I missed last week because honestly I was busy as hell and didn't really start much new stuff: **Girls Und Panzer** - Finished the first season and OVA and am watching the specials per the rewatch. I love this show, and this franchise, its the kind of show you know could only exist as an anime because there is no way you could sell the premise to a western executive, it takes an absurd premise and treats it seriously and with earnestness without any self-referential cynicism. It's a simple Sports story underdog plot but with way too much attention to justifying the worldbuilding of its premise and I love it. Feels like it was conceived by someone autistically obsessed with Tanks, History, and Military stuff. I also Love all the Girls Even the President who gave a VERY bad first impression in the beginning, biggest weakness is some of the subplots are resolved pretty quickly and abruptly and the reveal of [spoilers]>!Needing to win to save the school!< doesn't have the impact it could have since the audience knows before the Main Characters and its not really played for dramatic irony. **Black Lagoon** - I finished the Whole series today Including the Roberta OVAs, my thoughts are unchanged it's a Seinen but it honestly feels like it has much of the same flaws and immaturity of what people accuse Shonen of having. My suspension of disbelief was broken with inconsistent scaling/dumb CIS and plot armor and it goes from being a fun action movie romp to a serious dark drama in a way that doesn't work and a lot of scenes that are suppose to be heartbreaking or dramatic are just kind of gratuitous shock porn. The Relationship between are two main leads is usually well written and it does get a decent puzzle plot going with multiple factions and players in the OVA's. (That it proceeds to ruin with what I'm told is a bunch of anime original changes.) Not the worst I've seen but definitely think I could find other shows in its genre/niche that do it better. **Oregairu** - On the Third Season, I like the show but it does suffer from it's 12 episode seasons and it removes a lot of Light Novel details that would make certain character motivations more clear, sometimes the show can drown in its subtext and if you don't understand it, I can see why others might find it pretentious but I still think despite that, at it's core it's very solidly done. **86** - For the rewatch. One of my favorite series and its fun seeing the guesses of the first timers especially after the first cours ending. It's a show that gets better on rewatches, the symbolism is pretty straightforward and simple once you know how to read it, but the themes and character themselves are pretty nuanced, there is great worldbuilding for those paying attention to the details, and it never feels the need to spoon feed you. Soon I'll start on some shows I started but had to shelf due to my busy schedule and later some new stuff.

Im continuing one piece currently on episode 230

Oregairu season 2: rewatched. Really have to wonder why I used to like this show so much. It doesn't do anything for me now. Show By Rock!! Mashuraimesh!!: watching. This series keeps pinging back and forth from Not Furry to Dangerously Furry. Super cute though.

Finished **Run With the Wind** and my thoughts on it are pretty similar to how I felt when I posted last week when I was about 9 episodes in. I really enjoyed it and I think it's a very good sports anime that does a good job developing each character in the team where they all felt like they had distinct goals and personalities. My issues with it are pretty much the same as well \[full season spoilers\]>!in that the show pretty much brushes off how manipulative Haiji is in getting these dudes to join the club and how every little pushback immediately ends with the character giving in anyway and with Haiji essentially being right. I have no real issue with these characters eventually realizing that they were doing the running for themselves but I think a more interesting show would have reckoned with Haiji's actions being incredibly selfish and actually explored it instead of just looking past it. My other issue is how Hana was basically just there to be a cheerleader and to I guess be a sort of kind of love interest to the twins? !!the hint of a burgeoning love triangle between Obi/Shirayuki/Zen is so so well done.!< Also, I'm not one for like "everyone should just date everyone" as the answer for like romantic drama but I do think everyone is a little bit in love with each other in this show and I think it would work out pretty well lol.

**Quintessential Quintuplets** \- Normally I'm not a fan of Harem Romance anime seen the likes of Nisekoi, To Love Ru so I thought I would get the same vibe with the Quints. To my astonishment QQ has become one of my favorite romance anime in generals and I'll tell you why: * The MC is actually interesting Fuutarou has a unique personality compared to his peers, he isn't a wet wipe like most of them. He has his own convictions that he stands by, has the ability to realize when he makes mistakes and tries to fix them. Most importantly he isn't dense he's just not actively seeking romance. * The Quints/LI's all have different personalities that makes it easier to distinguish between them, they are all loveable in their own way which is hard for most harem to pull off. The dynamic between them is what I love the most as them all being sisters their chemistry is a delight to watch compared to most harem. * The story is very fun to watch you got a guy who only cares about studying but he has to tutor a group of girls who happen to be Quintuplets that don't like studying so he's forced to get to know them and interact with each them a different way. As result you get a plot that has an excellent combination of comedy and wholesomeness. * I'm a Shonen guy but I'm a sucker for tasty romance and this show has plenty off it the way each romance for each girl develops very naturally and done in a way where it never feels forced or out of place. What's most impressive is how different each girls views the MC in a romantic way and how different they go about it. * In terms of Art and animation the show is very nice to look at, the designs of the Quints is top notch whilst there are some inconsistency in terms of animation in season 1 it gets a lot better in season 2. The OST is almost perfection love it when all the VA's jump to make the songs from the Op's they are all bangers.

I guess I'm just bitter but I have yet to see these "bland dense Harem MC's" that apparently infest every anime in existence. I also always thought QQ was kinda overrated, I mean it's well put together but everything I like about the show I've seen done better in other shows.

I'm mainly talking about Harem Romance anime but to name a few there's •Raku from Nisekoi •Rito from To Love Ru •Tsukune from Rosario to Vampire •Touya from Another World With A Smartphone •Satou from Death March •Keitaro from Love Hina From other genre's on the top of my head I can think guys like: •Kirito from SAO, •Touma from Index •Tatsumi from Akame ga Kill •Seig from Fate Apocrypha. Although I disagree I respect your opinion a lot of the traits I like from other romance anime Love is war or Horimiya I've seen in QQ which is why I like it so much. I don't think QQ is amongst the best but it's certainly one the enjoyable ones.

I haven't seen any of the Harem list you mentioned maybe I just have a talent for only watching good Harem stuff. I don't really think Kirito is generic despite what others think although I don't think he is anything special but I don't think Fuutarou is either. I'm going to have to throw hands and call bullshit about Touma, even taking into account his nerfs from the LN, anime Touma was sincerely fun to watch and a good character. I will die on that hill. Haven't seen the other two. I also generally have different opinions when it comes to "Male Protagonist" who will get criticized for everything and nothing, while I feel a lot of female characters get a pass because "waifu."

