Since Mynoghra is a specifically-evil nation in a fantasy setting, its Medic units naturally were not going to be anything ordinary. Because of that, it makes sense that, for all their flaky behavior, these eccentrics turn out to be called Brain Eaters and actually be Frankensteinian monsters with Buffalo Bill-like aspirations. (And yes, that is a Silence of the Lambs reference.) They also show quite clearly why Takuto had no qualms at all about setting them as Maria and Caria’s escorts and protectors; precious little that’s humanoid could stand up to them.
Of course, that also means that new (and very temporary!) antagonist character Vesta is much more of an idiot than his status as one of the most prominent criminal figures in Dragontan might suggest. He’first encountered the dark elf twins as they were being watched over by three imposing figures wearing plague masks, and yet he only brings two goons with him when he intends to force the twins under his control with his drug? Either he’s mightily overconfident in the strength of his goons or he just isn’t paying attention. Frankly, killing him off so he can’t spread that kind of stupidity around is doing everyone a favor.
I almost feel a little sorry for elf mayor Anelise, though. She did read the room and quickly realized that being on good terms with these girls would be invaluable going forward; they may not be important now, but they’ll certainly remember a friendly outreach when they eventually rise to positions of authority. Sure, she was partly using showing them around town as an excuse to get out of her paperwork for a while, but that can be overlooked since it was also the most effective thing she could have done to make a good impression on the twins. She only slipped on not knowing what she was getting into when she gave permission to the Mynoghrans to take care of Vesta and his goons. She may have been left with a mess (some of her own making!) but she’ll still walk away from this with a firm alliance with Mynoghra (for better or worse) and an indelible impression about how critical it is to maintain that alliance.
The other impression the episode leaves is a firmer conviction that the series is juicing up everyone else to compensate for how bland Takuto is. “If you can’t make the main character interesting, then at least make everyone around him/her interesting” is a truism that has prevailed in anime for decades, and this series is this season’s firmest example of that in action, as can be seen with both the Medics and Anelise. (As a side note here, the names Takuto gives the Medics – Ichiro, Jiro, and Saburo – are traditional Japanese names meaning “first son,” “second son,” and “third son,” respectively. No doubt this being a stunning lack of originality is part of the joke.) Included in this are some clues to how the twins will serve in the future. The revelation that Maria is practically an empath (in D&D terms, she’d have a very high Insight skill) makes her quite valuable, while Caria is starting to show signs of being a capable diplomat and quick decision-maker. They will make a fearsome team on the diplomatic front in the long run.
The episode ends with the diplomatic mission over and no hint about where the series is going next. Is it finally time for the big bug to make her debut? We’ll see next week.
This has, so far, had less feature moments for Kafka, but that doesn’t mean it’s been short on big developments. Quite the contrary, in fact; No. 9 has uppedhis game even further as the main antagonist, and now it looks like Reno may be joining the club of the series’ top powers, too, as a result of help from an unexpected source. Seeing Kafka and Kikuru fight side-by-side was also quite satisfying. On the downside, Narumi’s comic side is more annoying than funny, especially the stupid “turf war” incident in the most recent episode, but the JAKDT seems to attract nutcases like that. While the series isn’t doing anything excitingly original as shonen action series go, it’s still proving to be a solid actioner.
My Dress-Up Darling
Rating So Far: A-
This is the highest-rated series of the season on ANN and in the top five on MAL, and not without good reason. The technical cosplay details are always a big draw, as is the very queer-positive way it portrays Gojo and Marin’s interactions with a crossplayer. I’m entirely watching the show for the Gojo/Marin relationship, though, and the series is an absolute winner on this front. Marin is absolutely adorable in the way she gushes over Gojo but still tries to deny that he’s effectively her boyfriend at this point, and Gojo seems to be coming a long way in building up the confidence he needs to feel worthy of standing beside Marin in senses other than just cosplay costume-making and support. While it’s not one of my top-priority views, it’s never failed to be a complete delight to watch.
Scooped Up by an S-Ranked Adventurer
Rating So Far: C-
In most respects this is a bog-standard fantasy story about a support mage who doesn’t appreciate how amazing his support magic actually is, even though everyone else can see it to the point of giving him a lot of credit for saving a town from monster hordes. (Or almost everyone else. The DPS-obsessed Hero can’t see it, either.) However, it stands out in one bad way: the new party Lloyd joins is supposedly S-ranked but seems startlingly underpowered without him for such a high ranking. Granted, that could just be a product of this world’s power curve being that low, but Yui’s party feels like it would be B-ranked at best in most other worlds. The costuming choices are also. . . interesting; Klum, the S-ranked party’s former white mage, looks like she’s wearing low-cut jeans over a one-piece swimsuit, while Yui is dressed more like a magical girl than a stereotypical swordswoman. At least the series is uniting most of its events so far under an ongoing plot, and the addition of the beastman princess Claire has some promise, but firmly mediocre artistic and technical merits help keep this one at or near the bottom of the titles I’m still following this season.
Sword of the Demon Hunter
Rating So Far: B+
Some fair complaints could probably be made about how slow this series is progressing, but its Edo-era character work has played out nicely, including the addition of an adoptive daughter for Jinya. Some major developments in the most recent episode and the inevitable approach of the chaos surrounding the beginning of the Meiji Restoration promise some bigger events going forward. Not seeing more of the present-time side of things is still a bit of a disappointment, but I am fully-invested in seeing where the rest of the prominent Edo-era characters go. (Especially Ofuu, who would make an ideal wife for Jinya even if neither of them has ever taken her father’s suggestions on that seriously.) Add to that respectable artistic and technical merits and more use of visual symbolism than probably any other series this season and it’s still a winner in my book.
The Rising of the Shield Hero s4
Rating So Far: B-
In fairness, the Siltvelt arc did finally explain the backstory of the tiger (or should I say half-tiger?) demihuman siblings and how they’re connected to the former Staff Hero, and it was satisfying to see Fohl finally coming into his own after playing second fiddle to his sister for so long. (Not that anything has changed too much on that front; Atla is still the star between the two.) But the whole Siltvelt affair suffered from a lack of storytelling urgency, and Naofumi’s regular insistences about moving ahead with the ship didn’t compensate for that. The story feels like it’s finally advancing now that the main group has gotten to Q’Ten Lo, and there are now clear signs that the real Emperor probably isn’t the culprit behind Raphtalia being hunted down; she may well be powerless herself. Still feels some like the story is in a holding pattern over the impending Phoenix appearance, but since Q’Ten Lo is clearly a matter that can’t wait, I’ll tolerate it.
