Senryu Girl
First up is Senryu Girl. In episode 1, Nanako is a girl whose anxiety has rendered her nonverbal and only able to communicate through writing senryu poems. Eiji is a former delinquent who is sick of constantly getting into fights and is trying to move past his reputation as a dangerous thug. Together they join their school's Literature Club, learning how to express themselves and overcome the hurdles in their social life. When Eiji suggests that Nanako shouldn't spend too much time with him thanks to his reputation, Nanako refuses and says that she doesn't care what anyone else thinks as long as she can spend time with him.
I didn't have high expectations for this show going in. Judging from the description on MAL, it just seemed like another slice of life comedy that uses cute girls and a gimmick to get attention before playing out the same old stories that every other show in this genre does. And for all I know, it may still turn out to be that. But this first episode left a pretty good impression on me, and I genuinely had a good time watching this. Eiji and Nanako are a cute couple, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how accommodating everyone was to Nanako's nonverbal nature. Not a single character gives her a hard time for not talking verbally with them and only communicating through poems and awkward anime girl pantomime, and that's just really nice to see. There isn't a lot to say about this one, since it's a 10 minute short that only exists to introduce us to our main characters, but I thought that this was pretty good, and considering the track record the roundup tends to have with short form series, I'll take what I can get for now.
Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu
Let's keep the anxiety train rolling, shall we? In episode 1 of Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu (there doesn't seem to be an official English title), Bocchi Hitori is starting middle school for the first time, and that prospect terrifies her. Her only friend Kai is going to a different school, and the last time they spoke, she told Bocchi that she planned to avoid her until she can make friends with everyone in her new class on her own, worrying about tying her down and stunting her social growth. Desperate to see Kai again but still held back by crippling social anxiety, Bocchi attempts several plans to try to get out of having to make new friends, including destroying the concept of middle schools and putting up fake posters saying her class has been abolished and everyone needs to transfer to a new school. When these foolproof stratagems somehow end up in failure, Bocchi is left with no choice than to try to make friends the old fashioned way: actual socialization. Correctly understanding that this is the worst possible fate imaginable, she immediately leaves a bad impression when nerves overcome her and she throws up while introducing herself to the class. Still she persists, lending out her only umbrella during a rainstorm, writing out dialogue trees on her arm, and carrying out entire conversations in text rather than speaking out loud, until she gets verbal confirmation that the brash Nako already considers her a friend.
I didn't plan to cover this on the roundup at first. I didn't even think about watching it at all, actually. I figured that Senryu Girl was enough social anxiety driven slice of life comedy, but then I was browsing through Crunchyroll and thought I'd give it a shot. And, you know what? I actually kinda like it. I've mentioned before that I suffer from social anxiety, and even though I think that this depiction is way too extreme, to the point where it feels like I'm being mocked at times, I can definitely relate to a character who is so terrified of screwing things up that she would read a book titled "Friendship for Dummies." Making friends is a weird and complicated process with no right answers and a lot of guesswork with no time to think anything you say through, lest you get left behind in the conversation, and to a certain kind of person, that sort of thing can be overwhelming and scary. When I was Bocchi's age, I had had so many friends either move away or change schools that I basically gave up on the idea of having friends for the next three years, not speaking to anyone if I could avoid it until I had gone to a new high school in a new town. So, yeah, I guess you could say that I found Bocchi more than a little relatable. But other than Bocchi herself, nothing else really sticks out. The music is bland, the art and animation are that typical low effort variety that comes with slice of life comedies since you don't technically need a lot of visual stimulation, and the actual jokes are pretty hit or miss. Still, I cannot deny that these are, in fact, cute girls doing cute things, and I'm enjoying myself so far.
Cinderella Nine
To the surprise of nobody, Patrick is covering another sports anime. And in other news, birds fly and grass grows. Anyway, in episode 1 of Cinderella Nine, when she learns that her high school does not have a baseball team, Tsubasa Arihara decides to start her own. Though it is only her and her best friend (whose name I don't remember hearing) at first, they attract two prospective new members at a club demonstration (whose names I also forgot). Neither of the two newcomers have any baseball experience -- one is afraid of the ball and the other has anxiety about letting her teammates down -- but when the four girls join a group of younger children in a pickup game, the newcomers are surprised by how much fun they had and decide to join the club full time. The next day, Tsubasa hears from the student council president that they are not allowed to practice on campus for some reason.
