What Current Anime Are You Watching Version v4.0

[Seto Kaiba]

Still having fun with Birdie Wing... it's not so much taking refuge in audacity as filing for a permament change of address within the borders of audacity.

I'm not 100% sure if it's intentional or not, but it almost feels like a sports anime parody given how often it veers into "What do you meani it's not awesome?" territory.

 

 

5 hours ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

Goblin Slayer S2 has me at a quandary now,   most of S2 so far is Book 7 with a smattering of content from earlier.    The anime has skipped Books 2,3,4 and 6.   And currently is on a drag race through high elf archers sisters wedding arc with much content skipped.    

When I first watched it, I don't think I really appreciated just how much it skips.  Seems like the production committee decided to largely take a pass on any part of the story that doesn't involve goblins... which is a surprising amount for a story named Goblin Slayer.

 

5 hours ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

Shield hero Season 3,  I'm not fully caught up but this series has largely lost my interest.    Only reason why I am still watching is because the group is doing so.

Yeah, it lost me as well.  What was it that put you off it?

For me, it was when the series stopped being a subversion of the usual isekai tropes and started playing things straight.  Naofumi was interesting while he was a hated underdog who pulled the short straw power-wise and not a standard overpowered hero.  Once the king was deposed and his name was cleared, he lost a lot of what made him interesting... and that only got worse once he tried combining the leveling methods of the other heroes and quickly outpaced them all.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

100 girlfriends is just great. I love this show.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

6 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

When I first watched it, I don't think I really appreciated just how much it skips.  Seems like the production committee decided to largely take a pass on any part of the story that doesn't involve goblins... which is a surprising amount for a story named Goblin Slayer.

It really does skip a considerable amount it also seems to sanitize what does happen.    The whole point is to show what Goblins are capable of if left unchecked,  and to remove some of the more graphic content also removes some of the driving force for character development.      At this rate they should wrap book 7 before the end of the season with ease. 

 

6 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Yeah, it lost me as well.  What was it that put you off it?

For me, it was when the series stopped being a subversion of the usual isekai tropes and started playing things straight.  Naofumi was interesting while he was a hated underdog who pulled the short straw power-wise and not a standard overpowered hero.  Once the king was deposed and his name was cleared, he lost a lot of what made him interesting... and that only got worse once he tried combining the leveling methods of the other heroes and quickly outpaced them all.

oooh boy where do I start this..   The part where they started jumping worlds for no rhyme or reason,  or the part where there are now heroes of other classes of heroes.    Or now the waves are pretty much irrelevant and we have to deal with battles of zodiac characters.     Or even better the other cardinal heroes are now all Chumps!   I've got more gripes if you have the patience.. lol

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

Girlfriend, Girlfriend is so over the top.  Mirika is so funny.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

On 11/17/2023 at 6:24 PM, Sanity is Optional said:

This arc has a very long buildup, though we're finally getting to the climax.

I like they tried something different with integrating both Chise and Elias into a more social setting, but yeah the slice-of-life stuff with these quirky teenagers gets boring.

So with Turkey day now behind me,  I got a chance to catch up fully with Ancient Magus Bride S2..  and I see your point now.    Still a very slow overall S2 at this point.  

Also got a chance to catch up mostly with Helck.. and ugh.    not sure I can finish this.

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

Freiren is just awesome.  Todays was great as usual.

[DewPoint]

Well Hametsu no Oukoku looked promising at the beginning, but the story started to go downhill almost immediately.  Episode 7 looked like it was going to turn things around.  Episode 8 continued it's downhill slide with a bunch of failed humor.

I really don't care about any of the characters.  There really isn't much that is likeable.  I probably should have dropped this show sooner. 

[Swann]

Always Baki 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

100 girlfriends was just so funny this week

[Dangard Ace]

Been watching MF Ghost and loving it.   Also helps that it's the successor to Initial D.     Tried to watch that other car anime that came out, Overtake, but the racing just looks bad.  

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

Frieren never disappoints.  I can't wait for a new episode every friday.

 

Shield Hero once again shows me why Atla is one of my favorite characters.

[Seto Kaiba]

Finally finished Birdie Wing the other day.

It was completely insane from start to finish, but the last story arc and the ending were a series of massive copouts inexplicably freighted with Happy Gilmore references of all things...

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

I got nagged into finally completing Bofuri..   complete slog for me.       

