cross-posted from MAL - my first submitted review! wish me luck...
As a recent but devoted follower of this creative team, it’s been quite an experience watching the Crunchyroll community reacting to Himote House in real time. CR’s simulcast (and its delightful key visual) attracted a wave of unprecedented attention towards this strange little show - one that left a violent wake of criticism, endless comments about ‘lazy writing’ and ‘godawful CGI.’ Even the other positive reviews on MAL so far are couched in the self-effacing language of ‘so bad it’s good.’ While this is expected, it’s honestly kind of heartbreaking. I think Himote House is thoroughly misunderstood, and I want to do my best here to not so much /review/ it, but to clear up some misconceptions the average viewer might have about it that will hinder them from enjoying it for the charming goofball comedy that it is.
THIS SHOW DOES NOT SHARE YOUR VALUES. This is the key insight I have to offer. I’ve put it near the top in shouty capitals, it's that important. I’ll say it again. This show, and really what I mean is this production team, does not care about the things that the General Western Anime-Watching Audience (GWAWA for short) cares about. The majority of comments on Himote House’s (HH) debut were about the cheap CGI animation (which, if you’ve watched the rest of Studio Bouncy’s catalogue, is actually looking better than ever). Among the many beefs I have with GWAWA, predominant is the persistent conflation of budget and quality. Criticism, in its most literal sense, is obviously warranted, but I get the impression time and again that GWAWA will stop engaging with a show as soon as the animation drops below some arbitrary level of pizazz. How many needless comments about Budget™ plague well-meaning shows made without the finances of Shaft? How many GWAWA made those same snide remarks over Kill la Kill during shots that intentionally dropped detail for effect? It’s a fixation that not only detracts from the potential for enjoyment of any given work, but actively fosters hostility to independent productions. Creativity so often comes from constraint - if you’re only going to watch shows with a AAA budget, you’re going to miss out on a damn lot of thought-provoking, interesting and challenging anime.
Mind you, it’s a valid question whether Studio Bouncy has no budget or just doesn’t care about one. Why should they? Their shows are not at all based on visuals - they are pure comedies, equal parts manzai and improv. The beating heart of the show is its voice actresses, and when you have six of the funniest seiyuus around ad libbing about worn-out panties and philosophy, what need is there for flashy artwork? As long as the models are expressive enough to convey the beats and punchlines. Most of these shows would even work just as well as live stand-up sets - and here I’ll bring up the tragically underrated Mahou Shoujo? Naria Girls, in which the seiyuus *actually did improvise live* to Whose Line-style cues, and had their actions motion-captured into MikuMikuDance. The result is a level of jank so ridiculous it only adds to the already absurd improv comedy underneath it; and, predictably, one of the lowest MAL ratings I’ve encountered.
The improv sections, traditionally announced by the toll of a bell, seem to confound many viewers who comment about the “extremely loose script.” It’s an easy mistake to make - it’s so unexpected, it might be hard to think of it is as intentional. As a fan of live comedy, these parts delight me to no end. At times the framework of the show’s ‘story’ and characters feels like a concession to expectations, merely a setting to allow for the ad-lib segments. Live and unruly comedy is another core value of this team: not only is improv a component in all of their scripted shows, they’ve even delved into fully live-broadcast anime (again using mo-cap and MMD models) with the exceptionally batshit Minarai Diva and Chokkan x Algorhythm. (But that’s a review for another time and place.)
It baffles me that the same GWAWA that lauded Pop Team Epic for its surreal humour and intentionally cheap aesthetic are now so enraged by Himote House doing something similar. I understand that this is a style that can take some getting used to; my first encounter with Naria Girls was extremely cynical, and I thought I’d found something truly awful. But by the second episode, the gleeful abandon of the production team became self-evident, and I could appreciate it for what it is: just a bunch of comedians f**king around. I hope that any GWAWA reading this as they cautiously approach HH can do the same - let down your guard! Hang up your hang-ups! Remember that your value set is not an objective measure of anything. You will constantly encounter art that challenges you, but it won’t always be Deeply Serious Art - you can be challenged by fun.
This, too, is philosophy.
I mistakenly predicted this would be a terrible season, but after a week of debuts, it looks to be a lot of fun! Admittedly trashy fun, but still. Here’s a short ‘n’ sweet run-down of what I’m keeping tabs on this season.
Devidol!
