It’s time for a new general discussion thread! How are you finding the Fall season? What have you been watching recently? Any recommendations? cautionary tales? questions? You have come to the right place!
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Past Seasons
Completed Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku
This solidifies josei romcoms as being top tier for me at least. We have childhood friends entering into a romantic relationship, and they did so in the first episode. The characters here are mature and level-headed too unlike many shounen / shoujo romcom characters. I like the relationship dynamics not just within the main couple, but also between them and the other couples and within the secondary couple. The tertiary couple could use more development, but I guess that’s what the source material is for.
It’s a pity that the premise of josei anime tend to be boring. In fact, Wotakoi is the perfect example: the premise is simply two nerds falling in love with each other! I probably passed over many good josei anime because they don’t have the hook to draw me in.
On the bright side, at least I discovered this one, which deserves a solid 9/10.
This Season
Continuing
Re:Zero season 3 - I find a lot of the dialogue between characters - not just Subaru’s - kinda cringe like in previous seasons, but that’s just me being nitpicky. As usual, once Subaru starts looping, I’m hooked.
Dan Da Dan - It certainly lives up to the hype. Looking forward to more of it.
Murai In Love - This is way funnier than I expected. The humour just clicks with me. It’s an unfair comparison due to the 4-episodes headstart it had, but I found it funnier than Dan Da Dan at the moment. I have caught up, and would like finish it.
How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer - It’s entertaining enough for now. Shall see how it goes.
Dropped
All of these induce some degree of boredom for me.
You are Ms. Servant - Male lead sucks.
365 Days to the Wedding - Just watch Wotakoi instead.
I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History - In addition to flaws that others have already pointed out, I find that this is just a generic villainess isekai, which is too boring. Watch Villainess Level 99 instead.
Magilumiere - Looks poorly executed.
Acro Trip - Just watch Gushing Over Magical Girls instead.
Puniru is a Kawaii Slime - The humour is not hitting it for me.
Wotakoi is excellent. Really glad you enjoyed it. After watching that one, I tried out a couple of other adult romance series and nothing really hit the same. One that I did enjoy was Rikekoi (Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It). Though, I suspect that a part of why I enjoyed that one so much is because of how hard the show goes into its math tangents from time to time and its depiction of grad school. Also, just a warning that if I were to watch that show blind again, I would probably just stop after the first season.
Some series that no one else has mentioned yet:
Demon Lord, Retry! R: Somehow the artwork and animation is managing to be even worse than that from the 2019 series—guys, at least try to keep the main character’s hair length consistent, okay? Plus, 95% of what’s been shown so far has been a recap of the earlier version. As of the end of the second episode, they are finally caught up. The bizarrely chosen ecchi material, while it doesn’t make up any significant fraction of the runtime, is even more grating in the recap than the original. I found the original series amusing despite its many faults, so I’ll stick with this one for a while, but in general I don’t recommend it.
The Healer who was Banished from his Party etc.: Bog-standard protagonist-that-no-one-has-noticed-is-overpowered fantasy light novel schlock. Okay for turning your brain off, but otherwise don’t bother.
Good-bye, Dragon Life: Bog-standard protagonist-hides-his-power fantasy light novel schlock so far. Another one suitable for turning one’s brain off.
The Most Notorious “Talker” etc.: And for the hat trick, we have protagonist-wants-to-get-stronger fantasy light novel schlock. This one managed to get my attention slightly more than the others by ending the first ep. on a weak cliffhanger. I doubt it’ll come to anything, but we’ll see.
Trillion Game: Mixed feelings about this one, probably because I empathize a little too much with Gaku. Haru, on the other hand, seems like a slimeball despite attempts to depict him sympathetically. Haven’t watched the second episode yet.
I’m still waiting on several other series. There seem to be an awful lot of late premieres this season.
There seem to be an awful lot of late premieres this season
Alright, I had thought the same thing, but wasn’t sure if it was imagining it. There are still a handful of reasonably popular shows waiting on their premiere (Arifureta, Shangri-La Frontier, Dragon Ball Daima).
Any interesting stories with LGBT themes this season?
In addition to All-Guy’s Mixer that was mentioned, the only thing I could think of that maybe qualifies would be Ranma since that features a lot of genderbending (I believe, I haven’t watched it).
This season is barren when it comes to yuri and boy’s love series with neither tag having a single series on AniList for this season. The only thing is that there is a compilation movie of the Winter 2024 Boy’s Love series Cherry Magic.
