Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion

Short Synopsis: A girl dies and is conveniently reincarnated into the world of a novel she’s already read.

Mario: This series is yet another isekai where the isekai-ing itself doesn’t make much sense. Yes, Raeliana retains her knowledge from her past life to change her fate – in a concept similar to Hamefura, only 100% more serious, but the show glosses over the whole concept by her narrating: “… and I was reborn as a character in a novel.” It might sound like a good idea on paper to speed up the established tropes to get to the main points, but right at the start I wasn’t totally convinced on what the show tries to sell me. Raeliana, on the other hand, is an interesting female lead to follow. As she already knows how she would die, she tries her best, to the point of manipulation, to escape that route. That leads to somewhat intriguing conflict, but at the cost of other characters. It is amusing to see how the plot goes from there, now that she narrowly escapes her fated death but might get herself tangled up in a bigger scheme. But at the same time, the other characters are painfully plain at the moment given the fact that Raeliana already “knows” about their personalities, their past and their motives. How it balances that out will determine the success of the show, but for those of you who are already under Raeliana’s spell, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Potential: 30%

Wooper: Sometimes the best way to explain that a TV show is poorly written is to provide a scene by scene summary of a single episode, since every aspect of its script is a misstep of some kind. That’s the approach I want to take with this series, but then I’d end up writing a novel – though on the plus side, I’m sure it would be more entertaining than the novel within which Raeliana now lives. Suffice to say, this series is drowning in expository narration, with multiple scenes grinding to a halt so the title character can explain the political situation of her country, or some piece of court intrigue about which a competent author would write an actual story, rather than inserting a “the story so far” segment into their very first episode. For most anime fans this axe-blunt style isn’t a dealbreaker – I’m just an old crank, so if you enjoyed this premiere, please pay me no mind. I do want to draw your attention to one particularly humorous moment, though, where Raeliana mentally protests her fiance’s clinginess by thinking, “I even read a book for this!” Here she’s referring to “How to Break Up with Your Boyfriend,” a tome whose wisdom fails to produce a clean end to her engagement, leaving her hitched to a man she hates – and the worst part of the whole situation is that she had to read a boring old book, with words and everything. Oh, the humanity!
Potential: Not for me

Dead Mount Death Play

Short Synopsis: After being defeated in his own world, a necromancer known as the Corpse God flees to Earth and takes the form of a young boy.

Lenlo: I will admit, I am a bit curious about Dead Mount Death Play. I thought it was just going to be a standard isekai at first, and in parts it still is. An OP MC transported to another world. But the two things that make it stand out to me are that it’s the villain and that it’s bringing them to our world. Now both of these have been done before, neither are new. But they are both something I tend to enjoy at least a little bit. Combine that with a respectable production, nothing super impressive but definitely better then most of the shlock I’ve had to watch for these impressions. I’ve no idea if Dead Mount will actually end up being interesting, or if it will be edgy shlock, I can see it going either way. And while I would lean towards it just being edgy, as that’s the easiest thing for it to do, I’m going to give it another episode or two and see where it can go.
Potential: 20%

Wooper: You know an anime is in a dire spot when you can only think to praise it for avoiding the absolute worst tendencies of its genre. Backhanded compliments like, “At least this episode isn’t shitting itself with menu screens,” and, “The protagonist might not have a harem for once,” went through my mind as I watched Dead Mount Death Play. I certainly can’t dish out any unqualified praise for this episode, since its action sequences bit off way more than they could chew, and its dubstep/metal soundtrack was surely the result of an aging producer’s midlife crisis. The overreliance on digital effects, such as those used for spellcasting circles and scribbly-looking spirits, couldn’t stop this premiere from looking (and feeling) interminably gray. If this anime were a person, it would have multiple swords mounted on the walls of its living room, wear a cape to the grocery store, and use the word “epic” in conversation at least thirty times per day. The fact that this is one of the better isekai of the season and I still hate it makes me hope that it’s also one of the last ones I ever have to watch. I know that’s a highly biased thing to say, but I’m beyond caring about objectivity at this point.
Potential: 0%

THE MARGINAL SERVICE

Short Synopsis: People dressed as construction workers take down bad NOT “aliens”.

