Real life has been consuming most of my time lately but I'm going to continue trying to sift through the new anime!
Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master ep 1: I knew that I'd like this from the outset so fortunately I wasn't disappointed. Old fashioned Japanese court intrigue, with the twist that the characters are actually yatagarasu (mythological three-legged crows) playing the part of humans. There are plenty of complicated politics and social rituals to untangle which keep my mind engaged as we're introduced to a bunch of competing bridal candidates who are trying to win the hand of the newest leader of the yatagarasu. There are hints that the reward for victory may actually be a poisoned chalice, though, and everyone has their own motivations to navigate. I love shows which reward me for paying attention to the details and since this one is loaded with layers of subtlety, I'm sure that I'll enjoy it throughout the season.
Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again ep 1: Exactly as the title says, this lighthearted comedy explores a scenario where an older couple in a rural community suddenly 'de-age' to become white-haired elders with youthful good looks. I initially expected a series where the elderly couple would tackle modern problems with the ingenuity of their experience paired with their newly-youthful bodies, allowing for comedic situations highlighting the benefits of their situation. That didn't happen. Instead, the first episode kept replaying the same joke over and over; people would gush over how hot Grandpa or Grandma had become and they would appear oblivious and continue muddling along. The elderly characters are weirdly passive about everything that goes on, which isn't very inspiring to watch.
Mysterious Disappearances ep 1: By coincidence we followed up with this supernatural show about cursed books, which also happened to involve a storyline based on 'de-aging'. It handled the subject matter far more interestingly. The lead is a struggling author who is devastated at having reached the geriatric age of twenty-eight (ouch). She ends up getting mixed up in a bizarre urban mystery with her weird colleague at the bookshop where she works. I love the visuals, which blend a modern manga art style with exaggerated horror elements, and the enthusiastic way that the story was told really drew me in. The series is also very horny, but in a way which makes it fun to watch rather than oddly disconcerting like the 'everyone's irrationally thirsty for Grandpa' show. This earns a second episode.
The New Gate ep 1: Ugh. An uncharismatic Kirito knock-off narrates that a popular, generic-looking VR MMO has become a 'death game', but fortunately he is able to beat the final boss solo. As expected, he's rewarded by everyone else being able to log out - except that he can't, and the next thing he knows he's been teleported into another VR MMO. Or has he? After rescuing the usual busty, useless, blushing damsel who only dresses in her underwear, he discovers that he's actually in the future of the game he just beat and has to muddle through a kind-of-familiar new world, visiting adventuring guilds and ticking off every box on the list of generic isekai story tropes. And that's kind of all that happened, via a fight scene which was supposed to be exciting with the theme song bursting forth, except that it just felt disjointed instead. It was a shame when the lead changed out of his Kirito cosplay in order to look more generic. (Also, why is one of the selectable races in the game simply 'lord'?)
R