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The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 was an incredible run from start to finish, and I cannot believe how far we have come since the “cringe” start at the beginning of this series. This season has provided a ton of fun, quite a few laughs, quite a few pay-offs, and some emotional moments as well. Apart from the sheer sweetness of this series, Kyoutarou’s growth has been incredible to watch, and as someone who shares some of the same traits as him, like being an introvert, some of his character growth really resonated with me, and he continues to be easily my favourite character ... in this series. It is so early in the year, but it is already an anime of the year contender for me.

I tend to like most romance anime that I have watched, but the one wall that they almost always hit is never really escaping the “Will they, won’t they?” phase of the show. Characters meander and the story progression goes at a snail’s pace, which in due time, makes the story lose its charm. A big reason for that is the caricatures and tropes of the characters that are in love. For example, whenever the main female character is a tsundere, all we see is her punching the dude or denying her feelings. In this show, there is no such annoying trope, and the dynamic between the two leads is a breath of fresh air. It’s just two somewhat socially awkward teens just getting to understand one another, without the progression being too dragged out. Of course, I also love seeing the female lead be taller than the male lead, as it is just a unique touch to the whole dynamic.

Another aspect of the series I really enjoy are some of the subtleties to the character growth. The characters feel somewhat realistic, in that they physically grow, something normal for their age of course. Kyoutarou grows a little taller, his voice deepens a bit, and Anna might be a bit excited, but it was never a huge deal. The characters understand more about one another at a nice pace. What was unknown at one point gets learned later on, such as when Anna understands how Kyoutarou would retract back into his shell when he was in certain situations, or Kyoutarou would understand how Anna would feel at a particular time. When they talk to each other, they might stumble on their words sometimes, but when it matters, they know exactly what to say. Overall, I really enjoyed how the show never got “in your face” about the character growth.

Kyoutarou has been a pretty relatable character to me to some extent, especially with his introversion. Kyoutarou's challenges with socializing and public speaking kind of resemble how parts of my life have went. I was a pretty chatty kid, but as I grew into my teenage years, for some reason I got more reserved, and I had stage fright and a fear of public speaking. Yeah, I took drama classes, and classes that required me to talk with others, but I was not, and still am not the most talkative person around in the slightest. Whenever I saw Kyoutarou talk to his inner self, while it might feel somewhat cliché, it always was executed perfectly because it acknowledges that a lot of the time, the biggest thing holding someone back is themselves. Deep down, they know they can do whatever they set their mind to, but they sell themselves short. Like people say, sometimes a person's worst enemy is themselves, so whenever Kyoutarou achieved something substantial, I was so proud of him.

As for the other characters, there aren’t any real weaknesses to the cast. Anna of course is a very cute, somewhat awkward character that put a lot of proactive care into developing the relationship further. Most of the other characters were really fun to watch, and support the main duo very well. They all know about Kyoutarou and Anna’s blossoming relationship, but they always let the two grow by themselves (save for that flash mob group), even if they would sometimes create situations where that was possible. The parents, relatives, friends, everyone in their social circle were so supportive, and happy whenever both Kyoutarou or Anna were successful, to the point where it would always warm my heart. No unnecessary family drama, no unnecessary love triangles, just friends and family being wholesome and supportive. Moeko and Kana probably had the best moments as side characters, but there is not one bad character in this series. No, not even the perverted guys. Sure, it might be a bit exaggerated, but people at that age always have something dirty to talk about.

The visuals and directing were for the most part, very solid. The blurriness does get a little much at times, but it never hindered my enjoyment. The staff did a fantastic job of really having the emotional moments hit hard. Kensuke Ushio, who worked on the music, continues to show that he is one of the best in the business right now, right there with Kevin Penkin and Evan Call, possibly Hiroyuki Sawano as well, at really elevating the show to new heights.

