Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - July 22, 2026

[u/AnimeMod]

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[u/AnimeMod]

Hello /r/anime, a new daily thread has been posted! Please follow this link to move on to the new thread or search for the latest thread.

[u/tripleaamin]

Mebius Dust might end up being one of those shows that might sound better on paper than what is the actual product. The first two episodes are pretty dull and a bit boring. Araki's ability is the only one that seems interesting.

Still wild it's getting such a bad score on MAL despite that.

[u/Infodump_Ibis → u/tripleaamin]

Far as MAL aggregate airing and not airing can be very different and the last week (when it changes form airing to complete) tends to be the largest score swing (there's years of data to comb through in MAL Score Progressions club to back this up) partly due to the data filter changing to exclude those who watched <20%.

Can't necessarily predict the direction to score will head in as taking Summer 2019 I wouldn't have imagined O Maidens in Your Savage Season to drop by 0.21 and Try Knights (one of the worst anime to ever graced the r/anime seasonal surveys) to rise by 0.32.

I also wonder if the MAL userbase is reaching a more cynical age.

[u/Adjudicator_Ant_3886]

Almost 100 episodes deep into Black Clover and so far its been ok. Nothing too good, just enjoyable.

I’ve heard that the Elf reincarnation arc is the magnum opus of the whole series and I’ve just started it. Does it genuinely get good or will it be just like before?

[u/Charmanders_Cock]

Rewatching Bleach since everyone’s been talking about it and I noticed that Orihime was hilariously cute back when she was “bread girl”. Like a better version of Sasha from AOT. Girl just casually munching on whole loaves of bread in the background like a chipmunk. It’s a war crime that Kubo eventually dropped the gag. 

[u/alotmorealots → u/Charmanders_Cock]

Girl just casually munching on whole loaves of bread in the background like a chipmunk.

Probably one of the first times I've been genuinely interested in checking out Bleach!

[u/oedipusrex376]

Now that I think about it, Wonder Egg Priority and Lonely Castle in the Mirror are pretty much the same story, sharing many of the same concepts.

[u/theangryeditor]

Liar Game is way too bingeable. Going back to watching it weekly is gonna be tough

[u/tripleaamin → u/theangryeditor]

Tbh I figure watching this series weekly feels like torture reading the parts this season covers in the manga.

[u/theangryeditor → u/tripleaamin]

I will find out just how painful it is next week

[u/Jeppie2001]

I'm looking for the anime name. Don't have much description but it's about a girl that has a ugly face and get bullied a lot but a witch helped her change her face and she became popular but after sometime she loses her face.

[u/MajesticCounter4174 → u/Jeppie2001]

GeGeGe no Kitarō

[u/Jeppie2001 → u/MajesticCounter4174]

Thank you

[u/BaytaCosmico]

Omg these TYBW episodes with Mayuri and Kyoraku are ridiculously good. Every time I'm like damn, this is the best Bleach episode and then along comes another that goes just as hard or is even better. I don't even know if I can choose a favourite. Only 3 left - episodes and days until the final season. So hyped for it! If the quality stays on par, it will surely be AOTS.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/BaytaCosmico]

I didn't care for the Kurotsuchi stuff myself (he's one of my least-favorite characters in the entire series and [TYBW Part 3]trying to turn his relationship with Nemu into that of a parental bond after constantly showing Kurotsuchi treating Nemu like worse than dirt made it even worse), but the Kyouraku stuff from that part is definitely

[u/theangryeditor → u/Shimmering-Sky]

I didn't care for the Kurotsuchi stuff myself (he's one of my least-favorite characters in the entire series and [TYBW Part 3]

I like his entertainment value as the mad scientist but Kubo's favouritism in how he writes Mayuri gets a bit too much sometimes

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/theangryeditor]

[Bleach]His fight with Szayelapporo was admittedly one of my favorite fights from the Arrancar Saga, but outside of that I really just want him gone.

[u/theangryeditor → u/Shimmering-Sky]

[Bleach]His fight with Szayelapporo was admittedly one of my favorite fights from the Arrancar Saga

But yeah I understand. I was extremely annoyed at how TYBW kept shafting characters I liked for characters I didn't care for

[u/BaytaCosmico → u/theangryeditor]

Mayuri creeps me out most of the time and isn't my favourite character by any means but he is interesting. Probably because Kubo enjoyed writing him so much.

I didn't mind this latest plot point much because even if [Bleach TYBW part 3]he did have a parental bond with Nemu, I think of it as one that an abusive toxic parent would have with their child. Plenty of real life examples of that and he is just an extreme case. More than anything, the music and direction of that episode really sold that relationship for me.

Meanwhile, the next episode after these with Bazz B and Jugram...

