Some Quick First Impressions: Somali to Mori no Kamisama, Koisuru Asteroid and Darwin’s Game

Somali to Mori no Kamisama

Short Synopsis: A self-described emotionless golem cares for a human child after discovering him alone in a forest.

Amun’s review:

Somali to Mori no Kamisama started off…interestingly. In a world where humans have been vanquished, a forest golem is wandering about with a child hellbent on getting eaten or generally dying. Actually, if you’ve ever had a child of your own, that seems about right. Also, this show has a jackalope – for that reason alone I might watch it. In all seriousness, this looks a bit more like Ancient Magus Bride meets Kino’s Journey than my initial thought of Natsume’s Book of Friends. I like the golem (no emotions but definitely street smart) and hate the kid. I think this show lives or dies on the dynamic between the two (moreso even than Kino and Hermes), but looks okay so far – and I love the supporting characters and world/scenery. I’m a little worried the ceiling is low and we might fizz out like Ancient Magus Bride did in the second half. Still seems worth at least a few episodes though.

Potential: 75%

Wooper’s review:

Why, Kenji Yasuda? Why would you pollute your show’s beautiful backgrounds with those ugly sunbeams? The world of Somali to Mori no Kamisama looks as though it was plucked straight from a book of fairy tales, and it boasts lots of creative creature designs to match. But I can’t get over those gaudy light rays – they’re present in every single exterior shot, so it’s not as though they’re easy to overlook. Oh well, there’s more to anime than composition and photography. Characters, for example, are quite important, and Somali’s are decent. The kid’s nonstop enthusiasm is cloying, but I’m a softie when it comes to that sort of thing, and so is the golem (despite his protests to the contrary). The golem’s design is awesome, from his laced mask to the all-seeing eye that rests beneath it. The orchestral score is also quite nice, bearing some eastern influence that makes Somali’s fantasy world feel distinct. This episode wasn’t a slam dunk by any means, but it was good enough that I’m likely to try another one.

Potential: 60%

 

Koisuru Asteroid

Short Synopsis: When a high school’s geology and astronomy clubs are combined, their members must learn to work together.

Mario’s review:

Koisuru Asteroid is your average CGDCT anime, nothing more, nothing less. Like a typical offering of the genre, we have a club with a varied set of characters, although the main focus is on the two new members who met before in their childhood. Those two share a solid chemistry, and the fact that this club is a joint club between astronomy and geology is interesting. At least so far the cast doesn’t overplay the cuteness (and silliness), and in addition the show handles the girls’ expression/reaction quite well (the hamburger remark, for example). While there isn’t much else from the show that could raise the bar into the exceptional level, if you’re into CGDCT anime then Koisuru Asteroid will do the job. Don’t expect it to cross over, though.

Potential: 20%

Wooper’s review:

Koisuru Asteroid borrows from a lot of other anime and surpasses none of them. The characters and their designs remind me of previous Doga Kobo series (especially New Game), so that’s nothing new. There are depth of field shots that go for the filmic look of Naoko Yamada’s work, but they don’t appear frequently enough to give the show that sort of visual identity. The music is reminiscent of Hourou Musuko’s piano-based soundtrack, which isn’t a bad thing by any means, but neither does it help the show stand out. The one thing I can wholeheartedly praise are the handful of scenes where the characters look up at the stars. The night skies in this show are very pretty, and the way the girls glow in the dark creates an appealing (if not necessarily realistic) contrast. As for their personalities and relationships, though, they could hardly keep my attention throughout the episode. I’m not opposed to cute girl shows on principle, but they have to exceed expectations for me to continue with them, and Koisuru Asteroid didn’t manage that.

Potential: 30%

 

Darwin’s Game

Short Synopsis: Cell phone game leads to death duels and…encounters of fate?

Lenlo’s review:

My first thought when watching Darwin’s Game was that it was a mediocre Mirai Nikki. Which considering my opinion of Mirai is a bit of an accomplishment. Really, I don’t know why this needed to be a double feature. It’s just two episodes smashed together, with clear endings and plots for each. Darwin’s Game doesn’t do anything interesting, or slow build the tension with the extra time at all. Like it could have spent the whole feature building up the tension with Banda. As far as production it was… alright, if you consider that it was basically made by 6 animators. Take that away and it’s pretty poor, but credit where it’s due for those poor folks who were understaffed for this. Meanwhile all the character designs all look very… squishy to me, very soft. As far as the show itself goes, eh. It seems like a pretty run of the mill death game. If you liked Mirai Nikki you might like this, if you didn’t like Mirai Nikki like myself, then this isn’t going to be for you.

Potential: 5%

Amun’s review:

Hey this wasn’t that bad! For the rumored lack of animators (apparently only 6), the double length feature, and a Gacha game, Darwin’s Game didn’t look promising. And okay, it wasn’t the most spectacular first episode – but for that few animators, it was great. You could tell there were some clever shortcuts (killing the lights to remove the need for backgrounds and a lot of closeups), but those were minor complaints. I will say, Blonde Yuno-lite had a few odd motions, and I think as the show goes on, those CG assists will show through more. Sadly, the plot looks pretty bland. Instead of capturing the magic of Mirai Nikki, this looks a bit more like One True Tatsuya plays a cellphone game. Here’s the plot: innately talented rookie assembles super team to defeat low rent baddies who cut off people’s fingers – all while discovering glimpses of the world’s secrets. I’m afraid there’s nothing here we haven’t seen before, but if you’re looking for low-brow, low-budget action, I guess this is for you?

Potential: 10%

7 thoughts on “Some Quick First Impressions: Somali to Mori no Kamisama, Koisuru Asteroid and Darwin’s Game

  1. I rather enjoyed the first episode of Somali to Mori no Kamisama. The beautiful backgrounds and the vibe it gives off make it pleasent to watch and the design of the forest animals and some of the monsters were quite intriguing. I’m just hopeing the show won’t be as heavy on drama and most importantly that Somali won’t scream and run off every single episode.
    One thing that bothered me was the lazy retelling of how humans were wiped out. I feel like that could have been handled better, for example if Somali found out about it herself.

  2. I rather enjoyed the first episode of Somali to Mori no Kamisama. The beautiful backgrounds and the vibe it gives off make it pleasent to watch and the design of the forest animals and some of the monsters were quite intriguing. I’m just hopeing the show won’t be as heavy on drama and most importantly that Somali won’t scream and run off every single episode.
    One thing that bothered me was the lazy retelling of how humans were wiped out. I feel like that could have been handled better, for example if Somali found out about it herself.

    1. I thought the exact same thing about the backstory of humanity in Somali. It really disrupted the flow of the episode, and the worst part is, it didn’t even need to be included. The scene immediately afterwards sees two monsters talking about how delicious humans are, implying that they were killed for their meat. Sprinkle a couple more references to human hunting over the next couple episodes, and you’d communicate the same information as before, while creating a much more immersive history for your show.

  3. The shot at the end of Asteroid, with the girls talking on the phone, was the first time I’ve ever seen an accurate portrayal of an actual constellation — Orion, with the different relative brightness and colors of the stars correct (red Betelgeuse in particular).

    1. Good to know they’ve done their research! There were a handful of very detailed backgrounds in the premiere, so I guess that attention to detail extends beyond mere appearance.

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