Category: Other:

Spring 2022 Impressions: Black Rock Shooter, I’m Quitting Heroing, Tomodachi Game

by Lenlo, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Black★★Rock Shooter: DAWN FALL

Short Synopsis: Sleepy robot (?) girl saves some kids from bad robots.

Amun: I think I’ve seen the original ONA, and I definitely watched the 8 episodes that came out about a decade ago. Obviously there’s the original song and music video that catapulted the titular character to fame. However…I have no idea how any of that is related to Dawn Fall, except that the character design looks very similar. If my foggy memory serves, last time Black Rock Shooter was in a high school and switching between the post-apocalyptic world; this time around seems pretty set in the dystopian future of man vs machine (maybe she was fighting the same big boss at the end?). There are some pretty common robots-becoming-human themes here – although Mr. Sexbot 3000 was a bit of a surprise in his, erm, approach to deeply understanding humanity. There’s a bit of self-aware humor here (which, given some of the translation issues, might be more of a fansub editorial than the actual script), but the dialogue is pretty sparse. Given the oddities with the release licensing (Disney+ strikes again), I think the best hope is a legitimate fansub group picks this up. The big takeaway is that Dawn Fall looks great – in fact, I think they could have slowed down a few of their shots in the fighting sequence, there was just so much action packed in. Sure it’s CG, but that was always BRS’s MO, so no surprises there. My guess? It’ll be easy on the eyes and light on the plot. Sounds good to me!
Potential: 60%

Mario: I came to Black Rock Shooter without any real expectation and I got out of it mildly impressed. I have no prior knowledge to Black Rock Shooter franchise, but I have no problem following the story as 1) it is a reboot and 2) Dawn Fall is very light on plot and big on explosions. Yes, the story is such a mess (when you see a battle right off the bat without knowing whom to root for, it’s a bad sign), the characters are just cardboard figures at the moment (the main character has – yeah, you guessed it – amnesia), its visuals look consistently confident at all times. The CG fights blend together well, so does the choreography of the fights. At the moment, Dawn Fall is one of the titles that flew under the radar the most – it is only streaming in Japan and hardly gets a proper sub, and its appeal is mainly for those who have experienced the franchise before – but I am here to claim that it looks more polished than half of the current season’s offerings, if you can shut down your brain because the plot doesn’t really matter.
Potential: 40%

I’m Quitting Heroing

Short Synopsis: Single-handedly defeating a demon army does not provide the expected job security for a hero.

Lenlo: I really wonder if me and Amun watched the same show because seriously if it walks like isekai trash, quacks like isekai trash and has all the visual blandness of isekai trash then lets just call it isekai trash. Yeah there’s no opening scene where some schmuck gets hit by a truck and gets teleported, yet aside from that everything about this series has the structure of one. From the oft-repeated shallow fantasy crap to what I consider to be bland and standard visuals. This show is just painfully boring. It took me an hour to get through a 24 minute episode because none of it had any charm. Visually and narrative this comes off like a series made by a bunch of old men in committee, not by someone with any actual passion. So yeah, count me out. I’d rather watch Shield Hero than this. At least that revels in its trashiness.
Potential: 0%

Amun: This is one of my most anticipated non-sequel shows of the season (the other being Spy x Family). From the first episode, I’d say….they probably spent all their budget on the premiere. You can tell from the little animation tricks, especially when fighting the full formed demon. Which, if this turns out to be even decently animated, I think it’s still fully serviceable – I’m just a little concerned to see some shortcuts this early on. The character adaptations from the manga feel okay, although I feel as though Leo came off a little wooden (I imagined him a bit more cocky, but he feels pretty bland for someone who is that OP). That said, I love this premise – and I think even this MC has some potential. Normally, we’re seeing MC’s with “soft-skills” who are wildly weak or reincarnated, overpowered heroes who were supposedly awkward in their past life but still end up with the harem – Leo lacks people skills to such an extreme that he managed to go from the savior of the country to the villain. Now that’s talent. However, it’s hard to strike the balance between a character the viewers want to cheer for and someone completely insufferable. All in all? I’m still here for a few more episodes (probably the whole season, to be honest), but I’m trimming my expectations slightly.
Potential: 70%

Tomodachi Game

Short Synopsis: Five students are dragged into a series of psychological games in order to repay one person’s debt.

