What Current Anime Are You Watching Version v4.0

[Seto Kaiba]

Tearmoon Empire has an interesting premise oddly reminiscent of the work of Kotaro Uchikoshi (Zero Escape series) and Tappei Nagatsuki (Re:Zero).

In a nondescript medieval fantasy setting, the Tearmoon Empire is overthrown by a populist revolt similar to the French Revolution due to the corruption and excesses of its ruling noble class and 20 year old First Princess Mia Luna Tearmoon is publicly executed by guillotine after three years of imprisonment for her crimes.  For reasons unknown, when she dies her consciousness travels back in time eight years to inhabit the body of her twelve year old self.  With the knowledge from her future self's diary that somehow also traveled through time, she sets out to use her future knowledge to change her ways and prevent her future death by preventing the collapse of her nation.

In that sense, it's very reminiscent of the first and third parts of the Uchikoshi's Zero Escape trilogy (999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and Zero Time Dilemma) wherein the protagonist(s) are stuck in a sort of demise-induced time loop in which their consciousness travels back in time to inhabit their past self as they struggle to manipulate events to prevent their demise and/or a larger-scale calamity.

Spoiler

Admittedly, they could probably never get away with adapting the Zero Escape trilogy into an anime now... the catastrophe driving the latter 2/3 of its story being a global pandemic would be a bit too on the nose in a post-COVID world.

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

I am watching The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy and it has been enjoyable.

[Seto Kaiba]

Sitting down to a title from a couple years back... Ghost in the Shell: Arise: the New Movie.

It's really irritating how Arise was done.  A four part OVA, then the recut as a TV series with two extra episodes, then the movie.  It's like the studio was doing everything it could to NOT tell a complete story.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

Tearmoon empire has been rather enjoyable,  This show is different kind of show.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

I'm still playing catch up from last season,  but I am enjoying the few of this season I am following.

 

Sousou no Frieren,  I am really enjoying this show as its surpassed what I expected from it.    I'm behind an episode or 2 but should be caught up this week.

Goblin Slayer S2,  another series that I am enjoying.   I am also familiar with the novels,  definitely not a "lost cause".     I am curious if they are doing some things out of order or if they plan on going back to any of the events prior.

Toaru Ossan no VRMMO Katsudouki,  not much of an MMO or game anime fan TBH.   This series however has tended to lay off the trend of Edge Lording the main character so far.    I am enjoying this much more then the group favorite Log Horizon..

I am holding on Shield Hero S3,  and Spy x Family until I get more free time.    I am hoping Shield Hero S3 is better then the mess S2 was.

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by Stampeed Valkyrie

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of the Rust Mountains has been OK. Nothing great.

[Seto Kaiba]

Kind of disappointed with how Tearmoon Empire has turned out.  

The first episode definitely made it seem like it would be a more serious series, but it's every bit as goofy and comedy-focused as My Next Life as a Villainess.

Definitely enjoying The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch, though it is some pretty generic slice-of-life/comedy fare.

I'm Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness is... pretty unremarkable.  I'm gonna give it a few more episodes to find its feet, but it doesn't feel like it's headed anywhere noteworthy.

[DewPoint]

I decided to give Kusuriya no Hitorigoto a go.  So far so good.  It gives me kinda of a Bookworm type feel without the isekai and world disrupting introducing of items.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

The Saint;s magic is omnipotent is a good way to fall asleep.

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

The Saint;s magic is omnipotent is a good way to fall asleep.

Well, it is basically an otome fantasy series... so it's less about the conflict and the stakes of the world than Sei being surrounded by a crowd of distressingly pretty men who are all interested in her for one reason or another.  It's a different kind of power fantasy from ones aimed at a male audience.

(It is pretty darned tedious, yeah.)

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

1 hour ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Well, it is basically an otome fantasy series... so it's less about the conflict and the stakes of the world than Sei being surrounded by a crowd of distressingly pretty men who are all interested in her for one reason or another.  It's a different kind of power fantasy from ones aimed at a male audience.

(It is pretty darned tedious, yeah.)

I enjoyed the 1st season.  The 2nd just isn't good.

