Fall 2020 First Impressions: Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Noblesse, Akudama Drive

Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou

Short Synopsis: The youngest ever “national weapon” teenager gets out of prison, fights the overpowered royal witch, “princess catches” her, then sees her at the opera and gives her a cheap handkerchief.

Lenlo’s review:

I mean… eeeeeh? It’s fine? I don’t really have a lead in for this show like I do others because I can’t really find anything that is particularly praiseworthy or that dunk-worthy about it. Visually it looked fine, but something about it just feels off to me. I can’t tell if it’s a weightlessness or some other kind of inconsistency, but whenever I see Not!Kirito jump around I just can’t really get into that. That said, I do like the thick linework when it pops up and I think Saigo no Senjou is going to have a lot of good looking still shots because of it. Meanwhile story wise it’s once again very… eh? It’s not inspired in the slightest, our MC is just Kirito with just as little actual expression and the whole opening sequence of him freeing someone, to being in prison, to being freed himself and sent on a kill quest just… it rings hollow to me? It feels like someone’s first draft of “How do I make it clear he is sympathetic to witches while still letting him fight witches.” As a whole, Amun’s comparison below to Assassins Pride is apt. Because this show is just as much a nothing burger as Assassins Pride. If you have time to burn, there’s no reason not to watch it. I just don’t have any reason to watch it.

Potential: 50% I guess?

Amun’s review:

Wait, what the – this was pretty good! For a show with very little fanfare (I couldn’t even find a trailer), Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou had a nice first act. Sure it’s cheesy, but that 3D assisted fight scene looked great. And if you get over the obvious Romeo and Juliet plot being lathered everywhere (I mean they legitimately had it as a play in the episode), there are some interesting devices at work (why would a national weapon free a random enemy from max security prison?). The character designs are nothing to write home about but for a modern era fantasy/magic show – I’ve definitely seen worse. One comparable show that came to mind is Assassin’s Pride from a few seasons ago – not the highest ceiling, but it was pretty entertaining. Only problem I see is keeping the same quality for a whole season, but I’m impressed so far.

Potential: 80%

Noblesse

Short Synopsis: A godlike vampire acquires a cell phone. Meanwhile, a botched human experiment defends his brainwashed pals from an anime bully.

Wooper’s review:

It took me a while to figure out why this episode looked so stiff, but I think I’ve got it: everyone’s posture is too good. Most of the characters stand ramrod straight, with only a few of the antagonists being marked by imperfect spinal curvature. I suppose this is a logical choice, since a straight back enhances the otherworldly beauty of Raizel, the sort-of vampire at the heart of this story. Or it would have, if Rai had done anything of note in this premiere apart from send his first text message. Without a clear main character to follow, we jumped back and forth between a mercenary band, some amnesia-addled high schoolers, and M-21, a genetic experiment with Wolverine claws who’s Very Sad that his partner died. When did his partner die? During “Noblesse: Awakening,” the OVA prequel to this series, without which you may get lost during this episode. “Awakening” has a rough couple of opening minutes, but on the whole it’s a much neater technical feat than this passable TV version. If I had to guess, I’d say Noblesse will end up being the redheaded stepchild of Crunchyroll’s Webtoon adaptations (quite a feat, given how poorly the last two were received).

Potential: Watch the OVA instead

Lenlo’s review:

Round 3 on Crunchyroll’s quest of adapting Webtoons, does it fare any better than Tower of God or God of Highschool? I’ll cut right to it, the answer is no, it doesn’t. In fact it’s probably the worst of the three, both from a production and source standpoint. Where Tower of God at least attempted to give us an engaging mystery in a unique fantasy setting and where God of Highschool at least had some baller production at times to look at, Noblesse has neither of those things. It’s an uninteresting vampire show that requires you to watch an OVA prequel series just to understand anything in this first episode. Meanwhile, as Wooper says above, everything just feels… stiff. I don’t know what it is about vampire stories that brings out the worst in authors, but we can do better than this right?

Potential: Don’t watch the OVA, just go watch Hellsing instead

Akudama Drive

Short Synopsis: Half a dozen insane criminals race to prevent their leader’s beheading, and end up causing more beheadings in the process.

Wooper’s review:

This was one of the wildest anime episodes I’ve witnessed in years. It starts simply enough, cribbing from Blade Runner and Akira’s settings to create a lurid sci-fi future of its own. We’re introduced to a morally upright girl who looks to be the main character, and whose innocence will play nicely against the ugliness of dystopian city life. And then, BAM! Criminals called “Akudama” explode onto the screen one after another, leaving corpses and debris in their wake. Their arrivals are signaled by psychedelic comic book panels that consume the entire screen, while their over-the-top personalities can’t be contained by a mere 1080p display. There’s a guy whose motorcycle can shoot the same grappling wires as Attack on Titan’s maneuvering gear, a dude who dismantles at least a hundred robots via superhuman strength, and a busty doctor who operates on a dying man and kills nearly ten onlookers amidst lustful paroxysms mid-surgery. There are giant eyeball droids, laser beam fights, decapitations, and explosions galore. All of this is pulled off with rapid-fire editing and creative scene transitions that give Akudama Drive a visual language unlike anything I’ve seen in 2020. I have little faith that future episodes will match this one’s ambition, but the show has certainly earned another couple glances nonetheless.

Potential: 75%

Lenlo’s review:

You know what, I’m in. I’m down for whatever Akudama Drive is selling. From the Cyberpunk/Blade Runner-esque world to whatever absurd death game we are ending on with these collars, I am along for the ride. I agree with Wooper that the odds Akudama Drive is able to keep this absurdity up and keep it interesting are low. But for now, between the insane personalities and the sheer absurdity of our lead character turning herself into a master criminal through the power of bullshit and the sunk cost fallacy, I am down with this show.

Potential: 80%

Armitage’s review:

Guy on a ‘Tron’ bike that shoots anti-tank lasers rides on skyscraper windows and gets himself involved in a Cyberpunk Battle Royale. Eh, seems tame.

Potential: to crash and burn gloriously.

Amun’s review:

Yeah! All I want to say is the depiction of hacking as a superpower was excellent here – mostly because it involves little typing and lots of flying around on robot drones.

Potential: to have a gloriously gory body count!