Nijusseiki Denki Mokuroku: Eureka Evrika

On one hand, this anime is a passion project, since its production started around the arson that Kyoto Animation suffered back in 2019, so the fact alone that it was recovered and exists is inspirational and something to be kinda glad about. On the other hand, KyoAni is likely not the appropriate studio to be in charge of the adaptation. Look up some opinions from source readers and you’ll find that they changed aspects and order of events of the story, details in characterization, and added lgbt bait that goes nowhere as their usual trademark. Despite belonging to the reduced group of their works that aren’t about cute girls doing cute things with Munto, Full Metal Panic and Violet Evergarden, KyoAni still gave Sparks of Tomorrow their usual flavor. For what’s supposed to be an alternative history drama, the tone is very light, it’s almost like the plot can’t remain serious for more than two minutes without anyone saying or doing something silly, having what it’s supposed to be a funny reaction, or dropping some catchphrase, as both protagonists have one. The characters are very quirky, the two protagonists with their catchphrases, the antagonist by being over the top and an obsessed gay yandere that randomly drops some English here and there making you cringe a little every time, and the two friends of the main girl making stuff appear when needed and who the series baits to have something going on but does not commit to it, as the studio never does despite baiting on every anime they make. The characterization itself feels two-dimensional at best, the protagonist who’s big into creating with electricity but it’s also skeptical, the main girl who is naive and very positive talking about miracles, deities, believing in talents and people no matter what and stuff, the two friends that are just kinda there and one is secretly lesbian, the yandere secretly gay antagonist, the side characters that are defined by a role and a quirk. The tall and strong dude compared with a machine, his fiance who judo chops him regularly, and such. Heck, for most of the series the antagonist remains so passive you might not even consider him as such. I gotta say it’s not even consistent, the girl who is supposed to be heart over brain ends up making some of the most important discoveries out of observation, for example. The writing is a mess, as everything good or bad seems to happen through accidents. It’s not every day that you can criticize something for having not only plot conveniences but also inconveniences for the protagonists. Your usual situation in this anime would play out kinda like this: protagonist-kun and main girl-chan are chased by bad guy-san, who sends side character-dono at them, luckily he trips while running so he doesn’t reach them, but his shoe goes flying and pushes some lever that stops the vehicle the main characters were on, but they go around the corner that he can’t get in so they are fine, but oh no, villain-san is already there somehow. Everything plays out like this. Oh but sometimes the main group reaches out to the bad guy to show him their progress, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? Heck, even the characters are introduced just as casually, they happen to be in the place the protagonists are in on a scene and episode, they happen to be related to some other known character, and those in turn happened to know about the main plot device of the story and the older brother of the protagonist. It could have easily been solved by having secondary characters introducing other side characters to the main ones by their own initiative, but no. Even if you disregard the writing, the scenario is not believable. Ok, let’s accept the premise of electricity being invented in Japan, it’s not the worst alternative history otaku work out there, go find mangas and anime about time travel samurais or admirals changing the course of Japanese history if you don’t believe me, I could only watch three episodes of Konpeki no Kantai before dropping it. Still, the speed and way the characters invent things are simply unacceptable, even though they are not Dr. Stone levels of impossible. I mean in six episodes you have the three girls playing jpop death metal as if they were Babymetal by playing shamisens and such instruments. Well, the antagonist made an android with an electro brain of his mancrush near the end, and all of this happens at the beginning of the 20th century. Even if you accept the writing and the scenario, there are so many ridiculous things happening in most episodes. That one where the antagonist dances with the protagonist while the latter wears a dress is the second worst episode I’ve seen so far from this year after the first of Ghost Concert, and I went with the three episodes rule for Red River, yes, it was that bad in my opinion. The pacing and narrative are also messy. The setup is kinda steadily presented during the first episodes, but then it becomes semi episodic midway through, only to remember its goals later on, but at least it always retains its continuity. In a single episode you could have the main girl at school, the protagonist getting something he needs, then you’d have both of them on another place doing some other thing, then we see the antagonist scheming something else, but then he appears in front of the main characters from who knows where, then the two guys confront each other, but then the latter sends some side character his way, that one is antagonistic, but then an ally, then goes back to the bad guy. Would it kill this anime to slow the fuck down a bit? I even have to criticize the sound design a bit, which is usually not an issue with anime made by KyoAni but it is for something from Netflix. The sound effects can be either the best I’ve heard so far from this year, and other times can be weak and go unnoticed. The music is good and does its job fine but again at times can go unnoticed. The opening and ending can be weirdly modern for the setting and the former even features some big change in melody midway, but somehow they also fit the series. Both insert songs ala Babymetal suck in my opinion. The voice acting is ok but I gotta say for the genki character that Sora Amamiya plays and for how good she usually is, her performance sounds weirdly low energy. Not everything in the anime is bad though. As expected from Kyoto Animation the visuals are good, very solid artwork, well made and thought out backgrounds that reflect the steam in the air in Kyoto, and the contrast when they go to another city. Well rendered and integrated CGI, good motions as usual for the studio, scenes in POVs and in total darkness, which seems to have been kind of common this year strangely enough, and serve to reflect the fear of it of the protagonist. The coloring is darker than their usual brightness and fits the steampunk-like aesthetics well, it’s like I’m seeing the response from KyoAni to Kotetsujou no Kabaneri or something. The character designs mix traditional clothes with usual Kyoto Animation style fine, but man if I don’t feel like I’m seeing Hyouka or Violent Evergarden due to their faces half the time. The main girl does have the prettiest eyes of the year however, surpassing even Akane Osaki, it’s like I’m looking at a lake or something. And in usual KyoAni fashion, they let some moments with no dialogue nor even sound effects, just music, and in this case show the process to produce electricity without explaining much about it. Even when the protagonist can go all technical about it, the other main girl just chooses to ignore him, thus no moment in the anime features some boring exposition. On the other hand the series does lack needed scenes explaining how these inventions are plausible, but clearly that was not important for the team behind the show. I’m in no way a fan of Kyoto Animation, even though I love Hibike! Euphonium. I have voiced my dislikeness over the years of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-on!, Maid Dragon, Viole…

i enjoyed so much and we need 3 more seasons it was so cute i love the animation and the voice acting and they are so cute i loved everything<3 SEASON 2 PLEASEEEEEEEEEE Very unique story very unique animation and people hating but I DONT CARE i love this half raw animation makes me feel so happy! i binged the first 10 episodes and been waiting every sunday for a new episode to come out and it never made me feel disappointed. I know for sure they can improve in the second season so pleaseeee make it happen also can this website finally get a damn update why must i type a damn essay I JUST WANNA WRITE I BRIEF REVIEW FOR OTHERS AND MYSELF! just like i dont wanna be reading a 2 pages review why cant i damn write just a yes its worth it and good and u should totally watch it type of review "This review needs more information!" SHUT UP

