Star Crossed Anime

Houseki no Kuni

Short Synopsis: Girls made of jewels fight off invaders from the moon who wish to capture them.

AidanAK47’s review

The fact that this anime is fully 3D CGI animation is likely going to put people off but luckily the story does help make it less uncanny. The girls are made of Jewels so them looking glassy and shiny actually works. The animation is still hit and miss but overall I don’t find it quite as distracting as I would in works like Knights of Sidonia. What’s really the highlight here is the story which is definitely out there as far as premises go. I do still have a bit of trouble getting into it but not quite as much as when I sampled the manga. So far I would say that while the setting and plot interest me, the characters I find are coming up rather weak. That said, it’s only the first episode and I am interested in seeing just what is coming from this. It’s a unique idea, so let’s hope it pays off.

Potential: 60%

Mario’s review

Hear me out on this, I’m giving the show this high score knowing full well its stumbling block: the CGI. While the character designs are one of the most brilliant use of CG in recent years (they are gems after all), the CG animation still remains distracting, especially whenever Houseki pans around the characters. For me the weakest part comes from the introduction of Phos where you can see the off-putting of the CGI: fake field of glass, wrong score, clunky animation. Having said all that, I’m overwhelmed by Houseki. A good kind of overwhelming, the feeling I only have for handful of my favorite anime like Flip Flappers or Made in Abyss. Houseki is wildly imaginative and wholly fresh and so far the presentation manages to keep up with its wild ideas. I could go on to say that for what it worth, this is the most visually distinctive anime of the season. It will weird viewers out, I’m sure, but that makes it even more stand out. I like the characters presented so far (Phos for me is improved a lot from the first chapter of the manga) and I am hooked on the relationship between Phos and Cinnabar. And I certainly didn’t expect this emotional resonance this show manages to pull off (they done right with the score there: when Cinnabar said that he wanted to be taken by the enemy, it’s just the sound of the waves presented here). This is a love-it or hate-it show but count me in as the big fan of it.

Potential: 90%

Two Car

Short Synopsis: Two girls participate in Motorcycle sidecar races around an island.

AidanAK47’s review

I’m so bored. May I ask why there’s highschool involvement? I mean why do the commenters have to be high school age? Why does it have to be the annual Motorcycle sidecar race between Highschool clubs? Doesn’t even make sense, why would high schools fork out so much cash for a motorcycle race? Isn’t there serious health and safety concerns? Well anyway this show makes the cardinal sin of trying to introduce the entirely of it’s cast within the first five minutes. By the time they finished I couldn’t even remember who was who and when they put on helmets I really couldn’t tell them apart. The first episode jumps jarringly between the past and present. The present being a motorcycle race and the past showing that these two had a big crush on their literally faceless manager. The racing doesn’t really have any stakes as our protagonists go from last to first within a single lap by the magical power of going faster. It’s remarked that the two main protagonists are alike to which I argee. The are so alike in that they have no real distinct characteristics and are instead a bunch of rather generic traits that could be applied to anybody. In fact all the drivers in this race can be summed up with a single quirk. This isn’t a terrible show but I certainly found my attention span wandering as I watched.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review

From the land of anime, we have cute girls who into bike… for probably a fourth time this past two years. This time, however, it’s a motorcycle sidecar racing, and it’s an original project created by Silver Link for their 10th year anniversary, so there’s a brim light of optimistic here. This first episode divides into 2 parts: an actual racing exhibition with all the players introduced (14 of them), and a little back story between the two leads (who both have a liking for their sensei who apparently is too high horse that the show doesn’t allow us to see his face). The first part made up some exciting race, although I do have a feeling these races gonna be repetitive. The latter part fare much worse as they explore the chemistry between the girls (look, they have the same personality) and how they train hard to improve themselves through the learning from out-of-nowhere said sensei. The production is on par but I give credits for the sound department who does a very good job of making the race sound exciting. I have a solid time and I’m mildly interested in how the show will go from there so I will give it a 3-episode watch.

Potential: 40%

Blend S

Short Synopsis: A girl gets a job at a cafe where the servers put on different personalities.

