Final Update: 4:32 p.m. EDT 10/13/26

Welcome to my preview guide for the Fall 2026 anime season! For a list of what is debuting when, check out the Seasonal Schedule, which should be fully ready by the evening of 9/27 EDT.

Per usual, I am covering nearly every debuting/returning series that isn’t a short or a sequel to/continuation of a franchise that I am not current on. This time around, the latter case includes the new Ace of Diamond, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Duel Masters, and Prince of Tennis series and sequels to Aoashi, Blue Box, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Hotel Inhumans, Mission: Yozakura Family, Ramparts of Ice, Sasaki and Peeps, Sgt. Frog, Tougen Anki, and Tokyo Revengers. Additionally, The Apothecary Diaries s3 will be taken straight to episode reviews and so won’t appear in this Guide.

Titles which were part of the Crunchyroll Sneak Peek – Fall 2026 had their debuts covered there and so also won’t appear here. Those include Black Clover s2, Firefly Wedding, Overgeared, Psyren, and The Vermilion Mask.

NOTE: This Guide is now complete. Devils’ Crest, which is set to debut on 11/6, will either be covered separately or as part the Fall Mid-Season Report in mid-November.

Dark Machine the Animation

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In a future (?) setting, Kairi heads in from the hinterlands to the city of Golden Valley to fulfill his recently-passed grandfather’s last request: find an individual named Senki and deliver a partially-damaged photo to him. Upon arriving in Golden Valley, Kairi eventually discovers that “Senki” is actually a title for the top player in the mega-popular mecha-style fighting game Dark Machine, and since Golden Valley is an economic zone focused on the game, that essentially makes Senki the city’s top dog in terms of political power, too. Kairi unwittingly gets involved in this when he crosses paths with Rudra, a young woman being pursued by some of Senki’s minions, and he gets dragged into a Dark Machine match to settle ownership of a set of glasses containing data that was stolen from someone. (The two sides differ on who it actually belongs to.)

In other words, like MSG: Witch From Mercury, this is one of these scenarios where everything can be settled with a mecha duel, only these mecha are virtual and played in game pods rather than full-immersion. It’s a surprisingly low-tech approach for a setting that looks like it’s set at a future point after global warming has significantly raised the oceans (game pods like this have been around since at least the early ’90s, though the graphics have certainly improved over the years), but that looks to be a core element of this series, which is the anime wing of a mixed-media project that also includes a manga version and a video game. (The game version is notable for being produced by Goro Taniguchi, the director of titles like S-CRY-ed, Planetes, Code Geass, and Maria the Virgin Witch, although he does not seem to be involved in the anime version.) The first episode could do a lot better job of explaining the setting and circumstances, but it does quickly get to business and looks good doing so, and making the mecha suits virtual actually feels more practical. The writers are still stretching to justify how this setting could have come about, and Kairi is startlingly lacking in personality for a nominal protagonist, but the episode is still never boring. I’m borderline on whether this one is good enough to make the viewing cut for the season.

Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

Makoto Takatsuki’s entire class has been transported to another world after they (apparently) froze to death in the wake of a bus accident while returning from a skiing trip. Being a veteran RPG gamer, Makoto is quite familiar with this scenario, and everyone here who comes from another world gets stats and skills from a goddess, too! But unlike his classmates, Makoto’s stats are abnormally low, he has only the most basic magic, and his one skill which seems distinctive (RPG Player) is an unknown quantity. He’s eventually forced to step out on his own, and through clever use of his magic (and Calm Mind skill keeping him from panicking) manages to defeat some goblins besetting a merchant. That night he’s approach in his dreams by a goddess seeking to make him her follower. A lot seems shady to Makoto about this – including the goddess not admitting her name or her desperate efforts to win him over as her first devotee in ages – but he eventually acquiesces. Her only request of him at this time? To get stronger so he doesn’t die on her.

This light novel adaptation has exactly one thing going for it: the mystery over who the goddess Makoto signs up with actually is. There are several plausible explanations for why she doesn’t currently have any followers but once did, and not all of them are savory ones, so there’s a real possibility here that Makoto is getting suckered into something diabolical, but he’s at least aware of how fishy this seems. Beyond that and the stunningly weak explanation for how the class all died, this is essentially boilerplate isekai fare, and it doesn’t have good enough technical merits, an interesting enough world design, or fun/intriguing enough characters to balance that out. While there’s a potential for some interesting plot developments down the road concerning the Goddess, how long is it going to take to get to them? I have doubts that slogging through the early set-up is going to be worth it.

Horror Collector

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In this version of modern urban legends, some legends are actually true, as teen girls discover to their dismay in two distinct cases. In the first, a girl who looks out her bedroom window at exactly the wrong time under exactly the right circumstances encounters the ghost of a woman who committed suicide by jumping off the building years earlier. In the second, a trio of girls encounter The Wriggler, a spiritual entity who hovers over fields and emits a headache-inducing scream which can drive victims to calamity. In both cases two other urban legends – a boy in a red-hooded jackets and an accompanying human-faced dog – appear to deal with the supernatural phenomenon, though not necessarily in time. And they’re seeking the source of the entity behind these phenomenon, who calls him “onii-chan.”

I’ve long said that horror is the hardest genre for anime to do effective, but this light novel adaptation certainly gives it a good try. especially in the first of the two pieces. The visuals are mostly there (including some surprisingly good animation, though the CGI spell effects just don’t feel right) and the music is certainly there. The problem is the dog Jimmy, who also talks like a human. He’s so hard to take seriously that his presence jars the mood of especially the first piece. The other problem is Fushigi, the boy who collects the curses empowering the spirits in his red book. Being emotionally distant is one thing – that’s practically expected in characters like this – but he’s pretty callous in the second case in particular, including acting with a startling lack of urgency given that one of the girls is being killed by the Wriggler. The sealing visual used in both cases was also very repetitive. I’m giving it a mid-range grade over because I can see this series being effective if a few kinks get worked out, but it’s not one I’m likely to follow.

A Certain Dark Item

Streams: Crunchyroll on Fridays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In the convoluted Raildex universe, the four girls who make up Item form one of the more powerful mercenary teams on the Dark Side. They have appeared in multiple other Raildex titles, often as antagonists (most prominently in direct conflict with Mikoto Misaka), though the jobs that they undertake usually more combat the rot of Academy City than contribute to it. They have proven popular enough to earn a four-novel spinoff focusing on them, and this is the adaptation of that spinoff. It seems to be set a year or so before the franchise’s main storyline and starts off by focusing on a typical mission for them: take out an unethical researcher, with killing certainly allowed. Amongst cameos from a variety of other important franchise characters (which will no doubt be a regular feature), they do just that. Looks like episode 2 is going to be a further flashback showing how one member – Kinuhata (the Level 4 who can manipulate nitrogen for both offense and defense) – was recruited by the original trio of Mugino (the Level 5 Meltdowner), Riko (the Level 4 who can track other espers), and Frenda (the Level 0 who’s a bomb and melee expert).

While technically you don’t need to be deeply-invested in the Raildex universe in order to follow and understand this, you’ll get more out of this the more deeply familiar you are with the franchise. Those who are returning from previous entries may be struck by distinct updates to the character designs and an overall visual style that shifts away from the more familiar look of previous Raildex titles. (But this is the first animation for the franchise in six years, so to an extent that’s to be expected.) It still looks pretty good overall but may take some getting used to. While there are some power displays, this is more a “day in the life” kind of story, so it doesn’t showcase much of the spectacle the franchise is known for beyond a climactic late scene where Mugino uses her power. While the episode suffers a bit for not being particularly distinctive, it is a well-designed starter episode which serves its purpose to get viewers back into the swing of the franchise and does capture at least some of the franchise’s cool factor.

