Sayonara Lara

Short Synopsis: A little mermaid trades everything – and eventually loses everything – for her wish to be loved by a human.

Mario: Sayonara Lara might be the most well-known “original” show this season, but it tells a story that the majority of us are familiar with. Yes, it’s a retelling of The Little Mermaid by Andersen, and this first episode mostly follows that storyline. Lara gains her wish to live with a human and loses her voice, in the end turning into sea foam. I love basically every element here: the artstyle is a perfect mix between western and eastern influences, the animation is lovely, and even with tragedy at its core, there are moments that can make you chuckle (such as the early scenes where Lara chomps down a fish). Kinema Citrus’s most well-known work is Made in Abyss, but I prefer the visual absurdity of Revue Starlight much better (if you’ve never seen it, imagine a talking giraffe on a stage), and I am glad that Sayonara Lara falls in the latter camp. The twist right at the end, where she again surfaces in the modern day Japan, is what makes me nervous though. Now that we’re leaving such an enchanting underwater world and getting away from the pages of the original Little Mermaid tale, how will the show proceed? Honestly, I’m not too keen on the updated setting but if this first episode is any indication, maybe I should just trust the process.
Potential: 85%

You and I Are Polar Opposites S2

Short Synopsis: Suzuki and Tani celebrate their first Christmas together, both with their friends and as a couple.

Wooper: Seihantai na Kimi to Boku is back like it never left, because even if it was off the air for three months, it likely never exited production. The show is just as silly, just as heartwarming, and just as interrogative of teenage social dynamics as ever, and that last trait played a big role in this episode. Azuma’s extroversion puts her on a different page from not only her friends, but her peers as a whole, and despite the case she makes for overt friendliness, it doesn’t seem to work out for her – that is, until her neighborhood buddy Taira convinces himself to walk home with her rather than find an excuse not to. I don’t always understand the nuances of the Azuma-related stories in this show, because they speak to Japanese social norms in a way that its subtitles don’t seem equipped for, but I usually enjoy watching along to see what I can learn, and this episode was no different. The actual main attraction, though, was Suzuki and Tani’s first Christmas as an item, made awkward by some interrupted kisses but still successful on the whole. Suzuki’s sentiment that clearly communicated mutual affection is more important than physical intimacy is lovely to see in a show about high schoolers – if only more series (not just anime) operated the same way!
Potential: 75%

Young Ladies Don’t
Play Fighting Games

Short Synopsis: Students at an all-girls academy share a love for fighting games, despite their school’s ban on video games.

Mario: Young Ladies’ biggest downfall lies in the timing of its release, as I can name two other shows that not only handle this type of story better, but also came out earlier. The first one is Rock wa Lady no Tashiname Deshite, which basically shares the same storyline with this show. Both feature students at a prestigious all-girls academy where the girls have to behave in ladylike fashion, but also secretly defy those expectations. Young Ladies doesn’t shy away from portraying these girls going crazy for fighting games – but even then, Rock wa Lady is much more memorable in that aspect, as playing rock music integrates itself much better as a rebellious act than playing video games. And when it comes to the love of fighting / arcade games, this one can never surpass Hi Score Girl, which set the standard nearly a decade ago at this point. The 3D game scenes look neat but they feel so far removed from the rest of the episode, and so far, neither of the lead girls impress me that much. This is a skip for me.
Potential: 10%

Sparks of Tomorrow

Short Synopsis: In an alternate history Meiji era, a teenage boy embarks on a quest to begin the new era of electricity.

Mario: It’s great to see Kyoto Animation finally release Sparks of Tomorrow after 8 years in the making. The production quality is as you would expect from them – the background design is detailed and the animation is smooth, but one thing that does surprise me is the use of more cartoonish facial expressions, something I can’t recall the studio having done before (outside of their Keiichi Arawi adaptations). This alternative world caught between steampunk and electric technology is vibrant too, and I can’t wait to see if the show gets even more creative with its electrical gadgets in the future. What holds its back for now is the story as it takes a while to really get going, and so far it feels a bit too clear-cut who the characters are and what their roles are in this show. I’m a big KyoAni supporter so I’m in no matter what, although I must note that my least favorite show from them is Violet Evergarden and I see traces of that show here (down to the lighting and color palette), so it remains to be seen which side Sparks of Tomorrow will fall on for me.
Potential: 50%

Iron Wok Jan

Short Synopsis: The heir to a competitive cooking style challenges his coworkers at a famous Chinese restaurant.

