Roving Thoughts archives

My (Twitter) reactions to the first episodes of the Fall 2020 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). Although I was pretty dormant in anime watching for the past two seasons (or longer), this time around I seem to have woken up with a new enthusiasm for watching things.

• Jujutsu Kaisen episode #1: That was a pretty good action show first episode, although I probably cheated by reading the first three chapters of the manga beforehand (that's what's free online). It definitely leaves me intrigued and wanting more, which is its job. →

• Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear episode #1: If I didn't already know and like the story here, I'm pretty sure I would have bounced off this episode. It's rather flatly made and kind of incoherent, since it's starting part way into the story with no background. →

  (The second episode was much better.)

• Assault Lily BOUQUET episode #1: That was a decently done instance of its genre, with more interesting and better staged fights than usual. I even chuckled a few times, and it's not made the protagonist into a complete potato; she has some interesting bits. ♯

• Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle episode #1: That was definitely lightweight but also reasonably entertaining and funny. I can see this wearing out the joke soon enough, but for now I'm interested enough to watch another episode. ♯

• By the Grace of the Gods episode #1: That was decidedly ordinary, by which I mean 'bland'. I'll likely watch some more, mostly because it's there and I like the genre in general, but I suspect I'll drop it before the end of the season. ♯

• Akudama Drive episode #1: That was fun and crazy and stylish, and I like our protagonist, but it's not flawless. Most of the characters are deliberate cliches, this episode tells us nothing about what the show is about, and the whole thing is over the top in a slightly tired way. ♯

• Yashahime episode #1: As someone who has only a glancing exposure to Inuyasha, most of this episode was pretty empty and relatively opaque. It was also pretty bland and only okay as an episode of action, with a pretty empty monster of the week core. ♯

  (Much like Kuma Bear, the second episode was much better.)

I was considering looking at Wandering Witch, but the commentary I've seen on Twitter suggests that it's not my kind of thing. Talentless Nana has some good reviews, but fortunately I've been spoiled on its shock twist because the shock twist shifts it into a genre I'm not interested in. It's possible I'll try out some other shows as junk food, but that's about it for things that look actually attractive.

(Adachi and Shimamura is somewhat tempting because I very much enjoyed Bloom into You, but I'm not sure if it would recapture Bloom's magic.)

And a surprise update:

• Warlords of Sigrdrifa episode #1: That was really good in general but what completely sold me are all of the good characters and the character interactions. This might have had good fights but it was about people, and that makes all the difference in the end. →