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Mar 23, 2024
If I've learned anything in my 20+ years of viewing anime (from the glittery Sailor Moon and scuffed knuckles of Dragonball Z), it's that there is a hidden depth and charm to a narrative which requires either multiple viewings or an attentive mind. Also, if an Asian dude with an anime channel says a manga is good and then spends about 20 minutes explaining why, it's probably really good. Probably.
I also learned awards shows are so full of the most mainstream, low-effort content and most people won't bother engaging with something if it doesn't jingle keys in front of their face every fives seconds.
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Sousou no Frieren isn't about battles. Like Vinland Saga, the animation for fight scenes is beautiful, every frame simply OOZING quality. But, fights are also often quick and decisive. Also, unlike Vinland Saga, there isn't a shred of dirt, no bruises to heal, and bodies aren't being battered. These are mage fights. Spells vaporize their targets and every near-miss likely results in a body being maimed indefinitely. No "your arm is now restored." In the world of Sousou no Frieren, if you lose an arm and live to tell the tale, consider yourself lucky.
The sound design is fantastic. I wasn't a fan of the first opening, since it felt way too melancholic and rather last-minute to really hit the right tempo. The second opening, however, is fantastic and fits the themes of the show. That isn't even talking about the in-show OST's which compliment their scenes. Oh, and can we talk about the ambience? Whoever was doing sound design wasn't sleeping. Everything sounds crisp.
Oh, the story?
Sousou no Frieren is the follow-up to a hero's story untold. We are starting at the end of one story, after the world is saved and the hero's party is on their victory lap. The title character, Frieren, is an elf who has lived 1,000 years and will likely live another 1,000, at the very least. At the start, she is impassive, almost emotionless. She promises to see a meteor shower with her friends in another 50 years before parting ways with them. Eventually, they all meet up again, and soon after, the hero passes away. Time is not kind to anyone. We all eventually die and what remains is our legacy.
Frieren cries at the funeral, lamenting the time that passed and the opportunities lost to get to know Himmel the Hero better during their journey. What might have been will never be, and Frieren realizes too late this painful lesson that we, as Human's, have as much difficulty learning throughout our lives. Eventually, she resolves to travel to Northern Continent and Ende, where it is said the living can speak to the dead. Along the way, she acquires two traveling companions being her apprentice Fern, and a warrior named Stark. What follows is a slice of life story of journeying to a distant land for what one might consider an impulsive desire. The truth is, it becomes so much more. Faces old and new brighten the journey, and all too often our trio comes upon some insignificant request that leaves a lasting impact.
Many of the side characters are actual people with distinct designs and personalities to match. One of my favorites from the final arc of the season is Denken, an Imperial Mage who has lived a long life in service of his nation, but has clearly forgotten that magic is not simply a tool. Oh, and without giving away spoilers, Fern's decision at the end of the final episode of the season will give the viewer a chuckle.
And that's where this show shines the most. The writing. Every character, every interaction, every word of dialogue has value. Even something as silly as Frieren's clothes dissolving potion eventually results in a series of events that culminates into a heart-warming book-end to that particular chapter. The author of the manga clearly understood that a story is about more than going from set-piece to set-piece. Sometimes, the slowest stories have the most development, and the least amount of action has the most impact.
Sousou no Frieren is a beautiful story that never disappoints. It is the answer to "what happens after the world is saved and the hero's party retires?" In this particular case, we find a reason to start a new journey.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 22, 2024
As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the first season, I can't help but feel a sense of ambivalence towards the second season, especially when it comes down to the final arc of the season. First and foremost, I'm not inclined towards giving spoilers, so if you're expecting some, this is probably not the review for you. That said, let's get into it.
Continuing the story from Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun, this season hits the ground running with a sports festival. Oh, geez. Well, Tomozaki's goals include motivating a character in class to give their all. He does so in a semi-underhanded manner, albeit not with intent to hurt
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anyone. Unfortunately, there is hurt and despite his best efforts, it's a lesson learned for Tomozaki. Following that is a bullying arc, where Tomozaki helps a friend develop a positive trait that enables them to become more amicable to their peers. Well, it works, for the most part. Unfortunately, the season takes a nosedive beyond this point.
