Tag: New Anime

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Previews Reviews

Winter 2020 Anime – What I’m Looking Forward To

As usual, the new anime season kind of crept up on me. In my defense, the holidays late in the year take up a lot of my mental energy, and my job lately has been a real test of my patience (transitioning to a new position, yet still performing many aspects of my old one in addition while trying to learn the new processes). So maybe you readers will forgive me for being kind of absent for the last few weeks. Now that I have a day off and fewer weekend plans for a while, maybe anime can take the top spot on my priority list for a while (at least until Anime Detour prep ramps into high gear in a couple months… sheesh).

As with all my other seasonal previews, some of the things that sound interesting to me on paper may not pan-out at all come broadcast time, while series that don’t sound that compelling might turn out to be instant classics. That’s really the fun of discovering anime series as they appear on the many streaming services to which I subscribe – finding the good stuff where you don’t expect it feels like uncovering buried treasure. Anyway, below are some things that I’m interested in.

Note: As usual I’m using the confirmed/probable English titles of the anime in order to make it easier for readers to locate legal streams of the anime in which they’re interested.

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First Impressions Reviews Uncategorized

Approaching a Netflix Backlog

Those of you who know me know that I’m certainly a fan of anime simulcasts, since they’ve made anime accessible for many more people around the world. One aspect of the viewing process, though, is learning about and adapting to each outlet’s specific aspects and quirks. Funimation has primarily done simul-dubs as of late, meaning there’s a slight delay in the episodes that they’ve chosen for that process (I’m frankly surprised that there’s not more of a delay – they certainly have the process optimized at this point). HIDIVE’s player has a few quirks (I wish I could figure out how to make it stop defaulting to Portuguese subtitles every time I log in!) and the way it’s set up makes it a bit more difficult to take good screen captures. Amazon Prime doesn’t have a great way to access their anime in one place – you have to know what series you’re looking for ahead of time and search for it. It’s an interesting process learning how to adapt and keep track of your watch list if, like me, you’re watching anime at many of these sites at one time.

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Previews Reviews

Winter 2019 Anime – What I’m Looking Forward To

It’s that time again – time to look ahead at the wonderful potential of the season to come. Once again the Northern Hemisphere, and specifically my part of the United States, is entering into a snowy deep-freeze. While there’s little reason to brave the outdoors (unless you like skiing, ice-fishing, sledding, or skating… which I don’t), it’s a great time to stay in the house under a blanket, watching all the wonderful animated content that Japan has to offer.

As usual, I want to be clear in stating that this is just a preview; aside from sequels or anime for which I’ve experienced the source material, I don’t have much to base my opinions on other that my sense for what I might personally like. I’m usually disappointed by a few of my picks, and there are often several anime that fly completely under my radar, but which later turn out to be favorites. Much like the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the time between anticipating new anime and finding out about its reality is a magical time of being suspended in a state of perpetual possibilities. Whether it pans out exactly as anticipated is probably not even that important, to be honest.

Note: As with my previous posts on this subject, I’m using the Western (English) titles when possible, though those sometimes don’t solidify until after simulcasts are announced.

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Previews Reviews

Summer 2018 Anime – What I’m Looking Forward To

Another season, another batch of new anime to watch! I always say that there’s really no way to truly anticipate what each new season will bring; upcoming series that look great on paper or which have a well-produced trailer might turn out to be less interesting than anticipated, while series that don’t immediately speak to me might turn out to be new favorites. But that doesn’t stop me from getting excited over unknown quantities every three months. Below is a list of upcoming anime that’s caught my eye for one reason or another; I’m using this anime chart as a resource for anime that’s coming out this season. Let me know what you’re looking forward to watching as this fresh season gets underway!

 

Banana Fish

ANN Encyclopedia

24 episodes

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

I was only vaguely aware of the Banana Fish manga when I was really coming into my fandom self in the late nineties and early aughts, and I mostly got the impression that it was BL-flavored and dramatic (I’m not entirely sure how accurate that impression was, but at this point I doubt it matters all that much). In any case, this “bad-boy meets good-guy” tale sounds like just the thing that would have set my heart aflutter in my younger days. As a fangirl grown, however, what has me more interested in this adaptation is the fact that it’s not only a full adaptation of the manga (thank goodness for closure!), but also directed by a woman – Hiroko Utsumi, who directed the first two seasons of Free! Talent, of course, is neither limited nor bolstered by gender, but I do appreciate the fact that a property targeted towards women originally is often served well in its adaptation being in the hands of another woman. And I’m happy to support women in visible positions in the anime industry!

 

Cells at Work!

ANN Encyclopedia

Episodes TBA

Streaming at Crunchyroll

Every human is just a meat sack full of fluids and blood, but perhaps you didn’t realize that your blood is made up of different types of cells that all have different jobs they do in order to keep you healthy and functioning. This anime, based on a manga of the same name, takes those cells and personifies them for our viewing pleasure. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed both seasons of Moyashimon, I have the feeling that I’ll likely enjoy this very loose interpretation of what occurs inside my guts and tubes. Human bodies are both miraculous and ridiculous, and I think giving all of our little bits and pieces personalities and letting them play against one-another as if they were themselves sentient is quirky and hilarious in a way that I have some difficulty explaining. I’m hoping for a fun series that has more than just one joke.

 

Free! Dive to the Future

ANN Encyclopedia

Episodes TBA

Streaming TBA (though I have to believe it’ll be a Crunchyroll/Funimation shared stream like the other seasons)

I’m still a fan of this original breakout manservice/sports franchise, though I have to say it’s a little bittersweet that this season will have a different director (as I’ve mentioned already, however, Utsumi is busy directing this season’s Banana Fish so I’m happy she’s still working on something pretty high-profile!). It remains to be seen whether someone else can so adeptly capture the appeal of muscles and moisture that this series is known for. Ultimately, though, Free! is much more than six-packs and Speedos; I love the series for its great characters (Makoto 5-evar!), excellent animation, and spirited sports action, all traits that help bolster its story of young men giving their all and building relationships and friendships.

…deltoids and diving okay I’m done sorry!

 

Attack on Titan 3

ANN Encyclopedia

Episodes TBA

Streaming at Crunchyroll and Funimation

I am unapologetically still a fan of Attack on Titan. I didn’t get bored waiting for season 2. I don’t mind the fact that it’s basically “Cliffhanger: The Anime.” I like that the second season was a huge departure from the first. While I consider myself pretty opposed to depictions of ultra-violence, as well as emotional manipulation of the type that AoT is known for (by which I mean its ability to reveal enough to string you along while also not answering many of the questions it dangles in front of your face), for some reason it’s never really bothered me when it comes to this series. For season 2 it was my tradition to watch the week’s new episode as close as possible to the time it was released for streaming; I think there’s something really fun about that (and it prevents inadvertent spoilage). In any case, I’m really looking forward to the characters maaaaaaybe inching just a little bit closer to Eren’s basement (but I’m not going to keep my hopes up too high).

