天下制覇

  

Waddly little corgi legs.

Impressions:

The Madhouse Budget Spinner apparently landed on “Put In Effort” this time around. Almost a shocking amount given how dull most of the content they were putting some real effort into animating was. It’d just be nice if they used it on the action too. Or maybe just cut down on the talking heads/hands because good god, shut the hell up. The milquetoast protagonist especially. I know you just saw a monster ‘dog’ eating another dog. I don’t need to then be told that and furthermore have it explained to me that it’s the body snatcher you were looking for and it has, in fact, snatched a dog’s body. I’d probably be a little more lenient if the action scene at the end wasn’t so incredibly anticlimatic. Hell, demon-corgi didn’t even actually attack. Like many a thing in this show, we were just told that it totally was going to before going ahead and ripping its heart out as it flapped helplessly in the air like a corgi with wings would.  

It was a pretty boilerplate opening episode that covered the intro to the character, him gaining his powers, accidentally using them, and then using them on purpose, but I can’t really say I was much engaged by it. I think I’m going to lay the reasons why squarely on the protagonist and the direction. Mr. Mundane was especially bad, with people constantly informing him/the audience that he’s changed in some way. Oh? Does he eat slightly more breakfast now? Thanks. Another valuable piece of information. He barely has a personality in the aftermath, I hate to think what he was like in the unseen beforetimes. The direction could have also really made parts creepy (and the BGM guy was on board), but then it went all helium voice (which yes, is the standard Japanese cultural ‘alien’ voice but still sounds ridiculous) and Handy looking like Krumm from Ahh! Real Monsters. It also doesn’t help when they try to make unhinging the jaw all alien and creepy, but then regular people also do it when groping some girl’s unimpressive chest. Contrast, guys.

I’ll likely give it another week or two, based mostly on the strength of production and hopes that the protagonist finds some way to interact with anything besides panic or resignation, but I’m not sold on the shock and gore it seems to be going for by the opening hook and ending… also hook, and I find all the characters so far either annoying or ridiculous.