Quality Assurance in Another World

Short Synopsis: A player tries to save a village with a bugged strategy to kill a dragon.

Mario: There’s more to Quality Assurance than it lets on, at least for the good first 15 minutes of this premiere. I’m pretty sure everyone would consider “the twist” a legit gamechanger (pun intended here), as it opens up more layers for both the story and the main character Haga. For me personally, it comes off as a bit clunky. How can Haga have so many resources in the first place, and how did he bring them all there by himself before his showdown with the dragon? Does this also mean he witnesses Nikola and the villagers die every time, but only this time Nikola comes back to life? I reckon the show will address the second point later on, as there are still many ambiguous circumstances that await Haga and Nikola on their journey. For now, the character designs remain mixed as well. I really enjoy the designs and costumes that remind me of Kemono no Souja Erin and the Bookworm anime, but the Dragon design is a bit off (are they… dragons?). And the concepts of “debugging” and “non-player character that becomes a main character” aren’t something new anymore. This one does delve into a darker theme and more serious tone, which is always a welcome change, but I suppose we will get a full taste of it in the next episode – when Haga and Nikola explore the world and figure out a way to get Haga back to real life.
Potential: 40%

Amun: That was not what I expected. I thought we’d get something similar to the other Dungeon show (Working!! Dungeon edition). Instad, we’ve got something of the SAO stuck-in-VR setting meets To Your Eternity – not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good. I agree with Mario, those dragons are…not good. The overall story I guess is fine, and the characters are at least mildly engaging. I don’t personally love the designs or most of the visuals, but I’m a bit interested in the premise and the mystery of the world. The twist is fun, so I’m interested in this for at least a few more episodes. Not expecting anything great though.
Potential: 50%

Tower of God S2

Short Synopsis: There’s a tower that grants whoever climbs it fully whatever they wish for. Also, when betting on yourself, make sure to not go into debt so much that you have to sell your organs.

Amun: Ah man, four years since the last Tower of God, and I vaguely remember what was going on (just remember blonde girl is worst girl and something or other about Jahad). This definitely feels like a soft reboot, introducing a new lead. I guess it’s okay since Bam filled the role of the energetic newbie last time, but it just feels like a step back, storywise. I don’t entirely mind, I guess it’s okay to bring in new characters who I won’t remember in four years. I’m not sure I love our new lead, but I’m willing to give him a chance – everyone sitting waiting by the elevator was really funny. The action wasn’t super snappy, and the characters feel more….normalized than season 1. I really liked the first season since it was something a bit different than we usually see – a self-contained world with different factions, powers, and rules (something of a more serious DanMachi). This feels a little more standard fair (especially the character designs), but I’m still interested enough to carry on. I don’t have very high expectations though.
Potential: 50%

Lenlo: So this is where I have to be a bit of a negative nancy. I know a fair number of people were looking forward to this, that they enjoyed Tower of God, both the WebToon and the anime, and were excited for Season 2. But personally? I’ve always found this to be one of the series’ weakest sections, which is saying something for how bad it gets. It wants to do this “Who is he” mystery with the cloaked FUG member while simultaneously making it incredibly obvious that it’s just Bam with a new edgy coat of paint. It also tosses in a bunch of new characters that never really come into their own, but are shoved center stage because Tower of God doesn’t want to reveal anything with Bam after just reintroducing him. It’s just… Narratively it’s unsatisfying, always has been, and the only worthwhile thing I can see coming are the fights. Yet even those don’t seem very promising judging by what we got this episode. Maybe Tower of God has something coming, there are a fair number of fights in this arc, and Kevin Penkin’s OST is always pretty good. Just don’t expect anything great from it.
Potential: 5%

My Deer Friend Nokotan

Short Synopsis: A high school girl befriends a transfer student with antlers growing from her head in the hopes that her violent past won’t be exposed.

Wooper: I was originally holding out for fansubs on this one, since the official subs suffer from constant formatting errors, but we’ve got impressions posts to write, so I bit the bullet and watched what was available. Having seen it now, I don’t think spiffier subtitles would change my evaluation of this premiere by much; My Deer Friend Nokotan is supposed to be dumb fun, but instead it’s just dumb. I like non sequitur humor, which is most of what this show has to offer, but my issue is that this episode doesn’t establish a sense of normalcy that it can go on to break. Sure, there’s a school setting, which is probably good enough for some viewers, but from the moment Shikanoko transfers into said school, she speaks with a squeaky voice, causes property damage, and violates the laws of common sense at every possible turn. Even giving her a teenage speaking voice, rather than a babyish drawl, might have helped to establish some sort of mundane baseline against which her more bizarre actions could be contrasted. We never got that baseline, but this show isn’t totally without hope – there was a scene near the end, where a pair of characters flattered the main girl with progressively outlandish praise, that demonstrated some solid comedy fundamentals. That was the only moment where I cracked a smile while watching, though, so I don’t think I’ll be back for round two.
Potential: 5%

Lenlo: Look, it’s a meme show. There’s no other way to put it, Nokotan is a meme that lives and dies by its absurd comedy. If something about poorly composited CG deer and stupid physical/gross out gags from her deer-horned classmate sounds fun, then have it. I have plenty of friends who are raving about this thing because this sort of humor is right up their alley. Personally though, I was bored out of my mind this entire episode. None of these jokes are particularly clever, and I feel like it will run out of material by episode 3 at the latest. So yeah, as with most slapstick gag manga, this is a hard pass for me.
Potential: 0%

Shoushimin Series

Short Synopsis: A girl who loves sweets and a boy who is really trying his best to be normal solve a mystery and (temporarily) get some tarts.

