Author: SuperWooper

Adachi to Shimamura

Short Synopsis: The two titular high school girls skip classes and spend their time together.

Mario’s review:

Well, I didn’t really expect a slow-burn premiere for this kind of story, and I am glad it takes that route. Unlike many anime features in high school settings, the most distinctive characteristic about Adachi to Shimamura is that (at least in this first episode) it doesn’t take place in the classroom, and it features a relatively minimal cast. It’s a compliment by all means, as it reinforces the strengths of this premiere: they trade bombastic, big action for subtle and soft approach. There’s this atmospheric little space where the two main characters spend time together that becomes a character in itself. There’s this moody and uncertain narration, as well as narrative, that is appropriate for their growing relationship. It has some issues, however: the side characters aren’t that fleshed out, the boob-groping joke is especially tiresome, and the weird cuts of a kid in a spacesuit feel really removed from the rest of the episode. The soft art-style is a delight though, and if it keeps its intimate and slow-burn approach, I will be there for the long run.

Potential: 70%

Armitage’s review:

I’ll get straight to the point. I didn’t like the “comedic” boob-grab (though the show did address it as sexual harassment for a change) and I didn’t like the frequency with which the camera lingers on the girls’ thighs. Barring those, I absolutely loved everything else. We’ve got the perfect Fall show here. This is Shoujo-Ai, through and through – tinged with melancholy, bittersweet, yet comforting. If I were to bottle up its pathos then I’d say watching this show is like that feeling you get on the walk home in the evening after a long day, when your mind drifts off and lets in memories of the what-could-have-been’s in your life. Adashima is not trying to be another Bloom into You and it’s all the better for it. This is subtle, minimalist storytelling with a heavy focus on seemingly small character moments, portraying the loneliness of growing-up and being unable to fit in. Of being a creature of habit, one you want to shake. And of being alone with people you call your friends, forever searching for the one who makes you feel at home. I absolutely loved its handling of the two central characters and the duality their perspectives provide to the narrative. To top it off, we have some really refreshing cinematography and a lovely sombre color palette. Yeah, like I said, I adored this premiere and will be blogging the show from next week.

Potential: 90%

Kamisama ni Natta Hi

Short Synopsis: A high school student gets a sudden visit from God, who appears in the form of a young girl and tells him the world will end in one month.

Alternate Synopsis: Odin-chan Wants to Hang Out!

Armitage’s review:

Here’s the deal with every Jun Maeda show. You either hate them (pfft, sucker!) or you love them (pfft, sucker!). As someone who falls into the latter category and for whom this was probably the most anticipated Fall release, this premiere was the most fun 24 minutes of the season. And, no! I am not saying this as a Maeda fan. Well… I mean, I am, but that’s not the only reason I am saying this. Kamisama ni Natta Hi honestly just had an absolute riot for a start. It’s a lot harder to do slapstick anime comedy right than one would imagine and when the comedy isn’t even the main draw of your series, it’s a whole lot easier to mess it up. But the almost non-stop gags, brilliant chemistry between the leads and clever cinematography(!) elevated the already funny screenplay and made it consistently enjoyable. But of course, this is a Maeda show, so red herrings for future heartbreaks are also sprinkled throughout the episode with hints at how Sato-chan’s powers are a sort of Pandora’s box and humanity simply doesn’t know how to handle one of those. All in all, this was an excellent start and I can’t wait for more of the funny banter while also knowing full well that by the end, this show is going to break my heart into pieces before proceeding to stomp on every one of them and of course, I will love it for that.

Potential: 95%

Wooper’s review:

As far as “God appears to the protagonist” setups go, this one was pretty darn good. I’m not ready to eat my words about all Jun Maeda works being cloying trope-fests just yet – nor do I anticipate needing to, since “the world will end in 30 days” is a premise ripe with tragic potential (whether or not it actually happens). If you put aside the man’s past work, though, there’s plenty to enjoy about Kamisama ni Natta Hi. It uses tilted camera angles and varying degrees of natural light to add visual interest to its scenes. It gradually breaks down the MC’s skepticism towards the goddess’ precognitive abilities, instead of relying on a single eureka moment. Most importantly, it’s funny, which means it’s fun to watch. The disastrous outcome of the protag’s romantic confession was a hoot, and the preceding ‘predict the pitches’ scene functioned as both a clever gag and a warning about the accuracy of the goddess’ foresight. The extended dialogue between the leads may have tested my patience in a couple spots (particularly when it was capped with one of her mini-tantrums), but the script was enjoyably snappy on the whole. This may be the show to turn Maeda haters into Maeda tolerators, so it bears a lot of responsibility this season.

Potential: 70%

Taiso Samurai

Short Synopsis: A former gymnast suffers repeated distractions while trying to tell his daughter about his impending retirement.

Lenlo’s review:

This was… it was definitely a thing. Not the thing I expected, nor the thing I wanted, but definitely a thing. I’ll be honest, Taiso Samurai kinda looks like shit. It’s trying to ride this line between comedic, light hearted absurdity with things like the ninja theming or the big fantasy bird, and a more emotional/serious story of fatherhood and careers. But it rides that line so poorly that neither of these work. It’s not as serious as any number of sports anime, nor is it as stupid and fun as something like Hypnosis Mic. It’s just kinda… there. Oh and the visuals just look like shit. I’m still going to stick with it for a bit, because gymnastics is an interesting sport. But I am expecting nothing out of it.

