What’s this?
The general of the Three Kingdoms, Kongming, had fought his entire life, facing countless battles that made him the accomplished strategist that he was. So, on his deathbed, he only wished to be reborn in a peaceful world… and was sent straight to the modern party hub, Tokyo. The brilliant strategist Kongming will have to adapt to the wild rhythms and even wilder party people of the modern age.
Ya Kongming boy! is based on Yūto Yotsuba and Ryō OgawaThe manga and broadcasts on HIDE Tuesdays.
How was the first episode?
Nicholas Dupree
Classification:
For a second, I was tempted to call this premise old hat: bringing together a historical figure from the past and launching him into the present has been a premise for comedy movies for a long time. But there really haven’t been too many of those in anime in recent years, as the current obsession is to take some boring guy from our world and throw him into a theoretically more interesting environment so he stinks all over that place. So, in a way, this time-transplant comedy has some novelty on its side, but it definitely needed more than that to sell itself. Fortunately, from this first episode he is more than capable of surprising me.
On the one hand, I’m surprised by how little the series relies on the rote jokes that come with this territory. Sure, you’ve got the required scenes of Kongming learning about smartphones and modern culture, but those moments are sped up in under a minute, and seemingly every character just plays him as a time traveler or weird LARPer with no much fuss. Not only does that make this intro feel less predictable, but it gives the story more time to dig into the sentiment along with its silly time-jump setup. Even though this is a shot at nerdy story references, they take the time to give Kongming and Eiko likeable personalities and moments of emotional sincerity that seriously grabbed me.
I was also surprised at how relatively deep the show goes with its central musical hook. I’m used to music anime being an idol show that rarely dives into the actual mechanics of music or the larger world of genres outside of marketable pop ballads. But Ya Boy, Kongming shows a lot of knowledge about music in general, from Eiko having a phone full of EDM and Hip-Hop to talking about how the club she works at plays tracks with different BPMs depending on the time of night and how many . people are around. Eiko’s music is pretty, if not particularly memorable, but the detail and attention paid here gives me hope that the story can use the music as more than just a marketing gimmick.
It’s also very well produced so far. The most notable scenes are Eiko’s first appearance on stage and, later, her practice session in her apartment. Both are short but beautiful character acting sequences, and do a lot to convince you why Kongming would suddenly dedicate herself to becoming his “tactician” to support his career. Really, the entire premiere looks rock solid: great use of color, strong character designs that are distinct but come together effortlessly, and a nice aesthetic to lean on. All in all, it makes for a much stronger premiere than you’d expect, and I’ll definitely be sticking around for another performance.
Rebecca Silverman
Classification:
Would you have been so excited about this episode if you hadn’t read the original manga? I’d like to think so, because even without knowing where this is going, Ya Kongming boy!The first episode of is a delightful combination of pathos and humor. It’s also a kind of reverse isekai: our protagonist is, in fact, the Kongming of the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, and after his death of old age in 234 CE, he wakes up 1,800 years later, young once again, in what he presumes to be Hell. He is basically mayaya from jellyfish princessThe anime of dreams. But a series needs more than just a good premise and a catchy title to work, and in that sense this episode delivers: instead of continuing with a simple fish-out-of-water story, Ya Kongming boy! instead, it focuses on Kongming finding a new purpose in his life and embracing his rebirth wholeheartedly, and that’s a big part of what this release sells.
It helps that the new lord of Kongming is Eiko, an aspiring singer. Despite a beautiful singing voice (provided by 96 Neko), success has been elusive to the point where she almost killed herself at one point. It is Eiko’s song that snaps Kongming out of his confusion upon first arriving in “Hell” (Shibuya on Halloween) and when they meet again the next day, he is wholeheartedly ready to back Eiko’s career. Does it matter that I know nothing about the 21st century music scene? In the least; the episode does a really good job of showing us how quickly he picks things up without stopping to say, “Hey, this guy picks up new skills real quick” in a beautiful display of show versus tell. (Her pride in him having his own Wiki is quite amusing.) Given that he has been brought into the world without the war he desired, what better use of his prodigious intellect and tactical savvy than to back up the girl who saved him and needs a helping hand herself?
There’s something genuinely moving about Kongming and Eiko’s relationship, even if he completely throws her off every three minutes or so, and it helps that the episode doesn’t skimp on animation or music; Not counting the ending theme, we hear Eiko sing. three separate songs, which is better than most idol shows. There’s nice detail in the art too, from Kongming holding his sleeve as he plays to the messiness of Eiko’s small apartment, and the occasional foray into chibi land doesn’t detract from this. Honestly, this was only a really entertaining half hour, and if it wasn’t on your radar, I urge you to check it out.
How was the first episode?
Richard Eisenbeis
Classification:
Although the talk of The Wars of the Three Kingdoms passed me by, the show clearly lays out the two most important things to know about Kongming: 1) He was a master strategist and 2) His side lost. Thus, she sees this job as not only his second chance at his life, but also her second chance to win, albeit through philosophy rather than war.
One thing I love about this episode is how it tackles the absurdity of its premise. Why is he in Japan today? Why can you understand Japanese? Why is he young again? Why does he meet the one person who will not only take care of his apparent eccentricities but even take him to his house? Why do you know the only boss who will hire you on the spot? The answer to all these questions is the same: some divine force wanted it to be so. His task is to support Eiko. Final point.
Of course, it helps that the show is willing to use all of this for comedy. From never having seen a computer before to asking Eiko about the blockchain in the course of a few hours, to becoming a master bartender after listening to Eiko’s instructions once, there are plenty of good laughter when we get all those annoying questions. out of the way and set up both the premise and our characters.
The other great thing about the episode is that it understands that the most important thing on a show about an up-and-coming singer is the music to match. If the songs don’t blow your mind, you can’t believe the supposedly talented singers will make it big, robbing the show of its drama. Honestly, I’m sad that we didn’t spend more time listening to Eiko sing (although with the running time constraints I understand why we didn’t). I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for the soundtrack if nothing else.