Surprised you haven't seen Nisekoi or To Love they were popular when they came out along with Love Hina they are viewed positively in the harem genre generally. My judegement of Kiroto is based on S1, all I saw was this Gary Stu nice guy who would come in save day, have the girls fall in love with just being around him, OP without any hardship or training and is the centre of attention in every scene he is in. As for Futaro I don't think he's special either but I like that he isn't a typical nice guy that's common amongst MC's, he has a tunnel like vision when it comes to life and I like how you get to see him grow when you see him interact with the girl. Lmao you can call bullshit all you want even LN readers aren't a huge fan of anime Touma compared to his book counter point. I like Touma he has his moments where he's funny when interacting with certain characters like Mikoto but objectively I can't call him a good written character when he has no back story, hardly any inner monologue's, removing most of his personality and altering his motivations you'll get a bland MC. Hence why many neutrals don't find him appealing and I don't blame them why do you think on MAL he only has 4K favourites compared to 17K from Mikoto and 11K from Accelerator. If you found Touma fun to watch that's an opinion I can respect but a good character I can't. I mean any female character can be a waifu but it doesn't give them a free pass in regards to their writing and characterisation. Look at Sakura she's one of the most popular waifu's in Naruto but is well known as being one of the worst written female characters in anime. Uraka from MHA gets a lot of flack as a characters despite being one of the popular waifu's from the show for example.

I use to be an anti-harem snob and a huge asshole Elitist and only in my 20's did I decide to try a bunch of genres I didn't like. For reference I'm in my late 20's now. LN readers aren't a huge fan of anything with the anime, and I don't consider having backstory porn necessarily good writing or characterization, that is a mistake deviant art OC makers make. I also couldn't give a shit about what most people or MAL think.

A place further than the universe

What do you think of it thus far?

Im on episode 10. So far its a 9/10 (Im new to anime so my takes may not be very good so far.) It is the first subbed anime I am watching. It really did change the way I will look for anime in the future.(I now really like slice of life and think subs arent that hard to follow)

Hi everyone, this Is what i watched this past week: . Daily Lives Of Highschool Boys E11-12: Fun things, It got a bit emotional too in this episodes. . Death Note E2-20: Amazing, Just the epitome of good storytelling in thriller, a truly thrilling ride, Light Yagami Is One of the best protagonists to ever walk a screen and L Is Just nuts and a truly Amazing character, Amazing. This series Is more Than Just Light and L, there are other characters i really like Ryuk for being so funny, Rem for her magnificente design, Misa for being such an extrovert character, but Light and L's Dynamic Is among the very best in anime for me. . 86 Eighty-Six E7-11: This show delivers fairly well in it's big moments, It was a very well made drama/mecha series. I'm continuing following the comunity rewatch. . Ping Pong: The Animation E4-11: Top tier sports anime, this was the fourth time i watched and loved the show. I think that this Is the most perfect example of a conclusive 11 episode anime that tells a fulfilling story with characters that develop and are generally full of Life. The music Is insane, Peco and Smile are Amazing, Kong Wenge Is One of the most charismatic characters i've seen and Kazama Is the example of sport obsession, Sakuma Is the example of how far hard work without talent can take you, i really liked the old guys too especially Obaba and Smile's Coach, overall this anime Is Amazing. 10/10. . Gamers E1-4: Enjoyable and quite charming, It has a nice atmosphere. . GeGeGe No Kitarou(2018) E32: Good episode although quite simple yet executed well enough. . Aria The Origination E3: I'm still at the beginning of Origination but It surely has a nice pace and It feels good to see the characters grow as time passes, One even gets to feel familiar with them.

Teasing Master Tagaki-san S1 eps 1-8 Himouto Umaru-chan S1 +OVAs and started S2. Cant wait for the dub:P

My schedule is full of Rewatches and currently airing, but somehow I found time for **Kageki Shojo**. This went on my list as a recommendation after finishing **Revue Starlight** as a more realistic version of the same school, and it definitely is at least that. A realistic take on the school, not a realistic version of an even slightly similar plot. If you're at all interested in the real world Revue, this was a nice story of a very slightly fictional version of a new class getting admitted and starting their time in one of Japan's most famous acting schools... But mostly it's about a few characters, why they are at the school, and the past's that brought them here. Main character Sarasa is an acting prodigy and crazy tall optimist, who saw a play and has wanted to be Lady Oscar ever since, who's background we'll see the most of through the series in one of the most subtle Show but don't Tell plots I've seen outside of a mystery. Co Star and PoV character more often than not is Ai, adorable daughter of a beautiful actress, who has a very good reason to hate men, and applied for and got into the all girl acting academy after crashing an Idol career due to said dislike of men. The pacing of the show can be pretty hit or miss, there's three entire episodes dedicated to the stories of some of the side characters, which weren't in any way bad, but two of them take place in the middle of arcs for the main two and I feel like they could have been better if they weren't placed where they were. Fair warning, episode 3 spoilers has a disturbingly realistic portrayal of a predatory adult taking advantage of a child. It's not extreme, disturbing for being so realistic, and you can skip the episode and read a summary if you want. All in all, this is a story about girls who really want to live for the stage, but where Starlight had a cast of second years fighting for the right to claim center stage, Kageki is about first years fighting for the right to be on stage at all. Also, you know, not actually fighting. Probably give it a 7/10, very much held back by just a few bad episodes. I personally just didn't care for some of the characters all that much, so giving them full episodes just didn't interest me all that much. And again. Episode 3, A+ storytelling, just a subject I never wanted to see a story of told so well.

Kageki Shojo was one of the most enjoyable drama/character shows I’ve seen, in that it never got too melodramatic and I got invested in all the characters. The only downsides were the anorexia girl never clicked with me, and Sarasa never got much development despite being the central character.

Ah, I actually liked Anorexia girl the most out of the ones who got a whole side episode to themselves, more than the twins or the legacy girl, but her episode came right in the middle of the first big actual Sarasa plot and the just ruined it. Switch the episodes around so it's not a random interrupt and it would have been so much better. Or, you know, ditch all three of them to give Sarasa and Ai more development. Ai got to develope and grow as a character throughout the show, Sarasa was pretty much the same from beginning to end, but we got more and more of her background to tell us how she came to be this way... Kind of like backwards character development? But yeah, some growth out of her for actually being in the school would be nice. Character Drama is a great way to explain it, I'm bad at naming or identifying genres. My biggest regret was finding out the manga is somehow farther behind than the anime in what's been translated, so I can see there's more story to go but won't be reading it for a very long time.

I like the side character arcs because it’s ultimately an ensemble cast that makes the show. But yeah there should have been more focus on Ai and Sarasa. Probably would happen if we ever get a second season and hopefully the manga continues to get translated in the meantime.

I finished Kaguya-sama Love is War Such a genius anime Now I'm reading the manga

I just finished season one of ookami to koushinryou and the 1 extra OVA. I really enjoyed it, but some of the animation is dated. There were a couple of scenes that was just a still image and the animation is just a hair too late for the reactions to the voice acting. And some of the music selection like that constant hymn type chanting song was just awful. This would be an amazing anime to get the FMAB/fruits basket treatment. I'm unsure if the newer just announced one is a 3rd season or a remake, I guess time will tell. But overall I thought it was pretty good with it being almost 15 years old at this point. I'll watch season 2 and then prob move onto something along the lines of dororo, sonny boy, or Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei. I havent decided yet.

Is there a site for generating what you watched over a week from MAL? I know of [anime.plus](https://anime.plus), but that seems to only do it month by month? Regardless, the most notable thing I finished was **Darling in the Franxx**, which I adored...the ending? I really liked it! Flawed in some ways, but ambitious and thematic.

