Anime Sunday: BOFURI Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m covering a Winter 2020 Series. It’s my BOFURI Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot is very relaxed and not all that drama filled. It follows the adventures of a girl named Kaede who really isn’t a gamer, but ends up becoming one as the player Maple and does so in incredibly odd ways. That’s really the best summary of the first episode I could give without being spoilerific and taking all the fun out of watching this. I enjoy the plot of BOFURI quite a bit, it’s something I’ve been watching the past week while I eat lunch alone at home. The time it takes to eat a meal is generally how long it takes for me to watch the episodes and it works out really well, although I’ve had a few close calls with laughing and spewing my lunch everywhere.

Characters: Maple is a delight to watch, and in this first episode we really get to know her. She’s an oddball and a klutz, but is endearing in ways that are just hilarious. The rest of the cast introduced thus far is very small, but quite good.

Art: Silver Link is the animation studio and they did a great job of it. That’s all that need be said, it’s not ufotable quality, but with a series like this it isn’t necessary.

Music: The music fits the series wonderfully, it’s light hearted and upbeat, which is one way to describe the series as a whole.

Overall: This is an adaptation of a delightful Light Novel series that is high on the fluff and low on the drama. If you need a pick me up, and who doesn’t after the year we’ve all been through thus far, BOFURI is easily one of my top recommendations to watch to lift your spirits.

For those who like: Gaming Stories, Comedy, Action, Little Drama, Fluff, Excellent Plot, Great Cast of characters, Awesome Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above, but how can you hate all that?

Anime Sunday: GoHS Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m back with a Summer 2020 series. It’s my GoHS Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot is pretty good, and I wasn’t really expecting this to capture my attention the way it did after how thoroughly unimpressed I was by the Tower of God from last season. It’s got plenty of action scenes to fulfill my inner 8 year old that loved watching Dragon Ball, and is well written enough to interest me now. Though that is probably due to the various ties into different mythologies from across the world.

Characters: Our main character is Jin Mo-Ri and he’s a pretty fun guy. He’s much more laid back than some of the more recent protagonists I’ve watched which is nice. The rest of the cast is okay, but I have a feeling I’d prefer reading the original Manhwa to get a better handle of characters. That could be totally wrong though.

Art: The animation is done by MAPPA, who animated series like Zankyou no Terror and Altair. So while they are pretty good, they aren’t near my gold standard of ufotable sadly.

Music: The musical score fit the episode, that’s all I can really say here.

Overall: A fun first episode in a series that grabbed my interest when I didn’t expect it to.

For those who like: Action, Drama, Martial Arts, Mythology.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: In/Spectre Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m back with another Spring 2020 series. It’s my In/Spectre Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: This is a pretty typical Urban Fantasy series, with the usual intrigue and mystery tied into mythology, though unlike the Dresden Files or Demon Accords this one is all about Japanese Mythology. It’s pretty good, although I don’t like the body horror that takes place, so while I have somewhat positive memories of the Manga that I read years ago, I didn’t watch any more than the first episode.

Characters: Kotoko and Kuro are our two main characters, and they are fairly interesting, with Kotoko being the one in the know and the generally kick ass and take names partner of the two of them. That isn’t to say Kuro is a weakling, far from it. The rest of the cast in this episode is okay, but frankly Kotoko is my favorite character.

Art: The studio who does In/Spectre is Brain’s Base and it’s pretty well done, although it’s not close to reaching my gold standard of ufotable.

Music: It fits the series, nothing more need be said.

Overall: A good Urban Fantasy series, but a bit too much body horror for my personal liking. If that doesn’t freak you out, you might enjoy In/Spectre.

For those who like: Urban Fantasy, Drama, Action, Interesting Plot, Good Cast of Characters, Decent Artwork.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: HameFura Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m back with a Spring 2020 series. It’s my HameFura Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot of this first episode is typical for this particular sub-genre of the Tensei genre. There are plenty of series where a female lead is reincarnated into the villainess of an Otome Game, but HameFura is an adaptation of one of the more popular takes on that particular plot hook. It does a great job of it, though it does have a little bit too much comedy for this first episode, at least in my opinion. Maybe later episodes will be better.

Characters: Catarina is our main character and she’s pretty neat, although she’s not that talented and is incredibly dense at times in this first episode. The rest of the cast is pretty hilarious though.

Art: The art is pretty great, with Silver Link being the Animation studio for this adaptation. It’s not nearly ufotable quality, but it’s not Studio DEEN levels of terrible either.

Music: The musical score of this first episode is appropriate enough, but not too outstanding at least to me.

Overall: A decent series, though if you dislike main characters who are incredibly dense it may not be your cup of tea.

For those who like: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Fantasy, School Life, Fun Plot, Hilarious Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

Anime Sunday: Tower of God Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Anime Sunday I’m back with the first series from the Spring 2020 season. It’s my Tower of God Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot: The plot is okay, but frankly it lacks any sort of pull for me personally.  Bam, our main character, follows his friend Rachel into the tower trying to meet up with her again. Considering that they only just seperated, or so it seems, the fact they don’t meet each other almost immediately seems contrived and doesn’t make any logical sense. Maybe future episodes will fix this seeming error, but I could care less. The plot to me, is tired and boring and just not engaging enough for me to spend the time needed to watch more episodes.

Characters: We really only get to see a few characters in this episode, and frankly they aren’t all that interesting. Bam seems to be just a blank shell for most of the episode and other than wanting to meet Rachel again doesn’t care for much of anything. Everyone else is just as boring as him.

Art: The art is pretty good, but not as good as my gold standard.

Music: It’s decent, not amazing but not terrible either.

Overall: A pretty lackluster series to me, others may enjoy this Korean Webtoon Adaptation, but I personally won’t continue to watch it.

For those who like: Action, Drama, Unnecessary Drama, Mysteries.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.