Last season's top 3

[neflight86]

Fall 2023

While a pretty stacked season, I didn’t watch quite as much as usual, gaming and other interests taking front and center these last couple months…


3. SPY x FAMILY Season 2: Aside from a minor tonal bump part way through in the Cruise Ship arc, SxF continues to deliver creative misunderstandings based fun and humor that hits the mark much more often than not.


2. Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri: I like a good mystery… and this was that. Without trying to get too clever about the various cases, logically working through the tricks was fun and never boring. I’m also a fan of the psycho-pass character designs and eventual corny reveal of the evil organization through which all crime is run through to raise the stakes and set up for future season(s) (lol so anime). The only thing missing was Isshiki getting any significant growth as a detective as the season went on; it really was just Ron solving them all the time.


1. Bullbuster: A surprise for sure, workplace dramas don’t usually have legs after the introductory arc, but Bullbuster wisely established a strong core narrative for the characters and dramatic reveals to bounce off of that carried the series. This feels like a P.A works show that doesn’t star a young disillusioned girl finding a new dream, but rather a starry eyed engineer trying his best to contribute (his mech designs) to a workplace while constantly rubbing against the friction of reality; operations cost money and budgets really limit the scope of activities. While that is roughly covered in the intro, what kept me coming back was the unraveling of the mystery, the clashing character motivations, and the underlying hopeful tone of Bullbuster. A good watch for me.


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Hey, buddy, I got some… special awards… at a great price…


Boushoku no Berserk gets a bronze participation trophy for being not so bad: For an edgy series about a ‘low-key OP’ protagonist in a fantasy world, Berserk forgot most of the the embarrassing edge and instead focused on the stories of the decent people around the protagonist and didn’t wallow in the ‘darkness’ of his circumstances. That kept the power fantasy from becoming boring. I also liked the cocky attitude of the sword. Not great, but I liked it just fine.


Boukensha ni Naritai to Miyako ni Deteitta Musume ga S-Rank ni Natteta gets a ‘punkin’ for being daddy’s little girl: A meager production for sure, the warm core of S-Rank Musume still won me over. Belgrieve and his daughter are fun to watch, and how they care for others around themselves is really… wholesome. As in, no one is this consistently nice but I don’t care wholesome… Especially since they do so partially for each other’s sake. The comfy vibe established early on is maybe a little too cozy as the show struggles to present any meaningful tension when the need arises during some of the fights, but what story we get through is obviously part of a bigger whole we may never get to see. Still, fun and recommended.


JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 2 gets some remedial classes: It’s hard to view this divorced from this arc’s massive hype, but I would give this a ‘solid’ season for what JJK has come to mean for me: mean-spirited (see what I did there?) one sided fights between disposable characters with one defining quirk in their personality to set them apart, maybe. Take it or leave it, the power system is unsatisfying in how it interacts, and the fights lack much tension, and most of the emotional moments fell flat due to how transparent the author’s torture tactics are at this point. On the other hand, the animation is still a cut above and the pacing is pretty snappy. Tojo deserves a better show.


Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijou gets the wet charcoal- a total non starter: One episode in, I felt like I saw all of the jokes this one could muster (she’s the young one?) along with the nearly fetishistic back and forth dialogue about how these two didn’t need any others (especially any men) in their lives… Yawn; not for me.


Keikenzumi na Kimi to, Keiken Zero na Ore ga, Otsukiai suru Hanashi gets the ‘salesman of the quarter paid half day off’ by making me actually want to read the manga it’s based on. As I’ve harped on to the point of comic effect, it is the supporting cast and side stories that ultimately separate the mediocre rom comics from the slightly less mediocre rom coms. This is that. Nothing new within the borderline ecchi shenanigans, and the drama was artificially conjured, but the side character stories were much more fun (unpredictable, really) to ride along with and many plot threads are begging for some closure. Good job.


SHY gets the cracked pathfinder award for trying something new:... and failing. Who’d have thought a superhero show could focus too much on feelings and social anxiety? Everyone? Oh, well that explains why this was so boring… moving on.


Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! 2nd Season gets the resurrection necromancer staff: Jolly fun, and off a binge of the second half of the first season, it surprisingly didn’t get stale. Cid’s chunniness and everyone else’s misconceptions of his intellect still carried the show to as good a conclusion as that messy arc could have hoped for.


