It is hard to put into words just how stacked 2022 has been for anime. Fantastic shows are getting sequels like:
· Kimetsu no Yaiba: Demon Slayer Season 2
· Attack on Titan: Final Season
· Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2
· Kaguya-sama: Love is War Season 3
· Date A Live Season 4 (Season 3 was in 2019)
· Overlord Season 4 (Season 3 was in 2018)
· DanMachi Season 4
· Mob Psycho Season 3
· My Hero Academia Season 6
· Spice and Wolf Season 3 (Season 2 was in 2009)
Already this year, many shows made gigantic splashes with their appearance, such as:
· My Dress-Up Darling
· Spy X Family
· Summertime Render
· Tomodachi Game
And there’s still half a year left to go. It’s been one of the best years for anime in recent memory, with room to grow, but none of them have been quite as stunning as, “Ya Boy Kongming!”
Zhuge Liang, courtesy name Kongming, was a military strategist from the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. However, while we might not be able to say for sure if this really happened, “Ya Boy Kongming!” explores a situation where upon his death, Kongming awakes in modern-day Japan on Halloween. Kongming of course initially chalked it up to hell, but on this night he finds a “songstress” who enchants him wholly with her music. That woman is Eiko Tsukimi, a bartender working to make a name for herself as a music artist, though with middling success. Upon multiple chance encounters, Kongming commits himself to work for her as her “tactician” to bolster her success.
It is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds, and makes for one of the most entertaining anime I have ever seen. The humor is exquisite, and seeing Kongming operate by deploying his own military tactics of old in modern society makes for one of the most unique premises out there. Of course, it’s not all fun and games. The music world is a lot less easygoing as it might seem, and “Ya Boy Kongming!” has no issues delving into the harsher truths of society. There’s betrayal, manipulation and people who have sold their souls for fame. It’s not always pretty, and the show makes that evident.
Unlike most of my favorite shows, “Ya Boy Kongming!” doesn’t feature the biggest cast. There’s a handful of supporting characters:
· Kobayashi, the owner of the bar Eiko and Kongming work at
· Kabe Taijin, a semi-famous rapper with stomach ulcers of all things
· Nanami Kuon, a street musician Eiko stumbles into by chance
But the story largely rotates around the two mains, opting for brief delays featuring a side character before returning to the main plot. Despite operating with so few standout characters, “Ya Boy Kongming!” never stops being interesting. The usage of different strategies to get people to listen to Eiko makes for something like a “Monster of the Week” format, where every episode revolves around a new performance, spurred on by a new strategy.
The premise is ridiculous, sure, but the show stays true to that ridiculousness and never takes itself too seriously, allowing itself to be remarkably entertaining from start to finish. In a year stacked to the top with some of the best titles I have ever seen, “Ya Boy Kongming!” creates not only an awesome experience, but something no other show can even hope to replicate.