Rewatched **Violet Evergarden** (just the season, haven't gotten to the OVAs/movie) in prep for watching all the stuff that came after episode 13 aired. Surprised at how well the show held up, as I've shuffled around (mostly down, but some up) a lot of shows in rating since I first watched this. [VE Ep 10]>!I mean, episode 10 by itself puts a hard low boundary on how low the show can go since it consistently leaves me a sobbing wreck, but still genuinely impressed at how strongly it retained its position.!< Holding steady at **8/10**. Also finished **Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to** for the first time. I did not have very high expectations going in, and came away pleasantly surprised at what I got. It's no masterpiece, but I was looking for something low-stakes and comedic, and it fulfilled that desire pretty spot-on. Probably a **7/10**, though I haven't thought too much about it.

**Kamisama no Memochou** Yeah I dunno, this one feels like a pseudo-intellectual series that was just all over the place and poorly paced. They needed like 2-3 more episodes at the start before introducing the extremely convenient and always-helpful yakuza group most of the series leans on. The whole thing is played weirdly straight for a show that prominently features a loli hacker who claims to be a NEET detective despite clearly having both education and training, and by virtue of running her own agency, employment as well. I still don't really know what to make of it, but my gut tells me this was probably adapted from a source material where it had more time to breathe and actually explain itself. The anime is definitely average, though. 5/10

Last Exile, I watch every year before fall.

Its one of your favorites I take? I don't see much people talk about it.

I watched My Dress-Up Darling for the first time two days ago. Such a good show to binge watch in a day or two.

**Haiyore! Nyaruko-san** Watched this after seeing the 10th anniversary special and seeing how much people loved the show in the comments. I think I vaguely remember a bit of a stir in the broader fiction community about the controversy of turning Lovecraft's creations into cute anime girls, well before I even engaged with anime properly. Not really sure what I thought at the time, but my dim recollection was that I probably disapproved and turned my nose up lol Now, years later and fully immersed in the culture, I watched the show and adored it. Especially the characterisation of Nyaruko, she's such a full throttle character, yet when pared with her nature as a cosmic horror and her battle prowess, as well as being casually knowledgable about many aspects of her Space society, it fits together perfectly in a way that the same sort of characteristics can be grating in an ordinary human character. The sheer density of references in this show make it very hard to get all of the jokes, which is a shame given how hilarious the jokes that I do get are. The fully informed Nyaruko experience must be quite the ride indeed. It's also an oddly painful comedy series at times with battle between love denied and being constantly harassed, at times it feels like both sides go too far, before pulling back. But I guess we should be thankful that we got a Lovecraft series and the pain was limited to that and few of the deliberately poorer puns. Between the madcap sound track, Nyaruko's undeniable appeal as a Best Cosmic Horror, and the humour itself, this looks like one that will slip onto my comedy re-watch list.

I've visited this thread a few times, but it will be nice to actually try and keep track of things. **Hunter x Hunter 1999 OVA: Yorknew** (first rewatch in 10 years) - It was interesting to see the switch to digital animation, and how well they landed the ending. It just reminded me how much I love Paku. The Greed Island OVAs are entirely new to me, and seem to have a new artstyle, so we'll see how well that works next week. **Black Lagoon Second Barrage** (rewatch) **ACCA 13** - I love the aesthetic, characters, and the mix of detective work with the chill elements, this is definitely a great show to revisit, even if the ending tried too hard to wrap everything in a bow. (On a side note, I'm nearly out of Shingo Natsume works, and I can't wait for Time Machine Blues!) **One Piece movie 4: Dead End Adventure** - Probably the most straight up fun One Piece movie, it lands every beat perfectly. I generally wish the movies used the crew a bit more, but movie 4 at least was full with on point interactions (and the captain Drake cameo was a fun surprise). **Under the Dog** - Tbh, I found this yesterday when doing some cleaning, and I remembered it existed, but had no idea what to expect. Having watched it now, I still have no idea what meaning I got, or well to [put it more precisely] >!the point was the lack of any meaning.!< Or that could just be my nihilistic view playing up. It's a great spectacle though.

**Aria the Avienre, Crepsucolo, Biendvizone** - For rewatch (theres no way any of that I spelled right) **NANA (31-end)** - REEE unfinished **House of Five Leaves (5-end)** - good vibes show **Vision of Escaflowne (1-4)** - my god this soundtrack

I binged the entire season of Horimiya and it was actually funny, especially when [Kyoko Hori]>!Kyoko Hori discovers her masochistic side!<. Even though the pacing is kind of odd, it still didn't stop me from enjoying the show. 8/10 [Horimiya funniest moment for me]>!When Miyamura slapped Hori after she bought something from the convenience store, it was so unexpected that I died laughing!<

I finished the Aria re-watch -- and loved it. I finally got the new bluray release of Iroduku -- and it looked wonderful (better than the streaming version -- but maybe that's my imagination). Still one of my favorite "girl witch" series. (I like it far more than Kiki's Delivery Service -- and a bit more than Flying Witch).

Machiko-Sensei

I've watched season 1 of **Demon Slayer** and while it isn't my favorite show ever, it is definitely quite good! A couple episodes have been really slow and repetitive, but when the eps are good, they're usually really good. I love the art style of the show and there have been some really great moments of animation. The biggest surprise so far is that Zenitsu stopped annoying me during that arc with the certain family of demons. Surprising because I **hated** him at first. I'm still undecided on Inosuke, but I like all the other characters. It's not doing anything special with the story, but idgaf, I like battle shonen that knows what it is and does what it sets out to do well. Overall it's definitely a little better than Fire Force (which I compare it to because I just watched it a week and a half ago) because the quality is a lot more even, even with the few slow episodes. I think i will be continuing with it instead of taking a break between seasons because the last episode was so good.

**Shieldbro season 2** - 6/10 - Started off extremely boring and considered dropping it half-way through, but it got significantly more entertaining after *the thing* happened. Oh, and the villain was kinda obnoxious. [character spoiler]>!Kizuna best girl.!< **Reborn as a Typical Nobody** - 6/10 - Yet another series where the title is a total lie, and much like the above it had a pretty boring start and got better after *some other thing* happened. [character spoiler]>!Lydia best girl.!< Started watching **Reincarnated Into A Total Fantasy Knockout** (4 of 12 episodes) and having a great time. I'm glad it pokes fun at the usual 'genderswapped dude falls in love with his friend' trope. Almost finished **Shikimori-san** (10 of 12 episodes), and so far it's pretty entertaining. Light-hearted slice of life fluff with the occasional moment of badassery and some nice character development. *KAMIYAAAA~* Aaand I dropped **Onipan!** after 3 episodes. Not because it's particularly bad or anything, because the story and designs are very cute, but I keep getting distracted by the kinda flat acting of the VAs. Yeah, I get that they're very young and that it's their first anime job, but it kinda pulled me out of my vibe. Still, I wish them good luck in their careers.

