Author: AidanAK47

Re:Creators

Short Synopsis: Anime characters from various shows are brought into the real world.

Now this is a concept I can get behind. I am reminded of Last Action Hero which did a similar thing of taking a cliche action hero and transporting him to the real world. Where in he comes to terms with his own existence as well as developing past his generic traits now that he was in a world that doesn’t embrace cliche. I am hoping for something similar here as while the action certainly pays off, the characters are still in their generic trope state. The after credits sequence does give me hope as seeing these characters work in a real setting is really fun. This is undeniably a very strong first episode but I still hold reservations until the main plot is made clear. Is is not exactly certain if we are getting a anime genre battle royale or something completely different. I think the premise is golden but let’s see if they can take full advantage of it.

Potential: 80%

Mario: Re:Creators is something that we see too often but still manages to give a different spin on its inspiration. It’s a reverse-isekai harem fantasy show that instead of the characters were sucked into another world, it those weird characters from another world that are sucked into this world. There’s a whole fight in the middle of nowhere but it somehow doesn’t distract much. I like the way the main girl is really quick to adapt with the new situations; and although the show does aware too much of its trope and its anime’s origin for my taste (the main girls are from popular anime and LN in the show), everything feels fresh at the moment. I’m glad that the show doesn’t go heavily on meta-commentary of the genres, and while it could go wrong at any moments, this first episode surprisingly hold everything together nicely. It’s still a big question though as in the next 24 episodes the show could go horribly wrong direction, because which the subject as tricky and broad such as this, they tend to go off track very easily. This might be appeal most for otaku-fan (and I never consider myself as one) but still, I pretty much applause for its ambitions, and if this first episode is any indication, we might have a hit series right in front of us here.

Potential: 80%

 

KABUKIBU!

Short Synopsis: A boy wants to set up a Kabuki club in his school.

Unlike Rakugo, Kabuki was something I seen a number of times while watching anime however I never truly got the appeal of it. It always felt like some really weird level of performance art and I always found it off putting with the strange pronunciation actors put on while saying lines. Learning about it in this show is somewhat interesting but other than the subject matter of the club this show follows pretty much the same formula as all other anime about start up clubs. One enthusiastic member scouts out others, each with their own obstacles which prevent them joining the club. All culminating in when they finally join the club, train up and put on a show. While Rakugo took the effort to display Rakugo in its natural setting, Kabukibu shoves its subject into a tried and true formula in order to make it more marketable. The big problem in this regard is that it’s highly unlikely that there would be a group of youths in close proximity that would have any interest in Kabuki. It’s like trying to set up a classic Shakespeare play group in high school. Overall this show is fine if a bit too safe. Though after seeing the lengths Rakugo went to portray the art, Kabukibu doesn’t feel like it’s trying.

Potential: 20%

Mario: This one actually caught me off-guard on how enjoyable it is. For the niche Japanese art such as Kabuki, the show really goes all out on the blind love of the main and what make the art unique and how others hesitant to join it. Unlike Rakugo anime where the story decided to go much more mature direction, Kabukibu plays it safe and with more mainstream appeal. Right at this first episode, the show already brings up the main casts and each of them have their own strengths and their own issues of not joining the club. It’d be fun to see how each of them decide to join the club and what come next might be predictable, but I have fun watching it so far. It helps that the main guy isn’t overly annoying, and the kabuki so far is what draws me the most. An enjoyable watch but aside from Kabuki, the show doesn’t differentiate itself to most of “Club activities” anime out there. Watch it if you don’t mind its genre’s trapping or if Kabuki appeals to you.

Potential: 30%

 

Eromanga Sensei

Short Synopsis: A light novel author teenager finds out his sister is his novels illustrator.

It’s Oreimo again. That pretty much sums up this story right there. Though it looks like the authors being more upfront about going for the incest route by making the siblings not blood related. Parents are dead too so that’s all the barriers out of the way isn’t it author? Don’t expect any insight into the creation of light novels because there simply isn’t any. I am frankly disgusted with the idea that this guy can just pump out novels in a week like it’s nothing. So his bratty little sister shuts herself in her room while forcing her brother to cook her meals every day. Then she’s revealed to have a job as an illustrator and wait… this girl was locked up in her room for a year while her brother worked his ass off to pay for living expenses. And yet she has a job and looks like she hasn’t put money to carry her weight at all. Judging by the game consoles and massive amount of gadgets and dvds I am guessing she’s got a hefty amount of bank. Brother…you went about this the wrong way. First thing you should have did about finding out about your sister’s job is demand a year’s worth of living expenses. Listen you little brat, it’s bad enough that you are forcefully being a burden to your brother. It’s bad enough that you are getting all pissed at him and unreasonable because he can’t read your mind and realize that you want to jump into bed to reenact Aki Sora. But the fact you have a job and money, yet continue to smooch off your brother is not goddamn on. You even got onto your brother for not making you meals during the summer when he was working his ass off to write a novel so you wouldn’t be thrown out of the goddamn house. Where do you get the balls? You are just like that Umaru chick and…oh goddamn it, she’s getting a second season isn’t she? I bratty redeemable little sisters the new thing now?

