Rottcodd

Ah... I knew I recognized the art style, but I couldn't place it. Then I got down to the comments and saw the mention of Kubo-san Won't Let Me Be Invisible, and it all came rushing back.

This should be good.

Okay — that's in the running for the cutest scene and the cutest couple ever in the history of manga.

Huh... this is actually pretty intriguing. There are a bunch of layered mysteries here.

And broadly snd not so seriously I love the underlying fact that the protagonist was stipulated from the start to be Japanese specifically, and the first thing she does after being isekaied is to organize a bunch of people to clean.

That was a wonderful chapter - this series just keeps getting better and better.

Bold move Kouhei - well done.

Years ago, I was working at an art gallery, and we had one customer who would come in every few weeks with the latest vaguely renaissance-looking oil painting he'd found at a yard sale and spend an hour or two tediously pointing out and explaining the artfully hidden brush strokes or initials or subject matter or shapes in the clouds or what-have-you that proved that it was actually a Rembrandt.

I had forgotten all about him until just now, when this essay very forcefully reminded me.

And on another note, it also managed to Streisand the Galverse. I didn't even know there was such a thing until just now, but now I'm going to go track it down.

That ending was absolutely brilliant - sort of low-key and open, but hilarious and appropriate too.

And the whole shampoo hat scene made me laugh hard - that was a great callback.

And with that, I say the series is a winner, from start to finish (and I'm already planning to rewatch it all the way through, maybe even starting tonight).

It has an odd tone, because it often feels sort of dark and sad and scary slong the way, but in the end, Yachiyo's (and later Ponko's) indomitable spirit and determination win out. Nothing comes easy for Yachiyo and the Gingarou, but she doesn't give up. She just keeps plugging away, and it works out — maybe not in the way that she wanted or expected, but in a way that does work.

And now I'm just that much more certain that the oddly dissonant OP was very deliberate, and I don't think I'd want it any other way. It says it's okay if things aren't quite what you'd expect or prefer — you can just set aside your expectations and enjoy it anyway.

I came into this thread already planning to not mention any upcoming anime because, as usual, I haven't paid any attention. I prefer to let a new season go for at least a week or two, then see if anything catches my eye.

But in browsing the thread, I saw that City is getting an anime, so that's one already that I will be watching.

Last season, I only watched two series - Apocalypse Hotel and Maebashi Witches.

Apocalypse Hotel has been excellent, and is finishing up later this week, and I'll likely have something to say on the thread for it

Maebashi Witches though... it's unsurprisingly never gotten its own threads in the first place, and I've never seen any mention of it at all (other than a couple I made), so I want to take this opportunity to say that it's really pretty good all in all, and some of you should watch it.

Its target demographic is definitely young teenage girls - the "witches" of the title are five girls who get roped into becoming sort of combination magical girls and idol singers, operating out of a magical flower shop, the door to which appears in front of whoever needs their help.

But it's not quite that simple. This isn't like Madoka level deconstruction - not even close - but there is a hint of that. Things don't ever work out quite like the girls naively believe, the whole magic thing is revealed to not be quite the unalloyed good they thought it was going to be, and it turns out that granting people's wishes isn't necessarily what they need, or even what they actually want.

And the characters are dealt with a bit unexpectedly as well. The girls are all more complex than they initially seem, and though their task is to help other people, a lot of the focus ends up being on them and their struggles to deal with their own issues, and especially how that affects their attempts to help other people.

It's neither high drama nor deep philosophy, but it does have more of both than one might expect.

And the one thing I can unreservedly say in its favor is that the animation and music are very good.

So... yeah. This isn't something I'd recommend to just anyone, but if the basic outline of wish-granting magical girls/idol singers doesn't immediately turn you off, this one is worth a watch. I enjoyed it.

Frieren's an odd thing.

I had put it off for a while, and finally watched it all the way through about 7 or 8 months ago. And while it's not my favorite anime (I don't think it's even in my top 5), I'd say it's definitely the best anime I've ever seen.

Others generally stand out, if they do, for some specific things — great characters or a great story or great art or whatever. Frieren isn't like that though. The characters and the story are notably good, but they don't really stand out that much in and of themselves, like they might in orher animes, because the real strength of Frieren is that every single aspect of it is top quality. There's nothing you have to overlook - nothing that's only so-so but that's okay because something else makes up for it. Whether you're talking about the plot or the pacing or the characters or the drama or the humor or the art or the music or the voice acting or... anything really, it's all excellent. And that's pretty damned impressive.

I mentioned this in passing a couple of weeks ago, and this episode really drove it home - I think the overall theme of this series could be said to be "earn your iyashikei."

It is an iyashikei in the long run - it's comfy and soothing and heart-warming. But none of it's just handed out for free. You (and Yachiyo) have to work for it.

The hunt for a replacement part got genuinely scary for a bit there, and then the way she finally found it was sad and touching and beautiful. And that's more or less the way an awful lot of the series has gone - things end up relatively comfy and soothing and heart-warming in the long run, but it's rarely easy getting there. But in a way that just makes it that much more satisfying.

I really love this series, and I suspect it's going to remain a sentimental favorite for years to come.

Single episodes:

Little Witch Academia - the original OVA. There isn't a single wasted frame - it's just 23 minutes of pure genius. (And as a matter of fact, I just rewatched it again last night).

Sword Art Online S01E04 - The Black Swordsman. The introduction of Silica and Pina and just a great, warm, funny, satisfying standalone episode, and particularly because it's sort of an antidote to S01E03, The Red-nosed Reindeer, which is arguably better, but so emotionally devastating.

YuruYuri S01E05 - When Akari and the Cicadas Cry. Kyouko drags Ayano to Comiket, Chitose discovers yuri doujins, and Chinatsu kisses Akari. Funny and cute even by YuruYuri's lofty standards.

86 Episode 23 - the last third of this episode is quite simply the most beautiful and touching thing I've ever seen, and it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Akudama Drive Episode 12 - It seems like it should be tragic, but it just kicks so much ass. " Serves you right."

Non Non Biyori S01E10 - We Watched the First Sunrise of the Year - I just love the dynamic between Kaede and Renge

Movies:

Spirited Away Duh. How could I not?

Ghost in the Shell (1995) Still the most concise visit to that universe. I like much of the rest of the franchise too, but that movie stands above them all.

The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi Just a great movie from start to finish. "John... Smith!"

Redline Buried under the stylish carnage and sensory overload is a satisfying tale of honor and redemption, and a surprisingly cute love story.

Series:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Even after all these years and all these rewatches, it just grabs me by the throat and drags me along.

Kemurikusa - Low budget done right. Great mysterious setting, good characters and satisfying story.

FLCL - I especially like episode 1 and episide 3, but it's short enough and there are enough other good moments that I figure I might as well watch it all, so I do.

And a couple of recent additions: Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na! and Make Heroine ga Oosugiru! Eizouken is an unabashed love letter to anime with wonderful characters, and Makeine is a great multi-genre whatever-it-is, and Anna in particular is a terrific character.

Just a quick note on this season: Maebashi Witches is better than you probably think it is.