The Anime Thread

From the looks of things the Fruits Basket remake finished up its first season. Gotta wait till next year for the second season, though.

I wasn't sure about it as I was more or less going into it blind (never sat down and watched the original or read the manga, only saw a couple of details here and there on some YouTube videos) but it was a really solid season. Their balancing of humor and drama was good, and the exploration of main and side characters was really well done. I watched Funimation's dubcast, and all the actors did great jobs with their characters. In particular I liked Tia Ballard's performance of Kagura and Christopher Sabat's Ayame (it's not often you hear Sabat camping and/or vamping things up a bit). Surprisingly, I don't really have any complaints about the show, not even minor nitpicks.

Dunno if I'm going to add it to the collection, but it's definitely one I'd recommend for watching.

I absolutely loved this show. Most of the episodes brought tears to my eyes.

Couple more completed series for the summer.

First, Demon Lord, Retry! I really wish I could give it some more positive comments, but it just missed. The artwork really didn't look good past the first episode, the story meandered near the end and the "to be continued" ending really didn't leave me wanting more or waiting to see what happened. There were some fun character moments but they ended up being too few and far between. It was one of Funimation's simuldubs and I'll usually give the dub a try to see if that can make a difference in watching the show, but I didn't even bother with the dub. At best it's okay, but not one I'd recommend unless you're an isekai completionist of sorts.

The other one was Hensuki. That one was more on the mark for me as the first episode sets up a "solve the mystery" dynamic mixed in with some harem shenanigans. What makes it even more interesting is that as the main character Keiki tries to solve the mystery (who left him a love note and a pair of panties with the note), he discovers that all of the "suspects" have their own kinks.

And yes, that's the word I meant to use. After all, the full title is Hensuki: Are you willing to fall in love with a pervert, as long as she's a cutie?

What's interesting is that while those are used for some comedic fodder (lots of funny reactions from Keiki as he discovers and reacts to the girls exhibiting their own personal preferences), I never got the impression that they were doing any shaming on those kinks. And it's not really limited to the girls, just about everyone somehow lets their freak flag fly in the show, including the guys.

Getting back to the main character, though, both the Japanese and English performances of Keiki really help make the show. The Japanese actor really puts in a solid performance with both the comedic and some of the more serious moments. Meanwhile the dub cast Clifford Chapin as Keiki, and while he seems to be channeling a lot of the same character work he used for Uehara in Gamers! it all lands solidly. Plus it's just fun hearing Bakugo's English voice being put through an emotional rollercoaster while trying to find love.

It's a fun show that I'd recommend, and one that may well end up in the collection.

Next up? How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?

It's a surprisingly informative, very silly show with a healthy dash of fanservice, but the fanservice I think is done for both sexes. You'll get some fanservice-y shots and setups for the women as they work out or demonstrate a particular exercise, but on the same page you get regular scenes of Machio (the trainer at Silverman's Gym) striking poses and showing off his muscles.

In fact, some of Machio's flexing provides some regular comedic beats to the show. Fortunately it doesn't rely only on his random flexing for comedy, as they mix in some fun random comedy moments and characters just going over the top regularly. And to top everything off, I still chuckle at the names of a favorite movie star and his secretary that they came up with for the show.

If there's a complaint that can be put on the show, it's that there might be some food shaming taking place. The main character Hibiki initially starts hitting the gym because she wants to get slim and get a boyfriend for summer, but they regularly show her eating. Not pigging out regularly, but a lot of snacks and the like. What might be a little on the shaming side there is that everything she eats gets a display of the kcals in the food itself. It does get expanded to any food showing on screen, but considering Hibiki is usually the one character that always seems to have food it kinda gets close to that shaming line. It could be a "mileage will vary" type of thing, though.

It's a solid fun show to watch, and informative enough that it's tempting to get it when it gets a video release (if for no other reason than to get guides for trying some of the exercises). I'd say give it a shot for a decent laugh or some general silliness.

And how can you not love this ending theme?

Another finished up, Isekai Cheat Magician.

