Category: Some Quick First Impressions

Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu

Short Synopsis (Anichart): When Saku took in a stray black cat, she never expected that he would become the equivalent of a housekeeping life partner. But Yukichi, a giant cat who towers over Saku, is not your ordinary feline. He takes great pride in his culinary skills, and a good sale at the supermarket always gets his whiskers twitching. Saku may not have her act together yet, but at least she has Yukichi!

Amun: Ah, another GoHands crazy camera experience! This wasn’t as bad as their other show, but still – calm down with those camera angles. “Dekiru Neko” isn’t quite what I expected. I felt the floor was that slideshow Househusband and the ceiling of Dragon Maid. This is something else entirely. For starters, I’m not terribly happy that the giant cat doesn’t really talk – he just “tch”s. That’s honestly kind of annoying. I think the straight-man Saku is fine, but nothing special. There’s some early intrigue with the boss (plus the neighbors who have all just accepted this giant cat living there), but we’re probably in for a pretty tame, living-with-a-maid simulator. Honestly, the fact that there’s a show like this every couple seasons kind of worries me for Japan…you guys might need to do something about that individual isolation.
Potential: 30%

Lenlo: Jesus Christ someone stop giving GoHands money. Free their animators from the hell they have been forced into. Their shows are so close to looking fine, but they always slap these weird filters or stupid camera shots onto every scene for no better reason than because they can. It’s simultaneously impressive and infuriating. Like… I can’t even remember what this show was like narratively, all I can think of is the complete mess that is its production. Who thinks this looks good? Not me, that’s for sure.
Potential: GoHands must be stopped

TenPuru

Short Synopsis (Anichart): “I know! I’ll become a monk!” Akagami Akemitsu has spent his days and nights absorbed in studying and part-time work in an effort to distance himself from his family, which is notorious as a household of philanderers. One day, he falls in love at first sight with a girl named Aoba Yuzuki, and suddenly he’s constantly drowning in worldly desires. Hoping to fight back against his genes and live a more stoic life, he enters a temple… only to find out that it’s a convent filled with gorgeous girls! So begins a new rom-com about the temple life of three adorable triplets and two beautiful freeloaders!

Lenlo: You know what, as stupid and wish-fulfillment ecchi bullshit as this premise is, I chuckled a few times. Something about the idea of a monk actively trying to avoid worldly desires and sex, rather than simping over women 24/7, is funny to me. Don’t get me wrong, TenPuru is still ecchi trash bullshit with an opening shot of nothing but scantily clad women. Do not go into this expecting some kind of clever or high-brow comedy, it’s not. But you might get a few chuckles out of it like I did. For an episode or two at least.
Potential: 5%

Amun: I mean, I’ve seen worse. Like this season – there’s plenty of worse anime. But…there are also better ones. It comes down to how much you like the waifu character designs, since the premise is abysmally stupid. Shows like these are entirely about service, and “TenPuru” seems passable there. You know what you’re here for, so if this fills that slot for ya, go for it.
Potential: 10%

Higeki no Genkyou to Naru Saikyou Gedou Last Boss Joou wa Tami no Tame ni Tsukushimasu.

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Pride Royal Ivy is only eight years old when she realizes that she’s been reincarnated, destined to become the future wicked queen and final boss of an otome game. She’s got it all in this new life: razor-sharp wit, boss-tier powers, and influence over the kingdom as crown princess. Determined to sow despair and destruction across the land, she… Wait, what kind of a rotten future is that?! Princess Pride decides to drop the maniacal villainess plan and protect the male love interests instead, cheating her way to saving everyone she can! Will this final boss end up earning the adoration of her kingdom?

Lenlo: Ah, another “Reincarnate into an otome game” series. If I had a dollar for every time this has happened… Well I’d have like 3 dollars, but it’s really weird that it’s happened that many times. I suppose this is the new Isekai trend, and in a lot of ways I’m down for it. It’s a different, if not terribly unique, take on the genre and lends itself to a lot of amusing possibilities. For instance here there aren’t really a lot of OP powers, well there’s the precognition but that’s really just having played the game,, it’s more about being given the role of a villain and trying to avoid the otherwise inevitable ending they are destined for. That’s kind of nice. It’s still not really my thing, as it’s like watching a dating sim from the other direction, but I can see some people having fun with it.
Potential: 40%

Amun: It’s been a coinflip with these kinds of villainous isekai – but “Lastame” (as it’s apparently called) has potential. Nothing fancy in the plot, but I think the character switching from being a spoiled brat to a caring monarch after the isekai revelation is solid. Also interesting is the in-world mechanic of precognition, which allows the MC’s abilities to not be questioned – that’s a nice touch. Generally speaking, this is an obvious reverse-harem where our lead doesn’t understand everyone’s falling in love with her, but hey, that’s par for the course. The question is in execution, and from what we’ve seen this first episode, I think I’ll stick around for a few more.
Potential: 60%

Jidou Hanbaiki ni Umarekawatta Ore wa Meikyuu wo Samayou

Short Synopsis (Anichart): After dying in a traffic accident, I find myself standing near an unfamiliar lake. My body won’t move, I can’t hear my voice, and when I try to shout in confusion, words that I never expected come out! “Get one free with a winner.” I-it seems I’ve turned into a vending machine…! I can only do what actual vending machines can. It’s impossible to move by myself, and there’s no way for me to have any meaningful conversation-how am I going to survive some fantasy world’s dungeon like this?!

