Sparks of Tomorrow
Short Synopsis: In an alternate history Meiji era, a teenage boy embarks on a quest to begin the new era of electricity.
Mario: It’s great to see Kyoto Animation finally release Sparks of Tomorrow after 8 years in the making. The production quality is as you would expect from them – the background design is detailed and the animation is smooth, but one thing that does surprise me is the use of more cartoonish facial expressions, something I can’t recall the studio having done before (outside of their Keiichi Arawi adaptations). This alternative world caught between steampunk and electric technology is vibrant too, and I can’t wait to see if the show gets even more creative with its electrical gadgets in the future. What holds its back for now is the story as it takes a while to really get going, and so far it feels a bit too clear-cut who the characters are and what their roles are in this show. I’m a big KyoAni supporter so I’m in no matter what, although I must note that my least favorite show from them is Violet Evergarden and I see traces of that show here (down to the lighting and color palette), so it remains to be seen which side Sparks of Tomorrow will fall on for me.
Potential: 50%
Iron Wok Jan
Short Synopsis: The heir to a competitive cooking style challenges his coworkers at a famous Chinese restaurant.
Wooper: I’ve never seen such a direct appeal for people’s continued viewership as the one at the end of Iron Wok Jan’s (“Tetsunabe no Jan!”) premiere. Its final minute was just Kenjirou Tsuda (who doesn’t even voice a character in the show) talking about the source material, explaining the historical context of its 1995 release, and rejoicing that such a masterpiece had finally received an anime adaptation. I do remember an episode of Gundam G-Reco imploring viewers, “Even if you don’t want to watch, watch!” but at least that was in an episode preview – Iron Wok, on the other hand, did a full 70 seconds of attempted audience capture before the credits even rolled.
Even though its conclusion smacked of desperation, this episode wasn’t bad – it’s way more direct than something like Shokugeki no Souma, getting straight into two quick (albeit talky) cooking showdowns and concisely setting up the familial grudge weighing on the main character’s mind. I like the edginess of his design: cold expression, arched brows, and a frightening amount of eyeliner. He looks like someone who really lives the motto that “cooking is a contest,” and I imagine the show’s philosophy is similar, so there won’t be a lot of faffing about, narratively speaking. The animation is a step below something like Campfire Cooking (and two steps south of Dungeon Meshi), and the best compliment I can give the art direction is “adequate,” but the food looks good once it’s plated, and it reaches those plating scenes on the intensity of the characters. I’m not likely to keep watching, but Iron Wok’s first course was by no means inedible.
Potential: 35%
Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus
Short Synopsis: Cute girls performing cute circus acts.
Mario: I might be selling Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus short with my description of it being a cute girls show. While it has an overwhelmingly female cast, with the only male being a terrible Dad, it is at its heart an underdog story about a circus troupe that tries to come out on top. We follow Mizuka, the daughter of said Dad who doesn’t want anything to do with the circus, yet finds herself tangled up in it somehow. That bit is where this episode does little to convince me, as it plays her opposed attitude for laughs. It’s when the episode gets more serious in the latter half that it improves, as Mizuka points out all the other members’ shortcomings and tries to push one of the other girls to her limits. Given that we don’t often see the inner workings of a circus in anime (at least not for more than a single episode), this show already has its niche. Personally, I will give it a couple more tries to see how it goes from here.
Potential: 20%
