| To Be Hero X (2025) I hate to start my review with a comparison to another series, but I think it’s demonstrative of what makes this series work. Back in 2024, I picked up Ishura. With the promise of a major tournament between absurdly OP characters from all over the world was too good to pass up. I watched the first season through and never picked up S2. I never got into the characters, nor did I stay interested in their upcoming clashes beyond just seeing how their powers would interact. The series felt distracted by larger events making it rarely character focused or driven. To Be Hero X approaches a similar concept with a narrative that is almost solely character driven. Despite focusing its attention on so many characters characters as the series has gone on, you do at least get a feel for their motivations through their backstories and you get to see them fight it out as some broader aspects of the story hem them into playing specific roles. Not every character is amazing, but each is distinctive, and that’s not just for the variety of character models on display. There’s a lot to appreciate in the series' character building, and while I felt put out that Ishura never reached its tournament arc in that first season, all this effort leaves me satisfied with the first season of TBHX (though yes, I am very much looking forward to that tournament arc next season). It also helps that the creators include the opportunity to support your favorite heroes on their website, perhaps influencing the outcome of the next season. It deepens that investment. And that’s where we come to my favorite thing about this series: the power system. The ways that Trust Value and Fear factor into the kinds of powers people use, how they’re displayed, and how characters are restricted by the perceptions of others is very impressive. The series finds lots of interesting ways to make use of these, turning strengths into weaknesses in both crazy and seemingly mundane ways. In a power system built off how others see you, changes to public opinion matter a lot more than just the numbers on a hero’s wrist. The series’ animation is, of course, excellent. Shifts between styles really pop, and the apparent connection between that and X’s abilities make the changes diegetic and not just a stylistic choice for the audience. That’s a brilliant way to both pop off in the animation department and make that sakuga meaningful to your world. The series isn’t always top notch in this department, particularly when it comes to vehicles and some motion blur effects, but it is largely excellent. There isn’t too much in the way of flaws for me to cover, but the ones I have are usually narrative. I can’t say I was super invested in Lucky Cyan’s story despite the time they spent on it (some issues with the animation of vehicles that episode did not help). Queen’s arc brought the best fight in the series so far, but did scant little to help connect with her as a character. Much as I love both Ahu and X, they get far less time for setup, which leaves them a little less emotionally powerful. And for other characters, like Lin Lang, their stories resonate powerfully only to get side-lined for much of the remaining plot. And that narrative choice extends between characters as well. The overlaps between some of their stories were a cool choice, but it did grind some of the pacing to a crawl as it showed events from a different perspective. Apart from all this, much as I love the power system, the series just doesn’t maintain that level of introspection as the scale of threats increase, which means it ends up leaving some of the most interesting parts of Trust Value behind for long stretches. Also, much as I love the concept of bringing in the audience to afford trust to each of these characters, it does make the final line-up going into next season too predictable since we know who is and isn’t going to make it into the top 10 (with one notable exception). Still, I’m left in awe of what this series accomplished. It’s not easy to pull off a whole season of character introductions and setup and make it both emotionally investing and narratively fulfilling. To Be Hero X does both with style. It’s not always punching at its best, but when it hits, it hits hard. That ending in particular really brought the whole story so far full-circle, leaving us with some important revelations, the setup to what is bound to be the series’ greatest fight, and does it with plenty of the animation changes that make this series so striking. Can’t wait to see how this all comes together next season. 8.2/10. Sakamoto Days Part 2 (2025) I can't seem to decide if I like this anime adaptation or not. I’m still loving reading the manga, so I was already attached to these characters and this world going into it, but I found I was underwhelmed regarding Part 1. The anime doesn’t take its time introducing its characters or establishing their relationships and it has some fun action but it doesn’t pop quite like it does on the page. Those things are still largely true this season, though some of the animation looks sharper and the fight scenes go harder in places. It still feels like it’s plunging forward at a break-neck pace, which is more consistent with the manga this time around, but that lack of early setup is still a problem here. But first, that action. When this series leans into its absurd fight scenes, I’m never disappointed. Sakamoto’s fights during this part of the season in particular have been highlights, with both the Apart and Shinaya fights showcasing some of the best animation the series has given us so far. He’s not alone, either - there’s some great crazy action onboard the airplane, Osaragi gets to pop off early, and Akira starts strutting her stuff this season. Unfortunately, that means some of the fights that don’t really work also stand in stark contrast. For some, like Nagumo, that just means leaving some of the more gruesome elements just off-screen (be nice if the camera wasn’t shy about this). For others, like the big Takamura fight… well, I’d been waiting for this one and I was disappointed. I get that he’s a sword wielder, but this felt extra choppy, not taking advantage of animation at all and instead just trying to replicate the feel of panels that it just couldn’t match. This part has a more kinetic feel to it, but it also feels pretty scattershot. Events happen to the characters. They have to find a way to manage against tough opponents. We get a few new players who seem pretty interesting, but haven’t been explored much yet. The series provides little character insights, but they’re not a lot to go off of and we don’t linger on them for long so we don’t have much opportunity to get invested in them. I think Part 2 carries more momentum than the first, and that makes it an easy breezy watch with enough in the way of great fights to elevate it. However, it’s still missing the same connective tissue that Part 1 was, so while I can appreciate it, it’s hard for me to get invested in the same way I have been with the manga. That’s not helped by the weird places this series chooses to end each of its parts, which leaves us in media res far more often than I’d like. Time will tell whether this series can continue to do better, but this is at least an improvement. Clevatess (2025) On paper, this should be an obvious favorite for me. A dark fantasy covering a world with expansive lore where an all-powerful beast raises a royal infant to determine if humanoids are worth saving? Sign me up. The arc for the titular Clevatess to learn about humanoid races and come to value them is pretty obvious, but it’s nonetheless intriguing to have a very alien, all-powerful creature learn to care about a race that has tried (very unsuccessfully) to kill him and his kind. It’s a recipe for interesting character development, and given that he has one of the heroes who tried to kill him at his beck and call, the antagonistic duo make for quite the odd couple to follow. At least in its first season, the series doesn’t really follow that arc, at least not entirely. Clevatess does seem to develop some sympathy for certain humanoids, but his interest in the child seems (at least initially) mainly borne out of curiosity. Much of the story instead focuses on the hero Alicia and branches out to a much broader narrative very quickly, with her story connecting to Drel, the main antagonist of this arc. That isn’t a bad thing. Watching Alicia fight desperately, particularly with her getting brutally battered to a pulp and painfully regenerating, has a macabre appeal to it. We also get introduced to some pretty solid side characters. I like Neruru quite a bit, even if I wish they’d kept her original design and just restored her to factory settings instead of making her more conventionally pretty (I do not have a problem with her being absurdly strong). Characters like Rod Royes also make for interesting fights, even if they’re pretty conventionally heroic. Drel himself is especially fascinating, shifting the narrative to a focus on the “whys” of this world. It’s not that I dislike what this series has given us, but I wish the series had really put me in the characters’ shoes early on. What we got is still pretty good, though. It's a world that feels lived in and this anime goes raw on the action, showcasing the best gore of the season with some excellent sound design and music to boot. It also sets up something pretty interesting in how the broader world works, but hasn’t really delivered on it yet, with several major clashes and elements yet to be explained or examined, including one of the biggest mysteries of this season (for which it mainly just produced more questions). I like how the season wrapped up, and even if I don’t really buy some of Clevatess’s choices in those last two episodes, Alicia largely keeps the series and its direction on an even keel. Looks like the announcement just came up for S2 and I'm stoked to see more. 7.6/10. Dealing with Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze (2025) This series is almost absurdly cute. For a show that starts with the overtly sus premise of a cute boy going to live with three beautiful prodigy sisters, it’s impressive just how thoroughly this one leans away from the usual ecchi and playful misunderstandings that I anticipated. In fact, from the very outset, the MC seems tailor-built to avoid those situations, running into one of the Mikadonos in a towel in the first episode and being more concerned about making sure her hair was dry than anything lascivious. But meet cutes don’t typify the show, they’re just a start. It’s really a show focused on the pressures of being labeled a prodigy and the expectations that come with it. Each of the titular Mikadono sisters experiences a different version of it. Without going into spoilers, they're all trying to hide some personal failing, interest or disinterest that runs counter to how they want to be perceived. None of these are particularly ground-breaking, but they’re all different enough personality-wise and in their struggles to make them investing. What really brings the show together, though, is Yu. What he lacks in skills, he makes up for with support. Yu’s backstory just places him rather perfectly in this setting: he spent his young life with his prodigy of a mother, maintaining distance because he didn’t feel he could ever measure up, and learned to regret that decision so deeply that it drives him to do everything he can to stay close to the Mikadono sisters. His support is genuine because it comes from that place of regret and that desire to do right by a family that took him in. And he’s pretty perfectly tailored to the role: a hard-worker who will be there for each of them in their time of need, whether that means cooking them the right meal, raising their spirits, going on a pretend date, or fighting a martial arts master. It’s all very sweet. The decision to feature Sakura and Yu as point and counterpoint with regards to how “normal people” should view and approach prodigies is an intriguing one. Sakura has this relentless drive to succeed in opposition to Miwa, whereas Yu is only gratified by their success, acting as a maternal figure to the Mikadono sisters. The latter also contrasts well with the father, who expects success from his daughters, whereas Yu celebrates it. While these comparisons don’t get much in the way of clash this season, they do stand out as some of the meatier elements in the plot so far. There are really only two points of frustration for me, one of which is more for tropey reasons: I just don’t like how oblivious Yu is to the sisters’ affections for him. Dude is incredibly insightful, often seeing into their feelings better than they do themselves, but he just seems to have a blind spot for anything directed his way. It’s not unusual in a romcom, I know, but it’s a little more bothersome here. The bigger problem for me is the lack of follow-through on the part of their father. From the very outset, the patriarch of the family sets himself up as an antagonistic force to Yu’s efforts, at least in part. He wants Yu to support them, but not emotionally or psychologically, mainly just to ensure that they continue to succeed. The kind of toxic parenting on display, particularly in the manipulation and expectation department, is really striking and when he spends time in the household, the whole vibe of the series changes. This season just makes me want more, which is always a good sign. I want to see the series delve into some of its deeper drama, and I think it has set itself up nicely to do just that. Hopefully more will be coming soon! 7.7/10. |
