SEASONAL PRATTLE
And we’re back with the second batch of new anime! On a whole, the summer season is shaping up for the better: Sure the shows that fumbled in last week’s initial wave remain relatively down this week, but the addition of debuting sequels and some promising newcomers lend this season enough contenders with decent storytelling fundamentals and craft properties to get by. So let’s get into this installment’s lineup:
Leading us off and after multiple years of waiting, Oregairu is back – dusting off a lot of the tools and traits that made it such an enjoyable work previously in its balanced premiere. Immediately noticeable is that this series’ grasp of shot framing is still intact: Characters, especially Yui and Yukino, are often aligned in ways that subtly feature the comparative emotional length between them, or confined in purposely wide comps to illustrate their solitude. Both approaches promote and solidify the early atmosphere and tone that episode one wants to establish without feeling overly manufactured – which is very welcomed.
Beyond that, the knack to play out a range of narrative temperaments is still thriving as well. Subdued, contemplative moments are given the same interactive care and craft proficiency as its lighter, playful strokes. With that said, episode one feels extremely comfortable working Hachiman and company purely as dramatic assets as it does in common social settings. These touchpoints all make for a dependable start, one which does its job well enough from a structural sense without showing any real signs of weakness to deliver what’s largely a chunk of telling that’s paving the way for what’s to come.
Deca-Dence (1)
“General display of flexible animation and lively monster designs do their part to keep engagement up”
Only one episode in and Deca-Dence already feels better built than the vast majority of its summer peers that have debuted so far. Our twenty-minute post-apocalyptic run wastes little time finding a healthy balance between exposition and characterization, managing to paint Natsume’s world in addition to the tenets guiding it on the back of incidental and passive shots alone. For that, its narrative is very easy to digest – but it’s not so accessible to the extent that it endangers any of the mystique the series is going for. Kaburagi’s bug ongoings and “pet” situation certainly keep things interesting, and episode one’s general display of flexible animation and lively monster designs do their part to keep engagement up. It would be nice to see more of the supporting cast contribute here and there, but outside of that, this is a promising start.
Kanojo Okarishimasu (1)
“There’s more smoothly conceived facets here than an initial watch would suggest”
Good aesthetics, featuring a wider range of stylistic ticks than anticipated and pleasing colorwork contribute heavily to what’s ultimately a fun, reasonably built start to Kanojo Okarishimasu. While our opening chunk of narrative is pretty straightforward with nothing super compelling or fresh in its scripting for a show with this kind of premise, there’s more smoothly conceived facets here than an initial watch would suggest that make it effective nonetheless: From the high design aptitude when it comes to portraying the “attractive side” of Chizuru to the comedic delivery in both Kazuya’s expressions and dialogue as his new relationship unfolds – Kanokari offers enough to make its story palpable so far.
The God of High School (1)
“Routine beats are full of fun expressional work, and Seong Ho Park’s direction is very invigorating”
The God of High School begins, consistently operating with a level of intensity and propulsion that lives up to its pre-air buzz. The production so far is commendable: fight scenes are very dynamic with a solid amount of attention paid to weight and body mechanics, routine beats are full of fun expressional work, and Seong Ho Park’s direction is very invigorating. It’s hard to be impressed by anything The God of High School does from a written standpoint though – as the story and related text are mainly MIA which is very concerning. However, if you just want to get swept up in some quick action and worry about the details later this start is for you.
Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai! (1)
“Much of this premiere’s content feels equal parts tiresome and redundant”
Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai! begins, instantly proving that giving it 20+ minutes of run time was nothing short of a mistake. Much of this premiere’s content feels equal parts tiresome and redundant: Viewers are dragged through approximately the same two rehashed gags over and over again all while dealing with the purposely grating Uzaki and blandly depicted Shinichi with no real ground gained or reward obtained by credit roll. In hindsight, Uzaki-chan wa Asobitai! feels like it would be better suited structurally if it was a mid-size TV short – at least that way whatever ounces of novelty that are present here wouldn’t dry up so quick.
The Misfit of Demon King Academy (2)
“Simply satisfied with going through the motions of a largely generic narrative with highly predictable outcomes”
Yet another blonde, twin-tailed tsundere falls victim to a harem as The Misfit of Demon King Academy’s second unoriginal affair airs. I’m not sure when the towel was thrown in, or even if there was a towel to begin with at all, but the entire course of episode two feel like it’s on autopilot – simply satisfied with going through the motions of a largely generic narrative with highly predictable outcomes around every corner.
On that note, two’s structural offerings are very low value: We get introduced to Anos’ latest haremette (Sasha Necron), A tensionless bet from her to Anos as it’s painfully obvious that she’s going to lose it, A deeply uncompetitive fight littered with abrasive CG, and finally, some last-minute inorganic romance sequencing which ultimately seals Sasha’s harem status. Needless to say, “The Misfit of Demon King Academy” and “trash” only become more and more synonymous with showings like this.
Dokyuu Hentai HxEros (2)
“Largely just one big retrace of episode one’s plotting”
Closing us out, Dokyuu Hentai HxEros’ second episode has come and gone, surpassing expectations as it manages to be even worse than originally imagined. There’s so little value to be had in this second showing as it’s largely just one big retrace of episode one’s plotting just with a couple of minutes tossed in to introduce the rest of our MC’s harem. So cue the formula; One part Hoshino acting moody, a dash of unimaginative bug villain, a single punch both ending and being the entire “fight”, a cup of lewd situations, etc. Episode two didn’t even have the patches of production polish episode one had, it’s just a total step down.
