Tag: Summer 2017

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Restaurant to Another World/Isekai Shokudou

A restaurant called “Yōshoku no Nekoya” (Western Cuisine Cat Restaurant), which is located on the first basement floor of a building at a corner of a shopping district near an office area. While it normally feeds salarymen, there is a secret in Nekoya. Every Saturday when the shop takes a day off, Nekoya is teeming full of “special customers.” For the office workers, it is a familiar place with familiar dishes, but for these Saturday customers — “people from that world” — it is nothing but cuisine never seen or heard before. – ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link

Streaming: Crunchyroll, with Simuldub on Funimation

Episodes: TBA

Source: Novel Series

Episode 1 Summary: Nestled somewhere in the city is a mysterious restaurant serving “Western” cuisine. What Western really means in this context is anyone’s guess; generally anything not “Japanese” in origin, coming from somewhere across the ocean, might be considered Western. What’s special about this restaurant, a little hole-in-the-wall with a cat on the door, is that one day a week its door opens into the “other world,” and fantastic creatures including elves, demons, werewolves, and even dragons enter to taste Earth’s delicacies. On one of these special days, a young demon named Aletta wanders into the restaurant and, hungry from not having any money or a place to stay, eats an entire pot of corn potage before falling asleep. Rather than punish her, the restaurant’s chef lets Aletta shower and then gives her a job as a waitress for the customers from another world.

Impressions: As a fan of both relatively-plotless low stakes anime series and anime revolving around food and drink, Restaurant to Another World is a rare instance of something that seems perfectly constructed to scratch multiple itches. The show also puts a bit of a twist on the popular Isekai fantasy anime subgenre by bringing the “other world” into ours, rather than allowing yet another character-less teenage guy have all the fun in a fantasy world of his imagination and invention. There’s a lot stacked in this show’s favor, and so far I’m having mostly positive feelings.

Delicious, glistening teriyaki chicken. Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link

The dishes featured in this episode aren’t necessarily anything out of the ordinary; within the first few minutes we get to see restaurant customers ingest teriyaki chicken, curry rice, katsudon, and beef stew (while also arguing about which goes best with white rice). This might seem like a fairly typical conversation to be had among friends, but the twist is that, to the individuals sampling these dishes, these relatively commonplace foods are strange, delicious delicacies from our world that aren’t easily obtained in their own. There are times where I’ve daydreamed about what it might be like for someone from our distant past on Earth to be brought suddenly into the present day; what might they think about our technological progress or the strangeness of our popular culture as compared to our own? What’s fun about this episode (and by extension, likely the series as a whole) is that it speculates on the reactions of people to whom our world, customs, and favorite foods are completely foreign. It’s difficult to say exactly what a lizard man might think about the ways in which we prepare chicken, but I appreciate that someone has tried to speculate.

The first episode also devotes a little time to the subject of prejudice, and how even a world about which we might fantasize could still have some of the same types of discrimination that we’re still working hard to identify and mitigate. The way that this is approached is pretty obvious and somewhat ham-handed; Aletta is a demon, and so the humans of her world don’t want to be around her or let her have a job despite her harmlessness. It’s the type of situation that pretty much anyone, aside from the most fervent racists, would identify as being wrong, so there’s a definite lack of nuance that doesn’t result in the type of meaty commentary that the creators might think that they’re providing, but I’d be curious to know if it’s a subject that comes up again and if so, whether it’s examined in more depth.

Aletta starts her new job at the restaurant. Copyright 2017 (c) Silver Link

I’m a bit amused by where the show’s staff seems to have devoted the most visual resources. Most of the character animation is functional but unremarkable. Even the depiction of what seems to be a relatively important (and incredibly sexy) character, the female dragon who seems to own the magic restaurant door as one of her many treasures, is mostly serviceable rather than eye-popping. But when it comes to the food, I can’t say I have any complaints. The glistening, darkened skin of the chicken, the crunchy fried katsu coating, the fluffiness of the fried eggs… almost all the food we get to see throughout the episode is incredibly appetizing and makes me want to pull out the pots and pans and cook up a feast for myself. I may not have been hungry before I started watching, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t develop a bit of an appetite after getting an eyeful of juicy deliciousness.

Unfortunately (and along those same lines, to some extent), this anime suffers from something that I’ve refrained from commenting on too much as of late (because of reasons). Though the show’s focus isn’t exactly on the humanoid characters for the most part, it seems like there’s an exception when it comes to the women of the show. Both Aletta, one of the few named characters, and the powerful dragon who seems to have ownership over the restaurant, are both subject at various points in the episode to the camera leering over their questionably-necessary nudity. I’ve gone from a near zero-tolerance policy on this kind of material to something of a more grudging acceptance of it in certain small amounts (believe me, when you’ve seen some of the vile anime I’ve seen throughout my time as an amateur reviewer of anime, there are a lot of things that suddenly become tame in comparison), but there’s never a point at which it doesn’t rankle me a little bit, and in this case it feels really out of place. The narrative doesn’t seem constructed to appeal to a primarily straight male audience otherwise; on the contrary, it’s these types of iyashi-kei series that I often think of as being almost universal in their potential appeal. So why waste multiple camera shots lingering over nude bodies when there isn’t otherwise a focus on titillation? It’s frustrating and jarring in a way that it wouldn’t be if this were just another in the endless string of fanservice vehicles.

All of our faves are problematic, though, and while I can’t quite place this premiere among my favorites yet, I do think the basic setup allows for something mostly pleasant and kind of unique to come. If the show can play to its strengths and stick to the food rather than the fanservice, I think this could be a nice low-key addition to my Summer queue.

Pros: The food looks delicious – it’ll whet your appetite! The show might have something to say about prejudice (albeit in a simplistic way).

Cons: There are several lingering shots over female nudity that are distracting and don’t serve a purpose.

Grade: B-

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Magical Circle Guru Guru/Mahoujin Guru Guru

The seal that confined the evil monster Guruguru for hundreds of years has worn off. A young boy named Nike is chosen (against his will) as the hero. He sets off with Kukuri, a girl who is the lone survivor of a tribe that uses black magic for good, to save the world, RPG style. – ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) Production I.G.

Streaming: Crunchyroll

Episodes: 24

Source: Manga

Episode 1 Summary: After 300 years, the seal on Demon King Giri has worn off, and it’s time for a new hero to go on a journey to defeat him. As a kid, Nike might seem like the least likely choice to deal Giri a smack down, but his parents have been raising him to take up the mantle of hero for his entire life. Despite Nike’s protests, he’s sent off to Magic Granny’s house to obtain a traveling companion. There he meets Kukuri, the last of her line of magic users, and a start-struck 12-year-old to boot. She considers her meeting with Nike her destiny as a magic user, and the two journey to the Anshient Castle to meet with the king. Though there are hundreds of other hero-wannabes already there, Nike demonstrates some elusive inner potential and is sent on his way (along with a modest monetary payment to purchase supplies). They meet their first monster on the road, but due to its bad case of monologuing and Kukuri’s innate talent (luck?) with magic, they’re able to defeat it.

Impressions: Magical Circle Guru Guru is a surprise in both tone and style; in an age when anime (even humorous anime) takes itself very seriously, this show seems to hearken back to a simpler time of rapid-fire gags and outright parody, and is ultimately stronger for it.

