Another season brings with it another round of new anime, and you know I've been keeping up with a handful of them. Just as I did last season, I'll be writing mini-reviews of each show I watched this season. Without further ado, let's get started.
Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game Part 1
AKA: Jujutsu Kaisen: Shimetsu Kaiyuu - Zenpen
Guys, this might sound like a pretty insane hot take, but Jujutsu Kaisen is really good.
I slept on JJK for a surprisingly long time, but back at the beginning of this season I binged it all so I could follow the new season as it aired, and I'm very glad I did. JJK truly is the master of hype moments and aura, and nothing can compare to experiencing those live with the entire rest of the internet.
This goes without saying, but the animation and art direction in this season are stellar, as are the fights in general. JJK is great at using a mix of complex magic puzzles and unhinged fisticuffs to really bring the best out of its cast for each and every fight. I'm a particularly big fan of Reggie's cursed technique and how it was used in his fight against Megumi.
This season does end up feeling a bit disjointed. It pulls characters like Yuki, Choso, and Yuta into the main cast only to immediately write them out of the story for a while, and especially early in the season there's just a lot going on. We dedicate an entire episode to Maki's trauma and her vengeance on the Zen'in clan—utterly amazing episode, by the way—and then just don't see her again afterwards. All of these issues stem largely from one core issue, which is that this isn't really a full story. The name even says "part 1"; this is only a portion of the Culling Game arc, so it naturally feels a bit odd when most of it is just that arc's setup. I'm sure a lot of these elements would work a lot better in the context of the actual, full story, but as-is the pacing does feel a bit awkward.
That said, the season does do a pretty good job of tying things together in a rather satisfying way with the finale. We finally get to see Yuta, and that final fight is so incredible that it almost singlehandedly blows away any issues I might have. I also really appreciate that the series takes its time to really stay true to its artistic vision rather than trying to rush and "stay on track". We didn't need to spend half an episode watching Higuruma's struggles as a lawyer, but that sequence was handled beautifully, and it adds so much to his character. Ultimately, when saddled with the impossible task of "take half of this arc and try to make it satisfying as a standalone product", I think the team did about as good as they could.
Verdict: 9/10
Jack-of-All-Trades, Party of None
AKA: Yuusha Party wo Oidasareta Kiyoubinbou
This show is a smorgasbord of tired anime fantasy tropes. MC gets kicked out of the hero's party? Check. MC turns out to have actually been the MVP holding said party together? Check. The show abandons the premise that's literally part of its name in the first few episodes? Also check.
Kiyoubinbou follows Orhun, the support mage for the hero's party, who gets kicked out because its leader, Oliver, believes he's simply too weak for the challenges ahead (he's very wrong, obviously). This betrayal aspect of the plot is carried out in the most generic way possible, and it's difficult to take seriously. Some members of the party use "kiyoubinbou" (Jack of all trades) like it's a slur, and their healer has to explain to them how Orhun was the MVP like they're all toddlers.
Thankfully, only the first half of the season really focuses on that aspect of the plot. After getting kicked out, Orhun joins the Night Sky Silver Rabbits guild as a guest to train three promising newbies, and later joins the guild properly to become the main frontliner for its top party.
The story shows promise, but nothing in the first season is particularly good, either. It's pulled in too many directions—stuff with the hero's party, Orhun training the newbies, Orhun adventuring with his new party, the stuff going on with Amunthoth—for any of it to really go anywhere interesting. The closest the show does get is the reveal of Caroline's tragic past, which honestly feels out of place for how strong of an idea it is. The rest of Orhun's new team in particular feel half-baked as characters since we barely get to spend any time with them.
The show is primarily an action series, and I'm afraid to say the action isn't very good, either. There are some simple strategies shown off, but the fights lack any particularly interesting choreography and the animation is average at best. The show uses a mix of 2D and 3D, and while the latter isn't used as poorly here as in a certain other show this season, it still sticks out as kind of awkward. The fights also suffer form Orhun himself being so ridiculously overpowered that there's barely any room for other characters to do anything interesting.
