I know, I know – this one has been horribly delayed. I have no excuse beyond my own laziness. Some of the shows are well past their halfway mark, but I’m chugging along.
I’m going to stick to something close to the format I used the last time (Winter 2024), with a couple of small changes:
- New “Quick Internal Links” section at top – to allow for quick jumping.
- I’ve got a separate “Music” section at the bottom. Rather than trying to call out the music I think is really good attached to each series, I’m giving this its own section. Generally, anything which makes it down there was good enough (IMHO) or, for me, catchy enough, to be added to my Spotify (not shilling) list.
- There’s a few shows which, for different reasons, I have “on hold“. I’ll explain the reasons in that section.
And I still have my Clear Winners list at the bottom.
Standard boilerplate:
- I have a paid subscription to CrunchyRoll (and Netflix), so I don’t have access to shows on other streaming srevices. Yes, I know I’m missing other stuff, but – this is a hobby, not my job.
- The listing of shows within each category does not indicate any sort of preference for one over the others. It’s typically just the order in which I was reading them from my Watchlist.
Quick Internal Links
- Continuing Shows
- Returning Shows
- The Romance / Rom-Coms
- The Isekais
- Action-ish / Fantasy
- Reincarnation / Life “Reboot”
- Slice-of-Life
- “Other”
- On Hold
- Music!!!
- The Clear Winners
Continuing Shows
Delicious in Dungeon – The wacky food-driven view of the inside of a Dungeons & Dragons game is back. This cour, the story has gotten much more serious since they passed what seemed to be the initial goal of their mission only to successfully fail in one of the most miserable results possible. So far, there’s been much less cooking / food porn as compared with it being story- and character-development-driven. While I’m continuing to like the various characters, it definitely feels more “off” as compared with the first cour and I’m not looking forward to each new episode quite the way I was the first time. This is the last cour of this show (for now?) and if it does return for a second season, personally I hope that it can re-find the tone and playfulness which was present in the first part. Otherwise, I may wind up not resuming.
Returning Shows
Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF – This one is tough to classify as a “returning” show because it’s a from-the-start remake of the original … staring the original main voice actors still. I will confess I never watched the original Spice and Wolf, although I’m well aware of how much the series is raved about and beloved. Watching the remake, I can absolutely understand why the original (if it possessed as much, if not more, charm) would generate such feelings. Yes, this is “merchant economics”-heavy, but there’s a lot of heart and soul that just oozes (in the good way!) out of every scene. From Lawrence’s gruff manner about insisting he’s only going to accompany Holo so she can pay off her debt to Holo’s playfulness when it comes to sweets and … dose ears doe!!!!
KONOSUBA (S3) – If you know KONOSUBA, you know why I’m watching this. If you don’t know it … RUN, do not walk, to the nearest place you can start watching season 1 and you, too, will understand. These are the worst people possible to embark on “saving the world” from the demon hordes, and yet, somehow, they’re the only ones really capable of doing it – if only because sometimes being worse people than the ones you’re up against makes it work. Absolute ongoing comedy gold here, though!
Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (S2, P2) – I know lots of people have issues with elements of MT. I flat out don’t care. All of the main characters (and main side characters) have significant issues and character flaws. They’re all, in one way or another, damaged. Yes, the last part could have been viewed as “Rudeus Deals With ED”, but it was so much more than that since it was really about him dealing with (and getting past) the mental scars of not only his first life, but the fresh ones he’d received in this life. Perhaps you need to have your own set of scars to truly appreciate this show? If so, I clearly have mine and while they are far from identical, there’s enough there to serve as a bit of an echo chamber.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (S3) – One of, for me at least, the iconic isekai-turned-OP-power-fantasy-but-done-right shows is back! Rimuru started as just a lowly isekai’ed slimes – lowest of the low. But, by this point, he has made it to the point of being one of the most powerful beings and has significantly raised the standard-of-living (and friendliness to others) of all of the other “monsters” around him. By comparison, the humans are definitely portrayed as being manipulative and downright … “evil” might be a bit too far to go, but they’re leaning in that direction. Lots and lots of boardroom-style conversations about the ongoing developments and the whys and wherefores for the backstory of many recent events have slowed the pace, but in a series this powerful, it’s forgivable by far.
The Romance / Rom-Coms
An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride – Silly rom-com which has a lot of vibes similar to I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness (Fall season, ’23), with the male lead who is very strong but has no idea how to act around the female lead he clearly has very strong feelings for; while, similarly, the female lead (in a situation with no authority, but not Stockholm Syndrome’d) has developed feelings as well. It’s cute and just fun to watch.