The epilogue for the arc has Hinami and Tomozaki at odds with each other about the final confrontation with the bully. Hinami isn't really answerable to anyone for what she believes was acceptable (get used to that), and while Tomozaki does make some decent moral arguments, there isn't really much to dispute. How far is too far? Can we still call it retribution if we don't draw a line in the sand? These are really good questions that have no easy answers and require context. Unfortunately, this arc is over, and asking questions delays the next arc.
And unfortunately, this is where the show dips in quality significantly. The final arc of the season is a cultural festival arc. The class agrees to put on a play and Tomozaki suggests one of the short stories Kikuchi wrote as their play. Now, I don't mind Kikuchi. She's creative, has an alright personality, and is a good background character. Unfortunately, the author, Yuki Yaku, seemed keen on spotlighting her for this arc, and it's... frustrating. The other character that got emphasis was Mimimi who steals every scene she is in.
I'm not going to spoil anything, I promise. I will say, I am operating on a bias. But also, the writing is just so crap, and I know this is the author's fault, not the animation staff's. *Sigh* Okay, enough delaying.
The problem with writing an arc with two diametrically opposed waifus is that if one of those waifus isn't that interesting, the majority of your audience is going to steer towards the interesting one. The other issue is, if your main character is written with a steep backslide that disregards EVERYTHING they recently went through (as in, maybe months of character development) there needs to be an in-story acknowledgement by others and/or an explanation for the regression. Instead, all of Tomozaki's development over the last two seasons takes a 3-mile back-step to the point he's giving bad advice to Kikuchi after she expresses that she wants to change in a significant way. I don't know why the author wrote him this way. On the other hand, every scene with Mimimi and Tomozaki presents their chemistry in such a natural way that it makes me wonder why this is a choice.
I won't remark on the music. I think the opening and ending are fine for what they are, and I wasn't exactly expecting the QUEEN BEE or Survive Said the Prophet. It's a dime-a-dozen romcom at this point which had a neat premise, but has now unfortunately steered itself into the same ditch the some-thousand other romcoms occupy. I will say that Mizusawa and Mimimi are the highlights of this season. Mizusawa is the hyper-competent and self-aware wingman we all seek for, while Mimimi is the ultimate waifu with her comedic timing and cheery demeanor. Honestly, I'd take a spin-off with these two running around getting into hijinks.
Overall, if your expectation is plentiful character development and meaningful interactions, the first two arcs are as far as I would advise anyone to go. Anything beyond that is going to be frustrating. However, if you're averse to that kind of thing and the generic romcom shennanigans, I would say skip it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jan 2, 2024
Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo (or, "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" for the English-speakers) is one of Mamoru Hosoda's most recognized works, and not for nothing, either. Despite the issues the film has (and I'm going to be as blunt about it as I need to), the strengths it possesses are almost enough to disregard all of that. Almost.
The first issue that I can bring to attention is the animation. In a lot of shots characters and surfaces lack detail. This wouldn't be an issue if it was a matter of backgrounds (not everyone is Mappa, and thank God for it), but it's especially
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jarring when a single scene has the main character, Makoto, turning slowly in reaction to something and her shirt goes from a blank surface to a minimally-detailed texture in slow motion. I This applies to expressions that are as close to the camera as possible, too. You don't notice it as much when things are not in the focal of the shot and in motion [i]unless[/i] you're looking for it, but it is there.
The second issue is the plot itself. Makoto Konno is just your average Japanese high-schooler who one day discovers she has the ability to "leap" through time. Hijinks ensue until eventually everything comes to a head in a massive plot reveal that... amounts to very little. The ending is bittersweet, at best. The climax has a heart-wrenching event unfold and one of Makoto's friends ends up affected by her actions as a result. Well, that would be to say, everyone she interacts with during her leaps is affected, but the consequences for her friend are a lot more severe. Except when they're not, which they aren't, by the end.