It has been nothing but joy watching this show every week. I never thought a romcom could surpass *Kaguya-sama: Love is War* for me, but this has been something truly special. The sheer state of giddiness I would be in before starting each episode was a testament to how much of an impact this show has had on me. Whether or not we see this series return anytime soon, it’ll still hold a place near and dear to my heart, which was in danger almost every week of watching this.

'There's no guarantee we have a tomorrow together, and if there isn't, then maybe I should try for what I want a little."

Having grown up in a household filled with family that loved Chinese period dramas, they were virtually inescapable for me. Someone in my family was always watching the hottest new period drama, and eventually, I also began to watch them with my family, and I got hooked on them quickly. At this point, the tropes in those shows were all too familiar to me, so count me surprised when I watched *The Apothecary Diaries*, and almost immediately thought of what a breath of fresh air this was. It has probably the best female character of 2023, and while it definitely was overshadowed by a certain ... other heavy hitter, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, this anime still had enough going for it to merit a lot of discourse in the anime community, and in my opinion stood up to its opponents in both the Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 anime seasons very well.

This series has very riveting mystery elements, while staying light-hearted and comedic at times, and all encapsulated in a fictional inner palace, modelled after a Chinese setting. As I have mentioned earlier, I am no stranger to Chinese period dramas, and I always find it interesting how gender is portrayed in these shows. In the older Chinese dynasties, the Imperial Chinese harem system was very prevalent and common, and the inner palace, babymaking and the objectifying of women, with them being handled and passed around as gifts, was what life was dedicated to. For that reason, I find it intriguing that in this portrayal of the inner palace, we see the perspectives of women with agency, solving problems, being involved in the politics of the palace, all in quite a thoughtful way. Also, the existence of a particular character in the show as a test of loyalty to the emperor struck me as a different twist to the whole system, a unique take on this fictional Chinese setting.

The mystery elements were done well, as it was interesting to see how this series introduced a lot of mysteries, but didn’t outright provide the answer, or culprit to the viewer. We get the reasons why people were caught up in issues, or in some cases, how they ended up dying, but the viewer gets left questioning whether or not the intuition of the main character was actually accurate. Things are not answered right away, but eventually, the series calls back to those mysteries that the viewer might have forgotten, and weaves them together for a great pay-off. Some of the episodes, especially in the early parts of the second half, were not as interesting when I first watched it, but knowing how it set up for the pay-off, in hindsight, it did made a lot more sense, and that indeed, every moment, even the duller ones, had some effect on the bigger picture.

The main protagonist, Maomao, makes the entire show for me, and was the main reason I enjoyed this anime as much as I did. She was such an endearing, captivating main character that had a really dynamic personality that could range from her not giving a bother about getting kidnapped at the start of the anime, yet throughout the series, really investing herself in the mysteries of the palace setting, and through her endless thirst for knowledge (and poison), we got to see her go to great lengths to achieve whatever goal she set out to achieve on any given day. Her voice actor, Aoi Yuuki, performed spectacularly to bring out the varied tones to match up with her multi-faceted personality, and she really made Maomao come to life in the best way possible. She reminds me of other protagonists I have seen in Chinese period dramas, but her character writing was more unique compared to any others, and I am glad she had her own ambitions she was able to achieve, rather than just being a tool for the emperor or her superiors. All the other characters also shined in their own ways, and even the ones that only show up briefly, end up being memorable.

The art and animation in this show was not flashy, but still very highly detailed and intricate to really flesh out the setting. The character designs were varied and were unique while staying true to its Chinese identity. The more subtle movements were handled with care, such as the little mannerisms that befit the Chinese setting. The covering of the mouth with their sleeves as they enter a room, and how the characters eat their food are just some examples of that in action. Little details like that really impressed me, as it showed how much care the staff put in to making sure they stayed true to Chinese culture. The music further elevated the material to new heights. Sure, the overall visual quality isn’t at a level of the powerhouse shounen anime, but with the resources the staff had at their disposal, they did a phenomenal job.

