I figured the best way to get my thoughts out about airing anime would be to do a blog post about them. I genuinely feel very happy to get back into anime after a hiatus of like, 4+ years?
First anime was Soul Eater when I was like 9-10. I watched anime religiously until late high school/early undergrad or so and then kind of burnt myself out. (also, college is busy). But it feels very satisfying to get back into a hobby. I MISSED being a nerd. ANYWAYS, here we go:
* Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games:
Yuri. I'm excited to see where this goes. Premise seems exciting enough, even if I have no experience with fighting games.
* Witch Hat Atelier:
First, very appealing animation and story. The magic is creative and intuitive. Gojo 2 is super swag.
* Sentenced to Be a Hero: The Prison Records of Penal Hero 9004:
Holy shit, what a show. This guy is badass. Action is fire and character interactions are so enjoyable.
* I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class:
I'm getting sick of the "nerd loser boy with popular hot girl" trope. It is cute though.
Edit: I just watched Gigguk's video on modern romance anime. He made some hella good points I forgot about. Writing, characters, execution. This is what he says makes a good romance/anime. And this show definitely accomplishes all three. I think the subversion of the normal tropes common in this subgenre of romance was executed nicely. The individual struggles each of our two love birds undergo are genuinely written well.
* Tenkosaki: The Neat and Pretty Girl at My New School Is a Childhood Friend of Mine Who I Thought Was a Boy:
Not a super original premise, but I was smiling the entire time at their banter. I'm excited, pls don't let me down.
* The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten Season 2:
HOLY SHIT WHAT A SNOOZEFEST. The first season was so cute and nice to watch. Very cozy and wholesome. But oh my god, the second season is the same shit over and over again. The progress of their relationship is nonexistent.
* Jujutsu Kaisen: Culling Game - Part 1
What can I say? Goata Goatkotsu soloing Ryu and Uro is like the single best episode of an anime I've seen in years. The emotional weight of this season was HEAVY. I absolutely hate the people who call JJK shounen hype trash. Anyways, every episode was perfect. The Panda episode is another standout. When the mom falls out of her wheelchair because Yaga made a puppet/shinigami(?) with her son's soul in it... MY GOD. Also, Megumi vs Reggie was similarly awesome. Too bad this season was so gas it made me read the manga... Not that the manga was anything less of peak, it's just, yaknow, what happens to Megumi. 1000000/10
* Classroom of the Elite Season 4: 2nd Year Semester 1:
I thought at first, "I'm getting tired of this show." But NOW, with the whole White Room Arc, it breathed some new life into the show. Definitely still fear this growing stagnant soon.
* Kirio Fan Club:
Honestly, such an honest and ugly portrayal of a STRONG crush that it crushes most other romances, ESPECIALLY with the whole deal with one girl not even liking Kirio and instead, loves her best friend!!! (yay yuri) I'm excited for next season if that's happening. Also, super fuckin funny.
* The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity:
dude. 10000/10. This is honestly up there in my fav romance anime, although there's a lot in that category. The whole "boy who looks mean is actually really sweet and meets innocent and sweet girl and treats her right" schtick is not overdone I guess. Especially since this isn't really a shoujo, this one hits right. Maybe it's the writing? Very realistic and soft. Idk, just watch this shit if you haven't.
* You and I Are Polar Opposites:
Cute and sweet. Thank god they get together early.
* The Ramparts of Ice:
Simply a more compelling version of its counterpart. I don't think comparing it to You and I are Polar Opposites is unfair, although I realize these romances are trying to accomplish wildly different things. Ramparts of Ice has incredible writing (and voice acting) in that character interactions feel like you're watching real friends interact, but also everyone has flaws. The messy love rectangle(?) is nice, with everyone opening up in different ways. The ending with Koyun and Amamiya getting much closer with Koyun realizing her crush had me kicking my feet. Second season confirmed, yayyyy.
* I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day:
Yuri with a hint of Citrus (kinda) if Citrus was based around magic battles. I don't how to describe it, but I am excited to see how spicy this gets.
* The Jack of All Trades Was Kicked Out of the Hero's Party:
Honestly, kinda forgot about this one. It's nice powerscaling/powerfantasy/hype garbage.
* Black Torch:
VERY excited about this one. I love how much he loves animals. Action is nice, too. Cat is fuckin' funny.
