Anime-Gataris has managed to make the usual high school club comedy fairly appealing so far with a cast of relatable characters discussing a topic that pretty much every anime fan can get behind (anime). The conversations have been high energy and overall the show has been fun. Then we get to episode 5.
While there is nothing actually wrong with this episode as the club introduce Minoa to the wonders of an anime convention (the anime convention) what I have to wonder is where this show’s energy went for the week. While there are a few touching moments and enough moments where the characters speak directly for any fan who has ever been to a convention for the relatability to remain, the overall feeling I got from this episode was ‘meh’.
And thinking back, the problem is that there is no problem. They go, they deal with the convention and the lines and all the usual things and then they go home. There isn’t even a contrived drama to be found in this week’s episode. So with no issue or conflict, there’s just the club going to an event. I kind of thought they’d do something with Minoa’s father given he probably went to the convention but that plot thread just seemed to go nowhere and nothing else really happened.
Kind of hoping next week picks back up because I’ve really enjoyed this show so far.
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This continues to be a fantastic season for me in finding anime that I have really taken a shine to. The shows aren’t perfect and how many of them will stand a rewatch test after the fact (or even manage to end well) still remains to be seen, but so far I have genuinely loved the Autumn season. Looking forward to what all these shows do next. Except, of course, Evil or Live which I dropped this week.
Let me know your favourites and the ones you have dropped in the comments below.
This show is not in any danger of losing the top spot here. There are very few shows that hit me the way March Comes in Like a Lion consistently does. It just has the perfect emotional resonance for me to be completely absorbed in the story. The pace is slow, there’s a lot of shogi chat, some of the slice of life moments may not feel overly purposeful, but the driving emotions come through so beautifully clearly and the contrast between the moments of hope and despair hit hard. Completely in love with this.
That was fantastic. This episode gave me everything I was wanting from this series in that the relationship between Chise and Elias is further explored (or made a bit murkier), we learn more about the complexities of the magical world and they continue to expand on the difference between mages and sorcerers and hopefully that will continue, we also get an interesting plot in this episode with the Kingdom of Cats and to corrupted soul that needs to be cleansed. Absolutely no complaints from this week’s episode.
Another superb and beautiful episode that gives us a little more knowledge about the world and helps Phos grow just a little bit more. I really wonder what will happen next week given they left us on a cliff-hanger but this episode was solidly done and truly mesmerizing to watch.
Falling a little bit in the list this week, Kino’s Journey remains interesting, but I wasn’t quite as impressed with episode 4. Possibly this was the because the focus wasn’t on Kino and the stand in protagonist for the week, while a nice side character, just didn’t seem as interesting.
Episode 4 doesn’t do much but it doesn’t really need to. The girls are kind of charm personified and while they are just going through the motions of survival they are doing it with a firmly grounded optimism (which is kind of better than an over the top and fake kind of optimism). Really cute show and really enjoying it despite how laid back it is.
Fairly solid episode this week advancing the characters and the story and still being relatable and charming. While this show does have its flaws and the characters aren’t exactly deep, it really is adorable to watch and I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far.
Anime-Gataris shouldn’t take moving below MMO Junkie personally. It is just that as we hit episode 4, MMO Junkie has continued to build on its strengths while this one kind of plateaued this week. It was still good fun and highly entertaining but the cracks in the story are starting to show and they are going to have to start filling some of them in soon or work harder at distracting me from seeing them.
Episode four was a fantastic follow up and almost seemed to be a mini-climax to some of the plot points developed throughout the first three episodes. Yet I remain very interested in this show. Mostly because the question of what these characters will do now that one’s confessed and one’s been shot down before he ever got to is one that really interests me. For the most part this show is fairly solid but there are definitely scenes where the visuals aren’t quite up to scratch and the general slow pace is a little bit of a problem for me, but I’m really enjoying it overall.
Okay, as badly as this one is written, it is still topping this list. I’m enjoying watching it even though you could probably pick it entirely to pieces if you think about any of it for even a minute. Still, it is unashamed about being melodramatic teen horror and while it isn’t exactly going to challenge any of the classics, it is entertaining enough for the season.
