Category: Other:

Monster Musume no Oisha-san

Short Synopsis: Human doctor gets wrapped up in his assistant and then makes a blonde gladiator scream by touching her feet.  Okay, so his assistant is a snake and the gladiator is a centaur.

Amun’s review:

There was a pre-air of this a while ago.  Maybe I’m the only one who thought this was a continuation of the other series named Monster Musume (“Monster, Monster, Ma-Ma-Ma-Ma-Monster”) – but it’s not.  Instead we meet a young human doctor and snake assistant who have to help a centaur.  I guess it’s better than the highschool setting?  What’s weird to me is the character designs seem lower budget.  Original Monster Musume (and for example, the more recent Dropkick Jashin-chan) are obviously labours of love by monster lovers.  MM Oisha-san felt a bit…more bland.  If you’re going to go the demi-human route, go all the way – the way it stands, neither normies nor monster furries are going to watch this.

Potential: 50%

Lenlo’s review:

Are you telling me this isn’t a sequel to Monster Monster? Coulda fooled me. Anyways let’s cut to the chase and be real here, the only reason anyone is watching this is for the monster girl titties. No one cares about the doctor or the plot or any actual story, they want “plot”. And the fact of the matter is Monster Musume is the inferior monster girl titty show this season. If you are going to be a degenerate, then go all the way and watch the Super Philosopher (Uncensored) version of Peter Grill and don’t waste your time with this thinly-veiled soft-core. Hardcore or bust I say! Let your inhibitions run wild, don’t let your dreams be dreams! Scream to the heavens that you want well animated Hentai and you want it now! 

Potential: 0% – Your tits are in another castle.

Gibiate

Short Synopsis: Kathleen-chan, almost a high-school graduate, teams up with the time-travelling duo of a samurai and a ninja to develop the cure for COVID. 

Armitage’s review:

Ah, anime. Many times when my friends who can’t seem to understand how I spend so much time watching anime ask me why I feel so passionately about these ‘cartoons’, I tell them it’s because anime offers something that almost no other visual storytelling medium does: the opportunity for creators to completely BONKERS with their ideas. I mean, just read that synopsis! Where else will you be able to find something like that? We have shapeshifting monsters, teleporting ninjas, a samurai who’s slain a 1000 men yet somehow the protagonist is still a high-schooler. Because, ANIME! Now, as expected, with the studio not being of a very high pedigree, the animation leaves a lot to be desired and the CGI is pretty bad, but in a season as bare as this one, I’d take any attempt at telling a story like this over the many run-of-the-mill Isekai trash we get every season. And even with the lacklustre animation, I have to say the show looks really great. The character designs are stylized and the post-apocalyptic backgrounds are arguably best of the entire season. To top it off, we have a stellar soundtrack. And unless it completely falls apart in later episodes, this will definitely be one to keep an eye on. 

Potential: 75%

Mario’s review:

Well, I approached Gibiate with low low expectation – an anime that aims at an international audience where the creator is a character designer (not director or writer, goddamn character designer) with made-up sounding studio names surely don’t boast any confidence – and got out of it quite pleased with what I just saw. The concept is not terribly original but so far the presentation still holds everything together. The time-travel twist feels like a gimmick though, as so far it just feels so random that these Edo-era samurai would just appear to this post-apocalypse world and they get on with it a bit too well. I believe what grabs me the most in this premiere of Gibiate is the sense of dread of how the virus-infected spreads and causes massive impact to the world. Maybe in the time of Covid and lockdown, this is the closest anime that deals with the same issues we are currently experiencing right now. It might just be me, though.

Potential: 60%

Koi to Producer: EVOLxLOVE

Short Synopsis: Unnamed female character exists in close proximity to four male characters (each with their own names!).