Nike doesn’t want to be the hero. Copyright 2017 (c) Production I.G.

The anime reveals itself as a parody of 8-bit style RPG’s right from the get-go with its use of pixel art and dialog boxes straight out of classics like Dragon Quest or the original Final Fantasy. As Nike is thrust into the role of protagonist, the show wastes no time in pointing out the inherent ridiculousness of so many video games in establishing the hero’s role and purpose. Who in their right mind would assume that a tween kid still living with his parents would make a suitable hero. Of course he holds some mysterious unnamed power – all the tropes say that he has to! The way in which the show employs each and every one of those time-worn cliches belies the fact that the creators of the story truly have a lot of love for these kinds of scenarios; many of us geeks of a certain age have a shared experience in playing these types of games, so while we might not exactly what’s “supposed” to happen, seeing it unfold gives us a chuckle and a warm case of the nostalgia fuzzies.

Another nostalgic aspect of the episode is evident right from the get-go; the show channels other classics like Kodomo no Omocha in its way of presenting the story through non-stop visual gags and hyperactive dialog. This barely gives the viewer a chance to take a breath and regroup before tackling the next item on the story agenda, but this is definitely where familiarity with the structure and pacing serves another purpose; when you already know what’s supposed to happen and have already accepted that it will do so without question, it leaves enough time for your brain to latch onto the fact that one of Kukuri’s magic circles is the “laughing man” symbol, or that the home-cooked meal made by Nike’s mother is the perfect visual representation of an RPG world map. It’s a bit like the way in which moé characterization can, in some cases, serve to provide a good character baseline so that additional character development can occur within the relatively protracted time period allowed for in most TV anime these days. It definitely doesn’t occur that way successfully in all cases, but when done right it can help make the most of limited resources.

Don’t draw your magic circle incorrectly! Copyright 2017 (c) Production I.G.

Speaking of characterization, though, I feel like that might be one area where this episode happens to fall short. It can be easy to underestimate the importance of character development in a comedic setting, especially with a gag-comedy focus. In the end, the most important thing is that most if not all of the jokes were successful in entertaining the audience. I’ve found that a lot of viewers (and some creators) tend to underestimate the potential value added when competent comedy is coupled with sympathetic characters with whom the viewer can form a connection. Jokes that harp on one person’s primary defining trait often grow tiresome, but jokes that escalate as we learn more and more about a character’s inner self make for some of the most transcendent, memorable laughs in anime (one series that does this surprisingly well is Nichijou, which is a must-watch as far as I’m concerned).

My main complaint with this episode in this regard isn’t as much with Nike, who’s kind of your crabby “everykid” hero and seems fairly self-aware, but with Kukuri who stands out to me as being more ill-defined. She’s introduced as a character who’s cute but ineffectual but for her streak of dumb luck. She’s worshipful of Nike, her “hero” who serves some sort of important role in her life as an ideal rather than a friend or equal; it’s this piece of it that grates on me a little bit. Kukuri toes the line between someone who could eventually become aware of her own potential and someone who’s purpose in the narrative is to provide Nike more obstacles to overcome due to her clumsiness and lack of awareness. For now their dynamic is kind of funny, but it’s something to keep my eye on.

The characters travel in 8-bit mode. Copyright 2017 (c) Production I.G.

I briefly mentioned above how the show utilizes visual parody in addition to other forms of humor, and this is probably one of the more entertaining aspects of the episode. There are several 8-bit overhead view interludes (in 4:3 aspect ratio, no less) that occur when characters travel, or something is occurring that seems particularly ripped-off from any of several classic RPG video games. This breaks up the episode nicely and the technique isn’t overused which lets it keep being funny rather than repetitive and tiresome. There’s also a similarly funny effect that occurs in some instances during character closeups, where they’ll be portrayed as they are in the anime, but highly pixelated in close-up. It’s difficult to describe why it’s so amusing to me; I tend to think that extreme close-up shots of people’s faces are inherently pretty funny for whatever reason, especially if the zoom slowly increases in intensity. The added effect of the pixels only enhances that. Overall these cute additions really serve to emphasize the tie that the show has to a particular era of video-gaming; while I believe that the show is made for younger viewers, this aspect makes it entertaining for those of us who played the first Dragon Quest on cartridge, too.

I have to say, this show really came out of nowhere for me. As a re-make of an older series, it definitely looks pretty unassuming. There wasn’t a lot of energy put into making it flashier for a new generation of viewers, and I think that was the correct decision. Considering that anime comedies tend to be mostly-miss for me, I really didn’t have a lot of reason to pay attention as this was coming down the pipeline. After finding myself highly amused by episode 1, I feel like I might have to add it to my queue. At the very least, it seems like it might be a fun distraction.

Pros: The visual and parody humor work well together. There is judicious use of visual gags like 8-bit style and pixelation.

Cons: The characterization is a bit lacking so far.

Grade: B

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – 18if

One day, Haruto wakes up on a round bed in a strange room, with the only familiar things around being his smartphone and headphones. After encountering a strange girl in white named Lily who claims to be his sister and a man who looks like a cat, Haruto learns that he is in a dream belonging to Yuko, a girl stricken with Sleeping Beauty Syndrome. Yuko is the Witch of Thunder, an all-powerful woman who makes the dream world bow before her to ensure she’s known the strongest, the best, and the most fun person around. Haruto’s sister tells him that he must wake Yuko up by killing her in the dream in order to break the “spell” she’s under, but Haruto’s got some other ideas about what might be keeping Yuko asleep. – ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) Gonzo

Streaming: Crunchyroll with simuldub on Funimation

Episodes: TBA

Source: Multimedia Franchise

Episode 1 Summary: The Witch of Thunder rules her dream world with an iron fist, turning its denizens into avatars of cuteness and destroying anything that she doesn’t like. Enter Haruto, a sullen teenage guy who seems unaffected by the inherent strangeness of the dreamscape around him. He’s the only person who can see the elusive “Lily,” a legend of the dream world and a white whale of sorts to Professor Kanzaki, a researcher who appears in dreams as an anthropomorphic cat. As the two chase after this mysterious girl in white, the Witch of Thunder clues into their location and begins the process of bending the two interlopers to her will. Kanzaki is quickly dispatched, but Haruto refuses to see what is happening as anything other than a strange dream. It’s through this skepticism that he’s able to distinguish the Witch for who she is – the dream persona of a girl named Yuko, whose feelings were hurt by a group of bullies. Haruto releases Yuko, who then awakes again in the real world. But Haruto’s job seems far from over as he awakens and finds himself still within a surreal setting.

Impressions: Having been an anime fan for so many years, it’s difficult to avoid comparing a current anime to ones with similar ideas, especially if the earlier examples were executed more successfully. At first glance, 18if seems to be about a mysterious young man who encounters women with problems, and due to some inherent talent on his end is able to heal these women and release them from their suffering. Another anime that immediately came to mind was one of my favorites, the horror drama Mononoke. For those who are unfamiliar, Mononoke follows a character known as the Medicine Seller, who identifies and exorcises malevolent spirits. The show is fairly episodic, but one common thread between all the stories is that they shine a light on the injustices done to women throughout history (mostly Japanese history, but with some minor variations I think many of the experiences could be interpreted as fairly universal); the titular mononoke are based around various Japanese yokai and spirits, but are colored by how they originate from things like forced abortion, abusive relationships, and workplace sexism. I’ve seen some reviews that interpret the show as being terrible for women, in that the stories are built entirely around women’s suffering. For me, however, I found a lot of personal meaning in how the stories were presented – each story arc revolves around uncovering the truth, specifically the truth of the life lived by women and how their poor treatment represents an illness within society.