The first thing that deserves appreciation about this series is the animation. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and the way the animators depict the backgrounds in this series is seriously impressive. Now, let’s get into the really bad part of this anime: the story. Honestly, I don't have a problem with the homo bait they’re doing as long as they can actually make the story good. We can see this with Hibike! Euphonium—they managed to turn that into an incredible series despite all the yuri bait. But that doesn't happen here. At first, I thought this was going to be a series where the MC and the antagonist would clash over their ideas about bringing the electrical age to Japan. But what we actually got was a bunch of stupid drama. They make the setting feel like electricity is barely being used in Japan, but then they have electric trams. You know how stupid that is? You see a light bulb and act like it's some incredible technological miracle, while your world already has electric trams. And then we get to one of the dumbest parts of the story: YOSUKE. I genuinely don't know what kind of drugs the anime writer was taking when they came up with Yosuke. His character is genuinely terrible. It feels like they just wanted to write a character who could be sold to the gay audience without actually giving him proper writing or a more logical motivation as an antagonist. This idiot's goal is to build a "robot." Yes, a fucking ROBOT. This is stupid down to its very core. You want to start the electrical age, and your first major goal is to build a robot? It's like the Wright brothers wanting to invent the airplane, but instead of designing something like the Wright Flyer, they immediately decide they want to build a Boeing. There are so many technological steps you would have to go through before your brain even gets to the point of thinking, "Hey, let's build a robot." And what's even worse is that Yosuke is grieving because he lost someone he loved, who was also his friend—and yes, that person was another man. Honestly, this is just ridiculous. I could write a lot more about how badly Yosuke is written, but I'll stop here. Now let's move on to the protagonist, Kihachi. Do you know what Kihachi's problem is? Yep. He's afraid of the dark. And do you know how the anime ends? Yep. He's still afraid of the dark. Kihachi wants to bring about the electrical age, yet by the end of the anime, he hasn't actually created anything that meaningfully helps people or contributes to the beginning of an electrical age. When the anime first aired, I thought he was going to invent things that would actually help the people in that village—things like lighting for the night, for example. And hilariously, by the time the anime ends, he doesn't actually create an era of electricity or anything remotely resembling that. He just builds an airplane, which is way too advanced for what the story is supposedly trying to accomplish. And for some reason, KyoAni seems incapable of writing straightforward romance. Instead, they keep going for this weird, overly explicit bullshit. Next is the character Inako. There isn't really that much I can say about Inako, but can someone explain the connection between "electric sake" and the electrical age? Because I genuinely can't find one. Why is it called electric sake? Is it because when you drink it, you're shocked by how good it tastes, like you've been electrocuted? And what exactly does it have to do with the electrical age that Kihachi supposedly wants to create? Nothing. They can't even properly connect this concept to the main story. At this point, I don't know whether KyoAni lacks competent writers or whether they changed the original story so much that it ended up looking this stupid. Now let's talk about the animation again. As I said at the beginning, the animation itself is excellent. However, the animation style doesn't fit what the story is trying to tell. For example, there's a muscular guy pedaling a bicycle so hard that he literally creates a giant hole. If you used a comedic animation style for something like that, it could actually be funny. But you're using a dramatic visual style. It's like pouring water into oil—those two things simply don't mix. There are so many moments where I think something should have been played for comedy, but instead the series presents them with this serious tone. You're not JoJo, where you can make something incredibly serious look hilarious. You're a serious series that is desperately trying to be funny by throwing goofy faces into the animation. In the end, this is a bad anime when it comes to its story. The only genuinely good thing about this series is the animation, although even the animation style doesn't always fit what it's trying to portray. And honestly, the best episode was probably the one where Inako performed with the band. Maybe they should have made a story about a band in the Meiji era instead of pretending they're going to explore the development of electricity during the Meiji era—because we barely even see that idea properly explored in the first place. I honestly feel sorry for the author of the original novel because the novel seems to have been changed so drastically by KyoAni that the adaptation ended up becoming this mess. KyoAni really needs to stop thinking that EVERY SERIES has to use the same fucking homo-bait formula.

(Spanish review on my list) It’s not what I expected, but it’s not too bad either... There are LOTS of plot holes; the protagonist is a genius who pulls inventions out of thin air with no logic other than "plot convenience." The antagonist’s actions don't align with his goals, there seems to be no government or broader society paying attention to the chaos unfolding, and the steam technology makes no sense. Despite all that, the story is entertaining, and every now and then, the visuals are spectacular. I thought "electricity" would be banned for socio-economic reasons, and that the story would follow the protagonist defying the law and finding other enthusiasts of this world-changing science. But no—electricity just never takes off, for no apparent reason, even though practical, demonstrable uses for it are shown throughout the episodes; for the sake of the plot, simply no one is interested in it. Then there’s our main "enemy," who is obsessed with the past; he isn't actually against electricity—he’s just a bit unhinged. But in the end, after some talking and overcoming their grief, things turn out relatively well... I had hoped for much more social and political commentary regarding the steam-versus-electricity conflict, but the story they chose to tell was a "nicer," "easier" one about people succeeding and achieving their dreams through sheer effort and dedication—all backed by high-quality animation.

KYOTO ANIMATION PROVES ONCE AGAIN WHY THEY’RE CONSIDERED THE GOAT WHEN IT COMES TO ANIMATION QUALITY The visuals are striking, colorful, and flashy. I especially love the scenes where the art style transitions into a dreamy future where the whole world is using the main character’s electrical invention. There are also so many memeable faces in this anime. Yousuke’s ultra creepy face is probably my favorite. It’s disturbing and hilarious at the same time. Suzu the ninja is easily the best girl in the series. The opening song is great too. I really appreciate the fact that they made eight different opening visuals. Creating different animations for every episode takes a lot of time and budget, so I have to respect KyoAni for putting in that extra effort. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t live up to the animation. The concept of a 20th-century electric revolution has so much potential, but the writing feels pretty mediocre. They spend way too much time on side quests that barely contribute to the main plot. There’s also a lot of the usual cheesy friendship speeches "I believe in you!" crap you’d expect from a generic shounen. Some of them were just too cringe. Animation Quality - S+ Tier Music - A Tier Characters - B Tier Story - D Tier

