Star Crossed Anime

Chanto Suenai Kyuuketsuki-chan

Short Synopsis: A super cool vampire is bad at sucking blood.

Amun: I usually like comic supernatural shows, even in high school settings (remember “Beelzebub”?) so I thought I’d give “Chanto Suenai” a go. First episode was a bit of an odd duck, with the male lead…not having a mouth 90% of the time. Interesting choice seeing as this is about vampires and sucking blood. Also the thinly veiled quasi-fetish of getting blood sucked (and comparing with breast feeding) was not my favorite. The leads have good chemistry though, and the premise, while simple, was pretty well executed. I like the world, and it looks like we’ll meet more supernatural oddballs, so I think that’ll be fun. As long as this doesn’t go from funny to fetish, I’ll stick around – not sure that’s a guarantee though.
Potential: 50%

Wooper: This kind of setting, with supernatural creatures (and robots!) living normal lives in a virtually unchanged human society, has been done a handful of times before – the one that first comes to mind is Interviews With Monster Girls, which I half-enjoyed when it aired in 2017. Kyuuketsuki-chan (whose localized title is too embarrassing to type in full) doesn’t have a whole lot in common with that series, but there is some emphasis on the main character methodically learning about the quirks of his new vampire pal. It’s good that the romantic angle isn’t overplayed in this first episode, as it both keeps the emphasis on the comedy and allows for potential connections between our feature-challenged protagonist (Otori) and others who have yet to be introduced. Concerning the comedy itself, though, I’m not even a minor fan. Otori’s mimicry of a bird during the third act rooftop scene was more bizarre than endearing, and vampiress Ishikawa’s habit of transforming into a chibi version of herself whenever she sucks blood is just so-so, though I did get a smile out of the post-ED scene where the script nonchalantly hand-waved that concern. On the plus side, the animation style (conservative with bursts of flashiness for humor’s sake) is just about right for a show of this type, so anyone interested in watching more would appear to be in good hands.
Potential: 20%

One Punch Man S3

Short Synopsis: Another tragic sequel to one of the most beloved anime ever.

Amun: I usually really like JC Staff productions (see: “Danmachi”). But their taking over of the “One Punch Man” franchise has been absolutely criminal. Gone is the great animation, perfect comedic timing, ideal music cuts…really any hype whatsoever. Instead we have this weirdly complicated arc of monster vs. hero that isn’t fun and honestly doesn’t involve Saitama that much. It just isn’t the same show I (and most people who watch anime) fell in love with. Some of that might be the source material, I’ll admit, but I have to believe the studio and staff have some blame. Season 3 looks pretty much the exact same as the second season – just a continuation of this big, bloated storyline that doesn’t involve a Saitama punch for numerous episodes. I hate it. It makes me sad and upset.
Potential: Bring. Back. Madhouse.

Kimi to Koete Koi ni Naru

Short Synopsis: A high school girl befriends her beastfolk classmate, both of whom quickly develop the hots for each other.

Wooper: For the bulk of its first episode, KimiKoe (AKA With You, Our Love Will Make It Through) built a solid case that it ought to be taken seriously. A lot of shows revolving around fetishes or taboos have subpar visual production (the expectation being that their respective niches will tune in no matter how they look), but the animation here was consistent, especially with regard to hair and clothing. The anti-beastfolk racism during the school scenes was clumsy, but getting a look at the designated zone where they were forced to live gave the setting some depth. Moments of sensuality (Asaka checking out Hidaka’s abs, her scent giving him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach) weren’t exactly tasteful, but neither were they too much to handle. Things were looking good up until the 17 minute mark – and then KimiKoe went full furry fanfic, trapping its lead characters in the gym storage room and starting in on the dubiously consensual sniffing and licking. I have to give the show some props for being relatively well made, but the “He’s going to eat me!” cliffhanger didn’t exactly hook my vanilla ass.
Potential: 20%

Gnosia

Short Synopsis: An amnesiac awakens to a real life social deduction game being played aboard a spaceship with deathly consequences.

