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This movie should've been a slam dunk.

Over the course of 3 seasons, I've grown quite invested in this series featuring 2 awkwardly cute teenagers. There's this innocent charm to Nishikata and Takagi. Pair that with better production and a theatrical setting, there was no reason for me to expect anything less than delightful. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bored for most of it.

For a movie with "Teasing Master" in the title, there isn't a whole lot it. Instead, there's a bunch of garden variety teen melodrama where they act all shy with one another while generic 1-hour Most Beautiful & ... Emotional orchestral music swells in the background. I watch Takagi to escape this kind of stuff, not indulge in it. What made the show work was the playful banter between the 2. Without that effortless chemistry, it isn't nearly as entertaining.

This movie is anime-original, meaning it isn't sourced from the manga, and it seems like the writers involved don't fully understand the appeal of Takagi. I like Takagi because it reminds me of simpler days when holding hands somehow made my heart race. Middle school almost seems silly in hindsight, but those emotions were genuine, and it's pretty peaceful to reminisce about those days gone by. This show makes me feel nostalgic, so you can imagine how awkward I felt watching them raise a surrogate child in the form of a kitten. I'm sorry, I didn't come here to think about marriage. I know that cats hating Nishikata are a running gag, but this was not how I imagined the payoff.

Speaking of payoffs, that's another major reason for this show's success. I remember how season 2--how they built up all that hand-holding suspense--ended with such a satisfying climax. It actually made it feel like the characters grew from interacting with one another. Well, they pretty much recycled the same festival scene--with the same outfits and all--but to a much less eventful conclusion. I was kind of expecting another big payoff movie, only to be left disappointed. Like, they had the setup there--Takagi DID say that whoever wins or loses with scissors during RPS will have to kiss the other person--but they didn't do anything with it. Why??? There was also that whole firefly date myth that could've led to a good scene, but I was pretty checked out by the end of the movie (which is impressive considering how short it is) so I honestly might've completely missed the payoff (and apparently there was a post-credit scene that I didn't think to stick around for).

This movie feels mostly aimless. It didn't have a unifying theme. The side characters, Yukari & co., were having this K-on arc where they realize how little time they have left together as middle-schoolers. But that kind of story doesn't have the same impact as if they were in high school, and it has very little to do with whatever Nishikata and Takagi are doing. Oh well. Despite this lukewarm review, I still somehow managed to enjoy myself--if only by the goodwill of the first 3 seasons.

Spoilers

When a poster of a boy sitting on a throne wearing nothing but his underwear and a cape next to a shadowy figure whose unique design I’ve never seen before, you best bet I was intrigued. Scrolling through seasonal anime on MAL, this one quickly caught my eye. As I always do, I added it to my list and I wait. This one seems special, and I don’t want to dampen the experience by watching something weekly. But as the season went on, the show grew in popularity, and it rose to the top of the MAL charts. Now that intrigue has turned into interest ... and, dare I say, excitement. I’m not one to buy into the hype; I’ve been disappointed one too many times, but there was something mysteriously captivating about that poster. It was simple; it didn’t try to cram in the entire cast; it was itching my curiosity in a way I haven’t felt in a long time, inviting me to explore its world and story. After months of delayed gratification, there were finally enough episodes that I can comfortably binge, and so I did. What came of it? Well, I was already well-prepared to be disappointed, but certainly wasn’t prepared for the deep, emotional satisfaction this 9-hour journey Ousama Ranking put me through.

Holy fuck, the animation quality is on another dimension. Like what in the fuck am I watching? How is this even possible for TV anime? And guess what? Most of it is hand-drawn goodness. Unlike Attack on Titan, where they have 2D characters soar through a 3D landscape, the backgrounds here are hand-drawn. Watching all of these fight scenes, especially Prince Bojji vs King Bosse, was a sight to behold. Seriously, watching a hand-drawn background move around as Bojji flies through the air made me deeply nostalgic for no reason. And the actual fight choreography was nothing short of impressive. The movements felt crisp and had a good flow from action to action, but it was also snappy when it needed to be. I could actually follow what’s going on for once, and with none of the flashy nonsense we see in Demon Slayer. What’s even crazier is how the characters emote in the middle of a fight. I remember in the first episode, when Prince Daida had a spar with Domas using wooden swords, I could see the frustration building up in Daida, and then he shook his head to refocus. The way his cheeks moved in a goopy manner and the sweat flying off his face was so cool to see. And well, speaking of emotions, Ousama Ranking has some of the best crying animation I’ve ever seen. Crying is usually attributed to 1 or 2 emotions, usually overwhelming joy or grief, but really, crying can run the whole gamut of emotions. Be it frustration, anguish, or fear, the way tears fall and how the eyes and face contort communicate so much information visually that it’s hard to describe in words. It’s Wit Studio, so I’m sure they used CG here and there, but it was so well integrated that I legitimately couldn’t tell. Legit, whenever I thought I saw CG, I paused to stare at the freeze-frame, and I swear it was hard to tell the difference. I would go as far as to say Ousama Ranking has set a new production standard for other studios to strive for. This is some next-level KyoAni shit.