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| Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc (2023) - the release of the Infinity Castle movie made me think I should catch up. Each season gets worse than the last. I like Nezuko, she's cute in her chibi form and badass in her demon form. The central antagonist, Muzan, is truly terrifying and has a presence. Every other character is poor to very poor, all of them, especially the villains who are so predictable and boring. All they say is 'I can't believe I'm being beaten, noooo, I'm so strong, how is this weakling beating me, I'm invincible.....', all of them are like that. And the mid fight flashbacks all fall flat. S2 was only bearable because it had a truly amazing visual spectacle in the culmination of the final fight, which lasted a number of eps and was spectacular. Sadly the fights this season paled in comparison. Still looked amazing at times, and combined with the OST from Yuki Kajiura gets that hype training chugging along. I enjoyed S1, and the Mugen Train movie was both a visual feast and had solid emotional beats, so this franchise can deliver, it just doesn't do that often, and less as it progresses. My problem is mainly the tone, the humour never lands, the down time always feels forced, the dialogue isn't good. But the main issue is the characters. But when that slick ufotable style animation kicks in, boy does it look sublime. Will push through S4 and onto the final movies. High 6/10 (6.8). |
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| Tsoysageahjikgjyrshh New Saga (2025) aka New Saga This is the first new anime I've watched, and the first one I've completed in several months. New Saga Review Here I had more fun writing the review than actually watching it. There was at least one good episode- I was somewhat interested in the fight with the demons (that's not a spoiler- it's a seasonal reincarnation fantasy, they all have fights with demons) This show follows the most paint-by-numbers bog standard setup there could be: it has a male protagonist, a sidekick, a Best Friend who's a tank, two cute girls in tow, not much else to say. There's no story to describe either: He gets reborn back in time within the first 5 minutes, do I even need to say his Hero Party was defeated by the demon lord- it should be assumed at this point; also to be assumed is he will be OP, there will be swords and magic and elf girls, and of course- demons who are humanity's enemy. You know all about the war with the demons, it's the same as in every other of these D&D fantasy ripoffs. The good? The opener is amazing. The OST is a complete mishmash of styles, including jazzy horns that go about as well as ice cream does with onions... (don't complain about that joke if you read my episode 12 comments- if these hack authors can reuse entire plots and characters I can reuse jokes) The bad? The CGI horses. Everything else about this anime was mid. Mid-story progression, mid characters, mid action, mid visuals. It wasn't bad in the way Ubel Blatt was (that was just incompetent) it's just incredibly BLAND. There were a few parts I liked. Episode 9-11 things seemed to be heating up, and I thought- if this pulls off an exciting climax I'm impressed.... but no, it was just a bunch of talking, because apparently they're setting the table for a season 2, which will quite honestly never happen. Rating- self explanatory. Read review for more |
| Dandadan Season 2 (2025) - the zany action packed supernatural/alien romp continues. More great side characters added to the cast, more action, more great music (some techno and old school jungle beats gave the OST a unique sound this season), more gorgeous visuals, couple of awkward teen romance moments between our leads. Very good, but just lacked the emotional pull of ep 7 from S1 and sakuga wasn't quite as spectacular as S1, high 8/10 (8.9). More of the same please. Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express (2025) - this is a random short (3 min per ep) that was recommended by an anituber and is showing on Youtube. It follows the exploits of 6 delinquents (3 androids and 3 aliens) in a futuristic setting, as they are sentenced to community service for minor crimes. They are instructed to clean an old space train (think Galaxy Express), but the train has been taken over by a killer AI bent on killing off unwanted members of society. Each ep ran into the next, kind of had a sitcom feel to it. All cgi but looked very smooth. Fun time, high 6/10 (6.8). |
23feanorSep 19, 11:39 PM
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Reply to 23feanor
Dandadan Season 2 (2025) - the zany action packed supernatural/alien romp continues. More great side characters added to the cast, more action, more great music (some techno and old school jungle beats gave the OST a unique sound this season), more gorgeous visuals, couple of awkward teen romance moments between our leads. Very good, but just lacked the emotional pull of ep 7 from S1 and sakuga wasn't quite as spectacular as S1, high 8/10 (8.9). More of the same please.
Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express (2025) - this is a random short (3 min per ep) that was recommended by an anituber and is showing on Youtube. It follows the exploits of 6 delinquents (3 androids and 3 aliens) in a futuristic setting, as they are sentenced to community service for minor crimes. They are instructed to clean an old space train (think Galaxy Express), but the train has been taken over by a killer AI bent on killing off unwanted members of society. Each ep ran into the next, kind of had a sitcom feel to it. All cgi but looked very smooth. Fun time, high 6/10 (6.8).
Milky☆Subway: The Galactic Limited Express (2025) - this is a random short (3 min per ep) that was recommended by an anituber and is showing on Youtube. It follows the exploits of 6 delinquents (3 androids and 3 aliens) in a futuristic setting, as they are sentenced to community service for minor crimes. They are instructed to clean an old space train (think Galaxy Express), but the train has been taken over by a killer AI bent on killing off unwanted members of society. Each ep ran into the next, kind of had a sitcom feel to it. All cgi but looked very smooth. Fun time, high 6/10 (6.8).
| @23feanor I remember seeing this advertised... but the word "milky" always makes me a bit nervous.. so I haven't checked it out |
| Call of the Night Season 2 (2025) - this season is more serious than the first, but still has that all pervading vibe which characterises the show, a product of the night time cityscape visuals and down tempo lofi OST. The inclusion of Nazuna and Anko's backstories gave this season an emotional resonance that wasn't present in the first, and worked very well. OP and ED were bangers, Creepy Nuts is a talented group. The Japanese VA gave some good performances, Anko in particular, with this way of speaking that sounded tired and careworn, but with a bite. Anko was a very good antagonist and the main mover behind the plot this season. We got some sweet romantic moments between Kou and Nazuna, who are slowly growing closer. The offbeat humour, the slightly sexy shots the director would slip in, the derpy faces Nazuna makes, Kou trying to figure out his feelings for Nazuna and what it means to live an ordinary life, and why he doesn't want to be ordinary. Really enjoyed this season, strong 8/10 (8.7). Not sure I can pick between Clevatess, Dandadan S2 and Call of the Night S2 for which show I enjoyed more, all 3 of them were very good. Been one of the best seasons for anime I've seen in a while, wait, since Frieren and Apothecary Diaries, so not actually that long. @SuperAdventure as long as it's not hentai then milky just means bland/white i think (or Milky Way I suppose), although could be wrong. Nothing x-rated in Milky Subway, apart from one small joke about gay rape, but played humorously. Space Cobra (1982) - retro space/sci-fi jaunt following the titular Cobra, who has a gun in his left arm which he can fire with the power of thought alone. There's also some indication he's immortal and has an indestructible body. So he's pretty badass. He's a legendary space pirate who essentially gets into scrapes with the powerful Pirate Guild and Galactic Patrol, always with a beautiful woman involved somehow. There's 3 shorter arcs and a bunch of episodic stories in between. The first arc sees Cobra seek out 3 twin sisters in search of a fabled pirate treasure. Next one has him join a murderball team in order to uncover a narcotic smuggling route. The final arc has Cobra pull together a band of former comrades in order to take out a would be dictator from the Pirate Guild, who killed off one of his lovers. One thing I did like is that a lot of the side character who we meet during these arcs and the one shot eps, end up dying, even the beautiful women who fall for Cobra. Villains and allies are all fair game, keeps it interesting. There were a lot of beautiful, scantily clad women, however, Cobra doesn't spend too much time perving on them (as Ryo Saeba in City Hunter does for example), just hints here and there that he's enjoys the women's company, and he's always on the look out for the next beauty to cross his path. Plenty of interesting sci-fi settings in various space locations. You can see the influence of Star Wars (couple of space bars which clearly took inspiration from that bar in Mos Isley, Tatooine), which came out a year before the author penned the manga, but there's plenty of unique villains and places. Sci-fi and space was still an untapped rich vein of stories at that time and it shows. Cobra was a tad OP, and you never felt any jeopardy for him, just those he was with, mainly the beautiful women. Did I mention the beautiful women yet, there were lots of them, typical 80's realistic design, akin to Cat's Eye in that respect, often in micro bikinis or nude. I wouldn't recommend this to most anime watchers, but if you like the charm of older series then it's worth checking out. Animation was ok, some nice backgrounds, but a bit rough in places. Audio was off, had a slight tinny sound to it, on all places where it was streaming, but not so bad it ruined the experience. Citypop sound to the OST. Low 7/10 (7.3). |
23feanorSep 20, 7:56 AM
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Reply to Asangbanne
Kingdom all seasons
The series follows the adventures of an orphan servant that aspires to be the best general of the army that tries to unify China (what a mouthful!). Battles, battles, court intrigues, great friendships, larger than life characters and more battles. The series is the slowest in the world where an entire +30 episodes season covers the events of a single battle. But you do get rewarded with tactics, tricks, smart generals and huge 1 vs 1 duels. Unfortunately the MC is still an obnoxious little shit yet he is slowly improving. All friends and enemies get some depth and enough screen time and the series points to the dark sides of war without shying from glorifying it.
