When you think of a nuanced show, the source of the “Hestia Ribbon” does not nautrally spring to mind. However, this season of DanMachi, for all the previous misfires and service jokes, is setting up a complicated, interesting plot. Whether or not they can pull it off is a whole other thing entirely, but so far – season 3 has been great.
3 weeks, 3 good episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen! This week we meet the final member of our trio, get some THICC shots and end on a cliffhanger I can’t believe is real. All that and more in this weeks episode! So lets dive right in.
As always, we start with production, because this way I can put all my spoilers after the break. For only being 3 episodes in, Jujutsu Kaisen has had some pretty fantastic cuts. Whether it be running down a hallway or a dynamic camera following a fight, its looked good. This week though we see Jujutsu Kaisen slow it down a bit. Nothing bad, there isn’t a serious drop in quality or anything. Its just clear that MAPPA is in this for the long haul, saving the big animation for the big moments. As while it looks fine, there are no big standout “wow” scenes. We did at least get some cute little chibi reactions to fit with the lighter mood, and I like those a lot! They are very expressive. No, the only noticeable issue this week were some inconsistent backgrounds at the station but that gets left behind quickly.
It’s often said that TV anime dump a disproportionate amount of time and talent into their first episodes, leading to a noticeable drop-off in episode 2. As a piece of conventional wisdom, it makes sense – producers want to hook as wide an audience as possible, as early as possible, so the extra effort would be warranted. And yet, we’re seeing a bunch of exceptions to this rule of thumb in the fall 2020 season alone. Jujutsu Kaisen had a terrific second outing that convinced me to follow the show week to week, while Dragon Quest’s employment of 3DCG animation in episode 2 was a massive improvement on the first. And sure enough, here comes Akudama Drive with a follow-up that’s just as unhinged and action-packed as its premiere. It didn’t manage to top itself (that would have been an absurd feat), but these twenty minutes surely delivered on the promise I saw last week. If you consider realism to be an optional component of your anime intake, this may be the show for you.
Hello there, one and two and hopefully more. A pleasure to have you along with me, in watching and appreciating all these new anime Fall has ushered our way. I shall be your host this coming season and bring you coverage of a rather niche show which deserves an audience far greater than it’ll probably receive – Adashima!
To whoever it may concern, this show had the best premiere of the season for me and even though I saw somewhat greater potential in Kamisama ni Natta Hi (more on that later in the weekend), Adashima was the show that resonated with me on a stronger level. So, how did it follow up such an outstanding premiere? Let’s find out! Continue reading “Adachi to Shimamura – 02 [Adachi Question]”
Another week, another three episodes of Twelve Kingdoms. I want to say we are starting to get into a groove, but this week marks Twelve Kingdom’s first stumble for me. Nothing major, certainly nothing that can undo the fantastic time that was its first 6. But a stumble nonetheless. Still, we will get to that in time. For now, lets go ahead and dive into this weeks episodes!
Starting off, this week in our little production section I want to talk about color palettes. Many of you have already noticed via the screenshots how brightly colored Twelve Kingdoms is. It’s impressive, for as war-torn a setting as Kou is, how many colors were worked in. Between the blues of the night shadow, the oranges of the rising or setting sun and browns of midday, Twelve Kingdoms doesn’t lack for color. The background artists have done a fantastic job of incorporating various greens and blues in the plants, water and sky to break up the brownish landscape. Additionally, Twelve Kingdoms has us traveling from town to town to break up the colors as well. With Nakajima’s striking red hair always giving us something bright to look at in the occasionally dark landscape. The series has done a great job bringing tasteful color to an otherwise bleak Kingdom.
Continue reading “Twelve Kingdoms – 7/8/9 – Throwback Thursday”
Wooper: With the low-output Summer 2020 season in the books, our weekly summary posts are going back to their roots: talking about currently-airing shows that aren’t receiving full episodic coverage. There are a bunch of extra shows we’re following this fall, and though some will surely wear out their welcome before the year’s end, the present freshness of the season has us in the mood to chat about them. It looks like it’s just me this time around, but I expect that some of the other writers will chime in over the next 10 or 11 weeks. For now, you can scroll down for one man’s thoughts on a handful of the season’s more underrated shows.