Lenlo: It’s funny, despite being slower paced with a lot of wide shots like the Stepsister show, I found Shoushimin to be much more palatable. Maybe it’s the lack of pretentious piano music playing over everything, or the subject matter and soft-spoken dialogue being more engaging, I honestly can’t say. What I can say though is that I kind of enjoyed this episode. The way they solved the crime and found the bag was a bit out there, walking straight towards where it was hidden with minimal work. But the leads are cute, I enjoy their dynamic, and that sudden rude ending felt like a slap in the face, in a good way I mean. One that tells me this isn’t just going to be sunshine and roses. I get the feeling that any mysteries or conflicts they get up to won’t actually be particularly important, with their relationship being the real meat of the show. If that’s the case, I think I’ll enjoy Shoushimin quite a bit. At least if it can continue to sell me on this relationship.

Edit: I keep seeing these Hyouka mentions, maybe I need to give that a shot. Never seen Hyouka.

Potential: 50%

Amun: Hyouka remixed. That’s what this is. And that is…absolutely great! Instead of having the excitable girl and the underhanded, energy conserving boy in Hyouka, we have a mysterious sweet loving girl and a helpful detective boy here in Shoushimin. I love the vibe, I love the low stakes mysteries, I love the mysterious atmosphere, I love the opening, I love the ending, I love the character designs, I love the cozy setting. I just love pretty much all of this. There is this weird obsession with being normal, so that’s a little odd (and there were some weird cuts in the middle, but we’re going to just ignore that). For all of my hopes for a first episode, Shoushimin crushed it – I’m fully onboard this train (since both characters made it very clear, this isn’t a ship). This is my pick for anime of the season so far.
Potential: 99%

VTuber Legend

Short Synopsis: A VTuber forgets to end her stream, drunkenly rambles in front of her computer for a while before falling asleep, and wakes up to discover she’s trending.

Wooper: I decided to preview this episode as a challenge to myself, since I didn’t know anything about its subject matter. Now, having finished it, I still don’t. Not that it’s VTuber Legend’s responsibility to educate somebody like me, especially since the majority of its audience will come with all the relevant knowledge built in – and even for those of us that aren’t in the know, the show seems easy enough to follow. It’s all about a streamer who accidentally becomes famous in the VTuber space, kind of like fantasy anime protagonists accidentally get transported to other worlds, or shonen heroes accidentally discover that they’re the Chosen One. After waking up to her sudden fame, there’s a bit of reflection on the heroine’s part regarding her new situation, and that comes across well enough, but mostly this show is just a vehicle for uninhibited goofiness. There’s over-the-top product placement, gleeful lesbian innuendo, and one of the VTubers even plays a phallic food-based fighting game. Occasionally there’ll be a neat twist in the storyboard, such as a character pushing the previous frame off camera in order to mark a scene change, but there aren’t enough of these moments to equal the chaos of the script. That mismatch makes it hard for me to recommend VTuber Legend, but then again, my opinion of this show is the last one you should ever consider.
Potential: 10%

Lenlo: Unlike Wooper, I’m rather familiar with the VTuber space. I even have an Oshi, Dokibird for indie and Korone for Hololive. So I have a pretty good idea of what VTuber Legend was going for, and you know what? I think it pulled it off. One of the funnest parts of watching VTubers is that slow descent from their on-screen personality back to their real one, where the Seisou falls away and you get to see who they really are as they become more comfortable streaming. VTuber Legend speedran that a bit with the whole “falling asleep on stream” thing, but that’s happened to actual VTubers as well so it’s hardly unrealistic. Basically, as far as the VTuber side of things goes, VTuber Legend was solid and did a good job showing off the culture, the tech, the attitude, all of that. As for our lead, Awayuki, she reminds me of Houshou Marine quite a bit, enough that I think any Marine fans in the audience will have a good time watching her. She has a foul mouth, drinks, makes lewd jokes, she’s un-Seisou in basically every way. Personally this isn’t my style of humor, Marine is fun but I can’t watch her or her clips for any extended length of time and that carries for Awayuki as well, but I could see a lot of people enjoying this. If you like VTubers and want a weekly comedy show, I think VTuber Legend is a shockingly solid choice.
Potential: 30%

Dungeon no Naka no Hito

Short Synopsis: A hotshot thief breaks into a dungeon, only to end up joining its staff.