Wooper’s Review

Did you like Working!! so much that you’d be willing to watch anything with a similar premise, no matter how dull? Well then, have I got just the thing for you! It’s called Blend S, and it’s got everything you could ever want in a cute girls show: workplace harassment, anime tropes by the truckload, and a chesty blonde gal who wants to add her friend code to your Nintendo 3DS! To be fair, Working!! wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of character writing, but at least its gags weren’t tired after just one episode. I can’t say the same about Blend S, nor can I recommend it for its character or background art, both of which felt too familiar to leave any impact on me. It might be interesting to see the girls switch personality traits every episode, but given the fact that Maika and her “scary eyes” are tailor-made for the sadist role, I doubt that’s the kind of twist the show has in store. If you really like CGDCT, give this one a watch – if not, skip it.

Potential: 10%

Mario’s review

Blend S is mild moe show that lacks bite. First, I actually can get behind the concept that those waitresses have to act contrary to their personality, ala their efforts not to break their own character and/or behave like their assigned character. Some of its jokes, however, wears out its welcome after only one episode, most notably the main character’s creepy eyes or the manager’s obnoxious behaviors that manages to creep me out. I don’t mind the settings in a café either, but it feels drag and aimless when those girls decide to play outside in an arcade. The production is nothing to write home about and the whole cast is easy to spend time with, but also doesn’t leave much impact. A decent but forgettable watch, which frankly isn’t good enough.

Potential: 10%

Dies Irae

Short Synopsis: Nazi’s form a supernatural powered group and move to create Chaos in modern day Japan.

Lenlo’s Review:

Ho boy, another anime on Magical Nazi Germany. The dialogue is ham fisted, the animation is stunted and lacks any sort of impact and the directing has a number of weird cuts and spinning or zooming camera shots. Just watch until the first fight against the two bandaged people to see what I mean, as they float around and swipe/slide at each other. The quality switch between fights and stills makes me think I’m watching a completely different anime. As far as story or characters go, everything about this makes me think Dies Irae is only for the Visual Novel fans. Unless you already know what is happening, who some of these characters are or what is happening, I don’t think this will be a good fit for you.

Potential: 15%

AidanAK47’s review

Oh what a confused mess of a series this has turned out to be. I can’t say I am surprised for as I said in my preview, I wasn’t excited to see this series. I always had the feeling it would turn out something like this. First some clarification. This is not the start of the story, this is in fact a side story of the visual novel which is normally viewed after making it a good bit through the visual novel. I get the intent here as this side story is supposed to be of how our league of villains got together and seeing as they are one of the best parts of this story it’s not a bad idea to start it with them. However if you know nothing about Dies Irae then good luck trying to follow this. Even though I read the story I found this episode to be presented in a confusing way. It assumes that you already know the characters and have an idea on what is happening. This series is not beginner friendly, that‘s for sure. The animation and art is pretty terrible sadly which is a shame because the visual novel art is quite beautiful. Direction is also quite messy and the writing just feels stilted and paced wrong. What bugs me quite a bit here is that the fight scenes show the characters jumping around and doing supernatural stuff. But at this point in time in the story the characters haven’t obtained supernatural powers yet. This should just be a street brawl, not some shounen power clash with teleportation and ridiculous physics. Well I will be covering this series out of personal interest despite it looking to be a trainwreck but I implore you thus. If this episode has gained even a tiny bit of your interest then stop watching this anime and play the visual novel for it will undoubtedly be a far superior experience. You can get the first seven chapters for free on steam right now with the rest of the game as paid DLC. Normally DLC is an ugly word but in this case it means you can experience a large part of the story to see if it’s for you before buying the product. If you are interested then that is how you should experience this story. Otherwise the only value in watching this series is if you have read the VN and want to see just how badly they screw it up.

Potential: 10%

Garo – VANISHING LINE

Short Synopsis: A motorcycle-riding knight defeats Horrors amidst a modern cityscape.

Mario’s review

The premiere period is only half of its run so far, but I believe we now have a contender for the best Action show of this first impression. Vanishing Line functions like a Hollywood action movies, with really well-crafted choreography and smooth animation. The story is as straight-forward as it gets, following a new Garo hero fighting those monsters and our red-haired girl finding her road to El Dorado, the former would please any action fans and the latter would provide some thematic chop. The new hero, Sword, is a perfect lead for this type of show: hot-head, skillful but never think far ahead. The type that will think about what to eat as soon as he’s not pursuing the monsters. The battle sequences are amongst the best I’ve seen this year and with many amazing set-pieces, the show manages to entertain from beginning to end. At the end of the day Vanishing Line is still a brainless style over substance show, but at long as it doesn’t disappoint in terms of entertainment values there will be nothing to worry about.

