Pascoite gets bored and reviews anime, the currently in process stuff redux · 1:32am May 15th
Man, has it actually been a year and a half since I last did one of these? And some things from back then are still on this list D: Well, let's get to it, in the same categories as before.
I'm a little short of enough to do another regular blog. 4 eps to go of a series that will almost certainly get a feature, plus another I've been holding that may warrant a solo feature just for all there is to talk about with it. It had numerous seasons and several movies, and all I need to finish is one final short movie, then I've got another feature. But I like it so much I don't want it to be over. 
Things I'm watching as they come out new:
Attack on Titan. We are currently in the third year of "the final season." And the final part of the final season has been in larger chunks. I'd been watching it on Toonami up until now, so waiting for them to get the rest of it.
Delicious in Dungeon. This one seems to know just when it's starting to stagnate and throws something new at you.
Mysterious Disappearances. Promising concept that hasn't delivered on it much yet.
Oblivion Battery. Baseball + MAPPA = I will watch it, but it's not much better than average so far.
Train to the End of the World. Very good, but kind of one-note, at least until the most recent encounter threw in a more humorous/sympathetic note just when it needed one.
Astro Note. Fairly disappointing, but if nothing else, I like the mixture of visual styles, and the background characters are more interesting than the leads.
Girls Band Cry. Imagine RWBY but it's about music. That's pretty much your lot.
The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio. I wish they'd drawn the most recent conflict out more. It was the only non-cliched thing going on, but it was resolved in a really pat way.
The Fable. I was getting really bored with this until Fable's coworker suddenly had several red flags go up about her. Maybe it'll get interesting.
Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night. Odd angle on a girl band, in that only one of them is a legit musician. I hope they keep coming back to the artist's self-doubt, because that's been the most compelling thread.
Unnamed Memory. I like the idea, but it's been hovering around the edges of an actual plot. Too vague for its own good, and people don't seem to care much about questionable loyalties.
A Condition Called Love. May be one of the better "trying to figure out what love means to me" plots I've seen in a while, but more slice of life than anything.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger! The conspiracies are starting to run deep, which is saving this from being utterly predictable. Plus the couple of female co-conspirators really come across as quietly dangerous more so than any character since Chainsaw Man's Makima. I hope they can deliver.
Whisper Me a Love Song is sweet but rather by-the-numbers. It'll probably end up being an average romance.
Spice & Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf. (At first I had a typo of Wilf, which... well, that's not wrong.) I like this as much as the original, because it is exactly the original, making me wonder what the point of remaking it is. I'm waiting on there being a Fullmetal Alchemist-style diverging point but kind of doubt there will be.
Bartender: Glass of God. And picking that back up, this one also started out almost exactly like the original it's based on, but it had a side story going, and that's taken over since the 3rd ep, so it's something new now. More focused on the characters than the technicalities of bartending, but still light on plot.
Yuru Camp. S3 is going, and I wonder if it'll be the last. It's interesting just learning about attractions around Japan.
Tonbo! Eh, it's okay. Tonbo herself is adorable, but in what's a 
these days, the dub is pretty low quality. I started that because it's simulcast, but the one subbed ep I saw was notably better.
Next category: completed shows I'm watching at my own pace.
Kino's Journey. Nice slice of life that's darkly ironic. Almost done with it.
The Legend of Vox Machina. I haven't watched S2 yet, though there's apparently a kickstarter to fund a S3.
ef: A Tale of Melodies. Odd series based on a game.
Aria: The Animation. Still have an anniversary project movie to watch.
Third: shows I'm caught up on, but they haven't finished, so I'm waiting for more material to come out.
RWBY. Well, with what's happened to Rooster Teeth, who knows if it'll ever continue, though they have professed a willingness to sell any of their properties to anyone who wants to. Like last time, I still haven't started on Ice Queendom.
My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, as I Expected. I already reviewed this one, but as of then, they had not released the last season on DVD, which was supposed to contain another OVA. Not sure if that ever happened, but I still haven't seen the 3rd OVA.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. The Stone Ocean arc finished a while back, and it's likely to be a long wait for the next arc, which is a reboot anyway.
Black Clover. When S4 ended, I thought they said they'd put out a movie to conclude it, which... there was a movie, but without a strong resolution, and then I saw an announcement there'd be a S5, so... still waiting, I guess. The strategy aspect is good, but otherwise just an okay show.