Amun: I’m way more optimistic than Lenlo below, but I do agree with a confusing target demographic. With such simple character designs, a more visually stimulating series is a bit out of the question – but they still insisted on several beheadings. Not entirely sure about that. However, I’m a bit more sold on the dynamic between the very serious thief girl and the overpowered, happy-go-lucky dungeon boss. I think this ends up being a cutesy – and a bit stabby – working under unique circumstances. Hey if Dungeon Meshi managed to do a fantasy cooking show (yes, I’m aware Restaurant to Another World exists), why can’t we have an everyday workplace in a dungeon? All in all, I’m going to stick around for a few more at least.
Potential: 45%

Lenlo: I’m really not sure who this show is aimed at. It’s not cute or wholesome enough for the relaxed Slice of Life crowd, there’s too much blood and combat for that. Yet at the same time said action is mediocre and dull, with an emotionless cutesy moe girl doing voice over. This may just be a case of first-episode confusion while the series figures itself out, as the second half tries to transition to a more cutesy managerial depiction of a dungeon where the monsters are employees and this is all put on for the adventurers. This is probably more up the SoL folks alley, but will definitely turn off those looking for more adventurous fantasy fare. Personally, I thought it was rather dull and neither of the characters were all that interesting. Suffice to say, I’m going to have to pass here.
Potential: 0%

Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season

Short Synopsis: The new season of Monogatari, covering various side stories not included in previous arcs.

Mario: It feels right at home to see these characters back. This is going to be a Monogatari season without Araragi’s involvement – which for me is for all the better. Not that he’s a badly-written character, I do like his narration from time to time. It’s that he has a skewed point of view and it’s often filled with his perverted urges and his hero complex. So telling these stories from the girls’ point of view opens up this world and their complex web of relationships tremendously. Take this 30-minute premiere for example, it pairs up Tsukihi and Yotsugi together – two of the most underused characters out of this harem. Yotsugi is stoic and unresponsive, whereas Tsukihi is dynamite. Yet, it’s hilarious to see Yotsugi attempt to trick the younger sister as a Magical Girl and fail miserably at it. All her encounters with other girls are inspiring and have lots to do with immortality and relationships as well. Funny, heavy on wordplay, visually striking with emotional resonance… If this episode is any indication, we will have an absolute blast this season. My only complaint is that we don’t get an OP yet, but then again nothing can beat Platinum Disco (Tsukihi does that dance in this episode as well).
Potential: ∞ (infinity)

Lenlo: Monogatari is always an exceptionally difficult series to judge. The quality varies so much arc to arc that I can’t make a judgment on the entire season just by one episode. That said, this one episode was pretty good. Visually it’s the best premier I’ve seen so far, both beautifully animated and shot. I know some people aren’t a fan of how out there Monogatari can get, how quickly it cuts, but there was not a single moment in this episode’s entire 30 minutes run where I was not enthralled by the visuals on some level. Seriously, it looks great. Meanwhile narratively, Tsukihi was always one of my favorites, so getting 30 minutes all about her and her involvement in the town was nice. Maybe I’ve changed since the first time I watched Bakemonogatari, but this new season feels… right up my alley so far. Just so long as it can keep a lid on Araragi being a pedophile, I think we’re in for a good time.
Potential: 80%

2.5 Dimensional Seduction

Short Synopsis: Manga club president Okumura is obsessed with his fictional waifu when he meets an underclassman who just so happens to cosplay her, and she wants his help to model all of her new outfits!

Lenlo: Dimensional Seduction feels like it wants to be a passionate love letter to cosplay and geek culture, but it fails to tap into even a fraction of what Sono Bisque Doll did. The leads are both full-on otaku with nothing else to their character but their love for the series, and their interactions amount to nothing more than ecchi-bait and sex jokes. Maybe if the male lead actually brought anything to the relationship it could work, like Gojo’s passion for sewing and the joy he got from dressing people up, but the female lead made her own costume so she doesn’t really need the guy at all. I just… Watching this, it felt like it wanted to tap into that “Sexy girl cosplays” market without caring about cosplay and just wanting to slap a girl with huge tits on the screen. It really feels like an inferior Bisque Doll in every way.
Potential: 0%

Mario: While I applaud this episode for its “go with what you’re interested in” message, this is the kind that short-sells the appeal of being an otaku instead of promoting it. Damn, it features a main character who swears off “3D girls” and shouts in every single sentence. This episode also works as a wet dream for him as well, as a beautiful girl comes knocking on his door, asking to join his club and changing clothes in front of him, and requesting him to take pictures of her? Now, I’m down to have more shows about cosplaying or learning more about it, but the episode doesn’t really delve into the subject – she already has her clothes and garments ready. By the end of this episode where he grabs her (by accident, of course), it just adds a sense of discomfort for me.
Potential: 0%

Tasuuketsu

Short Synopsis: A student finds himself in a game of survival as half of the human population disappears each night!

