Doctorkev’s Summer 2022 Anime Postmortem Part 2: Of Variable Quality
The Autumn 2022 anime season already seems to be in full swing, but let’s take a brief pause from all of that new shiny goodness to finish my assessment of Summer 2022’s very mixed season. Last time, I covered eleven shows that had already finished, or that I’d dropped. This time I’m mostly covering the shows that finished later. There’s been some great series sticking out from between the disappointments.
The Maid I Hired Recently is Suspicious: 11 episodes: Crunchyroll
Speaking of shows that finished late, the final episode of this didn’t air until today, October 8th. I’ve no idea why it started and finished so late, but unfortunately it was not worth the wait. The only reason I started watching (other than the cute maid of the title) was because it shared a manga creator with 2021's The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! — a very amusing fish-out-of-water comedy that improved as it progressed. Maid did not improve with time, in fact it spun its wheels and steadfastly refused to progress its central “plot” which was conspicuous by its almost total absence. Although the final episode dumped some background lore, it was so anticlimactic in its banality, and what’s worse, only the audience was privy to the “reveal” of maid Lilith’s origin. Her young employer, from whom she inexplicably kept the most dull of non-secrets, was none the wiser as to her identity by the end. Ugh.
Even the central premise was deeply uncomfortable, about a young adult maid who inserts herself into the life of a grieving child, completely refuses to inform him of her intentions, and acts inappropriately around him, getting bizarrely embarrassed when he notices. Someone needed to call child protective services on this show. There isn’t any overtly sexual material (apart from the Lilith’s ridiculously cleavage-enhancing outfit), but the tone is so off, that I can’t bring myself to say I enjoyed it very much. Even now I sit wondering what the hell the point of the show even was.
A Couple of Cuckoos: 24 episodes: Crunchyroll
Well, that certainly was twenty-four episodes with almost no plot progression. We left our main characters at the final episode in almost the same place they were at the beginning of the show, with little true development in any relationships, and the background plot was all tease and no substance. Despite that, I did have a soft spot for the fairly chilled vibes evoked by this gently amusing romantic comedy. Apart from the deeply irritating main male character, I liked each of the girls, and I appreciated that their conflicts were dealt with in the least contrived, least shrill way possible, with characters actually talking to one another (mostly, if not always). A far cry from the artifically heightened drama of this season’s execrable Rent-A-Girlfriend season 2. I probably would watch a second season of Cuckoos, though it would be best not to expect much in the way of plot payoff.
The Devil is a Part-timer! Season 2: 12 episodes: Crunchyroll
A disappointment. In a way I’m glad that I only watched the first season recently, because I can’t imagine how much it sucks for established fans who waited a whole nine years for… this. Season two of this slice of life/fantasy show featuring a de-powered demon lord, his minions, and sort-of-enemies-but-really-now-friends forcibly transported to our world, suffers a massive downgrade in visual presentation, animation fluidity, action sequences and pacing. This (presumably much more cheaply or at least incompetently-made) season is robbed of the intermittent flashy spectacle that elevated the first. Even the story isn’t that interesting, and I’m hard pressed to decide if that’s the fault of the source material or this half-assed adaptation.
It’s a real shame, as I enjoyed the original show very much and found myself invested in the quirky, empathetic and amusing characters and their fluctuating relationships. The announcement of a third season in 2023 comes as a mixed blessing — if it remains as hamstrung by poor production decisions as the second season, I may even give it a miss. Although I’ve been very negative, the show still has its moments of genuine humour and pathos that made it at least a vaguely worthwhile watch, but the meandering plot that took the characters away from their usual settings made the season’s pacing and structure uneven, with uninspired and leaden plot resolutions to each problem faced by retired demon lord Maou.
Overlord season 4: 13 episodes: Crunchyroll
Previously, I’d mixed thoughts about Overlord seasons two and three, but I’m happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this fourth season, covering light novels ten, eleven and fourteen. Volumes twelve and thirteen will be covered in an upcoming movie that I’m now very much looking forwards to.
My issues with the previous seasons were that they removed their focus far from central protagonist Ains, to various peripheral characters. We witnessed from their viewpoints the seemingly pointless and cruel atrocities perpetrated either directly by Ains, or his minions, without the first season’s essential insight into his thought processes. Therefore his cold-blooded murder of a group of sympathetic adventurers turned me off completely, as did his senseless holocaust of an entire army. (I have the same issues with Reincarnated as a Slime’s Rimuru.)