Wooper: I know we’re only two episodes in, but this adaptation of Dai no Daibouken isn’t letting up on the gas. Princess Leona’s introduction flew by in what felt like minutes, thanks to her companions’ betrayal arising so quickly. Her magic tutor in particular turned out to be the sort of unhinged villain you don’t see too often in modern anime, which meant that his fight against Dai turned into a yelling match within the first few seconds. On the plus side, the CG during their battle was used to tremendous effect, showcasing Dai’s acrobatic abilities as he ran circles around the tutor’s mech before delivering the crushing blow. Despite the script’s efforts to paint him as an untalented mage, Dai’s physical strength and instinctive use of spells in high pressure situations make him way, way stronger than the average shounen protag. He may be the Chosen One, but I hope the story chooses some more powerful opponents to put in his path pretty soon. We are meeting new major characters with each passing episode, though, so for now I’ll patiently await Popp’s introduction and see how things progress from there.
Wooper: After a wild premiere that jumped between four different rap groups, Hypnosis Mic settled down with a single trio (the Buster Bros) this week. I’ve got to say, the results were better than expected – even though the younger siblings’ idolization of their older brother Ichiro makes for tiresome conversation, the show does make a convincing hero out of him. He always shows up to save the day, he defends innocent people during a hostage situation, and he’s got so much love for his little bros that all his rap verses celebrate their partnership. The hip-hop numbers are still the best thing about the series by far, bursting as they are with cool poses, dynamic colors, on-screen lyrics, and song-ending explosions. Even when the Bros aren’t conducting their musical onslaughts, though, Hypnosis Mic can be pretty fun. The moment when a stick-up artist pulled back his jacket to reveal a bunch of illegal microphones – which the cops treated as though they were guns – cracked me up. You love to see a ridiculous show like this one embrace its gimmick so wholeheartedly.
Wooper: Finally, our quarterly ritual of gorging on new premieres has come to a close, and we’ve emerged with a handful of blogging prospects. Our team will be covering the six shows in the grid above, plus Lenlo will carry on with his usual Throwback Thursday column. Our weekly recap posts will resume, as well, offering brief thoughts on Majo no Tabitabi, Dragon Quest, and others – I’ll do my utmost to keep them on schedule. Will this season fall short of expectations, or will it propel a handful of series into our eventual Top 10 for the year? Stick with us to find out, and click through to see the results of our First Episode Awards!
Lenlo: Jujutsu Kaisen, Twelve Kingdoms, The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (intermittent)
Wooper: Akudama Drive, Taiso Samurai
Amun: DanMachi S3, Kamisama ni Natta Hi (w/ Armitage)
Armitage: Adachi to Shimamura, Kamisama ni Natta Hi (w/ Amun)
Mario: On vacation
Aidan: Waiting for Re:Zero S2
Continue reading “Fall 2020 Coverage & First Episode Awards”
Short Synopsis: A comedy duo struggles to make it big, or even to stay funny.
Mario’s review:
Out of all the shows I watched for this First Impressions, Maesetsu hands down has the worst production values. Everything looks stiff, to the point where they didn’t bother to animate the whole stadium of fans in a concert – not a single one of them. Then, it’s the subject matter that is going to be a hard sell for anime viewers: this is a cute girls show where girls do comedy – and the comedy bits are on the “missed” side of the spectrum. When the main girl fails multiple times to make people laugh for her routine, I get the same sense about this show as a whole. Still, the way the main duo struggles with what they love and tries best to do what they love is grounded and believable. If this is the story about underdog groups who break out then I still have reasons to follow it.
Potential: 20%
Short Synopsis: A small town girl moves to Tokyo to become an idol.
Wooper’s review:
It’s been a long couple of weeks, but we’ve finally reached the end of preview season, where all the trash gets dumped. Ochikobore is perhaps the least inspired show of the fall, though it’s not the worst – it’s far too competent at its cutesy idol shtick to earn that distinction. Instead of outright badness we’ve got unavoidable deja vu, including a cast of characters who slot nicely into each of the major otaku food groups: nice girl, genki girl, loli girl, and Tits McGee. Their manager announces that they’re forming an idol group, and thus they proceed with the singing and “dancing” and distribution of flyers. You’ve seen this before. Fruit Tart looks alright – the performance scene near the end is animated entirely by hand, which is notable for an idol series. The characters spend about half of the episode in silly chibi mode, so if that’s your favorite thing in the world, this is the show for you. Interior scenes make dreadful use of pre-existing digital assets, but that’s par for the course in modern anime – even Jujutsu Kaisen, arguably the season’s biggest production, has the same problem. Alright, I think I’m done writing about this tiresome premiere. Time to go make dinner.
