365 Days to the Wedding

Short Synopsis: Two awkward co-workers decide to pretend to be married to avoid having to move to Alaska.

Amun: This was certainly a premiere. There was definitely about 15 minutes of characters and talking and a slipshod engagement party. You know what? I think once per season, each of us Starcrossed writers should be allowed to take the animation team for a show and switch it with one other show. Because “365 Days to the Wedding” really looked way better than the plot called for – give those fresh wrists to something more deserving! Now, I don’t really hate the map obsessed girl, or the planning out of the date, or even the drunken karaoke. It’s our male lead who is making me drowsy and questioning my anime choices in life. And just…why is it so awkward? Like not in a funny way, but in a “yeah, that’s about how that would go” way. I guess it’s at least realistic. Anyways, I’ll give it a few more, but we need some improvement (and a spine transplant) on our glasses guy, fast.
Potential: 25%

Mario: I admit that the premise didn’t interest me one bit – it’s one of those fake relationship tropes that you can tell ahead where it’s going miles away. But it’s in the details that makes this episode much better in my eyes. First, it focuses on the working adult demographic, which is always a welcome, and the situation our two mains find themselves in is, at the very least, believable. Second, our two leads are quite likable and have good chemistry together. They are both socially awkward individuals who want no trouble in their lives, but the more we learn about them the more we see other sides from them. Well, it wouldn’t hurt for the glasses guy to be more active, as so far it’s the girl’s scheme that drives the plot forward, but I’m in to see how these two loners start to realize their own feelings for one another.
Potential: 40%

NegaPosi Angler

Short Synopsis: Depressed man with 2 years to live and a bunch of gambling debts uses fishing to cope with his impending death and find meaning in his life.

Lenlo: Angler was much better than I was expecting it to be. The balance between serious depression, and goofy life changing fishing was pretty good! I liked that it didn’t really play his issues for laughs either. Angler spent a solid amount of time selling us on Tsunehiro’s mental state, making it clear how hard his diagnosis was hitting him and how little he had to live for. That made his revelation during fishing, something I expected to come off as corny or ham fisted, work surprisingly well. That life or death struggle with the fish, the dawn cresting the horizon as he finds a small bit of joy for the first time in a long time. It was good! I’m still not sure about the cast, and I don’t know how long Angler can keep this up for since it’s a full 12 episodes, but as far as pilots go I’m in.
Potential: 60%

Mario: Angler starts off on the wrong foot. While it’s understandable how down-of-his-luck our MC would feel when he’s given only 2 more years to live, his negative traits, plus his comical failed suicide attempts, nearly make him an unlikable lead to follow. It helps that the episode goes light-hearted in many of these scenes (in his attempt to run away from the loan sharks, we see his Moomin-like face and it’s hard not to chuckle along). And the second half balances this very well where it’s the newfound joy of fishing that pulls this guy back a big time. He’s a cynic who doesn’t care about getting involved in anything around him, so the fact that he gets sucked off fishing at the end is an achievement. This is a sleep hit of this season, but like Lenlo I am a bit wary how it will keep up with 12 episodes run.
Potential: 50%

DanMachi S5

Short Synopsis: Zeus’ grandson has all the hotties – humans, deities, and especially elves – chasing him (some literally).

Amun: This is going to come as a shock to all of you, but I’m very happy that DanMachi is back. In fact, this season is just looking fantastic – we have DanMachi, Natsume’s Book of Friends (which I’d given up hope of ever seeing again), Re:Zero, and some new blood like Dan Da Dan. And what a season of DanMachi it’s going to be!! Okay, look, I haven’t read ahead, because I want to experience the anime for the first time – but several years ago, I was reading up on the different arcs (with no spoilers), and apparently this arc is one of the better ones. Right away, it’s a BANGER. We’ve got romance in spades, new romantic rivals, Ryu feeling all sorts of ways after the deep dungeon adventure, we’ve got two quick skirmishes (that looked surprisingly good), one of which was a bit hilarious. And…yes, there’s that ED, but this season’s called the Goddess of Fertility arc, so what did you expect now? We finally get an arc of Syr, whose been steadily built up since the first season – she’s got all sorts of mystery and connection going on (and apparently some deity as well). All said and done….yes. This is going to be peak DanMachi. My only complaint is the best girl (who is admittedly fighting for her spot in absentia), Ais, is nowhere to be seen and isn’t even mentioned by her full name. She darn well better show up soon, since my guy Bell is in DANGER…..of living up to his rabbit name ;).
Potential: 100%

DAN DA DAN

Short Synopsis: A girl who believes in ghosts and a boy who believes in aliens both find what they’re looking for in the worst way possible.