I'm not particularly fond of time travel stories simply because they're a lazy plot device to overcome something that normally wouldn't be undone. Even Avengers Endgame fell short of giving us a satisfying time travel story because it required regressing Thanos to a character who was less introspective and far more self-involved, which in turn undermined his reasoning for all that he had done thus far. It also had a convenient excuse in stating that events being altered don't actually impact their timeline, but will affect others. So, why did Steve Rogers need to go back in time to restore everything back to its rightful place, then? Oh, right. Because plot said so.
My third issue with the story is that ultimately, there is only a small confrontation Makoto has in the end which amounts to her friend shrugging and saying "I goofed, sorry about that," and then off-screening themselves until Deus Ex Machina rewards her with a chance to fix that one event. Which she does. Which leads to a bittersweet ending. With all of our questions unanswered.
The film is ultimately "fine" as-is even with its animation problems and plot issues being the biggest offenses. I can see a bit of Re:Zero and Summertime Rendering in here, though I can't tell if either was influenced or it's a coincidence. I would say if you're already a fan of Mamoru Hosoda and missed this one somehow, check it out. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would recommend it when the aforementioned series already exist (and Summertime Rendering did the "limited leaps" concept a ton better besides).
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 24, 2023
I loved the first season. From the world-building, to establishing the party, and all the way up to the final battle. It was a brutal, graphic, no-holds-barred slaying of a seemingly endless horde of baddies. It was medieval DOOM and we all loved it! So, how does one follow what turned out to be a fairly straight-forward story about one man's endless war against an unrelenting horde of semi-intelligent creatures?
With a middling movie.
And a second season that hits so far below the mark that the arrow did a straight nosedive not even a foot after being fired.
The animation isn't what it used to
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be. In the first two episodes alone are more stills during fight scenes than a manga. The action is relegated to speed lines in still images and when it does have animation, it's usually depicting the aftermath of a hit. There is no impact to anything, so you don't feel that any attack has done anything. I wish the action scenes were the only offenders, but the entire show seems to have taken a hit. The first season was no Mushoku Tensei in terms of every frame being as vibrant and life-like as possible, but it wasn't slouching either. Here, simple things like expressions and movement feel incredibly stilted, as if the characters are terrified of moving for fear of hurting themselves.
The story is as basic as its first season, except we now have a reminder of Priestess's first party. Yeah! Remember them? That party of no-names we never saw again? Man, that takes me back...
I won't lie that the emotional fallout from the first season falls flat when almost every scene that should resonate is either sped through or lacks any insight. There is a point during the season when Priestess does something and the light novel makes it clear how her patron deity reacts. In the anime, we get a moment where Priestess appears bothered, followed by a moment at the end of the episode where she is now relieved. I was confused if what she did affected her so much, or if there was something else going on. SO GLAD THE STUDIO SAW FIT TO CONTEXTUALIZE THAT! /s
The sound design is... fine. Mili is on the OP again, and you know that stuff's lit as heck. Unfortunately, in what I can only assume was an ill-advised attempt to validate the terribly-animated action sequences, Goblin Slayer's theme is used ALL THE TIME. Oh, and given the nature of the show, this means there is at least 1 action scene every 1-2 episode. It's as if the studio heads are screaming "ARE YOU HYPE YET?" into our ears while showing us pages from the Berserk manga. Don't get me wrong, Berserk as a property is amazing as heck and should be appreciated in both manga and anime. I'm just saying if you're going to blast a metal track, there better be a 3-5 minute sequence of gore and violence galore.
Overall, this entire season just felt so flat and lifeless. White Fox did the first season while LidenFilms was in charge of adapting the second season. Lidenfilms were the studio behind Berserk 2016 and The modern adaptation of Arslan. Unfortunately, that also means their trademark "polish" carries over to Goblin Slayer II. All I can say is if this series gets a season 3, don't let LidenFilms within a 500km radius of it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Jul 12, 2023
Most of the time you can generally tell when a show is going to do well both by the hype generated around it, and any controversies that emerge as a result. For that reason alone, I have to dredge up a recent controversy that the show found itself embroiled in before we proceed any further. The unfortunate reality is, when we address this controversy, it will set the tone for the rest of the series and the hype surrounding it as a result. In episode 6, a character attempts to commit suicide due to online bullying. The outcome is irrelevant to the overall point here,
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but suffice it to say, the inspiration for that episode was derived from the real-world suicide of Hama Kimura, who took her own life in 2019 after relentless cyber-bullying. Oshi No Ko is, on its surface, a fairly competent tale of the entertainment industry as a whole. However, like the inspiration for its most notable episode, much of the series is paying lip-service to real-world issues that have yet to addressed and offers no real answers.