Astro Note – Watching the very first episode, with the overall graphics design and idiosyncratic characters made me instantly think “Oooh… this is like a love letter to Rumiko Takihashi!” While I never watched the anime, I did read (a very long time ago) Maison Ikkoku. I don’t recall the details of it (time has erased that from my memories). Astro Note, though, is fun to watch because it’s got a full cast of quirky characters with great chemistry. Add in some funny animation style shifts and it’s all worth it.
Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included – A psuedo(?)-harem with our main character waking up to find he’s got a literal angel sleeping on his apartment’s balcony. She’s there to learn about humans and he is just too nice a guy to do anything other than help her – including letting her move in. One girl (supernatural or otherwise) around him is just the start, though. So far, he’s also got his classmate who is barely even able to talk to him (despite having strong feelings for him) and, no surprise, also a yuki-onna and vampire, both of whom also attend his school. They all want to be at least his friend. Cute and cutesy.
A Condition Called Love – At the start of this series, it felt almost like “here’s why saying ‘yes’ to a stalker is a bad idea”, but it’s thankfully moved beyond that. A girl who doesn’t really know how to have strong feelings is approached by a boy who can’t help but to absolutely latch on (and latch on hard) to whoever he wants to be with. While there remain some “eww?” moments through the first few episodes, it moves beyond that to explore (and explain) why both of them have those (lack of) emotions and attachment issues. Have to get past those first few episodes though, to where they both start to be truly invested in each other.
Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again – Just like it says in the title! A farmer grandfather and grandmother suddenly get transformed into youthful bodies. This is a shock to everyone around them (including their grown children and granddaughter – who starts out very “thirsty” for her now ikemen grandfather … while amusing, it is a bit “ick” for the few moments it’s happening). However, everyone adjusts to it and our titular couple have an opportunity to re-examine and deepen their life-long feelings for each other, while also having the chance to experience the “modern” world and even take the honeymoon they never had.
The Isekais
As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World – Needless to say, that’s waaay too long a title, so this is just “Appraisal Skill Isekai”. Pretty typical isekai except the main character’s cheat power is the ability to use Appraisal on other people and figure out what their “real” skills and abilities are. Using this, he builds a set of loyal (and powerful) retainers while also working to improve his family’s holdings. The main disturbing thing about the show is the character design. Even though it’s shown, in-story, that several years have passed (at least 5-7, I wasn’t keeping track), the main character still looks like he’s six years old with a ridiculously chibi body. Overlooking that, though, it’s an interesting show since the main character has to make sure to surround himself with others who are capable, rather than being overpowered himself.
Re:Monster – Aaaaand here we go with the stupidly overpowered isekai protagonist. He isekais into a goblin body but has the ability (from his previous life) of being able to gain the skills / abilities of whatever he eats – literally. For all that it was really campy at times, I think Berserk of Gluttony (Fall ’23) did it better. He also assists with leveling up (and evolving) all of his fellow goblins. As a real “monster”, he definitely has a much … grayer? … moral code when it comes to dealing with other species (elves and humans in particular). It’s stupid and fun because it’s stupid. While the opening song (“Into the Fire”, by Chansung and AK-69) isn’t quite ready to be put in my Music list (below), it is good and I let the OP version run without skipping.
Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers – Not a regular isekai; not a reverse-isekai. Nope, the isekai form has evolved! Now we have the “side-isekai” where a regular guy in a fantasy world gets yanked (via magic summons, of course) into another fantasy world, so he can be the hero over there. Except … they wind up grabbing two (just in case) and our main character’s level 1 stats are mediocre at best. To cover up their “whoopsie”, the kingdom gives him a pouch of coins and dumps him at the edge of a monster-filled forest, figuring the monsters will clean up their mistake for them. As you can guess from the title, he levels up with the first slime he nails and suddenly becomes invincible since all of his stats jump to, literally, infinity. But he really wants to just lead a quiet life with his conquered giant-wolf-demon-turned-stacked-wolf-girl wife and pseudo-harem of the female adventurers he helped out. The “other” hero, however, is an absolute jerk and so the humans will need his help – but it turns out the demons aren’t all bad; after all, he’s bedding one every night, right?