Lenlo: I’m so torn on Dan Da Dan. On the plus side, it looks great, being both well directed and well animated. I know it’s early in the season, but it’s the best looking show I’ve seen so far. Seriously, the colors were beautiful, I loved how the Occult and Sci-Fi bits both had their own distinct palettes. I also really enjoyed the characters, both had a lot of personality and their banter was great. Special praise to the VAs, who really sold who these kids were and made it a joy to listen to them. It’s just… Does the humor have to be so sexually focused? Why did we need a scene all about our female lead being prepped for rape by aliens? Why does the Turbo Granny have to be obsessed with eating dicks? Some of it’s fine, gotta set up a cute romance between the leads, which it did well, I’m on board for that. It’s just… Kind of weird and uncomfortable in places? It’s not a huge knock, I can put up with it and hopefully it falls off as we go kind of like how Mineta did in My Hero Academia. But it is something I wish wasn’t there.
Potential: 80%

Amun: The heck did I just watch. I mean, it was fantastic, don’t get me wrong. Creepy Nuts on the OP delivers another great track (I’ve been a fan of every anime track they’ve done, starting with Call of the Night) – kind of surprising that it’s a bespoke track, but given how over the top everything else is in this episode, why not. Science Saru looks in great form, with brilliant colors, fluid fights, and generally top tier animation. Character designs are fantastic, and the world looks great too. Plus, the writing nicely ties in a bow with our lead’s name at the end – an unexpected nice touch. I definitely feel as though Mob Psycho accidentally got assigned the animation team from JJK…and the writers from Gintama. I have to agree with Lenlo on this – tone down the sexual humor. Like…is everyone okay over there? Just relax a bit, and you have an amazing show – plenty of quality material without granny eating dicks. Avoid going too far off the deep end there, and this is probably my anime of the season (yes, this season is looking stacked).
Potential: 99% – 1% per dick eaten

Blue Box

Short Synopsis: A soon-to-be high school badminton player draws a little closer to his crush, a freshman on the basketball team.

Wooper: Blue Box sure is proud of its 3DCG gym layout, huh? That winding shot where the camera snaked through its spacious interior, revealing dozens of computer animated athletes practicing their respective sports, all bathed in the morning light filtering through the windows, should have been impressive. Really, though, it had little to do with either Taiki or Chinatsu, despite showing off the place where they first met and now spend most of their time together. Blue Box just wants to look as dynamic as possible, even when it ought to take a step back, sort of like a battle shounen going overboard with effects animation while its characters are left to languish. That’s not to say that these two won’t become worthwhile romantic leads, however, especially not now that they’re living under the same roof. She credits him for revitalizing her competitive drive after one of their conversations, and he admires far more about her than her looks. But there’s no denying that looks are important – perhaps too important – to Blue Box itself, with all its backlit and soft focus character shots. I can see a good romantic dramedy emerging from this setup, especially since Taiki and Chinatsu are quite different people (playing individual and team sports, respectively), but it’ll need more scenes set where the show’s sparkling sunbeams can’t reach in order to undergo that evolution.
Potential: 45%

Lenlo: In trying to be both a romance anime and a sports anime, I can’t help but feel that Blue Box has missed the mark on both. On the romance side, I’m not particularly invested in any of the pairings. Maybe it’s too early to say this since we’re only one episode in, but I distinctly remember shows like Yubisaki drawing me right from the get go. Here meanwhile, I barely know anything about the female lead and the male is kind of just… obsessive? There isn’t much chemistry here is basically what I’m getting at. As for the sports side, I don’t think Blue Box really cares all that much for the two sports it has going on, nor does it have the production to back them up? Again, maybe I’m missing the point here and the sports stuff is just meant to be window dressing rather than actually plot relevant. Whatever the case, nothing about Blue Box really hooked me in any way. It looks good enough, and I know some friends who were reeled in, so I imagine some might get something out of it. But for me, this is an easy pass.
Potential: 25%

Acro Trip

Short Synopsis: A schoolgirl makes a pact with a clueless villain in order to increase the profile of a local magical girl.

