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- BirthdayFeb 9, 1994
- LocationSTARRY @ Shimokitazawa
- JoinedJul 31, 2017
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Apr 19, 2023
This show begs the only question that only serves to boggle my mind: What's up with sequels that fail to live up to the potential of their former premiere seasons?
Being the final show to finish out of the paltry Winter 2023 season that is honestly nothing more than a throwback to the COVID days of early 2020, novelist Yumikan's Bofuri was at least back then when the pandemic just started in the Winter season, a breath of fresh air when it came to parodying close premises like SAO on the subject matter. And above all, a potential of a show that has limitless ways to
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go around of, other than being a good time-waster and one of the best Winter 2020 shows of its lineup. And unsurprisingly 3 years later, we get the sequel...which was honest to goodness: a massive letdown of a disappointment. Couple that up with the scathing sequel effect of shows like Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko a.k.a By the Grace of the Gods and Maou Gakuin no Futekigousha a.k.a The Misfit of Demon King Academy as some of the worst follow-ups from their previous interesting premiere seasons, not to mention that both shows also started in Fall and Summer 2020 respectively, what has 2-3 years of development have been for the effort back then that warranted the sequel that is worse off than what came before?
To be fair, Maple and her Maple Tree guild of veteran character stays like Sally and Co., it's great to see them back for more "Players vs. Devs" kind of online game where the OP-ness knows no bounds, especially with all that has been established with Maple's exponential growth in Season 1 3 years ago. And all that time has culminated in Maple Tree being New World Online's biggest and most famous (and infamous) guild due to their limitless leader of potential. The other guilds of Mii's Flame Emperor and the Order of the Holy Sword under Payne are keeping up their status quos together to make sure that they at least match Maple's level, or else not to lag behind like the rest of the players in the game. Of course, since this is Season 2, it's Round 2 of a literate game against the developers, pushing their creativity and powers to their limits, ensuring that while the difficulty is amped up but not too much for the most of casual players, there is just no beating Maple at her own game because she feels like she is always 100 steps ahead of the pack, tiring the developers out of way against her every move and targeting the others instead. Smart move, but nope. In the very end, it feels like this show caters to an audience that is all about fun, and don't get me wrong as it truly is, but if the anime and its source material has not known anything of its Achilles' Heel, it's knowing the adage of "the sky is the limit". Basically, the TL;DR is this: if you've watched Season 1 (which you've definitely seen somehow), the sequel is more of the same, literally copy-paste.
Silver Link still shows their promise in this show by pumping out the usual sakuga moments that are of its signature since Season 1, and it is replicated here to good effect, I'll give it this much if the studio's in-house directors Mirai Minato and Shin Oonuma (chief) knows what kind of game they are playing with Bofuri's adaptation. The one disappointment for me though, would be the OST. Junjou no Afilia's 2nd OP for Bofuri just sounds pedestrian when compared to the amazing 1st OP graced for Season 1 that's just as iconic and still having that whimsical effect, even 3 years later. The ED, like Season 1 however, is forgettable at best and isn't noteworthy.
Like Kami-tachi and Maou Gakuin, Bofuri haphazardly joins the list of Winter 2023's worst Season 2 sequels of a gleaming potential that could be realized back in the day, only to squander it like nobody's business, thinking that 2-3 years' worth of time in-between that the world would degrade even more (that it didn't) and just capitalizing on its past goodness, which sadly isn't to be found here. It's such a shame this could be just as great as Season 1, but for whatever reason, somebody (or somebodies) didn't try hard enough to justify its existence.
Not much hopes for a Season 3 going forward, but still, an average pass is what I'm willing to give for Season 2 here. A downgrade to subpar average repetitiveness.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Apr 6, 2023
Yet another year goes by, and yet another year, comes another season of Sorcerous Stabber Orphen.
It's clear that there is an audience in Japan that is calling for the remake adaptations of novelist Yoshinobu Akita's acclaimed Majutsushi Orphen Hagure Tabi a.k.a Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, that 3 years on, we're now into the Seasons 3 and 4, 2-cour continuous season that is the Chaos in Urbanrama arc, followed by the Doom of Dragon's Sanctuary arc that we'll be getting the week after, for some non-stop Orphen action.
But truth be told, I am feeling the watchers' remorse that as every season is stressed on, it just got
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worse and worse, and only the dedicated ones will see this through till the very end if Studio Deen and the anime production committee decide to adapt all 20 volumes of the LN at hindsight. When this'll ever end, I don't have a clear answer.
Every season feels the same, if not more boring than the previous, and the OST just goes from memorable to unmemorable, with the only change being the dwindling of people everywhere still watching this.
Studio Deen, When will you ever stop? Now we still have another half to go through...
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Apr 2, 2023
Once again, another overlooked show from the Winter season that you should be watching, albeit that you should give this the chance that it really deserves.
When it comes to sports series, we've had all sorts of sports in the last few years, the most prominent being soccer in the form of last year's Ao Ashi and Blue Lock. But niche sports like sumo (with 2018's Hinomaruzumou a.k.a. Hinomaru Sumo) and boxing (with Megalo Box or even Netflix's Baki series) are far and few in-between, that's it's hard to keep one's attention at doing something similar, yet different. And one of those shows this season, is
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mangaka Yu Muraoka's Mou Ippon! a.k.a "Ippon" Again!, focusing on the judo aspect. The now (as of this review) 22-volume long manga series that the anime covers just a fraction of it, it's a unique work at best that'll surprise you if you decide to give this show a chance to be mesmerized by it.