Mario’s review:

Like many otome-game adaptation, Koi to Producer’s first episode concerns too much on this unnamed protagonist encountering these key (literally perfect specimen) characters than telling a coherent story. It has a lot going on at the same time, involving her company is on the verge of shutting down, supernatural incidents happen around her and she tries to bring these boys into her show. Each plot line has the potential but so far the pacing is messy, and the supernatural part is what I’m still unsure about. Are the “evolved” like superheroes and what “abilities” exactly do they have? For a show that has “supernatural power” as their backbone, this first episode doesn’t really do anything to elevate that.

Potential: 20%

Wooper’s review:

Y’all remember when MAPPA first spun off from Madhouse in the early 2010s? Their first few projects had people amped for the future of the studio – think “Trigger saved anime,” but unironically. Propping up two Shinichiro Watanabe projects was a good start, and their double shot of action/adventure series right afterwards (Garo and Bahamut) solidified them as heirs to the Madhouse throne. They even gave us Yuri on Ice and In This Corner of the World within a month of each other in 2016. Those were good years, weren’t they?

Fast forward to the present day, where MAPPA has delivered unto us this turd of an otome game adaptation, whose nameless heroine woos a conquerable bishounen with a bag of potato chips. This happens between the two nearly fatal traffic accidents from which she’s saved by a different, much moodier stud, who’s part of some secret plot to do… something? The story isn’t exactly clear, burdened as it is with senseless sci-fi lingo and levitating bishies. The soundtrack reminds me of Gen IV Pokemon music, which is to say it’s dated as hell (especially the digital organ). The characters move joylessly through sterile environments, which serve primarily as monuments to the suffocated dreams of the artists working on them. The only compliment I can find for Koi to Producer is that it’s not likely to stick around in my memory for long. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Potential: 0%

Oregairu S3

Short Synopsis: Antisocial antihero manages to give all nearby girls/guys feelings. And doesn’t eat his cookies.

Amun’s review:

Five years after the 8-man rode the wave of adolescent antisocial nostalgia, our awkward triangle/trio returns – exactly where we left them. Now – first of all, anyone who says they remember who Saki was either a) just rewatched the series in preparation or b) is lying and just looked it up. It’s been a while. My feeling is this season will be a farewell tour – saying goodbye to characters one by one until the final trio is resolved; we already saw this with Saki and the little sisters. I’m curious what’s going on with the Western formal wear in the OP – there tends to be a main event each season, so that’s probably related. I guess the biggest point of speculation is the ending of the obvious final ship; Yahari, for all its sneering, is too vanilla for a yuri ending, but I could see some BS throple avoidance of a real answer. The just-friends route is still an option too, but that would be lame. I mean, last season’s 8th son managed a proper harem, so maybe this season’s 8-man will do the same.

And so help me, if Hachiman doesn’t eat his damn cookies, I will knock the stupid out of him, making him 4-man.

Potential: 88.888888%

Mario’s review:

It feels rather nostalgic to see OreGairu back on screen, on that very day, as the characters look the same and we’re now 5 years older and wiser. For me, while this premiere doesn’t really establish the arc to come as it concerns more about Hachiman’s everyday life, it displays many of the show’s core qualities, for better or for worse. There’s a mix between light comic moments where the characters make “smart remarks” about the LN tropes – they fire imouto tropes in all cylinders here and overblown drama that grabs your heartstrings – sister takes a bow to send her gratitude to her brother. Really? Individually each part can be grating but OreGairu has that quality of making them affecting nonetheless. The thing I like most about the series, its attention and love to the characters’ little gestures and movements are still there. Hachiman and his little sister has always been one of my favorites so every moment they are together is just gold to me, but I can’t say the same with the Saki and Hachiman’s pair – Saki remains the least memorable character out of this entire cast. It’s lovely to see our awkward boy back with all the girls (and boys), that’s for sure, and I’m in for the ride, wherever it leads me.

Potential: 60%

Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai!

Short Synopsis: Girl manipulates her lazy senpai into having fun.