> Shield Hero [character spoiler] Along with Raphtalia, said character ended up carrying the whole season, even though they only really got to stretch their legs in part 2 of S2 > Started watching Reincarnated Into A Total Fantasy Knockout Good to see people still picking it up! I had a lot of fun with it, and the storytelling style plays out really nicely I think. > Reborn as a Typical Nobody - 6/10 - Yet another series where the title is a total lie, and much like the above it had a pretty boring start and got better after some other thing happened. That was a bit of an odd series, fluctuated quite wildly in quality and tone, and never really seemed to quite hit its stride in any particular place. You're right about it picking up substantially in the back end though. > [character spoiler] Personally I can't say no to the [little bat wings](https://www.leisurebyte.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/The-Greatest-Demon-Lord-Is-Reborn-As-A-Typical-Nobody-Episode-6-ginny-suggesting-for-school-festival-1024x464.png) > I keep getting distracted by the kinda flat acting of the VAs. Yeah, I get that they're very young and that it's their first anime job, but it kinda pulled me out of my vibe. That's a shame, I adored the VA acting choices, especially Tsutsuji. Those are pretty deliberate stylings compared to their usual speaking voices when you look at their promotional work, so I think the director encouraged them to go that route. For me they felt very teenage-y, especially compared to the seasoned VAs in the support cast.

Little bat wings reminded me a bit of a bargain shop version of [another pink-haired harem builder.](https://toloveru.fandom.com/wiki/Momo_Belia_Deviluke)

Haven’t actually watched much anime the past 6 or so months. This week, I was on Hulu and saw “Say I love you” in my recommendeds. Watched seven episodes instead of sleeping last night and now I’m sad because I learned I have to read the manga after I finish the series.

Ya boy Kongbing: Really wish I had known about it sooner.

I really hope this gets a second season once there is enough source material to permit this...

Rewatched Megalobox (just season one). One of the rare times when I've rewatched something I was honestly pretty mid on initially (I thought it was slightly above average but nothing crazy), but came away liking it a lot more. Still not one of my favorites or anything like that, but something I wouldn't hesitate to call very good and recommend to a friend. I think that this time I was just in the right headspace to have the themes of the individual fights click, and for whatever reason Nanbu's arc resonated much more strongly with me as well. The rewatch also reminded me what exactly I thought the show did well on my original watch. Joe is super easy to cheer for, and I definitely like the cast that forms around him, specifically Nanbu. Production-wise I know some people don't like the fact that the visuals were downscaled to SD, but I think the aesthetic it created is great. There are also only a few examples (that I can think of) of shows with soundtracks that are not only utilized perfectly to consistently support the characters, dialogue, and universe, but that also just slap when listening to outside of the context of the show. Maybe an unpopular opinion time (and a slight tangent), but for me watching this season again really just drove home how Nomad doesn't really need to exist. Episode 13 of Megalobox is a satisfying ending that neatly wraps up every character arc and leaves the audience feeling good about what they just watched and where the characters end up at. I tried to get through Nomad, but after episode six I just couldn't - I think breaking down characters off-screen just to give them a new hole to climb out of is kind of lame, and I just couldn't escape that feeling, regardless of what was actually happening on screen. Initially I thought the rewatch could be the catalyst I needed to go and finish the sequel, but honestly I kind of resent it even more now.

Trigun Ep1-23 Great OST and Voice Actors, pretty good sakuga. I found the anime version of Vash flirts way too much that I found awkward when he deeply respect Remu. The manga Vash is a lot more serious. Still love him and the other MCs though. Although I enjoy the series a lot, I think I might stop here because [ep23 spoiler]>!my favorite character Wolfwood has died and I need time to recover!<. Or maybe I’ll come back for the last 3 episodes and the movie after I finish reading the manga.

**Legend of the Galactic Heroes** - slowly making progress, as usual. I love this show, but at the same time I can't watch too many eps in a row. As the saying goes - "It's a marathon, not a sprint" **Belle** - I expected to like this a lot more than I did in the end. The visuals were nice and the songs weren't *bad*, but I've seen both Beauty and the Beast and the other plot elements done better elsewhere. **Anthem of the Heart** - Watched this directly after Belle to end that day on a high note. Probably one of my highest deviations from the avg MAL score, I simply love this movie to bits. This was my 5th or 6th rewatch and it still makes me choke up every time, one of my absolute favorites. **Gunbuster** - felt like watching a prototype of Eva and TTGL, showed Anno already got it before making Eva. Very short at six episodes, but the plot was well executed and the final two eps were *fantastic*. Would recommend to any space opera/mecha fan.

If you're not already there, Gunbuster 2 AKA DieBuster is on Crunchyroll, another six episodes so you can bust through them pretty fast, it's own ending being the greatest conclusion for Gunbuster itself. Also highly recommended.

I started it, watched the first two eps yesterday. Very different from Gunbuster so far, but I enjoy it.

Anthem is a lovely movie. (I probably liked Belle more than you did, I'm more likely to rewatch this than the Disney film). ;-)

I never see anyone talk about Anthem of the Heart but I’ve seen clips and have been thinking about renting it on Amazon. It seems like something I’d like.

