Star Crossed Anime

The Promised Neverland S2

Short Synopsis: The recently-escaped orphans wander the forest, encountering both enemies and allies.

Lenlo: So let’s cut right to the chase, if you liked Season 1 you will probably like Season 2. You already know what Promised Neverland has to bring and this is more of the same. I thought it was alright but that it flubbed a bit on the presentation. I’m also sure you have heard that the manga goes down hill, I myself have mentioned it here before, but it doesn’t get bad. Not yet at least. It’s true that the first arc is the best arc and so I wouldn’t expect anything more than that but we have a ways to go before the series properly shits the bed. At least… 2-3 more arcs based on how you count, and in there we will meet my favorite character too!

As for the episode, it wasn’t bad. I continue to like the power dynamics of Promised Neverland. Our characters are never ahead, they never have the advantage and they will never win a proper physical confrontation. It gives every scene, even in such an idyllic forest, a fair amount of tension. Even when they were saved at the end of this episode we can’t help but wonder, are they really saved? Or is this just a new fire? The only negative thing I really have to say is that the lighting was often terrible. Dark scenes at night are hard, I know, but it was difficult to see anything during a lot of the chase scenes. The CGI spider demon thing in particular stood out as uh… not good. 

So yeah. If it can nail the tension, not fall apart on the production and handle some of the big scenes well, I see no reason why it can’t succeed. Just temper your expectations if you really liked the first season and you shouldn’t be disappointed.

Potential: 50%

Mario: Carried on from its successful (in terms of sales) first season, this episode expands in terms of scale and not necessarily on ambition. It’s good to see how the stakes are still so high as death himself hides in the corner and dangers come from everywhere. The involvement of monsters is welcome because we will have a chance to learn more about the new world – the forest for example is full of fantastical details. The drawback, however, is that this episode happens mostly during the night in the forest, hence the show looks dark and dull at times. This episode also highlights how well these kids have matured since we first saw them, especially the supporting ones like Gilda and Don, and the two new allies (or not?) already prove to be interesting in their own ways. It sure is a welcome return for Promised Neverland, with an added bonus: fantastic OP & ED along the way.

Potential: 40%

Gekidol

Short Synopsis: A shy high school girl with a hidden talent joins an acting troupe.

Mario: [Disclaimer: I have not watched the episode 00’s “Alice in Deadly School” prior to writing this impression] Maybe it’s just me who has gained a newfound interest in anime (I kid), but I’ve enjoyed all the premieres I’ve seen so far but one (Tatoeba), even the ones for which I had no expectations. Gekidol’s first episode is better than it has any right to be. While the story beats and the characters’ personalities tread familiar paths, there are many other details that raise it above the bar. First is the art designs that look consistently pleasant in this episode. It’s also confident enough to pull off a hand-drawn dance routine, which for me is always a good sign. Second, the subject of theatrical productions always draws me in and indeed some of my favorite anime involve high school plays (Sweet Blue Flowers, Bloom Into You, and most recently, Beastars). Most importantly, Gekidol has many off-kilter details about its setting. Its blend of sci-fi (the TMS hologram, a “robot” girl) and mystery (what the heck is that hole? What happened 5 years ago?) within its typical idol genre sure intrigues me and I’m looking forward to what comes next.

Potential: 50%

Wooper: I was going to watch episode 0 of this show, which is an in-universe play called “Alice in Deadly School,” but it looked kind of hideous, so I didn’t. Not that episode 1 looked much better – all the blurry backgrounds and len flares on display here had me fiending for a palate cleanser the moment that it ended. I’m not an expert on the compositing process, but it didn’t seem as though much effort was spent on blending the characters with their environment. That’s just as well, though, because their personalities are far from natural. The main girl is cripplingly shy (with special attention devoted to her prudeness), her friend is a jealous tsundere, and her new co-stars at Alice in Theater are unstoppably cheerful and supportive. Main character Seria is a gifted mimic, but has no acting chops of her own, which is an interesting idea that’s wasted on such a lame script. And let’s not forget the Global Synchronic Urban Disappearance, a phenomenon that sucked all of Ikebukuro into a black hole five years ago. Has there ever been an anime setup more blatantly designed to hook an otaku audience? Let’s hope I never find out.