Overall, this was a fantastic series, along with one of the best main female characters I have seen in a while. While not every mystery or every episode hit as deeply, whenever they did, it was excellent, riveting, even bone-chilling. If you have any interest in Chinese dramas, or even if you don’t, there will likely be something you will find that intrigues you. With a Season 2 confirmed for next year, I couldn’t be more excited to see more of this wonderful series.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End might very well be the new “fantasy gateway anime”, the first anime that one would recommend to their friend who has only watched the most mainstream action anime, who is looking for something a bit different. A first taste of a more subdued, subtle, slower-paced anime, the first taste of some character introspection, the first taste of some meaningful and thought-provoking character dialogue. It might just become the staple of fantasy anime in the modern age, and its beginner-friendliness really put it on the map. I am very glad that this has been such a critically acclaimed show, because to all ... the staff working on this, and especially director Keiichirou Saitou, they have done something that seems like a rarity in the current state of anime production - release a virtually fully polished product for two consecutive cours without fail, going above and beyond with their attention to detail. They deserve every ounce of praise from a production standpoint. This anime did a lot of things well, but the aspects I enjoyed the most were definitely the audiovisuals, the themes of the passage of time, and also this anime’s portrayal of demons.

I do believe that this anime would not be half as popular if it were not for the brilliant animation and music. It has scenic shots, and also some incredible and fluid action animation. I can leave links to every beautiful bit of animation, but the thing I find even more impressive is the attention to detail. Little subtleties like hair movement, clothing movement that looks so realistic and fluid, and just the perspective shots stand out even more to me than the flashy action animation.

I have a soft spot for quietness, ambience, and atmosphere in shows, and if you took a look at my favourites list, you could probably tell. A personal gripe I have with a lot of modern anime, and media in general is that it just does not allow time for the viewer to breathe, always jumping from scene to scene, trying to “get things done” at a high tempo. Slowing down, letting the viewer appreciate the sceneries of the world being portrayed, forcing them, begging them to bask in the atmosphere, that is something I have always appreciated. A lot of the scenes with no dialogue, as we see the characters just walking along a path, resting, exploring, they all implore you to follow this anime’s pace, while at the same time, not dragging its feet either. That is the perfect balance for me, and I believe that especially in the first half, this anime achieved that.

I really enjoyed the first half of the anime, especially with its themes about the passage of time. With Frieren being an elf, with her longevity, a year is nothing for her in the grand scheme of things. A human lifespan comes and goes quickly in her eyes, and thus, before she knows it, her companions are gone. Slowly but surely, regret enters her mind, as she ponders why she did not try to get to know her companions better than she did. As people say, sometimes you don’t appreciate the people around you until they’re gone. Throughout the series, with Frieren’s new companions in Fern and Stark, she understands a bit more about humanity, and living in the moment.

The other thing I really enjoyed was the portrayal of demons, as well as the villains in general. They aren’t overly complex; they’re just purely evil. It doesn’t force a backstory upon the villains to make them a “deeper” or more “well-written” character, they are just… demons… in a fantasy story. They do cruel things, and that makes their eventual defeat all the sweeter. Sometimes, the simpler the better, and I really enjoyed the simplicity this time around.

The second half of the season is a bit of a departure from the slower themes, in favour of a more action-oriented anime that saw the introduction of the massively popular Übel, who was probably my favourite character in the arc. Her character commanded every scene she was in, and was a huge reason that the arc was still enjoyable. As for the arc itself, I felt it was markedly weaker than the first half, but still solid in terms of some the new characters and action scenes. I do think this series functions best when it takes things slower and embraces more of its slice of life elements, and seeing its characters explore every nook and cranny of the world, although there was still some meaningful moments in the second half that developed the characters further, strengthening their chemistry and magic skills, as well as allowing us to see more of how mages work.

The cast had really fun chemistry and comedic moments, and they developed into a very tight-knit group, feeling like family. I know a common complaint for the cast is the lack of emotions, making them feel boring. I cannot deny that, but it fits the world they live in. Frieren has lived for so many years, it’s only natural to be a bit emotionless, given all that she has seen, nothing would really surprise her. Fern has been with Frieren for so long, some of her personality must have rubbed off on her. Stark joins the group later on, so naturally he would have a bit more energy. This anime cannot be loud, as it would not fit its identity, so it’s only fitting the characters would not be screaming all the time, because that is not what this series is about.

