Winter 2022 Impressions: Tribe Nine, Sasaki to Miyano, Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu

Tribe Nine

Short Synopsis: A brash fisherman and a quiet bullying victim join an Extreme Baseball team in Neo Tokyo.

Wooper: Tribe Nine was one of the most common responses in our Winter 2022 poll, which had me curious coming into its first episode. I was expecting a dumb sports anime and nothing more, but maybe I’d overlooked something that would make it stand out from the pack. In short, I was hopeful… but I shouldn’t have been. Tribe Nine is even more frivolous than its promo material had led me to believe, with characters so thin they’d disappear if they turned too far to the left or right. There are two audience surrogates, one with plenty of self-confidence and one with none, and at least a third of the dialogue revolves around those traits. Another third is dedicated to Extreme Baseball, the government-ordained method for rival gangs to settle disputes in this dystopian version of Tokyo. (Too bad the show puts almost no effort into making that future believable or even appealing.) I’d tell you what the last third was about, but it got drowned out by the show’s nonstop electro-rock and EDM soundtrack, which blared through my speakers in nearly every scene. Annoying music and anime go hand in hand, but when it’s overused to the point that you’re startled by its absence, I start to wonder why I’m listening to (or watching) that particular show at all. Tribe Nine’s engine-powered bats, digital catcher’s mitts and violent defensive play make it worth a look for ironic anime fans, but personally, I found this episode to be a swing and a miss.

Potential: 15%

Amun: Hey, I liked the soundtrack – I thought it went well with the neon theme and high octane action. Premises and backstory are for the first 30 seconds, let’s not sweat the details of how high-tech gang battle beanball became the legal recourse for general disputes (and apparently is exempt from property damage or liability…how does insurance even work in this world?). It’s probably the character designs, but I’d describe this show as a Tron meets Danganronpa, just less kill-ey and without an overarching premise. Oh yeah, and mech baseball – which honestly, wasn’t as dumb as it sounds. Yes, the cast can barely be called characters, but they’re colorful (visually that is). I’ve seen worse. Tribe Nine requires you to brain-off and just vibe to some Neo Tokyo ball games – I’m down for a few more episodes.

Potential: 40%

Sasaki to Miyano

Short Synopsis: A high school delinquent falls in love with the underclassman who loans him BL manga.

Mario: While I am certainly open to discovering more shounen-ai anime, I don’t think I’ll go along for the ride with Sasaki to Miyano. The two leads are likable enough, but the non-linear style distracts from the flow and lessens their chemistry instead of highlighting it for me. All these segments could have been arranged chronologically so we could see their relationship develop, whereas the out of order version we got prevents us from getting a grasp on where their relationship lies. In terms of how the show handles their chemistry I am half and half so far. On the one hand, I appreciate its different approach in how it gives space for the characters to breathe. On the other side of the spectrum, it still relies on tropes (like the beginning scene or when Sasaki forcefully grabs poor Miyano). It’s sweet and pleasant so far, but it risks becoming repetitive as it goes.

Potential: 30%

Wooper: Having read the first few chapters of Sasaki to Miyano prior to this premiere, I can say that the anime does almost nothing to set itself apart from the manga. The lack of 3DCG background characters was a nice surprise, as were little things like textured storm clouds and sunny train interiors, which allowed me to appreciate the visuals rather than be embarrassed by them. The score was similarly pleasant – piano, strings, flute and a bit of bass – but better yet was the show’s lack of dependence on music to push itself forward. The dialogue managed to do that without much assistance, which is something to strive for when directing a slower-paced story. Sasaki to Miyano isn’t aiming to tell a highly involved tale, though, and it’s not difficult to picture its potential death by repetition. Sasaki has a crush on Miyano, but doesn’t yet identify as gay, so he’s constantly checking himself for appreciating the other boy’s hair or hands or body line. “W-wait a minute… Miyano is a dude! That’s so weird!” is a thought that will probably flash through his mind upwards of thirty times before the show concludes its run, which doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time. But forget about me – I’m sure there are people who love watching anime characters discover their sexuality after a lengthy denial phase, and this is a decent version of that premise.

Potential: 30%

Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu

Short Synopsis: A genius prince’s guide to raising a nation out of debt (hey, that’s the title of the show!).

Amun: Bah. This was worse than I thought. For me, Tensai Ouji is an imitation of the other Genius Prince Isekai, which is an imitation of Amagi Brilliant Park, which really wasn’t that great of a show to begin with (although I do love it). The settings are pretty static – I feel we’re going to be spending significant time in the prince’s office (although, they splurged for the first episode and went out to the battlefield). The problem is that although a story exists somewhere in this episode, it was told in possibly the least interesting way possible. The rapport between the prince and his assistant was the only good thing I saw, and even that’s probably a fluke. It doesn’t look good, the story’s not interesting, the character designs are boring…I probably won’t be on this train for long.

Potential: 5%

Mario: I have one word for this show, and it’s “lazy”. And I don’t mean the laziness of the MC-kun who happens to be way overpowered, it’s the writing that doesn’t seek to deliver anything special. The only joke this show tells in 25 minutes is that despite the fact that he hates his position and wants to sell off his nation as soon as he can, his “tactics” backfire and he ends up doing good for the nation instead. Does it pay off? No, it’s not even funny to begin with. Is he interesting to root for? No, he’s whiny and has a bunch of girls who literally do his dirty work for him. Am I bored? You bet I am.

Potential: 0%