Welcome to week 11 and we are nearing the final episodes of most shows (or the halfway point of a couple). Autumn has been an excellent season for anime watching and I’m almost sad to see it end but I’m also really excited to see how some of these shows wrap up. As always, I’d love to know what you have been watching this season so please leave your comments below. Remember also to have your say in the reader’s poll for best and worst anime of the Autumn season. If you haven’t voted click here.
Must Watch
March Comes in Like a Lion Season 2 (Episode 31)
Another wonderful episode and this one shows us the culmination of all of the things Rei has been hearing and processing over the season and a half of this show as he manages to self-reflect and to learn from a previous mistake. It is a great moment and is followed by another brillian Rei/Hina moment. This season of the show is truly fantastic.
Land of the Lustrous (Episode 10)
This show continues to deliver some fantastic character development while upping the tension beautifully as we approach the end of the season. With two episodes to go, it seems unikely that we’ll ever learn everything we want to know about how the world got to where it is or the relationship between the different races, but it still seems like this show is preparing for a fairly dramatic climax which should hopefully be satisfying. Fingers crossed as this has been a great watch this season and I’d love it to end on a high note.
Girls’ Last Tour (Episode 10)
Another very solid episode from Girls’ Last Tour. Continuing to build a very interesting world while exploring interesting questions, the story remains interesting and fun to watch even without a lot of direction behind the girls’ journey.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride (Episode 10)
Well, I wanted to know more about Elias and we’re finally getting a glimpse of his backstory. While this show isn’t in a rush, there is an ongoing sense that we are moving toward something. We also continue to learn more and more details about mages and magic creating a fairly rich lore for the setting of the Chise and Elias’ stories.
Usually Entertaining
Recovery of an MMO Junkie (Finished)
Just Because (Episode 9)
Definitely more movement going on in this episode with all of the girls stirred into action. It will be really interesting to see what the overall outcome of this is because I can’t see everyone getting a happy ending but I kind of want them to at this point.
Okay, I Guess
Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart (Episode 4)
Episode 4 felt like it was stretching content for the sake of it as this communication issue with Haruki and Miou reaches silly proportions. While Miou’s actions kind of make sense to a point, it just drags out too long and by the end of this episode I really wanted them to be getting on with things.
King’s Game (Episode 10)
Things are getting fairly tense as the kids are ordered to run for the day with the person furtherest from the goal getting punished at eight hour intervals. I’m actually amazed only one character decided to take out the competition and the rest are just running along. This show remains pretty terrible but entertaining enough for fans of bad horror.
Code: Realize ~Guardian of Rebirth~ (Episode 10)
Another functional but not particularly exciting episode. The show is trying and yet I think it is all a little bit too late to really engage me. Probably the best thing I can say about this show is it has played it pretty safe the whole way through so fans of the genre or people who haven’t seen a lot of these types of shows will probably enjoy it.
Anime-Gataris (Episode 10)
Episode 10 wasn’t bad, but it doesn’t undo all the poor episodes of the mid-season. This show might yet pull off a reasonable ending but that’s about as much as we can hope for at this point.
UQ Holder (Episode 11)
My thoughts last week that we weren’t given any reason to care about the villain continue. While some history was given this week, it still didn’t tell us the all important reason to actually want to stop the villain or reveal anything of actual significance. It felt like wasted air time to be honest and the fight in the stadium continues into next week.
Kino’s Journey (Episode 10)
Yep, the pointlessness of this show continues without any kind of message or theme being constructed, it just rambles on with its episodic nature with very little to tie it all together or any real purpose given it doesn’t even stand up as just entertaining.
Black Clover (Episode 11)
And episode 11 killed the tiny little bit of hope that episode 10 gave me that this show might be improving. But at least they didn’t let me get my hopes up too high before dashing them on the rocks of mediocrity and repeated punch lines.
Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (Episode 11)
So the match is over and the victor decided and we still don’t really know what was at stake or what it means for the world. Maybe they’ll bother to tell us in the final episode. I’m mostly just waiting for this one to be done as it has been more than a little bit disappointing.
Sengoku Night Blood (Episode 10)
This show continues to be pretty dull and mostly pointless as we go through the motions of character interactions but none of it has any real feeling behind it or given me any reason to care. The main plot line, if there was one, seems lost in amongst these smaller exchanges so there’s no real sense of anticipation about what is to come. While there are certainly worse shows out there, this one commits the worst crime of being boring.
They Made This?
Dies Irae (Episode 9)
I have no hopes for this show at this point and time. I’m watching until the end of Autumn and then the show will either be done (if one episode count is true) or I will drop it (if it turns out this is going for more episodes). There’s just nothing to recommend this show and it seems to take delight in being dreadful at this point in time. It isn’t even a so-bad-it’s-good kind of thing. It is just bad.
Tried and Dropped
Evil or Live (Episode 4)
My Girlfriend is Shobitch (Episode 2)
TWOCAR (Episode 1)
Taisho Mebiusline Chicchaisan (Episode 1)
Love is Like A Cocktail (Episode 1)
Konohana Kitan (Episode 1)
A Sister’s All You Need (Episode 1)
Urahara (Episode 1)
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Thanks,
Karandi James.
I keep on seeing ads about Ancient Magus’ Bride…is it any good?
If you don’t mind a slow fantasy that focusses on world building and a central relationship, it is amazing. However if the two main characters don’t interest you or if you like things to move along in the story you may not like it so much. I’ve really enjoyed it so far though occasionally the slow pace bothers me. If you click the link in the list, you can check out the reviews Weekend Otaku and I have been writing together on the series so far.
Well, that doesn’t sound too bad! I like world building, so it might be my cup of tea.
Worth trying at least.
While you are right that there’s only one episode of Dies Irae left, there’s going to be more coming out next year to finish things off. Even though this season was a mess, I’ll probably watch the sequel just to see how it ends.
A mess is probably the best way to describe the show. I’m torn because I’d really like it to be over but part of me will want to know how it ends.
In general, I would have to agree with your comments (though you’ve obviously watched far more series than I have this season!). I didn’t finish Urahara or Konohana Kitten, although I’m arguably not the target demographic for both! Love is like a Cocktail doesn’t have much going for it, but it’s a five-minute/week investment to learn a new drink recipe. 🙂
In general, I take a more favorable view of Juni Taisen than most people; but that’s a large topic and I’ll save it for its own post. In the meantime, I do enjoy Black Clover, Anime-gataris, and 10cm, while agreeing that they’re pretty average or uneven in quality. Ancient Magus’ Bride and Recovery of an MMO Junkie are hands-down my favorites this season.
The first and now second seasons of Boruto strike me as stronger than the early episodes of Naruto, although the older series got better through the first few seasons. Blend-S is sufficiently amusing, although I wish I could see more of the characters in their actual professional roles (e.g. more of the Sadistic persona of the heroine). And Elegant Yokai Apartment Life is setting up some interesting plot threads this season that will hopefully be worked out soon.
Crunchyroll has been bringing in some older or atypical shows, which has given me the chance to get acquainted with those this season as well. The one-off Sorcery in the Big City was fun and cute; Meow Meow Japanese History is relatively amusing. And I’ve been enjoying the classic The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Sounds like you’ve been a fairly busy viewer this season.
I find it interesting that even the stuff I’m not really enjoying this season is still better than some of the shows I stuck with last season. As much as I don’t really enjoy watching Black Clover it is just an average show. In a less interesting season of anime it may have stood a bit more of a chance.