Tetsuryo! meet with Tetsudo Musume

Streams: HIDIVE on Thursdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Misaki is about to enter college but she’s still not sure what she wants to do with her life (either short-term or long-term), unlike her much more focused best friend. Chance encounters with a PR lady for the Matsuura Railway (the westernmost of Japan’s rail line) and later a trio of young women at her college promoting The Tetsuryo (short for Railway Travel) Club spur her to try, on a whim, riding to the last stop on a rail line and exploring a whole new city. She loves the experience but decides it would be even more fun with others, so upon returning home she seeks to join the Tetsuyro Club.

This one’s origin is a bit different, as it is an original series based on the Tetsudo Musume (aka Railway Girls) multimedia franchise, which originated with toy figures representing female workers for various Japanese rail lines and later branched out into assorted media realms, with this being the first anime branch. It looks very much like it’s going to be a railway journey-focused version of Laid-Back Camp, complete with the requisite amiable but slight quirky club members and the requisite viewpoint character seeking to experience new things. It definitely leans into its cute side (Misaki looks much too young to be a college student, for instance) and its visual quality control isn’t the greatest, but it is a well-paced opening episode which gives the audience a clear idea of what to expect and a gentle, relaxing appeal. While I don’t always end up watching series like this, I do feel like an anime season isn’t truly complete without at least one title of this type.

The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World s2

Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

Although the major events at the end of last season are referenced, this is not a case where going back and rewatching the last episode of last season is necessary, as this season is starting off on an entirely new story arc. I do recommend at least a basic review of who all the recurring characters are, though, as the season starts off with no formal re-introduction. This time around, a team magic tournament is upcoming, and Ray has been invited to join Amelia and Ariane in a three-person team. This naturally means that Ariane is about to be subjected to Ray’s grueling training regimen (and he finally spills the beans to her about being the Iceblade Sorcerer). Meanwhile, Amelia and Rebecca come to an accord about discouraging further romantic competition for Ray and a princess reminisces about being rescued by Ray when kidnapped as a child.

For all its magical action elements, this one leans harder into its harem aspect than most, and that’s definitely the focus of this first episode back, for better or worse. You need a score card to keep track of all of the girls romantically interested in him at this point, and of course he’s still oblivious to how charming he is. Not much indication yet where this new season is going beyond the upcoming magic tournament, but it looks like it’s fully intent on rehashing established series jokes. Unfortunately the artistic and animation efforts are still subpar, and the writing content is too ordinary to balance that out. While I did mildly enjoy the first season, this one isn’t a sure-fire keeper.

A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special s2 (ep 13)

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

This sequel was announced at the end of the first season (at the end of 2023), and finally we’re getting to see it! If this is the first time in nearly three years that you’ve watched this series then I highly recommend going back and rewatching at least the last half of episode 12, as this one starts out with just a few second of refresher on Shadow Worlds before jumping right into the Shadow World Desir’s team entered at the end of the first season. Even then it might be confusing, as Desir and crew seemed to have jumped into set roles within this Shadow World, with Desir, Pram, and Azrest in one city and Romantica in another. Not clear on who the mysterious figure is that’s commenting on Desir’s team’s efforts to thwart an attack by the barbaric Estaban, but it does seem like one of Desir’s future comrades is from these people, so this is apparently a crucial pivot point world. And it looks like they still have one task to clear before they can close out this Shadow World, video game-style.

The first season was decent but not spectacular, a title easily lost in what I still regard as the strongest anime season ever. This season has more titles but less strong competition, but I don’t see that mattering because this season isn’t going to stand out, either, unless it offers more than its ordinary first episode. After slightly improving late in its last season, the animation effort has returned to merely mediocre, and some shots just don’t look good as stills. Nothing about the situation here is all that compelling, either. Seeing Azrest now formally working with Desir (and, interestingly, not seeming bothered about Desir being mistaken as her boyfriend) is a plus, but not enough of one. I may try to keep up with this one, but it could also be a casualty of too many titles this season.

Dandivine

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

20 years go, the giant mecha Dandivine defeated the mysterious Aposdolls, leaving the world at peace but not complacent, as defenses were set in place for a possible future recurrence. With no action for 20 years, though, the popularity of toys based on the mecha have begun to wane, which is a big concern for the president of toy company Kasuga. His prayer for new activity to spike up toy sales may soon be answered, as a trio of possibly-not-human girls seem to be setting a plan in motion to free the defeated master of the Aposdolls, and a step in that direction is releasing a new one onto the city. The former pilot of Dandivine is just a construction worker now, but he quickly jumps into action when the new threat arises, dragging his too-normal nephew along for the ride.

Though there is an upcoming manga version, this is an original project from figure/merchandise giant Good Smile Company and studio LIDEN FILMS that is intended to be the lead title of a collection of mecha series. It plays hard-core to the look, feel, and spirit of old-school bombastic mecha series, down even to its musical score, though the gimmick of it being a revival and apparent “next gen” story (the original pilot is not one of the advertised main trio; his nephew and nephew’s girlfriend are, though) is a bit of a twist. The action animation is pretty good and it certainly doesn’t lack for energy, and I am a bit curious to see how the girlfriend and not-yet-introduced third central character get pulled into this, and why the uncle won’t be part of it. If you’re into classic mecha, this one should be a delight. I’m not into such fare played straight, so I doubt it will make my weekly viewing list.

The Detective is Already Dead s2

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

I ultimately didn’t have a favorable impression of the first season back in 2021, and from what I’ve heard over time a lot of other viewers didn’t, either, so this one getting a second season was a bit of a surprise. Still, the series must have had an audience because there are several figma of Siesta out there (I saw one at a convention earlier this year), so a sequel finally being made – even if it is five years later – isn’t too surprising, I guess. And I always did admire the series’ quality character designs even while disliking a lot of other things about it, so I decided to give it a second try.

The season opens with a flashback revealing that Siesta and Nagisa first met when they were much younger before skipping ahead to a year after Siesta’s death, where Kimihiko, Nagisa, Charlotte, and Yui have all been kidnapped by a bio-android copy of Siesta called Noches, who needs to explain a few things to all of them. (Best if you don’t try to make sense of why things were set up this way; it gives them an excuse to keep using Siesta’s character design.) The most important of these revelations is that Great Detective isn’t just a grandiose title; it actually has a specific meaning and role attached to it, and that role is to take down SPES. (There are also 11 other specific roles out there, some of whom will no doubt show up this season.) And that title does fall to Nagisa since she literally has Siesta’s heart in her body and her personality in her head. For her to take on that burden, though, a confrontation with her Hel persona is necessary.

If the second season embraces the ridiculous plotting, eschews the time-skipping around, and either tones down the snark or at least uses it more effectively then this season could amount to something, so we’ll see how the next couple of episodes play out. So far I’m not much a fan of Robot Siesta even though I fully understand the appeal they’re going for here; for me, Siesta’s more spirited personality was at least half her appeal. The character design effort, at least, is still a stand-out, so I’ll remain ambivalent about this one for now.

The World’s Strongest Witch

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Lorna has an SSS-ranked ability, but since (apparently) no one had ever heard of that rank before and it didn’t have an obvious direct application, it was assumed to be the weakest of the weak, so Lorna was kicked out of her noble home for being useless. When she finally takes time to figure out what it actually does, she soon realizes how utterly broken a god-like source of knowledge it is. Its information enables her to skip most of the initial quest steps for obtaining an ultra-powerful, likely-hero-intended magic staff, which results in even the most basic spells she casts suddenly being stupidly powerful. But this isn’t without consequences, as the father and brother who kicked her out are starting to notice the disruptions to the local leylines by Lorna’s overpowered spells and are now on the lookout for a threat on the level of a Demon Lord.