Episode one is perhaps the most notable example of the show pushing its own message with how it opens, the proceeding events, and its ending. The idol Ai Hoshino is the star of the stage and our protagonist's favorite idol. When an unfortunate Truck-kun schedule is missed and the replacement turns out to be the kind of person who generally gets isekai'd, the goddess of reincarnation deems the creepy doctor to be a better fit for a rebirth back into his own world except as one of Ai's babies. Fickle goddess be she, because I don't know who is supposedly to be winning in this situation. On the one hand, Doctor-kun gets a new chance at life and as his favorite idol's child. On the other hand, this light subversion of expectations could have been better executed any other way if the pair weren't already on friendly-even possibly romantic-terms before the unfortunate accident. Ah, there you are, Oshi No Ko's overarching theme. You thought this overly-cynical critic was going to miss you?
Oshi No Ko's breakout episode follows the rules it sets for itself, which is to subvert our expectations with the hopes that despite the lesson it's trying to impart and the experiences of the characters it's trying to sell us on, the side characters are all generally decent people trying to make their own way in the world. As far as the viewer is concerned by the season finale, anything we were told to expect from the industry is completely absent from it. Maybe those "shitty adults" one of the directors tries educate a particular cast of reality tv "stars" on are far more crafty than we're told about, but I honestly couldn't tell you.
The main cast are fine. Aquamarine has an interesting arc that goes nowhere and does nothing to inform his character beyond what benefit anyone and everyone can offer him. I often ridicule shounen for lacking depth with its characters, but even there at least something happens which makes their protagonists appear to experience some form of growth beyond their earliest established point. Ruby also does so little growing or even appearing informed despite the harsh reality check the other characters give her. Kana and Mem-cho exist as little more than information stands, though I'll grant the original mangaka some kudos for turning the former into a love interest for our otherwise vapid protag-kun. Unfortunately, by the time of the eleventh episode, a miniature harem has grown around the protagonist and his existence is unfortunately necessary to drive the story.
The op and ed are excellent pieces. I won't even lie, IDOL by Yaosoba is a banger. Mephisto by Queen Bee is also really good, although I feel the chorus switches gears way too much and the bridge/end are really too derivative to push the song where it should be. IDOL, on the other hand, has a consistency throughout that makes the direction of its bridge flow naturally despite how much of a shift it can feel like. Both are fairly good songs, but it's easy to see why IDOL was the breakout for the series while the ed wasn't setting records. Both are strong compositions and it's unfortunate for Queen Bee that they got paired with Yaosoba this season. Otherwise, I could see it doing pretty decent.
The animation is weirdly inconsistent. Some scenes rely on stills with lip flaps while others almost seem TOO energetic for the scene they're in. It's like the director wanted to emphasize random things and the tone tends to suffer for it. The attempted suicide scene doesn't earn its necessary longevity whereas the slow pan of episode one was completely unnecessary and did more to traumatize viewers due to how terrifying it was rather than the sad tone it was trying to convey. Simply directing mistakes like these can take their toll on a production, which is why I feel like despite everything else, Oshi No Ko is simply overhyped.
And yes, I did rate Vivy highly. I liked it because it didn't try to lie to me like Oshi No Ko did. Shame on you, Oshi No Ko. Go back to your corner and think about what you did. Vivy, I'll cook your favorite meal tonight since you've been a good little idol anime. Oh, Starlight Revue! What's that? Did you make me a mid gacha out of appreciation? Aw, Starlight Revue! You know I'll always adore you for what you are. Who's a good pair of idol anime? You two are!
Anyways, yeah, Oshi No Ko lies and it doesn't stop lying, and I can't recommend it without a disclaimer of "expect it to do nothing worthy of praise and lie about it anyways." Go watch Starlight Revue instead.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jun 19, 2023
"I have no enemies."
