Category: Other:

Summer 2022 Impressions: YUREI DECO, My Isekai Life, Classroom of the Elite S2

by Lenlo, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

YUREI DECO

Short Synopsis: An excitable teenage girl shirks her responsibilities to chase a camouflaged hacker around a digitally-augmented city.

Wooper: I had some hopes for this series, given my fondness for director Shimoyama’s previous work, but this premiere dashed most of them. The long and short of it is that Yurei Deco feels undercooked, both in setting and concept. First, the setting: the plan to design a grayish-brown city composed entirely of right angles and slap brightly-colored shapes on top of it makes sense on paper. It’s likely meant to portray the superficiality of AR tech; take away the fancy holograms and all-important “Love” readings and you’re left with a pretty unexciting place to live. In practice, though, Yurei Deco ends up looking pretty unexciting itself, as the geometry of its city feels so oppressive that no amount of digital color can distract your eye. There’s a parkour scene near the end of this episode that served as a perfect opportunity to show off the landscape of Tom Sawyer (yes, the city is called Tom Sawyer), but it ended up exposing its plainness instead. As for the series’ concept, I do like the idea of a character’s malfunctioning eye implant giving them the ability to perceive invisible objects. Beyond that, however, the fixation on “Love” (think social media) and the main character’s obsession with a hacker who resets Love feel almost like relics in our post-Black Mirror age. We haven’t met all the secondary characters yet, so I’ll stick around until that happens – maybe they’ll breathe a little originality into what used to be one of my top picks for this season.
Potential: 25%

Amun: Yurei Deco is off to a weird start – but not a horrid one. I’m definitely reminded a bit of the feeling (if not the form) from ID:Invaded – worlds within worlds where your eyes are unreliable narrators for reality. I don’t hate the premise of the AR dystopian future, and the environment’s nods to 2D games are a fun Easter egg. I don’t really love the character designs; they’re basically watered down Gorillaz knock-offs (I didn’t even realize that was a girl until they used her pronouns halfway through). The setting, as Wooper said, is plain, but to me that’s by design and highlights the cheap neon paint over a boring world. The animation isn’t the strongest, but if the story goes to interesting places, I’m down to try this – definitely not the worst premiere of the season. Ceiling: Deca-Dence. Floor: completely forgettable.
Potential: 45%

My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World!

Short Synopsis: A real-world programmer protects a medieval town from monsters with the help of his slime companions.

Amun: Oh boy, another isekai (this season has so many shows that literally have “isekai” in the name that it’s really hard to keep track). Let’s see here…ah, it’s a slime one. You know what, I like slime isekais. From the great Rimura to I’ve been killing slimes for 300 years, I’ve enjoyed them all to varying degrees. And My Isekai Life looks to follow suit – albeit towards the lower end of the enjoyment spectrum. We have our standard lead, who looks to be doing some kind of spell programming that parallels his past life’s occupation….yawn. More interesting are his familiars, which include the slimes, a humanoid dryad and, the likely comedic relief, scaredy-cat wolf. The big set piece battle isn’t the best animation I’ve ever seen…okay, I’d call it just barely passable. But the world seems fun, we have a secret cult conspiracy, and hey – all the little individualized slimes are pretty cute. My biggest concern is that this show will try to take itself too seriously and think it has a real plot. As long as it stays light hearted and doesn’t visually fall off a cliff – what’s wrong with a little slime fun this season?
Potential: 60%

Wooper: My Isekai Life debuted with two episodes at once, but I only had the heart to watch the first, which was full of magic, monsters, and dialogue intended to flatter the awesome main character. Yes, it’s another entry in anime’s most infamous subgenre, and it doesn’t appear to offer much that bigger titles haven’t already covered: a cape-wearing protagonist (Yuuji) with severe bedhead, pop-up menus for magical attacks, a wolf companion used primarily for transport, HP and MP stats, etc. The show’s big selling point seems to be its abundance of friendly blue slimes, each of whom are voiced by different seiyuu attempting to give identical performances, which doesn’t seem like the best use of their time or talent – but I digress. Slimes aren’t exactly new in Japanese fantasy works, but these ones increase Yuuji’s inventory space and act as conduits for his magical powers, at least one of which probably counts as an innovation. Their master is significantly less interesting, being a stoic former programmer with incredible mage abilities whose goals are to protect people and get stronger and now I’m asleep. I sort of appreciate that the anime jumped right into the action instead of going into pointless detail about how he came to reside in this new world, how he acquired his powers, etc. That’s usually the worst part of these shows, but it’s not like My Isekai Life excels due to its absence – it’s still stuck with a boring premise, a recycled setting, and an animation team that struggles to do anything apart from making Yuuji’s cape flap in the wind.
Potential: 10%

Classroom of the Elite S2

Short Synopsis: Psychological games abound on a cruise ship coming back from last season’s island test (which everyone totally remembers).