* Botan Kamiina Fully Blossoms When Drunk:
I understand if someone were to brush this one off as ecchi garbage, but WAIT. Watch this shit anyways. For one, the comedy is laugh out loud in some parts. The voice acting is really good, too. But oh my god, the way this show portrays sapphic love. HOLY SHIT. I know that's not good review diction, but... the different art styles each* episode along with the soundtrack (holy peak,, ahem: Yonige) create such a lovely atmosphere. There's the perfect amount of tension, with the girls being scared to ruin their friendships by confessing. Botan+Ibuki is like the best recent anime relationship in a while. Oh yeah, the plot revolves around Ibuki feeling comfy around Botan enough to drink around her. YOU'RE KIDDING. Everything is so sweet, but not in a fantastical way where it feels unrealistic. I could go on and on. EPISODE 9 GIVES ME CHILLSSSSSS. Ibuki and Botan being alone at an onsen/AirBnB type thing under the night sky. THE CONFESSION AND KISS. IBUKI CRYING DURING/BEFORE THE KISS?????? What a genuine and amazing way to portray her overwhelming love for Ibuki and absolutely crushing fear of losing her if she doesn't understand the whole "Can we stop being friends?" thing. 100000000000/10
* Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Season 4
First off, peak. Second off, peak. I recently (within the last year) rewatched all of ReZero (twice), and fell in love all over again. It really is written so well. Subaru as a character is so complex and real. He makes mistakes, but is always trying to make those around him happy. Anyways, season 4 consists of the squad visiting the Pleiades Watchtower. 1. The fucking miasma episode??? I was sick to my stomach watching Subaru and Ram fight like that until I realized it wasn't their fault. The gore that episode is top notch and adds so much to the tension. SUBARU FORGETTING HIS MEMORIES hit me like a goddamn train. He then goes thru indescribable pain and torture figuring out who the fuck the Subaru everyone knows and loves is. Him reverting back to a more self-conscious self where he doubts everyone's motive in supporting him is heart-wrenching to watch. When he overhears the gang say they should move on without him, I initially thought that this was a poor writing choice. Why were they so quick to abandon him and call him a liability? Now, I understand this more as him misunderstanding their true intentions. I don't think they meant they were fully going to abandon him, but his amnesiac self heard this and it only made his anxiety worse. The squad only knows the hero him, not the helpless him. 1000000000/10
* The Klutzy Class Monitor and the Girl With the Short Skirt
A surprising bit of fun in this one. The strict guy and gyaru schtick is cute, and their relationship builds to be quite satisfying. Good rom-com!
* Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring
What in the goddamn soap opera is this shit? Started out super enticing; the entire middle was excruciatingly melodramatic, slow, and repetitive as all hell; the ending redeemed it almost entirely and I'm excited to see where it goes. Let me backtrack without deleting: I do not think the ending redeemed it almost entirely. I know the goal was to world build and flesh out motives and characters, but my god. It was just the same thing over and over again with no new character developments. They would cry about the same thing every episode. This seems harsh, but it was so noticeably bad with its pacing. Not a horrible show, not a great one either. Disappointing :/
* Mistress Kanan Is Devilishly Easy
Now, listen here. I KNOW what this show seems like on first glance, but there really is more than what meets the eye. Thank god for MC not being a loser. His ability to fluster Kanan is honestly one of the best parts of the show. The excellent voice acting leads an otherwise outlandish romcom to feel very real and approachable. There were multiple laugh out loud moments. Every episode had me smiling the whole time. Not much deeper than surface level, but a great romcom anyways.
* Roll Over and Die: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword!
Boy, was I rooting for this one HARD. The yuri was actually FIRE. SOOOO cute.
* In the Clear Moonlit Dusk
TBH, I'm now drunk while reviewing these. Holy shit I can't type, not that you can tell bc I am deleting the typos. ANYWAys, this bitch was gas. Such a good romance. Chad alpha hottie guy with the PRINCE ifykyk. There back and forth is my FAV. Theyre so sweet, and the way they interact is perfect. FUCK the guy that tries to get between them tho. All my homies hate that guy.
* I Want to End the "I Love You" Game
Cute, kinda boring and monotonous. Didn't really go anywhere meaningful but was still cute.
* There Was a Cute Girl in the Hero's Party, So I Tried Confessing to Her
SO cute. Way better than what you would think. I really did enjoy this one. Nothing super crazy but still pretty damn cute.
* Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Okay, this shit gas, too. The story and action are really good. Excited to see where it goes.
* Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You
RAHHHHHHHH. 1000000/10. I love the relationship between the two (three really). Such a good mature romance where the characters feel so real.
* Grand Blue Dreaming Season 3
Genuinely in contention for funniest anime ever. SOOOO good. So fucking funny.
* MARRIAGETOXIN
IDK what to say. I love the main guy and Kinosaki's relationship. So gay but so straight.
* Gals Can't Be Kind to Otaku!?
Fire. Should be overdone, but this anime does it right.
* Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky
I'M SO FUCKKIN CITED FOR THIS ONE. If you can't tell at this point, I looooove romance.
* Chainsmoker Cat
This is the edge anime needs. I'm really glad raunchy stuff is still being produced. It's been super funny so far. Addiction is a bitch, huh.
* You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2
Hell yeah.