If you want some testosterone filled fun and can look over cavalry charging against spears & women in the army (what?) this is for you. This would probably take 50 seasons in the next 100 years to finish but what the hell it is great.
Animation in the first 2 seasons is garbage but there is a great improvement in the next 3 seasons. Music is okay and there is zero fan service which i consider super.
10/10 for me but for those who are looking into some deep seinen entertainment could be 6/10
The series follows the adventures of an orphan servant that aspires to be the best general of the army that tries to unify China (what a mouthful!). Battles, battles, court intrigues, great friendships, larger than life characters and more battles. The series is the slowest in the world where an entire +30 episodes season covers the events of a single battle. But you do get rewarded with tactics, tricks, smart generals and huge 1 vs 1 duels. Unfortunately the MC is still an obnoxious little shit yet he is slowly improving. All friends and enemies get some depth and enough screen time and the series points to the dark sides of war without shying from glorifying it.
If you want some testosterone filled fun and can look over cavalry charging against spears & women in the army (what?) this is for you. This would probably take 50 seasons in the next 100 years to finish but what the hell it is great.
Animation in the first 2 seasons is garbage but there is a great improvement in the next 3 seasons. Music is okay and there is zero fan service which i consider super.
10/10 for me but for those who are looking into some deep seinen entertainment could be 6/10
| My thoughts exactly — if it weren’t for the annoying main character (luckily, we got Kyou Kai to save the day) and the crappy animation, it would be a 10/10 for me. I'm Looking forward for 6th season next month |
| Touken Ranbu Hanamasu (2016) Studio
Doga Kobo Discovered by accident, thankyou Crunchyroll for recommending this to me… this anime fits into the category I call CBDCT. Instead of girls, you have boys, being cute, the whole anime. It always bugs me when ppl leave comments on these like “I’m not the target audiens” What’s that even mean… beauty is beauty and with it being males it’s like extra special because it’s surprising and unexpected (it shouldn’t be but is, probably why traps are so popular) The format of the show and the simple dialogue and goofy bg music is exactly the same as for a casual CGDCT anime.. you have a bunch of cute characters living in idealized surroundings, they talk about unimportant stuff and give each other gifts, they eat cake and take photos and goof around. It’s wonderful and makes you happy. The only difference from others is the characters’ gender is male instead of female (and that’s not even apparent with the traps). This is based on a mobile game that I haven't played. I don’t like all shows like this, it has to be visually appealing and i especially am drawn toward temples or traditional Japanese surroundings and like things to be on the cute & nice side, the closest comparison might be Konohana Kitan- this is very similar, though without any of the gay vibes actually. The setting is: they live in a magical place (for some reason narrator says it’s the year 2205?? Why can’t it just be some spiritual layer or something… well okay just roll with it) They travel to different time periods to fight against evil forces that are invading periods of the past to try and alter history, one of the people they save is Nobunaga for example- anyone whose seen historical anime or knows basic Japanese history recognizes that name immediately. The fights are actually not very impressive, nor is the animation. Nor is the music. Nor is the story. Well there isn’t a conventional plot- each episode they do various cute things (laundry in one episode, they write wishes and hang them on a cherry tree, give each other gifts etc) But the purpose of this show isn’t to teach any lessons about history really, or to show fights really, or good animation. I watched this for the same reason I watch Ensemble Stars; immerse in pretty boys for 23 minutes and pick out favorites… it’s even a poor substitute for ES there because there are so many characters they don’t get much time to develop, so they all feel kind of generic. Did I mention there are FORTY SEVEN characters? Yes that’s right- 47. If you thought you were bad at names. So I can’t really recommend this even if you want to try out a CBDCT anime… I’d recommend Ensemble Stars instead. Score- 10/10, obviously. |
| My Dress Up Darling Season 2 (2025) - loved the wholesome moments with Gojou and Marin as they get closer, particularly watching Gojou coming out of his shell and realising that people value his talents. Have to admit I find the whole cosplay scene boring, it's very otaku centric and I just don't really care. You can tell the people behind the show (and the author) care about getting the details right and have a passion for cosplay, I'm just not bothered and find myself zoning out whenever they go into all the details, or when they talk about the characters from shows or games they want to cosplay, which is a lot. Also started to find Marin's speech patterns grating with all the 'adorbs, totes, no way, seriously, effin, for reals etc'. Marin is a one in a million girl and an amazing female lead, and teenage me would've been smitten, but as an adult, I find her manner of talking more than mildly annoying. And Akira wigging out over Marin was too much 'so cute x 100.....I love you princess......I pray to you every day....you're my best girl', it was the cheesiest type of cringe and fan-girling so hard it could stamp a hole through a rhinos ass cheek. The cute moments are really good, high squee value, Gojou and Marin compliment each other so well. They're both unique characters, he's self effacing and she is the epitome of bubbly and outgoing, wish there was more of them and less of the cosplay stuff. But that's the hobby that brought them together. Very good production values for both visuals and OST. Good, but just wasn't holding my interest at times. High 7/10 (7.8). Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood (2025) - a short movie from the anituber Gigguk in an alt universe where Japan is connected to a fantasy land called Euthania. It's about 2 people who leave home searching for a place to belong and a purpose for their lives. Daichi leaves Japan for Euthania and ends up adopting a young girl, Rin. Later on, (although from the narrative perspective it appears this is happening at the same time), Rin leaves Euthania for Japan to get a job as she feels she's become a burden on Daichi. By the end they both realise that home was where the heart lies. Nice little message, surprisingly well delivered for such a short movie at only 18 mins. Visuals were clean and OST from Kevin Penkin lifted the production. Garnt's irl wife, Sydney, voiced the female lead, Rin, and did a really good job. I find her real voice very annoying and screechy, but she can sound pleasant. Have to give the Garnt (aka Gigguk) some credit. Porter Robinson created that short music video, Shelter (just rewatched it and it packs a punch for its 6 min runtime), and then Misty Chronexia, another anituber tried his hand at making an anime a number of years ago and it went horribly wrong (crowd funding, dodgy studio, unknown director, funds going missing, Misty blamed...online drama ensues), so fair play to Garnt for pulling this project off. Nice little watch, high 6/10 (6.8). |
23feanorSep 21, 7:30 AM
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| Dandadan Season 2 (2025) My love of this series is a foregone conclusion at this point. It’s my favorite ongoing manga and the series continues to adapt exceptional arcs. The series still has plenty of impressive fights (with both the musical fight and the first knock down drag out fight with the Evil Eye being the stand-outs this time around), inserting absolutely hilarious moments (Kinta’s even better the second time around and yes, coming into Char ga Kuru is such a power move) and still manages some incredibly sweet ones as well (don’t tell me that hand-holding scene in the car didn’t hit). Science SARU continues to excel at animating these fight scenes and adapting the manga in ways that improve on the source material, particularly in the action and drama departments (see: the Evil Eye’s background). The only question for this season was how good it would be compared to the first, and there are some big differences. From the outset, we’re launched into the story in media res. That’s more a consequence of where the first season ended (I still think that was a very strange choice, one of the few things that tempered my enjoyment of that season), and I can’t blame this season for going hard off the bat. I could compare the Evil Eye’s backstory to that of Acrobatic Silky, but that frankly just wouldn’t be fair. The latter featured in my favorite episode of last year, bar none. The Evil Eye’s story is sad and it’s done very well, but it didn't rise to that level. As for where this season ends, it at least feels a good deal less random. For context, this is around the end of the Kaiju Arc, on the precipice of the next arc (which is my favorite in the manga to date). Things are going to get crazy and fast in S3, and I’m pumped to see it adapted. The showrunners seem to have a better feel for where to leave us, and that makes this season feel more complete than the last one did. It also featured one of the best musical scenes in recent memory with that Brave Force performance absolutely popping off. Overall, this rates among my favorites in a packed season, if just a shade off of the previous season for not quite reaching those incredible highs of S1. It's still an excellent set of episodes. 8.6/10. Call of the Night Season 2 (2025) Season 1 set up a pretty great story built on a central pseudo-romance, several other side characters with enough going on to garner and maintain investment in their arcs, and, oh yeah, a brilliant bit of vampire worldbuilding capped off with the introduction of Anko Uguisui, a character tailor-made to disrupt the vibe the series has established every time we see that starry nightscape. So, how well did season 2 deliver on that setup? For the most part, pretty well. In some cases, even better than S1. It’s got all the pieces there for a great follow-through as it builds on each of the characters in turn (most of the attention on Kabura and Nazuna, both of whom get some intense and surprising backstory, and the series introduces LoveGreen, an absolutely excellent love interest for Akira), the relationship between Nazuna and Ko specifically gets a good deal of attention, and yes, we return to Anko in impressive fashion with some excellent backstory and delivery on her arc. She remains my favorite character in the series and has only improved over the course of this season. The series’ character deep dives remain its biggest highlights and are arguably stronger this time around. However, I do have issues with the pacing and momentum of this series. Regardless, I do think this series matches its predecessor, even exceeding it in some respects. It’s a great season of anime and well worth the watch. 