The journey of Thorfinn is a troubling one. On the one hand, his revenge story ends unsatisfactorily with the target of his hatred being executed before his own eyes, without him being given the satisfaction of doing it. It's a resolution to the first season that emphasizes the bitter nature of conflict in the world. Nothing ever ends happily when two sides go to war. Revenge only begets more hatred. The cycle repeats until only one remains standing atop a mountain of corpses, screaming at the sky over their dissatisfaction at having outlasted all others. Vinland Saga is first and foremost a
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story about finding the "first option" in a conflict before arms are taken up.
Season two opens with the perspective of a seeming nobody living his happy life on a farm with his mother and sister. One can't help but feel that this could have easily been an alternate timeline where, rather than revenge, Thorfinn simply went home and sought a quiet life. Very soon, however, our perspective character Einar is forced to experience history repeat for himself. What results is his enslavement and eventual purchase by Ketil, whom owns a large farm. There, he meets Thorfinn, and the two resolve to regain their freedom by working off their debt to their master.
Throughout the story, both Einar and Thorfinn come to understand each other and form a bond of brotherhood stronger than steel and thicker than blood. Einar's resentment towards the Vikings and warriors does play strongly into the overarching theme of finding peace with oneself and resolving to make a better world, as strongly as Thorfinn's own bloody history and nearly suffocating regret for what he had done in the past. These two represent the path not taken by the other, and it's an incredibly potent recipe for storytelling. Other stories do have a similar contrasting character arc between two major protagonists, but very seldom do we see it executed so well.
The animation for this season is as good as the first, if not better. When it needs to be action-focused, it goes the extra mile. When it needs to show somber scenes or even moments of brooding for our cast, the show knows how to let the scenery set the tone. The only disjointed part is during one of Thorfinn's nightmares where he witnesses Hell. The animation in that scene felt a bit off, though I can respect the studio for trying to go with a more surreal look given the context.
The music is fantastic as usual. While Mukanjyo has grown on me and I've listened to Dark Crow ten thousand and one times (the one time after ten thousand was my limit, still a banger), it's this season's ops that have truly captured my love. Rivers is a very sombre opening that encapsulates the feeling of hopelessness in the face of a world that favors the strong and powerful. Paradox embodies the resolve Thorfinn eventually finds to follow a new path and forge a better world. Both are incredibly powerful songs on their own, and for their own reasons.
Vinland Saga season 2 catches the baton that season 1 handed off almost two years ago and does an incredible job carrying it to the next checkpoint. When a show goes this hard to tell its story and present itself so well, one can only wonder what season 3 will be like, whether it continues the trend of beautiful storytelling and wonderful sound design, or if the studio will relax their role a bit. Knowing Studio WIT, though, they've already begun work and have refilled the water tower of coffee. Godspeed, you magnificent people!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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May 22, 2023
Mappa, the studio behind highly-anticipated shows such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, now bring us... a boring series that relies on talk-no-jutsu and as much subtlety as a brick to the face. Oh, and Mappa worked on Vinland Saga season 2, the sequel to the 2019/2020 hit! People, what is going on here?
All I can guess at is that a) the source material lacked depth, and/or b) the team adapting the source material were burned out/not the regular A-team who gets handed all the big projects. I don't think the show is particularly bad, but it somehow manages to try and be as dark
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as JJK while embracing Naruto's worst aspects. Characters spend 5 minutes having a monologue about their emotions, a thing I'm normally not opposed to when done sparingly. The issue is, unlike CSM and JJK, the characters do this throughout multiple episodes. Yuiji and Denji talked about things that affected them, yes. They also learned to come to terms with those things because it was a fact of their chosen positions in life. Gabimaru hesitates more often than he should for a man whose singular goal is only achievable if he doesn't hesitate. You can't call it "character development" if in the first 5 episodes your protagonist steels his resolve, regresses, rinse and repeat.
Neither the op nor ost really do much, either. They sound as bland as heck and almost like an afterthought. I feel bad for *checks notes*
Oh, for the love of-
MILLENNIUM PARADE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
Next, you'll be telling me they tossed Koari Makita onto this. Man, imagine going from Banana Fish and AoT Season 4 to this tire fire.
