As we mentioned in our fall 2021 anime preview post, this season is absolutely stacked, with more than 50 series set to air. The quality of those series—well, that’s a big question mark, but there’s plenty to interest us about the incoming anime to set the stage for an engaging week or two ahead as we watch the opening episodes of most of the fall shows and drop our first impressions on the site!
We’ll be posting frequently as anime premiere, and using this page as a master post to keep track of all our first impression posts, as well as an opportunity for our staff to add additional thoughts to those articles. Keep checking back as we make updates, click on the links below as we develop out this post, and let us know what you’re thinking in the comments!
AMAIM: Warrior at the Borderline • Banished from the Hero’s Party • Blue Period • BUILD-DIVIDE -#000000- CODE BLACK • Deep Insanity: The Lost Child • “Deji” Meets Girl • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season Two) • Digimon Ghost Game • The Faraway Paladin • The Fruit of Evolution • The Heike Story • Irina: the Vampire Cosmonaut • Kaginado • Mieruko-chan • Muteking the Dancing Hero • Muv-Luv Alternative • My Senpai Is Annoying • The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window • Platinum End • Puraore! Pride of Orange • Restaurant to Another World • Rumble Garanndoll • Sakugan • Selection Project • Taisho Otome Fairy Tale • takt op.Destiny • Telsa Note • VISUAL PRISON • The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat • Yuki Yuna is a Hero: the Great Mankai Chapter
AMAIM: Warrior at the Borderline
First Impression: Gaheret
But the best part is, probably, our protagonist, building his secret hideout (every man’s dream, according to some AI) and his robot, isolated by technology, confused by the social changes, longing for communion and meaning, not really believing that things may change. His world is certainly going to, and in interesting directions. It’s too soon to see if he will become a Shinji for my own generation. But, even if the plot goes through more standard paths, this could be a legitimately great ride.
claire
I’m always on the lookout to fill the SSSS.Gridman-shaped hole in my heart–the one sadly left untouched by the follow-on series SSSS.Dynazenon (which was a bit of an unfocused, “throw in the kitchen sink while we’re at it” soup in the end). What I appreciated most about Gridman was the fluid way that character tropes were suddenly, and repeatedly turned on their heads: the hero became a supporting character; the villain became a victim worthy of rescue; the ‘girlfriend material’ became instead the voice of salvation; and a different kind of victory became possible. For its part, AMAIM promises to be a nice mecha story along the lines of a boy and his mecha vs the Forces of Unfreedom. The kind of story we’ve seen many times. So for now I’m still waiting for Gridman…
Streaming on Funimation.
Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside
First Impression: Jeskai Angel
I’m quite content with the opening episode of the adaptation. It was a bit lacking in terms of fodder for hilarious screencaps, but that’s probably not a legitimate criticism. LOL. This episode focused mostly on introducing Red; I imagine one will need to tune in for the next episode to learn more about Rit, who basically got a cameo this time but is actually the other lead character. I recommend you check out Banished from the Hero’s Party.
claire
Yes! We have a spiritual successor to The Saint’s Power is Omnipotent! Chill pace, chill characters, the pursuit of ambitious but attainable goals, and an mc who has his head on his shoulders, prioritizing quality of life rather than fame, fortune, or power. Nice! There’s a bit more of a fraught backstory for Red than there was for Sei, but not a traumatic one, just sad. Maybe he made a mistake not explaining his decision to his sister, but in the meantime, he’s still getting on with adulting and building a new life. In short, this is one to enjoy over a relaxing lunch break!
Streaming on Funimation.
Blue Period
First Impression: claire
…the main reason I’ll be tuning in next week is the art teacher. Maybe it’s because I’m at that point in life where I identify more with the teachers than the students in stories set in high schools, but I find that among the diverse and well-drawn cast of characters, Saeki-sensei is the real gem of the episode. With her, we finally have an adult in a high school anime who is more than a one note character. She is instead a well-rounded, multi-faceted chameleon. Saeki-sensei does what every good teacher should do, but which is nevertheless rare: she meets her students where they are at.
Twwk
As I explained on Instagram, other than that wonderful teacher that Claire referenced, what interested me most was how the series seems to aimed squarely at Japanese students who feel they are cogs in the machine toward adulthood and success. By extension, as a Korean-American, I sense a strong sense of wish fulfillment being presented here, and not necessarily in a bad, fanservice-y kind of way, just in that many will desire to be Yatora. He has everything that high achieving Asian (in an American context, Asian-American) students want—good looks, a possible love interest (Yuka, once Ryuuji), good grades, a strong sense of character and responsibility, amazing friends, and the ability to balance everything—to be both the delinquent AND the top student. But there’s enough reality here, also, to firmly put viewers in his shoes, namely parental, societal, and self pressure and expectations. RELATABLE. I can’t wait to see where this goes!
