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A bit of a delay in getting this one out, but, we are back for Season 5 with our Summer 2022 anime season round up!
Charlie talks about anime hair in her preview of Shine on! Bakumatsu Bad Boys! Amongst others.
Graeme gets arty with Yurei Deco and Uncle from Another World, while Sam talks through two of the bigger sequels airing this season in Made in Abyss and The Devil is a Part Timer.
FEATURING
Sam
Charlie
Graeme
ANIME REFERENCES
Made in Abyss
The "Abyss" is the last unexplored place in the world. Strange and wonderful creatures roam within, and it is full of precious relics that present humans can't recreate. Those that dare to explore the depths are known as "Cave Raiders." An orphan girl named Riko lives on the rim. Her dream is to become a Cave Raider like her mother and solve the mysteries of the cave system. One day, Riko starts exploring the caves and discovers a robot who resembles a human boy.
(Source: Anime News Network, edited)
Note: The last episode aired with a runtime of ~48 minutes as opposed to the standard 24 minute long episode.
The Devil is a Part-Timer!
Devil King Sadao is only one step away from conquering the world when he is beaten by Hero Emilia and forced to drift to the other world: modern-day Tokyo. As "conquering the world" are the only skills the Devil King possesses—and are obviously unnecessary in his new situation—he must work as a freeter to pay for his living expenses!
Shine on! Bakumatsu Bad Boys
In the era when samurai controlled Japan... The Masked Demons annihilated all but one member of the Shinsengumi, who had worked to maintain the peace and public order in Kyoto.
Seven criminals are chosen as substitutes for the deceased Shinsengumi members, and they are led by Ichibanboshi, whose parents were also killed by the Masked Demons. He becomes a substitute for Commander Isami Kondo and goes after the Masked Demons with the other substitutes to avenge his parents' deaths.
Former criminals rise up to restore peace and order as their crazy story begins! Now is the time to shine the brightest!
(Source: Crunchyroll)
YUREI DECO
The story begins when Berry, an average girl from an average home, meets Hack, a girl who looks like a boy. Charmed by Hack, Berry meets up with the team Hack leads, the Ghost Detectives Club. Members of this club are “socially dead,” working invisibly within the digitally controlled society of Tom Sawyer. As she works with the group, Berry learns about Zero, a mysterious figure who lurks within Tom Sawyer’s underground. She and Hack decide to chase down this figure, and in time, the truth behind the city is revealed...
(Source: Crunchyroll)
UNCLE FROM ANOTHER WORLD
Seventeen years ago, Takafumi's uncle fell into a coma, but now he's back like a man risen from his grave. Soon, Takafumi discovers two bizarre things: His uncle treasures video games above all else, and, while comatose, he was actually transported to another world as some heroic guardian! Now, not only does Takafumi have to room with an uncle who is literally magical, he also has to catch the guy up on two decades of history—smartphones, high-speed internet, modern anime tropes…and the traumatic outcome of the '90s console war!
(Source: Yen Press)
Sonny Boy
It’s an ordinary summer vacation...except for the fact that Nagara’s high school has mysteriously drifted into another dimension. As the students begin to develop strange new powers, will they work together to survive the alien environment and find a way home, or will their newly formed factions and rivalries turn on each other?
(Source: Funimation)
Note: The first episode received an advance release on YouTube on June 19, 2021. The regular TV broadcast started on July 16, 2021.
RWBY: Ice Queendom
In the world of Remnant, a place where science and fairy tales coexist, human civilization is plagued by deadly monsters known as the Grimm. For a time, victory by the Grimm seemed all but certain, if not for the heroism of those sworn to protect humanity -- Huntsmen and Huntresses. These warriors are trained and assembled into teams at schools like Beacon Academy, where Ruby meets Weiss and Blake -- forming Team RWBY along with Ruby’s sister, Yang. While team RWBY studies to become the greatest Huntresses the world of Remnant has ever known, they are faced with a horrifying threat..
(Source: Crunchyroll)
Note: The first three episodes received an advance release on Crunchyroll on June 24, 2022. The regular TV broadcast started on July 3, 2022.
Solo Leveling
It's been over a decade since the sudden appearance of the "gates"—the paths that connect our world with a different dimension. Since then, certain humans have awakened to supernatural powers. We call these individuals "hunters." Hunters make their living by using their powers to conquer dungeons inside the gates. In this world of tough customers, the low-ranked hunter Jin-Woo Sung is known as "the weakest hunter of all mankind." One day, Jin-Woo gets fatally injured when he runs into high-rank double dungeons hidden within a low-rank dungeon. Just then, a mysterious quest window appears in front of him. On the verge of death, Jin-Woo decides to accept the quest and starts leveling up... while the others aren't.
(Source: Anime News Network, edited)
Note: Announced at the Crunchyroll Anime Expo 2022 Industry Panel.
EPISODE NOTES
Graeme mentions a few key artists while talking about Yurei Deco including creator of the animation studio Science Saru, Masaaki Yuasi.
Graeme likens the flat, pastel colour palette to the work of french illustrator Jean Giraud (aka Moebius) who is a lifelong friend of Studio Ghibli founder and anime legend Hayao Miyazaki. The effect of the art style (and potentially its intent) is likened to Takashi Murakami's Superflat art movement.
When talking about Made in Abyss, Sam references the Moe art style and the team discuss how this cute art style was chosed to make the more brutal, dramatic moments more intense.
