Uzumaki
The Premise
Kirie lives in a sleepy coastal town but her boyfriend wants her to leave. He thinks there’s something malignant occurring in the town. His father is obsessed with spirals and it worries him greatly. He thinks a dangerous force is manifesting across the town in spirals in all their forms and when his father kills himself in a truly bizarre manner, his mother snaps. Meanwhile, a girl who seems to get any boy discovers her “charm point” is growing and a bullied boy begins to move slower and seems to be growing a shell.
It Gud?
I feel like this is going to be a debatable point for Ito fans. Now Ito fans seem to have been burned again and again with his adaptations, with a couple crummy horror anthology series, the Tomie film series really got increasingly out of step (also, wasn’t there supposed to be a Tomie live action TV series?) and that one Gyo OVA was pretty crummy. The worst was Uzumaki was announced so long ago and seemed like it was NEVER going to be released. And then, finally it happened.
Well, the trailers looked amazing and it boasted a Colin Stetson soundtrack. It seems like a slam dunk. I will say, I soon saw some reviews that gave it 2.5 out of 5s across the board on animenewsnetwork, so I was getting worried. And beyond that, I assumed the “4 episode mini series” would be 45 minutes each like Pluto. Nope, the entire three volume series is going to have to be covered in 4 22 minute episodes… and then you need to knock out about three minutes for the opening and closing credits sequence. So that’s worrying.
BUT… this first episode was a very strong adaptation. Like the trailers promised, the animation is gorgeous. Using black and white is perfect for translating Ito’s style, especially for this story. I also think the first episode was good at having several chapters happening at the same time and juggling the events. Weirdly, only two of the four chapters it covers gets resolved and that makes me worried how much longer they’ll be able to do with all the material left to cover (they could cut out some chapters but considering the creepy baby story is going to happen based on the preview) but so far, a very fantastic first ep. I will say, if you’ve seen this and though “aside from the fingerprint thing, this is actually less gory than half of the big shounen jump series”, it gets much nastier (especially in the mid-point of the series).
I can’t wait to see how they handle the next episo—
Oh no…
365 Days to the Wedding
The Premise
Two socially awkward office workers learn that SOMEONE in their office will be shipped off to Alaska. One comes to the conclusion if they say they are married, they won’t have to go if they get married. The two come up with their story but when their bosses enthusiastically makes it known across the office of their “engagement”, the two rush to keep their story straight.
It Gud?
The premise is straight out of rom com 101. And in the execution, it isn’t terribly unique. But it’s not bad. In fact, it’s perfectly pleasant. This time, both of the leads are milquetoast but they also both have their charms. But it’s not a show I feel strongly about. It’s good enough to watch but of the shows I’m choosing to watch, it is so far the one I’m least invested in.
In part, it’s because it’s a show that has a ticking clock. A very LONG ticking clock and one it feels like it is not hard to escape (quit the job or try to object) but I feel with the title, we are looking forward to something. It’s not creating tension because the tension is simply limited to social awkwardness but it is giving us an end point and to that end, it means we need to create milestones for progress. But while I think it will, everything about it means it feels like it will all be the same light farce that opens up the episode.
Yeah, I’m cool with light comedy romance but I think it’s slightly too airless. I’m willing to be proven wrong because there are some solid comedic beats and a pleasant vibe. But it’s also centered around a lie and I think the show isn’t super into creating real classic farce tension with that. I could be wrong and would like to be but I think everything will resolve fairly simply if the first episode provides any indication. A good watch to break up the more actiony or dramatic shows.
Dan Da Dan
The Premise
A boy obsessed with UFOs (well, UAPs) and a girl who believes in ghosts mock each other and challenge each other; the boy goes to a haunted tunnel and the girl goes to a UFO hotspot. Each hopes the other will come to believe and they both do… because the boy encounters a penis eating ghost and the girl encounters aliens with plans to use her to make clones. Both are in dire straights but the boy ends up possessed and is somewhat able to control his possession and the girl unlocks her own psychic powers. Together they defeat the aliens and plan to get the boy de-possessed by the powerful crotch-eating Turbo Granny.
It Gud?
Dan Da Dan is definitely the most anticipated show of the season by many and I can see why. Science Saru is one of my favourite studios, a fantastic animation house and this is them doing their first Shounen Jump series (granted it’s Jump+ but that’s basically the same deal). It’s wild for Science Saru to do a long-running action series, especially one that is still going. I don’t know if they WILL do a second season because I don’t think they’ve done a second season of anything (I’m not counting the Tatami Galaxy spin-off).
