Final Update: 3:40 p.m. 4/13/25

Note: With the addition of Go! Go! Loser Ranger! the Preview Guide is now complete.

Welcome to my seasonal Guide! (The debut schedule can be found here.)

Season 2 of The Apothecary Diaries is continuing with episode reviews from last season, so it is not covered here. Other series continuing from last season (I Left My A Rank Party, I’m Living With a NEET Kunoichi) are also not being covered here. Moonrise is also not being covered here since that dropped in its entirety on Netflix; it may get its own review in a couple of weeks.

Beyond those, I expect to cover every full-episode series that will be debuting this season and is available in streaming form, including many of the sequels/returning series. I will be covering the new Gundam series (its entry here is based on the preview in theaters), as well as the second seasons for By Bye, Earth, I’ve Been Killing Slime for 300 Years, and Go Go! Loser Ranger! I will not be covering the returns of Wind Breaker, Fire Force, Black Butler, SHOSHIMIN, Uma Musume, Himitsu no AiPri, Aharen-san wa Hakarenai, or My Hero Academia, since I am not current with those series.

Debuts are listed below in with the newest ones at the top.

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! s2 (ep 13)

Streams: Hulu on Sundays

Rating: 4 (of 5)

The qualification exams are over, and D, still posing as Sakamura, has passed, so he awaits his appointment. During a day out with Sakamura’s elder sister (aka Pink), he encounters a strange man named Chidori who seems to be investigating the string of recent disappearances but may not be what he claims. Later, he learns about his new assignment, and though it wasn’t what he expected, he’s not disappointed by it. Meanwhile, things are far from sympatico at the top, as the absence of Blue is throwing off normal routines (and poses!) and causing Red to lose his cool more than normal, and a string of recent disappearances suggests that additional boss monsters may be in hiding in the city.

Overall, the second half of the series gets off to a strong start. It smoothly calls upon details from the first half without actually doing a recap, gives us a good reminder about where many of the major players stand, and advances potential plot threads for the upcoming half. It also provides some additional insights into how the Dragon Keepers work as an organization; for instance, we knew from the first season that each of the colors has a specialty it focuses on, and now we know what Green’s focus is. It even has an amusingly different take on the “male character face-planting in a female character’s ample bosom” gimmick, and while the new OP and ED aren’t as strong as the ones for the first season, they’re not bad, either. If you watched out the first half, I see no reason why the second half will dissuade you from doing the same.

Food for the Soul

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

First-year university student Mako Kawai was socially involved as a child but has become more timid as she’s grown older, leaving her without close associations at school and reluctant even to go to a sit-down restaurant on her own. (This point I can empathize with well, as I was initially uncomfortable with this, too, when I first moved away from home.) But that starts to change when she discovers that a former friend from elementary school is attending the same college and looking for a fourth person to start a Food Culture Research Club. Mako is a bit of a foodie, so after some initial reluctance she lets the prospect of exploring more good food entice her to join. But she’s shocked to learn that the club is not intended to be what its name states.

This is an original anime from the creator of Non Non Biyori (who is also making a simultaneously-published manga version) and studio P.A. Works, and it’s being co-directed by the director of the anime version of Non Non Biyori as well. Based on the first episode, it’s arguably the most promising-looking of the CGDCT-styled series this season. The base cast is immediately likable, the attention to food-related detail is done in an appealing way (and I’m personally a big fan of sauce katsudon, which is featured in this episode), and there’s even a sense of an actual plot complication in the twist at the end of the first episode. Most importantly, it’s easily the best-looking series of its type this season; P.A. Works rarely disappoints on the technical front, and the certainly don’t here. As a casual, relaxing view, this one looks more promising than mono, and having an ensemble cast from the beginning may give it a leg up on Zatsu Tabi, too.

mono

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In this adaptation of a manga by the creator of Laid-Back Camp, Satsuki got into her high school Photography Club because of a particular senpai, but she’s left adrift when that senpai graduates. A chance encounter that she and her best friend An have with Haruno, a manga-ka looking for inspiration for a new title, results in the girls experimenting further with new camera as Satsuki and An become the models for Haruno’s new 4-koma manga.

Advertising blurbs for the series mention a third high school girl in another club which is also short on members who joins with Satsuki and An to form a new, combined club, but none of that aspect is present in this episode. Instead there’s various antics involving a cat, but basically this scenario comes down to Satsuki expanding from just taking pictures of her senpai to getting more serious about her hobby. In other words, this is looking like it’s going to be similar in style and feel to YuruCamp, as it has a similar mix of laid-back charm and light, clean humor, but with a more blatant yuri vibe. (An is clearly enamored with Satsuki.) In the downside, its artistic effort is much shakier, especially on the character design and rendering front, which is why I can’t rate this higher. Lightly comedic fare that one can relax to is always welcome, though, so this one might earn another episode of two for a test-run.

Teogonia

Streams: Crunchyroll on Fridays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In Kai’s world, a declining humanity must struggle for survival against demi-human races, though the blessing of a land god can help a select few become champions. Kai isn’t one of those (at least not yet); he’s just a grunt soldier who’s trying to get stronger to assure his survival. But he does have strange dreams of another, wholly different world, and those dreams inspire him to try to manifest magic. During a battle against orgs (think orcs), he discovers a way to use the spiritual energy that is present in this world to use fire magic. Meanwhile, the daughter of a local baron rues that she’s not allowed to join her brother in fighting to defend their village.

So this light novel adaptation is technically an isekai, but it’s one where the protagonist is not fully cognizant of the fact that he’s in an isekai situation; he’s not even clear that the dreams he has of a modern world and rice balls are a previous life. That gives this one more the feel of a shonen action fantasy title so far, albeit one with a distinctly stronger artistic effort than normal. (The animation effort isn’t quite as sharp but is still at least a bit above average.) Nothing about the plot or setting is boldly different, though the girl who wants to fight is shown prominently doing so in the OP and Next Episode preview, so perhaps she might rise to the level of co-protagonist? Either way, I’m ambivalent about this one after one episode, so I will give it one or two more to prove itself.

A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof

Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Satoko is a naive, mostly incompetent, and definitely airheaded shinobi who just went with the flow when a number of her compatriots fled their isolated secret village. Konoha is a practical-minded high school student who is secretly a skilled assassin. The two meet by chance in the city, and Konoha discovers that, while Satoko isn’t very skilled as a ninja in general, she is very good at a few things that are invaluable to Konoha’s lifestyle and trade. Hence Konoha invites Satoko to live at her place, all while the two fend off hunters from Satoko’s village.

Although multiple characters get suddenly killed throughout the episode (including two shinobi who are designed elaborately enough that I expected them to be recurring characters), this manga adaptation is actually primarily a comedy series, albeit at times a rather dark one; Konoha has no compunction about killing the father of a girl portrayed as her closest school friend, for instance. In fact, juxtapositions of typical expectations for these kinds of series seems to be the point. The problem is that these sudden shifts can be more jarring than funny. That isn’t to say there isn’t anything genuinely funny here; there’s definitely a perverse humor in the notion that a ninja ability to turn things into leaves is handy for corpse and murder weapon disposal, for instance. Thus I can see this one working in the long run if the assassination/body disposal thing becomes a running joke, but it definitely isn’t going to be for everyone and it’s off to an awkward start.

