Fall 2021 Anime First Impressions
86 Eighty-Six: Part 2
(seen 3 episodes)
One of the best anime of the spring season, possibly of the entire year, is back with more delicious social commentary that does not know the meaning of the word "subtle". This time with an entire new country and a chuuni loli! Quite a change from the first cour's grim war story. But fear not, for the Anvils That Need To Be Dropped are still being dropped, in beat with those sweet Sawano/Yamamoto BGMs. Oooh yeah. Also the new OP is great.
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train Arc
(seen 3 episodes)
It's train time, baby! Again. Yeah, this is a TV broadcast version of the movie that I have already seen. Not much to say about it. The OP and ED are pretty good, although to be honest neither is Gurenge or Homura levels of instant classic. So yeah. Um. I guess this is a thing that exists.
Mushoku Tensei: Part 2
(seen 3 episodes)
This show does not need an introduction: if you haven't seen it, you have at least heard of it, more than likely because of the controversy. With that in mind, things are business as usual in the fantasy world: Rudeus is horny, a self-proclaimed demon queen is stabbing him in the eye, Eris is rising the best girl ranks, and Rudeus is horny. Oh, did I mention that he's horny? There's many things that can be said about this anime, but insincere is not one of them. People fuck and that's just life, and having an anime be so straight-forward about it is actually kinda refreshing.
Takt op. Destiny
(seen 2 episodes)
A very hyped-up show, due to being a MAPPA x Madhouse co-production that had a sakuga-filled trailer shown at MAPPA Stage 2021 in June. Does it live up to the hype? Well, kinda. The first episode's action spectacle and slapstick comedy were certainly entertaining, but it was the slower, more character-driven second episode telling the backstory of the main characters that truly made me invested. More specifically the duet scene. God damn, the duet scene. If that is the quality of music and direction we can expect going forward, sign me the hell up.
The Faraway Paladin
(seen 3 episodes)
I'm gonna be brutally honest. This does not look great visually. I mean, it's better than Blue Period in that regard, but when you have an another isekai airing this season (Mushoku) that is a thousand times better in the visual department, it's still a let down. Luckily the writing is good enough to carry the series, and if nothing else, the OP is nice to keep vibing to.
The Heike Story
(seen 6 episodes)
Naoko Yamada's first non-KyoAni work is a lively historical period drama told with an unique art style and a beautiful musical score by Kensuke Ushio. Despite its foreboding and at times even grim atmosphere, it manages to squeeze in plenty of moments of fun. The main character Biwa in particular is delightful, enhanced by her perfectly chosen voice actress Aoi Yuuki. The voice cast in general is excellent. The information density may be overwhelming if you're not familiar with this particular period in Japanese history (I certainly am not!), but the human drama at the core of the story is entertaining to follow even if the larger context is left a bit fuzzy.
More to be added as I watch more stuff. Last edited on November 7.
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