Potential: 10%

Wooper’s review:

Taiso Samurai is delightfully weird. Our main character Jotaro Aragaki is an airheaded gymnast who has managed to miss his coach’s blatant hints about retirement for years. He owns a gigantic blue toucan (?) that loves eating corn on the cob almost as much as it loves producing alarming reaction faces. He takes his daughter to a ninja-themed fair and somehow returns home with a foreign stalker in tow, who then moves into his house because his mom said it was okay. These are the sorts of curiosities that the show is built on, rather than a particular sport or genre blueprint. It’s sort of grounded in the relationship between Jotaro and his daughter – both of whom are adrift in the wake of Mrs. Aragaki’s passing – but mostly it’s unfettered by conventional plot or character beats. It reminds me of Samurai Flamenco (once it had moved beyond that episode), another series where literally anything could become part of its narrative fabric after the shortest of explanations. Will the stalker (turned tenant) become Jotaro’s pupil, or will they be athletic rivals? Who were those suits chasing him at the ninja fair? Will Big Bird survive the whole series without choking to death on an ear of corn? The only way to know for sure is to keep tuning in each week!

Potential: 65%

Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou

Short Synopsis: The youngest ever “national weapon” teenager gets out of prison, fights the overpowered royal witch, “princess catches” her, then sees her at the opera and gives her a cheap handkerchief.

Lenlo’s review:

I mean… eeeeeh? It’s fine? I don’t really have a lead in for this show like I do others because I can’t really find anything that is particularly praiseworthy or that dunk-worthy about it. Visually it looked fine, but something about it just feels off to me. I can’t tell if it’s a weightlessness or some other kind of inconsistency, but whenever I see Not!Kirito jump around I just can’t really get into that. That said, I do like the thick linework when it pops up and I think Saigo no Senjou is going to have a lot of good looking still shots because of it. Meanwhile story wise it’s once again very… eh? It’s not inspired in the slightest, our MC is just Kirito with just as little actual expression and the whole opening sequence of him freeing someone, to being in prison, to being freed himself and sent on a kill quest just… it rings hollow to me? It feels like someone’s first draft of “How do I make it clear he is sympathetic to witches while still letting him fight witches.” As a whole, Amun’s comparison below to Assassins Pride is apt. Because this show is just as much a nothing burger as Assassins Pride. If you have time to burn, there’s no reason not to watch it. I just don’t have any reason to watch it.

Potential: 50% I guess?

Amun’s review:

Wait, what the – this was pretty good! For a show with very little fanfare (I couldn’t even find a trailer), Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou had a nice first act. Sure it’s cheesy, but that 3D assisted fight scene looked great. And if you get over the obvious Romeo and Juliet plot being lathered everywhere (I mean they legitimately had it as a play in the episode), there are some interesting devices at work (why would a national weapon free a random enemy from max security prison?). The character designs are nothing to write home about but for a modern era fantasy/magic show – I’ve definitely seen worse. One comparable show that came to mind is Assassin’s Pride from a few seasons ago – not the highest ceiling, but it was pretty entertaining. Only problem I see is keeping the same quality for a whole season, but I’m impressed so far.

Potential: 80%

Noblesse

Short Synopsis: A godlike vampire acquires a cell phone. Meanwhile, a botched human experiment defends his brainwashed pals from an anime bully.

Wooper’s review:

It took me a while to figure out why this episode looked so stiff, but I think I’ve got it: everyone’s posture is too good. Most of the characters stand ramrod straight, with only a few of the antagonists being marked by imperfect spinal curvature. I suppose this is a logical choice, since a straight back enhances the otherworldly beauty of Raizel, the sort-of vampire at the heart of this story. Or it would have, if Rai had done anything of note in this premiere apart from send his first text message. Without a clear main character to follow, we jumped back and forth between a mercenary band, some amnesia-addled high schoolers, and M-21, a genetic experiment with Wolverine claws who’s Very Sad that his partner died. When did his partner die? During “Noblesse: Awakening,” the OVA prequel to this series, without which you may get lost during this episode. “Awakening” has a rough couple of opening minutes, but on the whole it’s a much neater technical feat than this passable TV version. If I had to guess, I’d say Noblesse will end up being the redheaded stepchild of Crunchyroll’s Webtoon adaptations (quite a feat, given how poorly the last two were received).

Potential: Watch the OVA instead

Lenlo’s review:

Round 3 on Crunchyroll’s quest of adapting Webtoons, does it fare any better than Tower of God or God of Highschool? I’ll cut right to it, the answer is no, it doesn’t. In fact it’s probably the worst of the three, both from a production and source standpoint. Where Tower of God at least attempted to give us an engaging mystery in a unique fantasy setting and where God of Highschool at least had some baller production at times to look at, Noblesse has neither of those things. It’s an uninteresting vampire show that requires you to watch an OVA prequel series just to understand anything in this first episode. Meanwhile, as Wooper says above, everything just feels… stiff. I don’t know what it is about vampire stories that brings out the worst in authors, but we can do better than this right?

