Huh… We got a pretty good season this time. It’s been a long while since I’ve watched so many shows in a single season, and miraculously I came out feeling positive about most of them! There were a couple low-investment duds, but for the most part, this season was a smash hit!
I noticed that a few shows got delayed slightly. Some started a week late, and some had to rely on recap episodes, which made it a bit annoying to time correctly. I also couldn’t help but notice that there were a lot of production problems too. Despite the obvious troubles that the industry is going through right now, they still managed to pump out a bunch of enjoyable anime. I’m very thankful for that.
Now then…
Shows watched:
- Deji Meets Girl – 3/10
“So rushed and abrupt that it’s impossible to appreciate.” - Digimon Ghost Game – Still Airing – Anime of the Season
“If it were possible, I’d binge the entire thing right now.” - Getsuyoubi no Tawawa 2 – 5/10
“What this show offers that other anime don’t is quite simple: a romance story spanning from meeting to marriage.” - Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo – 6/10
“One of those shows that feels better once you’re away from it.” - Heike Monogatari – 3/10 – Dropped
“I feel no desire to watch something so empty and dull.” - Isekai Shokudou 2 – 7/10
“By all standards it matches up to the first season in quality, bettering both in the process.” - Kaginado – 7/10
“I’m very happy that Kaginado exists.” - Mieruko-chan – 7/10
“If by 2030 Mieruko-chan isn’t one of the top 10 episodic shows of the decade, we’ll have an incredible 8 years of anime to look forward to.” - Mushoku Tensei Part II – 4/10
“If the entire show remains at the quality of this season… I’ll be pretty eager to drop it and forget about it.” - Muteking the Dancing Hero – 3/10 – Dropped
“Frantic, choppy cuts and awkwardly framed shots that strip the moment-to-moment of all context and sense of pace.” - Saihate no Paladin – 4/10
“An incomplete, nihilistic prologue to a show that gives little, and says even less. “ - Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha, Isekai Kizoku ni Tensei suru – 7/10 – OP & ED of the Season
“It’s nice to see an isekai that gets right to the point and then sticks to it.” - Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life Suru Koto ni Shimashita – 6/10
“Basically everything I wanted Spice & Wolf to be” - Taisho Otome Otogibanashi – 6/10
“This may not be a technical powerhouse, but it’s emotionally gratifying beyond description.” - Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu – 5/10
“A good version of a greater formula.”
Deji Meets Girl
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 3/10
Alright, I don’t have much to say here, but I’ve got a real bone to pick with this show. Who the hell decided to get this incredible art style, a good musician, some good directors, some good voice actors, and even a great atypical setting… only to give it to this complete nothing of an anime? Aside from the dialogue, everything in here is stellar, but there’s no actual show to enjoy. The story is stunted, locked away behind 90-second-long episodes, so rushed and abrupt that it’s impossible to appreciate.
Take this art style, this staff list, this setting, maybe even the concept, then give us a real anime. Get that 11th episode and stretch it into a 20-minute masterpiece. As is, Deji Meets Girl is practically worthless.
Digimon Ghost Game
Episodes Watched: 11
I don’t normally talk about long-running anime in these posts, but… It’s so strange. It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve genuinely desired to tune in weekly to a Digimon series. Somehow, Ghost Game is a good show, so much so that if it were possible, I’d binge the entire thing right now.
Not only did they miraculously make a good season of Digimon, but they also dunked on 24 years of history by giving us the greatest Digimon to ever exist.
Jellymon is perfect. She calls her partner “darling” like the heroine of my Visual Novel ‘By Your Side’ so I’m legally obligated to love her. When she evolves, she wears an outfit similar to Houno Shion’s (an original character of mine) casual wear. Even ignoring all that, she has more personality than the last 20 years of Digimon characters combined. The way she includes ユー and ミー as English pronouns in otherwise Japanese sentences is adorable, and her ending most sentences with ～さ or 〜なのさ really punctuates her lines. I’m a sucker for everything about Jellymon, and I won’t hesitate to buy a dumb smart-watch Tamagotchi just for this one Digimon.
Okay okay, let’s talk about the actual show now. To start with, I’ve gotta mention how odd it is that the Digimon series focused entirely around horror stories has the cutest style imaginable. This is a series in which the monsters frequently assault, kidnap, and cause both physical and mental harm to humans… But it looks adorable.
With only three human characters and one Digimon partner for each, the main cast is very small. The pacing of progression is leisurely, the writers clearly showing confidence in their work. We’ve seen more character from these three pairs than the past few seasons of Digimon had to offer in their entire runs. The Digimon aren’t restricted to interacting solely with their own partners. Heck, some of the Digimon have friends outside of the main group. The characters, human or not, have lives beyond what we see on-screen. They have relationships beyond the single partnership they found themselves in. I remember being really happy when the Tri movies allowed Agumon to actually speak to the other human characters, giving him room to show off his iconic philosophy skills. That was a rarity for Adventure—one of the best Digimon seasons—and yet in Ghost Game, it is commonplace. They aren’t just monsters, they aren’t just combat tools, they’re characters too.
I’m only 11 episodes in, the typical Digimon season lasting far longer than an anime season, but I’ll certainly be keeping up with it. A lot about it could still change, so I don’t want to make a preemptive judgement on it. When it’s finally finished, I’ll talk about it again… But I just had to give some shoutouts to a great new Digimon series.
Also this shot is such an incredible reaction image.
Getsuyoubi no Tawawa 2
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 5/10
This is a weird one to talk about because it’s obviously targeted at a specific audience that I’m not a part of. Actually I never even watched the first season when it aired. Even if I was looking for ecchi shows, I wouldn’t be going for the weird Ai-chan x Generic Salaryman thing. This begs the question… Why am I watching this?