Me and the Alien MuMu

Streams: Nowhere official (as of 4/9) on Wednesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

MuMu is a catlike alien who has crash-landed while investigating Earth, straight into the apartment of shy, socially anxious college freshman Sakurako. Because MuMu’s race devastated itself in a war where the smart people on both sides were targeted and killed off, his race no longer understands the advanced technology they have, so MuMu disassembles Sakurako’s microwave and refrigerator in a quest for understanding, much to Sakurako’s dismay. But she can’t exactly ignore MuMu, since the (cloaked) spaceship still imbedded in her apartment has enough destructive power to blow up the entire country.

This manga adaptation is most distinguished by one thing: Sakurako’s unconventional hair design. Beyond that, it takes an approach that’s light-hearted to the point of flippant even about some fairly serious topics (such as MuMu’s race having hand weapons that can vaporize a person), though mixed in amongst the humor are much heavier moments involving Sakurako’s social anxiety and what’s traumatized her over time. The episode has its moments on both fronts (the explanation for why cats are Earth’s dominant species is rather funny, and Sakurako’s past negative social experiences are not trivial), but it struggles to find a smooth tonal balance between the two aspects. The iron that MuMu could unintentionally help Sakurako with her anxiety is a potentially neat aspect, though, as is the seeming emphasis on figuring out how things work. Can’t see this one being a winner even if it does get picked up for proper streaming, but it does have at least some entertainment potential.

The Mononoke Lecture Logs of Chuzenji-sensei

Streams: Nowhere official (as of 4/9) on Mondays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

In 1948 Japan, Kanna is a second-year high school student who finds a purse dropped on a bus, but three people step forward to claim it. A sharp-witted man helps discern the truth of the matter, but he disappears before she can thank him. Kanna later discovers that the man is actually Akihiko Chuzenji, the stern new Japanese teacher at her school. They have another encounter later on when she meets him while trying to discern the truth of a supposed ghost in the school library. He wants to keep the library’s hidden room (where materials banned during the war were kept), she wants to ease the mind of a friend troubled by the ghost, so they work together on a compromise, albeit one that Kanna’s not too happy about and which will almost certainly result in them working together again on further mysteries.

This manga adaptation gives every sign of being a neat little mystery series where the girl winds up being the “front” while the teacher is the brains. Their personalities are already starting to clash in entertaining ways, and I loved how period details played into both the look of the series and one of the episode’s two mysteries. The episode also looks good, especially on the character designs, and moves along efficiently. If there’s one significant negative here, it’s a soundtrack which occasionally makes some odd musical choices, but that’s a minor factor here. Hopefully this one will get licensed, because it should find an audience in the West.

Apocalypse Hotel

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 3.5

In this original production from Cygames Pictures, the Ginguro Hotel in Tokyo’s Ginza district prides itself on being both cutting-edge in its use of service robots and always ready to provide an immaculate, five-star experience to its guests. That remains true even a hundred years after humanity has departed due to the planet becoming toxically uninhabitable. Though challenges in maintaining readiness have gradually grown with time, and though they have had no guests in a very long time, the staff is still ready to welcome humanity back.

This episode has only two voiced characters: a Doorman Robot who has a male voice and takes his role very seriously despite regularly overheating and a female front desk robot who has assumed the role of the hotel’s acting manager. The other robots just communicate with electronic sounds R2D2-style, which helps give the episode a certain cute aspect. Indeed, for the most part the episode takes on a light-hearted tone as the robots go about daily business that they are unable or unwilling to acknowledge is pointless, with the potential world-ending crisis being a missing shower cap. (Even in my visits to Japan, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a hotel which offers one of these.) However, the melancholy that all of this is pointless, and has been for a very, very long time, always lingers in the background. Robots have worn down and gone on “indefinite leave” over time, replacement parts and coolant are impossible to find, and so forth. How the establishment still has power after a century is an open question, but a mostly irrelevant one in establishing the hotel as the last desperate hold-out of civilization. Advertising art suggests that there will eventually be human characters, and there is an interesting development at the end of the episode, but this episode is, overall, all about the set-up of the premise, and it does a fine job at that, complete with a better-than-baseline animation effort. Definitely will be checking out more of this one.

Shiunji Family Children

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 2.5

The wealthy Shiunji family is known for the beauty of its seven siblings (five girls and two boys), all of whom are now teenagers ranging from 14 to 18 (two sets of twins are involved). That most of them look completely different and they all have different hair colors apparently doesn’t faze anyone, nor does how close together they are in age. Because none of the siblings minded these seeming inconsistencies themselves, they are caught completely off guard when, on the 15th birthday of the youngest, they are told that they are all adopted and mostly unrelated by blood to each other; only one of the sets of twins are actual twins, even. This sends a shock through the whole group, but it also presents an opportunity for youngest daughter Kotono, who has long had feelings for her brother Arata.

This series adapts a manga from the creator of Rent-A-Girlfriend and seems pretty direct about where it’s going: a semi-harem scenario where some romances which were previously forbidden because incest now suddenly aren’t, technically. It’s possible that the series could aim higher than that; third daughter Ouka is left to sort out whether the boy she’s always regarded as her “other half” can still have that status even if they’re not actually twins, for instance. Can she really continue to be as unguarded around Arata? However, the episode has just enough of a fan servicey edge to it to suggest otherwise, and the fact that them not being related by blood doesn’t mean they’re not siblings be damned. Doesn’t help that all of the girls are stock archetypes, either. I am a little curious to see how this one plays out, but it’s definitely a borderline case for following this season.

#COMPASS2.0 ANIMATION PROJECT

Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

This series is an adaptation of the MMO battle arena game #Compass: Combat Providence Analysis System, which has existed in Japan since 2016. Its game play primarily involves 3v3 battles on various stages, and some of that is certainly evident in this episode, which features human players teaming up with a wide variety of heroes from the battle setting; while the hero fights, the human (represented by a miniature avatar) uses various power-up cards to aid the hero. There also seems to be a concert venue present in this (presumably digital) world, which may be a reference to the offshoot game #Compass Live Arena.

The plot here doesn’t amount to much: as a human newcomer is shown around by a host bot, and various concert and battles scenarios play out, a corrupting force from the outside seeks to attack the power cube at the heart of the setting, which initiates a call for all heroes to pause their normal activities and participate in the big event. Meanwhile, the rogue hero, 13, actively resists pairing up with a human. When push comes to shove in the middle of the battle, though, 13 reluctantly teams up with human newcomer Jin, who seems to recognize him from elsewhere.