TheWater Magician
Rating So Far: C+
What series has its titular character uninvolved in an episode-long incident and major battle early in the series and then sidelines him until things get desperate in a second? To a certain extent that makes logical sense here, as Ryo is formally regarded as a rookie adventurer (and thus regarded as not strong enough for either mission), and he probably could have single-handedly handled the first issue, which the story doesn’t want at this point. Also, the series seems determined to set up Abel as a co-protagonist, but this isn’t his series. The action is low-mid-tier at best on its animation and battle choreography, too. On the plus side, Ryo’s battle against the akuma in episode 4 shows that there are foes on his level, and the elf Sera (who’s featured in the closer) is a very promising character. Overall, it has enough entertainment value to be worth watching if your schedule isn’t full, but it’s not a priority view.
There’s No Freaking Way I’ll Be Your Lover! Unless. . .
Rating So Far: B
Wow, this one is messed up, but in a (mostly) good way. By this point, introvert Renako is effectively the center of a yuri harem, with two girls openly dueling over her and a third in the friend group Renako has joined who’s also clearly falling for her even though she hasn’t admitted it yet. And despite Renako’s ardent insistence that she just wants to be friends with them, she’s clearly more romantically attracted to each of them than she wants to admit. Each of the would-be love interest also has her own issues, too, and it’s not out of the question that one of them (Satsuki) is more romantically attracted to another (Mai) than she cares to acknowledge. All of this has even gotten a bit racy at times, too, although the small doses of fan service are more incidental than one of the series’ driving elements. The series’ only weak point so far is its limitation to YouTube, though the originally-stated “one week only” availability does not seem to be the case.
Turkey! Time to Strike
Rating So Far: B+
The series’ title may be a bowling reference, and bowling is part of the series’ foundational concept, but the writing’s efforts to shoehorn bowling elements into every episode is actually the series’ weakest aspect at this point. The series hasn’t been content to just roll with the surprise twist of the time travel aspect figured in; it’s actually delved pretty deeply into character studies, with most of the girls getting focus episodes where their interactions with Sengoku-era counterparts bring some of their own securities out. It has also been surprisingly graphic; one scene where we hear a bandit being killed off-screen is easily one of the season’s most unnerving scenes from any series, and it does confront head-on the way values differ between the peaceful future and an era where life is more ephemeral. It also deals with practical issues that time travel series often overlook, since how a girl from the future might handle her period in a past world where modern means to manage it don’t exist. (Whether or not one character has achieved menarche is even a minor plot point.) In short, this would be a good series even without the bowling angle.
Uglymug, Epicfighter
Rating So Far: C+
This one did not at all start out good, but the gimmicky nature of Shigeru’s notes turns out to be merely establishing a baseline, as many of the others transported into this world – including at least two other members of Shigeru’s party – also have major-league issues which wind up giving them special abilities (though none anywhere near as drastic as Shigeru’s so far). And just like Shigeru can’t tear himself away from the party he was initially going to leave as he learns more about them and their issues, the viewers may also find themselves reluctant to step away. This is a world where those transported into it can vent their frustrations (if they approach it negatively) or be what they’ve dreamed of being (if they approach it positively), and there are certainly consequences for the negative path. The artistic and technical merits lean towards the lowest end of the scale for this season, but this one is gradually showing more meat and entertainment value than I would have expected. It may be getting a mediocre grade for now, but it’s trending upward.
Witch Watch
Rating So Far: B
The third quarter of the series has been a bit uneven, hence the slightly lower grade. On the plus side, an ongoing threat has materialized in the form of warlocks seeking Nico’s power, and the vampire Miharu makes a fine addition to her group of live-in protectors. I am also heartily behind the developing romance between Nemu and Keigo/Wolf and the series can, at times, still be really funny. The misses seem a bit more frequent, though, and not all of the stunts work; the series-within-a-series in episode 14 was overplayed and I’m not sure what the series was trying to accomplish with the outright musical number in episode 20 and the music playing over still shots for the last few minutes of the episode. Budget or time issues, perhaps? Still a quite entertaining series overall despite its flaws.
That’s it for this special edition. Watch for the Summer Season Wrap-Up probably during the last weekend in September.
This episode leaves us with one burning question: how does Atou know enough about a traditional Western marriage ceremony to dream about it when Takuto all but proposes to her at the end of the episode? Granted, this could just be the production staff being cute and playing off a common stereotype for this kind of scene, and it’s not like the series has shown any propensity for dropping subtle hints so far. If taken seriously, however, that means that Atou is more aware of Takuto’s world than we’ve been led to believe so far, and that raises bigger questions about who (or what) she actually is.
That possibly-frivolous consideration aside, this episode is almost entirely about Mynoghra establishing its first peaceful relationship with a different nation and the irony that an innocent blockhead is principally responsible for unwittingly making it happen. Pepe is neither wise enough nor experienced enough to be intimidated by the evil aura of the Mynoghran delegation (or maybe he just sees beyond it?), so he sees the newcomers as a prime opportunity to make new friends. And fortunately for everyone, that’s exactly the best approach to take with Takuto. Even Atou doesn’t fully appreciate how important gathering friends is to Takuto, and naturally, no one else from the city would ever think that a supreme evil being values something like that. As a long-time gamer, I don’t find it strange at all that bonds of alliance could be formed over playing board games, but no doubt that left official on both sides with their heads spinning.
But maybe not the twins. They may not fully grasp all of the complicated details, but they saw how much of an icebreaker Pepe’s “let’s play” approach was and they recognize as much as the adults do that they are perhaps ideally-suited to be less threatening initial envoys to Forngawn. We’ve seen other stories where a young prince or princess fulfilled this kind of role, and the latter is basically what the twin’s are at this point. They’re every bit as much the long-term hope for Mynoghra as Pepe is for Forngawn, and what they’ve endured to get here makes them ideal representations of the overall struggles of the dark elves. And they’re going to have some interesting-looking protectors, too.