Mario: It’s been awhile, Elite. I blogged it back in 2017 when it first aired and I was mixed on it at best. What I found is that the show tries to sound smarter than it actually is, with all the elaborate sets of rules that somehow get bent for the MC’s convenience. The second season kicks things into gear immediately with another test, albeit this time the test mixes different classes together. It can take a bit of time to become familiar with the huge cast again, but so far I am intrigued just to see how they play out this test. Sadly I can’t say the same about the characters as none of them, except for our MC, have enough time to settle in. And there’s already some contrived drama (the picture-taking scene) so it’s best that I watch it with tempered expectations.
Potential: 30%

Amun: Right…I very vaguely remember this show. What I do remember now is how little I cared by the end of it. We have the dead fish-eyed hero, calmly calculating and formulating an underhanded plan to help out his harem and his misfit class. The test itself is almost interesting (as I remember the island competition to be), but it’s just too drawn out to be fun. There’s just way too many moving parts and people – I can barely remember the main two, and it looks like this season’s focusing on a different girl? It’s just too much talking for one show – the focus is always on the people, but the setting is pretty bland too. I also remember how dumb the Latin quotes are at the beginning, but maybe I’m just not cut out to be in the Classroom of the Elite. That’s fine by me – I’ll just be here in the DanMachi waiting room.
Potential: 1%

Summer 2022 Impressions: Lycoris Recoil, Teppen!!!!!!!!!!, Ongakutai Witches

by Lenlo, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Lycoris Recoil

Short Synopsis: Secret Government agency recruits orphan girls to provide public security – wait a second, I’ve seen this somewhere before…

Amun: Alright, alright. Let me get my complaints out of the way first. Yes, this looks like a poor man’s Gunslinger Girl with a smaller cast. Now that I think about it…that’s actually a compliment. There was a lot of good in this episode – I think the main duo has good chemistry, the world is pretty interesting, and the action looks good (not great, but good). I also like the twin views of “kill everyone” vs. “win with no casualties” – there’s an additional level of levity that comes from not having a massive body count. I’m also a fan of “the greater good” vs. “help the individual” – GSG had that domestic angle apply to the girls themselves, but it looks like Lycoris Recoil will use bystanders and side characters. I’d also like to point out that someone in the production committee does know their firearms (but a 700’ handgun shot at a drone at night has like 0% chance of working – though props for telling her to remove the silencer). Undoubtedly, the conflict will get larger with higher stakes, but for now Lycoris Recoil is just some goofy assassins in maid costumes. I feel pretty good about this.
Potential: 75%

Mario: The pre-credit sequence of Lycoris Recoil is probably my favorite pre-credit scene in recent years. As we listen to the sweet narration, what happens on-screen is so far-removed from what we hear that it immediately establishes the tone and themes of the series. The rest of the episode doesn’t rise above that moment, but there’s still tons of highlights. As a recipient for CGDCT shows, I am happy to report that so far Lycoris Recoil more than satisfies me, and then some. The characters are a delight so far, as they bounce off each other well, and the duo’s different approaches to their jobs open up plenty of room to grow. The world it’s built so far is equally fascinating as well. The secret agency they are working so far is neither painted as good or bad, and there’s some implications that we learn more about its deep-rooted secrets in later episodes. The image of the falling tower – and its now-symbolic icon – lures in the background but obviously will play a much bigger role in the future. And although the show has more than enough hints that it will go much darker in the future, so far I am also on board with these girls just… taking low time, running a cafe and delivering happiness to their neighborhood. A pretty confident start for Lycoris Recoil.
Potential: 70%

Teppen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Short Synopsis: Five manzai comedy trios live in a free dormitory on the condition that they give favorable performances.