Dr. Stone. This has been good, but the latest plot point really has me scratching my head. Developing the technologies they have has been fine, but they're still largely a century behind modern times, and now they want to try spaceflight? The science had been strong on plausibility, but this is stretching things. Waiting on S4.
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. Seems like they're taking longer than normal to put out a new season. Plus they're way behind on the originally announced schedule for specials. Waiting on S6 and special #4.
Reincarnated as a Sword. Heavy on exposition a lot of the time, but the protagonist is easy to root for. S1 ended explicitly saying there'd be a S2.
The Rising of the Shield Hero. S2 was a convoluted mess, and S3 didn't untie the knot much. Waiting on S4.
Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War. Was a double-length S1. Now waiting on S2.
Chainsaw Man. Waiting on S2, though got spoiled somewhat on where the manga goes. Like Jujutsu Kaisen, don't get attached to the characters, because it's generally not a character-driven show, even though it deceptively seems like it'll be. Any one of them could go at any time. Speaking of which...
Jujutsu Kaisen. Waiting on S3. It's even more deceptive, making it seem like certain characters will be important, only to throw them away.
Trigun Stampede. Definitely didn't live up to the original, but good enough if you squint at it. S1 ended on a dumb (imo) teaser. Waiting on S2.
One Punch Man announced S3 some time back, but still nothing concrete as to schedule, though I'm reasonably sure it'll happen.
Dorohedoro. Already reviewed it, as I gave up on waiting, but a second season was announced not long ago.
Shenmue: The Animation. Toonami original that aired a little while back. Meh, but I started it, so I'll probably finish it. Same status as the last one of these blogs.
Made in Abyss. Waiting on S3. It's good, but it also won't let you be happy, and it does a lot of tasteless things.
Dark Gathering. Waiting on S2, though I'm not sure one's been explicitly announced as yet. One of the better horror shows in recent memory.
My Happy Marriage. This hit a little close to home with wifey on how her family treated her, and we're both eagerly awaiting S2. Despite being a simulcast, they still haven't dubbed the special that came out a few months ago. S2 scheduled for this fall.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead. Started out strong but didn't keep it up. S1 ended in a dumb way that could also be a weak conclusion, so waiting to see if there'll be more.
The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion. Pretty good, and the potential for a duo of intriguing mystery plot threads, though it's only followed one so far. Waiting on S2, though none explicitly announced yet.
Heavenly Delusion. Waiting on S2, but nothing announced yet. I liked the start of S1 better than the finish, but there's an interesting identity question going. I just wish an anime would occasionally let one of these smaller-scale mysteries dwell on its own merits instead of inevitably leading to a large-scale conspiracy. Overblown drama does not always equal better plot.
Hell's Paradise. There does seem to be a definite S2 going. Cool horror/adventure that brought in some squick factor late.
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. Wonderful show. I haven't seen a definite announcement of S2, but iirc the S1 finale did a "to be continued" or some such. They'd be nuts not to, with how popular it was.
Shy. Bit of a different take on the superhero genre, but it's a little indecisive about what it wants the focus to be. S2 due out in July. I'm a little surprised that the audience rating is average at best. I thought it was pretty good.
Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions. Ended with a "to be continued," so there should be more. Kind of a Sherlock Holmes thing, but presented in a way that you're invited to solve the mystery. Difficulty level of that is just about right for me.
Undead Unluck. S2 heavily implied by the S1 finale saying it was the end of an arc. Some fridge squick factor to this.
Scavengers Reign. The pilot was great, but I didn't realize it was a pilot and reviewed it as a short. Then a series came out a while later. It had its moments but waffles about having an actual plot. Seems like there'll be another season.
The Apothecary Diaries. S2 announced for sometime next year. This didn't seem to be on a lot of radar screens at first and even had a middling audience rating, but it became a surprise hit as the season went on. Strong character-driven mystery series.
The Witch and the Beast. S1 cliffhanger begs more story, but nothing definite has been announced. I have really mixed feelings about this. It spent most of the season needlessly hiding its characters' back stories, went on what so far is a pointless tangent for 2 eps, and ended on something smelling of multiverse shenanigans. The same studio badly botched a show with an almost identical premise the previous season, so I have my doubts.