Hey, at least you know what you're getting into from the start. LOL It has a slight twist in that the main character and his childhood/longtime friend get pulled to another world together via a magic ritual that goes wrong. So you have a male/female dynamic going, with strong hints of feelings for one another that they haven't admitted to yet. When they manage to establish themselves and decide to try and be adventurers, they learn their abilities are off the charts and are put under the tutelage of one of the strongest magic users around. And their adventures go on from there.

That seemed to be the most interesting part of the show, though. The male lead Taichi is strong because he's a rare type of magic user, but it takes him a while and some struggles to learn to use his powers. Rin, his childhood friend, is powerful because she can use all types of elemental magic, PLUS what she learned in science classes allows her to use it in ways unknown or unthought of in their new world.

After they get a hold on their powers, they try to inject some intrigue (some of it political, some of it a possibly dark power manipulating things behind the scenes) but I can't really say it worked all that well. It didn't really build up drama as they might have intended, and some climactic fights and events intended to be dramatic end up falling short.

They do have some fun moments, though.



Nothing like a thirsty general to lighten the mood a bit after the hero proves himself in combat. The childhood friend is the one in the blue cape, by the way. LOL

I dunno, at best it's an okay show but things bothered me about it, especially Taichi's reactions and actions even after he was told outright on more than one occasion by different people that everything he was being put through was to manipulate him down a particular path. I'd recommend the first part of the show where Taichi and Rin are learning things, but after that I think mileage will vary greatly.

Hey Everyone,
I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with TUBI, but its another free streaming app (because it has commercials) that has a variety of genre movies and shows. In this case, it has a collection of anime that helped me binge through some classics and some new ones

Probably my shortest "review" of a season coming up, since I've already talked about it MANY times this season.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? season two.

It's great.

Can't wait for season three coming next year.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...geon-anime-season-3-casts-rina-hidaka/.151630

Me too

Quick heads up for a new show.

If possible, go into watching ORESUKI blind, with little to no knowledge of what the show is about. If you go in knowing it's still funny, but I have the feeling going in without knowing will make it funnier.

Okay, Isekai Quartet's second season is gonna get some guest stars, some guy with a shield or something.


https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...star-in-isekai-quartet-anime-season-2/.151917

So Arifureta finished up.

Yet another isekai show, with a twist being a whole class being taken to another world. Still hits some of the power fantasies you might see in those kinds of stories, though, as the main character Hajime starts out weak but gets super powerful and collects something of a harem by the end of the season.

Anyhow, I wish I could say the show was better than it was, but it's got some problems, some of which are probably a result of the troubled production history of the show. The storytelling can hop around a bit (especially at the beginning) and it can disrupt the flow of the show. Might even cause some confusion in some people, too. Also, the character development can come across as hit or miss as characters (particularly some of Hajime's classmates) can be introduced without much context and it gets tough to connect with some of them.

The biggest flaw is the animation, though, particularly the CGI. Some of the action animation early in the show can be a bit rough (but gets better by the last episode) but the CGI they use for a lot of the big monsters?

Ugh.

That said, it's not all horrible. Watching the story develop and play out was interesting enough to keep me watching the whole season, they avoided some pitfalls in the storytelling and there was enough humor to give me a chuckle or two. That can go a long way for me.

I really don't know whether or not to actually recommend the show. It was decent enough overall to get a second season (just announced) but there are more than a few obvious flaws to work through if you sit down to watch it. I don't think I'll add it to the physical collection but I'll at least be watching the next season to see where things go.

I just watched an anime called BlackFox. I recomment it to everyone. I absolutely loved it. However it is 90 minute move. It is streaming on Crunchyroll

Okay, I know I'm gushing here but I don't care.

Even though we're only two episodes in, I can't recommend ORESUKI enough. Between the story they are telling and the humor, this show has me hooked already, and we haven't even seen all the players yet. If the intro is any indication, there's still a bunch of people left to throw into the mix, and things are already interesting enough as is.

