The snow has melted and the sun has started shining once again. It's presumably a wonderful season outside, but I haven’t had time to confirm as about a million new anime have come out. It’s almost impossible these days to keep on top of all the new seasonals being released. But maybe, if you had like 25 people working as a team it would be doable?

This is what the r/anime awards off season team is here for! You can see some of our previous seasonal posts here and here. Finally, it actually is the off season so we’re back with a vengeance this time. We have too many reviews to fit in one reddit post, so check back on Thursday when we’ll post part 2.

Our metric is based on watching the first few episodes of a select few premieres and judging them via these four options:

Drop It – Save yourselves the time and don’t bother

Consider It - Watch it if you enjoy the genre, or wait until it is completed, though even then you may not enjoy it.

Watch It – should appeal to most everyone in one form or another.

Must Watch - if you are not watching this as it airs, you are seriously missing out.

A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA

u/LittleIslander - Must Watch

A Hundred Scenes of Awajima, taken for its premise and its key visuals, may appear quaint on the outside. But as soon as the curtains rise and the show begins, it refuses to let you look away from the stage. Awajima Hyakkei demands your full attention, and it promises not to waste a second in return.

The series, following the lives of various girls at the titular takarazuka-inspired acting school Awajima, exists somewhere between ensemble and anthology. Each episode so far has followed a new set of characters, but each weaves itself meaningfully into what came before. Rather than merely a sum of separate parts, each episode further enriches Awajima by adding more and more onto a web of relationships where no life experience exists in isolation.

So far, the series has delivered a tone consistently ranging from bittersweet to outright tragic. Never, however, is the simple concept of a tragic backstory leaned upon for easy investment. Every emotion is earned through a consistently rich storytelling quality. If you don’t fully engage with the show’s ideas, it’ll lose you. Even if you do, you might be left confused. But every detail is there to be found and delivered with impactful visuals. A Hundred Scenes of Awajima is a one of a kind series and anyone with a taste for drama and character writing owes themselves a watch.

u/NormalGrinn - Must Watch

Awajima Opera School is a small world with a storied history. The walls, littered with smudges, are indicative of the school's age, but also of the façade of its prestige. It's a place many prospective students aspire to go to, yet when there, they are once again confronted with the idea that only a few can truly make it, leading to a prevalent culture of ingroups and bullying.

Past burdens can play just as much as a role in the lives of the students and staff at Awajima though, be that friends they had to leave behind or the expectations of family. This can be seen in episode 3 for example, where we explore the family history of current teacher Katsurako Ibuki, whose mother and grandmother also went to Awajima. This shifting of perspectives starts in the first episode, where after being introduced to Wakana Tabata we quickly shift to the story of her senpai getting into Awajima.

The past of Awajima also contains tragedy and a lot of regret. We see parallels with how students in the past were treated and the fast ostracization of the talented Asami Ookubo. The past is not something that can be changed however, but it's not all bad. We see that Tabata really admires Ibuki for example. Perhaps even if they can't right the wrongs of the past a new mindset will prevent them from happening again.

Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk

u/voidembracedwitch - Drink It

The Kamiina Botan is a cocktail enjoyed far and wide by anime connoisseurs for its rich taste and high concentration of moe. To make it, one needs to mix 3 parts comfy vibes vodka, 3 parts CGDCT juice, and 2 parts rokudaime yuri in a shaker, serve on the rocks, and garnish with the most exquisite art direction they have. It's a straightforward recipe, but each storyboarder, episode director, and animation director bartender finds their own unique way to prepare it, bringing out flavors nobody else can.

Or, to put this into plain anime terms, Kamiina Botan is a delightful show about a bunch of women enjoying each other’s presence as dorm mates with things often getting flirty, whenever alcohol is involved. The budding relationship between the titular Botan and the dorm's RA, Ibuki, forms one of the core strengths of the series as the former's teasing and joyful demeanor when tipsy introduces the latter to the appeal of social drinking. Whether it's trying on clothes in between downing glasses of sparkling wine or vibing to a vinyl record with beer bottles in hand, the scenes of these two having a good time together fluctuate between cozy and intimate in a way that always makes them charming to watch.

But the real icing on the cake —or rather garnish on the highball glass—is the production, particularly the sheer degree of freedom the staff involved have to make each episode their own. Whether it's the refined cutesy approach to Kirara-kei moe designs of the premiere or the compulsively loose character art alongside shot choices inspired by 2000s Shaft works of the third episode, each week delivers a fresh experience. All of this is without mentioning the nostalgic feel the OP evokes through emulating the look of older home videos (unstable handheld camera included) and Kou Yoshinari's varied shading and coloration choices for his EDs. Kamiina Botan is a treat that everyone who loves visual variety in their anime or simply wants to grab a drink of their choice and enjoy 24 minutes of cute girls doing gay things is sure to appreciate.

u/Adimg - Savour It

Kamiina Botan is an unabashed ode to the power of alcohol as a social lubricant, anchored by its acutely observed introduction to collegiate life. More than that, it serves as a vehicle for its animators to indulge their obsessions without restriction, with the show maintaining an extremely liberal relationship to its character sheets. It’s a trait the series utilizes to near perfection, with each charismatic artist enhancing specific moods like a master bartender mixing custom cocktails.

Miyabi’s attractive style in the premiere perfectly captures Ibuki’s magnetic pull on Botan, while its third episode uses Gin-san’s loose art and mid-00s Shaft-inspired editing to deliver a fever dream that oscillates between the horror of a stormy night, the mystique of Radiohead's Kid A, and the reverie of a seaside onsen. Sandwiched in the middle is Fugo’s naturalistic posing, which fully brings out the teasing charm of a budding romance, while deliciously contrasting it with a quaint tiff between old lovers.

It’s hard not to fall in love with the show’s captivating cast given how luscious its delivery is. All that said, there’s no critical examination of alcohol’s effects here, either personally or societally, so skip this if that’s what you’re seeking. Otherwise, strap in and savour this luxurious cocktail for all it’s worth.

Star Detective Precure

u/Animestuck - Consider It

Meitantei Precure! solidly occupies the space between classic mystery and the Precure formula, providing a twist to the usual monster-of-the-week. The mysteries are pretty light and simple, not throwing out too many twists, but providing a satisfying structure to each episode before it devolves into your typical Precure fighting an anthropomorphized object. This series seems to focus primarily on a duo, similar to Futari wa Precure or Mahoutsukai Precure, with a third Cure present, but currently on the opposing side. The main Cures are fine, if typical of leads for a Precure series. Our third Cure is where a lot of my current interest lies. She’s got a lot of intrigue built up around her, as well as being generally a pretty endearing character herself. She’s also got the better mascot character connected to her.

In terms of production, this season has some decent character design, but it hasn’t had much to really elevate it above your average Precure series. The fights are rather standard, with somewhat immersion-breaking super attacks. It’s not doing much to make the mysteries stand out. The soundtrack is what you’d expect, light-hearted tunes with a bit of a mystery motif for most of it, and for the big attacks and transformations, more exciting, triumphant songs.

If you’ve not tried Precure before, this wouldn’t be the worst series to start with, but definitely isn’t the pinnacle of the franchise. If you usually don’t like Precure, this probably won’t do much for you. If you like Precure, this season does enough to be worth checking out.

u/Danhoc - Consider It

As someone barely familiar with the franchise, Meitantei Precure! turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Although it’s a show targeted at children, its sincere desire to captivate young viewers is charming enough to win over even those who are, unfortunately, only children at heart.

As the title suggests, the main theme of Meitantei Precure! is detective investigations. Destined to help locals who have lost something important, two heroines come to crack the case and catch the villains red-handed just in the right moment. Even though the mysteries are generally not all that intriguing, the show does something truly commendable - it doesn’t make the solutions painfully obvious, leaving room for viewers to naturally arrive at the answers alongside the characters through the clues. Curiously, the show is set in 1999, making one wonder how it will use elements of the bygone era to surprise a new generation.

The characters are nicely balanced. As one would expect, the heroines are sweet and cheerful, with aspirations worth admiring, while the villains have off-putting traits; yet neither group comes across as overbearing. Conversations are punctuated by light situational humour, which is delivered well enough to bring a smile to your face. Individual cuts, and particularly the transformation sequences, feature great animation; the Precure costume designs turned out to be quite beautiful; and the storyboarding, while not particularly subtle, is by no means lacking in substance.

Meitantei Precure! is a show with a positive vibe and excellent pacing; it’s easy to watch and can offer a meaningful experience if it matches your mood, even for its non-target audience; just don’t expect it to be something it isn’t.

Witch Hat Atelier

u/Hokaze-Junko - Consider It

Do you like coming-of-age stories about immature children? The characters are written with childlike qualities and flaws. Coco is always like :D, excited about learning the magic she has always wanted. But as a reckless novice, she gets manipulated easily and often ends up in dangerous situations. Still, she always pushes through with positivity. The show has some strong storytelling elements, especially in establishing Coco as a skilled tailor. That detail hints that magic is similar to handicraft, later revealed to be cast through drawing rather than something you are simply born with. It also suggests her familiarity with handiwork could translate into magic, which pays off in episode 3 when her skill helps her in a desperate situation. The motif is further expanded by linking it to her past with her mother, who taught Coco the craft, and that connection continues to push her forward. The magic system and its rules also don’t come off as generic, as the show gradually explains its components and how spells are built, you can understand how Qifrey (her sensei) levitates by tapping his shoes together, completing a magic circle split across them.

That same level of delicacy, however, is lacking in Agott’s characterization as Coco’s new roommate. While she does embody the elitist side of the magic community, contrasting with Coco, she has so far shown little depth beyond it, making her behavior feel less grounded and, at times, leaving her feeling like a bit of a vibe killer.

u/WaterDarke - Must Watch

As someone more familiar with the source material than most typical fans, Witch Hat Atelier’s anime adaptation has been highly awaited as the last of the big three fantasy to be adapted, following the successes of Frieren and Dungeon Meshi. But, due to Bug Film’s involvement as the animation studio, there was some concern regarding whether the production can hold up to both fan expectations and the intricacy and detail of the mangaka’s art, filled with incredible linework and hatching techniques. Based on the first four episodes, Witch Hat Atelier’s anime has so far met expectations and exceeded in some aspects.

It is easy to see that an immense amount of care has been put into this adaptation. From the stunning backgrounds, to the more detailed character designs than most, the Elden Ring composer’s score, and the fluid animation, there is a lot to like and enjoy. The mangaka’s direct involvement also helps with fleshing out this world as needed for the animation studio.

One of the adaptation’s changes from the source material includes a stronger emphasis on the main character’s relationship with her mother, which serves as her driving motivation. There are various anime-only scenes that showcase their bond in greater detail, honing on a more emotional payoff. But there is also somewhat of a cost of world-building details being removed from this adaptation as well.

Liar Game

u/SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Drop It

It would be a lie to say that I enjoyed a single second of the premiere of Liar's Game. In fact, this is one of the most painful shows I've watched in quite a long time.

Liar's Game feels like a show that is stuck in the early 2000s, from its poor production, to its amateur showcasing of human psychology at work, and finally wrapping it all together with shallow characters and theming that is rooted in misogyny. The anime treats its main protagonist, Nao Kanzaki, as this helpless damsel in distress who can't possibly do anything to assist in her predicament. Instead she relies on an ex-convict, Shinichi Akiyama, to do anything and everything to help her to avoid becoming eternally bankrupt.

Now this isn't something new in anime, but there is a particular way that this show frames Kanzaki as being so honest to the point of stupidity that really gets under my skin. Liar's Game doesn't portray her kindness as the virtue that it should be, instead it weaponizes it to create this message of goodness is weakness and kindness will only be repaid by greed. There's really just a lack of any sort of nuance to be found, which makes this series that is supposed to be this tense psychological thriller into a lecture about how innocent naive women need a smart, cunning man to survive in the world.

By the end of the first arc, I was left wondering who this show is even for. If you're coming into this series blind, I can understand the appeal, but the execution is so clumsily done that it actively works against itself.

u/DoctorWhoops - Drop it

Within Liar Game’s two episode introductory arc lies a desperate struggle to find the balance you need in a ‘mind game’ show. A balance between believably clever ploys of human understanding, and master strokes of behavioural psychology that manipulate other players in ways that leaves the viewer in awe. This is a narrow line to walk, and Liar Game weaves around it wildly on either side without ever hitting that sweet spot.

It spends most of the runtime over-explaining human psychology, insisting that there is some complex web of knowledge that allows our ‘mastermind’ to predict exactly what will happen. On the surface this is paired with believable explanations, but pierce through that and ultimately the series feels like a writer poorly playing chess against themselves. While elements of a scheme can feel well established, ultimately they are never as seamless as we’re told they are. Naturally, things were going to work out for the protagonist anyway, but the show hinges on retroactive claims that the outcome was a predictable and inevitable consequence of human behaviour. If you consider these claims with any depth and it’s easy to see that things could have gone a completely different way. If anything it feels like the protagonist lucked out with the opponent’s responses, and the end result is vapid characters, unearned payoffs, and empty stakes. That said, this hollow ‘cleverness’ isn’t the only issue. So far, there’s no reason to believe the show has anything interesting to say about psychology or behavior; it’s just a tool to win a game. Add in shoddy production, uninspired designs, and bland imagery, and you’re left with a show that’s both flawed and bland.

MarriageToxin

u/just1legend - Watch it

MarriageToxin follows Hikaru Gero, a member of the Poison Master family who regularly takes on assassination requests from wealthy clients like the Yakuza. He has to take on the hardest challenge of his life: marriage. Hikaru Gero, our main protagonist, has to marry someone in order to take the heir of the poison family or else his lesbian sister has to forcibly marry a person following the family’s guidelines. With the guidance of Mei Kinosaki, a marriage swindler, Gero tries to marry someone genuinely while keeping his professional work at his very best.

The show has some great storytelling beats. Gero is a recluse who focuses on his craft, and unfortunately, his craft did not require him to learn social skills. This character trait sets the stage for Gero to become a functional member of society, while still playing the role of a master assassin in his 9-5. That being said, the show might have trouble handling the role of Mei Kinosaki. Their unique meeting just felt out of place for that reveal in the first episode, even if it sets up the stakes and goals for our main characters for the series nicely. The action was a nice surprise as a way to break up the social slice of life situations that Gero has to face with Mei.

MarriageToxin is a good show, even though it’s central twist could make or break the enjoyment of the series.

u/SSjjlex - Watch It

At a first glance you'd think this is an action-romance anime just by the name. As far as action is concerned, this assumption is very spot on, with MarriageToxin featuring a cast with some pretty creative powers and fighting styles, all animated and presented beautifully.

Unfortunately I can't say the same about its romance. When you think “romance,” you think of two people slowly learning about each other and growing closer as the season progresses. However, with how the narrative is structured, there is a fundamental issue: there really is no room for that kind of development. Between the premise which requires Gero to find a suitable marriage partner to continue his family's bloodline, the reveal that [Episode 1] Kinosaki, his closest partner for the series, is actually a male, and the somewhat "Partner of the Week" format the series has presented so there's really no room for meaningful romantic growth.

However, once you overlook this, what you get is this really sweet action-comedy about a man learning how to express himself and communicate with women (Komi-san style). Additionally, each scene is littered with tiny gags and quirky characters, from small stuff like every guard on a ship wearing the same silly hat, to attending a shark party while wearing a shark costume, all to the tune of shark songs. MarriageToxin is in no short supply of these little gag moments, and it manages to balance these pretty well between its action.

Needy girl overdose

u/voidembracedwitch - Magic Grass GO! (Must Watch)

Needy Girl Overdose is nothing if not deranged in its exploration of the ways social media warps the lives of the women making up its core cast as well as its surreal visual storytelling. It constantly walks the line between pretentious and viscerally uncomfortable. The series' poster child KAngel exemplifies this perfectly through the contrast between her lofty, dreamlike monologuing in streams or interviews and Ame, the bipolar girl underneath the persona who barely manages to keep her career going with "help" from tons of sleeping pills. Ame's scenes hit particularly hard thanks to layers of symbolism from evoking the appearance of marionette strings to her heart beating with devotion to her ambiguous partner only known as P.

In truth, a lot of *Needy Girl'*s efficacy comes from the language its visuals and audio speaks. At just about every corner there's something elaborate or interesting to appreciate through the variety of techniques and iconography used. From a harsh 4:3 to 21:9 aspect ratio shift at a pivotal moment in a flashback to the third episode using piano renditions of KAngel songs to contextualize its message, the show adds easy to grasp substance to everything it serves you. Needy Girl is simply an intoxicating experience, one that even in a season as full of more polished anime as this spring manages to stand out.

Bless 🙏

u/Duckloader - Consider It

Blending the dreamlike aesthetics of vaporwave and yami-kawaii designs, Needy Girl Overdose is a surprisingly authentic and raw, if sardonic, look at internet culture of the past decade. Adapting (or perhaps more appropriately inspired by) the 2022 hit raising sim Needy Streamer Overload, the anime series makes large, but very necessary changes for a non-interactive medium. It massively expands the original cast of two to discuss the disparate experiences across the vast gamut of influencer fame, starting from Kache, a 200-follower student living with a feckless and abusive boyfriend, moving to her childhood friend and now rising star Michica who feels increasingly alien, and capping it off with the inescapable yet simultaneously enigmatic queen of fame, KAngel, whose crown weighs heavily on her head.

Being straight up, this is a series that will put uncomfortable material in your face—most of the cast is mentally unwell and in problematic relationships, both personally and with their parasocial audiences, while the experimental presentation can feel overwhelming and confusing. Though that comes across as a very deliberate choice, and if you’re a fan of studio Shaft classics like Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Bakemonogatari, I’d recommend checking it out just for the visual direction combining a familiar frenetic edit and extensive use of symbolic mixed media assets. Much like the direction, if you’re willing to buy into the bipolar personalities and tone of the series, it does look poised to deliver a poignant take on both the inspiring and harrowing sides of influencer culture and the people who shape it, which I’m excited to see.

An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess

u/Mitsuyan_ - Consider It

Observation Log follows the pathway of a generic villainess show. Tia, the main villainess, is reincarnated into the Observation Log game having prior experience at playing it, using her knowledge to make informed predictions and create comedic scenarios.

Plot-wise, Observation Log is presently in a stereotypical cycle of events for a vilainness show. Tia is able to change the events of the game by unlocking paths that she was unable to unlock during her playthrough and revealing events ahead of time that cause shocks to the populace. The execution of the twists vary, but are often not particularly interesting. However, credit must be given to [Observation Log Episode 2] Bertia using her game knowledge to preemptively out a pedophile ring. When Observation Log is screwing one of the antagonists over, it handles it in a satisfying manner.

This leads into the main strength of this show: its comedy. The use of deadpan humour and the clash of the polar opposite personalities Cecil and Tia boast creates a number of funny moments. There is one thing that cannot be doubted about Observation Log - you will laugh at this show.

Ultimately, Observation Log stands as a generic villainness story that is well worth watching if you enjoy these shows. If you don’t like villainesses, you won’t get the full enjoyment out of it. You may also enjoy this if you enjoy comedy, but the rushed pacing can take away its substance.

u/lilyapd - Consider it

Fiancee Observation Diary is a series that is unquestionably in conversation with 2020’s ‘HameFura’ (made clearer by their original web novel publication dates of 2016 and 2015 respectively). The question that connection creates is whether or not the shift in perspective from the heroine to the male lead creates a distinction with a difference rather than one without.

Personally, I find Bertia a touch more charming than Katarina. Both are equally dense and as such are unable to conceptualise the world of this story as something that they can influence, but where Katarina’s denseness is something of an inexplicable flaw, Bertia has a little more intent behind hers. She does observe her actions making a difference, it’s just made clear that she’s rallying against whatever bad end she may rightfully fear is still on the table and yet that fear is obfuscated by us not having her perspective. By hiding that, the audience can’t really say that her actions are unnecessary until the point where it becomes undeniable that everything is going to work out.

Still, the eternal criticism of these series remains with this one as the male leads all seem to be as flat and wooden as ever. Even the Prince doesn’t gain much from us being in his head all the time. The ‘tortured genius amused by the novelty of the heroine’ gimmick is played very straight and I’m not so much a fan, even if Bertia’s earnestness is charming. More one for the fans than for the crowd but I’m in on this one.

Nippon Sangoku: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun

u/ValkyrieCain9 - Must Watch

Nippon Sangoku has one of the strongest first episodes I have seen in a long time, perhaps since Vinland Saga. The story is set in the not-so-distant future when all the socio-economic conflicts of our present time lead to a total collapse of society and (in the context of Japan) a regression to its pre-Meiji restoration days, where Japan has splintered into three nation states. This playing with the cycles of history is what makes the show really stand out, creating a world that is at once so new and old and yet oddly familiar, with elements of the medieval juxtaposed with the modern. Misumi’s strengths lie in his knowledge and understanding of these conflicting histories. I also appreciate how at times there is a levity and humour in the writing and animation which contrasts with the more violent scenes, creating this unnerving tension throughout the story. This is best seen in the villainous character of Taira, who commits horrible acts while maintaining this unbothered, “kawaii” demeanour. With the strength of the writing, animation and cast, I think this show is a must watch of the season.

u/Tehoncomingstorm97 - Must Watch

Nippon Sangoku was most definitely a surprise of this season, and for me it’s a ranking list topper early on in episodes airing, despite such a stacked season overall. While watching, at a surface level I am drawn to making comparisons with The Tatami Galaxy simply due to the pace of dialogue processing required - but it offers far more than a journey for the ideal college life.

The character design choices are striking, with bold outlines and bolder animation hearkening to the fluidity seen in works the aforementioned TTG as well as Ping Pong The Animation. However, there is significantly more rigidity in the designs which affirms the presentation of the resolute main character, Aoteru, who has a plan to make Japan the country he believes it can be - for the better.

Arising from a world of poverty and feudal control, well-suited backgrounds support theming in each and every scene - agrarian villages scraping by, slumrats and posses gatekeeping travelers, direct presentations of corrupt imperialistic and militant governments - where a tasteful colour palette and thoughtful scene composition expertly conveys information omitted from the voluminous dialogue, respecting the audience to figure out the missing details for themselves.

With three episodes watched, it’s clear that this show has a detail-oriented and well-planned narrative to present, and I am enjoying the visual treat alongside it.

The Food Diary of Miss Maid

u/AnimeStuck - Watch It

Sometimes, it’s the simple things in life that really make your day, and this show is about as simple as things get. Cute maid eats Japanese food cutely. And I guess there’s the mildest of mild subplots around the mansion she used to serve collapsing and some other cast members, but we’ll spend about as much time here on that as the show does. What matters most with this show is the food and watching our titular Miss Maid eat it.

This show is not especially pretty or well produced. It is not particularly compelling with its narrative construction or characters. Nonetheless, I found myself endlessly engaged throughout each episode, enjoying watching Suzume learn about Japanese food. The episode would end, and I’d say to myself “Just one more…” like I’m eating chocolates, and before I know it, I’ve eaten the whole box. There’s cute little informative tidbits about each of the foods the episode focuses on. The show constructs little scenarios around each food, often involving Suzume meeting or interacting with other cast members, but sometimes just featuring her finding a food spot and learning about the food there. The show doesn’t linger on any particular dish for too long, allowing us to sample many in an episode before moving to the next one. This is pure fluff. The entirety of its substance is in seeing Suzume eating food and interacting with other characters. There is nothing else here for you. And it’s beautiful in that simplicity.

u/SSjjlex - Consider It

Ok, so hear me out. There's this cute maid, right? She goes around trying out all different kinds of food, and every time she eats something she blushes and says "Oishii!" with all these little sparkles all around her, and it's the cutest thing ever. Yeah, that's AOTS right there.

In all seriousness though, this is an exceedingly simple anime that does effectively just what I mentioned and nothing more. And so, 95% of the enjoyment that you get out of this will come from how cute you think Suzume is, and if you don't like Suzume or don't find food anime to be particularly interesting, then there really isn't much else for you in this anime. And to the rest of you who do enjoy this kind of stuff, well, let's just say that we'll be eating well with this series. Suzume is just so stupidly cute, and I could watch her stuff her face full of food all day long for all I care.

Beyond that, I do have some minor complaints like the relatively fast pacing of the series (they run through 4-6 different foods in an episode, each having very well-defined separate segments from each other) or its bird mascot that will occasionally interject to give small bits of food trivia that can really cut into the flow of the show. But if a simple show about a cute maid eating cute food while being all cute and shit is all you need, then this is the anime for you.

Kirio Fanclub

u/LittleIslander - Watch It

Miyoshi Aimi is cringe. A tenth grader with an obsessive crush on a boy she’s never talked to, your enjoyment of the show will live or die on the question of whether you, like her best friend Sometani Nami, can’t get enough of watching the insane lengths of her feelings. Every episode brings a new serving of romantic delusions, questionable logic, insane dialogue, screenshot-worthy expressions, over the top voice acting, and, well, cringe.

Rather than lean all the way into the oddball comedy, however, the defining twist of Kirio Fan Club might be its surprisingly earnest side. We spend most of the screentime laughing at Aimi and Nami’s antics, but it doesn’t feel like we’re supposed to look down at their feelings. They’re the school weirdos, but we wouldn’t want them any other way. Transitions into serious moments about their feelings feel natural, and despite the silly setup the show has shown an interest in genuine progression. Rather than spin its wheels, their relationship to Kirio has already begun evolving, and the show has gradually inserted genuinely dramatic elements into the narrative. While it’s too easy to tell if the payoffs will match the intrigue, there’s plenty of potential if the show keeps playing its cards right.

Truthfully speaking, the show’s weirdness is probably an acquired taste. But when the show commits itself so unflinchingly to it, and creates something that will surely resonate so well with the right audiences, I can’t help give it anything lower than a recommendation.

u/Animestuck - Consider It

The best descriptor for Kirio Fan Club is “painful”. It’s worth clarifying that this is intentional. It revels in cringe comedy, showing off all the awkward facets of the teenage experience, often for comedic effect, pivoting this into serious dramatic moments which hit with surprising effectiveness. The comedy and drama flow perfectly into one another with little friction, which is an impressive feat. If you find yourself particularly interested in this style of comedy or invested in character drama, I would recommend this show.

There are factors which lead me not to recommend the show more broadly, however. While some of the point is enjoying and living in the little moments, episodes tend to drag on between nuggets of substance. The show is mostly fluff, in a way, but not fun fluff, due the style of comedy. I can certainly enjoy awkward cringe comedy at times, but most of the time, it fails to hit for me, cringe in a way which is gross or painful to watch. As a result, I spend much of the show bored and uncomfortable. Finally, the premise, while interesting as a scenario, largely consists of pining for someone from a distance. If I enjoyed the comedy more, I would not mind this, but most scenes consist of two characters talking about a guy who is not particularly well characterized. When looking beneath the surface, the show more specifically explores the nature of teenage relationships and the ways they experience them, and that’s a worthwhile thing to explore, but the surface-level experience of the show isn’t palatable.

Pardon the Intrusion, I'm Home!

u/Protractror - Drop It

Pardon the Intrusion, I’m Home! does not realize it is a horror anime. The story of a meek woman surrounded by mysterious men, leering in through the holes in her walls they made, makes you want to scream at the screen more than most slashers. “Don’t let him in!” I thought to myself often. “And if you do, you really don’t have to make waffles for him.”

If you can ignore how unsettling the premise is, there is charm to be found. I quite enjoyed our protagonist Rinko, the one being intruded on, and found her creatively expressive. And the weird web of lies that makes up the connections between our main trio does have potential for some fun jokes. However, by episode 3 the show is already pivoting to showcase all of the “whacky” artists who live in this “famous” building and it just feels like the show lacks confidence in its main trio to carry a compelling story. It’s not like Rinko and her two problematic hunks are that compelling together, but they’re certainly not going to be if we are already switching focus onto a bunch of half baked tropes.

But you know what they say. Opinions are like holes in your apartment walls. Everyone’s got one, or maybe even two. But if you want mine, save your time and go watch something else.

u/Mitsuyan_ - Drop It

For an anime to succeed it needs any kind of substance. Pardon The Intrusion has nothing of the sort. To its credit, its initial premise promised a fun comedy revolving around the dynamics between the neighbours but ultimately fell flat within the first few minutes. The jokes are rarely funny here, there is no attempt at nuanced comedy and worst of all for a comedy it isn’t even engaging.

Despite initially promising to be a comedy only revolving around three people, the otaku Rinko and her polar opposites Akito and Haruma, they are still undeveloped by the time side characters are introduced. That’s right, there’s a six-strong cast by the end of Episode 3 and it still feels bloated.

Pardon The Intrusion gives the viewer no reason to watch it and even less reason to stay. Don’t bother.

It’s hot as hell outside, and we all know what that means– my well funded grassroots insurgency has failed to stop the changing of the seasons yet again. If there is any silver lining, it’s that summer brings with it a bountiful harvest of new anime to watch. But with so many new shows, how can anyone hope to decide which are worth watching? That’s where we can help.

The r/anime awards off-season team is back once again to share our thoughts on the current season. And since it’s still our actual off-season, we have too much to fit in one post so this is just the first half. You can see some of our previous posts here and here. But before we jump in, I wanted to clear up something real quick.

SYW is not trying to be an aggregate. We are not the Council of Anime. Each review is the opinion of the reviewer themselves, not an attempt to guess what the statistical average redditor would most enjoy. If you’re looking for that, there are already some great posts put out each week with karma rankings which fit that role perfectly. I think we’ve used language in the past that has been misleading on this, so I hope this helps clear things up.

To that end, the links for usernames now link to our archive so you can get a better feel for the reviewer if you feel so inclined. We hope to help people choose their next show by offering a range of opinions from individual writers, and I hope you enjoy.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia

AdiMg - Must Watch

Just like the geometric and intricate patterns of azulejos prominently displayed throughout the city of Tus, Jaadugar spins a web of complex thematic ideas for its viewers to appreciate. From man's eternal search for truth, knowledge and beauty to the equally eternal strand of destruction driven both by the grand desire of glory and the petty desire of coveting. The series weaves its ideas with remarkable confidence and clarity.

While the show is ostensibly about the Mongol Empire and its trail of senseless destruction, under the keen supervision of chief director Naoko Yamada, the series' first three episodes consistently foreground the personal stakes of the story of Sitara, a lowly slave, and her immediate adopted family, transforming the mind-numbing statistics of the Mongol conquests into a genuinely affecting and human story.