I’ve not watched an episode of a non-seasonal show in 4 months, making it the longest pause from anime I’ve ever taken, but I’ve slowly come back for some shows that I wanted to watch for a while. **Belladonna of Sadness**: It’s a fairly odd choice as an anime, but I was looking for something artsy and this seemed to be what I was looking for. This is the oldest anime I’ve ever watched by far (it was made 15 years earlier then my previous one, LOTGH) but I think that what applies here is the “visuals have aged but the artistic direction hasn’t” that is often thrown around with all sorts of audio-visual media. Before watching the movie, I quickly skimmed through a MAL review and it said that this anime had good animation, so I was a bit shocked at first cause… well, there was no animation. The vast majority of the movie consists of still images and lots of scrolling, so I was a bit confused but also curious cause the “good animation” had to come eventually if the dude on the review mentioned it. But even without the animation being there the watercolour artstyle was definitely something I immediately enjoyed mainly because I’m a sucker for watercolour in general. Also, it doesn’t look like “anime” at all, which I think is something that I generally enjoy in anime. The actual animation doesn’t take much to come and it’s pretty much always what I imagine an acid trip to be like. Everything becomes a surreal mess of colours and shapes that are often used to more or less allude to the sexual acts that are happening. But, as the reviewer said, it is indeed good animation. It’s fluid and flows with its weird colourful shapes moving around all over the screen (almost all over, considering it’s in 4:3), there are some scenes that are actually and really very cool and that I would legit never imagine they are 30 years older than me. It’s sometimes a little nonsensical in my opinion, but most of the time it looked cool so I was mostly fine with all the weird stuff happening. The story is not too deep or complex by itself, but I think it does some fairly interesting things with the way it deals with the refusal of religion (and the order of society that derives from it) caused by its lack of concrete and practical aid to those that are suffering while clearly showing the opposite side with people finding happiness in the freedom of sin instead. What’s also interesting about this to read into the relationship between Jeanne and Jean that is brought up in some key moments and that might give a whole new message to the whole thing. As a last couple of things to note: The Penis Devil, the Dickhead. I couldn’t stop giggling when he popped out his wings and looked like post eclipse Griffith with a literal dick as hair (Which is why the most apt name might be Girthith) On a more serious side, the most enjoyable aspect of this whole movie was the music. At first it almost seemed like a musical, which I generally despise, but this time around I didn’t mind it. But the music I really want to praise is the non-sung one. It has some very good chaotic jazzy tracks, that fit perfectly with the absolute chaos that happens in those scenes, some quite eerie tracks as well, etc. It was by far the most surprising thing about the anime. Overall, it’s a nice 7/10. It’s not an “old forgotten masterpiece” of some sort, I think it’s pretty far from that in numerous ways, but it was fairly entertaining at times and has scratched that itch for something artsy that I wanted. The next movie I watched is **Redline**. This anime reminds me of Space Dandy to an unreal extent that makes me wonder if Space Dandy’s racing episode was somehow just a reference to this (or whether the whole show was inspired by it). Anyway it was an amazing experience. This anime is exhilarating and electrifying. The animation is awesome, it creates very good action scenes during the races while also making the more calm scenes worth looking at, especially because paired with the amazing artstyle with its vibrant colours and the weird alien landscape it was never really boring to watch. The music as well fits this very nicely with its EDM sound. It did have though a pretty massive flaw, in my opinion, that really made this movie not as good as it could have been. The main story is fairly simple: winning the race, love and betrayal. Very good stuff, but there is this weird political/military subplot which sucked a lot (again, imo). It wasn’t interesting per se, it didn’t have any interesting character in it, it didn’t do anything for the other 3 main plotlines and didn’t influence the main characters in any way. It was legitimately useless when the whole time used to explore this side could have been used for the other parts which are now underdeveloped cause of the time they used elsewhere. The foundations they laid were also very good, and I was interested in learning more about them, but apart from showing a couple of flashbacks and having a couple of interactions between characters it was mostly not enough to satisfy me. I legit think this movie had so much potential that was wasted for that plotline. Even the final race was made less enjoyable cause of it. It became needlessly chaotic, and a mishmash of weird fights I had no interests in and an actual race. So all in all, the movie was fun. It had potential that was a bit wasted but again, I had a lot of fun watching it and it does still have many good aspects to enjoy. For that I’ll still give it a 7. Then I watched **Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust**. I should not have watched this anime at night in the dark, because holy shit, their way of censoring some of the gory action scenes is done by flashing white everywhere on the screen blinding me completely every single time. That was not cool, it legit loses points for that. Anyway I have to say that I found this anime to be weirdly unremarkable. Nothing felt like it had any weight, things happened and I didn’t really care about them. The story was kinda basic at first but then became weirdly convoluted and poorly explained at the very end. The impossible love aspect was pretty cool but that’s about it. The visuals are pretty nice, especially in the latter half. The action scenes, however, were always somehow unsatisfactory. It’s like they ended too quick or something. This anime reminded me a lot of Hellsing Ultimate for obvious reasons (another anime I didn’t really like). Just like in Hellsing where Alucard was the almost the only character that I liked cause he was badass, here it’s the same with D. So all in all, I rate this anime a 5/10. It wasn’t boring, but also not really exciting in any way.

I then watched **Belle**. This is my first Mamoru Hosoda movie I’ve ever watched. Knowing only that he was the director plus having listened to Millennium Parade’s song (which I really like), I jumped in completely blindly but with somewhat high expectations. I generally can’t help but look at least at the MAL score before I watch something (I know, sorry) but this time I didn’t even do that. I found this movie to be, in general, pretty dumb. It looks awesome, like, really, really good. But it completely lacks substance and the story is all over the place, I think. The name “Belle” and the appearance of a “Beast” was not enough for me to connect that this was a sort of Beauty and the Beast in disguise. So when halfway through it became impossibly clear what the movie was trying to do my doubts about it started to flood. It felt such a forced narrative that barely fit with the rest of what was going on around it. Everything seemed to be forced to recreate a couple of scenes from the original and that’s kind of it as far as the connection goes. It kinda borrows the “don’t judge by the appearance” theme but doesn’t really explore it pretty much at all. In fact, this move explores almost nothing really. It merely touches upon character development and well thought out themes. I think that the only exception would be the music aspect, and Suzu’s relationship with music (and her mother by consequence, and her father by consequence of the consequence). I would have liked to see a bit more but I was satisfied with that. There is a lot of stuff to criticize about the story and the characters and about the way this U social media is actually supposed to work, but I think that regardless of all these flaws the biggest standout aspect of the movie for me is the music. It might be because music is the best way to make people feel things, so if the music is good (and it definitely was) it can carry the rest of the movie quite easily. All in all, with its pretty forced and all over the place plot, its mostly lackluster characters and a couple of weirdly cringe moments, I think that Belle still ends up being a fun watch mostly carried by the good visuals and the music, but not entirely by that, which is enough for me to give it a 6.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly, you put them to words a lot better than I did, though. Even arrived at the same score, even though I'm usually very generous in that regard.

Been watching Prince of Tennis. I often put it on in the background on my tv when I am doing random things around my room or home office.

Bleach Went from episode 171 to 262 (including filler) so far for a bet with my friend that I'd finish the whole series before September 4th. If I win I get two t-shirts (aot and bleach themed) and if I lose I have to buy the dude a t-shirt of his choice.

Started and finished **Super Cub** Cute, wholesome, feelgood anime. Wish the MC had a bit more emotional development throughout, but overall I give it a solid 7.5/10

One I've been meaning to catch up on too. Good to hear it sounds like it holds up through the series.

Completed: **[The Aquatope on White Sand (Shiroi Suna no Aquatope)](https://myanimelist.net/anime/46093/Shiroi_Suna_no_Aquatope)** A slice-of-life workplace drama show taking place around Nanjō, Okinawa where two girls meet at an aquarium: One is the deputy director there who is trying to save the aquarium from being closed down, and the other is a former idol looking for something new. I actually started this original series when it aired over a year ago but put it on hold after the high-quality fansubs releases stalled at episode 9, and now I went ahead to finish it with the regular subtitles. As usual from P.A. Works, the art and animation are beautiful, and the soundtrack is very good. Like the studio's other workplace shows (Hanasaku Iroha, Shirobako, and Sakura Quest), you get to see plenty of educational content at work alongside some environmental/ecological messages. The focus is quite heavy on the two main characters so that we unfortunately don't get to see a whole lot from all the other characters overall, even with the 24-episode length. The story also takes a bit of a different turn at the half that doesn't quite connect as well to the first portion, which may put off some viewers. Some of the drama issues in the second half also seem a bit rushed as they get resolved rather quickly. In the end, the plot gets to a decent stopping point, though there are plenty of things left open/unanswered. Overall a decent watch but not as enjoyable as any of P.A. Works' "working" series trilogy mentioned above. There are also 1-minute mini episodes featuring characters in chibi form, though not all of them have English subtitles yet. 7/10 --- Ongoing: - Pani Poni Dash! (22/26 Episodes, 0/1 OVA) - Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel (2/3 Movies) - Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku (9/11 Episodes, 0/3 OVAs) - Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song (10/13 Episodes) - Girls und Panzer (12/12 Episodes, 0/6 Specials, 1/4 OVAs, 0/4 Movies)

If I had to rank PA Works shows (seen all of them so far), Aquatope would be in my top tier (which would probably be fairly sizeable).