Man, you have no idea how much I wanted to enjoy this show. Look, historical fiction has always been one of my personal favorite anime genres. So many of my favorite anime of all time are historical fiction stories, whether they be adaptations of Western children's books or manga/light novels. Sparks of Tomorrow's premise alone sounded really interesting to me, and with this being a KyoAni project finally seeing the light of day after that awful arson attack, why wouldn't I want it and the staff behind it to succeed? I'll repeat this until the day I die, I NEVER go into something wanting to hate it. I really wanted to enjoy Sparks of Tomorrow, as it has all the ingredients for what could have been something good. Not perfect, but fairly nice if it played its cards right. However, in light of reading an in-progress fan translation of the novel, learning more about KyoAni's adaptational decisions when it comes to stuff they own, and seeing just how much was changed from the source to the show...I can't lie to myself. As happy as I am that KyoAni is back in action after the awful arson attack, Sparks of Tomorrow is not just a mediocre show on its own, but pretty much the amalgamation of everything bad about KyoAni's recent modus operandi since probably Love, Chuunibyou, and Other Delusions. Taking place in an alternate Meiji Era where electricity hasn't caught on and steam still rules the roost, the series centers on two 15-year-old teenagers, Kihachi Sakamoto and Inako Momokawa. Inako is a girl who can't seem to do anything right no matter how hard she tries. Her perpetual clumsiness has caused non-stop problems and resulted in many a scolding from her strict father. Her only relief is praying to the Gods at the Fushimi Inari Shrine. On one such pilgrimage, she runs into Kihachi, who not only doesn't believe in Gods, but is an aspiring inventor who hopes to fulfill his older brother Seiroku's dream of bringing in the age of electricity. Long ago, both he and Kihachi made a book called the 20th Century Electrical Catalog, filled with all their ideas for potential inventions. Seiroku had taken it with him when he was sent off to fight in the Russo-Japanese War, but his whereabouts remain unknown. Not long after their encounter, Inako receives terrible news: In exchange for ensuring her family's sake brewery doesn't be forced into bankrupcy, her father has arranged for her to be married off to Yosuke Mizoe, the wealthiest man in town. Yosuke is also looking for the Electrical Catalog for his own reasons, and he's determined to get his hands on it no matter the cost. It's up to Inako, Kihachi, and their friends to both ensure the engagement doesn't go through, and to find this Electrical Catalog and unlock its secrets. I'm not going to mince words here: If there's any anime that embodies the phrase "style over substance", Sparks of Tomorrow is it. But in the interest of not wanting to start off completely on a negative note, I want to get the positives out of the way. Yes, the animation looks stunning. That's one thing I'll never knock KyoAni for. They go all out with their animation, both in the backgrounds, the set design, the character motion, the aesthetics, and so on. One thing I admittedly like is how the anime chooses to depict what goes on in Kihachi's mind, such as how his idea of what the world with electricity looks like is depicted in a paper cut out puppet theater style. That's a great way to show what a character's inner world can be like, and there's a lot you can do with that. I also like how in the first half of the show, the visuals for the opening theme are not only different for each episode, but used as ways to explore a character's backstory. That's a great idea! It's an interesting way to show a character's background without going to deep into needless exposition or melodrama and in a way that lets the visuals tell the story on their own. The soundtrack is pretty nice as well, even if its not all that memorable and I admit I'm not a fan of the ending theme, as it's a bit too hard rock for my tastes. Not to mention the voice actors in the show across both languages are trying so hard to make this material sound more important than it actually is. I really want to give praise to the English dub as that's definitely one that spared no effort. I legitimately never heard of Hunter McCoy before this, but now I want to hear him in more stuff, and after having initially been put off by Audrey Hsieh's performance as Suzu in Medalist, both this and Ai from Draw This Then Die changed my opinion on her. I really hope she'll be allowed to play to her strengths in future dubs, though she could stand to be less shrill when she voices small children. And damn, for as much as a terrible character as Yosuke is, Paul Castro Jr absolutely understood the assignment and managed to sell me on his performance as the hammy, theatrical, petulant villain that you want to see get completely demolished. Honestly, he probably did the character more of a service than even the show itself did. And...that's it. That's all the praise I can truly muster for this show. Because good lord, the writing in this show feels like none of the staff have ever attended a single writing class in their entire life. It's like the show's staff put all their hard work into the animation and completely neglected everything else in the process. For one thing, the characters either never seem to really change much or when they do, it's because the plot demands it. Motivations and allegiances change on a dime, often for little to no reason, and some characters only exist to just be plot devices to either move the story forward or in Suzu's case, pull something out of their ass just to make things more convenient for the heroes. The most egregious example of the former is Kengo Kuga. He's supposed to be this battle-hardened war veteran with PTSD who really wants to tell Noriko he loves her, but for the first half of the series, he mainly spends his time either chasing people because someone told him to or randomly hulking out like some X-Men villain, often with no real reason for him to do so. It's like the show has no idea what to do with him, and like I mentioned, he's often switching sides because the plot demands he do so. At least in the novel, he has a legitimate reason for going after the two leads! There'll also be times when characters will start off one way and then suddenly change for no real reason. Jinemon starts out as an abusive jackass who looks down on Inako and wants to marry her off to Yosuke, but later on he suddenly changes his tune when everything's all over, with no reason given as to why or how it happened. Whatever character development some people do get, it never feels earned because it either comes out of nowhere, is something the audience already knew or could see coming, or the methods getting there make absolutely no logical sense. I don't think I even need to get into the fact that Yosuke is not only a terrible villain, but pretty much every single offensive gay stereotype made manifest. All of this isn't even getting to just how bad the actual writing for the plot is! The show never seems to have its priorities straight most of the time, which is especially prevalent in the early episodes, mainly because rather than take the time to explore its characters and flesh them out, the show would rather start out with bad episodic vignettes involving Kihachi making a machine of the week to solve some problem. Most of the time this involves shoehorning in bad comedy that completely clashes with the show's tone and just drags the episode out for no real reason. Like...did we really need an episode involving a college guy lusting over a teenage girl shouting "LIEBE!" at the top of his lungs all the time? Did we really need a whole sequence where Inako and a bereaved widow go through this overlong, over-the-top running sequence straight out of Looney Tunes? D…

Biggest disappointment of the season. When it comes to the positives, animation is literally the only thing that comes to mind. Nothing else stands out. Not even OST (with the exception of OP/ED maybe). When it comes to the story, we have: One dimensional, irritating characters. Cartoonish, obnoxious antagonist. One of the laziest writing in a while - Coincidence after coincidence to drive the plot forward (like stumbling upon a random person who happens to know MC's brother; or suddenly tripping and unlocking a secret touch-panel on the wall!!!). Obsession with male butt, shoved in your face as fanservice for some reason. Forgettable, filler episodes. 0 romance, unless gay. Decisions and events that make absolutely zero sense but happen anyways. Not to mention, author of the source material felt insulted with how little anime adaptation resembled their work, so they cried about it in a tweet. A tweet that was quickly deleted and the author ended up apologizing for "overreacting". It's not hard to imagine why. After finishing this pile of steaming garbage, I have to say my initial thoughts were right. 4/10 Forgettable nothing-burger. A turd with sprinkles. Nothing more, nothing less. In the future, a poor unsuspecting person who picks up this show will wonder: "this is done by Kyoani? Why no one talks about this?" Then a couple of episodes (or regretfully to the end) they'll be like: "Oh...that's why"