Anyone who's read this blog before would know that I love sports anime, and thus unconsciously give it more slack than it typically deserves (Hinomaru says hi). So, I want you to imagine how disappointed I am to report that this anime is BORING. None of the girls really have any personality to latch on to, and feel more like a collection of anime cliches than actual characters. I mean, I do appreciate that Tsubasa never once pressures anyone to join the club against their will, and I can easily imagine a scenario where one or both of the new girls refuse to join and she just shrugs it off with a smile, but everything just felt so artificial and it sickens me. And it doesn't help that the animation and music are all just so flat and lifeless. You barely even see any baseball outside of a crappy montage. Call me crazy, but if your show is about baseball, then you'd want to show the actual baseball game, right? Or is this another Anima Yell situation, where the show is actually about how cute the girls are? Cause if that's the case, then I'm probably gonna drop it soon since that's not really my thing. And considering the other two new sports anime this season are sequels, that's heartbreaking to think about.
Dororo
In episode 13 of Somehow a New Opening from Asian Kung Fu Generation is Disappointing, after leaving Daigo's territory, Hyakkimaru has become obsessed with hunting down the remaining demons and regaining his humanity. But Dororo is concerned that Hyakkimaru has missied several nights of sleep, and if he doesn't get rest soon, it could lead to his death. To that end, she lies to him and says that a monster was spotted at a nearby hot spring. On their way there, the two encounter a woman named Okaka, who looks exactly like Dororo's mother. Okaka tells Dororo about a stone carver who had attempted to carve the perfect Buddha statue under a nearby waterfall, but was unable to carve a suitable face before his death. When Dororo starts to fall asleep, Okaka reveals that she had drugged her and Hyakkimaru's food, as she is that same stone carver, resurrected by an evil spirit that had possessed the Buddha statue and charged with luring travelers to it and stealing their faces. As Okaka drags Hyakkimaru's body to the statue, Dororo chases after them and intervenes. She distracts Okaka long enough for Hyakkimaru to regain consciousness, and as he fights the evil spirit, Dororo convinces her to give up her quest to steal faces from the innocent. As Okaka experiences a crisis of faith, the statue turns on her and kills her, and Hyakkimaru destroys it and expels the spirit shortly afterward. Later, Dororo admits that she was lying to Hyakkimaru, but he still agrees to travel to the hot spring with her. While they are there, some local children sharing the spring notice a strange mark that appears to be a map on Dororo's back.
I was very curious as to what sort of episode we would get after the huge moment that was the Story of Banmon. And, well, what we got wasn't great. It wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, but it's weird to be returning to business as usual after the monumental confrontation between Hyakkimaru and his family. I'm glad we got some time to focus on Hyakkimaru being in a funk and needing to move past it, and giving Dororo more to do is always nice, but it felt more like the emotional growth was being told to us instead of being shown. Like, you can tell me as much as you want that Hyakkimaru is running himself ragged and is a bit off his game, but the fact remains that that he still seems to be fighting as well as he always does. And while the story of Okaka and the Buddha statue was certainly different from what we've grown used to in this show in a novel way, it felt like it was over as soon as we learned about it. Again, what we had was fine -- I especially liked Dororo's lines whenever she was talking to Okaka, it's nice to see her be vulnerable for once -- but I wish we had more of it. The hint that there might be a map on Dororo's back is interesting, though, and it doesn't seem to be tattooed on either. Has it always been there, or is this a new phenomenon that came from her repeated exposure to the supernatural? Either way, I still am having a good time with this show and I'm hungry for more information, so it looks like we're stuck with Dororo for at least one more week.