The Witch of Thunder surveys her dream kingdom. Copyright 2017 (c) Gonzo

Having seen one of the very best representations of this kind of storytelling, it’s difficult to overlook a situation in which the structure of the show seems similar but the execution feels lacking in depth and nuance. Whereas the Medicine Seller’s otherworldly presence in Mononoke and his ability to uncover subtleties and details allows the truth of each situation to be exposed on its own (usually out of the mouths of the people who caused the problem in the first place), Haruto’s sarcastic disinterest and unaffected nature runs contrary to the fact that he seems to be naturally able to navigate and control aspects of the dream environment. He seems more alarmed by the fact that Lily, a girl only he seems able to see, calls him her brother than the fact that he’s about to be squashed by giant teddy bears or hacked-up by a vengeful witch. None of his actions seem purposeful, and while this might be typical for an anime hero getting oriented to a new and strange environment, the lack of any consequences for the character and his lack of focus, direction, or even personality leads directly to a lack of tension throughout the episode.

The episode itself attempts to bank on its presentation of the dream environment as disorienting and weird. Much of the first half of the episode is short on dialog and seems more focused around the various environments that Haruto encounters as he wakes up multiple times from within some sort of dream-ception. One thing that I love about animation is that it can be utilized fairly readily to create settings that cannot exist as easily when portrayed in live-action film. In this case, though, a problem arises from the fact that dreams, while often strange, still often have some element of reality to them. One of the most affecting things about the animated movie Paprika was that Satoshi Kon was able to capture both the reality and the strangeness of dreaming so completely. The dream settings were often mundane, or drawn from film imagery that wasn’t especially extraordinary; when pieced together with representations of the dream-specific feeling of being unable to run quickly or seeing faceless background “characters” however, the experience felt very genuine. 18if represents dreams as wacky abstract environments and characters that seem visually complete but purposely out-of-place, which definitely provides for something zany, but doesn’t give the same unsettling impression of a genuine human dream.

It’s okay because it’s just a dream. Copyright 2017 (c) Gonzo

This, I think, is where the concept falls apart. Ultimately we learn that the dream world is something of a witch’s labyrinth a-la Madoka Magica; Yuko falls asleep in the real world as the result of some cruel bullying from her classmates, and a malignant dream in which she has sovereignty and has the luxury of being pampered and given total attention is the result. That set up seems fine except for the fact that there are literally zero visual connections between that reality and Yuko’s dream prison, and the attempt to connect the two conceptually through her need for control is pretty pasted-on. Add to that the fact that there’s the potential for some garbage gender dynamics between the “hero” – a typical teenage anime guy – and a bunch of girls(?)* with problems, and I’m very hesitant about where this show is going.

As much as the first episode attempts to present a visually engaging setting, there’s a major setback in the fact that the animation is merely functional rather than striking. Not every anime series enjoys the benefits a lot of lead time and great planning; I have no idea what the turnaround time on this show was and so it’s difficult for me to be too judgmental, especially when anime, despite being a visual medium, is almost always more about the story and characters for me. Sadly, though, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that the character animation in this first episode is kind of shoddy and underwhelming for a first episode and I’m concerned that, if it looks like this now, it will probably look even worse later on.

Because nudity = vulnerability. Really! Copyright 2017 (c) Gonzo

Having been an anime fan through Gonzo’s heyday with properties like Gankutsuou, I always kind of hope that they might somehow end up involved with another artful classic close to that level. While this show seems to want to make an attempt at visual uniqueness and the cultivation of intrigue via the route of confusing and disorienting the viewer, it falls short in establishing a story (or protagonist) that feels genuine, and that’s really a shame. Yes, things might get better later on and yes, all the sexist undertones may at some point be subverted in favor of something better, but I don’t have a lot of faith.

*I’m just speculating due to the use of the term “witch” which normally suggests some kind of malignant, aggressive, or otherwise contrary femininity, unfortunately.

Pros: Gonzo, you tried?

Cons: Visually disjointed. I interpret the set up as having some sexist undertones.

Grade: C-

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Chronos Ruler/Jikan no Shihaisha

The story centers on “Chronos Rulers,” those who fight the time-eating demons that appear when people wish they could turn back time. The Chronos Rulers fight a time-manipulation battle against these demons. – Wikipedia

Copyright 2017 (c) project No. 9

Streaming: Crunchyroll with upcoming simuldub by Funimation

Episodes: TBA

Source: Manga

Episode 1 Summary: Koyuki and her friends are about to graduate from high school. Koyuki wants to put on a musical performance at their graduation ceremony, but regrets that her brother won’t be able to attend. He passed away rescuing her from being hit by a car, and she still carries that regret with her. When other students begin muttering about a clock tower in town  where one can make a wish a turn back time, Koyuki is greatly tempted by it. Unfortunately, conducting the ritual only attracts the attention of a “Horologue,” a demon who feeds on human beings’ time-related regrets. Luckily, she’s protected from harm by Kiri and Victo, individuals with some control over the speed that time progresses. They’re able to dispatch the horologue, but at the cost of some of Victo’s memories. Victo himself is the victim of a horologue; though he appears to be a young man, he’s slowly becoming younger and younger, losing time and memories of his past life in the process.

Impressions: Note: Contains a spoiler for the major revelation at the end of the first episode.

Kiri looks out over the city after his battle with a Horologue. Copyright 2017 (c) project No. 9

Chronos Ruler is kind of an oddity in my eyes. What starts as sort of a typical early-2000’s-style buddy cop urban fantasy series a-la Descendants of Darkness turns weird (weirder?) when we learn that the two main characters, who’d normally probably be assumed yaoi couple and primary draw of an otherwise straightforward TV anime, are actually father and son. Due to some weirdness related to the flow of time (basically the entire mechanic that makes up the plot), the youthful, twerpy protagonist is suddenly made to be a tragic figure and his “brother,” actually his son, is the one who gets to watch him slowly fade into nothingness. Fun times! It’s kind of a unique situation, a surprise for me as a viewer; for a medium that relies a lot on copying what came before, I think that’s something to be lauded. I just wish that the concept had been a part of a show less workmanlike and a bit more interesting in other ways.

As an action vehicle, this episode does some good things using what it has to work with. I thought that the opening scene was especially exciting and well-executed; Kiri chases a horologue through the streets of the city and there are lots of dynamic shots with some slow-motion pauses that ramp up the “cool” factor a bit. They also emphasize, without outright saying anything, the nature of the character’s time manipulation ability, which I thought was a nice touch. There’s also some surprisingly good CG integration in these scenes; the moving backgrounds and the horologue enemy are both accomplished using primarily CG animation, and the character animation goes between 2D and 3D in this and later scenes, depending on the complexity of the camera movement and distance from the camera. Obviously it’s noticeable since I noticed it, but I think it works well and isn’t so jarring as to become distracting. As compared to something like Hand Shakers, my low-bar for diarrhea dumping CG elements into an anime, Chronos Ruler is relatively judicious with its CG and the resulting product is very watchable.