Amun: I mean, the vending machine isekai was exactly what it said on the tin. This is almost EXACTLY the same start as “Reincarnated as a Sword”….except Mr. Sword (I guess his name was Teacher) was way more overpowered. Poor vending machine-chan could only barrier away those mean amphibians (or reptiles? Who knows). The mechanics, the relationships, the progression all feels very standard – the only originality seems to be using a vending machine instead of a person. And that would be pretty unique….except we just saw it with a sword a few seasons back. Also, this guy was a vending machine otaku? I guess that’s not that weird – if you’ve not yet had the good fortune to experience Japanese vending machines, they’re pretty great. If those got adopted universally, I wouldn’t complain at all. (Although the corn soup love is a mystery to me). What do I think of them in an isekai? I guess it could be good, but there’s nothing else special aside from that so far in “Hanbaiki”
Potential: 35%

Lenlo: You know what, I can appreciate the meme of Hanbaiki. A vending machine otaku reincarnated into one in a fantasy world? It’s just so god damn stupid I can’t help but chuckle a little. Like… the guy is so earnest about it that I can’t help but be amused. And it really went all in on the stupidity giving him stats, changing what he sells, spending points to power himself, etc. Will it be interesting enough to last for an entire season? Probably not, it’s a gag series. But for a one off episode, maybe up to 3, I imagine this will be some good fun. And if it turns into more? Well you know what, Hanbaiki earned it at that point.
Potential: 50%

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Re-adaptation of the main manga series.

Lenlo: Look, I maintain that Kenshin does not actually need this reboot. The original series was great, I never really saw what they could hope to add with this new one. And now after watching it? I’m confident that the answer is actually nothing. In fact it seems to be actively taking things away, as this reboot lacks so much of the charm of the original. Maybe this is just my nostalgia glasses from loving this series in the past, but while this modern version is visually cleaner it feels like they also cleansed a lot of the soul from it. Like in their quest to tighten up character interactions and such they lose the core of what made those relationships work. Plus while I don’t blame them for having to change the VAs, it’s been 20 years, I do think the new ones aren’t really hitting what made these characters work. I’ll watch it obviously, see if it manages to improve and find its footing. After all, the original wasn’t perfect at first either, only really showing its strengths after the first few villains came along. But if it can’t catch my attention by the time Saito shows up? I’m out.
Potential: 25%, Maybe 40% without my nostalgia glasses?

Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd Season

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The second season of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Amun: Ahhhh – I probably should have watched the movie before the season started. I did this last season with Dr. Stone, so you’d figure I’d learn my lesson. This is an episode of two halves – the first half was a weirdly textured Eternity Devil from CSM. The second half was JJK: Retro edition. I liked the latter much better, and fortunately that looks to be what’s in store for the first half of this season. I’m an anime only, so I’m honestly a tiny bit confused about who everyone is here, but I’ve identified the two main people (and, someone please help me out – is that girl related to Nobara from the main series at all? Or do they just have similar character designs?). Bottom line – JJK has always been more visual than cerebral, so as long as it keeps looking good, I’m here for it.
Potential: 75%

Lenlo: Let’s be honest here, this is Jujutsu Kaisen, you know what to expect. The show looks really good, some funky composites here and there as they continue to obsess over 3D environments, but generally it’s one of the better produced shows of the season. That should come as no surprise. What was surprising to me though was how much I enjoyed all of the little details of the episode. The character interactions, their relationships, a lot of the jokes etc. From what I remember, a lot of that is anime original too! I get that this is a flashback arc, and that it’s very different from what we will get later on, but so far Hidden Inventory is the best Jujutsu Kaisen has ever felt for me. The only concern I have with the season is the 2nd half, as I already know I don’t love the Shibuya arc nearly as much as many of the fans do. My hope is that it will look good and be a fun time at least, but for that we will have to wait and see if the production falls apart like it did in Season 1. Only time will tell on that, but for now I’m going to enjoy this 1st arc as much as I can.
Potential: 85%

Undead Girl Murder Farce

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The 19th century — a world inhabited by vampires, golems, werewolves and other paranormal creatures. Immortal beauty and disembodied head Aya Rindo, along with half-human-half-demon “Demon Killer” Tsugaru Shunichi and her loyal maid Shizuku Hasei, travels through Europe as supernatural detective “The Cage User,” solving supernatural mysteries while she searches for her lost body.

Lenlo: Undead Girl Murder Farce is easily the most engaging and interesting premier I have watched so far. Part of that is the narrative, heading to Europe to hunt down a killer and mad scientist on a mutual quest is just good fun. And of course it helps that the characters have this chemistry of mutual dismissal/disrespect/just not giving a shit that makes just them talking to each other interesting. More than any of that though, the show is just really really well shot. I don’t mean well animated or well drawn or anything, though those are also true. Just the way it frames all of its scenes kept me engaged from start to finish. Suffice to say, I’m really looking forward to this now and it’s my current favorite of the season.
Potential: 90%

Amun: Watching this, I can’t help but compare it to “Case Study of Vanitas”, which isn’t the best anime, but I very much enjoy. And I think that’s the ceiling here – a fun romp across Europe with some supernatural dynamics being explored with a new character every week. This episode really did everything right…except the fights. The overly artistic framing choices were just unnecessary, and honestly a waste of animation. I want to see the fight straight on, not through a puddle of water, sheesh. That’s a pretty small complaint, but I hope the direction doesn’t get overly artistic and forget that the viewers want to see what’s going on as well. Everything else was spot on – character introductions, setting up the premise, the big finale…great first episode. I think we’ll get into a rhythm with a mystery per week and breadcrumbs to the overall boss – and that’s great. I’ll be here for it.
Potential: 90% [The rarest of the Lenlo and Amun agreements!]

Okashi na Tensei

Short Synopsis (Anichart): A boy named Pastry is set to become the next lord of the destitute dominion of Morteln. He’s known for having remarkable talent for his age… and it just so happens he was a genius pastry chef with a promising future in his previous life! He still retains his determination to make sweets that will make everyone smile, even after reincarnating as Pastry. But many challenges stand before him, including bandits attacking his domain, malicious and eccentric nobles, an unfortunate financial situation, and land so barren that even water is scarce. The only weapons he has to fight them with are his own ingenuity and love for making sweets. Can Pastry succeed in bringing happiness to the land?!