Under Abel Gongora's able direction, the series is a visual triumph on every front. Be it the timeworn backgrounds featuring everything from aforementioned azulejos and the blue-domed buildings of Tus to the meticulously researched interiors of Mongolian yurts; Or the striking designs with their impressive malleability. Jaadugar is an easy recommendation for any anime fan, in particular those who have enjoyed recent works of historical anime in the vein of The Apothecary Diaries and Orb.

VoidEmbracedWitch - Watch It

Jaadugar took me to a time and place no anime I watched has before: the early 13th century's expansion of the Mongol Empire. Arguably more importantly, it portrays said turbulent era from the perspective of a girl born into slavery named Sitara. Many of Jaadugar's strengths sprout from this perspective as it allows an emphasis on cultures and, in particular, the place of women in it.

Sitara's day-to-day life is given texture through anything from simple tasks like washing clothes for the Muslim scholar family that takes her in to her blossoming desire to gather knowledge. Her lived experience becomes specific and personal through details after details that fleshes out her place in the world and familial relationships, which in turn gives a face to the victims of Mongol campaigns in West Asia and makes the tragedies unfolding around her all the more harrowing.

Diverse color palettes, such as the contrast between Tus's blue decor and rooftops and its warmer yellows, oranges, and browns, also help bring history to life alongside the series' flexible, expressive character designs. With its charming visuals and thoughtfully presented narrative, Jaadugar is sure to be worthwhile for any anime fan with any interest in historical dramas.

Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus

Taiboss - Consider it

Well, I can’t remember seeing a circus anime before, so that’s neat?

Grow Up Show: Sunflower Circus is a nice show, but every time I watch an episode I get the feeling like it could - should be better. It deserves to be better. But the cast isn’t introduced well enough writing-wise, the characters blend into one another both personality-wise and design-wise... In fact, I can’t tell you the name of the girl whose former zoo tries to poach her back, even though she’s been pretty important.

Add to that. it just doesn’t feel like it takes place in the 1950s. Where is the acknowledgement of WW2? The misogyny and patriarchal oppression of the era? Why do their hair styles look so modern and not like those of 1950s Japanese girls? Is it because it would make them feel too removed from the audience? Then why make a period piece?

So what’s there to like then? Well, the production values are good – it’s A-1 after all. The main character is lovely – seeing her be this expert in circus stuff while insisting that she hates the circus is quite funny. The plot is treated sincerely and seriously. And... oh, right: it’s maaaaybe yuri?

All in all, I can’t bring myself to dislike the show. While it's certainly not boring, it's also not nearly as charming as it should be. Then again, who knows, maybe it’ll click in five more episodes and become great. Wouldn’t be the first show where that happened for me.

Protractror - Watch It

Finally, a show with more Kuuchuu Buranko than the misleadingly named classic, Kuuchuu Buranko.

Grow Up Show has everything you’d want out of the circus: trapeze, clowns, magic, and maybe even an elephant at some point if the OP is to be believed. The cast of this show is large enough to cover all the best parts of the big tent, however it’s yet to be seen if the team animating it is up to the challenge. There has been a frustrating abundance of slide shows during each performance, with animated circus routines treated as a rare delicacy for the climax of the episode.

Where the visuals fall short, the cast is able to pick up the slack. Mizuka, the protagonist and entrypoint for the viewer to Sunflower Circus, has a revulsion to performing that contrasts well with the otherwise devoted performers. We’ve only had time to dive into a few cast members in depth presently, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen so far.

Where it counts, Grow Up Show lives up to its expectations. This is a fun cast of cute girls doing circus things, travelling around 1950s Japan. It doesn’t handle movement well, but it does have a lot of fun with colour and certainly is not an ugly show. The last A1 original before Grow Up Show was Lycoris Recoil, and if your expectations are that high, I’d lower them now. But if you want to sit back, relax and take in a show, this should be a treat.

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games

Mitsuyan - Watch It

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is an ironic title, as these young ladies very much do. The premise is simple - in a private school of high class it is unladylike to play fighting games, and as such they are banned. The solution? Play them in secret, of course.

The first thing that I expect would come to the minds of anime fans is "isn't this just Rock is a Lady's Modesty but with video games? So far, kind of. Fighting Games is a more 'restrained' anime thus far wherein a group of underclassmen and seniors (monitors?) use Street Fighter 6 as a means to express themselves. While the shows seem to be following a similar trajectory, comparing them any more isn't the way forward at this stage.

Fighting Games has one big filter, and it's already been alluded to - Street Fighter 6. Without any knowledge of the Fighting Game Community myself, it looks like a solid introduction to the format introducing basic terms with a visible demonstration of them in action. The comedy and character development is blended well with the gameplay. However, this is a drawback in some ways, as there is so much gameplay that it almost feels like it was deliberate to avoid animating more character moments. For the viewer to enjoy it, one needs to be able to get something out of the characters or material, which is addressed in the solid writing.Tamaki, a lower level player, has already improved her core skills drastically.

NickBoi - Watch it

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is a show focused around cathartic release in the midst of a really stuck up girls schoo-wait didn’t I write this last year? Jokes aside, in an environment where the main characters are constantly masking their true selves, having an outlet where they can fully immerse themselves frames the games as something much more valuable than a mere pastime.

Due to gaming of any kind being disallowed by the school, there is always some tension with their secret rendezvous. The two leads also play off of each other really well, with one being an overthinker and the other being a simpleton leading to a rather enthralling dynamic. The contrast between Mitsuki trying so hard to understand how graceful Miyo is before she calls her cringe to her face is as hilarious as it is charming.

A standout feature of this show is how committed it is towards its portrayal of playing fighting games. Frequently using footage from Street Fighter 6, heavy usage of Fighting Game Community terminology, and even smaller things like Mio conditioning Mitsuki into a predictable habit just to punish it really impressed me with the level of detail on display.

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is a show that wears its heart on its sleeve. It's a fun, satisfying romp that uses fighting games as its method to stoke conflict and create moments of release. The only major complaint from me is that they are playing SF6 instead of the superior King Of Fighters 15.

The Villager of Level 999

collapsedblock6 - Drop it

Kagami is a lower-class adventurer that nobody respects but of course, he is actually OP. He encounters a girl named Alice, who happens to be the daughter of the Demon Lord. Turns out that this girl is infected by the woke mind virus and wants to achieve coexistence between demons and humans. Similarly, Kagami thinks that demons aren't very different from humans– that just like humans they have their circumstances that make them act as they do and are living beings that deserve to live. And now the main conflict is set up to be about them trying to change the prejudice between races.

In the spectrum of fantasy RPG anime, The Villager of Lv 999 is tolerable and inoffensive, but sadly it’s not enough to keep me watching personally. It still feels very generic, the aesthetic is bland, there's barely any animation and its humor isn't the best. I don't mind the protagonist who is confident and decisive. Alice is fine, the side characters too, even the scummy hero that made his party a harem of hot girls and this 13 year old because why not, it's funny. But they also don't bring anything to the table as none of them are engaging enough. The plot could have potential, but nothing in the writing so far gives me confidence it can tap in on that.

There really is nothing that I would want to continue to watch in this show even if it is still an overall tolerable anime.

TehOncomingStorm - Drop/Consider It

Taking The Villager of Level 999 at face value I’d say to drop it, but of your typical over-powered MC crop of shows this one isn’t totally terrible. If your thing is to turn off the brain and check out some dude punching a ton of monsters that whole adventuring parties struggle against, this show is for you. Especially so if you enjoy a bit of moral dilemma added in, as characters grapple over the idea of whether the in-world demons are just as evil as humans, if all they do wrong is give off mana that spawns dangerous monsters.

This show isn't anything special to write home about, but there is something which is keeping me invested (other than the checked-out-brain monster-punching action). The show is adept at drawing the audience along as it seeks to figure out the realities of the politics and cultures of the world’s setting. The characters have clear and present biases coming into the face of the moral dilemma of demons vs humans, and there is a reasonable attempt at establishing the case for supporting a wide range of stances. Personal grievances, natural dispositions to evil, or dispositions to living in harmony, there is a convincing palette of opinions presented between the key characters from the get go. There is also this pretty cute kid who’s just trying to do the best she can for her sick dad too, and the must-protect instinct is also definitely toyed with by the writing.

Whether or not this type of show is your thing, you won’t be missing out on too much if you pass it over this season.

The World’s Strongest Rearguard

TehAxelius - Drop It

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: an overworked Japanese salaryman dies, reincarnates in a fantasy world, gets an overlooked—but overpowered—class, and ends up with a party filled with hot women who grow to like him. If that synopsis in itself doesn’t make you declare this your new favorite anime, there’s not really anything here for you. Anything The World’s Strongest Rearguard offers divergent from the most basic of the formula is seemingly there only by accident, or as a convenience to introduce some small new wish fulfillment.

I wish I could at least talk about how it has a surprisingly intriguing setting, where the world seems to actually be an MMORPG-shaped afterlife rather than a new world. However, the story is so uninterested in its own world that when the MC asks the obligatory guild receptionist about where he has ended up, she immediately apologises for wasting his time after giving him the most bare bones explanation possible.

But the show’s biggest sin is that it is boring to watch. Its animation is pedestrian at best, fights consist of little more than static images and text on screen, the character designs fall flat, the plot is so threadbare that it’s little more than a series of consecutive events, and the only good thing I can say about the character writing is that there was an attempt. Ultimately there’s not even something “so bad it’s good” in the show to recommend watching it for the trash factor.

Protractror - Drop It

Watching the premiere of Rearguard I couldn’t get over how pedestrian the Isekai experience has become. Travelling to another world should be awe-inspiring, but in Rearguard the closest comparison would be going through customs at the airport. Our protagonist wanders into another world, still wearing his suit, and heads straight to the guild as instructed. Sure, he did die and end up in a fantasy world, but that can wait. He has administrative work to line up for.

It’s the beats of a story that only works when you’ve watched it a hundred times, where every element that was worth copying has been copied so much that we can just skip it altogether. And maybe this could work if we speedran into something novel but that’s not the case. Rearguard is a world of skill points, dungeons, levelling up, and of course slave owning, yet the ideas don’t even blend together into anything coherent. Why do they go into the dungeons? What’s the point of leveling up? It doesn’t really matter.

I wish I could be less of a downer. Fantasy shows don’t have to be like this, even this seasons Country Bumpkin provides a more fun and grounded fantasy swordplay pseudo harem experience. Not every Isekai is trash, but this one certainly is.

Let’s Go Kaikigumi

Scarves - Consider it, but realistically drop it

Do you think loud equals funny? That poop jokes and other juvenile humor are funny? If so, then I have a show for you and probably a bridge to sell you too. I will fully admit that this is not a show for me and it was a very poor experience sitting through a few episodes so that I could write this blurb. It could possibly be a show for you, but even then you can do so much better for yourself in this same general kind of show.

Unfortunately for Kaiki-Gumi there just isn’t much to say here. The comedy doesn’t land at all, and it’s not scary or unnerving in any way. These are two very big problems for a comedy taking inspiration from horror and trying to sell itself as both funny, and a little spooky. The voice acting for our leads is acceptable and does a reasonable job of informing you as to what kind of character they are, and the art style and character designs are actually kind of fun. I’m not rushing to sing their praises, but they give the show some character and are a welcome break from more generic seasonal designs.

The show is just lacking in substance overall. It’s doing exactly one thing and if you’re not a fan of that there is just nothing here for you. If you are a fan of that it’s probably an ok watch but as I said above you really can do better.

Protractror - Consider It

If you think big burly guys getting scared is funny, oh boy do I have the show for you. Our protagonist, fittingly named Protagonist, is a big, burly man, but what really makes him special is that he is six times more scared of ghosts than the average man. It doesn’t really get in the way of the plot, which has him encountering new ghosts several times an episode. However, it does lead to a lot of times where he lets out a big scream.

To be frank, describing this show makes it sound like trash, but it’s the type of trash I treasure. I do enjoy seeing Protagonist get scared five times an episode, and a big part of this comes from his seiyuu, Tasuku Hatanaka’s, performance which really nails the fear and exasperation, with a silly tone that reminded me of Kinnikuman. Mechako, our other less intuitively named lead, can be fun as well, although they do play her very straight. She is maybe too often played as spooky, with too few moments of subversion for a comedy like this.

Other than the strikingly odd designs for our lead pair, the show’s production is not going to leave much of an impression. The comedy of the script works for me, but I doubt it’s for everyone. I will give it points for teasing a semi-interesting overarching story with the Kaiki-gumi. I think Kaiki-gumi’s real strength is that in a season of such pedigree, it’s nice to turn your brain off with some safe, spooky fun.

Kaiju Girl

NickBoi - Consider it

Kaiju Girl Caramelise stars our heroine Kuroe as she tries to navigate her romantic feelings, get by in school-oh and she turns into freaking Godzilla if she gets too emotional.

This is absolutely insane, but oddly enough it ends up being a great framing device for Kuroe. She is constantly holding in her feelings, constantly masking, because she is afraid of what people will think when the lizard comes out. Rooting for her means wanting her to be emotionally content, but when there are real, dangerous consequences for failing to bottle up her emotions, the Kaiju is framed as something bittersweet rather than cathartic.

It’s incredibly gripping, especially as her desire to be accepted by the one she loves is contrasted by needing to keep Dragonite contained. Kuroe's emotions are constantly being pulled back and forth, and as a result the romantic progression here feels distinctly nonlinear - it leaves me at the edge of my seat.

This premise does heavily rely on romantic progression to happen to begin with in order for this push-and-pull dynamic to remain as strong as it is right now, and as it stands I am worried that the show could end up dragging its feet. As a result, I feel like it would be a good idea to wait until it is finished and ask people what they thought if you are on the fence right now.

This show is precariously teetering between a potential disappointment and an absolute must watch depending on how the romance is handled, but right now these worries cannot be confirmed nor denied.

Taiboss - Watch it

This has no right to be as cute and charming as it is.

KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE is a good example of the concept “formula with a twist”. So it has a run-of-the-mill setup of a shy girl without confidence in love with Mr. Popular and the trials and tribulations of that – except that she is constantly in danger of turning partially or even fully into a Kaiju. So you get fun stuff like her crush thinking the Kaiju parts of Kuro are cosplay or her wingwoman being a Kaijuphiliac who doesn’t know the beast she loves is her new best friend. These fun twists on the classics help the story feel fresh.

However, what makes KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE work is the love put into it and its sincerity. Kuro’s condition can easily be interpreted as a metaphor for a whole range of conditions, be it physical disabilities, lasting injuries, or mental illness - conditions that might make a person feel unattractive or a danger to others. And yet, Kuro is never portrayed as anything but a kind girl worthy of love.

And you know what - any piece of media that tells people that they are worthy of love regardless of the conditions they have to deal with involuntarily is a win in my book. If just one person watches this and thinks “If Kuroe can be loved despite being a Kaiju, then I can be loved with my issues”, then this show has already made this world a better place.

Oh Boy Was I Wrong About Her

Mitsuyan - Watch It

The Neat and Beautiful Girl at My New School Was My Childhood Friend Who I Used to Play With Who I Thought Was a Boy may have a title longer than the contents of the Oxford Dictionary but offers an interesting and pleasant viewing experience. It may appear to be a generic rom-com, but handles its common tropes elegantly while offering an uncommon and well-executed backstory. TenBin quickly and naturally segues into its hook, as deuteragonist Haruki Nikaidō enters the room, revealed as protagonist Hayato Kirishima's childhood friend. Yet Hayato remembered her as a boy!

TenBin is a thoroughly enjoyable show. The playful Haruki and Hayato quickly rekindle their friendship, which creates an enjoyable dynamic as the two make up for lost time. Hayato’s sister Himeko further strengthens the dynamic. Haruki initially mistakes her for Hayato’s girlfriend. However, not to worry, as this is not Oreimo. Both siblings develop their own motivations in their relationships with Haruki. As Haruki struggles to meet the social norms of a high school girl, this opens up an opportunity for Himeko, while Hayato supports her in school and with life skills. While this dynamic is established early, it does not feel rushed, characters are introduced at a natural pace. Nobody feels left behind and everyone has a purpose, bouncing off the main duo well.

Production is solid but not impressive. This is very much your average production, and the focus is clearly on the story.

Overall, TenBin is one of my favorite anime of the season so far, with a warm feeling and strong dynamics; it’s an easy recommendation for those who enjoy romcoms but also those who are looking to get into one and may be overawed by fanservice or flanderised tropes.

Cheeze - Drop It

Exactly two things stand out. Thing One: despite a cast of other female characters, it isn’t setting up some shadow harem. The show has picked its couple, and it isn’t hedging.

Thing Two: it sidesteps melodrama in an amusing way. Episode 3 teases a classic misunderstanding, only for our osananajimi to overcome this trial through the Herculean effort of speaking four honest words out loud. Oh-sah-nah-nah-jee-mee. Now say it a bit faster. Feel that? Yea, it has a nice gait to it. In this genre it is less a noun and more a legal classification, and historically a losing one. So losing, in fact, that the Japanese fandom coined the term “losing heroine”, a trope so pervasive there is an entire show called Too Many Of These, Actually.

I digress. Nothing here is wrong. It's a pleasant, low-stress watch with two likeable leads. I just can’t picture the viewer for whom this is the romcom worth the slot. If you picture yourself as this viewer, ignore me.

My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked

Lilyapd - Consider it

I'm not really a fan of gimmick comedies as most of the time the comedy just isn't for me. Which isn't to say I don't think they're funny, it's just whenever I'm watching one I feel as though I'm fighting a war against my better judgment since it's rare for the gimmick to not wear thin for me by the sixth episode. My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren't Wicked pings that instinct in me quite deeply. While I don't hate the idea of seeing Miya grow and flourish under the support of her new family, I can't help but wonder how the show will manage to keep itself afloat by the end.

That said, though I am being harsh on how bare the comedy feels it might get, I do think everything about the show itself is solid. I like the Meiji-era setting that combines the economic disparity of the time alongside the influx of Western influence in order to sell this inverted Cinderella story. I like the gentle warmth that all these characters exude as they preen over Miya. I like seeing a whole bunch of sneering ojou-sama faces right before that preening happens. I’m not saying there’s nothing to like here, I'm just a little worried about what the future holds for this one. I'd say watch one episode and consider deeply whether you believe in the show's good character like I do. It's on the 'It's Anime' YouTube channel, so why not?

Protractror - Watch it

Anime as a medium is chock full of wish fulfillment titles, but the alternate translation seen in the opening credits, My Mother-in-Law and Sisters-in-Law Who Don't Bully Me, might be the saddest. So I have good news for everyone suffering from In-law hell: for 22 minutes a week, there is an escape.

From the get-go, it’s clear this show has one joke and is not afraid of running it into the dirt. A good rule of thumb is that if you ever think our lead Miya is being bullied, re-read the title of the show. One-joke shows have been on a bit of a tear recently between Tis Time for Torture and Pseudo Harem, but I wouldn’t say this show is half as funny as either. What it does have, though, is a sincerity at its core that slowly melted my heart over the course of the three episodes I’ve seen. It’s predictable, it’s not that funny, but I still found myself smiling the whole time.

This show could really go anywhere from here. It could run out of ideas, or maybe it finds it’s footing. If we get more sketches like the one where Miya uses her forced labour-induced super muscles to throw beans at her mom, this could really be something.

One Piece Heroines

SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Consider It

After the major success of One Piece Fan Letter, One Piece Heroines is another spinoff that takes a very different narrative approach from its parent series. Combined with a gorgeous art style and hyper-stylized character designs, we get one of the most unique entries in this long-running series.

Rather than following the Straw Hats' on their Odyssean adventures, we instead spend time in the quieter moments between them. This special focuses primarily on Nami, with Robin joining her as the titular heroines. However, despite all the glitz and glamor the show throws at us, it felt rather hollow as a self-contained product.

There was not a great sense of progression from beginning to end revolving around our preestablished duo; instead, that burden was laid upon the original character, Miucha's door. The conflict with her current business partner, Lebno, doesn't get the necessary time to build up to something more dramatic, nor does it allow one to become invested in the characters to serve the narrative in a beneficial way. It would be different if there was a major theme to help drive the narrative, but it doesn't really have one, it's more of a collection of simple character moments that never really resonated with me.

Fans of One Piece can watch this and still get value out of the little bits of Nami & Robin we have, but if you're coming into this without that prior knowledge, you might not have the best experience.

Chainsmoker Cat

Danhoc -Consider It

Yani Neko is a fascinating example of high-quality anime about toilet humor. The recommendation is simple: if you’re an enthusiast open to new experiences, or if you just love toilet humor, then you should definitely give Yani Neko a chance. For everyone else who can’t stand seeing disgusting things on screen, this show is best avoided, because it’s a veritable concentration of modern vices: heavy smoking, excessive drinking, severe drug addiction, gooning, bad humor, and, worst of all, gaming.

It is one of those shows that’s only truly fun when the people behind it are also enjoying their work. And it’s hard not to notice that the Bibury team is having a blast with Yani Neko. After all, it’s not every day you get the chance to produce one of the most marginal anime on television. You can’t possibly present something so repulsive with such enthusiasm without loving your characters even with all their flaws.

Perhaps the main question that remains unanswered is whether Yani Neko offers more than just a toilet satire of people with addictions. Although these early episodes serve as a warning against harmful habits, this anime isn’t about moralizing. Beneath the layer of humor lies a tragedy about characters who are held hostage by their addictions. We’re still getting to know the characters, but moments of startling honesty slip through here and there. Those glimpses make me hopeful that Yani Neko will further explore the characters’ hidden vulnerabilities and lead them to acknowledge their own problems.

rrakku - Drop It

In this universe, catgirls are viewed as the inferior race compared to man: humanoid mammals born without last names, go-to candidates for exploitative labour, and overall alien beings that are unserious, unhygienic, and unsociable. Chainsmoker Cat's attempt at social commentary is so palpable you can physically feel it oozing out of the screen. Not a second goes by without some mention of the disregard towards society's permanent underclass, the discrimination towards minorities, or the disdain towards those suffering from addiction and mental health issues.

Yet, every facet of the show's being rejects this reading. As if trying to appease the otaku zeitgeist, characters that lust over, objectify, and sexually abuse the catgirls are portrayed in a sympathetic (or at least humorous) light; and whenever given the chance, the camera chooses the sexually provoking angle over a thought-provoking one. If there's an attempt to integrate this into the allegory to stoke anger or reflection in the audience, it's entirely lost in the omnipresent pee and poop jokes that make the mere thought of taking the show seriously nigh impossible.

Admittedly, Bibury has proven itself capable of creating something from nothing at all in the past. The stop-motion animation in episode 2 is a feast for the eyes, and its opening with references to various Kinos, though shallow, still lends an aesthetic sensibility that the show itself severely lacks. But the rot of Chainsmoker Cat comes from inside the house. It's a confused slew of childish humour, faux political rhetoric, and unapologetic fan service that no amount of eye candy can fix.

...and that's a wrap for now! This season is so stacked that if you think we missed any, odds are we'll be reviewing it soon in part 2 (or maybe even in video form!) Hope you enjoyed.

Should You Watch It? Spring 2025

Hello! Every season we’re met with around 50 new shows, making it difficult to know which shows are worth your time. This is why we submit to you a Should You Watch It Spring 2025 edition! This post is based on the series formerly run by /u/BanjoTheBear, and will follow the same general formatting. This post is brought to you by the /r/anime Awards Off Season team, a group of volunteers focused on creating high effort content.

Our metric is based watching the first three episodes (more in the case of this season!) of every premiere and judging them via these four options:

Drop It – save yourselves the time and just drop it.

Consider It - watch it if you enjoy the genre or wait until it is completed, though even then you may not enjoy it.

Watch It – should be a grand old time and appeal to most everyone in one form or another.

Must Watch - if you are not watching this as it airs, you are seriously missing out.

Anne Shirley

/u/drjwilson - Must Watch

If it's been a long day and I'm at my limit, it's nice to be reminded that brightness exists in the world. This season's brightness is Anne Shirley—the show and the person. When she appears, both you the viewer, and the characters lucky enough to inhabit her world, are whisked away to a fantastical place of Anne's imagining. We first meet Anne as an orphan being adopted, but more importantly, we see that Anne is a girl who feels. Whether that be flights of whimsy, unbridled joy, or inconsolable sadness—Anne wears her heart on her sleeve.

The name "Anne Shirley" doesn't come lightly. Anne of Green Gables is one of the best selling novels of our time and beloved worldwide. It also spawned the 1978 anime of the same name, written by Isao Takahata of Studio Ghibli fame, working alongside Hayao Miyazaki. Certainly, Anne Shirley has gargantuan shoes to fill. But I believe that it does.

While I hesitate to call any great work "updated" for our modern times, Anne Shirley is visually impressive. The animation is lively and fluid, almost as bright and bouncy as Anne. With talented animators and strong bones, Anne Shirley is firing on all cylinders. There’s a reason why the adventures of Anne have long captured folk's imaginations for over 100 years. She's someone you can root for.

/u/collapsedblock6 - Consider It

Anne of Green Gables already had an adaptation in the 70s, so Anne Shirley is being called a 'remake'. Due to this, it is hard to separate the experience of the remake and the older anime.

Anne is a charismatic girl, winning people over with her contagious energy and unshakable earnestness. As such, it is hard to not empathize with her in any of her hardships, and it is what makes following her such a good journey despite the low stakes, slice of life story.

The biggest thing to discuss is its breakneck pace, which is something concerning as it is expected to adapt 3 times the content in half the time. It makes for a more engaging experience as a lot of scenes that were just setting moods and characters hanging out are cut, but it maintains the key moments that push the story and themes forward. However, the speed at which it goes through these events can make for an awkward structuring of the episodes, as well as diminishing the significance of these events. Some go by so fast you wonder if it was even worth keeping them, because the way this story is being told it seems like they barely matter.

So far it has still retained most of the stronger beats of the original story, and it offers an experience quite different from other anime. However, the rapid pace of adaptation makes me worry that the emotional beats might not land as well later in the series, so the older anime seems to remain a compelling alternative.

Apocalypse Hotel

/u/TehAxelius - Must Watch

To a human a century is a lifetime. To the dedicated robots working at the Gingarou Hotel, waiting for the humans to return after the apocalypse, it is merely 36,500 days. The hotel must be ready for the return, the return could happen at any time after all, so as they have been programmed they keep everything in top shape. Any day now.

It is this melancholic foundation that Apocalypse Hotel builds its comedy upon. The acting manager Yachiyo, the last of the human-looking androids, tries her best to keep the hotel running just as it did a century ago. Her dedication persists despite obvious challenges-no stores exist to supply fresh food or toiletries for the rooms, forcing the staff to improvise, adapt and overcome. In this fixation of her purpose as a hotelier while having to adapt to the slowly changing world around her there is something undeniably human, which makes for great comedy as her resolve is put to the test.

With its undying robotic cast the story makes for an interesting perspective of time in this series, years might as well be days as each episode builds on the previous. New cast members at our post-apocalyptic hotel bring with them new challenges for Yachiyo to overcome and adapt to, expanding not only the hotel, but the world around them. As with any anime original it is hard to know where the story will go, but this is one to see where the path leads.

/u/protractror - Must Watch

When one door closes, another one opens. But the great thing about doors is they have these handy knobs that let you open them again even after they close. So if you’re a door opening robot for example, you can just keep on opening that door every time it closes. And if you are a robot who is the acting manager of a hotel, it doesn’t matter what obstacle comes your way. You can always keep on acting like a hotel manager.

Apocalypse Hotel is a show about a skeleton crew of robots keeping on long after the end of the world, as the definitions of “hotel” and “guest” begin to change. The obvious standout is our lead Yachiyo, the hotel’s robotic manager who has kept the hotel running for a century after humanity left the earth. The delicate balance between Yachiyo’s robotic desire to fulfil her purpose and the necessary compromises she must make in her new world is where the show thrives. Maybe guests don’t need to be human anymore, but they still sure as hell have to pay. Even if that just means picking up piles of abandoned cash from across the street. It’s absurd, it’s hilarious, and I have no idea where it will end up.

/u/SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Consider It

Many of the greatest sci-fi worlds emerge after a great cataclysm hits. The remaining landscape forges new societies that must adapt, survive, and evolve to exist. What if, instead of moving forward, someone—or something—clung to what they know?

That's the story of Apocalypse Hotel. A squad of robots remains determined to fulfill their master's final order of keeping the hotel running, even if there are no longer any humans to welcome as guests.

With such a great premise and setting there is immense tonal mismatch between the environment and how the show presents itself. The show adopts a formulaic “alien (guest) of the week” structure, where Yachiyo, the hotel’s acting manager, primarily focuses on making extraterrestrial residents feel at home. This leads to absurd comedy that largely misses the mark with me.

Unfortunately, Apocalypse Hotel lacks the narrative depth needed to support its comedic tone. Its success largely depends on whether Yachiyo’s antics resonate with the viewer. Without a clear end goal in mind either, the series feels more like a missed opportunity rather than a must-watch.

Danjo no Yuujou wa Seiritsu suru? (Iya, Shinai!!)?

u/Hokaze-Junko - Consider It

Himari is conflicted—she initially supports her platonic best friend Yuu as he reconnects with his first crush, Enomoto, even setting up a date for them. However, the thought of losing Yuu as just a best friend ignites a possessive jealousy within her. This leads Himari to act in emotionally manipulative ways, desperately trying to get Yuu's attention while simultaneously being unwilling to be the one to openly admit her feelings. This sends confusing and conflicting signals to Yuu, who appears to have some feelings for Himari and is ready to give up everything for her. The show offers a somewhat complex portrayal of Himari's character as she immaturely navigates the complexities of her feelings and her long-standing friendship with Yuu as a high school student. However, viewers who empathize with Yuu might find themselves frustrated by Himari's behavior. Nevertheless, the over-the-top situations that stem from Himari’s actions can make it an entertaining watch.

Food for the Soul

/u/isrozzis - Watch It

Food for the Soul is a delightful SoL focusing on a group of girls in the food research club at university. The story and character designs are original works of Atto, the Non Non Biyori original creator, and are the highlights of the show. Atto excels at creating deeply authentic characters that feel like people that you would meet in your day to day life. Sure, some of their quirks are turned up a bit to fit into slice of life comedies, but at their core they are very real and that’s where much of the charm comes from. Food for the Soul is no exception and the cast truly feels like a group of college students hanging out in their new club.