Streaming weekly on Netflix.
BUILD-DIVIDE -#000000- CODE BLACK
First Impression: claire
There is definitely a hint of a star-crossed-lovers vibe going on with them, reinforced by Sakura’s repeated references to stars and Teruto having awoken in a bed of asters, which represent love in Japanese flower language (as well as patience and…um, daintiness.) But neither the characters nor the non-card-game elements of this episode are enough to hold my interest. If card game anime is your thing, maybe there’s something in the mechanics of this game that might catch your attention. But otherwise, the set-up is pretty familiar from the reams of shonen anime already out there, and there was nothing that stood out particularly about this premiere, once Bear Bun passed on. RIP, my friend.
Streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
Deep Insanity: The Lost Child
First Impression: Gaheret
The title says it all, I guess. The conversations don’t make any sense, the monsters just sit and wait there, even if they can move at extraordinary speed, while our heroes explain their nature and talk about what they should do. Then suddenly the monsters are fast again. Apparently, talking during the missions is forbidden, but sitting and texting is A-OK. People in the streets have masks, soldiers look like astronauts or Chernobyl personnel, yet our heroes apparently prefer to come down to Asylum and face the monsters without such burdensome equipment. This is supposedly a deadly underworld in which only an elite team may enter, but if you happen to miss the training and the simulations because you are unconscious, sure, go down anyway.
Streaming on Funimation.
“Deji” Meets Girl
First Impression: Gaheret
…it does an extremely good work in conveying information through quick character and setting moments (anime’s grace for small moments can achieve a lot with the short-chapter format, as Tonari no Seki-kun and Pupipo taught me). The fantasy comes, beautiful and unexpected, contrasting with a background of greatly achieved realism, and made me think about the feeling I got, as a child, when a C.S. Lewis character enters Narnia.
No *legally licensed* English-language streaming yet available.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Season Two)
First Impression: Laura
As someone who has rewatched Mugen Train more than once, this felt like the perfect way to comfort my heart due to prior events! While I know that this probably will be the last fully Rengoku focused episode, I am definitely going to break my personal rule of waiting for the whole anime season to air and continue watching this weekly!
Streaming on Funimation and Crunchyroll.
Digimon Ghost Game
First Impression: Josh
Admittedly, I was afraid that this show was going to be an off shoot of the Digimon Card game, something I never got into, truth be told. Thankfully, this doesn’t seem to be a cartoon just to sell game cards and action figures. The creators actually seem like they want to tell a good story without relying on gimmicks I am PRODIGIOUSLY interested in following this one and I am also very interested in seeing how this show develops its characters.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Faraway Paladin
First Impression: Negativeprimes
If there’s a show I’m going to watch this season, next to my beloved Restaurant to Another World, it’s going to be this one. There are several things going for it, not the least of which is the theme of gratitude for life and how to live without taking it for granted. There is also a feeling of historical depth to everything in the show: from the characters to the world-building to the religion, everything feels like there’s a history to it. There is thus a certain texture of reality to the entire presentation.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Fruit of Evolution
First Impression: Jeskai Angel
The episode is mildly entertaining, but nothing about is particularly clever or unique. Between the fanservicey prologue and the fat-shaming, there are some truly dislikeable elements as well. I feel solidly meh about The Fruit of Evolution‘s first episode. I’m not certain it will be terrible, but I can’t really recommend it. I can see this being one of those anime where I watch the first five episodes and then drop it when I finally realize that no, it’s not going to get any better.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Heike Story
First Impression: claire
Yamada and Ushio are my anime power team, my OTP of anime creators, and it’s wonderful to see them working together again, and alongside veteran collaborator Reiko Yoshida (who has written all the good things), no less. I am a little concerned that the dynamic trio have shifted studios from KyoAni to Science SARU, but the latter has done some beautiful work in the past (Ping Pong the Animation, Hands off my Eizouken!, Ride Your Wave) so my hopes remain high that The Heike Story will become a favorite for years to come.
jeskaiangel
First impressions, supplemental: the art style is lovely, the setting feels well-grounded in the past, and Biwa is a fun character, a mix of both childlikeness and mystical maturity. I like it. ~ jeskaiangel
Streaming on Funimation.
