{"id":21449,"date":"2021-07-12T23:45:48","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T06:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/?p=21449"},"modified":"2024-10-16T22:47:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T05:47:24","slug":"anibitez-summer-2021-anime-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/2021\/07\/12\/anibitez-summer-2021-anime-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"AniBitez: Summer 2021 Anime Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A competitive Spring season\u00a0has passed, and the sweltering sun is now shining down on us! With the Summer season featuring eye-catching aesthetics from anime like The Aquatope on White Sand<\/em> and intriguing mysteries from anime like The Case Study of Vanitas<\/em>, you might find it hard to figure out what anime to watch when you’re trying to beat the heat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s Part 1 of the staff’s impressions of Summer 2021 anime!<\/span><\/p>\n

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Girlfriend, Girlfriend<\/b>: <\/span>A good kind of bad<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Muse Asia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Naoya is a high schooler who has just begun dating his childhood friend Saki. Despite having pestered Saki to date him since elementary school, a confession from the cute and earnest Nagisa quickly leads to Naoya deciding to two-time Saki <\/span>\u2014<\/span> albeit only if Saki gives her permission. Saki refuses his pleading at first, but she eventually gives in to a three-way relationship that sees the trio living at Naoya\u2019s house.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I hesitate to call <\/span>Girlfriend, Girlfriend<\/span><\/i>\u2019s trio a throuple \u2014 while Saki shows signs of attraction to Nagisa, the relationship is mainly a result of pressure from Naoya and, to a lesser extent, Nagisa. Both Naoya and Nagisa deserve criticism, but Naoya, who already grates with his obnoxiously loud and overdramatic nature, is the target of most of my ire for his abrupt and selfish desire to also date Nagisa because of her cute looks.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, <\/span>Girlfriend, Girlfriend<\/span><\/i> is a comedy <\/span>\u2014<\/span> one that\u2019s based on a manga by<\/span> Aho Girl<\/span><\/i>\u2019s author <\/span>\u2014<\/span> and so while I often despaired at the plot developments, I also spent half of the premiere chuckling to the point of tears. I absolutely dislike Naoya as a person and was delighted when Saki punches him, but I also couldn\u2019t help laughing when Naoya brazenly spouts nonsense like, \u201cI\u2019ll definitely show you the day when you\u2019re glad you allowed me to two-time you!\u201d The second episode is less adept at creating laughs, but I still think that <\/span>Girlfriend, Girlfriend<\/span><\/i> has the potential to be a bizarre but entertaining watch.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By: Melvyn<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: <\/b>Saving a kingdom with the power of economics<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Funimation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom<\/span><\/i> follows the seemingly uninteresting eighteen-year-old Kazuya Souma whose parents have long passed, with his grandfather being the most recent to follow. Souma’s mundane life is then quickly interrupted when he is summoned to the Elfrieden kingdom, which is in dire need of financial management. He does such a good job at helping that he’s quickly promoted from hero to king. He achieved this by selling off very specific treasures that hold no historical significance to the kingdom, which was a simple yet brilliant way of resolving the kingdom\u2019s more pressing financial issue, and is why I like him as a protagonist so far. The way he uses pure logic to assess and suppress his problems, monetary or otherwise, is a very desirable trait.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As a realist myself, I tend to be more drawn to characters who use their skills in deduction rather than sheer idealism seen with most anime protagonists. Souma may not look like a hero, but he certainly <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> one. Not one with broken godly powers or even a smartphone but one of sheer calculation and wit. We’re shown this in the second episode when he uses his new found magical abilities to do paperwork more efficiently, which I found funny as it speaks a lot about his character.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, I find the anime\u2019s world-building to be a bit lackluster since it copies the same isekai tropes we see every season. Nevertheless, I\u2019m looking forward to seeing how the anime progresses this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

By: Abdul<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kageki Shoujo!!<\/b>: <\/span>Let the curtain rise on this story!<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Bilibili<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kageki Shoujo!!<\/span><\/i>\u2019s premise interested me because it drew striking parallels to the real-life troupe Takarazuka Revue, so the obvious references (and performances!) within the first minute got me <\/span>hooked<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Our main protagonist is Narata Ai, a former idol who is terrified of males touching her and the limelight for good reason: a stalker-fan is pursuing her. I\u2019m hoping the anime deals with it sensitively because it\u2019s a very discomfiting and real issue, amidst the color and preppy atmosphere in the first episode. The episode introduces us to an eclectic bunch; amongst them are the loud Sarasa, a pair of twins who stick like glue, and a pair of rivals who refuse to lose. It\u2019ll be interesting to find out how they work together as a troupe that demands perfection, especially when their personalities clash: some believe they should individually stand out and others refuse to be in the limelight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet despite that atmosphere, it\u2019s clear there\u2019s more to come. Narata and Sarasa stick out like sore thumbs for different reasons; one is a disgraced former idol while the other is a country bumpkin. The performing arts is a harsh environment, and I can already feel the tension between the two girls, and their classmates in general. I\u2019m looking forward to how the tension can be managed, and already can\u2019t wait for future episodes because there\u2019s so much to unpack.<\/span><\/p>\n

