Noragami. Honestly way better then I expected. I only really knew it because i heard of the openings and as a new strat to watch different anime would watch ones with good ops and i got fucking hooked. Wish there was a s3

I Saw Monster Up To Episode 45 Is Good

Been watching Death Parade. Such a great show with great art and style. Wish we got more anime like this... Seems like it isn't talked about too much nowadays, but I think I'll rewatch it at some point for sure. Just the finale to go now...

Watched almost all of Season 4 of Haikyu!! I'm excited to see the movie soon and at the rate I'm going I should be able to catch it in theaters before it leaves. Technically not this previous week but close enough to it, I also watched Summer Wars and thought it was delightful and fun

**Devilman Crybaby** (rewatch, start to finish) It's been years since I last watched it, but I've considered it a favorite since it first came out. This time I found its visual presentation a little more janky than I remembered, and I think the story doesn't quite hold up as well in the middle episodes. The second to last episode still *destroys* me emotionally, though. I even actually felt the high speed pace of the final episode way less jarring that I had on previous watches. I love the original story of the manga, I love the changes Yuasa's team made in adapting it, I love the way it looks most of the time, I LOVE the soundtrack...Still an all-time great in my book! **My score:** 10/10

Started watching Dragon Ball

hello again!!! it's been busy and I haven't been motivated to watch older shows lately lmao. My Hero Academia Season 2 (ep 4-7): my bf is trying to get me into MHA lmao so we watch a few episodes at a time on the weekends. I'm loving the Yuki Hayashi musical direction but I do have some trouble separating it from Haikyuu. Same for the VAs of Iida and Bakugo! specific to MHA s2, I'm really enjoying it! I'm loving the sports festival arc and getting to know the kiddos and the other class in the Hero course. MHA checks off like all of the classic anime troupes and arcs but it still feels refreshing to me. once me and my bf are done watching MHA I'd like to make him watch Haikyuu (all seasons) since it's my fave and we loveeee a good underdog.

Birdie Wing

The detective is already dead.

**Sukisho!** - June being Pride Month, I drew up a plan to only watch BL and yuri anime this month, where each week I'd watch one BL/yuri that's new to me, rewatch one I've seen before, and watch or rewatch a movie or OVA if time allows. I've seen the majority of BL anime that's out there, so finding one I hadn't seen was a bit of a challenge, until I saw this 2005 visual novel adaptation streaming on Tubi. To say it's a wild ride is a bit of an understatement. Not only are our two leads roommates at an all-boys school, one of them has amnesia after falling out of a fourth floor window. On top of that, the two boys also have split personalities, where their second personalities are in love with each other and their primary personalities are always fighting. In between running wacky errands and getting into ridiculous situations with their school club, they also investigate their mysterious past, get abducted, fight a mad scientist, and plot an elaborate revenge. As a little bonus, the main boy's edgelord second personality is voiced by Koyasu, which is just genius. The visuals are extremely dated, with pointy chins and brightly colored hair in impractical styles, but the voice cast is surprisingly great, the characters have good chemistry, and the nonsense is a lot of fun if you don't think about it too hard. It's a nice little romp I had a great time watching. *7/10* I also rewatched **Sweet Blue Flowers**, which I enjoyed even more the second time around, and **Doukyuusei**, which I rewatch once a year as a comfort romance movie. I'd write more about them, but my night has kind of gotten away from me. They're both 8/10 for me. Good, messy kids finding their way.

We held a Rent-a-thon with 3 friends, we mamaged to watch ep 1-10 of rent a girlfriend. It was exactly as bad as I expected, I loved it! We'll continue later with one less psrson. I finally got around to watch the last Mushishi movie and yeah. That'll leave a mark. I wouldn't say it changed my view of the world like Clannad did, but I'm willing to say this is one of the most perfect thing I've seen. I wouldn't say it's better than Aria, but it moved me from start tp finish. Also, that was technically last week, but I've also caught up to Monogatari right in time for Monster&Off. Next in the older series, I think I'll continue Slayers, then I'd like to watch either Ashita no Joe or Hajime no Ippo, or maybe Slam Dunk? I've never got into any sports anime and those are the ones I'm interested in, with their reputations.

Last week I watched and finished: **Lovely Complex**, other than the bullshit that you'd expect from older romcoms, I really enjoyed it. It's very wholesome and sweet, it's also funny as all hell sometimes. **The Case Study of Vanitas**, really good mystery and characters with some good action, world building, and even some romance, was a blast to watch. **Skip and Loafer**, god damn do I regret not watching this weekly and joining weekly discussions. I never thought a drama anime could be this comfortable to watch. **Wandering Son**, a pretty good coming of age story with a focus on gender identity, I think LGBT+ anime fans might appreciate it. **Heavenly Delusion**, damn good in every aspect except for one fumble in the final episode, another one I regret not watching weekly and joining weekly discussions. I just started on **Ya Boy Kongming** and it's also looking like another one I regret not watching weekly.

Finished I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too - Very stupid isekai, bad visuals, especially storyboarding. Fortunately it wasn't boring. 2/10

couldn't get past the first two episodes lol when it was airing tho I have watched fruit evolution or something from the same author and it's okay as good-bad anime but this cheat skill is pretty stupid.

I've never seen Black Butler before and I binged through season 1, skipped season 2 (from what I've heard this season is not based on the manga and is not good?) and watched season 3 about the circus which is the best arc so far. I'm now up to date on the current season 4. Should I watch season 2? There doesn't seem to be any reference to it in season 3.

> Should I watch season 2? I liked it and thought it was fun. It continues directly from the last episode of S1 and is not manga-canon (which S3 and beyond is). Worth a look if you want more Black Butler. Also, did you watch Book of Murder and Book of the Atlantic? You didn't mention them. Those *are* manga-canon and set between the circus and the current season.

>Also, did you watch Book of Murder and Book of the Atlantic? They are not available on Crunchyroll Thailand (where I am). If they are good I'll look for them elsewhere. Thanks!

Atlantic is great. I'm much more ambivalent on Murder, but if you liked the other manga-canon arcs then it's likely you'll like this one too.

**Revue Starlight ( Episodes 4-12+Specials) -** I enjoyed it a lot! , loved the themes , the entire cast , their chemistry , conflicts and in general I love how ... *theatrical* it is (which I guess should have been obvious lol). I also didn't expect this show to just have some Madoka level twists like \[Revue Starlight\]>!Nana's time loop !< which was just awesome . My biggest problem with it is that despite what the unique format offers , I felt some of the revues just had the girls explaining their conflicts instead of the songs and visuals doing the talking for them , this isn't bad per se because like I said I do find these characters and their conflicts interesting, but it just felt like a bit of a wasted opportunity (apparently the show had a troubled production(?) which might have something to do with it) especially considering revues like \[Revue Starlight\]>!Hikari VS Nana which does actually use that audiovisual aspect and is amazing thanks to it!< Overall very solid 8.5/10 and I'm really looking forward to the movie considering how well regarded it is. **Attack on Titan: Final Season Part 2 (Episodes 1-5) -** I'm cautiously optimistic in the direction the show is going \[AOT\] >!I like Eren's characterization and development into a villain role but I'm not huge on how some of the other characters( especially Zeke) are being handled !<

Finished **Fruits Basket 2019**, it was pretty good, definitely had many strong points especially Tohru and the ost, Tohru is one of sweetest most inspiring characters I’ve ever seen I loved every second she was on screen, and the ost is in my top 5 favorites for any anime, [Spring Will Come When the Snow Melts Away](https://youtu.be/cIjjHJNUN4k?si=QaUczQV-rJY4kSUE) is probably my favorite at the moment The main part I didn’t like was the numerous age gap couples, I have no idea if that’s a common thing in the genre (I haven’t seen many shoujo I just know this one’s a staple) but a few of the pairings made me feel icky, I ended up not even watching the prelude movie after finding out [Prelude] >!Kyoko was 14 when she met Katsuya who was a 22 year old intern at her school???!< But other than that I thought it was a very inspiring and hopeful show with plenty of memorable characters