Armitage’s review:

Let’s just talk about the elephant in the room. YES. THOSE BREASTS ARE UNREALISTICALLY HUGE. Moving on.
I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. If there was a section in our first impressions for ‘most charming anime of the season’, this would undoubtedly take the cake. Although, it’s facing almost no competition, but still. We have a cheery female MC with a great pair personality and her lazy-ass senpai who just wants to be left alone so he can have his chicken karaage in peace after watching a movie by himself. The chemistry between the two is what instills the charm in this story. It’s a loud, slapstick comedy with plenty of moments capable of earning laughs from the viewers. The production quality is satisfactory and the soundtrack is serviceable. The only caveat I have is the slight over-reliance on well, the boob jokes. But I guess one would know that’d be the case even before pressing play on an episode. If the show can tone those down going forward, then this can easily be a sleeper hit for the season.

Potential: 70%

Wooper’s review:

Here are the two conversation loops that power this dumbass premiere.

#1:
Sakurai: I regret having to spend time with you, but I guess it’s happening anyway.
Uzaki: Yay! By the way, aren’t you, like, kind of a loser? LOL
Sakurai: [visibly frustrated] Listen here, you little shit. My lifestyle is totally normal, and here are some Facts and Logic to prove it.
Uzaki: Naruhodou! You really are the coolest and most logical spiky-haired anime protag in recent times. But for real though, aren’t you still kind of a nerd? XD
Sakurai: [suppresses the hilarious urge to hit a woman]

#2:
Sakurai: I guess spending time with Uzaki isn’t so bad, after all.
Uzaki: [draws attention to herself]
Sakurai: Why are you so annoying?
Uzaki: [has large breasts]
Sakurai: Why are your titties so sugoi dekai? [TL note: “sugoi dekai” means ‘big plan’]

Rinse and repeat.

Potential: 0%

Kanojo, Okarishimasu

Short Synopsis: Loser MC wants to get laid, no matter the cost. Literally.

Armitage’s review:

Now I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of the bland-male-protagonist-hitting-it-up-with-the-gorgeously-perfect-girl-who-is-way-out-of-his-league subgenre of romantic comedies because well, when I am rooting for the guy to get the girl, I want to at least like the guy. Which, in such stories, is rarely the case. Does Ren-Kano fall under the same category? Most definitely it does. The male lead is highly unlikeable, the female MC has the overdone twin-personality trait and if the premiere would have only involved the two of them, I’d have passed on it instantly. But thankfully, this story or at least the premiere does have one saving grace: the supporting cast. Generic loser MC’s parents and grandmother fare much better in terms of likeability and the comedic moments the show churned out of their reactions did genuinely make me laugh. Of course, that by itself is no reason to watch this week by week. None of them may feature extensively in the coming episodes. But still, I’ll give it a couple of episodes to give me something or someone to root for before giving up on it entirely, even though now I don’t think this will become an in-depth look into the escort industry which is kind of what I was hoping for.

Potential: 55%

Lenlo’s review:

Surprisingly wholesome for what is effectively a soft-core escort service. Armitage basically hit the nail on the head, our leading pair are actually the worst, dullest part of the show. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before in rom-coms, and Ren-Kano doesn’t seem to be doing anything different to change it up either. The supporting cast, and all the gags they are involved in, are really the best part. Playing up the grandparents, the father and mother, all of that was the best the episode had to offer. Sadly unlike Armitage, I didn’t enjoy it near as much. My brand of comedy leans more towards gallows humor than this “Your grand-daughter is my fake girlfriend because it keeps you out of the hospital” shtick. Still credit where it’s due, Ren-Kano was actually not mediocre for around 10 minutes of its runtime. So if this is your wheelhouse, I figure you’ll be able to find something to enjoy here.

