Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion

Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - January 13, 2026

This is a daily megathread for general chatter about anime. Have questions or need recommendations? Here to show off your merch? Want to talk about what you just watched.

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Voir le contenu lié

Commentaires

Wiles_2026-01-13 11:05

> This is the place!

The first Pokémon Lego sets have been unveiled and they are not great.

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/pokemon

PGleo862026-01-13 11:13

I think the gen 1 starters one looks pretty good, shame about the price though...

gooodluckboi2026-01-13 11:21

> shame about the price though...

Sheesh....

alotmorealots2026-01-13 11:22

That Eevee looks pretty cute!

Infodump_Ibis2026-01-13 12:59

Meanwhile, [Mega Bloks](https://www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/toys/construction-and-cars/mega/c/SM06010206) (there is [also nanoblock](https://www.kawada-toys.com/en/brand/nanoblock/catalog/nbpm_r13/) if you want to go smol).

> Age: 6 - 8 Years, 9 - 11 Years, Big Kids

I guess big kids is the English and toy equivalent of "big friends" ([Japanese slang](https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E5%A4%A7%E3%81%8D%E3%81%84%E3%81%8A%E5%8F%8B%E9%81%94) for older people into kids IP i.e. average modern Animage reader going by their monthly character polls). I suppose there are also ruder terms like manchild and kidult (being nearly 20 years ago my memory Welcome to the NHK ED1 lyrics are vague but either a fansub did use kidult or I, as a then novice viewer of anime, thought it should).

Anyway, I notice those Pikachu toys are all male (the tail is different on female Pikachu, that's how you know Pikachu Libre is a girl, note: the black tip was a cosplay Pikachu only thing), I guess they don't go for spare bricks / alternate builds. T bring this back to the place (Pokemon Concierge) IIRC, part 1 episode 4 actually included at least one female Pikachu.

8838z2026-01-13 11:32

I saw a thread on Panty and Stocking S2 the other day and it got mixed reviews in the comments. May I hear some more opinions? Planning to start it around the weekend.

KendotsX2026-01-13 12:26

If you enjoyed the first season, it's more of the same over the top episodic comedy. Personally, I had a great time with it. It was one of my favourites from last year.

SSjjlex2026-01-13 12:26

If you enjoyed the 1st season then really there's no reason not to pick up the 2nd imo.

My general opinion on S2 is basically "I thought S1 was a mixed bag that ended up averaging out to a good experience. S2 was also a mixed bag but with much stronger variance. Some insanely good moments, some incredibly dull ones too. But overall averaging down to slightly less than S1".

But again, different people different tastes so I highly recommend you check it out anyways. And the super episodic nature of it (like 2/3 sub-episodes per episode) means it never lingers too long on the bad ones if you do find one like that.

Salty1452026-01-13 13:55

It’s fine. It’s more PSG, but 15 years later I was hoping for something a little more.

awesomenessofme12026-01-13 14:23

I haven't watched either season personally, but one thing I can comment on is that I know S1's dub was highly praised, and S2 not only has a completely different cast, but by all accounts it lost that spark it originally had. So if that's what you were planning to watch, that would be one thing to keep in mind.

Donnie-G2026-01-13 14:29

It's kinda more PSG, but it also just.... lost its edge? Became less funny?

Maybe my tastes changed or I don't remember PSG1 well enough anymore, but I mostly found PSG2 kinda boring. And it just leaned too hard into parodying movies, to the point where it's quite bizarre.

Due-Rent-65272026-01-13 14:47

Every bit as good as Panty and Stocking S1, HOWEVER the gap between S1 and S2 was so large that the comedy might not hit as hard for a new fan as it would an OG. It also expands upon its world and adds more characters which worked for some but not others, again a difference between newcomers and people who watched the original 15 years earlier

Jusenkyo_Five2026-01-13 15:12

PSG hasn't aged particularly well. If you just watched S1 and enjoyed it you'll like season 2, but if you watched it when you were younger you've probably outgrown it.

FetchFrosh2026-01-13 12:32

Watched the first episode of *In the Clear Moonlit Dudk* and it's fine, but what jumped out at me most is that the girls uniform doesn't have a pleated skirt. I think just cause basically every single anime (and irl) school uniform I can think of uses a pleated skirt that seeing something else makes it struggle to register properly in my mind :P

IXajll2026-01-13 13:12

No expert, but I believe that type of skirts is way more common in korean based anime/mahnwa, might‘ve gotten some inspiration from that.

FetchFrosh2026-01-13 14:32

Huh, seems it is common in Korea. Looked jank in the irl pictures as well.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-13 13:32

This is how I felt when I saw Hinako's long skirt in Watatabe.

zsmg2026-01-13 15:34

Oh yeah I had the same thought while watching it, I kept thinking why do the students have Office Lady skirts instead of typical school uniform skirts. And apparently the terminology for the latter is pleated skirt, TIL.

Ecstatic-Loquat-25792026-01-13 12:49

Finished with the first few episodes of MHA Season 2 and now I'm fully convinced that Mineta is an unbearable grade A cunt.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-13 13:03

I guess it's a bit more about Japanese than it is about anime, but do Japanese people really call parents by their name in front of their kids?

What I mean is: When I talk to my niece/nephew about their father, I will say "Your dad/daddy", I won't refer to him by his name... Because *they* don't refer to him by his name either, they call him dad/daddy.

But in [Part Time Torturer]>![MC refered to the guy by his name, in front of his daughters.](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b3991b9614fd.png) And the VA said the same word too, so I'm wondering if that's just how it is in Japanese, or if it's the guy's quirk or something!!<

[](#bigthink)

Korkez112026-01-13 13:21

Why do Shinsekai Yori episodes have such low scores on IMDB? For comparison, Summertime Rendering scores are consistently above 8, Hyouka - in 7.5-8.5 range, but Shinsekai Yori often falls below 7.

Salty1452026-01-13 13:53

Just be glad they’re that high. They really should be lower.

UnlitUniversalUnlock2026-01-13 13:56

It works for some people, but I'd have rated it poorly if I used IMDB. Online ratings are usually an average of a bunch of user ratings, so higher scores measure mass appeal more than how much it'll mean to you specifically.

mekerpan2026-01-13 15:08

I gave up on IMDB for *movies* at least 20 years ago. I would never even consider relying on this for guidance on anime.

Zeallfnonex2026-01-13 13:56

I wouldn't count on IMDB scores to be indicative of anything, TBH. For anime especially, I doubt there's a high enough number of people who bother ranking each episode for it to be meaningful.

Also caring about what a bunch of random people on the internet think about an anime you like is a recipe for disaster.

lalunafelis2026-01-13 15:28

I mean....that's how fandom works right? People who claim that they don't need "validation" for things they like are lying. Otherwise why would they even bother with posting on social media?

