Genjitsu no Yohane: SUNSHINE in the MIRROR
Short Synopsis (Anichart): The story reimagines Yoshiko Tsushima, the school idol afflicted with chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), as a magical girl. The story is set in Numazu, a scenic harbor town surrounded by the sea and mountains. Ever since she was little, the girl Yohane has never fit in, and has always felt apart from everyone in town. Her aspirations and true place in this world lie elsewhere. The story follows this girl who can’t follow rules as she journeys into the mysterious world.
Lenlo: I was pleasantly surprised by this one, at first at least. Typically it’s the guys portrayed as chuuni, and in a pitiful fashion meant to mock them. And while it’s not exactly a praise-worthy character trait, it’s kind of cute to see it done for a female idol. It gives her a kind of arrogance that isn’t off putting because it comes from a place of ignorance/childishness rather than just being an asshole. Does this mean the show is for me? Not really, I’m not huge on this stuff. Especially with this weird fantasy/modern japan mix with huge talking dogs and shit. But that’s more regarding my own tastes rather than the show itself being bad. Yohane genuinely feels like something new/interesting in the genre. Or at least… it did until it shifted into being a magical girl show set in a small rural town. Suffice to say I wasn’t big on this shift, I think it would have been better if it stuck with the chuuni trying to make it big in Tokyo. Maybe it can strike a balance as it goes, but personally I won’t be around to really find out.
Potential: 25%
Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta
Short Synopsis (Anichart): With the new school year comes a new homeroom, new classmates, and a new desk for the timid Komura. But any trepidation he might’ve felt quickly dissipates when he catches sight of Mie, his new seat neighbor. Apt to quietly blurt out the most random things, the quirky Mie wears thick glasses that accentuate her lovely eyes, making Komura’s heart skip a beat!
Lenlo: Jesus H Christ GoHands what did I just watch. This is that “Graphic design is my passion” meme but with cinematography. Like fuck the actual show, I can’t get over just the visuals they are trying to create. Parts of it look fine but then they go on these weird extended tracking shots and absolutely annihilate everything with after effects. It’s like no one taught them the meaning of the word restraint while at the same time not having enough skill for anyone to care. I just… I need to process this. Don’t watch it, it’s terrible, just look at twitter for the incredibly stupid highlights.
Potential: GoHands? GoAway.
Amun: I’m not quite as down on this as Lenlo is, but I do admit the camera (fish-eye I guess?) angles were very distracting. And for no good reason too, since the remainder of the animation was really quite decent. I’m pretty against CGI generally, but there are exceptions I’ll stand for (Beastars comes to mind in recent seasons) – honestly, “Suki na Ko” is probably watchable without those weird shots. Mie’s hair isn’t going to challenge Pixar’s “Brave” any time soon, but I could live with it – the other characters were pretty fluid and didn’t strike visual discord. While the plot isn’t anything novel, I’ve established through my reviews from last season I’m a sucker for these kinds of stories. What I’m basically saying is I managed to get through the whole episode and thought “I’ll watch another one.”
Potential: 40%
Yumemiru Danshi wa Genjitsushugisha
Short Synopsis (Anichart): Sajou Wataru, who is deeply in love with his beautiful classmate Natsukawa Aika, is continuing to approach her without getting discouraged while having dreams about their mutual love. However one day he woke up thinking “I am not really fit to be together with someone as good as her, huh…” Upon realizing this, Wataru started keeping an appropriate distance towards her, much to Aika’s surprise. “Could it be that he hates me now…?” Did his intentions slip by her because she was getting impatient after arriving at the wrong conclusion!? This is the start of a romcom revolving around two people who just cant get their feelings across and both think their love is unrequited!
Amun: I will ALWAYS give props to a show that gives me something original, even if there are other issues. And “Yumemiru Danshi” does just that – I cannot recall off the top of my head another show where a semi-stalker goes “you know what, that was excessive, let’s chill out.” What makes this great is that the rest of his class have accepted this behavior as normal and are pretty disturbed when he stops – legit worried about him. I think there’s a good story here – the main girl’s realization that maybe she should have been a bit more receptive but now is playing off the back foot…that’s a great evolution for the genre. There are some flaws, no doubt, but I’m definitely intrigued by something that’s not just checking through the standard boxes to get to season’s end – “Yumemiru Danshi” really could be something special. I’m hoping it is.
Potential: 75%
Lenlo: Gonna be honest, that Za Warudo moment at the start really freaking confused me. That aside, Yumemiru feels like a rather safe romance for the season. I’m not wowed by it but I’m also not seeing any real red-flags either. It’s not filled with bad ecchi jokes, the characters aren’t fawning over each other from moment one, the MC isn’t a faceless unlikable loser living out wish-fulfillment. If anything this idea of the MC falling out of love with someone, or at least realizing they aren’t good enough for them and appearing to, and that in turn worrying his friends and confusing his love interest, is kind of amusing. I’m not big on highschool romances personally, I just can’t relate to it anymore as I’ve long since reached the phase where it’s easier to just ask and take a yes or no then agonize over it, but I can see lovers of the genre genuinely enjoying this. At the very least I think it might be worth giving it a try.
Potential: 50%
Honestly? I wasn’t as sold on Genjitsu no Yohane, mainly because it just feels like a show that can’t seem to decide whether it wants to take place in the modern day or a fantasy land and combined both while making no effort to actually make sure they mix together properly. I mean, a fantasy world with movie theaters, idol stages, and cars, all of which are shown looking really out of place in what’s supposed to be a medieval setting? Hell, they even have phones but with the cords being strings of light and show people wearing modern clothing such as sweaters and slacks in the background, for Pete’s sake! If you’re gonna go for a fantasy AU, go all in on the fantasy! This honestly felt more like someone’s first attempt at a bad fan fic to me than anything, and I’ve never seen anything of Love Live Sunshine.