Some Quick First Impressions: Just Because!, Ousama Game and Infini-T Force

Just Because!

Short Synopsis: Two old friends reunite in high school as a new semester begins for their classmates.

Mario’s review

Damnit, like it or not, a comparison between this one and Tsuki ga Kirei will certainly rise because they produce the same atmosphere, with the same focus on teen romance and their growths and even the emphasis on social chatting amongst teen. At that, there are two elements that work against Just Because, the first being the low-frame rates. Considering it’s from Pine Jam, a relatively new studio, and I witnessed how they struggled at maintaining the production quality in Gamers, I have my concerns. For the show that focuses heavily on quiet, static moments this issue might be not that critical, but even then if the first episode was already that shaky I am worried on how the rest would turn out. Second, the character designs aren’t that good to be honest, they’re kinda plain, neither realistic (multiple hair colors here) nor special. For the show’s credits, only with one episode the main players have enough character actions and you can see each of them have their own circle of friends and their own lives, something I find really well done. There’s a solid chemistry between two lead males here and I hope that they can provide that same amount of dynamic between each member of the main cast. The ending certainly hits its home-run but can they maintain that sparks throughout the rest of its run? I’m definitely looking for more and I hope people can shake off their Tsuki ga Kirei’s comparison because it doesn’t do either Tsuki ga Kirei or Just Because any good.

Potential: 70%

 

Wooper’s Review

I have to be honest – I was nearly catatonic by the end of this episode. Just Because wasn’t one of my most anticipated shows of the season coming into this premiere, but its emphasis on characters and mood is just what I look for in my anime. If I had to pick a word to describe the mood of this series, though, it would be “sleepy.” That’s not just because watching it made me tired, either; the main character sports an “I got three hours of sleep last night” expression for most of his time on screen, and the show’s low-energy conversations between classmates don’t provide much of a hook. I’m down for naturalism and table setting and all that good stuff, but there ought to be a reason to keep watching week after week, and I didn’t find that here. The show split itself too thin between its five primary cast members, which rendered the final home run scene totally impotent, even with its marching band score and slow-motion finish. I would have preferred a narrower focus on Eiji and Haruto, complete with glimpses of their past friendship/rivalry, to strengthen the final moments of the episode. The reveal that Eiji’s old flame attends his new school is good news for fans of love pentagons, but given how messy and unfocused this episode was, I can’t recommend it to any other subset of anime fans.

Potential: 40%

 

Ousama Game

Short Synopsis:

AidanAK47’s review

Oh, forgive me. I made a small misunderstanding with the preview of this show. I originally thought this would be an adaption of the first story in the series but it appears they decided to adapt the sequel instead. That said, everything I said in the preview still applies here and boy, this is awful. I mean this is just terrible. The main character is busy being a mopey emo after going though the events of the first story and it’s hard to have sympathy when we don’t know what he went through and when he just seems to have a chronic problem of not explaining himself. I mean he could explain the situation to the classroom and give them decent forewarning but instead keeps saying vague warnings and evidently argers everyone, including the audience. Still this may have so bad it’s good value to some as it really is just like a low budget slasher film. However if you think you might get something of genuine value out of this then I am sorry to say you would be greatly mistaken.

Potential: 0%

 

Mario’s review

This show is beyond stupid. Are we supposed to root for that guy in all honesty? He is the worst-written character I’ve seen this year. It’s cringe-worthy just to see him doing every stupid action. And then some big-boob girl actually falls for him? AT FIRST SIGHT? Haizz. Then the game rules that make no sense. Don’t the rules say they have 24 hours to carry the order, so why the heck many of them being punished here? Then the orders are really stupid: Student A has to touch student B’s breast, because… ORDER! And then the killings are silly as well, what’s with all the supernatural deaths? To be frank, if they throw some creative ideas into those I mentioned above, I could give it another try (I still don’t mind Final Destination franchise for example, at least in that franchise I want to see how the deaths play out). This one is as lazy as it gets, and it even manages to be boring despite its death-game hook. Give me my time back. Inconceivable!

Potential: 0%

 

Infini-T Force

Short Synopsis:  Various famous Tonkatsu heroes are summoned into another world to fight a new threat  

AidanAK47’s review

Well it’s Japanese Tonkatsu Avengers! I will admit to only recognising two out the the cast of four but they all seem to be fairly famous tonkatsu icons.(Though I don’t see Kamen Rider anywhere) The visuals are pretty impressive by 3D animation standards but I do admit that at times it felt like I was watching a video game FMV sequence. Lots of flashbacks to Final Fantasy FMV, that’s for sure. So far it’s fairly watchable but I think this will be on the more campy side of things. For one I was rolling my eyes as one of our heroes talks to the blatantly obvious villain with the french phrases and didn’t happen to catch on that he might be evil. Action is quite good though I think the story is already stretching itself to accommodate shoving all these heroes from other universes. This is more a show for those fond of Tonkatsu fans as I did feel at times that I missing something due to be ignorant of the heroes themselves.

Potential: 30%

 

Mario’s review

Such a guilty pleasant surprise, because by no means should Infini-T Force work for me. I loathe Superheroes action genre, I am unfamiliar with those franchises the show crossovers, and I’m not fond with full CGI shows. On the last point, it’s mainly because full CGI animated shows look disorienting most of the time. Those I partly enjoyed (RWBY, some Chinese wuxia shows, Miraculous Ladybug and last year’s BBK/BRK) are understandably action-oriented shows, since those CG looks the most impressive in fight sequences. This show has that benefits and I can call the cast designs as attractive. The plot runs really thin here as with 2 episodes, it’s already full of plot holes and it runs like a game format now with all the villains waiting for our heroes in the stadium. But here I find myself enjoying it. The main cast is fun with lousy and campy dialogues and the production is solid enough for me to enjoy. At least I will follow it for a few more weeks.

Potential: 30%