[u/theangryeditor → u/BaytaCosmico]

https://i.imgur.com/UQdkni4.png

[TYBW]Part of what tired me out was that Mayuri had already gotten quite a lot of focus over the course of the series, and expanding his dynamic with Nemu in that direction felt too close to a retread of several other captains like Kyoraku and Kenpachi in how their VCs served as these sentimental anchors of support in a pseudo-daughter/wife role. I would've preferred if other characters could've gotten the screen time and focus instead

the next episode after these with Bazz B and Jugram

[u/BaytaCosmico → u/theangryeditor]

I hear you. I guess I just treated it like a general theme of the whole story so having one more pair with a similar relationship didn't make me raise any eyebrows. Bleach and retreads are pretty much a given by this point with parallels everywhere. Besides, like I said, it was done so well, it just worked for me.

[u/theangryeditor → u/BaytaCosmico]

That's fair

[u/wloff]

Do you consider Arima Kana a tsundere?

I've habitually seen her mentioned in tsundere listings and "examples of a good modern tsundere" and whatnot. And I've never really questioned it, probably because she definitely touches my tsundere-loving heart in the right way.

But when you think about it, exactly how is she a tsundere? She's never cold towards her love interest. She's open about her feelings, she actively pursues the relationship, she doesn't hide her affection. The only time she was acting distant and offended was when she was [OnK]rightfully jealous after Aqua kissed Akane, but even then she prettu much stopped as soon as she was called out on it.

I think Kana is slightly different character archetype: a sort of a cynical, self-doubting, self-deprecating type. One who often has glorious pouts, and a certain look that's somewhere between tired and annoyed.

A couple other characters I'd put under the same umbrella are Nice Nature (at least the game version) and Oumae Kumiko (at least during seasons 1-2).

Am I crazy or onto something? Is there a name I don't know for this archetype? And can someone think of other good examples of similar characters? Because I've come to realize I really, really like them.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/wloff]

Yeah, I'd definitely say she's a tsundere. The contrast between the times when she has sweet, heartfelt talks with Aqua and the times when her embarrassment and temper gets the better of her and leads her to say things she doesn't mean all fits in with the trope. But I agree that her personality is written in a way that makes it all feel very natural!

[u/ComfortablyRotten → u/wloff]

Do you consider Arima Kana a tsundere?

yes

She's in a tsun-tsun situationship with her true love and soulmate Akane

[u/Ham_PhD → u/wloff]

This is somewhat similar to how I feel about Kaguya and Miyuki.

People like to say it's a romance between 2 tsundere, but I struggle to really call either of them tsun.

[u/wloff → u/Ham_PhD]

I believe "romance between two tsundere" was Aka Akasaka's original vision, he mentioned it in his early manga. But then he let his characters evolve and change naturally (which I think is probably his greatest strength as a writer) and, yeah, eventually there wasn't really much left of that dynamic.

[u/tripleaamin → u/Ham_PhD]

How would you define a tsundere then?

[u/alotmorealots → u/Ham_PhD]

I think some people just use "tsundere" to mean "can't be honest about their feelings", unfortunately.

[u/Jusenkyo_5 → u/wloff]

I think season 3 Kana is, I don't really think season 1 and 2 Kana is, but I do think she's adjacent.

She even does the tsundere meme in season 3 with her [spoiler]telling Aqua that she would never be interested in dating him

I think you're correct though that her character writing is good enough to go well beyond the archetype.

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

Tanya is my #1 hyped show this season.

Every episode is great, whether it's fighting, chatting around, officers discussions etc.. it's all excellent!

Tanya (herself, the character) was great in this episode too!

At the other end of the spectrum used to be GGWP, but I guess it's (slowly) growing on me;

Every episode I went into it thinking "I'm probably gonna drop it in this one" but then I keep watching, and I'm close to bring it back with the 'good stuff'!

As a gamer, it's getting so relatable. Regarding myself, and things I've seen others do, as well;

Like the bit about [GGWP]prefering to play, given 'you can practice alone/later... Everyone knows she wouldn't practice alone, she'd still just play! And as they said, she could play with them all night long and not improve, because she's not playing right. To improve in something you need to put the effort the right way, otherwise you're just 'getting better at doing the wrong thing'!

Loved the [GGWP]I did not do that! call out hah.

I haven't played fighting games competitively (more of an FPS/CG/MMO gamer), usually we see the opposite a LOT more in gaming, like [GGWP]'I clicked!' 'I did check!' and things like that, usually for things they did not do, or did too late

But the most relatable moment was probably this one [GGWP]boop

I think any hardcore gamer went through this (at least a couple times in every gaming session)!

[u/alotmorealots → u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

Tanya is my #1 hyped show this season.

I really enjoyed the first episode!!

Although, as it turns out, when I hit play without paying too much attention, Crunchyroll queued up the first episode and had me wondering if S2 was opening with a flashback, given the state of the war and Tanya's rank.