I will say I enjoyed it but I enjoyed it with some big caveats. There’s a large portion of the first episode where the female co-lead is threatened with sexual violence by aliens and it’s nastier. I really could do without that and considering the praise the manga is getting, I’m really hoping that’s something as a one-off. I am also curious if there’s a larger reason why both the ghosts and aliens seem to like childish euphemisms for penis or if the creator just seems to think it’s funnier. But it’s not my favourite.
But the stuff I liked is really good. The leads are kind of sucky but in a way that I do think works for it. They are socially awkward but they also, in different ways, struggle to connect. He believes in aliens because he wants a friend from anywhere (I like the moment where he tells the aliens to fuck off as they had a chance to be his friend and didn’t take it) and she wants to find love from someone who can give her respect. Visually, it’s amazing with some incredible fight scenes. The moment with the moon is an inventive reveal and I like the way it plays out. There are definitely series where I was “I would like this if it didn’t make some gross decisions” and I’m hoping the things I don’t like settle down and it becomes the series I want it to be; two weirdos finding comraderies in the face of occult madness.
Kinokoinu
The Premise
A man who is still morning the death of his dog gets a new one… in the form of a mushroom dog thing.
It Gud?
I want to be all over a series about an adorable dog monster who is a hot mess. And there are a few good jokes and I like the fact that this loving dog… may be dangerous? Some of his behaviour is correctly described by characters as creepy. I like the title dog. The problem is pacing. Don’t get me wrong, I love some slow TV. I like super chill shows like Super Cub. But there are a lot of shows were it is not hitting me just right.
The problem is, it’s not enough to be a quiet show (something anime sometimes needs more of) but it needs to be compelling. When I think about why Super Cub worked for me, especially, that first episode, was not just that it was willing to be quiet but it was also willing to really engage with the sounds and minutiae of the moment. Really, that’s a thing I feel like anime often does very well, even in some surprising projects where moments are taken.
Kinokoinu is not a bad show but it lacks the specifics that I love in other shows. It’s a pretty straight forward story and it’s slowness is more in pregnant pauses than in embracing the moment. There are more than one show I and JBear passed on for being “too sedate” and I couldn’t articulate why that is the problem. Why can’t an enjoyable show be very sedate. Is it simply like porn? You know it when you see it? I think only recently I came to the conclusion that being slow and quiet can be a virtue but it needs to “live” in some way. Otherwise, it isn’t just boring, it’s inert. And sadly, the mushroom dog show, despite some genuine wit, is basically that.
Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.
The Premise
In a world were magical girls are a necessary public service, a small start up company has recruited a girl with a perfect memory and a desperate need for a job.
It Gud?
I wasn’t expecting too much. I’m a little burnt out on slice-of-life office anime and magical girl re-imaginings. But I think there are a few things that makes this work. 1) it doesn’t get too cute. By that, I mean it isn’t self-satisfied on any meta ideas or it’s knowledge of the genre. It remembers to tell a pretty decent little story about a girl who’s gift is discovered. 2) it’s not too horny. That counts for a lot. 3) The characters aren’t terribly unique but I do like them. And though they are different, there’s an immediate respect between the two.
The world building is not terribly detailed but what is there is stuff I like. Like in an extermination job, you’ll run into clients who seem entitled, even when they caused the problem. Though mostly this is an action episode, you get the vibe that this is a weirdly unglamourous job despite literally being glamourous action figures.
Overall, this first episode is kind of mid and yet I found myself having a good time throughout. Interestingly this is on Prime, home of another anime I’d describe as the same; Tonbo! Tonbo isn’t an impressive show but there’s something comforting and pleasant about it and I can see this show having a similar appeal to me, something that sneaks up on me, even as I can poke holes in it’s weaknesses.
Orb: On the Movements of the Earth
The Premise
In 15th Century Poland, a young man named Rafal plans to study theology just to make life easier for himself. However, he meets an old man who recognizes Rafal has an interest in astronomy. An interest that will get him in trouble with the church who isn’t above torture and public executions to hide the belief that the Earth revolves around the sun.
It Gud?