This one might just drop a bit in the list if it doesn’t pick up soon. It is still a pretty chill viewing experience but a few things are starting to become a little annoying about it. That, and for all the frantic energy of some characters in this episode, I am not certain anything was really accomplished other than a lot of still frames with guys grunting of shouting over the top of them.
Cardia continues to get better as a character and while I had some issues with the logic of this episode, the quick pace and just the general tone was really entertaining. It isn’t going to hold up if you think about it, but if you just want to sit back and kind of enjoy something kind of historical and kind of romantic, with just a little bit of action, this may fit that spot for you.
Black Clover is kind of finding its way. It is definitely taking its time but I think there were only two moments in this episode where I actually found Asta annoying and the rest of the time he was surprisingly okay. We also finally seem to be moving things forward and introducing characters who might actually be interesting so fingers crossed for future episodes.
Another boring character mumbling plots and observations to himself as we get some background on the Sheep. Meanwhile, the fight set-up last week happened but wasn’t resolved, and realistically we are no closer to actually knowing what any of the characters want. It is kind of shame because actually seeing Monkey and Rabbit fight could be pretty cool if they were actually going to show us that instead of giving us a few lines of dialogue, one strike and dodge, and then cut away to someone else.
This isn’t really moving anywhere on this list. It is watchable and the show works. I can imagine that some people will have fun with it. For me it is just too generic in its story and the balance between comedy and action isn’t quite fitting. There isn’t a single character I particularly like nor am I particularly curious about anything in the story so realistically there’s little appeal drawing me back to the show. But it isn’t broken and there is some silly fun to be had. The fights aren’t too bad and there’s a decent amount of carnage given none of the characters ever die so they just put them through hell.
Nope. This show hasn’t improved. It is just finding new ways to confuse me. There’s still a very small hope that maybe all of this will eventually make sense and I will move this back out of the ‘They Made This’ category at that point. But for now, this is an incoherent ramble of ideas and gore.
Well it went from They Made This with me wondering who the audience was for this show, to not even caring. Episode 4 did nothing to further any of the points I was kind of interested in and really emphasised the points I hated about the show. So this one is now officially dropped from my line up this season.
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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While I enjoyed this episode, it wasn’t quite as interesting as the title suggested it might be with the promised club explosion occurring just as a very minor and peripheral point to the actual story this episode. Meanwhile, as much fun as the reference game has been, including this awesome visual nod to Evangelion:
I think this episode kind of needed to move on beyond just hinting at darker things to come and to start getting there. The whole student council tries to shut down the club thing had already been done and seemed pretty trivial the first time so a rehash over something as stupid as misusing club funds (and why is the purchasing process lax enough to allow tha sort of reckless spending in the first place) it all just seemed a little too contrived and pointless (even more so than the previous three episodes).
Attempts to humanize the student council president were mostly wasted and her handing the torch onto some mysterious person on the phone which may lead to bigger issues for the anime club might have been intriguing if they’d given us any kind of reason to care that the anime club exists. Basically the two separate storylines of self-aware anime club discussing anime (much like the final episode of Gamers where they sit around and discuss DLC) and then some darker plot that at this stage doesn’t have legs to stand on and is kind of distracting from the fun of the other.
Still, it isn’t as though this episode wasn’t fun. The scenes with the club members are fantastic and I love it when they all get super into their discussions. I’d just kind of like the other story to either get moving and do something or stop distracting me from the part of the show I really like.
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If you missed it, my review schedule is up on my patreon site, though I will admit there is still plenty of movement going on this season. That is probably because of the sheer number of shows that have caught my interest and last season I’d have watched them just to have something kind of fun to talk about. This season however I’m probably going to end up dropping shows and putting them on my list of shows to come back to at a later date (which usually means a long time before I get to them). Still, this is where the shows currently sit on my list and hopefully they can continue to be fun. At the moment I have a lot of shows in my Must Watch and Usually Entertaining categories. I kind of know already some of them will wear thin as the season goes and they’ll start dropping down, but I’m kind of hopeful about a lot of them.