Amun: Uh, meh. This is pretty standard fare as far as isekai go. I guess I view this as an inferior (and unnecessarily isekai’d) version of “Sugar Apple Fairy” airing later this season. There wasn’t anything terribly wrong with this episode, but there wasn’t anything terribly right. For a better (although way more harem-y), check out the farm simulator isekai from a few seasons ago. I might watch one more (I guess two came out pretty quickly?), but this is going to be low priority for me – if I even get to it.
Potential: 20%

Lenlo: You know as far as Isekai go, this is simultaneously one of the more standard of the season and one of the weirder. It’s normal in that it’s a traditional reincarnation story into a child in another world. And in that sense, it’s so painfully average. The weird part is that the one being isekai’d is actually a respectable and successful adult with their own dreams, skills and accomplishments, and that gives them a sense of purpose/goals from very early on, however silly they may be. The sad part is that it doesn’t really do anything with it. Instead just falling back on all the same silly, basic tropes of the genre and bad jokes like cross dressing and such. I wasn’t expecting much, so I’m not terribly disappointed, but for a moment I thought maybe this could at least stand with the vending machine, you know?
Potential: 40%

 

Genjitsu no Yohane: SUNSHINE in the MIRROR

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The story reimagines Yoshiko Tsushima, the school idol afflicted with chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), as a magical girl. The story is set in Numazu, a scenic harbor town surrounded by the sea and mountains. Ever since she was little, the girl Yohane has never fit in, and has always felt apart from everyone in town. Her aspirations and true place in this world lie elsewhere. The story follows this girl who can’t follow rules as she journeys into the mysterious world.

Lenlo: I was pleasantly surprised by this one, at first at least. Typically it’s the guys portrayed as chuuni, and in a pitiful fashion meant to mock them. And while it’s not exactly a praise-worthy character trait, it’s kind of cute to see it done for a female idol. It gives her a kind of arrogance that isn’t off putting because it comes from a place of ignorance/childishness rather than just being an asshole. Does this mean the show is for me? Not really, I’m not huge on this stuff. Especially with this weird fantasy/modern japan mix with huge talking dogs and shit. But that’s more regarding my own tastes rather than the show itself being bad. Yohane genuinely feels like something new/interesting in the genre. Or at least… it did until it shifted into being a magical girl show set in a small rural town. Suffice to say I wasn’t big on this shift, I think it would have been better if it stuck with the chuuni trying to make it big in Tokyo. Maybe it can strike a balance as it goes, but personally I won’t be around to really find out.
Potential: 25%

Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta

Short Synopsis (Anichart): With the new school year comes a new homeroom, new classmates, and a new desk for the timid Komura. But any trepidation he might’ve felt quickly dissipates when he catches sight of Mie, his new seat neighbor. Apt to quietly blurt out the most random things, the quirky Mie wears thick glasses that accentuate her lovely eyes, making Komura’s heart skip a beat!

Lenlo: Jesus H Christ GoHands what did I just watch. This is that “Graphic design is my passion” meme but with cinematography. Like fuck the actual show, I can’t get over just the visuals they are trying to create. Parts of it look fine but then they go on these weird extended tracking shots and absolutely annihilate everything with after effects. It’s like no one taught them the meaning of the word restraint while at the same time not having enough skill for anyone to care. I just… I need to process this. Don’t watch it, it’s terrible, just look at twitter for the incredibly stupid highlights.
Potential: GoHands? GoAway.

Amun: I’m not quite as down on this as Lenlo is, but I do admit the camera (fish-eye I guess?) angles were very distracting. And for no good reason too, since the remainder of the animation was really quite decent. I’m pretty against CGI generally, but there are exceptions I’ll stand for (Beastars comes to mind in recent seasons) – honestly, “Suki na Ko” is probably watchable without those weird shots. Mie’s hair isn’t going to challenge Pixar’s “Brave” any time soon, but I could live with it – the other characters were pretty fluid and didn’t strike visual discord. While the plot isn’t anything novel, I’ve established through my reviews from last season I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories. What I’m basically saying is I managed to get through the whole episode and thought “I’ll watch another one.”
Potential: 40%

Yumemiru Danshi wa Genjitsushugisha

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Sajou Wataru, who is deeply in love with his beautiful classmate Natsukawa Aika, is continuing to approach her without getting discouraged while having dreams about their mutual love. However one day he woke up thinking “I am not really fit to be together with someone as good as her, huh…” Upon realizing this, Wataru started keeping an appropriate distance towards her, much to Aika’s surprise. “Could it be that he hates me now…?” Did his intentions slip by her because she was getting impatient after arriving at the wrong conclusion!? This is the start of a romcom revolving around two people who just cant get their feelings across and both think their love is unrequited!

Amun: I will ALWAYS give props to a show that gives me something original, even if there are other issues. And “Yumemiru Danshi” does just that – I cannot recall off the top of my head another show where a semi-stalker goes “you know what, that was excessive, let’s chill out.” What makes this great is that the rest of his class have accepted this behavior as normal and are pretty disturbed when he stops – legit worried about him. I think there’s a good story here – the main girl’s realization that maybe she should have been a bit more receptive but now is playing off the back foot…that’s a great evolution for the genre. There are some flaws, no doubt, but I’m definitely intrigued by something that’s not just checking through the standard boxes to get to season’s end – “Yumemiru Danshi” really could be something special. I’m hoping it is.
Potential: 75%

Lenlo: Gonna be honest, that Za Warudo moment at the start really freaking confused me. That aside, Yumemiru feels like a rather safe romance for the season. I’m not wowed by it but I’m also not seeing any real red-flags either. It’s not filled with bad ecchi jokes, the characters aren’t fawning over each other from moment one, the MC isn’t a faceless unlikable loser living out wish-fulfillment. If anything this idea of the MC falling out of love with someone, or at least realizing they aren’t good enough for them and appearing to, and that in turn worrying his friends and confusing his love interest, is kind of amusing. I’m not big on highschool romances personally, I just can’t relate to it anymore as I’ve long since reached the phase where it’s easier to just ask and take a yes or no then agonize over it, but I can see lovers of the genre genuinely enjoying this. At the very least I think it might be worth giving it a try.
Potential: 50%

Jitsu wa Ore, Saikyou Deshita?

Short Synopsis (Anichart): After being a shut-in, Haruto is reincarnated as a baby. And amazingly, that baby is a prince! However, he’s abandoned in a forest on the day he’s born because of his low magic level… What will be the fate of Haruto, who was inadvertently given 1000 times the normal amount of magic by the goddess of reincarnation without anyone noticing?!