In the time before the first season aired, Getsuyoubi no Tawawa had passed along my Twitter feed a few times. One particular instance was near meme-levels of notoriety online: a side-plot focusing on two characters unrelated to the original duo. The girl in that duo was defined by her iconic long bangs.
When the first season was announced, I told myself I’d somehow sit through it if the bangs girl was in it. She wasn’t, and my time was saved. But then, several years later, a second season came into being, and with it, the side characters flooded on in.
What Getsuyoubi no Tawawa 2 offers that other anime don’t is quite simple: a romance story spanning from meeting to marriage. That’s what I wanted, and that’s what I got… Well, it’s what I got in between the cringe-worthy camera angles and discussions between weird dialogue-less men. The fetish that Tawawa is geared towards is very particular and very blatant. I’m not entirely sure if it’s right to fault the show for… having an audience in mind. But to me, the greater 70% of fanservice detracts from the 30% of decent material.
I knew it’d be a weird show going in. I knew I’d probably skip through whole chunks of the episodes in order to watch two specific characters. I didn’t know that I’d end up liking more than just those two characters, so that was an unexpected positive takeaway. I was never offended by or angry at the show, mostly just unenthused by its obsessions. In that awareness, I found a satisfactory (albeit throwaway) romance story that I very specifically wanted to watch. It looked good, it typically sounded good, and it asked so little of my time that I can’t feel bad about the not-good bits. Textbook 5/10.
Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 6/10
When I saw Denchi Shoujo in the season charts, I assumed it was a kids show. Then it threw me straight into a weird sci-fi version of Kabukicho, and I was confused. Then it went immediately into the host clubs, which made me doubt my assumptions even further. But then the rest of the first episode happened and I realized… This is a kids show for people too shy to enjoy kids shows.
Well, the story behind me watching this is much like Tawawa. I don’t like mecha, so I went in knowing I probably wouldn’t like most of the show, but one of the characters looked cute so I tuned in anyway.
I gotta say though, the humour is really charming. Scenes such as the “Garanndoll? What a lazy name… Anyway, Musashi!” or the dumb multi-layered “operation return houou” pun got a chuckle out of me. I think I’ve laughed more at this show than I have at every other anime combined since Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou aired.
Unfortunately, the rest of the production isn’t quite as clever. Actually, the difference between the comedy and the rest is quite confusing. Even in cases where the same principles are used, the show really flounders at anything other than laughs. The metaphorical language for example is very clunky. Whereas the jokes are placed quietly with trust that an audience will notice, the metaphorical language comes with no such trust. Characters will often verbally exposit the meaning and purpose behind metaphors. Rather than open the first episode on a scene of a shark eating a fish, only for its glass enclosure to shatter, suffocating it… Denchi Shoujo chooses to have the main character describe this metaphor while explaining that the shark is a representation of himself.
Rather than simply have the character switch back and forth between his real and fake personalities depending on whether he wears his glasses or not respectively, they elect to have him declare “switch on” whenever he removes his glasses, just in case you missed that he was removing his glasses to disconnect himself from reality.
Instead of having the main character just control a blank mech, while the girls get mech designs based on their passions, they append some narration from multiple characters about how the protagonist is an empty shell, how he has no passion, and that he’s just like the blank mech that he pilots…
Please, let the viewers figure it out. We don’t need to be spoonfed every little detail, especially when you’re already implementing pretty decent visual metaphors. If you wouldn’t spend a monologue explaining every joke you tell, don’t do the same for everything else.
The fight scenes aren’t particularly well animated or choreographed, however they use a lot of inventive and interesting techniques. My favourite is introduced relatively early in episode 3 and relates to the shark-sword used by the main mech. The shark, as mentioned earlier, is a visual metaphor that carries through from the start of the first episode up until the end of the final episode, so implementing it as a weapon is a nice touch. Furthermore, the attack launched by this sword is introduced via a little command interface as “shark bite”, the jagged blades of two swords combine to create a mouth that bites down on an enemy.
The way this attack works is, when called, the screen splits in two like an opening mouth, revealing in the middle of the screen a close-up of the sword’s hilt displaying a “bite” command. This “bite” then switches to “crush”, at which point the mouth-like cut through the screen crushes back down, hiding the “crush” command and piecing the original image back together. The name of the attack is shown via the mechanics of the attack. Super cool.
Yet again, this inventiveness doesn’t extend to the rest of the show. Oftentimes the visuals will freeze up on a frame that doesn’t match the action. This is a result of the inconsistency between ideal and reality; a lot of Denchi Shoujo‘s flashiness eclipses the studio’s abilities to produce. There’s a resulting “animate around the action” attitude that puts sound effects and voice acting above visual depictions of events. There may be a still-frame on screen, or an animation loop that doesn’t match the vocals, but if you close your eyes you’ll get what’s going on. This isn’t a problem that plagues solely flashy scenes. It is present constantly, from throwaway gag scenes, to simple slice of life moments, and to the less-important action scenes as well. There’s a consistent stream of unsatisfying visuals that leave you feeling disconnected from the on-screen events. It can really take you out of it.
With all that said, let’s go back to my initial reasons for watching the show. I didn’t expect it to blow me away or anything, more to get something that—at best—caps out at a 6/10, but more likely rests at around a 3 or 4 out of ten. And that was okay because it had a cute character design.
Now that the show is over, did I like it? Well, I wouldn’t call it good. Was the character I was interested in cute? Yup. Gimme more slovenly tomboyish otaku characters please.
