Spring ’24 Mid-Season Report, Part 1

We’re approaching the midpoint of the Spring 2024 season, and thanks to having more free time on my hands than expected, I am still keeping up with way too many series. Hence, to keep this mid-season round-up from getting too cumbersome, I am once again splitting it into two parts.

Last time I split the list according to what was and was not getting weekly episode reviews on Anime News Network. This time around there’s a spread of as many as three episodes on where series are at this point (one series is still on episode 4 as I write this due to taking an unplanned week off, while a few others have already hit episode 7), so this first installment will cover titles that have at least reached their sixth episode as of 5/11/24 and the second installment will cover the rest. Since the two titles I am episode-reviewing fall into the former category, this installment will be a little shorter. Also, I will not be covering The Misfit at Demon King Academy, since I finally lost interest in that one and dropped it after this season’s first couple of episodes.

NOTE: References to MAL are to the site MyAnimeList.

A Salad Bowl of Eccentrics

Rating So Far: B

This one is almost as much an advertisement for Gifu Prefecture as it is a series, but beyond that, it lives up to its name by focusing on an eclectic bunch that include a detective; a young, practical-minded princess from a fantasy world living with the detective; the female knight of said princess who’s mostly been living homeless; the leader of a cult who’s trying to recruit the female knight as a savior; and a former sex worker who was the lead singer in a failed girl band. The latter three seem to be on course to make this the fourth series this season to feature the formation of an all-girl band, while the detective/princess duo tackle random cases in other episodes. The characters and the odd situations they get in keep the series entertaining enough, and the technical merits are solid, but the whole thing feels directionless. That may be the point, though; these are just a bunch of weirdos hanging out in Gifu. Not a high-priority view, but definitely a solid keeper.

Delicious in Dungeon

Rating So Far (this cour): A-

With Frieren and The Apothecary Diaries no longer hanging over it, this one is stepping up to become one of the season’s top performers. Episodes 14-17 took a more dramatic turn, which may not set as well with those who have become enamored with the cast just goofing around, but episode 18 (and, to a lesser extent, 19) represent a return to its more typical form of the cast having to figure out how to get through all kinds of odd situations in sometimes-screwball fashion. It’s certainly one of the best-looking series of the season (with a highlight being the design of the Falin chimera), the well-balanced cast continues to be delightful, and the take on various dungeon scenarios and foes is rather clever. Continues to be highly recommended for any fantasy RPG fan.

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince

Rating So Far: C

Of all the series in this part, this is the one closest to the chopping block. (I’m only still watching it because I have commonly had little to do on Monday nights this season.) That’s mostly because Lloyd has become one of the most irritating protagonists that I have encountered in quite some time. It’s not how OP he is; it’s his character’s attitude. The series does have some decent technical merits and gets some entertainment value from its more involved looks at how magic works in the setting, some respectable action sequences, and some likable supporting characters (especially Tao). However, the series has yet to prove that it can be compelling or involving.

Laid-Back Camp 3

Rating So Far: B+

The artistic tweaks resulting from the studio change may have taken some time to adjust to, but ultimately this season has all the same appeal that the previous installments did. The only other real difference is that Nadeshiko’s former friend Ayano, who only barely appeared previously, is a major character for the season’s first half (at the expense of a trio of regulars), but that didn’t change the balance or functionality of the series one bit since Ayano fits in seamlessly with the normal antics. Lots of camping, eating, travelogue elements, scenery porn, and girls cutely delighting in it all, which combine to give the audience warm fuzzies. What more is there to ask for here?

Re:Monster

Rating So Far: B-

Wow, this series has some definite issues that it plays off in a fashion that may be too flippant for some viewers’ tolerances. Like in Goblin Slayer, female captives are used by goblins as brood mares, though this aspect is barely touched on early and dodged around afterwards by the existing ones dying off. (Why goblins need to do that is unclear, since there are clearly female goblins in this setting.) Goburo/Oguro essentially does away with this practice, but most of the female captives wind up having sex with him anyway – some willingly, some not, and the unwilling inevitably being members of enemy forces doesn’t soften that much. The series also dodges around the protagonist eating humanoids, too. The narrative format used in the first episode continues throughout, but I don’t mind that. The bigger problem is how much the goblins are accomplishing in such a short time frame; events that play out in about 2½ months would be more sensible spread over a whole year. And of course there’s the whole issue of how OP the protagonist is quickly getting; he’s already at the point where nothing can seriously challenge him.