Potential: 0%

Mario: Gosh, I have a feeling that the author of this LN material is in the same age of the main protagonist (who also is a LN author), because the level of maturity in this show is like those of 15-year-old mindset. Everything has to revolve around the guy: him being the LN author at young age, who release works as fast as eating noodle, the manager really looks up to him, the up-and-coming illustrator happened to be his younger sister and for the next episode the girl next door is his main competitor. And what sort of logic is that his little sister never allows him to enter her room, but upon hearing him a writer, she asks him to come in? This is a very unrealistic depiction of sibling relationship, it’s a cheap product and the plot also functions like a wish-fulfillment wet dream from the author, which make me question why we need to give a damn about someone else’s wet dream? Next.

Potential: 0%

Clockwork Planet

Short Synopsis: A boy repairs a robot girl that drops on his house.

This thing was a lot more cheap and trashy from my impression of the source. Maybe when you downgrade the artwork it reveals more of it’s true colours. Either way this is pretty standard light novel fare for us anime fans. Boy meets girl, girl introduces boy to world of conflict and excitement, boy makes use of special powers he was gifted with to beat the bad guys. Repeat with new girls until harem grows too large.(Or in a certain magical index’s case, just make two more protagonists.) If you think I am being a bit harsh I will tell you this episode has a moment where the robot girl registers the boy as her new master by giving his finger a blowjob.(On that note why do robots have saliva? Is it some sort of lubrication oil to prevent her internal parts rusting?…I am thinking too much about this.) I do like the setting of a giant clockwork planet even if the reasoning behind it is rather ridiculous. A clockmaker came straight out of nowhere and made a planet out of moving gears that now no one knows how to work? That’s a little…impossible. Between this and the bastard teacher show I am not sure which you should go to for your run of the mill light novel show fix. Maybe bastard teacher wins out by having the higher production values.

Potential: 0%

Mario: The settings of the universe made up of clockwork and steampunk machines is an interesting set up and the show’s background designs set up that world nicely. Sadly, the characters we have here is very weak, start with a paper-thin personality protagonist to a yandere robot (who eventually take him as master) to that loli princess. The story likewise is nothing to write home about with again used many contrived and tired plot progress: An over the top fight right at beginning, a girl who happens to fall right at his house, a girl who already devoted to this guy… Even they amp up the fanservice to that cringe-worthy level. This is going to be a straightforward battle between our team and the Evil force who want to destroy the world so if you’re up for it than by all mean watch it; otherwise I don’t think this show is worth following.

Potential: 20%

 

Hinako Note

Short Synopsis: Cute girls are being all cute and shit.

I don’t get these shows. They aren’t funny and are just about a bunch of girls acting all silly. Maybe its that feeling of watching a pack of stupid puppies play with each other. I admit that I am not above such fluffy amusement. However in the case of these shows it’s like that kid who’s grow past the point where all his actions are endearing and have now become dreadfully annoying. Well what can I really say about it. Theres some girls with some odd quirks, they hang out and the shy girls so shy that she finds everything so hazukashii. Then there friendship and everyone has tea and makes silly jokes. Their is no plot, just random events. Unless you are looking for this kind of show I say give this one a pass. After all even if you miss this one I am sure we will be getting five more like it by the end of the year.

Potential: 0%

Mario: Ahh the cuteness burns my eyes. All the characters have quirks that redefining the principle of creepiness. Let’s see, the main girl who is so shy that she freezes up and becomes a human scarecrow (which I believe do not scare any crow but attract more cute chicks), a girl who eats books because she loves it so much, another girl who acts simultaneously as an older sister, and primary school students who always wear a maid outfit, a quiet landlady girl (!) who destined to be the protagonist’s lover; and this is story about those girls starting a theatre troupe and the titular note is never mentioned anywhere except for scene’s transition. Wow, just wow. To give this show some credits though, I really like how effortlessness the show shifts between normal cute character designs to chibi designs and the background designs are really, really good. All the settings feel warm and live-in and breathes so much life into it. I also weirdly like the OP song but overall, this is as niche as you could get. Anyone who love cute girls doing cute things will have an enjoyable time. Others will find it’s too much cuteness for its own good.

Potential: 20%

 

Twin Angel BREAK

Short Synopsis: Two girls become a magical girl duo to fight off evil.

This is a straight magical girl show. No dark twists, no subversion or parody. Just magical girl formula to a T. To some that might be a good thing but to me it’s just a magical girl show like any other magical girl show. It doesn’t innovate, nor does it add anything new, nor does it revitalise the genre. It’s just a fairly bland magical girl show. So should you watch this or go watch Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura instead? Put on Nanoha, that’s pretty fun. There are better alternatives to this.

