Category: Other:

Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru Made ni Shitai 100 no Koto

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Surviving a zombie apocalypse beats being a wage slave any day! After spending years slaving away for a soul-crushing company, Akira’s life has lost its luster. He lives in a trash-filled apartment, his pay is abysmal, and he can’t even muster up the nerve to confess his love to his beautiful co-worker. But when a zombie apocalypse ravages his town, it gives him the push he needs to live for himself. Now Akira’s on a mission to complete all 100 items on his bucket list before he…well, kicks the bucket.

Lenlo: Zom 100 was just about everything I was hoping for. It’s a fun, colorful romp that’s all about pushing back on the work-obsessed culture of the modern world and retaking that which makes us human. It’s disgusting in a few ways, has some really gross body horror with the zombies. But the bright colors and, at times beautiful, animation really helps offset that. I have some concerns with how the female interest was handled, but that seems like a one-off episode specific plot and I’m more then willing to overlook it. Overall I just loved this episode, from the monotone work life to the MC breaking through the very color palette/bars that constrained the entire episode. Easily one of the most interesting premiers of the season
Potential: 90%

Helck

Short Synopsis (Anichart): A certain country in the demon world. The Demon King was defeated by the hands of one of the heroes, and a competition was held for the title of the New Demon King. The Imperial Four Heavenly Kings Vermilio, who is in charge of the tournament, is furious at the participation of the human hero Helck, who is supposed to be her enemy. After receiving news of the fall of the castle of Urum before the final, Vermilio sets out to retake Urum Castle with Helck and other finalists. With a smile, Helck says, “Let’s destroy humans.” Are those words true? The truth behind the smile is…

Lenlo: Unsurprisingly, Helck was about as fun as I thought it would be. It has the good natured fun I initially enjoyed but is already laying the groundwork for the more serious, or well serious by a comedies standards at least, story that kept me reading. The production wasn’t all that great sadly. But I think that Helck has enough going for it to be worth enjoying.
Potential: 65%

BLEACH: Sennen Kessen-hen – Ketsubetsu-tan

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The second part of BLEACH: Sennen Kessen-hen.

Lenlo: Look, it’s BLEACH. You know what this is about. Even by the end of the previous season we were already starting to see the down-turn in the arc’s story. The whole thing is awkward and you can feel Tite Kubo forcing things to keep the series going. The real question to me isn’t whether or not the overarching story will be good, it won’t, but whether it can produce enough fun hype moments to make the series worth watching. And that, at least, I think BLEACH can pull off.
Potential: 30%

AI no Idenshi

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Humanity’s dream… Crystal humanoid technology. They have ‘illnesses’ just like humans but the treatment options are quite different.

Lenlo: I’m really not sure what to think of AI no Idenshi. I’m always down for sci-fi, especially attempts at ones centered around AI and transhumanism. Studying it myself, it’s an interesting subject and one I’d love for anime to tackle properly. And so far at least, Ai no Idenshi is hitting right up that alley. The implications of backing up personalities and selling them off as effectively perpetual slaves, how a backup and the real person might not want the same thing/be the same person after some time passes, how access to such technology can change a person. Even how humans are sometimes more monstrous than the machines. It’s all rather interesting! My concern is that anime really hasn’t given me much reason to trust its ability to hold the course/keep the narrative quality consistent until the end. Some, like Psycho Pass succeed but are more dystopian sci-fi than head on transhumanism, while others, like Vivy and Ex-Arm, are just outright terrible. Hopefully Ai no Idenshi, despite its lackluster visuals, can hold strong and not get in over its head.
Potential: 55%

Liar Liar

Short Synopsis (Anichart): A mind game of lies and deceit begins! At Academy Island, students battle in Games to win stars, hoping to earn the prestigious title “Seven Star.” Sarasa is last year’s champion and is on track to win again until Hiroto, a new transfer student, hits the scene. Surprisingly, Hiroto defeats her by sheer luck! Now, he must use bluffs and trickery to stay on top.

