Seasonal Reviews: Spring 2016 Pt.1
You thought it would be Jonathan writing the introduction for this post, but it was me, Danni!
Damnit, Danni! I can't leave you alone for five minutes without making a Jojo joke! Geez....
Anyway, as Danni said, she and I will be heading up seasonal reports this time around! Going into a bit more details regarding the season, regular seasonal staff (minus Jonathan) are going to be starting out with five anime series; with Joe starting with four because easing his constant, and self imposed, torment is always nice. Meanwhile, Megan R. as well as our off site guest writers will be covering two series for the entire season. Regular staff are allowed two drops, one that can be used staring this first installment and the second can be used once the halfway mark is reached. By the third report, if a drop has not been used, then you basically lose it and have to stick with your shows till the end. Guest writers have no drops. All writers, minus Jonathan, will be covering one short for the entire season and are not able to drop it at any time. As previously mentioned, Jonathan will be the sole watcher of Big Order and will also be giving second opinions on other shows. Needless to say, he can't drop that show. I'm pretty sure we all need something strong to get through this season.... It's ok, though! I got this!
I will see myself out, now........ Let's get this crazy season underway!
Full Shows
12-sai. ~Chiccha na Mune no Tokimeki~
Kenji M.
Strong Recommendation
Tanaka-kun is Always Listless
As you may have noticed by our delays, the seasonal staff have all been pretty busy lately. Jonathan in particular is extremely swamped, so he's taking a much-deserved break....for the most part. He's still providing second opinions and covering Big Order because he's the only one here who actually enjoys terrible things. Stephanie and I will be heading up seasonals this time around in his place. To cover his shows, we've brought a few guest members onto the team this season. Our resident manga reviewer Megan R. is joining us as well as a few non-staff friends: Megan (@queenira2), Andrew (@MangaMan9000), and Kenji (@EarlOfFujoshi). Look forward to their input during this season that's gearing up to either be weirdly good or just plain weird.
--Danni Kristen
Damnit, Danni! I can't leave you alone for five minutes without making a Jojo joke! Geez....
Anyway, as Danni said, she and I will be heading up seasonal reports this time around! Going into a bit more details regarding the season, regular seasonal staff (minus Jonathan) are going to be starting out with five anime series; with Joe starting with four because easing his constant, and self imposed, torment is always nice. Meanwhile, Megan R. as well as our off site guest writers will be covering two series for the entire season. Regular staff are allowed two drops, one that can be used staring this first installment and the second can be used once the halfway mark is reached. By the third report, if a drop has not been used, then you basically lose it and have to stick with your shows till the end. Guest writers have no drops. All writers, minus Jonathan, will be covering one short for the entire season and are not able to drop it at any time. As previously mentioned, Jonathan will be the sole watcher of Big Order and will also be giving second opinions on other shows. Needless to say, he can't drop that show. I'm pretty sure we all need something strong to get through this season.... It's ok, though! I got this!
I will see myself out, now........ Let's get this crazy season underway!
--Stephanie Getchell
Full Shows
12-sai. ~Chiccha na Mune no Tokimeki~
Kenji M.
12-Sai, a phrase that isn't exactly easy to google, is the title of a new adaptation of a manga by the same name, which also previously had an OVA mini-series. The series now follows dual leads of Hanabi Ayase and Aoi Yui, two 12 year old girls who face the trials and tribulations of being 12 year old anime girls: boys, sexism, periods, and the trauma of seeing your teacher kiss another teacher. You know, normal things all 12 year olds go through. 12-Sai is not really a bad show; in fact it has some cute moments and somehow proceeds at a faster pace with its romantic drama than most shows will accomplish in 50 episodes, but there are a few nagging things about the show that make me pause. In essence, these issues aren't even really 12-Sai's fault, but Japanese media's fault, boiling down to the fact that if you simply aged every character in this show 6, or even 10 years, this would be almost exactly the same as every other romance show you've ever encountered. Ayase is the spunky, romance crazed but oblivious lead you've come to expect: she overreacts to things, she's a bit spastic in her actions, and has most of the comedic tics of your usual anime protagonist (her bizarre desire to have an idol kabedon her at an amusement park in the opening scenes of the series, and her and Yui's action packed attempt to buy pads due to Yui's sudden onset of her first period especially play into this).
If there is actually a problem with this show, its that it doesn't really do anything but reinforce really tired gender tropes. Boys in the show come in 2 forms: “girls are icky, a period is contagious, girls only exist to have their skirts flipped, cooties haha” types, and “basically otome game romantic leads in 12 year old bodies,” one each for Ayase and Yui. The other girls are no different: most of them just yell “Ehhhhhhhh” constantly and worry about boys, with one particular girl (Hamana) playing the antagonistic heel because Ayase is “too close” to her “man,” Takao (Who Ayase kissed and is now 'together' with). Essentially the show's drama boils down to pretty bog standard “battle of the sexes” stuff, and perhaps its because I'm not 12 anymore, but these types of generic roles feel really boring and dull; if the rest of the class suddenly vanished and the show was just about Ayase and Yui and their issues, you probably wouldn't even notice the other characters much, and the romantic drama angles are by far more interesting than “boys/girls are icky.” Other than that, as I mentioned earlier, my biggest issue isn't really with this show itself, but with how oddly traditionally this show fits in with other romance shows. For 12 year olds, a kiss is “lewd,” and admitting romantic feelings is a big deal—and yet these plotlines are almost identical to those of anime where the characters are twice this age.
If you watched last season's surprise hit (which I totally predicted, being a big fan) Galko-chan, this series has many scenes which hit on similarly endearing beats. Yui suddenly has her first period, and expresses that since she has no mother (never explained) she is afraid to tell her father and doesn't know what to do. Ayase agrees to help her, leading to a somewhat traditional but cute “girls overwhelmed by buying pads” segment. The second episode goes into the idea of buying a girl's first bra—Yui, again, is already wearing one, while Ayase wears undershirts; feeling embarrassed by Hamana, Ayase and Yui go shopping for bras, leading to another cute and funny segment of girls learning to deal with the changes in their bodies and life. I have to admit that being an anime fan as long as I have, I was expecting this show to go into uncomfortable or even lecherous areas with these topics, but much like Galko-chan's best segments, these little diversions are treated with honesty and comedy rather than inexcusable titillation. I certainly was not a 12 year old girl, but I can empathize with Ayase and Yui's issues.
While my initial reaction was harsh, I actually found myself enjoying 12-Sai a lot more than I expected. Ayase is a relatively relatable and “realistic” anime 12 year old, and the show doesn't treat the budding confusion and romance between her and Takao as anything but exactly what it is; Ayase even comments “I'm sure adults would think our romance is silly and childish,” moments after she tells Takao he shouldn't have outed that they kissed because now their classmates will tease them; in episode 2, Yui and Hiyama's romance evolves when Yui loses a key from her dead mother, and Hayama turns the bathhouse his family runs upside down for it, culminating in a traditional “wet t-shirt male lead sparkle shot.” The romances here are not groundbreaking—as probably expected since the characters are 12—with Takao being your somewhat traditional “cool” male love interest, with Hiyama being the 12 year old equivalent of a bad boy, but secretly is romantic and kind-hearted. Again, my biggest issue with this series was how much better it handled certain romantic, dramatic beats than shows about adult romance, to the point that it was extremely frustrating how much better a show about tweens handled human relationships than those about and aimed at adults. The original 12-Sai manga, published in Ciao, is for the same age group as Shounen Jump would be, yet it handles romance better than most Josei works do to an aggravating degree—I had to at first dump that fact before I could actually enjoy 12-Sai, because I was at first treating it as the source of my annoyance, rather than the beacon that illuminated my problem with a bigger genre.
Animation wise its competent, but not spectacular; SD moments bring a big sense of cuteness to certain joke segments, although sometimes characters eyes look like they came straight out of a Key game. 12-Sai is certainly not the glance into the lives of girls like Galko-chan was, but it is a totally enjoyable little romance comedy about 12 year olds told from alternating perspectives of two very different girls. In fact, the show is so agreeable and easy to watch that its pretty shocking it was ignored for licensing in the West while other, much worse shows somehow made the cut. Being honest with myself, I expected to absolutely hate this show or find it unwatchable, but I'll be much more interested in keeping up with where this goes as the season progresses than I expected. If you're in the mood for tween romance comedy, 12-Sai may be worth your time to download and enjoy. I know I was certainly surprised by it and I'm sure many others will be too if they give it a chance.
Strong Recommendation
Ace Attorney
Stephanie Getchell
Jonathan Note: Stephanie is a good person but also she is wrong
Jonathan Note 2: Buy war bonds
As we all know, I'm not much of a gamer. Not sure how many times I would need to keep saying this. However, I do watch Let's Plays and gaming streams and know some things about video games. As you can imagine, I got rather excited when I heard that the Phoenix Wright series was going to be getting an anime adaptation from A-1 Pictures. I do enjoy the game franchise, and if you ever need a fun little laugh then look up Late Night With Cry and Russ on YouTube and for their play through of the first two games. Let's just say their rendition was one to remember. Now, anime wise, how do the first three episodes of the series stand? Well... I'll admit, I feel pretty mixed about it. The first three episodes just go through the tutorial case as well as most of the Turnabout Sisters case where Maya is introduced (also for the sake of time and slight laziness I'll be calling the characters by their Americanized names). While this arc looks to be a three part one, it looks as though not much has changed. Or has it?
What the series is doing right, in my opinion, is that it keeps with the original spirit and tone that the games had. It keeps the energy high and uses elements from the game in order to really show this such as the use of dates and locations. It kind of reminds me of your typical Shonen anime, in a sense, but just with more court room times. The characters' reactions and their well known gestures are also kept relatively the same as the game. I can appreciate A-1 Pictures for this much as it gets me just as hyped for the series as it does the original game. But there are glaring problems with this adaptation, with the story being what suffers the most. Granted, the animation is not the top tier we normally expect from A-1 Pictures (though it's also not as bad as Ultimate Otaku Teacher was half the time), but that's not my issue. It's very clear to me that the first cour of the series (as of writing this, no episode cap has been set) will follow the first game. Because of this, liberties will more than likely need to be taken in order to fit all the cases into a single cour. The kind of liberties being taken so far are the removal of a lot of investigative pieces. This can cause some confusion if the viewer is not familiar with the video game. The largest example of this was during the second episode when April May is brought up, because Phoenix just happens to know that she is the eye witness in the case, but how it was brought up was very out of the blue, and, again, potentially causing some confusion.
Clearly, this adaptation is meant for fans of the game franchise. While it may get the attention of some who may have an interest in it, they will be left mildly confused with how some of the writing has turned up. And while the shonen feel I mentioned before is a lot of fun and gives energy, it can become rather corny at times. Ace Attorney isn't starting off completely on the wrong foot, but there are a good amount of flaws it has right now. Whether or not the series will improve is a mystery to me, but I will leave room for some hope that it will.
Solid Recommendation
Jonathan Note: Stephanie is a good person but also she is wrong
Jonathan Note 2: Buy war bonds
Aikatsu Stars!
Danni Kristen
I don't watch long shows. I just can't motivate myself to start any show I'm already 50+ episodes behind on. I hadn't even heard of Aikatsu until it was over 100 episodes deep. I usually have very little time to watch anime that isn't currently airing, so I prefer to use that time on shorter shows. The most I've seen of the original Aikatsu show is the first episode. It was adorable, and I enjoyed it a lot. There are just too many episodes for me to bother trying to get into it. So I was excited to find out the series was already getting a spinoff/reboot with all new characters. The staff is a bit different this time around, though, so whether or not Aikatsu Stars can capture the charm that made the original into a hit is up in the air. So far, though, I'm enjoying it.
Aikatsu Stars is about an idol fangirl named Yume who enrolls at the prestigious Four Star Academy, a school dedicated entirely to fostering the next generation of idols. Students at the academy focus their curriculum on one of four main subjects: Beauty, Acting, Dancing, and Singing. The top student in each of these subjects is a member of the school's most famous idol group: S4. Yume enters Four Star Academy dreaming of following in the footsteps of her favorite idol in S4, Hime, and becoming the top Singing student in the entire academy. She astounds the entire academy with an incredible first performance, but soon finds herself unable to replicate the talent she had shown on stage. With the help of her friend and rival Sakuraba, she manages to make her way into the Singing program, taking the very first step on her long road to the top.
I really only had one small moment of confusion watching this show without having ever seen the original Aikatsu. There had been some appearances by weird school tech that's obviously meant to be turned into toys and sold to kids, but they were nothing too far-fetched. However, the method the girls use to change into their idol outfits caught me a bit off guard. They have to enter a strange portal that takes them to some kind of glittery CG dimension where their clothes just appear on their bodies so they can appear on stage. I had never seen anything like that in an idol show. It reminded me more of henshin sequences from magical girl shows. I vaguely remember that whole thing being mentioned in the first episode of the original Aikatsu, but it's never brought up here. It's probably something common out of kid's anime. Speaking of which, Aikatsu Stars is a series aimed at kids. It's candy-colored, sugar-coated, and full of energy. It's also really cute. If you're a fan of idol shows or kids anime in general, you should check out Aikatsu Stars - preferably before it reaches 100 episodes.
Solid Recommendation
Aikatsu Stars is about an idol fangirl named Yume who enrolls at the prestigious Four Star Academy, a school dedicated entirely to fostering the next generation of idols. Students at the academy focus their curriculum on one of four main subjects: Beauty, Acting, Dancing, and Singing. The top student in each of these subjects is a member of the school's most famous idol group: S4. Yume enters Four Star Academy dreaming of following in the footsteps of her favorite idol in S4, Hime, and becoming the top Singing student in the entire academy. She astounds the entire academy with an incredible first performance, but soon finds herself unable to replicate the talent she had shown on stage. With the help of her friend and rival Sakuraba, she manages to make her way into the Singing program, taking the very first step on her long road to the top.
I really only had one small moment of confusion watching this show without having ever seen the original Aikatsu. There had been some appearances by weird school tech that's obviously meant to be turned into toys and sold to kids, but they were nothing too far-fetched. However, the method the girls use to change into their idol outfits caught me a bit off guard. They have to enter a strange portal that takes them to some kind of glittery CG dimension where their clothes just appear on their bodies so they can appear on stage. I had never seen anything like that in an idol show. It reminded me more of henshin sequences from magical girl shows. I vaguely remember that whole thing being mentioned in the first episode of the original Aikatsu, but it's never brought up here. It's probably something common out of kid's anime. Speaking of which, Aikatsu Stars is a series aimed at kids. It's candy-colored, sugar-coated, and full of energy. It's also really cute. If you're a fan of idol shows or kids anime in general, you should check out Aikatsu Stars - preferably before it reaches 100 episodes.
Solid Recommendation
And you thought there is never a girl online?
Andrew L.
Okay before I state my thoughts, a minor rant: Why is the English localized title just called And you never thought there is a girl online? I mean light novel titles are long, if you don’t add something at the beginning to make it easier to identify then it’s going to be a mouthful to try and say this title. Shows like Shimoneta and Saekano were able to have the shortened title to be easier to say in conversation instead of just their full title, as I feel like this one should’ve been called Netoge: And you never thought there is a girl online? To make it MUCH easier to identify and type out. Shows like Danmachi did this too with Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon too. For the sake of this review, I’ll refer to this show as Netoge for short.
I think I’m most impressed that this show was nowhere near as terrible as I expected it to be. Then again if Light Novel Ecchi Harem/Comedy isn’t your thing then Netoge’s not really going to convince you otherwise. However, I was kind of surprised how much of this show I actually found myself being amused by. The show is about this guy whose name I honestly forget, but let’s call him by his handle Rusian. He’s a player of a Freemium MMO that’s kind of your standard game. He makes friends with several other members online, and even forming an online in-game marriage with a girl named Ako. He explains that at one point he was reluctant because a crush of his turned out to be a guy online but decides at some point “Ah screw it, if they’re cute who cares what their gender is” which is probably one of the more original things of this show. Anyways they decide to meet up online and surprise surprise, every single party member in his guild is a GIRL that GOES to his school.
It’s your typical ROMCOM ecchi show in that regard, but weirdly enough from the two episodes I’ve seen there’s been surprisingly little in terms of fanservice outside of Ako. They’re all kind of awkward and just trying to have fun together, and they’re all attractive women because anime. Most interesting of the bunch is Ako, who is this shy introverted bookworm type who turns out to actually BE the girl that Rusian doubted her to be, and from there on is attached at the hip. She’s also kind of a bit coo coo, with an irrational yandere-esque hatred for people who are “normies” and flat out says that all normies should drop dead like she were a 4chan user. There’s a couple of funny gags here and there, and I kind of liked how after their identities were revealed they sort of dropped in/out of their character and real appearance for site gags. But yeah, it’s not breaking any new grounds, there’s a lot of weird coincidence (seriously how did they ALL randomly meet online and just so happen to be same school) and it feels weirdly lost in time. Female otakus and girls playing online games is really not that big of a deal anymore so it’s kind of surprising how that’s such a shocking revelation. But still, characters are attractive, Ako especially if you get past the whole crazy stuff (or the fact that she’s the single most garbage healer ever) and it’s got some funny moments. It’s not groundbreaking and a lot of the common anime archetypes are extremely obvious but considering some of the other trashy abysmal titles in its genre you could do a whole lot worse.
Solid Recommendation
Okay before I state my thoughts, a minor rant: Why is the English localized title just called And you never thought there is a girl online? I mean light novel titles are long, if you don’t add something at the beginning to make it easier to identify then it’s going to be a mouthful to try and say this title. Shows like Shimoneta and Saekano were able to have the shortened title to be easier to say in conversation instead of just their full title, as I feel like this one should’ve been called Netoge: And you never thought there is a girl online? To make it MUCH easier to identify and type out. Shows like Danmachi did this too with Is It Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon too. For the sake of this review, I’ll refer to this show as Netoge for short.
I think I’m most impressed that this show was nowhere near as terrible as I expected it to be. Then again if Light Novel Ecchi Harem/Comedy isn’t your thing then Netoge’s not really going to convince you otherwise. However, I was kind of surprised how much of this show I actually found myself being amused by. The show is about this guy whose name I honestly forget, but let’s call him by his handle Rusian. He’s a player of a Freemium MMO that’s kind of your standard game. He makes friends with several other members online, and even forming an online in-game marriage with a girl named Ako. He explains that at one point he was reluctant because a crush of his turned out to be a guy online but decides at some point “Ah screw it, if they’re cute who cares what their gender is” which is probably one of the more original things of this show. Anyways they decide to meet up online and surprise surprise, every single party member in his guild is a GIRL that GOES to his school.
It’s your typical ROMCOM ecchi show in that regard, but weirdly enough from the two episodes I’ve seen there’s been surprisingly little in terms of fanservice outside of Ako. They’re all kind of awkward and just trying to have fun together, and they’re all attractive women because anime. Most interesting of the bunch is Ako, who is this shy introverted bookworm type who turns out to actually BE the girl that Rusian doubted her to be, and from there on is attached at the hip. She’s also kind of a bit coo coo, with an irrational yandere-esque hatred for people who are “normies” and flat out says that all normies should drop dead like she were a 4chan user. There’s a couple of funny gags here and there, and I kind of liked how after their identities were revealed they sort of dropped in/out of their character and real appearance for site gags. But yeah, it’s not breaking any new grounds, there’s a lot of weird coincidence (seriously how did they ALL randomly meet online and just so happen to be same school) and it feels weirdly lost in time. Female otakus and girls playing online games is really not that big of a deal anymore so it’s kind of surprising how that’s such a shocking revelation. But still, characters are attractive, Ako especially if you get past the whole crazy stuff (or the fact that she’s the single most garbage healer ever) and it’s got some funny moments. It’s not groundbreaking and a lot of the common anime archetypes are extremely obvious but considering some of the other trashy abysmal titles in its genre you could do a whole lot worse.
Solid Recommendation
Anne-Happy
Joe Straatmann
I'm glad the premise of this showed up when it did. The opening ten minutes are the kind of painfully manufactured cute I have grown to hate over the years. After Lucky Star, it caused me to quit anime from 2008 to around when Eden of the East came out. As Anne-Happy raises the curtain on the cast walking to their first day of high school, it comes with all the tropes involved (I'm wondering if animators have a plug-in or macro for their software that is only for creating and rendering cherry blossom leaves), and over-the-top silliness stumbling onto title character Anne hanging off a bridge with a dog nibbling on her arm followed by medically trained Botan showing why she's medically trained by being constantly injured. This is all witnessed by Ruri, the average main character who has a not-so-average interest revealed at the end of the episode. It's funny enough to be worth keeping a secret, trust me. This is about as much as you get to know about these girls for a good while except that Anne is a constant optimistic despite being one of the unluckiest people in the world (Irony maximized by her having a four-leaf clover on her tie). If all of this was only hitting the same character quirks over and over and relying on the cuteness to pull itself through, it'd grate at me.. It still does at times, but the girls are given a bit of focus in the classroom they share....
You see, all of them are students with unfortunate luck in one way or the other, and they are put into a special class which is trying to reverse their fortune. Their teacher Kodaira has a kindly face and a secretly vicious demeanor who puts them through a barrage of tests like a life-size board game and trying to find lucky items. It should be noted that there's a robotic rabbit butler called Timothy that helps with testing. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing I almost forgot about the school's robotic rabbit butler. They get a "rival" in Hibiki, a student who has no sense of direction and clings to her childhood friend Ren, a girl who attracts females of about every animal. Naturally, Hibiki is in love with her.
