Sonny Boy Anime Review – 38/100

by Lenlo, posted in Anime Reviews, Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Reviews by Lenlo, Sonny Boy

Let’s start this by just ripping the band aid off: Sonny Boy is a disappointment. Both created and directed by the acclaimed Shingo Natsume of Space Dandy fame and animated by Studio Madhouse, Sonny Boy was well equipped to become the darling of the Summer Season. And early on its run, it appeared to be just that! Intriguing plots and characters were introduced, the world began to expand, it was engaging! But then it kept expanding. Questions kept being asked and no answers were given. Time and space became figments of our imagination and Sonny Boy itself seemed to forget that it was supposed to be telling a story. The whole thing quickly transformed from “Abstract exploration of growing up” to “Meandering arthouse with no idea what it wants to say”. At least, that’s my take on it. The purpose of this review is to explain how I got there.

So lets jump in.

Be warned, this review contains minor unmarked spoilers for Sonny Boy. It also contains major spoilers in some sections however these will be heavily marked to avoid accidents.
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Haibane Renmei – 9 [Water Well/Rebirth/Riddle] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Haibane Renmei, Throwback Thursday

Welcome everyone to another week of Haibane Renmei! This is a rather uplifting episode compared to the last few, a sort of breathe of fresh air. Rakka has an eye opening conversation while Reki takes her place at the bottom of the metaphorical well. What do either of those things mean? Read on and find out!

Before we get into all the narrative mumbo jumbo though I want start with some praise for the music. I haven’t talked about it much until now because I wanted a larger sample size. But at this point I can comfortably say that Kou Ootani has made something special. There’s a specific style to Haibane Renmei’s sound, one that’s almost reverent, riding that line of feeling almost religious. Yet Kou Ootani manages to create music that is both happy and sad, quiet and adventurous, hopeful and resigned, all the while keeping the same Haibane Renmei style. My only complaint with it is that occasionally the sound mixing appears to be off. For instance in this episode there were a few scenes where the music, though good, overpowered the dialogue. I’m unsure how much of this is just BD remastering vs original audio problems but they exist regardless.

Now lets head into the break so we can talk spoilers!

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Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 13 [FINAL]

by Amunchet, posted in Weekly Summary

Amun: It’s been my pleasure hosting you for this summer season.  With fall upon us, I’ll be handing the reins off to Wooper again.  Not to worry though, I’ll still be here for my hot takes on the latest shounen trash!

Slime Isekai – 12 [FINAL]

Amun: Slime Isekai finishes out the second half of its sophomore season…to mixed results. Frankly, this season spent far too much time talking and far too little time doing – the first half was basically a political conference. The second half, and the finale in particular, were some good old fashioned beatdowns that were quite cathartic given Clayman’s nonsense. We also have the looming spectre of the final boss baddie, which I’m not entirely sold on. As far as finales go, this one was pretty good – especially with all the homages (most of all being the clown’s “You’re already dead”). I actually want to see more of the other Harlequins troupe members in coming seasons, because they’ve turned into decent characters. All in all, a pretty good season (more the back half than the first), and an excellent OP – I’m pretty happy. Amun’s unofficial grade: 7/10 (5/10 being average).

Kaizoku Oujo – 7-8

Wooper: When a fictional character spends a great deal of time pondering the meaning of their existence, it’s sometimes a sign that the author who created them isn’t sure of that meaning either. That seems to be the case where Fena (the “Pirate Princess” from this series’ title) is concerned, at least if episode 8 is any indication. A slow-moving installment designed to give the characters time to recuperate from a naval battle, the episode played host to a lot of ponderous dialogue about who Fena truly is. An ordinary girl? A princess? A witch who puts everyone she encounters under her spell, as Shitan seemed to reveal? We won’t find out until reaching Eden, the story’s final destination, but for now she exists as an object of fascination for three men and not much else. Many of their conversations with her have involved grand proclamations and desirous stares – it’s all getting to be a bit tiresome. I would have loved to see her level up as a pirate or learn more about her destiny before reaching this point in the story, but as long as one or both of those checkpoints arrive before long, I’ll be alright. Plus there’s still the memory of Fena’s excellent episode 7, with its ship-shredding cannon fire and climactic boarding mission, to tide me over until the next big set piece.

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom – 12/13 [FINAL]

Amun: I criticized Realist Hero before the season as a poor man’s Amagi Brilliant Park. Turns out…I was right. But, as I surmised, it wasn’t all bad – in fact, it wasn’t that bad at all. Realist Hero set realistic expectations, and met them. And you know what, that should be commended. I expected a straightforward power-fantasy, slightly political isekai. I got that, with serviceable characters, a moderate harem, and a plot with enough interesting situations to keep me engaged. Is it likely a high schooler makes all of these great judgement calls? No way (I’m also very concerned about Japan’s libido after seeing some of these recent protagonists – no wonder the population is declining). These final two episodes had some nice moments: I particularly liked the singing of the conquered national anthem, with the full expectation of execution. Solid moment. The season was wrapped up well, with the future conflicts pretty well telegraphed – I foresee an adequate amount of character creep, with a few new harem additions. A good way to judge your true opinion of an anime is to react to news of a sequel; in Realist hero’s case, I’m looking forward to it.