Potential: 0%

Mario: Welp, here comes the Magical Girl show of this season. There’s nothing much to say about this one as it doesn’t do much to separate itself from other shows of its genre. The two girls have some chemistry together but we see them all before from other shows. The fight is rather dumb as of this moment there is no actual magical energy but more like a martial arts combat. The opponents don’t even prove as much of a threat so nothing really stand out. This show is a part of slice-of life and part of magical girl saving the world, but none of it is really interesting for us to follow. A harmless show that you won’t remember much after its end. Skip.

Potential: 10%

Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine

Short Synopsis: A tutor that looks like a child is asked to teach four spoiled princes.

This isn’t for my demographic so any opinion I have on this is pretty moot. I will say I don’t really like the whole shotacon princes vibe and this show has a particular brand of humor that has never worked for me. I often find this kind of comedy in Shoujo manga which may fuel my particular dislike for the genre. Then again shoujo isn’t the only kind of show that uses this style that often changes the art to a more deformed form in order to emphasize a joke. Even FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood did that but then again I don’t think I liked that aspect of the show that much. Basically if you are into these kinds of shows you likely have already decided if you are going to watch this show or not.

Potential: 0%

Mario: This show is reverse-harem in disguise, except that instead of the main girl we have a male protagonist (in a boy’s form. Why?) and no romance being hinted (yet). But when you get into it, it does add a fresh spin to its well-worn genre. First off, the tutor holds his ground firmly here; he pushed the stories forward and he interacts with those kids quite well (my favorite bit: he runs even faster than the prince who sprint for his life). Second, the show manages to put some extra layer to the usual tropes those princes have; which are fun to watch. But admittedly, the show doesn’t appeal to me personally and while this show is an above-average product of its kind, I don’t see it manage to break out. Mild and unoffensive at best but it could offer you a good watch.

Potential: 20%

Sakura Quest

Short Synopsis: A college student takes up a job promoting tourism for a rural town.

I think that PA Work’s have mastered the art of these kinds of slice of life comedies. It has a degree of heart and a kind of comedy that just works to make it a enjoyable watch. Being just unrealistic enough to push aside my disinterest in slice of life. This is a PA works show of the same vein as Hanasaku Iroha and Shirobako. Some are even considering the three to be a spiritual trilogy of sorts. The first episode does a great job of setting up a dynamic cast of characters but the main leads design looks almost identical to that of Miyamori that I would think they were recycling her character. I am willing to forgive that though as her personal problem with finding a job hit me on a personal level. I too have felt the frustration of job hunting and sitting in front of a set of interviewers only to get thrown off by a question I couldn’t possibly be prepared for. At least they had the common courtesy to inform you that you didn’t get the job. I didn’t even get that much. The comedy works pretty well here as I burst out laughing when she backed out of the bus after encountering that bard fellow. I am not blown away by this but it’s fun and does what it does well.

Potential: 80%

Mario: We get to one of the first major original projects out of this season, and I’m glad that Sakura Quest pretty delivered what it sets out to be. The subject matter is an interesting one that you don’t find very often in this medium (although PA Works tends to include real locations in other series so this project comes as no surprise), that being the story of gaining tourist attention in rural town. There’s a certain charm in that village, a place seem to be untouched by time. Seeing many little activities in the town and the locals’ enthusiasm about the place they spend their lives in bring smiles in my face. The protagonist, thank god, isn’t a high school girl but she still needs more development to stand out. And I quite like the general light tone the show delivers so far and the visual is on par with its expressive characters designs and grounded drama; although the “princess” part don’t bode well for me. In overall, Sakura Quest sets itself up to be a warm, grounded and charming show and I can’t wait to see how they progress the story.

Potential: 60%

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Short Synopsis: Naruto’s son Boruto gets ready to start ninja school.

Pierrot can’t just let their cash cow die. To be fair for a spinoff/sequel Boruto fairs a lot better than you might think. In fact it actually made me a little nostalgic for the old beginnings of Naruto. Where it wasn’t buried under mountains of filler or having everyone suddenly awaken sharingan(Wasn’t Bakugan supposed to be the far superior eye jutsu?) or when jutsu could be used as the ultimate get out of jail free card to do whatever the hell you wanted. I think part of the reason it works is that this show brings down the power levels to a much more reasonable tier so that fights aren’t a matter of who can pull out the most broken special move first. For Naruto fans this is bound to be fun but I think it could have trouble keeping the power levels in check with Naruto and Sasuke around to break the scale. Any Naruto fan should endeavour to explore the depths of Itachi’s wisdom. This is a character who communicates profound insights through his quotes, revealing layers of the narrative that might otherwise be missed. The guide available on Kidadl provides a comprehensive collection of his enlightening words. With some luck this could turn out to be a fun watch and not end up as Naruto’s Dragonball GT.