Irina: the Vampire Cosmonaut
First Impression: claire
This is all I hoped it would be and more. What I’d hoped for was a well-balanced blend of actual Soviet/Cold War history and alternate reality fantasy, combined with winsome characters whose names followed proper Russian conventions, and some decent art to do credit to the space-capade. Check, check and check! Or yest’, yest’, and yest’! as the comrades say. The “more” I also got was a surprising level of attentiveness to rendering the details of Soviet dress and equipment, as well as the Russian landscape, not to mention monuments, buildings and interiors all evoking the Motherland. Which is to say, a great deal of research has gone into this series.
jeskaiangel
First impressions, supplemental: yay, history! Well, at least historical inspiration. I like how the story lampooned the undeniably terrible and evil Soviet regime while also showing us the far more sympathetic characters (e.g., Lev, Irina, Anya) caught up the tyrannical government’s schemes. ~ jeskaiangel
Samuru
I haven’t watched an anime that included vampires since Castlevania, so I was interested to see how this one turned out. I was pleasantly surprised at the dialogue, animation, characters and history of the show. There is potential here to explore the topic of diversity and understanding another culture, without looking down on them for being different. I will be back for more, and hope to learn more about the historical aspects it discusses as well! ~ Samuru
Streaming on Funimation.
Kaginado
First Impression: Twwk
The gags are nothing innovative—take a memorable scene and beloved characters and twist them on their heads, like having Rin complain about lack of make-out time with Riki as her brother fades away, or Nagisa singing the wrong dango song during a famous moment on stage. The jokes aren’t great, and further, it’s actually jarring to start welling up with emotion as these chibi versions relive heartrending scenes before they break into a gag, but at the minuscule run time, this Key fan will be tuning in every week (if I don’t end up dropping Kaginado and binging these classic shows again instead).
Streaming on Funimation.
Mieruko-chan
First Impression: claire
The tone was a lot heavier and more ominous than I anticipated, meaning that the comedy moments did not integrate well at all for me, but instead felt flat and even a bit cruel toward Miko, at least once the horror elements were fully revealed. I couldn’t laugh at her huddling in the school hallway after her friend Hana surprise-greeted her a day into her haunting, but instead felt rather queasy for Miko. The salacious crotch and butt shots, though clothed, were equally out of place and unsettling in their objectification of an already vulnerable teen, presumably for our viewing pleasure. Then again, horror as a genre has never been known for its sensitive treatment of young women, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at this.
Streaming on Funimation.
Muteking the Dancing Hero
First Impression: claire
This episode was cray with a capital Z! The color design is not quite neon enough to be genuinely psychedelic, but it is blindingly trippy nonetheless. It screams 1980s! For the younger readers out there, this is really what the 80s were like, not the chic ‘reinterpretation’ that is dominating contemporary fashion these days. The 80s were bright, loud and completely mismatched. But also a lot of fun, which is exactly what this episode is. Kind of exhausting too though, if I’m honest, and I have a feeling that this is a show that you’ll need to be in the right mood to watch.
Streaming on Funimation.
My Senpai Is Annoying
First Impression: stardf29
Here is another cute slice-of-life romcom, albeit one of those rare ones focused on the adult workplace, which I know some people will be happy to see. There’s still plenty of cuteness to go around, though, and the central pairing of Futaba and Harumi is great with how much Harumi looks after his kouhai, and in return how much Futaba trusts him as a work partner despite her mild annoyances with him. This makes me look forward to seeing how they continue to interact and perhaps even get closer personally.
claire
What an appropriate screencap ⬆︎ because that’s exactly what this series does! Especially for viewers who have spent a year or ten in the workforce. Such a rich cast of characters, each with their own personalities and hang-ups subtly yet clearly defined already in this first episode—and it looks from the promo art like there is still another yet to join the crew. My favorite is the Russian-speaking, not-quite-vodka-swigging Tsukishiro (vodka, by the way, literally means ‘little water’ so that may not actually be water she’s drinking after all, despite her claim)…anyhow, enough of my rambling, go watch it! You won’t be disappointed. (Also, how on earth is Futaba going to dig herself out of *that* hole?)
Streaming on Funimation.