Potential: 60%

Wooper’s Review

I’ve got to disagree with Mario on this one, especially where Garo’s visual presentation is concerned. The use of shaky-cam during its fight scenes is on the level of Paul Greengrass’s Bourne films, and MAPPA employed that technique specifically because there weren’t enough in-between frames to bring its combat to life. Even the computer-aided elements of the production didn’t have the necessary polish to communicate what the hell was going on. As a viewer, you know that people are getting punched, kicked, and shredded by motorcycle tires, but if you were asked to describe the fight fifteen minutes after watching it, the specifics would probably elude you. That’s not the kind of direction I’m looking for in an action series, and unfortunately, none of the show’s other aspects are enough to rescue it from mediocrity. The modern setting is new for Garo, but once you get past how different it is, you realize the New York-inspired streets and back-alley shots have all been done before. The aptly-named Sword has a lot of charisma, but he’s surrounded by women whose roles are either to get rescued or have big tits. The spirit trapped in the skull ring was the best part of the premiere for the ridiculous way he fused with the MC’s bike, but of the two shows this season with talking motorcycles, Garo isn’t the one you ought to be watching.

Potential: 30%

Code:Realize Sousei no Himegimi

Short Synopsis: A girl whose touch is poisonous is captured by a group of bastardised fictional icons.

AidanAK47’s review

You know I really do try with these Otome game adaptations. I at least try to have an open mind, to let the story have a chance to suck me in. But it’s really hard for me when the writing is so damn amateurish that when you have a character singing London Bridge is falling Down in the first few seconds and manage to get the lyrics wrong! Not broken down, Falling down. It’s in the bloody title for god’s sake. Do you even google sir?! On top of which we got a cast of bastardised characters from other famous fictional works and yet they get it wrong because this story is set in England and two of these characters are supposed to be french. Not that it matters all that much cause these pretty boys have nothing to do with their counterparts. Yet again in an Otome adaption our main character is a paper puppet with the emotional range of Steven Seagal. All of her lines are monotone and despite the fact she literally kills everyone she touches, all these pretty boys are out to get a piece of that fatal action. I actively laughed when one of the guys asks another how she was feeling and the man responds with “Confused…I think”. Even our main characters can see this protagonist is a piece of cardboard saying lines so standard I wouldn’t be surprised if they were straight from an otome playbook. Also of course, she has amnesia because god forbid our main character have some actual character. Look, I am not denying that eroge/visual novels have their own annoying hangups as well but at least out of them you can pick out some standout works. But when it comes to Otome, I have yet to see a single worthwhile work. Please, just one work that doesn’t feel like cookie cutter garbage would be nice.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review

Sorry to be blunt, but the whole concept doesn’t make any damn sense. How can the main girl can stay along in the big mansion all those years without food and pass anyone’s suspicion until now? Why did her father think it’s a good idea to implant whatever it is to her chest and leave her alone, along with verbally abuse her? Why Arsene Lupin? Isn’t he French? Along with Mahoutsukai no Yome, we have another show that set in England, but with much less detail. The group of gentlemen has some diversity, but they’re still pretty much an one-note characters for now. But that main girl is just terrible, her character is indistinctive, she has no real drive and even filled with tired tropes (amnesia??? Seriously). I’m not holding my breath much for this one. Thumbs down.

Potential: 20%

Kino’s Journey

Short Synopsis: Kino travels to a country where the law allows people to kill.

AidanAK47’s review

Ah Kino, how I missed you. I am a really sucker for these kinds of moral parables and from the first episode this show looks to be continuing the tradition well. Not really a sequel nor is it a remake, it appears to be a mixture of old and new as we start off with a brand new story and are moving into an old story that was adapted before. The next episode is one of my least favorite of the old series but we shall see how it does with a new coat of paint. Speaking of which the visuals of Kino have gotten a significant upgrade which could throw people off who prefer the rougher storybook style of the original series. Personally I am fine with the new artstyle and the only points I had a problem with where the two parts where they replaced kino with a CGI puppet when parking her motorrad. It’s small but a little jarring when you see it.That said, Kino was never about the visuals, it’s about the story. From where I see it they are adapting that aspect of it fantastically. Now for the hope that this would be revealed to be a two cour series because that would be marvelous.

