Afterlost Anime Series Review

Afterlost Series Review
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Please, Be Lost

Afterlost, or Shometsu Toshi, had an intriguing premise, came from Madhouse so had a credible studio behind it, and was an anime I was quite looking forward to when the Spring 2019 season started. While some viewers saw the writing on the wall in episode one, I kind of found the opening episode intriguing as they threw us straight into the action with a chase scene through the city and a desperate goal of reaching the centre of some mysterious disaster.

However, just one episode later and that plot will screech to a halt and Afterlost then spent the majority of its run time introducing additional characters and complexities to a mystery that it just didn’t need and ultimately didn’t add anything, before it finally returned to its own main point in the final few episodes.

Needless to say, it was not a satisfying watch.

Actually, it was barely watchable by the mid-way point and the ending doesn’t do anywhere near enough to salvage it.

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The truth hurts.

Where the first episode intrigued me with its relatively simple set-up of courier gets hired to take girl to centre of former catastrophe, lots of people chasing her, the story didn’t have a lot more to offer. The villains, such as they were, did have a motive for their actions, but by and large it felt like they took an unnecessarily convoluted path to achieve it and in the grand tradition of villains being villains, they seemed to do each other in more than the ‘heroes’ ever took action.

Afterlost - I'm lost.

Along the way we meet a whole lot of people including a guy who makes a living as a magician, learn about the fate of an idol group that disappeared during the ‘lost’ event and others however none of them have any bearing on the main story by the time we learn what has been going on so largely they are filler, and none of it is interesting enough to be good filler.

The one character whose story we learn that is both interesting and relevant is Yuki’s (the blue haired girl) father. However that comes at episode 9 and I’m just not sure a gap of eight episodes between set up and interesting development is what one could consider worthwhile viewing.

Yep, Afterlost is lost.

The problems don’t end at just the plot being overly bloated and poorly paced. None of the characters ever really make the leap to feeling like a real person or being someone that felt like you could have a connection with them. Yuki spends most of the series in a bewildered state, going through multiple emotional shocks. Takuya, our courier, is always cool and calm, except when he isn’t, but never feels like an actually real person.

Geek and the other supporting cast members all seem to have their one trait and that is more of less all there is is to them so by the time they start dying or just become irrelevant to the main plot there’s little reason to care. For instance, if we removed Geek, other than Takuya needing someone else to fix his bike, and no one caring about the missing idol group, practically nothing would have changed.

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When we throw in how Yuki’s brother, Souma, is used by the plot to establish that the villains really do suck and to drive just one more bit of emotional trauma into Yuki, ultimately you realise that Afterlost is an anime that has ideas but no real grasp on how to execute them. It is weird to say that a story that deals with experimentation on children with special powers manages to make that one of the least interesting plot points and yet Afterlost manages it. Which also makes the backstory about Takuya’s time working as a detective and infiltrating an orphanage more or less pointless and dull.

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Which means we should probably actually address the ‘powers’ being thrown around in this story.


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Like… no. So Yuki can sort of glow and she at times summons Akira, who was some kind of bodyguard who died or disappeared during the lost, to defend her and he has like a lot of guns. Only when he gets hurt it seems like Yuki does as well so not sure if he is protecting her or not.

Other times there are explosions or objects moving around but it is difficult to know exactly what her power, her brother’s power, or any of the characters that use powers do. It isn’t just that they aren’t explained. I’d actually happily take an anime that just shows us how power works rather than explaining it in minutia anyway. The difficulty here is that it seems inconsistent, or not that spectacular.

The end result is some characters glow pretty colours and stuff happens. Not always the same stuff. Also, toward the climax expect lots of stuff to happen and most of it won’t make sense or seem to have any purpose but it looks weird and so must be cool.

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Yep, still don’t know what or why this is happening.

Ultimately, the character designs are nice, if you watched the first episode, skipped to like episode nine while reading a basic outline of the main events prior to that (it won’t take long) and then finished the series the story would make more sense. Courier takes girl to centre of Lost. Stuff happens. Which is a much better story than courier starts taking girl to centre, decides to not do that right now and they go a bunch of other places and do stuff and meet people who do stuff, and then they go to centre and stuff happens.

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For me there ended up being little that was really appealing about this anime. The fact that I finished it was more out of stubbornness than any enjoyment by the mid-point. So no, I do not recommend it. And given it actually only has a 5.53 score on MAL, I’m clearly not alone in that regard. Still, there are some viewers who enjoyed it and I guess if you find the characters a little bit interesting then there is more to enjoy. I just wish it hadn’t wasted so much time and had actually just focused in on its core story rather than filling time with pointless characters and plot threads that went nowhere.


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Karandi James


Demon Slayer Anime Series Review

Demon Slayer Series Review
Nezuko and Tanjiro - Demon Slayer

He’s Protecting His Sister By Becoming a Demon Slayer:
Even If She’s Become a Demon

Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer) has turned out to be a harder anime to review than I initially suspected. Largely this is because of the inconsistencies within the series however one of the other problems may just be that I’ve been watching anime for too long. I imagine if I’d seen this back when I first tried Bleach, Kimetsu no Yaiba may very well have been a gateway anime for me. Now I can’t help but see the flaws in it even as there are some moments that are dramatically on point.

The initial set up for Demon Slayer is very simple. Tanjiro lives with his family on the mountain and after a trip down to town he’s delayed and doesn’t return until the next day. When he gets there he discovers his family have been slaughtered and it is with relief he realises his sister Nezuko is still alive. At least until she tries to attack him. Nezuko has been turned into a demon and Tanjiro vows to find a way to turn her back.

Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 1

He does this through training and becoming a demon slayer.

Already there’s a small logical gap here. I get that Tanjiro needed to get stronger in order to protect his sister and ensure she didn’t attack anyone. He also needed to be able to get closer to demons in order to learn more about them. But becoming a slayer of the thing you are trying to protect seems a little bit counter-intuitive.

However, this works in Tanjiro’s favour as a character. He certainly does slay demons throughout the story but he isn’t a hot-blooded killing machine or the shouting protagonist who simply wants to be the strongest because they need to prove some kind of point. Tanjiro remains a compassionate human throughout and he has a genuine compassion even for those he is forced to cut down.

Honestly, if the story had stayed focused on Tanjiro’s quest to cure Nezuko and his learning about demons, with a tight focus on the siblings and building up the villainous demon that transformed her, this anime would have been absolutely perfect and an unmissable viewing experience.

Demon Slayer Episode 8 - Tanjiro and Nezuko

Unfortunately, it wants to play with the big shounen and so is endlessly expanding its cast and throwing in ‘humour’ at weird moments, going on quests and tangential arcs that have little to do with the main objective, and generally just bloating what should have been a simple and tight story line into something that feels overcooked.

My initial falling out of love with a series that had been relatively solid if a little predictable and too prone to repeating information was the introduction of Zenitsu closely followed by Inosuke. To put it simply these two characters add nothing but noise and poor attempts at humour. While they each do get moments where they are more tolerable and shine they are really unnecessary to the central plot and are a large part of the clutter that detracts from the viewing experience.

Zenitsu screams at literally anything. His shtick is that he’s a coward and afraid all the time but once he passes out he becomes incredibly strong having mastered one move perfectly. Now, Zenitsu does have a few redeeming moments where he acts valiantly but these do not offset the general irritation he creates in every other scene through his incessant wailing and generally unlikable personality.

Possibly he’s there for the laughs however he just isn’t funny. And if we were looking for Tanjiro, literally every Demon Slayer who thinks all demons are monsters who should be killed out of hand works well enough. We don’t need Zenitsu around.

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Inosuke is similarly unnecessary and annoying. He’s so dense and his ongoing belligerence and general attitude make it very hard to want him around. Like Zenitsu, he has a rare moment or two where he does something and you feel like he’s turning a corner, but then we finish the battle and he’s right back to where he started and irritating enough to make you wish he suffocates inside that stupid boar’s head (okay, maybe that was just me).

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What makes these characters even more insufferable is that they are clearly now part of Tanjiro’s party for reasons that make no sense whatsoever given they seemed to randomly hook up and prior to their appearance Tanjiro was just being lead along by his crow on his own. It would make perfect sense for them to arrive for a mission and then go their separate ways for a time to reunite later, but they are just hanging around like a bad smell.

Add in the other demon slayers who we meet toward the end of this first season who are all one note ‘zany’ personalities and honestly the supporting cast here need some work. Worse, Tanjiro and Nezuko’s screen time is reduced in many episodes to accommodate the ever expanding cast and so the central focus ends up diluted to the point where you nearly forget what started the whole story.



Visually Kimetsu no Yaiba is impressive. Despite the majority of sequences taking place at night due the demon’s nature, good use of lighting and colour ensure that it is always fairly easy to follow the action on screen and it is good, fluid action. The fight sequences against demons are great moments visually and are moments when the characters shine. A return to demon fighting was always welcome because the in-between moments where the characters were resting or recovering where almost always intolerably full of poor attempts at humour and generally padded.

However, even in the fight sequences, Kimetsu no Yaiba cannot help but overreach. After final blows had been landed the number of times the story screeched to a halt in order for a flash-back or reminiscence of the demon’s life would play, sometimes for a lengthy period, before we would move on again, was ridiculous. The killing of one bit character was spread across three episodes and honestly, given the character was in the process of dying I really didn’t care about their tragic circumstances. They either needed to establish that prior to fighting or just let it go.

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Before wrapping this up I do have to give this anime props for the introduction of the villain, Muzan Kibutsuji. While he only had sparse appearances within the story each one gave us enough of a sense of dread and building up a villain worth fighting. There’s certainly more to learn about him but I enjoyed his screen time immensely during this first season.

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I’m ultimately conflicted. This anime has some very strong points particularly with its animation and visuals and even the protagonist and his journey has been pretty solid, however with so many other issues this one ends up being a mixed bag. Some viewers really loved this anime and got a real buzz from it. Certainly it is worth trying. For me though, by the end of the season I was feeling a little fatigued and I’d certainly contemplated many ways the story could kill off some of the less necessary characters.

Basically, give it a try and it might work for you and might be one of your favourites, but even if not, there’s enough positives to make it a worthwhile enough viewing experience even if it is a flawed one.


Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Have you missed a review from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

Images from: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Dir. H Sotozaki. Ufotable. 2019.

Fruits Basket 2019 Anime Series Review – Sweet and Warm and Fluffy Viewing

Fruits Basket Series Review
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A Smile Like Sunshine
To Heal Your Heart in Fruits Basket 2019

It’s utterly impossible for me to review Frutis Basket 2019 as its own entity. The 2001 version of the anime had a profound impact on me and became one of my go-to anime when I was in a really low place.

Flawed as the original anime was visually and with the off-putting comedic moments that broke the overall tone, and the unfinished nature of the story which would normally drive me crazy, it still managed to hit just the right spot for me emotionally. However, Fruits Basket still ended up on my list of anime I really wanted to see rebooted and from the beginning of the Spring 2019 anime season I finally got exactly what I (and many others) had been waiting for.

