Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion

Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - January 19, 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

SSjjlex2026-01-19 11:42

it doesn't happen often, but sometimes anime websites can be really cool.

The recent [FX-Senshi Kurumi-chan website](https://fxkurumi-info.com/) is one of them.

Your scroll bar is a little candlestick chart that goes down as you scroll down and if you scroll down too far Kurumi is forced to take a cut loss and she falls down a spiral of despair as she loses all her money. Fun!

To whoever it is that suggested/programmed it, consider your contributions appreciated

alotmorealots2026-01-19 11:45

Yes, I was very impressed by that too! It's inventive, great use of the web technology and also shows an excellent understanding of the content of the series they're making the site for!

mr_beanoz2026-01-19 11:50

If only there's the other way around where the candlestick goes up and beyond

baseballlover7232026-01-19 12:43

Usually I really don't like those types of scroll effects, cause they make it way slower to scroll through the page (since you have to scroll through the animations as well as the page). But that was a good usage of it (and wasn't obnoxious since there isn't much to scroll through).

Usually it's more of a problem when someone decides their blog or article needs like 5 of them with each of them featuring like a sentence or 2's worth of information.

[](#sagiri)

Korkez112026-01-19 11:45

I once asked why there are a lot of anime that were reviewbombed for poor graphics no matter how good or bad the story was (I've seen people saying TBATE story wasn't bad for example) but Ascendance of a Bookworm was allowed to have 8+ MAL ratings despite having less than stellar visuals. And people told me that most of the shows I meant were battle shounens where sakuga is an essential part so if the show looks terrible it's not worth it. While Bookworm is borderline slice of life so the visuals don't really matter.

But now people criticize Champignon Witch specifically for its visuals. And it's definitely not battle shounen...

lalunafelis2026-01-19 11:54

Only thing that I can think of is that the character designs and color design aren't quite polished for my liking, but that's all I could think of.

fuzaco2026-01-19 12:33

Sometimes a show is too good to review bomb. Kingdom S1 has 7.87, and it's one of the worst looking shows ever made.

TehAxelius2026-01-19 12:34

There's a difference between reviewbombing and critique. Reviewbombing implies that there's an expectation and an unfair targeted effort at cratering a score for one reason or another. A show that is otherwise good can still be limited by limited animation (ask any yuri fan about the adapatations of their favorite manga), even if visuals aren't "as important".

And for the record, Champignon Witch is the studio's second highest score on MAL.

VoidEmbracedWitch2026-01-19 14:28

> (ask any yuri fan about the adapatations of their favorite manga)

Thankfully Aoi Hana has a production I think worked well thanks to its strong boarding and sense of timing for introspective moments. ~~Now... if Asumi-chan ever gets adapted, I probably will be massively disappointed.~~

awesomenessofme12026-01-19 14:28

I had to look it up and see what they were complaining about. 7.3 is fine. I wouldn't ever accuse something like that of being review bombed. My beloved MHT is also in that range because of visual issues, and I know for certain that has a great story.

KendotsX2026-01-19 13:14

>a lot of anime that were reviewbombed for poor graphics no matter how good or bad the story was

/u/TehAxelius addressed why that's not reviewbombing, so let me add a different perspective.

Let's imagine a theoretical all beloved novel being released today. Every single person who reads it agrees that it's the best thing ever. It was so good, Shakespeare had to send down a poem through the heavenly mail just to praise it.

So, of course, we've gotta milk this baby by adapting it into a movie, and they asked me to do it. I got two of my friends on camera, gave them the script to read it, shot them reading it, and went to the other room to play Zelda. Their reading is completely monotone, there's no direction, no acting, no backgrounds, nothing. The writing is word for word from the best novel ever, though, it's a *very* faithful adaptation.

Would you give my movie a 10/10 for its excellent writing (I would certainly appreciate it), or maybe you'd point out that the other aspects of the movie could've been a bit better?

To be clear, I'm not trying to criticise Champignon Witch, nor am I saying that every show needs to be a sakugafest, but good directing and creative visuals can go a long way in bringing the writing to a different medium.

baquea2026-01-19 14:17

Is the manga even that beloved? The scores for it on MAL and AL are pretty similar to those for the anime, and there's less than a thousand people on each who have read it.

