Spring Anime Flowers Bloom Again: Season Preview, Part Two - Animation #21
It’s time for part 2 of our Spring anime preview! As we are now in the thick of things, another bunch of TV shows present their beautiful rose petals to the general public as they spray us with their pheromones in order to entice us to watch their supple offerings on various streaming platforms. Yes, that is what anime is for: To expand our collective knowledge. Yes, that metaphor was forced (again). Let’s move on. Cam and Mike are joined by extra-special guest hosts Teresa and Haley as they embark on yet another long preview journey! Let’s get going!
Let’s get started with the most dramatic of all anime genres: DRAMA!
Higehiro: I Shaved and then Brought Home a Highschool Girl (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: No matter how good the animation may be, or the OP and ending themes, I’ll never be able to get over how uncomfortable the very premise of this series is. The title of this anime is basically the main plot. Based on a light novel (shocker) written by Shimesaba, the series follows Yoshida, a 26-year old salaryman who comes home after a drunken night out to find a highschool runaway sitting in front of a street lamp. He invites her into his home, in exchange for basically doing all of his chores. I suppose once you get past the uncomfortableness, it can be kind of charming at times. But if you can’t, then I’m afraid this doesn’t get any less uncomfortable, especially how episode 3 ends. I can only recommend this anime if you were already going to watch it anyway.
86 (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: Literally the one problem I have with this series is the same problem I’m having with a lot of modern mecha anime, which is the clunky meshing of CG and traditional animation. Other than that, I’m really loving the story and the characters in 86. Based on the light novel by Asato Asato, this sci-fi anti-war romance takes place in the distant future of 2148, where the Republic of San Magnolia has been fighting the Empire of Giad for nine years. This feels like the anime equivalent of M*A*S*H meets Eye in the Sky, as we cut between two different perspectives. On the battlefield we follow the “Undertaker” Shinel Nozen, the leader of the 86er Spearhead squadron, while they take orders from Lena Mirizé, their newly assigned handler. There’s some great commentary throughout these first couple episodes about the long term effects of war, and how we treat soldiers on and off the battlefield. I would highly recommend checking this series out, if you haven’t already!
Tokyo Revengers (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: The first episode threw me for a loop, for I wasn’t exactly expecting the main protagonist to be so, um, lame. But once I figured out that the actual story involves time travel, I started to get more on board! In a way, this series is like Brick meets Days of Future Past, as apparently Takemichi Hanagaki has the ability to travel back in time to 12 years ago. His mission is to stop the Tokyo Manji Gang leaders from meeting, which will save the life of Hinata Tachibana and her brother Naoto. If you can get past that weird first episode, the next two are a vast improvement. The world building is fascinating, and the music is awesome. I am definitely going to keep watching after the third episode to see how this story unfolds.
Those Snow White Notes (Crunchyroll) (readily available) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: Naturally I would be drawn towards a music-centric anime, so of course I really liked Those Snow White Notes! It’s not exactly perfect, each episode fluctuates quite a bit in tone, but the one consistent element across the first three episodes is the sultry sound of the shamisen. That, and the fact that the main character is mourning the death of his grandfather hit a little too close to home. Check this one out if you’re into music appreciation.
Time to kick some butt with the ACTION/ADVENTURE genre!
Combatants Will Be Dispatched (Funimation) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: Apparently this is the only dub we’re getting this season, which I don’t really understand, but considering the high volume of new series premiering, perhaps it was just a matter of preventing actor fatigue? Anyway, Combatants Will Be Dispatched sucks, and feels like a poor attempt to recreate the same lightning in a bottle manic energy of Natsume Akatsuki’s previous light novel series KonoSuba, without understanding why it worked in the first place. Because the dub is only 2 episodes deep, I figured that was about as much as I could tolerate, at least for now.
Seven Knights Revolution: The Hero’s Successor (Crunchyroll)
Mike’s thoughts: If the plot seems a bit generic, that’s because Seven Knights Revolution: The Hero’s Successor is based on a damn mobile RPG for Android and iOS. That being said, what this series lacks in a compelling narrative, it makes up for it with its likeable cast of characters and some pretty awesome animated fight sequences. Episode 3 in particular has some of the best of all of those, and I’m really curious to find out more about what exactly is going with Nemo, our central protagonist.
Cestvs: Roman Fighter (Crunchyroll)
Mike’s thoughts: So, you know that meme where Mr. Plankton is forced by an angry customer to look at a nasty Krabby Patty? That’s Cestvs: Roman Fighter in a nutshell. By the end of episode 1, I was not really impressed by the animation, but I didn’t think it was nearly as bad as Ex-Arm. However, the quality takes a nose dive in episodes 2 and 3, to the point where I genuinely believe this would have been better under a Western production company such as Powerhouse Animation Studios. The story is fine, it’s basically a spin on Rocky set in the Roman Empire, but it should be considered an objective failure when the ACTION is the worst part of your ACTION anime.