Season four recalibrates our viewpoint significantly, with more time spent with the denizens of The Great Tomb of Nazarick, as well as some welcome insights into Ains’ thoughts. It’s also helpful, I suppose, that I’ve now read the first four light novels and can appreciate how Ains’ character is so much better described therein. I also appreciate more what the author is going for here. Despite his inhuman, horrendous actions, we now have an enhanced appreciation for what motivates Ains. He remains painfully lonely following his abandoment by his guild-mates when his VRMMORPG ended, and since being transported to this new world and losing his humanity, all he has left are the NPCs created by his former guildmates.
MAJOR OVERLORD SEASON 4 ENDING SPOILERS FOLLOW
Ains has come to view the NPCs as his children, whom he loves deeply, and he’ll stop at nothing to ensure their eternal safety and happiness, no matter the sacrifice. He has no love or attachment to any humans of this world, they’re only a means to an end. He won’t stop until he’s dominated the entire planet and eliminated any potential threat. This is the story of a world plunged into eternal darkness, from the point of view of the bad guys. It’s an interesting concept, that leads to some darkly humorous scenes, particularly prevalent in the conclusion to this latest season.
Take nervous cross-dressing dark elf Mare for example. He’s tasked with committing genocide on an entire city-state, and beforehand he’s so nervous he’s almost in tears. Not because he’ll be responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents, but because he’s worried he might let some of them get away! His dark ninja minions cheering him on with chants of “ganbatte!” (go for it!) was absurd, but fit with the skewed, uncomfortable tone the show excels at.
Also Princess Renner is now my new favourite character. There was always something off about her perfect little princess act, and she’s always had a weird obsesssion with her bodyguard/servant Climb. The show’s reveal of Renner as mastermind of her country’s destruction, poisoner of an entire orphanage of children, and murderer of her father was frankly breathtaking. Her only motivation was to rid herself of the shackles of royal obligation, to become an immortal demon in the service of Nazarick, in order to spend eternity with poor, clueless, innocent Climb, the object of her obsession. Even allowing Climb to be slaughtered and then resurrected, she insisted he be revived in a pathetic weakened state so she could slowly nurse her trapped, terrified pet/sex toy to eventual health. Oh, and forcing him to become a demon too, by obliging him to commit atrocities for Nazarick. So hilariously, deliciously dark. No wonder she sung an utterly demented Evil Disney Princess song in exultation at her success. What an amazing climax. I want a Renner/Climb romantic comedy/horror spinoff where he’s paralysed by existential dread while she laughs as she seduces/tortures him.
Call of the Night: 13 episodes: HIDIVE
If a show could be described as possessing “immaculate vibes”, then this is that show (also, see the upcoming AniTAY podcast episode where we discuss this very… uh… vague topic.) After thirteen episodes of stylish vampire mood-setting with gorgeously-coloured nightscapes, quirky characters and skewed Monogatari-esque direction, it feels like Call of the Night’s story has only barely begun. Although starting as an intimate two-handed relationship story between naive fourteen-year-old middle school student Ko Yamori and mysterious but playful vampire Nazuna Nanakusa, the show gradually widens its scope to include a wide range of characters both human and vampire, some friendly, others more threatening.
It’s refreshing that towards the end, one of the vampire characters admits they know as little about vampires as human beings know about themselves. This mystery underpinning the characters’ natures bodes well for future dramatic progression and revelations. The final episode leaves Ko and Nazuna’s relationship on a positive note, but we get the feeling there’s a lot of story left to tell, and indeed the manga is ongoing (up to thirteen volumes as of September 2022), with the anime adapting only up to part-way through volume five. This anime desperately needs a second (and probably third) season to further develop its themes of emotional connection between troubled people on the edges of society.