I was really hopeful for this show. I like it when anime does a straight up historical drama. One of my favourite series is Vinland Saga. And though this is about science nerds, this goes hard, opening with some horrific torture by the church to set up the stakes. The series is good about making it clear that the search for truth can be a dangerous one and it gives us a truly awful villain. Obviously the villain will chase the hero but I suspect the writers will find other ways to get these characters in each other’s orbit.
It also gives us a protagonist who isn’t super likable. He’s not a “bad” kid but he’s smug, self-absorbed and arrogant. But his love of science is real and ironically, I think his journey of logic will also awaken his heart to the more spiritual. Not a spirituality prescribed by the church but more a deeper understanding of the love what humanity is and accepting the unknowable strength of people as he maps out the universe.
Orb is a series I’m really excited about and the first episode didn’t disappoint. What could have been a dry drama promises to have intrigue, drama and the joy of discovery and science. I expect it will be a less comedic and absurd Dr. Stone as the lead will have to innovate to improve his science and there’s nothing more in serialized programing I love more than watching a process play out. How is he going to create new devices or methods for understanding his science? How will he use his ability to charm and manipulate people to escape capture and help his friend. Will we stay with him as a child or jump to him older. I’m excited to see where this goes.
Ranma ½
The Premise
The Tendo and Saotome families, whose patriarchs are both martial artists, had plans to have their children to have an arranged marriage. But when the father and son Saotomes are expected to arrive at the Tendo home a panda and a girl show up instead. Turns out that the two are cursed to turn into those things whenever splashed with cold water.
It Gud?
Ranma was one of the first major hits in North America that wasn’t just aired on TV. It was extremely influential and probably for many the most popular Rumiko Takahashi series. When David Productions Urusei Yatsura adaptation aired to critical acclaim, its not surprising that this was heading out next. But David Productions set a very high bar for adaptations and it would be easy to do this wrong.
Luckily, Mappa is doing a fantastic job with its extremely faithful adaptation to the comic. Of course, the question is “how faithful do we want this” considering there are elements that aged pretty poorly. Mostly Happosai but there are definitely other characters and arcs. And it is weird to see the first episode really laying out a premise we are so familiar with almost as a short hand due to cultural familiarity. Though, granted, there are probably a lot of younger viewers for whom this will seem entirely new (the anime is 35 years old).
More than that, it’s a reminder that Ranma… is actually really funny. Not just “funny for it’s time” but the comedic pacing is really strong. Some adaptations of great manga can fuck that up but Mappa’s quality isn’t just good animation, the timing is pitch perfect for what the show needs to be. It’s not like I ever disliked Ranma but I can’t remember the last time I was excited to see it. Now I am.
Trillion Game
The Premise
A recent college graduate meets an old friend from middle school while looking for work. Said friend is a conman and smooth talker who has a goal… to earn a trillion dollars.
It Gud?
Trillion Game is from the same writer as Eyeshield 21 and Dr. Stone, two series I love. But while I love them, there are certain patterns that I’m less enthused with. Trillion Game has a lot of what that author likes; ambitious characters who mix audacity with shrewd planning. And these characters are often doing these things with a deep passion just to see if they can and how far they can take it. That said, as “twisted” as Hiruma and Senku are, I feel like their goals are a little more sympathetic. “Make all the money for the sake of it” is somewhat less sympathetic.
One weirder aspect is the artist. It’s the creator of late 80s series Crying Freeman about a tearful assassin and it’s a surprising choice. Eyeshield and Dr. Stone are known for things being Brobdingnagian and the art reflects that. This series, not so much. It’s very down to earth and retro. But not exciting retro. It’s just sort of bland.
That said, I do like series about a process and that’s something I AM into. I do want to see how the plan plays out and how much fun the series can have doing it. So I definitely want to give the show a chance. The author has instilled mostly a lot of good will in me and I want to see if this is just as much fun as his other two major series. But “finance bro” is a less exciting take, even if I do like stories about con men.
You are Ms. Servant
The Premise
A teen living alone is surprised a maid who is also an assassin wants to live with him. Even though she sucks at being a maid.
It Gud?
I know this premise has been done before. Make the maid a robot and it’s Mahoromatic. So I didn’t go into this one with super high hopes. Are we still even doing maid stuff anymore? Outside of art of them on skateboards? It feels like it is a story from decades prior, when maids were the isekai of them olden times.