The coming-of-age show comprising of characters that were once in their combat sports (or the correct term being martial arts) element, only to grow out of the exact sport that they practiced for so long, and to revitalize their passion when the situations they were in hit a snag, the paces are there for a revival/resurgence of the sport. This is what happens to MC Michi "Micchan" Sonoda, the judoka who planned on quitting the sport after her final junior high judo tournament, until her middle-school friend Sanae Takigawa invites her to continue together in the high school that they go to: Aoba West. And seeing it as an option that both of these girls have done their measure of being once prominent judoka, it's natural for shows with storylines like these to continue the trend, as it is before.
I find it very unique that the series doesn't care about how the girls look. No usual girls with the thin and beautiful figures that so many shows try to be unnecessarily bias about, this show is as realistic as it could get, featuring girls of all kinds of builds, even the chubby ones like Michi herself, because that's what the sport calls for in the first place. Nowadays, even in sports series, there is a tendency to have heavy bias on depicting characters that have both character personality and style, but also being generally aesthetically appealing in general, and I'm glad that this show throws that idealism out of the window because "conveniences" like these are just trivial for the general public to love about, which can be disgustingly toxic at best. That said, the Aoba West girls of Michi herself, her childhood friend Sanae; the hidden ace-in-the-hole Towa Hiura; the rival that subsequently joins the judo side of Anna Nagumo; the comeback Senpai Tsumugi Himeno; and their coach Shino Natsume, these girls and the young woman coach are wholly infectious to a degree, both in their CGDCT and "Fighting!" moments as judo practice can only bring them so far to the usual tournament arcs. Each of the girls have their own unique personality, like the boisterious Michi to the overly worrying Sanae, that each of their growing pangs can be taken individually to push one another ahead. And that's the key to a good sports series, that despite the Shonen demographic that the show is targeting for, no matter male or female, it's relatable to a degree that makes for a good watch, bar none.
Despite the relatively young studio that is the subsidiary label Bakken Record (from main parent studio Tatsunoko Production) coming out haphazard since Spring 2021's Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood, this show is arguably the studio's best effort so far, with the animation production that really surprises me that it's better than what as expected. Especially with the judo matches, you can watch and feel the realism that makes you feel like you're on-site and cheering on with the characters to do their best. Despite working with a rather limited budget (which is evident), the studio tried their best efforts with this, and I think it paid off beautifully.
The music I think really compliments the show quite well, even down to its thematic themes. Subway Daydream's debut Anisong in the form of their OP song "Stand By Me", it just screams old and memorable 2000s anime vibes that is both youthful and soul spirited. Together with the Aoba West girls' character VA ED song, it goes hand-in-hand of being one of the most underrated OSTs of the season.
It's shows like these that teach the simple critique of "less is more", and in this case, it justified the critique's requirements to a T. From the naturally progressive story beats to the realistic, truer-to-life character depictions, coupled with better-than-expected production, Mou Ippon! is the exact case file of a hidden gem in the making, which if you are a sports fanatic, you should not whizz this show by for looking so generic at hindsight, that dive into it, it'll show you a world that's a no-nonsense affair of more than just pure CGDCT. Good watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 2, 2023
I don't understand how this show just went so overlooked, especially since there were furry elements alright, but it is more than what you will expect.
The obvious case of comparison being that of Mahoutsukai no Yome a.k.a The Ancient Magus Bride, mangaka Makoto Hoshino's lone work that is Nokemono-tachi no Yoru a.k.a The Tale of the Outcasts, is a fantasy story that features furries no doubt, but the storytelling makes light of that comparison to try not to be said series but it's very own element, which I think makes it stand out in its own right. No doubt that this was kinda of a
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complete but rushed adaptation of the total 8 volumes and 56 chapters that were released from late 2019 to mid 2021, and what the anime did to sully this expectation, I think it came out alright to get its main points across, which is a good thing.
The supernatural, historical fantastical world of humans and anthropomorphic demons living together but with the always-obvious hatred lingering at the back of the minds of humans, while those in need or want of communion, driving the perception that demons are not as bad as they generally are, who just needs acknowledgement and understanding from their human counterparts. This concept is nothing new, and most certainly had source materials that did this formula a whole lot better. Case in point, the aforementioned Mahoutsukai no Yome. Though with this show, Makoto Hoshino has chosen to go simple with just the coincidental meeting of the "Little White Riding Hood" with its main characters: Wisteria Langley and Marbas. The former, who is treated like a slave, is said to have the ability to see demons, and the latter, being all the more obfuscated that lesser and lesser people have that exact ability, which piques at his boredom to even attempt showing himself to the general public. The uncommon partnership of both human and demon, to find a place where both can live together in peace, strikes the balance of a world that is very traditionalist with the moral values of drawing a line between the two beings, now threatened because of the usual "humans and demons will not think alike" mentality to beset war to prove its point. Honestly, the show's weakest point is in its story plot, being very predictable, but still wholly engaging in this journey to see both Wisteria and Marbas find their Nirvana when all is said and done.
The character side of things is also an area where the manga can actually be improved upon, though the anime replicated that from the original source, so it goes hand-in-hand that there isn't actually much to be found here. Starting off with Wisteria, she has had quite the orphan life after being separated from her older brother Snow, who loves her very deeply. Without him, she has to settle for the unkempt Marbas, and forms a contract with him on the caveat that she loses her sense of sight to be able to harness the fraction of his demonic powers as one of the Thirteen Calamities. At times, both Wisteria and Marbas's relationship grows from mundaneness to the creation of bonds, where demons weren't supposed to feel their masters' feelings, which Marbas did and honoured her wishes as his next source of what he's fighting for. This is the same for Snow, which he joined the Sword Cross Knights in order to make a living for himself, in the hopes that he would be able to see Wisteria again, which he did with Marbas beside her. The usual bickering ensues between sibling and demon, though overtime he grew to entrust her life with Marbas, even if it means sacrificing his life for her since their bonds weren't that deep to begin with. This is the same for the next accompaniment of characters: Diana Blackbell and her demon Naberius (which is based on the Cerberus Greek mythology being). Unlike Wisteria, Diana has her family's reputation to uphold, but like her, the demon contract was the final nail in the coffin that sealed the demise of her family on the stake, and Diana has to work obsessively hard just for that matter. Naberius can be quite the delinquent demon, but like Marbas, is also one of the Thirteen Calamities.
