We may be marking time till the main event as far as anime is concerned (fall is loaded and even Winter 2023 has quite a few prospects), but this season is not without quality.  Summer is rarely a big season in terms of quantity but it can be sneaky good at times.  I’d rank this one about middling as far as summer seasons historically go, but only because having Made in Abyss on the schedule does make up for a lot.

The problem, of course, is what happens once you get past that tentpole sequel.  It was always a longshot that Hoshi no Samidare would hang in the elite tier, but the production has been every bit as lackluster as feared.  That leaves things looking very thin in real terms, even by summer standards.  As is usually the case we have several carryovers from spring  but if we didn’t, the cupboard would be pretty bare.  Going from five in “Outstanding” and three “Very Good” to three combined gives you an idea of just how bare.

Setting aside the question of whether the very best show(s) are great or just very good, one of the main ways I judge an ongoing season is in which tier most of the series wind up.   If half or more of them are “Very Good” or above that’s generally a strong season.  But that’s the exception, and this summer falls into the more common pattern – most are “Worthwhile” and “Still Watching”.  No rule that says a couple of them couldn’t level up – it happens, if relatively rarely.  Sometimes in spring or autumn we can have so many watchable series that even if most of them are in the lower tiers, it’s at least got strength and numbers.  But not summer or winter, typically –  and certainly not this one.

And so, my overall take on 2022 remains the same.  It could end up going down as a pretty good year, but the fall season is going to have to carry a very heavy load.  Which it almost certainly will, even if it winds up lending some of its luster to 2023 in the end.

 

Onward, then, to Summer 2022:

The Elite

Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A
Comments: It never seemed like anything but a certainty that Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou was going to be great.  Or that it would be profoundly disturbing.  The first two episodes were a fairly low-key intro on both fronts as we eased back into the mythology, but the third kicked it up on every level.  There’s simply nothing like Made in Abyss  – it puts me in mind of peak Hunter X Hunter in some ways but in truth, this series is unique.  It always, always takes you to dark places.  But it’s magical and enchanting at the same time.  TV anime has rarely seen its like in terms of sheer artistic ambition and production values, and Tsukushi’s writing is every bit up to that standard.  It’s a marvel of terrible beauty.

 

Outstanding

Yofukashi no Uta
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: A-
Comments: Yofukashi no Uta  was a series that came highly recommended to me, even as the manga had flown under my radar.  And it hasn’t disappointed – it’s the clear #2 series of the summer (and nothing ever had a chance to usurp first place).  I enjoy mangaka Kotoyama’s Dagashi Kashi and this series shares common themes, but more than anything Call of the Night puts me in mind of Nazo no Kanojo X (with a twist of FLCL in the way the writer’s favorite band becomes part of the fabric).  Director Itamura Tomoyuki’s style retains a bit too much Shaft to it and the aesthetic is kind of all over the map, but it somehow works – at least it has style even if it isn’t exactly cohesive.  And the characters (basically only two so far, Kou and Nazuna, though Arai is an intriguing addition) are instantly engaging.  Any introvert will get the writing here on multiple levels (the series is basically an exploration of what it means to be one) but even if you’re not, I think there’s a lot here to like.

 

Very Good

Isekai Ojisan
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B
Comments: It’s certainly not going to surprise me if Iseakai Ojisan slips a notch before the season is over.  I have no idea how much staying power the central gag has, but for three episodes it’s making me laugh quite a bit.  The satire has pretty good aim, the characters are interesting enough, and I’m close enough to being the target audience to get most of the jokes.  There are two big risks here – the show could lose its nerve and go easy on the targets, or (more likely) the humor could simply get repetitive.  But for now, it’s working.

 

Worthwhile

Hoshi no Samidare
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: No matter how you slice it, this one is just painful for me.  This was not how it was supposed to happen – to see a Mizukami Satoshi series adapted at last, only to have that adaptation be utterly soulless and borderline incompetent.  To be blunt this production is pretty terrible in every respect bar the casting – and even there, these are mostly good actors coming off as pretty mechanical.  Hard as it is to believe I think as a manga fan I’d prefer something like the terribad Baraou no Souretsu adaptation – while it literally has almost no animation and background characters with no faces, at least it has a bit of style (in the art design) and tries to capture the emotions of the moment.  This?  This is just utterly devoid of any feeling or style, apart from what the source material manages to convey.  It’s an absolute shame.

