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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Winter 2022 First Impressions – Sabikui Bisco

Streaming: Funimation and Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: After a disaster destroys Tokyo and turns it into an inhospitable desert, people begin to die from a mysterious illness known as the “Rust.” It slowly overtakes their bodies until it reaches their hearts. There are theories regarding how the illness is spread, some of which involve the assumption that strange plagues of mushrooms (and the mushroom keepers who create them) are somehow responsible. The most notorious of these mushroom keepers is Bisco Akaboshi, who spreads terror using his bow and arrows to produce giant mushrooms.

Doctor Milo Nekoyanagi maintains a residence in the slums where he tends to the impoverished locals while also using connections to obtain contraband mushroom material in order to search for a cure for the Rust. His motivations seem rooted in kindness, but they have a selfish angle as well – his sister Pawoo is suffering from the disease. One evening, none other than Bisco makes his way into the city to wreak havoc, causing the pavement to burst forth with mushrooms with every strike of his arrows. But he seems focused on one mission in particular – to seek out Doctor Nekoyanagi.

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Anime Reviews Personal Reviews Special Features

2021 – An Anime Year in Review

Happy New Year! Or, at least, I hope that this new year has the potential to be happier than the last couple have been. As many… critiques as I may have about the world in general, at the very least I think I’m pretty safe in saying that the world of anime has been extremely bountiful throughout 2021.

While many writers and bloggers have been posting their ranked lists of the best (or least-best) anime from 2021, because I’m not and probably never will be particularly keen on trying to rank apples against oranges I thought I’d try to tackle this from a different angle. So instead of attempting to arbitrarily cram things into a numerical list I’d like to instead look back at some of my strongest anime memories from 2021 by general subject matter and/or category. Thus, I can continue to be wishy-washy while also managing to put together some kind of content. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

With that said, below the cut are some various memories I’ve put together from 2021, some related to seasonal anime in general, and others more closely related to my own experiences as an anime consumer within that time frame. If you’d like to share your own thoughts in the comments, I’d love to hear them!

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Favorites First Impressions Personal Reviews

S1E1’s 2021 Site-in-Review

Well, here we are; somehow I blinked and it’s now suddenly the end of December. As I continue to privately mull over the strange properties of the human perception of time’s passage, publicly I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back at the writing I completed over the past year. If you came here looking for a “best-of” anime post, fear not; I have one of those in the works as well. But for now, I thought I’d toot my own horn a little bit.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 Premiere List

Well, I made it, just in time for the new anime season to start in like less than four weeks, lol. In all seriousness, though, one of my secret New Year’s resolutions (“secret” because by design I don’t tend to make them because they cause people to hold themselves to unrealistic standards and I have some particular issues in that regard) was to try to finish each season’s premiere reviews, no matter how long it takes. If you’re looking for timeliness in your premiere impressions, you should probably read Anime News Network or Anime Feminist, or any other number of bloggers who are faster writers than I. If you’re looking for my personal take in addition to that, well, I’ve got you covered – it just might take four or five times as long.

Below are links to all of my First Impressions for Autumn 2021, where you can read my initial thoughts on all the series. As for follow-up thoughts, stay tuned; while I don’t tend to write about everything I watch, if something happens to get my brain juices flowing I’ll usually have more to say about it at some point.

If you’re interested in what I’m planning to/already watching more of, here’s a short list – The Heike Story (which is complete, so I can marathon it all… which might not be the best idea), Mieruko-chan, Muteking the Dancing Hero, Takt op. Destiny, AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline, Irina the Vampire Cosmonaut, Banished from the Hero’s Party, Sakugan, Visual Prison, The Faraway Paladin, Shikizakura, Rumble Garanndoll, Ranking of Kings (I’m fully current on this one), Komi Can’t Communicate, Blue Period, Blade Runner, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Lupin the Third: Part 6. Others might slip in there as I have time. If you’re thinking “gee, that’s really a lot of anime,” I’ll just say not to underestimate my ability to marathon many episodes of anime all at once.

One note: I completed this chart before realizing I’d forgotten about Digimon Ghost Game, which is why it’s tacked onto the end rather than in alphabetical order in the table.

AMAIM Warrior at the BorderlineAncient Girl’s FrameBanished from the Hero’s Party
Blade Runner: Black LotusBlue PeriodBuild Divide #000000 Code Black
Deep Insanity: The Lost ChildThe Faraway PaladinThe Fruit of Evolution
The Heike StoryIrina the Vampire CosmonautJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
Komi Can’t CommunicateLupin the Third: Part 6Mieruko-chan
Muteking the Dancing HeroMuv-Luv AlternativeMy Senpai is Annoying
The Night Beyond the Tricornered WindowPlatinum EndPuraOre – Pride of Orange
Ranking of KingsRumble GaranndollSakugan
Selection ProjectShikizakuraSuper Crooks
Taisho Otome FairytaleTakt op. DestinyTesla Note
The Vampire Dies in no TimeVisual PrisonWaccha PriMagi
The World’s Finest AssassinDigimon Ghost Game
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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Digimon Ghost Game

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: TBA

Source: Digimon Franchise

Episode Summary: The internet is abuzz with rumors regarding a Sewn-lip Man; a hologram (or perhaps a holographic ghost) that terrorizes people and steals their time, leaving them as aged husks. Hiro Amanokawa brushes them off as urban legends, but the previous mysterious disappearance of his father has left him somewhat unsure of what might be real or imagined. When Hiro and his friend break into their school auditorium to investigate the rumors, they soon discover just how real the chatter about the Sewn-lip Man actually is.