What hasn’t changed is the basic story. Though we get a bit more set up and background on characters who in the original anime didn’t really go anywhere, the basic idea remains in Fruits Basket 2019.

Tohru Honda loses her mother and goes to live with grandfather. Through various circumstances he ends up moving in with other relatives who are having a renovation done and she’s asked to stay with a friend but instead pitches a tent and decides to be independent. The land she chooses turns out to be owned by the Soma family and through another series of circumstances ends up living with Shigure Soma who also houses Yuki Soma, who is in Tohru’s class at school, and soon after Kyo joins them.

Watching the sun-rise in Fruits Basket 2019.

That would be all well and good the set up of your standard high school romantic comedy now that you have two high school boys and a girl living under the roof of a fairly irresponsible adult supervisor. Yet, the story of Fruits Basket 2019 isn’t really about that.

Soon after moving in, Tohru stumbles onto a secret in the family where certain members are possessed by the animals of the zodiac and will transform if they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex. Needless to say, they all that a bit of a complex about this.

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Of course, there’s more to their story and their personalities and personal traumas and the series slowly goes about introducing them to Tohru before she applies some wisdom handed down to her by her deceased mother and hugs and loves the person into finding a reason to smile.

I may have made that sound a bit trite and on paper, it really is, and yet there’s something utterly beautiful about how it all plays out which draws me into this story and these characters.

Yuki, Kisa and Tohru - Fruits Basket 2019

Fruits Basket 2019 is visually very easy to watch with a nice contrast between the darker tones in its more serious moments and the shinning shoujo sparkles moments. The soft colours and textures used in particularly warm fuzzy moments really make the viewer feel the emotions the characters are experiencing.

Likewise, when there’s a more comedic moment generally everything is a bit sharper and bolder in colour and texture. This contrast in visuals to support the tonal changes really works as you watch an episode and it never feels too jarring as we move from one tone to the next, with the possible exception of Kagura’s introduction.

Then again, I find Kagura’s character a little hard to take in general and while I appreciate her role toward the end of this season, I’d happily remove her from the plot entirely.

However, with the exception of Kagura, I find the characters of Fruits Basket 2019 remain its true strength. They are all a little bit broken and a little eccentric, but it makes us realise we’re all a little bit broken too. More than that, we see these characters make choices, decide to move forward, and find the strength to do so, even if only in small ways.

There’s no instant fixes and a hug and a smile might get you moving but it doesn’t solve the overall problem. It is a first step and a support but not the answer.

It is also interesting that each of these characters has developed a different complex or issue because of their past. Whether they push others away subconsciously, hide their pain behind a frivolous attitude, or just want to run-away and hide, their actions are understandable given the circumstances. As is their desire to escape their current situation and find a better solution that they can’t yet see.

While some characters get very little screen time and only get a focus for an episode or two, Fruits Basket manages to craft characters that the audience can connect with or at least empathise with allowing each emotional beat to hit its mark. I’m not lying when I say there was more than one occasion when Fruits Basket 2019 reduced me to tears and certainly more than one moment when I found myself smiling like an idiot as one character or another was helped through their pain.

Loving families in Fruits Basket 2019.

Family also is an important theme in Fruits Basket and while we will see in amongst the Soma’s some truly dreadful families inline with so many other bad anime families we also get to see the opposite. We get to see flashbacks of Tohru’s mother Kyoko and the love she had for her daughter. A love that Tohru has passed on to all of those around her. We also have Hanajima’s family, who loved and accepted her even when she couldn’t love herself.



We also see the families the characters create for themselves. Kyo’s martial arts teacher had a profound impact on him and gave him something resembling a family after he was left alone. The household with Shigure, Yuki, Kyo and Tohru becomes more and more like a family as the series progresses. Kyoko also managed to help Arisa when she was trying to leave her gang and ended up having a major impact on her life.

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Despite its supernatural trapping with characters who are cursed and turn into animals, this first season of Fruits Basket very much deals with the mundane and human issues these characters have (exacerbated through their supernatural characteristic). They are lonely, abandoned, teased, and struggling to understand themselves and their own nature and how they fit into the world. These are all conflicts the audience can understand.

While the climax of the season does deal with Kyo’s more supernatural nature, ultimately he isn’t ‘cured’ and that problem hasn’t gone away. The resolution is emotional as Tohru comes through and helps him to find himself.

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As for flaws, this reboot did not nail the opening themes. The first one was ‘Again’ and was fairly decent at capturing the tone of the show however at the midseason point we changed to ‘Chime’ and I will admit after two or three episodes of it I began skipping the introduction.

Which is a shame because the original anime’s OP, while not the style of music I liked, had a profound affect on how the anime as a whole comes across. It set the tone as you went into each episode. However, ‘Again’ was a pretty solid introduction for the first half. If they’d stuck with that for the whole season of Fruits Basket 2019 it probably would have worked out better.

Outside of that though, this reboot gave audiences what they’d always wanted. The same story but better and the hope that they will adapt the whole thing so we’ll finally all find out what is really going on with the curse (okay, I cheated and skim read the manga to get a few more answers a while back because I wanted to know, but I’m still a little short on details).

Season two was an awesome follow up and I’m super excited now that the series has drawn to a close. I definitely recommend this but if you aren’t into slow paced stories permeated with sweetness, this one may not hit the mark for you.


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Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Would you like to read more about Fruits Basket’s feels?

Images from: Fruits Basket. Dir. Y Ibata. TMS Entertainment. 2019.