A horologue is produced from Koyuki’s regrets. Copyright 2017 (c) project No. 9

The episode does have a glaring problem, however. Like many anime before, there is an overriding tonal conflict that takes away from the meat of the show. Overall I’d peg this as a relatively serious action/fantasy series with kind of a classic feel to it; there’s an opportunity for contextual humor with a sarcastic, cynical edge, but for the most part the story seems to lend itself to being straightforward and a little dark or melancholy. But several times throughout the episode, the character interactions devolve into something out of a manzai routine, with Kiri as the exhausted straight man and Victo as the goofball. These moments serve to heighten the tragedy of the characters’ situation when it’s revealed later, but in the midst of the exposition these moments are distracting and irritating. This episode deals with a regretful death, albeit in kind of a melodramatic way. There’s an overall sadness to it that isn’t well-served by this type of intrusive goofiness, and to be honest I’d rather be ham-handedly manipulated into feeling sad for the characters than jerked-around between feeling bad and feeling irritated over the immaturity of the production.

Time travel and time manipulation are two subjects that are rarely examined in a way that’s comprehensible, because due to the nature of time itself, messing around with it creates every manner of logical conundrum and paradox one could imagine. I doubt that this anime series, which seems to operate entirely under the guise of the “rule of cool” has the chops to really follow through on that front. And as a bishounen vehicle, well, I’m sure there are many fans who won’t worry about the father-son dynamic in the protagonists’ relationship (nor should they: people can like what they want), but for me that kind of removes all that would have attracted me from the “hot guys doing action stuff and being hot together” angle. Ultimately I’d expect this show to unfold in way that’s mildly entertaining but probably pretty forgettable.

Pros: The action elements in the first episode are pretty well done. There’s good integration of CG elements.

Cons: The comedy stuff sticks out like a sore thumb. The relationship between the protagonists could be weird/squicky for some.

Grade: C

Categories
Miscellaneous Reviews Reviews

Review – Castlevania Season 1

Copyright 2017 (c) Netflix/Frederator Studios

Streaming: Netflix

Episodes: 4

Source: Video Game

Review: This review contains some spoilers for episodes 1-4 of the Netflix Castlevania series.

Content Warnings: These episodes contain depictions of extreme graphic violence against human beings. The story also partly involves corruption within the Catholic Church.

The video rental shop from which I used to rent NES games as a kid had quite the eclectic mix of cartridges from which to choose. Along with the typical things like Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda, they also had less memorable titles like the deplorable Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stinker, Legendary Wings, and Milon’s Secret Castle (an exercise in frustration, to say the least). They didn’t carry all the entries in the Castlevania series, but they did have the third title, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, for rent. My first experiences with the franchise were based around that game; I would call it a formative experience in my gaming fandom.

Castlevania III combined the standard whip-based monster hunting from the first game with unique features like branching level pathways; completing certain stages gave you a choice of multiple paths to take forward. The protagonist Trevor Belmont also had the ability to partner with one of three secondary characters, each with their own strengths and abilities of which the player could take advantage. I spent a lot of my parents’ money renting that game, until I eventually acquired a copy of my own. Even as an adult I still occasionally go back to revisit the game (luckily my cartridge still works!).

Lisa meets Vlad in his imposing home. Copyright 2017 (c) Netflix/Frederator Studios

When Netflix and Frederator let on that a Castlevania animated series was in development, there were definitely a lot of questions. Was this to be based on one of the games specifically, or was this outing planned as a separate, new story set somewhere in the existing timeline of the franchise? It was only within the past week or so that I learned about Castlevania III serving as the source material, and it was very welcome news to hear. Not only is the game regarded as one of the best in the series, it also features elements like multiple characters and a richer, more well-defined setting. It seemed like an obvious choice to adapt. While at this point it’s difficult to tell whether the endeavor has been entirely successful, since the first chunk of episodes released feel like a first act rather than a full narrative, I think the show is off to a good start.

The show takes place in fifteenth century Walachia, a territory inside what is now Romania. A woman named Lisa visits the castle of Vlad Tepes and seems mostly unafraid of the experience despite the desolation of the surrounding landscape and copious amount of skewered human remains lining the path to Vlad’s front door. Her thirst for knowledge and desire to bring medicine and science to the superstitious populace has brought her here, and her curious attitude and lack of fear intrigues Vlad, who is otherwise cynical about humanity’s value as a species. The two begin a relationship, Lisa convincing Vlad to explore what it means to live as a human. Unfortunately, over the years, Lisa’s proclivities towards science paint her as a witch and heretic, and a motivated local bishop acting under what he interprets as the will of god has Lisa burned at the stake. In his pain and anger, Vlad, known also as the legendary horror Dracula, curses mankind, giving them a year to get their affairs in order before unleashing the creatures of Hell across the land. He makes good on this promise, and the cities of Walachia begin to fall under the wrath of the king of vampires.

Sypha Belnades is returned safely to her grandfather. Copyright 2017 (c) Netflix/Frederator Studios

Enter Trevor Belmont, a member of the disgraced Belmont Clan. Excommunicated from the Catholic Church, Trevor has been skulking around the countryside living only for getting drunk and surviving – barely. His travels bring him to Gresit, the last remaining large city in Walachia not to have been taken over by Dracula’s army. He means to pass through and get out of town, but encounters a group of Speakers, a nomadic group who maintain a wholly oral history that predates the advent of the Church. One of their own is missing, and though Trevor would like to leave them to their own devices, he allows himself to become entangled in their affairs due to his family’s connections to the group. He rescues the missing grandchild, a magic-user named Sypha, then chooses to defend the Speakers against the Bishop, who has turned them into scapegoats by blaming the current demon infestation on their heretical beliefs.

Trevor and Sypha, somewhat by accident, begin their descent into Dracula’s ever-changing castle. It is within the shifting walls that the two encounter someone who could ultimately turn out to be a friend or foe.

As I mentioned above, this group of four episodes feels much like the first act of a larger tale. While there’s still a self-contained story revolving around the errant Bishop and a demon “mid-boss” of sorts, the fourth episode ends with our intrepid heroes beginning their descent into the castle in earnest. Considering how Netflix typically releases its shows in larger chunks, I was expecting something more like a 13 episode release of the entire narrative adaptation. That said, I suspect that a gritty animated series aimed at an adult audience was farther from a “sure thing” than Netflix would have liked, so in a way it makes some sense for them to dip their baby toe in the water before diving right in. That aside, I’m optimistic about what I’ve seen so far and about where the series might be headed.

Trevor meets with the Speakers, who wish to remain in Gresit despite the Bishop’s promise to execute them. Copyright 2017 (c) Netflix/Frederator Studios

It’s an inevitability that this series will be compared to Japanese animation, so I’ll go ahead and do that without reservation; this animated serial incorporates a lot of anime’s positive traits to its benefit. While serialized stories are no longer a rarity in Western television entertainment, it hasn’t been until more recently with series like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Steven Universe that specifically American-created animation has more often chosen to take that path. But those of us who are avid anime viewers are more than familiar with the technique of depicting limited stories that unfold across a relatively small number of episodes, and this series already has that sort of feel to it. There’s also a fairly obvious aesthetic similarity between the two; while the character designs do tend towards the more obviously Western-style, my partner remarked (having seen some of the screen shots I’d taken) that he wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that the show shared staff with the Boondocks animated series, known for its anime-inspired look.