Overall, I wouldn't say I disliked my time with Kiyoubinbou, but I wouldn't say I particularly liked it either. The show is aggressively average, filled with a ton of very generic tropes and one or two good ideas. The plot with Amunthoth does seem genuinely interesting, but we get barely any of that in this season. If the show gets a season 2, I'll watch it, but otherwise I expect to forget about this show.
As it turns out, a second season got announced while I was working on this article. Look forward to seeing me discuss this series again, I suppose.
Verdict: 6.5/10
The Demon King's Daughter Is Too Kind!!
AKA: Maou no Musume wa Yasashisugiru!!
This slice-of-life comedy follows the misadventures of Doux, the daughter of the Demon King Ahriman and the heir to his throne. Ahriman has paused his conquest of the world due to one very serious problem—his daughter is just too kind! He tasks his attendant, Jahi, with teaching Doux how to be cruel and evil. These attempts never succeed, always being subverted by Doux's overwhelming innocence and purity—which isn't helped by the fact that Ahriman is a very doting father.
Each episode is split into two or three smaller stories following Jahi's attempts to make Doux evil or having the gang meet and deal with a new wacky character. It's a simple but very charming show with plenty of fun and unique ideas.
Something it does, which I've never seen in another anime, is include an original song in every episode. All of these are childish songs sang (and, we can presume, written in-universe) by Doux. These are also quite charming, though they do lead me to wonder about the show's intended target audience. The songs are actual children's songs like you would expect to see in children's programming, but the show also deals with topics like death and slavery that definitely shouldn't be in a kids' show.
In any case, I quite enjoyed this one. It's funny and charming and the characters are fun with memorable designs. The animation isn't anything to write home about, but it's more than serviceable for what the show is. I recommend it for anyone looking for a fun, low-stakes romp.
Verdict: 8/10
Kunon the Sorcerer Can See
AKA: Majutsushi Kunon wa Mieteiru
Kunon is an interesting show in that it starts with a lot of promise, but seems to quickly lose track of which parts of its own story are actually enjoyable or interesting. The series follows the titular Kunon, a young noble who was born blind due to the generational curse of a legendary hero's bloodline. Though he starts off as an incredibly dull, listless, and depressed person, he grows into an eccentric and passionate individual when he discovers magic could be used to allow him to see and begins studying to become a sorcerer.
The story is primarily a comedy, and the dynamics between Kunon and several of the core cast members are the real heart of its charm. In particular, the way he bounces off of his maid, Iko, and his fiancee, Mirika, is very fun to watch, and I also enjoyed the gag of his magic instructor, Jenie, trying desperately to come up with lesson plans to keep her high-paying job despite Kunon almost immediately eclipsing her in magical skill. Unfortunately, the show abandons these dynamics around the halfway point—Jenie leaves after coming clean to Kunon, and soon after he embarks to a magical academy, leaving Iko and Mirika behind. Since his interactions with these three were the best part of the show, it becomes a bit aimless and generally less funny once they're gone. He has pretty good dynamics with some other characters—Rinko, Zeonly, and Reyes in particular—but losing the original three is a pretty big loss that I feel the show never properly recovers from.
Kunon achieves his goal of developing an artificial magic eye around the halfway point, and while some semblance of a long-term goal does still remain due to an odd defect in his spell, this also contributes to the latter half feeling much less focused due to Kunon not having an immediate goal. This section of the show also focuses more on the magic and action, which I feel just aren't as strong as its comedy.
Ultimately, Kunon is a decent show, but one that I feel started much better than it ended. It seems like it lost sight of its own identity as it crept closer and closer to becoming a generic power fantasy. I still enjoyed it for the most part, and I'd watch a second season.
Verdict: 7/10
Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I'll Obtain Ultimate Power
AKA: Kizoku Tensei: Megumareta Umare kara Saikyou no Chikara wo Eru
Hey, are you guys noticing a pattern in the types of shows I tend to include in these? I'd say my taste in anime is pretty good insofar as what I like, but I'm realizing my taste in what I choose to watch is pretty bad.
