash your hopes, because the cold open of the crew rescuing people felt less like an epic and intense rescue mission, and more like one of those cheesy instructional videos you'd watch at a training camp that shows you what to do and what not to do on a real mission. Any promise of epic visuals as men in orange jump suits dash into flames is replaced by boilerplate anime background art and direction with absolutely zero presence to it. Firefighter Daigo isn't outright terrible, but it is definitely hollow. It is apparently a sequel to a 40 minute film from 1999, and if this is meant to be a revival of this property, it's utterly failed to earn my intrigue.
Schrodinger's Dropped AnimeI'm honestly shocked I haven't heard about any other anime about firefighting. It seems like a perfect subject for this medium, these intense stories of people steeling themselves to jump into burning buildings to save others. Anime is known for stories about people struggling to get stronger and for testing themselves or breaking their limits to save others, and men jumping into fires makes for epic and memorable visual imagery, so a story about firefighter trainees at boot camp seems like a perfect match. Which is why I was so saddened that Firefighter Daigo is unbelievably fucking boring. Rather than an inspirational showcase of masculine grit as heroes train to save others, the series almost plays like a documentary about what you might experience at firefighter boot camp. I have no idea if it's accurate or not, but exposition about what firefighters learn about and who their boot camp leader is doesn't make for entertaining fiction.
The actual drama this episode introduces is thread bare at best, and aside from the fact that the protagonist - not the titular Daigo but another trainee named Shun - is an insecure asshole with an inferiority complex, and that Daigo is vaguely a loner with a few secrets, I haven't gotten to know anything about these characters that might get me to care about them. The lead is a condescending hypocrite, and the boot camp instructor plays the stereotypical version of that role. Naturally, the one female character with any screen presence (and presumably plot importance) basically doesn't even get a line of dialogue. I've found nothing here to latch on to.
And if the promise of intense missions to save people is what you're here for, you can dash your hopes, because the cold open of the crew rescuing people felt less like an epic and intense rescue mission, and more like one of those cheesy instructional videos you'd watch at a training camp that shows you what to do and what not to do on a real mission. Any promise of epic visuals as men in orange jump suits dash into flames is replaced by boilerplate anime background art and direction with absolutely zero presence to it. Firefighter Daigo isn't outright terrible, but it is definitely hollow. It is apparently a sequel to a 40 minute film from 1999, and if this is meant to be a revival of this property, it's utterly failed to earn my intrigue.
Shy
How in the everloving fuck did they manage to mess up My Bocchi Academia? I feel like this is the most surefire premise in the world, but the first episode of Shy was completely dull, in spite of the lovely character designs and colorful costumes. In a lot of ways, this is a perfectly ok cute girls show, but in both the big and small details it starts to fall apart. In this post-war utopia of a world, some people developed superpowers and chose to put on costumes, and thus society came to call them heroes. Protagonist Teru is one such superhero, who goes by the alias Shy. She plays the Bocchi archetype fairly well, she's shy and adorable and tries her best to communicate and do good in spite of anxiety. Inspired by a hero show of her youth, she wants to be a hero to help step out of her comfort zone.
The big details of this world and society are far too vague to get a handle on. Shy is known as "Japan's superhero," and it seems like each country has their own superhero. I can't tell if this is literal, as in Shy is the only superhero in Japan and Pepesha is the only superhero in Russia, or if this is a strange quirk of the writing. She's apparently only been a hero for three months, so did Japan just not have a hero before that point and had to rely on Russia's teleporting hero? What exactly are Shy's superpowers? I think she has super strength given that she caught a falling roller coaster. She can sort of fly, but is that her powers of flight, or is it all the propulsion device attached to her costume? It's honestly pretty lame that a hero would need such a device in the first place, it de-emphasizes her actual powers rather than compliment them. There's also one part where she listens to hear for people in a burning building, and I couldn't tell if the visuals were meant to convey that she's trying to focus on the sounds really hard, or if superhuman hearing is one of her powers. For an anime about superheroes, the titular hero's powers are vague as hell, and seeing her in action only muddies my understanding.
Shy's character arc this episode is rushed and vapid. After saving people from a roller coaster stuck in place, she failed to rescue one person, who ended up in critical condition. This, for some reason, was framed as a failure on Shy's part, and commentators suggested political action be taken and she be legally responsible for this failure. Yes, the show plays it off as unreasonable, but this would be like someone saying firefighters should be legally punished because a building exploded before they can save the last person trapped inside. No one would ever say that, but it shuts her into her room for a month and then she overcomes it after learning that the girl she didn't save is alive. But it's the small details that really sour me on this. Shy is, well, shy. She's nearly a shut-in on her own, her casual clothes include a hoodie and a long skirt, and her superhero costume comes with it's own hoodie. She is designed to always be hiding herself from others out of shyness, so why on earth does her costume have her thighs in full view? Assuming Shy chose her own costume, there's no chance she'd ever choose something like that. Did someone else choose her costume? Is it a product of her little shrimp thing? Is it an embodiment of how she wants others to see her? Or is it just the more obvious reason of contrived fanservice? Hell if I know (though I have my suspicion), but these sorts of questions kept piling up to the point I couldn't buy into it's central conceits. This show hasn't put much thought into it's hero concept, so I won't be giving it more thought either.
The big details of this world and society are far too vague to get a handle on. Shy is known as "Japan's superhero," and it seems like each country has their own superhero. I can't tell if this is literal, as in Shy is the only superhero in Japan and Pepesha is the only superhero in Russia, or if this is a strange quirk of the writing. She's apparently only been a hero for three months, so did Japan just not have a hero before that point and had to rely on Russia's teleporting hero? What exactly are Shy's superpowers? I think she has super strength given that she caught a falling roller coaster. She can sort of fly, but is that her powers of flight, or is it all the propulsion device attached to her costume? It's honestly pretty lame that a hero would need such a device in the first place, it de-emphasizes her actual powers rather than compliment them. There's also one part where she listens to hear for people in a burning building, and I couldn't tell if the visuals were meant to convey that she's trying to focus on the sounds really hard, or if superhuman hearing is one of her powers. For an anime about superheroes, the titular hero's powers are vague as hell, and seeing her in action only muddies my understanding.
Shy's character arc this episode is rushed and vapid. After saving people from a roller coaster stuck in place, she failed to rescue one person, who ended up in critical condition. This, for some reason, was framed as a failure on Shy's part, and commentators suggested political action be taken and she be legally responsible for this failure. Yes, the show plays it off as unreasonable, but this would be like someone saying firefighters should be legally punished because a building exploded before they can save the last person trapped inside. No one would ever say that, but it shuts her into her room for a month and then she overcomes it after learning that the girl she didn't save is alive. But it's the small details that really sour me on this. Shy is, well, shy. She's nearly a shut-in on her own, her casual clothes include a hoodie and a long skirt, and her superhero costume comes with it's own hoodie. She is designed to always be hiding herself from others out of shyness, so why on earth does her costume have her thighs in full view? Assuming Shy chose her own costume, there's no chance she'd ever choose something like that. Did someone else choose her costume? Is it a product of her little shrimp thing? Is it an embodiment of how she wants others to see her? Or is it just the more obvious reason of contrived fanservice? Hell if I know (though I have my suspicion), but these sorts of questions kept piling up to the point I couldn't buy into it's central conceits. This show hasn't put much thought into it's hero concept, so I won't be giving it more thought either.
Paradox Live the Animation
These sorts of boy band battle royale shows have historically been pretty middling, but with this from the interesting studio Pine Jam and with a script from a writer who's worked on many of Ikuhara's anime, I thought it might be worth giving a shot. Unfortunately, Paradox Live the Animation, while perfectly competent for the most part, doesn't give me much to be excited about. It's best trait is definitely it's visuals. It has a cavalcade of pretty boys each with sleek and memorable designs, and musical performances with some very impressive CGI dance animation. The premise of the show centers around the characters' ability to create their own special effects as illusions called phantoms, and they look pretty neat. It also has very solid animation and direction, including a few moments of strong editing I took notice of, and the art direction is pretty good as well.
The story has it's intrigue and intricacies, and I feel like it's probably one of the better made shows of it's kind in this regard. But Paradox Live never quite gets away from feeling like a standard mixed media project, throwing a whole lot of beautiful men at us without giving us much of their personalities, and a high concept plot that barely even begins to establish itself. The character interactions have their moments, but the script is not up to par with what I'd expect of someone with a pedigree including Ikuhara's anime. Perhaps most unfortunate is the music, which feels like pretty generic J hip-hop to me. The main group's band is called "BAE" and they sing about being bae, so they've immediately dated themselves and it's definitely not my sense of humor. Paradox Live seems pretty inoffensive for the most part, and I can imagine that anyone who's in love with the character designs can find something to like here. But if you haven't been into any of the other boy band battle royales of recent years, I don't think this will change your mind.
The story has it's intrigue and intricacies, and I feel like it's probably one of the better made shows of it's kind in this regard. But Paradox Live never quite gets away from feeling like a standard mixed media project, throwing a whole lot of beautiful men at us without giving us much of their personalities, and a high concept plot that barely even begins to establish itself. The character interactions have their moments, but the script is not up to par with what I'd expect of someone with a pedigree including Ikuhara's anime. Perhaps most unfortunate is the music, which feels like pretty generic J hip-hop to me. The main group's band is called "BAE" and they sing about being bae, so they've immediately dated themselves and it's definitely not my sense of humor. Paradox Live seems pretty inoffensive for the most part, and I can imagine that anyone who's in love with the character designs can find something to like here. But if you haven't been into any of the other boy band battle royales of recent years, I don't think this will change your mind.
Our Dating Story: The Experienced You and the Inexperienced Me
I almost have to appreciate how open this show is about being wish fulfillment. The protagonist literally monologues about how he's a loser with no friends, and the amount of effort put into his "friend" characters is to make them dumb and literally name them "oney" and "twoey." The series is designed with nearly every shred of effort put into it's female lead, the only character with a striking design and an interesting personality, and dialogue that feels informed by experienced history rather than the rote copying of tropes. Our Dating Story is essentially min-maxed in this way, nearly all of it's stat points put into it's female lead, a small amount put into the male lead, and nearly everything else about it completely lacking.
Protagonist Ryuuto is just shy of bland, but has enough going for him to argue he's competently written. His friends are assholes but he hangs out with them because he'd be alone otherwise, and he's generally in his own head. He's at his most interesting when him and Shirakawa walk home, and you actually get to see the cringe effects that his awkwardness has on their relationship. He doesn't know the first thing about dating and genuinely acts like it, to the point that Shirakawa calls him out on it when he doesn't think to walk her home or sit on the bed. It's legitimately kind of endearing, and would be interesting if he had much more to him besides this. And it would be likable if he didn't try to peak at Shirakawa's underwear and say he regrets not having sex when he had the chance. If you want him to be sweet and innocent, you gotta go all the way.
Protagonist Ryuuto is just shy of bland, but has enough going for him to argue he's competently written. His friends are assholes but he hangs out with them because he'd be alone otherwise, and he's generally in his own head. He's at his most interesting when him and Shirakawa walk home, and you actually get to see the cringe effects that his awkwardness has on their relationship. He doesn't know the first thing about dating and genuinely acts like it, to the point that Shirakawa calls him out on it when he doesn't think to walk her home or sit on the bed. It's legitimately kind of endearing, and would be interesting if he had much more to him besides this. And it would be likable if he didn't try to peak at Shirakawa's underwear and say he regrets not having sex when he had the chance. If you want him to be sweet and innocent, you gotta go all the way.
Shirakawa makes up for it though, and carries the series interactions and overall quality. I love her blunt manner of speaking that makes it feel like she's going through something very familiar, but not in such a way that she feels it's a drag. She feels that just getting to know someone who says they like you can lead to genuine romance, and is interested enough in people to take their confessions seriously. But she's flashy and attractive, so most of the men who come on to her are either confident guys looking for an effortless fuck, or hopeless perverts trying to score with someone who's "easy." Shirakawa is aware of this and basically tells Ryuuto right off the bat that she isn't really like that. When she does try to seduce him, it results from feeling like it's the normal thing to do, that dating just happens to be like that. Her outfit isn't meant to be flashy though, it's just how she likes to dress. It's interesting in itself, but therein lies the wish fulfillment, less a "fuck the cute gyaru" and more an "I can fix her" type of wish, as Ryuuto's innocent nature lets her experience the joys of a real relationship without the transactional expectation of sex for the first time, and teaches her to value herself and her desires more. I can imagine this show being very cute, but I can just as easily imagine it losing itself in a lackluster script and a loss of ideas, especially when the OP shows more cute girls entering the picture, meaning it isn't focused just on building this relationship. I think I can live without it.