Mitsuyan_2026-01-13 14:12

I don't understand this sudden influx of IMDB discussion, it's a worse metric than MAL and AL scores which aren't a great one as is. I wouldn't worry about any show having lacking IMDB ratings, but in reality a 7-8 is still really good

TheBlessedBoy992026-01-13 15:17

There's a site that allows you to visualize IMDB scores of a show by season and it and its charts have been making the rounds recently. I think that's where this influx of discussion is coming from. I've seen several people make them for anime series.

oedipusrex3762026-01-13 14:23

It didn’t get a great reception while it was airing, even on Reddit, and it took people a while to realize how good it actually was. The IMDb score unfortunately never recovered. As a late watcher, I never bothered rating it in IMDb either.

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-13 14:39

IMDB episode ratings are basically obsessed over by few of the biggest battle anime fandoms and the scores for those are ludicrously inflated (how many 9.9 ratings do random One Piece episodes have by now?)

As an anime rating site, it is one of the more useless ones so I tend to ignore it completely.

Dumey2026-01-13 16:59

Are they all of them, or a certain section of episodes in the middle?

It's been years since I watched the show, but I remember there was a lot of controversy around the production and budget of the show, and there are some episodes in the middle with absolutely abominable animations and low quality still frames of characters. It was like they saved all the budget for the beginning and end of the show, and left themselves on a shoestring budget for the middle.

A quick Google search tells me that maybe the Blu-ray version fixed some of the problems that the initial TV run had, so some of the quality issues might be dependent on the version you're watching?

Salty1452026-01-13 13:52

Long Ring Long Land sure was a choice

Blackheart5952026-01-13 14:48

The anime version, eh?

[](#wakarimasu)

TheBlessedBoy992026-01-13 15:13

It's not much better in the manga, but at least it's shorter.

Blackheart5952026-01-13 15:39

I'd beg to differ. In the manga, it's a great short preparatory arc introducing one of the primary themes for the rest of the pre-timeskip story.

entelechtual2026-01-13 14:21

I love when you get a bunch of art by animation staff/artists in celebration of a show airing.

Some highlights from ‘Tis Time For Torture, Princess art:

* [Pro basketball](https://x.com/masaru_anime/status/2010728559279816887?s=46&t=TaGgT1cElpG7nJHjBeWplw) (armpit warning)

* [Anime-viewing experience](https://x.com/srk_2800/status/2010718615616778351?s=46&t=TaGgT1cElpG7nJHjBeWplw)

* [OP Himesama](https://x.com/ukice_/status/2010730016385155345?s=46&t=TaGgT1cElpG7nJHjBeWplw)

* [Gushing over magical snacks](https://x.com/hattori_305/status/2010989807489753599?s=46&t=TaGgT1cElpG7nJHjBeWplw)

Takemyfishplease2026-01-13 14:41

Just finished **Space Dandy**, really loved how goofy it was, I vaguely remember seeing a few episodes when it was on tv in ye olden times. The ending was pretty much perfect for the show, the ultimate Dandy move. Looking forward to something in a similar vein, prefer it dubbed as I like these shows when I’m exercising.

nwl1232026-01-13 15:02

Day 3 of eliminations of "Best Seiyuu of Fall 2025" has [started](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1oo7ziz/summer_2025_best_seiyuu_of_the_season/)!

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 15:03

Just realised Ascendance of a Bookworm sequel is coming out in Spring. And it's the 4th season! I need to watch the first 3 quick. Anyone know where I can get a time travel machine? Need one extra month and I'll be set.

But seriously though, any chance someone will host a rewatch for it? I think it has some fans here, seen it recommended a fair bit iirc. That will be more fun than binging alone and will help me with scheduling too.

TehAxelius2026-01-13 15:11

I'd kinda want to, but I don't know if I would have time being a host every day for five weeks.

Especially as I'd probably have to re-read the LNs as I watch the episodes.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 15:17

Ah fair enough. If you change your mind and decide to do it, please tag me.

awesomenessofme12026-01-13 15:57

I have another massive catch-up to take my time before spring, so that was never on the table for me, but I feel like I heard rumors somewhere that with the studio change, they're going to try to make it accessible to newcomers despite being the 4th season. Couldn't link you to any example or go into any more detail, though.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 16:01

Ooh now you've got me all curious. More accessible meaning we can go straight to season 4 and still follow along? I'm not sure the completist in me will be satisfied with that though. But I guess it's good to have that option if it turns out that I'm not able to catch up before spring.

awesomenessofme12026-01-13 16:02

As I said, it's only vague memories from reading posts related to the season some months back. Someone more familiar with the series might know more (or I could be talking out of my ass anyway).

Time_Fracture2026-01-13 15:06

After quick watching first episodes of Polar Opposites and Mayonaka Heart Tune, at one point I felt that Mayonaka deserves the animation quality of Polar Opposites.

Some people are saying that the manga is too beautiful to be animated but well, some recent romcoms are setting the bar high enough for Mayonaka to follow I guess.

flamethrower22026-01-13 15:11

I read the manga (only volume 1) and I thought the lead, singer Rikka, is gorgeous, and I didn't get that from the anime.

The school uniforms are toned down in the anime, but I thought they were too sexy anyway in the manga, so I didn't mind that.

Ham_PhD2026-01-13 15:52

I'm so glad they changed the uniforms. Always thought they were dumb lol.

awesomenessofme12026-01-13 15:54

Are people really saying that? The manga is gorgeous in a lot of places, but there's nothing especially *unique* or *complicated* about its art. I think it was probably never in a position where it could have gotten a real A-team, but in a perfect world, I imagine the anime looking a lot like Makeine.

Time_Fracture2026-01-13 16:21

Probably just my local anime community. The anime is one of the anticipated among the romcoms, and when the anime turned out to be something like what we see in Ep. 1, I see such comments like that.

awesomenessofme12026-01-13 16:26

Well, being disappointed is reasonable, but I was just talking about the "too beautiful to be animated" part. It just seems to show ignorance more than anything else if someone says that unironically.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-13 15:15

Tougen anki... is not really winning me over.

[](#thoughtful)

On the other hand

[KONOSUBA IS BACK](#grandhype)

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-13 16:37

The first half/set up arc didn’t really work for me either, but I liked the back half after I stopped thinking so much and we got beyond first villain arc.

_ColeSlawters2026-01-13 15:19

Hey! I'm looking for anime recommendations, nothing high school related. Characters preferably 18+, if school is involved I'll accept nothing less than higher education/university.

Acceptable Examples: Cowboy Bepop, Bartender: Glass of God, Usagi Drop, Barakamon, I Can't Understand What My Husband is Saying, Samurai Champloo, Delicious in Dungeon

Nomar_952026-01-13 15:26

The Tatami Galaxy

KendotsX2026-01-13 15:29

* Space Dandy
* Baccano!
* Ghost in the Shell
* Spice and Wolf
* Monster

[Or just look up this list](https://anilist.co/search/anime?genres=Primarily%20Adult%20Cast)

Jusenkyo_Five2026-01-13 15:32

Odd Taxi! Short and impossible to put down.

https://myanimelist.net/anime/46102/Odd_Taxi

TehAxelius2026-01-13 15:36

* Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
* Oddtaxi
* Food for the Soul
* Mayonaka Punch
* Black Lagoon
* Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu
* I Have A Crush At Work
* Sakura Quest
* Golden Kamuy
* Akiba Maid War

_ColeSlawters2026-01-13 15:52

This is dope, thank you!