Keeping this short... This anime looks and feels amazing, but it just lacks a compelling story. Other than how beautiful everything is there's nothing really that special about it. The entire tension of the plot is that there's just one rich dickhead who's screwing everything up for everyone around him by being a complete psychopath because he can't get over his friend's (or maybe love interest's if we're being real here) death. Like honestly this whole storyline could have been solved by a few good therapy sessions. Which kind of sucks because everything about this show other than the actual storyline is really really well done. Everything audio/visual is superb, the characters feel real and the voice acting is great... it really feels like a big budget cinematic extravaganza, but in the end it just comes out 'meh'. It's like someone spent thousands of dollars to gift wrap a potato. I did like all the cool electronic inventions and positive parts of the show. Honestly I probably would have enjoyed it more if they never tried to jam in an antagonist character and just kept it closer to a slice of life or romance style series. Watching Kihachi and Inako persue their dreams was fun and interesting in itself. Giving it a 7 because at the end of the day although it IS entertaining (especially that out of left field band episode), it is certainly skippable with no real fears of missing out. 7/10

If I had to give this review a title, it would be: "Good Animation, Interesting Basic Premise, but Poorly Executed." This series is a clear example to me that an anime can have good animation and great OSTs, but if the narrative structure and basic coherence aren't there, it simply doesn't work for me. The way this series operates is strange and often grotesque, and it never really managed to inspire much in me. In my eyes, the characters and their development lack narrative consistency. This anime simply cannot be taken seriously. Out of everything I watched this Summer 2026 season, this was the worst anime for me in terms of overall experience. I managed to stay motivated until the end mainly because I didn't want to leave a friend alone to suffer through it, and also because I wanted to finish all of my seasonal anime this season. Overall, this was one of my worst anime-watching experiences. During my watch, I also learned that the author of the original work was apparently unhappy with the adaptation and had deleted one or more hostile tweets directed at them. I obviously cannot confirm the full context behind that situation, so I'm only mentioning it as something I came across during my viewing. The 3 points I give go to the animation, the locations/backgrounds, and the OSTs. Everything else: 0/10. Of course, feel free to have a completely different opinion!

Kyoto Animation's first anime original in years has a disjointed plot, but strong characters elevated by the stunning and skilled production you would expect from the landmark studio. Story: The anime took about seven years to come together, and there was difficulty working out how to encapsulate the director’s ideas. You can feel this, because while most animes settle into a routine scenario progression (even long running animes having arcs), Sparks of Tomorrow left me constantly feeling like we were being re-introduced to a new set up, only for it to be replaced after two episodes. This gave the series a feeling of being disjointed that I think would be maximized if every episode was watched subsequently. Yet this doesn’t make the anime a total disaster of ideas starting and stopping, because the characters have such strong personalities and journeys of development, acting as a through line. As for if the focus of the episodes will appeal to people or not, it depends on how serious they want the series to be. If they want a grounded historical drama like Violet Evergarden, they are going to be disappointed, because while Sparks of Tomorrow does have serious moments, there’s a lot of silliness. It never loses this. Even during the final stretch of episodes, when everything should be coming to a head, the anime hits the brakes on the progression of the plot so the protagonists can invent an electricity-powered rat for a harebrained scheme to help their friend reconnect with his spurned lover. That’s just the kind of stupid fun that I personally love, but it isn’t for everyone. Characters: Kihachi I found difficult to take interest in after the initial few episodes, because that is where the greatest concentration of specific scenes depicting him and his brother— his biggest motivator—are. After that, he will talk about his brother a lot, and yet, Yousuke has more scenes with Kihachi’s brother scattered throughout, so their rivalry for his brother’s dream almost seems to tip not in the favor of the protagonist. Kihachi’s fear of the dark never amounts to as big of an obstacle to his dream as Inako’s father does to hers, making his journey the less compelling. Inako having such instant, powerful belief in anything or anyone probably looks sappy to most. As a Catholic who does believe in miracles, I found it refreshing, inspiring, a reminder that I myself need to believe more easily. And while I have never experienced anything like an arranged marriage, I, like Inako, have struggled with values I don’t echo being impressed upon me. So when Inako rebels against her father, not with a spirit of hate, but with the spirit of creativity, I found it deeply moving. Without that depth and relatability, an anime that talks about dreams as often as this one would feel melodramatic, but moments like these prove Sparks of Tomorrow’s prattling about dreams to be more than pretty words. Kihachi and Inako complement each other well. The two have a Yin Yang relationship of both having dreams, but one being filled with paralyzing doubt and the other with reckless belief, to the point that without the other, each character would have been unable to start their respective journeys. We see them develop enough to compensate for the other’s weaknesses, until they go from meek would-be wishers to emboldened commanders of entire teams of people to fulfill their now-larger-than-life aspirations. Yousuke stands as a firm obstacle to both their dreams, and his extreme behaviors take full command of any scene he’s in. He too has an unshakable conviction towards his dream, even though unlike our protagonists, his dream is not looking towards the future, and is instead clinging to a foregone past, making him the antithesis of the protagonists. I was pleasantly surprised that he is definitively gay or bisexual, because Kyoto animation has in the past baited people with LGBTQ content. There are many side characters, even a lesbian couple (who, while not directly confirmed within the show to be a couple, have fan art from the staff that has the red string of fate tied in a heart around them), and they create opportunities for fun banter among the characters and goofy scenarios, like an invention that makes people think that they’re madly in love with someone and give them an over-the-top confession spur of the moment. The side characters bring their own drama too, particularly Kengo, who time and again puts himself in danger to protect our protagonists, even as he struggles to find his place in the world. Production: The level of detail etched into the irises of every character, the intricacies of their clothing, and the hazy smog of Kyoto make screenshots look like hand drawn paintings, to the point that screenshots make you think, “These can’t possibly move.” And yet they do, without compromise, without dips in animation quality. The show may be about overthrowing the fog of the steam era, and yet, it is a dazzling festival of rich colors. The opening has more shifts and movements than most animes, making it feel fitting for an anime that has as many starts and stops to its plot as this one. The closing theme is engrossing because it doesn’t even sound like a song out of an anime. It sounds futuristic, like something that would play late at night inside a bar 40 years in the future. Conclusion: In an interview, Director Minoru Ota said the characters of Sparks of Tomorrow “strive to reclaim what they've lost and pursue their dreams. I hope to convey to everyone the spirit of giving it another shot or trying again.” You can feel the strength of that unwavering conviction in the gorgeous background artwork, soulful line deliveries, and ridiculous scenarios where characters babble about their hopes and dreams like little kids with sparkles in their eyes. This anime is an easy recommendation to anyone young at heart.