MF Ghost
The first of two car racing anime this season, MF Ghost is a direct sequel to the final season of Initial D, but seems like it stands alone well enough to watch as someone who hasn't seen any Initial D. I'm mostly mixed on this premiere, but there is one major caveat I'll get to in a second. For now, my overall impression of this show is that it's perfectly fine. The characters aren't bland, the setting and sport are kind of interesting, the designs capture the spirit of Initial D's strange look while feeling modern, and the voice acting is fairly good. My biggest concern comes with the way the Angels are treated. On one hand, there are hints that Ren's feelings about being seen sexually and exploiting herself in this job of standing as eye-candy might be treated seriously. But a character who appears to be important is also stalking her and trying to find out confidential personal information about her, so I'm not convinced that it's going to handle this with tact, and may be unintentionally uncomfortable. I probably wouldn't mind if the Angels were a background detail it didn't call this much attention to, but I have to worry about it given their plot relevance.
If this were the series main conceit, I think I'd feel pretty comfortable dropping it right off the bat. It's likable enough, but not something I really feel a pressing desire to watch more of. But for an anime about racing, this introduction ends right before the actual race, and it feels a bit premature to drop a show about racing without getting to see a race. Hints of what people love about Initial D are already there, we've even gotten some classic Eurobeat just to make sure it stays in the spirit. Depending on how exhilarating the driving is, I can see this series being a lot of fun, so I think I'll at least judge it until that point. But this is a first impressions post, and my first impression of this first episode is that it's competent but unremarkable.
If this were the series main conceit, I think I'd feel pretty comfortable dropping it right off the bat. It's likable enough, but not something I really feel a pressing desire to watch more of. But for an anime about racing, this introduction ends right before the actual race, and it feels a bit premature to drop a show about racing without getting to see a race. Hints of what people love about Initial D are already there, we've even gotten some classic Eurobeat just to make sure it stays in the spirit. Depending on how exhilarating the driving is, I can see this series being a lot of fun, so I think I'll at least judge it until that point. But this is a first impressions post, and my first impression of this first episode is that it's competent but unremarkable.
My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer
I want to like this show. While long-titled narou novel adaptations always evoke a groan, the promise of a heartwarming father/daughter reunion story post-fantasy adventure sparks my imagination and empathy a bit too much to ignore. And this show is close to living up to it's promises. Although the title implies the daughter's return home, the episode itself largely focuses on her inability to do so, which sounds frustrating as hell, but seeing how S-Rank adventurer Angeline faces these problems is what makes her so lovable. She might be a daddy's girl, and she might show her annoyance openly, but even she wouldn't leave a village to be annihilated by giant ants, and she'll sacrifice her vacation for those who are more unfortunate. She's altruistic without being a saint, her actions are motivated by relating to or caring about others. But she always does it with a mildly pissed off expression, and takes her frustration out on her enemies. She's expressive and charming, and Saori Hayami gives an excellent performance full of character. If there's any appeal to this show, it's her.
I must also praise it's background art, which has a sketchy, almost fairy tale aesthetic that I really enjoy. It's not particularly detailed, but I think it looks nice in wide shots and captures the natural world of the rural town Ange wants to return to so badly. The character designs all generally attractive as well, and while Ange is by far the most expressive, the others all have their fun expressions. On the father's side of things, I enjoyed seeing how restless he got waiting for Ange's return. Really, he was restless from the beginning, and finding Ange brought some purpose to his life after quitting his adventure due to trauma. I appreciate that this is never directly stated, it's implied through him listlessly doing chores whenever she isn't in his life, or by him wiping his hands before touching a letter from her. Bel interacting with a group of kids in the forest is a highlight of the episode, as he treats them the way he treats his daughter, reminisces about those experience he hasn't had in 5 years, and also shows both his combat prowess and the limitations placed on him due to having lost his leg.
However, the script here is just plain bad. Dialogue is rote and unnatural at best (bar two particular scenes) and annoyingly expository at worst (Bel explaining that "S-Rank is the highest rank an adventurer can have" to people who should already know this). Monologues typically explain things we can clearly see through the acting, and the writing gives the impression of prioritizing the progression of the story over imbuing everyone with character, typically relying on cliché's without adding anything to them, with Ange as the sole exception. And although I praised the acting and artwork, the animation is pretty terrible. From ugly CGI horses that gallop as if their legs are hurting, to a general stiffness whenever the characters' expressions aren't exaggerated, it's a visual mixed bag. In one particularly egregious moment, the aforementioned scene of Bel wiping his hands before touching Ange's letter has him not even touching the rag he's using to wipe, and even bringing his hands below where the rag is and down to his dirty work clothes.
I could imaging myself coming to enjoy this show once it settles into a groove. My complaints about the script are the sorts I can see smoothing out once the characters and setting are more well established. But between a mixed bag of a production that I can't imagine not collapsing, and an uneven experience overall, I think I'll see what others are saying before committing myself to this one. It's not bad at all, but it is messier than I'd like in a season with this much competition.
I must also praise it's background art, which has a sketchy, almost fairy tale aesthetic that I really enjoy. It's not particularly detailed, but I think it looks nice in wide shots and captures the natural world of the rural town Ange wants to return to so badly. The character designs all generally attractive as well, and while Ange is by far the most expressive, the others all have their fun expressions. On the father's side of things, I enjoyed seeing how restless he got waiting for Ange's return. Really, he was restless from the beginning, and finding Ange brought some purpose to his life after quitting his adventure due to trauma. I appreciate that this is never directly stated, it's implied through him listlessly doing chores whenever she isn't in his life, or by him wiping his hands before touching a letter from her. Bel interacting with a group of kids in the forest is a highlight of the episode, as he treats them the way he treats his daughter, reminisces about those experience he hasn't had in 5 years, and also shows both his combat prowess and the limitations placed on him due to having lost his leg.
However, the script here is just plain bad. Dialogue is rote and unnatural at best (bar two particular scenes) and annoyingly expository at worst (Bel explaining that "S-Rank is the highest rank an adventurer can have" to people who should already know this). Monologues typically explain things we can clearly see through the acting, and the writing gives the impression of prioritizing the progression of the story over imbuing everyone with character, typically relying on cliché's without adding anything to them, with Ange as the sole exception. And although I praised the acting and artwork, the animation is pretty terrible. From ugly CGI horses that gallop as if their legs are hurting, to a general stiffness whenever the characters' expressions aren't exaggerated, it's a visual mixed bag. In one particularly egregious moment, the aforementioned scene of Bel wiping his hands before touching Ange's letter has him not even touching the rag he's using to wipe, and even bringing his hands below where the rag is and down to his dirty work clothes.
I could imaging myself coming to enjoy this show once it settles into a groove. My complaints about the script are the sorts I can see smoothing out once the characters and setting are more well established. But between a mixed bag of a production that I can't imagine not collapsing, and an uneven experience overall, I think I'll see what others are saying before committing myself to this one. It's not bad at all, but it is messier than I'd like in a season with this much competition.
A Girl and Her Guard Dog
Let's get this out of the way: this is an age gap romance. The elevator pitch is basically "The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting pulls an Usagi Drop," but without the pretense of being a cute sitcom about child raising that both of those stories had, so the grooming isn't on-screen. It is what it is, and if that's something you inherently can't get behind, avoid this like the plague. As an enjoyer of taboo fictional romances myself, and taking this show on it's own merits, it genuinely has a lot to offer, or at least enough that I feel like it has potential. I'm always going to support more adaptations of shoujo manga, so in spite of the hard sell this one might be for most, I want to see it succeed.
What makes it work for me is the stuff outside of the romance plot, which gives the characters some depth. Isaku has always struggled to make friends due to people avoiding her because of her ties to the yakuza, but to some degree, also because she's simply socially awkward. She chooses a high school far from home hoping to avoid the yakuza issues, but that doesn't solve the root of the problem in her communication skills, and Keiya's support encourages her to take some risks, which pays off when she works hard and makes friends. Isaku has a fun personality that shines when reacting to others, and is the character who got the most animation resources by far, while the relationship between her and Keiya has more than a few intimate moments, and captures both the intimacy of familial relationships and the magic of a one-sided and seemingly unrequited crush. Any romance with physical intimacy is up my alley, and this looks like it'll deliver. If you can overlook the 10 year age gap, it's legitimately rather sweet.
Of course, that's a big ask, and at it's core, this show is a fetish show. If you've ever wanted to be swept off your feet by a sexy yakuza man with infinitely more experience than you, and who jealously guards you from potential suitors, this is the show for you. It is impossible to write this off as a one-sided crush, as Keiya's titular guard dog behavior clearly stems from his own love, and jealousy towards other men who would approach Isaku, even if he dresses it as "protecting her from ravenously horny wolves." Given that I am a straight man, and that I don't even find Keiya's design particularly attractive anyway, the fetish doesn't really work on me, which is my biggest distance from this show. But I could imagine being really into a gender swapped version of this show (especially if it had better production values), so take that as you will. This show is what it looks like on the tin, and if you are this show's niche, I can see it being an enjoyable experience.
A noblewoman who's really more akin to a servant is framed for crimes she didn't commit, tries to escape execution, and gets rescued by a greater demon lord who decides to teach her to enjoy basic pleasures in life like eating cake: hijinks ensue. A simple premise but a tried and true one, Crash Course in Naughtiness is nothing if not cute. My problems with it lie in it's rote script, but it's a generic script that serves it's purpose well, and is elevated by an especially excellent vocal performance by Tomokazu Sugita as the demon lord Allen. Seriously, the man absolutely kills it, and damn near singlehandedly carried this episode's entertainment value. You have pretty much everything you need to know from what's written above, and I assure that it is competent at it's schtick. If this sort of simple sitcom is your thing, I can recommend this show.
It's failings, if you can call them failings, mostly stem from it's lack of ambition. It's simple perhaps beyond the point of much substance. It's humor is minimal beyond Sugita's vocal delivery, and it's visuals are entirely unremarkable. The show has only a few real gags, and seems like it will mostly keep to the fluff of Charlotte being depressingly ignorant to the fun of the average person, only to be forced to screw around and experience happiness against her will, and cry about how she's experiencing kindness for the first time. I do like the funny details of their pasts, like how Allen was apparently a try-hard student at magic academy to the point of pissing off his teachers, and he still corrects mistakes when peer reviewing academic papers; it's adorable. But these moments feel like background elements, and this extreme simplicity makes it hard to talk about in depth. Still, it's clear to see that the show is pleasant. In a weaker season, I'd be more inclined to keep watching it, but for now, I might see what the second episode adds to it's schtick and go from there. There are worse options for a cute and pleasant sitcom this season.
What makes it work for me is the stuff outside of the romance plot, which gives the characters some depth. Isaku has always struggled to make friends due to people avoiding her because of her ties to the yakuza, but to some degree, also because she's simply socially awkward. She chooses a high school far from home hoping to avoid the yakuza issues, but that doesn't solve the root of the problem in her communication skills, and Keiya's support encourages her to take some risks, which pays off when she works hard and makes friends. Isaku has a fun personality that shines when reacting to others, and is the character who got the most animation resources by far, while the relationship between her and Keiya has more than a few intimate moments, and captures both the intimacy of familial relationships and the magic of a one-sided and seemingly unrequited crush. Any romance with physical intimacy is up my alley, and this looks like it'll deliver. If you can overlook the 10 year age gap, it's legitimately rather sweet.
Of course, that's a big ask, and at it's core, this show is a fetish show. If you've ever wanted to be swept off your feet by a sexy yakuza man with infinitely more experience than you, and who jealously guards you from potential suitors, this is the show for you. It is impossible to write this off as a one-sided crush, as Keiya's titular guard dog behavior clearly stems from his own love, and jealousy towards other men who would approach Isaku, even if he dresses it as "protecting her from ravenously horny wolves." Given that I am a straight man, and that I don't even find Keiya's design particularly attractive anyway, the fetish doesn't really work on me, which is my biggest distance from this show. But I could imagine being really into a gender swapped version of this show (especially if it had better production values), so take that as you will. This show is what it looks like on the tin, and if you are this show's niche, I can see it being an enjoyable experience.