As usual, this "Angels vs. Demons" approach has some naysayers on the side as well. You have people like the Sword Cross Commander being sceptical about the whole human-demon contract relationship, not to mention demons like the lion-based Dantalion and the pterodactyl-snake fusion Sitri that emphasize the imbalance of the world at large, where one race reigns superior, that's made worse with the contract that the human masters are able to control their contracted demons of limitless power to exact war, just for the fun of it. Once again, this feels predictable just like the story, and it's unfortunate that this is another flaw of the original source material, of it trying not to be too deep. But in this case, I can take it or leave it that the story elements are weaved as such, and it's just a decent "red thread of fate" plot from start to finish.
The production for this show is also decent as well. Formerly known as Production Reed (which produced Isekai Smartphone back in 2017 and the "nobody cares for the nth time of its anime adaptation" Cutie Honey Universe in 2018), with the studio changing back to its original name, Ashi Productions was a powerhouse studio of the 20th Century that with the invent of modern anime, has not seen its fair share of being involved with the modern age, that is until now with this show. A clear 5-year gap from Cutie Honey Universe, this show is clearly animated a touch above average and given more than ample time in its production, so regardless of any minor issues, the whole anime came out on a rather fine effort overall.
The music is rather nice though. For Wisteria's VA Ayana Taketatsu to come back to the Anisong portion of her career, the last notable show being Gotoubun no Hanayome of the last few years, her return is a satisfactory one with the OP song. Habuki's "Rewrite" for the ED marks a good debut for the fledgling group, though with a melancholic soothing song that's nothing special, but still, it's emotional as heck.
For what this show is, Nokemono-tachi no Yoru a.k.a The Tale of the Outcasts may be but a footnote in the oversaturated fantasy genre that does nothing unique to stand out, but for what this is during these 3 months on simulcast, I had a relatively good time, though it'll be quickly forgotten once the season is over.
You will be missed, human and furry demon. May you both be able to live a life in peace and away from the conflict that deem your relationship unnecessary and a boon.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Apr 1, 2023
Another day, another mediocre Isekai...how many of these must we trough our way through before these average shows are the bane of the AniManga industry as it is today, being oversaturated with shit like these?
Novelist Kiichi Kosuzu's Saikyou Onmyouji no Isekai Tenseiki a.k.a The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World, is exactly what it sounds like: the same dumbass power fantasy Isekai that you've seen a thousand times over, wondering why does Japan love the hell about shit like these that the rest of the world know not of its demise. Unfortunately, being people that don't dictate how the AniManga industry works, we
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the audience only have one thing to do: watch or drop the shows, that's the best to give a teeny fraction of our distaste for generic Isekai.
Let's cut to the chase: the typical case of strong and noble characters, some being backstabbed and betrayed, which so happens to be the case for the world's strongest exorcist Haruyoshi Kuga, wanting to achieve an even higher power, at the cost of his very own life. And play the usual Isekai-laden death and reincarnation phase, with Kuga himself reborn as Seika Lamprogue, the usual oddball kid of unusual proportions and a disproportionate level of spirit magic...because that's the only generic way of making him stand out. Despite this, Seika is still armed with the elements of his past life: mainly his talisman and Jutsu...because (once again), the MC has always to be built different as such, that in the same way, makes him stand out too...in the most OP-est of ways impossible to be conceived in the fantasy world, because neither his allies nor his enemies understand his mystical techniques.
Combine that with the fact that the supporting cast are all Mary Sues on their own right, it feels like an insult to the viewers, not just on the basis of characters being bland for no good reason. You have Yifa the slave (which thinking now, seems counter-intuitive of defining how good or bad a show can be), Amyu the supposed Hero, and Mabel Crane the 3rd-party disguise of the Hero, especially when in the typical world like this of "heroes vs. demons" where having one Hero is trouble enough for the Demon Lord's army to act. Though Yuki the weasel demon is the exception of beng Seika's familiar in the reincarnated world, recognizing that he is her master, the rest of the girls play up on Seika's kind-hearted fancy, though Yifa is the closest that she grew up with him, and has the same typical romantic interest as you'd expect. Bland and generic is what the characters are, with no personality to them.
Studio Blanc is a rather small studio with not a lot of shows to their name, though the last work of Summer 2021's Uramichi Oniisan is a nice addition. And this production is seemingly like Studio Comet's "Eiyu-Oh" Isekai show this season, better than it actually deserves with actual work put into the show. Though at the expense of the show itself being generic as molasses, it felt like a +1 on the studio's catalogue of potential shows wasted.
Probably the only positive about the show is the OP itself. angela's "Reconnection" is a fairly good song, albeit with rather average visuals, and likewise with the character VAs of Yifa, Amyu and Mabel's ED song that is though influenced with the show, just your traditional "lover's (love)song" with the aforementioned MC Seika himself.
Man, to say that this show overall was forgettable is truly an understatement. There were clearly too many Isekai shows this season, and while this show didn't exactly hit the bottom of the barrel, though it's watchable, it was borderline bad. So, I'd say: pick your poison and see if you can tolerate the amount of cliché convenience plots that this show has before you ultimately give up the show for what it is.