In other words, the series looks like it’s trying to actively marry a storyline onto the standard game play. Even so, the story element is thin at this point, so we mostly just get one big CG battle with a vast array of possibly-interesting-looking characters. The action elements are handled well enough that I could see this attracting some attention, but without more devotion to the story going forward, it’s going to have a tough time garnering a fanbase beyond those who already play the game.

Summer Pockets

Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Hairi Takahara, who was apparently a competitive swimmer until something happened a year ago, has come to a (fictional) island in the Seto Inland Sea over summer break to help with the estate sale of his grandmother, who recently died. While exploring and adjusting to the island, he encounters a number of cute girls: one who’s practicing swimming under the moonlight in a school pool, one who’s taking a roadside nap, one who’s shooting shirtless guys with a long-range water gun, one who observes him from a lighthouse, and a younger girl who’s a distant relative and staying at the same house he is. (One more is shown in promo art but has not appeared yet.) Doubtless all these girls have some kind of problem for Hairi to solve, and maybe one of them can mend his wounded heart.

If you’ve been in anime long enough to be familiar with previous Key/Visual Arts VN adaptations, you’ll almost immediately recognize this as being one; its style, structure, and heavy moe flavor is just too similar to everything they’ve done before to ignore. How you reacted to their previous titles is a good litmus test for how you’ll likely react to this one, too. So far it’s sticking to standard formula – even down to its little bits of humor – for better or worse, which means that this episode is just a set-up that introduces a few key players and drops a few tantalizing hints. It looks good in stills and the girls are all pretty enough, though its animation is less impressive (especially some shown at the beginning), and the music is just the kind of light, lilting sound you’d expect from such far. Hard to say at this point if this one will do anything to stand out.

Zatsu Tabi -That’s Journey-

Streams: Crunchyroll on Mondays

Rating: 4 (of 5)

In this manga adaptation, Chika Suzugamori is an 18-year-old manga artist who won a major award for her first effort but has been struggling to come up with an acceptable proposal for her next. Inspired by a TV show, she decides to use some of her prize money to go on a journey, with a social media poll determining which direction she should go. After a bullet train ride, she winds up in Aizuwakamatsu, where she checks out the local hot springs in and a temple at the top of 1,225 steps, all in an effort to re-energize herself.

I’m a big fan of Laid-Back Camp, and boy, does this one give me a similar vibe. It’s not quite as cutesy as its predecessor (though only one girl has had more than cameo appearances so far), but it has a similar kind of look, animation style, and dedication to scenery porn, to the point that you could practically call it a travelogue, and a good-looking one at that. Chika is a appreciable as a young woman who’s looking for something to shake up her life and give her new perspective and inspiration, and I can very much relate to the way she marvels at unfamiliar sites. (I can also relate on climbing up a mountain staircase thing; I tried and failed to get to the topmost shrine at Fushimi Inari Taisha a few years go, so I respect Chika for succeeding.) Perhaps most importantly, the whole thing has a mellow, laid-back spirit to it; you wouldn’t watch this to get excited, but rather to relax and wind down after a long day. I can easily see it serving that purpose quite well.

Makina-san’s a Love Bot?!

Streams: OceanVeil on Saturdays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

Eita is a loner robotics geek, one who’s willing to even endanger himself to save his AI robot from serious damage, which is precisely why Makina Agatsuma, a popular, sexy classmate he’s developed a crush on, comes to see him at his home one night. He discovers then that she’s actually an AI-driven android specifically assigned for seduction (though her current assignment is just to assimilate into high school life), and she’s visiting because she was badly damaged by an explosion earlier this evening and needs someone with his isolation and expertise to help her with repairs. Since she’s aware of his crush, Makina even offers to reward Eita with sex. Meanwhile, an AI-specializing scientist (who may well be connected to Makina) is seeking a capable assistant.

This half-episode series is an AnimeFesta title, which means that nudity and sexual content can be expected; the former is certainly present in the first episode. While the entirety of the first episode is taken up just establishing the central characters and premise, there are hints of a bigger plot; Makina doesn’t know why she was made to be a seductress, and someone who likely knows what she is certainly tried to take her out by booby-trapping her apartment to explode. Hence this may not be just about the ecchi content. Its artistry is decidedly average and animation somewhat limited, so it’s not much to look at beyond the nudity, but I’m at least somewhat curious to see if any significant story will play out here.

Oh, and kudos to new streaming service OceanVeil for providing a legal English-language venue for such fare, though it is a bit pricey for what it has to offer at this point.

Kaiba: Samurai Legend

Streams: Netflix and Hulu on Saturdays

Rating: 1.5 (of 5)

Kaiba has been raised in a jungle to be a samurai, but chance brings him and his father back to Japan, where they encounter an old associate of Kaiba’s father and his teen daughter Sayaka. Kaiba’s never seen girls before, and has no common sense at all about life outside of the jungle and fighting, so all kinds of misbehavior go on before Kaiba encounters his nemesis in the form of the kendo champion of Sayaka’s school.

This series feels like a holdover from the early ’90s, which is exactly the truth; it’s based on an award-winning manga Gosho Aoyama did before starting Case Closed and was originally adapted into anime form in 1993-94. This appears to be a complete reboot, much like the recent new version of Ranma ½, which was a contemporary title and with which it shares some similar basic construction; I have to think it’s not a coincidence that both reboots are coming out so close together. This is a far less iconic or well-remembered series, though, and it’s not hard to understand why. Though the series doesn’t lack for energy, Kaiba is thoroughly obnoxious, and the stylized action scenes can’t hold a candle to Ranma‘s. The artistic and design elements are also far less attractive; this is one case where not updating its look may have hurt the series. (But to be clear, I was never a fan of the art style of Case Closed, either.) It does have standard shonen action silliness going for it, but absolutely nothing here encourages to watch more in a series with plentiful other titles to check out.

Yandere Dark Elf

Streams: HIDIVE on Sundays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

For the second straight season, we have a female elf with a similar-sounding name (Mariabell vs. Mariebelle) who makes her way from the fantasy world where the male protagonist first meets her into the modern world, initially appearing naked. That’s about all this series has in common with Welcome to Japan, Ms Elf! however. While Ms. Elf did have fan service, it was a minor and sparsely-used component, but here it’s the main draw – or it would be, if it wasn’t for the blatant censoring. (How did this happen when HIDIVE has freely aired a number of uncensored titles over the last couple of years?) And while Marie was sweet and charming, Bell here is batshit crazy for our hapless protagonist. But hey, since that’s in the name of the series, no one should be caught off guard by that, right?

The premise is simple: Hinata is a high school student who was transported to another world to defeat the Demon King, but he completed that job and so was sent back, leaving behind the three beauties who had accompanied him. One of them – a dark elf sorceress – was obsessed enough with him that she found a way to follow him back home and now is fully committed to being Hinata’s wife, whether he wants it or not. The half-episode format doesn’t leave much more time for developing anything than that, though it does look like a shy classmate being sweet on Hinata could be a future complication. While I suppose that the romcom possibilities here will sustain the series, I can see the yandere thing getting old fast, and the censoring prevents the nudity from adequately offsetting that. I might check out more, but not getting a positive vibe from this one so far.

