Author: SuperWooper

BNA – 02 [Rabbit Town]

by SuperWooper, posted in BNA, Series which were Dropped

Trigger’s latest attempt to Save Anime has arrived, complete with a two-tone color scheme and an unorthodox release schedule. While it was still one of spring’s most anticipated shows (placing second in our season preview poll), the half-cour Netflix rollout and resulting lack of official subs has reduced awareness of the series in broader circles. That didn’t stop me with Dorohedoro, though, and it won’t stop me now. I’m not a big Trigger fan, but my favorite work of theirs was created by Yoh Yoshinari, who’s also directing BNA, so I’ve got a reason to be optimistic here. The show isn’t blowing me away yet – in fact, I have a fair number of criticisms, which we’ll get to in a bit – but since we’re just two episodes in, my patience is still intact. And hey, being so short and so grounded in its own alternate reality, the series probably won’t have time for a groan-worthy trip to space just before the end. Amen to that, eh?

(Note: I’m following Asenshi’s weekly releases, not the batch of six episodes that are already making the rounds online. Don’t expect to see a flurry of BNA posts any time soon.)

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Some Quick First Impressions: Yesterday wo Utatte, Bungou to Alchemist, Gal to Kyouryuu

by SuperWooper, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Yesterday wo Utatte

Short Synopsis: A recent college graduate who lacks any real ambition in life gets stalked by a high-school girl and her pet crow.

Armitage: Oh, boy. This is a tricky one. Don’t get me wrong now. There are a lot of positives here. Be it the refreshing choice of a college graduate for a protagonist in Rikuo, the complicated nature of the relationship between him and Shinako (it falls somewhere in between one-sided crush and mutual fondness) or the general tone of the series which seems wholly drenched in nostalgia (the sombre OST has to be credited for that) while feeling very realistic. Plus, the ED song is definitely my favorite for any series this spring. It’s evident that there’s a lot to love. But my main qualm with it comes back to Haru, who is a walking red flag. Her behavior so far in the series just comes off as a bit obsessive and from what we got to know about her in the premiere, I couldn’t really justify her actions. Though it’s still early days and as more layers of the characters’ lives get peeled in the coming weeks, my opinions may change completely. Unfortunately, Doga Kobo has a track record of ending their one-cour series with big flashing ‘GO READ THE MANGA!’ signs and considering that the source material is over a 100 chapters long, I can see this series succumbing to the same fate. What I can say for sure is that I do find myself interested in knowing where this story is headed and will be following it to the end, even if it crashes and burns by then.

Potential: 75%

Wooper: For a story about a mellow convenience store worker, life sure comes at the viewer fast in Yesterday wo Utatte. We’re barely given a chance to understand who the main character is before his meet-cute with a crow-taming girl, who then appears four or five more times throughout the episode. His recent graduation is mentioned only minutes before his college crush waltzes back into his life, and his confession/her rejection happen shortly thereafter. In fact, all the show’s cards seem to be on the table as of the premiere’s end. We know about Rikou’s past with Crow Girl, her personal history and lack of family, the link between the two female love interests, etc. So why am I looking forward to the next episode? Well, it’s got a male protagonist who doesn’t trip over his own tongue at the mere sight of a woman, which is a welcome surprise in anime land. Plus there’s a melancholic atmosphere to it that I like, even if the show ventured into navel-gazing territory with Crow Girl’s monologue at the end. Rikou’s interest in photography could take the story to some interesting places, as well. That’s a strong enough toolkit for me to pick up this series, at least temporarily.

Potential: 60%

Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma

Short Synopsis: Historical authors enter stories gone wrong to set them back on the right track.

Lenlo: What the hell even is this? Are we in stories? A fantasy world? The modern world? What is with Japan’s obsession with putting novelists in anime, as if just throwing names in there adds depth? Everything about this just reeks of mediocrity and it doesn’t even have the good will of a decent production. I grew bored and wanted to turn it off by the time the OP rolled, to say nothing of the ED. Long story short, skip this. Even Bungou Stray Dogs does a better job with the “Authors as heroes” concept, and I don’t even like that show.

