Author: SuperWooper

Oregairu S3

Short Synopsis: Antisocial antihero manages to give all nearby girls/guys feelings. And doesn’t eat his cookies.

Amun’s review:

Five years after the 8-man rode the wave of adolescent antisocial nostalgia, our awkward triangle/trio returns – exactly where we left them. Now – first of all, anyone who says they remember who Saki was either a) just rewatched the series in preparation or b) is lying and just looked it up. It’s been a while. My feeling is this season will be a farewell tour – saying goodbye to characters one by one until the final trio is resolved; we already saw this with Saki and the little sisters. I’m curious what’s going on with the Western formal wear in the OP – there tends to be a main event each season, so that’s probably related. I guess the biggest point of speculation is the ending of the obvious final ship; Yahari, for all its sneering, is too vanilla for a yuri ending, but I could see some BS throple avoidance of a real answer. The just-friends route is still an option too, but that would be lame. I mean, last season’s 8th son managed a proper harem, so maybe this season’s 8-man will do the same.

And so help me, if Hachiman doesn’t eat his damn cookies, I will knock the stupid out of him, making him 4-man.

Potential: 88.888888%

Mario’s review:

It feels rather nostalgic to see OreGairu back on screen, on that very day, as the characters look the same and we’re now 5 years older and wiser. For me, while this premiere doesn’t really establish the arc to come as it concerns more about Hachiman’s everyday life, it displays many of the show’s core qualities, for better or for worse. There’s a mix between light comic moments where the characters make “smart remarks” about the LN tropes – they fire imouto tropes in all cylinders here and overblown drama that grabs your heartstrings – sister takes a bow to send her gratitude to her brother. Really? Individually each part can be grating but OreGairu has that quality of making them affecting nonetheless. The thing I like most about the series, its attention and love to the characters’ little gestures and movements are still there. Hachiman and his little sister has always been one of my favorites so every moment they are together is just gold to me, but I can’t say the same with the Saki and Hachiman’s pair – Saki remains the least memorable character out of this entire cast. It’s lovely to see our awkward boy back with all the girls (and boys), that’s for sure, and I’m in for the ride, wherever it leads me.

Potential: 60%

Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai!

Short Synopsis: Girl manipulates her lazy senpai into having fun.

Armitage’s review:

Let’s just talk about the elephant in the room. YES. THOSE BREASTS ARE UNREALISTICALLY HUGE. Moving on.
I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. If there was a section in our first impressions for ‘most charming anime of the season’, this would undoubtedly take the cake. Although, it’s facing almost no competition, but still. We have a cheery female MC with a great pair personality and her lazy-ass senpai who just wants to be left alone so he can have his chicken karaage in peace after watching a movie by himself. The chemistry between the two is what instills the charm in this story. It’s a loud, slapstick comedy with plenty of moments capable of earning laughs from the viewers. The production quality is satisfactory and the soundtrack is serviceable. The only caveat I have is the slight over-reliance on well, the boob jokes. But I guess one would know that’d be the case even before pressing play on an episode. If the show can tone those down going forward, then this can easily be a sleeper hit for the season.

Potential: 70%

Wooper’s review:

Here are the two conversation loops that power this dumbass premiere.

#1:
Sakurai: I regret having to spend time with you, but I guess it’s happening anyway.
Uzaki: Yay! By the way, aren’t you, like, kind of a loser? LOL
Sakurai: [visibly frustrated] Listen here, you little shit. My lifestyle is totally normal, and here are some Facts and Logic to prove it.
Uzaki: Naruhodou! You really are the coolest and most logical spiky-haired anime protag in recent times. But for real though, aren’t you still kind of a nerd? XD
Sakurai: [suppresses the hilarious urge to hit a woman]

#2:
Sakurai: I guess spending time with Uzaki isn’t so bad, after all.
Uzaki: [draws attention to herself]
Sakurai: Why are you so annoying?
Uzaki: [has large breasts]
Sakurai: Why are your titties so sugoi dekai? [TL note: “sugoi dekai” means ‘big plan’]

Rinse and repeat.

Potential: 0%

Kanojo, Okarishimasu

Short Synopsis: Loser MC wants to get laid, no matter the cost. Literally.