But… I came around on this one. Not immediately but even early on, I liked it OK. It followed a familiar path and not one I disliked. Mostly it stayed away from horny and the one allusion to a horny was a joke about that which ended unhorny. But the drama is “I used to kill people and I feel bad and I’m learning to love life.” And I always like that kind of story, even if it is deeply familiar.
The one thing that pushed me over to the other side is the female co-lead is sweet and funny. Usually ex-assassin turns maids are good at this. Consummate professionals who are extremely precise. But she actually sucks at this and there’s good comedy in that. And I think they are good at making her just silly enough that I find that charming. I also think the intro is surprisingly strong too. And appropriately very 90s.
Neko Oji: The Guy that got Reincarnated as a Cat
The Premise
The Guy that got Reincarnated as a Cat
It Gud?
The guy did get reincarnated as a cat.
Negative Positive Angler
The Premise
A loser in debt thinks he has nothing to live for but when he learns he has two years to live, he finds himself racked with existential dread. As he is being chased by loan sharks, he is defended by a group of fishing hobbyists. He eventually starts to fish with them and likes fishing a bit, giving a bit more passion to his now short existence.
It Gud?
This is one of the series I was very much looking forward to. In part because I though the character had two months to live. Look, I’m not expecting it to be Ikiru but I thought that with that much time, it would feel more immediate and heartbreaking for this character to make new friends just in time to lose them. As it is, it’s a slice of life series with a slight tinge of sadness. And I say tinge because the show weirdly has a Team Rocket of loan sharks.
It’s an interesting tone. The character designs are fairly anime-y in a lot of different ways but the story itself is very low stakes. I like the idea of a character learning to love the art of fishing, not worrying about “winning” but simply the joy of catching as he learns to connect with the new cast of characters and see what they get out of fishing.
But there’s something I can’t articulate that makes this more “a show I like” than “a show I love”. The main character is a bit of a pill but sometimes that can work to a show’s advantage. I think the problem for me is there’s inherent sad drama to the premise that I don’t feel like it digs into enough. I really hope the series doesn’t let the main character live, not because I want him to die but I feel like it risks taking a lot of the drama out of it I think is interesting.
Blue Box
The Premise
A high school badminton player falls for a high school basketball player. The badminton player initially is shy about admitting this but when he hears her parents are moving, he rushes to tell her how much he admires her… only to learn she is actually staying. Not only that, she’s staying at his house!
It Gud?
Based on that description, Blue Box sounds like a pretty run of the mill romcom. And no, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it is genuinely sweet and charming with characters I like. I feel to that end, more modern anime tries to make the leads more sardonic and often it either doesn’t work for me or it is almost working despite that. Blue Box, in many ways, fits in with a lot of classic romcom anime (though thankfully is not creepy-horny).
I will say the ending is setting up for a very traditional anime premise as well, the co-habitation of the two romantic leads but in a family setting. I think if the series lead with this, I might my eyes at this, not because it is inherently bad but because it is as cliché as the shocking amount of anime kids who just don’t have guardians or have hospital moms. Please stop with the hospital moms. But Blue Box did a great job setting up it’s leads and making me invested in their friendship so that I did see it coming, I think it earned the series status quo.
My hopes, based on the opening sequence, is that this will be an equal balance between the sports drama and the romance. It brings to mind Touch, the classic 80s anime that was about the relationships and the love of the game. If anything, my one issue with Touch is that while a lot of the time was spent on the games, one of my favourite aspects of sports anime is seeing characters discover strategy and process and Touch, despite being a favourite, never did that much. I’m hoping that Blue Box is a show to hit all the sweet spots, in the way that Chihayafuru does (man, when are we getting more of that?)
Nina the Starry Bride
The Premise
In a kingdom of have and have-nots, one poor girl is captured for her blue eyes. But despite her expectations, it isn’t slavers who captured her, it’s a member of the royal family who needs her to double for a dead relative. Realizing she has power in the situation, she makes a deal to keep up the ruse.
It Gud?
Nina the Starry Bride is the Apothecary Diaries we have at home. A poor girl who ends up being tossed into palace intrigue at the behest of an aloof man of importance and hawtness. And it’s just not as good. Obviously, there are clearer differences; AD is a mystery-of-the-week show. Nina is more about keeping up a ruse and likely will involve her meeting other characters and winning them over with her pluckiness, I suspect.
