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As a once avid player of the game, I was initially disillusioned when I heard that an anime adaptation was announced. The mobage itself employs the use of animated cutscenes frequently and is advertised heavily as being so. With the game being incredibly long as it is with a tedious and ultimately boring storyline to boot, I was expecting the worst when it came to this.

Thankfully, the show adapts nearly nothing from the actual mobage. With the director of Konosuba at its helm, Priconne is honestly more of a spiritual successor of sorts to Konosuba, albeit less focused overall. The show is practically anime original with only the characters and some vague character traits lifted from the original source material. Even the isekai aspect goes entirely unmentioned throughout the duration of the show, as the show provides a fine slice of life comedy every week.

One of the things that surprised me about the show is how funny it can actually be. The comedy is well written in this, and while not the most high-brow or sophisticated work out there, it still never fails to make me laugh every week (barring the final episode, but I'll go into that later). While you may think the character bloat may diminish a lot of the scenes, the fact that only so few of their traits made it in, they practically become flanderized versions of themselves and ironically it contributes more to their likability and adds heavily to each scene's comedic value. And by flanderization, I really mean it. Kishi-kun for instance becomes a complete utter fool incapable of even basic social interactions, while Kyaru's tsundere traits are bumped up to max leading to her going hammy in almost every scene she's in. I just love it. Charles and Ikacchi really are the MVP of the show though, and I love all of their appearances the most.

The plot is paper thin and hardly resembles the mobage it's based on, but even then it's pretty shallow and weak. The whole series concludes just as the plot is about to get interesting, and without a sequel being announced, it does add to the feeling of emptiness. That said I'd be remiss to say if the plot was any good. Which it most certainly isn't. Priconne excels at being a slice of life comedy, its attempts at seriousness comes across as total schlock. It's laughable at best, but frustrating and tedious at its worst (ie the final episode which provides almost no joy).

Still despite this, Priconne was an absolute joy to sit through and I was deeply entertained each week by its presence. Even finding Ayumi hidden in each episode was a fun treat.

7/10

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Listeners shows you can't rely on good voice talent alone to prop up your show. When it was first announced, the list of A-list seiyuu being cast as virtually everyone had piqued my interest disregarding the actual content of the show. Talents and performances from people you don't really hear from that often nowadays with the influx of newer cheaper talent. So I vowed to myself to sit through this to the end at the very least, I mean, if they could spend enough money to get good talent, surely the actual show would be at least somewhat decent wouldn't it?

Turns out I was deluding myself to the highest degree. If I had wanted to listen to these performances, what I should have been doing instead is watching older anime. But enough about me, more on the actual show. That money had to have come from somewhere, and what remains is a lousy mess of animation that is neither inspiring nor is it interesting. Listeners is nothing but dad rock references propping up the main plot and narrative without having them make any much sense in the greater context of the overall story. At its core its a very simple boy meets girl kind of story yet executed in the dullest possible manner. The situations and setpieces Echo and Mu end up in just end up being music references to whatever the episode decides to be about, being references for the sake of references without providing any nuance or even humor to them. Like, the closest thing this reminds me of is Brutal Legend. But (for all its flaws) Brutal Legend at least managed to satisfactorily tie in its isekai rock world theme with its music references, Listeners on the other hand feels completely lost with its referential material not knowing what it actually wants to accomplish.

It's hard to believe this was done by Mappa. Animation quality is generally stiff, the mecha designs are awful, and don't get me started on the Earless. The music in this is incredibly bland, with a lot of the tracks being lawyer-friendly copycats of the dad rock stuff they love referencing. Really, nothing in this show works at all. There is some irony when that QUALITY baseball show ended up having better music than a show about music.

All in all, I made a new rule to myself in order to justify why I ended up completing a show I ended up disliking in the end. In this case it was probably some naive thinking that the show would come to its senses and deliver some spectacle that never happened. Or perhaps I wanted to listen to Kugimiya Rie's voice more. I don't know.

3/10

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Kakushigoto is the Hitou Nami of anime. By that which I mean it is a completely fine and serviceable anime, but otherwise incredibly average and normal. If I had never watched any of the author's previous manga-to-anime adaptations, I may have been more lenient with it. However, in an ironic culture counter-current moment, I was introduced to Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei through this show, which heavily influenced my expectations of this show moving forward, in both style and substance.