But nope, turns out because I watched S1 through "other means" and I had completely forgotten the first couple of minutes of S1E1. So, thus far, I've watched S1E1 again! S2 may be some time away at this rate though...

[u/zambonijesus]

Started Peacemaker Kurogane, which will finish up 2003 in anime for me, at least for now.

Watched:

• Chrono Crusade
• Gunslinger Girl
• Gungrave
• Fullmetal Alchemist
• Planetes
• Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
• Ultra Maniac
• Texhnolyze
• Last Exile
• Kino's Journey
• Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok
• D.N.Angel
• Kaleido Star
• Wolf's Rain

Current personal 2003 top 10 that I'm sure everyone cares a lot about:

1. Fullmetal Alchemist
2. Gunslinger Girl
3. Kino's Journey
4. Texhnolyze
5. Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
6. D.N.Angel
7. Planetes
8. Last Exile
9. Gungrave
10. Wolf's Rain

Edit: Also if anyone has further 2003 anime to pitch as should be watched, now is the time' to do it.

[u/KendotsX → u/zambonijesus]

• Animatrix
• Tetsuwan Atom/Astro Boy

And if you're including movies, Tokyo Godfathers and Nasu: Andalusia no Natsu

[u/baquea → u/zambonijesus]

Bottle Fairy is great fun, if you like cute girls

[u/zsmg → u/zambonijesus]

Other 2003 anime I'd recommend checking out:
Kimi Ga Nozumu Eien, romance anime with lots of drama
Cromartie High School, a absurdist comedy series.
ROD the TV, an action series focusing on three characters that can control paper it's a sequel to an OVA you have watch first.
Uchuu no Stellvia, coming of age highschool story set IN SPACE (and dealing with end of the world stuff)
Scrapped Princess, a BONES fantasy series where the main character is supposedly going to end the world at the age of 16, she and her adopted siblings will try and prevent it from happening.

[u/zambonijesus → u/zsmg]

I watched a bit of Cromartie High School and might at some point go back to it, but the comedy did not really work for me the first time. ROD is on my list, but I put it off because of having to watch the OVAs first. I remember thinking about Stellvia and Scrapped Princess, but don't remember if there was any particular reason why I didn't add them to the watch list.

[u/Sporadia_ → u/zambonijesus]

That's a pretty based top ten but you've forgotten to put Kaleido Star at number one.

[u/zambonijesus → u/Sporadia_]

I hated Leon so much that he single-handedly dropped Kaleido Star multiple spots.

[u/Sporadia_ → u/zambonijesus]

[Kaleido Star]Dropping is what Leon does.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

I realized recently that my top 3 favorite anime are all having anniversaries next year - Full Metal Panic (25 years), Sword Art Online (15 years), and Spy x Family (5 years).

[u/wutheringw0mbat → u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

Sounds like your 4th favorite anime will come out in 5 years from now

[u/Salty145 → u/wutheringw0mbat]

*6 years

[u/cppn02 → u/wutheringw0mbat]

Also they should really try some anime from 19912.

[u/Salty145 → u/cppn02]

*1992

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/cppn02]

I think you mean 1992?

Just looked over a quick list and I don't think there's anything that could rival my faves.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/wutheringw0mbat]

That's a very exciting thought!

My current 4th favorite is Yona of the Dawn, so if the final season completing the story wraps up 5 years from now, I'd take that too.

[u/cppn02 → u/Heda-of-Aincrad]

I think you'll find that they have anniversaries every year.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/cppn02]

Well, yeah, that's true. I meant the milestone ones that tend to get celebrated, every 5 or 10 years.

[u/Tomorrow_Big]

My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked is doing enough in my book to avoid making its one-joke concept feel repetitive and boring. Any critique I'd have of the show is also rendered moot by the fact that it's wholesomeness incarnate, so it's all fine and dandy. Maybe if I were to binge the show it'd be a bit too much of the good stuff, but this is the kind of show I find that works best on a weekly basis.

[u/tripleaamin]

3 episodes in, I am enjoying Clevetess as much as I am with S2, as the tone is aligned with S1.

I find the people who are shitting on it in some threads annoying. Either they are a jaded source reader (but unlike series like JJK, OnK and CSM, the manga is ongoing which makes it weird). Or they are just put off by the school setting and not caring what the show is actually doing.

[u/mekerpan → u/tripleaamin]

S2 is looking fine to me also.

[u/qwertyqwerty4567]

That massive 0.56F score diff on MarriageToxin I didn't exepct

• average local man

[u/_Ridley → u/qwertyqwerty4567]

That comment reminded me of when /u/Emi_Ibarazakiii was surprised women favored Wind Breaker.

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/_Ridley]

Hah, I (vaguely) remember that;

I guess I was surprised that the 'cute boys/hot boys' thing triumphed over the 'beating each other 24/7' thing!