A beautiful idea with a creative story that... unfortunately, ends up disappointing due to the plot. "Sparks of Nowhere" or "Seiroku's Harem" would be more fitting titles, but one is capable of enjoying the work anyway, anyhow. STORY: 5/10 — A unique concept that surprises the viewer right from the start! Everything is incredible in the early episodes, and every new detail holds promise—you get the feeling the story is about to take off at any moment... but it never does. The series promises a lot but delivers little; the closer you get to the end, the more the narrative feels stagnant. There are no BIG revelations at all and only a single plot line is presented. By the time the anime concludes, that spark of electricity hasn't actually taken the characters anywhere; aside from the bonds they formed with one another, they are effectively back to square one—or even worse off, given that they have even fewer resources. ART: 10/10 — Flawless—the highlight of the work. The art direction is incredible and the animation is fantastic; the backgrounds, details, and characters are all beautiful, as are their expressions (even during comedic moments). There isn't much to say about something that has no flaws, so I offer my congratulations to the artists. Bravo, Kyoto Animation! SOUND: 6/10 — It’s good! Nothing extraordinary, but the studio got it right. The right music plays at the right moments—though it’s not a "OH MY GOD, MY EARDRUMS HAVE BEEN BLESSED!" kind of experience; viewers probably won't even notice it at all. I rate it a SIX or a SEVEN (ha ha ha six seven joke)—a six overall, but a seven simply because the musical battle is ​​the anime's highlight. CHARACTERS: 5/10 — All the characters are introduced in a cool way and have interesting, well-defined personalities. The problem is that, beyond that initial impression, there’s nothing more to them! They lack meaningful backstories (shallow) and have only a single motivation that persists from start to finish. And in most cases, that motivation has something to do with—or literally *is*—Seiroku. Seriously, are all the characters in the series in love with and living their lives for the sake of just one guy?! There has to be a limit! What’s even more infuriating is how the madness and the CRIMES Yousuke commits just slide by unchecked. I mean... the guy belongs in jail! He IS a predator! Judging by the world of the anime, you could argue he’s too powerful to be arrested—what with cultural factors and all that—but that doesn't justify the other characters simply accepting the behavior of a guy who is actively endangering their lives! I couldn't believe my eyes every time Kihachi SIMPLY went up to him to report on his own progress. It’s outrageous. ENJOYMENT: 3/10 — It started off well, but the closer it got to the end, the more the feeling intensified that I was watching it simply out of a sense of obligation to finish it. Even before the last episode, the last spark of joy I had... vanished. OVERALL: 5/10 — It's okay. It’s well-made and a lot of love went into it, but it’s not something that will leave a lasting impression on you. If you have the time, give it a look; you won't be missing much if you skip it—except for the initial hope that you were watching a masterpiece.

Looking around, I conclude that Kihachi and Yosuke managed to bring Seiroku's dream to life. We live in the era of electricity, which never ceases to delight us with new wonders. But seriously, the anime Sparks of Tomorrow is a pretty standard journey to a dream story. And thanks to the diverse characters, we can see the different paths people can choose. Personally, I liked this anime. The visuals are very beautiful, and the cute or goofy faces added a special charm to this art style. As for the plot, chances are you've seen stories like this more than once, so if you're looking for something brand new, this anime is hardly for you. But for me personally, the small dose of absurdity in both the story and the animation of this title made me give it an 8 instead of a 7. Unfortunately, I couldn't call this anime a hidden gem. Among the minuses, I would note the lack of originality. Where I call the plot standard, someone else will call it cliché. At the same time, that's not the only issue - sometimes the anime stretches out some mediocre moment, and sometimes, on the contrary, it rushes through an important event. Despite all this, this title made it into my top 10 anime of Summer 2026, and I would recommend checking it out because it's a decent story with pleasant characters and great visuals that takes us from start to finish over the course of 12 episodes.