Lenlo: Everything about Tasuuketsu just feels… lazy? The character designs are the same from the neck down on basically every character, the animation is basically nonexistent, and it can’t pace or properly transition between shots to save its life. As far as the narrative, it’s a pretty straight forward death game. The questions and the fact the majority side of each question will die is kind of interesting, but the existence of special privileges that will break the rules kind of undercut it for me since it means the original rules of the game probably won’t be relevant for long. By the end the only interesting part about it was that the MC seemed to die, though seeing as he’s the lead character and in the OP/ED I would be absolutely shocked if he stayed that way, which of course only raises more concerns if the dead can be brought back to life. In general just not very inspiring.
Potential: 1%

Mario: Tasuuketsu is a death game anime and it’s not a good one at that. In order to build a suspenseful hook you need either a set of clear rules so that you can anticipate how one character will outsmart the others, or well-written characters worth rooting for. Tasuuketsu fails on both fronts at this stage, and it doesn’t help that the pacing is a mess and the animation is lacking. First, none of the characters – that includes our male lead – operates like a human being. They show no concern or empathy towards the people who die, they are way too calm for this kind of situation. Second, the show is purposely vague in its rules – at one point the cast even raises questions about its vagueness – with the only goal being that no matter what question is asked, the majority side will die. But then they have a “privilege” vote – which I think will save our MC – which already breaks the rules that we hardly know anything about? I don’t think I will stick around for this.
Potential: 0%

The Elusive Samurai

Short Synopsis: The would-be inheritor of the Kamakura shogunate flees his birthplace after his family is betrayed by a powerful warrior.

Lenlo: Competing with Monogatari, Elusive Samurai is probably the best animated show of the season. It doesn’t quite have the same level of direction and shot composition that Monogatari does, it was actually uncomfortably punched in a lot of the time, making it hard for me to pick which I like more. Still, it definitely moves beautifully, and I love the colors. Narratively… It has promise, but christ is the humor bad. It’s loud and over the top, often clashing with what is happening on screen and what characters are saying/talking about. The tonal dissonance between an entire clan being slaughtered in incredibly gory fashion while a priest mumbles to himself or smiles and screams over a young boy’s shoulder is insane. If Elusive Samurai can figure that balance out, can cut down on the mediocre humor or at least time it better, then this could be something special. As it is though… I’m unsure if it can stick the landing. I’m going to keep watching it for now at least.
Potential: 50%

Wooper: Between the background information on The Elusive Samurai’s historical period (the early 14th century), the names of various lords, priests and samurai, and the details surrounding the untimely deaths of several characters, there’s a lot to wrap your head around in this premiere. A piece of closing narration informs us that the series’ story will span two years, so we’re not in for Heike Monogatari levels of compression, but it’s likely that audiences will have to be mentally nimble to keep up with this show (or in my case, mainline Wikipedia articles to make up the difference). Even if you’re slow-witted like me, though, Elusive Samurai is absolutely worth checking out for its visuals, which will surely go down as some of the year’s best. Usually I’ll point to either animation or art direction as a series’ strong suit, but in this case they’re equally impressive, as main character Tokiyuki runs, jumps, flips, and parkours his way through background after beautiful background. The more scenic landscapes strike a delightful balance between detail and delicacy, but what’s even more impressive is that shots of manmade structures maintain that same balance, constantly accounting for the ways light might touch a stone wall or a wooden rooftop. I’m less enamored with the show’s overall tone, which goes to some bizarrely glib places for a prologue where the protagonist’s family and future subjects perish en masse. But for an anime like this one with both an intriguing setting and top tier production, I can push past an annoying character or two.
Potential: 65%

Twilight Out of Focus

Short Synopsis: A second year college student wrestles with his emerging attraction to his male roommate, who volunteers as an actor in his film club.

Wooper: My initial thought after watching this episode was, “It’s gonna look pretty bad if I give the BL anime a lower score than the step-sibling anime,” but as long as I’m being honest, I have to say that I enjoyed virtually nothing about Tasogare Out Focus. Everything about it is aimed squarely at the fujoshi market, from broad stuff like the uniformly tall, male and handsome cast, all the way down to the tiniest details, like the male/female coding of the lead characters’ plush birds. The “Let’s shoot a BL movie (no homo tho)” attitude of the film club’s leader is awkward, and his goofball personality feels like it’s designed to handwave that issue. And then there’s the scene where one of the main roommates drunkenly pins down and licks the other (strike one) while mistaking him for his sensei (strike two), but is nonchalantly forgiven the next morning with the phrase “it was just an accident” (strike three). Tasogare is clearly trying to have its non-consensual BL cake and eat it too, and although that’s par for the genre’s course, it doesn’t have to be – the Given adaptation from 2019 is proof of that. I’ll give this show a few points for being fairly well-drawn, but really, this is a gentleman’s zero.
Potential: 5%

Lenlo: Basically everything Wooper said above, this is pretty basic fujoshi bait stuff. The only thing it has going for it is that it looks decent, but unlike Wooper I’ll just give it the 0 it deserves. Honestly it’s actually rather creepy in a lot of places.
Potential: 0%

Senpai is an Otokonoko

Short Synopsis: A first year high school girl befriends a crossdressing boy after unsuccessfully confessing her love to him.