How is everyone else finding the Autumn anime season this year? Let me know in the comments below.
Wow. There were so many characters getting moments in this episode that when you just think about the show it feels like it should have been incredibly rushed. However, that wasn’t the case as every moment we saw has naturally built from previous moments with these characters. They are logical next steps or expansions on things we already knew and yet they give us that more complete picture. Really loved this episode and this series is making a very solid return.
Episode 3 just kind of reinforced what I liked about the previous episode and I’m kind of hooked on finding out where Kino will go next and what they will see. This show seems to be trying to avoid making any kind of statement but it raises a lot of issues and the parallels to reality work well at putting a lot of emotional weight behind seemingly simple situations. All and all, good fun so far.
While I wasn’t entirely sold on some of this episode, The Ancient Magus’ Bride remains a beautiful anime to watch (both visually and emotionally). The few complaints I have about a slightly weaker story are pretty much offset by everything else this show offers. My thoughts are available on Weekend Otaku’s site where we reviewed the episode together.
How do you make a story about anthropomorphized gem stones interesting and a truly emotional experience? Land of the Lustrous is taking a good shot at showing us exactly how to do that. The narrative is still a little bit sparse but the characters are really shining in this beautifully animated show. Well worth checking out.
This continues to be pretty good viewing. The slow pace and very little happening is off-set by the richness of the world and a slow trickle of information about the past, as well as the two very charming leads. While this one probably isn’t going to become a must watch for me, I am definitely being entertained by this.
This is just so much fun. There might be better shows and even better parodies out there, but I’m really enjoying watching this and am liking the cast more and more. Hoping this continues to build on the foundation they’ve got here and hopefully they don’t go off the rails in a few episodes.
The transition to focusing on the characters’ real lives for the first half of episode 3 was well made and really cemented this as a series I am enjoying. The MMO parts remain weaker, but with the context being provided by their real lives even those scenes are becoming more enjoyable. So episode 4 was a little bit slower to get started with the focus back on the game for a bit, but once it got going it was a very enjoyable episode.
I really am enjoying this fairly sleepy story so far. It isn’t overly exciting and nothing much is happening (transfer student, past relationships surfacing, new relationships forming, and lots of just kind of meandering) but it has a kind of charm that keeps me smiling during the episodes. Hopefully this continues along these lines.
Sensibly enough, I kind of get that the copious issues with characterisation and pacing are probably going to kill this as an enjoyable viewing experience for a wider audience. However, I like the premise of this as a horror and there are genuine moments that actually work (though the overall execution of the show needs some work if anyone was ever expected to take this seriously).
Continuing to be a relaxing viewing that isn’t really inspiring me to think or worry for the characters. Pretty chill experience of girl, with just enough personality that I probably shouldn’t mock her for being a blank slate but not enough to actually be a character, exploring fantasy warring states Japan complete with vampires and werewolves who all dress like characters rejected from a Final Fantasy line up. Anyway, I’m enjoying it but I’m not exactly going to sing its praises.
Bring on the vampire boy with a grudge against Van. At the very least, this gave Cardia some reason to empathise with someone else and she started to actually seem more like a person in this episode because of it. Hopefully she keeps going because she may even gain a personality if this keeps up and then I will have to stop making fun of her.
Finally this show is starting to move on a bit and this episode was the best so far. Still some issues and they are definitely running some jokes straight into the ground, but it is becoming a bit more enjoyable. Hopefully this is a sign of better things to come.
Yep, with Chicken gone we are back to boring characters who don’t actually seem to be in a hurry to kill each other even though they have a time limit before they die naturally of ingested poison. The one story point I took from this episode is that they couldn’t refuse to join the fight though why that might be or what the true purpose is has yet to actually be revealed.
Definitely still setting things up but improving as we continue along. This is kind of a good sign and I hope it continues. More murder, fights and high school life in this episode and a few hints at what is going on but nothing concrete yet.
The second half of the episode this week really kicked things up a notch. I’m still not overly impressed, but it is harmless fun so far. Well, harmless for the audience and not so much for the immortal characters. Making your cast immortal makes it pretty hard to up the tension so we seem to be going for pain and causing emotional distress at the moment.