Lenlo: The best way I can describe Tomodachi Game is knock-off Squid Game. It’s not that Tomodachi Game is a bad premise, nor that the game played is dull. Rather it’s that Tomodachi Game falls into the same trap that every other series trying to mimic Kaiji does: It cares more about the games than it does the players. Despite the fact that it’s the players, the characters and their circumstances and why they are playing to begin with, that makes these series work. Squid Game works because we care about Seong Gi-hun, Abdul Ali, etc. Kaiji works because of how much time we spend with him and how we come to know him. But Tomodachi Game dives right into a 5-person game, only giving us a single second of flashing character cards and a few small scenes for each. I don’t know, or care, about any of these people yet. I don’t buy their friendship or their bond. In fact, because of the way this show is framed, I have doubted its authenticity from the beginning. Suffice to say that this was a miss for me, despite some colorful directing.
Potential: 20%

Wooper: I was sure that this was going to be terrible, but Tomodachi Game’s playful storyboarding managed to rescue this episode – during the gambling scenes, anyway. The consistent use of diagrams explained the rules and illustrated the stakes for each character, and a few colorful backgrounds gave the games an exaggerated feeling that I kind of liked. There’s a clear mandate here to emphasize the psychological aspect at the expense of everything else – probably the right call given the show’s limited resources, but it does handicap the characters in a major way. The series is in such a rush to get to the debt repayment games that it introduces the cast with on-screen paragraphs, and the way it pits Money and Friendship against each other in the protagonist’s flashbacks is some of the most blatant theming that any anime has served up in recent years. All five kids are such nonentities that there’s no reason to care whether they get through the games or drown in debt; the brown-haired girl in particular is a nauseatingly transparent representation of innocence. Tomodachi Game might be worth somebody’s time if future episodes get much crazier, but it’s so thinly written that I’m done after one.
Potential: 25%

Spring 2022 Impressions: Gunjou no Fanfare, Trapped in a Dating Sim, Healer Girl

by Lenlo, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Gunjou no Fanfare

Short Synopsis: A former teen idol has a stressful first day at horse jockey school.

Mario: You know, I was pretty much on board with this first episode up until the very last 20 seconds. Are they going full BL romance now? Isn’t it about horse riding? There’s a certain charm about Gunjou no Fanfare amidst its uneven production values and storytelling that I both like and shrug at simultaneously. On the one hand, the production is below-average with underwhelming CG horse-animation and poor lighting. But then, it picks itself up with its steady direction that produces some memorable shots. The same goes for its writing – I like the fact that I already can tell most of the main cast apart because they have different mannerisms and different approaches to riding. But then, the show slaps itself in the face and reveals that our main duo haven’t even ridden a horse before. So why did this prestigious school accept them in the first place? Is this “chasing the lost horses” scene just pure recklessness by an overconfident pair of brats? Ultimately, I prefer uneven products like this over safe-but-forgettable flicks anytime, so I might stick around for a few more episodes.
Potential: 30%

Wooper: I wrote this show off before the season started, but it showed me something here – and I don’t just mean bad CG and awkward lighting. The overall direction of this first episode was a cut above what I expected, moving from protagonist Yuu to the horse racing instructors to the other incoming students to the media with surprising sureness. Emotions like Yuu’s frustration at being hounded by the press and his easygoing instructor’s enthusiasm at meeting a new crop of jockeys were clearly conveyed, and there was a whiff of interpersonal conflict even before the third act shake-up of two horses escaping their stable. Unfortunately, that shake-up was what sunk this episode for me, as it escalated into a scenario that the show had no way of resolving without relying on magic. Yuu’s future best friend showed up in the nick of time, mounted one of the horses, and expertly caught up to the other animal after a high speed chase (despite never having ridden one before). Then Yuu, riding double, grabbed the reins of the spooked horse and somehow brought it to a standstill (off camera, of course). The more you think about it, the less sense it makes, but at least it’s only nonsense plotting and some sketchy compositing that plague Gunjou no Fanfare – it might be viable viewing if you’re not concerned with accuracy.
Potential: 15%

Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs

Short Synopsis: An ill-tempered gamer dies and finds himself reincarnated in a matriarchal dating simulator.

Wooper: There was never a point in this premiere where I entertained the idea of tuning in for another week, but it did start on an amusing note, with the main character delivering a resentful and varied monologue. Topics included the superficiality of male love interests in otome games, his bitterness toward his sister, the backwards nature of matriarchal societies, and his thoughts on poor game design. This was among the most aggressive targeting of the incel demographic I’d ever seen, so I was perversely fascinated to see how the show would follow it up. After the kid’s death and reincarnation, though, the episode flatlined. I have a fundamental issue with series where the “hero” uses his prior knowledge of a video game to advance through the story, because it’s not rewarding to see someone succeed when they already have the answers. Similarly, Otome Game Sekai’s protagonist jumps from location to location without a speck of drama, and no number of ship-destroying whirlwinds or guardian robots can mask that problem. The episode is careful to point out that he’s not following the game’s central storyline, but he’s following a script nonetheless – the script of an anime that delivers progress on a silver platter, because that’s what its game world (and its audience) demand.
Potential: 0%

Mario: This is one of those isekais that “intends” to recontextualize the genre by pointing out the tropes, but at the same time embrace the formula shamelessly. Unlike Wooper, I don’t find any enjoyment from a dude who gives resentment remarks to the game he’s playing (why play at all, then, just go Youtube), and when he is reincarnated to that world, all he does is to level up his power to stand out. It’s the exact same premise as countless isekais we’ve seen before. To be fair, I’m kind of amused by its settings that is a mixture between fantasy and sci-fi (and for my money, there is some hidden secret behind it), but otherwise the show is harmless: enjoyable to watch (I don’t regret watching it) but leaves nothing of impact.
Potential: 20%

Healer Girl

Short Synopsis: Three healers-in-training prepare to treat patients using the medicinal properties of music.

Wooper: Watching Healer Girl brought a question to my mind: has there ever been a full-blown anime musical before? We’ve had dozens of music-themed shows, including some where conflict is resolved through musical performance (Revue Starlight chief among them), but has there ever been an anime where the plot and characterization are delivered mainly through song? Healer Girl doesn’t fit the bill, but there’s a point in its premiere where our leading ladies break from their conversation to sing their reasons for becoming healers, which charmed the pants off me. There are more ordinary performances as well (as you’d expect from a show where music has medicinal powers), complete with sparkly backgrounds that represent the transportive power of song. It’s a testament to the show’s pleasant tone that these scenes didn’t yank me right out of the episode, because although they were visually blunt, I liked the characters well enough to hope for their success in those moments. Healer Girl does a decent job of justifying its premise, too, briefly explaining this new branch of medicine with training scenes and demonstrations of musical rehab. I have to imagine that the further the show progresses, the harder it’ll be to take its story seriously, but its fun, optimistic atmosphere has convinced me to check in with it again at some point.
Potential: 35%

Lenlo: The worst thing I have to say about this show is that I, personally, am not a fan of musicals nor Cute Girls Doing Cute Things. When I take away those two criticisms, things that are intrinsic to the show I might add, I only really have nice things to say. Visually it doesn’t look half bad, with the musical bits especially earning their place. Meanwhile the VA work pretty solid. Unlike a lot of singing based music shows with big set piece concerts repeating the same song, Healer Girl requires unique, new singing for every scene it’s in. The variation in style of singing is really appealing as well. My main concern is that it’s going to get dull, but I have that concern for every CGDCT show. It’s intrinsic to the genre and by now you already know if you like it or not. So if what you want is some wholesome singing and dancing with cute girls, Healer Girl has you covered. I think you will get exactly what you want from it. Sadly for me, what it’s delivering isn’t something I care about.
Potential: 50%

Spring 2022 Impressions: Shokei Shoujo no Virgin Road, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, Love All Play

by Lenlo, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

Short Synopsis: Japanese student gets isekai’d, thrown out, and…??? Plus stabby, hot priests.