Wooper: I’ve never seen such a direct appeal for people’s continued viewership as the one at the end of Iron Wok Jan’s (“Tetsunabe no Jan!”) premiere. Its final minute was just Kenjirou Tsuda (who doesn’t even voice a character in the show) talking about the source material, explaining the historical context of its 1995 release, and rejoicing that such a masterpiece had finally received an anime adaptation. I do remember an episode of Gundam G-Reco imploring viewers, “Even if you don’t want to watch, watch!” but at least that was in an episode preview – Iron Wok, on the other hand, did a full 70 seconds of attempted audience capture before the credits even rolled.

Even though its conclusion smacked of desperation, this episode wasn’t bad – it’s way more direct than something like Shokugeki no Souma, getting straight into two quick (albeit talky) cooking showdowns and concisely setting up the familial grudge weighing on the main character’s mind. I like the edginess of his design: cold expression, arched brows, and a frightening amount of eyeliner. He looks like someone who really lives the motto that “cooking is a contest,” and I imagine the show’s philosophy is similar, so there won’t be a lot of faffing about, narratively speaking. The animation is a step below something like Campfire Cooking (and two steps south of Dungeon Meshi), and the best compliment I can give the art direction is “adequate,” but the food looks good once it’s plated, and it reaches those plating scenes on the intensity of the characters. I’m not likely to keep watching, but Iron Wok’s first course was by no means inedible.
Potential: 35%

Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus

Short Synopsis: Cute girls performing cute circus acts.

Mario: I might be selling Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus short with my description of it being a cute girls show. While it has an overwhelmingly female cast, with the only male being a terrible Dad, it is at its heart an underdog story about a circus troupe that tries to come out on top. We follow Mizuka, the daughter of said Dad who doesn’t want anything to do with the circus, yet finds herself tangled up in it somehow. That bit is where this episode does little to convince me, as it plays her opposed attitude for laughs. It’s when the episode gets more serious in the latter half that it improves, as Mizuka points out all the other members’ shortcomings and tries to push one of the other girls to her limits. Given that we don’t often see the inner workings of a circus in anime (at least not for more than a single episode), this show already has its niche. Personally, I will give it a couple more tries to see how it goes from here.
Potential: 20%

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia

Short Synopsis: A curious slave girl is sent to live with a scholarly family in 13th century Persia.

Wooper: I’d be surprised if there were another summer anime with as strong a start as Jaadugar, especially since it released its first two episodes simultaneously. Though I’ve only seen the first (as is my habit when writing blurbs for doubleheader premieres), I’m already quite taken with its well-realized setting and idyllic art style, which looks like something out of a Newbery Award-winning book. That’s not to say it’s for children – the show’s treatment of slavery as a fact of Persian life and the episode-ending look at a corpse-strewn battlefield make it a purposely adult affair. Still, the open-air spaces here are beautifully lit and textured, and the Middle Eastern score is a perfect complement to protagonist Sitara’s evolving intelligence. The story moves fast, as she goes from attempting to escape her owners to serving them diligently in not much time at all. Thankfully, though, there’s a rooftop scene where another character inspires her to seize as much knowledge for herself as she can, and it’s written so convincingly that even an eight year timeskip can’t throw the episode off course. What does throw it off course is the Mongols’ defeat of the local Persian army, which promises much bigger things to come, so the show still has a lot to prove. Still, it’s off to the best start possible.
Potential: 85%

Black Torch

Short Synopsis: A boilerplate shounen protagonist rescues a stray cat who happens to be a super powerful mononoke.

Wooper: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a rebellious, spiky-haired teenager who constantly gets into fights and learns martial arts from his grandfather is possessed by a malevolent animal-themed spirit. Oh, and the one female character introduced thus far has pink hair and big tits. As far as Black Torch is concerned, the question isn’t if its setup rings a bell, but whether it rings so many that its audience is rendered deaf. This is the work of someone whose only artistic influence is shounen manga, and while the anime adaptation struggles mightily to make it interesting, it falls far short of that goal. Sometimes we get backgrounds with a wide angle lens, but the characters aren’t drawn to match, and the smoky effects used to suggest evil energy (as in the scenes where Rago the Black Star of Doom reveals his true power) look convenient rather than impressive. And no, I didn’t make up that name just now – that’s the actual title of the cat-shaped mononoke who hops into the dying main character’s body at the episode’s end, giving him super awesome powers so he can fight demons for hundreds of chapters episodes! Get me outta here.
Potential: 10%

Iwamoto-senpai no Suisen

Short Synopsis: In a fictional Taisho era where the military funds a middle school to research supernatural power, a student sets out to investigate the mystery of black snow.