By: Crystal<\/span><\/p>\n

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Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan: <\/b>The ugly side of adulthood <\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Funimation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Uramichi Omota is a broken man who only seems to be socially functional thanks to his two-sided nature. At a glimpse, he appears to be a cheerful TV personality from the educational program <\/span>Together with Maman<\/span><\/i>. However, pay attention to him long enough, and you’ll notice this mask slip several times to reveal his lonesome, pessimistic, and broken interior.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Much like many other adults, Uramichi is a man who’s been beaten down by society as his ambitions, hopes, and dreams have seemingly been stripped away from him. He goes from being a celebrated gymnast to living his now unsatisfying life stuck parading for children’s television and we see him display his unhappiness to the kids in a \u201chumorous\u201d manner.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, while I understand <\/span>Uramichi<\/span><\/i> is advertised as a comedy anime, I really fail to see it as such. Even as someone with a morbid sense of humor, I didn’t find much of the episode humorous. Generally, the anime feels much too real to be funny, and I find myself being drawn to it for that fact alone. For example, the scene where Uramichi tells the kids that sometimes adults have to act out even when they know they’ll get nothing out of it is more a depressing factual statement than a comedic moment.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Life Lessons with Uramichi-Oniisan<\/span><\/i> answers the question of what would happen if you put a broken, emotionally unstable, formerly ambitious person in the spotlight. You don\u2019t often see such a subject presented in anime, which is why I\u2019m interested in learning more about it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By: Abdul<\/span><\/p>\n

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Peach Boy Riverside: <\/b>Not very peachy<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Peach Boy Riverside PV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peach Boy Riverside<\/span><\/i> follows Princess Saltherine Aldarake (or Sally, for short), who dreams of leaving her city to see the world outside, despite the presence of monsters who roam the land. One day, she crosses paths with a travelling demon-slayer called Mikoto. Although terrified by the scene of slaughter he leaves, the memory of their meeting inspires her to set off on an adventure.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Peach Boy Riverside<\/span><\/i>\u2018s premiere was dull and unoriginal, with the main saving graces for me being the character designs for Sally and the rabbit-like demi-human Frau, which are cool\/attractive and eye-catching (as Frau is depicted as more bunny than human) respectively. Thankfully, the second episode hints at a more entertaining experience via glimpses of decent character dynamics from the main party and a show-stealing appearance from the calm but deadly Mikoto. However, the story seems unlikely to be anything special, and the action in both episodes relies too much on still images to excite, so I\u2019m still keeping my expectations for future episodes low.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Also concerning is <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>the<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> non-chronological <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>order<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>I\u2019ve enjoyed non-chronological <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>anime<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> like <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 1<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Baccano!<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>, but I\u2019m not sure what <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Peach Boy Riverside <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>has to gain from <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>skipping ahead to the manga\u2019s second chapter for its premiere, aside from creating a very awkward start. Additionally, t<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>he director\u2019s perplexing explanations<\/a>,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> combined with the <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>scripts being<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> written in chronological order,<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> doesn\u2019t inspire confidence that this <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>non-linear story-telling attempt<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> will feel less clumsy later. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>While only time will tell for sure, <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>I\u2019m worried that this <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>already unimpressive <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>show is<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> doom<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>ed<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> to being less-than-average. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By: Melvyn<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Aquatope on White Sand<\/b>: <\/span>Pretty and pleasant<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Muse Asia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don\u2019t want to jinx things, but<\/span> The Aquatope on White Sand <\/span><\/i>has a chance of being the first P.A. Works-produced series I\u2019ve enjoyed since 2017\u2019s <\/span>The Eccentric Family 2<\/span><\/i> (or 2014\u2019s <\/span>Shirobako<\/span><\/i>, if we\u2019re not counting sequels).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The story follows two teenage girls, Kukuru Misakino and F<\/span>\u016b<\/span>ka Miyazawa. Kukuru is the acting director of the Gama Gama Aquarium with a love of sealife, while F<\/span>\u016b<\/span>ka is a former idol who escapes to Okinawa and ends up at the aquarium, which is home to both fish and supernatural phenomena. After meeting Kukuru and learning about the lack of staff, F<\/span>\u016b<\/span>ka requests to stay at the Gama Gama Aquarium.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Aquatope on White Sand<\/span><\/i>\u2019s premiere charmed me from the get-go with an opening sequence that offered pleasant pillow shots and a gentle but ear-catching tune that combines the piano with what I assume to be a shamisen. The rest of the episode didn\u2019t disappoint either. The glimpses of F<\/span>\u016b<\/span>ka\u2019s idol background and her struggles create an effective, early investment in the character, while Kukuru offers an enjoyable presence with her joviality and quirky liking for sea life without feeling one-note. Then there are the production values <\/span>\u2014<\/span> I felt mildly apprehensive when watching the PVs, but the premiere had me admiring the pretty backgrounds and compositing. It also didn\u2019t invoke any worry about the animation, although the show certainly isn’t competing with <\/span>Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid S<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>Sonny Boy <\/span><\/i>on that front.<\/span>\u00a0My hopes are fairly high for this one.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By: Melvyn<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Case Study of Vanitas<\/b>: <\/span>Noe and Vanitas, PLEASE<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Bilibili<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two strangers, the vampire Noe and the human Vanitas, journey together after Noe is ordered by his teacher to learn about the infamous \u201cBook of Vanitas\u201d that curses and kills vampires. But it\u2019s also about how Noe kills Vanitas. That\u2019s what I\u2019m here for: to find out <\/span>why<\/span><\/i>. And so far, I\u2019m loving it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The first thing I noticed was the visuals; the Parisian setting and the airship in episode one felt so well-drawn they could well be pieces of art on their own. The fights were smooth too, especially with Noe\u2019s and Vanitas\u2019s fight in episode one. Noe twirling around with a lady in his arms while avoiding Vanitas\u2019s attacks was nothing short of graceful, and him catching her elegantly after backflipping like a trained gymnast made me hold my breath in awe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The anime’s tone is generally serious, but that doesn’t stop the comedic moments from making me laugh hard: Noe gushes over the Book that Vanitas owns despite supposedly being a \u201ccursed\u201d book for vampires, and Noe\u2019s expressions are sometimes so exaggerated I couldn\u2019t help but laugh and cry. Admittedly, though, not much is known about either person yet. I\u2019m curious to see how their pasts and motivations will unfold, since the two are complete strangers who join forces simply because, as Vanitas put it to Noe, \u201cit\u2019ll benefit you.\u201d Because <\/span>Vanitas<\/span><\/i> had such a strong premiere, my expectations are fairly high for future episodes, and I\u2019m hoping the anime doesn\u2019t squander its potential.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

