Summer 2016 Anime Season First Impressions (Part 2)
- Braden Turk
- Aug 14, 2016
- 4 min read
Welcome back!
91 Days
91 Days, the first original production brought to us by studio Shuka, is a new series set during the prohibition era that follows thee destined journey of Avilio, a now-orphan who lived a happy life with his brother and two parents (of which his father happened to be in some gangster-related turmoil), until all of them were killed right in front of his eyes. Several years later, Avilio receives a strange letter that details all of the people responsible for his life’s destruction, prompting him to set out to infiltrate the murderous gangster families to avenge the deaths of all he had loved.
Given the fact that you read that, you should probably have already picked up on this, but, nevertheless, I’ll state the obligatory: 91 Days is incredibly original. Not only is this type of setting nearly unseen in almost all anime seasons, but almost everything else about it as well- the tone, the characters, the music: the list goes on. Every minute feels fresh and new, yet it still doesn’t lose its original roots- 91 Days, while not copying, is very obviously inspired by classic American gangster films.
Normally, this is the about the part in an “Anime Seasons First Impressions” review that I go on to list more positives, with some negatives spliced in there for good measure. However, with 91 Days, I feel no particular need to list any more positive nor negative things about it. “Wait, what?” you ask, “Are there simply no other positives- much less any negatives- to talk about when given the show 91 Days? Is that all there is to it?” Well, not exactly: it’s just that, in only this case, 91 Days is so well handled and so universally appealing (in other words, it appeals to the masses), that I believe that everyone should go give it a try and see it for themselves. That’s it.
8.5/10- Expertly crafted and smartly executed, 91 Days is an incredibly original and wholly interesting show that somehow manages to feel more like a classic gangster film than most classic gangster films manage to be themselves; bound by no cultural barriers, this anime is one that nearly everybody should not miss.
Orange
Brought to us by the director of the critically-acclaimed series Steins;Gate, Orange is the newest manga-adapted Telecom Animation Film work, of which follows Naho Takamiya, a high-school girl who starts to receive letters from herself ten years in the future, with the main conflict being that Kakeru, a new transfer student whom Naho’s group of friends befriends, is not alive by the time the letters are sent, with the future Naho asking her old self to watch over Kakeru closely and not fall into the same regrets as she once did.
Now, with a premise like that, many people (myself included) would be sure to think that this would be a largely science fiction, ultra-high-stakes series with a shocking plot twist every minute. Well, that is partly true- but only partly. Instead of being a series that delves into a gigantic time travel mystery spiel, Orange instead settles to be very subdued. Very, very subdued. Gone are the race-against-time sequences: this is a battle-against-fate series, with realistic characters, intentionally dull visuals, and subdued voice acting that opts to use its fixing the past to fix the future element as more of a tool for character exploration, instead of a basic thriller-creator.
As for any negatives: in all honesty, there really aren’t any to be seen just yet. Given that Orange is incredibly character-driven, it could stumble a bit in that regard later on, but even then it seems like the series knows what it’s heading for in its inevitable conclusion.
7.5/10- With a completely subdued tone, Orange manages to be both an intriguing and simultaneously (purposefully) something-is-definitely-off type of show all in one.
Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100, the newest anime by acclaimed studio BONES, follows the adolescent life of psychic power-wielding middle schooler Kageyama Shigeo (also simply known as “Mob”) as he participates in a wide variety of bizarre activities, one of which includes running alongside a psychic business owner, of which he considers his biggest (and most possibly only) mentor.
Now, I would first like to say that Mob Psycho 100 is quite a visually-interesting show, both in the sense of still-frames and in the way that the characters (and henceforth backgrounds) move around on the screen; however, that isn’t the full point that I’m trying to make here, especially when I’ve praised a lot of anime at this point for their visuals alone. Although… Mob Psycho 100 is an entirely different case; while most manga styles, though not easy, are fairly standard to replicate over (if at all) onto the screen, Mob Psycho 100 is different, as it was created by manga genius ONE, who also just happens to be the creator of the smash manga/anime hit One Punch Man. Now, why is this style so hard to replicate? Well, let’s just say… it’s very unique work. Without going too much (more) into it, the final conclusion I have to make here is that, well, studio BONES is just studio BONES; what else more is there to say about that?
Other than that, though, other technical aspects are handled expertly: Setsuo Itou’s (Mob) deadpan voice acting for the main character is completely spot-on with both the tone and the character, making Mob’s character all the more “believable” (if you would wish to call it that), the interspliced plot points and threads are all neatly handled, and the pacing is generally fantastic. In all honesty, there’s really just one word that nearly everybody who watches Mob Psycho 100 can use to adequately describe the show: it’s refreshing in every sense of the word.
8/10- With more than “just great” animation, professional voice acting, and expertly-crafted storytelling aspects, Mob Psycho 100 is an anime set to deliver on all fronts it promises to satisfy on.
Season Recollection
What a great season! Although I had more anime I was initially interested in last season, this 3-month period is turning out to have overall better shows… albeit in less quantity than what was previously given. What else more is there to say? See you in this article segment next season!
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