I'm Giving The Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness
It's failings, if you can call them failings, mostly stem from it's lack of ambition. It's simple perhaps beyond the point of much substance. It's humor is minimal beyond Sugita's vocal delivery, and it's visuals are entirely unremarkable. The show has only a few real gags, and seems like it will mostly keep to the fluff of Charlotte being depressingly ignorant to the fun of the average person, only to be forced to screw around and experience happiness against her will, and cry about how she's experiencing kindness for the first time. I do like the funny details of their pasts, like how Allen was apparently a try-hard student at magic academy to the point of pissing off his teachers, and he still corrects mistakes when peer reviewing academic papers; it's adorable. But these moments feel like background elements, and this extreme simplicity makes it hard to talk about in depth. Still, it's clear to see that the show is pleasant. In a weaker season, I'd be more inclined to keep watching it, but for now, I might see what the second episode adds to it's schtick and go from there. There are worse options for a cute and pleasant sitcom this season.
Protocol: Rain
Of all the shows this season that I want to be good, this one is towards the top. It's the first anime about esports that I'm aware of, and although my gaming tendencies are different from the show's FPS fixation, I do lightly play some games competitively, and I was excited to see this growing field represented in anime. Protocol: Rain does have a few interesting ideas: it explores the classic conflict of chasing one's dreams over a more stable career path with the new twist, it seems like it may cover the business side of esports management, it seems like it could comment on game addiction to some degree, it's presentation of our protagonist's depression is pretty solid, etc.. I don't play shooters very often (they make me nauseous unfortunately), but the show's presentation of gameplay and strategies seemed accurate and sensible enough to my ignorant ass. I think there's plenty to enjoy about this premiere, and which I find interesting.
However, I can't shake the feeling that there's a lot of jank as well. Our trio of childhood friends and their families do have a degree of specificity and intimacy to their situations and interactions, and their characterization is well realized. Nozomi acts like a caring motherly type because her own mom walked out on her ambitious but bad-at-management father, and Shun's trauma stems from his love for gaming having resulted in his sister's hospitilization somehow, and the show never says these things directly, which I appreciate. Shun's mom knows his awkward schedule and talks in a way many people I know do, and Nozomi and Akito all seem to know each other very intimately. But they're written in a way that feels stiff, like the idea of how they would interact was well thought out but the execution is clunky. Though I do appreciate them telling our depressed gamer protag he needs to shower. I think the show exaggerates the amount of money top level esports players make despite centering the plot around this fact, which isn't necessarily a flaw of the show, but is a shame as a view into the actual ins-and-outs of exports. And the visuals are trying for a neon modern gaming cafe vibe, but feel muted and incomplete; the production is totally going to melt down at some point. I want to be positive about this show and I want to give it a chance, there's good stuff here, but if you're not interested in the subject matter as I am, the jank is more than enough for me to understand the mediocre reception this premiere has received.
However, I can't shake the feeling that there's a lot of jank as well. Our trio of childhood friends and their families do have a degree of specificity and intimacy to their situations and interactions, and their characterization is well realized. Nozomi acts like a caring motherly type because her own mom walked out on her ambitious but bad-at-management father, and Shun's trauma stems from his love for gaming having resulted in his sister's hospitilization somehow, and the show never says these things directly, which I appreciate. Shun's mom knows his awkward schedule and talks in a way many people I know do, and Nozomi and Akito all seem to know each other very intimately. But they're written in a way that feels stiff, like the idea of how they would interact was well thought out but the execution is clunky. Though I do appreciate them telling our depressed gamer protag he needs to shower. I think the show exaggerates the amount of money top level esports players make despite centering the plot around this fact, which isn't necessarily a flaw of the show, but is a shame as a view into the actual ins-and-outs of exports. And the visuals are trying for a neon modern gaming cafe vibe, but feel muted and incomplete; the production is totally going to melt down at some point. I want to be positive about this show and I want to give it a chance, there's good stuff here, but if you're not interested in the subject matter as I am, the jank is more than enough for me to understand the mediocre reception this premiere has received.
Stardust Telepath
There's a minimum level of quality I tend to expect from Manga Time Kirara adaptations, and Stardust Telepath's premiere is basically at that level. It has all the hallmarks of Kirara cute girls anime, it's cute, it's heartwarming, it's hella gay, and it doesn't aspire to much more than that. I am a fan of Kirara anime, so that baseline is positive for me, but Stardust Telepath doesn't do much to separate itself from others of it's ilk. It follows Umika, an incredibly shy high school girl who struggles to connect with other people to the extent that she feels that she doesn't belong on Earth, and would have better luck connecting to aliens. An alien girl suddenly crashes into her class and can read her mind, leading to a weirdly intimate friendship and a girl she can finally talk to, who shares the same interests and goals.
The best parts of Stardust Telepath are those moments where Yuu the alien girl connects to Umika and reads her thoughts. Not only does she do this in the least heterosexual way humanly possible (if you're not gonna just have them kiss at least), but it's the sort of thing that feels uniquely intimate. Umika describes it as "feeling like I've bared my soul and all my feelings to her," and it's in those moments where she feels like she can connect to another person, even if that person is an alien. In spite of the contrivance of having literally the perfect person for you fall from outer space to solve your problems (you can honestly think of this show like a gay version of Waiting In the Summer, or even Urusei Yatsura), these are heartfelt moments and were the times I felt most connected to the show.
Unfortunately, the rest of the show is fairly standard Kirara manzai comedy, and thus far it's perfectly watchable and little more. The characters fit their archetypes, they're very cute, but they're a bit bland. The show doesn't have to steady chemistry and comedic timing of a K-On or Yuru Camp, nor does it have the commitment to visual comedy and standout direction of a Bocchi the Rock; it's simply a competent take on the generic Kirara formula, a show that is pleasant enough to watch but doesn't stick with you. This being said, Kirara shows really thrive on long-term investment, and their starts are often their weakest parts, as the appeal comes in building a connection to the mood of the show and the chemistry of the characters over time, and the overall presentation is solid enough that I could imagine that connection forming over time, as happened with last year's Slow Loop. As someone invested in Kirara as a brand, I'll certainly be keeping with this just to see if it happens. If you're not already a Kirara fan, I doubt Stardust Telepath will convert you, but if you are, I don't think it'll turn you away.
The best parts of Stardust Telepath are those moments where Yuu the alien girl connects to Umika and reads her thoughts. Not only does she do this in the least heterosexual way humanly possible (if you're not gonna just have them kiss at least), but it's the sort of thing that feels uniquely intimate. Umika describes it as "feeling like I've bared my soul and all my feelings to her," and it's in those moments where she feels like she can connect to another person, even if that person is an alien. In spite of the contrivance of having literally the perfect person for you fall from outer space to solve your problems (you can honestly think of this show like a gay version of Waiting In the Summer, or even Urusei Yatsura), these are heartfelt moments and were the times I felt most connected to the show.
Unfortunately, the rest of the show is fairly standard Kirara manzai comedy, and thus far it's perfectly watchable and little more. The characters fit their archetypes, they're very cute, but they're a bit bland. The show doesn't have to steady chemistry and comedic timing of a K-On or Yuru Camp, nor does it have the commitment to visual comedy and standout direction of a Bocchi the Rock; it's simply a competent take on the generic Kirara formula, a show that is pleasant enough to watch but doesn't stick with you. This being said, Kirara shows really thrive on long-term investment, and their starts are often their weakest parts, as the appeal comes in building a connection to the mood of the show and the chemistry of the characters over time, and the overall presentation is solid enough that I could imagine that connection forming over time, as happened with last year's Slow Loop. As someone invested in Kirara as a brand, I'll certainly be keeping with this just to see if it happens. If you're not already a Kirara fan, I doubt Stardust Telepath will convert you, but if you are, I don't think it'll turn you away.
The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess
Vampire Princess is a little bit of everything. It's a little funny, it's a little gay, it's a little lewd, it's a little interesting, it's a little human, and it has a little bit of good character acting and punchy direction. It's a surprisingly multifaceted show, at least from the first episode, and I think it comes away being slightly greater than the sum of it's above average parts. Following a vampire princess who stays cooped up in her room all day, it turns out she accidentally asked to become a crimson general competing for the throne, who must lead her country in eternal war while staving away rebels who seek to overthrow her. She naturally wants nothing to do with this, but is far too afraid of death to do anything other than come off as overly confident such that no one will want to challenge her supremacy. Add in an unpredictable maid who's a disaster lesbian for her new master, some fake news playing her off as particularly blood thirsty, and past trauma that's prevented her from being social and keeps her crying at night, and you've got an enjoyable comedy with a whole lot of stuff.
This show's worldbuilding is a bit of a mess but may be filled in later, so I'm not sure how it works as a fantasy show quite yet. It's biggest weakness comes in the lewd aspect of the show, which has generally kept to a generic "let me massage your boobs" gag and a few fanservice shots. It feels like it doesn't commit to this aspect of itself, which is a bit of a shame because I really like the character designs. As for the rest of it, we've only met two important characters to any noteworthy degree, so it's hard to say, but I can see this one going either way; either growing into something very entertaining and heartfelt or devolving into a few annoying gags it never fully commits to. Nonetheless, the execution here is punchy, the character acting is expressive, and it has enough strong points for me to feel it might stick the landing. I can imagine myself enjoying this show and I've heard good things about the source material, so I plan to stick it out a little longer.
This show's worldbuilding is a bit of a mess but may be filled in later, so I'm not sure how it works as a fantasy show quite yet. It's biggest weakness comes in the lewd aspect of the show, which has generally kept to a generic "let me massage your boobs" gag and a few fanservice shots. It feels like it doesn't commit to this aspect of itself, which is a bit of a shame because I really like the character designs. As for the rest of it, we've only met two important characters to any noteworthy degree, so it's hard to say, but I can see this one going either way; either growing into something very entertaining and heartfelt or devolving into a few annoying gags it never fully commits to. Nonetheless, the execution here is punchy, the character acting is expressive, and it has enough strong points for me to feel it might stick the landing. I can imagine myself enjoying this show and I've heard good things about the source material, so I plan to stick it out a little longer.
Migi and Dali
The newest adaptation of a manga from Haven't You Heard, I'm Sakamoto creator Nami Sano (who has unfortunately passed away earlier this year, may she rest in piece), Migi and Dali is a much stranger show but cut from a similar cloth. Imagine two twins who with Sakamoto's powers of awesomeness, capable of combining their powers to create absurd scenarios to act as the most epically adorable single person you can imagine. These two are unwittingly adopted by a wholesome elderly couple just looking for just one kid to raise, and go to strange lengths to make sure they satisfy every whim their adoptive parents have. However, where Sakamoto is an absurdist comedy, Migi and Dali leans more surreal, with it's twins and their unique scenario (both in the episode itself and implied by the backstory revealed post credits) being more creepy than anything.
Migi and Dali uses this contrast between the creepy nature of the twins, the wholesomeness of their adoptive parents, and the absurdity of the scenarios to create it's odd style of humor. It's appeal comes from this unique blend of tones, I never quite knew how to feel when watching the show. It's perhaps a bit strange even for my taste, which is what holds me back from it, but I can't deny that I found it engaging and entertaining. And it has plenty of more traditionally moments of anime comedy as well, one clip of the old woman saying "shit" in English out of absolutely nowhere deserves to go viral. Migi and Dali is a show I feel like I need to settle into, and I can imagine myself enjoying it once it settles into it's groove and I settle into the mindset it expects of me. A big fan of the creator's previous work adapted to anime though, I'm surely giving this the benefit of the doubt.
Migi and Dali uses this contrast between the creepy nature of the twins, the wholesomeness of their adoptive parents, and the absurdity of the scenarios to create it's odd style of humor. It's appeal comes from this unique blend of tones, I never quite knew how to feel when watching the show. It's perhaps a bit strange even for my taste, which is what holds me back from it, but I can't deny that I found it engaging and entertaining. And it has plenty of more traditionally moments of anime comedy as well, one clip of the old woman saying "shit" in English out of absolutely nowhere deserves to go viral. Migi and Dali is a show I feel like I need to settle into, and I can imagine myself enjoying it once it settles into it's groove and I settle into the mindset it expects of me. A big fan of the creator's previous work adapted to anime though, I'm surely giving this the benefit of the doubt.
Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions
Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden deductions is fun, has great dialogue, and looks pretty nice. Studio Diomedia has been on a bit of an upswing recently in both production quality and even scripting, with many of the studio's recent works (including this one) scripted by Oregairu creator Wataru Watari (a relationship presumably formed after the creation of the funny, cynical, and underappreciated Girlish Number, I highly recommend that one btw) and being much more impressive for it. I don't actually have too much to complain about with this one. The character designs are striking and attractive, the dialogue has a lot of personality and flows really well, and the mystery plotting hasn't been convoluted or play into the "genius who makes overly narrow deductions from excessively broad clues" cliché. The end of the episode has a strong hook both for comedy and drama, and I think this is an all around solid premiere.
Given all of this, I'm not actually sure what's keeping me at arms length with this one. Perhaps it's because I hadn't eaten dinner yet and was distracted by hunger while watching it. But either way, it's undeniable that something has made me feel a bit distant from it, and I can't put my finger on what that is at the moment. I realize that this is a pretty lame commentary on this show that doesn't really match up with anything else I've written, and isn't even particularly helpful, but this is a casual post about my own personal first impressions, and this was my first impression, so I would feel dishonest saying anything else about it. I think that, as the episodes go by, I will find myself more drawn to this one based on the strengths of this premiere. It's a good show, probably not actually a Schrodinger's drop in all honesty.
Not Dropped Yet... Don't Test My Patience
It's almost reassuring to think that as the future emerges and more and more impressive technology allows video games to reach their most immersive forms, the ills of idiocy and capitalism will still ensure that loads of shovel ware building upon the most groan-inducing ills of video games as we know them will still continue to hit the shelves. I think what most impressed me about Shangri-La Frontier is the depth to which it's imagined it's setting through the small bits and pieces we get of it. In a world where VR games have become so normal that our display console games are considered retro, there are still tons of broken boundaries, invisibility glitches, hitbox glitches, terrible ally AI, and annoying companion characters who are made 50 times worse by the fact that they need to travel with you (but made bearable when you get to beat the crap out of them during the credits sequence). Not even VR will save video games from being shipped out unfinished.
I don't think protagonist Sunraku would have it any other way though. He hunts down and tries to conquer kusoge (shit games), the worst of the worst kinds of shovel ware that would frustrate most but presents a fun and hilarious challenge for him, the game being more about overcoming the struggles of it's own design flaws rather than the game's actual challenges. There are plenty of gamers fascinated by kusoge even nowadays, so I'm shocked it's taken so long to see a character of this type. While small segments of his home and school life add some interesting details, from his mom being a bug collector with a butterfly collection to a shy girl at school in love with him for his passion but unable to confess, the story truly begins when he finally decides to pick up a kamige (god-tier game) and contrast the depths of frustration with the transcendent joy of an actually good video game. While I don't care for the "MC narrates their experiences" trope, the specificity of his descriptions as an expert in bad game design adds an extra layer, and Shangri-La Frontier looks like a reasonably fun game thus far. I imagine this going after a similar sort of appeal as Bofuri, and it looks like it's on its way to that sort of charm.
I couldn't help think that this might also be a critique of VRMMO and other narou-kei anime. Not sure how intentional this is, but our protagonist is only interested in shit games, only to be genuinely blown away by an actually great game. Narou anime are typically also of low quality, but many people seem to go out of their way to hunt them down for the concept alone. We can have the appeal of an MMO without the frustration. Though this is purely speculation on my part, the text of the show doesn't really support or defeat this idea at the moment. What I can say for certain is that Shangri-La Frontier is fun, has great animation, is solidly directed, and clearly understands the culture and history of video games.
Overtake!
I don't think protagonist Sunraku would have it any other way though. He hunts down and tries to conquer kusoge (shit games), the worst of the worst kinds of shovel ware that would frustrate most but presents a fun and hilarious challenge for him, the game being more about overcoming the struggles of it's own design flaws rather than the game's actual challenges. There are plenty of gamers fascinated by kusoge even nowadays, so I'm shocked it's taken so long to see a character of this type. While small segments of his home and school life add some interesting details, from his mom being a bug collector with a butterfly collection to a shy girl at school in love with him for his passion but unable to confess, the story truly begins when he finally decides to pick up a kamige (god-tier game) and contrast the depths of frustration with the transcendent joy of an actually good video game. While I don't care for the "MC narrates their experiences" trope, the specificity of his descriptions as an expert in bad game design adds an extra layer, and Shangri-La Frontier looks like a reasonably fun game thus far. I imagine this going after a similar sort of appeal as Bofuri, and it looks like it's on its way to that sort of charm.
I couldn't help think that this might also be a critique of VRMMO and other narou-kei anime. Not sure how intentional this is, but our protagonist is only interested in shit games, only to be genuinely blown away by an actually great game. Narou anime are typically also of low quality, but many people seem to go out of their way to hunt them down for the concept alone. We can have the appeal of an MMO without the frustration. Though this is purely speculation on my part, the text of the show doesn't really support or defeat this idea at the moment. What I can say for certain is that Shangri-La Frontier is fun, has great animation, is solidly directed, and clearly understands the culture and history of video games.
KamiErabi GOD.app
Leave it to the inimitable Yoko Taro to make the weirdest shit imaginable that no one can appreciate. The newest IP fresh from the mind of the beloved and fascinating creator of the Nier/Drakengard series, KamiErabi is really fucking strange. The elevator pitch is like if Platinum End were aware that it was stupid, was stylish and aesthetically interesting, had actually interesting dialogue, and was generally just good. KamiErabi opens up by telling the viewer how to approach it. This isn't a heartfelt story about friendship, it's unpleasant and edgy and it's a whole bunch of nonsense, and we should simply write it off as the bullshit it is. Given the episode itself, and the enigmatic nature of the show's creator, I'm inclined to take that speech mostly at face value, but I'm equally inclined to believe that it's not the whole picture. Yoko Taro isn't one for nonsense alone, his nonsense has meaning and emotion.
What makes me able to write it off as entertaining nonsense that may or may not have more to the picture is that it just looks fucking cool. The CGI animation is probably going to get some flack, but once you look past the textures and stiff facial expressions, you'll find that the actual character designs are very attractive, and the character animation quite expressive. Far more important though is the background elements, which both flesh out the world and create it's strange atmosphere. Everyone who isn't an important character is grayed out and has dead white eyes, every background character looks like a zombie and barely even moves, which makes it impactful and unsettling whenever they do move, or frankly even when they don't, because the background of a school or city is just populated with visual zombies. The actual background art has tons of bright colors with contrast, and generally looks stylized. When the episode's climax comes and two characters fight in an enclosed space, the style is upped and, above anything else, just looks freaking cool. The world of KamiErabi is surreal, unsettling, and interesting, and the plot involves "twisting" the worlds, meaning we get to see all sorts of variations on it, from the details of our protagonist's home to locations in town that change with each action.
The actual story is a bit tough to parse right now. All I can really make out is that it's a battle royale where a bunch of characters compete for the right to godhood, similar to Platinum End and Future Diary. What makes this show actually competent, apart from it's self-awareness and style, is that the characters have legitimate chemistry. Short interactions between protagonist Ono, his friend Akitsu, popular girl Honoka, and strange fairy creature Lall imbue each of them with a ton of personality and multiple sides to them, implying deeper things about each of them to be discovered later. The show isn't caught up in the details yet, but it made me curious to see where things will go now that Ono's MO has been established. Perhaps more importantly, I'm wondering about the "twisting worlds" concept. I would imagine a creator like Yoko Taro to do something like "twisting the world so that the story being about nonsense changes to a different world" or something more high concept like that, and I figure he'll come up with something way cooler than what I just did. But even without it's creator's pedigree, I think I'd still have a fine time with such a strange, stylish, and fun show.
What makes me able to write it off as entertaining nonsense that may or may not have more to the picture is that it just looks fucking cool. The CGI animation is probably going to get some flack, but once you look past the textures and stiff facial expressions, you'll find that the actual character designs are very attractive, and the character animation quite expressive. Far more important though is the background elements, which both flesh out the world and create it's strange atmosphere. Everyone who isn't an important character is grayed out and has dead white eyes, every background character looks like a zombie and barely even moves, which makes it impactful and unsettling whenever they do move, or frankly even when they don't, because the background of a school or city is just populated with visual zombies. The actual background art has tons of bright colors with contrast, and generally looks stylized. When the episode's climax comes and two characters fight in an enclosed space, the style is upped and, above anything else, just looks freaking cool. The world of KamiErabi is surreal, unsettling, and interesting, and the plot involves "twisting" the worlds, meaning we get to see all sorts of variations on it, from the details of our protagonist's home to locations in town that change with each action.
The actual story is a bit tough to parse right now. All I can really make out is that it's a battle royale where a bunch of characters compete for the right to godhood, similar to Platinum End and Future Diary. What makes this show actually competent, apart from it's self-awareness and style, is that the characters have legitimate chemistry. Short interactions between protagonist Ono, his friend Akitsu, popular girl Honoka, and strange fairy creature Lall imbue each of them with a ton of personality and multiple sides to them, implying deeper things about each of them to be discovered later. The show isn't caught up in the details yet, but it made me curious to see where things will go now that Ono's MO has been established. Perhaps more importantly, I'm wondering about the "twisting worlds" concept. I would imagine a creator like Yoko Taro to do something like "twisting the world so that the story being about nonsense changes to a different world" or something more high concept like that, and I figure he'll come up with something way cooler than what I just did. But even without it's creator's pedigree, I think I'd still have a fine time with such a strange, stylish, and fun show.
The Apothecary Diaries
I'm not entirely sure what to make of Apothecary Diaries yet. Although it was one of my most anticipated shows of the season, this first episode feels rather unremarkable to me. The sleek production values it's trailer showed are toned down significantly in the show itself (though it still looks very good), and it's barely even begun to establish the nature of it's story, which follows an apothecary who was kidnapped and made to become a serving lady at the Emperor's inner palace in a classical ancient Chinese setting. It's somewhat representative of Raven of the Inner Palace from last year, but appears to be more of a medical procedural than a fantasy mystery, as protagonist Maomao will use her apothecary knowledge to save people from poisons. But this first episode didn't really establish the overall dynamic of the show, and felt purely introductory.
Nonetheless, I'm confident in my praise of The Apothecary Diaries for a variety of reasons. For one, Maomao is such a damn lovable character. She's a snarky and mildly uncaring little gremlin who wants nothing to do with her situation and hopes to just wait out the two years it'll take for her to go free, but ends up finding that attention when she fails to hide her sense of justice. She's just an incredibly expressive character and a fun presence, bolstered by a strong vocal performance by Aoi Yuuki. I also appreciate all of the details of the setting, our walks through the town and the inner palace leave both locations with a real sense of place, and the beautiful background art and bustling background characters leave the setting with a distinct identity, even compared to other shows in similar settings like the aforementioned Raven of the Inner Palace. Moreover, this show has incredibly good staff, and the source material is beloved, so I have some faith that this episode's good points will be expanded on satisfactorily. Apothecary Diaries has a unique blend of elements and impressive presentation that I feel makes it worth looking out for, and I cannot wait to see this unassuming seed blossom into a more clearly memorable story.
Nonetheless, I'm confident in my praise of The Apothecary Diaries for a variety of reasons. For one, Maomao is such a damn lovable character. She's a snarky and mildly uncaring little gremlin who wants nothing to do with her situation and hopes to just wait out the two years it'll take for her to go free, but ends up finding that attention when she fails to hide her sense of justice. She's just an incredibly expressive character and a fun presence, bolstered by a strong vocal performance by Aoi Yuuki. I also appreciate all of the details of the setting, our walks through the town and the inner palace leave both locations with a real sense of place, and the beautiful background art and bustling background characters leave the setting with a distinct identity, even compared to other shows in similar settings like the aforementioned Raven of the Inner Palace. Moreover, this show has incredibly good staff, and the source material is beloved, so I have some faith that this episode's good points will be expanded on satisfactorily. Apothecary Diaries has a unique blend of elements and impressive presentation that I feel makes it worth looking out for, and I cannot wait to see this unassuming seed blossom into a more clearly memorable story.
Tearmoon Empire
If I had a nickel for every time in 2023 there was an anime that was basically a villainess isekai that cleverly finds a way to avoid being an isekai, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice. Granted, Tearmoon Empire isn't quite the galaxy brained take that Endo and Kobayashi Live was in winter, but it is a very entertaining show that delivers on it's simple premise, and has more "desu wa" than anyone could ever want. Princess Mia begins the series thrown into jail by a revolting public, ending with her execution via guillotine. In a stroke of divine intervention, she is sent back into her 12 year old body, where she hopes to avoid the fate that would befall her some 8 years later. It's basically Marie Antoinette being given a second chance, where she must come up with ways to avoid setting off the French Revolution.