Amun: Let’s get the good point (singular) out of the way: I liked the twist with the second life parents rejecting the child. That’s a nice adaptation. Now the bad: everything else. The character list shows absolutely no imagination. To be honest, the moment the contracted demon turned into a human to give breast milk to the reincarnated baby was where you lost me. That’s such a weird adaptation that modern isekai keeps doing: starting from the baby stage. Please stop. To sum it up: there’s probably going to be a good isekai this season – but you’ll have to keep looking, since there’s nothing worthwhile here.
Potential: 0%

Lenlo: Man this show really didn’t waste any time did it? 30 seconds in and already the deadbeat MC is being reincarnated by a big-titty blond woman with copious assets. Now to be fair, the gag of him getting immediately abandoned was amusing for about 30 seconds. Beyond that though this really is just trashy isekai with a budget Holo. It’s basic wish fulfillment on every level with absolutely nothing unique or interesting to say about the genre. Like Jesus Christ, give me Shield Hero or Gate or even SAO over this. Hell I’d even take Mushoku Tensei, if only because that one will at least look good. But this? It’s so bland I almost forgot what I had just watched the moment it ended.
Potential: There are better isekai this season, watch them.

Lv1 Maou to One Room Yuusha

Short Synopsis (Anichart): After his embarrassing defeat at the hands of a brave hero, the Demon Lord is back and ready for revenge… but after ten years apart, the hero, Max, isn’t the dashing do-gooder the Demon Lord remembers. In fact, Max has turned into a shut-in slob with no interest in an epic rematch. Can the Demon Lord whip his former nemesis back into shape, or will he be defeated by the hero-turned-couch-potato once again and join him in his lazy life?

Amun: I’m mixed on “Lv 1 Maou”. We’re starting to see this type of post-adventure hero premise crop up more and more (one of the OG’s sequels, “Hataraku Maou-sama” is also airing this season). This is a great starting point, but the devil is in the details (in this case literally). What’s good: the complexity of the characters and storylines. Obviously, much has happened in the ten years, and it’s truthfully pretty believable. I think the main characters also have a pretty good basis and can be built on nicely. What’s bad? The lowbrow aspects. Plus the demon king being in weird outfits – just kind of a strange twist. I get that they want it to be comedic with the other overtones being pretty heavy, but I’m not sure that hits the right notes here. Bonus: although she was only onscreen very briefly, I am very down with the original party’s mage. I’m guessing she’s the current ghost though. “Lv1” has generally good aesthetics and visuals, so I’ll probably see it out for a few more at least.
Potential: 50%

Lenlo: I gotta say, I really really wanted to enjoy Lv1 Maou. The idea of a villain whipping a retired hero into shape to defeat them is right up my alley, I’m a complete sucker for mutual respect between enemies after all. But then Lv1 Maou had to go and ruin it by filling itself with poorly made lewd jokes like constantly focusing on the helpers ass, the hero looking at porn/holding onto an onahole and dressing up a minor in inappropriate outfits. Had it just played it straight and focused on a man who had fallen from grace and a former enemy who wanted his worthy challenger back it could have worked. And what really sucks is that there are traces of that greatness there. I genuinely enjoyed a lot of the Demon Lord and Max’s interactions, there was some great stuff in there as he gives up hope and the Demon Lord tries to build him up, or as the reminisce about their past. If it can just drop the poorly written attempts at lewd humor and focus on building a piece of shit back into a respectable human being then I wager this can be a decent time. At the very least I want to give it a few more before it really disappoints me.
Potential: Tentative 35%, I dearly hope it can work

Mononogatari 2nd Season

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The second season of Mononogatari.

Amun: I bashed “Monogatari” (no relation to NISIOISIN) earlier in these previews as being subpar visually. And the first episode has made me reconsider that a little – there really weren’t any major moments that jarred me like the first season had in abundance. Is this just a case of getting the first episode right when the production schedule is still on pace? No idea, but it’s an improvement nonetheless. Season 1 was a build up to the main conflict of the inner deity living inside the main girl – this season looks to get into that in greater depth. I felt the first season was decent, so I have high(er) hopes for this sequel. If the visuals keep up, this is a solid show. Without it – mediocre.
Potential: 65%

Ryza no Atelier: Tokoyami no Joou to Himitsu no Kakurega

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The story of Ryza, a fledgling alchemist, who escaped her boring daily life with her friends to pursue her dreams.

Lenlo: Ryza no Atelier has one goal, and that’s to engrain the following message into as many peoples heads as possible: Thicc Thighs Save Lives. That’s not even a joke, I’m pretty sure this show exists entirely off of the sex appeal of Ryza’s thighs. Why else would they get shoved into every shot possible. Character picking tomatoes? Frame it so her thighs are eye level with his head. Girl standing up? Pan the camera down to her ass centered on her thigh gap. 2 characters standing side by side in a fullbody shot? Apply specular highlights and blush to her thigh meat so it stands out. It is legitimately 50 minutes of leg meat. That’s right, this is a double feature of a premier. On a more serious note, it’s a pretty classic jrpg plot. Local village kids want to get out of their small-town lives and decide to go on an adventure. They fight some goofy slimes, form a party of adventurers, and generally just wander around in classically overdone jrpg outfits. There’s nothing particularly impressive about its production (Aside from the thighs), it doesn’t move all that well or that much. If you’ve played the games then you know exactly what you’re in for, and if you haven’t then there probably isn’t much to hold your attention past this double feature. I know there isn’t much holding me.
Potential: Thicc Thighs out of 10

Amun: Yoooo, Lelno is NOT joking about the THICCCCNESS of this show. I mean, I started to get concerned for her circulation – between those shorts and the thigh highs, that can’t be promoting healthy blood flow. Something like half your blood is in your legs, right? Anyways – “Ryza no Atelier” is a rather uninspired plot. Nice setting, but I was very bored throughout the hour long introduction. There is an immense amount of dumbness present as well. Staggering amounts. Almost more than the thighs.
Potential: 0 thighs for me

Uchi no Kaisha no Chiisai Senpai no Hanashi

Short Synopsis (Anichart): Shinozaki is an office worker who is taken care of and coddled by his senior team member Shiori Katase, who is a gorgeous, profoundly kind, loving, and diminutive woman. Shinozaki certainly hopes that she’s not doing it out of duty… but her joy of doing so increasingly exposes her feelings!