On the plus side, Lorna’s irrepressible optimism and general attitude can easily win a viewer over, and the tone of the of this light novel adaptation stays well in line with how silly all of this is. There’s also perhaps a story to be told here about how Lorna was cooped up in the family mansion like a prisoner seemingly for just being a woman and how being kicked out actually gives her freedom, but I don’t have confidence that the writing here is going to explore that angle any more deeply than it already has. It doesn’t even look bad, either, and uses game graphics effectively for some of its jokes. What got me hung up here, though – and the reason I’m rating it so low – is the logical holes in its premise and some of the jokes it throws in. Unless Lorna just awakened to this skill, why didn’t she take time to figure out what it did before? And unless she is actually inside a game (which somewhat seems to be implied), why would she be getting advertisements and what looks like malware warnings? Its positive factors are enough that I might give this one another try to see if it’s going anywhere with the premise, but right now I’m not optimistic.

Magic Knight Rayearth (2026)

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

The original Magic Knight Rayearth was a sometimes-loose adaptation of a CLAMP manga, and was one of those titles which could commonly be found in convention viewing rooms in the late ’90s and early 2000s. It’s the latest classic title to get a reboot (supposedly with the aim of greater manga accuracy this time), and based on the first episode alone, it should be a successful one.

In the story, Fuu (the blonde), Hikaru (the redhead), and Umi (the blue-haired) are 14-year-old girls who were visiting Tokyo Tower with their respective middle school classes when a bright flash of light heralds the three being drawn into another world. They are soon informed by the sorcerer Clef (who looks like a kid even though he’s 745 years old!) that this world is Cefiro and they were summoned here by Princess Emeraude, the Pillar of the World, to serve as legendary Magic Knights and save Cefiro, which has started to run amok since Emeraude’s High Priest, Zagato, kidnapped and imprisoned her. Since they were summoned for that particular purpose, they can only return to Tokyo if they complete their task. Oh, and they’ll have to learn magic so they can summon Rune Gods, too. (The first episode doesn’t get to explaining that, but they’re mecha suits.) But one of Clef’s former apprentices, who’s now aligned with Zagato, interrupts Clef before he can teach proper magic use to anyone beyond Hikaru.

This is clearly going to be a slower-paced story (this episode covers only 2/3 of what the original’s first episode did), but I think the series will ultimately be better for it. In fact, this episode is an upgrade over the original in nearly every regard: better artistry, better animation, better dramatic effect, and (mostly) better handling of the humor bits. It also capably lays out the core personality elements of each of its lead. Character designs still use CLAMP’s very distinctive artistic flourishes, which may not work for younger audiences, but I find them more tolerable here than in the original. In the strongest bit of nostalgia, the episode also ends by using the original’s OP as its closer. Overall, this is a very promising-looking reboot for another old-school isekai series.

Suikoden: The Animation

Streams: YouTube on Tuesdays?

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

I was largely out of the video game scene by the time the first Suikoden game came out, so this review of the double-length debut of the game series’ anime adaptation is coming entirely from an anime-only viewpoint. That being said, this episode felt like it was making plenty of call-outs to fans of the game series, who will no doubt enjoy all the little details.

The plot closely follows summaries I’ve read about Suikoden II: Riliu and Jowy are two talented youths at the end of their training for the Highland military when a surprise, truce-breaking attack by the City-State throws everything into chaos. . . or at least that’s what seems to be happening at first. After fleeing for their lives and eventually separately winding up in City-State lands, they unexpectedly find out that the City-Staters seem unaware of any such attack. When they manage to break free (partly with the help of some traveling entertainers) and return to mutual friend Nanami back home, they get captured by Highland forces and accused of being spies. Eventually they come to understand the truth: eliminating the trainees was merely a ploy by Highland Prince Luca to justify going to war against the City-States, whom he seems to have a grudge against for as-yet-unspecified reasons. (Players of the game should know why.) Thankfully, some skilled potential allies come to their rescue before they can be executed, and Nanami is no pushover herself.

The production features solid artistry and robust animation early on, though some fights scenes later in the episode are more simplified. The plot being laid out here is a fairly involved one for a video game adaptation, and I’m assuming that many of the featured characters who pop up are potential team members from the game. (A lot more are featured in the ED.) While this is primarily meant as a nostalgia piece for longtime fans, at no point did I feel that I needed to know about the game to understand what was going on. Overall, it makes for a respectable start to a more action-oriented fantasy tale, though probably not one I’ll be following.

The Laid-Off Cheat-Granting Mage Enjoys a Second Lease on Life

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

Rein is the resident enchanter for the large and powerful Beast’s Fangs adventuring guild – or was, until he got unceremoniously fired in a cost-cutting measure, partly because he didn’t fight and partly because they already had all the enchantments they needed. What no one seemed to understand, though, was that the bonuses Rein applied to all of the Beast’s Fangs equipment were something that he could easily rescind, so he did that and concentrated the thousands of points into an ordinary copper short sword and an even more ordinary set of clothes. He then set off to find a new adventuring guild and begin his career as an adventure. He soon finds that opportunity with Blue Crystal, a far from prestigious guild, but that suits Rein fine, and some thugs find out the hard way that he actually wasn’t exaggerating about how much he’d enhanced his weapon and clothes. When he agrees to try his luck at a dragon-killing quest, he finds himself accompanied by Lily Flambert, a former prodigy who hasn’t been the rising star she once was for at least a couple of years now.

Two-episode debuts tend to get overdone these days, but boy, this light novel adaptation could have used one, as its first episode ends at a rather awkward point. This one has the misfortune of not being the only “kicked out of the party/guild” series this season, though it does stake out some differences on a few points, such as by portraying Rein’s dismissal more as a corporate cost-cutting measure, having Rein be able to immediately retract everything he’s done for his former guild, and on the negative side, offering up one of the most obnoxious protagonists to come along in any series in quite some time. (And the English simuldub only exacerbates this with the performance by veteran VA Justin Briner.) It does offer one of the most curiously distinctive background art designs of any recent series, though; in the area where the Blue Crystal guild HQ is located, nearly everything is crooked or outright warped. The episode is almost worth watching just to study that, and Lily’s situation does spark some interest, though how well going into that will jive with the more silly lean of the rest of the content remains to be seen. Overall, though, this is one of the weakest debuts of the season so far.

Super Psychic Policeman Chojo

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 2.5

Nao Ippongi is a rookie police officer whose family operates a judo dojo, and so she’s a dan-ranked judo expert herself. She’s assigned to a police station in Kabuki-cho, where she joins Meguru Chojo, a notorious psychic detective. Though Chojo can prove difficult to deal with, he also shows that he’s reliable in a pinch, such as when a local yakuza gang who seeks to take over Ippongi’s family’s dojo dramatically escalates their intimidation tactics. For better or worse, Kabuki-cho’s about to be a whole lot more interesting with these two teaming up.

This adaptation of a shonen manga looks every bit like a typical Buddy Cop scenario, one where both members of the duo are oddballs one one just happens to be an extremely powerful psychic as well. It promises all kinds of madcap scenarios, from helping a man remember his forgotten phone password to dealing with wrecking ball-sporting yakuza dopes, and it should be appreciable if nothing more is expected of it than that. It does use a more cartoonish artistic style that may not work for everyone, however. While the first episode isn’t bad, nothing about it makes it compelling enough to be a weekly view, either.

The Cold Sato-san Is Only Sweet to Me

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Koharu Sato is one of the most admired girls in school by both boys and girls, but she’s also considered unapproachable because she’s bluntly standoffish with everyone there. Sota Oshio is well aware of the latter (having once been on the receiving end of it!), but he sees a different side of Koharu when she shows up as a customer at his family’s café one day: a timid girl fumbling to take a picture of food for a social media post. They talk after he helps deflect some unwanted attention from her, and he discovers that she’s actually just really socially awkward (as well as horrible at taking pictures!) and is seeking to use social media as a way to make friends. As they split after that encounter, both are flustered but neither is aware they became the other’s first love after an encounter during entrance exams two years prior.

