Awhile back I watched the original 2001 version of Fruits Basket which is a slightly dated, partial adaptation of the source material of the same name. I enjoyed it, but didn’t have enough to say to write a full piece. Now I’ve had the chance to watch through the first season of the 2019 version, and it begs the question: Did this receive the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood treatment? By which I mean, is the old one worth watching, and by extension, do you need to watch the first season of the new one afterwards? Today I aim to answer these questions and walk you through exactly what’s been improved upon, and what hasn’t.Continue reading “Fruits Basket – Old or New?”→
I’ve been putting off writing about Demon Slayer because it is a really popular show, but one I really struggled with watching. Don’t get me wrong, the visuals are amazing, it has excellent music, and there are moments of brilliant direction. However, all of that doesn’t mean much when the show has an unlikable cast and problems with its writing. If you can look past that, it’s probably going to be one of the best anime of the year, but for me… Demon Slayer just falls incredibly flat.Continue reading “Demon Slayer – Production Values Only Take You so Far…”→
Back in Fall 2015 a show called One Punch Man seemed to take the world by swarm. It wasn’t until a little while later that I finally gave it a shot with the TV dub, and while a lot of criticism had been heaped on to the show at that point, I still really enjoyed it. The highlight for me was The Deep Sea King arc, which you can read all about in my review of the first season here.When I heard this would get a second season, especially one that was less focused on Saitama, I thought that would be perfect, because the show was always at its best when he wasn’t the focus of the show.
However, expectations do not always live up to reality. The changes from season one to the second season of One Punch Man could be felt throughout the community long before it aired. This cast a long shadow of doubt on the anime before it even had a chance at success. Still, I remained hopeful in spite of some troubling signs.
It was until the Spring 2019 season when I was finally granted the opportunity to watch it as it aired that my hope for something great was slowly diminished. Now, don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like One Punch Man’s second season was terrible, but it was a huge disappointment.
As promised, the focus was taken away from Saitama and interesting ideas were sometimes given an opportunity to peek through all of the mediocrity. This, just wasn’t enough though.
Normally I’m not one to harp too much on animation, but there was a lot of lazy work going on here. One episode even uses footage from the first season and you can really see just how bad the second season is in comparison. I wouldn’t even necessarily say the second season was really all that bad in this department overall, but these reminders, which were frequent enough, absolutely didn’t do this any favors. It was like the anime wanted to invite this mark against it.
The writing was pretty bad this time around too. Outside of Garou, there was almost no exploration of what it means to be a hero that had any impact at all. His character was interesting because Garou fights for the villains. That said, he manages to form this bond with a kid, and through some good use of flashbacks, you can really sympathize with his position. Agree with it? No, probably not, but understand and even think he isn’t that bad of a person deep down; absolutely, with ease.
I could go on, but it would just be me talking about how this felt like such an inferior product in every way. A hollow imitation at the best of times, and a miserable experience at the worst of times. Everything that made One Punch Man fun and interesting in the first season glimmers deep beneath the surface here, but it just can’t break through the mire of mediocrity in its wake. Not worth totally passing up on if you are a fan, but expect to be disappointed.
Were your thoughts different than mine for OPM season 2? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! If you would like to support my writing by giving a small donation (helps a lot), you can do so via the Ko-fi button below. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see ya again real soon!
Jokes aside, when The Rising of the Shield Hero started in Winter 2019 it quickly caught my attention. Opening with an hour long episode, and what seemed to be an anti-hero story, I couldn’t help but get excited! However, what the show actually became was a lot more. Despite some missteps, this became one of the better shows I watched in both the Winter and Spring 2019 season.Continue reading “The Rising of the Shield Hero – Finding Something Worth Fighting For”→
Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu, or as I’m going to call it, Hitoribocchi, was one of the only shows I watched from the Spring 2019 lineup. Not much caught my attention but this did for its cute character designs and extremely goofy cast. Over the 12 episode run the anxiety riddled, titular Bocchi, attempts to befriend her entire middle school class so she can one day reunite with her friend. So, how’d she do?
I heard this show described as one where the plot can only happen if most of the characters involved are really stupid, and I kind of agree. Bocchi is such an unbelievably dumb person on top of having difficulties speaking to others. It is really obvious why her friend, Kai, pushed her to befriend her whole middle school class. However, I don’t really see anything wrong with that so long as the show is entertaining. Which, I think this anime succeeds at.
Do your best beam!
What mostly caries this show is its cast. Bocchi has and company have great designs as well as onscreen chemistry that kept me coming back each week. Particularly when the character, Aru, was introduced. At first she was so obviously fake that I almost got turned off to the show entirely, but then it is revealed she is just an unfortunate person who overcompensates as a result. Example, coming to school with a coat hanger sticking out of her uniform. She ended up being my favorite character in the show.
This character song is actually really good and captures Aru’s perfectly
In several ways this reminds me of Watamote, another anime about a socially awkward girl except it isn’t as cringe-worthy. While I ultimately think Watamote is the better of the two for how inventive it gets with some of its presentation, alongside being generally funnier, Hitoribocchi has a leg up in consistency. It’s also more wholesome. If you didn’t like Watamote but liked the idea of it, this may be for you.
If I had to criticize the show for anything it is actually when Bocchi bumps into Kai part way through the series. Bocchi has succeeded in making some friends at this point but in spite of that Kai refuses to even say “hello” to Bocchi. This has the unfortunate of effect of making you kind of hate Kai. While you get her intentions at the start, it is ridiculous that she can’t even do a basic greeting or anything. The show plays this off as an emotional moment that is somehow positive, but it just didn’t play right.
Disregarding that little hiccup, the rest of the show that consistency in what it delivers. A few chuckles and a good enough time. As I’ve already stated, this isn’t a groundbreaking show but it doesn’t need to be. In a season where I didn’t have a lot to watch, it was something nice to tide me over. If you are on the fence about this one, you should go ahead and give Hitoribocchi a watch!
What were your thoughts on Hitoribocchi? Have you read the manga? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments! If you would like to support my writing, consider pressing my Ko-fi button below and making a small donation. Thanks for reading and have yourself a wonderful day!
Jon Spencer Reviews 