KendotsX2026-01-19 15:00

My point wasn't about Champignon Witch specifically. To be clear, I have neither seen its anime nor read its manga.

But since OP made a general point about good stories being criticised for their "graphics", and that is part of a larger debate about "writing vs animation", I thought I'd address that general point, by taking it to its limit.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-19 13:57

Well, Champignion Witch is also unfortunately boring.

Outside of Luna I find that the characters all feel really "generic". Henry being an important part of episodes 1 and 2 SHOCKED me because he literally looks like a background character in the worst way.

Ascendance of a Bookworm is definitely ugly too, but it's got distinct character designs and it's got a really interesting and captivating story.

awesomenessofme12026-01-19 14:27

Just because it's not enough to completely bring down the score of a series (or people's individual enjoyment) doesn't mean poor visuals aren't an issue. I know I've seen people complain about the underwhelming production values of Bookworm and hope for improvement with the studio change. The Way of the Househusband managed to achieve scores between 7.2 and 7.6 despite not being animated, but that was still a significant drop from the manga.

mekerpan2026-01-19 16:12

Ultimately AoB's biggest problem has not been its visuals, but the way it has speed-rin through the story after S1.

lalunafelis2026-01-19 11:54

[This slot placement is CURSED](https://imgur.com/a/Uo7mflX)

alotmorealots2026-01-19 12:08

That does explain the hand gesture quite well...

quadrapep2026-01-19 12:10

Does anyone remember An anime scene where a child can’t yet bring themself to call their adoptive parent or sibling “Mom,” “Dad,” “Brother,” or “Sister,” because their biological parents or siblings, who died not long ago, are still irreplaceable. The child says that one day, they’ll be comfortable doing so. It’s a recent anime 2021-2024 I think, probably medieval fantasy Isekai?

Capable-Towel-63022026-01-19 12:18

Ok, on the third episode of Ikoku Nikki I couldn't avoid crying anymore. And it wasn't even about [Ikoku Nikki]>!Asa's situation, it's a scene of Makio receiving Nana's letter that somehow resonated with me so heavily.!<

cppn022026-01-19 12:52

Episode 3 was so good. Best anime episode I've seen in quite a while.

IXajll2026-01-19 13:04

Yea. For me, main credits this episode go to Sumire Morohoshi, how she did Emiri was incredible and played a huge part why the ep hit as hard as it did imo.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-19 15:39

I wasn't the biggest fan of episodes 1 and 2 as I felt like it was leaning way too heavily into "everyone is perfect", but my god did episode 3 land. If the rest of the show is on par with this we're in for something special.

mekerpan2026-01-19 16:09

My very favorite sort of show is Japanese drama movies centered around family life (including sometimes "found families") -going back to the late 1920s. Ikoku Nikki is squarely in this tradition. So that makes this series feel like it was made just for me.

In shows of this sort, even tiny little details can evoke "mistiness" - more often this happens in (unexpectedly) happy moments or sweetly nostalgic ones -- rather than tragic ones. So far, from ep 1 on, this show has been excellent -- and getting even better as it moves forward

BaytaCosmico2026-01-19 12:36

Polar Opposites and Tamon-kun still going neck to neck for most fun show of the season. I still think Tamon is funnier but Polar Opposites is satisfying the romcom lover in me more. This second episode made me squee so much I had pause to take a break from the overwhelming cuteness!

Ham_PhD2026-01-19 15:30

Polar Opposites is, indeed, overwhelmingly cute.

Zeallfnonex2026-01-19 16:00

I think I fell for the overhype for Polar Opposites, cuz I'm finding myself thoroughly whelmed by it. Not saying it's bad by any means, but it didn't really get me as engrossed as it seemed to get a bunch of other regulars here...

pachipachi71522026-01-19 17:28

Similar reaction here. I think I'm just not as much of a fan of these fluff stories.