Amun: Ah ha, I didn’t fall for that twist this time! This first episode actually mirrored Talentless Nana pretty closely – zealot assassins, tragic super-powered individuals, and lots of intrigue and trickery. Executioner and Her Way of Life (which randomly has Virgin in the Japanese translation?) looked better than I expected, but I can already tell this is a show whose service is blood splatter, not boobs. The battle style looks like magic casting and knife work – which is strangely contradictory, when you have to lug around a giant book but rely on being nimble and stabby. The fight scenes just felt a tad off – characters too. Our lead’s garter-knife-holster-thing is clearly her distinctive trait, but honestly, they skimped out on her actual thighs – so why are we looking there in the first place? I think the biggest difference between Talentless Nana and Executioner is that Nana straight away had more depth than just another poor-orphan-turned-assassin. Executioner felt like it had only one speed and just tried to hide it with some banter. It’s fine, I guess, if the genre “helpless Japanese schoolchildren get knifed to death before they blow up the world” is your thing. I know I asked for different takes on the isekai genre, but for me – this ain’t it.
Potential: 15%

Lenlo: The most striking thing about Virgin Road is that it’s legitimately well produced. Like seriously, this is way better looking than it has any right being. It’s still off in places, like the combat against the noble thugs was pretty meh. But the facial expressions, stuff like the “white” scene, those looked nice! And as far as the actual plot is concerned, I’m down. Unlike Amun I didn’t actually see the twist coming, I was mentally preparing myself for another shitty Kirito situation the whole time, so this was a pleasant surprise for me. If anything I’m more annoyed that the boob humor and such carried over past the reveal. I was really hoping that was only part of the opening fake-out but it looks like that will be here to stay. Assuming it plays its cards right, what with the potential for “repeating” powers like Flare said and some possible moral quandaries with this dream, I think this could have some potential. More than most seasonal isekai bullshit that is. Just be ready for it to crash and burn into mediocrity at any point and I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Potential: 20%

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai

Short Synopsis: Komi-san got shorter!

Lenlo: Let’s be real, this is just the latest loli-bait show. It’s trying to cash in on the demure social anxiety shtick of Komi-san, only this time with a loli. One could argue I’m overreacting a bit, they are 1st year high schoolers, some of them are just short. But you can design those without them looking like children. It’s comical her difference in height with everyone else. The one saving grace this show has is that it’s moving at a pace where they might actually become a couple. And that’s great! Too many anime end right as characters get together, never exploring the actual important part of a relationship… the relationship. If it can do that then this might end up worth your time. And if not? Well you can probably at least get some wholesome, cutesy, low-carb fun out of it.
Potential: 10%

Mario: Aharen-san the show is cute and sweet but its formula has been done a hundred times before, most notably just last year with Komi-san. The whole plot has one main gimmick: Raido tries his best to figure out what Aharen thinks, and she’s unorthodox at best (or at worst). What I find a bit hard to fully commit to their relationship is that Aharen-san never comes off as a full-fledged character to me, despite this premiere paying a lot of attention to her. Secondly, the story beats ride on the same jokes so far, hence it definitely feels longer than its 20 minutes mark. I suppose the show will extend its cast in the next few episodes, but I”m still not totally invested in the story so I won’t be checking its 2nd episode out.
Potential: 20%

Amun: Hey, I very much enjoyed Komi-san – and I liked Aharen-san’s first episode more. Feels more grounded and less dazzling production. The jokes landed for me, and the lack of scream-until-it’s-funny is refreshing.
Potential: 70%

Love All Play

Short Synopsis: A bashful soon-to-be high schooler is invited to join a renowned badminton team.