Wooper: The Marginal Service’s appeal lies in just how seriously it takes its dumbass premise, despite cribbing nearly every part of it from American police movies. It starts by ripping off a string of “rebel cop” tropes and applying them to its protagonist, Brian Nightraider (yes, you read that name correctly). He stumbles onto a case that’s way above his pay grade, gets fired for his loose cannon tendencies, refuses to turn in his gun, drinks straight from a bottle of liquor at his former partner’s graveside – the whole nine yards. Then he’s recruited by a secret government organization, where he switches roles and becomes the upstart rookie, partnered with a no-nonsense veteran who clearly resents his new position. Then we go full Men in Black and kill an alien with specialized weapons while keeping the general public in the dark – though in one of the series’ rare differences from its “inspirations,” the Marginal Service agents wear construction uniforms rather than suits (a clear upgrade, if you ask me). All this shameless retreading of decades-old plot beats coaxed a couple smiles from me, but then came the character intro cards at the end, including one for “Peck Desmont,” an angry-looking squirrel who appeared nowhere else in the episode. This caused me to laugh way harder than I had at any moment from the 16 other shows I previewed this season – that’s got to count for something, right?
Potential: 20% for my boy Peck Desmont

Amun: You know, I was willing to give some benefit of the doubt here to this rogue-cop-recruited-by-secret-government-agency show until the construction power rangers showed up. Like, what?! Everything else was pretty by the numbers (except the partner’s death, honestly – that surprised me) and then….might morphin construction time (I guess without the giant robot). I’m honestly kind of stuck on how weird the costumes are, but looking at the other merits of the episode….meh. This lacks the conflict between worlds that made a similar show “Cop Craft” at least interesting. “Marginal Service” instead opts to assemble a misfit ensemble of…anime foreigner stereotypes? To fight “borderlanders” (well, aliens). Huh. UH HUH. I guess the white devil is out of vogue, so we’ve got the black muscle man and the British playboy plus a token slut (those are the actual characters here, don’t judge me). I just sense a bit of message telegraphing with some mediocre plot and production randomly sprinkled with wack construction outfits that make no sense. This is a N-O-P-E from me.
Potential: No thanks.

Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc

Short Synopsis: Tanjiro wakes up from a coma after the events of the last season, and heads to Swordsmith Village to get his sword repaired.

Lenlo: Let’s be honest here, this is Kimetsu no Yaiba, you know what you’re in for. Mediocre and ill thought out comedy, some cool fights, the occasional poignant story beat that hits far harder than it deserves to but never really lasts into something masterful. Even just this episode was a great microcosm of that experience. The ecchi humor surrounding Kanroji, as well as a lot of the Inosuke/Zenitsu jokes, just don’t land. They never have and at this point we just need to accept it as part of Yaiba’s style of humor. Yet on the flip side we also got some cool interactions between our villains, showing us how different they are, as well as an introduction to this mysterious swordsman, and all of that seems pretty cool. And as for cool fights? Well the entire Infinity Castle sequence was pretty awesome. Way over done in places, Yaiba needs to figure out that sometimes less is more and we don’t need the zoom/dynamic flying camera shot closeups of a dude sitting at a table. It was just a bit distracting, despite the otherwise cool parts of the sequence. I honestly think that if Yaiba could learn the meaning of the word restraint, it would really help the show. But this is Yaiba. We both know what we are in for. Personally? I’m going to have fun with flashy lights and pretty animation. And if it manages to give me more, then I will be pleasantly surprised.
Potential: 60%

Mario: My personal attachment to Kimetsu no Yaiba in general is pretty much in the middle. I find the production impressive and the narrative lacking, especially its “scream until it’s funny” humor which frequently puts me off. That being said, this double-length episode does a decent job of establishing the new setting and introducing new sets of woeful enemies. The episode takes its time setting everything up, which I appreciate. It allows the characters, especially Tanjiro, time to breathe and it provides a great opportunity for the show to focus instead on the swordsmith village’s background. This also means that there are more comic-relief moments than usual, however, which do nothing for me. We are going down the list of Upper Ranks now, with number 4 and 5 serving as the main bosses this time. I certainly expect spectacular battles down the line here, but on a side note let me just say it’s not a smart tactic of grand boss Muzan to kill his Lower Ranks (back in Mugen Train arc) and shrink his own manpower as a result. Just look at the sad number of devotees who show up at the Infinity Castle.
Potential: 40%

Rokudo’s Bad Girls

Short Synopsis: A high school loser becomes irresistible to delinquent girls after inheriting a mystical scroll from his grandpa.

