Star Crossed Anime

A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School

Short Synopsis: A pathetic failure becomes the new teacher of a school for Spirits.

Mario: While I believe Youkai Gakkou can build on this concept to get to know more about each type of youkai as they open up to this new human teacher, there are many strikes against it that I don’t really see it can raise above the water. The most glaring one is the teacher himself who is just plain and uninteresting as a lead. When you introduce someone with a story of how they become shut-in after one bad first day teaching at school, while making light of that fact, you’ve done your character a big disservice. It doesn’t get much better from there since he curls up like a ball when he realizes he’s teaching a class full of youkai. The first case he gets here, about a misfortuned youkai that becomes a shut-in, is also not its best sadly. We soon learn the reasons for her not going to school is not because of any stress, bullying or social anxiety that she experiences (which in turns could be something common the teacher and she share), instead it’s just because… she plays too many games. I guess maybe like Natsume’s Book of Friends, we get an episodic chapter about these youkai, and some of them might be touching – but in a season where the actual Natsume is airing, I don’t see any reason in following this one over the much better show.
Potential: 5%

Lenlo: How do I put this… Youkai Gakkou seems to depend entirely on how much you enjoy pathetic humor. Is it funny watching a cowardly incompetent teacher be picked on/looked down on by his students? If so, you’ll probably have a decent time with it. For me though, the comedy fell short. And seeing as how the comedy is basically all this first episode has going for it, that’s not good. I imagine Youkai Gakkou has plans for more, it probably wants to do something uplifting where the teacher makes the Youkai feel normal or something while they help him become more confident. If that’s the case though, it really should have led with that and let the comedy come in later. Suffice to say, as exhausted as I am of premieres this late into the opening of the season, I’m not feeling any interest here.
Potential: 5%

Thunderbolt Fantasy S4

Short Synopsis: Season 4 of Thunderbolt Fantasy, AKA Urobuchi’s Taiwanese Puppet Show.

Lenlo: So I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never really known what is actually happening in Thunderbolt Fantasy. There’s some epic plot about swords, demon lords, spirits and shit, I honestly couldn’t tell you. As such, I can’t really talk about the story or character arcs or anything like that, because none of those are why I watch the show. No, I watch it for one thing and one thing only: Puppets. There’s nothing else quite like them in anime I feel. The exaggerated way they move, the detail in their design and fights, and the fights! Oh the fights. There’s something so fun about watching puppets fly across the screen, kicking up sand and dust with mystical powers, as they duke it out in classic wire-work martial arts film style. Can I recommend this to everyone? No, not at all. The story is nonsensical and honestly probably not very good if I’ve ignored it for 4 seasons. But if, like me, you have a strange fascination with magical puppet fights… You’ll be able to have a good time.
Potential: 50%

Mario: I’ve been following Thunderbolt Fantasy since its inception, and even more was blogging it when it first aired in 2016. Unique aesthetic – and a common question of ‘is it even anime?’ – aside, I am familiar with the wuxia convention well enough to get a real kick out of that. This show for me is Urobuchi at his most doesn’t-give-a-damn. There are larger-than-life characters, epic plots about human and devil realms and other nonsense, but they are entertaining and truly something to behold. This first episode of the supposed final season is purely set up as we track multiple groups of characters while introducing a pair of powerful underlings. So far, it’s actually our MC Shang Bu Huan who is the least interesting as he has second thoughts about his own mission. I’m sure he gets dragged along to the mess soon enough, and I’m all in for that.
Potential: 50%

Touhai: Ura Rate Mahjong Touhai Roku

Short Synopsis: Money, women, organs. Kei, a high school boy, frequents the underground mahjong parlor teeming with desires, earning him the moniker ‘K of Ice’ in the underworld due to his cold-hearted strategy and stylish gameplay. Rumors also circulate that he keeps a girl at his home.

