Category: Anime

Title: The Detective is Already Dead
Genre: Mystery, Romance
Where: Funimation
Synopsis: Kimizuka Kimihiko is a crisis-magnet. From getting caught up in a crime scene to accidentally witnessing a drug deal, trouble seems to find him around every corner. So it is no surprise when his rather mundane flight suddenly enters a state of emergency with a dire need of a detective onboard. Unfortunately, his attempt at avoiding trouble is foiled by a beautiful girl with silver hair who goes by the codename Siesta. Declaring herself a detective, she unceremoniously drags Kimizuka into the case as her assistant.

That incident spelled the beginning of an adventure around the globe that went beyond his wildest imagination. Putting their lives on the line, the two took down criminal organizations, prevented disasters, and saved thousands. But the curtain closed to their epic journey with Siesta’s untimely death three years later.

Resolving to live an ordinary high school life this time, Kimizuka spends a year maintaining a low profile. However, as fate would have it, a girl with an uncanny resemblance to Siesta comes crashing into his life, threatening to throw his peaceful days into disarray. (CREDIT: https://myanimelist.net/anime/46471/Tantei_wa_Mou_Shindeiru)

I was initially on the fence about this anime, but was quickly sucked into its plot.

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.**

We are introduced to our protagonist, Kimi, who is a danger magnet. So much so that local police always have an eye on him because of how often they see him at a crime scene. In a random turn of events, Kimi is forced to carry a suspicious briefcase onto a plane. He hears, “Is there a detective on board?”

At first, he thinks he heard incorrectly. After all, why would they call for a detective. A doctor, perhaps, but not a detective.

That’s when the beautiful silver-haired girl seated next to him raises her hand and says, “I’m a detective.”

Just as quickly as she raised her hand, she declares Kimi as her sidekick. In shock, Kimi proceeds with her. The plane has been hijacked and the flight attendant is leading them to the cockpit.

That’s when things take a sudden turn. As they speak to the hijacker in the cockpit, Siesta goes into a impressive deducing rant just like they do in any mystery anime. The hijacker is concerned as to what clues he gave away that led her to her deductions. This is where we discover that there are epic crime rings and intricate conspiracies. Among these are the existence of androids with superhuman intellect that terrorize the world. The hijacker is only a partial android, extremities growing out of the right ear, but also providing him super-human hearing. In an epic battle to stay alive, Kimi remembers the briefcase. For some unknown reason, he retrieves the briefcase and throws it at Siesta. There, a weapon within it allowing Siesta to defeat the android. The technology within the bullet made it so that particular android could never attack Siesta again. This is very important.

After the incident, we find out Siesta was responsible for the kidnapping of Kimi and she had planned the weapon from the get-go. She then pesters Kimi into becoming her sidekick despite his adamant refusal. They spend three years going on adventures and building memories together. But, as quickly as we’re introduced to this story, Kimi tells us that the detective is already dead.

We pick up Kimi in his final year of high school living the mundane life he always wanted, except it isn’t what he thought it would be. Not after all of the things he went through with Siesta. Suddenly a stranger approaches him and asks if the legendary detective could help her find someone she didn’t really know she was looking for. He decides to take on the case after the girl tells me she received the heart in a transplant. He deduces that she has a case of memory transference. They visit his contact at the police who secretly gives them access to the android he helped catch. Kimi hopes that the android has heard the heart before. The android has and to prove it, he attacks the girl, only to find out he can’t. His android ear/arm disintegrates and it is in that moment that Kimi realizes that the heart belonged to Siesta. In a tearful moment, he hugs the girl and tells Siesta how much he missed her.

The mystery was solved. However, as he tells the girl to live her life and walks away, another younger girl grabs his coat. Could it be that she also has a part of Siesta?

So far, I really like this show. It went in a direction I wasn’t expecting. If you like mystery/supernatural content, I think you’d enjoy this one. It also seems like there will be a romantic element which I look forward to.

