Uzumaki
Short Synopsis: One by one, the residents of a small Japanese town fall victim to a spiral-themed curse.
Mario: It feels surreal that we finally get to watch Uzumaki after all the delays. This is my first time watching Uzumaki material (wrong judgment on my part given I wanted to watch this anime afresh, and how many years did it make us wait again?) despite being familiar with Junji Ito’s styles through his other works. The result is delightfully mixed. For example, I kind of see the reasons why Uzumaki goes black and white. It’s much more faithful to the source material that way, and it elevates Junji Ito’s iconic character designs. But on the other hand, this is the kind of material that would greatly benefit if it has a strong impressionist color palette (I think the 2000 live action version used green as its dominant color). The same could be said for the events that unfold in this episode. At its best, it provokes the Lynchian surreal feelings of something terribly wrong happening, the extremity of obsession and not knowing what will come next. And many of the characters’ visions are striking and disturbing. At its worst, however, there’s ridiculously bad dialogue, to the point that it’s more pulpy than scary. You won’t feel for any of the characters because most of them are unlikable and hard to relate to. Nevertheless, I had a crunchy time watching it and definitely will see it to the end.
Potential: 50%
Lenlo: I was actually pleasantly surprised by Uzumaki. Remember how in the season preview I was concerned about the adaptation to animation, and how I felt it would lose some of Junji Ito’s original magic? Well I’m happy to report that I was wrong, and the adaptation actually does a solid job. Movements are still stilted, a lot of my concerns from the PV are still there, but when made into a full episode it becomes disconcerting in a way that works well with Uzumaki’s horror. I will say, I disagree with Mario that it would be better in color. I actually quite like the black and white, and think color would only serve to distract from the imagery, or dilute it perhaps, as the way Junji Ito uses black and white is such an important part of his works. It’s not perfect, some of the dialogue is awkward like Mario said, but overall I think that if you enjoy Junji Ito’s work or are looking for a solid lovecraftian horror anime, Uzumaki will be perfect for you. That said, I think it might be best to wait until all the episodes are out and to then binge them in one sitting, just like you would read the original work in one sitting.
Potential: 75%
Let This Grieving Soul Retire
Short Synopsis: An incompetent clan leader mismanages his faction, but everything still works out for him in the end.
Wooper: There are two parts to this fantasy premiere. The first takes place at a clan recruitment event, where the main character goes undercover to observe the potential trainees; the second follows him to his workplace, where he grovels at his boss’s feet to avoid the consequences of an explosion at the aforementioned event. Both are kickstarted by a flashback featuring the protagonist’s childhood friends, and quickly chased with line after droning line regarding Grieving Soul’s world, which is about as unimaginative as it gets. Very basically, there are treasures hidden in ruins and guarded by monsters, and hunters have organized themselves into parties and clans in order to defeat the monsters and secure treasure for themselves. Nothing about that bone dry premise suggests that Grieving Soul will be worth watching, so it comes down to the characters to carry the show, but they can’t and don’t. The undercover clan leader is a charisma vacuum, and his airheadedly supportive friends and obsessive female admirer are no better. The skirmishes that break out in the pub during the episode’s first half possess no visual spark, and all the dialogue in the second part is lifelessly staged. No worthwhile commentary or humor about the difficulties of managing a fantasy clan is offered. There is nothing here for anyone who cares about anime beyond using it to space out their gaming sessions.
Potential: 0%
Amun: Honestly, this was worse than I’d hoped. I think the premise of having a reluctant glue guy lead a bunch of geniuses is decent. However, the execution here is just….kind of lifeless. It was hard to connect to anyone off the bat, and the big reveal fell VERY flat. There was a bit of a fight, which had no stakes – then matters devolved from there, and our MC exited stage left. The back half of the episode was neither funny nor interesting, and I’m pretty sure it was going for the former. What makes me sad is the animation and character designs are much better than the writing or direction deserves. What a waste. I’m usually pretty positive on these kinds of shows, but this was just a stinker of a start.
Potential: 5%
Lenlo: Holy exposition batman. So much of this episode is just an excuse to have the MC explain the world/setting to us. Dudes meant to be this master hunter, leader of the greatest party of hunters, yet here he is just… explaining the basics of the world to no one in particular, thinking it in his own head for some stupid reason. Amun is right in that the idea here could work, characters failing upwards because others assume the best is generally fun. And I Parry Everything from last season proved how much sincerity and passion can make up for a lackluster production or stereotypical setting/world. But This show… it doesn’t have that sincerity, that passion. It is, as the others have said, lifeless. Like it was made by a committee. As such, it’s an easy pass for me.
Potential: 0%
I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History
Short Synopsis: A girl reincarnates as her favorite otome villainess (pretty much what it says on the tin).
Amun: I’m a fan of this oddly specific isekai subgenre (basically reincarnating as a villainess in an otome game). There are some pretty decent incarnations of this genre from the past couple of seasons – sadly, I fear “Villainess Who Goes Down in History” is unlikely to join them in the hall of decent seasonal anime. I have seen pretty much this exact same episode several times now, so I’m coming up with metrics to predict future season quality: how much I engage with the lead in the first episode. In “Villainess Who Goes Down in History”, that amount was…minimal. Her newfound motivation to be the best bad guy is uh, a bit contrived to say the least. Plus, an 8 year old having a political discussion with the nation’s sovereign on advanced political maneuvering? That’s a bit too much. The animation and character designs aren’t anything to write home about either. I’ll probably keep watching for a few episodes, but I’m pretty sure this anime won’t be winning any best in class awards.
Potential: 10%
Lenlo: Why have we been getting so many of these “Villain in an otome game” series? I swear we’ve gotten one every season for like… 2 god damn years. On the plus side, that means there’s plenty to choose from for fans of the genre. On the down side, it also means you get some stinkers, which is exactly what this show is. To put this in perspective, midway through the episode the king of nation decides it’s a good idea to ask an eight-year-old about the geo-political situation of his nation, as well as how to fix the economy. Why? Why ask a child? What does this have to do with being a villain in a romance series? Why in g=God’s name does an eight-year-old have an actual answer?! Simply put, you’re better off watching one of the villainess anime from previous seasons than this, because it’s just nonsense.
Potential: 0%