Sparks of Tomorrow is an anime series from the globohomo streaming service Netflix. Every single male character alludes to homosexuality in one way or another, either by looking and/or acting effeminately or by making decisions that only make sense from the perspective of a homosexual. Here's a list of all the male characters ranked from the least to the most gay: Kihachi - The protagonist Is afraid of the dark and will bitch and moan about it every chance he gets. Dresses up as a woman and dances with another guy. Despite being a show about gays, the protagonist is somehow the least gay of them all - mainly because he is the only one to display a genuine interest in the opposite sex. Sakon & Ukon - The couple These are two minor characters who serve no other purpose than being an openly gay couple, however, they don't look or act exceedingly gay. Izou - Yousuke's bodyguard Looks like a generic yaoi character. Expresses his love for Yousuke in his thoughts. Just gay, plain and simple. Ainosuke - Lover boy Wears pink (a symbol of femininity) and waxes poetic about love. Proclaims his love for a girl who unsurprisingly turns him down without giving a reason. Obviously, she doesn't want to date a homo. Akira - Prank caller Only plays a minor role, so the show doesn't make much of an attempt to explore his homosexuality except for making him look feminine: he wears dress, has an androgynous face and has long, silky hair. Yajirou - Kihachi's butt buddy Looks similar to Akira but additionally acts very effeminately. He talks and runs like a girl, he always does what he is told, and he is avoidant of girls. He is also afraid of heights and doesn't man up to face his fears. This guy is a real sissy. Jinemon - Inako's dad Has a modern, meticulously styled haircut and neatly trimmed facial hair. Often gets physically overpowered by his own daughter, which becomes a running gag. Never mourns the death of his wife and wants his younger daughter to become a beard, too. Stuart - Senpai Lives with a woman who is not his wife, girlfriend, or mistress, but his "friend". His gentle demeanor gives the impression of a guy who cannot possibly be straight. Anecdotally, I know a gay with the exact same beard and glasses. Last but not least, he's British. Very gay. Kengo - Roid monkey This big, burly dude looks like someone ripped right out of a gay calendar. His physique is frequently and prominently displayed, often while he's half naked. In one scene, showing off his physical prowess, his huge chest bursts through his shirt while his glutes are accentuated as a form of homosexual fan service. He breaks off his engagement over a trivial reason, dresses up as a woman, and professes his love for another man. Need I say more? Seiroku - Kihachi's brother Gay, gay, GAY! Seiroku has an androgynous face and is in a permanent drag with long, styled hair; earrings; a necklace; a bracelet; and a flamboyant, low-cut dress. Even when going to war and charging into battle, he insists on wearing these impractical pieces of jewelry. He's also implied to have been in several relationships with other men. Yousuke - The antagonist For a show that vigorously celebrates homosexuality, you'd think they would've made an exception for the antagonist, but instead, they turn it up to 11 with the 'effeminate bad guy' trope and make him the gayest character of all. He's so gay that elaborating on all the reasons why would break the character limit, so I'll leave it at this: he wears high heels. If you are a homosexual man, or a woman who thinks love between men is sweet, and are now thinking this anime might be right up your dark alley, there's yet another major obstacle to overcome: the piss poor frame rate. Whereas most modern anime typically animate on twos (12 frames per second) and fluctuate between 8 to 24 frames per second, Sparks of Tomorrow mainly operates at a frame rate of 8. Combined with the hectic editing style and predominant use of close-ups and medium shots, it is all but guaranteed to cause eye strain and fatigue. These issues aside, the visuals are usually pretty good. The characters are decently designed and the Impressiont backgrounds have a pleasant aesthetic to them. Unfortunately, the two styles don't always go well together: the characters and certain objects sometimes appear brighter and sharper than the dark and blurry backgrounds, breaking immersion and giving the audience unwanted information about what can and cannot move about - much like in an old Disney movie. The story is fine. In fact, it's far superior to average Japanese storytelling. While not exactly original, I liked how the protagonist's and antagonist's interests aligned toward the end. Sometimes the pacing is a little too quick because every episode has to fit within the allotted 23 minutes. This is probably also the reason for the aforementioned problem with the editing. The sound design is competent. I didn't notice any sounds that seemed out of place or out of sync. Every time a scene takes place indoors, there's varying degrees of reverberation added to the sounds, which gives believable impressions of the differing room acoustics. I appreciated this level of attention to detail. The background music is forgettable but not in a negative sense. It's there, gets the job done, doesn't bother me, but isn't otherwise memorable. The intro music is the kind of contemporary pop music that manages to be both bland and annoying at the same time. It shouldn't be skipped as the visuals that go along with it aid in building the story and characters. The outro is pretty cool. At least for the first 15 seconds or so before the queer singing starts. Episode 6 features a heavy metal performance which is the highlight of the entire series.

My first thought upon finishing this was "That's it? That was just a bunch of empty sakuga!" It looks good, that's it. It could've been more, but then it delivers such a massively disappointing end that makes everything from before feel so useless, and it's not done on purpose or anything, the ending is supposed to be hopeful but it left me with despair. What. The fuck. Was that ending??? I don't like making spoilery reviews so I won't go into too deep detail, but oh my god seriously that last episode was some straight BULLSHIT that just left a bitter taste in my mouth. It's like- constant build up and then it just drops the ball right on your foot. If you decide to watch this, genuinely turn your brain off and just enjoy the visuals. It's a much better watch this way. In fact, change the audio into a language you don't understand and turn off subtitles. Legitimately you'll have a better experience. I'm so fucking mad.

This had so much potential, I was amazed by the first few episodes I couldn't believe this was a work by Kyoani when I was watching the first few episodes until I looked it up, The characters were eccentric yet grounded and relatable, I didn't mind when it was kind of "invention of the week" type of thing for a few episodes, I didn't mind the BL bait, I didn't mind the generic romance but the more episodes you watch the more you realize this is indeed a work by Kyoani, and Kyoani always do what they do best, they recycle the same character writing and plot of their previous successful anime from the past, they did not improve past their 2010's level of writing because towards the second half all the characters become not even one dimensional but rather parodies of themselves especially Yosuke and Kihachi, the plot becomes so messy, so predictable and so generic that it makes you feel like you're wasting your time, you already know how it's gonna go you already know how it will end but you're already in too deep to drop it and you think to yourself "Hey maybe the ending will subvert my expectations, maybe they'll do something I haven't already seen from hundreds of anime from the past two decades" but it plays out exactly just like anyone who has watched more than 5 anime or 5 movies or 5 tv shows would predict. I really hope Kyoani improves upon their plot writing and evolves their character writing because the art and animation in Sparks of Tomorrow is simply amazing to the point you feel like its wasted on this mess.

Eureka Evrika is an interesting beast. We already don’t get much steampunk anime, and this one manages to make itself even more distinct by making the steampunk society per se an antagonistic force – something the protagonist is actively trying to beat, get rid off and replace by electricity. And I have to say, I quite enjoy this take on the genre. KyoAni manages to bring its classic anime antics to the modern age. Despite being new anime with obviously new animation, it still feels like welcoming back an old friend. Not something in particular, but the general feeling is like watching 2013-esque series again. Anyway, let’s get to the particulars of the series itself. Beyond the already mentioned creative use of steampunk setting, you will quickly notice two distinct parts of the visual identity. First of, exaggerated silly faces with whole new expressions being created, which is a joy to watch. And second, there is a frequent usage of oil paint aesthetics and it looks great and I haven’t seen this used outside of short artsy movies, so that’s great to see in a regular tv show too. The backgrounds are just delightful. I love when shots from anime look like they could be standalone paintings (and technically speaking, they are). Various other visual styles and effects are occasionally used too, keeping the content of the screen fresh. Like when a collage-like style is used to depict the “alien” future world with working electronic technology. My other favourite thing about the show has to be the antagonist and the dynamics with the protagonist. He’s eccentric, creepy, weird, with accentuate mannerism and obvious issues with obsession and disregard to even pretending to know how to interact like a regular human. In other words, he’s quite entertaining to watch. Which is already an accomplishment because slight thing wrong in this dedicate balance of the portrayal and he could easily be very annoying character. But the best part is how he mirrors the protagonist. You see, they are both obsessed. Both are under the spell of the dead character haunting the narrative. You could even say they have similar goals. But while the protagonist is dealing with his damaged image of self-worth through the help of other people, the other guy rots secluded with megalomania. Splendid juxtaposition that you couldn’t pull of with just boring one-dimensional characters. Oh yeah, talking about the characters, I also like how the side characters, even the less present ones, actually end up connecting to the plot instead of just being there to fill space. Which solves the one complaint that you could have through watching this anime, that it might seem a bit disfocused at times and you aren’t sure where it’s going with the story and if it even has a plan. But trust me, it all comes together. Also, I’m glad the main girl isn’t there as just a glorified “prize” and motivation for the MC, but has her own stuff going on, her own agency, and too ties up to the themes. To summarize, it’s a solid show with memorable visuals and likeable cast. It’s no masterpiece, rarely something is, but definitely worth giving it a try.