As Hiro returns to his dorm room in the aftermath of being attacked, he discovers a set of strange flash drives that appear to be compatible with a set of digital wrist devices left behind by his father. When he plugs them in, he finds himself face-to-face with an image of his father, who’s somehow managed to convert himself into a digital entity. Hiro’s father provides Hiro with Gammamon, a digital monster that Hiro is asked to consider as his “brother.” Gammamon turns out to be handy when the Sewn-lip Man, who reveals himself as “Clockmon,” appears in Hiro’s dorm room. Gammamon turns out to have some specific resilience to Clockmon’s time-stealing attack, and along with Hiro’s support is able to defeat Clockmon – for now.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Lupin the Third: Part 6

Streaming: HIDIVE

Episodes: 25

Source: Original story: part of a long-running franchise

Episode Summary: One morning in London, Lord Faulkner returns to his place of business as usual. As he enters his office, he removes a poster from the wall, rolls it up, and slides it into a hidden compartment in his cane before returning to the front door. Later that day, as he’s about to leave a café, Faulkner finds himself surrounded by the police with their guns drawn. They’re on to him – he’s not actually Lord Faulkner, who’s already been detained for questioning at Scotland Yard. This Lord Faulkner is actually French spy Albert d’Andresy in disguise, whose plan to steal this poster was thwarted by none other than Sherlock Holmes himself.

As Albert tries to make an escape and ends up shot in the shoulder, he’s approached by none other than Lupin the Third, in town to steal the very poster that Albert briefly had his hands on. As they leave the city center Albert reveals some details regarding a longstanding situation with an entity called the Raven. Meanwhile, Holmes and Lily, his adopted daughter (and wannabe assistant) deal with an explosion at Scotland Yard and its aftermath. As Lupin returns meet up with Fujiko, he also crosses paths with Holmes. As it turns out, the two seem to have a history together – one that involves Lily.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

Streaming: Netflix

Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Jolyne Kujo’s life seems to be over at the ripe old age of 17. After taking the blame for a hit and run accident she didn’t commit, as well as for the disposal of the resultant body, she finds herself sentenced to serve hard time in Florida’s Green Dolphin Street Prison for 15 long years. As it happens, her defense lawyer and her (ex?) boyfriend Romeo, the actual driver of the car, colluded to have her take the fall in exchange for some financial kick-backs.

Jolyne learns this after pricking her finger on a strange amulet left to her by her father, Jotaro. After the injury, she seems to gain some strange abilities – super hearing, a sense of the future, and control over a blue thread that springs from the wound on her finger and seems to obey the will of her emotions. Whatever the source of this power, Jolyne knows one thing for sure – there’s no way she’ll sit and rot in prison for 15 years.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Super Crooks

Streaming: Netflix

Episodes: 13

Source: Original

Episode Summary: Johnny Bolt lives at home with his single mother in an arrangement that consistently pits them against one-another. He’s unhappy about her many trysts and she’s frustrated by his constant presence (thus making those trysts less frequent and more complicated to manage). One evening as he’s being yelled at for existing once again, Johnny discovers a secret that might turn the tables forever – he’s developed the power to control electricity, putting him on the same level as the superheroes he admires.

This power proves to be helpful in many ways; Johnny can switch traffic lights to his convenience, and he’s able get back at Dave, the school bully. But what he really wants is to be a hero, so with the help of his friend Tom, Johnny develops a heroic persona called Electro Boy which he plans to debut on the first day of Summer vacation as all the local kids are gathered at the pool. But Johnny forgets that water and electricity don’t mix, and when his grand entrance is fouled-up by his bully, it ends in several electrocutions, traffic accidents, and the inadvertent demolishment of many buildings in the vicinity. The trauma of the situation hits Johnny like a truck; however, it also opens up a new path for him to use his powers to his own benefit in a much darker way.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Blade Runner: Black Lotus

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 13

Source: Original (based on Blade Runner franchise)

Episode Summary: A young woman awakens in the cargo hold of an autonomous transport vehicle having lost most of her memories. The only item she has with her is an electronic device she can’t seem to unlock. As she enters Los Angeles, she has a sense of where “home” is, but the city has changed since she last remembers being there and she’s not quite sure how to navigate it. A group of thugs picks up on her confusion and, seeing the valuable tech she has in hand, they begin to pursue her.

As she fights off these organized criminals she begins to remember bits and pieces of things, including her name – Elle. In exchange for more information about the technology in her hands, she offers a local dealer named Doc Badger protection from the thugs that are hassling them both. Swordplay and martial arts seem to be part of Elle’s repertoire and she easily dispatches them all. When Doc Badger reveals that he’s been unable to decipher locking mechanism on her tech, he offers to take her to see a man named J who seems to have more of a specific knack for that sort of thing. But J is awfully familiar…

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Anime Reviews Reviews

God is Dead – The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace

This essay contains plot and thematic spoilers for the entirety of The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace. I would suggest a blanket Content Warning for the series due to its inclusion of violence, religion, rape and pedophilia.

Read my First Impressions HERE

I’m once again at that point where I’m playing clean-up with my anime seasonals in a mad rush as I find myself with a huge new batch of current series I’d like to watch more of. It’s the constant struggle of someone who watches way too much anime. Often when I’m in this hyperdrive mode, I find myself drawn back toward the anime series which I initially had ambivalent feelings about. I’ve always been that kind of person who pushes her favorite foods to the side of her plate in order to enjoy them last, so I suppose that this makes some sort of sense.

The Summer 2021 season had plenty of series that featured intriguing story elements and themes, but which were also hamstrung by some missteps that made them a little harder to love. The most iconic of these, to me, was The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace, an action series with a lot of cool visual style and a total banger OP, but also an off-putting reliance on some particularly violent and grotesque story elements. And yet, as I was settling in to play a little anime catch-up in preparation for letting myself continue some of the entries from Autumn, Idaten was the one series that I couldn’t get off of my mind.

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