Edit: It really is barren this season for LGBT themed series. Just compare this Fall season to the other 2024 seasons. The number of series with the “LGBTQ+ Themes” tag on AniList:
Season No. of Shows with LGBTQ+ Tag Winter 10 Spring 12 Summer 9 Fall 1 The numbers comparison is a little skewed, I think because more tags get added as an anime goes on. Some of the shows that are included in those previous lists are a little dubious to me - from just the stuff I know, Delusional Monthly Magazine shouldn’t be there at all, and stuff like Tonari no Yokai-san, Windbreaker, and Mashle make the cut because they have a bi, trans, and non-binary supporting character respectively (Windbreaker’s having almost no screen time at all). I’d guess by the end of the season a few of the current shows will get that type of “there’s queer people in there somewhere” tag. We’re definitely short on anime about queerness, though.
Yeah, I just went back and took an actual look at some of the shows listed in those seasons (I was just counting before) and the tag is pretty liberally applied. Some of the series really surprised me including Dungeon People, Shikanoko, and 'Tis Time for Torture Princess. I can’t really remember any LGBT themes from any of those shows.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Huh! I thought it seemed lacking, comparatively, but I wasn’t sure if I was missing some titles.
Thanks for the info!
Maybe How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer?
The crossdressing girls had the guys confused / questioning their sexuality. They are ultimately straight though.
interesting, thanks!
A bit less exciting of a season this time, I think.
Eager to continue:
- Acro Trip - Lots of fun with good comedy that manages to also not fumble the action scenes. It does have a lot in common with Gushing Over Magical Girls, but I think it is making its own path and will continue to diverge as it goes forward. It also doesn’t have any sexualization of middle school girls.
- Dan Da Dan - Science Saru is going absolutely wild on this one and it’s amazing to watch them work. The characters also feel very expressive and real. The first episode does have a pretty brutal sexual assault / attempted rape scene that is sort of justified by the narrative and IMO isn’t made into a spectacle like you’d expect from some anime, but was nonetheless a little hard to get through. I’ve been told this is not the norm going forward, though, so I will trust.
- How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer - In an “LGBT+ themes” drought, this is the best I’ve got, and it’s cute. I like the pairings and it’s always nice to see men go through a bisexual crisis.
- 365 Days to the Wedding - Also a very cute romance. It’s just getting going, so we’ll see if it has follow-through.
- Let This Grieving Soul Retire - As I wait
impatiently for the Eminence in Shadow movie, this is the best replacement I have. Not 100% sold on it just yet, but it’s got a very similar vibe.
I’m also watching (for now): Negative Positive Angler, Mecha-Ude, Magilumiere, and Ranma 1/2
And now for the garbage bin (things that weren’t good enough for me to make threads about)
The Most Notorious Talker Runs the World's Greatest Clan
Edgy “everybody underestimates me but I’m actually super strong” type story. Its strengths are all undercut by the fact that the main character is basically just a bard, but the story takes itself too seriously to let him just sing. He even uses a skill called “Wolf’s Bellow: Stun Howl” and doesn’t even have to howl like a wolf to activate it. 3/5
P.S. it’s very easy to read the main character as trans, as he’s very femme-presenting in his childhood flashbacks, and I think that’s neat.
Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister
This pulls the same trick as Quintessential Quintuplets where it says the main character will marry one of the sisters but doesn’t say which. The problem is that it also has a vintage harem setup where there’s one older onee-san type, one spunky (too) younger girl, and one tsundere his own age, which carries some pretty clear implications for who the winner is going to be, an opinion it did not bother to try and dispel. It also has the shinto version of some God’s Not Dead strawman atheism that was baffling to see. 2/5
Kinokoinu Mushroom Pup
This one confused me to no end. The somber tone of the main character grieving his childhood dog contrasted against the cartoony mushroom pup and its antics were so jarring that I have no idea what this show is trying to do. I’ll probably watch another episode out of morbid curiosity, but I don’t understand. 3/5
Good Bye, Dragon Life
There’s really nothing going on in this one, at least so far. Main character has minimal personality (which you might be able to tell from his extremely generic character design), even though he’s a dragon and he should have some interesting perspective on the human world. I did not enjoy watching him play stardew valley, but I did enjoy watching him fail to comprehend the romantic advances of the snake lady he rescued. 2/5
The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't Be Magicians
I really liked the art style of this one, but ultimately the story just didn’t work for me. Everything that happened seemed so out of nowhere and I was left with a lot of questions about how their world works that didn’t make sense for them to not include. I went to see if people recommended the novels, since it seemed like there was a good story in there somewhere, and apparently a lot of this was anime-original?? 3/5
The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest
Yet another “everyone underestimates me” anime, woo. This one seems to include an age gap romance and a guy who everyone hates because he never tells his party members where his actual strengths lie (dps, not support) for reasons that are not even hinted at. The action was alright, though. 2/5
The Stories of Girls Who Couldn’t Be Magicians
I remember watching a trailer for this one and falling in love with the art style. However, I suspected that the story was not really going to be for me.