Noble Reincarnation is perhaps the generic isekai power fantasy most dedicated to being a generic isekai power fantasy out of any of the generic isekai power fantasies I've ever watched, and that's a shame, because it does have some surprisingly good qualities. My relationship with this show is a bit odd—I initially dropped it without even finishing the second episode, but I ended up picking it back up, watching it to completion, and enjoying it much more despite its flaws.
Why did I originally drop the show? The first episode has a scene where the MC, Thirteenth Prince Noah, bends an absurdly powerful magical artifact to his will. The second episode also has a scene where Noah bends an absurdly powerful magical artifact to his will. The same plot point was repeated two episodes in a row without any sense of self-awareness—and to make it worse, this isn't the only plot point that gets repeated. Throughout the second episode, there are two separate times where some random thugs barge onto the stage of Noah's favorite theater to try and assault his favorite singer. The second incident feels particularly egregious since the thugs have no strong reasoning for their actions, and it's frankly hard to believe an establishment frequented by a royal was so incompetent as to let its talent get assaulted for a second time. It felt to me like the world of Noble Reincarnation was arbitrarily bending itself to create situations for Noah to look impressive, and that was such a massive turn-off that I didn't even finish the second episode.
Of course, I did eventually finish the rest of the show. These problems aren't as prevalent throughout as in those first two episodes, but there are others that are omnipresent. The main two I'll highlight are the action and the glazing. First, the action—it's bad. The show doesn't have anything in the way of impressive animation or choreography. Basically every fight is "Noah slashes the bad guy once and they fall over", and these are often represented by still frames. The action is by far the show's weakest aspect, so it's really a shame that it tries so hard to create action setpieces. Second, the glazing—it's so constant and so egregious, it loops back around to being hilarious. Almost every thing Noah does—and I do mean every—is immediately met with praise by another character. It's like the writers think that viewers aren't capable of knowing something was meant to be cool, smart, or impressive unless a character points it out. I recommend pulling up the show's MyAnimeList page and reading the top review; Florida1107 describes this point much better than I could ever hope to.
This has all been pretty harsh critique so far, so let's get to the real tragedy of Noble Reincarnation—beneath all of the, uh, everything else, there's actually a very solid political drama here. The fictional Meeres empire seems to be an interesting mix of European feudalism and the Japanese emperor system. The show isn't afraid to embrace the darker realities of its worldbuilding and politics, and that leads to some genuinely good political intrigue. It's a shame the show puts so much effort into trying to be a power fantasy when the author clearly wanted to actually be writing the male-MC equivalent to Apothecary Diaries. Similar to Kunon, the show suffers from not seeming to understand which aspects of itself are actually good.
Verdict: 6/10
Frieren Season 2
AKA: Sousou no Frieren 2nd Season
Guys, this might sound like a pretty insane hot take, but Frieren is really good.
It's no doubt incredibly hard for a studio to follow up on something as incredible as Frieren's first season was, but this season manages to maintain the same level of quality. The art and animation are stunning, the vibes are immaculate, and it's a very pleasant watch for all the same reasons as the first season. I won't delude myself into thinking I can sing any praise for Frieren that my readers won't have already heard elsewhere.
The oddest thing about this season is definitely how short it is—just a paltry 10 episodes compared to the first season's mighty 28. This does create a very noticeable difference in how the season is paced. S1 started out purely episodic, had a few stretches of more plot-heavy mini-arcs inbetween, and ended off with one really big story in the first class mage exam. S2 could very well have followed the same pattern, using the golden land arc as its equivalent to the mage exam; instead, it ends right before that arc, allowing it to be its own entire season. I don't necessarily think this is a bad choice—as it is now, S2 has a nice, poignant ending in regards to the theme of finding meaning in a long, often menial journey which is aided by the final conflict being something rather mundane—but I do find it interesting that they chose not to mirror S1's pacing here. A part of me suspects that was more an economic choice than an artistic one—Frieren S1 was such a massive success that they wanted to get more of it out as soon as humanly possible.