Kono Oto Tomare: Sounds of Life
In episode 1 of Kono Oto Tomare: Sounds of Life, it's the first day of school, and Takezo has a problem: with the upperclassmen all having graduated, he is the only member of the koto club left. If he doesn't manage to recruit new members, the club will be disbanded. However, a group of delinquents have taken over the club room, making it their new hangout, and when Takezo tries to ask them to leave, they beat the stuffing out of him. Takezo is rescued by another street tough named Kudo, who then declares himself as a new member of the koto club. Takezo refuses to acknowledge Kudo as a member though, assuming that the boy is merely mocking him, and the two argue. As Kudo quietly cleans the trashed club room, his friend (whose name I never caught) pulls Takezo aside and explains that Kudo's grandfather was a koto builder who had pulled him out of a life of violence, only to become a target for his former delinquent friends, who framed the boy for the assault. Feeling guilty for making his grandfather a target, Kudo wanted to learn more about the club that his grandfather had started. The next day, thirsty for revenge, the three bullies assault Takezo in the club room and wreck the place, framing Kudo for the crime. As Kudo defiantly refuses to defend himself from the accusations, knowing that nobody will believe him anyway, Takezo bursts into the principal's office, loudly declaring him a member of the koto club, and Kudo's friend forces the true culprits to come forward. With that mess taken care of, Takezo and Kudo prepare for their first club meeting.
I expected this to be better than it actually was. The premise of a failing club dedicated to an obscure musical instrument attracting unexpected members has a lot of promise, but the execution is a bit lacking. Everything feels a bit rushed somehow, even though we only focused on two characters. Im' not entirely sure about these characters either, since the wimpy nerd and the reformed delinquent are not exactly breaking new ground in terms of characterization. That being said, I didn't have a bad time watching this either, and the animation and character designs are definitely passable. It was just kind of meh. Not much else to say other than NOBODY ACTUALLY PLAYED THE KOTO! 0/10!!
After Lost
Oh, look, it's what Madhouse released instead of One Punch Man Season 2! Let's judge it harshly as we lament that Saitama and Genos were handed over to JC Staff! I kid, since I actually don't dislike the new animation for One Punch Man as much as some people do, but still.
Anyway, in episode 1 of After Lost, three years ago, an entire city and everyone in it disappeared and was declared Lost. The sole survivor, a young girl named Yuki, was taken prisoner by a mysterious Agency and was placed under observation. But then, a group of scientists hire a courier named Takuya to break her out of the facility and deliver her to Lost after finding an encrypted message that claims that her father is alive. After a brief separation when Yuki runs away from Takuya, the two start traveling to Lost, only to be attacked by soldiers from the Agency. When Yuki somehow summons the spirit of one of the people she knew who was Lost to battle a psychic, it seems like the two have escaped. But their victory is short lived, as more soldiers ambush them and recapture Yuki. A woman who Takuya asked for information earlier is among the soldiers, and a gunshot rings out soon after she declares her intent to kill him.
First of all, as cool as it would be to fake me out and kill Takuya right then and there, that's not what's going to happen. The shooter has already been established to have some history with Takuya, and the camera cut away before the shot was actually fired, so she probably just opened fire on her comrades to rescue him. That aside, this was pretty neat. The whole setup of a strange supernatural event hitting Japan and remaking the world in some as of yet unexplained way and also maybe granting people super powers, not to mention the whole urban fantasy vibe, is reminding me of Darker than Black. And, well, that's hardly a bad thing in my book. Takuya is pretty cool so far, though I'm worried that with his dialogue the creators are trying a bit too hard to make him cool, and that's not the sort of thing you can force. Just have him do cool things and people will like him, there's no need to try to make him sound all hardened and badass every single time he opens his mouth. As for Yuki...meh. She's clearly been through a lot, so the whole silent treatment is probably a coping mechanism for her and I get it, but I don't have much to go on, you know? And I'm having a hard time feeling bad about her missing family when her seemingly only memory of them is them clapping their hands in slow motion like doofy idiots in front of a birthday cake. That made me laugh so hard seeing it, and I dont' think that was what they were going for. Still, the animation is nice, aside from some CG crowd shots, and the premise is interesting enough that I'm not bored yet, so that's something.