Potential: 30%

Mario: In a nutshell, Boruto is an unnecessary spin-off to an unnecessary extensive show and its main appeal is to give more of the same spirits from the original. But to say that the first episode of this spin-off does a decent job to flesh out its new main cast and its world after Naruto’s main storyline. Fans of action and fans of Naruto should get a good kick out of this. This premiere flows well and the story, plus the characters are simple enough to follow. Next we will have the ninja school so expect more hijink and slice-of-life madness rather than the main story plot. The animation quality is decent enough in this one, but I guess the quality will have a huge drop later on consider it’s Studio Pierrot’s projects. At this point, I figure following Boruto is strictly for Naruto-fan but still the show will offer some fun and entertaining adventures to Boruto and his friends.

Potential: 30%

Sekaisuru Kado

Short Synopsis: A giant cube appears in the middle of tokyo

We have two first episodes with this series and they honestly look like they are in two different genres. The first, episode 0, detailed the protagonist negotiating about a metal plating factory. This is interesting and this episode mainly serves to introduce the main character and his skills. The second episode goes full sci-fi as a alien cube lands in Tokyo.The majority of the episode was just the authorities and scientists attempts to figure out how to deal with the thing. Personally I found both these episodes to be excellent and so far it’s executed perfectly. If I had to nitpick problems I would say that this series uses a mix of normal 2D animation and CGI animation. As far as CGI animation goes it’s better than usual but you will always notice the switch between 2D and 3D. The scientist girl has me worried as she’s a bit too kooky for my liking. Also that tank moved weird, it was like it didn’t have any weight. But seriously out of the season so far this is by far the best. If you are going to watch something this season, watch this.

Potential: 90%

Mario: Wow, these double episodes just keeps raising up its stakes. Original shows seem to be in strong hands this season (let’s see how the remaining two Re:Creators and ID-0 perform), and so far Sekaisuru Kado is the most impressive. The CG used in this series actually works to their benefits, as CGI the giant cube represents something otherworldly. So far, the unpredictability of the plot keeps the intrigue up and the execution is quite strong overall. Though I find the assistant girl’s playful personality don’t mesh well with the rest of the cast and every so often the cast keeps saying “Shindo-kun” that made me irritated. The use of episode 0 also works well here because we get to know our main character’s personality before the action kicks in and the show sells me on the talent of the man as the negotiator, which of course will come very handy in later events (but I do suspect that because of that plate he created in episode 0 that caused the commotion). The roundtable of all important figures trying to figure out how to break the cube reminds me strongly to the War Room in Dr.Strangelove movie, which is really nice. There’s a lot to recommend here in Sekaisuru Kado, so far it understands its characters (well, most of them), the thrills, the story, the deeper meaning and the hooks that keep viewer engaged. Definitely a must-watch.

Potential: 80%

 

Tsuki ga Kirei

Short Synopsis: A boy and girl begin to notice each other at school.

The greatest strength of this show is that it feels realistic. There isn’t any kind of tropey exaggeration or characters pulling tsukkomi and boke acts. There is a lot of show don’t tell and I really appreciate that. Everything is downplayed to a level that feels genuine and closer to real life. For a slice of life fix this season I think this is the strongest contender. However despite my praise for it in that regards it’s also likely the reason I won’t be watching this during this season. I watch anime for escapism so anything that matches the mundanity of life just doesn’t personally appeal to me. This may sound odd coming from someone who berates cliche but I don’t do it because it’s not realistic. Rather because I have see it too many times and become tired of it and feel it’s just lazy writing. I recommend not taking my personal tastes into regard when deciding to watch this series, in fact I recommend you check it out for yourself and see if it’s your thing. For I definitely do think this is one of the strongest anime’s airing this season. It just unfortunately isn’t my thing.

Potential: 70%

Mario: Out of all the new shows coming out this season, Tsuki ga Kirei is the show I’m most looking forward to. I always enjoy understated drama, small moments and the show’s premise promises plenty of those; I’m also quite keen on the progress of time and this show has that too; combining with the fact that this is an original show from feel. studio, and my anticipation is sky high. Fortunate for me, the actual episode delivers many elements of its premise. Tsuki ga Kirei emphasizes on character’s body language, where each gesture is observed with great details. The art designs, to add up with its theme, are low-key yet vivid, are simple but adds so much to its slice-of-life everyday school day life. Most people’s take from this first episode that it’s a story about romance of two shy teenagers but for me, it’s more about connection. Both the two mains are way too awkward for their own good but they really remind me of myself in their age. The pacing, especially for an original one, is slow but maintains its beat throughout. This will be a show with no high stake or even drama and I even doubt if there will be anything resembled of a roller-coaster ride. Everything will progress like still water, with time is the only thing that move forward. In it, characters live their lives, make some connection, and grow up together. That is perfectly fine by me and there’s a high chance that I’ll be blogging it this season.

Potential: 75%

 

Renai Boukun

Short Synopsis: A shinigami comes down to earth to force a boy to kiss a girl.

