Category: Other:

Shoujo ☆ Kageki Revue Starlight

Short Synopsis: Students at a girls’ music academy compete for a top spot in a surreal stage play.

Wooper’s review

Kinema Citrus saves anime yet again. Last year they produced our AOTY Made in Abyss, and now they’ve tapped Ikuhara devotee Tomohiro Furukawa to helm what may go down as the best idol series of the decade. It’s not actually about idols – the show is set at an all-girls music academy that emphasizes contemporary theater – but it *does* have a big cast of cute girls who dance to music. That’s where the similarities to the genre end, however, as this show is highly symbolic, beautifully scored, and lavishly produced. Just listen to the orchestra that plays as the students enter the dance studio around the three minute mark. There’s a gentle air of mystery to it, as though the show is inviting you to consider what’s truly transpiring at this school, even as the characters act cute and say their usual Good Mornings. Before that, there’s a beautifully staged intro that gives way to an image of eight girls lying on a flight of stairs, with a blood red curtain that connects them and foreshadows conflict (and perhaps even death). Things get overtly Ikuhara-esque around the halfway mark, with dream sequences, yuri undertones, and talking animals all making their mandatory appearances. This weirdness culminates in some of the best fight/dance sequences I’ve seen since the “Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win” episode of Evangelion. To provide too many details would spoil the experience, since the last scene is such a departure from what comes before, but I’ll just say this: if you think you’ve got a handle on anime transformation sequences, Revue Starlight will turn your perception on its head. The only real shortcoming of this series is the same-faced character designs, but even that works to create a familiar sensation that is shattered by the episode’s end. This is the kind of anime that everybody should check out, at least for the premiere – if you’re on its wavelength, you’re in for a hell of a time.

Potential: 95%

Mario’s review:

Well, what a second half this one was. Initially, when I watched the first half, I took it as a above-average idol show and thinking to myself “the rest would have blown me up in order to not drop this” and that was exactly how I felt, totally blew away. This show (especially the magnificent Starlight fight) has a clear Utena-vibe, which come as no surprise since the director Tomohiro Furukawa was an apprentice of Ikuhara himself. What’s more impressive is that the whole fight at the end justifies all the things come before that. Not only it’s weird in a delightful way (talking giraffe!!), it’s inspirational and just downright expressive like those Utena’s duels. You can also pretty much take these fights as a dream, or the performance, or the audition and it all makes sense. In fact, now thinking back it’s more that these girls won’t work together like idol shows, but will have to fight against each other for the main spot. I’m thrilled on that. The characters, however, are on the underdeveloped side, but I’m sure when these “stage performances” start we will start to learn more about them. Personally, I’m excited to see how this story is gonna pan out.

Potential: 70%

Aidan’s review:

Well this one completely blind sighted me. I originally wrote this one off completely, but then watched the trailer and thought there might be more to it but still wrote it off again. As it was the case there was in fact more more to this one but allow me to be the contrarian to contrast the two excited ducks above. Take note that the thing that makes this show stand out is the very clear inspirations from Ikuhara, in particular Utena. The director it seems has worked with Ikuhara’s previous works and learned some tricks. But let me make clear, I am not a fan of Ikuhara. I find Utena fascinating but to me Ikuhara’s works is style promoting the illusion of substance. If this new guy can take Ikuhara’s style and give it genuine substance then he will have sold me on this particular show. But the other hurdle is that this episode was ⅓ Utena and ⅔ love live. Outside of the surprise wammy this series was a above average idol anime and it’s going to need more in order to prove itself. This series has managed to grab my attention by playing it’s strongest hand but now that the surprise is out it’s going to have to measure up to those which inspired it. What I am basically saying is, less idol training, more character development and girls getting pushed off of tokyo tower. (I really liked that scene.)

Potential: 50%

 

Tenrou: Sirius the Jaeger

Short Synopsis: A group of vampire hunters enter Tokyo to hunt their enemies.

Aidan’s review:

On a production level, aside from some awkward CGI, this series is top of the line. Fantastic animated action with great backgrounds and a nice setting. However story wise this feels far too familiar with the squad hunting supernatural creatures. There are plenty with that premise, even Blood + did that with vampires. I even got some Blade vibes from how the series opened. I give credit to the cast for having an Irishman but I can’t say anyone in the cast stands out. I will say it’s not as if the story has bad writing or it’s done poorly as in both cases this is done quite well. The problem more lies in the fact that it all feels done before. But if that aspect does not bother you then I am sure you will enjoy this one for the fight scenes and general production values. The story won’t wow you but get past that and this is an enjoyable watch.

Potential: 60%

Lenlo’s Review:

Aidan is right about one thing, Jaeger is certainly one of the best looking/produced anime of this season. Everything, CGI aside, just looks good. I disagree on the story aspect though. Unlike similar anime this season like Phantom however, where our cast just… stumbles together, it feels like things are actually happening in Jaeger. It probably has to do with our cast being the aggressors, the ones acting, where as in Phantom they are just reacting. It made me much more interested in what was going on. Sure, the monster hunting story has been done before. But that doesn’t matter to me, so long as its done well. Just look at the plethora of fantasy novels about young chosen ones rising up to defeat the great evil. Originality is less important than general quality. And Jaeger has, so far, a lot of quality.

