Hey, I had time to do this for the new season!
Hell’s Paradise
The Premise
A ninja sentenced to die seems to be unable to. Swords mean to cut his head break. Bulls meant to draw and quarter him just get exhausted. Fire meant to burn him do nothing. The ninja claims to be bored and would be happy if he could just die but one record keeper is not so sure. The record keeper is in fact not a record keeper. She’s an executioner, actually capable of killing him. But only if he wants it. And the ninja realizes he’s been lying to himself. He wants to live. The only chance; travel to the underworld, which may be on Earth, to find the Elixir of Life for his freedom along with a lot of death’s row killers. Why send these deadly folks to get the job done? Because everyone else sent either didn’t come back or returned in bizarre and horrifying states. Death waits in paradise and not everyone is coming back.
It Gud?
It’s promising. I will say, every series I’ve seen so far looks pretty darn good and Hell’s Paradise is no exception. The various execution attempts are well animated and though it risks getting repetitive with characters trying different stuff, it also happens while slowly getting to know a character who is honest neither with his captors or himself. I can see this series having some cool set pieces with hints of very strange dangers that turn people into smiling piles of flowers.
Thematically, it has some potential to be interesting to. I can see it as a fun violent romp as this week’s danger, be it a monster, a crafty killer or a bizarre trap, present new challenges to the protagonists whom I hope they just won’t stab their way through. But I think there’s a promise of people finding out WHAT they want to be alive for. I’m sure a lot of these criminals will be scum and most will die early on but I can see this as being a series with an interesting cast if they let it.
The show is mostly table setting at this point but it’s decent table setting that’s less focused on it’s worldbuilding (though it is there) and more about this one character, which makes me hopeful it stays that way. There were some violent scenes and though it seems to imply the main character is going to try to refrain from killing people (it doesn’t outright say that the pile of guards he’s sitting on by the end aren’t dead but it doesn’t feel like it), expect blood if you get a bit squeamish.
My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999
The Premise
A young woman is broken up with by her gamer boyfriend who wants to see someone else and she’s in tatters. But she’s still in the stupid MMORPG she got him into. There she meets a guildmate, Yamada, whom she realizes is kind of annoying due to his short, curt responses that take minutes to get to her. Later that night, she sees an opportunity to try to get back at her ex by dressing nice and appearing at the same event, only to meet Yamada IRL. Yamada doesn’t seem all there but he is sexy. She convinces him to pretend they are hooking up and it does make her ex-boyfriend jealous… only because he’s a Yamada fan, as Yamada is also a famous esports player and streamer. But in the end, the woman realizes trying to make him jealous is a waste of time and the two head to a bar. The next morning she wakes up in Yamada’s bed in his apartment…
It Gud?
Despite the fact that it is aimed at a josei-aged audience, Lvl 999 is kind of old-school shojo, at least in terms of the kind of character dynamics we see. I will say it overcomes some issues I have with a lot of shojo romcoms where they make the male romantic interest a jerk and often even a bully to create tension and drama. Yamada has some serious social flaws and is aloof but he doesn’t seem like a bad person and this isn’t about changing him.
I’ll also say that I feel like I’m getting exhausted about anime about MMORPGs and JRPG tropes. I feel like a lot of them are pretty lazy and content with a few references. But this series has genuine character and charm to it and while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any genre, it does tell it’s story well with humour and likeable characters. I’m usually pretty open to formula as long as it’s done well and Lvl 999’s first episode won me over a little more than I was expecting.
Obviously, we are headed for a fakeout where it turns out the socially awkward gamer did not sleep with the protagonist while she was drunk. There is no world in which that happens. You don’t have to try and trick me, show, I’m already on board for the low stakes romantic drama you set up and mostly I’m in it to find out how much I like these characters and hopefully find myself rooting for them to get together.
Tengoku Daimakyō AKA
Heavenly Delusion
The Premise
Somewhere, a school girl has a question posited by a friend. Is there a world beyond the wall that surrounds the city? And what could it be? Outside the wall, humans are struggling to survive in a post apocalyptic world. Few humans remain but those who do are dangerous and there are monsters lurking about. Two young people are on a mission to find someone but can they survive? And what Hell awaits the girl who might be curious about the world outside?
It Gud?
It’s a promising series. In many ways, it does feel like a good version of things that came before it. The first scenes bring to mind The Promised Neverland but I’m not anticipating anything quite that amazing. But it still seems good. Like the previously mentioned series, this seems to follow a pretty classic formula; someone needs to traverse the post-apocalypse and hires a skilled person to do so (though they seem equally adept). The lessons while there are people out to get you, be particularly wary of those who seem to want to help you out.