This is the greatest season so far for the spirit of gdgd! The first of three offerings from its production team, bizarrely adapted from a pachinko machine, featuring three devils at a high school for world conquest, shooting the shit and ad libbing in a gdgd Fairies manner. I’m extremely here for Kana Hanazawa's improv. No subs available yet; the dialogue is far above my power level, but if no-one else will answer the call, I’ll see what I can do...
Himote House
The second gdgd offering, and the most exciting. Look at these character designs! I’m in love. The cast of gdgd Fairies and Tesagure are all back for more goofy goodness, opening the season with a fantastically belaboured underpants joke that has predictably polarised the Crunchyroll comments section. Keep an ear out for Mizuhara Kaoru’s (of shrshr notoriety) wonderfully poor pronunciation and the eventual Ogino Karin appearance.
Jingai-san no Yome
Another bite-sized offering - the first episode spent literally half its 3-minute runtime playing the full OP, so I don’t have much to go on here. I’m just sold on Kanenogi’s character design. So floofy~
Namahousou Anime Chokkan x Algorhythm S2
The third gdgd offering, this time following in the footsteps of Minarai Diva with a livestreamed, motion-captured, virtual idol broadcast. Uwaa!! I stayed up last night to catch the stream on NND - I and 4000 Japanese nerds were baffled when the program was broadcast in Chinese, with the Japanese language following an hour later. Womp womp. I highly doubt this would be worth revisiting after the fact, but if you’re awake for it, the stream was a lot of fun (with surprisingly few technical difficulties!).
Okoshiyasu, Chitose-chan
Three short minutes of pure penguin cuteness. I don’t know if there’s an IRL Chitose mascot that this is based off, and if there is, she really shouldn’t be allowed to just walk around town unaccompanied. Essentially a tourism ad campaign for Kyoto, but an extremely sweet one.
Release the Spyce
Coming off a recent viewing of Princess Principal, I’m both more open to watching high school girls do high-octane spy shit, and more critical of the quality of said spy shit. PP was unexpectedly fantastic; Spyce features an unexpected amount of licking (and a disappointing sympathy for the police force. ACAB, Momochi). Very cute character designs by Namori make this watchable, if ridiculous.
Tonari no Kyuuketski-san
The only pure slice-of-life show on my list this season (there was a quota to fill). Quietly cute, with enough magic injected into the proceedings to keep you alert. I love how casually Sophie tells everyone in her life that she’s a vampire, and how unfazed Akari is by this. Meanwhile, my yuri-baiting alarm is sounding wildly. Let’s not pretend I’m better than that. Speaking of...
Yagate Kimi ni Naru
Ahh! True yuri finally makes its way to our screens! YagaKimi is my favourite manga series, even beating out Kase-san (only just). It’s a beautiful, at times heart-wrenching drama about girls fighting with the expectations put upon them by themselves and others, and is delightfully free of the regular shackles of yuri - sexuality hardly comes into it. The first episode of this adaptation is surprisingly fluffy, adorned as it is with sakura petals and windchimes, but let’s enjoy the romance before we delve into the backstory and everything starts hurting.
Zombie Land Saga
Extremely fuckin’ cheeky. The description and PV had me expecting more or less a better version of Highschool of the Dead, but instead we’ve been given the most absurd idol anime of our time. Can these ordinary zombie girls become top idols and bolster their prefecture’s tourism? Can they do it without causing a zombie apocalypse?? I’m predicting yes and no respectively. Very funny and very tongue-in-cheek; good to see Miyano Mamoru has found a better home for his Hououin Kyouma voice.
Also, technically Bonobono is airing this season. It’s airing every season. I hope it never ends.
how many Ikuhara protagonists does it take to change a light bulb?
the light bulb cannot be changed outright; it is too powerful, its machinations too nefarious. with its blinding light it tells us it cannot be changed, and in believing it, we make it so. those of us who seek a new light bulb are too few to change it ourselves - but maybe we can change you, make you see the light bulb for what it truly is, its cruel warmth belying the glow of oppression - maybe together, we can begin to create our own light bulb, a beacon of acceptance and resistance
By rights, this should be nothing more than a season-end review of gdMen, but the preponderance of low ratings and confused comments about the show make me want to go a bit further. I can’t make anybody enjoy a series they don’t, and I can barely in the least make them understand its ‘objectively’ good qualities, but I hope I can offer a bit more cultural context in which to place it, which may soften the criticism borne from confusion...