Potential: 0%

Mario: It’s a pretty bad idea to throw us in the middle of the story without any context and then introduce the twist. It’s like they pull the rug out when we haven’t even put our feet on it. Dazai and Akutagawa are interesting historical figures, but that doesn’t necessarily make them an engaging anime leads to follow. The core concept is easy enough to follow, these writers serve as heroes going inside the fictions to destroy “Taints”, who want to corrupt the story, but it’s not a fresh idea by any measure, and the show loses me hard once Akutagawa’s character enters the story. Our mains are over-designed, loud and thinly written and I find it hard to have any kind of investment in them. An easy skip.

Potential: 0%

Gal to Kyouryuu

Short Synopsis: A fashionable young woman starts living with a dinosaur after drunkenly inviting it home one night.

Wooper: Having read a few chapters of the manga before this episode dropped, I have to say I prefer Gal and Dino in book form. The dinosaur is cute in both versions, but having the freedom to drink in its various facial expressions at your own pace works much better than the TV version. There were many spots in the anime, especially during the Dino Channel segments, where the show held too long on a shot of its mascot, which brought some scenes to a screeching halt. The live action segments suffered from a separate problem, stemming from the cartoon sound effects that accompanied the dino’s movements. I’ll admit to chuckling the first time I heard the airhorn and raising an eyebrow at the lightsaber sounds, but the more ordinary squeaks and boings were applied far too liberally. Despite my nitpicks, the series did have a trump card that entertained me, and that was the recreation of its first chapter with human actors, where a middle-aged man played the role of Kaede. I got a big laugh from this gimmick at first, but I doubt it’ll be enough to keep the show fresh for 12 episodes – Pop Team Epic this ain’t.

Potential: mlg_airhorn.mp3/10

Amun: Uh, this isn’t entirely animation. I mean, there was an animated short for about 5 minutes, followed by some claymation…and then some live action? With an old dude? Who had a heart attack? Like – what is going on? The anime bit was fine, I guess (not a huge fan of dino’s design), but there’s just so much more to this show. I guess I’m extremely curious not where this goes plot wise, but what the actual media is…?

Potential: 5% (Just because I’m curious if this is an actual anime)

Some Quick First Impressions: Arte, Listeners, Sakura Wars the Animation

by SuperWooper, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Arte

Short Synopsis: Tired of being held down by societal norms and traditions, a girl decides to leave behind her aristocratic roots and carve a new life for herself as an artist.

Lenlo: Unlike Armitage, I knew nothing about Arte going in and only barely knew that Artemisia, whom Arte is based on, existed. Yet even with no knowledge, Arte is the first series of this season to actually hold my complete attention all the way through. Similar to Runway de Waratte, the initial premise of a character striving in an industry they are unfit for and whom the industry is biased against is a good one. Right away it sets the entire world against the lead, and Arte doesn’t look like its going to shy away from the technical aspects like Runway. It’s only made better by the setting of 16th century Florence, which I at least have never seen covered in anime before. The backgrounds are beautiful, and as someone who has actually been to Florence, it’s a joy to see it rendered in such a stunning way. And the commitment to the setting seems to go beyond the flavor of the backgrounds, with hard labor in place of modern conveniences for the art and a focus on the actual living conditions of the times too. My only quibbles are actually very similar to Armitage, those being the comedy falling flat or the animation not being all there. Still though, it’s the first series to really catch and hold my eye yet. And the fact that Armitage is blogging it means I get to just sit back and relax with it to!

Potential: 80%

Armitage: Arte is a story, loosely based upon real events, which follows the titular character on her journey to becoming a painter in 16th Century Florence. The manga serves as a fitting companion piece to Blue Period (another phenomenal manga, though we’ll talk more about it when that anime eventually comes out) but while both are about individuals trying to pursue their passion of becoming artists, Arte distinguishes itself by not only being a story about art and the sacrifices that go into pursuing it for a living but by also serving as a criticism of a history of unfair gender biases that prevail almost every profession. I am already familiar with the source material so, all I hoped for while tuning in to the premiere was for a competent enough adaptation. And I got just that. While the animation itself was nothing too spectacular, the backgrounds bringing to life Renaissance-era Florence looked absolutely stunning. The voice actors for our main duo are both apt and Maaya Sakomoto’s vocal return for the OP is always welcome. The one thing I can point out as a minor quibble is that the comedic gags didn’t all land as expected but that’s a shortcoming on the manga’s part and not the anime. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better start to this story. I shall be returning next week for full weekly coverage. Hope you will join me too!