The World Ends With You: The Animation (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts: The World Ends With You is an anime adaptation of the 2007 Square Enix video game of the same name. It may seem like this is a series that should have been released well over a decade ago, but with a sequel game coming out this summer, there’s no better time like the present. Personally, I’ve never played the game, so I have no real attachment to these characters. However, I can say that I was hooked enough by the unique art style, the music, and the overall premise. It’s not my favorite of the new anime this season, but it’s piqued my curiosity enough that I want to keep watching to see where it goes from here.
MARS RED (Funimation) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: Guess I was wrong, there was another dub recorded this season, and it just happened to be for the anime I was looking forward to the most! I honestly wasn’t quite sure what to expect, I just know that I’m really liking Mars Red! It’s a period piece that takes place in Japan in the 1920’s, where the Japanese Government is creating a new unit in the army to take on the increasing number of vampires on the loose. The dub itself is okay, but what I find amusing is Sean Schemmel doing his best Chris Sabat impression as the voice of Yoshinobu Maeda, our main protagonist. As for the story, I’m a sucker (no pun intended) for period pieces, especially those that add a supernatural flavor to them, so I’m definitely going to keep watching this anime!
Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: Out of all the action anime that I’ve seen so far this season, I can’t think of a single one as gorgeous, yet dark and violent as Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood. This is an original anime from Bakken Record, set in an alternate history Japan during the 64th year of the Meiji era (1931). The story is fascinating, the action is intense, and there’s a great sense of intrigue surrounding the organization Nue and their true motive. If you haven’t seen this one yet, please make it a priority ASAP!
To Your Eternity (Crunchyroll)
Mike’s thoughts: “Who wants to live forever?” is basically the starting point of this series, as we follow an immortal entity referred to simply as “the Orb.” My only real expectation going into this anime was that it was going to be heavy, a real tear jerker as the story progresses. While I don’t think I’m quite at that point yet, the end of episode 1 gets damn close, while episodes 2 and 3 feel more like the calm before the storm. Nevertheless, To Your Eternity is one of the best anime I’ve seen so far this season, and it’s one I’m certainly going to continue! If you’re a fan of Wolf’s Rain, this series feels like it’s cut from the same cloth.
Finally, let’s all get some lovin’ with the ROMANCE/COMEDY genre!
It’s Too Sick to Call this Love aka Koikimo (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: I’m not gonna bury the lede, this show fucking sucks! This is probably the second time I have to compare my experience to the Mr. Plankton meme, only this time it only took 6 goddamn minutes for the anime to completely fall apart. The only reason it’s not “objectively” worse than Combatants is because at least the animation and the music are decent. But for far more substantial reasons (i.e., the story, characters and themes), it’s garbage. Other than MAYBE the deadpan otaku we meet in episode 3, there isn’t a single I like, and the sister now belongs on the list of worst characters of the season! If I didn’t have this platform, I would have avoided this series like the fucking plague!
Osamake the Romcom Where The Childhood Friend Won’t Lose (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: I honestly don’t even know how I’m supposed to feel about this. On the one hand, I think all of the characters are varying degrees of likeable to the point where it’s easy to get invested in the story. However, the tone is just all over the place. All I can say for certain is that it’s absolutely not surprising that this is yet another light novel adaptation, and one centered around a love triangle, or square??? If romantic comedy is your bread and butter, it’s a comfortable recommendation, but I don’t know if I’ll continue past the 3rd episode.
Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro (Crunchyroll) 💮💮💮
Mike’s thoughts: Of all the romantic comedies that Spring 2021 had to offer, I was not expecting THIS to be the best one! I think the secret to Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro’s success is that this is a romantic comedy with a heavy emphasis on the comedy. It’s kind of the perfect satire of otaku culture, specifically the obsession with “fanservice,” and the dynamic between Nagatoro and “Sempai” is an odd mixture of wholesome and horny. I’ll try my best to explain why this is one of the best anime of the season, but I’d rather you see this for yourself.
So, another group of anime series previewed! Thank you to our special guest hosts, Teresa and Haley, and to Mike and Cameron for embarking on this awesome journey! Let us know how we’re doing in the comments below, and be sure to support us on Ko-Fi and Podchaser! And if you’d like to suggest shows for us to cover here on Renegade Animation, please mention them in the comments! See ya next time!