Frieren is just such a unique and stunningly beautiful experience. Its themes are kind of a cheat code, in a way; I'd likely complain if any other series spent a whole season meandering like it has here, but that's precisely the point in the case of Frieren, and the team did a wonderful job of making every step of the journey beautiful and meaningful in its own way. I can't really think of any reason not to give it... well, you see the verdict below.
Verdict: 10/10
Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City
AKA: Okiraku Ryoushu no Tanoshii Ryouchi Bouei: Seisankei Majutsu de Na mo Naki Mura wo Saikyou no Jousai Toshi ni
This series gets my vote for 'best anime name', but that's not what we're here to review. ETDOL:PMTNVSFC is a pretty standard isekai power fantasy romp, differentiating itself from the competition with its lighthearted tone and a focus on broader military strategy and city-building as opposed to flashy one-on-one battles.
ETDOL:PMTNVSFC is pretty average when it comes to most things. It's a bit bland, but inoffensive. The characters are charming enough, the comedy's decent, and it was altogether a pleasant watch. I like Arte's development, I think that was handled rather well. I appreciate that the series seems to know how absurd it is, from the name to the premise, and doesn't take itself too seriously.
My biggest criticisms would be regarding the magic system and how it relates to the core premise. We're told production magic is considered worthless because it's already possible to make things through manual labor, but anyone can tell that's incredibly dumb and being able to magically produce equipment would be an incredible power in any circumstance. The show provides a second, alternative explanation, which is that it can only really be taken advantage of by an individual like Van with a massive mana pool, but that just comes off as a bit lame to me. I get it's meant to be a power fantasy, but we're really going with "the MC is the world's only super special boy who can turn this useless power super OP"? That same idea also seems to run contrary to the actual main theme of the show, that any skill can be worthwhile if used properly.
At the end of the day, ETDOL:PMTNVSFC is a fine show. Nothing impressive, but I wouldn't call any aspect of it particularly bad, either. It was a nice show, but I'll probably forget about it.
Verdict: 6.5/10
Isekai Office Worker: The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter
AKA: Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai
I remember thinking, while halfway through the first episode, "huh, these characters kinda have yaoi vibes". And Then They Had Gay Sex. The show follows Seiichirou, a corporate slave who gets accidentally dragged into another world when he tries to save the girl being summoned as the "Holy Maiden". The isekai kingdom offers to guarantee him a comfortable life but, knowing only the grind, he insists on working as an accountant instead. He learns, however, that being an unintended target of the summoning spell had some consequences in that he wasn't granted any resistance to magic—and magic can be found in the air and food of the new world he's in. He nearly dies of magic poisoning, but is saved by Aresh, the captain of the third royal order. Ready for the kicker? The treatment to grant him resistance to magic can only be performed via Gay Sex, and that leads the two to fall in love.
The show plays the absurd premise its romance is built off of so nonchalantly that I somehow forgot how crazy it was until I was writing this. I didn't know this series was BL going in, and that's not something I really watch to begin with, but I enjoyed my time with it. The show is exceptionally good at managing its time, and it manages to flesh out a nice chunk of simple worldbuilding, a decent cast of characters, and several interesting plots. The actual "isekai office worker" part of the show is pretty compelling; they find quite a few interesting problems to have Seiichirou tackle, and seeing him embarrass knights, royals, and bishops with Facts, Logic, and Math is pretty satisfying.
I'm not as sold on the romance at the heart of this show. Part of that is how incredibly nonchalant both of them are about the frequent sex before either of them seem to have any real feelings, and part of that is I don't feel like they really had much chemistry until the last few episodes. I did come around to it by the end, but I feel the romance is definitely the weaker portion of the show. The early episodes also repeat the same plot beats of the romance several times. There's only so many times Seiichirou can get grievously sick and be healed via gay sex, or so many times he can overwork himself half to death and be reprimanded by Aresh, before those beats start to get stale.
Another thing I found a bit odd is the extended cast. There are a few other characters, like Ist and Siegvold, that the show seems to try and set up as if they're romantic rivals to Aresh. This ends up just feeling kind of stilted, since the romance develops so quickly and those characters are introduced relatively late into the series, at points where they very clearly stand no chance.