Midnight Occult Civil Servants
We're only halfway done? I forgot how exhausting typing up the first week of notes can be. Midnight Occult Civil Servants is up next. In episode 1, Miyako Arata is starting his new job with the Shinjuku Ward Nighttime Community Relations Department. Thankfully, instead of doing something boring like arranging community events, his new responsibilities focus on maintaining relations between the various non-human and paranormal creatures who live in Japan. When a territorial battle between the tengu and the angels of the Imperial Gardens gets out of hand, the Community Relations Department is sent to intervene and erect a magic barrier between the two groups. During this work, Miyako overhears a romantic rendezvous between an angel and a tengu, and realizes that the conflict was never about territory to begin with. As the fighting spills out into the city streets, Miyako realizes that his coworkers don't understand what the non-human creatures are saying, and throws himself between the three factions in order to get their attention, explaining the situation to everyone involved. Upon realizing that their family members weren't being kidnapped after all, the angels and the tengu agree to a temporary ceasefire, as Miyako's human coworkers stare in disbelief. Before Miyako can explain anything to them, an elderly tengu approaches him and calls him Abe no Seimei, the real life legendary exorcist and astrologer of the Heian era (approximately 1500 years ago). Miyako tries to figure out what the tengu is talking about, but he passes out before he could ask any follow up questions.
I don't know what I expected when I chose to add this series to the roundup, but Yokai Romeo and Juliet was not it. Not that I disliked it, mind you. The animation may be a bit wonky, and the characters may just be walking cliches at this point, but the atmosphere is fun and the music is good and it reminds me of Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens of all things. While I obviously hope for more development moving forward and think that this first episode is merely here to establish the world before the actual plot starts, if this does become a case of the week type show with new supernatural creatures showing up each episode, it could still be a fun time.
We Never Learn
Now it really starts getting good. In episode 1 of We Never Learn, Nariyuki Yuiga used to struggle with school, but after hearing the encouragement of his late father, he pulled himself up to be among the top students at his school, being very well rounded without excelling in any given subject. Nariyuki hopes to earn a special nomination for a full ride college scholarship at the high school's sister university, but his prospects look grim as he is overshadowed by the mathematical genius Rizu Ogata and the literary talent Fumino Furuhashi. Much to his delight, Nariyuki is chosen for the nomination, but there is a catch: he needs to tutor Ogata and Furuhashi to the point where they can enter the school of their choice, and each of the girls want to pursue a career in their weakest subject. After struggling for a week to get any sort of improvement from them, Nariyuki off-handedly sugests that the girls just stick with the subject they're good at, causing them to both storm off in anger, accidentally leaving their notebooks behind. Upon flipping through their notebooks, Nariyuki understands the legitimate passion that his pupils have for their fields and stays up all night preparing personalized lesson plans for them. Though they still have a long way to go, Nariyuki vows to stand by his students until the very end.
Wait a second! A shonen harem comedy about a gifted student tutoring a group of cute but academically challenged anime schoolgirls? Quintessential Quintuplets is that you? Yeah, I was surprised to learn that this show was coming out so soon after Quintessential Quintuplets had ended, and I basically picked up this show because I was hoping that it would be just as good. And, well, it isn't quite there yet, but it definitely has potential. I definitely know that I like the art for this series better than Quintessential Quintuplets. It's nice to see character design for teenagers that actually look like teenagers for once. I'm so used to anime high school students either looking like a bunch of 12 year olds or looking like full grown adults in school uniforms that this blend of soft, round, childish features and more mature, grown body structure feels oddly refreshing. It's probably only just me who feels this way, but I feel like it gives the show its own unique energy. And while Nariyuki doesn't compare to the majesty that is Futaro Uesugi, I like the girls here better than the quintuplets (best girl Miku notwithstanding), so it pretty much balances out. Rizu especially is winning me over, since I too slept through college level math courses in high school (that I barely remember now), got extremely high grades, and still chose to go to school for the humanities. Not to mention that she is just one of the cutest anime schoolgirls I have seen in a long time, and she loves board games! If I didn't have a rule against declaring underage girls my waifu, she would easily be one of my top waifus of the season just from this first episode alone. Next week's preview hints at another girl joining the group, and the poster on MAL has a total of five girls flanking Nariyuki. While Quintessential Quintuplets has shown that it's possible to balance a large group of love interests, it's still a risky prospect, so I hope that the original creator Taishi Tsutsui rose to the challenge.
