MAYONAKA PUNCH

At the end of a personally disappointing season of anime Mayonaka Punch was an admittedly surprising little gem, I initially brushed this off, seeing the concept as uninteresting with its elements being weirdly disconnected from each other. After giving the show a shot, I was shocked at how it gripped me instantly, becoming one of the few shows this season that I'd make an effort to watch as soon as each new episode was released.

The show features an ensemble cast but manages to keep each character unique, being given their own time to shine and justify their inclusion, each one makes a lasting impression,they are all unhinged in their own special way. Masaki in particular was a pleasant surprise, she's terrible and I love her. Masaki is a unique character that we don't see too often in anime like this, she's vane,egotistical and narcissistic, and honestly down right horrible in some scenes, you can tell deep down she's a good person but its undeniably entertaining to see her act like a bastard and eventually learn and work through her issues. She’s honestly a gem of character and an archetype we arent lucky enough to see in comedies like these or in anime in general, atleast not done well, but she’s done phenomenally perfect for the comedic scenes and the many more human and down to earth scenes there are, atleast and human and down to earth as a show about influencers and vampires can get.

Visually the show is a treat, the art style is vibrant and downright beautiful. The various expressions and experimental styles the show uses really make it worth checking out for the visuals alone, with many shots and drawing that make me want to rewatch it already just to see them again. I can definitely see myself coming back to this one just to try and mimic the expressions of some of these characters in my own drawings. The few action sequences the show has are surprisingly energetic and punchy, characters move and express themselves in a way that feels human or at times bubbly and cartoony and the best way possible. It really does want to wow you, punches are powerful with weight and strong impactful sounds, city scapes are colourful and ever expanding and just simple still shots of these characters interacting are enough to make you smile.

This one thats definitely worth checking out trust me, I was initially put off by the concept and the overall disappointment I had with other shows at the time that I almost missed out on this gem.
-Also the opening,”Gimi Gimi” , and ending ,“Henshuten”, are great, and I think the contrast between them speaks volumes about the two tones that this show has,