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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Winter 2022 First Impressions – Orient

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: The land of Hinomoto was a peaceful one, until the Oni arrived and began to rule over the human population. Certain humans – warriors called Bushi – fought back, but eventually lost to the greater power of the demons. Now over a century later, the Oni have become central religious and authority figures in the lives of humans, and the Bushi have been all but forgotten. However, Musashi and his friend Kojiro, having been told about the Bushi in secret as children, have resolved to revive the battle against the oppression put upon them by the Oni.

As Musashi is processed through the school system, however, he appears to lose sight of his goals in the face of the relentless propaganda machine. He can’t find it within himself to outwardly make waves by professing his goal to become a Bushi, and he eventually graduates with the rest of his class and takes up his post as a miner. When Musashi meets Kojiro in secret, Kojiro refuses to believe in his resolve, partly to help ensure his friend doesn’t suffer the difficult life of a Bushi. But when Musashi and his classmates learn the truth about the Oni, it’s Musashi’s secret weapons practice and unwavering goal to fight against their oppressors that ultimately saves them. He and Kojiro make amends and once again set their sights on sharpening their swords and eliminating the Oni.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Winter 2022 First Impressions – Rusted Armors

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Multimedia project, including a stage play and Manga

Episode Summary: As war rages amongst the feudal lords all around them, the expert gunsmiths of the Saika village are defended by a group of powerful warriors who wield a selection of powerful special treasures called “Armors.” Among them is Magoichi, a warrior who arrived at the village with no memories, clutching one such Armor. Though the Armors allow those who own them to defend Saika village, their existence also draws the ire of the enemy toward the villagers more and more.

One day the village comes under attack once again. All of the lookouts are killed and the individuals holding the Armors suddenly find themselves overwhelmed and outclassed. Magoichi faces off against the leader of the enemy armor and quickly finds himself at death’s door. Just then he sees the flash of a sword as a mysterious man dressed in white comes to his rescue.

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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 – Ranking of Kings

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 23

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Kings are ranked by their physical prowess and the number of knights and followers they have. Prince Bojji, heir to the his father’s kingdom, has none of those things. Deaf and unable to speak, he also bears the burden of bullying, snide remarks of the people he encounters. Many people think Daida, the second prince and son of the King’s remarriage, is much more fit to be the next king.

One day while Bojji is playing outside, he encounters a strange shadow creature named Kage who manages to talk him out of giving up his clothing for Kage to sell. But Kage and the Prince seem to be able to understand one-another. Though Kage’s past marks him as someone potentially dangerous, he follows Bojji back to the palace and witnesses his true inner strength begin to show itself. When Bojji challenges Daida to a sparring duel, very few actually anticipate the outcome.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – The Faraway Paladin

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: Will only has vague memories of his former life; the bits and pieces that he can recall speak to an aimlessness that he once believed would doom him to hell. When he awakens in a temple as a baby, surrounded by three undead figures, he believes that this has come to pass. However, Mary, Blood, and Gus are actually kind and mostly harmless, choosing to raise Will together.

As Will grows, he learns fighting and hunting from Blood, magic (for which he seems to have a particular aptitude) from Gus, and many of life’s smallest (but often most important) lessons from Mary. But each of these individuals seems to carry a hidden sadness that Will is only able to perceive on the most basic level, and they’re reticent to share any details of what is likely a very painful secret with Will, beyond that they made a deal with the god of the undead to remain on earth after death. As he gets older his curiosity starts to get the best of him; when he follows Mary to one of her daily prayers, Will comes away with dire injuries. But through the experience he learns of Mary’s persistence and piety and he grows closer to her.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impression – Banished from the Hero’s Party…

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 13

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: Red is a quiet man, well-liked among the citizens of Zoltan, but with a personality that leads many to believe he might be obscuring parts of his past. And in truth, he is; he was once among the hero’s party that was set to confront the demon lord, but though Red’s wide range of skills and blessings as a “guide” provided him with many valuable abilities as an adventurer, he was eventually convinced that his services were no longer needed. As his sister Ruti became well-known as a heroic leader, Red allowed himself to fade into the background.

Now Red lives a slow life in Zoltan, holding onto the modest dream of building an apothecary shop and putting his survivalist skills to good use. When he rescues a village child using his knowledge of medicine (despite the actions of some careless heroes who set fire to the forest), Red works out a deal to get his shop built. When Rit, a well-known loner adventurer stops into town, she seems curious about Red and about the life he’s chosen to lead.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Autumn 2021 First Impressions – The World’s Finest Assassin

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Light Novel

Episode Summary: The world’s finest assassin completes his final mission with efficiency and the utmost effectiveness, providing a model for the protégé he’s been forced to drag along by his governing agency. But the mission doesn’t quite go off without a hitch – the duo is spotted by a military drone on their way from the job site and are forced to make other escape plans. It’s during the night that the assassin proves why he’s the best – he’s quieted his emotions and never trusts anyone.