Over the top yet weirdly enjoyable. This isn’t a show pushing boundaries or making a best of the season list but for what it is this works well. It does somewhat mirror the old style of harems like Urusei Yatsura or Tenchi Muyo and in that regard it at least puts it above your usual harem show. It has some occasional funny gags and the story is interesting enough to keep your attention. Though I think things will lose steam once the full roster of haremettes is revealed. Overall if you want something cheap and mindless to tide you over between other shows this isn’t a bad choice.

Potential: 40%

Mario: This is how you tone up the ridiculousness, ladies and gentlemen. This show is silly but it keeps finding ways to escalate that craziness. I admit that the reveal at the end worked for me (yuri + incest = invincible) and the show’s twist around the notion of “love” is hilarious. The fast-paced gags result in many good slapsticks, but when the gag repeats itself (like how they uninjured after stabbing) it becomes pointless. Then all the characters talk and move in the most over the top and ridiculous fashion that if it’s not your things (not mine), you might find it off-putting. The harem will get to a full house eventually, but right at this moments all the cast isn’t that flesh-out or distinctive enough to carry the show. This is a mindless show and occasionally it produces some solid gags, but other than that it is an easy skip.

Potential: 20%

Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Kinki Kyouten

Short Synopsis: A clearly mentally unstable girl challenges a boy to a fight after he sees…her…naked….well, if at first you don’t succeed, try ad nauseam.

“I wanted to be a mage of justice” Don’t you mean hero of justice? Might as well rip it off wholesale. You got to wonder who designed these school uniforms. For the people around them appear to be wearing normal attire when the girls that go to this school are wearing something that suggests they are ready to strip rather than learn magic. My initial assessment of this series still stands as it pretty much is a bargain bin light novel story. But it does annoy me how the story makes pretences of subverting cliche only to adhere to it. For example our protagonist walks in on the girls changing and then proceeds to point out how cliche it is. Thing is that he ends up getting beat up anyway so you didn’t subvert the cliche. You just openly admitted to using one. I felt like light novel writers tend to confuse subversion with calling out tropes. Made all the stranger here as I don’t believe manga and anime exist within this world so how would this guy know about the cliche in the first place? The ending seems like it subverts cliche but trust when i say that’s going to get negated later on. What really bugs me about this one is the slapstick comedy for it’s unfunny and just obnoxious. Otherwise not much to say about this one. It’s pretty much your standard light novel story. Would say it differentiates itself by having the main be a teacher but well that’s happened before with Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan. If you happen to like these kinds of stories like Chivalry of a failed knight or others like it. If you don’t like those kinds of shows then this won’t change your mind.

Potential: 20%

Mario: Oh my sweet lord this show is unbearable. Other lesser shows usually go for familiar cliché plot, but this bastard manages to up that ante by being extremely annoying as hell. I know they point out all the cliche to bring out the laugh, but am I the only one who wasn’t smiling here? That’s what I dislike the most about shows that aware too much about its tropes; because it sounds incredibly lousy. There’s a line to separate characters from quirky to irritating, and that teacher crossed that line completely. Remember few seasons back we had same types of LN adapted high school magic shows where the boy sees the girl undressed and had to duel with her in the end? By some leaps of logic, this one ends up in the exact same situations, but leaves a bad taste in my mouth. When characters interacting with others by shouting at each other at full volume, you know you can’t take them seriously. The settings, the dialogues, the witch’s motivation, the characters are all poorly constructed that can’t even qualified as homage or satire. I actually feel this one is worse than the first episode of Hand Shakers (in Hand Shakers I can still see the real efforts being putted in there, this one is just lazy), which can inform you about the quality of this show. Terrible.

Potential: 0%

 

Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism

Short Synopsis: A boy fights against a tyrannical female school council that demand boys crossdress.

I thought as much. As I said in the preview, this show would require the right tone for it to work and this didn’t really deliver on it. I believe the main reason is that the animation is just cheap. The character designs and overall animation is just minimal. I don’t really think this show is bad as it is watchable. But the story doesn’t bring anything you haven’t seen before. It even has the old shounen syndrome of people over explaining special attacks. I do at least appreciate that instead of the usual harem lead pushover, we got a confident guy with some attitude. These shows become a whole lot more bearable when the lead has some actual personality. This show embraces it’s ridiculous setting to the full and is basically going to be our main fighting off the girls while winning their hearts. It’s fun but forgettable.Might make for a nice show to tide you over between weekly releases.

Potential: 30%

Mario: Am I the only one who feel uneasy about the boys being bullied to the point they have to wear makeup and act like girls? I know the show doesn’t take that seriously but that exactly how bully works. This show offers a lengthy but exciting combat, where I can get behind all those techniques but everything else just falls flat. It has all the cliché, well-worn plot convenience with its incredibly ridiculous and straight-forward premise. The other girls are generic (but I love their swords’ choice) and for the love of God bear even makes an entrance here. This show is a dumb fun show so It’s hard to fault a series when they embrace themselves completely to its ridiculousness; and I do have a bit of entertainment watching those fights and how they execute its stupid, bizarre ideas. But at the end of the day, this show is one of the glaring examples of poorly-written shows with lazy execution and lack of identity that sadly plagued the current trend of anime industry.

