Summer 2023 anime

So, I decided to check Undead Girl Murder Farce and the first episoe was great. A lot of talking but I don't mind it because dialogs were interesting, seiyuu work was great and the direction was superb. I really hope it will not get out of steam later.

Edited by Nachtwandler on Jul 6th 2023 at 1:24:20 AM

First Impressions

• The Great Cleric: Was stale the moment it got off the isekai assembly line. There's literally nothing to latch on to. It's a miracle I even got to three sentences for this mini-review. Dropped.
• The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior: Seems like a vanilla villainess isekai. I do appreciate how clear it is that pre-isekai Pride was a piece of shit, based on how her servants acted around her. Our MC will do a lot of good just by being a halfway decent human being. Three episode rule.
• Jujutsu Kaisen S2: I'll be honest and say I only remember bits and pieces of this arc from the manga, but so far so good. Gojo and Geto are chilling while killing. They're absolute monsters and they know it. As always with action shonen, I'm waiting for the sakuga blowout, particularly Toji's rampage. That's gonna be fun. Definitely continuing.

Undead Girl Murder Farce: Mostly exposition, but the presentation was good enough that I'm intrigued. The leads have surprisingly good chemistry.

My Happy Marriage: Sad abuse stuff was sad. But now she's with a nice guy, so all is solved? Well I guess we'll find out what he's actually like, because I'm guessing this won't just be healing fluff. Need to see a bit more of what direction this will be going.

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior: I enjoyed this mostly, but it would've been a lot better if it wasn't so determined to hit every early villainess cliche as straight as possible. Maybe it'll get better with the obligatory parts out of its system.

Initial Reactions:
Sugar Apple 2nd Cour: AAAND we're back with confectioners, and drama ensuing from Ann trying to take back Shall after last season's finale had them separated by the whims of that shipwrecker- I mean, hun Bridget Page. This is gonna be a rough road ahead... I just hope that that guy whom I shall never speak of again does not appear this time!
Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai Suru: Mainly the intro to our main 6 and our glance at a plus one, plus the intro to Kimberly Magic Academy, where only 80% of students make it alive to graduate... The intrigue arising from the hooded students caught my eye. I wonder what that has to do with this...
AI no Idenshi: I can see that this is gonna be a pretty tense philosophical series, but if I may say something, I wouldn't be surprised that Japan would be that strict on backing up data given how they treat copyright...

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru. A bit to much happened this episode but that is fine. We got our introduction into setting and characters and so fr I am intrigued. Got surprised a bit that main heroine is a Dumb Muscle or maybe it is just Obfuscating Stupidity.

With how these magic schools are portrayed sometimes, an 80% survival rate feels like a glowing endorsement, really.

LasTame: I thought the manga was an interesting idea that might be worth watching if it was adapted well. Unfortunately, the anime is slightly less animated than the average motion comic. Not going to bother with this

Harry Potter: There's something really off about the direction here. I might pick up the manga, but the anime isn't working for me

First Impressions

• AI no Idenshi: We don't get a lot of sci fi anime these days, and AI no Idenshi is an even rarer breed where it's more concerned with navel-gazing than blowing up things. So I was destined to love this from the start. The first episode jumps straight into the uncomfortable existential questions, both the obvious and the subtle. The objective of the MC (finding the illegal copy made from his android mother) provides strong connective tissue for what I assume will otherwise be episodic glimpses into his black market dealings. It even hangs a lampshade on things like why androids even get hungry. It clearly has a lot of interesting things to talk about, and I'm primed to listen. Definitely continuing.
• The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today: GoHands continues to be a reminder that good direction is not equivalent to randomly placed, weird camera angles. That said, their unique proclivities work for this show more often than not. In a way, the slightly strange directing complements the slightly strange life of an office lady and her giant, househelper cat. I'm not sure if this has quite got its claws in me yet, but it has been pretty amusing. Continuing.
• Reign of the Seven Spellblades: The dialogue and exposition can be a smidge awkward, but it's obviously trying not to be. There's a sincere effort to approach a level of writing that can be considered good, and while it doesn't quite manage to hit that bar, it is something I definitely appreciate. I also liked that the academy felt appropriately magical, where playful spirits can mess around with your clocks. In fact, there's a lot to like about the episode. When Oliver saw Nanao naked he didn't blubber incoherently, he had the sense to make some cover and turn away. It also seems like the seven protagonists will all be (relatively) equally important, and that this won't just be Oliver and Nanao stealing the show. Even the touted 80% survival rate is more believable than the usual stupidly low survival odds you see in these types of stories. Again, there's a lot to like. If only more battle academy series could be like this. Isekai should probably take notes too. Definitely continuing.

On a side note, while I'm not watching Rental Kanojo it is a shame that there's no dancing in the OP.

Edited by fillerdude on Jul 8th 2023 at 12:09:00 PM

I have some notes I could make about episode 1 of Spellblades, but it would be me comparing what we got against the theoretical adaptation in my head, which isn't fair. I did feel that it was a little infodumpy at times - there's lots of dialogue in this episode and not a lot is given time to rest and settle in - but I'm pleased with what they managed to do, which is give a solid intro to our six protagonists and establish some of their dynamic. I'm also pleased to get some good visuals for Kimberly's grounds.