Lenlo: Look let’s not beat around the bush, this is fetish wish fulfillment for people into short stacked girls, only this time instead of being a loli the character is actually legal. Baby steps. Or adult steps, in this case. That said if all you’re looking for is ecchi bait then you might want to go elsewhere, because this seems to be trying to portray itself as more of a wholesome romance with some lewd jokes then an actual ecchi show. Personally I think it plays things a bit to forward to be taken seriously as a romance. The series is basically a middle/highschool rom com that happens to take place in an office, not an actual adult work-place romance. But if you want something chill and straight forward between 2 consenting adults then I think you could do a lot worse than this.
Potential: 30%

Amun: This show somehow insists on using the absolute worst parts of any ecchi/ero – the setup. It’s like the entire show is going to be the lead up and none of the payoff. The problem here – and where previous shows have done a better job – is that it’s about your two main characters’ journey to romance. “Uchi no Kaisha” is so obviously one step from the finish line (in perhaps more than 1 way…) that there’s no potential for growth here. And that doesn’t make for an interesting story. At least the visuals are on point – it’s clear that there’s plenty of love for the characters from the staff. I don’t hate that, and I usually like these kinds of shows, but I need something more substantial to make it through this season here.
Potential: 30%

AYAKA

Short Synopsis (Anichart): The story follows Yukito Yanagi, an orphan who one day encounters an eccentric disciple of his father’s. The strange man takes him to his birthplace on Ayakajima, made up of seven islands where mysterious beings called “Mitama” and dragons are rumored to reside. There, Yukito meets his father’s two other disciples, who protect the harmony of Ayakajima… which soon threatens to collapse.

Lenlo: My initial impressions of Ayaka are mixed. The surface at least appears to be a rather standard emotionless/blank-slate self-insert MC with a cast largely defined by whatever their primary color is. The setting is fine, and I’m always a bit of a sucker for oni/cultural monsters and shit. Plus it being an original gives me a slight hope that it could do something good with the MC slowly opening up. As far as thinly-veiled shows about self-acceptance goes, I’ve seen worse. I’m just not terribly enthralled by it either yet.
Potential: 20%

Amun: Okay, this is basically a worse looking (if that’s even possible), worse written version of Monogatari, which has a second season airing this summer. There are too many characters, the mechanics of the world are wonky, and the visuals are flatly subpar. Monogatari is going to be my show that fills the supernatural slot this season, so my recommendation is to skip this. I do like the train on the water between islands, though.
Potential: 5%

Oshi No Ko

Short Synopsis: Doctor meets his favorite idol who is secretly pregnant, then gets killed, and is reborn as her kid like that day.

Amun: I, uh, yeah, this ain’t for me. One of my absolute non-starters for the “reincarnation” (I guess this isn’t technically an isekai?) is the restart from a baby and all the infant activities done with an adult mind. It’s a bit messed up (there’s a reason your memories wipe around 3). Getting to this behemoth of an episode, the animation is fine and the characters sure do sparkle. Unfortunately, the idol genre is a dish I very rarely enjoy, so it has to be something truly special to keep me interested (pretty much just “Zombie Land Saga”). Full disclosure: I only watched about 25 minutes to where there was some children feeding, but that’s about the length of a single episode, which is all I’m really willing to give this show. I just wonder what the target demographic here is: you need to enjoy reborn shows, but also shows about idols, but also shows about little kids. Seems a fairly small intersection – I guess “Spy x Family” for idol fans? Just a very strange premise. You get the stalker otaku, some murder, some intrigue, bunch of scummy entertainment people, whatever. “Oshi No Ko” just didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth, so I’m sure not coming back for seconds (or even finishing this first gigantic plate).

P.S. I’m no conspiracy theorist, but has anyone else noticed a bunch of anime getting greenlit that involve child-rearing and how great it is? I can only think of “Beelzebub” from back in the day – there couldn’t possibly be an agenda to try and help out the herbivore Japanese population, could there?
Potential: 0%

Mario: Now, this is unusual. Oshi no Ko’s first episode turned out to be a feature length affair, and after going through it, I don’t think it deserves its long, long runtime. Well, the exact phrase should be: it doesn’t deserve 80 minutes of my time since I would normally drop it after 20 minutes. The episode takes a critical look at the idol industry. It’s clearly established how our idol girl/mom Ai is “made of lies.” It also goes to great lengths to hit the point home that the idol industry is an unforgiving place where talent alone isn’t enough. Those are critical observations, sure, but the issue I have with the episode is that it’s also a wish-fulfillment fantasy about a fully-grown adult reincarnated as that idol’s son. That is why he gets a free pass to act in a film, and there are many other instances where I feel like I’m watching a scene from Boss Baby. The writing is blatant at times. There’s a scene where our main guy, still in his adult body, is confronted by an obsessive fan of Ai’s, and his very first reaction was to admit that she’s staying at the hospital where he works. I also don’t get why the show keeps his twin sister’s real identity a secret from him. They are together like… all the time. This review is running long so I’ll cut it short here – despite spending time with these characters the longest, I have very little interest to find out more about any of them or the true killer’s identity.
Potential: Not deserving of its length

A Galaxy Next Door

Short Synopsis: A desperate mangaka hires a proficient assistant who turns out to be a princess.

