Marriagetoxin
The Premise
An assassin from a family of poison masters has resigned himself to a life of being single. But when his family realizes he is not looking for a partner, they end up pressuring his gay sister into marrying a man to continue the bloodline. So for her and his own desire to find love that he longed denied himself, he decides to team up with a marriage swindler to act as his matchmaker and find him a girlfriend. Unfortunately, work keeps getting in the way.
It Gud?
Marriagetoxin is interesting because I think the target demo is the seinen audience but I will say the absolutely goofy characters and their quirks feel right in a shonen action show. The guy who is introduced smoking 8 cigarettes at once or the gut who drinks wine a fully open mouth or a guy who chews ball bearings (ball bearings? I never had to spell it) and spits them at people. It’s all very silly stuff that will likely appeal to the same audience who likes Sakamoto Days.
I also think it’s a fun little premise; it’s not about assassinations, it’s about a guy trying to go on dates and meet someone, only to be interrupted by ridiculous villains who want him or maybe his friends or his date dead. And I think for the most part it succeeds in being this kind of show. It made me laugh enough and the action scenes were fun enough to keep me going. I do wonder how the show will handle it’s queer characters. I think it is a show that is sympathetic but the marriage swindler risks falling into an unfortunate stereotype of queer people “tricking” people. That said, I suspect it’s going to handwave that stuff a bit as it moves the character into the role of matchmaker for the lead. I think this one could fall into the Sakamoto Days space of “kinda fun but mid” but I’m hopeful for this being a silly and sweet romp.
Needy Girl Overdose
The Premise
As KAngel, a popular streamer idol, hits a million fans, a young woman who may have her own connections to the Internet idol scene suffers a frustrating job and an abusive boyfriend. At the same time, KAngels #1 rival, the group known as Karamosov, stews about her own popularity. Meanwhile, KAngel gives an interview expounding on her philosophies on being an idol.
It Gud?
I don’t think I’m going to watch this show but I’m kind of glad it exists because there really isn’t anything like it. It’s the first avant garde series I’ve seen in a long time. Oh, lots of shows have avant garde touches but even more than Sonny Boy, this feels like it ditches a conventional narrative (for the most part) in favour of what felt like an 8 minute interview scene with KAngel about the nature of fame. Now I kind of found that it less profound than it seems to think it is but I also am not watching future episodes so it might actually be setting up stuff to undercut and subvert later. But while I don’t think it’s quite that profound, it certainly isn’t just platitudes as the character discusses the human need to escape in a light that is a bit positive and a bit negative. Despite her having a lot to say on her philosophy toward fame, she seems like an enigma but I think that’s the point.
This is a series that wants to SAY THINGS. I don’t think it’s coming from a disingenuous angle and seems a lot darker than most shows about idols, even the ones that aim to explore the dark side of the industry. This seems (at least at this point) less interested in the horrid human element of users and abusers (though one certainly shows up) but I think it is interested in the yearning for fame and… in all honesty, I was a bit lost. I think it is a show that does want to disorient it’s audience and not for lack of ideas but because it wants to experiment with how it is exploring these characters.
I do love avant garde stuff done well, usually, and I think… this mostly works. I think I just don’t have patience for long philosophical conversations. In fact, it was the most disorienting when, in the last act, it suddenly seemed to return to having a story. But this is a series that is not lacking in creativity and “choices”. I love that the interview scene is largely poorly animated as a choice, with limited animation and flapping mouths from the “man on the street” interview section (it also caps off with a weird little close up of a baby, who makes a weird noise). The fact that there are big shout outs to A Clockwork Orange (a maid bar designed after the milk bar from the film) and Russian literature, this feels like a young snotty voice of someone who felt they got a lot out of their first year of art college. But with that comes someone with a point of view, both on a technical and philosophical level. I think it’s aiming for stuff. I will give you a S.A. content warning for the first episode but despite the fact I’ll skip the rest, I think people should try this one.
Pardon the Intrusion, I’m Home!
The Premise
A young office worker seemingly can’t help annoying the person in the apartment next door and ends up getting help from the neighbor on the other side. But the “nice guy” neighbor seems to be trying to use this as an opportunity to woo her while her angry neighbor is her favourite mangaka, who is angry when he’s working and refuses to be disturbed. But when she makes him a meal as a peace offering, he insists that she quit her job and work for him as a personal cook. Also, due to reasons, now the nice guy neighbor and her are pretending to be husband and wife.