Results Are In – Your Choice For Best Anime of Spring 2019

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Spring has been a mixed season with early rumblings of a weak season and yet there have been some stand out performances. Earlier this week I released my rankings for the season but this post is all about you, the readers, and what you thought the best of the season was.

We’ll start at the bottom and work our way to the anime of the season as voted by you. All anime that received a vote will be mentioned. This time around there were 247 votes which is an excellent result. Thanks so much for participating.

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1 Vote – Boruto Next Generations, Cardfight!! Vanguard: Zoku Koukousei-hen, Namu Amida Butsu!: Rendai Utena ,
Strike Witches: 501 Butai Hasshin Shimasu!, Yatogame-chan Kansatsu Nikki, and Diamond no Ace: Act II.
Right, I haven’t watched any of these and have no idea what they are about or what they are like, but all of them received one vote from one of my readers for being the best (or at least most enjoyable) show of the season.

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They agree on the important things – RobiHachi

1 Vote – RobiHachi and Shoumetsu Toshi
I was kind of happy both of these picked up a vote. While neither was particularly great they both had their moments, and RobiHachi certainly gives more than a few laughs if you stick with it.

2 Votes – Senryuu Shoujo, Nande Koko ni Sensei ga!? and Bokutachi wa Benkyou ga Dekinai
The only one of those three I know much about is Senryuu Shoujo and it was a delight this season. The other two I’m kind of in the dark about, okay, I’ve read the synopsis for Nande Koko ni Sensei ga? and realised pretty quickly it wasn’t for me.

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You did, you were so cute. – Senryuu Shoujo

3 Votes – Fairy Gone and Kono Oto Tomare!
Both of these had so much potential and it is great to see that some readers still found them highly enjoyable. For me, these two ended up fairly low on my list of preferences for the season, but they were both watchable and clearly there’s an audience out there for them.

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Tono Oto Tomare was at its best when it focused on this delightful group.

4 Votes – JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 5: Ougon no Kaze, Mix, Hachigatsu no Cinderella Nine, and Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin.
Of these, the only one I’ve watched is Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin and I really enjoyed it. I was a bit surprised to see JoJo so low as I expected it to get a few more votes, but as I haven’t watched it I don’t really know whether it should have been higher on the list or not.

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Sound advice from Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin.

5 Votes – One Punch Man Season 2
You know, considering all the controversy around the change in studios and the like, I’m actually really happy that 5 readers still threw their support behind One Punch Man. Season 2 has been surprisingly entertaining considering I thought season 1 more or less played the joke out so I’m happy with this getting some votes.

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6 Votes – Fairy Tail: Final Series, Kenja no Mago, and Isekai Quartet
Right, so the only one I’ve watched here is Kenja no Mago and for those who like the generic isekai thing it is definitely a fun watch. Not a high quality watch mind you, but fun. I’m hopelessly behind with Fairy Tail as a franchise at this point so am not even considering the final series. Isekai Quartet is an interesting concept and the bloggers who have followed it seemed to really enjoy it. I avoided it because it was a comedy and because most of the characters involved came from shows I didn’t particularly like or finish in the first place. Still, the reviews of that one show it to be fairly entertaining for those into that kind of thing.

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Just a romantic late night confession surrounded by friends – Kenja no Mago

7 Votes – Hitoribocchi,
No surprise this one got a lot of love. Reading reviews of it most people have found it utterly charming. The charm was a little lost on me but for those into school based slice of life anime it is definitely worth trying to see if it clicks for you.

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Obvious to everyone but them – Hitoribocchi in a nutshell

10 Votes – Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3 and Sewayaki Kitsune no Senko-san
I’m kind of surprised by how little buzz Bungo Stray Dogs has had given it is in its third season (okay, certain bloggers have given it a lot of buzz but there’s not a lot of general chatter). The fox one I just never got to so don’t really have an opinion on, but again other than a few key bloggers I haven’t heard a lot of chatter about it. Despite the lack of general conversation though, these two both took out 10 votes in the poll so clearly the fans are there even if they aren’t the vocal majority.

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Yep, definitely worth checking out if you haven’t – Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3

11 Votes – Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
After the initial controversy finally died down, a lot of the conversation around this one kind of vanished as well. Still, it had some very loyal fans who have kept with it until the end. Overall it is a fairly enjoyable if reasonably average anime and I’m glad it got some recognition in this poll because it is entertaining enough.

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If nothing else, The Rising of the Shield Hero gave us some excellent closure in the final episode.

14 Votes – Carole and Tuesday
Despite using 4 services to stream anime legally at this point, I still don’t actually have access to this title. It has been a favourite of a lot of reviewers but I suspect I’m not the only one without access given the number of votes. The problem with exclusive releases is unless you actually subscribe to that service you don’t get to see it. That said, if you do have access, all the reviews have been pretty optimistic about this so be sure to give it a go.

16 Votes – Sarazanmai
Right, I do have access to this one and this is on my list of titles that I didn’t watch this season to go back and check out at some point. My issue was I tried the first episode and it just didn’t click, at all so I put it on hold. However, I’ve continued to follow the reviews and chatter around this one and while the opinions are mixed there is a very vocal group of staunch supporters for this anime.

20 Votes – Dororo
Another one I didn’t have access to when it started but I’ve enjoyed reading along with those who have reviewed it. This one seems like an anime worth checking out and coming into fourth place in the reader’s poll kind of confirms that if you have access to it and haven’t given it a shot now might be the time to check it out. It is however a step back given after the Winter season Dororo was in 2nd place and because of that it will be going into the best of the year poll in December.

