Roving Thoughts archives

My (Twitter) reactions to the first episodes of the Spring 2021 anime season

As before I'm collecting here all of my tweeted reactions to the first episodes I've seen (in the order that I saw them). This is delayed for various reasons.

• Mars Red episode #1: I'm pretty sure I didn't understand all of that and I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it was definitely different and interesting because of that. I don't know if it can sustain everything it's trying to do and hold my interest, though. ♯

• Thunderbolt Fantasy S3 episode #1: All of these good characters are back, bantering back and forth. We got some plotting and a bit of a fight too, but that part was really all just a warmup (but the demon is totally up to things, she always is). ♯

• SSSS.Dynazenon episode #1: Our protagonists clearly have plenty going on but at the same time they didn't really do anything this episode; they were at the mercy of fate (which may be the point, but still). That left the big fight feeling disconnected and floating. →

• Super Cub episode #1: That was quietly great, or at least very my thing. The great scenery, the mood, the understated bits of (sad) story, various little details, everything clicked for me. The night ride was all beautiful and of course she fell asleep in her entryway. →

• Blue Reflection Ray episode #1: That felt perfectly okay but also underwhelming and rather slow. I got lost in the barrage of characters, and I don't think it quite had the chops for its 'show don't tell' attempts (or the command of atmosphere to pull off its pacing). ♯

• I've Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years And Maxed Out My Level episode #1: That was inoffensive and ordinary. I can believe this could have charm and appeal (and I see some gestures that way), but the first episode didn't particularly hook me. ♯

• Joran The Princess Of Snow And Blood episode #1: That was reasonably interesting, although it also had a pretty ordinary presentation and a certain amount of cliches (and one spot felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy and adult). ♯

I've had vague ambitions of watching some more shows that looked potentially promising, but at this point it's clear that they're not going to come to pass; as I write this, some shows are on their fifth episode. My overall hit rate from first episode previews has also not encouraged me to try more, as I'm already down to three of these seven.

(Super Cub, SSSS.Dynazenon, and Thunderbolt Fantasy S3, in my order of enthusiasm.)

As is customary for me, reactions to later episodes are in a twitter conversation chain from my first episode tweets, up to where I stopped following a show.