Mia's suffering in jail for many years, being fed moldy food she hates while waiting for her execution, has already fostered her growth as a character, so the fun of this episode is in seeing her servants react to this suddenly changed version without context. I appreciate that this change isn't entirely all-encompassing and that she sinks back into old habits on occasion, only to remember something about her past life and fix the problem out of newfound respect and love for that which she's taken for granted. The result is that she feels believably like a brat who's been forced to change herself, perfectly sympathetic while still letting me understand the situation that would lead to revolution against her rule. The story of her kingdom's eventual history and Mia's attempts to avert disaster is still in the set-up stages, but this has been an entertaining introduction to the concept and it's given the important characters enough layers to feel substantial. I've heard good things about the source material and the adaptation appears to be competent, so I'm expecting good things from this simple but silly little show.
Mia's suffering in jail for many years, being fed moldy food she hates while waiting for her execution, has already fostered her growth as a character, so the fun of this episode is in seeing her servants react to this suddenly changed version without context. I appreciate that this change isn't entirely all-encompassing and that she sinks back into old habits on occasion, only to remember something about her past life and fix the problem out of newfound respect and love for that which she's taken for granted. The result is that she feels believably like a brat who's been forced to change herself, perfectly sympathetic while still letting me understand the situation that would lead to revolution against her rule. The story of her kingdom's eventual history and Mia's attempts to avert disaster is still in the set-up stages, but this has been an entertaining introduction to the concept and it's given the important characters enough layers to feel substantial. I've heard good things about the source material and the adaptation appears to be competent, so I'm expecting good things from this simple but silly little show.
16bit Sensation: Another Layer
It's all too easy to get caught up in a rose tinted past. Trends change, and industries grow and adjust, but the passion of fans rarely changes with it. The early 90's was a golden era for bishoujo visual novels, and Konoha finds herself taken by the classics of the era like Kanon and Doukyuusei. The nature of the bishoujo game and the place that cute anime girls have in otaku culture has adjusted in the modern age. Billboards around Akihabara show modern franchises from gacha games and VTubers, it's Fate/Grand Order, Magia Record, and Hololive that get attention now, while the likes of previous genre titans like Kanon get relegated to the bargain bin, and companies like the one Konoha works at seem to think they can't find success with more ambitious titles, so Konoha finds herself unable to manifest her passionate ambitions and is forced to draw the backs of unimportant characters for cheaply made erotic shovel ware called MILF Hypnosis Salon. Her passion is not shared by her coworkers, and the lead illustrator has even lost his motivation to draw. If only we can return to the days of the genre's golden age, where surely Konoha would be able to realize her dream and craft a masterpiece.
Konoha is a wonderfully believable hardcore otaku character. Her interest doesn't feel generic, it borders on obsession. Her bedroom is covered with artifacts from her favorite bishoujo characters, which does still include modern stories like Magia Record, but is mostly covered in posters and figures from the 90's classics like Kanon. Her computer space is the only exception, where she keeps a pin board with concepts and sketches for characters she wants to draw, and uploads the finished product to websites that give her rankings. She's missing something in her work, but has the right idea. More prominent to me is her excessive and detailed knowledge of this particular subset of games, and I loved seeing her talk to an old woman at a used games store about how Kanon is a masterpiece. Despite only seeing a small bit of the conversation, her descriptions and mannerisms mirror my own obsessive knowledge and passion for anime; she talks about what she loves similar to how I do so I know she's truly a nerd. She is a wonderful protagonist for this sort of show, and facilitates the show's own intense reverence for bishoujo games.
Eventually, Konoha gets transported back to 1992 to experience the golden age herself, and that transition is accompanied by a subtle change in art style, with Konoha looking like a modern bishoujo character but the background characters she passes by in Akihabara feeling like what I'd see in an adaptation of one of those old classics like Comic Party. The world is a different place, but the characters who live there still complain about how much better things were in the past, so I don't think Konoha is getting what she wants so easily just by being in the golden age. She's missing something herself, and needs more than passion to make her ambitious ideas feel worthwhile. I suspect that the era she's working in is not the problem, and I think a story partially about the goggles we see these golden eras of the past with is a fantastic idea. But at it's core, it looks to be a pseudo-educational show about the history of bishoujo games, and changes in their production and reception over time, which is just as interesting The execution is there too. Beyond the details in Konoha's room, there are art style shifts, one particularly standout animation cut when Konoha explains her idea to her boss, and generally a bunch of things that make me feel this will be a good show. If you've ever felt that modern media is too different and that it's harder to make ambitious work, I think 16bit Sensation makes for an interesting exploration of what that really entails, while embodying the passion we have for this hobby.
Konoha is a wonderfully believable hardcore otaku character. Her interest doesn't feel generic, it borders on obsession. Her bedroom is covered with artifacts from her favorite bishoujo characters, which does still include modern stories like Magia Record, but is mostly covered in posters and figures from the 90's classics like Kanon. Her computer space is the only exception, where she keeps a pin board with concepts and sketches for characters she wants to draw, and uploads the finished product to websites that give her rankings. She's missing something in her work, but has the right idea. More prominent to me is her excessive and detailed knowledge of this particular subset of games, and I loved seeing her talk to an old woman at a used games store about how Kanon is a masterpiece. Despite only seeing a small bit of the conversation, her descriptions and mannerisms mirror my own obsessive knowledge and passion for anime; she talks about what she loves similar to how I do so I know she's truly a nerd. She is a wonderful protagonist for this sort of show, and facilitates the show's own intense reverence for bishoujo games.
Eventually, Konoha gets transported back to 1992 to experience the golden age herself, and that transition is accompanied by a subtle change in art style, with Konoha looking like a modern bishoujo character but the background characters she passes by in Akihabara feeling like what I'd see in an adaptation of one of those old classics like Comic Party. The world is a different place, but the characters who live there still complain about how much better things were in the past, so I don't think Konoha is getting what she wants so easily just by being in the golden age. She's missing something herself, and needs more than passion to make her ambitious ideas feel worthwhile. I suspect that the era she's working in is not the problem, and I think a story partially about the goggles we see these golden eras of the past with is a fantastic idea. But at it's core, it looks to be a pseudo-educational show about the history of bishoujo games, and changes in their production and reception over time, which is just as interesting The execution is there too. Beyond the details in Konoha's room, there are art style shifts, one particularly standout animation cut when Konoha explains her idea to her boss, and generally a bunch of things that make me feel this will be a good show. If you've ever felt that modern media is too different and that it's harder to make ambitious work, I think 16bit Sensation makes for an interesting exploration of what that really entails, while embodying the passion we have for this hobby.
Kawagoe Boys Sing
Well this was a pleasant surprise. I damn near skipped this one, these pretty boy singing group shows tend to be pretty mediocre and that sub-6 MAL score wasn't doing it any favors. But the trailers made it seem like it was about more typical acapella choir rather than a male idol show, and the director has worked on a few interesting shows, so I gave it a shot. Unfortunately, in spite of the advertising, the music the boys perform is not "national choir competition" music, they rap and they have to dance to it as well so it feels more like an idol song (it also makes a poor first impression with scenes of characters singing with terrible Engrish lyrics). But that's not really a flaw of the show, and to my surprise, this ended up being a legitimately hilarious comedy with solid, well defined characters.
In particular, this one is carried by it's main character (but not one of the pretty boys) Haruo. Haruo is an up-and-coming conductor who's worked with world class musicians, but he's also a stupid arrogant asshole and no one wants to work with him. His grandmother, the principal of a school that wants to start an arts department, forces him to collect new students for an all-boy choir, and hilarity ensues from his horrible attempts at getting the boys he finds to join his club. It does work out in the end, but not because of him. His role is to have zero sense of personal space, horrid communication skills, be a self-righteous asshole, and still be the perfect teacher to these kids. His attempts at communication and his brazen confidence are a riot, he's a piece of shit and I love him. Sure, it may be his grandmother's pet skunk that did most of the work in getting the team together, but Haruo is also the kind of blunt, overly confident personality that can lead this team most effectively. His arrogance is what Tenshi needs to overcome his fear of singing in front of others, and in spite of his questionable methods, he does seem to have legitimate love and respect for music, and a desire to see talent emerge.
The idol aspect of the series is admittedly a little clumsy, but it's clumsy in such a way that adds to the comedy. The boys are forced to learn a whole song and dance in two hours with essentially no instruction, and they do it basically out of sheer willpower (and fear of getting in trouble for losing the principal's pet skunk). Although this is not a real choir, the dance animation is all fluid 2D animation, and although the production typically isn't impressive, it's allocated resources into the right places and has a few solid animation moments. Kawagoe Boys Sing is funny, bursting with personality, and has potential for solid drama. I'm putting it down as the season's underrated gem.
In particular, this one is carried by it's main character (but not one of the pretty boys) Haruo. Haruo is an up-and-coming conductor who's worked with world class musicians, but he's also a stupid arrogant asshole and no one wants to work with him. His grandmother, the principal of a school that wants to start an arts department, forces him to collect new students for an all-boy choir, and hilarity ensues from his horrible attempts at getting the boys he finds to join his club. It does work out in the end, but not because of him. His role is to have zero sense of personal space, horrid communication skills, be a self-righteous asshole, and still be the perfect teacher to these kids. His attempts at communication and his brazen confidence are a riot, he's a piece of shit and I love him. Sure, it may be his grandmother's pet skunk that did most of the work in getting the team together, but Haruo is also the kind of blunt, overly confident personality that can lead this team most effectively. His arrogance is what Tenshi needs to overcome his fear of singing in front of others, and in spite of his questionable methods, he does seem to have legitimate love and respect for music, and a desire to see talent emerge.
The idol aspect of the series is admittedly a little clumsy, but it's clumsy in such a way that adds to the comedy. The boys are forced to learn a whole song and dance in two hours with essentially no instruction, and they do it basically out of sheer willpower (and fear of getting in trouble for losing the principal's pet skunk). Although this is not a real choir, the dance animation is all fluid 2D animation, and although the production typically isn't impressive, it's allocated resources into the right places and has a few solid animation moments. Kawagoe Boys Sing is funny, bursting with personality, and has potential for solid drama. I'm putting it down as the season's underrated gem.
Literally My Baby, I would Never Drop You (unless you disappoint me)
Overtake!
I would describe Overtake's premiere as unassuming in it's plotting but confident in it's execution. There's nothing I can really point to as a distinctive hook for this show beyond it's subject matter, which is admittedly legitimately interesting. I've never been much into even F1 racing, let alone F4, but this series explores the nuances of this activity with clear love, knowledge, and passion for it. How and why people get into it, the specifics of maintenance and the ceremonies of standard races, characters in this show talk about it with such specificity that I can't help but be intrigued. But beyond that superficial subject, it's hard to explain the intrigue of the actual story. Instead, Overtake! has me incredibly confident because it feels so effortless in it's execution. It alludes to events and character motivations without spelling them out, it indulges in exposition about F4 that feels so natural it doesn't register as exposition, characters engage in dialogue that flows and feels natural, and the animation is expressive and full of personality. I trust Overtake! to be good because it clearly understands the fundamentals of effective storytelling, and because it's love for the sport feels both infectious and understated all at once.
Perhaps even more than it's strong script, strong plotting are what most impress me about this premiere. Protagonist Madoka starts out as obviously unmotivated and in a bit of a slump, oversleeping on the day of an important job and generally seeming to not be particularly invested. A flashback shows his relationship to a model, and implies some kind of trauma related to taking pictures. Later in the episode, while he has no issues taking pictures of cars or boots, his attempt to take a picture of a racer, one who even notices the camera and subtly makes a pose to look good for it, ends in failure. It was here that I was able to make out that he had a fear of taking pictures of people. His statements about not knowing what it means to "try your best" give further allusions to the nature of his trauma, and explains his unmotivated attitude as being in a slump in the aftereffects of this inciting incident. The episode's poignant climax comes when, after being inspired by a race, he finally manages to take a picture of an actual person in a real, human moment. But the idea that Madoka has trauma that has made him lose motivation, or that he was afraid of taking pictures of people, is never spelled out, so this moment only feels poignant if you paid enough attention to be rewarded by it. This is what I mean when I call it "confident," the show doesn't talk down to us and expects us to engage with it.