8.3/10. My Dress Up Darling Season 2 (2025) I liked S1 of this show. Marin rapidly and easily establishes herself as best girl, it’s easy to become invested in her relationship with Gojo, and the cosplay insights and visuals are all legitimately great. It was hampered a bit by a combination of Gojo being a pretty static character (he learned a good deal, you don’t see much personal development from him) and the camera’s proclivity to… establish and linger on certain angles of Marin. She’s hot, I get it, but the emphasis was excessive. Going into this season, I thought it would be more of the same, perhaps with some more development from both of the leads. Color me surprised: I loved this season, which consistently remained among my favorites in a packed crowd. The humor is dialed up to 11 from episode 1 as this season gave me some of my favorite comedic moments. Gojo doesn’t just get to strut his stuff, he has to get over a lot of his hang-ups from last season to do it and start acknowledging his feelings this time around, even if it’s still pretty minimal. Marin gets most of the heavy lifting on their relationship with some moments this season that put my heart in my throat. And the new side characters are magnetic. Amane has become one of my favorite characters in the series for the struggle and triumph he laid out early on, and Akira’s journey is also powerful (not to mention we get a surprisingly hilarious payoff on her emotional turmoil). Juju and Shinju are back to rile things up as well, which keeps the series dynamic and energetic. And yes, the cosplay is still great. We get a lot more cross-dressing cosplays this time around, and the first ensemble cosplay with the Coffin scene, which also serves as a beautiful horror set piece. As someone who has never been into cosplay himself, I love how they dig into the mechanics of it and yes, even the fake boobs. One thing this season has significantly less of than the last is those lingering ecchi scenes, which bothered me a lot more in S1 than they did here. We still see a good deal of skin, but the camera shots don’t emphasize most of them nearly as much. Honestly, I don’t have much negative to say. Some of the ecchi can still be a bit frustrating, but they’re few and far between, It’s not enough to derail all the enjoyment I got out of it (and I got so much), but it does depress the final score a bit. 8.7/10. Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood (2025) I've been following Gigguk for years and it's great to see him get into this side of anime and produce something that looks and sounds this great with the help of Kevin Penkin. This is a solid little movie that I think works well as a showcase of sorts, and it packs in a number of good ideas as it explores the decisions we make to leave home through an isekai lens. The ways this movie monkeys with the audience's perception of time help keep it interesting, too. Unfortunately, I don't think the narrative pulls through. Setting aside some odd pacing and a lack of understanding of these characters' motivations (they're largely glossed over in favor of pretty basic declarations on both MC's parts), there's just a lot going on that isn't explored. There's a massive elevator that specifically allows people to transport between a world of magic and our world, which is largely just used as a plot device rather than getting much of anything with regards to explanation or how it has changed either world. Big set pieces of the movie also seem like they're just there to be functional rather than receiving much explanation, particularly the ritual and all the creatures involved. It made for some beautiful animation, but there was no depth to it and no means to even understand what was going on or why. That being said, it's an 18 minute film. I have mixed feelings about it due to some pretty shallow characterization and worldbuilding combined with a mostly just functional plot with rather little going on under the hood, but for a short production like this, it still works. It's not going to rate among my favorite short movies (too many greats in that category), but it was a fun watch. 6/10. La Maison en Petits Cubes (2008) This is such a simple yet deeply affecting short movie (just 12 minutes). A man being forced to build upwards to escape rising floodwaters shifts in the other direction as he dives down through the various levels of the ever-growing building, visiting different parts of his life that he was forced to leave behind. No dialogue, so you just soak it in. The closest thing I can relate this to is Up's first few minutes, but there's little sadness to this. The reminiscence feels warm and comfortable, and the artwork and music perfectly feed into that. By the end, the journey to find a pipe is a journey through a life well lived in reverse. It's somber at times, but that feeling of connection with the past absolutely hits home. 8.5/10. |
whiteflame55Sep 21, 6:39 AM
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| Kimi ni Todoke 3rd Season The hardest thing I've ever watched. It would seem easier to watch five episodes than to skip them. But watching them squeeze another five episodes out of a plot that was squeezed dry in the first season is torture. 3/10 |
Reply to whiteflame55
Dandadan Season 2 (2025)
My love of this series is a foregone conclusion at this point. It’s my favorite ongoing manga and the series continues to adapt exceptional arcs. The series still has plenty of impressive fights (with both the musical fight and the first knock down drag out fight with the Evil Eye being the stand-outs this time around), inserting absolutely hilarious moments (Kinta’s even better the second time around and yes, coming into Char ga Kuru is such a power move) and still manages some incredibly sweet ones as well (don’t tell me that hand-holding scene in the car didn’t hit). Science SARU continues to excel at animating these fight scenes and adapting the manga in ways that improve on the source material, particularly in the action and drama departments (see: the Evil Eye’s background).
The only question for this season was how good it would be compared to the first, and there are some big differences.
From the outset, we’re launched into the story in media res. That’s more a consequence of where the first season ended (I still think that was a very strange choice, one of the few things that tempered my enjoyment of that season), and I can’t blame this season for going hard off the bat.
I could compare the Evil Eye’s backstory to that of Acrobatic Silky, but that frankly just wouldn’t be fair. The latter featured in my favorite episode of last year, bar none. The Evil Eye’s story is sad and it’s done very well, but it didn't rise to that level.
As for where this season ends, it at least feels a good deal less random. For context, this is around the end of the Kaiju Arc, on the precipice of the next arc (which is my favorite in the manga to date). Things are going to get crazy and fast in S3, and I’m pumped to see it adapted. The showrunners seem to have a better feel for where to leave us, and that makes this season feel more complete than the last one did. It also featured one of the best musical scenes in recent memory with that Brave Force performance absolutely popping off.
Overall, this rates among my favorites in a packed season, if just a shade off of the previous season for not quite reaching those incredible highs of S1. It's still an excellent set of episodes. 8.6/10.
Call of the Night Season 2 (2025)
Season 1 set up a pretty great story built on a central pseudo-romance, several other side characters with enough going on to garner and maintain investment in their arcs, and, oh yeah, a brilliant bit of vampire worldbuilding capped off with the introduction of Anko Uguisui, a character tailor-made to disrupt the vibe the series has established every time we see that starry nightscape.
So, how well did season 2 deliver on that setup?
For the most part, pretty well. In some cases, even better than S1. It’s got all the pieces there for a great follow-through as it builds on each of the characters in turn (most of the attention on Kabura and Nazuna, both of whom get some intense and surprising backstory, and the series introduces LoveGreen, an absolutely excellent love interest for Akira), the relationship between Nazuna and Ko specifically gets a good deal of attention, and yes, we return to Anko in impressive fashion with some excellent backstory and delivery on her arc. She remains my favorite character in the series and has only improved over the course of this season. The series’ character deep dives remain its biggest highlights and are arguably stronger this time around.
However, I do have issues with the pacing and momentum of this series.
My Dress Up Darling Season 2 (2025)
I liked S1 of this show. Marin rapidly and easily establishes herself as best girl, it’s easy to become invested in her relationship with Gojo, and the cosplay insights and visuals are all legitimately great. It was hampered a bit by a combination of Gojo being a pretty static character (he learned a good deal, you don’t see much personal development from him) and the camera’s proclivity to… establish and linger on certain angles of Marin. She’s hot, I get it, but the emphasis was excessive.
Going into this season, I thought it would be more of the same, perhaps with some more development from both of the leads.
Color me surprised: I loved this season, which consistently remained among my favorites in a packed crowd. The humor is dialed up to 11 from episode 1 as this season gave me some of my favorite comedic moments. Gojo doesn’t just get to strut his stuff, he has to get over a lot of his hang-ups from last season to do it and start acknowledging his feelings this time around, even if it’s still pretty minimal. Marin gets most of the heavy lifting on their relationship with some moments this season that put my heart in my throat. And the new side characters are magnetic. Amane has become one of my favorite characters in the series for the struggle and triumph he laid out early on, and Akira’s journey is also powerful (not to mention we get a surprisingly hilarious payoff on her emotional turmoil). Juju and Shinju are back to rile things up as well, which keeps the series dynamic and energetic.
And yes, the cosplay is still great. We get a lot more cross-dressing cosplays this time around, and the first ensemble cosplay with the Coffin scene, which also serves as a beautiful horror set piece. As someone who has never been into cosplay himself, I love how they dig into the mechanics of it and yes, even the fake boobs. One thing this season has significantly less of than the last is those lingering ecchi scenes, which bothered me a lot more in S1 than they did here. We still see a good deal of skin, but the camera shots don’t emphasize most of them nearly as much.
Honestly, I don’t have much negative to say. Some of the ecchi can still be a bit frustrating, but they’re few and far between,
Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood (2025)
I've been following Gigguk for years and it's great to see him get into this side of anime and produce something that looks and sounds this great with the help of Kevin Penkin. This is a solid little movie that I think works well as a showcase of sorts, and it packs in a number of good ideas as it explores the decisions we make to leave home through an isekai lens. The ways this movie monkeys with the audience's perception of time help keep it interesting, too.
Unfortunately, I don't think the narrative pulls through. Setting aside some odd pacing and a lack of understanding of these characters' motivations (they're largely glossed over in favor of pretty basic declarations on both MC's parts), there's just a lot going on that isn't explored. There's a massive elevator that specifically allows people to transport between a world of magic and our world, which is largely just used as a plot device rather than getting much of anything with regards to explanation or how it has changed either world. Big set pieces of the movie also seem like they're just there to be functional rather than receiving much explanation, particularly the ritual and all the creatures involved. It made for some beautiful animation, but there was no depth to it and no means to even understand what was going on or why.
That being said, it's an 18 minute film. I have mixed feelings about it due to some pretty shallow characterization and worldbuilding combined with a mostly just functional plot with rather little going on under the hood, but for a short production like this, it still works. It's not going to rate among my favorite short movies (too many greats in that category), but it was a fun watch. 6/10.