Wooper: You’ll want to brace yourself before watching Senpai is an Otokonoko, but not because of its crossdressing or genderbending themes, which are quite mild (after one episode, anyway). No, the reason you’ll need to prepare your kokoro is the constant swapping between two different art styles, which was more aggressive here than in any other anime I’ve seen this decade. I’m assuming this choice was meant to match the manga’s use of deformed character designs, but it was so distracting that I can’t get a handle on whether the show has any promise apart from its bizarre presentation. There’s a relentlessly genki first year girl whom I might have liked, if only her most impulsive moments hadn’t been depicted in that alternate style, and while the protagonist’s childhood friend didn’t leave an impression on me, he might have had a shot at memorability if not for that same issue. As for the main character, it was really just the quiet final scene (where he changed out of his feminine clothes in a storage shed and bid himself goodbye) that garnered my interest. If I were a ‘three episode rule’ kind of anime fan, I might give the show a chance to display that side of itself in the future, but in terms of first impressions, this was a miss.
Potential: 0%

Lenlo: Wooper is right, the switches between artstyle were really jarring and came at completely random times. Do we really need to swap between them in the middle of the same scene, the same conversation, the same damn shot? Really took me out of what was happening. Aside from that, I can’t say it was very interesting. I don’t see how this makes for a long-term story since the guy’s secret is revealed in the first 3 minutes of the episode. Maybe it works as a gag comedy series or something? But with how ugly and unappealing the chibi art style is, which it uses for every single one of its gags, I don’t see it working.
Potential: 0%

Giji Harem

Short Synopsis: A new drama club member adopts a host of different personas for the amusement of her senpai.

Lenlo: I feel like I just watched Saori Hayami have a stroke, in the best way possible. A harem show where every “girl” is the same schizophrenic chick in different hair styles acting like different people to flirt with her Senpai, all while Saori Hayami voices each one of them differently? That’s actually kind of clever. Giji Harem can keep it simple and cute with the MC being in on the joke and playing it up, or it can get crazy and have a love triangle and shit between the different personalities, who knows! I doubt it will go that far, keep it wholesome and cute, but even keeping it simple it’s pretty fun. The fact that, like the Russian Girl show, the MC is capable of bantering with the main girl without sticking his foot in his mouth or shitting his pants also goes a long way towards making this enjoyable. Pair that with expressive designs, this being about a drama club there’s a lot of focus on their faces and emotions as they talk to each other, and there’s a lot to enjoy. The dialogue is pretty clever as well. Honestly, this is the first show of the season so far that I’m actually going to keep up with after the first episode. This feels fun and cute.
Potential: 75%

Wooper: The challenge of adapting a manga with super short chapters is figuring out how to stitch those chapters into full length episodes. That’s only if you accept the challenge in the first place, though, which Giji Harem definitely did not, at least in this premiere. This was just a bunch of trope-driven vignettes laid on top of each other, then placed into an episode-shaped container, and I had seen enough by the time I was halfway through the stack. It started off well enough, quickly establishing the female lead’s acting chops and introducing her persona-swapping gimmick as a fun way to combat her nervousness around her senpai. We met one of her characters, then another and another, until she’d formed a small stable to draw from. The question then became what else the show might do with them, apart from providing amusement for her upperclassman; no answer was provided, and none likely ever will be. I watched with increasing impatience as the male lead fretted over her facial expressions, snapped pictures of her playing different characters, and requested that she trot out specific impressions at a moment’s notice. By the time senpai-kun started contemplating which outfits he wanted to assign to his kouhai in her various forms, I felt as though I’d developed restless leg syndrome – not exactly an experience I’m eager to revisit.
Potential: 10%

Ramen Akaneko

Short Synopsis: A young woman is hired to work in the back room at a ramen shop run by cats.

Lenlo: Ramen is a very inoffensive, relaxed, nothingburger show. All about a bunch of cats that run a ramen shop and a young girl who somehow gets roped into a job there, despite watching 20 minutes I couldn’t tell you a single thing about what happened in this episode. Yes, it was inoffensive, yes it was chill, but so much so that it never really dared to do anything. It’s just… boring. So much so that I don’t think even Slice of Life fans are going to find much to be engaged by here.
Potential: 0%

Wooper: I’m more of a cat liker than a cat lover, but I still tend to sample all the cat-themed anime that release each year. Unfortunately, Ramen Akaneko made one of the weakest first impressions of all the shows I can remember in that category. My biggest issue here is its habit of switching between hand-drawn characters and 3DCG models, even for rudimentary tasks such as the sole human cast member brushing her feline coworkers’ hair. Combine that with the slapdash background art (especially the hideous establishing shot of the street outside the ramen shop), and it’s clear that this show was produced entirely out of obligation. As far as the writing goes, we learn about human character Tamako’s anxiety surrounding her new job, and witness her difficulty in cooperating with one of the pricklier cats on staff. These stories helped sustain my focus for 20 minutes, but I’d say the show’s flavorless tone is a bigger issue than whether or not it can spin a couple yarns per episode. Its premise is thinner than the noodles served at its in-universe restaurant, after all, so it’ll need a much more distinctive atmosphere if it wants to stay open for business.
Potential: 5%

Days with My Stepsister

Short Synopsis: Two teenagers talk out their soon-to-be sibling relationship after their parents get engaged.