From Evan Call’s wondrous music, the gorgeous animation, the themes of the story, and much more, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End has been impressive to say the least, despite some diminished enjoyment in the second half. Does it deserve the top spot on MAL? I’m not sure about that, but one thing is for sure, the staff definitely brought a great fantasy manga a whole new life, and it should be the talk of the town for a substantial time to come, for good reason.

There’s something in the water with shows with the word “Girlfriend” in it this season. You have Girlfriend, Girlfriend’s second season, which was a hilarious sequel, and then there’s this one, something quite special honestly in the harem genre, a genre that is seen as low-brow entertainment. A guy that gets together with so many girls, one might say it’s a bit of a wish fulfillment fantasy, but when one watches it, from the outset, there’s just something different about it.

I always say that if a show is trashy, it might as well be as unhinged as possible, and this one certainly understood that assignment. ... The premise is pretty stupid, as it’s about a guy, Aijou Rentarou, who confessed to one hundred girls, only to be rejected every time, and then as one would certainly expect, divine intervention was needed to get this guy the rizz he needed. A slip of the finger because God was playing a video game, and Rentarou was given one hundred soulmates that he could find, the kicker being that they had to get together or else the girl would die.

So what’s so unique about this harem anime? Yeah, there’s its fair share of fan service, but what I found that was great about this anime was its self-awareness that it’s trashy, and so the comedy is very self-aware as well, and breaks the fourth wall often. It’s very meta, as people might say, which is probably why people enjoyed the manga in the first place, the fast pace of comedy that has references of media that we’ve seen before, which can always provide that extra chuckle that other comedies might not be able to do. Unlike shows like Rent-a-Girlfriend, this anime thrives by not taking itself seriously, while still having moments that develop the characters.

The comedy is great and all, but the real draw of this anime is the main male character. Harem protagonists are usually the most one-note, boring characters ever, as they almost always follow the same trope of taking way too long to either recognize the love interest’s feelings, or taking too long to confess. Rentarou however, is probably the best harem protagonist I’ve seen in a while, mostly because he shatters all those tropes, and somehow can effectively care for every single girlfriend he encounters. As each girlfriend gets into the picture, they also have their time to shine, and it’s not just superficial development either, there’s actual heart behind it. Who could have thought? A harem anime with genuine heart and soul poured into it!

I expected that I would like this anime, but I’m coming out of it genuinely surprised at how wholesome it was even with the dumb premise. It embraces its stupidity and is shameless to the maximum, and it proved to be one of the best anime to watch every week, and honestly was one of the best anime of the year in terms of pure enjoyment. Can’t wait for Season 2, just inject this into my veins!

I shed a tear to Rent-a-Girlfriend??? What has the world come to? Is this reality?

Rent-a-Girlfriend is at the butt end of a lot of jokes in the anime community, and hated by many, understandably so. You might ask, then why are so many of these losers watching this absolute joke of a show? There’s a simple answer. We eat unhealthy foods all the time, we have fast food, instant noodles, sugary junk, that we all know is bad for us, but we still eat it anyway. If anything, RAG does a nice job in keeping the fools coming back for more, by sprinkling in some ... of that MSG. Say that Chizuru is asked if she likes Kazuya, and you know she can’t say yes, because that wouldn’t drive the story along, so she says she doesn’t like him, but doesn’t dislike him. That last line is so frustrating, but it’s that MSG that keeps you coming back, because at this point, we’re all so deep into this rabbit hole that we can’t escape, just like many can’t escape the clutches of junk food. We all say we hate RAG, but how much do we actually hate it if we’re coming back for more? To you manga readers, I salute you, for getting through three hundred chapters of this dumpster fire. You all must be the soldiers of the god that is Reiji Miyajima.