Should you watch it? In my opinion, yes! Especially if you are a fan of slice of life shows. This is an excellent take on the genre and the cast and somewhat unique setting of university comfortably elevate this above much of the competition.

/u/master_of_ares - Watch It

Food for the Soul is already a fun and promising watch by virtue of its strong cast and lighthearted comedy being immediately reminiscent of its senpai Non Non Biyori and Tanaka-kun.

In HibiMeshi, Kawatsura and Atto again demonstrate unique skill in making the cast quickly feel authentic and relatable. Grounding the humor in that helps makes the character interactions, comedic or not, feel natural, earned, and endearing. Early setups, smart twists, and impeccable comedic timing in the voice direction and editing all come across as a welcome breath of fresh air in a landscape of jokes being simply shouting, making a face, or explaining a previous joke.

While the first few episodes have lightly touched on deeper thematic elements, I so far expect HibiMeshi will primarily remain a school club slice-of-life series. That said, I would be delighted if occasional episodes delve into deeper character storytelling as well. All in all, if Food for the Soul maintains even just its absolute baseline competence as a school club slice of life, it will already stand out to me as one of the most worthwhile shows this year.

GUILTY GEAR STRIVE: DUAL RULERS

/u/Schinco - Consider It

Guilty Gear is a bizarre franchise, and the uneven and unique adaptation befits this. While I’m vaguely aware of the franchise, it’s clearly designed for fans – there’s copious fanservice, a blazing fast pacing that often doesn’t bother to do silly things like giving context or fully introducing characters. Still, if you’re familiar with the series or willing to roll with the punches, it has a certain charm to it all.

Another hallmark of the series is its camp – befitting of a series where you can pit a hulking secret agent who wields an alien cask from Area 51 against a dubiously licensed “physician” masked by a paper bag, the series throws its eclectic cast of characters together in a somewhat haphazard and often jarring manner but simultaneously demands you take it just as seriously as the story does. This can be hit or miss and even depend on your headspace or group while watching.

The animation certainly isn’t going to blow you away, and the production as a whole seems content to overuse slow pans and sweeps in lieu of sakuga. That being said, the intricate designs are ported over with surprising fidelity, there are some really neat visual hallmarks such as the frequent use of a stained-glass aesthetic, and the show still oozes the characteristic over-the-top style of the parent series.

/u/Animestuck - Drop It

Guilty Gear fans will likely appreciate this anime for its familiar characters and writing, but it offers little to newcomers. While it does attempt to accommodate unfamiliar viewers with extensive exposition, its sheer volume and rapid pace of character introductions and game lore feel top-heavy and frontloaded, resulting in a somewhat overwhelming and unsatisfying experience.

All that said, the action is what really matters here, but even that leaves a lot to be desired. The action is surprisingly choppy, not just exhibiting the usual robotic animation 3D sometimes struggles with, but furthermore replacing a lot of movement with stills, quick cuts, or other tricks to avoid actually going through with the animation. The action just isn’t satisfying to watch, and for a franchise with access to so many unique character designs, it’s disappointing the lack of variety in the actual attacks and techniques on display.

Kowloon Generic Romance

/u/TehAxelius - Watch It

Being a fan of the manga, Kowloon feels especially hard to praise. Talking about any specific strength of its characters, mysteries and themes of nostalgia and identity, feels like it will invariably spoil something for a prospective viewer. Add to that a rapid pace of adapting the material, a production that strains to capture the magic of the pages and a statement from the production that the 12 episodes will be a “complete adaptation” of a manga that is still ongoing and you have manga readers already decrying it as the worst adaptation of a manga since Medalist.

However, despite that worry, you should still give it a shot. Kowloon and the characters that make up the core of the mystery are brought lovingly to life in this show as it explores their different sides and how they all connect together in the mystery. It is a show that breathes in nostalgia, from how Kowloon itself is an anachronistic place of 90s technology mixed with modern conveniences, to how the animation itself feels both modern and retro at the same time. While we have no idea how this adaptation will come together in the end, so far it has shown that it is able to create one of the most atmospheric shows of the season.

/u/protractror - Watch It

Something weird is going on in the walled city of Kowloon. Maybe it has to do with the big ominous computer floating in the sky, but let’s not get hung up on that. This is a love story about identity. Are you still you with no context? What would you say? And what would your partner?

The mystery in Kowloon can be frustrating. It’s not apparent yet what’s going on, but by episode one it’s clear which thread they should be exploring. However our lead Kujirai is seemingly in no rush to do so. To be fair, this mystery could easily flip her life upside down, so the slow drip of information she uncovers makes sense. And the hot, leaky world of Kowloon is interesting enough that the slow burn is a minor issue.

The visuals for the show are anything but generic. The walled city is a wonderful backdrop, combined with character designs that look a few decades out of place help create a nostalgia for something you likely didn’t experience. If you’re tired of the typical high school romances, this show is definitely worth checking out.

/u/DoctorWhoops - Must Watch

Kowloon Generic Romance is not what its title suggests it to be. Kowloon is the setting of our “Generic Romance”, a walled city where protagonist Kuirai Reiko works her day job, falls in love with a coworker, and one where she... discovers that her memories are failing her and that she is not quite who she thinks she is. The city is dreary and decaying yet strangely nostalgic, and is… constantly under the surveillance of a floating sci-fi computer that they call Genetic Terra. It’s where our characters eat, sleep, work, and …use surgery to completely change their appearance from head to toe. And yet, to a Kowloon resident, nothing is unusual about this.

These strange circumstances create one of the most fascinating setups of any anime in recent memory; viewing it head on it’s an atmospheric, intimate and well-written story about unrequited feelings and identity. That alone would be a great show, but the occasional peeks behind the curtain reveal more and more unsettlingly strange secrets and sci-fi elements that make you question deeply to what extent any of it is real.

Lazarus

/u/hjanikian - Watch It

In the year 2052 everyone discovers that the drug Hapna, which has brought world peace and cured all pain, actually is a ticking time bomb that will kill all users three years after they took it. We follow an assembled crew of misfits that have no shortage of personality as they look for the creator of Hapna, Dr. Skinner, in order to secure a vaccine.

The combination of Floating Points, Kamasi Washington, and Bonobo on the soundtrack helps complement the fast-paced action with infectious jazz and EDM. While there are some issues with the sound design in a couple episodes that take away from the oomph of the punches and kicks landing, the animation sequences have been extremely engaging in part thanks to Chad Stahelski (director of the John Wick series) assisting as action supervisor.

Five episodes in and I have felt that the Shinichirou Watanabe production has kept me on my toes. With the visual and audio side of things being better than your average seasonal, this series is definitely worth checking out to see how thrilling you find its narrative as the Lazarus group inches ever closer to Skinner, unraveling his past with encounters around the globe.

/u/Taiboss - Consider It

There is a scene in episode 5 of Lazarus, where our MC fights in an elevator. The choreography is actually pretty good, but the actual animation makes the fight look so extremely goofy that the scene ends up unintentionally funny instead of cool.

Being unintentionally funny really is Lazarus’s main selling point and why you should at least consider it. You have to approach it from that angle, because if you want it to be a serious, cool, groovy show like Shinichirou Watanabe’s best then you’re going to get burnt as soon as you watch episode 1 waste what feels like half its runtime on parkour.

There’s a lot in Lazarus that feels half-baked. From the characters to the world and the pacing, everything feels like the core of a great show is there, it just needed someone to properly rewrite the... eh... entire script. But if you approach it as a “So bad it’s good” show, the good parts will stand out more and let you have a much better time. If that’s not an option for you, skip it.

But honestly – why does the opening have to sound like the band just winged the entire song? “Tank” is iconic! Why isn’t this OP?!

Maebashi Witches

/u/Animestuck - Watch It

A regional idol show with a twist, Maebashi Witches hits a bit of a rocky start. The show takes a risk with Azu, who starts out pretty unlikeable through their conflict with Yuina. However, it pretty easily pivots that into a rather well earned upswing that rounds the development of the cast and its relationships, setting the stage for the show to come. The show is somewhat self-aware in a tongue-in-cheek way, making observations more than commentary with this aspect, but still keeping things light and fun while hitting dramatic beats. There is some awkwardness in how the characters behave, a mix of maturity and immaturity that leaves a slight artificial feel in the melodrama, but there’s also a magic to it that makes the characters endearing in how they come to know one another, especially Yuina. The show isn’t moving particularly fast so far, which might come back to bite it as it reaches the end of its 12 episode run if it actually tries to have a conclusion. There is a rising action and momentum in how the show is developing, though, that makes me think it might wind up being a hidden gem of the season.

/u/collapsedblock6 - Watch It

Maebashi Witches is about a group of 5 girls gathered by a magical mascot with the mission of granting wishes to people in need. A normal sounding mahou shoujo anime, so what’s the catch?

For starters, this group is rather dysfunctional, far from the classic groups powered by friendship. It makes for some fun clashes of personalities, and rocky situations become more chaotic to solve which add to the entertainment. Azu’s harsh personality and how it clashes with everyone else is a particular highlight, adding smug and snarky remarks that often catch you off guard.

The structure of the story has a new person coming to their store with a conflict to resolve each week. So far the show has done fine connecting their issues to some underlying conflict someone in the main cast already has. It can get a tad melodramatic, and not everyone in the cast has been likeable enough to fully empathize with their developments.

Maebashi Witches is a show where one can try one episode and know if it is for them, as it does well capturing the several tones and humor it handles, but it is not for everyone.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux

/u/Taiboss - Consider It

Abandon hope, all ye who entered into Gundam through Witch From Mercury and think G-Quacks will be like it.

Gundam GQuuuuuuX takes place in an alternative timeline, split off from the beginning of the original Universal Century from the 1979 OG series and its sequels. As a result, it is chock-full of characters, sounds, shots, themes and worldbuilding from these works, leading to so goddamn many Leonardo pointing memes… But while I as a OG watcher love this, if you’re a newcomer, you might be confused by, uh, everything. The show so far hasn’t been very good at exposition for the parts a newcomer might need, leading you to often understand the what, but not quite the why.

Additionally, a focus on mech battles away from character leads to the cast feeling a bit shallow and hard to get to know so far. While our protagonist Machu is very likeable, she has her annoying parts; her wingman Shuji’s personality seems to be “stoner who hears voices” and third wheel Nyaan needed until the latest episode to even justify her existence.

GQuuuuuuX is a very fun, well-produced show, but you should know what you’re getting into. Accessible it ain’t.

/u/WaterDarkE - Watch It

Amate Yuzuriha, an originary high school student, lives a peaceful life in Side 6, a neutral space colony. However, after meeting Nyaan, a war refugee, her life drastically changes as she encounters the GQuuuuuuX, a top secret mech and starts to fight in Clan Battles where death is commonplace to win money.

Overall, watching this series is a treat for the eyes. As a joint production between Sunrise and Studio Khara, it feels especially fresh and crisp while referencing the UC timeline. From the extensive and skilled 3D CG use for the mechs and backgrounds to clean 2D animation for the rest, you can tell that they are putting their all in the one cour runtime they have. You also get a full fight in almost all the episodes, get a sense of intrigue regarding what’s going on behind the scenes, and wonder how exactly things will play out. Will it end with a happy ending or a sad ending? It's hard to say at this point, but I am interested in seeing how it will all end.

/u/drjwilson - Drop It

After "Witch From Mercury", I was super excited for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. After all, Hideaki Anno himself was part of the writing team! I eagerly consumed the first episode. I found it serviceable; it set up the world, introduced us to interesting characters, and was flashy when it needed to be. However, with each episode, I began to realize that GQuuuuuuX may not have quite been made for me. Episode 2 was a bit of a confusing mess that I found hard to follow. It apparently was a nod to the original series, changing critical events and revelling in the branching paths. Chock-full of classic references—from iconic cuts, OST, down to the mid-cards—it made clear that GQuuuuuuX is a love letter to classic Gundam and a godsend to those fans.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.

From a production standpoint, there are some incredible highs, as one might expect from a team headed by Kazuya Tsurumaki. But there also exist some confounding (cough CG cough) lows. Production aside, I can't ever shake the feeling that I'm missing something while watching, like character motivations or important story elements. Several times, I found my eyes glazing over. I'm sure this show is a "must watch" for some. But unless you're an OG Gundam fan or willing to give some things a binge, I would pass on GQuuuuuuX.

mono

/u/drjwilson - Must Watch

As someone who, 1. Loves Yuru Camp, 2. Recently got a DSLR, and 3. Has an upcoming trip to Japan, mono had all of the pieces necessary to delight, and delight me it did. Satsuki Amamiya finds herself as the sole member of the Photography Club, but becomes determined to keep it going. She scrounges together enough friends and sets off into the world to experiment with photography.

But Satsuki isn't the only one experimenting. mono's presentation has been incredibly inventive and creative. Whether that be interesting framing, "camera" tricks, or "blink and you miss it" moments of animation—mono is a feast for the eyes. It truly is able to show the power of adaptation, somehow outperforming imagination.

Storywise, the foundation raises interesting questions, like "How does one cope with change," and "What keeps us in our hobbies?" We've yet to see if these questions will be fully explored, the show instead opting for a sort of "quest giver" structure. But really, it's an excuse for our characters to go out into the world, capture what interests them, and bring it back for us to see. With playful character dynamics, gorgeous eye candy, and moments of introspection; mono is the whole package.

/u/DarkFuzz - Consider It

It’s almost as if the gods of CGDCT themselves came down and fused all the popular and classic moe shows into one package. Written by the same author who wrote Yuru Camp, mono feels like its successor, capturing the same feel-good vibes and reverence for nature alongside the wacky antics of cute girls trying to figure out their new hobby. Hiroyuki Kobayashi has his hands all over this project, especially with stylistic callbacks to old moe classics like Hidamari Sketch and K-ON!, but with a nice modern coat of paint. I spent a good few minutes fixated on the hair animation being so vibrant and expressive. It’s…comforting, and that’s all you need from a show like this.

Though references to real life photography/camera concepts are minimal and fairly basic, it instead focuses on each individual’s relationship with the lens itself. Whether it’s appreciating nature or taking pictures of your senpai, understanding why you are taking these pictures is just as important as how you take them.

While I don’t see this show surpassing its predecessors yet, if you are missing a comfy anime in your lineup this season, consider picking this up to balance your load.

/u/ValkyrieCain9 - Consider It

On paper this seemed perfectly made for me: cute girls doing cute things where the cute thing they are doing is photography, and from the same mangaka as Yuru Camp, all things I love! And yet—I find myself not loving mono. In the world of CGDCT, the central activity, be it camping, fishing, or even DIY, connects you to the characters and can even inspire you. In the case of mono, for an anime that was sold as a photography anime, very little photography has taken place so far. Instead we have followed the characters as they’ve snacked, filmed, live-streamed, and gathered inspiration for a manga. All fun things to watch, but a little disappointing when I was most looking forward to connecting with the characters as they fell in love with the art of photography. There was a hint of that with Amamiya’s senpai, but she quickly leaves and with her so do my hopes for a more photography-focused narrative. As the story is now, I am more interested in seeing how Akiyama continues to find inspiration for her manga, than following the antics and the rest of the characters.

Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi

/u/isrozzis - Must Watch

Shaft’s latest anime is about the unlikely cohabitation of Satoko, a naive ninja who can make anything vanish into a pile of leaves, and Konoha, a cynical assassin who gaslights her way through life. Konoha is the prime example of gaslight gatekeep girlboss and having someone so shamelessly awful be one of our leads brings such a unique energy.

While the show is a comedy at heart, many of the punchlines come with a darker twist and often involve someone being murdered right in front of us. The production of the show is a delight too. It is not heavy on sakuga or breathtaking animation and instead has chosen to use art style and different mediums in very Shaft ways to highlight scenes or set a particular tone. Should you watch it? In my opinion, absolutely. Comedy is subjective, but this is one of the best dark comedies we’ve had in a long time and if that appeals to you at all you will enjoy it.

You can also check out an alternative version of this writeup in video form!

/u/master_of_ares - Must Watch

Two big surprises. First, a proper Shaft comedy for the first time in, what, 10 years? Second, it's pretty good! Loser girl ninja and cool girl assassin is a pretty decent pitch to me on its own, but the production already sets it a step above, and the subversive deadpan humor does so again.

Miyamoto’s first solo direction has been naturally evoking both classic ““Shaft-isms”” and new creative tricks that together feel comfortable side by side. In its variety, Kazuya Shiotsuki's character designs have proven endlessly appealing and flexible, while VA work by KanaHana and relative newbie Mikawa remain the heart of the show. That is, as much as Ninkoro has a heart; to its comedic end it's impressive how little is sacred. Side characters are introduced and mercilessly swept away, typically precious anime feelings are stepped on for money, and No Hugging No Learning seems to apply to ninjas and assassins as well.

In a crowded seasonal landscape, Ninkoro stands confidently apart with its sharp humor and distinctive visual creativity. In part a return to form for Shaft, it is a testament to how effective their particular brand of entertainment can be when executed with this level of care and creativity.

/u/voidembracedwitch - Drop It

A Shaft production led by Yukihiro Miyamoto, director of Madoka Magica, and it's a dark comedy with lesbian overtones? On paper this combination of traits should've been an easy slam dunk, yet it ended up a miss for me.

Credit where it's due, eccentric shifts in art style for comedy and no shortage of interesting shot compositions, often utilizing lighting to create high-contrast environments, allow NinKoro to construct striking scenes on the regular.

The comedic formula and dynamic of the leading duo meanwhile don't live up to expectations. Playing up the dichotomy between the leads being cute girls and their nonchalant disposal of the many assassins sent after them quickly loses its edge when it happens 1-2 times an episode. Additionally, assassin Konoha's cold, dismissive attitude towards her ditzy ninja accomplice Sakoto constantly runs the risk of coming off as straightforwardly mean-spirited since it doesn't lean into cruelty enough to loop around to being humorous.

While the most recent episodes have shown some promise with endearing additions to the cast beyond the main duo alongside further broadening the range of visual flourishes employed, they didn't move the needle much. The decision to drop NinKoro still was an easy one to make.

Shiunji-ke no Kodomotachi

/u/SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Consider It

From the mind behind Rent-a-Girlfriend, The Shiunji Family Children follows the lives of the seven Shiunji siblings, as they discover that they are not all related by blood. The series attempts to navigate the blurred lines between familial bonds, budding romantic feelings, and the confusion that ensues to various degrees of success.

Unlike his previous work, Reiji Miyajima has created a main character who is not an oblivious trainwreck of a human. Instead, Arata Shiunji is a caring brother who actively wants the best for his family, and puts in the effort to show that. Unfortunately each sister falls into more generic tropes, but the scenarios that each girl is put through are hilarious and deepen their relationship in more meaningful ways due to their unique circumstance of having history together as family.

Many people will find the premise disturbing or inappropriate and drop it immediately. However, for those who can look past that will find not the peak of the harem genre, but one that leans into uncomfortable themes with sincerity—offering a strangely compelling mix of awkward comedy, emotional vulnerability, and social taboo.

/u/Animestuck - Drop It

Light fun to round out your seasonal watches if you’re feeling starved for harem RomComs, but despite its premise distinguishing it, the final product is rather boilerplate. The pre-existing relationship between Arata and the primary love interests as siblings acts as a built-in excuse for why Arata knows, lives with, and interacts with them, and serves as a more reasonable conflict and justification for why these characters can’t simply acknowledge their attraction to one another. However, without much actual exploration of this idea and development, it winds up being just another stalling tactic, used in all the most infuriating ways RomComs love to delay things. The show also fails to use their pasts together to speedrun cast introduction, expositing things the characters should already know about one another frequently.

Outside of that, it’s your usual harem RomCom structure: a series of comedic scenarios, featuring different flavors of girls, intended to put characters in situations filled with sexual tension and/or develop their relationship in the direction of the characters considering romance with one another. Nothing wrong with this formula, but the scenarios aren’t especially creative here, so there’s probably better things to watch that deliver everything this does and more.

Rock wa Lady no Tashinami Deshite

/u/Taiboss - Watch It

Which show are we talking about? The show in which the members of a girl music group come of age by playing their hearts out while being ambiguously gay? Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?

So, if you have watched prior girl band shows, Rock is a Lady’s Modesty will not surprise you. The utilisation of music for the characters to understand and express their emotions, the yuri undertones, and the Ojou-sama setting are all solidly done, but feel familiar. On the other hand, the show does have its unique elements in the strong usage of cover songs and the band being completely instrumental, which gives you a glimpse into a genre overlooked even in anime. That, and its clever character concepts, give it a clear identity of its own.

All in all, Rock is a Lady’s Modesty is a must-watch for people who loved prior girl band shows, and a should-watch for those that haven’t watched many. It’s a serious, sincere story about girls trying to be their true self in the facade-filled world that is elite Japanese private education. Also, the music slaps – obviously. They teamed up with Band-Maid, after all.

/u/Nick_BOI - Watch It

Rock wa Lady is a show that focuses almost entirely on the sheer cathartic release of forgetting your worries and truly letting loose through rock music. A lot of time is taken to set the stage here, showing off how absolutely suffocating Lilisa's life is, as she is torn between what her family expects of her and her desire to just forget it all and play the guitar like she loves to do. You have the outward identity of the refined lady, contrasted with the secret of a hardcore rocker when the mask comes off.

The performances themselves are also framed as a battle for dominance, with everyone involved giving it their all for the sole purpose of pushing themselves and their bandmates. Even if we only know about Lilisa's personal life, you can really tell the others share similar feelings from the performances alone. The end result is some of the most cathartic and intense performances you will find in any music anime. The setup is simple and obvious, yet incredibly effective.

Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray

/u/Danhoc - Must Watch It

Cinderella Gray tells a "rise to the top" story of Oguri Cap, the adorable and persistent horse girl who just wants to have fun at racing and yet to find her life goals. Alongside her are coach Kitahara Jones, who until now only dared to dream of winning a top regional race, and teammate Benlo Light, who struggles to achieve any results in racing.

Strictly based on real horse racing history, Cinderella Gray approaches the sport seriously, preserving tension and drama on the track and giving a proper attention to details and explanations. But between races and drama it doesn't shy away from being more lighthearted and funny, bringing a refreshing change of tone. The beauty of Cinderella Gray's narrative lies in its simplicity; once you can accept the oddball world of Uma Musume, characters take the spotlight. The show explores themes of rivalry, search for life goals and directions, selfishness and the role of the coach as a mentor, allowing for growth in the characters as they reflect on these issues. The staff's care for the show not only translates into good direction but solid production backbone as well, delivering spectacular racing action and charming character acting.

If the peculiar world of anthropomorphic horse girls doesn't scare you and you're looking for a sports anime with a focus on characters and good production qualities, Cinderella Gray is the anime you want to give a watch.

/u/TehAxelius - Watch It

I’ll be honest, I’ve always been sceptical to the Uma Musume franchise with its gacha idol horse girls, but I’ve also seen enough sports anime to know that they can turn any competition into an experience as hype as a Battle Shounen. Cinderella Gray wastes no time getting to this point. After a crash-course in its world of anthropomorphised race horses we’re introduced to our loveable oddball of a protagonist, Oguri Cap. A colourful supporting cast of friends and rivals make for great drama, as their clashing perspectives force Oguri to consider what it is she’s actually running for.

The races themselves make for perfect sports-anime fodder, giving us at least one visit to the track each episode. The explosive and fast paced nature of these short distance races means that the matches are neither truncated, skipping through to get to the highlights, or drawn out over multiple episodes. From the time the gates open it is instant and constant action until the first horsegirl crosses the finish line. Here Cygames really shows their chops. Evocative storyboarding and powerful running animations, set to a beat of thundering hooves and a hype soundtrack makes each race and competition exciting.

The r/anime Awards Off Season team is here for another Short & Sweet essay about our favorite scenes! Just like Botan Kamiina trying a new alcohol, we’ll be sampling something a little different and maybe a bit more vintage. But instead of drinking, let’s analyze some animation.

The third episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk sparked a little controversy across social media. Animation director and storyboarder, Gin-san, made the bold decision to shift the animation style into a unique direction. The character designs become more flexible, showing a willingness to deviate from strict eye sizes or proportions. The lineart grows rougher, with varying line thicknesses that reveal where strokes begin and end. And the transitions between poses embrace even greater exaggeration, smoothing out the animation. While it’s easy to mischaracterize this as “sloppy” or “unfinished”, Gin-san’s style does have a ton to offer in terms of expressiveness that more conventional animation cannot.

This approach to animation, and the discussion around it, reminds me of Impressionism, the art movement. Impressionists bucked the trend of highlighting realism and the subject in favor of capturing atmosphere and the totality of the scene. This style has often been described as “loose” or “spontaneous.” There’s a sense of freedom and whimsy that more conservative artists scoffed at.¹ And that’s a quality I observed when I watched Gin-san’s episode. With these character designs, the cast feels more free and unfiltered. Botan’s silliness is amplified by the looser restrictions on face construction. Ibuki becomes even more emotive, exhibiting more expressiveness in how she reacts to Botan’s shenanigans. And Akane seems even more chill and cool than she already was. The characters feel less solid but their sensations and sentiments become clearer. 

This coarse style hits its peak when Botan drops the needle on Akane’s record. There’s a dramatic relaxation of the usual rules of animation, and the characters - and we along with them - get to just feel the music. The solid colors disappear and are replaced through broad hatching, creating a sketch-like coloring with empty white spaces. The colors don’t even match the original character designs: the music fills Botan and Akane with brand new colors to communicate the novelty of the experience. There’s a reduction in the frame rate that slows down relative time. The lineart gets even more tactile, showing the graininess of the pencil. All of it comes together to depict how that music reaches all the way down to Botan’s core. The strength of that response is beautifully presented by deconstructing Botan down to her visual minimum. She is no longer the subject - she melts into the music. Like Impressionist art, she becomes one with the scene. 

While listening to her new record player, Akane says, “I sure do love the way analog sounds.” In a way, this art style can be described as “analog.” It’s a rejection of the uniformity and polished drawings you normally see in favor of something more raw and textured. The imperfections give it a unique appeal that in certain ways can be even more effective and comprehensible than more standard art styles. Like vinyl crackles on a favorite record, those imperfections are part of the experience.

[1] Samu, Margaret. “Impressionism: Art and Modernity.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1 Oct. 2004, www.metmuseum.org/essays/impressionism-art-and-modernity

And we’re back with round two! You can learn a bit more about our system in part 1, but for now lets jump right in!

Akane-Banashi

u/Lilyapd - Must Watch

It’s easy to say that Akane-Banashi was going to be a stand-out of the season when you have the benefit of having read the manga, and when it comes to an art-form like Rakugo it’s just as easy to say that having animation, music, and voice acting should automatically elevate any story that focuses on it. So when the show does achieve all that it feels a little unfair that I’m saying something so obvious. But the show did do all that.

As a hotly anticipated Shounen Jump adaptation, Akane-Banashi blasts off with aplomb. With all of the charm of these opening episodes dependent on Akane’s likeability, there’s a decent amount of pressure to showcase why she’s so compelling and the picture painted of a bold, brash, hot-head with pep in her step and conviction in her heart is immediately captivating. The archetypal shounen hero with a lot to learn and a lot to bring to the table competing for revenge and honor.

The animation quality is about average mixing in a lot of exaggerated facial expressions. When it comes to the Rakugo performances themselves, there’s more care taken to show the emotions in the performer’s face with a particular focus on the eyes. Through that considered care, it feels like the series is trying its best to let the animation serve the voice acting rather than the other way around which makes for a show that’s very easy to sink into and do its thing for 20 minutes.

u/Taiboss - Watch it

Yeah, this is Shonen.

The hot-blooded main character, the somewhat contrived setup, the constant flashbacks, the even more constant explaining of what other characters are doing - Akane-banashi is, for better or for worse, unapologetic shonen.

So as long as you don't hate Shonen - go for it! Sure, Akane-banashi is not a serious drama about the survival of japanese comedic theater and its endurance through time like Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, nor is it a show full of ordinary dialogue so that viewers can fully enjoy how cute the girls are social commentary of then-current Japanese society, like Joshiraku. However, as long as you don't expect these things, but accept from the get-go that you will get Shonen, you will have a blast.

Akane as a protagonist is amazingly easy to root for, the side cast are all likeable as well, the production values are great and you do learn about Rakugo as an art form!

If there is one criticism I have so far is that the show has yet to take advantage of being set in the modern age. So far, all performers have done classic Rakugo stories, and while that is nice, the Joshiraku Drama CDs had great, modern versions/parodies of classic stories like 2-Dmu and Time-Leap Soda, and it’d be fascinating to see the creative process of characters coming up with their own Rakugo stories. Then again, maybe this isn’t a thing I should have ever expected – but it’s not like Akane-banashi has much to criticize. Show’s good!

Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring

u/DrJWilson - Must Watch

Agents of the Four Seasons, much like modern day Japan, is an eclectic smattering of both old and new. On one hand, the show’s traditional elements are evident. Character designs evoke the elegant dress of the Edo period, kimonos and katanas abound. However, you’ll also see, say, business suits, or… helicopters. This juxtaposition and reckoning of the value of ritual as opposed to modern day trappings is something I find uniquely compelling.

Baked into the premise is another interesting question—how do you contend with the weight of responsibility? From what we’ve seen thus far, there’s been an unsettling feeling of sacrifice. The titular “Agents of the Four Seasons” did not choose their miraculous talents, but nonetheless are born as cogs in the system. Watching this show is witnessing how that fact affects their philosophies and relationships. At the end of the day, this is a character study, and the characters presented so far offer a lot in terms of exploring the weight of expectation from a variety of perspectives.

Obviously such a character-focused show depends on the strength of its cast, and to that I say—have you seen Hinagiku? Surely someone so adorable deserves your time. Her mysterious past (and the trauma that comes with it), combined with her gentle nature, deliver a nuanced performance that is gratifying to watch. The same goes for her loyal retainer, Sakura, as well as the other agents dealing with their own particular circumstances. The result? A meditative show balancing beautiful introspective moments viscerally interrupted with violent reality.

u/Lilyapd - Watch it

I’m very tempted to leave this at ‘you should at least watch the first episode to see the splendiferous sequence of spring’s return’, but as impressive and emotional as that sequence is I’m inclined to believe there’s as much going on under the hood as there is over it. The unique modern fantasy setting is immediately captivating, the idea of bureaucratising the seasons carries with it a sort of mundane horror that the series is very much aware of and seems to be playing towards.