What is gdgd? Literally, it’s a stylised form of ぐだぐだ - gudaguda, meaning (amongst other uses) ‘tedious, repetitive, rambling.’ As for the gd-verse, I’m unable to firmly grasp it myself - no incarnation or responsible party has been successful enough in the English-speaking anime community to warrant, say, a nicely-sourced Wiki page. A cursory study tells me it begins in 2011 with gdgd Fairies, a bizarre comedy starring three fairies having tea in a forest, chatting about anything and everything. shrshr generally introduces an absurd conversational whim, timid pkpk acts as straight-man, and taciturn krkr interjects with dark non-sequiturs and punchlines. It’s cheaply animated in MikuMikuDance, but uses its low quality to its advantage - for instance, frequently relying on terrifying stock models of old men for visual gags, reminiscent of early Garry’s Mod absurdism. In a recurring segment, the three VAs improvise captions to a brief, surreal video clip provided by the animation staff: sometimes referencing characters they’ve played on other shows; sometimes having a reference censored due to licensing restrictions; sometimes birthing running jokes later referred to in the scripted segments, as if they’ve written them into the gdgd lore. Next-episode previews insert the cast into direct parodies of popular shows; season 2 opens with a press conference apologising for this silliness, followed by a smash-cut to a Lucky Star reference. Coarsely put, gdgd Fairies does what the fuck it wants.
These are all the essential qualities of gdgd - cheap MMD animation, whole segments of VA improvisation with audible laughter, pop culture and meta-references, a general freewheeling disregard for structure and convention. Other projects by studios Bouncy and Strawberry Meets (the two sharing credit for gdgd Fairies; their exact relationship is still unclear to me) manifest this spirit of gdgd even when not invoking it by name, and have generally each tackled a particular genre ripe for parody. Chokkyuu Hyoudai Robot Anime follows three robots in the far future attempting to revive and understand the ‘humour’ of ancients - it’s incredibly dry, and deconstructs joke formats to the point that even I have trouble sitting with it. Mahou Shoujo? Naria☆Girls is a vague parody of magical girl tropes, though the ‘plot’ quickly devolves into a ridiculous string of unrelated happenings, and the majority of the show revolves around the VAs improvising off terrible prompts. It’s the worst-looking show of the gd-verse, motion-capturing the VAs into incredibly janky schoolgirl models that clip through each other (which has of course, despite its humour, translated into the lowest MAL score in the gd-verse). Minarai Diva, a copy of which continues to elude me, attempted to form an idol unit and write music on live broadcasts, similarly mo-capped and apparently riddled with technical difficulties. Tesagure! Bukatsumono follows an after-school club attempting to improve generic after-school club scenarios. And this year’s gdMen puts three male VAs in the lead for a change (sexual innuendo is much more abundant here) while riffing off isekai fantasy tropes - maybe especially funny to me, being totally apathetic towards the genre.
I’m urged to apologise for the gd-verse because I constantly see viewers repulsed by its face value, refusing the spirit of gdgd to a vehement degree. I vaguely understand why - when I finished the first episode of Naria Girls, I thought I’d found the worst show I’d ever seen. Thanks to its abysmal rating, I was entering with the assumption that it would be terrible, and the loose dialogue and poor animation are definitely qualities of terrible things. By the second episode, once the shock had worn off, its self-aware lackadaisy that had been disguised as ineptitude became wholly apparent, and I allowed myself to be taken along. I quickly realised I loved it. But I’ve seen comments that hint at viewers latching on to that initial attitude - “what is this?! It’s ugly! It’s so poorly written it almost seems improvised!” - and refuse to budge, even while staring the gdgd in the face. The initial expectation that it will conform to the traditions of anime encounters the non-traditional spirit of gdgd; in this conflict lies the absurd. The typical viewer can either accept the gdgd, or come to despise it - it is so at odds with expectations that it cannot be merely rejected. It must be destroyed.* By which I mean: I can understand initial confusion, but I can’t understand the viewer that sits through a whole season of Naria Girls and at no point realises that it’s all a big joke. People hate things they don’t understand, and it’s easier (and more fun) to hate than to attempt to reconcile yourself with something new - for instance, that animation quality isn’t the only metric of merit; or that not every piece of art is asking you to take it seriously.