Directed by Ei Aoki - known mostly for the theatrical Fate/Zero and the understated Wandering Son - Overtake!'s cinematics feel like a blending of those two approaches. The show's character drama is understated, relying on subtlety and expressive character acting to convey it's emotional back-and-forths. But as a show about racing, it makes sure to include plenty of dynamic camera movements to ensure the races are engaging in the same way our protagonist feels about them. It's not quite in the realm of a hype sports drama yet, and I'm not sure how I feel about the CGI cars on the track, but the framing and editing are strong, and the Foley work is generally impressive both on and off the track. Overtake! hasn't shown it's ambitions quite yet, but it appears to be taking it's sweet time in setting things up, and with strong fundamentals in both visuals and scripting, and many engaging moments in this episode alone, I can't wait to see what this interesting original series has in store.
Perhaps even more than it's strong script, strong plotting are what most impress me about this premiere. Protagonist Madoka starts out as obviously unmotivated and in a bit of a slump, oversleeping on the day of an important job and generally seeming to not be particularly invested. A flashback shows his relationship to a model, and implies some kind of trauma related to taking pictures. Later in the episode, while he has no issues taking pictures of cars or boots, his attempt to take a picture of a racer, one who even notices the camera and subtly makes a pose to look good for it, ends in failure. It was here that I was able to make out that he had a fear of taking pictures of people. His statements about not knowing what it means to "try your best" give further allusions to the nature of his trauma, and explains his unmotivated attitude as being in a slump in the aftereffects of this inciting incident. The episode's poignant climax comes when, after being inspired by a race, he finally manages to take a picture of an actual person in a real, human moment. But the idea that Madoka has trauma that has made him lose motivation, or that he was afraid of taking pictures of people, is never spelled out, so this moment only feels poignant if you paid enough attention to be rewarded by it. This is what I mean when I call it "confident," the show doesn't talk down to us and expects us to engage with it.
Directed by Ei Aoki - known mostly for the theatrical Fate/Zero and the understated Wandering Son - Overtake!'s cinematics feel like a blending of those two approaches. The show's character drama is understated, relying on subtlety and expressive character acting to convey it's emotional back-and-forths. But as a show about racing, it makes sure to include plenty of dynamic camera movements to ensure the races are engaging in the same way our protagonist feels about them. It's not quite in the realm of a hype sports drama yet, and I'm not sure how I feel about the CGI cars on the track, but the framing and editing are strong, and the Foley work is generally impressive both on and off the track. Overtake! hasn't shown it's ambitions quite yet, but it appears to be taking it's sweet time in setting things up, and with strong fundamentals in both visuals and scripting, and many engaging moments in this episode alone, I can't wait to see what this interesting original series has in store.
I'm In Love With the Villainess
In comparison to the previous show, I'm In Love With the Villainess puts it's core appeal front and center. It's an eccentric lesbian romantic comedy about an office worker who is reincarnated as the protagonist of her favorite otome game, but immediately pines for the love of the game's villainess instead of it's cavalcade of pretty boys, using her knowledge of the game to keep everything under her control and bypass the standard romance flags. What makes this show fun, however, is that our protagonist is an openly gay masochist who takes simple pleasure in Claire the villainess doing everything in her power to bully her. Yes, she wants to be stepped on, preferably harder. A character like this feels designed to appeal to the strange pseudo-ironic masochism that many communities have seemed to find funny, but what makes her hilarious is that she's so over-the-top and brazen about it that it wraps around to being genuine. From these interactions between a blatantly crazy reincarnated commoner who's actions border on stalking and harassment, and a princess villainess too prideful to stop things but too insecure to take things too far, a comedy of errors ensues.
The avenue of appeal is simple and honestly has the potential to get repetitive over time, but it wins me over for now with a delightfully manic energy, a protagonist who is perhaps a tad too relatable, and comedy bolstered by solid voice acting and expressions. The premise itself also feels rock solid. While a comedy of errors is how it starts, it seems clear to me that Rae Taylor's bluntly straightforward and affectionate approach is exactly what Claire needs to find confidence in herself, and their constant presence in each other's lives is sure to evolve into mutual affection. At the same time, Claire's canon crush on the prince Thane also makes for a strong point of drama, since any attempt Rae makes to help Claire will inherently get in the way of her own affections. This premiere is fun and memorable, and source material readers seem to agree that this is an impressive work, so I can't wait to see where this strange and endearing little rom-com takes us.
The avenue of appeal is simple and honestly has the potential to get repetitive over time, but it wins me over for now with a delightfully manic energy, a protagonist who is perhaps a tad too relatable, and comedy bolstered by solid voice acting and expressions. The premise itself also feels rock solid. While a comedy of errors is how it starts, it seems clear to me that Rae Taylor's bluntly straightforward and affectionate approach is exactly what Claire needs to find confidence in herself, and their constant presence in each other's lives is sure to evolve into mutual affection. At the same time, Claire's canon crush on the prince Thane also makes for a strong point of drama, since any attempt Rae makes to help Claire will inherently get in the way of her own affections. This premiere is fun and memorable, and source material readers seem to agree that this is an impressive work, so I can't wait to see where this strange and endearing little rom-com takes us.
Spy x Family Season 2
Spy x Family has returned to us again to grace us with it's absurdly charming presence. This premiere was an entertaining standalone outing that, while not without some flaws that keep it from being an all-timer, reminded me why I love and miss this show. It makes for a good season premiere due to the way it combines the absurdity of it's premise with the humanity of it's family drama, as Loid attempts to take Yor on a date after she's been shot in the butt and her ass just hurts too much to do anything, Loid misunderstanding it as a mood swing. Naturally, Anya and Franky follow, since it wouldn't be Spy x Family without them. And while I could probably do without some of the repetitive "I can't do this because my ass hurts" gags (and the annoying sound effect that accompanied it), and was put off somewhat by Anya's sudden and unexplained ability to create a bomb, the episode as a whole maintained that balance of adorable, goofy comedy and heartwarming family drama, with Loid in particular showing significant growth since the start of the series, genuinely worrying about his partner's mood and his kid's happiness.
This episode may also be one of the series best produced, as it was awash with generous amounts of delightful, expressive character animation. Yor's absurd pained facial expression got a chuckle out of me every time, while sequences like Loid putting his hand out to help Yor into a limo are crafted with small touches and a sense of fluidity that really sell the gentlemanly nature of the gesture. In terms of the visuals and timing of gags, this episode is as strong as any in the series. Despite it's issues, nearly everything to love about Spy x Family is back, from it's memetic potential to it's absurd scenarios, and I am so happy to have another 12 weeks to spend with the Forgers.
This episode may also be one of the series best produced, as it was awash with generous amounts of delightful, expressive character animation. Yor's absurd pained facial expression got a chuckle out of me every time, while sequences like Loid putting his hand out to help Yor into a limo are crafted with small touches and a sense of fluidity that really sell the gentlemanly nature of the gesture. In terms of the visuals and timing of gags, this episode is as strong as any in the series. Despite it's issues, nearly everything to love about Spy x Family is back, from it's memetic potential to it's absurd scenarios, and I am so happy to have another 12 weeks to spend with the Forgers.
The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You
The greatest meet-cute of all time gone horribly, horribly wrong and yet oh so right, The 100 Girlfriends is the takedown of harem anime absurdities we so desperately needed. I've heard of the source material for this one for quite some time, and I was fairly confident the adaptation was going to deliver once they released trailers with every girl's voice actress saying "dai" 100 times before finally letting the "suki" out, and I'm happy to report that this adaptation appears to go above the call of duty in crafting an absurd, manic, jokes flying a mile-a-minute comedy while cutting out all the fat (and making fun of itself for it as it does), and poking fun of all the oddities of harem anime while solving half the genre's worst problems. First of all, it's immensely refreshing to have a show like this where the male protagonist doesn't just have personality, but he isn't even close to a scumbag and is all around just a lovable guy. When your absurd harem anime (though really it's just polygamy) makes me feel like I can understand why the girls might fall in love (besides godly magic of course), you've already won over your contemporaries.
This episode only introduces the first two girls, and each of them play up their archetypes to such wonderfully charming extremes, while highlighting their inherent absurdities. Inda constantly flopping her answers to do whatever she needs to deny what she implies, while making herself look even more embarrassing in the process, is the exact sort of bullshit that makes tsundere characters so frustrating and yet also so charming, and she's animated with a constant blush, tons of smears, and a general sense of constant panic that completely sells the absurdity of her character. Hanazono by contrast is more the deredere disaster type, and the contrast between her attempts at seduction and her embarrassment at taking the indirect kiss she worked so hard for is perfect. I love both of them already, and that there are somehow 98 more ridiculous girlfriends built from 30 years of anime archetype classifications only has me excited.
But what really makes this one work for me are all the weird little incidental gags, the sorts of things that don't need to be there or mostly elongate the gag, but keep the tone of the series at a constant manic high. 4th wall breaks about adaptation choices, a Tokyo Ghoul reference, Rentarou pulling out a slightly smaller drink when Hanazono says she can only drink half, seeing Rentarou spend 4 hours looking for his teacher's lost contact lens (which ends up being mildly plot relevant), the series doesn't leave any opportunity for dead air, it's always inserting some kind of visual gag or narrative build-up. Normally I'd say this is a bad thing, but in 100 Girlfriends it makes the world of the show feel entirely surreal, which is about the only way to sell a show about a guy who has to date 100 girls who are all his soulmates or else they'll die. 100 Girlfriends is a very particular type of manic comedy, and it probably takes at least some knowledge for the weight of it's parody elements to land fully, but this show definitely isn't boring, and I think it's nearly always funny, so that's a win for this ridiculous absurd comedy.
This episode only introduces the first two girls, and each of them play up their archetypes to such wonderfully charming extremes, while highlighting their inherent absurdities. Inda constantly flopping her answers to do whatever she needs to deny what she implies, while making herself look even more embarrassing in the process, is the exact sort of bullshit that makes tsundere characters so frustrating and yet also so charming, and she's animated with a constant blush, tons of smears, and a general sense of constant panic that completely sells the absurdity of her character. Hanazono by contrast is more the deredere disaster type, and the contrast between her attempts at seduction and her embarrassment at taking the indirect kiss she worked so hard for is perfect. I love both of them already, and that there are somehow 98 more ridiculous girlfriends built from 30 years of anime archetype classifications only has me excited.
But what really makes this one work for me are all the weird little incidental gags, the sorts of things that don't need to be there or mostly elongate the gag, but keep the tone of the series at a constant manic high. 4th wall breaks about adaptation choices, a Tokyo Ghoul reference, Rentarou pulling out a slightly smaller drink when Hanazono says she can only drink half, seeing Rentarou spend 4 hours looking for his teacher's lost contact lens (which ends up being mildly plot relevant), the series doesn't leave any opportunity for dead air, it's always inserting some kind of visual gag or narrative build-up. Normally I'd say this is a bad thing, but in 100 Girlfriends it makes the world of the show feel entirely surreal, which is about the only way to sell a show about a guy who has to date 100 girls who are all his soulmates or else they'll die. 100 Girlfriends is a very particular type of manic comedy, and it probably takes at least some knowledge for the weight of it's parody elements to land fully, but this show definitely isn't boring, and I think it's nearly always funny, so that's a win for this ridiculous absurd comedy.
Under Ninja
Lurking around every corner, is a ninja. They're hiding so ubiquitously that you cannot throw a rock without hitting one, but you'll never know who the rock hit. They are highly skilled, wildly deadly, and... probably shitting their life away in a shared apartment, stealing drinks from each other's fridges, too hung over to reach the toilet paper, and farting into their blow darts to see how well they can knock someone out. Under Ninja is about the real life of a ninja, the mundane existence of waiting for jobs, figuring out how to infiltrate a school as an adult, and generally just being fucking bored. It's also about a bunch of incompetent ninja clans, one of which is a group of ridiculous gyaru, another of which is led by a guy who really loves Dragon Ball.