Potential: 100%

Listeners

Short Synopsis: Audio nerd makes advances on mysterious girl, but gets too caught up in his love of gear to actually get any.

Amun: Really the studios doing Listeners and ToG should switch – I feel like each’s visual style is way better suited for the other. This show looks great – the CGI integration makes sense, the world has good details, it feels like a world of junk and burned out tech. The characters are well introduced with their obvious traits at the front but also with adequate room to grow. Where I’m a little hesitant is the obvious service that’s going to play into this show, and I’ve always found Japan’s portrayal of rock and roll a little…mismatched. That said, I like what I’ve seen so far – this kind of seems like a music mech version of Tsugumomo (also airing this season), which I’m a fan of (see what I did there). I’m here for at least a few more gigs!

Potential: 65%

Mario: Concept-wise, Listeners has a lot to write home about. It’s a musical and mecha hybrid in a distinct setting (at least in this first episode) with gorgeous character designs, expressive animation with a plot that knows where it’s heading. At the same time though, it sweeps through an array of cliche development and tired dialogue that it feels new and old school on equal measures. The soundtrack reminds me a good deal of FLCL, anyone who is familiar with Dai Sato’s past works will see lots of familiar factors here, and boy meets girl who is a perfect match for him with a convenient amnesia? All checks. Even the gags revolving around Mu misreads Echo’s advance is so dated it’s hard to overlook. But Mu’s outgoing personality plays out as a neat contrast to Echo’s personal traits and they have a pretty solid chemistry already. The battle at the end successfully embraces Listeners’ appeals: mecha ⁺ solid action ⁺ rock & roll. In addition, I enjoy many references to the real world’s music. Listeners’ premiere might be on a cliche side, but it does it with its utmost confidence, just like Mu herself.

Potential: 40%

Sakura Wars the Animation

Short Synopsis: A team of Taisho-era actresses moonlight as mecha-piloting peacekeepers.

Wooper: I knew this show was going to be bad, but I missed the fact that it was animated by Sanzigen, one of the worst 3DCG studios in the business. The first scene took place in darkness, so its ugliness was largely disguised, but the rest of the episode looked straight outta 2013. From simple dialogue to more complex theater and combat scenes, this thing is hideous to watch. The story isn’t much better, being a fusion of the fantasy, idol, and mecha genres that feels like it was made for nobody in particular. The enemies are lizards that look like robots, but are actually demons, and the suddenness of their appearance renders the ensuing battle scene totally lifeless. But hey, at least the main characters got to reintroduce themselves and deliver their shitty catchphrases before charging into battle. Yes, this is *that* kind of show – made solely to familiarize a new generation of waifu-seekers with a media property that they can sink their money into. Don’t watch this.

Potential: 0%

Mario: Unlike Wooper, I am fond of Sanzigen given how their character designs are attractive and the CG looks rather decent, but Sakura Wars looks trash and feels trash. All the characters look stiff and emotionless. It doesn’t help that the personality traits are nothing to write home about, with the worst offender being Sakura herself. Clinging to the only boy in the show, she’s just a pain to watch. The plot is filled with cliche like that girl that has amnesia or how we can tell miles away they are going to be under attack when the only man isn’t around. I know it’s a reboot of a franchise so there’s a market for it, but otherwise I see no reason to pick up on this. It’s unremarkable on all fronts.

Potential: 0%

Some Quick First Impressions: BNA, Tamayomi, Tower of God

by SuperWooper, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

BNA

Short Synopsis: Trigger re-writes Beastars in traditional Trigger style.

Helghast: Due to how Netflix releases things either too late or too early, the entire first half of BNA is out for your viewing pleasure. I’ve watched the first three episodes to balance it out and Studio Trigger hasn’t failed to entertain me yet. This time it’s Zootopia meets Kill la Kill and if you were expecting another Beastars, think more along the lines of the brustling fire-conscious city of Promare rather than the intricate layers of society. With the director of Little Witch Academia and the guy who scored Megalo Box being behind this production, it has been a fast-paced and wild ride through Anima City. The animation is an absolute riot in portraying the comedic violence and the characters of Michiru and Shirou drive the story with their different senses of discovery and justice. Being a Studio Trigger show, I expect this to be a smash hit or at least implode unto itself in a spectacular fashion.