By: Crystal<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The Detective is Already Dead<\/b>: <\/span>And The Show Is Better Without Her<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Image source: Muse Asia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Detective is Already Dead<\/span><\/i> follows <\/span>Kimitsuka Kimihiko,<\/span> the former assistant of the detective Siesta some years after the latter\u2019s death. Although Kimitsuka has returned to being a student following Siesta\u2019s passing, a meeting with a schoolmate with a heart transplant changes things.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The anime kicks off with a painfully dull double-length premiere. There\u2019s a <\/span>fantastically animated action sequence<\/span><\/a> involving a tentacle-eared man, but there\u2019s also a draggy pace, uninteresting banter, and a case involving the Hanako-san urban legend that takes up a chunk of time but offers zero thrills. Based on what I\u2019ve learned by scrolling through the light novel\u2019s and manga\u2019s free chapter previews, the premiere draws from later parts of the story to give us more of Siesta before starting the main story. It\u2019s a sound idea on paper, but the chemistry between Kimitsuka and Siesta is so lacking that I couldn\u2019t form an attachment to the latter or care about the relationship.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, things get better when Siesta is dead. Episode 2\u2019s mystery is extremely easy to figure out, and, perhaps because of the premiere taking some of its elements, it wraps things up so quickly that it already teases the next arc by the end of the episode. However, its conversations, aided by occasionally weird but amusing lines like, \u201cI\u2019ll touch your tonsils without mercy,\u201d didn\u2019t threaten to knock me asleep, which is admittedly faint praise. Still, this improvement did stop me from dropping the show, and depending on how the story progresses, there is potential for decent entertainment here.<\/span><\/p>\n

By: Melvyn<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Stay tuned for the second part of our Summer 2021 Anibitez!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A competitive Spring season\u00a0has passed, and the sweltering sun is now shining down on us! With the Summer season featuring eye-catching aesthetics from anime like The Aquatope on White Sand and intriguing mysteries from anime like The Case Study of Vanitas, you might find it hard to figure out what anime to watch when you’re […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":21460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,397],"tags":[290,2843,2741,2445,2715,1975,2859,2318,1788],"class_list":["post-21449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anime","category-reviews","tag-anibitez","tag-girlfriend-girlfriend","tag-how-a-realist-hero-rebuilt-the-kingdom","tag-kageki-shoujo","tag-life-lessons-with-uramichi-oniisan","tag-peach-boy-riverside","tag-the-aquatope-on-white-sand","tag-the-case-study-of-vanitas","tag-the-detective-is-already-dead"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Anibitez_Spring_2021_Pt.1.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8n4QV-5zX","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21449"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21449"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21980,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21449\/revisions\/21980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anitrendz.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}