Lenlo: Wooper basically has the right of it down below. While I respect the attempt to do something different, to shake up the Mahou Shoujo genre a bit, and I like it more than the blatant porno that was the BDSM Mahou Shoujo from a few seasons ago, Acro Trip doesn’t quite hit the mark. As Wooper says, it’s just too slow and quiet for this to really work. It feels closer to some kind of Mahou Shoujo Slice of Life than any kind of twist or subversion. Combine that with a lackluster production and really forgettable character designs, and I think you’d have a better time watching the currently airing Precure than this. At least that has a fanbase to enjoy it with, decent production, and according to some friends it’s getting pretty damn good. It’s still a Precure, but hey, if you’re in the market for a Mahou Shoujo you could do a lot worse.
Potential: 5%

Wooper: In order to keep our first impressions manageable, I typically go through each season’s full release schedule and pick a handful of shows to exclude. There are several mahou shoujo series airing this fall, so I chose one of them, Kabushikigaisha Magi-Lumiere (the PV for which was overrun with ugly 3DCG effects), to receive the axe. After watching Acro Trip, though, I wonder if I shouldn’t have chosen it instead – not because it was terrible, but because it’s not all that noteworthy. I say that having seen only the first of its two-part premiere, but it’s easy to guess where the series is headed even without watching that second half hour; the main character, a superfan of a magical girl named Berry Blossom, is going to team up with Berry’s incompetent nemesis in order to make her battles more exciting, and thus increase her appeal. We’ve been getting more anime like this in recent years – twists on isekai, super sentai, and mahou shoujo formulas where a character’s knowledge of or enthusiasm for a genre shapes their place within the story. Acro Trip is a middling entry in that subcategory, I’m afraid, with unexciting production and the sort of quiet vibe that sits at odds with its meta premise. With the exception of the relationship between the main girl and her grandpa (which actually benefited from that hushed atmosphere), I didn’t detect much here that might bring me back for part two.
Potential: 15%

Re:Zero S3

Short Synopsis: Season 3 of Re:Zero.

Lenlo: The premier Isekai is back, with a triple length pilot episode! And you know what? It was… alright. Probably didn’t need to be an hour and a half, and some of the issues from the previous season like characters not shutting up and getting to the point are still present. But those just seem to be Tappei’s style, however much I’m not a fan. It also felt like Subaru had regressed at times, with characters praising him for the same pigheadedness that got him in trouble in previous seasons. Still, it’s a clear step up from last season and most of my issues seem to at least be done with a purpose this time, at least the two times it happened in this pilot. My biggest praise though has to be what Re:Zero is doing with the side characters. I enjoyed the focus they got, with Betty and the Astrea family in particular standing out. Their rapport with each other and the rest of the cast, Betty’s voice lines, all of that was good. Again, probably didn’t need to be an hour and a half, the show really isn’t that remarkable outside the time looping shenanigans, but I understand wanting to get us right into the action instead of boring us with 3 weeks of random bullshit. And you know what? I think it mostly succeeded, I’m already more invested in these villains than I was the rabbit, and the location and characters caught up in it are much more interesting. Suffice to say, as a downer on Season 2, I’m kind of looking forward to this now. Not sold on it yet, but I’m in.
Potential: 60%

The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan

Short Synopsis: After the heroic death of his grandfather, a guy – who happens to be in the weakest class – looks to establish the strongest clan in town.

