Spring 2024 anime

my initial, first week impressions:

Aired

• Gods' Game We Play — interesting premise, a bit weak execution in the first episode. 3 episode rule
• Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf — it has better plotting in this first ep than the 2008 series, and 2 cours all together this time. Definite watch all the way through
• Train To Another World — celebrating the 150th year of Japanese Railroads with a trip down the first line built (I think). Very surreal and fun so far. Watching
• Yuru Camp S3: The girls are back for more Maximum Comf. Definite Watch
• Henjin no Salad Bowl: Hinamatsuri with a detective instead of a yakuza. Watching
• Astro Note: Its Maison Ikkoku with aliens. She's even a Wido(w)! 3 Episode Rule
• Hey! Tonbo: (not picked up in the US, so I had to sail the high seas). Cute, laid-back golf story. No underground death matches, but chill and fun so far. 3 Episode rule
• Highspeed Etoile: Iffy CGI characters, but cool CGI for the races. 3 Episode Rule
• Girls Band Cry: Not picked up, no fansub yet either dropped, unfortunately

Not yet aired:

• The Fable
• Go! Go! Loser Ranger!
• Blue Archive the Animation
• Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again
• Tonari no Youkai-san
• Mission: Yozakura Family
• Unnamed Memory
• Mysteries, Maidens, And Mysterious Disappearances
• The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio
• Kaiju No. 8

Edited by ScrewySqrl on Apr 6th 2024 at 11:10:19 AM

Um actually, the first line built was between Shimbashi (technically, Shiodome now) and Yokohama (technically, Sakuragicho). The train in the anime is a Seibu train, specifically of the Seibu Ikebukuro Line, which starts at ... AGANO?? (OHHH that's why they put the starting point at Agano instead of Seibu-Chichibu!!) and ends at Seibu-Ikebukuro.

Edited by thuse on Apr 6th 2024 at 11:22:26 PM

First Impressions

• GIRLS BAND CRY: The one song we got definitely had me bobbing my head, but what truly caught my attention was how expressive the 3DCG was. The clothing hit an uncanny valley between drawn and realistic, but everything else, particularly the body movements, was animated with verve and vigor. The CG employed 2D animation tricks like squash-and-stretch and stylized visual metaphors, and overall it looks like something I'd expect out of studio Orange. Consider me impressed, this will flip those 3D haters off. Continuing.
• Ooi! Tonbo: This first reminded me of something like Barakamon, where a gruff man doing some soul-searching ends up in the sticks, and meets a chipper, energetic child that they end up looking after. But there's more to it than that— the island Igarashi ended up on is really into golf, and the titular Tonbo herself is an unorthodox prodigy at the sport. Interesting! So we'll probably have Igarashi act as both father figure and mentor to li'l ol' Tonbo. And with this episode mentioning that all the kids eventually leave the island for schooling, I'm expecting Tonbo to eventually enter the formal golfing scene. Definitely continuing.
• The Fable: It’s been a while since I read the manga, but from my meager recollection, this pilot seems to have adapted the manga nearly 1:1. Fitting voices for the newly christened Sato siblings, too. Especially loving, err, Akira’s drawl. This doesn’t seem like a high-budget project, and I definitely worry about later episodes, but for now I’m content. Definitely continuing.
• Jellyfish Can't Swim In The Night: Anime-originals have been coming in hot this season, because damn, this just overthrew Wind Breaker as the best-looking Spring anime so far. The confident, snappy directing takes you on a gripping ride through the bustling, vibrant streets of Shibuya, where two girls promise each other to make their art known to the world. Mahiru and Kano have already forged a lovely friendship, and I’m eager to see their chemistry light the screen up even more. I’m also curious about how JELEE will function. I guess they could create an MV. That would rock so hard. Definitely continuing.

Adding to today:

• The Fable: Its on Hulu, don't sub to that. Dropped. of note: Netflix has the live action version
• Tonari no Youkai-san: supernatural slice of life with just a hint of darkness. 3 Episode Rule
• Jellyfish in the Night - feels like it's a coming-of-age series, with vibes similar to Ya Boy Kongming! - underground idol/indy-rock in Shibuya. Very pretty cityscapes as well. Watching

Unrelated, but I did find out after the previous post that Tonbo os on Amazon Prime.