Lenlo: Ok so it’s like… Kakegurui or whatever. Except it’s an entire island, and we wager arbitrary stars and shit. This could be fun? The lead girl isn’t a complete bitch, which is nice, and the twist with her name was actually really cool. Meanwhile the lead is a loser failing upwards while hating every second of it, which I enjoy. Reminds me of Ciaphas Cain in some ways, just with less Grimdark. The abilities and everything is a bit much, I’m not huge on how it’s over complicating what could otherwise be simple but engaging games of skill. But the lead MC is really doing it for me, I love “failing upwards” sort of characters, and the ending of “Literally all of this is one big misunderstanding and didn’t need to happen” was great. So maybe this will be fun for me! At the very least I want to give it a try.
Potential: 60%

Level 1 dakedo Unique Skill de Saikyou desu

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Satou Ryouta, a salaryman working for an exploitative company, suddenly finds himself inside an unfamiliar dungeon in a strange world where monsters drop all sorts of items as loot. With the help of a girl he happens to run into named Emily, he’s able to check his own stats… and finds that all of them, both physical and magical, are at rank F (the weakest)! What’s more, his level is stuck at 1 (the lowest)! Ryouta is on the verge of utter despair… but then he learns that he also has “Drop Skill: All S,” the most powerful unique skill there is! Can Ryouta manage to survive in this bizarre world?! The strongest and weakest adventure of all is about to begin!

Amun: Hey, I think that’s a very long barrel Colt Python in the poster! That’s crazy, since you normally see S&Ws used as the revolvers in anime. What’s weird is the manga predates the Python re-release (which was in 2020) – that just means the mangaka is a fan of that gun in particular. Except he’s got a S&W grip on it…oh well. The episode? Yeah, I didn’t finish it.
Potential: 0%

Lenlo: Ah yes, another seasonal isekai, though one of the more uninspired of the season. In fact I would go so far as to say it’s one of the most basic, dull, boring isekai I’ve watched in a long time. The premise, the characters, the world, it’s all just so incredibly… bland. Like not a single shred of creativity was put into any of it, not even how a random bunny girl in a playboy outfit shacking up with the MC goes down.
Potential: 0%

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai Suru

Short Synopsis (Anichart): It’s springtime at Kimberly Magic Academy, and new students are beginning their first year. Among them are a skilled and studious boy, Oliver, and a headstrong samurai girl, Nanao. They soon form a unique bond in the halls of Kimberly, but this picturesque school isn’t what it seems. Dark secrets and endless danger lurk behind every corner. Can these wizards make it to graduation alive?!

Amun: Woah – this was loads better than I expected. Coming off last season’s “Mashle”, maybe this is a new wave of Hogwarts anime? I don’t hate bringing a samurai into a clearly Western magical school, and there’s obviously a ton going on behind the scenes. I’m sensing something of a “Eminence in the Shadow” type show here – but probably a lot less self-aware humor. That said, the visuals are okay and the characters are interesting enough – I’ll give this at least a few more. There’s always at least one show per season that surprises me, and “Nanatsu no Maken” might be it!
Potential: 50%

Lenlo: Ok so I went from Kakegurui to Harry Potter, complete with a Ron and Hermoine. What a leap. Similar to Amun, this was shockingly better than I expected, but that isn’t saying much. I was expecting something on the level of The Irregular at Magic Highschool or something, which this is most certainly better than. Still I can’t say I was excited by it. Something about the random samurai/sword focus just makes it feel… Well like a generic anime fantasy. Like they can’t bring themselves to separate from the basics of anime in the pursuit of something different, like say Little Witch Academia did. I just feel like I should be watching that instead of this if I wanted a Harry Potter clone. Least the samurai girl is kinda jacked.
Potential: 30%

Eiyuu Kyoushitsu

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The story is set in Rosewood Academy, a school that trains future heroes destined to protect mankind. The school accepts only those with the most potential. Arnest Flaming, a girl who boasts the top record in the academy, is assigned to guide a mysterious but cheerful new student named Blade who rivals her own power.

Amun: Woah – this was way worse than I expected. Unlike the above “Nanatsu no Maken”, “Eiyuu Kyoushitsu” is er, shit-su (har har). It’s a typical reincarnated hero (though I guess he’s half demon lord or something?) meets a classroom of unsuspecting normies. That’d be great, if this was 2018 – we’ve seen this formula before. There’s really nothing that special here in terms of characters, visuals, or story, so I’d say this one’s probably going into the bin of forgotten seasonals for me.
Potential: 25%

Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu

Short Synopsis (Anichart): When Saku took in a stray black cat, she never expected that he would become the equivalent of a housekeeping life partner. But Yukichi, a giant cat who towers over Saku, is not your ordinary feline. He takes great pride in his culinary skills, and a good sale at the supermarket always gets his whiskers twitching. Saku may not have her act together yet, but at least she has Yukichi!