Potential: 75%

 

High Score Girl

Short Synopsis: A boy has a rivalry with a girl who plays games at the arcade.

Aidan’s review:

Though fully CGI, I found it rather bareable though that might be because the episode was mainly focused on video game screens. This does feel like a series that was better suited to a short format as this episode contains three separate stories between these two. The positives is that this story has a lot of factoids about various video game techniques which is quite interesting and the nostalgia is heavy with this one if you are a nineties kid. But the bad side of this is that the comedy is very much the “Shout till it’s funny” variety or focuses on our protagonist getting beaten up by the girl. I don’t find this show all that funny but I do like the featured games and learning about glitches and tricks used in them. Overall I find this show just alright and it is rather a shame that because Netflix has acquired the licence that to follow it I would have to rely on fansubs of questionable quality.

Potential: 30%

Mario’s review:

This 90s arcade rom-com manga was a hit back when it first run, throughout many disputes regarding legal issues of using all these games’ characters, now it becomes a full CG show licensed by Netflix. Which mean, not many people gonna watch this based on these conditions alone. My very first impression after watching this is that the CG looks “cheap”. Characters on games look on point, but our characters move way too stiff, and the art in general in uninspired. The series’ first episode runs several small encounters where those two main meets at the arcade and play game, but based on what I heard there will be an arc and the story deepens later on. So basically this episode introduces these two kids and gives us a “feel” of the year 1991, both of which I regard it as barely succeed. There’s some odd pacing at the beginning, which take me awhile to realize what’s going on. Haruo is the protagonist that is easy to follow, mostly because he has a keen sense of his world. Oono, too, with the way she behaves hint at her pressure at home and the two has a strange bond of sharing the same hobby. Story-wise I can get behind but I’m more worried about the production, which can become more unbearable as it continues.

Potential: 30%

Angolmois: Genkou Kassenki

Short Synopsis: The ruler of an island hires some death row prisoners to protect her island from Mongolian invasion.

Aidan’s review:

A pretty strong first episode but you can tell this isn’t going to be historically accurate. This is certainly very shounenfied history with strongmen who can break manicales and a cast with their own heighted superhuman aspects. I mean a ninja assassin managed to jump ludicrously high into the air and land on his boat so if anything we might as well consider this history told by a storytelling exaggerating the details. The story certainly wants to look like it was painted on scrolls as the full episode has a filter place over it, one which I feel distracts more than it enhances. It’s fine for still shots but when the camera starts panning that filter just sticks out far too much. Other than that this makes for a rather enjoyable watch, not particular deep or outstanding but interesting enough so far with fairly decent characters. I was surprised by how many voice actors I was able to recognise as well, hello there Tora. If you are a fan of shounen anime this could very well be for you and even if not it proves to be a good watch so far.

Potential: 70%

Mario’s review:

Looks like we got a solid historical thriller dose of the season. I was mildly intrigued by the settings – where Mongol invades Nippon (just a historical trivia here but Mongolian Empire was extremely powerful in the early era), but I didn’t expect it to be this strong. The production, in particular, has extra grainy filter which add to the seediness of the era, and I particularly like the raining filter that looks just like a moving painting. The fights have some dynamic choreography there. We also have a strong male lead that worth investing to, a hero type who has his dark past. I’d have preferred the princess of this island stays cruel like she first appeared, given when she displays her weak side, it treads the well trodden path. The story is what I’m a bit worried about. We still don’t know for sure how much of disbelief we need to suspend regarding the cast’s combat skills. I mean, we have a guy who literally parkour roll 20 meters away from where he fights to his ship, which for me is just comically ridiculous. The story establishes its main concept, however how they execute it so that they can keep our interest is hard. This show reminds me a bit of Shoukoku no Altair: rich history context but too crammed with plot progressions and many layers of side characters. The leaner it gets the better. We shall see on this then.

Potential: 60%

 

Shinya! Tensai Bakabon

Short Synopsis: The cast of a 70s anime struggles to find a new look for the modern era.

Wooper’s review:

This is a postmodern reboot of a 50 year old manga by Fujio Akatsuka, author of Osomatsu-kun from the same time period. That series was the basis for the Osomatsu-san anime from three years ago, which saw Studio Pierrot use well-loved characters to provide irreverent commentary on current trends in anime and Japanese culture in general. If you liked what Pierrot did with that show, you’ll probably like this one, especially since it features a gag where Bakabon undergoes surgery to become a set of sextuplets. The surgeon is none other than Black Jack, who appears briefly to turn Bakabon’s dad into a woman (while preserving his new voice, courtesy of Jun Fukuyama), and if you’re with me so far, you’ve probably arrived at the conclusion that this anime is totally bonkers. The premiere spent most of its time taking the “things sure have changed” sentiment to ridiculous extremes, dealing with its need for a new coat of paint by trying every shade at five different stores. While that’s a theme that non-Japanese viewers can grasp, there were at least a dozen references to personalities and cultural practices that sailed over my head. This was less of a problem in Osomatsu-san, which focused intently on the antics of its characters without worrying about what year it was. Hopefully the new and improved(?) Bakabon leaves its identity crisis behind after another episode or two – if it does, the show might be worth your time each week this summer.