But enough gushing over the animation. It’s no good if there isn’t a good story to back it up, and I’m glad to say it does. First and foremost, Bojji and Kage’s relationship is a dynamic I don’t think I’ve seen before. Well, protagonist and mascot sidekick is something we’ve seen a million times (everyone knows Pokemon, right?), but Ousama Ranking has a different take on this trope. You see, mascot characters typically serve 1 function, and that’s to be cute. They’re only there as a pet that follows the protagonist around for emotional support, but these charas can get tiring after a while. Not only are they amorphous blobs that don’t take human shape, but a lot of them also have a vocabulary strictly limited to their name and some weird noises. Emotions are conveyed through facial expressions and tone of voice, so needless to say, these charas can only communicate a very limited set of simple emotions, but Ousama Ranking switches this up a bit. Bojji is deaf, so he can’t speak. Kage can speak, but has an amorphous body. This presents a unique challenge for both the animators and voice actors to convey emotions in a more expressive way, and I love it. Just the way these 2 charas act and interact breathes so much life into the show; it’s so much fun to observe such a refreshing dynamic. Bojji, being the one who can use facial expressions, serves as the emotional core of the duo, while Kage is the mouthpiece that connects them to the outside world. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship that I can’t help but adore. Even after only a couple of episodes, when Kage disappears for an extended period of time, his presence was missed. I would like to point out that most of the characters have very literal, straightforward names. King Bosse is the boss of his Kingdom, duh; Queen Hiling is a healer, duh. Anyone who’s seen Naruto knows that “kage” means “shadow,” and well, Kage is literally a shadow…and metaphorically. Yes, all of these very literal names also have metaphorical implications, but most notable of them all is, of course, Prince Bojji himself. I’ve seen enough anime to know that “Bocchi” means “all alone” in Japanese, so Prince Bojji is literally--and metaphorically--all alone. And what happens when you’re all alone? Well, you’re only left with your shadow.

The story following Bojji is your typical shounen underdog packed with a hidden OP ability and hyperbolic time chamber, but considering how charming Bojji is as a character, this is hardly an issue. What’s more compelling is the unfolding conspiracy at his home kingdom and how each character plays a role in that conspiracy. It’s been a while since I’ve seen characters this multi-faceted. Some characters we believe to be allies, like Domas and Apeas, end up betraying Bojji at some point in time. Other characters that initially appear to be antagonists turn out to be our friends, like Hiling and Bebin. This makes the plot unpredictable in a way I enjoy. Not only are their motivations well-justified, but it also highlights how there are many angles to a given conflict. There are no “picking sides” in this story like you would see in Star Wars; there isn’t a “good side” and “evil side.” Real life is hardly ever that simple. No, there’s only the individual, and each individual has their own idea of what’s righteous and just; what one person thinks is “the moral thing to do” will hardly ever align with the next. Not only that, there’s a constant battle within each character to “do the right thing” and not cave in to their selfish desires. A good example is king Desha. In order to overthrow his tyrannical father, he was forced to commit genocide because it was the “right thing to do.” He experienced anguish and guilt over the atrocity, but how much of that was motivated by greed for power? It’s kind of impressive how pretty much every relevant character has a duality to them. Hell, the devil only wanted to stay pretty, and even the drunken no-life rando who raised Kage has a sympathetic side to him, and it really makes for a compelling story.

And probably the most sympathetic character of them all is Miranjo, who serves as an excellent foil to Bojji. They’ve both suffered a childhood riddled with betrayal and loss, but what separates them is that Miranjo caved into selfish desires. Miranjo lost trust in the world, while Bojji had the strength to forgive and the courage to trust his allies, both of which are fairly traditional western values. By the way, there’s a lot of Westen symbolism in here: David vs. Goliath, Snow White, Holy Mother Mary. I feel like I’m rambling at this point because I’ve only finished the show like half an hour ago and scrambling to organize my thoughts. Anyways, Ousama Ranking is a great show, and it didn’t disappoint. Thank you for reading.

Komi Can’t Communicate, for whatever reason, is an anime that constantly surprises me. From the outset, having such one-note characters is normally a recipe for disaster, but KCC somehow makes it work. It’s also one of the rare occasions where I’ve read the manga before watching the anime, and I’m normally an anime-only who doesn’t even bother to read the manga after watching the anime. It’s clear to say that my experience with KCC is quite different from the others.