Potential: 30%

Deca-Dence

Short Synopsis: Girl finds herself a new daddy while waiting for her biological father to return from fighting monsters in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Armitage’s review:

Damn. That was a lot of subplots. Not only does Deca-Dence throw the viewer right into its world without any warning or setup, it also keeps unveiling layers upon layers of subtext and side-plots over the course of its premiere. There’s so much going on here that if you were to not pay attention for ten seconds, you’d end up missing a potentially vital detail. Considering that a story like this relies heavily on world-building and the fact that it’s likely only going to be one-cour, you can expect that the pacing would feel a bit breakneck at times. That being said, I really liked what I saw and do find myself thoroughly invested. The direction by Yuzuru Tachikawa feels very assured, camerawork is dynamic, character designs stand out and the CGI doesn’t suck(!) The only thing that makes me a little skeptical is the writing. Tachikawa is not overseeing the screenplay and being an anime original, this can just as easily crash and burn no matter the calibre of its director. Nonetheless, it’s a promising premiere and I am genuinely excited for the direction this story might take in the coming weeks.

Potential: 80%

Mario’s review:

Out of all the shows airing this season, Deca-Dence is a wild-card for me based on the reputation of the director alone. Let’s just say I found this premiere mixed, especially the first 5 minutes were so clunky it nearly kicked me out of the story entirely. We have a textbook flashback of a young girl losing her Dad during one of the “missions”, we have a mouthful of world-building exposition fed to us, camouflaging itself as students reciting the rules – but I can’t help but feel obvious. We have most of the characters behave one-noted and unconvincingly (take that bullying girl, for example). Thankfully one our lead gets into her first job (in what reminds me greatly of Dragon Dentist’s world), the story improves tremendously as the show showcases many of its strengths. First, Natsume is a good character to follow around. She has this “loud” personality but Deca-Dence does a great job of endearing her with expressive facial expression, and her chemistry with the other lead is solid so far. The direction stands out as well, kudos to its use of match cuts (I love those) and many stunning fight choreography. On the other spectrum, the story moves a bit too fast at times and I am not really that into the CG monster designs. As it stands Deca-Dence has its ambitions but I am not totally convinced with how it plays out so far.

Potential: 40%

Japan Sinks

Short Synopsis: A 1970’s disaster novel adapted for 2020, where Tokyo is destroyed by a massive earthquake and the Muto family must do their best to survive and escape this crumbling city.

Lenlo’s review:

It should go without saying after my Eizouken review, but I am a bit of a Yuasa stan. When I heard he was doing another series this soon after Eizouken, I was pumped, even if it’s his last series as a Science Saru lead. And while other writers here might disagree with me, as far as the first episode goes, Japan Sinks did not disappoint. Visually yes, it’s a bit odd, like all of Yuasa’s works. It isn’t an animation spectacle like Eizouken or Devilman, nor is going to be as surrealist as Tatami Galaxy. But there was just enough color so as to not feel too brown, just enough expressiveness in the characters and their animation to still feel like an anime, all the while delivering a grounded tragedy/disaster tale. I have no idea if it sticks with this, as I have heard some… interesting things from friends who have already finished the series. Things that make me think that maybe, just maybe, this falls apart horrendously. But I do know that I am bingeing it later tonight, and I trust Yuasa to see me through. Might even write a review if no one else wants to blog it.

Episode 3 Update: 3 episodes in, my hype has died down tremendously. Every episode it just gets worse. I’m starting to blame the series director if only to keep Yuasa on my “Never failed me” list.