My apologies for making most of this a list of what's in the show, but the last paragraph-and-a-half is practically what to expect every week.There are a few costumes, the tests go from extremely over-the-to a somewhat reasonable scavenger hunt, yet the characters have the same couple of joke setups time and time again. The style starts off being a little too precious with watercolor buildings and needing a transition graphic with the show's title every 30 seconds or so (This is seriously becoming a pet peeve of mine. It disrupts the flow and when a series can't go one minute without one, it feels lazy even when they're all different and feature animation). It DOES get better. The style is more befitting of the surroundings when the girls visit a flower garden, and even if they do tend to be repetitive, they are pleasant company when they are working towards a goal or discovering parts of themselves. When they're searching for a certain flower, it hits the right balance between good humor and genuine warmth. That's one episode out of the four I've watched, though.
I don't dislike Anne-Happy that much, but I don't take much enjoyment out of it either. I suppose it would be fair to say this series isn't to my taste and if it is more to yours, you'll likely enjoy it. It's also fair to say it can be tedious and pads itself out using the same gags over and over (I do recognize the irony that I feel like I'm stating the same bit of information ad nauseam). As a side note, this is the toughest review I've had to write so far this season. I've been banging my head trying to find more wit and insight, but the cases for and against it are incredibly simple and easily stated. Don't worry if you're unhappy with this review. So am I... though I am not punning the title of the show with the last sentence. I'm not that desperate yet.
Weak Recommendation
I'm glad the premise of this showed up when it did. The opening ten minutes are the kind of painfully manufactured cute I have grown to hate over the years. After Lucky Star, it caused me to quit anime from 2008 to around when Eden of the East came out. As Anne-Happy raises the curtain on the cast walking to their first day of high school, it comes with all the tropes involved (I'm wondering if animators have a plug-in or macro for their software that is only for creating and rendering cherry blossom leaves), and over-the-top silliness stumbling onto title character Anne hanging off a bridge with a dog nibbling on her arm followed by medically trained Botan showing why she's medically trained by being constantly injured. This is all witnessed by Ruri, the average main character who has a not-so-average interest revealed at the end of the episode. It's funny enough to be worth keeping a secret, trust me. This is about as much as you get to know about these girls for a good while except that Anne is a constant optimistic despite being one of the unluckiest people in the world (Irony maximized by her having a four-leaf clover on her tie). If all of this was only hitting the same character quirks over and over and relying on the cuteness to pull itself through, it'd grate at me.. It still does at times, but the girls are given a bit of focus in the classroom they share....
You see, all of them are students with unfortunate luck in one way or the other, and they are put into a special class which is trying to reverse their fortune. Their teacher Kodaira has a kindly face and a secretly vicious demeanor who puts them through a barrage of tests like a life-size board game and trying to find lucky items. It should be noted that there's a robotic rabbit butler called Timothy that helps with testing. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing I almost forgot about the school's robotic rabbit butler. They get a "rival" in Hibiki, a student who has no sense of direction and clings to her childhood friend Ren, a girl who attracts females of about every animal. Naturally, Hibiki is in love with her.
My apologies for making most of this a list of what's in the show, but the last paragraph-and-a-half is practically what to expect every week.There are a few costumes, the tests go from extremely over-the-to a somewhat reasonable scavenger hunt, yet the characters have the same couple of joke setups time and time again. The style starts off being a little too precious with watercolor buildings and needing a transition graphic with the show's title every 30 seconds or so (This is seriously becoming a pet peeve of mine. It disrupts the flow and when a series can't go one minute without one, it feels lazy even when they're all different and feature animation). It DOES get better. The style is more befitting of the surroundings when the girls visit a flower garden, and even if they do tend to be repetitive, they are pleasant company when they are working towards a goal or discovering parts of themselves. When they're searching for a certain flower, it hits the right balance between good humor and genuine warmth. That's one episode out of the four I've watched, though.
I don't dislike Anne-Happy that much, but I don't take much enjoyment out of it either. I suppose it would be fair to say this series isn't to my taste and if it is more to yours, you'll likely enjoy it. It's also fair to say it can be tedious and pads itself out using the same gags over and over (I do recognize the irony that I feel like I'm stating the same bit of information ad nauseam). As a side note, this is the toughest review I've had to write so far this season. I've been banging my head trying to find more wit and insight, but the cases for and against it are incredibly simple and easily stated. Don't worry if you're unhappy with this review. So am I... though I am not punning the title of the show with the last sentence. I'm not that desperate yet.
Weak Recommendation
Bakuon!!
Danni Kristen
I was dreading starting this series. Leading into it everyone had told me that it was just K-On with motorcycles, and I really don't like K-On. Then when it finally premiered everyone told me it's actually bad sex jokes: the anime. Nothing about this show sounded appealing. The art looked bad, the premise sounded boring, the jokes people showed me weren't funny, and to top it all off I don't care about motorcycles. They really aren't cool. So imagine my surprise when I finally watched the first episode and laughed my ass off. Don't get me wrong, Bakuon is absolute trash. It's also some of the hottest trash this year.
Bakuon is about a group of high school girls who all love motorcycles and ride them to school every day. They love motorcycles so much they create a club about it at their school. In the club is Onsa, Rin, Hijiri, Raimu, and Hane. Onsa is a bike nut who looks like the anime version of Rosie the Riveter, Rin is the twin-tailed tsundere and resident Suzuki fangirl, Hijiri is a rich girl who dreams of becoming a delinquent, Raimu is a silent enigma who never takes off her helmet, and Hane is the airheaded protagonist and newcomer to the world of biking. Together they engage in common high school antics such as talking to a sentient bike, being molested by their homoerotic teacher, and actually meeting Jesus Christ.
So this is a bit of a strange show. In the very first episode Hane finds a talking bike who constantly makes sexual remarks and also (due to a joke done in extremely poor taste) happens to be transgender. It becomes clear Hane isn't imagining things when the same bike talks to other people as well. Other bikes in-universe also appear to act of their own free will. Additionally, Raimu may or may not be a ghost. Hane also meets Jesus Christ on the side of the road and lends him some gas, which he pays her back for with the Holy Grail. It is all bizarre and absolutely hilarious. This show is more legitimately funny than it has any right to be. So much of the humor is surprisingly cynical and mean-spirited, which somehow works really well. The very first scene in the second episode had me rolling with laughter because of how Rin almost got her dad killed when she was a kid by singing about how much she loves Suzuki. Her backstories in particular are always hilarious and usually involve her in some way getting her dad incredibly injured. So much of the show is dedicated to owning her in one way or another and I love it. It's also rather funny how much time the group spends bickering about different brands and types of bikes. The only time it really ever falters is when it's making jokes about transgender people or about gay people. There's only been the one instance of the former, but there have been a few instances of the latter when gay/lesbian people are portrayed as huge dicks or just outright molesters. It's a shame that the show has to drop the ball on that front when its humor is really all it has going for it. Everything else about it is really forgettable. It's honestly a pretty bad show, but the good jokes make it endearingly bad. I think it's worth a shot, just don't expect much from it.
Weak Recommendation
Bakuon is about a group of high school girls who all love motorcycles and ride them to school every day. They love motorcycles so much they create a club about it at their school. In the club is Onsa, Rin, Hijiri, Raimu, and Hane. Onsa is a bike nut who looks like the anime version of Rosie the Riveter, Rin is the twin-tailed tsundere and resident Suzuki fangirl, Hijiri is a rich girl who dreams of becoming a delinquent, Raimu is a silent enigma who never takes off her helmet, and Hane is the airheaded protagonist and newcomer to the world of biking. Together they engage in common high school antics such as talking to a sentient bike, being molested by their homoerotic teacher, and actually meeting Jesus Christ.
So this is a bit of a strange show. In the very first episode Hane finds a talking bike who constantly makes sexual remarks and also (due to a joke done in extremely poor taste) happens to be transgender. It becomes clear Hane isn't imagining things when the same bike talks to other people as well. Other bikes in-universe also appear to act of their own free will. Additionally, Raimu may or may not be a ghost. Hane also meets Jesus Christ on the side of the road and lends him some gas, which he pays her back for with the Holy Grail. It is all bizarre and absolutely hilarious. This show is more legitimately funny than it has any right to be. So much of the humor is surprisingly cynical and mean-spirited, which somehow works really well. The very first scene in the second episode had me rolling with laughter because of how Rin almost got her dad killed when she was a kid by singing about how much she loves Suzuki. Her backstories in particular are always hilarious and usually involve her in some way getting her dad incredibly injured. So much of the show is dedicated to owning her in one way or another and I love it. It's also rather funny how much time the group spends bickering about different brands and types of bikes. The only time it really ever falters is when it's making jokes about transgender people or about gay people. There's only been the one instance of the former, but there have been a few instances of the latter when gay/lesbian people are portrayed as huge dicks or just outright molesters. It's a shame that the show has to drop the ball on that front when its humor is really all it has going for it. Everything else about it is really forgettable. It's honestly a pretty bad show, but the good jokes make it endearingly bad. I think it's worth a shot, just don't expect much from it.
Weak Recommendation
Big Order
Jonathan Kaharl
This show is a thing of terrible beauty. I'm one of those few people who genuinely likes The Future Diary, so I've been interested in what the creator of that series would do next. Big Order is not what I as expecting. I don't think anyone could have predicted this. Another show about people with superpowers trying to murder each other in a world filled with awful people isn't new for this particular writer, but Big Order goes far beyond that. It's like if Code Geass and JoJo had a baby, and it was dropped on its head. It's a show where absolutely nothing works, and I adore it. You have to see this shit because there's no way you're going to believe any of this is real through just my description.
Get this. There's this random girl who gives out powers like candy (who's totally not C.C!) and she hands them out based on a wish a person gives. Our main character was a kid who watched a shitty TV show about a superhero who tried saving the world via just conquering everything and becoming a dictator, so his wish manifested with a power to physically dominate most anything, which of course lead to the power going out of control and practically destroying the world. I'm aware this isn't making any damn sense, hang on. It gets better.
Our main character is named Hoshimiya Eiji, which I know because every character in the show finds out he destroyed the world and keep repeating his name. He has a step-sister who totally wants to fuck him (she has pictures of him all over her room, curls her toes when he pats her on the head, AND SHE'S FUCKING MOUNTING HIM IN THE OPENING I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP), and he wants to make a world where she can live in peace (GEE, WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE). And then Not-Yuno appears, tries to murder him for revenge, he regains his powers, and then is used by a rebel group of other people with powers called Orders to become the figure head of a revolution.
Also, did I mention everyone has a Stand with ridiculously OP powers that rarely make sense, a priestess gets pregnant when someone touches her head ribbon, there's a black lady wearing a G-string and casually eating rocks, AND Not-Yuno's power is regeneration so she keeps dying horribly to comedic effect? Or that the main bad/good/??? guy tricks everyone, including everyone on his side, and gets the heads up on the UN by kidnapping a girl who's entire power is to neutralize nukes so now they can't use nukes in one of the most convoluted plans ever that relies entirely on not-Yuno saving one little girl the black lady who is not working for him almost killed?
Big Order is a thing that exists and I am so grateful for that. I have never seen writing in a show not work at all so consistently. The powers make absolutely no sense (Eiji's "Physical Domination" may has well just be random bullshit), the characters constantly do baffling things, and the themes of the series are basically that fascism is good, but it presents it all in the trappings of cheesy tokusatsu and dumb shonen speeches. The only thing that actually works in the show is an incredibly sexist character in the form of Rin (aka Not-Yuno), who's defining trait is that she's so stupid that her presence can completely shatter the bad guy's plans. Nobody knows what the fuck to do with her, which either leads to jokes or outright plan changes because she decided she'd rather kill the main character more than stop a nuke. Because fuck you.
It's also, quite possibly, one of the most entertaining pieces of trash that has ever existed, and with The Lost Village as immediate competition, that is no easy thing. The Lost Village is awful on purpose, but Big Order fully believes in the bullshit its spouting and portraying. This is the Birdemic of bad shonen fight shows. It's also nice seeing the weirdly talented Asread come back after some OVAs nobody cared about and a long forgotten light novel show to animate another Sakae Esuno work and put their all into it. They're making trash, but damn it, they're making pretty trash. If you love bad anime, you HAVE to watch this disaster. There's nothing else like it.
Strong Recommendation for bad anime fans, No Recommendation for everyone else
Get this. There's this random girl who gives out powers like candy (who's totally not C.C!) and she hands them out based on a wish a person gives. Our main character was a kid who watched a shitty TV show about a superhero who tried saving the world via just conquering everything and becoming a dictator, so his wish manifested with a power to physically dominate most anything, which of course lead to the power going out of control and practically destroying the world. I'm aware this isn't making any damn sense, hang on. It gets better.
Our main character is named Hoshimiya Eiji, which I know because every character in the show finds out he destroyed the world and keep repeating his name. He has a step-sister who totally wants to fuck him (she has pictures of him all over her room, curls her toes when he pats her on the head, AND SHE'S FUCKING MOUNTING HIM IN THE OPENING I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP), and he wants to make a world where she can live in peace (GEE, WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE). And then Not-Yuno appears, tries to murder him for revenge, he regains his powers, and then is used by a rebel group of other people with powers called Orders to become the figure head of a revolution.
Also, did I mention everyone has a Stand with ridiculously OP powers that rarely make sense, a priestess gets pregnant when someone touches her head ribbon, there's a black lady wearing a G-string and casually eating rocks, AND Not-Yuno's power is regeneration so she keeps dying horribly to comedic effect? Or that the main bad/good/??? guy tricks everyone, including everyone on his side, and gets the heads up on the UN by kidnapping a girl who's entire power is to neutralize nukes so now they can't use nukes in one of the most convoluted plans ever that relies entirely on not-Yuno saving one little girl the black lady who is not working for him almost killed?
Big Order is a thing that exists and I am so grateful for that. I have never seen writing in a show not work at all so consistently. The powers make absolutely no sense (Eiji's "Physical Domination" may has well just be random bullshit), the characters constantly do baffling things, and the themes of the series are basically that fascism is good, but it presents it all in the trappings of cheesy tokusatsu and dumb shonen speeches. The only thing that actually works in the show is an incredibly sexist character in the form of Rin (aka Not-Yuno), who's defining trait is that she's so stupid that her presence can completely shatter the bad guy's plans. Nobody knows what the fuck to do with her, which either leads to jokes or outright plan changes because she decided she'd rather kill the main character more than stop a nuke. Because fuck you.
It's also, quite possibly, one of the most entertaining pieces of trash that has ever existed, and with The Lost Village as immediate competition, that is no easy thing. The Lost Village is awful on purpose, but Big Order fully believes in the bullshit its spouting and portraying. This is the Birdemic of bad shonen fight shows. It's also nice seeing the weirdly talented Asread come back after some OVAs nobody cared about and a long forgotten light novel show to animate another Sakae Esuno work and put their all into it. They're making trash, but damn it, they're making pretty trash. If you love bad anime, you HAVE to watch this disaster. There's nothing else like it.
Strong Recommendation for bad anime fans, No Recommendation for everyone else
Bungo Stray Dogs
Stephanie Getchell
You've probably heard me say this several times already the past few seasons, but Studio Bones has been doing a lot of amazing work in recent years! Ever since Space Dandy appeared on the season back in the beginning of 2015, it's basically been one successful series after another with other anime such as Noragami, Snow White With the Red Hair, Blood Blockade Battlefront, Concrete Revolutio, and Show By Rock. This season, we're being treated to three series from Bones! One is the second season of Concrete Revolutio, the second is the highly anticipated My Hero Academia (which David has you covered for), and the third is Bungou Stray Dogs. In picking series that I was interested in seeing, Stray Dogs caught my attention because of it's premise as well as the big studio behind it. Now that I've had the chance to sit down and watch the first three episodes, it was exactly what I was expecting from, not only Bones but, director Takuya Igarashi. For those who are unfamiliar with his work, he's mostly done storyboards for series such as Sailor Moon and Darker Than Black; however he is also the director for both Ouran High School Host Club AND Soul Eater. So that whole "this series is totally a Bones one" feeling is doubled thanks to Igarashi's involvement. YAY!
As for the series at hand, I'd say it's off to a good start! It takes an action/comedy approach and adds supernatural into the mix just like Soul Eater did. Instead, this time, we are given characters that work out of a detective agency who try to solve mysteries revolving around those with supernatural gifts. These gifts, so far, have ranged from illusion to turning into a damn weretiger! It does look like these gifts aren't without consequences, though, as our supposed main villain appears to be the largest case for this. And, of course, there's a past for Dazai just waiting to be discovered since the end of episode three reveals that he used to work for the Port Mafia. And let's not forget our orphaned weretiger, Atsushi, who has some issues of his own in the whole being abandoned department before he even knew of his powers. The main plot line seems to be heading in the direction of more encounters with the Port Mafia as well as Dazai's past unfolding, which could normally take up a single cour if done well. Thing is, we already have a confirmed second season slated for the fall, so who knows what kind of tricks Bones will have in store for us. Either way, the series is interesting enough to keep my attention, so I will hang onto it for the time being.
As for the series at hand, I'd say it's off to a good start! It takes an action/comedy approach and adds supernatural into the mix just like Soul Eater did. Instead, this time, we are given characters that work out of a detective agency who try to solve mysteries revolving around those with supernatural gifts. These gifts, so far, have ranged from illusion to turning into a damn weretiger! It does look like these gifts aren't without consequences, though, as our supposed main villain appears to be the largest case for this. And, of course, there's a past for Dazai just waiting to be discovered since the end of episode three reveals that he used to work for the Port Mafia. And let's not forget our orphaned weretiger, Atsushi, who has some issues of his own in the whole being abandoned department before he even knew of his powers. The main plot line seems to be heading in the direction of more encounters with the Port Mafia as well as Dazai's past unfolding, which could normally take up a single cour if done well. Thing is, we already have a confirmed second season slated for the fall, so who knows what kind of tricks Bones will have in store for us. Either way, the series is interesting enough to keep my attention, so I will hang onto it for the time being.
Solid Recommendation
Cerberus
Danni Kristen
Well, we might as well get this one over with. I always end up with one of these shows every season, so here's how I feel about this season's shitty anime based on a dumb fantasy light novel mobile game:
It sucks.
Cerberus opens up with a well-endowed woman chained up as a sacrifice to an almighty, evil dragon. When the dragon tries to eat her, though, it turns out the woman was just bait. Her husband begins an incantation to seal away the evil dragon for good, but it soon goes horribly awry. He is attacked from afar by an unknown assailant and the incantation is broken. Somehow, the dragon is instead sealed away inside their young son who was nearby. Fast forward about a decade later and their son is a wandering swordsman in a new town. He gets involved with a group of young thieves who try to steal a magical wish-granting stone from a famous and powerful merchant. When one of the boys is caught and sentenced to death, the protagonist steps in to save the day. However, he soon finds out that he's actually nowhere near as good a swordsman as he thought he was. He can't even manage to wound a single soldier. His master comes to help save him, but they are surrounded. As they're about to be obliterated, the evil dragon awakens and protects them from harm. What happens next? Who knows. I dropped the show immediately afterwards.
Everything about this show is absolutely forgettable. It's like the staff were trying their absolute hardest to just create the most generic fantasy anime ever. The scenery is bland, the character designs are dumb and uninspired, the protagonist is an annoying, cocky kid, and the plot is boring as hell. Only an hour or so after I finished the first episode I had already forgotten most of what happened. This show is bad and that's it. It's not even the entertaining kind of bad. It's the generic, by the numbers kind of bad we get every single season. Don't even bother with this one.
No Recommendation, Dropped after 1 episode
It sucks.
Cerberus opens up with a well-endowed woman chained up as a sacrifice to an almighty, evil dragon. When the dragon tries to eat her, though, it turns out the woman was just bait. Her husband begins an incantation to seal away the evil dragon for good, but it soon goes horribly awry. He is attacked from afar by an unknown assailant and the incantation is broken. Somehow, the dragon is instead sealed away inside their young son who was nearby. Fast forward about a decade later and their son is a wandering swordsman in a new town. He gets involved with a group of young thieves who try to steal a magical wish-granting stone from a famous and powerful merchant. When one of the boys is caught and sentenced to death, the protagonist steps in to save the day. However, he soon finds out that he's actually nowhere near as good a swordsman as he thought he was. He can't even manage to wound a single soldier. His master comes to help save him, but they are surrounded. As they're about to be obliterated, the evil dragon awakens and protects them from harm. What happens next? Who knows. I dropped the show immediately afterwards.
Everything about this show is absolutely forgettable. It's like the staff were trying their absolute hardest to just create the most generic fantasy anime ever. The scenery is bland, the character designs are dumb and uninspired, the protagonist is an annoying, cocky kid, and the plot is boring as hell. Only an hour or so after I finished the first episode I had already forgotten most of what happened. This show is bad and that's it. It's not even the entertaining kind of bad. It's the generic, by the numbers kind of bad we get every single season. Don't even bother with this one.
No Recommendation, Dropped after 1 episode
Endride
David O'Neil
The first two episodes of Endride are....weird. Really weird. And not in a fun way, or an interesting way, and especially not in a good way. A lot happens over the course of the show's introduction, we get a pretty typical main cast of characters, villains, world, so on and so forth, but it's rare to find an example of a show that still manages to fail on nearly every level that counts quite like this.