Wooper: When I first looked into this show a few weeks ago, I thought for sure there would be more to it than Werewolf: The Animation with a reincarnation twist. That’s essentially all this episode had to offer, though, aside from moderate fanservice and fashion reminiscent of the Hunger Games’ Capitol. Protagonist Yuri awoke with no idea who he was or what was going on, so everything had to be explained to him right from the start, including the threat posed by the titular alien race and the voting system meant to catch them despite their human disguises. Details about the Gnosia, such as their unique ability to move during lightspeed travel, perfectly mirror the rules of Werewolf (in this case, the game’s night phase), making the story feel more than a little hollow. It’s only been one day-night cycle, though, and given Yuri’s Return by Death ability, this premiere functioned more like a prologue than a proper first outing, so there’s plenty of time for things to turn around. Visually, the outlandishly dressed 2D characters’ movement through their spaceship’s 3D environment isn’t perfect, but I like it in concept, since it allows the show to more freely explore its one and only setting. There are a few positives here, so even though I was let down by this episode, I’m not (cold) sleeping on Gnosia just yet.
Potential: 35%

Mario: This is essentially Werewolf as an anime outing, which is a plus for me given how much I like that game (not really good at it though). The issues I had by the end of it though: the ED pretty much spoils the fun here (so pay no attention to the ED if you haven’t seen it already), and that twist in turn reveals another strategic flaw in this Werewolf (or Gnosia) game: if there are the same number of humans and wolves remaining, the latter group will win by default. So if there are two Gnosia, wouldn’t it be too easy to put just one human to sleep?! The episode hinges so much on Yuri’s unexplained amnesia, and relies so much on his climactic decision, that he serves more as an insert character than a full-fledged one. I might sound a bit too harsh, but in truth I like the funky characters and how this episode spans out. It’s just that I’m not sure how it will play its hand in the long run.
Potential: 30%

Wandance

Short Synopsis: A high school freshman with a stutter is inspired by his classmate’s nonverbal communication through dance.

Wooper: Welcome to the Ballroom was the first show I ever blogged on Star Crossed, and I still remember criticizing it for its 3D background dancers (among other things). Eight years later, I may be the only person on the internet reviewing Wandance’s premiere with no plans to give its 3D foreground dancers the same treatment. Yes, their vacant expressions make them look awkward as hell, but given that this is the route the show decided to take even for its main characters, there isn’t much point in harping on them. Besides, there’s enough worthwhile stuff here to outweigh that awkwardness. For one thing, the background artists are punching far above their weight, not only in establishing a small town nestled at the foot of Mount Fuji, but also in creating attractive interior shots, which is typically the hard part for high school shows. The characterization so far is steady without being flashy; Kotani’s perseverance despite his stutter and bravery in standing up to his self-absorbed friends make him one of the more credibly anxious protagonists in recent memory, while Wanda’s cool beauty doesn’t overshadow her thoughtfulness. And who could hate an anime that plays an uninterrupted 56 second clip of the Scatman music video midway through its first episode (for a plot-relevant reason, no less)? Even if this show’s production doesn’t put the “dance” in Wandance, there’s something here worth giving a second look – or maybe I’ve just gone soft since 2017.
Potential: 45%

A Wild Last Boss Appeared

Short Synopsis: A gamer is transported into a video game as a bad-ass villainess.

Mario: It’s another “transported into another world” show where the protagonist is a) a villain and b) way overpowered. It’s a bad idea already, in my view, that we never get to know this person in real life before he gets sucked into this game (heck, we never get to see his full face or learn his name). The fantasy world is your typical fare, with the same races, guilds, quests and power stats as usual. The only thing I can give this show is that it knows what it is and never tries to be something else, so the protagonist likewise has a good idea of what to do next. I say that this type of show is at its most interesting in the beginning, where the protagonist has to work his way to the top of the world. If that sounds good to you, give this episode a watch to see whether it’s your thing.
Potential: 10%

Shuumatsu Touring

Short Synopsis: Cute girls doing cute things in a post-apocalyptic world.