Title: The Case Study of Vanitas
Genre: Vampire, Fantasy, Historical
Where: Funimation
Synposis: There once lived a vampire known as Vanitas, hated by his own kind for being born under a blue full moon, as most arise on the night of a crimson one. Afraid and alone, he created the “Book of Vanitas,” a cursed grimoire that would one day take his vengeance on all vampires; this is how the story goes at least.

Vanitas no Carte follows Noé, a young man travelling aboard an airship in 19th century Paris with one goal in mind: to find the Book of Vanitas. A sudden vampire attack leads him to meet the enigmatic Vanitas, a doctor who specializes in vampires and, much to Noé’s surprise, a completely ordinary human. The mysterious doctor has inherited both the name and the infamous text from the Vanitas of legend, using the grimoire to heal his patients. But behind his kind demeanor lies something a bit more sinister…(CREDIT:https://myanimelist.net/anime/48580/Vanitas_no_Karte)

It has vampires. That, in itself, is the reason why I wanted to watch this show. However, I am not disappointed!

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION**

It is true. The only reason I wanted to watch this show was because it has vampires. The description of the show didn’t exactly pique my interest. But, now having watched the first two episodes, I am glad I gave it a shot.

We are introduced to the story of vampires. Most vampires are born on a crimson moon. However, there was one born on a blue moon. His name was Vanitas who was basically exiled by his own kind. In response, he created a powerful grimoire that could corrupt a vampire’s name turning them into an uncontrollable beast. Or, at least, that is how the story goes.

We’re introduced to Noe, a vampire that believes the blue moon is beautiful. As he grows, his teacher tasks Noe with seeking out the grimoire and finding its true purpose. In that search, he boards an airship to Paris. Noe is absolutely adorable. He’s kind of an airhead, and speaks exactly what’s on his mind. Noe meets a woman on the airship who appears to be very sick. This woman is a vampire, but is corrupted. This is how we meet Vanitas. Except, Vanitas is not who we expect. He’s human and instead of using the grimoire to corrupt vampires, he is actually treating them with the grimoire to restore their names.

Vanitas is immediately taken with Noe and wants Noe to join him in his battles to which Noe tells Vanitas he doesn’t like him. Vanitas quickly changes Noe’s mind by reminding him that by tagging along and helping him, he can also accomplish his mission. Noe, making it absolutely clear that he dislikes Vanitas, agrees.

The interaction between Vanitas and Noe is actually quite funny. Vanitas is also a character. He’s quite arrogant and it is understandable why Noe doesn’t quite like him.

At the end of the first episode, we discover that the proceeding events are Noe’s memories before he had to take Vanitas’ life. That is what makes this show even more exciting. What led to Noe taking Vanitas’ life despite growing closer through their travels? I’m intrigued and can’t wait for the rest of the season!

Title: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Genre: Isekai
Where: Funimation
Synopsis: When Kazuya Souma is unexpectedly transported to another world, he knows the people expect a hero. But Souma’s idea of heroism is more practical than most—he wants to rebuild the flagging economy of the new land he’s found himself in! Betrothed to the princess and abruptly planted on the throne, this realist hero must gather talented people to help him get the country back on its feet—not through war, or adventure, but with administrative reform! (CREDIT: https://myanimelist.net/anime/41710/Genjitsu_Shugi_Yuusha_no_Oukoku_Saikenki)

If you love isekai, give this one a shot. I really, really enjoyed the first two episodes.

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION**

This isekai is self-aware. Our protagonist, Souma, is summoned by another world, so he has full recollection of his past life, not that his past life had anything to leave behind. He was alone in the world after the passing of his last relative. When Souma arrives to the new world, he is annoyed, but gives the king a chance to explain why he was summoned. It is explained that the empire is in a deadlocked battle with a nation of demons and that nations not on the border need to provide financial assistance to the empire. The king appears to lack a backbone and is not very regal at all. In fact, when Souma inquires exactly what his duty at the hero entails, the king doesn’t even have the courage to explain it to Souma. Instead, the king motions to their prime minister, Marx, to take the honors. It is explained that in the instance their nation cannot provide financial aid to the empire, they are to summon the hero. And, what, pray tell, do they intend to do with Souma? Why, use the hero for payment, of course! Deducing that he is the only card the nation has to play, Souma has to quickly think on his feet. It doesn’t seem like being traded off for payment will guarantee his safety, or the protection of his life. He doesn’t want to be traded off for payment, so he quickly convinces the king that handing over their only card to play would not be an intelligent move.