Potential: Don’t watch the OVA, just go watch Hellsing instead

Akudama Drive

Short Synopsis: Half a dozen insane criminals race to prevent their leader’s beheading, and end up causing more beheadings in the process.

Wooper’s review:

This was one of the wildest anime episodes I’ve witnessed in years. It starts simply enough, cribbing from Blade Runner and Akira’s settings to create a lurid sci-fi future of its own. We’re introduced to a morally upright girl who looks to be the main character, and whose innocence will play nicely against the ugliness of dystopian city life. And then, BAM! Criminals called “Akudama” explode onto the screen one after another, leaving corpses and debris in their wake. Their arrivals are signaled by psychedelic comic book panels that consume the entire screen, while their over-the-top personalities can’t be contained by a mere 1080p display. There’s a guy whose motorcycle can shoot the same grappling wires as Attack on Titan’s maneuvering gear, a dude who dismantles at least a hundred robots via superhuman strength, and a busty doctor who operates on a dying man and kills nearly ten onlookers amidst lustful paroxysms mid-surgery. There are giant eyeball droids, laser beam fights, decapitations, and explosions galore. All of this is pulled off with rapid-fire editing and creative scene transitions that give Akudama Drive a visual language unlike anything I’ve seen in 2020. I have little faith that future episodes will match this one’s ambition, but the show has certainly earned another couple glances nonetheless.

Potential: 75%

Lenlo’s review:

You know what, I’m in. I’m down for whatever Akudama Drive is selling. From the Cyberpunk/Blade Runner-esque world to whatever absurd death game we are ending on with these collars, I am along for the ride. I agree with Wooper that the odds Akudama Drive is able to keep this absurdity up and keep it interesting are low. But for now, between the insane personalities and the sheer absurdity of our lead character turning herself into a master criminal through the power of bullshit and the sunk cost fallacy, I am down with this show.

Potential: 80%

Armitage’s review:

Guy on a ‘Tron’ bike that shoots anti-tank lasers rides on skyscraper windows and gets himself involved in a Cyberpunk Battle Royale. Eh, seems tame.

Potential: to crash and burn gloriously.

Amun’s review:

Yeah! All I want to say is the depiction of hacking as a superpower was excellent here – mostly because it involves little typing and lots of flying around on robot drones.

Potential: to have a gloriously gory body count!

Senyoku no Sigrdrifa

Short Synopsis: Odin’s daughter helps save humanity but gets all of her allies killed in the process. Every time. It’s become a thing. So she goes to a laid back Japanese base to try and avoid team-killing her yuri-bait copilots for a change.

Amun’s review:

Recent years have seen just a rash of hobby or profession specific anime. From trains to tanks to WW2 planes – if there are otaku for it, it’s getting a show. Senyoku no Sigrdrifa is obviously made for aircraft enthusiasts of all eras (there are biplanes, Mustangs were in the ED, there were Vulcans for the Cold War era, even some of the modern Raptors. B-2 bombers? Sure. Even a futuristic Superfortress? Why not.) Even the main characters’ plane selections are rather clever – each being vintage but having different strengths and weaknesses; I especially like the inclusion of an aquatic plane – that leaves some room for interesting fight sequences. Anyways, as I’m sure you can’t tell, I do NOT typically go for these kinds of niche shows. My biggest complaint is if you’re not fanatical about the gimmick, then the show has no other legs to stand on. But Senyoku no Sigrdrifa just might have something else worthwhile – the character dynamics held off (mostly) on the yuri bait and actually portrayed a semblance of emotional depth. The announcement over the loudspeaker about the new Valkyrie’s Shinigami nickname was baller – I’ll watch another episode just for that. If we keep up an interesting storyline without devolving to the author’s otaku tendencies, this is definitely watchable.

Potential: 50%

Mario’s review:

Penned by the man behind Re:Zero, this double length episode has a big hurdle to clear. So far it does the job for me. While the setting is a bit generic at this point (military girls with exotic jet/ tank/ ship are a dime a dozen in the last few years), it delves more into the main girl’s psychology and how she finds herself at home in this new environment with a set of quirky cast members. There’s still more than meets the eyes too, with the unclear nature of Pillars. Although a tad bit generic I still enjoy the setting well enough and I like how Claudia bounces off with other characters. Does it justify its 45-minute runtime? Maybe not as it feels like 2 regular episodes put together, but I will definitely check back on it to see how dark things will become (yes, IT DEFINITELY WILL).

Potential: 60%

Iwa Kakeru! Sport Climbing Girls

Short Synopsis: An empowering story which doesn’t portray girls as sensitive, touch-me-not stereotypes and shows that we can also be just as competent in sports involving physicality. (Genre: Ecchi)

Lenlo’s review:

Look, you have to try really hard to fuck up a show about muscular women doing muscular women things with me. But somehow, some way, Iwa Kakeru achieved it. Now I don’t have the same issues with production Armitage has. For instance, that’s just how climbing walls look, the different colored holds and all that. I could do without the Candy Crush puzzle metaphor but uh… It isn’t the worst thing I’ve ever seen? No, my big issue is just as Armitage pointed out, the over sexualization of it all. Don’t get me wrong, I like fit women. But I like fit women doing things rather than the wall or the rope or whatever other weird fetish Iwa Kakeru is making up. And because of this, it just doesn’t manage to land anything. The hot girls part is ruined by the characters actions and them being some of the least appealing muscular women I’ve seen in awhile, while the actual narrative is ruined by… well, being an ecchi show.