I personally don't know why people find this good, but it's just legit "so bad it's bad" trash Isekai.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Mar 31, 2023
One of the worst anime of 2021 gets a sequel. What the hell, SERIOUSLY, WHAT. THE. HELL.
Novelist Miku's Shinka no Mi has dived deep into the rabbit's hole for one reason and one reason only: it knows NOT the meaning of "bottom of the barrel", SO HARD that this season, the sequel goes into overdrive of what made Season 1 "so bad it's good". Thinking about Season 1 now, I'd feel that it was a masterpiece when compared to this accursed season being given "The Promised Neverland" treatment, which I'm more than happy that this is the case for the sequel: to crush its potential
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to pieces.
I typically do elaborate insightful reviews to give you a reason why you should watch shows or not, but this show...sullies my credibility too much to the point that there is no point making one like how I do usually give shows that deserve a second chance. This show, NEEDS NO second chance, it just squandered it to high hell and back, it even can make Medusa turn people into stone or Hydra spew heaps of fire, faster than this dumpster fire that the "NOT Recommended" label is an understatement.
The only positive I can give to the sequel is that the newbie studio Hotline has slightly better production values than Season 1, looks like they really took their time to refurbish the animation and not make it look like absolute garbage by the sequel not being a tri-studio collab like the prequel (which there still are traces in it). The negatives, however, outweigh the positives 1000:1, from the typical Isekai magic fantasy academy shtick, to Seiichi and Co. being more idiotic and stupid than the prequel, and then facing the strong enemy that is the Great Devil Order. Not even the OST is good, mind you, Season 1's better by a long shot, and I mean, a LONGGGG shot.
You know what's tbe best thing? If next season's Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru: Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta a.k.a I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World Too, written by the same author, comes out and is just as equally bad as this show, you'll know why. Because birds of a feather flock together, and honestly, I can see bad vibes coming.
Stay the fuck away from this show, both the sequel and its Fall 2021 prequel (though it's actually not too bad, that I originally gave it a harsh credit for). But if you must, Season 1's the way to go, and be mindful to pretend that Season 2 NEVER existed in the first place (which it did). Clearly a waste of time that even if you are brain-dead, you'd be wise to never touch this show, EVER AGAIN.
Reviewer’s Rating: 1
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Mar 31, 2023
In a P.A. Works' board meeting:
Producers: Hey, did you know that there is this popular show called Spy X Family making waves recently? It's the story of a family of spies raising an orphan child. I bet we can make an imitation of that!
Mitsuhito Tsuji and Toba Yosuke: Not to worry, if that is your primary concern, we got you covered. For we have a story to tell of the same, but different!
P.A. Works has for almost its lifetime as the designated "original anime" studio, produced some hit-or-miss shows of the last few years, that watch any one of them, you'll know that it's unmistakably
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the studio's signature trait. And this season, together with director Yoshiyuki Asai (of Jun Maeda's Key anime adaptations that went from bad to worse), scriptwriter Vio Shimokura of Nitroplus (of last Winter's haphazard Tokyo 24th Ward) and series composer Yuuko Kakihara, the "shameless copy" that is Buddy Daddies comes to knock the hearts of people the same like in Spy X Family, and in a good way.
At first glance, I bet you can even tell from less than an inch away that Buddy Daddies and Spy X Family feels awfully similar, from the unlikely family nature down to raising the said child herself. But in this show's case, it's down to producers Mitsuhito Tsuji and Toba Yosuke for solely anchoring the show's themes, having the real parenting experience to tell its generic story with a unique plot. The reason being, that the former was at the point of just starting a family himself, and the idea of having assassins, whose paths are normally covered in blood and death, raising children, would make for an interesting story plot. This is aided by the latter mentioning that 'becoming a family is a big theme' in the story, and that he thought it would be interesting as a work to be able to create a sense of comedy with such fine details, using the expertise of their staff to ascertain the intricate levels of parenting, with Tsuji specifically proclaiming "to include a lot of 'parenting'" in the anime.
As for what Buddy Daddies is all about, as opposed to Spy X Family of a spy husband and an assassin wife with the obnoxious and playful child, it's the idea of same-sex assassins taking care of the exact same obnoxious and playful child. 28-year-old Kazuki Kurusu and 25-year-old Rei Suwa, both are buddy assassins who serve and complement one another in the areas that they are well-versed in: Kazuki on intel and execution from his good communication, with the slight negative on his gambling that is a deterring factor on his overall luck; Rei on combat agility and style of coolness, though he lives like a NEET who plays his video games all night, leaving household duties to Kazuki, who gets annoyed easily at his incompetence when it comes to cooperation in the house. And no thanks to the typical assassination mission that they have been entrusted to take care of their targets, they are left with the clueless addition of a child: 4-year-old Miri Unasaka, wandering alone without her parents, only to unknowingly step into the prohibited line of "guns and smokes ablazing" that eventually, is taken in by both assassins to take care of her, thinking that both Kazuki and Rei are her quote "biological" fathers. The perfect gangster househusband like Gokushufudou a.k.a The Way of the househusband's Tatsu, with the perfect Yazuka caretaker like Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari a.k.a The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting's Toru Kirishima, along with Spy X Family's Anya Forger, makes for a combination that is the definition of "same same, but different".