 

 

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

I got nagged into finally completing Bofuri..   complete slog for me.       

I had a similar experience there... it's cute, and initially it's funny, but it has exactly one joke.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

18 hours ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

I got nagged into finally completing Bofuri..   complete slog for me.       

 

 

I enjoyed the show.  I found it fun. But I am biased because Mii is voiced by Satou Rina.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

So Fall 2023 is wrapping...  I am still watching a few series but I dropped a few as well.

Sousou no Frieren -  Great series,   starts out really slow and does pick up abit later on.    This series is very much a slow burn,  but I love it.    My pick for Best of this season.

SPY x FAMILY Season 2 -  Another series that did not disappoint,  I would assume that this is more coming as people keep telling me to to read the manga.    Runner up pick for Best of the Fall showings.

Helck -  Objectively this series really never had a proper direction,  was it serious,  was it trying to be funny?    Ended up dropping during the long stint of whoa is me episodes starting around episode 15. 

GOBLIN SLAYER II -  TBH disappointing.    There was plenty of material there to flesh out a decent 2nd season.    Compared to the first this was trash,  mostly due to pacing,  and the amount of cut content.   The ending Demon Hand arc had so much cutout that it could have been its own season.. rather then what 2 episodes?

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Season 3 -   Better then season 2,  but its lost its way.   I don't even know why the Cardinal Heroes exist now,  with all the sub heroes and apparently a nation of randos that negate the Heroes abilities..     Stupid,  Silly,  and Pointless....   mix that in any order and that sums up S3.

Mahou Tsukai no Yome Season 2 Cour 2 -   Kinda stretched on this one,  overall its not as bad as some other titles this season  (shield hero) but it took way too long to get to anything worth of interest.   I stuck with it because of comments made on here about it all setting up the finale.    The finale was good,  but even it couldn't cover the lackluster finale to the 2nd season.    I still prefer the 1st half of the first season.. 

Saihate no Paladin: Tetsusabi no Yama no Ou -   In the end not bad actually.    Another slow burn series,  but this one was much better paced.    I'd stick around for another season if they decide to do it.. 

I have a few others on the back burner and I probably missed some others.       S

Summary for the TLDR folks..   Frieren is awesome Best of this season.. with Spy Family close behind.

 

[Seto Kaiba]

All in all, the Fall 2023 season felt like a really weak collection to me.

There was never any doubt Spy x Family's second season was going to be good, and it did not disappoint.

For me, there was also never any doubt that Goblin Slayer II was going to be a turd.  Much of the attention the first season got was because of how graphic the violence in the first episode was, and much like the first season the story has to skip around a fair bit in the light novel in order to get to the bits with goblins because the light novel suffers the Tomb Raider problem of having exhausted its premise's limited utility very quickly.

Tearmoon Empire showed some initial promise but devolved into an incredibly generic and tedious reincarnation comedy.

I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness was cute but ultimately lacking in substance and rather unsatisfying as a result.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent limped to a pretty weak finish as well, with a chunk of the final episode being a clipshow.

Haven't gotten to start Overtake! yet.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-12-24/the-100-girlfriends-who-really-really-really-really-really-love-you-anime-gets-second-season/.205918

 

One of my favorites this season is getting a 2nd season.

The rest of my season favorites.

Shield Hero. Atla is one of my favorite character.
Frieren

Spy X family.  Especially the trip arc. Yor is my favorite character.

 

[Seto Kaiba]

Well, the new season is starting... the first batch of simulcasts dropped on the major streaming services this afternoon.

Just finished the first episode of Mashle's second season.  It's a weird pivot considering where the previous season ended, but it's still plenty enjoyable.

For now, I've got The Unwanted Undead Adventurer, The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic, and A Sign of Affection on my to-watch list.  More titles are going to become available in the next few days.

I also ended up letting one of my mom's ESL students twist my arm into watching Demon Slayer.  It's... not bad.  Not great... but the main trio have an entertaining dynamic and it's an interesting if not particularly original concept.  IMO its main problem is that it waits far too long to actually develop characters and thus every time a character with any kind of significance dies their death has to be bookended by obnoxiously long, flow-breaking flashbacks to their tragic backstory.  It is rather interesting to see a shounen anime which is more or less fanservice-free up through the first season and movie.  It's running entirely on the strength of its story, which is quite something for that genre these days.