Also, very interestingly, the anime may have confirmed something that I don't think has been specified even in the light novels yet, that being who exactly Oliver was reminded of when he saw Nanao bathing.

Initial Reactions:
Liar Liar: So the impetus for this plot is a series of unfortunate events, unfortunate implications, and lies on top of lies? Ok, a bit contrived, but let's roll with that! Besides, just looking at Hiroto's smug face makes me drawn in deeper...
EDIT: Turns out this is another series that will air online earlier than broadcast... At least I was able to catch most of the 2nd episode! Basically solidifies some stuff...

Since Misfit is a re-airing, all I can say is that I hope I can remember what had already happened, and I'm looking forward to the continuation.

Edited by thuse on Jul 8th 2023 at 10:41:36 PM

First Impressions

• Liar Liar: My expectations were misplaced. This isn't a battle of wits in any capacity. There is in fact no wits involved at all. It's one dude maintaining the lie that he is the strongest by the power of exposition. Lots and lots of dull, forced exposition. The Informed Ability is egregious— the number one student picks an absolutely asinine game that she loses in an absolutely asinine way, while the MC fails to sport the poker face he's supposedly good at making. The entire thing could have been salvaged if it was at least funny, but it's not! Trying one more episode.
• Temple: The art style of the anime is close to the manga's, which is a huge plus. However, animation isn't anything special... except for the ecchi parts. Good plan on drawing in the viewers, execs. Cheekiness aside, I don't think the jokes are hitting quite as hard, but otherwise it seems like a serviceable adaption of fanservice-y harem comedy. Continuing for now.

EDIT:

More First Impressions

• Zom 100: I’ve always lamented how zombie apocalypses have greatly shifted to being cozy catastrophes in popular fiction, but to Zom 100’s credit, it makes no pretenses about it being an escapist fantasy. It’s a fresh take on the genre, with the downfall of society providing Akira with the perfect excuse to break free of the shackles of his exploitative company. What I’m really amazed about is that this got the top-shelf treatment. The source material is a ton of fun but I have no idea what possessed the relevant execs to pump this much money into it. Regardless, I’m thankful. This is exactly the type of story that benefits from energetic animation. The blood stains being depicted as splotches of bright paint is also an excellent stylistic choice for showing that the zombies helped add color to Akira’s haggard, monochrome life. Definitely continuing.

Edited by fillerdude on Jul 9th 2023 at 6:00:16 AM

I presume it is not so much about money (most of the anime have approximatelly the same budgets). It is more about the studio being new and having no other projects yet. They are probably doing their best to impress both viewers and potential sponsors.

Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto. OK, the first 2/3 were super depressing. Yes, JP working culture is pretty bad but this was like quintessential depiction of everything bad there rumped up to 11. But it was agreat contrast when zomby-apoc started and MC went all out.

I cannot sympatize with the guys motivation to work this shitty place (though, Japan) and I am actully glad his crush was not the actual MH of the series. Definetely watching it, just hope it will be more comedy action than drama.

Edited by Nachtwandler on Jul 9th 2023 at 7:31:47 AM

Of course, it’s kind of a meme to say “this got a budget” when something is animated really well.

Zom 100 is definitely more of an action comedy, what “drama” is there doesn’t last for long.

Boy am I a tad late starting this. Probably because I didn't really have much to say on a lot of shows, but oh well.

• Fate/Strange Fake: I've been looking forward to this, mostly to get some more context behind some of the... really baffling things I've heard about the Servants. Though a lot of that didn't really come up in this hour-long thing, and what was there was... stuff. This version of Jack's kind of intriguing, Caster(?) is beyond fucking annoying, Gil is as entertaingly assholeish as ever, and I still cannot remember what makes Flat so special, I think that might've been skipped over? And I... wasn't super interested in most of the Masters introduced, really. I mean, I guess I'll check out the series when that comes out, because even if it ends up as bad as I hear, it can't possibly fall to Last Encore's level.

• Mushoku Tensei S2: So I hear that Rudy should finally, finally be ridding himself of his worst traits that he magically refuses to shed while instantly fixing all his other problems with ease, that'll be nice to witness. Too bad he's still a panty-sniffing hound though. Sure, it's the lock of hair he's willing to throw away, it'd be super weird if he held onto that huh. So I guess I'll be expecting more of the same here: Fantastic animation, mostly-great world-building, and Rudeus single-handedly fucking up anything good you can say about any given scene.

• Yohane the Parhelion: Shoutouts to Crunchyroll forgetting for a day that we're not allowed to watch the show there. Other than that... eh, it's LL girls in a fantasy world, where I guess singing still happens sometimes? Can't imagine I'll have much else to say about it by the time it's finished.

• Reborn as a Vending Machine: I can be nitpicky and cry about the vending machine conveniently having a free blessing skill that negates it having to earn money to even remain alive (functioning?), but honestly, it was a pretty fun episode. Kind of interested to see how far this premise can go before the machine ends up having to solo fights and easily win or something.

