Yoru No Yatterman Episode 1 [First Impression]

So yeah, Yoru No Yatterman. Basically, seeing that I was running a tad shy on shows to cover this season, I pulled this one basically out of nowhere. I had NO expectations, NO idea of what it was like, and I pretty much went in head first with no prior idea of what to expect. So what the hell did I think of it? Let me go over the recap first.

So the episode starts out (after one of those weird 30 seconds of “here’s something that’ll happen in the future at some point..or the past maybe?)

Then we cut to the actual part of the show. We see a pregnant lady who is visiting her husband’s grave who more than likely died of GAD (Generic Anime Disease). She is accompanied by her two friend/servants/confidants, a muscley guy and a more weasely guy who’s good with machines.

After a while, she gives birth to a girl named Leopard. (weird name much?) and we have a quick montage of her growing up a few years. Throughout the scenes of her growing up there’s one where she reads a book about the Yatterman. A group that fended off the evil from their land from a group led by Doronjo. Leopard swears to follow the path of good.

A while later however, while in her mother’s shed, she fines artifacts which belonged to the original Doronjo. It turns out that their family are the ancestors of the original Doronjo, and therefore, their whole family has been banished from Yatterman proper forever

Leopard tells her mother that she’ll be nothing like her ancestors and continue to live her life well.

However, on her 9th birthday, her mother collapses. It turns out that she herself has contracted the deadly GAD (Generic Anime Disease) and will die without medicine from Yatterman City.

Gathering up her two colleagues, they get on a boat and head for the city. However, when they’re about to reach the shore, a giant wall pops up and 2 yattermans step out of it. Leopard is overjoyed to see her heroes come to life, but…they abruptly shoot at her for trying to come near the city.

As she tries to explain why they’re there, she’s ignored and they blow up their boat.

It’s at this point, there’s actually a really touching scene where the mother dies. She actually says the phrase “don’t be sad, i’m just going to heaven.” Jesus Christ show, really? Hot damn.

After her mother is dead, Leopard gets understandably pissed off. All she has left are the two guys and she talks about how the Yatterman are terrible people and how if they were real heroes they would have saved her mother. She then rethinks her ancestors and how they might not have been the villains after all and the Yattermen were. It’s then that she and her friends don some outfits and swear to bring equality and peace by defeating the Yattermen.

And that’s basically where the episode ends.

Now for those of you who were expecting a rant, or me to talk about how stupid this show was, I am sorry that for once I have to disappoint you. Because Holy crap. Like a fucking dark horse racing through in the night this came out of nowhere. I. Fucking. Love. This. Show. I can’t believe i’m saying this. At least this first episode, I love Yoru No Yatterman. I actually haven’t seen a first episode that’s got me this excited, this entranced in a good, long time. Watching this, I feel like a little kid again, sad that I have to wait a week to see more adventures with these guys. I took a shot in the dark, and it hit bullseye.

Everything about this show so far they’ve done right. First off, the characters are great. Usually this kind of show would be about a sexualized teenager with bishonen teammates who they get into a lovey relationship with. No. not in this show. In this show it’s about a 9 year old girl and her two wacky looking companions. And that’s PERFECT. This show stars the exact characters that it needs to have. And the way this show is going, i couldn’t be more excited for the next episode.

I’ve only spent 1 episode with these guys but I feel like i’ve known these guys forever. There’s a family aura around them. You can just feel that they’ll do anything for each other, and you know what, they probably will.

Now I know it’s strange to hear me sucking a show’s dick, but hear me out. It has been SO LONG since i’ve seen an original idea like this. Over the past few years i’ve been inundated with harem shows, angsty romance show, mech shows, all with the same formula, and the same love interests, with the same ideas. For once, I come across this show. A show about Hero/Antiheroes. A dysfunctional rat pack rag tag team who have no idea what they’re doing. A 9 year old, a huge muscley guy, and a tech weasel. It sounds more like the opening of a bar joke. But I digress. TO THE SCORES!

Head: I love this idea for a plot. It’s so different then anything I’ve seen before. Anything “Anti-establishment” usually has a formula. Angst, romance, mechs, etc. But this show said “Fuck it” and threw all that shit out and tried something new and fresh. and it hit a home run. If THIS group is going to overthrow the Yatterman, I wanna be there for that. 9/10

Eye: The art, yeah. it’s good. Leopard is adorable, the guys look goofy but not too goofy, and while there are some weird color filters sometimes, it works for the scenes they’re trying to convey. overall, good solid art. 8/10

Heart: damn. for an episode one they throw a LOT of shit your way. Her family’s backstory, her mother dying, her quest for vengeance, but it’s done in a very original and unique method. The whole “you killed my mother” thing has been done to DEATH but the way it was done here was very different, and is keeping my hooked. Also the mother fucking said “Don’t be sad, i’m just going to heaven.” fuck you show. that’s cheap. (sob) 9/10

Overall score 9/10

I cannot wait for the next episode. This show, if it keeps going like this will be my favorite of the season, no contest. Rock on Yatterman, Rock on.

Watching: Guaranteed
Covering: Guaranteed

 

-Hideki