Zeallfnonex2026-01-13 16:10

Gotta shill Legends of the Galactic Heroes whenever I can so...

Might as throw in a less recommended one as well, Case Study of Vanitas

TehAxelius2026-01-13 16:13

Damn, I forgot to include that.

[](#forgotkeys)

lalunafelis2026-01-13 15:32

I keep telling people that I will get around to writing a story about [my contortionist OC](https://www.deviantart.com/lalunafelis/art/The-magic-of-the-first-meeting-remake-1285702837) that I singularly draw on my art accounts since I am making up lore for her as I go, but seeing how trying to make a WORKING piece of fiction on a very niche interest actually interest the mainstream reader is a tall order...

And I end up circling back to [fanart](https://www.deviantart.com/lalunafelis/art/Tengu-of-the-Nebula-1241109268) instead.

Durinthal2026-01-13 15:43

First episode impressions ([part 1](/r/anime/comments/1qaqzum/anime_questions_recommendations_and_discussion/nz60b9f/)), part 2:

- **Roll Over and Die** — Not sure how I feel about this one, already have enough narcissistic assholes in positions of power in my life right now. [](#nottodisushittoagen)

- **Mayonaka Heart Tune** — At least he's not a *total* dumbass with his approach [given that] >!at the end of the episode Apollo responds acknowledging that she knows he's looking for her. He could try to come up with an excuse to record them and then do the same audio processing to reproduce how he would have heard Apollo if he thinks that would actually work though. Also his motivation to get her to ditch any blackmail material is kind of silly given that he's already made more of an embarrassment of himself publicly than Apollo's recordings of him ever could, but that's why he's at least part dumbass after all.!<

- **Tamon's B-side** — This is a lot of fun already, reminds me of Oshibudo with its look at idol fan culture. I also really like her design, the shape of her face feels like a throwback for some reason (maybe it's the nose).

- **Champignon Witch** — I like the atmosphere of this one and Luna's an intriguing character already, looking forward to more but I'm still wary given it's Typhoon Graphics.

- **The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife** — Oh this is a fascinating premise, I'm enjoying it. Interesting society and side characters too, Jirashi takes the best catgirl baton from Kisara after last season.

vancevon2026-01-13 15:48

you and i are polar opposites did not really charm me with its first episode. i don't mind the premise or anything, but i don't think they played off each other particularly well. it felt like most of the things that the male lead was saying was the sort of thing you say to kill a conversation before it even starts, and, indeed, that was basically what happened. over and over again

Jusenkyo_Five2026-01-13 16:33

[removed]

vancevon2026-01-13 17:24

i don't think he comes across as shy at all. he speaks his mind very clearly, without hesitating or fidgeting or showing any significant signs of nervousness around others. he just seems kinda curt and blunt to me, and not in any particularly interesting way either. he could get more interesting, though

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 17:40

He's just a reserved type. He admits as much himself and recognises that makes him not very fun to be around. Feel like the show will be about them sanding off each other's rough edges. He'll learn to be more open and sociable and she will learn that it's okay to not be such a people pleaser all the time.

vancevon2026-01-13 18:29

if it goes in that direction, then i'm probably going to start liking it less and less! it's not like i don't see the appeal of the story for others, but i guess i'm hoping for more conflict and disagreement in a series about people who are, ostensibly, "polar opposites"

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 18:56

I'm sure there will be some conflict but I somehow don't get the sense of this being a show to fixate on those. Getting much more fluffier vibes plus the potential for a lot of side ships (based on OP) means less focus on the leads and their differences.

I'd be fine with it going either way though. I trust the author based on the little I've read of their other work and know it'll be interesting whichever direction we go.

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:07

>you and i are polar opposites did not really charm me with its first episode

the real polar opposites were you and i all along

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-13 19:57

So should we ship you, or..?

[](#awe)

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:59

[](#hardthink)

TheBigIdiotSalami2026-01-13 15:58

Rewatching the original Trigun, I'm sorta surprised how subtle the romance between Vash and Meryl is. I never even picked up on this as a teen watching it back on adult swim. It's done through these small character moments that are so telling and small bits of writing that it's amazing no one has ever really emulated it again. Also Vash's scares are way more shocking in this than the Trigun Stampede remake. They really toned it down for the new one. Although I think it makes a better scene with Meryl than with Nicholas.

I hope they make Legato as much of a treatler as he is in this 1998 show. He's constantly eating ice cream.

[deleted]2026-01-13 16:14

[removed]

N7CombatWombat2026-01-13 16:15

Sorry, your comment has been removed.

- Wir erlauben keine Hentai- oder Manga-Themen. Sie wurden bereits mehrfach darauf hingewiesen. Sollten Sie dies erneut posten, werden Sie gesperrt.

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Infodump_Ibis2026-01-13 16:45

A smidge over 2 hours to get your [The End of Fall 2025 Survey submissions](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1q8fehu/the_end_of_fall_2025_survey_what_were_your/) in. I'd make another joke about that "worst" season being open survey site, press end key to scroll to bottom, hit submit but actually between ongoing, short anime, watched at least 1 ep and late additions like 100 Meters means I watched a bit more than I thought.

cosmiczar2026-01-13 17:43

(relitigating discourse from yesterday's thread that I missed while sleeping)

A consistent thing about frequenting this thread is agreeing with the core of Salty's point about something, but really disagreeing with the way he chooses to frame it, especially as it usually means I'm seeing an opinion I somewhat have being cooked by the rest of the thread lol

Yeah, when I watch Ikoku Nikki I also think about wanting to watch a live-action* adaptation instead because just seeing good actors doing those scenes would probably enhance them in a way the current production of the show simply can't do. But you're not gonna catch me saying the show "they don’t seem interested in being anime" or trying to use the difficulty of depicting the mundane to talk broadly about why certain demographics can be neglected in this industry lol

-

But coming back to Ikoku Nikki specifically, as I actually thought about posting my thoughts about this aspect of the show before even seeing the comments from in the other thread, I don't inherently think anime can't compete with live-action when it comes to depicting just people being people and not much else, I recently said Tokyo Godfathers is the greatest stand-alone anime film of all time, and I also consider it one of my favorite movies of all time regardless if animated or live-action, and it's mostly about people talking and walking (and running). But Tokyo Godfathers had Shinji Otsuka, Toshiyuki Inoue, Takeshi Honda, Shinji Hashimoto, Hideki Hamasu, Norio Matsumoto and more infusing those characters with life via incredible character acting animation, making it so you don't miss real-life acting.

But a show like Ikoku Nikki, even with its decent production, does make me yearn for just seeing real good actors doing it because 1) if feels like a more realistic proposition than reuniting all the greatest animators the industry has ever produced and 2) because I simply like live-action works too! Like, my favorite Japanese TV show of 2025 wasn't any anime, it was [The Hot Spot](https://www.imdb.com/pt/title/tt35377276/) and I'm excited about the Look Back live-action adaptation, even if the anime is one of those ideal adaptations that do have the animation power to really depict its story, because Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of my favorite filmmakers and his style fits like a glove for the source material. I don't have any inherent desire of seeing almost any story animated or otherwise, I just wish to watch the its best possible version, which for a lot of manga, if not most, would be animated, but I do believe that, for some, the best possible version is more likely live-action.