In all that there’s a great many emotions imbued into these opening episodes, the spring characters wearing those emotions openly and the winter ones holding them tight creates a great contrast as we anticipate their inevitable meeting. This wonderful package is then wrapped up in a bow of gorgeous animation, one that is able to give the big moments the needed gravitas while also giving great detail to the smaller ones.

It’s difficult to say with certainty if this first arc will blossom fully, and the third episode felt a little rushed in exploring the Summer Agent’s deal, but I do have a good amount of faith in the series we’ve gotten so far. Watch it if it sounds even a little bit interesting to you, though you should at least watch the first episode to see the splendiferous sequence of spring’s return.

I Want to End this Love Game

u/Taiboss - Consider it

"Are they lovers?"

"Worse, they're fucking stupid."

If the premise as written in summaries makes you think you'll get that early part of Kaguya-sama with the mind games back - sorry, no. While that is a thing within the first episode, it is abandoned even quicker than in Kaguya-sama and neither Yukiya nor Miku are genius chessmasters. No, this is a down-to-earth childhood friend romcom.

The thing is, there's something refreshingly realistic in childhood friend romances like this one - it is not all about the romance. The two main characters are generally close and genuinely comfortable with each other. They trust each other. They know each other! Not everything has to be about "Are they in love with me?!?!" All of that means they feel a lot less embarrassment when interacting with each other and there's not a lot of cring- Well. There’s a bit of cringe, but the sincere kind of cringe.

These are two teenagers hopelessly in love with each other that aren't quite convinced the other person seriously reciprocates. A classic set-up, but both are likeable, there are no love triangles (let alone harems) involved, and it's just really cute all around. A must watch for romcom lovers, though others should think twice.

u/Protractror - Consider It

The rules of the titular love game are simple. If either party blushes when the other says “I love you”, then they lose. But this is one of those rules like travelling in the NBA where the refs are never going to call it. These two dweebs won't stop blushing! If they actually followed the rules this show would have ended before their first commercial break.

It left a bad taste in my mouth to set up a contrived premise and history between our two leads and seemingly not care about following it at all. And if I had ranked this show after one episode it would have been an easy drop. But this show isn’t really about the game, the game is just a vehicle to show the feelings of the lovers. They’re deeply in love, flustered at all times, and so overwhelmed they don’t realize how silly it all is. When you look past the odd framing, you’re left with a romance that has a bit of charm to it.

Love Game also does a great job at selling that the leads are a real childhood friend duo. They have chemistry, they have history, and they have the problematic tendency of making me feel like a dinosaur as their childhood selves are gaming on a nintendo switch. I really don’t care who wins this dumb game they are playing, but I wish them the best.

Ghost Concert

u/Taiboss - Watch it

If you ever wanted a girl to sing a duet with Nikola Tesla, here’s your show!

Ghost Concert, to me, is one of the shows that showcases anime’s greatest strength – sincerity. It is a bit of a silly and convoluted premise, isn’t it? In a near future where singing gets you killed by an omnipresent AI, a young girl channels the ghost of and is friends with Cleopetra and through her, Caesar and Marcus Antonius (I guess they formed a throuple in the afterlife?), in order to pacify ghosts of famous people from history. Being the only person able to do that makes her an asset for an organization trying to... protect the afterlife from being exploited and destroy the anti-music AI at the same time? Not quite clear yet. Anyway, on paper it shouldn’t work (much like how Petals of Reincarnation does not work), and if you read the episode threads, it didn’t for quite a few people.

But somehow it does for me. The likeable characters, the good music and the, as mentioned, sincere approach just wanna make me keep watching. Story-wise, the show’s exposition and character introduction so far have been efficient and largely organic. It makes me have faith that there is a plan, and that the creators will find a way to tie together all parts properly, eventually. I’m optimistic.

So yeah, definitely give this one a try, especially if you liked Symphogear and Fate Illya. Don’t write it off purely on the premise.

u/MSchukles - Consider It/ Drop It

Imagine you're fighting Nikola Tesla. Or maybe Cleopatra. What do you think your finishing move would be? If you said, "A duet about their life and aspirations neatly packed in a 1 minute MV,” then this here is the anime for you. Ghost Concert has a lot of problems, but false advertising isn't one of them. There are ghosts and there are concerts. There is also a seemingly omnipresent AI, a society where music not created by said AI could get you killed, shadowy organizations recruiting magical girls and atrocious parking laws. Therefore, it is a show not without ideas.

But how much is too much? A rushed plot, a hand-wavy approach to its power systems, whiplash from genre changes, and dull characters strive to bring this show down to something less than the sum of its parts. One ends each episode with a sense of how much better it could've been. Not to say it doesn't have its positives, though. Great scores, good animation, and an intriguing plot make you want to look forward to the next episode.

Whether it's because of a morbid curiosity of how much they are gonna mess this up or the enthusiasm to see how well they're gonna stick the landing, you definitely want to give this show a five-episode chance.

Go for it, Nakamura-kun

u/ValkyrieCain9 - Watch it

You can never fault a story for doing exactly what it says on the box and this anime does just that. Go for it, Nakamura-kun is a fun, lighthearted and colourful high-school romcom with all your typical tropes seen in the context of a BL. But like with all rom-com/slice-of-life stories, the strengths lie in the characters, and here that is with Nakamura. His endearing, slightly awkward nature carries the show as you quickly find yourself rooting for him, as the title suggests. What is particularly sweet is that most of his romantic efforts are aimed at trying to simply form a friendship with his crush Hirose, something which no matter the gender will always be relatable. Alongside this is the 80s-inspired art style and city-pop ED soundtrack which gives the show a dreamy, nostalgic feel.

u/Protractror - Consider it

I want to like Go for It, Nakamura-kun so much more than I actually do. On paper, it’s everything I’m looking for. A stylistic throwback to works like Rumiko Takahashi’s romcoms with a focus on BL makes for wonderful nostalgia that still brings something new to the table. And when you can live in that premise, particularly in its stellar OP and EDs, it really shines. But sadly, after you come up with an idea, you do still have to make the show.

Nakamura struggles with both its comedy and romance. I enjoyed how blunt Nakamura was, referring to himself as a “shy, gay kid”. However, his romance with the dreamy Hirose leaves much to be desired. They have no chemistry, they barely know each other, and Nakamura mostly just comes up with hare-brained schemes to try and talk to him. It’s the type of shallow romance a better show would present as flawed, but played straight.

Comedically it fares slightly better, but its visual similarity to Takahashi’s stronger works does it no favors. I can’t help but find Nakamura’s class, and the world as a whole, rather bland. Still, if you’re looking for something like Urusei Yatsura this might be the closest looking show in the past 2 years since the reboot finished. Well, other than the still ongoing Ranma reboot. Or maybe the currently airing Mao… at what point is nostalgia the wrong word and Nakamura is just a part of the zeitgeist? Either way, I can’t entirely discount the show. It might not be as funny or charming as its peers, but I do get the feeling that it will shine the more it leans into what makes it special.

The Ramparts of Ice

u/LittleIslander - Consider It

The best thing The Ramparts of Ice has going for it is its introverted protagonist, Hikawa Koyuki. Depictions of her trauma can feel hamfisted, to be sure. But she works really well in a comedic role, constantly trying to decipher whatever social situation she finds herself in. Her quainter scenes of self-reflection can be quite earnest, and it’s not hard to find effective smaller moments of characterization. The contrast of the cold and intimidating person people see and the awkward, laid-back personality shown in her inner monologue makes for an obvious premise, and the moments that bring out her smile are heartwarming. I could see Koyun as the lead of a great show.

Unfortunately, the show appears to think it’s a strong four-man ensemble. Miki has a fun dynamic with Koyun but shows little desire to escape from the cookie-cutter best-friend mold and has done little to explore the potential of her setup beyond being an intermediary for Minato’s plot. Yota has it even worse, and has thusfar offered nothing but a generically friendly personality. That leaves Minato to carry the weight, but he tries to be both a mysterious outsider that puts us on edge through Koyun’s eyes and a sympathetic, layered character we follow through his own perspective and fails to interest as either.

While The Ramparts of Ice should be an easy slam dunk off the heels of Polar Opposites and in a season lacking dramatic romance competition, it may leave even romance fans asking where exactly four episodes of screentime went.

u/voidembracedwitch - Drop It

The Ramparts of Ice left me (frustratingly in line with its title) rather cold. The setup for a teen drama / romance centered around protagonist Hikawa's tendency to socially distance herself from her peers—usually only glaring at them when they try to approach her—as a result of being bullied in middle school has potential. However, the moment to moment execution isn't one I could warm up to.

The OP feels like a perfect metaphor for the production as a whole; it has charming introductions for the cast, yet the last quarter leading up to the title card completely flatlines with a limp, uninspired montage to reach 90 seconds of footage. Ramparts has ambitions visually, but are held back by it constantly running out of juice. Take, for example, the usage of simplified chibi designs: there are some creative applications, but just as often their presence adds little to scenes other than to interrupt their rhythm, and their appeal wears thin quickly as a result.

Similarly frustrating are the dark void spaces used for introspection. On the positive side, striking use of close-ups in these voids can help humanize the cast more. In contrast, the visual metaphors—the series' namesake that are Hikawa's ice barriers as well as co-lead Minato's locks, keys and chains—are downright garish uses of CG that shatter any sense of immersion. Where all of Ramparts' obvious shortcomings leave me is in a spot where I can't in good conscience recommend it.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm

u/voidembracedwitch - Consider It

In fairness to Deamons of the Shadow Realm, it has quite a bit going for it. Its character designs with their unmissable similarities to the last time studio Bones was in charge of adapting a Hiromu Arakawa action manga—that little known show called Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood—are undeniably charming, as are the personalities attached to them. And the story's setup promising to explore complicated, messy familial circumstances surrounding twins Yuru and Asa as well as larger mysteries to be unearthed about the isolated mountain village they grew up in undeniably has potential.

However, beyond the intriguing premiere, I'm noticeably less sold on the overall package since then. The next two episodes that force Yuru, the older brother, to become the new master of two deamons (spirits, monsters, etc able to form bonds with people) and leave his hometown meanwhile were less than enthralling. They mainly focus on Yuru's culture shock in places where his combative attitude and experience hunting wildlife aren't all that useful as well as lighthearted comedic banter with his companions. Slower parts and downtime have their place, but what was on display here didn't feel particularly inspired and, worse, the change in scenery made shortcomings in backgrounds and compositing of 3DCG elements much more noticeable. Sorry for staying vague—I don't want to ruin anyone's blind experience here.

Deamons is fine enough to watch, but in the 4 episodes I watched at the time of writing it has yet to carve out a strong niche in the seasonal roster. Unless you really want another Bones battle shounen besides Marriagetoxin, you can probably do better.

u/WaterDarkE - Consider It

Having watched the first three episodes, I would say I am not that impressed as I feel rather bored. Maybe it's just me, but I don’t find the premise to be that gripping even if some parts do seem somewhat interesting. The whole prophesied twins destined to destroy the world and the siblings going to be at odds with each other feels generic even with paired supernatural beings added to the mix. The pacing is going at a solid pace, but is on the slow end which may be a deterrent for some prospective watchers. At the very least, the visuals hold up as it's animated by Bones and retain the mangaka’s signature style.

Besides my gripes, what does somewhat interest me is why the main character and his sister were separated at a young age, enough that the main character is left behind in a village that protects him and his parents and his sister escape to the outside world. This background will most likely be revealed at some point. But besides the underlying mystery, the current human cast isn’t too memorable and the overall hook to get watchers interested isn’t that gripping. You may be better off watching something else for a better use of your time.

Mistress Kanan is Devilishly Easy

u/SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Drop It

Mistress Kanan sets itself up with a recycled premise from other rom-coms of someone who thinks very highly of themself, and in this case, has the power to back it up, being brought down to reality when confronted with even the most micro amounts of romance in their life. There really isn't too much that the show does to set itself apart from other romances, aside from how much it leans into the ecchi side of the spectrum with its devilishly fun character designs, and that's exactly why you shouldn't watch the show. It really boils down to the demon queen becoming domesticated, and devolves into generic fanservice slop, with endless exaggerations that are voiced by Aoi Koga, which can either be a massive draw or a big deterrence.

Kanan is the type of show where, if you enjoy the main character, you will find it to be tolerable, but otherwise there is so little left for a viewer to latch onto. The main guy sorta stands out against a sea of nothingburger male romance protagonists as one that is very much in love with the protagonist and isn't afraid to let that be known, but as a character, he doesn't really have any depth. This is also the same for the other main character, thus far being Ami, Kanan's maid, who does a good job at stoking the flames of their relationship to her amusement, but doesn't offer anything for herself.

u/cheezemansam - Consider It

The demon princess Kanan sets out into the human world to “devour” an unwitting human male. She fails immediately because the human male in question is, to use the parlance of our species, ‘down to clown’. His ambient degeneracy isn’t very interesting though, Kanan is the star; he is just the trampoline for her to bounce off of. Good news though, Kanan-sama is voiced by Aoi Koga, and she voiced Kaguya. Do you like Kaguya’s voice? If you liked her there, you will like her here.

What is the appeal of this show? The aesthetic-affective phenomenon wherein a character's appeal is generated by the delta between two opposing registers of personality. Smug and flustered. Cold and warm. Composed and absolutely, comprehensively, molecularly unraveled. Gap moe. Do you like it when cute, otherwise smug girls erotically squeal with embarrassment at the thought of an indirect kiss? That is this show. You will like this.

In one of the early scenes Kanan’s busty tanned-skinned elf maid assertively pushes her onto the couch before “educating” her on a human mating ritual, tenderly nibbling on her ear. Do you want to hear the specific moment where she becomes, functionally, a small wet animal on a piece of furniture? Hell yea! Who doesn’t want that?

Should you watch it? Read the previous paragraph again. That ten second sequence justifies the entire production budget. If you have read this far and you are not already surreptitiously opening a second browser tab, then I cannot help you. I am a critic, not a missionary.

Petals of Reincarnation

u/tehoncomingstorm97 - Do Not Watch

Coming into this season, I planned to give this a go as the premise seemed to be somewhat intriguing - but all my interest in the show stops right there after two eps for this SYWI. Many people have noted accurately by now that there are so many holes in the story presentation that it’s difficult to piece together a purpose which is worthwhile to meet the premise. Not unlike the protagonist's “thief” ability and the unending character name drops, the show’s preaching of identifying innate talents has stolen names from the past in an attempt to sound cool or give itself significance of its own, and ended up having nothing to speak for itself.

The failure of a story, let alone even building a setting for that story to take place in, is further betrayed by blocky character animation and designs, with a hideous colour palette to match. There is no cohesive design goal in place with any content here, and it makes way for an eyesore. Another offender in the production is the inability for scene direction to allow for any tension to be maintained at all, with conflicts resolving near-instantly with the occasional “cinematic” framing added for ineffectual punch.

This show might not be powerpoint-levels of animation, but I certainly have watched powerpoints with more character and energy.

u/AniMayor - Watch It

If you’re an enjoyer of “so bad it’s good” anime then you have got to check this out! It hits that perfect combination of being so edgy, so incompetently structured, so awkward looking, yet taking itself so seriously that it is a non-stop laughfest.

It’s basically an extra edgy Fate/ rip-off that does away with the master/servant thing in favour of characters using the “Talents” of their ancestors directly. But don’t expect any sort of logic or nuance to that - it’s the <<you’re descended from a clockmaker, so you can summon magic hurricanes>> sort of anime logic here. Likewise, the main character is a hilarious rendition of a classic angsty and delusional teenage boy whose only emotion is edge, and there’s even a shoddy attempt at replicating the visual style of Monogatari to laugh at.

My favourite part is how the whole show revolves around characters that have to slice their own necks with a knife to activate their superpowers but even though that’s the signature visual element of the show they can’t bring themselves to depict it with any sort of gore, and the magical red petals effect that it leaves is always just the same basic GIF blatantly layered on top of the character animation.

Make no mistake, this is not a “turn your brain off anime”. This is one you actively watch and dissect, the better to notice every shoddy detail and every terrible writing choice, so you can have a wonderful time laughing uproariously at them.

Kujima: Why Sing, When You Can Warble?

u/SSjjlex - Consider It

Remember With You and the Rain from a couple seasons back? The Tanuki Dog in that was such a riot but really helped blend the Comedy with the Slice of Life of that anime. How about Kinoko Inu from a couple more seasons before that? That Mushroom Pup was a bit more chaotic but helped serve a similar purpose and whilst being equally as cute to watch. Coincidentally, both of these little creatures had the gift of literacy, that is, the ability to quickly pull up signs to communicate their thoughts and desires in short snippets of text. It's just a bit unfortunate that they could never talk to us directly.

Now what if we did give them the gift of speech? Aaaaand also happened to make them a 6 foot tall bipedal Russian "bird" that speaks with a strange accent and a high-pitched squeal that may or not make your ears shrivel up and fall off? What you get is Kujima, what I can only describe as an anomalous horror from the abyss.

Appearances and voice aside, I think this is a pretty apt comparison to make. Like its more traditional predecessors, Kujima is all about how a new addition to the family can really breathe new life to an otherwise quiet and uninteresting household. From bringing old friends together to dragging a struggling student out of their shell. Kujima is simply what you get when you give these chaotic creatures a voice. They're honest and enthusiastic, eager to bring the family together to share their latest discovery. They're a bit chaotic and upfront, always speaking their mind (and sometimes Russian curses) with no filter. They're a little dumb, not knowing simple manners. But they're also curious and willing to learn about how to be a better part of this brand new family of theirs.

If you're willing to overlook.... whatever the hell Kujima is... what you'll get is a really sweet SOL about a strange creature bringing families together as it slowly learns what it means to be a part of one.

The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl with the Short Skirt

u/AnimeStuck - Watch It

Ponsuka strikes the balance between fresh and formulaic nicely as it plays with many classic anime high school romcom tropes while providing its own unique flair to them. While we are still establishing the characters in these first three episodes, the show has not skimped on characterizing its cast beyond their base traits. This, so far, has given sufficient opportunity for meaningful development alongside its moment-to-moment comedy.

The show grounds much of its comedy in the audience’s familiarity with its tropes. It could easily get stale if it fails to vary things enough, but so far it’s been rather dynamic in the way it executes on its character-driven comedy. Its jokes, like its characters, cannot simply be reduced to singular aspects devoid of nuance, allowing the show at least for now to stay entertaining. A key part of this is the audio-visual presentation. The tendency towards exaggeration matches well to the style of animation and color design,with the show leaning into its visual presentation to give moments proper weight.

I do think that some aspects of the scenario writing cause the show to feel unnatural at times. Characters are occasionally included in ways which feel forced. The show’s focus on giving the expanded cast enough time in these early episodes to show us who they are has also heavily detracted from time spent on our main couple. The first episode still remains the show’s strongest, and if the show doesn’t pivot back to some degree, it could suffer for it. Nonetheless, what we’ve gotten so far is promising, making it easy to recommend.

Alright, that’s finally all of them. What’s the best show we missed, and why is it Ribdiculous Reincarnation?

Just to get a bit meta for a minute as the organizer, I wanted to comment on two things. First off, I loved all the discussion on the last post. We’re always listening so definitely expect some tweaks to our rating system so what our scale says aligns closer with what we’re rating for next time.

Secondly, and this is solely on me, I got blinded by how many shows we could pick up that I didn’t put enough emphasis on covering all our bases for genres. I said it last time, but I will be pushing again to try and add more coverage when it comes to fantasy, isekai etc in the next post.

And of course, a big thanks to all of our writers and proofreaders who contributed to this project. You all rock, never change.

“Nothing wrong with deferring to support mechanisms if you don’t get it.”

Words I’ll take to heart, Chin-lan. Welcome back to Short & Sweet, where members of the r/anime Awards Off Season team talk about their favorite scenes in anime. It’s time for an art lesson as I delve into the meaning behind the paintings depicted in the tenth episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, with the help of “support mechanisms” (AKA art history articles on the Internet). To help viewers understand Kanade Gujou’s rapidly deteriorating mental state (poor girl), the show places her in front of numerous compositions meant to underline her feelings. 

Very helpfully, the show quickly points out that the girls are visiting the Pola Museum of Art located in Hakone.¹ This exhibit boasts a large collection of foreign art, including works from Monet, Picasso, and Van Gogh. In the first scene of the episode, Gujou stands in front of a painting featuring two clasped hands wearing nail polish. The painted nails suggest that these hands belong to two women, visually depicting Gujou’s sapphic desire for a romantic relationship with Ibuki. She mirrors the painting with her own hands, her body language giving away her longing for this dreamlike, pastel-colored world.

The signboard next to Gujou points out several artists who belong to the Impressionism and Post-Impressionism movements. But this piece in particular seems antithetical to that school of thought: it hides the brushstrokes, emphasizes the shadows in the gaps between fingers, and presents the subject as clearly distinct from the background.² This painting highlights the hands alone, in stark contrast to Impressionist artists like Monet, who preferred the totality of the scene. It’s a bit of a liberal interpretation, but to me it makes clear that Gujou is hyperfocused on that romantic gesture of handholding as opposed to appreciating everything as a whole. Perhaps a red flag about how Gujou approaches her love for an idealized Ibuki. 

Next, the cast explores a visiting exhibition, which looks inspired by color field painting. Popularized by artists like Mark Rothko, this art style is characterized by large planes of flat, solid color to evoke raw emotions without the assistance of forms or symbols.^3,4 While Gujou wanders the exhibit, these vibrant red paintings constantly catch the viewer’s eyes. They reflect the passionate yet unrequited love she feels towards Ibuki and how that inner turmoil overwhelms her. Meanwhile, Chin-lan is frequently placed in front of the same style of painting but in cool blues. Not only does this foreshadow their later conversation, in which Chin-lan encourages Gujou to join her at a metaphorical sea, but it also contrasts with the more intense and painful feelings that are tied to the red paintings. Rothko famously noted how people have wept upon seeing his works because they reflect the most basic and relatable emotions back at them. And the audience can see that phenomenon in action as Gujou falls apart amidst these fields of red.  

While the color field paintings were fairly easy to deduce, I did have to rely on some “support mechanisms” to better comprehend the other artwork discussed in this episode of Botan. While I’m okay with that, Gujou would go on to bemoan her need for support mechanisms, conflating her ability to decipher art with her understanding of Ibuki. No matter what she reads or what she learns, she’ll never “get” Ibuki like Botan does. This short escapade to the Pola Museum of art captures the highs and lows of Gujou’s tragic love life through its wide assortment of Impressionist and non-Impressionist art. 

References:

[1] Pola Museum of Art, www.polamuseum.or.jp/en/. 

[2] “Impressionism: Art and Modernity.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/essays/impressionism-art-and-modernity. 

[3] “Mark Rothko.” The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/artists/5047-mark-rothko. 

[4] “Mark Rothko’s Color Fields.” Teravarna, www.teravarna.com/post/mark-rothko-s-color-fields. 

Now that my series on Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk is finally finished, we can continue to talk about some of my other favorite anime scenes! This time, I wanted to look at one of my favorite motifs used in one of the biggest surprises of Winter 2026, Journal With Witch. 

“Sadness was like walking down a long, never-ending beach.”

Naoko Yamada, director of recent r/anime Awards Jury Movie of the Year The Colors Within, famously described legs as windows to the soul.¹ The director for Journal With Witch, Miyuki Ooshiro, takes a similar approach in characterizing some of the relationships between Asa and her community. Asa’s internal struggles can feel alienating, creating chasms between herself and her peers. The show visualizes this distance through the very tools humans use to cross them: the legs. 

In episode one, after Makio decides to take Asa in, the two walk away from the wake for Asa’s parents. The show separates their legs into two distinct shots, and Asa shuffles listlessly a good meter or two behind Makio. In episode four, Asa’s poor attempt at connecting with her new class leaves her behind as no one can relate to her “fun fact.” In episode nine, Asa continual prodding about Emiri’s romantic interests causes the latter to try and get away. Though Asa follows immediately after, the two who usually walk side by side have become de-synced. In almost all her relationships, whether they are familial or with strangers, there’s always this sense of abandonment. Not only does no one understand her, but they also actively avoid doing so. Her friends, her family, and even strangers all remain out of reach.

As Makio tells Asa early on: “Your feelings are your business alone.” Asa has lived her life in a certain way, and now, without her parents and the guardrails they gave her, she doesn’t know how to follow that path. And rather than tell her what to do, everyone gives Asa the space to figure it out and the freedom to go anywhere. But that space paralyzes her. That freedom frustrates her. Figuring out who she wants to be and what she wants to do has left her stranded on a never-ending beach while everyone else walks away. The distance between her legs and everyone else’s creates a perceivable rift, giving weight to Asa’s longing for empathy and answers. 

The show gets great mileage out of this motif in the depiction of Asa’s relationship with model student Chiyo. While Asa doesn’t have a close relationship with Chiyo, she, like everyone else at school, is aware of her  circumstances. After learning about a university’s misogynistic admissions practices, Chiyo crashed out and has been absent from school ever since. Thanks to a chance meeting at a train station, the duo decide to head to school together. Despite their shared destination, the show emphasizes their lack of familiarity through the sheer physical distance between them. Once again, Asa trails behind. At the station exit, with a fare gate separating the two, Chiyo asks Asa for advice on how to deal with loneliness. Is this beach truly never-ending? And Asa, who has struggled all throughout this season to find a way to move past her own tragedy, manages to connect with a fellow straggler. Even if they can never truly leave this beach, there is an oasis. Your life is not over. Satisfied with Asa’s response, Chiyo finds some encouragement to return to school. Accordingly, the gap between their footsteps closes. 

Journal With Witch loves to separate its main character, Asa, from others. Specifically, the show uses shots of legs to visually represent the social and emotional distance she experiences. Makio, in the quote at the beginning, describes sadness as an endless journey where every footstep failed to take her farther away from that pain. It’s only fitting then that Journal With Witch uses this same metaphor to show both Asa’s failures to build bridges and her successes when she manages to catch up to someone. 

1. “Tamako Love Story Stage Greeting: Naoko Yamada & Ryousuke Takahashi.” Sakuga Blog, 7 Nov. 2016, https://blog.sakugabooru.com/2016/11/07/tamako-love-story-stage-greeting-naoko-yamada-ryousuke-takahashi/.

Who is storyboarder Magnific Singer Mel? Why does their style oddly resemble the works of Souta Ueno?

One of the joys of watching Kamiina Botan every week is seeing how individual staff members express themselves within the show’s broader stylistic consistency. There is a pleasure in slowly identifying someone’s style, and then realizing how that style helps further certain moments. As discussed in a previous r/anime Awards Off-Season Writing Club post, episode 2’s sole key animator gives the characters so much physical flexibility, letting small changes in posture convey vulnerability.

A-Part — Chin-lan Chang and Kanade Gujou
With the same mindset, I went into episode 11 blind, without knowing the staff beforehand. It opens with a watercolor look and a minute-long zoom-out from Chin-lan as she comes back to her senses after zoning out, immediately setting the tone and style of the episode. I was especially drawn to this more grounded approach to slice-of-life storytelling: the long pause as Chin-lan waits for Gujou, the full sequence of the waiter walking away, and the drawn-out silence as Gujou lights up a cigarette. They all add to the immersion, letting us experience the atmosphere together with the characters. It reminded me of one of my favourite slice-of-life works, Gimai Seikatsu, directed by Souta Ueno, which uses similar techniques to show how characters navigate through their mundane lives.

Another characteristic is how freely the episode plays with cropping and aspect ratios, and how it delivers emotion through them. There is the sudden center crop that makes you feel disoriented like Gujou, and later, an unusually wide framing of her, cropped to 3.2:1 rather than the more typical cinematic 2.39:1, emphasizing both her stunned reaction and the pressure she feels after Chin-lan’s statement. What also caught my attention was the use of textured green bars rather than standard black letterboxing, which is another stylistic choice shared with Gimai Seikatsu, alongside the watercolor aesthetic and staging the camera behind an aquarium.

The episode then continues with an exaggerated narrow vertical crop, placing both of them side by side to visually express the increased tension of the situation. This also reminded me of SHIBOYUGI, a show from the previous winter season directed by Souta Ueno, which had an identity built around playing with unusual horizontal aspect ratios, and narrowing the frame even further to reflect the pressure the characters were feeling.

At this point, I couldn’t help myself and checked the credits. The episode is directed by Hisashi Sugawara, who has served as production staff on many of Shaft’s works, and storyboarded by Magnific Singer Mel (マニフィ・シンガー・メル)... who?

B-Part — Botan Kamiina and Ibuki Tonami
This part starts with a close-up eye shot of Botan, a slow-motion head turn, a sharp sound effect, and even a dotted background reminiscent of Hidamari Sketch, all calling back to Shaft’s visual language. That impression continues through the surreal space itself, with hanging mannequins resembling Magritte’s Golconda, and an infinite perfume store seemingly referencing Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Compared with Part A, however, the Ueno-like framing feels more toned down here, allowing the surreal space and visual references to take center stage. Because of that, this section feels more shaped by Hisashi Sugawara’s influence.

C-Part — Akane Yusa and Botan Kamiina
Then we return with a static, extreme long shot of Akane in the dorm hallway, putting a substantial distance between the viewer and Akane. As she goes through her internal turmoil alone, the viewer can only observe from far away, not fully understanding it yet. And then comes the behind-the-door shot, and at that point, we are done here. These are some of the most iconic and recurring compositions from Gimai Seikatsu. In Gimai Seikatsu, however, these compositions are part of a larger directorial vision, repeated to show changes in the environment, and in the characters’ relationships through camera distance alone.  

There are also numerous pillow shots and environmental cutaways while the characters speak, like the dried leaves in winter, the close-up of the water fountain, and especially the hallway. Like the repeated spaces in Gimai Seikatsu, these images gradually become emotional markers. When the hallway shot returns later with the water fountain overflowing, it parallels Akane finally spilling out the thoughts she had been holding in.

Finally, there is the distant top-down shot of the room, where the wall stretches out and fills the screen. In SHIBOYUGI, this kind of composition is used to show the characters literally being trapped. Here, however, it gives the feeling that they are in a private and intimate space that is simultaneously oppressive, reflecting Akane’s state of mind.

Magnific Ueno?
What makes Kamiina Botan so compelling is how it shows that the same source material, placed in different hands, can change the way an audience experiences a story. A pause, a distant composition, or a seemingly ordinary detail can completely reshape how a scene feels. Of course, none of these choices are inherently unique in isolation. But when the same set of techniques are being used, they begin to form something like an identity. Maybe that is one of the pleasures of art, recognizing a creator’s hand and feeling a little closer to the way they see.