Lenlo: Touhai suffers from the same issue as every Mahjong anime, the simply fact that no one in the west knows how to play this fucking game. And much like the Cute Girls Doing Cute Things Mahjong from a season or two ago, that really limits its reach because it doesn’t put any effort into teaching the audience how to play the game. That’s probably for the best with the Japanese market, but for me? That makes it impossible to get into. Even putting that aside though, Touhai also comes off as a poorly produced, inferior copy of Akagi, another Mahjong series but created by the Kaiji Ultimate Survivor author, someone who is far more capable of making Mahjong interesting. Combine those, the difficulty of getting into the game and the existence of multiple better criminal-based mahjong series, and I’m not really finding a compelling reason to watch this one. Maybe you’ll enjoy some of the over the top criminality, what with the sex slaves and all, but it sort of feels like shock value more than anything.
Potential: 0%

Demon Lord 2099

Short Synopsis: The Demon Lord is banished by the Hero, only for him to reawaken 500 years later into a whole new, much more technologically advanced world.

Lenlo: Demon Lord 2099 was… shockingly good. I was expecting a meme, but not, it’s legitimately good. From the world and characters it’s created to the story they are caught up in, 2099 genuinely feels like something new. The combination of magic and technology to create a future-fantasy dystopia ala Shadowrun, is fully realized here with beautiful backgrounds and an interesting mix of visual staples from the two genres. And the way power scaling is handled is great as well, working similar to Frieren where it’s not that the Demon Lord got weaker but that magic technology and technique advanced while he was banished. This idea that even common street thugs are able to kick a Demon Lords ass now, and that he can’t get the same implant they have, works well. Most of all, I like the villain! The dude’s just a corporate overlord ass-hate with an inferiority complex who spent the last 500 years prepping to replace his boss. I’ll admit, the show isn’t incredibly animated or anything, there’s no big fights. But I’m bought into this world, these characters, and this conflict way more than I expected to. I really hope 2099 manages to keep this up for the whole 12 episode run, because right now this is my big surprise of the season. Plus, it has Vtubers! Towa-Sama!
Potential: 70%

Amun: I’m a bit less enthusiastic here than Lenlo. I have to admit that I’ve seen quite a few of these “Post-Demon Lord” shows recently (the best of which is obviously, without question, Frieren). I’d say Demon Lord 2099 is a lot closer to Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero with the character dynamics – maybe mixed in a bit with Our Last Crusade/Rise of a New World for the magic/tech mixture; neither of those shows is exactly making history. The villain and even our lead felt a bit flat – both leaning into the super evil persona’s a bit too hard there. Sure, I’m certain they’ll develop over the series, but I was just a bit turned off by how one-dimensional the confrontation was. I like the world well enough, and I think the “problem” to solve is plenty interesting (rebuilding a lost kingdom). I guess I’m a little hesitant in the lack of comedy or chemistry felt…anywhere. Still, I’m here for at least a few more on the strength of the premise alone.
Potential: 50%

The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party

Short Synopsis: A healer only capable of using basic heals is banished from his party. Little did they know, he was capable of more than anyone could expect.

Lenlo: This is a pretty classic “Misunderstood MC is actually OP” story. We don’t get any explanations just yet, more setting up our Female MC, why she’s here, her connection to the lead, and a small mystery about how dangerous he actually is. I’ll admit, the idea that he’s actively hiding his true class and skills is better than him just being OP despite only having basic spells. But unlike say… I Parry Everything which had much the same setup, this one is lacking a lot of the personality and character that made Parry so fun. The MC isn’t an asshole, which is nice, but he also doesn’t have much personality beyond just… not being an asshole. I could see this being fun if you just want a popcorn sort of show, but personally I’m not going to be keeping up with it.
Potential: 10%

Shangri-La Frontier S2

Short Synopsis: Season 2 of Shangri La Frontier.

Lenlo: Shangri-La Frontier picks up so close to where it left off, so nonchalantly, that it almost doesn’t even feel like we’re starting a new season. In some ways that’s nice, there’s no overly long recap, it doesn’t waste our time trying to bring us up to speed, we just jump right into things. As someone who knows where we are, that’s nice! I’m glad we’re not wasting any time here. That said, I could see it being a bit of a shock for those who don’t remember anything from the previous season. One nice surprise with the episode though had to be the production. It looked great, a number of well animated, dynamic, stylistic fights that I really wasn’t expecting. Season 1 started strong as well, sure, but with how uneventful the last few episodes of the previous season/this current arc is, I didn’t think it would get that much attention. Hopefully the series will keep this up as it moves into the more interesting arcs that it should, hopefully, reach with 25 episodes. All in all, while I’m not expecting the show to be too great this early, aside from shockingly good animation, I do have hope for two arcs that should be roughly as good, if not better, than Wezaemon we got in the first season. If it can do those arcs justice, with the same care Wezaemon got, then Season 2 should be just as good as the first.
Potential: 50%

Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru

Short Synopsis: A normal family’s matriarch is reincarnated as a grade schooler.