Let me tell you: if you’re enjoying a guide to an obscure comedy studio that’s riffing of The Myth of Sisyphus, you’ve got the spirit of gdgd in you. If you seek to explore the gd-verse with me, I recommend starting where it all began with gdgd Fairies. Let me know how you go. And to all who may be wary, I ask you to try, if only a little, to let the spirit of gdgd into your heart. You may absolutely fucking hate it, yes. You may well be changed for life.
なーんちゃって~
*I can’t help but wonder how prevalent this mindset is. Nichijou has a devout cult following, but massively tanked on release. Teekyuu has persisted for 9 seasons purely because one Blu-Ray sale funds the entire next season. Meanwhile, a billion cute-girl 4koma adaptations are pumped out yearly (not that they’re all bad, mind you). Am I overthinking things? I know I’m touting an intersectional review blog here, but I don’t want to come off as a snob.
An important aside: since my pal Ada first made me sign up to MyAnimeList, circa early 2014, I’ve been unhealthily obsessed with giving things ratings out of 10. It’s so satisfying - both the establishing & maintenance of a consistent rating scheme, and the semi-critical, semi-whimsical task of putting new shows into those neat little boxes. Sometimes I’ll go crazy and give a show an x.5, and then I’ve got more little boxes to describe. (I even gave Momo e no Tegami a 7.75 at first, but quickly rounded it down before things got out of hand.) My criteria for each number can be vague at times, but it’s generally a mean of two separate ratings - how ambitious a show’s goal is, and how well it succeeds in its execution. For example, Yuyushiki is not trying to be more than a light-hearted comedy, so lower points in the first column, but it pulls it off pretty flawlessly, so higher in the latter - averaging out to a 7.5/10. Evangelion’s execution is incredibly patchy, and it’s really a mess of a show, but it tries so many new and interesting things that even its failures are beautiful - though not literally “perfect,” it’s a 10/10 for me.
I say all this so that you understand what I mean when I say Yuru Camp∆ could never have been more than a 7/10 for me - or, in human terms, a pretty okay show. I would say this about every iyashikei I’ve watched. Iyashikei (slow-paced, relaxing shows - lit. “healing”) as an entire genre strives for a pleasant banality, mostly providing cute girls with dumb smiles as medicine for its viewers; even its most ambitious offering, Mushishi, rarely achieves genuine depth amidst all its mystical navel-gazing. It’s not aiming for anything other than being nice to come home to after a shit day, and it’s totally okay with that, and so are you, and really, despite my rhetoric, so am I. It does irk me, though, to see positive reviews of unambitious things skyrocket a show’s ranking to mingle with honestly great undertakings.
I’m not even sure YC∆ (the delta is essential) is a great show of its kind. Or maybe it’s the perfect execution of iyashikei, because ultimately I found myself walking away from each episode feeling pretty okay, and not thinking about anything that happened. Barely anything happens to warrant thought. The first episode sets up the premise and series arc: there’s a girl who likes camping, but she’s pretty introverted. She goes to school with a bunch of other girls who like camping. By the end of the show, they’ll all be friends and camp together. Simple and clean. The 12 weeks this monomyth takes to play out is padded with light-hearted comedy, never flat but never hysterical; various camping outings to real locations, illustrated with never flat but never eye-catching environmental art; and the occasional segment of a mysterious dude (Rin’s grandpa?) narrating camping instructions and helpful hints for inspired viewers. The characters are all nice girls, I’m sure, well voice-acted (coming off of my recent KinMoza viewing, it’s healing to hear Touyama Nao in a subdued role); they’re never annoying, but also never much deeper than their stereotypes. We are offered Blue Quiet, Pink Genki, Blue Snarky, Blonde Osaka / the busty one, and the Brown Dogfriend. She has a dog. The dog is very cute. They hang out in various groups and make silly little jokes to each other and react with childish gag-manga faces. It’s easy to pick a waifu, whatever your preferences. Mine’s Shimarin. Who’s yours. Ah, nice, she’s cute too. They’re all cute. They’re all perfectly designed to be perfectly cute to practically everybody.
I’m honestly struggling to keep this review going. What else is there to talk about?? Similarly to Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san, critique of YC∆ eludes me because of the simplicity of its conceit and execution, but at least RDK’s ridiculousness and patchy quality gave me something to think about (and talk about, if anyone would ever talk to me about a weird ramen anime). YC∆ is so wholly inoffensive, so precisely treads the middle of the road, that it’s barely notable, in the literal sense of the word. I have no notes. Oh! Not true, I had one note - the alcoholic teacher is weird. Can we agree on that? That is a weird addition to the show.