Edited by ScrewySqrl on Apr 6th 2024 at 8:17:45 AM

Initial Reactions
The Fable: The OP and ED stole the show for me! They're fucking BANGERS, especially the ED! The plot sorta brings into mind Spy x Family except more ... adult (in the Western sense).
YoruKura: It's a shame that this coincided with The Fable on TV, so I could only see this online, but it was an OK start! I can see the chemistry between our night lovers Mahiru and Kano, and the whole art-as-an-expression-of-one's-self atmosphere it makes really resonaates. I hope to be able to squeeze this into my Saturday nights!

Huh, Girls Band Cry and Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night are really similar in a lot of ways. Both urban, night-set music series about an uncertain girl running into a more established musician she admires, done with a lot of visual flair. I think the latter is generally better (and possibly the best thing I've seen this season), but I still like the former enough to give it another episode

Edited by Hylarn on Apr 6th 2024 at 6:57:19 AM

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17124604290A70414200&page=1#1

The Fable

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17084431740A79610600&page=1#4

Go, Go Loser Ranger

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17125023070A68100300&page=1#1

Tonbo

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17124993410A67481500&page=1#1

Tonari no Yokai-san

---

PS - Can't find the Kaiju No. 8 thread (if it exists...)

Edited by Ominae on Apr 7th 2024 at 8:16:52 AM

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"

I watched 4th Gu P Finale movie and it was the best so far, but that's not for seasonal discussion.

Highspeed Etoile. Urgh, another show with decent staff anmd cast that will probably fail due to the bad script. The start itself reminded me of Mertallic Rouge with to much happening and very little exposition (heck, the only saw MC introduced in the last couple of minutes). The race was well animated but pretty boring for me (like I am not a fan of Formula 1 or any other one for the matter so I did not see it as exciting). I will give it enother ep to see if the plot gets better butb hopes are low.

Yoru no Kurage wa Oyogenai. This one on the other hand was a great start. apparently, Doga Kobo had ufotable, Shaft, Trigger and Clover Works as supporting studios for this which shows. Ity was actually well-done introductory rpisode plot-wise and with a lot of "show don't tell" done right. Some of my friends complained about Yoru being to angsty but I don't care , this matter got resolved by the end so I have great hopes for it unless production collapses.

Initial Reactions:
Sentai Daishikkaku: I like how it's practically self-aware right down to the OP, which, as expected of Tatsuya Kitani, is a bop!
Kantei Skill: A kingdom close to turmoil, discrimination, and a protagonist with appraisal skills. A pretty normal start.

Saw the first episode of "Train to the end of the world". I was expecting something kind of odd, instead we get a series where 7G literally broke reality. The world looks pretty nuts, and even if this show jumps the rails, it's probably going to be fascinating. And I'm going to go ahead and predict this will be a yuri series.

Nach jeder Ebbe kommt die Flut.

I guess this is the right place to say that I created a thread for the Bartender anime, although including the old anime and manga as well, if anyone wants to discuss.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=17123614580A54799600&page=1#1

Dost Thou Desire the Power ... Glove? It's so bad.