La Maison en Petits Cubes (2008)
This is such a simple yet deeply affecting short movie (just 12 minutes). A man being forced to build upwards to escape rising floodwaters shifts in the other direction as he dives down through the various levels of the ever-growing building, visiting different parts of his life that he was forced to leave behind. No dialogue, so you just soak it in. The closest thing I can relate this to is Up's first few minutes, but there's little sadness to this. The reminiscence feels warm and comfortable, and the artwork and music perfectly feed into that. By the end, the journey to find a pipe is a journey through a life well lived in reverse. It's somber at times, but that feeling of connection with the past absolutely hits home. 8.5/10.
My love of this series is a foregone conclusion at this point. It’s my favorite ongoing manga and the series continues to adapt exceptional arcs. The series still has plenty of impressive fights (with both the musical fight and the first knock down drag out fight with the Evil Eye being the stand-outs this time around), inserting absolutely hilarious moments (Kinta’s even better the second time around and yes, coming into Char ga Kuru is such a power move) and still manages some incredibly sweet ones as well (don’t tell me that hand-holding scene in the car didn’t hit). Science SARU continues to excel at animating these fight scenes and adapting the manga in ways that improve on the source material, particularly in the action and drama departments (see: the Evil Eye’s background).
The only question for this season was how good it would be compared to the first, and there are some big differences.
From the outset, we’re launched into the story in media res. That’s more a consequence of where the first season ended (I still think that was a very strange choice, one of the few things that tempered my enjoyment of that season), and I can’t blame this season for going hard off the bat.
I could compare the Evil Eye’s backstory to that of Acrobatic Silky, but that frankly just wouldn’t be fair. The latter featured in my favorite episode of last year, bar none. The Evil Eye’s story is sad and it’s done very well, but it didn't rise to that level.
As for where this season ends, it at least feels a good deal less random. For context, this is around the end of the Kaiju Arc, on the precipice of the next arc (which is my favorite in the manga to date). Things are going to get crazy and fast in S3, and I’m pumped to see it adapted. The showrunners seem to have a better feel for where to leave us, and that makes this season feel more complete than the last one did. It also featured one of the best musical scenes in recent memory with that Brave Force performance absolutely popping off.
Overall, this rates among my favorites in a packed season, if just a shade off of the previous season for not quite reaching those incredible highs of S1. It's still an excellent set of episodes. 8.6/10.
Call of the Night Season 2 (2025)
Season 1 set up a pretty great story built on a central pseudo-romance, several other side characters with enough going on to garner and maintain investment in their arcs, and, oh yeah, a brilliant bit of vampire worldbuilding capped off with the introduction of Anko Uguisui, a character tailor-made to disrupt the vibe the series has established every time we see that starry nightscape.
So, how well did season 2 deliver on that setup?
For the most part, pretty well. In some cases, even better than S1. It’s got all the pieces there for a great follow-through as it builds on each of the characters in turn (most of the attention on Kabura and Nazuna, both of whom get some intense and surprising backstory, and the series introduces LoveGreen, an absolutely excellent love interest for Akira), the relationship between Nazuna and Ko specifically gets a good deal of attention, and yes, we return to Anko in impressive fashion with some excellent backstory and delivery on her arc. She remains my favorite character in the series and has only improved over the course of this season. The series’ character deep dives remain its biggest highlights and are arguably stronger this time around.
However, I do have issues with the pacing and momentum of this series.
Regardless, I do think this series matches its predecessor, even exceeding it in some respects. It’s a great season of anime and well worth the watch. 8.3/10.
My Dress Up Darling Season 2 (2025)
I liked S1 of this show. Marin rapidly and easily establishes herself as best girl, it’s easy to become invested in her relationship with Gojo, and the cosplay insights and visuals are all legitimately great. It was hampered a bit by a combination of Gojo being a pretty static character (he learned a good deal, you don’t see much personal development from him) and the camera’s proclivity to… establish and linger on certain angles of Marin. She’s hot, I get it, but the emphasis was excessive.
Going into this season, I thought it would be more of the same, perhaps with some more development from both of the leads.
Color me surprised: I loved this season, which consistently remained among my favorites in a packed crowd. The humor is dialed up to 11 from episode 1 as this season gave me some of my favorite comedic moments. Gojo doesn’t just get to strut his stuff, he has to get over a lot of his hang-ups from last season to do it and start acknowledging his feelings this time around, even if it’s still pretty minimal. Marin gets most of the heavy lifting on their relationship with some moments this season that put my heart in my throat. And the new side characters are magnetic. Amane has become one of my favorite characters in the series for the struggle and triumph he laid out early on, and Akira’s journey is also powerful (not to mention we get a surprisingly hilarious payoff on her emotional turmoil). Juju and Shinju are back to rile things up as well, which keeps the series dynamic and energetic.
And yes, the cosplay is still great. We get a lot more cross-dressing cosplays this time around, and the first ensemble cosplay with the Coffin scene, which also serves as a beautiful horror set piece. As someone who has never been into cosplay himself, I love how they dig into the mechanics of it and yes, even the fake boobs. One thing this season has significantly less of than the last is those lingering ecchi scenes, which bothered me a lot more in S1 than they did here. We still see a good deal of skin, but the camera shots don’t emphasize most of them nearly as much.
Honestly, I don’t have much negative to say. Some of the ecchi can still be a bit frustrating, but they’re few and far between,
It’s not enough to derail all the enjoyment I got out of it (and I got so much), but it does depress the final score a bit. 8.7/10.
Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood (2025)
I've been following Gigguk for years and it's great to see him get into this side of anime and produce something that looks and sounds this great with the help of Kevin Penkin. This is a solid little movie that I think works well as a showcase of sorts, and it packs in a number of good ideas as it explores the decisions we make to leave home through an isekai lens. The ways this movie monkeys with the audience's perception of time help keep it interesting, too.
Unfortunately, I don't think the narrative pulls through. Setting aside some odd pacing and a lack of understanding of these characters' motivations (they're largely glossed over in favor of pretty basic declarations on both MC's parts), there's just a lot going on that isn't explored. There's a massive elevator that specifically allows people to transport between a world of magic and our world, which is largely just used as a plot device rather than getting much of anything with regards to explanation or how it has changed either world. Big set pieces of the movie also seem like they're just there to be functional rather than receiving much explanation, particularly the ritual and all the creatures involved. It made for some beautiful animation, but there was no depth to it and no means to even understand what was going on or why.
That being said, it's an 18 minute film. I have mixed feelings about it due to some pretty shallow characterization and worldbuilding combined with a mostly just functional plot with rather little going on under the hood, but for a short production like this, it still works. It's not going to rate among my favorite short movies (too many greats in that category), but it was a fun watch. 6/10.
La Maison en Petits Cubes (2008)
This is such a simple yet deeply affecting short movie (just 12 minutes). A man being forced to build upwards to escape rising floodwaters shifts in the other direction as he dives down through the various levels of the ever-growing building, visiting different parts of his life that he was forced to leave behind. No dialogue, so you just soak it in. The closest thing I can relate this to is Up's first few minutes, but there's little sadness to this. The reminiscence feels warm and comfortable, and the artwork and music perfectly feed into that. By the end, the journey to find a pipe is a journey through a life well lived in reverse. It's somber at times, but that feeling of connection with the past absolutely hits home. 8.5/10.
| @whiteflame55 - You pretty much nailed the feel of "Tsumiki no Ie". Quiet, peaceful and contemplative. No conflicts to be decided, just a long and peaceful life lived well. Like you, I found it to rank very well in the mid 8/10 range and would recommend it for anyone who is looking for something restful to watch. And at 15 minutes in length, not a lot of time wasted. Lupin the IIIrd: Zenigata to Futari no Lupin - This one is a prequel for the movie that came out back in June and leads up to the "Lupin vs. Clone" movie from back in '78. Next to the latest installment in the Lupin III franchise, and I can't wait for that one to show up. Animation is a grittier style than the usual Lupin and the story is a bit darker than usual as well. The main character isn't Lupin this time. Here Zenigata takes the center stage and the Lupin gang take a sort of backstage role. It starts out with Zenigata arriving in the Roviet Union and is caught up in a terrorist bombing. In the aftermath, he catches a glimpse of the bomber: Lupin III. But is it? Unusually for a ONA, the story is well written and the animation is excellent. The VA's are great and really get the story to come alive. The background music is well crafted. Although if you expect the normal Charlie Kosei opening theme, prepare to be disappointed. 9/10 |
OrlahEhontasSep 21, 4:18 PM
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| La Maison en Petit Cubes (2008) - after reading the praise for this little short above, I thought I should check it out. A simple story about a life well lived, simply told through animation alone. Worked very well. Nice storybook art style. Feels like there's a French influence here, but only one man is credited on the staff list. High 7/10 (7.7). |
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Reply to sbyrstall2
After 12 years, I finally finished "Read of Die". To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed the ending. I was expecting a huge battle, instead we got a whimper.