I often criticize comedies for their one-note character writing because it isn’t sustainable. Eventually, the jokes grow stale, and when most anime are over 4 hours ... in length, this is almost a guarantee. Having a comedy focus on the chemistry between the characters is a much better way to execute a show, because just seeing a group of friends interact is often enough to be entertaining. But KCC kind of defies this expectation. It certainly has one-note characters—I mean, one of them is literally described in a 3-word title, and at the culture fest maid cafe, one random otaku described several characters in just one word—so how did this show manage to consistently entertain me where so many other comedies of this ilk fail? Well, to be fair, one-note character writing isn’t inherently a bad thing, it just takes a great deal of creativity to keep the jokes fresh and interesting, and KCC somehow succeeds at it. It astounds how it finds new angles to tell the same joke. I laugh every time someone misinterprets Komi’s stare. Seriously, you’d think the writer would run out of ideas, but they just keep coming. Part of it is because of the show’s incredibly large cast. Komi’s “goal” is to make 100 friends, so that sort of implies that we’ll eventually meet 100 one-note characters. Having this premise set in a school filled to the brim with eccentric freaks is honestly a brilliant idea, because that means we’ll have a constant stream of new, whacky characters to keep the comedy fresh for a long while. But all of that won’t amount to much if it doesn’t have a strong core, and it has a pretty decent one.

First off, we got the MC Tadano. His whole schtick is that he’s completely ordinary—so ordinary that it perplexes me how he got into a school of nutjobs, but I’ll set that aside. While he may be a bland character, it isn’t to the detriment of the show. On the contrary, he’s the perfect conduit for us to observe these goofy characters. Boring self-insert MCs are only an issue when the story revolves around that boring character, and KCC isn’t about Tadano; it’s about, well, Komi. Komi’s character is an attractive premise. There’s something comforting knowing that even the most perfect of people have flaws and deal with their own problems, so Komi’s sincere efforts to overcome her weakness are genuinely heartwarming, and her inability to communicate makes her interactions with all these over-the-top characters all the more hilarious. But Komi alone isn’t enough to carry the show. She only really has 2 expressions: straight-faced and bug-eyed. She’s essentially a mute, which sometimes makes it difficult to connect with her. So I think the key ingredient that brings all of this together is Najimi. This genderqueer enigma is the most endearing character in the show and easily my favorite (I love how they wear a tie instead of a ribbon). We’ve all had someone like this in our friend group: the one that’s so likable and bubbly that they spread their infectious energy to anyone they encounter. Najimi, being so sociable and outgoing, is the perfect ice breaker to keep the group dynamic stable, allowing everyone else to just be themselves. But enough gushing about the comedy, it’s time to address the elephant in the room.

All of these traits are what made the manga good, not the anime. I’m not saying the adaptation is bad; it’s just standard and by-the-books. Nothing about the presentation wowed me. There might be some standout bits of animation, but for the most part, the direction is lifeless, and I’m not just talking about the plastic ren’py looking 3D backgrounds. Komi Can’t Communicate feels like another moving manga, and I think this style is boring. We constantly see text boxes show up on screen, which is silly to me. Why do we need to see onomatopoeias when we can already hear the SFX? The editing style makes it feel like I’m watching a string of panels rather than actual animation, and the amount of jump cuts in this show is jarring and obnoxious. One example that stuck out to me was the beginning of episode 6. Instead of Komi walking to the door, she magically teleports there. I thought it would’ve but cuter if she speed-walked to the door; it would’ve been a memorable bit of animation. But no, she has to teleport there because that’s how the manga panels look. The biggest detriment to the moving manga style is the pacing. With manga, the reader is in control of the pacing; they can skim if they want to, but this isn’t the case for anime. This makes some scenes drag out more than they should, and I’m left bored because of it. It’s especially grating in the more cathartic scenes. When reading the manga, Komi stuttering her words was kinda cute, but when I actually had to wait an eternity for her to say something, my patience ran thin. And the music really doesn’t help. It tends to overdramatize the situation. The goofy music sounds too goofy, and the sentimental piano sounds too sentimental.

But even if I think the manga is a better experience, I'd probably still prefer the anime; I love the voice acting and SFX too much. Speaking of voice acting, Najimi’s seiyuu is perfect. I mean, Rie Murakawa is proving herself to be an incredibly versatile actress. Just compare her Megumi role in Gochiusa, and you’ll see what I mean. I doubt I'll ever rewatch this show. I might've praised it for its funny one-note cast, but it doesn't offer much more than dumb entertainment. Depending on the person, the formula might get cumbersome, and the superficial friendships might be paper-thin. But I overall had a good time.

Thanks for reading!

This contains spoilers.

What do you think of when you hear the word “anime?” Is it the wish-fulfillment power fantasy with crazy awesome action sakuga? Is it the uniquely bizarre, eclectic culture that the medium has cultivated? Or is it the most wretched hive of scum and degeneracy? Well, Mushoku Tensei wonderfully exemplifies many of these traits and more…for better or for worse.

