Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World

Short Synopsis: A band of Isekai misfits form an adventuring party.

Mario: Welcome to 2023 with – of course, the most cash-cowed genre in the anime world at the moment – an isekai offering. I will start off with a positive, Ningen Fushin has an amusing concept: a bunch of distrust members form an unlikely group and eventually save the world. In the right hand, this premise could turn into something affecting (they all go through traumatic events), or a satire in the same vein of Konosuba that pokes fun at its characters and the isekai tropes. Sadly, Ningen Fushin is destined to be mediocre. First, the mash-up elements between RPG fantasy and modern day idols are jarring (and only makes sense from an otaku’s point of view). Second, the episode tries to cram so much backstories from multiple characters that it has little room to breathe. Moreover, in order to give the characters a solid cynicism, it walks on many troublesome tropes that I am not keen of: a false rape acusation, an asshole partner who will turn the table at a flick of a finger… Ningen Fushin isn’t bad per se (we’ve seen worse), it’s just bland and average.
Potential: 20%

Lenlo: I’ve found the first generic isekai of the season. The idea is interesting enough I suppose. Rather than a single loser MC with a grudge against his original party, we have 4. Each one of the core party members has a chip on their shoulder from some past life event. If they had a decent enough personality, some kind of interplay, then I could get into it. Watching some misfits who really don’t belong together create a family is nice! But I just don’t have any faith in Ningen Fushin to be able to do that.
Potential: 5%

Bungou Stray Dogs Season 4

Short Synopsis: Various (loosely based) literary characters, headlined by Osamu Dazai, try to outwit (or outshoot) each other.

Amun: Let’s be honest: Bungou Stray Dogs is a B-tier show that just keeps getting renewed – and I love it. This season is starting off with a flashback on the founding of the detective agency, featuring Yukichi Fukuzawa (the Armed Detective Agency President) and Ranpo Edogawa (the actual detective of the detective agency). I remember there were throwaway lines about how the Armed Detective Agency was created as a home for Ranpo, and it seems this is exploring that. I don’t know much about the President, so it’s interesting to take a look – Ranpo has always been a pretty flat character to me (think Sherlock Holmes), so seeing him as a little kid is kind of fun. Also VERY interesting to see the President having serious parallels (cell phone, assassin background) to Kyoka Izumi, who he later brings into the fold. I bet this flashback arc lasts half a season, like others have in the past, but it’s still a nice twist on what can become a set-piece show. The noir aesthetics aren’t half bad either (especially considering this is a pretty flashy show). Of course, Bungou Stray Dogs always thinks itself overly clever when it’s really just entertaining, but four seasons in, this should come as no surprise. Good start to the season!
Potential: 75%

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

Short Synopsis: A rom-com between a stoic girl and her colleague, Weiss brother AKA Ice-Man.

Mario: Despite the cold title, the episode is much warmer than you might expect. It’s cute to see both characters slowly get to know each other and support one another in small ways, the real issue I have with it so far is that it is a bit monotone. We get to see Ice Guy blushing and bringing snow to the office multiple times and as a result it gets pale at the end. The show leans hard on the romance side as well. I don’t mean it as a negative aspect, but by focusing on this couple, the show doesn’t give enough spotlight to other members of the cast (well, except the cat). The visual is on a conservative side. It doesn’t look bad but it doesn’t excite me either. I can see myself returning to this series from time to time for the coziness, but don’t expect it to be a hit this season.
Potential: 30%

Lenlo: I’m very much in the same boat as Mario here. Ice Guy seems like a very calm, low-key sort of office romance. In a lot of ways I can appreciate that. I like romances involving young adults capable of having conversations and slowly getting to know each other more than I do highschool over reactionary crushes. In that sense, Ice Guy is right up my alley. However, just as Mario says, its visuals leave a lot to be desired and the characters themselves, while fitting the “chill” themes, have very little emotional range. I realize I was just complaining about over reactions, but there’s such as thing as not enough of a reaction. It doesn’t have to be huge, subtle moments are generally stronger. But I feel like we didn’t get much of either here. Maybe I’ll warm up (heh) to Ice Guy after an episode or two. But as far as first impressions go, I’m not feeling very passionate.
Potential: 20%

Urusei Yatsura (2022)

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

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

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

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun S3

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

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

Cool Doji Danshi

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

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

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War

Short Synopsis: A pair of rookie spirit fighters get bailed out by the local neighborhood watch.