Endride is about a high school boy who's obsessed with crystals and has daddy issues, and upon one day wandering into his father's secret lab and touching a magic super-crystal he leaves lying around in an unlocked container for some reason, he's teleported to another world. As it turns out, this world is located on the inner crust of the earth, lit by a giant Chaos Emerald that reflects sunlight from a giant hole in the north pole, and the people in this world can pull swords out of their chests- see what I mean when I said this show is weird? And it's not just the set up either. The pacing, the dialogue, the visuals, everything in this show feels off in the worst kind of way. Characters are constantly saying things that make absolutely no sense, things are happening without explanation, and that's only when the show doesn't dump huge amounts of hilariously dumb exposition in overly long speeches all at once. There's nothing about it that was actually making me care, the characters didn't do much other than yell at each other or make really terrible jokes, and the main conflict appeared to be a pretty by-the-numbers routine of a generic protagonist who wants to get home, and a disgraced prince who wants to take back his kingdom. The show sluggishly goes on and on, with awkward action scenes and even more awkward dialogue, to the point I was skipping my way through the second episode by the halfway point.
The show is an absolute eyesore as well. Everything about this show looks downright hideous. The animation is stiff and unpolished, the art direction is a complete mess, the character designs are somehow simultaneously too busy and entirely bland, even many of the backgrounds make use of garishly terrible textures or poorly conceived designs. Pretty much the only positive thing I can say about the show is it had some pretty good music. Really, that's it. Other than that, Endride is a mess of a show that feels pointless, looks terrible, and isn't fun or engaging in any way.
No Recommendation, Dropped after 2 episodes
The first two episodes of Endride are....weird. Really weird. And not in a fun way, or an interesting way, and especially not in a good way. A lot happens over the course of the show's introduction, we get a pretty typical main cast of characters, villains, world, so on and so forth, but it's rare to find an example of a show that still manages to fail on nearly every level that counts quite like this.
Endride is about a high school boy who's obsessed with crystals and has daddy issues, and upon one day wandering into his father's secret lab and touching a magic super-crystal he leaves lying around in an unlocked container for some reason, he's teleported to another world. As it turns out, this world is located on the inner crust of the earth, lit by a giant Chaos Emerald that reflects sunlight from a giant hole in the north pole, and the people in this world can pull swords out of their chests- see what I mean when I said this show is weird? And it's not just the set up either. The pacing, the dialogue, the visuals, everything in this show feels off in the worst kind of way. Characters are constantly saying things that make absolutely no sense, things are happening without explanation, and that's only when the show doesn't dump huge amounts of hilariously dumb exposition in overly long speeches all at once. There's nothing about it that was actually making me care, the characters didn't do much other than yell at each other or make really terrible jokes, and the main conflict appeared to be a pretty by-the-numbers routine of a generic protagonist who wants to get home, and a disgraced prince who wants to take back his kingdom. The show sluggishly goes on and on, with awkward action scenes and even more awkward dialogue, to the point I was skipping my way through the second episode by the halfway point.
The show is an absolute eyesore as well. Everything about this show looks downright hideous. The animation is stiff and unpolished, the art direction is a complete mess, the character designs are somehow simultaneously too busy and entirely bland, even many of the backgrounds make use of garishly terrible textures or poorly conceived designs. Pretty much the only positive thing I can say about the show is it had some pretty good music. Really, that's it. Other than that, Endride is a mess of a show that feels pointless, looks terrible, and isn't fun or engaging in any way.
No Recommendation, Dropped after 2 episodes
Flying Witch
Megan Z.
Makoto Kowata is fifteen and just starting high school. She’s recently moved from the big city to Amori with her pet cat Chito. It’s a simple place that’s quite, quaint and seems like it’s in a permanent afternoon nap. Meeting up with Kei Kuramoto, her cousin, she moves into the Kuramoto family house and meets her little cousin Chinatsu. From there we get to delve into a day with Makoto and the Kuramoto siblings as they introduce our directions inept lead to the city and a few new friends. However Chinatsu seems a little suspicious of Makoto. She talks to herself, seems a bit too keen with Kei and says she needs supplies. When Chinatsu and Makoto go to the store because the later needs a broom Chinatsu learns Makoto’s little secret; she’s a witch! Makoto has moved to Amori to live with her cousins the Kuramoto so she can start becoming a full-fledged witch and learn all there is about the witch world.
If anything Flying Witch doesn’t have a real plot it doesn’t exactly need one. This is a series to relax to, to feel better when you’ve had a rough day. My comments about Amori being in a place of being stuck in an eternal afternoon nap can also apply to the series. This isn’t the show you watch when you want to feel hyped up but rather when you want to wind down. Every little executed moment flows so well into this. Even moments of energy seem to have a relaxing air about them and it honestly made for a great time and helps me unwind after a long work week. The animation is like a living pallet of watercolors and some of the shots just erupt in pockets of beauty. J.C. Staff puts their all into keeping things simple yet elegant. It’s like they just set out a big ass bowl of anime chicken soup for you every Sunday. This is a series to warm your soul. The little moments in Flying Witch always seem to put a giddy little smile on my face. I’m starting to get addicting to Chinatsu’s little confused face with turns her eyes big black lines with this open mouth. My favorite one comes when Makoto’s older sister, Akane, shows up to talk like she hasn’t seen her in years while still in full desert trekking garb. Makoto gets a few of these faces, like in the screen cap I picked, but I love Chinatsu’s the most. There are just so many little things that go right for Flying Witch when it easily could have failed.
For one I like how laid back it is even on magic. I enjoy how Makoto being a witch isn’t one hundred percent a hush-hush type thing. Sure in episode three Akane asks for a quiet place, but isn’t kept a secret from Kei’s childhood and their classmate Nao. Also I’m kinda happy Nao’s family owns a liquor store cause after that mandrake incident in episode one I swore the girl needed a stiff drink. The mix of magic and mundane feels just right where we as viewers learn about things like Chinatsu, and Kei to a lesser extent, does and can be excited and scared with them and we can also be showing just as much amazement and wonder. It’s why you find yourself smiling when you see how Makoto, Chinatsu and Kei interact with the magical word from meeting the Harbinger of Spring to learning little magic tricks.
And every character is enjoyable. Makoto’s sweet and endearing personality shines. I adore how earnest she is with learning and seeing something new. It brought a warm smile to my face seeing her chase a pheasant in episode three and nearly had me rolling when her uncle tried to catch the bird for her in the end. Kei is a relaxed young man who seems to not be much but he seems to be the least important of the main three so far. Also he’s apparently a huge weenie and doesn’t like to be scared as seen in episode four. Chinatsu is my favorite. She has this charm about her and I feel like she’s a fun child character. I’ve already mentioned how I love her reactions to things and her facial expressions. Even the side characters are fun. Akane and Inukai are my favorites so far and work as this odd couple and I’d rather not spoil how Inukai’s intro goes.
Flying Witch is my chicken soup of the spring season. Every little thing seems to hit. My only knocks on the show is that it most likely will bore some anime fans, particularly younger fans with shorter attention spans, due to it focusing not as much dynamic magic ad fights but more mundane situations. I have high expectations for the rest of the show. So far we haven’t seen the blond family in the opening with the ghost maid. I also want to see what becoming a witch entails or is it a family trait. There are a few unanswered questions about how the world works but with how the show goes I don’t find myself minding these questions being around. Either way use the first two episodes to see if this is more your speed but if you need me I’ll be meeting the beat of that super cute opening theme.
Strong Recommendation
Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto
Stephanie Getchell
Right now the big fad in anime is the "transported into a fantasy world" (or by extension trapped in a video game) genre, in which some ordinary teenage boy protagonist (likely an otaku) is transported into a world of elves and magic, and ends up being a pivotal hero in some grand fantasy quest. For quite a while I had a pretty strong aversion towards these sorts of shows, but last season not one but two of them, Grimgar and Konosuba, managed to overcome the trite nature of this premise and make something great, so I went into Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- with a more open minded attitude than usual. And it payed of....to an extent.
Re:ZERO follows a shut-in otaku teen boy, who one day out of the blue finds himself phasing into a world of elves, demi-humans, magic, and knights, with nothing but a cell phone and a grocery bag full of noodles and chips to his name. The early part of the show is pretty loathsome to be honest, mostly repeating the same self-aware attempts at satire Konosuba made, but without any of the wit. It also doesn't help that the protagonist is bland and obnoxious as all hell, not having much in the form of a personality, just filling the role of a blank slate protagonist who wants to save everyone because he's the protagonist and that's what he does. The show picks up however, when he dies. Pretty brutally, in fact, and the true nature of the show is revealed. Taking a page from Groundhogs Day and All You Need is Kill, every time the main character dies he skips back to when he first appeared in the world, starting over again, while retaining the knowledge he'd gained during that previous run. The premise has been done before, but Re:ZERO still does a surprisingly good job utilizing it. During each attempt we slowly learn more about the world, the situation the main character has been pulled into, and the motivations of the side characters. It makes for effective world building, and kept me constantly engaged in discovering more about the story, as the protagonist got further and further in his attempts to save the girl he met through a random encounter.
It also helps that while the protagonist is pretty terrible, the rest of the cast is a lot of fun. From a totally insane witch assassin obsessed with entrails, to a gallant knight with an over the top sense of chivalry, to a quirky elf girl trying to hide her softer side, each of the side characters manage to pick up the slack left by the paper thin main character. In addition, it boasts some excellent action animation that make it a thrilling ride any time it comes down to a fight, even though the shut-in otaku's bizarre combat proficiency does raise some puzzling questions ("I work out" does not explain being able to match a trained assassin in close range combat). Either way, so far Re:ZERO is fairly generic and borrows a lot from other works, but makes use of its time loop gimmick and its entertaining cast of side characters well enough to keep me looking forward to each new episode.
Solid Recommendation
Jonathan Note:
Ah Studio Deen. You always find new ways to amaze me in both the best and worst ways possible. Whether it's with Higurashi, Hell Girl, or Showa Genroku to Vampire Knight, Pupa, or Super Lovers (which I refuse to watch. God bless you, Joe), either Deen shows can be really good or really bad. Thankfully, in Sakamoto's case, it is one of the better series to premiere this season and one of my favorites of the spring thus far. The basic premise is the normal high school life of Sakamoto, a rather cool and charismatic first year that just can't seem to stop being the center of attention. Even if everything he does is just him being himself and not actively seeking that attention from others. As you can imagine, this gives way to PLENTY of hijinks such as being an errand boy for the school delinquents, being possessed by Kokkuri-san for an experiment dealing with high school girls, or coming up with a clever way to deter a classmate's mother from having the biggest crush on you. All of which do happen in the first three episodes AND MORE!
What this really comes down to, in terms of the likability of this series, is Sakamoto himself. He's like what would happen if you take a character from the world of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and put him in your typical high school set up. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not! Everything that Sakamoto does is just as over the top as you would expect from Jojo's, and this is coming from finally watching the first season rather recently. But there is a lot more to Sakamoto then the cool and stoic factor. He's willing to help others out with their problems, but not up to the point of out right defending them. He tries to get others to see the lesson he's hoping to teach rather than out right explaining it to them. This can be said in the case of the bullied kid getting a job alongside Sakamoto. Then there's also the inadvertent effects of some of the things he does, such as bringing three girls who originally hated each other together after a mishap with Kokkuri-san. The show, while crazy, is actually rather brilliant in getting a few different life lessons to shine through and in a way that many teens can understand. It's rather clever in that regard.
It seems pretty clear that there isn't going to be a straight through line in story, instead opting for a more episodic approach to episodes. There are two stories in each episode, making the three episodes that I watch for this report give six little stories to see with plenty of humor and fun to go with it. Again, Sakamoto is one of my early contenders for the best of the season and I have plenty of good reasons for this statement; though mostly it's Sakamoto's mere existence that caused me to come up with that statement. The series has also been rather relatable in some way and has clever writing and great animation to go along with it! Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is a series that I will firmly tell you to go and try right now compared to all the other shows I'm covering or even seeing this season! Do yourself the favor and at least watch the first few episodes. If it doesn't get you hooked and on the floor laughing, then clearly you are not human.
What this really comes down to, in terms of the likability of this series, is Sakamoto himself. He's like what would happen if you take a character from the world of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and put him in your typical high school set up. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not! Everything that Sakamoto does is just as over the top as you would expect from Jojo's, and this is coming from finally watching the first season rather recently. But there is a lot more to Sakamoto then the cool and stoic factor. He's willing to help others out with their problems, but not up to the point of out right defending them. He tries to get others to see the lesson he's hoping to teach rather than out right explaining it to them. This can be said in the case of the bullied kid getting a job alongside Sakamoto. Then there's also the inadvertent effects of some of the things he does, such as bringing three girls who originally hated each other together after a mishap with Kokkuri-san. The show, while crazy, is actually rather brilliant in getting a few different life lessons to shine through and in a way that many teens can understand. It's rather clever in that regard.
It seems pretty clear that there isn't going to be a straight through line in story, instead opting for a more episodic approach to episodes. There are two stories in each episode, making the three episodes that I watch for this report give six little stories to see with plenty of humor and fun to go with it. Again, Sakamoto is one of my early contenders for the best of the season and I have plenty of good reasons for this statement; though mostly it's Sakamoto's mere existence that caused me to come up with that statement. The series has also been rather relatable in some way and has clever writing and great animation to go along with it! Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto is a series that I will firmly tell you to go and try right now compared to all the other shows I'm covering or even seeing this season! Do yourself the favor and at least watch the first few episodes. If it doesn't get you hooked and on the floor laughing, then clearly you are not human.
Strong Recommendation
High School Fleet
Joe Straatmann
All is not as it seems. High School Fleet starts off as pandering to military otaku with a soft spot for moe. Main character Akeno Misaki is not only a first-year, but captain of a destroyer as she begins her studies to become a Blue Mermaid, Japan's civilian naval elite Yup, civilian, as a long batch of expository dialogue at the beginning of the second episode spells out. Japan becomes more of an island nation than ever after resource mining causes much of its land to submerge. Hence the need for increased naval vessels captained by women to signify their peaceful intentions. Having the piloted vessels be destroyers with live ammunition seems to betray their intentions, but whatever....
The first episode where cute girls shout amazed vowels at boats ("AAAAAAAAAAA!" "EEEEEEEEEEE!") quickly becomes something more substantial. Misaki's ship, the Harekaze, gets lost on in its short ride to training. Seemingly chased by an enraged instructor, the opposing ship begins to fire live ammunition and the freshmen crew's maiden voyage becomes a strange series of ominous happenings. Their torpedo payload, which was supposed to be a dummy, turns out to be armed and sinks their instructor's ship, marking them as mutineers to be destroyed on spot. With no communications, a heavily damaged vessel, and very few methods of defending themselves, the Harekaze must survive an ocean of potential enemies, figure out what happened, and find some sort of safe harbor. Now this is a series I can support.
What it reminds me of, oddly enough, is the first Star Trek reboot movie. It's not a direct connection, but it has a beginner's crew led by a Kirk/Spock combination in Akeno, the captain who works on instinct with a certain connection to the team and astounding luck, and Mashiro, a down-to-business professional from a family of Blue Mermaids. They and their rag-tag team are thrown in way above their heads and use their wits and whatever's laying around to survive long odds. The chemistry between the characters is spot-on with everyone having their quirks, but enough time devoted between everyone to not have it be too much of one person's schtick. My favorite is secretary Nosa who has imaginary arguments with herself over what will happen if they're captured. The cuteness is also more judiciously doled out once the ball gets rolling and leaves the most adorable for when the time is right instead of forcing it down the audience's throat. I kind of wish these beginners acted more like beginners, though. They have their obvious slip-ups of course, but they act like they've been a team for at least months.These are the ones who scored the lowest in their classes and yet they they're a reasonably maintained machine for the most part.
High School Fleet is a pleasant surprise in a sea of unpleasantness this season. I've talked little about the technical merits, which are really good. The character designs keep the large cast distinct, the maritime battles are choreographed and surprisingly easy to follow (Maybe I've just watched too much incomprehensible action lately), and even extra attention to detail is given to peripheral aspects like the ocean. Even without these aspects, though, it would still be a charming enough cat-and-mouse chase to be worthy of attention. Now the wait begins to see what exactly the cat is and what the chase is about.
Solid Recommendation
All is not as it seems. High School Fleet starts off as pandering to military otaku with a soft spot for moe. Main character Akeno Misaki is not only a first-year, but captain of a destroyer as she begins her studies to become a Blue Mermaid, Japan's civilian naval elite Yup, civilian, as a long batch of expository dialogue at the beginning of the second episode spells out. Japan becomes more of an island nation than ever after resource mining causes much of its land to submerge. Hence the need for increased naval vessels captained by women to signify their peaceful intentions. Having the piloted vessels be destroyers with live ammunition seems to betray their intentions, but whatever....
The first episode where cute girls shout amazed vowels at boats ("AAAAAAAAAAA!" "EEEEEEEEEEE!") quickly becomes something more substantial. Misaki's ship, the Harekaze, gets lost on in its short ride to training. Seemingly chased by an enraged instructor, the opposing ship begins to fire live ammunition and the freshmen crew's maiden voyage becomes a strange series of ominous happenings. Their torpedo payload, which was supposed to be a dummy, turns out to be armed and sinks their instructor's ship, marking them as mutineers to be destroyed on spot. With no communications, a heavily damaged vessel, and very few methods of defending themselves, the Harekaze must survive an ocean of potential enemies, figure out what happened, and find some sort of safe harbor. Now this is a series I can support.
What it reminds me of, oddly enough, is the first Star Trek reboot movie. It's not a direct connection, but it has a beginner's crew led by a Kirk/Spock combination in Akeno, the captain who works on instinct with a certain connection to the team and astounding luck, and Mashiro, a down-to-business professional from a family of Blue Mermaids. They and their rag-tag team are thrown in way above their heads and use their wits and whatever's laying around to survive long odds. The chemistry between the characters is spot-on with everyone having their quirks, but enough time devoted between everyone to not have it be too much of one person's schtick. My favorite is secretary Nosa who has imaginary arguments with herself over what will happen if they're captured. The cuteness is also more judiciously doled out once the ball gets rolling and leaves the most adorable for when the time is right instead of forcing it down the audience's throat. I kind of wish these beginners acted more like beginners, though. They have their obvious slip-ups of course, but they act like they've been a team for at least months.These are the ones who scored the lowest in their classes and yet they they're a reasonably maintained machine for the most part.
High School Fleet is a pleasant surprise in a sea of unpleasantness this season. I've talked little about the technical merits, which are really good. The character designs keep the large cast distinct, the maritime battles are choreographed and surprisingly easy to follow (Maybe I've just watched too much incomprehensible action lately), and even extra attention to detail is given to peripheral aspects like the ocean. Even without these aspects, though, it would still be a charming enough cat-and-mouse chase to be worthy of attention. Now the wait begins to see what exactly the cat is and what the chase is about.
Solid Recommendation
Hundred
Megan Z.
Next time I really do need to make sure I read EVERY tag when it comes to an anime. Hundred is another light novel, magical high school, action adventure show of a random guy who is suddenly at some academy of magical training. This time was have Hayato Kisaragi who is going to the Little Garden. Here students learn to master the “hundred” so that they can oppose the “savage” which are these large black and neon green bug like creatures and become slayers. You also kill them by stabbing through a large core in them. I have watched enough shows to see where this is going. Oh and Kisaragi is an ace before entering the school by having the highest hundred score ever in the history of the Little Garden and has more hype surrounding him. To get away a “boy” named Emile calls over and seems to know way too much about him. However where the real plot, if you can say this mess has a plot, starts is when Hayato and Emile stand up for two girls and draw the ire of Claire Harvey who will serve as our generic twin-tailed tsundere for the show and she happens to be the flawless “queen” of the school. They duel and Claire notices Kisaragi is more than what meets the eye and draws him, and Emile because he seems to be a special snow flake too, into the Selections where they will get to be Slayers while still in school. Also Emile is actually an Emila.
I could honestly try to sum up a plot for Hundered but after five episodes I can’t seem to find it. And I marathoned it all in a day. What I gather is this; Savages are running amuck and Slayers with weapons call Hundred slay them and for some reason the school is a war ship. There are some people, according to Emila called “Variants”. Variants are people who have been infected with savage virus and survived and thus can use hundred more. However the virus must be stopped with an anti-virus when you go berserk so Emila’s cure is kissing. Other than that this show is everything we expect with our once a season, light novel anime I’m sure some studio producer had taped to a dart board and this is where the arrow landed. I dreaded having to watch this and boy did it live up to all my bad expectations. Kisaragi has as much common sense as a fish on land. He’s sexually oblivious and gets into all those wacky hijinks. I think episode 5 was the winner with our obligatory trip to the pool where Claire is more than okay with showing off the two watermelons superglued to her chest with all the wacky censorship arms and fabric. But of course he’s our special, over powered snow flake with a super powered dark side he’s just got to control and, because every special snow flake must, uses a sword type hundred.