Episode 5 Update: Dear god why

Potential: 80%, I trust in Yuasa to carry this through
40% Yuasa please fix this before my next update
1% Hope is almost all lost

Wooper’s review:

Despite its depiction of a nation-shattering earthquake, Japan Sinks might be Science Saru’s most down-to-earth project yet. There are no genius dogs, no supernatural water physics, and no ultra-stylized table tennis matches to be found here – just ordinary shots of extraordinary environmental damage, and the people devastated by it. The loose character designs remind me of Devilman Crybaby, but that series’ uncompromised freedom of movement isn’t the goal in Japan Sinks. It’s a straightforward disaster drama with a family of four at its center – which makes me wonder whether a stricter style might have clarified their emotional burden. As a matter of fact, that thought nagged at me the whole way through this episode. Still, it managed to connect with me by the end, when survivor’s guilt caught up with the teenage daughter and she wept for her fallen teammates. The backgrounds were prettier than I’d anticipated, and appropriately stark in their portrayal of a ruined and fiery Tokyo. Other things I liked were the small narrated inserts about life before the earthquake, Kensuke Ushio’s forlorn, piano-based accompaniments, and the sunlight-flooded OP. The character art and straightforward story are lagging for me right now, but assuming the latter factor improves, I’ll be content.

Potential: 60%

No Guns Life S2

Short Synopsis: Tough guy with a literal revolver head has to babysit an idiot who can take over other people’s bodies (only if they are robotic amputees).

Amun’s review:

If you read the weekly summary from a couple seasons ago, you’ll know NGL S1 was my darling overachiever. I love the characters, 3D generated setting, the world – everything. NGL S2’s first episode is an unmitigated disaster. First off, you know the one thing that didn’t make Season 1 great? Characters standing (or sitting) around talking. Secondly, the animators have forgotten how to draw their main characters – mostly Mary. But the background characters as well. I guess Juzo looks about the same, but even then there are wonky shots – when he reaches his arm back, it’s completely out of perspective. The backgrounds still look pretty good, but that’s not enough – the most action in this episode is getting shocked by a doorknob. Victor just looks weird and the 3D CGI chain tentacles are not appealing or frightening. The OP is okay, and the ED is kind of fun (twerking giant Mary is really the only redeeming part of this show), but in between is a big problem. My hype is severely dampened.

Potential: 25%

Wooper’s review:

As an extended homage to the noir detective genre, No Guns Life relies heavily on its detective MC to maintain a clear point of view. Without Juzo’s dry humor and reluctant do-goodery to filter incoming information, the plot would read like a load of quasi-political conspiracies and nothing else. That’s exactly what happened in this episode, as our favorite gun-headed investigator took a backseat to Mary, Tetsurou, and season 2’s new rogues gallery. Hell, he received only slightly more screen time than his heavily stereotyped trans landlord, who was kidnapped by a fanatical anti-modification faction. There’s little time to flesh out that story, though, because we’ve got to learn about Mary’s Doctor Octopus-esque brother, the blond bowl cut villain who appears in the final scene, the well-mannered agent who’s after Juzo’s data chip, etc. It doesn’t help that a good portion of the story revolves around that data, since it was acquired during a glorified side story during the previous season. Ultimately, this is a premiere that tried to do too much, and failed pretty badly.

Potential: 15%

The God of High School

Short Synopsis: Tournament Arc – The Anime.

Armitage’s review:

Pure, unadulterated dopamine. 

No premiere which has aired in 2020 has been this enjoyable a watch for me. Remember how last season we saw the first overlap of Korean Webtoons with the anime realm? Now, a lot of people were impressed by the visuals and fights of TOG but its lore and power mechanics left many viewers scratching their heads. So, taking a lesson from that, The God of High School takes all the subtext & world building and throws it right out the damn window. This is mano-a-mano winner-takes-it-all combat and nothing more. You are here for the brilliantly choreographed fights and that’s what you get, with a fittingly upbeat soundtrack (and a banger of an OP) to back up all the physics-defying action. It’s a prime example of how sometimes, a story which doesn’t take itself too seriously can be all the better for it. 

Potential: 95%

Amun’s review:

Finally, an anime soundtrack that I can really get behind. “Contradiction” is a banger song for a bangin’ show.  First half was anime Fast & Furious…with a bike and wooden sword.  That’s about how this show looks to be going.  Unlike last season’s Tower of God, God of Highschool starts out fast and fun.  The characters are troll, the action is great….but I’m just a little concerned with how fast we’ve started that things might fall apart in the back half.  Regardless, I’m along for this ride!