This show certainly wasn't what I expected going in, but I think it's pretty good overall. I enjoy Seicchirou's character, I like the development of Yua (the Holy Maiden), I like the politics at play, and the worldbuilding we're given, while simple, is effective. I have no major complaints beyond the early steps of the romance—the series more or less achieves everything it sets out to do—but I do feel the series could have been a little more ambitious.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Roll Over and Die
AKA: "Omae Gotoki ga Maou ni Kateru to Omouna" to Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou sareta node, Outo de Kimama ni Kurashitai
Roll Over and Die follows the story of Flum Apricot, a girl who is strangely selected to be a member of the party of heroes despite having zero combat ability whatsoever. She's betrayed by a member of the party, Jean, who goes on a power trip and sells her into slavery while lying to the others that she merely left the party. On the verge of death, she discovers that her seemingly useless skill, Reversal, turns curses into buffs instead; using the cursed sword that her purchaser tried to torture her with, she kills him, reclaims her freedom, saves fellow slave Milkit, and begins a new life as a small-time adventurer.
ROaD is a surprisingly grounded and gritty series, filled with body horror and gore, and it puts its protagonist through some serious pain. That makes it all the more interesting and impressive that the story is one of finding peace and happiness even in painful circumstances, one focused on the importance of love and family rather than violence and revenge. You would naturally expect a gritty show with a betrayal premise like this to be all about Flum seeking revenge on Jean, but she doesn't actually care about him that much; she's much more invested in building a happy life with Milkit and her other new friends, and I think that makes for a very poignant story.
The show is very good at accomplishing a lot with very little. The fights are well-handled and interesting even without tons of flashy magic or skills, the character arcs are simple but well fleshed-out, and even the main antagonist of the season is just some crook who ends up particularly obsessed with Flum. It does have an interesting quirk in that a narrator will often pop in to explain the finer details of whatever emotional beat is occurring, as though the narration of the original novel is being directly carried into the anime. This is something I've not seen used so brazenly in any other series and that I could absolutely understand some viewers being turned off by, but I personally didn't mind how it was used.
The ending of the season also comes off a little convenient. The show goes out of its way to paint an incredibly bleak picture of most of the cast dying, only to then reveal via a series of rapid flashbacks in the finale how almost everyone actually got away fine. I can understand why it was done this way—the season's happy ending relies on this information making its way to Flum, and it'd be awkward to end off without revealing that everyone's alive; on the other hand, Flum's absolute low-point in the previous episode relies on her falsely believing she's lost everything—but I do think it would've been better if we didn't receive all of this info all at once.
All in all, Roll Over and Die was shockingly enjoyable for me. It far surpassed my expectations, and while it's a pretty simple production, I thoroughly enjoyed everything it had to offer.
Verdict: 8.5/10
An Adventurer's Daily Grind at Age 29
AKA: 29-sai Dokushin Chuuken Boukensha no Nichijou
This is an interesting show. The title makes it sound like a pretty generic isekai/litRPG premise, but it's actually much more akin to a classic fantasy story. It follows Hajime, the resident adventurer in a small village who discovers an orphan girl, Rirui, in the dungeon and saves her life. He ends up adopting her and training her to be a proper adventurer; hijinx ensue.
Most of the series is episodic in nature. There is a continuity at play, but most of the individual adventures are more or less self-contained. The story remains small in scope and generally evokes the vibe of a feel-good morning cartoon. Rirui and Hajime's dynamic is charming, and there are some neat ideas in the worldbuilding and even a few moments of particularly great animation. It's certainly not the sort of show that's ever going to blow you away, but it meets a bar of consistent quality. There's also a lot of heart in the (albeit straightforward) lessons it teaches, and the ending with the entire village banding together to protect Rirui despite her presence endangering them is really great.
If I were to present one main critique, it's that Hajime is a pretty big sleazeball. I actually think this aspect of his character is mostly handled pretty decently—the protagonist having such a clear-cut flaw is fitting for the sort of grounded story being told, and the show never tries to pretend he's in the right for acting the way he does. There is one particular comment he makes towards Rirui and Anya in an early episode which felt really odd to me, though, almost to the degree of character assassination for the sake of a poor joke. That one instance aside, his relationship with Rirui is purely wholesome and has a lot of heart to it.