Sengoku Youko. The announced run was 37 eps, but after ep 13 ended with a statement that it concluded an arc, nothing new has come out in the month since.
Bai Yao Pu. For all that the titular book (Fairies Album) has barely gotten a mention, let alone being a plot point, this is still a pretty good mystery plot. Waiting on S5.
Kimi no Todoke. Had this ready to be a feature, but after a very long hiatus, they coincidentally (and just in the nick of time) announced there'd be a S3 this year.
Mononoke. Just as coincidentally, I watched this recently only to see that after 17 years, they're adding a movie this July. Funky avant-garde horror series.
Theater of Darkness. Okay horror anthology series that's been going a long time. Waiting on S13, which seems likely, but it hasn't been confirmed.
Invincible is apparently on its second hiatus of this season alone.
Dropkick on My Devil. The kickstarter for a S4 looks like it may well happen. Not a show with an overall plot, so not that it matters much.
Princess Principal: Crown Handler. They'd announced a schedule of posting a movie every couple months to finish the series it's based on, but have only managed to do about 1 a year.
The Ancient Magus Bride. S1 came to a pretty strong conclusion, so I was kind of surprised to see them do another season. This one definitely leaves it open for a continuation, so waiting on S3, though nothing official yet.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. Yeah, but keep in mind that in Japanese, "toilet" more refers to the bathroom as a whole than that specific fixture, and that there's lots of lore about ghosts who haunt bathrooms. Strong indications there will be a S2.
Fourth: ones I had been caught up on, but new stuff has started, maybe not even recently.
My Hero Academia. Are there two going on right now? I've seen eps for S7 come out, but also something called "Memories." Waiting for Toonami to get this, and they likely will, since they showed all the previous seasons.
Demon Slayer just started the Hashira Training arc a couple days ago. I've watched the dub so far, so waiting for that to start.
The Dangers in My Heart. S2 is finished, but I watched the dub of S1, and they're taking a long time to dub S2.
Tokyo Revengers. I'd been watching the dub. The S3 sub finished back in the fall, but still no dub of it, and it's taking longer than previous seasons.
Hilda. The final season has been out for a while now, but I haven't gotten the family together to watch it yet.
Harley Quinn. Still need to watch S4.
Establishment in Life. Series was okay, but they were supposed to make a movie as well, though in a different continuity. MyAnimeList says it came out back in January, but I haven't found it anywhere yet.
Lastly, ones I've exhausted my supply of, and maybe they don't come to any sort of conclusion, but it's ambiguous whether they're going to continue. I'm still holding out hope.
Fire Force. S2 finished 4 years ago. MyAnimeList recently created a page for S3, but without any info about it. Still, they seem to be reliable, so maybe there'll finally be a S3? Rumors are that it'll be a different studio.
Uncle from Another World seemed to imply more story, and there are rumors of a S2, but nothing definite.
The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting. Definitely did not come to a conclusion, but it's been a while, and nothing about it continuing.
Tomodachi Game. Left on a cliffhanger, but 2 years later, no peep about there being a S2.
The Executioner and Her Way of Life. The story's not over, but it may not have the popularity it needed to secure a S2. I hope it does, as it was a cool angle on a tired isekai genre.
Talentless Nana. Like the last one of these blogs, still waiting on a S2. I'd given up, only to hear about a supposed announcement that the studio said they'd continue it after clearing a couple of other projects first, but that didn't seem to be officially confirmed, and nothing since then.
Gwain Saga. Also nothing since the last time, and at this point, I'm about ready to call it dead.
Otherside Picnic. Interesting creepy series, and there were some supposed leaks about what plot direction S2 would take, but it's been 3 years with no official announcement.
So, what are you watching?
So much anime to talk about, but,
Which you might've read the Isekai chapter for (not sure) does get a lot better, and I can't wait to see how the anime adapts the Light Novels.
5780670
Ooh, no, I hadn't seen that you did a chapter on that. Now I have to go find it.
How was S2 of Ancient Magus Bride? The magic school premise didn't really pique my interest so I'm not sure I got more than an episode or two into the second season, but I loved the first so might give it another go if it does go somewhere good in the end.
wow, that's a lot of stuff to watch c_c;;;
I wanna know what Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is about.
Also, there's actually a season two of Vox Machina? :O I hadn't heard it came out!