If you’ve been paying attention to the animanga community, most people have said that this arc is the peak of the story, and compared to the previous two seasons, I would have to agree with that sentiment. For RAG standards, this is honestly really solid, but compared to the rest of anime, it’s fine, though there were some great moments this season that caught me a bit off guard. There is a level of development for Kazuya, the main character, although he is still the guy that he always was, but unlike the previous seasons, there seems to be a better sense of narrative direction, as Kazuya attempts to produce a movie for Chizuru and for her grandma to realize her wish to see her granddaughter on the big screen in a film. In the process, the lie of Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship is finally tackled, something that dragged on for far too long.

A nice addition to the cast this season is Mini Yaemori, a bundle of fun energy, and she boasts one unique trait, the fact she isn’t in love in Kazuya, and was the supporter for Kazuya and Chizuru’s relationship. She brought in some nice humour, and was definitely one of the best parts of this season. Chizuru has long been a very boring character to me, as she’s just seen as the “perfect girl”, which to me, is just very uninteresting. However, as she’s the main female character, the story direction must revolve around her a bit, and some of the developments this season certainly elevated her character to somewhat greater heights. Sumi is as wholesome as ever, and Ruka is just… there, though she had some nice moments as well.

It’s junk food in the end, but at least this time, it was more palatable junk food, and as much as we love to rag on this anime, let’s be real, you’ll probably be back for that eventual Season 4. Let’s not lie to ourselves, yeah? See you then.

Undead Murder Farce screams exuberance and stylistic achievement from its very first moments, with no qualms about being absurd or perhaps even corny, and as mysteries go, that is the uniqueness that is to be desired. There’s so much media revolving around mystery, from your Agatha Christie novels, to your Conan Doyle stories, to the plentiful mystery anime and tv shows, so it’s difficult to create something memorable out of the vast sea of mystery media choice, and I’m happy to say that Undead Murder Farce stood out nicely, so come one, come all, into the pseudo-Meiji era, and enjoy the fun!

The anime title surely ... tells you nothing, but believe me, this is one of the most unique takes on mysteries I’ve seen a while, combining a wide range of mysteries with compelling action and witty humour, and also adding some major figures in mystery media, like Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupin, and many more. It kind of felt like the “Mystery Avengers” in a way, but with less action than your typical superhero flick, but much more focused on dialogue. To give a gist of the premise, it’s set in an alternate Meiji era, where an unlikely duo, an Oni Slayer, and a head in a cage suffered the similar fate of their humanity being stolen by the same person, and thus, they chase after this villain, encountering mysteries along the way, making a name for themselves.

Dialogue-heavy shows can be a slog, but this anime certainly manages to capture your attention without being boring, to the extent of each episode flying by in a matter of what you think were just a few minutes. The characters command each scene very well, and the voice actors are certainly to be praised, especially the two main characters in Tsugaru Shinuchi, and Aya Rindou, voiced by Taku Yashiro and Tomoyo Kurosawa, respectively. Tsugaru kept my attention because of his cheeky personality, often making fun of his partner Aya, as well as not taking things too seriously. His humour is witty, perhaps corny, but he definitely made me laugh quite a few times. Aya commanded each scene so well despite only being a head in a cage. Who needs a body after all? Her voice actor, Tomoyo Kurosawa, really nailed the role, as she had such a presence in each scene she was in, with her deduction skills and her tone of voice that captured every bit of my attention. The duo’s dynamic is in my opinion, the best part of the anime, as it brings forth such contagious eccentricity and energy that sucks you into the world around them.

Another main positive about this show was definitely the directing prowess of Shinichi Omata, who previously directed Kaguya-sama: Love is War, and Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, coming into play once again. The whole show feels like a stage play, with the characters feeling like actors, the dialogue bouncing off each character with such ease, the general flow of the story just so fantastic. The art and animation itself isn’t particularly pretty, and I suspect the budget for this show wasn’t huge at all, but Omata’s directing really elevated the show’s quality to greater heights, as there’s just a distinct uniqueness about how the show looks. The camera work and the storyboarding really embodied a style that felt “extravagant”, suiting the show’s setting very well. Furthermore, it has a sense of rakugo in it, and you can tell that Omata’s previous directing endeavours helped shape the way this show was directed as well.