Continue reading “Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 13 [FINAL]” →

Catching up with Kageki Shoujo!! – [Thoughts on Episodes 7-13]

by Armitage, posted in Currently Watching:, Kageki Shoujo!!, Reviews by Armitage

Blood doesn’t really taste like you imagine it would. It’s red, sure. But it doesn’t taste red.

It’s not sweet like the syrup mom gives you two teaspoons of, to help ease the cough you get sick with after paying no heed to her constant warnings against sleeping with the air-conditioner on with your hair still damp as you felt too lazy to sit by the vanity and use a hair dryer for ten minutes.

It’s not tart like the tomato juice you sometimes swoop out of the mixer and taste a spoonful of, while helping mom cook for your father when he’s about be back from work any moment, and would give her an earful if she takes too long in serving his lunch.

It’s not luscious like the cheapest port wine your friends smuggle into school and strong-arm you into taking a swig of during recess. Or maybe it is. You would’ve known for sure if you’d have taken up their offer.

What you do know for sure is that it tastes cold. Metallic. Which is strange because you’ve been nothing but hot-blooded all throughout your teens; getting into fights with your sister for petty reasons, getting annoyed by everything and everyone. That last bit still hasn’t changed that much, just that now you know how to disguise it behind a veil of likeability. People change, the places you call home change, blood tastes the same.
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Sonny Boy – 10/11 [Summer and the Demon/11]

by Lenlo, posted in Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction, Sonny Boy

Welcome back everyone to another week of me missing my deadline and merging two Sonny Boy posts together! I have no excuse this week I’m afraid. Sonny Boy has simply fallen apart and I had no desire to write. However I refuse to go two weeks without doing anything so here we are. Now how about we jump into it!

This week I came to a conclusion about Sonny Boy: It’s not good. It’s not that the show has fallen off though. That would imply that it had built something up from which it could fall off of. I watched Sonny Boy with the hope that it would all come together! That all of the disparate plot threads such as Rajhidani going out to sea, Hoshi leading the other students away or Asakaze and co effectively joining the military, would all connect back into a singular statement about how we raise the next generation and the choices that lay before them. Instead what we got was Natsume rambling philosophical for 11 episodes. He clearly has something he wants to say, a lot of somethings. Yet he has no idea how he wants to say them and no one was around to tell him no.

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Heike Monogatari – 1-2

by SuperWooper, posted in Finished Series: Slice of Life/Drama, Heike Monogatari

The Tale of the Heike is a classical Japanese epic detailing a war fought for control of the country near the end of the 12th century. It has received dozens of translations, is taught in schools across Japan, and is so foundational to the nation’s literary canon that it draws frequent comparisons to Homer’s Iliad. I am woefully unequipped to write about an adaptation of such a vital work, but Heike Monogatari deserves to be covered nonetheless, because it’s had one of the strongest starts I can imagine an anime having in 2021. My posts on the series will be brief and (assuming it continues to operate at this level) largely appreciative of its excellence, not essential companions for those seeking a fuller understanding of its adaptational choices. I’m just a guy with a cinematography boner and a few Wikipedia articles about the Heian period under his belt – if you’re okay with that, hit the jump and let’s talk about what makes this show so special.

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Haibane Renmei – 8 [The Bird] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Haibane Renmei, Throwback Thursday

Welcome everyone to another episode of Haibane Renmei! This week’s episode is one of the more unique ones, though the solo title alone probably gives that away. Is this a good thing? Bad? Lets dive in and find out!

First up, what do I mean by unique? What makes this episode different from the rest and how does the title factor in? Doing my best to explain it, I think it has to do with the episodes focus. Previous episodes of Haibane Renmei seemed structured in three acts, acts that corresponded to the three titles. And each of these acts felt like the progressed the episodes story in some way. A clear beginning, middle and end so to speak. Yet this episode, with only one title, feels almost… stagnant. Like it’s one long act. One where the last episode introduced us to Rakka’s depression, this episode carried it through and fully explored it by giving it the time it needed, and next episode will begin to resolve it. Or maybe I’m just letting the singular title get to me and seeing differences where none exist. I liked it regardless.

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Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 12

by Amunchet, posted in Weekly Summary

Amun: Note: This is the second to last week of this season’s weekly summary, with several shows wrapping up. I’m going to have to take a break next season due to IRL, but hopefully this continues in some format (may go to a bi-weekly post, we’ll see). Until then, enjoy (we have unofficial ratings this week)!

