Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Shoelid
I really loved when this show leaned into its overarching plot or its silly premise, but it did unfortunately little of both. Instead it spent a lot of time on character-based plot for characters that felt very flat.
While each character has a generally unique personality, they don't really interact with each other. Eiko is expressive, outgoing and a little silly, but nobody ever reacts to her. She'll emote and quip with no reactions from anybody.
Kongming is stoic with a carefree & goofy side, but people only comment on 1) him being clever and 2) him wearing strange clothes. His close friends never actually ask about his past, despite him seemingly being willing to talk about it.
When that type of thing plays out over and over again it's hard to find the characters believable. Charact…
Read at the sourceJJMFREAP
There are different genres of anime out there to appeal to a variety of tastes. Action, drama, slice of life, comedy, musical, shounen, seinen, etc. You can enjoy any number of these, or none of them, point is that there is an endless variety of different choices out there, so surely you will find what you're looking for. Rarely though, there comes a series that takes multiple of these genres together and weaves them into a seamless blend, making the coexistence of some of these contradicting ideas seem so natural. And while the hilariously named Ya Boy Kongming is a comedy first and foremost, it blends so many other elements into itself, creating something truly unique.
Kongming firstly stands out by having one of the most ridiculous premises I've ever heard. An ancient Chinese general…
Read at the sourceCyborgBunny
It's fine, safe and easy to watch, no real drama or stakes. The concept of Kongming reborn in modern world mostly plays out in first half and then kinda takes backseat to other characters. Someone who is into the history of Three Kingdoms or j-pop will likely appreciate it more than I did.
Second half of the season is focused heavily on songs and this is where they lost me. I can't help but compare the music in Paripi Koumei to Carol and Tuesday and I feel like music is not even in the same league. Rap part sounded nice but it's hard to evaluate one need to be able to understand Japanese to appreciate it and the rest of the music is very generic and bland. I'm pretty sure I won't recognize any of the songs in an hour after I heard them.
Opening is so catchy that it almost saves it but i…
Read at the sourceRebelPanda
Paripi Koumei is a treasure, and so is the star, Kongming: One of the most accomplished Chinese military strategists of history. Upon his death in 234 AD, he wished to be "Reborn in a more peaceful era," suddenly, he appears today on the streets of Hell (aka Tokyo) in his handmade Taoist robe with his iconic crane feather fan, amid a Halloween celebration! The bewildering party people, who he mistakes for Hell's minions, get him drunk and sweep him into a nightclub. His first real interaction is with an underdog singer Eiko in a nightclub. After discovering her unappreciated skill, he vows to ensure her success and becomes her millennia-old manager. Appearing like a full-time cosplayer, or a delusional history nerd, Eiko takes him in and accepts his help. Little did she know, his backgroun…
Read at the sourceHunnyo
SHORT REVIEW:
I think what's seriously lacking in this show is focus. It doesn't know what type of show it wants to be and ended up being just a forgettable mish-mash of different genres. It's not funny enough to be a comedy. Not realistic enough to be a slice-of-life. Not dramatic enough to be a drama. And I know that it can be its own thing, but overall, the sum of its parts just falls flat in every aspect. The writing is predictable. The characters are one note. The animation is watered down soup. And the music is...not my personal taste. But if it's yours then I totally respect that.
Furthermore, what is it with Koumei? He is supposed to be the MC. His name is literally in the title yet he doesn't have any depth to him nor does he have any arc in his own freaking show. He is just thi…
Read at the sourceLordSozin
The biggest attraction to this anime is undoubtedly Zhuge Liang or Kongming as he goes by in this anime—which is also his courtesy name. Without Kongming, this anime would end up being a conventional story about a forthcoming artist navigating her way through this world. What Kongming brings to the anime is the bantering between the characters, the charm, the wit, and of course, his intelligence. Being one of the most renowned and respected statesmen and military strategists in Chinese history, Kongming brings what he does best: Surprise its viewers and its casts with his extraordinary execution of strategy and intelligence. But instead of demonstrating these aspects through war and battlefields, this anime demonstrates them through concerts, events, and, well, singing competitions.
Ya B…
Read at the sourcesddsdd
Came in hoping for a breath of fresh air and the dark horse of the season; left disappointed that the novelty of the premise couldn't save it from being a trite, paint-by-numbers story of musical success.