Wooper: The most notable thing I could spot about Love All Play in this first episode was evidence of the voice director’s distaste for naturalism. A good chunk of the side characters here came across as though their actors had been given very pointed pep talks before recording. Friend #1’s supportive tone verged on incredulity that the main character would ever feel self-doubt, Friend #2’s silliness hardly registered as human, and Math Teacher’s aggressive friendliness had me feeling sorry for whatever students he sees on a daily basis. Once you go further up the cast list the performances get closer to mediocrity, which brings them in line with this premiere as a whole. A story about a kid getting an offer to attend a particular high school and discussing his options with friends and family needs to distinguish itself in order to attract an audience, but Love All Play has no eye for drama – the protagonist is uninteresting, his enrollment is a foregone conclusion, and we learn nothing that marks it as a worthy victory in the broader course of his life. If the novel from which this show comes is much the same as the anime, I doubt I’d make it past the first chapter.
Potential: 20%

Lenlo: Look I love sports anime more than most people here, that’s just a fact. But even I’m getting tired of the recent flood of 2nd-string series that producers are hoping will replace Haikyuu now that the manga is over. There’s just nothing about it that piques my interest. That makes me think “This is something different”. At least Volley-Bu, for all its faults and it had many, managed to create a unique and engaging hook both with its location and characters. But Love All Play? I just watched the episode and I already can’t remember who any of these people are! Add on to that this really weird plot point where the parents are upset that their kid got a sports scholarship to a prestigious highschool? Isn’t that like… a huge thing, what with college prep and such? Combine all that with the lackluster voices and I’m just not feeling this show. Maybe it picks up, its original novel series was good enough to get 4 novels after all. You might find something you like. I just know I’m not going to bother finding out.
Potential: 5%

Ousama Ranking Review – 83/100

by Amunchet, posted in Anime Reviews, Ousama Ranking, Reviews by Amunchet

I really wanted Ousama Ranking to be the next Odd Taxi.  Both started out fairly similar – neither had very much pre-season hype (Odd Taxi premise wasn’t even released till the first episode, and Ousama Ranking’s first episode aired after the rest of the season started).  If it had turned out to be a hidden classic, I would be two for two and my anime ego would grow uncontrollably.  But Ousama Ranking turned out to be more blockbuster than cult classic, with quite a few flaws along the way.  Let’s take a look!

Continue reading “Ousama Ranking Review – 83/100” →

Spring 2022 Season Preview

by Lenlo, posted in Seasonal Previews

Lenlo: And so ends the first season of 2022! Will it be remembered as the strongest season in a while, bringing us the ending of Attack on Titan, Ousama Ranking, Sono Bisque Doll and more? Or did all of those fall flat for you like they did for me? Only time will tell. But the ending of one season brings us the beginning of another! And with it a whole new slew of series. Some are exciting, like the long awaited Spy x Family adaptation or the third season of Kaguya-sama. Others… Well lets just say we have a lot of “Middling Expectations” and leave it for you to find out. So without further ado, lets take a look at the Spring 2022 season!

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What will you be watching this spring?
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Middling Expectations

Ao Ashi

Studio: Production I.G
Director: Akira Satou
Series composition: Masahiro Yokotani
Source: Manga

The Premise: An unruly striker from a rural town catches the eye of a visiting soccer coach, who gives him an opportunity to try out for a J-League youth team.

