Spring 2018 First Impressions
Crunchyroll has been throwing out some recent Spring titles and it's time for The Senpai Project to take a look at them! Here's just a few that have been released so far.
Magical Girl Ore
Saki Uno is a wanna-be idol in high school who's in love with her friend's older brother, Mohiro. She lives a, mostly, typical teenage girl life until the day she finds out that her mother was a magical girl who recently retired. Saki decides to take up the mantle but it appears there are some backlashes with her magical girl transformation; she isn't a girl at all.
The Good: This anime looks like it's going to be hilarious. This isn't because Saki turns out to be a guy, but rather the entire situation around it. While I've only watched episode one and don't yet know why it is that she turns into an extremely buff man in a magical girl outfit, I do appreciate the other forms of humor in this show; such as Mohiro's indifferent attitude or the way the demons were designed.
The Bad: I can tell that this anime is going to be different, but that doesn't mean it's going to be bad. We don't yet know too much about how Saki is personality wise, other than your average teen girl troupe, so there's really nothing to dig in on yet.
Score: 5/5
Comic Girls
In this anime we follow the stories of four girls: Kaoruko Moeta, Koyume Koizuka, Ruki Irokawa and Tsubasa Katsuki. Each is a manga artist in their own respect and all four of them just so happen to be in high school. Kaoruko and Koyume go to live in a dorm specifically made to help their talents while learning from their slightly older senpais, Ruki and Tsubasa.
The Good: I was really excited to watch this anime when I saw it came out, so I may be slightly biased. However, the first episode was extremely adorable and gave me the basis to a story I'd personally love to continue watching. The artwork and layout of this anime is also something extremely visually appeasing to look at.
The Bad: As with the last one, we weren't really given enough in this first episode to make a complete decision on whether something was bad or not. I'll remain optimistic that this anime won't fall into any troupes and that it actually might be a little empowering!
Score: A biased 5/5
My Sweet Tyrant
A short and simple anime revolving around a couple that seems to have some problems. Akkun and Nontan are dating, but it seems that every time Nontan is around, Akkun says horrific things to her. When she's not looking, however, he's extremely kind and doting.
The Good: It's a very short anime, with an airing time of around five minutes max, which usually means it's a cute, slice of life type of show. I can see where the aesthetic is coming from; it reminds me a lot of Tsuredure Children in this respect. From the opening it also looks like we'll be following around more than one couple which will be nice to see!
The Bad: Akkun is described to be more of a "tsundere" but I'm not sure he falls in that category entirely. From this first episode, he's shown to say some really mean things to his alleged girl friend, but she seems happy as ever. I personally felt like their friend watching and saying, "I suppose if it works for them...". I think this could improve, however, so I remain optimistic.
Score: A hopeful 3/5
Dances with the Dragons
Gayus Sorel and Gigina Jerde Dolk Melios Ashley Boeuf (yes they say the whole thing right away) are essentially dragon hunters that fight these magical beasts in an alternate universe that seems to combine sci fi with fantasy. As far as episode one has told us, they're also of great interest to the nation leaders and in grave danger of being murdered; for what reason, we will have to keep watching to find out.
The Good: I'll admit, usually these kinds of anime aren't entirely my type. And thus far, I'm not entirely sure what's going on but I will say that the fight scenes are entertaining to watch. I also can admire the characters and their contrasting personalities. I just hope that I can understand the settings of these nations and the people living in them because I feel the context wasn't very strong.
The Bad: I haven't felt anything yet for any of these characters. Nothing seems to have stuck with me, but I do love fantasy and I certainly love dragons and their hunters so I'm sure I'll catch on soon enough. I feel episode one may have just been building up the story for the next episode where things will really get interesting.
Score: 3/5
Love to-LIE-Angle
Another very short anime where our main character, Hanabi Natsuno, goes back to her hometown to study in high school. From what we've been given, she was optimistic about living on her own when she realizes that she will be living with several other girls.
The Good: So far this seems to be relatively innocent, disregarding one particular scene in the beginning. She's also forgotten certain girls who seem to remember her from when she was younger, so I have to wonder if there will be any sort of love triangles going on.
The Bad: According to the viewing information, Hanabi is supposed to be a "pervert" and she's already made several comments about a naked girl she spotted outside the dorms. There's also a girl who's fairly comfortable letting it all out there, but just because this short anime has perverted scenes doesn't always mean it's bad.
Score: 4/5
What do you think of the Spring season so far? Tell us in the comments!