Temporarily securing his safety, they have a meeting lasting three days and three nights. The next day, the king introduces Souma and then, by ambush, quickly abdicates his throne and declares Souma king. In addition, he announces the engagement of Souma to his daughter. Standing behind the king, we see the queen with a big smile. It seems to hint that maybe, this was the queen’s idea.

So far, the show is actually refreshing. Instead of an overpowered hero, we have a hero that is blessed with magic that is neither powerful of elegant. He is given the power to split his consciousness which happens to be effective in bureaucratic paperwork. Instead of a hero fighting the nation’s problems on a battlefield, he is going to reform the country to be more self-sufficient. The nation is starving and poor. Using his knowledge from his world, Souma begins to recruit the nation’s best talent to get it back on its feet.

As for the love story, the princess and Souma get along well. I can tell that their love story will progress slowly which is a breath of fresh air. I like love stories that progress with time. It appears that by working together to save the nation, they will fall in love.

There are plenty of comic relief moments, but also, a very realistic approach to saving a nation. So far, I really like the first two episodes and see myself following this one to the end.

Title: Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Where: Funimation
Synopsis:

“Hello, boys and girls! Do you like guys with more than one side to them?”

31 year old Omota Uramichi is the gymnastics coach in the children’s educational TV program “Together with Mama.” He might be sweet on the outside, but all boys and girls are inevitably scared off whenever they get a glimpse of the adult darkness that’s the result of Uramichi-sensei’s emotional instability. This is a tragic eulogy to all the “boys and girls” who are now adults! (Credit: https://myanimelist.net/anime/40620/Uramichi_Oniisan)

This anime is dank. Dark and dank.

For us adults, it is an ode to the death of our youth and the reality of life. We are introduced to Uramichi who is a former gymnast who now works on a children’s program. One minute, he is a cheerful show host, but the minute he is asked a question by one of the child actors, a switch happens and something dark comes out of his mouth. And, it’s actually pretty funny for all the wrong reasons.

Urimichi is a lot of us. Adults that didn’t actually end up where we wanted to. Urimichi and he fellow co-workers are all in the same boat, and by that, I mean hitting mid-life and wondering whether this is as good as it gets. And, it’s funny.

If you like dark humor, this show is for you. There really isn’t much to review. If you like dark humor, you’ll just have to watch it. Uramichi throws out some awesome one-liners that one must experience in real time.

Title: Peach Boy Riverside
Genre: Fantasy, Action
Where: Crunchyroll
Synopsis: Saltorine Aldike, or Sari, is a bright, cheerful princess who wants to go on an adventure because she is bored of her tiny little castle in the countryside. One day, a hoard of vicious demons known as “Oni” come knocking on her doorstep, threatening the lives of everyone in the Kingdom. Thankfully, they are saved by a lone traveler named Kibitsu Mikoto who slays these monsters with a mysterious “Peach Eye.” Shocked by the dangers of the outside world, Sari decides to set off on a journey of her own. Little did she know that she would set in motion a chain of events that will come to determine the fate of this magical world. (Credit: https://myanimelist.net/anime/42627/Peach_Boy_Riverside)

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION**

This anime definitely had a strong opening. We are introduced to Sally, who, we learn, is a former princess. She seems to have left her kingdom in search of someone. We don’t know who or why. Immediately in the opening scene, Sally encounters a rabbit-like demihuman laying face down in the dirt. Turning her back because it is best to leave things you don’t understand, she doesn’t make it far before turning around from guilt and giving the rabbit a carrot. The rabbit quickly comes to life and begins to eat the carrot. The humanoid rabbit introduces herself as Frau, a harefolk.