The first episode of this light novel adaptation gives no sign that it’s anything other than a completely standard coming-of-age romance story, but that’s perfectly fine; such fare has been an anime staple for decades because this kind of story never loses its relevancy, so there always should be fresher iterations for each new wave of anime fans. Both Sota and Koharu are quickly likable (if also a bit bland), and certainly no effort has been spared on making Koharu a visually appealing beauty, especially for those who like short-haired girls. The muscle-bound dad character is already a bit annoying, but the pacing of this episode is well-timed and the potential for chemistry between the two leads is already being established. The OP and ED suggest that a couple of other girls will eventually get involved in some capacity, but this should be a nice and sweet (if unspectacular) little romantic tale.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden

Streams: HIDIVE on Tuesdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Four-year-old Nia can’t clearly remember her past life, but she does remember that she was powerful and filled with regret that she died peacefully rather than on a battlefield, losing to a stronger opponent. But she’s now got a second chance at that thanks to a shady sorcerer drawing her spirit into the body of the dying daughter of a high-ranking noble (after the daughter’s original spirit has already departed). She’s able to cure her new body’s fatal lung condition with the chi manipulation she learned in her previous life and decides to make herself as useful as possible to the parent who didn’t give up on their daughter. That means, for now, being featured on the Magivision (this world’s version of television) network run by her parents. But her ultimate goal of eventually dying in battle to a strong opponent hasn’t changed.

This series is based on light novels written by the same person who authored the source novels for Kunon the Sorcerer Can See. While the overall set-up has distinct parallels to a few other reincarnation series from the past few years, I did like the one point it significantly differed on: the being responsible for the reincarnation is actually a mortal character who appears briefly in the story rather than a god or divine System or something else unknowable, and that character’s motivation was callously pragmatic (keep the daughter alive for long enough for him to get paid) rather than some grand goal or a random occurrence. Nia, for her part, approaches everything pragmatically, too – at least mostly, anyway, since she can’t help show off a bit of combat skill that she shouldn’t have. Still, Nia is quite fetchingly cute without being an over-the-top cuteness play, and her attitude on things finds a good balance. The series may have to show a bit more to truly stand out, but I am cautiously optimistic here.

So What’s Wrong With Being Reborn as a Goblin?

Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays

Rating: 2.5

The things that 29-year-old Akira thought about as he lay dying from rescuing a child from Truck-kun define what he was reborn as in his new world: a little blue goblin. In this world, goblins only live for seven days, but to compensate they breed very fast and each have a skill which they can pass onto another nearby goblin when they die. (But they can only pass on the skill they’re born with.) This answers Akira’s dying wish to pass on his skills, while a desire to have lived longer shapes his own unique skill: Octogenarian, which assures his lifespan is 80 years instead. That allows him to accumulate an enormous number of skills, including a potent one from a dying Archfiend, and leads to him becoming the mayor of his goblin village and going into a nearby human town to parley with the local margrave. He also establishes a cordial relationship with a female knight and seems to be winning over a former follower of the Archfiend. But he seems to not realize that all of this and his efforts to better organize the goblins are making him one hellacious threat in the eyes of some.

This is the second isekai series featuring a protagonist reborn as a goblin (see Re:Monster) but this one takes a significantly different trajectory. While its first two episodes oftentimes feel like they’re on the cusp of doing something interesting, the series also has trouble keeping its own internal logic straight, especially how a humanoid race whose members live for only seven days even makes any kind of practical sense. It also heavily leans on slow panning shots to stretch out its limited animation budget. The series does at least seem to acknowledge that goblins having very limited lifespans is a necessary balancing factor in this world, as they could become powerful to an unbalanced degree if they lived even partial human lifespans, and Akira is going to be Exhibit A for that. This is one I could see becoming a volume casualty for my viewing list this season.

Magical Girl Raising Project Restart

Streams: OceanVeil on Mondays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

The “Restart” in the title of this light novel-based series does not refer to a franchise reboot, but rather a re-initiation of the Magical Girl Raising Project event which defines this franchise. Hence this is instead a direct sequel to its 2016 predecessor. That being said, newcomers won’t miss any context here until the battle in the last two minutes, as it looks like most of the story is focusing on an entirely new group of contestants.

One of them is Pechka, a middle school-aged girl who has become a magical girl whose magic allows her to make especially delicious food. She uses that to deliver lunch to a boy she’s crushing on, though she’s too timid to do it in her real identity. As she’s moping over that she’s suddenly sucked into another world where she must fight skeletons and part of some kind of “tutorial” and collect magical candies. A diverse array of other magical girls also make their appearances. None are clear on what, exactly, is going on here but some are already scheming to make the best of their circumstances. Meanwhile, a mysterious magical girl named Snow White (one of the two survivors from the first series) seems to be going around taking out “evil” magical girls, and a mysterious figure seems inclined to help her.

The first series was about contests designed to recruit new magical girls for the Magic World, contests which got warped into death games by a bored mascot and another magical girl, but it remains to be seen if this time around is going to be quite so ruthless. Certainly there are a few of these magical girls who look like they’ll be no good in a fight (including Pechka), but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything in this format. What’s most important at this point is that all of the magical girls look interesting and probably have some degree of story behind them which explains their magical girl form, and those will doubtlessly come into play as this scenario progresses. The debut is getting a middling rating because the episode is almost all set-up, but it does at least lay the groundwork from some more exciting events and it should be interesting to see how far Snow White has gone down the more proactive path she started out on in the first series. This is a likely keeper despite the rating.

Hello, I am a Witch and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion

Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Despite her relative youth, Rose is the “Good” Witch of the Lake, a title she inherited when her grandmother passed on four years earlier. She still lives in the same island hermitage, only rarely going into town for ingredients, which has resulted in a more isolated life than she’d prefer. Her heart leaps when a knight she’s quietly been crushing on for those four years comes calling, but she quickly deflates when he reveals that he’s seeking a love potion. He’s earnest enough about it that she reluctantly agrees, though she draws out the collecting of ingredients as much as possible to get just a little more time with him.

Based on the premise for this light novel adaptation, I was expecting a more light-hearted short. What we get instead is an almost entirely serious lonely-girl story, one amplified by this witch having no talking familiar or other adorable little critters around to ameliorate he loneliness; there’s just a merchant whom she’s known since she was little who occasionally visits to procure her potions for sale. The crush she knew was unrealistic was all she really had, a crush based on the knight once defending her grandmother from people celebrating the grandmother’s death. While that makes this a maudlin tale, it doesn’t exaggerate to the point of misery porn, and it is capable of little bits of humor. It also looks quite good while doing all of this, too. While this isn’t a spectacular opening episode, it conveys enough appeal in its little details and uncertainties about the knight’s real intent to convince me to watch more.

Tank Chair

Streams: Amazon Prime Video on Sundays

Rating: 4.5 (of 5)

Guicheng Island is a dangerous, overdeveloped place alternating between modern high rises and rundown neighborhoods. In it, Nagi was once among the strongest and most feared assassins, but taking a bullet protecting his kidnapped young sister left him wheelchair bound and in a usually-catatonic state. However, his sister Shizuka discovers that when Nagi is subjected to a strong enough killing intent, he can snap out of it for a while, so she seeks out the most dangerous missions for him in the hopes that a sufficiently strong killing intent might permanently restore him. Their task this episode involves taking out Goro, a genetically-doped gorilla who’s been wreaking havoc on the transports and workers of her employer. And that gives Nagi a chance to show of his souped-up wheelchair and a combat acumen that being disabled has not dulled one bit, while Nagi eggs their opponents on with an accompanying drone.

How did this one slip under the radar for this season? Six years ago in a review of Drifting Dragons, I mentioned that I hoped that wouldn’t be the last directorial effort for Tadahiro “Tady” Yoshihara, and this explosive first episode shows exactly why. This is a top-tier CG animation effort from Polygon Pictures, done in a visual style somewhat reminiscent of Dorohedero, complete with fantastically detail-rich, rundown cityscapes, remarkably smooth character animation for CG, and plenty of spectacle when it comes time for action scenes. And boy, those certainly don’t disappoint for intensity, graphic content (albeit with off-colored blood splatters), or creative ways to make a tricked-out wheelchair suitably intimidating in a fight! Add in a strong supporting musical score by the prolific Masaru Yokoyama and just enough of an emotional angle in the Nagi/Shizuka relationship to ground it all and you have the scene’s most high-octane debut to date.

