Review of Ya Boy Kongming!
Dedicated to the Beautiful Dreamer inside everyone. This anime came out of nowhere, I wasn't going to watch another generic isekai but then the OP went viral so I thought I'd try an episode, got HOOKED by the awesome OP and this ended up being my favorite anime of Spring 2022. Story and Character - 10/10 Zhuge Liang, premier general from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is reverse isekai'd into modern day Japan during Halloween. It's hilarious how they drag him around getting him drunk, and he is later picked up by Eiko in an act of kindness that he repays ten thousand fold by announcing he willbe her tactician and help her attain a lofty goal after listening to her sing.
We all know he's smarter than heck, but this anime also showed his funny soft side, making him one of the most lovable Isekai protagonists out there. Eiko is supportive, wholesome and cute, she's one of the best waifus this season, and a great friend to have. The supporting cast is equally amazing from Kabetaijin (what a great rap name, just rolls off the tongue sounding epic), the club manager, the IT guy, other singers and Azalea.
Idol anime are normally generic but this one kind of broke the mold a little by showing the trade offs for fame (over-production, skimpy clothing, sex sells vs. talent) in a realistic grounded way. We understand, empathize and basically have no choice but to root for Eiko to succeed.
Art and Sound - 10/10
The art probably has some motion capture underlying that as the dancing looks real. This coupled with the overly catchy banger OP song, the viral Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is one of the key reasons this anime went from hidden gem to contention for top 3 anime of the season. There are tons of react videos to the OP, and I predicted the dance to the OP song would get videos, which happened before the last episode aired.
The one song Eiko was working on the entire season is revealed in the last episode, and Dreamer is so well performed I'm sure I wasn't be the only one who shed tears as all the pent up emotions boiled over. The singer's voice goes well with the song and the lyrics are ... something that most people can relate to or aspire to. For me, the Dreamer performance is that one EXTRA factor that elevated this anime to masterpiece status.
The ED, the OST, the Rapping, the Voice acting, the lights, the stage, the crowd's enthusiasm was enough to make me cheer, fist pump and weep at home. This rarely happens with isekais or music anime, but somehow they got to me. Dreamer is my anime song of the season for Spring 2022.
Enjoyment and Overall - 10/10
I enjoyed every single episode of this anime which has one of the best season ending episodes. This is one I'll re-watch, and I might have already listened to several songs from this anime more than 10 times. This anime is only surpassed by Dance Dance Danseur when it comes to the anime making me FEEL the Passion to chase a dream. There are lots of good anime in the Spring 2022 season but only 2 have moved me so much they've made me cry. If an anime can touch something in a person to cause that much of a reaction (the Feels) I usually love it.