Summer 2022 Season Preview

by Lenlo, posted in Seasonal Previews

Lenlo: And so ends one of the most packed seasons we’ve had in a while. From the drama and artistry of Dance Dance Danseur to the wholesomeness of Deaimon, the grand finale of Kaguya-sama‘s third season to the rising star that is SpyXFamily. It’s going to be hard to top that moving forward, but let’s turn our eyes to the future and see what is has in store for us. Like every season you have the usual batch of sequels, some big some small. Overlord returns for its 4th season of anti-hero Isekai while Made in Abyss will once again toe the line between tragedy and the grotesque. What is surprising though is the sheer amount of originals. Engage Kiss, Lycrosi Recoil, Bucchigire and Ongakutai Witches to name a few. For anyone wanting something new, you’re spoiled for choice. I just hope you don’t want anything good. And of course the big surprise of the season for me is RWBY actually becoming a real anime now. You hear that Reddit?! You can’t stop me from talking about it on r/anime anymore! Who has the power now?! ahem Like I was saying, there’s a lot of decent looking stuff this season. So join us and read on as we take a look at the ones that stood out to us. And make sure to vote on the poll below for what you’re looking forward to!

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What will you be watching this summer?
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Middling Expectations

Isekai Ojisan

Studio: Atelier Pontdarc
Director: Shigeki Kawai
Series composition: Kenta Ihara
Source: Manga

The Premise: An Isekai protagonist is transported back to Earth only to find 2 decades have passed, and now it is up to his nephew to help him fit back into the world.

Lenlo: The only reason I’m even remotely interested in this is because I think the concept is interesting. So many Isekai are just wish fulfillment for the young Otaku, pandering to the lowest common denominator. And while Ojisan still might be that, probably is to be frank, the idea of seeing him re-integrate with the real world after his Isekai adventure is one I’m very interested in. Very few Isekai actually tackle the implications of disappearing from the real world, with even fewer actually returning to said world. So while I expect this to be just another seasonal Isekai dumpster fire, I’m willing to at least give it a shot and see if it can’t do something more with this concept. On top of that it’s also Shigeki Kawai’s Directorial debut, so I’m always curious about a new talent getting their first shot at the big leagues. Who knows, maybe their desire to leave a mark will work out here!

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Spy X Family – 11/12 [Stella/Penguin Park]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Spy X Family

Hello everyone, and welcome to a SpyXFamily double feature! I apologize for missing last week. I was so caught up in writing the Danseur review that I completely forgot to do this. Luckily, the season is taking a break until October so I have all the time in the world now to get ready for the second half. A shame the industry needs this but hey, take what we can get. Now lets dive into the episodes!

So first up, lets talk about SpyXFamily’s animation. There was some great stuff in both episodes, but this week’s certainly takes the cake. There were so many small bits, like the water and character animation when Loid was checking the ID or when Anya was touring her penguin around the house at the end, that simply beautiful. For those who don’t know, parts of this episode were outsourced to Studio Madhouse, getting some help to finish off the season. Now I don’t know who did what scenes, but helping relieve some of the pressure clearly paid off with just how produced the episode looked. It really makes you wish studio’s would take less work so that teams could focus on what they have, rather than having to trade favors and get help just to finish an episode. Regardless, it looked good.

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RWBY: Ice Queendom – 1/2/3 [Red, White, Black, Yellow/This is Beacon/Nightmare Comes]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, RWBY: Ice Queendom

Welcome everyone, to the first airing show of the Summer 2022 season, RWBY: Ice Queendom! The first 3 episodes pre-aired for some reason, so despite our opening seasonal coverage not coming out until this weekend I decided to go for it. Don’t worry, you don’t have to know anything about RWBY to read along. It’s most just going to be me explaining and reaming into it. So without further ado, lets jump in!