Yeah, there is some big talent behind this just to make it as good as it possibly could be. The problem is, despite the immense effort already put into this, the show comes out feeling rather bland and uninspired, to the point you can't even say anything about it beyond it exists. I want to give it some credit in the body horror department, but even that feels incredibly dull. The visuals should be popping in a show like this that solely relies on its visual flair to sell what the characters and dialogue cannot, but that falls flatter than a pancake, too.
The story itself isn't particularly interesting, either. All I could think was Hunter X Hunter's Dark Continent arc where a bunch of main cast and side characters go to an island to get a thing and meanwhile the new region is full of things that outclass our hopeful cast. We're given the impression that this place is going to push our main characters beyond their limits, only to then have our main players walk through everything threat without much effort. It's disappointing to have a threat be hyped only to then see the main cast shrug it off. Gabimaru is strong, yes, and an overpowered character is not a particularly offensive trope. The problem is when something like "Shinobi rule 4: never get into a fight with an unknown enemy" is presented as a key detail, only for it to then prove pointless within that same five minute action scene.
Hell's Paradise isn't particularly bad, but it isn't good, either. It fails to make its characters anything aside walking tropes, reduces the threat of its setting to "mild inconvenience," and presents a narrative that has coherence, certainly, but is also as entertaining as having someone read a dictionary to you.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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May 21, 2023
If you've read my reviews, you'll know I have a high bar for the content I engage with. The animation can be weak if your story and characters hold up. If your story and characters are meh, your animation has to sell me. Heavenly Delusion fits into that niche of "Perfect Anime" in which it does everything correctly and then finds a way to raise the bar. Maybe the secret is that Hirotaki Mori is the director heading the entire thing (He did an episode for Erased and Haikyuu), or maybe it's that the original manga author Maqsakazu Ishiguro has a few notable credits to
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her name. No, wait, who even are these people?
Generally, a project like this has a few big names attached to it. Through some witchcraft I can only assume Production IG is privvy to (a studio with an oddly unremarkable history in itself), this entire production has come together perfectly. No, I am not exaggerating. Everything, down to the characters and story, even the music, contributes to bring the entire thing together. Arrogant Adolescence is such a banger opening that you could be forgiven for not paying attention to the visuals that accompany if it were even possible to look away. And that's just the opening.
The story introduces our main duo fairly quickly before cutting to another scene where a school in an undisclosed location is home to a group of children overseen by a group of mysterious adults. We have a mystery of what this school is and what is up with these children before the show throws the series "baddies" at us in the form of the Man-Eaters. Things such as "The Collapse" and "Heaven" are hinted at, but never fully explored as concepts. The show is more focused on the characters and their experiences than the goal at the end of the story.
What really pulled me in was episode 3's revelation near the end. It implied something fairly common in anime nowadays (no spoilers because I think this is something everyone should experience), then subverted my expectations fairly quickly in the following episode. Heck, the flashbacks in this show never feel unnecessary or trivial to get through. Everything serves its purpose here.
Another reviewer mentioned how horny the show appears to be and I have to firmly disagree. Yes, the kids in the school are entering puberty and yes, they are going to be pretty horny. I'm not saying this to justify something disgusting, but what few moments of "horny" we do get are brief and generally serve to further the relationships between characters, which in turn furthers the narrative. Actually, what gets me is how well the show handles something as confusing as what Maru deals with when it comes to Kiruko. The story pulls no punches with these moments, even allowing our characters to fall into familiar behaviors in order to cope with their situation.
I will take a moment here to appreciate that much about the show, too. It doesn't pretend certain things didn't happen moments ago. It doesn't make our main cast unflappable superheroes. They run from bears. Man-Eater's are a team effort. The world is as dangerous as it is beautiful. Our characters cry, get angry, etc. They have personalities beyond what the plot demands. Maru feels like someone you'd easily get along with while Kiruko beneath their stoic exterior is still a frightened child desperately seeking answers and coming up short. It's almost as painful to watch this pair constantly chase what feels like ghosts throughout a breathtaking landscape where every scene is a painting and every motion is a performance unto itself.