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Top 3 – Going Into The Best of the Year Poll

29 Votes – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
No surprise this one made the top 3 though it certainly lost steam after episode 11 aired (I wonder why – *cough* Zenitsu *cough*). Still, it is a visually pleasing and fun story. The action has been solid, the pace is moving along nicely, and in general there’s very little to complain about. Looking forward to seeing more from this one.

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Brother and sister both equally determined – Demon Slayer

33 Votes – Fruits Basket
Turns out nostalgia is an amazing thing, that and this is one anime people have wanted rebooted forever because there was so much more to the story than we ever got in the original anime. And this is rebooting done right. Visually superior, great music, keeping those important moments but building more of the ongoing story because this time we’ll actually get to see it. Fruits Basket 2019 has been a winner and while I get the low key and emotional experience isn’t really for everyone, it is certainly worth trying. Incidentally, this one got an early lead in the poll but then ended up playing catch up with the number one title before that one finally got away from it.

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She’s such a breath of fresh air – Fruits Basket

BEST OF THE SEASON

36 Votes – Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2
There is no surprise here. Anyone who has watched this season of Attack on Titan knows that it has been an emotional experience. Finally we get the right balance of horror, spectacle, plot, and character development in this series and it seems like it just keeps getting better this time around. For anyone who gave up on Attack on Titan after season 2, go back and pick it up. This was so worth it.

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Tragedy has never looked so cool – Attack on Titan

Now, let me know what you think. Did the anime you voted for make it into the top 3? Do you think any of these might be the anime of the year given they are up against The Promised Neverland and Mob Psycho 100?


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Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Previous poll results:

Spring 2019 Anime Final Thoughts

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Much like the mid-season, I’m still playing catch up with some titles at the end of the season. That said, with only an episode or two to go on most, I’m pretty sure the ranks aren’t going to change at this particular point in time so here are my final thoughts. On Friday, the results of the reader’s poll will be announced and I’m looking forward to discussing the season as a whole with everyone.

Given how many times Spring was declared the worst anime season for a while, I ended up having a great time with it and even those titles I didn’t end up liking all that much but watched were better than some of the stuff I kept on the Winter line up.

So here are the anime I’m following from weakest to strongest based on my personal enjoyment. The reader’s choice list ended up a little bit different.

Number 15: Amazing Stranger

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Yes, this one got to stay as my least favourite show in the line up. There were some cute and potentially interesting ideas, and surprisingly it didn’t overwhelm with fan-service and it did have a plot, but that still doesn’t make this one particularly good. Still, there’s a lot worse out there and with 12 minute episodes this one remained tolerable.

Award for: Bringing the fantasy of figures coming to life into anime.

Number 14: Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu

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Hitoribocchi also hasn’t moved. It isn’t that Hitoribocchi is bad as it is actually a really cute anime about cute girls making friends and getting along, it just never worked for me. At the core of the problem is that every character seems to have some sort of social disorder but it is played for laughs and to be honest it just never really seemed funny. Anyway, lots of people loved this one but this list is my personal ranking so here it is.

Award for: Inspiring ninjas to make origami.

Number 13: Fairy Gone

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Also not moving on the list, and I’m not sure if I’m continuing this one when it comes back for a second season in October, I’d say probably not. Visually it has remained unimpressive and while the core idea of the story is kind of interesting, the way it is delivered hasn’t been. A few interesting moments in the final few episodes doesn’t really take away all the poor decisions in execution that have plagued the entire series.

Award for: Getting more interesting as the story progressed.

Number 12: Afterlost

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This one makes less sense than Fairy Gone but has at least had its moments scattered throughout the season. I also like the characters more than I like the cast of Fairy Gone. I do however feel that they spent pretty much the entire mid-season going around in circles and we could probably cut from episode 4 to episode 9 or 10 without appreciably losing any actual content that makes sense, which is a problem for the series and makes it almost impossible to recommend.

Award for: Demonstrating unsafe road practices and the importance of wearing a helmet.

Number 11: RobiHachi

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This one I’ve fallen a fair way behind on during the season. I still enjoy it when I watch an episode and it is bright and fun, but there’s pretty much no substance and the overall plot is incredibly weak which means there’s nothing really driving me back to watch the next episode. That makes this one very easy to put on hold when things get busy. Still, I’ve mostly enjoyed all the episodes I’ve watched and this one makes me laugh every now and then at the silliness of the whole thing.

Award for: Knowing not to take itself seriously.

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ONE PUNCH MAN: A HERO NOBODY KNOWS

Number 10: One Punch Man Season 2

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This is another one that I’ve found very easy to put on hold, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve watched. Really, I expected nothing from a second season of One Punch Man and yet I’ve found the second season quite fun as it seems to have expanded the world a bit. The lack of Genos moments has at times been a little bit of a problem (yes, I am still a Genos fan-girl), but I’ve liked what this season delivered even if the music wasn’t great and the visuals couldn’t hold up in comparison with season one. This was definitely worth watching as a continuation and I’ll hopefully finish it soon.

Award for: Being much better than expected.

Number 9: The Rising of the Shield Hero

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I’m been reviewing this one over on patreon for my patrons and really when it came down to deciding whether or not this one is recommendable it really comes down to where you stand on isekai in general. Because outside of Naofumi not being the generic nice guy after episode one, instead insert generic bitter guy, what we have is a standard isekai. I’ve had fun with it, and I enjoyed that the end of the season went beyond what I had read of the series so I actually got to see a bit more of the story, but it is pretty much an average kind of thing. Either you like isekai and this one is enjoyable enough, or you don’t and this one doesn’t have anything else to offer.