| @sbyrstall2 - I get that. Especially after the lead-up with the Dokusensha and British Library fights preceding the ending and all we get is everything returning to a semi-normal life for the main characters. But in some ways, it was sort of to be expected after viewing the ending of the original OAV and the way that turned out. I would enjoy seeing something of that world in between the original and the TV series, but that's probably not going to happen with all the origin flashbacks that took place in the series. An OAV of R.O.D Rehabilitation might be interesting though. |
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| A Couple of Cuckoos Season 2 (2025) - I often think watching harem romcoms is a bit like watching WWE wrestling. You know it's staged, and follows a set formula, but you sit back and watch for the entertainment value. This can vary wildly depending on the quality of the writing, the hijinks and characters. Lowkey romance expected, actual romantic melodrama a bonus. Couple of Cuckoos (CoC) sit in the harem romcom sub genre where MC is engaged (usually arranged) to a girl and has to live with said girl, plus other love interests. Urusei Yatsura is the origin of this unique sub genre, and many would argue, myself included that To Love Ru is the peak of this niche sub set of romcoms. Girlfriend Girlfriend, and Cafe Terrace & It's Goddesses are recent examples of well written, funny harem romcoms, and why I still give them a shot. CoC has the USP of its main couple having been swapped at birth, so the parents decide to marry them at 17 to rectify the mistake and unite the families. S1 was a good time, S2 had some fun elements but lost its way a bit with the inclusion of a 4th love interest in the form of a lost childhood friend that suddenly appears and turns out is a popular virtual idol. I do like the main 3 love interests in Sachi, Hiro and Erika, who were all well established in S1, although I'm not a fan of the little sister angle for Sachi. The new love interest, Ai, felt unnecessary, too many cooks spoil the broth scenario. Some of the mini plots were quite fun, being locked in a hotel, the fake wedding. Wish the parents had more screen time, they're a fun bunch for various reasons. The show uses a pretty unique design for the over the top reaction faces. Yet, the show felt like it was just lacking. The MC isn't too bland, despite being one of those obsessed with studying types, he's aware of the absurdity of his situation and the resulting humour is effective. He has a favourite girl which he likes and has been pursuing since before the reveal of the engagement, but now he's being pulled in 4 directions, and not sure the show is juggling it the best. This sits right on the border between 6 and 7/10, going to give it a high 6/10 (6.9) for the moment, but may bump that up to a 7. Will probably watch another season if there is one, although I don't really care which girl wins, as long as it's not Ai, and that's part of the problem. Demon Slayer: Hashira Training Arc (2024) - dull as ditch water training arc. If CR had an option for x1.5 speed I would've used it. Final episode saw the grand entrance of the central antagonist, Muzan, and his confrontation with the master of the Demon Slayers and things suddenly ramped up. This season was the prologue to the final arc. THank god it's over and I can move onto the movies. Overall Demon Slayer as a franchise is one of the weakest shounen battle series I've seen, and I kind of amazed it got as popular as it did. First season and Mugen Train movie were very good, but the rest has been slop, only carried by the animation. Low 6/10 (6.3). New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2025) - we've got 2 very visually striking and unique looking shows this season, Panty & Stocking and City the Animation. Panty & Stocking are back for more crazy, lust filled, action packed adventures saving Daten City from ghosts. Back with them are Scanty & Knee Socks, Briefs and ofc Garterbelt. More than a bit disappointed to see that the original dubcast didn't reprise their roles from the first season, especially missed Jamie Marchie as Panty, her best VA performance imho. Each episode had multiple sketches, some landed, others didn't. Some funny parodies and addition of 2 new male angels and a gun smith bitch. Last couple of eps with the Bitch Wars arc was great way to go out, teasing another season and the marriage of Brief and Panty. This season was noticeably more modern with phones, lingo and gadgets. Solid visuals from Trigger, varied OST with rap, hip-hop, lofi, insert songs. Very good, but not as exceptional as S1, but there's nothing quite like this show. It's vulgar, flashy, loud and in your face in the best way. Very glad we got to see this show return. Low to mid 8/10 (8.3). Fantastic Children (2004) - solid mystery series about a group of white haired children who keep appearing over the course of centuries, who are they and what are they searching for? Slow build up which drew me in, the reveal when it came was interesting, although the execution was slightly lacking . Ending was alright, wrapped up the story, although there were a few minor questions still left unanswered, but no major plot holes. Backgrounds were nice, although this was the era of early digital compositing and cgi and it showed, looking a tad boxy. Decent OST which included a couple of beautiful piano and string pieces. Dub was not good, some truly awful performances (a king being played like a yokel farmer and his chief adviser like a thespian on stage). Mid 7/10 (7.4). |
23feanorSep 26, 2:51 AM
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| Grand Blue Season 2 (2025) Considering all the love it gets as a season of comedy anime, the fact that Grand Blue S1 didn’t hit for me didn’t bode well for this season. Nonetheless, with this sequel season coming 7 years after the first, I decided I would at least give this a few episodes, see if the humor hit better. Luckily, it did. The over-the-top frat boy humor is still here, but it no longer takes center stage. There is significantly more variety in the sitcom situations that our characters find themselves in this season, and the series makes much more out of its ever expanding cast, including some surprisingly powerful emotional moments in the midst of its humor. Even when a given scene doesn’t really work for me (the ball-busting physics experiment, for example), it’s usually not long before we’re back to something a little less… well, dumb (good dumb humor can only get you so far in these things). It’s nice to see that the characters haven’t remained static, either. Spoilers for the main cast: It’s touching in places and yields some very funny moments. As for other characters, they range a bit. Ryuujirou and Shinji are here, occasionally chiming in with some thoughtful advice and raising the humor a bit - I found them more frustrating last season since they were constantly getting naked. Nanaka is always good for a laugh, though she doesn’t get as much attention this season, largely serving to keep Iori in line. Chisa, meanwhile, becomes the focal point for a lot of the plot and all manner of misunderstandings from her and about her keep things interesting. Azusa’s still a good time, as she always has been. The small group of Iori and Kouhei’s “friends” - Shinichirou, Yuu, Hajime and Kenta - largely just get to fill the same comedic roles as last season (though Kenta gets the funniest running bit in the season - why won’t anyone just take his order?!). Kudou’s back… and Otoya’s here, largely as an object of interest or concern for other characters. Haven’t found that he has stood out, just seems like a nice guy who likes Iori for some reason (yes, I get it, but I just don’t find the tension he brings to the plot very interesting). And… yeah, it’s a good time. I liked this season significantly more than S1, even if there were still some groans around the laughs. When the series gets into the diving elements and shows them underwater, those are some nice asides that really showcase the upgrades in the animation. I wish they’d spend a little more time on that, but it’s not the focus of the series, more of a framing device/excuse to have its characters get into skimpy swimsuits. That works well enough, but I feel it could still be more. Focusing this season around Chisa is a positive as I think this serves to make her one of the more interesting characters in the bunch, even if it does yield some of the biggest and most absurd misunderstandings that elicit most of my groans. Still, for a series that I wasn't into last season, I'm glad to see improvement. 7.4/10. New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (2025) It's great to have this series back. The absurd level of creativity in its many different styles, the references (gobs and gobs of them), the subversive and lewd humor, everything was just on point in a way I didn't expect. I was fond of S1, but I think this stepped it up a notch, even if the dub isn't legendary this time around. Trigger has brought the energy and flair back and it's beautiful. Sure, it's nothing to write home about story-wise and its characters are mostly still pretty basic (nice to see Garterbelt is less... rapey), but this was just a joy to watch through the entire way, with episodes 1 and 6 being personal favorites. And yes, that ending suits it so well. Don't leave us waiting too long for the next entry this time, alright? 7.8/10. Dr. Stone: Science Future Part 2 (2025) This is the season of Dr. Stone I’ve been waiting for since I finished the manga. The series has featured a lot of great clashes over the years as Senku’s team has been forced to face down all manner of dangerous opponents, but none of them have ever really been a match for Senku, at least not mentally. Some have been able to plot effectively, but they don’t have scientific acumen or knowledge of future tech, so Senku’s always been able to outwit them in some way. As soon as Xeno appears on the scene, things are different. Big spoiler tag here. The time the series took to set all this up and deliver on it is what sets it apart, and it’s beautiful to watch. Dr. Stone is, in many ways, one giant roadmap along the same lines as its characters draw up on the regular, with each step in the path leading inexorably to the next. This cour is the culmination of many of those paths, a nexus point that brings so many elements of the series together in glorious fashion. It also allows for some of the best character moments in the series, and with Suika in particular getting a chance to shine, what more could I ask for? It's Dr. Stone at its best. 10 billion points. 8.4/10. Let's Go Karaoke! (2025) Based on a well-rated short manga about a yakuza who scouts a middle school choir leader to improve his karaoke skills so he can avoid getting a bad tattoo from his boss. It’s an… odd premise, to say the least. It’s not terribly surprising that this series only has 5 episodes since it just doesn’t have a lot of ground to cover. Satomi has to teach Kyouji how to sing better. Simple. Well… not entirely. Satomi’s dealing with his own stuff, going through changes to his voice that come with puberty and afraid he’s losing a precious skill along with it. The resulting anxiety and his continuously being pulled away from chorus practice mark him raise red flags for Wada, another good singer in the club. His meetings with Kyouji develop into a bit of a bond between the middle schooler and the adult, with Kyouji imparting some bits of advice and support. And Kyouji also doesn’t just keep this between them, which means Satomi gets to meet a lot more Yakuza. So yeah, things get complicated. I won’t spoil the chief turning point, but there’s a legitimately emotional moment towards the end of the series that definitely hits, even if it’s undercut a bit by later events. That does end up yielding a finale that left me wanting, though, both in terms of the end of episode 4 and the 5th episode that came out over a month later. I almost feel like this series would have worked better without the drama, just as two people from very different lives connecting over karaoke. It would have meant missing out on an epic song, but that would have been more tonally consistent. Regardless, I enjoyed this. If it were longer, I might not give it a recommendation, but there's something to experiencing it in five episodes that just hits different. 7/10. Fantastic Children (2004) I had a good time with this one. The OST was good throughout and I think the series mostly delivered pretty well on its mysteries and had a pretty satisfying conclusion that brought things to a fitting end without jumping the shark. There are elements of this that didn't quite come together for me and plot threads that are still left dangling, but they don't bother me too much. Narratively, it's not doing a whole lot to stand out even though it does have some interesting ideas and despite having a few pretty strong characters some of them either felt a little basic or just were tools of the writer rather than interesting characters in their own right (Cooks and Alice). Still, this was absolutely a worthy watch that explored cool concepts and sent me down a rabbit hole of theories in a good way. 7.6/10. |