[Spark-O-Matic]

Been watching Be Brave(Brave Series) & other foundational Anime. seems to be a lessor known influence of bigger well known later series. 

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

I am watching Summer time Rendering and it is just awesome. One of the best anime I have watched recently.

[Test_Pilot_2]

Just finished Pluto on Netflix. It was spectacular.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

On 10/23/2023 at 7:25 PM, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of the Rust Mountains has been OK. Nothing great.

This is disappointing to hear,  I know that S1 took up most its run by setting up the MC.   Looks like we'll be screening this tonight so I will give some feedback then.

[Raikkonen]

About to start Pluto. Animation looks glorious. 

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

I finished Summer time Rendering.  It was just awesome.  9/10 for me.

[Seto Kaiba]

The Legendary Hero is Dead isn't bad... could be better.

The story's premise would be more interesting if handled differently.  Namely, that a standard fantasy anime Idiot Hero is accidentally slain when he blunders into an anti-monster pitfall trap on a random farmer's property and his body is reanimated by a necromancer using the soul of the farmer in question, who has to impersonate the hero on his mission to save the world.  The series is pretty fanservice-heavy, but once it gets about halfway into the season it finally starts dropping the hero's extremely specific obsession with stockings it becomes a lot more tolerable.

If it weren't so devoted to its fanservice, it'd probably be a lot more interesting than it is since the protagonist has to think his way around problems instead of relying on the brute force of the Chosen One's overwhelming power and hide the fact that he doesn't even have enough magic to properly maintain his undead body.

Edited October 29, 2023 by Seto Kaiba
After a few more episodes, I've revised my opinion a bit.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

I am on too another sad show Tokyo Magnitude 8.0.

[DewPoint]

I couldn't get myself to watch Tokyo Magnitude 8.0.  Maybe one day...

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

15 hours ago, DewPoint said:

I couldn't get myself to watch Tokyo Magnitude 8.0.  Maybe one day...

I hear the later half is very sad.  But after watching Clannad After Story I doubt anything could be worse..

[M'Kyuun]

Just finished Blue Eyed Samurai on Netflix- my wife and I started it yesterday and finished it today. Just wow. This show is superb, from writing to animation to voice acting, to the motion capture work. The plot is a little boilerplate for a revenge show, but the pacing is well-done. If this show doesn't warrant at least another season, somebody making decisions at Netflix needs to be fired.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

The magus bride s2 is just so boring. I loved the 1st.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

14 minutes ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

The magus bride s2 is just so boring. I loved the 1st.

Yeah,  its been on a steady downward trend starting with the 2nd half of the first season.     I am still a few episodes behind on S2 Part 2.

 

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

58 minutes ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

Yeah,  its been on a steady downward trend starting with the 2nd half of the first season.     I am still a few episodes behind on S2 Part 2.

 

 

I have a hard time trying to keep up with show. 

[Sanity is Optional]

On 11/15/2023 at 12:41 PM, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

The magus bride s2 is just so boring. I loved the 1st.

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.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

14 minutes ago, 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.

I couldn't care less about any of the other characters.  I like Chise and Elias together.

[m0n5t3r]

On 11/15/2023 at 4:33 PM, M'Kyuun said:

Just finished Blue Eyed Samurai on Netflix- my wife and I started it yesterday and finished it today. Just wow. This show is superb, from writing to animation to voice acting, to the motion capture work. The plot is a little boilerplate for a revenge show, but the pacing is well-done. If this show doesn't warrant at least another season, somebody making decisions at Netflix needs to be fired.

Liked it too. Hoping for more... at least 2 more seasons looking for the other 2 "white man" before the eventual "I am your father" reveal. It was a nice break from watching in Japanese and reading subtitles, lol.

[m0n5t3r]

On 10/28/2023 at 3:12 AM, Raikkonen said:

About to start Pluto. Animation looks glorious. 