Mario: I suppose I can give credits to this episode on how clear its intention is. Upon seeing this party do their mission, you learn all the things you’re supposed to know: how a “Talker” functions (and how others perceive it), the MC’s ability to strategize, and his reckless approach. Does all this make up an exciting episode? Not really. The visuals lack any flair, and Noel’s attitude is difficult to relate at times. He picks unnecessary fights with his teammates, and in total disregard for their opinions. It’s bad enough that I actually feel he deserved what happened at the end, and I don’t think the other guy is going to stay with him for long.
Potential: 10%

Lenlo: Talker is a pretty standard MMO-Like fantasy world with classes, skills, and even an overly edgy backstory for the MC. But unlike Ragna Crimson, which knows exactly what it is and revels in the edge, Talker seems to actually take itself seriously. This takes a lot of the prospective fun out of it, especially with as lackluster battles as Talker has. What’s weird though is that group dynamic is actually kind of nice. The MC has a goal and he actively seeks it out, completely willing to step on others and push them into things they don’t want to get his way. And one of his party members, a complete piece of shit, is totally willing to go along with him! They hate each other, but they’re united in purpose, and that’s kind of cool. I’m not expecting much from Talker moving forward, it’s not a complete wash but it hasn’t caught my interest I’m afraid.
Potential: 5%

Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister

Short Synopsis: Man moves into shrine so he can attend medical school, on the condition that he marry one of the priest’s three daughters and inherit the shrine.

Lenlo: This is really just a modern take on Love Hina isn’t it? Guy trying to go to college, ends up living with a bunch of girls for free on some weird deal/circumstances, ends up falling for them? Only for this one it’s baked into the plot that he has to marry one of the girls living here. To be frank, I’m not sure how I feel about that last bit. Isn’t this basically just selling your daughters to a guy to force him to inherit the shrine? Tack on a bunch of ecchi fan service, which the show tries to act self-aware about by having him overhear the girls changing and then not open, but it’s kind of ruined when the girls open it anyways and give him a face full of tits. Also one of the girls is 14, which makes the whole marriage plot really weird? It’s kind of a foregone conclusion that the middle sister with red hair is going to win, but still. This whole setup is kind of just weird and uncomfortable. If you want an ecchi romance this will probably work for you? It definitely looks fine enough, unlike a lot of shitty ecchi. But for me, it’s a hard pass.
Potential: 1%

Uzumaki

Short Synopsis: One by one, the residents of a small Japanese town fall victim to a spiral-themed curse.

Mario: It feels surreal that we finally get to watch Uzumaki after all the delays. This is my first time watching Uzumaki material (wrong judgment on my part given I wanted to watch this anime afresh, and how many years did it make us wait again?) despite being familiar with Junji Ito’s styles through his other works. The result is delightfully mixed. For example, I kind of see the reasons why Uzumaki goes black and white. It’s much more faithful to the source material that way, and it elevates Junji Ito’s iconic character designs. But on the other hand, this is the kind of material that would greatly benefit if it has a strong impressionist color palette (I think the 2000 live action version used green as its dominant color). The same could be said for the events that unfold in this episode. At its best, it provokes the Lynchian surreal feelings of something terribly wrong happening, the extremity of obsession and not knowing what will come next. And many of the characters’ visions are striking and disturbing. At its worst, however, there’s ridiculously bad dialogue, to the point that it’s more pulpy than scary. You won’t feel for any of the characters because most of them are unlikable and hard to relate to. Nevertheless, I had a crunchy time watching it and definitely will see it to the end.
Potential: 50%

Lenlo: I was actually pleasantly surprised by Uzumaki. Remember how in the season preview I was concerned about the adaptation to animation, and how I felt it would lose some of Junji Ito’s original magic? Well I’m happy to report that I was wrong, and the adaptation actually does a solid job. Movements are still stilted, a lot of my concerns from the PV are still there, but when made into a full episode it becomes disconcerting in a way that works well with Uzumaki’s horror. I will say, I disagree with Mario that it would be better in color. I actually quite like the black and white, and think color would only serve to distract from the imagery, or dilute it perhaps, as the way Junji Ito uses black and white is such an important part of his works. It’s not perfect, some of the dialogue is awkward like Mario said, but overall I think that if you enjoy Junji Ito’s work or are looking for a solid lovecraftian horror anime, Uzumaki will be perfect for you. That said, I think it might be best to wait until all the episodes are out and to then binge them in one sitting, just like you would read the original work in one sitting.
Potential: 75%

Let This Grieving Soul Retire

Short Synopsis: An incompetent clan leader mismanages his faction, but everything still works out for him in the end.