Potential: 80%

Lenlo: Well one thing is for sure, you can tell this is a Studio Trigger production right from the get go. It’s flashy, bright and has a sense of style. Whether BNA ends up as anything more though we will have to wait and see. Because initially, its story isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, especially from Trigger, who seem hooked on this same core narrative. Some kind of class system in place, down-trodden, etc and the heroine comes in to fix it. That said there is some promise, a hint of a mystery, in just the first episode. Which gives me hope that there is more to BNA than just Triggers stylistic flair. Even if I am wrong though, if nothing else, BNA will be a party to watch. That’s for sure. With any luck, we may even go to space by the end.

Potential: 80%

 

Tamayomi

Short Synopsis: Two childhood friends reunite in high school and become a softball battery.

Lenlo: I feel betrayed. I feel lied to. In a word, I feel upset. Because the PV’s and Key Illustrations leading into this promised me strong women with strong thighs. And Tamayomi gave me neither. Just look at these thighs, all bland, detail-less and samey. It’s almost as if their character designs have little actual differences! Meanwhile, the animation on these thighs is also lacking, as they move like slow blobs of jello. I can’t even appreciate flashback thighs, which is criminal considering how many there were! Flashbacks I mean, not thighs. Long story short, as far as a “Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” sports show goes, neither the girls nor the thing they are doing, are cute. And so I can only say it fails.

Potential: No Thighs/10

Wooper: This premiere was, in a word, boring. It took 22 excruciating minutes for the main character to meet several of her classmates and throw a few practice pitches to her childhood friend, with a couple middle school flashbacks to break up the monotony. Every bit of the episode felt padded, from the slow upward pans whenever a new person was introduced, to the internal overreactions whenever a character did something mildly surprising. The comedy revolved around identically-designed anime girls being kind of ditzy, which is nobody’s cup of tea when it’s done this predictably. Speaking of their designs, they’re so simple that it’s a wonder that animation isn’t better. Everybody looks like Kirito with a more feminine haircut, yet the episode’s few moments of full motion struggled to keep things consistent. The main girl has a magical curveball that initially heads right for the batter’s head, then darts into the catcher’s glove at the last second, and… You know what, I’m not going to waste another word here.

Potential: 0%

 

Tower of God

Short Synopsis: Young boy enters a Tower themed Death Game in search of the only girl to ever talk to him.

Amun: I read the first couple chapters of this webtoon and I was decently hyped….first episode has pretty well killed that. Unlike Lenlo, I do not like the rough line – I think it disrupts what should otherwise be a spectacle of scenery. Instead, we have shallow depth, low effort backdrops with characters parading around in PowerPoint animations. The story is a mess too – had I not read the source material I would be completely lost. As it is, I’m only halfway lost. What I’m seeing is the very definition of amateur hour – which makes me sad since I’m rooting for the Crunchyroll sponsored projects to succeed. Oh well, better luck next time, I guess.

Potential: 1%

Lenlo: Tower of God is a weird one. Visually, I like it. The rough line work stands out and the animation is good enough with that line work to keep me interested. It looks like nothing else airing this season, really. However having read the original WebToon, I can say with utmost certainty that if you had no idea what was going on this episode, you won’t moving forward either. Narratively it’s a bit of a mess, as the author figures out what kind of story they want to tell. So all I can really say at this point is that I am looking forward to some good animation, some good fights, and if it can adapt some of the best scenes of this first volume, it will at least be a good time. Nothing phenomenal, but hey. Sometimes I just want some popcorn you know?

Potential: 50%, popcorn flick

Dorohedoro Anime Review – 80/100

by SuperWooper, posted in Anime Reviews, Dorohedoro, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews by SuperWooper

In late December of last year, I labeled Dorohedoro one of my most anticipated series of winter 2020. Honestly, that was a poser move. I’m not a manga reader, so my high expectations were based largely on secondhand praise, plus the potential for bloody irreverence promised by the PV and synopsis. There was one element of the show’s production, though, that I was confident would give it a unique appeal: the involvement of Shinji Kimura, background artist for such films as My Neighbor Totoro and Akira. He’s done plenty of great work as an art director, too, which was his role on this project. Sure enough, Dorohedoro’s grimy cityscapes and ramshackle interiors were uncommonly polished for a TV production – but the show had much more going for it than detailed backgrounds. A potpourri of violence, mystery, and a strangely loveable cast, Dorohedoro proved itself as one of this season’s strongest offerings, despite its task of adapting an unadaptable story.