Amun: It has been 3,850 days since the last seasonal episode of Bleach aired. While there have been various movies, these have really been self-contained stories that typically had no bearing on the overall storyline (we’re also not counting that weird BURN THE WITCH series that happened a few years back). Bleach’s reboot is one of the more surprising stories in the past year or so – one of the original shounen pillars back from the dead? Is this the case of a beaten dead cash cow or will it be a retelling, like Hunter x Hunter’s remake a decade after the original? Well apparently neither – looks like new ground is being broken. The verdict? ahem This is THE. SINGLE. BEST. REBOOT. EPISODE. that I have ever seen. Bar none. This episode hits all the right nostalgia notes (if you didn’t get goosebumps hearing “Center of attraction” then I’m a little worried about your anime childhood) while managing a very difficult feat: making hybrid-real backgrounds and CGI monsters look incredible. I don’t think I’ve seen another anime manage a hybrid approach this well (maybe Titan I guess?) The main characters still get plenty of old fashioned drawing love…and we haven’t even seen half the Soul Society cast yet!!! The designs, from the characters to the text don’t look dated in the slightest – this is Bleach brought into the 2020s. I don’t know how good this season’s storyline is, and I don’t care – if even a fraction of this level of effort is exerted on future episodes, then they can be fighting exiled Hollow dandelions, doesn’t matter. My hopefulness is off the charts. I did not know I wanted this, I did not know I needed this, but my goodness am I excited that it’s here.
Potential: If you have ever enjoyed any shounen anime, you should watch this. This is not potential, this is really happening. We are blessed to be alive.

Lenlo: It felt… surprisingly good to be back in the world of Bleach. The design, the sounds, the characters. I enjoyed seeing them again. Make no mistake, this show is going to live and die based on nostalgia. But so far, that nostalgia is hitting hard. Combine that with Kubo’s great designs and some more modern animation and I’m back in the 2000’s watching saturday morning cartoons and having fun. I don’t expect it to do much narratively, this was one of my least favorite arcs on that front. But it seems like the pacing has been drastically improved from what Bleach used to be like, what with the series being done and not needing much filler (We hope). I also have high hopes for the health of the production after hearing the announcement that it’s going to be 4 split cours, thus 13 episodes every 6 months. So maybe, just maybe, Bleach will be able to have a consistent production across its entire run. That would go a long way towards making it worth watching. And yes, the CGI Hallow stands out, but as monsters they suffer from it less than say… CGI humans do. Anyways yeah, it’s Bleach with a modern coat of paint. It looks good, seems healthy, if you like standard Shounen then you are going to have some fun here. Personally, I’m going to be reliving some of my childhood.
Potential: 50%

Chainsaw Man

Short Synopsis: Yo there’s a cute chainsaw doggie, and he’s a good boi.

Amun: So I come into Chainsaw Man a bit naive – I’ve heard the hype (and read Aidan’s very informative pre-season primer). I also don’t have any predispositions for or against it – I’m really a blank slate. Coming in, the closest comp I could think of was Dorohedoro, which I felt started well and then went off the rails a bit (chainsaws and crocodiles are similar, yeah?) Watching this episode…there was more emphasis on the story and less on the gore than I expected. Never thought I’d see an anime that made me a) feel emotionally attached to a chainsaw dog and b) think a chainsaw was cute, but here we are. Now the problem I have is simple: the visuals. This episode was WILDLY uneven in production quality. Zombies are an area that’s pretty forgiving for mass CGI – and even then I really didn’t think the fight scenes looked that clean. There were some parts that looked hand drawn, and those looked great – but they weren’t consistent by any means. I get a bit of flashback to last season’s Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer: I can see there’s a quality story underneath, but it’s being held back by production. This is MAPPA, so I would have expected at least the first half to come out looking sharp, but I’m worried we’re out of gas already (puns intended). I’ll keep going for a few more, but I need some better visuals for this show to live up to its potential.
Potential: 70%