Amun: Ah, another GoHands crazy camera experience! This wasn’t as bad as their other show, but still – calm down with those camera angles. “Dekiru Neko” isn’t quite what I expected. I felt the floor was that slideshow Househusband and the ceiling of Dragon Maid. This is something else entirely. For starters, I’m not terribly happy that the giant cat doesn’t really talk – he just “tch”s. That’s honestly kind of annoying. I think the straight-man Saku is fine, but nothing special. There’s some early intrigue with the boss (plus the neighbors who have all just accepted this giant cat living there), but we’re probably in for a pretty tame, living-with-a-maid simulator. Honestly, the fact that there’s a show like this every couple seasons kind of worries me for Japan…you guys might need to do something about that individual isolation.
Potential: 30%

Lenlo: Jesus Christ someone stop giving GoHands money. Free their animators from the hell they have been forced into. Their shows are so close to looking fine, but they always slap these weird filters or stupid camera shots onto every scene for no better reason than because they can. It’s simultaneously impressive and infuriating. Like… I can’t even remember what this show was like narratively, all I can think of is the complete mess that is its production. Who thinks this looks good? Not me, that’s for sure.
Potential: GoHands must be stopped

TenPuru

Short Synopsis (Anichart): “I know! I’ll become a monk!” Akagami Akemitsu has spent his days and nights absorbed in studying and part-time work in an effort to distance himself from his family, which is notorious as a household of philanderers. One day, he falls in love at first sight with a girl named Aoba Yuzuki, and suddenly he’s constantly drowning in worldly desires. Hoping to fight back against his genes and live a more stoic life, he enters a temple… only to find out that it’s a convent filled with gorgeous girls! So begins a new rom-com about the temple life of three adorable triplets and two beautiful freeloaders!

Lenlo: You know what, as stupid and wish-fulfillment ecchi bullshit as this premise is, I chuckled a few times. Something about the idea of a monk actively trying to avoid worldly desires and sex, rather than simping over women 24/7, is funny to me. Don’t get me wrong, TenPuru is still ecchi trash bullshit with an opening shot of nothing but scantily clad women. Do not go into this expecting some kind of clever or high-brow comedy, it’s not. But you might get a few chuckles out of it like I did. For an episode or two at least.
Potential: 5%

Amun: I mean, I’ve seen worse. Like this season – there’s plenty of worse anime. But…there are also better ones. It comes down to how much you like the waifu character designs, since the premise is abysmally stupid. Shows like these are entirely about service, and “TenPuru” seems passable there. You know what you’re here for, so if this fills that slot for ya, go for it.
Potential: 10%

Higeki no Genkyou to Naru Saikyou Gedou Last Boss Joou wa Tami no Tame ni Tsukushimasu.

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Pride Royal Ivy is only eight years old when she realizes that she’s been reincarnated, destined to become the future wicked queen and final boss of an otome game. She’s got it all in this new life: razor-sharp wit, boss-tier powers, and influence over the kingdom as crown princess. Determined to sow despair and destruction across the land, she… Wait, what kind of a rotten future is that?! Princess Pride decides to drop the maniacal villainess plan and protect the male love interests instead, cheating her way to saving everyone she can! Will this final boss end up earning the adoration of her kingdom?

Lenlo: Ah, another “Reincarnate into an otome game” series. If I had a dollar for every time this has happened… Well I’d have like 3 dollars, but it’s really weird that it’s happened that many times. I suppose this is the new Isekai trend, and in a lot of ways I’m down for it. It’s a different, if not terribly unique, take on the genre and lends itself to a lot of amusing possibilities. For instance here there aren’t really a lot of OP powers, well there’s the precognition but that’s really just having played the game,, it’s more about being given the role of a villain and trying to avoid the otherwise inevitable ending they are destined for. That’s kind of nice. It’s still not really my thing, as it’s like watching a dating sim from the other direction, but I can see some people having fun with it.
Potential: 40%