Maebashi Witches

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

Five girls assemble at the behest of a frog plushie to open a magical shop where they will grant the wishes of their customers, who are able to come to the shop only because they seek something. Granting the wish seems to involve performing a song as an idol group, and their first customer is a girl struggling to figure out what path she should take in life.

I’ll say one thing about the opening episode of this new series from Sunrise: it doesn’t lack for energy or spectacle. And while it does lean heavily on its CG for the performance numbers, it actually looks pretty good overall. It seems to be aiming to land somewhere between traditional magical girl series and idol shows, without fully committing to either path in a structural sense. While that gives it a slightly fresher feel, it also leaves the series structurally wishy-washy. The girls so far aren’t distinguished by more than a basic trait (the energetic one, the dumb one, the mature one, the contrary one, and the practical one), but perhaps that will develop with time? I can see this one being successful with the right audience, but that’s not typical otaku.

The Gorilla God’s Go-To Girl

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Sophia Reeler, the daughter of a country count, feels out of place at the Royal Academy, so she doesn’t want to stick out. But this is a world where all get a blessing from an animal god when they turn 16 (and an ability matching to that animal’s attributes), and Sophia has the misfortune to draw the most conspicuous one of all: the blessing of the Gorilla God, a once-in-a-couple-of-generations blessing which grants enormous physical capabilities well-suited to combat. While she tries to keep that a secret from her classmates, she’s obligated by royal order to try out to become a junior knight. And while she’d love to fail the test and return to normality, she soon proves way too capable for there to be much likelihood of that happening.

This adaption of a web novel very much plays to standard shojo stylistic elements, and indeed, everything about the set-up suggests that it will eventually be a reverse-harem story (even if one guy is much more prominently featured in the OP than others). It’s certainly not one of the season’s artistic darlings, either, though it does make good use of what it has, and how much fun the gorilla spirit which is often shadowing Sophia seems to be having is a regular source of amusement. In fact, that the episode as a whole achieves that spirit is the main reason I can mildly recommend it, as seeing Sophia learn to deal both with her new abilities and the impact they will have on her social situation should be entertaining enough to follow this one. But really, in the end, it’s all about the gorilla.

Witch Watch

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Morihito, a descendant of a line of ogres, was childhood friends with fledgling witch Nico, but she left for the witches’ Holy Land to get proper training. Years later she’s coming back to town as a teenager to complete her training, and Morihito is being asked to be her familiar (which means she’ll live with him and he’ll be her bodyguard). While Nico does have much better control of her magic now, she’s still all kinds of trouble for Morihito, but due to special circumstances, that’s something he’s willing to live with.

This manga adaptation is primarily a comedy, and the first episode plays well in this regard, with some truly funny antics as Morihito tries to deal with the flighty (both figuratively and literally!) Nico. There is a startlingly serious aspect to it, too, which comes up at the end of the episode, and seeing how that element sits in the series’ background going forward should be interesting. More importantly, both of the leads are instantly likable, and the OP promises that a couple more regulars will eventually join the cast, too. This isn’t a spectacular artistic effort, and both the exterior design of Morihito’s house and his body proportions as a teenager felt a bit off to me, but it looks good enough to allow the humor to work. This should be a fun, mostly light-hearted view.

Lazarus

Streams: Adult Swim on Sundays

Rating: 4.5 (of 5)

In this newest offering from the creator and director of Cowboy Bebop, a brilliant scientist has developed a ground-breaking new painkiller, but not until after it’s been widely-distributed (and he’s gone into hiding) does he reveal its awful side effect: that after a certain amount of time, the drug will mutate and kill the user, and since it lingers in the body, anyone who has used it is subject to this effect. He claims to have a cure and challengers humanity to find him to get it within the 30 day time limit before the drug’s side effect starts manifesting. To try to find the doctor, a group named Lazarus seeks to recruit an agile convict, but the convict has other ideas and escapes on his own, forcing the group’s members to chase him across the city.

While the first episode does lay out the most basic particulars of the situation, it’s mostly just one prolonged escape and chase scene, one which allows young convict Axel to put his incredible athletic and acrobatic talents on full display, and the production backs that up with some of the best visual, animation, and choreography efforts so far this year. Setting aside the improbability of this near-future scenario playing out, this episode is going to invite well-deserved comparisons to Shinichiro Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop, as the action and musical styles are similar and the Lazarus teach has a counterpart for each of Bebop‘s cast members: Axel is clearly a stand-in for Spike (albeit a much cheerier and more personable version) and there’s also a beefy black guy (Jet), a streetwise woman (Faye, though a blond in this case), and a girl who’s a computer expert (Edward, although this girl is much more timid). Added to that is a teenage boy who’s an apparent expert with drones and an older female lawyer. While the plot doesn’t feel like anything special, the cast is engaging and the execution certainly doesn’t lack for energy. This has the potential to be one of the season’s top performers.

Classic★Stars

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

This series is the anime side of a cross-over project from the same creative team behind Uta no Prince Sama. As might be expected from such a pedigree, it’s another boy band project, this time with classical music as a uniting theme. In this case, Gloria Private Academy is one of those ridiculously-ostentatious schools for sports and performing arts that can only be found in anime. A young boxer comes to the school after he’s offered a sweet opportunity and surgery to repair a damaged eye, but his assumption that he’s going to be joining the sports program proves incorrect: he’s actually slated to be Beethoven of the music program’s Student Council, apparently because he has some kind of affinity with the favorite composer. (Other members are Mozart, Chopin, and Liszt.) Though he proves astoundingly capable at belting out a song, he’s not at all cool with being misled on why he’s at the school.

The music in this one is almost enough to carry the first episode even if you aren’t into generic idol group stories, as an early hard rock version of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 is quite impressive and the rock-tinged theme of the OP, ED, and second musical piece are all solid. But even aside from the still-unexplained business about affinities with famous composers, there’s this flashy, magic-like “emosion” machine for projecting the performers feelings as images to add an extra bit of unnecessary weirdness. And frankly, the entire case introduced so far is more annoying than endearing. This will probably work for those normally into the genre, but I can’t see it holding much appeal for those not normally enamored with such fare.

Kowloon Generic Romance

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

In the city of Kowloon (a part of Hong Kong), 32-year-old Reiko works at a real estate office with coworker Hajime, whom she’s gradually becoming attracted to. But she’s also starting to pick up on some strange occurrences: her eyesight has suddenly gotten better, a waiter at a tea house mistake her for Hajime’s former girlfriend, and even Hajime seems to do the same once when he’s sleepy. She’s most startled, though, when she discovers a photo with her name and likeness standing with Hajime, a photo she doesn’t remember ever taking.