The "unlikely parents raise a child together" trope is quite old, it's even shown in Western media as early as the late 1980s with the 1987 film "Three Men and a Baby", which only proves that this trope has been used as a basic structure in TV and film for decades. How Buddy Daddies used this generic story structure to wield into this plot, producer Toba Yosuke mentions that the idea of having assassins, whose paths are normally covered in blood and death, raise children was interesting. Furthermore, two men raising children who aren't related by blood is a modern story where values are diversifying, he thought that a 'family not related by blood' and 'two people of the same sex raising a child' are both great themes. This is exemplified by producer Mitsuhito Tsuji exclaiming that both Kazuki and Rei have either "lost love in the past" or are the kind "who doesn't know love," that has their self-humanly examination changed, slowly but surely, thanks to Miri. Adding to that, the Buddy Daddies are basically new to raising children, so he thought it would be interesting to see how they would deal with her with the challenges further compounded due to their occupations, which Yosuke clarifies that "they are in the shadows and can't talk to anyone about their position." But still, things like childcare and such, both Kazuki and Rei embraced Miri to the max, no matter how obnoxious she can be, acting just like kids of her age to give her the world at large.
This is so, because both Kazuki and Rei lived very different lives before becoming buddy assassins: Kazuki was expecting a child with his wife (Yuzuko), until tragedy struck of his hidden job profession that caused his pregnant wife's death, and he has the survivor's guilt since then. For Rei, he is the son of his own family assassin organization, led by his father Shigeki, whom the cafe owner Kyutaro "Kyu-chan" Kugi is the organization's covert mission's center handler to due out missions for both him and Kazuki. Anything that doesn't satisfy his father's standards of a professional assassin, Shigeki would strike after his own son, and he got so annoyed and overburdened, that he left the organization, which is where he met Kazuki in the first place. That, with Miri's arrival from the unfortunate circumstance of being the buddy assassin's target, and her mother Misaki earning her life as a prostitute and despising the fact that her unplanned pregnancy with Miri was a mistake, lunging the overly enthusiastic 4-year-old towards the buddy assassins, thereby converting them into Buddy Daddies.
But once the "Family Story of Two Killers and a Girl" converge together, it becomes a story of how to juggle jobs with parenting, though this is of the extreme approach being of assassins and fathers. The one negative sentiment would be that it focuses more on the comedy than on the actual parenting, its strongest selling point being glossing over what would otherwise be a generic comedy. Playing up the fish-out-of-water angle, delving into the hijinks of two guys who are vastly out of their depth, but rarely touches on their unexpected career, despite the clear potential of such a unique premise. From there, these two contract killers have to take on their most harrowing assignment yet: parenting, which is rare and lack any sense of real danger. No doubt that they are entirely unequipped for fatherhood, struggling to learn the ins and outs of basic childcare -- understandable, considering the nature of their professional experience. Miri, their charge, can be irritating on occasion, but this adds a certain level of realism and charm to her character. The result is a series that, while serviceable as a comedy, fails to meet its full potential. But, if you don't necessarily care about the intricate details in-between, this show is truly yet another P.A. Works' care and thought put at 110% of the heartwarming and comedic elements (especially with Miri's bonds together with the Buddy Daddies) that will make one feel the "aww" feels, coupled with happiness and sadness when the assassin angle takes over, threatening to derail the trio's unkempt family life. It's full of action, drama and comedy enough to keep viewers interested from start to finish, and it's all a good and refreshing time, especially in this kinda mild Winter 2023 season of not a lot of standouts.
As usual, you can always count on P.A. Works to deliver the best of their production caliber, and not once did I ever feel disappointed at the studio continuing to be experimental with their many ideas, even if it does work or not. Great action and impressive visuals round out the animation side of the show.
The music is yet another highlight of the show. The OST by Katsutoshi Kitagawa of Round Table, it's one of the most unique this season, combining funk with Western-like inspirations. If you're wondering why the OP song "Shock" is THAT good and catchy, it's composed and sung by Ayase of Yoasobi fame. The Vocaloid songwriter has always been tasked together with singer Ikura as the famed duo group producing theme songs for shows like Beastars, the most recent being Gundam: Suisei no Majo a.k.a The Witch of Mercury, and already set on next season's Oshi no Ko, for his breakout title to be this OP song, it's just the perfect song for such a show like this. This, like the ED song "My Plan" by DURDN, I love the city-pop-like feeling that this emits, especially when this couples with Miri's easy-going nature that's of her plan. And honestly, both songs are not just great, but there for a reason, which is to showcase the heart pangs of the Buddy Daddies and Miri in their respective perspectives.
A clone/carbon-copy of Spy X Family, that Buddy Daddies is not, even if it's that close of a comparison to call it the "Dad" version of it. Really, we're only just starting 2023, and this show is more than just one of the best shows of the season. It's fun, it's endearing, it'll make you feel like you're a parent (even if you are or not), and above all, it's just a great anime to watch with kids, if you have any.
P.A. Works, I humbly welcome you into 2023 with a shotgun's bang, right out of the gate. Give Buddy Daddies a watch, you will DEFINITELY NOT be disappointed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 30, 2023
Assassination Classroom: Cute Girls Doing Cute Things ver., that is nowhere close to being an exact replication, none at all.
Well, what a time, and what a place that we call ourselves as anime veterans to watch botched/butchered adaptations come to life, with the most recent curse of a red flag being the Winter 2021 anime sequel to The Promised Neverland, which can be dictated as "speedrunning to the max". And 2 years later, we're seeing this with novelist Takemachi's Spy Kyoushitsu a.k.a Spy Clasroom (or just simply called Spy Room). The obvious reference is as what Gigguk would mention this as the "re-skinned Assassination Classroom",
...
with a touch of Princess Principal in-between...only except that this time, the speedrunning is done in complete reverse, of a slow and awfully stretched out 12-episode series that is the epitome of "When is the next progression going to come soon?".