Award for: Resilience in the face of endless criticism (both the main character and the anime).

Number 8: Kono Oto Tomare

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This one was really misplaced, coming it at number 2 in the mid-season ranking. Honestly, all the ingredients were there for something really cathartic but the focus on incredibly lame antagonists and throwing external conflicts at the club all the time really diluted the impact. the best moments remain those that focus on the relationships between the club members and those moments are fantastic and make this show one that is worth watching. Too bad about all the stuff in between.

Award for: Developing a strong core cast.

Number 7: Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3

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This is another one I’ve been reviewing over on Patreon mostly because Irina has given this show some excellent coverage (and also provided brilliant screen cap photo galleries of each episode). I’ll admit, I’m not quite done yet with a couple of episodes still to watch of Bungo Stray Dogs but I’ve really enjoyed the third season as we’ve met some delightful characters, had some interesting developments with existing characters and generally just had fun with super powered characters. My usual concerns about not having a clue what the overall direction of the narrative is (that has been an issue since season one) kind of remains, but it sort of doesn’t matter at this point because if you’ve watched this far into Bungo Stray Dogs you more or less know what you are in for.

Award for: Always bringing fun and energy into every situation.

Number 6: Senryuu Shoujo

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This one truly ended up being delightful. Small doses at 12 minutes a piece made for an easily digestible and adorable viewing experience each week. The two main characters are completely charming and while this one is definitely slice of life with no driving plot, I never felt like nothing was happening. For something outside of my comfort zone, I really had fun with Senryuu Shoujo this season and I kind of wish more people had tried this one because it was really fun.

Award for: The most expressive silent character.

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Number 5: Wise Man’s Grandchild

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Yes, it is generic isekai just like The Rising of the Shield Hero, and visually this one is the poorer cousin at best. However, I had a great deal more fun with this one. Part of it was going in without any expectations, part of it was that I really liked Shin as a clueless main character, and part of it was that it never took itself seriously realising exactly what it was and making the most of it. If you just want a powerful teenager who is actually a reincarnated Japanese salary man who ends up fighting demonoids to save a kingdom, by all means, this one is a winner.

Award for: Embracing being isekai.

Number 4: Midnight Occult Civil Servants

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Seriously, visually this one is problematic and it hasn’t got anywhere near the hype or energy of some of the other titles this season. However, this one just really clicked with my particularly viewing preferences and I loved watching it this season. Seeing the various cases with Arata stepping in and interacting with the Anothers was great and while there are certainly a number of areas where they could improve, it just worked for me. Also a nice break from high fantasy, isekai, or stories set in a high school.

Award for: Being a more thoughtful approach to dealing with the modern supernatural setting.

Number 3: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

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For a very clear shounen story, Demon Slayer is still doing a great job of keeping me interesting. Some of the newer characters aren’t exactly working for me but I’ve really enjoyed the show so far. The fights remain interesting, the protagonist isn’t an endless shouter, and our introduced villain so far looks like he’ll be fun to learn more about. There’s still a way to go with this one but I’m definitely still finding it worth the watch and this is one I made sure to catch each week because I didn’t want to read posts from others and have the episode ‘spoiled’ which usually means I’m fairly invested in the show.

Award for: Visually interesting battle sequences with a lot of variety.

Have you missed a review from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

Images from: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Dir. H Sotozaki. Ufotable. 2019.

Number 2: Fruits Basket

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Rarely does a reboot get so many things right. Everything I ever wanted from a reboot of this series has been on display and I’m hooked. I already loved the story of Fruits Basket, it being one of the very few anime I loved enough to track down the manga online to find out more about the characters and what happened next (then realised the original series didn’t follow closely enough so just quickly read the main points). Seeing the story play out this time I’m just loving it. While it isn’t a perfect series by any means, the sheer enjoyment of seeing something I loved coming back and being done well means that this is one of my must watch shows of the season and into the next.

Award for: Hitting us right in the feels every single episode.

Would you like to read more about Fruits Basket’s feels?

Images from: Fruits Basket. Dir. Y Ibata. TMS Entertainment. 2019.

Number 1: Attack on Titan Season Three Part Two

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Nope, not a dream and after falling out of love with this show during season two I’m still completely surprised that this ended up topping the Spring season in terms of an anime I was enjoying. But it did and there’s really no contest. I’ve cried, I’ve sat in stunned shock, I’ve leaned forward and shouted at the characters through the screen, I’ve smiled and cheered… this season has been one of those viewing experiences where I’ve been drawn fully into the story and it has been an amazing experience.

Award for: Sheer awesomeness.

Remember, check back Friday for the results of the reader’s poll.


Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Last Day To Vote for the Best Anime of Spring 2019

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This is it. The final day of the poll. We have 243 votes in and counted and only hours to go before the best of spring poll officially closes.

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Remember the top three anime from this vote will go into the final poll for anime of the year. You can pick up to three, so what are you waiting for? Put your vote in and please share the poll. If you want to tell me who you voted for leave a comment.

Thanks for voting. Remember to share the poll and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the results.


Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Vote For The Best Anime of The Spring 2019 Season

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Oh my, this poll has been hot, hot, hot. The top three choices have all had a go in the top spot and as of yesterday we were back to a tie for first place. What this means is every vote absolutely counts and it is time for you, my dear readers, to have your say on the best anime of the Spring 2019 Anime Season.

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Remember the top three anime from this vote will go into the final poll for anime of the year. You can pick up to three, so what are you waiting for? Put your vote in and please share the poll. If you want to tell me who you voted for leave a comment.