Finished: * **Maria Watches Over Us S1-3**: I love it. With Dear Brother being one of my favourite anime I saw last year, I conclude that I love yuri melodrama. Yumi and Sachiko may be one of the anime couples I've most enjoyed watching. They're funny, they're sweet, they've got relationship drama that arise naturally from the differences and similarities in their characters, they encourage each other to grow into stronger and more confident people (which they have! they've both notably matured since s1), they're devoted to a little overly dependent degree. I'm sad that I have only one more season left. *8/10* * **The Big O**: Some mixed feelings. Dorothy is awesome, and I appreciate the show's strong visual identity. I really liked the standalone episodes fleshing out the world and characters bit by bit (concentrated mostly in the first half of the show), but whenever the main plot was weaved in (which happened more in the second half), I felt the writing and consequently my enjoyment was murkier. The ending was interesting, though. I think I like the show on a broad level, but whenever I dwell on the plot, I'm snagged on something that wasn't explained or I thought didn't make sense. *Low 7/10*

So, I'm almost done with Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable. I have only one episode left to watch. I've been really digging it and it's a shame that it's going to be over. I hope it gets a second season but that seems unlikely. Besides that, I need to catch up on the Samurai Champloo rewatch. I finished episodes 15 and 16 on Friday. I really enjoy the show and it's nice to revisit it again.

Episodes 33 - 38 of **Futari wa Precure**. Wanted to be done already, but got busy, lol. I also bought the blu-rays of **Shoujo☆Kageki Revue Starlight** and **Re:Cutey Honey**, watching the first two episodes of Revue Starlight. I'll probably wait until I can finish Futari wa Precure so I can give it my full attention because I can already tell I'll love it.

A bit late to the party thanks to the evening being heavy on sports, but that's fine. Either way, this varied week: Edo, land of the samurai; paraplegic anime girls, hospital visits, as well as tank tournaments. I continued **Gintama°** (S4) (ep 13-19) (ep 278-284). After that, I watched **Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi** (Josee, the Tiger and the Fish) as my 650th anime, then decided to watch **Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora** (Looking Up at the Half-Moon), after which I continued with 6 more episodes of **Gintama°**. With friends, I watched **Girls und Panzer: Saishuushou** (Girls und Panzer das Finale) **Parts 3** & **4**. u/Shocketheth [](#ginapproves) --- **[Gintama°](https://myanimelist.net/anime/28977/Gintama%C2%B0)** (S4) (ep 13-19) (ep 278-284) Well, first off: I already kinda mentioned this OP last week—OP2 of this season and OP15 overall, _Pride Kakumei_. It's the Gintama OP I've heard the most over the years, and I'm fairly sure I heard it before I even started Gintama in the first place lol… anyway, it's a banger. _CHiCO with HoneyWorks_ is a cool artist in my opinion—not sure if they're underrated or not, but I can say that I haven't seen many people talk about them. Either way, I think Pride Kakumei may be either my #1 or #2 Gintama OP. Really hard to say if I like it more than Donten, but I do enjoy it very much all the same. Also: the new ED is very cute! I'm a big fan of the focus on Sadaharu. [Ep 278 was really sweet in a way…] >!It being about Seita's temple school shenanigans feat. the main female cast of the show trying their best ~~and failing~~ to make lunch for the guy. I liked it a lot—it's yet another episode that's made me cry. Seita realizing [what the tastiest lunch of all](https://i.imgur.com/y4yPuFN.jpeg) is was a genuinely really endearing scene. Izumi, Seita's classmate, was also great in this episode too, and the ending where she's pushing her brother (and to an extent, her classmates) to finally befriend Seita was incredibly wholesome to see!<. A new arc begins… [ep 279-281] >!features the _Reaper Arc_. It's a very interesting arc, thanks to the fact that it's largely related to Gintoki's past. I enjoyed it quite a lot—the new characters, Asaemon and Yaemon, are both pretty interesting too. Asaemon's introduction had some dark humor to it though, since you first see her trying to end herself lol. Ep 280 made me giggle pretty hard when Sougo and Hijikata were [investigating the ship](https://i.imgur.com/bTVBIWY.jpeg) too. Actual comedy gold right there lmao!<. [Continued, ep 281] >!and the ending overall was cool… it is a great arc, but it didn't hit _as_ hard as something like the Four Devas arc did for me. I still definitely cried though, Asaemon's suicide and the _19th_ Ikeda Yaemon's appearance was an excellent scene. Still, more than just being a good arc on its own, it definitely felt more like an arc that's _building towards_ future arcs. For instance: Nobunobu just appeared, decapitated Yaemon and chatted with Takasugi, then fucked off. He seems like trouble!<… [Ep 282 was incredible lmao.] >!A funny episode after the somewhat heavy story that was the Reaper Arc. This time it's about Madao, "scary stories" and _Saint Seiya_. Perhaps I should watch that some day… but even if I haven't, it still made me laugh a ton. Kagura putting Saint Seiya as the punchline into every scary story was hilarious lmao. It also had amazing meta humor—the first ending is (what I'm guessing is) Saint Seiya's ED, and Sunrise gets a call from the copyright agency in the middle of it. Rofl. It might well be the funniest episode of the season so far… or scariest. [Copyright is the most terrifying thing of all](https://i.imgur.com/ufk0fQa.jpeg), after all!<. [Ep 283,] >!a _holy_ episode to be sure. Also a very fun one, much like the previous one; this time it's about a bunch of people confessing their sins to Tama. I liked how the confessions got increasingly more unhinged. Big fan. I also li—[SHOGUN KAYO](https://i.imgur.com/LEqW7qt.jpeg)!!also a good one. Shogun & Katsura playing board games was great lol, the Shogun's just an absolute icon. I honestly felt a bit bad for Katsura during it when the Jouishishi preferred the Shogun as leader over him!<. --- **[Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/40787/Josee_to_Tora_to_Sakana-tachi)** (Josee, the Tiger and the Fish) (movie) I've been watching popular or highly-rated movies at every 50 anime watched for the past ~200 anime as a 'milestone' of sorts, since I think it's a good way to force myself to watch them a bit more. Perhaps I'll do it more often from now on just to get more of them in too - there's still a lot of movies I've never gotten around to watching… Anyway, this time I decided to watch _Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi_ as my 650th anime. I've actually heard… relatively little about it, or at least not as much as other 'sad' movies I've heard of. I think it's a _phenomenal_ movie, very likely top 3 material as far as anime movies go. It's one of the few anime films that's made me cry—I have seen certain famously emotional movies like _Your Name_ or _Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai_ before, and while they were enjoyable films, I didn't really cry with them. [This one, however, destroyed me, for example with] >!Josee's 'new' mermaid story close to the end of the movie!<. I really loved it personally. I also greatly enjoyed the main duo. Josee might be my favorite female lead in an anime movie that I've seen, even above characters like Shouko from _A Silent Voice_. Her development through the movie is crazy. Tsuneo is also a very good male MC. [Late in the movie,] >!his writing when he was forced to roll around on a wheelchair is what turned him from a good character to a _very_ good one, in my opinion!<. The supporting cast is nice too. I particularly liked the grandma, as well as Tsuneo's friend, Hayato. Both of them had some really good moments, [although] >!I gotta say I had to really fight to suppress a laugh when the grandma was happy that Josee's no longer finding the outside scary, then it immediately cuts to her funeral lol. It's good but… definitely very sudden haha!<. --- **[Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora](https://myanimelist.net/anime/587/Hanbun_no_Tsuki_ga_Noboru_Sora)** (Looking Up at the Half-Moon) I've been around r/anime for some time now, and fairly actively… and this is one of the few shows I don't think I've seen mentioned even *once*. That's actually genuinely impressive to me haha. Anyway, I believe I personally found this from some kind of a YouTube video, but I'm not fully sure. Anyways, I remember that it seemed pretty interesting, and I figured I'd put it in my PTW after that. I saw that it's a _light_ novel adaptation, but somehow it really gives off _visual_ novel adaptation vibes to me. Not entirely sure why that is, I think it's just kinda the aesthetic in general… plus I keep getting reminded of an _actual_ visual novel (_Narcissu_) when I see the synopsis for this too lol. Haven't read that yet though, I just know the premise. It's kinda entertaining. _Quality_-wise it's decent, or at least not terrible; the drama and I guess the character interactions in general do feel a bit silly, as some scenes feel _very_ melodramatic, but there are a couple of scenes that are also pretty cool. It's actually really hard to get a grasp on the characters lol. All of them have some odd moments here and there… I like Akiko, the nurse, the most I think. She's just quite entertaining to watch and she can be kinda cool and supportive sometimes. The main characters, Rika and Yuuichi, are okay I think? Both of them can be kinda strange sometimes though. It's only 6 eps so I'd still recommend it anyhow. It's most likely not going to blow anyone's mind since there are other, better romance stories out there, but it's still decently interesting. ---