 

Hanebado!

ANN Encyclopedia

Episodes TBA

Streaming at Crunchyroll

There’s usually at least one series a season that I’m interested in despite some apprehensions, and for Summer season 2018, it’s Hanebado. I’m almost always interested when anime tackles an unusual subject; even if the structure is similar to series that have come before, at least the subject matter is unique. And I can say with certainty that I’ve never seen an anime about badminton before, so I’ve had my eye on this series for a while. Unfortunately what’s giving me reason to question myself is also the aspect of the series that in other circumstances might be worth celebrating – its mostly-female cast. I’m glad for more action-oriented stories about young women, but even glancing at trailers for the show I’ve seen some focus on the girls’ chests in a way that doesn’t sit well with me. I’m hoping for more sports and interpersonal drama, and less boob-staring. Especially since the trailer looks really cool!

 

Mr. Tonegawa Middle Management Blues

ANN Encyclopedia

24 Episodes

Streaming at Crunchyroll

It tickles me to no end that the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise has gotten so popular, especially with women. I’m hoping that the same sort of fandom attraction to the combination of weird artwork and masculine energy will someday happen to the manga/anime of Nobuyuki Fukumoto. Fukumoto’s stories portray the ups and downs of men embroiled in the seedy underbelly of society, usually through life-or-death gambling of some sort. Tonegawa, the titular character of this series, was originally an adversary in Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji, which I highly recommend if you like seeing a hapless guy suffer and just barely survive some of the most ridiculous betting games ever created. As far as what Tonegawa might have in store for us as a protagonist (anti-hero? Bad guy?), I’m not sure. But I’m curious to find out, especially since the title reeks of office politics and drudgery.

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Previews Reviews

Autumn 2017 Preview

The air is cool, the leaves are changing, and the most wonderful time of the year (apple season) is upon us! And with all that comes a new harvest of anime to look forward to. Every season is a chance to have one’s expectations confirmed or subverted – it’s something that makes watching anime fun! Below are some of the series that I’ve been looking forward to (a special thanks to the twenty or thirty people who’ve asked me what new Autumn shows I’m looking forward to – I’ve been drawing a blank in person, but now I’ll have this handy-dandy list to link to).

Mahoutsukai no Yome/The Ancient Magus’ Bride

Begins: October 8th, 2017

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Synopsis: Chise is a young girl shunned for her ability to perceive the magical world and her lack of family. At her lowest point, she encounters a Magus, a sorcerer with the head of a beast and a weilder of great magical power. He purchases Chise and frees her from the bonds of slavery; in exchange, he asks that she become his apprentice, and his bride.

Impressions: Having already seen the OVA episodes that preceded it, I can safely say that this is my most anticipated anime of the season. Aside from the fact that the show looks to be visually stunning as compared to many TV anime, it also combines some of my favorite things together in one package – dark magic, Eastern/Western fantasy, and complicated character relationships. It bugs me that labeling anime as “shoujo” conjures an image of something frothy and immature in many viewers’ minds – glob only knows that trying to get the anime I attend to vote to watch anything with that label is a challenge, especially as of late. This looks to be an example of something that successfully bucks the expectations of its demographic label, and I hope that many people will give it a look.

 

Kekkai Sensen & Beyond/Blood Blockade Battlefront and Beyond

Begins: October 8th, 2017

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Synopsis: One day, New York City was consumed by a mysterious fog, and a break between dimensions occurred. Now the city maintains a tenuous balance between our world and the netherworld, its combined existence now known as “Hellsalem’s Lot.” A group of superhuman protectors known as “Libra” helps maintain the balance between worlds, and the hapless Leo is recruited into their organization by chance.

Impressions: I watched the first four episodes of the original season back when it was broadcasting and had a serious case of the “I-don’t-get-it-itis” for some reason. I felt as though I was consistently missing something that would serve to pull the plot together. Luckily I got a second chance when our local anime club chose to watch the series – I had purchased the discs to support the show, since it was directed by a woman, but my second impression was also much more positive than my first and I was glad to have watched it. So it stands to reason that I’d be excited about the sequel. I’m slightly apprehensive because season 2 has a different director, and has been advertising itself as being “closer to the manga.” My hope is that director Matsumoto didn’t somehow get blacklisted for following an anime-original plotline, and that the second season won’t be too slavishly-devoted to adapting its source material that it loses all of the charm the first season had. I’m hopeful but wary.

 

Inuyashiki

Begins: October 13th, 2017

Streaming: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: Ichiro Inuyashiki is a man who looks old beyond his years. He’s a kind soul with an ungrateful family who steps all over him. One day as he’s standing in a park, a meteor crashes down from the sky and obliterates him. Or, at least that’s what it seems like until Inuyashiki awakens and finds that his body has gained several new abilities. He looks at this development as his life’s new purpose, and puts his powers to good use helping others. But there was another man in the park with him that night, and he has more sinister ideas about how best to utilize his violent new abilities.

Impressions: I read a good chunk of the Inuyashiki manga about a year-and-a-half ago, and despite it being a bit out of my comfort zone in terms of violence and the cynical motivations of its antagonist, I was impressed by the use of a non-standard (meaning, not a teenage boy) main character and the fact that it ultimately seemed to speak against cynicism and lack of hope. I’m hoping that the anime interpretation will carry that through and not focus too much on brutality and violence. noitaminA has been really hit-or-miss for a while, but I think the source material has enough potential to bring this adaptation to an interesting place.

 

Kino no Tabi/Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World

Begins: October 6th, 2017

Streaming: Crunchyroll and Funimation

Synopsis: Kino is a traveler who crosses the world astride her talking motorcycle, Hermes. She spends no more than three days in each of the countries she visits; any longer, and she may feel compelled to settle down in one place. Throughout these travels, Kino encounters the best and worst that humanity has to offer and learns that the world is beautiful due to its imperfections.

Impressions: I’m a fan of the original Kino’s Journey anime series and its related OVA episodes, but I was caught completely by surprise when I first heard the announcement that a new anime adaptation was being created for the story. I’m not entirely certain whether this adaptation contains entirely new material or is re-adapting some of the older stories, but I suspect it may be a mixture of the two. Either way, I love how the setting, despite being kind of reductive in some situations, still does a lot to show how and why humans behave how they do. The story vignettes are always very fascinating, and Kino is a truly unique protagonist. I would not have expected this to get another adaptation, but I’m certainly not going to argue!