Thanks for voting. Remember to share the poll and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the results.


Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Vote For The Best Anime of The Spring 2019 Season

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Reminder: The vote for the best anime of the Spring 2019 season is open until June 29. If you haven’t had your say yet, make sure to vote below.

Now, a reminder that when I say that we’re voting for the best anime of the season, I’m not expecting any kind of objective decision. I just want to know which anime you, as an anime fan, have enjoyed the most this spring. So pick up to three of your favourites and vote below.

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Remember the top three anime from this vote will go into the final poll for anime of the year. Though given they’ll be going up against the winner’s of the Winter Poll, that may be a steep hill to climb.

Thanks for voting. Remember to share the poll and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the results.


Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Vote For The Best Anime of The Spring 2019 Season

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Sorry, no feature this week, but instead we’re opening the poll for the best of the Spring Anime season. While there’s been a lot of talk about this being a slow or weak season, it seems most people have found a handful of anime that have really delighted them so it will be interesting to see what has lasted the distance and what you believe is the anime of the season.

Naturally that means it is time for you to vote.

It is a nice simple process. Just pick your three favourite shows from the season and vote below. And then, share the post so more people can have their say. The vote is open until the 29th of June with the results to be announced soon after.

Playasia - Play-Asia.com: Online Shopping for Digital Codes, Video Games, Toys, Music, Electronics & more

Remember the top three anime from this vote will go into the final poll for anime of the year. Though given they’ll be going up against the winner’s of the Winter Poll, that may be a steep hill to climb.

I am having difficulty embedding the poll at the moment so while it might work below, please try the direct link to vote and hopefully I can fix it soon.

Thanks for voting. Remember to share the poll and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing the results.


Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James


Spring 2019 Anime Mid-Season Thoughts

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Right, I’m still playing catch-up with some shows this season and other shows I’m only able to watch a week after they air so while it is the mid-season there’s still a few shows I’m in the early stages of. That said, I’ve kind of got a rough idea of each of the shows I’m following, at least enough to do my current impressions of the season.

There’s a lot of talk about Spring being a weak season and to be honest it isn’t as though that is wrong. The biggest titles this season are all follow up seasons to shows that you are either already a fan of or not, or a reboot of an old show, and most of the new shows are either on the average side or very niche titles. That said, while there’s nothing really blowing me away I’ve certainly ended up with plenty on my watch list that I am enjoying.

So here are the anime I’m following from weakest to strongest for the season as they stand right now based on what I’ve seen so far.

Number 15: Amazing Stranger

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I’m actually more amazed that I’m still watching, though I have made it to episode 6 (reviews of the episodes 5 + 6 coming next week). The short length of the episodes helps but really this anime isn’t very good even in terms of being fan-service or a silly comedy. It just doesn’t commit to being anything and so we have something that is barely average in almost every sense of the word. Still, it does follow one fantasy of your favourite figure coming to life so I guess there is still an audience for this and it isn’t as though it is unwatchable even if there is little to recommend it.

Number 14: Hitoribocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu

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Hitoribocchi is actually a pretty cute anime and a lot of people are really enjoying it and have really connected with Bocchi, the shy and timid protagonist on a mission to make friends. It is one of those anime that if you really like slice of life and cute girls making friends will probably work really well for you. For me, this one is a swing and a miss. I actually like Bocchi, the central character, and Nako, her first friend in the class, but almost every other member of the cast annoys me to no end and the drawn out nature of each situation to the full twenty minutes just makes me want to watch the clock. Still, there are a lot of people who are pretty positive about this one so depending on your preferences, it might be worth checking out.

Number 13: Fairy Gone

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One of the anime I’ve seen hitting a lot of viewer’s dropped lists this season, Fairy Gone hasn’t done itself many favours in how it has presented its narrative so far. Couple that with the visuals that just aren’t all that appealing and it is easy to see why people are walking away. For me, this one has the minor advantage of being squarely based around subject matter I’m interested in and having two cours so I’m willing to give it a little longer to get its set-up in order but it is starting to wear out that grace period. There’s potential here but it isn’t hitting yet so I’m not exactly saying you should get on board with this one, but it is one I’m still waiting to make a final decision about.

Number 12: Afterlost

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I feel like I could repeat a lot of what I just said about Fairy Gone, though the visuals are a bit better in Afterlost and there’s been less random flashbacks. Still, there’s a lot in Afterlost that hasn’t quite come together yet and while I get the reason why they are delaying explanations, it is becoming more and more important that when we finally get those explanations they make a lot of sense because if they don’t tie things together we’re just going to be left with a mess. Still, there’s a lot of potential in this story and if they’ve actually thought it through it could be worth the time, but I won’t recommend it until I see what they do with all their ideas.

Number 11: Senryuu Shoujo

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I actually feel a little bad about placing this one so far down the list because it is working very well for what it is. This cute short anime is a slice of life that focuses on Nanako, a girl who doesn’t speak but communicates by writing poems, and Eiji, a misunderstood member of her club. The two of the are adorable together but not a lot happens in this one. It really is just slice of life and while I can appreciate this one, it isn’t exactly the kind of anime I get super excited about. Still, this one is definitely a relaxing viewing experience and for those who like this type of anime there’s plenty to appeal.

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Number 10: RobiHachi

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I’m only a few episodes into this one and it isn’t my usual kind of story but I will admit I’m having a lot of fun with the random space hi-jinx on offer here. Robi is not a character I can usually get behind but despite his brash attitude he’s actually kind of charming in how he’s presented here and he pairs well with Hachi’s personality. Whether I find this entertaining for the duration of a season remains to be seen but so far this one is making me laugh and I’m enjoying the absurdity of it as well as the bright colour palette.