To be fair, the series hasn’t laid all it’s cards on the table yet. It has two stories it wants to bring together and I’m not sure how much time they’ll take to bring them there. And while it is a series with secrets, I think a lot of theme will be of a fairly traditional model. But all the same, I am enjoying it. Again, I think it helps that it’s a well-animated show with enjoyable characters and an eye for details. Just because it’s parts seem pretty straightforward doesn’t mean that the sum is no big shakes. It seems like an adventure I’ll be happy to join in week-after-week.
That said, I am open to surprises. I suspect the first little story is going to end with some heartbreak and the person who betrayed them has their own tragedy. I feel there’s a humanist touch to this one and even though the first antagonists were generic goons who threatened rape (thankfully, unlike some anime, this isn’t drawn out and creepy about it) and are practically waiting to get to a “you’re already dead” situation, I anticipate something less cathartically bloodthirsty and more about how the world crumbling around you can change you. Fingers crossed it stays good.
The Dangers in My Heart
the Premise
A young teen boy who fancies himself troubled and twisted keeps running into a girl in his class who seems to be the polar opposite of him; outgoing but often a bit tactless and very easy to read. Eventually the two become friends, with the gloomy boy finding himself cringing on her mishaps vicariously.
It Gud?
The Dangers in My Heart was one where I enjoyed it more than JBear and we both laughed a fair bit but he wanted to stop and I get it. I could have kept going but I couldn’t deny there were things troubling me about it. But it isn’t really the stuff that’s the surface “edginess”. That didn’t bother me because it very much is about a shitty, cringy edgelord brat whose self-delusions about being some vile anti-hero loner crumbles in the face of a complete goofball. That’s a dynamic that works and while we haven’t all had the fortune of having cover model girls wanting to eat huge bags of potato chips with us, there is something about creating our own stupid mythos based on the kind of myopic, dumb worldview kids can have.
Yes, I will say I’m not crazy about the details of his murder fantasy that it decides to go into in the first scene but I feel like there are some other aspects I’m not a fan of. I think it handles the issue of obesity very poorly and it ends up reflecting badly on the other characters and the writer. Yes, the character is likable and sympathetic but it reminds me that some people can treat each other badly and I think what the heroine says is more than just tactless, it’s just shitty.
It's unfortunate but I definitely get it and it’s a shame because while some of that stuff sucks, the creator is also pretty good at creating some fun silly scenarios. My favourite by far is the heroine, who is a model, trying very hard to be recognized and putting her magazine over some other magazines and finding no one cares. It’s some great deflation and the other character provides some good commentary as he watches her take it in stride, switching gears to the next ill-considered plan. It’s a show I think both has a lot going for it but a lot of stuff I look at with a side-eye.
Skip and Loafer
The Premise
A girl from the country aiming for success starts going to a school in the city but gets lost the first day. She’s rescued by a tall, handsome, confident and somewhat lackadaisical dude and the two manage to get to school in time for her to give a speech. Unfortunately, she embarrasses herself in public but her newfound friendship with the tall guy gets the social gears turning and the two begin to think about what the new school year has in store.
It Gud?
I was talking of Lvl 999 being a kind of old school shoujo and Skip and Loafer belongs there two. So far, it’s low-key rom com in the best possible way and with two likeable leads. Heck, this show could choose to go in a non-romantic route and it would still likely be satisfying. After all, the episode has bonding but romance doesn’t go overtly beyond “is it just me or is this guy hot.”
And it is a show that knows how to be funny in a not-over-the-top way. I believe the school is supposed to be somewhat prestigious, at least by the lead character’s standards, but there’s no Brobdingnagian over the top stuff we often see in these series, it’s just a nice school and the lead is a struggling a bit in her new environment. She isn’t dealing with bullies because she’s too close to the hot guy and someone leaving her hanging when she’s trying to make friends is done in a way where it doesn’t make the character a bad guy, she’s just not seeing a friendship happen until there are some opportunistic reasons to try.
There are shows were after the first episode I don’t know what the plan is. This can be exhilarating or frustrating and this one is the former. OK, exhilarating is a bit strong but I don’t know if it will develop drama (there is some hint of something going on with the male lead but that simply might be him beginning to open emotionally in ways he hasn’t before) or be a hang out show for these characters or how far and fast the romance will progress. But I really don’t care, I feel like wherever it goes from here it's going to carry a tone I like; witty and pleasant.
My Clueless First Friend
The Premise
A girl at school is called a shinigami and is treated as an outcast due to her gloomy nature. But one boy thinks being friends with the Grim Reaper is the awesomest thing ever and will stop at nothing to be her friend.
It Gud?
Man, this is a season for gloomy protagonists with Gegege no Kitaro hair. But if I am going to compare it to The Dangers in the Heart, then I’ll probably mention that this show is a bit kinder and sweeter. The main bit is that the boy doesn’t understand his friend is being bullied and thinks his cool new friend has super-powers and is oblivious when people try to bully him, instead unintentionally turning the tables on them and making them feel foolish. It’s “don’t threaten me with a good time” if he completely missed the point.