Potential: 20%

 

SAGRADA RESET

Short Synopsis: A boy who can remember everything and a girl who can reset time work together to solve people’s problems.

Now here’s a great idea killed by execution. The overall plot seems interesting enough but there is something inherently wrong with the dialogue of this show. First, no one emotes. At all. Everyone talks in a deadpan monotone with stone faced disposition without exception.Second, conversation is really disjointed. Characters can jump to weird topics without really any warning and nobody talks like an actual person. For example we have a girl who is getting these two to team up for what looks like to be ulterior motives. She says they should all hang out together and when asked for a reason she says they should pretend one of them is a android and they need to figure it out which one of them is the android by the end of the summer. Considering how I don’t think any of them blinked throughout the entire episode I would say they are all androids. It’s just really jarring how this conversation moves to that and it’s present throughout the episode. Lastly, the dialogue doesn’t make it clear what exactly is going on. When the girl is explaining her ability of saving and resetting, it’s just really unclear as to how it works and honestly I have the question that if she never remembers resetting then how does she know these rules in the first place? And suddenly they are bringing back her memories from when she was five years old for some reason that was never specified. I feel there is something interesting here but the way it’s presented just kills any intrigue and renders it remarkably dull. I think maybe if the characters get more developed and the story kicks into gear it might become something. But as it is now it’s just not a interesting show to watch.

Potential: 50%

Mario: One of the main problem of Sagrada Reset is it’s trying too hard. They want to squeeze the most out of its premise about special abilities and rewriting the past, and out of the main characters’ own philosophies, so they end up making characters having big talks that bother on too much exposition and pretentious. They want to squeeze in too many ideas that the end results are inconsistent and emotional distant. Then I don’t feel the song right at the beginning fits the show, and characters motivations are all over the table (remember that android talk?). But I can’t deny this show is one of the most ambiguous show so far this season, and many of its themes have real meats. I agree that the notion of using the girl’s ability to reset in combination with the guy who can remember the past feel like an exploitation towards the girl. The main theme of fixing the past is touched in this episode, but surprisingly leave no emotions involved. Sagrada Reset is a hard case to crack. On one hand, it explains too much of its concepts to the point of incomprehension, and leave out any emotional attachment it should’ve transferred across in the process, but on the other hand, it never fails to be intriguing. This show has potential to become great, but can they manage to reach that potential? Let wait and see.

Potential: 60%

Tsugumomo

Short Synopsis: A boys keepsake from his mother turns into a girl and fights monsters

Hey you! Do you like Shounen? Do you like tits? Do you like tits and Shounen? Then do we have the show for you! The start of this show pretty much ticks all the usual tropes of a harem battle anime. Is it terrible? Not really, just rather uninspired. The story does improve as it continues and the manga even has moments of pretty impressive art. However it ups the ante in both action and fanservice. If you thought the fanservice was too much this episode then boy, you haven’t seen anything yet. The fanservice is so much that the author of the manga made a small strip with the characters pretty much flabbergasted that it’s getting an anime in the first place. Still for what it is, this does the job. Fight animation wasn’t half bad either. If you are a fan of the likes of High School DxD I think you might like this. Provided you can get past overdone tropes.

Potential: 20%

Mario: I can sense that Tsugumomo can become a popular show this season, as it ticks many boxes of tropes that can attract anime viewers: the mindless action popcorn part, the romance ecchi undertones and HEAPS OF FANSERVICE. All for the wrong reasons of course. Let’s see, just right in this first episode we have groping, taking bath together, sleeping together and obviously, our main character is a helpless boy driven mostly by hormone. The premise is overdone at this point, being the boy encounter the spirits/gods/monsters from some random stuffs. The characters are on the weak side here as no one have any distinct personality whatsoever. This show is conventional, all the beat feel so familiar here but I don’t deny that it was an easy watch. But seriously, the fanservice turns me off and this show sure doesn’t shy away at all from horniness. So here’s how you should approach this show: if you feel entertained by this episode, by all means keep watching it, if you feel the fanservice is too much or the show lacks deep then this show isn’t for you as it will get dull fast.

Potential: 20%

 

Warau Salesman NEW

Short Synopsis: A salesman will help you with any problem you have, for a price.

I do have a fondness for parables which is why I hold Kino’s Journey in such high regard. Warau Salesman aims for a similar kind of parable but in a much simpler sense. We have two stories where in the saleman tempts people with something and then punishes them when they break a certain rule. My big problem with this series is that in a morality tale it’s often about punishing a person for something that’s entirely their own fault. But the Warau Salesman purposefully sets people up for failure right from the start. He creates the problem and then punishes people for it. He leads two workers to a bar which will allow them to drink during the day and then punishes them for drinking during the day. He gives a shopaholic a card that will allow her to buy whatever she wants and then punishes her for buying something she cannot return. These people are don’t really seem like bad people so it’s a series about a crappy person screwing over decent people for the sake of a fairly flawed moral. After all, in normal circumstances those workers wouldn’t have drunk during the day and that shopaholic would have been stopped by the fact that she can’t afford to shop. I will give this show credit for having a groovy opening but otherwise it’s a parable show with some pretty poor parables. Unless you consider not drinking during work hours and not shopping when you don’t have money to be good life lessons instead of common sense.