Number 9: One Punch Man Season 2

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Considering I was not looking forward to a second season, having felt the first season more or less ran the joke into the ground, season 2 has actually been surprisingly decent. I know the criticisms about the change in studio and quality and music which have soured some viewers are valid criticisms and certainly this one doesn’t have the grab and appeal that season one did. Yet, for me, when I focus more on characters and story in what I look for anyway, One Punch Man Season 2 has been setting up some things quite nicely and while it may not end up delivering on them, I’m not unhappy with how this season has started. It isn’t amazing but it is competent and interesting enough and I’m enjoying it each week even if I am a week behind.

Number 8: The Rising of the Shield Hero

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I’m mostly reviewing this one over on patreon for my patrons but it continues to roll along. It is easy viewing with some good moments and a lot of just kind of average moments. It makes sense this one remains in the middle of my viewing list mostly because for every good character moment or interesting plot point there’s something that just kind of drags it down. It very much is average but entertaining enough in almost every way. While the controversy around this one has finally died down, those who have stuck with it are being rewarded with a story that keeps moving forward even if the pace is still a little all over the place.

Number 7: Wise Man’s Grandchild

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Alright, this one isn’t a great anime by any means, in fact average is the best description you could give this production. Yet, for those who have watched and generally enjoyed copious amounts of isekai stories, while this one isn’t treading new ground, it is providing an amusing and entertaining viewing experience. It reminds me a lot of In Another World With My Smart Phone in that it isn’t that it does anything different from other anime in the genre, but it remembers to be entertaining while it does it. So far Shin has been a decent enough protagonist and the story they are setting up is interesting enough. I enjoy the magic they are using and the fights have been decent. This one won’t remake the world or change your mind if you don’t like isekai stories, but for those who do it will be fun viewing this season.

Number 6: Bungo Stray Dogs Season 3

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This is another one I’m reviewing over on Patreon mostly because Irina is going to cover the episodes here on the blog. That said, this is more Bungo Stray Dogs. If you’ve enjoyed the previous two season, you’ll still enjoy. If you haven’t, you won’t. For me there are a lot of good things about Bungo Stray Dogs and some episodes that really make me pay attention (such as episode 4) but then there are things I find tiresome about it. Still, it’s a decent story and the music and visuals are always a treat with a large cast of colourful characters. if you haven’t tried Bungo Stray Dogs, don’t jump into season 3, but it might be worth giving a go.

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Number 5: Midnight Occult Civil Servants

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I know, how can I put this one ahead of Bungo Stray Dogs? Visually there’s no comparison and certainly the animation isn’t even close. Yet, Midnight Occult Civil Servants is one of the anime that if you are part of the niche audience that really likes the kind of slow story that’s unfolding here as Arata learns more about the Anothers and they investigate various supernatural situations, then Midnight Occult Civil Servants will be more than enough. I look forward to each new episode and while there are plenty of points I could nit-pick, overall I’m having fun with it and I’m curious as to where it will go. Whether it stays in my top 5 will entirely depend on where they take this story in the second half.

Number 4: Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2

Attack on Titan Season Three Part Two Episode 1

Season 3 Part 1 really got me back into this story and Part 2 has so far been doing an excellent job keeping my attention. I’m still not sold on the pace that this narrative has been told over these three seasons and certainly there’s still this need for characters to shout or make everything more or less the end of the world, but that’s Attack on Titan and you’ve either signed up for it or not at this point. Visually I’ve been impressed with this latest entry and I really feel some of the characters have stepped up in these first few episodes. Hopefully the season continues to develop the characters and fill in some plot points while giving us some great action.

Number 3: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Kimetsu no Yaiba Episode 4

Not sure if this will stay so high on the list but I will say I’m enjoying the rapid pace this shounen story has gone through during its set up and the characters are interesting enough. I’m also kind of interested in learning more about demons and the demon slayers. There’s plenty to explore in the world they’ve set up, the fights so far have been fantastic to watch and over quickly enough that they haven’t dragged. Tanjiro has grown more as a shounen protagonist in 6 episodes than some shounen characters do in an entire series and all and all there’s little to complain about other than a few narrative choice and the fact that they feel they need to hit the audience over the head with important plot points rather than trusting us to pick them up. Still, having a lot of fun with this one so far.

Have you missed a review from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

Images from: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Dir. H Sotozaki. Ufotable. 2019.

Number 2: Kono Oto Tomare

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Really not sure if this will stay so high up the list but really I’ve enjoyed it so far. While there are standard narrative developments (like the vice-principal trying to shut down the club) that aren’t particularly well done, the relationships between club members and the overall feel of the anime has so far really drawn me into the story. I’m enjoying the visuals and the music, but it has been the characters who have really sold this so far. Hoping it continues to be as compelling to watch right to the end.

Number 1: Fruits Basket

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I’m actually surprised this one is so high up my list. I really did enjoy the original Fruits Basket anime but wanted a reboot to see the story finished. That said, after Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor, I was keeping my expectations low because nostalgia is lovely but it also makes you more critical of anime that come along trying to duplicate the effect. Still, Fruits Basket 2019 has so far hit all the right notes and been a lovely, cathartic viewing experience giving me everything I would have ever wanted from a retelling of the story. Really hoping it manages to be consistent in its quality right through because this one is a lovely anime to watch.

Would you like to read more about Fruits Basket’s feels?