Potential: Go watch actual women’s rock climbing out of 100.

Armitage’s review:

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, anime throws at you “High-school girls getting horny while watching someone climb a wall”.
Sighs
Are we gonna start lewding inanimate objects now? I mean, we could have had a good show here. We really could’ve. We could have had something close to an anime equivalent of the ‘Free Solo’ documentary. But, NO! Instead, we get crappy character motivations, an abhorrent sense of pacing between subsequent events, random camera shots of boob-shakes and ass-clenches and WALLS MADE OF UGLY M&Ms. Oh, and of course, none of this is well-produced, even. Because why do that, when you can have a girl make erotic noices while holding a rope instead?? The characters are stereotypical, their motivations are stupid, their conversations robotic. Nothing works like it was intended. Actually, I don’t even know what the intention was. Like, what is the demographic for this show?! Why, humanity? Why ya gotta let me down time and again?

Potential: of birthing a new ‘Wall’ fetish.

Munou na Nana

Short Synopsis: The class punching bag befriends a mind-reading transfer student at a school for superpowered kids.

Wooper’s review:

This premiere springs a twist on you near the end of its runtime, hoping to recontextualize the previous 18 minutes and hook you for the rest of the season. Ordinarily I’d refrain from drawing attention to that strategy and let the show do its thing, but my issue with Talentless Nana is that the twist doesn’t make up for the exceedingly dull prologue. It’s about students at a superpower-themed high school, where the teachers hope to train leaders in the fight against the Enemies of Humanity. The show wastes no time in wasting this already-tired premise; the best way to describe its vibe is “My Hero Academia without the wide scope,” or perhaps “Iruma-kun without the interesting setting.” The main dude is a wimp whose status as a Nice Guy is confirmed by a girl with mind-reading powers, so you know he must be Extra Nice (he even likes cats!). MC-kun and Miss Mind Reader grow fond of each other over the course of a painfully simple story (he’s suspicious of her kindness, but then she does something Extra Kind and he’s completely won over), and then the tweest drops in the final minutes. It’s a big one – maybe even a good one – but it doesn’t make me hopeful that the show will be any less lame going forward. Your mileage may vary.

Potential: 20%

Mario’s review:

This is one of these premieres where I’d suggest going into it as blind as possible (and be patient not to drop it before the end of the episode). Just like Ore wo Suki a few seasons back, the fun of watching this show lies in how it establishes some well-worn, tired cliches and then spins the hell out of them. For me at the end the twist works. It clicks as it asks the very nature of “who is the real villain here” as all we hear from the kids so far is that they have to fight something as vague as Enemies of Humanity – could that be humans without any special abilities? While the twist does not necessarily mean “better”, it more than establishes the direction the show is going forward – and I’m all for it.

Potential: 50% or “he even likes cats”

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle

Short Synopsis: In a world dominated by women, handsome men pass the time by competing in reality-bending rap battles for their amusement.

Wooper’s review:

Well, that was a pleasant surprise. I expected this to be your standard sub-average bishounen showcase, but the camp value provided by its high-energy rap battles made it quite a treat. There are four hip-hop trios to choose from here, and each MC (that’s ‘master of ceremonies’ rather than ‘main character’) has a different profession or trait that dictates the nature of their mic attacks. The ex-navy officer’s song is accompanied by missiles fired from nowhere in particular; the blond playboy’s vocals are matched with storms of yellow rose petals; the gangster’s lyrics slice the frame into ribbons alongside knife sound effects. One dude even summons a skeleton from hell to prop up his massive speaker system, which I can only assume was conjured by his supernatural flow. Some of the characters have grating voices or stupid personality quirks that hurt the non-musical scenes, but when the beat kicks in and the boys start spitting, the result is undeniably fun. Even if this show doesn’t sound serious enough for your Highly Refined tastes, I’d recommend checking out the OP – I defy anyone reading this paragraph not to smile when the beat switches up midway through.

Potential: 40%

Mario’s review:

Woah, watching Hypnosis Mic makes me realize how far the male idol genre has evolved. Granted, male idol shows are among my least favorite genre, but here Hypnosis Mic basically turns everything up to 11 – ridiculous premises, checked, countless pretty faces with dumb quirks, checked, musical performances (or rap battles?), checked. And yet, it’s up there as one of the most entertaining pieces this sub-genre has to offer. It runs wild, it’s colorful and doesn’t really give a fuck about its ridiculousness, which for me remains its biggest hook. If you are looking for campy, over-the-top fun, look no further than this.

Potential: 40%

Lenlo’s Note:

What the fuck did I just watch. That is all.

Hanyou no Yashahime

Short Synopsis: Inuyasha 2: Flashback Boogaloo.