And I couldn’t tell you a lick about any of the other characters other than their given harem-eque traits. Claire’s a tsudnere who suddenly is all gung-ho for Kisaragi after kissing in episode 3, Erika the vice-president is basically gushing over Claire and its more than obvious with her suntan oil squeeze in episode 5, Liddy’s angry and has a lance and then there’s Char our obligatory science Loli who must clearly tell you she’s marrying age just in case she’s your fetish of choice and her sniffy robot maid who got lost from Pandora Shell of the Crimson Urn in MeiMei. Oh and Karen, Kisaragi’s baby sister, because we clearly can’t forgot our dear baby sister. If anything Emile, I mean Emila, is okay I guess. She poses as a male to see Kisaragi again after they survived a Savage attack together and Kisaragi sucked the fluid out to help. Of course we all knew the second she opened her mouth because Seiyuu Rumi Okubo doesn’t even try to sound male and then we get Kisaragi coming in as shes in a towel in episode 1 but the grand finale was in the middle of battle having a savage split her very clearly lady friendly battle suit right up the middle to show off her scar and boobs to make sure you know it’s a girl! And then Emila has to be on dates with Kisaragi whenever he is off for a day and even does it while still trying to pose as a male to other students. This includes making out with Kisaragi and for some reason this show really loves to close up on them kissing and show that sweet sweet spit exchange. Also her hundred, a “innocence type”, can basically make her an angel with any weapon and makes her just as stupidly overpowered as Kisaragi is.
If anything the show does have two redeeming factors; a decent plot that I think will happen and an idol character who doesn’t totally suck. They tie hand in hand because Sakura Kisaragi was too a victim of savage virus but her case is different. She, of course, has a back story with our special snow flake and survived being a genetic experiment. Around the end of episode four we seem some creepy teens covered in savage fluid with hundred like weapons waiting for after big concert, which I guess is the plot point for this show so far, and I believe them to be tied to her past as a genetic experiment. Her singing is known to be calming and her hundred is basically a magical fairy illusion maker tied to her singing. Once this concert happens I expect things to pick up.
Overall this show isn’t very good and that’s being nice. The animation is alright at best, the music forgettable, the plot is basically non existent and the characters are either bland, stupid or mediocre at best. I’ll admit some of the hundred weapons can be kind of cool, like a side character named Latia’s wolverine claw and boots one, but some are generic or just plain over powered. Like always there’s plenty of wacky sexual hijinks and Kisaragi being our dense pervert-kun. If I could drop this show I would in a damn heart beat but alas I can’t. If you’re into this type of show have at it because at least it’s not as bad as Sky Wizards Academy.
Weak Recommendation
Joker Game
Megan R.
Anime and World War II are two things that rarely go well together. Even moreso than Germany, Japan has done its best to gloss over the events of the 1930s and 40s in their media, lest they offend both modern audiences and the older folks in charge who still pine a little for the glory days of the empire. While a few have tentatively tried to broach the topic, none of them have made an impression. After all, when was the last time you heard anyone talk about Night Raid 1931? So far, though, Joker Game has managed to make the most of its politically sensitive settings to craft some seriously solid spy action that acknowledges the tumultuous time of its setting while side-stepping all the awkward bits.
Each story follows a different member of D-Agency, a spy outfit dedicated towards training civilians to become the perfect spies. Some episodes get more personal than others, though. Some, like the two-part opener, focus on exploring the mindset of their given protagonist. Others, like the one set in Japan-occupied Shanghai, barely feature their respective spy at all and only then in the most roundabout way. The rest are usually well-crafted one-shots, such as the one where a D-Agency member finds himself caught up with the French Resistance during a bout of amnesia or the most recent episode where one member finds themselves put to the test when captured by an opposing spy agency. The writing for each episode is solid and self-contained, although some are stronger than others. Episode 3 and 5 are the stand-outs so far, as the uncertainty of amnesia and harsh interrogation lets the viewer experience the protagonist's mood vividly. The only dud so far is Episode 4, as it relies much too much on traditional villain monologues and a touch of soldier ex machina. If you're wondering why I'm not using each guy's name, that's mostly because they tend to be rather interchangeable. I get that this is part of the point of them being spies, that they are meant to blend in and adapt to any given situation. Still, the fact that you have nearly a dozen different generically handsome young men to keep track of means that it's hard to keep track of whom is whom, especially since we pretty much never see them again after their featured story. The only character to make much of an impression so far is Lt. Sakuma, the leading man of the two-part opener. Even then, that's mostly because he spends so much of it being so oblivious about the fact that he works with spies, not soldiers, and that spies might not value things like honesty and rigid schedules.
My initial fears about how the show would handle its history were quickly put to rest. It's avoiding some of the worst parts of that time period to be sure, but it's perfectly clear that it's not afraid to be critical either. If anything, D-Agency seems to be doing its best to undermine both the Imperial Army and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their actions always manage to indirectly expose the corruption and mismanagement lying just underneath their actions, be how they handle known spies, the corruption and incompetence of army officers, and leaks within the diplomatic system. In a sense, the agency itself is just as much of a double agent as any of its members might be and this plot thread is just as intriguing and unpredictable as any given episode. It also helps to give them a faint thread of continuity which allows the series to feel...well, like a complete series. The show is also clearly taking thing seriously when it comes to its look. Joker Game looks far less like your standard anime and more like a live-action drama. The down-to-earth character designs, the animation which is polished but far from flashy, the muted color scheme, and the general air of quiet yet ever-present tension marks this as a show that is not just for the otaku. That's fine by me because in doing so it's shaping up to be one of the better shows of the season.
Solid Recommendation
Anime and World War II are two things that rarely go well together. Even moreso than Germany, Japan has done its best to gloss over the events of the 1930s and 40s in their media, lest they offend both modern audiences and the older folks in charge who still pine a little for the glory days of the empire. While a few have tentatively tried to broach the topic, none of them have made an impression. After all, when was the last time you heard anyone talk about Night Raid 1931? So far, though, Joker Game has managed to make the most of its politically sensitive settings to craft some seriously solid spy action that acknowledges the tumultuous time of its setting while side-stepping all the awkward bits.
Each story follows a different member of D-Agency, a spy outfit dedicated towards training civilians to become the perfect spies. Some episodes get more personal than others, though. Some, like the two-part opener, focus on exploring the mindset of their given protagonist. Others, like the one set in Japan-occupied Shanghai, barely feature their respective spy at all and only then in the most roundabout way. The rest are usually well-crafted one-shots, such as the one where a D-Agency member finds himself caught up with the French Resistance during a bout of amnesia or the most recent episode where one member finds themselves put to the test when captured by an opposing spy agency. The writing for each episode is solid and self-contained, although some are stronger than others. Episode 3 and 5 are the stand-outs so far, as the uncertainty of amnesia and harsh interrogation lets the viewer experience the protagonist's mood vividly. The only dud so far is Episode 4, as it relies much too much on traditional villain monologues and a touch of soldier ex machina. If you're wondering why I'm not using each guy's name, that's mostly because they tend to be rather interchangeable. I get that this is part of the point of them being spies, that they are meant to blend in and adapt to any given situation. Still, the fact that you have nearly a dozen different generically handsome young men to keep track of means that it's hard to keep track of whom is whom, especially since we pretty much never see them again after their featured story. The only character to make much of an impression so far is Lt. Sakuma, the leading man of the two-part opener. Even then, that's mostly because he spends so much of it being so oblivious about the fact that he works with spies, not soldiers, and that spies might not value things like honesty and rigid schedules.
My initial fears about how the show would handle its history were quickly put to rest. It's avoiding some of the worst parts of that time period to be sure, but it's perfectly clear that it's not afraid to be critical either. If anything, D-Agency seems to be doing its best to undermine both the Imperial Army and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Their actions always manage to indirectly expose the corruption and mismanagement lying just underneath their actions, be how they handle known spies, the corruption and incompetence of army officers, and leaks within the diplomatic system. In a sense, the agency itself is just as much of a double agent as any of its members might be and this plot thread is just as intriguing and unpredictable as any given episode. It also helps to give them a faint thread of continuity which allows the series to feel...well, like a complete series. The show is also clearly taking thing seriously when it comes to its look. Joker Game looks far less like your standard anime and more like a live-action drama. The down-to-earth character designs, the animation which is polished but far from flashy, the muted color scheme, and the general air of quiet yet ever-present tension marks this as a show that is not just for the otaku. That's fine by me because in doing so it's shaping up to be one of the better shows of the season.
Solid Recommendation
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
David O'Neil
Whenever something becomes massively popular, it's inevitable that copycats begin popping up trying to cash in on the trend. It's somewhat less common, however, for the copiers to be the exact same group of people who started the trend in the first place. This is the bizarre situation Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has found itself in, a collaboration between Wit Studio, director Tetsuro Araki, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano, who may all sound familiar as the primary team behind Attack On Titan. But the staff isn't the only thing about Kabaneri that mirrors Attack On Titan, which is both a strength and a weakness for the show so far.
Tell me if this sounds familiar. A post apocalyptic world, where humans are forced to live in walled cities, fighting for survival against an unstoppable zombie-like force with advanced steampunk technology. While the "humans fight against impossible mindless enemy" is hardly the most original premise in the first place, the resemblance to Attack On Titan here is damning at times. Certain shots, scenes, and plot elements feel copy and pasted from its predecessor in order to bring in that same audience. It's still early on for the show so it's difficult to say just how much it will eventually diverge or not diverge from Attack On Titan's formula, but in the set up it was difficult not to feel as if I was watching the same show with a new coat of paint, when not much has been changed outside of a shift to a more japan-centric aesthetic and the addition of a big metal train (to be fair, trains do make anything better by default). It also doesn't help that the characters aren't doing all that much for me so far. The protagonist borders on being fun at times, but his martyr complex and lack of common sense in certain scenes rub me the wrong way. The main female is pretty cool and has some stylish action sequences, though the camera's constant attempts to look up her skirt at every possible opportunity is pretty skeevy. And the rest of the cast just haven't done all that much of note so far, which is admittedly forgivable this early on.
In terms of presentation however, the show is damn near incredible. While Attack On Titan was a bumpy ride in terms of its production, with a mix of terrible looking moments and great looking moments, so far Kabaneri has been consistently excellent in everything from its animation, to its backgrounds, to its art direction. Certain shots even make use of crazy detailed shading on faces, which, while a bit jarring early on, is a nice touch. Overall, Kabaneri is a well put together show, with great animation and a neat world, but as of now its really struggling to find an identity to help it stand on its own apart from its clear predecessor. I'm curious to see whether it will find its own path, or just wallow in the ideas of the show that inspired it.
Solid Recommendation
Whenever something becomes massively popular, it's inevitable that copycats begin popping up trying to cash in on the trend. It's somewhat less common, however, for the copiers to be the exact same group of people who started the trend in the first place. This is the bizarre situation Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress has found itself in, a collaboration between Wit Studio, director Tetsuro Araki, and composer Hiroyuki Sawano, who may all sound familiar as the primary team behind Attack On Titan. But the staff isn't the only thing about Kabaneri that mirrors Attack On Titan, which is both a strength and a weakness for the show so far.
Tell me if this sounds familiar. A post apocalyptic world, where humans are forced to live in walled cities, fighting for survival against an unstoppable zombie-like force with advanced steampunk technology. While the "humans fight against impossible mindless enemy" is hardly the most original premise in the first place, the resemblance to Attack On Titan here is damning at times. Certain shots, scenes, and plot elements feel copy and pasted from its predecessor in order to bring in that same audience. It's still early on for the show so it's difficult to say just how much it will eventually diverge or not diverge from Attack On Titan's formula, but in the set up it was difficult not to feel as if I was watching the same show with a new coat of paint, when not much has been changed outside of a shift to a more japan-centric aesthetic and the addition of a big metal train (to be fair, trains do make anything better by default). It also doesn't help that the characters aren't doing all that much for me so far. The protagonist borders on being fun at times, but his martyr complex and lack of common sense in certain scenes rub me the wrong way. The main female is pretty cool and has some stylish action sequences, though the camera's constant attempts to look up her skirt at every possible opportunity is pretty skeevy. And the rest of the cast just haven't done all that much of note so far, which is admittedly forgivable this early on.
In terms of presentation however, the show is damn near incredible. While Attack On Titan was a bumpy ride in terms of its production, with a mix of terrible looking moments and great looking moments, so far Kabaneri has been consistently excellent in everything from its animation, to its backgrounds, to its art direction. Certain shots even make use of crazy detailed shading on faces, which, while a bit jarring early on, is a nice touch. Overall, Kabaneri is a well put together show, with great animation and a neat world, but as of now its really struggling to find an identity to help it stand on its own apart from its clear predecessor. I'm curious to see whether it will find its own path, or just wallow in the ideas of the show that inspired it.
Solid Recommendation
KIZNAIVER
Stephanie Getchell
Studio Trigger has certainly decided to give action another spin after Kill La Kill's success and the result is this season's Kiznaiver. Honestly, I don't really know how to describe this series and it's first three episodes. It might be because I'm trying to write this report at 7am on my way to work, but it does have a mix of unique pieces and some that we have seen on countless occasions. The animation is absolutely stunning, and extremely polished compared to Kill La Kill and Supernatural Battles Become Commonplace. It's very clear that the budget for this series was quite large, but I just hope it doesn't run out of money before the end of the series or, hell, even the mid way point. While the animation is top notch, the story is kinda mixed right now.
Story wise, the premise is rather intriguing and has me wanting to know more. The issue is that the execution of the series so far isn't quite as captivating as I originally expected. It's hard to understand, in general, where it could end up. And here I am talking about the series after watching the first few episodes twice in an attempt to get some kind of clarification or interest. There were a few times during both my watches that I couldn't really get into it, with some moments dragging on and becoming fairly dull. It's hard to focus on watching this one, but I think episode three helped pick things up a bit more when we're introduced to our seventh Kiznaiver, who is a total masochist. Speaking of characters, I do enjoy the use of these "modern seven deadly sins" in order to describe these characters and how they all seem to stay in those well known troupes like Chidori as the goody two shoes, for instance. It makes the stereotypes easy to power through, but it's all interesting as it's very clear that they each have something they will be going through during the series; with Maki being the largest possible plot line we could encounter. Did she actually kill someone? My money is on yes, but I am curious to see how that will unfold.
The first episode was rough, but it has been growing stronger as the series goes on. Kiznaiver, for all the hype that's been surrounding it because it's supposed to be the BIG follow up to Kill La Kill, didn't have a strong start. However it has a lot of potential going for it as well as bits and pieces that do have me curious. It'll be interesting to see what goes on from here. Kiznaiver has my attention after the rocky start, and I honestly hope it doesn't end up becoming dull the more I get to see. There's only one way to find out, though; let's see what the series has in store!
The first episode was rough, but it has been growing stronger as the series goes on. Kiznaiver, for all the hype that's been surrounding it because it's supposed to be the BIG follow up to Kill La Kill, didn't have a strong start. However it has a lot of potential going for it as well as bits and pieces that do have me curious. It'll be interesting to see what goes on from here. Kiznaiver has my attention after the rocky start, and I honestly hope it doesn't end up becoming dull the more I get to see. There's only one way to find out, though; let's see what the series has in store!
Solid Recommendation
Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear
Andrew L.
I have this weird running gag with one of my online friends who is kind of obsessed with bears and uses it as her online persona, so whenever I see something with bears I almost always have to watch it just to show it to her. This is kind of how I started both Yurikuma Arashi (out on DVD/BD later this June) and Cartoon Network’s We Bare Bears. Kumamiko was no acception, thus why it caught my interest. It also just so happened to look absolutely disgustingly adorable, and I expected a pretty fun time all around. Now that I’ve watched a few episodes I can say with certainty it is adorable and comfy, but it also presented much more interesting and unexpected jokes than I expected. Particularly from the first episode, where the cousin is telling the old town fable to a bunch of school children before telling them “hey you want to hear the REAL version of this story, this one’s a lot sexier” and from there on I won’t give away the rest, but boy the jokes in the first episode actually caught me by surprise. Let’s just say the “Seinen” rating online isn’t a fluke.
Aside from that, the general premise is about Machi, a young shrine maiden living in a backwoods village has to convince her talking bear “guardian” Natsu that she is capable enough to try and go to a high school in the big city because she’s absolutely bored with her country life. From there on, she tries to take some trails from Natsu to prove that she is in fact capable of surviving the city and the lengths she will go to prove herself. Basically she’s a backwoods country girl trying her best to get out of a boring town by risking her life for the sole purpose of travelling to a convenience store, or trying to answer city trivia. To me the oddest, but most amusing part of the comedy from Kumamiko is the fact that when all’s said and done, Natsu is just…a talking bear. Not some moe bear, not some Killer Lesbian, and certainly not some mascot to spread despair to some technicolored high schoolers. He’s just a talking bear, who may or may not be a speaker of the gods. Mostly he’s just kind of chilling and reading with Machi, being a friend/guardian to her. Machi’s our protag and she’s about as cute as they come. The setting is quite calm and peaceful, and it’s a really nice looking show aesthetically. Feels like a story book with its lighting and backgrounds. At points it’s a little bit dull but some of the gags are outrageous. Seriously, that whole fable bit earlier caught me by surprise and I was laughing at the absurdity, and there’s a bit in Episode 3 where the animation gets insane and they do a TECHNO DANCE TO THE GODS where they show the Bear as a DJ and I lost it. So yeah, it’s a simple but out there slice of life show about the country with talking bear and cute shrine girl who wants to prove herself as capable. It’s a good time, and it’ll make you feel all warm & fuzzy.
Strong Recommendation
Aside from that, the general premise is about Machi, a young shrine maiden living in a backwoods village has to convince her talking bear “guardian” Natsu that she is capable enough to try and go to a high school in the big city because she’s absolutely bored with her country life. From there on, she tries to take some trails from Natsu to prove that she is in fact capable of surviving the city and the lengths she will go to prove herself. Basically she’s a backwoods country girl trying her best to get out of a boring town by risking her life for the sole purpose of travelling to a convenience store, or trying to answer city trivia. To me the oddest, but most amusing part of the comedy from Kumamiko is the fact that when all’s said and done, Natsu is just…a talking bear. Not some moe bear, not some Killer Lesbian, and certainly not some mascot to spread despair to some technicolored high schoolers. He’s just a talking bear, who may or may not be a speaker of the gods. Mostly he’s just kind of chilling and reading with Machi, being a friend/guardian to her. Machi’s our protag and she’s about as cute as they come. The setting is quite calm and peaceful, and it’s a really nice looking show aesthetically. Feels like a story book with its lighting and backgrounds. At points it’s a little bit dull but some of the gags are outrageous. Seriously, that whole fable bit earlier caught me by surprise and I was laughing at the absurdity, and there’s a bit in Episode 3 where the animation gets insane and they do a TECHNO DANCE TO THE GODS where they show the Bear as a DJ and I lost it. So yeah, it’s a simple but out there slice of life show about the country with talking bear and cute shrine girl who wants to prove herself as capable. It’s a good time, and it’ll make you feel all warm & fuzzy.
Strong Recommendation
The Lost Village
Stephanie Getchell
Once again, the horror/mystery junkie is happy to have been given a mystery series to cover this season! This time we have Mayoiga, which is animated by Diomedea, who were also behind Bokurano and Riddle Story of Devil, and is directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, the director behind Another, Prison School, and Shirobako. Right away, you can tell this is Mizushima's handy work as it does have a lot of resemblance to Another; both in the good points and the bad. But before we jump way ahead of ourselves, Mayoiga, as of now, is about a group of strangers who come together to escape their current lives and start over by going on this tour that leads them to a mysterious, and abandoned, village called Nanaki Village. After the first three episodes, the tour manages arrive, almost, safely; but starting over in this new place has already gotten off to a rough start. When two group members disappear, with one of the two showing up later; questions quickly arise as to the truth behind their disappearance. Then when another member attacks someone after being provoked, it is revealed that he was just released from juvy. He is locked away in the hopes of keeping the group safe, but as our lead Mitsumune as well as Maimai go to speak with their locked up comrade, Jack, execution crazed Lovepon just goes nuts and tries to kill Mitsumune. While running from her in the river, we see a lifeless body floating down the river. More than likely, it's our other missing group member.
Now what did I mean when I said that Mayoiga was like Another with both the good and bad that the series has? On the good side, the premise is very interesting along with the mystery of the village as well as the lives that these characters have led up until this point. The tone that has been set as of now has created a decent mystery atmosphere that will certainly be ever present over the course of the series. Couple this with the animation and the soundtrack, it works very well from a technical standpoint. In terms of the bad points, it's the characters that are the main concern of mine because it's really hard to find likable characters among the group. It seems as though every single individual in this group has some sort of troubled story to tell, with a few of them already having surfaced such as Jack and Valkana; with strong hints that even the most innocent of character, like Masaki, are bound to have some kind of troubling story to go along with it. I'm even having a hard time liking Mitsumune, and he's supposed to be some kind of good mixed into this group of troubled souls. The characters likability basically ranges from so good it's kinda obnoxious to just bat s**t insane. If I'm going to be sitting through this series, there better be some kind of likable characters or the not so likable ones get some kind of just deserts. Cause I'm pretty sure this is going to be some kind of Battle Royale/Another craziness and a lot of people are gonna end up dead.
Regardless of the downsides this series has so far that are eerily similar to Another, Mayoiga isn't off to the worst start that I've seen this season. True, there are pieces that could be handled a bit better, but for an original series it's pretty decent. The atmosphere and tone are set rather well, while the cast of characters seem to be a crazy bunch that will cause a lot of problems for each other as the series goes on. These first three episodes are a good start to this series, and I can't wait to see what will unfold in the coming weeks. If all else fails, I'll be enjoying this series like I do a lot of other mystery series, so you probably won't see me drop this one at all.