From the compelling mystery, humour, and incredible directing, this has been one of the hidden gems, and potentially the best of the Summer 2023 anime season, and one of the more unique anime of this year. Was I surprised at how good this anime turned out to be? To be honest, not really, and that’s a testament to how much faith I had in the director. Man, this show really flew by, didn’t it?

Ah, Mushoku Tensei, an isekai widely regarded as one of the best of all time, but as things get critical acclaim, it gets a whole lot of clashing discourse. This season was the subject of a lot of argument around the anime community, and while that was a little upsetting to see, I’m glad many people continued to talk about this wonderful isekai series, even though it was clear that the first cour of Season 2 was not nearly as good as Season 1.

Whether it’s positive or negative, Mushoku Tensei makes you care about what you’re watching, it has a morally grey protagonist, who ... attempts to take steps forward to improve himself, and that’s what I enjoy watching. I don’t like Rudeus’ personality, but that’s the point, as while I don’t like a lot of his actions, I do like how he’s written. I don’t want to see another overpowered protagonist with no personality to show for, I also don’t want to see a goody-two-shoes protagonist that’s all for world peace, because let’s face it, the world has its darkness no matter what we do, and a character with a “perfect” personality is just plain boring. Furthermore, the world-building continues to be stellar, as unlike a good chunk of isekai, it’s actually rather interesting seeing the vast world and its different settings, like the university.

This season was a very enjoyable one, but it did have a rough start, as it rushed through the first arc, skipping a lot of context from the light novel. I’m not a reader myself, but it was clear that it wasn’t really up to snuff, at least compared to how well S1 was adapted. The events in the first arc, with Rudeus being depressed after the departure of Eris, while you kind of feel for the guy perhaps, some of the moments with him and other characters just rubbed me the wrong way. There was just too much of a focus on the perverse nature of Rudeus’ character, and while it was present as well in the rest of the cour, it felt more interesting there. The second part of the season in Ranoa University was a much more intriguing and engaging part of the story, as it mixed together big reveals around Rudeus’ past, along with some light hearted moments as well, which I feel the first arc lacked. We also got to see the return of a character I have missed dearly, and if you have watched Episode 0 with The Silent Fitz, then you know exactly who I’m talking about.

From a production standpoint, it was abundantly clear that this was a step down in terms of animation quality, and it could be due to a rushed production, or a lack of resources from Studio Bind. That said, the quality did improve, especially with the background shots still being relatively solid. It just didn’t have that majestic, detailed look that Season 1 had. Maybe you could say that Season 1’s production was something truly miraculous, truly special, compared to what we got here. The soundtrack was still solid, and both the OP and ED were great, though I did miss the openings playing in the background, as those felt more unique, and gave the series its special identity.

This series has a very rich cast of characters as well, and I mentioned Rudeus already, but I’ll elaborate and say that he’s still the weirdo from before, but there is significant character development to be seen, and some of the actions he takes are pretty thought-provoking, whether it’s because of his ED, or because of his PTSD from previous tragedies from Season 1. The series calls back on those past events very effectively, whereas a lot of other series may have just thrown those events of the past to the wayside, never looking back. Fitz was another very great character, and it was interesting how we all knew who Fitz’s identity truly was, but we were just waiting for Rudeus to figure it out. The pay-off from that was very worth it, and the process was honestly awesome, as we got to see thoughts from both of their perspectives, which led to some good recurring jokes. Every character in this anime has a level of depth to them, whether they’re a main character or side character, which is kind of rare to see in media these days, so props to the author for utilizing every character to their fullest potential.