Amun: Let’s start out with the disclaimer that Girls Last Tour (which will draw tons of comparisons to Shuumatsu Touring) is one of my top anime all time. Given that immense starting bias, Shuumatsu Touring’s been on my radar since the preseason. How did the first episode shape up? Like Mario says, it’s way greener and more vibrant. It isn’t as much finding joy in the dreary as it is finding joy in the uncluttered. Also, this episode was set in Hakone, which I absolutely love (I’ve been blessed to have hiked the mountains around the big lake in this episode…although there wasn’t the Loch Ness monster when I was there). All in all, I like the vibes, I like our leads, I don’t mind electric motor bikes, and I’m curious what happened to Mt. Fuji (I think I’ve gotten the right mountain there).
Potential: 70%

Mario: I’m sure the obvious point of comparison for this show is Girls’ Last Tour, considering how they are similar in both premise and tone, but so far Shuumatsu Touring does just about enough to differentiate itself from that show. First, instead of the gray industrial wasteland in Girls’ Last Tour, we have much more green in the palette this time. We have yet to see any humans aside from the main girls (one of whom is revealed to be an android), but wild animals are thriving in this world! In addition to that, I really appreciate how the episode slowly reveals many important details by showing instead of spoon-feeding the information. As mentioned earlier, the reveal that one of the girls is an android is nicely done, and the main girl’s constant flashbacks to Earth before the apocalypse marks a nice contrast to how it looks at the moment. I’m sure that we will learn more about this world and what caused its ruin further down the line, but for now the girls are the focal point, and so far I’m up for their own little adventure.
Potential: 60%

Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle

Short Synopsis: A popular teenage boy flirts with his classmates and attempts to lure a shut-in nerd back to school.

Wooper: When I wrote this show’s entry for our season preview a couple weeks ago, I guessed that the chances of its title character escaping Literally Me status were slim. Now that I’ve seen Chitose’s 30+ minute premiere, I can confirm that he fits the mold, but there’s something that sets him apart – he’s way better at talking to girls than the other LN dudes who typically get slapped with that label. Sure, “better” is a relative term (some of the women who watch this episode are bound to find him douchey), but if we’re talking about the ability to keep a conversation going with a member of the opposite sex, this guy is at the top of his class. For fans of LN harem adaptations with larger-than-harem pretensions, that may prove to be a selling point, but personally, I found the writing to be annoying. The snippets of flowery narration scattered throughout the episode, Chitose’s internal assessments of his classmates in the order they appear on screen, the aggressive flirting from half the female students… I’d say I were too old for this kind of show, but the truth is I never liked them, even as a teenager myself. The only whiff of promise here comes from the unspoken skeleton in the protagonist’s closet, which his teacher uses to subtly blackmail him midway through the episode, but I’m not sticking around to find out what it is.
Potential: 10%

A Mangaka’s Weirdly Wonderful Workplace

Short Synopsis: The everyday life of a rookie mangaka and her yuri affection for her editor.

Mario: It’s always a treat to see the inner workings of a mangaka’s life (and those of people in the anime industry, to an extent). It’s something that is totally unique to Japanese culture that I would love to know more about. This show uses that setting for a more cozy approach, and dives more into the mangaka-assistant and mangaka-editor relationships. So far though, I’m not sure if I can tolerate our main girl Futami for the rest of the season. She has a wild imagination (befitting her occupation), but tends to overthink and overact, which can be too much at times. Thankfully, the people around her serve as the voice of reason to bring her back to reality. I like the atmosphere but the show has to branch out more in order to grab the audience’s attention.
Potential: 40%

Spy x Family S3

Short Synopsis: A spy, an assassin, a telepathic kid, and a future seeing dog pretend to be a family…and try to save the world.