Amun: It’s been a coinflip with these kinds of villainous isekai – but “Lastame” (as it’s apparently called) has potential. Nothing fancy in the plot, but I think the character switching from being a spoiled brat to a caring monarch after the isekai revelation is solid. Also interesting is the in-world mechanic of precognition, which allows the MC’s abilities to not be questioned – that’s a nice touch. Generally speaking, this is an obvious reverse-harem where our lead doesn’t understand everyone’s falling in love with her, but hey, that’s par for the course. The question is in execution, and from what we’ve seen this first episode, I think I’ll stick around for a few more.
Potential: 60%

Jidou Hanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyuu wo Samayou

Short Synopsis (Anichart): After dying in a traffic accident, I find myself standing near an unfamiliar lake. My body won’t move, I can’t hear my voice, and when I try to shout in confusion, words that I never expected come out! “Get one free with a winner.” I-it seems I’ve turned into a vending machine…! I can only do what actual vending machines can. It’s impossible to move by myself, and there’s no way for me to have any meaningful conversation-how am I going to survive some fantasy world’s dungeon like this?!

Amun: I mean, the vending machine isekai was exactly what it said on the tin. This is almost EXACTLY the same start as “Reincarnated as a Sword”….except Mr. Sword (I guess his name was Teacher) was way more overpowered. Poor vending machine-chan could only barrier away those mean amphibians (or reptiles? Who knows). The mechanics, the relationships, the progression all feels very standard – the only originality seems to be using a vending machine instead of a person. And that would be pretty unique….except we just saw it with a sword a few seasons back. Also, this guy was a vending machine otaku? I guess that’s not that weird – if you’ve not yet had the good fortune to experience Japanese vending machines, they’re pretty great. If those got adopted universally, I wouldn’t complain at all. (Although the corn soup love is a mystery to me). What do I think of them in an isekai? I guess it could be good, but there’s nothing else special aside from that so far in “Hanbaiki”
Potential: 35%

Lenlo: You know what, I can appreciate the meme of Hanbaiki. A vending machine otaku reincarnated into one in a fantasy world? It’s just so god damn stupid I can’t help but chuckle a little. Like… the guy is so earnest about it that I can’t help but be amused. And it really went all in on the stupidity giving him stats, changing what he sells, spending points to power himself, etc. Will it be interesting enough to last for an entire season? Probably not, it’s a gag series. But for a one off episode, maybe up to 3, I imagine this will be some good fun. And if it turns into more? Well you know what, Hanbaiki earned it at that point.
Potential: 50%

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Re-adaptation of the main manga series.

Lenlo: Look, I maintain that Kenshin does not actually need this reboot. The original series was great, I never really saw what they could hope to add with this new one. And now after watching it? I’m confident that the answer is actually nothing. In fact it seems to be actively taking things away, as this reboot lacks so much of the charm of the original. Maybe this is just my nostalgia glasses from loving this series in the past, but while this modern version is visually cleaner it feels like they also cleansed a lot of the soul from it. Like in their quest to tighten up character interactions and such they lose the core of what made those relationships work. Plus while I don’t blame them for having to change the VAs, it’s been 20 years, I do think the new ones aren’t really hitting what made these characters work. I’ll watch it obviously, see if it manages to improve and find its footing. After all, the original wasn’t perfect at first either, only really showing its strengths after the first few villains came along. But if it can’t catch my attention by the time Saito shows up? I’m out.
Potential: 25%, Maybe 40% without my nostalgia glasses?

Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd Season

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The second season of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Amun: Ahhhh – I probably should have watched the movie before the season started. I did this last season with Dr. Stone, so you’d figure I’d learn my lesson. This is an episode of two halves – the first half was a weirdly textured Eternity Devil from CSM. The second half was JJK: Retro edition. I liked the latter much better, and fortunately that looks to be what’s in store for the first half of this season. I’m an anime only, so I’m honestly a tiny bit confused about who everyone is here, but I’ve identified the two main people (and, someone please help me out – is that girl related to Nobara from the main series at all? Or do they just have similar character designs?). Bottom line – JJK has always been more visual than cerebral, so as long as it keeps looking good, I’m here for it.
Potential: 75%