 

Took a peek at the first episode. Does look good... 1 hr. per ep. . I'll get into Pluto after I'm done with Nerflix's Onimusha which I thought I could watch in English esp. after just finishing Blue Eye Samurai... but I really like listening to Batou's voice 

[Seto Kaiba]

Since it got a second season... somehow... I'm rewatching Birdie Wing - Golf Girls' Story from the start and it's every bit as gloriously insane as I remember it being.

Sports anime is a bit over the top at the best of times, and titles covering more niche areas of athletic endeavor tend to play up the popularity of the sport a bit... but none go as far as Birdie Wing.  The first season is set largely in a fictional European country called Nafreece that is absolutely daffy for golf that it's seemingly not just their only sport but the only form of entertainment they have at all.  So much so that refugees and orphans make a living hustling people on one-hole golf matches, they have rigged back-alley putting greens instead of conmen running three card monte, and the mafia has elaborate underground indoor golf courses they use for illegal gambling and settling territorial disputes.

(The two prominent rival golf coaches in the series are voiced by Tooru Furuya and Shuuichi Ikeda, and the series is inexplicably obsessed with gunpla too...)

[Scyla]

41 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Since it got a second season... somehow... I'm rewatching Birdie Wing - Golf Girls' Story from the start and it's every bit as gloriously insane as I remember it being.

Sports anime is a bit over the top at the best of times, and titles covering more niche areas of athletic endeavor tend to play up the popularity of the sport a bit... but none go as far as Birdie Wing.  The first season is set largely in a fictional European country called Nafreece that is absolutely daffy for golf that it's seemingly not just their only sport but the only form of entertainment they have at all.  So much so that refugees and orphans make a living hustling people on one-hole golf matches, they have rigged back-alley putting greens instead of conmen running three card monte, and the mafia has elaborate underground indoor golf courses they use for illegal gambling and settling territorial disputes.

(The two prominent rival golf coaches in the series are voiced by Tooru Furuya and Shuuichi Ikeda, and the series is inexplicably obsessed with gunpla too...)

Yes it is glorious. I was disappointed that it turned to high school antics and did not kept the underground golf going. It also had some curveballs too; I was certain that they both were sisters at the end of the first half of S1.

The reason why to show features Gunpla so heavily is because it is sponsored/produced by Bandai Namco so naturally they want to get some cross promotion in.

I'm having a hard time getting into anime this season.

I started Girlfriend, Girlfriend season 2 but even in a reverse harem show were everyone is (mostly) aware of their feelings they sill can’t get the romance going. If this is an adequate representation about the Japanese youth, I fear for the future of Japan. 

Also started I'm in love with the Villainess but I already read most of the manga (I think) so no surprises there. 

I need to get back to Shield Hero S3. While season 2 was watchable it never reached the greatness that was season 1 so I hope the new episodes will increase the quality of the show.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

Tearmoon Empire is so funny.  Mia is trying so hard.

[Raikkonen]

Started with Unluck Undead. Promising so far. 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

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.    

Sousou no Frieren is the breakout of this season,  Frieren is everywhere on the image boards and Frien is apparently *ahem quite popular as well.    I started reading the manga,  it also helps the mangaka is a fan of Macross.

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.

Hametsu no Oukoku,  another that I am not fully caught up on.   The group dropped this one early because the MC turned into a giant douche.    I'll put this on my list to see if it gets any better,  the first few episodes were pretty graphic. 

Faraway Paladin S2,  Its keeping its slow pacing going they returned the abandoned city that most of S1 was set in and now apparently its starting to pick up abit.    I can see why people would drop this but I am gonna stick with it for now.

Toaru Ossan no VRMMO Katsudouki,  the anti gamer MMO game anime.   Or AKA the game based anime I like because they aren't doing the inside gamer jokes that nobody but gamers get.    I'd say this series is entertaining at least,   nothing to write home about but its good enough to keep going at least for me.

Helck,  honestly I don't even know what is going on with this series,  I am a few episodes behind now and any real draw has long since faded.   I will slog it through to the end.

Mahou Tsukai no Yome Season 2 Cour 2..   Boring.    nothing else to add really.

 

 

 

[Sanity is Optional]

Just going to say that Shagri-La Frontier is my peak anime of the season, even the OP is a banger.