Amun: It’s been my pleasure hosting you for this summer season.  With fall upon us, I’ll be handing the reins off to Wooper again.  Not to worry though, I’ll still be here for my hot takes on the latest shounen trash!

Slime Isekai – 12 [FINAL]

Amun: Slime Isekai finishes out the second half of its sophomore season…to mixed results. Frankly, this season spent far too much time talking and far too little time doing – the first half was basically a political conference. The second half, and the finale in particular, were some good old fashioned beatdowns that were quite cathartic given Clayman’s nonsense. We also have the looming spectre of the final boss baddie, which I’m not entirely sold on. As far as finales go, this one was pretty good – especially with all the homages (most of all being the clown’s “You’re already dead”). I actually want to see more of the other Harlequins troupe members in coming seasons, because they’ve turned into decent characters. All in all, a pretty good season (more the back half than the first), and an excellent OP – I’m pretty happy. Amun’s unofficial grade: 7/10 (5/10 being average).

Kaizoku Oujo – 7-8

Wooper: When a fictional character spends a great deal of time pondering the meaning of their existence, it’s sometimes a sign that the author who created them isn’t sure of that meaning either. That seems to be the case where Fena (the “Pirate Princess” from this series’ title) is concerned, at least if episode 8 is any indication. A slow-moving installment designed to give the characters time to recuperate from a naval battle, the episode played host to a lot of ponderous dialogue about who Fena truly is. An ordinary girl? A princess? A witch who puts everyone she encounters under her spell, as Shitan seemed to reveal? We won’t find out until reaching Eden, the story’s final destination, but for now she exists as an object of fascination for three men and not much else. Many of their conversations with her have involved grand proclamations and desirous stares – it’s all getting to be a bit tiresome. I would have loved to see her level up as a pirate or learn more about her destiny before reaching this point in the story, but as long as one or both of those checkpoints arrive before long, I’ll be alright. Plus there’s still the memory of Fena’s excellent episode 7, with its ship-shredding cannon fire and climactic boarding mission, to tide me over until the next big set piece.

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom – 12/13 [FINAL]

Amun: I criticized Realist Hero before the season as a poor man’s Amagi Brilliant Park. Turns out…I was right. But, as I surmised, it wasn’t all bad – in fact, it wasn’t that bad at all. Realist Hero set realistic expectations, and met them. And you know what, that should be commended. I expected a straightforward power-fantasy, slightly political isekai. I got that, with serviceable characters, a moderate harem, and a plot with enough interesting situations to keep me engaged. Is it likely a high schooler makes all of these great judgement calls? No way (I’m also very concerned about Japan’s libido after seeing some of these recent protagonists – no wonder the population is declining). These final two episodes had some nice moments: I particularly liked the singing of the conquered national anthem, with the full expectation of execution. Solid moment. The season was wrapped up well, with the future conflicts pretty well telegraphed – I foresee an adequate amount of character creep, with a few new harem additions. A good way to judge your true opinion of an anime is to react to news of a sequel; in Realist hero’s case, I’m looking forward to it.

Continue reading “Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 13 [FINAL]” →

Amun: Note: This is the second to last week of this season’s weekly summary, with several shows wrapping up. I’m going to have to take a break next season due to IRL, but hopefully this continues in some format (may go to a bi-weekly post, we’ll see). Until then, enjoy (we have unofficial ratings this week)!

Vanitas – 12 [FINAL]

Amun: Our favorite vampire bois have ended their run with…a whimper. These final two episodes feel like backdoor pilots (which I HATE) rather than a meaningful arc conclusion. The good news is that a second season is already confirmed, and apparently it’s quite a good arc. Overall, I liked the execution of Vanitas far more than the premise – I’m still a little confused as to what all the world’s mechanics are (there’s a mirror Paris, history’s been rewritten so that vampires exist, and despite all that, we STILL don’t know if Jeanne is a curse bearer…). Speaking of Jeanne, I think she’s a wonderful waifu, but she had far too much screentime (I’d prefer to see more of Noe’s cat). I hope that’s remedied in the upcoming season, but really that was my main complaint. Vanitas is infuriating, but he’s supposed to be; Noe isn’t a wallflower and surprisingly nuanced – quite a refreshing duo. One of this season’s best. Amun’s unofficial rating: 7.5/10 (with a 5/10 being average – if you use a 7/10 as average, then this is 8.5/10).

Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi – 8-9

Wooper: It’s fitting that a show starring gods that can break the sound barrier would outpace its audience in the move from one arc to another. Episode 8 detailed the success of the coup d’etat in Zoble – or more accurately, it spent 10 minutes on fight scenes with its Emperor and Empress, 10 minutes on major developments for Gil and Rin’s characters, and one minute on a list of bullet points detailing the success of the coup. I enjoyed getting to witness Gil’s rebirth as an Idaten (it was a smart way of repurposing the show’s least valuable player), but the series has been all about the conflict in Zoble for weeks now, and it flaked on the strategic aspects of the protagonists’ mission at the very end. Idaten-tachi didn’t slow down for even a second in the coup’s aftermath, either, shifting its focus to the villains in episode 9. The subplot about Brandy’s children resurfaced in a big way here, since her offspring will clearly play a major role in rebuilding Earth’s demon population, but they’re so ineffectual without the Demon Lord’s support that it’ll take another timeskip to make them truly relevant. Can Idaten-tachi’s plot support another jump forward when it’s already running a million miles an hour? Probably not, but this show has already demonstrated a tendency to do whatever the hell it wants – more power to it, I guess.

Continue reading “Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 12” →

Kaizoku Oujo – 5-6

Wooper: Pirate Princess Fena may not be the most pleasant surprise of the year (that’d be Odd Taxi), but it has to rank pretty highly on that list. Taken together, these installments served as a major turning point for the adventure series, and I’d say it handled the transition with aplomb. Things got real starting in episode 5, where the previously cartoonish band of female pirates from several weeks back revealed themselves to be major players in the show’s universe. Their alluring Captain Grace led an operation that landed Fena back in captivity, and her crew pulled far fewer punches in the process. The Indiana Jones-ish descent of the episode dovetailed quite nicely with our heroes’ sudden imprisonment in an undersea cavern; they escaped near the start of episode 6, of course, but that was far from a copout. Rather than throw Yukimaru & Co. back into the fray, the series hunkered down for some good old-fashioned exposition regarding its larger plot – emphasis on “good.” I can’t remember the last time an anime dumped so many mythical countries, legendary swords, and ancestral warrior clans into my lap while keeping my full attention. Abel was a positively magnetic antagonist here, fully earning the wonder of his new prisoner and the hatred of his former lover in the process of explaining all these concepts to us. Add to that Yukimaru’s surprisingly emotional decision to undertake a solo rescue mission, and you’ve got a recipe for a killer second half of an already-engaging anime. More please!

Re-Main – 8-9

Wooper: Re-Main just jumped the shark in a major way, but the question of how it’ll cross the finish line still interests me. After Minato’s memories were restored thanks to a five minute lecture from Chinu, he hit his head AGAIN in episode 8, this time maintaining his recollection of junior high but losing his cheery high school demeanor. Now he’s an overconfident asshole with the sort of anger issues that lead him to trash his room, and his seiyuu has been forced into mimicking Yuki Kaji’s babyrage voice in an effort to keep pace. The growl-off between Minato’s old self (which is new for those of us in the audience) and a surly former teammate made me embarrassed for everyone involved in the making of the scene, from the writers who had to play along with their boss’s Double Amnesia vision to the actors who had to pretend that it made any sense. Episode 9 did a decent job of bringing Minato back to Yamanami High and humbling him a bit in the process, but that hardly puts a dent in the whiplash created by this plot development. At this point, my curiosity about how the show plans to recover is morbid in nature, but hey, at least I’m curious.

Amun: Honestly, nothing really stood out to me this week – although I am a little behind on Fena.  MHA was slightly better, and Iruma-kun ended the season on a high note.  We’ll try again next week!

My Villain (Hero) Academia (S5) – 22

Amun: After last week’s controversial and personally disappointing episode, MVA is back on track. For some reason, it wasn’t clear until this week that these episodes are going to be origin stories for each league member – I think the other problems with Toga’s story overshadowed the mirrored “hero-origin” format: single enemy, going beyond one’s limits to overcome past problems, power of friendship, etc. Twice’s origin hit the right notes, largely due to his built-in humour and the fact that his quirk is pretty important to smoothing out plot problems. Now that I’ve understood what’s happening with My Villain Academy, I appreciate what the writers are going for. Some major plot developments look to be brewing – we know Shigaraki is connected to All-Might’s teacher, the previous One-For-All (I think we were told he’s her son?), and Dabi is being strangely built up as a character – he really didn’t get that much screen time in past seasons. With the earlier drauma from the Todoroki family – and given that one other major league member is a Nomos – I half suspect he’s the dead brother (he’s a zombie, uses fire, etc). Why else spend the first half of this season setting that up? That twist might be a bit on the nose, but this is MHA we’re talking about. Regardless, I’m happy to see our season’s major franchise back on track.

Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi – 7

Wooper: I found this to be Idaten’s least daring episode to date, perhaps owing to the fact that all the demigods’ plans went off without a hitch. Ysley put the church of Sarabael under his thumb just by dangling Paula in front of their faces, and Rin/Hayato’s invasion of the Zoble Empire was the very picture of one-sided carnage. Some of the shots of the two of them working together were significant in terms of their evolving master/student relationship, but I don’t think we saw anything in episode 7 that we hadn’t seen before (unless you count Sarabael’s tower-heavy architecture, which kinda reminded me of Utena). The big surprise here was supposed to be the emergence of a self-styled Emperor from within the demon camp, but isn’t he just going to get his shit pushed in like everyone else? This show has only four weeks left, being a noitaminA entry, but even that number almost seems like too much, given the Saitama-sized gap that exists between Rin and everyone else. Just throw her into a string of fight scenes and dispatch all the villains one by one so we can get back to the strangeness and psychedelia of the early episodes, please.

Love Live! Superstar!! – 5

Wooper: One of the things that most impresses me about this show is how consistently it generates fun and friendly banter between its female characters. Keke and Sumire bickered with each other all throughout this episode, but I never tired of listening to them bust out variations on their catchphrases or proclaim the supremacy of their favorite artistic field (School Idols vs. Show Business). Whether they were daring each other to practice in sweltering temperatures or thumb wrestling to secure a solo bed during an overnight trip, their antics kept me engaged in each of their scenes. This week’s trip to Kozushima was important for Kanon and Chisato, too, allowing them to take on individual challenges before their imminent reunion (whereupon Chisato will likely join the idol group). What’s interesting to me is that I don’t know which of them will have more success: Kanon with her lyrics or Chi-chan with her dancing. Regardless of who fails and who triumphs, Superstar has already succeeded in shifting Chisato’s focus so that it lines up with the other girls. She might win her competition and prove to herself that she can be a part of both worlds, or lose but remain satisfied because she’s found a different calling. This is all good stuff – now to wait for Liella to gain some ground on Sunny Passion in anticipation of the finale!

Kaizoku Oujo – 3-4

Wooper: This is one good-looking anime series. It’s got backgrounds that make you want to travel to the places that inspired them, character designs that make you hungry for details about each person on screen, and combat that showcases power and agility rather than flashbacks and hidden techniques. Episode 3 was the pinnacle of those last two traits, pitting several members of Team Fena against a crew of female pirates in a fight scene so smooth it nearly had me salivating. The Italian architecture of fictional city Bar-Baral served as an excellent backdrop for all the slicing and shooting on display, and montages of the characters’ sightseeing ensured there was plenty of eye candy during quieter moments. Not that Kaizoku Oujo turns down the volume very often – its nonstop comic relief is one of its only issues – but it’s a visual marvel at nearly all points. As Fena and company travel from place to place in search of info about her glass MacGuffin, the show is raising up striking antagonists and painting a picture of its alternate history’s politics, creating more and more reasons to keep watching. There’s even a bit of romance brewing between Fena and Yukimaru, the latter of whom attracted the attention of a sexy glassworker this week. Not even Joan of Arc’s name being invoked has me concerned about the show’s viability – bring on the next episode!

My Villain Academia (S5) – 21

Amun: This week’s My Hero Academia (or Villain Academia as this arc is called) has caused quite a stir – and not for good reasons. Debates between animators vs designed scenes aside, this episode….was a stinker. This overall season has been really odd – it’s a tale of two scales: the first half was a training exercise with no stakes and the second half has been a global conspiracy that threatens to upend society entirely. And if that wasn’t enough whiplash, we’re thrown a whole cast of characters, while following the training arc…of the bad guys? Now, on paper, that’s not a bad arc idea for a long running series. The issue lies in execution. I don’t even think this episode was that poorly written – I’m just missing all the characters I care about. Sure, I marginally care about the League of Villains – but the new Destro-whatever-meta-liberation-army nonsense? Not that interested. The elephant in the room on this one was the animation – it just wasn’t up to snuff. Judging from the outside drama, it looks like about half the frames were removed, which really hurt. You can feel the creative edits and last second bandaging that took place. This should have been a seminal episode for evolving quirks and Himiko’s break-out back-story. Instead, it’s a mess of pointing fingers and uncertainty as we head into the back half of this puzzling season.