• Juujutsu Kaisen S2: Between this and the movie, I have to wonder why this show's timeline is regressing, when are we getting back to the present? Oh well, it was a fun enough first episode. Gojo continues to be fun and cool with his Digimon knowledge, the 3D animation for the house section was... noticeable, I suppose, and fights seem as flashy as ever. So this should be plenty of fun.

• Bleach Final Arc Part 2: Pretty much a setup episode for the next round of fights and Bankai showcases, so that'll be fun to see animated. And whatever extra stuff Kubo fits into the runtime.

He cracks through things he has no business cracking through on borderline instinct. By all accounts he's a genius (if a humongous weakling physically)

Lol, who lied to you?

In about 4 episodes. This arc's a short one but both it and the movie are important for the next one. Also it wasn't any less abrupt in the manga

Edited by Mami on Jul 9th 2023 at 10:00:45 AM

WRT to Rudy; iirc it takes him awhile longer to fully throw his worst traits away. Even then he'll still go super over the top with them in order to push women away from him once he fully dedicates himself to his wives.

You mean the whole carrying used panties in his pockets to sniff in public to gross and creep women out so they don't seduce and tempt him into being disloyal to his wives?

...Well, guess that tracks with how thngs have went thus far with him.

Oh good, the synopsis made it sound like this whole season was a flashback. Which felt bafflingly long.

Didn't he use his Blessing skill to get the Barrier spell? He still has to earn money to continue living.

First Impressions

• Dark Gathering: It's not exactly scary, but at least it's a little unsettling. And the creepiness comes from the humans, not the ghosts. Our MC, Kei, has gotten himself wrapped up with two girls with a screw loose. Yayoi is a screwed up kid who regularly tortures ghosts, while Eiko seems to enjoy all the blood and screaming despite seeming like a typical friendly childhood friend at first. Heck, it's arguable that Kei himself has some weird fetish for fear. Pretty promising start for a horror anime. Continuing.

Edited by fillerdude on Jul 9th 2023 at 7:09:03 AM

Liar Liar: Well, it's trying. The direction is actual fairly decent, and the animation isn't awful. But the script. The script is terrible; every conversation is at least twice the length it needs to be, without anything near the wit needed to make this tolerable

Zom 1000: Gorgeous and well-directed. I'm not super taken by the writing, so I may drop it if the following episodes aren't able to maintain this level of quality. Or would if there were more things worth watching this season

Dark Gathering: Oh. Oh no. The whole thing looks 20 years out of date, and the direction is honestly awful when it's not trying to be scary. ...I find the horror direction a bit overbearing, too. I might go back to the manga, but I'm not watching this

Meanwhile, Yohane is throwing all kinds of random shit into the plot now, and is entertainingly baffling in it's choices

Edited by Hylarn on Jul 9th 2023 at 9:22:55 AM

Definitely looking forward to Zom 100 introducing the rest of the main cast. It's very much an ensemble piece, and Akira's more of "one color among a palette" than a central-pillar type of main character.

That said, I was shocked by how well animated this episode was. Seeing this frenetic energy put into the rest of the series is going to be a real treat with some of the stuff we have coming up.

Yeah, the production was surprising. Definitely more than what I would have expected for Zom 100.

I'm loving all the random shit in Sunshine in the Mirror. It's what I'd expect from a fantasy show with Yohane as the protagonist.

First Impressions

• Eiyuu Kyoushitsu: Again, I'm glad we're getting battle academy anime that aren't isekai this season. And if Spellblades is an example of trying to exceed the expected quality for this subgenre, Eiyuu Kyoushitsu is its antithesis. It knows what people tune into these shows for: a swig of action, a bit of comedy, a dash of ecchi. However, it's not merely copying the tropes wholesale. There's a cute, tsundere redhead that otaku love, for example, but she also doesn't engage in Unprovoked Pervert Payback. The elite students are initially skeptical of MC's abilities, but they don't go out of their way to bully him. The main heroine even gets to solve her issues herself instead of having the overpowered MC deal with it. Basically there's a lot of standard tropes but they get filtered through a few more layers of common sense than usual. It's fun without being completely dumb. Continuing.

I loved that, that whole sequence was beautiful.

If Bug can keep up that level of animation, Zom 100 is gonna kill it this season.

First Impressions

• Synduality Noir: I was ready to write this off as another casualty of mixed multimedia projects, but honestly the premiere wasn’t half-bad. I don’t like the mecha designs at all, but their CG blends well with the 2D animation. The basic framework of the plot is simple “humanity surviving in walled cities in a monster-ridden world” but at least the dialogue sounded natural. Exposition could be awkward in places, but overall, the writing was stronger than I’d expected it to be. Seems like a solid ride. Continuing.

Initial Reactions: Helck
The premise is interesting, and Vermilio exploding in rage is a welcome gimmick. The wholesome-until-proven-wrong-HARD vibes emanating from this is also worthy of attention. What's up with this misanthrope, eh...?

Edited by thuse on Jul 12th 2023 at 1:10:27 AM