First Impressions

• Tonari no Youkai-san: The cozy vibes are nice but it's the worldbuilding that's got me sinking into the sofa. I rather like how the youkai are just part of everyday life in this setting, to the point that society already has systems in place to register new yokai or track down people who have been spirited away. Yes, spirited away and thar isn't a throwaway detail. The father of one of the characters has gone missing, and they explicitly rule that out, implying he's suffered a worse fate. And who knows if he'll be the only victim, as there are ominous entities lurking in the background. Intriguing. Continuing.
• Mission: Yozakura Family: Now that is a JUMP-ass plot. Kid has to marry into a family of spies to protect his childhood friend. I am invested in seeing Taiyo level up so he can eventually sock the siscon in the face. Screw that guy. Not much else to say, seems like a straightforward action shonen. Continuing.
• Vampire Dormitory: Vampire fiction continue to fail to even touch the toes of Jitsu wa Watashi wa. Dropped.
• Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again: Why. This could have been a wholesome and funny story about an elderly couple enjoying their second chance at youth. Why would you even put in incest jokes. All of that is freaking weird. What I did enjoy was the general populace just taking the de-aging thing in stride. Like, seriously, no one has any questions about that? All they care about is that they can use young buff Saitou to win a sports festival. And when the story does focus on the Saitou couple fawning over each other, it's super adorable. They've been lovey-dovey for over 70 years and it shows. Cautiously continuing.
• Blue Archive: Well, they tried, but the bottom line is that the world of Blue Archive doesn't make sense under scrutiny. Gotta just enjoy the cute bullet-resistant girls shooting guns! The studio certainly put a lot of effort into selling how cool and pretty the girls are, presumably they can sucker folks into pulling for them. Well joke's on them, I already have all five! Anyway, this season should cover the entirety of chapter one of the main story of the gacha game, which is as good an introduction as any, as it focuses on the struggles of a core group in a small slice of the setting. This means plenty of time to endear ourselves to the characters. In particular I'm excited to run into a certain criminal wannabe. Apart from the one we already met. Definitely continuing.
• Go! Go! Loser Ranger!: The producers for the anime industry have really shelled out this season. We got another Spring anime with astounding animation and direction. I'm particularly in love with how expressive the skull-faced Dusters are, especially with the leading man himself, Fighter D. He's sick and tired of this farce of providing a Monster of the Week for the Dragon Keepers to beat up to the cheers of their adoring fans. So he decides to channel his frustration of becoming a designated jobber into a new venture— joining the Keepers and attempting to destroy them from within. And being fair, his transformation ability is probably suited better for this kind of subterfuge. You know there's going to be deep dark secrets in the superhero organization, and unveiling them will hopefully be a doozy. Definitely continuing.
• Mushoku Tensei: Thank heavens we are past the horrendous erectile dysfunction arc. I will absolutely take ghostbusting adventures and real estate shenanigans over that. I guess I'm happy for Rudeus and Sylphy despite the residual incel ickiness, and I suppose we'll spend a few episodes about their merry married life. Keep it as wholesome as it's possible for Greyrats. Until the next Turning Point crashes down on everything, at least. Continuing.

Edited by fillerdude on Apr 7th 2024 at 10:32:40 AM

I'm cautiously excited for Blue Archive, yeah.

It's been fun.

Initial Reactions: Tadaima, Okaeri
It was a heartwarming start, I'll tell you that! There were some serious scenes, but overall, it ended up being secondary to family time with the Fujiyoshi family (lol I get it). Let's see how this Omegaverse anime will play out...

Girls Band Cry. Still no watchable subs so I watcherdv it RAW. Pretty good start and the song in the end was catchy (the OP is interesting also, though, the song is not for everyones taste). But unless no decentvsubs come out in the future, it will be hard to watch. Even with all my experience I did not understand a few parts of the dialogues.

Hidive finally has the subs at least, though given it was well after several other people who had the same issue and then got them while still not showing for me, who knows what's going on there. I swear, people hated the old site design, but it was infinitely more functional than what they've done with it now.

Unnamed Memory is… clearly very low budget, which is a shame, but at least the backgrounds look pretty and the brief action scenes not too shabby.

Maybe a double episode premiere would have been better, since episode 1 is mostly just two people having tea. >.>

Flippé de participer à ce grand souper, je veux juste m'occuper de taper mon propre tempo.

Initial Reactions: Boukyaku Battery
Mamoru Miyano as Kei carried this episode in both its comedic and its serious times as expected! Also, as an avid shipper, I can clearly see where I should fixate my eyes on! This'll be fun!