Hey, first show into the They Made This category. It has the honour of having intrigued me enough that I want to know how it ends, while at the same time being more or less unwatchably bad during this third episode. Pretty much, other than the premise which is kind of interesting, this show has so far managed to butcher every other aspect and to be honest it is kind of cringe worthy. We’ll see if it recovers later in the season or if it gets too bad and I end up dropping it.
Tried and Dropped
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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This is just such a fun show. Admittedly, a lot of the fun is in the over the top referencing but even the characters are starting to flesh out and (reflecting the very nature of anime shows they are discussing this week) they are starting to really feel like a group with the dialogue flowing far more naturally between them. Of course, a large chunk of time is spent this episode on dealing with the club losing its room and then maybe getting shut down. As usual, the supervisor is unhelpful (I don’t think I’ve ever seen a useful club supervisor outside of Haikyuu).
Though that doesn’t stop the group from taking a trip to Akihabara and sightseeing leading to the proposal that maybe they could be an out of school group (firmly rejected with yet more references as supporting arguments). Still, we did get a nice cosplaying conversation in this section.
Finally we get to the speech where the anime club get to make their case for existing and Minoa chokes (though that is probably because the script she’s been given is rubbish from delusional rich girl), and so Kai comes to her rescue. He unleashes his secret power (by removing his glasses) and delivers an awesome appeal, right before he trips over due to not being able to see after removing his glasses.
It is a great episode with a lot of fun to be had and these characters are becoming more than just one note as we learn more about them. Looking forward to next week. I was promised an explosion in the club room so I hope they weren’t being metaphorical.
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I really had a lot of fun with this episode. From a story point of view it is pointless. Girls recruit new club members and start a club which is then immediately challenged by I’m guessing the student council because what else do you do when you are a self-aware high school comedy focussed around a new club? Still, from start to finish they are packing in the anime references. My two favourites go to the shout out to Haruhi Suzumiya and Sword Art Online.
Questioning her use of the word ‘standard’ here.This particular title will never get old.
However, for all that this is silly and fun, as well as slightly ominous with the talking cat and mysterious room mystery being totally ignored even though that is clearly the only chance of an actual plot appearing, this episode made an excellent point about how closed off the anime community sometimes is. Minoa is struggling hard to follow conversations and the logic of hard-core fans with well established arguments and at times you kind of realise why new fans might get turned away.
It isn’t particularly deep and meaningful, but I think most people who are anime fans will recognise the scenarios presented. This one is definitely a surprise for me this season and I am so far really having fun with it.
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Just as soon as she enters Sakaneko Private High School, Asagaya Minoa is dragged into the anime club by her classmate, Kamiigusa Alice, even though she knows next to nothing about anime. A classmate, Kouenji Miko, along with other anime-loving senpais, quickly turn her into an anime fan. Fighting off the incessant shut-down threats of the student council, and completely oblivious to the coming apocalypse, the anime club talks about anime in the club, at Akihabara, at anime Meccas, and at hot springs.
– from Crunchyroll
Review:
This is the kind of show I try usually just to confirm it is what I think it is from the excessively pink haired smiling protagonist surrounded by generic assortment high school tropes pretending to be characters in the art work. And usually I get about ten minutes in, feel satisfied that the show is not doing anything I didn’t expect, drop and move on.
And yet, I didn’t feel any compulsion to stop watching during this. In fact, I laughed out loud a couple of times, rolled my eyes a few other times, and generally sat up and paid attention to the over the top silliness and the sheer number of misappropriated anime they managed to squeeze into some of those conversations. My favourite was ‘The Girl Who Slept Through Time’.
Alright, there’s nothing new about self-aware comedy or taking cheap pot shots at light novels, anime, or the culture surrounding it, and there’s certainly nothing new about directly referencing the material you’re making fun of, but this episode made me laugh and to be honest, that was enough.
I don’t know if I’ll make it through a whole season of this or whether that initial good feeling I got from this episode will wear away after a couple of derivative and fairly mindless episodes, but I’m willing to give this a go and hope for the best.
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