Wooper: With the Spring 2021 season now in full swing, we’re watching quite a few shows that aren’t receiving regular coverage, so here’s a column to run them down. High school club shows, sci-fi originals, Taiwanese puppetry – this post has it all, including a blurb from Helghast. If that sounds like your kind of thing, let the blitz of second (and third) impressions commence!
Bakuten – 02
Lenlo: Bakuten had a solid 2nd episode this week. Not only was the production crisp and clean with some great gymnastics shots but the actual character and narrative work was nice too. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before of course but after last season’s 2.43 I’m willing to accept something solid and uncomplicated. The relationship between the main duo is quite nice so far and I look forward to learning whatever family troubles are keeping him from staying after practice. Meanwhile the group dynamic is fun, I like the shared experiences that keep them all together even if they have only known each other for a few days. Hopefully it can stay solid until the end, I would love for one of these seasonal sports shows to not shit the bed.
Bishounen Tanteidan – 02
Mario: Guess I underestimated NisiOisin’s ability to go wild as a writer. When I heard about this case I was preparing for the solution to be something like “the star is within your eyes” – that would make sense since the show makes no secret of admiring the girl’s “beautiful eyes like the stars.” Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the plot to involve military satellites burning up in the sky and all that jazz. NisiOisin is more than capable of twisting the audience’s expectations, at least, but now I am looking more for human drama. One of the main reasons why shows like Monogatari had such a massive impact on me is because they’re first and foremost about their characters’ growth, and so far I see very little of it here. I guess the true test to see whether this show is worth following will be next week when it wraps up this introduction arc.
Mashiro no Oto – 2-3
Wooper: After realizing that Mashiro no Oto’s ‘country boy in the big city’ premiere was just a prologue for a high school club show, I told myself I wouldn’t watch any further. Something compelled me to give the series another hour of my life, though, and I’m glad I did – episode 2 was far better than its first outing. The dual performance scenes at its beginning and end looked and sounded excellent, plus they were anchored by Setsu’s familial relationships, adding context to their technical polish. His brother in particular turned out to be a strong character, possessing formidable skill with the shamisen but far less passion than he once harbored. His grudging understanding of his rebellious younger brother created a wonderful bond between them – which is why I was so disappointed that he didn’t appear even once during the follow-up. Episode 3 was the first to closely focus on the high school setting, and while the show turned in a respectable story about a long-lost masterpiece by Setsu’s grandfather, it lacked the adult perspective that made last week feel so fresh. I’ll keep watching as long as we get an explosive shamisen scene every couple of episodes, but I’m hoping for more appearances from best bro Wakana to accompany them.
Fruits Basket: Final Season – 02
Amun: WELL. THAT was an episode alright. Fruits Basket, to date, has been primarily a tearjerker about lost, hurt teenagers trying to find their “home”. This episode throws some jet fuel on that lovely campfire – we’re now dealing with deranged adults and some rather mature themes. With last season’s big reveal, Fruits Basket seems to have taken the liberty to become the yaoi show it was always assumed to be – it’s cool though, because genderbending, I guess? The most shocking development is Shigure’s true colours – and they’re pretty messed up. Big yikes. Everyone in this show needs some major supernatural therapy or something. I can safely say what Tohru better major in if she goes to college – for all the amenities onsite at the Soma household, how is there not a full blown psychiatric clinic?! Fruits Basket sure isn’t going quietly into the night – this season’s a banger already, and it’s only bound to get crazier from here. So hang on to your dead mother’s hats – we’re in for a bumpy ride, with some tears bound to fall out.
P.S. I am tied to the mast of the Yuki-Machi ‘ship. I will fire cannons at any siren or ship who interferes – especially that S.S. Tohru, which seems captained by a blind girl.
Mars Red – 02
Lenlo: And so the other foot drops. Mars Red had such a promising start with the first episode. Yet here we are diving right into the stereotypical vampire crap that I dismissed the manga for, except now with an even worse introduction. Why would you introduce our lead characters this way? Why would you cut out the Journalist’s entire investigation into vampires and her being saved by the Zero squad as their introduction? Why do I have to put up with a wacky Doctor character and vampire “Power levels” in what was first introduced as a tragic drama?! Mars Red has basically become a completely different show so if you were invested in the first episode, I’m sorry. You won’t be getting that again here.
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song – 03/04
Mario: That Teddy bear is going to be a make-or-break character for me, damnit, as I find him not only manipulative, but annoyingly loud. These two episodes follow Vivy on a new mission, which focuses a lot on sisterly bonds between AI. It addresses that topic on multiple fronts, from Vivy’s relationship with Estella (her later model), to Estella and her twin sister Liz. While it digs deep into the AI-related element, it’s the human drama that is severely lacking in Vivy so far. Vivy is on her “mission” to save humanity, but is humanity really worth saving? For now, the answer seems to be NO since we haven’t gotten much of a look at her human counterparts.
Helghast: This show slipped underneath me until I realized that it was animated by Wit Studio, was an original story and had some big names behind its production. Going through its first Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne timeskip, the adventure to space hotel had an interesting setup that involved familial bonds and I thought that the ending payoff of a well-choreographed fist fight and ensuring emotional reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere builds upon its premise well enough. While events didn’t really deviate too far from the original timeline, the fact that the anti-AI human character is still alive means the story is saving up for an explosive confrontation down the line. I don’t really mind the bear character other than the tempo of his speech being too quick for my liking. After all, I wouldn’t expect anything less of a super-AI from the future that looks down on ancient tech like Vivy to be a snarky annoying sidekick.