Despite the many flaws, mainly the clunky writing that stripped the show of any genuine emotion and the production issues demolishing any suspension of disbelief I had to offer, I found myself weirdly enthused by Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo. In the time between episodes, I took joy from having watched it, despite feeling somewhat wishy-washy about it during the moments in which it’s actually on-screen. It’s one of those shows that feels better once you’re away from it… But I still found enjoyment in knowing this show exists. I’ll remember it fondly no doubt, though maybe not so fondly that I’d ever watch it again. It’s a seasonal show through-and-through.
Heike Monogatari
Episodes Watched: 3/12
Rating: 3/10
After a long streak of anime that were comfortably willing to accept being typical anime, we get the obvious tryhard of the season. Heike Monogatari is… Well, it’s Heike Monogatari. That one Taira x Genji story that is probably best known for not being Genji Monogatari. It’s here now in anime form, with a really cool aesthetic, some ambitious yet weird directing, and lots of spoken exposition. Buckle up, ’cause we’re about to rush through an epic tale in 11(!) episodes. Cue the modern classic.
I was actually pretty excited for this one, though I knew nothing about it beyond how it looked and the fact that it was a Heike adaptation. Getting into the actual episodes though, Yamada Naoko’s presence on Heike Monogatari is obvious from the get-go. Lots of flowers, frequent close-up shots of eyes, clunky visual metaphors, etc… All the staples of her popular directing style take centre stage almost immediately. I think I’ve insulted her work in the past for Koe no Katachi, and I’ve seriously disliked or hated everything else she’s had a leading part in too, but I watched in hope that the shackles of KyoAni were holding her back, and now she can finally be set free. Wait, hang on, I hate Science Saru as well. Why did I even try to watch this…? The promo art looked cool, I had no idea who was involved in the production until all the signs came blaring out in episode 1. I should’ve done some research before sitting down to watch it…
As an aside, the talk of being unleashed from the weight of KyoAni got me googling what Takao Noriko is up to nowadays; I haven’t seen anything from her in ages, probably since Franxx or that one Fate Babylonia short. It turns out she hasn’t done much, only a couple episodes of some random trash, but it made me realize that Yamada Naoko has a Wikipedia page, but Takao Noriko doesn’t. What’s up with that? Takao’s obviously the more prolific, right?
Anyway, let’s talk about the anime. Biwa is a strange inclusion to the story. She’s part narrator, part in-story presence, sometimes acting as a normal character, and sometimes existing as a 4th-wall breaking biwa player accompanying the telling of Heike Monogatari. To be frank, I find her slightly cringy at times, particularly when playing the “normal character” role. But hang on, isn’t this a strange place to begin talking about the show? Why, of all topics, would we randomly drop in on Biwa’s presence over more important things?
While watching Heike Monogatari, I felt very few things. The only prevailing feeling throughout was one of complete disconnection. Biwa’s presence in the plot is a disconnecting presence. The half-hearted manner in which she is included—an in which the story is framed around her—leaves everything feeling pointless. Biwa has to be there for every key moment, and so we must jump through unspecified time over and over, hopping along a disjointed script. When Biwa isn’t present, we have no viewfinder, and as a result they give us exposition delivered between two people Biwa overhears instead. If Biwa can’t see it directly, the image and sound is unclear. The results and actions are unclear. Time, purpose, and plot feel disconnected from the greater structure. Maybe it’d be better to say that Heike Monogatari lacks any greater structure to begin with. It’s a series of loosely connected scenes, sometimes with incidentally important information shoved in between.
Time passes, faces change, people die, some are born, allegiances swap, conflict brews… And yet, there is no sadness. No tension, no drama, nothing to invest in emotionally or intellectually beyond reference spotting or making comparisons to the original material. I feel no desire to watch something so empty and dull. The manner in which they’ve chosen to deliver this story is quite possibly the least effective manner imaginable. Great source material, great artstyle, but an astronomical disappointment for certain, and yet another entry into Yamada Naoko’s disgustingly terrible filmography.
Isekai Shokudou 2 – Covered Previously
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 7/10
It’s rare that a second season matches up to the first in quality, but Isekai Shokudou’s second season knocks it out of the park. The last time I actually spoke about Isekai Shokudou (in my Top 50 Anime of the Decade post) I said that “the real highlight of the show for me is how the culture of the restaurant builds up.” That remains true here, maybe even more so than previously. Not only does season 2 have a full cast of previously-established characters and relationships to pull from, but it continues to incorporate new ones on top. Like the first season, these budding connections unintentionally further the friendships of others, influencing the greater fantasy setting on both minor and major scales, and most importantly… This builds the restaurant’s culture. By all standards, Isekai Shokudou 2 matches up to the first season in quality, bettering both in the process.
It certainly helps that the first season was no animated powerhouse, mostly resting in that “immaculate but unambitious” category of anime. Though I have to give mention to the few noticeable errors that slip through the cracks in this season of the show. There were a couple instances of colouring errors, where the lineart of an individual frame was left black, causing a slight micro-stutter in the outlines of a character’s profile. It’s minor, but it stands out amidst the 20 other minutes of clean animation. If I was obligated to list flaws, that would be the biggest.
I’d also argue that some of the actual eating scenes are slightly too long, erring on boring… But when I actually think about it, I realize how engaged I am in the eating scenes of the characters and relationships I enjoy most. So even if I don’t care too much about the reactions of the Demon Lord, I can’t fault that she gets a comprehensive food scene because there’ll be people who no doubt love her. All characters are given an equal showing, and I think I respect that, even if it leads to some selective boredom on an individual scale. Frankly, it’s probably a good thing overall; when the Demon Lord interacts with the characters I favour more, I’m able to appreciate it even further.