The series also doesn’t shy away from adult material, though whether some of it is to its benefit or detriment might be up to the tastes of the viewer. There’s no other way to say it; this show can be graphically violent at times. In incarnations of the source material, there’s a lot of demonic death; in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night there are enemies called “Bloody Zombies” that explode into a gush of blood when you kill them, screaming before they disintegrate, and that’s just one of the many examples from the broader game franchise. I expected there to be some of that kind of content in this adaptation, but what I wasn’t prepared for was the extensive depictions of human death; beginning almost right away in the first episode as Dracula unleashes his minions, people (men, women, and children) are torn in half, decapitated, stabbed, burned and bloodied in multiple creative and horrific ways. There are human entrails draped across the rooftops in one unfortunate town, in addition to things like rotting heads on pikes. This kind of content is pretty much par for the course for a lot of TV series that aren’t restrained by the rules of regular television broadcast standards, so I expect that a lot of people will be used to it. However, this is one area where the show really differs from anime; while a lot of anime can be violent, depicting detailed gore is often avoided or at least censored somewhat, and it’s hardly ever the focus of the scene. Castlevania seems to revel in it sometimes, and that’s something I’m not really used to.

Sypha uses her magic to rescue Trevor from the angry townsfolk. Copyright 2017 (c) Netflix/Frederator Studios

Something else that felt a little bit artificial to me was certain aspects of the writing and dialog. There seems to have been an effort to depict Trevor Belmont as a cynical, somewhat-smarmy asshole, and to try to accomplish that he occasionally expresses a bit of nihilistic gallows humor and some “witty quips” in his lines. There’s also a lot of swearing sprinkled throughout the entirety of the dialog, and while I like to swear a lot when I’m speaking casually and can recognize that this is occasionally entertaining to others, oftentimes in this context it feels forced and sort of anachronistic to the particular setting.

On the upside, the animation was generally of pretty good quality, and in some instances stepped over the threshold into “awesome” territory. The creators and animators seemed to recognize where best to focus their resources, and this falls into step with how a lot of anime looks and feels. During dialog-heavy scenes, there’s more focus on atmosphere-building through color choice and the relatively static positions of the characters. When warranted, however, there are some excellent action sequences that are on par with some of the better Sakuga scenes from recent anime productions. I think this is generally a good approach that places focus on the cooler, more memorable scenes in this chunk of episodes without having to put quite as much strain on the animation staff.

Adrian Tepes (aka Alucard) makes his appearance. Copyright 2017 (c) Netflix/Frederator Studios

That said, there are a few visual missteps that I think are worth pointing out. There’s some use of 3DCG for a few elements, including a mirror apparatus Dracula uses in the first episode, and some CG demons in scenes where there are large groups flying through the sky at once. Generally the slightly uncomfortable coupling of 2D and 3D doesn’t bother me much anymore, but the frame-rate of the CG elements seems overly-smooth and out of sync with the traditional elements which ends up inadvertently calling a lot of attention to it. There are also some scenes in which the characters aren’t joined well with the background art; it’s difficult to explain what I mean, but it can feel like they don’t entirely exist in the same universe as if they’re floating above a painting. I think part of it is that there isn’t enough grittiness to the visuals; there’s a good use of color and darkness to create a good atmosphere, but it looks too shiny and clean to feel real. Perhaps some different kind of filtering might have avoided this issue in the final product.

The last item that came to my mind and that I thought might be worth mentioning is that the Speakers, the (ethnic?) group to which Sypha belongs, are a pretty obvious analogue to the Roma/Romani people, a persecuted nomadic ethnic group now found all over the world. I don’t know whether this group was depicted this way for a reason beyond that of narrative flair and flavoring (and I have a worry in the back of my mind that the creators might get something wrong in the future), but I found it heartening to see that a group that is still maligned to this day in some areas by some people was used as inspiration in a positive manner.

Overall I would have to say that I’m very pleasantly surprised with how Castlevania has panned-out thus far. Considering the failure rate of properties based on video game source material, I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. However, it seems like this adaptation is taking what’s there from the game (which is extremely bare-bones, typical for NES-era games) and expanding on that in a way that isn’t slavishly-devoted to its game origin and feels fairly natural. Netflix has already ordered a second season of 8 more episodes, and I’m looking forward to seeing the continuation of the story.

Pros: This feels like a good adaptation of the source material – faithful but not “like a video game.” The look and feel take good parts from Japanese animation and Western animation.

Cons: There are some visual missteps that can be jarring. There is a lot of graphic violence and quite a bit of strong language.

Grade: B

 

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Knight’s & Magic

A Japanese mecha otaku dies in a car accident and his soul is reincarnated into another world as Ernesti Echevarria. Eru inherits memories and interests from his previous life, and aims to be a pilot of a Silhouette Knight, a large humanoid weapon that really exists in his world. – ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) 8-Bit

Streaming at: Crunchyroll

Number of Episodes: TBA

Source: Web Novel/Light Novel

Summary of Episode 1: Kurata is a programmer who always gets the job done, even when it’s crunch time and it doesn’t look like his team will meet their deadline. He’s also a big fan of mecha anime and has an entire room in his apartment devoted to his model collection. Unfortunately, once he’s killed in a hit-and-run on a rainy night, his model-making hobby is over for good. Or is it? As luck would have it, Kurata’s spirit is reincarnated into the body of a child noble named Ernesti “Ernie” Echevalier. Better yet, the world in which Ernie lives is one filled with magic, as well as mecha-like apparatuses called “Silhouette Knights.” With his adult-like maturity and interest in mecha, Ernie manages to work his way into the top of his class and eventually positions himself to become a pilot. But demons are starting to run amok. Will Ernie’s cleverness and penchant for inventing things be the factor that turns humanity’s luck around?

Impressions: First of all, let’s get this out of the way and then never speak of it again: what is up with the apostrophe in the show’s title? It’s been causing me a lot of heartburn. Maybe Japanese creators could just agree to employ the services of a native English speaker from now on so that we can all avoid any future hair-pulling punctuation flourishes.

Kurata’s last moments. Copyright 2017 (c) 8-Bit

Just like every other storytelling trend, the fantasy subgenre of “Isekai,” in which a modern day individual is transported from their home into another world (the word literally means “another world.” It makes sense!) has been expressed in so many variations lately that it’s beginning to seem a little bit stale. More often than not, it feels like the trope is used solely in the service of stroking the male ego – “I’m an otaku who knows how these alternate worlds work through my extensive knowledge of fantasy media and games, so the elves, demi-humans, and other female denizens of this realm will certainly fall in love with me!” There are obviously many variables in both specific details and relative quality, and it’s not like this is a new phenomenon or one solely limited to male characters (in fact, some of the earlier examples I can think of featured young women drawn into worlds with groups of hot bishounen suitors), but it’s been very one-note as of late. So what does it take for something with a stock premise to stand out?