When I describe it like this, the show sounds absolutely absurd, but in practice it's extremely dry. The joy of the show is the straight laced, apathetic deadpan delivery it has. Bolstered by excellent voice acting that feels restrained and realistic, the characters all just seem like they're going with everyone's bullshit, apathetically going where the wind takes them and never truly caring about how they appear, unless it means trouble with their ninja roommates. Apathetically practicing fart powered blow darts isn't quite as exciting as you might picture in your head, but that very contrast is funny. Instead, the biggest threat is a ledge you can easily step over, which a character warns our protagonist about before he effortlessly steps over it, zero fanfare at all. Under Ninja is a dry, sardonic surreal comedy that has consistently landed for me, and I haven't revealed nearly all of it's secrets, nor the hidden joys of the ones I've alluded to. Helmed by Satoshi Kuwabara of Quintessential Quintuplets, Adachi and Shimamura, and Girlfriend Girlfriend fame, the man has quickly proven himself to be Tezuka Production's most consistent director, and while Under Ninja is a drastic departure from his previous works in style, it still maintains the sharp wit and purposeful sense of tone that has drawn people to his previous work. Please don't skip out on what might be this season's funniest comedy.
When I describe it like this, the show sounds absolutely absurd, but in practice it's extremely dry. The joy of the show is the straight laced, apathetic deadpan delivery it has. Bolstered by excellent voice acting that feels restrained and realistic, the characters all just seem like they're going with everyone's bullshit, apathetically going where the wind takes them and never truly caring about how they appear, unless it means trouble with their ninja roommates. Apathetically practicing fart powered blow darts isn't quite as exciting as you might picture in your head, but that very contrast is funny. Instead, the biggest threat is a ledge you can easily step over, which a character warns our protagonist about before he effortlessly steps over it, zero fanfare at all. Under Ninja is a dry, sardonic surreal comedy that has consistently landed for me, and I haven't revealed nearly all of it's secrets, nor the hidden joys of the ones I've alluded to. Helmed by Satoshi Kuwabara of Quintessential Quintuplets, Adachi and Shimamura, and Girlfriend Girlfriend fame, the man has quickly proven himself to be Tezuka Production's most consistent director, and while Under Ninja is a drastic departure from his previous works in style, it still maintains the sharp wit and purposeful sense of tone that has drawn people to his previous work. Please don't skip out on what might be this season's funniest comedy.
Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Season 3
The horse girls have returned again this year to give us our second dramatic retelling of horse racing history full of crushing defeats and exciting victories. After the absolutely incredible second season blew everyone away, myself included, I don't think we knew how the franchise was going to go. With this year's excellent Road to the Top OVA, it became clear that this series is able to maintain genuinely dramatic and emotionally crushing stories of devastating sports drama, and this proper third season looks to continue that trend, while returning to the goofy sitcom tone that Road to the Top largely avoided.
We now move into contemporary horse racing history, denoted by this seasons co-protagonists Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond having grown up from the little girls we saw them as in the second season. Inspired by Tokai Teio's incredible feats in that season, Kitasan Black finds herself motivated to keep winning G1 races, only to be thwarted by the intimidating force that is the seemingly unbeatable Duramente. This is the sort of drama that makes sports interesting, and Kitasan Black has immediately proven herself a lovable character with tons of personality. The story seems like it's going to be about her attempt to "find herself," and alongside Duramente's intimidating presence, her living in Teio's shadow and Satono Diamond being on a different team both present potentially interesting avenues for drama.
The episode also introduces it's characters very naturally, letting their actions speak for who they are. Scenes of Kitasan practicing in the morning, always distracted by others in trouble and driven by that desire to see her community be happy, conveys exactly what kind of person she is, while her knitting compared to Dia-chan's conveys the differences in their personalities. This episode's big race does a good job showing us the important characters' running styles and presenting the actual race with all the tension deserved, with tons of details building the push-and-pull of our opinion towards the result of the race. At this point, Uma Musume has proven itself a consistently excellent franchise against all odds, and it looks like season 3 is back to deliver more of that goodness. Here's hoping it can match the second season's transcendent competitive angst.
We now move into contemporary horse racing history, denoted by this seasons co-protagonists Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond having grown up from the little girls we saw them as in the second season. Inspired by Tokai Teio's incredible feats in that season, Kitasan Black finds herself motivated to keep winning G1 races, only to be thwarted by the intimidating force that is the seemingly unbeatable Duramente. This is the sort of drama that makes sports interesting, and Kitasan Black has immediately proven herself a lovable character with tons of personality. The story seems like it's going to be about her attempt to "find herself," and alongside Duramente's intimidating presence, her living in Teio's shadow and Satono Diamond being on a different team both present potentially interesting avenues for drama.
The episode also introduces it's characters very naturally, letting their actions speak for who they are. Scenes of Kitasan practicing in the morning, always distracted by others in trouble and driven by that desire to see her community be happy, conveys exactly what kind of person she is, while her knitting compared to Dia-chan's conveys the differences in their personalities. This episode's big race does a good job showing us the important characters' running styles and presenting the actual race with all the tension deserved, with tons of details building the push-and-pull of our opinion towards the result of the race. At this point, Uma Musume has proven itself a consistently excellent franchise against all odds, and it looks like season 3 is back to deliver more of that goodness. Here's hoping it can match the second season's transcendent competitive angst.
The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountains
The Faraway Paladin is one of those recent isekai that never really caught on. Even I can admit that it's not hard to see why, it's slow paced and atmospheric, it's not particularly well produced, it doesn't have much action, and it generally lacks the escapist qualities that a genre about being transported or reincarnated into another world would have, without the production quality to make it stand out. I can also imagine it's pretty overt religious overtones turning people away, myself included in all honesty. Nonetheless, I have a fondness for the first season of this show. It's a quiet, melancholic meditation on death, the passage of time, and hope for the future in a dying world, and it reminds me most of something like Grimgar or, even moreso now, Frieren (don't worry, we'll get to that one soon). It has a really unique magic system centered around scripture and the power of manipulating spoken words, and it's characters have strong chemistry, their interactions feeling natural and weighty. It's not necessarily top tier, but I think it's a very solid and overlooked fantasy show that I'd love to get more people on board with.
This second season doesn't start with fanfare, it basically begins right in the middle of an arc. I won't spoil anything about it for this reason, but what I can say is that it encapsulates the appeal of the series perfectly and delivers possibly the series very best episode so far, as Will and Bee take a trip to a hidden magical academy. Most of the episode is these two walking around and talking, but their chemistry and thoughts about each other are so engaging, as Bee makes sure Will takes care of himself and Will talks of all the good Bee brings to the world with her songs. It also adds a few more interesting worldbuilding details, and sets up a potentially interesting story that I can easily see paying off long term. The episode ends on another melancholy meditation on death and the passage of time, but it's such a hopeful and positive ending that it damn near brought me to tears; one of it's most powerful moments that encompasses it's ethos perfectly. The Faraway Paladin is a good take on a subgenre of quiet, contemplative fantasy shows I've always adored, and I'm very happy to have it back for another cour.
This second season doesn't start with fanfare, it basically begins right in the middle of an arc. I won't spoil anything about it for this reason, but what I can say is that it encapsulates the appeal of the series perfectly and delivers possibly the series very best episode so far, as Will and Bee take a trip to a hidden magical academy. Most of the episode is these two walking around and talking, but their chemistry and thoughts about each other are so engaging, as Bee makes sure Will takes care of himself and Will talks of all the good Bee brings to the world with her songs. It also adds a few more interesting worldbuilding details, and sets up a potentially interesting story that I can easily see paying off long term. The episode ends on another melancholy meditation on death and the passage of time, but it's such a hopeful and positive ending that it damn near brought me to tears; one of it's most powerful moments that encompasses it's ethos perfectly. The Faraway Paladin is a good take on a subgenre of quiet, contemplative fantasy shows I've always adored, and I'm very happy to have it back for another cour.
The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch
Raising kids is already hard as it is for a normal person, but the foibles of raising a rambunctious human girl with unhinged magical powers is on a whole other level. Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch makes adorable and heartwarming comedy out of it's absurd scenario, and the ridiculous relationship between the bombshell babe of a mama's girl and her adorable witch of an adoptive mother. In all of it's hilariously silly plotting and surprisingly interesting worldbuilding details lies a story that does genuinely capture the ups and downs of being a single parent, with it's magical backdrop emphasizing those struggles in a thoughtful way. With two episodes released at once, there's already a lot to love about this charming little comedy.
Alyssa is young for a witch and doesn't quite know how to work with her kid, a girl attached to her like a toddler but with the looks of an adult, and the balance of being a loving mother supportive of her kid's bizarre hobbies (mostly collecting summoning stones and summoning legendary monstrosities of nature, preferably ones with laser beams) while also scolding her when she acts overly childish certainly feels true to my experience of seeing parents try to raise their kids. There are many strange details of raising magical children or using magic to raise them, from dealing with their bed-spelling (summoning spells in their sleep; this is on top of the usual bed-wetting and not a euphemism) to using magic as a shortcut to household chores while holding the baby. Scenes like Alyssa desperately trying to figure out how to create magical breast milk could feel immature in another show, but here it speaks to her personality, someone who always scrambles and panics in an unfamiliar situation, and it also captures just how much she wants to make sure her child loves her. It's silly, but it's the witch version of breastfeeding stories I've heard of before, with the parent feeling insecure that the lack of breastfeeding will mean a lack of quality time that will effect her relationship with the child long-term.
And while all the parenting tidbits are heartwarming and the unique details interesting, the show also manages to be fairly consistently funny. While the other boob jokes besides the one mentioned above are in poor taste, those are few and far between, and most of the gags are funny sight gags like Viola's strange familiar: a derpy chicken-like phoenix with a deep manly voice who looks after her sapling like a father. The direction is bolstered by strong comedic timing, and especially by Aoi Koga's excellent vocal performance as Alyssa, who's panicked reactions make her a very entertaining straight-man. With more than a few moments that made me laugh out loud to boot, I've found a lot to love about this silly little show, and I can see myself easily growing attached to this strange makeshift family and the people involved with it. This show is cute and funny and generally well made (in spite of middling production values), it's charming and easy to watch, and thus easy to recommend.
Alyssa is young for a witch and doesn't quite know how to work with her kid, a girl attached to her like a toddler but with the looks of an adult, and the balance of being a loving mother supportive of her kid's bizarre hobbies (mostly collecting summoning stones and summoning legendary monstrosities of nature, preferably ones with laser beams) while also scolding her when she acts overly childish certainly feels true to my experience of seeing parents try to raise their kids. There are many strange details of raising magical children or using magic to raise them, from dealing with their bed-spelling (summoning spells in their sleep; this is on top of the usual bed-wetting and not a euphemism) to using magic as a shortcut to household chores while holding the baby. Scenes like Alyssa desperately trying to figure out how to create magical breast milk could feel immature in another show, but here it speaks to her personality, someone who always scrambles and panics in an unfamiliar situation, and it also captures just how much she wants to make sure her child loves her. It's silly, but it's the witch version of breastfeeding stories I've heard of before, with the parent feeling insecure that the lack of breastfeeding will mean a lack of quality time that will effect her relationship with the child long-term.
And while all the parenting tidbits are heartwarming and the unique details interesting, the show also manages to be fairly consistently funny. While the other boob jokes besides the one mentioned above are in poor taste, those are few and far between, and most of the gags are funny sight gags like Viola's strange familiar: a derpy chicken-like phoenix with a deep manly voice who looks after her sapling like a father. The direction is bolstered by strong comedic timing, and especially by Aoi Koga's excellent vocal performance as Alyssa, who's panicked reactions make her a very entertaining straight-man. With more than a few moments that made me laugh out loud to boot, I've found a lot to love about this silly little show, and I can see myself easily growing attached to this strange makeshift family and the people involved with it. This show is cute and funny and generally well made (in spite of middling production values), it's charming and easy to watch, and thus easy to recommend.
This Is Why I Watch Anime
Undead Unluck
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
The new big Shounen Jump title can be hit-or-miss with me, so I never quite know what to expect from these hyped hits. Even considering that, this went far beyond any expectations I could have had. Helmed by Yuki Yase and much of the Fire Force staff, Undead Unluck is an absolutely wild, unpredictable absurdist comedy with some of the most unhinged and absolutely rad super powers and characters I've seen in a while. Izumo Fuuko destroys the luck of anyone she touches such that they are guaranteed to die, while undead Andy has had enough of being immortal. The two naturally make a perfect pair, and Andy's big, bold personality plays perfectly off of Fuuko's constant anxiety and act of bravado and annoyance. She can threaten that she was going to kill herself anyway all she wants, but Andy is gonna save you with rocket boots powered by his own blood every time.