Potential: 60% if you liked Osomatsu-san, 20% otherwise

Mario’s review:

So, this one goes for Osomatsu-san route. When adapting a beloved classic manga, it always raises an issue of how relevant it is for the new audience today. And that’s exactly the topic this first episode addresses. This new version of Bakabon is a whacky take on the length these characters would go to adapt themselves and appeal to the new market. If you’re big on meta-jokes you’ll find a lot to love here. Fans of the recent Osomatsu would find themselves at home as well, although in that regard I don’t find the humor as fresh as it was with Osomatsu-san. The real story will begin next week, and you can expect it has all the bawdy humor (and the same artstyle) that made Osomatsu-san a hit in recent years. Not a bad way to approach this classic material, but it feels like an inferior Osomatsu-san at best.

Potential: 30%

 

Lord of Vermilion: Guren no Ou

Short Synopsis: When Tokyo is surrounded by a red mist, cut off from the outside world, it is up to the young few with blood awakened by the mist to gather together and discover what has happened to Tokyo, or die trying.

Mario’s review:

I give it points for not outrightly terrible, but it’s ultimately a forgettable title. There’s two main issues with Vermilion, that it takes its premise a tad too seriously, and that both the characters and the story aren’t that interesting to hold any interest. The show starts right at the end (or maybe not?), when it’s clear that our hero team members fight each others to death, accompanied by generic lines (“that’s the only way I could come up to kill you, sister”. Oh hell I care) and some ridiculous deaths. Then the show goes back to the present and introduces characters that way too bland with not even one memorable characteristic (Main guy especially receives the “prefect” status). The plot itself has many holes (like why many of them dissolved into thin air, while others don’t; why this red wall of Berlin cut off the supply but leaves the food alone? What happened to the people that dissolve into dust?), and based from the flashforward it looks like the cast will try the special power from the red mist and pays their own price for that. I’m not particularly interested to see it play out at all.

Potential: 10%

Lenlo’s Review:

So, I know I referenced Kekkai Sensen in a previous first impression, but Vermillion really is a wanna-be version of it. City cut off by otherworldly mist/barrier? Check. Otherworldly monsters.inhabitants? Check. Blood based superpowers? Another check. However unlike Kekkai Sensen, which revels in its absurdity and just has fun with itself, Vermillion takes itself far to seriously. Like it’s trying to be some kind of fantastical drama. I just couldn’t get into it. If your ok with some good natured fun getting sprinkled across your fantastical drama, something that doesn’t take itself to seriously while still having a story to tell, go watch Kekkai Sensen instead of this. It’s just better.

Potential: 0%

Grand Blue

Short Synopsis: A guy who just entered college is pushed to join a diving club.

Aidan’s review:

You know an anime is going to be good when the first thing you see is a giant warning saying “For the love of god don’t imitate anything in this show!” Anyway I will say that the beginning of Grand Blue is the weakest part and things really get rolling once the cast is introduced and hijinks ensue. There were some odd changed to this adaption and jokes removed but otherwise I would deem it passable. Comedy is subjective though and I found this not quite as funny as the manga which I cannot determine if it was because I already knew the jokes or if the comedic timing was off. The production certainly isn’t quite up to the standard I would like. Grand Blue is getting put to animation and unlike Backstreet Girls, it’s at least being animated. But this is very much a cheap production with a fair amount of still frames. For the most part the manga’s comedy is getting transferred without considering how it should be presented in a new medium. What’s here is still fun and for first time watchers I think it will still work. But again you mileage may vary.

Potential: 65%

Lenlo’s Review:

You know, Grand Blue had me concerned when one of the opening gags was the classic undressing girl shot. But the moment after, of hyper manly men, and our lead just noping on out of there? That got me. I’m still expecting the fan-service, its a show on a beach, but atleast its equal opportunity fan-service with a healthy dash of ridiculous comedy thrown in. Unlike Aidan, I have not read the manga, so going in completely blind I had no expectations for Grand Blue’s comedy. The extended comedy segments didn’t work to well sadly, but the facial expressions and sudden comedic jumps from 0 to 10 worked the best for me. I also quite enjoyed pretty much our entire main cast, especially the two diving club dude-bro’s. Their care-free shenanigans were easily my favorite part of the episode and I see most of the comedy coming from them. So long as Grand Blue continues to not take itself to seriously and revel in its absurdist comedy, I see no problem recommending it.

Potential: 75%

 

Happy Sugar Life

Short Synopsis: A girl finds love for the first time and goes to any means to protect it.