Potential: 10%

Mario: “Be careful what you wish for” – This basically is the main theme of this Laughing Salesman show. Here in the first episode we have 2 variations of that moral play: each of them build up the desire of its main targets and then when that desire got out of control, the price they have to pay is far greater. Human being is a flawed creature and Laughing Salesman serves as a catalyst to bring the dark desire of each person. I understand its underlying themes but show with this premise in an episodic format will get pale very fast; indeed by the second story my interest for continue watching this show just gone. It’s just different set-ups for the same damn thing. It doesn’t help that the visual execution isn’t great with simplistic designs and limited animation (but hey, the OP actually looks pretty cool) and the stories progress as obvious and predictable as it could get. Shows should have a strong central message, but when “message” is the only thing they have, and worse, they repeat that same message every single time then I figure we could just watch the first 10 minutes to get an idea of what they’re offering. The rest won’t be needed. Here something interesting that you could try Warau Salesman, make an actual 3-act out this salesman, then I will be interested to follow it.

Potential: 10%

 

Frame Arms Girl

Short Synopsis: A girl is gifted with a sentient little doll.

Ah, Horrible CGI. We meet again. Well we spend half an episode with the girl putting together parts for her little robot girl so I now know how to put together a frame arms girl figurine. Surely information necessary for the future where I will never buy one of these figurines. Look, I know that anime is often glorified advertisement for merchandise as that’s generally where they make their money back but I it’s fairly insulting when they are just so blatant about it. Also think the fanservice is in poor taste. For one to charge these figurines you need to insert a cable at her butt and naturally when you do so they let out a visible “Ah!” for purely scientific reasons I am certain. What we basically got here is cute girls being all cute and stuff mixed with action scenes which have no stakes or point. It’s pretty dull and boring.

Potential: 0%

Mario: The very first three shots of the OP give you an exact idea what this show aims for: a panty shot, an armour suit, and a CG-design toy girl. A side bonus from the actual episode: you have lively instructions on how to set up the plastic model!!!! and the mechanics of how they battle. This product obviously was made with only one thing in mind: to promote the toys. The show has no plot whatsoever so there’s no point to criticize it. The animation of CGI robot fighting is subpar, the battle isn’t remotely interesting and the characters speak like… well, toys. No, even if I am the intended audience, I wouldn’t buy the products after watching this show. What’s the point of buying another Gourai if you know for sure she isn’t going to activated? I would have preferred much better in all honesty if the show goes for chibi style as shown in the ED rather than this bland CG models. Alright, to be fair I do learn one thing out of this, that panty is a part of BODYSUIT. Get it?

Potential: 0%

Attack on Titan Season 2

Short Synopsis: Eren and the rest of humanity face a greater threat when a monkey like Titan appears within the walls.

Thus we have the return of the biggest mainstream anime hit in recent memory. I still stand by my assertions in the season preview that this season will likely turn a number of people off the series but admittedly the production values are making it one hell of a return to form. Besides some CGI horses this episode will likely have fans right back into the world of titans and scouting legions. The biggest highlight is of the appearance of the titan with the fan name “Monkey Trouble” With him being one of the first titans who can talk and control other titans, this series may have gotten it’s main antagonist for the season. We also got a peek into some conspiracy as it was revealed at the end of the season that Titan’s reside within the walls and the wall cult seems fully aware of this. Though we didn’t get any real answers as to why there are titans within the walls and that lack of answers is something I suggest people get used to. Sadly the opening didn’t quite match the grander of the first opening but all things considered the first opening set a pretty high bar. Seeing as it topped the poll in the preview I will be covering the show this season and I hope it turns out to be as explosive a season as this first episode.

Potential: 70%

 

Mario: Anime fans rejoice for arguably the most crossover anime hit in this decade. I’m guessing you all have an idea of what Attack on Titan is about, right? Well, this episode certainly won’t disappoint you. Right in this first episode, the show sets up for 2 interesting premises that the human kind wish they didn’t know about Titan: the Titan(s) who stay within the Walls that supposed to protect human, and Titan who has human intelligence and even speaks human language. As expected, the visual and the amount of animation are top-notch and highly-detailed and they get the Titan feel just right. Like after 4 years of waiting, all it takes is first few minutes for us to get back to that dread and heart-pumping universe. While personally this kind of high action work isn’t my cup of tea (I’m a coffee drinker, and I’m a minority who don’t care about Marvel movies either so you know where I come from), Attack on Titan is a must-see for every anime fan out there. It packs one of the best production values this industry has to offer and it’s highly entertainment. Although with only 12 episodes I hope they will at least finish one arc before make us wait again for god-knows-how-long.