I was always kind of vaguely interested in Kino's Journey but never got around to it.
Vox Machina, for better or worse, is exactly like its DnD source material. The characters were better than the plot.
RWBY...I think Wolf and I had watched up to season four or so way back when. I had sometimes overheard people discuss some plot points, but I honestly didn't know it was still ongoing. Ice Queendom wasn't worth it for me - the original show was better in every aspect except animation, and only barely at that. Even worse, IQ made RWBY unarguably anime, eliminating a popular weeb-trolling opportunity.
RWBY animation comparison-
S1:
static.wikia.nocookie.net/rwby/images/3/32/1101_Ruby_Rose_17757.png/revision/latest?cb=20131208024913
Ice Queendom:
cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/663778461491396650/992555743460995082/unknown.png?ex=6645de52&is=66448cd2&hm=347e5706940f32f02eae00056df9e37d5b472d882c4044575ee8049c88e79522&
S8:
static.wikia.nocookie.net/rwby/images/2/20/V8_Opening_00043.png/revision/latest?cb=20201108052628
5780728
Loser Ranger is a bit of a Power Rangers parody. Years before, aliens invaded Earth, but were defeated by the heroes. Now, the aliens are kept around to be heels for entertainment, being defeated for show week after week. One of them decides he's had enough, and infiltrates the heroes.
5780757
oh, that's funny :D I was kind of hoping it was a sentai parody
5780697
That's a loaded question. In short, one of the things I liked best about S1 was the heavy usage of Celtic folklore, the charming setting, the wistfulness (especially about the declining presence of dragons in the world), and the largely sympathetic antagonists, at least the minor ones. S2, imo, still has a nice atmosphere and great art, but it lost the setting and folklore aspects that made S1 cool. If you just liked Chise and Elias a bunch and could take or leave the rest, then you still get plenty of that, and it'd probably suit you. Otherwise, a ton of characters get added without enough space to flesh them out all that well, a lot of the relationships are rather entangled, and the school setting wasn't as interesting. I appreciate that it checked in to let you know Chise is doing well, but for me, it was a definite step down. Still pretty good, just lost a lot of its luster. If the bit you watched didn't grab you, then it's unlikely to get any better. Plus it didn't conclude and still needs at least one more season (I have no idea how much further the manga goes).
5780728
in addition to what 5780757 said, the one alien who's trying to upset the system finds some willing allies in the hierarchy of Ranger trainees. They do a fairly good job of making your rooting interest multifaceted: while the head good guys are assholes nearly to a man and the aliens were trying to invade Earth, they are being very reprehensibly exploited.
5780757
Kino's Journey will be in my next blog, but the gist of it is that Kino travels to a different country each episode, and they all have some sort of surprising quirk to how life goes there that makes for a very dark and ironic twist to the plot. Particularly the episode that shows you how Kino got started traveling is pretty powerful. It kind of reminds me of the darker episodes of Twilight Zone. For an anime comparison, it reminded me a lot of Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, but more consistent. I'd recommend it.
5780769
So to be more direct, yes, it's a sentai parody.
5780697
And I might as well get to a bit more about where S2's plot goes. At first, it's just Chise meeting her classmates and fitting in as a mage among alchemists, who usually don't mingle, but then a conspiracy starts, involving a couple of the students' families, about draining magic from everyone, and it leads to a redemption arc. A lot of it gets resolved, but not completely, so it seems set up for another season.
I've been reading:
The manga of Delicious in Dungeon, Uncle from Another World, and Ancient Magus's Bride for a couple years now, and while I quite like the anime adaptations of the first two, I just couldn't get into the third...
Mike
5780798
I only watched Ancient Magus Bride in the first place because I was reviewing a crossover story of it and wanted to make sure they weren’t just copying the plot, but I ended up liking S1. The “bride” aspect does have a little squick factor. At least through most of S1 it’s easily dismissed as them not really using the term seriously, but it ends with them outright saying that’s a desirable outcome.
5780845
Thinking about it overnight:
I have to admit that the thing that bothered me the most about the anime version of Ancient Magus was that Elias's mouth--or his lower jaw, I guess, rather--didn't move when he talked...
Mike
5780877
Hah. For me, I never really saw that as his face, more like a mask. So far as the anime has gone, we don't know what he is yet, and he may not even have a face...