Some Quick First Impressions: BNA, Tamayomi, Tower of God

by SuperWooper, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

BNA

Short Synopsis: Trigger re-writes Beastars in traditional Trigger style.

Helghast: Due to how Netflix releases things either too late or too early, the entire first half of BNA is out for your viewing pleasure. I’ve watched the first three episodes to balance it out and Studio Trigger hasn’t failed to entertain me yet. This time it’s Zootopia meets Kill la Kill and if you were expecting another Beastars, think more along the lines of the brustling fire-conscious city of Promare rather than the intricate layers of society. With the director of Little Witch Academia and the guy who scored Megalo Box being behind this production, it has been a fast-paced and wild ride through Anima City. The animation is an absolute riot in portraying the comedic violence and the characters of Michiru and Shirou drive the story with their different senses of discovery and justice. Being a Studio Trigger show, I expect this to be a smash hit or at least implode unto itself in a spectacular fashion.

Potential: 80%

Lenlo: Well one thing is for sure, you can tell this is a Studio Trigger production right from the get go. It’s flashy, bright and has a sense of style. Whether BNA ends up as anything more though we will have to wait and see. Because initially, its story isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, especially from Trigger, who seem hooked on this same core narrative. Some kind of class system in place, down-trodden, etc and the heroine comes in to fix it. That said there is some promise, a hint of a mystery, in just the first episode. Which gives me hope that there is more to BNA than just Triggers stylistic flair. Even if I am wrong though, if nothing else, BNA will be a party to watch. That’s for sure. With any luck, we may even go to space by the end.

Potential: 80%

 

Tamayomi

Short Synopsis: Two childhood friends reunite in high school and become a softball battery.

Lenlo: I feel betrayed. I feel lied to. In a word, I feel upset. Because the PV’s and Key Illustrations leading into this promised me strong women with strong thighs. And Tamayomi gave me neither. Just look at these thighs, all bland, detail-less and samey. It’s almost as if their character designs have little actual differences! Meanwhile, the animation on these thighs is also lacking, as they move like slow blobs of jello. I can’t even appreciate flashback thighs, which is criminal considering how many there were! Flashbacks I mean, not thighs. Long story short, as far as a “Cute Girls Doing Cute Things” sports show goes, neither the girls nor the thing they are doing, are cute. And so I can only say it fails.

Potential: No Thighs/10

Wooper: This premiere was, in a word, boring. It took 22 excruciating minutes for the main character to meet several of her classmates and throw a few practice pitches to her childhood friend, with a couple middle school flashbacks to break up the monotony. Every bit of the episode felt padded, from the slow upward pans whenever a new person was introduced, to the internal overreactions whenever a character did something mildly surprising. The comedy revolved around identically-designed anime girls being kind of ditzy, which is nobody’s cup of tea when it’s done this predictably. Speaking of their designs, they’re so simple that it’s a wonder that animation isn’t better. Everybody looks like Kirito with a more feminine haircut, yet the episode’s few moments of full motion struggled to keep things consistent. The main girl has a magical curveball that initially heads right for the batter’s head, then darts into the catcher’s glove at the last second, and… You know what, I’m not going to waste another word here.

Potential: 0%

 

Tower of God

Short Synopsis: Young boy enters a Tower themed Death Game in search of the only girl to ever talk to him.

Amun: I read the first couple chapters of this webtoon and I was decently hyped….first episode has pretty well killed that. Unlike Lenlo, I do not like the rough line – I think it disrupts what should otherwise be a spectacle of scenery. Instead, we have shallow depth, low effort backdrops with characters parading around in PowerPoint animations. The story is a mess too – had I not read the source material I would be completely lost. As it is, I’m only halfway lost. What I’m seeing is the very definition of amateur hour – which makes me sad since I’m rooting for the Crunchyroll sponsored projects to succeed. Oh well, better luck next time, I guess.

Potential: 1%

Lenlo: Tower of God is a weird one. Visually, I like it. The rough line work stands out and the animation is good enough with that line work to keep me interested. It looks like nothing else airing this season, really. However having read the original WebToon, I can say with utmost certainty that if you had no idea what was going on this episode, you won’t moving forward either. Narratively it’s a bit of a mess, as the author figures out what kind of story they want to tell. So all I can really say at this point is that I am looking forward to some good animation, some good fights, and if it can adapt some of the best scenes of this first volume, it will at least be a good time. Nothing phenomenal, but hey. Sometimes I just want some popcorn you know?