Now what did I mean when I said that Mayoiga was like Another with both the good and bad that the series has? On the good side, the premise is very interesting along with the mystery of the village as well as the lives that these characters have led up until this point. The tone that has been set as of now has created a decent mystery atmosphere that will certainly be ever present over the course of the series. Couple this with the animation and the soundtrack, it works very well from a technical standpoint. In terms of the bad points, it's the characters that are the main concern of mine because it's really hard to find likable characters among the group. It seems as though every single individual in this group has some sort of troubled story to tell, with a few of them already having surfaced such as Jack and Valkana; with strong hints that even the most innocent of character, like Masaki, are bound to have some kind of troubling story to go along with it. I'm even having a hard time liking Mitsumune, and he's supposed to be some kind of good mixed into this group of troubled souls. The characters likability basically ranges from so good it's kinda obnoxious to just bat s**t insane. If I'm going to be sitting through this series, there better be some kind of likable characters or the not so likable ones get some kind of just deserts. Cause I'm pretty sure this is going to be some kind of Battle Royale/Another craziness and a lot of people are gonna end up dead.
Regardless of the downsides this series has so far that are eerily similar to Another, Mayoiga isn't off to the worst start that I've seen this season. True, there are pieces that could be handled a bit better, but for an original series it's pretty decent. The atmosphere and tone are set rather well, while the cast of characters seem to be a crazy bunch that will cause a lot of problems for each other as the series goes on. These first three episodes are a good start to this series, and I can't wait to see what will unfold in the coming weeks. If all else fails, I'll be enjoying this series like I do a lot of other mystery series, so you probably won't see me drop this one at all.
Strong Recommendation
Jonathan Note: Stephanie is right
Jonathan Note 2: I thought the new Doom would suck but then I saw a gif where Doomguy fistbumps a little action figure of himself
Jonathan Note: Stephanie is right
Jonathan Note 2: I thought the new Doom would suck but then I saw a gif where Doomguy fistbumps a little action figure of himself
Macross Delta
Joe Straatmann
Macross has fully integrated into the times, whether the old school fans want it to or not. Macross Frontier kind of showed a changing of the guard with classic singer Sheryl Nome and the newer generation's up-and-comer Ranka Lee vying for the affections of main character Alto amidst massive galactic war. Now series director Shoji Kawamori combines what he's learned from making AKB0048 (AKA idol groups are illegal under penalty of missiles with NO IDOL symbols), and makes the act of singing to save the galaxy more literal as the human alliance arsenal includes idols Walküre. Their songs heal an unknown malady affecting the universe called Var Syndrome that turns normal people into raging mobs. Part idols and part weapons with magical transforming girl action on the side, the new singers of Macross can almost do it all on their own.
Delta has a tough act to follow. While Frontier wasn't perfect by any means, it was a 25th anniversary project that was more of a direct sequel than the main franchise had had for awhile (Macross Plus was a side story in the same universe and Macross Zero was a prequel), so it was a spare-no-expense production. Following up god-tier pop music by Yoko Kanno is an act I do not envy, and to its credit, Macross Delta is fine. If the first episode doesn't catch your fancy, keep going. The introduction to the series breaks out the idol premise rather quickly and the introduction to our leads Freyja and Hayate is rather stock. Freyja's dream is to become a member of Walkure and is hitching across the galaxy to make an audition while Hayate's dreaming days are almost over as a wanderer who has been fired from every one of his jobs for being a layabout. Yet Hayate does have mad dancing skills with a power loader, which catches the eye of one of the commanders of Delta platoon, the Valkyrie units that protect Walküre (Valkyrie are the transforming interstellar jets that are the franchise's trademark). Along the way, Freyja's abilities do catch the attention of Walküre in the midst of a crisis.
The details make all the difference here. Hayate is the classic maverick pilot who wants to take to the skies his way and hates war even as he signs up to fly military vehicles, while Freyja is the usual girl with a dream. Together, though, they have an easy chemistry. At the beginning, their ideals clash with Hayate highly doubting Freyja will be a one-in-a-billion choice to make Walkure, but when Freyja proves the cynical Hayate wrong, they pal around with the results instead of turning it into forced bickering. Satelite and Shoji Kowamori have reconciled the mistake they made in Aquarion where the main couple is supposed to be these reincarnated, legendary lovers and they spend most of their time taking verbal potshots at each other. Here, the key to their success is Hayate can't be as great of a pilot without Freyja singing, and Freyja is unable to unlock her powers without Hayate is the skies protecting her. It's cheesy as hell, but Macross lifeblood is warm, delicious cheese. What's vital is these two have a connection worthy of that and they pull it off to the detriment of Mirage, the third wheel of this arrangement. She's a by-the-book lieutenant who has Hayate forced upon her and their styles clash almost immediately. From the opening, I gather she and Hayate are eventually going to have some kind of romantic thing going, but right now, there's no heat as it's by the book. Just how Mirage likes it.
Most everything else will feel familiar if you've watched Macross Frontier. Satelight's modern Macross vision of a future gentrified by Earth's expansion into the universe continues, with fantastic worlds filled with strange beings like mercats (They're exactly what you think they are) surrounded by the eateries and other conveniences of home. The animation of the non-Valkyrie sequences are still fine, if maybe too "just good" for one of the defining franchises of anime, but the computer generated Valkyrie sequences are amazing. The motion is silky smooth and the dogfighting is tremendous.If you're used to old Macross, you might probably still be annoyed by the CG, but for my money, it's really well done. Definitely not the difference between the Area 88 OVAs' gorgeous hand-drawn jets and the early 2000's TV series with serviceable and obvious CG (What, we've broached the topic of Macross. I can discuss old things!), Again, the music is not Yoko Kanno, but it's catchy and totally understands the emotional hook of giving a few moments of a cappella before going full throttle of the instrumentation.
It doesn't blow away expectations, yet Macross Delta has so far been able to at least be in consideration for the upper echelon of the franchise. What's left is to see how the villains pan out. The main villains were kind of the weak link to Macross Frontier. I won't discuss much about them in the intro review since they're a bit of a spoiler, but they at least have decent motivation in being screwed out big time by the United Federation of this universe. We'll see how much personality they get beyond kind of snooty. As a whole, Delta is something you should be watching right now, and many of you would legally if Harmony Gold wasn't a giant piece of shit holding the American rights to it hostage.
Macross has fully integrated into the times, whether the old school fans want it to or not. Macross Frontier kind of showed a changing of the guard with classic singer Sheryl Nome and the newer generation's up-and-comer Ranka Lee vying for the affections of main character Alto amidst massive galactic war. Now series director Shoji Kawamori combines what he's learned from making AKB0048 (AKA idol groups are illegal under penalty of missiles with NO IDOL symbols), and makes the act of singing to save the galaxy more literal as the human alliance arsenal includes idols Walküre. Their songs heal an unknown malady affecting the universe called Var Syndrome that turns normal people into raging mobs. Part idols and part weapons with magical transforming girl action on the side, the new singers of Macross can almost do it all on their own.
Delta has a tough act to follow. While Frontier wasn't perfect by any means, it was a 25th anniversary project that was more of a direct sequel than the main franchise had had for awhile (Macross Plus was a side story in the same universe and Macross Zero was a prequel), so it was a spare-no-expense production. Following up god-tier pop music by Yoko Kanno is an act I do not envy, and to its credit, Macross Delta is fine. If the first episode doesn't catch your fancy, keep going. The introduction to the series breaks out the idol premise rather quickly and the introduction to our leads Freyja and Hayate is rather stock. Freyja's dream is to become a member of Walkure and is hitching across the galaxy to make an audition while Hayate's dreaming days are almost over as a wanderer who has been fired from every one of his jobs for being a layabout. Yet Hayate does have mad dancing skills with a power loader, which catches the eye of one of the commanders of Delta platoon, the Valkyrie units that protect Walküre (Valkyrie are the transforming interstellar jets that are the franchise's trademark). Along the way, Freyja's abilities do catch the attention of Walküre in the midst of a crisis.
The details make all the difference here. Hayate is the classic maverick pilot who wants to take to the skies his way and hates war even as he signs up to fly military vehicles, while Freyja is the usual girl with a dream. Together, though, they have an easy chemistry. At the beginning, their ideals clash with Hayate highly doubting Freyja will be a one-in-a-billion choice to make Walkure, but when Freyja proves the cynical Hayate wrong, they pal around with the results instead of turning it into forced bickering. Satelite and Shoji Kowamori have reconciled the mistake they made in Aquarion where the main couple is supposed to be these reincarnated, legendary lovers and they spend most of their time taking verbal potshots at each other. Here, the key to their success is Hayate can't be as great of a pilot without Freyja singing, and Freyja is unable to unlock her powers without Hayate is the skies protecting her. It's cheesy as hell, but Macross lifeblood is warm, delicious cheese. What's vital is these two have a connection worthy of that and they pull it off to the detriment of Mirage, the third wheel of this arrangement. She's a by-the-book lieutenant who has Hayate forced upon her and their styles clash almost immediately. From the opening, I gather she and Hayate are eventually going to have some kind of romantic thing going, but right now, there's no heat as it's by the book. Just how Mirage likes it.
Most everything else will feel familiar if you've watched Macross Frontier. Satelight's modern Macross vision of a future gentrified by Earth's expansion into the universe continues, with fantastic worlds filled with strange beings like mercats (They're exactly what you think they are) surrounded by the eateries and other conveniences of home. The animation of the non-Valkyrie sequences are still fine, if maybe too "just good" for one of the defining franchises of anime, but the computer generated Valkyrie sequences are amazing. The motion is silky smooth and the dogfighting is tremendous.If you're used to old Macross, you might probably still be annoyed by the CG, but for my money, it's really well done. Definitely not the difference between the Area 88 OVAs' gorgeous hand-drawn jets and the early 2000's TV series with serviceable and obvious CG (What, we've broached the topic of Macross. I can discuss old things!), Again, the music is not Yoko Kanno, but it's catchy and totally understands the emotional hook of giving a few moments of a cappella before going full throttle of the instrumentation.
It doesn't blow away expectations, yet Macross Delta has so far been able to at least be in consideration for the upper echelon of the franchise. What's left is to see how the villains pan out. The main villains were kind of the weak link to Macross Frontier. I won't discuss much about them in the intro review since they're a bit of a spoiler, but they at least have decent motivation in being screwed out big time by the United Federation of this universe. We'll see how much personality they get beyond kind of snooty. As a whole, Delta is something you should be watching right now, and many of you would legally if Harmony Gold wasn't a giant piece of shit holding the American rights to it hostage.
Solid Recommendation
My Hero Academia
David O'Neil
Prior to the premiere of the My Hero Academia anime I had read the manga pretty extensively, in fact, I'm pretty much caught up on it. So I went in with a pretty decent idea of what I wanted going in. And with my all-time favorite anime studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Blood Blockade Battlefront) behind the adaptation my expectations were pretty high. And while it hasn't exactly blown me away so far, it has done the manga justice, and I've had a lot of fun with it.
My Hero Academia takes place in a world where comic-book-esque superpowers called "Quirks" have become a norm in society, something nearly every child is born with, and some of those Quirk-users go on to become superheroes, fighting supervillains to protect innocent lives and uphold justice. The main character is a superhero fanboy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreamed of becoming a superhero himself one day, only to discover he had been born without a Quirk. The drama of the show is really powerful at times, overflowing with heart, exploring the challenge of following your dreams even when the entire world seems to tell you its impossible. It's pretty basic shonen-fare when it comes down to it, but My Hero Academia still manages to stand out thanks to its strong execution and likable characters. Izuku is a wonderful protagonist, and his idol All-Might is a blast to watch as well. The show does suffer ever so slightly from the restrictions of the anime format in a way the manga didn't, unfortunately. To elaborate, manga's first chapter was about the length of two average manga chapters, and as a result the content of said first chapter was split over two episodes. While this works fine enough, along the way it loses the very cohesive, and deliberate pacing of the manga's first chapter, resulting in the emotional climax of the episode not being quite as effective as it originally was. To newcomers it likely won't even be noticeable, but as a fan of the manga this did irk me.
Other than that, the show has been an excellent adaptation so far. It's captured the tone and style of the manga perfectly, the character designs and backgrounds are fantastic, it has some cool cuts of animation here and there. In addition, all the pivotal moments from the manga so far have been adapted quite well. There was never any moment that quite blew me away, or made it stand apart from the manga, but it has done a really solid job bringing it from page to screen, while making sure it still works well as an individual entity.
Strong Recommendation
Prior to the premiere of the My Hero Academia anime I had read the manga pretty extensively, in fact, I'm pretty much caught up on it. So I went in with a pretty decent idea of what I wanted going in. And with my all-time favorite anime studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, Blood Blockade Battlefront) behind the adaptation my expectations were pretty high. And while it hasn't exactly blown me away so far, it has done the manga justice, and I've had a lot of fun with it.
My Hero Academia takes place in a world where comic-book-esque superpowers called "Quirks" have become a norm in society, something nearly every child is born with, and some of those Quirk-users go on to become superheroes, fighting supervillains to protect innocent lives and uphold justice. The main character is a superhero fanboy named Izuku Midoriya, who dreamed of becoming a superhero himself one day, only to discover he had been born without a Quirk. The drama of the show is really powerful at times, overflowing with heart, exploring the challenge of following your dreams even when the entire world seems to tell you its impossible. It's pretty basic shonen-fare when it comes down to it, but My Hero Academia still manages to stand out thanks to its strong execution and likable characters. Izuku is a wonderful protagonist, and his idol All-Might is a blast to watch as well. The show does suffer ever so slightly from the restrictions of the anime format in a way the manga didn't, unfortunately. To elaborate, manga's first chapter was about the length of two average manga chapters, and as a result the content of said first chapter was split over two episodes. While this works fine enough, along the way it loses the very cohesive, and deliberate pacing of the manga's first chapter, resulting in the emotional climax of the episode not being quite as effective as it originally was. To newcomers it likely won't even be noticeable, but as a fan of the manga this did irk me.
Other than that, the show has been an excellent adaptation so far. It's captured the tone and style of the manga perfectly, the character designs and backgrounds are fantastic, it has some cool cuts of animation here and there. In addition, all the pivotal moments from the manga so far have been adapted quite well. There was never any moment that quite blew me away, or made it stand apart from the manga, but it has done a really solid job bringing it from page to screen, while making sure it still works well as an individual entity.
Strong Recommendation
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
David O'Neil
Right now the big fad in anime is the "transported into a fantasy world" (or by extension trapped in a video game) genre, in which some ordinary teenage boy protagonist (likely an otaku) is transported into a world of elves and magic, and ends up being a pivotal hero in some grand fantasy quest. For quite a while I had a pretty strong aversion towards these sorts of shows, but last season not one but two of them, Grimgar and Konosuba, managed to overcome the trite nature of this premise and make something great, so I went into Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- with a more open minded attitude than usual. And it payed of....to an extent.
Re:ZERO follows a shut-in otaku teen boy, who one day out of the blue finds himself phasing into a world of elves, demi-humans, magic, and knights, with nothing but a cell phone and a grocery bag full of noodles and chips to his name. The early part of the show is pretty loathsome to be honest, mostly repeating the same self-aware attempts at satire Konosuba made, but without any of the wit. It also doesn't help that the protagonist is bland and obnoxious as all hell, not having much in the form of a personality, just filling the role of a blank slate protagonist who wants to save everyone because he's the protagonist and that's what he does. The show picks up however, when he dies. Pretty brutally, in fact, and the true nature of the show is revealed. Taking a page from Groundhogs Day and All You Need is Kill, every time the main character dies he skips back to when he first appeared in the world, starting over again, while retaining the knowledge he'd gained during that previous run. The premise has been done before, but Re:ZERO still does a surprisingly good job utilizing it. During each attempt we slowly learn more about the world, the situation the main character has been pulled into, and the motivations of the side characters. It makes for effective world building, and kept me constantly engaged in discovering more about the story, as the protagonist got further and further in his attempts to save the girl he met through a random encounter.
It also helps that while the protagonist is pretty terrible, the rest of the cast is a lot of fun. From a totally insane witch assassin obsessed with entrails, to a gallant knight with an over the top sense of chivalry, to a quirky elf girl trying to hide her softer side, each of the side characters manage to pick up the slack left by the paper thin main character. In addition, it boasts some excellent action animation that make it a thrilling ride any time it comes down to a fight, even though the shut-in otaku's bizarre combat proficiency does raise some puzzling questions ("I work out" does not explain being able to match a trained assassin in close range combat). Either way, so far Re:ZERO is fairly generic and borrows a lot from other works, but makes use of its time loop gimmick and its entertaining cast of side characters well enough to keep me looking forward to each new episode.
Solid Recommendation
Jonathan Note:
Shonen Maid
Danni Kristen
So you may not realize it, but there are actually TWO shows this season about a little boy who is put in the care of an affectionate bishounen older relative. The one you're most likely aware of is Super Lovers. That's the gross and bad one. The other one you might not be aware of is Shonen Maid, and it's surprisingly pretty cute.
Shonen Maid is a show about a kid named Chihiro who is left orphaned after his single mother unexpectedly dies. On his way home from school he encounters a strange man who just so happens to be his uncle Madoka. Chihiro is put in his uncle's care and moves into his large mansion. Having been raised by an extremely independent mother, Chihiro refuses to be dependent on Madoka. So, Madoka comes up with a solution: Chihiro works as Madoka's housekeeper and in exchange is provided with food, a room, and continued schooling. Chihiro reluctantly accepts, and the two begin their life together. As it turns out, Madoka is an exceedingly messy and eccentric costume designer, so Chihiro has to do his work while clad in traditional maid attire.
First of all, it's hard to ignore some of the implications in here, especially with a show like Super Lovers airing at the same time. t's a show exploring the relationship between a shota boy and his beautiful older male relative. Setups like this are unfortunately common in yaoi, so it's easy to read into this show as being pedophilic, incestuous yaoi-bait. Thankfully, though, there hasn't actually been anything in the show that has eluded to the fact they're supposed to low-key feel romantically for one another. It feels more like a reversed roles relationship where Chihiro, a kid, is the responsible one taking care of Madoka, an adult, who acts a lot like a child. It's rather adorable seeing these two interact since they obviously care for one another. Madoka is a bit overly affectionate, but he's never veered into gross territory. More than anything it comes across as an extension of his carefree childishness than it does any kind of attraction. Crossdressing jokes are another thing I had been dreading that never actually happened. Sure, Chihiro is a bit unsatisfied with his outfit, but a big deal is never made out of it. Madoka is a costume designer and loves making cute, frilly things, so that's why he made it for Chihiro. When his friends find out he has to wear it they don't make jokes either. It may help that Chihiro wears shorts instead of an actual skirt. I kind of wish they had gone all the way and put him in a maid's skirt. I'm a strong advocate for putting boys in skirts.
The comedy in this show isn't exactly top tier, but every now and then it has a pretty good gag. There's nothing too impressive about the animation or music, either. Honestly the main draw of this show is the cuteness factor. It's a rather heartwarming show about family and two relatives bonding in the wake of another's death. The inherent implications of the premise still worry me, but I've yet to hear anything negative about the manga the show is based off of. This type of show really isn't for everyone, though. I'm enjoying it so far, but I don't think I'd take the time to continue it if I hadn't been assigned to review it. It's just not my type of show. If it sounds like the type of show that interests you, though, go ahead and give it a shot.
Weak Recommendation
Shonen Maid is a show about a kid named Chihiro who is left orphaned after his single mother unexpectedly dies. On his way home from school he encounters a strange man who just so happens to be his uncle Madoka. Chihiro is put in his uncle's care and moves into his large mansion. Having been raised by an extremely independent mother, Chihiro refuses to be dependent on Madoka. So, Madoka comes up with a solution: Chihiro works as Madoka's housekeeper and in exchange is provided with food, a room, and continued schooling. Chihiro reluctantly accepts, and the two begin their life together. As it turns out, Madoka is an exceedingly messy and eccentric costume designer, so Chihiro has to do his work while clad in traditional maid attire.
First of all, it's hard to ignore some of the implications in here, especially with a show like Super Lovers airing at the same time. t's a show exploring the relationship between a shota boy and his beautiful older male relative. Setups like this are unfortunately common in yaoi, so it's easy to read into this show as being pedophilic, incestuous yaoi-bait. Thankfully, though, there hasn't actually been anything in the show that has eluded to the fact they're supposed to low-key feel romantically for one another. It feels more like a reversed roles relationship where Chihiro, a kid, is the responsible one taking care of Madoka, an adult, who acts a lot like a child. It's rather adorable seeing these two interact since they obviously care for one another. Madoka is a bit overly affectionate, but he's never veered into gross territory. More than anything it comes across as an extension of his carefree childishness than it does any kind of attraction. Crossdressing jokes are another thing I had been dreading that never actually happened. Sure, Chihiro is a bit unsatisfied with his outfit, but a big deal is never made out of it. Madoka is a costume designer and loves making cute, frilly things, so that's why he made it for Chihiro. When his friends find out he has to wear it they don't make jokes either. It may help that Chihiro wears shorts instead of an actual skirt. I kind of wish they had gone all the way and put him in a maid's skirt. I'm a strong advocate for putting boys in skirts.