I really can’t say RDK is a good show. It’s largely baffling and mostly stupid - but often these are separate issues to whether something is enjoyable or not, and I will admit that I was pretty entertained by a good portion of the show. I’m just not sure I could tell you why, or even that you’re likely to as well. I’ve sensed a vague pattern among reviews so far along the lines of, “don’t get me wrong, I like a lot of vapid shows about cute girls, but this one is just dumb!” It’s a weird doublethink, as if their Cute Girl preferences are an objective measure of quality. Of course art is subjective, but (forgive the phrasing) “low art” such as this is doubly so. It’s not attempting anything interesting or polarising - it seeks only to entertain, on a basic level, a basic part of us. That part might be ruled by pants-less military girls; primary school girls playing basketball; hardcore ramen enthusiasts. Your preference is no metric of critical ability - I mean, it’s all trash.
I’ll side-step the entire argument about “guilty pleasures” for now, and I’ll award a few generic praises in passing - the animation is fine, the voice acting solid, the OP and ED are catchy and fun. I’d rather focus on: what is arguably enjoyably about RDK? What might interest you, dear reader, with your own unique and intractable biases? Cute girls? There are a few: the extremely pretty and emotionally unavailable ramenholic, Koizumi; her over-enthusiastic and constantly snubbed stalker, Yuu (here are my own biases at play - I’m hopelessly in love with seiyuu Sakura Ayane, and Yuu is the most authentic lesbian representation on TV this season); and Yuu’s far more restrained friends, the narcissistic Misa and unremarkable megane-kun Jun.
And of course, the main character: ramen! There is so much ramen. Most scenes follow a predictable pattern of following Koizumi et. al. to a real-life location, explaining the contents and origin of her ordered dish in an often surprisingly interesting monologue, then a minute of awkward silence and mediocre OST as the girls devour their meals, reacting with vaguely sexualised delight (I’m still not sure how intentional this even is). Onlookers watch in confusion, but succumb to the ramen-loving contagion. Various side characters cross paths with Koizumi-san, and none leave unchanged, albeit in a very minute, almost pointless way.
There are a few good jokes to be had along the way, and no character is particularly unlikable - although Yuu’s persistence irked the vast majority of the Crunchyroll comment section. Even when a scene fell totally flat, I found myself more amused than disappointed, buoyed by the absurdity of the show’s entire reason for existing. Nobody in their right mind would order 12 episodes of animated ramen lectures, surely!, and yet, here we are, somehow. The banality of the conceit alone kept me entertained when the show occasionally forgot to.
So: hm. I feel like I should have reached some conclusion here, but maybe it’s impossible with this show. There is no real selling point, there’s no depth, there’s nothing to analyse beyond its surface level. RDK knows this, I’m sure. It amounts to nothing more or less than its name promises - the unexciting adventures of a girl who loves ramen. If that pitch appeals to you, as it did to me, then you may find yourself enjoying this show. If it doesn’t, you won’t. If you’re not keen after two episodes, give up. It’s wholly unassuming, and if you’re going to get anything out of it, it’s best you be the same.
Ahhhh!! It’s the halfway point of the season!! Not counting Cardcaptor Sakura, which has blessed us with two whole cours (thank you based Madhouse). Time for another check-up: which shows has Avery dropped? Which new show has she picked up? What third other question will she write here to preserve dramatic tension?? Read on to find out!
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen
I’ll forgo a proper review here (to the extent that anything appearing on this blog can be deemed “proper”), given it's still early days for the two-cour show - and, preserving the style of the original, not all that much has happened anyway. It’s all been very sweet, of course, and the superb animation and soundtrack make watching any amount of filler enjoyable. Also, is it just me, or has Tomoyo gotten even gayer since the OG series? I guess she’s gettin’ to that age.
Violet Evergarden
I dropped this after episode 3, with a view to resume watching once it’s over, if any good reviews come in. Good, justified reviews - there’s already a few similar sceptics, but its unwaveringly high rating on MAL speaks to how well its production-line Feels™ are working on its audience. To be clear, this is a show, ripe with potential, that tackles its potentially deep themes with the emotional understanding of a 5-year-old (or Mari Okada). So many interesting things are set up, and immediately inadequately explored or explained. Writing letters on behalf of the illiterate was historically a real and important role, but since when were scribes expected to “interpret the feelings” of the sender and write the entire letter themselves? Why the hell is this position called an ‘Auto Memory Doll?’ A strange contrivance to highlight Violet’s emotional stuntedness / development, I guess? So far, said development goes along the lines of:
LUCULIA: I just don’t know how to tell my brother I’m happy he’s alive. That’s all I want to say, but I just can’t.