Lenlo: If I’m being honest, my biggest issue with Teppen isn’t its standard production, questionable comedy or stereotyped cast, but rather with just how many cast members it has. In the span of 12 minutes we got introduced to 15 girls, plus one macho manager. This is a one-cour show right? Are we expected to know, or care, about any of these girls? I don’t think so. And that just tells me right from the start what kind of show Teppen is going to be: Comedy idols. Now on the up side, that’s not terrible. I’ll take that over CGI song and dance any day. And the comedy wasn’t the worst. The Manzai style, fast talking, play-by-play, misunderstandings etc, is infinitely more entertaining than the regular anime slapstick bullshit. I actually chuckled a few times throughout the episode! But without any substance behind the comedy, any care in the characters, I just don’t think this will be for me. If you want some fun popcorn with 15 different characters from which to pick your favorite though, this might be up your alley.
Potential: 15%

Wooper: As an American ignoramus, one of my “issues” with Japanese comedy is that it often treats its punchlines as secondary to the reactions they elicit. This pattern is perhaps best exemplified by the manzai genre, so an anime revolving around that style of comedy will have a hard time winning me over, but Teppen did a decent job of it here. The show is structured a bit like Hypnosis Mic from a couple years back, featuring multiple character trios but putting most of its focus on just one of them each week. That trio begins each episode with a stage performance which gives way to flashbacks and side stories, and at the end we cut back to the girls on stage, implying that everything we’ve just seen has been part of their manzai routine. I can’t think of a better format for this subject matter, so the show earns props for that, plus some bonus points for the “if you bomb on stage, you’re out of the competition” conceit. I doubt we’re meant to take this consequence seriously, but the illusion of stakes is all a show like this really needs. As for the jokes in the premiere itself, I sort of liked the bit about the girls scrambling to fix their dorm supervisor’s beheaded bodybuilding trophy, and the implication that one of the residents is an alien was amusing (it’ll almost certainly become a long-running gag). I’m a little concerned about Teppen’s animation going forward, as the scenes from the next episode preview looked outsourced, but if you’re a fan of cute girls doing comedic things, don’t let that stop you from giving the show a look.
Potential: 20%

Ongakutai Witches

Short Synopsis: Soldiers protect the country, teenage girls with propeller legs and microphones protect their smiles, the true battlefield of World War 2.

Mario: I went into this completely blind so I wasn’t expecting the Strike Witches connection – a franchise about cute girls fighting in army uniforms with jet packs attached to their feet. But for my money knowing that it’s a Strike Witches spin-off actually makes this episode better given how it spins away from the battle and focuses on music and the girls who aren’t so good at fighting. The problem with Ongakutai Witches is that I don’t really care much about any of these girls at this point. They are your usual stock characters with one significant trait (and the fact that the show introduces them with these only traits). And the second reason why I won’t go back for this is entirely not its issue – it’s airing right after another “Magical girls singing to heal others” show in Healer Girl, which I found more original in every way. For fans of Strike Witches and idol shows, this show does about enough to satisfy both, but others might approach it with caution.
Potential: 20%

Lenlo: Alright so let me get this straight: Ongakutai Witches is about… World War 2 era teenage witch idols with propellers on their legs… What? Anime is weird man. And not the good kind of weird, like Jojo or Tatami Galaxy. More the kind where I am wondering what the point of the show is. It’s clearly not trying to be an actual war drama, these are pre-teen singing idol child soldiers who will save the world with the power of music. Nor is it to be an actual idol show, since there’s no actual like… band or show here. Its just going to be girls singing over battlefields to “protect their smiles” or whatever. Maybe you can find something wholesome and cute if you squint really hard? But personally, there’s no reason to watch this show. If you want an Idol show then you have your pick of the litter this season, especially with stuff like Love Live getting a second season. And if you want a war drama well… Go watch something other than anime I guess.
Potential: 0%

Summer 2022 Impressions: Kami Kuzu Idol, Engage Kiss, Shoot! Goal to the Future

by Lenlo, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Kami Kuzu Idol

Short Synopsis: A money-grubbing idol allows himself to be possessed by the spirit of a former starlet.