Muv-Luv Alternative
First Impression: Samuru
This is not a happy anime about the characters winning against outstanding odds; the first episode feels more like this is the end of human life and we are just watching how we lost. I would like to watch more and see if there is anything that can be done to end these BETA creatures and to learn more about Komaki, so let’s see how it goes.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window
First Impression: Josh
Honestly can’t say who this show would be suitable for; MAYBE if you’re into supernatural mysteries you’ll find some enjoyment in it, cause there is a bit of a mystery aspect like how the main character Mikado is able to see ghosts or how the exorisict for hire Hiyakawa can use his powers…and MAYBE if you just want a BL show that you can just turn your brain off and enjoy…but other than that, just go watch xxxHolic or The Morose Mononokean instead.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Platinum End
First Impression: Twwk
…no surprise, it feels a whole lot like their classic, Death Note. Dark and twisted, but still with a sense of morality, tinges of hopes mixed with a hopelessness as well, and even a guardian creature with a devilish nature are featured right from the start. Indeed, episode one, while moving along a little too quickly, is compelling for all those reasons. I tend to stay away from dark series, but the above-mentioned elements, and especially the “light” that still brims among the violence and blood, lead me to wonder how the series will ultimately develop. The animation is fine—nothing spectacular, but nothing too strange, though the series does feel a bit too glossy.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Puraore! Pride of Orange
First Impression: Gaheret
The aesthetics are pretty nice (though the CG sometimes stands out), the character dynamics were fun, I’m interested in themes of tradition and legacy, and the fact they end up representing Japan means it will probably avoid the “death-by-sweetness” problem I had with K-On (which feels like it was in the background of this one). But I don’t think that the question of how exactly they got there can generate enough intrigue to take me to another episode.
claire
No one:
And absolutely no Canadian ever:
Pride of Orange: Hockey Player Idols!! Who are really seamstresses!!!! Who have to be told in the first episode what a puck and stick are and that the goal of hockey is to score more goals than the other team! And then by the end of the series (which we’ve already shown in the first two minutes) they will somehow manage to BEAT CANADA?!?!?!!? AT HOCKEY???!?!?!?!?!
I’m with the mascot guy on this one: why why why why why. This is a travesty. When are we going to get a decent girl’s sports anime???? Humph. (Am I still going to watch it? Yeah, probably…)
Streaming on Funimation.
Restaurant to Another World (Season 2)
First Impression: Negativeprimes
Given that this is a slice-of-life series with well-established characters and setting already, episode 1 provides just enough background to remind us where we are, and then sets up several potential story threads that it will probably wind its way through as the season develops.
jeskaiangel
First impressions, supplemental: “well-established characters” he says. Really bruh? Look, I know I should recognize more of these characters than I do. I remember the chef, Aletta, and the dark space dragon girl (I don’t think she technically had a proper name, right?), but considering how long it’s been since the first season, I wish there had been a little more of a refresher. Oh, and season 1’s OP was better. My silly complaints aside, this looks to be just as fun as its previous run (which I quite enjoyed). ~ jeskaiangel
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Rumble Garanndoll
First Impression: claire
Don’t get me wrong—the hilarity isn’t on the level of, say, Wasteful Days of High School Girl, which also has fun with otaku culture, but it’s still pretty decent. Plus, Battery Girl is the least annoying mecha avatar I’ve yet encountered, and is also probably the most relatable character in the show so far. The twist at the end will have me tuning in for another week at least to see if this series can continue to bring the laughs and whether shared passion for anime can save the world…
Streaming on Funimation.
Sakugan
First Impression: Gaheret
So, what to make of this? Judging by this episode, Sakugan is a bold, loud and noisy show in the tradition of, say, Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill or Diebuster. Which means, blink and you may miss a curveball. It throws sci-fi concepts here and there and somehow, incredibly, the crumbling world-building holds.
claire
The opening sequence gave me strong BNA vibes, before the dark intensity melted into more of a Deca-Dence feel that lingered throughout. Is Sakugan earth-shatteringly original? Nope. But is it borrowing from some super-solid series that I’ve enjoyed considerably? Yep. And as Picasso is rumored to have said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” This first episode also managed to put to rest my strongest fears about the series succumbing to Overly Precocious Child Lead Syndrome. Memenpu skirts close to the edge of being too annoying to bear, but then pulls back in a moving show of genuinely childlike emotion (props to the animators!) when tragedy strikes. I’ll give this one another few episodes to find its feet.
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Selection Project
First Impression: claire
…I was totally sucked in within the opening minute or so by the stunningly gorgeous background art. Seriously, this is P.A. Works-level quality. I also liked the way the cast is clearly intended to pick up on the characteristics associated with different regions in Japan, and am looking forward to learning a bit more about Japanese stereotypes about each other.