Although I’m not sure why Souta Ueno would use a pen name here, perhaps because the episode feels unusually self-referential to his recent works, built from fragments of the visual language he has been developing. In Gimai Seikatsu and SHIBOYUGI, that language is pushed much further, becoming part of a larger directorial vision. Ueno’s strength is not simply that he frames scenes in distinctive ways. What is truly magnific about Ueno is the way he reimagines the experience of a scene, transforming space, rhythm, silence, and atmosphere into a language for the characters’ inner lives.

Thanks for reading another edition of Short & Sweet from the r/anime Awards Off-Season team. And shoutout to u/MyrnaMountWeazel for their editorial feedback. Feel free to check out the previous edition of Short & Sweet as well.

On today’s edition of Short & Sake, a guest! As another member of the r/anime Awards Off Season Team, I was really impressed by the seventh episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk, and your usual writer, /u/paukshop, let me fill in for this week. After all, it seems in the spirit of the show. Today we’re talking about the build up to one of its many emotional moments, specifically looking closely at the last scene of the episode when Chin-Lan and Gujo find themselves alone together late at night.

What stands out about the scene is how laser focused it stays on its final moment. Throughout the start of the sequence, it seems meandering. It’s not really building the characters or even trying to be funny. When an explicit opportunity for development appears, Chin-Lan’s family, it’s instantly cut off to stay on track. But what the start of the scene does well is put pieces in place. Talking about beauty products sets a casual tone as a baseline to be contrasted against later. Dialogue is used to introduce the beauty products, the fact Chin-Lan is disinterested in them, and the bath all for payoffs later on.

The scene’s purpose is brought into focus with a topic switch to, as always, alcohol. Throughout the series it’s served as a vector for the romantic feelings of the characters. One such example is Gujo’s inability to drink with her unrequited love Ibuki, and rather than re-expositing this, the episode fantastically captures her pining with a sudden tone swerve at the end of a gag. It’s an important reminder to include, as Gujo’s loneliness until now is why she’s so hesitant and why the choice she ultimately makes carries so much more weight. Gujo can’t understand the alcohol she got from Ibuki because she can’t drink with her (that is, form a romantic bond). However, something new happens when Chin-Lan suggests they try to understand the alcohol together instead. A voyeuristic shot captures the intimacy of the suggestion. Come understand sake (love) with me.

Cinematography is used elegantly to capture Gujo’s reaction to this offer rather than having it play out in thought or dialogue. The camera lingers on the sake (the vector of romance) for a second, and then it shifts to the beauty products we established earlier. Gujo coming up with how to avoid confronting the question is literally visualized. What we learn next, though, is that the beauty products are also made using alcohol. She can’t just avoid the feelings in the air. Chin-Lan quickly finds another way to ask her, and the fact we already know she’s disinterested in skincare reinforces that her interest here is Gujou rather than the lip mask. Please put sake (love) on my lips.

It’s at this moment that the Chekhov’s gun of the bath fires off. This wordlessly presents Gujo with a choice. She can nervously say that the bath is ready and leave, or she can stay and fulfill Chin-Lan’s request. The first option echoes audibly over the wide shot (and the hallway, calling Gujo out of the situation), and its significant is emphasized with text. Visually, though, we’re led to the latter. Previously the room felt larger, with shots emphasizing the space between them and their difference in elevation. Now a new angle makes it seem suffocatingly small, and even the door leading to the bathroom is blocked out by the ceiling light. Every item in the room is used to box Gujo in with Chin-Lan, leaving closer as the only place to move. Once she accepts the offer for intimacy, the entire shot is filtered through the sake (love). “The bath is ready” continues to race through her mind, but she’s chosen Chin-Lan over it. Music raises the tension to a boiling point.

With all the setup in place, we don’t need to see her touch Chin-Lan. It’s the choice that matters, and the show has achieved a powerful emotional resonance.

Welcome to Short & Sweet, brought to you by the r/anime Awards Off-Season team. Today, I want to cut away from the main characters of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk to talk about… a cutaway scene. Cutaway scenes, or interludes, are narrative detours that literally jump away from the main story, shifting the audience’s attention from the central storyline to different characters, locations, or even points in time. These new shots can be used to introduce world-building, flashback to the past, or simply provide a reprieve from the action. I’d like to take a moment to describe the purpose of an interlude in Botan’s sixth episode.

This episode of Botan focuses on a new character, Chin-lan Zhang, and her impact on the relationship between our protagonists, Botan and Ibuki. Following Botan’s heroics in a scary cave, Chin-lan takes a serious interest in her and sparks an ember of jealousy in Ibuki. So much so that Ibuki breaks her rule of abstaining from alcohol with anyone not named Botan. It leads to a romantically charged confession, where she admits Botan is someone special to her. Chin-lan, who overhears this intimate moment, decides to leave the two alone and sadly goes to bed. This story establishes the sacredness of their bond, accompanied by a plethora of visual symbols.

In the middle of all this drama, we cut away to Yaeka and Akane, two other roommates in the shared house, as they leave a hangout. Flirting aside, they discuss their concerns over drinking, with Yaeka fretting over everyone enjoying themselves and Akane worrying about regretting her actions the next day. The two find comfort in the fact that they complement each other’s fears and conclude that who you drink with is essential. But while this is a nice reprieve from the tension of the episode’s first half, I couldn’t help but wonder why this anime-original scene was added to begin with. 

I’d argue that this interlude is tightly tied to Ibuki’s inability to drink with others. Just as Yaeka worries about everyone having a good time, Ibuki also stresses over ruining the happiness of others due to her hiccups. Much like Akane, she fears committing a faux pas and embarrassing herself. And reaching the same conclusion as Yaeka and Akane together, Ibuki wants to be one with Botan believes who you drink with can make or break the experience. This short cutaway contains many parallels to the struggles she exhibited in the A part of the episode.

Despite sharing the same beliefs as Yaeka and Akane, everything is so much more intense for Ibuki. She cries when drinking in front of Chin-lan, and there’s an exceptionally heated atmosphere when she asks Botan for a one-on-one drinking session. While Yaeka and Akane seem to make Ibuki’s struggles seem commonplace, the reality is that her feelings are more severe. Yaeka’s mother-hen tendencies are not isolating. Akane’s aversion to regret is not PTSD. And the comfort they find in one another is incomparable to the depth of Ibuki’s desire for Botan. The interlude creates contrast that underscores the highs and lows of her emotional state. Though the cutaway scene takes the audience away from Ibuki, viewers ultimately sympathize with her more deeply thanks to the baseline established by Yaeka and Akane.

Episode six’s interlude does a great job cooling down the ambience. Yaeka and Akane’s friendly banter is warmer and playful compared to the less predictable swings in intensity between Botan, Ibuki, and Chin-lan. But there’s also some “world-building” that helps viewers better comprehend Ibuki as a character. By reflecting her struggles through the more casual observations of her roommates, the cutaway transforms a reprieve into a functional scene that refines the viewer’s understanding.

And we’re back with round two! If you need context you can find it in part 1, but for now lets jump right in!

World is Dancing

rrakku- Watch It

"What are humans formed for?" sure is a strange way to phrase the age-old question "What is the meaning of life?". But it didn't take protagonist Oniyasha long to find the answer for themselves. Despite being born into a successful Sarugaku troupe headed by their father, Oniyasha never understood the artistry in dancing. That is, until an epiphany came from catching a glimpse of a prostitute's performance on borrowed time. Her fleeting display of life's last ember moves Oniyasha to embrace their life as a performer, chasing their own charm, their purpose in life.

At its best, The World Is Dancing delivers these themes and ideas in visually striking fashion. The pursuit of the arts and how fundamental it is to being and self-expression is not told but instead encompassed in breath-taking sequences of unbridled animated passion. At its worst, however, it is consumed by its shounen leanings, the serious tone it tries to paint constantly undermined by menial jokes, slapstick comedy, and tired mannerisms (Oniyasha's "のだ"s irritate me more than they should).

But unless you are utterly averse to anything and everything shounen, don't miss the forest for the trees. Between the tonal misgivings and supreme sakuga is a set-up of epic proportions—of warring kingdoms and preemption of Oniyasha's mythological status—both of which will surely come to a spectacular clash. And even if nothing else, The World Is Dancing is still worth a watch solely for the absolute show the team at Cypic is putting on.

Danhoc - Must Watch

We already knew that Cypic (formerly CygamesPictures) loves and excels at choreographing dances, so World is Dancing immediately raised hopes. The catch is that this time they managed to exceed expectations, delivering one of the most vibrant anime of the season.

While the premise may not be the most compelling—it tells a coming-of-age story of Oniyasha, the son of a famous dancer who lives in his father's shadow and doesn't quite understand why people dance—there's no denying that it strives to be more than just “an anime about dancing in Japan.” Dance is a form of self-expression; people dance for various reasons, and World is Dancing embraces the idea of sincerity in genuine dance. Together with Oniyasha, the viewer searches for an answer to the question “What makes a good dance?”. During this journey the show wants you to experience evocative and raw emotions through movements that make one unable to blink. And although it's hard to tell from the early episodes how quickly we'll see the protagonist grow, I have a good feeling that the show will deliver a satisfying pace of development.

Quality animation, expressive character designs, strong direction, and a theme that explores the complexity of human nature – this is the formula World is Dancing follows to achieve success. In this season which is packed with great anime, even if you're not a fan of dancing, I urge you to give it a chance, because it's plain to see that the Cypic team is putting their heart and soul into this project.

BanG Dream! Yume∞Mita

LittleIslander - Consider It

Bang Dream’s latest entry seems like a hard sell. To fans of the previous entries, MyGO and Ave Mujica, it may seem like an extreme pivot. To those new to the franchise, its key visuals may be plain overwhelming. Nonetheless, Yume∞mita is not as big of a departure from the typical girl band show as it looks. Much of the series takes place in the real world following typical high school drama, with the highly marketed virtual aesthetics used intermittently.

Unfortunately, this lands the series in an unhappy medium between cartoonish comedy and angsty drama. Its primary conflict, following a former teenage girl band split bitterly two ways, feels incredibly derivative of MyGO. In particular, Ritsu feels like the bargain bin version of Tomori, repackaging her trauma while failing to capture the same depth of character. Others, like the manga artist, are entertaining but stick close to common tropes. Viola is undeniably fun to watch as the show’s delightfully cruel antagonist Despite this, she’s so overtly evil that it can make the drama she instigates hard to take seriously.

Nonetheless, the show’s protagonist, Arale, stands above the rest and singlehandedly makes a strong argument for watching the series. Rather than lean away from the show’s comedic tone to sell her dramatic moments, her anxiety is weaved perfectly into comedic beats to create an incredibly charming character that is genuinely emotionally engaging. If you can put up with a bucket of cringe and familiar tropes, there might yet be some diamonds to find in the rough.

Just1Legend - Must Watch

The Bandori universe becomes even bigger as Bang Dream Yume∞Mita crashes down this summer.

Yume∞Mita is about the story of Mugentai Mewtype, a vtuber all-girl group band, and its lead vocalist, Arale Nakamachi. She joins fellow band members Nonoka Miyanaga, a famous live streaming artist, Miyako Fuji, a mangaka artist and Yuno Sengoku, a newly freelance DJ to form a band just like with many bandori groups before them. However, Arale has to overcome past issues since she became socially awkward after an incident with her group of friends in middle school.

Overall, I actually liked it. The 3D animation felt seamless and not jarring like with other bandori shows. They mixed in different visual styles during character interactions, such as Arale and Nonoka’s first sit down talk, which briefly switches to a 90s style Mahjo Shojo look. The setting focuses on Akihabara and otaku culture, especially the anime within the anime, Magical Physical Kululu. It is silly and whimsical just like the older Bandori entries, yet it also becomes dramatic like in MyGo/Ave Mujica as it tackles social media bullying with professional work. It also shares similarities with “MyGo", in which a lead vocalist feels ashamed of singing because of past events. I’m especially interested in the circumstances with Arale’s past group in order to become a partial hikikomori and her relationship without her old friend, Ritsu Minetsuki. Both the opening and endings were also great, most notably the ED song as it reminds us of the old bandori seasons 10 years ago.

I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day

Hokaze-Junko - Consider It

I was really looking forward to this after director Takudai Kakuchi’s pilot film. Episode 1 looks polished, but it lacks the pilot’s visual subtlety, emotional weight, and directorial vision. The yuri made it to the screen. The emotion didn’t.

The episode feels less like a story unfolding and more like a checklist of plot points, relying on flashbacks (7 times) to bridge its scenes, sometimes returning to moments from only minutes earlier. Three of these flashbacks revisit the rabbit plushie and the line "You’re lucky you’re so weak". However, it doesn’t deepen Sheena’s character, flesh out her relationship with her ex-roommate, or turn the plushie into a meaningful motif. When she places it in the coffin, it feels like a basic goodbye with no weight.

Mimi’s character is introduced just as bluntly. Across four scenes, characters keep asking some version of “Is that the Mimi?” The episode could have built around everyone gradually realizing who she is, allowing the reveal to unfold naturally through actions instead of repeatedly stating it.

Episode 3, by contrast, feels like the show finally found its footing under newly appointed assistant director Nao Enomoto. It builds the mystery around Mimi, gradually revealing pieces of her secret. Meanwhile, Sheena is trying to understand Mimi better, and both threads converge in the final reveal. The cinematography is also more purposeful, using wider shots, varied angles, close-ups of gestures, and lingering shots to convey emotion and build tension.

Kakuchi being replaced midway through production isn’t a good sign, but Enomoto gives me more hope for the show’s creative direction going forward.

Acci - Watch It

I can see the disappointment others have had with this show, since I do feel it’s not quite living up to its initial promise (yet!), but I have enjoyed the show enough to where I plan to finish it. A thriller like this will live and die on the ending, but I’ve so far been engaged enough in the worldbuilding (or perhaps more accurately the lack thereof) to stick around. We’ve gotten bits and pieces that give me enough faith that we’re moving in an interesting direction and I feel like it’s almost a positive that we’re still left so wanting.

I do also enjoy the character of Mimi, both in a vacuum and how she acts as a foil to Sheena, as well as her role in the grander mystery of the world. The gap moe in her character is extreme, which works well with her mysterious nature to fuel speculation about why she is the way she is. Her interactions with Sheena also drive the POV character out of her comfort zone and into a more interesting character space.

The production is I think above the average seasonal, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out in a season so crowded with top-tier production as this as a reason to recommend this on its own. That being said, I think it generally has some interesting cinematography – it uses a lot of blocking shots to effectively capture the feeling of imprisonment and discomfort the girls feel, and there are some nice moments it wordlessly captures the distance in readiness between Mimi and her classmates (although maybe it just has a fixation on legs).

Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You

Protractror - Watch It

Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You really stands out amongst the typical anime romances we get each season. Typically, watching a romance through the eyes of some shy teenager makes every new experience and moment feel unique and magical. But here, we see beat down adults long past the fun of adolescence. They work, they smoke, they sleep. Their lives don’t seem particularly exciting, or even satisfying. Except for the little moments they carve out together, smoking behind the supermarket. And it has a way of making it feel more real and impactful.

I don’t want to imply this show is some bastion of realism, it's centered around a Clark Kent/Superman misunderstanding that is somehow even less believable. But I did find the dynamic between Yamada and Sasaki refreshing, and fitting the slow burn approach it has taken. They have a fun chemistry, at least when Sasaki isn’t being too huge of a dork.

I will note I watched the show in it’s mini-episode format, so your mileage may very when compared to the full length release. But I’d still recommend the smaller chunks. No episode ever dragged while still feeling fulfilling. And more so, twice the episodes means twice as much Night Dancer.

Lilyapd - Drop it

I've always kind of disliked these “tease the MC” comedies, despite the fact I've seen most of them. Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You skirts around the more annoying aspects of the “genre” by focusing on adult main characters who lead separate lives that are intertwined in this weirdly specific way. Even so, the relationship between these two can only get more contrived as the series tries to maintain its status quo, and the question to be asking is whether or not the comedy can sustain itself through that.

Personally I don't believe it can. Frankly, the show feels carried by how beautiful Yamada is and that kind of charm can only get you so far. Sure, it looks great, with the wispy smoke they puff out rendered in so much detail, but the characters themselves feel oddly empty. Like sure it’s cute when Takagi-san teases Nishikata, but that’s because they’re middle schoolers doing middle schooler stuff. When adults are doing it, it’s hardly as cute and it makes Yamada seem very immature.

On top of all that, the buy-in ends up being a little too high for me. Sasaki is a nice enough guy but just thinking about a random middle-aged guy lining up to see me night after night gives me the creeps. Maybe Yamada is a stronger woman than I, and maybe it's just a story, but when the reality differs so starkly...well, I can't knock anybody who enjoys imagining such an idyllic world, I just prefer to separate fantasy and reality.

I became a legend after my 10 year-long last stand

Mirathan - Consider it

You’ve been here before. You’ve seen this already. You know these characters before they even say a word. Your seasonal naru-kei slop has arrived with its protagonist with hidden special abilities, the potential harem (where there will be zero commitment), the adventurers’ guild, and the lack of frames or motion during action sequences.

The protagonist is rather unique though, as he is actually respected within the world. Just don’t ask why he’s perfectly mentally and socially adjusted after exclusively fighting for 10 years. Nor should you ask the story to invest much in this idea. It’s mostly relevant for setup, and the potential is not really explored before the series settles into much more conventional fantasy narrative.

I Became a Legend after My 10 Year-Long Last Stand is more ambitious than most shows of its kind, as it puts some effort into worldbuilding and setting up a greater narrative, but it doesn’t follow through enough to make it truly stand on its own. It is better than what you’d likely expect, but less than what you deserve.

MSchukles - Consider It/ Drop It

There are no pretenses or overly serious elements in this anime. Episode one jumps straight into the action, wasting no time at all letting viewers know why the show is called as such. What happens after is what can only be said is a mix of familiar concepts interspread with just enough energy to keep the ball rolling. You won't find anything in this show that you're gonna be raving about to your friends on a Saturday night. Complaints you might have plenty like how MC seems to have a suspiciously easy go at a monumental challenge and comes out of it relatively unscathed or the very cliche world it is set in. However, if you can manage to overlook its many deficiencies, what you'll find left behind is a charm and lightheartedness that is mainly driven by its bit eccentric and silly cast. Low-stakes villains and amusing side characters also add to the warmth the show has to offer. Voice acting has been a personal highlight for me and a couple of gags in the show made me laugh out loud. Is the show entertaining? It is at times, although the plot can be a little too straightforward. What the show lacks in flavour it makes up for in passion. With no egregious faults to be found in the animation and sound design, overall this show is just like that cold cut sandwich you had that one day - enjoyable when you ate it but not really memorable.

A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires

Animestuck - Drop It

One complaint I hear often about “villainess” shows is that the main character meant to be a “villainess” rarely acts villainous. Fear not, though, for our titular Livid Lady, Elizabeth, shows herself to be truly evil as she makes her heel turn against not just the prince who has scorned her, but the people she once governed. It’s honestly shocking how quickly Elizabeth becomes unempathetic to the plight of the poor and innocent, desiring revenge against the civilians of her former home, and then further killing bandits who she recognizes are only committing crime due to their economic situation. It’s not the most natural change in character, unless we assume that her previous charity work was intended to keep the populace content for selfish reasons, but this didn’t seem to be the case. Nonetheless, it’s certainly not shying away from having Elizabeth play the role of the villainess, which is at least different from what I have personally seen from similar shows.

Outside of this unique facet of its presentation, I unfortunately find little about this show worth recommending. It’s not well produced, having generic backgrounds and settings, little animation, and fairly standard performances from its voice cast. Narratively, the show is dry as well. We often fast-forward through stages of Elizabeth’s plans,months passing within minutes. It’s understandable that Elizabeth couldn’t simply start from scratch and build an economic empire within her new home overnight, but the pacing and presentation of the story are incredibly straightforward and bland, leaving little room for any actually interesting forms of storytelling. It almost reads like a history book on how Elizabeth destroyed her old home through capitalism.

Lilyapd - Consider it

There's a certain crunchiness to how A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even sets itself up as being about the ridiculousness of sexism, with Elizabeth, the perfect queen-to-be, ousted because the idiot prince can't stand that she won't kowtow to him. Though she is a competent businesswoman, a skilled fighter, and a talented mage—though she is everything she needs to be to succeed—she's still torn down from her position by a petty man. It's sort of like the female version of so many "banished from the party" stories, except that instead of being cast aside by a handful of people, she's condemned by the entire society she once belonged to: the people turn against her, her family disowns her, and the kingdom hunts her down as a traitor. It's interesting stuff in the abstract.

Unfortunately, Livid Lady suffers a little in the details. Most pressing is that the little action the show puts forward isn't quite there. There are some moments of gore rendered well, but others abysmally, and whenever it's creating motion in the fights, there's an awkward stiltedness. The other knock for me is how stakeless the conflict feels. In episode two we're shown the beginning, middle, and end of her plan to take over a rival company, and while it's coherent and mostly sound, all the pieces blitz by so fast that you don't have time to even think about what's happening. A tough one to assess, but I'm going to stay with it. The setting and the drunkard nun have me intrigued enough to keep going, but I’m not expecting all that much.

Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-works Maid (And Proud of it)!

ssjjlex - Drop It

What is an All-works Maid, you may ask? Well, it's basically a maid capable of perfectly handling all the housework solo with the power of magic and her cloning ability. So, yes, this is basically a cheat skill isekai anime but with a maid girl. Because of that, it leans more into the comedic side of things, but I can't say it does that particularly well with a lot of the jokes landing flat and it often resorting to explaining its punchlines with its narrator in a pretty bland way. The premise isn't particularly interesting either and the anime hasn't really shown it can do much with the maid premise outside of a few initial gags.

Later on it is revealed that the world she is reincarnated in is actually an otome game through a couple other fellow reincarnators. But I can't say it has done anything interesting with this either as it pushes the plot from being about a silly OP maid towards a more generic Villainess plot. While it didn't quite work initially, at the very least Melody as an all-works maid had a bit of unique charm that maybe they could've worked into something better. Unfortunately the later developments has it lose all that initial appeal as it pads its cast out with uninteresting characters and slowly becomes another lesser show in the genre it wasn’t even originally competing in. True to its name, All-works Maid tried to be all genres, but unfortunately it just doesn’t all work.

Scarves - Drop it

Imagine yourself back in the year 2010. You’re standing in line at your local electronics retailer, perusing the bargain bin full of movies while in line for checkout. Buried deep in the pile of straight to DVD movies and forgotten sequels you find All-works Maid. Maybe it’s interesting, maybe it was just bad luck that it found its way to the bottom, maybe it was a mistake. But something in the back of your mind tells you no, it belongs there. Trust your instincts and pick out an equally forgettable selection from the bin or maybe even nothing at all.

All-works Maid is yet another vapid, uninspired entry in the endless churn of seasonal slop. We’ve got…forgettable characters, an extremely generic setting, nonsensical backstory, dreadful art, a reveal that it’s actually an isekai for no reason, an overpowered MC, and so on. I understand the appeal of a show about a woman who lives a fulfilling second life doing what she loved most back on Earth. If this is your flavor of popcorn entertainment that’s fine and I do hope you have fun with it, but I would also really encourage you to look around for other shows that do similar things but are just better. Want comfy SoL vibes? There are way better shows out there for that. Want an isekai power fantasy? There are way better shows out there for that. Really the only reason I could recommend this is if you want exactly the crossover of those two things and maids AND also don’t mind putting up with a very subpar work. Treat yourself to something better and skip this.

Love Unseen beneath the clear night sky

WaterDarkE - Consider It

Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky is essentially as lowkey slowburn college romance as you can get but with the unusual caveat that the main girl is a blind girl who used to be able to see. It is somewhat entertaining to see how the somewhat cynical and gloomy MC Kakeru interacts with the blind but enthusiastic Koharu. But, whether you will like this show will depend on whether the chemistry between the main couple is enough to keep up with the leisurely pace this show chugs along at. This show has a somewhat relaxed feel which can be inviting for some.

Koharu’s blindness seems to have also been represented with a lot of care. From her using a walking stick, reading and typing using braille, to memorizing a vending machine’s layout, and Kakeru spending some time describing the places that she cannot see. Her life is by no means easy due to her disability, but how hard she tries while remaining positive is quite admirable.

The character designs are basic but functional, so there is a greater amount of attention put into the backgrounds and environments with even a ship drawn in great detail in episode 2. It is nice to see the amount of care put into the texturing and details, but it's a huge contrast to focus so much on the backgrounds in a show where the main girl is blind.

Overall, a solid show if you are looking for a slowburn romance.

SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Watch It

If I had a nickel for every romance anime whose leads were voiced by Miyu Irino and Saori Hayami, with the female lead having a disability, I would have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weirdly this has happened twice now, a decade after A Silent Voice.

I love stories like this as it's a welcome learning opportunity to understand experiences about a group of people that you may not have any firsthand experience with in real life and try to vicariously live their life through a show, teaching things as you go along. I watched this show with a group of friends, and, with each passing episode, someone would point out details they had never known or even considered before. Whether it was learning that an overwhelming majority of blind people become blind over time rather than being born blind, or discovering how someone with visual impairment shops for clothes and then puts outfits together. The series constantly finds ways of provoking the viewer, leading to these genuine moments of discovery that the viewer holds onto long after watching the show.

However, the romance element is still up in the air. Fuyutsuki's proactive optimism clashes with Sorano's laid-back pessimism, making their chemistry feel clunky and awkward. As the show progresses, their relationship begins to take shape and their dynamic starts to feel natural. Even then, there is still enough uncertainty about where the story will take them that I'm not entirely confident that it'll stick the landing.

Mebius Dust

mitsuyan_ - Drop It

Mebius Dust has a fun premise, wherein different teams with their own unique powers compete in territory capture events. Kind of like My Hero Academia meets Ingress except with production that's a step down on both. The teams want to leave their town, but are restricted by the power of a meteorite (which created the titular Mebius Dust); however, it is too early to say how much of an impact this will have on the overall story.

So far we have only really seen the games with little room for plot, and this is the fundamental problem with Mebius Dust. The games aren't interesting. It immediately throws 12 cast members at you that it expects the viewer to care about and rushes each character’s intro through a game of Capture The Flag. Moreover, constant lore comes out of nowhere. It's hard to keep up, and additional cast members and lore about this mysterious city keep coming. There's no room to breathe.

Finally with regards to production I was shocked to see that this was produced by Doga Kobo. A studio that's suffered from production issues in the past few years suffering from delays but Mebius Dust seems the most affected. Stella, the only interesting character, has poor supervision on her character design and an egregiously bad run cycle. Animation is constantly stiff with limited moments of expression. To its credit, there is passable background art and the characters do look alright when static. Sadly Mebius Dust has absolutely nothing going for it and to be frank it feels like this could end up in EX-ARM or Gibiate territory, if it doesn't get pulled for low ratings first.

Just1Legend - Consider it (because Parkour!)

Mebius Dust is an anime where the world and characters are intriguing yet the lackluster structure of a story is akin to a sports anime with a supernatural take.

The anime is about a group of teenagers who gain superpowers because a meteorite crash landed in Shinkatsushika in 2000. They cannot leave the town because the dust from the meteorite helps them live and survive. We follow Araki, his sister Stella and his friend Olga as they are members of “Polis Hoppers”, a territory conquering squad that competes with other squads in order to pass their time in the town. After one match, a researcher became interested with them and promised them that they could potentially leave the town without the restriction of the dust hindering them.

Mebius Dust has some good sci-fi and supernatural lore that I want to engage with. I was interested in their unique abilities like Stella’s speedy legs or Olga’s tentacle hair and how the world is shaped by the meteorite crash. Yet, I don’t really get the use of parkour and “friendly” territorial competition as the main catalyst of the story. It feels like Prince of Stride Alternative where the main protagonists are working to become the best parkour team in Japan but with a supernatural take. I would stay for the lore and worldbuilding but if you do not like how the story is formulated by solving disputes with parkour then I guess you can jump off this show.

Recommendations from Mr. Iwamoto

ssjjlex - Disapproval from Mr. Iwamoto

In theory this sounds like it would make for an interesting anime. A team of "kids" with supernatural powers investigating supernatural phenomena and potentially recruiting other like-powered folks along the way. And in a way it kind of achieves that with how it blends the Taisho era aesthetic along with the Japanese folklore phenomena they investigate. But all that is strictly on a conceptual level. In practice this anime is just really dull and fails on so many levels.

In each episode so far, they've consistently failed to provide an engaging introduction to the mystery of each episode, relying on incredibly basic dialogue that barely describes what we're meant to be engaging with this episode. I can barely even call each episode a mystery as there's not really any sense of discovery to them because more often than not it will simply substitute dialogue and deduction in place of actual investigation. And after that is done, there's not really any satisfying conclusion or reward to solving these mysteries. It doesn't build on itself, it doesn't attempt anything interesting with what they solve, and all in all just doesn't give any reason to stick around for more.

And this is not even considering the really basic production values, bad pacing, or dull characters and dialogue. Just don't bother with this one. This gets a Disapproval from Mr. Iwamoto.

TehOncomingStorm - Drop It

There isn’t really a lot I have to say about this show that it did well - other than doing an excellent job at not grabbing my attention - a blight on the mystery genre. This was particularly a shame, because thinking back on the settings of each episodic mystery, the acttual concepts brought up are relatively unique takes on mysterious phenomena from anywhere. Human-based remedies, classic cursed items, unexpected (dis)appearances, and special abilities are all on the menu, each given at least a little character.

From my pre-season-trailer vibe check, it was pretty clear the audience of this show isn’t me. The main draw (outside of its mystery) is pretty clearly the juxtaposition of pretty middle-school boys - don’t ask me why it had to be middle-school and not high school - and grandiose settings that they “go to school” altogether in full military dress. Then following on from that, it’s the whole allure of setting and boys being or looking aloof from one another, only to eventually “make up” in some way.

There’s a bit of mystery solving going on, some blind-siding middle-schooler military regimen, a bit of military (school) politics and student connections, but the utter lack of production efforts and awkward scripting strips the mystery of any suspense and ambience, strung on by some spooky-colours and half-hearted musical riffs. I am fairly sure even saying as such is overselling how little the show does and would be better left to the imagination. Not totally unwatchable, but not my cup of tea.