BiggieCheeseLapDog2026-01-19 17:43

I think it’s more than just a fluff story. Episode 1 portrays Suzuki’s conflict of holding her inner feelings in because she’s afraid of judgement very well through scene’s like her going to the bathroom to recharge. She’s an actual character instead of a vehicle to deliver the fluffiest of feelings.

pachipachi71522026-01-19 18:28

I get that. The thing is, the other characters are immediately supportive of her. A more dramatic story would have a lot more conflict than this stuff just being in the protagonist's head.

BiggieCheeseLapDog2026-01-19 18:31

They’re supportive of her because they’re her friends. The conflict was how she expected the absolute worst from the world around her only for those worries to be irrational. What makes the development compelling is that she’s finally being sincere and shedding that worry about what other people think. There’s no reason for her friends to not be supportive of her, but she believed they wouldn’t be. Along with her newfound sincerity, she abandoned her mindset of expecting the worst out of people. The point is that it’s in her head. Internal conflict is just as compelling as external.

pachipachi71522026-01-19 18:39

I think we just have different definitions of fluff. I don't think fluff necessarily means no conflict but a lesser level of conflict. Also, I disagree with your last statement. I think the most compelling conflict needs at least some basis in the external world. There are more stakes and more avenues for the story to go than the character just clearing up a misunderstanding in their head.

Puddo2026-01-19 13:23

Youtube giving usefull recs for once making me realise another Japanese university puts some student films online. So I watched some from Hiroshima City University and quite like [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdovGzA29Hk) from Hinata Nishikawa. Well ignoring the annoying sounds. Could do without those. But animation wise it's great. Always love this free flowing one take-esque animation. With all the interesting transitions, moving pieces and animated backgrounds it can feel incredibly pleasing. [Crazy for it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVemakxszg0), [Moment of Truth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJTfuQfbths), [Aeon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIbIaK513pY), [Pickle Plum Parade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_GDOUQGXo), [Airy Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DkPNgpdhZA); all some of the most stunning pieces of animation I've seen.

I could watch them for ages (if they wouldn't give me a headache eventually). Which does make it feel a bit odd that I don't really like the modernish trend with action anime to have those kinds of scenes. Though maybe that's also just me not caring that much about action to begin with and mostly only seeing those scenes online while I don't follow the show (so I already don't have any idea what's going on), they're the dimmed tv versions and probably not uploaded with the best quality (or the player can't handle it).

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-19 14:51

Airy Me was one of those student films that I was shocked was a student film. There’s a lot of great content in those programs, for certain.

GardenOfTheBlackRose2026-01-19 14:34

Is there any anime about a cat girl in a school setting? (I dreamed about watching one and I’m just trying to confirm it doesn’t actually exists haha)

CerberusZX2026-01-19 15:08

While the catgirl is not the protagonist, [Seton Academy](https://myanimelist.net/anime/40483/Murenase_Seton_Gakuen) has a catgirl in a school setting.

I haven't watched [Isuca](https://myanimelist.net/anime/25429/Isuca), but the description mentions "nekomata" and "school," so it might fit.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-19 19:49

> Seton Academy

This show was slept on, it was actually kinda good!

Had a few really strong/fun moments too. (Wanted to clip some of them but procrastinated for a couple weeks or 5 years)

alotmorealots2026-01-19 15:46

Blue Archive has a catgirl in a school setting, although she's one of many students: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCXITORqOLU

Infodump_Ibis2026-01-19 16:38

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku? Well, Cat girl is in the title but android with the brain of a cat is not the usual cat girl appearance (no ears or tail).

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-19 14:37

Kotesashi-kun is surprisingly good visually considering its a wwwave production, but I guess Quad is just a much better studio than Elias.

entelechtual2026-01-19 14:47

I finished the last season of Familiar of Zero yesterday. It was a solid ending and the last season was a slight notch above season 3, but I’m guessing they had to rush through to finish the story. Season 2 was the best by a long shot.

Overall it was a fun series with some surprisingly touching moments. I really enjoy seeing Louise and Saito learning to value themselves and each other. The story and worldbuilding are pretty simple but it’s fine enough.