Amun: I signed up for this one simply because the premise is…unusual to say the least. Going in, I wondered if it would try to be a lighthearted comedy, making tons of jokes about the age gap or if it would be a really tearful, heartfelt “value the time you have” message beaten over our heads. Turns out, Tsuma, Shougakusei, plays it pretty straight. There isn’t a glossing over of how weird things are, or how unusual the dynamics appear to society (the family’s wife now being substantially younger than her own daughter). Moreso, the scenarios of the juggling of the two families (how do you explain your second family as a grade schooler?) and the different romantic dynamics of the more appropriate ages are explored in a pretty clear-eyed manner. In fact, the premise is pretty much the only weird thing about this show – everything else so far has been by the book. And I like that. I really don’t know how Tsuma Shougakusei will manage all of the storylines and complications, but I appreciate the uniqueness of how it’s trying so far. It’s definitely an odd one, but I’m willing to give it a chance.
Potential: 65%

Yakuza Fiancé

Short Synopsis: The granddaughter and grandson of rival yakuza families enter into an uneasy relationship.

Wooper: I knew this show was going to be twisted, but I didn’t expect its male lead to suggest that his prospective fiance become an escort, then list some of the sexual acts she’d be expected to perform in the role. Unless Yakuza Fiance led with its most scandalous material and is planning to turn it down going forward, it seems this show will be a far cry from your typical romance anime. Another thing that sets it apart is its female protagonist’s mission: to make this unhinged dude fall hopelessly in love with her, then dump him after a year, ostensibly so that her yakuza group can take revenge or gain leverage over her target’s family. I’m hopeful that the show will dive into the specifics of how these two groups have antagonized each other in the past, since the heads of both families were the most prominent supporting characters in this premiere. As a matter of fact, it was mostly just the two teenagers and the two grandpas delivering lines this time – the show is tightly focused on a core group of people at this point, eschewing visual diversity in favor of repeated close-ups to highlight the cast’s attractiveness. This results in a rather uninvolving episode, at least from a storyboarding perspective, but the characters’ spirited personalities do keep the half hour afloat. I’ll give this one another couple episodes to develop its personal and familial conflicts, then decide whether I want to continue with it.
Potential: 40%

Natsume’s Book of Friends S7

Short Synopsis: A highschooler seeks to return spirit’s names that his grandma beat out of them.

Amun: I can’t tell you how many times I refreshed Anichart, just to make sure it wasn’t all a dream – that Natsume’s Book of Friends was returning this season. Almost exactly seven years, we’ve been waiting for the supernatural hijinks to return. And this was honestly a good, standard, Natsume episode. We were reintroduced to some of our old friends (plus Natsume’s more recent human additions), but we still got a standard, self-contained story, like we get in so many of the previous six seasons. It doesn’t look like the overall production quality has diminished, and the story still felt complete with plenty of youkai feels – I’m happy as a clam. I would say that Natsume really shines when the story advances (with glacial speed), so I’m hoping for some small advancements of the overall story and maybe some deeper looks into Reiko’s past. Overall, it’s just so great to be back.
Potential: As long as they’re making it, I’m watching it.

Ranma ½

Short Synopsis: A teenage martial artist with the ability to change sexes moves into a dojo with three beautiful sisters.

Lenlo: I feel the need to preface this saying that I’ve never seen Ranma before. This is my first experience with the series. And I have to say, my initial reaction is… mixed? So much about it feels dated or played out, and that’s because it is, Ranma is an old show! But things like the marriage plot, the comedy, the designs, the way it handles fanservice, they aren’t very appealing in the modern day. At least not to me. Some of it works, the animation is fluid, leading to some great action, and the designs are expressive, leading to some great reactions. It’s just… The animation is really all it has going for it for me? I think if you enjoy these kinds of jokes, and want a throwback to the past, this could be a good time. But personally, I’d rather watch Orb, or Dandadan.
Potential: 25%