Wooper: Fifteen seconds into the summer 2022 season and I was already bracing for the worst, as Kami Kuzu’s narrator spoke about idols shining on stage and bringing joy to their fans. Turns out it’s not as bad as all that, since there’s a humorous angle to the show – main character Niyodo hates his occupation and is only able to avoid being fired by giving control of his body to the ghost of a former idol. The ensuing CG musical number was inoffensive enough, and the promise of spirit possession-related hijinks isn’t a bad comedic hook, but I do wonder how many episodes this premise is truly worth. You’ve got to assume that the lazy protagonist will slowly be won over by the enthusiasm of his ghostly benefactor, and that in the end, he’ll drink the idol Kool-Aid to create the illusion of a completed character arc. Will the series be able to justify nearly a dozen more episodes before that point? Probably not, but there is one thing about it that gives me hope: the trio of fangirls who obsess over Niyodo both before and after his supernatural personality change. The post-credits scene of them chatting about their favorite entertainer reminded me of Oshi ga Budokan, a fandom-oriented idol show that pleasantly surprised me a couple years back. Kami Kuzu isn’t on its level, visually speaking, but it shares a little bit of its DNA – maybe it’ll muster a handful of decent episodes before its inevitable compromise.
Potential: 20%

Mario: “This is not a mere idol show, it’s a romance show with an idol setting” was initially my thought until it goes full-blown with the musical performance and ends the episode with the comedy bit about 3 fangirls fangirling about his sudden personality change. The very fact that it mixes with other genres make this show fresh and charming at places. Add to that, we have the main character Niyodo who is unlike any idol protagonist we’ve seen before (he hates idols) and that can be an instrument to the show’s humor. On the other hand, I’m a bit nervous that the show’s premise could wear thin afterwards. The production looks shaky for an idol show, with the musical number being absolutely forgettable. Ultimately, Kami Kuzu Idol is uneven across all tables, but it’s the messiness that makes it different from your typical idol fare. Give it a try at least!
Potential: 30%

Engage Kiss

Short Synopsis: Anime original anime borrows ideas from other successful franchises and is bad – also has a high school not-vampire waifu.

Amun: I’m actually a bit angry at this premiere. There are talented animators who worked hard to make this 20 minutes of good looking garbage. Everything about this show is a pale imitation of something better. This is a trashy vampire storyline without the blood sucking. The weird love triangle is Darling in the Franxx, just with financial irresponsibility instead of ED (and no mechs). The fight scenes are good – maybe not great, but I’d say good. For example, the back-to-back ex-gf/jailbait fight was nicely done and had proper tension. There were definite momentary shots that looked good in a vacuum (mostly involving flying poker chips). The final scenes with falling glass really reminded me of Guilty Crown’s first episode – just not quite as good looking. It would be all fine – except whoever wrote this was thinking with the wrong head. And didn’t even do a good job at it. Wait, I looked this up….this is an anime original. A-1, why do this?! There are so many better light novels or manga or napkin ideas to be adapted! Final verdict – too many good resources of animation were spent on this crap writing.
Potential: 1%

Lenlo: Engage Kiss is… Run of the mill. Demons/Monsters/Whatever in the modern day in a made up city? Check. Kirito look-a-like? Check. Looking like every other show A-1 Pictures has made in the last few years? Check. Though maybe that one is a bit unfair, there were some nice first person PoV shots in there. About the only thing I’m interested in is this PMC setup and how the MC is actively seeking out the conflict, possibly getting in trouble with the politics of the city. I think it could do some interesting stuff with that kind of setup. I just wish that for once we could get this kind of show without this weird needy/creepy relationship with whatever waifu-of-the-season bait the show could come up with. It’s just so… forced in. There’s no actual chemistry there, and it’s like the premise of the show exists just for love triangle three way, a graphic kissy-face scene and gratuitous ass shots. Like yeah, it was a well animated kissy-face, tongue and all. But at that point just make the high-budget hentai we all know you want to make and don’t try and bait me some action.
Potential: 10.1%

Shoot! Goal to the Future

Short Synopsis: A boy with a traumatic past refuses to play soccer anymore.