Let’s get the easy part out of the way. I don’t think anyone’s denying how gorgeous this show is. There’s impressively detailed background art, exceptionally emotive character expressions, epic action sequences with immersive sound design, an incredibly diverse setting--each with its own unique ... culture, food, architecture, fashion, soundscape, music, language, and yadda yadda. You get the point. From a production standpoint, this is among the best of the best, which is made especially impressive by how young the studio is. But this is stuff everyone already agrees on; I want to talk about the stuff that might be unique to my opinion.

Obviously, the biggest controversy surrounding this show is the highly sexual and pedophilic overtones. Yea, this show is degenerate. The main character is a literal pedophile, and I don’t want to hear the argument saying he’s 11-years-old. No, this is a man with over 50 years of life experience who is heavily implied to have slept with a 15-year-old. He. Is. A. Pedo…Period. And I don’t even mind that. Believe it or not, I’ve seen--and tolerated--much more degenerate shite in anime (*cough* toothbrush) and I’m not even gonna attempt to argue how tasteful it is, but I do want to point out its dichotomy.

On one hand, there’s the comedy, which is pretty good and memorable: “I’ve been stripped naked, doused in cold water, and insulted on top of that. What will they do if I end up with a new fetish?” This got a genuine laugh out of me, and this is just one of many examples. On the other hand, there’s the redemptive, coming-of-age (if you even call it that) drama, which is also pretty good in its own right. I love how the show constantly reprimands Redeus’ shortsightedness and immaturity. It’s quite refreshing, honestly, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Mushoku Tensei is trying to be a redemptive story of a broken hero while also being a hyper-sexualized comedy, and this inherent contradiction doesn’t sit well with me.

One of my favorite anime series, Monogatari, pointed out how selfless heroism is ultimately selfish, and here’s a prime example. One moment, he’s rescuing beast children from human trafficking--which is a pretty dark and fucked-up concept--but then he starts leering at their tits and I’m like: “this isn’t the right time for this.” To be fair, this doesn’t happen all the time; there are several more dramatic moments that are treated with respect, but it does break my immersion from time to time.

All of this screams “wish fulfillment” to me. There’s this constant air of self-loathing in the show, and an isekai is a way to find solace amidst that darkness. Having a second chance at life is a comforting thought, but here’s the biggest reason why I can’t connect with this kind of story. I'm young, and I don't hate myself enough to crave a second chance, nor do I lament me being an otaku. It’s quite the contrary. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and No Game No Life are another 2 of my favs, and they could also be considered wish-fulfillment fantasies, but the key difference lies in their theming and intent. You see, shows like TTGL and NGNL are celebrations of individuality and creativity. They’re inspirational and empowering, packed with optimistic faith in humanity. Why would I strive to not be a pathetic individual when I could strive to be the best version of myself possible?

And I’ll leave it at that. I totally get why Mushoku Tensei is so beloved, but it totally isn’t for me, and that’s fine. There’s so much passion put behind this anime that it makes me happy that high-quality anime still exists. It also makes me happy that people are starting to warm up to the degenerate side of anime. The beauty of animation is that it isn’t chained to the rules of reality. Anime might be cringe as fuck, but at least we can be ourselves.

Thanks for reading!

Update 1/31/22: After properly rewatching the show, I've changed my opinion. I stopped viewing it as a redemption arc and more of a wish-fulfillment fantasy. Rudeus isn't exactly trying to be a better person, he's trying to live a better life, and this was my fundamental misconception: living a better life doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a moral one. This was clearly pointed out in the 1st season, and somehow I totally missed it. Rudeus' father goes around and fucks every girl on sight, and even though Rudeus shames his father for doing so, he nonetheless respects him for it. We, the viewers, might find an unfaithful bastard morally reprehensible, but the fact of the matter is, most of us WISH we had the ability to just fuck whoever we please--why do you think there are so many lifeless harem shows out there? The thing about ambition is that it's ultimately selfish, and I guess I'm so used to our virtue-signaling culture to notice. While I'm not one to self-insert, and I might not condone his actions, Rudeus has become a more respectable character in my eyes--not necessarily redeemable, but respectable. My score was initially a 5, but I've since changed it to a 7.

I’m not gonna lie, when I saw Aggretsuko get a 4th season, the cynic in me thought this was too much of a good thing. Season 3 was already a satisfying conclusion to Retsuko’s arc, and anything more would just be Western producers--in this case Netflix--milking a show into oblivion. I especially dreaded the idea of Retuko taking a step backward in her life just so they can prolong her story (as many other shows have done). After completing the 4th season, I guess I was kind of right? Retsuko doesn’t change that much throughout the 4th season because the show is no longer about ... her growth as a person. It seems strange, but even though her name’s still in the title, Retsuko isn’t really the main character anymore: Haida is.