I've heard LN readers praise the priginal source material to high regard, but it's very clear that when this is converted to the anime adaptation, the quote of "all hell broke loose" can easily justify why the show sucks in all levels. But still, I can't help but notice the obvious similarities between this show and Princess Principal (with a hint of Spy X Family as well on the story plot front) with the fictional analogue setting of a war-ravaged nation that splits into two: the defining good vs. evil trope, which in Spy Room's case, is between the "Light" and "Darkness". To quote the existence of one such group, it's the war of spies that's fought with information and trickery, and that's where the spy team Inferno comes in with its leader: Klaus, codename Bonfire, nicknamed (or rather self-proclaimed) "the Greatest Spy in the World". But as prominent as Inferno could be, it was met with valiant deaths of great sacrifices, leaving the 20-year-old on his own devices as the only remaining surviving member. Down but not out, the re-establishment of the next Inferno replacement team to take on the "Impossible Missions" that have a relatively high chance of failure with no room for error. The issue: girls who are dropouts from their relative spy schools whence they came from, and being a spy, time is of the essence to train these dropouts to match his level of spy expertise, all in a short frame of time.
Introducing the girls of the washout Lamplight team:
- Lily, codename: Flower Garden. Specialty: Using poison to inflict her enemies while having special immunity. Her reasoning to become a spy is one of adoration and "giving back to the community" after being saved by one after surviving a poison gas attack. Being recognised by Klaus for her observation and community skills, she is designated to be Lamplight's team leader.
- Grete, codename: Daughter Dearest. Speciality: Disguise. The daughter of a politician but forced out for her family for familial reasons, and with a disfiguring birthmark that will have people criticize of her being ugly, all of these have not stopped her reasoning to become a spy. Although she has an excellent brain, she has a deep-rooted distaste for men, which overtime, her interest in Klaus changing her tone in how he views her not as a romantic interest, but one as of family.
- Sybilla, codename: Pandemonium. Speciality: Stealing and athleticism. Her childhood was not the brightest, due to being born into a gangster family, which she and her younger siblings were forced to help in gang activities. She has a strong sense of justice and wanted to be a spy to protect her younger siblings, to create a world where children won't be exploited, with motivation being one of a spy's unsung strength.
- Sara, codename: Meadow. Speciality: Rearing animals. She is a timid but kind-hearted girl who tends to add "ssu" at the end of her words. Her becoming a spy to support her family and not out of patriotism, she can be seen as the background character that prefers to be behind the scenes supporting the Lamplight girls, which she is more comfortable with in her element.
- Erna, codename: Fool. Speciality: Predicting misforutunate accidents. The illusive 8th and youngest member of Lamplight, the 14-year-old that is cursed with bad luck, which causes accidents to happen to people around her and makes her the perfect assassin, though it means she cannot get close to anybody. The actual reason: being born into an aristocratic family and losing her parents in a tragic mansion fire, she's been plagued with misfortune as a way to atone for her survivor's guilt, though she isn't the point of cause or attraction.
The girls that are not covered extensively in the anime:
- Monika, codename: Glint. The most talented of Lamplight, being able to think on her two feet of last-minute decisions.
- Thea, codename: Dreamspeaker. The oldest and most attractive member of Lamplight, she is good with negotiations.
- Annette, codename: Forgetter. The one who is good with engineering, her becoming a spy is just natural progression thanks to her special skills.
Sorry, if you have to refer to the CGDCT element in this show, it would be "Cute Girls Doing Cunning (Spy-like) Tasks", because that's exactly how Spy Room rolls its Spy x Family theme of an ultra-capable teacher that contrary to his skills, sucks at teaching, because everything to Klaus is intuitive and instinctual with the usual spy-like capabilities of his exceptional performance that fools no one. Nevertheless, the group of dropout girls thrown into the lurch of the Heat Haze Palace mansion where they'll be holing themselves under Klaus's tutelage, are diversified at best, though for the better or worse, it's up to the viewer to manage expectations met and not.
I don't know what it is with studio Feel's in-house director Keiichiro Kawaguchi, everything that he gets his opportunity to be involved in, ends in pure disaster. Just look at the shows of the past few years that suffered in his hands: Summer 2018's anime adaptation of the Island VN, and most recently, the 2020-2021 dual-reboot shows of Higurashi: Gou and Sotsu. He used to be very good in his directorial roles in the shows of the early 2000s, from 2007's Hayate no Gotoku! a.k.a Hayate the Combat Butler to 2011-2012's Sket Dance!. Heck,he even directed 2011's Mayo Chiki and 2012's OniAi!, so it's a clear indication that this is a director who knows his craft. The fact that he's supported by scriptwriter-cum-series composer Shinichi Inotsume, who dug his hands on shows like Spring 2018's Persona 5 the Animation, Winter 2019's Egao no Daika and the most recent being the awful 2021-2022 show of Platinum End, the cards were set on being played into the wrong hands at the point of the anime's production, and the result is what we're seeing with the show this season of a clearly botched adaptation of the LN, splicing filler episodes targeting at character development, which is decent to say the least. Never mind studio Feel's somewhat decent production, this feels like a mistake for the rom-com focused studio to be assigned to something that feels way above over their head, not since Spring 2018's Hinamatsuri has the studio done an almost entirely action-focused anime. It just does not look right at all.
The OST is kinda of a mixed bag though. The Re:Zero music artiste duo nonoc and Konomi Suzuki are back, though the OP song "Tomoshibi" is a rather "dancing to the tune" beats of addiction and the ED song "Secret Code"...just being a low-key, mediocre song that is really forgettable to say the least.
From one of the most anticipated shows of the season, to a picture-perfect squandering of a missed opportunity of the original source material's adaptation trying to reflect what made it so interesting in the first place. The LN (and even the manga adaptation) is definitely the way to go, and the anime...is only but a footnote in history to claim one such medal: the botched/butchered adaptation of disgrace.