Potential: 50%, popcorn flick

Winter 2020 Summary: Week 13

by SuperMario, posted in Weekly Summary

Mario: With this last week, bring the first taste of the new Spring season (or in my case, Fall season) and a lot of finale on Winter season’s shows. Sorry for the delay but I decided to finish Kuutei Dragon first to include it here. Other writers have already done a good job of giving our thoughts on the Winter season’s shows. For me, it’s Eizouken and Dorohedoro that are leagues above the rest, but other shows like Kyokou Suiri and Kuutei Dragon still are still worth the time. I still need to finish my own blogged show Jeweler Richard (yeah it will come) and Blade of the Immortals, but for now enjoy one last breath of cold Winter before we all head to the new Spring season. Enjoy.

Oshi ga Budokan – 12 (end)

Wooper: OshiBudo began its life as a satire of the idol genre – that was the impression I got, anyway, after its premiere demonstrated a willingness to mock its obsessive protagonists. After a few more installments, though, that facade gave way to a straightforward celebration of idol culture and consumption. There was a joke this week about idols not using the bathroom, which would have felt equally at home in the first episode (poking fun at purity expectations) as it did in this one (unironically espousing puritanical values). Images of Eripiyo juggling stacks of CDs, once viewed as pitifully excessive, verged on heroic in the last leg of the story. You can even put aside any tonal interpretations and look at this episode’s subtitles to see where the show’s values ended up. “I’m so happy that I’m an idol.” “The world of idols is huge, but I’m so happy that [name] is my favorite.” If the idol sphere is really such a big deal, why not write a story that depicts it as such, instead of making shallow purchases and handshake events the climactic moments of so many episodes? I’m sure there’s a good idol show out there somewhere, whether past or future, but this wasn’t it.

22/7 – 12 (end)

Mario: Out of all the finale this week, I was eagering for 22/7 the most, given how it wraps up will justify the whole season. In the end 22/7 can’t make up its mind on what it wants to be. It’s uneven in every sense of the words, both have some cynical views on the idol industry, but at the same time gives it exactly what we want as the girls get together and become independent from the Wall’s order. It’s a mixed bag but this finale does have some sparks of brilliance, so to highlight its inconsistency I will rate its moments from scale 0 point to 10 points, with 0 being the worst and 5 as the average. Spoilers ahead so skip it if you don’t want to get yourself spoiled. Let’s go:

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In/Spectre Review – 60/100

by Amunchet, posted in Anime Reviews, Kyoko Suiri, Reviews by Amunchet

I love yokai shows.  Almost every season, sandwiched between your generic isekai and the high school drama, you’ll find some spooky yokai and poor humans who have to navigate the two worlds.  This season, In/Spectre filled that niche, as something of a cross between Bakemonogatari and Natsume’s Book of Friends. 

(I’m also part of the movement to make 50 the new average score, not 70.)

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Dorohedoro Anime Review – 80/100

by SuperWooper, posted in Anime Reviews, Dorohedoro, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews by SuperWooper

In late December of last year, I labeled Dorohedoro one of my most anticipated series of winter 2020. Honestly, that was a poser move. I’m not a manga reader, so my high expectations were based largely on secondhand praise, plus the potential for bloody irreverence promised by the PV and synopsis. There was one element of the show’s production, though, that I was confident would give it a unique appeal: the involvement of Shinji Kimura, background artist for such films as My Neighbor Totoro and Akira. He’s done plenty of great work as an art director, too, which was his role on this project. Sure enough, Dorohedoro’s grimy cityscapes and ramshackle interiors were uncommonly polished for a TV production – but the show had much more going for it than detailed backgrounds. A potpourri of violence, mystery, and a strangely loveable cast, Dorohedoro proved itself as one of this season’s strongest offerings, despite its task of adapting an unadaptable story.