Aidan’s review:

What cute fluffy fun. This is a story about nice loving yuri relationship which is filled to the brim with happiness. Something to help warm people’s hearts after a hard days work. The age gap is a little worrisome but hey nothing gets in the way of true love….that’s right…nothing…nOtHing..nothingnothingnothingnothingnothingnothingnothingnothingnothingnothingnothing…WOAH! Um sorry lost my trail of thought there. Anyway the direction is spot on despite concerns over the staff and this first episode certainly builds intrigue for what is to come next. I am rather concerned about the start of the episode which appears to be a flashforward hinting at an anime original ending. But otherwise this is damn strong first episode which highlights Happy Sugar Lifes appeal. Watch if you are also a person looking for a happy sugar life.

Potential: I give it a 80% so please don’t stab me Satou-san.

Wooper’s review:

You know what I love? Anime tropes. I love it when I can recognize a character’s personality as belonging to a narrow, otaku-baiting category, because that makes it easier to remember them. The bigger and more obvious the trope, the better. Take “tsundere,” for instance. If I really like girls whose attraction to some potato-faced moron runs hot and cold, I can just seek out anime with “tsundere” characters, and I’ll be good to go. In Happy Sugar Life, there’s another one of those personality types that I really love, since it’s totally hilarious and easy to remember. It’s the one where they seem to be normal on the outside, but in reality they’re so obsessed with somebody else that they’ll even kill people to be with their beloved! Isn’t that crazy? Okay, so I’m trying to remember the term for this kind of character. It’s on the tip of my tongue, I swear! Oh man, the pink haired girl in this episode was such a good example of one, too! She was totally cute and fun with her friend from work, but toootally insane when protecting the primary school-aged child on whom she’s hilariously fixated. I know she’s insane because her eyes turned red and the still frame on screen jiggled around a little bit at a couple points. Almost like the camera was shaking! It was sooo good – wait, I remember it now! This is gonna blow your mind, guys and gals. As soon as I name the hysterical trope featured in this “““horror””” anime, you won’t be able to stop yourselves from subscribing to Amazon Prime so you can watch it every week, no, every day! Are you sure you’re prepared for this bombshell? Okay, here goes… The main character in this anime is… a YANDERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Potential: There is a yandere in this anime

 

Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san

Short Synopsis: A boy who can see ghosts moves into a boarding house with a hot spring and a bunch of supernatural cute girls.

Aidan’s review:

This episode is the most amount of plot this story is going to have. Well of course later there will be plenty of “PLOT” but yeah it’s amusing to see how this show started out with some semblance of telling a story. So the main draw here is that is your traditional harem with all the bells and whistles. I would say watch this if you are looking for boobies but well this is the censored edition and an uncensored edition ain’t coming till the blu-rays are out. Taking that into account I wonder what is even the point of watching this censored edition at all unless you actually happen to be invested in the story which will no doubt disappear really fast. I feel like those looking for this kind of show will most likely wait for the uncensored version while for the rest of us it doesn’t have much to offer.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review:

This show feels like an anime that be made 20 years ago, which its old-fashioned concept and its harem plus ecchi edge. Nothing wrong with that though, given for what it’s worth it’s a decent watch from start to finish. Even at the end, there’s hint for some emotional conflicts of putting that ghost girl to the afterlife once she learns about her roots of unhappiness. It reminds me of the old charm of watching these similar shows when I was a kid (to Love-Ru, Love Hina), where guy “accidentally” grabs big boobs and all girls are fawned over him. In fact, it follows that harem’s formula to the T that I embrace all the cliche that genre has (girls who live under the same house with different personality and boobs size), the main leads sleep together, so on and so forth. Hence, watch this show only if you miss that old flavor because it offers relatively little beyond that.

Potential: 20%

Phantom in the Twilight

Short Synopsis: A girl accidentally comes across a cafe full of supernatural beings and learns that she’s the chosen one

Lenlo’s Review:

From this episode, I can’t see anything wrong per se with Phantom. The two biggest things I can think of are the stiffness, the genericness of our characters (excluding the heroine) and the stupidity of the lead girl. Seriously, she sees them batting monsters around like nothing, and tells them to run? That aside, the premise itself looks like fun. Reminds me of Kekkai Sensen in a way. A normal person thrust into a magical city (London here), who stumbles into a super powered group. If Phantom avoids the monster of the week trope and actually explores its setting, magic in modern day, what happened to the girls Great-Grandmother, etc, then it stands a chance. I’m always willing to give something outside the Isekai/Japanese Highschool pit that most anime fall into a try.

Potential: 45%

Mario’s review:

We have a first supernatural thriller original of this season (the second will be Tenrou), and as far as supernatural thriller original goes it fares well. The “pretty boys” (subjectivity here) serving in a restaurant have me worried for a second there, mostly because I worked part-time in a restaurant years ago and I know it takes much more than 3 people to run the thing. But soon the main heroine appears the show goes into a much better territory. The main improvement is Ton herself. She has a strong personality and she’s the easy protagonist to get behind. Normally, girls within that genre is a blank who get dragged into problems and found themselves out of depth in most these situations. Ton, on the other hand, adapts herself to the situation quickly. Being say all that, the cast so far is still too generic. The supernatural dash in a London settings is welcomed, although again it pushes the story into formulic fashion. We all know she will become a regular in the restaurant despite they wash away her memory at the end. Overall, while the first episode doesn’t wow me, I can see its ambition. The production is on the brighter side and the story has some potential to be deeper, whether or not they can reach that potential remains to be seen.

