City the Animation
Short Synopsis: Silly people do silly things in a silly town (while looking amazing).
Amun: I have never seen Nichijou, nor do I really know anything about it, so I came into City blind. As Lenlo says below, this looks absolutely fantastic. Like wow, that opening shot through the rain is some of the nicest animation I’ve seen this season (and we have some seasonal heavy hitters with Tensei and Dandadan). The short form sketches work pretty well, with some common characters and themes being developed. I must say some humor is lost on me, but occasionally the slapstick (especially the slow mo of getting hit in the face with a cork) did make me belly laugh, so mission accomplished! This is definitely a “vibes” show, so as long as it stays lighthearted with a joke landing here and there, I’ll probably stick with it.
Potential: 65%
Lenlo: The most visually impressive thing this season probably, it looks incredible, but I actively detest both its and Nichijou’s style of comedy. There’s nothing funny in here for me. But if you enjoyed Nichijou, this will probably be an Anime of the Season contender for you. It looks that good.
Tougen Anki
Short Synopsis: A boy with oni blood seeks revenge for the Agency that killed his father.
Mario: And at the final run, we have one of the most action-packed anime (alongside Gachiakuta) of this season. That fact, along with the fact that it airs on Netflix, means that it could reach a mass audience out there and become a modest hit. But what about the actual show’s quality? Well, based on the first episode, it’s a narrow road. Tougen Anki aims to be another shounen with violence and an “edgy” protagonist, but the big issue is that the MC himself isn’t just edgy – he’s unlikable from start to finish. He gets expelled from school the first time we meet him, where he’s in the process of insulting everyone around him, his (non-blood related) father included. What happens afterward is just a poor excuse for him having a “goal” for himself and knowing who he really is. We can see the fate of his father coming from miles away, and everything else the show has done so far has been done before more effectively in other shounen series. For example, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that in the end he gets knocked out by a fellow oni and will be put into a group of oni teenagers his age. I’d take the randomness of City the Animation anytime over this predictable plot.
Potential: 20%
Solo Camping for Two
Short Synopsis: An aspiring camper harasses a more experienced outdoorsman until he agrees to accompany her on her next camping trip.
Wooper: I’m afraid we’re ending First Impressions season on a bit of a fart with Solo Camping for Two (Futari Solo Camp), but at least the stench won’t linger, since it’s a show about the outdoors. You’ll have to forgive the dad joke – I figured it was somewhat appropriate, given that the protagonist here is an adult man (Gen), which was the main reason I wanted to check out this show to begin with. Turns out his relative maturity was wasted on this premiere, since all he did was get nagged repeatedly by its only other character, an accident-prone young woman (Shizuku) with a knack for shedding her skirt. I didn’t exactly enjoy the way the episode opened, with Gen internally monologuing about his love for camping alone, but soon after Shizuku showed up and started begging to join his party of one, I began to long for those halcyon opening minutes. The visuals aren’t anything to write home about, either, which isn’t a good look for an anime meant to celebrate the great outdoors. Instead, the only celebration happening here is mine, at never having to write about this sub-middling show ever again.
Potential: 10%
Yeah, I wasn’t big on City myself, mainly because the way it treated that poor dude who was constantly made to wear a miniskirt came off as really mean-spirited. Like, the poor guy is constantly humiliated by everybody around him when he did absolutely nothing to deserve it!
Same feelings as Lenlo for City: waaaaay too fast and outrageously zany for me, but damn does it look incredible. Maybe it’s full of in-jokes already that just whiff past me? In short, best-looking show I’ll never watch again.
Oh, and the skirt thing was unfunny as hell.
Same! Poor Tatewaku was just getting dunked on by literally everybody around him, even his own family, for absolutely no reason! I spent this entire episode feeling sorry for the poor guy! I kept thinking “Why do they want me to find this funny?”
It’s a Shame you all hate City especially since it is the first anime produced by Kyo anime studio that isn’t a sequal and the staff worked really hard on it especially when you consider the nightmare they all went through but hey I guess that’s what happens when you have “standards”. You won’t watch this or solo camping after ONE bloody episode but will continue to watch the latest overrated shonen trash
Pretty sure that everyone said it looked gorgeous, which definitely redounds to the hard work and talent of the animation studio. And the reviewers clearly acknowledged the role their tastes play in their enjoyment of the show.
As for deciding to drop some shows and not others: people’s time is limited. If what looked like a stinker at the start turns out to be a hidden gem, word will get around and, thanks to the internet, series can always be picked back up.
Just speaking as someone who appreciates the work the folks here do in sorting shows for me so that I myself can maximize the small amount of anime-watching time I get between other life responsibilities.
(Also, lenlo only gave 50% to Gachiakuta–a literal trash shounen!–and recommended only a couple more episodes to see if it turns out to be worth it.)
Dude. People aren’t obligated to like a show they watch. Stop trying to police the stuff they watch or don’t watch. Seriously, why do you do this every time they post anything here? This is a review site, so of course they’re going to like or dislike a show for their own reasons. Just because they don’t like the same stuff you do doesn’t give you the right to demand that they do so. The world doesn’t revolve around you.
Don’t you dare talk down to me!! I am just sharing my fucking opinion. And maybe I am still upset that you people defend trash like the people who fucked over Vic instead of actually waiting for all the REAL faces to come out! And by facts I dont mean what ever gaslight trick Monica and anyone else tries to pass off as “evidence”! I understand your time is limited which makes me wonder why you constantly review overrated Shonen instead of actually finding stiff that is criminally overlooked and just stick 2 that. Everyone talks about the popular stuff even you guys. So stop acting like your fucking better than everyone else you’re notw