 

3-Gatsu no Lion 2nd/March Comes in Like a Lion 2nd Season

Begins: October 14th, 2017

Streaming: TBA

Synopsis: Rei is a teenage shogi prodigy, rising in the ranks as he wins out over players more than twice his age. But Rei also struggles with depression and a complicated family life, and spends much of his time alone. His one solace is the time he spends with the Kawamoto family, three sisters who provide Rei with a glimpse of the loving family life he never had. As Rei tries to make an attempt at finishing high school, eventually has to learn to reach out and seek help from others in his life.

Impressions: While the first season of the show ended on a note that wasn’t necessarily final, but presented a feeling of optimism, and I wouldn’t have been disappointed in a lack of continuation, I’m definitely happy that we’ll get another 22 episodes to see Rei progress in his professional and family life. While there were some complaints that the first season got a little overly-involved in the shogi plotline and strayed from the more emotional elements of the story, I found the overall balance to be pretty good. My one hope is maybe that the second season will look slightly more Shaft-y than the first, but season 1 played the visuals pretty straight, so that might be too high an expectation.

 

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou/Girls’ Last Tour

Begins: October 6th, 2017

Streaming: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: Chito and Yuri are two girls left living in a world that is nearly dead. Rather than despair, the two load up their motorbike and set off across the desolate world, devoid of civilization, and spend their days enjoying life to its fullest for as long as it’s possible.

Impressions: I’ve mentioned previously that I really enjoy post-apocalypse stories, especially those that aren’t necessarily focused on how the disaster happened, but which are more about living on in a changed world. Summer’s Made in Abyss did a great job of presenting a world that was clearly an after-image of something, but focused more around the humanity of the people desiring exploration of the mysterious world at their fingertips. Whenever some new information appears to fill in the gap, it’s like a treasure, but the real joy is just the journey and experience. I’m hoping that this series revels in the experience of living, rather than trying to outright answer too many questions. The first volume of the manga is currently available, so I might check that out, too.

 

Just Because!

Begins: October 5th, 2017

Streaming: TBA

Synopsis: As a group of students approach their high school graduation, a mutual friend of theirs, who left in middle school, transfers back into town. This group of friends is suddenly revitalized; while they were all just standing around, waiting to graduate, now their relationships seem to have a renewed sense of vigor.

Impressions: This show is definitely an unknown quantity for me; as an anime-original series with its claim to fame being that it’s written by the creator of The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (a show that people continue to tell me is good but which had a first episode that squicked me the hell out), all I really have to go on is a short synopsis and a trailer. Something about it, though, reminds me of Orange, a series that I enjoyed in both manga and anime form. Perhaps it’s the focus on character relationships, and the fact that people are crying a lot. In any case, I’m definitely curious about it. As someone who doesn’t believe that emotional melodrama is necessarily a bad thing, it might be worth a look.

 

Two Car

Begins: October 8th, 2017

Streaming: TBA

Synopsis: Yuri and Megumi are high school students who enter into the world of competitive motorcycle sidecar racing. Though they have opposing personalities, they learn to work together as a team. And they’re not alone; it seems as though most of the teams they race are similarly complimentary.

Impressions: This is a case of “this is dumb enough that it might be totally awesome.” I actually have fairly low expectations for a show about something as specific as motorcycle sidecar racing, but as a fan of anime based around obscure themes and activities, I had to give a shout-out to this one. My fear is one of forced comedy and the potential for fanservice, considering the gender makeup of the cast and what appears to be a propensity for silly character designs (judging by the trailer), but I’m game to give it a try. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d watched a show about girls doing goofy crap.

 

Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau/Children of the Whales

Begins: October 8th, 2017

Streaming: Netflix

Synopsis: Chakuro is the 14-year-old archivist of the Mud Whale, a ship/floating island that sails across the sand dunes. He and his companions have never seen anyone from the outside world, but they yearn to someday explore it. One day they find a ruined ship, and the girl they recover from the wreck will change their lives forever.

Impressions: Ignoring the fact that the plot hinges on a “mysterious girl” arrives to “change the life” of the male protagonist (I’m cynical, please forgive me, I have low expectations), there’s something kind of haunting and fascinating about the setting of this series. Again, I think it kind of falls into that “mysterious post-apocalypse” sort of situation; it’s the bleakness of the world and the mystery of the characters’ isolation that becomes so fascinating as the basis for an interesting story. The first PV is also really beautiful – while I have suspicions that some of the visuals were animated specifically for the PV and probably won’t appear in the same form in the show, it definitely made an impression on me.

So that’s a pretty good run-down of what’s got me interested this season. As usual, some of these will ultimately pan-out while others will falter, and I’m positive that there’ll be some interesting surprises buried in there too. What’s got you fired up this season?

 

 

Categories
Previews Reviews

Summer 2017 Preview

It’s Summer, which means that intolerable humidity is hanging over the Midwest causing me to sweat myself to death. So it’s a great time to stay inside and watch some anime! Below are some impressions of upcoming series that seem interesting to me. Will all of these pan out? Probably not. Will some shows surprise me later on, even if they’re not on my gotta-watch list? Probably. Every season brings with it something new and interesting. Even though the Summer anime season tends to be pretty small in comparison to Spring and Autumn, there are still likely a few gems waiting to be discovered.

One interesting development that’s occurred in the past few months is what seems like a partnership of sorts between Sentai Filmworks and Amazon’s Anime Strike. While Anime Strike is controversial on its own due to being cloistered behind a pricey double paywall (first you pay for Amazon Prime, and then you pay a few more dollars to add Anime Strike to your channel list), it seems like this might be a big boon to Sentai Filmworks, who hasn’t had a go-to home for its acquisitions. I can’t say I’m happy having to add to my many video streaming subscriptions (Hulu, Netflix, Crunchyroll, Funimation… there are so many) but I see what they’re trying to do and I’ll play along for the time being, even if I think that it doesn’t set a good precedent for either convenience or price

Anyway, here’s a hastily-assembled list of the new shows I think might be interesting:

Copyright 2017 (c) Production I.G.

Welcome to the Ballroom/Ballroom e Youkoso

Begins: July 9th

Streaming At: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: The setup seems typical for a sports or sports-type anime; the protagonist, a middle school student named Tatara Fujita is kind of mediocre at most things that he tries (sports in particular). He’s “rescued” from his mediocrity (and his bullies) by Kaname Sengoku, a professional ballroom dancer. It’s this encounter that draws Fujita into the realm of ballroom dance, perhaps something where he’ll discover his talent (spoilers: I’m guessing he’ll end up being pretty good at it).