Potential: 50%

 

Jashin-chan Dropkick

Short Synopsis: A bunch of anime tropes sit around a table, eat hot pot, and kill each other.

Wooper’s review

This entire premiere was a complete misfire. Jashin-chan wants to be a crude and violent gag comedy, but its desperate attempts to satisfy naked monster girl fans and goth loli-obsessed otaku dull its murderous edge. It also wants to maintain a cute atmosphere during those moments where its characters aren’t attempting to kill each other, but the mood is shattered by the snake girl’s rotten personality every thirty seconds. The only asset the show has is passable animation, which gives it flexibility when deciding how to portray Jashin-chan’s next mutilation (and subsequent regeneration). You read that correctly – the best aspect of this series is one that gives it the freedom to be as stupid and shitty as its tiny brain can manage. The only way Jashin-chan Dropkick could possibly be worth your time is if you’re an unemployed, uneducated whackjob who has to watch every seasonal anime to completion or else you’ll spontaneously combust.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review:

Dropkick is a comedy show that only has two things on its mind: being a slice-of-life cozy show about cute monster girls spending time together, and being an ultraviolence slapstick show whenever the titular strikes an opportunity to kill her human friend, but she gets beaten in a gruesome way. It doesn’t do justice for either if them, given the characters lack the warmth, or depth. The simple character arts might remind you of anime product from twenty years ago, even its slapstick humor feels dated as well. I don’t mind the extreme gruesome, by the way, but its jokes weaken fast every time it repeats itself, and by the end we can only see several variations of the same joke. There are some meta jokes as well, which I find it mildly amusing. Make no mistake, Dropkick’s appeal is its commitment to the several gorefest ways our heroine will endure (and she deserves it), if that exactly what you’re looking for then by all means continue, because otherwise it doesn’t have many other things to offer.

Potential: 10%

 

Kyoto Teramachi Sanjou no Holmes

Short Synopsis: two teenagers work in an antique store who also solve mysteries.

Lenlo’s Review:

Holmes is an odd one. I really like the actual antique aspects of it. The analyzing, descriptions and explanations for them. I also like Holmes as a character, this impersonable, out of touch sort of character. Reminds me of anime like Fune wo Amu in a way, a sleeper hit for me of 2016. But the actual drama/character interactions, like the counterfeit plot, just seem so ham-fisted. There’s no nuance to them. And while I like the deductions, they could be better. Look to the RDJ Sherlock Holmes movies for instance, where specific details are pointed out and built on. Here, some of it strains credulity. For the main story, for once I feel Holmes would be better suited to a weekly sort of story format. Like each week we see a new antique and hear its story. Similar in a way to Mushishi. Use it to teach history. I liked the ending Monk story more than the counterfeit story afterall.  If Holmes dodges/downplays the underground counterfeiting ring storyline I suspect is coming, it could be a treat for those like me. I’m not hopeful though.

Potential: 35%

Mario’s review:

Holmes of Kyoto’s debut episode has fair shares of good and bad. This premiere both builds up the relationship between our two main leads, and sell the appeal of antique appraisal, as well as Holmes’ amazing deduction skills. On a good side, the antique appraisal part is really solid. It comes from the appreciation of this work of arts, and like any famous painting it takes skills, and knowledge behind it to fully value the works. Second, the relationship between him and her grow naturally, and while his deduction strain some credulity, overall it sells his character well. On the negative side, the counterfeit case is extremely hammy, especially the bad guy image is just too on the nose. Consider that the counterfeit thread will become the central plot in the future, I have some reservations. Furthermore, the drama isn’t quite good. The drama of the lead girl for example, is too underwhelmed, emotionally distant and resolve too quickly that I don’t feel anything at all. I will give this show 3 episodes to see if it’s worth following all the way.

Potential: 30%

Satsuriku no Tenshi

Short Synopsis: A girl wakes up in a strange facility and is hunted by a scythe wielding maniac.

Aidan’s review:
Well this is quite interesting. This premiere certainly has problems and it most certainly can be all downhill from here but I really like the setup, atmosphere and general mystery here. It just feels so fresh to have a story like this with all its characters all having something clearly wrong with them and the surreal building with typewriters that question people and mirror blockades with announcements about sacrifices. While our main characters seems rather bland at first it does seem like the story is hinting at her having serious psychological issues for what girl sees a dead bird, starts claiming it’s not “her bird” and shews it back together. However there is a problem with the two other characters here, though I am willing to give Zack the scythe wielding murderer a break as it seems he purposely goes over the top because he likes to get some sport out of those he hunts. As when Rachel lost any will to live and escape him, he too lost any real desire in killing her. The doctor on the other hand…yeah they went too far with him. Again there were hints of something deeper there but then he went cuckoo bananas and in no way could anyone take him seriously with that long tongue. This anime also seems to be struggling with incorporating the game aspects of this story as you can certainly see the points were gameplay is supposed to take over and the story just kinda skips past any point were she is exploring or searching for something. Still I admit that I am curious, this story is a rare case as far as anime goes and I have heard word that the story really kicks up around the halfway point of the game which the anime seems to be fast forwarding to. I think I will continue following this to see where it goes.
Potential: 60%