Also went back and started Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and started a rewatch of Tenchi Muyo!'s OVAs with a friend over the holiday.  Frieren is interesting for its premise of your standard fantasy elf who doesn't quite get that other people don't live as long but not being an arse about it like most fantasy elves.

At some point, also gonna go back and watch Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode Oracle since that's become available on Crunchyroll now.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

This season is looking pretty dull so far,  other then Frieren and the 2nd Season from Banished from the Heroes Party that's the jist of it.

My group is planning on watching S2 of Tsuki ga Michibuku Isekai,   and I never watched S1 so doing a quick run through to catch up.

Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha is also apparently on this list.      As well as Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete.   

 

I largely agree with @Seto Kaiba on Demon Slayer  I've only seen up to and including Mugen Train.    It did not hold my interest enough to go past it.    Most shounen anime tend to make me lose interest rather quickly.   I will give it credit that I got through the first season and movie.

 

[Seto Kaiba]

Apparently there's a new season of Blue Exorcist that's also airing... I'd completely forgotten about that series considering how mediocre the first season was, but I guess it's still going.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

The Dangers in My Heart Season 2 started and it was great.  Banished from the hero's party returned and it was also good.

 

One of my favorite books. Welcome to Japan ms elf is getting an anime.

[Seto Kaiba]

2 hours ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

This season is looking pretty dull so far,  other then Frieren and the 2nd Season from Banished from the Heroes Party that's the jist of it.

Yeah... at the outset, Winter 2024 doesn't seem like it's going to be a particularly enjoyable season in terms of anime releases.

The one I really want still has a vague "Coming 2024" release date, but that's a movie... the Overlord movie adapting the Holy Kingdom arc.

Crunchyroll's Winter 2024 lineup is still launching, but it's downright distressing how much of it is third- and fourth-iteration isekai copycat titles.  There's one that popped out at me - The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids - that might as well just retitle itself Borufi: Non-Cutesy Edition.  The Unwanted Undead Adventurer reads like a darker take on Skeleton Knight in Another World, which was itself a ripoff of Overlord's Men of the Kingdom arc, but also The Legendary Hero is Dead.

Isekai is quickly becoming the genre I wish would hurry up and die, much like western superhero movies.  There are a few good and interesting ones, but it's mostly trash.

 

2 hours ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

I largely agree with @Seto Kaiba on Demon Slayer  I've only seen up to and including Mugen Train.    It did not hold my interest enough to go past it.    Most shounen anime tend to make me lose interest rather quickly.   I will give it credit that I got through the first season and movie.

I'm past Mugen Train... but it's still kind of a solid 5/10, maybe 6/10 on a good day.  

It really did make me stop and do a double-take at how similar Demon Slayer's Tanjiro and My Hero Academia's Midoriya are... right down to their color motifs.  Is this just the era of protagonists having to be whiny doormats?

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

19 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Yeah... at the outset, Winter 2024 doesn't seem like it's going to be a particularly enjoyable season in terms of anime releases.

The one I really want still has a vague "Coming 2024" release date, but that's a movie... the Overlord movie adapting the Holy Kingdom arc.

Crunchyroll's Winter 2024 lineup is still launching, but it's downright distressing how much of it is third- and fourth-iteration isekai copycat titles.  There's one that popped out at me - The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids - that might as well just retitle itself Borufi: Non-Cutesy Edition.  The Unwanted Undead Adventurer reads like a darker take on Skeleton Knight in Another World, which was itself a ripoff of Overlord's Men of the Kingdom arc, but also The Legendary Hero is Dead.

Isekai is quickly becoming the genre I wish would hurry up and die, much like western superhero movies.  There are a few good and interesting ones, but it's mostly trash.

 

I'm past Mugen Train... but it's still kind of a solid 5/10, maybe 6/10 on a good day.  

It really did make me stop and do a double-take at how similar Demon Slayer's Tanjiro and My Hero Academia's Midoriya are... right down to their color motifs.  Is this just the era of protagonists having to be whiny doormats?

You are right.  I am shocked how many shows I am watching are isekai, 

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

You are right.  I am shocked how many shows I am watching are isekai, 

I’m shocked that I’ve lost interest in anime, mostly due to Isekai

[Seto Kaiba]

3 hours ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

You are right.  I am shocked how many shows I am watching are isekai, 

Yeah, it's actually kind of depressing how many shows in Crunchyroll's Winter 2024 lineup are isekai or at least isekai-adjacent with the whole "fantasy world that arbitrarily runs on JRPG or MMORPG logic" schtick.