Impressions: This is the show this season that I’ve been anticipating the most, for reasons that are as simple as me being interested in more offbeat takes on the sports genre and liking to look at attractive dudes doing fancy things. The various trailers have featured great music, sharp animation, and more elongated necks and bodies than you can shake a stick at. According to Sakuga Blog, there are some pretty big names associated with the project as well. It’s kind of fascinating to be in the fandom at a time when we get to see series that have clout with both fans of popular anime, and fans who like to follow individual creators and the animation process. I think this show will at least satisfy on looks alone.

 

Copyright 2017 (c) Zero-G

Dive!!

Begins: July 6th

Streaming At: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: The Mizuki Diving Club is in dire financial straits and in danger of being shut down. Their only hope for keeping things running is to send one of their divers to the next Olympic Games on the Japanese team.

Impressions: I was just about ready to call this one a poor rip-off of Free!, but the novel and manga predate KyoAni’s bishounen cash-cow by a few years, so that’s probably misguided. Remember what I said above about anime that revolves around unusual sports? This is another series that might scratch that itch. Judging from the PV I just watched, the visual presentation isn’t quite as clean and crisp, but there are an awful lot of rippling abs on display, so the anime junk-food quotient for someone like me, a not-quite-but-kinda fujoshi, might be enough to keep it interesting, if there aren’t also some decent character moments (which is something that’s hard to get a sense of during a 2 minute preview where the characters are speaking in metaphors about “flying” and telling each-other how cool they looked).

 

Copyright 2017 (c) Haoliners Animation League/ Emon Animation Company

A Centaur’s Life/A Centaur’s Worries/Centaur no Nayami

Begins: July 9th

Streaming At: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Himeno is a centaur girl with a sweet, quiet personality. All of her friends and classmates are also supernatural or fantasy creatures, with wings, tails, horns, and other physical traits that set them apart from the human beings we’re used to. This is the story of Himeno’s daily school life.

Impressions: I like monster girls a lot. From the time I was a sullen teenager doodling in my sketchbook, to the current day during which I mostly just appreciate the art of others, I’ve thought female characters with demon horns or snake bodies or mermaid tails were just the cutest. But I’m still waiting for a really good “monster girl” anime to come down the pipeline. Monster Musume was gross, Interviews With Monster Girls started to give me a bad feeling a couple of episodes in, and Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, despite having its good moments, still managed to bungle the good will it had built with a couple of non-con scenes that turned me off (I love that it’s inspired a lot of really cute cosplay, though). I’m hoping that this will just be kind of cute and innocuous and give me my fix. I haven’t decided whether or not the fact that there are also monster boys in the characters’ school will be positive or negative, but I’m willing to give the show a chance.

The anime is produced by a Chinese animation studio (though it seems to be managed by Japanese staff), and their track record isn’t the best (I see the dismal Spiritpact on their rap sheet – not a good impression to leave). If anything, I’m interested to see if the end result of this particular endeavor is any more pleasing to the eye or satisfying to the soul.

 

Copyright 2017 (c) Ufotable

Katsugeki!: Touken Ranbu

Begins: July 1st

Streaming At: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: It’s 1863 in Japan, an era during which forces loyal to the Shogunate and those wishing to bring its power to an end were clashing. Historical revisionists from the future begin to invade in order to change the force of history, but they’ll have to get through two sword warriors who have come to Edo to defend the sanctity of the true timeline.

Impressions: So you’ve heard of guys who use swords, but how about guys who are swords? This series, one of two anime based on a collectable card style smartphone game, personifies historically significant blades as hot warrior dudes of various personalities. A more comedic take, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, premiered during the Autumn season last year, and this version appears to be a more “serious business” take on the concept. Considering Ufotable’s involvement, it’ll probably look pretty slick (it’s difficult to say for sure, since the most lengthy trailer I could find was mostly animation sketches put to dramatic music). I can’t predict how much staying concept the central premise might have, but at least the characters are attractive and the action might be fun.

 

Copyright 2017 (c) Kinema Citrus

Made in Abyss

Begins: July 7th

Streaming At: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: The Abyss is an underground cave system, the last bastion of unexplored territory in the world. It contains treasures and relics from long ago that current humans cannot re-produce. It’s Rico’s dream to become a cave explorer like her late mother. One day she finds a robot who has the appearance of a young boy.

Impressions: Whereas there’s a lot on this list I think I can probably take or leave, I’m actually really excited about Made in Abyss. I found the trailer to be absolutely haunting, and the plot synopsis suggests that the story might take place after humanity has undergone some kind of technological decline, which is one of my favorite set-ups (see: Nausicaa, Sound of the Sky, Humanity Has Declined, and many others). There’s an edge to this one that makes it seem a little spooky in spite of its lush setting and cutesy character designs, which is another production aspect that gets me excited. It’s a little bit difficult to put my feelings into words any better than that, since this type of show really hits me in a deep place that’s based in old 1980’s sci-fi and fantasy that I saw as a small child, but maybe there are some of you out there that can relate.

 

Copyright 2017 (c) Studio Deen

Hell Girl 4/Jigoku Shoujo: Yoi no Togi

Begins: July 14th

Streaming At: Amazon Anime Strike

Synopsis: The fourth season of the long-running supernatural horror revenge story. Those seeking revenge on those who have caused them harm may access a secret website to call upon Hell Girl. She drags her targets to Hell itself, in exchange for the immortal souls of those who call upon her to help them. This season will feature 6 new episodes, and 6 “reminiscence” episodes.

Impressions: Hell Girl is one of those properties I’ve always been aware of but which I’ve never watched much of. From the time the first season aired it’s cropped up as a favorite pick at anime club Halloween events and so I’ve seen several episodes here and there because of that, but never entire seasons. I do, however, enjoy stories about human nature, even those bits and pieces of it which are uncomfortable to look at and experience, and this series is notorious for presenting those kinds of stories. The titular character doesn’t judge on morality, she just does a job; it’s up to the viewers to understand and interpret who’s in the right or wrong in each situation, and that can be unsettling.

 

Copyright 2017 (c) MAPPA

Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler

Begins: July 1st

Streaming At: TBA

Synopsis: When you’re a child of the mega-rich, normal school sports and clubs don’t teach you the tools you need to keep your position in society. At Hyakkao Private Academy, the students’ education is geared specifically towards the skills of negotiation, manipulation, and deception – the students participate in a rigorous curriculum of various forms of gambling where the winners end up at the top of the class and the losers are punished accordingly. Yumeko arrives on campus and decides to show her classmates what a real gambler is capable of.

Impressions: This is a situation where I find the plot concept of the anime sort of interesting, but I have a strong suspicion that the execution will end up being too grotesque and/or mean-spirited for my personal tastes. The trailer features the protagonist in a kind of weird sexualized ecstasy that I suspect might get old (I’m not big on cruel sadism, and this feels like it might be toeing the line there as well). But hey, maybe there’ll be a little bit of Kaiji in there somewhere, too. I’m definitely game (ha!) to give it a try.