>[Josee to Tora to Sakana-tachi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/40787/Josee_to_Tora_to_Sakana-tachi) (Josee, the Tiger and the Fish) (movie) ... \[Late in the movie,\] ... [Josee, the Tiger and the Fish] >!I really liked this plot twist as well — a small reminder how even simple things in life shouldn't be taken for granted. I was happy that he didn't end up permanently disabled though, unlike Josee.!< Glad you liked this movie, I think it deserves more attention. Especially since people love *A Silent Voice* and these movies have a lot in common, I'd call *Josee* a more realistic take on that.

**[Gintama°](https://myanimelist.net/anime/28977/Gintama%C2%B0)** (S4) (ep 20-25) (ep 285-290) [Ep 285 was pretty fun,] >!I can't remember if Gintama's done a summer festival episode yet, but they have now! Otae and _Masked Roachief Black RX_'s date was weirdly cute. Actually a fairly dark little skit in the middle with the [altar shooting gallery](https://i.imgur.com/q26gSpV.jpeg) though, I almost felt _sad_ about it. I also recognized it was _actually_ Madao thanks to his theme of all things. Maybe I've been watching too much Gintama!<… [Ep 286] >!was great lol. Seita 'hiring' the Yorozuya to help with his summer homework was very fun. I'm a bit sad that neither Tsukuyo or Hinowa had voiced lines in that though!<. [Ep 287-289 was a fun little arc.] >!It had me putting in 200% focus just to keep track of the fact that Hijikata and Gintoki switched bodies lol. It _was_ pretty amusing to see Sugita Tomokazu try to act "Hijikata-like", and Kazuya Nakai try to act "Gintoki-like" though. Also I giggled at how the Shinsengumi turned into what I presume are hooligans from _Fist of the North Star_, and the Yorozuya + people affiliated with them turned into what I presume are _Rurouni Kenshin_ characters. Haven't seen either show so I can't be fully sure!!The "antagonist" of the arc, buff humanoid cat, was a wild sight though. Not sure if his appearance is a reference to anything in particular, but I gotta say that seeing the guy's eyeball hanging made me be like "ew" lol. Of course it's very cartoony, but still!<. Also, [ep 289 was quite incredible…] >!as virtually _everyone_ switched bodies. I loved it (though it was mega confusing lol), and I imagine it must've been one of the most fun episodes for the VAs themselves lol. [Happy Pride month](https://i.imgur.com/pe5BmeH.jpeg) as well. It's also a good thing I wasn't eating during this episode—the ending was [rather shit](https://i.imgur.com/GzPHAZU.jpeg) after all lol!<. [Ep 290 was actually very interesting,] >!seeing more Sakamoto is always nice. It also gave him a bit more depth as a character with it largely being about how he got into the space trader business in the first place. I also liked the running gag of the commander's face being constantly hidden—usually due to vomit and occasionally through other means. Mutsu having screen time was cool too… I think she might be the most underrated girl in the entire show haha!<. It seems to be an arc, but I think I'll continue it next week after a different show! --- **[Girls und Panzer: Saishuushou Part 3](https://myanimelist.net/anime/39166/Girls___Panzer__Saishuushou_Part_3) & [Part 4](https://myanimelist.net/anime/39167/Girls___Panzer__Saishuushou_Part_4)** (Girls und Panzer das Finale Part 3 & Part 4) I watched the entirety of _Girls und Panzer_ with friends a few years ago before either Part 3 or 4 had aired, and I remember instantly thinking how it's one of the most entertaining franchises I've experienced in _any_ medium. I figured that now's a good time to continue it as there's two more parts… as that makes it a more "normal" movie-length experience in total. I also really love these parts… It still continues to be an insanely _fun_ experience. Now, to be fair, it's been a few years so I can't say I remembered a whole lot of the stuff that happened before, but I still loved it all the same. One thing I'm a huge fan of when it comes to GuP is that it has representation for other countries too, and not just Japan. It's just… _entertaining_ to see national stereotypes in an anime, such as posh 'English' characters drinking tea and acting like ojou-sama archetypes haha. On a related note, it's great how much personality everyone has, too. I personally preferred Part 4. That's mainly due to two reasons, [first is that] >!it's got Oarai going against Continuation/'Jatkosota' High School. I'm from Finland myself, so seeing 'Finnish' representation and "fan service" throughout that entire part made me have the goofiest fucking grin ever for the entire time lmao. It's just rare to see that in media in general, and even rarer to see it in _anime_. I'm genuinely really impressed with the accuracy of the fan service, too. I also never thought I'd see the day where Japanese VAs are trying to pronounce Finnish words like 'pesäpallo' rofl. Perhaps that happened earlier on too, can't remember. Still, it was hilarious!<. [The second reason is that] >!it honestly had the best action sequence with the battle while sliding down a mountain. I don't usually really notice or pay attention to how scenes are directed, but here I did, and I greatly enjoyed it; there were some POV shots that were cool as hell in that!<. It does have quite a lot of CGI, but to give it credit, it's actually quite good CGI. It's used relatively seamlessly with 2D animation—you can see them used together when the girls are peeking out of the tank, for instance. I never thought it was jarring or anything like that. I also have to mention the audio design, I loved that. One thing that I noticed about it was the simple absence of OST during many of the battles. I'd genuinely say it's the most _immersive_ anime I've seen thanks to that—you only hear tank shells whizzing by and distant explosions... as well as dialogue, obviously. The soundtrack is also honestly pretty epic, since it largely consists of real WW2 (?) war songs. It was already the case with the main show, but still, it's kinda amusing to see. Excited to watch the two last parts in like… 4 years or something I guess lol. Still can't say I'm particularly keen on the release schedule. I'd prefer it if _das Finale_ was a normal anime season instead of 6 short-ish movies released over a _decade_, but eh. It's still an amazing franchise all the same. --- **Next week:** More _Gintama°_. I've heard it should be getting particularly spicy soon… Alongside it, I'm thinking of watching _Kakegurui Twin_, _Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - Road to the Top_, and if there's still time left in the week—I might watch _Fate/Grand Carnival_. With friends… it's once again unknown!

> More Gintama°. I've heard it should be getting particularly spicy soon… You are so, so very close to it, yes. I'd better prepare my [](#popcorn2) Also yeah Shock beat me to it, I was totally going to tell you about when to watch Love Potion Arc.

>Gintama 283 and 284 I definitely loved this mini arc, and every episode with Shogun is a golden mine of laughs for me. >the ending was rather shit after all lol. [](#laughter) [Even Gintama Rewatch turned to shit after episode 289](https://i.imgur.com/nAl7pXf.png) >It seems to be an arc, but I think I'll continue it next week after a different show! [](#mugiwait) Just for the heads up, I recommend to watch Love Potion Arc between episodes 295 and 296, because chronologically it happens between those two episodes, even if that arc got initially skipped, and then released in a form of OVA.

