New Monday, new week, new season of anime. It’s time for fresh beginnings! The very first summer shows have already aired, but the bulk of them are starting over the course of this week. Also happening this week, where I am from, it is a holiday (July 4th in the US). So, if you are like me and will be out on the beach a lot this week, then here’s to us, enjoying an irl beach episode.
In any case, please use this thread for all your anime discussion needs. I want to hear what your thoughts on the new batch of shows are. Thanks in advance for letting me know what to watch vs. skip when I get back from vacation!
As always, remember to be mindful of spoilers. If you want to know more about how to handle spoilers in this community, check the guide here (also linked in the sidebar).
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So, I usually try to quickly binge a show in the slow week between seasons. I had been planning for that show this season to be Patlabor. However, with the discussions around the upcoming summer season, I kept seeing people talking about Tower of God. When the show first came out, it didn’t really pique my interest and I pretty successfully just ignored it.
However, for the sake of community involvement, I thought it would be fun to quickly get caught up to try to be active in the threads this upcoming season. So, I started watching it the other day…and then just didn’t stop…at all…until I finished it. I went back and tried to capture the thoughts that were running through my head as I was watching. So, spoilers galore below the tags. Suffice to say, I will be right there with everybody when season 2 airs. Not sure how I will handle waiting week to week though.
Episode 1
What the hell is going on? Where are we? Who are these people? Why in the Hunger Games are there this many people (creatures?) fighting each other? Lots of unanswered questions here. I feel like I was just thrown into the ocean having never been taught how to swim.
Episodes 2-5 (through the Crown Game)
We seem to be putting together a main cast during this game. Also, Rachel is back, and she is in her hooded phase. I still can’t claim to have much of an understanding of this world we are in or most of the characters in it. I will say that one of my favorites almost immediately is Lero-Ro because it is so instantly recognizable as the voice of Shiki from Tsukimichi.
Episodes 6-7 (training)
Lots of lore on the tower and the characters during this training period. Also, some shady stuff happening with the test administrators. It is pretty clear already that this is the type of show where everybody is always acting with an agenda of some type or another. Any character might just be acting out a scheme and no character is safe (I should have suspected something like episode 12 at this point).
Episodes 8-9 (Playing tag)
Schemes upon schemes upon schemes. Turns out Khun is one of the better schemers out there. Also, metagaming is totally a thing through the use of stuff like that note. Some battles might be won before they are ever fought. All the betraying and (literal) backstabbing in this sequence should have been more hints at what was to come.
Episodes 10-12 (Underwater Hunt)
I literally, physically gasped at the conclusion of episode 12. For whatever reason, bingeing through this season at a breakneck pace, I never stopped to consider the possibility that Rachel was anything other than what Yoru had presented to us. I happened to watch this episode right before bed as well, so I was forced to sit with it and ponder it for a whole day before I could watch the finale. Rachel’s turn in this episode really, really makes me want to know more about Yoru and Rachel, about their time before the tower and before each other.
Episode 13 (Finale)
The way this season ends makes it feel like the story up until now was really the prologue to the actual meat of the story. I still think that there has not been enough establishment of the setting overall, but the show is cool enough that it doesn’t bother me too much.
If you think about this season as a prologue, then there is still a lot of story left to tell in which those gaps can be filled in over time. You get the sense also, that sometimes it just doesn’t matter. The Tower is a place where rule of cool wins…always. Screw your rules, power systems, logic, schemes, none of that matters unless you do it in a cool enough and interesting enough way.
Also, totally digging the new rurouni-version of Lero-Ro. Safe travels!
Overall, I can’t say that it is one of the best shows I have ever seen. However, it was certainly gripping and can’t help but ooze a cool vibe between its animation, characters, and the fantastic OST. Very much looking forward to the discussions coming this season.
Here are my thoughts on some series I have watched recently.
Kaiju no. 8
This is the third anime of the season that I’ve completed (the other two being Konosuba and Dungeon Meshi). I’m surprised that I did not drop it before the end, given that it is quite a brainless battle shonen. I guess it helped that I cheated by skipping over the boring and filler scenes, and by turning my brain off for the rest of them.
I love the soundtracks though, especially the insert song Never Break Down which played during the climax.
Good enough to get a 5 / 10 from me.
Solo Leveling
I was planning to ignore this series based on its synopsis and its genres + tags. I decided to give it a go now because of its high rating, and because friends assured me its not battle shonen.
Big mistake, because it’s way worse than any generic battle shonen. This series screams wish fulfillment.
I can see how people who are not doing well in their lives can easily project themself onto the protagonist. Like, you are suffering because you drew the short end of the stick and life, and others look down on you. Then you got your big break in life, and yadda yadda yadda.
What takes the cake was
Solo Leveling
the rant he made before dying. That was peak loser behaviour.