One good example I watched some of within the realm of recent memory was The Saga of Tanya the Evil, which reincarnated its adult male protagonist into the body of a young girl and turned its story into a philosophical debate about the existence of God. For every high-minded and creative attempt, though, there are several Sword Art Online clones, as well as wildly-popular but ultimately unsatisfying and problematic examples like Re:Zero. More often than not the genre is used as a setup to portray a teenage male power fantasy, paving the way for the protagonist to experience undeserved privilege (due to his knowledge of fantasy and/or video game tropes) and the adoration of an endless parade of cute but vapid female suitors. So where does this example seem to fall?

Ernie gets the opportunity to see a cockpit up close. Copyright 2017 (c) 8-Bit

The answer, for now, seems to be that it’s somewhere in between. There are several good things going for the show from the get-go, the primary one for me being the protagonist’s seemingly bottomless enthusiasm regarding his new and strange situation. Kurata/Ernie, for his part, seems to be so thankful to have been reincarnated into this brand new world that the loss of his previous life, job, and faithfully-curated mecha model collection, doesn’t haunt him too badly. It’s presented as if whatever deity running the universe has presented Kurata with some kind of consolation in exchange for cutting his life short. Rather than be all entitled about it, he interprets this chance as a gift to live a life that he’s dreamed of. Ernie might be unnaturally talented for his age due to his soul’s fortuitous foreknowledge of technology and ability to solve problems quickly and creatively, and this could easily have been used to portray him as arrogant and superior. But he’s so gosh-darned thrilled to learn about the Silhouette Knights and to study magic that it’s difficult not to get caught up in the whirlwind of his joy. His relationship with the Alter siblings and their shared penchant for learning, increasing their magical skills, and using them to aid others is nice as well.

The age of the primary characters also helps to set the tone of the show – the protagonist and his cohorts are all about middle-school aged, which is helpful in keeping them from seeming too self-important. They’re not yet concerned with looking cool and pretending that the issues of the adult world are somehow also their burdens to bear. They’re just kids – precocious ones, certainly, but also enthusiastic and guileless. They’re not yet concerned with the opposite sex in a way that makes many anime feel skeevy. Cool toys and friendships are paramount; other responsibilities can wait.

A Silhouette Knight puts down an evil creature. Copyright 2017 (c) 8-Bit

The show’s attitude and presentation could definitely carry it forward for a while, but it will certainly need to be coupled with other compelling elements and whether that part will be successful is difficult to predict from this episode alone. The building blocks of the story seem pretty typical so far – monsters are starting to show up more often, in greater groups, and much closer to human civilization than is comfortable, and our heroes will likely play some part in finding a unique way to put them down and thus save humanity. The show takes place in a vaguely medieval fantasy setting, its one distinguishing factor being that this world is inhabited by giant magical sets of armor – ambulatory due to magic and a human pilot inside, of course – that resemble the mecha that the protagonist is so fond of. Obviously one unique feature does not a memorable TV anime make, so while the mecha twist is kind of fun in and of itself it will have to reach further eventually.

I do like the overall look of the show so far, even the extreme shininess of Ernie’s hair (seriously, so shiny…). At this point it seems almost a given that mecha elements will be created through the use of CG, and I’m okay with that; the CG elements mesh well with the 2D portions pretty well. There are also some examples of really good traditional animation in the character acting during the episode’s fight scene between the evil creatures and students. Going in I had expected this to be a more simplistic and generic production, so it was a pleasant surprise to me that it was well put-together.

I might sound a little curmudgeonly at times when it comes to popular anime and anime trends, but one thing I like about myself is that I’ll still give something new a try even if I might not expect it to be all that interesting. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised when I do. I don’t think this is AOTS-material, but it might be something fun to watch and it seems to have its heart in the right place, at least.

Pros: The show has a good visual presentation. The enthusiasm of the protagonist is infectious. The show puts a slight spin on the isekai model.

Cons: The majority of the building blocks are pretty typical; it will have to do everything really well to stay compelling.

Grade: B

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Hina Logic: From Luck & Logic

Liones Yelistratova is the naive princess of a small nation, who goes to Hokkaido to enter ALCA, an educational institution dedicated to teaching Logicalists who uphold world peace. Liones enters Class S, and encounters many unique classmates, including Logicalist Nina Alexandrovna. – ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) Doga Kobo

Streaming at: Crunchyroll and Funimation (Simuldub not yet available)

Number of Episodes: 12 plus a special

Source: Multimedia Franchise

Summary of Episode 1: Liones, a princess from an unnamed nation, arrives at her new school having stowed-away on a freight ship and hitchhiked in the back of dirty farm carts to make her way through Hokkaido. She’s a total mess when she arrives on the doorstep of ALCA, an academy dedicated to taking talented individuals and training them in the ways of contracting with individuals from “foreign” dimensions, a role referred to as a “logicalist. Lion, as she prefers to be known, doesn’t seem to have any inherent talent, and in fact most people who meet her peg her as an airhead. But she’s assigned to class-S, meaning that she’s already formed at least one contract (even if she might not remember actually doing so). During lunch on her first day, Lion demonstrates some aptitude with the process, though whatever being with whom she contracts seems a little bit malevolent. Classmate Nina knocks Lion back to her senses; Lion is just happy that she truly belongs in class-S now.

Impressions: Over the last couple of years there have been a few anime series that have drawn their narratives at least in part from the real-life world of anime voice acting. Shirobako, Girlish Number, and Seiyu’s Life! all feature scenarios in which actresses lend their voices to anime series of somewhat questionable quality, though only the latter two really put the situation front and center. These meta “anime-within-an-anime” are typified by their one-note characters, defined more by tropey archetypes than any sort of actual humanity. These shows also tend to be built by committee, with product tie-ins and other commercial concerns given more weight than creating something that can stand on its own. These situations are humorous and relatable because at some level as anime fans we know them to be true; not every anime creation can be a piece of art for the sake of art – sometimes it’s just meant to make money and give people a quick dose of something goofy and simple.

Liones arrives at school. Copyright 2017 (c) Doga Kobo

Hina Logic is like the purest real-life expression of this idea. The visual presentation is competent, the heroine is stupid and sort of likeable because of it, and her friends all run the gamut of moé archetypes – there’s a strong, emotionless girl, a snaggle-toothed goofball, a set of twin sisters with opposing temperaments, and a snooty ojou-sama who’s the class rep. There’s a little bit of a magical girl element, a little bit of clunky fanservice, and an incredibly thin plot that revolves around magical cards (product tie-in!). It’s all just kind of frothy and vapid, without much of anything to grasp onto and seriously be critical about. While it may just be me projecting, I almost feel as though I can hear from within the workmanlike performances the strained smiles and forced enthusiasm of the actresses as they try to talk up this show at a press event, internally aware that “hey, it’s just a paycheck after all.”

This was my poor attempt at being funny about something that used to make me very irritated. Toy commercial cartoons aren’t scarce in the West by any means (I mean, dear lord, G.I. Joe and TMNT were almost nothing if not a mechanism for getting kids to beg their parents for cool toys, and I used to eat both of those up), but I used to get really bent out of shape whenever my chosen form of media entertainment would deem it necessary to waste its time and mine churning out cash-cow advertisement entertainment rather than hoity-toity high art aimed directly at me. I’ve definitely gotten over it at this point, and now I’m just sort of fascinated by the anime production system itself and how adver-tainment is just one of its many facets.

