Spring 2020 anime impressions

As a fair-weather seasonal anime viewer who usually only checks out a few entries here and there, I was suprised to see just how many interesting offerings this Spring had for me. And even after my most anticipated series such as Oregairu or Digimon Adventure: started getting indefinitely delayed thanks to our friend COVID-19, there were still shows abound for me to pick and choose from. I’ve dropped quite a few of them very early, and I still ended with 10 offerings that are way above average of what I’m used to in at least some aspect. I won’t write about the ones I dropped because I don’t think there’s any point in me talking down something that others might be enjoying - instead I want to focus on spreading the good word about just how many joyful shows this crunched industry was able to entertain me with. And to pique your interest a tiny bit, I’m gonna order them ascendingly in just how much I like them, meaning that my top recommendation is awaiting you at the end. And now let’s start with…

Kaguya-sama: Love is War?

I’m not the biggest fan of this story - some of its major premises (omniscient narrator, over-complicated scenarios) just don’t work for me. But there’s parts I love - funny faces, expressive voice acting and stellar comedic timing. Moreover, as we move further into series, its primary joke of two mutually attracted teens employing a cold, antagonistic relationship is slowly fading away. Now both their veils are cracking and more and more affection slips through. The viewer expectations are constantly subverted because both characters are becoming bolder and more open to one another, and while there’s still awkwardness, it’s less uneasy and more charming. At the same time all characters are becoming more distinct with their features, be it Miyuki’s preparedness and perfectionism, Kaguya’s lateral multi-layered insanity, Yu’s weird combination of victim-mentality and insolence, and Chika’s pure embodiment of chaos. I feel like season 1 firmly established a lot of the personalities and plot threads as well as exhaust the most obvious jokes and setups, and we can now move onto ones more weird, complex and rich-in-taste, and I can only hope it continues to move further in that direction.

Extra Olympia Kyklos

This one gets bonus points for originality. It tells a bizarre story set partially in Ancient Greece and partially in post-war Japan - a young vase painter is a stereotypical anime-comedy-loser, meek, timid and unfit for the society he lives in. And then when he’s suddenly transported across time and space to 1964 Tokyo, now he’s a fish out of water, struggling to comprehend how much the world has changed. At the time of writing only 2 eps are out, and they are 5-minutes each, so there’s not much story to talk about per se - but it doesn’t matter, because this show is AESTHETICS. Greek characters are portrayed with what looks like genuine claymation emulating realistic sculptures, while Japanese are done with what I think is faux-paper-cutouts drawn in manga style, and then the ending does the whole “imposing real lips recording on an animated character” thing. The presentation is just so intriguing and fun that I can’t help but look forward to every episode, if only as a palate cleanser for all the traditional 2D limited stuff that still dominates the landscape. The combination of simple comedy and overused tropes, voice acting that feels completely mismatched with how the characters look, and the overall “wha?” factor make it a position I encourage everyone to at least check out if you like anything that’s weird, experimental or in any way different from the mainest of streams.

Fruits Basket: 2nd Season

This is somewhat of the opposite situation to Kaguya - whereas I’m already enjoying Love is War? more than Love is War! and I can see myself finally becoming a fan by the end of its run, Fruits Basket 2nd Season is a bit of a slow burn. I can hardly think of a memorable scene from first 4 eps, instead it seems like the story is giving the viewers time to process all the revelations thus far and give some closure to the few plot threads that ended up waived off before. The episodes aren’t necessarily boring and they do convey a sense of tension, but you could argue that it is coasting a little off of events from the first chapter and at this point it would be difficult to explain the shows’ appeal based on just this season. Going forward, I expect tears, katharsis, growth, change and the continued battle of kindness against human vices. And hopefully humour more on the cute and wholesome side than cartoony violence.

Sing “Yesterday” for Me

Who doesn’t love a melancholic story set at the turn of millenia with a cast of detached teenagers and young adults at the outskirts of society with various types of emotional baggage and annoying personalities? It’s not quite Daria or Perks of Being a Wallflower or even Solanin, but Sing “Yesterday” for Me definitely scratches a similar itch to some extent. Structurally it’s a romance/drama, the plot is focused mostly on the relationships among the main cast with a tinge of introspection on what it even is that they want from their lives. But I can’t say I’m terribly engrossed in either of these - instead what sells me on the show is its atmosphere, that peculiar bitter tone of lonely evening walks with heavy thoughts weighing on your head and spending time with a person you have complicated feelings about. While none of the characters are suffering from anything extreme, nothing quite works out for them either, they are just forced to deal with the prose of life and their only choice is whether they’ll face it with a defiant smirk or a tired gaze. Be it character designs, washed-out colors or the rugged effect applied on the linework, something about this series is just properly alternative and grungy, an atmosphere I’ll never have enough of. A very unique offering that I thought would be just for me, but seems to be gathering a decent following in the community - so maybe it’ll be worth your time as well?

