I haven’t counted, but that may be my longest post title ever.

Inu to Neko Docchi mo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii – 01

I knew this was a short, but boy, that was short – 1:25 to be exact.  Obviously nothing much to say here, as this is clearly a lark for Kishi Seiji and the three big-name seiyuu involved.  I hope the humor is more than just dogs being loyal and stupid and cats being sneaky and testy or it’s going to be an even shorter trip for me.

Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken – 01

I’m the first to admit I know very little about Dragon Quest, apart from the fact that it’s been around a very long time (since 1986, in fact).  I’ve never seen any of the films or series, played any of the games, or read any of the manga – one of which, an old WSJ title, this series is adapted from.  As such I can’t really say how much of what I’m seeing is borrowed from other franchises and how much those other franchises borrowed from this one, but it’s safe to say the first episode of Dai no Daibouken had a very familiar feel to it.

In point of fact I was very surprised by how much this premiere put me in mind of Pokemon transplanted to a medieval fantasy setting, though again, there’s a chicken and egg thing there which I can’t speak to.  With that said, the premiere was pleasingly manic and occasionally funny, with an overall winning cast.  I especially like the casting of Tanezaki Atsumi as Dai – she’s a favorite of mine, though she hasn’t played boys too often.  There was a lot of CGI but not as much as I feared (it was limited to the monsters, pretty much), and the episode overall looked pretty good.  Also notable – the music is by the very distinguished Hayasho Yuuki.  There’s a decent budget here.

I don’t know how much there is here in terms of possible coverage, but I’ll certainly watch a couple more episodes of Dragon Quest and see if it can hold my interest.  A good kids show with a few winks at a nostalgia-seeking adult audience can be a pleasant diversion on an anime schedule.

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko – 01

There’s some kind of weird ouroboros thing that happens with isekai, where they become so derivative that it’s actually original.  That’s what they want you to believe, anyway – but the hard truth is that’s all BS.  Acknowledging how completely unoriginal your story is doesn’t make it any less unoriginal, it just means you really don’t care.  And that’s pretty much where we are with Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko.

It must be said, though, that for all that, this series is among the more watchable of the breed to me.  It’s pleasant, harmless, seemingly good-hearted.  It’s just not especially interesting.  It really does seem to be a literal amalgam of bits and pieces of successful isekai LNs like Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken and Honzuki no Gekujou (though for all I know maybe this one came before one of those).  Those also happen to be among the more pleasant isekai series out there, so I guess if you’re grading on a curve Kami-tachi is in good company.

Honestly, it’s not bad.  The main character, the reincarnated salaryman Ryouma, is likeable enough.  It’s just that when you stop and really think about just how recycled all this is and how little attempt is made to get beyond that, it makes you want to give up right then and there.  I can’t imagine any universe where I cover this series but I’ll probably watch another episode or two and see if the new supporting cast members breathe any life into it.

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle – Rhyme Anima – 01

Yeah, that’s a no.

Not much to offer here.  That had nothing for me – didn’t like the premise, didn’t like the rap, didn’t like the production values.  I figured that was probably going to be the case but there seemed just the slightest chance this might be weird enough to be interesting.  It’s not.