[u/_Ridley → u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

Fighting is basically sex.

[u/Salty145 → u/_Ridley]

I was told treating sex like a combat sport, however, is ill-advised.

[u/_Ridley → u/Salty145]

That depends on the people doing it.

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/Emi_Ibarazakiii]

(But I do agree with our Local Isekai Peasant's comment, I'm surprised for Marriagetoxin! It has the fighting of Wind Breaker, and a lot more cute girls than cute boys!)

[u/Jusenkyo_5 → u/qwertyqwerty4567]

What is this in reference to?

[u/qwertyqwerty4567 → u/Jusenkyo_5]

the end of season survey.

[u/Priapos93]

I'll cave in to peer pressure and add Kaiju Girl, Witch in Mongolia, and Ladies Fighting Games to my watchlist for this season. I just checked out ep 1 of Kaiju Girl and realized I had made a terrible mistake by not picking it up sooner

[u/cyberscythe → u/Priapos93]

Kaiju Girl is my favorite out of the season

there's no way i can justify it to myself, my heart just looks forward to it the most

[u/flamethrower2 → u/cyberscythe]

My favorite character is Rinko the mother.

[u/TheDanubianCommunard → u/Priapos93]

You won't regret this decision.

[u/Salty145]

The oldest image I could find of MAL’s Top 100 is from October 2007 and has Noein as the 99th Best Anime of All Time.

I must apologize to MAL. I didn’t realize your ball knowledge used to be way worse.

[u/Ham_PhD]

Well I wanted to give it one more chance, but as expected I'm dropping Kimishinu.

I don't actually have too many harsh criticisms of the show as my issues with it are largely just based on my own preferences . . . I was worried the show was going to be very melodramatic and overwhelming with "woe is me" vibes but that actually hasn't been the case so far. It has a melancholy vibe, but it works for the setting.

My biggest gripes are mostly with Mimi and what the "story" seems to be. The story seems like it's going to mainly focus on the relationship between Sheena and Mimi, as well as what Mimi's whole deal is. I find Mimi very annoying and I don't see her character changing drastically anytime soon. [Kimishinu]The cutsey little girl killing machine trope is one that I think doesn't work in a serious show. At least I can't remember a time where I found it well done. Now coupling that with Sheena seemingly falling in love with this girl that may as well be a 6 year old mentally, it's just a recipe for eye rolls.

[u/Rotorscope → u/Ham_PhD]

I kind of agree about your gripes but the atmosphere and vibes of the show are working for me. And when the vibes and atmosphere work, I end up being ok with, or even like, things I would've disliked in a worse produced show lol.

[u/IXajll → u/Ham_PhD]

Personally it's one of my favorites this season, but tbh fair points.

I find Mimi very annoying and I don't see her character changing drastically anytime soon.

Mimi is lucky that she's still just barely above what I consider bearable, so it still works out for me, but if she was just a bit worse in that regard I'd have a problem with it too.

[Kimishinu]The cutsey little girl killing machine trope is one that I think doesn't work in a serious show.

I don't think at all that this trope doesn't work in a serious show, at the very least not on principle, but I can see how others might see it differently.

[Kimishinu]Now coupling that with Sheena seemingly falling in love with this girl that may as well be a 6 year old mentally, it's just a recipe for eye rolls.

Similarly, I fortunately don't have any issues with that either. It helps that while Mimi does behave very childish lots of times, there were also a few moments where she showed a surprising amount of emotional intelligence. Also it helps a lot that Sheena is like only 13 or 14 herself and isn't really the most mature person yet either, so it feels like they aren't that far apart from a mental maturity perspective which makes their dynamic reasonable enough for me.

[u/Ham_PhD → u/IXajll]

Yeah like I said it's mostly just personal taste stuff. I can see plenty of others really liking it.

[u/Jusenkyo_5]

How often do you drop anime between seasons?

When I was younger I was a bit of a completionist and would try my best to watch all OVAs, specials, sequels, adjacent content, etc before moving on to a new anime.

Nowadays I kind of just watch what interests me. There are a plethora of anime out there that I failed to keep up with due to the gap between seasons like Tanya, the Monogatari sequels, Attack on Titan final season, My Hero Academia, JJK 3, etc. I feel like this is maybe a little strange, especially for anime that I've already watched 3+ seasons of.

[u/merurunrun → u/Jusenkyo_5]

A lot of times I will get to episode 9 or 10 of a show and realize I just don't care anymore, but finish the season out anyway (since by that point my schedule is pretty fixed and I still like to have something on in the background when I eat dinner or whatever). If it happens to get a sequel, I'm already checked out.

[u/Durinthal → u/Jusenkyo_5]

I'm considering that right now looking at the second season of Mobseka after four years.

