[barnstenchfartface]

Ok, so, I started Diamond is Unbreakable a bit ago. Only five episodes in but it's good stuff. It seems that the pattern of me enjoying every subsequent JoJo part more than the last continues to prove true. Change in approach to the art style is also a nice touch, helps to differentiate from the earlier parts, my one complaint being that Jotaro doesn't much look like himself anymore.

That aside, watched the first episode of Made in Abyss. Didn't blow my brains from episode 1, but it has potential.

Anyway, in more important news. The anime adaptation of Centaur no Nayami finally aired, so I watched it. I approached this show with some hesitation; Centaur no Nayami is essentially my favorite manga, and I was doubtful of how it'd come out of the transition to anime, especially since I was largely unfamiliar with the staff and the studio appeared to have a spotty track record.

Taking all that into consideration, I'm pleasantly surprised. Actual quality isn't objectively speaking particularly notable: animation is minimal and not always well-synced to the voice acting (which, employing mostly novices, is nothing outstanding either). Speaking on the whole, it comes across as kind of bland. I don't think anime-only viewers will find much to grab them, at least from the first episode alone.

As a fan of the manga though, I really enjoyed it. It was an accurate adaption, and they made the appropriate choice to skip the vagina woes pilot chapter. I was concerned they would gloss over or ignore the seedier elements of the world-building, but my worries were evidently misplaced. They moved up the exposition on the evolution of the human race by about a volume's worth, which shows that establishing these things was a priority. Although I think better music choices could have been made for that particular scene, I think the way they highlighted the propaganda speech was well done. They didn't skimp out on the hate crime discussion during the marathon either, so it looks like they're going full force with that theme, and that's good. That's what makes Centaur no Nayami Centaur no Nayami.

Voice acting was fine as well, while the inexperience comes across pretty clearly, I thought the voices fit the character well. Tama in particularity was a pleasant surprise, the performance is a bit uneven, but it has the proper force behind it. It fits her character well. I hope they manage to do Suu justice when her time comes (crossing my fingers for before episode 5). Hopefully she has a good and unusual voice.

I'm not sure if I'm fully on board with Inukai's but eh, she barely has lines even in the chapters she's featured most heavily in. Also kinda feel they kinda made her too similar to Akechi, since generally she's the more subdued of the couple even when they're teasing people together. She was a tad forceful in the first act, but when it comes down to it I'm really just being a giant nitpick.

But anyway, yeah. I enjoyed it. It convinced me to stick through with the show, so I guess it did its job. That being said, the opening worries me a little, particularly in how much it over-emphasizes the fanfiction scenario and other fanservice parts. My other main worry besides watering down the world-building was that they would over-emphasize what little fanservice there was, and while there wasn't really any of that in episode 1, that they devoted a good chunk of the opening to a silly joke from a single chapter just because it features metal bikinis is somewhat worrying. They're skipping right ahead to the mermaids next episode too, and while I want to think it's in part to compliment the explanation of race from episode 1 and further expand on the world-building, I somehow doubt the swimsuits didn't play a role in that decision.

But eh, that's worrying about maybes, and one way or the other they were gonna have to do the mermaids eventually. Hopefully they go back to some of the chapters they're skipping--though at the same time I suppose they kinda have to, if they want to focus on the children at all (and the opening certainly implies that they will). I'm betting either episode 3 or 4 will be fully devoted to introducing Shino and Tama's sisters. Should be fun.

But that's enough rambling from me. Point is, I didn't dislike it, and I generally don't much enjoy adaptations of manga I've already read, especially if it's one I really liked. May just be my fanboyism carrying me through, but either way. Hopefully the season can be at least as entertaining as this. I'll be satisfied with that.