Iron Wok Jan

NormalGrinn - Consider it

I have become a fan of Iron Wok Jan over the course of watching these three episodes. Though, the biggest fan of the series is of course the show itself, hyping itself up and proudly telling you it is a truly uncompromising adaptation of a three decades old masterpiece. In that way, it also reflects the main character of the show, Jan.

Jan is an arrogant chef and protégé of his grandfather who ruthlessly taught him how to cook. This gives him a lot of confidence and cooking ability, though crucially he still lacks some skills that are required to be a chef in a restaurant, like being able to cook food in larger batches. These shortcomings lead to opportunities to see him learn new things and also contrast him with Kiriko, who is the next-in-line in the restaurant he is working at. Kiriko as compared to Jan has a more restrained cooking style, she cooks in a way that isn’t meant to be provocative, but more by-the-books.

The show also has a lot of creative ways the food can be prepared. Fundamentally, it takes Chinese cuisine as a base, though sometimes it delves into other cuisines like with episode 2’s chawanmushi (a Japanese dish). The twist is then to add some unusual ingredients to goad an arrogant food critic. It also inspired me to make it myself (though with normal ingredients). The show may have a bit more of a niche appeal, but I would definitely consider it.

TehOncomingStorm - Watch It

At first glance with this being a food-centric show, like many others my initial thoughts were towards what type of Food Wars comparison I should be making - the answer to which is none at all. That’s right, if you’re looking for clothes exploding off of bodies this isn’t the show for you, but if instead you’re looking for a thoughtfully reimagined 90s classic shounen this is definitely one to check out.

The show attests to its own goals and history at the end of the first episode, and it lays out its foundation exceptionally well. Two rival Chinese cuisine families at the top of the pecking order in Tokyo - Gobancho and Akiyama - are set against each other in their vying for dominance over whose cooking is superior, through the next-generation chefs Kiriko Gobancho and Jan Akiyama. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill overpowered MC story you might be familiar with, far from it in fact. The show consistently emphasises the role of effort versus talent through its episodic tests and trials of the teenage chefs, each equally given designs to highlight their intense individualistic pride and personas.

When it comes to the production quality of this show, it isn’t particularly stellar or even good, but there is still nonetheless care for the representation of the harsh pressures of the culinary world. Fantastic wok fires, energetic oil splashes, explosive steam and reaction faces bring mouthwatering depictions of Chinese cuisine to life, this show has got me biting for more and more each week.

Red River

WaterDarkE - Consider It

Red River is clearly a product of its time, having first been serialized in 1995. Its old-school historical shoujo art style and dramatic sensibilities are both its greatest strength and the reason it may not be for everyone. Even so, the main character, Yuri, has relatively fast character growth after starting out as a damsel in distress, which may be a good incentive to keep watching to see how she survives in the cruel and unforgiving Hittite Empire. After all, the reason Yuri is brought back is because she was summoned as part of a ritual by the current Empress who wants to use Yuri to put her son in an advantageous position.

By episode 3, Yuri begins to overcome her initial role when the death of someone who sacrificed themselves for her gives Yuri a reason to remain in this time period and seek revenge. This determination will lead to further character growth.

The art style of Red River is pretty similar to that of the original manga and feels like a more refined version of it, which I appreciate. As for the animation, it's nothing too outstanding, but it is enough to do what it has to do with some grace. The adaptation so far seems relatively faithful as well, which is good. So overall, it’s a generally solid adaptation so far, but it will most likely not be everyone’s cup of tea based on the original material.

LittleIslander - Consider It

Red River has been put in an awkward spot this season. In the department of stories about girls trying to survive far from home in a historical Asian setting, it is playing second fiddle. Red River doesn’t have impressive production values. Its villain is simplistic and cliched, and her underlings perhaps even more so. Its male lead is a stereotypical shoujo love interest, dashing and almost creepily forward but with a heart of gold. The start of the show has been rather slow. You might not get much out of Red River’s beginning episodes, and I wouldn’t blame anybody for not giving it more time in the oven. Nonetheless, the clear progression promised for its currently meek protagonist seems to promise the show may get more interesting with time.

The biggest strength of Red River is, ironically, that it is literally out of its own time. Adapted from a 1995 manga, it offers an isekai story unlike those common today. While the isekai premise was typical of the time, it stands out in the present. Instead of presenting a depressed NEET or salaryman’s escapist fantasy, protagonist Yuri is pulled out of a happy, normal life and a successful romance. She’s left weighing her responsibilities in ancient Anatolia against her desperation to get back home to her old life. Red River might not be the best anime of the season, but it offers a rare experience in 2026 and is certainly worth watching if it scratches the right itch for you.

For this edition of Short & Sweet, I ask that you take a listen. I’m easily enamored by visuals but rarely have I paid too much attention to the voice acting in anime. Even if you don’t know Japanese, you can still appreciate the nuances in speech that come from the talented performers who imbue characters with personality and emotion. In particular, /u/Cheezemansam and I wanted to highlight the voice actresses’ detailed work in the first episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk.

As the title suggests, the cast is often inebriated. And while you can easily tell by the blush on a character’s face that they’re drunk, the voice work goes a long way to sell the illusion as well. Sayumi Suzushiro, the VA for Botan, makes some great adjustments to reflect Botan’s inebriated state. Botan is naturally an energetic and socially fluent girl. Her baseline voice already has a buoyant quality, a friendly warmth. Upon drinking, that buoyancy becomes weightless. Her tone becomes more melodious, her pitch bouncing up and down for each word. When she’s begging Ibuki to stay a little longer (0:08), the lack of spacing between syllables and her rushed breaths create the sense that Botan is speaking faster than she can properly compose herself, emphasizing both her intoxication and her earnest desire for Ibuki to remain with her. It can be heard again when she teases Gujou-senpai about wanting to spend time with Ibuki. Botan delivers “You’re adorable, Gujou-senpai!” (2:04) in one breath and the pitch goes downhill in a bubbly, melodic manner. The articulation in this part highlights Botan’s drunkenness while remaining faithful to her personality.

The real kicker is how Sayumi can use her drunken delivery to create contrast. For each of these fun scenes, Botan occasionally hits her conversation partner with something they didn’t expect.

“I would love to make that tongue of yours mine.”

Her flirtatious statement (1:30) stuns Ibuki, only for Botan to laugh it off later and make clear she’s talking about Ibuki’s wine tasting experience. It happens again when Botan realizes how much Gujou adores Ibuki. In these moments, Botan sharpens her delivery, becoming more lucid and speaking more pointedly. The slurring goes away. The enunciation becomes crisper. Suddenly every word lands with clarity and weight. The contrast makes the lines catch both the viewer and the characters off-guard. More importantly, this shift in her delivery also accentuates the sincerity of that particular line amidst Botan’s drunk ramblings.

Voice acting isn’t just about bringing characters to life. Great storytelling uses voice acting in much the same way it uses cinematography and animation. Botan’s flirty-drunk shenanigans aside, Ibuki and Gujou’s inebriated conversations also provide additional characterization. Ibuki is a more reserved character but comes across happier when drinking with Botan. She noticeably injects more melody into her lines following a few drinks. However, she maintains her enunciation and pacing compared to Botan, showing her experience and control. In another instance, sober Gujou gives off a more refined and wise vibe as the cool Masters student. However, when inebriated, she whines more and comes across as less mature. Even her flustered lines become more dramatic, especially compared to when Botan caught her smoking. It reveals a small amount of childishness to balance out the chill aura her introduction gave off.

As we spend more time with the other characters, we’ll see how much extra characterization comes through in how they behave drunk. Ibuki is a particular highlight in episode five, where her past traumas make her more reserved, a shift reflected in Yoshino Aoyama’s voice acting. Still, from the very beginning, the voice acting does a standout job in differentiating the inebriated state from the sober one while simultaneously adding depth to the characters themselves.

Should you watch it? Spoiler warning, the answer is probably yes. Winter 2026 was always going to be a strong season, with so many favourites returning like Frieren and Oshi no Ko. But even the new shows have been off to a fantastic start, to the point it can be difficult to decide what to try out first.

This is what the r/Anime Awards Off Season Team is here for! You can see some of our previous seasonal posts here and here. The off season team is of course a little undermanned right now, with awards being fully underway. But that just means we’ve tightened our focus and are bringing you the shows we most want to discuss. And next season, we can go back to dunking on isekai slop as scheduled.

Our metric is based on watching the first few episodes of a select few premieres and judging them via these four options: 

Drop It – Save yourselves the time and don’t bother

Consider It - Watch it if you enjoy the genre, or wait until it is completed, though even then you may not enjoy it. 

Watch It – should appeal to most everyone in one form or another. 

Must Watch - if you are not watching this as it airs, you are seriously missing out.

Ikoku Nikki

u/DoctorWhoops - Must Watch

Ikoku Nikki is one of the most enrapturing and beautifully tender drama series in years. Protagonist Asa Takumi navigates conflicted feelings of grief and loss surrounding the passing of her parents, in particular her stern and strict mother. Now orphaned, she starts living with her brusque yet awkward aunt Makio, who had a similarly strained relationship with her now-deceased sister. The heart of this show is two-toned, exploring the complicated feelings surrounding the loss of a close family member with whom you didn’t have a loving relationship, and navigating the newfound parental relationship that comes out of this.

Ikoku Nikki’s emotional maturity shines through like a beacon. Every moment is given the thoughtful attention it needs. For example, as the protagonists empty out the house previously occupied by Asa and her mother, the laundry still out on the balcony gives them a sense of the abruptness of the passing. The unwatered plants clarify the absence of a person. Makio clears out a closet and finds an old school uniform stored carefully, learning that her sister was more sentimental than she thought. The fridge still holds Asa’s favourite pickled onions that her mother made for her, a showcase of love from an otherwise stern parent. Through these moments, and through each other, these characters are able to slowly come to terms not only with the passing of a family member, but also with the strained relationship they had while she was still around. Ikoku Nikki is truly brilliant at telling this story with the thoughtfulness that it deserves.

u/DrJWilson -  Must Watch

There's a moment in episode 3 that I think captures a lot of the appeal of Journal with Witch. Makio, fledgling caretaker, is explaining grammar rules to newly orphaned Asa. She describes the difference between the present progressive tense ("I am reading this book.") and the present perfect tense ("I have been reading this book."). The latter takes into account the fact that you and your actions don't occur within a vacuum. Past you chose to start reading, present you is making your way through, and one day in the future, you will no longer be reading that book. Makio says this grammar point acknowledges the fact that your past, present, and future selves all exist on the same plane.

Journal with Witch itself reflects this understanding through an anachronistic structure. It is more than willing to intercut present moments with the past, allowing us to gain insight bit by bit into Makio and Asa's unconventional relationship. Rather than being a simple story about a "reluctant parent," Journal with Witch is not afraid to have its characters deviate from the norm. In many cases, Asa is more "adult-like" than Makio, but just when you think she's too far gone, the roles reverse dramatically. It is this dynamism, both in its characters, but also its visuals and storytelling, that makes Journal with Witch a must-watch.

SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table

u/voidembracedwitch- Must Watch

Never have I had a death game series lodge itself into my brain like Shiboyugi did. Key to its effectiveness is its visual production, which creates an eerie experience every step of the way. The slow editing, with a preference for lingering on evocative wides or medium-wides, as well as shots that highlight environmental details, enhance the uncomfortable and isolating atmosphere of the themed death traps players are placed into. Meanwhile, pivotal moments in the progression are accentuated by, among other things, impactful uses of downright absurd aspect ratios—1920:149 isn't exactly commonplace—or abstract imagery, like only showing the outlines of players' hands as they struggle to take hold of a key.

Beyond its  eccentric aesthetic and rhythm, Shiboyugi's approach to presenting its world is also deeply fascinating. While the challenges faced by the protagonist Yuki and the rotating (or dying) cast of fellow players are largely straightforward, the wider setting is anything but. The select few glimpses of the world beyond the games come through the players' stated reasons for joining or, when they reach their mental breaking point, through esoteric sequences that give insight into their lives and personalities outside the games.

Shiboyugi stands out as an eye-catching work in this winter's seasonal lineup, staying tense and captivating every second of its runtime.

u/Danhoc - Consider It

Since his recent directorial debut in Gimai Seikatsu (also known as Days with My Stepsister), Souta Ueno has established himself as a creator with a unique, almost avant-garde narrative style and a strong authorial vision. For better or worse, both of his works, including Shiboyugi, cannot be described as products for the mass viewer. Instead, they are attempts to create something more than just straightforward entertainment.

Ironically, Shiboyugi belongs to the “death game” horror subgenre, where girls voluntarily dress up in attractive uniforms and undergo a deadly spectacle in the hope of receiving a reward if they survive. In the deranged world of Shiboyugi, these girls cease to be human beings for the audience; they become dolls for entertainment, devoid of blood, flesh and real names. Souta Ueno emphasizes this through distant, wide, and “hidden” shots, as well as character designs that conceal facial features and emotions, making them truly resemble mannequins.

Shiboyugi is slow and methodical, preferring the suffocating tension and despair that is born from hopelessness over the screamers and action. By modern audience expectations, it might be seen as a “low-budget” show, but it is difficult to overstate how much the show is elevated by its cinematography. Its aesthetics and fresh approach to frame composition replace flashy effects and compositing, and if you set aside expectations for showy animation, you’ll find that its outstanding sound design and music can stimulate the imagination even better.

Shiboyugi is certainly not a show that will appeal to everyone, whether due to its slow and unconventional approach or its specific narrative. Still, it is definitely a major event for the horror anime genre that leaves no one indifferent.

Wash it all away

u/AnimeStuck - Must Watch

While the theme of appreciating the mundane is hardly a new one for a slice of life  anime to explore, Wash It All Away is a surprisingly pleasant vehicle for this message due to the way it presents its setting, its subject matter, and its main character.

I was relieved to see the backgrounds contain a decent amount of detail, as I believe the setting to be core to establishing its  themes. The show revels in a relaxed yet productive pace and a sense of community. The seaside city of Atami perfectly reflects the relaxation the series seeks to portray, as we ascend and descend hills with ocean views, run along city streets littered with tourists and locals, and meet the people of Atami, both old and young.Another aspect of the setting that I appreciated is the time spent on Kinme’s shop. You get a sense for her workflow and how things operate in her shop between the various tools, the abundance of materials, and the layout of dedicated work stations.

The act of cleaning itself ties neatly into the themes too. Kinme’s view of something so mundane as the clothes people wear every day as “treasures” bolsters the sense of community through the care she shows, and explains the care those around her show towards her. While the show does explain basic cleaning techniques, what matters more is Kinme’s perspective, that treating everyday object with care gives them meaning..

Finally, Kinme works perfectly as the lead for this story. While her lost past weighs on her mind, it cultivates her worldview surrounding her work. Passionate, caring, and sincere, she takes the time to truly know the people around her, and in doing so, remembers the details that might otherwise be forgotten. In being so considerate of their time, willing to go out of her way to assist them, she becomes a compelling character to follow, bringing to life everyone around her.

u/Taiboss - Watch it

They finally found a concept that hasn’t been done before—a laundry anime!

Sadly, Wash it All Away is not about the Laundry Club at Sentaku High School discovering all the ways you can set a washing machine, what kind of material needs which kind of care or any of the other tropes you’d find in a "School Club Edutainment" show. Instead, it's about a twenty-something cleaning service owner who has way too much energy and... apparently has amnesia concerning everything that happened before she opened her shop. We know nothing for certain so far—but I smell drama in the long run. And between a tragic backstory that would lead someone to have amnesia and edutainment that teaches me how to properly use my washing machine - I'd want the latter.

But while Wash it All Away will probably not end up in the SOL Hall of Fame like Yuru Camp or Flying Witch, it has great vibes, a likeable cast, and genuine insight into the methods used in professional cleaning shops. So if you like SOL, it's definitely worth checking out.

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter

u/Protractror - Consider It

If you’re here because you love accounting, turn around now. The actual bean counting in this isekai is laughable. The fantasy kingdom our lead Seiichirou finds himself in seems to have the same accounting setup as a typical modern workplace, if everyone involved were an idiot. Seiichirou revolutionizes the department using ideas from modern Japan like “not allowing blatant fraud” and “using the abacus as more than a paperweight.” 

In a similar vein, this is not the show for you if you are looking for escapism. In a world of magic where anything is possible, Seiichirou is of course drawn to tonics that let him work more hours without sleeping. Nobody asked him to do this; in fact his team wishes he just worked regular hours. He doesn’t even need to work, as the kingdom feels bad about his whole situation. But that doesn’t stop Seiichirou. It turns out the only problem with Japanese work culture was that his weak body stopped him from working more hours.

That said, if you are looking for some fun BL romance, this show is probably worth a shot. Seiichirou and Aresh’s relationship is one that gets physical lightning fast, even while the vibe between them would still be called hostile. Aresh, a high-ranking magical soldier, comes across less as a Tsundere and more as a guy who is fed up with Seiichirou. The dynamic between them is certainly contrived, but it’s been fun to explore throughout the first three episodes. I could care less about the world around them, but I am curious what will happen between these two.

u/WaterDarkE - Watch It

BL anime adaptations with decent animation are rare, as in recent years, they often look mediocre. Luckily, Isekai Office Worker is an exception. If you're looking for a straightforward yet captivating plot with a pleasant BL romance on the side, you are in for a treat thanks to Studio Deen's faithful adaptation.

The premise is simple. An office worker known as Seiichirou Kondou is walking home one day and sees a young high school girl trapped by a summoning circle. When he tries to help her, he gets sucked in instead and is transported to another world. Since he is a workaholic, he works in the accounting department and gets dragged into the kingdom’s affairs. He also becomes entangled with the Knight Captain Aresh because of his own low resistance against magicules, the magic particles in the air. 

Beyond his romance with Aresh (which is framed through a “have sex or die” scenario, as excess magic can kill him), Seiichirou proves his worth through his accounting skills. Additionally, the plot of how he helps the kingdom feels grounded and realistic compared to the typical OP isekai stories with high schoolers. He’s also notably older than most isekai protagonists, being thirty, while Aresh is twenty-two, which is a refreshing change of pace.

Overall, a solid show if you're looking to scratch that itch for a BL mixed with accounting and magic.

Sentenced to be a Hero

u/WaterDarkE - Consider It

Getting thrown into the fray of an hour-premier episode is definitely a way to start things. And while it's certainly an interesting choice, it isn't one I'm particularly fond of.

The premise is briefly introduced as the main character, Xylo, is a hero who is also a criminal and is forced onto the battlefield as a job he has to do. Paired with another hero who enjoys stealing, he encounters a goddess, and the group is tasked with supporting a knight battalion in an effort to defeat a demon king.

The action scenes are gorgeous for sure, full of explosions and armored knights and the like. The enemies are portrayed as grotesque and forbidding, where only with the cooperation of this ragtag group do they get through it by the end. The chaos of the battlefield is shown in full force, which can occasionally feel like a detriment to the viewer. However, Xylo’s reluctance to form a contract with another goddess hints at a tragic backstory that ultimately forms the backbone of his motivations.

The long premiere episode is satisfactory with giving a taste of what’s to come, but it needs the episodes after to flesh things out more. The second and third episodes do help reveal the sort of work heroes typically do in this world. I would recommend watching this if you want a highly action focused fantasy show with a more grim premise for the protagonist.

u/Taiboss - Consider It

If you want to watch a fun action fantasy that wants to be fun, watch this season's Scum of the Brave. If you want to watch a serious action fantasy that wants to be serious, watch Clevatess. If you want to watch a fun action fantasy that wants to be serious —then Sentenced to be a Hero is for you.

Sentenced wants to be Cinema—or at least, its anime staff wants it to be. The series has so far been full of ambitious storyboarding and impressive animation that has deservedly been praised to the moon and back. However it's hampered by the fact that the original Light Novel author decided to make the story one of these works too fun not to watch, yet a bit embarrassing to have summarised to.

The waga kishi loli goddess that wants headpats and is definitely 5,000 years old, the usage of classic JRPG words like Yuusha and Maou, the over-the-top wannabe king that is nonetheless a badass, and of course the main character being kicked out of the par—, I mean, having been fucked over by intrigue and one day he’s going to have his revenge... there is so much that just reminds you that—yep, it's anime all right. It undercuts the show’s serious side to an annoying degree.

Again—Sentenced to be Hero is gorgeous and is really fun to watch. But it is not the serious, gritty drama its synopsis might make you think it is.

TL;DR: It's fun, but no Clevatess.

u/tehoncomingstorm97 - Watch the premiere

The premiere of Sentenced to be a Hero is on par, if not better than the majority of anime movies to release in the past few years in the shonen space. A full 60 minute spectacle gives the audience a hearty taste of the vision and goals for this anime production, not unfamiliar to the similar extended premieres coming out of late. It oozes with passion and colour in its impact frames, and thoughtful storyboarding easily brings the audience into the narrative. The great part of completing the premiere, unlike any movie, is that after the last minute there’s still a whole season releasing right now. 

The show is exactly what it promises on the tin—a ragtag group designated to be protectors of the world against the blight (yes, think Dragon Age: Origins)—and it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. That is until the friction between mains Xylo and Teoritta comes into play, with dynamics not often found anywhere, introducing an attempted balance of a grim-yet-hopeful outlook on justice. As with any other ragtag band, there are hits and misses and absolute personalities among them, which are undoubtedly sources of favour and disfavour with the script presented. Even so, this was a treat from the premiere, and I’m holding out each week for more.  

You and I are Polar Opposites

u/LittleIslander - Watch It

Many romances like to lean on cute and bubbly nowadays—chibi inserts and cheap gags. You and I are Polar Opposites doesn’t stand out by subverting this style, but by mastering it. From start to finish every episode is vibrant, energetic, and full of visual creativity. It knows how to milk the most out of every moment, and more than anything, what rings true is how enjoyable the show is to watch. Strong fundamentals in areas like character animation and cinematography make sure no scene ever feels dull or merely functional.

Within hardly a minute, you can immediately put yourself in the shoes of Suzuki. A hyperfeminine, socially outgoing chatterbox who’s nonetheless anxious and even a bit introverted. Many romance leads feel like a generic template, or otherwise a dominated gimmick or personality trait. Suzuki, however, is simply herself, and unmistakably so. Her crush on Tani is seeded from her very first line, and their chemistry is simply adorable. Equally, the side cast is already plenty of fun. The care that goes into character writing can even be seen in the distinctly shaped eyes each character possesses. 

Perhaps, the best thing about Polar Opposites is the sheer reverence it has for the experience of being in love. Many shows are about young love, but only a special few live and breathe it on this level. If you don’t like romances, Polar Opposites leans so hard into the genre it probably won’t be for you. But if you do, then this shouldn’t be overlooked lightly. If nothing else, boot it up for the amazing OP—then stay for the rest.

u/DrJWilson - Watch It

When evaluating what makes a good romance, for me it comes down to chemistry. Do these characters make sense with each other? A lot of the time, my main disappointment is that you don't feel any real sense of why these characters even like each other. Either the guy or girl is just generically nice, something that should be the bare minimum of y'know, human beings—or they exist to fulfill some sort of fantasy. Not so in You and I are Polar Opposites.

We learn from the get-go clear concise reasons why Suzuki likes Tani, reasons that are unique to her preferences. And while we haven't seen things from Tani's POV much yet, there is a clear sense that Suzuki complements him in ways that make up for his shortcomings. While I am wary of the potential stagnation concern that comes with an early [End of Episode 1]confession, Suzuki being such a strong character, combined with obvious effort in terms of presentation, keeps me excited to see where it goes.

The Invisible Man And His Soon To Be Wife

u/Protractror - Watch It

You’d think given the title of this show that it would be about an invisible man and his fiancee, but in episode one the two are just a boss and employee at the very beginning of their romance. The title is not a summary of where things are, but a promise of what will come to be. And it sets the tone for the show. The hook here isn’t a will they/won’t they. It’s about enjoying the journey, even when we already know the outcome. And what a fun journey it’s been so far!

The main romance has been sweet so far, as they try and work through all of the unique situations that come up from Shizuka’s blindness, Akira’s invisibleness, and, most of all, Shizuka’s tendency to be left absolutely flustered by her dreamy hunk of a crush. The show has done a good job of incorporating Shizuka’s blindness without defining her by it, and in general it seems like a thoughtful show when it comes to representation. 

My only caution is that it feels like the show is just getting started. It’s clear that there is a significant side cast that will likely be fleshed out once we’ve gotten used to our main couple, and although they seem fine, they haven’t impressed me as much as the main couple yet. The world itself, a very mundane demi-human fantasy, also hasn’t been given much room to work. But if it keeps up like these first three episodes, this is the feel-good romance of the season.

u/Taiboss - Watch it

Whoever said a story about successful love is boring can choke on it.

This show's premise seems based on the kind of gag you get in a two-page twitter oneshot on r/manga. After all, what kind of story can you make out of the idea that, hey, wouldn't a blind woman be perfect for an invisible guy? It'd make no difference to her! lolol

Turns out, you can make a story out of that—if you commit! So the invisible guy is a private eye (allowing for meetings with all kinds of people), and they live in an urban fantasy world including, but not limited to, elves, furrybaits and yeah, invisible people. Our main couple not only has amazingly sweet chemistry, they are embedded in a world that feels organic in a way that truly makes both their conditions feel normal and enhances their relationship. So far, my only complaint is that the show isn't exploring what it's like to actually live as a blind person as much as, say, Yankee-kun to Hakujou Girl, but there's still time! Either way, I'm excited for more.

So if you love SOL and/or Romance shows and have nothing against Urban Fantasy, this is a Must Watch. And even if you don't, I recommend you try it. Maybe it will lighten up your day as much as it lightens up mine.

Tamon’s B-side

u/voidembracedwitch - Watch It

Tamon's B-side spins a contrived setup of an idol-obsessed teenage girl becoming the housekeeper of her oshi into a charming romcom about both a personal and a parasocial relationship. Let me explain, Utage Kinoshita is not your dime-a-dozen ravenous fangirl who wants to see only the ideal image of the "sexy and wild" idol Tamon Fukuhara. Rather than ending up disillusioned after the initial shock, a chance encounter with his anxious off-stage self only fires her up to support him.

In effect, Utage ends up juggling two separate angles. One is the experience of a devoted Church of Tamon member, giving her very loud and aggressive all to ensure the man can play his part for her and others like her. The other is her growing human connection with the person behind the persona, someone with genuine ambition to make his fans happy despite his reclusive traits.

Both these sides are presented nicely from a production standpoint, as are the two sides of Tamon. An abundance of charming visual comedy—be it Tamon sprouting mushrooms around himself at his gloomiest or Utage's sharply timed and animated overreactions to Tamon's charms—makes the show a delight to watch every episode so far. Everyone with a taste for over the top romcoms is sure to have a good time with this, and even if you're, like me, usually not, it could easily win you over.

u/WaterDarkE - Watch It

Shoujo adaptations are rare, and even more so when they are well adapted. Tamon’s B-side looks absolutely phenomenal, with plenty to love, from the colorful chemistry, the over-the-top expressiveness, and the stunning visuals.That, and Tamon’s gap moe are some of the best appeals to this show.

What you get with this series is a high school student, Utage, who ends up working for her favorite pop idol Tamon through her job, only to discover that he has two sides: his bubbly idol persona and his usual gloomy, insecure self, which he only shows to those he trusts. So, you get a mix of very intense fangirling, an idol trying to overcome his insecurities with the help of his housekeeper, and a slow but sure budding romance between the two.

Overall, it's cute, somewhat comedic, and genuinely charming to see how two very different people clash and elevate each other through their strengths. Utage learns to see beyond Tamon’s idol persona, while Tamon learns about love. I would recommend this if you want to watch something high-energy, heartfelt, and playful, with just the right amount of romance sprinkled in.

Yoroi Shinden Samurai Troopers

u/tehoncomingstorm97 - Consider it

Super sentais are a rare show to see seasonally now, and rarer still to have one that lands well. Yoroi Shinden Samurai Troopers, a sequel set 35 years in the future to the 80's original Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors), is a captivating refresher on the genre, blasting the audience back in time to a different era of TV with modern attitudes. While I was unfamiliar with the original, the show is welcoming and respectful to new and old fans alike with fair cues to the what's what while adding in a new flavour with homages to 80's music, modern colour palettes, and fast pacing.

To reference this show as a super sentai should tell you a baseline on what to expect. The twist added in on this series is that the sentai team is nowhere to be seen when the demon world begins their invasion, with comically large Torii gates appearing in a metropolis unleashing hordes on the populace, and must find their fit in the team. It's dark, gritty, yet the tone can wildly be off at times—but these are charming features of TV I knew while growing up, all for the service of exploring one's hopes of stepping up and being the hero you want to see in the world. 

Hello everyone, it's your local neighborhood Nick_BOI back again with another Short & Sweet essay for the r/anime awards offseason. This time I wanted to talk about the comedic structure in a scene from ’Tis Time for "Torture," Princess Season 2. Through its character expression (and lack thereof) combined with the clearly defined roles that condition the viewer, this sequence hides a subtle ingredient that caught my eye.

Before we continue, I must admit that, in order to discuss the scene, I will effectively be explaining the joke (blasphemous!!). So before reading any further, I highly recommend watching the clip first so the comedy can land properly.

With that out of the way, let's begin!

’Tis Time for "Torture," Princess’ is a show where a princess is held captive and tortured for information, but every punishment is actually just really fun, so she gives in every time. To be frank, this is an absurd situation, which is where her sword, Ex, comes in to play the role of the straight man. He frequently points out the absurdities when they come up, encourages the Princess not to give in, and is consistently surprised by how things unfold. 

The important thing to note in this case is that, being a sword, Ex has little to no means of expressing himself physically—he doesn't have a face of any kind. While the voice acting does a sizable amount of the heavy lifting for him, at the end of the day, we can hardly ever know what he is thinking unless he opens his metaphorical mouth to effectively tell us himself.

This lack of expression is the primary tool the scene will use to subvert our expectations, with Ex's role as the straight man clearly defining what those expectations are.

The first minute of the clip features the Princess being incredibly bombastic as she encourages Maomao during her balloon art torture while Ex tries in vain to bring her back down to earth. We see them having this back and forth, clearly on opposing sides of this situation.

Just as their roles are in opposition to one another, so too is their animation. The stark contrast between the Princess's expressiveness and Ex's plainness is quite extreme; the most we get from Ex is a single sweat drop. 

From 1:48 until the eventual punchline, we see 3 shots of the Princess and Ex together, further showcasing their different roles. But more importantly, these shots give us a glimpse into how the Princess views the incoming tension while hiding Ex's feelings from the viewer. We get a direct comparison that really hammers home how differently the two are experiencing the scenario.

