All the premiers have aired… So it’s time to run down last week’s batch and then take a look at my watch list for the season.
Hit the jump and let’s run ’em down.
The shows that I’m watching are in bold, shows my wife and I are watching together are in bold italics, strikethrough marks dropped shows and (*) marks shows that are watched but not regularly reviewed.
A Sign of Affection
After all the bombastic emotions of the first two eps… Episode 3 seems a lot more… sedate? I’m not sure what I’m reaching for, but they definitely seem to have eased up on the gas some.
But honestly, I’m OK with that. The pace of the first two eps was unsustainable and the story could use some time to breathe. And Itsuomi could use some depth and growth, he’s still something of a cipher.
Status: Solid keeper.
Brave Bang Bravern!
I was kinda OK with the setup… Until they airdropped that cartoon robot into what had been a not-entirely-bad action drama. Might be some folk’s cup of tea, but it’s not for me.
Status: Dropped, no regrets.
Frieren
Despite the change in focus, Frieren is still a solidly top tier show. I could quibble a bit about the sudden expansion of the cast and the lack of time to grasp their personalities… But most of them are either stupid murderers, smart murderers, or just ordinary sadistic murderers so I guess it doesn’t matter that much. They’re all cannon fodder in the end.
And this whole sequence was… magical. (I don’t mean the pun, but what other word am I supposed to use?) Frieren, the anime and the character, absolutely at the top of their game.
Status: A little weaker than it has been, but that’s only relative. It’s still head and shoulders above almost anything else. Keeper.
And give us some Stark, please!
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!
I came into the 3rd episode ready to snort in derision and drop it into the abyss. Because really, it hasn’t been all that good. More generic than actually awful, but maybe not good enough to invest more time into.
But the episode turned out to almost good. Of course, given the OP, it’s the prequel to the upcoming (kinda sorta?) harem. But I’m OK with harem shows.
Status: Including Hokkaido, I’m only watching five shows this season, so there’s room to keep it around. So, it just lucked out in avoiding getting dropped.
Metallic Rouge
This series is trying so very hard. It badly wants to be deep and serious, but it’s also trying to put too much stuff into too small a box. This wasn’t helped by wasting over half of the second episode’s runtime on exposition and a largely pointless chase and fight sequence…
Feels like a story that really needed more time in the oven.
Status: Dropped. And it’s a shame because there’s a lot of potential.
The Dangers in My Heart 2nd Season
Man, these two dorks. They’re just. so. stinkin’. cute. I just can’t resist them.
Really, I don’t know how I can say anything more… And if you know me, you know I find it almost impossible to resist two dorks in love derp around. (You also know this is not damming with faint praise.)
Status: Solid keeper, how is this even a question?
The Witch and the Beast
OK, episode 3… You knew there was a twist coming. They did practically everything but run scrolling text across the bottom of the screen to telegraph that it was coming.
And unlike the episode 1 “twist”, this one hit home and then twisted the knife.
Status: Not my usual cup of tea, but… There’s hints of an overarching plot, but if it keeps telling decent stories I’m OK with Monster-of-the-Week. Keeper.
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And there we have it! A grand total of five shows, with two of them (Hokkaido, and Witch) on some degree of probation.
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What else have been up to? Just finished a rewatch of Ippon Again yesterday, and I’m still in love with it. Over on the Yorimoi subreddit, I’ve been making weekly posts celebrating it’s sixth anniversary. And of course, you know how I feel about Yorimoi. Other than that, it’s pretty much the same ol’ same ol’ just keeping on.
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So, has your watchlist settled out yet? What does it look like and what are your thoughts? Drop a comment and let’s chat about that or anything else on your mind!
Apprentice Mages Lounge. 
I’m down to eight shows a week: PreCure (which is just about over and getting ready to pass the baton to the next series), A Sign of Affection, Banished from the Hero’s Party, The Fire Hunter, The Witch and the Beast, Sasaki and Peeps, Frieren, and Urusei Yatsura. Still more than I anticipated, but not as many as I feared. Maybe I will pick Ishura back up again, but I’m not in a hurry to.