Wooper: Ao Ashi isn’t the most hotly anticipated soccer anime of 2022, but it’ll be the first to hit the airwaves, giving it a temporary leg up on its chief competitor Blue Lock. The other advantage it possesses, and this one is far more significant, is that it’s being animated by Production I.G, whose track record with sports series is nearly untouchable. Haikyuu, Run with the Wind, Kuroko’s Basketball, Welcome to the Ballroom – all of these adaptations have been well-received by audiences, and I see no reason why Ao Ashi should be any different. The series director’s ears are still a bit damp, but one of the chief ADs handled half a dozen episodes of Haikyuu’s first season, and head writer Yokotani has prior experience on several sports shows. It’s the story that will likely determine whether Ao Ashi can leave a mark on this season, and I’m somewhat intrigued by its setting: a youth league with ties to Japan’s pro soccer scene, rather than yet another extracurricular middle or high school team. Will it eventually settle into traditional athletic rivalries and speeches about teamwork? Probably, but I’ll give it at least three chances to impress me before then.

Continue reading “Spring 2022 Season Preview” →

86: Eighty Six S2 Anime Review 42/100

by Lenlo, posted in 86 - Eighty Six, Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo

Sequels are always difficult to write reviews about. Usually, barring any major production or authorial changes, you can tell if you will like it just by your reaction to the first season. With minor shifts up or down for whatever the current content is about. My recent Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen review is evidence enough of that. But sometimes… sometimes you have the unfortunate case where a sequel falls short. Where for whatever reason, be it changes in production, writing staff or simply going on longer than it should, the series falls off. Animated at A-1 Pictures, directed by Toshimasa Ishii and originally created by Asato Asato, 86: Eighty Six Season 2 is, sadly, one such case. Why is that the case? What could have happened between season 1, something I enjoyed, and this to fall off as hard as it did? Well, lets jump in and talk about that.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Eighty Six Season 2. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “86: Eighty Six S2 Anime Review 42/100” →

Fate/Grand Order: Final Singularity – The Grand Temple of Time: Solomon Anime Review – 50/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Reviews by AidanAK47

I truly wonder if Fate anime will come out ad infinitive just to force me out of retirement. Look I know full well that the reading audience of this blog likely hold little to zero interest in this movie and I truly don’t blame them for doing so. Even I, Fate fanatic that I am, held off on watching this for over a month and can express a degree of ambivalence towards it. As such I might as well admit that this isn’t so much a review but rather a diatribe I was inspired to write after sitting down to push myself though this movie through obligation. But I put my plea to the blogging court, is there truly anyone looking for a review of this movie? It’s a conclusion to a story which 5/7s of which is unadapted to anime and holds appeal mainly for those who spent two years playing a mobile gacha game or those that powered through 160 hours of writing. I can only really assume you are reading this out of some odd fascination with my drivel or an equal interest in this franchise of glorious highs and head to wall bashing lows. But with all things considered I at least need to make an effort to give some sort of opinion on this odd movie.
Continue reading “Fate/Grand Order: Final Singularity – The Grand Temple of Time: Solomon Anime Review – 50/100” →

Kimetsu no Yaiba S2 Anime Review 68/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Action, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Reviews by Lenlo

Sequels are beautiful, dangerous things. More often than not you already know what to expect. Is it a series you enjoyed? Then it’s a guaranteed good time. And if it’s something you didn’t? Then you can skip it without having to worry about what could have been. Indeed, it’s rare that a sequel goes off and does it’s own thing, that it wildly changes from whatever formula made it successful before. Why would you when it can bring you the sort of success Kimetsu no Yaiba is experiencing right now? That’s right, Directed by Haruo Sotozaki and animated by studio Ufotable, Kimetsu no Yaiba: Yuukaku-hen takes everything you loved about the first season and doubles down on it. Love the fights? The entire season is one big one. Love the visuals? I dare say this season has some of the best yet. And the narrative? We will get to that.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Kimetsu no Yaiba Seasons 1 and 2. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Kimetsu no Yaiba S2 Anime Review 68/100” →

The Vision of Escaflowne Anime Review 79/100 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo, The Vision of Escaflowne, Throwback Thursday

