The Anime Thread

Cool, The Devil is a Part-Timer! and The Misfit of Demon King Academy are getting second seasons.

The Devil is a Part-Timer! Anime Gets 2nd Season With Returning Cast - News - Anime News Network

The Misfit of Demon King Academy Anime Gets 2nd Season - News - Anime News Network

Haven't had a chance to check Devil is a Part-Timer to begin with, that might prompt me to watch it. LOL I do hope they manage to keep the same vibe in Misfit of Demon King Academy going in the second season, though. It was one of those power-fantasy shows that could go over the top without being an type of experience.

Two quick bits.

First, they are having WAY too much fun with Hori's....preferences in Horimiya. LOL Hopefully they don't drive it into the ground, but I'd be a liar if I said it wasn't making me laugh consistently.

Second, I was a bit late to the party but with some extra time on my hands this weekend I started watching one of the winter season shows I had seen pop up in memes and conversations. Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is a surprisingly good show, even if you have to get past some potential skeeviness from the main character Rudy.

So let's get the stumbling block out of the way: Rudy was NOT the best of persons before he reincarnated into his current world, and since he retained his memories upon reincarnation more than a little of his behavior is far from appropriate. To the show's credit they show many of the reasons why he turned out the way he did but they don't use those reasons to excuse his behavior. Plus being in his new environment is allowing him to move past any trauma he endured and grow to be a better person.

Most of the time. There's likely to be some actions and behavior that don't sit well with some, but we're not talking Redo of Healer stuff so use that as a guide, I guess.

Anyhow, setting all that aside I kept finding myself getting to the end of an episode and saying, "Wait, that's all there is for this episode?!" Much in the same way as The Irregular at Magic High School, the pacing and storytelling at play are really tight and it's very easy to lose yourself in the show. I'd almost recommend waiting until the season is over to watch it, as it'd be a very easy show to binge-watch. There's been about eight or nine episodes so far, and I went through the first six like it was nothing. LOL

Well worth a look, just be ready for some of the stuff coming from Rudy to be questionable behavior or thinking.

Haven't really gotten into the show, but this was a fun watch regardless.

Dragon rap.

Well we've had some shows wrap up for spring, so recap time I guess.

Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki-kun was a bit more interesting and cerebral than I expected. Watching Tomozaki go through the challenges laid out to him by Hinami was fun in and of itself, but seeing Tomozaki struggle through figuring out how he wanted to apply what he was learning was just as fascinating. The secondary cast was solid and got some exploration as well. And just as the "that was unexpected" moment of the show, the obligatory group bath scene did NOT go the way you would expect and you see someone get a weird but funny nickname out of it. Not a bad watch, but it may not be for everyone. I liked it enough.

Quintessential Quintuplets season 2 was overall solid (couple of rushed bits here and there but nothing glaring) and has me looking forward to the next season they just announced. I'll probably go more in-depth on that one in another post, as there's some spoiler stuff I REALLY want to talk about but it'd make this post huge if I tried to do it here. LOL If you liked the first season then season 2 will be right up your alley.

Last Dungeon Boonies (I refuse to try and type out the whole title anymore lol) was a fun show right to the end. Not quite "laugh out loud" hilarious all the time but definitely fun in how they play Lloyd's overpowered but also oblivious nature. It's fun enough that I'm rewatching episodes with Funimation's dub and I'm not bored (Alexis Tipton as Selen has been really fun to listen to). If you want a fantasy version of One Punch Man with it's own twist on overpowered characters, it's worth a look.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation was great. Like I said before, getting past Rudeus' inner monologue may be a hurdle, but the animation and storytelling in the show are REALLY solid. Events about two-thirds of the way through the season add a new wrinkle on things and set up for a lot of stuff to further explore in the next season of the show. Here's hoping they can pick up right where they left off whenever the next season starts.

The only one left to talk about is Horimiya, and the final episode airs this weekend so I'll hold off on that for now.

Okay, so Horimiya finished up, and overall it was strong. Watching the characters grow together and grow from interacting with one another was really well done and had an interesting conclusion to finish up the whole show.

If there's one complaint I could find, it's that it almost feels like they could have done more with more episodes/time. From what I read on ANN's episode reviews there was more to the manga/source material, especially involving all the assorted friends/acquaintances that were introduced through the run of the show. Looking back I can see how that might have seemed extraneous when they were concentrating on the relationship between Hori and Miyamura, but at the same time I think it could have fleshed things out with the show overall and added some layers. The dangers and challenges of adaptations, I guess.

Anyhoo, I'd still solidly recommend the show. Like Jobless Reincarnation the pacing was so good that usually the show was over before you expected it, so it might be a good candidate for binge-watching. Also I haven't seen all the episodes of the dub yet, but overall the ones I've watched have been good so I think you're good going either sub or dub.

Okay, time for that dive into the latest season of Quintessential Quintuplets, and there's probably going to be lots of spoiler-type talk (for those that have stuck to the anime, anyhow LOL) so here's the obligatory



SPOILER ALERT!!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!!


