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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Kiyo in Kyoto: From the Maiko House

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Story Summary: Kiyo and Sumire traveled to Kyoto after middle school to train as maiko, but Kiyo’s clumsiness meant that she wasn’t fit for the kind of graceful comportment required of the job. However, her talent for cooking has allowed her to stay on as the Maiko House’s live-in chef, where she still gets to support her friend Sumire as she furthers her training. Sumire’s talent and work ethic have caused people to start chattering – she may have the skills to become a once-a-century maiko. But Sumire’s work ethic has a downside – she’s been so busy with errands and practicing for her maiko debut that she hasn’t been eating well. Perhaps Kiyo’s squid mince, a dish from their days as natives of Aomori prefecture, will give Sumire the energy to keep up with her incredible drive to succeed.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Cestvs: The Roman Fighter

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Story Summary: As young Emperor Nero ascends the throne, a young boy named Cestvs is enslaved and brought to Rome to enter the brutal world of slave boxing. Cestvs has a slight build and by all accounts he should be easily-defeated, but specialized training by Zafar, himself a former slave boxer, helps him to make the most out of his speed and reaction time. Cestvs’ master promises freedom to any of the slave boxers who win 100 fights, so Cestvs has a sharp uphill climb through the fists of some of the most brutal fighters to achieve his goal of escaping slavery. But his greatest challenge may be in Ruska, son of one of the Emperor’s military leaders, and a master of hybrid hand-to-hand combat.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Osamake: Romcom Where the Childhood Friend Won’t Lose

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Story Summary: Haru has fallen in love with the beautiful, talented, and smart Kachi-san. He’s even managed to develop a sort of rapport with her, after confessing to reading her published work. But just as he’s building up the courage to ask her out officially at the end of the cultural festival, he learns that she’s already dating someone – Abe, a handsome fellow student who’s just made his acting debut. How can Haru compete with that? He takes some solace in the arms of his childhood friend Kuroha, a spitfire with an older-sister personality at odds with her small stature. Kuroha has always loved Haru, and to help him deal with his troubles she proposes that they pretend to date in order to make Kachi jealous. But Haru might also have feelings for Kuroha that he can’t reconcile with this situation. And he’s also holding on to a trump card of his own.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – To Your Eternity

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 20

Source: Manga

Story Summary: Once there was an orb, sent to Earth, that transformed based on its connection to and stimulation by other entities. It spent time as a rock, as moss, and then took the form of a white wolf named Joaan belonging to a lonely boy living in a small hut among the desolate, snowy landscape. The boy is making plans to leave for “Paradise,” to follow in the footsteps of his fellow villagers. The boy and Joaan leave toward the South, following markings left by people who traveled that way previously. After a tragic discovery, they’re forced to head back, where the boy struggles with the encroaching loneliness. As the hearth fire dies out, the wolf Joaan transforms once more, into a boy.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level

A truly just God.

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Story Summary: Azusa is a 27-year-old office worker who keels over and dies one day from overwork. When she arrives in Heaven she learns that God has a soft spot for women, and Azusa is allowed to reincarnate as an immortal witch and live her desired “slow life.” The only monsters she encounters near her highland home are slimes, and she defeats around 25 of them a day to provide herself with money enough to live a modest life. Eventually 300 years pass in this manner, and a verification of Azusa’s strength reveals that she’s now maxed-out at level 99. This is an inconvenient secret that might spell the end of her lazy days at home, but of course rumors being what they are the news of her power soon spreads across the land. Eventually a dragon named Laika shows up at Azusa’s front door, and after a short duel accidentally smashes the home Azusa’s enjoyed for 300 years. Later, Laika returns in human form with repair funds and a request: she wants to become Azusa’s pupil and learn how to become strong like her.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Story Summary: Naoto’s only refuge is the peacefulness of the school library, but one afternoon he finds it populated by a group of extremely loud and chatty first-year girls. He attempts to get his work done and leave, but ends up getting picked on for his home-made manga. Three of the girls leave, but one girl with a devilish grin stays behind to torment him until he breaks down and cries. The next day while Naoto’s working on sketching in the art room, he finds that this girl, Nagatoro, seems to have taken a sick interest in teasing him. She does everything she can to get him to snap, which makes him recall some bad childhood memories of being bullied. It seems like, ultimately, what Nagatoro wants to see is her senpai actually get angry over something rather that hiding out in his shell. But is this what he wants? And is he actually starting to feel a little bit fond of Nagatoro?

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – 86

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 11 (a second cour has already been announced, however)

Source: Light Novel

Story Summary: The Republic of San Magnolia has been embroiled in war with its neighbor, the Giadian Empire. As far as the public knows, this war is being fought using unmanned drones, ensuring no loss of life. But behind the impenetrable wall of propaganda exists a dark secret; the drones are piloted by people from the unacknowledged 86th district of San Magnolia, lower-class humans whose lives are considered expendable. Lena, a young member of the San Magnolia military who’s quickly risen through the ranks to become a Major, is given command of one of the more difficult-to-handle 86 units called the Spearhead Squadron. They’re commanded remotely using a mind-link technology called Para-RAID, and this technology carries with it some risks; the Spearhead Squadron has reportedly driven several of their handlers to quit, and perhaps cause one of them to die by suicide. Lena is one of the few individuals who chooses to see the 86-ers as people, but what is it about her that causes her to feel this unusual level of kindness?

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Tokyo Revengers

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Story Summary: Takemichi feels as though his life peaked in middle school. In those days he was a member of a gang, had a girlfriend, and generally felt as though he belonged. In the ensuing 12 years, however, his life went off the rails. One day while eating chips in bed he hears the news that his former girlfriend and her younger brother were killed in an act of violence perpetrated by the Tokyo Manji gang, with whom Takemichi had some run-ins as a kid. As he’s waiting in line for the train, he’s pushed onto the tracks and his life starts to flash before his eyes – or, he soon realizes, he gets sent back in time. He re-experiences the fateful day in middle school when the direction of his life steered off course, and wonders why God would curse him to experience it all again. When he meets Hinata, his girlfriend at the time, and then her younger brother, he vows to try to make sure that they both survive.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Fairy Ranmaru

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Story Summary: The Fairy Queen summons a representative from each of the fairy clans to form a heroic team. Their task? To go to Earth and collect “attachments” from humans who are suffering. Fairies have rules of conduct that limit them from experiencing love (physical or emotional) with humans, yet their mission involves understanding the root causes of such things and reacting to them. Ranmaru, of the powerful Light Clan, poses as a quiet transfer student, but he almost immediately identifies a girl who’s being bullied out of jealousy. He rescues this young lady and uses the purity of her heart to put a stop to the tormenter. The Fairy Queen has received her first payment, but are her intentions truly on the up-and-up?

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Spring 2021 First Impressions – Backflip!!

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Original

Story Summary: Shotaro Futaba has been a bench-warmer all three years on his middle school baseball team. After the conclusion of their final game of the season, he happens to wander into an auditorium where a high school boys’ rhythmic gymnastics competition is taking place. Shotaro is instantly enthralled by the leaps and tumbles of the team from Soshukan High School, to the point that he chooses to attend that school the following year. He doesn’t have any experience with gymnastics, but his history with swimming, soccer, and baseball has conditioned his body to be flexible and strong. Though he may be a newbie, he falls in love with the feeling of his body being in flight and chooses to join the rhythmic gymnastics team. And since the team really needs to have six members to compete with other schools, they welcome him with open arms.

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