Potential: 90%

Lenlo’s review:

Out of all of the premieres I have seen so far this season, which admittedly isn’t many, God of High school was the best. It’s pure, unadulterated stupid fun. Want health bars and power levels? Nanomachines son. Want a bunch of fights? The entire series is one big tournament arc. Juvenile comedy? We are equal opportunity with the underwear here, with jokes about both panties, briefs and elephant trunks. All around, God of Highschool is just stupid fun that doesn’t take itself seriously, has no deep or philosophical plot (so far) and just wants us to enjoy the ride. The fights were fun, well animated, and reminded me of old kung-fu flicks with characters flying through the air, even if the camera got a bit too wild at times. I only really have 2 concerns. The first is MAPPA, who are notorious for falling apart in the 2nd half of a show. Considering they are working on the final season of Attack on Titan right now as well as how many fights a series like God of High school will have, I am predicting the same thing here. I can only hope they prove me wrong. The 2nd though is whether or not GoH can keep the fun loving attitude or if it will attempt to shift into something more serious. Both of those might not happen though, so until they do, I’m just going to keep watching and enjoy the ride.

P.S. I am apparently the only writer here who doesn’t like the OP. Go figure.

Potential: 80%

Mario’s review:

Sorry to be that guy who bring this overwhelming reception back to the ground again, but I just found the characters too loud for my poor taste and I already have issues with the story. Why does every battle tournament start with the battle royale style where you have to defeat fellow participants? Why do you need to establish the main characters’ bonds by some random chase? I guess it all comes down to the fact that neither the story or the characters engage me much, and that makes this whole ride fun but utterly unmemorable for me.

Potential: meh

Re:Zero S2

Short Synopsis: Modern anime’s most celebrated simp cries a lot and dies a lot: Round 2. 

Aidan’s review:

So how does the new season of Re:Zero kick things off after our boy Subaru is fresh off the victory of the last season? Well it starts by kicking him in the balls and removing his victory of most of its weight. Indeed, you may have thought that after last season Subaru’s life could only go up but this season pushes you right down into the mud and a depressing outcome for all to make the happy sunshine before seem like a dream. Some detractors who stated that this series has no stakes due to Subaru’s ability to do the time warp again have been vetoed as even return by Death can’t undo the damage that has been done. I do think that Re:Zero is still damn strong but admit that as a season starter this episode is rather weak. It was never meant to be that of course with the nature of webnovels being continuous storylines so the source doesn’t really take into account that we viewers waited four years for this.

For anyone binging the series in the future this is unlikely to be a problem but even I with my love for this show, had a bit of an adjustment period to this first episode. I also think that for some extra context and despair, reading the Re:zero Side story novel ex 1 can give some much needed context as to why Crush losing her memories is far, far more sad than it might appear. I also admit that the design of the Gluttony Archbishop is just far too silly. I will also note that the first few minutes of this episode was the same few minutes added to the final Re:Zero director’s cut episode shown previously.(On that, the only piece of new content within the director’s cut. The rest was just small tweaks) It’s a bit of a lukewarm start but I am most definitely ready for the story to come and Subaru’s ever continuing journey of pain and suffering.

Potential: It’s about damn time

Armitage’s review:

Huh? That was… a premiere, I guess. Though, to be very honest, it just felt like an immediate continuation of the last season of Re:Zero. The show flat out assumes that we would remember all the characters & their relationships with each other and just dives right into the nitty-gritty without no recap or nothing. Now, that isn’t a bad thing in itself but it does catch the viewer a little off guard. As for the episode itself, it was fine. Nothing too remarkable. Barring a brief fight between Rem and two newly introduced Sin Archbishops, it consisted mostly of people talking. Since the original production staff has returned, the show has kept its look but the animation wasn’t anything to write home about. Here’s to hoping the coming weeks bring a lot more death and suffering with them!