Mario’s review:
Woah, the art is quite impressive, not so much with the story. and the characters are just… duh. Satsuriku doesn’t hide the fact that it’s based from a game, as game format bleeds right through this story in every moments. Girls waking up doesn’t know who she is or where she’s from; clues written over the wall, each “villain” situated in each floor. Even the show’s wash-out aesthetic, and some of its visual choice reflect the game mechanic (like the door automatically opens). It has a strong visual sense, solid camera composition (look at one of the screencap, where the camera pans around Rachel but intentionally keep the light on top of her head, illustrates that fact that she’s an “angel of death”. Being said that, the characters are god awful. They’re loud, they talk nonsense and the show makes their expressions completely deranged, for what? Creepiness for its own sake ain’t gonna make it, ever. The story has own central mystery and so far, it doesn’t sell well on that either. I see no chemistry whatsoever between the two leads, so they will have to try harder to make those characters relatable. Well, I highly doubt they can do that.
Potential: 30%

Ongaku Shoujo (2018)

Short Synopsis: A failing idol group happens upon a promising newcomer at an airport

Aidan’s review:
If there’s one thing I rather hate, it when shows give a character a gimmick as a means of differentiation. Admittedly this is the first episode and we got a cast that is far too large with eleven(twelve by episodes end) idols. But I would take three well thought out idols over twelve tropey interchangeable stereotypes. The dialogue here just has a forced tinge to it, similar to a sitcom, where nobody talks like an actual human being. My guess is that it’s trying to be funny or cute and not succeeding with both. The girls designs don’t make them distinct and mainly just look like elements recycled from the bargain bin of factory standard anime girl. I don’t know these girls names and their personalities are just one note. The only girl that stands out is the main girl who they decided to throw on stage before confirming if she could sing. Very funny, maybe if I cared I might have laughed. This is an anime about a C-grade Idol group and they certainly look and act like one with the anime following suit by being a C-grade idol anime. And I don’t even like Idol anime.
Potential: 0%

Mario’s review:
This is your idol fix of this Summer season, so pretty much if you don’t care for idol shows you won’t find much in here. Within the idol genre, however, this actually does a decent job. The only thing that works against this show is that it feels like a second-rate version of THE iDOLM@STER (it doesn’t help that I just watched the Idolmaster so it’s still fresh in my mind). From an underdog idol team of 10 plus girls with slightly different traits, to the same kind of bland male producer, they repeat the same formula here. The factor that differentiate this to its inspiration is the involvement of Hanako, a girl who just comes back from overseas but has the X-factor. It’s hardly anything original, but so far they don’t make any wrong step yet. I say this is an above-average idol show but it doesn’t have a widespread appeal. If you’re within their niche market then you will enjoy the hell out of it, others might approach with caution.
Potential: 20%

Hataraku Saibou

Short Synopsis: A germ invades a human body being run by anthropomorphised cells

Aidan’s review:
I learned something important today. And that is that I have Ojou-Sama’s in my spleen and Loli’s in my lungs. Now despite the bloody encounters(Yes, cells apparently have blood too) this show is like those old saturday morning cartoons that you watch. Rather silly and cheesy but wholesome and fun. Plus it makes an effort to actually teach about cells and the human body which I most likely will never remember but hey it’s a good effort. Honestly I am rather concerned over some stupid otaku cutting themselves and being surprised when they don’t see red haired waifus pop out. I wouldn’t say the storytelling here is on any deep level, as I said it’s more saturday morning cartoon material but it’s undeniable enjoyable. Those platelets sure were adorable and oh fun fact! Platelets have a lifespan of only ten days so in ten days time, all these lolis will be dead….boy that got depressing fast.
Potential: 70%

Mario’s review:
I approve this fresh interpretation of the cells in our body. This is something that can work for general audience, as kids would find out a lot for their knowledge, and us can appreciate the whole world building on another level. First, it’s nice (and certainly informative) to learn more about these cells and what their main function is, as we have the Red Blood Cell in their red uniform delivering boxes of oxygen, while the White Blood Cell’s more macho, trying to protect the body from outsiders. In one of the most refresh take, Platelets are portrayed as kindergarten kids doing their jobs, it’s the cutest thing there is. Second, the two main leads more than carry this episode. Not only they have their fair share of distinctive traits that make them different than the rest of their own team (she is hopeless with direction, he has this deadpan delivery), they share a strong chemistry together. Third, the rich backgrounds are lovely to look at, with many details on others organs and cells, and I’m sure interested to see the designs of other body organs in the future. Lastly, the story of this week serves as a perfect plot to introduce this world, and even if the show does monster-of-the-week format (which I doubt), I won’t complain as this one’s brimming with exciting sense of adventure. I can’t wait to get back to this world next week.
Potential: 65%

Asobi Asobase

Short Synopsis: A group of deranged high school girls form a pastime club.

