Wooper:<\/b><\/span> Now that we\u2019re more than a month removed from our first impressions period, the shine is starting to come off some of this season\u2019s offerings. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 I still think there are lots of worthwhile shows airing right now, but the longer an anime goes on, the more opportunities it has to disappoint you. Two of my most anticipated series coming into April were Kowloon Generic Romance and Gundam GQX, and as of right now, I wouldn\u2019t put either of them near the top of the spring anime pyramid. That being said, let\u2019s jump into this post with a few grievances, shall we?<\/p>\n It\u2019s become apparent that series composer Youji Enokido is less interested in GQX\u2019s \u201cmain characters\u201d than he is in adding to its jumble of parts from past Gundam series. These episodes borrowed from Zeta Gundam (the 1985 follow-up to the original TV anime), dropping characters like Bask Om and concepts like Cyber Newtypes into an assassination plot that blew up in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, the trio of youngsters who were once introduced as the show\u2019s protagonists took a backseat, ultimately getting separated after their dull-ass love triangle crumpled like wet newspaper. Flashbacks to an argument between Machu and Nyaan (underpinned by their rivaling affections for Shuuji) played throughout episode 6, which was named \u201cThe Plot to Assassinate Kycilia.\u201d Given that title, most of the episode was spent laying the groundwork for the attempted murder of a character who was created nearly 50 years ago, so I\u2019m not sure how to express just how inconsequential Machu and Nyaan\u2019s quarrel felt in the midst of all that. Then, while the assassination plot was unfolding this week, Machu was busy trying to steal enough money to travel to Earth with her boy toy, who ended up getting sucked into another dimension anyway. I\u2019m being more than a little reductive here, but it does feel as though GQX is keeping its fresh-faced trio around solely because Gundam isn\u2019t Gundam without teenage pilots. At least Nyaan joined the Zeon cast (who are essentially the new main characters) at the end of this week\u2019s episode, I guess?<\/p>\n Technically, this made-for-mobile One Piece spinoff debuted at the very beginning of the spring season, but I only got to it a few days ago, so I\u2019m cheating and including it here. Actually, is \u201cspinoff\u201d even the correct term? None of the characters from Koisuru\u2019s namesake series appear in its five episodes \u2013 rather, the cast are a bunch of teenagers who share names (and little else) with Luffy, Nami, Usopp, etc. The breakout character is definitely this show\u2019s version of Usopp, a hulking, box-headed One Piece otaku who arranges the activities of his high school \u201cPirate Club\u201d to mirror the events of the manga. That includes a lot more than simple reference humor through dialogue, as he steals both a deer and an anatomical model to stand in for Chopper and Brook, and uses high grade weaponry to simulate his timid clubmate Luffy\u2019s supposed strength. In episode 3, there\u2019s even a reenactment of an obscure short story that was bundled with the series\u2019 third theatrical film, where the Straw Hat Pirates face off against various villains in a penalty kick shoot-out. The only flop was the final episode, where one of Usopp\u2019s inventions allows Nami and a couple of new characters to enter the One Piece manga. Maybe I\u2019m just not a big enough fan of the series, but I didn\u2019t understand who those new characters were supposed to resemble, and the non-animated manga panels didn\u2019t deliver on the concept\u2019s promise. Apart from that misstep, though, Koisuru One Piece is a must-watch for fans of its parent property, and a great short anime in general.<\/p>\n When getting invested in a new battle shounen anime, there\u2019s always a risk that the things you liked about it at first will recede into the background, to be replaced by the subgenre\u2019s usual hang-ups. I felt that starting to happen in these two episodes of Yaiba, particularly number 7, where the title character and his talking sea cucumber pal fell through a portal and into Keicho era (early 17th century) Japan. After meeting the Keicho version of Miyamoto Musashi, their modern day traveling companion, much of the dialogue took on an explanatory tone, with Mr. Sea Cucumber speculating about how they landed 400 years in the past, how Musashi\u2019s rival was resurrected in the present day, whether they\u2019d be able to return to their own time period, etc. It was excessive even for a time travel story, and given the characters\u2019 goal of hewing closely to history\u2019s version of events, I doubt the show will contain any surprises in episode 8 to make up for how tiresome it got this week. Last week, on the other hand, was wall-to-wall action, as Onimaru\u2019s most powerful ogre pursued Yaiba and company across Nagoya, resulting in a bit of a trim<\/span><\/a> for the city\u2019s most famous castle. The animation was impressive as usual, but the sheer bulk of it left little time for anything else \u2013 an attempt was made to squeeze some comedy into the ogre\u2019s character (a vampire with a gaijin accent), but it missed the mark, at least for me.