Moonrise
Short Synopsis: The wealthy heir to a global tech company travels to the moon to avenge his parents’ deaths.
Wooper: Ever heard the phrase “too many cooks spoil the broth?” I’m thinking that’s probably what happened with Moonrise, whose nearly 30 minute premiere was so packed with familiar ideas that it feels like the show was written by committee. Rich playboy protagonist, unified world order governed by artificial intelligence, tensions between the Earth and moon, a battle set on a moving train with one faction doing acrobatics while wearing capes (we Attack on Titan now), an antagonist’s massive holographic likeness delivering a rousing speech, etc. Despite the flashy opening fight scene, the main character’s glamorous lifestyle, and the carnage of the anti-Earth terror attack toward the end, this first episode left no impact on me – except for a few moments of unintentional humor. The protagonist’s father springing, “Are you upset about being adopted?” on his adult son made me burst out laughing, and some of the character names are hard not to giggle at (Jack Shadow, Bob Skylum). There’s also a moment where the hacking of a train’s computer system is represented by glowing red lines snaking along its ceiling, which gave off extreme ‘early 2000s police procedural’ energy. Moonrise has a lot of big staff names attached to its production, so some people might not find it funny that its first outing was such a bust. Fortunately, all 18 episodes are already streaming online, so they can discover for themselves whether there’s something worthwhile beyond the first one.
Potential: 15%
Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi
Short Synopsis: A naive, helpless ninja meets a high school girl assassin and they start living under the same roof.
Mario: I signed up to review this episode totally blind, so imagine my pleasant surprise when I learned not only that my fave studio Shaft handles this project, but also how hilarious it is and how quickly these 20 minutes go by. The jokes start early, as we begin the show with an 80s-retro aesthetic look about how this ninja girl unintentionally defeats everyone before it reverts back to the present day with a modern look and moe character designs. These designs work well in this context, as it probably catches viewers by surprise when such cutesy girls actually murder someone and expose the bodies. Well, it’s played for laughs so it’s pitch black humor we are talking about here. The jokes so far are snappy and don’t overstay their welcome, although I would say that the main ingredients (those being the ninja girl’s clumsiness and the assassin girl’s stoicism) are a bit thin at the moment. That doesn’t matter too much, as long as the first episode gets my attention, and this one did.
Potential: 45%
Mono
Short Synopsis: A pair of high school photography club members meet a manga artist who uses them as inspiration for her new series.
Wooper: If you’re a CGDCT fan, this show has all the necessary ingredients to become your new drug of choice. It boasts cartoony character animation, fun seiyuu performances, a gentle soundtrack (with a bit of slide guitar mixed in to create that Yuru Camp connection), and a genuine interest in its subject, photography. There’s not an information overload where that last topic is concerned, thankfully, as Mono keeps its attention on the characters. It goes so far as to include a prologue about one of the current club member’s attachment to her now-graduated senpai, just so we understand why she’s down in the dumps at the start of the new school year. The dour mood doesn’t hang around for long, though, as the girls’ excitement over their new cameras and their discovery of an old school candy store (complete with a cute cat who wanders in and out) is quite infectious. I think the reason the whole thing works so well is that the two primary characters are committed to their hobby mostly as a way of connecting with other people – Satsuki to honor her departed senpai, and An to stay close to Satsuki. Even when the climax of the episode faltered a bit due to an unremarkable bit of nighttime scenery, I was already so attached to the main cast that I wasn’t bothered in the least. The show may not be as pretty as Yuru Camp (I keep bringing it up because they share an author), but it looks to have just as much heart.
Potential: 75%
The post Spring 2025 Impressions: Moonrise, Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi, Mono appeared first on Star Crossed Anime.