Now I thought the beginning of the season was downright silly. At the end of the 3rd season, I thought the Retsuko x Haida couple was a forgone conclusion, so watching a dumb romcom couched in high-school misunderstandings was beyond insipid. Haida was literally--and I mean LITERALLY--one step away from her doorstep, but he was too much of a pussy to take it. Yes, the show acknowledges how stupid this is, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. Seriously, it was hard for me to tolerate an indecisive soyboy Haida with a self-esteem as thin as paper not being able to ask out his crush he’s been pining over for half a decade. I realized later on that this was a necessary setup to fully examine Haida as a character, so the second half improved a lot for me.

This season comes with a new antagonist: the company's new president (I forgot his name). While the first season explored the abuse of power rampant in a corporation, this season explores the more underground corruption plaguing it. Not only is he quick to criticize the outdated tradition of his seniors, but he’s also so obsessed with efficiency to the point of treating employees more like machines than actual humans. Haida, being the most efficient member of the department, becomes the new head of accounting. Haida is highly impressionable and is unsure of himself, so he desperately seeks outward validation. And now that he finally does get validation, it corrupts him. He’s now willing to do ethically questionable things just to protect that meager validation, and in the process, becomes more closed-off than ever before. Ultimately, confidence should come from within, not from someone else, and this season kinda delivers on that message--though the ending did feel a bit rushed.

Aggretsuko remains as thoughtful as ever, but as far as I’m concerned, I didn’t need a 4th season. The fact that Retsuko was sidelined for most of it makes me feel like the writers were grasping at straws, figuring out how to prolong the story without ruining what they’ve built up. If you’re watching just to revisit this eccentric cast, you’ll have a good time. For me, Haida isn’t nearly as likable as Retsuko, so I had a hard time getting invested. Anywho, it says "Retsuko will return" after the credits of episode 10, so what do I know? I'm probably gonna watch it anyway since it's so short and digestible.

Thanks for reading!

While many people were kindly disheartened by Naoko Yamada’s departure from KyoAni, I see it as a logical step forward in her already auspicious career. Yes, KyoAni is unquestionably an industry leader, pushing the envelope on how visually marvelous anime can be, but at the end of the day, KyoAni still caters to a broad audience—they wouldn’t be as successful as they are if they didn’t. With her latest films being “A Silent Voice” and “Liz to Aoi Tori,” Yamada has been dipping her toes into more experimental media for some time now, and with that requires creative freedom not as easily available at that ... beloved studio. So her transition to Science SARU—one of the most experimental anime studio to come out in recent years—serves as an exciting foray into the world of arthouse; and adapting a poem as ancient and dense as “The Tale of the Heike” makes this project all the more ambitious.

But regrettably, that ambition might’ve been too great.

For those who don’t know, Heike Monogatari is basically the Japanese equivalent of the Iliad and Odyssey; it’s a tale as old as time passed down through many generations. To adapt such a story would be a task so gargantuan, even the most talented of screenwriters would cower at its premise. And yet, Reiko Yoshida—who’s pretty much written all of Yamada’s works—stepped up to the challenge. I respect it, but the narrative was...messy, to say the least. The show kind of expects you to fill in the gaps yourself, but as a Westerner who isn’t too familiar with Japanese literature, the plot lost me more often than I’d like to admit. But that isn’t my fault. The job of a show is to tell a story, not to tell a story I’m supposed to already know: it’s just poor adaptation. There are way too many characters sitting around and talking about the plot, things just happen and I have no idea why, and it has the same problem as The Godfather where there’s a bajillion characters I can’t keep track of (it doesn’t help when so many of their names end with “mori”. Yamada just wasn’t set up for success with such a convoluted script adding so much confusion to the whole experience. On top of that, it was bizarre to see a script play so far away from her strengths as a director.

As evident from interviews in the past, Yamada describes herself as a “method” director, taking pride in her ability to get close to her characters’ thoughts and frame of mind. And looking at her filmography, this is her first time directing a story that isn’t set in modern-day Japan, and she seems out of her depth here. Biwa, as an observer-type main character, has next to no presence in the story for most of the runtime, and for a historical-political drama, none of the other characters were all that relatable either; it felt like she was grasping at straws when trying to portray them. Why? There’s too much dialogue. Her characters aren’t allowed enough space to express themselves. Yamada’s style focuses on empathy and all the little emotions we hide in our body language and facial expressions. A common theme among all of Yamada’s works is the deep anxieties the future can hold, and that fear has always been communicated through subtext. I don’t even want to call it subtext, because that implies there are lines of text to read in-between, and her best moments are when there IS no dialogue, conveying emotions purely through audiovisual mastery.

Oftentimes, Yamada’s characters aren’t able to process the emotions they’re dealt with. The beauty of K-on is in the senior's naive ignorance of their transient lifestyle. Tamako Love Story captures the unease of facing others’ feelings, including your own. And if “A Silent Voice” didn’t make this clear, emotions are more than just words; it’s not something that can be described, only felt, and she’s consistently delivered on that delicate intimacy until now. Heike Monogatari falls into that anime trap where everything’s overexplained. Characters that somehow have the self-awareness to psychoanalyze everyone including themselves is a trope I despise in drama. So to have Biwa, a literal child, flat-out say that she’s “frightened of the future” in such a pronounced manner was jarring, to say the least.

