Here are my prelimary thoughts on the first episodes of: Black Butler Emerald Witch Arc, Kowloon Generic Romance, Lazarus, and Your Forma. I may or may not keep this format in the coming weeks. Please enjoy.
- Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc Episode 1
- Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 1
- Lazarus Episode 1
- Your Forma Episode 1
Black Butler: Emerald Witch Arc Episode 1
Episode Rating: 7/10
The first episode of the Emerald Witch Arc aired on April 5th and was fairly entertaining, though a little dry early on with the setup. Still, we dived into the new mystery very quickly. Ciel and company are trying to solve mysterious deaths in Germany purportedly caused by a Witch’s curse. They must venture into a deep forest inhabited by werewolves to get to the bottom of this riddle.
I know just enough German now to tell that much of the pronunciation of the Japanese VAs is abysmal. Even if I couldn’t tell, I heard as much from my German friends. Besides that hiccup, the auditory components are great. The voice-acting in this show is always top-notch and the new opening and endings songs are both very likeable, in my opinion.
The leader of the forest village, Sieglinde Sullivan, is voiced by Rie Kugimiya and seems almost like every stubborn young girl played by this seiyuu. She’s an excellent actress, but she doesn’t have much range of voice and is often typecast. I’m not optimistic about her character being very original or well-developed, but I could be wrong. On a final note, the werewolves look decent and very classic in this series from what I’ve seen so far.
Kowloon Generic Romance Episode 1
Episode Rating: 8/10
I was very impressed with the visuals for the first episode, as well as the general grungy atmosphere. Neither of the main characters seem particularly interesting to me right now, but Reiko’s character design is great. This anime may be a two-sided romance, but it’s definitely made mostly for men, with the female love interest exploited for mild fan-service at every available opportunity. It’s not unexpected for anime, and I don’t really mind this once in a while, as long as the character is of age.
As for the main plot, it will have an element of mystery and perhaps psychological undertones, since the main woman, Reiko Kujirai, doesn’t remember what seems to be her own past. She – or someone who looked just like her – once dated Kudo. They even got engaged. So why can’t Reiko recall any of that, and why did the two revert to being just coworkers? I’m also interested in the potential sci-fi of this anime, since it’s set in the distant future with mysterious technology called Generic Terra.
If you know me, you’ll probably guess that I didn’t appreciate it when Kudo forced a kiss on Reiko. People don’t just commit sexual assault due to sleepiness or being woken suddenly. It’s a stupid anime/romance trope. However, as long as that kind of thing doesn’t happen in reality, I don’t mind problematic elements in a fictional romance. I actually thought the kiss was hot, especially since Reiko definitely likes Kudo and got turned on by it. I look forward to more of this anime in the coming weeks.
Lazarus Episode 1
Episode Rating: 10/10
This show is being hyped up a lot since it’s by the creator of Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe. I’m happy to say that the first episode was amazing and lived up to the hype, in my opinion. The animation was great and the story setup was solid. The characters seem like they will be interesting, too. I’m also excited by the voice-acting cast, such as Mamoru Miyano (Axel), Manaka Iwami (Eleina), and Makoto Furukawa (Doug).
Cowboy Bebop, Terror in Resonance, and Carol and Tuesday are some of the best works by Watanabe, and I can see elements of each in Lazarus‘ first episode. The music was memorable and enjoyable, too. There are three different composers for the series – saxophonist Kamasi Washington and two others known as Bonobo and Floating Points. The action scenes were stunning and Axel seems like a true free spirit.
I don’t have much more to say at the moment other than I’m very excited to see where this goes. With a strong first episode, I’m already invested. In addition, I like the idea of a villain who wants to judge humanity like Dr. Skinner. His motivations for spreading the Hapuna drug were fascinating.
Your Forma Episode 1
Episode Rating: 7/10
The pilot of Your Forma was released on April 2nd and I definitely liked it, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping. I was honestly hoping for something like Psycho Pass or Paprika, but I don’t think this series will be anywhere close in terms of audiovisual quality, characters, or story. It has a fairly serious setting, and seems interesting enough, but it’s not some epic psychological thriller, by the looks of it. It’s about the inspector girl and her robot partner solving sci-fi crimes.
The two main characters, Echika Hieda and Harold Lucraft, both have nice designs and an endearing dynamic between them. They may not compare to Akane and Kogami, but they are entertaining and could potentially have see good character development. Echika seems a bit naïve and obstinate, but also determined and capable in most cases. She’s also quite assertive in meetings and at work. In short, I think I’m going to like her.
The first mystery showed us something about the world in which this anime is set. Amicus robots (extremely human-like androids) are made in limited models, which means if one Amicus becomes a violent criminal, he will throw shade on everyone else with that or a similar model. Harold was accused of violence because another RF model like him was the perpetrator.
Interestingly, this world also has brain-dive technology, which allows someone to enter the head and see the memories of another willing person. Echika seems talented at brain-diving. Anyway, I look forward to more Your Forma in the near future. There’s already a second episode out, so I’ll try to get around to it soon. I hope you’ve enjoyed my episode reviews. Have a great day and Sayonara till next time!
~Thanks for reading~
Tag: Spring 2025