 

Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link

Restaurant to Another World/Isekai Shokudou

Begins: July 3rd

Streaming At: Crunchyroll

Synopsis: Yoshoku no Nekoya is like any other normal restaurant during the week, and is patronized by the working people of Japan. But on Saturdays, when it takes a day off, it becomes a gathering place for people from another world. When members of non-human races patronize the restaurant, they find that even the most mundane of Western-style dishes seem exotic and wonderful.

Impressions: I like stories about cooking and I enjoy light fantasy elements, so this series which seems to combine both things looks like it might be kind of episodic and cute. It’s amusing to think about how an elf or a demon might react to something commonplace like chicken soup. I’m also heartened to see that this is sort of a twist on the “isekai” sub-genre that’s been so popular lately; instead of some loser dude making his way into a video game or fantasy world and having several women hot for him, the people from another world are finding their way into ours. I can’t help but think that might be an improvement.

 

How about you? What have you been looking forward to this Summer? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Previews Reviews

Winter 2017 – What I’m Looking Forward To

A new year, a new quarter, a new anime season. I like to tell people that there are always great anime worth anticipating, some of which we might not even be aware of. I’ve been around long enough to know what I like and follow some creators whose work I’ve enjoyed in the past. Here are a few things I’m anticipating this season!

accaACCA: 13-Territory Inspection Department

The unique, complicated political climate that serves as a backdrop here would be enough to get me interested, but I’m also an enthusiastic follower of Natsume Ono’s other works – I own all of her manga that’s been published in English, and I’m a very big fan of both the Ristorante Paradiso and House of Five Leaves anime adaptations. I like her focus on more mature, adult-focused stories, and her somewhat European aesthetics, which is unusual for anime. Her character designs are also very unique and identifiable, eschewing overall cuteness for sharper angles and lankiness.

The series’ director, Shingo Natsume, has a lot of Key animation work under his belt, so one would hope that those sensibilities would translate to a pretty end-product (it worked for his One Punch Man adaptation, obviously). I would love to watch the PV, but for some reason YouTube is not loading well at the moment, so I will have to go on faith. In any case, this is definitely one of my top picks for this season, sight-unseen.

 

showa-genrokuShowa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu S2

Did I have any idea before watching the first season that Rakugo is a very funny, engrossing theatrical art form? Not really, though being a student of Japanese Culture I had certainly been exposed to it before in a more academic sense. Sometimes it takes that pop culture media connection to fan the flames of interest, though.

The first season of this series was definitely an emotional ride that I voluntarily took multiple times (sometimes you just have to sit your friends down with you and force them to watch an anime about an unfamiliar storytelling art that they probably don’t know or care about otherwise). Perhaps the only thing I felt it was missing was further exploration of Konatsu’s character as an adult, which I expected to appear in the first season based on pre-broadcast summaries of the story. I certainly wasn’t dissatisfied in learning about the history of Sukeroku and Yakumo’s relationship, which was rich and complicated and emotional. But obviously women’s stories are of interest to me, so I’m hoping that Konatsu will get her due this season, even if the focus is more on Yotaro.

 

little-witch-academiaLittle Witch Academia TV

Ever since the original LWA OVA, I’ve been hoping for a TV series adaptation. The second OVA was great in its own right, but the world in which the story takes place has always seemed so much richer than what could be crammed into a mere forty-five minute chunk. I’m so glad that Trigger decided to go forward with this project, especially since I haven’t been quite as pleased with their output as of late (though Space Patrol Luluco was definitely very fun).

My one major worry is that director Yoh Yoshinari’s perfectionism will get the best of him and cause delays and perhaps less-good initial animation quality (I’m not sure what kind of development schedule Trigger was on for this, so it might not be as much of an issue as I’m thinking). My other sort-of worry revolves more around characterization – the one big downside of LWA: The Enchanted Parade was the fat character whose defining characteristic was that she ate constantly and spoke in a stereotypical deep/dumb-sounding voice. I was left feeling glad for the body-type diversity, but sad about the choices made in her character portrayal. I’m hoping that will be minimized this time around (but the hope isn’t strong, I know how Japanese creators can be).

 

scums-wishScum’s Wish

I wouldn’t necessarily say that I’m looking forward to this series, but I’m cautiously interested to see how it handles the kind of emotionally-fraught and weird relationship between two teenagers who are kind of using one-another to fill their emotional emptiness. I’ve heard the story compared to Inio Asano’s The Girl on the Shore, which is a tough book to read; explicit, sad, and filled to the brim with characters who are truly lacking in self-esteem. It’s not a fun read, but I did find it to be an compelling window back into that depressed and directionless teen mentality, and it was one of the few manga I’ve read where the visual explicitness was actually used to proper effect (I anticipate that there are people who would disagree with me on that, and I totally understand it). I think many adults might brush off this kind of stuff as overly melodramatic, but as someone who had kind of a tough go of it as a teen it tends to resonate with me a bit more.

In looking towards Scum’s Wish I think I might be hoping for something akin to The Flowers of Evil, which I enjoyed despite the fact that it tore my guts out and stomped on them; emotional rawness and, even beyond that, truthfulness about the badness and goodness of people. Life is hard, we all put up fronts to guard our position in society, and this is especially true in high school when we’re still concerned about fitting in and holding up appearances.

 

miss-kobayashis-drago-maidMiss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid

I like monster girls, okay? I keep hoping there will be an anime series focused on those types of characters without being overly sexualized (at least in the creepy, uncomfortable manner that most anime tends to be). This one sounds lighter and goofier, and features a woman as the main character, rather than Loser Anime Dude #437 who doesn’t know how sex works, so in that sense it’s at least slightly fresher. I’m anticipating it in a “probably-bad-but-might-be-funny” sort of way. The nice KyoAni animation can’t hurt, either.

I should mention, as always, that I tend to be pretty cold on most anime comedies. I’m not into humor that involves a lot of yelling back-and-forth; instead, I prefer really sharp visual comedy, and comedy that escalates well. I have a small hope that this series might replicate a little bit of that Nichijou magic that seems so difficult to capture, so here’s to hoping, I guess.

 

Onihei

I forgot to add this initially, but thought it deserved an edit.

I’m definitely a fan of serious historical drama. I’m not as big a fan of the part-fantasy, pseudo-romance stuff like Hakuouki and its ilk (not that they’re bad); I’m truly kind of a nerd and love to see different time periods brought to life, so I generally stick to fare that’s closer to reality. As far as this series in particular is concerned, I’m still not entirely sure what to expect – plot synopses are vague and don’t give a strong sense of the actual tone. But I’m kind of hoping for a historical police drama, as the main character is purported to be trying to crack down on arsonists and other criminals in Edo-era Japan.