All of this almost overshadows a big point here: with seeking to investigate the culture and beliefs of Forngawn further, this scenario is now stepping beyond what Takuto knows from his many times playing Eternal Nations. Unlike the business with the witches or map variations, this cannot be passed off as just a randomizer element within the game generation. Some of the more advanced 4x games do explore the spread of culture and religious elements, but these are typically abstracted in numerical terms rather than dealt with in detail. It provides another avenue for the series to expand beyond being just a 4x game, and that’s something that will benefit the story in the long run.
With the Summer 2025 season entering its seventh week, it’s time to take a look at how some of the season’s titles are doing so far.
Even with a couple of series which I held on through four episodes falling to the side (The Summer Hikaru Died, Tougen Anki), I have still wound up staying current on 22 series this season. Hence I am again splitting this endeavor into two weekly installments. This part covers all series which have hit episode 7 by 8/15/25 and some of the series hitting episode 7 on 8/16. The rest of the series will be covered in next week’s installment.
Feature Title: Clevatess
Rating So Far: A-
This was one of my Big Three for the season coming out of the Preview Guide, and absolutely nothing which has transpired since episode 1 has dissuaded me from that evaluation. In addition to initially-established strengths (compelling leads, great visuals and animation, bloody action, and a top-tier English dub effort), subsequent episodes have shown an interesting take on a developing magic system, worthy challenges for both Clevatess and Alicia, and a new regular cast member who’s both figuratively and literally stronger than she appears and has a background most anime series wouldn’t have the guts to touch. It’s even shown some capability for light humor, too. This is true old-school fantasy, completely devoid of any RPG trappings, and I’m having a blast watching it.
Other Titles
Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex
Rating So Far: C+
As stories about a dashing man falling for a downtrodden woman (who’s actually a beauty) and trying to build her up through wealth and kindness go, this one is nowhere near in the same league as close kin My Happy Marriage. The shortcomings are especially strong on the artistic front, but the writing presents the Kyros/Marie relationship in a mostly bland (if also sometimes cute) fashion. The series does have three saving graces, though. One is Mio, Kyros’ sardonic maid and very capable right-hand woman, who has the most personality of anyone in the series. The second is the way the series touches on cultural elements and implies that Marie’s appreciation of Kyros’s Ips heritage is a big reason why he’s attracted to her, which gives a firmer grounding to his feelings. And the third and most important is the building plot surrounding the supposed death of Marie’s sister Anastasia, which is looking more and more like an act of subterfuge possibly perpetrated by Anastasia herself. The latter mystery in particular is more keeping me watching at this point than the central relationship.
Call of the Night s2
Rating So Far: B+
While the series fully retains the philosophical bent that it showed in its first season, this season also shows a more decided plot progression as it places more emphasis on Anko, the vampire-killing detective who appeared late in the first season, and the way she deals with vampires. This results in an interesting twist on vampire lore: vampires in this setting aren’t vulnerable to crosses or holy water, but instead to things that held meaning to them when they were human. This is a problem, since vampires often wholly forget their lives as humans (Nazuna included). That has led to a deeper dive into the pasts of various vampires who have appeared so far, including an involved look at Nazuna’s unusual background and how it’s connected to one other prominent, previously-introduced vampire and possibly the main antagonist, too. That adds some extra juice to a series which already had a lot going for it, and so it continues to be a solid performer.
DAN DA DAN s2
Rating So Far: B+
To no one’s surprise, this one is the animation darling of the season, with most episodes containing some degree of outlandish spectacle. It also deserves kudos for pulling off what may be the year’s most audacious stunt by tapping DragonForce lead vocalist Marc Hudson to play the leader of a death metal band which backs the attempted exorcism of Evil Eye from Jiji. (And that’s quite the spectacle, too.) Okarun and Momo’s progressing relationship also continues to be neat, with Aira increasingly being relegated to the position of third wheel rather than serious romantic rival, and its English dub is up there with Clevatess as one of the season’s best. But despite all the superlatives that could fairly be directed at the series, I continue to have a tough time getting as enthusiastic about this one as I do many clearly lesser titles this season; it’s never a priority view for me even on its debut day. That’s why I am not grading it as high as some others might.
New Saga
Rating So Far: C
This is a wholly generic “travel back in time to prevent a bad ending” scenario on top of being saddled with a mediocre artistic effort and serious animation limitations. Neither the cast nor what it’s been doing so far sparks much interest, though the shocker ending of episode 7 does offer some promise of a meatier development (as well as providing what is, by far, the series’ most graphic scene). Only two factors distinguish the show to any degree: one of the major supporting characters shares a name with me (the first time I’ve seen that happen in an anime) and the really odd set list for the background music. Some numbers are even lightly jazzy, which which muddles how seriously the series wants itself to be taken at various points. It’s still watchable, mindless entertainment, but nothing more should be expected from it than that.
Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter
Rating So Far: C
This one started with a bit more promise, and indeed, the initial arc (where Allen is trying to figure out why Tina can’t properly cast magic and correct it) is a fairly compelling story. However, the story has gone downhill since relocating to the academy. The more formal introduction of Lydia has added very little to a cast that’s now basically an overloaded harem scenario, complete with three of the girls being decidedly underage. Moreover, the squabbling of that trio grates on the auditory nerves. The end of episode 7 promises a new and potentially dangerous plot direction, so hopefully the series may pick back up, but right now it’s floundering.
Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus
Rating So Far: B+
This franchise doesn’t get enough credit for the depth and intricacy of its character writing and story concepts, and what has made the franchise great on those fronts is still on display this season. The main arcs so far have been about Sweet Bullet singer Izuki and Sakuta’s former middle school classmate Ikumi, but behind them all is the mystery of the “miniskirt Santa” who claims to be giving out cases of Puberty Syndrome as gifts, as well as a lesser but still evident mystery involving Sakuta having multiple sightings of child-aged Mai. Having a firm knowledge of the entire franchise is essential for keeping track of everyone; I highly recommend reviewing the recently-available movies Sister Venturing Out and Knapsack Kid to fully understand Ikumi’s situation in particular. But the series also doesn’t overlook Sakuta’s firm connections with past friends and associates and especially his ongoing relationship with Mai. It’s not at all a casual-viewing series, but it works well as a series which requires more effort to fully appreciate and the new college setting gives it more flexibility than such fare normally has. It remains a strong, reliable performer.