Armitage’s review:

Now I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of the bland-male-protagonist-hitting-it-up-with-the-gorgeously-perfect-girl-who-is-way-out-of-his-league subgenre of romantic comedies because well, when I am rooting for the guy to get the girl, I want to at least like the guy. Which, in such stories, is rarely the case. Does Ren-Kano fall under the same category? Most definitely it does. The male lead is highly unlikeable, the female MC has the overdone twin-personality trait and if the premiere would have only involved the two of them, I’d have passed on it instantly. But thankfully, this story or at least the premiere does have one saving grace: the supporting cast. Generic loser MC’s parents and grandmother fare much better in terms of likeability and the comedic moments the show churned out of their reactions did genuinely make me laugh. Of course, that by itself is no reason to watch this week by week. None of them may feature extensively in the coming episodes. But still, I’ll give it a couple of episodes to give me something or someone to root for before giving up on it entirely, even though now I don’t think this will become an in-depth look into the escort industry which is kind of what I was hoping for.

Potential: 55%

Lenlo’s review:

Surprisingly wholesome for what is effectively a soft-core escort service. Armitage basically hit the nail on the head, our leading pair are actually the worst, dullest part of the show. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in rom-coms, and Ren-Kano doesn’t seem to be doing anything different to change it up either. The supporting cast, and all the gags they are involved in, are really the best part. Playing up the grandparents, the father and mother, all of that was the best the episode had to offer. Sadly unlike Armitage, I didn’t enjoy it near as much. My brand of comedy leans more towards gallows humor than this “Your grand-daughter is my fake girlfriend because it keeps you out of the hospital” shtick. Still credit where it’s due, Ren-Kano was actually not mediocre for around 10 minutes of its runtime. So if this is your wheelhouse, I figure you’ll be able to find something to enjoy here.

Potential: 30%

Deca-Dence

Short Synopsis: Girl finds herself a new daddy while waiting for her biological father to return from fighting monsters in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Armitage’s review:

Damn. That was a lot of subplots. Not only does Deca-Dence throw the viewer right into its world without any warning or setup, it also keeps unveiling layers upon layers of subtext and side-plots over the course of its premiere. There’s so much going on here that if you were to not pay attention for ten seconds, you’d end up missing a potentially vital detail. Considering that a story like this relies heavily on world-building and the fact that it’s likely only going to be one-cour, you can expect that the pacing would feel a bit breakneck at times. That being said, I really liked what I saw and do find myself thoroughly invested. The direction by Yuzuru Tachikawa feels very assured, camerawork is dynamic, character designs stand out and the CGI doesn’t suck(!) The only thing that makes me a little skeptical is the writing. Tachikawa is not overseeing the screenplay and being an anime original, this can just as easily crash and burn no matter the calibre of its director. Nonetheless, it’s a promising premiere and I am genuinely excited for the direction this story might take in the coming weeks.

Potential: 80%

Mario’s review:

Out of all the shows airing this season, Deca-Dence is a wild-card for me based on the reputation of the director alone. Let’s just say I found this premiere mixed, especially the first 5 minutes were so clunky it nearly kicked me out of the story entirely. We have a textbook flashback of a young girl losing her Dad during one of the “missions”, we have a mouthful of world-building exposition fed to us, camouflaging itself as students reciting the rules – but I can’t help but feel obvious. We have most of the characters behave one-noted and unconvincingly (take that bullying girl, for example). Thankfully one our lead gets into her first job (in what reminds me greatly of Dragon Dentist’s world), the story improves tremendously as the show showcases many of its strengths. First, Natsume is a good character to follow around. She has this “loud” personality but Deca-Dence does a great job of endearing her with expressive facial expression, and her chemistry with the other lead is solid so far. The direction stands out as well, kudos to its use of match cuts (I love those) and many stunning fight choreography. On the other spectrum, the story moves a bit too fast at times and I am not really that into the CG monster designs. As it stands Deca-Dence has its ambitions but I am not totally convinced with how it plays out so far.

Potential: 40%

Japan Sinks

Short Synopsis: A 1970’s disaster novel adapted for 2020, where Tokyo is destroyed by a massive earthquake and the Muto family must do their best to survive and escape this crumbling city.