Potential: Cloudy, with a high chance of pain. 

Amun’s review:

Okay, now hold on just a second here.  I’m seeing some detractors to what I consider an outstanding start to a marquee show’s second season.  Why is Re:Zero great?  It’s not the action, character designs, or weird magic cats – Re:Zero is head and shoulders above in depicting realistic reactions to trauma and human emotions.  There are no stakes?  Subaru’s PTSD is the darn best depiction of fighting through personal demons and fears I’ve ever seen in anime.  Most shows maybe kill off a main character in the finale or something for some feels – Re:Zero manages to do it every week and still hit hard (even when it’s the same character).  So there was no recap, so Gluttony looked a little silly – this episode still delivered the emotional gut punch we’ve come to expect (and maybe even started to like).  I am ready to be hurt again!

Potential: Oh yes.

The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Short Synopsis: A demon lord is reincarnated as a douchey teenage boy with murderous magical combat skills.

Wooper’s review:

Some anime are so structurally and artistically inept that they serve as case studies for How Not to Make a Show. Other anime are so laughable in execution that they read as comedies in the eyes of their disbelieving audiences. Both of these categories have value, but unfortunately, The Misfit of Demon King Academy fails to meet either of those already low bars. This premiere was not merely bad; it was stupid. It was not merely silly; it was ridiculous (that is, worthy of ridicule). Its mission statement was to place its protagonist in flattering situations, then allow his effortless strength and charisma to carry each scene. This strategy failed due to his lack of humanity, but the reality of this episode is far more troubling than that mistake would indicate.

This is a protagonist who has the ability to kill people multiple times by reviving them between deaths, and he takes advantage of this power to repeatedly and gruesomely murder his enemies. What’s worse, his reward for this behavior is the loyalty of his victims, because they’re the Demon King’s subjects, and he was the Demon King the whole time! That episode-ending twist is intended to re-frame his cruel behavior, but I have to wonder what sort of person it could possibly convince. This reads like a series for the bullied middle school kid who aspires to be a bully one day, or an adult with an animated blood fetish, or whatever the magical equivalent of a future school shooter is. If you fall outside of those categories, watch anything – ANYTHING – except this show.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review:

Questions: Is it fun to watch an overpowered character do nothing but display how awesome he is an entire time? Is it fun to see him mercilessly abuse another opponent just because that opponent acts like an asshole? Is it fun to see a girl’s still fallen head over heels for him and describes him as “kind” despite all his egotistical actions?  Answer: No, Not at all. Get me out of here.

Potential: 0%

Dokyuu Hentai HxEros

Short Synopsis: Literally Horny Power Rangers.

Wooper’s review:

If you’re opting not to watch this show because it has “Hentai” in the title, you should be aware that there’s no sex in this first episode. Instead, there are dozens of better reasons to avoid it, including a stupid premise, insipid character designs, thinly-veiled sexism, and a Mad Libs-tier script. Most of the establishing dialogue plays out along the lines of, “Hey [main character], what’s your opinion on [antagonist]?” or “Still, it’s too bad that [character] has been [personality trait] since [backstory].” These long stretches of conversation play out across slow panning shots, usually of the female lead, whose sexiness is of particular concern to the series. It wasn’t enough for her to be hot – she had to be so horny that an evil alien who tried to absorb her sex drive exploded as a result (she was around 12 years old at the time). In the present day, she fights aliens with her repressed eroticism, which naturally dwarfs her male counterpart’s libido, because women are sexy devils. The only reason I can think of to watch Dokyuu Hentai HxEros is if you think I’m exaggerating and you want to confirm how dumb this thing really is.

Potential: 0.69%

Amun’s review:

This is somehow worse than Shimoneta (props to Aidan for remembering the name off hand).  This…is not good.  Like….why?  Is good source material that scarce these days?  Project No 9 has adapted silly shows well before – do a second season of The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done or Heroes have it Tough.  Those were good.  HxEros is a misfire any way you look at it.  And you really should only look at it once – at most.