Vanitas – 9

Amun: If My Hero Academia is a good idea with poor execution, Vanitas is an average idea with excellent execution. I have to give Vanitas complete kudos for knowing its strengths and sticking to them. This is not a complicated or terribly clever plot: these writers aren’t being intellectually taxed by any means. It’s the implementation – fight animations, world-building, or even the banter between Noe and Vanitas – that makes this show a treat. I love Vanitas’ overall self-awareness; this show trots out the expected troupes, then turns them on their heads. Case and point is our lovable, dogmatic Paladin, who is won over by Noe’s kindred idiocy – fantastic! The animation isn’t detracting (a common complaint for these non-franchise shows), the characters are loveable, the world is excellent – this is a certifiable fun show and a romping good time.

Re-Main – 6-7

Wooper: Spending a couple weeks away from Re-Main has put a big dent in my enthusiasm for the show. The first half of this doubleheader was a clear step down from everything that came before, but even yesterday’s character-focused installment left me feeling ambivalent about the series as a whole. I still remember the second episode’s promise to dive into the cast’s individual histories, and even though episode 7 continued that admirable trend, I couldn’t get into it. Maybe that’s because Jojima did too much explaining of his fractured relationship with his dad, or because the show over-clarified how Amihama’s sibling bond changed after his brother met Minato. That minor lack of nuance is something I know to expect from anime, though – my negative reaction to the previous week’s Re-Main probably just carried into this one. Episode 6 was a low point for a number of reasons, not least of which was the brittle animation (not a quality you want from a water-themed show), but what really did it in was the focus on the show’s least interesting character, Ushi. Whoever wrote this one had to lean on a false suicide scare just to inject some drama into the proceedings – that’s an episode-killer for me.

Kaizoku Oujo – 1-2

Wooper: Kazuto Nakazawa’s new TV anime, a pre-industrial pirate/ninja mashup, is off to what I’d call a decent start. Its design sensibilities remind me of his last series, the overambitious B: The Beginning – thankfully, the similarities are merely stylistic in nature. Kaizoku Oujo is an honest-to-goodness adventure show, the likes of which we haven’t gotten from anime in some time, and its cast is full of colorful characters (as all good adventure casts should be). Fena Houtman is a serviceable protagonist, handling the transition from captive princess to Campbellian hero with a mix of grit and introspection, but it’s her band of boisterous Japanese pirates that commanded my attention during the double-length premiere. I can see them getting on my nerves before long, but assuming the show has plans to slow down and dig into their personal histories, I’ll eventually be free to enjoy their antics alongside strong character designs and fighting styles. The story hasn’t taken shape yet, so I’m hoping for some good standalone episodes in the coming weeks to take advantage of studio Bamboo’s varied backgrounds. “Hoping for” is the key phrase there, as confidence in a modern Nakazawa work requires plenty of hope, but I’m willing to follow along for now.

Shinigami Bocchan – 08

Amun: Shinigami Bocchan has been my dark horse of the season. With many of the other shows faltering, this adorable quiet romance has kept plugging away at the admittedly difficult problem of getting our Count Death a girlfriend. I’ve been very pleased with the witches developing into actual characters, and we’re starting to see the edges of the family structure. Episode 8 is probably the best outing yet, with a flashback to what our sad boi was like before Alice arrived. Two key lines from this episode also imply that Mother isn’t the cruel parent the OP makes her out to be: his younger brother (with a hilarious second complex) says that their mother hasn’t given up yet, and Rob says Alice was sent by the lady of the house. Why would an uncaring mother send in the only known “friend” to her son? Who also seems to have witch connections through her own mother? Methinks there’s more than meets the eye here – seems like Mother has plans of her own to solve this problem. Which likely will turn out to be the power of love (“He’s cursed to never love or be loved”) – a bit predictable, but it’ll be a pleasant journey nonetheless.

Continue reading “Summer 2021 Weekly Summary – Week 8” →