This is a simple show, but it does a good job at everything it tries to do. It's a fun, feel-good romp, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it.
Verdict: 8/10
Sentenced to Be a Hero
AKA: Yuusha-kei ni Shosu: Choubatsu Yuusha 9004-tai Keimu Kiroku
I was utterly enchanted by the first episode of Sentenced to Be a Hero. The hour-long special is full of stunning art and animation and did an amazing job at pulling me into the setting and its rather interesting premise—the idea of a 'Hero' being a punishment, one reserved for only the world's most heinous criminals. The ending of that first episode is also particularly poignant.
The series follows Xylo Forbartz, a former holy knight who was made a hero for allegedly killing a goddess—one of a number of living superweapons desperate for praise and approval. He ends up meeting another goddess, Teoritta, who insists on him becoming her knight as they work together to fend off the Demon Blight. The rest of the series has Xylo gradually regrouping with the rest of the penal hero unit while facing demon hordes and uncovering a conspiracy of coexisters—traitors to humanity who have sided with the Demon Blight.
After the incredible first episode, the next half of the season is a bit slow, in my opinion. I appreciate that it takes its time building up its cast and the world, but the conflicts in these episodes end up feeling a bit repetitive. This comes primarily down to the show's biggest flaw—the fight choreography. StBH is beautifully animated all the time, but in most fights, that animation is almost exclusively used to show Xylo throwing an explosive dagger at his problems. Almost every encounter is solved this way, and it's pretty disappointing when every other aspect of the show is so incredible. The second half of the season massively improves both the wider strategy of the fights and the choreography, thankfully.
Aside from that one issue, StBH is deeply compelling, and the anime already managed to course-correct its biggest problem in the latter half of the first season. I'll be eagerly awaiting the second, so look forward to a follow-up then. I definitely recommend this one.
Verdict: 8/10
Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing
AKA: Hell Mode: Yarikomizuki no Gamer wa Hai Settei no Isekai de Musou suru
Hell Mode is a progression fantasy isekai following Allen, a hardcore gamer who, in seeking out a new game to truly challenge him, encounters an ad for a tortuously difficult game. When he accepts, he finds himself reincarnated as an infant in a fantasy world with the summoner class.
Out of all the progfantasy I've watched and read, Hell Mode is probably the one where I was the single most invested in the actual progression element. These sorts of stories tend to bombard you with tons of stats and skills that ultimately end up meaning little; Hell Mode understands that less is more, feeding you smaller portions of info at a time and giving Allen a small and thematically consistent moveset. His abilities and the strategies he follows actually follow the logic of real MMORPGs, which is surprisingly quite rare in a genre that's largely inspired by such games.
The biggest issue of this show is the animation—in particular, the horrendously bad 3D CGI used for the summons and monsters. There are a few disparate cuts of 2D animation that look quite good, but the 3D in this show is... unsalvageable. The summons are incredibly derpy, many of them looking like an art student's first Blender project, and they stand out terribly from the world around them. They look like they're made of Play-Doh. The monsters are designed and animated better, but they still stick out a lot, and 'better' does not necessarily imply 'good'.
Despite this issue, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the series. It has some decent heart with how Allen comes to realize his love for his new family and starts putting them and others before his progression goals, and the deeper plot revealed in the final episode is also quite interesting. A second season has already been announced, and if it fixes the CG, it should be an absolute banger. I'll check in with you then to see if that winds up being true or not.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Kaya-chan Isn't Scary
AKA: Kaya-chan wa Kowakunai
Kaya-chan Isn't Scary is a truly unique show and a breath of fresh air. It follows Kaya, a preschooler and extremely powerful psychic, and one of her preschool teachers, Chie. Kaya is dislike by her classmates for coming off as an aloof bully, but after a direct encounter with a ghost, Chie realizes that Kaya is actually constantly saving those around her from the occult.
