Anime

Trying to catch up on things. I have managed to make a dent and get caught up with most of the shows I wanted to. Still to be caught up on are Gundam and Kowloon.

• Apocalypse Hotel - This show is shaping up to be something truly special. This most recent episode was outstanding. It has blown my expectations out of the water.
• Ninja and Assassin - Studio Shaft continue to deliver some really great and creative animation to one of this really dark comedy. This most recent episode was overflowing with bountiful jokes.
• Apothecary Diaries - Has done a really great job of paying off a lot of things from earlier in the season when things felt a bit slow. Looking forward to the coming climax.
• Evil Lord Isekai - This is just so dumb, but like, in a funny way. There is no substance, but I have had a couple chuckles.
• Too-Perfect Saint - Overall, this continues to be a solid adaptation. I have liked the way the story was rearranged a bit and have really liked Mia's side of the story.
• Rock is a Lady's Modesty - A bit of a less profanity-laced episode this week, but it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger.

No new Apothecary Diaries last week! Tragic really.

As for Rock is a Lady's Modesty, I want to give Tina a hug. She is a sweetheart and she deserves better.

Loved the cute little scene of Nyaan and her dealer eating noodles in GQuux episode 6.

Finished up Akiba Maid War. Man, this show feels like a bit of an unsung masterpiece. We loved it.

Weekly ranking roundup:

1. Anime Corner - Full Results - Weekly Winner: Fire Force Season 3
2. Reddit Karma - Weekly Winner: Apothecary Diaries
3. Anime Trending - Weekly Winner: Witch Watch

Credit to /u/Abysswatcherbel for making the chart for reddit karma and /u/Nooble5 for the Anime Trending chart.

I managed to grab the AT chart this week as well to compare against. I think I am realizing again how different the audiences of these different sites must be. There really isn't a lot of agreement between them. Also, my viewing seems to be much more in line with reddit's chart than the others. I am currently only watching 1/10 for both the AC and AC charts, while I am watching 4/10 from reddit's top 10.

I'm in the middle of ARIA the natural. My sappy ass getting all weak when the golden hour light pours down and the music starts going. Very tender anime.

Past Seasons

I gave Tomo-chan Is a Girl! one episode. It is decent, but not good enough to keep me watching.

Also, I dislike the male lead, Junichirou. Based on his interactions with their mutual friend Misuzu, I don't think he is dense. But that just makes the fact that he does not acknowledge Tomo's feelings much worse.

I also tried The Quintessential Quintuplets. I enjoyed it more than Tomo-chan, so I have watched up to episode 10. However, I don't really like the latest development in the show. It is rather cliche, and the male lead, Fuutarou, has been fumbling it so badly.

I don't get the praise others have for Fuutarou. He is not spineless and trashy like other romance / romcom / harem protagonists. However, he can be pretty selfish at times which is a turn-off.

I hope that the last two episodes can salvage the show, but I don't have high hopes for it. I may not continue with season 2.

Edit:

I have watched the last two episodes and with that, I have completed season 1.

The bad: The animation staff has clearly not skied before.

The good: In hindsight, it was such an obvious twist (which has been teased multiple time previously!), but I still fell for it.

It's entertaining enough, so I'm giving it a 7 / 10.

This Season

I have watched 2 episodes of Umamusume: Cinderella Gray - it is so fucking hype!

I don't usually watch sports shows, but I have noticed that the protagonist is always the underdog who overcome all odds to achieve greatness. It is a very standard plot, but if the execution is good, I don't mind giving it my time.

Umamusume: Cinderella Gray's first two episodes certainly delivered, so I will be continuing with it.

Edit:

After binging it, I am all caught up. This is yet another Medalist, and I foresee it being among my top anime.

I have so many questions regarding the Umamusume universe though.

Like, why does the winner need to do a little dance after the race? Where did this tradition come from? At least it is more entertaining than having them sing their national anthem I suppose.

Why are there only horse girls? Where are the horse boys?

Why is running all that they do? What about other track-and-field events like the jumps? How about other sports that use the legs like cycling, skiing, etc? I guess martial arts would be out because they can probably kill others with their kicks.

Lastly, I wonder what is Oguri Cap's mother's backstory. The hair accessory that Oguri Cap is wearing is from her mother's racing days. However, the past narrative is that gray-haired horse girls can't run. I bet the mother was involved in some way.

Anyway, this anime is fantastic, so much so that I moved Umamusume: Pretty Derby from "Dropped" back into "Plan-to-watch".

With this, To Be Hero X has competition for my top new anime of the season.

evangelion superiority

spoiler