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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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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Rumble Garanndoll

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Episode Summary: The military government rules over Japan with an iron fist. The one place allowed a bit of freedom is Kabukicho, which remains a hotbed of adult entertainment. Hosomichi is a host at a host bar, banking on his own inability to be insincere to the customers, though in reality he’s barely eking out a living. When the authorities discover hidden messages from the underground rebellion buried within the code of a bootleg eroge, the trail leads back to Kabukicho. This, of course, means that the hammer of authority must come down hard.

Hosomichi finds himself in a pretty tight spot until he’s approached by an apparently pilotless mecha. When he takes refuge inside and dons VR goggles, he finds himself face-to-face with an odd little super-deformed character whose moods seem intimately tied to the way in which the mech is powered. Hosomichi is dead-set against indulging this strange creature’s whims, but when push comes to shove he allows some of his latent otaku past to show itself and is able to successfully fight back. It’s only after the encounter that he learns his cartoonish companion actually represents a real-life battery girl who’s none-too-pleased with his behavior.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Ancient Girl’s Frame

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 24

Source: Original

Episode Summary: Reika Minamiya’s family has been deeply affected by the use of Divine Grace Energy, a form of energy used by humanity to start colonizing space, but which also exposed them to the wrath of the Nergal, hostile alien life forms. Reika’s older sister Reiu was lost due to DG energy, and this has made her parents very protective of her. Because of this, Reika sneaks off to apply to join the Ancient Girls squad with her friend in secret.

At the interview, she’s confronted by Judith, one of the faces of the program, who tells Reika that she’ll never be allowed to join the Ancient Girls. However, after the excavation of a new G’s Frame, one of the only weapons able to hold back the alien attackers, the Earth is attacked by a group of Nergal. Though the AG program didn’t accept her, the newly-awakened G’s Frame seems to have no misgivings about her abilities; it draws Reika into the cockpit where she’s able to fight back until Judith arrives to finish the job. Later, just as Reika receives her rejection letter from the program, her family is approached by military personnel who seem to be offering her a different option. As Reika arrives to join the others in the AG unit, Judith wonders if there may be consequences from allowing Reiu’s sister into their midst.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Shikizakura

Streaming: HIDIVE

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Episode Summary: Kakeru Miwa was the lone survivor of a major disaster in Obara 8 years prior. Now in high school, his class is set to attend a museum exhibit commemorating the rebuilding of Obara. On the way to meet up with his classmates, he encounters a beautiful (and very lost) young woman named Oka in need of some directional assistance. As he peels off to help her find her way, the rest of the class views the images and relics of past destruction on display.

When Kakeru finally arrives, he can feel that something is wrong. His inner voice speaks to him in harsh tones, questioning why he was the only person who survived the disaster. As he struggles, terrifying beasts start to spill into the room and he’s nearly eaten. Luckily a group of individuals dressed in futuristic armor, along with Oka, arrive to fight back against these horrors. An accident causes Kakeru to fall to a lower floor, where he finds himself face-to-face with a real oni, one who inhabits a similar super suit. As the other struggle, Kakeru rushes into the fray, mentally battling with this oni as he uses its power to fight back. As he helps the team to a messy victory, Kakeru believes he’ll be asked to join their team, but the others question his trustworthiness.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Build-Divide -#000000 Code Black

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Multimedia Project (created alongside a card game)

Episode Summary: In Neo Kyoto, one’s place in the world is ruled by the game Build Divide and by the King who sits atop it all, there to grant the wildest wishes of the top players. A mysterious young man named Teruto meets a young woman named Sakura in an alley after she’s attacked by a wandering thug. Teruto seems to have possession of a set of Build Divide cards but has no idea where he got them or why.

Curious, Sakura challenges Teruto to a match, explaining the rules of the game as they play. But fragments of memories remain in Teruto’s mind and he suddenly recalls the true depth of the power he wields in his own two hands. As he defeats Sakura, she decides to put all her faith into his ability to usurp the King. But the King may be prepared for his return.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – Sakugan

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Episode Summary: Gagumber and Memempu are a father-daughter pair who are constantly at odds with one-another. Despite being a kid, Memempu is extremely precocious and a genius inventor; it’s her goal to become a Marker – an adventurer who explores the underground labyrinth connecting the various remaining human colonies that exist beneath the planet’s surface. Gagumber, despite being a bit of a goofball, still has his fatherly responsibilities to think about, and he doesn’t want his only child to run off and be needlessly killed by one of the terrifying kaiju roaming outside their city’s protective dome. The result of this is that the two consistently find themselves butting heads.

But Memempu has been seeing a mysterious place in her dreams, a white tower above the surface surrounded by beautiful fields. During a visit from Lynda and her father, both current Markers, Memempu receives a mysterious package that suggests her dream might be real. As she begs her father to let her go on a journey to find this place, the city is attacked by kaiju breaking in from outside. Despite the terror of the situation, Memempu still longs to explore. Gagumber decides that there’s only one thing for a father (and retired Marker) to do – go along on his daughter’s journey in order to protect her.

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