If any season ever looked like a normal, typical modern anime season, it was this one.   It’s dominated by LN adaptations and the usual genres, it’s too big for the industry’s production capacity, and there were enough series that seemed to have potential to give you hope.  The question, as always, was whether the reality would conform to the expectations.

The 3-4 weeks of anime that these check-in posts assess is never enough to make a definitive call on that.  All I can do is just what the title says – a check-in – and an educated guess on where things will end up.  Right now, that would be “about where I expected”.  A couple shows have overperformed, a couple have disappointed, but I’m roughly where I expected to be.  If Zom 100 could fulfill the premise of its superlative premiere that alone could potentially raise Summer 2023 up a notch, but realistically I don’t think that’s very likely.  As it stands there’s nothing in the “Elite’ tier (which happens not infrequently), though the top couple of shows are pretty close.

As for the Patron Pick, the votes are already coming in, and it could be an interesting race.  If anything, so much of the schedule falls broadly into that “middle” bracket that it was hard to decide what to include for that vote and what to leave out.

Onward, then, to Summer 2023:

The Elite

None

Outstanding

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A-
Comments: In a way this is kind of a deceptive score.  It would effectively be impossible to make a faithful adaptation (as this one clearly strives to be) of Rurouni Kenshin that scored “Elite” in its first three episodes.  The series simply isn’t at its best right out of the gate – as is nearly always the case with the giants of shounen.  As it stands I really couldn’t ask anything more of the first three episodes.  They’ve adapted the material pretty flawlessly, the casting seems fine, and there are no signs the pacing is going to be rushed.  That really remains the key to everything – will Rurouni Kenshin 2023 be around to adapt the material that is elite, especially the heretofore unadapted “Jinchuu” arc?  If so, it’s given me no reason to suspect it won’t be spectacular.

Undead Girl Murder Farce
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: A-
Comments: Put a great director like Hatakayama Mamoru or Omata Shinichi (spoiler: same guy) in charge of a series and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get a great anime.  Undead Girl Murder Farce is off to a terrific start, and what’s getting it over the line is that the writing stands up to the director’s level.  How much of the credit goes to the source material and how much to experienced adapter Takagi Noboru I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter – the results speak for themselves.  I love the banter between the two leads and the surrealist take on the standard detective series tropes.

Link Click II
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A-
Comments: Link Click II has been quite different from the first season in many respects.   To say it hasn’t quite achieved the same level of engagement for me is not much of a slight, given how tremendous that first season was.  The pacing has been a bit rushed, the emotional tug a bit lacking – but the underlying DNA remains rock-solid.  I feel like I can see where Haoling Li is going with the plot, and I think he has the chops to pull it off.

 

Very Good

Oooku
Episodes Watched: 7
Grade: B+
Comments: Netlfix dump series are always a challenge to cover, as they never have a set time slot where I know I’ll be watching and writing.  I expect I’ll finish Oooku well before the season is over, as it is indeed very good.  It’s a fascinating commentary on Japanese history and society, using the veneer of fantasy to enlighten reality.  I don’t especially like any of the characters and I find the whole exercise a bit depressing, but I kind of think that’s by design.  It’s the sort of show I would have loved to see get a traditional adaptation from a high-end studio like Production I.G., but I think it’s really a miracle that it exists at all as anime.

Tonikaku Kawaii: Joshikou-hen
Episodes Watched: 2
Grade: B+
Comments: It seems a bit silly to include a show here after only two episodes.  But then, considering that Tonikaku Kawaii: Joshikou-hen is only four eps anyway, it is half over…  Two eps are all I have to go on, but I did enjoy them more than I expected.  I liked having an episode that focused on what makes Nasa remarkable, as most of them are more concerned with what makes Tsukasa remarkable.  The high school girl tropes are also agreeably toned-down, it never descends into full-on CDGCT territory, and most importantly it’s like 90 the same Tonikaku Cawaii.  It’s good Tonikawa, and I can’t ask for any more than that.

Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid Season 2 
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: You know what to expect with Shinigami Bocchan at this point, for better and worse.  The CGI is never going to get better, and the casting will never be perfect, and the source material can be a little lightweight at times.  But it’s still a charming and funny romcon with a clever premise and interesting characters, and the best is still very much yet to come (as was teased in the excellent third episode).

Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto  
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: The reason why I say Zom 100 fulfilling the promise of its premiere would be enough to lift the entire season is because that would be such a huge overperformance of expectations.  That, and that the premiere was just that good.  I was always a bit skeptical of the chances of that, became even more so when Shaft was announced as a co-producer, and still more when Episode 2 fell into the “pretty good” category and #3 was decidedly a mixed bag.  I think this series can be a fun diversion and the premiere did show the potential for great visual artistry, but I’m not really expecting greatness here to be honest.