VIOLET: Here, I wrote a letter to him. It says, “I’m happy you’re alive.” That’s it. That is all that it says.
EVERYBODY: Holy shit Violet, you did it!! You looked deep into her heart!! You learned EMOTIONS!!!!!!
Hmmm. Someone please just compile GIFs of the timelapse shots for me. I don’t think I need the rest.
Darling in the FranXX
At episode 2, I dropped this like it was hot - and hot it was!, as most trash fires are. Last year, I watched all of Kiznaiver, to confirm that my housemate would hate it and shouldn’t watch it; this year, we’ve switched roles, him going on ahead to report back what I’m missing out on. I’m betting on “not much” here. It’s really hard to believe the sexuality of the show is in service of its story, rather than vice versa. While initially uncomfortable, Kill La Kill intentionally used sexuality to talk about the male gaze, sexual autonomy, etc. in a confrontational way. I can’t imagine FranXX, with this many panty shots and glistening close-ups of mouths, has anything intelligent enough to say to justify them. In before, fuck, I don’t know, an episode about practicing safe sex features robot pilots putting energy-field condoms over huge sword-bananas.
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san
It was this time last year that I was falling head over heels for Dragon Maid - a surprisingly adept SOL comedy with an absurdly affectionate lesbian at its centre. Apparently that particular hole in my heart wasn’t properly filled, because here we are again, with a much less adept SOL comedy that I’m still fairly crazy about. Yuu is pretty consistently derided in the Crunchyroll comment section as a “whiny stalker,” and I’d be foolish not to acknowledge how unacceptable her behaviour is - but I’m such a sucker for a pure-hearted gay! She’s just a flustered high school girl, and so, on an emotional/hormonal level, am I. I’m very protective of her, I’m similarly crushing on Koizumi-san, I’m unexpectedly interested in learning about ramen variations. There’s nothing objectively “great” about the show, but I stand ready to defend it as entertaining, and will absolutely be seeing it through to the end.
gdMen (gdgd men’s party)
Clearly I misspoke last entry when I said I was “keeping up with the season” - not only did I forget to mention the myriad Cute Girl simulcasts that don't interest me, I didn’t even know this show was airing! How lucky we are to be treated to another gdgd instalment - and how thoroughly misunderstood and under-appreciated it already is, yet again, by a fresh wave of Citrus-loving slobs. I’m sorry, that’s harsh, but I wish more people would look up the context of things before commenting. It’s easy to dismiss most of this studio’s work as low-effort trash if that’s all you’re expecting, but they’ve cemented a charmingly niche comedy style, equal parts trope-based humour and improvisation. (Naria Girls, by far the lowest rated of this ilk, is the best (and my favourite) example of exactly this.) Anyways! Though krkr is sadly absent, this instalment’s three male seiyuu’s are just as funny as the fairy trio (not to mention Princess Melody’s show-stealing cutaways), and the OTT hype of the isekai-parodying segments pairs nicely with the quiet absurdity of the improv bits. Whoever in the comment section makes it all the way with me to the finale is gonna earn themselves a friend request. Or a positive comment reply. Or maybe just a thumbs up, I’m really not that sociable.
Sanrio Danshi
Hard confirmed! Once per episode, there’s a viewer POV shot in which “you” interact with the main characters for all of 3 seconds, and the viewer character is definitely a schoolgirl. I’m not angry, just disappointed. Five episodes in, the show has given us absolutely no substantial drama, character development, character establishment - anything, really. It’s wholly banal, in a wryly enjoyable way. That said, I’ll probably be putting it on hold to make room for more Good™ content. (Reflecting on my initial comments, maybe I’ve been too cynical - I’ve noticed a few Crunchyroll comments from people who relate to having to hide their passions for fear of scrutiny. Inspiration and positivity can come from the weirdest places; Sanrio Danshi might not be Good Art, but it might have a net good benefit for the world.)
