Slowly, but surely, my skills grow.
Reminder: Any and all scores presented in this post are entirely representative of my current mindset. As I have more time to consider shows, my feelings and understanding of the final product will be more likely to change. A good way to consider it is that this is my raw personal opinion in regards to the show, more than a critical review, since my recommendations do, apparently, warrant attention every now and then. Not that I understand why.
Season Wrap-up: Completed Shows
Uma Musume Pretty Derby
This is absolutely the scene that won me over to this show's bullshit.
An anime that is as stupid and moronic as the premise of "the noble spirits of noble horses in our world being reborn as horse girls in another who compete in races as idols" suggests. In spite of this show's mind-numbing stupidity and ear-ruiningly awful audio mixing, I won't deny that I found myself enjoying it to a small degree. This enjoyment doesn't come from the pointlessness of the show itself, but the surprisingly self-aware humor that pokes fun at how ridiculous life would be for these horse girls. Still, when a show actively states that all of this was pointless in the end, that isn't a good reason to recommend it to others. 4/10. 5/5.
Tokyo Ghoul:re
"Hey, Haise, have you ever heard of something called 'self-cest?'"
After such a long hiatus and a non-ending to Tokyo Ghoul √A, I'm surprised I actually cared enough to give this show a shot. While I will say I liked it and found it tense, it is a weird feeling when I'm watching a show just a couple of side characters and the wtf nonsense that surrounds the "new" character of Sasaki Haise. I did not care at all for the Quinx Squad and found their stories to be half-baked at best. Props where it's due, though, this season did a great job making the differences between √A and that portion of the manga totally irrelevant. I'm cautiously curious to see where this edgelord-tastic series goes, but that's a better opinion than I had the last time this series ended. 7/10. 3/5.
Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii
You take that back! DBZ is a treasure and so are you!
A weird and quirky comedy about a couple of nerds as they navigate the world of dating and love while staying true to themselves, something they aren't used to doing in a relationship. To make their relationship all the more awkward, they've been friends for years and are forced to wonder if they're just settling for convenience. While this show does get to the heart of some real relationship problems, I think I stuck with it because of how much it reminds me of a few people I know that are near parallels to these main characters. While the comedy of this show isn't perfect, it hit all the right notes for me and offered a fairly compelling glance into the world of otaku relationships. 7/10. 4/5.
Hinamatsuri
Seriously, just go watch this fucking stupid show. You won't regret it.
For a show that starts with a super-powered naked girl appearing in a yakuza's apartment, I have to say I fell in love with this show on a level I could not even imagine. It's dry, absurd, and slapstick brand of humor is on a level I just couldn't handle without laughing my ass off at least once an episode. While the supernatural hijinx are relatively rare, they work when they're present and work when they aren't. Beyond the comedy, though, there's also a weird amount of heart to this allegory for the absurdity of the Japanese working world and parenting in general that made me actually care about this insane, stupid, lovable idiots. Though it might take a couple episodes to get into this show's groove, it is nothing short of amazing once it clicks. 8/10. 5/5.
Gurazeni
In retrospect, I've come to realize that Bonda is kind of a shitheel. Yet I love him anyway.
Sports have never really been my thing, yet I have to say I found myself wholly engaged with this weirdly masculine slice of life comedy that is built entirely around the lives of professional baseball players. Though the comedy is bland at best and there are a few things, commentary-wise, that annoy me, I appreciated this glimpse into this part of the world that I know nothing about. In many ways, it was kind of like watching anime for the first time, since I knew nothing of what trends, ideas, or jokes would fill this show's 12 episode run. It was new and different and not all that bad. It wasn't great either but it did its job well enough. 6/10. 4/5.
Amanchu! Advance
Too bad this show let it's imagination run wild, effectively ruining
the down-to-earth charm that drew me in in the first place.
Put simply, this second season is absolutely awful and undermined everything the first season worked to create. With the introduction of a male romance that instantly invalidated the appeal of the first season, a magical aspect that ruined the power of natural beauty in this world, and several new characters that only distracted from the main cast, it was clear that this show's creative power was running on empty just as the second season started. It is an embarrassment at best and wholly offensive at its worst, making it nearly impossible to recommend this series at all now, regardless of how much I loved the first season. 4/10. 1/5.
Shokugeki no Soma: The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc
You know this image nearly perfectly describes this show; it's a mess, but a an appealingly creative one.
Same old Soma, same old pervy shounen bullshit. Not much is all that different with this arc outside of OH MY GOD THERE'S TRAINS!!! In all seriousness, though, this season did a great job of raising the stakes as we move into what may well be the final arc with Azami as the big bad of this show. It fleshed out the stakes, threw some curve balls I didn't see coming, and generally acted a little smuttier than we've seen in the past (hard to believe, I know). It was a great job all around that injected a lot of forward momentum and hype into this show when it needed it most since I was not too keen on the last season. 8/10. 5/5.