Reborn as a Vending Machine s2
Rating So Far: B-
This one surprised me a bit by delivering something I never expected from it: a major, redefining plot twist in episode 6, involving the true goals of the Menagerie of Fools and what they were prepared to do to pursue them. That doesn’t cause the series to stray from its base nature – i.e., setting up situations where Boxxo can creatively use his vending machine transformations and productions – but it does give the series a more distinct long-term plot beyond just contesting against the Netherlord’s hordes and provides some interesting character development for several long-established cast members. This is hardly high-tier storytelling, and the action scenes still don’t amount to much, but it still serves well as reliable light entertainment.
Secrets of the Silent Witch
Rating So Far: A-
Monica is, of course, the reason to watch the show, as she’s a joy with her varied facial expressions, endearing fluster, and the way she manages to still seem quite vulnerable despite being so magically strong that even another one of the Seven Sages refers to her as a “monster.” But that’s hardly all the show has going for it. The supporting cast has proven surprisingly robust, too, especially Prince Felix, who can shift from charming and gentle to mischievous (probably my favorite humorous scene of the season so far is him feeding cookies to the nearly-passed-out Monica) to jaded to intimidating all without changing his demeanor much. Really, though, most of the characters who have assembled around Monica have been a delight and the series’ timing on both comedic and serious content has been impeccable. While the series could maybe stand to have Monica show off her magic a bit more, it’s doing just fine as is. It’s easily one of my three favorite series of the season and gets my highest recommendation.
Summer Pockets
Rating So Far: B
The episodes aired so far in the Summer season have finished Ao’s arc, covered Shiroha’s relatively short arc, and begun what I have been assuming is the series’ concluding arc: the one for Umi. The pace of its progression does not suggest that what’s left of her arc will stretch out for a full half-season without some major twist. However, Umi is the one making the iterations we’ve seen so far possible, and Key stories have a well-earned reputation for heart-rending tragic elements (there’s been some of this so far, but not to the degree normally seen in Key titles), so presumably something is going to happen which will force one more iteration, and the revelations of episode 19 give some suggestion about what direction that might take. While the series is still full of typical Key light humor and dedicated sentimentalism, the story is coming together a bit more.
Welcome to the Outcast Restaurant
Rating So Far: C+
This season’s iteration on the “indispensable person banished from the hero’s party” concept has established a decent supporting cast and minor plot threads surrounding them, such as Atelier’s inheritance, and while it hasn’t leaned heavily into “things are going wrong for the hero’s party in the protagonist’s absence” angle, it has at least addressed it. However, the series still doesn’t feel like it’s done much with the concept, and a staid “protagonist is sick and needs to be cared for” episode didn’t help; these have always annoyed me for how overkill they go, and it’s hard to buy someone as robust as Dennis collapsing due to overwork. Still, it’s got just enough going for it on the plot and character fronts to be watchable.
That’s it for this installment. Watch for part 2 to debut probably on August 23rd.
After a couple of episode with a large chunk of the content focused outward, the series turns almost entirely insular as it formally introduces two new (presumably) regular cast members. Twins Maria (left above) and Caria (right above) Elfuur are the exclusive foci of the series’ closer and also make appearances in its opener, but prior to this episode they had only a couple of cameo appearances in background shots of the dark elf encampments. And while they’re starting out as Takuto’s new attendants, every indication points to them eventually playing bigger roles in Mynoghra.
Why they’re getting this much attention is pretty obvious, as they make a striking contrast in both appearance and personalities. Maria is more conservatively dressed, has long hair, and typically has a smile, while short-haired Caria perpetually has a gloomy expression and is more provocatively-dressed; doubtless this was done primarily to show off the skin discolorations that are remnants of a past disease, but it’s still a little edgy, especially considering her suggested age. While Maria comes off as an airhead, this may be at least partly an act, or at the very least a coping mechanism; she may not want to think too hard about things. Meanwhile, Caria is the much more serious-minded one and seems to react to her difficulties by throwing all her support behind her sister.
What makes both of them a bit more interesting is that they are clearly dealing with survivor’s guilt. Their mother is gone in what’s strongly implied to be an instance of cannibalistic self-sacrifice (that the elder doesn’t refute Maria when she chirps that claim out is telling), and they are understandably conflicted about living on at that cost. What’s not completely clear is whether they really did want to die when they attempted to goad Takuto into punishing them (assuming that, as an evil being, he wouldn’t tolerate mistakes) or saw that as a way to test whether they deserved to survive or not.
Whichever is the case, the twins’ efforts lead to one of the oddest explanations I’ve seen in some time for how evil isn’t necessarily bad. This setting seems to take an extreme interpretation of the alignment system used in many RPGs: being “good” or “evil” is as much a status condition as it is a moral position. Furthermore, Takuto’s very creative interpretation muddies the difference between the law/chaos axis and the good/evil axis; what he’s describing about how evil people are free to do whatever, whereas good people have to be rigid, is much more in line with a chaotic-oriented worldview than an evil one. Also, the writing may have been overly ambitious here, as it never felt like the matter with the twins carried the gravitas that should have.
Otherwise, the civilization-building continues apace and with standard game mechanic progression; even if the world isn’t a perfect reproduction of Eternal Nations, most of its structure still aligns with the game. (And I still support the notion that any variations are just the result of random world generation.) Also looks like Mynoghra’s first attempt at peaceful diplomacy is coming up; the cattle-person spellcaster we saw previously was apparently an official of the city Dragontan in the nearby neutral nation, and it’s got both a strategic resource and potentially refugees which could fill out Mynoghra’s work force, so making a good connection to it would certainly be a priority. (As for the thing about Ogres and Goblins being referred to as “Barbarians,” barbarian tribes are a standard element of any 4x game, so it makes sense that they would be fantasy races in a fantasy setting.) The Mynoghra delegation appearing to the Dragontan reps with Takuto’s evil aura could provide some interesting long-term complications.
Overall, the series still isn’t very dynamic or executing at a high level, but it’s mostly giving me what I wanted out of the series so far, hence a slightly higher grade than it may actually warrant at this point.
Come back around the end of this week for the first installment of the Mid-Season Report.
