Final new anime batch
So this is the last of the new anime (that we watched the first episode of) for the Winter 2018 season!
Miira no Kaikata: Sora runs the household in the absence of his adventurer father. One day, his father sends him a coffin in the post, and in it is… a mummy. A really small, cute mummy. Of course, Sora is weirded out, but he warms up to the little fellow, who seems to have imprinted itself on him as its ‘owner’.
I’m not sure what the point of this setup is, but it’s not interesting in the least.
Hakumei to Mikochi: Hakumei and Mikochi are small humans, living in a house built against a tree in a forest. They have all kinds of adventures, like riding stag beetles to the top of a mountain to meet a bird that’s new in the area, or going on a shopping trip to the coast.
It is exceedingly cute and relaxing, but the change in scale and the existence of antropomorphic animals (of course the cloth merchant is a hedgehog, because she has needles to spare) adds an interesting twist. It also reminded me of the RPG Ryuutama in that the trip is more important than the destination. And it’s all rendered in loving detail too.
Hakyuu Houshin Engi: Engi is a ‘celestial’ and he is sent to Earth to battle other celestials who have manipulated themselves at the top of an empire that they have absolute control over. Engi gets a weird flying animal as companion and sets off, but his first plan misfires and countless people are thrown into a pit filled with alligators and venomous snakes…
Uninspired battle anime, and the plot is paper-thin. I guess if you really liked Dragonball Z but wished it incorporated more ancient Chinese mythology, then this would be right up your alley. For us it’s a total snoozefest.
Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens: The idea is that in Fukuoka, 3% of the people is actually a hired killer. A large supply generates demand, so there’s all kinds of dirty deeds that need doing - and get done. Not in the least by the current mayor. But of course there is a private detective who gets asked to look into things, and he’s the good guy. And there are some other plotlines with other people (most of them hitmen) who haven’t met up yet, but who undoubtedly will.
Fukuoka is a pretty city, we liked it very much. Some of the locations were familiar to us. But that’s about the only good thing that can be said about this series. The villains are really one-dimensional, and the plot is heavy-handed and convoluted. Meh.
Beatless: Humanoid robots exist, but they are regarded as mere tools by the humans. But Arato treats them with respect regardless. Then he meets Lacia, a masterless robot, who needs him to take legal responsibility for her actions, so she can save him from an attack by another masterless robot. She ends up staying with Arato and his sister.
Not too interesting on its own, but the philosophical ramifications are interesting to see. It’s quite pretty too.
Killing Bites: Japan is controlled from the shadows by four zaibatsu. They wage proxy warfare against each other by ‘killing bites’, fighting contests against people who have been gene-therapied to have animal characteristics. Yuya accidentally gets involved in this “sport” as a sponsor, and he gets saddled with one of the fighters as his bodyguard.
A totally absurd premise for bloody fights with plenty of ‘surprises’ when the fighters use a signature move from the animal they have DNA of. Fighting series are just not our thing.
Darling in the Franxx: Children are trained to synchronise with each other inside mecha called Franxx, to fight against the monsters that populate the deserts outside of the arcologies where humans in live. The adults are quite content to let the kids do all the dangerous work. Hiro failed the synchronization test, which automatically also disqualified his partner, and they are about to get sent back to the orphanage. But then Hiro meets ‘Zero Two’, a girl with two horns, and during a monster attack, the two of them sync up and kick monster butt.
This season’s mecha series, with some real echoes of Evangelion. It looks gorgeous, and there is a lot going on that will need some story development to explain all. I want to see more of that.
Dagashi Kashi 2: Second season of this series that showcases a different kind of traditional candy. It is framed against the fact that Kokonotsu has to look after his father’s traditional candy shop, while Hotaru is there to convince him to work for the candy company her family owns.
Somehow, this second season has only half-length episodes, but they’re pretty fun and interesting, if you have an interest in candy and snacks!
Crossposted from my blog. Comment here or at the original post.