**I'm aware there's a live-action movie already, but I mean it in a theoretical sense as I haven't seen that version yet so can't say if it's actually good enough to be better than the anime, especially because even if that version is enhanced by good real-life acting, it could be worse in other fronts*

_Ridley2026-01-13 18:19

Man, there's so much dreck on every season, and all Twitter can talk about is how In the Clear Moonlit Dusk should've been a yuri/doesn't do tomboys right, and this thread wants Ikoku Nikki to be a live action series instead of an anime because it's not animated by generational talent. Ok, I guess. Shoujosei anime can't do anything right, apparently.

IXajll2026-01-13 18:26

Fr, I was just about to comment like „wtf am I really the only one around here who not once thought about a live action version of this series?“ I literally couldn’t care less about it if I tried and the anime that we got is perfect, aqradt makes me doubt my sanity with this weird ass take.

And I still can’t see anything wrong with the adaptation quality, wtf does this thread mean „suboptimal cinematography“ or whatever shit I had the misfortune to read yesterday. /rant over

_Ridley2026-01-13 18:36

Like, sure, maybe a live action with top tier actors and a talented director would be better, but that's not what happened. So, looking at what actually happened here in the real world, what's wrong with what we got? And I mean wrong, not things that aren't an individual's preference.

cosmiczar2026-01-13 18:56

> So, looking at what actually happened here in the real world, what's wrong with what we got? And I mean wrong, not things that aren't an individual's preference.

Did I say there's anything "wrong" with Ikoku Nikki? I'm certain I only talked about my individual preference as to how I believe it could be improved.

_Ridley2026-01-13 19:17

Fair enough, I guess, but talking about what a work doesn't have/do has got to be one of my least favorite strains of critique.

cosmiczar2026-01-13 18:51

> Man, there's so much dreck on every season

Yeah, and I don't even try to watch most of them so I don't have any takes about how I think they could be better

> this thread wants Ikoku Nikki to be a live action series instead of an anime because it's not animated by generational talent

I'm simply talking about my experience while watching the show. That I wish the material, which seems very good, could have a bit more oomph in its execution, and one of the biggest ways regular dramas can get this oomph is with great acting. People can do powerful things with just glances and animation has a hard time replicating that.

> Ok, I guess. Shoujosei anime can't do anything right, apparently.

You don't need to be putting this kind of take on me, 'cause unlike other people, I never once mentioned demographics. I could go on about this or that Shoujosei that I believe are, as pieces of animated content, pretty much flawless, or how I also criticize battle shounen when they don't have character acting, but I think it's pointless to do that when it would be to defend myself against something I didn't do.

_Ridley2026-01-13 19:10

You're just part of a trend, if you don't think you're biased against shoujosei, you might not be, but the trend still exists. I just don't see why I've gotta watch people ask why this is animated when nobody asks why Wash It All Away or My Awkward Senpai is.

cosmiczar2026-01-13 19:29

> I just don't see why I've gotta watch people ask why this is animated

To be clear, I'm not asking "why is this animated", I'm actually fully against this thought. I think everything could be animated, but the moment something is animated I will look at it and think "I could see this bit being better if it was acted by real people" and that's mostly because how much I also like to watch live-action

> when nobody asks why Wash It All Away or My Awkward Senpai is.

I don't know about "nobody", but why you don't see *me* doing critiques like this about them is mostly because I haven't watched either lol

wloff2026-01-13 19:52

Are you sure about that "trend", whatever it means? Both of your examples are rated a full grade lower than Ikoku Nikki on MAL, for instance.

I mean, sure, there's a bunch of people who only watch battle shounen (and maybe the occasional sports shounen) and clown on everything else; but at the same time, there's a lot of people who clown on those people and the shows they watch in return.

_Ridley2026-01-13 20:14

Eh, whatever. I'm just saying I can't believe Ikoku Nikki and Moonlit Dusk, out of all the shows this season, are the two shows I keep seeing people come for. It's bizarre.

IXajll2026-01-13 20:37

You're right, they should come for Tamon instead.

[](#serialkillerlaugh)

[](#abandonthread)

_Ridley2026-01-13 21:03

Sorry you don't like good anime. Seems like a bummer.

[](#mug7)

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:05

> In the Clear Moonlit Dusk should've been a yuri/doesn't do tomboys right

[](#deadtired)

Anyway I'm on the fence about checking it out. How was the first episode?

_Ridley2026-01-13 19:14

> How was the first episode?

Pure sparkling shoujo romance goodness. It doesn't do anything super innovative, but I think the leads have a fun dynamic, and it looks pretty decent.

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:21

[](#kannathumbs)

I'll keep it tentative for now

[](#mugiwait)

cppn022026-01-13 19:48

> How was the first episode?

Good.

>Anyway I'm on the fence about checking it out.

Do I have to link to the rant?

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:53

I wasn't asking if I should watch it - I'll watch it if I feel like it. Hearing other people's thoughts help me decide whether or not I feel like it.

[](#yuishrug)

Psyduckisnotaduck2026-01-13 20:47

Given the gender skew here, is it any wonder? And I don’t think it’s a coincidence, either.

I reject the premise that any anime adaptation needs to have certain exciting subject matter to be justified as an anime especially because nobody asks this about seinen slice of life. Gives the entire game away. Yeah, okay, now I’m being inflammatory, but really what is the difference? This Ikoku Nikki argument is one of the most bullshit ridiculous double standards to pop up on this subreddit in a hot minute.

Ocixo2026-01-13 21:46

Clearly the anime industry shouldn’t bother anymore with making battle-shounen anime either since regular films having been doing action just fine for ages.

I’d rather have all those talented animators spend their time on something worthwhile, like more CGDCT anime.

awesomenessofme12026-01-13 18:28

I would never think that an anime should have been live action, but that's because live-action dubbing looks horrendous, so anything like that might as well not exist to me. And honestly, even if that particular reason probably isn't that common, I feel like there's very little overlap between anime and Japanese live action when it comes to overseas fanbases. For most people, an anime being a live action movie/series would just mean they'd never watch it, regardless of if it could be considered "better".

cosmiczar2026-01-13 18:57

> I feel like there's very little overlap between anime and Japanese live action when it comes to overseas fanbases.

And I think that's a shame! If only 'cause if more anime fans cared about them I could more easily watch them via simulcast and the like.

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:03

Whether or not a given anime makes good use of its medium for artistic expression is a perfectly fine topic of discussion. However pontificating with provocative assertions while neglecting to supplement them with arguments of substance does tend to rub people the wrong way.

Anyway with the case of Ikoku Nikki it already makes use of fairly effective imagine spots to depict the character's thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. It also makes use of typical anime and manga style expressions, especially for gags, in ways you can't do in live action. Plus, with the source being manga, naturally fans would like to see the artwork brought to motion.

In general a less contentious way to approach the topic would be to look at what a work is able to bring to its medium and vice versa, rather than seeking ways to invalidate it as an artistic work from the start.

cosmiczar2026-01-13 19:15

> Whether or not a given anime makes good use of its medium for artistic expression is a perfectly fine topic of discussion.