Potential: I have never seen a first episode interest me less.  And that includes Arifureta and Plunderer.

Fire Force S2

Short Synopsis: Devil Boy, Idiot Knight, Workout Fanatic, Hot Witch Gorilla, Sister Nun, Catgirl, and Lack of Fashion Sense work to uncover why people randomly catch on fire.  And do a (lads) nude calendar.  

Amun’s review:

Ayyyyyyy – that’s how you start a second season.  This episode was everything right with the first season…and had none of its problems: catgirl was kept to a minimum (and actually showed her personality and not “personalities”), the fight was FLUID AND BEAUTIFUL AND NOT CHOPPY – plus the second half had me rolling with laughter.  I mean, man, if the rest of the season is even half this good – we’re in for a treat.  Okay, there is a really weird perv shot in an otherwise amazing OP so we still have a bit of immaturity infecting from the source material.  But that premiere definitely has me nice and hyped.  Props to Tatsuma Minamikawa for starting off his tenure on the right foot!  Latom!

Potential: 100% (I think I’m going to blog this)

Wooper’s review:

This comeback has me unsure whether to clap my hands or roll my eyes. There’s an extended fight scene against an infernal in the middle of the episode, but it’s disrupted by nearly ten “remember the characters’ names?!” title cards. There’s a strong sense of fun about the episode, but a lot of it is airy to the point of irrelevance. The animation in the OP is eye-poppingly cool, but it’s backed by Aimer’s best impression of early 2010s uptempo J-rock, which is decidedly not her lane (girl’s gotta eat, though). Assuming the series keeps growing its character tree and doubles down on the metaphysical combat from last year, I’d say it’ll be the same decent, off-kilter shounen as before. A largely untested director and an initial avoidance of narrative drive are reasons to be wary, though.

Potential: 50%

Lapis Re:LiGHTs

Short Synopsis: a girl who joins a Magic Academy and meets up her teammates, plus 20 other girls while she’s touring the school.

Lenlo’s review:

In anime’s latest “Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” we have a new multimedia franchise that is making an anime, game, manga and LN all at the same time. That seems ambitious to me, especially considering the quality of the show itself, but I can’t tell Tokyo execs what to do with their money. As for the show itself, all I really have to say is that it isn’t for me. The background’s clean, especially the night shots, but do little to really inspire. We haven’t seen enough of the animation to judge that since this episode was 90% walking around the school. Meanwhile for the cast, we spent this whole first episode meeting all of the important ones at such a fast pace, they really didn’t have much time for any more than “I’m the Genki one! And I’m the [insert dere here] one!”. All in all, Lapis is shaping up to be another standard seasonal series without much to offer. It’s entirely possible it will try to pull the rug out from under me, the ED hints at some conflict to come. But as far as first episode impressions go, I am not impressed.

Potential: 25%

Mario’s review:

You know, without what it says in the premise and the OP clues, I wouldn’t have figured that Lapis Re:LIGHTS as an idol show based on this first episode. That plays mostly to its advantage, as the premiere concerns more about establishing its light-fantasy magic academy, its system and the characters. In fact, it has high-school fantasy flavour all over it, this time excluding any horny male character who accidentally encounters girls changing clothes. On that front, I appreciate its paying attention to various magic classes, and we have a serviceable protagonist to boost. It’s the supporting cast that does nothing for me so far, as the show introduces a lot of them in the first 20 minutes and so far they are stock characters with different hairs at best. The turning point for me is when Tiara bursts out and sings out loud. Yes, the combination of CGDCT, light fantasy highschool and idol is something of a selling point for me, and I still am interested to see how the show cooks up these ingredients. So I reserve my comments until the “idol” part or whatever twist plays out to see if this show is for me or not.

Potential: 30%