Vermeil in Gold
Short Synopsis: Genius kid is so bad at summoning he summons a succubus…for friendship and respect.
Lenlo: Vermeil in Gold? More like… Ass and… titty. You have no idea how long I struggled to make a joke out of this before I gave up. Anyways, my point is that Vermeil is your ecchi-bait of the season. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise, it’s a show about summoning a freaking succubus in a virgin-killer. I just wish it had literally anything else going for it. Story? The only “plot” this show has is bouncy and attached to the token waifu. Characterization? We have shy dweeb and an ara-ara Onee-san demoness, with a childhood friend tsundere thrown in for options. World? Stereotypically magical. I just… There is no reason to watch this show when the only thing it can give you is something the doujins will probably provide better. If you want to have an Onee-san whisper in your ear for 30 minutes a week, go for it. As for me? This is a pass.
Potential: 5%
Amun: To be fair, I’m not sure where Lenlo is seeing the ass, but he’s really understating the sheer cubic inch volume of boob that’s happening here. I respect shows that embrace their trashiness and understand why you’re watching. For example, this season’s Engage Kiss is a little confused – Vermeil is not in the slightest. For me, it’s interesting to see the progression of anime’s line-pushing…does anyone else remember when you were lucky to get a kiss by the end of the season (Toradora for example)? Kids these days go all the way in episode 1 (Scum’s Wish, I’m looking at you). Get off my lawn or something. Anyways, Vermeil puts the tongue in and looks generic doing it, but I’ve seen worse production (although the backgrounds have that weird sketchy look we’re seeing more often). I just don’t really like the character designs honestly – they’re kind of lacking that special care that takes you into S-tier waifus. There isn’t that much here but oppai filler – if that’s what your season’s palette is missing, then this is your show. Pass from me.
Potential: 10%
Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun
Short Synopsis: Two children delve into the depths of the earth, encountering all sorts of horrific and fantastical creatures and environments along the way, Season 2!
Helghast: Even through I’m all up caught with the manga, I don’t have a good recollection what actually happens in the sixth layer. I just know that going to fucked up as the fifth layer but in a different disturbing way. Made in Abyss doesn’t waste anything time in living up to that expectation as it shows off rape, puking and mutilation in the first few minutes. Narratively, I think it a bold choice to have a split storyline between Riko’s present-day adventure and Vueko’s memories of the Ganja Squad speedrunning their descent into the more primal murder-death hole. Having the experience of pervious explorers in the background as Riko experiences the village of Ilblu provides a sense of foreboding before those two experiences clash in an explosive conclusion. Kevin Penkin’s gorgeous OST is looking to match the standard of the previous seasons with hit singles like “Gravity” drawing the viewers in and immersing them in the beauty and deceptive nature of the abyss. If you can ignore the bits of a loli struggling to poop quietly, Made in Abyss has the animation, music and storyline to easily become the top anime of the season. If you’ve seen the first season and movie , you really have nowhere to go but continue on through with the series. After all, the adventure in the sixth layer has only just begun!
Potential: 85%
Lenlo: Made in Abyss is a weird one. At its core, I think this is really good. I think the structure of telling two parallel stories at once, both in the same location but at different points of time, is really strong. I’m looking forward to how they overlap, to inevitably meeting the characters from the past, in the present. On top of that, all of the production is still good. Kevin Penkin’s music is still strong, and I still quite like the art style and direction. Basically, everything that was good about Made in Abyss is still good. But… that also means everything that was bad is still bad. I’m of course talking about Made in Abyss’ treatment of children. For the most part it’s whatever, anime is filled with lolicons and there isn’t anything we can do about it. Other times though… Do we really need the sound effects for a child taking a dump? Or to open the first 30 seconds with an ugly bastard and a loli? These aren’t enough to kill the show for me, I just ignore them. But I know for a fact some people are uncomfortable from all of this. If that’s you, it’s back. If it’s not? Then I expect we are going to have a good time here.
Potential: 80%
TOKYO MEW MEW NEW
Short Synopsis: A love-obsessed high school girl is conscripted into a magical Earth-saving task force.
Lenlo: This is a complicated one. Visually Tokyo Mew Mew has some pretty great highs and some average lows. The transformation sequence in particular looked gorgeous, and the designs are typically appealing. It’s the most basic of basic Mahou Shoujo. It’s like someone saw that the current Precure wasn’t that good and thought they could come in and snipe some of the audience. And from what I’m seeing on discord and chatting with some friends, it’s working. The problem? I cannot stand Mahou Shoujo. Not one that plays the concept straight anyways, Princess Tutu and such are still great. I find them so sweet I fear it will give me diabetes, and the story rarely has anything to sink your teeth into. Here at least you might get some romance, something more than a sanitized and sweet magical girl show.
Potential: 50% – If you like Mahou Shoujo, otherwise 0%
Wooper: The only association I have with the Tokyo Mew Mew is that an old buddy of mine used to watch the original series with his girlfriend, for which I ceaselessly mocked him. (He has since married his teenage sweetheart while I’m in my early thirties and single, so he got the last laugh.) Fifteen-ish years later I find myself watching the premiere of the reboot and wishing I was doing absolutely anything else – not because I still think I’m too old for magical girl shows, but because it’s clear that Tokyo Mew Mew New’s existence is rooted in the desire to make millions of nostalgia bucks. If it were made out of love for the franchise, its designs would reflect a more personal style than “make them look like characters from a ‘How to Draw Anime’ book circa 2012.” Its animation producer’s first full-length TV credit wouldn’t be from 2021, resulting in a who’s new of personnel being thrown at every scene (barring the one that will play a dozen more times before the first season ends). Its sparse backgrounds wouldn’t give the impression that the story is taking place in a simulation. I’ve got my issues with the plot and characters themselves (what little I’ve seen of them, anyway), but it’s the presentation of this episode that marks TMMN as a dire adaptation.
Potential: 0%