Overall, this cour, while somewhat controversial, was a wonderful ride, and powered through its hiccups in the beginning, to still reaching great heights in the end. Despite a decline in animation quality compared to the previous season, I still enjoyed it a lot, which is a testament to the quality of the story at hand here, and there is surely much more to come, with the second cour in April 2024, and whatever lies beyond that.

My Happy Marriage, at the outset, feels like the 1000th remake of Cinderella. It has the evil stepmother, the family abuses the MC, and she gets “saved” by a strong, powerful man. It’s a bit more than that though, as it’s a largely character driven story with the main female character, Saimori Miyo, trying to find her self worth after years and years of people telling how useless she was, as shallow as the reasons were, in that she supposedly lacked the abilities that her family members had. She is married off to a man named Kudou Kiyoka, who was known to be a cold-hearted, ... insensitive man who dismissed his previous fiancées, likely in an attempt to get rid of her and have her suffer more. Obviously, as you would expect, Kiyoka treats Miyo in a way she doesn’t expect, and the relationship builds from there.

Then what makes this anime stand out, if it just feels like another Cinderella story? The first thing would definitely be the visual presentation. The animation overall is very fluid, while being rather simple in its designs. There are great looking action scenes, the character expressions are worthy of praise, and the soundtrack by Evan Call, who worked on Violet Evergarden, complimented it a lot. Virtually no issues from the production side of things. I dare say it might have been one of the best produced shows of the summer season. It has strong attempts at characterization, with directing and symbolism that I really enjoyed, as there was a level of nuance there to develop Miyo and Kiyoka’s relationship throughout the story.

What unfortunately holds it back from being in the upper echelon of shows from this season for me is the shallow writing, especially outside the main duo. In that way, it might feel more like Cinderella, in that the characters are very “fairy-tale” like. They’re evil for the sake of being evil, with malicious intent that goes over the top at times. Sure, there are a lot of political aspects in play especially in this setting, with families all thirsting for power, doing whatever it takes to gain reputation, but some of the actions that the Saimori family took early in the season just felt a bit much, perhaps a bit melodramatic at times.

The supernatural aspects were interesting for sure, and I’m sure will be developed in the future, with the upcoming OVA or perhaps in future instalments of this series if it ever happens, but I felt it somewhat took away from the more grounded relationship with Miyo and Kiyoka. The supernatural parts do give the series more flare and pizzazz, but I question whether all of it was necessary, as especially in the second half, where I felt the lore and the presence of Grotesqueries, besides being haphazardly implemented at points, also limited the time that could have otherwise been spent on developing the romance aspects a bit better, as well as Miyo’s character.

The cast of characters was fine, but besides a couple characters outside the main duo, the rest were forgettable. A lot of scummy characters for sure, and I do see that popping up a lot in shoujo series. Miyo’s character was frustrating at times to watch, but she had some very good developments as well at the climax of the first half, and the aforementioned symbolism really helped with that. Kiyoka I had more interest in, especially in his abilities. I liked how he treated Miyo, and how his attitudes changed towards her throughout. You can basically say that Miyo and Kiyoka bring the best out of each other, as Kiyoka helped Miyo break out of her self-deprecating nature and stand up for herself, while Miyo helped Kiyoka open up more as a person.

My attention was always there when the relationship was being developed, but like I said, outside of that, it was an up and down ride. The first half was very strong and at that point had the potential to be the best anime airing this season, but the second half was markedly weaker in that I felt the romance could have been prioritized a bit more, and the supernatural aspects executed in a more meaningful way. Overall, it was still a high quality anime, but just missed the mark a little bit for me to say it was truly incredible.

Season 5 of Bungou Stray Dogs continues to directly build upon the events of Season 4, though in a much less character driven way this time, which paved the way for a more fast paced, action packed season that also had many twists. That comes with the positive of keeping me at the edge of my seat in suspense for what was to come, but gave me less to think about after each episode ended, as it wasn’t as full of depth as the previous season was. It also did what few anime do nowadays, pass the current chapter of the manga to the point ... of having a finale episode that covered scenes not seen in the source material. Seeing the fact that no one knew what the end had in store was definitely an exciting time, and it was overall once again another thrilling season.