Fumikiri Jikan
Christ, why does this show look like it could dissolve into a porno at any moment?
I don't know what I was expecting from a show about the quirky interactions between people as they wait at a train stop, but I just did not like this show. Though it got a couple chuckles out of me, those only came from what amounted to a quarter of the short episodes that made up this show. As for the remaining 3/4ths of this show's runtime, it is filled with so much inappropriate and offensive garbage that I actively wanted to kill this show after the first couple episodes. 3/10. 2/5.
Golden Kamuy
If nothing else, this show is worth the watch just so you can revel in the sheer insanity
of the characters' facial expressions. Good thing there are other reasons to watch this show too.
One-quarter wild west treasure hunt. One-quarter historical documentary on the Ainu people. One-quarter foodie anime. One quarter anime Bear Grylls. Add a dash of Berserk to spice things ups and a sprinkling of FMA military designs. That is the recipe to give you this trip of an anime. It's weird, disjointed, quirky, and a tad underwhelming, but there's just something about this organized chaos that makes the sum whole of Golden Kamuy enjoyable. Were I to take a stab at what that "something" might be, I'd say it's probably the show's equally weird but lovable cast of characters that make this whole nonsensical journey worthwhile. 6/10. 5/5.
Uchuu Senkan Tiramisu
Yeah. OK. Sure. That makes sense.
An absurdist space, mecha anime that has all the hallmarks of a pretty standard lampoon. Nothing about this show makes sense or matters in any real sense. Each and every moment exists only to lambaste and mock the inherent insanity of the mecha genre. It is pure nonsense and terrible, but since I'm pretty sure that's the point, I'd say this show is actually pretty great. 6/10. 4/5.
The Legend of the Galactic Heroes - Die Neue These -
That line has so much more meaning to it when you consider this show's stance that,
"If any of this show's themes or ideas seem familiar, it's because these kinds of events
are bound to be repeated again and again throughout history."
I have never seen the original Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but boy does this remake make me want to, especially since this season ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that points to the cyclical nature of war that this show is built on. Supremely thoughtful, creative, and stylish, this military space opera is something I consider a must-see for anyone who loves political dramas. 7/10. 5/5.
Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori
You know, I've never really understood the fujoshi mentality.
Then I watched this show, and it all made sense.
A funny, thoughtful, and strangely compelling story about four dudes (who may or not be gay) who run a traditional Japanese cafe/patisserie. With how weird this show's cast can be, it's hard not to love them and all the tomfoolery they get up to as they work to make their dreams a success. While there are some subtler, more realistic tones to this show's drama, it always finds a way to stay positive and fun in the face of adversity. It might not be the best show this season, but it's one of the few I actively looked forward to every week. 7/10. 4/5.
Megalo Box
Ahahahahahahahahaha. If you think this is all there is to this show, y'all ain't seen nothing yet.
Stylish, simplistic, and straightforward. There is nothing about this show that is particularly new or inventive or thoughtful but damn if it isn't a solid story in its own right. A standard underdog story made all the more intense with the introduction of mech-arm-assisted boxing that could easily kill someone that doesn't miss a beat and gives just enough to be worth the journey. Sure, there isn't much to the story of Gearless Joe, himself, but the show isn't so much about him as it is about his hyper-masculine "fuck you, fight me" journey to the top so he can duke it out with the champ. If anything, I think my favorite thing to note about this show is that it is the boilerplate example of how a "classic" doesn't need to be a "masterpiece" as well. 8/10. 5/5.
Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai
Yeah, this pretty much sums up my feelings.
The most unimaginative, predictable, and pointless romance anime I have ever had the misfortune of suffering through in the hopes that something interesting might happen, Tada-kun is a disappointment right from the word "Go." As much as I'd love to be interested in the characters that fill this show, they are all so basic and tropey that they might as well be a bunch of lamps that follow Tada and Theresa around. Granted, those two main characters aren't that much better. Tada, in spite of his traumatic past and the loss he still hasn't properly dealt with, is nothing more than this stalled, stoic nobody who just happens to be the main character of this show since Theresa, this show's foreign manic pixie dreamgirl, decided to latch on to him. Frankly, it might just be because I've seen these stories so many times that I can't stand them anymore, but I found myself actively growing more and more pissed as I saw every prediction I made for this show come to fruition. 5/10. 3/5.
Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online
If a Battle Royale game actually tried to get away with half the shit this show tries to pull off, I'm pretty sure no one would actually want to play it.
I was initially very interested in what this show had to offer and felt like I might be able to actually enjoy an SAO title for once. Too bad that didn't actually happen. Put plainly, this show is predicated on an absolutely terrible main plot that is only driven forward by contrivance after contrivance until all believability is thrown out the window for stupid hijinx. Like, having a main character that hallucinates conversations with her gun in the midst of battle is a thing that happens in this show, but it is far from the weirdest or most offensive thing to happen in its run. If anything, it's just the Kino's Journey author adding his mark to this terrible franchise. 6/10. 2/5.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu 2nd Season
You know, after watching the hellscape of office politics in Aggretsuko,
the humor of office politics in a literal hellscape is so much more appealing.