Mario’s review:

Inuyasha’s manga was huge when I grew up but sadly it was one of the few that completely escaped my radar. Watching this premiere it’s clear that this spin-off targets the nostalgic feels from the original fans, as it spends a huge chunk of its runtime on the original characters, and not much time on the new set of characters. Which is fine, I suppose. For me who is new to the franchise, it clearly does the job of establishing its world, its characters and the monsters that the gang used to face. It’s the new trio that suffers from not having enough screen time, so I’d say that next episode you get a more accurate sense of what this spin-off will be. I have fun with them all so far, but so far it gives me little reasons to follow it, because I just might as well spend the time to watch the original instead.

Potential: 20%

Wooper’s review:

Coming into this premiere, I intended to evaluate the next generation of Inuyasha characters with fresh eyes, not having seen the original series. That was made difficult by the episode’s nature, however, which was 75% Inuyasha flashback and 25% setup for the new series. The director made a smart choice to hook the original show’s audience with two decades’ worth of nostalgia, but for a first-timer, the whole thing felt very stale. It consisted mainly of the principal characters fighting identical versions of a plant-based demon, over and over, until Inuyasha finally used his Ultimate Attack, thus saving the day. The look of the series isn’t bad, but neither was it given the Dragon Quest treatment to breathe new life into its franchise – I imagine that Yashahime looks much the same as its prequel, just with more convenient digital effects work. There was a certain appeal to seeing grown-up versions of Kagome’s baby girls from the flashback, since they went from identical twins to polar opposites, but we saw so little of them that it’s hard to care about how that happened. Their origin story will arrive next week, so stick around for at least one more episode if you’re a former (or current!) Inuyasha fan. As for me, I’m letting this ship sail.

Potential: ?

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei S2

Short Synopsis: The further adventures of Onii-sama the Overpowered.

Amun’s review:

One True Tatsuya returns! And there’s now a girl version of him! (well almost – she’s definitely not stronger than him, but she’s still pretty strong! Tatsuya actually had to dodge and grab her wrist hard….) Okay, so this is pretty much the same as the first season – Tatsuya is wildly OP (this episode reminds you about the very large crater he put in the ocean), an external force is investigating him (USA this time) and there’s some other subtext and a mysterious enemy. So yeah – this season, I’m sure, will be about adding the foreigner hottie (who happens to be the USA’s most powerful combat mage or something?) to the harem, maybe even jostling to second place behind imotou (who, we were reminded, is also crazy strong). Also some “magic” (saying it’s technology is like saying the loli is 400 years old – looking at you Re:Zero). USA girl is actually kind of like the maid from Kaguya, so I’m pretty down with that.

Potential: Tatsuya%

Jujutsu Kaisen

Short Synopsis: Yuji Itadori is possessed by a great curse, and must choose to use its power to exorcise even greater curses or be exorcised (executed) himself.

Lenlo’s review:

Easily my favorite premiere of the season so far. Horikoshi Kohei, mangaka of My Hero Academia, wasn’t joking when he called this the next pillar of Shonen Jump and this premiere makes me want to read the manga. Starting off, MAPPA knocked it out of the park production wise. Everything from the big action set pieces such as Fushiguro running down the hallway and the rooftop battle to the tiny, almost insignificant movements of characters in the background such as the dogs eating or Council President’s reactions. Add on to that some stellar directing with some consistently evolving visual gags, such as the kids posing with the coach in the background getting more and more absurd, and Jujutsu Kaisen becomes a joy to watch.

Beyond that though I also found it really engaging. Story wise it’s a pretty well set up Shonen; we won’t know more until it really gets going, as the MC was just taken over by the Big Bad. However I found a lot of the small characters’ motivations very compelling. Take for instance the lead’s grandfather’s death, which I found to be done very well. No over the top melodramatic screaming, just quiet shock, tears and grief. This subdued reaction made it feel so much more organic and believable to your typical anime reaction and that emotional connection laid the groundwork for Itadori’s entire character and set up the justification for him entering the conflict to begin with. I have no idea if Jujutsu Kaisen will be able to keep this up, narratively or production wise, especially because of the MAPPA curse. But as far as first impressions go, this is my favorite yet. I am all in.

Potential: 95%

Amun’s review:

Seems like every other season, a new exorcism show comes along. Some are rather low key (this year’s Toilet Hanako-kun), some more action packed (Blue Exorcist). Surprisingly, the Yokai shows don’t tend to lean too heavily into horror – Jujutsu Kaisen didn’t get the memo. While not as traumatic a premiere as Goblin Slayer (I’m still annoyed at watching that so unexpectedly), it’s clear that Jujutsu Kaisen isn’t afraid of a little blood or tentacle hands. Plus it’s MAPPA, so it at least looks amazing (and the OP is probably my favorite of the season). So if you want to see a cross between Parasyte (anime, not the live action movie) and Blue Exorcist/Hellsing Ultimate, this is your show. Only way I’m dropping it is if they start sacrificing plot quality for shock value.

Potential: 80%

King’s Raid

Short Synopsis: A knight’s apprentice and a dark elf from the medieval age find themselves involved in an interspecies war.