The ‘most disappointing villain fight’ whoopie cushion goes to Blue Eye Samurai (s1): Netflix anime, so the violence and genital count was a good order higher than your typical seasonal fare, but the core story was very entertaining and events led into each other naturally. The real star of the show to me was the great season villain Fowler; he had a presence worthy of a 'final boss' and lit up each scene he was in.. except the final confrontation where some hyping up beforehand backfired into a slog of a fight that wasn’t interesting beyond its plot implications. Deduct a few more points for some awkward shoehorned feminism, truly stylistically ugly CG animation, and you still have a still above average show worth a watch. Just make sure you handwave the ‘Mulan’ twist or the show doesn’t work.


Under Ninja gets the deodorant stick: Weird is good. Weird is fun. But sometimes, weird is… funky and gross. Under Ninja is one of those shows that reflects its author’s specific fetishes maybe a little too well… Quirky modern day ninjas who are slovenly and mundane just like us, right? That’s all fine and well, but it forgot to be interesting as well.


Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon gets an ankle brace for breaking on the pivot: Weakling vampire must conceal their weakness and appear strong to keep her troops in line. In a world where death is automatically reversed anyway, so the wars are more like reality television; for the drama? After the first episode, I didn't see where the story could go or escalate to satisfyingly, and apparently neither could the author. One mega boring bully battle arc was obstacle enough to kill my interest.


The public service recognition award goes to Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange: The show I wanted to like the most this season, Daigo goes hard narratively during its intro bootcamp arc and the foreshadowing is solid, but it cuts both ways, teasing that the firefighters efforts will ‘save all of Japan from a terrorist attack’... Huh? I feared finding out just how badly that would be handled enough to scare me off from continuing. It may be good, but I'm afraid to find out.


Kimi no Koto ga Daidaidaidaidaisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo witnesses me adjust my thick glasses as I insufferably posit in my most nasally voice ‘the manga was superior’: But it was. I reeeealy like "100 girlfriends" the manga, and the anime adaptation isn’t much less, but some of the pacing and jokes suffer slightly by the pacing and sound design, but that falls easily within nitpick range. Keep an eye on it and check it out if you at all enjoy rom-coms that don’t take themselves too seriously.


Pluto gets the Keith Davis bust: Major disappointment to me as a good adaptation of an ultimately bland story that relied too much on audience buy in and limp shock twists without consistent compelling storytelling to get us invested, but hearing the dub of Dr. Tenma was a hoot, as was hearing the Nolan North voice a german KKK member named Adolf. The stuff of Ambien dreams.

Sadly, a few sequels fell on the floor that I would have watched if I could find the time (Dr. Stone, Kanojo, Alchemist) more at all, but there’s always more to consume. To next season!

[neflight86]

Winter 2024

3. Apothecary Diaries: A wonderful little dark horse. Who knew medical mysteries within the framework of an imperial court could be so interesting? Maomao was cute and deadpan, but not without any charm and humanity, and Jenshi made a good counter to her character. The only downside is that the show is somehow a bit too mundane sometimes such that the events can come off as inconsequential, and glossing over important plot elements can lead to confusion episodes later. The animation also began to strain in the 2nd cour, but that’s nitpicky. A very good watch and highly recommended.


2. Classroom of the Elite S3: Carried solely by the sociopath main lead, this remained more interesting than it had any right to be given how low stakes and how pedestrian the games were this season. That said, things did change (Class D expulsion) and waves are being made along with some good character development (also mostly class D), but most of it felt like setup for another season we may or may not get anytime soon.


1. Tomozaki S2: With how they handled the Fuuka arc, this has now cemented itself among my top ‘cynical romance’ anime that tend to focus more on the tangible foibles of romance, rather than the emotional side, along with SNAFU and Rascal does not blah blah. The reflection of Tomozaki’s own character, how it fits into the world around himself, and at what capacity he can realistically pursue a relationship is pure ASMR for me. Great arc, and really touching development… not even counting the first half of the season and its bullying/Tama remake arc. Great stuff all around, and I looked forward to this the most each week.


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Apparently, the IRS is offering a little tax break for some special awards this year. Don’t remember where I heard it, but that’s what we’re going with.


Undead Unluck wins the gently used towel for sweating so hard: On the one hand, it would be easy to write Undead off for simply trying too hard to be confusing and revelatory; it’s clumsy and brash and kind of trite some times. On the other hand, I respect it for sparing no effort in its “attrition by a thousand hooks.” Surely something will catch your interest, and it did mine, at least a few times. The concept is passable, and the characters are fun enough, but the powers are too vague and conceptual and the fights lack interesting choreography from a tactical standpoint… Not to say the climax moments aren’t hype or the world building isn’t potentially fascinating, so I’m torn, but I’m not tired yet and I would gladly give another season a shot.