THE NEW GATE – So, not-“Sword Art Online” game ends and not-Kirito gets stuck there, after beating the final boss, only to isekai into the “real” world of the game several years later, after all of the players have left and it’s only be the NPCs and monsters doing their thing. Needless to say, he is stil ridiculously overpowered, more so since many of the skills and such which only players had access to are largely unknown. Stupid, but fun; possibly less (more?) so if I’d watched SAO all the way through?
Action-ish / Fantasy
Gods’ Games We Play – Gods are real and they’re gamerz!!! Well, they like to play “real” games (think, like, card games or board games or tag and such). Humans challenge them and any who win 10 in a row get a special prize (being granted a wish). Lose 3 times, though, and you’re not allowed to play any more. The “best” player gets teamed with a fallen goddess (voiced by my favorite voice actress) and hijinks ensue. The only decent part of the show is that all the games are loaded in favor of the gods with secret rules and hidden win conditions.
Kaiju No. 8 – if you’re in a modern city which regularly gets attacked by giant monsters, not only do you need cleanup crews, but you also need a group of specialized soldiers who can fight them. Enter our main character, who started as a cleanup guy and has wanted to be a soldier his entire life. He gets his chance to do so. The big problem, though? He secretly got converted into a human-sized ultra-monster. The action scenes are phenomenal and definitely popping!
Tonari no Yokai-san (possibly also Slice-of-Life?) – I’m going with the “official” classification for this one (fantasy). Spirit creatures are real and get regularly created all the time. But they’re just like normal residents, co-existing with the rest of humanity. While this has some interesting world-building and some very strong emotional moments, a lot of the show really is just a calm slice-of-life. Slow start to the show with a newly-created nekomata who has to figure out what he wants to do with his life.
Unnamed Memory – Typical-ish (?) fantasy setting with magic and “witches” (separate things for some reason) alongside medieval-level lifestyle and weaponry, etc. The prince (main character) has been cursed to never have a healthy child, though, thus ending his bloodline. The solution starts with (all in episode 1) him making it through one witch’s challenges to request her assistance and then, when she says she has to figure it out, asking her to be the mother of his child. There’s a bunch of romance mixed in with the fantasy and the budding relationship between the two combined with a whole bunch of horrible reveals about her backstory make this riveting to watch.
Reincarnation / Life “Reboot”
I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability – Henceforth, thou shalt be known as “7th Prince Isekai” … Commoner who can do magic really well (but isn’t “allowed to” because he’s not aristocratic / noble gets reincarnated as per title. He is stupidly OP when it comes to magic. He also retains an SD cherub-like appearance, which is a bit off-putting as he seems to be an unstoppable magnet for all of the attractive females (including his own maids!) around him. Setting aside that aspect (which is a hard ask, let me say), it’s amusing to watch him learn and just curb-stomp any demons or other monsters who get close to him.
Slice-of-Life
BARTENDER Glass of God – This is, apparently, a redo of a much older anime, “Bartender”. It is, like it says in the title, about a bartender who can make the absolutely perfect cocktails. [Of course, given the name of my site, this had a bit of an instant appeal anyway.] There’s multiple mild plot lines swirling around him, many having to do with the CEO of a new hotel having had a drink from this bartender’s teacher and knowing that somewhere out there, there is a bartender who can make the perfect drink, just like he used to have. I’m not nearly skilled enough regarding the creation of cocktails to comment on the actual drink-mixing (although some of the side-story comfort explanations – like what it means to be a “bartender” – are absolute feel-good, and incorrect, garbage), but it’s a “comfortable” show, as any good slice-of-life should be.
The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio – This one is an absolute gem. Two high school girls who are voice actors get put together in a radio show as their “personas”. The two hadn’t known who each other was and they both have a serious initial love-hate relationship with the other. But that can’t be allowed to filter out to their listening audience, so they have to be cutesy and friendly while on air. Then, due to a questionable (but justified) casting decision, one of them is in the process of being live doxxed and the other jumps in to help, endangering her career as well. That leads to her then going above-and-beyond in attempting to help her radio show partner and … it just kinda gets worse (in the sense of them both making poor decisions) from there. Some of the plot threads are a bit heavy-handed, but the not-so-well-intentioned sniping back and forth is, at times, an absolute delight to watch.
Laid-Back Camp (S3) – Yessss … they ultimate anime “beautiful views and relaxing camping travelogue” show is back for another season. If you like Slice-of-Life shows at all, you already know this was a must watch from the beginning.