Mario’s review:
I found Asobi Asobase the most hilarious premiere of this season so far. Granted, Chio-chan is more grounded but as far as a show that can make me chuckle along the way, this one does an admirable job. Their core strength lies in how these girls betraying their own typecast traits, with a straight face. As such, they have such solid chemistry and bounce off each other well. The character designs are cute, until they display their meanie sides, which I found amusing. There remains an issue, however, how long it can hold up before it gets pale with a thin premise like this. With already four short segments, it doesn’t feel like it has enough fuel for an entire series. I hope they can find a way to get away with it, although as far as this first episode goes, I’m sold with its humor and the three cute-but-not-cute girls.

Potential: 50%

Wooper’s review:

This didn’t need to be a full-length series. The main appeal here is the ridiculous faces that the girls make as they play hand games, discuss school subjects, and set up inflatable pools in club rooms. The characters and their banter aren’t much to write home about, but the contorted expressions that the animators give them? They’re worth a chuckle from time to time. The ending of this premiere was the strongest part, featuring a gag wherein the school principal channels Detective Conan (with wildly inappropriate results), and an eyebrow-raising hand puppet scene. Everything that came before these segments, though, was hit or miss. I’d probably be on board if they condensed each airing to five minutes and threw the rest away, but the sheer amount of unamusing filler here is overwhelming.

Potential: 10%

 

Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyria

Short Synopsis: You have seen this story and it’s just as terrible.

Aidan’s review:

As utterly tiresome this genre is, it is a fact that the most interesting aspect of an isekai is it’s beginning where the protagonist is slowly gaining up his power and resources. So jumping straight to the point where he has four girls in his harem already with one more by episodes end is like tearing out all the most interesting parts of a book. What’s this you say? Alexander the great and Oda Nobunaga invented the phalanx formation? Let me just do a quick wikipedia search here…dum dum…ah “The earliest known depiction of a phalanx-like formation occurs in a Sumerian stele from the 25th century BC. Here the troops seem to have been equipped with spears, helmets, and large shields covering the whole body. Ancient Egyptian infantry were known to have employed similar formations.”  So in other words Alexander the Great and ESPECIALLY Oda Nobunaga had nothing to do with it’s creation. Ladies and Gentlemen, that took me exactly one minute to find out. Which goes to show that this author couldn’t be bothered to do one minute of fact checking on his bullshit. And hoo boy this is something when the characters are so stock that I know their entire personally at the very first line of dialogue. Sometimes even before that as two men go up to our main character to talk and my immediate thought was “Oh these two are assholes whose sole purpose is to make the protagonist look good.” and low and behold that is exactly what they were. I felt like gagging at some of this dialogue whose intent is so goddamn obvious and sickening. Look if you are wanting for some dumb bargain bin Isekai show with fanservice then just go watch either of the demon lord ones airing this season. Even in that category you deserve better than this low effort trash.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review:

Another generic isekai garbage? Dude, how can we end this nightmare? If you want to see all the snapshots of cliche, lazy written isekai story, you can’t go wrong with this one and Demon Lord earlier. It’s educational, after all, to see those that embrace all the tired tropes of the genre. Again, this boy transported into another world with knowledge (and a smartphone) that immediately makes him overpowered in this new world. Girls with different hair color and boob sizes following his every step, even blatantly hit on him. But of course the guy’s a Saint so he never thinks of them that way… you know… all the usual crap. This one doesn’t even attempt to make anything different, and shows with no identity like this are the most forgettable ones.

Potential: 0%

 

Planet With

Short Synopsis: A boy with amnesia is pulled into a fight between superheroes and alien beings.

Aidan’s review:

Satoshi, don’t tease the audience by having Lucifer and the biscuit hammer figures in it which don’t exist.(Yet) So it’s no secret that I love this authors works and from what I hear this project is 3 or 4 years in the making. Satoshi is the kind of author who writes on the fly but rather plans out his stories from beginning to end before he starts. So far it’s difficult to destern how this one will turn out as beginnings tend to be where he’s weakest as Satoshi generally uses a generic foundation and then builds upon it with character development and twisting the cliche. He’s already started what with the alien menace only seeming to give people flashbacks showing their hearts desires and the heroes seem to have some agenda. The main protagonist is already in the position where he is tasked with fighting not the aliens but rather the heroes. My main feelings of this episode reflect my first impressions of the manga as there is certainly potential here but it hasn’t quite captured me yet like his previous works. The main comparison people are making for this one is FLCL which it does somewhat resemble in how nothing is quite explained and the surreal character and mecha designs. Not to mention the quirkiness of the characters themselves.While I am not blown away by this episode, I am quite interested to see where exactly this is going and hoping Satoshi can knock this one out of the park.