Wooper’s review:

I expected this to be one of the season’s worst shows, but while it’s certainly not polished or innovative in any respect, it wasn’t the trash heap I had predicted. Right off the bat, the show earns points by slowly introducing our main character, rather than putting us inside his head and treating us to a bunch of biographical voiceover. As an apprentice knight with a sad past, there’s nothing new about him, provided you’re even slightly familiar with the medieval fantasy genre. In fact, the whole of King’s Raid could be described as a patchwork of cliches: the apprentice knight, the infirmed king, the big titty priestess, the Dark Lord, the racist court advisors, etc. A band of Dark Elves who aim to overthrow Orvelia’s monarchy are the biggest draw here, since the show intends to follow them from week to week, rather than give them the Team Rocket treatment. Visually, the show falls woefully short of its subject matter’s demands, yet its commitment to traditionally-animated combat is admirable, especially during the demon attack in the last few minutes. The characters and settings, on the other hand, look like knockoffs of knockoffs, with their stylish bedhead and transparently digital assembly, respectively. There are more cons than pros here on the whole, but if you’re desperate for a new medieval fantasy anime, King’s Raid will do.

Potential: 20%

Lenlo’s review:

Thanks, I hate it. I gotta say, coming off of Jujutsu Kaisen, this just feels so… so painfully generic and incompetently structured. Visually, its generic, and looks even worse than most basic medieval fantasy anime. Narratively, it’s generic, throwing bare bones cliches such as “Dark elves bad” levels of racism and Knights in shining armor. I just don’t understand why anyone would watch this when you have so many better options out there. Not just in this season, but with medieval fantasy anime at large. Don’t waste your time with this, skip it and watch Jujutsu Kaisen instead.

Potential: Generic%

Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken

Short Synopsis: A young mage-in-training fends off a party of false heroes with the aid of his monster friends.

Wooper’s review:

Let’s talk about the CG Dragon Quest monster in the room: there are some ugly-looking 3D models in this show. They’re so ugly, in fact, that people are bound to make a huge stink about them, even though the show opts for 2D creatures most of the time. In general, it’s the scenes with tons of monsters on screen that suffer from that unfortunate production choice – apart from that, the show looks good. Really good, actually, which ought to be expected when Japan reboots one of its most beloved franchises. What’s awesome about DQ is that both the character and monster designs are packed with personality, and the bold linework in this series takes that charm point to the next level. There are fights aplenty in the first episode, giving both Dai and his opponents a chance to dash, slash, and magic their way across the screen in dynamic fashion. Dai’s kind spirit and hidden strength gave me serious Gon vibes, which is one of the things I liked most about the premiere – I want to see what will happen when he’s truly put to the test. The capsule system is really cool, as well, allowing for limitless possibilities in battle as early as episode one. I’ll be watching this one weekly to see whether the promising combat, characters, and story can create something special.

Potential: 70%

Amun’s review:

I vaguely know of the Dragon Quest franchise – the games were a bit before my time, and I was too young to watch the original version from Toei. In short, I think this is a remake, so I’ll treat it as such. Let’s be honest, Toei shows don’t really look that great – the designs tend to be childish/simple, pace fast, characters straightforward. I’m actually a fan of World Trigger but wasn’t as sold on Kitaro – Dragon Quest, for me, is not an automatic watch based on the studio. What about its other qualities? I think the story is too simplistic, there wasn’t anything original, character or storywise, and we’re going to have gamelike episodic plot-armor progression. Colours are all over the place too. The setting also feels like a low effort rip off of Greed Island from Hunter x Hunter (Wooper pointed out some other similarities too) – plus we have Pokeballs and Slimes. So many shows have slimes now – anime, why you do this? Next, we’ll have Slime High School! In short – if you’re ages 8-13, this show might be for you. Otherwise, nah.

Potential: 1%

Majo no Tabitabi

Short Synopsis: An apprentice witch trains under a weird witch to become a full-fledged witch.

Amun’s review:

Welcome to Kino’s Delivery Service! (I got a bit of Ancient Magus Bride/Somali and the Forest Spirit vibes too). In all seriousness, we have no idea where this show is going – episode 1 was just a backstory after all. What we can tell is that we have pretty standard character designs, some nice texture details (I liked the Stardust witch’s cloak/hat), and an open ended, dynamic world. The fight animation was nice, the writing with her parents’ instructions clever – this was as good of a prologue as you could ask for. Now the question becomes – where does Majo no Tabitabi go from here? Like Elaina, the sky – and the ground – are the limits.

Potential: 65%

Lenlo’s review:

Sadly I have a much more… mixed reception to Majo no Tabitabi than Amun. For one, I do think it was visually nice, mostly. The water effects were good, the fight was stilted but fine. The only thing that really stood out to me as looking bad were the fire effects. Oh boy the fire effects. They looked like they were applied in MS Paint, to be honest. Outside that though Majo looked fine. Story wise is where I have my big bugbear though, because I cannot stand how the parents’ story this episode was written. Not only did Elaina have absolutely no need to be taught that lesson with how Majo no Tabitabi portrayed her, but the lesson itself was incredibly stupid. I saw what they were going for with it, the idea is solid. But the way Elaina’s character was presented and with how it was led into makes it make no sense. She wasn’t shown to be arrogant or anything like that, and the Stardust Witch didn’t make any real effort to teach her anything before deciding to throw thunderbolts at her. Hopefully the rest of the season is better written, because I think there is potential here. But if this is the quality of writing we can expect it might be better to just skip Majo no Tabitabi entirely.