Potential: 10%
Mario’s review:
We can’t never truly escape them huh? Idol anime is here to stay – not for the better though. Despite having a rather pleasant aesthetic, the story of 4 unlikely idol members forming an idol band is an easy but ultimately plain and unmemorable watch. Characters are the kind that have 1 or 2 significant traits and they would max it up to 11, and the plot of getting them into an idol group is terribly contrived, except that they gloss it up as a joke – and not very funny at that. And worst of all, I’m kinda tired of the big boobs trope that frankly exists for fan-service. If they try their hands on parodying the idol industry or these character types, it would work way better, and there are moments where the show touches slightly on that, but then it reverts back to celebrating the genre anyway. It’s not a total waste of time as I find myself enjoying the episode through and through, it’s just harmless and unassuming.
Potential: 20%
Short Synopsis: A novice soldier has to fight the extremist group on his first day and witnesses his best friend killed.
Mario’s review:
The last premiere of the season is a surprise one. When I heard that Magatsu Wahrheit is based on a mobile game I had given up all hope, but at least this first episode featuring multiple perspectives have its merits. While you can easily point out the plot progression and the generic settings, what sells me so far is that they manage to form separate narratives into the big chase at the end – so that by that point we are in both the army and the extremist group. Well, the show actually goes a bit busy for my taste as it introduces a bigger plot threat (the monsters) that has little to do with this cop chase this week. The production is overall inconsistent, there are a couple of nice shots but the rest looks uninspiring and uneven. I’ll be checking more episodes to see how this show progresses.
Potential: 30%
Short Synopsis: The two titular high school girls skip classes and spend their time together.
Mario’s review:
Well, I didn’t really expect a slow-burn premiere for this kind of story, and I am glad it takes that route. Unlike many anime features in high school settings, the most distinctive characteristic about Adachi to Shimamura is that (at least in this first episode) it doesn’t take place in the classroom, and it features a relatively minimal cast. It’s a compliment by all means, as it reinforces the strengths of this premiere: they trade bombastic, big action for subtle and soft approach. There’s this atmospheric little space where the two main characters spend time together that becomes a character in itself. There’s this moody and uncertain narration, as well as narrative, that is appropriate for their growing relationship. It has some issues, however: the side characters aren’t that fleshed out, the boob-groping joke is especially tiresome, and the weird cuts of a kid in a spacesuit feel really removed from the rest of the episode. The soft art-style is a delight though, and if it keeps its intimate and slow-burn approach, I will be there for the long run.
Potential: 70%
Armitage’s review:
I’ll get straight to the point. I didn’t like the “comedic” boob-grab (though the show did address it as sexual harassment for a change) and I didn’t like the frequency with which the camera lingers on the girls’ thighs. Barring those, I absolutely loved everything else. We’ve got the perfect Fall show here. This is Shoujo-Ai, through and through – tinged with melancholy, bittersweet, yet comforting. If I were to bottle up its pathos then I’d say watching this show is like that feeling you get on the walk home in the evening after a long day, when your mind drifts off and lets in memories of the what-could-have-been’s in your life. Adashima is not trying to be another Bloom into You and it’s all the better for it. This is subtle, minimalist storytelling with a heavy focus on seemingly small character moments, portraying the loneliness of growing-up and being unable to fit in. Of being a creature of habit, one you want to shake. And of being alone with people you call your friends, forever searching for the one who makes you feel at home. I absolutely loved its handling of the two central characters and the duality their perspectives provide to the narrative. To top it off, we have some really refreshing cinematography and a lovely sombre color palette. Yeah, like I said, I adored this premiere and will be blogging the show from next week.
Potential: 90%
Short Synopsis: A high school student gets a sudden visit from God, who appears in the form of a young girl and tells him the world will end in one month.
Alternate Synopsis: Odin-chan Wants to Hang Out!
Armitage’s review:
Here’s the deal with every Jun Maeda show. You either hate them (pfft, sucker!) or you love them (pfft, sucker!). As someone who falls into the latter category and for whom this was probably the most anticipated Fall release, this premiere was the most fun 24 minutes of the season. And, no! I am not saying this as a Maeda fan. Well… I mean, I am, but that’s not the only reason I am saying this. Kamisama ni Natta Hi honestly just had an absolute riot for a start. It’s a lot harder to do slapstick anime comedy right than one would imagine and when the comedy isn’t even the main draw of your series, it’s a whole lot easier to mess it up. But the almost non-stop gags, brilliant chemistry between the leads and clever cinematography(!) elevated the already funny screenplay and made it consistently enjoyable. But of course, this is a Maeda show, so red herrings for future heartbreaks are also sprinkled throughout the episode with hints at how Sato-chan’s powers are a sort of Pandora’s box and humanity simply doesn’t know how to handle one of those. All in all, this was an excellent start and I can’t wait for more of the funny banter while also knowing full well that by the end, this show is going to break my heart into pieces before proceeding to stomp on every one of them and of course, I will love it for that.