Vanitas – 12 [FINAL]

Amun: Our favorite vampire bois have ended their run with…a whimper. These final two episodes feel like backdoor pilots (which I HATE) rather than a meaningful arc conclusion. The good news is that a second season is already confirmed, and apparently it’s quite a good arc. Overall, I liked the execution of Vanitas far more than the premise – I’m still a little confused as to what all the world’s mechanics are (there’s a mirror Paris, history’s been rewritten so that vampires exist, and despite all that, we STILL don’t know if Jeanne is a curse bearer…). Speaking of Jeanne, I think she’s a wonderful waifu, but she had far too much screentime (I’d prefer to see more of Noe’s cat). I hope that’s remedied in the upcoming season, but really that was my main complaint. Vanitas is infuriating, but he’s supposed to be; Noe isn’t a wallflower and surprisingly nuanced – quite a refreshing duo. One of this season’s best. Amun’s unofficial rating: 7.5/10 (with a 5/10 being average – if you use a 7/10 as average, then this is 8.5/10).

Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi – 8-9

Wooper: It’s fitting that a show starring gods that can break the sound barrier would outpace its audience in the move from one arc to another. Episode 8 detailed the success of the coup d’etat in Zoble – or more accurately, it spent 10 minutes on fight scenes with its Emperor and Empress, 10 minutes on major developments for Gil and Rin’s characters, and one minute on a list of bullet points detailing the success of the coup. I enjoyed getting to witness Gil’s rebirth as an Idaten (it was a smart way of repurposing the show’s least valuable player), but the series has been all about the conflict in Zoble for weeks now, and it flaked on the strategic aspects of the protagonists’ mission at the very end. Idaten-tachi didn’t slow down for even a second in the coup’s aftermath, either, shifting its focus to the villains in episode 9. The subplot about Brandy’s children resurfaced in a big way here, since her offspring will clearly play a major role in rebuilding Earth’s demon population, but they’re so ineffectual without the Demon Lord’s support that it’ll take another timeskip to make them truly relevant. Can Idaten-tachi’s plot support another jump forward when it’s already running a million miles an hour? Probably not, but this show has already demonstrated a tendency to do whatever the hell it wants – more power to it, I guess.

Continue reading “Summer 2021 – Weekly Summary Week 12” →

Fall 2021 Season Preview

by SuperWooper, posted in Seasonal Previews

Wooper: Summer’s barrage of trend-chasing fantasies and midseason disappointments has nearly reached its end, which means it’s time to look ahead to Fall 2021! This is one of the longer previews we’ve written in recent years, owing to some much-needed diversity among this season’s offerings. We’ve got fewer isekai adaptations airing than usual, and more original series (including a cluster of mecha titles that feels like a limited time revival). There are a handful of tentpole shows to ensure mainstream engagement, including new seasons of Kimetsu no Yaiba, 86, and Lupin III, with JoJo Part 6 beginning this December. Vampire fans will be eating (or should I say drinking?) good this fall, with three bloodsucking series to choose from. And there’s potential for an all-time classic in an adaptation of feudal Japanese literature, the first episode of which has already aired. If you’re intrigued by any of the above, read on to see what the upcoming season has in store (and drop your watchlist in the poll below!).

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What will you be watching this fall?
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Middling Expectations

Deji Meets Girl

Studio: LIDENFILMS
Director: Ushio Tazawa
Series composition: Akane Marubeni
Source: Original

Short synopsis: An Okinawan hotel receptionist witnesses supernatural happenings after meeting a handsome tourist from Tokyo.

Wooper: I ended up overhyping last season’s “Ore, Tsushima” before learning it was a series of one minute shorts, and I’m not going to make the same mistake twice; I made sure to confirm that Deji Meets Girl had super small episodes before including it in the Fall Preview. There’s something pure about watching a director’s vision boiled down to such short runtimes – less anime bullshit to deal with, probably (unless you’re watching Teekyuu). This new show comes from occasional Makoto Shinkai collaborator Ushio Tazawa, who’s clearly taken some inspiration from his boss if the concept is anything to go by. Girl meets boy and starts to witness supernatural happenings? Sure, I’m down for some light romance paired with weird phenomena. I like the approachable solidity of the character designs (also provided by Tazawa) and the lifelike animation given to ordinary tasks like mopping and using an air pump in the PV. Deji Meets Girl is highly unlikely to imprint itself on the memories of more than a couple hundred people, but it does have a lot more promise than the average anime short, so I’ll happily give it a whirl.

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Haibane Renmei – 7 [Scar/Illness/Arrival of Winter] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Haibane Renmei, Throwback Thursday

Welcome back everyone to another episode of Haibane Renmei! This post accidentally got deleted so I had to rewrite it, so apologies for being slightly late. Last week was good but this one is even better. Rakka is figuring out her emotions, Reki is dropping lore and my emotions are being tugged all around. So without further ado lets dive in!

Right out of the gate I want to say that Haibane Renmei was really good this week. I was invested from beginning to end, hitting all the right spots. This was exactly what I was looking for. I loved how the episode didn’t try to speed-through anything. Rather, it kept the same slow pacing Haibane Renmei has always had but filled it with the material I’m really interested in. The episode focused on the aftermath of Kuu’s disappearance, not in a technical sense like I feared but an emotional sense. Giving us, and by extension the characters, time to process everything that happened and react while still moving everything forward. Using that time to show how they are different from each other and then explain those differences in ways that don’t just feel like info dumps. Which is great because Rakka had a lot going on this week.

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