Wooper: You know how the old saying “write what you know” has resulted in a lot of novels about English professors contemplating adultery? Well, A Galaxy Next Door is cut from a similar cloth, only it took the adage less literally – it’s about an (unmarried) manga artist named Ichiro falling in love with his female assistant Shiori, but she’s also a princess, and also not human, and also her tail acts as a portal to another realm. The show gives her a convincingly human appearance in order to save all these reveals until the last few minutes, and in my opinion they constitute the only interesting part of the episode. Much of the rest of its runtime involved Ichiro fretting over the deadline for his next chapter, talking to his boring family, and passing pages to Shiori or telling her she’s allowed to take a break (she naturally refuses all such offers, this being a Japanese production). I know it’s hard to make a meticulous process like drawing manga seem entertaining, but Galaxy Next Door takes such a grounded approach that it doesn’t even attempt to tackle that issue. The show looks remarkably plain, as well – every single interior shot made me doubt Ichiro’s compositional skills, given the drab state of his building (did I mention he’s also a landlord?), and the character designs are some of the dullest of the season. It’s a shame that one of the few adult romances we’ve received in recent years had to end up this way, but at least last season’s Koori Zokusei Danshi fared a bit better on the production front.
Potential: 10%

Amun: By the way, in case anyone else got confused, this is NOT the anime about the kids with insomnia and the observatory. I also did not realize this was a reverse-isekai either. This premise is weird – but I do appreciate how wonderful it is to find a competent assistant. I also liked how straightforward the characters are here….and then things got a little bit weird. Overall, the visual quality does feel a bit low, but I didn’t hate the characters or the settings. Just kind of a very complicated setup off the bat – there could have been some slow playing all the various parts (landlord manga artist has to raise his two little kids and gets an assistant who is a star princess with a spiky tail who is a fan of his….hey, at least they didn’t use that as the title of the show). I might watch a few more, but since the little kids look like the primary supporting cast (and the inevitable other neighbors in the building), this doesn’t look like it’ll hold my interest for an entire season.
Potential: 40%

Ousama Ranking:
The Treasure Chest of Courage

Short Synopsis: Bojji and Kage get up to all kinds of hijinks…set in the middle of the first season?

Mario: This season is a batch of side-stories from Ousama Ranking, which also means that it’s more of Ousama Ranking without an actual arc. If you are already a fan of these characters (I am), or want to see more worldbuilding (I do), then this season should be a treat!! Well, that’s only partly right. If this first episode is any indication, it will tell heart-warming tales about our Bojji and Kage that should please the audience, but at the same time, it already feels repetitive. That feeling is not from the set-up (which is different enough), but more from its educational message. “Being kind” and compassionate is obviously a theme here, and it’s an important attribute for Bojji to be a great King in the future. I adore Ousama’s Ranking world and characters for sure, but I hope the season provides enough reasons for me to care beyond that.
Potential: 40%

Amun: The rarest of sequels – the mid-quel! I can only think of “Steins;Gate” as an example of this off the top of my head, although there are tons of spinoffs that tell the same story with different characters. And it was good! (well, the OP song was very not good, but the video was fine). This looks to be basically all the filler episodes that weren’t present in the first season – that’s fine with me, since we already know the larger plot. I don’t actually mind that, since it doesn’t interfere with the larger stories and can be all fun no stakes – “Reincarnated As a Slime” did that recently, and I thought it was great. Animation remains top notch, characters are still good, and we won’t have any of the weird Miranjo stuff to deal with (I hope). This may not win any awards, but I’ll watch this.
Potential: 75%

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion

Short Synopsis: A girl dies and is conveniently reincarnated into the world of a novel she’s already read.

Mario: This series is yet another isekai where the isekai-ing itself doesn’t make much sense. Yes, Raeliana retains her knowledge from her past life to change her fate – in a concept similar to Hamefura, only 100% more serious, but the show glosses over the whole concept by her narrating: “… and I was reborn as a character in a novel.” It might sound like a good idea on paper to speed up the established tropes to get to the main points, but right at the start I wasn’t totally convinced on what the show tries to sell me. Raeliana, on the other hand, is an interesting female lead to follow. As she already knows how she would die, she tries her best, to the point of manipulation, to escape that route. That leads to somewhat intriguing conflict, but at the cost of other characters. It is amusing to see how the plot goes from there, now that she narrowly escapes her fated death but might get herself tangled up in a bigger scheme. But at the same time, the other characters are painfully plain at the moment given the fact that Raeliana already “knows” about their personalities, their past and their motives. How it balances that out will determine the success of the show, but for those of you who are already under Raeliana’s spell, there’s a lot to look forward to.
Potential: 30%

Wooper: Sometimes the best way to explain that a TV show is poorly written is to provide a scene by scene summary of a single episode, since every aspect of its script is a misstep of some kind. That’s the approach I want to take with this series, but then I’d end up writing a novel – though on the plus side, I’m sure it would be more entertaining than the novel within which Raeliana now lives. Suffice to say, this series is drowning in expository narration, with multiple scenes grinding to a halt so the title character can explain the political situation of her country, or some piece of court intrigue about which a competent author would write an actual story, rather than inserting a “the story so far” segment into their very first episode. For most anime fans this axe-blunt style isn’t a dealbreaker – I’m just an old crank, so if you enjoyed this premiere, please pay me no mind. I do want to draw your attention to one particularly humorous moment, though, where Raeliana mentally protests her fiance’s clinginess by thinking, “I even read a book for this!” Here she’s referring to “How to Break Up with Your Boyfriend,” a tome whose wisdom fails to produce a clean end to her engagement, leaving her hitched to a man she hates – and the worst part of the whole situation is that she had to read a boring old book, with words and everything. Oh, the humanity!
Potential: Not for me

Dead Mount Death Play

Short Synopsis: After being defeated in his own world, a necromancer known as the Corpse God flees to Earth and takes the form of a young boy.