Sasaki to Pii-chan gets the invisible mop to go along with the surprisingly clean floor: They threw so much at that poor wall, but almost all of it stuck. Isekai x psychics x magic girls x demons x whateverelsecomesnextseason. Conceptual crossover is some pretty fertile soil to be tilling, and I’m in for it. Sasaki and his Piercarlos’ adventures look like they are going places, and mixing these different story archetypes together has an almost grail war mystique to it in that we have no way to gauge just how they will mix and interact until it hits the fan, which has me invested big time.


Mato Seihei no Slave: My most anticipated show this season, and while it didn’t make the top billing I’d hoped for, the adaptation itself is more than adequate, and more importantly, sustainable! I’m super hyped seeing the second season greenlit, as the coming arcs will be great fun and I expect the fandom to grow steadily as the harem expands.


I’m giving a raised eyebrow to Sokushi Cheat ga Saikyou Sugite, Isekai no Yatsura ga Marude Aite ni Naranaindesu ga: This is not what I expected; like at all. From the premise, this comes off as a standard power fantasy isekai- maybe two meta layers deep in subversion, but what I got was an eerie adventure centering around a killer sociopath. I expected to have to do all of the heavy lifting, creatively, in being repulsed by the ease with which the protagonist takes life, but the show comes through and plays it both for shock and laughs. A semi-god with such powers, the inhabitants of both worlds want nothing to do with him due to his dangerous nature and flaunt that to their peril. Add to that the concurrent events and conflicts happening and a world that is rotten in its own ways, and feels more alive with other actors having motivations and even utilizing instant kill countermeasures, for all the good they did. As much as I wanted to hate this for the lazy premise alone, it never ceased to be interesting.


Hime-sama “Goumon” no Jikan desu is on the back of the cereal box representing this complete breakfast: What a comfy, wholesome show. Half comedy and half fluffy slice of life, the constant joke of the princess caving to the most mundane of tortures slowly peels away to reveal more fun characters and… the power of friendship?! Seriously, this was cute in ways I forgot anime could be. A lot of good subtle humor here with background and visual gags like the princess whipping out her cell phone in the prison cell only to get contact info, the princess taking off and putting on the ball and chain as needed, going on torture field trips in plainclothes, and the demon realm altogether resembling modern Japan enough to be absurdly funny. The demon lord lives in a mid-sized apartment with his family and ‘prefers to watch his anime live, as it airs’... Also props to the old knight in the flashbacks who got more character development teasing/raising the princess than most entire casts of modern trash fantasy get. Recommended if you like the heart warmed and the funny bone stroked.


The dank, dimly lit underbelly of the bridge is offered to the troll subs of Pon no Michi: No, the show didn’t win squat- it was not funny or informative enough to elicit more than a few minutes of interest from me, and I don't care about Mahjong, but like flies to fertilizer, the troll community did us a real solid (fiber joke) with some truly heinous subs aping the general motions of a generic ‘learning about a thing in anime’ with some extra spice. If you’re not the type to offend easily and enjoy juvenile humor, check ‘em out.


Kekkon Yubiwa Monogatari gets the buttless chaps for exposing the general shape, but none of the allure of the female form: Contrived. Little better describes every idea and scenario in Kekkon that just made me weep that my rock bottom expectations were further disappointed by this gnarly production. Of the three boobie shows this season, this is easily the most tame, boring, and crudely animated glorious Nippon could muster. Have some self respect.


Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu 2nd Season is awarded the emo haircut with depth perception issues: I’ve heard some praise this for being some revolutionary new standard in ‘serious’ romance anime, but my praise is for the workmanlike diligence to the production. It never looks ugly, even when it looks cheap, and the ecchi elements took a step back as their relationship took many steps forward to a satisfying season end, if not series end. Solid recommendation and an easy watch.


The ‘peaked in highschool’ football trophy is hereby presented to Chiyu Mahou no Machigatta Tsukaikata: Senjou wo Kakeru Kaifuku Youin: Getting off on the right foot means a lot. This did that, everything wes pretty strong for the premiere, and then… it partied and dropped out of college with 60+k debt, two different baby mommas and a mound of food stamps. One limp ‘battle’ arc later, and prospects are looking shaky as Usato and Rose are constantly in a will they/won’t they with the rest of the pseudo harem. Wasted potential, but not unwatchable; just un-recommendable.


Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasareta node, Henkyou de Slow Life suru Koto ni Shimashita 2nd and Ishura all receive participation trophies: If this season were a good deal worse, I might have been able to hang on to some of these, but as is, these are the slow runners who simply fell off… but at least their parents got some good pictures.


Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha gets its own pokedex entry: For how bog standard it is, at least MC evolved to vampire in the single season we got. The story appears effectively over unless there are higher forms of vampire yet unrevealed. As for the journey itself, the most interesting portion of these zero to hero stories is the vulnerable beginning portion and that kept true here… for about an episode. Aside from that is just the typical pseudo harem and leveling up at the guild- nothing new here, but a decent watch.


Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen is awarded the ‘autistic otome game’ side story dlc: A novel premise with a isekaied girl grinding to be OP (as if otome visual novels have RPG mechanics) and entering hero academy as the side villain character with no desire to be a villain, but everyone keeps putting it on her. The cutest part was main girl slowly realizing she was in love with the one boy who wasn’t afraid of her. With a generic fantasy plot about defeating the demon king and a foil cast dumb enough to come straight out of Shield Hero, Level 99 is as cookie cutter as it gets in girls' power fantasy.


Yuuki Bakuhatsu Bang Bravern and BUCCHIGIRI?! get the (american football) slap on the butt for being the gayest not-gay shows I’ve seen in a long while. Robots, school delinquents, fighting… and bromance? Neither overtly queer or exploring roMANce with any depth, but heavily coded in humor stylings with masculine innuendoes, big heart eyes from getting punched, and silly hijinks. Neither held my interest, though.


Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete goes into the paper bag: Strange, strange how this show got so popular- it’s just fetish bait and sexual posturing of magical girls via the lens of BDSM. I’m certain there are actual adult titles that serve the same purpose and themes without the limitations of broadcasting standards, so why this? It didn’t resonate with me, but I did want to see if they made something worthwhile of the crumbs of story it had… they did not. Best not discussed in public.


A pretty strong season by my count, lets see if this next one (12+ sequels!) can top it!

[Ryllharu]

Winter 2024

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto - A perfect mystery historical romance comedy-drama series. It's funny, it's cute, it's intriguing, and there is a LOT more to go.

Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete - Yeah...this series is the one that makes you really feel like you shouldn't be watching it. But I enjoyed it probably the most each week because I had read the manga of the other two series. The cast were all great, but the animation was all over the place, but did I say that the primarily rookie VA cast were phenomenal? I did. The jokes were funny, and as deeply degenerate as it was, the overall message of the series was a wholesome one. The protagonist doesn't want to win, she actively choses to lose, and the only thing she won't accept is the heroines giving up.

Sousou no Frieren - Vibe series. I hate the ill-fitting, loosely written, and uncharacteristic final arc of the series (which was the entire 2nd half), but on the whole, the series is very good. Highly recommended, but at the same time, it is not the greatest series of all time, the decade, the year, or even the season, so don't get over-hyped.

Honorable Mention: Hime-sama “Goumon” no Jikan desu. This series is singularly sold by the efforts of a single VA: Shiraishi Haruka as the lead. Without her, I think the series wouldn't have been nearly as engaging.

[Y]

I watched three shows in total recently.

They are Mashle, Frieren and Dungeon Meshi.

Three good shows, wow. No shit.

[neflight86]

While not a bad season, per say, I watched and finished a mere fraction of my typical unhealthy consumption of anime (and remember even less), so this is gonna be sparse (by my standards):


3. Dungeon Meshi: I really wish I enjoyed this more, but somewhere after the peak of fighting the dragon halfway in, Dungeon Meshi returned to incidental scavenging with low tension, and if I had to hear Senshi say “coat it in batter and fry it” one more time… That is to say, the creative juices weren’t flowing as strongly (see what I did there?). Yes, the scenarios were varied, but all of the activities (and cooking) paled in comparison to the greater mysteries at play. The characters did continue to carry my interest, but only barely. There was genuinely no hook so finishing out the season took more effort than it should have.


2. Tensei shitara Dainana Ouji Datta node, Kimama ni Majutsu wo Kiwamemasu- What does it say if my second favorite show from last season is on my ‘will finish it later’ list? Tropes and fanservice galore, but they both stay out of the way of the fun power fantasy, and the animation was truly great.


1. Kaijuu 8-gou: Some of my least favorite character designs (everyone’s facial features are so rounded and interchangeable), but the shounen spark is strong. Funnily enough, the first arc resembles My Hero Academia enough to be comical, but after that quickly morphs into its own thing. Good fight animation, some catchy tunes (english OP and ED?) and plenty of story progression, even if the timing is sorta convenient. I looked forward to nothing more each week.