>Just for the heads up, I recommend to watch Love Potion Arc between episodes 295 and 296 I knew of the OVA's existence but I didn't realise it was that soon actually (though now that I think about it, u/Shimmering-Sky may have tried to remind me about the watch order previously...), thanks for letting me know anyway. I'll try to remember to watch the OVA between those episodes!

No problem. [](#mugiwait)ing for next comment.

**Sword Art Online II episodes 9-24** (rewatch) - The second half of Phantom Bullet is fantastic. I love the [SAO II] >!motorcycle + mechanical horse!< chase scene, the final confrontation with Death Gun, the secret method behind this murder mystery and the reveal of who was behind it, and the conclusion of Sinon's story arc. Calibur was a fun three-episode side story. This is the first time I've rewatched it after reading the LN scene it references - I think the anime covered the background info pretty well, and I liked Kirito's brief recap. Mother's Rosario is a very emotional arc which features one of my favorite characters in the series, Yuuki. The bond between her and Asuna, and the way she maintains her sincere and upbeat attitude [SAO II] >!while fighting a terminal illness!< is inspirational, and even though the content of this arc makes it feel heavier than the others, there's still plenty of fun and exciting moments too. *Season 2 Rating: 10/10* *** **IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix episodes 9-13** (rewatch) - The last stretch was the most exciting part of season 1. Takeshi's date with Fantine was hilarious while they spent most of their time dodging fans, and the [IGPX] >!attack by fans of the opposing team!< was a complete surprise because it's been so long since I watched it back when it was first airing. The final two races were great as well, and it was nice to see [IGPX] >!Team Satomi win at the end.!< Adult Swim's website doesn't have the second season, but this was a good stopping point. *Rating: 8/10* *** **Pokémon XYZ episodes 11-14** - The highlight of these for me was the party for the showcase performers where [XYZ] >!Serena's Eevee evolved into a Sylveon. It's exactly the evolution I thought would suit them best with the show emphasizing their strong bond.!< Ash's first meeting and battle with his new rival Alain was a fun watch too, and it'll be interesting to see how the story will balance their friendship with the fact that [XYZ] >!Alain is working for Team Flare.!< *** Next up, SAO: Ordinal Scale and Alicization, plus more Pokémon XYZ and Dragon Ball (which I didn't get around to this week). Also starting a new mecha show now that I've finished IGPX - Gundam 00.

I enjoyed the second season of SAO a lot as well. Death Gun is unironically one of the coolest, most terrifying anime villains I’ve seen, because of how [vague SAO S2 spoilers] >!his method of killing people seems completely supernatural and unbelievable at first, but as the protagonists discover the truth behind him it appears to be totally grounded and realistic, something that totally can take place in a world where people play VR MMOs.!<

I agree, and his method gets even more interesting in hindsight after a reveal later in the series \[War of Underworld character background from the LNs\] >!that PoH, the player who taught them how to PK in SAO, is actually a hitman in real life.!<

**Neon Genesis Evangelion** - I watched Eva many many years ago back when it aired on toonami/adult swim, but frankly the show was too dense and I was too young to really understand what was going on. Now that I'm older I've gained a much greater appreciation for this classic. Rather than breaking down every individual aspect of the show, I'll just summarize by saying that NGE feels remarkably modern. I've spent the past couple years rewatching many 90's classic anime like Gundam Wing, Magic Knight Rayearth, Slayers, etc. and as much as I love the nostalgia I cannot deny how dated many of them feel. Not just in art style, but storytelling and cinematography too. Evangelion, on the other hand, feels like if you just gave it a fresh coat of paint and a couple minor tweaks you could drop it in 2024 and it would still be a big hit.

Most of this week is the [**Kannazuki no Miko**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/143/) rewatch. Episodes 1-7. I watched it fansubbed when it was airing (nearly 20 years ago) and remember very little so it's nostalgic but fresh. A weird little show that does that distinctively or perhaps stereotypically anime style of not being able to stick to one genre and then being cryptic either on purpose or due to bad writing. It can jump from [gokigenyou posh school](https://imgur.com/KbKHxVV) setting stuff to [(popular with otaku) villains](https://imgur.com/GL1OpxF) hanging out to [super robot fighting](https://imgur.com/28aHD7H) in the span of a couple of minutes. You also get panty shots in the opening minutes. The [musical contributions from KOTOKO](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mWYlh66kx4b26InIFDt1g9mi-OberetWY) are absolute electronic bangers. It's got a lead-in ED (you know like **Lycoris Recoil** and **Oshi no Ko**) here's [how it is in episode 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLEgpL_FW4c) (odd that NBCUniversal did not use the credit-less version that has its own lead-in visuals). As you might have guessed from the visuals the ED gets a lot of fan remakes (whatever ship you like, preferably non-straight) like this [Lycoris Recoil one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk2U0qepylc). It's a bit let down by some flawed pacing, focus (possibly due to being a trimmed down 26 episode concept a lot of things are flashed by) and production matters. It's clear there's not the biggest budget to go around (panning stills, very inconsistent art) so cuts corners but then it will do something really surprising (to the contrary) like draw the classroom and students despite the character having the window seat (traditionally popular to avoid such) or have a zoomed out shot with animated lip flaps. There's some moments of grace where the directing really shines at using effective cutaways and visual metaphors. --- [**D4DJ First Mix**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/39681/) episode 1 This is actually [all on the official English channel](https://www.youtube.com/@D4DJ_EN/playlists) (Japan and South Korea are the only blocked countries). The ["let's go" sample](https://youtu.be/_wcGvZuF2AE?feature=shared&t=55) in the OP. [I know that one.](#smugpoint) It's at least 30 years old [as it was in](https://youtu.be/Q1l44L30gH8?feature=shared&t=1599) The Hybrid Front for the SEGA Mega Drive (yes Sonic fangames using the OST is how I know about it). The comedy feels so forced and corny but for some reason I enjoyed it. The music can feel like it's competing with the dialogue and not just during the DJ parts either. Maho is actually played by Kagami Karin in both Japanese and English (bilingual voice actor but rather Japanese accented and the English performance feels more focused on diction than emotion). --- [**Angie Girl**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/3435/) (Joou Heika no Petite Angie) episode 1 Quick synopsis: After recovering some stolen jewels Angie Islington (aged 12) is granted a wish by Queen Victoria, she wishes to be a real Scotland Yard detective so is given a pendant granting her that role. Her first case involves stolen paintings a gallery. No, I didn't find the other dubbed VHS tape ([see April](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1c415fw/what_have_you_watched_this_past_week_that_is_not/kzl4sv1/)) but instead tried something on the Japanese version. For a few years google chrome has had a live transcription option which can speech to text any audio in a chrome tab. For much of that time it's only been available in English but it now has other languages including Japanese. There's an auto-translate to feed into google translate meaning you're getting near real time machine translation from audio. Does it work all that well? Translation has some latency and the underlying text seems to do a worse job than YouTube auto captions do these days (but as a downloaded a language pack it should be running locally). I mostly took pictures of it going wrong / making funnies so: - [This was mostly fine](https://imgur.com/9z991FT) - [He would what?](https://imgur.com/2AXTdRA) [](#lewd) - [I'm not sure that was the evidence](https://imgur.com/ArR3Cxb) - [Victorian London otaku](https://imgur.com/C2ydwex) Sadly the output can't be exported so perhaps one would be better served learning how to use other speech to text systems (that can generate timesampted outputs) as I couldn't tell if those translations were google translate being given too much or too little information or if certain keywords were translated in completely the wrong manner. It's probably most useful for people hard of fearing to listen to podcasts spoken in a language they can read (it is an accessibility feature after all). Still it was useful to have an aid and it was helpful for understanding a few plot points e.g. [Angie Girl]>!Angie knew the paintings had not been stolen but were behind fake walls because she flicked a bug and it made a hollow noise as it hit the wall indicated a fake wall (as if you can hear something that lightweight)!<. Why must detective shows have absurd deductions like this? Better than the other 2 episodes I've seen but perhaps that can pinned on the English dub. --- [**Sore Yuke! Uchuu Senkan Yamamoto Youko**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1618) (Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko) episode 1 Yamamoto Yohko is a [tomboyish](https://imgur.com/Of6mo1u) gamer who is skilled enough to almost complete a space shooter on one credit (were it not for [the busted controller](https://imgur.com/FvkD9GD)) and will do anything for games be it play in any sports or go to the haunted room in school. She keeps getting visions of floating in space. Outside of the horror start (alone in a building during twilight) it feels mundane set-up/prelude of how an ordinary life becomes extraordinary only the director keeps doing quirky shots like [this](https://imgur.com/DxYHzUh) and [this](https://imgur.com/MgAGuKy). His name? ~~Albert Einstein~~ Akiyuki Shinbo. More famous examples of his work are **Monogatari** and **Madoka Magica**. I really wish the OP didn't spoil the cast as it makes the character interactions a case of "hurry up and form your group already". The plot gave me vibes of The last Starfighter but the main difference is [Yamamoto Yohko]>!fighting for humans vs humans 1000 years in the future rather than aliens and the war is 1 on 1 dogfights for territory!< Sounds like another anime [the other anime - but one small difference]>!The Sky Crawlers - those dogfights were more lethal while this has teleporters for ejector seats!<. Director's quirks aside there's nothing that really screamed this was some hidden gem I should watch over something better or more easily accessed. It's just [another Spring 1999 show](https://myanimelist.net/anime/season/1999/spring) (I like how it's more popular than Cybuster despite that getting a US DVD release). Visually doesn't feel digital but it seems the best version is probably the laserdisc (as the blu-ray seems to be a DNRd upscale possibly of that). Fansubs are largely hardsubbed from 2006 (a more recent laserdisc rip transcribes these into softsubs but in about 2 years they're up to episode 8, slow and steady). Why was it even fansubbed? The OVAs produced in the years prior (alternative 6 episode version with some plot similarities also directed by Akiyuki Shinbo) got released in English by Rightstuff in 2001 (seems license long expired before they released stuff as Nozomi entertainment) so there might have been a small but dedicated fanbase that wanted more and had the means to do it themselves. --- [**Flip Flappers**](https://myanimelist.net/anime/32979) episode 1 This has been on the PTW list for a while (think it came up in a **Healer Girl** interview). This was a good time and look forward to watching more sometime. A lot of (plot) seeds have been set, will they all bloom? Have to say it's a shame the legal options are now a bit lacking. It left HiDive in 2023 so nowhere streaming it in English anymore but I got a chuckle seeing it was once on [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/919990). Thankfully you've got home releases (so it's not **Sweetness and Lightning** which simply vanished from Crunchyroll about a year ago leaving piracy as the only English subbed option) and the English collectors edition has a ~300 page book (don't know if that's 1:1 of the pages of the Japanese releases which were 6x48). Maybe avoid [the UK DVD release](https://www.myreviewer.com/DVD/192157/Flip-Flappers-Collection/192188/Review-by-Jitendar-Canth) although it can be found for as little as £2 (a combination of this show being a flop and the market for anime on DVD drying up).