Yuru Camp∆
It’s surprisingly hard for me to write a full paragraph for this entry, because so little has happened in this show, but in a perfectly acceptable way. It wouldn’t be iyashikei if there was any plot or tonal development, would it? Which is to say, it’s been delivering exactly what it promised: some goofy SOL comedy (featuring many a screencapable reaction face) interspersed with low-key camping sojourns and Shimarin’s soothing internal monologue. I wrote a note down around episode 3 about how Nadeshiko is “clearly a character designed for mass appeal,” but quickly realised that, hang on, they all are, that’s kind of the point of the show, and oh no I’m actually in love with Shimarin anyway so what point would I even be making. I wish I were more resilient to this kind of emotional manipulation, but at this point in my life, I’m just so tender. uwu
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho
Hooray! It took ’til episode 6 before our heroines were on their way to Antartica, much later in the series than anticipated. This has turned out to be an unexpected seasonal highlight for sure. There’s a strangely enjoyable balancing act at play between grounded character drama (episodes 5 and 6 featured some seriously excellent tension) and the comedic, whimsical spirit of adventure. My only remaining apprehension is that Shirase’s find-my-dead-mom quest is going to cast an overly dour, or overly unbelievable, shadow over the final act. Knock on wood. At least we’ll have Hinata’s uniform green konbini food-print shirt collection to lighten the mood.
And hey, while we’re here, let’s check in with Citrus! Oh dear. The two highest rated reviews on MAL are 1) a scathing 2/10 by somebody who quite possibly created an account just to criticise the show, and 2) an 8/10 from a 17yo male “yuri fan” and “man with many waifus.” Is it fair of me to dismiss the opinions of any self-proclaimed yuri fans just because they’re men? Yes. Yes, it is. I do intend to watch this show eventually, once it’s finished, possibly with alcohol, just to see if my ire is deserved. I also intend to elucidate my grudge against the show in a proper post about it, but I just get so peeved every time I try to write it…!
The new year always comes with a bout of unwarranted confidence and energy, and what better way to spend it, I thought, than by keeping entirely up to date with the new anime season. (I say “entirely,” though I have clearly omitted several shounen / fantasy shows out of respectful disinterest, and Citrus, for reasons that may evolve into their own post.) Here are the first impressions of the season’s first episodes. I’ll be checking back in halfway through and at the end of the season to chart each show’s progress.
Saa, hajimaruzamasu yo!
Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san
Though they’ve since been deleted, the first episode of Koizumi-san encouraged two extremely negative reviews to surface on MAL. Why anyone would submit a formal review after one episode is beyond me (get a tumblr blog, you herbs), but why this of all shows should warrant such backlash also confounds me. Yes, it’s silly - it follows goofy lesbian Oosawa Yuu as she follows her crush, the enigmatic Koizumi, from one ramen eatery to another, while Koizumi rebuffs her flirtations and educates her on various ramen cooking styles. It should be pretty fucking clear from this set-up that we’re not in for a thematically dense thrill-ride - why is this Cute Girls Doing Cute Things show apparently that much worse than others with equally pointless premises? All this said, I’m certainly wondering if the show can expand on its small roster of characters and settings to fill a full cour. Stranger things have happened. I’ll be following along, if only to hear more of Ayaneru’s darling voice acting, dreamy sigh.
Yuru Camp∆
(Don’t forget that delta!) This season’s iyashikei delivers exactly what was promised on the package, resulting in not much to say about it at all. I’m not sure the ambience here is quite luscious enough to warrant this many slow shots (cf. Studio Ghibli, Mushishi), but I was never bored, and it looks like we’ll be heading to more slice-of-life settings soon enough anyways. It’s quiet, thoroughly nice, even somewhat educational. Healing as it may be, it’s also definitely a Cute Girls show, and yes, the girls so far are very good. Fingers crossed we get some yuri with that yuru…
Sanrio Danshi
Ahh, a familiar conflict: a mega-corporation creates / sponsors art that supports progressive politics, but is also using the medium to shamelessly promote their products - cf. Pepsi, Heineken, etc. This time it’s Sanrio fighting restrictive gender stereotypes: why can’t boys be into cute animal mascots too? It’s a sweet message, but the irony of it coming directly from the merchandiser is hefty. Sanrio Boys makes an inoffensive first impression - the titular boys are entirely generic in design and expression, distinguished mostly by their mascot kyara of choice (disappointingly, my lovely Cinnamaroll has been claimed by a boofy-looking doofus). It’s shallow and ironically enjoyable, as most teen-girl-oriented media inevitably is, alas. Here lies another mystifying contradiction: a clearly low-effort show featuring an ensemble cast of five handsome but emotionally vulnerable boys is so clearly aimed at girls, so how is their boys-can-have-feelings-too message even going to land with its supposed target audience? Are the boys themselves just another marketable Sanrio product for girls?? Christ.