...

We good? Okay then.

First off, it's a fun little swerve Funimation has thrown into their dub of the show. They just started airing their dubs, so there's only a couple of episodes done so far, but both of those episodes showcase Futaro meeting one of the girls in Kyoto as a kid AND his encounter with "Rena" in the present. To keep the ongoing mystery of which one of the quintuplets he met and who Rena is, they cast a totally different voice actress (if I'm right it's Alexis Tipton) as both the childhood and present day Rena. I have to tip my hat to them on that one, nicely done. Even though the VAs for the quintuplets are pretty similar, casting one of them for either the childhood or present day Rena would have given up the game.

Which brings me to the main revelation on that front: who Futaro met. Out of all the girls, it was the one I expected least but in retrospect makes the most sense. It was Yotsuba, and that reveal throws a whole new light on what we've seen both in the first season AND the current season, especially since it looks like she knew Futaro was the boy she met back in Kyoto.

• She was the first of the quintuplets to fully get behind Futaro being their tutor.
• She tried giving him as much support as possible in getting her sisters to join in the tutoring sessions.
• Yotsuba was the first of the girls to start wanting to separate herself in appearance from her sisters. If it took place right after she met Futaro, that says something about the meaning of the meeting to her.
• And of course, there's this bit from the first season

So for me, that one little reveal moved Yotsuba out of the dark horse candidate in the "which sister will he marry?" mystery of the story.

As for the other sisters? Nino is freaking adorable but frightening in how "full steam ahead" she gets over her wish to date Futaro. Meanwhile I think Ichika probably rubbed a LOT of fans the wrong way with her actions, but since it turns out she also met Futaro in Kyoto (she snuck off to see the boy her sister was talking about and ended up playing cards with him) there might be some longer term feelings in place. Even though she was developed feelings for him in the first season, recognizing Futaro from the photo that Rena took from him might have lit a bit of a fire in those feelings.

It was also nice to see Miku and Futaro get some one-on-one time and for her to confess in her own way while affirming her love of her sisters. Unfortunately for me that makes it look like Itsuki might have moved to the dark horse candidate slot. Even though it looks like she was the one who became Rena in the present day and that she seems like the best compliment to Futaro, unless there's a reveal of some kind coming in the next season to move her back up a bit? She's fallen back a bit, even if she picked up some spicy undergarments for the class trip.

...

Oh and you manga readers? Hush, I don't wanna hear it yet.

Super quick takes on spring shows I've checked out so far (since I more or less wrote a novel in my last post).

SEVEN KNIGHTS REVOLUTION: Hero Successor and The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent: Interesting premise to both shows and potential for some fun storytelling.

Combatants Will Be Dispatched!: If you liked Konosuba, you'll probably like this one.

How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord Omega: Picks up right where season one left off, so if you liked season one you should be good.

Dragon Goes House-Hunting: Quirky-funny humor. Never thought I'd see an ID photo joke in a fantasy anime.

One other super quick note about Demon Lord Omega.

The opening song EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! absolutely kicks! Worth a look/listen.



Full version of the OP.

Okay, from the "ummm....what?" category comes this news tidbit.

WWE President: WWE Sells 'Multi-Episode Anime Series' to Crunchyroll - News - Anime News Network

Given some of the quality of Crunchyroll original series and some of the output of WWE programming (REALLY hit or miss), this sounds like something that could go in either a funny "it's so bad it's funny/good" direction or a "oh geez, what were they thinking?!" direction.

So despite some initial misgivings (some first episode reviews mentioned something of a mean-spiritedness to the interactions) I've given Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro a look.

So I will say that there is a bit of meanness that isn't present in shows like Teasing Master Takagi-san, but it's a different vibe to begin with with Nagatoro. As was pointed out in one of ANN's reviews of the first couple of episodes, there's a really strong hint that Senpai (the protagonist hasn't given his name yet lol) might be...awakening to how certain interactions affect him

But what I've found fun to watch is Nagatoro herself. Her death stares when one of her friends looks to be crossing a line that Nagatoro feels only she can cross are great and very telling, plus they make for some great sight gags. But two interesting things I've noticed is that

1. before she starts in with her teasing/bullying of Senpai, there's a moment of hesitation before she goes in, usually with a slight stutter. It's very easy to read as "Oh crud, I've committed to this now, let's finish what I started."
2. In addition during most of her bullying/teasing of Senpai, she's slightly red in the face, blushing a bit. Whether or not it's from embarrassment over expressing her interest in Senpai (no indications of anything similar when two other guys are trying to hit on her in an episode) or she's getting something of a thrill from bullying Senpai (her own awakening, perhaps? lol) may be a question answered in the future (or in the manga).

It's probably not a show for everyone, but potential kinks of the characters aside it was more than I was expecting. I'll probably stick with it to see how stuff plays out.

Funny moment from the latest episode of The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent.