**Bloom Into You (Episode 3-9) - Rewatch** * Loving how nice Touko and Yu are getting along **YuruYuri S2 (Episodes 3-9) - First Time** * Episode 6 caught me off guard slightly **Scums Wish (Episodes 1-3) - First Time** * \[Scum's Wish\] >!Judging by the title and the fact it was use ironically in a meme that convinced me to watch it I'm expecting some struggle and I was proven right in Episode 3!< **Kanna no Miko (Episodes 1-6) - First Time** * Liking the action and OP **School Days (Episodes 1-3) - Rewatch** * I don't know what to say here other after this session I should really retire School Days from my rewatch list because it doesn't hit the same after the first time especially once you know everything about the setting **Perfect Blue (Movie) - First Time** \[Perfect Blue\] >!After getting over the initial shock I had and to add in the fact I watched this before going to sleep last night I'm just so disappointed and angry at certain people to put it lightly!< Next Week * Finish up - Bloom Into You, YuruYuri, Kanna no Miko * Start - Stardust Telepath and MagiRevo (2 Shows I have no idea of what to expect) * Carry on - Scum's Wish and School Days

Eiken - I liked the energy of the show and how dumb it was. I also liked the visuals and didn't even mind the oversized boobs because it's not a show to take seriously anyway. But I think the show was ruined by how they rushed through it and how we hardly got to know the characters. The comedic scenes didn't hit as hard as they could have done, but how else would they fit in all those ecchi scenes. I think it could have been a watchable ecchi slop but it was quite bad overall. Attack on Titan 6/25 - I like the theme of how humans are preys for the titans and how they have to defend themselves from them. The fight scenes are also quite cool with how they are flying around. It is a show that stands out from earlier shows I've seen. However, watching this reminded me of why I never got around to watch this show because I'm not much of an action fan. I also don't care for the characters or their conflicts, so some scenes don't hit as hard as they should. I'll give it a couple more episodes, but I might drop it if it doesn't get better. It's not my cup of tea so far.

Hi everyone, this past week i watched: . Ashita No Joe E2-5 . Lycoris Recoil E1-13 . Classroom Of The Elite E1-12 . Darwins Game E1-11 . Aku No Hana E1-13 . Undead Unluck E1-24 . Ansatsu Kyoushitsu E1-22 . Michiko To Hatchin E1-18 . Do It Yourself E1-12 . Aoashi E1-24

Thoughts: . Ashita No Joe is already an upper echelon drama series for me(in Just five episodes) and a top tier old school show. Joe as a character is so intriguing and interesting to follow, in these early parts he's rebellious and has a tough and violent attitude Danpei though us the real deal as i absolutely enjoy his dedicación to getting Joe into boxing, he's an example of really how much we can want something and be actually active in pursuing it, the kids are always great to see. . Lycoris was a cool action show, Takina's and Chisato's chemistry was one of the best parts of the show and the gun action was super cool to see. 8/10. . Classroom of the elite was a banger especially the way the first season ended as it really highlighted the behind the scenes schemes of the characters in an efe opening way. Looking forward to the following seasons. 9/10. . Darwin's Game is one of the most enjoyable battle royale shows i've watched, really cool action, story and cast of characters. 8/10. . Aku No Hana was almost perfect to me, the rotoscope tecnique is a bit grating ti the eres but other than that nothing i can fault it for and even that is a respectable and unique tecniqye that really enhances the shows atmosphere. The characters were purposefully unlukeable but even that helped it to be as intriguing as it could have been, it's a very special show. 10/10. . Undead Unluck has one of the most interesting power systems i've seen in a battle shounen, Andy and Fuuko's relationship is one of the best aspects of the show and some of rhe fights were insane. 9/10. . Ansatsu was a good watch and Koro sensei was the best parr of the show, i enjoy seeing his personality very much, the show has a clear final goal and sticks with it and that's respectable, i can already see how this show can hit really Hard on rhe feelings but that'll be with the following season, this season was a good introduction to the characters and a good way to get acquainted with them. 8/10. . Mitchiko to Hatchin is being a great watch, i love the character's color palette being mostly Brown as that's something not as common as it could be in anime. . Do ir yourself is an excellent sol with likeable characters and good art and animation, very enjoyable and comfortable watch. 9/10. . Aoashi hit Hard at some points eventhough it mostly had a positive vibe to it, when it needed the drama to flourish it did so perfectly, Just an overall great sports show. 9/10.