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Dorohedoro – 12 [Pinky Promise]

by SuperWooper, posted in Dorohedoro, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense

We came tantalizingly close to understanding the truth of Caiman’s identity in this episode, but in the end, Dorohedoro’s tendency to complicate itself prevailed. Not that I’m complaining – this was a strong ending, assuming that a second season will emerge some day to continue the story. It resolved some mysteries and created much bigger ones, and convincingly reconciled two friends after brutally pitting them against each other. The latter of those accomplishments was important, as without Caiman and Nikaido’s pinky promise towards the end, this finale would have felt overstuffed with flashbacks, dreams, and clues. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all of those hints at the show’s bigger picture, and I’m going to spend the bulk of this post unpacking them, since I can use tomorrow’s series review to discuss everything else.

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Chihayafuru Season 3 Review – 82/100

by SuperWooper, posted in Anime Reviews, Chihayafuru, Finished Series: Sports, Reviews by SuperWooper

Back in October of last year, I wondered whether Chihayafuru’s foundation of unceasing karuta matchups and unrequited love would have lost its luster by the third season’s end. Now that we’ve reached that point, I have to say that the series approached that limit several times over these last 24 episodes. When it first reappeared on screen after a six year hiatus, I was taken aback by its consistency, but small issues cropped up as the story ran its course (more on those in a bit). These problems were cause for reflection – was the 2019 incarnation of this show really that different, or had my expectations changed? After some thought, I arrived at an answer: the show was, in fact, different, but it still met my primary expectation. Despite some stumbles in its third season, Chihayafuru’s continued success aligns with my core belief about narrative fiction: character is king.

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Chihayafuru S3 – 24 [When Winds Send Waves Crashing]

by SuperWooper, posted in Chihayafuru, Finished Series: Sports

Now *that’s* how you use a callback to finish an anime season. As a long-running series, Chihayafuru has both the history and the cast of characters necessary to echo itself in a satisfying way, and the conclusion of this episode is proof. Better yet, it involved all three main characters in the process, repeating Taichi’s past encouragement to Chihaya through Arata in the present. Even when those three are far apart, even when their minds are distracted and their hearts are broken, there’s something about the time they shared as children that keeps them connected. It’s no coincidence that the OP for this third season opened with an image of them as grade schoolers, or that both boys flash back to their elementary days once every few episodes. This finale worked to connect them in a more present sense as well (despite their physical separation), but I have to say that Arata’s text message mirroring Taichi’s faith in his old rival put a beautiful bow on this surprisingly-structured episode.

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Dorohedoro – 11 [See You at the Food Stall]

by SuperWooper, posted in Dorohedoro, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense

This episode wasted no time in picking up where the previous one left off, and right away we were hit over the head with a connection I should have made last time. The brawl at the town gate positioned Shin against Kasukabe, the doctor who saved his life during his time in Hole. You’d think that a former patient ripping off his savior’s arm with a hammer would leave a bigger impression, but sometimes Dorohedoro is in too big a hurry to emphasize those sorts of crossed paths. Not this week, though, as Shin’s easygoing nature triumphed over his bloodthirst, and we got a rare moment of cooperation between him and the gang from Hole (including Thirteen, who must be regretting his involvement by this point). For all of this show’s violence and grotesquerie, the scenes where even mafia cleaners and occultic professors manage to find common ground are among the best moments on offer.

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Chihayafuru S3 – 23 [Like a Boatsman Adrift]

by SuperWooper, posted in Chihayafuru, Finished Series: Sports

Last week’s introduction of the Taichi Cup had me excited for this episode. Who wouldn’t want to spectate a free-for-all tournament where Meijin hopefuls like Harada-sensei could clash with Class C challengers? Retro was in attendance, as well, which the show could have used to follow up his recent promotion to club president. The variety of participants might have created some fun matchups, maybe an upset or two – if the show had treated it as anything more than a distraction. When the Taichi Cup’s screen time ended just six minutes after it began, I was disappointed at the wasted potential that it represented. But as the episode ran on and it became clear where we were headed, I understood the reason for its brevity. Chihayafuru has historically placed climactic moments in its penultimate episodes, and used its season finales to cool down in their wake. And boy, did this one feature the mother of all climaxes.

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