After spending the previous few years conserving my seasonal watchlist to lower than 10 anime, Spring 2025 has gotten the higher of me. I had solely (tentatively) deliberate to assessment the Week 2 premieres of Apocalypse Resort, A Ninja and an Murderer Below One Roof, and Mono, but it surely didn’t take lengthy for me to appreciate there have been a good few Week 1 premieres I wished to mutter about too, thus ensuing on this assortment of mini-first impression articles.

This piece accommodates critiques for the primary episodes of Rock is A Girl’s Modesty, Can a Boy-Woman Friendship Survive?, Fireplace Power Season 3, Your Forma, Sword of the Demon Hunter, and Kowloon Generic Romance.　

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Kowloon Generic Romance

Episodes watched: 1

Storyboards by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki 

Episode path by: Taishi Kawaguchi

The confounding structure of Kowloon Walled Metropolis makes it an inherently fascinating setting for a narrative. Throw in a touch of sci-fi — there’s a polyhedron within the sky that’s supposedly useful for mankind, although I wouldn’t belief one thing that appears like Evangelion’s Ramiel — a spark of co-worker romance, and a attainable case of mysterious amnesia/warped actuality notion, and also you’ve bought one of the vital fascinating premises of this anime season. Add the truth that the present’s background artwork director is Yuji Kaneko (who has labored on exhibits like Tengoku-Daimakyo), and there’s no method I’m not watching this.

It’s a little bit of a disgrace that the storyboards and path in Kowloon Generic Romance’s first episode are nowhere close to as alluring as every little thing I’ve talked about within the first paragraph. It does the job and doesn’t have an effect on my curiosity within the present’s thriller, but it surely doesn’t do a lot to drag me into its world both. I’d tempered expectations after watching the trailers, so this flip of occasions wasn’t totally a shock, but it surely’s nonetheless slightly disappointing.

Rock is A Girl’s Modesty

Episodes watched: 1

Storyboards by: Shinya Watada

Episode path by: Ori Yasukawa

Some moments from Rock is A Girl’s Modesty’s premiere wouldn’t be misplaced in a simple yuri anime. The elegant, idyllic photographs of the principle characters’ college to start with really feel like they’re setting the stage for a dreamy romance between fellow ojou-samas, and the fateful first encounter of principal characters Lilisa Suzunomiya and Otoha Kurogane is absolutely one thing particular. Time doesn’t merely cease once they lock eyes of their first encounter — it warps till it feels as if a complete day has passed by, with the sky outdoors magically biking by means of nightfall, night time, and daybreak till it returns to noon. 

Nonetheless, Oshin Ladies’ Academy isn’t a snug setting for blooming love or slice-of-life conditions — it’s a big jail. For Lilisa, compelled to reinvent herself after her mom’s remarriage to an actual property mogul, conformity to the academy’s inflexible requirements appears like imprisonment, akin to being a chook in a cage. Photographs framed by means of window panels that evoke cage bars and scenes of a literal chook in a cage function a eager reminder of that, and are one other instance of the episode’s satisfying directorial sense.

The present Lilisa fools her adoring schoolmates with discuss of classical music and goals for the distinguished title of Noble Maiden, however she used to play the guitar previously. She wields it once more when she discovers Otoha, an initially meek and barely airheaded woman, drumming in a seemingly abandoned college constructing the place Lilisa is goaded right into a jam session. 

Otoha’s aura is so overwhelming that it leaves Lilisa intimidated, figuratively certain and threatened by thorny rose vines. The facility of Otoha’s drumming even knocks over the glass vase within the room, leaving its previously elegant rose petals splayed and frayed. I’m not in love with the CG, however visible parts like these, and thrives like Lilisa and Otoha’s duet-turned-duel being momentarily framed in slow-motion by a falling bead of water, are undoubtedly my jam.

I’m not precisely within the temper for this specific story of younger rise up proper now, however Rock is A Girl’s Modesty has such a well-executed first episode that I’d be glad to stay within the viewers if its following episodes are half nearly as good. I’m additionally desperate to see how Lilisa and Kuroha’s subsequent assembly unfolds. Otoha’s harsh criticism of Lilisa’s guitar enjoying on the finish of the premiere was notably vicious — I really felt pissed off on Lilisa’s behalf. The query now’s: how will Lilisa reply to Otoha the following time they cross paths?

Fireplace Power Season 3

Episodes watched: 1

Storyboards by: Tatsuma Minamikawa

Episode path by: Tatsuma Minamikawa

Gosh, it’s been 5 years since Fireplace Power Season 2 aired? In spite of everything this time, Shinra and Firm Eight are lastly again, shortly discovering themselves caught in a brand new mess. The White-Clad have made an enormous transfer, subverting a few of Firm Eight’s allies and capturing Captain Obi through the Tokyo Imperial Armed Forces. How are our heroes going to take care of this pickle?

Fireplace Power Season 3’s premiere is part-set up for this new arc and part-reminder of what occurred within the final season (framed as a report from Obi). The recap is appreciated provided that I’ve forgotten every little thing from Season 2, and I’m fairly excited to see how Firm Eight overcomes its adversaries this time (it’d be good if Tamaki removed her still-sigh-inducing Fortunate Lecher Lure whereas they’re at it). 