One thing I liked about Apothecary Diaries is Mao Mao has clear skill and virtues that are important but Nina just does exactly one thoughtful thing to help a friend and even then it’s kind of unimpressive. But it gets a little worse. The show draws a clear line that there is a real problem with poverty. When the lead character is told she can have anything, someone who is in a land of excess, knowing how people suffer will… settle for a pat on the head and a “good job”. This is a sign the show the show might not think about the greater societal issues of the setting and more using the class difference to have the character punch up against nobles. Which is good drama but with the set up, it feels disappointing based on potential.
Despite these complaints, I’m surprising myself giving this show a chance. Maybe it’s because I had similar issues about that show with crow people and then I find out later the center of the first episode isn’t the lead and the show gets good. Maybe I’m getting similar vibes and don’t want to miss out again. Maybe I think I could be wrong and we get more interesting palace intrigue. I’m giving you a shot, show. I hope I’m wrong about my expectations.
Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii
The Premise
A high school girl from a yakuza family is convinced to meet a man for a proposed arranged marriage. He seems nice at first but he not only turns out to be very violent, he also doesn’t like her because he was hoping for a spoiled mean girlfriend to “mess up his life”. After she gets some gumption to tell him off with real rage and spite, he does a 180 and tries to get with her.
It Gud?
There’s a lot I like about this and a lot I don’t. There’s something about the character designs that stick with me. Sometimes it’s a bit funny. And I see comic potential here of the sexy but awful co-lead who is hoping for someone worse than himself. But as a comedy, it takes a back seat to plot and the intro sequence makes it looks like the focus will be on being sexy and less on the comedic suckiness of the yakuza hot mess.
And I think I’ll be less interested if it is a series that goes in a direction that’s more dramatic. Because if they do, they’ll give the lead a backstory to make him more tragic and sympathetic and I feel like those reveals will hand wave the fact that this guy outright sucks. He just the worst. In a comedy, sucky leads can be fine if we can understand it and it’s just wacky nonsense of the week.
I do like the female co-lead starts to channel her inner mean girl to lay down the law. But… she does it in such a weird way. In a “cut off your nose to spite your face” move, she claims she’s sold a kidney for a lot of money after he told her she could sell her body. I suspect it’s going to be revealed that she didn’t actually and just wanted to show him up but what a brain-bending flex. Who are you messing with lady? Either you pretended to cut up your body and I’m not sure what that gets you or you did it and also that doesn’t seem worth it.
Demon Lord 2099
The Premise
After being defeated by a hero, the immortal lord of demons is resurrected 500 years later. But the world is far different than he ever could have—he’s in ShadowRun. It’s just ShadowRun. And in ShadowRun World, his once powerful magic is now antiquated and slow. And one of his former minions now runs the world on a corporate-level. With his expectations of his return turned on his head, how will he go on?
It Gud?
I had no memory of even promising to try this one out but you know what? I’m glad I did. It’s not one of the season’s top tier show but I do feel like it is a more interesting variation on a theme. Not quite an isekai or even reverse-isekai, it takes the general structure and rather than having a weaker character become more powerful, a powerful character discovers for the first time he’s going to punch up. A lot of it feels just “fine” but it succeeds in smaller moments. There’s not a ton of comedy, but when there is, it’s actually quite successful, like him patiently listening to a hacker blather on when it is clear he doesn’t get it or the main antagonist’s secretary straight-facedly REALLY be into the company mascot and making proposals about it to her boss who just defeated his secret rival after 500 years.
There are details that don’t seem to matter that much. For some reason they decide to have an elaborate explanation that one world crashed into another to make the world modern-y when it seems like it would have been easy to say “yeah, without a big conflict, the world progressed”. Maybe it will make more sense as time goes on but it feels a little lost in the weeds of its own intro. I feel like the author really thought about the world building and didn’t think to dial it back. I think those aspects at least could wait until they are more relevant.
Overall, Demon Lord 2099 is an OK show with a lot of promise. It works when it goes to comedy and I think despite my issue with some of the world building, I like the idea of a former villain being a man-out-of-time and having to rethink everything. He doesn’t get a save the cat moment but I do think him recognizing that his henchwoman’s loyalty could have easily been dropped with the times and that while she’s at the bottom, she still makes time for him to bring him back is rather sweet. I’m not sure if the show is going headlong into action or slowplaying it while the lead adjusts to the world but I’m interested to find out.