Lenlo: Let’s be honest here, this is Jujutsu Kaisen, you know what to expect. The show looks really good, some funky composites here and there as they continue to obsess over 3D environments, but generally it’s one of the better produced shows of the season. That should come as no surprise. What was surprising to me though was how much I enjoyed all of the little details of the episode. The character interactions, their relationships, a lot of the jokes etc. From what I remember, a lot of that is anime original too! I get that this is a flashback arc, and that it’s very different from what we will get later on, but so far Hidden Inventory is the best Jujutsu Kaisen has ever felt for me. The only concern I have with the season is the 2nd half, as I already know I don’t love the Shibuya arc nearly as much as many of the fans do. My hope is that it will look good and be a fun time at least, but for that we will have to wait and see if the production falls apart like it did in Season 1. Only time will tell on that, but for now I’m going to enjoy this 1st arc as much as I can.
Potential: 85%

Undead Girl Murder Farce

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The 19th century — a world inhabited by vampires, golems, werewolves and other paranormal creatures. Immortal beauty and disembodied head Aya Rindo, along with half-human-half-demon “Demon Killer” Tsugaru Shunichi and her loyal maid Shizuku Hasei, travels through Europe as supernatural detective “The Cage User,” solving supernatural mysteries while she searches for her lost body.

Lenlo: Undead Girl Murder Farce is easily the most engaging and interesting premier I have watched so far. Part of that is the narrative, heading to Europe to hunt down a killer and mad scientist on a mutual quest is just good fun. And of course it helps that the characters have this chemistry of mutual dismissal/disrespect/just not giving a shit that makes just them talking to each other interesting. More than any of that though, the show is just really really well shot. I don’t mean well animated or well drawn or anything, though those are also true. Just the way it frames all of its scenes kept me engaged from start to finish. Suffice to say, I’m really looking forward to this now and it’s my current favorite of the season.
Potential: 90%

Amun: Watching this, I can’t help but compare it to “Case Study of Vanitas”, which isn’t the best anime, but I very much enjoy. And I think that’s the ceiling here – a fun romp across Europe with some supernatural dynamics being explored with a new character every week. This episode really did everything right…except the fights. The overly artistic framing choices were just unnecessary, and honestly a waste of animation. I want to see the fight straight on, not through a puddle of water, sheesh. That’s a pretty small complaint, but I hope the direction doesn’t get overly artistic and forget that the viewers want to see what’s going on as well. Everything else was spot on – character introductions, setting up the premise, the big finale…great first episode. I think we’ll get into a rhythm with a mystery per week and breadcrumbs to the overall boss – and that’s great. I’ll be here for it.
Potential: 90% [The rarest of the Lenlo and Amun agreements!]

Okashi na Tensei

Short Synopsis (Anichart): A boy named Pastry is set to become the next lord of the destitute dominion of Morteln. He’s known for having remarkable talent for his age… and it just so happens he was a genius pastry chef with a promising future in his previous life! He still retains his determination to make sweets that will make everyone smile, even after reincarnating as Pastry. But many challenges stand before him, including bandits attacking his domain, malicious and eccentric nobles, an unfortunate financial situation, and land so barren that even water is scarce. The only weapons he has to fight them with are his own ingenuity and love for making sweets. Can Pastry succeed in bringing happiness to the land?!

Amun: Uh, meh. This is pretty standard fare as far as isekai go. I guess I view this as an inferior (and unnecessarily isekai’d) version of “Sugar Apple Fairy” airing later this season. There wasn’t anything terribly wrong with this episode, but there wasn’t anything terribly right. For a better (although way more harem-y), check out the farm simulator isekai from a few seasons ago. I might watch one more (I guess two came out pretty quickly?), but this is going to be low priority for me – if I even get to it.
Potential: 20%

Lenlo: You know as far as Isekai go, this is simultaneously one of the more standard of the season and one of the weirder. It’s normal in that it’s a traditional reincarnation story into a child in another world. And in that sense, it’s so painfully average. The weird part is that the one being isekai’d is actually a respectable and successful adult with their own dreams, skills and accomplishments, and that gives them a sense of purpose/goals from very early on, however silly they may be. The sad part is that it doesn’t really do anything with it. Instead just falling back on all the same silly, basic tropes of the genre and bad jokes like cross dressing and such. I wasn’t expecting much, so I’m not terribly disappointed, but for a moment I thought maybe this could at least stand with the vending machine, you know?
Potential: 40%