Unlike his previous works, Kakushigoto contains quite possibly the most positive (or least negative) self-depiction of Kumeta himself. No longer is he some loser whose eternally bitter about his assistant's successes or other works outselling him, Kakushigoto is instead a more wholesome or less cynical take on the manga industry through the eyes of a doting father. While this less cynical (I use the term because in no way is this work entirely wholesome or positive) work is somewhat refreshing, the fact of the matter is that it ultimately leads to an at best above average slice of life comedy that is somewhat forgettable by its conclusion.

A central motive to the show is nostalgia. Present day scenes are beautifully animated with a different style to the past scenes, and, the ED especially nails the tone to a T. I've also felt some nostalgia watching this throughout the past 3 months or so since I was constantly reminded of Shaft's SZS, that elusive golden past that is long gone, one way or another. The majority of the show with its slice-of-life comedy is not enough of a hook to draw me in unfortunately. There are some nice moments here and there , some good jokes or observations occasionally, but without the usual cynical or pessimistic worldview or even satire. It's just so normal. The only thing I could recall with any bit of clarity is that one bit in Episode 11 where it just turned to SZS for about 10 minutes. It's hilarious yet so out of place at the same time.

The fact that I've struggled to write out any more of this review without referencing SZS in any fashion speaks volumes, even the show itself can't escape being in the shadow of SZS given how many references both direct and indirect it has to it. Kakushigoto is just okay, even above average in a few instances, but I've come to expect so much more given the author's previous works and style. And no, even if you have gotten Golden Age Era Shaft to animate this, it wouldn't have been any better.

5/10

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Before I begin, I should put out a disclaimer that I do not play or watch baseball at all or am completely familiar with its rules. That said, I believe that if a show is good, it means it's good even if you are unfamiliar with its content. After all, aren't sports anime about the hot-blooded action, the thrill of a near miss, or the catharsis of a narrowly won game in spite of the odds?

Well, Tamayomi isn't like many sports anime, at least with regards to the shows I've watched. It's the Sega Football Manager to EA's FIFA. Despite the name, the actual main character in this is Yoshino and her managerial strategies in leading Shin Koshigaya to victory, with statistics and probabilities and studying histories taken into account. Even Yomi's magic pitch is hardly used throughout the duration of the show. It's a surprisingly straight laced take on the genre and unfortunately, it makes for a very boring show if you're not familiar with baseball.

The lack of character focus apart from Tamaki, Yomi, and Yoshino is to the show's detriment. I typically enjoy sports shows because of all the tropes and cliches and the heart-pounding chemistry behind it all. What's here is incredibly weak by comparison, and by and large most of the characters just blend into the background for me, and I'd be hard-pressed to name all of them if given the task.

I have to address the elephant in the room by now, and it's the artstyle and animation of the whole thing that really undermines the whole production. Faces consistently look off model somehow, never quite capturing the manga's style nor seeming quite right by any standards. The animation isn't particularly good most of the time, and the frequent use of 3DCG, some of which are improperly incorporated into the scene, brings me out of the action each time they appear. I should stress that I generally enjoy A-CAT's CG work in Frame Arms Girl and 1/6 Choukadou Girl, so one wonders if they would have done a better job if the whole anime was 3DCG with some exception as in those shows. The visual presentation is undoubtedly the show's weakest point.

By far the most surprising thing for me was how much I actually enjoyed the BGM to the show. For an otherwise mediocre production, the BGM to the show is pretty good and has a nice VN feel to them. It wasn't until quite recently that I learn the music is mostly composed by the same team who usually does the Key novels, but it does explain how the BGM have been consistently good across the series.

In the end, Kirara shows either fall into one of two ends of the spectrum. They are either incredible masterpieces without competition (as is the case with Hidamari Sketch, K-On, Yuru Camp or the like), or mediocre dull shows with nothing much to offer beyond cute girls (the vast majority of their catalogue). Tamayomi unfortunately falls into the latter. Even if the animation had been improved significantly, it doesn't change the fundamental issue with its source material in that it is dull. Perhaps you may get a kick out of it if you were a baseball fan, but I'll take Homer At The Bat over this any other day.