The core failing of Paripi Koumei lies in Kongming and Eiko's relationship. What should have been an interesting dynamic as the two work closely together to achieve a common dream instead feels unengaging and incohesive as, from the very beginning of the show, Kongming tells Eiko to leave all of the strategizing to him. As a result, Eiko's personal involvement in Kongming's plans drops to near zero as virtually her entire role is just to sing and follow Kongming's instructions to the letter– this abject imbalance in their relationship made it impossible for me to develop any sort of att…
Read at the sourceStormy_77
Dedicated to the Beautiful Dreamer inside everyone.
This anime came out of nowhere, I wasn't going to watch another generic isekai but then the OP went viral so I thought I'd try an episode, got HOOKED by the awesome OP and this ended up being my favorite anime of Spring 2022.
Story and Character - 10/10
Zhuge Liang, premier general from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is reverse isekai'd into modern day Japan during Halloween. It's hilarious how they drag him around getting him drunk, and he is later picked up by Eiko in an act of kindness that he repays ten thousand fold by announcing he will be her tactician and help her attain a lofty goal after listening to her sing.
We all know he's smarter than heck, but this anime also showed his funny soft side, making him one of the most lovab…
Read at the sourceIronaditya
First ever manga adaptation by PA WORKS, a studio that has been active in the industry for past 20+ years and has been making anime for 14 years now. A studio that is recognised for its loads of Original Anime, and my oh my did they deliver with Paripi Koumei.
PA WORKS is my favourite studio, so there definitely is some bias in here, then again Paripi Koumei is their highest rated TV anime, which speaks volumes for itself. And them being my favourite meant I most definitely was gonna watch it, irrespective of the end product, but they went above and beyond with this adaptation.
A story about reincarnated Koumei who uses his brilliance to make her current, Eiko achieve her dream, and along the way bring his former masters dream come true of world peace, thi time through Music. A really sim…
Read at the sourceIrrelevantGuy
*** Note that the review will be somewhat long-winded and contain a few minor spoilers. It's been a while since a show has managed to fascinate this much, so I went pretty much all out on this one. Hopefully you will bear with me. ***
P.A. Works creating a good manga adaptation? The world must be ending!
No seriously, this show is fucking amazing.
Paripi Koumei is without doubt a little absurd, insane, and chaotic – and it is entertaining as fuck. Unlike what it appears on the surface, it is not just a brainless comedy that solely intends to make its audience laugh at its ridiculousness; as satirical as this may sound, there is legitimate quality and substance to be found behind all the seemingly pointless madness and irrationality.
Paripi Koumei radiates promise from one of the very f…
Read at the sourceLoveScope
Well that was disappointing. I'm not sure what killed my enjoyment more, the lack of direction after episode 5, that same one song that was bland despite having a talented singer or Kabe. Wait I know, it was the padding and lack of Koumei. You know, the reason many of us picked up the anime in the first place? They somehow managed to make me not care about Eiko halfway through.
Maybe PA Works should have consulted with Koumei regarding how long they were gonna stretch an arc since they are so used to making original shows that span over 13 episodes? Nah let's just add more anime original crap and have Eiko sing that one song again, which was far less appealing than the OP or the fun ED which was also a cover. The stale rap battles/freestyles/whatever you kids call it these days didn't hel…
Read at the sourceecktt
TLDR
This show started off with a bang and held momentum to just past the 7 eps but then seem to slow down. Still worth watching if you're into an innocent story with sneaky battle tactics.
Zhuge Kongmingis a Chinese military strategist that dies and somehow materializes in modern Japan as a young version of himself with his previous past life knowledge and clothes! Yeah, it's really an Isekai but a refreshing twist. This is one of those shows where you willingly turn off your brain and just roll with the plot. The other main character is Eiko. Animators and voice actors are refining their craft as Eiko is extremely likeable, whose dream is to sing at a major music festival. Kongmingis is enchanted by her voice and make it his mission to help her achieve her dream. There is also the club…
Read at the sourcebulkyhog
Koumei is peak isekai. No but for real, it’s such a refreshing spin on the traditional isekai genre and tropes, that I encourage all isekai fans to give it a spin; you might just come to love this show as much as I have.
Similar to Spy X Fam, Koumei is a nice pick-me-up: a solidly wholesome, funny, and enjoyable watch. Again, we have amazing animation, characters, and cast synergy, but Koumei has traded the action-packed spy/assassin scenes in favour of idol training and a focus on music. And I’m all here for it.
I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say I can find songs in anime to be a bit cringe. No hate to those voice actors or anything, but I’ve just never really been able to appreciate “singing” in that sense. I guess it’s because it would often come off as very out-of-place. But in…
Read at the sourceRachiba
If I wanted to mention a favorite fact about music, it would be that no matter what generation we belong to, we all like to listen and feel any type of song that comes to mind. And for those who are introduced to music, the idea has always come to them that one day “I will be like my favorite artist”. However, entering this industry requires talent, dedication (a bit of personal image), but the most important thing is to define your own style.