Nonetheless, the episode feels extra like a dampened candle flame than a blazing return. Firm Eight’s coaching session offers respectable enjoyment, however the turning of Leonard Burns and Firm One is given too underwhelming a presentation. The concept of Haumea utilizing her electrical powers to successfully learn the minds of the Firm One members and manipulate them accordingly is cool on paper, but it surely’s laborious to really feel impressed and even vaguely when the presentation’s shtick depends on merely making key phrases seem on display screen with out fascinating aptitude. If the premiere goes to be this torpid, I’m undecided what I must count on from later episodes.

Can a Boy-Woman Friendship Survive?  

Episodes watched: 1

Storyboards by: Yohei Suzuki

Episode path by: Shuji Miyazaki

Can a Boy-Woman Friendship Survive? sounds just like the title of an r/NoStupidQuestions submit, however is much less entertaining than one. Actually, studying the replies to a “can a man and lady simply be pals?” submit on Reddit can be a thousand occasions extra enjoyable than struggling by means of this life-draining first episode. 

Initially, I used to be mildly intrigued by how this story would select to deal with the query it asks in its title. That curiosity was rewarded with an immensely loud and annoying manic pixie dream lady heroine who appears to stay for the specific goal of supporting the male protagonist. She’s additionally the form of anime creature who affectionately clings to stated protagonist like a strolling fantasy, mocks her pals with a ridiculous faux giggle, and grabs her feminine buddy’s breasts when being scolded. There’s absurd however enjoyable exaggeration, after which there’s no matter this mockery of believability is.

On prime of this, the conversations that are supposed to exhibit the principle pair’s intimate friendship really feel extra like a strained mimicry of a human relationship. Subsequently, as a substitute of an earnest examination of its central query, Can a Boy-Woman Friendship Survive?’s premiere delivers an expertise that feels extra unbelievable than all of the wish-fulfilment romance gentle novel synopses I’ve learn mixed. 

Nearly all of the episode is so loud and weird. At one level, we meet a thinly sketched fan-holding womanizer who used thus far the principle heroine, and instantly they’re screaming their grievances with one another out of the hall home windows. Then, in direction of the tip, there’s a sudden pivot to a critical dialogue about love that threw me for a loop. I’m sorry, Can a Boy-Woman Friendship Survive?-san, however you haven’t earned the fitting to instantly insert a critical scene with dejected piano music and rain and introduce a love triangle. 

The one factor I appreciated was the male protagonist’s dream of creating flower equipment for a dwelling and his ongoing efforts to realize it, because it feels a bit distinctive. That’s it; every little thing else was sheer torture. If I proceed watching this, it received’t be the survival of a boy-girl friendship that’s in query, however my life.

Your Forma

Episodes watched: 1

Storyboards by: Takaharu Ozaki

Episode path by: Takaharu Ozaki

I’m considerably within the temper for sci-fi proper now, and the thought of an investigator who dives into reminiscences instantly captured my consideration. Alas, Your Forma’s premise suffers from a sputtering introduction to its world and characters, because of the anime dishing out with a correct setup to dive straight into the source material’s post-Quantity 1 content material. A co-protagonist will get accused of a criminal offense, and one other vital character will get put right into a coma, however none of that lands as a result of we’ve barely gotten to know them.

What saved me going have been the moments of impressed path within the episode, like the trendy casting of shadows, a fish eye shot with backgrounds revolving across the shot’s central character, and eye reflections. The depiction of the mind diving is decently eye-grabbing too. Even so, all that aptitude isn’t sufficient to disregard the truth that the Your Forma anime’s first thriller — involving violence seemingly dedicated by the android co-protagonist’s specific mannequin sort — doesn’t make a robust first impression, and the anime’s awkward introduction to its characters and setting leaves me with even much less curiosity within the proceedings. Hopefully, the present will finally discover its footing. 

Sword of the Demon Hunter

Episodes watched: 1

Storyboards by: Kazuya Aiura

Episode path by: Nekomataya

This one-hour premiere depicts the tragic beginnings of the titular demon hunter, whose steadfast dedication to responsibility ends in him dropping a beloved one and being pitted towards one other, earlier than he winds up within the current. I had very low expectations of Sword of the Demon Hunter, so the truth that the primary episode got here with some respectable path was a pleasing shock.

There’s some effort put into the framing and a visual try at evoking ambiance by means of colour and lighting. Exterior of 1 specific nightfall shot of a lonely, shadow-clad torii gate and a demonic purple nightfall, the visuals stand out extra for his or her efforts than the tip outcome, however I anticipated so little that I used to be nonetheless slightly happy by the entire thing. Plus, it was good to be handled to photographs that mirrored a soon-to-be sufferer’s face within the blade of a sword or masked faces with varied objects for dramatic impact.

The one space of the episode that I can’t mount any defence for is the motion. No matter intent, seeing a wrathful demon streaking throughout a room as a fundamental flash of sunshine with no methods to make up for it’s merely underwhelming, and the overall motion animation doesn’t impress both. If issues deteriorate any additional, the protagonist’s backstory received’t be the one tragedy right here.