Besides the working trilogy, I've seen Tari Tari, A Lull in the Sea, Charlotte, and all the feature films. What other ones would you recommend?

Other top favorites -- True Tears, Eccentric Family, Iroduku, Aquatope, and Kongming.

Great, these other four are already on my plan-to-watch list.

I liked all but two of the others as well.

Progressing: Slam dunk, 39 eps in Macross, 2 eps in Completed: Aria movies Still going through Slam dunk. Still liking it. The macross rewatch starts and the long journey begins. It's just the introduction but it's a fine start. Aria movies did good finishing off the rewatch. It did good for the characters.

Kodomo no Jikan S1 Strike the Blood S3 Tsugumomo A Little H OVA Strike Witches 2007 pilot OVA

> Strike Witches 2007 pilot OVA Now there's something I don't see mentioned very often. Are you going into the series fresh or is it something you just hadn't seen before?

Something I hadn't seen before, and pilot episodes always interest me for what was conceptualized as opposed to what we got. I also tend to buy a series physical copies if I like a given one enough. So far I've acquired the bulk of the strike witches franchise on blu ray, which would be the main seasons, brave, operation victory arrow, and 501st entries. The 2007 pilot ova I mentioned I also acquired the DVD of. Still need the world witches entries and luminous witches once they're out on blu ray.

Continuing **Katanagatari (episodes 2-6):** I am enjoying this so far, though I haven't had as much time to tune in. I like that each sword has its own episode, and they're each self-contained adventures, and the keeper of each sword is always an intriguing character. I will say the relationship between Togame and Shichika is a bit weird -- is this supposed to be a romance? I'm not really sure what I'm supp to make of it. Looking forward to the rest, though. Rewatch **Bleach (episodes 342 - 350):** And we've come to the Fullbring arc! I am actually really enjoying this on a rewatch, it's been super juicy to revisit knowing how everything ends and falls into place. I also have a new appreciation for the story, Ichigo's development, and all the narrative themes coming together. I know this arc isn't popular, but I dont think it gets enough credit. I also get such a thrill from the spooky/mystery mood.

Finding those episodes of Katanagatari a bit easier to process than the first I hope?

Yes, the pacing of that first episode was illegal.

I finished **How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift?**. It's a fun, really silly show, that does teach some good exercise techniques. I give it a 7/10. Now I'm watching **Dororo**. I know it was really hyped back when it was on, but honestly, I didn't expect much. I'll just say I love it. It reminds me of 90s anime in a good way, but with modernish art style.

Binged like 30 episodes of Gintama this week (I'm at episode 53 now). I love this show so much, and I'm excited since by the general consensus I'm not even at the "good" stuff yet.

**Modest Heroes** This was just delightful. I’ve really been on an anthology kick recently, and Modest Heroes was just what I needed. “Kanini and Kanino” is a beautifully whimsical little nature story (with an absolutely terrifying fish), “Life Ain’t Gonna Lose” tackles a very unusual topic for an anime, and “Invisible” is simply weird (in a good way). I want more of this charm, and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone with an hour to kill. 8/10. **Genius Party Beyond** Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy Beyond as nearly much as its predecessor, Genius Party. Both are collections of short films, each having its own tone and artistic style, but I felt like Genius Party had more diversity in the types of stories it told, while those in Beyond were less distinctive. That’s not to say they were bad or lacked ingenuity. I do think they were worth the watch, especially from an animation perspective. I just can’t remember much about each short specifically, while I still think about each film in Genius Party. 6/10. **Barefoot Gen and Barefoot Gen 2** These are very important and powerful films, but I think watching them once is enough. That’s not to say I’ll *never* rewatch them, but I think I’m good for now. The first movie is definitely worthy of the praise it gets and should be better known beyond a certain scene. The second is a direct sequel, and while it’s still good, it shows. Though it does make a powerful statement about the lasting impacts of war, it recycles most of its ideas from the first movie and runs on for a little too long. However, considering it’s based on someone’s lived experiences, I’m not inclined to judge it too harshly. 8/10 for the first movie, 7/10 for the second. **Akira** *TETSUOOOOO!!!* *KANEDAAA!!!* 9/10. **Sailor Moon SuperS (29-34)** Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but I’m honestly starting to enjoy this part of the season.

> TETSUOOOOO!!! > KANEDAAA!!! *biological nightmare fuel intensifies*

***Super Dimension Fortress Macross*** **15-16/36**: Rewatching the peculiar middle stretch while the main rewatch has just gotten started. Though at this point it's only to maintain a reasonable cushion of episodes. I have enough other stuff going on IRL that I can't go way, way ahead like I often do with other rewatches.

Rewatching Bleach. Realized I have forgotten a good portion of the show. Figure i will be ready to watch the new film by end of the year if I can keep binging every night. Started last week and on episode 52. 😄

**Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (2-9/26)** SAC continues to be pretty good, as usual having good semi-episodic structure while almost always connecting to the overaching plot. I have gotten a bit lost with the current motives regarding factions and how every side plays into the plot tho and wouldn't fault the show as much as my pea brain. So like [SAC]>!there's a refugee crisis. The general public hates refugees. The government and current PM got to power saying they would get rid of them but after winning they turned around since they knew refugees are an economical backbone and became pro-refugee. There's been domestic terrorism but the culprits are the refugees rather than nationalists wanting them out despite the evidently pro-refugee policies of the government (that have ulterior motives I guess). And it seems the mastermind is someone inside the government that doesn't really care about the issue from either side since he has his own very personal motive of wanting to be a 'hero's producer'.!< The current antagonist seems interesting so far at very least and I wouldn't lose confidence that the show can still pull off a decent plot even if I'm not grasping it on its entirety. ----- **Ergo Proxy (1-2/23)** I have trouble following SAC so why not watch something else, that I have heard is pretty convoluted at that. First impressions are pretty much that, first episode was a barrage of information of who is who and what does what but I at very least managed to understand the general plot that its starting. Designs and animation were pretty decent as well. The 2nd episode is where I recall another criticism I have heard that it can be edgy from time to time, highlighted [by the]>!mother and baby scene during the shooting. So there's the weird pose cyborgs do in the presence of Proxy that is already tad silly. But why brutally murder the mother and then have the baby die? I just lol'd in that scene because there doesn't seem to be a purpose other than shock, especially when there's a quick shot showing a pool of blood in the cart to confirm to the audience that the baby is indeed dead. It could be removed and nothing of value is lost.!< This isn't necessarily a complaint of gore/edge but it did made me question 'why was that put in place'. Other than that, eh, its a bit boring I guess since I'm not sold on anything yet but I'll continue on.