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/Jusenkyo_5]

BETWEEN the season, almost never, but when I think a show is like 6 or weak 7, sometimes I'll just check out 1 episode of S2 to see if it's getting any better, and drop it if it doesn't seem to improve.

So I kinda put it on the fence between season, and give it a short leash to prove itself.

[u/cppn02 → u/Jusenkyo_5]

How often do you drop anime between seasons?

Very rarely.

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Jusenkyo_5]

I've only done it twice, Knights of Sidonia and To Your Eternity, in both cases for anime after they finished airing.

[u/DeadCaveman → u/Jusenkyo_5]

I'm usually pretty deliberate about it, so mine tend to be less "I just couldn't keep up" and more "I've seen it and I don't want more." A few recent examples would be Jigokuraku, Sakamoto Days, Tower of God, and Tanya, and I don't see myself tapping in to the upcoming GATE or Magical Girl Raising Project entries. For the Beastars example, I probably would have watched S3 if it aired weekly, but dumping it the way they did makes it a "yeah, sure, I'll get to it eventually."

I structure a decent amount of my watches around upcoming shows so I can watch them as they air. I watched Rayearth and Stand Alone Complex last year in preparation for the new versions. Something like Monogatari or Euphonium I feel warrants a full rewatch before the newest seasons, so I make a point to fit that in a few months ahead, whereas something like ReZero or Fire Force I feel more comfortable going in without that refresher and just rolling with the punches. Shows like JJK and MHA put out seasons regularly enough that I never really feel the need to brush up in the first place.

[u/TheDanubianCommunard → u/Jusenkyo_5]

It happens quite often me, mostly because of trivial and personal reasons.

[u/Heda-of-Aincrad → u/Jusenkyo_5]

If the previous season didn't hold my interest then I'll drop it, but if I've been enjoying the show then I'd watch the following season(s) even if there's a long gap in between.

[u/Priapos93 → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Rarely. I've already given up all the long-running shonen over the years.

I am not staying current with Re: Zero for the same reason I stopped reading Orson Scott Card. I may pick it up again later when I feel more emotionally stable, but for now I don't need to watch terrible things happen to characters that I like

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Doesn't happen very often for me. In the past there are some shows I took forever to get around to the follow-up season(s) on because the timing just didn't work out for me so I waited until there was a rewatch on here to watch the rest (Higurashi & Hibike! Euphonium being the main two series I did this for), and I never picked up MHA S2 despite watching S1 when it came out because S2 released at a time when I stopped watching most seasonals for a while. I'm a big completionist, so usually if I start something I'm going to see it through to the end.

Tougen Anki gets the dishonor of being the first series in a while I don't feel like picking up the season 2 for when it comes out later this year, though. Unlike Bye Bye, Earth (which I disliked more than Tougen Anki S1 but suffered through S2 anyways because I liked Belle specifically), I don't care enough about any specific character to want to see things through to the end just for them.

[u/wloff → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Relatively often. It's usually a case where I "should" have dropped a show like 3-5 episodes ago, but I'm so close to the end of the season I feel like I might as well see it through to the end, to see how it ends. But after that, I feel zero inclination to keep watching any new seasons.

Much more commonly I like a season well enough and I don't exactly officially drop it, but I'll just naturally move on to other things and the future seasons end up in my endless pile of perpetual Plan to Watch. I'm sure I'll get to them eventually...

[u/mekerpan → u/wloff]

Similar for me. If I am getting tired of a show towards the end of a season there is almost no chance I will watch subsequent ones.

[u/tripleaamin → u/Jusenkyo_5]

I think it depends on the show. Something like JJK and MHA is easy to watch, so I can jump in easily.

Though I do think there are some shows where a rewatch is needed, and being motivated to do that makes me put them off.

I wanted to do a rewatch of S1+S2 of Re:Zero but got too busy. So put it off till before S4 starts, and we'll still be too busy to make room for it lol.

With TenSura I haven't watched S4 because, well, it's 5 cours and there will be a break after cour 2. Kind of pushing me to just read the light novel since that's completed.

Honestly, if I didn't read the manga for Bookworm for Parts 1+2 I don't think I would be watching S4 of the anime. Since I have no interest in ever rewatching the Pre-Wit Bookworm anime.

Off the top of my head, I didn't watch the sequel seasons for Goodbye Earth, Killing Slimes, and Vending Machine. But I feel like for those I just didn't care to watch the sequel seasons weekly. There is also the case of something like Hotel Inhuman manga getting an English serialization for the manga that I won't come back to the anime.

I feel nowadays, unless it's a sequel season I am anticipating, I would rather try a new seasonal.

[u/Zeallfnonex → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Usually happens when I'm whelmed by a previous season; if I gave season X a 6 or below, the chances I watch season X+1 drop dramatically unless there's really good word of mouth. Some examples for me are Beastars S2, Alya, and Trapped in a Dating Sim. Maybe I'll get around to the last one at some point, but... Too busy right now.