Made in Abyss Season 2: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun: 12 episodes: HIDIVE
The first season of Made in Abyss will always remain in my top ten anime of all time. It’s a fascinating adventure into an exotic, unknown wilderness where the characters are always moving forwards, through danger and incredible peril. The subsequent movie, Dawn of the Deep Soul, was heart-wrenching and disturbing, but also functioned to move the journey forwards. Season two is… different. I’ve mixed feelings about it. As a manga reader, I was aware of what was coming — a complex, hard-to-follow arc that covered five volumes, and five years of the creator’s life. Thankfully this was an incredible adaptation that succeeded marvellously in clarifying some of the more obscure aspects of the original work.
In terms of story, though, this was a different beast to the first season, as it shunted protagonist Riko to the side, focusing more on Reg and a new cast of ancillary characters. This also meant that Riko’s journey more or less ground to a halt for the entire twelve-episode-run, set almost entirely in the same place — the Village of the Hollows — multiple flashbacks notwithstanding. There was less of a sense of boundless adventure, more a deeper dive into unsettling psychological and body horror that may be incredibly offputting for viewers of a less tolerant disposition. Some of these episodes were downright difficult to endure.
As much as I love Made in Abyss, I find this season very difficult to recommend to those untainted by the darkests excesses of anime. The rich story, gorgeous artwork, meticulous animation and masterful score build together to create a piece of art that towers in majesty, but also disgusts viscerally. I do worry for the mental health of the original creator, I suspect he may be unwell. I doubt I’d ask him to babysit my kids, for example.
There’s so much to think about in terms of the concepts of obsession, value, destiny, and sacrifice in this season that it’s hard to digest on a single viewing. Once the whole thing is available dubbed, I’ll watch it with my poor unsuspecting wife (who may never speak to me again afterwards), and then I think I’ll do a full analytical review, it’s the only way to do this show justice. Please bear with me!
Summertime Rendering: 25 episodes: Disney+ Jail
What more can I say about this show, possibly a candidate for anime of the year, criminally mishandled by Disney, and still unavailable to Western viewers six months after its initial broadcast? Maybe it will come to NA and Europe sometime, but Disney sure can’t be arsed telling us when. I wrote about this show in depth recently here. Summertime Rendering didn’t deserve to be hidden away like this. I’m still upset.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Danmachi) Season 4 Part 1: 11 episodes: HIDIVE
What a cruel cliffhanger to end this first chunk of season four on. At least it’s returning with its second half in January 2023, so the pain won’t last too long. I love Danmachi more with each season that passes. That it introduced a cute new mermaid girl helped, of course, and that irritating goddess Hestia barely featured at all was another bonus. Heroic protagonist Bell Cranel is such a Good Boy it’s impossible not to root for him. I hear from my light-novel-reading friends that Big Things are about to happen in the story, but so far I’ve remained mercifully unspoiled. (This is not an invitation.) I only wish that the spinoff Sword Oratoria had continued to receive further anime adaptations past the first season, as apparently it adds essential background information. So far I’ve not struggled too hard to understand what’s going on, even if I still can’t reliably remember most characters’ names.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part 2: 12 episodes: Netflix
Finally, Netflix saw fit to grace us with another chunk of the latest Jojo adaptation, this time covering part six, the first to feature a mostly female cast. I really wish Netflix had chosen to stream this weekly, as it would have built hype for this very hyped-up of shows. I don’t think it works well as a binge, and I wonder if the majority of previous Jojo season viewers probably don’t even know this one exists, so poor has been the marketing.
With these twelve episodes, we reach the two-thirds mark, with the final third (fourteen episodes to make a grand total of thirty-eight) recently announced to be dropping in an unholy splurge on December 1st 2022. That’s sooner than I’d feared, and welcome. Jolene Cujoh is an entertaining lead, reliably dumb, but resourceful. Her dub actress does a fantastic job, though the rest of the dub itself is of variable quality with some odd casting decisions (why does Dio sound the way he does? It’s wrong,) and some very clunky dialogue.
As always with Jojo, the extended battle sequences are a highlight, especially their twisted dream logic and weird mechanics that make sense as long as you don’t think too hard about them… Most of the season has taken place in a single location, a women’s prison in Florida, but the final third looks set to expand the story’s boundaries, and I cannot wait to see what further madness Jojo has for us as it barrels towards an apocalyptic conclusion.
Thanks for reading to the end of my thoughts about the current anime season. I’ll be back in a few weeks to discuss the delights of what looks to be an extremely strong Autumn season.