What an epic fail of a massive disappointment.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Mar 29, 2023
You know what I always say about idol shows: it's nothing more than just a cash grab at a growing franchise...that no one bothers about it. Only the ones that do, make a splash, and for others like Technoroid, created by RUCCA, CyberAgent, Avex Pictures, and Elements Garden under its creator Noriyasu Agematsu, the brainchild of Fall 2021's mediocre showing of Visual Prison under A-1 Pictures, it's the umpteenth time that people in the West are saying: we DO NOT NEED more bullcrap shows like this. But Technoroid: Overmind, is a wee bit different, and is something that's more than what the average idol show
...
has to offer.
The Technoroid franchise consisting of the Japan-only Unison Hearts mobage, a manga version, and Doga Kobo's Overmind anime, it's obscenely clear that whatever Noriyasu Agematsu was trying to conceive, it had a lukewarm reception, just like Visual Prison 2 years before. And I'm just going to assume this, but more idol shows in this day and age are getting harder to stand out, and this is no differnt for Technoroid: Overmind, which is nothing more than just the imitation of the game adaptation of Detroit: Become Human. And you need not look too far from the similarities of this being just like said game, as quoted by Super Jump Magazine on the game's motive: "Although it has its intended message (and it really likes to moralize it), Detroit is a game that functions best when it focuses on character interactions and the relationships that develop from them. It wants to tell a story with wide-reaching implications on class, discrimination, and what it means to be human. And if you play the "machine" way, on the futility of change, success, and...authoritarianism, I guess?"
I thought that the narrative for Overmind is quite the intrigueness, being all different from supposedly tried-and-true tropes that were becoming all but stale, but finding out that it's a copy-paste, self-adjusted rhetoric of said game, the originality of the show's focus is really kinda lost, especially when it tries to force its idol themes forward, because this is an idol show at its heart and core. But still, you have to give credit where credit is due, and the show's plot is not boring at all (albeit at times) and keeps you on your toes on this somewhat dystopian future of humans and robots being at war, declaring that Androids are inferior to humans, and like their machine counterparts, they have no heart at all. This is amplified through the show's central idol group KNoCC, consisting of Cobalt, Chrome, Kei and Neon, and also the child of their creator Esola Shibaura. Being made Androids, there is discrimination against them as a whole, that's especially amplified by the rival group STAND-ALONE, consisting of its leader Kite and brothers Light and Night.
That being said, the quote of "The best stories it tells are the ones between its characters." is true, in the sense that they are fighting for a just world, that's the mission of KNoCC and Esola as a whole in trying to figure out who they are, what their purpose on Earth is for, and be the one thing that humanity hates it best: be like humans with a heart for people. And you need not look far than Episode 1's sudden "plot twist" to know that this show is unlike any other idol show out there, with the whole "Blast Furnace incident" and the police (in the form of Android Inspector Bora) in search of this illusive truth. And the cost of that truth wlll break its government to its foundation, pure eradication and purposes all wounded up for the right or wrong reasons. For this alone, I can say that while Overmind as a whole is kinda rough with the ascertained quote "Look, it's a bit clumsy with the execution.", it at least got its points across that both humans and Androids can live together, even in an unjust world. And for that, it's a plus point that I rarely give, especially in idol shows.
With Doga Kobo taking a break because of the studio's most recent COVID-related breakout, it's a given where shows like Kubo-san and this wil get delayed having their releases pushed back a bit, and it's honestly better late than never, albeit with degrade visuals that are just lazy with subpar work done. Korean director Im Ga-Hee is a relative unknown, so it's shows like these at get the least amount of reception that is a safe zone that will not affect the reputation of the staff under her name, so that's A-OK, I guess.
Obviously, idol shows are all about the music, and both producers of Elements Garden and Avex Pictures have a lot of experience under their belt. As expected, the usual OST of the idol theme is not something that I would be of particular interest, and to be fair, is only appreciated by the niche. I will have to admit though that while KNOCC's OP "Love No Hate" is kinda average, it's the collab of KNoCC and STAND-ALONE's "Invisible -one heart-" (there is an "-all hearts-" version for the mobage) that is low-key one of my favourite ED songs this season. But still, it's really on the average side as far as idol OSTs go.
But still, while Technoroid: Overmind is really forgettable, it's watchable, that out of all the idols shows of the past few years, this one is no slouch, and is a touch above average. I still wouldn't count on anyone having a keen interest to watch this show, so just take a peek at it, then forget that it ever existed.
Detroit: Become Idols. Over and out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Mar 28, 2023
This show in a nutshell, sums up this perfect quote: "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Eliot, spaking about Life, Hilarity and Inspiration, Four Quartets "Little Gidding" Pt. 5
To say that novelist Ren Eguchi's Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi a.k.a Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill is the now-famed studio MAPPA's first-ever undertaking of the Isekai genre, to have people say that this show is MAPPA's Peak-sekai, it's not entirely baseless at all. No doubt it
...
is great in an overall package, and for the very first time, MAPPA DID knock it out of the park for showcasing a decent Isekai.
I'm not going to paraphrase the same copy-paste tactics here, everyone, new or old, must have or has had the idea of the typical "summoned to another world" trait. And this is the same here for the MC: the 27-year-old Tsuyoshi Mukouda a.k.a "Mukohda", the mild-mannered but cowardly white-collar salaryman, and at the same time, a very proficient cook. Usually when Earth's people get Isekai-ed into another world, the "Hero's Party" group will consist of young high school students to help the kingdom in need to purge the demonfolk, typical Isekai stuff. But in this show, it's the typical round-up student crew and Mukohda himself who is arranged in line for this "Heroes vs. Demon Lord" story plot, and other than the 3 students, Mukohda himself has the power of "Online Supermarket", which in a battle, would be entirely useless, not being beneficial and a deadweight to the group. And it's with this intent that Mukohda simply ousts himself out of the Isekai race, convincing the nobles and letting him go scot free around the fantasy world.