I love how the cast has developed to the point where we can spot the time of day by the customers. The store is usually empty on a morning, so people who catch the door just as the day begins will arrive early. On the opposite side, the vampires show up later than most since they sleep during the day. It’s a small touch, but I love it. Further inclusions of the restaurant owner’s real-world relationships, family members of customers who do not visit the restaurant, and even some much needed work-dynamic improvements between Aletta and Kuro, all bring a giant smile to my face.
The worlds are vast and full of character, full of ideas and concepts that get lightly touched upon incrementally, never so little to underwhelm, but never so much to bore. There’s more wonder in the gaps of knowledge than in the pursuit of learning everything, and Isekai Shokudou understands that: say what you must, then let people listen. With such a mindset, it shows immense respect for the audience. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I’ll always respect a show that respects me back.
Kaginado
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 7/10
It’s me, your friendly neighbourhood Key fan. Here we have a goofy comedy series of shorts that bring together several Key Visual Novel properties of the Maeda era, where they’re used to tell jokes either about the VNs themselves, or about fandom memes that have built up during these last two decades.
I feel almost obligated to include a Kaginado section in here, but frankly, I don’t know how much I have to say about it. It’s a very simple show that mostly exists to regurgitate niche in-jokes. It’s either perfect for you, or it’s totally meh. That being said, some of the scenes really work in those Key feels. I’m not even an Air fan, but the MisuzuｘKanna scene was the most blessed thing I’ve seen all year.
The chibi-style they went with is perfect, allowing enough variation between designs to show off the uniqueness of the respective source materials while also keeping everything cohesive. I think it’s better than the previous leader of the cheebs, Isekai Quartet. I also love that they’re willing to break out of the chibi style for certain scenes.
The voice cast, forgiving the obvious Sayuri and Misuzu changes, is incredible. They brought back some talent I was sure were fully retired. They based jokes (and even an entire episode) around voice actor castings, which I love. This is probably a good place to mention that they gave some incredibly generous screentime to Tomoyo After, my personal favourite Key title, despite it being a small spinoff project with an infamously controversial reception. There’s a lot of love put into this.
I’m very glad that they’re making a second season. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to communicate my thankfulness, but I’m very happy that Kaginado exists.
Mieruko-chan
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 7/10
I’m not too sure how to accurately describe Mieruko-chan. It’s like a fluffy wholesome comedy show, with some typical fanservicey elements, and then… just psychological torture. All of the cute or emotional plotlines, all of the skeevy camera shots, and even the slow-building character relationships that keep the narrative moving, are drenched with the dread of the protagonist Miko’s awful circumstances. She can see ghosts, but if she acknowledges them, they become corporeal and can directly interact with her. No matter how bad things get, if she reacts, she becomes the target of malevolent spirits. So she has to pretend to not see any of the horrifying things she sees. Every day she wakes up and prays that she won’t have to live like this anymore. Simple activities such as eating dinner with family, or taking a class, or even just riding a bus, become stressful and traumatic experiences for Miko. But that’s the backbone that all the fun comedy and heartfelt storytelling is built on. It’s a very strange mix.
I suppose in a way it’s what the reality of being a medium would be like. Miko is gifted the ability to transfer information between the dead and the living, which allows her to accomplish things beyond human means. Seeing the sins of people following them around or helping people connect with their deceased loved ones are just two examples of the positive impact her powers as a medium can have. Unfortunately, all of the deceased people look and sound terrifying, and there’s very little to distinguish a decent spirit from a malicious one. The only spirits that stand apart from the others are those that bear no sin, but those kinds of spirits are few and far between. 90% of the time Miko’s seeing a monster. Her entire life revolves around suppressing the fear of the world around her, and yet… it’s half cute comedy, half medium-for-good stuff.
To be completely honest, the main attraction I have to the show here is Miko, and annoyingly I feel like they missed something with her voice performance. You can’t give a character that kind of design and then have them speak like any other anime character, that’s downright criminal. Up the momojiri, add some nasalises. Get the SSSS.Gridman voice director in here, please. Voice aside, she’s great. The expressions they draw for her are soooo good so consistently. She has this very tall face, and these exaggerated eyes, and together they do wonders for expressiveness. It reminds me of… a more refined Majikoi style of expression. Since the face is tall, and since the eyes are stand-out, they can manipulate the perspective of the face to focus around the eyes, essentially warping the positioning of facial features into cartoony levels without it feeling off-model. I’ve always considered this approach to face design to be the best I’ve seen, so to see it so well employed for Miko’s already killer design is a joy. Just look at how stretchy her face is!
I think Mieruko-chan has a surprisingly strong heart to it. There are a lot of episodic anime with this kind of structure, where the episodes rarely directly follow on from each other, but the various minor details introduced in each episode slowly add up along the way, leading to a big wrap-up final episode that ties everything together. There are many highlight shows of this structure, my ratings list being topped by examples such as TWGOK, Little Witch Academia, and Kaiba. Kino will always remain in my mind as the most iconic take on the formula. Unfortunately there are a lot of lowlights too… But Mieruko-chan isn’t one of those lowlights. If by 2030 Mieruko-chan isn’t one of the top 10 episodic shows of the decade, we’ll have an incredible 8 years of anime to look forward to.
