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Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Summer 2023 Anime First Impressions: Part 2

Ai no Idenshi:  Ghost in the Shell covered these topics better.  This show tries to make mountains out of molehills.  In an era with the supertechnology shown, nobody would have any problems anymore.  Fail.

Nanatsu no Maken:  This is some sort of edgy, violence and nudity Harry Potter series.  You'd be better off just sticking with the real Harry Potter.  Or watch RWBY for that matter.  Fail.  

Level 1 Saikyou:  This story is too convenient.  An idiot who got himself killed via overwork is transported to a new world where he gets an enhanced drop rate for defeating monsters and a personal dungeon that gives only him stat boost drops.  As a result he becomes rich and powerful, and then ladies start flocking to him.  That's great for him, but what about the rest of us who aren't so lucky?  Fail.

Liar, Liar:  This story makes no sense.  Why is there a giant academy centered around playing games, why is a corporation funding this, why are people honestly striving to get a high ranking in this stupid game?  Why are there so many pretty girls playing this stupid game, when everyone knows competitive gaming is a boys-only thing?  It's all so convenient for this main character to become the main character, but none of it makes any sense.  Fail.

Jistuha Ore Saikyou:  This was never a good series and the second episode was no improvement.  Imouto Charlotte is cute as expected, but it's still just a guy with unfairly high power going around and bashing ridiculously over the top, easily identified evildoers.  Plus I have no respect for someone who breaks his word, even when negotiating with villains.  Once you say you'll guarantee someone's safety so long as they tell you what you want to know, you must honor that promise.  To turn around and slaughter them all anyway is despicable.  Dropped.

Zom 100:  This is one of the best first episodes of any anime I've ever seen.  It shows the soul destroying nature of modern life, with no hope of reward in any way, shape, or form, no matter how hard you try or how earnest your feelings.  A soulless, lifeless journey doomed to failure, persevering solely through habit and fear of the unknown.  No one can escape these ruts, everyone pretends they're happy and just turns off their brains, such that there's no color left in the world.  Such that a zombie apocalypse is a huge upgrade, because nobody can tell you what to do anymore, you don't have to work for food or shelter anymore, and you aren't judged by these bizarre byzantine standards that don't make any sense anymore.  Instead there is a real, objective measurement of your worth -- can you survive?  And a clear and obvious way to achieve it.  Fight!  Every time someone else dies who thought he was so much better than you while you still live, you get to say, "serves you right!"  Or "Who's laughing now?"  Justice is finally served.  You're no longer fighting an unfair matchup against 8 billion conspirators all trying to keep you down, it's every man for himself.  It's now 1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs 1 etc.  And you can finally win.

I don't know where the series can go from here.  I'd actually be fine if the show stopped at this first episode.  I feel like it's said everything that needed to be said already, and the rest of the series will be a waste of time or repetitive.  But this show has definitely earned my continued interest.  The authors are wildly good at expressing fundamental truths we all know are true but no one else is saying.  Maybe they'll say some more before it's all done.  Pass.

Eiyuu Kyoushitsu:  This show is too pervy.  It concentrates way too much on naked or underwear-clad women, and not enough on constructing an interesting setting or plot.  The main character is like Shiki from Edens Zero but way more annoying and overpowered.  Basically everything is too overblown.  Fail.

Synduality Noir:  This seems to be a video game made into an anime.  The plot and setting is some sort of sci-fi mecha battlefield where the mindless AI enemy is trying to wipe out mankind.  Luckily mankind has friendly AI they use to defeat the evil AI, and luckily our hero has got his hands on a really pretty AI girl to work with him.  In addition a human girl likes him, though she's too tsundere to make it clear, so there's a great love triangle sort of like that other mecha sci-fi anime Macross.  A shame there are no idols.  Pass.

Helck:  A comedy using the same tired tropes of a Maou and a Hero with the standard twist that the demons aren't actually all that bad and maybe the humans are the ones in the wrong.  The heroine is cute with her elf-like triangular ears and so far it's been funny so good enough.  Pass.

Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi:  This is a romantic comedy where a saint and a pastor interact all day every day but due to their religious callings their relationship can never develop.  Nevertheless the girl is constantly blushing and daydreaming.  It's a very sad situation created by the evil Catholic Church which forbids love, which is the exact opposite of what any true God would desire.  Fail.

That's all the new shows.  Shortly Spy Classroom and Hataraku Maou-sama will join the summer lineup and we'll have 17 shows to follow, 7 of them great:

1.  Bleach
2.  MIX S2
3.  Atelier Ryza
4.  Edens Zero S2
5.  Genjitsu no Yohane
6.  BanG Dream MyGo
7.  Zom 100
8.  Hataraku maou-sama S3
9.  Spy Classroom
10.  Tonikaku Kawaii
11.  Watashi no Shiawase Kekkon
12.  Jidouhanbaiki
13.  Hirogaru Sky! Precure
14.  Helck
15.  Lastame
16.  Rurouni Kenshin Remake
17.  Synduality Noir  

That's not a bad lineup at all.  And Bastard! S2 will join it at the end of the month.  All that's left is to look forward to the fall season with 100 Kanojo and Sousou no Frieren and then life will be perfect.

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