I’m Dating a Dark Summoner

Streams: HIDIVE on Sundays

Rating: 4 (of 5)

This half-length series is set in the swords and sorcery world of Palustia, where the horn-sporting Shin are a race said to be demons reborn (aka tieflings in certain fantasy RPG settings) Amona, one such Shin, is also a Dark Summoner, which means she summons demons for attack and knowledge. That doesn’t sit well with the priest Roni, whose party she’s been working with, and she doesn’t care for his righteous attitude. Despite that, they still wind up in bed together when staying at the same inn one night, thus starting a combative but still sordid relationship that they are very bad at hiding from others. When their party discovers a magical sexy bunny outfit in a dungeon chest, Amona soon learns what fetish Roni is weakest towards.

Apparently Sundays are fan service days this season! This adaptation of an online ecchi manga follows squarely in the tradition of fare like Gushing Over Magical Girls, being only one step less raunchy than the dirtiest of this season’s OceanVeil offerings. Expect nudity, fairly explicit sex, and all sorts of adult-related humor as the two deal with each other and their cohorts, including an airheaded female warrior who pushed the two together, the dry wit of the female elvish archer, or the imp Amona summons who seems all about Amoni seducing Roni further. It’s all done with high spirits and a lot of fun, and its short gags format works well with 12-minute episodes. This one’s a likely keeper.

My Girlfriend’s Friend

Streams: OceanVeil on Sundays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Takeru and Kaori have known each other for a long time and recently upgraded to dating, much to Kaori’s delight. But Takeru’s got a not-so-little problem: Kaori’s buxom friend Tomoko is secretly coming onto him hard. She claims to him that she can’t get excited if something as extreme as cheating isn’t involved (and indeed, there does seem to be some evidence to that effect) and seems unconcerned about how this could affect Kaori if they’re found out. Though Takeru can’t help eyeing Tomoko’s generous figure, he’s fiercely dedicated enough to Kaori that he doesn’t slip even when Tomoko corners him in a bathroom stall for sex – for now, at least.

This adaptation of a web manga is part of the AnimeFesta block, so it being lurid is a given. Indeed, its very first image is a panty shot, and it later both goes out of its way to put in panty shots at every opportunity and features some nudity in a strongly sexual situation. There’s not much else to this one so far beyond that and Takeru having to fight off heavy-duty temptation, and there are some logical holes; for instance, if Tomoko has been doing this kind of thing for a while, I have a hard time believing that Kaori wouldn’t have noticed. This clearly doesn’t seem to be an “I’m testing him on my friend’s behalf” situation, either, given how miffed Tomoko looks when he flees from her in the bathroom scene. While the episode has a full 23-minute slot, the main story content is only 12 minutes long, with the remaining time forming a couple of rather stupid SD shorts. Overall, this may work with some audiences as a super-trashy temptation story, but I wouldn’t expect more than that and the copious fan service.

From Far Away

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Noriko’s father wrong science fiction stories that sometimes involved alternate worlds, but she didn’t take seriously the notion that the dreams she’s been having lately of another place might be one – until she found herself transported in a flash of light after following a bird of light only she can see. She finds herself in an unfamiliar forest with giant, hungry larvae-like insects, from which she’s saved by a dashing, almost superhumanly capable man. Though a language barrier prevents them from communicating, she comes to understand that his name is Izark and decides to trust him since he seems to be looking out for her. He, meanwhile, wonders if she might be the Awakening long prophecied to bring chaos to the world, an individual that multiple other countries are now actively looking for after sensing her arrival.

This is the second isekai based on a classic shojo manga (the source for this one ran from 1991 until 2002) in as many seasons, but unlike with Red River, I don’t thinks fans will be bitterly disappointed with this one. This is a vastly better-executed debut on almost every front, one which efficiently makes clear how big the stakes are concerning Noriko without ever distracting from the tension and action involved in Noriko’s encounter with Izark. The level of panic she shows is perfectly understandable but she still bucks up and quickly finds the resolve to move forward, making her a much more sympathetic heroine. This one also doesn’t just hand-wave the expected language barrier with magic (at least not yet), and the transitions from Noriko’s viewpoint to Izark’s were handled were cleverly-handed with a blur-out mechanic. The production even unobtrusively works in updates for setting the story in current times, such as by giving Noriko a smartphone that she quickly loses in the new world. Not sure if I will ultimately end up following this one, but it’s earned additional view on more than just reputation.

Even Though I’m a Super Timid Noble Girl

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

During a serious illness at age 10, Pia Rockwell, a count’s daughter, awakens to memories of a past life, where she was a budding paleobiologist who died in a store hold-up after being betrayed by a coworker she had fallen in love with. She also realizes that her current world is exactly like an otome game she used to play in that life, and she’s one of the fiancées who gets rejected by a love interest of the heroine ad the story’s climax. Desperate to not feel that kind of rejection again, Pia tries to convince her arranged fiancé, the prime minister’s son, to break off their engagement by passing off her knowledge of future game developments as a divine revelation. But that only piques the interest of Rufus Stan, enough so that he’s willing to put a bet with her in writing: if he should ever break off their engagement in the future, he’ll finance her desire to study fossils (a new concept in his world). And the more he observes her, the more he finds himself wanting to keep her close.

This isn’t the first “villainess with a twist” story by original author Hiro Oda, but it’s the first to get animated. While the premise may sound somewhat similar to last year’s An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess, it takes a significantly different angel: the viewpoint splits time about evenly between the two central characters, and in this case Pia is desperately trying to avoid her fate rather than live up the game role she’s been stuck in. This take on the concept also takes itself quite a bit more seriously, which results in a surprisingly involving opening episode. While Pia’s intent is mostly emotionally-based, Rufus’s is multifaceted: he’s taken aback by Pia’s lack of seeming ambition towards him and recognizes the value of both having someone like that to rely on and the innovations that Pia could potentially offer, and is perhaps curious about the prophecy, too. By the end of the episode he’s clearly come to value and care for her, and it seems like others have either noticed that or recognized Pia’s independent worth. The technical merits here aren’t anything special, but I am more interested in seeing this one play out than I initially expected to be. This one is a probable keeper.

Reborn as a Space Mercenary

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Sato Takahiro was an IT specialist by trade and an avid player of the open-world sci fi game Stella Online. Now he’s awoken in his OP ship from the game in deep space with no idea how he got there. While the ship seems to work just like he remembers, the bigger political picture he encounters when he gets to a space station (after taking down some pirates who tried to jump him) isn’t anything he recalls. While he tries to figure things out, he decides to formally register as the mercenary Captain Hiro (his game handle) with the help of Elma, a slightly-built elf mercenary he happens to encounter in the space station. And he may have just rescued another future crew member from thugs, too, as the episode ends. (A maid that’s presumably an android is also shown in the OP, but she hasn’t appeared yet.)

This light novel adaptation gets half a rating point just for having Elma, but that’s the only thing that stands out about it so far. This is really just a stock isekai tale, only with a full sci fi motif. Nothing about the sense of world-building (universe-building?) shown so far feels at all fresh, and while Hiro comes off a bit cockier than your typical isekai transplant, he’s pretty much a standard horndog about all of this. The action scene against the would-be pirates shows that we can expect a fair amount of action in this one, and Hiro looks like he will quickly collect a pseudo-harem, but I’ll need to see a bit more to determine if this one will be worth following long-term or not.