Lenlo: I will admit, I am a bit curious about Dead Mount Death Play. I thought it was just going to be a standard isekai at first, and in parts it still is. An OP MC transported to another world. But the two things that make it stand out to me are that it’s the villain and that it’s bringing them to our world. Now both of these have been done before, neither are new. But they are both something I tend to enjoy at least a little bit. Combine that with a respectable production, nothing super impressive but definitely better then most of the shlock I’ve had to watch for these impressions. I’ve no idea if Dead Mount will actually end up being interesting, or if it will be edgy shlock, I can see it going either way. And while I would lean towards it just being edgy, as that’s the easiest thing for it to do, I’m going to give it another episode or two and see where it can go.
Potential: 20%

Wooper: You know an anime is in a dire spot when you can only think to praise it for avoiding the absolute worst tendencies of its genre. Backhanded compliments like, “At least this episode isn’t shitting itself with menu screens,” and, “The protagonist might not have a harem for once,” went through my mind as I watched Dead Mount Death Play. I certainly can’t dish out any unqualified praise for this episode, since its action sequences bit off way more than they could chew, and its dubstep/metal soundtrack was surely the result of an aging producer’s midlife crisis. The overreliance on digital effects, such as those used for spellcasting circles and scribbly-looking spirits, couldn’t stop this premiere from looking (and feeling) interminably gray. If this anime were a person, it would have multiple swords mounted on the walls of its living room, wear a cape to the grocery store, and use the word “epic” in conversation at least thirty times per day. The fact that this is one of the better isekai of the season and I still hate it makes me hope that it’s also one of the last ones I ever have to watch. I know that’s a highly biased thing to say, but I’m beyond caring about objectivity at this point.
Potential: 0%

THE MARGINAL SERVICE

Short Synopsis: People dressed as construction workers take down bad NOT “aliens”.

Wooper: The Marginal Service’s appeal lies in just how seriously it takes its dumbass premise, despite cribbing nearly every part of it from American police movies. It starts by ripping off a string of “rebel cop” tropes and applying them to its protagonist, Brian Nightraider (yes, you read that name correctly). He stumbles onto a case that’s way above his pay grade, gets fired for his loose cannon tendencies, refuses to turn in his gun, drinks straight from a bottle of liquor at his former partner’s graveside – the whole nine yards. Then he’s recruited by a secret government organization, where he switches roles and becomes the upstart rookie, partnered with a no-nonsense veteran who clearly resents his new position. Then we go full Men in Black and kill an alien with specialized weapons while keeping the general public in the dark – though in one of the series’ rare differences from its “inspirations,” the Marginal Service agents wear construction uniforms rather than suits (a clear upgrade, if you ask me). All this shameless retreading of decades-old plot beats coaxed a couple smiles from me, but then came the character intro cards at the end, including one for “Peck Desmont,” an angry-looking squirrel who appeared nowhere else in the episode. This caused me to laugh way harder than I had at any moment from the 16 other shows I previewed this season – that’s got to count for something, right?
Potential: 20% for my boy Peck Desmont

Amun: You know, I was willing to give some benefit of the doubt here to this rogue-cop-recruited-by-secret-government-agency show until the construction power rangers showed up. Like, what?! Everything else was pretty by the numbers (except the partner’s death, honestly – that surprised me) and then….might morphin construction time (I guess without the giant robot). I’m honestly kind of stuck on how weird the costumes are, but looking at the other merits of the episode….meh. This lacks the conflict between worlds that made a similar show “Cop Craft” at least interesting. “Marginal Service” instead opts to assemble a misfit ensemble of…anime foreigner stereotypes? To fight “borderlanders” (well, aliens). Huh. UH HUH. I guess the white devil is out of vogue, so we’ve got the black muscle man and the British playboy plus a token slut (those are the actual characters here, don’t judge me). I just sense a bit of message telegraphing with some mediocre plot and production randomly sprinkled with wack construction outfits that make no sense. This is a N-O-P-E from me.
Potential: No thanks.

Ao no Orchestra

Short Synopsis: A former violinist is conscripted by his gym teacher to teach a schoolmate how to play.

Mario: Adding to the long list of Blue-themed titles (on that note, which one is your favorite? Mine would be “Sweet Blue Flowers”), Blue Orchestra’s first episode, despite walking a familiar path, is a solid episode all around. What this episode did right was providing a main lead worth caring for. Anime is no stranger to portray listless bored male leads, but here he never comes off as boring. Hajime is occupied with his own thoughts throughout the episode, but it provides quite well his internal conflict between his love for violin, the hatred for it because it associates with his Dad. Even when he sees the practice room, he cannot shake his memories of his Dad. The show looks pretty decent, thankfully, but it’s appropriately the sound that makes an impact here. The violin sound from an unknown girl ticks him off and he lashes out at her, the only one time in this episode where he clearly shows his emotions. The ending is where it gets a bit too conventional but the premise where he can play again (this time in an orchestra) is compelling enough for me to follow more.
Potential: 60%

Wooper: I talked down this series’ prospects in the season preview post, but Ao no Orchestra’s premiere wasn’t too bad. It opened with an impressive musical sequence as Aono (first name Hajime) recalled a time when he still enjoyed playing the violin, and slowly provided hints as to what killed his motivation as it progressed. The trouble is, when I say “slowly” provided hints, I really mean it – the pace of this episode was ponderous, with around half the script being given over to Aono’s internal monologue. Director Seiji Kishi seems to have made a lot of good calls in shaping this series, as he punctures the gloomy atmosphere with humorous outbursts from time to time, and the leisurely speed of the story is necessary so as not to overwhelm the middling animation staff. But the tone is still highly dramatic, and I don’t know that Aono can carry such a heavy version of the show with just an Asuka clone and an adult sidekick for support. (I know more characters will be introduced soon, but the guy’s name is a pun on the series’ title, so it’s clear he’ll be the focal point.) Layouts like these also feel uncomfortably vacant, meaning the show has to fight an uphill battle on the visual front. I do want to stress that Ao no Orchestra is better than I expected, though – you may enjoy it more than I did.
Potential: 30%

Summoned to Another World for a Second Time

Short Synopsis: Isekai 2: Electric Boogaloo in Another World (Again).