Streaming on Funimation.
Taisho Otome Fairy Tale
First Impression: stardf29
The show makes it very clear how traumatized Tamahiko is from all the hurtful words they’ve said to him after his injury, and likewise how worthless he feels himself to be, which will just make it all the more satisfying to see Yuzuki slowly get through to him. I also like what we see from Yuzuki’s side, how she tries to approach her situation as optimistically as possible, and once she decides she can trust Tamahiko, how she decides to treasure him in return. It highlights why I love arranged marriage stories like this: the focus on love built up through commitment and a growing friendship reflects what makes a relationship really work.
Streaming on Funimation.
takt op.Destiny
First Impression: Jeskai Angel
I didn’t know I wanted an anime about anti-music aliens and a robotic (?) magical (?) girl and her weird conductor (Takt’s right arm vanishes and turns into a baton!), but I’m glad I tried it. It’s also always interesting to have anime set in America, to see how my native land gets portrayed. There was, as you might expect, some pretty cool music too. My only real complaint about the episode is that I’m still kind of confused about several things; hopefully future episodes will clarify matters.
claire
This was so much fun and so beautifully done! I had been hyped about this combo of studios–Madhouse and MAPPA have done some of my favorite series–but will admit to having been a tad concerned when I watched the trailer and read the MAL description when Twwk and I were doing the Preview Post. Now I would say to Past Me: “Fear not, little one, ’twill be glorious! ‘Twill be all that thou wouldst hope for in an MxM team-up project! Go forth and Watch!” The art is sharp and the writing is really strong. Seriously, the dialogue is spot on. This is going to be Great!
Streaming on Funimation.
Tesla Note
First Impression: Jeskai Angel
Visuals aside, this episode was really fun! I laughed repeatedly at all the silliness, especially the snarky bickering between Kuruma and Botan. I can see them having this cantankerous buddy-cop dynamic. It’s hard to be sure with only one episode, but this could turn out to be a pretty hilarious secret-agent-ninja-sci-fi-comedy-adventure story. I’ll definitely come back for the next episode.
Streaming on Funimation.
VISUAL PRISON
First Impression: Samuru
The story also made no sense. Are they vampires that are disguised as visual kei groups? Do they drink blood, or do they get their power from the moon? Why are there so many characters? Are there going to be songs in every episode? So many questions, and I’m not interested in watching more for the answers.
Josh
You know, when Samuru told me about this particular show, I just had to take a look at it myself. There’s NO WAY it could be as bad as he was saying, right? Well, dear readers, I’m here to say…it is JUST AS BAD as he is saying it is. Maybe even worse. I mean, the singing…the pretty boys…the vampires…the fangirls…oh have mercy, THE FANGIRLS. I think the microphone swords coming out the bodies was the last straw for me. If you want a musical anime, just watch Mongolian Chop Squad or Nerima Daikon Brothers. Don’t waste your time with this.
Streaming on Funimation.
The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat
First Impression: stardf29
It does hook you pretty well into wondering how his actual isekai-ing will actually go, but, well, if you couldn’t tell from the opening scene going all-in on assassinating a slave auction, don’t expect too much beyond your typical wish-fulfillment isekai stuff. I did enjoy the first volume of the light novel as a light, fun read, and the anime will probably be overall similar. In fact, you can probably predict how much you will like this anime by how much you enjoyed the opening scene of a guy and his harem blasting away a bunch of slave-buying nobles.
jeskaiangel
First impressions, supplemental: This episode was…fine? Yeah, let’s go with that. It joins The Fruit of Evolution as a solidly mediocre isekai for this season. There’s just barely enough potential entertainment value to get me to watch the next episode, but not enough to take away my strong suspicion that I’ll drop this show. ~ jeskaiangel
Streaming on Crunchyroll.
Yuki Yuna is a Hero: the Great Mankai Chapter
First Impression: claire
This was a great new season opener: full of humor and delightful details for those familiar with the series, but also working on a level that doesn’t rely on previous knowledge of the franchise. The episode plays with genre conventions in a manner reminiscent of the first episode of the series back in 2014 (but with better pacing), doing what Yuki Yuna does best, which is to take what should be a slice-of-life cast and throw them into crisis. Or by now, well into their heroic arc, the frangible process of post-traumatic recovery.
Streaming on HiDIVE.
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