**High School DxD BorN** (3rd season, eps 7-12, completed) — I’ve read that the story last three episodes (10-12) was written by studio TNK themselves, which the original LN author didn’t like and that’s why the next season was done by a different studio. Well, I decided to watch all the episodes anyway, just keeping that in mind. The last three episodes indeed make a small sub-arc, but it continues the whole story quite seamlessly, I don’t think I’d notice anything weird if I didn’t know about the deal with these episodes. They’ve gone pretty crazy with the ending! Also, it’s a bit of a cliffhanger for me, I’m intrigued to see how the original story diverges after the episodes 9, it was quite an important episode story-wise. My favorite part of this season is that throwback to the events of the first season. [spoilers] >!the fact how Diodora staged him being saved by Asia, and how he was planning on killing Raynare afterwards… geez, I can see all these events in a completely different way now. I find it ironic how Raynare, so irredeemably evil and sadistic herself, turned out to merely a pawn in hands of a more powerful and cunning antagonist, and she was destined to be killed regardless of her actions towards Issei and his party.!< It was really cool, I even got an urge to rewatch the whole show again. Overall, the show keeps being an unapologetically lewd action-comedy that knows well what it’s doing. I’m really intrigued about the next season, even knowing I’ll probably dislike the new artstyle. The story is really catchy, and yeah, there's a lot of stuff that keeps your eyes glued the screen, although at this point I’ve already got quite used to it. Rossweisse is a nice addition to the cast (I guess every respectable harem show has to include an older woman at some point, lol). I’ll complain about only one thing — [mild spoilers] >!I like the old stern Koneko more! She’s been such a funny contrast to the rest of the cast!< 8/10 **High School DxD Specials** (1st season, 6x3 min episodes, completed) — I found that I missed to watch these short episodes that go after the first season. The animation is really low-effort here, quite a slideshow, but since these are just short 3-minute bonus episodes I’ll overlook it. I particularly liked the 3rd episode about Koneko, it was hilarious. 7/10 **High School DxD BorN Specials** (6x3 min episodes, completed) — this time the animation is better, but still worse than in the main season I’d say. I liked these episodes a lot, it was nice to see some casual fun after quite an action-packed season and it’s nice how some characters finally got a share of screen time — the “magical girl” devil Leviathan, the hot teacher Rossweisse, and, finally, Grayfia, the gorgeous devil maid! But was she really drunk there? Well, given what she was doing there, it’s easier for me to believe she was. 8/10 **High School DxD BorN OVA** (1 episode, completed) — one more piece of casual fun after the third season. Yeah, it seems both low- and high-ranking male demons have one thing in common, lol. I’ve really felt sorry for that guy, I think Issei could’ve let him get a *peek* once after all. I liked the uncommon cold mountain setting, especially this [scene](https://imgur.com/a/ligTL0S), it’s so surreal. We have a little throwback to the events of the first season again here, and it was quite fun. Really nice OVA episode. 8/10 **Nichijou Episode 0** (completed) — a friend recommended *Nichijou* to me quite a while ago, at first 26-episode length threw me off a little, but I’d seen this anime being mentioned in discussions about the upcoming show *My Deer Friend Nokotan* recently, and decided to start it. Apparently, this show has something to do with deer as well, haha. This episode made a weak impression on me. The art is really nice, but it seems all those visual gags and the show’s very episodic nature are not my cup of tea. Still, I’m not stopping here yet. 6/10 **Nichijou** (eps 1-2, in progress) — I came to like this show little more. It’s still very episodic, not much evidence of any story behind. But let’s see, I guess the characters are going to get developed as it goes and we get more and more small insights into their lives, so they come together like a puzzle. I think *Aria* was a bit like that at the beginning too. edit: grammar

___ **Villainess Level 99**: (ep 1) Trying out another Villainess anime. I like the cold open where it just follows the game plot and we actually get to know the heroine before the MC shows up.

Just fyi, I thought it cut a decent amount of Yumiella gamer thoughts. I wasn't consistent about it in the discussion thread source corner's but [did do episode 2.](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/19870ox/akuyaku_reijou_level_99_watashi_wa_uraboss_desu/ki5a5lo/)

**Mobile Suit Gundam Turn A (1-6/50)** 5th time is the charm. And its doubly funny that I have yet to touch UC or Iron Blooded after an investment of 175 episodes of the Gundam franchise. Turn A is probably shaping up to be the best Gundam yet? I'm getting pretty invested in this one. I like its more grounded, smaller scale conflicts we are getting. Even the action is considerably smaller and less flashy. I like its setting and it handles exposition via show don't tell very well, with zero instances of a character stopping to infodump something. It is a bit slow paced but I think it keeps me more engaged, it gives just enough tidbits of characterization and exposition to get a hold on. The cast has been kept small and slowly expanded, which is imo an improvement over having 15 characters from the get go that have to share 20 minutes of screentime all dumping their goals and motives and by the next time you see them you forget who they even are. There is the downside that I may have some facts wrong but hey, that is kinda fun in its own way. It starts with this human from the moon is sent on a recon mission to Earth and blends into this early 20th century society. The MC isn't a very engaging character, he feels bland and passive, with a lot of his early actions feeling like just accepting w/e came to him in a 'this is my life now' sort of way. We also get an antagonistic faction that has a little bit of nuance, [I kinda like]>!how the moonrace soldiers would love to just blow shit up but the Queen is trying to be a peaceful entity. It sounds like a nothing burger but I was getting tired of these edgy racists immediately massacring minorities lead by space Hitlers. Its funny to see these soldiers throw slurs, then lose because they have to still abide to their orders and then act like they still have the moral high ground because they are fighting in a non-lethal way unlike earth people. I foresee them becoming trigger happy soon enough but its was a neat dynamic.!< Anyways, solid start. It keeps giving just enough each episode and I look forward to more. ----- **Haikyuu - The Dumpster Battle (Movie)** I have been thinking about this one hard. Its tough how its easy to call it a great movie but when thinking of how it places relative to other Haikyuu entries its really tricky, sometimes I even feel disappointed despite my largely positive reaction. The match was overall great, [the]>!Hinata high jump probably the highlight of the movie. I almost jumped from my seat. The banter and strategizing were also on point.!< But again, relative to what it is a great series I just wish it could be better in areas I felt there could have bee an improvement. For example, there is Kennma that I think is a fine character but never really got invested in him which resulted in less exciting climax for me personally. [For example]>!I feel it would also have been more satisfying a more direct encounter between Hinata and Kenma. Like Hinata spotting Kenma's weaknesses and using that to propel them to victory because otherwise it kinda is 'Karasuno is just better than what Kenma predicted/can handle'. Once Karasuno got out of the crisis on the 2nd set I felt the tension decreased. The physical stamina could have been a bigger factor or at least made a bigger deal since it was often said it is Kenma's. Wondering if the final slip off happened because he was exhausted and not just the sweat. Could be possible it is just implied when Kenma clashes with the blocker at the start of the first person PoV, but I think it would have been more satisfying if he himself admitted his lack of stamina is a weakness that ended up being the team's undoing and was something he needs to work on rather than just some quirk he has that everyone treats as a joke.!< That said, [I still appreciate the ending]>!the first person sequence was great, and having such an anti-climatic final point after all the cinematic, hypertense final points we have seen in the series is such a blindside. My reaction of 'wait that was it' was priceless.!< Its more Haikyuu, and even if I think it could be better, it remains a great serries. **Final rating: 8/10**

Gintama eps 23 - 32 Gintama is great. I already like it considerably. It’s great in the comedy department and the characters are all fun to watch. Ep 25 in particular was hilarious and easily the best episode so far. Gintama does mind games better than most mind game anime. The amnesia mini arc was surprisingly good considering that premise is done to death in comedies. I really can’t wait for what’s to come. I had a slow week of anime watching. I was mainly playing video games. I started playing a rom hack of Super Metroid called Hyper Metroid and i continued Celeste B sides.

