It’s May already

Manga:

Shibuya Near Family continues to be good. Koji Kumeta seems to be taking time off, so there was only one chapter in the last month. A

Iwakutsuki Bukken no Yakuro-san is a short (19 chapters) cute read about a ghost waifu. For what it is, it was alright. B-

After Being Executed With the Words “Necromancers Are Disgusting,” I Will Start My New Life as a Demon is one of those otome isekai manga with horrible long titles… this one’s 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝕶. Unfortunately it seems to be a romance with the evil but secretly caring demon lord. Mehhhh D+

Anime:

I have watched the first half of Gundam 00’s first season. The politics are funny. It basically takes Mithril from Full Metal Panic and makes their goals more ridiculous - while also being completely serious about it. But the show itself is fun, and the visuals aged quite well. Also, I discovered that the album the ED song is from (The Back Horn - Pulse) is actually quite good. Apparently the show goes off the rails soon-ish, so I guess I’ll see how much of a shitshow it will become B

The Namek arc in Dragon Ball Z is very strong. There’s still… 200 episodes to go. A

A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof is the new Studio Shaft anime, and unfortunately is nowhere as adventurous as their peak (beyond the start of E1, which is done in an authentic early 1970s animation style). The show itself is fine. C+

Recovery of an MMO Junkie is something Animefeminist.com fawns over, and the first impression confirms their views. Moriko is a very relatable protagonist for anyone who is an adult that feels directionless in life (and got hooked on being terminally on the computer) - but I am too early into the show to comment if it’s worth watching.

Bakemonogatari is a show that, for the most part, has not lived up to its sordid reputation (unfortunately “for the most part”). In fact, it’s significantly more interesting than what I expected. I’m reserving my judgement until I see where the story goes, if anywhere, beyond character arcs. For better or worse, this is Shaft at its peak.

Western Animation

Gravity Falls is still fun. Though was the Dipper in love aspect of the show really necessary? Ah well. B+

  • CriticalOtaku [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    1·
    8 days ago

    Non-Gundam Anime I watched recently:

    Guilty Gear Strive Dual Rulers: This shit is so ass it wraps around to being Peak. Which is basically Guilty Gear in a nutshell and why you should always give it 100% your all when doing anything creative, because even when you fail if you were sincere enough you can succeed. Like, the show is just Daisuke Ishwatari saying “Hey guys, racism sucks and hashes the vibes so could we just punch all the racists and be done with it?” and it shouldn’t work but it does because waow-based . Also naked bridget-vibe

    Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Extremely watchable show, somehow managing to land perfectly between detective procedural and period drama, but the main pair have a super weird dynamic that I’m just not vibing with. Honestly at this point I hope the show would actually double down on it’s feminist credentials and just go with a crack lesbian ship or something.

    BanG Dream! Ave Mujica: I have a soft spot for band shows and I’ve been trying to catch up on the recent glut bocchi-cry gifted us but I get through like 3 episodes of Girls Band Cry or Jellyfish Can’t Swim at Night and I’m all like “Man, I really just want to rewatch BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad again” and that’s the end of that. I did manage to finish It’s MyGo- weirdly enough I’ve been following the Bang Dream series for a while now as a budget K-On!, because these shows have stellar character writing that’s wildly out of sync with the production values and general… content? of the episodes themselves. Like, the stakes usually don’t go any higher than “Will the Band Get Together Again/Disband” but somehow the characters get to be weirdly rounded and fully fleshed out- and It’s MyGo is a kinda weirdly personal small-scale story centered around neurodivergency and learning to express ourselves in a healthy manner and what not… and the immediate follow up to THAT show is this high-octane Camp melodrama nonsense? Where the main character is wrestling with domestic neglect and multiple characters have mental breakdowns because of the stress of being in a commercial band… AND THEN HALFWAY THROUGH THE SMOL BEAN CAST OF MYGO COME BACK AND THE TONAL WHIPLASH IS SO APPARENT IT’S JUST SO WEIRD. I don’t really know how to process this show, or even if I like it- I only made it to episode 7 so far.