We're five episodes into the show, and the main character Sei has been living in the world she's been pulled into for quite a while at this point. She's also been interacting with one of the captains of the guard,



her supervisor at the research institute she's been working at,



and in this episode she meets the kingdom's top mage (who helped summon her to that world).



And in this episode she just now realizes, "Hey, how did I get surrounded by all these hot guys?!" LOL

Berserk manga creator Kintarou Miura passed away recently.

Can't really say I was a Berserk fan, but there's no denying the impact his work had on both anime and manga.

Funny moment from How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Omega. Diablo and company return to their home city and after some shenanigans end up getting thanked by a bunch of people in town. Funny part is that it looks like two of the artists responsible for the kicking opening theme song made an appearance as two of the townsfolk.



Two of the townspeople (who incidentally do a rap of sorts to say thanks) look REMARKABLY like those two gentlemen in the thumbnail/video. The outfits are different but there's no mistaking the hairstyles.

Ugh.

Zack Snyder Indicates Interest in Making Films Based on Anime - Interest - Anime News Network

There's a part of me that gives the benefit of the doubt, as his aesthetic choices could work well with the right anime property. But when you take his track record and then combine it with the tendency of Hollywood to absolutely bungle and completely miss the mark when adapting anime, I stand by my opening statement:

Ugh.

Well, Saga of Tanya the Evil is getting a second season.

Saga of Tanya the Evil TV Anime Gets 2nd Season - News - Anime News Network

Wasn't one I followed or had a whole lot of interest in, but I figured it was newsworthy enough to leave it here. LOL

Surprisingly, season 2 of How Not to Summon A Demon Lord already ended. Storywise it was probably for the best as they had reached a good stopping point.

Anyhow, overall it was more of what season 1 brought us, so not too bad. The usual of seeing some characters return and having new ones introduced, as well as Diablo being eternally flustered in social interactions. I have to agree with a reviewer that said it would have been nice seeing some growth in his character (namely him being more comfortable acting as Diablo) but at the same time I think that could run the risk of taking away from the humor it can provide. Plus there's a point to be made about how tough it can be to overcome shyness in social interactions. If you liked season one there's plenty to like in season two.

Final side note, Crunchyroll is airing the "Double Summon" version of the show, meaning you get to see a little more of the fan service stuff. What that means, however, is that the glowing outlines and strategic rays of light to obscure certain areas of the body are removed, but that's it. So no EXTRA-extra fan service so far.

This is one of my most favorite anime ever. IN fact I have a toon name TanyaTheEvil

So more wrap-ups.

Dragon Goes House-Hunting was okay. I did like how they played around with fantasy tropes (the Dark Lord won his title by lottery and didn't really want the title, photo id cards for adventurers AND monsters, Heroes pretty much being jerks) and they did a tremendous amount of world building. But the humor ended up being more chuckles than out-loud laughs and as the season went on it wasn't a "oh man the new episode dropped I GOTTA watch it now" situation. It's okay and an interesting change of pace, though.

Combatants Will Be Dispatched! was a fun one. Being from the creator of KONOSUBA means you're going to see some fun being had with some fantasy tropes, but it also means you're going to see some fans just looking for the show's versions of Aqua and the gang. The difference with this is that while in KONOSUBA you had people with some horrible personality traits trying to do good, Combatants has people with horrible personality traits being led by BAD GUYS with horrible personality traits. You actually see more caring and/or heroic behavior from the antagonists than the main characters. It makes for a really interesting dynamic and sets it apart from KONOSUBA. Definitely recommended if you liked Kazuma and company, but definitely worth a look otherwise.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent was a solid show. Watching the characters grow and develop was pretty well done, and they really were characters instead of caricatures. Having the main character NOT be a teenage boy/girl transported to the fantasy world made for a different dynamic than most isekai shows. Not super high drama or anything like that, but a solid watch.

I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level was my fluff show of the season. LOL Cute girls designs for the all-female cast, with a touch of One Punch Man for the main character (she's the one who maxed out her level). Pretty much harmless fun.

DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO is probably the most divisive one on my watchlist for the season. I can see how the teasing/bullying/borderline torture of Senpai (we didn't learn his actual name in the run of the show lol) might be a trigger for some, but it was (to me) like watching Teasing Master Takagi-San with the teasing turned up to 11. Definitely not a show for everyone, but the expression game on characters (especially Nagatoro) was on-point and made for some great laughs. Whether it was when she was teasing Senpai or when others threatened to tease Senpai and she didn't like it, it was some fun stuff.



Early in the show but a great example of the expressions in the show.

More wrap ups

Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway. Slice of life that gives you hope for humanity. The plot development was well-paced but gets heavier each episode. The characters grow on you, you care for Sayu more, the more you learn of her past. And you just respect the chadness of Yoshida.

last week's wrap up
Super Cub. There are many anime these days telling stories about self-discoveries. I'm talking about a type of show where a protagonist would undergo a dramatic change after meeting new people, experiencing new events, and changes themselves. Super Cub's main protagonist Koguma is one such character, a lonely girl who takes up a Honda Super Cub and begins her own journey.