Wooper: Did Rokudo’s Bad Girls get unstuck in time or something? Its plot, which concerns a boy who attracts women via supernatural means, feels like something out of an 80s OVA, with a script that establishes its ‘20th century fantasy for sexually frustrated teenagers’ vibe with gems like, “If you didn’t want me to look at your thighs, you should have worn a longer skirt!” The show’s sense of style is even more dated, with the main female character Himawari embodying sukeban fashion from the 70s, when girl gangs wore long skirts to combat the rising hemlines ushered in by the sexual revolution. Himawari wears a frightening amount of mascara (as do all the other girls in the show), and she also kicks a frightening amount of ass, brutalizing adults around town solely to blow off steam. She’d never lay a finger on Rokudo, though – in fact, she lets herself get beaten up after he commands her not to fight, because she’s just that hungry for his Rokudick. Honestly, I sort of enjoyed watching this premiere, since it just got more and more insane as it went on, and the character designs were so far removed from anything I’ve seen recently that it felt like a fresh experience. It’s not campy enough to watch the whole thing solo, but if you’ve got a group of friends who love to get together and shit on bad anime, this show should be prime fodder for hours of nonstop mockery.
Potential: 100% trash

Lenlo: Wooper hit the nail on the head here, there isn’t much more to say.. I feel like Rokudo transported me back in time, and not necessarily in a good way. The plot really is just “Bullied kid gets mind control powers over delinquent women”. Though unlike Wooper I didn’t end up enjoying my time spent watching it. It was fresh, sure, but fresh doesn’t necessarily mean “good” in my book.
Potential: I want a delinquent girl to beat me up/10

World Dai Star

Short Synopsis: A high school girl auditions for a theater troupe in a world where actors are idolized (what a concept!).

Mario: It’s the twist right at the end that bumps this up to 20% for me. Our main girl Kokona’s quest to become a top theatrical actress is something we see too often at this point. While I enjoy the world of theater, I’m certain that it won’t be another Revue Starlight where they do anything exceptional for the genre…that was what I thought until the final reveal that recontextualizes what comes before for the better. Now, there’s something going on within our main girl’s mind that makes her the perfect candidate for acting. Will this twist work more than once? I don’t think so but at least I can congratulate it for striking me when I was least expecting it.
Potential: 20%

Wooper: The twist that my co-writer referenced above went over my head at first – it was only after he pointed it out and I rewatched the final 60 seconds of the episode that I understood what the show was implying about Kokona, its main character. For honesty’s sake, I thought I should acknowledge that failure before delivering the following message: World Dai Star’s first episode was very boring. There was a bunch of table-setting narration at the start about an acting bug having swept the world (as though ‘actor’ wasn’t already a dream job for millions of people in real life), and of course our heroine wants to be the greatest actor of them all. She and the other two main characters were instantly forgettable: genki girl, possessive best friend, snooty foreigner. The one noteworthy thing about this episode was the sheer number of frames it put into its acting scenes, highlighting subtle movements in a way that, ironically, made them blatantly obvious. These scenes didn’t exactly achieve their intended effect, but at least the show tried something cool, and maybe provided some good practice for a rookie inbetweener or two in the process. Other than that, this premiere was a World Dai Snore.
Potential: 10%

Urusei Yatsura (2022)

Short Synopsis: A hopeless pervert finds himself with a jealous alien roommate after catching her in a fate-altering game of tag.