So far this series has largely been able to avoid its relatively weak technical effort hindering its entertainment value, a feat it has accomplished by exploiting striking visual gimmickry. It attempts to do the same in this episode, too, but it can only mask so much when what should be the most action-oriented scene yet just collapses into an unseemly, poorly-choreographed disappointment. It’s to the point that I can’t avoid penalizing the series’ overall grade for the animation quality any longer. However, all is not lost, because this episode provides plenty of interesting content on other fronts.
Much of that involves Atou. The way she behaves when confronting the two Paladins raises the question of whether she’s naturally evil, being influenced by the evil status of Mynoghra, or just getting carried away with acting the part. Most of her behavior suggests that the former is not the case, though given that she is the designated starting Hero for an evil-aligned nation, that still can’t be ruled out. And while she’s definitely getting carried away in the scene where she’s mentally torturing the fatally righteous Paladin, her general ruthlessness would seem to belie that being the only cause for her behavior. Unquestionably, she is having fun letting loose and playing the villain, and given the way the Dark Elves reacted when they came under Mynoghra’s influence, option 2 seems likely to be a contributing factor. Altogether, it provides an interesting dichotomy compared to the more playful way she acts around Takuto. But the brief flash where she sees Takuto like the Dark Elves do seems a bit ominous for the future state of their relationship.
What Atou and Takuto learn about their setting is also interesting and draws more parallels to Overlord. While this setting has distinct structural and mechanical similarities to Eternal Nations, it isn’t the game setting – or at least not purely so, anyway. That doesn’t necessarily mean much since 4X games are well-known for the potential variability of their setting; the map is randomly-generated each time in the Civilization games, for instance, and plenty of game parameters can be tweaked each time. But anytime the parameters change, understanding and exploiting the differences are often crucial for success, and Takuto is clearly thinking along those lines. Atou’s ability-stealing skill seems to work more efficiently here, and entities called Witches exist as major wild cards; I had previously characterized them as possible alternate forms of a civilization’s Heroes, but perhaps they are plot drivers instead?
Whatever the case on this, the series is certainly aiming for some great, creepy facial expressions (which is also very much in the spirit of Overlord):
Though Atou is a Hero in this setting, and was mentioned in episode 3 to be capable of defending the forest on her own for now, she was also described in episode 1 as not being particularly strong to start; a true warrior-type Hero was portrayed as being a 5 strength compared to her 3, with her main advantages implied to be in realms other than combat. However, despite the claim that Heroes can take on armies, we haven’t had a clear sense of how strong a Hero is compared to, say, a trained humans or even a Paladin. With the end of episode 4, we finally have our answer: even a comparatively weak Hero in this setting is, indeed, still capable of slaughtering an entire company of trained mercenaries and putting even Paladins back on their heels.
That more of Atou’s conflict with the Paladins and mercenaries wasn’t animated is disappointing, but that was probably too much to expect from a series which clearly doesn’t have a stacked animation capability. The scene of Lornius waking up on his back and rising to see the carnage still effectively conveys how devastatingly strong Atou is. Referring to her as a Witch suggests that the rumored Witch in the northern lands may also be a Hero type for a different civilization. Certainly the Seven Great Savior Saints mentioned in episode 3 are at least on the same level as well (or at least Saolina is), so they’re probably Heroes as well. That High Paladin Wedrel seems almost panicked before Atou’s true nature suggests that he isn’t on that level and seems to know it, so will he and Lornius back off next episode, or are they going to be the series’ first two named casualties? I’m actually not sure at this point which was the series is going to go on this.
What this episode also clearly reinforces is that the series is not going to remain insular to Mynoghra. I’ve heard that the novels tend to spread the viewpoint around a lot, and we certainly see that here, with nearly half of the episode focusing on the forces sent from Qualia. Combined with episode 3, we’ve now seen a handful of key personalities from that nation, and arguably Werdel and Lornius get more personality development than Ira does. It seems like the writing recognizes both that Ira is not a strong enough personality to carry the series and that the story will be more dynamic if approached from opposing viewpoints. There’s definitely precedents for this in these “building” shows, as both Farming Life in Another World and Overlord leaned heavily on outside viewpoints as they progressed, so this isn’t really a problem. Besides, the series has already established that seeing others react to Ira and Atou is one of its key components.
Getting back to the Hero thing, a giant mantis-like creature is featured prominently in the OP, so that’s probably the Isla, Queen of Bugs that Ira and Atou are talking about summoning. Given what happens at the end of the episode, seems like she will probably make her appearance sooner rather than later. Ira and Atou’s comments about the other Hero options having “horrible personalities” is intriguing, so hopefully we’ll see one or more of them pop up eventually within this season.
We cannot forget the game aspects here, either. I like the visual theme of using old-fashioned game icons to illustrate various troop movements, even when the Qualia personnel are talking about them. Using SD figures or other constructs to represent troop movements is hardly an unusual feature in anime series (Lord Marksman and Vanadis in particular used them heavily), and this also maintains a consistent theme with the old-school game screens used for major developments, like successfully generating units through regular production. And speaking of the latter, even the more complex 4X games tend to greatly simplify what it means to “produce” a unit, so playing up a bog-standard aspect of these games as a miraculous feat is a clever way to handle it.
One negative consequence of the approach that the writing is taking so far is that the story’s overall development is on the slow side, but that’s not really a problem. 4X games always take a while to build up to anything substantial anyway, and the series is offering enough neat little details and fun Atou/Ira exchanges to stay involving enough. Besides, now that Mynoghra has officially started interacting with other civilizations, more complications should be forthcoming.
On paper, this series’ core concept – the protagonist dies but awakens in a setting similar to a game he had mastered – doesn’t seem to stick out much from other isekai series which take place either inside games or in settings utilizing game mechanics as a shell. And indeed, it’s hardly the first series to use civilization-building as a major element; similar aspects can be seen in series like Farming Life in Another World and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (and, to a lesser extent, the second half of I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I May As Well Try Mastering Magic). However, as this one shows more clearly with its second and third episodes, it differs from similar-seeming series in one fundamental aspect: this one is founded on full-blown civilization-builder mechanics rather than RPG game mechanics. Because of that, the series has already shown a propensity to focus more on Big Picture moves than minutiae. As someone who’s played entries in Sid Meier’s Civilization game series for decades, that’s an intriguing enough aspect to warrant weekly commentary.