Lenlo: I’m tired of impressions by this point, so let me just be upfront: This is taking the idea of someone being isekai’d, bringing their whole class with them, and turning them into the most popular and powerful person around. Except this time instead of just having one harem of anime women, now they have two to pull from! I’ll be honest, if this was trying to riff on the idea of Isekai akin to Isekai Ojisan, I might be able to have some fun with it. But I sort of just tuned out the moment the lead slapped a strong female character on the ass and turned her into a domesticated seat. Yeah, no thanks.
Potential: -100%

Amun: Ah you know, what’s a little masochism among old party-mates? Okay, in all fairness, that was a pretty strange (and a bit off-color) twist. However, I didn’t completely hate the rest of the premise – it feels like the isekai genre is trying to evolve, and these various mutations are the means to do it. Summoned a second time? That’s at least something slightly original, so props for that. Now, the implementation from the mediocre animation to the use of a hero as a chair leaves something to be desired, but I think there’s at least a glimmer of hope for an enjoyable show here (the use of magic for the promised haircut was a nice touch too). Now, mind you, it’s only a glimmer – more than likely this devolves into a power fantasy harem, but let me hope here. At least one isekai will exceed expectations this season, right?!
Potential: 15%

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 2

Short Synopsis: Wearing bear related attire gives an adventurer super powers, and there are lots of cute girls.

Amun: This show is a bit of a meme, but it’s a cute meme. Yes, it’s just cute girls doing cute things in a world seemingly devoid of men, but come on – who doesn’t love bear pancakes? There really isn’t too much to think about here, but it is interesting to see our loveable adventure bear getting pulled more into the world’s politics. Also, who knew that a bear’s weakness was fighting other bears? That’ll be interesting to see if Yuna ever has to face off against her own kind – fortunately, that wasn’t this episode. If you didn’t watch the first season, this probably isn’t for you, but if you don’t mind some nauseating cuteness and the bear motifs everywhere – Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 2 is your ticket. I’ll be watching it, but I will certainly forgive anyone who doesn’t want to come along for the ride.
Potential: 60%

Insomniacs after school

Short Synopsis: Two sleepless kids meet at their school’s astronomy observatory.

Lenlo: Insomniacs… Wasn’t bad. Maybe it’s because insomnia is a bitch, and I myself find it difficult to sleep at night. I can connect with that. Two people bonding over it in their little clubhouse for day-time naps is kind of cute. And the show looks fine! The character designs remind me of I Am A Hero, a manga I’ve long enjoyed. Just enough realism to their proportions and structure to feel nice without being prohibitively hard to animate. For all intents and purposes, Insomniacs seems like a solid enough highschool romance. The real question is just if that’s enough. Will it be able to remain interesting during its run, will it hold my interest? Or will I check out by episode 3 because it’s just another highschool rom-dram? Only time will tell, but it’s enough to make me give it a shot. I have a bit of hope though, because the second half as they wandered around during the night was much better than the first half.
Potential: 40%

Mario: It’s interesting to see the differences in approach between this show and last year’s “Call of the Night”. While the vampire show provokes such a distinct feeling of roaming the street at night, “Insomniacs” doesn’t go to night time until the last 5 minutes. Its focus is entirely different, about two sharing the same secrets, that of they both can’t sleep at night, and that they find a place completely their own. At its best moments, “Insomniacs” successfully sells their unusual bond where they can sleep soundly together. But at worst, the show still has its romance / coming-to-age trappings that make it feels more familiar with other romance anime. In fact, “Insomniacs” reminds me more of “Let Me Eat Your Pancreas”, a film with a similar lead girl – hyperactive but sickly girl and a premise of them spending time together “as friends”. Overall, the episode is functional, the show provides good reasons for these two to know and spend more time with each other, but it doesn’t have the nuance that I found in better romance shows like say Skip and Loafer.
Potential: 50%

Magical Destroyers

Short Synopsis: Japan cracks down on Otaku-ism and carts them off to otaku camps. A resistance forms and is…surprisingly successful?

Amun: “Magical Destroyers” is one of the few original works this season, so not much was known about it coming into the premiere. What we’ve got is a “specialized dystopia” (a la Shimoneta or to a lesser extent Kill La Kill) where being a rabid fan of anything is punishable by incarceration. Seems pretty extreme to me, but Japan historically has not been known for public policy moderation. I just wasn’t enchanted so far – the main character designs felt more appropriate for supporting cast, and the enemies feel downright lazy. I do think some of the little jokes are pretty good, like the magical girl transformation where she has to change her shirt manually. This is pretty clearly going to be a love-letter to otaku culture, but I don’t think that’s really enough to carry a full season. We’ll see, but so far, I’m not just not feeling it (although that ED was quite a trip).
Potential: 5%

Mario: There’s just something missing in this premiere that doesn’t click with me. The episode provides a neat backstory of a “post-apocalyptic” world (not really!! But it feels like that to these otaku) where the world is against the otaku population. It also has a vibrant style and a clear love for the culture, which will obviously appeal to some fans out there. However, Magical Destroyers does a very poor job of establishing its characters and their abilities, so there’s a huge gap in-between “2008” and the present-day that I cannot cross. Take Otaku Hero, our… ahem… hero, for instance. He says that he’s tired of the ongoing wars and he wants to quit. Fair enough, except that we haven’t seen one goddamn thing he achieved beforehand. Every member in the resistance keeps saying that “we are totally dependent on him for everything” – but what is “everything”? I don’t see any of that here. The show then attempts to give us some brief slideshow-type flashbacks on how Otaku Hero enjoys fighting with everyone, but for me they function like implant memories because he did next to nothing up to that point from my perspective. Furthermore, we have Anarchy, a magical girl who… doesn’t transform for unknown reasons, and then she has these overpowering skills out of nowhere. I mean, if they stick with real life (2008’s flashback is the world we lived in), then adding anime-power just doesn’t gel at all.
Potential: 0%

EDENS ZERO 2nd Season

Short Synopsis: Guy who was raised by robots and a wannabe influencer with a robot cat are trying to find the celestial being at the center of the universe for fun or something.

Amun: One of my (few) complaints about Edens Zero is the weird non-linear temporal narration. We see it again here in the opening episode, and honestly, it’s just confusing. With Weis’ older/younger self situation, there are way more elements of time travel in this show than there’s any reason to be. Aside from that small complaint, Edens Zero is back to where we left off – the team is off to fight Draken Joe and looking space sexy doing it. It’s pretty straightforward what this season’s conflict will be, and that’s perfectly fine. As long as Edens Zero can avoid wandering into weird future/past paradoxes, I think we’ll be in for another fun ride!
Potential: 80%