Welcome, I present Ya Boy Kongming! (Paripi Koumei).
Originally published on a Kodansha website, it would go on to be serialized in Weekly Young Magazine two years later. The story takes us to Zhuge Liang, better known as Kongming Zhuge, a real-life Chinese military strategist who is reincarnated in modern Japan after passing away due to his age. H…
Read at the sourceMcsuper
Chan x Chan, Ai!! Chiki Chiki Ban Ban…
Oh hey there, I was just listening to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” for the 1000th time and I forgot I was writing a review!
It’s a hidden gem, unearthed! That’s what a banger opening can do for a show with a plot as ridiculous as Paripi Koumei, and that’s what got me into this show, even though I started the show in its third week of airing, because the opening was too good for me to pass up on this anime, and boy do I not regret it.
Having grown up in a Chinese family and neighbourhood, naturally, I learned a bit about the Three Kingdoms lore, and even watched some tv shows that focused on that era. When I saw the synopsis of this series, I thought to myself, Kongming got isekai’ed into Shibuya City? No way this is gonna be good! Well… I was wrong,…
Read at the sourceotherdummy
If Ya Boy Kongming! can give us one insight about the business world, it’s that it is competitive and ruthless. This can be applied not just to the music industry, but also to the anime one, where producers employ their various stratagems to entice the populace. Of these, the most significant one in the show is frontloading; by allocating more technical and creative resources to the premiere episode, the show can stand out among the others and attract a sizable audience efficiently.
However, this stratagem comes with a fatal flaw, and it is not too difficult to discern what it is: the quality sharply drops as the show progresses. After the (must I say almost perfect) premiere, cracks start forming. The second episode contains numerous still shots. The comedy starts tiring in the third, wi…
Read at the sourceNextUniverse
The reception of this anime is so strange. There's literally nothing here that merits any kind of universal praise as it already does.
What is introduced to us is essentially the Sun Tzu sequel hears an Aimer song for the first time and dedicates his life to making sure that music ends up universal. No hate on Aimer, by the way, I just lacked a better example.
I actually quite like the premise, as it is a good idea, and the first episode kinda sells everything really well. You know, Kongming seemed like an interesting guy, he meets Eiko and they talk about life and all that rubbish. Soon after, however, it seems as if everything is pretty much forgotten as fast as it is introduced. Well, maybe not forgotten, but bastardised beyond belief. I will tell you what I mean.
You see, my main p…
Read at the sourceStark700
Our world is a complex place, full of diverse culture, and colorful species. Obviously, the most complex species is the human race and we enjoy the gifts that God gave to us. Through evolution, intelligence, and technology, we have also evolved and transformed our world into what we see today. And that brings us to modern day where the setting of a particular show takes place. Paripi Koumei is an anime taking place in modern Tokyo that is full of pop culture and entertainment.
Despite being based on the manga, I've never heard of this series before until the anime announcement. It isn't one of those mainstream franchises that took the world by storm after all. However, I will say that the franchise really bought in a ton of quality content with its music elements. Let's start with the ope…
Read at the sourceSpRayquaza11
I take great pride that I watched this Anime right when it just started and before the OP craze … NO, it’s not like I just watched it because I thought it was an isekai … Baka.
In all seriousness, it's a show that is about Up and coming musical artists, the trials of the music industry, and most importantly what makes music sell
And it is a mind-blowing fact since what sells this Anime to most people is its absolutely insane music, especially Ciki Ciki Bam Bam (Man I can't get this OP out of my head !), I swear they spared no budget when it comes to the music, art, or animation in the OP! Also, Do not sleep on the ED, The art is simple, but goddamn the music slaps!
The focus is clear and pure, and characters rarely get sidetracked from music the first half has a bit of the party culture…
Read at the sourceSingleH
Paripi Koumei is very silly and very good, and while there isn’t much you can say about it in a review, there’s very much to enjoy when you actually watch it. The legendary Chinese tactician, Zhuge Liang, being isekai’d to modern-day Tokyo, becoming the manager of an adorable amateur EDM idol, using his strategic prowess to conquer the world of music, and leading the girl to stardom using the art of war is easily the most confusingly out-of-left-field storyline I’ve seen in years. Despite having such a weird premise, though, it sells you on the characters instantly, and you just watch it like a normal show. But it isn’t normal. It’s really goofy, and the fact it was so easily able to make me forget about that simple truth says a lot about how undeniably enjoyable and engaging it is. I know…
Read at the source