whiteflame55Sep 28, 5:09 PM
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| Yaiba: Samurai Legend (2025) This series is just too much fun. It’s honestly difficult to just sit here and review this objectively because there’s not too much of substance to go off of: Yaiba is a wild child raised to fight by his drunkard father who is destined to face off against an oni opponent named Onimaru (haha) and wield a powerful electricity-shooting sword. He meets allies and they function as protagonist/antagonist throughout the show. …except the fun is reading in between those lines. The series doesn’t just focus on these two - in fact, it arguably spends more time with side characters and revels in doing so. We go through three different villain groups These aren’t static characters nor are they solely defined by group interests. Not all of them are memorable and a lot of them vanish for long stretches of time, but given that I can still remember the goddamn starfish and sea cucumber by the end, it’s impressive how many of them have staying power. And yes, the action is consistently a good time. Wit really went all out here as this is one of the best looking action series in two seasons packed with good picks. In particular, I have to applaud the camera work on many of these fights, which turns what could just be cool color light shows into jaw-dropping POV shots. That along with some incredible motion blur effects and fight choreography really sell each fight uniquely. As for the plot… well, it’s mainly a bunch of side quests. Early on, it’s about Yaiba mastering his new weapon, as you'd expect. I don’t mind the side quests too much, especially early on when it becomes about exploring this world and putting our characters through ridiculous and sometimes silly adventures, though it does start to wear a bit thin despite the rapid pacing of the series in general. So yes, Yaiba's not anything complicated and it doesn't have a lot of narrative surprises, but it excels at the basics. I'm absolutely looking forward to a wild follow-up. 8/10. Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 (2025) I really liked season 1 of this show. Not only was the animation showcase just gorgeous, but the series had this clever balance of humor and serious action that took me off guard. It helps as well that the titular character isn’t just a dude in his early 30s (NOT OLD, thank you), but someone from the clean-up crews who wields his knowledge of Kaiju from that experience to great effect whether he’s transformed or not. It’s got a lot of the basic tropes of shonen, but it packages them in an interesting way that caught my attention. Season 2… is not that. I won’t chalk that up to being slightly less awesome in the animation department, though it is. Instead, I’d break it out to a few problems: First, the tonal shift: this season gets serious early and stays there, so the balance of tones is gone. This is pretty dark shonen now. The fights are more desperate, which many of them were last season. It also means there’s little room for creativity in how those fights play out. It’s mainly just big hitters splattering a lot of blood. It doesn’t help that a lot of the season is just setup for the big fight at the end (more on that later), which means they spend a lot of it hinting at the villain’s big plan and just buffing these characters I felt that loss of levity, though. Second, this season just seems to leave behind everything that made Kafka distinctive. He’s all shonen protagonist at this point, which means we’ve lost out on any connection to his former work, his struggles to measure up and the focused desire to fight alongside his childhood friend. The series just doesn’t have time for that much anymore. They allude to it in memories, but it doesn’t play any kind of substantial role now. Third, the opponents got basic. Yeah, this is annoying. And given that ending… yeah, I can’t say I loved this season. If you’re going to lean into the fights, I say don’t start what you can’t finish. I get that they had a limited run here, but with all that build-up, the fact that we’re blue-balled before reaching the climax is just galling. It was a fine enough season without closure - the animation still looks great if a shade off of the best of last season, the music is still solid, and the fights are hype - but it's sad to see how far the mighty Kaiju has fallen. 7.1/10. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity (2025) This one's long, so I'll just post the link. Spoilers aplenty: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=577903 I see what all the hype was about, and I can’t wait to see more of these characters. 8.5/10. Anne Shirley (2025) This is such a beautiful series. It’s not just beautifully animated or scored, either. There’s just a lot to love about the world we’re dropped into and the characters that occupy it. I haven’t read Anne of Green Gables or seen the original anime, but I see why they’re so widely beloved among the people who have. This is just a joy to sit through. It either plastered a smile across my face or had me in tears, and did both equally well. When it wanted to hit me in the feels, I absolutely felt it. There’s just so much to love about watching them grow up and mature, with Anne’s boundless energy always leading the way. It was a joy to follow through both cours. That being said, there are a couple of things that held this back for me. For one, the difference in length between this series and Akage no Anne is definitely felt. I may not have seen that series, but with half the length, this series doesn’t have the time to show us a lot of the day-to-day SoL moments that would have made many of the earlier moments of drama hit home. It doesn’t last into the latter half , so I can’t hold that against much of the series. However, one thing that continues to nag at me throughout much of the latter half of this series is the romance. It still hits, but it leaves me wanting more that we’ll never get. These didn't prevent me from enjoying the series, though. This is just a beautiful slice of life, and even if the romances didn't always work, there were some legitimately great romantic moments in the mix. 8/10. The Summer Hikaru Died (2025) Another spoilery one that's going to be hard to parse with a lot of character details. https://myanimelist.net/anime/58913/Hikaru_ga_Shinda_Natsu If you love creative, creepy animation that artfully and in full detail adapts some impressive manga panels to the screen, you’ll find little better than this. 8.4/10. |
whiteflame55Sep 28, 5:31 PM
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| City the Animation (2025) - from the same author and studio this has been described as the spiritual successor to Nichijou, and it's an apt description. Lively and expressive skits from a range of characters living in a city. The animation for this show was awesome, better than Nichijou imho. Everything on screen popped, steamed, rushed, oozed, rustled, bobbed, zoomed, fluffed, wobbled, bounced...insert verb of choice here.... The 2D art style from KyoAni was sublime, an honest to goodness feast for the eyes with a bright colour palette. Dubcast was very good, it's showing on Prime, so at least they got one of their dubcasts right this season (the other was Panty & Stocking). OST was fluffy and soothing and perfect for this type of SoL comedy. Characters were engaging, skits were mostly funny and landed more often than not. My favourites were the 3 students living together, especially this one skit about them making a short form video. Another about a girl, Riko Izumi, who unknowingly bewitches every man she meets without uttering a word, just her smile is enough to capture their hearts. And not because she's a stunning beauty, she just has that je ne sais quoi quality. The football team, the 3 old geezers trying to enjoy a summer break, the posh lady with a crush and her butler. There were lots of memorable characters. Don't think we spent enough time with them to have the same impact the girls from Nichijou did (Hakase, the robot girl Nano and the cat were such an adorable trio it'd be hard to replicate that found family chemistry). Went out on a high with a full 15 min song and dance routine from the entire cast in the last ep. Very good, high 8/10 (8.8). |
23feanorSep 29, 6:40 AM
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| Zoku Touken Ranbu Hanamaru 2018 Doga Kobo This is the 2nd season of Touken Ranbu. I loved the first series so went straight into the 2nd. It's cute and wholesome despite that they are living swords and they travel to violent eras in the past and get into fights with monsters. The violence is all bloodless and everything in the 'citadel' which is really a just traditional Japanese mansion-house, is fun and silly and/or cute (Gokotai's tiger kittens get into mischief; a red haired boy wants to cuddle with someone; Hokuta plays the stock market; more cooking musicals) There are surely dozens of anime like this with cute girls, this is rare for being an all male cast. The biggest problem with it is the number of characters- there are so many (over 60 now) that hardly any of them get any screen time or development- and it's impossible to remember their names. Like IMPOSSIBLE. I still don't know what the name of that red-head is who wanted hugs, I'd have to rewatch the episode and hope they mention his name at least once. If you scroll through the character list, some of them have THE SAME NAME. It's because of their origin as swords and that some are "brothers" (have the same owner I think)- the script 100% expects you to know who these historical figures were and what they named their swords.... but this really doesn't work in an anime. It's worse than trying to remember the names of 25 school kids as a substitute teacher when you've only been with them 4 hours. And I'm already terrible with Japanese names, even worse when they're multi-syllabic, and there are over 60 of them... it's hopeless. Yep I know nobody here won't ever be interested in this, which is why I don't need to say much. It's a niche sort of anime. I can't make any claims that it's actually good and expect anyone to trust my reviews again. So I'll just say it's unique. |
| Sketchbook: Full Colours (2007) - relaxing SoL iyashikei show about a quiet girl and the art club she belongs to. This show has the cgdct tag, and is based on a 4-koma manga, but it just doesn't feel like a cgdct show to me, and not because there's a bunch of boys in the art club (the Aria franchise has male supporting cast members but is cgdct at its core). From the same studio (Hal Film Maker) and director (Junichi Satou) as the Aria franchise, I was hoping for something special. This show is good, but not outstanding. Lowkey humour, bolstered by the antics of a group of neighbourhood cats, soft visuals, some quirky characters, gentle OST. Pleasant tranquil watch, mid 7/10 (7.4). |