To make matters worse, the show feels tonally all over the place because Yamada was trying to get TOO artsy with it. I never thought Yamada would be one to use vapid metaphorical imagery, but alas, I was wrong. The most egregious example is in episode 6 where Kiyomori sees smoke in the shape of skulls to symbolize his guilt and fear of the recently deceased. Wow, how deep. I swear it looked like a parody scene straight out of Adventure Time; it was horrendous. If it was any other director, I would’ve burst out laughing.

And the final nail in the coffin to this bizarre mess of a show is the music. Ushio Kensuke—a composer that previously worked with Yamada on “A Silent Voice” and “Liz to Aoi Tori”—has started to become monotonous. It feels like he’s recycling old ideas in an almost self-plagiarizing way. His music is wonderfully hypnotic and captivating, seducing his audience into a more contemplative headspace to explore the character’s emotions. It was gorgeous, really, but this time felt lackluster and out of place. There were moments with goofy percussion, then 2 seconds later comes the more metronomic pulse of a sentimental piano. Instead of easing the audience into a lull, he’s just telling us how we’re supposed to feel, and that’s annoying. Also, for a period piece, I’m not a fan of him using modern instruments in the soundtrack. Sure, he made sick music in “Devilman:Crybaby” and “Ping Pong the Animation,” but why the hell am I listening to a brisk techno beat in a show set in the Heian Era? And it’s not like it’s a fusion of culture like Samurai Champloo.

I honestly think the biggest crime here is the rushed pre-production. I didn’t think Yamada would resort to the occasional still image. Naoko Yamada is a director that excels with time. Back in KyoAni, she had the liberty to completely redo K-on’s character design (a decision that paid off dearly) and she had the luxury to spend 2 trips to London in preparation for K-on the Movie. From what I can tell, Science SARU seems to be facing overproduction issues to the point that Masaaki Yuasa—a director synonymous with the studio—says he himself is burnt out and needs a break. That’s why Yamada’s here. They’re trying to look for freelance directors to diversify their catalog so Yuasa doesn’t have to do everything himself. A classic tale of too much anime, not enough workers. It’s depressing, really.

I know I’ve been mostly negative on this review, but that’s only because of my exorbitant expectations for the show. I mean, it’s not all bad. I liked some of the flower imagery. Whenever older Biwa starts hacking away at the biwa (what a dumb idea for a character name) with an intense staccato, it gave me chills. I love the background and how it gives it off the feeling of an old scroll. And I especially love the shots where Biwa is framed with one eye and the other is hidden off-camera. Depending on what eye is shown, it conveys a lot of what she’s thinking.

Everything that could’ve gone wrong went horribly wrong, but Yamada still managed to pull out a show that looks better than the vast majority of anime I’ve seen. It was too artsy, too ambitious, but I’d rather have it be too ambitious than not at all. This shows that Yamada is still a top-tier director, but also a painful reminder that no artist is infallible. Despite all of that, Yamada continues to be my most favorite director—not just in anime, but across all media. Having one disappointing project doesn’t change the fact that she created what I believe to be 4 consecutive masterpieces, nor does it diminish the deep catharsis they brought me at points in life I needed it the most. Sure, it could be that this new direction is actually pretty good and I’m too close-minded to see her vision, so I do look forward to revisiting Heike Monogatari after several months of reflection.

Thanks for reading!

Four years ago, if you told me Season 2 of Kobayashi was somehow even better than the first, I would’ve thought you’re crazy, especially with a Kyoto Animation that no longer has Yamada OR Takemoto! I mean, Season 1 was pretty much perfect in every way, and I thought themes were already so well-explored that there’s no way a sequel could live up to that quality. Boy, was I wrong, because Miss Kobayashi’s Maid Dragon S blew me away! It’s rare to come across an anime that’s this pandering to my taste, but I am so glad I get to indulge once more in the ... succulent goodness of this cloyingly adorable show of found family.