Potential: 95%

Mario’s review

Kino’s Journey is back, with a new gown. With its updated character designs, the new version of Kino is more like a reboot than a continuation of a 2003-series, meaning there will be some old tales that receive new treatment again. Don’t know how I feel about that until I see how the new versions play out. About the original series, although I consider the arts fairly ugly, it fits perfectly to the narrative theme of the series (which curiously name as The Beautiful World). I don’t mind this new art of Kino’s Journey, Kino looks pleasantly detailed and overall it brings the same tones of the original series, but sometimes when they rely on the use of  it looks distracting. The first tale sets the show in the right footing, not amongst the best tale we’ve seen but still leaves plenty food for thought. People who hasn’t checked out the original show will have no problem approaching this new material, as this episode bookends the premise of the show and gives us some necessary dynamic between Kino and Hermes. Next week will be a story that original fans are all familiar with: Coliseum, and next week might be a good chance to see if this new adaptation falls under superior or inferior position compared to the 2003 version.

Potential: 85%

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou

Short Synopsis: Two girls ride their tank around in the post-apocalyptic world.

Lenlo’s Review:

A post-apocalyptic/war slice-of-life focused on two girls riding around in a small truck? Normally this wouldn’t be my fare, but in Ryokou it just works. There are a lot of reasons for this. First, the two characters play off of each other very well. There’s rarely a wasted word, with one clearly enjoying talking more than the other.That combined with their silent communication makes it clear they have done this for awhile, there’s a history to their actions. Second Ryokou tells its world through its environment, with a destroyed industrial city, scattered weapons and snow covered metal. It’s so bleak, yet the colored night sky makes it beautiful. Everything feels abandoned and the complete lack of people aside from our leads Chito and Yuuri go a long way in helping this effect. Finally, there’s the design/direction of Ryokou. The detailed background with our almost childlike characters, with the occasional detailed shot of their hands or boots put in. The well-crafted CGI, unique camera angles like our shot spinning with a bullet fire at some cans. Everything about Ryokou shows the passion and skill that went into it. So long as the character interaction stays fresh, as everything hinges on Chito and Yuuri. Based on the ending of this first episode, I don’t think that will be a problem, so I can’t help but recommend Girls Last Tour.

Potential: 85%

Mario’s review

This show’s just tailor-made for me, I love absolutely everything about it. Cute girls in a dark, post-apocalyptic world with a light-hearted slice-of-life approach? Count me right in. The first strength of the show lies in its settings, the world that is void of people, only the remains of machinery, weapons lie around everywhere. This world is conveyed not by the info-dump, but by the empty atmosphere it produces. Not a single life beyond our two girls, all they do is riding around and looking for food. The strong chemistry between the two leads, Chito and Yuuri, make up for its second strength. They share a great bond together and they hold my attention throughout the first episode with how comfortable they are with each other, something that is important since they have to carry the show themselves. Thirdly, it’s the slice-of-life approach that we see them carry on with their lives, enjoy little moments they have. It helps that the direction also favors small moments, sometimes relies on off-screen actions, body gestures, or long zoom out from our protagonist. This show has such a well-crafted direction and it does feel cinematic, I tell ya. Finally, for those of you who worry that this show is an one-extended premise with little variations, this first episode focuses on one little theme at a time that still manage to pack an emotional little punch at the end. Girls Last Tour is a ride that worth taking.

Potential: 80%

Net-juu no Susume

Short Synopsis: A recently dismissed Salarywoman decides to get sucked into an MMORPG

AidanAK47’s review

This show has that aspect where the RPG is presented in this animated fashion from within, but the reality often shows the game to be rather simplistic visually. It’s understandable as it’s likely how the player happens to see that world but it does make me wonder as to what the reality version of certain scenes is. For example there is a scene where one of the characters goes up to the bar and is depressed. So did the player walk her up to the bar and play some sort of depressed gesture? Well ignoring the imaginary alternate reality game vision this is a nice show with a decent start. I really like that the protagonist is a woman in her twenties instead of some generic teenager.(Though as if some parody she makes a generic male teenager avatar to play as in the game) It’s a rather heartwarming story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The animation isn’t the strongest but it works for the story. The question is where does this story go from here as I wonder just how this romance will develop between these two despite them playing opposite to their genders. Now that the woman is up to speed on how to play the game it’s a wonder as to just where the story will go from here. Still as of now I am rather curious.

