Forest of Piano – Episode 1
If the purpose of an opening scene is to put a series’ best foot forward, then Forest of Piano is a bit more second-stringer than prima ballerina.
Posts by Vrai Kaiser
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Japanese LGBTQ+ fans talk about the legacy of Banana Fish
The Banana Fish anime has sparked discussion around the chaste love story between Ash and Eiji. While the language we choose as English-speaking fans to talk to one another is its own sphere, we here at AniFem wanted to highlight how Banana Fish has been received by Japanese LGBTQ+ fans as well.
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Frankenstein Family – Episodes 1-2
Watercolor and slightly melancholy, this is a quiet little slice-of-life series.
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Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation – Episode 1
While it’s a perfectly watchable experience, I’m not sure I’d go so far as to call it a hidden gem.
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Happy Sugar Life – Episode 1
We’ve entered what I like to call the “shame shadow” of premiere season.
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Lord of Vermilion: The Crimson King – Episode 1
This is an anime based on a Square Enix game. I suspect that will tell many of you, very quickly, whether or not to proceed further.
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Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion – Episode 1
I’ll level with you, readers: I’m always a little bit on my guard when war anime come across my desk. I’ve reached an age where I personally don’t have much time for Cool War Hero stories, and we’ve reached an age as a species (again) where it’s time to start being very critically aware of how our media paints nations with bloody, imperialist histories.
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Dropkick on My Devil!! – Episode 1
While not completely devoid of character, this is a show clearly proudest of its schtick—meaning it’ll probably be a love it or hate it venture for many.
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The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar – Episode 1
Well, there’s no slavery in it.
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Music Girls – Episode 1
I’ll level with you, readers. My feelings on idol shows can basically be summed up with that one Hannibal Buress meme about pretzels. That’s not (much of a) knock—everyone has their comfort food genre, after all—but it’s just not something I find engrossing. So I’m not exactly primed to pick up nuance on the usual plot beats. All I can do is note that they exist.
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Angels of Death – Episode 1
This is it, folks, the comedy of the season. It somehow escaped from 2005 and is here to charm us with its complete lack of restraint and scene kid aesthetic.
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Chio’s School Road – Episode 1
The good and bad thing about short-form comedy like this is that on the one hand, what you see is a pretty good indicator all the way through; on the other hand, if you’re not hooked by the premiere, sticking around for three episodes probably isn’t going to yield different results. As far as Chio’s School Road goes, I left charmed enough to overlook the series’ small but persistent irritations.
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How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord – Episode 1
You know those beautiful multi-tiered cakes that have been carefully constructed, with each layer standing on the support of the one beneath it until it reaches the height of a small child? This is like that, except the cake is made of shit and the binding is misogyny. Let me take you on a guided tour, because this is why I get paid the Nerd Buckz.
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Mr. TONEGAWA Middle Management Blues – Episode 1
Are you a middle-aged manager working in an office job? Then this anime might have something relatable to offer you. The rest of us are kind of out in the cold, though.
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ISLAND – Episode 1
There are definitely good anime based on dating sims. We’ve even had the good fortune to review a few of them here on AniFem. So it feels cruel to knock Island simply for originally being a Visual Novel—let us say instead that this premiere comes off as a very lazily adapted, and go from there.
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FLCL Progressive – Episode 1
Few series have been less subtle about their metaphors vis a vis adolescent sexuality and the confusing terror thereof. We’ll have to wait and see if the subtitle “Progressive” actually means anything in the end.
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The People’s Hero (Some People Not Included): The exclusion of queer viewers in LUPIN THE 3rd PART 5
LUPIN THE 3rd PART 5 wants to explore Lupin as a folk hero of sorts. Unfortunately, it has very specific ideas about the audience to whom Lupin is a hero, and it doesn’t seem to include queer people.
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Doreiku the Animation – Episode 1
Mmmmm, you can just feel the shame wafting off this one.
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Butlers x Battlers – Episode 1
It’s been a few seasons since I laid eyes on something that felt this perfunctory and soulless.
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Last Period: the journey to the end of despair – Episode 1
So. Have any of you been missing Slayers?