Lenlo: I’m just going to come out and say it, Chainsaw Man was strictly fine. I didn’t love it. And despite what Aidan may think, I didn’t hate it. It just sort of exists for me. For every beautiful wide shot or well animated bit of action, there was a matching shot of janky CGI, dark washed out colors or poor aliasing. Combine that with taking itself way too seriously for what it’s actually about, and you end up with something neither excites or puts me off. My hope is that as the series goes on it will start to add a bit more color, embrace the levity inherent in the series more. At the very least I want them to make it look better. I suppose the long and short of what I’m saying is this: Narratively I’ve never cared for Chainsaw Man, and that hasn’t changed after seeing it animated, I simply don’t think it’s written well. But my hope was that MAPPA would at least be able to make it a production juggernaut for the season, and even that seems to have been betrayed. All that’s left after both of those is a perfectly fine, serviceable, irreverent show that I’m sure you’ll be able to get some enjoyment out of if that’s your thing. And if you want to hear “unbiased” praise? Then keep an eye out for Aidan’s posts, he’s going to be covering it. As for me? I’m surprised he even let me write this.
Potential: 50%

Noumin Kanren no Skill bakka Agetetara Nazeka Tsuyoku Natta.

Short Synopsis: An overpowered farmer cannot help but gets involved in saving the kingdom, despite his best efforts to stay hidden.

Mario: Ah here we go, isekai-kun. This show is not bad per se, rather it suffers from being toothless, harmless and unmemorable. It’s about a boy who maxes out his stats (the episode literally has the stat tabs. Why?) because he’s into farming so much, so when we meet him, the guy already achieved godlike power. The plot goes exactly like you would expect: he easily defeats bad guys to the awe of others, and he runs away from recognition…just because. I’d say that the manner in which he kills the flying dragon – with a boomerang carrot – is so absurd that I wonder why the show isn’t aiming for a comedic/satirical edge. At least then we could have some fun watching it! The show is mindless enough that I reckon it might be one of the popular shows of the season, but for me I’d rather watch Pop Team Epic – at least it tries something completely different.
Potential: 10%

Amun: Alright, this one’s a bit of a meme. We have a farmer who maxed all his mundane stats, so he gets the super rare boost of being OP from Mother Earth. Sure, I guess. But defeating a dragon with a CARROT?! Then eating said carrot. You can’t be serious. The other issue I have with this show is how bad the CG looks. I mean, that’s the opening scene – it doesn’t typically improve in quality from here. It’s kinda funny seeing him beat up his enemies with a hoe (that’s the literal farm utensil, not disparaging any of the waifus). The main bad guy is edgy and yells alot, but I strangely enjoy his character design (very Key). This show definitely has no nutritional value, but if you can enjoy something “so bad that it’s good”, then this is for you.
Potential: Meme%

Mob Psycho 100 III

Short Synopsis: The third, and final, season of “Local boy goes through puberty and has difficulty controlling his emotions, exploding in psychic mayhem”.

Lenlo: It’s happened everyone, the Anime of the Season has aired, pack it up and go home. My joy at Mob returning aside though, I really did love this episode. There were some small inconsistencies writing wise, like Reigen having to figure out its career survey time of year despite Mob directly asking him about it earlier. But that wasn’t anything more than a blip on what was otherwise a really nice reminder of what their relationship has become and how much they have come to respect and care for each other. Combine that with Mob’s continued excellent production, expressive animation and beautiful color palette and you have what is my favorite show of the season. But I kind of expected that to be the case way back when it was announced, so no big surprise here.
Potential: 99%

Amun: While Mob is back – and that’s great – I can’t help but feel a little sad as this is clearly the beginning of the end. It has been a bit since the last season, and I must admit, I’ve sorta forgotten who Reigen’s new assistant is (was he a former baddie last season?) – that aside, it’s nice to see our cast again. The plotlines look pretty straightforward, with Dimple reverting to his old ways, and Mob looking to take his next step plus fighting his new status as resident deity of the broccoli tree religion (that’s a weird sentence). Of course, the visuals are still fantastic, and Mob + Reigen dynamic is top shelf – everything we’ve loved is back in spades. I think the OP showed it best, with watching Mob grow up – that’s how I feel as we start this final season: a bit bittersweet to see our favorite OP psychic finally graduate and end our journey together. But we’re not done yet, and there’s still tons of evil spirits and silly humans to take care of!
Potential: 90%

Blue Lock

Short Synopsis: A gifted player from a losing team gets invited to join Battle Royale: Soccer Edition.