Mario: Yes, you don’t really need any knowledge of the original Shoot to follow this sequel, the same way Mix: Meisei Story works without knowledge of Touch. But the new Shoot series is one of those shows that I’m more than happy to cross off the watchlist. First, it’s really weird to start off with these POV shooting scenes as it doesn’t mesh with the rest of the show. The characters are downright unlikable (almost all of them) as the show tries to push for melodrama. While melodrama has always been in Shoot’s DNA (the original show has a player who passed away after a match. It’s hinted right there in this episode), you can see all the tricks for full-blown impact here: MC with traumatic past, shouting in frustration, freeze shots for all its conflicts. Its sense of self-importance threatens to suffocate the characters, and us viewers. The plot leaves no room for subtlety at all, given how the source of MC’s trauma appears right at the end of this first episode. While I’m glad the franchise is back, I have zero interest in following it any further.
Potential: 0%

Wooper: I’ve seen a few episodes of Aoki Densetsu Shoot (the prequel to Goal to the Future) and it didn’t appeal to me very much, so it’s not a big surprise that its next-gen spinoff failed to capture me. What did surprise me, though, was the edginess of this premiere. One of its first scenes sees the main character monologuing about the uselessness of his high school’s soccer team and smirking at their defeat. He and the team’s captain get into multiple shouting matches throughout the episode, with a couple moments getting so overdramatic that I imagined both boys with Super Saiyan hair. They attempt to settle their differences with a PK shootout, but that only serves to enrage the loser, then a potential coach (an aged-up character from the original series) calls the team “terrible” and threatens to turn down the job if they don’t live up to his expectations. I can understand the decision to create animosity within the cast, but taking it to this extent results in skepticism rather than audience investment. On the plus side, this episode boasts one wonderfully animated scene – a flashback to the old member weaving through defenders as a teenager. My advice is to watch that moment in isolation (it starts at 17:33 and lasts about ten seconds), then put this show out of your mind forever.
Potential: 5%

Spring 2022 Check-In – Weeks 10-13

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: I’m hitting publish on this check-in post at the eleventh hour, as today is the final day of the spring season. Today may also mark my final time doing one of these columns, as I’m in the process of weaning myself off seasonal anime. Summer premieres begin tomorrow, though, and I’ll still be wading through them along with the rest of the gang for the next couple weeks – thoughts and prayers appreciated.

Spriggan 1

First, a disclaimer: I haven’t read the Spriggan manga or seen the anime film by Studio 4°C, so my perspective may be useful only to those of you who are similarly ignorant of the series’ history. The only Spriggan-related material I’ve got under my belt is episode one of the new streaming series, all six episodes of which are around 40 minutes in length. The good news is that the first episode didn’t drag at all; the bad news is that it’s wall-to-wall action with little in the way of character writing. The CG characters (mostly protagonist Yuu and a couple dozen military dudes) integrate pretty well with the 2D ones, which greatly benefits the half dozen fight scenes in the premiere. Spriggan is a cut above TV anime like Dorohedoro on that front, but the same can’t be said for its script, which has been mangled by unimportant jargon. Characters spend precious minutes describing the functions of their biomechanical suits, the specific hardness levels of their swords, and the origins of relics belonging to ancient civilizations – meanwhile, we know next to nothing about Yuu or his professor friend, apart from the fact that they met as children. What sort of life does Yuu lead outside of being a Spriggan warrior? What sort of person is he, apart from being determined (as nearly all action heroes are) and talkative? The show hasn’t answered these questions so far. It’s possible that the premiere’s tidy resolution will give way to a slower, more personal second episode, but I won’t be sticking around to find out.

Continue reading “Spring 2022 Check-In – Weeks 10-13” →

Summer 2022 Season Preview

by Lenlo, posted in Seasonal Previews

Lenlo: And so ends one of the most packed seasons we’ve had in a while. From the drama and artistry of Dance Dance Danseur to the wholesomeness of Deaimon, the grand finale of Kaguya-sama‘s third season to the rising star that is SpyXFamily. It’s going to be hard to top that moving forward, but let’s turn our eyes to the future and see what is has in store for us. Like every season you have the usual batch of sequels, some big some small. Overlord returns for its 4th season of anti-hero Isekai while Made in Abyss will once again toe the line between tragedy and the grotesque. What is surprising though is the sheer amount of originals. Engage Kiss, Lycrosi Recoil, Bucchigire and Ongakutai Witches to name a few. For anyone wanting something new, you’re spoiled for choice. I just hope you don’t want anything good. And of course the big surprise of the season for me is RWBY actually becoming a real anime now. You hear that Reddit?! You can’t stop me from talking about it on r/anime anymore! Who has the power now?! ahem Like I was saying, there’s a lot of decent looking stuff this season. So join us and read on as we take a look at the ones that stood out to us. And make sure to vote on the poll below for what you’re looking forward to!