The comedy in this show isn't exactly top tier, but every now and then it has a pretty good gag. There's nothing too impressive about the animation or music, either. Honestly the main draw of this show is the cuteness factor. It's a rather heartwarming show about family and two relatives bonding in the wake of another's death. The inherent implications of the premise still worry me, but I've yet to hear anything negative about the manga the show is based off of. This type of show really isn't for everyone, though. I'm enjoying it so far, but I don't think I'd take the time to continue it if I hadn't been assigned to review it. It's just not my type of show. If it sounds like the type of show that interests you, though, go ahead and give it a shot.
Weak Recommendation
Super Lovers
Joe Straatmann
Trigger warning: This series contains child abuse, sometimes used for laughs.
I get how this song and dance goes. I receive Super Lovers because I'm the moron who shows no interest towards boys love titles and leaves it to the experts. Well, the BL experts all shouted, "HELL NO!" to covering it, making my indifference carry more gravity than their refusal. I'm supposed to be enraged or disgusted or horrified, and this is the time I scream to the stars about this horrible creation from deep within the fujoshi dungeons that escaped and somehow got an anime plus American licensing.
My apologies for disappointing you, but I have no intention of being rage unbound by incest shota shounen ai. Don't mistake my lack of grandstanding for acceptance. This is every bit as reprehensible as you've heard, albeit with plenty of turd polishing and pillowy production values to soften the blow. I do wonder what relatively young composer Kenji Katou tells people he's up to when he's making tender piano and violin tracks for when the elder sibling forces his lips onto the younger one's and asks if he wants to share a bed, their ages 16 and 8, respectively. A gig is a gig, I suppose. Yet it seems like I've had a giant pane of safety glass lowered between me and the series thanks to the reputation that precedes it. On the pain scale, Wolf Girl and Black Prince's relationship based on blackmail between two awful human beings felt worse, and while My Wife is the Student Council President finds a way around not having a lolita character, it uses a weirdly more disgusting approach with a girl whose main trait is she constantly wets herself. People kept saying I wasn't prepared for this level of filth. Oh, I'm prepared.
The rationalization... I mean, story has Haru, a high school kid from a divorced family who travels from his father's home in Japan all to way to his biological mother's cabin in the woods of Alberta, Canada. His mother is an eccentric best-selling author who shows her oddness by punching her son when he tries to talk to her in informal terms (Because child abuse is hilarious!). She also has something Haru didn't expect on this trip: An adopted brother in Ren. Ren is Japanese, doesn't speak much, and seems to have come from an abusive household (And they hand him over to the lady who will put a dent in your face if you don't use honorifics when you're a family member addressing her). Ren is pretty much being raised by therapy dogs until Haru comes along and tries to give him some sort of parental guidance. This all would've been fine before the time skip if they had kept it to some deep gray area with Haru simply trying to be some kind family member with the lover stuff hinted at. Alas, no. They had to have Haru give Ren a big kiss on the lips and invite him to use the same bed. Yes, the script lists why it's not what it looks like, but they know what they're doing and you know what they're doing.
All of this becomes a lost memory when Haru gets into a tragic car accident after he returns to Japan where he gets amnesia. Two episodes in, and I all ready think Super Lovers is trying to cheat its way to shitty anime bingo victory. Haru becomes the popular choice of a host club trying to support his twin brothers who are guilt tripping him into paying for their college. That is, until his mother dumps Ren on him again and he has to try to remember the promises brain damage made him forget. He recalls the desire to snuggle Ren in bed. Can't bludgeon that out of some people, I suppose.
What I can say is this is the best looking crap I've seen in awhile. The character designs are properly fabulous and I can't complain about the animation save the unnecessary 3D CG in the Canadian scenes (There are few things as unnatural as computer animated dirt), Even the worst series these days get some wonderful musical accompaniment (Seriously, Unlimited Fafnir was one of the cheapest, most worthless things I've ever seen, and the last episode got pristine tunage). But you know what this is, and it doesn't really stray away from it. It just tries to lull the viewer into thinking that what it is is something pleasant enough to be acceptable. That said, when it's aesthetically pleasing and its devotion to its premise starts to get hilarious, that's when the story starts to bandy about horrifying plot elements such as child beating with all the respect and self-awareness of a three year old getting ahold of his daddy's assault rifle. Seriously, Haru has a stalker who, through convoluted reasons, finds Ren by himself at home and starts hitting and choking him. Lovely. At least they're on their second time skip where it goes to Ren graduating middle school. However, this still entails Ren living in an apartment with his other brothers and the main conflict is which ones he gets to share a bed with.. Because of course it is. For those smart enough to not be assigned this series, continue to not watch it.
No Recommendation
Trigger warning: This series contains child abuse, sometimes used for laughs.
I get how this song and dance goes. I receive Super Lovers because I'm the moron who shows no interest towards boys love titles and leaves it to the experts. Well, the BL experts all shouted, "HELL NO!" to covering it, making my indifference carry more gravity than their refusal. I'm supposed to be enraged or disgusted or horrified, and this is the time I scream to the stars about this horrible creation from deep within the fujoshi dungeons that escaped and somehow got an anime plus American licensing.
My apologies for disappointing you, but I have no intention of being rage unbound by incest shota shounen ai. Don't mistake my lack of grandstanding for acceptance. This is every bit as reprehensible as you've heard, albeit with plenty of turd polishing and pillowy production values to soften the blow. I do wonder what relatively young composer Kenji Katou tells people he's up to when he's making tender piano and violin tracks for when the elder sibling forces his lips onto the younger one's and asks if he wants to share a bed, their ages 16 and 8, respectively. A gig is a gig, I suppose. Yet it seems like I've had a giant pane of safety glass lowered between me and the series thanks to the reputation that precedes it. On the pain scale, Wolf Girl and Black Prince's relationship based on blackmail between two awful human beings felt worse, and while My Wife is the Student Council President finds a way around not having a lolita character, it uses a weirdly more disgusting approach with a girl whose main trait is she constantly wets herself. People kept saying I wasn't prepared for this level of filth. Oh, I'm prepared.
The rationalization... I mean, story has Haru, a high school kid from a divorced family who travels from his father's home in Japan all to way to his biological mother's cabin in the woods of Alberta, Canada. His mother is an eccentric best-selling author who shows her oddness by punching her son when he tries to talk to her in informal terms (Because child abuse is hilarious!). She also has something Haru didn't expect on this trip: An adopted brother in Ren. Ren is Japanese, doesn't speak much, and seems to have come from an abusive household (And they hand him over to the lady who will put a dent in your face if you don't use honorifics when you're a family member addressing her). Ren is pretty much being raised by therapy dogs until Haru comes along and tries to give him some sort of parental guidance. This all would've been fine before the time skip if they had kept it to some deep gray area with Haru simply trying to be some kind family member with the lover stuff hinted at. Alas, no. They had to have Haru give Ren a big kiss on the lips and invite him to use the same bed. Yes, the script lists why it's not what it looks like, but they know what they're doing and you know what they're doing.
All of this becomes a lost memory when Haru gets into a tragic car accident after he returns to Japan where he gets amnesia. Two episodes in, and I all ready think Super Lovers is trying to cheat its way to shitty anime bingo victory. Haru becomes the popular choice of a host club trying to support his twin brothers who are guilt tripping him into paying for their college. That is, until his mother dumps Ren on him again and he has to try to remember the promises brain damage made him forget. He recalls the desire to snuggle Ren in bed. Can't bludgeon that out of some people, I suppose.
What I can say is this is the best looking crap I've seen in awhile. The character designs are properly fabulous and I can't complain about the animation save the unnecessary 3D CG in the Canadian scenes (There are few things as unnatural as computer animated dirt), Even the worst series these days get some wonderful musical accompaniment (Seriously, Unlimited Fafnir was one of the cheapest, most worthless things I've ever seen, and the last episode got pristine tunage). But you know what this is, and it doesn't really stray away from it. It just tries to lull the viewer into thinking that what it is is something pleasant enough to be acceptable. That said, when it's aesthetically pleasing and its devotion to its premise starts to get hilarious, that's when the story starts to bandy about horrifying plot elements such as child beating with all the respect and self-awareness of a three year old getting ahold of his daddy's assault rifle. Seriously, Haru has a stalker who, through convoluted reasons, finds Ren by himself at home and starts hitting and choking him. Lovely. At least they're on their second time skip where it goes to Ren graduating middle school. However, this still entails Ren living in an apartment with his other brothers and the main conflict is which ones he gets to share a bed with.. Because of course it is. For those smart enough to not be assigned this series, continue to not watch it.
No Recommendation
Tanaka-kun is Always Listless
David O'Neil
There are plenty of reasons I watch anime, whether to be intrigued, to become invested, to laugh, or to cry. But sometimes, I just watch anime to relax. And Tanaka-kun is Always Listless happens to be fantastic at helping me do just that. One of Silver Link's latest slice of life comedies, it shows that even the most mundane of premises can be entertaining when handled well.
The plot of Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is pretty much explained by the title. It centers around a high school boy named Tanaka. And he is always listless. That's about it. The show's tone lines up well with Tanaka's laid back attitude, a slow paced comedy with low key jokes and a soothing atmosphere all make for a relaxing slice of life experience reminiscent of Non Non Biyori or Barakamon. The show is visually pleasing in this sense as well, with very simple character designs, and cool colors that don't stand out too much but still create a calming mood. The amount of humor they've already managed to get out of the straightforward premise of a lazy, uninterested protagonist is impressive, with some really clever jokes scattered throughout that make good use Tanaka's personality, along with that of the other characters introduced so far. This does beg the question of how deep exactly this well goes. As of now the show is keeping things fresh by slowly introducing new characters into the mix one by one. One episode for instance, introduced a ditzy, energetic girl who envies Tanaka's cool attitude, but happens to be the opposite of him in every way. But when the backlog of introductions runs out, I could easily see the show getting drab, or the central jokes getting old if they don't manage to keep things interesting, or really get inventive with the humor.
But still, as of now Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is a relaxing and fun comedy that I would recommend watching. It makes up for its simple premise with charming characters, a pleasant art style, and a good sense of humor that hasn't failed in making me laugh so far. I can't help but wonder how much milage they can get out of a premise this simplistic, but so far it's making the best use of both its characters and its humor, making it a great way to sit back and be at ease for a good half hour.
Solid Recommendation
There are plenty of reasons I watch anime, whether to be intrigued, to become invested, to laugh, or to cry. But sometimes, I just watch anime to relax. And Tanaka-kun is Always Listless happens to be fantastic at helping me do just that. One of Silver Link's latest slice of life comedies, it shows that even the most mundane of premises can be entertaining when handled well.
The plot of Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is pretty much explained by the title. It centers around a high school boy named Tanaka. And he is always listless. That's about it. The show's tone lines up well with Tanaka's laid back attitude, a slow paced comedy with low key jokes and a soothing atmosphere all make for a relaxing slice of life experience reminiscent of Non Non Biyori or Barakamon. The show is visually pleasing in this sense as well, with very simple character designs, and cool colors that don't stand out too much but still create a calming mood. The amount of humor they've already managed to get out of the straightforward premise of a lazy, uninterested protagonist is impressive, with some really clever jokes scattered throughout that make good use Tanaka's personality, along with that of the other characters introduced so far. This does beg the question of how deep exactly this well goes. As of now the show is keeping things fresh by slowly introducing new characters into the mix one by one. One episode for instance, introduced a ditzy, energetic girl who envies Tanaka's cool attitude, but happens to be the opposite of him in every way. But when the backlog of introductions runs out, I could easily see the show getting drab, or the central jokes getting old if they don't manage to keep things interesting, or really get inventive with the humor.
But still, as of now Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is a relaxing and fun comedy that I would recommend watching. It makes up for its simple premise with charming characters, a pleasant art style, and a good sense of humor that hasn't failed in making me laugh so far. I can't help but wonder how much milage they can get out of a premise this simplistic, but so far it's making the best use of both its characters and its humor, making it a great way to sit back and be at ease for a good half hour.
Solid Recommendation
Three Leaves, Three Colors
Danni Kristen
There are two anime studios that so consistently excel in the cute girls doing cute things department. One of these studios is KyoAni with their more subdued, down to earth tones. The other is Doga Koba, who specialize in more outrageous and comedic tones. It goes without saying, then, that they're a good fit to be producing Three Leaves, Three Colors, one of the more effective slice of life comedies this season.
Three Leaves, Three Colors follows the daily lives of Futaba the energetic airhead, Hayama the mean-spirited class rep, and Yoko the rich girl who is actually incredibly poor. One day, Yoko is eating her bread crust lunch alone outside when both Futaba and Hayama stumble upon her. Seeing she is alone, they decide to eat lunch with her. Yoko eventually admits that she has no friends because of her rich girl attitude, so the two offer to be her friend. Yoko is elated at the idea of having friends for the first time. The story mostly follows her daily struggle as a former rich girl now living in poverty.
There are two main reasons why Three Leaves, Three Colors works so well. The first is in the characters, who are all adorable and hilarious. Almost all of the main characters subvert some kind of archetype in one way or another. Yoko, for instance, is the prissy rich girl archetype, only she isn't actually rich anymore. She is obsessed with sales and saving money in any way possible. It's hilarious seeing such a frugal rich girl. Another subversion is in Hayama's older sister. She's the pure angel archetype, but she's also a huge airhead. Hayama herself is my favorite subverted archetype in the show. She is through and through the responsible class rep archetype, only she's actually a bit of an asshole. She frequently makes hilarious biting remarks at other characters and will even purposefully turn situations onto others to make them look like idiots. They're huge dick moves, but they're so funny to see coming from someone like her. The only character so far who plays up her tropes is Futaba, who really just feels like a copied and pasted Yuuko from Nichijou, right down to the same character design.
The other reason Three Leaves, Three Colors works so well is because of its animation. Doga Kobo has never really put out high quality animation consistently, but they've at least made a habit out of using smears and other such tools in place of shoddy CG or stilted animation. Three Leaves, Three Colors, though, has the best animation I've ever seen from one of their shows. Crowds of non-CG students burst with life and character while frequent bursts of detailed character animation pop up throughout every episode. Add in their signature humorous faces and employment of outrageous smears, and this shows is bursting with lively animation. The characters in this show are probably the most animated characters this season. It's surprising to see this much effort put into a show that isn't a really recognizable property, but I'm very grateful its there. Without that kind of animation there, this show would just be another stock slice of life comedy: funny, but visually uninteresting. Telling funny jokes alone isn't always enough for a good comedy. Audiences need their eyes to be entertained as well as their ears. Doga Koba thankfully understands that. Three Leaves, Three Colors is definitely worth a watch.
Solid Recommendation
Three Leaves, Three Colors follows the daily lives of Futaba the energetic airhead, Hayama the mean-spirited class rep, and Yoko the rich girl who is actually incredibly poor. One day, Yoko is eating her bread crust lunch alone outside when both Futaba and Hayama stumble upon her. Seeing she is alone, they decide to eat lunch with her. Yoko eventually admits that she has no friends because of her rich girl attitude, so the two offer to be her friend. Yoko is elated at the idea of having friends for the first time. The story mostly follows her daily struggle as a former rich girl now living in poverty.
There are two main reasons why Three Leaves, Three Colors works so well. The first is in the characters, who are all adorable and hilarious. Almost all of the main characters subvert some kind of archetype in one way or another. Yoko, for instance, is the prissy rich girl archetype, only she isn't actually rich anymore. She is obsessed with sales and saving money in any way possible. It's hilarious seeing such a frugal rich girl. Another subversion is in Hayama's older sister. She's the pure angel archetype, but she's also a huge airhead. Hayama herself is my favorite subverted archetype in the show. She is through and through the responsible class rep archetype, only she's actually a bit of an asshole. She frequently makes hilarious biting remarks at other characters and will even purposefully turn situations onto others to make them look like idiots. They're huge dick moves, but they're so funny to see coming from someone like her. The only character so far who plays up her tropes is Futaba, who really just feels like a copied and pasted Yuuko from Nichijou, right down to the same character design.
The other reason Three Leaves, Three Colors works so well is because of its animation. Doga Kobo has never really put out high quality animation consistently, but they've at least made a habit out of using smears and other such tools in place of shoddy CG or stilted animation. Three Leaves, Three Colors, though, has the best animation I've ever seen from one of their shows. Crowds of non-CG students burst with life and character while frequent bursts of detailed character animation pop up throughout every episode. Add in their signature humorous faces and employment of outrageous smears, and this shows is bursting with lively animation. The characters in this show are probably the most animated characters this season. It's surprising to see this much effort put into a show that isn't a really recognizable property, but I'm very grateful its there. Without that kind of animation there, this show would just be another stock slice of life comedy: funny, but visually uninteresting. Telling funny jokes alone isn't always enough for a good comedy. Audiences need their eyes to be entertained as well as their ears. Doga Koba thankfully understands that. Three Leaves, Three Colors is definitely worth a watch.
Solid Recommendation
Twin Star Exorcists
Megan R.
Rokuro is a talented exorcist who runs away from his duty after a terrible massacre leaves him emotionally scarred. He would have spent his days unsuccessfully chasing after girls and doing small good deeds were it not for Benio. She's a fellow exorcist, but her efficiency is only matched by her stubborn pride. The two are forced together so that they can unite their clans and take care of all sorts of demons along the way...that is, provided that they can get along first. Anyone who's read their fair share of shonen or knows their buddy cop formulas can easily see where this story is going and because of that it's hard to get hyped for this show. It's so predictable that no amount of flashiness can hide its faults. This might have gotten a pass in a weaker season, but when it's up against fare like My Hero Academia it's simply no contest.
Neither Rokuro nor Benio are all that compelling as protagonists. Rokuro is yet another typical shonen hero taken straight from the mold, all hotheadedness and heroism without a lot of brains to back it up. No amount of guilt over his dead friends and family is enough to help him, especially since he gets over it rather quick and goes back to being a tempermental idiot. Benio serves as metaphorical good cop to Rokuro's bad cop, the one who plays by the rules and doesn't feel the need for a partner. Unfortunately she quickly devolves into something between your typical stoic anime girl and your standard tsundere. This sort of fire-and-ice combination has been done well before by other anime shows, but they don't tend to work well unless the writers are willing to do something other than just regurgitate the same old schlocky gags and melodramatic backstories. This dynamic was old back in the days of Ranma 1/2, and it sure as hell hasn't gotten any funnier or more original since then. If only someone had told the writers (or the mangaka, for that matter) the same. It also goes without say that if I couldn't care less about Rokuro or Benio, then I really couldn't care about the paper-thin supporting cast around them. Old mentors, a weird naked guy, a female childhood best friend/romantic rival, a bunch of guys to serve as Greek chorus - all of them are there and all of them are boring as dust.
The only place where the show does show any sort of real inspiration is in its approach to the action scenes. The demon world is lit in firey reds, oranges, and purples while the exorcists' powers glow in vivid neon shades. The bloated, insectoid demons tend to burst forth in lovingly animated explosions. Attack names splash onto screen like raindrops. Benio's big attacks often cut to monochrome, deeply inked close-ups reminiscent of a video game. Some of these might be tricks picked up from places like Studio Trigger, but they still add little bits of energy that the show desperately needs.The only other flash of inspiration that the show has to offer is with its opening, where the traditional instruments blend with the driving J-Rock in a shockingly good way. I just wish that the show had spared some of that same inspiration for its story. Unless it starts to pick up in the middle, then this is going to be little more than a flashy slog.
Weak Recommendation
Shorts
Crane Game Girls
Rokuro is a talented exorcist who runs away from his duty after a terrible massacre leaves him emotionally scarred. He would have spent his days unsuccessfully chasing after girls and doing small good deeds were it not for Benio. She's a fellow exorcist, but her efficiency is only matched by her stubborn pride. The two are forced together so that they can unite their clans and take care of all sorts of demons along the way...that is, provided that they can get along first. Anyone who's read their fair share of shonen or knows their buddy cop formulas can easily see where this story is going and because of that it's hard to get hyped for this show. It's so predictable that no amount of flashiness can hide its faults. This might have gotten a pass in a weaker season, but when it's up against fare like My Hero Academia it's simply no contest.
Neither Rokuro nor Benio are all that compelling as protagonists. Rokuro is yet another typical shonen hero taken straight from the mold, all hotheadedness and heroism without a lot of brains to back it up. No amount of guilt over his dead friends and family is enough to help him, especially since he gets over it rather quick and goes back to being a tempermental idiot. Benio serves as metaphorical good cop to Rokuro's bad cop, the one who plays by the rules and doesn't feel the need for a partner. Unfortunately she quickly devolves into something between your typical stoic anime girl and your standard tsundere. This sort of fire-and-ice combination has been done well before by other anime shows, but they don't tend to work well unless the writers are willing to do something other than just regurgitate the same old schlocky gags and melodramatic backstories. This dynamic was old back in the days of Ranma 1/2, and it sure as hell hasn't gotten any funnier or more original since then. If only someone had told the writers (or the mangaka, for that matter) the same. It also goes without say that if I couldn't care less about Rokuro or Benio, then I really couldn't care about the paper-thin supporting cast around them. Old mentors, a weird naked guy, a female childhood best friend/romantic rival, a bunch of guys to serve as Greek chorus - all of them are there and all of them are boring as dust.
