Sweet Dreams

This was a pretty weak season aside from Fruits Basket, which continued to be amazing, and Major 2nd. I only picked up two new shows.

Fruits Basket – You already know I love this! Can’t wait for the final season next year.

Major 2nd – Good to see this finally back on a regular schedule after some COVID-related bumps. I’m enjoying it as much as I did the first season! I like the fact that even though Daigo’s team is made up of mostly girls, how the other teams (mostly boys) react to them is varied and nuanced, rather than everybody thinking they are automatically not good enough to play against boys (although there’s definitely some of that, too).

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax – I’m usually not a fan of recap episodes, but since it’s been five years(?) since the second season aired, I think one would have been really helpful in this case. I remembered the three main characters and some of the more important secondary characters, but I had no idea who anybody else was with no helpful reminders. Anyway, this final season was good, but nothing special. I just didn’t think the whole prom storyline needed almost a whole season to tell and would have worked better as a movie. Also, the conflict over Yukina’s supposed “codependence” was super-weak.

Rent-A-Girlfriend – The only totally new show I picked up this season, I wouldn’t say it’s objectively “good” by any means (except animation-wise – it looks great!), but I still found it mostly trashy fun. I just wish it hadn’t gone the harem route. The ex (Mami) and the rental girlfriend (Chizuru) were more than enough! Ruka is super annoying, and Sumi’s just not all that interesting (although, to be fair, she only played a big part in one episode).

Ahiru no Sora – For a basketball anime, I have to say that this show worked better when it wasn’t focusing on basketball. The games just dragged on and on and on, and it’s kind of ridiculous that in fifty episodes,they never managed to win a single game!I mean, it’s nice to see some realism in a sport anime, but come on! There’s realistic, then just plain frustrating. Well, it’s finally over, and I’m not really holding my breath for more.

Next season is looking a little better, mostly because the continuations of series I really enjoy. The only new show I’m definitely planning to check out is Tonikawa: Over The Moon For You, and I’m looking forward to the continuations of Haikyuu!! To The Top and Idolish7 Second Beat (finally coming back after hiatus!). Major 2nd is also continuing, but I’m guessing it’s only going to be for half the season, due to the hiatuses? I also really want to watch Taiso Samurai, Wandering Witch – The Journey Of Elaina, and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, but they’re all Funimation shows, so I’ll have to wait until the next time I subscribe.

Long time, no post! Here's a wrap-up of the last anime season:

I'd say it was a pretty good season overall. A lot of what I watched was continuations from the fall season – Chihayafuru, My Hero Academia, Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, and Ahiru no Sora (which is continuing into spring as well) – but I really enjoyed the new shows I picked up.

Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken – If you haven't already watched this, do yourself a favor and just do it. Seriously, it's fabulous, and I have a feeling it will definitely make my Best Series of the Year list. It's just so imaginative and passionate and…really, really, really good!

Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It – Awkward title aside, this actually was a pretty cute and funny romance! I was a little worried at first that all the experiments they did would become repetitive and that it might have worked better as a short, but they actually managed to keep things fresh most of the time.And the main couple actually kissed and confessed at the end!That can be surprisingly rare sometimes…

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard – It's hard to put my finger on why I liked this show so much… I just did! Even if it did rely a whole lot on coincidence and the "cases" weren't all that interesting, I liked the characters, and I've always been a little fascinated by gemstones.

Haikyu!! – I was really looking forward to this after absolutely loving the first three seasons, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. I mean, it was still great, but the first half when they're focusing on the two training camps was kinda dull. Things are picking up now that they're actually at Nationals, though! Too bad we have to wait until summer for the next part.

For next season, it looks like it'll be another season of continuing shows. I'll be continuing with Ahiru no Sora, Idolish7 Second Beat, the new season of Major 2nd, and most importantly, the second season of Fruits Basket! (Finally into the part where the old anime left off – so excited to see it animated!) That doesn't leave a lot of room in my schedule for new stuff, and a lot of the shows I did want to watch (the second season of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (so annoyed Crunchyroll didn't get this since they have the first season!), Arte, Tamayomi, and Wave, Listen to Me!) aren't streaming on Crunchyroll, but Woodpecker's Detective Office, Sing "Yesterday" For Me, and My Next Life as a Villainess: All Roads Lead to Doom! have caught my eye.

Gonna try to post a Merchandise Round-up soon. It's been a while since I did one, and I've got some pretty cool stuff to show off!

I'm back! Well, technically I've been back for a couple of weeks, but after six weeks of no Internet, I've been busy trying to catch up with everything I missed in the meantime. Among those things, the fall anime season. Two of the series I started out watching on Crunchyroll -- Dr. Stone and Fire Force -- are now airing on Toonami, so I ended up just completing three series this season, only one of them actually new and not a continuation from last season.

Fruits Basket - Still loving and can't wait for it to pick up again next year, though to be honest, I'm a little surprised I haven't cried as much as expected to. I'm thinking it's the same thing that happened with Sailor Moon Crystal in that I've read the manga (and watched the first anime) so many times that I've become a little desensitized to it. Doesn't mean it's not amazing, though! I particularly enjoyed the rewrite of Ritsu's introduction, which I thought was an improvement over both the anime and the first anime. Uotani's backstory was also wonderfully done. I actually did cry at that!

given - Picked this up mainly because I usually enjoy anime about bands, but I loved it. It's BL, but it's good BL. Like, seriously. And Mafuyu's song in episode nine? Incredible. I'm not usually the type to rewatch scenes over and over again, but I think I've watched the concert at least four or five times so far.

Mix - I enjoyed this series, but the ending arc where they're playing in the tournament seemed kinda lackluster, mainly becausenobody seemed to be taking the games too seriously. In fact, when the Meisei team finally lost, nobody seemed that torn up about it, which is weird for a sports anime. I suspect it's because the author is playing the long game, not wanting them to actually achieve their goals until later in their high school careers, but there could have been at least some tension.
Ah, well. The manga is still ongoing, so I do hope we get another season eventually. I did like the series overall.

Next season, I'll definitely be watching the new seasons of My Hero Academia and Chihayafuru, and I'm thinking about checking out Ahiru no Sora and Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, but that's all has caught my eye so far.