But, as it turns out, Mukohda's "Online Supermarket" ability is actually very versatile, and that it allows him to order food and food-related products, straight from Earth. Think of it as like the Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or Home Chef meal delivery service in the U.S., but Aeon for Japan. This enables Mukohda to use his skill and purchase ingredients and prep items, all of which serves also as buffing items to temporarily boost stats. And it's a fierce combination of utility and power (that thankfully isn't OP at all), so much so that from a very long distance, it got the attention of the legendary wolf-like beast known as Fenrir...who demands that the salaryman himself feed him a meal. And the meals are so good that Fenrir immediately asks for seconds, that Mukohda spends the rest of his manhours making heaps of food for its satisfaction, enough to earn (or rather, force) him into a familiar contract. Together, Mukohda and Fenrir (evenutally named Fel), they journey through the lands, encountering more monsters and gods from the Spirit Realm, granting him familiar contracts and blessings in exchange for his food and otherworldly goods.
Cooking Isekai is a realistic adventure fantasy that's a gourmet comedy feast for the eyes, owing to its chill-pill, take-your-own-time slow beat that I honestly don't mind if the author knows what he's doing. And Ren Eguchi is intentionally making the series feel slow in regards to the overall world-building, so that the message will eventually wind up on what shows up on the plate itself, it's a mark of great balance between characterization and the atmopshere of the fantasy world around them.
The characters are what shines in Cooking Isekai, because they are tons of fun. Starting off with Mukohda's first familiar, the legendary Fel has lived for over a thousand years, and his personality is owed to his extraordinary strength, agility, and magic that enables him to wipe out most monsters with little effort...VERY little effort, I must say, for more varieties of meat. To the point that he is very boasting of his pride, selfishness, and gluttonous, choosing to follow Mukohda just simply to eat his food. Being a meat-lover, he obviously loves meat and hates vegetables, much to the scorn that when Mukohda has to fix a meal that involves vegetables, he must be thoughtful to hide it by blending ingredients that mask the flavours of the greens, much akin to a parent feeding his/her child with bite-sized offerings that look the same, but taste the same and not too different as to showcase the yuckiness of the hated greens. Mukohda's second familiar is Sui, the slime that's of child-like adorableness. Initially met as a baby, with the typical conception that slimes are weak, it evolves by gaining experience through battle and eating trash from Mukohda's Online Supermarket purchases, and this is what Sui's uniqueness is noted for being a special exception. It is able to melt enemies with acid bullets, as well as create potions and weapons, while enjoying desserts and disliking spicy foods. Mukohda himself is a level-headed character, though he's seemingly the innocent one who has to tolerate both familiars that he's the closest to (or rather, it's Fel who's always giving him the never-ending troubles), making sure that they're well fed and tagged along like a parent does holding his own children along the fantasy ride.
Remember that there aren't just monsters, but gods in the world too? One such Spirit Realm deity is Ninrir, the Goddess of Wind and the progenitor of Fel's Fenrir kind. Being notable by her long silver-colored hair and a huge sweet tooth, she is the first deity to grant Mukohda her blessing, giving him immunity to poisons, illnesses, and other negative status effects. But this is also due in exchange of an offering for sweets from his own world back in Japan. Due to her constant demands and frequent emotional outbursts, Mukohda refers to her as the "divine disappointment", which I thought was really funny, because her interest spiked the other deities to do the same towards Mukohda, draining more of his resources in exchange for their own tastes in desired offerings, amplifying the disappointment he had for the divine deities as a whole. It's a "dog-eat-dog" world for Mukohda, the disappointment that his familiars and gods must go first before him, but still coming out on his own inventions replicated like a MasterChef in another world and having the delight of his life, this second chance of a life is something that if you ask him of his thoughts, it's a life that he would not trade for anything else.
The most surprising aspect is of the animation studio chosen, because generally studios are only contracted for the production jobs they are offered for all kinds of shows, and in Cooking Isekai's case, it's MAPPA driving the wheel for this show, under one of its low-key directors of Kiyoshi Matsuda. The director for MAPPA's rather subpar shows like Kakegurui×× (Season 2), Uchi Tama?! Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?, and most recently with Summer 2021's Re-Main (co-director with chief Masafumi Nishida), it doesn't feel like this man should be given the more recent high/top-priority shows like Chainsaw Man or Jigokuraku a.k.a Hell's Paradise, simply because his work ethic would not suit this show that he's working on. Nevertheless, the MAPPA magic shines here just the same like in the famed studio's recent shows, with gorgeous visuals and beautiful animation, especially in the cooking segments that will make one salivate at the mouth. Since when did food become so good to look at, since Isekai Shokudou and Shokugeki no Soma, that this show feels like a wild ride in fusing modern inventions for a medieval world. It's that engrossing in style and substance.
The OST is just typical fine for an Isekai series like this. Van de Shop's debut Anisong sounds decent, and is a relative good time that mixes well with the alluring visuals. In the same vein, Yuuma Uchida's ED "Happy-go-Journey" sounds pedestrian as well, so no complaints there. Just a tad mediocre to the best that is just alright to my ears.
Cooking Isekai is a breath of fresh air in the slew of copy-paste Isekai shows this season. Though this show is one of the best we've seen all season, thanks to it not being an OP power fantasy, but it's just simply, a campy, laid-back life of a good time.
A good job there MAPPA, looking forward to your next Isekai rondo.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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