Mushoku Tensei Part II
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 4/10
Forgive me for using a screenshot from Part I, but I was planning to use it for my Winter post and never got the chance. As mentioned in my post for Spring, the Winter lineup was so bad that I didn’t even want to write about it. Only a couple shows were better than 5/10. One was Tomozaki-kun, which I gave a 6/10. The other was Mushoku Tensei. I also gave it a 6/10. It was an entertaining show, though not so entertaining that I longed to create a standalone post dedicated to discussing it. I felt that it started strong, floundered often, and ended with far less appeal than it began… Though, I suppose all shows could be described in that manner. What I want to say here is… I wasn’t in love with Mushoku Tensei’s first season.
Over the years I’ve built up quite a craving for Isekai. Unfortunately, I’ve seen (or at least tried) all of the Isekai anime, and after Seirei Gensouki aired, that craving became a need. I picked up Seirei Gensouki’s 20 volumes, blasted through them, loved every second, but my desire was no less quenched. Rather than burning out a short-lived Isekai phase, I found myself wishing there were another 20 volumes to read. So I looked for another series. Something with longer individual volumes, something that was complete, and something that was sure to burn out my need for Isekai stories. I chose Mushoku Tensei.
In the time between my last seasonal post and this one, I’ve read 13 volumes of Mushoku Tensei’s English localized release. I then read a further two volumes in Japanese. I then read the entirety of the Web Novel. I read all of the side stories and found some random bonus material online that I probably didn’t need to read, but I did so anyway. And after all of that, I can say with certainty only one thing: I’m still not in love with Mushoku Tensei. Oh, and Studio Bind are gonna be stuck making this anime for the next 5 years at least.
Anyway, let’s ignore all the boring source material talk. Back in Part 1 I loved the start, disliked the move away from the home life, and hated the Demon Continent and Hitogami parts. I found the focus on family and the branching hints of worldbuilding but disliked the action and adventuring. Part II spends most of its time focusing on the second, so I’m not as fond of it overall. There are exceptions to that however. Part II of Mushoku Tensei does delve back into the worldbuilding and family-focus a couple times, initially with a Paul-focused segment, and then in a wrap-up session spanning the final episode. The final episode was great, a showcase of everything good about Mushoku Tensei. The Paul-focused segment however… Definitely didn’t get the best treatment.
Production errors are definitely starting to show, as is the natural decline in quality from season to season, but this damages the Paul episodes. At times, the lack of care given to animation and SFX really damages the impact of certain shots. One key example is in episode 5, where an emotionally-charged punch briskly glides into the frame for less than a second before being cut away from, giving a floaty soft appearance. The impact of the punch doesn’t land, and as a result, the emotional impact also fails to land. This is one of many cases in which the faltering production damages a scene’s intent, the second biggest offender coming during Orsted’s introduction.
Another problem I have with this second helping of Mushoku Tensei is that they’ve maintained the neutral aesthetic of the initial episodes. The same colours and shots that were being used to present Rudy’s first 5 years of life are also being used to showcase his adult years. The stark contrast from happy family life to tragedy and turmoil isn’t really apparent due in part to the unchanging visuals. I wish they were willing to get a bit more experimental with the show’s visual style. The best they can manage is an episode-specific metaphor that loses value outside of the short 15 minutes it is present. The two examples featured in the final two episodes: dripping wine and a “drowning” effect, are identical in purpose and usage, and overall uninteresting.
The omission of almost all worldbuilding in favour of hyper-focusing on Rudeus is a decision I can’t agree with at all. I’ve heard that the author specifically requested it of the studio, to which I wonder… Why would you self-sabotage so much? Rudeus isn’t inherently interesting or appealing as a character; it’s only in connection to other people that he becomes a fun watch. When you purposefully dampen or outright remove those connections, the appeal of the story drops substantially. Erasing Therese and Ariel from the plot in order to fit in an expanded Roxy scene is no doubt a decision that’ll placate Roxy fans, but I’d rather have the characters that build towards the main narrative than… Roxy showcase #1000.
One thing I was immensely worried about was the treatment of Zanoba. I love Zanoba, he’s great, but prior to this season airing I saw some whispers—both on JP Twitter and on Reddit—that Kirito might be the voice for him. Thankfully they got someone more suited to Zanoba’s older age; the deep voice really helps offset his energy levels.
Aaanyway, this is the worst part of the story by far. The production leaves a lot to be desired, and though the handling of the final episode gives me hope that they can pull off the important bits, doubt lingers in the knowledge that it was the sole episode written personally by the original author, not by the actual anime production’s staff. Regardless, the next season or so of episodes should cover my favourite singular chunk of Mushoku Tensei’s story, so I’ll probably watch that when it comes out. If the entire show remains at the quality of this season… I’ll be pretty eager to drop it and forget about it.
At the very least, Mushoku Tensei has successfully closed out my phase of Isekai addiction… Or it would have, but miraculously a second season of Seirei Gensouki was announced. Now that’s something I’m in love with.
Muteking the Dancing Hero
Episodes Watched: 1/12
Rating: 3/10
They really started this show off with a Takeuchi Mariya song, huh? Wasn’t expecting to hear Plastic Love as the intro to a show. And then Orange Range kicks in for the OP? Incredible.
Anyway, this is one of the many reboots we’ve been getting (and will continue to get) of ’80s anime. It’s a pretty decent redefinition of the original too, coming with a great art style, a large roster of great musicians, and an… interesting modernization of technology. Where Muteking falters is in all the in-between stuff. Cuts are frantic and lack the necessary context to make them flow together smoothly, and dialogue feels rushed at every moment. The string that ties all of the cool bits together is frayed and tangled. Sometimes shots will have an unnatural focus as a way of hiding the undrawn pieces of the scene. Backgrounds won’t always align with the perspective of the foreground elements. 3D and 2D characters clash unrelentingly for screen space and time, making both feel equally out of place on screen.
