Cells at Work! CODE BLACK – Episode 1
I’ll tip my hat to this first episode: using the overworked cells of a failing body as a vehicle to tell a story about workers being crushed beneath the heel of capitalism is a solid choice.
Posts by Vrai Kaiser
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LBX Girls – Episode 1
I’m going to go out on a limb and say it probably wouldn’t have taken me six hours to watch this premiere if it hadn’t come out on the same day as an attempted coup, but I also can’t reliably tell you how much of that time was “anxious distracted doomscrolling” and how much was “if they throw any more technobabble into this toy commercial, I will gouge my eardrums out with my headphones.”
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Otherside Picnic – Episode 1
Yuri! And it’s sci-fi! And they’re adults! I KNOW!
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Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies moved to a starter town? – Episode 1
I’ll give Boonies this: when three of the five named female characters end up showing some level of romantic interest in Lloyd in this premiere, at least I get it. He’s a sweet kid, even if he is a narrative black hole.
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VLADLOVE – Episode 1
Once again I am faced with a title that should be extremely relevant to my interests—in this case, a lesbian vampire romance with a pretentious artsy streak—only to trash 90% of my built-in goodwill with fumbled execution.
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Skate-Leading Stars – Episode 1
I do sincerely think Skate-Leading Stars is at least trying to do its own thing, and by the end of this first episode it had convinced me to hear it out for two more.
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ParaKiss Lost: The reductive adaptation of Paradise Kiss
Paradise Kiss is one of the great josei manga classics, but subsequent versions of the story erode the focus on its lead’s agency that make the original so special, serving as a prime example of how different framings can tell the same plot and lose all of the effectiveness.
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MAGATSU WAHRHEIT – Episode 1
While it has the most generic Fantasy Oppression setting imaginable, the very emphatically capitalized MAGATSU WAHRHEIT knows exactly how it looks—and it’s unexpectedly sly at playing with those expectations.
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Maesetsu! Opening Act – Episode 1
It took me two days and no less than four separate attempts to make it all the way through Maesetsu’s 24-minute first episode.
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The Day I Became a God – Episode 1
When the writing is willing to shut up and breathe, it unearths a kind of camaraderie in the face of despair that I have no doubt it plans to return to. Unfortunately, those two minutes are preceded by 20 minutes of noise.
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Noblesse – Episode 1
Apparently the market for manhwa adaptations is considered unreliable enough that we are now here, staring down the barrel of a 2020 anime based on a series that began running in 2007 (and was in fact, the first Webtoon title translated into English) and feels every inch its age.
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Moriarty the Patriot – Episode 1
Yes, Moriarty the Patriot is terribly competent, and that is its greatest failing.
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Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon – Episode 1
The frame narrative that bookends the episode introduces us to an entirely set of new characters who are color-coded like the original cast but otherwise presented to be accessible to a new audience. And then the middle twelve minutes or so of the episode is a good ol’ game of “Hey kids, remember Inuyasha?” To which my answer is a hearty, “boy, do I!”
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I’m Standing on a Million Lives – Episode 1
I cannot tell you how refreshing it is just to come across a video game isekai that’s willing to let its newbie heroes suck at their job rather than automatically being level 99 death machines.
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Higurashi: When They Cry – NEW – Episode 1
Higurashi NEW is an almost absurdly faithful remake of the 2006 series’ first episode, from the scenes to the music, with a new coat of paint on top. Its comedy segments can be a tough sit, but its atmospheric ending still has the punch to hook you into its conspiracy. If it keeps being so faithful it’s going to hit some poorly aged bits, but it’s too soon to tell on that front.
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Healin’ Good Pretty Cure – Episode 1
As someone who’s only ever known PreCure by reputation and the occasional Twitter GIF, I was extremely curious to see how the series plays for a newcomer who’s also thoroughly outside the target age range. And the answer is…pretty (heh) good, honestly.
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GIBIATE – Episode 1
Gibiate is not, how you might say, good. I can’t wait to watch more of it.
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The God of High School – Episode 1
The slapstick is top-notch, but the actual tournament part of this tournament fighter is a slog.
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BNA – Episode 1
This is a beautiful action premiere that sets the stage for its conspiracy plot and the oddball team-up of its leads, and I will absolutely watch at least two more episodes. That said, I still have to put on my Feminist Killjoy Hat for a few minutes and talk about fantasy oppression metaphors.
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Bend the Rules, but Never Break Them: Individual growth and systemic oppression in Yu-Gi-Oh!
While the series wants to tell a story about individuals overcoming their trauma and inner darkness, its strength at depicting individual growth often conflicts with the conservative social systems it ultimately upholds.