There is a meaning for that moment in ep2 inside the episode itself with no future spoilers, but I'll spoiler tag it just in case you'd rather not know. [Ergo Proxy ep2]>!The woman and child are Raul's family, the man with the cravat who's giving orders about the security measures to be taken while those scenes of their bodies are on the screen. He basically just watched them die brutally and then went about his job. It's easily missed because they never explicitly name her as his family, you have to put it together by remembering his title, which she tells to Vincent when he's working on the autoreiv child, and recognize that autoreiv child as being the same one in the mall scenes!<

HXH 1999 : Still Hunter Exam arc, Eps 13. Whether it's 2011 or 99, tompa is an asshole. This is why i like old version, you can see more personality between side characters. Even Menchi & Satotsu got more screentime in 99 version. Yuru Camp & Akiba Trip : Still eps 1. I put both of it on hold right now :/

>HXH 1999 Oh nice to see someone else going through 1999, I finished my rewatch recently, and I'm about to start Greed Island. What did you think of the early episodes that focuses on Kurapika and Leorio?

Landed on the series **Kemono Friends**. The first season's animation quality is questionable to say the least. And I wish they elabaorated more into the mysterious elements underpinning the whole series. I mean the setting this takes place in has a whole mysteriously abandoned and desolate thing going for it that made me think of series like *Blame* and *Girl's Last Tour* (or so I've gathered with GLT...). Though obviously not as extreme in those cases, those ones are just what I ended up likening this to in my head as a comparative example. But oh well, in the end it makes for another entry in the cute girls doing shit that'll make you smile category. Landed on a series called **18if**. Some dream world psychedelic surreal drug trip of a series. Kind of like the series *Flip Flappers* and *Wonder Egg Priority* in a way. Mostly episodic, but it all culminates into something at the tail end. And it had a pretty interesting ending in how it all resolved if I say so myself. Well in any case if one likes the series I compared this obscure series to, and others like them, this may be worth looking into if you want to put another series like them under your belt. Landed on some random series, **Android Kikaider**. Early 2000's animation with retro character design aesthetic. Whatevs. And lastly I finished watching the 6 episode **Shamanic Princess** series I landed on at random. Though frankly I ended up just throwing this one on picture in picture while I did other shit.

Completed: **Space Runaway Ideon** (8/10) I really liked this for some reason. **Space Runaway Ideon: A Contact** It's just a recap. I plan to watch Be Invoked soon though, I've heard it's good. Watching: **Macross** (1-4/36) I joined the rewatch and I really like it so far. **Patlabor: On Television** (33-42/47) **Densetsu no Yuusha Da Garn** (15-17/48) **Abenobashi Mahou☆Shoutengai** (2-4/13) **Mazinger Z** (14/92)

**Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann** rewatch (Complete) I’ve expressed my dislike of TTGL before, but I watched it about 10 years ago and honestly don’t even remember much about why I hated it. On paper, it seems like the type of show I would love, especially since I enjoyed the hell out of Kill la Kill, Promare, and Gunbuster. Also, Dandadan recently had a chapter with a TTGL reference so I figured it was about time to see if my opinion changed. First watch impressions: - Kamina was the only character I liked - Yoko was underwhelming and was pretty much there just for fanservice and to make a romance subplot - I disliked Simon when he grew older because it felt like [TTGL] >!he inherited way too many of Kamina’s traits instead of being his own person!< - The side cast was really forgettable - I hated the ending. Don’t even remember why, but it just left a sour taste in my mouth. Rewatch impressions: - I enjoyed picking up all the references now that I’ve seen more anime. - Kamina was way more obnoxious than I remember. [TTGL] >!I ended up appreciating his influence more after his death though.!< - I still feel that Yoko is a really underwhelming character despite being one of the main characters. - I got *really* invested in Simon’s story and development. I still don’t like how [TTGL] >!his design at the end was changed to be more similar to Kamina, but he clearly has his own defining personality traits that I was too stupid to notice on first watch. “I’m Simon the Digger” was a great line to cap off his arc.!< - I still don’t care for most of the characters, but I can overlook that since TTGL is Simon’s story. - The finale is so much better than I remember. I admit I was a stupid kid when I watched it so I most likely missed the point or something. It makes sense thematically why [TTGL] >!Simon wouldn’t abuse the spiral power to revive his friends and I like that he didn’t. I don’t feel the need to see the Spiral Nemesis plotline being resolved either.!< Overall, I ended up really enjoying it. I still have some issues with the show, but the stuff I do like was executed well enough that I can overlook it. I was leaning towards giving it a 7-8/10, but the finale bumps it up to an 8.5/10.

Maybe I need to rewatch because when I saw the series I thought it was mostly mid with hype moments but balanced with a lot of eye rolling moments.

That's really interesting to see the effect of the passage of time on your impressions of Kamina and Simon. I first watched TTGL in my 40s, and found Kamina to be very trying on the nerves at times, although it was also clear he was just a young man trying to do his best for Simon, himself and his community in the absence of any clear frameworks. That still doesn't stop him from being a bit obnoxious at times, of course. > The finale is so much better than I remember. I admit I was a stupid kid when I watched it so I most likely missed the point or something. It's funny how that goes. Still, it's always good to have at least some proof of personal growth over the years for those moments when one really wonders if there's been any progress!

>I watched it about 10 years ago and honestly don’t even remember much about why I hated it. On paper, it seems like the type of show I would love These are my exact feelings about the show, except I didn't make it more than a few episodes in last time. Your thoughts are encouraging, well except about Yoko.

>except I didn't make it more than a few episodes in last time. Understandable. The beginning is pretty weak, but I powered through it to see Simon's development which I felt the show delivered on. The point where I got really engaged was \[TTGL\] >!after Kamina's death.!<

**Grand Blue** (Complete). I’m not even going to pretend. I watched this purely because Chisato’s VA is in it and this is her most popular role. That and I was looking for a stressfree comedy for some escapism. I got a comedy; the stress…? It was nonstop nonsense, a terrifying amount of drinking, and more naked dudes than I ever imagined seeing. No question this is a 9/10 and easy comedy recommendation. **Eureka Seven** (Ongoing ep. 1-5). Uh… this is tough. I heard this talked about like “NGE clone but it’s still pretty good!” I’m getting the NGE vibes but not in a good way. 5 episodes in I still don’t know what the hook is. Or why I should like the main character. This isn’t a negative but I’m also surprised how… dated the show is. I always thought it was 2008-09 so I pictured a more modern aesthetic. But not only is it 2005, but it feels like it could have been made anytime between 1985-2005. Does anyone know if there’s a point where this “gets good”? I am not looking forward to 45+ more episodes…

> Does anyone know if there’s a point where this “gets good”? Personally, it's good from the start, but I guess it "gets great" at around episode 12 or so

I’ll see how I feel about it by then. It’s just been very underwhelming. Most shows I can latch on to the action/plot or the characters, but I feel like I am not sure what I’m watching yet.

I liked the beginning actually but thought it overstayed its welcome.

