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

Yuki Supporting

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Fuu Supporting

Youmiya, Hina 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

Iizuka, Aya Producer

Sotokawa, Akihiro Producer

Tsuji, Mitsuhito Producer

Matsuda, Taiyou Producer

Reviews

Oct 12, 2024

PixelB

Recommended

Mayonaka Punch is a surprisingly well structured anime despite it seeming like it was trying to cram in too many characters into a 12 episode season.

First of all, I just love Masaki's character development. It's very thought out and as a result, Masaki is a beloved character. The first thing we get to know about Masaki is that she violently punched her fellow co-streamers when they were all livestreaming. And that's it. We don't see the buildup, and we only get a few vague reasons why it could have developed to that point. But, it's not shown. And I love that. Because ultimately, does it ... matter? The reason for Masaki punching her fellow Hype-Sisters doesn't matter. The thing that matters is that Masaki is thrown into internet drama, hate, and separates from Hype-Sisters as a result. She can't record herself due to her anxiety about online comments.

The next time we see Masaki talking about herself, it's not just about a random flashback to get the viewers to understand the main character. Instead, it's because she's frustrated with herself and self-aware about her attitude sometimes. With her dreams of making a big NewTube channel over, she's torn. But because Live wants to helps, loves her, and potentially because Masaki wanted to let it off her chest, she starts telling Live about herself. Her past. It's not just some omniscient viewpoint of the viewer learning about some random flashback, it narratively makes sense since Masaki is actually explaining her past to somebody else.

Ultimately, with help and support through the entire season, whether it be from her family, her former co-NewTubers Hype Sisters, and of course, the Mayonaka Punch crew, Masaki battles the urge to want to be on camera and the anxiety that comes with it. It's not just people saying "just stop thinking about it!" It's not just about Masaki "summoning the courage." But it's about Masaki slowly warming up to the idea with supporting friends while also being forced eventually confront herself and her own feelings about being on camera. This subplot about Masaki and relationship with NewTube, showing her face, and wanting to be accepted by the internet community is quite brilliant for an anime original, and it's all you need to know about the quality about the rest of the show.

It's above average in most things: the melodrama, the characters, the art, and the plot as well. One thing that was clearly lacking was some of the character development for side characters, especially the likes of Tokage, which felt like the story just didn't really focus on her at all due to the lack of episodes in the show. This definitely hampers the character interaction and cohesion, but with a good foundation with Masaki, Live, and Ichiko, the other side characters fit in fine. Thus, a solid 7/10. Worth a watch




Random Aside about Girls Band Cry -- feel free to ignore if you haven't watched that show:

I'll compare this with Girls Band Cry just because both are similar in having a low self-esteem MC, proactive second lead trying to help the MC out, and both trying to make it big in the entertainment world, but the execution can't be anymore different.
Nina comes from a similar spot with Masaki. Masaki runs away--gets pushed aside by the Hype Sisters and moves out. Nina's running away from home, going to school in Tokyo because she couldn't stand her family and living environment. With not so subtle flashbacks, we understand Nina was bullied and can't interact with others. Momaka, her idol, notices Nina and wants to form a band with her-- very similar to how Live is proactively pursuing Masaki and wants to create a NewTube channel with her. However, the similarities stop there.

What's even the reason for Nina to not want to form a band? Low anxiety or whatever. Umm, Nina then proceeds to have melodrama with her other bandmate and makes up within an episode. 3-4 episodes later she's encouraging other people, and somehow Nina basically fundamentally transforms as a character and all it takes is Momoka to give her pep talk for two episodes. It's so much more flat than the more realistic timeline and journey Masaki goes through. Plus, no matter how you slice it, shoving crappy flashbacks about Nina's past to supplement character development is just low effort. Despite Mayonaka punch being more lighthearted, less drama heavy, and about damned vampires, the character development regarding Masaki is much more prominent than Nina in a show that's more serious, melodramatic, and supposedly all about character development.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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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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Dec 9, 2024

MaiDeNaBysS

Not Recommended

Pointless filler anime with no plot and carboard ideas of characters.
It baited marketing itself as similar to the Call of the Night, even ripping off that vampire's outfit, but those aspects were shallow at best and immediately dropped as a bait and switch.
Blue haired Fu bizarrely has roughly the same appearance + behavior and lack of character as Grey from Black Clover, even the same VA phoning it in by just copying herself I think. Deja vu.
Even the details of the punch drama that started the story are never actually explored/explained.
The vampire vtuber aspect gets immediately cut because that would've been more interesting and resolved ... the filler plot in 2 episodes, so instead they start grinding out boring slop to pad the runtime for the rest of the season. The 1million subscribers goal is just a mcguffin excuse for filler vtuber mass-produced SoL slop blindly promoting quantity over quality with zero self-awareness to make any commentary on the subject... because clearly the kind of people making this slop anime are self-inserting hard.
The ending was really dumb.
I can't think of any redeeming qualities to this serialized vtuber brainrot.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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