Mayonaka Punch

Masaki's career on NewTube ends abruptly when the Harikiri Sisters decide to kick her out of their group during a livestream. With her bad reputation, Masaki has a slim chance of returning to popularity with a solo channel and she is plagued by comments of hate.

Masaki soon meets Live, a vampire who just woke up from her slumber in which she dreamed of Masaki and developed an obsession with her. Believing this discovery will be the next internet sensation, Masaki forms a pact with Live: in exchange for Masaki's blood, Live will help her reach the milestone of a million subscribers.

Now, with the other vampires in Live's house on board with Masaki's ambitious plan, she and Live work together to film videos and restore her to career glory.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sonoue, Masaki Main

Hasegawa, Ikumi Japanese

Live Main

Fairouz Ai Japanese

Fuu Supporting

Youmiya, Hina Japanese

Yuki Supporting

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Ichiko Supporting

Itou, Yuina Japanese

Tokage Supporting

Ueda, Hitomi Japanese

Sonoue, Sakura Supporting

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Lonely Ooedo Girl Supporting

Omigawa, Chiaki Japanese

Juwachan Supporting

Iwase, Shuuhei Japanese

Minister of Daifuku Supporting

Sasuke Japanese

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Iizuka, Aya Producer

Sotokawa, Akihiro Producer

Tsuji, Mitsuhito Producer

Reviews

Sep 23, 2024

Marinate1016

Recommended

PA works had a busy summer season with 3 anime originals. Mayopan was the best of the bunch. Lesbian vampires, emotional storytelling, loveable characters and some of the funniest moments this season, this was a blast with very few if any flaws. It starts off as a silly gag comedy about a vampire wanting to drink a disgraced YouTuber’s blood and develops into really heartwarming story about overcoming grief and loss and moving forward in the face of adversity. Don’t let the comedy fool you, there’s a really good story in this one that I think puts it among the best recent PA works anime.

As ... a content creator Mayopan struck a cord with me because in an era where people can be “cancelled” for damn near anything, seeing a YouTuber go thru that and have to pick herself back up was interesting. Masaki isn’t alone though, she’s joined by an ensemble cast of some of the most colourful literally and figuratively characters you’ll see in anime. The best part of this show for me was slowly seeing Mayopan come together as a YouTube group and family, breaking down everyone’s walls and being vulnerable. With one another. I find the idea of being a long lived being that’s never really *lived* before quite interesting. Recently we’ve seen that with Frieren. Making connections with people is what life is all about even if they’re only temporary we are social beings and need to be in communion with others. So when shows like Mayopan give us emotional backstories about characters being lonely and just wanting to be accepted or follow their dreams and then they finally meet people who help them with that, it gets me right in the feels.

Like I said, it’s a comedy show, but unlike something like Nokotan it doesn’t rely on gags. I found myself laughing at how lovingly stupid the characters were at times, the jokes and Live’s obsession with Masaki. Every episode was really just a wacky and fun time and I think the writers perfectly balanced the comedy with some seriously heartwarming stuff.

The show looks awesome too. Out of the 3 shows PA did this season, I think this had the best team behind it and it shows. Art is gorgeous, animation is solid and there’s even a BTS video that Paolo from Tokyo did showing the in depth production process. A lot of love went into this and I appreciate it. My only wish is that PA do more with the IP in terms of a multimedia franchise or something with livestreams of the characters, but I doubt that happens.

Mayopan’s a good fun watch with a perfect mix of story and laughs. YouTube is a difficult nut to crack, but this is one of the best representations of content creation I’ve seen in the medium. All the ins and outs from script writing, camera placement, editing, coming up with ideas for videos and promotion. Yea, the Yuri bait is annoying because PA never commit to it, but I’ll allow it on this occasion because of how good it was.

Mayopan gets 10 out of 10

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Dec 11, 2024

Sheklon

Mixed Feelings

Going straight to the point, I should say Masaki (the MC) is a major issue here in narrative terms. On a smaller note, having no episode centered on Tokage was also a let down. However, generally speaking, this is more convincing than P.A.'s other work from the same season—Na Nare Hana Nare—in trying to elicit audience empathy for its theme (in this case, online content creation and its psychosocial challenges), as well as resolving its conflicts more satisfactorily. It also has a more intriguing element of interest (vampires) that was decently implemented and indeed had relevance to the plot. If we note that it’s a ... light-hearted show, its flaws should bother less. The comedy is generally on point and I've quickly become fond of most characters.