First Impressions

• Oblivion Battery: Baseball has always been difficult for me to get into, and unfortunately this one isn't exceptional enough to keep me locked in. One of the characters is also trying way too hard to be good. Randomly screaming PINK NIPPLES is not enough to make you a comedian, I’m afraid to say. Dropping.
• RINKAI!: I do have to hand it to the recent crop of sports anime, they're trying to distinguish themselves by avoiding the same "let's get to Nationals" plotline. The main girls here watch one race live and decide then and there to become professional cyclists. Well, all except one, and of course that indecisive but talented muffin is the main character. With all that said, the girls deciding their careers felt somewhat abrupt, like they didn't want to "waste time" with the setup and they wanted to gun straight for the cycling action. Speaking of which, it's, uhh, not very nice to look at. The cyclists look like they're skating on ice. And not getting the details right for stuff like that is a death knell for sports-themed shows. Three episode rule.
• Unnamed Memory:: Oscar is showing shades of the forceful kind of shojo lead which has me a little wary, but it’s interesting that he doesn’t seem to actually be smitten with the witch. Still weird he explicitly just wants Tinasha to bear his children. I think I would have been more okay with the arrangement if he had displayed a measure of affection towards her. I mean, Tinasha is cute, so it would have been understandable. I guess Tinasha could still technically help Oscar out with the curse since she has to stay with him. They could try to locate the Witch of Silence, or sort out the prospective queens. Of course we know they’ll probably fall for each other in the end. Continuing.

First Impressions

• Shinkalion: I just get a big smile on my face knowing some train geeks are freaking out over this. It's so earnest about its love for trains, whether they transform into giant robots or not. The main character spends his free time constructing a train station in VR space, and that is somehow adorable. I'm personally more interested in the mecha stuff, but the added silliness of having everything important be train-related is appreciated. Continuing.
• Seiyuu Radio ni Uraomote: This was always going to bank on the chemistry between the two seiyuu, Yuhime and Utatane, and let's just say that by the end of the episode I was thinking they should just go and kiss already. Look, I just like cute girls with prickly exteriors slowly shifting to tsundere. Shipping goggles aside, I kinda wish we'd heard more snippets of their radio show, but future episodes can easily rectify that. For now it's a treat to see this awkward partnership, and I'm eager to see what other gig they have to bumble through next, together. Continuing.
• Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi: Occult artifacts called Curiosities shove people into horror flick scenarios. Like Dark Gathering the characters spend less time scrambling around like headless chickens and instead explore and exploit the underlying logic of these cursed objects, which is nice. I also remember this being billed as an ecchi show, and that seems to be predicated on the leading lady being well-endowed. It hasn't been particularly raunchy otherwise. Continuing.
• Date A Live V: We're entering proper endgame territory with the impending all-out war between Ratatoskr and DEM. Which is hype! Shido's gathered a robust Battle Harem boasting all sorts of cool powers, it would be a shame if we never got to see all of them wreaking havoc, together. I'm also still curious about Murasame-sensei's, or rather Phantom's, deal. She doesn't seem to be an enemy, but she's definitely planning something. Hope we find out this cour, and if not, at least Kurumi should entertain us. Continuing.
• Viral Hit: Basically this kid finds out he can strike it rich with Newtube vids, and he films himself taking on bullies using fighting techniques he learned online. Uh, definitely don't try this at home. Even as a fan of martial arts manwha, the webtoon lost me a while back when it dragged on and escalated to the point of incredulity. Skimming for the fights.

Don’t be surprised by any crossovers where the mechas are made trains either. The OG Shinkalion had Godzilla, Evangelion, and Hatsune Miku in it after all!

Every accusation by the GOP is ALWAYS a confession.

Initial Reactions:
Seiyuu Radio: As a shipper, I can see the faint bit of chemistry between our mains (even if they're bitter towards each other; enemies to lovers is powerful indeed). Apart from that, it'll be lovely to see how their radio show will progress!
KonoSuba S3: Yup, we're back! That nightmare sequence though... Easily stole the episode for me! Now, what could be up with this Iris, eh?
Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi: AKA Totokami. Should've seen this sooner, but I got fatigued after Seiyuu Radio, so ended up missing this ... and fuck, I really should've never missed this. It was pretty interesting! I can see the comparisons to Dark Gathering for sure! Would've made my night if only I was still alive...

Blue Archive: Fine? Fight scene was lame, but the characters were decently likable and the setting is interesting. Worth another episode

Totokami: Ehhhhhhhh. Didn't quite manage to catch the manga's vibe, and I already had mixed feelings about that. Not going to continue with

Oh I hope we get those in the new anime again.

Not sure on posting VH tropes from the anime to the webcomic and all aside from the former having a Japanese environment.

"Exit muna si Polgas. Ang kailangan dito ay si Dobermaxx!"