RobiHachi
Next up is RobiHachi! In episode 1, Robby has been down on his luck ever since he ran away from his wealthy parents. Even when investment after investment fails, he still remains confident, sure that his latest get rich quick scheme will be the one that will earn him success on his own terms. After a chance encounter with a young dissatisfied boy genius named Hatchi who stops someone frmo stealing his investment money, Robby invests in a shrimp hatchery and fully expects to reap the rewards. When Hatchi turns out to be a debt collector who arrives to collect the money that Robby borrowed for his investment, Robby learns that the company he invested in has folded and he has no money. As the chase from Hatchi and his employer Yang heads into space, Hatchi (who was trapped on Robby's ship) agrees to stop chasing Robby if they do something completely crazy and unexpected: travel to the tourist destination Isekandar, which is advertised as a place where all dreams can come true. But before they can even set out on their journey, they need to escape Yang and his other henchmen. To that end, Robby and Hatchi launch fighters to battle Yang's ship, but even they are surprised when their fighters combine to form a giant mech.
I don't know what I was expecting when I chose to watch this show. All I really knew was that it was a sci-fi anime that had a cool art style. What we got, however, seems to be a cross between the style and music of Double Decker and the humor of Space Dandy, and I'm really enjoying it. Robby and Hatchi have a really strong chemistry, and the comedic timing for this series is on point, with jokes perfectly spaced out so as not to become overwhelming and enough character and world building behind them to give them more substance. There isn't really much to say here so far, other than Isekandar probably isn't going to turn out as great as it seems, but I suspect this show is going to be more focused on the wacky misadventures that occur on the way there rather than the destination itself.
Fairy Gone
In episode 1 of Fairy Gone, several years ago, there was a great war that ended in all the various countries of Eastlad coming under the rule of a single emperor. When the war ended, the fairy soldiers all vanished into the wind. Now in the present, refugee Marlya Noel and the former soldier Free Underbar have both come to work security at a mafia-run auction. When the auction is ambushed by a woman named Veronica, who steals a page from the mystical Black Fairy Tome, Marlya recognizes her as another refugee form her village, and attempts to intervene in the fight between her and Free, who both have been possessed by fairies who fight alongside them. During the chaos, a fairy is freed from its cage and merges with Marlya, and the two of them work together to break up the fight. Marlya attempts to talk Veronica down, explaining that she only joined the mafia in order to find her after they got separated as children during the war, but Free interrupts their conversation and Veronica escapes. Free explains that he is a government agent who had infiltrated the mafia to prevent the sale of fairies, as it is now illegal to bond with fairies. He gives Marlya a choice: either be arrested or work alongside him, and Marlya agrees to his offer, hoping to use the position to track down Veronica.
Shortly after New Years Day, I binge watched the anime Sirius the Jaeger on Netflix. It was an anime from 2018 that I missed from PA Works that combined elements of werewolf and vampire fantasy with turn of the century military stories, and I loved every second of it. When I heard that the same studio was making another urban fantasy action story focusing on fairies, I knew I had to cover it in the roundup. Now it's finally here, and I LOVED the first episode! The animation is smooth and clean, and even the CG models for the fairies look really nice, even though their movement is a tad stiff. The idea of fairies bonding with humans as some sort of cross between Stands and Pokemon is a cool idea, and I really enjoyed the aesthetic. Marlya reminds me a lot of Yuliy from Sirius, especially the way her relationship with Veronica echoes that of Yuliy's relationship with Mikhail, and considering that that was one of that show's greatest strengths, I think that's a good thing. I look forward to seeing if their bond can overcome their current status as enemies, since Veronica does seem to feel guilty about fighting Marlya, or if Ver's desire for revenge against the one who burned down her home causes her to become irredeemably evil.
Fruits Basket
All that's left are the two shows I liked the best and the one I liked the least. We'll do the good stuff first, since it's somehow become a tradition for me to do the worst episode of the week at the end. In episode 1 of Fruits Basket, after her mother died in a car crash, the now orphaned Tohru Honda is sent to live with her grandfather. But when he announces that he is leaving to live with her aunt's family as his home is being renovated, Tohru is left in a predicament. Her aunt doesn't have the space to put up both of them, and Tohru cannot leave the city where her school and job are. Not wishing to burden her friends, Tohru decides to live in a tent until the renovations are complete, secretly working herself to the bone to cover the costs of living and maintain her performance in school. Before long, her classmate Yuki Soma and his cousin Shigure discover her tent is pitched on their land, and as she is explaining her situation to them, the tent is buried in a mudslide and she collapses with afever from overworking herself. Yuki digs up her things from beneath the tent, and he and Shigure offer her a room in their home until the renovations are taken care of. As they move her stuff into the room, Yuki is attacked by a red-haired boy named Kyo, and when Tohru tries to intervene, she trips and inadvertently hugs all three boys, turning them all into animals of the Chinese zodiac.