The episode's central conflict isn't particularly interesting, but the presentation and set-up have a ton to offer. The character's powers are incredibly creative and seem like they'll lead to an endless amount of fun interactions with the villains after Fuuko's powers, but the heart that forms from the interactions between Andy and Fuuko as they grow closer throughout the episode are what make this premiere special. The other special thing is the Shaft-esque presentation, full of interesting color contrasts, punchy visual gags, and generally dynamic direction. Undead Unluck isn't a dense premiere that gives me oodles of things to say, but it's so well put together, so funny, and so sweet that it's one of the shows I'm most excited about this season. I think I'm gonna really fall in love with the dorks at the center of this bizarre scenario.
The episode's central conflict isn't particularly interesting, but the presentation and set-up have a ton to offer. The character's powers are incredibly creative and seem like they'll lead to an endless amount of fun interactions with the villains after Fuuko's powers, but the heart that forms from the interactions between Andy and Fuuko as they grow closer throughout the episode are what make this premiere special. The other special thing is the Shaft-esque presentation, full of interesting color contrasts, punchy visual gags, and generally dynamic direction. Undead Unluck isn't a dense premiere that gives me oodles of things to say, but it's so well put together, so funny, and so sweet that it's one of the shows I'm most excited about this season. I think I'm gonna really fall in love with the dorks at the center of this bizarre scenario.
The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons
I love slice of life stories, but it's funny that their formats rarely feel like true "slices" of a character's life. Sometimes the most intimate stories are the ones that almost feel voyeuristic. I love feeling like I'm peeking in on the private happenings of characters going through their daily routines, dealing with their odd circumstances and personal relationships in ways no one but themselves are aware of, with myself the viewer as the sole exception. The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons is this sort of intimate family story, feeling like a series of moments peaking on on these private emotions before they coalesce into satisfying drama. After the deaths of their parents, the Yuzuki brothers do their best to get by on what little support they have, and that's largely where the set-up ends. But the details of each of their lives and their relationships with each other fill out the substance.
The conflict in the series stems from an incompatibility between the characters' insecurities and their personal situations. Protagonist Minato is in that transition stage between childhood and adolescence, wanting to have more responsibility but not being ready for it. He's insecure about feeling useless to those he cares about, and is adamant about being given more responsibilities. This dynamic plays off of every other character, making the family feel like a web of relationships more than just a group of characters. The first son Hayato is the only adult in the family, and must take over the responsibilities their parents once held. Taking care of a whole family on top of taking care of kids at a school requires a degree of perfection, and a lack of time, so it's difficult to give Minato responsibility he can't handle, and to find time to each him how to handle it. Instead, these responsibilities go to the second son Mikoto, leaving Minato to just go to school. The youngest son Gakuto is mature and recognizes that he shouldn't pile more worries and responsibilities onto the older siblings, but is still naïve enough to trust Mikoto at the fireworks festival. This pile of relationships all play off of each other to create a nuanced web of feelings, relationships, and insecurities that bring the cast to life, and that's even beyond their own personal lives, separate friendships, and overall routines.
Yuzuki Family's Four Sons isn't the best looking show around, but is has a noteworthy directorial flare to it. It has varied color palettes, shifts art styles, and can make an evocative composition when it needs to. It's a conservative production that knows where to place it's priorities, but it's not without a strong artistic vision that gets to shine through in the moments where a scene needs to be elevated. And the result of all of this is a poignant, endearing, and relatable story about grief, generational differences, and a family's resolve to stay a family in light of all those insecurities and a lack of time to truly grieve. The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons is the slice of life to look out for this season, the sort of show that can be unassuming but can build a deep connection over time through an accumulation of small, intimate moments.
The conflict in the series stems from an incompatibility between the characters' insecurities and their personal situations. Protagonist Minato is in that transition stage between childhood and adolescence, wanting to have more responsibility but not being ready for it. He's insecure about feeling useless to those he cares about, and is adamant about being given more responsibilities. This dynamic plays off of every other character, making the family feel like a web of relationships more than just a group of characters. The first son Hayato is the only adult in the family, and must take over the responsibilities their parents once held. Taking care of a whole family on top of taking care of kids at a school requires a degree of perfection, and a lack of time, so it's difficult to give Minato responsibility he can't handle, and to find time to each him how to handle it. Instead, these responsibilities go to the second son Mikoto, leaving Minato to just go to school. The youngest son Gakuto is mature and recognizes that he shouldn't pile more worries and responsibilities onto the older siblings, but is still naïve enough to trust Mikoto at the fireworks festival. This pile of relationships all play off of each other to create a nuanced web of feelings, relationships, and insecurities that bring the cast to life, and that's even beyond their own personal lives, separate friendships, and overall routines.
Yuzuki Family's Four Sons isn't the best looking show around, but is has a noteworthy directorial flare to it. It has varied color palettes, shifts art styles, and can make an evocative composition when it needs to. It's a conservative production that knows where to place it's priorities, but it's not without a strong artistic vision that gets to shine through in the moments where a scene needs to be elevated. And the result of all of this is a poignant, endearing, and relatable story about grief, generational differences, and a family's resolve to stay a family in light of all those insecurities and a lack of time to truly grieve. The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons is the slice of life to look out for this season, the sort of show that can be unassuming but can build a deep connection over time through an accumulation of small, intimate moments.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Among my favorite stories is a consistent subject: that of the passage of time. It's hard to say why this is so common for me, though I might have a few guesses, but the impact of time is something I feel very strongly within the realm of fiction. For a long time, I have wanted a story in which significant amounts of time pass; perhaps getting to witness a character's entire natural life from birth until death, seeing all of their relationships played out over time, the changes in society and the person's adaptations to them, the few constants in their lives that give things stability, and all the bittersweet trials and tribulations that arise with time in a person's life. Not only does Frieren embody this particular fascination of mine to an extreme I never anticipated, but it does so with the production quality and ambition that implies prestige treatment, as an adaptation of source material that has long been hyped. It's the sort of anime that makes me think it has the potential to be one of the next greats of the medium. That's a lofty description for a show that only just started, but given that it chose to air 4 episodes right away, and is going to be a 2-cour production, I think this thought warrants at least some merit.
After the hero's party defeated the demon king, an era of peace has emerged, and the hero's motley crew all go their separate ways. For the party's elven mage Frieren, this event is not even one one-hundredth of her life, but takes a significant portion of that of her human companions. Having let others into her life but always keeping them at an arms distance due to the differences in life span, the death of her hero companion sends her on an existential quest to understand how people like him experience the world, and to understand why her short 10 year journey impacted her so deeply. For a human, every moment holds some significance, but for an elf, every moment is inherently fleeting, thus the story centers around the value of those wonderful, fleeting moments. Frieren is a journey through a world that seems to constantly undergo drastic changes over perceived tiny amounts of time, leading to a series of stories about a gentle acceptance of death, and all that a small moment can add to the lives that surround those deaths.
To relate it to things you may have seen, it's like Violet Evergarden by way of Mushishi, a poignant travelogue in which a character comes to terms with feelings they can't quite understand, but replacing the former's bombastic melodrama with the latter's contemplative mood. It's like an IV drip feed of mono no aware, just shy of what I might consider iyashikei; a story that is emotional in a gentle way, as to be cathartic and allow us to cope with death through living in the fleeting moment, and with the whimsy that comes with a fantasy setting. This story has been given a premiere adaptation. Helmed by Bocchi the Rock director Keiichirou Saitou, the show boasts layouts that feel lived in, and generous animation that feels characterful and gently expressive. Evan Call's soundtrack has unique instrumentation and might be his best work to date, but the series uses it sparingly, full of quiet moments with nothing to distract, forcing the viewer to be aware of their surroundings and take in the moment before it leaves you. The production is directed with intent, and every element works in lockstep to provide an immersive tone piece that has my eyes wet the entire time I watch, but leaves me refreshed after the fact.
With worldbuilding imagined over a century of in-universe time (and counting), we see huge swaths of time pass in an instant, much like protagonist Frieren experiences it herself; remnants of her treasured moment of adventure slowly faded by time. We can always tell that her experience of time is off from her human companions, her conception of "soon" being unreasonable to her less lived companions. But with every story, every change, and every fleeting moment, she starts to build a better understanding of what it means to live. Frieren is my ideal story given the treatment expected only of high priority productions likely to succeed. Less a show stopper and more a constant presence that grows on you, it's the kind of show I think might be remembered for years to come, provided that it can maintain this level of production quality over it's half-year run-time. I will be devastated if it doesn't manage, because the prologue we've just been given is special. I genuinely think we might be witnessing the birth of a modern classic, and I encourage everyone to give this story a look to see how it goes.
After the hero's party defeated the demon king, an era of peace has emerged, and the hero's motley crew all go their separate ways. For the party's elven mage Frieren, this event is not even one one-hundredth of her life, but takes a significant portion of that of her human companions. Having let others into her life but always keeping them at an arms distance due to the differences in life span, the death of her hero companion sends her on an existential quest to understand how people like him experience the world, and to understand why her short 10 year journey impacted her so deeply. For a human, every moment holds some significance, but for an elf, every moment is inherently fleeting, thus the story centers around the value of those wonderful, fleeting moments. Frieren is a journey through a world that seems to constantly undergo drastic changes over perceived tiny amounts of time, leading to a series of stories about a gentle acceptance of death, and all that a small moment can add to the lives that surround those deaths.
To relate it to things you may have seen, it's like Violet Evergarden by way of Mushishi, a poignant travelogue in which a character comes to terms with feelings they can't quite understand, but replacing the former's bombastic melodrama with the latter's contemplative mood. It's like an IV drip feed of mono no aware, just shy of what I might consider iyashikei; a story that is emotional in a gentle way, as to be cathartic and allow us to cope with death through living in the fleeting moment, and with the whimsy that comes with a fantasy setting. This story has been given a premiere adaptation. Helmed by Bocchi the Rock director Keiichirou Saitou, the show boasts layouts that feel lived in, and generous animation that feels characterful and gently expressive. Evan Call's soundtrack has unique instrumentation and might be his best work to date, but the series uses it sparingly, full of quiet moments with nothing to distract, forcing the viewer to be aware of their surroundings and take in the moment before it leaves you. The production is directed with intent, and every element works in lockstep to provide an immersive tone piece that has my eyes wet the entire time I watch, but leaves me refreshed after the fact.
With worldbuilding imagined over a century of in-universe time (and counting), we see huge swaths of time pass in an instant, much like protagonist Frieren experiences it herself; remnants of her treasured moment of adventure slowly faded by time. We can always tell that her experience of time is off from her human companions, her conception of "soon" being unreasonable to her less lived companions. But with every story, every change, and every fleeting moment, she starts to build a better understanding of what it means to live. Frieren is my ideal story given the treatment expected only of high priority productions likely to succeed. Less a show stopper and more a constant presence that grows on you, it's the kind of show I think might be remembered for years to come, provided that it can maintain this level of production quality over it's half-year run-time. I will be devastated if it doesn't manage, because the prologue we've just been given is special. I genuinely think we might be witnessing the birth of a modern classic, and I encourage everyone to give this story a look to see how it goes.
Conclusion:
God, there's too much anime. I really wish the industry would just slow down, it will never be able to sustain itself with so much stuff coming out. Too much good anime is a curse on my backlog, and my schedule, so the anime lord has seen to it that us seasonal viewer not have our Sabbath the next three months. To think that just 5 years ago, 10 fewer good show would have been a strong season. While there's fewer "this is why I watch anime" tier worthy stuff this time around, the ones in that section may be some of the strongest I've ever placed there (or at least Frieren definitely is). Every time I do one of these impressions list, I usually come away thinking "damn, anime is good," and though the industry we love desperately needs changes, I can say confidently and with experience that we're not lacking for good food, so let's enjoy our festive fall feast of powerful cartoons.
Favorite OPs:
A Girl & Her Guard Dog
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Migi and Dali
God, there's too much anime. I really wish the industry would just slow down, it will never be able to sustain itself with so much stuff coming out. Too much good anime is a curse on my backlog, and my schedule, so the anime lord has seen to it that us seasonal viewer not have our Sabbath the next three months. To think that just 5 years ago, 10 fewer good show would have been a strong season. While there's fewer "this is why I watch anime" tier worthy stuff this time around, the ones in that section may be some of the strongest I've ever placed there (or at least Frieren definitely is). Every time I do one of these impressions list, I usually come away thinking "damn, anime is good," and though the industry we love desperately needs changes, I can say confidently and with experience that we're not lacking for good food, so let's enjoy our festive fall feast of powerful cartoons.
Favorite OPs:
A Girl & Her Guard Dog
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Migi and Dali
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