Quick First Impressions – Lupin the 3rd Part 5

It’s just as much fun as it always was.

We move into the near-future as the Lupin universe adopts AR technology and Bitcoin, but the cast is as crazy and fun as they ever were, and like in Part 4, we get some setup for continuity with the twist at the end of the episode, but basically, whether you’ve seen Lupin’s adventures before or not, you owe it to yourself to give him a shot if you consider yourself a fan of anime.

The aesthetic continues to be great as well, keeping the Layton-esque vibe we’ve been getting from the franchise and applying it to gorgeous French settings, and it’s really unique and charming as modern anime goes.

I don’t know what else to say besides just telling you to watch it and have a blast with the gang!

Quick Final Thoughts – Laid-Back Camp

Nearly everything one can ask for from relaxing slice-of-life.

This one was a strong effort from episode one, because not many slice-of-life shows can get me so excited just to watch the next episode, while maintaining such a calming effect. Laid-Back Camp doesn’t go for anything too ambitious, sticking with a group of genuinely likeable characters exploring their hobby and being really good friends to each other.

Basically, it’s wholesome as fuck.

And while there are some failings in the animation department, they’re mediated by great background work (I suspect from Silver Link, since Non Non Biyori is famous for its backgrounds of similar settings) and really good character design (I’m really attached to Nadeshiko’s camping outfit, it’s a little kooky like her, but very coordinated at the same time).

Basically, there’s nothing tremendously new here, but there’s absolutely something to be said for excellent execution of ideas that work.

8/10!

Quick First Impressions – Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These

I’m aware that most of this episode was just talking heads, flying CG models, and particle effects, but if Production I.G. can make it look and sound this amazing on a weekly basis, this could be a landmark series just like the original, even if it will just be one cour compared to its massive original run.

We don’t get much in the way of substance here, unfortunately, but we do get a lot of setup and jaw dropping music, proudly featuring an opening song by Hiroyuki Sawano, and despite my unfamiliarity with the source material, I can only see this going uphill. It’s got a lot of competition though.

Quick First Impressions – Magical Girl Ore

I can’t say this looks like it’s gonna be spectacular, but I’ll settle for funny.

I like the interesting parody aspect where magical girl concepts aren’t the only target of derision – we have a main character trying to become an idol but who can’t sing to save her life, and a pretty funny send-up of UtaPri while we’re at it, but whether the humor goes stale or not will largely depend on how they handle the gender-swapping going on, because there’s a lot of margin for error, particularly given the intentionally bara art style the show is clearly going for, and the mid-transformation crotch shot made me a little nervous.

We’ll see where this goes by episode 3.

Quick First Impressions – Gundam Build Divers

It would be really nice if they could decide what they want this spinoff franchise to be, since they keep opting to reboot rather than finishing stories, but even though each successive iteration (barring Battlogue) has gotten a little less ambitious, it remains fun to watch.

This time, the formula is shaken up again by swapping the Minovsky Particle field battles for ones set in VRMMO-space, a la Sword Art Online. In fact, this pilot also borrows a little from .hack//Sign, with the primary conflict coming from a newbie hunter who tricks the protagonist into a battle space, although being an idealistic kids show, our hero still comes out on top, as well as Legend of the Twilight, with a mysterious virtual girl with white hair in distress.

So the gist is that if you’ve seen other shows with similar settings, this first episode is pretty predictable, but I encourage fans to give it a shot anyway. I’m eager to see if we’ll get something cool out of this.

An update…

Since I’m just perpetually late in finishing current shows lately, starting next season I’m thinking of picking 2-3 shows and watching them week-by-week, reviewing each episode to flex my critiquing skills and give you guys a little more insight as to how I arrive at my final scores. We’ll see how it goes.