Potential: 0%

Hortensia Saga

Short Synopsis: Two orphans of war vow to become stronger in order to defend their homeland from invading forces.

Wooper: It’s fantasy anime like this one that help me understand the isekai boom. While I’m sure we’re all tired of dual world setups, RPG elements and platonic harems, those elements are actually meant to distinguish their works from generic medieval sword-and-sorcery stories like Hortensia Saga. I mean, a power struggle between a fertile kingdom and its barren principality? A knight who dies defending a princess? His son, who vows to gain strength and honorably follow in his father’s footsteps? The plot is positively narcoleptic. The twist here is that the missing princess has disguised herself as a man and intends to join the war effort – sorry, did I say twist? What I meant was “literacy test,” because if you’re surprised to read that Alfred’s squire was actually a woman, your comprehension skills are streets behind. The best thing I can say about Hortensia Saga is that it’s visually competent. The 3DCG armies were a small step up from what we’ve seen in previous fantasy shows, some of the backgrounds were appropriately grand, and the characters never melted. Anime can look as not-terrible as it wants, though, and I’ll still pass due to lack of personality every time.

Potential: 10%

Lenlo: While I understand where Wooper is coming from above, and he is largely right, I am not as harsh on Hortensia Saga. I actually prefer medieval sword-and-sorcery, especially one light on the fantasy elements such as Dwarves and Elves Japan is still in love with, to the Isekai power fantasies. Basically, I’ll take a decent 90’s fantasy novel plot over whatever schlock Isekai Light Novels are churning out these days.

As for the show itself, it was… fine? I’m not a fan of how it started in-media-res with the castle attack, that was the most hamfisted part of the story by far. But everything else with Marius, Alfred and the like wasn’t terrible. I’m getting some Basara vibes, which I absolutely adore, and the general setup seems like knockoff Fire Emblem. It’s not going to win any awards and it certainly isn’t going to do anything new. But if Hortensia can pull off Marius’s growth, their connection over dead parents and the eventual reveal that she is a woman well, it can maybe at least not waste your time. 

Potential: 30%

Skate Leading Stars

Short Synopsis: A former athlete and an aspiring coach team up to dethrone a rising star in the Japanese ice skating world.

Wooper: This show has some pretty big skates to fill, given its most obvious point of comparison, but it did manage to carve out an identity of its own in this half hour. We’re dealing with teenagers instead of adults, and skate leading (essentially team figure skating) instead of solo routines. All we’ve seen thus far is one-man flashbacks and exhibitions, but the presence of a high school club promises plenty of cooperative performances. That’s what worries me most about this series’ future; though there was some slick athletic animation on display here (the smears during Reo’s routine were a highlight), depicting five skaters at once will be far more taxing than anything this premiere offered. In the likely scenario that the production buckles, it’ll be down to the characters to keep the show afloat, and I don’t know that they’ll be up to the task. The protagonist is one of those “shout until your dreams come true” types, so of course his rival has to be cold as ice, right down to his white-and-blue color scheme. I’m betting on the revenge-driven teenage coach as the breakout character, though I probably won’t give SLS enough episodes to see him or anyone else truly shine.

Potential: 50%

Mario: Skate Leading Stars starts off on the wrong foot and goes far too melodramatic and ridiculous for my taste (the 10-year-old kid will swear off the sport he loves just after losing his parents if he loses to the top kid in town. He loses, the story begins), but thankfully it picks up afterward and I have no problem recommending it. While I’m never too hot on hot boys’ shows, the show infuses just the right amount to make the characters likeable, especially that sneaky coach with Hachiman-scheming eyes. Story-wise it has been conventional so far, but the story beats didn’t lose me and this first episode wasn’t afraid to display some sharp skating routine sequences. While they are not as polished as say Yuri on Ice (the show to which we’ll hear a lot of comparison), they don’t rely on CG and they are solidly animated. Certainly worth a few more tries for this one.