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Magia Record – 13 [A Faint Hope]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

And so Magia Record ends –  at least for now since the second season is confirmed – on a sad note. Not only am I disappointed (but not too surprised) about how unresolved everything is, but also this finale does a sloppy job to expand the big reveal last week. So we learned last week about the Doppel as a way to prevent Magical Girls from becoming a Witch, but this week Doppel serves as a weapon to boost the girls’ attack power and suddenly our girls can control the ability at will (Yachiyo with her casual remark: “oh by the way, I know how to use Doppel as well” – Hello, we are not in Yugioh universe). Yachiyo also serves as another source of disappointment, as the way she reacts is pretty inconsistent (“I don’t consider you girls as friends” in the previous episode and then “I decide to disband the team” now – what “team” exactly?). Her flashback is likewise inconsistent as well. Her wish is “to survive”, but what does it have any connection to her being a leader of an idol group?

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Dorohedoro – 12 [Pinky Promise]

by SuperWooper, posted in Dorohedoro, Finished Series: Mystery/Suspense

We came tantalizingly close to understanding the truth of Caiman’s identity in this episode, but in the end, Dorohedoro’s tendency to complicate itself prevailed. Not that I’m complaining – this was a strong ending, assuming that a second season will emerge some day to continue the story. It resolved some mysteries and created much bigger ones, and convincingly reconciled two friends after brutally pitting them against each other. The latter of those accomplishments was important, as without Caiman and Nikaido’s pinky promise towards the end, this finale would have felt overstuffed with flashbacks, dreams, and clues. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all of those hints at the show’s bigger picture, and I’m going to spend the bulk of this post unpacking them, since I can use tomorrow’s series review to discuss everything else.

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Runway de Waratte Anime Review – 39/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama, Reviews by Lenlo, Runway de Waratte

It’s hard to deny, this was a pretty good season for anime. From my personal favorites of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! and Dorohedoro to returning series like Haikyuu and My Hero Academia. Standing out amidst this crowd of new and returning anime was going to be difficult. With an acclaimed Manga at your back and a decent amount of fanfair though, you would think a series might have a chance. Sadly, that is not the case for Runway de Waratte. Even going so far as to say the odds were stacked against it from the start doesn’t really explain the trainwreck that is series. So what happened? Was it that this was only Studio Ezo’la’s third production? It probably isn’t Director Nobuyoshi Nagayama’s inexperience, this isn’t his first rodeo. Or does it go deeper, all the way to the source material? Let’s dive in and find out, shall we?

And fair warning, this will contain minor spoilers for Runway de Waratte!

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Carry on.) Continue reading “Runway de Waratte Anime Review – 39/100” →

Runway de Waratte – 12 [This Is My Story]

by Lenlo, posted in Runway de Waratte

Welcome all to the finale of Runway de Waratte! This week we see Ayano Toh’s show, find out the winner of the event and once more get to watch pretty girls cry. So if that’s your idea of a good time, lets jump right in.

Right off the bat, I have to come out and say it, I found this finale to be pretty “meh”. Compared to last week, Toh’s show just lacked any sort of real impact. It was presented in an almost matter of fact nature, compared to Kokoro or Ikuto’s more emotional ones. Runway tried to shock us with Toh’s formatting, but I don’t think it really works. Sending out 2 models at a time, or starting with a t-shirt, might have worked had it been the opening of the show. But after Ikuto’s performance of closing with such a simple outfit, or Kokoro’s incredibly emotional show, Toh’s feels like a footnote. It’s like last week was our finale, and this was more of an epilogue tying up loose ends. I just found it dull, all the while one of the worst music choices of the show played over it.

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Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Anime Review – 90/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Reviews by Lenlo

It’s not often an adaptation suits a Director as perfectly as Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken suits Masaki Yuasa. Of course you have works like Gen Urobuchi’s Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Satoshi Kon’s Paranoia Agent. Yet those works were originals, dreamed and created from the ground up by the directors for the anime. Yet here we have someone else’s manga, their work, fitting together perfectly with a renowned industry veteran. Everything from the narrative to the visual aesthetic of the series seem tailor made for him. The highly detailed backgrounds and setting to the rough character designs. The subject material and focus on animation itself to Yuasa’s own life experience in the industry. It’s an aligning of the stars that oh so rarely happens, yet when it does we get something amazing. And that’s what we got this season with Eizouken. Let’s dive in.

(Disclaimer: I am working to make 50 the new “average”. 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. Carry on.) Continue reading “Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! Anime Review – 90/100” →