It Gud?
Pardon the Intrusion, I’m Home! is a lighthearted romcom predicated on the romantic tension between a sweet otaku and the two biggest walking red flags in the world. One is overtly violent (he doesn’t attack a person but he will fucking bust down his neighbors walls to yell at them) and will switch from violent to grumpily complimentary on the flip of the switch. The other basically says “I know you think I’m a nice guy but maybe I’m not” and it’s, like, believe people when they tell you who they really are. These people are creeps and that lady needs to get out of dodge lickety-split.
So you very understandably may assume “OK, so you are out because of that” and… not really. The thing that makes that NOT the part that I have an issue with is due (except on principle) is basically the show is a romcom but a VERY broad one. I think we are supposed to like watching these very broad characters bounce off of each other. The show is clearly aware these people are bad people. I don’t these characters are going to do much growing but I think the aim is more the personalities.
Really, my bigger issue is that it isn’t that funny a series. I think a broad silly comedy with characters who in real life should be avoided at all cost could still work. Lots of comedies, good ones, are about the people who are THE WORST. This isn’t a black comedy but it does kind of have these people pegged as not the best. But very few of the gags make me laugh so hanging out with the worst but also not having a fun time means it doesn’t really work for me.
Snowball Earth
The Premise
The Earth is under attack by kaiju and when a genius child repurposes a walking literal “smart” bomb into a monster fighting mech, he becomes the world’s greatest hero. But it comes at a cost and this introvert’s only real friend is his mech. After spending his childhood and teenage years as a monster fighter, Earth is on the eve of the final conflict. That’s when things go disastrously wrong. The boy’s mech sacrifices itself to save the kid who arrives on Earth too late… many years too late, as now the Earth is a frozen wasteland. Will he be able to save what remains of the Earth and will he learn how to make a friend.
It Gud?
I don’t think I’ve entirely felt this one out yet. I think it was good but I’m not sure if it’s “that was OK” or “keep going” good. I’m going with the latter for now with a possibility of dropping. I don’t have a problem with it but it’s also a series where the first episode feels both high stakes and a bit too light. The main character is starting with an apocalyptic battle but it’s looking to play more comedic with the character’s awkwardness and social anxiety. And I have no problem with that, it’s a decent juxtaposition on paper. But when things go wrong, both the comedic beat (it’s played somewhat comedically) and the tragedy don’t quite land.
But I see potential here about one of the last people on Earth trying to make friends. The other thing is I’m not quite sure where we are headed tonally, if it will stay the course, get a little more serious, or a mix of both. And because of that, I still don’t entirely feel like I know what kind of show it is. I can tell the show is trying to keep some elements close to its vest (I think I know who the series’ main villain is) but overall, I don’t know what to expect episode-to-episode so I’m interested in giving it a try to find out.
The Drops of God
The Premise
The son of a wealthy oenophile who doesn’t care about wine finds his father has died… and adopted a fully grown man. No, this isn’t a BL thing, it turns out that the young man is a wine connoisseur and that the two men are given a task: a twelve-part competition to identify wine and prove who is more worthy to inherit his vast estate.
It Gud?
Shows about food and, to a lesser extent, drink, are usually a pretty good short cut to get me interested. I don’t actually drink wine or alcohol in general but I still find it all very interesting and am excited to see a show about the nature of wine. I had heard of this manga as a popular and long-running series that actually made wine a little more popular with younger people. So, I was looking forward to this one.
But like Bartender, this one runs a little hokey. To be fair, the premise is a bit wild so the idea of a high stakes globetrotting (I assume) wine-tasting competition promises more than a series about a guy who is really good at figuring out what drink you need. But after the set up, I found myself doing a bit more heckling of the show than I was hoping. And keep in mind, some shows are fun to watch to heckle. I don’t hate watch but I do like to watch fascinating misfires. But this isn’t really that either. It has some silliness but it’s a little too obvious to have a great time watching it.
It wasn’t a bore, mind you, but it also didn’t catch me in either way I wanted. I would have liked something that was came from a weird but sincere place for me to tease or something genuinely clever. But it never reaches either and becomes a competent but uninspired series despite the high concept premise.
