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Post by OdanUrr on Apr 7, 2019 9:52:01 GMT -6
I suppose it's a by-the-numbers superhero anime that reminded me of Samurai Flamenco (an anime I should come back to at some point, as it's either downright nonsensical or too smart for its own good). It uses 3D CG animation, same as shows like Ajin or Cyborg 009, which looks quite good on the suit designs, but less so on the characters. It's not my preferred style of animation, but you can live with it. Having never seen the original Ultraman, I am in no place to judge whether this one does the character justice. Our hero, Shinjiro Hayata, inherits his powers from his father, the original Ultraman, and is recruited by a Japanese organization, that is somehow working with aliens, to put a stop to other aliens' crimes (think MIB). It's good enough to pass the time, and the show does a clever job of making us ponder the true intentions of the different characters we meet, hinting at multiple hidden agendas at play. The first season deals with Shinjiro coming to terms with his powers and committing to using them for good, all the while uncovering new abilities or meeting new allies. If you're looking for some mindless CG superhero action and don't mind the more common tropes of the genre, Netflix's Ultraman is not a bad way to kill some time, but it's not a show I'll remember a month from now, unlike the next one... A 13-episode-long romcom with Serendipity vibes about Mitsuyoshi Tada, a high school student and aspiring photographer, who meets a quirky European transfer student by the name of Teresa Wagner, and how they fall in love with each other. Add the typical supporting characters for a show of this nature, some Shakespearean drama about unrequited love, some slice-of-life, Persona 5's coffee shop, and a fat cat who sadly only talks in one episode, and you've got "Tada Never Falls in Love." Perhaps it's because I haven't seen too many anime, or maybe this show's just that good, but I'm still surprised by how many feelings the Japanese can package in such a short season. Even some of the sillier characters, like Tada's best friend, Kaoru, have their moments of seriousness. It's a bit silly at times, sad at others, but it does leave you with a warm, fuzzy, feeling at the end of the road, and I would happily spend more time with its world and characters. Beyond what meanings one can derive from Mitsuyoshi's passion for photography (and one can derive plenty), it's also a vehicle to deliver some beautiful imagery (lots of cherry blossoms!), coupled with a soundtrack that, while perhaps not that great on its own (I haven't yet listened to it divorced from the show, so take what I say with a grain of salt), complements the show to great effect. Plus, I really liked the intro. There's a couple of things the show could've done differently, arguably better, such as... - They set up the "love in 8 seconds" idea but never use it on Mitsuyoshi and Teresa.
- They also set up Nyanko Big Cat as a narrator but only use him in one episode.
- I thought they might've tried to suggest Charles was actually in love with Alec rather than Teresa, what perhaps might've worked out too well for all parties concerned. There's a scene where Charles tells Nyanko Big Cat a story about how Teresa recovered a family heirloom of his, and for one moment I thought he had lied and switched characters with Alec there. By the way, Charles is a true gentleman throughout the series. Damn, I seem to like this show more than I thought. Sadly, Sentai hasn't yet released a Blu-Ray for it so I'll have to wait. If anyone has recommendations about similar series, I'd appreciate it. I'll leave you with its OP.  PS: I've listened to the soundtrack on its own. It does have plenty of good tracks, moreso the first disc than the second one. It's no Violet Evergarden but it's nice to listen to. |
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