It’s never easy to make this kind of article timing wise. Seasonal anime always finds a way to have a weird amount of episodes like 11, or take a break week which puts them off balance from the others airing that season so that all of the anime never end around the exact same time. Regardless, if I don’t get this show on the road soon the fall anime will have already started. So without further ado, let’s share some thoughts about the anime we watched during this crazy 2020 summer.
Fire Force Season 2
What the actual fuck? When Fire Force’s first season ended I was ready to say goodbye. Don’t get me wrong the fights had been crazy, especially Sho VS. Shinra, but I was about done with the “comedy” and writing of the show. Then someone in the office said “guys, what if we wrote...GOOD shit though?” and season 2 was born. Character backstories, side characters having importance, toned down comedy, motives explained, intense fights, introductions of new and interesting people, political/religious commentary?!? All that and more was covered by this season so far and I’m so glad I didn’t drop it. The heat has truly been turned up and I only hope Fire Force continues down this blazing path. Not to mention that opening was the best of the season too.
God of High School
It may not have had the most exquisite story to tell or life lesson to bestow upon the viewer, but god damn it had some amazing fights. Doing real fight choreography in anime is hard as hell which is why most of the time you see the characters just sort of throwing around big beams and punching a lot in animation loops. When animators actually take the time to animate some martial arts moves and shit, well, that’s when you know you’re watching something special. Almost every episode of this anime had a cool fight that was portrayed with unique moves and powers. Like I said the writing was whatever and I honestly don’t care much about the characters themselves or their plight of trying to save the world from god (where does high school come in?). It seems like a lot of WebToon content was either cut or changed too so I can’t pick a place to focus the blame. Regardless you can find good or decent writing in a ton of anime, however fights like these are a rarity and I’m happy I was there to witness them. Here’s to more fights in season 2.
No Guns Life 2nd Season
I’ll admit this season had a very rough start for me. It focused on a lot of side plots and shit that I in general couldn't care less about. Juuzo, the main character, has always been the main appeal of the show for me but not much was revolving around him at first. Blah blah blah BIG CORPORATE COMPANY blah blah blah TERRORISTS, blah blah blah, OTHER TERRORISTS. After about episode 6 or so the story started to reel back in and focus on taking down the big bad guys and I really enjoyed it from that point forward. The anime’s central theme of being a tool vs. making decisions for yourself also came back and was brought to attention in the final conflict which made me a happy camper. If there’s a season three I simply hope they keep the focus on Juuzo or do something to make the side characters as interesting as he is because right now it’s like a reverse shounen syndrome where everyone BUT the main character is kinda lame. Mary’s ass is still thicc though. Oh, and watch the ending if you haven’t, best of the season.
Uzaki-Chan Wa Asobitai
This show made me pissed off at Uzaki violently, sometimes sexually, always verbally. She is the most annoying creation on the planet, however it’s clear that it’s intentionally done and so I can only applaud the writer for being able to make a character so hateable. Despite this the comedic tones of the show keeps things lightweight so you can never get too horribly angry at her. Honestly, a character that is MADE to be annoying will never be as bad as a character that ends up annoying when they’re supposed to be cool or funny to me. There were some funny moments along the ride and I’m happy I watched it. If you missed it you don’t need to go back and pick it up or anything though.
Balance: UNLIMITED
I went into this anime with no expectations back in spring when it first started airing and was delayed due to COVID, but I was pleasantly surprised. The writer stayed away from making Daisuke, the rich dude whose balance is in fact, unlimited, into the stereotypical asshole rich guy. Instead, he's more of a normal guy who doesn't understand the value of money which causes problems yet is understandable. While this was a detective show, the mystery was pretty bland, instead putting the focus on the characters. If you liked the main cast you probably enjoyed the shit out of this, or if you didn't enjoy the dynamic duo you probably thought it was trash. Personally I thought their interactions were done really well so I was happy with it. If you skipped it I'm not saying you need to go back and see it though. All you missed was getting an unlimited balance like me, but remember money doesn't buy happiness.
Rent-A-Girlfriend
GIVE ME MY TIME BACK!!! GIVE IT BACK TO ME YOU FUCK! HOW DARE YOU?!? How dare you introduce one character, ONLY one, that was interesting and then forget about her after like episode four? I hate all these people except the fucking psycho bitch that you’re probably supposed to hate. I don’t, because she was the only one who ever did anything worth watching. The main character puts himself in bad situations then complains as if he wasn’t the one who put himself there. The main girl goes along with it then acts like it’s not her fault either. The other side characters are introduced so late I don’t give a fuck. Then you have Mami, a psycho girl who was shaking things up, that is completely abandoned from like episode four until the last episode. I feel robbed, cheated, and scammed and the sole reason I kept watching was to roast this anime with Kinky. Worst anime of the season. Easily.
As always, I don’t have time to watch a ton of anime these days so if I didn’t mention one of your favorites from this season, I’m counting on you to let people know about it. Which anime did you enjoy this season? Which did you hate? Say goodbye to the summer of anime 2020 in the comments below!