Uncle’s Obsession With Cute Things

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Mitsutaka Oji is a 41-year-old divorced businessman who lives with a nephew who is attending college nearby. He has a dark secret that he keeps from his coworkers and nephew, and which was a major contributing factor to his divorce: he loves cute things, in particular a roly-poly children’s anime character named Pugtaro. (To be clear, his ex-wife was upset over him keeping secrets and apparently never knew about the nature of it.) He’s practically paranoid about being found out given scorn he got as a boy for expressing such interest, and that fear is, to a degree, supported by the the stern, disagreeable head of a neighboring division at work who notices a cutesy character on his keychain. However, Mitsutaka soon discovers that the other division head has a barely-concealed vice of his own: his “oshi” is a kitten at a local cat café the other man frequents which Mitsutaka happened to check out in a quest for merch.

There’s definitely some humor to be found in the way the protagonist of this manga adaptation treats his cute obsession like many would a much darker and more lurid fetish, but frankly, I found Mitsutaka’s situation to be a bit sad in a way that probably wasn’t intended. Granted, professional Japanese men by default tend to be very image-conscious, but being so image-conscious that you have to conceal such a harmless interest is no way for a middle-aged man to live. Sure, one of his peers at work is a jerk about it, but he might well be surprised how favorably some of his younger coworkers respond if he unobtrusively let on that he had such interests. Because that aspect doesn’t set well with me, this series is probably a no-go for me in this busy season.

Ranma ½ s3 (ep 25)

Streams: Netflix on Saturdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Ranma and the gang are back for round 3! This time around Ranma’s intense training with Cologne at the end of last season has left him stronger than he realizes, as Kuno and Ryoga now look painfully slow to him. After being more soundly defeated by Ranma than ever before, Ryoga agrees to train with Cologne. Meanwhile, Akane volunteers to go along with Ranma and Genma on their summer break training excursion in the mountains and cook for them, utterly unaware of just how bad Akane’s cooking is.

It’s time for another round of the familiar antics! While the “epically bad cooking” gimmick has been done so many times in other comedy series over the years that it’s a cliche at this point, this is the rare case where exactly how Akane’s curry ends up so inedible is depicted in great detail; for anyone who regularly cooks, it’s truly horrific to watch. (Granted, curry is an enormously flexible recipe with many sound variations, but there are still standards that must be adhered to.) I’m giving this one a middling grade because, aside from Akane’s cooking demonstration, this is a very generic episode for series standard, but it does still offer its share of nicely-animated fun.

The Seven Knights of the Marronnier Kingdom

Streams: Amazon Prime on Saturdays

Rating: 3.5

The Marronier Kingdom lies at the center of its continent, surrounded on all sides by seven other kingdoms. And it just so happens that it has seven young knights that are all sons of the female general Baribari: Insomniac, Swordsman, Feverish, Fraternity, Best-Tamer, Chilly, and Hungry. (Yes, really.) Each is to eventually be dispatched as a Knight Commander on a diplomatic mission to one of the seven other kingdoms. Before that, though, each of them has other tasks to complete, including Chilly being assigned to escort a margrave’s son (really the nation’s princess in disguise) on a nut-gathering expedition for her pet super-massive squirrel. (Yes, really.)

The most startling thing about the first episode of this manga adaptation is the sheer size of the “squirrel” when it’s finally revealed at the end of the episode. The series also has one of the season’s most distinctive artistic styles, with all the background art and most of the character art looking like it came from a children’s picture book. As for what kind of tone it’s trying to set, that’s hard to say at this point. It’s certainly angling to be a more classically-styled medieval fable, though its odd naming conventions (all of the other country names are also thematic) is suggestive of some kind of satire or morality play, but I don’t think either is the intent here. It is a gentle, low-key episode which introduces all the main cast members, gives each a chance to show off his or her personality (there’s also an aspiring female knight who, if I’m understanding correctly, is going to eventually marry one of the eldest brothers). While the visual style is distinctive, I’m not a fan of it, and that ultimately may knock the series from my watch list. If you’re looking for something different on the visual style front, though, this one should fit the bill.

Magic Repo Man

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

In Lent’s world, everyone gets a god-given skill at age 15, one which typically determines a person’s career path. Lent hopes to get a Swordsman skill like one of his friends, but he instead get a unique skill of the highest tier: Magic Storage, which gives him a base MP level far beyond anyone else, allows him to bank additional MP, and loan MP to others. (Yeah, his name is that much on the nose!) It’s not a skill suited to fighting directly, but in a world where all powers and skills are dependent on MP, it means his back-line support allows others to function far beyond normal capabilities. A couple of friends from his village convince him to join them as adventurers so he can put that to good use, and together with a priestess they form the Skypiercers. Though the party quickly ascends the ranks, the lead Swordsman/Mage/Priest trio become discontent with Lent “only” contributing via supplying MP, and so when they finally obtain magic items that can reduced their dependence on his mana loans, they kick him out. But they may be in for a rude awakening, for Lent’s frustration over this triggers his skill to evolve.

Yeah, we’ve scenarios like this – where the vital support role is so disrespected and undervalued by the DPS-focused members that the supporter is kicked out- enough times before that there has to be some more novel twist involved for any new attempt to smell at all fresh, and this one doesn’t have it. The fellow party members are just stock irredeemably arrogant bastards who have completely lost track of the fact that they wouldn’t be the hot shit that they are without Lent’s help (although the priestess does go above and beyond to be irritating) and somehow are too dense to see how broken Lent’s ability is in this setting even in its current form. And it should be even more broken with his skill evolving and this fairy showing up; my guess is that he’ll be able to forcibly extract MP from others rather than just get it back from others willingly returning it. Is that an interesting enough angle to sustain this series? Probably not, though I may give it an episode or two to see how that plays out and if whatever new party he forms proves interesting enough. (And I am at least slightly curious about this shady-looking fairy.) It’s definitely the weakest premiere on this very busy day.

Even the Student Council Has Its Holes!

Streams: OceanVeil on Saturdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Mizunoe Ume excels at most things, but his atrocious grades in Science class put him in danger of having to repeat a year. To combat this (and help her earn her bonus!), his teacher suggests he takes up a vacancy in the Student Council. Ume reluctantly agrees and finds himself becoming the council’s Secretary, but he also quickly discovers that his fellow Student Council members are all quite the handful in different ways and administering Student Council duties sometimes requires dealing with some difficult people.

When I first saw the title of this gag manga adaptation, I assumed that the obvious double-entendre wasn’t intended, that it just referred to Ume filling the vacancy. Now I’m not so sure, as this is a far more dirty-minded series that initial impressions might suggest. It has bits of nudity, one character using nipple flashes to tease another, not one but two male characters convincingly dressed up as girls (including the nipple-flashing one!), and the one fully female character is a closet pervert. The episode even has one character using a pair of panties to clean up a bloodstain (never mind how many health code violations are involved there!), which implies obvious jokes about bloodied panties. As tasteless as some of this sounds, a lot of it is very funny, and the director wisely understood how to time the length of the jokes well. Sure, it has an artistic look that’s definitely not going to work for everyone, but even that somewhat plays into the humor. I can see this one being a lot of fun.

Magical Explorer

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Our unnamed protagonist was an avid player of the eroge Magical Explorer, to the point that he had careful notes about how best to do speedruns, so of course he finds himself in the game as one of its characters after he passes out one day. But instead of being the protagonist he’s Kosuke Takioto, the protagonist’s scarf-sporting sidekick. Resolving not to be the dead weight that his current character was, he decides to train up what he can do and works on using magic to manipulate his scarf. Perhaps because of that, he starts getting involved in incidents his character never did in the story, including being taken in by the school’s sexy (but untouchable in the game) headmaster and rescuing an elven princess who’s one of the story’s main love interests. He also finds himself cohabitating with a couple of other sexy female characters who were never love interest options in the game.

