I decided to give this show a watch despite having low expectations.
This show was described as feeling like Kill la Kill or Gurren Lagann and I really love giving anime originals a chance because they get a blank slate and can sometimes do a lot more with the medium of animation.
This show...
This show is garbage. I am used to isekai generic 'mid' being the low of the seasonal anime that or something so degenerate that I can't even fathom watching. This feels like it has been the case for a few years now, but this really is not 'mid'. It's real shit, let me break it down.
1. If you were hoping for more Gainax/Trigger vibes you will probably be very disappointed. This show seems like it's trying too hard to be that. Maybe they aren't trying hard enough? It's really shallow imitation and at times seems like a blatant rip off of specifically Kill la Kill. They tried to jack some of Sushio's character design concepts, style, and features but is TOTALLY inconsistent. (Anarchy speficially through out this episode, she sometimes has very "Sushio" eyes and then in other shots she has completely different eyes. The entire visual language seems jacked from Trigger/Gainax but really mostly Kill la Kill, the colors, some of the effect, backgrounds, trying to do the "lazy animation" thing but it's actually just lazy and has very little charm or humor, fucking tell me that anarchy's transformation sequence isn't way too close to being Ryuko's from KLK. If you have seen Kill la Kill as many times as I have then you will instantly notice what I am talking about and it would be criminal if this show actually meant anything.
2. It's not funny? Like it has a good bit of potential here, and I think it's supposed to be funny? There are actually like no jokes in the first episode, besides like one booger flick power move. The concept I think is supposed to be funny... right? But they don't write the humor. I would have loved to see the humor in a bunch of Otaku trying to fight a war but instead they attempted fast pacing and a bunch of background kinda. It could be funny, but how?
3. Why? This show is just cringe and not in the good way. It doesn't feel like it's about Otaku, it feels like what people think cringe Otaku are or can be. Like it doesn't actually make it's case to the audience (Otaku and the similarly afflicted), as to how or why they should relate to this, maybe this changes? Maybe some of these characters are written as characters and not as meaningless dialogue. I this whole episode doesn't teach us anything about any of these characters who the hell are these fucks why should I care? It hardly teaches about the plot they want to make, I barely know any motivations or what the fuck is going on. I don't care that they are killing weebs this shit isn't treated with any level of seriousness but then also doesn't punch it up to be funny. The first episode should tell me why the fuck I should watch but instead it's just a shit show of trying to hard to be fast paced with no emotional or comedic through lines. There was not point in the whole episode where my expectations were subverted or my questions answered or even feel like I was in a world. It was just face value garbage.
4. Seriously why? I have still seen people comment things like "Gainax energy right here and I love it". I don't understand how anyone could realistically think this, it looks awful, it doesn't have any characters only thing I know is the MC is named Otaku hero that's pretty much it after a whole episode. THERE ARE ALMOST NO JOKES and everything feels like it's catering to their "wacky" concept. This next part is inexcusable for me but if this comment of mine is critiqued I feel like I am likely to get a smooth brained retort, but it just doesn't make any sense. Give me any fucking reason, give me any sort of understanding of the world and how it operates. The concept is only funny or interesting (war on weebs) if the world is realistic, and half of the first episode makes you think this is the case, but then this random magical girl bitch just whips out a transformation and just wrecks single-handedly, it was a total gut punch, magical girl transformations should be magical and for a reason right? Instead this bitch just needed the clothes to change into and they weren't woven with some crazy life fibers. GIve me anything! Please! Anything that helps me HAVE expectations so you can subvert them, if all the characters are bland and the only thing I have to go on is the concept it doesn't make anything hit. Why was anarchy crying from a storytelling perspective? Why make that character cry when she gives up on pretending to be the leader? Why does she care for the leader? How is he a good leader? What is her relationship to him? LITERALLY WHO THE FUCK ARE ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS? These are questions the show should answer before trying to make an emotional scene. Gainax/Trigger shows get away with fast paced episodes becuase they are steeped in character, they make that THE priority, even over the concept which really works best dosed out slowly. JUMP straight to characters then give us all the details. MEET SIMON THE DIGGER then "Oh holy shit these people lived underground, why? who are the beastmen? This is so cool" MEET MATOI RYUKO a rebellious girl who lost her father and is just looking for answers THEN "Oh shit life fibers are like alive? Her dad worked with life fibers? Why does this one school have crazy super powered uniforms? How was Ryuko's dad involved? What are life fibers?" This show instead opts for "MEET THE WORLD it's a world with out otaku but also there is magic i guess and flying pointless talking mascot animals... oh and the main characters looks like this and are named this" It lays no threads bare for me to tug on, the only question I am left asking isn't in the world of the show it's about the show existing in this world? Why did they make this? What are they trying to do? Did they literally rip off Kill la Kill? What do they want me to think is happening? What do they want me to think is funny?
I might try to watch the next episode but this is honestly upsetting and I don't think I need to do that for the sake of strengthening an argument I am posting on the internet. |