If you’re a fan of Mecha odds are you’ve heard of Shouji Kawamori. The man has done mechanical design for movies like Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell to a few Gundam Wing OVAs and even Eureka Seven. He’s been in the industry, working on robots, for over 40 years now. And in that time he’s come up with a few original series of his own! But of those only a few can truly be said to have been written by him. One is Aquarion. Another is Arjuna. And the last, and very first he ever did full composition for himself, is what we are here to talk about today. Directed by Kazuki Akane of Noein fame and animated by the studio defined by Mecha, Sunrise, I bring to you: The Vision of Escaflowne. Lets dive in.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for The Vision of Escaflowne. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “The Vision of Escaflowne Anime Review 79/100 – Throwback Thursday” →

2021 Anime Awards and Top 10 List

by SuperWooper, posted in Yearly Summaries

Mario: Here we are, having made it through the new normal in 2021, and things don’t look much better than they did this time last year. But at least we had anime to distract us, and I’m happy to report it was a pretty solid year on that front. There were a handful of original shows (Sonny Boy, Wonder Egg Priority, Odd Taxi) that caused a stir, some of which divided the audience but nevertheless delivered their fresh perspectives to the medium. Adaptations of world famous franchises had their highs (Fruits Basket, Attack on Titan) and their very lows (Promised Neverland, To Your Eternity). Even not-so-famous manga got a bit of shine, one of which is likely to appear on next year’s version of this post, as well (Ousama Ranking, Heaven’s Design Team). Once again, the staff at Star Crossed Anime share with you our favorites – and least favorites – that the past year in anime had to offer. Read on to see whether you agree with our picks!

 

Worst of the Worst

Worst Show: 2.43 Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu

Wooper: Given that 2021 played host to such turds as Tesla Note and Shinka no Mi, it’s not entirely accurate to call Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu the worst show of the year. But it was the worst show that at least two of us watched from start to finish, and the rapid descent from the relative promise of its premiere to the ambivalent fart of its finale was enough to earn it this honor. Incredibly, Volley-bu managed to throw a monkey wrench into nearly every one of its character arcs. Got a player who freezes up during official matches? Give him some extra motivation by ignoring him during practice – problem solved! Two teammates had a fight so massive that one of them decides to take a train out of town? Just have the other guy accompany him on his impulsive journey – friendship restored! Your star athlete was such a demanding team captain in middle school that one of his teammates attempted suicide? Just kidding – the “suicide attempt” was an elaborate plot to get back at him for being such a hardass! And that was just the first half of the show. After that it was lukewarm injury-related drama and inconsistently paced games week after week, leading to an ending that satisfied virtually no one. Which set of six episodes was worse, the first or the last? That impossible question will be Volley-bu’s only legacy.

Runner-up: VLAD LOVE, a mess of an anime with no clear direction, no overarching plot and cringe-worthy humor.

Biggest Disappointment:
To Your Eternity

Lenlo: There was a lot of hype around To Your Eternity when it first started airing, and rightfully so. Brain’s Base is a good studio with a decent pedigree and Yoshitoki Ooima’s first work, A Silent Voice, took the world by storm. Everything was in place for at least a decent show. And it started good! The early episodes promised us an exploration of what it means to be human. Showing us, through Fushi’s inexperienced third party perception, what our lives and societies are really like. Slowly learning and forming his own thoughts along the way. But as the episodes went on and the story progressed To Your Eternity shifted away from that. We left the very human conflicts and focused more on the supernatural. It introduced shape shifting monsters that only our special MC could fight, a grand conflict between cosmic forces that God himself put Fushi here to help solve. It abandoned everything that made it interesting and became a sub-par version of what we see in every single mediocre battle shounen ever. And it is for that, for raising our hopes and expectations for something different and then dashing them against the rocks, that To Your Eternity earns our award for Biggest Disappointment.

Runner-up: SONNY BOY, for promising an exciting, never-seen-before take on our human condition, youth, society, individuality – but instead producing a production more pretentious than potent.

Continue reading “2021 Anime Awards and Top 10 List” →