Undead Girl Murder Farce
Short Synopsis (Anichart): The 19th century — a world inhabited by vampires, golems, werewolves and other paranormal creatures. Immortal beauty and disembodied head Aya Rindo, along with half-human-half-demon “Demon Killer” Tsugaru Shunichi and her loyal maid Shizuku Hasei, travels through Europe as supernatural detective “The Cage User,” solving supernatural mysteries while she searches for her lost body.
Lenlo: Undead Girl Murder Farce is easily the most engaging and interesting premier I have watched so far. Part of that is the narrative, heading to Europe to hunt down a killer and mad scientist on a mutual quest is just good fun. And of course it helps that the characters have this chemistry of mutual dismissal/disrespect/just not giving a shit that makes just them talking to each other interesting. More than any of that though, the show is just really really well shot. I don’t mean well animated or well drawn or anything, though those are also true. Just the way it frames all of its scenes kept me engaged from start to finish. Suffice to say, I’m really looking forward to this now and it’s my current favorite of the season.
Potential: 90%
Amun: Watching this, I can’t help but compare it to “Case Study of Vanitas”, which isn’t the best anime, but I very much enjoy. And I think that’s the ceiling here – a fun romp across Europe with some supernatural dynamics being explored with a new character every week. This episode really did everything right…except the fights. The overly artistic framing choices were just unnecessary, and honestly a waste of animation. I want to see the fight straight on, not through a puddle of water, sheesh. That’s a pretty small complaint, but I hope the direction doesn’t get overly artistic and forget that the viewers want to see what’s going on as well. Everything else was spot on – character introductions, setting up the premise, the big finale…great first episode. I think we’ll get into a rhythm with a mystery per week and breadcrumbs to the overall boss – and that’s great. I’ll be here for it.
Potential: 90% [The rarest of the Lenlo and Amun agreements!]
Okashi na Tensei
Short Synopsis (Anichart): A boy named Pastry is set to become the next lord of the destitute dominion of Morteln. He’s known for having remarkable talent for his age… and it just so happens he was a genius pastry chef with a promising future in his previous life! He still retains his determination to make sweets that will make everyone smile, even after reincarnating as Pastry. But many challenges stand before him, including bandits attacking his domain, malicious and eccentric nobles, an unfortunate financial situation, and land so barren that even water is scarce. The only weapons he has to fight them with are his own ingenuity and love for making sweets. Can Pastry succeed in bringing happiness to the land?!
Amun: Uh, meh. This is pretty standard fare as far as isekai go. I guess I view this as an inferior (and unnecessarily isekai’d) version of “Sugar Apple Fairy” airing later this season. There wasn’t anything terribly wrong with this episode, but there wasn’t anything terribly right. For a better (although way more harem-y), check out the farm simulator isekai from a few seasons ago. I might watch one more (I guess two came out pretty quickly?), but this is going to be low priority for me – if I even get to it.
Potential: 20%
Lenlo: You know as far as Isekai go, this is simultaneously one of the more standard of the season and one of the weirder. It’s normal in that it’s a traditional reincarnation story into a child in another world. And in that sense, it’s so painfully average. The weird part is that the one being isekai’d is actually a respectable and successful adult with their own dreams, skills and accomplishments, and that gives them a sense of purpose/goals from very early on, however silly they may be. The sad part is that it doesn’t really do anything with it. Instead just falling back on all the same silly, basic tropes of the genre and bad jokes like cross dressing and such. I wasn’t expecting much, so I’m not terribly disappointed, but for a moment I thought maybe this could at least stand with the vending machine, you know?
Potential: 40%