Mario: I did watch the early portion of the original 1989 version, and I certainly understand why it was popular back in the day. That being said, I’m not sure how well it appeals to the modern audience. The story beats, at least in this first episode, remain the same as the original. That means it also includes endless random slapstick, a “see a girl naked in the bath” situation, and many “dated” elements such as arranged marriage. On the other hand, the visuals get a big upgrade. It looks super nice with its colorful backgrounds, and I love the smooth sound effect text appearing on screen. The animation is slick as well, and so far the situations Ranma puts himself in are snappy enough to warrant more watches from me.
Potential: 30%

How I Attended an All-Guys Mixer

Short Synopsis: Three befuddled college guys hit the town with a trio of drag kings.

Lenlo: This seems… fine? The weirdest part is how it seems to be trying for both the fujoshi bait audience and the straight romance audience. It’s like the show is trying to frame these as gay relationships without having the wherewithal to actually commit to them. I’m sure many can overlook that, it’s just not an issue for most, but it was definitely noticeable. That aside though, it was kind of cute. Three pairings, rather than one boy with three options, meant each relationship had time to breathe as they traded focus between them. If you can get past the fujoshi-bait aspects of the show, I think you could have a decent time. Assuming it actually commits to the romances and such, that is.
Potential: 15%

Wooper: Despite being a comedy anime, All-Guys Mixer has only two jokes in its arsenal: “That woman is dressed as a man!” and “How could I, a heterosexual man, be attracted to a masculine-presenting woman?” (That’s really only one joke, but I’m feeling generous today.) Its three male protagonists show up to a group date and discover that their three female partners work at a drag bar, which causes some understandable confusion, but that confusion never dissipates, and probably never will for as long as the show drags on. That’s Japan’s strategy with this type of series, after all – viewers get to enjoy the aesthetic appeal of gay flirtation without the icky reality of same-sex attraction. All-Guys Mixer is already gutless for that reason, but its presentation is soulless on top of that. During the karaoke scene, the show cuts straight from characters preparing to sing to shots of them just having finished, with the screen behind them judging their voices to be incredible, despite us not hearing a single note. There’s a crane game scene where a prize slides out of the machine’s chute with no regard for geometry or perspective, which would be hilarious if it weren’t such a perfect encapsulation of Japan’s animator training crisis. The only positive I could find here were the seiyuu – their performances weren’t great by any means, but the actors seemed to be having fun, so the show earns a few points for that.
Potential: 5%

Puniru wa Kawaii Slime

Short Synopsis: A magical slime girl constantly annoys the teenager who created her when he was a little boy.

Wooper: Full disclosure: I only got halfway through this premiere before turning it off, so if you’re a Puniru stan, feel free to dismiss my opinion as that of an uninformed philistine. Why did I bail so early, others may ask? For starters, there’s the hallway scene at protagonist Kotaro’s middle school, where the titular slime girl harasses him for several minutes without another soul showing their face (this school must be incredible if its doors are soundproofed against that level of squeaky-voiced commotion). Puniru’s boisterous personality is strongly reminiscent of the younger sister from Himouto! Umaru-chan, which is already a red flag, but her ability to transform into a big-breasted teenager (which she does twice in the episode’s first 12 minutes) makes her even harder to tolerate, if that’s possible. Tropes like a kawaii character making duck lips and touching their index fingers together, or the male protagonist’s classmates getting pissed at their “friend” for having a close female acquaintance, are exhausting when laid on top of the show’s already manic tone. The soundtrack does a good job of matching that atmosphere, with its high-pitched synths, record scratches and bubble-popping effects, but since it’s part of a show with nothing to say, there’s no way I’d ever finish this episode (much less the whole series) just to experience more of it.
Potential: 0%

SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online II

Short Synopsis: Season 2 of Gun Gale Online, where a little girl plays a gun-based VR MMO and kicks butt.