The series is already showing signs of how this different approach matters in developmental structure. Whether Ira can actually see the game screens the view can is unclear; they may just be abstractions representing what’s going on in game terms. But they’re absolutely the kinds of screens you’d see in old-school civilization-building games, and the steps shown being taken in episodes 2 and 3 – absorbing refugees as new citizens, setting building and research priorities, creating and sending out scout units – are absolutely actions familiar to anyone who’s played that genre of games even a bit. The RPG-styled alignment codification is a less familiar element (at least in Western entries in this genre) and definitely harkens back to ’90s or even ’80s-era games which had heavier RPG influences, but it’s apparently important in this setting, and the way episode 2 showed the dark elves being influenced by shifting to Evil alignment was quite intriguing; I am now very curious to see what effect shifting from Neutral to Good alignment has on a person’s mental state in this setting.
Other practical adaptations of game mechanics are highlights here, too. Episode 3 clarifies that alignment can affect the nature of the civilization’s home territory, and that there are “home ground” bonuses for that civilization which can be penalties for others. Here it manifests as minor buffs for citizens and them not only being able to consume, but even find tasty, water that wouldn’t be potable to outsiders. I especially liked how the writing thought out the visual aspect of this enough to raise concerns about how obvious a shift to dark, menacing woods would be to outsiders, too. Too early to see how that’s going to apply to the Research aspect, but I practically giggled over the semi-sentient “flesh trees” (which sound a LOT dirtier than they actually are!) serve as Mynoghra’s core food source, rather than relying on regular agricultural methods – although the latter does seem like it’s going to be at least partly in play, too. Again, this is good imagination being applied to basic game concepts.
The character development aspect so far impresses much less, but it doesn’t need to do a whole lot with it being anchored by the cute relationship between Ira and Atou. Though the writing has shown no romantic inclinations between them (at least not yet), they have such a wonderfully dorky byplay that the series is almost worth watching for that alone. Amusingly, Ira doesn’t seem to be bothering to try to act the part of an imperious evil ruler (unlike Momonga in Overlord), so I hope the series at some point shows more of how the dark elves interpret the lighter and more playful interactions between such a terrifying-looking leader and a woman who can be quite intimidating on her own. (The scene in episode 3 where they get to see their dark lord scolding Atou for being destructive in showing off her power has to be leaving them mighty confused.) Besides maybe Emle as the Scholarly Type, none of the dark elves are distinguishing themselves much; the two sisters (twins?) focused on in the ED have yet to make more than cameo appearances, much less contributions. But it’s still early and this clearly isn’t going to be a character-driven series.
With episode 3, more of the world outside Mynoghra’s home forest gets introduced. Though she technically appears first at the end of episode 2, episode 3 sees the formal introduction of Saint Soalina of the Holy Kingdom, who theoretically is being set up as one of the main antagonists for Ira and Mynoghra, though there are also seems to be some question about how strong her position is politically. (She’s clearly a Hero-level powerhouse in battle.) But is she just (relative to Ira) an NPC, or perhaps another player? Nothing is specifically pointing to the latter at this point, but it can’t be ruled out, either. We also have some capable Paladins who look like they could be interacting directly with Mynoghra soon. As someone whose default strategy in civilization-building games is to sit back, develop, and avoid conflict as long as possible, this feels like the kind of potential incident which can quickly force a fledgling civilization to switch to a war footing against its will, and Mynoghra isn’t prepared for it; the comments about the look of the forest feel like foreshadowing by the end of the episode.
More could probably be said about the series’ visual aspect, but I’ll delve more into that next time. This one isn’t on a trajectory to be one of the season’s top-quality shows, but it’s still showing enough appeal to reinforce the recommendation I made for the series in the Preview Guide.
Note: My apologies for this being so late. This episode did have the misfortune of hitting on the front end of a ridiculously-heavy weekend of Summer 2025 season debuts, but past a certain point I also just forgot that I hadn’t done this review yet.
With this episode, the franchise concludes its adaptation of the fourth source novel, and thus also its second season. The dramatic climax was last episode, so this episode is left to pick up the pieces and put the final touches on most of the plot threads up to this point. I can’t quite give it a full A grade because the episode falls just a little short of being fully satisfying in dealing with a few certain issues, but it gets plenty enough right to warrant my respect.
First, the matter of the Shi survivors must be dealt with. Every sign pointed to Loulan administering the “dead” children the resurrection medicine, and that does, indeed, prove to be the case. Jinshi has an “out” for not executing them due to the promise he made to Loulan (a fox, indeed!), but they’re still left in a very awkward position. The solution to the problem for most of them is a slick one: they come under the custody of Ah-Duo under different names. It’s inarguably the best possible outcome for the children, it keeps them under the watchful eye of someone both the Emperor and Jinshi can trust implicitly, and Ah-Duo will doubtless look at it more as a reward than a duty, since she never got to raise her own child or have more of her own. Sending Suirei to Ah-Duo is also a best-case scenario, since Suirei’s status is easily the most complicated due to her royal blood. It’ll be a gilded cage for her, but at least she’ll be with most of the kids.
That just leaves Kyou-u, who’s also an interesting case. The amnesia he suffered as a side effect is a good reason to direct him elsewhere; all things considered, he’s probably better off not remembering anything. Sending him to Verdigris is a curious choice, and the only move here which feels like a writing convenience rather than a purely logical play. (Though I suppose one could argue that he’ll be both far away from potential intrigue and under Maomao’s watchful eye there?)
Then, of course, there’s Jinshi and Maomao. Jinshi’s always been prone to being a little aggressive with Maomao, but it certainly seems now like he’s decided not to hold back anymore. The way he’s getting “frogblocked” (as I’ve seen one person describe it) by various random circumstances is practically becoming a running joke at this point, but it’s fun watching Maomao react to his moves. Ultimately the reveal to Maomao on who Jinshi really is hasn’t changed their relationship too much, though Maomao’s acknowledgement that Jinshi’s scar makes him seem more manly (which felt like a genuine statement) holds out hope that she will come around eventually.
There are other matters, too. With Gyokuyou having given birth to the crown prince, she’s now going to be elevated to Empress status. Where that leaves the other two high-ranking concubines is uncertain; will they and the rest of the Rear Palace apparatus and personnel be maintained? Apparently so, since Loumen is now in permanent residence there, though I’m curious to see how much of a change that will make. And where does that leave Lishu with her soon-to-be-born child? Enough time has passed that Xiaolin’s term has expired, but between her education and her bath gig she did, at least, find a relatively good position. I hope we haven’t seen the last of her.