Hataraku Maou-sama!!
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: “Mechanical” and the absence of style come to mind with this series too, but nowhere on the same level as with Biscuit Hammer.  Compared to the first season Hataraku Maou-sama!! is indeed pretty bland in execution, but the overall production is at least competent.  Nine years is a long time between seasons, and I don’t know how I’d take to the first if it aired now, but I’m definitely not getting wrapped up in this one as quickly.  Is that due to a difference in quality or have my tastes simply evolved?  Honestly I don’t know, but I’m still modestly enjoying this series, and it’s always great to hear Ohsaka Ryouta in an increasingly (and inexplicably) rare lead role.

Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: It’s no Karakai Jouzi no Takagi-san but Yamamoto Souichirou’s other romance manga (I don’t even really count the loli ninja thing) has worn pretty well – for three weeks, anyway.  It’s fundamentally different in that the two protagonists are effectively a couple already.  That’s certainly appropriate given that they’re 2-3 years older than Nishikata and Takagi, but it presents a different challenge to Yamamoto as a writer (and to the anime staff).  Will this remain interesting for an entire season?  I’m not sure yet, and there’s certainly a risk of it being the same joke basically on permaloop.  But I do like all four major characters, and the author undeniably has a deft touch depicting the ritual of adolescent courtship.

Bucchigire!
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: Bucchigire! is a very interesting series visually, with a very good team behind it.  I like Shinsengumi stories too, to be sure.  The hangup for me is that the writing is pretty pedestrian so far, both in terms of character and plot execution.  The details just aren’t up to the level of the premise, and it’s hard to see any reason to expect that to change.  The result is right on the bubble for me.

 

Still Watching

Shadows House Second Season
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: B-
Comments: More of the same for me, which means a pretty watchable series that just doesn’t get the details right enough to live up to the premise.  At least we don’t have to suffer through several episodes focused almost entirely on Emilico to start the season this time.

Kinsou no Vermeil: Gakeppuchi Majutsushi wa Saikyou no Yakusai to Mahou Sekai wo Tsukisusumu
Episodes Watched: 3
Grade: C+
Comments: With that title – and a magic academy setting to boot – you’d never guess this show wasn’t based on a light novel, but it’s actually a manga adaptation.  And for what it is, Vermeil really isn’t half bad.  It’s ecchi in a relatively harmless way, crisply directed, and has enough aspiration towards a plot to be modestly interesting.  And for the record, those two are absolutely doing it.

Saikin Yatotta Maid ga Ayashii
Episodes Watched: 1
Grade: C+
Comments: At only one episode it’s not much of a check-in with Saikin Yatotta Maid ga Ayashii, really.  I thought the premiere was pretty decent, but that “romcom” tag hangs over this series like the Sword of Damocles – if it goes too far in that direction it’s going to get skeevy very quickly.  If it chooses the more heartwarming route, it has a chance to be solidly mid-tier.

 

Dropped:

Yurei Deco, Shoot! Goal to the Future, Engage Kiss, Lycoris Recoil, Kami Kuzu☆Idol

 

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

Monday:
Definitely Blogging: None

Tuesday:
Definitely Blogging: None

Wednesday:
Definitely Blogging: None

Thursday:
Definitely Blogging: Made in Abyss: Retsujitsu no Ougonkyou
Probably Blogging: Isekai Ojisan

Friday:
Definitely Blogging: Summertime Render, Yofukashi no Uta
Probably Blogging: Hataraku Maou-sama!!
On the Bubble: Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru

Saturday:
Definitely Blogging: Ao Ashi
On the Bubble: Hoshi no Samidare, Bucchigire!

Sunday:
Definitely Blogging: Kingdom 4 

Manga: Otoyomegatari, Hunter X Hunter (hiatus ?)

Watching For Now: Digimon Ghost Game, Love All Play, Shadows House Second Season, Kinsou no Vermeil: Gakeppuchi Majutsushi wa Saikyou no Yakusai to Mahou Sekai wo Tsukisusumu, Saikin Yatotta Maid ga Ayashii

 

One more thing before I wrap. Yada yada, this part – I know.  But I have to keep asking if I want to keep LiA alive.  I’ll be going into more detail shortly, but at this point in order for the site to be viable, I basically need to double my supporter base.  That, or go to a tiered content system through Patreon or otherwise – something I’ve tried to avoid if at all possible.  Needless to say, if you’re already on board I deeply appreciate your support-  thank you!

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