Let This Grieving Soul Retire
You aren’t the first person I have seen to compare this to TEIS. As a huge TEIS fan, I might have to check this one out.
Getting into the Fall season and I have some initial thoughts on what I have been able to watch:
- Oshi no Ko - The season 2 finale just aired and season 3 was announced. I am so, so pleased with this past season. I couldn’t have asked for a better adaptation of the source.
- Dan Da Dan - A hell of a premiere. There were some uncomfortable moments, some good humor, some hints of romance, a mountain of WTF, and lots of gorgeous animation. No idea what to expect with this show going forward.
- Orb: On the Movements of the Earth - I really enjoyed the first two episodes of this show (a couple torture scenes notwithstanding). As somebody that has taught astronomy in the past, it’s been fun. I have been using the show discussion threads to drop some science info if anybody is interested.
- Loner Life Isekai - I very well might drop this. I enjoy the manga, but it is overall a pretty typical story that doesn’t really do much to set itself apart. With limited time for me this season, this is probably going by the wayside.
- Negative Positive Angler - A slice of life series about fishing…and terminal illness…and crippling debt. You know, comfy. I liked the premiere, so I am going to try to keep up with it to see where it goes.
- 365 Days to the Wedding - Really cute first episode. I am really hopeful that the romance delivers going forward now that the premise is established.
- Villainess Who Goes Down in History - I enjoyed the first episode and hope that with a time skip coming, the age gaps present between potential love interests become less creepy. Just because courtly love in the past involved very young nobles, doesn’t mean we need to carry that forward through our fiction.
- Appraisal Isekai Season 2 - The first episode feels pretty much exactly like last season. I might try to keep up with this one as the adaptation has been decent.
About Appraisal Isekai Season 2, been following the manga, and we’re about to enter the actual succession war, so here’s where both most characters will shine, and where it will go most Suikoden with the recruiting people thing, high hopes here
I just watched episode 2 and the new OP teases characters that I didn’t think they would get to in this season. So, I am hopeful that the pace picks up as hostilities get underway. One thing I think the show suffers from is that the pace can feel quite slow, but I am not sure if an anime-only would feel that way or if it is just me since I have previously read the manga.
Watched it too, don’t feel it’s going specially slow as the characters focus has been strong. Saw the peeps on the opening and i too hope they have time to showcase them.
Also i must say, the Ars and Licia couple is so goddamned adorable! Love seeing those two together! 😄
Finished Mawaru Penguindrum - this one was a wild ride! I enjoyed most of it, but the way it jumps between genres and the plot and character development in the second half of the show are quite extreme and sometimes questionable. Some things were hard to follow for me, but core ideas are very inspiring and leave room for thinking even outside of anime context.
From this season
- Blue Box - Seems to be a solid adaptation of the manga. I wonder if they went too far making everything as pretty as possible, but that might just be the recoil of watching this right after having seen Ping Pong: The Animation. Now that color has been added, I can finally tell Chinatsu and Hina apart, which is nice.
- Dandadan - An excellent adaptation of the manga. Warning: first episode has sexual assault in it. There’s also another sexual assault scene in a later arc. If you can stomach that, this is a wild, fun tale of some teenagers who are trying to survive in a world beset by yokai and aliens.
Older stuff
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Ping Pong: The Animation - A cool show. This is one to watch if you start feeling like too many anime look the same, or if you’re tired of how every character looks like a model. This is also one to watch if you just want to see a good sports anime.
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Eureka 7 - I’m only 30-something episodes in, but this show has just been getting better and better. Easily one of the best mech anime I’ve ever seen, assuming they don’t do anything to screw it up later. Very stylish; I love the concept of mechs that fight while riding turbulence on surfboards. It also has a charming cast.
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Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - This is another one I’m only 30-something episodes into. So far it’s been really good! Not nearly as bleak as the name or the first couple of episodes would have you believe. So far, anyways. I don’t like it quite as much as I like Eureka 7, but it’s close.
An excellent adaptation of the manga. Warning: first episode has sexual assault in it
I’m typically very iffy on portrayals of that nature, but Dandadan does them knowing this is uncomfortable. I can tell it’s not for the viewer’s gratification, so I respected that a lot.
Not part of the season but I saw look back today and would recommend
So many interesting things to see!
Weekly ranking roundup:
- Anime Corner - Full Results - Weekly Winner: Re:Zero Season 3
- Reddit Karma - Weekly Winner: Dan Da Dan
Credit to /u/Abysswatcherbel for making the chart for reddit karma and /u/Nooble5 for the Anime Trending chart.
Two standout shows this week on both charts. Re:Zero and Dan Da Dan both made a big splash in the rankings. I expect Re:Zero to stay strong through the season, but time will tell if Dan Da Dan can stay strong past its bombastic premiere.