So, you might not have known this, but this is a remake of an anime that first aired in 2001. I've never seen the original, and all I knew going into it was that it was a romance series that had some supernatural elements; though I was unaware of the specifics. What I do know, however, is that I really liked this episode. Tohru is exactly the kind of protagonist I like in my romantic stories: kind, hardworking, and with a personality that is clearly defined yet still understated. She is relatable enough that audiences can project themselves onto her, but defined enough that you can understand why so many handsome boys will want to be with her later on. And boy, are these boys handsome! I don't really think much about their personalities yet, they're all kind of bland, but it's only episode 1 and there's room for development, and they're handsome enough for me to give it a bit of a pass for now. Either way, this episode was about Tohru, first and foremost, and it did a good enough job making me like her. I'm excited to see if this remake is good, and what about this resonated with so many people almost 20 years ago.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
I am so excited to talk about Kimetsu no Yaiba! In episode 1, ever since the death of his father, Tanjiro Kamado has become the sole breadwinner for his family. Still, he lives a happy life with his family as a charcoal seller in his winter village, and has become a well-respected member of his community, settling disputes and doing odd jobs to help his neighbors. When the sun starts to set, an old man warns that Tanjiro should spend the night in town rather than risk journeying back home after dark, when the demons wander the wilds. Tanjiro doesn't believe in the rumors of demons and demon slayers, but he reasons that the old man is lonely and decides to keep him company for the night. When he returns home the next day, however, he is horrified to see his family lying in a bloody heap, all dead except for one sister: Nezuko. He frantically carries her down the mountain and back to town, hoping to find a doctor, when she wakes up and attacks him. Her wounds had been infected with demon blood, and she has been transformed into a man-eating demon herself as a result. When a wandering demon slayer named Giyu Tomioka attempts to kill Nezuko, Tanjiro puts himself in front of the blade. After impressing with his improvised strategy of pretending to charge with a hatchet when he actually threw the hatchet at him in a way to fall on his head, Tanjiro earns Tomioka's respect, and upon seeing the demonic Nezuko try to protect her brother from him, agrees to spare them both. He provides a muzzle for Nezuko and some advice: search for a man named Sakonji at the base of the mountain, and no matter what, don't let Nezuko be exposed to sunlight. The two siblings bury their family and begin their journey.
This. Was. AWESOME! I've never seen anything from Ufotable before, mostly because I find their flagship Fate series intimidatingly complex, and that's basically all they do, but I've always been quietly impressed by their incredibly high-quality tv animation. And let me tell you, after Mob Psycho 100, this is the best animation I've seen so far this year. The way the bold colors of the characters contrast with the muted backgrounds leaves quite a striking impression, and that fight scene in particular was a joy to watch. As for the characters, only Tanjiro has had enough screen time to make an impression, but he seems to be just the kind of kind-hearted and naturally heroic protagonist that I love in my adventure stories, and the mix of despair and pure rage in his voice acting from the moment he sees his mother, siblings, and nephew lying dead in the snow was such a stark contrast from his friendly and happy demeanor in the first few scenes that I was genuinely taken aback. Tomioka also made a great first impression, being a hardened soldier hoping to convince Tanjiro to be smart and just let his sister go, hating to see an innocent die but willing to do what it takes to protect the greater populace from the demon threat. The fact that he was moved by seeing the siblings' love for each other saves him from being a true antagonist, and I hope we get to see him again in the future. I honestly can't think of any negatives for this episode. This is what I was looking forward to the most for the spring season, and so far, Kimetsu no Yaiba has exceeded all my expectations!
