Urusei Yatsura (2022)
Short Synopsis: A hopeless pervert finds himself with a jealous alien roommate after catching her in a fate-altering game of tag.
Wooper: I don’t know how much further removed this reboot could have been from the 1980s anime. Perhaps that’s for the best, since its loud colors and hyperactive tone may appeal to a new generation of fans, but personally, I watched this premiere with at least one eyebrow raised at all times. It was so committed to its vivid aesthetic that even its speedlines were rainbow colored, and some shots defied my understanding entirely. I mean, what the hell am I looking at here? To be clear, the presentation only dips into that sort of ultra-neon territory for isolated shots, but they demonstrate that the show has very loose boundaries when it comes to color design. The reboot animates with more proficiency than I expected (which is great!), though the way it zips from one scene to the next makes it feel like the director had Keanu Reeves’ mindset in the movie Speed: go too slow and your anime explodes. This stretches already-thin relationships like Ataru and Shinobu’s hot-cold attraction to a breaking point, removing the sympathetic aspect of her character so that she comes across as merely shrill. I’ve got more gripes that I could list, but it’s better that I end on a note of praise – Hiroshi Kamiya supplied a perfect performance as the lecherous, ill-omened Ataru. I’m sure it wasn’t a hard pick, since he’s played similar characters in the past, but hats off to the casting director nevertheless for making the right call.
Potential: Not for me
Mario: I was looking forward to this reboot as Urusei Yatsura was one of the more popular shows back in the 80s, and it’s pretty amusing to see how they’ve adapted it for modern audiences. The result is a mixed bag. I enjoy the visuals well enough; the character designs pop out, and I don’t mind that it goes bananas with the color palette. It certainly has the retro aesthetic that I seek. Unfortunately, it’s the story that feels dated and aimless. Is this love-triangle bickering going to be prominent for the rest of its run? It feels loud and one note after just one episode. The worst thing, however, is how broadly-drawn the main characters are – they don’t feel one bit believable or likeable. We don’t know them as individuals so we feel nothing for their relationships. This is the kind of show where you can only take it at face value and not think hard about the plot or characters afterward. As much as I enjoy the production, looks alone can only get you so far.
Potential: 30%
Mairimashita! Iruma-kun S3
Short Synopsis: After an exciting summer break, the Misfit Class gets an ultimatum to stay in their comfy classroom – with new lessons from eccentric tutors.
Amun: I previewed Marimashita before the season started, so I have a general idea of where this season is going (at least at first). Getting back to Babyls, Marimashita wastes no time diving into the new challenges: tutors and required ranks. How does it look? I personally really enjoyed what I read of this season’s material, and this episode didn’t do anything to dissuade me. If anything, I think they’re handling the pacing really well, since I could have seen them rushing through the groundwork. If I have any complaints, it’s going to be the lack of Ameri-san this season: why couldn’t she build on the incredible groundwork of last season’s date? One step forward, two steps back, I suppose. All in all, no surprises here – but for what started as an average comedy going into its third season, that’s an accomplishment in and of itself. I’m in it all the way.
Potential: 100%
Cool Doji Danshi
Short Synopsis: A handsome college student makes one faux pas after another, but at least he looks good doing it.
Wooper: This show is unsubbed at the time of this writing, so I went in raw for my final first impression of 2022 – except I cheated by following along with the manga scanlations on my second monitor, so I was able to follow the episode just fine. Cool Doji Danshi is a relaxing half-length CGDKT (cute guys doing klutzy things) with appealingly simple character designs and frequent cutaways to patterned backgrounds. It’s sparsely animated, but I did enjoy the realism on display during Hayate’s slow morning routine, which made clear use of reference footage. Hayate is the sort of guy who would forget his head if it weren’t attached to his neck, which poses difficulties everywhere from work to drinking parties to convenience store trips. People note his absentmindedness wherever he goes, but they don’t say anything about it (save for his best friend and his nagging boss) because he’s got such a cool aura about him. It’s refreshing to watch an ikemen series that isn’t about an idol group – girls still swoon upon meeting Hayate, but that’s because of his clumsiness as much as it is his good looks, and he gets a nice monologue towards the end about accepting the parts of himself that he doesn’t like along with the parts that he does. I enjoyed my time with this episode, and if I understood Japanese I’d probably watch more, but for now I’ll have to hope that some generous soul will start subbing it in the coming weeks.
Potential: 潜在的な