Brand New Animal

Trigger produces perhaps the most characteristic works in the anime industry today - whether it’s thanks to their peculiar style of visual humor, a particular sense of “cool” in their distinctive poses and character designs, or cheeky self-referentialism. But most importantly for me, they do some of the most cartoony animation on this side of the globe, honoring the good ol’ Disney 12 principles in their works. The problem is, I just can’t get into their stories for the life of me. There’s no other animation company that has made me feel like I have to sit through trite, unappealing plots in order to appreciate the visual spectacles. But with BNA, it looks like they decided to pull back on being experimental and innovative and stick to safe, proven solutions - a fish-out-of-water protagonist who slowly learns about the new world alongside the viewer, a good mix of action and dialogues, a mystery that keeps up the intrigue, characters with very distinct personalities that would be easy to describe to a non-viewer, and easily relatable motivations. Perhaps for the first time in studio’s existence, I feel like I can enjoy their work fully, and not with a clear distinction between visuals and writing, but rather with two working harmoniously. Of course we’re only 4 eps in so who knows what awaits in the remainder, but for now, I’m just so glad I can watch this gorgeously animated show with fun voice acting and interesting coloring without any “buts”.

Gal & Dino

Speaking of distinct, characteristic works, there’s few shows in memory that were as bizarre, experimental and innovative as Pop Team Epic. One had to wonder how long will we have to wait for something as out-there, but it turns out we didn't need much patience after all. Director Jun Aoki returns with another odd adaptation, this time of a silly comic book about a laid-back young women living a gyaru lifestyle that adopts a cartoon dinosaur. What happens when you swap out PTE’s vulgarity and esoteric references for quiet, wholesome slices of life? It’s definitely not the same, but the spirit of experimentation and avant-garde works just as well with this radically different material. Once again we get episodes that are split into distinct segments - stop-motion scenes stylized to resemble internet pet videos, “find the dino” challenge, some straightforward adaptations of comic book chapters… And then the second half is live action shenanigans with an actor wearing a dino mascot costume, kitsch sound effects (like, air horns and lightsaber noises) and complete nonsense stories. I’m not sure if this is a next step for PTE-style adaptations or just a sidestep to do something similar but different. In any case, I’m here to see it and I’m greatly enjoying the ride.

Tower of God

I have a vivid memory of seeing an “upcoming anime” chart and finding Tower of God on it - I excitedly ran to share the news with fellow readers of the webtoon, and then I took a second look and realized this is in fact a fake “what if” chart meant to represent wishes of the fandom. Perhaps this is part of what makes seeing this adaptation come to life so unreal - because of how many people wanted to see it and because of how unlikely it seemed since the anime industry rarely adapts non-Japanese works. But now it’s here and it’s everything we could’ve wished for, with very fun animation (especially the cuts of Anak fighting with her whip-like sword), a sick opening, and faithful recreation of the sense of wonder in which viewer experiences the world alongside Bam. Fashion is a mix of anything from high fantasy to contemporary streetwear, there’s magic and advanced technology, and then something banal and modern like a packet of instant coffee can make an appearance within this magically-technological setting. It’s such a beautiful mishmash of cultures and ideas that it feels like some sort of ultimate shounen fanfiction, except it’s all original. Reading online comments, I’m not sure whether the anime is doing quite sufficient job in conveying the depth of its world, perhaps it’s coming off more like the author was making it up as he went along than in the original where it was sometimes even too verbose about the lore, history and rules. Perhaps I’m filling the blanks in the show a little, or even treating it more like a recap than the original read, and I fall into the trap of a source material reader not recognizing the flaws in storytelling because I already know the story. But then I watch another episode and once again I’m just left in awe. I need more Rak in my life.