Potential: 40%

Mario’s review

Net-juu has such a simple concept: a NEET girl who plays game online as a dude has a close encounter with an online girl who in real life is a working man. Yet, so far it’s adorable and charming. The main draw I believe is the lead characters who are in their twenties, as such they behave more believable and their social awkwardness feel more relatable. I also like how difference in arts between the real world and the fantasy game world. Fruits de Mer has a feel of escapist place and the real world is accordingly washout and down to earth. The chemistry between the two mains is rock solid here, it has a proper development and the cast so far is likable. Despite it, the production feels rough at times and I just hope the show doesn’t take too long for the two to meet in real life. Net-juu has a promising take-off, now let’s see how they will manage to fly and land safely.

Potential: 40%

Just Because!

Short Synopsis: Two old friends reunite in high school as a new semester begins for their classmates.

Mario’s review

Damnit, like it or not, a comparison between this one and Tsuki ga Kirei will certainly rise because they produce the same atmosphere, with the same focus on teen romance and their growths and even the emphasis on social chatting amongst teen. At that, there are two elements that work against Just Because, the first being the low-frame rates. Considering it’s from Pine Jam, a relatively new studio, and I witnessed how they struggled at maintaining the production quality in Gamers, I have my concerns. For the show that focuses heavily on quiet, static moments this issue might be not that critical, but even then if the first episode was already that shaky I am worried on how the rest would turn out. Second, the character designs aren’t that good to be honest, they’re kinda plain, neither realistic (multiple hair colors here) nor special. For the show’s credits, only with one episode the main players have enough character actions and you can see each of them have their own circle of friends and their own lives, something I find really well done. There’s a solid chemistry between two lead males here and I hope that they can provide that same amount of dynamic between each member of the main cast. The ending certainly hits its home-run but can they maintain that sparks throughout the rest of its run? I’m definitely looking for more and I hope people can shake off their Tsuki ga Kirei’s comparison because it doesn’t do either Tsuki ga Kirei or Just Because any good.

Potential: 70%

 

Wooper’s Review

I have to be honest – I was nearly catatonic by the end of this episode. Just Because wasn’t one of my most anticipated shows of the season coming into this premiere, but its emphasis on characters and mood is just what I look for in my anime. If I had to pick a word to describe the mood of this series, though, it would be “sleepy.” That’s not just because watching it made me tired, either; the main character sports an “I got three hours of sleep last night” expression for most of his time on screen, and the show’s low-energy conversations between classmates don’t provide much of a hook. I’m down for naturalism and table setting and all that good stuff, but there ought to be a reason to keep watching week after week, and I didn’t find that here. The show split itself too thin between its five primary cast members, which rendered the final home run scene totally impotent, even with its marching band score and slow-motion finish. I would have preferred a narrower focus on Eiji and Haruto, complete with glimpses of their past friendship/rivalry, to strengthen the final moments of the episode. The reveal that Eiji’s old flame attends his new school is good news for fans of love pentagons, but given how messy and unfocused this episode was, I can’t recommend it to any other subset of anime fans.

Potential: 40%

 

Ousama Game

Short Synopsis:

AidanAK47’s review

Oh, forgive me. I made a small misunderstanding with the preview of this show. I originally thought this would be an adaption of the first story in the series but it appears they decided to adapt the sequel instead. That said, everything I said in the preview still applies here and boy, this is awful. I mean this is just terrible. The main character is busy being a mopey emo after going though the events of the first story and it’s hard to have sympathy when we don’t know what he went through and when he just seems to have a chronic problem of not explaining himself. I mean he could explain the situation to the classroom and give them decent forewarning but instead keeps saying vague warnings and evidently argers everyone, including the audience. Still this may have so bad it’s good value to some as it really is just like a low budget slasher film. However if you think you might get something of genuine value out of this then I am sorry to say you would be greatly mistaken.

Potential: 0%

 

Mario’s review

This show is beyond stupid. Are we supposed to root for that guy in all honesty? He is the worst-written character I’ve seen this year. It’s cringe-worthy just to see him doing every stupid action. And then some big-boob girl actually falls for him? AT FIRST SIGHT? Haizz. Then the game rules that make no sense. Don’t the rules say they have 24 hours to carry the order, so why the heck many of them being punished here? Then the orders are really stupid: Student A has to touch student B’s breast, because… ORDER! And then the killings are silly as well, what’s with all the supernatural deaths? To be frank, if they throw some creative ideas into those I mentioned above, I could give it another try (I still don’t mind Final Destination franchise for example, at least in that franchise I want to see how the deaths play out). This one is as lazy as it gets, and it even manages to be boring despite its death-game hook. Give me my time back. Inconceivable!