Potential: 45%

100-man no Inochi no Ue ni Ore wa Tatteiru

Short Synopsis: Reclusive guy gets isekai-ed to another world and starts a new life as a… powerless farmer?

Armitage’s review:

Well well well. What do we have here? An Isekai story with no gimmicks in which the player starts off at the bottom level and is forced to grind his way up instead of being ridiculously overpowered? An authentic RPG game world, complete with organic interactions with NPCs and actual care put into the game mechanics? Huh, 2 out of 3, show. Not bad. But I know where you’ll falter. Surely your MC is a Kirito clone who needs to appoint himself as the savior of every female character in the story? Wait, what!? He can actually be cruelly selfish and choose the best course of action even if it means abandoning his weaker party members? He has a… p-p-… personality?? Now that’s not very fair. You are not giving me any reasons to make fun of you, show! That’s not how it works. Sheh. Don’t ya know? You’re an ‘isekai’. Just turn back into a clichéd regurgitation of overdone tropes come next episode so I can call you trash and then feel guilty about watching you anyway. Sounds cool?

Potential: 90%

Amun’s review:

100-man writers had a brilliant idea: let’s take components from all the past Isekai that did well and put them together. Goblins (Goblin Slayer – I actually had PTSD on that first shot, to be honest), Resurrection (Re:Zero), and the Main character is a farmer (Hamefura) – Armi pointed out the similarities with Kirito above. I guess slimes are getting their own show later this season, so those weren’t available. 100-man is a bit of an isekai amalgamation…but it worked pretty well. Really, it’s the characters having some depth and some glaring weaknesses that makes this an interesting show – the visuals and designs are passable at best and this episode, at least, felt really rushed. How does this show succeed? By being more than the sum of its parts. How does it fail? By regurgitating worn-out tropes with subpar animation (and overdone CG). So far though, it looks pretty promising.

Potential: 65%

Tonikaku Kawaii

Short Synopsis: Mysterious girl saves an idiot’s life then shows up 3 years later with marriage papers.

Amun’s review:

I got some serious Kaiki in the snow flashbacks at the start of this episode (I forget which Monogatari that was – if you know, you know). I was confused why what I thought was a romcom started with a shot of a dying kid. But nope, this is the right show after all – definitely a strange premiere, looks like a modern Princess Kaguya (as Mario mentions). The MC is a bit nuts, the girl is 1000% sketchy (and superpowered?)…but for some reason, it’s a bit endearing. Like you know it should be a trainwreck, but you’re hoping it will somehow work out. This seems like a slim cast version of the Quintessential Quintuplets – if that’s not your cup of tea, this should be a pass. Also, this OP is actually hilarious – you have to listen all the way through.

Potential: 50%

Mario’s review:

Structuring itself as a modern spin on Princess Kaguya’s tale, this slapstick romance has a bit too much anime logic that makes it enjoyable (for us), but I don’t see it breaking any ground here. Structure-wise, it’s a typical setup of a romance: boy meets girl and falls for her at first sight, with a little twist that they are married and now we see how this relationship develops. The humor is a bit of a hit-or-miss for me, it works when our MC meta-acknowledged how easily a boy falls for a girl. But at the same time we have to endure lots of MC screaming out of shyness and it just gets more annoying by the minute. That girl is a perfect manic pixie dream girl from the moment that she enters and hijacks his poor lonely life, so we need to see more sides of her. For now, I am okay with the premise but I will decide if I am going to follow it through after 3 episodes.

Potential: 30%

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Short Synopsis: Bunch of completely sane kids hang together while playing perfectly non-threatening games, non-threateningly.

Armitage’s review:

As someone who’s a fan of the OG Higurashi and who wasn’t a fan of what I saw from PVs of this latest iteration, I went into this remake with more caution than excitement. And well, I came out of it feeling that way too. Look, if this is your first exposure to this series, I can totally see you like the first episode and even really enjoy it. But while comparing it with the beloved original, this just feels like a watered down rehash instead of a ground-up remake. The art style is bland as can be, making the show look like every other generic rom-com out there; the color scheme is almost sickeningly sweet and vibrant, especially for a horror show; and the VAs sound nothing like the personalities of each character. Higurashi is a show that lives and dies on its meat cleaver. And if the opening shot leaves you feeling… nothing, please DO NOT watch this adaptation. Go see the original. The animation is dated and takes a little getting used to. But that in turn, amplifies the creep factor of the series. Just watch that premiere and see how much better it is in comparison. The only positive and the one reason that I would give this remake a few more episodes before deciding to drop it is the production staff’s choice to bring back the original’s OP. And I hope against my better judgement, that the coming episodes are able to bring back some of its charm too.