Despite the issues, I have found this one to be largely entertaining, and it’s got a fantastic simuldub; this is the first lead role for Sean Letourneau (the voice Goburo/Oguro), but he’s a real talent. Not a priority view, but still a solid one if you aren’t chased off by its questionable aspects.

Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included

Rating So Far: C+

This one looked from the start to be a completely traditional supernatural harem romcom series, and after seven episodes it has proven to be such a dedicated stylistic throwback that I almost wonder if the writing is doing that intentionally. Towa is every bit Belldandy from Ah! My Goddess (down even to having a kid sister angel show up!) and a childhood friend and blond yuki-onna are in the mix, too, as friends who might want to be more. (Okay, the childhood friend definitely does.) The most recent episode has also introduced an older aunt and her editor (think Fruits Basket) and an eyepatch-sporting girl who is definitely a chunibyo and may or may not be a vampire, too. (The character being both would be a fresh twist.) All the antics and little joys are utterly run-of-the-mill fare, and none of the characters so far are overly memorable, but at least the series looks pretty good. Although decent entertainment, the series is bland enough that generating any enthusiasm for it is difficult.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 3

Rating So Far: C+

This series does involve more than than just strategy meetings, right? Yet it feels like at least half of this third season (including some entire episodes!) have just been one big strategy meeting or another. Granted, the scale on which Rimiru must now operate has necessitated this to a certain extent, as both he and the nation of Tempest are now literal world powers, and it’s not like the series has entirely lost its charm; the familiar characters are who they always were and some of the developments (such as the road design and defense) have interesting technical aspects. Also, a long-awaited Rimiru/Hinata meeting is finally on the near horizon, and new schemers have revealed themselves. Technical merits aren’t great, but that was never a main selling point of the franchise. Overall, it’s been a decent but unexciting season so far for this one.

The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases

Rating So Far: D

This is persistently the lowest-rated series in ANN’s weekly rankings and the second-lowest-rated show of the season on both Crunchyroll and MAL (behind only Highspeed Etoile in both cases, which isn’t making the ranking on ANN’s lists), so it should be no surprise that it’s also the clear bottomfeeder of the two dozen or so series I am following this season. Its one plus is that closer “Meritocracy” by Aimi is easily one of the season’s best EDs, but everything else it does is at best mediocre and outright fails much more often than that. Weak animation, lackluster artistic efforts, an uninteresting protagonist, cartoonish villains, poorly-executed action scenes, an utter lack of compelling characters or drama. . . the list of faults is long. Episode 7, which adds a slightly interesting twist on standard reincarnation scenarios, is a little better, but the series has dug itself a hole that may be insurmountably deep.

The Irregular at Magic High School 3

Rating So Far: B

This franchise has always had certain irksome aspects which keep me from fully embracing it, but thankfully those haven’t been as prevalent this season. Instead, the series has mostly focused on what it’s good at: complicated, multi-layered scheming and magical mechanics. To be sure, there have still been some elaborate action sequences here and there, and that aspect looks like it could be heating up as the series plunges into the heart of its second arc of the season, but the emphasis has been much more on establishing new characters, implementing schemes, and figuring out said schemes and making counter-moves. In that regard it’s been much like Slime, but all of the plotting and planning seems less out of character here.

Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- 2

Rating So Far (this cour): B-

In some senses, this series is also in the same story mode as Slime. As it has progressed through its second half, it has continued to be more plot-driven than the first series, at the expense of the crazy spirit which enticingly characterized the first series. Even so, the (almost too broad) supporting cast is decent, and at least some of the plot twists have been intriguing, if not necessarily original; even the most novel one – about Makoto and his business running afoul of the Merchant’s Guild – has parallels to Parallel World Pharmacy, though here it takes on a more practical and less villainous aspect. (It also presents a welcome rare case where Makoto and his allies can’t solve a problem just by overpowering it.) In other words, the series is still good entertainment, just not for the same reasons that it was in the first season.

That’s it for now. I will return in either one or two weeks for Part 2. (Next weekend there may be a review of the movie Oni-Girl instead, since I intend to be at its world debut at Anime Central.)