Sure, but that's also not the topic of discussion *of my comment*. Nowhere did I say Ikoku Nikki doesn't use its medium well or whatever. I'm basically just talking about how the material puts on my mind the desire of seeing it being acted by great actors because they could infuse it with something that the anime, as it currently is, doesn't really bring. That doesn't mean I believe the anime doesn't bring anything to the table, just that there are ways that I can see it being better.

> rather than seeking ways to invalidate it as an artistic work from the start.

Are you replying to the correct thing? I'm not sure where I could have invalidated it as an artistic work.

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:26

My comment was primarily addressing the follow up to Salty's comment and framing from yesterday.

What kind of unique strengths a Ikoku Nikki live action adaptation could bring to the table irrespective of the anime adaptation is a separate discussion yes.

~~and according to our friendly neighbourhood mods it's also Not Anime Related~~ [](#cup7)

cosmiczar2026-01-13 19:37

> My comment was primarily addressing the follow up to Salty's comment and framing from yesterday.

Fair!

Btw, funny how I criticized his framing in the original comment, but I ended up pissing people off regardless. So I got sorry to Salty, this talking-critically-about-beloved-anime business is hard!

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:51

[](#wakarimasu)

The original comment had very provocative framing after all, simply following up after it was enough to catch you a good bit of the heat.

[](#kotohoops)

Anyway yesterday I was watching some clips from Ping Pong again and I was thinking I should check out the live action version. I recall seeing a couple of clips ages ago and it seemed like a pretty conventional film. I think it'd be interesting example for what anime adaptations can bring vs live action. Also Kaiji and other FKMT series came to mind yesterday as ones that would be interesting to compare and contrast.

cosmiczar2026-01-13 20:16

That Ping Pong movie is definitely something I'm curious about, too. It is decently well-received, and even if from the outside it feels hard to imagine it competing with the anime because of what it does with its visuals, I can very well imagine it having its own strengths.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 17:46

Love that Bean Counter wasted no time at all in getting to the meat of the matter. Can see a lot of people dropping it now but I'm firmly seated.

Also watched the first episode of The Holy Grail of Eris and quite liked it. Another badass Scarlet who will be the bane of bad nobles. I like that this one is more evil and not as proper as punch lady. Makes me root for her more.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-13 19:51

>Bean Counter wasted no time at all in getting to the meat

Meat and beans are a solid start to a proper meal.

[](#seasonalfoodie)

cyberscythe2026-01-13 20:30

> Bean Counter wasted no time at all in getting to the meat of the matter

episode 1: subtext

episode 2: *supertext*

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-13 17:46

Those terrorist caricatures from Darwin Incident are ridiculous, and making me lower my rating for the series already two episodes in. I hope this series improves and soon... otherwise it might be my first drop of the season.

PsychoGeek2026-01-13 18:25

To add to the argument about Ikoku Nikki (again), there does infact exist [an interview](https://mantan-web.jp/article/20260102dog00m200007000c.html) with the director of the anime centred around the same argument - it's even titled "Ikoku Nikki: What Can Be Expressed Because It’s Anime". She says there was lot of skepticism from people involved in production - "What’s the point of making it an anime?" She justifies the anime adaptation by invoking the manga's imagery as well as "gag-style facial expressions" that adapt better to anime than live action.

There's also some stuff about how the project came to be to and having to cut manga content to fit the one-cour anime runtime. I'm guessing it's going to be a full adaptation.

wloff2026-01-13 20:21

I feel like "what's the point of making it into an anime" is a completely different discussion from "it could make for a fantastic live action show". Just because the latter might be true doesn't mean an anime adaptation doesn't have its own merits, or vice versa.

Interesting interview nonetheless!

Psyduckisnotaduck2026-01-13 20:43

Imo it’s almost always better for a manga to be adapted into an anime vs live action because anime can preserve the art style, which is an essential part of the experience. I absolutely love the character designs of the Ikoku Nikki manga, so I am biased to prefer anime. Also I didn’t know how much I needed Sawashiro’s Makio until I got it

IXajll2026-01-13 18:46

Last week I was defending **Mayonaka Heart Tune**‘s production quality, saying it’s not great, but perfectly serviceable still. But now after ep 2 I really feel for the manga readers.

Ep 1 was like entering a kitchen with only garbage ingredients, but you didn‘t mind much because eh, it’s sufficient for some junk food tier cooking. Entering ep 2 and you notice the recipe laying there hidden beneath the garbage and it’s fucking lobster with champagne. Well, shit. If now only we *had* some fucking lobster to cook this michelin star dish to eat some good fucking food.

Watching ep 2, there were so many instances were it was so painfully easy to see how better visuals and directing would have elevated those scenes to crazy heights. The ceiling for this show seems so high, but losing the adaptation lottery this bad means the floor is unfortunately just so frustratingly low. They could have cooked so hard with a Makeine/Kaguya/Polar Opposites production, throw in some gimmicks like the Bokuyaba Kartes and this show would’ve swept the floor.

It’s still watchable but damn does it hurt seeing so much squandered potential every 3 minutes. And I‘m saying this as an anime only, can’t even imagine the pain of the source readers.

pachipachi71522026-01-13 19:08

> And I‘m saying this as an anime only, can’t even imagine the pain of the source readers.

It genuinely hurts so much. As a manga reader, Mayonaka Heart Tune is a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

wloff2026-01-13 19:13

I unfortunately have to repeat myself from last week and say that I don't think the production quality is even serviceable, it's distractingly bad. None of the jokes or beats land as intended, because I feel like I'm staring at emotionless paper dolls.

I'll take the manga readers' word for it that the manga is significantly better, but I was really struggling to finish the second episode, and I'm not yet sure if I'm going to tune in for the third one. Such a shame.

Ham_PhD2026-01-13 20:13

I still rate it in the "serviceable" category, but yeah I will still opt to recommend the manga *strongly* over the anime. It is what it is though. There is always hope for a studio change for a potential second season. Some recent shows were able to get that.

This isn't even the most stark contrast in the episode, but here is a [comparison of this episodes climax with its manga counterpart](https://imgur.com/a/X91Odop) (**spoilers for Mayonaka Heart Tune Ep. 2**). Sure the content is still there, but one of them speaks much louder than the other.

SSjjlex2026-01-13 22:46

Agreed. And on top of that the pacing was just way off. Felt way too fast and everything sorta just kept happening without any breaks.

I really want to try to enjoy it, but given the whole season situation its kinda making ot hard for me to do that...

BarbaricGamers2026-01-13 18:59

Catching up with the new seasonals, and the second episode of Champignon Witch already broke me a little bit.

[](#nanami-hug)

Salty1452026-01-13 19:09

Man, I survived Skypiea just for Long Ring Long Land to exist.

Maybe the first time I’ve really wanted an arc to just be over.