Frau then follows Sally due to the “carrot debt”. She vows to protect Sally. Sally, a bit annoyed, tells Frau she can follow her to the town, but only to the town, and her debt will be repaid. However, when they get to the town, the townsfolk are not welcoming despite Frau defeating the orge that was about to attack their village. They tell Sally that harefolk are the mortal enemies of humans. Sally not seeing how or why they townsfolk feel this way decides to side with Frau and leave the town.

Frau and Sally managed to get arrested on their way out of town. After a few hours in jail, they’re suddenly released by their jailor by stating that Frau was chivalrous and therefore not a threat. As if the town was a beacon, they are attacked again by a duo of ogres. This time, Frau’s power isn’t enough. The ogre tries to offer freedom to Frau, but she is bound to protect Sally.

And, that’s when we learn that there is something different about Sally. The narration begins the opening to the tale of Momotaro, the peach boy. For those of you who have not previously seen any anime that references Momotaro, the tale is about an old man and old lady. While the old lady was washing clothes, a huge peach came down the river. When they tried to open the peach and eat it, they found a child. This child became an oni (ogre/demon) hunter. We are then greeted with a force taking over Sally and as the ogre tried to punch her, she obliterates his arm with a swap of her hand. The narrator asks us, “What if he wasn’t the only one?”

I am VERY intrigued. I’m looking forward to more episodes.

Title: Girlfriend, Girlfriend
Where: Crunchyroll
Genre: Harem, Comedy, Slice of Life
Synopsis: After harboring an unrequited love for years, Naoya Mukai finally gets to date his childhood friend, Saki Saki. However, just as he tries to commit himself to this relationship, he receives an abrupt confession from Nagisa Minase. At first, Naoya tries to reject her but is soon overcome by feelings of not wanting to hurt Nagisa. Trying to avoid betraying his girlfriend’s trust in him, Naoya thinks up a “solution” to make both girls happy—two-timing. Naturally, Saki rebuffs this idea, but through Naoya’s and Nagisa’s persistence, she reluctantly submits. With this, a three-way affair begins between Naoya, his girlfriend, and his “other” girlfriend, as they develop a relationship that deviates from the social norm. (Credit: https://myanimelist.net/anime/43969/Kanojo_mo_Kanojo)

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION**

I want to like this one, but my gut is telling me that I will get bored with it before the completion of three episodes. But, hey. I could be wrong.

Our protagonist, Naoya, is an idiot. Not my brand of idiot, though. He is plagued with the burden of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. This means he freely makes confessions or opinions on a whim and is one of those that “can’t read the room.” This admirable quality is force-fed down your throat. It’s overkill and I had a lot of trouble enjoying this level of “idiot”. I really didn’t find his antics funny.

The scenario itself is prompted by this gag-worthy altruism. After finally winning the heart of his childhood friend, Saki, he is immediately confessed to by a girl he never met. Enamored by her cuteness, and her commitment to her confession, he confesses that she was cute and that he wanted to date her, too. His solution? Have his current girlfriend meet Nagisa and then ask her to allow him to date both of them. Bold move.

Unfortunately, I found myself rolling my eyes.

Then, our protagonist naturally comes to the conclusion that they should all live together so that they could get to know each other. He conveniently lives alone. Despite her unwillingness, Saki agrees to this arrangement to the delight of Naoya and Nagisa. We’re greeted by the two girls bathing together and discussions about how they’re going to deal with sex. After a confrontation by Saki, Naoya suggests a threesome. After Saki throws a fit, Naoya decides he won’t touch either of them since it was unfair. However, Saki seems to indicate that she wants to be intimate.

This is the kind of anime it is going to be. A lot of sexual innuendo and situations. I’m not opposed to this kind of anime, but it isn’t my favorite. I’m going to have to watch a few more episodes before making up my mind, but currently, it’s going to be subject-matter preference for you all. I think some of you might enjoy this type of harem, but it isn’t my favorite. Maybe I’m getting too old!