Yu-No: A Girl who Chants Love at the Bound of this World
Why is it that the worst show of the week has to have the dumbest title? Are these title writers paid by the word or something? Ugh. Anyway, in episode 1 of Yu-No What, I Don't Care Anymore, Takuya's father has just died during a research excursion, but he doesn't seem to be grieving that much. Instead, the boy is focusing more on the news that a new transfer student is joining his class right before summer break and dealing with the people protesting his mother Ayumi's construction project. After a lightning bolt strikes the construction site, narrowly missing Ayumi, the transfer student Kanna warns Takuya that if construction continues, more accidents will happen. Later, Takuya receives a package that has notes about parallel universes from his father Kodai, who claims to still be alive, and a strange artifact. When Takuya goes to the meeting place specified in Kodai's letter, he finds a mysterious naked girl who mutters the word "Yuno", kisses Takuya, and then vanishes. Before he could even question what the hell is going on, Ayumi and his father's colleague Ryuzoji appear, and Ryuzoji pulls a gun on Takuya, planning to take the artifact by force. As tension starts to build, lightning strikes again, and Takuya spies Kanna in the background before the artifact glows and he wakes up the next day. Worried for his mother's safety, Takuya confronts Ayumi and Ryuzoji, but neither of them seem to remember what happened the previous night.
And then, because this show decided to pull a Boogiepop, we have a second episode to talk about. Takuya realizes that the artifact that he found allows him to travel back in time and explore an alternate universe while he retains memories of what transpired in previous timelines. As he and his friends sort through Kodai's old research notes and investigate the mountain where the lightning strikes are happening, they learn more about Kodai's theory that Japanese history is cyclical, rumors about a strange series of grisly killings, and the construction company's plan to tear down a cultural landmark. Later that night, unable to stop thinking about what happened the previous night, Takuya sneaks off to find Ayumi and try to pump her for more information. When he finds a pair of thugs trying to steal research data from her, he tries to rescue her, using the artifact to rewind time and get do-overs every time he fails. But before he can rewind one more time, they are interrupted by the shady foreman from the construction site, who seems to have staged the whole assault so that he could play the hero.
I didn't know that this was a visual novel adaptation when I started the first episode, but I am not surprised to learn that in the slightest. Time travel and parallel universes are popular fodder for visaul novels since they naturally lend themselves to a medium that loves to have multiple endings based on player choice, and the way that pretty much every single character in the opening is introduced in rapid succession reminds me of the early moments of, say, Zero Escape (I'd love to see an anime based on that). But you know what's unfortunate? I'm getting major Island vibes here. We got a sci-fi/mystery premise where everyone's actions seem designed to make me suspicious, some of the blandest character designs I've ever seen (aside from Ryuzoji, who just looks like a rejected design for Manfred von Karma from Ace Attorney), and none of the characters make an impression besides Takuya. And the impression I get from Takuya is that he's an asshole, thanks to his constant snide comments and sexual harassment of every female he talks to. Even when we start playing with time travel, things somehow become less engaging as we get several scenes of Takuya and his friends standing around and talking about parallel universes and strange rumors without anything actually happening until the final few minutes! I have never been so bored by anything in the roundup before. At least the horrifically bad shows like Pastel Memories and Sword Luminary were interesting in a train wreck sort of way. The rules of the roundup say that every show needs to get at least two episodes before it can be dropped. Thankfully, we got our two episodes out of the way, so Yu-No, consider yourself dropped. The moral of the story is: next time a visual novel adaptation from Studio feel. is announced, just skip it.
But that wraps up week 1 of the roundup! I'd say we're off to a pretty good start. But what will happen next week? Will people give Nanako a hard time for hanging out with Eiji? Will Tohru's new living arrangement become known to her classmates? Will Bocchi make another friend? Will Nariyuki help Fumino and Rizu pass a test? Will Nezuko escape Tanjiro's care and attack somebody? Will Takezo find more members for the koto club? Will Takuya survive being shot and find Yuki? Will Miyako's newfound ability to communicate with yokai get him unwanted attention? Will Tsubasa win the right to practice on campus from the student council? Will Marlya find Veronica again? Will Robby and Hatchi escape Yang's pursuit? Will Dororo's back map lead to a possible clue about getting Hyakkimaru's body back without dooming the innocent people in Daigo's land to starvation? Find out next time on the Weekly Roundup!
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