ComfortablyRotten2026-01-13 19:48

It was bad enough in the manga that it completely soured me on One Piece for one or two years, can't imagine what the apparently even worse anime adaptation of the arc is like [](#scaredillya)

Blackheart5952026-01-13 20:02

It's... bad, yeah. Bad enough people commonly believe (or believed?) that LRLL was filler and G-8/Navarone is canon, when it's really the other way around. Though to be fair, LRLL really is half filler.

vancevon2026-01-13 19:14

i really think they should have made a live-action version of hanakimi kinda wild that they literally never did :)

Korkez112026-01-13 19:19

Which anime have recap episodes that have any value? Chihayafuru recaps for example had some really good comedy skits added.

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-13 19:27

Re:Creators will forever be one of my favorites. [Instead of being a "normal" recap episode,] >!it's basically one of the characters in the show coming up with her own fanfic version of the events thus far, complete with giving herself a super sexy redesign.!< [I love it.](#laughter)

If we're allowed to include recap *movies* in the conversation here, though, shoutout to Gurren Lagann's second movie for being so good I actually prefer it over the TV show's version of events sans, like, two details. And that's saying something because the TV show already had a fantastic second half.

alotmorealots2026-01-14 03:48

> [Spoiler] >!one of the characters in the show ~~coming up with her own fanfic version~~ correcting inaccuracies in the depiction of the events thus far, complete with giving herself ~~a super sexy redesign~~ her usual appearance back!!<

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-14 03:52

[](#kotohoops)

theangryeditor2026-01-13 19:29

Utena recap episodes must not be skipped. Especially not the final one.

zsmg2026-01-13 21:18

Utena is always my go to answer, the final recap lives rent free in my head after 15+ years (I still can't believe that happened)

theangryeditor2026-01-13 21:29

It did an excellent job ratcheting up the tension and telegraphing what's going on. It made you increasingly uncomfortable and asking if it's going where you think it's going.

[Great ep](#goblet1)

Blackheart5952026-01-13 20:00

Devilman ([the 1972 one](https://myanimelist.net/anime/2252/Devilman)) used a recap episode for a big internal character turning point, which worked really well.

IXajll2026-01-13 20:31

Samurai Champloo has one of the best recaps that is also incorporated into the plot pretty well.

BiggieCheeseLapDog2026-01-13 21:18

Etotama has a meta joke episode that’s really enjoyable.

oedipusrex3762026-01-13 21:25

Not a recap episode, but a recap compilation movie. Revue Starlight Rondo Rondo Rondo turns one prominent character into the narrator and adds a lot of new dialogue between the revues, while skipping the SoL parts from the TV show. At the end of the recap, you get entirely new scenes that bridge into the sequel movie, and those scenes are pretty shocking.

The recap movie was a huge surprise on release day because the very first announcement for the Revue Starlight Movie played right after it ended. The movie ends, then “Revue Starlight Movie coming soon” flashes on the theater screen. Anyone would have been hyped.

MiLiLeFa2026-01-13 19:20

Suggestions for an anime with the same energy as [EGOISTs BANG!!!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CfHTQGoPv4)?
First thing that comes to mind is *[Akudama Drive](https://myanimelist.net/anime/41433)*, but that might simply be because I recently watched it. Good show though.

[MAL for reference](https://myanimelist.net/animelist/MiLiLeFa), feel free to suggest from the PTW if you want

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-13 19:21

u/BaytaCosmico, if you wanted a report on Kouki Uchiyama's presense in [The Case Book of Arne ep2:] >!Arne spent *significantly* more time in his grown-up (and thus voiced by Uchiyama) form this time. It seems like the younger form is the one he prefers being in when around humans on a case, while he prefers the older form everywhere else? That's the impression I got at least.!<

[](#modsalute)

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 19:34

Ooh this very good news indeed! Thanks for letting me know. I was a bit undecided on whether to continue this, but this seals the deal.

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-13 19:37

Hopefully I got the right impression from that episode and didn't just accidentally lie to you, but yeah! I can keep doing a weekly report if you want, or I'll stop if this was enough for you.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 19:42

I would love weekly reports but only if it isn't a bother. Will help me decide if I need to watch new episodes right away or wait a while.

[](#luckytehe)

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-13 19:45

[Weekly reports it is, then!](#ginapproves)

Oh and it's really not a bother, I'm already watching the show because *I'm* interested in it and it only takes me like a couple minutes (if that) to write a message to you lol.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-13 19:51

[](#happyclap)

(Reddit's been acting up all evening and commentface wiki wouldn't load images for me; picked this one based on its name, hope it fits)

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-13 19:53

[It does!](#elderlylove)

blade2762026-01-13 19:33

do any of the recent yuri anime (past 2-3 seasons) go beyond the manga (assuming their source is LN)

or am i safe to just read the manga for most of them? (i read much faster)

Psyduckisnotaduck2026-01-13 20:34

The MagiRevo manga still hasn’t reached where the anime ended IIRC. I think also the Watanare anime has slightly passed the manga.

GondolaMedia2026-01-13 22:18

If I remember correctly MagiRevo manga is also going to end at the same point as the anime and since the manga is monthly(?) it will take some time for it to get there.

mekerpan2026-01-14 00:17

Yuri Is My Job was manga-based. The manga goes a good bit beyond what was adapted,

ThePhilosopherKing932026-01-13 20:38

I finally started watching Kingdom. Can't believe I slept on the anime. Cause aside from the horrible animation in the first season, it's such an amazing show. Just reached S6 after binge watching while sick.

theangryeditor2026-01-13 20:47

[hell yeah](#grandhype)

majestic_rainbows2026-01-13 21:19

I'm particularly interested in the upcoming "Firefly Wedding" anime since Takahiro Kamei will be directing. I find it interesting since it'll be his first time taking on the role of director (監督).

In regards to the animation producer on the project: My guess is it'll be given to Isao Ueno (上野勲, most recent work in the same role was on "Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse" last year during the summer season). Also, I'm guessing Ryuta Kanamori will continue to work under Ueno as the production desk, unless he decided to go back to working under Nobutaka Kasama for JoJo Part 7. I guess we'll find out soon once Part 7 has it's first episode release in March.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-13 21:27

[I'm obsessed about this OP and now you have to be, too.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPSvI5K6O_k)

[](#seasonallisten)

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-13 21:35

its not reweave, so i cant

[](#yuishrug)

IXajll2026-01-13 21:46

It’s always the dance sequences that drag you into the abyss.

cppn022026-01-13 22:29

And here I am with my favourite bit being her getting a magical girl transformation into her prisoner outfit.

GondolaMedia2026-01-14 00:23

A real "coming home from work and just undressing to put some sweat pants on" energy.

cyberscythe2026-01-13 23:25

i'm sure this one will grow on me, but the *massaka masakana* hook from the S1 OP still gets me

Arkaain2026-01-13 21:37

I'm trying to locate an anime that I'm interested in watching and was wondering if anyone could please help me?
The only piece of information I have on it was from a youtube short that I can no longer find.
In the short, a girl is searching for someone in what I think was a battlefield, she forces a heavy set kid to show her where he is and point him out, and when she thinks she has found him, she analyses him with an ability, but when looking at him she gets a bunch of errors and says something like all she can see is death and the end of all things...

I know it might not be much to go off but I'm sure someone in here will know what I'm talking about!