I will give this light novel adaptation some credit: it’s being a bit clever in how it’s using its eroge setting to put the protagonist in the kinds of sexy pratfall situations that have long been staples of the more lewd romantic comedies out there, such as the box of undergarments that accidentally dump on his head when he’s following the sexy green-haired maid up a staircase and she falls or tumbling naked into the sexy headmaster after fleeing from a bathroom he was somehow unaware was unoccupied. It even gets a good joke out of it when, after the last encounter, the headmaster’s adult daughter asks if he’s into older women and interested in becoming her new father. That’s some moxy to carry the joke that far. Unfortunately, there’s really nothing else special these opening two episodes (was a second episode really needed in this case?) do. Its fan service angle, though definitely present, isn’t even that strong, either. The female cast members introduced so far are appealing enough but, again, nothing special, and some faint hints about plot angles beyond the base story haven’t coalesced into anything substantial yet. I might watch a little more to see what happens when the game’s viewpoint character enters the picture but this is a dubious long-term choice for following at this point.

Vertex Force

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

13-year-old Okinawan resident Akira didn’t seem to inherit the Engine power (which allows the wielder to manifest a partial mecha, apparently) from his alien father like his 16-year-old sister Haruka did, but that hasn’t stopped him from striving to get stronger. Two weeks after an incident called Power Down disrupted power and communications across the globe (which may have been caused by a mysterious woman witnessed interfering with a satellite in space), the threat which Akira and Haruka’s father gave his life to protect Earth from 12 years before – the rogue robot EDVA, which destroyed his home planet – seems to have returned. During a desperate fight by Haruka to dend off a robotic monster which seems to be seeking them out, Akira awakens to his own engine power, at least to a degree.

While this has the air of a mobile game adaptation, it’s actually an entirely original series from the director of the Strike Witches franchise and the creator and director of Vividred Operation. That explains a lot about the first episode’s look and feel, especially the propensity for pervy angle shots of Haruka; Kazuhiro Takamura is notorious for populating his other titles with plentiful amounts of such fare, so expect it to be a regular feature here, too. It also explains why the other three yet-to-be-introduced Engine users shown in the OP and ED are all young women, because combining girls and pseudo-mecha is definitely Takamura’s MO. (Including one boy in the mix is a sign that Takamura is branching out some!) Beyond that, this is a very standard establishment episode. The animation effort leans heavily on CG even in character animation, but there’s nothing much which stands out about the elaborate mecha designs. Overall, this isn’t an impressive start, though I can see the series finding its own niche audience.

#I’m Looking for a Zombie

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 4 (of 5)

In Aki’s world, the zombie apocalypse (known as “Red Day”) happened 13 years earlier. She and her friends Haru and Natsuki were raised in an isolate village because of this, so they’re almost entirely familiar with the outside world. That doesn’t stop them from setting out with gusto for an exploration mission to find Aki’s father, who once asked her to find him and put him down if he ever turned into a zombie. As they get into a big city they’ve never seen before, they encounter Yu and Sakura, two survivors from a different village, and team up with them to deal with the horde of zombies that has cornered them in the miraculous “Home Center” they intend to adopt as their base of operations.

This one is based on a manga by a manga-ka who’s seen two previous works also adapted into anime: 2018’s Mitsuboshi Colors and 2019’s Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu. Both of those were more light-hearted, high-spirited series, and that same sentiment has now been applied to a zombie apocalypse scenario. While the circumstances could make this one quite dark, the first episode never plays it that way; even the one “gotcha” moment involving a zombie is approached with full zeal and Aki and friends just matter-of-factly talk about crushing zombie skulls. Relatively simple but lively character designs and personalities are all part of this, technical merits are pretty good, and the sense of energy is pervasive, especially in the English simuldub. (Notably, the English dub does use “they” pronouns for Yu, while the subtitles don’t, so this could be a point of controversy.) Overall, this one gives the impression of being a fun ride and has certainly earned another look.

Romelia War Chronicle

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Romelia von Graham is the daughter of a count who was betrothed to Prince Henri, but after accompanying him (in a purely supporting role) to defeat the Demon King, he calls their engagement off. Romelia isn’t about to let that drag her down, so she secures a comparatively modest reward from Henri’s father, arranges to see that her family’s financial woes are involved, and then decides to set out to form her own new life in a different land, with only her faithful older maid accompanying her.

This adaptation of a light novel series looks like one of these set-ups where the pragmatic, capable supporter is dumped because her noncombat contributions are undervalued, so she goes off to prove her worth on her own. In that sense this first episode doesn’t do anything fresh, though there is at least some hint that Prince Henri isn’t totally disenchanted with her and his father seems to recognize her value. Romelia takes this all in stride as she stakes out her merits as a capable negotiator, but she’s a bit too even-tempered about all of this, and it feels at times like some vital context is missing. Still, the adaptation gets at least some credit for depictions of subtleties (Romelia’s father never outright says it but he’s clearly genuinely concerned about her, but the distance between them at the dining table speaks volumes) and the artistic effort is solid, if unspectacular beyond the opening fight scene. I tend to like series focused on heroines like this, so I’m certainly willing to give this one a fair try.

A Tale of the Secret Saint

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

15-year-old Fia Ruud, youngest daughter of a knight family, has always dreamed of being a knight of the Nav Kingdom herself, even though she’s the weakest of her siblings and the service of her three elder siblings means she could do anything she wants without worry about maintaining family traditions. She decides to try her family’s Right of Passage anyway, and during it she has a fateful encounter with a badly-injured “black bird” which turns out to be the black dragon Zavilia, who regressed to a natal state to try to recuperate from injuries. The encounter awakens Fia’s memories of her previous life: three hundred years ago, she was Serafina, the Nav Kingdom’s princess and Great Saint, and the person chiefly responsible for the defeat of the Demon King at that time. Her brothers, miffed that she was too popular, abandoned her in a mana-depleted state and she was later found, humiliated, and killed by the Demon King’s surviving right-hand man, who promised to seek her out if she ever reincarnated. Terrified of that, Fia resolves to keep her former identity and the powers that she’s regained a secret. That won’t be easy, since she has magic miles beyond anything that Saints in her era have, now has the newest incarnation of the legendary Black Dragon (a “black dragon-like thingy”) as a familiar, and isn’t the sharpest of tools when it comes to concealing what she can do, as evidenced by how much attention she catches during her Knight Brigade test and induction.

The OP for this light novel adaptation indicates that the intent here is to adapt the first four novels. Even though these aren’t particularly long novels (and as much as a third of each is devoted to side stories and/or flashbacks), that still means a brisk pacing should be expected. That should be mostly fine, since this isn’t a deep or particularly intricate story, though I am curious to see how the side story content will be handled, since some of it is indispensible; the second episode of this two-episode debut does end with one such side story, so this could be a case where that structure will be a regular feature. The twist on the standard “same timeline reincarnation” premise – that the reincarnate doesn’t want to reveal her power because she fears the enemy who killed her in her past life is still around – is a refreshingly interesting one, and Fia has already shown herself to be ditzy enough that we can expect plenty of entertaining slips. Lots of hot guys who could potentially fall into Fia’s orbit are introduced, too, giving this some reverse-harem potential. On the artistic side, character designs generally look sharp and colorful (and I’m pleased that Fia is depicted wearing pants in her knight uniform) and animation isn’t spectacular but better than the minimalist effort I was expecting. (The gimmick of using 4:3 aspect ratio for the previous-life scenes is inspired, too.) Overall, I think this would be a keeper for me even if I wasn’t current on the English releases of the novel and manga versions.

FX Fighter Kurumi-Chan

Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays

Rating: 3

Don’t let the cutesy, magical girl-themed OP or the emphasis on the bust size of the protagonist (and other characters featured in the OP and advertising art) fool you; the first episode of what looks to be a “cute girls do financial trading” series is shockingly grim. In her middle school years, Kurumi’s mother tried her hand at ForEx (i.e., foreign exchange) trading, with disastrous results. Despite a concerted effort to work to pay off the crushing debt, her mother ultimately couldn’t handle the stress, deteriorated steeply over the course of a few months, and eventually committed suicide. (And the artistic effort does not shirk on visually depicting the mother’s deterioration!) Though her mother warned Kurumi away from ever engaging in ForEx, Kurumi resolved after her mother’s death to succeed where her mother had failed once she was legally old enough to do so and put a lot of time into preparing for it. Despite that, her age 20 self is finding history repeating, even if she is operating for much lower stakes.