Lenlo: This, somehow, may be one of my favorite Spy x Family episodes yet. Not only do we get some sweet family time with Loid/Yor/Anya and a fun little arm wrestling match with construction equipment, we even get an entire mission dedicated purely to our side cast of Fiona/Franky, expanding who knows who and their relationships. It felt like we got a little bit of everything. The only thing I was looking for that wasn’t there was something connected to the larger plot, to bring that back in instead of a basic recap at the start. Suffice to say, it was a solid opening episode, showing us just how good Spy x Family can be when it’s firing on all cylinders. Now we just need to hope it can keep this up for the rest of the season. Sadly this is around when I stopped reading, so I’m as blind as you are now.
Potential: 70%

Amun: What a lovely start to the season. I agree with what Lenlo said about it being a bit odd that we have essentially a filler episode as the premiere, but it looks like next week will get into the more Anya centric arc I’m expecting this season to be. I’m a little surprised to see how much time has been spent developing Nightfall, since she’s a pretty flat character, but I’m assuming we’ll find out the reasons later. Other than that, I’m hyped for the season – everything seems to be in working order from the characters to the animation, so it looks like this season’s a go!
Potential: 90%

Mario: Okay, I’m just gonna be that guy who says that this episode does nothing for me. I demand more Anya time!!
Potential: 20%

Ninja vs. Gokudo

Short Synopsis: Two boys become friends, unaware that they are on two different sides of a hundred-year war between ninja and gangsters.

Mario: The feud between two staples of Japanese pop culture, ninja and gokudo (yakuza), is an interesting concept to explore, but so far this episode just takes too long to get to the point. From the very first moment they meet, we all have a good idea of how they will end up. I guess the point here is to establish the fleeting friendship between these two young faces who share a mutual love for anime, but once we know that they will inevitably face off in the future, this feels more like a calculated move. In addition, its violence is of the edgy variety, which is just as likely to turn audiences away as it is to attract them. Still, I enjoy the wordplay of their names (read as ninja and gokudo, respectively). Not that the show will shake the anime world, as you can see how things will fall way ahead of time, but it’s still enjoyable in its own way.
Potential: 30%

May I Ask for One Final Thing?

Short Synopsis: A highborn lady takes revenge on her fellow nobles for their mistreatment of her, as well as their general wickedness.

Wooper: I ignored this show on first release due to its place within the villainness subgenre, but circled back around to it when I needed a replacement for a much worse premiere. May I Ask (or Saihito, Japan’s abbreviation for its stereotypical light novel title) isn’t bad, just not my cup of tea, though I say that without having seen the second of the simultaneous episodes it dropped last week. Based on the OP, it looks like Scarlet (the show’s heroine) will eventually ditch the hypocrisy of the peerage for a life of combat and adventure, but all I saw in 20-something minutes was her backstory and her violent revenge on her cruel former fiance Kyle, plus his sycophantic flunkies. Saihito definitely has a sense of humor about Kyle’s spinelessness, but there’s more than one moment when that humor douses him in gasoline, metaphorically speaking, rather than just lighting his coat on fire. And all the groveling from his fellow nobles when Scarlet begins to go on her rampage, including offers to give their best slaves to anyone who can protect them, are so thickly written that the scene lost a lot of its appeal, at least for me. The concept of a villainness anime with a stoic badass for a protagonist is a good one, and the show does well with its limited visual resources, but this isn’t something I’m eager to follow from week to week.
Potential: 25%

Digimon Beatbreak

Short Synopsis: A drummer with mysterious AI-scrambling powers is introduced to Digimon the hard way when one of them kills his brother.

