URAHARA – Episode 1
This is one of the most frustrating sorts of premieres: the kind that’s a slog until the last five minutes or so, at which point a promising hook tries to tempt you back in spite of the 15 miserable minutes prior.
Posts by Vrai Kaiser
-
-
JUNI TAISEN: ZODIAC WAR – Episode 1
Do you like guns? How about blood? How about murder poison and empowered bunny men in high heels? Then Grimdark Fruits Basket Royale is for you!
-
Who’s the Hero, Anyway? Made in Abyss, gendered tropes, and damaging narratives
No media exists in a vacuum, and justifying a trope doesn’t stop it from playing into broader harmful trends.
-
How Clean Freak! Aoyama-kun compassionately handles mental illness
When this season started out, Clean Freak! Aoyama kun had a huge uphill battle to win my respect. But it won me over. Aoyama-kun is good. And it’s stayed good, mostly due to the compassion it shows for its ever-expanding ensemble cast.
-
THE REFLECTION – Episode 1
It’s not without promise, but the whiff of cut corners and cobbled-together script elements is enough for me to cast a highly suspect eye on this one.
-
GAMERS! – Episode 1
Given how hit or miss club shows can be, combined with the infamously toxic atmosphere that is actual gaming culture, the show had an uphill battle ahead of it. But skin my flesh and call me a newb if I didn’t walk away endeared.
-
Classroom of the Elite – Episode 1
Classroom of the Elite thinks it’s a lot smarter than it actually is.
-
My First Girlfriend is a Gal – Episode 1
Gal is not content with being the kind of series that includes a lot of ridiculously fetishistic designs as a cynical icing over an actual attempt to tell a story. No, no. This is a show that strives to be completely repugnant on every level.
-
A Centaur’s Life – Episode 1
Y’know that moment where Charlie Brown runs toward the football and Lucy pulls it away, like a boot stomping on a human face forever? This episode was that for me.
-
Princess Principal – Episode 1
Minor bones of contention aside, this has the makings of an engaging and poignant action title.
-
Chronos Ruler – Episode 1
This premiere was not terrible, exactly. It did some very good things, and it did some very bad things in equal measure, and in the end it averages out to “just okay.”
-
Action Heroine Cheer Fruits – Episode 1
This premiere captures the same magic of fandom that Samurai Flamenco’s early run did, focusing not on heroes per se but on the people inspired by them.
-
Welcome to the Ballroom – Episode 1
In a shocking turn of events, the most highly anticipated anime of the summer season is real good.
-
Vatican Miracle Examiner – Episode 1
Vatican Miracle Examiner is stupendously tacky and also I am in love with it.
-
Altair: A Record of Battles – Episode 1
It is not a good sign when your show starts off with a gigantic disclaimer worthy of South Park.
-
DIVE!! – Episode 1
Y’all, I promise I did my best to watch this premiere without comparing it relentlessly to Free!. I swear. It’s just that the show wants me to make that comparison, is the thing.
-
Fastest Finger First – Episode 1
There’s a lot of potential for a fun competition-centric series here, but it’s marred by panty jokes and a strong whiff of Trinity Syndrome.
-
Elegant Yokai Apartment Life – Episode 1
This is almost inevitably going to draw comparisons to Natsume’s Book of Friends, that it almost certainly can’t live up to. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad series.
-
Restaurant to Another World – Episode 1
As I began watching this premiere, something funny started to happen – time was slowing down around me, until even the most infinitesimal sigh of non-anticipation stretched across the crossroads.