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Due to recent budget cuts, this season’s special awards have been downsized accordingly:


Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 3 gets the ‘robbed’ police sketch: If the core narrative were more compelling, this could have easily been number 2, as the laughs were pretty good. The degenerate characters bouncing off each other is as fun as ever, and little goes according to plan. Old jokes are remembered and what passes for a plot did actually advance by some measure. Great stuff, but better binged.


Astro Note gets retro tankobon: All the feel-good qualities of a yesteryear ‘cute girl is actually an alien’ show from the 80-90s. Simp-kun volunteers to cook for an apartment complex while the owner is an alien on a vague mission that will be completed exactly when the story needs to enter the final stages for some tension. Not gripping, but a good time if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic.


KENKA DOKUGAKU gets the ‘youtube subscriber plaque’: This is "Hajime no Ippo" for Zoomers, and I just can’t get into the cynicism after so many episodes. Obviously a Korean manhua adaptation (from the socks with sandals to the ‘localized’ names that don’t match the phonetics you can plainly hear, to the shoestring animation… yep… not exactly the red carpet treatment…) That aside, if you like a good underdog fighting/martial arts series; you could do worse. Bullied kid tries starting a ‘newtube’ channel to get views and money for his mom’s hospitalization and hits every obstacle along the way. Some good fights but all the rest is just money worship.


Go ahead and pack some store brand ranch for Henjin no Salad Bowl: The first episode was pretty fun as a reverse isekai fish out of water story, reminding my of Hinamatsuri, but the luster quickly faded as the show quickly ran out of introduction and the actual hijinks didn’t hold up, even if Livia is the best girl of the season (give just her the ranch, actually).


I award Shuumatsu Train Doko e Iku? with the punched train ticket: If you’d asked me what show is most destined for greatness after one episode this season… this right here. The bizarre world building and cute characters (that had some good dialog) felt like a sure hit, but something about the episodic narrative drained my enthusiasm as it chugged along (train humor), leading to a quiet drop into the ‘maybe later’ pile.


Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru was a casualty of circumstance, so it should really try filing a claim for this: This was off to a petty good start for a nonconventional isekai power fantasy. Boy must surround himself with people of great ability to stave off impending disaster instead of beating all the bad guys by himself. The best compliment I can give is I forgot why I didn’t get around to finishing it.


Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen: I’m seeing a pattern here… another strong start with a wacky family unit entangling an outsider into their tightly wrapped (light) drama and hangups, this time in the paint of a spy thriller… My major hangup is/was that spycraft usually doesn’t translate well to a simple good guys versus bad guys shounen template when deception and gray morality are staples of the genre. Also, killing is largely downplayed and that feels out of place when there are serial bombers and mid-day car chase shootouts. Not bad, overall, but know what you’re getting into.


WIND BREAKER gets a school jacket themed around something cool: Another casualty of running out of steam, Wind Breaker is the correct answer to the question a disgruntled viewer of Tokyo Revengers might ask: “Where are the good school gang anime at?” School boys bravado and talking things out with their fists- just the kind of escapist entertainment I can only find in anime. While my interest waned after the first major arc, it was a good time while I watched. Recommended.


Unnamed Memory gets the amnesia award because I can’t hardly remember a single thing about it!


Sentai Daishikkaku gets the bronze brush award: What a disappointment. A deconstruction of villain mooks being enslaved for entertainment by the virtuous sentai team is ripe for exploitation (slave humor?)… yet we get an annoying, weak, hot headed imbecile with almost no redeeming qualities in his quest to finish taking over the earth because… reasons. Aided by disgruntled sentai support staff and other delusional members of the broken machine, this feels like a story that would happen even if Sentouin D weren’t involved, which didn’t do much to hold my interest. It feels like a story happening around the protagonist (who I didn’t like at all) instead of one being shaped and influenced by him- and that’s why this is one stain worth the scrub off the bowl.


And for Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Geiko-hen, we bestow some convenience store sushi; banzai!: How commodified has Demon Slayer become? I see figures at my local grocery store, and that commercial success means it is no major consequence if the quality of storytelling never again reaches the drastic highs of the best arcs of DS. While not as outright eye-rolling as the swordsmith village arc, the Hashira training arc was the prettiest padding I’ve ever seen. For sure, though, I’ll be watching the final movies!


Catch ya next season!