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| The Summer Hikaru Died (2025) I don’t know what genie lamp CygamesPictures rubbed last year, but ever since Bang Brave Bang Bravern (if you’re reading this and you haven’t yet: watch it), this has become a studio that can’t miss, even with properties that don’t feature horse girls and/or idols (if you haven’t seen Apocalypse Hotel: watch that too). Still, this one is different. It’s an adaptation of a very popular and well-loved horror BL manga that set expectations high. Could Cygames deliver? Yes. Yes they could. To start, if there was a ranking just for atmosphere, this series would top it. So much of the series gets you into the mindset of certain characters and are they ever going through it. In general, there’s an oppressive feeling to the world they inhabit, and so many mysteries surround them. And when the various spirits start coming out of the woodwork, each brings a new spine-chilling appearance and nature with it. It’s impressive how creepy each of these looks, particularly in motion. The characters are also a highlight for the series. The titular Hikaru reckoning with both who and what he is, lacking much of a concept for either. That all gets wrapped up in the mystery of the series as we learn more about his family history and how that plays a role in the village and its layout, but Hikaru’s mystery is more personal. And Yoshiki isn’t making it easy for him. To Yoshiki, this is his last connection to the Hikaru who died. At least early on in the series, that’s what Yoshiki sees this as: Hikaru returned after he apparently died, he’s different, but Yoshiki wants to hang onto what vestiges of him he can. Clearly, they had a close relationship, one that appeared platonic but may have been romantic. Where things get kind of rocky is with the broader mysteries of the show, particularly as regards Tanaka. This character keeps appearing in the plot as an investigator I’m interested to see where they take him and expecting big things. If you love creative, creepy animation that artfully and in full detail adapts some impressive manga panels to the screen, you’ll find little better than this. As someone who hasn’t read the manga, I can’t attest to how well this adapts the narrative, but I’m all in. Onto season 2! 8.4/10. Ruri Rocks (2025) So, I’m a science nerd. Been like this pretty much my whole life, swapping between passions at various stages. Fascinations would turn into hobbies, and hobbies would be replaced by new fascinations. What solidified my choice to go into my current field was getting my hands dirty. Sure, in my case, that was mainly in a pretty sterile lab, but no amount of reading into a given subject could tell me whether I wanted to work in it. Ruri Rocks is the kind of show that takes that concept - of turning a personal passion into something more through active participation in it - and showcases it with some impressive animation and a pretty heartfelt set of stories. It’s not exactly breaking the mold when it comes to scientific series that inform an audience of how things work (Dr. Stone was airing at the same time this was), but it is the only series I’ve seen that delves down into a much more realistic experience of becoming invested in a field and learning you actually want to work in it. At the center of that is the titular Ruri, a girl with a passion for crystals as things of beauty in the abstract who needs the guidance of Nagi, a graduate researcher in geology to understand why crystals be like that. This sends her down a rabbit hole as she learns about a wide range of minerals and goes exploring for them, performing actual geological experiments to find veins of specific minerals and hypothesize about their origins. They even bust out the lab notebook. It’s a pleasure to watch her attitude towards minerals mature into something more than aesthetic and to see her dedicate herself to each individual task. She struggles (perhaps a bit more than she should, given how invested in this she is) with what to do going forward, though thankfully Nagi is there to give her subtle pushes. Her family largely ends up just serving as supporters for what she’s doing, not spending much time on camera past the first couple of episodes. That contrasts well with Shouko, a girl whose passion for minerals predates Ruri and, like me, came with an inborn fascination for researching them. Unfortunately for her, her family didn’t nurture that fascination. There’s obviously no future in minerals, right? So maybe find something else to do with your life and treat this like a hobby. I can’t say I had this problem growing up, but I felt Shouko’s pain in these scenes: she had all the drive and interest to pursue mineralogy, but the support in her life just wasn’t there. There’s a reason episode 7 is my favorite in this season, as she finally finds in Ruri, Nagi and especially Youko the kind of support for her passion that she’s been desperately wanting for so long. And the two senpais of Nagi and Youko complement them well, absurd character proportions aside. Nagi is the kind of researcher who focuses on getting her hands dirty, always seeking new discoveries and trying to understand them. She’s perfectly paired with Ruri by giving her opportunities to discover minerals that can bolster her imagination. She doesn’t let the other girl sit still for long, which is just what Ruri needs. By contrast, Youko and Shouko share a more book-based fascination with minerals. They both have interests in the field, but more to test a theory than develop one. This season is very much character-driven, hence the above. The pretty minerals, and information about them are nice flavor enhancers that keep both the audience and characters engaged. Every now and then, the series will dip into some light drama as it explores some of the history behind a given site, which can be interesting. This is very much a journey over destination type of show, and while I wish we got a little insight into how Nagi and Youko got invested in mineralogy themselves and got a little more insight into their research/paths ahead, this was a vibe to watch week after week. It’s a beautiful watch with some pretty great music to boot, and yes, I see what they were doing with that last shot. 8.1/10. City the Animation (2025) I'm having some trouble figuring out how I want to tackle this review. On the one hand, I kind of want to discuss this in aggregate. There's so much to appreciate in terms of both running gags and storylines that cover the series as we follow everything from a pair of long-time friends reckoning with impending separation, the owner of a restaurant seeking success, a rich girl trying to reward people for behaving well, the quest for a secret locket, various quests for money, success and fame, a soccer team full of losers (except one), a manga artist wrestling with competing interests and its potential end, the widespread love of a sleepy girl, and so many trios getting creative. ...but it does feel like that doesn't cover it. This series is eclectic, a set of vignettes where characters are thrown into all manner of situations and circumstances that range from relatively mundane to outright absurd. And that lends itself to some beautiful animation and, in some cases, gut-busting laughs. In particular, I want to highlight episode 5, which is my pick for the best episode of any anime this season (and possibly this year). The sheer amount of creativity and crazy information on screen that plays out results in an episode I could watch time and again and come away with something new each time. Oota Minoru, who directed that episode, just pushed this style of animation to its absolute limit and it shows. I'll also highlight episode 9, directed by Miyagi Ryou. The Wacky Races-style of the episode made this the most fun watch of the bunch, and the dynamics of the camera shots in this are just exquisite. Couple these with an entirely off-screen horse race that keeps both the audience and characters on the edge of their seats, resulting in what is shockingly one of the most beautiful single shots of the series in episode 12, a journey to the beach by the Three Crows in episode 10 that features some incredible rain effects and had me on the floor, and a Mambo #5-inspired music video in episode 11 that just brings the whole episode together and I can't help but appreciate everything this series gave us individually. So yes, I loved City the Animation. It wasn't always punching at its best, even though its animation consistently set a high bar - I can't say the humor always hit, especially with a good deal of cultural references that went over my head - but this series never fell far and when it flew, it truly soared. Watch it. Soak it in. Appreciate both the connections that it establishes and all the random ideas it throws out. They're all great. 8.2/10. Sword of the Demon Hunter (2025) This is one of the best written series I’ve seen in a long time. Its stories are just so beautifully intertwined and full of often complex, but at base, what they come down to is connection - between people, demons, times, places, and feelings. It also features excellent mysteries that bleed out into other elements of the story, and powerful character arcs with Jinta at the center. And I want to emphasize just how good those are because the length of each individual mystery surprisingly was the main factor; if anything, I was most surprised that my favorite episode was a stand-alone mystery about a silver-haired fox demon (episode 16). Meanwhile, some of the longer-form mysteries absolutely hit, particularly in episodes 6, 8 and 21. What makes these mysteries especially fascinating is that they don’t stop existing when the mystery is “solved.” The characters and revelations continue to affect the plot going forward. The puzzle pieces (with a couple of exceptions) don’t just fall off the board after they’re revealed. As for the pacing, I think how well it works mainly depends on the strength of the arc it’s going through. Some of these arcs go through some pretty strange dips that led me to disengage, whether because they’d have long stretches between action elements or because the focus was on prolonged conversations that didn’t really grab me. That being said, I love a series that knows how and when to take its time. There's an art to doing it right, but those series that manage it are the ones that can overwhelm you at key moments. The best example comes as a promise from episode 1: Jinta’s demon-derived immortality. We know he won’t age, so we’re primed to watch time pass. As for problems, there are two big ones. First, this series can look beautiful at times, but it’s not exactly known for its action, nor is it putting in the work to always look good. I don’t want to judge it based on unfinished products like some of the versions of its later episodes that got released to HIDIVE, but that was just the most obvious example. Much of this just looks flat, the camera angles aren’t very dynamic or interesting, and it means moments of physical violence just don’t hit like they should. Couple that with some odd lighting choices that often bathe way too much of its scenes in darkness and you just can’t appreciate any level of detail the series puts into these moments. Even many of the shots showcasing character interactions during its quieter moments feel a little overly static, lacking in character expressions and responses. I can imagine enjoying this more as a manga in some respects. Second, the lack of delivery on its central narrative. I love what we got, and maybe a follow-up season would address the dearth, though I don’t think this is getting more. It’s a series that takes its time and weaves quite the tale, I just wish it had a little more follow through. 8.2/10. |
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| Secrets of the Silent Witch (2025) - this is a pure fantasy set in a school, which is generic in some ways but displays hints of something more in the character writing. The titular Silent Witch, Monica Everett, is our MC and very shy girl who is raised to the vaunted position of one of the 7 Mages of the kingdom for her ability to cast magic spells without speaking. I liked that we got a brief window into her troubled upbringing that led her to be so shy of people, but it didn't become a sob story and the story doesn't linger on her past. Monica loves math problems, and her insight in this subject, plus her awkward nature is what led to her being able to cast silently. She's shy, reserved and very adorable, but is also eminently capable and doesn't hold back when her help is called for. The interactions between the noble and royals in the school does feel generic, 'oh my goodness, you coughed in front of the second prince, my my, how on earth could you commit such a blunder...', the bullying and jockeying for prestige and rank in such a stuffy environment is something every fantasy school setting comes with, the dialogue comes over as wooden and boring. But, there were these moments when characters demonstrated actual depth. One moment, your run of the mill friend turned villain, royal prince carry other peoples' expectations or other side character, would suddenly say or do something that made them seem like a person, and not a character in a story. There's a cat and bird familiar duo who bring some funny comedy moments here and there keeping the feel of the show light. Even a slight hint of budding romance between Monica and Felix, but mostly just her becoming easier around him and the others on the student council. I don't like student councils, they always come over as formulaic and simply a convenient reason to stick a group of people in a room together. Visuals were good, reminded me of Once Upon a Witch's Death from Spring this year, detailed backgrounds. Orchestral OST with a couple of pleasing string pieces. Solid 7/10 (7.5), hope we get a 2nd season. |
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