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Sorry for the late reply, I took the weekend off… :)
Sounds like a manageable amount, knowing your schedule. Of that list, the one I’m most crossing my fingers over is Witch. It’s the one that could go south the easiest.
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I never tried Bravern; it doesn’t seem to be my thing. The only thing that makes me want to try it is Cygame Pictures; they often surprise me.
I’m watching everything you’re watching, but other than Dangers (surprise!) and Frieren (surprise!!!!) nothing’s that great. I’m probably a bit more positive on Metallic Rouge and a bit more negative on Witch/Beast, but generally both are in the same category for me: decent enough, but if they got abandoned mid-run I wouldn’t care.
I did like episode 3 of Hokkaido Gals best so far, but, yeah… it’s not that special.
@Frieren: Killing seems to be the topic of the current arc, and it’s actually not a bad thing to bring this in, considering we’ve got a good and varied contrast to the killings perpetrated by demons. I’ve always liked that aspect of Frieren, actually: not downplaying the dangers of demons, but also not pointing at them as particularly evil. If I have any quibbles, it’s that it’s all a bit too much at once, but I can very easily look past this.
Quite a few shows turned out a little better than expected, but nothing worth of noting. I mean the largest jump was made by Unwanted Undead Adventurer from a meh-drop to somewhat decent due to character work.
Maybe Delicious in Dungeon? The worldbuilding is very creative, here. I’m watching just to see what else they come up with. What do animated armours or golems have to do with cooking? Heh. I also liked what they did with orcs in the latest episode.
This season is still very much dominated by sequels and carryovers: Frieren, Apothecary Diaries, Dangers, Undead Unluck… None of the new shows (with one exception I really needn’t name anymore) rise to that level.
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Sorry for the late reply, but I kinda took the weekend off.
re: Frieren And this week’s ep took some interesting viewpoints on killing… Especially Wirbel. He rings really true from my military experience – I was willing to do what I was trained to do if called upon. But oh Lord, I prayed that day never came.
I recall back last season you were wondering something about the translation because of the German (?) meaning of the word “freiren”. How did that work out?
Affection is strong as heck, but otherwise, yeah. It’s mostly sequels and carryovers that are putting my butt on the couch this season.
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@Frieren: I never watched the show with German subs, so I actually don’t know how that works out. All the names are German (of both people and places). How they translated the show I don’t know. Probably kept the names? Kanne is funniest name to date (it’s either watering can or tea kettle, or something else with a spout to pour water). I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s really weird to see simple normal words used as names.
Some names are hard to translate, and often fit in more than one meaning: For example:
Himmel can mean either sky or heaven. Sky, I’d say, is the primary meaning, giving his colour scheme and care-free attitude. But “heaven” is an interesting association, too, given where they’re going. In German we use the word for sky for heaven; there is no other word.
Heiter: When applied to people it’s an attitude somewhere from jolly to serene. We also use it for people who are slightly drunk. It’s just such a perfect fit.
Sein: It could mean “being”, the noun. Or it could mean “to be” (the verb in its infinitive form). It could also mean “his”, but it’s by far the least likely translation. I lean towards the noun.
The problem is that some of the names are unintuitive as names. With verbs in the infinitive that’s usually not a problem, since we capitalise names but not verbs. However, when we introduce a new place of person, it might sometimes be hard to tell it’s a person or place, if the things in a confusing context. (For this reason I prefer English subs.)
Kanne is a good example for a name that’s elicits unintentional comedy. It’s meaning is “watering can” or “tea kettle” or anything with a spout to pour water from. It’s such a mundane word that nobody would think of using it for a name. It’s not even really nickname material. It just sounds surreal; it doesn’t matter if what I hear is Japanese, and what I read is English. But with German subs, or presumably even more hilarious: with a German dub? I really should try an episode one day just for the fun of it…
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Though Kanne is funny from one POV, you could also say it’s fitting given the nature of her magic. But yeah, I can see your point.