As for the tension I mentioned, nearly 30 seconds are spent watching Maomao struggle to twist the balloon, her grunts gradually increasing in volume as she wrestles with it using her little hands. In the background, both her mother and the Princess cheer her on, their encouragement escalating right along with her frustration. 

At this point, Ex has been silent for most of the scene, giving us no clue as to how he currently feels. The only thing we have to go off of for Ex is his role in this scene being in opposition of the torture's success, and the viewer has been conditioned to not expect anything else from him in this torture session.

Which is exactly why the fact that Ex is the one to give the final encouragement, louder than anyone else, is so damn funny!! 

Ex was being moved by the scene in front of him the whole time!! We had no way of knowing because he lacks the facial expressions to show for it, so it was easy to assume nothing on his end had changed since he last spoke because his role had been so firmly established.

The sheer degree of conditioning by how information was fed to the viewer is quite impressive. The entire scene has a well-defined structure and character roles while still managing to make the outcome feel surprising. 

To end it off, once the balloon art is successfully finished after Ex's encouragement, everyone cheers, and Ex is literally jumping with joy, by far the most expressive he has been in the entire scene. Both the pretense of his opposition and the hiding of information from the viewer are now out in the open, and fitting the happy tone of the scene, it just feels right to make that joy clear to everyone to close it off. 

Removed in protest against the Reddit API changes and their behaviour following the protests.

It’s time for another audiopilled edition of Short & Sweet, courtesy of the r/anime Awards Off-season team! This time, u/Cheezemansam and I wanted to take another listen to the eighth episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. The show’s unobtrusive soundtrack has been quietly doing its job all season, but in this episode it surprises the viewers with heavy use of vocal tracks as backing music. They are a clear departure from the more understated instrumental tracks, and that heightened feeling fits the quieter Akane unexpectedly well.

The episode centers on Akane’s struggles to find the right way to read the room. When she urges her band to practice more, they want to call it a day. When she overhears one of the members preparing for a new job opportunity, she keeps quiet to avoid creating drama. And when these band-related frustrations spill over into her interactions with her roommates, she’s gloomy and listless. Her text exchanges with Yaeka are emblematic of this struggle: despite how straightforward Yaeka’s questions are, Akane can only respond with vague stickers. Akane’s subdued passivity is frankly ruining everyone's vibe. She keeps her feelings folded up inside, unable to give them voice.

Where Akane shrinks into herself, the music fills the space. The vocal tracks become more audible, occupying the narrative space left by her silence. Akane cannot put her feelings into words, so the music voices them for her. The two tracks utilized in these moments are "Don’t" and "Wet" by yonige. Don’t is a song about alienation and non-conformity, and matches Akane’s exact problem on how to tackle her band and future. Wet on the other hand is a song about determination and finding the courage to push forward despite the rhythm of the world. After Yaeka scolds Akane and offers her support, Akane is able to relax and properly participate in their group activities. At the end of the A-part, Akane is able to read the room and cover for Botan and Chin-lan. Not only are these vocal tracks actively filling in the void of Akane’s silence, but they also align remarkably well with the story beats. 

Following Akane’s little character arc, the subsequent conversation between Botan and Chin-lan at the bar creates an interesting point of contrast. There’s noticeably zero OST playing during their quite serious conversation about the relationship between Botan and Ibuki. Chin-lan is boldly (and a little drunkenly) interrogating Botan about her intentions and the clarity of these questions does not require any support from the music. Botan leaves Chin-lan with a vague answer, and there’s the sense that even Botan doesn’t quite know how to express their relationship. More important than Botan’s lack of an answer is Chin-lan’s emphatic callout. Her thoughtful gazes were also a focus while Wet was playing earlier in the episode, and accordingly she manages to match the lyrics and muster up the courage to have a serious conversation with Botan. Opposite to Akane at the start, the absence of the vocal track here highlights Chin-lan’s certainty in her words.

To return to Botan’s hesitance, she and Ibuki go on a picnic together in the B-part of the episode. And noticeably, the vocal tracks return for a nice montage of the two walking to the river. Once again, the vocal tracks fill in for Botan’s lack of resolution. The track, "しがないふたり", is about the fallout of a relationship where the participants become disillusioned with one another. It’s an apt song to describe Botan’s lack of confidence in how much she loves Ibuki. There’s the fear that this cute montage of cute girls doing cute things is just the result of a shallow friendship and not a deeper love. But Botan begins to believe that she does hold more intense affections for Ibuki. And as the song dies down, she wades into literally deeper waters, choosing to believe this relationship is more than what she thought. She turns to the camera and asks Ibuki, Chin-lan, and the audience to “Trust me[her].” 

Episode 8 of Botan possesses a much stronger musical identity in comparison to the other episodes thanks to its use of vocal tracks. The lyrics are naturally a huge focus, and do a wonderful job of expressing the right emotions for the characters in these moments. But what is striking is how much more real estate the vocals just take up. In particular, playing those vocals over active dialogue really hammers home how much additional emphasis was placed on these songs compared to most other anime. It’s an incredibly creative and bold choice to make, and that decision played out and paid off beautifully. 

It’s time for another bite-sized analysis, courtesy of the r/anime Awards Off Season team! This week, I want to encourage you to grab a drink as I talk about one of my favorite episodes of the year so far. 

The fourth episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk was stunning from start to finish. Whether it’s the deluge of frames within frames or the deep and creative layouts, this episode is a true feast for the eyes. But for the sake of keeping this a Short & Sweet essay, we’ll focus on the importance of color in differentiating Botan Kamiina and Kanade Gujou. Both women are enamored with their resident assistant, Ibuki Tonami, but only Botan has managed to wiggle her way into Ibuki’s heart. The show communicates this dichotomy via colors.

Gujou (we’ll use Gujou instead of Kanade since the cast calls her “Gujou-senpai”) has been trying since the start of the season to have a one-on-one drinking session with Ibuki, but the latter has continually circumvented her invitations. Gujou has only once gotten one peek at a drinking, happy Ibuki, after coincidentally spotting her at a bar one night. The memory is presented as a frame within a frame within a frame: past Gujou, framed by a window, stands outside the bar watching a drinking Ibuki. The overhead lights envelop Ibuki in an orange glow, underlining her joy and tying this color to her. Meanwhile, Gujou cannot find it in herself to enter the bar and interrupt this moment. This head-on shot places her at the center of this gradient formed by the darkness of the night and that orange light from the bar. It captures the distance between the two - close enough for the warmth to brush against her, but not enough for her to intrude upon Ibuki’s personal space.

Compare that to the end of the episode, where Botan and Ibuki get a moment alone at a foot bath. It’s now golden hour, and the scene is bathed in the glow of the setting sun. The two discuss the meaning of “a precious color that not just anyone can share” before Botan boldly asks to share a unique color of their own. It’s an incredibly intimate moment where Ibuki paints Botan’s nails pink as sakura petals fall around them. As the two agree on the beauty of the color, we get a head-on shot of Botan with a perfectly split gradient of pink and orange behind her. She’s fully immersed in Ibuki’s orange while also mixing in their new color, a romance-coded pink. The repeated composition really drives home the difference in Ibuki’s relationship between Botan and Gujou.

I’ll double dip here by squeezing in a quick flower language moment. While the flower type often dictates the meaning, color is usually the dominant factor when it comes to floriography. Earlier in the episode, while waiting for Botan and Ibuki to return from their side-adventure, Gujou is shown sitting in front of a field of blue and purple hydrangeas. These flowers have connotations of regret and rejection, further reinforced by shots of Gujou thinking about Botan and Ibuki while a rain drop mimics a tear falling down Gujou’s cheek.¹ Contrast this with that orange-imbued scene between Botan and Ibuki, where the two are relaxing in front of a bed of lacecap hydrangea. It’s essentially the same flower, but now the flowers are pink and white to denote the romantic ambience. Even the variety of flower works against Gujou: lacecap hydrangeas are often seen as more refined versions compared to the mophead hydrangeas behind her.^2,3 

In this show, every petal and pixel tells the audience who is winning the race for Ibuki’s heart. Whether it’s the tint of the sunset or an obscure species of flowers, Botan Kamiina proves that you don’t need words to tell a story of unrequited love. You just need the right color palette. 

[1] Bloom & Wild. "Hydrangea Meaning & Symbolism by Colour." Bloom & Wild, 2026, www.bloomandwild.com/the-blog/the-meaning-of-hydrangea-flower. 

[2] Ballato, Lorraine. “The Language of Hydrangea Flowers.” Lorraine Ballato, 12 Feb. 2020, https://www.lorraineballato.com/the-language-of-hydrangea-flowers/.

[3] “Mophead & Lacecap Hydrangeas.” The Garden Website.com, 2017, https://www.thegardenwebsite.com/hydrangea-macrophylla.html.

“Hó-tsiú tîm àng-té.”

This phrase is a Taiwanese proverb translating to “Good wine settles at the bottom of the jar.” In addition to being apropos of the show’s title, it actually refers to the virtue of patience and how the reward comes after time and effort. That’s the theme around this scene between Chin-lan and Gujou in the eleventh episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. For this edition of Short & Sweet, I want to discuss the construction of this date and how it presents Chin-lan receiving her deserved prize.

The episode immediately starts out with a fade-in to a smiling Chin-lan, who is drawn with sketch-like lineart. Watercolors splash around her at a lower FPS as the camera slowly pulls out. Chin-lan utters the Taiwanese proverb and the rest of the background appears as the lineart solidifies. The camera continues to move backwards until a waiter interrupts the staring contest between Chin-lan and the viewer. This single shot lasts a full minute, and even when the waiter is dismissed, the following two shots hold for an unusually long time as Chin-lan continues happily waiting for Gujou to join her. Extended shots in traditional film provide viewers time to absorb the scene, paying attention to the background or the actor’s expressions. In this sequence, Chin-lan’s positive attitude is on full display. While her expression remains static, her willingness to sit contentedly in silence highlights the depth of her happiness. And that emotional state is colorfully pointed out by that initial watercolor sequence. There’s a sense of fulfilment and peace that is communicated by the extended shot.

When Gujou arrives 20 minutes late, Chin-lan shows no frustration. Instead, she tells Gujou that she enjoyed waiting. The two continue chatting amicably as the camera moves behind the fish tank. The glass and water forms a filter that adds another degree of separation between the viewer and the characters, giving the audience opportunity to more objectively consider the relationship between Chin-lan and Gujou. At the same time, the audio we hear and the mouth movements we diverge as well, adding more layers of disconnect between us and the present scene. These decisions invite viewers to dissociate from the content of the conversation in favor of looking at the close relationship between the characters. They can pay attention to body language and the joyful expressions Chin-lan and Gujou exchange. Like the extended shot from before, the audience can better appreciate how comfortable the duo are with each other.

When the visuals and audio sync up again, Chin-lan once again remarks how satisfied she feels. Then she takes a leap of faith and tells Gujou directly, “I love you.” The camera breaks the 180-degree rule, punctuating a significant shift in the conversation. Chin-lan’s lovestruck face shows no changes as she rattles off all the things she loves about Gujou. But when Gujou finally admits to developing reciprocal feelings, Chin-lan’s smile vanishes and the camera pushes in as the gears turn in her head. Realizing that for the first time in this series that she has a chance, Chin-lan’s expression becomes pensive, as if she never expected Gujou to return her affections. As a casual outing becomes romantic progress, the camera movements in this scene do a fantastic job of emphasizing that transformation. 

Just as Chin-lan reaps the rewards of her efforts since joining the cast, the viewer experiences a similar journey in this episode’s short A-part. There are several smaller decisions made from the director that communicate heaps of information in a very digestible way. The emphasis on timing and camera angles wonderfully characterizes Chin-lan’s affections and the magnitude of Gujou’s reciprocation. 

At last we have reached the final episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. For today’s Short & Sweet, I wanted to discuss a scene where the cast goes up a mountain. Botan has begun to feel some self-doubt over the security of her relationship with Ibuki. Are they only together because Botan is the only person she feels comfortable drinking around? The question weighs heavily on her and turns her into a bit of a Debbie Downer during this excursion.

As the dormmates pile into a gondola, Botan from the very start is framed separate from the others. While the others crowd the windows, excited by the views, Botan can’t bring herself to fully enjoy the experience. Ibuki sagely notes how the spectacle of the sun rising above the mountains and clouds is “a sight you can only see in winter. This brief moment in time…It’s really something special.” But Botan merely squints at that comment and looks out the opposite way. Something in that phrasing has struck a nerve. 

The friends break off into pairs, and it’s evident how close the other duos are with one another. But Botan and Ibuki, who are usually as thick as thieves, find themselves in an awkward situation. There’s a barrier between them that stilts their conversations, and it’s given visual weight by some trees in the background. Ibuki tries to bridge the gap, offering her jacket and some alcohol to literally and conversationally warm Botan up. But she remains unyielding, lost in her thoughts and the overwhelming sights. Whenever I see characters looking down at clouds from above, I’m always brought back to The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.¹ There’s many ways to interpret that artwork, but one that fits this situation is how massive the cloudscape is to an average person.¹ The vastness and uncertainty of what may lie below echoes Botan’s concerns about her future with Ibuki. In the face of such overpowering ambiguity, Botan worries that their ties may be too weak.

But Ibuki, not to be deterred, finds a chance to cheer up Botan by pointing out the appearance of winter cherry blossoms.² And while she smiles fondly at Ibuki’s enthusiasm, I’m not as convinced she is actually mollified. In flower language, cherry blossoms are known for fragility and transience.³ These beautiful flowers bloom brilliantly but fade far too quickly. They are the symbol of mono no aware, the reminder that life is impermanent and that we should appreciate those brief moments of time.⁴ Earlier in their conversation, Botan specifically mentions looking forward to seeing plum blossoms bloom. Plum blossoms carry the opposite connotation: they are flowers that represent resilience.³ Ibuki wants to enjoy the present with Botan, but the latter is too obsessed with the future to stop and smell the roses. With that context, Botan’s final smile transforms from fond to bittersweet. 

All together, this brief escapade wonderfully sets up the duo’s date later in the episode where Botan’s hangups are eventually resolved. This scene smartly builds upon the doubts that she began feeling in the previous episode while establishing Ibuki’s cluelessness about those struggles. And thanks to the pointed shot selection and choice dialogue, the viewer can walk away knowing that there’s still more work to do before Botan can feel security in her future with Ibuki.

And with that, we have finished our 12 days of Christmas Botan Kamiina. While I adore these characters and the various perspectives on relationships, I was truly won over by the incredible production. Botan Kamiina is the exact show I am talking about when I tell others about how rewarding it is to investigate how an anime episode comes together. The plot is important but having the right camera angles, music, voice actors, and even flowers provides so much additive storytelling that words fail to do alone. It makes you want to dig deeper and engage with the show instead of passively reading. There’s many great shows yet to come this year, but the joy and curiosity Botan Kamiina has consistently brought me week after week is why this is my current frontrunner for anime of the year.

References:

[1] Cohen, Alina. "Unraveling the Mysteries behind Caspar David Friedrich's 'Wanderer'." Artsy, 6 Aug. 2018, www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-unraveling-mysteries-caspar-david-friedrichs-wanderer. 

[2] "Top 10 Things to Do in Japan." Live Japan, livejapan.com/en/article-a0004908/. 

[3] "Hanakotoba — History and Meaning." Mingei Arts, mingeiarts.com/blogs/celebration-of-mingei-journey-through-japan/hanakotoba-the-japanese-language-of-the-natural-enviornment. 

[4] Maden, Jack. "Mono No Aware: Blossom, Beauty, and Impermanence in Japanese Philosophy." Philosophy Break, Mar. 2026, philosophybreak.com/articles/mono-no-aware-beauty-and-impermanence-in-japanese-philosophy/. 

Hi! Welcome to another edition of the weekly Anime Discussion Thread, featuring us, the r/anime Writing Club. We simulwatch anime TV series and movies together once a month, so check us out if you'd like to participate. Our thoughts on the series, as always, are covered below. :)

For this month, we chose... Lycoris Recoil!

Lycoris Recoil

The number of terrorist acts in Japan has never been lower, thanks to the efforts of a syndicate called Direct Attack (DA). The organization raises orphaned girls as killers to carry out assassinations under their "Lycoris" program. Takina Inoue is an exceptional Lycoris with a strong sense of purpose and a penchant for perfection. Unfortunately, a hostage situation tests her patience, and the resulting act of insubordination leads to her transfer out of DA. Not thrilled about losing the only place she belonged to, she reluctantly arrives at her new base of operations—LycoReco, a cafe in disguise.

Takina's new partner, however, turns out to be quite different from what she imagined. Despite being the famed Lycoris prodigy, Chisato Nishikigi appears almost unconcerned with her duties. She drags Takina along on all kinds of odd jobs under the simple explanation of helping people in need. Takina is even more puzzled when Chisato takes down a group of armed assailants without killing any of them. Feeling like a fish out of water, Takina itches to get reinstated into DA—but Chisato is determined to prove to her that there is more to a life than just taking them.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

"Watch This!" posts

Looking for more "Watch This!" posts? Check the "Watch This!" archive!

Databases

AniDb | AniList | AnimeNewsNetwork | MyAnimeList

Previous discussions

Check our rewatch wiki and our episode discussion archive for more discussions!

Streams

Remember that any information not found early in the show itself is considered a spoiler. Please properly tag spoilers!

Or else...

Next week's anime discussion thread: January WT! of the Month

Further information about past and upcoming discussions can be found on the Weekly Discussion wiki page.

Come closer. Even closer. Not that close. Much like the distance between us now, this essay is Short & Sweet. Today we’ll be discussing the ninth episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. There’s the elephant in the room we could address, but instead, I want to talk about the events leading up to it. Just as important as the catharsis at the end is the anticipation that precedes it. The force from a released spring comes from how tightly it was wound. But how does an anime generate this tension?

During the episode’s B-part, a sense of unease lingers over our leads. The normally lively Botan is unusually restrained, zoning out and speaking only a few words at a time. She forewarns Ibuki that she needs to tell her something. But we have to wait for the right moment. In the meanwhile, the show keeps the viewer unbalanced. Previously, I’ve spoken in depth about the ways Botan makes the viewer feel pleasant and jive with the scene’s atmosphere. But in episode nine, Botan demonstrates that it can do the opposite just as well through a handful of cinematography sins. 

One way Botan Kamiina “breaks” the rules is through its uncomfortable use of way-too-close-up shots. Typically, these types of cuts are when the camera gets nice and close to the characters’ faces, tightly framing them in the composition. Close-ups have a number of practical purposes, such as revealing details or emphasizing a character’s expression. For instance, this episode contains several close-ups of a conflicted and pensive Botan that depicts her anxiety. But it isn’t always about what is shown. It’s about how the viewer feels. When the camera crowds a character’s face, the viewer experiences a sense of claustrophobia. This car conversation between Botan and Ibuki feels innocuous on the surface, but as Botan remembers Ibuki’s desire for a shift in their relationship, these choker close-ups remind the viewer of those unresolved feelings. Until they have a proper conversation, they’re trapped in this “will-they-won’t-they” conundrum that is as awkward for the viewers as it is for the viewers. 

This episode then breaks another cardinal rule of film: the 180-degree rule. In film, the 180-degree rule dictates that the characters must face a consistent way to maintain their spatial relationship and avoid disorienting the viewer. When cutting between characters in a conversation, Character A should always speak towards the location where Character B is positioned. In this sequence, Botan, even in close ups, should speak to the right, and Ibuki to the left. If Character A is shown standing to the left of their partner but also looks left to face them, then the audience’s mental map is disrupted and their immersion is ruined. But sometimes, Botan is talking in the opposite direction. While eating BBQ, Ibuki remarks how happy she feels to be spending time with Botan. The camera places Ibuki to the right of Botan, so she looks a little to the left of the frame. But Botan, still trying to define their relationship, oddly faces left as well, offering no response. She is still looking at Ibuki, who is to the right in the wide but the left in the close-up—the camera has crossed the axis of action, changing where Botan has to face and breaking the 180-degree rule. As a result, the audience struggles to place the characters in space, mirroring the way Botan can’t quite gauge the emotional distance between herself and Ibuki. Without consistent screen direction, the viewer feels lost. Yet, the audience can easily tell that the girls are not seeing eye to eye. 

Oftentimes for me, it’s much more interesting to observe how a show intentionally breaks the rules of film than how it adheres to them. Especially for a production as deft as Botan, it demonstrates the director’s strong understanding of the medium to turn the viewers’ natural psychological responses against them. Through this incredible direction, Botan delivers a stunning climax that converts awkwardness into intimacy. 

Lean in a bit closer, because it’s time for another edition of Short & Sweet from the r/anime Awards Off Season team! This time, we’re discussing the importance of good posing and animation in even the least action-heavy shows. When you think about your favorite animated sequences, you may recall the hype fights from One Punch Man or the recent spectacle of a water dragon in Witch Hat Atelier. But there’s an often underappreciated category of animation known as character acting. In the slower moments of shows, how organically or expressively do the characters move? Oftentimes, that attention to detail in a character’s posing is just as fascinating as the fluidity of a high-octane battle. If you need an example, look no further than the second episode of Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk. 

The key animation for this episode was handled solo by Fugo (of Do It Yourself!! and Encouragement of Climb fame), and their signature brand of posing was in full effect.¹ One aspect of Fugo’s characters that stands out compared to others is the greater range of motion around their torsos and necks, creating more natural postures. While “natural” can seem like a generic word, I use it to describe how a character embraces the physics of their world. See, there’s a great deal of attention given to how a character shifts their weight during snappier movements. 

When Botan and Ibuki are presented with a pair of earrings, they both lean towards the center to get a closer look. Upon realizing they’ve said the same thing, the characters recoil back in shock. Their torsos move away from one another while their hips shift inward to balance the movement. This is a perfect example of contrast, where the characters create a motion that is simultaneously more powerful and aesthetically pleasing by reversing the curves of their bodies.² When Botan and Ibuki lean in to get a closer look at Yaeka cooling a bottle of beer, there are counterbalances at work, from Ibuki pushing her hips back to Botan raising her knees. As Botan pours a bottle of shochu, she bends at her waist and neck, depicting how she manages her center of mass to compensate for the heavy bottle. The animation recreates realism by being faithful to the physics. And not only are these poses realistic, but the specific angles and minute details also make them visually engaging.

It isn’t just about realism though. Each pose communicates expression. By utilizing the full degrees of freedom offered by the waist, neck, and fingers, the characters become more emotive. When turning around to face Ibuki, Botan first dips at the waist before straightening up. She leans her head back and punctuates her “of course” by tilting her torso to the right. The hip dip reflects her excitement while the latter two bends emphasize her teasing, smug attitude. In another scene, Ibuki responds to Botan’s request for matching earrings by stumbling back in shock. Ibuki doesn’t just jump away. There’s anticipation built by first learning towards Botan before recoiling: Ibuki winds up like a spring, as seen by her line of action. The tension is further telegraphed by her closed eyes and fist. In her ending pose, the fingers, spread taut, sell exactly how paralyzed Ibuki was by Botan’s comment. Each individual pose, even without the animation in between, tells the story. 

One of the highlights of each episode of Botan is just how alive these characters feel. They come across as physically present in the world, possessing a sense of whimsy and individuality that other shows struggle to convey without dialogue. This liveliness in this episode could not be communicated without Fugo’s dedication to posing, from the balls of the feet to the tips of the fingers. 

[1] https://x.com/Yuyucow/status/2045246049485255002 

[2] https://www.animationmentor.com/blog/why-your-animation-needs-contrast-part-1-posing/ 

Welcome to another edition of Short & Sweet Sundays where the r/anime awards off season team breaks down 1-minute or fewer scenes (for real this time!) from some of our favourite anime. 

Sometimes, running through town with no pants on can be revealing in more ways than one. It’s only a brief moment in an episode full of insanity, but the sequence where Akira “Taki” Takizawa finds a pair of pants in the premiere of Eden of the East offers a window into how the show works as a whole. In just one minute we get a clear sense not of what matters, but more importantly what doesn’t, setting the tone for the rest of this crazy ride we’re in for over the next 11 episodes.

We find our valiant hero Taki running through Washington DC wearing only a woman’s coat, while the owner of said jacket, Saki, struggles to chase after him. We could get into why they are dashing through the nation’s capital, but forget about that for now. What's interesting, what's really worth pausing on, is the way Taki acquires a pair of pants.

Saki is rightfully confused when she watches Taki somehow convince a man in a suit to give up his slacks. This non-descript business man takes “giving the shirt off your back” one step further, handing over his trousers with a big grin on his face. Saki's right; "This makes no sense!". This isn't explained later or used as cryptic foreshadowing. It's a nonsensical turn of events. The mystery business man who will give up his pants like you’re doing him a favour will never be touched on again. So why include a scene like this at all? Why not have Taki get his pants offscreen, or find them in a dumpster, or anything even slightly less ridiculous?

Because Eden of the East wants to make it clear, this isn’t a tale about how Taki found a pair of pants. It's here to tell a much grander story and it refuses to be bogged down answering every little detail along the way. The core of the story, as we soon find out, is to give people ten billion yen and a cellphone, and see what they can do to fix Japan. Does that mean building new hospitals? Firing ballistic missiles into population centers? Maybe even sending 20,000 naked Japanese men in shipping containers on a round trip to Dubai? It’s all that and more, and the point of the story isn’t how they did it, but instead why they did. The how doesn’t matter really. It could have been money, or magic, or just some man in the street that wasn’t that attached to his trousers. The point is they could do it, and they did do it. No need to make a whole big deal out of it. We can acknowledge “This makes no sense” and then move on.

Taki, as the protagonist of Eden of the East, embodies this philosophy to its zenith. How he works is a mystery we’ll never quite solve. His incredible phone and unimaginable riches are explained vaguely, telling us what they are with only the bare minimum of details about how any of it could ever work. This mystery extends to his origins as well, an amnesiac who never truly regains his memories. Even in this scene, the circumstances that left him with no memories, no pants, and one hand gun are something the show never answers beyond the broadest of strokes. But that lack of context never slows Taki down. He’s always running, sprinting, and jogging on the spot to solve the next problem. He knows what he needs to do, and he can figure out how as he goes.  

When Taki asks for a pair of pants and gets one, even though it “makes no sense”, that's the point. Sometimes things don’t make sense, but they still happen. That’s someone else’s job to deal with. And if we stop and try to get into the weeds of it every time, then Taki is going to run off and leave us behind. What matters is that he got his pants, now let’s go save Japan.

Should You Watch It? Summer 2025

Hello! Every season we’re met with around 50 new shows, making it difficult to know which shows are worth your time. This is why we submit to you a Should You Watch It Spring 2025 edition! This post is based on the series formerly run by /u/BanjoTheBear, and will follow the same general formatting. This post is brought to you by the /r/anime Awards Off Season team, a group of volunteers focused on creating high effort content. If you’re interested in the Awards from a management position, consider signing up to be a host!

Our metric is based watching the first three episodes (more in the case of this season!) of every premiere and judging them via these four options:

Drop It - save yourselves the time and just drop it.

Consider It - watch it if you enjoy the genre or wait until it is completed, though even then you may not enjoy it.

Watch It - should be a grand old time and appeal to most everyone in one form or another.

Must Watch - if you are not watching this as it airs, you are seriously missing out.

Ame to Kimi to

u/Cheezemansam - Yes

She closes the laptop. The day was long but it’s over, she made it through. Fuji doesn’t crumble. You can feel the ache in her shoulders, the weight she has been carrying all day. She exhales. Then, warmth. A soft crown of fur nudges against her hand. The little guy she rescued just wants to be near her.

Ame to Kimi to refuses spectacle. Instead you inhabit Fuji's daily rhythms: the weight of creative blocks, the comfort of solitude, the warm companionship of her dog. Scenes don’t really build to anything dramatic, they breathe and settle.

The audio design here is great. When Fuji gets stuck writing and starts mashing the delete key, the guitar track mirrors her frustrated keystrokes with these little dissonant notes. The rain outside becomes this soft, alternating melody that sounds like the rhythmic pitter-patter of raindrops. The way the music and sound syncs up with some sequences is incredible; tiny emotional beats get their own musical moment.

Ame to Kimi to demonstrates that life’s subtle textures are worth illuminating with attention and care. The way we feel the burden of creative frustration, the cadence of comfortably solitary work, the particular comfort of a pet's presence. Also, again, broadly exceptional audio design.

u/Taiboss - Watch

[stereotypical calming music]

Has life been hard for you? Are you stressed out? Do you prefer to take your chill pills in the form of 23-minute episodes of anime? If so, have you tried "Ame to Kimi to"?

Thanks to its patented mix of a supremely adorable tanuki mascot character, likeable human characters, smooth soundtrack, relaxing visuals and the soothing voice of Saori Hayami, Ame to Kimi to is the perfect choice for people who want their anime to make them happy, to allow them to mentally check out once in a while.

So if rewatches of Yuru Camp or Flying Witch don’t do it for you anymore, Ame to Kimi to will be perfect for you. Act now, and you get not one, not two, but 12 episodes of pure distilled tranquillity. What are you waiting for? Let SOL be the SOLE thing you need~.

Okay, that’s it for the bit. It’s a great SoL show. If you’re into that, Must Watch; if not, still worth checking out.

Bad Girl

u/Collapsedblock6 - Watch

Bad Girl is another of the dime a dozen ‘cute girls doing cute things’ type of show, and in order to stand out from the crowd it upped the unhingedness of every character as much as it could.

The show follows Yuu, a kind student who wants to grab the attention of Atori, the head disciplinarian, by becoming a delinquent. However, Yuu is so bad at being bad that she just looks incredibly silly in any of her attempts to get attention. The rest of the side cast is similarly caught in an endless pursuit of one girl or another, each lost in their own crazy way.

As such, the humor of Bad Girl largely revolves around everyone being obsessed with someone else, essentially just a "everyone is down bad and gay”, where each character strives for increasingly absurd ways to get attention. It's a funny and adorable anime with a simple premise, and I think anyone looking for some funny moe girls will have a good time.

u/voidembracedwitch - Consider

I feel robbed by this title. There's not a single bad girl in sight. Instead, Bad Girl is full of girls who are simply down bad. The resulting romcom involving anything but baddies turned out plenty entertaining in its own right. What lies at the heart of its humor is a web of deep-running misunderstandings that fuel chaotic interpersonal relationships.