The only place where the show does show any sort of real inspiration is in its approach to the action scenes. The demon world is lit in firey reds, oranges, and purples while the exorcists' powers glow in vivid neon shades. The bloated, insectoid demons tend to burst forth in lovingly animated explosions. Attack names splash onto screen like raindrops. Benio's big attacks often cut to monochrome, deeply inked close-ups reminiscent of a video game. Some of these might be tricks picked up from places like Studio Trigger, but they still add little bits of energy that the show desperately needs.The only other flash of inspiration that the show has to offer is with its opening, where the traditional instruments blend with the driving J-Rock in a shockingly good way. I just wish that the show had spared some of that same inspiration for its story. Unless it starts to pick up in the middle, then this is going to be little more than a flashy slog.
Weak Recommendation
Shorts
Crane Game Girls
Kenji M.
Anime shorts have had something of a renaissance lately; in the last season, shorts were arguably the best shows around, with the amazing Galko-chan leading the charge. Shows like Lovely Muco, Ojisan to Marshmallow, Sekkou Boys and others have taken things hard to adapt into full length series and turned them into fun, quick bites of entertainment. Crane Game Girls is, ostensibly, in the same genre of short anime comedy, but its unfortunately so forgettable this review is hard to write. I've forgotten all of the characters names (there's 3 main girls and 1 woman in charge of them), and despite the fact that they say their names over and over, none of them matter. They could just be A, B, and C, and it would be about the same effect (and yes I could have looked them up but that's more effort than this show deserves). Crane Game Girl's idea is that 3 girls who want to be idols are tricked into saving the world by...playing crane games. That's the show. If you have seen other somewhat niche game/hobby anime, you can probably expect this, but basically Crane Game Girls is about crane games and crane game “strategies.” Each episode features a technique to supposedly help you excel at crane games, like the “Niagra Drop,” the “Slide,” etc. That's all the show has to offer. It is animated exceedingly cheaply, bordering on barely above Inferno Cop levels (but not done for the same reasons at all), and the characters are entirely bland and forgettable. There's absolutely no reason to watch Crane Game Girls; there are much better things you could spend 5 minutes of your life on, and none of them involve crane games or this anime.
No Recommendation
No Recommendation
Onigiri
David O'Neil
Onigiri is a thing that exists. I should probably say more about it, huh? Well it uhh....exists. Yeah. Okay, so it's apparently an adaptation of an MMORPG I've never heard of, and it's a short series, and all the characters are girls in scantily clad outfits, so I didn't exactly have high expectations going in. I mean, really you could say it was better than I was expecting (I'll take this show over Bikini Warriors any day). It's purely a gag comedy series, so the quality of each episode comes down to how funny the gag at play is. I'd say so far about half the jokes actually work, though they don't work all THAT well. Like, I got a few chuckles out of it. For instance, in one of the bits a giant attacking skeleton monster turns out to be a girl giant attacking skeleton monster who's self conscious about her height and is fed up over couples showing public displays of affection. Just out-there enough to catch me off guard. Other than the occasional decent gag though, the show has little going for it. The animation is just meh, the designs are uninspired, and the characters are forgettable. It's a short series, so I suppose it can make a decent time waster if you're looking for some VERY tongue in cheek humor, but not much else to say about it.
Weak Recommendation
Few shows are more worthless than stories about music that don't have any killer jams. I understand a short being crunched for licensed tunes, but the generic beats here just aren't cutting it.. We have the usual layabout kid Agetaro who's supposed to be apprenticing for his family's tankatsu (fried pork) business. A chance encounter with DJ Master Fry. I'd like to believe his horrific character design and Engrish ebonics are a case of the Japanese rarely meeting a black person in their day-to-day existence. All characters have no malice for the guy and indeed seem to revere him. Anyhoo, Master Fry kicks off the idea in Agetaro's brain that his tankatsu skills will translate to becoming a DJ, so he takes some extra slacking off time to get the equipment and build a record collection. Ignorant of the entire DJ process, he still possesses the "vibe" which gravitates him to the right records. That's kind of it.
The entire style is East-meets-West, but it winds up coming off as some people who get a one-season show on Adult Swim making a PaRappa the Rapper knockoff. Studio Deen could get away with it if the instructional parts explaining how the DJ process works weren't mostly dysfunctional. Movies like Amadeus and Hustle and Flow give insight into the process and the audio mixing is essential to understanding what's going on. Half the time Agetaro is explaining the art of DJ'ing, the background music does the bare minimum to portray what it sounds or feels like. The characters don't bring anything new to the table and there's no one really funny or amusing save DJ Oily, a fast mixer who needs to consume mass quantities of fried food to survive. All of the music comes off as parodies of stereotype repetitive, simplistic electronic dance music rather than a celebration of the genres involved. I don't harbor any kind of ill will towards Tanketsu DJ Agetaro, but there's really no reason for you watch it. I take that back. There is a dog in the record store that's voiced by a middle-aged or older man that barks at any female that enters the store. It's humorous in I'm imagining the director taking this ultra serious elder Japanese guy into a recording booth and demand he start barking. It's likely that's not how it works at all. A man can dream, though.
No Recommendation
Onigiri is a thing that exists. I should probably say more about it, huh? Well it uhh....exists. Yeah. Okay, so it's apparently an adaptation of an MMORPG I've never heard of, and it's a short series, and all the characters are girls in scantily clad outfits, so I didn't exactly have high expectations going in. I mean, really you could say it was better than I was expecting (I'll take this show over Bikini Warriors any day). It's purely a gag comedy series, so the quality of each episode comes down to how funny the gag at play is. I'd say so far about half the jokes actually work, though they don't work all THAT well. Like, I got a few chuckles out of it. For instance, in one of the bits a giant attacking skeleton monster turns out to be a girl giant attacking skeleton monster who's self conscious about her height and is fed up over couples showing public displays of affection. Just out-there enough to catch me off guard. Other than the occasional decent gag though, the show has little going for it. The animation is just meh, the designs are uninspired, and the characters are forgettable. It's a short series, so I suppose it can make a decent time waster if you're looking for some VERY tongue in cheek humor, but not much else to say about it.
Weak Recommendation
Pan de Peace!
Megan R.
Pan de Peace! is yet another entry in the vast category of anime about cute girls doing cute things in a cute and vaguely homoerotic manner. The only gimmicks this one has going for it is its obsession with bread and that the episodes are only three minutes long. More specifically, its leading lady Minami is the one obsessed with all things bread and she somehow manages to make friends with a bunch of blandly cute high school girls because of it. I don't know whether I'm supposed to be amused or kind of weirded out by the fact that no one calls Minami out on her obsession. They do nothing but eat breads, talk about breads, make breads, and become Minami's 'bread buddies,' but everyone just blandly accepts that she is some sort of bread otaku. It's not like they have anything more interesting to bring to the table beyond fawning over the loli-esque one (who is also the token stoic girl), a touch of yuri-baiting, and the consumption of many baked goods. Otherwise it's just empty, sugary fluff from beginning to end with little to offer or recommend to others.
No Recommendation
Shounen Ashibe GO! GO! Goma-chan
Pan de Peace! is yet another entry in the vast category of anime about cute girls doing cute things in a cute and vaguely homoerotic manner. The only gimmicks this one has going for it is its obsession with bread and that the episodes are only three minutes long. More specifically, its leading lady Minami is the one obsessed with all things bread and she somehow manages to make friends with a bunch of blandly cute high school girls because of it. I don't know whether I'm supposed to be amused or kind of weirded out by the fact that no one calls Minami out on her obsession. They do nothing but eat breads, talk about breads, make breads, and become Minami's 'bread buddies,' but everyone just blandly accepts that she is some sort of bread otaku. It's not like they have anything more interesting to bring to the table beyond fawning over the loli-esque one (who is also the token stoic girl), a touch of yuri-baiting, and the consumption of many baked goods. Otherwise it's just empty, sugary fluff from beginning to end with little to offer or recommend to others.
No Recommendation
Shounen Ashibe GO! GO! Goma-chan
Andrew L.
This is a show about a dumb kid who moved to a new town, and found a seal that fell off of the truck. Now it’s his pet Goma, it’s super cute and sounds like a Pokemon. It’s short, simple and sweet. Had low expectations for this because it’s clearly a younger audience show, but Goma is cute enough to warrant the entry fee. Seriously, it’s basically a giant plushie Pokemon that makes cute noises, eats ice pops and can be carried around anywhere and everywhere with relative ease underneath the arms of a first grader. That’s about as perfect a pet as you could ever warrant. But yeah it’s gotten a couple of chuckles out of me, and I can’t lie when I say I really like that ED theme for some reason. Characters might be fun too so let’s see how it turns out in the long run. I’ll stick with it and check it out more.
Solid Recommendation
Space Patrol Luluco
Danni Kristen
I seem to be more of an outlier when it comes to my feelings about Trigger. While they've made solid productions such as Inferno Cop and Little Witch Academia, everything else they've made has ranged from very disappointing to downright bad. They seem to be the masters of completely running cool concepts into the ground. So it's surprising that this season we have not only one but two solid productions from Trigger. While the show Kiznaiver has been handed off to a young, new director, their new short Space Patrol Luluco is helmed by veteran director Hiroyuki Imaishi. It's a stylish show about a middle school girl named Luluco roped into taking over her dad's work at the space patrol after he is instantly frozen from head to toe. Also the head of space patrol is totally just the Inferno Cop himself and Luluco's mom is a hot space pirate intent on selling their city through illegal online auctions. This show is classic Trigger zaniness and escalation, and has yet to show the signs of disappointment that Kill la Kill and Ninja Slayer did. I'm still wary about any show that comes out of Trigger, but for now Space Patrol Luluco is not only the best short this season but also one of the most entertaining productions.
Strong Recommendation
Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou
Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou
Joe Straatmann
Few shows are more worthless than stories about music that don't have any killer jams. I understand a short being crunched for licensed tunes, but the generic beats here just aren't cutting it.. We have the usual layabout kid Agetaro who's supposed to be apprenticing for his family's tankatsu (fried pork) business. A chance encounter with DJ Master Fry. I'd like to believe his horrific character design and Engrish ebonics are a case of the Japanese rarely meeting a black person in their day-to-day existence. All characters have no malice for the guy and indeed seem to revere him. Anyhoo, Master Fry kicks off the idea in Agetaro's brain that his tankatsu skills will translate to becoming a DJ, so he takes some extra slacking off time to get the equipment and build a record collection. Ignorant of the entire DJ process, he still possesses the "vibe" which gravitates him to the right records. That's kind of it.
The entire style is East-meets-West, but it winds up coming off as some people who get a one-season show on Adult Swim making a PaRappa the Rapper knockoff. Studio Deen could get away with it if the instructional parts explaining how the DJ process works weren't mostly dysfunctional. Movies like Amadeus and Hustle and Flow give insight into the process and the audio mixing is essential to understanding what's going on. Half the time Agetaro is explaining the art of DJ'ing, the background music does the bare minimum to portray what it sounds or feels like. The characters don't bring anything new to the table and there's no one really funny or amusing save DJ Oily, a fast mixer who needs to consume mass quantities of fried food to survive. All of the music comes off as parodies of stereotype repetitive, simplistic electronic dance music rather than a celebration of the genres involved. I don't harbor any kind of ill will towards Tanketsu DJ Agetaro, but there's really no reason for you watch it. I take that back. There is a dog in the record store that's voiced by a middle-aged or older man that barks at any female that enters the store. It's humorous in I'm imagining the director taking this ultra serious elder Japanese guy into a recording booth and demand he start barking. It's likely that's not how it works at all. A man can dream, though.
No Recommendation
Usakame
Stephanie Getchell
Wagamama High Spec
Megan Z.
Andrew: I don’t think it’s even possible for me to describe just how freaking weird this show is, but man I am in love. This is probably one of the most hilariously stupid shows I’ve ever seen and I think that’s for its favor. This show has no qualms about being wacky or weird, from a quiet cute Biker-senpai named Raimu who’s basically the Anime/Moe version of The Stig from Top Gear, a talking training school bicycle that’s extremely lewd (“Do you know how many men put their face in my crotch?”) to every single flashback involving Suzuki’s big chested, tsundere mascot cover-girl Rin Suzunoki and her dad had me actually gasping for air. The characters are cute, and every single episode is home to a wonderful new series of reaction faces. Also, it’s hilariously enough one of the most profound looks on fandom and elitist bickering I’ve ever seen, and for that I thought it was particularly hilarious that they captured that. You can really tell the author of this was really a huge motorcycle otaku just from the fact that the show loves to point out how stupid and kind of crappy motorcycles can be instead of just singing it’s praises every single minute they’re on screen (a la Dagashi Kashi). In many ways, this show’s freaking stupid, but I think that sort of stupid hilarious comedy makes it one of the most weirdly charming and memorable shows of the season. It’s outrageous and it’s super cute. Grab the handles and get ready to hold on for dear life, because it’s an exciting ride. Strong Recommendation
Stephanie: Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, this one is kinda like loli meets biker gang and all we get our cute adventures. I'm not the biggest fan of this one, and actually got bored pretty quickly. I'll save myself the trouble and just drop it early. Weak Recommendation, dropped after 2 episodes
Big Order
Joe: This is a show that tends to make a reviewer lean towards the word "problematic." In fiction, people generally hate work where the main character is not someone they like because psychologically, the main characters and the audience "share" a point-of-view, and if there's a severe disjoint, it can have a wild and unpredictable response. If you prefer to find yourself agreeable with the leads, Big Order is absolutely despicable. This is like X-Men if the Brotherhood of Mutants were the "good guys" and their leader was a 15 year old who felt he could decide who lives and who dies because he read a few "deep" books (When main character Eiji first meets his kawaii sister, she's actually reading Nietzsche. Riiiiight....). Eiji destroyed the world when he wished to be like a character in his animes, and when confronted about it by a person who vowed revenge for his actions, he doubles down and decides to become the person to bring world peace through his absolute control. Not quite a charmer, is he? Even more questionable is his "love interest," the girl who hates him and tried to assassinate him, and they have a relationship where his control makes it impossible for her to harm him and she wants to stay close so she find some way to get the job done. BUUUUUUT, I was originally set to do the full review before things shifted because I was the only one who took a flyer on it. I like taking chances on interesting series, and this certainly qualifies. The opening depiction of the apocalypse is a stimulating piece of abstract art and there are thrusts of flourishes within the limited animation. When it tries to be a black comedy between Eiji and Rin, his potential assassin/"lover," it is kind of funny and I completely understand if you think I'm screwed up for thinking so (Especially because one such session happens after a grim situation where hostages are brutally murdered). Oh, and that jazz/funk soundtrack that doesn't fit at all! I'm kind of okay with it, honestly. I don't think it's good and it's the kind of nihilistic title where I wouldn't be able to stand most of its defenders as they're probably the type who should never ever be given a booklet of death notes. Yet, it's kind of fun talking about how screwed up it is and I want to see where this train wreck goes. Make of that what you will. Weak Recommendation
The Lost Village
Danni: I was pretty wary heading into this show. I love Mizushima's past work on Prison School, Witch Craft Works, and Shirobako. However, I had heard his track record with horror was shoddy at best. I watched the first episode and immediately hated it. A few weeks later I caught up on all the episodes since and could not stop laughing. I'm utterly convinced this is supposed to be taken as a comedy. It's a blast to laugh at this show, and the humor is too intentionally telegraphed to be a serious stab at horror. The Lost Village is easily one of the best executed (heh) shows this season. Strong Recommendation
Macross Delta
David: Sometimes it's nice to just switch off your brain, ignore the unbelievable set of events you're observing, and get swept up in the remarkable lunacy of a show. Macross Delta is this kind of show. As I watched massive jet-plane mecha dogfighting in the skies, as mahou shojo idols flew around using song telepathy to cure a viral outbreak, and characters getting so swept up in it all he's just flying around naked through the sky- okay let me clarify. This show is dumb. This show is very very dumb. The premise is absurd, it explains very little, and expects you to accept a lot, to sit back and watch as it jumps so far over the shark it launches into orbit, but as a fan of studio Satelight's other dumb fun mecha idol show, Symphogear, I guess I'm the right kind of person to forget about logic and plot and just enjoy it for what it is. It likely isn't for everyone, but if you're also the kind of person who thinks the idea of intense large scale mecha battles being infused with over-the-top idol concert scenes sounds entertaining and not completely moronic, you too, might be the kind of person who will have a blast with Macross Delta. Solid Recommendation
Why do I feel like this series just had way too much sugar? Cause holy crap there is just way too much going on and it goes by so quickly that I can barely process it. I should probably mention that I have seen Treekyu before so I know nothing about this world and characters; as this series is a spin off involving some of these characters. Honestly, though, I don't think you need to have seen Treekyu in order to understand what is going on with Usakame because, again, someone was on way too much caffeine in order for you to really get what's going on. There's a lot going on at once that the only thing I kind of understood was that the tennis club at this school is working towards their final tournament together before the third years graduate. Yeah, that's really all I got. As the short I got lumped with this go around, I think I will have my hands full because holy cow does it need to settle down! Yeah, not much of a good start for this one.
Weak Recommendation
Wagamama High Spec
Megan Z.
43 Seconds. That’s how long it took for a girl to rip off her uniform and get down to her Victoria’s secret. If you were looking for cute girls doing cute, yet sometimes slightly sexual, things but don’t have a half hour to waste do I have the show for you. Kaoruko, Ashe, Toa and Mihiro are, what I assume, are group of students at a high school in some sort of club. Look come watch this short if you’re looking for YuuYuri light. Hell the pink haired one looks like she was adopted from the series. The animation is okay, maybe a bit weak at points, but it’s still a bit funny and its exactly what you expect. If I wasn’t doing seasonal work on it I wouldn’t be watching it but for what I’m getting I’m assuming it could be a lot worse. Also I enjoy the ending song and the little cut out gag introducing each girl at the end of each episode.
Weak Recommendation
Second Opinions
Bakuon!!
Andrew: I don’t think it’s even possible for me to describe just how freaking weird this show is, but man I am in love. This is probably one of the most hilariously stupid shows I’ve ever seen and I think that’s for its favor. This show has no qualms about being wacky or weird, from a quiet cute Biker-senpai named Raimu who’s basically the Anime/Moe version of The Stig from Top Gear, a talking training school bicycle that’s extremely lewd (“Do you know how many men put their face in my crotch?”) to every single flashback involving Suzuki’s big chested, tsundere mascot cover-girl Rin Suzunoki and her dad had me actually gasping for air. The characters are cute, and every single episode is home to a wonderful new series of reaction faces. Also, it’s hilariously enough one of the most profound looks on fandom and elitist bickering I’ve ever seen, and for that I thought it was particularly hilarious that they captured that. You can really tell the author of this was really a huge motorcycle otaku just from the fact that the show loves to point out how stupid and kind of crappy motorcycles can be instead of just singing it’s praises every single minute they’re on screen (a la Dagashi Kashi). In many ways, this show’s freaking stupid, but I think that sort of stupid hilarious comedy makes it one of the most weirdly charming and memorable shows of the season. It’s outrageous and it’s super cute. Grab the handles and get ready to hold on for dear life, because it’s an exciting ride. Strong Recommendation
Stephanie: Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, this one is kinda like loli meets biker gang and all we get our cute adventures. I'm not the biggest fan of this one, and actually got bored pretty quickly. I'll save myself the trouble and just drop it early. Weak Recommendation, dropped after 2 episodes
Big Order
Joe: This is a show that tends to make a reviewer lean towards the word "problematic." In fiction, people generally hate work where the main character is not someone they like because psychologically, the main characters and the audience "share" a point-of-view, and if there's a severe disjoint, it can have a wild and unpredictable response. If you prefer to find yourself agreeable with the leads, Big Order is absolutely despicable. This is like X-Men if the Brotherhood of Mutants were the "good guys" and their leader was a 15 year old who felt he could decide who lives and who dies because he read a few "deep" books (When main character Eiji first meets his kawaii sister, she's actually reading Nietzsche. Riiiiight....). Eiji destroyed the world when he wished to be like a character in his animes, and when confronted about it by a person who vowed revenge for his actions, he doubles down and decides to become the person to bring world peace through his absolute control. Not quite a charmer, is he? Even more questionable is his "love interest," the girl who hates him and tried to assassinate him, and they have a relationship where his control makes it impossible for her to harm him and she wants to stay close so she find some way to get the job done. BUUUUUUT, I was originally set to do the full review before things shifted because I was the only one who took a flyer on it. I like taking chances on interesting series, and this certainly qualifies. The opening depiction of the apocalypse is a stimulating piece of abstract art and there are thrusts of flourishes within the limited animation. When it tries to be a black comedy between Eiji and Rin, his potential assassin/"lover," it is kind of funny and I completely understand if you think I'm screwed up for thinking so (Especially because one such session happens after a grim situation where hostages are brutally murdered). Oh, and that jazz/funk soundtrack that doesn't fit at all! I'm kind of okay with it, honestly. I don't think it's good and it's the kind of nihilistic title where I wouldn't be able to stand most of its defenders as they're probably the type who should never ever be given a booklet of death notes. Yet, it's kind of fun talking about how screwed up it is and I want to see where this train wreck goes. Make of that what you will. Weak Recommendation
Flying Witch
Danni: This may just be my favorite show this season. Everything about Flying Witch is just so relaxed and subdued. It's rare to see a slice of life comedy that holds back on the reigns as much as this show does. In a season where I'm saddled almost entirely with loud, hyperactive comedies, Flying Witch will be a much needed half hour of relaxation for me every week. Strong Recommendation
Danni: This may just be my favorite show this season. Everything about Flying Witch is just so relaxed and subdued. It's rare to see a slice of life comedy that holds back on the reigns as much as this show does. In a season where I'm saddled almost entirely with loud, hyperactive comedies, Flying Witch will be a much needed half hour of relaxation for me every week. Strong Recommendation
Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto
Andrew: You ever played Persona 4? You play as a dude who can easily become the coolest kid in school that everyone loves, every guy wants to be, and he looks like such a fly guy doing it? Sakamoto is basically Yu Narukami: The Anime. He is stylish and perfect, and every little thing he does captures the hearts and souls of everyone in his class and school, guy and girl alike. This dude is the chilliest, greatest guy ever and it’s hilarious. Studio DEEN’s been having a pretty solid year in terms of anime, and Sakamoto’s another one to add to that. You want a dude who’s so perfect at everything he does that you can’t possibly hate, or just a source of new glorious reaction images? Then feel free to give Sakamoto a watch. Strong Recommendation
Megan Z: Fun fact: I help run an anime club for teens. I have for over 8 years since I was 15. Last week they were made to watch Sakamoto (don’t worry they got to vote for their two other shows and picked Dimeson W and My Hero). Never have I heard them laughing so loudly. Sakamoto is fun. I laughed just as hard with them and Im generally around 10 years older. I have a feeling were gonna have more Sakakmoto nights but who can blame them. Also I think we found a missing Joestar. Solid Recommendation.