Wooper: Of all this summer’s new anime premieres, Gimai Seikatsu will likely have the fewest amount of cuts. This show likes its long takes, and uses mostly medium shots to create a slow, thoughtful mood. I’m a fan of this style, especially in animation, where close-ups often fly by one after another, so this episode was a breath of fresh air – though it’s adapting a step-sibling romance light novel, so I’m not sure that “fresh” is the right word. I’ve enjoyed other taboo-based anime in the past (Koi Kaze, After the Rain), so it’s not impossible that I’ll find something to like here, but it’s got a mountain to climb despite its pleasant pacing. There was at least one instance of the show reaching for sensitivity a bit too aggressively (a mid-episode montage of the characters unpacking backed by soft piano and crooning vocals), but we also got an effective moment of humor to balance it out (the protagonist’s father clumsily welcoming his fiance and stepdaughter to their new home). The backgrounds are sparse, but characters are usually well-positioned to reinforce the feeling of each scene. To put it simply, I’m mixed on this one, but I’m leaning toward giving it another shot, especially since there are a handful of side characters we haven’t even met yet.
Potential: 50%

Lenlo: I am much less positive on Seikatsu than Wooper it seems, as I found the pacing and presentation rather dull. Wooper is right that most anime cut a bit too fast, with scenes flying by, but jumping to the opposite end of the spectrum like this was not the answer. It feels novel I suppose, relaxed, but that soft piano perpetually in the background felt overly sentimental and like Seikatsu was holding up a sign telling me how to feel rather than actually earning it, so to speak. Credit where it’s due of course, for a gross underage sibling romance Seikatsu actually handled it pretty well. There were no ecchi shots, no fanservice, it didn’t have them walking in on each other in the shower or falling on top of each other naked or anything, though there was one joke involving a bra. It feels like Seikatsu might actually care about the story it’s trying to tell, might actually be genuine, and I’m just not responding well to the over the top sentimentality of it all. If Seikatsu could cut down a bit on all of that I think it could be pretty good. As is though, it’s difficult for me to get invested despite everything pointing in the right direction.
Potential: 30%

Oshi no Ko S2

Short Synopsis: Aqua attends the first several rehearsals for “Tokyo Blade,” the stage play in which he was recently cast.

Wooper: I watched all of Oshi no Ko’s first season and came away viewing it as junk food – a purported deep dive into Japan’s entertainment industry that was really just a pulpy teen drama. As an anime-only viewer, I’ve got no way of knowing whether this season might change that opinion, but it’s off to a pretty good start after this episode. Most of it takes place in a single room – a rehearsal space for the cast of the stage play around which this season will revolve – qualifying it for the “bottle episode” label. Assistant director Kuniyasu Nishina got the most out of this limited setting, however, dimming the backgrounds with different brightness levels to bring out the characters’ line readings, and even representing a particular clash of wills with metaphorical paint being splattered on the walls (which put me in mind of the Araragi vs Suruga fight from Bakemonogatari). The laser focus on acting, and on several of the performers’ different approaches to the trade, actually gave the series a bit of an ‘inside baseball’ feel – more so than in 2023, anyway – and the last-minute request from the in-universe source material’s author poses a complication that ought to help the show stay on track. All in all, having seen this season premiere, I’m more interested in continuing with Oshi no Ko this year than I thought I’d be.
Potential: 70%

Mario: Oshi no Ko picks up right where it left last season (as if “episode 12” wasn’t a clear indication), meaning that if you are new to this parade, you’re most likely lost amongst its big cast. For the rest of us, this new season will be focusing on the “2.5D play,” which is apparently an adaptation of a popular manga, and is very much within its DNA. We get the “inside knowledge” of the production of a stage play where the cast rehearses for their parts, the staff members who rationalize their artistic choices… but what I find unusual is that Aqua is not necessarily the main focus here. We hear his monologues, but so far he’s removed from the stage production itself. Instead we learn more about it through the people around him, especially his “girlfriend” Akane. This is pretty much a setup episode, but it does provide a good cliffhanger at the end, so I’m sure to tune in for the next episode (my guess is that the author wants to kill the main love interest and bring Akane’s character to the forefront).
Potential: 40%

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Short Synopsis: A beautiful student council member and her otaku seatmate flirt with each other.