The audiovisual aspects greatly enhance this anime’s presentation. This is a case where I’m glad to say no potential was lost (in terms of production), but rather, the direction and craftwork only improve the product. It offers a colorful cast and charming scenarios; an ever fun experience through it’s energetic OST, which, however, does not miss emotional beats; great consistency in character models (that is, aside from various instances of intentional distortion for comedic value); modest but efficient character designs that fairly complement everyone’s dynamic personalities; perfect choices of voice actresses… in short: it’s a blast, and brimming with personality.

I’d also like to mention how there is a thematic contrast behind the story that provides extra meaning for the choice of vampires as a theme (and gets further elucidated when you read the ED’s lyrics). For context, Masaki was butt kicked from her previous group, the “Newtube” channel Hype Sisters, an expulsion first motivated by differences in creative views and adversity between members, then finally due to all of this culminating in her punching a team member on stream. The anime starts from this point and it then explores the development of Masaki, a failed influencer who has now to restart her career with a new project: the titular channel of the show. The world of vampires is dark and, thus, Mayonaka Punch only gets to act in the night. Here, arises the contrast between the world of the living, filled with hostile peeping eyes and too claustrophobic for Masaki to live in, and the world of the undead, who end up sheltering her from all the harm beneath the sunlight. This aspect of theme couldn’t be clearer when, in ep 1, right before falling off the roof of an hospital and almost dying (an incident which one could read as suggestive of suicide, adjusted to a lighter narrative), Masaki laments: “no one needs me”. It is Live, her first vampire friend, who challenges this perception—and she does so in the dead of night.

To speak of the vampires, each of them has some kind of personal conflict (Tokage aside) that eventually gets addressed in dedicated episodes, which you always can expect to end on a good note. Thus, one cannot honestly speak of a sense of dread or anxiety in this show, as it seems to be common with P.A Works’ anime. However, they are indeed abundant in personality and come with various personal quirks: Live is an extraordinarily powerful vampire, but also euphoric fiend obsessed with Masaki’s blood; Ichiko is a hundred years old loli who cares about family and is really good at cooking and tending the house; Fu is an awfully shy individual who carries a hidden talent for singing and a deep past connection with a human friend; and Tokage is a voluptuous ancient vampire with a helpless gambling addiction. Much later in the series, we also get to see more participation from Shigeyuki: like Live, she is a legendary vampire, but also the main frontwoman for “Mother” in the show, thus serving as the physical representation of “limits” to the group. Together, they form a lively cast of memorable characters—even Masaki, whose undeniable presence manifests in her strict, tyrannical behavior and unstoppable ambition for success, as she leads Mayonaka Punch from behind the cameras.

As previously suggested, the fact they are vampires does indeed have a major influence in what happens in the plot at various points: most notably, the very reason why Mayonaka Punch is racing for a million subscribers is due to the threat of forced termination of their channel, were it not to successfully achieve so within 6 months—an ultimatum proclaimed by the mysterious Mother of vampires, whose main concern is keeping these paranormal creatures’ powers hidden, thus preserving harmony with humans. So rather than a repetitive or slow paced story, the anime is actually very creative, not only in its premise but also on the storyboard side of things, offering a good range of situations and setups for each episode (though not quite as much as the OP suggests).

Going off the last mention, the catchy OP does indeed a lot to set up the mood for the show, while the ED captures the emotional nuances that permeate it, represented in great part by the social alienation that Masaki suffers because of the internet's inconsiderate and self-serving judgment in a matter they have little insight on. The degree of effect that social media cancelling has (especially when it breaks through the virtual world, as Masaki gets recognized in public) is shown succinctly and persuasively over the span of the story. But presenting social problems in this light also opens the show for critique, as we must observe if there is a sense of fairness in how it handles its theme.

Is it honest to criticize netizens for judging Masaki with little information when her outburst was so visible and disproportionate? Furthermore, neither Masaki nor the show seem interested in clarifying things or atoning for her actions in a clear manner. We are never given the exact circumstances for her adversity with the Hype Sisters, nor does Masaki’s wrongdoing really get settled right. This is where things can break for a critical viewer, for while Masaki is herself a victim in one aspect, she is also never properly held accountable for her own faults, and in fact continues to display many of her originally flawed traits up to the end of the story. The "Punch" itself continues to be played often as a joke and even goes on to become a positive icon in the series, representative of the whole Mayonaka group. Therefore, the notion of “redemption” here becomes debatable.

