Well, we’ve made it through the first week, and I’m not entirely caught up, but I do have some first impressions.
The Legendary Hero is Dead is the first anime to fall off my list. The main character (Touka) annoyed me so much I just have no desire to continue. I wasn’t expecting him to be quite so lecherous, I guess, and I just am uninterested in constant perfect thigh jokes. For me, there was just too much of that compared to plot, unfortunately.
Magical Destroyers is on thin ice, and I’m not sure I can explain why. Like. I really wanted to like this, and it gives me a kind of Angel Beats-like surreal vibe at the start. But I’m not sure it’ll have an underlying plot like that did. I’m going to stick with it for at least one more episode to see if it grabs me or not. It might be one I come back to after hearing how it’s going for others, too.
Opus.Colors and Yuri is My Job! are both shows I went into really wanting to love them. And I have a feeling I’ll have quirky feelings of fondness for them along the way, but neither really wowed me with the first episode. We’ll see how they go. They both have queer overtones—I’m waiting to see if they are born out during the series.
Dr. Stone is a solid start to a new season. It’s everything it says on the tin, and living up to the manga. I also finally caught up on the special episode, which was as good as I’d hoped.
Birdie Wing — Ah, my lovely golf girls are back, and with one obsessing over the prize of a kiss from the other, I’m remaining hooked. This show is quirky, and I adore it. I hadn’t realized that what was billed as season 2 online is being treated as a second half of the first season in practicality. Whatever, I’m along for the ride. The first season was one I watched soon after it aired, and I don’t see that changing. It’s just fun.
KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World — I’m not full decided on this one. It was interesting, and I’m definitely going back for a second episode, but I’m not sure how well it’ll hold up. It’s very bizarre. Like the base concept of an isekai with no gods, and no usual tropes, being very dark and then… well, that’d be a spoiler. That’s intriguing. I’m torn on the sexual jokes—they managed to both irritate me and make me laugh. But it has the potential to become just… dull and campy, and not lean into the darkness of the plot for anything but humor. We’ll see after another episode or two.
Tengoku Daimakyo (Heavenly Delusion) — I have a lot of high hopes for this one. Again, it’s dark. It’s dystopian, definitely. But it’s not slow like some I gave up on last season, and the characters intrigue me. So far this is a definite keeper.
Skip and Loafer — This is my cute romance/slice of life for the season. I love the characters, I love her anxiety and how real they feel. I just felt like this is going to be a pick-me-up watch when it airs. I need this kind of anime in my life.
Eternal Boys — This is not from this season, but is airing this season on HIDIVE, so I’m counting it. And I love it. Idols with a twist—they are all over 40, and they are all from different walks of life. The idea that anyone can follow a dream at any age. Plus, I love a show about adults! Who have adult pains after dance practice. HIDIVE is doing two episodes at a time, and they are thirteen minute episodes so that works out well.
My Home Hero — Oh. Yes. I really hope this pans out because I kind of love the characters from the start. The wife is a ride-or-die woman with her husband, and she’s just like “okay, let’s clean up this mess and move on” after he kills the horrible boyfriend of their daughter. They are good parents. I kind of hate that it started with a premise of abuse, but at the same time, I’m really looking forward to seeing where it goes now.
The Dangers in My Heart — With a title like that, I wasn’t totally expecting something cute. But we have a boy who always thinks of murder, and the tall beautiful girl in his class, and some meet uglies, and well… I have a feeling it’s going to be cute. And I want to know how it goes. I want to know if she’s really as socially awkward as she comes off to start. I want to see him open up. Yeah, so far I’m keeping this.
My Love Story with Yamada-kin at Lv999 — Oh, goodness, I adored this. The awkward characters. Yamada is voiced by a fave VA so he had me at hello. The idea of rockstar gamers (yes, I know, I listen to my son—a competitive gamer—talk about the Big Names so I do get it). This just hit all the right notes for me so I’m keeping it.
Hell’s Paradise — I am intrigued. I really loved Gabimaru and his attempts to say he’s one person, while having all kinds of other emotions inside of him. I’m very curious to see where this will go, and wondering if it’ll be the light kind of darkness (I get the feeling we’ll get enough emotional attachment to offset the gore).