It may have taken over 8 years but Sparks of Tomorrow made its long anticipated debut in the Summer of 2026. After the tragic arson attack in 2020, the project was in unknown territory before being reannounced. Here we are, 8 years later, and we are once again graced with Kyoto Animation's work in a rich body of its anime history. Taking place in Kyoto in the year of 1907, Sparks of Tomorrow builds on its drama in a historical fiction setting, with an alternate timeline. With its rich lore, the show had great potential with its main premise that follows the dreams of two protagonists - Kihachi Sakamoto and Inako Momokawa. Kihachi's belief in the 'coming age of electricity' sparks a curiousity in Inako. The two build a bond and seek to find the mysterious Electrical Catalog, a book with contents related to electricity. On the other hand, Inako's prearranged marriage to Yosuke Mizoe, the heir of the wealthy Mizoe family, pushes her away from her own family. It's these foundations that sets the path of this anime's main plot. Technology take place in alternate version of Kyoto. It's the year 1907 but technology is dominated by the usage of steam power. It's the only technology that truly had any advancement while other aspects of its world are stalled. True to his words, Kihachi motivates himself to seek greater heights. In this case, it's the Electrical Catalog that he written as a child. Inako, who has been forced into a marriage arrangement against her will also tries to escape her fate. Upon seeing Kihachi's determination, she gains more confidence in herself. Kihachi Sakamoto's personality is one that I wasn't fully prepared for. Despite being talented, he guards his feelings carefully while also be occasionally arrogant. He comes off as the type of person who is hard to change their mind when focused on something. In this case, it's his goal to find the Electrical Catalog. But also make no mistake. He is loyal to his brother and the friends he makes. The most prominent relationship he shares is with Inako, who he hopes to set free from her trapped marriage arrangement. This doesn't build anticipation of a romance relationship but instead a special bond that keeps the two together. Throughout the show, Kihachi's talents are shown with his invention and analysis skills. This includes the development of an electric battery, animatronic, and other achievements. In later episodes, we see how much he cares for Inako when he risks himself to break up a wedding. In essence, Kihachi is the main star of this show that is carried by his personality, his journey, and belief in the age of electricity. Inako may come off as a much more ordinary person but she evolves as the show progresses. She isn't afraid to make sacrifices and putting others above herself. This is mostly seen through her relationship with Kihachi. Throughout the show, she sees him as a determined person who has an almost obsessive nature to accomplish his goals. While not being a perfectionist, Kihachi is eager to prove himself and what the age of electricity is truly capable of. At the heart of its plot include episodes that tests the limits of his talents. There are obstacles but he fights them in some of the most creative ways possible. And while the results aren't always perfect, Kihachi shows that an ordinary person like him can make extraordinary differences. Kyoto Animation is known for its stellar animation quality and one of the most celebrated anime studios. It is directed by Minoru Ōta, known for some of their episode work from Kyoto Animation such as Hyouka and Violet Evergarden. True to its reputation and the director's talents, they once again bring this anime to life in the most glorious way possible. Background settings and its steampunk world looks visually stunning, and true to its alternate timeline. Characters are very expressive and protrayed with spellbinding emotions. The steampunk setting isn't characterized by overly complex technology but rather by the texture of its background imagery. Nonethless, it's one of Kyoto Animation's most impressive work on the visual front. Sparks of Tomorrow tells the story of people following their dreams. We see firsthand just how far two characters are willing to go to make that happen. In a steampunk world with endless possibilities, this anime did its job at deliverying a plot driven by their ambitions. I truly did wish this aired for more than 13 episodes as there's even more potential out there. But for what's shown this Summer, it's one of Kyoto Animation's finest works.

The animation is nothing short of stunning, with fluid action sequences and breathtakingly detailed backgrounds that bring its world to life. It's a true feast for the eyes in every single frame. The brilliant fusion of steampunk aesthetics— gears, airships, and steam— with a deeply sinister and ominous undercurrent creates a world that is as captivating as it is terrifying. You feel a constant sense of dread beneath the beautiful machinery. Their personal struggles and intertwined storylines are compelling and emotionally resonant, making you deeply invested in their journey. They aren't just pawns in a plot; their motivations feel real and drive the narrative forward. But the character that I was most intrigued by has to be the show's antagonist, Yosuke. He is a genuinely intriguing figure (albeit disgusting); a character so complex and utterly unhinged in his actions that you can't look away. His storyline is a captivating and disturbing highlight, elevating the entire narrative. This anime is a must-watch for its gorgeous art, unique genre blend, and powerful character-driven drama.