The plot builds upon the finale of Season 4 at the Sky Casino, and continues with the Detective Agency trying to clear their name, with the Hunting Dogs hot on their tail. Their goal was to capture Kamui, the leader of the Decay of Angels, but it turns out a familiar face is the one behind it all. The thing that impressed me the most with this season was that the stakes felt higher than ever before, with the fate of a lot of the characters genuinely uncertain, and with that uncertainty, it does a great job in creating that feeling where I was actually scared if a character would be killed.

The one thing that was the source of some frustration to me was the one of the villain’s ability, as it was so overpowered that no one could stop him. However, as these stories tend to go, it would seem like he would have to be defeated at one point, and I felt however way the protagonists ended up winning would be through a deus ex machina. That said, I really liked the villains, as they were very crafty (especially Fyodor), and twisted enough to make things very interesting to watch. The story might not always be written at a very high standard, but it gets the job done in an immensely entertaining way, despite the flaws.

Production wise, much like the previous seasons, it was very consistent, and the soundtrack continued to be solid, along with an excellent opening and ending song.

The focus on the characters was not that balanced this time around, with some characters being virtually absent for the entire season, but the cast of characters that were present were about as good as before, though this time around, it wasn’t as emotional as last season, which had numerous backstories that really fleshed out the characters. Like I mentioned before, it was more of an action packed season, along with a lot of mind games in the form of twists. It was great to see the return of Aya though, as she was a nice character that appeared in one of the OVAs before.

Overall, another extremely thrilling, enthralling roller coaster that had me looking forward to each subsequent episode, and while it was less emotional, with some notable negatives and some poor tonal shifts, it still got the job done. We likely won’t see another season since the anime has passed the recent manga chapter, but whenever a sequel happens, I’m sure I’ll be there yet again to witness it.

April 1, 2022. It’s April Fools’ Day in Japan, and we’re all rolling our eyes at the 82392nd joke about No Game No Life Season 2 being announced, and I’m sure many were also thinking the Masamune-kun sequel was also fake. Turns out they trolled us hard, and here we are with Season 2 of the dumpster fire that is Masamune-kun’s Revenge. I hated Season 1 a lot, because I thought it could be good, but it just ruined every possible good, or heartfelt, emotional moment with some stupidity. Season 2 has these problems as well, but it turned out to be more entertaining this ... time around, due to the numerous twists that this anime throws at you. Feelings change, and the plot actually progressed quite a lot, and while the road was pretty rocky, it got some enjoyment out of me, and I’ll honestly take that over Season 1 any day.

Revenge is still the theme of the this season, at least at first. I never really liked the revenge aspect of this anime because it was pretty obvious that Masamune was never really going to get revenge, and would probably end up falling in love with Aki anyway. I do like how Season 2 explores these feelings, as well as the motives and feelings of the other characters as well. This season is a bit more than just revenge, it does have some drama. Is it good drama? Yes and no, but the twists were what kept me going in this season.

Animation wise, it didn’t look all that great at points with off model faces and goofy eyes and all that, but it was pretty standard for the most part, a slight downgrade from Season 1, but still acceptable.

As with many romance shows of this nature, the main couple was frustrating to watch, though there were some cute moments mixed in there. If only they actually communicated with each other am I right? Or am I asking for too much from a romance anime? Yoshino, the maid, had the best moments in my opinion, just like in Season 1. She honestly carries the show, and possibly redeems it from being utter garbage. The other characters don’t have huge roles, apart from the villain, and they have their respective moments to shine, but they turned out to be forgettable.

In the end, is the story good? No. Did I hate it though? No. Why didn’t I hate it? I don’t really know. I was overall pleasantly surprised that I somewhat enjoyed this season despite hating the first season, and was surprised at some of the developments this season. If you enjoyed the first season, you’ll probably have a similar level of enjoyment to the first season, most likely. In the end, should this have stayed an April Fools’ joke? You tell me.