This manga adaptation is one of those cases where hints of weirdness only very gradually creep into the picture, and not until the very end of the episode can viewers confirm that something is truly off. Does it have anything to do with the new tech item floating in the sky? That’s unclear, but it being unclear is also the point. So is sex appeal, as while the camera shots aren’t especially blatant about it, some fan service is definitely sprinkled throughout. The first episode looks good and takes its time to set things up for the big reveal at the end, which does make it effective but not without dragging just a little. (And no, I’m not referring to the copious amounts of smoking in it.) Definitely a more mature-leaning series, but more will have to be going on in the second episode for it to keep my interest.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman

Streams: Amazon Prime on Saturdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

In this light novel adaptation, Beryl Gardinant has operated a country dojo which teaches swordsmanship for 20 years now. He’s content with this low-key life, though his elderly father continually bugs him about how he’s never found a wife and started producing grandchildren. His life gets upended when a former female student who’s risen to become a Knight Commander comes to the dojo with a proposal that he become the sword instructor for her order. With much prodding (and some conniving by his father), Beryl reluctantly agrees to the role and moves to the capital. There he meets some other former students – one now an apprentice to the same order, another now a top-ranked adventurer – and while he feels out of his element, he quickly impresses on doubters within the knight order that the Knight Commander didn’t nominate him without good reason.

This one is the latest in the “middle aged guy doesn’t appreciate how good he is” gimmick, and it even includes former female students who now have skill and standing of their own but would still probably happily marry him if he asked (despite the age gap), so I wasn’t expecting much from what seemed like a mostly-generic set-up. However, the first episode surprised me a bit. Unlike contemporaries who are ridiculously OP, Beryl just has a wealth of skill and experience in his favor. He doesn’t overpower the vice-commander who challenges him; he adapts to his opponent’s fighting style and outclasses him with seemingly-simple tricks, like redirecting his blow rather than blocking it or moving with an opponent’s spin attack to wind up behind him. These aren’t flashy gimmicks but are definitely the kind of little moves that can outwit an opponent in a true fight, and I was quite impressed by the episode’s attention to detail on both the choreography and animation of the moves. The quality of the English dub, which uses an LA-based studio, is also a big step above Prime’s previous offering this season (The Dinner Table Detective). This series may not end up going anywhere excitingly different, but if it keeps its action focus on little details like it has so far and continues to commit to this animation level for its action scenes then I’ll continue watching.

Guilty Gear Strive: Dual Rulers

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdats

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

The Guilty Gear franchise has been a staple of fighting games since the late ’90s, but while its game play has been featured in a couple of anime series over the years, this is its first anime adaptation. To be specific, this is supposed to be a sequel to the 2021 game Guilty Gear Strive. However, the first episode is clearly aimed at drawing in new audiences as much as playing to established ones, as the first few minutes of this episode set the stage and the background for how the story’s protagonist game to be.

In the backstory, magic replaced science at one point, which led to the creation of bioweapons called Gears that humans (naturally) eventually lost control of. A war resulted, and at its end one of the human heroes of that war, Ky Kiske, met and fell in love with Dizzy, the daughter of the Gear King. The result of their union was their son, Sin Kiske. But not everyone is happy that Ky is now, after many years, formally marrying Dizzy, and a young woman named Unika becomes the face of the anti-Gear faction when she attacks during a celebration of the impending marriage. She flees after Ky puts himself and Dizzy in a nigh-indestructible stasis to protect themselves from her potent attacks, but not before she catches the attention of Sin, who feels there’s more going on her than just a simple terrorist attack. (Or it could be love at first sight. Hard to tell at this point.)

Animation studio SANZIGEN is using a very distinctive, CG-heavy animation style which uses a lot of visual gimmicks and will certainly make this one stand out. And while it can be followed by franchise newcomers, it throws out a lot of bones for longtime franchise fans, too. Nothing about the premise so far seems all that special, and the prominence of Unika in advertising art suggests that she and Sin will have some kind of dynamic going forward. Overall, though, this one shows no inclination to be anything other than a pure actioner. Maybe it will amount to something in the long run, but it has failed to capture my interest so far.

Anne Shirley

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 4 of 5

Though I’ve never read or seen previous adaptations of Anne of Green Gables, it’s still a story near to my heart since one of my nieces is specifically named after the titular character. The original 1908 novel was derived from a formula story about orphan girls that was common at the turn of the 20th century, but Anne insisting that her name is spelled with an “e” can be taken as symbolic of an intent to at least partially depart from the standard formula. That intent worked, as the source novel is now considered a classic of children’s literature and one of the most iconic of all “plucky orphan girl” stories. It’s also long been well-known in Japan, having received a previous anime adaptation in 1979 and regular productions in one form or another on an annual basis. This new version, from a studio probably best-known to Western anime fans for Flag and Golgo 13, clearly aims to draw in new audiences. Based on the first episode, I see no reason why the series won’t succeed at that.

The story takes place in the late 19th century on Canada’s Prince Edward Island and focuses on Anne Shirley, a red-headed 11-year-old orphan with a big imagination and a captivating level of enthusiasm. Siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who are growing old together without either ever having started a family, are seeking an orphan boy to help around their farm, but Anne gets sent to them by mistake. Though strict Marilla is initially resistant to keeping Anne anyway, Matthew is quickly won over by her energy and joy for life, to the point that he declares that they should keep Anne more for what they can do for her rather than what she can do for them. Marilla eventually agrees.

I don’t know how this plays as an accurate depiction of the source material, so speaking as a franchise newcomer, the first episode nails its appeal. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of characters like Anne before, but she’s the most prominent early version of the archetype, and she’s a delight to watch in action; honestly, I probably had a smile on my face throughout most of the episode. The artistic style is just right for the content, the animation is pretty good, and VA Honoka Inoue, in her biggest role to date, voices Anne with deserved gusto. I may not wind up following this one, because this kind of story just isn’t my thing anymore, but this will find an audience.

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 2

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

Killing Slimes is one of the rare isekai series to pull off being both a power fantasy and a slice-of-life fantasy, and it did so in its first run by consistently maintaining a light-hearted, upbeat attitude even when engaged in action scenes or dealing with dragons or demon kings. The debut of its second season shows absolutely no inclination to change up that formula, and it retains the artistic and design merits of the first season. In other words, if you were a fan of the first season then nothing should dissuade you from enjoying the start of this season, too.

Since it has been four years since the first season, the episode opens with a very brief recap of the premise and major events from the first season before seguing into Azusa discovering rice and an equivalent to azuki beans on an herb-gathering expedition to the south. She decides to use the latter to make manju, and after some experimentation produces a slime-themed version which proves to be a hit product in Flatta. Later, she travels to the capital to meet a goddess who is making personal appearance, and the goddess turns out to be remarkably familiar. . . But that’s really about it. Nothing particularly exciting is going on here, but the charm of this one has always been in Azusa and her makeshift family doing things together, so that’s not necessarily a negative. The ED suggests that a new regular will be joining the crew eventually, so that’s something to look forward to.