Super Cub – 02
Wooper: After two episodes, Super Cub still hasn’t gone anywhere remarkable. Its looks are merely passable, with the premiere’s careful character animation slipping a bit in week two, and 3D models serving as necessary evils during the motorbike scenes. The story hasn’t moved beyond “there once was a girl with a Honda scooter,” either (and it probably never will). But there’s something about it that attracts me – probably the steady directorial hand behind the scenes, taking the simple scripts and molding them into an introvert’s field guide. I talked a big game about putting this show down after one episode due to its status as a full-length advertisement, but since it’s using that corporate check to produce such a quiet, personal anime, it looks like I’ll be going back on my word. Speaking of quiet and personal, even a confident character like Reiko couldn’t shatter that mood – in fact, she strengthened it by befriending Koguma without fulfilling the “cheerful idiot” trope. The third major character ought to be introduced next week, so I’m hoping Super Cub maintains its serene vibe once the trio is complete. Fingers crossed!
Tokyo Revengers – 02
Lenlo: It’s such a shame how much of a lifeless adaptation this is. From the muted colors to the standard panning shots to the uninspired shot-comp. If you were to look up the definition of “phoned in” in the dictionary next to it would the a picture of Tokyo Revengers. The pacing is so slow that it’s taken some opening chapters that I quite enjoyed and utterly killed them. Takemichi is just barely pulling off this redemption while the rest of the story lacks anything to captivate viewers. To think I was excited for this.
Thunderbolt Fantasy S3 – 02/03
Mario: Through the course of only 2 episodes, Thunderbolt hectically changes several locations, follows 3 different groups, introduces few more new faces… and hectic is all I am looking for. I’m here for the craziness of it all where things constantly get out of our characters’ control, and where larger-than-life characters form / expose different relationships with one another. That being said, the plot is going a bit too quickly for me. For example, Di Kong (the monk antagonist from Season 2) only has brief encounters with the Mad Scientist and for me that’s a shame since they could do a lot more with this pairing. The new location where our heroes ended up is interesting, but there was no time to learn about the mysterious locals before the gang got transported back to other locations. I really like the idea of transporting them back and forth because 1) it’s unpredictable and fun as heck and 2) the gang has an opportunity to revisit their past – that’s why the bit where Lang Wu Yao (the red-haired singer) meets his obsessive twisted Princess is amongst my favorite parts. I’m not too fond of how the gang meets the evil group too quickly, but hopefully the rest of the season remains as fun and whimsical as these two episodes.
Back Arrow 13-15
Wooper: Now that SSSS.Dynazenon is airing, Back Arrow’s brand of “so dumb it’s watchable” mecha action feels obsolete. These episodes were nothing but plot, first pitting an interminable procession of Briheight pilots against one another, then engineering a civilian revolt with the precision of a quadruple amputee playing Jenga. The stupidity didn’t stop there, of course; Princess Fine’s strategy of absorbing friendly fire, then using that energy to revive her would-be Rekkan murderers, was some of the most frustrating decision-making I’ve seen in anime this year. Worse yet, her “love conquers all” philosophy actually paid off when Emperor Zetsu surrendered in the face of her overwhelming… healing?
By the time I had made it halfway through episode 15, I was ready to forsake this ridiculous anime and move on with my life. But then something incredible happened. Rudolf, Lutonian puppet master and Guinness World Record holder for Fattest Man, emerged as the series’ final boss in hilarious fashion – by transforming into a buff Roman patrician and drinking six bottles of wine through his finely-sculpted shoulders. His shoulders, you guys! Now I have to keep watching for no other reason than the possibility that he’ll do it again. Damn you, Goro Taniguchi. Damn you, Kazuki Nakashima. Damn you both to hell!
You didn’t like the one scene in Back Arrow ep15 where Arrow “accidently” squishes the leader of the revolting Lutoh mob when Fine was confronted with his big Briheight foot, and the leader’s name was Butch the Butcher? And then “accidently” squishes Butch’s brother? For shame Wooper. For shame.
Meanwhile, Moriarty the Patriot s2 did a serviceable job attempting to fit 8 chapters of the Scandal in the British Empire arc into 3 episodes, although much of that has to do with lopping off all of the 007 references that likely contributed to most of the arc’s length in the manga like I expected would happen since last year. Except one. And it’s the most obvious one of the lot seen at the end of episode 3. Still, all of the immersion-breaking 007 references in the manga couldn’t defend the actual ridiculous plot twist in this arc (regarding Robespierre). With the 007 baggage mercifully out of the way (which I thought would make or break this adaptation if they cut out all of it due to plots and characters being inextricably tied to them), things should be smoother sailing from here on out. Betting on them ending the series on The Final Problem.
otoh I’d rather just play TWEWY instead of watching this lukewarm adaptation after two episodes. I’d get the same story, but in a much more fulfilling experience. Since I have to see to the end of week 1 though, I’ll end up watching the next episode lol.
sigh I knew that I shouldn’t have expected ZLS s2 to be any different from s1 after the first episode.
Is no one planning to comment on the Kabaddi series each week though?
And since I decided to inflict this on myself due to nostalgia for both the manga and the 2001 series (thanks to the 4Kids dub ironically), I’m only watching Shaman King 2021 just for comparison’s sake. Not a good sign when they rush through 3 whole manga arcs in 3 episodes, especially the most recent one with introducing Anna, Jun Tao and Lee Pyron which covered almost an entire manga volume. I’ll keep watching it just to further compare this to the older series, but not getting good vibes from how rushed this one’s going to be. May watch it again on Netflix with the dub once the first cour arrives on the service but only if they bring back most of the 4Kids cast.
I think the sports anime writers are doing other shows this season, so Kabaddi is getting passed over (only one of us even knew what it was in the first place :P).
I haven’t been able to find Shaman King very easily, so I gave up 😀
Moriarty is interesting, and I might go back and watch it – it just kind of lost out to a bunch of other shows