Fall 2024 Impressions: Tsuma Shougakusei ni Naru, Yakuza Fiancé, Natsume’s Book of Friends S7

Tsuma, Shougakusei ni Naru

Short Synopsis: A normal family’s matriarch is reincarnated as a grade schooler.

Amun: I signed up for this one simply because the premise is…unusual to say the least. Going in, I wondered if it would try to be a lighthearted comedy, making tons of jokes about the age gap or if it would be a really tearful, heartfelt “value the time you have” message beaten over our heads. Turns out, Tsuma, Shougakusei, plays it pretty straight. There isn’t a glossing over of how weird things are, or how unusual the dynamics appear to society (the family’s wife now being substantially younger than her own daughter). Moreso, the scenarios of the juggling of the two families (how do you explain your second family as a grade schooler?) and the different romantic dynamics of the more appropriate ages are explored in a pretty clear-eyed manner. In fact, the premise is pretty much the only weird thing about this show – everything else so far has been by the book. And I like that. I really don’t know how Tsuma Shougakusei will manage all of the storylines and complications, but I appreciate the uniqueness of how it’s trying so far. It’s definitely an odd one, but I’m willing to give it a chance.
Potential: 65%

Yakuza Fiancé

Short Synopsis: The granddaughter and grandson of rival yakuza families enter into an uneasy relationship.

Wooper: I knew this show was going to be twisted, but I didn’t expect its male lead to suggest that his prospective fiance become an escort, then list some of the sexual acts she’d be expected to perform in the role. Unless Yakuza Fiance led with its most scandalous material and is planning to turn it down going forward, it seems this show will be a far cry from your typical romance anime. Another thing that sets it apart is its female protagonist’s mission: to make this unhinged dude fall hopelessly in love with her, then dump him after a year, ostensibly so that her yakuza group can take revenge or gain leverage over her target’s family. I’m hopeful that the show will dive into the specifics of how these two groups have antagonized each other in the past, since the heads of both families were the most prominent supporting characters in this premiere. As a matter of fact, it was mostly just the two teenagers and the two grandpas delivering lines this time – the show is tightly focused on a core group of people at this point, eschewing visual diversity in favor of repeated close-ups to highlight the cast’s attractiveness. This results in a rather uninvolving episode, at least from a storyboarding perspective, but the characters’ spirited personalities do keep the half hour afloat. I’ll give this one another couple episodes to develop its personal and familial conflicts, then decide whether I want to continue with it.
Potential: 40%

Natsume’s Book of Friends S7

Short Synopsis: A highschooler seeks to return spirit’s names that his grandma beat out of them.

Amun: I can’t tell you how many times I refreshed Anichart, just to make sure it wasn’t all a dream – that Natsume’s Book of Friends was returning this season. Almost exactly seven years, we’ve been waiting for the supernatural hijinks to return. And this was honestly a good, standard, Natsume episode. We were reintroduced to some of our old friends (plus Natsume’s more recent human additions), but we still got a standard, self-contained story, like we get in so many of the previous six seasons. It doesn’t look like the overall production quality has diminished, and the story still felt complete with plenty of youkai feels – I’m happy as a clam. I would say that Natsume really shines when the story advances (with glacial speed), so I’m hoping for some small advancements of the overall story and maybe some deeper looks into Reiko’s past. Overall, it’s just so great to be back.
Potential: As long as they’re making it, I’m watching it.