[deleted]2026-01-14 04:50

[removed]

baseballlover7232026-01-14 05:07

Sorry, your comment has been removed.

- Stop advertising your website.

---

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Adventurous-Half-6852026-01-14 07:03

This sounds a lot like Kara no Kyoukai / Garden of Sinners (Shiki Ryougi). Her eyes let her “see death” in everything (the *end of all things*), which matches your description. If it was more of an isekai “scan/appraisal = errors” scene, maybe My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered**…**.

_Ridley2026-01-13 21:48

The Executioner and Her Way of Life and The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter stand arm in arm in their assault on straight normies who didn't read the synopsis and thought they were here for a common isekai.

flamethrower22026-01-13 22:11

[Executioner Episode 1 Spoiler] >!This isekai doesn't star the world jumpers.!<

If a show is gay, is that a spoiler? I spoiler'd it just in case.

[Roll Over and Die general impressions] >!The heroes are girls, the villains are girls, and boys do not matter much.!<

ComfortablyRotten2026-01-14 00:47

[Look, some people just really don't like being blindsided by gay stuff you know? If only there was a way to know what we're getting into, this could've been avoided](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/22aec381825d.png)

ZaphodBeebblebrox2026-01-14 05:35

~~You mean _The Executioner and Her Wife_, right?~~

MayonakaMadaraka2026-01-13 22:21

Just realized Infinity Castle has a decent stream available. Been looking forward to watching. Tis a good day.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-13 22:33

those are some humongous [thighs](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/1043848e6010.jpg)

[](#awe)

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-14 00:30

Yomogi is blessed.

theangryeditor2026-01-13 22:41

expectation: [he's just like me fr](https://i.imgur.com/4NS1ksw.png)

reality: [he and i are polar opposites](https://i.imgur.com/8MitO90.png)

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-14 00:28

There’s one way the fix him, apparently.

theangryeditor2026-01-14 01:13

Aresh is a kind man going the extra mile for a random accountant

[](#toradorasalute)

Salty1452026-01-13 23:03

Crazy that it’ll be 40 years this March since *Maison Ikkoku* aired and only maybe a handful of series have even come close to challenging its title for the all time best romance anime.

Trying to think of another genre that’s gone similarly long without a new champion. I guess Space Operas still have *Legend of the Galactic Heroes*, but that subset of Sci-Fi has also largely gone the way of the dinosaurs. *Ashita no Joe* comes close if *Ping Pong the Animation* didn’t exist.

So maybe it is the only one left at the top.

lalunafelis2026-01-13 23:48

There could have been a good timeless franchise potential in either Outlanders or Ginga Sengoku, if only the author did not have a spectacular crashout with the latter's 90s anime adaptation.

vancevon2026-01-14 01:12

what do you mean, school days is not even close to 40 years old

RoderickHossack2026-01-13 23:09

Why are Japanese dubs missing for most of Hitori no Shita on Crunchyroll?

NoHead17152026-01-14 10:30

I believe they only did JP dubs for s1 and s2

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-13 23:58

I know I havent read an episode discussion thread in a while, but the bean counter thread is extremely entertaining

[](#azusalaugh)

_Ridley2026-01-14 00:14

Sort by controversial for a fun time.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-14 00:15

[way ahead of you](#meguminthumbsup)

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-14 00:27

I am very amused.

wloff2026-01-14 00:31

On a not-wholly-unrelated note, when did 'BL' replace 'yaoi' in Western anime fan vocabulary? Not that one term is really any better or worse than the other, I'm just surprised to see the magnitude of the shift.

[](#kannainspect)

Maybe I just haven't been paying attention.

_Ridley2026-01-14 00:47

Over the past ten years or so, but especially around five years ago. You'll still see people use yaoi, but mostly ironically.

OmegaVirgin942026-01-14 00:56

Around the same time I started seeing people make fun of or question others for using the Japanese titles for series.

ZaphodBeebblebrox2026-01-14 01:39

Ironically, switching from calling these sorts of series yaoi to BL better matches Japanese terminology. Yaoi is primarily a porn term that grew out of doujin communities, whilst BL is what manga magazines typically call gay (male) romances targeted at women.

If you want to learn more, the English [wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys%27_love) has a decent summary.

OmegaVirgin942026-01-14 01:58

I understand that, but it happened around the same time people were being weird about using Japanese words.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-14 00:53

I finished [the trainwreck](https://myanimelist.net/anime/61917/Towa_no_Yuugure).

This is one of the most disappointing shows I've ever watched. It presented itself as a study of technology and hubris, but what we got was mainly couples therapy... in the future. Really, the only ideas it sought to impart [were] >!incest and polygamy!<. Every plot point only served for that purpose.

It's over. Moving on.

Durinthal2026-01-14 01:11

Was it bad enough to make you [reevaluate your rating system](/r/anime/comments/1q4o83j/ever_watch_something_so_bad_that_it_reset_your/)?

[](#ama)

Wanderingjoke2026-01-14 02:08

The last time I had to reevaluate was Sakurada Reset, the show that *almost* made me drop my unofficial "time travel gets an automatic score bump" policy.

I gave this the same score, so there's that.

Jusenkyo_Five2026-01-14 02:05

I will always find it crazy when anime originals suck. You have a one in a million shot to finally make something where you're not held to a source material or dealing with the woes of adapting another work and you blow it with shitty writing?

TheBigIdiotSalami2026-01-14 01:42

The worst part about rewatching the 1998 Trigun is that the guitar riff in the middle of the episode sounds like the soundboard one they used on Cumtown when Stavvy and Nick were in there "Lets get twisted" riffs. Now that Knives is back. Holy shit, I forgot that he was like 10 times more evil in the 1998 show. What a fucking psycho.

The voice of the third gung ho guy sounds like the guy who yelled about taking bob dylan on stage in 1963.

JustAnswerAQuestion2026-01-14 01:49

This is the place: is this anime in the way Molcar is anime or is it not anime in the way Thunderbolt Fantasy is not anime?

OmegaVirgin942026-01-14 02:24

Anime in the way Rilakkuma to Kaoru-san is anime.

entelechtual2026-01-14 03:10

Y’all badmouthing Mayonaka’s quality need to get your eyes checked. I sentence you to watch 19 Tezuka romcoms so you can learn what *good* anime looks like. Same fools be like there’s nothing wrong with Angel Next Door.

For real though the MC is pretty fun to watch. Maybe it’s because last season’s Chitose and Friend’s Little Sister’s Brother’s Friend were such god awful insufferable MC’s, and Yamabuki’s kind of like an upgrade to both of them. And the visuals are fine, I don’t need much out of a romcom. I like the random derpy facial expressions.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-14 03:13

[Oh, Melphie](https://i.imgur.com/aFj0TUv.jpeg)....

She won my heart this season along with everyone else in her new land.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-14 09:14

Loving your commentary of last season's shows for two reasons. One is that our opinions seem to match for the most part so it's a nice nostalgic revisit of what I thought was a great season. Second is that it makes me feel better about being so far behind on the current season. Nice to know there's someone who's still finishing up the last season.

