Listeners is the best kind of pastiche. It takes a number of familiar elements—a young man stumbling on a mysterious young woman, a post-apocalyptic setting, and the sense of being shaken out of a sense of complacency—and mashes them up in such a way that, even though you know you’ve seen and heard it all before, feels fresh and energetic.
Kakushigoto is sweeter, softer, and gentler than the mangaka’s previous work Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, and the first episode was a delight to watch.
Okay, time to spend several hundred words talking to myself.
8th Son is not out here reinventing the isekai wheel, but the wheel it presents is pretty well-made and charming, all things considered.
While I wouldn’t count on this being a very deep series given that baseball requires a nine-person team and this is only a single-cour show, this has the makings of a perfectly serviceable mid-tier sports anime.
International collaborations can, in theory, inject fresh ideas and perspectives into the medium, creating a story that can say new things and appeal to diverse audiences. I’m, uh, not so sure Tower of God is gonna do all that, though.