The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl With the Short Skirt
The Premise
An overzealous-but-clueless lass monitor and a girl fed up with his antics fall in love.
It Gud?
Yeah, the title sure seems like a big flashing warning light but there’s a history of shows with bad titles being decent. And in the previews, this did not look like it was horny or male gazey. And on a visual level that’s true but unfortunately it’s a show about a guy who is kind of a creep and the show wants you to forgive his social faux pas and casual harassment because “he doesn’t know better”. They set him up as a clueless dude who doesn’t realize how inappropriate he’s being and wants you to like him because he makes up for it in other ways.
So, yeah, that’s not great. Also, something feels like it isn’t translating in the spirit of the thing because the character isn’t a klutz in the conventional sense. He’s not tripping over himself or haplessly falling into wacky situations. He’s thoughtless and socially inept. That works, but he’s not a klutz. I know that’s a small complaint but it’s not just the title, the show tries to hammer on this a lot. But going back to the real issue, it isn’t a show with a creepy gaze but it wants to give this guy a pass and he’s really kind of a jerk. There are shows where if they are funny enough, I can look past that, to an extent, but the relationship has no chemistry and him just saying unfortunate thing after unfortunate thing is really tiring.
The Ramparts of Ice
The Premise
A young girl with a past of being harassed gives off an icy chill to those who aren’t familiar with her but it actually a bit more socially awkward (and defensive) than standoffish.
It Gud?
I admit that it takes me so long to write these that sometimes I forget things. Which is funny because I chose to watch this one. But a lot of the details of the first episode elude me now. I feel like she probably made a new friend by the end of the episode? But I remember my feelings. Watching the preview, I thought it would be more of a drama and the show’s last scenes hints that it’s going to be heavier going forward but for the most part this actually feels a bit more akin to a Komi Can’t Communicate-style show but less wacky.
But it is also still a comedy, primarily, with the character understandably looking icy despite her past but actually being someone who presents that way and is more or less a normal person, if awkward. It’s from the creator of You and I Are Polar Opposites and it has that sweetness but feels a little less goofy (the lead is sometimes drawn in a cute chibi way but not nearly as gremliny as in that other show). I wasn’t head over heels but I liked it and am curious where what seems to be a (somewhat) heavier story is heading.
Dandelion
The Premise
In the afterlife, it’s up to various angels to make sure that wayward souls are sent to the afterlife. The yakuza-like angels are basically expected to solve the issue expediently, shooting them into heaven with divine guns. But one clan of angels, Dandelion, is known for approaching things a little atypically.
It Gud?
I’ve more or less read all of Gintama (which I say because sometimes I just ended up skimming through some parts) and I’ve felt that the humour and the series as a whole as a real mix. It’s rarely terrible but there are hits and swings. Sometimes it is very successful, especially when it has weird, high-concept parodies of shonen tropes into full-blown story arcs (a very funny time skip riff and a meta arc where the main character is threatened by being replaced with a more loveable version of himself) but I just as often found myself a bit disinterested.
Dandelion, a much shorter series, kind of hits the same spots. There are moments that are really funny and there are bits where I just kinda yawn “oh, OK”. I will say I like the idea it’s exploring of expediency and efficiency vs. quality, in this case a town overpopulated by ghosts where some just shot them and others decide to resolve their unfinished business. It’s a good set up.
But because it’s a very comedy-focused series, it largely comes down to if I enjoy the comedy and the comedy is just OKish to me. There are a few jokes that hit real well but at the same time I spend a lot of time feeling like I’m watching a bit of a more generic action-comedy series and there I’m not vibing with it. Still, YMMV and this is a series that’s a slim 8 episodes, it you’re interested.
Go For It, Nakamura-Kun
The Premise
An introverted gay teenager wants to confess his love to the bubbly extrovert in class but his own shyness gets in the way. Still, fate has a way to get them together, to an extent.
It Gud?
Go For It, Nakamura-Kun is a fairly recent movie that originated from a BL magazine but if you told me if it originated in the 80s, I would have believed you. The creator definitely must have a love of 80s romcom manga because I don’t think I’ve seen a show that uses these kinds of character designs in a while. The humour isn’t dated (so far, it’s possibly a gay romcom aimed at fujoshi may have some problematic missteps) but it does feel like it is from a time and place. And the adaptation really leans into it, down to an end theme from an 80s pop hit.