But before I even talk about the profuse comfort I feel from the show’s overall narrative, I absolutely MUST talk about the prepossessing, utterly stunning animation! Even without 2 of their best directors, KyoAni still has one of the absolute most talented staff in the industry. They only work on a small handful of projects a year, but they pour so much love and heart into each and every one of those projects, and it really, REALLY shows. What’s even more impressive is that they somehow keep improving from one project to the next, taking all of what they’ve learned from the previous project and building upon it. It’s so exciting just to see what they’re going to do next, and the moment that OP played in the first episode, I had quite a euphoric eureka experience. The way each shot zooms into each character in this high-acceleration way, only to transition to the next character, looks EXACTLY like Nichijou. Not only that, but it looks so much better than it too! Nichijou had characters mostly still, or doing simple motion, but Maid Dragon took it a step further and made each shot have amazingly complex character animation alongside the zooms to create such a remarkable display of talent. Then I looked up that Ishihara, director of Nichijou, is directing this project, and it made me SO excited for no reason. Fast forward 10 minutes, and then we get one of, if not, THE most impressive energy blasts I’ve ever seen in the past 10 years I’ve been watching anime. Witnessing that for the first time had me floored and outright flabbergasted by just how incredible the animation is (I need to find out the animator responsible after this review). Even just the way each character moves looks spectacular. I remember, towards the end of episode 2, the way Tohru jumps between Kobayashi and Ilulu, the way her dress spins around in a circle, the way she randomly throws a peace sign in front of her eyes, the way wildly flails her arms, and that amusing expression she has on her face, it all adds up to such a delightful experience. This is a sakuga nut’s wet dream. I seriously can’t stop gushing about the animation because it’s just that good! I couldn’t tell you how many times I hit that left arrow just to rewatch a clip. In this audiovisual medium, the animation is the most important aspect of a show. You can have a story by reading a book or watching a Hollywood movie, but you’re not going to get stellar animation. For me, animation has LIMITLESS potential, because you’re not bound by reality like you are in live-action. So, it’s baffling to me that so many studios don’t take full advantage of the medium. So many anime has the same cookie-cutter look, and here we have KyoAni just flexing on everyone. And that’s just the surface!

Beyond that shiny surface is an unexpectedly down-to-earth portrayal of found family. Each and every relationship is awkwardly intimate in its own amusing way, but they instill a profound feeling of warmth and comfort for one another. It’s that sense of acceptance and welcoming that makes the show feel so unabashedly genuine. It feels as though, no matter who you are or where you’re from, whether you’re a nutcase on the street who wants to destroy the city or an adorable loli who needs some affection, there will always be someone who can accept you for who you are and welcome you with open arms. Even if you don’t have a home yet, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a home waiting for you, and that sentiment is just so sweet. Dragons represent those “weirdos” who believe they don’t fit in with society, that they must ostracize themselves from the rest of the world because they’re just too “different” or some bullshit like that. They claim to be independent when really, they just need the comfort of a friend just as anyone else would. I really appreciate how shamelessly forthright the show is with its fetishes. Every dragon has balloon tiddies, aside from Kanna and Fafnir (for obvious reasons). While I’m not into that myself, considering the show’s themes of acceptance, I quite admire the confidence to include this in the show. This season, we’re introduced to a new red-haired dragon, and she’s both a loli AND big-titted. It looks goofy as hell, and I love it. KyoAni has a reputation for subdued fanservice, so I’m glad they didn’t hold back in a lot of these ecchi scenes, because it isn’t totally vapid. It’s a strangely taboo subject matter, but sexuality plays a major part in one’s life, and many people have been shunned for their odd preferences. Allowing Maid Dragon to explore this near-universal aspect of one’s life only adds to its already thematically rich narrative. Also, it’s just great comedy. Having most of the cast be world-ending fish-out-of-water dragons adds a unique slant to an otherwise tired genre. I mean, epic action scenes have no business being in a slice-of-life, and yet it’s some of the best I’ve ever seen.

So yea, if I haven’t made it clear yet, I love Maid Dragon. Just watching these characters interact and finding solace within one another fills me up with so much joy. And the way the show just sprinkles in brief nuggets of wisdom makes it all the more reassuring. And above all, it gives me hope, hope that I will one day be able to find my own home and create my own family, and also hope that great anime like this will continue to be made.

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If there’s one ingredient that’s absolutely core to my enjoyment of a show, it’s relatability. It’s not necessarily that the characters have to be similar to me, it’s that I have to connect with some facet of their motivation. Rimuru Tempest (which I will refer to as “he,” despite being genderless, for ease of discussion) was easily the most appealing aspect of this narrative as he’s a character we all wish we could be. What made him stand out from the myriad of lackluster self-inserts was his open-mindedness and uncanny ability to befriend those who were once enemies--mostly due to his exuberant generosity and resources--which ... allowed him to build a robust, ethnically diverse, RPG-esque community. It was fascinating to see all the moving parts of Tempest, how each individual can utilize their unique talents to contribute to their little society. Even if it’s all fictitious, there was a level of comfort in knowing that such a welcoming community exists where even a bumbling fool like Gobta has inherent value as a member. And while it has somewhat maintained this general appeal, I feel as though it has lost its luster over the course of Season 2. Spoilers ahead.