Mario: It’s not a good sign that even after finishing this episode, I cannot come up with what it’s actually about. It has many interesting elements, such as paranormal abilities and a Taisho era setting (at a military-funded academy no less), but the plot is so weak it doesn’t really hold up. We never get a sense of how much time has passed during the premiere, for instance. Heck, I can’t figure out exactly what Shizuma’s power is, either (that’s the purple haired guy). This episode serves more as a prologue so I guess from the next episode, it will focus more on the academy with this group of superpowered misfits. Sadly though, it doesn’t grab me enough for me to spend more time with it.
Potential: 10%

Kaiju Girl Caramelise

Short Synopsis: A high school girl’s body undergoes monstrous changes after going on a date with a boy.

Mario: I suppose this is one of the better titles out there (I mean the actual show’s title), as it suggests all the core elements of the show. “Caramelise” is there both because it has romance (sweetness) and because our protagonist Akaishi loves sweets. And yes, there is a girl and there definitely is a kaiju that appeared in this episode. One thing I really dug in this premiere was that Akaishi’s “conditions” work on several levels. As she feels any romantic emotions, she turns into a literal monster. That’s a rock solid premise to me. What doesn’t impress me so far is the romance itself, as it still ticks every rom-com checkbox there is, and moreover, it goes a bit too fast for the chemistry between Akaishi and her crush to settle in. In the end though, I am curious to see how it develops from here, especially on the personal growth front. As long as it focuses on Akaishi’s grasp on her new identity and isn’t prominently about the romance, then I’ll be a happy guy.
Potential: 40%

Kore Kaite Shine

Short Synopsis: Upon traveling to Comiket, a high school girl learns that her Japanese teacher is secretly a mangaka.

Wooper: Kore Kaite Shine (“Draw This, Then Die”) was one of the biggest wild cards of the season for me, being based on an award-winning manga but coming from a director whose past work I’ve not enjoyed. Having now seen its first episode, I’m glad to say that it turned out quite well – the character designs are somewhat neutered compared to those of the source material, but that’s my only real complaint. Protagonist Ai Yasumi’s love for manga strikes a nice balance of passion and obsession, stemming from its helpfulness in her social development as an awkward youngster. As a result, the moment when she finally purchases new work from her favorite long-dormant mangaka feels like a big payoff, and the twist (easily predicted, but still intriguing) that her buttoned-up teacher is the mangaka in question should pay major narrative dividends as the story unfolds. Shots of characters bursting from a comic book and scene transitions styled after the turning of a page keep the focus on manga the entire time, and Ai’s boundless enthusiasm helps maintain momentum from scene to scene, as well. Though it’s not a stunner on a visual level, Kore Kaite Shine has more heart than I expected, so I’ll be moving forward with it.
Potential: 70%

Chainsmoker Cat

Short Synopsis: A destitute catgirl living in squalor tries to get her nicotine fix by any means necessary.

Wooper: Chainsmoker Cat is bound to be the most controversial anime of the summer, which is a true feat given that it’s airing alongside Mushoku Tensei’s third season. Even before the toe-tapping pop punk OP kicks in (containing a visual homage to Fallen Angels, of all films), we see the title character Yaniko unwittingly dump a glass of cigarette butts and tar juice on her landlord’s head, then defecate violently after smoking a moldy cig she found in the trash. Oh, and the landlord? After catching Yaniko in a state of undress when confronting her, he vigorously masturbates to the memory of her half-nudity. So why did I keep watching this episode beyond those first two minutes, and why do I intend to continue with the show? After all, it’s just as disgusting, in its way, as all the bottom tier fantasy anime featuring slavery apologia and dubious sexual politics. The answer isn’t just amusement that such a nasty series ended up with such solid production (though the animation certainly helps), but an interest in what scenarios the show will create to reform Yaniko’s character, and how they’ll inevitably be foiled. The episode’s closing phone call where she promises to quit smoking, only for her sister to hear the sound of a lighter flicking to life through the speaker, isn’t just funny – it’s tragic, and the space between comedy and tragedy interests me. Perhaps the series will go on to exceed my personal grossness tolerance and I’ll end up dropping it, but for now I’m interested in what absurdity and humanity it can mine from its vice-laden cast.
Potential: YMMV

Smoking Behind the
Supermarket with You

Short Synopsis: A middle aged salaryman crushes on a cute supermarket cashier and ends up smoking in the back with a punk cashier who is most definitely a different person.