Heravenly Delusion is without a doubt the anime of the year for 2023, and that's saying something when we haven't even hit the summer and fall seasons yet. If you're going to watch just one show, make this it!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Oct 2, 2022
After Higurashi Gou and Sotsu devolved into "side character throws a tantrum" shenanigans, I was certain that Re:Zero would be my only satisfaction for these kinds of plots. Enter Summertime Render. The story follows Ajiro Shinpei, who is returning home after two years away to attend the funeral and wake of his childhood love interest, Ushio. What follows is a race against time as the endgame of a sinister being known only as "Haine" fast approaches.
From the onset, the show presents its stakes. If Shinpei fails to prevent the massacre during the summer festival, it's all over. The kicker is this: he can loop
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back to a certain point each time he dies. However, the show does not simply give him unlimited looping powers, and pretty soon, the main antagonists figure out the whole thing. So, there is a degree of strategy involved for both sides.
Unlike Higurashi and Re:Zero, the solution isn't to keep looping until the perfect solution falls into the protagonist's lap. As much as I hate to admit it, the "success through repetition" formula both those shows employs becomes exhausting after a point. Shinpei doesn't push through repetition. For each loop, he retains details of what will happen and plans around it. He takes the observer's position and compensates for the variables he is aware of and plans for the ones that are feasible. It creates a unique dynamic between the protagonist and the antagonist when both sides know everything about what the other is going to do. It ups the tension because there isn't just a gap that separates the protagonist from the rest of the world.
The ops are amazing, as are the ed's. The sound design feels so good, as does the animation. The action scenes while brief remind me of the Fate: Unlimited Blade Works in terms of how every movement, every hit has weight. The Shadows (the enemy forces) move in an otherworldy manner which the shows does a splendid job of presenting.
If I had to pick one problem with this show, it's that the secondary antagonist both feels a bit out of left field with his reveal, but also that his entire motivation feels lukewarm at best. However, Katsuyuki Konishi absolutely brings something to the character that makes him both menacing and enjoyable whenever he's on-screen. If not for Katsuyuki Konishi, I think the second half of this show would have suffered.
Overall, Summertime Render is a great, suspenseful time travel series that definitely deserved better treatment than being locked behind the Disney+ door. If you can find it elsewhere or order it online, I suggest doing so!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Aug 30, 2022
Spy X Family lives and dies on its primary running gag, that being Anya and her myriad reactions that will likely become Reddit staples before the next Crunchyroll awards. Let's not delude ourselves, though. Anything of substance that this show could feasibly bring to the table has already been done better in other shows, for their good (and bad) aspects. It's that it forces a stoic workaholic, a ditsy serial killer (so original!) and a walking meme to live in the same household. The fact that Twilight hasn't figured out at least Anya's secret by the end of the last episode is a testament to
...
how utterly braindead the rest of the world needs to be in order for this premise to succeed.
And let's talk about that right now, because it's the sticking detail that absolutely bothers me. We are told in no uncertain terms via clunky exposition that Twilight is so notorious and competent that the entire world is not only aware of his reputation, but that they would rather avoid dealing with him altogether if possible. Even then, the international manhunt for this guy is absolutely terrifying. And yet, he manages to elude the authorities while remaining twenty steps ahead. By the time they've figured out their next move, he's already concocted seventy strategies for them.
So, with all the obvious hints of what Anya is capable of, how has he not yet figured out that she can read minds?
Most of the "jokes" rely on cliches and western "humour" that barely works a ton of the time. The jokes are all incredibly basic and lack much beyond "look at this funny situation!" before awkwardly moving onto the next scene. The show also heavily relies on the funny faces Anya makes as well as her cuteness factor. If it were just that alone, this show would be a 3 at best. Thankfully, it has some pretty good animation in certain scenes, and the opening and ending are pretty decent, if a bit standard.
Overall, for all the hype surrounding it, Spy X Family barely qualifies for much beyond an entry-level series that offers awkward, bumbling humour, decent animation, a decent opening and ending, and what will eventually become an outdated meme by the time the next season of Komi-san or My Hero Academia (assuming Eri is relevant in the next handful of arcs).
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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