The class rep and her cronies grill Liones about her situation. Copyright 2017 (c) Doga Kobo

As for this episode’s actual merits, the entire thing is much the same as the acting – workmanlike. Adequate. Mostly inoffensive. There’s some trashy fanservice that didn’t sit well with me; in one case, the mascot creature burrowed into a character’s blouse wreaking havoc for an uncomfortable length of time while the camera focused on her chest, which felt par for the course. There was also at least two and I think three bathing scenes with a lot of steam and light beam censorship, the issue being that the characters are rather young and look even younger, which makes it all feel extra gross. While I think really heinous and upsetting fanservice has mostly gone out of style since the previous incarnation of this website, which I’m extremely thankful for, I still find that most of that kind of content doesn’t make the show more appealing. It mostly just feels like a band-aid hastily-applied to a show that doesn’t have much of merit.

In any case, aside from the few sad attempts at pubescent sexual humor, Hina Logic is the type of anime that doesn’t prompt a lot of thought or reaction, because none of it stands out and it’s not really meant to be thought-provoking or unique. It’s these types of anime that are always so difficult for me to write about, mostly because I want readers to know whether they’d be interested or not but I can never really find an angle to latch onto. I will say that, while Katsugeki! Touken Ranbu gave me the impression that the game on which it’s based might be kind of interesting and fun, Hina Logic doesn’t do anything to flatter its associated game properties. And that’s perhaps the most damning thing one could say about an anime meant to sell something.

Pros: The show is exceedingly inoffensive.

Cons: This episode feels strained in several different ways. There are a couple examples of fanservice that are very shoehorned in.

Grade: C-

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Kakegurui

At Hyakkaō Private Academy, the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy engage in a unique curriculum geared to teach them to how to read their opponents. Specifically, students have a rigorous curriculum of gambling where the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. When Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she’s decides to teach the students what a real high-roller looks like. – ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) MAPPA

Streaming At: Netflix (assuming it will be a late-cast in the US)

Number of Episodes: 12

Source: Manga

Summary of Episode 1: Ryota Suzui is in dire straits. After losing 5,000,000 yen to the devilish Mary Saotome at one of Hyakkao Academy’s after-school gambling sessions, he’s fallen deep into a debt that he’ll be unable to pay back for a long time. For now, his status is that of a lowly housepet, and Saotome-san is taking advantage of that as much as she can. When a kind-hearted young lady named Yumeko Jabami transfers into his class, he can only look on as Saotome strikes swiftly to try and take her out of the equation, but during a specialty game of “rock, paper, scissors,” the entire class discovers that Jabami-san is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Impressions: Several years ago, Madhouse produced an (informal) trilogy of gambling-related anime series that featured characters who demonstrated an almost devilish amount of luck. Akagi featured a teenage mahjong prodigy with a demonic ability to psychologically dismantle his opponents and cheat death when his very life was on the line. Kaiji was about a hapless debtor whose inherent gambling skill only revealed itself when he was backed into a proverbial corner. And One Outs (which to this day I don’t believe has seen any official release in the US) starred a baseball pitcher whose skill made him rich in spite of sports managers who tried to take advantage of him. All three anime were really fascinating for their examination of human psychology, specifically the ways in which people act when they’re faced with overwhelmingly negative odds in situations where much of the results are left up to the luck of the draw. On the other had, each one was also an unrepentant sausage-fest, with hardly a woman in sight (and sometimes when a woman made an appearance, one wished that maybe she hadn’t). It always left me wondering what the same setup might be like with a cast full of young women.

Saotome turns Suzui into her personal “dog.” Copyright 2017 (c) MAPPA

In both the East and the West, when we think of gambling, we think of smoke-filled mahjong parlors populated by old men, or Texas Hold’em tournaments starring poker-faced and often quirky male players. Women can sometimes be seen as lacking the cunning and guile that it takes to gamble an opponent into oblivion. While previous series like Saki have avoided the discomfort of the situation by moé-ing things up and making the characters at least look non-threatening, or turned the gambling scenarios completely comedic like the awesomely-trashy Rio: Rainbow Gate, it hasn’t been until the moment that I watched the first episode of Kakegurui that I felt like I’d seen something that captured the same sinister tone of the aforementioned gambling trilogy. The show just happens to accomplish this while still inhabiting that most popular of anime settings – high school.

The premise of the show is inherently unbelievable in that, while I’m sure elite high schools exist in Japan, I’m almost positive that there are none with such a bizarre curriculum (I hope). But within a medium where there are plenty of series about magical high schools, haunted high schools, high schools with clubs that battle with one another or those that band together to solve mysteries, it’s ultimately not that difficult to suspend my disbelief. What Kakegurui does manage to accomplish with this not-quite-believable premise is to demonstrate a fairly decent sense about how ijime/bullying operates within a classroom social system, even if the type of bullying itself is unrealistic. Jabami-san is picked out as an easy target by the class bully and her cronies, is seemingly turned into a victim to the point where it seems like she’ll be banished to a life of subservience, much like our poor POV character Suzui. Of course, the sick pleasure to be derived from the narrative is that Jabami isn’t innocent whatsoever, and completely turns the tables on her antagonist.

Jabami gets turned-on by the thought of a challenging risk. Copyright 2017 (c) MAPPA

Jabami’s two-faced character is probably where the show demonstrates its biggest issues, however. There’s a problematic concept that shows up a lot in Japanese media but can be found in books, TV series, and films from all over the place, and that’s the figure of the woman who expresses her threatening, violent, or cunning nature via her hyper-sexuality. Suzui is drawn to Jabami when she seems demure and innocent, but is threatened and horrified when she switches into high gear – her eyes gain a sinister gleam, her skin flushes, and her lips plump and moisten. There’s also some “moist” visual symbolism that shows up briefly when she gets the upper hand on Saotome. It’s weirdly uncomfortable in that it ties together the idea of the sexual woman with an evil, aggressive, and cunning woman, and likewise conflates chastity with goodness in a way that places value on women’s state of being. This is something you just don’t see in Akagi or One Outs – when the protagonists of those series go into “battle mode,” they’re threatening and frightening because of their almost supernatural knowledge and their ability to think and manipulate themselves out of a corner, seemingly with ease. Here, Jabami also thinks her way out of her predicament using some amount of logic, but she does so while (figuratively) sopping wet. Our milquetoast POV character is put off by this demonstration, and I feel like we’re supposed to be also. It’s an unfortunately weird sex-negative scenario and a problem that’s much bigger than this show.

That aside (if you’re able to set it aside – it’s likely that many won’t and that’s understandable), this episode is something that I wouldn’t describe as “good” but might be tempted to describe as “awesomely-trashy.” It’s entertaining and problematic, and deals with characters who are awful people. It’s not normally my jam to watch stuff that’s quite so cynical about human nature, but I’m still morbidly curious about this truly strange title.

Pros: It’s a gambling tale with mostly young women as important characters. It does a decent job of demonstrating the workings of bullying in an unrealistic setting.

Cons: In this setting, women’s sexuality is seen as threatening. The fact that our POV character is a personality-less dude probably spells trouble.