Another curiosity about this show in particular is that it’s being animated by a newer studio (M2), which can be good or bad. I tend to think good, usually; generally newer studios seem to be less concerned with the financials at the moment of their inception and can pour their effort into whatever their first project is before realizing that they’re not making enough money and deciding to take on some adaptation that’s bound to sell copies but might be more lacking in the creativity department. It’s maybe not a great thing in the long run… but the end product has some freshness and ambitiousness, so it’s nice for the anime viewing audience in that sense.

 

So how about you? Is there anything you’re looking forward to? Winter season tends to be smaller and more subdued, with fewer “big-name” series, but I tend to think there’s always at least a couple of things worth making time for. Let me know if you have any potential favorites!

 

Categories
Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2016 First Impressions – Sweetness and Lightning

Sweetness and Lightning CoverMath teacher Kōhei Inuzuka is a widower with a young daughter named Tsumugi. Inuzuka isn’t adept in the kitchen but with the help of his student Kotori Iida and his daughter, he embarks on a culinary adventure. – ANN

Streaming at: Crunchyroll

Number of Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Summary of Episode 1: Kyouhei Inuzuka is a high school teacher, but he’s also a single father to his young daughter, Tsumugi. It’s been six months since his wife died, and he’s just trying to take each day one day at a time and make sure he can take care of Tsumugi. Unfortunately, he’s often out late and more often than not resorts to grabbing convenience store bento for dinner. While out in the park flower-viewing, they happen upon a young lady weeping over her rice balls. She’s not sad, just moved to tears over the delicious food that her busy mother prepared. It just so happens that her mother owns a restaurant, and she passes along a business card. A couple of days later, Tsumugi is really feeling sad over the lack of home-cooked meals at their house, so Kyouhei does something impulsive – he races to the restaurant, daughter in tow, in order to provide something warm and nourishing. One problem – the owner is out and the restaurant is technically closed for the day, but Kotori, the owner’s daughter and coincidentally one of Kyouhei’s students, offers to cook up something simple. That night, they enjoy hot rice together, and Kotori asks that they join forces and learn to cook with one-another.

SweetnessLightning01
Kyouhei pieces together Tsumugi’s lunch using store-bought pre-prepped side dishes.

Impressions: I have a major soft spot for stories that involve parenting and genuinely cute kids. Not because I have any of my own, but likely because it’s such a unique occurrence in anime. I remain a big fan of Bunny Drop (hey, it was a really excellent 11-episode anime and an equally good 4 volume manga!), enjoyed Kotetsu’s relationship with his daughter in Tiger & Bunny, and in general am impressed when the parental relationship is depicted as being substantial rather than as some afterthought in an anime full of teenagers (I don’t really have time to get into the related issue of dead moms in anime, but that’s certainly something to note). In any case, anime series that consider the parents’ point of view and depict that trials of trying to bring up a young person in an environment which makes that difficult are some of the anime I find appealing.

So far this show has a lot going for it in that regard. Kyouhei is depicted as a genuinely good person who has his daughter’s best interests at heart. It’s the specifics of their situation, as well as perhaps some residual depression following the death of his wife, that creates a lot of challenges for him to try to overcome. For the most part, Kyouhei seems fairly on top of everyday life; he makes plans to do the laundry with Tsumugi that weekend, they get out of the house to spend time together, he gets her dressed and out the door in the morning and generally arrives in time to pick her up from daycare. In short, he’s loving and competent, and while obviously any single parent situation is difficult to manage, there’s a decent amount of realism in his ability to juggle all these things and it’s clear that Tsumugi is grateful.

SweetnessLightning02
A cell phone shot of Tsumugi during her first (and only) experience with dad’s cooking.

What left an impression on me after the first episode, though, is its (and by extension, the show’s) focus on food and meals as they relate to family life. In flashback, we learn that Kyouhei’s late wife Tae was quite the experimental chef, and her meals were beloved in the household. Because of the food lifestyle I (mostly) adhere to, I’m used to hearing the refrain that “food is fuel” and that we should strive to remove the emotional aspect from it (as in, try to stop emotional eating and listen to your body’s hunger signals instead). That’s fine on a logical level, but for me in particular food and meals have always served the purpose of showing love to those I care about and bringing together friends and family around a shared table. Tsumugi is a generally happy, bubbly youngster, but her sadness at eating convenience store bento boxes while her dad catches up on his classroom work is obvious. To her, meals are something that she wants to share with family, and a home-cooked meal trumps anything from the microwave (though her dad’s early attempts at home cooking so far have left a little to be desired, judging by her reported reaction).

I think this episode does a good job of explaining (without explicitly doing so) why Kyouhei hasn’t taken up cooking, and in fact has outright avoided the task. Aside from the fact that he doesn’t have much cooking experience and his first attempt was a major bomb (seriously, that photo of Tsumugi making a disgusted face is hilarious), it becomes clear that the subject of cooking is too strong a reminder of what’s missing now that his wife is gone. Trying to do something that was so closely associated with someone who’s now gone has got to be incredibly painful; each dish, whether successful or a failure, is just another way of pointing out the empty space left behind. It wouldn’t be unusual for Kyouhei to avoid cooking out of respect for his wife’s memory and a desire to keep from feeling as though he were trying to replace her. All of this is interpreted from what’s written between the lines; unlike a lot of anime, this one so far is a little bit more “show” and a little less “tell,” which in itself is nice.

SweetnessLightning03
Kotori crying while eating in the park.

Lest everyone think this is a show all about doom and gloom and death, let me mention that I found the first episode to be incredibly cute and also pretty funny. Tsumugi is at that particular age where emotions are still shared right out in the open, and social norms don’t necessarily play a large factor in everyday interactions. She says what’s on her mind and expresses her feelings without worrying what others might think, and that’s one of the things I find cutest about little kids (well, until their emotions go into overdrive and devolve into tantrums; then I’m quick to leave the area). I enjoyed how she declares her love for her dad, and also how she had no qualms about approaching Kotori (at that time a total stranger) in the park to comfort her and ask why she was crying. There’s just something really heartwarming about the earnestness of children that gives me that warmhearted feeling.

I’m guessing that any “concerns” about the direction of this show that one might have would be due to the fact that one of the three main characters is a high school student of Kyouhei’s. Maybe it’s my cynicism talking, or maybe it’s just anime’s propensity for being willing to go in distasteful directions, but I’m wary of the fact that Kotori is likely going to be spending a lot of time with Kyouhei and possibly filling part of the role that Kyouhei’s wife used to and of the fact that the Wikipedia entry references Kotori’s possible crush on her teacher. The anime seems fairly cute and innocent so far, and Kotori’s attitude seems innocent enough, but I’ve been burned in the past and just don’t want such a cute series to go down that dark road.

