With October finally up and running, we are now officially underway with the last anime season of the year 2021! Yes, I know, time is indeed that thing with wings.
So, to kick this Fall Anime Season into gear, I shall also be taking up the responsibilities of weekly blogging by covering the anime adaptation of one of the brightest beacons of modern manga, Blue Period!
Come join me as I spill my thoughts out on the page with the passion befitting the kind of artists that this story is about!
Short Synopsis: A high-functioning delinquent falls in love for the first time.
Lenlo: If I’m being honest, I don’t think Blue Period needs or benefits from an adaptation. Oh it looks fine. So far we are getting the colors I wanted, something to set it apart from the bright moe-blobs of every season. And as Armi says below the score and VA work are nice. But in its transition to an anime Blue Period has lost what I think is one of its greatest strengths (and manga’s as a whole): Self pacing. The ability to decide how fast, or slow, you consume a story. The option to sit and linger on a single page for 10 minutes soaking in the art and narrative. And Blue Period is a series that benefits from that more than most. The way it uses art and the expressions of its characters, these things I always want to look at for minutes at a time. But I can’t do that with an anime. Instead I get the Director’s pacing, I’m forced to move through the story at a rate that I don’t necessarily like. So yeah. I like Blue Period, I think it’s an acceptable adaptation so far and that should be enough to get what is one of the stronger stories of the season across well. But I honestly recommend anyone that enjoys the anime to go read the manga afterwards, at your pace.
Potential: 70%
Armitage: On the surface, Blue Period is the kind of story we have seen every possible iteration of in all forms of media. It’s an underdog story about a guy starting from the bottom and trying to succeed against insurmountable odds. Well, that’s what the core premise would have you believe, at least. Still, Blue Period is one story that so many people who are familiar with it have the deepest connection towards and that’s because they see themselves mirrored in it. Their dreams, their aspirations, their self-doubt, their constant yearning to belong. This is a story that channels all these feelings within its narrative and it does so without a hint of pretense. There are no shounen clichés here, no overpowered protagonists and no malicious villains. Blue Period wears its heart on its sleeve but it’s also a rather erudite narrative. It is no exaggeration to say that I have learned more about artistic expression through this one series (and by researching the various concepts it introduces) than I have from all previous instances of my exposure to art, combined. So, yeah, basically this is as accomplished as modern source material for an anime can possibly get.
Which leaves us with the adaptation. And honestly, it’s pretty damn solid. See, all I wanted from this premiere was for it to just have consistent animation, art pieces that do not look uninspired, voices that fit the characters and a general color palette that feels like it understands the manga’s ethos. And we get all that. Add to that a fantastically understated background score and you have got a classic in the making.
Though, as a disclaimer for potential viewers, I would say that if the somewhat uneventful pace or its naturalistic approach to dramatic storytelling that you saw in the premiere was something you didn’t like, you might not enjoy Blue Period by the end. This is not a story that will ever get your blood pumping with exhilaration but it might just build a new home for itself along the least visited roads of your heart, if you let it.
Potential: To be what you need.
Short Synopsis: American Idol: Anime edition (or, The Goddess of Idol School).
Armitage: This show basically shoots itself in the foot by starting off with a first half that’s basically 200 characters thrown at the viewer without any build-up. Like really, the only thing you can get from the first 10 minutes of this premiere is that this show has pretty character designs, which is to be expected from Doga Kobo. But credit where credit is due, the actual production of Selection Project is really solid. Detailed backgrounds, great attention to detail like the smart TV connected to the tablet and an actual ‘korean heart’ symbol for the reality show’s ‘Like’ icon make the world feel modern and lived in while the impressive character animations bring the characters to life. It’s a shame that the show barely focuses on all our lead to have us make any connection to her goal of becoming an idol. Which is a shame because the scene in which she has a panic attack on screen is masterfully done without a hint of melodrama. All in all, I did see enough positives here to believe that if Selection Project can narrow down its focus to a manageable amount of characters, it can be a very watchable show.
Potential: 50%
Mario: Selection Project combines two popular formats (singing competitions and anime) into one and for me, those are the two pop culture mediums that I have spent the most time watching when I want to relax and shut down my brain. So far it’s not entirely successful – the main girl does not particularly stand out, the supporting cast is so broad that we only see their dominant (read: stock) traits so far, and the singing competition has some questionable rules. But there are two things that make Selection Project different from your normal idol show. First, Selection Project is more about individual competition than forming an idol group so the dynamic is going to be different – the cast doesn’t have to work together but sees each other more as rivals. Second, the decision to drop our lead character from the competition at the end is a welcome one, not because she won’t be back (she will), but more because the show pulls no punches on having the character experience failure and hurt. This is good enough to guarantee a second chance from me.
Potential: 30%
Short Synopsis: A blonde demon waitress begrudgingly shares some leftover corn potage after a hard day’s work.
Wooper: I’d only seen the first episode of Isekai Shokudou 1 before jumping into Isekai Shokudou 2, so you’ll have to pardon me if I’m missing some critical lore, but this premiere was just as average as the first. That’s not a damning indictment or anything (more than half of anime are well below average, in direct violation of mathematical principles), but given the concept behind the series, it could aim a lot higher. Imagine a version of this show where the focus stays on the patrons at the restaurant, rather than the Goody Two-Shoes demon who works there, and over time we develop a roster of regulars who discuss current events and swap stories over delicious food. I’d love to see a more topical version of this show, or watch as a mage and a druid strike up a romance after a few dates at the restaurant, rather than listen to the show extol the virtues of cheese at multiple points per episode. I know I’m criticizing the show for what it isn’t, rather than what it is, but that’s because the show is neither good nor bad – it’s merely a competent, low-stakes fantasy series to throw on after work. It doesn’t need to be anything else, but that also means it’s not my bag.
Potential: 50%
Amun: …Wooper, you gotta watch more than the first episode if you’re going to ask for something, because that’s basically what the first season was. The mistreated demon and the dragon telepath get maybe one more episode than the other patrons, but the regulars do get the lion’s share of the focus – seeing them here four years later, I still remember all their favorite dishes. However, everything in this episode isn’t hunky dory. The animation was a little suspect, especially in the early action sequences. Isekai Shokudou has, and will always, suffer from a cast that grows exponentially. Watching someone experience commonplace human food for the first time can get old. But it’s a light hearted show that doesn’t get hung up on delusions of grandeur (looking at you, Sonny Boy) – Isekai Shokudou is the OG of the isekai small business simulators, and – in my opinion – the best.
Potential: 70%
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.
Continue reading “Sonny Boy Anime Review – 38/100”
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!
Continue reading “Haibane Renmei – 9 [Water Well/Rebirth/Riddle] – Throwback Thursday”
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!
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).
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.
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]”
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.
Continue reading “Catching up with Kageki Shoujo!! – [Thoughts on Episodes 7-13]”
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.
Continue reading “Sonny Boy – 10/11 [Summer and the Demon/11]”
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.
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.
Continue reading “Haibane Renmei – 8 [The Bird] – Throwback Thursday”
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)!
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).
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.