Autumn 2018 Week 1

Here we are at the end of the first ‘official’ week of the Autumn season. Okay, official only in so far as I declared it to be so. It looks like Bloom Into You will become the show reviewed for patrons only this season so future reviews of that will be password protected. My watch list is still crazy long and with some first episodes not yet out and a lot of episode 2’s not yet viewed or reviewed I’m honestly going to say that there’s still a lot of movement going on with my list for this season. Hopefully later in the week I’ll post my actual schedule for reviews this season once it is a bit more formalised.

Anyway, enough of that. It is time to check out the shows I watched this week and to find out what you have loved early in the season and what didn’t work for. Hopefully everyone has found something to watch this season and I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below.

What I watched

Attack on Titan Season 3 (Episode 11)

This seems to be another mid-season stall for Attack on Titan. That said, it could just be setting up the next thing, but this episode felt really empty of purpose. Maybe it is intentional, maybe I’ll look back and like how this episode fit in with the overall sequence, but I know I wasn’t overly caught up in watching this week.

Banana Fish (Episode 14 – Not Reviewed)

A new OP and yet more of the same emotionally driven story and this one really has some hard hitting moments. Not to mention leaving us desperately wanting to know what is going to happen next. While logically there are more than a few gaps in the narrative, it really works on hitting you in the feels each and every week.

Bloom Into You (Episode 1)

This one seems to be another one of those pretty solid anime that just doesn’t really appeal to me. The first episode is actually quite a good first episode and I really appreciate it visually and how it establishes its story. That didn’t stop me feeling just a little bit bored while watching. I’ll give this another episode but I might end up passing.

Dakaichi (Episode 1 – To Be Reviewed with Arthifis)

Okay, I’m saving most of my thoughts on this one until Arthifis and I do our first impressions post but can I’m just going to gush for a little bit and smile idiotically before pointing out that this was so much better than I expected. I was totally caught up in this episode and on second watch took way too many screen caps.

Goblin Slayer (Episode 1 – To Be Reviewed With Arthifis)

I was wondering how close to the source they were going to get with this one, and apparently they aren’t going to tone it down much. Admittedly, they are still doing a lot of shadows and just slightly off-screen violence but there was more than enough on-screen here to make this slightly uncomfortable (which is exactly what it’s trying to be). Solid start.

Jingai-San no Yome (Episode 2 – Not Reviewed)

Is it wrong that I’m fascinated by this even though in two ‘episodes’ we’ve barely seen four minutes of actual story and almost nothing has happened? I really don’t know why this hasn’t hit my drop list and yet I know I want to watch the next episode of it despite knowing that very little is likely to be revealed in that episode either. Weird.

Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai (Episode 2)

The follow up episode did not disappoint and now I’m even more caught up in this show than I was after the first episode. More mysteries, more details about the characters, and just more interesting dialogue that may not sound natural but is really kind of fun to listen to. There’s something really compelling about Bunny Girl Senpai.

Release the Spyce (Episode 1)

Release the Spyce is fairly ordinary so far, but ordinary in a very fun way. Team of girls who fight crime recruit Momo, the pink haired ordinary girl with no confidence, into their super secret organisation. Other than the stopping to eat spices before a fight there’s nothing really distinguishing this yet, but that didn’t stop the episode being fun enough.

Run With The Wind (Episode 2)

So I gave this a second episode and while one of the characters has really pushed my buttons and I still don’t think I’m interested in an anime about running, this anime has managed to be impressively competent in its execution so far. This one has earned a spot on my watch list this season, though I do anticipate having some trouble completing it.

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-San (Episode 1)

This one is a comedy/slice-of-life which means its longevity on my watch list is pretty low (even with the appeal of book shop setting and skeleton protagonist). That said, with only 11 minutes to an episode this first one didn’t wear out its welcome and was actually quite pleasant viewing. Nothing earth shaking but a nice break from some of the other titles I’m watching this season.

SSSS.Gridman (Episode 1)

While this was actually not a bad beginning, given the studio and given the number of things that could go wrong, I’ve decided I probably won’t be reviewing week to week (though is something happens that I want to write about I will certainly do a post). Still, I’m not sure I’ll make it through a season of this.

Space Battleship Tiramisu Zwei (Episode 2)

Episode 2 is pleasant enough in progressing the story (such as it is) and building on the relationship between Subaru and Isuzu by introducing the father. That said this episode is heavily relying on a reoccurring joke so your enjoyment is kind of tied up with how amusing you find old guy getting spam email.

Sword Art Online Alicization (Episode 1)

Yep, Sword Art Online is back and I have to say this first episode kind of works if you already like the show, probably doesn’t work if you don’t, and if you’ve never watched the franchise this is not your starting point. That said, I’m super excited and I know this one is going to be a massive time commitment but I’m in.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Episode 2)

The first half of this episode just kind of felt a little bit half-hearted, but by the second half, as the slime emerged from the cave, it kind of felt like we were finally moving things along. So while I’m still not singing this show’s praises, I’m curious enough to keep going and I really hope that it continues to pick up as it feels like this should be more interesting than I’m currently finding it.

The Girl in Twilight (Episode 2)

I gave this one another episode and there was a noticeable dip in my interest as we moved through some fairly mundane stuff that might be better if I liked any of the characters before transitioning to clunky exposition. This gets one more week as I am still curious about the premise but I’m not overly hopeful at this point.

Xuan Yuan Sword Luminary (Episode 2)

Not a great episode given the whole thing was essentially a flash back that revealed nothing of particular note that hadn’t already been kind of obvious. That said, I’m still interested in this one. It hasn’t been amazing, and there’s a lot that could be criticised, but it is watchable enough and given the genre and style it’s kind of appealing so I’m in for now.

Zombieland Saga (Episode 1 – No new review)

This is a weird start to an anime but one that certainly entertained. Girl who wants to be an idol is unfortunately killed. Ten years later she awakens as a zombie and is now going to be part of an idol group who are apparently going to save Saga, though how is still a question unanswered. Still there’s a lot of fun to be had with this first episode.

Episode of the Week

Character of the Week

Dropped or On Hold

These titles aren’t necessarily bad and some I might even pick up again later but for whatever reason I’m not watching them right now (and yes, some of them are bad and will never be finished).

• Anima Yell!
• Bakumatsu
• Between the Sky and Sea
• Himote House
• Hinomaru Sumo
• Ms Vampire Who Lives in My Neighbourhood
• My Sister, My Writer
• Radiant
• Ulysses: Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight
• UzaMaid

And if you want to follow along with my watching during Autumn check it out here on Twitter.

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Thanks for reading.

Karandi James

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