If the quality and reputability of the character designer and musicians wasn’t plainly obvious, this would definitely come across as an amateur production. Weirdly, it may have been better off that way. This fractured image is the result of the strange mindset behind Muteking’s production: blending classic with modern. The artstyle is very modern. The music is mostly modern, with a handful of ’80s classics included here and there. The setting is a futuristic take on classic ’70s and ’80s America tropes, rollerskate diners, trams, CRTs, boomboxes and cassette tapes are as common as smartphones, smartwatches, giant LCD and OLED displays, and robot workers. There’s no sense or reason to it beyond… aesthetic? Similarly, the studios and the staff working on the show are largely led by old-guard creators who were leading projects in the ’80s and ’90s, their style having remained just the same, feeling dated in that abrupt manner of pacing oh-so-common of earlier anime. There’s also a lot of younger staff who have worked on very little—or in some cases—nothing before this. It’s a thematically fitting mishmash of talent.
Unfortunately, admiration of a concept isn’t enough to power my interest in a show. There’s a very obvious ambition behind Muteking, and I can’t fault the show for following that ambition. What I can fault are the frantic, choppy cuts and awkwardly framed shots that strip the moment-to-moment of all context and sense of pace. It’s very hard to watch a show that can barely hold itself together, even if the main focus—music and aesthetic—is so strong.
Saihate no Paladin
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 4/10
Saihate no Paladin isn’t a particularly interesting show. The initial premise—the prologue should we say—is essentially Kenja no Mago’s, with more of a Rudeus-style protagonist. Three great powers take in a child, raise him into OPness, then send him out to change the world. The protagonist, a boy named Will, has memories of his past life, in which his parents died before he could thank them for all they did. Yada yada yada, this intro section goes on for a few episodes. It’s humble and basic, but it’s not a bad start.
Where things really… begin (and I say that lightly) for the show is when Will takes up his purpose of being a follower of Gracefeel, the goddess of flux, and the shepherd who leads the dead back into the cycle of life. His position is one of a travelling soul shepherd essentially, moving throughout the world, learning local stories, and helping people deal with life and death.
Where the show flounders is in how quickly it loses this premise as a potential focus. Will hardly travels, rarely deals with life issues or helps people process death, and doesn’t actually learn much about the world he’s been reborn into. The story instead deals with the slow revival of a dying village on the border of Human territory, with Will hoping to form an army to defeat the demon forces living in the area. He buddies up with a half-Elf dude of unspecified age, a Gnome lady of (you guessed it) unspecified age, and a merchant who looks to be an ordinary old man. Neither Will nor his followers are particularly interesting, nor are their goals, or the places they visit.
What IS interesting is the audio. Will’s voice is quite strange. Since the story begins from his birth, they chose a female voice actor for him. This works somewhat fine early on (though he still sounds far too womanly as a 3 year old…) but once he becomes an adult, it’s very weird to hear him speak with a woman’s voice.
Throughout the show, Will’s internal monologue has a strange effect over it that never sounds quite right. On the other hand, the mixing of singing is so naturally matched to standard dialogue, it puts Gyakuten Sekai no Denchi Shoujo to shame.
Sound effects can sometimes be weirdly cartoony as if they were pulled out of the ’80s, but most are more standard and fitting. Similarly, action animation can sometimes look like elements being dragged across the screen, but most of the time it is, again, standard and fitting. Stills, in particular, can look incredible, and though some characters have vague designs that leave an incomplete mental impression, most look well-defined and have an apparent focus in mind.
That vagueness is more representative of the narrative than the well-defined approach. Saihate no Paladin is a bit of a blank show; there is little to sink your teeth into, and little point of intrigue to latch on to. A blank cast, a blank world, a blank story. It is, so far, an incomplete, nihilistic prologue to a show that gives little, and says even less. I could see it becoming a much greater story in future, but these few opening arcs do not leave much to appreciate. I saw the author say that the structure was slightly based on Mushoku Tensei’s, so here’s hoping we get a kick-ass school arc in the next season. As if…
WAAAAIT! Scratch all that blanket hate on the story. I checked a few random manga chapters that were covered in the anime, and my god they really made it tame and vanilla, huh? Sapped the life riiiight out of it. Damn, what a shoddy adaptation.
Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha, Isekai Kizoku ni Tensei suru
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 7/10
Structure is this show’s main strength. Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha’s synopsis is the perfect starting point to develop this kind of story; the protagonist is an assassin reincarnated into another world to kill the hero 16-18 years later, which gives him a clear goal and a clear timeframe to develop his lifestyle. That’s the focus of the show, and there are no distractions. It’s nice to see an isekai that gets right to the point and then sticks to it. That being said, not all of the steps taken towards that goal are equal. The early and late episodes are entertaining throughout, however the mid-season arc involving mercantilism sticks out like a sore thumb as a far less interesting fragment of the tale.
What holds it all together despite the wavy quality is threefold: Firstly, a main romantic interest is established and pursued from the get-go, which inspires confidence in the narrative’s scope. Secondly, the main goal is always being worked towards in not-so-insignificant ways, progression is frequent. Thirdly, the greater motives behind the figure who triggered the protagonist’s reincarnation are constantly brought up via backstory segments shown solely to the viewer. I really respect the decision to adapt a small amount of the story in order to give each episode more impact, even if the results aren’t 100% perfect.