First up lets get this out of the way, Queendom looks wildly inconsistent. This isn’t a huge surprise, its Shaft post-exodus so it was always going to be rough. But it still hurts to actually see. Once or twice an episode we will get an absolutely bonkers Hiroto Nagata cut, and it will be glorious. I’m talking everything I ever wanted an anime RWBY to be. Outside that however… The stills look nice, huke’s art style is always great, but the moment things begin to move it falls apart. Everyone becomes stiff, like they can’t handle the character designs in motion. Meanwhile the bullheads and airships look like literal toys, sliding across the screen motionless. And the backgrounds? They are occasionally nice, but nothing to write home about. They do their job and nothing more, rarely pulling us deeper into this world. Basically what I’m saying is, Queendom looks… meh.

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Welcome to the NHK – 9/10 [Welcome to Summer Days!/Welcome to the Dark Side!] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Throwback Thursday, Welcome to the NHK

Welcome everyone, to what will no doubt be a late week of Welcome to the NHK! I apologize for that, I’ve been playing a bit to much Path of Exile this week and I’ve shirked my duties a bit. Don’t worry though, I’ll get over this obsession soon… I hope. Now on with the show!

This week lets skip the preamble and jump right in with episode 9, “Welcome to Summer Days!”. This was an interesting one, because it was a Yamazaki centric episode. And if I can be honest, it’s more than I thought Yamazaki was ever going to get. My mistake, I know, but I kind of thought NHK would be all about Sato. That it would be using him as a comparison point to all of the other characters, rather than giving them their own solo-stories. More the fool I, huh? My own stupidity aside, I really like what NHK did here. It didn’t just present Yamazaki as this pitiable fool, rather it showed us how he got to be the way he is. And just how easy it would be for him to escape it had he the will. Not to dissimilar to Sato, huh? Spoilers after the break!

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Dance Dance Danseur Anime Review 86/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Dance Dance Danseur, Finished Series: Romance, Reviews by Lenlo

Everyone has a type. Whether it be fighting games, Shounen battle anime, even who they like to date. Everyone has something that they can point to and say “I like that, give me more”. Well after 450 anime, after Welcome to the Ballroom, Princess Tutu and so much more, I think I’ve figured out one of mine: Fancy dancing. And after this season, I think I can narrow it down even more: Ballet dancing. The entire aesthetic is something I can’t get enough of. And it’s thanks to the subject of this review, my favorite anime of the Spring 2022 season, that I figured that out. Produced at Studio MAPPA, originally created by George Asakura, Directed by Munehisa Sakai of Zombie Land Saga with music by Michiru I give to you: Dance Dance Danseur. Let’s jump into it.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Dance Dance Danseur. It also contains major spoilers in some sections, but these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents. Continue reading “Dance Dance Danseur Anime Review 86/100” →

Dance Dance Danseur – 11 [Oh, I Think I Love Classical Ballet]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dance Dance Danseur

This is it everyone, welcome to the finale of Dance Dance Danseur! This is a pretty eventful week all things considered. Someone gets the girl while another gets a scholarship, all the while a dementia ridden grandmother laughs along at the drama. So the question is: Is it any good? Let’s jump in and find out.

First up lets talk about the visuals. If you ask me, these are a bit of mixed bag. The first half was absolutely gorgeous. Like legitimately beautiful, I don’t think anyone can dispute that. The lighting, Luou’s movements, how it was all framed and storyboarded. Great stuff. However the second half leaves much to be desired, both in animation and storyboarding. Part of this no doubt comes down to the location. There’s no way a static classroom provides the same kind of scenery and options that a beach at sunset does. Beyond that, we also need to recognize that MAPPA problem: Melt. MAPPA has a history of productions falling apart in the second half, it’s just a fact. And we saw a bit of that as if you check the credits, this episode has 13 different studios working on it. I’m amazed it came out as good as it did.

