Anime Original by Lunch Box and Studio Elle
Streaming on Crunchyroll

Premise

A global pandemic is ravaging mankind and world leaders have failed to stop it… and in this anime, a virus that turns people into monsters is ravaging mankind and world leaders have failed to stop it. A samurai and a ninja from the edo period are transported to the present day and join a team of researchers trying to stop the virus.

Jel’s verdict: I guess I have to write about this one too…

I can’t call Gibiate good by any measure. It looks cheap, the dialogue is stiff as a board, and the plot doesn’t make any sense. Why were these samurai dudes summoned to modern times? I feel like we should have at least given us some clues about that by the end of the episode.

And yet I found myself “wanting” to like this to a certain degree. I was mostly letting the nostalgia appeal get to me, by way of the Yoshitaka Amano character designs. Unfortunately “wanting” to like and actually liking are very different though. After coming to my senses I realized this is neither good nor bad enough to be worth watching. With this being pretty much being the last new show to come out, I am officially declaring Summer 2020 anime doomed.

Artemis’ verdict: Hashtag Not My Pandemic

I have no idea how an action/horror/science-fantasy series about a global pandemic that literally turns people into giant bug-like monsters and involves a pair of time-traveling samurai from the Edo period could possibly be this boring, but there you have it. This first episode was so incredibly dull that I didn’t even technically make it the whole way through, and spent at least a few minutes clearing my email inbox somewhere during the final third. By boring, I mean pretty much everything, from the lackluster storytelling and uninspiring characterization to the very cheap-looking animation, loaded with still frames, and the bland character designs. In fact, I was surprised to look this up afterward and see it was an original series, because the visuals definitely gave me a late 90s game or light novel adaptation vibe. With the dearth of anime shows, let alone good ones, airing this season, I’m sure some people will find something to enjoy in Gibiate, but seeing as it all but put me to sleep, it’s an easy pass for me.