The show starts out episodic with some simple ghost stories, though there are some genuinely compelling shorts mixed in. Several of the stories act as both a story and a sort of PSA for taking care of young children and the sorts of experiences they can have when they encounter something scary. In particular, my favorites are the stories where the "ghost" turns out to be something real and traumatic which the kids are misinterpreting as a ghost. In the second episode, both Kaya and a classmate are able to see the ghost of an old woman in a window, but that turns out to actually be a woman who committed suicide and whose body was visible from outside. These never feel like a cop-out, and it mixes things up very well. There's an interesting message to be had about how real dangers can be just as scary as the supernatural.
Around halfway through the season, things become less episodic and more serialized. The main plot reveals the true nature of Kaya's powers and her family. I won't spoil those twists here, as the story is quite gripping and definitely worth a watch.
If I were to give one criticism of the show, its monster designs feel very samey. Most of the ghosts are just misshapen humanoids with stereotypically "scary" proportions. The action is also quite simple, though it's a very minor aspect of the show so I can give it a pass there. Overall, I do recommend it.
Verdict: 8.5/10
Fate/strange Fake
Ahh, good ol' Fate. It's been quite a while since I've watched one of these, and I can sort of tell that I'm missing some context from other Fate series; I'll need to go through and catch up on all the ones I missed at some point. Thankfully, that context isn't strictly necessary to enjoy this installment—like most Fate series, it functions as a standalone story. That said, the basic ideas behind Fate as a series aren't directly explained in this one, and it adheres to those ideas the least of any Fate I've watched, so you'd best watch Fate/stay night first if you aren't familiar with the franchise.
Something I remarked on early on in this season was how this season seemed to be jam-packed with concepts that put a new spin on Fate's basic components. Almost every character or aspect of the plot toys with the rules of the Holy Grail War. Any one of them could have functioned as the defining gimmick of a whole season, but they stuck, like, twenty of them into this one. What if a Master summoned themself as a Servant? What if an animal was a Master? What if multiple Holy Grail Wars happened at the same time in the same place? The depth of this plot and just how much is going on is frankly absurd.
As is always the case with Fate, this season is full of stunning animation and incredible moments, though this one did feel a bit odd to me. There are some spots of lesser quality—all the interactions with Cerberus felt a bit awkward—but what I mainly mean is the progression of the plot. Most of this season felt like setup for the larger events of the dual Holy Grail War, and the season ends without any of what it set up reaching a conclusion. I have to assume a sequel is on the way, otherwise this one is left in an incredibly odd spot. What is here was a fun ride.
It's very interesting to me that three different big name series—Fate, Frieren, and JJK—all dropped a season this season that seems to just sort of stop in an awkward spot. I'd have three nickels!
Verdict: 8/10
'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess Season 2
AKA: Himesama "Goumon" no Jikan desu 2nd Season
TTTP is a comedy which follows the no-name-given Princess and commander of the Imperial Army's Third Legion, a fearless and unmatched warrior heroine who gets captured by the Hellhorde and tortured by the demons in an attempt to get her to spill imperial secrets. If that sounds grim, it really isn't. Her condition is very favorable and she's usually allowed to roam freely, she's friends with all her torturers, and the torture in question is things like being bribed with tasty food.
The show doesn't take itself seriously at all, going all-in on the absurdity of its premise. Despite that, the actual heart and message of the show seems to be about finding joy in the simple things in life, which makes for an odd but surprisingly compelling juxtaposition.
The show's biggest flaw is the repetitive nature of its basic formula. Each episode is split into several mini-episodes, and the bulk of them follow the pattern of "someone arrives at Princess's cell" → "they reveal the focus of their torture (usually food)" → "she insists she won't break" → "they add a second layer to the torture and she immediately folds". This gets very repetitive very quickly; it's not as bad watching weekly, but this is certainly a poor show for binging. Season 2 also does a better job at mixing things up than the first season did, but this issue is still prevalent.
While I find the standard formula to be so-so, the episodes that mix things up are great. The show is absolutley at its best when it commits to a Nichijou-esque "characters treating an everyday situation with absurd gravitas" routine. In particular, the Demon Lord is comedy gold every time he gets focus. I absolutely adore the running bit of him just being a good-natured family man, and how he refuses to act on most of the secrets his torturers get out of the Princess for silly reasons like "We can't attack on that day, my favorite anime is airing" or "Exploiting that weakness in their defenses would be kind of unfair, wouldn't it?"