Wooper: There are two parts to this fantasy premiere. The first takes place at a clan recruitment event, where the main character goes undercover to observe the potential trainees; the second follows him to his workplace, where he grovels at his boss’s feet to avoid the consequences of an explosion at the aforementioned event. Both are kickstarted by a flashback featuring the protagonist’s childhood friends, and quickly chased with line after droning line regarding Grieving Soul’s world, which is about as unimaginative as it gets. Very basically, there are treasures hidden in ruins and guarded by monsters, and hunters have organized themselves into parties and clans in order to defeat the monsters and secure treasure for themselves. Nothing about that bone dry premise suggests that Grieving Soul will be worth watching, so it comes down to the characters to carry the show, but they can’t and don’t. The undercover clan leader is a charisma vacuum, and his airheadedly supportive friends and obsessive female admirer are no better. The skirmishes that break out in the pub during the episode’s first half possess no visual spark, and all the dialogue in the second part is lifelessly staged. No worthwhile commentary or humor about the difficulties of managing a fantasy clan is offered. There is nothing here for anyone who cares about anime beyond using it to space out their gaming sessions.
Potential: 0%

Amun: Honestly, this was worse than I’d hoped. I think the premise of having a reluctant glue guy lead a bunch of geniuses is decent. However, the execution here is just….kind of lifeless. It was hard to connect to anyone off the bat, and the big reveal fell VERY flat. There was a bit of a fight, which had no stakes – then matters devolved from there, and our MC exited stage left. The back half of the episode was neither funny nor interesting, and I’m pretty sure it was going for the former. What makes me sad is the animation and character designs are much better than the writing or direction deserves. What a waste. I’m usually pretty positive on these kinds of shows, but this was just a stinker of a start.
Potential: 5%

Lenlo: Holy exposition batman. So much of this episode is just an excuse to have the MC explain the world/setting to us. Dudes meant to be this master hunter, leader of the greatest party of hunters, yet here he is just… explaining the basics of the world to no one in particular, thinking it in his own head for some stupid reason. Amun is right in that the idea here could work, characters failing upwards because others assume the best is generally fun. And I Parry Everything from last season proved how much sincerity and passion can make up for a lackluster production or stereotypical setting/world. But This show… it doesn’t have that sincerity, that passion. It is, as the others have said, lifeless. Like it was made by a committee. As such, it’s an easy pass for me.
Potential: 0%

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History

Short Synopsis: A girl reincarnates as her favorite otome villainess (pretty much what it says on the tin).

Amun: I’m a fan of this oddly specific isekai subgenre (basically reincarnating as a villainess in an otome game). There are some pretty decent incarnations of this genre from the past couple of seasons – sadly, I fear “Villainess Who Goes Down in History” is unlikely to join them in the hall of decent seasonal anime. I have seen pretty much this exact same episode several times now, so I’m coming up with metrics to predict future season quality: how much I engage with the lead in the first episode. In “Villainess Who Goes Down in History”, that amount was…minimal. Her newfound motivation to be the best bad guy is uh, a bit contrived to say the least. Plus, an 8 year old having a political discussion with the nation’s sovereign on advanced political maneuvering? That’s a bit too much. The animation and character designs aren’t anything to write home about either. I’ll probably keep watching for a few episodes, but I’m pretty sure this anime won’t be winning any best in class awards.
Potential: 10%

Lenlo: Why have we been getting so many of these “Villain in an otome game” series? I swear we’ve gotten one every season for like… 2 god damn years. On the plus side, that means there’s plenty to choose from for fans of the genre. On the down side, it also means you get some stinkers, which is exactly what this show is. To put this in perspective, midway through the episode the king of nation decides it’s a good idea to ask an eight-year-old about the geo-political situation of his nation, as well as how to fix the economy. Why? Why ask a child? What does this have to do with being a villain in a romance series? Why in g=God’s name does an eight-year-old have an actual answer?! Simply put, you’re better off watching one of the villainess anime from previous seasons than this, because it’s just nonsense.
Potential: 0%