Lenlo: I’m just gonna come out and say it, Blue Lock is fun. Locking 300 egotistical assholes into a building and telling them to hunger-games-style eliminate each other to become the best forward in Japan? No “friendship” or “teamwork” here, just actively hunting down the strongest person and kicking their butt in soccer? Yeah, it’s dumb. But Blue Lock plays it so straight that I can’t help but have a good time. And this is reinforced by its visuals as well. Strong, sharp linework, crazy eyes and proportions the more characters fall into their own ego, the muscles. It looks good! The soccer looks jank most of the time, the space is obviously CGI and you can tell, as is the ball and a lot of the background characters in any given scene. But Blue Lock distracts from it well most of the time, enough that it only marginally impacted my experience. So yeah, as far as “stupid Shounen fun” goes, this is probably one of the stupidest, funnest, and most “Shounen” shows of the season. And I’m gonna watch it.
Potential: 65%

Mario: Speaking about “diamond in the rough”, woh boy, I just can’t get past how silly Blue Lock is. Although it presents itself as a soccer anime, Blue Lock is more akin to Kaiji or Squid Game – a survival, twisted thriller show with a moral-ambiguous protagonist. To heighten all the drama and personal conflict, the show amps it up to 11. Just look at the prologue when our MC’s decision backfires on him – it’s so committed to its drama that it’s on the verge of collapse under its self-importance. The show totally lost me when the GameMaster appears and explains his twisted nonsense philosophy. He’s completely over-the-top with crazy eyes (I’m not a fan at all with the character’s designs) and exaggerated gestures. Likewise, the players are decidedly selfish and villainous. It’s certainly appealing for those who like to watch what becomes of the ultimate anti-hero striker, but as the one who also feels Squid Game is overrated, I can safely say that Blue Lock is not for me.
Potential: 10%

Fuufu Ijou, Koibito Miman

Short Synopsis: Two students resolve to improve their relationship after they’re forced to live together as part of their high school’s marriage practicum.

Mario: It’s such a blatant set-up to get a boy and a girl together who eventually fall in love to each other (I expect it’s more of physical attraction and have nothing to do with understanding each other), and of course to add more spice to it, they both have a love interest who happen to be together themselves. There are lots of red flags for this show (and sorry, unlike Wooper, I cannot come up with any positivity). The first issue is that the episode is chock-full of tired tropes, from character stocks (the virgin type, childhood friend, gal girl…) to situations you literally see in countless anime before (potato-kun’s reaction to being close to a girl, he’s unable to call his crush by her first name), and the list keeps piling up. Second, Potato-kun is so plain and so far possesses zero charisma, and that extends to the whole cast as well. Last, the set-up itself of grouping a male and female students as husband and wife is stupid enough that I can’t really buy the concept itself. Oh well…
Potential: 10%

Wooper: Positives first: this series’ high-contrast color design, which would come off as garish in most other shows, does a fine job of complimenting and countering the personalities of its female and male leads, respectively. I also liked the ED’s groovy synth lines, sultry vocals, and 80s-inspired art direction – it has to be one of my favorites of the year so far. Too bad everything else about Fuufu Ijou gave me an allergic reaction, especially the premise of high schoolers cohabitating in order to “prepare for marriage.” What it actually prepares for are cleavage shots, bad teen angst, and quantifiable romance for ranking-obsessed otaku. The students at this school can’t graduate unless they get a good grade on their marriage simulations, and the fluctuations in their couple scores are updated in real time via a digital readout in their living rooms. You know, just like a real marriage! The gloomy male protagonist (who is so pitiful that he monologues about acting sad to attract his childhood friend’s attention) and his domineering gyaru partner can’t stand each other, but they have to work together to achieve Rank A and get their choice of roommate during the next phase of this ridiculous experiment. Except oh no, she’s too sexy, and what if they end up falling in lurve?! Every character introduction and story development within these twenty minutes seemed designed for people whose brains can no longer feel shame, or have transcended the need for such a response. If you belong to either of those categories, you might enjoy this, but I’m not enlightened enough to avoid the embarrassment factor here.
Potential: 10%