Wooper: Alya-san is such blatant nerd bait that the “too old for this shit” part of me wants to dismiss it out of hand, but honestly, it isn’t that bad. In fact, before we got to the part where the Russian hottie asked her classmate to slide her thigh high sock up her leg, I was ready to label it ‘kind of good.’ The premise of her smugly flirting with him in a language that he can’t admit he understands is a good one, since it gives incomplete power to both characters, and though the protagonist is a Literally Me redditor-type, he’s also normal enough to refer to an attractive classmate as a friend without stuttering about it. There are a couple good gags in here (e.g. an ikemen’s phone slipping from his hand due to shock, then pausing in midair before falling to the ground), and the character animation is more polished than I expected. Eventually, though, you reach the scene where the main dude’s hand brushes against the cute girl’s crotch while he puts on her sock, and though the show carried on from there without missing a beat, that was the point where I pulled the cord to get off at the next stop. Still, if you’re looking for a light ecchi romcom this season, you should probably be watching this.
Potential: 40%

Lenlo: Wooper basically has the right of it, as far as ecchi romcoms go you could do a lot worse than Alya. While I can’t speak to the quality of the Russian, it is an interesting hook and leads to some pretty cute interactions. That plus the MC being a generally well adjusted human, capable of holding a conversation without melting into himself, does a lot to make Alya watchable. Does that make Alya good? Not really, not for me at least, as it’s still pretty trashy and fetishy with stuff like the leggings and the crotch touch. The blatant love-triangle being setup with the other girl, Suou, doesn’t do much for me either as I’d much prefer this be a wholesome and straightforward romance. If romcoms are what you’re looking for, you should probably give Alya a shot, as it definitely stands out against the normal romcom fare. If that isn’t your genre though, nothing about Alya is going to change your mind.
Potential: 30%

Shinmai Ossan Bouken-sha…

Short Synopsis: Apparently 30 years old is middle age, and also too old to be an adventurer. Unless you were trained by super adventurers and are basically Saitama from One Punch Man.

Amun: I get it if this show isn’t for you. In fact, you’ll probably need to have experienced a very specific set of circumstances to appreciate this show: being a part of a group who is significantly more skilled than you at something. I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of this experience: you really do end up with a confused sense of normal. Shinmai Ossan does a surprisingly good job of conveying that confusion when you encounter someone who is “normal” to the rest of the world. The frustration and anxiety that comes from not being able to measure up against your peers, who are beyond exceptional, comes across quite well here. Also, what’s with calling 30 old…first Kaiju No. 8, now this show. I must admit, I do enjoy having an old man in a young man’s game – it makes for a nice gimmick. Now, the animation isn’t top shelf, and the character designs look a little dated, but I quite enjoy the premise, so I’ll be sticking around for a while.
Potential: If you like the shtick, 70%. If not, 10%.

Mario: I reckon that this episode can resonate to most late-bloomers out there (myself included) – whether it’s is your career or hobby, the show suggests that it is never too late to turn over a new leaf for what you really care about. I just wish that they handle all the other parts surrounding that message a bit better. The whole premise boils down to a one-liner joke – that he’s OP despite his age and his stats – and it gets stale even before the episode ends. The writing is clumsy – remember the duel where they have to give one “condition”? Well, they kinda forget it here partway. Our main guy is as bland as white paper and as thick as the slime bag he punches… I suppose that the show will get more straightforward as it goes, i.e. this elite group will save the world with him as the main contributor, but that would also kind of defeat this show’s very premise.
Potential: 10% (can confirm I do not like the shtick)

The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord’s Army Was a Human

Short Synopsis: Literally the show’s title.

Amun: First premiere of the new season, hooray! Usually the first show premiering is a steaming pile of poor animation or fanservice, but is this season any different? The answer is….kinda. Maogun was about as standard a premiere as you could ask for. Truthfully though, that puts it head and shoulders above any other season first premieres that I can remember. Hey, at least it’s not an isekai, right? We have a standard overpowered OP with a dark secret that only the big boobed boss knows….well and this random maid who just found out. Okay, whatever. There’s a pig henchman and then a demon queen who is on about something. I don’t really love the character designs though – there have been more shows that do this, with the heavier outlines. This more comes down to execution and that’s something I am absolutely not convinced Studio A-CAT can continue for a full season. Think of this as an old, used Honda Civic – it’ll be sorta fun to drive until the wheels fall off.
Potential: 25%

Lenlo: While Maogun isn’t quite as bad as I was expecting, I think Amun is overstating its quality a bit. It’s still a rather dull and by the books OP MC fantasy story. I suppose the whole “Hiding his identity” thing would be interesting, if it wasn’t immediately revealed that others are aware of who he is, taking a lot of wind from Maogun’s sails so to speak. Meanwhile visually Maogun is primarily mediocre CGI with poor lighting and a heavy reliance on after effects for the spells. There’s just… very little of interest here, and while that places it above most Isekai slop we get, it’s still not worth my time.
Potential: 10%

Suicide Squad Isekai

Short Synopsis: DC Suicide Squad villains are sent to a new world!