The only titles I've found in that genre that I've considered actually good or at least interesting are the ones that subvert the genre's usual power fantasy formula... Overlord for its protagonist being an overpowered villain, Youjo Senki for its "god hates me specifically" plot and its protagonist who wants anything BUT fame and power, KonoSuba for its heroes being a pack of incredibly dysfunctional morons, Re:Zero for its unstinting commitment to reality ensuing WRT a useless hikikomori being equally useless in a fantasy world too, and Ascendance of a Bookworm for its protagonist being thoroughly uninterested in ANY isekai shenanigans (or indeed anything outside of her monomaniacal desire for books).

So much of what that genre produces is so transparently derivative of a handful of first-gen plots that the whole genre feels like shovelware sometimes.

 

 

Still... gonna give the season's new offerings a whirl.

I've already tried the first episode of Mashle's second season and found it... ok, but not great.  Weird pivot to Mash's lack of magic suddenly being out in the open with no preamble and now having to Prove His Worth, but hey... if they wanna mess with a man who could probably punch god to death over a cream puff, so be it right?  Mash is just Saitama with hair, in off-brand Harry Potter.

My next port of call is A Sign of Affection, a romance comedy series about a deaf college student and a young man she takes a fancy to after he helps her out with a tourist who doesn't understand she can't hear him.  The shoujo manga art style shines through this one's animated art style to an almost distressing extent... the original artist clearly has a type.  No judgement, just... every single man is tall, slim, with a narrow face, and big pouty lips.  It's like a island of misfit boy band members.  The series does take considerable care to emphasize the social complications involved in having a disability and having to explain that disability to others.  The launching point for the romance seems to be that Itsuomi (the lead man in the story) consistently puts in the effort to make things easier for Yuki (the main character).  It is relentlessly cute.  I'm interested to see where this one goes.

[Seto Kaiba]

The Strongest Tank's Labyrinth Raids is pretty thinly written standard "the world runs on RPG logic" fare... it's halfway to being Bofuri but without the conceit of being in a VR MMO, with the hero being a tank who's kicked from the standard fantasy hero's party so the hero can expand his harem with more girls and discovering he's got defense skills that make him stupidly broken.  It feels very... half-assed?  Quarter assed even.  The first episode feels like the product of an isekai/MMO series mad lib.

Banished from the Hero's Party season two is pretty unremarkable stuff as well.

Tomorrow over lunch I'll probably tackle Tales of Wedding Rings or The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

So did a speedrun through Tsuki ga Michibuku Isekai..  and meh.      Its not terrible but not that great either,  the MC is not very bright and it shows.    S2 is gonna be rough I think.

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

My top 3 for the season, zero are isekai.

 

Bottom Character Tomozaki-kun

Banished from hero's party

The Dangers in my heart

 

The strange thing is they are all sequels.

 

Also Frieren but it a holdover.

 

I am watching a few more shows but none seem to grab my attention yet.

19 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Yeah, it's actually kind of depressing how many shows in Crunchyroll's Winter 2024 lineup are isekai or at least isekai-adjacent with the whole "fantasy world that arbitrarily runs on JRPG or MMORPG logic" schtick.

The only titles I've found in that genre that I've considered actually good or at least interesting are the ones that subvert the genre's usual power fantasy formula... Overlord for its protagonist being an overpowered villain, Youjo Senki for its "god hates me specifically" plot and its protagonist who wants anything BUT fame and power, KonoSuba for its heroes being a pack of incredibly dysfunctional morons, Re:Zero for its unstinting commitment to reality ensuing WRT a useless hikikomori being equally useless in a fantasy world too, and Ascendance of a Bookworm for its protagonist being thoroughly uninterested in ANY isekai shenanigans (or indeed anything outside of her monomaniacal desire for books).

So much of what that genre produces is so transparently derivative of a handful of first-gen plots that the whole genre feels like shovelware sometimes.

 

 

Still... gonna give the season's new offerings a whirl.

I've already tried the first episode of Mashle's second season and found it... ok, but not great.  Weird pivot to Mash's lack of magic suddenly being out in the open with no preamble and now having to Prove His Worth, but hey... if they wanna mess with a man who could probably punch god to death over a cream puff, so be it right?  Mash is just Saitama with hair, in off-brand Harry Potter.