But it isn’t all about vibes. There are lot of 80s romcoms that are beloved that I bounce off of. And it seems like this series is not aiming for a big arc and mostly wants to focus on the next misadventure of the lead as he, like Zeno’s Arrow, will forever make a bit of progress without ever getting to the goal. It’s more about the sweet kids bouncing off of each other. I wasn’t guffawing loud I admit. I will say I kind of liked the first half but it was the second half where it kind of goes places beyond simply “I can’t admit I love you” and is more about a wacky octopus story.
It’s comforting vibes but refreshingly not a just another remake of a classic series (not to slight some of those, which are pretty amazing). Go For It, Nakamura-Kun just wants to make you smile and feel warm while the lead never quite succeeds but still gets a bit of a happy ending in hanging out with his boy-crush. And it looks really good.
Nippon Sangoku
The Premise
In the future, Japan is besieged by environmental, political and economic catastrophe that has sent progress back to the Meiji era. The nation is now divided into three major powers. A young tactical genius wants to help society through slow and steady progress but a tragedy motivates him to take real action immediately, to become a real leader, starting by joining the military of his own people and make real change using his brilliant strategies.
It Gud?
I think Nippon Sangoku is one of the best shows of the season no one is talking about. Is it because it’s on Prime? I dunno but the animation is fantastic, the wit is perfect and it has a very strong story and characters from the get. One thing I’ll warn you to begin with is that it does start with a fridging but nonetheless it tells the story well and does a good job setting up a protagonist who is pure of heart and overcomes feet of clay to become a force to be reckoned with.
It would be easy to do the super-genius tactician character wrong but I think it works because the show makes him kind of hard to take on a personal level. He’s not prickly or a conventional “eccentric” archetype but it’s clear his know it all attitude rubs people the wrong way. All the same, despite this he seems to know the right thing to say and I think primarily it is used well in the series. Usually these are reviews of first episodes but I’ve taken long enough to see a bit more and it also helps he’s teamed up with a skilled but arrogant fighter and I think their clashing personalities that gives way to not only mutual respect but a sense that these guys are gonna trust each other to succeed makes for a fun dynamic.
It also has a wonderfully despicable villain who is rash and cruel but nonetheless a force to be reckoned with in a similar way to the protagonists. The show makes a lot of great visual choices, too and it looks gorgeous. In general, I’m not the biggest fan of military fiction but it helps when you have outsized characters and strategies that you can follow but still feel clever and this has it in spades.
The Food Diary of Miss Maid
The Premise
A maid finds herself turning her culinary vacation into something of a sabbatical when her workplace is destroyed and under construction. She uses her time to try more Japanese cuisine.
It Gud?
The maid element of the show feels kind of just there to give the character an iconic look and attract people who want to see a cute maid girl. Really, this is just a show about someone trying food. Not a bad thing but there also isn’t a lot there to make it stand out from other shows like this about trying food. Still, if that’s your jam, this is not a bad show. It does feel like another show that might have benefitted from being a short, though.
Witch Hat Atelier
The Premise
A young girl obsessed with magic is sad because not being born a witch she cannot do magic. However, she learns the great secret of magic… anyone can do it by drawing the right images. However, when she practices herself, something goes wrong and she begins a quest to learn magic to save a loved one.
It Gud?
Saving the best for last? A lot of people think so but this is such a stacked season to me, it’s REALLY hard to tell. So many good things and good in different but fun and exciting ways. But this is the one everyone was hyped for and it did not disappoint. It’s always hard when the comic looks so good it risks losing something in animation. But Witch Hat Atelier looks absolutely stellar!
Even better, it’s just got a really good story. In many ways, it looks like the classic fantasy coming of age tale but I think it has an interesting starting point because while the “villain” is a bit of a cipher, it does seem like both sides have a point of view that might have merit; a force willing to spread knowledge (I’m curious if it’s for evil reasons or “everyone deserves to know this, damn the consequences”) and those willing to keep it because it could easily spread destruction if widely known.
I think the series also has a protagonist we like, someone who just wants the joy of knowing and learning. I’m really excited to see where this is going but going by the buzz from fans, this is the one to watch.
