Jujutsu Kaisen – 03
It looks like Jujutsu Kaisen is going to be a pretty major hit, judging by the spike in manga sales this month. We’ll see how big, but on some level I can understand it. It’s a a shounen that knows how to press the buttons in the proper order and doesn’t do anything egregiously wrong, and the anime has a generally agreeable level of production quality. Derivative as hell, yes, but the more uncertain the world is the more consumers crave the reassurance of familiar products.
Above and beyond that, I haven’t really seen anything that stands out with this show, frankly. Kugisaki Nobara sort of does but not in a good way. At this point I would say her level of obnoxiousness stops just short of “deal-breaker”, but she’s yet another very cliched element and Jujutsu Kaisen needs more or those like a jellyfish needs new shoes. Her first few minutes on-screen had me fearing it would be worse, to be honest, but she improved marginally over the course of the episode.
The Tokyo segments were modestly amusing, and this week’s curse plot was engaging enough. I would have to say I find Noblesse to be more winning overall and its cast stronger at this stage, but Jujutsu Kaisen certainly looks better and is generally more polished. That’s decidedly strange, given that this series is MAPPA and Noblesse is Production I.G., but 2020 has turned the world of anime upside-down just as it has the world in general. I’ll put Jujutsu Kaisen on the bubble for now, but the fourth episode is probably going to tell the tale one way or the other.
Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken – 03
I’ll likely watch Dai no Daibouken for a couple more episodes at least, but there’s not enough here for me to cover it. So far at least this is not a series with a lot of subtext or character depth – it’s just a pleasant kids’ adventure yarn. Those can be fun and this one is – somewhat – but it doesn’t seem to have that extra layer of something that would set it apart. It does have Sakurai Takahiro now, but most of these sorts of shows seem to so that’s not too much of a distinction…
Taisou Zamurai – 02
In addition to generally not being very good, I think Taisou Zamurai is founded on a faulty premise. On what planet is a second-rate gymnast who’s never won a gold medal going to be the headline of every news broadcast and hounded by reporters because of a botched retirement? To be blunt, the world just doesn’t care that much.
This series is just a generally unfortunate (floor) exercise, if you ask me. It falls off the beam immediately by being a transparent imitator of Yuri on Ice. But YoI, for all its flaws, runs rings around Taisou Zamurai. If you’re going to try to cash in on another’s show’s success you’d better at least be on the same level quality-wise. But those bars are uneven, it’s not even close – by its first quadruple Salchow Yuri on Ice vaults over this series. Taisou isn’t especially funny, convincing, or emotionally engaging. It’s just a shoddy attempt to cash in on the flavor of the week, and that’s a recipe for disappointment.
And for God’s sake, somebody stuff that damn bird.
Elia Notari
October 18, 2020 at 5:13 pmDon’t worry Enzo, the days that set us apart from an Anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man are numbered, that will be a way better Shonen Jump series and a bless to cover
Guardian Enzo
October 18, 2020 at 5:31 pmDidn’t that turn out to be a fake rumor?
Elia Notari
October 18, 2020 at 10:51 pmFor now, of course. But we both know it’s going to be adapted sooner or later, right?
Guardian Enzo
October 18, 2020 at 11:22 pmIt’s not actually a big seller by WSJ standards, is it?
Elia Notari
October 18, 2020 at 11:36 pmIt is actually, the numbers are similar to those of JJK
Mus
October 18, 2020 at 5:48 pmI wonder how many ‘It’s not bad but I don’t see anything outstanding’ until you drop a show. Do you wait for the show to finally drop the ball or do you have a limit for ‘an okayish show’?
Action shonen seems to test your patience the most. I might be wrong though.
Guardian Enzo
October 18, 2020 at 6:04 pmI haven’t really thought about it. I suppose a mediocre character drama is easier to write about than a mediocre action show.
The three episode rule is really an inexact science. It takes as long as it takes but I know when I get there.
Mus
October 18, 2020 at 8:21 pmI guess it’s case by case problem then. However, do you give more lenience to a series from WSJ? Especially one that actually have great sales?
‘On a bubble 3 episodes in’, I don’t think you let prestige affects your blogging that much. Quite admirable, and quite frustrating honestly. In case you didn’t catch, I’m a fan of JJK, and I have the exact same reaction as you for about 20 chapters in. Afterwards, It’s the one series that really paid off my patience.
Reading the blog as a fan of the manga is frustrating but exciting too for me, since it puts an interesting perspective to my experience back then. It’s a great reminder to a manga-bias that I seem to have.
I hope you persevere, but I totally understand if you feel otherwise.
Guardian Enzo
October 18, 2020 at 8:34 pmWell, I don’t give WSJ titles more lenience, and I generally try not to let sales impact me either. I may stick with a show a little longer if it’s clear it’s massively popular with readers of the site, but that’s usually a losing proposition in my experience.
That said, I think it’s hard to dispute that shounen action manga tend to take longer to hit their stride than most genres do. Does that mean you give them more time? Possibly. I think it’s something like a young wine or young Cuban cigar – you try to see the “DNA”, that ineffable quality of quality that will present itself eventually, even when the series has yet to find its groove. Not always easy to do, but you do try.
Mus
October 18, 2020 at 11:04 pmThat’s a reasonable stance, I like it. And I’m glad you do realize that action shonen need a certain attitude different from other genres when consuming it.
I hope it pays off this time for you.
nixx
October 19, 2020 at 3:20 amNobara added some spice to the series. I was unsure, but now I think I’m staying for another week or more.
Clinton G Hoffos
October 19, 2020 at 8:11 amI loved Nobara. Don’t really understand how you thought she was a downside.
Riv
October 19, 2020 at 11:35 amNobara could win me over, depending on how her character develops. At least she was not stuck in a basket for most of the episode.
The Yuri on Ice imitation didn’t occur to me until you pointed it out, but I can definitely see it now. It’s too bad because it could have been an engaging premise (older gymnast who doesn’t want to retire) if handled correctly in an original way.
Guardian Enzo
October 19, 2020 at 11:45 amYes, there’s nothing wrong with the premise in theory, even if it is obviously borrowing heavily from YoI. Aging athletes being forced to move on is an interesting theme, especially in sports where they were (theoretically) unpaid. But the execution is the problem here, and it’s not at all good so far.
RandomDOOD
October 20, 2020 at 2:25 amI don’t honestly know what the hell is going on with Chainsaw Man anymore. If any of the recent happenings end up making sense and not going the Fire Punch route that would be nice. As far as jujutsu kaisen, it definitely takes a while to ramp up.