I’ve been feeling kind of crappy the last few days (bad allergies are keeping me medicated-up and I’m having a hard time staying awake and focusing on anything), so it was nice to take a moment to sit down with something that’s very cute and heartwarming while trying to unwind. For now, rather than worry about what direction it will take, I’m going to accept the show at face value and just appreciate the fact that anime is a medium with so much variety in story and character and that there are still series that are made to appeal to people my age. I was impressed with the first episode’s ability to demonstrate its cuteness without being overly saccharine, as well as how well I gained a window into the protagonist’s feelings. I’m calling it – “feel-good anime of the season.”

Pros: Kyouhei’s life and choices are explained well through the narrative. The episode is genuinely cute and heartwarming.

Cons: Kotori’s “crush” on Kyouhei, though mostly unexplored thus far, has me feeling wary.

Grade: B+

SweetnessLightning04 SweetnessLightning05

Categories
Anime Reviews First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2016 First Impressions – Berserk

BerserkCoverGuts, a man who calls himself “The Black Swordsman” looks upon his days serving as a member of a group of mercenaries, the Band of the Hawk, nicknamed “the Grim Reaper of the Battlefield.” Led by an ambitious, ruthless, and intelligent man named Griffith, together they battle their way into the royal court, and are forced into a fate that may change their entire lives. – ANN

Streaming At Crunchyroll

Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Summary of Episode 1: Following Griffith’s initiation of the Eclipse and transformation into the demonic God Hand Femto, Guts finds himself on the run from the evil forces that have been unleashed on the world. He’s a branded man – the insignia burned into his neck draws wicked spirits and the restless dead to him in unending waves, and it is with his gigantic sword, really just a crude, gigantic slab of metal, that he fights them off one-by-one. After a bar brawl, a young elf named Puck begins to follow Guts. He becomes a first-hand witness to the horrors that now define Guts’ life as a kindly monk and the young girl accompanying him become victims of the risen dead.

First Impressions: I want to start off by mentioning that the Berserk series in general needs a big giant content warning for violence, gore, war crimes, and rape. This series is the very definition of grim-and-gritty and bad things happen to both good and evil characters.

Berserk02
The scars from Guts’ past are evident.

It might come as some surprise to those of you who only know me via the internet that I actually really, really enjoy Berserk. I count the original anime series among my favorites, and though I haven’t in any sense of the word caught up on the manga, I really like what I’ve read (part of that is Kentaro Miura’s incredible artwork, obviously). The story is certainly incredibly violent (not something I normally like) and the three main characters of the initial story arc are essentially defined by how non-consensual sexual situations have affected them (and these things are shown rather than suggested in most cases), but the story as a whole just holds a certain appeal to me. Perhaps its unflinching darkness hit me at the right time in my anime fandom to leave a mark. In any case, anyone who’s seen the original anime series knows that it leaves off on what’s basically a cliffhanger. The Eclipse happens, we see Guts obtain his sword, and that’s about it. The show is actually sort of circular – if you watch the first episode directly after the final one, you’ll see what I mean. But there’s so much more story to tell, and fans of the show, myself included, have been waiting a long, long time for more of it to be animated.  When the trilogy of new films that reanimated the “Golden Age” story arc (the one covered by the TV series) were released recently, I think many of us began to suspect that something might be in the works. Soon enough the speculation became reality, and here we are.

I’ll say, I definitely have some mixed feelings about this, and I think those of you who’ve watched the episode already will probably have some idea where I’m going. I really, really am not a fan of the way CG is used to animate the majority of this show. On the one hand, it allows more consistency and detail in the characters and backgrounds, and that in and of itself isn’t bad. One hallmark of Miura’s art is that it’s hopelessly detailed (there’s some speculation that one of the reasons that it takes so long for a new chapter of the manga to get finished is due to the detail in the artwork and the fact that he might not be utilizing the services of any assistants to keep things on pace). The original anime series just didn’t even try to animate to the artwork, and used a lot of still-frames and pans to tell the tale of Guts and company. It got the atmosphere down very well and really captured the grittiness of the story, but there just wasn’t a lot of actual animation to speak of. This episode is fully-animated, and we get a lot of cool camera angles and body parts flying, but the characters look like puppets because of the way their limbs move – it’s both too smooth and overly-clunky at the same time. Anime-style animation is all about dynamic character posing and bursts of energy in between static shots; Even though Guts is doing some cool stuff with his swords, the overall movement is too smooth and restrained. Puck’s chibi form is also so disastrously out-of-place when animated this way… yikes.

Berserk04
The Black Swordsman lives up to his name.

There are a few moments that are clearly hand-drawn, mostly close-ups of faces and some scenes from the opening theme (especially those that hearken back to the previous series), and those scenes are like reaching an oasis in a desert. It’s in those instances where the fine details really seem to come alive. I realize that hand-animating a series like this would require a lot of person-power and that using CG models allows the animators to maintain a consistent quality level without going overboard on labor, but considering how famous this series is, how much merchandise there is for it (it keeps being produced!), and the fact that it’s pretty much earned a place in the pantheon of anime classics, you’d think that perhaps some more resources and care would have been allotted to make this into a prestige piece. It’s like Sailor Moon Crystal all over again (except with more demons, decapitations and flying human entrails).

That being said, there will always be a certain amount of BS I’m willing to deal with in order to see a great story make its way to one of my favorite forms of media. Despite feeling a tad disappointed in some of the visual choices made, watching the first episode of this new chapter of the story feels a little bit like returning to the person I was in the early 2000’s when I first saw the original Berserk series. That is to say, very in awe of the sheer number of anime available in the world, most of which were still out there for me to discover. There really are not a lot of anime around today that really go all in with violence, gore, horror, or the darkness of human nature they way TV series and OVAs did in the 1990’s. I think part of that is just that tastes have changed and we as anime fans have become more accustomed to embracing life’s cuteness and not giving a damn about what non-weebs think of us for it. It also seems like, since the early 2000’s, the world’s real-life horrors have become so much more pronounced, and our escapism is more aimed at contrasting that with happiness and simplicity. Of course, this is also the age of Game of Thrones, where some of the worst aspects of human nature are put on display from week to week to the delight of millions of viewers (and yes, I’m one of those viewers, too). I suspect there is something in many of us that gets lit up when we feel powerless to help ourselves or to make real change in the world. Sometimes it’s just satisfying to see someone in a bad situation bust out and make heads roll, literally. It’s stories like Berserk that put a voice to that urge for me.