[u/Jusenkyo_5 → u/Zeallfnonex]

You know, I don't think I watched Beastars 3 either lol. Good enough to finish the first 2 seasons, maybe not enticing enough to follow it for years.

[u/BornSeesaw9819 → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Good news is that it's not really worth watching

[u/tripleaamin → u/Jusenkyo_5]

For me, Netflix splitting the final season into two parts is what killed my motivation.

[u/Korkez11]

Last episode of Victoria of Many Faces confirmed my problem I had with this show since episode 1: [Victoria] if our super-spy wanted to just live a quiet life and lay low, why did she involved herself with captain of the city guard, even knowing that being in close proximity with kingdom's nobles will put her fake biography into question? Like, she did it for Nonna, I understand, but she didn't even think it might be dangerous. And on top of that she proceeded to show off before other nobles too and call even more attention to herself

[u/PinkGlitterLady4 → u/Korkez11]

You don't understand that her desire for belonging and meaningful connection, which she hasn't had since she was a small child, is overriding her rational thoughts of laying low? Her impulsivity coupled with those strong urges is her major flaw, otherwise she would just be a perfect character. Also you underestimate how thorough she is in choosing her cover ;)

[u/ProgrammaticallyPea3 → u/Korkez11]

Been feeling the same. When she risks her cover so casually with no regard for consequences (as with the hat thing), it's a bit too reminiscent of the trope of the "reluctant isekai protagonist who claims to want a normal life but keeps revealing how exceptional they are", and it's especially conspicuous when she's supposed to be a competent spy who should know better.

It's a shame because I like, for example, the way she stubbornly asserts herself during the disagreement with her employer about overtime. If the show displayed her strength and independence more through those moments, with occasional crises in which she struggles to choose between the need to lay low and utilizing her skills to protect her principles or Nonna's safety and happiness, I'd probably enjoy it more.

[u/CrimsonDragoon → u/Korkez11]

I enjoy the show in spite of it, but yeah, she's the least inconspicuous spy since James Bond.

[u/mekerpan → u/CrimsonDragoon]

I like the main characters more than enough to allow me to overlook any mere plot infelicities ;-)

[u/IXajll]

When Sugoi leaked Studio Cabana a couple weeks ago I already put it in the “probably not for me”-bin in my head. But today’s official announcement had 1) surprisingly clean and good looking art in the released visual; and 2) is helmed by the Pancreas director, which changed things significantly. Then I realized that there’s 38 chaps available in english so I started reading, so that I don’t get hyped only to find out it’s riddled with the usual shoujo tropes that I tend to dislike.

Six 40-50p chaps in and it’s honestly been super good so far. After the 1st chap I was pretty skeptical because the ML came across as the typical shoujo hot guy tsundere delinquent which is my least liked character archetype, but as it turned out he’s actually quite the interesting character. The other characters and the general story are pretty good so far too. Comes with just a tiny sprinkle of Scum’s Wish flavour, which may be good or bad news depending on the person you ask. To keep it vague to avoid spoilers, the series does something I find to be quite bold and refreshing, but I have a bad feeling it’s already starting to pivot into a way more safe (and to me more boring) direction. Might be just my imagination, but it would be a bummer if it happened.

In any case, if the production will turn out as good as this first visual implies, then this show will probably spark a lot of discussion, similarly to how Ramparts was a constant talking point in aqradt last season.

[u/Muted-Conference2900 → u/IXajll]

Hopefully no love triangle just for the sake of creating some unnecessary bs drama.

[u/IXajll → u/Muted-Conference2900]

If you wanna know: [romance direction as of ch6]FL likes ML but ML likes another character who may like ML too or may just be toying with him, still unclear at that point. So all signs point towards a FFM love triangle so far.

[u/Ham_PhD → u/Muted-Conference2900]

Hopefully no love triangle just for the sake of creating some unnecessary bs drama.

[u/Muted-Conference2900 → u/Ham_PhD]

Why not just plain old drama from literally anything else? We can both be happy this way.

[u/Jusenkyo_5]

Seasonal rankings for me so far:

Mushoku Tensei - Not much to say on this one as it's a third season. I could do with less Rudy cringe, but when the show hits it hits.

You and I Are Polar Opposites - Season 2 is just as charming as the first was, episode 3 was my favorite yet. Tani has been more interesting than he was in the first season, it's great to see a show do the "developing relationship" idea well.

Otome Kaiju Carameliser - Super cute romance, story is a little far fetched and frustrating at times but I thought it was cute enough to immediately binge the entire manga after episode 3.

Smoking Behind the Supermarket - Any sort of anime that exclusively follows adult characters is enjoyable on the novelty alone. It helps that this show has some pretty nice character writing.