Potential: 80%

Mario’s review:

Planet With is one of my most anticipated anime of this season based on staffs involved alone, but the fact that it’s an original show means that we don’t have much detail to form a concrete opinion until the first episode airs. So, how does it perform? Well, I have mixed feeling regarding this episode. Main lead with amnesia? AGAIN? The plot sure raises many red flags here, chief amongst them the main character himself. He’s so bland and uninteresting, and so far he does stuffs because others tell him what to do – a boring trait that I’m not sure if I can follow him for the whole season.Other characters don’t fare well, either. We have classic “Class Rep” type, an imouto-like character who basically takes care of him, and that Cat-like sensei… I’m alright with shows mixing unrealistic part to their world (after all Doraemon is anything but realistic but he fits into the world), but how the hell no one notices anything strange about him, whereas make a big deal out of UFO? The CG fights were alright, although I’m not a fan with flashback sections in the middle of the fight. Although not flat-out terrible, I have the same vibe between this and Darling in the FranXX, an original production with good animation but botched down by weak and forced writing and uninteresting characters. Hopefully this show can prove me wrong on these.

Potential: 50%

Sunoharasou no Kanrinin-san

Short Synopsis: A young boy travels to a new city and moves in with four women, one of whom has some pretty big tits and shit.

Wooper’s “review”:

I watched less than a minute of this before turning it off. The character animation looked like the popsicle stick episode of Kare Kano, and the story turned left onto Wish Fulfillment Avenue within seconds of its opening scene. This is a show for people who need to see their very specific fetishes reflected on screen, and don’t care how cheaply they’re portrayed. If that’s you, then please watch this trash so I don’t have to.

Potential: Check out Banana Fish instead

Mario’s review:

Boy, even with me, who is fond of slice of life shows, couldn’t find anything remotely interesting regarding this. This first episode had only two things going on: that this kid is a boy despite looks (and behaves) like a girl, and his boarding house caretaker has a massive bouncing boob. There’s no story to begin with, but the fan-service fares so much worse, uncomfortably so. You see, not only she waked the kid up by putting her chest to his face, she determines to wash his back naked and lets him touch her chest. Aahh! The show looks bland and other characters have some sort of fetish, not in the good way. This is just a huge waste of time.

Potential: 0%

 

Harukana Receive

Short Synopsis: A high school girl moves in with her cousin for summer vacation and learns to play beach volleyball.

Wooper’s review:

The best word to describe this show is “mediocre.” It’s a disappointment in most departments, but not a failure. Some examples: the character movements are stiff, but consistent throughout the episode. The girls’ personalities are simple, but effective for a sports series. The music doesn’t make any waves on a compositional level, but it has a coastal flavor that fits the beach volleyball theme. Harukana Receive epitomizes the bar that all anime should reach before setting their sights any higher. It even features a few quiet slice-of-life moments near the end that make it a bit more than just a sports series. In a season full of zero-effort productions and soulless cash grabs, this show is just good enough to merit a second look (but only if you’re a fan of the genre).

Potential: 25%

Mario’s review:

We have the second cute girl playing sports anime this season, and this one wasn’t half bad, all things considered. It isn’t anything stellar by any stretch but it does its job on selling the appeal of the sports and introduce characters we can get behind. Although aware of beach volleyball as far back as I can remember, I don’t really know much about it. So on that front this show does make me feel a bit interested and I particular like it when they frame the sport as partnership instead of team or single sports. Second, the two main girls are the exact opposite so their differences bounce off each other well, and having complex about height is something I feel as reasonable. The main story, however, is formulaic as we can all figure out that what this story is gonna head. The new girl will learn the sport, drag her partner to some sort of tournament and they will play against these girls in the final. I would love to be proven wrong on this.

Potential: 20%

 

Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro

Short Synopsis: A girl takes an enthusiastic shortcut to school.

Aidan’s review:

Now this is just fun. I admit that as far as humor goes I didn’t really laugh but more found the events on screen amusing but it was still quite the enjoyable watch. The main character is hella relatable at least for a gaming side to me and even I had the awkward moment where you thought someone was waving at you but turned out they were signaling to someone behind you. Either way I love the contrast of Chio’s social insecurity contrasted with her ridiculous means of going to school and dealing with situations. This is a girl that wants a normal life and yet goes to absurd levels to preserve it. It’s certainly fun, though not sure why we needed those boob bouncing animation and sound effect. Might be because the author of the manga is a genuine hentai artist which isn’t quite as rare as you might think. Anyway this looks to be a fun weekly dose of madness but it’s going to have a hell of a competitor once Grand Blue starts airing.

Potential: 70%

Mario’s review:

Chio-chan is a show with one simple premise: Chio’s misadventures on her way to school, which arguably is more suitable for shorts than a full-fledge 1 cour series. But if this premiere is any indication, I think we’re up for a good fun here. This episode walks a fine line between bizzare and relatability, boasted by the absurd situations she faces herself in, Chio’s colorful, silly yet rich inner voice and the unpredictability both in how the story progresses and in Chio’s mindset herself. These two skits paint two different aspect of her (her game nerdy side and her social anxiety side), and the tone and style in general remind me a bit of Nichijou, which is one of my favorite comedy anime. The animation is fairly basic, and not all the jokes land, most notably the bouncing boobs that just gets pale fast. Still, as someone who was dreaming the same goddamn things (what if something extraordinary happened on my way to school) in my junior years, this pretty much lands within my territory here.

Potential: 70%