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Welcome to Up to Snuff, summer premiere edition.
Another page ripped off the calendar, another new anime season, another violent historical drama the head of the table. This week on Up to Snuff we ask our writers two questions. The first is to tell us their favorite first episode of Summer – and it should be noted that season premieres of ongoing series were eligible here. It’s certainly no surprise which show came out on top though (and for the record, despite it having a triple-episode premiere it was only counted as a single vote).
Second of course, we once more ask our traditional season-opener question – what was your favorite OP or ED of the season? For the purposes of this AtW segment, OPs and EDs were combined into one category.
Weekly Staff Poll – Season Premieres
Vinland Saga – 20 points, 4 first place votes
Enen no Shouboutai – 16
Lord El Melloi II Case File – 13, 1
Cop Craft – 9, 1
Kanata no Astra – 8
Ask The Writers
What was your favorite OP or ED of Summer 2019?
- Pancake’s Choice: Enen no Shouboutai ED – Veil by Suda Keina ▼
- Choya’s Choice: Joshikousei no Mudazukai OP – Wa! Moon! Dass! Cry! by Akasaki Chinatsu, Tomatsu Haruka, Toyosaki Aki ▼
- Miss Simplice’s Choice: Vinland Saga ED – Torches by Aimer ▼
- Guardian Enzo’s Choice: Given OP – Kizuato by centimillimenta ▼
- Zaiden & Stars Choice: Cop Craft OP – Rakuen Toshi by Ooishi Masayoshi ▼
- Takaii’s Choice: Dr. STONE OP – Good Morning World! by BURNOUT SYNDROMES ▼
New Entries:
– Cop Craft seems to become a hidden black Horse/Raw Diamond for me.. But i need to see more of Screenshots and summaries of the episodes so far. Lets see
– Dr. Stone anime begins to sink into me. I know the Manga but the Anime are doing great, too. But lets see.
– Kanata no Astra, it still did not got me. because little story holes here and there trow me back, but if you overlook them it is on a good course (The happy go Lucky is to strong)
ongoing:
– Kimetsu no Yaiba, the way of telling its story and all things around video and audio is still very good for me.
– Carol and Tuesday, still watching and “hearing” this Show. Looking good in video and audio. But i think i can fortell the raw red line of the rest of the Show. But i enjoy the path it takes
– Fruits Basket (2019), well looking good sp far. But…well i dont know. Perhaps it is the “darkness” that found the way into this anime that got on my mood
Hmm, I thought at least MissImplice would vote for Enen’s OP based on her previous comments. I haven’t seen Vinland Saga’s ED though (but I’ve seen all the others in the list).
I’m happy to see that RC staff likes Cop Craft. Part of me thinks that this isn’t popular just because most viewers don’t know who the author is and assume it’s poorly written because not much happens in the first episode.
The best two shows of the season are Vinland Saga and Cop Craft.
The adaptation of Vinland Saga has been decent so far, and even if the adaptation falls short of the manga, it has so far demonstrated to be a far better anime than most.
I decided to watch Cop Craft because Range Murate did the designs. Beyond that, it has turned out to be one of the most tight shows with some of the best back-and-forth dialog I’ve seen in a while. Seriously, watch it.
Just beyond those two, and just because of the decision to turn flashbacks into an episode and a half prologue, is Sacred Beasts. I wasn’t sure, but once they got to the actual beginning of the manga, it just clicked. I’ve said that it was “True Grit” meets “The Lost World”, and I meant it; the second half of the second episode proves that once done.
If you’re a Range Murata fan, he also did the designs on BEM.
Looks like I’ll have another show to watch…
For me, Cop Craft is an easy number one — best of the year. And Vinland Saga is an easy number two. As much as I enjoyed the latter, what we’ve seen so far is essentially prequel so I have to moderate my take on it.
None of the OP/ED stand out for me this season. Certainly nothing compares with ‘Ash-like Snow’, the ED from last season’s Fairy Gone. I still have a few shows to watch so maybe something will turn up. Isn’t it a little early to ask this though as surely some shows have yet to solidify their music.
As an aside to Vinland, anyone who enjoys the subject matter should check out the live action show Vikings from 2013 which tells the tale of the first Viking landings in Northumbria.