Grade: C

 

 

Categories
First Impressions Reviews

Summer 2017 First Impressions – Katsugeki! Touken Ranbu

The year is 1863 as the tumultuous samurai era is coming to an end, Japan is split between the pro-shogunate and anti-shogunate factions. The fate of the world is threatened as an army of historical revisionists are sent from the future to alter the course of history. In order to bring these forces down and protect the real history, two sword warriors, spirits who are swords brought to life by Saniwa (sage), rush to Edo. The polite and thoughtful Horikawa Kunihiro and the short tempered yet skillful Izuminokami Kanesada, who served the same master, confront the invading army along with a lively gang of other warriors including Mutsunokami Yoshiyuki, Yagen Toushirou, Tombokiri, and Tsurumaru Kuninaga. As the fate of history lies in these hero’s hands, what meets the blade is yet to be uncovered… ANN

Copyright 2017 (c) Ufotable

Streaming at: Amazon Anime Strike, Crunchyroll

Number of Episodes: 13

Source: Game

Summary of Episode 1: Kanesada and Kunihiro are two warriors who exist outside of time and outside of the bounds of normal humanity. Both men are warrior spirits summoned from powerful blades by the sage Saniwa, and who have been sent backwards in time into historical Japan to prevent the malevolent Retrograde Army from meddling in and altering Japan’s history. The problem is that they are but two individuals, and the Retrograde Army continues to send more and more demonic soldiers to murder important people. It’s becoming more difficult to accurately predict where these creatures will appear and what effects they might have. It’s during a particularly dire battle that Saniwa makes his appearance in person, and he comes bearing gifts – three more weapon-based warriors to aid in the good fight. This may just tip the scales in the right direction, but only if Kanesada and the gun-wielding Yoshiyuki can get over their rivalry and work together.

Impressions: It’s easy to go into an anime viewing with prejudices, especially when the type of source material on which it’s based tends to have its own set of tropes. The Touken Ranbu game is described as a gender-swapped version of the game Kantai Collection, which anthropomorphizes historical military warships as sexy young women, for the consumption of a mostly male audience. Touken Ranbu does the same for famous swords, turning them into various flavors of attractive men for an interested female audience. Turnabout is fair play and all, but in past cases this sort of thing has resulted in anime that’s almost always kind of goofy and based around a one-joke concept that has to be manipulated all over the place to provide enough basis for an actual story. It’s not meant to provide a pithy plot, it’s meant to show attractive characters doing a thing and to justify merchandising. Which is great and all, but I don’t buy a lot of merch so that doesn’t really resonate with me.

The team analyzes who the next target might be. Copyright 2017 (c) Ufotable

Touken Ranbu is an interesting case in that it’s received two different types of adaptations. There was a more light, comedic adaptation (that I didn’t watch) a couple of seasons ago called Touken Ranbu Hanamaru that seemed to exist in order to get the sillies out of its system, and now there’s this adaptation, which appears to be taking things more seriously and concentrating on the supernatural action elements of the plot. It’s kind of an unorthodox approach to adapting a property to animation, but I think I kind of like it; there will always be people who just aren’t interested in doom-and-gloom seriousness and who wouldn’t watch something where characters are legitimately getting hurt and drawing blood from their enemies, while others just aren’t down with goofy humor and mostly plotless shenanigans. Now that some game companies are using their zillions of dollars to commission and oversee adaptations of their own material (see: Rage of Bahamut), maybe it’s something we’ll be seeing more often.

All that stuff is just background, though. The question is, how does the first episode of this show hold up? I was surprised that, when all was said and done, I was pretty impressed by what this episode has to offer. Anime in general, especially when the background plot points are sort of complicated, has a tendency to info-dump via expository dialog. Even really good series like ACCA:13, for example, can trip themselves up by awkwardly inserting minutes upon minutes of plot setup into character conversations (any time I hear or read “As you know…” in a show, I get a little embarrassed for the writers for being so obvious with what they’re trying to do). There’s a little bit of that here, but it feels more natural than in many cases. Since Kunihiro is a noob sword-guy on his first mission, the guidance he receives from old veteran Kane-san serves to fill us in on a lot of what their general mission is and the workings of the time travel element as it relates to what’s happening. A lot of what we learn comes in the characters reacting to the realities of their situation – the Retrograde Army is going to kill some important dudes in a general location that’s been narrowed-down as much as possible (though not enough – just the realities of trying to predict these things from a couple hundred years in the “future”), and they have to get rid of the enemy without intervening in the normal day-to-day stuff that’s going on. Since they’re from the future, they also have some notes regarding things that historically happened every day so they can cross-check that history hasn’t been altered. It’s a good system, doesn’t try to nail down the time-travel stuff in too much detail (because if you try to “logic” that all out it stops making any sense), and allows us to concentrate on the things that are really important – namely the cool action scenes and other exciting things.

Kane saves Kunihiro from getting skewered. Copyright 2017 (c) Ufotable

Since adapting the Fate series over several different anime incarnations in the recent past, Ufotable has gotten a reputation for its high-quality cinematic anime productions that present cool, well-animated action sequences with a lot of excitement and polish. Try as I might I’ve never really been able to get into any adaptation of the Fate series, which is unfortunate since I like watching cool action choreography and animation as much as the next person. At least judging by this episode, Ufotable has given us something that retains and shores up their reputation in this area, but without the added baggage of people trying to convince me that Saber is a feminist character (please stop doing this; I will not agree with you). While it’s not quite Sword of the Stranger quality action (seriously – if you love amazing animation, you can definitely watch around the middling samurai-movie plot for the sublime sword fight choreography in this film from BONES), the glistening swords and characters racing across the rooftops is exciting and fun to watch. A lot of care has gone into making this episode look good; if the job of an opening episode of anime is to put the show’s best foot forward and get viewers hooked on its best qualities, this definitely accomplished that.

The other side of this is that there’s a lot of reliance on computer generated components (creatures and settings) to help make many of the shots possible. Anime cinematography has gotten so much better over the past couple of years that this is really almost a non-issue; the hand-drawn characters and the 3D backdrops mesh together really well thanks to judicious use of visual filters and what is probably very conscientious storyboarding and layout construction. In short, it looks great! But similar to a lot of modern live-action films (especially superhero or disaster films that, by their nature, require a lot of effects work) there’s always that subconscious sense that the two pieces don’t exist in the same world, and that can be ever-so-slightly distracting (at least for me). But don’t let that dissuade you – I think this is one of the better examples of what can be done in the modern era when the two animation techniques work together.

A good-looking rival appears. Copyright 2017 (c) Ufotable

I was incorrect in thinking that this show was an Anime Strike exclusive; I learned that Aniplex USA has got it playing on several different streaming outlets, so while you won’t be able to afford to buy it when it’s released on disc, at the very least you’ll be able to scrape together enough pennies to watch it on your favorite streaming service (I added it to my queue on both Crunchyroll and Anime Strike, so we’ll see what service I default to in future weeks).

While I’m usually more interested in quieter, more thoughtful, or “iyashi-kei” or “healing” entertainment, it’s definitely fun to branch out and watch something that does nothing more than get my heart pumping. A well-constructed action series with attractive anime dudes is really the very definition of what gets my kokoro going doki-doki, so there you have it. Even if bishounen aren’t exactly your thing, though, I think if you enjoy swordplay, historical fantasy, or just really cool hand-drawn animation, Katsugeki! Touken Ranbu might have something worthwhile for you.

Pros: The visual presentation is slick and high-quality, the fantasy and time-travel elements don’t bog things down too much, and the characters are attractive.

Cons: There’s a sense that the characters and backgrounds are not of the same world.

Grade: B

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!