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Middling Expectations

Isekai Ojisan

Studio: Atelier Pontdarc
Director: Shigeki Kawai
Series composition: Kenta Ihara
Source: Manga

The Premise: An Isekai protagonist is transported back to Earth only to find 2 decades have passed, and now it is up to his nephew to help him fit back into the world.

Lenlo: The only reason I’m even remotely interested in this is because I think the concept is interesting. So many Isekai are just wish fulfillment for the young Otaku, pandering to the lowest common denominator. And while Ojisan still might be that, probably is to be frank, the idea of seeing him re-integrate with the real world after his Isekai adventure is one I’m very interested in. Very few Isekai actually tackle the implications of disappearing from the real world, with even fewer actually returning to said world. So while I expect this to be just another seasonal Isekai dumpster fire, I’m willing to at least give it a shot and see if it can’t do something more with this concept. On top of that it’s also Shigeki Kawai’s Directorial debut, so I’m always curious about a new talent getting their first shot at the big leagues. Who knows, maybe their desire to leave a mark will work out here!

Continue reading “Summer 2022 Season Preview” →

Dance Dance Danseur Anime Review 86/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Dance Dance Danseur, Finished Series: Romance, Reviews by Lenlo

Everyone has a type. Whether it be fighting games, Shounen battle anime, even who they like to date. Everyone has something that they can point to and say “I like that, give me more”. Well after 450 anime, after Welcome to the Ballroom, Princess Tutu and so much more, I think I’ve figured out one of mine: Fancy dancing. And after this season, I think I can narrow it down even more: Ballet dancing. The entire aesthetic is something I can’t get enough of. And it’s thanks to the subject of this review, my favorite anime of the Spring 2022 season, that I figured that out. Produced at Studio MAPPA, originally created by George Asakura, Directed by Munehisa Sakai of Zombie Land Saga with music by Michiru I give to you: Dance Dance Danseur. Let’s jump into it.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Dance Dance Danseur. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Dance Dance Danseur Anime Review 86/100” →

Spring 2022 Check-In – Weeks 7-9

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: I’ve never felt that the phrase “weekly summary” accurately described this column, and now that I’m a rogue writer who shows up whenever he feels like it, I’m going with “check-in” and damn the consequences. This check-in post is too early to catch Hisuian Snow’s second episode (airing tomorrow) or the start of the Spriggan ONA (June 18th), but they’ll be in the next one, which ought to appear around the time that the Summer Preview gets pinned. See you then!

Pokemon: Hisuian Snow 1

There have been a bunch of worthwhile Pokemon shorts in the past few years, but the best of them is undoubtedly 2020’s Twilight Wings, the art direction of which far outstripped most TV anime from that year. With Hisuian Snow, Wit Studio aims to match that effort from Studio Colorido, and based on this short first episode they might just succeed. It’s set in the mountainous Hisui region, which I know nothing about, but you don’t need to be current with the franchise as a whole to appreciate how pretty this six minute short looks; the combination of the snowy peaks and the setting sun bathes the whole production in warm colors, from gentle yellows to harsh oranges. That contrast emphasizes what looks to be the story’s main idea – that Pokemon are beautiful but dangerous – alongside some “humans and Pokemon can never coexist” dialogue from the main character’s father. That’s not a sentiment you typically get from the franchise, and although it’s obviously set up to be disproven by the bond between a young boy and a wild Zorua, there’s room for Hisuian Snow to tiptoe into frightening territory before its feel-good finish. Still, the main reason to watch is the art, which I’ll stress again is excellent – you can see for yourself by watching the first installment [here].

Continue reading “Spring 2022 Check-In – Weeks 7-9” →

Now and Then, Here and There Anime Review 71/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Now And Then, Here And There, Reviews by Lenlo, Throwback Thursday

There are few anime that I’d describe as profoundly “uncomfortable”. I’m not talking about rampant pedophilia or the questionable relationship with the word “consent” in some series. I just ignore those. What I mean are works that, through their themes and stories, really make you understand what it means to live through these events. I’m talking about works like Serial Experiments Lain and its exploration of our relationship with technology. Or Perfect Blue and how it can feel to lose your own identity. And while this series doesn’t quite reach the same heights as those other two, it certainly makes a respectable try. Created and directed by Akitarou Daichi, animated at studio AIC and with music by Taku Iwasaki, I give to you the subject of today’s review, the turn of the millennium dystopian tragedy: Now and Then, Here and There. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Now and Then, Here and There. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Additionally, this series contains depictions of rape and sexual abuse, which I will mention in this review. You have been warned. Continue reading “Now and Then, Here and There Anime Review 71/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