Berserk03
Guts endures a flashback while asleep.

Content-wise, I don’t feel like there’s much for me to worry about. I don’t really question the strength of Berserk‘s underlying story, though I’m interested to see how well the anime adapts it and what sort of pace it will take (I’m unclear on how many episodes there are supposed to be and how much of the manga storyline they’re planning to tackle in this segment, so I’m not willing to start making any big predictions). One thing that might be frustrating for some people, though, is that this series pretty much picks up where the previous one left off. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll either have to watch the trilogy of recent films (pretty easy to do, but they’re not streaming anywhere that I know of so you’ll have to get a hold of the DVDs or Blu-Rays somehow) or dig up an old dusty copy of the original anime series (it’s waaay out of print at this point, though I hope maybe the remaster will get re-released someday or that Crunchyroll might add it to their back library now that the new show is coming out). It’s certainly worth your time to do so if you can handled the content. As a side note, I was interested in how they were going to account for Puck since he was cut out of the original series, but this episode did a pretty good job of plopping him right on in!

I really like Berserk and I’m still looking forward to watching this show despite the visual missteps. I think the first episode “feels” mostly correct to me, even if I still find it weird that a story that is so much of a certain time and place has dramatically succumbed to the realities of the modern anime industry. I’m looking forward to continuing the story this season.

Pros: I’ve been waiting a LONG time for more of this story to get animated! It’s quite different in tone than a lot of what’s popular in anime right now, which makes it feel fresh (even though it’s a story that’s been in the process of unfolding for a good 25 years at this point, in manga form).

Cons: Ugh, that CG. Someday we’ll get to a point where it looks almost as good as hand-drawn animation. We have not reached that point, yet. The content will also be too intense for some viewers, as it delves into some pretty violent and explicit territory.

Grade: B

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Winter 2016 First Impressions – Dagashi Kashi

Dagashi Kashi manga cover
Dagashi Kashi manga copyright Shogakukan/Kotoyama

“Kokonotsu Shikada is the son of a dagashi snack shop owner. Although he wants to become a manga artist, his father, Yo, wants him to take over the family business. One day, a girl named Hotaru Shidare shows up at the shop and challenges Kokonotsu.” – Funimation

Streaming at Funimation.com

Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Summary of Episode 1: It’s difficult when your own aspirations conflict with your family’s expectations. Kokonotsu “Coconuts” Shikada just wants to draw manga, and his art skills are actually pretty good, but his father wants him to take over the family business – becoming the next in line to run the family sweets shop. It’s not just tradition informing this opinion; when an outgoing and snack-obsessed girl named Hotaru shows up at the shop one day, Kokonotsu learns the truth – Hotaru’s candy company wants Yo, Kokonotsu’s father, to join with them because of reasons. Kokonotsu will have to commit to running the shop before Yo is free to follow his own dreams. Kokonotsu isn’t keen to give up his own goals, but Hotaru is very insistent. She plans to insinuate herself into Kokonotsu’s life and use anything in her power to convince him to change his mind, including becoming friends with his sort-of girlfriend and spreading candy throughout town.

First Impressions: I wanted to check this show out because I have a certain interest in Japanese cuisine, and obscure Japanese snacks fall under that umbrella. While I can’t really eat most of these goodies anymore since sugar makes my brain feel like it’s about to burst out of my skull, I can still stand having them paraded around in front of me. As I feared going in, however, the snacks are probably the most interesting things about the episode and the characters who eat them are somewhat hard to tolerate.

DagashiKashi02
Hotaru Shows up at the dagashi store.

I’ve seen several reviewers describe Hotaru as a “manic pixie dream girl,” and to some extent I think that’s accurate. Kokonotsu is faced with a life decision that’s likely to take the length of the series to resolve, and Hotaru shows up as he stands at a crossroads and promises to make big changes in his life. She’s a very weird human being, defined so far by her sweets expertise and weirdly regal bearing. She also looks almost exactly like a manga character that Kokonotsu was drawing as the episode opened, which helps contribute to an eye-rolling introductory scene. She’s a male fantasy, an unrealistic woman who is more plot device and catalyst than equal partner. It’s not the worst of sins that a piece of fiction can commit, but it makes things a lot less interesting.

Something else the turned me off was the constant over-acting and forced comedy that peppered the episode. There’s a lot of yelling, goofy behavior, and immaturity on the part of several of the characters, especially Hotaru and Yo. As far as I can tell, the majority of the characters are young adults, and at the very least Yo is, but the humor is incredibly juvenile and Yo especially is a complete goofball. One of my least favorite tropes is parents who act less like adults than their own children, and while I’ve probably seen this trope expressed more by some anime mothers or female authority figures it’s just as irritating when dads do it. The jealousy exhibited by Saya, Kokonotsu’s childhood friend and likely romantic interest, is extreme. To be perfectly blunt, Kokonotsu really hasn’t proven himself to be a man worth giving a crap about, so Saya’s reaction upon hearing that there was merely a weird city girl in his family’s shop just makes her look bad. It’s difficult to get invested in a story when all the of the characters range from irritating and unrealistic to completely intolerable.

DagashiKashi01
Yo is a grade-A doofus.

The show’s saving grace is the minimal amount of attention that it pays to the “dagashi” (traditional snacks) that are referenced by the show’s title. like I’ve mentioned, I really like learning about food even if it’s technically food that I can’t eat anymore (sugar and simple carbohydrates make my brain feel like it’s about to leap out of my skull). Possibly my favorite scene in the episode occurs when Hotaru challenges Kokonotsu to create a delicious culinary combination of different Umai-bou flavors. I had coincidentally watched a Youtube video earlier in the week in which the person making the video took different flavored Umai-bou and combined them with various actual foods to create new taste sensations. It fascinates me that such a culture exists around what are essentially large, diversely-flavored Cheetos, and these are the things I really like to learn about. It amuses me that there are more desirable ways of eating the “fries” that the characters snacked on, or that you can buy what are essentially mini-donuts in cute little packages (they look way yummier than the dusty powdered-sugar “Donettes” that are ubiquitous at American gas stations). And now I’m really craving something sweet and doughy to spoil my dinner.

I didn’t have especially high expectations for this show, but I thought it might be an amusement worth checking out. I could conceivably see myself watching another episode or two just to gain some more trivial knowledge about Japanese treats, but the characters themselves make doing so feel like more of a chore than an amusement.

Pros: It’s fun to learn about Japanese cultural tidbits, and Japanese treats and snacks are one of those obscure areas that don’t get a whole lot of coverage in the West.

Cons: The characters are irritating in various ways and the women especially get the short end of the character development stick. The comedy is heavy-handed.

Grade: C-