Spring 2022 Impressions: Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Love All Play

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

Short Synopsis: Japanese student gets isekai’d, thrown out, and…??? Plus stabby, hot priests.

Amun: Ah ha, I didn’t fall for that twist this time! This first episode actually mirrored Talentless Nana pretty closely – zealot assassins, tragic super-powered individuals, and lots of intrigue and trickery. Executioner and Her Way of Life (which randomly has Virgin in the Japanese translation?) looked better than I expected, but I can already tell this is a show whose service is blood splatter, not boobs. The battle style looks like magic casting and knife work – which is strangely contradictory, when you have to lug around a giant book but rely on being nimble and stabby. The fight scenes just felt a tad off – characters too. Our lead’s garter-knife-holster-thing is clearly her distinctive trait, but honestly, they skimped out on her actual thighs – so why are we looking there in the first place? I think the biggest difference between Talentless Nana and Executioner is that Nana straight away had more depth than just another poor-orphan-turned-assassin. Executioner felt like it had only one speed and just tried to hide it with some banter. It’s fine, I guess, if the genre “helpless Japanese schoolchildren get knifed to death before they blow up the world” is your thing. I know I asked for different takes on the isekai genre, but for me – this ain’t it.
Potential: 15%

Lenlo: The most striking thing about Virgin Road is that it’s legitimately well produced. Like seriously, this is way better looking than it has any right being. It’s still off in places, like the combat against the noble thugs was pretty meh. But the facial expressions, stuff like the “white” scene, those looked nice! And as far as the actual plot is concerned, I’m down. Unlike Amun I didn’t actually see the twist coming, I was mentally preparing myself for another shitty Kirito situation the whole time, so this was a pleasant surprise for me. If anything I’m more annoyed that the boob humor and such carried over past the reveal. I was really hoping that was only part of the opening fake-out but it looks like that will be here to stay. Assuming it plays its cards right, what with the potential for “repeating” powers like Flare said and some possible moral quandaries with this dream, I think this could have some potential. More than most seasonal isekai bullshit that is. Just be ready for it to crash and burn into mediocrity at any point and I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Potential: 20%

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai

Short Synopsis: Komi-san got shorter!

Lenlo: Let’s be real, this is just the latest loli-bait show. It’s trying to cash in on the demure social anxiety shtick of Komi-san, only this time with a loli. One could argue I’m overreacting a bit, they are 1st year high schoolers, some of them are just short. But you can design those without them looking like children. It’s comical her difference in height with everyone else. The one saving grace this show has is that it’s moving at a pace where they might actually become a couple. And that’s great! Too many anime end right as characters get together, never exploring the actual important part of a relationship… the relationship. If it can do that then this might end up worth your time. And if not? Well you can probably at least get some wholesome, cutesy, low-carb fun out of it.
Potential: 10%

Mario: Aharen-san the show is cute and sweet but its formula has been done a hundred times before, most notably just last year with Komi-san. The whole plot has one main gimmick: Raido tries his best to figure out what Aharen thinks, and she’s unorthodox at best (or at worst). What I find a bit hard to fully commit to their relationship is that Aharen-san never comes off as a full-fledged character to me, despite this premiere paying a lot of attention to her. Secondly, the story beats ride on the same jokes so far, hence it definitely feels longer than its 20 minutes mark. I suppose the show will extend its cast in the next few episodes, but I”m still not totally invested in the story so I won’t be checking its 2nd episode out.
Potential: 20%

Amun: Hey, I very much enjoyed Komi-san – and I liked Aharen-san’s first episode more. Feels more grounded and less dazzling production. The jokes landed for me, and the lack of scream-until-it’s-funny is refreshing.
Potential: 70%

Love All Play

Short Synopsis: A bashful soon-to-be high schooler is invited to join a renowned badminton team.

Wooper: The most notable thing I could spot about Love All Play in this first episode was evidence of the voice director’s distaste for naturalism. A good chunk of the side characters here came across as though their actors had been given very pointed pep talks before recording. Friend #1’s supportive tone verged on incredulity that the main character would ever feel self-doubt, Friend #2’s silliness hardly registered as human, and Math Teacher’s aggressive friendliness had me feeling sorry for whatever students he sees on a daily basis. Once you go further up the cast list the performances get closer to mediocrity, which brings them in line with this premiere as a whole. A story about a kid getting an offer to attend a particular high school and discussing his options with friends and family needs to distinguish itself in order to attract an audience, but Love All Play has no eye for drama – the protagonist is uninteresting, his enrollment is a foregone conclusion, and we learn nothing that marks it as a worthy victory in the broader course of his life. If the novel from which this show comes is much the same as the anime, I doubt I’d make it past the first chapter.
Potential: 20%

Lenlo: Look I love sports anime more than most people here, that’s just a fact. But even I’m getting tired of the recent flood of 2nd-string series that producers are hoping will replace Haikyuu now that the manga is over. There’s just nothing about it that piques my interest. That makes me think “This is something different”. At least Volley-Bu, for all its faults and it had many, managed to create a unique and engaging hook both with its location and characters. But Love All Play? I just watched the episode and I already can’t remember who any of these people are! Add on to that this really weird plot point where the parents are upset that their kid got a sports scholarship to a prestigious highschool? Isn’t that like… a huge thing, what with college prep and such? Combine all that with the lackluster voices and I’m just not feeling this show. Maybe it picks up, its original novel series was good enough to get 4 novels after all. You might find something you like. I just know I’m not going to bother finding out.
Potential: 5%