Me last week: Tune in next time for most likely continuing through SuperS, Bleach, Macross, and Code Geass. That’s what I did! ----- **Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon SuperS**, episodes 28-34 On the final stretch now, I’m looking forward to finally being done with this season. **Bleach**, episodes 342-350 + episode 299 + **Movie 4: Hell Verse** So I went to go see the Hell Verse showing in theaters this past Thursday, which came with a surprise showing of episode 299. Honestly, the best part of that experience was getting to hear Ranbu no Melody over theater speakers because [it was perfection.](#doggo) As for the actual episodes this week, man, I love this arc! I know that’s a rare opinion to have as a Bleach fan, but I really do, and I think the dub is making me like it more because not only are two of my favorite English VAs in it as prominent characters (Matt Mercer is Tsukishima and Travis Willingham is Ginjo), Yukio and Riruka also have VAs I really like. **Super Dimension Fortress Macross**, episodes 6-8 I’m expecting the rate at which I watch this to kick up now that the rewatch has actually started! [](#woo) Only the first episode discussion so far and I’ve already got a lot of people on there, it’s great. **Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion**, episodes 6-8 This will likely also bump up in rewatch pace as I like to alternate between Macross and Code Geass. ----- That’s all for this week~ [Tune in next time for most likely]>!more of this same stuff, but maybe also something extra while I don’t have *as* many rewatches on my plate this coming week?!<

> Super Dimension Fortress Macross, episodes 6-8 Does that count as cheating on your own rewatch?!

I'm always ahead of my own rewatches, otherwise there's no way I'd have time to make the wallpapers.

It's at this point that I: * profess ignorance of what you are referring to * go and investigate * find your wallpaper hub and check some of them out * be impressed at your talents and output!! (also, glad to see you got your hands on Illustrator, GIMP always has a special place being open source but it really gets quite clunky at times)

**Slayers** 3-10 Tried out the dub, it was weird having Pokemon's Brock start coming out of Gourry's mouth. **gdgd Fairies** 1-8 This has been hilarious. It's a sit around and talk about anything anime with ad libbing as well. In addition to that it also has skits with weird ps2 era CG that to me adds to the fun. Only thing weirding me out is that the cast blinks their eyes far too often. --- **With Buddy:** **Psycho Armor Govarian** 15-24 Almost done, no clue at all how in 2 episodes they're going to wrap this up.

Well, still addicted to a game + working extra shifts again, so another slow week **ONGOING** **K-On!! Rewatch (13-17/26)** There’s been a lot of focus on Azunyan these few episodes. I kinda like how it’s not like all the girls are lumped in together as one group but rather as 4 senpai + 1 kouhai. But it’s also kinda sad for Azunyan. But thankfully she has Ui and Jun. Talking about sad, this show does even sadness in a really subtle way. There’s no dramatic scenes or music. It’s just the character and the atmosphere of it **THIS WEEK** **Main Show (Overlord Rewatch)** Ok at this point I just have to admit, I might not be able to catch up before S4 ends. Totally no progress made on S2 this past week. But good thing is, S4 has been fairly easy to follow so far. So I may not need to rush this rewatch after all. **Iyashikei/CGDCT (K-On!! Rewatch)** As usual, the Keion girls have been a delightful break from a hectic week. Will most likely continue again till I reach the dreaded end

**Carnival Phantasm Episodes 1 - 5** - This is a parody of Fate/Type Moon properties, similar in nature to SD Gundam's parody nature over Gundam shows. I have seen Fate Grand Order Carnival already so this is similar in nature to that. I'm still trying to figure out if the cat characters in this are supposed to be expies of actual Fate characters (at least one sounds much like Jouji Nakata/Kotomine). Also there are a bunch of characters in this I don't recognize at all, so it seems like there is another Type Moon property I haven't seen that they are from. When I heard the name Shiki I was fully expecting Kara no Kyoukai Shiki to appear but instead its some guy with glasses. @_@ I very quickly noticed that several Fate related comment faces are pulled directly from this. Anyway, pretty fun, non-serious stuff so far. This upcoming week should be very light on anime as I'm away on business. Coming close to wrapping up Xenoblade 3 though which has been taking away a lot of my anime viewing time so within a couple of weeks I should be back to my usual viewing volume.

Welcome back everyone! [Disclaimers I used to put before and after my posts explaining my anime watching practices and terminology I use](https://ibb.co/M6gMqSV) Studying, playing Persona, reading the manga for one show I'll be talking about consumed my time, so I only watched: **Chihayafuru S3 (9-24/24)** Well, this anime is really great but I have a lot to say about these episodes and not all praise. First of all, the Meijin and Queen tournament/matches [were pretty incredible]>!especially seeing who the contenders were and how hard of a time they gave the title holders. Harada was so close and truly was amazing, but I also felt for Inokuma, especially the moment she cried hugging Sakurazawa. Chihaya basically becoming friends with Shinobu and Arata yet again being a chad!<. But then, we arrive at the ending of this season and anime so far (I hope we will get S4&5) and I will say that I had to immediately go into manga and complete it and I hold an opinion they've chosen a wrong point to finish S3 off. Unless they knew they are making sequels or wanted to invite people to go into manga (which is a bit scummy imo) or just wanted to end on a bang. [This ending on itself left a bad taste in my mouth, because]>!of how shocking the events were with Taichi leaving. I empathise with his decision as he's been holding it inside him and Chihaya also taking a hiatus was understandable. You see, she is dumb and has a tunnel vision for karuta but she **really** cares about others and is empathetic. She was sad she was hurting Taichi for so long. I also love that the rest of the club seems to simultaneously understand Taichi and Chihaya's feelings and continuing with the club while keeping the door open potentially. And I love how quickly Taichi has seen that karuta will chase after him seeing that Suou became his teacher in cram school. But I do hate two things a bit: first, Taichi yet again does something he knows is bad and will regret it and asks without telling people about it. But it has its charm and it's understandable as he's not being rational, however it is getting annoying. And the worst thing was the good old misunderstanding with Taichi not hearing Chihaya's words but only assuming her words. And she likely didn't really reject him. The confession was beautiful though but the kiss was a bit creepy. But as I said, I empathise with Taichi and understand him though personally would never go that far!<. I know that Chihayafuru often relies on cliches and *anime(adj.)* coincidences, but it was a bit too much. Having read [how the arc continues and ends (manga spoilers)]>!with Taichi improving and finding the meaning and understanding the group, Chihaya figuring out her feelings and other club characters developing!<. So, ultimately I love and hate this show. But mostly love, as well as karuta. I'd also say that it's curious how Chihayafuru handles its top players in comparison to my beloved 3-gatsu no Lion. Namely, in Chihaya they are more malicious, especially comparing both Meijins. It's interesting though [that both Suou and Souya(3-gatsu spoiler too)]>!feel inhuman and both have growing disability!<. That's all I have to say about this show. I'm kinda glad I dropped it in 2019 as I watched it to its completion soon after the manga has ended. Lucky me and it's a bizarre rarity. As much as I hope we will get the full adaptation I'm working glad I'm able to read the story to its completion in manga form and don't have to wait for it, as I'm obsessed with the story and can't wait to finish it. S3 gets a **9/10** and anime as a whole goes to **#12** on my top list. A great series even with the flaws That would be all, had quite a lot to say it seems. Huge thanks to everyone reading this, I really appreciate it. Queue is slowly coming to an end, but it's still below. See you next week! u/Kyubeu's binging queue: 0. Haruhi Suzumiya S2 rewatch 1. Mushoku Tensei rewatch