The show has a main romantic interest indeed, but she’s not always present. For that, Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha takes the Re:Zero approach of dedicating the whole ED to showing what the main heroine is up to. It goes a step further even, altering the ED to reflect the time and events that the respective episode covers, and even changing the vocalist of the song at a key point in the story, something I don’t think I’ve seen since Ushinawareta Mirai wo Momomete. Both of the shows cited here are some of my highlight examples of incredible EDs, so it should come as no surprise that Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha has my favourite ED of the Season.
But that’s not all… I really wonder when was the last time I gave an anime OP of the Season purely for the animation? Absolute Duo in 2015 maybe? It’s been a long time. The OP here is stylish, inventive, and has some incredible action shots in between all the artsy stills that form its majority. There’s a real oomph to some of it, which is more than I can say for most anime OPs. Everything else this season looked by-the-books and unimaginative comparatively.
The music is generic, bordering on stock-level quality, but they include multiple variations of certain tracks which allows for smooth transitioning between atmospheres. A scene could go from lighthearted to serious and you may not even realize when the BGM changed to match. It’s not always utilized, but when it is, it’s great.
Then for voices, the two main characters really stand above the rest. The protagonist’s 3(!) voice actors all nail the role, you can tell how much coordination was done to align the later two voice actors with the initial voice performance. The heroine Dia’s voice actor also did an amazing job, imbuing so much passion and attitude to the role. With a more straightforward performance, Dia could’ve easily been a typically boring childhood friend character who’d have quickly been forgotten once the story began proper, however the snark and personality in all her lines made Dia a highlight of the show. Between Dia and Isekai Shokudou’s Adelheid, Ueda Reina was my favourite seiyuu this season for sure… Though let’s be real, she’s been the best seiyuu for a while now.
A muddy midsection doesn’t detract from the greater experience that this anime has to offer. Capable adult figures, interesting and unique environments, a decisive protagonist, and heroines that can hold their own, make Sekai Saikou no Ansatsusha a surprisingly enjoyable watch, even if it remains unfinished as most anime do.
Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life Suru Koto ni Shimashita
Episodes Watched: 13/13
Rating: 6/10
Something I liked to do leading up to my late ’00s burnout on anime was save the best shows for later. If I ever felt like there was nothing left to interest me, I’d remember a random popular show that I had purposefully skipped. In the past I’ve gone back to some of those shows, sometimes with positive results, and sometimes with negative results. The very latest example, coming from a mini-burnout I had in early 2021, was Ookami to Koushinryou. That’s a show that people had praised incredibly highly for years. Everything about it sounded up my alley, so I knew to save it. Holo was iconic, the fantasy setting appealing, the focus on economics fascinating, and the world exploration endearing… Or at least, that’s what I had assumed it to be. In truth, it ended up being a teenage romance melodrama in disguise, and I didn’t have a great time with it, but the concept remained attractive.
While watching Slow Life, it struck me that this is basically everything I wanted Spice & Wolf to be. A lovey-dovey couple living together and slowly progressing their relationship, doing business, solving mysteries, helping out the townsfolk. The main couple doesn’t get into random spats, or fall into misunderstandings, or have communication breakdowns. They’re both a bit older, have learned from their pasts, and have developed the confidence to be honest and open with each other. Their goals are humble, and they avoid getting wrapped up in things beyond their ambitions. They’ve got happy lives that they want to retain, and anything more or less than their current lifestyle is out of the question. It’s really REALLY refreshing.
On the other hand, you have the cutaways to the Hero’s party as they quest around the world. The group isn’t really interesting at all to start with, and I always felt the urge to skip ahead whenever in-depth scenes covering the journey of the Hero played. There’s a saving grace however with the introduction of the assassin girl Tisse, who at first appears to be a random untrustworthy addition to the Hero’s group, yet another mistake made by the show’s overconfident punching bag Ares. And yet, not only is she the most reliable member to the Hero, she’s secretly hilarious as well! Ruti’s side of the story was my least favourite part, but when the kuudere duo is suddenly formed, the show becomes astronomically better.
What holds Slow Life back is the action. The appeal here is fully in the slow life synopsis, and all that the adventuring flashbacks and present-day conflicts do is detract from that. I heard that this adaptation actually cut out a lot of the action present in the novels in order to focus more on the slice of life material, so I’ll praise them for that. I suppose you can’t cut much more without basically rewriting the whole thing. A rare example of an anime being held back by the source material… And it’s kinda hard to forgive this flaw since the story’s final episodes focus almost entirely on the big actiony concluding battle.
But getting stuck on an ending is never a good thing. Before the final moments of the final arc, and immediately following the conclusion of the final arc, Slow Life is committed to the slow life, and that’s when the show is best. When it focuses on the right things, it’s a very enjoyable show.
WAIT THERE’S A GAME! A life-sim, farming, shop-keeping, potion-making game! You have no idea how often I get the itch for some kind of Recettear + Stardew Valley + Atelier hybrid game… It’s perfect for me!
Taisho Otome Otogibanashi
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 6/10
What an adorable show. Though it deals with a lot of heavy topics, Taisho Otome Otogibanashi is a pleasantly heartwarming romance story featuring a hardworking girl who deserves all the happiness in the world, and a disowned disabled boy who slowly learns to find that happiness. The two aren’t put into their ideal circumstances, but with the help of each other and the friends they make, they build an idyllic life for themselves.