Lenlo’s review:

It should go without saying after my Eizouken review, but I am a bit of a Yuasa stan. When I heard he was doing another series this soon after Eizouken, I was pumped, even if it’s his last series as a Science Saru lead. And while other writers here might disagree with me, as far as the first episode goes, Japan Sinks did not disappoint. Visually yes, it’s a bit odd, like all of Yuasa’s works. It isn’t an animation spectacle like Eizouken or Devilman, nor is going to be as surrealist as Tatami Galaxy. But there was just enough color so as to not feel too brown, just enough expressiveness in the characters and their animation to still feel like an anime, all the while delivering a grounded tragedy/disaster tale. I have no idea if it sticks with this, as I have heard some… interesting things from friends who have already finished the series. Things that make me think that maybe, just maybe, this falls apart horrendously. But I do know that I am bingeing it later tonight, and I trust Yuasa to see me through. Might even write a review if no one else wants to blog it.

Episode 3 Update: 3 episodes in, my hype has died down tremendously. Every episode it just gets worse. I’m starting to blame the series director if only to keep Yuasa on my “Never failed me” list.

Episode 5 Update: Dear god why

Potential: 80%, I trust in Yuasa to carry this through
40% Yuasa please fix this before my next update
1% Hope is almost all lost

Wooper’s review:

Despite its depiction of a nation-shattering earthquake, Japan Sinks might be Science Saru’s most down-to-earth project yet. There are no genius dogs, no supernatural water physics, and no ultra-stylized table tennis matches to be found here – just ordinary shots of extraordinary environmental damage, and the people devastated by it. The loose character designs remind me of Devilman Crybaby, but that series’ uncompromised freedom of movement isn’t the goal in Japan Sinks. It’s a straightforward disaster drama with a family of four at its center – which makes me wonder whether a stricter style might have clarified their emotional burden. As a matter of fact, that thought nagged at me the whole way through this episode. Still, it managed to connect with me by the end, when survivor’s guilt caught up with the teenage daughter and she wept for her fallen teammates. The backgrounds were prettier than I’d anticipated, and appropriately stark in their portrayal of a ruined and fiery Tokyo. Other things I liked were the small narrated inserts about life before the earthquake, Kensuke Ushio’s forlorn, piano-based accompaniments, and the sunlight-flooded OP. The character art and straightforward story are lagging for me right now, but assuming the latter factor improves, I’ll be content.

Potential: 60%

No Guns Life S2

Short Synopsis: Tough guy with a literal revolver head has to babysit an idiot who can take over other people’s bodies (only if they are robotic amputees).

Amun’s review:

If you read the weekly summary from a couple seasons ago, you’ll know NGL S1 was my darling overachiever. I love the characters, 3D generated setting, the world – everything. NGL S2’s first episode is an unmitigated disaster. First off, you know the one thing that didn’t make Season 1 great? Characters standing (or sitting) around talking. Secondly, the animators have forgotten how to draw their main characters – mostly Mary. But the background characters as well. I guess Juzo looks about the same, but even then there are wonky shots – when he reaches his arm back, it’s completely out of perspective. The backgrounds still look pretty good, but that’s not enough – the most action in this episode is getting shocked by a doorknob. Victor just looks weird and the 3D CGI chain tentacles are not appealing or frightening. The OP is okay, and the ED is kind of fun (twerking giant Mary is really the only redeeming part of this show), but in between is a big problem. My hype is severely dampened.

Potential: 25%

Wooper’s review:

As an extended homage to the noir detective genre, No Guns Life relies heavily on its detective MC to maintain a clear point of view. Without Juzo’s dry humor and reluctant do-goodery to filter incoming information, the plot would read like a load of quasi-political conspiracies and nothing else. That’s exactly what happened in this episode, as our favorite gun-headed investigator took a backseat to Mary, Tetsurou, and season 2’s new rogues gallery. Hell, he received only slightly more screen time than his heavily stereotyped trans landlord, who was kidnapped by a fanatical anti-modification faction. There’s little time to flesh out that story, though, because we’ve got to learn about Mary’s Doctor Octopus-esque brother, the blond bowl cut villain who appears in the final scene, the well-mannered agent who’s after Juzo’s data chip, etc. It doesn’t help that a good portion of the story revolves around that data, since it was acquired during a glorified side story during the previous season. Ultimately, this is a premiere that tried to do too much, and failed pretty badly.

Potential: 15%