After the hiatus this show took, I'm so glad to see it finally return to proper form with all the Japanese mythology and office humor that hooked me in the first place. With this season in particular, we get into the nitty-gritty of all the characters and Hells that were introduced in the first season, along with a few new faces that are just as humorous as the old ones. All in all, this show sticks to being a fairly low-key and underwhelming comedy that offers a lot of situational comedy and food for thought each episode. 7/10. 3/5.
Season Wrap-up: Ongoing Shows
My Hero Academia
To say this has been the best season of MHA thus far might be a bit of an understatement. We're only halfway through this season and we've already gotten to one of the biggest, saddest, and most influential moments this series has seen yet. As I understand it, things only go up from here and I can't wait to see where this show goes from this point on. Too bad the show will be passing where I'm at in the manga within the next episode or two.
Steins;Gate 0
You know that meme from The Office where Michael Scott just screams "NO" a bunch?
Yeah, that is basically playing on loop in my mind as I watch this show. AND I LOVE IT!!!
As the date this show was going to air drew near, I feared that there was no way that this sequel could live up to its predecessor. So, imagine my surprise when this show decided to go all "PLUS ULTRA" and surpassed the original S;G just because it starts off with Okabe at rock bottom as he deals with the effects of failing to reach the True End. It is thoughtful, powerful, well-paced, and takes a lot of turns that I didn't expect as it continually plays off the successes of the first show to drive home its own successes. I definitely wouldn't watch this unless you have seen the first S;G. So, in other words, you should REALLY go watch Steins;Gate.
Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi
Aw man, it's been a hot minute since I suffered through one of these shows.
Does anyone remember an anime call Kamisama Kiss? How about Fruits Basket? Ouran? Yeah, this is another one of those hyper-basic shoujo/otome animes about a girl basically stumbling her way through potentially dangerous situations and surviving because some guys want to bang her and/or she's a good cook. The only difference this time is that it has some Spirited Away vibes thrown in for flavor. To be even more blunt, this show isn't good. I'm almost tempted to say it isn't even OK. I mean, the plot is dramatic garbage that never actually goes anywhere. The animation and art are barely there. So, I'm honestly confused as hell why a show like this is getting a 26 episode run. On what laurels did it win that much screen time? Still, I'm not entirely hating this show so I'll keep watching until I get bored or until my schedule grows so packed that I can't bother anymore. 5/10. 3/5.
Nobunaga no Shinobi: Anegawa Ishiyama-hen
Strangely enough, as this show goes into some of Nobunaga's more extreme and bloody years,
which should be the most historically fascinating, I'm steadily losing interest.
While I'm still interested in this comedic retelling of Nobunaga's conquest, I think my interest is finally starting to wane. There's just not nearly as much humor and things are just growing more and more serious, which is killing the mood that this show was built off of. For example, Chidori is starting to falter under all the guilt she's suddenly gained as she's killed more and more people in the name of her lord. As compelling as that might sound, it blatantly contradicts this show's attempts at being comedic and thus undermines one of this show's main draws. Let's just say I'm a little concerned since I know things only get more and more dire as this show goes on.
Season Wrap-up: Notable, Dropped Shows
High School DxD Hero (5/12)
I realize that DxD was never a "good" show, but I never imagined it could fall this far.
Put plainly, I gave up on this show simply because I didn't care anymore. As bad as Born was, this retcon and new story are absolutely atrocious by comparison. The plot is terrible and is propped up entirely by throwing a new team of "big bads" that are only as powerful as the plot states moment to moment. There's no intrigue to these new events. The new powers Issei gets are even more of an asspull than any he's gained before. Also, can we take a moment to acknowledge how dumb it is that the Welsh Dragon inside Issei is depressed that he doesn't get any action or some shit and has been secretly getting counseling from others to deal with his depression? This shit is garbage and has effectively killed any chance that I'll watch this shit in the future.
Devils Line (3/12)
Oh boy, it's an even more sexist version of Twilight, but with some
Tokyo Ghoul-level edge thrown in for good measure.
Yeah, no, sorry to anyone who cares for this show, but I can only take people trying to rape this show's main female "lead" a certain number of times. This is just actual, toxic garbage that needs to be burned and forgotten, lest people actually try to learn something from this offensive, sexist dreck.
Gegege no Kitarou (12/?)
You know, if you just killed Rat Man like you do every evil youkai, 90% of your problems would be solved.
As important and influential as this property may or may not be, I just couldn't deal with this show's awful use of the "monster of the week" formula. It was dull, pointless, and nearly every problem gets solved through some asspull nonsense that is never alluded to until the moment the plot just drops the answer in Kitarou's lap. It was interesting and tolerable for the first few episodes, but as it became clear that this formula was all I was going to get out of this show week-to-week, I just couldn't be bothered to care anymore.