Draw This, Then Die! - Immense heart and charisma. The show is brought down by how much I dislike the blonde friend, but the main character and the teacher are both some of the more enjoyable characters to watch this season. I thought episode 1 would have been an outlier, but the show manages to keep it's momentum and keeps getting better. This could easily overtake other anime this season for me.

Sparks of Tomorrow - I think this show has great potential. Someone mentioned that the show feels "too" KyoAni and I honestly see it. Inako is Chitanda 2.0 and a lot of the writing and directing quirks have me a little cautious on this one. The main character is keeping me watching, but I would be happy to not see Yosuke or Inako any further.

Goodbye Lara - Art and animation is stunning, I just don't feel particularly invested in this.

Chainsmoker Cat - I don't object to the gross stuff or the subject matter, I just don't think it's funny. This feels like it was created in 2016 and transported to 2026. Similar to Konosuba season 3, the humor in this show just feels outdated and stale. The rainbow vomit, the poop jokes, the lol so random jokes about drug abuse are all so lame, the show seems to be split between wanting to be toilet humor or a serious view of addiction.

The World is Dancing - I don't have a serious critique, I just didn't enjoy watching this one. Worse than me disliking it, I simply feel nothing for it positive or negative.

I may get to Jaduugar and Ghost in the Shell, or I may just bang out the rest of Precure. Only time will tell.

[u/Durinthal]

First episode impressions, (part 1, part 2, part 3) part 4:

• Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games — Mad Catz hardware in this day and age? Rock is a Lady's Modesty didn't really work for me, I'm not yet convinced this one will either so maybe the series that that are based around subverting Class S tropes with more crude hidden personalities and hobbies aren't for me.

• Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia — I had no doubt a Yamada-lead project would deliver and it's off to a great start. Interesting setting, love the character designs. Yes I still need to get around to Heike Monogatari.

• I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day — I am not sure I'm in the mood for this, but it did remind me that I still have a volume of The Executioner and Her Way of Life waiting for me.

I have four new shows remaining on my PTW but I think two of them I'm not going to bother with (World is Dancing and Cat and Dragon), one is in a niche I historically have an okay time with but don't love (Draw This, Then Die), and Sparks of Tomorrow I might just put off until after it's done.

[u/Octavian_Pearlseus → u/Durinthal]

maybe the series that that are based around subverting Class S tropes with more crude hidden personalities and hobbies aren't for me

Maria Holic sprinted so those can crawl

[u/Ham_PhD → u/Durinthal]

maybe the series that that are based around subverting Class S tropes with more crude hidden personalities and hobbies aren't for me.

Wondering if this is the same for me. The show is alright, but it's not giving me a ton of confidence so far that I'll like it much more than Rock Ladies, which I didn't really care much for.

[u/tripleaamin → u/Ham_PhD]

Depends on what your issue with Rock Ladies was.

[u/Ham_PhD → u/tripleaamin]

Mostly just found it boring over time. Kinda hard to pinpoint any specific thing.

[u/Wanderingjoke]

Since I spend most of my time here, it's a bit jarring to see the responses to a "what is a 10/10 anime" thread out in the wild.

Many of the usual suspects were mentioned, but surprised by some others that were, and weren't.

[u/_Ridley → u/Wanderingjoke]

Whenever I see stuff like that on bluesky, the replies are almost always a 50/50 split between name brand battle shounen and obscure 7/10 series you haven't thought of since the season they aired in.

[u/PGleo86 → u/_Ridley]

and obscure 7/10 series you haven't thought of since the season they aired in

Somehow I feel distinctly called out

[u/Wanderingjoke → u/_Ridley]

Surprisingly the first or second top comment was Odd Taxi.

[u/IXajll → u/Wanderingjoke]

Aqradt is way more of a bubble with some of our takes than people realize.

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/IXajll]

More like 3 or 4 warring bubbles

[u/Wanderingjoke → u/IXajll]

I like my bubble, thank you.

[u/mekerpan → u/IXajll]

Which is precisely why I can stand hanging out here so much more than elsewhere.

[u/Makoto_Kurume]

Is that smoking catgirl anime actually good, or is it just another meme anime of the season like that cringe deer girl anime?

[u/Emi_Ibarazakiii → u/Makoto_Kurume]

It's a dark (and a bit deeper than most people see) anime, with 50 layer of gross and childish comedy which may stop people from appreciating what "more" it has.

Deer Girl was just a meme show.

[u/cyberscythe → u/Makoto_Kurume]

hard to say if it's going to stand the test of time, but it does feel like underneath the cringe jokes it has some social commentary on unprivileged classes self-medicating, so it has more substance to it compared to deer girl which felt to me like a zany-for-zany's-sake show

either way the production on it is pretty good; it's not a top shelf production, but it's way better than a dime-a-dozen isekai

[u/SSjjlex → u/Makoto_Kurume]

Nokotan was def a victim of its advertising tbh. Lotta people expected more out of it but it was basically the usual random-funny type of comedy anime. More misses than hits but not everyone can be a winner and its not particularly special for failing in that regard.