The Dinner Table Detective

Streams: Amazon Prime on Fridays

Rating: 1.5 (of 5)

Reiko is the heiress of a major conglomerate, but she also has a double life as a rookie police detective, assisting Inspector Kazamatsuri. (Really, only the Inspector doesn’t know about this; all of her friends do.) When a murder happens at a party she’s attending, she quickly shifts identities and helps try to crack the case, but both she and Kazamatsuri struggle to pin down the culprit despite some description provided by the victim before she dies. Fortunately for them, a smart-mouthed butler at the party, who is to become Reiko’s personal servant, has cracked the case.

This anime adapts a three volume novel series from the early 2010s, one which has previously had a live-action adaptation. I have to think it worked better in that format because this debut is a near-disaster. The set-up isn’t necessarily bad, and I somewhat liked the idea of a smarmy butler being the real brains, but the writing takes a much too flippant tone for what should be a serious investigation of a murder and direction feels incapable of properly using its comedic elements, to an almost painful degree. There’s also little sense of tension, especially in the scene where the victim dies. The artistic style is a decided departure from anime norms, though arguably not for the better, either. While the episode is dubbed in English, I do have to recommend watching it subtitled, as the dub comes from a studio based in South Africa and features a bunch of voice actors who are clearly not familiar with how to properly or consistently pronounce Japanese names. I’m not a fan of pure mysteries stories, but even if I was, I can’t see me following this one.

Bye Bye, Earth s2 (ep 11)

Streams: Crunchyroll on Fridays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

The first half of this series (fully reviewed here) was notorious for being so over-the-top on its world-building that viewers had to struggle to make sense of it, and the first episode of the second half shows no immediate sign of changing that. In fact, it prominently features the funeral of one prominent character who was not shown having died during the battle at Katakombe but apparently did pass on at some point after that; Belle going to the funeral in the second half of this episode is the first that the viewer finds out about it.

In general, and despite a brief recap of major events from the first half, I highly recommend watching the last half or so of the first half before continuing with this one, as a number of other factors won’t make sense without late-season details fresh in your mind. Understanding how Bennett/Benedictine fits into the picture, and the nature of mermaids in this setting, is especially important for the scene where Belle wakes up and gets to briefly have a reunion with Benedictine, which takes up the episode’s first half. Mist (the face-tattooed female Underdog from the Katakombe battle) also reappears, and we get to see what an Underdog funeral looks like in this setting – and as everything in the first half, it’s its own thing, too. Significantly, Adonis doesn’t appear at all and is only mentioned brief when Mist talks to Belle while traveling to the funeral.

I always felt like this one cut off at a somewhat awkward point, so I’m glad to see it back and with no drop-off in creative or technical merits. This one is a definite follow for the season.

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?

Streams: Crunchyroll on Fridays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

In this light novel adaptation, shy Yu loves to make accessories based on flowers but had no talent for selling them. During his middle school years, pretty, outgoing Himari glommed onto him and helped him sell his accessories, and the two became friends. Two years later in high school, they’re still best friends, though Himari insists that there’s nothing romantic about it. (She claims to not understand romance, as she attributes both dating and dumping would-be paramours in the past to boredom.) That insistence may soon be put to the test, as another girl who also seems to understand what Himari likes about Yu (i.e., his focus on and passion for his creations) has come into the picture.

Wasn’t expecting much from this one, and Himari can easily be over-the-top with her physicality towards Yu. However, I did find the first episode to be quite genuinely funny at multiple points and greatly appreciated that we saw from the perspectives of both Yu and Himari, enough to know that neither of them currently acknowledges any romance in their relationship. Whether Himari’s feelings about Yu are just possessive friendship or repressed romance is a standard conflict in romcoms, but by the end of the episode I can see at least some potential in watching this develop, and Yu’s one male friend (who previously dated Himari) is a lively addition, too. I’m not sold yet on this one making my seasonal watch list, but it’s at least earned another episode or two.

Rock is a Lady’s Modesty

Streams: HIDIVE on Thursdays

Rating: 4 (of 5)

When Ririsa’s rock musician father dies and her mother remarries to a real estate mogul, Ririsa leaves behind her passion for rock guitar so she can pass for being a proper lady at the prestigious Oushin Girls Academy. Her goal is to become the school’s top student, the Noble Maiden, but a chance encounter with the seemingly-elegant Otoha, and the discovery that Otoha was carrying around a guitar pick, leads to Ririsa finding out that Otoha secretly plays drums to heavy metal music. Since Otoha knows that most girls at the academy wouldn’t know what a guitar pick was, she baits Ririsa into jamming with her, a session which seems to awaken a fiercely competitive streak in both girls.

The biggest negative to this manga adaptation debut is that Ririsa may have some of the most ridiculously overblown twin tails ever seen in anime form. (Really, how does she get through most doorways with those?) But against the rock elements of the episode, things like that and the deliberately-generic elite girl’s school design don’t matter. The musical part sizzles, to the point that I’ll forgive it occasionally leaning on some CG in some shots in the animation of the musical duel; this is still one of the most thoroughly-detailed instrumental performances that you’ll see in any anime. But the even bigger treat may be Otoha’s reaction to their jam session. Add in more than a tinge of yuri-baiting, music from the rock band Band-Maid, and some not-so-subtle use of symbolism and you have an episode that may start slow but winds up being a sizzling viewing experience. This was a highly-anticipated series, and it absolutely proves to be a keeper.

The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows

Streams: Crunchyroll on Thursdays

Rating: 2.5 (of 5)

In a setting where healers are formally trained and licensed, Zenos is a talented and fair but unlicensed healer who operates an underground clinic in the slums of a major city. He certainly doesn’t have any problem getting the attention of the ladies, whether it’s the elf girl and ghost he lives with or the trio of different types of beast people who hang around his clinic. He can handle himself in a fight, too, though he’s strictly against killing, and seems to believe in only charging what people can pay.

This seems to be an in media res start, as nothing here explains how Zenos came to be where he is or associated with any of these girls/women, or how he learned to heal or handle himself in a fight when he didn’t have formal training. Presumably that will come starting next episode, as the intent seems to have been to show off his harem and skills. Unfortunately, that also makes for a very bland, stale first episode, and artistic and technical merits that are only average don’t help. A recent review of the first five source novels shows that there’s actually quite a bit more to this series than what shows in this episode, so maybe next episode will show more merit, but this isn’t a promising start.

Your Forma

Streams: Samsung+ TV on Wednesdays

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

In a setting where androids called Amicus are commonplace and cyberized brains are apparently not unusual, Echika Hieda is an investigator who specializes in diving into people’s memories. No human assistant can keep up with her, so she’s paired with a cheeky Amicus named Harold. Their newest case strikes close to home, as it seems that an Amicus from the same model line as Harold is going around attacking people, which should be impossible, and Harold’s owner(?) is caught up in this.