Finally, that leaves the disposition of Shisui. Her actually dying would have been sad but still felt right, but the writing did leave itself an out, and the series certainly rolled with it. This is the other place where the series is fudging a bit; I’m totally fine with having the hairpin stop the bullet which knocked her off the wall, and I can totally buy her not dying from the fall because of a snowdrift at the wall’s bottom. (An avalanche did come through that area just hours earlier, after all.) However, it wasn’t snowing that heavily, so her not having left some kind of trail which could be followed seems unlikely, even if they didn’t know where, exactly, she fell in the darkness. There’s also the moral ambiguity of her getting to live when so many others in the clan didn’t. Still, she’s a good enough character to warrant a second chance, and seeing her finally getting to live her own life (even if under a different name) is heartwarming. Her trading the hairpin for the jade cicada also is a move packed with symbolism; it could be looked at as severing the final link to her old life, or it could be ridding herself of evidence of her previous identity. Either way, it signifies her moving on from her deadly fate, and that she’s considering going overseas suggests she won’t be back for a long time, if ever. That would be sad, as I’m sure I’m far from alone in wanting to see her and Maomao meet again, but it does also allow the story to make a cleaner break before moving on.
So where will the story next? We’ll find out sometime next year, as a season 3 has, unsurprisingly, been green-lit. Overall, it had stiffer competition for the top spot in the Spring 2025 season than I originally expect (see Apocalypse Hotel), but it’s still the top title so far this year in my book.
Except for The Apothecary Diaries, all Spring 2025 series which aren’t continuing into the summer season are complete at this point, so it’s time to do an update on what was and wasn’t working over the course of the second half of the season.
Because of the high volume of titles I followed, covering every one of them here would make this post cumbersome. Hence I am only covering those titles for which I have updated my grade since the Mid-Season Reports and/or have additional commentary to offer. The Apothecary Diaries (still my #1 title for the season) is not being covered here, since it is getting episode reviews.
Other Spring Mid-Season Report part 1 titles which are not getting further coverage here include From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman,I’ve Been Killing Slimes For 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, The Beginning After The End, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows,and The Unaware Atelier Meister. Please refer to the previous article for evaluations on them.
Other Spring Mid-Season Report part 2 titles which are not getting further coverage here include Makina-san is a Love Bot!?, SHIROHIYO (which I didn’t finish), and Summer Pockets (which is continuing, and so could be reviewed again next season). Please refer to the previous article for evaluations on them.
Featured Title: Apocalypse Hotel
Rating: A-
This is my strong #2 pick for the season, and it’s a lot closer to catching The Apothecary Diaries than I could have anticipated, despite the great, vastly more involved storylines that the latter is telling. That’s primarily because Hotel continues to deliver involving concept episodes, such as one which combines a wedding and a funeral into the same ceremony in a way that not only makes sense but also comes off as surprisingly endearing. Even episodes that seem ordinary in concept, like Yachiyo being forced to take a day off for the first time in centuries, pack a great deal of charm, and the seeming randomness of its episodic themes makes this one of the least predictable series in recent memory. At the core of it all is Yachiyo, who becomes a legitimate Character of the Year candidate for the way all her little idiosyncrasies play out and the way she does (or doesn’t) handle crises, although Ponko also becomes an indispensable second as she ages into adulthood. Technical merits also continue to be a strong point throughout, and the opener will be on my short list when it comes to determining the year’s best. Solidifying its position is an especially strong finale. This one is almost certain to be in my Top 10 for the year.
Bye Bye, Earth s2
Rating: B-
The last two episodes finally explain what’s really going on here and the strange logic behind how and why this setting works the way it does – and, most importantly, how Belle fits into this. That doesn’t totally allay the series’ issues with comprehensibility; this is still a title whose ambitions exceed its capacity to portray them all in coherent fashion, and why Belle was put into the situation that she was is not part of the explanation. Still, the last episodes bring a sense of completeness to this story, of a transition made from Belle (and others) trying to figure out their place to Belle going on a journey confident in her identity, and that is sufficiently satisfying. Not sure that I’d recommend the series, but I don’t feel like I ultimately wasted my time with it.
Go! Go! Loser Ranger s2
Rating: B-
The rating is only this high on the strength of this season’s first half because the second half is a mess. The Monster Society plot becomes increasingly difficult to follow, and some of the revelations (especially the ones about the Dragon Priestesses) just don’t make much sense. So do the constantly-shifting allegiances and what, exactly, Angel is supposed to be, and are there now two different Red Keepers? Why the trap at the end works the way it does is ill-explained as well. There is an interesting character development at the very end, but by that point I’d stopped caring.
I Left My A-Rank Party
Rating: B
Though still not overtly a harem title, its shades much more in that direction as the last quarter of the series progresses, including the ladies in Clover having no qualms with being considered Yuke’s wives as part of a visit to a country where women are allowed less independence (though it hardly seems like Prince Mamar’s wife is subservient to him. . .) and being a bit more flirtatious when it comes to bath scenes. Also, Jamie’s adventuring get-up seems a bit too tailored to sex appeal. The story progresses fine overall, though, including some nice dramatic build-up going into the final episode. Most importantly, even as Yuke becomes “the hero,” the series never forgets that Clover is a team effort rather than an OP individual and his groupies, and that sentiment stays true through to the end.
I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!
Rating: B-
One thing that has been consistently confusing with this series is the timeline in the intergalactic setting, but that is finally clarified with the last episode, when Liam’s age makes it clear that 50 years have passed in the new setting despite him still looking like a teenager; apparently everyone is space elves without the ears, or else science has slowed down aging. That much better explains some earlier references (such as Christiana’s assertion that she had suffered for “decades”) and how the Banfield territory had progressed so much so apparently fast. Christiana joining the big fight against the pirates also finally rounds out the action back to the series’ starting point. The whole thing is still a quite flippant treatment of both isekai stories and space operas, and is best enjoyed on that front rather than worrying about any of the practical details, though Liam’s loyalty to Amagi in all of this is a little touching. Not a great series, but not a waste of time in the end, either.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux
Rating: B
Still think this one will play much better to someone intimately familiar with the original Mobile Suit Gundam, especially given some revelations in the final episode, but it plays pretty well as a space-based mecha extravaganza, complete with robustly-animated space battles and some interesting visual gimmickry at times. It also delves deeply into alternate world theory; this is a literal “what if” scenario, as it turns out, but it’s also not that simple. On the downside, the series is so dedicated to showing off the Big Picture that the two female leads get shoved into reserve roles for close to half of the series. As a result, they are not satisfyingly developed at the end; this is nowhere near on the same level as Witch From Mercury in that regard.