It's kind of cute. The problem is, there’s shocking little deviation from the way the formula is pulled off. Within the first episode, it runs it’s main joke into the ground pretty quickly and it doesn’t get better as it goes on. One alone is fine but it gets repetitive far too quickly. Yes, it does promise to introduce new characters and that could shake things up and make it more enjoyable but I feel like even within that I’m not anticipating it to really vary.
I also find the male lead kind of annoying. He’s supposed to be a sweet dummy and great but he has a quickly reused exclamations of excitement that get on my nerves. I like the message of someone who only sees the best in people but I feel like there’s some sort of block to actually liking him, not because of his actions but because I feel like there’s no “in” to getting into the character except he’s nice to someone who needs it. That counts for a lot but I feel like there should be more that isn’t.
My Home Hero
The Premise
An older man meets his daughter for lunch only to suspect she’s being physically abused by her boyfriend. He follows his daughter home only to learn that her boyfriend isn’t just abusive, he’s a yakuza with a history of murder. When the two are alone in her apartment, he manages to murder him and when the man’s wife finds him, the two decide to hide of the body. But things get tricky when it turns out not only does this yakuza have powerful connections, the man at the top has a son, and he might be this average joe’s next victim.
It Gud?
This is a thriller I did want to like. It’s not like I’m a big fan of vigilante stories but I do like tales of average people having to use their wits to survive after getting in way over their heads. Like, how can someone with average capabilities get by while trying to escape dangerous criminals. To make a premise like this, you need clever plans, unexpected complications, twists and compelling characters.
Well, sadly, My Home Hero has none of that. The only pleasant surprise was getting the wife character in the plan real early and having them have to work together. The idea of a family vs. the yakuza is also great but we don’t get a lot of that this episode. Come to think of it, we get the family’s scenario but we don’t get a lot about them as people. We do get to see how weak the main character but when he finally does the deed, there is neither catharsis for killing a monster or the horror of this average man taking a life.
And for a show that does have blood, it is very bloodless, metaphorically speaking. There’s not a lot of life here, just a rather dry vigilante tale. They are cueing up a villain who is smart but mostly he’s just pretending to be other people on the phone. I like the idea that it’s planning on upping the stakes of the villains to “very personal” early on but I just wish I cared about this heightening. It’s really only eliciting some yawns.
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World
The Premise
The son of a cult leader is murdered and wakes up in another world. Thinking he knows what to expect, he hopes to become an adventurer with magic powers. Instead, he’s just a farmer on a commune. But it turns out society has a dark side and some people are selected to die. The cult leader’s son eventually saves the day with his god who is…
It Gud?
Wow. OK, so this… this is bad. It’s a very unique kind of bad so I am kind of grateful for watching it in a twisted way. A lot to talk about. First… it starts out on a strong foot. Most isekai series start with the character, some sad sack with a nothing life, killed by a bus or just teleported away. Here, the character is killed by a cult of nearly naked muscle men who throw him into the sea. It’s a good start. But it’s all downhill from there. It has a life flashing before his eyes joke which is mostly too loud and busy (that said, the random appearance of a capybara helped). Then the character wakes up to a woman jerking him off. I’m not even sure why or what the joke is?
Anyway, then it gets into the main gag of the episode and I assumed the series; the main character assumes he’s going to do all the fun isekai stuff but he’s just a peasant farmer. OK, there’s something there about entitlement and romanticizing the feudal ages. And it goes very hard into very broad laughs… and reuses a lot of footage. It’s not very good but I figured it started with genuine amusement, maybe we can get back there.
Then it tries to drop another shoe and say “actually there’s something scary in this world” and has real stakes… in theory? The problem is it happens so abruptly, it never lands that THIS is the thing we are supposed to take serious. JBear called it a sudden tonal shift except… it almost isn’t, which is weird. What I mean is the vibe of the episode remains the same but since the vibe up to this point was a silly (and not very good) comedy about shitty people, suddenly killing off a character doesn’t land as “Oh my God” so much as “is… this an extended bit. What’s happening?” And it’s very obvious in the latter half that it is desperately trying to move the episode quickly to get to it’s reveal (including a weirdly quick framerate) that NOTHING has time to sink in. It won’t LET you react to it which is I think what is supposed to happen with… media.
Anyway, as a little dingleberry on top of this bewildering and ultimately awful sundae of madness, it turns out the God his dad worshipped is a naked… I wanna say 8 year old girl. I think she changes sizes a could times. But… yuck. Fuckin’ gross. Of COURSE that’s what this show wants to get to. Well fuck it. I hesitate to call this the worst first episode I’ve seen because I was engaged, though purely out of confusion and disbelief but… this was a very bad one. Stay far, far away.