Potential: 40%

Urasekai Picnic

Short Synopsis: Two young women form a tentative friendship while exploring a dangerous parallel dimension.

Mario: Such a strange beast Urasekai Picnic is. Part-yuri, part-surreal, part-horror show about hunting urban legends AKA monsters? Yes – although so far I’m not totally convinced with everything it does in this premiere. As for the positives, I like that the show starts in media res. Just like the characters themselves, we have to pick up bits and pieces of this mysterious Otherside along the way. The sense of eeriness and isolation are all there, and the Otherside’s grey palette certainly compliments that empty void vibe. The narration is a bit more hit-and-miss for me. While I enjoy a portion of Sorao’s inner thoughts – especially when it deals with her detachment from her real world – Sorao is still not an interesting lead to follow. That actually helps to make the dynamic between her and the new girl she meets much more vibrant, so it works out for now. The thing is, there’s still a lot of questions about the rules of the new universe, about the show’s endgame, about what this show really is about, that makes this premiere feel more like a side OVA to some established franchise than a proper introduction to the show. As a result, Urasekai Picnic still keeps me at arm’s length, but I do recognize its efforts.

Potential: 40%

Wooper: I have so many questions. How did Sorao first access the Otherside? What prompted the main characters to dash into that abandoned building after the OP, and where was it in relation to their previous location? What was with that stuttering dialogue during Sorao’s confrontation with the Wiggle-Waggle? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing that Urasekai Picnic is generating some intrigue, but I do wish it had been clearer regarding the barrier between its two dimensions. And as long as we’re making wishes, it would have been nice if the show hadn’t periodically replaced pieces of basic character animation with ancient CG models. There are other nitpicks I could make, as well, but they’re overshadowed by the show’s biggest strength: the strong impressions that Toriko and Sorao made on each other. Urasekai Picnic accomplished this simply by giving them plenty of opportunities to talk, allowing them to discover how their differing personalities could nevertheless be compatible. By the end of the episode, I felt as though their future trips to the Otherside would be much more successful if they paired up, and that I’d like to watch that pairing evolve over time.

Potential: 65%

Tatoeba Last Dungeon

Short Synopsis: Super strong country boy with imposter syndrome cooks a witch breakfast and starts building a harem.

Amun: Tatoeba Last Dungeon was one of the shows I’ve had my eye on since it was announced. The first episode was mostly as advertised, although I’m a little concerned about the quality of the animation – one particular faceplant was notably bad. If the first episode is having issues – that’s not a good sign. The other concerning aspects are pacing and humour. This episode actually went through a ton of material from the manga and felt quite rushed. The humour – shout until it’s funny – highlights the one dimensional aspect of the plot’s gimmick…another bad omen. Plus, I’m worried about the random service that showed up halfway for no reason – doesn’t bode well when we’re turning to those “plot” devices so early. No question, major red flags here – I’ll give it a few more episodes to turn around, though.

Potential: 33%

Lenlo: I swear to god these Light Novel titles and premises are just getting more and more ridiculous. What happened to just having a good story? What happened to compelling characters? When did it all get replaced with gimmicks and what do I have to do to get the Twelve Kingdoms style of fantasy back?

If that wasn’t telling as to my experience, I don’t know what will be. I found Tatoeba to be painfully dull. Generic fantasy, overpowered MC, fanservice, fantasy world. About the only danger flag of mine that didn’t tick was “Isekai”. My biggest issue by far though has to be the MC, who is apparently perfect at everything. It’s only been one episode and we already have 3 women fawning around him, 4 if we include the loli grandma, but I won’t for Tatoeba’s sake. I just don’t have anything to invest in at all here, with the only possible exception being the last 30 seconds. Maybe it goes to interesting places! Personally I don’t expect it to, and I won’t be watching long enough to find out.

Potential: 5%