Princess Principal
Short Synopsis: A group of little girl spies help a man defect from his country.
To put it in purely objective terms, this was a relatively strong episode. The premise is absurd but it’s clear you really shouldn’t think that much about it. After all our protagonists announce themselves as spies but I think they have gravely misunderstood what it is that a spy actually does. Point is that being a spy is not getting into massive gunfights and taking down enemy camps That’s more a small army squad. Point is that if you are discovered then you failed as a spy, avoiding detection is kinda the whole point. So this was a good first episode and I really liked the final moment with the female lead and her lies. This is also the first time I didn’t recognise Kajiura’s music immediately and I like that it’s different from her usual repertoire. However when watching this I feel something in my bones. I felt the exact same thing when I watched Kabanaris first episode. Somehow I know this is going to go wrong, I know this will drop drastically in quality. I don’t know how or when but I am certain it’s going to happen. Maybe it the fact that I see elements of the writer’s previous works here like the mysterious magical disease. But I call it now that when the series ends people will not be looking fondly on it. By all means I could be wrong and maybe Kajiura and the studio can stop the writer before he gets stupid. So I say for now you can give this a shot as the steampunk not spy spies antics could be fun.
Potential: 45%
Mario: Here come my own most anticipated show of this season. Does it really deliver and sell me on its ridiculous premise? Well yes and no. I can still see some issues here and there, but overall this premiere has become one of my personal favorite first impression so far. For the negative side, the most glaring issue is that sometimes, it embraces its premise wholeheartedly and takes itself too seriously. I have a lifelong history with heavy-handedness so this might be a make or break point for me. Second issue is that sometimes the setting and plot just go too silly. You know, spies don’t spell out that they’re spies, ever. Having a princess working as a spy to blend in with other students is a pretty stupid idea, since everyone would recognize her face immediately. On the plus side though, I am at least intrigued with this setting: I like the spy concept, I like steampunk technology, I like the five girls so far and at least I don’t mind putting them into an (unnecessary) high school setting. Function as a standalone episode, the pacing is just about right, both establishing the stakes of their mission, and they make a decent job of giving a deeper side from the main girl. I won’t lie, she shoots him while repeatedly says no, hit me hard. Lies and double-crossing are the main backbone of this show, I even suspect one of the main girls might be a double agent here. Whatever the case, yeah you bet I’m gonna follow it to the end.
Potential: 75%
Centaur no Nayami
Short Synopsis: The slice of life adventures of various demihuman friends
It’s nice to see that the lesser tier studio didn’t drag down the quality of the series. Still it happens to be a genre that puts me to sleep on lazy days. There is an intriguing history and setting for this show but it’s clear that this won’t be some societal exploration on the themes of demi human coexistence. Nope just the daily life of a centaur and other friends. Though the first scene did remind me that I saw a lot of yuri in my reading of the manga. Might not be a straight couple in this thing at all(Aside from parents). Odd but hey, whatever floats people’s boats. This is definitely for slice of life fans or those with a weakness for monster girls.
Potential: 55%
Mario: I like the idea that this show has no real beginning, with all the relationship have already been established so we can cut down an unnecessary introduction. I’m also digging the way it billed itself as a slice of life, but it starts quite literally with a kiss, between 2 girls no less, but as far as I see there’s no yuri undertones here, which I greatly appreciate. I also like (see, I find many positive things in this series, it’s just my type of show) how they jabbed at our own racial issues caused just by the skin-difference, because they obviously have a much more glaring racial issues here. The three main leads are from different background so there will be a lot to explore in that regard and production-wise it does a decent job. Centaur is a solid entry in cute monster girl doing cute things show, but can barely break out from it, thus people who don’t interest in slice of life might watch it with caution.
Potential: 60%
Hitorijime My Hero
Short Synopsis: A kid tries to break away from the wrong crowd after meeting a infamous delinquent.
Boys will love boys as some may say and here we have the fujoshi show of the season. As I am completely out of the main demographic I am afraid I can’t really give this fair judgement but from the aspects that can be viewed from a mostly objective standpoint it seems serviceable. Can’t really say I find the characters interesting and the only thing that had an impact was those two annoying girls who were forcing a kid to ask if hotty mc transfer student had a girlfriend. Ask him yourself you annoying troglodytes and don’t act like this kid is obligated to do what you want. So basically being someone with no interest whatsoever in this genre I can say at least the first episode was watchable.
Potential: 0%
Mario: Already a boy love series, this show has to do a heavy lifting in order to appeal more than its target viewers, unfortunately I don’t see anything worth coming back to after this first episode. I’m not al dismissal guy though, as one thing I do appreciate from boy love’s stories is sometimes they tell a really solid romance story here. But not in this case. This episode build a foundation of 2 love stories, one of them is contrived to the bare bone (in what universe the guy who goes out beating up gangsters can become a math teacher?) and the other is clumsy at best. I don’t have much else to say because I don’t feel I gain much after watching this first episode. After all, I still honest don’t know if the main guy believing in hero or not, nor do I give a damn.
Potential: 10%
