Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion Thread [Week 27]

A lot of irl stuff happened to me this past season (beyond just breaking my hand, which is now basically recovered) and I sort of fell off of the seasonal anime train at some point, oops! Anyway, fresh start with the new season, let's go!

My friends and I did manage to keep up with the shows we decided to watch together, and they were all outstanding (light spoilers for all of them)

I've also started watching Odd Taxi, which I bounced off of when it aired (mostly due to the extended sequences of the comedy duo on the radio) but have heard nothing but good things about since. So far it's a little slow but I'm putting my faith in the good reviews.

So, I usually try to quickly binge a show in the slow week between seasons. I had been planning for that show this season to be Patlabor. However, with the discussions around the upcoming summer season, I kept seeing people talking about Tower of God. When the show first came out, it didn't really pique my interest and I pretty successfully just ignored it.

However, for the sake of community involvement, I thought it would be fun to quickly get caught up to try to be active in the threads this upcoming season. So, I started watching it the other day...and then just didn't stop...at all...until I finished it. I went back and tried to capture the thoughts that were running through my head as I was watching. So, spoilers galore below the tags. Suffice to say, I will be right there with everybody when season 2 airs. Not sure how I will handle waiting week to week though.

Overall, I can't say that it is one of the best shows I have ever seen. However, it was certainly gripping and can't help but ooze a cool vibe between its animation, characters, and the fantastic OST. Very much looking forward to the discussions coming this season.

Here are my thoughts on some series I have watched recently.

Kaiju no. 8

This is the third anime of the season that I've completed (the other two being Konosuba and Dungeon Meshi). I'm surprised that I did not drop it before the end, given that it is quite a brainless battle shonen. I guess it helped that I cheated by skipping over the boring and filler scenes, and by turning my brain off for the rest of them.

I love the soundtracks though, especially the insert song Never Break Down which played during the climax.

Good enough to get a 5 / 10 from me.

Solo Leveling

I was planning to ignore this series based on its synopsis and its genres + tags. I decided to give it a go now because of its high rating, and because friends assured me its not battle shonen.

Big mistake, because it's way worse than any generic battle shonen. This series screams wish fulfillment.

I can see how people who are not doing well in their lives can easily project themself onto the protagonist. Like, you are suffering because you drew the short end of the stick and life, and others look down on you. Then you got your big break in life, and yadda yadda yadda.

What takes the cake was

It was so frustrating to watch that even skipping scenes and turning my brain off doesn't help, and eventually I dropped it at episode 5.

I'm giving it a 2 / 10. Its only saving grace is that it serves to elevate the top-tier series that I have watched earlier: Odd Taxi, Violet Evergarden, Heavenly Delusion, and 86.

Mob Psycho 100 (season 1, 2 and OVA)

I decided to try it out since I've heard good things about it. Once I started watching it, some of its art style and humor seemed familiar to me. When I checked, sure enough, the author is also the one who wrote One Punch Man.

It feels like a mix of One Punch Man and Saiki K, combining Saiki Kusuo's psychic powers and desire to be low-key with the flashy battles plus humor of One Punch Man. It's good, but I don't find it as funny as either of them though.

I'm still planning to watch season 3.

On average, it's getting a score of 7.5 / 10 from me - for now.

Weekly ranking roundup:

1. Anime Corner - Full Results - Weekly Winner: Kaiju No. 8
2. Reddit Karma - Weekly Winner: Mushoku Tensei

Credit to /u/Abysswatcherbel for making the chart for reddit karma.

In the final week of the year, Kaiju and Demon Slayer made some gains on the charts. As the new shows pop up on the charts this coming week, it will be interesting to see how things shake out.

Been a very light season for me. Tons of IRL commitments, little viewing. I’ll have a lot to catch up on eventually!

Watched all of:

• Mushoku Tensei S2C2 - Excellent adaptation. Really love how well it’s coming together.
• X-men ‘97 - Ya, not really anime, but I was excited about it. It peaked mid-season for me. Still good and worth watching, especially if you have nostalgia for the OG series.

Watched part of:

• I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince… - Most of the way through. Surprisingly good. It’s got some problematic content (way too much fan service for me, weird pedo-like obsession, etc) but the rest is very well done, so I’m overlooking those. The first few episodes are just unhinged and wild in a really fun way. Lloyd is a hilarious MC. Definitely plan to finish.
• Cyberpunk Edgerunners - About halfway. Really good. Not my typical interest, still enjoying a lot. Definitely plan to finish.
• Chillin’ in Another World… - A few episodes in. Fun and light. Enjoying more than expected. Probably finish.
• Spice and Wolf Remake - Only watched a bit. Interesting but hasn’t grabbed me yet. Probably watch a few more.
• Jellyfish Can’t Swim At Night - Good but haven’t been in the mood for this style lately. Probably watch a few more.
• Ojisaan to Obasaan - Yea, tried one episode. Not for me.
• Bartender of the Gods - Tried a bit. It’s okay. Probably pass.

Catch-up efforts:

• Konosuba S1 - Finished this season. It’s good but it’s kind of a lot. Probably try more S2 eventually.
• Slime-san S2 - Finally got over the hurdle of those meeting episodes and the rest was good. Didn’t realize quite how much catch up there is!
• Date A Live S1 - Tried the first bit because it was ranking so highly on Anime Corner. I dunno, I didn’t love the beginning. Maybe not for me.

Stuff to definitely watch later:

• Dungeon Meshi S1C2 - Must watch.
• Yuru Camp S3 - Must watch.

Interested in trying:

• Kaiju No 8
• Go Go Loser Ranger

Eventual catch-up:

• Konosuba S3
• Demon Slayer S?
• MHA S?

Watched first episode of Quality Assurance Isekai episode 1, and jeez that was boring.

I'm not even motivated to request a discussion thread for it.

Interesting premise, but absolutely the most boring direction, and it took far, far too long to get to the twist.

Dripping vagina face dragon didn't help either.

As I am catching up on news from Anime Expo while also on vacation, I happened to notice this reddit thread about season 2 of Chained Soldier changing studios to Passione. I can't find any confirmation on a news site, but thought it was interesting. A common refrain from the discussion threads with @[email protected] in this community for season 1 was how lackluster the production was.

Passione has a history of ecchi series including titles such as "Interspecies Reviewers" and "Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World." Hopefully they can bring their expertise to bear in order to spice up the adaptation going forward.