Amun: (Note, I’m only going to discuss the first episode, although I know 3 premiered immediately). Let’s keep this simple: “Suicide Squad Isekai” didn’t have a great start. My complaints: first, Harley’s fight with whoever that ninja was felt really weird – the finishing blow just felt odd in perspective. Secondly, the entire episode felt rushed and confused – tons of time was spent on showing the Joker, only for him to be seemingly absent from the rest of the show (although I love the inclusion of his car). Third, the animation wasn’t as crisp as it needs to be for an action heavy show like this. I KNOW Wit can do better. Finally, and this is probably the most concerning point, I didn’t feel that the tone of the DC Suicide Squad was well integrated with the isekai setting. Suicide Squad is about the irreverent “bad guys killing other bad guys for good reasons” with humor and style. “Suicide Squad Isekai” more felt like super powered prisoners were set free in a fantasy land. And I mean, that would be a fine premise, but we know these characters already – it just felt like hearing a song you love, trying to like it, but they’re hitting the wrong notes just slightly. Maybe the show will improve, but I’m honestly really disappointed.

(Episode 2 update: while the first episode is cheeks, episode 2 was way more fun. Maybe this could turn out okay?)
Potential: 30% (after 2, 50%)

Lenlo: After watching Suicide Squad I feel that it’s safe to say, as a comic book fan, that it’s best to go into this expecting a regular Isekai with a DC aesthetic rather than an actual exploration of these characters in any interesting fashion. If you wanted to see Harley Quinn in a fantasy world in any way other than visually, SSI simply is not for you. It has no idea who they are beyond the surface level and some catch phrases like “Puddin”. However if you just want to watch a hot blonde psychopath and her “friends” make media references and murder their way through a fantasy world, this will probably be right up your alley. And honestly, visually? I don’t think it looks that bad. It doesn’t move that well, like Amun says the animation isn’t very crisp and I’ve seen Wit do better, but I kind of like the designs and how colorful it all is, sometimes at least. If I rate this on a scale of Harley Quinn stories, it’s not shaping up to be very good. If I rate it on the scale of Isekai in general however… Well that’s a much more favorable comparison if you ask me. Suffice to say, I’m going to finish watching the other 2 episodes and probably a bit more before/if I drop it.
Potential: 40%

My Wife Has No Emotion

Short Synopsis: An exhausted salaryman gets a robot maid and swiftly falls in love with her.

Mario: Boy this is tough to sit through. For me, the problematic part of this premise is not about him falling in love with a robot (which of course is a can full of worms), but the very idea that the “perfect wife” image is the one who cooks for you and does the household chores… and refers to you with the honorific “-sama”. It’s just a blatant wish fulfillment cranked up to 11. Adding to that is a very generic male lead whose name I immediately forget as soon as I hear it. He doesn’t have much of a personality, really. Just look at his apartment and you don’t see anything that reflects his hobby or characteristics. But I guess he’s human enough to… have a boner when a humanoid girl sleeps next to him. The fact that the titular robot is emotionless but somehow 10 times more interesting than him speaks to that. Sorry but I don’t buy this relationship at all.
Potential: Nope. Does this show deserve three reviews written for it? Nope nope.

Amun: This premiere was lowkey disturbing. Not on the level of Goblin Slayer or anything, but yeah, this was not enjoyable. I looked into it and the source comes from 2019, somewhat at the beginning of the current AI boom. Given today’s advancements with humanoid robots (props to showing the extensive charging sequences) and LLMs like ChatGPT, My Wife Has No Emotion isn’t a cute comedy, but more of a dystopian nightmare. There was just way too much discomfort and awkwardness this episode, ignoring that this could very well become reality within the next decade. Of course, we have the obligatory ghosts in the machine, where the AI exhibits functionality beyond programmed behaviour – could it be, gasp, alive?! I do have to give props for that clock animation (that’s on point). Plus, there is also no way on earth that having a robot sleep in your bed doesn’t smell like oil. Yeah – this is disturbing. No more of this for me, thanks.
Potential: Absolutely not. Why do they keep making tradwife anime weirder and weirder?

Lenlo: I don’t know what I find more depressing, the idea of live-in tradwife sex robots, or the idea that this guy works what looks to be 12-hour days just to get home, crash, and do it all over again. Anyways, Amun has the right of it in that this show isn’t wholesome or cute at all and instead rather creepy. Weebs and Neets are already too afraid to go outside and talk to the opposite sex, do we really need to encourage it with things like demure robot wives who do anything you say? Maybe the show goes somewhere with it and gives her a personality, does the thing where it chastises him for falling in love with an appliance and that a true and fulfilling romance can only come from another sentient being reciprocating those emotions with their own free will. The emotions bit at least definitely seems to be what My Wife is gunning for judging by this first episode. That’s enough for me to not write it off completely like Amun, as there’s clear potential there. But I can’t say I’m particularly hopeful for it, just going by Japan’s track record.
Potential: 1%