Potential: 95%
Wooper’s review:
As far as “God appears to the protagonist” setups go, this one was pretty darn good. I’m not ready to eat my words about all Jun Maeda works being cloying trope-fests just yet – nor do I anticipate needing to, since “the world will end in 30 days” is a premise ripe with tragic potential (whether or not it actually happens). If you put aside the man’s past work, though, there’s plenty to enjoy about Kamisama ni Natta Hi. It uses tilted camera angles and varying degrees of natural light to add visual interest to its scenes. It gradually breaks down the MC’s skepticism towards the goddess’ precognitive abilities, instead of relying on a single eureka moment. Most importantly, it’s funny, which means it’s fun to watch. The disastrous outcome of the protag’s romantic confession was a hoot, and the preceding ‘predict the pitches’ scene functioned as both a clever gag and a warning about the accuracy of the goddess’ foresight. The extended dialogue between the leads may have tested my patience in a couple spots (particularly when it was capped with one of her mini-tantrums), but the script was enjoyably snappy on the whole. This may be the show to turn Maeda haters into Maeda tolerators, so it bears a lot of responsibility this season.
Potential: 70%
Short Synopsis: A former gymnast suffers repeated distractions while trying to tell his daughter about his impending retirement.
Lenlo’s review:
This was… it was definitely a thing. Not the thing I expected, nor the thing I wanted, but definitely a thing. I’ll be honest, Taiso Samurai kinda looks like shit. It’s trying to ride this line between comedic, light hearted absurdity with things like the ninja theming or the big fantasy bird, and a more emotional/serious story of fatherhood and careers. But it rides that line so poorly that neither of these work. It’s not as serious as any number of sports anime, nor is it as stupid and fun as something like Hypnosis Mic. It’s just kinda… there. Oh and the visuals just look like shit. I’m still going to stick with it for a bit, because gymnastics is an interesting sport. But I am expecting nothing out of it.
Potential: 10%
Wooper’s review:
Taiso Samurai is delightfully weird. Our main character Jotaro Aragaki is an airheaded gymnast who has managed to miss his coach’s blatant hints about retirement for years. He owns a gigantic blue toucan (?) that loves eating corn on the cob almost as much as it loves producing alarming reaction faces. He takes his daughter to a ninja-themed fair and somehow returns home with a foreign stalker in tow, who then moves into his house because his mom said it was okay. These are the sorts of curiosities that the show is built on, rather than a particular sport or genre blueprint. It’s sort of grounded in the relationship between Jotaro and his daughter – both of whom are adrift in the wake of Mrs. Aragaki’s passing – but mostly it’s unfettered by conventional plot or character beats. It reminds me of Samurai Flamenco (once it had moved beyond that episode), another series where literally anything could become part of its narrative fabric after the shortest of explanations. Will the stalker (turned tenant) become Jotaro’s pupil, or will they be athletic rivals? Who were those suits chasing him at the ninja fair? Will Big Bird survive the whole series without choking to death on an ear of corn? The only way to know for sure is to keep tuning in each week!
Potential: 65%
Welcome all to the Fall 2020 Season, I am Lenlo and this is my first new show, Jujutsu Kaisen! I had no idea what this was before this season, didn’t even know it existed. Boy am I glad for that, because I don’t think I would be enjoying it as much as I am if I knew what was coming. Without further ado lets dive into the episode!
Right off the bat, lets talk some animation, because Keiichiro Watanabe went a little bit crazy this episode. Just like his work in Mob Psycho 100 and God of Highschool, Watanabe is all about the action scenes. Saying screw the model, screw physics, lets just have a good time. Combine that with the crazy camera of Seong-Hu Park, Director of last seasons God of Highschool, and you have a recipe for some insane cuts. From the opening fight on the roof to the expressive dolls in the second half, Jujutsu Kaisen looked great this week. I have absolutely no idea if MAPPA can keep this up of course. They are working on Taiso Samurai and Attack on Titan this season well. Combine that with the MAPPA curse and things look sketchy. For now at least though, I am hype. Gimme my action Watanabe! I need it my fix!