Potential: 30%

Lenlo’s review:

As someone who has not seen the OG Higurashi and this is their first exposure to it… I don’t get the hype. Despite what Armitage said I think its looks are its strongest part, but that isn’t saying much. It’s very bright, yes, but the lines are clean and though some of the girls redesigns look like knock-off Monogatari Girls with that silly ‘3’ mouth thing, I think it largely looks fine. And looking at images/clips of the original, I can’t say that looked very good either. Neither the old nor the new series have very strong production but at least the old has the excuse of being 15 years old. Meanwhile story wise I am… slightly engaged? I’ll be honest and say that horror anime have never really grabbed me. As a medium, anime just doesn’t do horror well in my experience, not this sort of horror anyways. Some manga such as Junji Ito’s work can pull it off, and more psychological pieces like Perfect Blue/Lain/Mononoke can pull it off. But so far Higurashi doesn’t seem to nail that. Maybe it will turn into a sort of Children of the Corn, in which case I’ll be down. But at this point I am pretty desensitized to anime characters murdering anime characters.

Potential: 30%

Assault Lily: Bouquet

Short Synopsis: Teenage girls attend magic school and fight robots using transforming weapons and yuri (sub)text.

Lenlo’s review:

Alright, so you remember all the previous highschool magical girl schlock we have gotten this year like Lapis Re:Lights and such? Well this may sound hypocritical, but Assault Lily ain’t any of those. I can’t tell if it’s because Shaft is making it or the FLCL director is… directing it, but something about this just works. Visually the show looks good, the characters are very emotive and even 1 episode in it feels like a lot of work has been put into how they move. Meanwhile the CGI fight scenes are actually uh… good, somehow. Some were obviously CGI, but flowed really well, while others were framed in such a way I could barely tell there was CGI involved. It’s good shit yo! And to top it all off it feels like there is something deeper and darker underneath, something akin to the last Mahou Shoujo Shaft made, Madoka Magica. Tack on a KyoAni animation director in Nagahara and it’s a recipe for some good production. So yeah Assault Lily has a lot of good things going for it and I am looking forward to it this season for all the previously mentioned reasons. Or the thigh-highs. It could also just be the thigh-highs.

Potential: 70%

Wooper’s review:

Assault Lily: Bouquet reminds me less of Madoka Magica, which I’m sure it would love to be compared to, and more of Houkago no Pleiades, Gainax’s final TV anime. Sure, they’re both magical girl shows, but their status as death knells for their respective studios is the more interesting parallel. Shaft may have another project in the works for 2021, but the lack of creativity behind Bouquet says all you need to know about the studio’s future. It opens with a solid three minutes of narration explaining the setting and the main girl’s place within it, and new girls feed her factoids about more important characters by way of conversation. The character art seems to have been ripped from a D-tier gacha game. The animation is stilted during conversation, and CG models dutifully take the place of traditional drawings during all the interesting cuts. The script makes no attempts to hide its by-the-numbers construction; mere seconds after the major character relationships have been established, a plain-looking upperclassman materializes and instructs the main trio to hunt down the enemy of the week. This thing is amateurishly written and plainly produced, not to mention insulting in its yuri-baiting (“I’m not really a loose woman!” swears a redheaded girl, by way of apologizing for hugging her new crush). If this is the level at which Shaft will be operating going forward, then the studio is dead.

Potential: 5%

Haikyuu!! To The Top S2

Short Synopsis: Sweaty high-school boys fondle some balls on a national level.

Lenlo’s review:

Let me preface this by saying, I am a Haikyuu stan. I have read and own the entire manga series along with all the BD’s. I think the first 3 seasons are incredible, and I love me some volleyball bois. So it comes from a place of love when I say that something just feels… off about To The Top S2. Something about its production just feels flat visually. I can’t tell if it’s the colors, the occasional stiffness in the animation or the direction but it feels like Haikyuu is only 70-80% there. Like the last cour of To The Top, outside of the BIG MOMENTS it just feels off. Don’t get me wrong, I love the BIG MOMENTS, I love how malleable Hinata’s character model gets on his jumps and how expressive they can be. It’s just not happening often enough for me. Regardless, the first cour picked it up in the 2nd half and I am expecting the same here. I know the story is good, the manga is proof of that. The only thing in question is if they can nail the production and I am willing to bet they can.

Potential: 75%

Armitage’s review:

I need this show right now. 2020 has been a shitty year with every second anime being marred with production difficulties and delays in air schedule. The current Fall season is the last straw of hope our rapidly expanding community seems to be holding on to in this terrible year. And Haikyuu is the closest you can get to a guarantee in quality. It’s consistent as any multi-season series can be and for fans of the show, myself included, it’s simply comfort food. Which is something we all can do with a generous helping of.

Though, compared to its previous three iterations, To the Top has been… uneven. While the art style change has taken some getting used to and the animation’s budget cuts have been rather apparent, narratively it’s still been strong. It seems like we’re building towards some big narrative payoffs and this series has earned its reputation by delivering a sizable amount of those; episode in, episode out. There is still clear room for improvement here. And it seems like this second cour will be spread across one single match which is a format that lends itself to many such moments of catharsis. Pair all that with a revamped soundtrack and a killer new OP (those high notes!) and you have the perfect recipe for a sumptuous meal. And I would like mine jumbo-sized!

Potential: 85%