If you ever do watch in German, I’m curious to hear how they handled it. I kind of just assumed you’d be watching the German versions.
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Yeah, regarding to Kanne: my first impression was: “wait, what?” and then when we got to her magic power “oh, that’s why.” It makes meta-fictional sense, but while some names work poetically, this one… just doesn’t for me. There’s also “Lügner”. They’re basically saying Ambassador Liar is here to negotiate a cease fire. The genre that comes to mind here is fairy tales; you’d have telling names that actually are telling, but the name meanings get ignored in-world. However, the show doesn’t feel like a fairy-tale that wears it’s fantasy on its skin: it’s fantasy with the regular world-building.
As for subs: English subs are a quicker read; German nouns, adjectives and verbs all have those word endings that draw out things: I’m quicker reading English subs.
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Well week 3-4 has gone passed and I have more idea of what I’m watching this season. Apart from Frieren, it’s not a great season but I think there are one or two interesting shows worth watching.
As mentioned already (and everywhere) the tour de force that is Frieren continues and is just the best anime I have seen in a few years. The Mage guild arc is not the strongest of the series but its still interesting and engaging in every way.
Moonlit Fantasy season 2 after three episodes is still scene setting. J.C. Staff’s season 2 is moving at a slower pace than season 1. The animation quality is an improvement, though J.C. Staff’s standard animation style looks a little generic perhaps compared to season 1. For me the jury is out on the introduction of new characters as that has shifted the focus of the story. We shall see if that is a good thing or not later I guess. However despite that, its still entertaining and is definite keeper for me.
I’m enjoying “Oroka na Tenshi wa Akuma to Odoru” (“The Foolish Angel Dances with the Devil”). I guess you could call it a fantasy rom-com. It’s intelligently a little knowing, perhaps more so than any of the other shows with ecchi themes this season. The developing interplay between the warring protagonists so far is entertaining and I’m happy to keep watching as it fills a gap in my viewing list this season.
I like also “The Unwanted Undead Adventurer” it didn’t have a much of a promising start but is getting better each episode. The beauty and the beast overtones are obvious and Rentt’s development is getting meatier every episode (hehe). The real test for this show I think will be when the next stage of the story unfolds and how Rentt handles that. For now its another keeper. Another show I’m enjoying is “Delicious in Dungeon”. It’s emphasis on dungeon ecology is engaging though the cooking components are a bit disappointing – why do all the dungeon dishes look like iterations of Japanese cooking? That’s okayish but I find it lazy writing. I’ll keep it for now.
“Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!” is cute and warm, and while not much will happen I suspect, it fills a comfortable and relaxing space in my watching schedule. Ive managed to catch up with “Pon No Michi” (somehow), the cute girls playing mahjong show. Its not great and lacks focus and I’m not sure if I will continue it – Its on the provisional list for the moment. “Chained Soldier” is okay and looks good but the story isn’t strong. The fact that it’s studio, Seven Arcs (The Nanoha series, Blue Period, Extreme Hearts etc) is a favorite of mine keeps me watching it for now. “The Witch and the Beast” is pretty standard supernatural fare. It’s okay but not great but I will continue with it for now. I thought Sasaki to Pii-chan’s opening episodes were interesting but my impression now that’s it seems to have settled into standard isekai fare, it’s going backwards for me. When the story is set in the contemporary world, its a lot more fun. However if it keeps on its current generic path, it’s a certain drop. I’m also watching “Meiji Gekken: 1874”. It’s pretty standard samurai fare and the main reason I’m watching is that it is Tsumugi Akita Anime Lab’s first full production. I enjoy supporting the underdog so that’s why I’m watching it….
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Yeah, Frieren is Frieren… You either limit yourself to a scant handful, or you’re gonna be writing a novel.
Re: Witch Supernatural isn’t really in my wheelhouse, so I’m not clear on what the conventions are. But in it’s general composition it feels like many Magical Girl shows, monster of the week supporting a larger season arc.
re: Hokkaido As I said, it’s not actively bad. It’s bland (IMO). It’s painting by numbers at best.
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