Potential: 0%

 

Infini-T Force

Short Synopsis:  Various famous Tonkatsu heroes are summoned into another world to fight a new threat  

AidanAK47’s review

Well it’s Japanese Tonkatsu Avengers! I will admit to only recognising two out the the cast of four but they all seem to be fairly famous tonkatsu icons.(Though I don’t see Kamen Rider anywhere) The visuals are pretty impressive by 3D animation standards but I do admit that at times it felt like I was watching a video game FMV sequence. Lots of flashbacks to Final Fantasy FMV, that’s for sure. So far it’s fairly watchable but I think this will be on the more campy side of things. For one I was rolling my eyes as one of our heroes talks to the blatantly obvious villain with the french phrases and didn’t happen to catch on that he might be evil. Action is quite good though I think the story is already stretching itself to accommodate shoving all these heroes from other universes. This is more a show for those fond of Tonkatsu fans as I did feel at times that I missing something due to be ignorant of the heroes themselves.

Potential: 30%

 

Mario’s review

Such a guilty pleasant surprise, because by no means should Infini-T Force work for me. I loathe Superheroes action genre, I am unfamiliar with those franchises the show crossovers, and I’m not fond with full CGI shows. On the last point, it’s mainly because full CGI animated shows look disorienting most of the time. Those I partly enjoyed (RWBY, some Chinese wuxia shows, Miraculous Ladybug and last year’s BBK/BRK) are understandably action-oriented shows, since those CG looks the most impressive in fight sequences. This show has that benefits and I can call the cast designs as attractive. The plot runs really thin here as with 2 episodes, it’s already full of plot holes and it runs like a game format now with all the villains waiting for our heroes in the stadium. But here I find myself enjoying it. The main cast is fun with lousy and campy dialogues and the production is solid enough for me to enjoy. At least I will follow it for a few more weeks.

Potential: 30%

URAHARA

Short Synopsis: Three girls are required to fight off aliens attacking their hometown.

AidanAK47’s review

Now here’s a show that doesn’t know what to do with itself. The plot itself is ludicrous and already lost suspension of disbelief once it showed that these three brainless dullards somehow run a fashion…dessert…artistic…well a company that creates something. The big problem that rears it’s head is that nothing is being taken seriously and as such the comedy i somehow supposed to be in the fact that our main characters don’t take the situation seriously. But that’s the only real joke and so the entirely of the entertainment is places on the interactions between the cast who are all just paper thin. It’s a shame because artistically it feels like real effort is being put in here but isn’t isn’t coming together. The backgrounds have a style of looking roughly hand drawn and the character designs pop out. But the dialogue just feels like it’s telling a joke that never gets to the punchline. It reminds me a little of that anime from Spring 2015 which was called punchline which had the same level of dissonance with comedy. My point is that it’s hard to get into a story where the main characters have effectively abandoned any sense of reality. If the characters are not invested in the story then why should we be?

Potential: 20%

 

Mario’s review

Haha damnit Urahara… you really went overboard here. From the streets of Harajuku, we have cute girls… fighting aliens who invaded the Earth to steal our… CREATIVITY. Yeah, the premise does sound like a harmless kiddie show, but Urahara is not without its charms. First off, it comes as a rather unusual project since it’s a Crunchyroll-born anime project that contains mostly female staffs. That piece of information doesn’t tell you anything about the actual quality of the show, mind you, but it’s something I can support wholeheartedly from behind. Second, if you judge Urahara solely on creativity, then damn this show sure has some. I love the soft backgrounds that make the Harajuku town come to life. The girls have some attractive costume outfits that further convince me that the creators draw them with those outfits before giving them the personality or making up a story. Because, ladies, the story is a mess and the acting is horrendous. It progresses randomly and never leaves much impact beyond its wacky atmosphere. The budget is tight here as they rely heavily on limited animation. Overall, Urahara remains a curious project. Despite its obvious flaws: the story that is near-nonexistent, the plot that moves in all directions and the characters that have depth as thick as toilet paper, it still establishes its own personality. There’s something that feel really “URAHARA-quese” here, something I can’t say for most of other anime shows out there.

Potential: 40%

 

Konohana Kitan

Short Synopsis: A fox girl goes to work for a hot spring inn.