It was so frustrating to watch that even skipping scenes and turning my brain off doesn’t help, and eventually I dropped it at episode 5.
I’m giving it a 2 / 10. Its only saving grace is that it serves to elevate the top-tier series that I have watched earlier: Odd Taxi, Violet Evergarden, Heavenly Delusion, and 86.
Mob Psycho 100 (season 1, 2 and OVA)
I decided to try it out since I’ve heard good things about it. Once I started watching it, some of its art style and humor seemed familiar to me. When I checked, sure enough, the author is also the one who wrote One Punch Man.
It feels like a mix of One Punch Man and Saiki K, combining Saiki Kusuo’s psychic powers and desire to be low-key with the flashy battles plus humor of One Punch Man. It’s good, but I don’t find it as funny as either of them though.
I’m still planning to watch season 3.
On average, it’s getting a score of 7.5 / 10 from me - for now.
A lot of irl stuff happened to me this past season (beyond just breaking my hand, which is now basically recovered) and I sort of fell off of the seasonal anime train at some point, oops! Anyway, fresh start with the new season, let’s go!
My friends and I did manage to keep up with the shows we decided to watch together, and they were all outstanding (light spoilers for all of them)
Dungeon Meshi
Absolutely stunning start to finish and we’re all eagerly awaiting the next season. I am thrilled that at the very end they managed to finally tie the monster-eating and sister-saving sides of the story together in a way that makes sense even though it’s weird as hell, lol. 10/10
Tonari no Yokai-san
It took a while to build up, but holy shit did it hit hard when it got to its climax. We were all sort of shocked at how dark the last arc got but the ending was soooo satisfying. 9/10
I tried looking it up and it seems there’s not even a fan translation of the manga T_T
Wind Breaker
Quite a bit rockier in its pacing than I would have liked, but still very fun. I love all these weirdos and want nothing but the best for them. Ultimately this sort of story is more about the journey than the destination, so I don’t even really care that it ended 1-2 episodes into a new plot arc, lol. 8/10
I’ve also started watching Odd Taxi, which I bounced off of when it aired (mostly due to the extended sequences of the comedy duo on the radio) but have heard nothing but good things about since. So far it’s a little slow but I’m putting my faith in the good reviews.
Odd Taxi
As with any mystery series, do watch it till the end for the payoff / reveal.
Weekly ranking roundup:
- Anime Corner - Full Results - Weekly Winner: Kaiju No. 8
- Reddit Karma - Weekly Winner: Mushoku Tensei
Credit to /u/Abysswatcherbel for making the chart for reddit karma.
In the final week of the year, Kaiju and Demon Slayer made some gains on the charts. As the new shows pop up on the charts this coming week, it will be interesting to see how things shake out.
Been a very light season for me. Tons of IRL commitments, little viewing. I’ll have a lot to catch up on eventually!
Watched all of:
- Mushoku Tensei S2C2 - Excellent adaptation. Really love how well it’s coming together.
- X-men ‘97 - Ya, not really anime, but I was excited about it. It peaked mid-season for me. Still good and worth watching, especially if you have nostalgia for the OG series.
Watched part of:
- I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince… - Most of the way through. Surprisingly good. It’s got some problematic content (way too much fan service for me, weird pedo-like obsession, etc) but the rest is very well done, so I’m overlooking those. The first few episodes are just unhinged and wild in a really fun way. Lloyd is a hilarious MC. Definitely plan to finish.
- Cyberpunk Edgerunners - About halfway. Really good. Not my typical interest, still enjoying a lot. Definitely plan to finish.
- Chillin’ in Another World… - A few episodes in. Fun and light. Enjoying more than expected. Probably finish.
- Spice and Wolf Remake - Only watched a bit. Interesting but hasn’t grabbed me yet. Probably watch a few more.
- Jellyfish Can’t Swim At Night - Good but haven’t been in the mood for this style lately. Probably watch a few more.
- Ojisaan to Obasaan - Yea, tried one episode. Not for me.
- Bartender of the Gods - Tried a bit. It’s okay. Probably pass.
Catch-up efforts:
- Konosuba S1 - Finished this season. It’s good but it’s kind of a lot. Probably try more S2 eventually.
- Slime-san S2 - Finally got over the hurdle of those meeting episodes and the rest was good. Didn’t realize quite how much catch up there is!
- Date A Live S1 - Tried the first bit because it was ranking so highly on Anime Corner. I dunno, I didn’t love the beginning. Maybe not for me.
Stuff to definitely watch later:
- Dungeon Meshi S1C2 - Must watch.
- Yuru Camp S3 - Must watch.
Interested in trying:
- Kaiju No 8
- Go Go Loser Ranger
Eventual catch-up:
- Konosuba S3
- Demon Slayer S?
- MHA S?