<\/p>\n It\u2019s never a good sign when an anime gives you Japan Sinks flashbacks, but that\u2019s exactly what I experienced while watching Lazarus\u2019s sixth episode, which was undoubtedly its worst thus far. It took place at a commune, much like the aforementioned Science Saru series\u2019 sixth installment, only instead of mystical underpinnings, it had technological ones \u2013 specifically dealing with (you guessed it) artificial intelligence. I can understand why creatives are eager to tell stories about AI, since they view it as a threat to their industry (as well they should), but this episode treated the subject so superficially that I couldn\u2019t help but laugh. An AI network said to be a perfect copy of an individual\u2019s brain? Come on, now. Hacker girl Eleina\u2019s first foray into field work was a bust, too \u2013 she even encountered her birth mother and the show did absolutely nothing with it. Fortunately, episode 7 was a lot better, dropping several breadcrumbs regarding future plot developments, especially the Lazarus chief\u2019s prior relationship with Skinner, and an acquaintance of Chris\u2019s revealing her real name as part of a minor cliffhanger. It also boasted lots of stellar aquatic scenery, as all four field agents journeyed to different locations where rising sea levels had flooded former population centers. The animation bounced back from its low point in the previous week, too, as Axel and company dove, swam, climbed, and otherwise navigated their beautiful surroundings. I wouldn\u2019t call it a great episode, but it definitely felt like the show came back to life \u2013 fitting, given its title.<\/p>\n These two episodes provided no new evidence to support my prediction that Kudo and Gwen are somehow related, so I guess that theory was a bust. We see the two of them cheerfully reunite near the start of episode 7, but when Gwen declares his intent to rescue his friend from this illusory version of Kowloon, things become less sunny \u2013 Kudo isn\u2019t willing to leave, implying that he finds value in the present version of the city, even though it\u2019s clear by now that its residents are living amidst the ruins of a demolished territory. He also asks Reiko never to leave Kowloon, despite her painful resemblance to his former fiance, so he\u2019s really trying to maintain the status quo. His nebulous motives stand in contrast to those of Gwen and Miyuki, the two characters who received the most focus in these episodes, and whose histories and intentions became crystal clear as a result. Watching their love story unfold, both in flirtatious flashbacks as well as the turbulent present, was one of the major treats of these two outings, but there\u2019s a problem \u2013 apart from the romantic aspect, too much of their time on screen is intended solely to fill in gaps in the audience\u2019s knowledge. Spelling out Miyuki\u2019s plan to torture his father through the Generic Terra project, telling Reiko she\u2019s neither a Zirconian nor a clone, speculating about the nature of the simulated Kowloon\u2026 The show\u2019s signature atmosphere falls by the wayside during these scenes, so they feel divorced from its better moments (despite providing valuable information). I\u2019m still intrigued by KGR\u2019s larger mystery, but I hope that the next pair of episodes will send me on a scavenger hunt instead of providing me with a study guide.<\/p>\nMobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX \u2013 6-7<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/starcrossedanime.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Gundam-GQuuuuuuX-7.1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nKoisuru One Piece \u2013 1-5<\/h2>\n
Shin Samurai-den Yaiba \u2013 6-7<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nLazarus \u2013 6-7<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nKowloon Generic Romance \u2013 6-7<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\nApocalypse Hotel \u2013 6-7<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n