heavenly_pearl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heavenly_pearl) wrote2021-07-07 05:47 pm
heavenly_pearl) wrote2021-07-07 05:47 pm
2021 Spring Anime Review
Wow, this was a good season! In fact, I think this was probably the best season I've seen so far since I started regularly keeping up with new shows a few years ago -- and I didn't even get the chance to see everything I was interested in.
Fruits Basket - Would it have been nice to have one more cour so that EVERYTHING in the manga could have been included in the anime? Sure, of course. Do I deep down care about anything they left out? Nah, not really. (And it's already been announced that we're getting some sort of prequel project focusing on the backstory of Tohru's parents, which was one of the more notable parts that was cut from the main series.) All the truly important stuff is still there. Is this still a wonderful adaptation of my favorite manga ever? HECK YEAH!
Zombie Land Saga Revenge - The first amazing season was a lot to live up to, but I think this sequel managed to do it right! It was great to finally get spotlight episodes on Tae and Yugiri and get some answers about why Kotaro was so desperate for Franchouchou to "save" Saga. The "stinger" at the end was, admittedly, weird and unexpected, but when you're dealing with zombie idols, that's kinda par for the course. And, hey, sequel hook! I definitely wouldn't mind another season of this.
To Your Eternity - A word of warning that this show is quite gory and features a lot of body horror, but if you can get past that, it's really rather fascinating to watch the alien(?) orb at the center of the story gradually gain sentience and intelligence through the various transformations they go through. It's also tough watching and knowing that the characters you get most attached to are probably going to die in the most heart-breaking ways, but, seriously, this is good stuff. Maybe keep some tissues handy, though!
Backflip - I have to admit when I first heard this anime was about a men's rhythmic gymnastics team, I thought it was a bit of a made-up sport like skate-leading in Skate Leading Stars. As far as I knew, rhythmic gymnastics was a women's only sport where they performed using different items like hoops, ribbons, and clubs, but it turns out that men's rhythmic gymnastics actually is a thing in Japan (and apparently Spain, of all places?), although it's more like a team floor routine with acrobatic lifts than the women's version I'm familiar with. Anyway, while the characters are paper-thin and the story is your generic sports anime plot, there was just something really...enjoyable about the whole show. Doesn't hurt that the routines are really well animated and gorgeous to watch! Happy to hear this is getting a movie!
Those Snow White Notes - Man, I just love music anime! The performances in this show are just fantastic. I wouldn't expect shamisen music to be so good, but it is! Ends on a bit of a downer, but hopefully we'll get more.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun - More wholesome demon fun! It was interesting to see Iruma go through his "evil cycle" and the new teacher is a fun addition to the cast.
Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure - Laura's still the best thing about this season. She really is a blast. Wish the villains were as interesting as their designs, but when their whole schtick is that they don't want to work, that's hard to do. Still bright and fun, though!
My Hero Academia - Some of my favorites parts of MHA are when the show focuses on their training at school, so I should have loved this new season in theory, but... The training tournament just went on for soooooo many episodes! It didn't help matters that it came after a two-part training drill OAV and that the first episode of the season was also another training exercise. It's just a LOT of training. On the plus side, the second half to the season is already off to an intriguing start.
Next season... There's not a lot of new stuff that's piquing my interest available on Crunchyroll. I'll be continuing with To Your Eternity, My Hero Academia, Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure, and Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, of course, and there are new seasons of IDOLiSH7 and My Next Life as a Villainess, which I'm very excited to watch, but most of the interesting new shows are going to Funimation. (Kageki Shoujo!!, The Case Study of Vanitas, RE-MAIN, Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan). Might just catch up with one of the series I wasn't able to watch last season.
Fruits Basket - Would it have been nice to have one more cour so that EVERYTHING in the manga could have been included in the anime? Sure, of course. Do I deep down care about anything they left out? Nah, not really. (And it's already been announced that we're getting some sort of prequel project focusing on the backstory of Tohru's parents, which was one of the more notable parts that was cut from the main series.) All the truly important stuff is still there. Is this still a wonderful adaptation of my favorite manga ever? HECK YEAH!
Zombie Land Saga Revenge - The first amazing season was a lot to live up to, but I think this sequel managed to do it right! It was great to finally get spotlight episodes on Tae and Yugiri and get some answers about why Kotaro was so desperate for Franchouchou to "save" Saga. The "stinger" at the end was, admittedly, weird and unexpected, but when you're dealing with zombie idols, that's kinda par for the course. And, hey, sequel hook! I definitely wouldn't mind another season of this.
To Your Eternity - A word of warning that this show is quite gory and features a lot of body horror, but if you can get past that, it's really rather fascinating to watch the alien(?) orb at the center of the story gradually gain sentience and intelligence through the various transformations they go through. It's also tough watching and knowing that the characters you get most attached to are probably going to die in the most heart-breaking ways, but, seriously, this is good stuff. Maybe keep some tissues handy, though!
Backflip - I have to admit when I first heard this anime was about a men's rhythmic gymnastics team, I thought it was a bit of a made-up sport like skate-leading in Skate Leading Stars. As far as I knew, rhythmic gymnastics was a women's only sport where they performed using different items like hoops, ribbons, and clubs, but it turns out that men's rhythmic gymnastics actually is a thing in Japan (and apparently Spain, of all places?), although it's more like a team floor routine with acrobatic lifts than the women's version I'm familiar with. Anyway, while the characters are paper-thin and the story is your generic sports anime plot, there was just something really...enjoyable about the whole show. Doesn't hurt that the routines are really well animated and gorgeous to watch! Happy to hear this is getting a movie!
Those Snow White Notes - Man, I just love music anime! The performances in this show are just fantastic. I wouldn't expect shamisen music to be so good, but it is! Ends on a bit of a downer, but hopefully we'll get more.
Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun - More wholesome demon fun! It was interesting to see Iruma go through his "evil cycle" and the new teacher is a fun addition to the cast.
Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure - Laura's still the best thing about this season. She really is a blast. Wish the villains were as interesting as their designs, but when their whole schtick is that they don't want to work, that's hard to do. Still bright and fun, though!
My Hero Academia - Some of my favorites parts of MHA are when the show focuses on their training at school, so I should have loved this new season in theory, but... The training tournament just went on for soooooo many episodes! It didn't help matters that it came after a two-part training drill OAV and that the first episode of the season was also another training exercise. It's just a LOT of training. On the plus side, the second half to the season is already off to an intriguing start.
Next season... There's not a lot of new stuff that's piquing my interest available on Crunchyroll. I'll be continuing with To Your Eternity, My Hero Academia, Tropical-Rouge Pretty Cure, and Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, of course, and there are new seasons of IDOLiSH7 and My Next Life as a Villainess, which I'm very excited to watch, but most of the interesting new shows are going to Funimation. (Kageki Shoujo!!, The Case Study of Vanitas, RE-MAIN, Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan). Might just catch up with one of the series I wasn't able to watch last season.