Amun: To be perfectly honest, I’m not watching nearly as much anime as I was a few years ago (I think I was averaging like 18-20 seasonals per season). I only watched a handful of sequels last season (plus a few meh freshmen outings) and caught up on some heavy hitters like Re:Zero and Apothecary Diaries. I wasn’t looking for anything serious – I just happened to read some hype about “Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You” and saw it on Crunchyroll (more on the weird release schedule in a minute). The first episode was alright, alright, I’d like to see another. Second mini episode, hey this is pretty good! Then you’ll finish the released episodes and start counting the days until the next release. Coming into this blind and a little burned out on anime – this is a breath of fresh air (well, full of responsible tobacco smoke I guess). This is a simple story, nothing insane, just with fantastic execution and character building. These are the lowest stakes possible – the world isn’t ending, the amounts of money at stake is minimal, the biggest drama is putting on the silliest charade you could imagine (this man is dense!). But the story is so endearing and engaging, I can’t help but be sad that we have to wait so long for the second half to come out. While this isn’t enough to bring me out of retirement, “Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You” definitely reminded me why I love anime – and why there are still some surprises left in the most unlikely of genres and gimmicks.
Potential: 99%

The World is Dancing

Short Synopsis: The son of a dance troupe leader in 14th century Japan searches for the reason why people dance.

Mario: Woah, you have to see this episode just for the dance sequence that rightfully takes our boy Oniyasha’s breath away. We certainly don’t see this level of crazy and loose animation in TV anime, if at all, but it fits the show’s theme like a glove. Apart from that though, I am not that invested in the narrative, or in any of the characters so far. Viewers will likely compare this show with works like Inu-Oh or Heike Monogatari as they are from the same era, but The World is Dancing reminds me strongly of The Exclusive Samurai (which also airs this season), especially the main character and the tone of trying to mix serious moments with goofy ones. His comedic side especially doesn’t work for me, but as far as the theme goes, questioning the very concept of dancing is interesting and I do want to see how the show goes from here.
Potential: 40%

Wooper: The shirabyoshi scene that Mario alludes above to is indeed this episode’s climax, but I can’t help but feel that it could have used more time in the oven. It runs for a little over a minute, so not every cut will be created equal, but there are some moments where it feels less like a moving watercolor painting and more like a series of sketches. This is the moment that’s meant to inspire the show’s young protagonist to reexamine his hatred of dance, but if I were him I might be more bewildered than inspired at what I’d just seen. Anyway, that’s enough raining on everybody’s sakuga parade – World is Dancing’s visual ambition is certainly cause for celebration, and that goes for the entire episode. The early introduction of the yet-unnamed Ashikaga Yoshimitsu on a rainy battlefield has a nice blotchiness to it, and the initial performance of Oniyasha’s stern-faced father was clearly labored over to create its necessary rigidity. Where the show comes up wanting is the story, so it doesn’t earn high marks just yet – hopefully that will come once Yoshimitsu gets some proper face time and the worlds of politics and dance begin to intersect.
Potential: 50%

The Cat and the Dragon

Short Synopsis: A dragon raised by a Cait Sith negotiates peace between humans and his extended feline family.

Wooper: The premiere of The Cat and the Dragon (Neko to Ryuu) uses its half hour to tell a complete story. A dragon is born, imprints on a magical cat who happens to be raising her litter nearby, and eventually uses his adult strength to force the nearby human population to discontinue hunting cats. All three species end up coexisting happily, roll credits. Without a major (or even minor) hook, it’s hard to recommend the show, even though the key visual makes it clear that the friendship between the human king’s descendents and their cat companions will be the forthcoming focus. Granted, the cats are cute, and while the animation for them and their winged uncle is less than stellar, the pronounced line art helps keep everything solid. Unfortunately, the boilerplate human settlement (walled off in a massive circle like 70% of all fantasy anime) will likely be the primary setting for future episodes, which I can’t say I’m excited about. Perhaps the titular dragon’s maturation ought to have remained the focus for more than two-thirds of a single episode. That way the shift of humans from predators to collaborators could have come later, and we could’ve had more fun in the forest leading up to that event.
Potential: 25%