Potential: 70%

 

GRANBLUE FANTASY The Animation

Short Synopsis: In a fantasy world a boy finds a girl with strange powers who is on the run from an evil empire.

This makes me feel rather nostalgic. This first episode was essentially set up like an old school JRPG, hitting every cliche in the genre. You can clearly see this was based on a game as you can make out the points of the first dungeon and boss. What further adds to this is that Noburu Nematsu is listed as a composer, most likely of the original game’s soundtrack. Noburu is a legendary figure when it comes to RPG music, having made some of the best soundtracks in the genre. So this is story is standard JRPG through and through which means if you have played a lot of rpgs, or watched standard fantasy in general, then this story is going to feel very familiar. The animation is quite impressive and makes me think that Fate/Apocrypha may not be in such bad hands after all if they can make animation like this. However the characters are all standard stereotypes lacking any defining characteristics and the worse is that mascot character Dragon. Adds absolutely nothing but annoyance. If you are going to have a mascot in your show then the best thing you could do is ensure they shut their mouth. If you are a fan of fantasy anie this might tickle your fancy but I say it would prove too by the books to keep your interest.

Potential: 20%

 

Mario: A harmless old-fashion fantasy fluff, that what Granblue Fantasy is. Every set-up feels like you have watched in other anime before, and that old feel of more straight-forward fantasy fare makes me questioning about the age of this source material until those CGI monsters appear screaming to my face “Are you impressed with this updating?”. No sir, not one bit. The actual story flows nicely but it’s as generic as it could get. Cliché upon cliché (the girl fall off the sky, guy happens to be nearby to rescue her, guy happens to be bad-ass and many more) and after seeing many protagonists redefining what a “true” hero entails (just pop up my head: Subaru in Re:Zero for the dark side of becoming the man to save the day and Kazuma in KonoSuba for arguably who we would likely become if we were sucked into another world for real), a straight-face hero like this feel just plain and no personality. Everything here is decent, the world-building is alright, the production’s still on par so far, the characters aren’t overly bad, but nothing really memorable either. Also that annoying flying lizard can fly without clapping his wings in one scene? That’s sadly the only noticeable details after watching this episode.

Potential: 10%

 

Alice to Zouroku

Short Synopsis: A superpowered little girl on the run from the government decides to stay with a gruff old man.

A 45 minute pilot episode and my overall experience with this show is rather mixed. The car chase was the worst part of the episode with some truly terrible CGI and a couple of animation goofs. Action in general seems to be this show’s weakest aspect as it has a relatively uninspired setup and there doesn’t really feel to be any real danger in regards to stakes. The government is acting suitably shady but the little girls don’t seem to be mistreated or malicious. One of the things that made the action fall flat was in how no one looks to be taking it seriously. It’s hard to feel a sense of danger when the ones fighting are little girls making jokes and talking like it’s some kind of playdate. What works here and made this episode stand out was the main character, who happens to be an old man who just doesn’t put up with any of this nonsense. His reactions are remarkably refreshing in comparison with your normal anime leads and his grandfatherly care of the girls is rather heartwarming. While this episode displayed a lot of action I have a feeling this show is moving more into slice of life territory which I am all for surprisingly. Normally I wouldn’t prefer a show trade off action for slice of life but seeing how this show pulls off action scenes I think it’s the safer option to forgo it from this point forward. What will decide this show’s fate is how much it plans to dwell on the government science facility as frankly that aspect has been done before and to a much better degree. If it’s a tale of a girl hanging around a grandfather figure then I say it’s worth checking out but if it’s a tale of a girl fighting her fellow lab rats with lame superpowers then I say it will not be worth your time.

Potential: 60%

Mario: Boy, I certainly didn’t expect this much action for this show. But here the thing, the action part is a weaker part of the show. After watching the show I have a really mixed feeling about it. While many elements make it a must-watch for this season, other elements are uninspiring and below-par. For example, the action. While the actual fights are fine, showing right in the beginning when we don’t have a clue about the girls’ gifts make more confusing than aspiring. Moreover, the CG cars moving on the road feel very out of place and terribly unconvincing (remember the scene where the old man stopped the car and asked Sana out? The background scene was MOVING on its own). Likewise, I feel whenever the research institution is mentioned, the show goes heavy-handled, and it’s boring. Evil facility acts like an evil facility isn’t something new. The main beef of the show, however, is the relationship between Sana and old man Zouroku and their chemistry is amazing. They act their ages and they bounce of each other well (love the no-nonsense attitude of the old man) and it was those small moments that bring out so much warm and heart to this show. But seeing how the plot advances, I’m pretty sure that we will have an uneven show of one-half taking itself too seriously with plot-driven MESSAGE, and the other half of endearing slice-of-life of Sana and old man. Weight your choice. I will be on this board as the latter clearly outweigh the former.

Potential: 60%