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Wednesday, October 17, 2018

My First Impressions on Six New Anime Series of the 2018 Fall Season


The fall anime season has just started, and I’ve decided to watch – besides the second season of Golden Kamuy – six new, debuting anime shows.  The number is lesser than the amount of new shows I picked up for the summer anime season because fall is also the resumption of many of the live-action shows I’ve been following.  In fact, I intended at first to watch just 3 or 4, but there are just so many intriguing new anime shows that I had to settle with six.  And, of course, there’s always the chance I’ll decide to watch more, eventually.  Shows such as Zombieland Saga, RErideD, and So Many Colors in the Future What a Wonderful World – which aren’t in this list – seem worth checking out, too.  However, for now, I’m only watching the six shows below – ordered, as usual, from what I’m currently enjoying the most to the least.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
In a nutshell:
A man in his late 30’s dies after protecting his kohai from a random knife attack.  Soon, he finds himself waking up in a fantasy world as a slime that can take for himself the appearances, abilities, and properties of anything or anyone he absorbs.  He soon meets and becomes friends with a powerful dragon.

Number of episodes as of writing: 3

My initial thoughts:
Yeah, yeah.  It’s another Isekai.  Thus, it possesses a lot of the usual tropes.  However, it doesn’t feel tiresome or stale at all.  On the contrary, it’s a lot of fun.  So far, a very fascinating lore is being developed by its worldbuilding, the characterization is topnotch, and the episodic narrative is absorbing and quirky.  It’s looking to be the next Overlord.

Goblin Slayer
In a nutshell:
A low-rank priestess teams up with a veteran, armor-clad adventure who only takes jobs that involve slaying goblins. 

Number of episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts:
It starts out as your typical fantasy anime.

D&D-inspired world?  Check.  The obligatory loli protagonist?  Check.  A group of sanguine rookie adventurers – all, save one, of which are cute girls – banding together, excited for their first ever mission?  Check.  Sense of positivity all around?  Check.  You know, all the usual stuff.

And then the party gets butchered and raped by a mob of goblins.  (Jaw drops.)

Later, the eponymous character arrives to save the cute loli, and slaughter all the goblins.  Including the children.

Yes, this anime is daaark. And it’s awesome.

Hinomaru Sumo
In a nutshell:
It’s a sports anime about high school sumo wrestling.

Number of episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts:
Again. it’s a sports anime about high school sumo wrestling.  It’s exactly as entertaining as that sounds.

Boarding School Juliet
In a nutshell:
Grigio Academy Boarding School houses students of two rival countries.  On one side are the “Black Dogs”, led by Romio Inuzuka, while on the other side are the “White Cats”, led by Juliet Percia.  The two factions hate each other’s guts, and are constantly getting into scuffles.  But unbeknownst to both, their leaders are actually dating in secret!

Number of episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts:
I never thought I would be liking this anime.  I expected it to be cheesy.  But, as it turns out, it’s actually a hilarious, adorable spin on the immortal Shakespearean romance.  I think, among all the anime in this list, this one has made me laugh the most so far.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
In a nutshell:
While in the library, Sakuta Azusagawa sees his senior in school, Mai Sakurajima, dressed up as a playboy bunny.  And yet no one else appears to notice her.  Later, she confides in him her remarkable condition, and he decides to help her.

Number of episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts:
Hey, look.  I’m watching two romance anime series at the same time in one season – a first!

Anyway, I acknowledge that my synopsis above sucks.  I was just trying to be vague about it, because I think it’s well worth going into this anime blind.  It’s absolutely more interesting than how I made it to be in my horrendous synopsis, and discovering this for yourself will prove to be quite rewarding.

SSSS.Gridman
In a nutshell:
It’s an anime reinvention of Gridman the Hyper Agent (whose footage was used in the American show Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, in the same manner Power Rangers has used Super Sentai footage), a 90’s tokusatsu series similar to Ultraman (both properties shared the same production company).

Number of episodes as of writing: 2

My initial thoughts:
An anime about an Ultraman analogue who fights kaiju?  I’m down!

The first two episodes have been epic.  But it’s still at the last place for now.  I just can’t rid of the uneasy feeling that it would frustrate me eventually.  After all, this show is produced by Trigger, a studio that has earned for itself the reputation of starting an anime in a fantastic note… before sending it off the rails down the line.

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