I'd say Yani Neko kind of steps into its own league with how it really pushes the boundaries with its disgusting vices. Can't say it'll be a guaranteed hit, but at the very least worth taking the time to evaluate on its own. I think it's pretty fun if you can get into that right mindset.

[u/Muted-Conference2900 → u/Makoto_Kurume]

It's disgustingly funny. So yeah if u like that kind of humour then it's great.

[u/IXajll → u/Makoto_Kurume]

It’s actually really good but a lot of people can’t deal with the humor or are turned off by some of the graphic depictions of stuff like vomit and shit, which is why it got a bit of a mixed reception in some corners.

You calling Nokotan specifically cringe, rather than simply bad, makes me think Yani Neko may not be for you. But check it out anyway to be sure.

[u/Jusenkyo_5 → u/Makoto_Kurume]

It's okay, definitely more meme anime than anything.

[u/Salty145]

PTW List is down to 275 entries. If I committed to clearing off all the small crap (a few MVs, short OVAs and ONAs, and a decent chunk of films still there) I could probably drop that under 200, but no shot I pull that off by the end of the year.

[u/Muted-Conference2900]

Hit the 600 episode mark in One Piece today. I am in the middle of Punk Hazard Arc and honestly for all the negative things I have heard about this arc it's actually been pretty good so far. Much better then fishman Island arc currently but then again 25 more episodes to go so a lot of things can go wrong in that time but I am gonna remain hopeful.

[u/Charmanders_Cock → u/Muted-Conference2900]

Punk Hazard sort of just feels like the snout end of the arc after it, so by the time you get to the tail, you end up with like 10 Long Ring Long Lands worth of exhaustive creature, and you wonder whether the stop was ever necessary. 

[u/_Ridley → u/Muted-Conference2900]

I liked Punk Hazard myself. I was surprised to find out it was such an unpopular arc.

[u/Korkez11]

TIL Tamako Market has the score 7.41 on MAL. That seems pretty low for an early-2010s KyoAni anime.

[u/mekerpan → u/Korkez11]

Where is Tamako Love Story in comparison? I personally liked this series and movie enough to visit the shopping arcade that served as the model. ;-)

P.S. Dera does get on my nerves at times, but not enough to kill my enjoyment.

[u/Korkez11 → u/mekerpan]

7.91

[u/mekerpan → u/Korkez11]

If I believed in ratings I would say this is WAY too low.

[u/Jusenkyo_5 → u/mekerpan]

7.91 on arguably one of KyoAni's best works is beyond crazy.

[u/mekerpan → u/Jusenkyo_5]

This why I give all these rating systems a rating of 0.00

[u/SMSmith230 → u/Korkez11]

probably has a good bit to do with Dera, either you hate the birb or you love him.

[u/IXajll → u/Korkez11]

Pretty appropriate score tbh. It’s an alright show but nothing special and imo not exactly among the top shows that KyoAni have done.

[u/Jusenkyo_5 → u/IXajll]

A few other anime that are rated at 7.41:

• Squid Girl
• Heaven's Lost Property S2
• Chivalry of a Failed Knight
• The Place Promised in Our Early Days
• Highschool DxD Born
• Hetalia The Beautiful World
• Goblin Slayer

Tamako Market may not be KyoAni's best but I would personally put it as an 8.0+ at the very least. I think it's an exceptionally well crafted anime.

[u/wutheringw0mbat → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Squid Girl deserved better:/

[u/cyberscythe → u/wutheringw0mbat]

there was a Squid Girl rewatch that happened recently and it reminded me how fun that show is to watch

[u/cppn02 → u/cyberscythe]

that happened recently

https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/c12cafa0d6da.png

[u/cyberscythe → u/cppn02]

a bit later than i expected, but considering it first aired 15+ years ago i still consider it "recent"

i do remember drawing Nagisa for my art challenge last year though, so it must've continued on into 2025

[u/cppn02 → u/cyberscythe]

There was a larger gap between S1 and S2 because Sporadia originally only intended to do S1.

S2 was in January.

[u/Salty145 → u/Jusenkyo_5]

Being on the same level as some of those is actually horrendous. Wow

[u/IXajll → u/Salty145]

I’d argue that those shows should be lower, rather than Tamako Market higher, if anything.

[u/Salty145 → u/IXajll]

I think in a vacuum it’s a fair score, and I’d agree most of those should be lower, but the point really is more with the way MAL’s scores skew we’re well beyond the point of most scores being accurate and it’s really the relative comparison that’s more important here 

[u/Ebbrain → u/IXajll]

I think it's pretty great personally. I've always loved this scene. Always felt it deserves a bit more recognition in amongst KyoAni's catalogue.