As the midnight watchtower tolls Over rooftop, street and dome The triumph of a human being ascending In the dreaming of a mortal man Leonardo steels himself Takes one last breath And leaps… ~excerpt, Charles Anthony Silvestri, “Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine” There has always been a part of Kyoto Animation’s consistency that, while thoroughly admirable in that they can create piece after piece of enthralling media, I find myself somewhat resenting. The studio’s identity has often been built around a particular sense of slice-of-life both in terms of what the studio will touch and, more significantly, what their departures would look like. It’s easy to point to things like *Violet Evergarden*, *Hyouka*, or the recently completed *Hibike! Euphonium*, and assume that it will be a drama with the way they look visually and acoustically, while others like *Nichijou*, *Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid*, or *CITY THE ANIMATION* are deliberately breaking from that with emphasis on slapstick comedy. Point being, when their media looks a certain way, there’s an expectation that it’ll follow certain patterns. It’s a form of visual-tonal correlation. Kyoto Animation, entirely of their own doing, put themselves in a box that they haven’t been inclined to budge much from. *Sparks of Tomorrow*, at least at first flush, seems like it wouldn’t be anything new. Okamura Kouhei’s character designs and chief animation direction clearly are positioned closer to the studio’s history of dramatic works rather than their comedic ones. Especially given how much smoke and steamy fog pervades the show’s general Impressionism-inspired aesthetic along with the muted and bleak colors, which is to say nothing of the almost seemingly by-the-textbook inspirational beginning with speaking glowingly of the Age of Electricity, it looks like yet another chapter in a long, illustrious history. The dominos are placed so plainly that it reads as unusually trite. Have we not seen something like this before many times over? And then, a plainly telegraphed banana peel in the first few minutes of the show flips the table. The rest is, so to speak, history. Or if you prefer, alternate history might be the more apt description. This about-face should, however, come as no surprise. Oota Minoru is the series director, having been brought up through the studio’s animation school and a member of working staff ever since the 2009 re-airing of *The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya*. He came into more-public prominence with the recent *CITY THE ANIMATION* by directing episode 5, one of its most charged and brilliantly unhinged installments of any recent anime. Eccentricity is inherent to his artistic sensibility, as producer Senami Satori would attest. Oota’s intent in the first episode with the banana peel is direct and clear: *Sparks of Tomorrow* is not a drama at its heart. It may have dramatic moments, or even dramatic arcs, but the central binding tether is that the show could fly or run (or slip) in any direction possible, at any moment, with anyone caught in the crossfire. The requirement of the viewer Oota therefore asks is that to take any expectations they might have (or have had from the trailer) and throw them out the window as soon as possible. It isn’t just posturing. Thwarting expectation is part of the show’s walk. The alternate history Japan has steam absolutely everywhere because the forefathers of electricity died before their developments could take place. With steam left to overrun the setting, endless metal pipes and plumes choke the air and physical spaces the characters inhabit. It is a world that, ideologically, is in stasis, having been pushed just about as far as steam power could go before reaching a metaphorical endpoint of development. There is no reason to think things would change: the public, and Yosuke as the biggest beneficiary of this steamy world, have no reason and see no reason (or to perhaps be more precise, cannot even will themselves to perceive a reason) to actively change things. Though not dead in the sense of a post-apocalyptic world with ruined buildings and overgrow, it is a world that has, in a manner of speaking, spiritually died. Another new steam invention would take up even more cramped space and clutch the air even more. We as viewers watch this world from a distance in the comfort of our own taken-for-granted lamps, air conditioning, and computers. The question that naturally arises is simple: why would anyone want to live in a world like this? *Sparks of Tomorrow* binds its cast together initially through this sense of stasis and hopelessness for a newer tomorrow. Sakamoto Kihachi himself is on the cusp of giving up in this world. With his older brother Seiroku having left behind his precious Electric Catalogue outlining many visions of what electricity can do, how is Kihachi supposed to interpret it all? It’s only after a chance encounter with the deity-believing and overly-enthusiastic Momokawa Inako that Kihachi begins to recognize the potential within himself to make Seiroku’s catalogue come alive. But Inako has her own problems: her consistently disappointed and disappointing father’s one-sided decision-making has left her engaged to be married to Yosuke, himself familiar with Seiroku’s Catalogue and stopping at nothing to get it for himself. Both characters are entombed within their own prisons, either because of the time period of the show (as alternate history as it is, some of its sentiments about women and their social status are retained) or the encroaching dread of expectations that they cannot meet. The impact of Kihachi and Inako’s meeting, and their ensuing dialogue and dynamic, starts functionally rewriting their own lives. Each provides what the other lacks. Kihachi’s familiarity with Seiroku’s ideas of electricity may give him the working brain to try and reason out why something isn’t quite working, but it doesn’t in and of itself give confidence. Seiroku’s absence left a vacuum that Kihachi was forced to try and interpret both for himself as a human being and as a supposed inventor. But he’s an island unto himself; no one could possibly understand his or Seiroku’s fantastical vision because no one knows what electricity is. It’s not easy being alone. How are you supposed to convince others of what you want to believe in yourself when you only have your own gumption to go on? Inako’s personality may initially fall into some rather conventional senses of what we’ve come to expect from anime heroines. Clumsy but well-intentioned and always trying, and defined by her trait before her sense of character, her vital nature to the story doesn’t wait too long to come out. Inako’s life has been built around believing in that which she cannot see, and more specifically, what her mother said for her to believe in. It is, ironically, through Inako’s faith in gods that she cannot see that gives her faith to believe in Kihachi precisely because she has seen for herself electricity’s wonders, even if they cannot see the true contents of the Catalogue for themselves just yet. Invention is not just a thing created, but a creative state of mind. Without faith (secular or otherwise) or drive, inventing is nonexistent. Without the brain, inventing is nonexistent. The ability to conceptualize or visualize something that no one has ever conceived before, and then have the inner drive to make it reality both spiritually and materially requires a lot of us. It requires making mistakes. Indeed, not every one of Kihachi’s inventions goes quite as planned. Unforeseen complications or issues mean having to devise patchwork solutions, assuming that they ever get fixed. It is nothing short of exhilarating when an invention’s moment to shine finally takes place, though not always because things go cleanly. But for the more nefarious, like the money-hungry and spiritually poisoned Yosuke, invention is a thing to steal for yourself and your own wants…

Completed - 6.00 It’s not often a Kyoto Animation series ends up feeling this disappointing and inconsistent—yet here we are with Sparks of Tomorrow. That’s a hard thing to say, given how long I’ve been looking forward to it—its early episodes alone, unpolished as they were in pacing, still carried the kind of refreshing character expression KyoAni is known for, promising something worth sticking around for. Though, even with its compelling world and premise, Sparks of Tomorrow turned out to be one of Summer 2026’s weakest entries. You never quite know what’s going to happen, and it’s not the tense, deliberate kind of unknown either—instead, everything in this series is constantly competing for the spotlight, with no clear priority. It lacks, almost entirely, any coherent shape, steadily abandoning its narrative threads in favour of an incredibly lifeless, cartoonish villain arc instead of leaning into the identity of its own world and the many genuine relationships it’s clearly capable of. Yosuke is the clearest example of this shift—there were plenty of moments that genuinely worked for me, yet the deeper the series went, and the more his motivations evolved, the less any of it held together—what starts as an eccentric comic addition turns into something infuriating, pulling the entire series completely off course. And he isn’t the only one either; plenty of characters suffer the same fate, coming across half-written, many of which fail to properly explain their own motivations, others contradicting themselves outright—this repeats nearly every episode, undercutting the heartwarming relationships this series otherwise earns. Given how rushed the storyline is and how much nonsense piles up, it felt impossible to appreciate the moments that actually work. The narrative Sparks of Tomorrow presents has no clear sense of what it's actually trying to be: some episodes are well-paced character dramas, built around everyday life and past relationships, others slow down entirely to sit with craft and creative passion—moments that land well on their own, squeezed as they are between episodes that then fall back on the same chase sequences meant to manufacture tension, the same back-and-forth between Yosuke and Kihachi, or another absurd oppression thematic thread crowding out everything else. All of which makes this especially disappointing considering this is a KyoAni project, one where the visual identity is clearly considered, and where the emotional nuance the studio has always excelled at shows up in flashes. In some ways, Sparks of Tomorrow is a heartwarming story dealing with grief and craftsmanship, but far too often, it collapses into a messy, overdramatised fantasy, drifting away from the grounded world-building it clearly had in it.