[](#seasonallaugh)

Wanderingjoke2026-01-14 13:07

>what I thought was a great season

I have so many 8s for fall, and the only show to get a 9 was one I didn't originally plan to watch for lack of interest.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-14 03:44

i didnt know buttfangs was that popular of a term in the anime community

[](#thoughtful)

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-14 04:34

Tougen anki would have been a lot better if it just leaned into being an ecchi instead, though this is pretty much true if 100% of action shows.

[](#thoughtful)

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-14 04:41

Meanwhile, I would have bounced off of it even harder than I already did if it leaned even more into the ecchi. ~~Well, unless it was so much so that it had the ecchi tag before it even aired, then I wouldn't have picked it up to begin with.~~

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-14 04:46

I thought you finished it???

[](#shock)

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-14 04:48

I did, by "bounced off" I meant how much more negative my opinion of the show got by the end.

Durinthal2026-01-14 04:56

I'll have more to say about it tomorrow with the other shows I watched this evening but /u/_Ridley [was right](/r/anime/comments/1q4hs22/anime_questions_recommendations_and_discussion/nxw0sot/), one does not watch something else after Ikoku Nikki.

[](#holdme)

_Ridley2026-01-14 05:22

That is a last show of the night kind of anime, 100%. You watch it, then you spend some quiet time thinking about it.

[](#nanami-hug)

mr_beanoz2026-01-14 05:24

Funny that I saw the second episode of JJK's third season before watching the first one...

Cer0_H2026-01-14 05:27

What do you think are the best revenge stories in anime?

OmegaVirgin942026-01-14 05:36

Since Blade of the Immortal has 2 adaptations I'll say that, but I'll also say that those adaptations are pretty bad. If Lone Wolf and Cub ever gets a good anime then I'll change my answer to that.

Nomar_952026-01-14 05:36

Gankutsuou

91 Days

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-14 06:55

I second 91 Days. I have not seen a lot out of Shuka, but this was one of my favorite anime originals on top of being a great commentary on revenge.

Adventurous-Half-6852026-01-14 06:59

Vinland Saga. Thorfinn spends his whole life chasing revenge, but sad that it doesn't make him feel satisfying, it slowly destroys him.

Also Naruto! Sasuke's revenge is epic, though a bit sad, too :-(

Zeallfnonex2026-01-14 07:41

... y'know, since it's topical to another thread today, Attack on Titan is also, on top of a heck of a lot of other things, a revenge story.

I'm pretty sure UC Gundam can be framed as a massive revenge story from quite a few characters, Char and Kamille come to mind.

soulreaverdan2026-01-14 07:56

Kamille definitely not kick starting an entire interstellar war because Jerrid wouldn't shut the fuck up.

Worried_Fisherman8932026-01-14 10:17

Can we really blame Jerid tho? The guy just *thought* that "Kamille" was a girl's name - he didn't say it out loud. Kamille then just deciding to go and physically attack him was just... bizarre. Hell, Kamille is definately a kid who is way too punchy, attacking anyone who doesn't agree with him. Certainly not a kid I'd put behind the controls of giant walking weapon platform...

alotmorealots2026-01-14 07:45

*Redo of Healer*, unironically. No holds barred, unsanitized nastiness, as befits the nature of revenge. That said, underneath that the adaptation team made some adjustments to the character writing to create an intriguing tale of a person who almost turns back from their dark path a couple of times, but then heads back down it again. That is quite rare in fiction overall.

Blackheart5952026-01-14 10:03

Gotta go with Gankutsuou on this one.

collapsedblock62026-01-14 05:41

I know I say this in almost every rewatch review I make but reading a comment about the Konosuba announcement about it being for the **10th** anniversary made me physically recoil, like what the fuck man, where did that time went.

I still have this mindest where anything after 2015 could squarely be said to be 'new' but by that standard, Azumanga Daioh or Kino's Journey were 'new' when I started watching anime in 2012. Like that was around the time where I started to witness 'staples' of anime like School Rumble, Zero no tsukaima or Honey & Clover start to fall off relevance.

It will be surreal to see anime that I personally witnessed people consider new 'staples' during the 2010s start to fade.

Time sucks man.

Donnie-G2026-01-14 08:28

Part of me still segregates old and new animation into cel and digital. It's kinda like WDYM Gundam SEED is OLD?! But yes we had a lot of Gundams after SEED.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-14 09:08

*Laughs with millennial brain which still thinks of the 80s when someone says something is 20 years old*

baquea2026-01-14 10:54

Part of it IMO is that anime has changed comparatively little in the past decade, when compared to the historical norm. There's been some gradual changes in artstyle and genre trends since 2015, but there's a lot that released a decade ago (Konosuba being one example) that no one would think looked dated if it were to release now, whereas the same couldn't be said about 2002 in 2012. Likewise, there's a bunch of anime from 2015 that are still getting new content: Konosuba obviously; OPM which just released a season 3; Gochiusa S2 which has a sequel in the works; Owarimonogatari which has a sequel in production; Osomatsu-san which released a sequel last year; Prisma Illya S3 which has a sequel in production; Gate which has a new anime in production; Gintama S4 which got a spin-off last year; Grisaia no Rakuen which got a spin-off last year; Jojo P3S2 which has a sequel in production; and so on. How many anime that aired in 2002 were still getting content in 2012? There were a couple of long-running battle shounens and that's pretty much it.

collapsedblock62026-01-14 13:40

I actually thought of adding a comment regarding how more long-lived franchises seemed to be but this is just a vibe check than factual dat backing it up.

When I started in 2012, I felt it was accepted that if your favorite anime got no sequel within 2-3 years, it was considered dead dead. Then if it got a 3rd season its because it was some absolute top tier anime that printed money. This trend of waiting like 7 years for a sequel and still announcing more feels new.

shizuna032026-01-14 06:05

Man I need to catch up with konosuba. Stopped in the middle of the megumin spinoff for some reason. Is the movie before s3?

Wiles_2026-01-14 07:40

I like Megumin the character but could not finish her show.

The movie is before S3.

alotmorealots2026-01-14 07:41

> Stopped in the middle of the megumin spinoff for some reason

I did this as well, although I do recall my reason as being "this isn't all that good compared to the main series" lol

Donnie-G2026-01-14 07:48

I gave it one episode and it didn't click. You kinda just need the full cast, otherwise its unbalanced. I like Megumin well enough but a full show about her and her chuunibyou village doesn't quite work. It's like a joke without the punchline.

Worried_Fisherman8932026-01-14 10:11

Even the original LN spin-off series wasn't great. I mean, yea, it gives *some* backstory to Megumin and her family and friends, but... you don't really need that.

I finished the Bakuen spin-off LNs, but only because it was just 3 volumes and I fell into the sunk-cost fallacy, but they genuinely aren't worth the time. Not that they do anything *wrong* per se, but it's just... well like you said, how funny can the "powerful-sorcerers-but-fucking-dorky" joke be when it's overused?

BaytaCosmico2026-01-14 10:20

Crap, it's Shiboyugi episode 2 day already and I'm yet to watch the first one. On the bright side, it's also Tamon-kun day and I'm looking forward to that so much.

AnimeMod2026-01-14 12:15

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