Violet Evergarden
Speaking of mega-corporations, Netflix is still on track to subsume all art and artists by 2020 - but hey, they’re putting out some good stuff. Violet Evergarden is a decisive question mark. I’m partial to both its main tropes of “post-war melancholy” and “emotionless person learns to feel again,” but they can intersect respectively with “leaning heavy on the Feels” and “literal objectification of women.” Violet’s emptiness doesn’t make for a compelling main character - it’s strange to see KyoAni’s unparalleled expressivity lavished upon an unexpressive character - and it’s hard to say whether her traumatic past will justify this, or just fall flat. I’m cautiously optimistic for now, and if it all does go south, I’ll always have Sora no Woto to give me the good stuff. (Special shout-out to both all-too-brief timelapse shots. KyoAni, you magnificent bastards.)
Sora yori mo Tooi Basho
I think it’s understandable that I would enter into this with trepidation - it seemed somewhere between a sports anime and a Cute Girls Etc., both of which can stretch to ridiculous settings. But it seems, in a weird way, fairly grounded. Well, I mean, for a show about high school girls travelling to Antarctica. I’m really hoping they’re not just on their way by episode 2 - Shirase’s struggle with the depressive realism of her ludicrous dream is ripe for exploring in itself. Both the main characters are wonderful; Shirase’s design indicated another taciturn raven-haired maiden (cf. Kousaka Reina), but she’s wonderfully expressive, and I’m always happy to hear Kana Hanazawa doing any voice other than Default Kana Hanazawa. Overall, it’s very nicely animated and paced, quietly comic, and almost definitely going to trip over its absurd premise by the time I next check up on it, but I suspect it will still be a fun, if silly, ride.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
OH MY GOD. I’ve only been living in a post-Sakura world for about 2 years, and this was still a quasi-religious experience; I can’t imagine how this would feel to the fans who grew up on the show. Everything about this is fucking fantastic. I’m losing the ability to criticise. I’m dangerously close to “I can’t even”-ing. The production is perfect, the sakura petals are abundant, there’s a fucking oboe solo stripped-back rendition of Platinum when Syaoran appears, the fucking ED is so beautifully animated. I’m sorry, I’m doki-doki-ing all over the place. This is the by far my favourite of the season so far. Not even Meilin’s absence can sour this for me. (Okay, maybe a little, if I really think about it :c)
Pop Team Epic
Hmmm. This was preceded by its reputation, evenly regarded by my Twitter feed as “a shitpost in anime form” and “excellent lesbian representation.” Given how dense my watchlist already is, I’m pleased to say I absolutely don’t care about this. It conveys the same humour as short-form absurdities like Teekyuu or Plastic Nee-san, but mostly leans on shallow pop-culture references and crudeness. The face that it’s a full-length show - let alone the fact that the first episode is the same half-length episode played twice - is exasperating. As a fan of Wonder Showzen and the Eric Andre Show, I see the appeal of the style, but it definitely falls short of both such marks. (And though I know this is unfair, it’s a little hard to get into something so well-received by 4chan dipshits.)
Darling in the FranXX
There’s a sexual harassment joke roughly 4 minutes into the first episode - nowhere near Bakemonogatari’s record, and not damning in and of itself, but it unfortunately does reflect the overall tone. This feels like a weird teenage rebellion by Studio Trigger, defying their parent by making their own Evangelion, with blackjack!, and hookers!, and absolutely none of the subtlety or character exploration that made Eva great. Zero Two is a deafening klaxon of fanservice masquerading as a sexually autonomous character - I wanted to believe otherwise, but her fucking robot has nice boobs, and even gets its own panty shot. The robot, which is powered by making out, mind you. I’m not one to hold low-brow shows to higher standards - I will call a fanservice-y spade a spade - but I expected more out of Trigger at this point, especially on the heels of extremely wholesome Little Witch Academia series. Even the mediocre Kiznaiver had loftier goals. I’ll keep tabs on this one - if nothing else, Trigger’s animation style and an excellent OST will sweeten a bitter pill.
Mitchiri Neko
Hard pass. If you’re gonna watch a banal, cutesy, 3-minute runtime cat show - like, if you really need that - watch Bananya.
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