Cold As Ice: The Winter 2022 Anime Season (Part 1) - Renegade Animation #50
Tonight, on an ICY episode of Renegade Animation, Captain Kaye and The Animation Guru are joined by Teresa to talk about some of the new shows from the winter 2022 anime season!
How’s it going, fellow Renegades, it’s me: THE DIRECTOR once again. And I feel a wave of melancholy washing over me. The seasons are passing by, and as such, so does a new wave of animation from our friends overseas. There’s some sunshine in these new batches of shows, some gray skies, but it always leaves a mess of shows that barely anyone can get to discuss all at once…
But luckily, there’s at least three people to take on the daunting task of checking out the newest shows, like watchful protectors of entertainment. That’s right, we’re joined by the Captain, the Guru, and the Teresa! It’s tough work, but they answer the call to duty every time! As such, we’ve got impressions for at least half of the shows that debuted this past season!
Well, with that out of the way, I’ll slink back into the melancholic shadows, and let the Captain take the reigns from here! (Don’t ask me what’s up with the random poeticisms in this one, I’m really feeling it!)
Fantasy/isekai
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest (Crunchyroll/VRV)
Mike’s thoughts: This one is okay, par for the course in terms of modern fantasy anime. The premise is intriguing enough, and some of the action in episode 2 was decent, I just can’t see myself going past the third episode with a cast of characters who don’t really bring much to the table. And yes, I did notice that this was based on a light novel, and the fact that our main protagonist has himself a harem is totally not a red flag.
Fantasia Sango (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts: This is one of those frustrating anime, in which I enjoy the visual aesthetic of the series more than the actual story. And it’s not like the story is bad or anything, it’s just kind of “been there, done that.” It also doesn’t help that this is an adaptation of a popular(?) RPG from UserJoy Technology, which explains the monster of the week structure of each episode. I can understand the appeal of this series, but when covering an entire season of new anime, you have to bring more to the table than just the battle between humans and some demon variant.
In the Land of Leadale (Crunchyroll/VRV)
Mike’s thoughts: I have no idea what to make of this show. Yes, it’s another isekai based on a light novel, but there’s something off kilter about it that seems to draw me in. Tonally, it’s a mess. The backstory of our main protagonist is actually pretty dark, and yet there are way too many comedic moments within the titular VRMMORPG that it’s hard to take things seriously. But I like this character, and episode 3 introduces some elements that left me wanting more.
She Professed Herself the Pupil of The Wise Man (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts (DUB): maybe I’m just biased because the dub for this anime makes it a little more palatable, but there’s really only one thing holding it back: some of the jankiest CGI that feels incredibly out of sync with the rest of the 2D animation! The good news is that you don’t see it too often, it’s mostly just during the action sequences. The bad news is we get at least one per episode, and it never gets better. Other than that, this is just another generic VRMMORPG setting, with a quirky gimmick involving the main protagonist being “reincarnated” into the opposite gender. Still, it’s not nearly the worst anime of the season, but I am getting sick of the generic isekai with nothing new to offer.
Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout (CrunchyrollVRV)
Mike’s thoughts: So far this is my favorite isekai of the season! In my opinion, the secret to this genre’s success has always been infusing the right amount of comedy into the core premise. In this case, our two main protagonists have been transported to another world because of a monkey paw situation involving a really petty goddess. The first episode is a little rough, and there might be a little too much gay panic, but by the second episode, I’m hooked, and now I cannot wait to see where things go from here!
Miss Kuroitsu from the Monster Development Department (CrunchyrollVRV)
Mike’s thoughts: If you’re a fan of tokusatsu and/or magical girl anime, and have always wanted to know where all these monsters come from, then this is the show for you! What we have here is a workplace comedy set in a world where the battle between good and evil is nothing more than a 9 to 5. It has a fantastic sense of humor, and provides a great deal of commentary both on standard working conditions as well as the creative process. The characters each have unique quirks, and there might even be a sweet romance teased on the side. The year is young, but I can easily recommend this as one of my favorites.