Joker Game
Stephanie: I may or may not have found my contender for best of the spring season in Joker Game. Then again, it could just be that I'm currently craving something similar to Showa Genroku and Joker Game is the closest I can get to that. While this one takes a different profession, that of spies, the setting is still close to the same that it can give a similar vibe. While it is still extremely early to make this claim, it's hard to say whether or not it will keep it's consistency. To be fair, this is Production I.G. we're dealing with here and they tend to make some rather strong series. My fear is on the writing end because we have an original story from someone who doesn't really have a lot of credits under his belt along with a director who's more known for animation than directing. It will be interesting to see, in the coming weeks, how Joker Game plans to play out and whether or not it will be a damn good series. Strong Recommendation
David: I always love to see a show that overcomes the conventions and trends of the current anime market to make something totally unique. For instance, it's not every day we get a historical fiction anime about a group of Japanese spies in World War II. And because less frequented ideas have less of a template to work off of, it also means there's a greater risk for failure, so I'm also enamored that Joker's Game has turned out as well as it has. The show is simple, so far other than the first two set up episodes which were connected, it's mostly been individual vignettes about the spies missions around the world, but each story has been thoroughly engaging and entertaining in its own way. Every story has this underlying feeling of mystery and intrigue, which it utilizes to the fullest with some really cool twists and reveals that work even with minimal set up. The animation isn't especially heavy on movement, but the show does a fantastic job building atmosphere in both its era and its locations. I really can't recommend this show enough, its themes are pretty straight forward and its characters are simple, but the execution here is excellent, and it's so cool seeing a setting and genre that isn't typically done in the medium of animation, and done so well at that. Strong Recommendation
Andrew: Safe to say that Kiznaiver has some big shoes to fill, because the last time Trigger put themselves out there to make an original anime, they made the smash-hit Kill la Kill, which is a show I absolutely love. So whether it would live up to those expectations or not was to be determined. Honestly, I’d say that for me it kind of did. Basically it’s an absurd premise of uniting kids together through sharing each other’s pain and wounds through something called the Kizna System forcefully put into them by this gorgeous woman named Noriko Sonozaki, who is a fusion of Danganronpa’s Kyoko Kirigiri and Akame ga Kill’s Esdeath, which is great for me. Speaking back to Danganronpa, in a ways I get a similar vibe from this series in general. It’s a somewhat dark or edgy premise presented in an absurdist fashion with an emphasis on weird and out there dark comedy while giving us a colorful cast of characters to interact with. I really have actually enjoyed what I’ve seen of the cast of this show and despite a couple of tropes or cliques they’ve been presented in, I am thoroughly enjoying the chemistry of these characters, and the show is gorgeous to look at to boot. I’m definitely willing to give it a shot. I’ll stay cautious for now, but so far I am definitely riding that Trigger hype once more. Strong Recommendation
Megan Z: Fun fact: I help run an anime club for teens. I have for over 8 years since I was 15. Last week they were made to watch Sakamoto (don’t worry they got to vote for their two other shows and picked Dimeson W and My Hero). Never have I heard them laughing so loudly. Sakamoto is fun. I laughed just as hard with them and Im generally around 10 years older. I have a feeling were gonna have more Sakakmoto nights but who can blame them. Also I think we found a missing Joestar. Solid Recommendation.
Joker Game
Stephanie: I may or may not have found my contender for best of the spring season in Joker Game. Then again, it could just be that I'm currently craving something similar to Showa Genroku and Joker Game is the closest I can get to that. While this one takes a different profession, that of spies, the setting is still close to the same that it can give a similar vibe. While it is still extremely early to make this claim, it's hard to say whether or not it will keep it's consistency. To be fair, this is Production I.G. we're dealing with here and they tend to make some rather strong series. My fear is on the writing end because we have an original story from someone who doesn't really have a lot of credits under his belt along with a director who's more known for animation than directing. It will be interesting to see, in the coming weeks, how Joker Game plans to play out and whether or not it will be a damn good series. Strong Recommendation
David: I always love to see a show that overcomes the conventions and trends of the current anime market to make something totally unique. For instance, it's not every day we get a historical fiction anime about a group of Japanese spies in World War II. And because less frequented ideas have less of a template to work off of, it also means there's a greater risk for failure, so I'm also enamored that Joker's Game has turned out as well as it has. The show is simple, so far other than the first two set up episodes which were connected, it's mostly been individual vignettes about the spies missions around the world, but each story has been thoroughly engaging and entertaining in its own way. Every story has this underlying feeling of mystery and intrigue, which it utilizes to the fullest with some really cool twists and reveals that work even with minimal set up. The animation isn't especially heavy on movement, but the show does a fantastic job building atmosphere in both its era and its locations. I really can't recommend this show enough, its themes are pretty straight forward and its characters are simple, but the execution here is excellent, and it's so cool seeing a setting and genre that isn't typically done in the medium of animation, and done so well at that. Strong Recommendation
Kiznaiver
Andrew: Safe to say that Kiznaiver has some big shoes to fill, because the last time Trigger put themselves out there to make an original anime, they made the smash-hit Kill la Kill, which is a show I absolutely love. So whether it would live up to those expectations or not was to be determined. Honestly, I’d say that for me it kind of did. Basically it’s an absurd premise of uniting kids together through sharing each other’s pain and wounds through something called the Kizna System forcefully put into them by this gorgeous woman named Noriko Sonozaki, who is a fusion of Danganronpa’s Kyoko Kirigiri and Akame ga Kill’s Esdeath, which is great for me. Speaking back to Danganronpa, in a ways I get a similar vibe from this series in general. It’s a somewhat dark or edgy premise presented in an absurdist fashion with an emphasis on weird and out there dark comedy while giving us a colorful cast of characters to interact with. I really have actually enjoyed what I’ve seen of the cast of this show and despite a couple of tropes or cliques they’ve been presented in, I am thoroughly enjoying the chemistry of these characters, and the show is gorgeous to look at to boot. I’m definitely willing to give it a shot. I’ll stay cautious for now, but so far I am definitely riding that Trigger hype once more. Strong Recommendation
The Lost Village
Danni: I was pretty wary heading into this show. I love Mizushima's past work on Prison School, Witch Craft Works, and Shirobako. However, I had heard his track record with horror was shoddy at best. I watched the first episode and immediately hated it. A few weeks later I caught up on all the episodes since and could not stop laughing. I'm utterly convinced this is supposed to be taken as a comedy. It's a blast to laugh at this show, and the humor is too intentionally telegraphed to be a serious stab at horror. The Lost Village is easily one of the best executed (heh) shows this season. Strong Recommendation
Macross Delta
David: Sometimes it's nice to just switch off your brain, ignore the unbelievable set of events you're observing, and get swept up in the remarkable lunacy of a show. Macross Delta is this kind of show. As I watched massive jet-plane mecha dogfighting in the skies, as mahou shojo idols flew around using song telepathy to cure a viral outbreak, and characters getting so swept up in it all he's just flying around naked through the sky- okay let me clarify. This show is dumb. This show is very very dumb. The premise is absurd, it explains very little, and expects you to accept a lot, to sit back and watch as it jumps so far over the shark it launches into orbit, but as a fan of studio Satelight's other dumb fun mecha idol show, Symphogear, I guess I'm the right kind of person to forget about logic and plot and just enjoy it for what it is. It likely isn't for everyone, but if you're also the kind of person who thinks the idea of intense large scale mecha battles being infused with over-the-top idol concert scenes sounds entertaining and not completely moronic, you too, might be the kind of person who will have a blast with Macross Delta. Solid Recommendation
My Hero Academia
Danni: I was expecting more from this season's most hyped show, but it's completely bogged down by pacing that is so extremely slow. The show's first two episodes covered only the first chapter. This show is only slated for thirteen episodes, so I honestly have no clue how they're going to get anything done at the pace they're going. It honestly just gets pretty annoying when characters are having flashbacks to things that happened literally minutes before in the episode. There's a good show in here, but it's held back by terribly slow pacing. Also, tiny Deku isn't cute. Tiny Deku is terrifying. His huge eyes and minuscule pupils make him look soulless. Weak Recommendation
Andrew: For some of my friends, it comes as no surprise when I say that I was extremely hyped for this My Hero Academia anime, as I was a fan of the manga and really happy to see that instead of suffering at the hands of Toei Animation, this series was sent to BONES, who have probably made some of my absolute favorite action anime in recent years and are one of my all-time favorite studios. So yeah, I was excited for this show to begin with. Let me just say one thing now: this series is taking it’s sweet time in pacing the manga, which in about 4 or 5 episodes has only really covered one volume of manga, and as this is a 13 episode series for now, we might not cover a lot of ground in the manga material. It is a decision I can kind of understand that they didn’t want to blow through the material, but for some the pacing might be a deterrent, and that’s my one complaint. That’s literally where all complaints end, as My Hero Academia is absolutely spectacular in many ways. It succeeds as being one of the strongest, most emotionally captivating underdog stories ever in the form of Izuku “Deku” Midoriya who may actually be one of my absolute favorite Shonen protagonists, as well as being a fantastic homage and love letter to the Superhero genre (One Punch Man was more of a surrealist parody, while Academia is much more of a love letter to everything that makes that genre great). The characters are amazing, the character designs and imagination of this world is spectacular, the anime adaptation itself actually IMPROVES on the material in the manga, and that Soundtrack is ABSOLUTELY SPECTAULAR OH MY G-*cough* okay yeah. I really like this show. Honestly I would say it is absolutely worth the hype it is getting, so you at least owe it to yourself to check it out, whether you’re a fan of Shonen Jump anime, BONES, or Superheroes in general.Strong Recommendation.
Jonathan: Easily one of the best this season with almost no effort. I seriously nearly broke out in tears in the first two episode, it hit that close to home. We've really needed some more enthusiastic, idealistic superheroes again, and if Shonen Jump has to be where we get them, I'll take it. It's not a stupid or simple show either, just earnest and filled with hope. There is just so much humanity in heart in what could have easily been a goofy mess, especially with All Might. His speech on what it means to be a professional hero is just absolutely perfect. It's funny, the characters are all likable and relatable, the production is solidly handled, and most importantly, it gets you to give a damn. Strong Recommendation
Stephanie: The story of the superhero has been something that has come so close to over saturating the market in recent years. It's a wonder if and when the trend will die out, however I doubt it will any time soon thanks to My Hero Academia. The classic underdog story takes on an interesting twist as our quirkless lead manages to inherit the power of the most powerful hero of their time. But it's not just this twist that makes the series more appealing. What Izuku goes through can remind the little kid in all of us who may have had big dreams that may or may not be achieved; or how may have been bullied because they were different than everyone else. There's also the humor and high energy the series has that can really have you rooting for the characters and leave a smile on your face. And yet the series is also able to fill you with emotions because it can be that relatable. I know that Megan Z. mentioned she cried during the first couple of episodes. My Hero Academia may be the series that has the biggest hype of the season, however, unlike Dimension W, I don't think it's going to cave in on it's hype. The possibility is there regardless of how you look at it, but Academia does have a better fighting chance this season.Strong Recommendation
Megan Z: I have an odd love and hate affair with animes adapted from Shonen Jump. I adore Haikyuu and Kuroko’s Basketball but seem to have a bitter taste in my mouth from Bleach and Naruto. So hearing another series, My Hero, was coming I was a bit on the fence. Also ClassySpartan would not shut the fuck about it in our dubtalk chat and I am the only girl on our episode of it so yeah. I adore this anime. I love the atmosphere, I love the music. I love the animation. But what I love the most is Deku and his relationships with others. I was near tears in episode one and two over his feelings towards his mother. I may be reading a lot into it but the fact he wasn’t medically normal, having 0 quirk, and having his mom say she was sorry hurt a part of me deep down. I love watching week to week, I love rewatching it with is kick ass broadcast dub. Give me more My Hero. My only wish is for Kacchan to pull his head out of his ass sooner rather than later or I may need to do it for him… Strong Recommendation
Pan de Peace!
Danni: Pan de Peace is about four girls who become friends because they all like bread. Add in some yuri teasing and that's all there is to this show. It's not very funny, and I couldn't care less about the characters. I'll probably watch it all season anyway. I need to get my yuri fix somewhere, after all. No Recommendation
Danni: I was expecting more from this season's most hyped show, but it's completely bogged down by pacing that is so extremely slow. The show's first two episodes covered only the first chapter. This show is only slated for thirteen episodes, so I honestly have no clue how they're going to get anything done at the pace they're going. It honestly just gets pretty annoying when characters are having flashbacks to things that happened literally minutes before in the episode. There's a good show in here, but it's held back by terribly slow pacing. Also, tiny Deku isn't cute. Tiny Deku is terrifying. His huge eyes and minuscule pupils make him look soulless. Weak Recommendation
Andrew: For some of my friends, it comes as no surprise when I say that I was extremely hyped for this My Hero Academia anime, as I was a fan of the manga and really happy to see that instead of suffering at the hands of Toei Animation, this series was sent to BONES, who have probably made some of my absolute favorite action anime in recent years and are one of my all-time favorite studios. So yeah, I was excited for this show to begin with. Let me just say one thing now: this series is taking it’s sweet time in pacing the manga, which in about 4 or 5 episodes has only really covered one volume of manga, and as this is a 13 episode series for now, we might not cover a lot of ground in the manga material. It is a decision I can kind of understand that they didn’t want to blow through the material, but for some the pacing might be a deterrent, and that’s my one complaint. That’s literally where all complaints end, as My Hero Academia is absolutely spectacular in many ways. It succeeds as being one of the strongest, most emotionally captivating underdog stories ever in the form of Izuku “Deku” Midoriya who may actually be one of my absolute favorite Shonen protagonists, as well as being a fantastic homage and love letter to the Superhero genre (One Punch Man was more of a surrealist parody, while Academia is much more of a love letter to everything that makes that genre great). The characters are amazing, the character designs and imagination of this world is spectacular, the anime adaptation itself actually IMPROVES on the material in the manga, and that Soundtrack is ABSOLUTELY SPECTAULAR OH MY G-*cough* okay yeah. I really like this show. Honestly I would say it is absolutely worth the hype it is getting, so you at least owe it to yourself to check it out, whether you’re a fan of Shonen Jump anime, BONES, or Superheroes in general.Strong Recommendation.
Jonathan: Easily one of the best this season with almost no effort. I seriously nearly broke out in tears in the first two episode, it hit that close to home. We've really needed some more enthusiastic, idealistic superheroes again, and if Shonen Jump has to be where we get them, I'll take it. It's not a stupid or simple show either, just earnest and filled with hope. There is just so much humanity in heart in what could have easily been a goofy mess, especially with All Might. His speech on what it means to be a professional hero is just absolutely perfect. It's funny, the characters are all likable and relatable, the production is solidly handled, and most importantly, it gets you to give a damn. Strong Recommendation
Stephanie: The story of the superhero has been something that has come so close to over saturating the market in recent years. It's a wonder if and when the trend will die out, however I doubt it will any time soon thanks to My Hero Academia. The classic underdog story takes on an interesting twist as our quirkless lead manages to inherit the power of the most powerful hero of their time. But it's not just this twist that makes the series more appealing. What Izuku goes through can remind the little kid in all of us who may have had big dreams that may or may not be achieved; or how may have been bullied because they were different than everyone else. There's also the humor and high energy the series has that can really have you rooting for the characters and leave a smile on your face. And yet the series is also able to fill you with emotions because it can be that relatable. I know that Megan Z. mentioned she cried during the first couple of episodes. My Hero Academia may be the series that has the biggest hype of the season, however, unlike Dimension W, I don't think it's going to cave in on it's hype. The possibility is there regardless of how you look at it, but Academia does have a better fighting chance this season.Strong Recommendation
Megan Z: I have an odd love and hate affair with animes adapted from Shonen Jump. I adore Haikyuu and Kuroko’s Basketball but seem to have a bitter taste in my mouth from Bleach and Naruto. So hearing another series, My Hero, was coming I was a bit on the fence. Also ClassySpartan would not shut the fuck about it in our dubtalk chat and I am the only girl on our episode of it so yeah. I adore this anime. I love the atmosphere, I love the music. I love the animation. But what I love the most is Deku and his relationships with others. I was near tears in episode one and two over his feelings towards his mother. I may be reading a lot into it but the fact he wasn’t medically normal, having 0 quirk, and having his mom say she was sorry hurt a part of me deep down. I love watching week to week, I love rewatching it with is kick ass broadcast dub. Give me more My Hero. My only wish is for Kacchan to pull his head out of his ass sooner rather than later or I may need to do it for him… Strong Recommendation
Pan de Peace!
Danni: Pan de Peace is about four girls who become friends because they all like bread. Add in some yuri teasing and that's all there is to this show. It's not very funny, and I couldn't care less about the characters. I'll probably watch it all season anyway. I need to get my yuri fix somewhere, after all. No Recommendation
Space Patrol Luluco
Andrew: Basically while TRIGGER was working on their big project, they gave Hiroyuki Imaishi the keys to make Space Patrol Luluco. If Kiznaiver seemed too much like a typical show to you that was lacking in a lot of that crazy “Trigger style” then Luluco’s the place to go. Everything that you love about either the strange TRIGGER or Hiroyuki Imaishi style is in this show. It’s like a combination of Panty and Stocking, Inferno Cop, Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia in terms of style and strangeness. It’s a good time and I really like it. Granted, if you’re not already into these kinds of weird Trigger antics like I am you might not dig this show as much, thus why I can’t really give it a Strong Recommendation to those who aren’t already into this kind of thing, but it’s still definitely worth a watch. Solid Recommendation
Jonathan: Now this is the Trigger I know and love. Kiznaiver is great, but Luluco is a return to form, with thick outlines, absurd plot developments, purposefully poor animation for comedic effect, and even Inferno Cop as a major character. It's a laugh riot in the short span of each episode. I also love Midori, a gangster girl voiced by Nonon herself. She's almost too good for this stupid, wonderful show. Also, the quotes. So many good quotes (They caught me space cheating!). Strong Recommendation
Stephanie: I feel like this is what happens when you take Mako from Kill La Kill and put her in a more SciFi setting. Cause Luluco is fairly similar to Mako in personality and energy, and the animation style is similar to Kill La Kill. Thanks Trigger! It's really wacky and out there but has a lot of fun with itself! It doesn't need to have a straight and serious plot line and the characters are simplistic that it makes the idea of this series being a short rather perfect. So long as you don't go into the series thinking you're going to get a good story, cause it's very out there, then you should be perfectly fine! Strong Recommendation
Tanaka-kun is Always Listless
Jonathan: This could easily become one of the best of the season at this rate. It's a slice of life show that makes the slow pace part of the joke, and it's kind of brilliant that way. Tanaka is such a fantastic character, and the supporting cast is so perfect. Ohta and Tanaka basically being an old married couple in dynamic is so great. I also love that the series has a canon lesbian couple, which is getting rarer and rarer in good shows these days. It's one of those series you can lose yourself in. Strong Recommendation
Twin Star Exorcists
Stephanie: After the disappointment known as Divine Gate from last season, you can probably imagine my hesitation going into Twin Star Exorcists since it is Pierrot who's making it. It's not off to a bad start, but it's also not off to a strong one either. The premise and parts of the characters are interesting to watch, and the humor has been decent so far. It's just that something is lacking to me, and I can't pin point what that may be. Again, it's more than likely my wariness after my experience with Divine Gate, but it also doesn't help that we have a first time director working on this project as well. And while the assistant has had a little directing work, it's not going to be a huge amount of help all things considered. Also, the interesting premise has a strong possibility of going south rather quickly if handled the wrong way. It's fairly early in the game to decide on whether or not it will go off the deep end, so I'll still be extremely cautious as I head into the next couple of weeks. Weak Recommendation
Even though Jonathan couldn't be here for most of the seasonal coverage, I can't help but think he's still here in spirit....
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