“Other”
Mysterious Disappearances – Let’s get past the ahem “character design” for the female lead. Yes, it’s clear the original mangaka has a certain … shall we call it … “preference” for his female character to be ? Getting past that, this is an odd mixture of mystery and supernatural. There’s also an ongoing backstory for the other two main characters which is extremely vague and ill-defined (at best). I keep watching hoping that there will be some explanation although I don’t feel particularly better informed than I was at the end of the first episode. [To clear the air, I’m not watching for the main character!] I keep watching hoping that this will, somehow, make a bit more sense, although I suspect this season is likely to end without much more being explained – which would be a shame since I think there’s a really interesting overall story hiding in here … if only it would come out and reveal itself!
A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics – Technically, this is a “reverse-isekai” (fantasy characters coming to the “real world”), but it goes soooo far beyond that, it is crazy (and crazy good as a result). Princess and her (female) knight isekai into the real-world, but are separated before arriving. The princess’ luck has her land with a private detective who she strong-arms into helping her (at first), but she winds up helping him. Her knight, however, winds up homeless … and then, as happens to every homeless person, gets caught up in every possible scam and scheme – including, so far, being hired to work in an “escort” club, enlisted to help mass purchase limited edition items for a reselling racket, oh, and let’s not forget also being inducted into a cult (no, really). All the characters are absolutely delightful and the chemistry is a joy to watch. Smile on my face every single time.
Train to the End of the World – I wish I could describe Train to the End of the World (aka “Shuumatsu Train“) well enough to do it justice. Every episode feels like some sort of crazy acid trip (the good kind!) with insane things happening all while our four heroines (plus their dog) drive a single-car train closer and closer to Ikebukuro to find their friend. Seriously, though … this has had zombies, mushroom people, and our heroines acting as kaiju in a lilliputian village. (Yes, complete with tiny tanks and attack helicopters.) The banner for this post is from this show. Don’t try to understand it – just … go along for the ride.
On Hold
The Misfit of Demon King Academy (S2, P2) – Obviously, I watched the previous season and part of this season. S2P1, however, felt very slow and it seemed like I was slogging through it. I remember a bunch of S1, but almost nothing of S2P1, which is not a good sign. I’ll probably have to rewatch S2P1 to get caught up again before I proceed with this.
The Irregular at Magic High School (S3) – I am weird. Yeah, yeah, I know. But I outright liked S1 and S2 of this show. The crazy world-building, not to mention the … odd? … relationship between the main siblings (as well as a bit of an outstanding question of whether they actually are sibllings?) is just wacky enough to appeal to me. I watched the first couple of episodes, but felt a bit overwhelmed with everything else that I just wasn’t ready to tackle this one as well.
YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master – Had planned to skip this, but then I heard a review / description and it piqued my interest. Not enough to catch up on the 4 or so episodes which had already aired, but the premise was a good one and I’ll definitely have to try it.
ROOT – Technically “Route of OddTaxi”. This is … a live-action “side” to the original ODDTAXI anime. I watched the first two episodes before I figured it out, though, and since there’s a lot of what happens in the anime which is relevant to this, it’s on hold until I can go back and watch the original one.
Music!!!
Laid-Back Camp: (opening), “Reidobakku Jānī” (Laid-Back Journey), レイドバックジャーニー, by Kiminone.
The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio: (opening), “Now On Air”, by Miku Itó.
Salad Bowl of Eccentrics: (ending), “Konbon no Kenka” (Tonight’s Fight), 今晩の喧嘩, by Meiyo Densetsu.
Spice and Wolf: (ending), “Andante” (アンダンテ), by ClariS.
Train to the End of the World: (opening), “GA-TAN GO-TON”, by Rei Nakashima; and (ending), “Eureka” by Rokudenashi. (Yes, both songs are total ear-candy.)
Unnamed Memory: (opening), “Yobigoe” (呼び声), by Tei; and (ending), “blan_” by Arika. (Both songs sound beautiful and are just plain … mellow.)
The Clear Winners
Rather than trying to call out the shows I think are absolutely outstanding in each description, I’ll just put a quick list here. Think of these as the “If you can only watch a few, go for these!” list. I won’t get into the details on why each one (beyond what I described above), but these are the ones definitely worth checking out. List is purely alphabetical.
- A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics
- Spice and Wolf
- The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio
- Train to the End of the World
Tied For Second
And, if you have a bit more time beyond just those few, here’s others I think are definitely worth having on your own watchlist
- KONOSUBA (S3)
- Laid-Back Camp (S3)
- Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included