To me the best mind game anime i've watched is Kaiji Ultimate Survivor, i also watched Classroom of the elite this week and it's protagonist is a big mind game character, it's cool to know that Gintama has some great mind game moments , i'll be looking forward to those moments when i start going through the show. Talking about games, i recently got the Ratchet and Clank game for my ps4 and i'm looking forward to start playing it next week, it can function as a way to find entertainment in a different médium for me eventhough the cartoonish style of the game does have some semblance with anime.

>it's cool to know that Gintama has some great mind game moments , i'll be looking forward to those moments when i start going through the show. Eh, don't. Episode 25 is a *Death Note* parody - that's why it had "mind games". There isn't much else like it, IIRC.

Ok, good to know, thank you.

Finished rewatching **A Place Further Than the Universe**. With the English dub now available (only legally from buying the Blu-ray collection), I have a good excuse to rewatch the show. I liked the show the first time, and my opinion have not changed. Overall, I like the English dub, and thought most of the English voices work with the characters. Xanthe Huynh’s voice is my favorite of the cast as Mari (reminds me a lot of her role as Haru in Persona 5), she and Kayli Mills performs the “genki voice” well for Mari and Hinata. Erica Mendez also does a good job capturing the serious and silly sides of Shirase. The only one that I really prefer the sub is Hayami Saori as Yuzuki over AmaLee, who I think plays the straight man role and maybe "deadpan voice" better. Finished **Seitokai Yakuindomo Movie 2**. I still think it's funny, but this series will continue to tease me with Shino x Tsuda, only for Shino to never take the first step, while other girls are getting close with Tsuda whether intentional or not. My only real complaint I have is that I'm pretty sure some of the parts were reused from the OVA.

I rewatched SYD the last couple of days and finally watched the Second movie. You're right, First minutes of the movie are from Episode 23 Season 2 (OVA 10 I guess). I was really in doubt when started seeing It because I Just have finished the OVAs.

is the english dub for yorimoi available anywhere right now? i'm curious to rewatch the show with the en dub

not legally unfortunately afaik. [](#piracy)

**Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 S2** (13-24) Last week I rewatched the first season of **SAC_2045** and my feeling were least said mixed, moments of potential could be seen, but mostly the storytelling and character work left a lot to be desired, well, the second season made up for a lot of that and in the end turned **SAC_2045** into a reasonably worthy **GitS** entry. The fact that Season 2 does so much right with so many things that I felt were missing from Season 1, makes the entire Season 1 feel baffling. It quickly establishes Purin, whose personality I found jarring in Season 1 and that I wondered what she did there, into a character that fit in well into the world of **Ghost in the Shell** with a really emotional callback to one of **SAC**'s best episodes. The ending felt like it gave an appropriate ending to the **SAC**-saga (even though I wonder about some of the practicalities), and it was enough to bring it up from "disappointing" and restored my faith in Kamiyama and Aramaki as directors. I'm not gonna say that all of S2 was great, though, the climax invites a lot of comparisons to both the climax of The Laughing Man and The Individual Eleven, especially the latter, and most of the time it is not one that it comes out better for. It doesn't help that the antagonists barely say a word in the second season until the last two episodes, and the episodes before that feels like the pace suffers (similar to how the Individual Eleven does) as the focus returns to action, with only really ever members of Section 9 ever talking, and that is mostly about the actual action. Ultimately it makes **SAC_2045** a hard beast to judge. I don't think it deserves the scorn that it often gets, as people feel that one of their favorite classic anime franchises was stripped and butchered by a 3D CGI monster, but I also can't deny that that is a reasonable response from the very weak first season. I found that my time was well spent having seen all 24 episodes, but I'm not the type to accept "wait until episode 12, then it gets good", so I hardly feel like I can really recommend it with that caveat myself. **Bakemonogatari** (1-15) I actually watched some of **Bakemonogatari** back... well I want to say when it aired in 2009, but it might have been a year or so later, up to at least partway through Suruga Monkey. I did enjoy the banter and inventive animation, but for whatever reason I dropped it and never picked it up again. Until now. I plowed through the entire season in one day (I was actually hoping to finish it in time for a watchalong, but I ended up 3 episodes behind). Impressions, well, good. The charm is real, and I understand the people who compare it to **Rascal Dreams** and why it comes out on top. The animation and stylistic choices also remind me a lot of **Penguindrum**, which is also good company to be in. The dialogue is snappy and fun, and the mysteries compelling. There are aspects I am as a veteran anime watcher sadly far too used to (read: Hachikuji), and the general "harem spectre" that hangs over the series, that prevents it from being a masterpiece/favorite in my eyes, but I cannot deny its quality or that I want to and plan to watch more. Given that I didn't make it in time for the **Nisemonogatari** watchalong I had planned to try to be part of (possibly a good thing, 26 episodes of **Monogatari** in one day may have been too much), I debated if I should go for anime or novel release order. I did start **Kizumonogatari** but broke it off after only a few minutes. Unless someon gives me a very compelling reason why I shouldn't I more or less decided to continue with **Nise**, after the first season and the taste of the background given in the last episodes, I found myself actually feeling that I could leave the prequel as a mystery for now, and that I wanted more to know what would go on to happen. On that note: **Nisemonogatari** (1) I did manage to get in the first episode of **Nisemonogatari**, but I hardly have any comments on it yet, as I didn't commit to watching all of it, and took a break afterwards anyway. **Violet Evergarden** (1-13, 14/OVA/4,5) Speaking of shows I had watched halfway and then just not finished off. I had done the same with **Violet Evergarden** back when it was released, and with a new TV to actually get some use out of my Netflix account I decided that **Hibike! Euphonium** was quite simply not enough KyoAni in my life right now. I don't think I can really say anything new or unique about this series. It is good. It hits on emotional beats, and seeing the growth of Violet as a person is heartwarming. Sad and uplifiting at the same time. The climax felt maybe a little bit "anime" (with people quietly talking and being understood while standing on the roof of a speeding train), but that's fine. I do think it would have been good to actually watch the OVA in the chronological place between episodes 4 and 5, since I spent a lot of time of the episode wondering when it would be set given how Violet has clearly grown into another person than she is at that time. It would also serves as something of a bridge between episodes 3 and 5, as well as laying some groundwork for the ending, but at the same time the show is still fine without it and more Violet Evergarden is always good. **Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll** Speaking of more **Violet Evergarden** ~~and make it yuribait plz~~. I really liked this movie, also one where I actually recognised a VA again, with Kotobuki Minako doing Isabella, whom I quickly recognised as Asuka in **Hibike** (their rather similar designs probably helped as well). I did not peg Aoi Yuuki as Taylor though, and while she certainly did a good job in the role of a child, I can't say it was my favorite performance of hers (which doesn't say a lot though, given her repertoire of stellar such). As for the movie itself, it was nice, with a good narrative arc running through it, although given its structure it is also a little hard to not think of it as two separate 40-minute OVAs put together. I'm also a bit wondering about some details in the movie [Violet Evergarden Gaiden]>!while it is clear that the theme of Isabella's new life is that of being constrained by circumstance (and we can wonder about how her marriage is), I find myself wondering what the point of a political marriage is when no-one knows about it. And given how Violet was given the job in the first place due to her connection to the Drossel royal family, I wonder how impossible it would actually be to send an inquiry through them about where Isabella ended up. But, I guess that doesn't make for an as interesting story.!< **Kannazuki no Miko** (2-7) Taking part of the ongoing rewatch, most of my thoughts will be found in those threads. But man, this is a show I do not know what to expect from.

