Ep. 01: New Saga

New Saga was one of the shows I was most looking forward to going into the summer 2025 anime season. The premise, focusing on a young man named Kyle being flung four years into his past, seemed like it had some real potential. Especially with the way some people were arguing that this show would feel like the anime version of a video game on New Game Plus.

This episode was actually rather slow, though. The first half of the episode showed the final confrontation between Kyle and his allies against the demon horde who have attacked them. You’d think that something like this would involve a lot of heart pounding action and emotional gut punches. But because I didn’t know the characters yet, and the action sequences themselves were honestly nothing to write home about. The episode largely fell flat.

I do like the mystery of just how Kyle got back to this point in time, and the theorizing about whether a spell like this could be done. It’s rather amusing that his mom is so tiny, but the strain that was clearly present in their bond at this point gets a whole other angle. Since Kyle knows that she, like all those he loves, are dead within four years. He has the chance to do something about this now, and I like the fact that he seems to understand that should start with addressing his relationships with his loved ones right now.

Because life doesn’t always give someone a chance to do that later.

Kyle seems to have some of the less desirable traits for a hero in a show like this. He scarfs down all the food that his live interest, Liese, has cooked. Leaving none for his mom or his friend Theron. He also has a dopey gropey moment with Liese when he first wakes up and thinks he is having a dream. He gets the smack down he deserves for grabbing her ass, but it’s always an eye roll when the first interaction a guy has with a girl–in our context as viewers–is something like this.

It doesn’t destroy a show for me, usually, but it is eye roll inducing. And if it keeps happening, over and over, it gets really repetitive, really quick. I’m also kind of annoyed that he keeps pretending everything is fine, and leaving Liese in the dark. You’re man enough to get grabby feely, but do not respect the girl enough to tell her anything is wrong? Knowing that in three years she is going to die a grisly, horrific death? I dunno, man. Something about that just sits wrong with me.

There was enough substance here that I’m willing to give this another week or two to see whether it picks up and shows me something worth discussing. It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen so far this season. I’ve already dropped one show that almost instantly didn’t work for me. But it’s definitely not a strong entrance for something that looked like it’s premise had so much promise. I suppose that only time will tell just how this show will fare.