Wooper: I don’t know how much further removed this reboot could have been from the 1980s anime. Perhaps that’s for the best, since its loud colors and hyperactive tone may appeal to a new generation of fans, but personally, I watched this premiere with at least one eyebrow raised at all times. It was so committed to its vivid aesthetic that even its speedlines were rainbow colored, and some shots defied my understanding entirely. I mean, what the hell am I looking at here? To be clear, the presentation only dips into that sort of ultra-neon territory for isolated shots, but they demonstrate that the show has very loose boundaries when it comes to color design. The reboot animates with more proficiency than I expected (which is great!), though the way it zips from one scene to the next makes it feel like the director had Keanu Reeves’ mindset in the movie Speed: go too slow and your anime explodes. This stretches already-thin relationships like Ataru and Shinobu’s hot-cold attraction to a breaking point, removing the sympathetic aspect of her character so that she comes across as merely shrill. I’ve got more gripes that I could list, but it’s better that I end on a note of praise – Hiroshi Kamiya supplied a perfect performance as the lecherous, ill-omened Ataru. I’m sure it wasn’t a hard pick, since he’s played similar characters in the past, but hats off to the casting director nevertheless for making the right call.
Potential: Not for me

Mario: I was looking forward to this reboot as Urusei Yatsura was one of the more popular shows back in the 80s, and it’s pretty amusing to see how they’ve adapted it for modern audiences. The result is a mixed bag. I enjoy the visuals well enough; the character designs pop out, and I don’t mind that it goes bananas with the color palette. It certainly has the retro aesthetic that I seek. Unfortunately, it’s the story that feels dated and aimless. Is this love-triangle bickering going to be prominent for the rest of its run? It feels loud and one note after just one episode. The worst thing, however, is how broadly-drawn the main characters are – they don’t feel one bit believable or likeable. We don’t know them as individuals so we feel nothing for their relationships. This is the kind of show where you can only take it at face value and not think hard about the plot or characters afterward. As much as I enjoy the production, looks alone can only get you so far.
Potential: 30%

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun S3

Short Synopsis: After an exciting summer break, the Misfit Class gets an ultimatum to stay in their comfy classroom – with new lessons from eccentric tutors.

Amun: I previewed Marimashita before the season started, so I have a general idea of where this season is going (at least at first). Getting back to Babyls, Marimashita wastes no time diving into the new challenges: tutors and required ranks. How does it look? I personally really enjoyed what I read of this season’s material, and this episode didn’t do anything to dissuade me. If anything, I think they’re handling the pacing really well, since I could have seen them rushing through the groundwork. If I have any complaints, it’s going to be the lack of Ameri-san this season: why couldn’t she build on the incredible groundwork of last season’s date? One step forward, two steps back, I suppose. All in all, no surprises here – but for what started as an average comedy going into its third season, that’s an accomplishment in and of itself. I’m in it all the way.
Potential: 100%

Cool Doji Danshi

Short Synopsis: A handsome college student makes one faux pas after another, but at least he looks good doing it.

Wooper: This show is unsubbed at the time of this writing, so I went in raw for my final first impression of 2022 – except I cheated by following along with the manga scanlations on my second monitor, so I was able to follow the episode just fine. Cool Doji Danshi is a relaxing half-length CGDKT (cute guys doing klutzy things) with appealingly simple character designs and frequent cutaways to patterned backgrounds. It’s sparsely animated, but I did enjoy the realism on display during Hayate’s slow morning routine, which made clear use of reference footage. Hayate is the sort of guy who would forget his head if it weren’t attached to his neck, which poses difficulties everywhere from work to drinking parties to convenience store trips. People note his absentmindedness wherever he goes, but they don’t say anything about it (save for his best friend and his nagging boss) because he’s got such a cool aura about him. It’s refreshing to watch an ikemen series that isn’t about an idol group – girls still swoon upon meeting Hayate, but that’s because of his clumsiness as much as it is his good looks, and he gets a nice monologue towards the end about accepting the parts of himself that he doesn’t like along with the parts that he does. I enjoyed my time with this episode, and if I understood Japanese I’d probably watch more, but for now I’ll have to hope that some generous soul will start subbing it in the coming weeks.
Potential: 潜在的な