This light novel adaptation is one where you’ll want to a bit of reading up on it before watching the first episode (if you can find it), as the episode explains almost nothing and gives the feel of jumping into the second chapter of the story. (I’m all for “show, don’t tell,” but this one could have used some exposition if they’re going to start it like this.) It’s going to invite comparisons to Ghost in the Shell, although it is taking a bit different dynamic approach; the first episode of this one shows no signs of the more action-oriented, militaristic aspects of its predecessor, instead favoring more of a “buddy cop” kind of approach, one where Echika is teamed up with a smarmy Amicus and will defend him even though she’s apparently not fond of them. The series earns points for its thoughtfulness on the design of a cyberized world and for the designs of Echika and Harold (really, character designs in general, but especially those two), and technical merits in general look pretty good so far. It’s not doing anything spectacular yet, but it might be worth following if it gets picked up by one of the regular streaming services. Oh, and there’s a series of chibi shorts which is going to be paralleling the main series.

The Beginning After the End

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesday

Rating: 3 ( of 5)

In this adaptation of a web novel, Arthur was a mighty king in previous life, one who apparently started as an orphan and came to power of an advanced technological empire through conquest, but then died mysteriously. Now he’s the baby son of parents in a world where magic exists, albeit with his mental faculties intact. While he’s dismayed about the limitations of his new body, he gradually comes to understand that what he learned about Ki in his previously life is applicable to magic in this one. Perhaps more importantly, he also learns that being part of a family might not be so bad after all.

This is one of the more frugally-animated series so far this season, and very little about the set-up is at all fresh; it will doubtless remind many viewers of Mushoku Tensei, albeit without the more skeezy aspects of that one. This is also a very slow start for a series which is apparently going to focus more on Arthur when he gets into his preteen or teen years. However, the first episode does lay its foundation adequately enough and Arthur’s deadpan reactions to his limitations as a baby are a bit funny. Most importantly, it shows Arthur – a man who was too busy being a king in his previous life to just appreciate life – starting to understand the importance of family, and there’s already a sense that this is going to be a foundational element to him going in at least a partially different direction this time around. I’m not feeling like one episode is a sufficient enough sample in this case, so I will check out an episode or two more before deciding if it’s a keeper or not.

The Too-Perfect Saint

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In Philia’s world, Saints are national-grade resource deemed essential for a country’s defense and prosperity. Her country has two – herself and her younger sister – and of the two of them, second prince Julius prefers her much more personable sister Mia, to the point that he’s willing to break off his engagement with Philia and trade her to another country lacking a Saint for a pile of money, something her parents are in favor of as well since they’ve also long favored Mia, too. All of this is despite the fact that Philia is acknowledged as the most powerful Saint ever, but the prince perceives Philia’s expressionless way of handling things as arrogance that he can’t tolerate. That leaves Philia, who has worked hard to be an ideal Saint, wondering why she ever put in all that effort, put perhaps the change of scenery will be good for her, since her new country seems to be welcoming her with open arms. . .

This is essentially a variant on the “banished from the hero’s party” concept, where those around the protagonist are so arrogant and unbelievably stupid that they feel they can do without a critical support element; it’s just happening on a national level rather than a party level. In the case of this light novel adaptation, there’s a bit more to it, since Mia is by far the more charming and charismatic of the sisters, and that’s enough to get the prince to contrive excuses to get rid of Philia. (And while the first episode tries to be dodgy about how Mia might feel about all of this, the strongest indications are that she’s not going to be as happy about it as the prince claims.) Like with other banished stories, I fully expect that Philia’s going to find her new home to be warmer and more welcoming, while her former party kingdom flounders without her presence, but Philia comes across as a sympathetic enough character that it’s hard not to root for her. The series also has an interesting background art style and good musical support in its favor. This may not be the freshest take on the concept, but the first episode does just enough to convince me to watch more.

Please Put Them On, Takamine-san

Streams: Crunchyroll on Wednesdays

Rating: 2 (of 5)

High school student Koushi sees himself as being on the diametric opposite end of the talent and social spectrum from Takane Takamine, the student council president and star student, so he normally wouldn’t expect to associate with her. That changes when an accidental peeping incident leads to him later noticing her using some kind of gimmick to perfect her Math test score. When he confronts her about it, he discovers that Takane can shift in time by removing her undergarments, and she’s long been using this trick to maintain her perfection. The problem is that the undergarments vanish when she does this, so she seeks to turn him into her “closet,” a person who will provide her with replacements as needed. And she’s willing to resort to extreme coercion to accomplish this.

This manga adaptation is clearly going to be one of the season’s premier fan service titles, as the first episode has both uncensored nudity and other provocative content to go with the lurid premise. I’m completely fine with that aspect and the nonsensically bizarre time travel gimmick, but there are some other potential issues here. For one, I’m not a fan of the character design style, especially the very angular look of Takane’s face. The second is that Takane is not a very likable character. She knows she’s superior and is essentially cheating on trivial points to seem like she’s even more superior, and she’s clearly toying with Koushi. That’s not necessarily a problem, as being dominated by a sexy woman isn’t an unusual fetish and this series certainly looks like it’s going to play to that. The biggest problem, though, is the method Takane uses to get Koushi’s compliance: she fakes a sexual assault when Koushi won’t agree outright to her proposal, then uses her time travel gimmick to get him out of it when he capitulates, with the understanding that she can always undo it. This left a bad taste in my mouth, as it damages the credibility of actual sexual assault claims. This is not looking like it’s going to be an animation darling, either.

For all the negatives, though, it does play to its fan service aspect pretty well, and I am a bit curious to see how this dynamic plays out. There are also a couple of suggestions that Koushi hasn’t been as invisible to Takane as he think he is; granted, this is a pretty common gimmick in romcoms, but I am curious to see how fits in this case. Despite the low rating here, I’ll probably watch more.

Catch Me at the Ballpark!

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

All sorts of people gather at ballparks to experience professional baseball games. These are their stories.

As trite as that description may sound, that does, indeed, seem to be what this comedy manga adaptation is all about. The gyaru Ruriko, who’s apparently a fledgling beer vendor girl at one such park, is the series’ poster girl and present throughout all three of the first episode’s vignettes, but both the third vignette and the series’ OP and ED suggest that the series is going to feature more than just her enticing downtrodden corporate slave Murata into becoming a regular customer. Other vendor girls, players, mascots, announcers, cheer section fans, and even security guards (who are featured in the third vignette) look like they will be in the mix, too. That’s not a negative, as there are all kinds of potential stories here. Ruriko is also an potentially interesting case herself, as moments where we see her inner thoughts show that she’s far less confident and self-assured than she comes across.

The technical merits for this one aren’t going to impress, but content like this doesn’t need anything flashy to succeed. Definitely there’s some entertainment value to be found here, but I heavily doubt this is one that I’m going to follow unless I’m desperate for a sweet comedy fix this season.

Once Upon a Witch’s Death

Streams: Crunchyroll on Tuesdays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In this light novel adaptation, apprentice witch Meg Raspberry gets a very unfortunate proclamation for her 17th birthday: her master and guardian, the renowned witch Faust, tells her that she has only one year before she starts rapidly aging, and won’t last a month past that point. This is a curse akin to a congenital disease, so there’s only one way Meg can avoid this fate: collect 1,000 crystalized tears of joy. The one blessing here is that Meg is the type of girl who can naturally play to the emotions of others, as she does here with helping a little girl find a particular type of flower to put on her recently-deceased mother’s grave.