The Genius Princes’ Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts: This is the superior version of Realist Hero, and part of the reason why is quite simple: these characters are all bursting with personality. Prince Wein might actually be one of my favorite protagonists, because even though he’s earned the respect of his subjects, he can be kind of despicable in a very entertaining fashion. On top of that, the dynamic he shares with Ninym and the rest of the cast is wonderful. If nothing else, this show demonstrates the importance of execution, especially within this genre in particular.
Slice of Life
Police in a Pod (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts: There’s no two ways about it, this show is straight up copoganda. That doesn’t necessarily make it bad, but due to current events and the way we now view the police, it’s exactly why I cannot in good conscience recommend this anime. I also need to issue a content warning for the second episode, which addresses cases of domestic abuse. Objectively, the show has a pretty decent cast of generally likable characters, it’s just hard to root for them given their occupation.
Akebi’s Sailor Uniform (Funimation/Crunchyroll/VRV)
Mike’s thoughts (DUB, 2 eps deep): Look, on the one hand, not every anime is intended to appeal to everyone. While I generally disagree with making blanket statement criticisms, I understand that a lot of people will be quick to write off slice of life shows because “nothing happens.” That’s not why I take issue with Akebi’s Sailor Uniform. No, my biggest issue is that there is too wide a gap between the GORGEOUS animation from Cloverworks and the, um, choice to include this many shots of middle school students’ feet. If you can get past that, then more power to you. As for me, I’m perfectly content with having stopped at only 2 episodes, because I don’t know how much more of this I can take.
Cue! (Crunchyroll/VRV)
Mike’s thoughts: For better or for worse, one of the benefits of going into these anime blind is that I’m free to judge each series with a more critical eye, unbound by expectations. I say this, because I genuinely didn’t realize that Cue! was always intended to be an idol anime, but it didn’t exactly become apparent until the third episode. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I was more on board with the focus sticking with voice acting. For someone like me who’s into learning more about the creative process, it’s always cool to see these inside baseball shows like this one. The one potential “complaint” I could have is that the shows within the anime either come off too generic, or I would rather watch those instead of half the titles we’re covering in this podcast.
Slow Loop (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts: On the one hand, this show is really nice. It’s sweet, very laid back, and kind of educational for those who want to know more about fishing and how to prepare seafood dishes. There’s just one potential problem though: do our two main leads have to be sisters? It’s not a big deal now, because so far their dynamic is fairly innocent, and they share some pretty touching moments together. I just fear, because it’s anime and they’re only step-siblings, that there could be a romance blossoming. If I’m wrong, I’ll happily eat crow, but this is just what my gut is telling me as of episode 3. Still, I can comfortably recommend Slow Loop.
My Dress Up Darling (Funimation/Crunchyroll/VRV)
Mike’s thoughts (DUB, 2 eps deep): I think this might be the best slice of life anime I’ve seen so far this year, for at least one reason. Basically, the main theme of the anime is to embrace your passion, which is obviously something we here at Renegade Pop Culture firmly believe in. Sure, the specific examples depicted here may not be for everyone, but at no point are the main characters judged too harshly, save for a few notable exceptions. I wouldn’t recommend this anime to children per se, but it’s cool to see the two leads forming an organic bond over the things they love. As an added bonus, Funimation made the right choice by casting the popular VTuber Amanda Lee to voice Marin Kitagawa, a high school student who’s obsessed with cosplay.
Sasaki and Miyano (Funimation)
Mike’s thoughts (DUB, 1 ep deep): Part of me feels bad that I was only able to catch one episode of this anime as of this writing, because for my first real serialized exposure to BL, I’m honestly really liking it. There is sort of a meta aspect to the series, as our main lead Miyano is a manga reader. This is a perfect starting point for newbies of the subgenre, because he quite thoroughly lays out all the tropes all within the first episode, which I’m sure will leave plenty of room for the rest of the series to develop the actual relationship. Not much else I can really say except that I like the two leads, and I wish them both the best. You’ll know right away whether or not you’re into Sasaki and Miyano.
That’ll do it for this episode! Special thanks to Cameron for editing this episode! Keep your eyes on the horizon, because a new podcast episode’ll be coming your way very soon!