In my younger years, I dabbled a bit in futures trading (for wheat, IIRC). Those markets are nowhere near as volatile as foreign exchange markets are, and I was doing it at a lower volume (only a few hundred dollars), but even then the stress of whether or not the markets would turn favorably and the prospect of potentially losing my investment ultimately outweighed potential gains for me, so I didn’t stick with it. Getting into ForEx as an homage to her mother – to try to prove that she succeeded where her mother experience abysmal failure – doesn’t seem like the best way to cope, but that’s part of the point here, I think. Obviously the situation is a set-up for Kurumi to connect with other young female traders shown in the OP and previews at the end of the episode, and I can absolutely see this becoming a potentially interesting series if the first episode wasn’t at least a bit dishonest about its focus (it feels a bit fan servicey in some of its camera shots) and unclear about what the ultimate prevailing tone will be. The production merits are remarkably solid, so I’m left ambivalent enough about this one to reserve judgment on it until after episode 2.

Reincarnated as a Sword s2

Streams: HIDIVE on Wednesdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

With surprisingly-good technical and artistic merits, an adorable female co-lead (Fran), and one of the best lead duos in its genre, the first season of this series stood among the most enjoyable and purely entertaining isekai of the past few years, even if it didn’t really do anything fresh structurally or in terms of setting. As a result, its return is my second most-anticipated title of the season (after only the return of The Apothecary Diaries). The first episode, while not spectacular, doesn’t do anything to suggest that any of the elements which made the first season a success are going to taper off.

The first episode basically goes back and explains in more detail what was going on with the very condensed epilogue of the first season. It introduces the shady-looking necromancer as Jean du Vix, who insists that he’s not an “evil” necromancer and seems to be the one that Amanda was referring to in episode 10 of season 1. He looks to be a regular cast member for at least the duration of the current arc, since he joins Fran and Teacher in their effort to get up to the sky island, which is home to a dungeon. Though Fran and Teacher were originally looking to go to a different dungeon, this one looks like a good opportunity to test their skills, especially after their failed stand-off against the skeleton knight guarding the island. It should also be the first time we’ve truly seen the duo fighting with someone else in a team effort, since even in the spider dungeon arc last season they were mostly fighting on their own even with others present. A “nameless” slave girl is also introduced and strongly hinted to be a future recurring character, too, though she hasn’t met Fran yet.

The heavy metal new OP leans heavily implies a darker and grittier tale, but given that the tone of the first episode hasn’t changed from the first season, that strikes more as a playful bit of deliberate pretentiousness once you’ve seen the episode. Technical merits are still up to a higher-than-normal standard, so we should continue to be in for a fun ride here.

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, s3

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

If titles like Mushoku Tensei, Re:Zero, Saga of Tanya the Evil, and KONOSUBA make up the top tier of isekai series then this series’ first two seasons have been at or near the top of the second tier. Much like Re:Zero, protagonist Ars has a special ability but is hardly OP himself; he succeeds because he’s able to identify the most capable people and win their loyalty. Finding such individuals has been a major element of the first two seasons, and the first episode of the new season hasn’t forgotten that, as it showcase two new high-tier recruits who will likely become regulars: one a talented swordsman and the other a mage with potential only a step lower than Charlotte’s. However, that’s just part of the main focus, which is on Ars’ ascension to being the new headman of Canarre (as Couran promised him back in season 1). And one of his chief duties, aside from all of the paperwork, is to identify someone capable and trustworthy to administer Lamberg while everyone else is helping him run Canarre.

I haven’t liked everyone who has come into Ars’ orbit, but Zat Brozud, aside from having an awful name, looks promising as a straight man and Musia Trick (again, what’s with the names?) will likely fill the role of Inferiority Complex Girl and serve as a contrast to Charlotte. Not convinced the series needs that kind of role, but whatever. Since this is mostly an organizational episode, there aren’t any big moves, but it does at least maintain on the technical merits. Not one of the franchise’s stronger episode, but there’s nothing worrisome going on here, either.

A Wild Last Boss Appeared! s2

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Despite some generally weak character writing, the first season of this “trapped in a game” isekai succeeded partly because of solid visuals and world-building elements and partly because of the intriguing mysteries at its core which give it a more distinct plot than most OP protagonist isekai stories get. Yes, this isn’t the only game series where the protagonist appears in a world paralleling their game a couple of centuries after its peak (see also The New Gate and In the Land of Leadale, the latter of which probably originated this gimmick), and it’s not the only such series to have some mystery surrounding that point, but here it’s a more existential issue, and the much more original gimmick where the game character the protagonist is inhabiting may have been an independent individual the protagonist is merely possessing (or perhaps blending into?), and that this occurrence may be part of a plot by the game’s creation goddess, holds a lot of promise that will hopefully be explored more this season.

You won’t see much of that promise in the first episode back, though. It does get credit for opening with a brief summary of the first season (welcome, since the last episode aired nine months ago), but it mostly consists of Virgo joining Lufas’s party as the replacement Maiden and the group then traveling to a mobile dwarven city (yes, it looks like a space battleship, but it flies just above the surface) to try to pick up two more of the Twelve Heavenly Stars. But while one of them is an easy acquisition, the other may prove to be much harder to corral since she’s actively trying to attack the mobile city. Naturally some stupid antics perpetrated by the supporting cast ensue, and it certainly looks like Karkinos the Crab is firmly going to be part of those antics; his particular gimmick seems like it will be adoration taken to a romantic, flirtatious degree. That doesn’t seem likely to fix the ongoing problem of a poorly-developed supporting cast, but it should keep things lively. That’s enough for now, I guess. I am still invested enough here that I will almost certainly continue to follow this one.

Now That I Can Control Reality With A Mouse Cursor

Streams: OceanVeil on Sundays starting 10/4 (early preview 9/11)

Rating: 2.5 for ecchi content, 1.5 (of 5) overall

Ecchi/porn computer games where a player can click a mouse on various parts of a female character’s body in order to stimulate her (often to the point of orgasm and/or being willing to engage in sex) have been around for decades, but this adaptation of the ComicFesta manga Click Me All Over is taking this concept to the next level by making a 6½ minute anime series about it. In this case, nerdy Takumi has discovered that his computer mouse’s cursor can manifest outside of the computer in a way only he can see, so he decides to test it out on Mone, a childhood friend whom he’s grown apart from over time but still holds unrequited romantic/sexual interest in. (She’s grown into quite the sexy young woman.) Indeed, it does prove to do what he wants, and he’s able to use it to prod her into extreme arousal. But now he’s getting a game screen saying sex is an option?

Yeah, this is all as dumb and unsavory as it sounds, but it is at least a little titillating and does keep things simple. We may not see until episode 2 if this will go full hentai or just remain in the ecchi realm, but the ED (OP?) suggests that at least two more buxom girls will eventually be involved, too. Definitely think this one might be better experienced in marathon rather than weekly viewing, though.

The Lonely Snow Widow and the Cursed Ring

Streams: OceanVeil on Sundays starting 10/4 (early preview 9/11)

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In a modern world where various yokai races live alongside humans, Subaru has inherited management of a yokai-focused apartment building from his father. When he finds a ring which purports to help in communicating with yokai, he uses it on Mifuyu, a widowed yuki-onna whom he has something of a crush on but fears he’s made her angry. While he didn’t intend more than an apology, the ring’s effect on Mifuyu was much stronger than that, to the point that Subaru winds up having sex with her.

Yeah, unlike its other OceanVeil peer this season, this roughly 8 minute short is full-blown hentai and makes that abundantly clear before the first episode is out. The indication that the ring is merely enhancing a reaction rather than controlling the target makes this a bit less damning on the consent front but it’s still an edgy situation. The animation and visuals actually aren’t bad (though the protagonist’s eyes are conspicuously never shown), so this should serve as worthwhile hentai content for a viewer who prefers their women full-figured.