If I were in Meg’s shoes, I’d be asking a LOT more questions about this curse than what she does here, as it very much feels like Faust is being disingenuous about it, even if Meg agrees with her master’s logic about waiting until only a year out to tell Meg about it. But based on the presentation of the first episode, that doesn’t seem like the direction the series is going. It looks much more like it’s going to focus on vignettes where Meg goes around helping people. That aspect, at least, plays out well in this episode, though its far less serious start makes for an awkward shift in tone. Still, there is at least some world-building potential here (Faust’s house has a satellite dish, so this is a modern setting that also has magic) and it does have a pretty solid OP. I have mixed feelings about this one, hence the middle-of-the-road grade.

Sword of the Demon Hunter

Streams: HIDIVE on Mondays

Rating: 4.5 (of 5)

In 1830 Japan, Jinta flees with his sister Suzune (who’s apparently at least half-demon) after the latter was cast out of their home. After being found by a traveling warrior, they wind up being raised in an isolated mountain village, where Jinta follows in his adoptive father’s footsteps by growing up to become one of the two sentinels charged with protecting the village’s miko, Itsukihime, the latest version of which is the girl he grew up alongside. While duty constrains their relationship, a pair of demons with a long-term plan have other ideas that involve both of them and Suzune, and that sets the stage for a quest for vengeance that will extend into modern day.

Yes, by all appearances, the nearly hour-length debut episode is merely the prologue for the main story, which takes place 170 years later. It’s a classic tale of bloody tragedy borne from love, jealousy, misunderstandings, manipulated emotions, and a very Japanese sense of prioritizing duty over personal desires, but the familiar story beats don’t hamper the execution one bit. This is a well-paced, sharply-animated, and gorgeously-depicted adaptation of the source light novel, one which convincingly establishes the emotional ties at the heart of the tragedy while also providing a few interesting twists, such as how demons are driven by a sense of purpose that they’re willing to die to achieve and how one character illogically doesn’t seem to age. (Why this is so is explained before the episode’s end.) This is a very graphic presentation at points, including some nudity concealed under a demonic aura, but even these aspects are well-done. The only minor negative is that certain parts could be a little clearer that a time skip has happened. We’re going to have to wait for episode 2 to see how the actual main story will play out, but the series has laid a strong foundation with this opening.

The Unaware Atelier Master

Streams: Crunchyroll on Sundays

Rating: 3 (of 5)

In this latest LN-originating iteration on the “banished from the hero’s party” premise, kind-hearted teen Kurt is dumped from his top-level party because he’s unable to contribute in combat; indeed, all of his fighting skills are at the lowest measurable rank. However, both he and his former party are unaware that his skills in everything else are mind-bogglingly stellar; he can build a log cabin in just a day, is so good at repairing a city wall that he’s fired after three days to prevent putting everyone else out of work, and can make top-quality magic crystals with seemingly-impossible speed. Yulishia, who employs Kurt to help with some mining, is quickly starting to realize that he may, in fact, be dangerously-talented.

A reference at the end of the episode suggests that this may be a scenario similar to Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town or Beast Tamer, only with the twist that Kurt’s specialty is non-combat skills. That would seem to limit potential future action elements, so I’m a bit curious to see where the series is going to go from here. The first episode, at least, does its job sufficiently enough to establish the premise and two of the central characters (advertising art prominently features a second girl who has yet to be introduced), and it doesn’t look bad in the process; I particularly like Yulishia’s design, with her very feminine appearance but dressed in clothing that might be more expected of a male noble. Not expecting great things from this one, but cautiously optimistic that it could be low-key fun for the season. Also, for inexplicable reasons, it’s getting simuldubbed, and the English casting choices so far are very solid.

I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

Streams: Crunchyroll on Saturdays, starting 4/5

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Technically this one doesn’t debut until 4/5, but Crunchyroll is streaming three “preview” episodes (i.e., ones without the official OP or ED) already as of 3/30, so this look at this LN-based isekai series is based on those.

In Liam’s previous life he was a corporate slave, but he put up with it to provide for his wife and darling daughter. His life is ruined when his boss screws him over and his wife and daughter leave him (for the boss!), so when he expires from illness not long after, he vows to spend his next life screwing other people over. He discovers that he’s been reincarnated as the son of irresponsible nobles in a far-flung interstellar empire and, at a young age, essentially abandoned by his good-for-nothing parents to deal with his home planet’s crushing debt. But that doesn’t faze him this time. With the help of an AI maid, he starts down the path towards becoming a magnificently evil lord. . . though in the process he’s also cleaning up the corruption dogging his planet. Meanwhile, a spacefaring warrior-princess (whom we know from an in media res opening scene will eventually fall in with him) is getting screwed over herself by assorted betrayals.

The first episode really lays the tragedy on thick, which is why I hope this is a double-episode debut in its proper time slot. It seems to be heading down the “accidentally becomes a good ruler while trying to be evil” path while also making some statements about concerns about AIs, but it’s taking a slower approach to its set-up than it may be able to get away with. Still, I like the direction it’s heading and the scenes showing commoners dubiously regarding their new lord even as they acknowledge that things are starting to get better under him. There’s also a bevy of potentially interesting additional characters, like the god-like Guide who’s the truly evil one as he seeks to stir up trouble to feed off the suffering of people or the guy who presents himself as a samurai master but is partially or totally a fake. I will, at the very least, watch a few more episodes to see how this plays out.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX

Streams: Amazon Prime on Tuesdays, startin 4/8

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

This original animation project is the newest installment in the Gundam franchise. The first episode in particular heavily references the foundational events of Mobile Suit Gundam, but strictly speaking, a viewer does not have to be familiar with that series to follow what’s going on here. Such viewers will just experience the series as fairly standard space-based mecha fare (much like Witch From Mercury), rather than the massive gimmick that long-established fans will recognize it as being.

[Spoilers Start Here] The gimmick is that this is a “What If. . .?” level revisionist tale, one which imagines how things might have turned out differently if Char Aznable, rather than Amuro Ray, was the one to find the revolutionary Gundam at the beginning of the original series. The first episode entirely consists of playing out this scenario, while the main story – and true main heroine – debut with episode 2. Amane is a high school student living in a space colony five years later. An encounter with a war refugee named Nyaan leads to her getting mixed up in an underground mobile suit dueling sport known as Clan Battles and discovering that she’s a Newtype. That also leads to her getting involved with Shuji, a boy with memory issues who pilots a mysterious mobile suit being sought by both the police and military.

All signs are pointing to this being an action-packed mecha blowout with some politics thrown in; in other words, it’s classic Gundam fare. The movie debut looked quite sharp, so this is clearly going to be a prestige collaboration for studios Khara and Sunrise. Hard to tell yet if it’s going to achieve the kind of impact that Witch From Mercury did, but it’s got at least a fighting chance. While being on Amazon Prime may limit its viewership some, I still fully expect this to be one of the season’s top titles.