Adding to more ISEKAI anime, any opinion on Hataage! Kemono Michi and Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious? I started seeing these anime and they are hilarious

Funny thing, I just watched the second episodes of both series this morning. LOL

They're both some fun takes on the isekai format. I wasn't completely sold on the first episodes but with both shows the second episode hooked me enough to finish out the season.

The pro wrestler hook in Hataage! was a fun one, but the over-the-top nature of his love of any animal is something they're going to have fun with. Plus when they do action it's pretty good. The encounter with orcs in the second episode was a really good action sequence.

Just don't call Genzo a demon beast killer.

As for Cautious Hero, it's very easy to get some vibes similar to Aqua when it comes to Ristarte, but she's enough of her own character and has a different person to play off of with Seiya (he's definitely no Kazuma) that any Konosuba comparisons can just end up being superficial. The comedic expressions and voice work for Ristarte are hilarious, for sure.

What surprised me was that they aren't afraid to get dark, and it actually acts as a nice counterbalance to the more outrageous humor. The scenes involving and the fight against Chaos Machina could have fit right in with darker fare like Overlord. Some of Chaos Machina's expressions were VERY reminiscent of Clementine from Overlord, actually. Even if the humor doesn't hold up it'll be interesting to see how they balance out the humor and darker elements.

They haven't announced voice casts yet, but both shows are going to get dubs from Funimation and knowing them they're gonna have fun with the comedy in both shows.

Oh, and as a side note, if anyone's looking for the cute/moe isekai of this season, that'd be Didn't I Say To Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life? The first episode was fun and had some funny/cute moments, but I think the highlight was hearing how the deities determined the average for Mile's abilities. LOL

Just announced, Weathering to You will be released in theatres on Jan 17th 2020 in North America \o/

So there's a fun little new show that takes some elements from past anime and works them into its own unique fun.

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun

Basic premise is that the title character (Iruma) finds out that his no-good parents have sold his soul to a demon. Funny thing, though, that demon (Sullivan) wants a grandson, so Iruma agrees to be Sullivan's grandson. Sullivan then enrolls Iruma into a school for demons, and the hijinks ensue.

Oh, and demons eat humans in this show, so if he's found out he's lunch. Lucky Grandpa doused Iruma in demon pheromones/scent, so he hasn't been found out.

So you've got a show that mixes elements of both Hayate the Combat Butler and Rosario + Vampire. You'd think it'd be rather derivative but it manages to be its own fun thing. Two episodes in and a lot of the humor focuses on Iruma's desperate attempts to fly under the radar and failing because he keeps getting dragged into the spotlight, whether it's due to his doting grandfather, his own abilities or just pure dumb luck.

And honestly it's a lot of fun. There looks to be a running gag with one demon girl wanting to thank Iruma without success, how some of the gags play out is great and the school song is something to behold.

I'd call it a recommendation for those looking for a little more lighthearted fare in your shows this season.

Okay, so this is a bit forward thinking, but a show coming in January already has my interest. It's called Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It. The premise is a pair of scientists fall for one another, and then decide to try and prove love scientifically.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...-anime-video-reveals-january-premiere/.152256

I don't speak a bit of Japanese, but from what the preview trailer shows, it looks like it's gonna be adorable and adorkable.

Cautious Hero got better.

There was no new episode this week, but it IS the week that Funimation started streaming their dub version. I hadn't seen any info on who was cast as Ristarte and Seiya, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Jaime Marchi is Ristarte, and it sounds like Anthony Bowling is Seiya, and they both nail their respective roles. Marchi is awesome in her role. Whether it's the stress-out moments, the high energy bouncing around, the drooling over Seiya or the anger and frustration over Seiya not following what her expectations are, she's hitting all the notes perfectly. And Bowling plays the perfect straight man to all her energy.

I'm very tempted to hold back and only watch the dubs, but the show is good enough that I'll probably watch both.

Woohoo! More Kaguya-sama: Love is War!

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ne...ama-love-is-war-anime-gets-2nd-season/.152408