AidanAK47’s review

Saber?! What the hell are you doing he…oh wait she’s got fox ears. Never mind. Well this show is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. You like cute girls? You like cute fox girls? Do you want Hanasaku Iroha but requiring less of your attention span or brain activity? Then this is the show for you. I am not completely immune to the appeal of girls acting cute but I find these shows often tune down the intelligence of the characters in order to make them seem more pure and innocent. You can have a girl be adorable and not need to turn her into an idiot. Case in point, I am currently playing through Muv Luv Unlimited and Kasumi is ridiculously adorable while at the same time being much smarter than the protagonist. There is nothing particularly bad about this show but at the same time there is nothing  that makes it stand out. It’s average for the genre and i suppose if you like this stuff then it could fill the void for the time being.

Potential: 10%

 

Mario’s review

Cute girls who work in an inn. I must admit that I always have a soft spot for “cute girls” genre hence I always find myself enjoy it more than regular viewers. Konohana Kitan falls right in the middle of this genre’s pack. We have a typical story of a wide-eyed country girl goes to live in the big city for the first time, she gets used to the live of the new environment and makes friends with other cute girls in the process. Nothing unusual here, although I think to judge this type of show you need to see how enjoyable it is, at that it does a fairly decent job. At least the main girl isn’t annoying or too pure to just follow anyone’s words unconditionally. I quite like the activities of the inn itself that remind me a bit of the classic Spirited Away. This show really goes all out with cherry blossom scene and god, it’s beautiful. Konohana Kitan hardly breaks any ground and the characters are hardly original and the story will get more generic from now on but if you want something light that lullaby your brain to sleep then this is just about perfect.

Potential: 30%

 

Tsukipro the Animation

Short Synopsis: Several boy bands prepare for a major live performance.

Mario’s review

I’ve mentioned that Boy Idol genre is already a low bar, remember? Well, this one manages to fail miserably even within its circle. The most terrible one is the designs of the cast – they look too perfect that there is an uncanny effect that further melt my brain, and by being too perfect they hold no real personality whatsoever. Then the plot isn’t remotely interesting or compelling. Apparently, the whole season will focus on the idol groups prepare and then perform in that Tsukipro events? Not that I really care. Furthermore, the use of CG is off-putting and lifeless. In fact, “lifeless” is a perfect word to sum up this production. This show, like its idol characters, have so little personality to speak of, as a result we could easily mistake it for some other male idol shows. Not that anyone really give a damn.

Potential: 0%

 

Wooper’s Review

Exposition and character introduction screens are the name of the game here. After one episode, Tsukipro’s main concerns seem to be that we 1) learn the names of all the attractive band members, and 2) pick a favorite, who will then entice us to stick around for another 12 spoonfuls of sterile jokes and mid-2000s CG. The production meeting where we learned about the big concert felt less like entertainment and more like an actual meeting that I was forced to sit through for work. The boys’ other responsibilities (photo shoots, TV appearances, radio shows) were similarly dry, though they didn’t manage to sink to the artless depths of that opening scene. If I had to point to one redeeming factor here, it would be the potential for conflict between the four different idol groups, but the mere existence of multiple bands is probably an excuse to feature more guys with different hairstyles and identical personalities. I had only seen a couple idol shows before this one, and they all made their character rosters as large and unwieldy as possible, as well. The bigger the net, the larger the catch, I guess.

Potential: One of the worst things I’ve ever seen/10

Juuni Taisen

Short Synopsis: Killers dressed to represent the 12 Zodiac signs gather to participate in a battle royale.

AidanAK47’s review

The first show I check out this season and I must say it’s starting on a high note. Nisio is a writer I am mixed on but so far this series is looking to be quite interesting as we have it focused on the backstory of a certain character as she goes to participate in this battle to the death. It features some of the most impressive CGI integration I have seen as I truly had to second guess myself on whether it was truly CGI. The character cast all seem to be quite quirky and the story presented so far has interested me. Though moreso the girls backstory of how she got selected to take part in the battle. I do think this could end up disappointing easily if the story goes a certain way but so far this is a very solid recommendation to check this show out.

