You Brought the Spring Again and Made It Sing Again
The Spring 2022 Preview Guide Ya Boy Kongming!
What is this?
General of the Iii Kingdoms, Kongming, had struggled his whole life, facing countless battles that made him into the accomplished strategist he was. So on his deathbed, he wished only to be reborn into a peaceful world... and was sent straight to mod-day party-central, Tokyo. The brilliant strategist Kongming will have to adapt to the wild beats and even wilder party people of the modernistic age.
Ya Boy Kongming! is based on Yuto Yotsuba and Ryō Ogawa'due south manga and streams on HIDIVE on Tuesdays.
How was the showtime episode?
Nicholas Dupree
Rating:
For a second, I was tempted to telephone call the premise of this one sometime hat – yoinking a historic figure from the past and tossing them into the nowadays 24-hour interval has been a go-to premise for comedy movies for ages. Just there really haven't been too many of those in anime the terminal few years, since the current obsession is taking a dull-ass dude from our world and tossing him to a theoretically more interesting setting to go his stank all over that place. And so in a way this time transplant comedy has some novelty on its side, but it definitely needed more that to sell itself. Thankfully, as of this showtime episode information technology's more than managed to surprise me.
For one, I'chiliad shocked how little the series relies on the rote jokes that come with this territory. You lot of grade accept the requisite scenes of Kongming learning well-nigh smartphones and mod civilisation, but those moments are sped through in under a minute, and seemingly every character but rolls with him either beingness a time traveler or a weird LARPer without much fuss. Not only does that keep this introduction feeling less predictable, it allows more time for the story to dig into sentiment alongside its goofy time-hopping setup. For all that this is a chance for nerdy history references, they take the time to give both Kongming and Eiko likable personalities and moments of emotional sincerity that seriously gripped me.
I was also surprised at how relatively in-depth the show gets with its central musical hook. I'thou used to musical anime being idol shows that rarely dip their toes into the actual mechanics of music or the larger globe of genres exterior of marketable pop ballads. But Ya Boy Kongming! shows a lot of cognition about music as a whole, from Eiko having a phone filled with EDM and Hip-Hop to discussing how the club she works at plays tracks with different BPM depending on the time of night and how many people are around. Eiko's music is pretty, if not especially memorable, only the detail and attention existence paid here makes me hopeful that the story tin utilise music every bit more than than only a marketing gimmick.
It's also just really well produced and so far. The standout scenes are Eiko's first stage appearance and, later, her practise session in her flat. Both are short but gorgeous sequences of character interim, and do a lot to sell you on why Kongming would suddenly devote himself to condign her "tactician" to back up her career. Actually, the unabridged premiere simply looks rock solid – great apply of color, strong character designs that are distinct but all gel together effortlessly, and an altogether pleasant aesthetic to lean on. Put together it makes for a much stronger premiere than you lot might wait, and I'll definitely be staying for another performance.
Rebeccca Silverman
Rating:
Would I have been as thrilled with this episode if I hadn't already read the source manga? I'd like to think so, because even without the knowledge of where this is heading, Ya Boy Kongming!'s kickoff episode is a delightful combination of pathos and humor. It's also a sort of reverse-isekai – our protagonist is in fact the Kongming from the Three Kingdoms menses of Chinese history, and later on his expiry from old age in 234 C. E., he wakes upwardly 1,800 years afterwards, young over again, in what he presumes to be Hell. It's basically Mayaya from Princess Jellyfish's dream anime. But a series needs more but a good premise and a tricky title to piece of work, and in that respect this episode delivers: rather than going with a plain old fish-out-of-water story, Ya Boy Kongming! instead focuses on Kongming finding a new purpose in his life and embracing his rebirth wholeheartedly, and that's a large office of what sells this premier.
Information technology helps that Kongming'south new liege is Eiko, an aspiring singer. Despite a lovely singing voice (provided past 96 Neko), success has been elusive to the point where she very nearly committed suicide at one bespeak. It's Eiko's song that snaps Kongming out of his confusion upon offset arriving in "Hell" (Shibuya on Halloween), and when they encounter over again the next twenty-four hour period, he's wholeheartedly ready to back Eiko's career. Does it matter that he doesn't know anything about the 21st century's music scene? Not in the slightest; the episode does a very good task of showing united states of america but how apace he picks things up without actually stopping to say, "Hey, this guy picks up new skills really fast" in a beautiful display of showing versus telling. (His pride that he's got his own Wiki is pretty funny.) Since he's been brought to the world without state of war that he wished for, what ameliorate use of his prodigious intellect and tactical knowledge than to dorsum the girl who saved him and is in need of a helping mitt herself?
There's something really heartwarming about Kongming's and Eiko'south relationship, even if she is totally thrown past him roughly every three minutes, and it helps that the episode doesn't skimp on the blitheness or the music – not counting the ending theme, we hear Eiko sing 3 separate songs, which is amend than most idol shows. There'due south also dainty particular in the art, from Kongming belongings his sleeve back every bit he plays go to the clutter of Eiko's minor apartment, and the occasional foray into chibi land doesn't detract from this. Honestly, this was but a really entertaining half-hr, and if it wasn't on your radar, I'd urge you to check it out.
How was the first episode?
Richard Eisenbeis Rating:
Although the Romance of the Three Kingdoms talk went right over my head, the prove clearly lays out the ii well-nigh important things for the states to know about Kongming: 1) he was a chief strategist, and 2) his side lost. Therefore, it'due south possible he sees this gig not only as his 2nd chance at life but too his second take a chance to win—albeit through philosophy rather than warfare.
1 thing I love well-nigh this episode is how information technology addresses the applesauce of its premise. Why is he in Nippon in the mod day? Why can he understand Japanese? Why is he young again? Why does he run into the 1 person who will not only deal with his apparent eccentricities simply even bring him into her home? Why does he meet the one dominate who volition hire him on the spot? The reply to all of these questions is the same: some divine forcefulness willed information technology to be so. His task is to back up Eiko, full stop.
Of course, information technology helps that the prove is willing to use this all for comedy.Whether it is Kongming going from having never seen a reckoner before to asking Eiko about the blockchain over the course of a few hours, or him becoming a master bartender later just listening to Eiko's instructions one time, there are a ton of good laughs as we get all those pesky questions out of the way and prepare upwardly both the premise and our characters.
The other groovy matter about the episode is that it understands that the most important matter to have in a evidence about an up-and-coming vocalist is the music to match. If the songs don't wow you, y'all tin can't believe that the supposedly talented singers will make it large, robbing the show of its drama. Honestly, I'chiliad saddened we didn't spend more than time listening to Eiko sing (though with runtime limitations I empathise why we didn't). I'll exist certain to proceed an middle out for the soundtrack if zilch else.
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Source: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/preview-guide/2022/spring/ya-boy-kongming/.183524
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