Spring 2022 Summary – Weeks 4-6

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: A midseason offering from Wit Studio is as good a reason as any to write a check-in post, so here I am. There are a couple other anime I’m saving for a rainy day (Paripi Koumei and Healer Girl), so no thoughts on those for now – just continuing my Kaguya-sama streak and revisiting my premature claim that Summertime Render would be tops this season. Hope everyone is enjoying their spring so far, both in real life and in the world of animation!

Vampire in the Garden 1

Turns out Wit’s new vampire show is a five part mini-series, so I’m only previewing the first part here. I was disappointed by the length at first, but even 12 episode shows can collapse under their own weight these days, so concentrating your ambitions into a smaller space seems logical. And Vampire in the Garden is an ambitious project, make no mistake – it’s set in an alternate universe and centers on a costly human/vampire war, resulting in societal stratification and technological advancements that slot neatly into its world. What it doesn’t offer is innovation, since it borrows heavily from other dystopian fiction, especially ‘humans vs. monsters’ series like Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and Attack on Titan. There’s even a “wall of light” that keeps vampires out of humanity’s central stronghold – you probably don’t need three guesses as to where that concept came from. The story of a human and a non-human leaving their feuding tribes to search for a better life is similarly derivative, but Vampire in the Garden does a fine job selling the human side of things; Momo’s gentle temperament, love for outlawed art forms such as music, and fraught relationship with her mother leave her with few options but to flee her oppressive surroundings. We still need more details about vampiric society and Fine’s place within it, but now that they’ve escaped together, those ought to be forthcoming. I’ll watch this one until the end for sure, but based on the first episode, my expectations are set to “competence.”

Continue reading “Spring 2022 Summary – Weeks 4-6” →

Spring 2022 Summary – Weeks 2-3

by SuperWooper, posted in Weekly Summary

Wooper: New season, new weekly recap column – except I doubt I’ll get around to writing one of these each week. As a matter of fact, this may be the only one I do all spring, but I figured I’d make a post since there were a couple shows that aired too late for our First Impressions. Plus, Lenlo wanted to express his approval of the new P.A. Works show, and who am I not to provide an outlet for anime appreciation? Read on to see what we’re watching this season!

Summertime Render 1-2

Wooper: It’s silly to pick a projected AOTS after two episodes (especially when the series in question is slated for 25), but my money is on Summertime Render nevertheless. Ayumu Watanabe has been stretched thin over the last few years, splitting his time between envelope-pushing features at Studio 4°C and TV projects at multiple studios, but he still found time to direct one of this spring’s best premieres – and followed it up with an equally strong second episode. The broad strokes story is engaging, of course: a murder mystery involving shadowy doppelgangers set in a small island town. The tone is eccentric, eerie and gruesome in equal measure, and protagonist Shinpei’s ability to return to July 22nd after death gives the show a big hook. Moreover, he makes smart choices about how to spend his limited time within each loop, which can’t be said for some other characters in similar situations. But the show gets a lot of little things right, as well, especially visual metaphors like water droplets on an air conditioner preceding a character’s tearful grief, or the town being framed within a spider web just before Shin finds himself in peril. (I also love the bespectacled Hizuru, whose peculiar demeanor and habit of recording voice memos put me in mind of Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks.) If Summertime Render weren’t so solidly put together, I might not have the patience for its central mystery, but it is, so I do. Bring on the next episode!

Paripi Koumei 1-4

Lenlo: Not checking out Kongming when it first aired was almost one of the greatest mistakes I’ve made this year. I thought it was just a stupid gag series, how can a show about throwing a general from the Three Kingdoms period into modern Shibuya be anything else? But there’s so much heart, both for music and history, character and legitimate history that it has quickly become one of my favorites for this season. You just don’t get scenes like episode 3’s “Soldiers and drink” without the creator being passionate about the subject, nor the references from the manager without the knowledge. My god, the manager. He might be my favorite character. Also it has a banger of an OP.

Continue reading “Spring 2022 Summary – Weeks 2-3” →