There was a defining moment in Season 2 that dramatically shifted the dynamic of the narrative, and that was the Falmuth invasion. At first, I thought this was a good direction for the story to take. As the saying goes, you don’t know when something’s valuable until you’ve lost it, and witnessing the heartbreaking massacre on Tempest added some much-needed stakes to the story. It highlights just how fragile the city of Tempest can be, and it reinforces the idea that it’s something worth protecting. Such a loving community utterly devastated by humans, a race infamously known for their close-minded fear and ignorance. This can easily be seen as a metaphor for how minorities are often misunderstood and shunned because of it. The city of Tempest is truly the lifeline of the show, so it’s understandable that Rimuru would want to retaliate, but I feel as though he went too far. Up until this point, Rimuru kept that casualties to a minimum, only killing when absolutely necessary, so I was expecting the kind-hearted Rimuru to mourn the loss of his people, then try to establish a more sound relationship with the human race; this is a fantasy, after all, and I would like to believe people are actually able to be reasoned with, but the story took an unexpected turn. It introduced this cheap plot device where, if Rimuru evolves to Demon Lord, he can revive everyone who died in his city. Yea, you can kiss those stakes goodbye, ‘cuz from here on out, there will be none.

There’s really no going back from this error. From now on, I know Rimuru will ALWAYS come out ahead no matter what, because the story can just pull something out of its ass to make sure of it. Throughout the show’s entirety, Rimuru’s powers and resources were handed to him on a silver platter, so I was genuinely interested to see how Rimuru would respond when things didn’t go his way, but of course, that doesn’t matter anymore. Yes, I understand that Slime is trying to be an escapist fantasy where everything goes right, but the invasion of Falmuth was an honest attempt at introducing a compelling conflict, and it fell flat because it’s trying to have its cake and eat it too. Needless to say, this has made Part 2 kinda boring...ish?

Funnily enough, despite having no narrative stakes, it didn’t totally ruin the experience for me. I guess watching Rimuru and co. is enough to simply enjoy the show, so it wasn’t a chore to sit through, but it definitely isn’t as charming as it used to be. I, personally, enjoy shows from a spectator’s point of view, and I seldom enjoy things that require self-insert. While most people might project themselves onto Rimuru to live out their fantasy, I simply admire Rimuru as if I’m a part of the community, but after seeing the oh-so-kind Rimuru slaughter thousands of humans, it’s hard to appreciate him in the same light. Sure, he did slaughter hundreds of orcs in the previous season, but this time, he did it with this eerie sense of malice to him. It almost feels as though he’s this communist overlord coated with a veneer of humble benevolence and prosperity. I dunno, it’s kind of unsettling to see all of his subordinates obsequiously worship him with this unquestionable loyalty, and when someone does question Rimuru, he just responds with: “I want to make the world a better place!” and everyone is just like: “wow, Rimuru, you’re such a nice guy!” and I’m here like “dude, you just killed thousands of people in cold blood, who’s making their world a better place?” It’s hard to relate to all the characters who are doing nothing but blindly jerking off Rimuru, and it’s even harder to relate to the slime king who can do no wrong. Because the show has lost that relatability, the show just isn’t as engaging as it used to be. Now, the character interactions aren’t nearly as endearing and actually slightly obnoxious. The fight scenes have become overlong and exhausting. It’s well animated, but it’s just a bunch of badass wannabes standing around announcing meaningless attack names and doing some flashy nonsense, and the dreadfully loud, bassy sound effects make it especially nauseating to sit through. These are ultimately small, nitpicky details, but they do add up and take away from the experience.

I should also mention, Slime has had a villain problem for a while now where their only motivation is that they’re evil, but Part 2 has exacerbated this issue. Clayman was the “big bad” the show’s been building up to for a long while now. Every conflict before now alludes to him being the guy pulling the strings, and now that we actually see him in action, it turns out he’s actually quite cartoonish and pathetic. It’s as if reviving half the population wasn’t enough, and they just had to hammer home the fact that this show has absolutely zero tension. Oh wait, but Clayman isn’t actually the guy pulling the strings, turns out there’s a guy above him who’s the REAL villain! Oh boy, I can’t wait to see that confrontation, isn’t it exciting? No. No, it’s not. Remember back in 2012, everyone was freaking out about Thanos in the Avengers mid-credit scene? Yea, that was a cool reveal because Loki was already a cunning, world-ending threat. I suppose Clayman is the Loki of this universe, but this shouty dumbass is laughable at best and pompously overbearing at his worst. Seriously, this is just a pitiful attempt at raising the stakes where there is none, since Rimuru is so OP that he’ll probably just brush off the next villain with ease anyways.

I know I’ve been pretty negative throughout this review, but I still kind of enjoy the show despite all of its flaws. I wish I could just ignore these thoughts and experience the show for what it is, but alas, these things do indeed distract me. Like I said before, building the city of Tempest was what I found to be the most enticing aspect of the show, and I guess at some point, the show stopped being about the community and solely about Rimuru. Everyone either praises him or is impressed by him. We get a scene where 2 big bad demon lords talk about how mysterious and fascinating Rimuru is. In every fight scene, we have people shouting out how cool he is, and that kind of excessive stanning is lost on me.

Thanks for reading!