Lenlo: GGO continues to be the most fun I’ve had with SAO. Screw the high fantasy shit, gimme all the same MMO trappings but with guns. While the production isn’t great, lots of stills, panning shots, zooms etc, it looks good enough for what it is and I expect it to pick up as the season goes on and we get into the action. And sure, this episode was largely setup/recap, reminding us what happened, reintroducing characters, and establishing the conflict. But the characters in general are also just… more fun than SAOs? To them this is a game, it isn’t life or death, so even in defeat it’s allowed to be fun, and that shows in how they interact with each other. The fact there’s no death game, no serious end of the world scenario, also means that our leads can feasibly lose. They still probably won’t, because that’s how these stories go, but it’s more tension than you’d normally get in an SAO story. All in all, I’d say if you’re looking for an Isekai-Adjacent show, especially one that plays the MMO stuff straight with some actual fun behind it similar to Shangri-La Frontier, then GGO is going to be right up your alley. It’s definitely up mine.
Potential: 60%

The Stories of Girls Who Couldn’t Be Magicians

Short Synopsis: After flunking the placement test for her school’s magic program, an aspiring magician begins to study alongside a host of strange classmates.

Wooper: I’ll say this for Girls Who Couldn’t Be Magicians, it’s highly dedicated to its storybook background art style. The show’s use of digital textures to mimic canvas, construction paper, and other materials isn’t convincing to my critical eyes, but given that the story seems to be aimed at 8-12 year olds, it ought to get the job done. What doesn’t match its apparent demographic, however, is the sheer number of characters introduced in this first episode. I couldn’t keep all of the students straight in my head, but honestly, I didn’t really need to – they can just be labeled based on their personalities, which ought to be instantly familiar to anyone who’s watched a decent amount of anime. That includes the crybaby protagonist (why Japan is so attached to that trope I’ll never understand), the class ojou-sama and her two yes-women, the mysterious male twins, etc. They’re all part of a class that isn’t supposed to have much magical talent, but many of them actually do, plus their instructor ends up being a highly skilled witch, so there’s not much cause and effect to the episode’s outer workings. I’m sure it’s helpful for children to hear that they have innate potential, especially if they’re branded as underachievers, but I’d rather they receive that message from a trusted adult in their lives rather than this very plain anime.
Potential: 5%

Lenlo: You know what, I can’t deny that Mahoutsukai looks nice. The thick line work, watercolor style and pastel colors, the world. It really is a pretty show, with a memorable and unique art style! Easily one of the most memorable of the season so far. It’s too bad the show abandons so much of it for a more traditional anime style once the opening scene ends. It keeps some of the texturing, but that’s it, otherwise dropping everything that made it stand out in favor of the normal anime look. It’s a damn shame, because that was really all I could praise. Wooper hits the rest on the head. The cast is bloated, the plot is dull and the whole thing felt like it took me an hour to finish despite being only 20 minutes long. I suppose if you like childrens witch/magical girl shows, this could be up your alley. But for me, I’d once again say to just go watch Precure. Apparently that’s pretty good this season, better than this at least.
Potential: 5%

Kimi wa Meido-sama

Short Synopsis: A former assassin becomes a live-in maid for a pair of siblings.

Lenlo: This whole show is just… There’s not even an attempt to justify or explain it? The lead isn’t the son of someone the maid/assassin killed, she’s not trying to hide her prior highly illegal job or anything, there’s no real prior connection here. It’s just the loosest, most ridiculous justification to have an adult woman in a maid outfit clean up after an absolute slob. I’ll admit, there’s some decent animation whenever she shows off her weapons against the tree, but… I’m really not feeling this Violet Evergarden knockoff. The maid is just generically trying to learn what a normal life is, rather than anything specific or compelling. And once it reveals its hand as a cheap romance where a Nobody has a hot girl in a maid outfit hand delivered to him, it becomes clear I never will. Maybe I’m just not seeing it and Mario will catch something, but the heart-felt connection needed to make this work is missing completely for me.
Potential: 1%

Mario: This time I’m not seeing it either, Lenlo. What we have in this first episode of Maid-sama is lazy writing full of wish-fulfillment factors, where both characters have zero personality to speak of. Hapless boy suddenly has a hot girl asking him to be his servant? She happens to be an assassin with no emotion? It’s trite, it brings nothing new to the table. Indeed, the maid girl makes both Yor Forger and Violet Evergarden much more complex in comparison, which is saying a lot given the fact that both are the weakest links in their respective shows. And she expresses her feelings over… tonkatsu sauce?! Get me out of here. On the positive side, I now know which show I will put as the worst premiere for my vote.
Potential: Tonkatsu sauce can’t save this episode