Potential: 85%

Mario’s review

A bit of unrelated trivia about the Chinese zodiac. Although many countries from Asia celebrate the Chinese zodiac, we modify some animals from the Chinese origin to be more suitable with our traditions. Japan, for example, includes sheep instead of goat and Wild Boar instead of Piggie (the Vietnamese zodiac, in case you wonder, has Water Buffalo instead of Ox, and most noticeably we choose Cat in place of Rabbit). Does the Chinese Zodiac matter? Well, in my culture we still favor the system whenever any couple decide to get married to see if they’re best match. If they aren’t, game over. Maybe that explains why both the elopement rate and the unwanted pregnancy rate are quite high in Vietnam (Blame you Chinese Zodiac!!). Let’s back on track with Juuni Taisen, outrageous character designs aside, if the rest of the series is like this then we’d have a winner in our hands. The concept of a battle royale between 12 Zodiac warriors, while not original, is too entertaining to ignore. This first episode follows one of the warrior, the Boar, so we have a chance to see how the rules set up, meeting other warriors through her lens, and learn more about her backstory. As soon as her backstory begins I have a feeling she’d be the first to get send off, but that twist in the end means that she still remains “intact” in the story. As expect from Nisio we have more amount of dialogues than normal action show, but the action scenes are nicely done. All warriors so far have some interesting quirks and even just a mere 20 minutes I can remember most of them. If you look for a (talky) action fix this season look no further than this.

Potential: 75%

 

Sengoku Night Blood

Short Synopsis:  A girl is suddenly summoned into an alternate reality Sengoku Japan.

AidanAK47’s Review

Ah yes, the Sengoku period of Japan. Where everyone was fighting to unify the country, random girls are introduced to the major hierarchy of an army for no reason, the female species is nowhere in site, all guys are pretty boys or cat eared pretty boys and werewolves and vampires were everywhere…something tells me this show isn’t going for a historical portrayal. It’s funny that i have seen so many of these shows that I can actually recognise the historical figures names.(Or perhaps that’s thanks to Sengoku Rance) So this show is just so boring and by the numbers that I don’t see how anyone is going to get anything out of it unless they like pretending to be the piece of cardboard that is our protagonist and imagining playing with all the pretty boys. Of course she has no personality whatsoever and of course all the guys want to bonk her on the principle that she is special somehow or misinterpret her boring run of the mill traits as some sort of unique characteristics. Only other female mentioned is some missing princess that supposed to be super important and most certainly will turn out to be our main protagonist because I am gonna be damned if they let some other chick steal the spotlight. Not the target demographic here but come on, this story is just too lazy and boring. You deserve better than this trash.

Potential: 0%

Mario’s review

Gosh, this show is a mess. Something something fighting… someone someone get introduced and then the main guy literally climaxes after licking a girl’s blood. The plot functions like a typical isekai show where the girl gets transported into… another world where the feud happens between badass boys who have overpowered techniques and I bet each of them has their own special moves. This show has a problem that they introduce way too many characters and clans and not much time for the lead. The girl lead, in particular is so plain and unmemorable that it’s hard to root for her (what is her name, anyway?). The fights are pretty much just there, no context and there is absolutely no sense of danger anywhere. And then they mix vampire, werewolf and tanuki in the process… that the show become a hot mess. In fact, the whole story is so insignificant that by the time you finish this episode there is nothing to linger on. An install noodle for someone who have a weakness for boys fighting with each other using cool techniques and saying cool lines, otherwise stay far away from this.

Potential: 0%

 

Shokugeki no Souma S3

Short Synopsis: Yukihira Souma plots to break into the Elite 10 at Totsuki Academy.

Lenlo’s Review

Souma starts off incredibly underwhelming. Perhaps I am looking at the first two seasons with rose colored glasses, but Third Plate just looks like it has so little passion behind it. Overused chibi animation for every little thing, lots of panning still shots with only a moving mouth. All that, along with the problem that the prior to seasons and an OVA are basically mandatory watching will likely put off a lot of new people. That said, the arcs getting adapted this season are interesting. We get the Moon Festival and the start of a big storyline that’s still going on in the manga right now. Assuming that the animation is being saved for the cook-offs, that you either know the story up till now or don’t care, and are ok with the inevitable food based fan-service of Souma, I don’t see any harm in giving Souma a shot until the end of this first small arc.

Potential: 65%

Wooper’s Review

I’m a fan of Souma’s original 24-episode run, but its second season spent too much time on culinary combat and not enough on maintaining its quirky atmosphere. If its first episode is anything to go by, the third season is on the verge of making the same mistakes, although there’s a baseline of entertainment it ought to meet just by faithfully adapting the manga. Yukihira is already gunning for one of the top ten students at Totsuki here, and the entire episode was a dialogue-heavy setup for their eventual confrontation. The whole thing felt a bit too safe and familiar, but the series’ past strengths are enough to earn it a light recommendation. At this point, you already know whether you’re in or out, so if it’s more Souma you want, the third season’s two-cour order really ought to whet your appetite.

Potential: 50%