The Seasonal Summer Anime Beach Episode! (Part 2) - Renegade Animation #34
Tonight, on a very conclusive episode of Renegade Animation, The Animation Guru and Captain Kaye, along with special guests Haley and Teresa, have some unfinished business as they take a look at the rest of the summer anime season.
How’s it going everyone? It’s THE DIRECTOR once again, and I won’t waste your time any further. If you tuned into our last episode of Renegade Animation, we only covered ONE PART of the entire summer season of anime. So NOW, we’re gonna kick it over to the Captain himself, as well as special guests Haley Teresa, with their thoughts on the other batch of anime shows that hit the waves this year.
Without further adieu, here we go!
The Idaten Deities Only Know Peace (Crunchyroll)
“Honestly, I really don’t know what to think of this one. Knowing what I know now about Mappa, it’s getting harder to give certain titles a pass simply because ‘the animation is great,’ and sure, this one does have a pretty interesting art style. The thing that really drags it down is a lack of focus. I like this premise in theory, and they could have made a really good anime had they toned down all the try hard edgy tendencies. The worst offender is the ‘Goblin Slayer’ moment at the end of episode 1, and I wouldn’t blame anyone who can’t get past that.” - Captain Kaye
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom (Funimation)
“Remember how Star Wars fans were complaining about how boring The Phantom Menace was when it focused on the intricacies of trade disputes? Yeah, that’s basically my problem with How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom. The concept is at least a fascinating one by modern Isekai standards, but feels a little one-note in execution. Perhaps had this been intended as a comedy, with ‘sloppier’ animation and leaned further in on the culture shock of a Japanese high schooler entering this high fantasy world, the show would have more to work with. As it is, I just can’t see myself continuing past the third episode.” - Captain Kaye
“BORING, very silly talk about supply and demand, lead is milque toast.“ - Teresa
Battle Game in 5 Seconds (Crunchyroll)
“If this was your first battle royale anime, and you were a 14-year old weeb in 2007, then you would have LOVED Battle Game in 5 Seconds! However, viewed with a critical lens in 2021, I just couldn’t vibe with it. Part of the reason is because I was running on little to no sleep watching it, but also I’m just exhausted by the lot of these titles just being edgy for the sake of edginess. Two things I will give this credit for is an AWESOME OP performed by Akari Kito, and the kinda-sorta intrigue of the nature of each fighter’s abilities. Otherwise, this one’s pretty damn disposable.” - Captain Kaye
Spirit Chronicles (Crunchyroll)
“On the one hand, I genuinely think Spirit Chronicles is one of the better Isekai anime I’ve seen based on a light novel so far since I’ve started this podcast. However, I literally hate every single character who isn’t Rio and the two people who actually treat him like a decent human being. For a series that’s mostly trying to take itself seriously, they really ramp up the classism to a cartoonish extreme. I get it, Rio is a commoner who’s a fish out of water in this prestigious magic academy, but these assholes will find every excuse under the sun to bully him for shit he didn’t even do. I hope these people get their comeuppance in some shape or form, because it would feel very cathartic after these first three episodes.” - Captain Kaye
“Interesting storyline and keen to watch more. Noble jealousy was a bit tedious and wonder why the princesses let it persist for years. Enjoyed the rematch with Rio’s torturer at the knight practical. Animation is decent and I like most of the characters. Professor Celia is a bit sad, but hopefully she has more stories to come.” - Teresa
D_Cide Traumerei the Animation (Crunchyroll)
“In hindsight, I should have guessed based on the title that this was part of a video game/multimedia franchise. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it does explain why I basically loved everything else EXCEPT the main plot. But even then, it’s not that it’s bad, just that the writing feels a little too unbalanced. This is an anime with some of the best CG animation from Sanzigen, and every action scene looks stellar, but it’s rubbing up against stories in each episode that tackle some pretty heavy themes that aren’t exactly handled with finesse. A little more fine tuning, and this could have really been an all-time great! Hopefully the show does find its voice after the first three episodes, because the core premise does intrigue me enough to want to keep watching.” - Captain Kaye
“D_cide got better in episode 2, but ended rather abruptly. Not a fan of the animation style like the world’s end. Like the premise though of preying on people’s dreams and insecurities. Hand monsters are really weird.” - Teresa
Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy (Crunchyroll)
“Easily the best anime of this season’s action/adventure offerings, and probably one of the best Isekai that I’ve seen since this podcast launched. And I think part of the reason why is because they don’t just take the easy way out with the set up. In fact, what we have here is actually pretty refreshing. As it turns out, our protagonist Makoto Misumi is actually the son of a couple who comes from another world, so Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy is a subversive take on the isekai formula. It’s not quite as unhinged as KonoSuba, but it still has a great sense of humor, and all of the characters are incredibly likeable. This is the first time in which I willingly went beyond the first three episodes, simply because I was that invested in this world and the narrative that was being set up, and now I’m just craving more!” - Captain Kaye