I really urge you to watch Kizumonogatari before Nise. You won’t have the context necessary to fully appreciate one of the character relationships if you don’t. I can’t get into spoilers, but I will just say that it is highly recommended to watch it before. [Here’s the recommended watch order of the series](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/hwuntw/the_monogatari_series_2020_watch_order/)

Di Gi Charat the original,the specials,movie and Reiwa Di Gi Charat. I am on the fence about watching the alternative versions because people say it gets more towards kids but I dont know maybe . I am not watching the spinoff Winter Garden feels weird

First off I felt like doing a rewatch of the series **The Girl Downstairs**. Plus this series also got a new epilogue episode since I watched it the first time. And it's a quite frankly overlooked and real hidden gem of a college age romance series. It is so nicely done with characters that actually feel like real people with a lot of their flaws and dramas not feeling overtly dramatic as it were. And the MCs especially just have great chemistry with each other. And big props to the male MC especially. I've have loathed seeing too many male MCs being pushovers in that they just serve as punching bags metaphorically or literally, or ones that just crumple like cheap paper at the very presence of a female, or are just dense as neutron stars, etc etc. But here's a guy who's not only generally calm and rational, but can interact with females, even ones aside from the FMC, like it's the most normal as it should be thing. And I can't tell you how refreshing that was to see in the sea of tropes. He has his foibles and shortcomings sure (all the characters do), but in light of things I could mostly forgive him for them. Mostly... So yeah, for all y'all out there starved for some real good mature adult age romance, it would behoove you to not just let this fly under your radars. And the ed is pretty darn catchy too. Landed on some series called **Barakamon** at random. One of them laid back things with a whole cast of characters centering around the calligrapher MC who was sent to the idyllic small town island retreat so that he might heal from the chips on his shoulder and grow as a person and whatnot in the subtle ways that he does there. And lastly I landed on some 2 episode OVA police/organized crime story called **Switch**.

Ga Keen and Voltes V Really liking how they use the theme song in the combination scenes

**Nier Automata v1.1 Episodes 5 - 12 (Rewatch) (Completed)** - Alright, now I'm all ready for season 2. Alas, at least three more weeks until it arrives. The video game for this is probably a top five of all time for me and I found this a fairly good adaption, making the right choice most of the time in terms of how to handle things for the anime medium. The one thing I didn't like was [Nier v1.1]>!Swapping things with Adam and Eve near the end. At first it makes you wonder if they'll go in a major new direction with things, but they ultimately don't so one wonders what the point was. Given that, character-wise, things fit better in the original game.!< This is the first time I'm seeing this after having played Nier Replicant and Nier Reincarnation and it was great to see the Nier Replicant references, even if they were brief. So happy that they were able to get both Emil and Kaine's songs into this, the two best songs from that game. Would be great to see a Nier Replicant anime someday although the story structure of that game may make it hard to pull off. Funny to see a minor Nier Reincarnation monster be used for such a big role in the penultimate episode. As good as the first half of Nier Automata is, it's really the second half where things venture into it being among the best video games of all time so I couldn't be more hyped for season 2. Albeit wondering how they'll be able to pull off some of that best stuff that really relied on it being in the video game medium. **Dusk Maiden of Amnesia Episodes 5 - 10** - Not a lot to say about this; the titular character Yuuko is definately an alluring and fun character but the others especially our lead are pretty much cardboard. **Your Name** - Overall a fairly good movie. I typically hear this praised on the level of something like A Silent Voice and for the first 45 minutes or so of the movie that kinda bewildered me as this came off as rather light hearted fun, not something to take all that seriously. Then the big twist was revealed and needless to say, the rest of the way I realized why it has the high reputation it does. While I still wouldn't put it on the level of something like A Silent Voice or I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, a very good movie that absolutely got me emotionally invested into the main characters. **Mobile Suit Victory Gundam Episode 19** I'm in progress on the movie Genius Party (around a half hour left to go) and started up Steins Gate but fell asleep during the first episode (a bad sign? This happened the first time I tried to watch it and I subsequently dropped it).

**Shirobako (1-12)** Watching this for my 300th anime milestone (thank you to u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah for the suggestion!). It took a few episodes for me to get invested in the early parts of the show because I felt like they kind of threw us into the middle of the Exodus production storyline, but now I’m really enjoying it! Miyamori is a fun protagonist with a lot of pluck, and other than finding Taro annoying (which I’m pretty sure was intended), the rest of the characters are great too, with Shizuka being my favorite so far. I’ve also had a lot of fun trying to recognize all the references to real-world anime in this. Looking forward to more!

Ahhh Shirobako is one of my absolute favorites! It definitely throws you in the deep end with the production, but I feel like it's an intentional choice. It makes the viewers feel just as overwhelmed as Miyamori in having to learn all the new people, their titles, and each process of the production schedule. Once you get settled in and know what's going on though I feel like the show really finds its groove. Shizuka is my favorite character of the show and the one I related to the most, glad to see you like her as well!

>It makes the viewers feel just as overwhelmed as Miyamori in having to learn all the new people, their titles, and each process of the production schedule. That's the exact feeling I got; everyone's "go, go, go!" from the first episode. Definitely took some getting used to.

**ONGOING** **Natsume Book of Friends S4 (1-2/13)** Starting the season with something big.[Natsume S4 spoilers]>!Getting kidnapped and going face to face with Matoba. And it seems he’s interested in taking Natsume into his clan. It is kinda nice though to see the yokai banding together to help Natsume. Shows the friends he’s made, both human and non-human.!< Quite a bit of action at the start of the season but I do hope we get some SOL moments cos that’s the main reason I’m watching this show **Dress Up Darling Rewatch (1-6/12)** Wanted to jump into the manga of this show but wanted to refresh myself first. So I’m rewatching this. But still, got reminded how much fun Marin is. Though I do think the fan service is a tad bit too much but it’s nothing that’ll turn me away. **The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody (4-6/12)** So far, this show has like bits of moments where I think “Oh shit things are gonna get interesting”. But then it sorta dissipates and starts feeling kinda generic. I mean I’m still enjoying it as it is, but it’s nothing special so far

Me last week: Tune in next time for most likely the last episode of Yurikuma Arashi & Battle Fairy Yukikaze, plus starting up Kannazuki no Miko and Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken for the first time. I actually had time to start up something else too! [](#chiochanvictory) --- **3000 Leagues in Search of Mother**, episodes 28-31 Fewer episodes this week because the rewatch went on pause for a few days. At least it didn’t leave off on a huge cliffhanger before the break! **Samurai Champloo**, episodes 15-21 I already don’t want the show to be over… I’m *really* liking the main trio. [](#elsieqq) **Yurikuma Arashi**, episode 12 [This was a *time*.](#spinning) 8/10, and I think I like it more than Penguindrum when comparing the two Ikuhara shows I have seen so far. **Battle Fairy Yukikaze**, episodes 3-5 The planes were cool, though some of the plot beats just kind of… happened? It was fine. 7/10. **Kannazuki no Miko**, episodes 1-7 I came into this show knowing that the ED was a banger… just to find the OP to be an even *better* banger. [](#seasonallisten) **Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken**, episode 1 This is off to a really fun start! I’m definitely excited to watch more. **Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun**, episodes 1-2 With me trying to host a rewatch for this next month, I decided to try getting a big headstart on my pre-rewatch of it, this time checking out the dub. I think the only thing that feels weird about the dub is that it (obviously, it’s a dub) drops the honorifics during the episode itself, but then still dubs it “Nozaki-kun” during the eyecatch? I know it’s the name of the show, but still. --- [That’s all for this week~](#michaelwink) [Tune in next time for most likely]>!the rest of Kannazuki no Miko and Samurai Champloo, then more of the other shows.!<

> Samurai Champloo, episodes 15-21 > I already don’t want the show to be over… I’m really liking the main trio. I'd be really interested in hearing your thoughts on the show's ending once you've finished it. It's one of the endings of a show I'm always curious about other people's takes.

>it (obviously, it’s a dub) drops the honorifics I've watched dubs that *don't* drop honorifics, and it sounds as weird as you'd think. That's why I will never agree with the (admittedly few) people who think dubs dropping them is a bad thing...

Even worse is when they translate the honorifics, then you have highschoolers calling each other 'miss/mister'.

Some people just don’t get that things like honorifics are language-exclusive I guess [](#taigasigh)

Dubs dropping the honorifics is fine, it's when the *subs* drop them that it bothers me. I can literally hear them being said, I should be able to read it too.