Ballroom e Youkoso
Short Synopsis: A boy begins to take lessons at a ballroom dancing studio.
While not a bad adaption, I personally prefer how this was handled in the manga. The anime skips over the same details but it’s the small details that make all the difference. Such as the bashful blush when the protagonist was praising his mentors dance video. Nonetheless this is still more interesting than you would think it would be. I am not keen on the length of the characters necks at times and the animation is clearly avoiding showing too much dancing as we got plenty in this series can can’t afford to go all out in the training stages. But it’s still a fun show about a topic I didn’t think I would be interested in. However this series manages to make ballroom dancing quite engaging and intriguing. Unlike our previous quiz show it’s not heavy on the sports tropes and with two cours we should at least get decently far into the story. If this manages to capture the spirit of the manga then it will certainly be a show to keep an eye on during this season. Highly recommend checking this one out.
Potential: 85%
Mario: It has been a week since the start of the new season, but this weekend is where all the goods start to deliver. We kick things off with this highly participated Ballroom e Youkoso and for the most part the show provides a solid introduction to the well-received manga. I read the first two chapters after watching the anime to see how faithful the anime adapts its source, found out that while they do cut some unnecessary part, I enjoy the manga source a little better. The main lead isn’t that memorable in the anime and for a show about ballroom dancing, there isn’t any actual dancing animation in this premiere – I’m perfectly fine with the latter issue, as this first episode is all about introduce the main guy (and us) to the world of ballroom dancing and it did a magnificent job. I still can’t fathom the fact he was dancing all night (what caring parents) but overall, it’s well-paced, with good chemistry between the cast. Unlike Dive!! which I have an issue with amateur trying to reach the top, this show understands and makes a point of how much hard-work and pain the professionals have been through to achieve what they dream for. So far this show receives a solid execution and I suspect Ballroom will be one of the most reliable entertaining show of this season.
Potential: 80%
Made in Abyss
Short Synopsis: A girl that lives in a town surrounding an abyss discovers a robot boy.
And the winner of best first episode of the 2017 summer season goes to…Made in Abyss! For someone who didn’t quite get into the manga it’s quite a surprise to see how much of a different animation can make. We got Ghibli vibes here and the animation and visuals are beautiful. Music too is excellent and if this can keep it up then it really could be one hell of a show. Of course it’s only the first episode and as well executed as it is there have been plenty of anime which have started with just as much promise and failed to deliver. That said there appears to be confidence in the source material coming from those that read it and the studio looks to be giving it love. I plan on picking this one up to blog so I will be following all the way to see how it turns out. I say this only once every season and here I say it again. If you plan on watching only one anime this season, then watch this.
Potential: 90%
Mario: Made in Abyss is hands down the most exciting title in this Summer season so far. The best thing about this show lies in its gorgeous, detailed and well-realized art backgrounds, which already the abyss, and the lead’s city feel vivid and welcoming. Despite the childish look, the story aims for more serious tone along its way. Like, the robot boy who despite his robot design, talk and think like a human (he still regarded himself as one), which could imply that someone turn him from a child into a robot, not for good reason. The world-building is so rich, and the way the show just lays down those details through the normal adventure-through-the abyss day and not shove all the details to our face further tell us how much confidence they have for the show. The animation is consistently great and the soundtracks are a delight. I could go on forever but let just conclude that the show has a very strong foundation: confident tones, engaging characters, lustful background and a story that has a lot of potential, both in deepen its theme and engage the viewers; backed up by the creativeness of both the source material and the top-notch production. My favorite pet for this season.
Potential: 90%
Vatican Kiseki Chousakan
Short Synopsis: Two investigative priests are sent to a school to verify a miracle of god.
The setup here is full of potential and I really dig it. All throughout this episode it looked to set up a great mystery and establish the setting and characters. There is just one big problem. The pacing just just far too fast. I don’t know why but the speed of things happening on screen was far too fast and soon characters had barely enough time to say their lines before the story moved on. As a result things moved too fast for any of it to sink in. It was a bit like watching a show on fast forward. There isn’t any time to put emotional weight to anything so it all passes by with me relatively detached and apathetic. On the other hand I felt that parts of this show were far too overdramatic for what is a relatively serious topic. So far it has potential but how good it turns out will depend on whether they can slow down the pacing.
Potential: 60%
Mario: It has been a while since we encounter the thriller/ mystery case-of-a-week, here all the cases are related to Christianity which already sound like a rare treat. Most of the time it succeeds on what it promises. The case rooted deep within Christian context, although of course they fire it up a notch, which bordering on taking itself too seriously. Two minor things that really bother me, first is the pacing which sometimes feel too abrupt, and second is the characters themselves as never at once I feel that I can relate to those people. I don’t know if later development would focus on the lead’s mental breakdown or not but there is a sign that one of them is very very unstable, he’s seriously more uncanny than those who suspected of blasphemy here. Aside from those, it’s a pleasure that we are treated to the topic that underexplored in this anime industry, and the case so far is so intrigued and the productions are mostly on par that I don’t find this one has any problem to reach wider audience out there.
Potential: 70%