As the day dawns, the two arrive back at base and are provided tickets to Japan; here the assassin will begin a new life training others like him within the organization. But betrayal is in the cards and the plane flight ends almost as quickly as it began, with all aboard being killed as part of the organization’s plot to silence their finest. But the assassin’s frustrated soul is grabbed by the goddess, who offers him a tantalizing deal in exchange for his help in a certain matter. He’ll be reborn in another world, one of fantasy and magic, with his memories and skills intact if he promises to use those skills to murder the world’s Hero.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2021 First Impressions – The Great Jahy Will Not be Defeated

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 20

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: The Great Demon Jahy was once the demon lord’s second-in-command, but when a magical girl entered the demon realm and shattered its mana crystal, Jahy suddenly found herself banished to Earth. Even worse, without her powers she takes the form of a child, so she lacks the presence she needs to order folks around. With a tiny shard of the mana crystal left, she’s able to retain her adult form long enough to hold down a service job, but even so she has difficulty making ends meet. Jahy’s come up with ever manner of excuse to keep from paying rent; unfortunately her landlord is also her boss’s sister, so she can’t keep up her ruses for long.

But perhaps living among humans might not be such a bad thing, even though Jahy can’t quite see things that way. At the very least, her boss cares about her and wants to see her healthy and happy. It’s just that, when you’re used to wielding nearly unlimited power, having to deal with human rules and customs is a huge burden. Hopefully she can find the other shards of the mana crystal soon and return to her rightful position!

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2021 First Impressions – The Dungeon of Black Company

Streaming: Funimation

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Kinji Ninomiya has finally achieved his ultimate dream. After investing his allowance and making money day-trading, he’s made himself into an independently-wealthy NEET. As he looks down from his penthouse apartment on the sorry masses below, though, he’s suddenly sucked into a gateway and deposited in a fantasy world that immediately sets him back to square one. This new world is run by mining demonite, and after Kinji takes out a loan it’s indentures servitude in the mines for him and many other unlucky souls. The mining company assures compliance by working its employees to the bone, and Kinji wants nothing more than to find a way to reestablish his lazy lifestyle.

That’s something easier said than done; money leaves his hands to pay back his loan just as quickly as he receives his paychecks. He works 16 hour days with no days off. But a lucky discovery gives Kinji an idea, and he manages to rope a fellow laborer Wanibe into the scheme. But as they take a shortcut to the lower level of the mine, they’re confronted by one of its guardians – Rim, a hungry dragon. Not to be deterred, Kinji makes a deal with her – if she doesn’t eat them both and promises to defend them from even scarier creatures, he’ll ensure she’s well fed. That becomes a failed scheme, as does another major manipulation that takes advantage of some magic items and Kinji’s coworkers. Kinji’s ideal NEET lifestyle seems farther and farther out of his reach with each passing day.

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Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2021 First Impressions – Peach Boy Riverside

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Episode Summary: Sally is a former princess whose longing for adventure saw her leave her quiet castle in the countryside in search of stimulation in the outside world. One day during the course of her travels, she discovers Frau, a member of the Harefolk community, whose rabbit-shaped visage betrays their status as a demi human. Sally’s experiences with demi humans is essentially nonexistent, so she’s somewhat surprised and disheartened to find that most people harbor a deep prejudice against them. Even though they have some ability to speak and Frau in particular is very loyal to Sally, they’re still shooed away at every turn by villagers who fear the worst.

And they do have some reason to be fearful, at least in a general sense; the world has been under attack by giant monsters and ogres, and it’s simply an unfortunate reality that this fear of being brutally murdered has perverted into hatred for other races. Even when Frau uses their power to defeat an ogre, there’s very little convincing the villagers who witness it. After defeating the ogre, Sally and Frau are taken into custody by the local knight captain, Hawthorn, but despite his own suspicions he warms up to them quickly. As Sally and Frau seek repayment for their troubles in the form of dinner, the city is brutally attacked by a high ogre and her companion. After witnessing this destruction and watching Frau attempt to fight the ogre alone, Sally enters a sort of trance and comes into some buried physical abilities that are a sight to behold. She may be travelling in search of a boy born out of a peach, but her own special powers are nothing to sneeze at.