Our Last Crusade s2
Rating: C+
This one still has major flaws, especially with action scenes sometimes more ambitious than its animation effort can keep up with. However, the series is hardly bottom-of-the-barrel in that regard, and the multilayered scheming among the royal families in the Sovereignty is developing surprisingly well. There are also some interesting developments involving Salinger the Demon and the Empire’s Emperor. Most importantly, Alice seems to have matured a bit, especially after getting a flashy rematch with Iska out of her system. While the episode doesn’t quite end on a cliffhanger, it definitely ends in the middle of a major plotline, so here’s hoping that another season will be coming more quickly than this one did.
Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
Rating: B++
This one stands even with Sword of the Demon Hunter and behind only The Apothecary Diaries and Apocalypse Hotel as one of the season’s best, as the more rock-focused shift and the completion of the series’ core quartet turn this into a sizzling affair about how rock music can infuse deep into the soul for those who perform it. The series is at its best when featuring the passion, energy, and fierce determination of Lilisa in particular and how that can draw in and motivate those around her. Of course, part of the fun is still the harsh, sometimes obscene language and gestures Lilisa an Otoha use to convey their passion. The relationship-building between Otoha and Lilisa is also a plus, as is expanding on the way Lilisa’s stepsister gets drawn in by seeing Lilisa be “real.” The animation of the performance numbers, complete with all of the great facial expressions, continues to be a treat, as does the way Otoha infuses sexiness into all of this without the series explicitly resorting to fan service. This had been a fun ride, and I’ll definitely be back if another season is animated.
Sword of the Demon Hunter
Rating: B+
While this one still has some quality execution, I’m lowering my grade on it a notch because of some baffling organizational choices that the series makes. After teasing that the story would advance to 2009 at the end of episode 1, the series finally carries through on that at the end of episode 9 in a neat scene which shows that promises have been kept over the decades even if those in modern times don’t know their meaning. After using a play to reflect on 1850s events, though, the story returns to the 1850s. . . and stays there through the end of the season. Beyond the aforementioned neat scene, what was the point of going forward in time at this point, then? It would have made total sense if the story were alternating between past and present, but we’re not seeing that so far.
Despite that, the series still shines with its quality character development, plotting in its 1850s elements, historical detail, and rigorous use of symbolism, especially in its use of flowers. It also consistently looks great, too. This is one of the season’s most underappreciated series.
Teogonia
Rating: B
This one never got much attention, which is a shame, because it turned out to be a pretty decent shonen-style series. Its strength is in its cultural and world-building sense, though it does also have some interesting battle scenarios and a fair amount of tension as well. I do hope this one gets a continuation, as I’m curious to see where the story goes next.
The Mononoke Lecture Logs of Chuzenji-sensei
Rating: B
I know I’m repeating myself here, but that this series never got picked up for legal streaming is the biggest injustice of the Spring ’25 season. It doesn’t change its format in the second half, with most episodes still focused around a central mystery that usually seems to have supernatural elements to it, but some episodes (especially #11) also incorporate more social aspects which involve numerous recurring cast members, including Chuzenji’s wife and kid sister. Certainly not heavy fare, but as a light mystery series it holds it own if you can find a reliable way to watch it.
The Too-Perfect Saint
Rating: B
Serious animation limitations are forcing me to lower the grade on this one a notch, but the series still delivers on other fronts. Maya’s grand revenge mission (which doubles as a mission to salvage what little hope her kingdom has of surviving how badly the second princes has made a mess of things) keeps things lively and more than makes up for how subdued Philia’s personality is, and watching the latter realize that she may be in love with Oswald is a treat. On any front other than technical merits, it’s still one of the better series of its type.
The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl
Rating: B
Again, the animation quality really limits how good this one can be, as the more frequent action scenes in the late episodes can hardly be called robust and still shots dominate all too often. However, the series never loses its charm, even as the plot involving the terrorists and their Panther God-blessed leader gets heavier. That the terrorist leader isn’t necessarily wrong – he is firmly convinced that people shouldn’t be beholden to their animal god blessings – is an interesting twist, and he would be a legitimately sympathetic character if he wasn’t being hypocritical about it and aggressive in an off-putting way. The series does explore this aspect a bit, showing even seemingly-lowly animal blessings can still be useful in the right situations, how some can be more than their blessings (see Louis), and how the best way to use a blessing is open to interpretation, even for a seemingly combat-oriented one like Gorilla God. There’s a lot of interesting potential here, but the late episodes rush through it too much. Even so, seeing Sophia stand on her own at the end, making her own decision about the future and still getting the guy, is quite satisfying.
Witch Watch
Rating: B
When this series keeps things light, it’s one of the funniest anime around, so an arc which turned serious and at least a bit heavy was an uncomfortable choice. (And yes, I’m fully aware that anime comedies have a loooong history of doing this.) On the plus side, that arc does formally bring a werewolf into the regular cast and seems to be elevating cat-transforming witch Nemu to a regular rather than fringe cast member. Both of these are positive long-term developments. This series is continuing into its second cour, so more fun is coming.
Yandere Dark Elf
Rating: C
The second half of this series doesn’t really do anything beyond what the first half does or change its MO at all, so I wasn’t originally intending to include this one. However, the series deserves some acknowledgement for properly wrapping up its romantic entanglements and doing so without the expected harem ending; the other two women from Hinata’s former party never show any significant romantic interest in him (though they certainly integrally play into the fan service scenarios), Hinata’s classmate eventually concedes to Mariabell on the romantic front, and Hinata even eventually reciprocates Mariabell’s feelings. There’s even an implication in the final shot that Mariabell finally gets to have sex with Hinata, too. Not a great romcom or fan service series by any stretch, and the censoring is still as irritating as ever, but at least it ends better than most of its ilk.
That’s it for this season! Look for the Summer 2025 Preview Guide to start shortly.
USA Anime 