Arte

Speaking of anime adapting non-Japanese stories, this is something else I didn’t expect - a historical fiction set in 16th century Florence. It tells a story of a girl named Arte, a teenager from a noble family with passion for art. But as this is pre-feminism time, it was almost inconceivable that a noble girl could do anything but get married off and become a stay-at-home wife. Yet thanks to her open-minded father, she was able to get some art training and decided to look for a master who would take her on as an apprentice. Overall it’s a pretty romantic story - characters face difficulties and hardships, but continue to work hard and persevere and eventually they are able to find kind people who help them in their quests. The show tries to portray the common ways of thinking about various subjects at the time (mostly the role of women in society), and then it disputes them with some sort of opposite, subversive attitude, examining the challenges of going against the grain. Because of this, the show can feel a little preachy at times - society at large is rude and ignorant and only a few exceptional people are able to look past their biases and acknowledge the reality as they see it. But for me, there’s just enough nuance to various topics and relationships to keep my interest, and it’s quite nice to see a nice, positive and humble character overcome obstacles and inspire people around her in the process.

Wave, Listen to Me!

OK, now here’s proof that anime is running out of ideas and desperately needs to shop outside of domestic market. A young woman becomes a radio host… And that’s it, that’s the whole plot. Nothing about the premises or characters is particularly extraordinary or eccentric, it’s just… normal. But it’s not boring - quite the opposite. While the personalities, behaviours or events feel like something that could be a part of anyone’s life, they are all extremely charming, fun and enjoyable in very basic human ways. You know, that quiet and proper coworker who cracks a joke at the most unexpected time. The jokingly-pompous boss who tries to keep the work lighthearted while still making sure their employees do their jobs properly. The awkward relationships between 20-somethings who are still trying to figure out how they want to engage with people in their post-school life. The star of the show is definitely the main character Minare Koda, who’s natural gift of gab is what earned her this new job. She’s brash, loud and a little brazen, and both her never-ending rants and witty responses are just a joy to listen to. She can play off of anyone and improvise when alone, it’s pretty clear that she makes a great talk show host, but that also makes her a great character for us in the real audience. Another fun part of the show is the fact that it sometimes obfuscates what’s real, what’s a dream, what’s something Minare made up, what’s part of the show she’s creating, and what’s a straight-up delusion. Viewers are kept on their toes, but then the show puts its hand on their arm and tells them not think too deeply about it, but rather relax and enjoy the spectacle. Personally, I love great talkers, podcasters, radio hosts, wrestlers cutting a promo, that one Bojack episode, all of that, so I’m clearly within Wave’s target... and I’m really glad about that.

Kakushigoto

One of the most charming, wholesome, intriguing, effortlessly funny and emotionally resonant shows I’ve seen in a very long time, instilling a lot of similar feelings that Eizouken did in the first 3 months of the year. A man named Kakushi Gotō has a secret (kakushigoto) that his work (shigoto) is drawing (kaku). Har Har. He keeps it away from his daughter Hime, because his comics are trashy and lewd and he thinks it would be embarrassing for a young, proper lady to know that this is how her father makes a living.

Because Kakushi lives such an extraordinary life, he feels like he needs to take extraordinary measures to ensure a good upbringing for his daughter, giving her all the time and attention he can, and going above and beyond to provide anything she might need. His doting tendency definitely borders on overprotectiveness, but he has enough common sense to stop himself from going too far, realizing that kids need some space and independence in order to grow up. Hime herself also deeply cares for her father and wants to share some of his responsibilities, but childhood naivete often makes her misinterpret various situations, thinking that her father is hiding his woes when there are none. While they have obviously different perspectives and thus frequently misunderstand each other, their mutual unconditional love makes both continue striving to make life better for one another regardless of how many times they have to try to get it right. That love is the driving force behind the series and creators’ ability to convey it and make use of it for further developments deserves commendation.

But that’s just one layer of the show. Another lies in its crafty teasing of events from past and future, suggesting things rather unambiguously but still leaving them unstated to tease the viewer just a little. And then there’s a lot of more conventional comicality - workplace humour about being a japanese comic book artist, kids’ unintentionally inappropriate comments revealing their limited understanding of the world, and the simple comedy of errors, coincidences and misunderstandings. Add one of the best openings I’ve seen in a very, very long time, a pretty artstyle with cute characters and picturesque backgrounds, and you’ve got a show that completely caught me off guard. Can’t recommend it enough no matter who you are or what your taste is like.