Wooper: This is my first time sitting down to watch a Digimon show, and truthfully I only gave it a spin to create a multiple of three for this post, but I came away impressed. The franchise has some odd quirks, like its creature naming scheme (the giant wasp is named Waspmon) and the concept of human involvement in Digimon combat (hopefully that’s not a constant across multiple series, because it seems very stupid). But as far as establishing episodes go, this one performed well. Its most impressive aspect had to be the death of the main character’s older brother – together with the dramatic music and Tomoro’s conflicted feelings toward the man, the character animation as his brother’s hand slipped from his grasp thoroughly sold the moment. As a matter of fact, the episode looked great most of the time, with the only exception being the cyber grid landscape used for the opening fight scene. Information about critical in-universe technology, like e-Pulse and Sapotamas (egg-shaped all-in-one AI assistants), was delivered both upfront and throughout the episode, which formed an effective (if not elegant) combination, and the show’s mascot, the rubber-tongued Gekkomon, was instantly memorable. I liked what I saw here – enough to give Beatbreak at least two more episodes for sure, though I doubt I’ll be along for the entire (rumored) four cour ride.
Potential: 55%

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider

Short Synopsis: A 40 year old man lives his dream of being Kamen Rider by dressing up as a Tokusatsu hero and beating up thugs while an equally Rider-obsessed gangster opposes him.

Lenlo: For something as culturally massive as Kamen Rider, I’ve never actually watched anything about the series. I’ve seen Power Rangers, and other western Tokusatsu shows, but this is the first one actually directly related to Kamen Rider. And you know what? Maybe I should go watch some, because this was legitimately fun. Very exaggerated and stupid, a grown adult making transformation noises and judo flipping a brown bear is crazy, but oh so fun. This show clearly loves Kamen Rider, and it makes me want to love it as well. Helps that it also doesn’t look half bad, as my guy had a transcendental experience putting on a plastic mask before beating up some thugs with some of the best fight choreo I’ve seen so far this season. Easily the most fun I’ve had with a premiere so far, I really really hope Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider keeps it up.
Potential: 90%

Wooper: The damage that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has done to action anime’s sound design is irreversible, I fear. We’re not getting bass hits and bullet sound effects just for punches and kicks anymore – now we even need six of them when a shot zooms out to dramatically reveal half a dozen cardboard boxes. If you want context for that description, you’ll have to watch this premiere yourself, and you may be glad you did, as Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider’s obnoxious audio is its only real weakness. The show may have a ridiculous premise and an over-the-top energy, but it smartly walks the line between wearing its heart on its sleeve and keeping its tongue in its cheek. While the Kamen Rider love is real here, both the central character and the wave of burglars cosplaying as the franchise’s iconic henchmen recognize the outlandishness of their actions, providing a workable base from which the story can escalate. Its fight scenes and reaction shots rely heavily on effects for their impact, rather than elite animation, but the show makes it work with exaggerated expressions and fun humor. And speaking of humor, the takoyaki-themed ED is one of my favorites of the year so far – I couldn’t find it online just yet, but it’ll be worth looking up when it eventually hits the net.
Potential: 60%

SI-VIS: The Sound of Heroes

Short Synopsis: A country boy travels to Tokyo in the hopes of joining his cousin’s idol unit, but ends up witnessing his death instead.

Wooper: Bit of a spoiler in the synopsis there (if you want to watch this one blind, don’t look up), but I figure most folks will need a hook to check out what looks like an idol game adaptation. That’s the thing about Sound of Heroes – it’s actually an original series, but you’d never guess that from its premise, character designs, or general vibe. (My guess is that there’s a group of producers out there hoping the anime will be a hit so they can create a media mix franchise in reverse.) Despite being the first of its name, The Sound of Heroes has clear inspirations in battle idol shows, most notably Symphogear, so unless you’re into that micro-genre, it probably won’t appeal to you. It’s a competently made product, though, and some people may get a kick out of how seriously it (and a couple of its edgy characters in particular) takes its song and dance battles. During the scene where SI-VIS face off against their alien foes, the screen is awash with ice waves, sparkles, bubbles, and laser beams, which will either give you a headache or make you laugh out loud. If it’s the latter, this show may be for you, but personally, one episode is enough for me.
Potential: 20%