My next port of call is A Sign of Affection, a romance comedy series about a deaf college student and a young man she takes a fancy to after he helps her out with a tourist who doesn't understand she can't hear him.  The shoujo manga art style shines through this one's animated art style to an almost distressing extent... the original artist clearly has a type.  No judgement, just... every single man is tall, slim, with a narrow face, and big pouty lips.  It's like a island of misfit boy band members.  The series does take considerable care to emphasize the social complications involved in having a disability and having to explain that disability to others.  The launching point for the romance seems to be that Itsuomi (the lead man in the story) consistently puts in the effort to make things easier for Yuki (the main character).  It is relentlessly cute.  I'm interested to see where this one goes.

Konosuba and Rezero are definitely some of my isekai favorites.  There is a new isekai coming out called Welcome to Japan ms elf.  It is a diffrent kind of Isekai.

[Sanity is Optional]

Watched ep 1 of 7th loop Villainess (or w/e it'll end up being called). Actually, I quite enjoyed it. Seems like the main character is intelligent, proactive, and self-actualized. She's not moping over repeated deaths or specific people or mistakes. Seems very much a "make the best of things" type personality so far, which is a breath of fresh air.

Edited January 8 by Sanity is Optional

[Seto Kaiba]

Decided to go for one that dropped today, Villain-san's Day Off... a comedy about what a standard tokusatsu villain does in his copious free time when he's not fighting teenagers with attitude.  It seems to mostly consist of a tall and fairly intimidating gentleman doing ordinary everyday things with an incredibly overdramatic voiceover to remind the audience of the conceit that he's a card-carrying villain when he's on the clock.

It's... wholesome?  A little funny, but mostly just kind of slightly silly.

 

Also went for 7th Time Loop: the Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy.  We've been seeing a lot of these otome game-type shows lately, and most of them are pretty weak stuff so my hopes are not high going in.  At the very least, the production values are higher than Tearmoon Empire or I'm the Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss.  An awful lotta blood and dying for the start of an otome storyline though... yeesh.  Lotta disembowelings too.  Starts pretty much the same as all the others too... the usual "the prince cancelled his engagement for a flimsy reason and now the main girl is running off to romance the bad guy" schtick.  (It is mildly amusing that the first episode is basically just a very long tale of the universe repeatedly going "Would you please stop getting caught up in a war and dying?".)

[pengbuzz]

Decided to finally watch a short 3-part OVA: Cyber City Oedo 808

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

Here we go again. Another isekai started. Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord.  I really did not feel this one.  it is on the 3 episode rule.

[Seto Kaiba]

Started The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic... and barely five minutes in I'm already feeling like this show has lost me.

If your first episode exists to grab the attention of the audience and hold onto it, all I can say to describe this one is "butterfingers".  Like, ok... isekai stories always take a minute or two to establish that the soon-to-be isekai'd protagonist is a loser, a shut-in, or otherwise just kind of a no-hoper.*  This series spends a good seven-and-a-half minutes on the main character all but turning to the camera and directly stating "Golly, I'm so ordinary and unremarkable I sure hope I don't have anything interesting happen to me like getting isekai'd!".

Honestly, the whole premise of "Standard Western Fantasy Kingdom summons X many Japanese high school students across realities to be The Hero and defeat the Demon Lord" is so overused that it's impossible to take seriously.  It was novel the first few times, but it has become a Default Trope to the point that it feels like "It was a dark and stormy night" levels of bad writing to use it.  The introduction to the main storyline here is so form letter that it's actually kind of hard to watch.  Really, the only thing livening the proceedings up at all is the student council president who got isekai'd with her VP and the random student seems to be getting off on it.  The rest is just a slightly less lazy version of Isekai Cheat Magician with the protagonist having an affinity for a rare/obscure type of magic that he wrong-contexts into being overpowered.

 

* Outside of the rare exceptions like Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari or The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious where the whole joke is that the protagonist is unnervingly hypercompetent, or the even rarer situations like Youjo Senki where the protagonist is a proper adult who nevertheless runs afoul of truck-kun because they decided to nitpick The Powers That Be.

[JB0]

1 hour ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Really, the only thing livening the proceedings up at all is the student council president who got isekai'd with her VP and the random student seems to be getting off on it. 

Having read a bit of the manga... overexcited student council president is by far the best part, and her's is the story I WANT to be taking in.