The arc-based structure used to slowly drip-feed in new characters is perfect for this kind of story. The main couple still get a lot of time to themselves, but by introducing family members, local folk, and old friends, we get to see the couple interact with other people both as a duo and individually. I really appreciate that both of them get a good friend of the same gender to be buddy-buddy with too. It’s rare on both fronts, sincere male relationships, and female relationships that don’t depend on a male character, so to see both in action here is very nice. Not all of the characters introduced are necessarily positive additions, but they all become building blocks to form the tower named narrative. When the show reaches its conclusion and all the characters we’ve met come together as one, it’s a pleasure to watch.
I do find that there’s some awkwardness in the progression though. Both the handling of Ryo’s character and the progression of the main couple’s romance suffered somewhat near the late middle of the show. I think if not for the school/singer arc, the progression would’ve been a lot smoother on both fronts… But then you’d have the final arc coming in way too early, and I do think the school arc is crucial for the protagonist. I guess I don’t have much of a solution. Maybe the school arc would’ve made for a better finale actually…
This isn’t a grand production or anything. There are some well-animated chibi motions at times, but for the most part, it’s very basic. I’m not super into the actual character designs either, not that they’re bad, but the still frames and simplified motions aren’t wowing anyone. There’s some solid direction at times, which always comes as a surprise because this IS an adaptation, and strong visual metaphors aren’t exactly considered by these kinds of shows usually, but there were some very praiseworthy shots here and there. A lot of the time though, the characters will just talk about a visual metaphor instead of letting one be quietly shown, so there was definitely room for more thoughtful imagery in the script.
A lot of what makes Taisho Otome Otogibanashi enjoyable comes from the pure joy of seeing characters improve their lives, form friendships, learn to trust and love others, and then seeing them all in one place. That’s not an emotion I can describe, but it’s what makes the show so good. This may not be a technical powerhouse, but it’s emotionally gratifying beyond description. A satisfying ending bookmarks a tale of love for oneself and for others.
Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu
Episodes Watched: 12/12
Rating: 5/10
The world of Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu is not supposed to be a pleasant one. The protagonists curse it and bear the brutalities of reality. The characters too are not entirely pleasant, though not wholly unpleasant either. This is not a perfect picture… Or is it?
I’m not sure what this anime hopes to be. It is in part down-to-earth, but sometimes its head is so far above the clouds, you’d think it’s in space. Nothing exemplifies this more than the world that the plot occurs in. The setting is slightly confused about what it wants to be.
Set in a fictionalized Soviet Russia during an altered space race, it works as a bit of an alt-history piece. The usual tropes you’d expect from a fictionalized version of Soviet Russia or ’60s America are present, but not always in the ways you’d expect. The country that we focus on may be Soviet Russia, however the music is incredibly American-sounding, erring more towards ’50s movies and musicals or early Disney film stylings than anything notably Soviet (or just plain neutral) in sound. Weirdly I found myself comparing it to the setting of Macross, and if not for the laughably soviet-styled font used to display text, I could’ve forgotten the country of origin entirely.
One character in particular—a girl named Anya—is really out of place in the world, with bright pink hair and plenty of Japanese personality quirks. She’s far more animated than the rest (or… as animated as anything in this show gets) and doesn’t match the vibes. Maybe this was intentional given her role in the story, but I struggle to take her seriously.
But rattling on about my gripes with something as basic as “did they make a convincing Russia?” will detract from the greater issues I have. Unfortunately… This is a surprisingly ugly anime, and it does a lot of damage.
The skate scene is one major example. Cuts don’t match together. Motions are inconsistent. Characters will be frozen still mid-air while snow continues to fall. In other scenes, drawn elements won’t track to the background correctly, or zooms will pause along disjointed keyframes. In a shot of a marching crowd holding signs, the text written on the signs jitters around, completely detached from the signboard itself.
Even on still frames, there are errors. They completely misplace or sometimes even forget to draw highlights in the eyes sometimes, and it’s kinda creepy. Objects will disappear and reappear in a scene between cuts, sometimes minor unnoticeable objects, sometimes objects that once held the frame’s focus.
Every show has a handful of notable errors like this, and many more so small, they could hardly be called flaws… But I haven’t seen an anime with so many varied types of frequently occurring production errors in a long time.
But then… Occasionally, very occasionally, a still will appear for a brief second that makes me think… Wow. I’m not even talking the artsy stuff, simply things like character expressions or well-framed shots that reflect a subtle emotion. There’s some real good ones in here, and they’re so out of place, it hits full force when they appear. A couple of them hit me so hard, I got tears in my eyes. The contrast is crazy.
Where the visuals definitely don’t pay off is in the actual space footage. The all-important “wow it’s so pretty in space” scenes are terribly shot, crammed full of ugly 3D models and post-processing effects, and feature space-craft visuals that are sure to break your suspension of disbelief. That final point is especially strange given how well they deal with most of the realities of such a complicated field of science and work.
Voice acting too is not a strength for the show. More than anything, I was disappointed by Irina’s performance. I dunno who the voice director was here, but giving the cool-looking tsundere vampire lady the literal voice of Ranma… wasn’t your best decision.
God that’s a lot of complaining… But those are the interesting things I have to say. When it comes to the story… It’s not bad. I… enjoyed it. But there’s not much to be said for it. If you’ve seen a story like this before, you’ve probably also seen 100 other stories like it. I’m not one to hate a show for lacking originality—most of my favourites are basically just incredible versions of a well-done formula—but Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu over here is definitely not an incredible version of the formula. It’s just good at best. Despite that, I find myself really really wishing that I enjoyed it more, because there’s a sort of primal appeal to its concept that I can’t really explain.
I think the best way to describe this one is: a good version of a greater formula. If the Ancient Greeks had never written, this would surely be a praiseworthy show.
Please, no hate. 
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