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Welcome to the NHK – 7/8 [Welcome to the Moratorium!/Welcome to Chinatown!] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Throwback Thursday, Welcome to the NHK

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another 2 episodes of Welcome to the NHK! This week Sato manages to surprise me, Hitomi makes a small return and Misaki finally gets an episode all about her. Was it all good, another pair of winners? Yes! Was it positive progress for Sato? Not really. Lets jump in and talk about that.

It’s absolutely amazing to me how easily NHK can make me go from being proud of Sato to disgusted by him, to pitying him. All while keeping him an interesting, engaging and all around good character. And that’s because Sato is disgusting, he is pitiful, and he is still a good person who is trying to be better. Seriously, just last week I was praising him for going outside! For expressing himself and taking care of his friend rather than tear him down! Yet not one episode later Sato is wrapping himself up in another grand lie. It’s like he can’t help himself. He has these expectations for himself, ones that he assumes everyone else has for him to, and hates that he isn’t reaching them. So he feels like he has to lie or else people won’t care for him anymore. It’s sad. Yet I still like him.

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Spy X Family – 10 [The Great Dodgeball Plan]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Spy X Family

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of SpyXFamily. I have a treat for you this week. Remember episode 5, and how like… 80% of it was anime original? Turning a single chapter into this whole event? Well it’s happened again. And once again, it’s pretty good. So lets dive into it.

Just like with episode 5, I think this week is another example of what a good adaptation looks like. Because just like episode 5, this week SpyXFamily took a single chapter and expanded on it. The core idea of the dodgeball game? Some small training with Yor, Bill existing? That was all there originally. But the extended sequence in the park? Bill’s little segment with his father? The combo attacks and references? Not to mention all of the little animation upgrades to really enhance the jokes? That’s all new! It feels so much like the staff were allowed to have fun while creating this episode. Like people were just pitching ideas, “How can we fill this time in a fun way”, and then they went and did them. Don’t believe me? Well lets talk about a few of those fun ideas.

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Dance Dance Danseur – 10 [Miyako… You Need to Be by His Side]

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Dance Dance Danseur

Hello everyone, and welcome to another week of Dance Dance Danseur! And what a week it was. This episode was just so GOOD. I was worried that Danseur might flub it’s ending, but this penultimate episodes makes me sure that won’t happen. Why is that? Well lets jump in and talk about it.

Right off the bat, and as if this comes as any surprise, Danseur’s direction this week was stellar. There were so many incredible frames that I had trouble picking my screenshots for this post. Whether it be the almost fairytale portrayal of Luou’s small door, or the beginnings of Swan Lake on the beach, Danseur hits hard when its wants to. Now sure, there were some hiccups here and there. The transition from the train to Jumpei/Miyako running on the beach was awkward, as was the composite of them running in the background. Danseur wasn’t perfect. But it was beautiful. Like in the way that flaws in a masterpiece remind you that it was made by a human, rather than a machine, is all the more perfect for it. Now maybe Danseur isn’t masterpiece. But it is without question my Anime of the Season.

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Welcome to the NHK – 5/6 [Welcome to Counselling!/Welcome to the Classroom!] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Currently Watching:, Throwback Thursday, Welcome to the NHK

Hello and welcome back everyone, to another week of Welcome to the NHK! This is another really interesting week, we have a lot to talk about. From Sato meeting his Senpai to Yamazaki getting a girlfriend, this is a good week for NHK. So lets jump right into it!

Like I said in the intro, this was a pretty interesting week of NHK for me. Not the least because it’s moving at a much faster pace than I had previously expected. Remember last week when I talked about where I expected NHK to go? That this game might last us through an entire cour, how maybe we will go the entire show without signing the contract? Well NHK heard that and took personal offense it seems, because both basically happened in a single episode. It makes me wonder just how far NHK is going to take its premise. How much of the cast remains to be introduced, what kind of problems will Sato, Misaki and Yamazaki have moving forward. Because it feels like what I expected to last us the entire show barely made it 6 episodes. And if I’m being honest? That’s kind of exciting.

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