Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte
Short Synopsis: Two Otaku become able to communicate with the characters inside a dating sim game and proceed to try to save them from their fate.
Lenlo: You know what… At least this is creative. IF nothing else, Endo and Kobayashi is a cute idea. Rather than being a standard isekai where someone is teleported into their favorite dating sim video game, it’s some Otaku gushing about said game with the characters inside hearing everything they say. Like Amun says, it’s like a dual/reverse Isekai premise where they can interact/pass knowledge back and forth. In a way, it’s like watching 2 separate romance shows at the same time, one inside the dating sim and the other with our two real world Otaku. All the while trying to save a video game character from their prescribed fate. Suffice to say, as someone going into this expecting the bare minimum sort of video game isekai trash, this was a very pleasant surprise.
Potential: A cute idea
Amun: NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE. This premiere was actually NICE. Sure there wasn’t any eye-watering animation, sure the character designs are fairly standard, sure it’s a pretty set-piece formula, but look here – Endo and Kobayashi Live has me hooked. I came in expecting a watered-down variant of Life as a Villainess, which I enjoyed enough. Instead, Endo and Kobayashi evolves the concept and has something of a dual isekai (kind of a Neverending Story dynamic going on). What’s the secret sauce? The small twists and small sub-stories are what’s going to make or break this show – and I feel very good about what I’ve seen so far. Otome games are NOT my genre of choice, and the pairing with isekai has been hit and miss (For every Life as a Villainess there were several forgettables). The dynamic of the announcers, the game characters themselves, and the as of yet unknown real world character (villain). This is my dark horse in a season of 50 (yes, 50) seasonals. Am I going to be disappointed? Probably, but for now I’m riding high on hopium!
Potential: Dark Hopium Horse of the Season
Handyman Saitou in Another World
Short Synopsis: A handyman is reincarnated in another world and is extremely handy (Like in a normal way, not a pervy way – this season necessitates clarification there)
Lenlo: As you may have guessed by now, I have a soft spot in my heart for Isekai with interesting ideas that actually stick to those ideas. Whether it be the farming life or Handyman Saitou, something where the lead isn’t the overpowered combat lead of the party is appealing to me. They often feel like passion projects where the writer has a specific topic, like farming or home repair, that they care about and since the MC isn’t the combat lead, they generally avoid the wish fulfillment bullshit. They might not be the most exciting thing in the world, but they fill a niche I can appreciate and at least feel different from the standard Isekai fair. That said, Handyman Saitou doesn’t avoid all the pitfalls. It still has levels, set classes, bad sexual jokes, all the usual trappings. In that, it’s a disappointment, even if the other party members are amusing, like a small fairy carrying around a bag of gold. Still, I can’t say I didn’t find it cute nor that I didn’t actually watch it all the way through. That alone is a feat not all of these premiers can boast of. So in that at least, Handyman Saitou gets my tentative seal of approval.
Potential: 35%
Amun: This is really a bunch of short episodes standing on top of each other, wearing a trenchcoat to look like a full seasonal anime. Which is okay, because Handyman doesn’t waste any time jumping right in and letting you fill in the rest. I appreciate that, since this premise isn’t really breaking any new ground: isekai of a professional using modern skills in a medieval (but magical) era). What is different is the execution – Handyman gets a lot done in the short space it has. And does a good job! Some of the shorts don’t make sense right now, but I suspect all the threads will come together. What we can see of the main story’s shape is a light hearted adventure comedy in a party with plenty of strengths, but plenty of weaknesses too. I’d call this “adventure slice of life shorts.” You know what, I’m actually down for a show like that. More, please.
Potential: 60%
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten
Short Synopsis: Teenage boy befriends school diva by giving her an umbrella on a rainy day, cue romance
Lenlo: Angel Next Door feels like your pretty standard “Hot school idol falls for wish fulfillment loser loner”. They live next door, she’s cold to everyone at school except the compassionate to the MC because they showed her the barest minimum of being a decent human being, they eventually get into a romance while living alone without any parents checking in on their kids at all. It’s about as standard as you can get. That said, it feels pretty competent at it. Not my cup of tea, I don’t have the time to watch something I could get from the last 20 years of piled up anime. If this is your genre though, the kind of thing you love and binge, then I think Angel Next Door will be right up your alley. I know of at least one friend who loves it because this sort of romance is the exact thing they love to watch after a day of work.
Potential: 30%
Amun: Angel Next Door was a weird premiere for me. It felt almost like a timepiece, back from the early 2000s when Key was king and anime eyes stayed a little too far apart. Maybe it’s just all the use of the word “Tenshi”, which has kind of fallen out of fashion. I don’t know – I looked it up and the light novel isn’t that old, so maybe it’s just a bit of nostalgia. Anyways, this show certainly didn’t start off with a bang – and honestly, the premise is pretty believable. Anyone who has had an apartment friend who kindly helps them navigate living on their own can understand this dynamic (thinking back to college – much obliged, apartment friends!). Japan is pretty crazy in that high school kids live on their own (and are such herbivores that the population is somehow still shrinking), so the setting works. The characters themselves are a little wooden, but I think that’s the point. I would lump this in with Higehiro or Shachiku-san (the little ghost one) as a “slice of home life” – which is kind of a refreshing rest from this hectic season. I’ll watch some more of this.
Potential: 60%