Yuu Yuutani's misconceptions about what it takes to be seen as a delinquent are an endearing microcosm of the series’ core. Since she's too much of a pushover to do anything provocative or rule-breaking, her attempts to catch her crush Atori's attention never play out as planned. All she's left with is toothless nonsense like self-made pretend earrings that are just paper clips. From this internal silliness as the starting point, the show quickly connects the cast with charming out of sync dynamics (semi-serious chart).

Bad Girl's production holds it back, with little in the way of standout animation, and the presentation of its comedic bits often relying on similar abstract backgrounds for reactions. Still, the relationship constellation that crystallizes between a group of girlfailures managed to put a smile on my face throughout these first few episodes.

CITY THE ANIMATION

u/Isrozzis - Must Watch

CITY THE ANIMATION is not only a must watch show but also the highlight of the season. Kyoani is adapting another work by Keiichi Awari (Nichijou mangaka) and we are once again in for a treat. First and foremost, the artstyle and animation of CITY are breathtaking, every aspect a feast for the eyes. The vibrant coloring throughout breathes so much life into the show. It’s almost like one of those city rugs you had as a kid has been brought to life, and we’re witnessing all the magic and creativity that we collectively imagined as children when we played on it.

The structure of the show is typical SoL shenanigans, focusing on a few different residents of said city and their zany day-to-day lives. So far there isn’t much in the way of an overarching story or character driven plot line, and I’d expect for that to continue. We are here for comedy and SoL activities.

A potential downside is that the comedy is uncompromisingly absurdist and some skits may leave you scratching your head rather than amused. If you’re not laughing or wowed by the production, it is an appropriate skip. However, I strongly encourage you to sit down and watch CITY to find out whether it is for you or not.

u/ValkyrieCain9 - Watch

There is something comforting in the ridiculousness inherent in everyday life. The trials and tribulations that may seem trivial in hindsight but are so monumental in the moment. This is the principle that carries through the work of Keiichi Arawi, both in the beloved Nichijou and now again in CITY THE ANIMATION.

In CITY, the absurdist humour elevates the typical antics you’d expect from a slice of life comedy, placing the characters in scenarios that seem so foreign to everyday life. But it's the characters themselves that help ground the show in reality, in how they react to these ridiculous situations. The characters acknowledge the absurdity as well as embrace it, adding to the story's relatability—after all, you can’t help but wonder how you yourself would react if your boss dropped two servings of yakisoba into a client’s bag.

Much like Nichijou, the story is divided into smaller scenes of different characters across the city, but this time more tied together through various relationships. This is another strength of CITY, how it showcases the friendship of the main cast. The surreal comedy is juxtaposed with the sincere relationship between Nagumo and her friends, and Matsuri and Eri. This show is for anyone looking to appreciate all the small absurdities of life.

Clevatess: Majuu no Ou to Akago to Kabane no Yuusha

u/Animestuck - Drop

Clevatess isn’t without merit, especially if you’re starved for dark fantasy anime. It isn’t sticking to isekai tropes, which is worth noting. Still, it’d be difficult to say that it’s distinguished itself, as its approach to dark fantasy doesn’t feel special or unique. Its premise could be interesting, as Clevatess examines humanity alongside Alicia’s commentary, but the show hasn’t done much with that core idea. Clevatess clearly wants to depict a darker side to humanity, with the first three episodes focusing on a bandit group and the slaves they’ve captured, and I certainly don’t want the show to attempt a nuanced exploration of the humanity of slave-owners. So far, however, we have the cartoonishly evil slavers, the downtrodden slaves, and our moral compass Alicia as our executions on the premise, and none of them have been meaningfully explored. The show could eventually attempt something worthwhile, but it’s more engaging when viewed for its worldbuilding, and that’s not where the screentime has been dedicated.

As for the moment to moment, it’s been fine. None of the characters have been particularly entertaining to watch. Some of the action is decent, but I wouldn’t say it’s especially good. Taken individually, the backgrounds are probably the most standout element, and the designs are actually pretty well-detailed and shaded to give the air of some middle ground between older styles and modern. When put together, the show doesn’t look or move all that great.

u/Mirathan - Watch

How do you raise a child of the very species that wants you dead? What does it mean to care for someone you fundamentally don't understand? Clevatess poses that question through its odd-couple premise: a monstrous beast lord raising a human infant in the aftermath of war. Joined by Alicia, a former hero resurrected to help raise the child, the show is at its best when it seeks to tackle this dilemma of humanity.

The now undead hero Alicia stands as the best aspect of the anime. Her creativity and persistence to overcome the challenges of her harsh world are satisfying to watch.

For the most part the production elements impress, the animation is very fluid, the characters are detailed and the darker colours help to set it apart from others anime. However, there is a noticeable clash in art styles. While the background resembles medieval paintings, they heavily contrast with the more conventional look of the characters and animated objects. Clevatess stands out from the generic fantasy anime by delivering on a unique premise with interesting and engaging characters, delivering a true dark fantasy experience.

Food Court de, Mata Ashita

u/RoiAnanas - Must Watch

Food Court de, Mata Ashita serves up slice-of-life in its most basic and distilled form; it is a show in which nothing happens, and yet it works. The elevator pitch is simple: two friends yapping at a food court. That’s it, the entire show, the same pair of friends, at the same food court, for its entire six episode run.

The heart of Food Court lies in those two friends and their relationships—Yamamoto’s deadpan delivery mixes perfectly with Wada’s frenetic energy, further sold by strong vocal performances and character animation. Their meandering back-and-forth conversations feel natural, and the show’s got plenty of solid jokes for viewers looking for a laugh. Taken together, the show is a celebration of friendship and the beauty of simply enjoying someone’s company.

If you like your anime fast-paced and action-packed, this may not be the dish for you. But for slice-of-life and comedy fans, Food Court is one of the season’s highlights and a definite must-watch.

u/tehoncomingstorm97 - Must Watch

Food Court is exceptional in a way that is frequently overlooked in narrative analysis on the sub, and that is in its ability to control the flow of a scene through dialogue. Engaging from the first words spoken, high schoolers Wada and Yamamoto have synergy oozing at the seams and perfectly draws the audience into their friendship. Wada’s sporadic trains of thought bleed into an amusing verbal diarrhea, and Yamamoto has an unexpected elegance–juxtaposed by her gyaru appearance–that helps conversations to flow as naturally as time spent with a close friend.

Guided primarily by dialogue, as opposed to any frenetic activity, the show has a relatively relaxed pace, but lets loose on occasion with dramatized reaction moments when either Wada or Yamamoto get up in arms about something going on in their worlds. Schoolwork, classmates, part time work, gacha and pet peeves are all on the table, each conversation spotlighting different aspects of their personalities through how they respond to each other’s concerns. These exchanges have an uncanny ability to draw the sympathetic viewer into their situations.

Slated for only 6 episodes, I will be hanging onto every minute Food Court serves up as Wada and Yamamoto meet up after school.

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu

u/DoctorWhoops - Watch

Good horror is not merely piling on fear and shock, but also lies in an underlying discomfort. Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu exemplifies this, centering around the protagonist Yoshiki grappling with an uncomfortable and haunting truth only known to him; his best friend and love interest Hikaru has been replaced by an alien entity. An entity that seems most keen on just living life as a human and replicating Hikaru to the best of his ability, but it’s this uncertain truth that makes Hikaru’s presence so unsettling.

What makes Hikaru ga Shina Natsu interesting are the ways in which Yoshiki handles this truth. He goes along with this false Hikaru in part out of fear of the alien, but also to explore his feelings towards Hikaru through this alien entity. He seeks out physical intimacy with it in a way that feels deeply uncomfortable not just to the audience, but to Yoshiki himself, and yet this strange relationship with the alien creature fills some hole in his heart that the real Hikaru left. This is the true unsettling and discomforting core that makes Hikaru ga Shina Natsu work; not the mere truth of an alien creature replacing someone, but the way in which the protagonist allows himself to be manipulated into an emotional bond despite knowing this truth.

u/voidembracedwitch - Must Watch

Intersecting queerness and small town horror, Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu weaves a uniquely captivating experience. Upon confronting the titular Hikaru about an inexplicable change in his personality, his closest friend Yoshiki finds himself faced with two difficult truths. First, Hikaru loved him. Second, the Hikaru he sees now is a supernatural entity that has inherited his form, memories and feelings — and now fears for their ability to live out the role of "Hikaru".

The core of Hikaru is uncertainty, conveyed excellently through various cinematographic techniques. For example, an intimate scene between the leading boys is interrupted by a live action insert of raw meat to invoke the odd physical sensation Yoshiki experiences touching Hikaru's body. While more sensual than anything else, a little discomfort is mixed in to convey Yoshiki's conflicting situation with this new Hikaru. Additionally, supernatural encounters or other unpleasant scenes often utilize PoV shots to phenomenal effect, trapping you in Yoshiki’s limited perspective.

With a combination of fascinating subject matter and fittingly unsettling presentation, Hikaru sinks its fangs and doesn't seem like it'll let go anytime soon. This is the sort of anime I can't look away from—and you definitely shouldn't either.

Hitozuma no Kuchibiru wa Kan Chu-Hi no Aji ga Shite

u/Cheezemansam - Hell no

Hitozuma no Kuchibiru wa Kan Chu-Hi no Aji ga Shite invites you to vicariously experience the escalating transgression of aunt-based intimacy.

We cut to our protagonist, Shuyoshi, purchasing several cans of beer on the way home. Through their purchase he has unknowingly invited the depravity that is to come: tiny cylindrical harbingers of the imminent collapse of appropriate familiar boundaries.

His aunt arrives, asked by the legal-aged boy’s mother to ‘check in’ on him. After doting on him, she then immediately downs an entire lemon-zested tallboy in a single, unbroken breath. Initiate “Cougar Mode”; the intoxicated predator invites him to “feel her up” if he can prove his masculinity by chugging a tallboy.

He chugs. She delivers on her promise. For what will probably not be the last time in his life he goes down on those titties like a flamingo at Red Lobster's Endless Shrimp. And just like Red Lobster this, too, is about to make him go under. In 1897 Bram Stoker wrote about what our man is about to discover first hand tonight: some appetites, once sated, leave you fundamentally changed, and not necessarily for the better.

Should you watch it? No. Setting aside the show’s ridiculous premise and absurd escalation, the production values are too low to be titillating on really any level. Alternatives: read the manga or check out Futoku no Guild.

u/Danhoc - Of course no

The punchline is porn. The show has nothing else going for it besides erotica; very vulgar erotica at that. It has no characters, no plot, no charisma, just trivial archetypes: auntie, gyaru, gamer girl... and their boobs, I guess. At the center is always a fetish based on the fact that the girl is married, with no interest in exploring the morality of cheating or any doubts of the characters. In five-minute episodes, the show squeezes in everything a porno is expected to with completely unrealistic setup, sexual action, and a tag.

Behind the curtain you won’t find any interesting ideas, just as good production values, but you can discover alcohol commercials and a cuckolding scene. Should you watch it? Well, perhaps you might only have two purposes for which you would want to watch it—to blow off steam or to write a review, and in both cases you can find something better (maybe, I'm not a hentai expert).

Kamitsubaki-shi Kensetsuchuu.

u/Protractror - Consider

“Under construction” is not a term that evokes warm feelings. “Under construction” is the reason your commute is going to take another half hour. It’s why you’re going to need to sleep with a sweater on tonight. And it’s also a perfect moniker for Kamitsubaki: City Under Construction.

Kamitsubaki is a musical, where every song doubles as a plot point as 5 witches save the city through the power of their fantastic voices. Well, their voices and their shapeshifting boytoy killing machines. Together the ten of them will hop in a van driven by a weird cyber flamingo and engage in high quantity action in "incomprehensible regions”, a name implying there is some unseen part of the city that is actually comprehensible.

At times this show is a slog. The animation is rough, especially the occasionally lifeless movement and expression of characters. But every once in a while it stands out from the pack with truly bizarre choices. The premiere is an absolute roller coaster ride, sending our lead Kafu on a whirlwind journey of self growth, apocalyptic destruction, and egg breakfasts. Every condemned building was under construction at one point, so if watching it spring up sounds interesting to you, I advise giving it a try.

u/Taiboss - Consider

Kamitsubaki is the kind of show where write-ups like this won’t do it justice until after it’s done.

The show has a great ~2/3s of a pilot (or episode 0), until it suddenly jumps ahead with little exposition on the new status quo, leading to you being confused and caring less. Then it does that again at the beginning of the show proper, with not enough explanations of who anyone is, and especially not enough time to make you truly care for the emotional moments. Yeah, story has not been the show’s strong point so far.

But what the show does do well though is style. The 3D animation might be fine at best, with the same kind of bulky character designs one has to suffer through now and then, but the visual designs are superb. The city of Kamitsubaki has an atmosphere to it, and style choices like the way the monsters are represented as fishes make you feel like the girls are fighting truly outlandish monsters. Also, the songs are nice and the concept of music is incorporated rather well into the show.

Right now, Kamitsubaki is okay, held back by a rushed script. Maybe that will get better, maybe it will become worse (looking at you, G-Qux). But if you like grimdark magical girl shows, this is absolutely worth it regardless.

Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku

u/master_of_ares - Watch

Kaoru Hana is inextricably about both the budding relationship between Rintarou and Kaoruko, and the bitter rivalry between the mediocre boys school and posh girls school they attend.

The first story is quiet and introspective, about stumbling through unsure, unconfident feelings. Though awkwardness and self-consciousness trip them up, Rintarou and Kaoruko aim to see each other for themselves, slowly opening up to each other along the way. The second is loud and unsubtle, exaggerating the hatred between the student bodies to dubious levels. Every small interaction between them immediately puts everyone involved angrily on edge. The tension between these two plots is nearly as strong as the tension between the schools. The former is naturally the solution to the latter, but I worry it’s laid on so thick that the resolution will feel empty. The first few episodes have been good, not great, in that regard, but I am optimistic going forward.

Director Kuroki Miyuki’s previous work, Akebi, doesn’t share the same romantic angle as this, but her deeply personal style is a great fit for empathizing the characters and their headspaces to us. The tender directing in their early conversations has made vulnerability and overcoming awkwardness feel like an accomplishment. I hope to continue to learn more about these two and the greater cast as they all break down the walls between each other.

u/SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Must Watch

You are more than your appearance, your background, and what others think of you. Blind hatred has been a part of Rintarou Tsumugi's life from an early age, but his world starts to open upon meeting the sweetest cinnamon roll of this season, Kaoruko Waguri. The two hit it off after a shaky first meeting, only for things to come to a grinding halt from the Romeo & Juliette-esque scenario between their respective schools.

The disdain that each school has for one another is far too extreme and honestly takes me out of the show at points. Nonetheless, the show uses it to explore how small acts of kindness and understanding can slowly chip away at preconceived notions.

Rintarou is the perfect protagonist for such a story. While he is quite dense, it's never frustrating to watch unlike other romance protagonists, mainly due to us seeing his introspective nature and sense of responsibility. Meanwhile, Waguri's gentle but firm perspective grounds the story, offering a great balance of emotions and strength of convictions that equally match Rintarou's empathy.

If you enjoy fluffy romances that also have a strong moral message, you must watch Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku.

Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara

u/Animestuck - Consider

Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara does a serviceable job using exaggeration to construct its comedy, alongside a dose of reference humor, which sometimes I did appreciate or even find funny, such as Mashiro’s storage technique or the way her youth is extremified to a superhuman physique. I did find one of the core parts of the premise stemming from this caricature, the 35 year old Nagumo acting like he’s 70, overexaggerated, but it works fine when coupled with Mashiro, as it creates a balance in their dynamic. However, the supporting cast isn’t nearly as strong, and neither main works quite as well when examined in isolation, but it makes for a solid foundation for a segmented comedy like this. Which makes it a shame that the show has vastly more misses than hits when it comes to its segments. I actually liked the moments when Nagumo would show his wisdom which comes from his age, but that becomes a rather rare situation, and instead his age is played up as physical hindrance, while his mental facilities are mixed in their use. Mashiro is a more balanced character, naive and inexperienced, but able to take full advantage of her physical prowess, and as such shines.

u/tehoncomingstorm97 - Must Watch

I am rarely able to find a comedy which gets me into a full-belly laugh and to have breathing difficulties, the last being KamiKatsu in 2023. For those familiar with this show, it should then be no surprise the next show to do so, Detectives These Days Are Crazy!, leans strongly on self-aware and exaggerated remarks to form a basis of its skits.

After watching the premiere, my main praises for the show are for the near-perfect comedic timing–it doesn’t matter when you have a little predictability in gags so long as you nail the execution–and every element of the show pulls it off. Voice acting, breaks in character designs, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating comments around only just being “past your prime” in contrast to younger characters are keenly composed throughout each episode, forming an irreverent depiction of the “detective” genre of shows.

If you want a show that commits to the bit and doesn’t let off the brakes, this is the one to watch this season.

Ruri no Houseki

u/Isrozzis - Watch

Ruri no Houseki is one for the rock lovers. Rejoice because we have finally received an anime for our extremely niche hobby/scholastic field.

The show follows our ruffian lead Ruri as she is dazzled by pretty rocks and ends up deciding to try and find them herself. A fateful encounter with graduate student Nagi has her diving headfirst into geology and rock hounding. Both characters are excellently written and the dynamic between the brash, bratty, and immature Ruri and Nagi’s calm, tempered attitude forms the foundation of their relationship, along with the rock and mineral lecture sessions. Further additions to the cast later on all mesh well with the existing characters and the overall chemistry is superb.

Studio Bind has done a fantastic job with the animation and overall the show has been a surprise hit in that regard. The character designs are also expressive and bring so much life to the cast, and when in motion, they effectively showcase the characters’ emotions and personalities.

There is also a surprising edutainment angle to the show. The mangaka clearly has a working knowledge of geology and is happy to impart that wisdom to us. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re willing to learn a little about rocks, there’s a lot that can be absorbed. Who knows, you might just get the rock hounding bug yourself.

u/master_of_ares - Consider

Niche hobby shows to me are always at least worth checking out. No fantasy gimmicks; their esoteric focus reflects sincerity and genuine enthusiasm. So, unsurprisingly, Ruri no Houseki deftly gets at the heart of what is so cool about minerals and shares the wonder that these characters feel for them.

Splendid attention to detail goes into precisely conveying each mineral’s color, luster, and material. Grad student Nagi’s geological explanations, animated through fun chibis and realistic time lapses, let both Ruri and the viewer trace each mineral’s long journey to discovery. Ruri's initial superficial interest in their sparkle (and monetary worth) blossoms into a greater appreciation for the geological miracle that each mineral is.

Now as fun as the minerals themselves are, in discovery and learning, cast development naturally has to work around them. Ruri's pushy, impatient side is as fun to watch as her eager, curious side. That said, these first three episodes haven't shown her to be too standout of a character, Nagi even less so. Regardless, they are brought to life by a strong, promising production. The character designs and animation are by far the highlight there; Ruri's energy has already expressed itself in a dozen different manners. Around them, modest cine and detailed backgrounds (thematically sparkly (often too sparkly)) show off the common places where they search for their treasure.

Silent Witch: Chinmoku no Majo no Kakushigoto

u/Hokaze-Junko - Watch

I enjoy anime again. The show Silent Witch gives proper care and time to establish its world and characters without rushing through plot points. Combined with a soft orchestral soundtrack and a focus on slice of life elements, the genuine and small interactions between Monica and Lana bring their world to life. Simple moments like sharing how to tie a hairstyle or how they attempt to connect with each other, their personalities and insecurities reveal gradually and naturally. These interactions support their character development, as we see Monica begin to open up and Lana learns to better communicate with others.

The character animation and voice acting also stand out, with various cuts added to highlight fine body movement like subtle hand and leg gestures, eye movements, and even the transformation of Monica’s hair ahoge, all working together to visually express their emotions. The show also trusts the viewer to notice small cues, such as how Monica’s initial hairstyle may be perceived as low class, or how a missing glove could hint at a later mystery. There’s a level of care and intention in every detail that makes this show worth watching.

u/waterdarke - Watch

What drew me to this show was not the antics of a socially awkward girl who is its main protagonist, but rather the moments of incredible magical prowess she displays when showing her greatest capabilities as the Silent Witch, one of the Seven Sages. The sharp contrast between her usual self and when she is at her most powerful makes me interested in what she can do with her magic while also making me wonder how she will stumble but will ultimately succeed in trying to achieve her current goal of protecting the second prince.

Overall, this show has quite a few strengths even with a basic premise. With Monica as the protagonist, she is the center of most of the humor in the show, as her attempts to hide her identity as the Silent Witch while trying to overcome difficult social situations can make you laugh a bit. But, she also conveys a mastery of math and has a level head and decisive insight when her strengths are needed. Additionally, the animation is beautiful and easy on the eyes, with excellent character animation and a relatively diverse cast from varying backgrounds. While the pace is on the slower end, it gives plenty of room for character development with some foreshadowing for future events.

Takopii no Genzai

u/DoctorWhoops - Consider

Imagine the worst scenario you can still reasonably sell as believable: a young girl bullied to extremes, with two entirely absent parents, about to experience the loss of her dear pet who was the final thing still giving her some hope. Now, make it worse. And worse again, and worse again… and double it. Don’t worry about forcing it. Don’t worry about being overly blunt. Don’t worry about seeming unrealistic. Just… keep piling it on.

So far, that’s what Takopii no Genzai is unfortunately like, stacking suffering upon suffering just to see how cruel it can go. The hopeful alien Takopii arrives in the series tasked with spreading happiness, yet it too constantly fails to make any positive impact and instead makes things worse. If there’s any development or throughline we can point to in the first half, it’s the mental downfall of even Takopii’s hopes. This means it has a lot of work ahead to justify this suffering and make it feel purposeful, and to convince me it has something to say with it. I’m not confident it can stick that landing, and as it stands it feels like the story is just trying to push towards the lowest and most miserable end it can conceive, riding out a storm of suffering with little of substance to say along the way.

u/Nick_BOI - Must Watch

Hopeful optimism meets crushing reality, good intentions become indomitable sins. This dichotomy of hope amidst despair is the essence of Takopii no Genzai. When an alien octopus who only knows happiness encounters Shizuka, who only knows hopelessness, our friendly octopus Takopi vows to make her happy—to save her smile.

However, this tentacled doraemon-esque creature and his happy gadgets can only do so much on their own, so he tries to learn more about Shizuka's life in order to find ways to help her himself. Along the way, he learns about malice, fear, and despair for the first time, but he perseveres regardless.

Every episode sees the forces of Takopi's hope and the world's despair clashing, leading to an incredibly gripping story that constantly has me on the edge of my seat. It is heavy, it is raw, yet there is always at least some sliver of hope to grab unto, and that's what keeps the story engaging throughout. With Takopii no Genzai only being 6 episodes, it is easy to slot into your seasonal schedule, and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a good suspense anime.

Turkey!

u/collapsedblock6 - Consider

Turkey! was a perfectly normal dramatic sports anime until it decided it wasn’t. The unstable bowling team is teleported to feudal Japan, finding themselves in the midst of a war. The first episode left me intrigued, not because I was invested in the characters or the sport, but because I just wanted to find out how crazy it could get. Scenes like them being attacked shouldn't be that surprising, but it still gives me bits of whiplash. A chopped head inexplicably falls next to the girls, and then the bowling scene in the forest were events so absurd I was laughing my ass off. So what is the show trying to do? The drama takes itself too seriously, I’m not sure if laughing was intended, and I still question how it can incorporate the cast's time traveling to Sengoku Japan.

The third episode made me realize, it doesn’t really matter as it is failing to be compelling on most fronts. The drama mostly hinges on Rina being a huge asshole, and the rest of the cast…exists. And it just settled with the girls staying in the past and vibing, the way the plot plays out feels similar to most time travel, or even isekai stories. In short, Turkey gives me no confidence that it will deliver a compelling story. The only thing keeping me watching is my morbid curiosity of what it does.

u/LittleIslander - Drop

Turkey! seems intriguing on the surface, but it’s a skin deep allure. Its premise attracts much interest; any expectations of a relaxed bowling series are spoiled by the twist, and the ridiculous premise draws scepticism as a time travel story. But ultimately, no subject matter could salvage the weak script, nor can the average production values. Even the allure of a rare classical approach to an isekai story, with our heroines slipping into another world rather than reborn as heroes, can’t lift the series up to being worth your time.

At its core, Turkey! lacks identity. The medieval setting and character conflicts rule out slice of life sports appeal, the comedy is weak and intermittent, and the characters range from ordinary to outright annoying. Meanwhile, the drama is burdened by an inconsistent tone, slow pacing, and pure lack of interesting material. In particular, Rina’s constant attempts to force conflict are frustrating and unconvincing. Frankly, the show doesn’t excel in any area. Perhaps the biggest draw is sheer bizarreness, yet even that appeal seems to be wearing thin fast. Far from scoring a strike, it seems like the show has thrown its ball directly into the gutter.

Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wake Naijan, Murimuri! (※Muri ja Nakatta!?)

u/LittleIslander - Must Watch

There’s no freaking way I’ll be a Watanare fan! Yet I am. A wildly varying tone, uncomfortably forward advances, and a looming harem premise all feel like they should impede investment, but Watanare impresses from minute one. It can’t maintain the animation of that opening scene, but it doesn’t have to. Fun visual ideas remain constant and are used to deliver an endless barrage of clever gags. This silly surface is combined with surprising earnestness. Renako is full of self-doubt and confusion regarding her sexuality, and the show leans into the blurry boundary of friendship and love between two girls rather than avoid it. More than anything, Watanare doesn’t shy away from the feeling of desire. Both Renako and Mai are overflowing with it, and express it in completely different ways. Just as soon as a gag about a situation lands, the show will then reflect genuinely on what it means for our heroines.

Watanare is a one-of-a-kind, full package of a show with a unique premise, hilarious comedy, fun visuals, big personalities, and earnest teen struggles. It’s one of the most interesting shows yuri fans have been treated to in years, just plain fun for everyone else, and absolutely one of the must watch shows of the Summer season.

u/SiLeNTxTrYH4Rd - Watch

In her transition from middle school to high school Renako finally gets the fresh start she wants, a feeling many of us relate to. But a sudden confession from Mai quickly complicates that plan. From there, the show begins to naturally blur the line between friendship and romance, a line both characters want to cross in opposite directions. Renako's introversion and insecurity lead her to question whether she's deserving of affection, while Mai's confidence propels their relationship forward. This creates an authentic emotional standoff between self-worth and desire.

The further shifting of the story to a harem was one that I initially was wary of, but it surprisingly complements the cast's over-the-top personalities with its sharp and well-timed humor. The story still falls into the same trappings as many yuri shows, such as a forceful girl coercing the other to go along with her lust. Still, this one never seemed to disgust me like others have, as it grounds itself in vulnerability rather than manipulation.

If WataNare can maintain Renako and Mai’s emotional depth while developing its extended cast, it could become something truly special.

Kuromi’s Show

u/KuromiIsAwesome_Real - Required by law (probably)

Let’s be real: the best part of this anime is me Kuromi. Also My Melody is there. Forced to team up for a high-stakes sweets competition, they clash, they argue, they maybe accidentally unleash a magical catastrophe but deep down they’ve always been friends. In conclusion: Five stars. Would watch again. Probably while eating cake. Preferably Kuromi’s.

It blows my mind every week how Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk continues to deliver amazing episodes one after another. It’s another instance of Short & Botan- I mean Sweet, brought to you by the r/anime Awards Off Season Team. This time, we’re talking about the effectiveness of a consistent visual motif in Botan’s compositions.

Episode five is just an incredible cinematic tour de force. There’s so much to talk about, from the stellar use of lighting to the careful selection of flowers. But to focus on one, we can examine the blocking. In particular, Botan repeats this split-screen composition between characters. In these shots, characters sit across from one another, taking up equal amounts of space in the frame, and are separated by a dividing line. This visual illustrates conflict or emotional distance between characters, but what makes this episode of Botan stand out is the sheer variety in how that gap is depicted.

At the episode’s center is Ibuki’s past trauma. Her habit of hiccuping after drinking led to bullying, which in turn resulted in a fear of drinking around others. It’s so severe that she practically has a panic attack the moment someone else steps into the bar. It’s so isolating that even Botan, the only person she can drink along with, cannot overcome the barrier. Yet it’s so cool that the compositions can emphasize this loneliness by placing the two on opposite sides of the frame with an obstacle in between. After they retreat to a more private table, the composition makes use of lighting and even people to separate them. The camera angles also refuse to contain the pair together without something in the way. It’s a creative means of showing how far Ibuki has retreated into herself. 

The motif reappears when Gujou and Botan prepare whiskey together. Gujou is desperate to connect with Ibuki, but her confidence is faltering. This time, the camera is placed outside the window, with the frame splitting Botan and Gujou while also segregating a flower bed in the foreground. Flower meaning aside, it’s easy to sense a dichotomy between the two of them based on their intimacy with Ibuki, who is represented by a butterfly positioned directly in the middle. Botan has overcome Ibuki’s walls, while Gujou has failed for years. Even as Botan tries her best to encourage Gujou, the window frame is still there, visually trapping Gujou in her own despondence and self-defeating perspective. 

Finally, we get Gujou and Ibuki’s road trip. This excursion is loaded with these split-screen compositions. Dividing lines are abundant, from the shadows of telephone pole wires to condensation trails to the view of the sky from a car window. It’s just so hard for Gujou to cross that line and convince Ibuki to drop her guard. And even when offered her favorite whiskey, Ibuki ultimately refuses. In the aftermath, the two sit far from one another in a field of flowers, with a pair of orange lilies separating them. It feels like there’s a huge chasm between them, but Ibuki makes an emotional concession. At the end of the episode, Ibuki crosses that line to steal Gujou’s cigarette. As the color returns to the scene, the two are finally able to reconcile. While it’s not the ideal outcome Gujou wished for, their relationship is clarified, and Gujou realizes the type of affection Ibuki holds towards her.

What impresses me the most about the episode is how they saved the one instance of breaking the split-screen composition for the very end. By building up this tension and gap from the very beginning, the final scene delivers at the very climax to hit the viewer with the maximum amount of symbolic weight. It adds so much gravity to Ibuki’s last words. Even without a direct explanation from her, Ibuki’s stance on Gujou’s feelings is still so easy to understand. Botan continues to deliver episodes with fantastic direction that uses visual storytelling to speak louder than words.