4/10

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Before Kumeta hit it big with Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, there was Katte ni Kaizou, which started out as a series with some random off the wall humor and dick jokes to becoming what is essentially SZS-lite complete with social commentary and pseudo-philosophical musings. Shaft's 6 episode OVA captures this evolution so succinctly to the point of brilliance.

If you're reading this, there is absolutely no way that in 2020 you would stumble upon this OVA series by accident without knowing or watching SZS. It was how I came across it and while it did color my expectations to a fair degree, the show is still enjoyable and immensely familiar as it morphs into proto-SZS. Shaft's attention to detail is to be commended. Everything from the character designs, to the backgrounds, animations, even Kumeta's in-universe depiction (going from a normal mangaka to some bitter loser), all gradually evolve elegantly from its initial dick joke-ridden chaotic mess into something more focused or at the very least more consistent with Shaft's adaptation of SZS. The style of the last 2 episodes especially don't look out of place from the rest of the SZS series, what with the freeze-frame gags, the spoken sound effects, and the obsession with lists. Umi's transformation from the tsukkomi to proto-Chiri is hilarious and really fitting.

I know I mention SZS a lot in this review, but honestly it can't be helped. If you were to watch this on its own it would still be enjoyable, but you wouldn't understand why Shaft would have given this otherwise forgotten manga a short adaptation. As a fan of SZS, if you were to look at it as if it were a spin-off OVA (even though it really is the other way around), you would definitely derive a ton more enjoyment out of it.

8/10

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My first experience with Seto no Hanayome was at a friend's house, and back then I watched only the first episode and thought nothing more of the show, being a high school harem romcom, a genre that I am generally averse to. Half a decade later I decided to revisit the series with a different perspective after watching and liking the director's other shows, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita and Asobi Asobase (being a recent fan of the Yakuza games helped too) ,and, ho boy, have I overlooked this gem of a show.

It's very difficult to explain how great a comedy is without spoiling any of its moments, but I'll try to relay my personal experiences instead. While the first episode honestly wasn't anything special, what Seto no Hanayome excels in is in its escalation, as the situations Nagasumi finds himself in gets progressively whackier and more insane. It does de-escalate near the middle, and, if I'm being honest the middle bits with Shiranui start to pale in comparison with the earlier stuff, it does have its moments. Barring a few key episodes (and great episodes they are), the Yakuza theming is actually fairly light. Sure most of the Seto group speak in exaggerated Hiroshiman accents (San's is particularly delightful), but most of the plot rarely engages in the Japanese Underworld, focusing more on, well, strange wacky stories instead. Actually come to think of it, the high school theming is also fairly light on this.

The comedic presentation, timing, style, direction, everything is executed nearly flawlessly. And if something doesn't quite work, there's always a new gag right around the corner. Just San-chan going chibi and speaking in monotone is enough to elicit a reaction in me. Choco Banana~

One key thing to note is that, despite how crazy everything can get, Seto no Hanayome always maintains its structure. Indeed, continuity is one of the show's greatest strengths. It's not merely a random string of episodic events, everything ties up together and towards the end, wrap up in an explosively beautiful climax. Nothing is taken for granted, and the overarching plot does reveal itself elegantly. Even seemingly non sequitur moments have their connections to the overall plot. An example of strong continuity can be found in an early scene where San outright destroys Nagasumi's bathroom. In most other comedies, this would be a mere joke before cutting right back with everything back to normal, but here, his bathroom is actually out of commission and the house has to be renovated. This inertia means absolutely nothing is taken for granted and everything is accounted for.

I generally dislike harem comedies since in my experience they usually end up being power fantasies with a dense protagonist and tired cliches (COUGHNisekoiCOUGH). Seto no Hanayome... also has those, but watching the show made me realize one thing most of these shows usually lack. It's character. The main cast is brilliantly portrayed and very likable. While I do generally prefer the adult cast comprising the Seto Clan, the high school bunch have their moments and the two groups have excellent cohesion with each other. Not restricting the comedy to a certain group does help in providing a sense of freshness to each new episode. Think about it, how many harems can you name where the protagonist regularly interacts with his parents or his GF's parents?