In summary, one could say this show has a failed message, but it's carried by all other aspects (animation, art style, music, characters etc.), such that whether or not you can tolerate Masaki as a person becomes the chief factor in determining your experience with it. For what is worth, she can take credit for being a nuanced character who often shows concern for her team members and who struggles with regret and self-worth issues throughout the plot. The drama surrounding the character and how she responds to these things are understandable and often sympathetic, and there is modest growth in the character as she learns to let some things go for the wellness of her friends and herself. Still, her final “apology” is rushed and sandwiched between the beats of action and drama of the final act, on top of having a generalized nature, being directed at various individuals and issues rather than properly addressing each on its own. This further drowns her redemption arc in deep waters of cowardice and self-victimization, as we can expect little learning to be taken forward from all of this development (are you convinced that Masaki will not end up making the same mistakes later down the road? It seems that all that has changed is she found someone who can take her punches). As such, despite the exceptionally fun elements explored in this show, it’s hard to give Mayonaka Punch much credit for how it handles its major character arc. My final judgment of it, in this regard, would lean negatively.

(P.S.: It’s possible to interpret this show’s approach to its theme as more than mere carelessness. If you’re interested, please read my blog post on MyAnimeList about this.)

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Sep 23, 2024

ZeroMajor12

Not Recommended

Mayonaka Punch seems like a weak attempt at trying to portray content creators with their own spin on it. I don't mind a series that wants to be quirky or have eccentric characters take up the spotlight, but sometimes, it can be taken a bit too far when you don't attempt to keep your characters and script up in check, especially when the show is original work. I'm no stranger to P.A Works' blunders, but they have made some good original works in the past which I had fun watching. Unfortunately, this show feels so lackluster compared to the director's previous work on Paripi Koumei, ... proof you can make a show about getting fame in the entertainment industry ENTERTAINING to watch.

The show tries to sell you a story about making content in the nightlife with its vibrancy of colors, the animation and art are consistent and don't take any shortcuts, you get a solid cast with distinguishable characters that have different designs and easy to recognize. It has all of these in check and is usually a good mark to mark a good original show. But how reality often disappoints.

I think the show's problem probably starts from the characters, look at Masaki. A canceled member of a popular NewTube channel because she got caught in 4K punching her friend. How do you make someone who's prone to rude remarks or violence likable to watch? Just put her in a room filled with nutjobs who also happened to be vampires and have her manage that team to become the next sensation of the platform that once canceled her. It's a bold attempt at making someone who actually did something wrong the focus of the show, but making her being in an environment where nobody can really connect to Masaki without resorting to contrived storytelling or deus ex machinas is just a recipe for a bad show. It's difficult to find meaningful moments because of the disharmony between characters exist.

Continuing to the character's problem, I genuinely felt more disappointed because it had a couple of decent characters that I would love to see more, but held back by the series' subpar script and story. Let me focus on Yuki for a minute, she otherwise would appear as a strict vampire who tried to uphold the secrecy of their own existence, but her voice being Kayano Ai and the voice lines she had were pretty good! I would love to have more of her taking up screen time and being more focused other than the script's decision to haphazardly use her as a comic relief for the vampire nutjobs such as Live and her gang. I made an exception for Fuu because her role was just acceptable and didn't have any issues watching her. Live was a giant issue, it hurts for me to watch, because I love the voice actress, but her lines and character role just didn't sit well with me as I had to tolerate her antics in most of the episode. Tokage was genuinely difficult to watch because she's pretty much a gambling addict on paper and barely got development other than her reacting to the weird things the show propelled her in. Ichiko initially was annoying to bear with but got more tolerable as time went on.

Let's talk about the story, it's pretty bland, as if it couldn't be more obvious. Other than a few episodes where the endings change with the VAs singing (which stuff actually does happen on those rare occasions), it's mostly trying to show Masaki's new group producing content to garner views and subs to work on the 1 million milestone, but here I am, trying to ask you this, do NewTubers act like what was shown on Mayonaka Punch? I get other creators act differently than the usual creators we are exposed to like commentators, reaction channels, vlogs, challenges, or music covers, but anything that this show tries to copy, it feels mild at best and mediocre. The execution leaves so much to be desired and I can't help but groan when the only thing the show did right to portray was the comments you sometimes find on your videos or such.

I was hoping for a better portrayal of media creators. But I guess this is where their staff could only do at the end. There's really not much to say other than it being bland and forgettable. Your new run-of-the-mill product by P.A Works unfortunately ends here.

Thank you for reading.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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