 

Worthwhile

Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta 
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B
Comments: I had pretty low expectations for Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta, and that’s in spite of the fact that I love the manga.  The reason is obviously the GoHands effect, and those expectations did the limbo after the horrendous, vertigo-inducing opening sequence.  But, miraculously, that’s been the low-water mark (so far).  In fact at this point the adaptation is pretty okay, certainly far better than something like Naz’ drive-by on Hoshi no Samidare.  I actually think GoHands has nailed the character designs and (crucial with this series) facial expressions, and they’ve gotten Ai’s character just about spot-on (less so with Kaede, but not at the deal-breaker level).  I think given the circumstances one has to be prepared for a complete collapse at any moment, but so far this has been better by far than I feared.

AI no Idenshi 
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: I don’t necessarily feel as if AI no Idenshi is breaking much new ground.  But that said, I do think it’s covering old ground in an entertaining way – and that ground is still fertile.  No one has really figured out the answers to the questions this series is asking about artificial intelligence, even though sci-fi (and science) has been asking them for the better part of a century.  To a great extent I think one’s engagement with AI no Idenshi is dependent on whether one finds its themes interesting or not.  Fortunately for me I do, and so far I’m pretty engaged.

Mononogatari 2nd Cour
Episodes Watched: 4
Grade: B-
Comments: Mononogatari kind of hung around for its first season, chosen as the patron pick.  It never totally won me over but I never felt sorry I was covering it either.  Among the things it has going for it are an interesting premise (tsukumogami are one of Shinto’s more fascinating elements) and a protagonist who actually grows over the course of the series.  I wouldn’t say the second cour has been a major quality shift in either direction.  Tonally it’s been more inconsistent, swerving between romcom hijinks and pretty dark developments, but the package as a whole is pretty much on the same level as the first cour.

Helck  
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: Manga readers assert that Helck’s sky-high aggregator rankings are justified by developments after the intro, when it transitions into a darker and more dramatic series.  I have no reason to doubt them but I can only go with what I see (and read).  So far that’s pretty solid if unremarkable fantasy, an agreeable mix of comedy and action with a very solid cast.

 

Still Watching

– Horimiya -Piece-
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C+
Comments: I have to think the magic has worn off for me with Horimiya at this point.   This adaptation has just been a mess, a savagely curtailed original season which undercut the narrative flow of the story, followed by this full season of (effectively) bonus material.  These chapters aren’t bad but they would work much better as they were intended, as changes of pace in the main story.  Not even a trip to the Hori household in Episode 3 won me over (though it was certainly better).  I get that Horimiya is structurally weird and as such, not an easy manga to adapt.  But I don’t think the anime has made too many good decisions in doing so.

Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C+
Comments: Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon is absolutely one of those shows I feel as if I should like more than I do.  It looks great, it’s a shoujo fantasy (so rare in anime these days), it has not a drop of isekai to it.  But I just find it to be a chore most of the time.  The heroine’s villainous family is too over the top for Cinderella, and Miyo herself – while I empathize with her plight – just gets on my nerves with her constant mumbling and apologies.  I’m not ready to bail on it yet, at least until I see if the supernatural element has legs, but I’m not at all optimistic.

Dropped:

Dark Gathering, Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu, Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi, Uchi no Kaisha no Chiisai Senpai no Hanashi

 

Here, then, is this season’s blogging prospectus:

Monday:
Definitely Blogging: Mononogatari  

Tuesday:
Probably Blogging: Helck, Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta 

Wednesday:
Definitely Blogging: Undead Girl Murder Farce, Tonikaku Kawaii: Joshikou-hen   
On the Respirator: Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon

Thursday:
Definitely Blogging: Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

Friday:
Definitely Blogging: Link Click II (Shiguang Dailiren)

Saturday:
Probably Blogging: AI no Idenshi

Sunday:
Definitely Blogging: Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid Season 2
On the Bubble: Zom 100: Zombie ni Naru made ni Shitai 100 no Koto
On the Respirator: Horimiya -Piece–

Blogging Irregularly: Oooku

Manga: Otoyomegatari, Hunter X Hunter (hiatus)

Watching For Now: Hyakushou Kizoku

As to that Patron Pick vote, it’s Helck, Watashi no Kekkon, Mononogatari (again), and Horimiya -Piece-.

 

One more thing before I wrap. Sincere thanks to everyone who stepped up to support LiA during our fall 2022 pledge drive (and since)!  The need for support is as strong as ever – links are in the sidebar as always if you want to help out.  My next crowdsourcing initiative is the “Top 10 Manga” project – you can support that through the Ko-fi page.  And of course the “LiA Bespoke” commissions program is officially open and ready for requests, so please check it out.

Please check out the LiA YouTube channel for manga recommendations, from the vault anime, Japan journeys and more!