I'm going to digress a bit. I rarely give out 9s or any high scores and am generally somewhat strict with my reviews. If I were more lenient and gave most things I liked 9s or even 10s, it would dilute the value of the score and it would be meaningless to classify shows on a 10 point scale without utilizing the full scale. Seto no Hanayome was the second time (first being Milky Holmes) were I genuinely struggled on whether or not I should award this show with a 9.

Reason being: That Dating Sim Episode.

Not much needs to be said, or should be said if you haven't watched it. The kicker is that it's not even a one-off gag. As mentioned before, the strong continuity of the series meant the events of the episode is referenced to and provides structure to future episodes. It is the perfect episode. A 10/10 in a sea of 9/10s and 8/10s and some 6/10s.

That said, Seto no Hanayome has been a thrill to experience. Mind you it isn't the most consistent series, the Iinchou episodes were basically nothing but buildups to fulfill a single gag at the end, and I wasn't the biggest fan of Shiranui spotlight episodes, but when it does get going (which is most of the time), it resonates with you like no other. If you were like me and initially put it off after the first episode thinking it'd be a shallow high school harem romcom, you're dead wrong. Embody the Seto Spirit, and say Seto San would say,

[NINKYOU] TO KAITE, [NINGYO] TO YOMUKIN!
WRITTEN AS [CHIVALRY], PRONOUNCED AS [MERMAID]!

8/10

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Ecchi anime are generally shallow. I've seen my fair share of ecchi anime (and even some hentai anime) and they rarely ever amount to anything spectacular. It's mostly junk food, quick and easy but unfulfilling a few hours later and ultimately forgotten the next day. Ishuzoku Reviewers is the 7-course Michelin-Starred dining experience of ecchi anime, served with a rotation of wines for each meal. It is genuinely a fancy dining experience unlike any other.

To start, the show is actually funny. I really mean it, not in the lowest-common denominator "Rito-kun no harenchi!" stuff, but actual humour with comedic timings and actual jokes. It is for my money the funniest show of the season by quite a fair margin, with a good blend of low brow and high brow humour to go along.

For an ecchi anime, hell no, for a fantasy anime, it has a surprising amount of world-building and intertia to the setting and characters. Stunk and friends are actually characters and they receive characterization and character development as the series goes along. Adding to that the main characters (+1 rotating guest) are very likable characters indeed, from their mannerisms to their personality quirks, it's never a dull moment with them onscreen. The character dynamics and relationships are also nothing short of entertaining. The various secondary characters the reviewers meet each episode is also a treat, you'll never know who you'll meet next. It really lends a sense of adventure to the show which keeps it fresh every week to see how they can top themselves.

I know this all sounds like shallow praise, but trust me, you don't know how many shows I've watched (not even ecchi stuff, I'm talking proper fantasy anime) can't even approach this level of care and detail for its world and characters. It's far too likely to pluck some Joe Average from the real world and toss him into Isekailand to form harems and fight monsters. So to see a show that actually tries (and succeeds!) at giving us likable characters in a setting that is portrayed with a considerable amount of detail (hell the series goes all out to show that the world functions in a proper representative democracy of all things) is something to appreciate in it of itself.

And what a wild ride this show has been. From the YMCA OP to the mythical Taiwanese broadcasts to all the cancellations on assorted TV networks and it still goes strong. The whole ongoings behind the scenes is simply a wild ride in it of itself and I'm glad to have experience this whole madness live. It hasn't reached Yosuga no Sora's level of challenging Japanese TV censorship laws levels of infamy yet, but who knows what this series will bring even after the final episode.

Finally, despite its subject matter and its nature as an ecchi show, it surprisingly has a mature air to it, treating its subject matter with a lot of class and respect. Again, it's not the standard cheap shots at panties or walking into a shower scene like in many other ecchi shows, but it's the protagonists partaking in the activities provided by the ladies of the night. Which is where I plucked the 7-course meal fancy dining metaphor early on. A magnificent showpiece with a ton of variety at every moment. Just an exquisite experience.

As the OP puts it: Sukebe ga daisuki!


