Anime Seasons: Fall 2022 | Week 1 Review

Introduction

Welcome to Anime Seasons. A brand new series where we talk about the ongoing anime of every season.

Let’s start with Fall 2022, the ongoing anime season. While the definition of when the Fall Anime season varies from person to person, it is mainly assumed that the fall Anime season starts in October and ends in December.

So, I’ve decided to watch some giant anime from the Fall season, and boy! There are some big hitters this season. From Chainsaw Man to SpyXFamily’s 2nd cour, this season is packed with some of the top anime of the entire year, along with some sleepers as usual, and while I won’t watch them all, I will try my best to review each week’s anime.

So for the first week, I’ve picked five anime to start with: SpyXFamily (2nd cour), Mob Psycho 100 Season 3, Shinobi no Ittoki, Do it Yourself, and Akiba Maid War.

The big one missing here is the new My Hero Academia season. I’ve decided not to watch it at the moment because I want to make an entire blog dedicated to My Hero Academia, and most importantly, I have somewhat lost interest in that anime.

So without further ado, let’s start the reviewing!

SpyXFamily Episode 13

A decent episode to start everything off. The show’s animation, aesthetics, and overall vibe were on point throughout the episode, just as it was in the first cour.

Another thing that was and is very good about the show is the shot selection. As I’ve always said in the past, shot selection and composition make the overall experience of the show way better.

As for the story going on in this particular episode, it was also decent. The pacing was also on point, and the overall experience of viewing the episode was good. It could’ve been much worse for a restart to the show, but instead of a brand-new start, this felt like a continuation as it should. For the slight nitpick, I think the ending to this particular episode should’ve been the episode where the anime could’ve gone on a break instead of the original 12th episode.

Rating: 2.5/5

Mob Psycho 100 Season 3, Episode 1

I honestly feel Mob Psycho 100 is one of the best anime out there when all things considered. Mob Psycho is coming into season 3 on the back of what is arguably one of the best 2nd seasons in anime history, so expectations coming into season 3 were high, and the first episode delivered well for me.

It was solid from start to finish in every technical aspect, and not for once did I feel the show dipped in quality. The episode gives the start you see in every Mob Psycho season premiere. In typical Mob Psycho fashion, the episode doesn’t fail to deliver a message on a very relatable topic. It also manages to further a few narratives and develop characters for the future.

All in all, great episode, and super excited for upcoming episodes.

Rating: 3.75/5

Shinobi no Ittoki

Okay, so when I read the premise for Shinobi no Ittoki, I only noticed two things: Iga and Koga, and instantly childhood memories of Ninja Hattori flashed into my head. I was sold.

Anyway, coming to the actual first episode of this anime, it is technically very sound. Character movement looked fluid and dynamic; while not significant, everything else was just good enough. The only nitpick I have for that part is the character design. I feel all characters look somewhat generic, and having that one character with a mask on in a ninja show wasn’t cheap.

On the other hand, I have many negatives to talk about when it comes to the story and pacing. Starting, I believe the point of the story is that the world they live in is modern, but it is still a ninja world, right? But when the eventual revelation is made, it is hard to digest that the world is indeed a world full of ninjas. This isn’t exactly a bad thing, as not leaving any hints before the reveal would have made for a great surprise, but the title of the show has “Shinobi” in it, and the whole selling point of the show is that it’s a ninja show so, it wasn’t a surprise at all. This is why I preferred subtle hints that would help me settle into the world.

Besides that, the other thing that bothered me a lot was the pacing. The first part of the show is slow and steady. The main point was to build up Ittoki’s character and the circumstances around him, and then comes the 2nd half, where everything picks up massively.

Now, I’m all in for shows that use the method of a slow start, which builds pace in the 2nd half but that build-up needs to be stable and smooth in the transition from a slow start to a fast ending. This is, unfortunately, not the case for Shinobi no Ittoki. The sudden change of pace, combined with the confusion regarding the first point I made, makes the 2nd half very clumsy.

With all being said, though, I think Shinobi no Ittoki had a lackluster first episode and needs to fix the pacing issue if it wants to hold my attention for upcoming episodes.

Rating: 1.25/5

Do it Yourself

Okay, this might not be a stellar show, but I liked the first episode of Do it Yourself. I don’t think this will show much value when it ends airing, but as it is still ongoing, I would say it has some value. Do it Yourself is one of those shows you can watch after a hard day’s work. You can just put it on and chill. The shots used and overall aesthetics make it very calming to the eye. The colors are soft, and the voice acting is also nice.

For the characters, it is effortless, and rightfully so, as they perfectly suit the show.

I believe in Yua Serufu (a play on Yourself) in that she can become one of the best main leads of this already jam-packed season, and the story is about DIY creation, so that can also be inspirational if you are into that kind of craft.

Overall, I liked the show for its simple and feel-good story, and if you want a soothing anime, go for this one.

Rating: 2.5/5

Akiba Maid War

Akiba Maid War is the final anime I watched this week and is also my favorite of the week (excluding Mob Psycho 100 Season 3).

So, Akiba Maid War is a show about maids. That can give off the vibe of a cutesy slice of life or even a rom-com, but this show is very different. I won’t talk in detail about this show because it will be best if you go into it without much knowledge of what will transpire.

The show is well-directed, and they’ve used just the correct colors in the shots to add the extra oomph to the already bizarre show. The only little thing that didn’t impress me was that the animation could look stiff sometimes, but that is hardly a factor, and the episode was delightful.

As I said when talking about Shinobi no Ittoki, a sudden change of pace works well when the build-up is done well, the context is correct, and the transition is smooth, which was pulled off nicely by Akiba Maid War.

Masui Souichi directed the episode, and if you have seen his work as a director and storyboarder before, you would know that whether good or bad, his shows/films always have good pacing.

In conclusion, this show can be one strong contender for anime of the season, even amidst tough competition, if the first episode’s quality is sustained.

Rating: 3.75/5

That’s it for today’s blog and please support this series as that will give me even more inspiration to keep writing this kind of blog, and if you have any criticism towards this format of writing or have any suggestions for anime that should be included then please let me know through the comments section.

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