“It took me a bit to get into it, but ep 2 won me over. Bit weird the spider just fell in love, but going with it. Like the tongue and cheek tone from Misumi Makoto. Interesting he is tracing his parents path!” - Teresa
Cheat Pharmacist’s Slow Life: Making a Drug Store in Another World (Crunchyroll)
“For better or for worse, I’m starting to get really good at being able to recognize anime that’s based on a light novel, because they each have an oddly specific rhythm, and almost always put a heavy emphasis on romance. Drug Store in Another World is a pretty vapid example of following the typical light novel beats, while adding almost nothing of substance. For example, a good 5 minutes of the second episode focus on the magic of dish soap. On the one hand, I can kind of see the appeal of a show like this, I just feel as if a similar premise was better executed in last season’s The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent.” - Captain Kaye
“Cute premise and love the shop assistant. Not sure I like the character subtitles. Animation is ok but feels simple in some parts. Red cat brigade and super potion seems like an interesting spin on small town mercs. Very fluffy and easy to watch. Curious about the villains with the ep 3 closing scenes.” - Teresa
The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated (Crunchyroll)
“I have no idea what to make of this series. On the one hand, the premise of a ruler of the Dark Realm being turned to human and stripped of all her powers has a great deal of comedic potential. However, I’m just not feeling it 100%. Half of the dialogue comes across as very repetitive, and some of these characters are too dense for their own good. And yet I still want to continue watching, especially when the end of episode 3 comes out of nowhere and starts riffing on mecha anime by way of Disney’s Treasure Planet. If the whole show was like that, I’d probably love this. Instead, it’s merely a curiosity.” - Captain Kaye
“It’s a silly premise, and I’m not big on the naked demon look, but I do like her attitude.” - Teresa
Remake Our Life (Crunchyroll)
“Real talk, I wasn’t expecting to love this series as much as I did, but something about its core premise just hit a sweet spot for me. Personally, I try my best not to dwell so much on the past, but we can’t fight human nature, everyone at one point or another will ask themselves ‘what if my life went in a different direction?’ This is the second anime to begin with an hour-long pilot, but unlike The Detective Is Already Dead, Remake Our Life uses its time more effectively, and does a better job of getting inside the head of our main protagonist. For the purposes of this podcast, I would strongly recommend watching all three episodes, because that third episode ends on a more satisfying conclusion to the first ‘arc’ or the season.” - Captain Kaye
“Interesting self reflexive premise! The main character grew on me, and the animation is decent!” - Teresa
The Dungeon of Black Company (Funimation)
“Disclaimer: I watched the dub for the first three episodes, which ultimately will affect my opinion of this anime. With that being said, The Dungeon of Black Company is hysterical! Since Isekai has become about as ubiquitous in anime as superheroes have become in all of media, the best thing to do is switch up the formula. In this case, we have a pitch black workplace comedy in an urban fantasy setting, led by a delightfully stupid, lazy, and arrogant asshole of a protagonist whose aspirations are to make as much profit as possible with little to no effort. The dub cast doesn’t exactly have any of Funimation’s recognizable stars, they still commit 110% with their comedic timing, particularly the voices of Kinji Ninomiya and the narrator.” - Captain Kaye
“Interesting premise but I’m not sure if I will continue. A bit too kooky for me. Love Rim and the Aunt Queen. Ending credits are cute, just not invested in Nimoniya’s scheme.” - Teresa
The Duke of Death and his Maid (Funimation)
“The Duke of Death and His Maid is one of the few romantic comedies to strike that near perfect balance between genuine romance and an off-kilter sense of humor, whereas most stories in this genre focus too much on one or the other. I found this premise to be fascinating, and I love the oil painting aesthetic of the backgrounds as well as the gothic setting. Our titular protagonists share great chemistry, and despite the tragedy of the Duke’s curse, I really bought into their romance. All that being said, I can totally understand if this were to turn some people off, particularly when it comes to Alice’s advances.” - Captain Kaye
“I like the premise, but the maid is far too busty and distractingly sexy. Like what age are they supposed to be?! The sister liking the old man butler was gross and such a tack on. I was hoping for black butler vibes and got a horny shut in story. Didn’t hate it but won’t watch more. Very problematic that she’s so obsessed with her boss.” - Teresa
Well, that’ll do it for this week! We finally got through the anime season! Special thanks to Haley and Teresa for joining the animation amigos, and likewise to Cameron for editing this episode! Keep a weather eye to the horizon, and we’ll see you guys very soon!