8/10

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Kirara shows for me are occupy one of two states. What this means is they are either some of the best anime I have ever watched (K-On, Yuru Camp, Hidamari Sketch), or incredibly mediocre with nothing better to offer (many many other shows). Koisuru Asteroid is, unfortunately, as boring as they come when it comes to CGDCT. I've had similar experiences with Rifle is Beautiful last season and normally I would have done the sensible thing and stopped watching after a few episodes. And yet somehow I kept pushing myself to watch this, because, similar to Rifle Is Beautiful, this is made by a renowned studio that I do so love, and by a team whose previous work I did enjoy immensely (being Wataten). Which made this whole endeavor extra disappointing.

The series does begin with a pretty good first impression, with the soothing yet slightly ethereal main theme playing in the background in Mira and Ao's flashbacks punctuating the mood and atmosphere brilliantly. Having read the manga and having been thoroughly unimpressed with how boring the source material was, I was initially pleasantly surprised at the change in tone and direction when it comes to portraying scenes from the manga. Everything has been given a more dramatic tone to it and the jokes were noticeably muted (the original jokes weren't funny anyway so nothing of value was lost).

However, you can really only go so far with good animation and a decent soundtrack. The plot and character interactions are just incredibly boring. Ostensibly it's a show about Mira and Ao wanting to find an asteroid with a budding romance promised in the title. While they do sort of go about addressing the main arc throughout the series, the writing simply isn't good enough to hook the viewer into caring about the two. I'll be honest, my favourite characters have been Sakura-sempai and DUCE (now running a newspaper club) because they have been the funniest and are at least dispensing jokes and making the show feel somewhat alive. The show even wasted the initial premise of Mira thinking Ao used to be a boy in their first encounter, never to be brought up again except in very rare one-off moments that don't lead anywhere. The geology vs astronomy club rivalry thing does get brought up sparingly, but it not getting developed further again squandered any potential it might have had.

It's a lot of wasted potential and I've spent most of my time just admiring some of the direction choices and editing in this instead of focusing on the actual character drama or moment-to-moment setpieces offered by the show. Ultimately, it's just a mediocre show with some nice moments here and there. As with Rifle is Beautiful, it's a textbook CGDCT show that offers nothing special and brings nothing new to the table beyond being themed slightly differently from the many other CGDCT shows based off of Kirara.

5/10

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Spiritually, Bofuri (I ain't typing the real title this time) is very reminiscent of 2018's Gun Gale Online. A cute tiny girl and her best friend just totally breaking apart the game's systems and having a jolly fun time doing so.

It's honestly both a fun comfy ride for what can be said to be a villain origin story. Think about it, the fun Persona-esque date music isn't so fun when you're on the other side just getting pummeled to death by Meipuru. Hell, it even plays in one of the final battles when you really start feeling bad for everyone else as Monster Meipuru just massacres everyone.

The show doesn't do anything particularly well, nor is anything form the show particularly outstanding or noteworthy, even compared to other series from the same season, yet I just can't stop thinking about it. Meipuru's adventures are strangely riveting to follow through and is immensely comforting to watch. Hell, just seeing Meipuru goof about in any given situation is fun.

No tension, no drama, no stakes, no worries! This show embodies the "take it easy" attitude and, like Eizouken and Heya Camp from this season, is a real pleasant treat after a hard day's work. Silver Link really came back with a winner after last year's absence.

7/10

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Eizouken has been a very comfy anime for me this season. The soft colours, the incredible backgrounds, and the music all make for a comforting experience with the simple story of three friends (plus alpha) making an anime.

Shirobako comparisons aside, I do like how a lot of focus is given to the business management side of things instead of just purely the animation side. For a talentless office worker such as myself, it's a lot easier to engage with the show from Kanamori's perspective.

The direction is incredible. This is my first proper Yuasa show (I did watch that weird wrestling thing he made years back though), and I appreciate how it isn't as surreal or discomforting as I had feared. It's fairly grounded with a lot of interesting directing choices that really complement the scenes well. It's a nice blend of interesting visuals yet with a relaxed atmosphere.

It's a fun comfy show. While some of Asakusa-shi's delusions can be a bit distracting and overwhelming, the show maintains a steady and smooth pace throughout leading to a very pleasant watching experience and a great breather after each Monday.

7/10

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