This show's lows are a bit dull and repetitive, but the highs are really high. The art and animation are consistently good. I enjoyed it overall, though I do wish the author committed more to their clear strengths in absurd slice-of-life comedy as opposed to putting so much focus on the series's core formula.
Verdict: 7.5/10
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Season 2
AKA: Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals 2nd Season
Vigilantes is the MHA spinoff that follows Koichi, a college failboy who dreamed of being a hero but never got the chance—until he ended up beocming a friendly neighborhood vigilante. Donning the secret identity 'The Crawler', he does his best to help out while a sinister plot to forcefully transform civilians into rampaging villains unfolds, headed by the mysterious Number 6.
This season suffers a lot from being very scatterbrained. The audience's attention is split between Pop's activities as an idol, the running character development of Captain Celebrity, Koichi's vigilante work, and heroes and the cops' attempts to track down and capture Number 6. These plots frequently intercept, but function independently of one another. That alone wouldn't be too bad, but halfway through the season, it dedicates several episodes in a row to Aizawa's backstory. That was a fun section, but it really had nothing to do with the overarching plot of the season. It felt like fanservice taking center stage before the actual story.
This issue can also be seen in how the final confrontation with the villain is, as was the case in the last season, handled solely by Knuckleduster, who is otherwise absent for most of this season. It was a great fight, and the reveals regarding Knuckleduster's identity were interesting, but it feels a bit bad to have the series' climax be separated form most of its cast like this. Kaniyashiki is another victim of this. The show introduces her and seems to be gearing up for her to be a major character, but she doesn't end up getting to do much.
The show also struggles a bit with maintaining the proper degree of tension. This is a side story that takes place before the events of MHA's main story; due to that, the story can't have anything too major going on that would have had significant implications on the main story, but the author can't seem to help but include a major conspiracy. The terrorist attack on the sky egg at the end of the season feels like it's really toeing that line of "this seems too major to have never been brought up", though that is eased somewhat by seeing how easily All Might cleans up the problem.
That was a lot of bad, so let's go over a bit of good. The overall quality of the production itself is quite consistently good, as is to be expected of anything with the MHA name on it. There are a handful of good fights here, and I particularly like how Number 6's quirk is handled. He's a compelling villain, but not one that gets enough spotlight, I feel. As described before, he never even interacts with the main protagonist. I also really enjoyed Captain Celebrity's arc. He's a good character study, and I like the confidence with which the story presents such an obviously, deeply flawed man and shows even he can still be a proper hero. It feels like a much better execution of Endeavor's arc in the original MHA, aided by the fact that CC's crimes are much, much less severe than Enji's.
Overall, Vigilantes season 2 didn't wow me, but I did find it an enjoyable watch nonetheless. The plot felt much more scatterbrained than the first season's or the main story's, but each of the individual parts were all decently good. I can only assume there'll be a third season, so here's hoping that one can remain a bit more focused and tight-knit.
Verdict: 7/10
Conclusion
That brings us to the end of this season's review! I mentioned this in one of the above sections, but I'm noticing a bit of a pattern when it comes to the shows I pick up. I think I'll make a goal for spring to watch a wider variety of genres and feed less of my time into the isekai slop machine.
There'll definitely still be a lot of isekai slop in my spring list. I'm sorry. It's a guilty pleasure. I can't help myself.
There were quite a few gems this season, though I did notice an odd trend of big-name series just sort of stopping in awkward spots. I'm very eager to see the continuations of JJK, Frieren, and Fate/strange Fake in the coming years. A lot of the other shows I watched this season, good and bad, also had season 2s announced as they concluded, so there's a lot to look forward to in the future.
Here's a tier list of everything. I tossed this all together at the end and considered my own feelings a bit more strongly than my objective analyses, so the placements might not 100% line up with the scores I gave each show. Thanks for reading, and see you next season!
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