Unfortunately there’s a lot of rough spots. I’ve seen a lot of complaints about Louise being violent but honestly, that’s not even the worst of it, it’s way more insufferable that 19 times a season Saito gets into some inexplicable misunderstanding involving him grabbing another girl’s boobs. It’s also really annoying how [Familiar of Zero] >!every single girl’s personality is reduced to I love Saito; Siesta was awful almost from the start, but Henrietta went from being an interesting conflicted character to betraying her best friend because she’s horny!<. It was also really ill-suited to bingeing because you end up seeing the same unfunny jokes with astronomical frequency.

Nachtwandler_FS2026-01-19 19:31

They had 2,5 more seasons worth of story left and they changed the very final arc to fit the narrative.

Wiles_2026-01-19 14:50

> This is the place!

Xam'd. Not a show that gets mentioned much anymore. Probably remembers most so one of the better Evangelion 'ripoffs'.

nwl1232026-01-19 15:01

Quarter final for "Best Seiyuu of Fall 2025" has [started](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1qh4wii/fall_2025_best_seiyuu_of_the_season_voting/)!

awesomenessofme12026-01-19 15:30

Apparently Medalist S2 is only going to be 9 episodes, not even 10 like previous leaks suggested. If it means they can maintain the quality of the first season, I won't complain too much, but it is a bit disappointing. I guess it's probably just a matter of how the story naturally divided itself. I'd have less of an issue with it if I had more confidence in the movie getting released in theaters here.

AwaySpell2026-01-19 19:12

I'm relieved about it. There was no way ENGI was going to pull off another full cour with the same quality in only one year, so the less episodes the more likely it is the quality won't nosedive.

My guess is that the movie is pretty much the remaining 4 episodes of the cour, split off to ease the burden while still having a season out to coincide with the Olympics.

Maliblue132026-01-19 19:31

I have been awaiting Medalist patiently. With this news, all 3 of the big returning series I am watching this season will have a short run (Frieren at 10 episodes, Oshi no Ko at 11.) I agree that a shorter episode count is fine if it means preserving the quality of the show. Still a little sad about it though.

GenTrapstar2026-01-19 15:36

When are we getting a new Hells Paradise?

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-19 15:49

The second episode of season 2 came out yesterday, so the next episode comes out on the 25th.

GenTrapstar2026-01-19 16:04

Oh snap I didn’t even know season two had started. I was on Netflix and saw them showing season 1 and it made me think of it so I posted it. Thanks for the heads up.

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-19 16:07

Not sure if Netflix has season 2 yet, but [Crunchyroll definitely does](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GJ0H7Q5ZJ/hells-paradise).

GenTrapstar2026-01-19 16:10

Yep I’m on crunchyroll now watching

Time_Fracture2026-01-19 17:58

Netflix also has it weekly, but only on [select regions of Asia](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DC6rr0KHE8). Since my region only got Hell's Paradise on Netflix, not CR.

If you can watch it on both platforms, you're in luck.

zsmg2026-01-19 16:12

> This is the place!

Says enough that the only thing I remember from this anime is the opening. RUN AWAY ^^^RUN ^^^AWAY ^^^^^^RUN ^^^^^^AWAY

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-19 16:20

Ah, it's Golden Kamuy and Vigilantes monday!

Appropriate_Check4052026-01-19 16:36

i recommend made in abyss

theangryeditor2026-01-19 16:39

>this is the place

RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY

[](#micdrop)

Durinthal2026-01-19 16:57

Two observations about Precure in general:

1. It's usually more fun when there's a Tomoyo around: a friend in the know but without any powers themselves.

2. The adult women baddies (usually lieutenants that summon the monster of the week) tend to be pretty hot. [](#ero)

Happiness Charge has reminded me of Heartcatch from the start and for good reason, the director Tatsuya Nagamine was also the series director for the latter. Sadly he [passed away last year](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2025-11-13/one-piece-dragon-ball-super-series-director-tatsuya-nagamine-dies/.230989) with the Fish-Man Island Saga from One Piece being his last work.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-19 17:07

[Spy×Family S3 ep 13] >!Angry Nightfall is scary. Embarrassed Nightfall is scarier.!<

Another season down, with my usual complaint of some great arcs interspersed with too much Anya.

cosmiczar2026-01-19 17:12

I've been watching the original *Yoroiden Samurai Troopers* and I can't stop thinking about how funny it is that the show's title already had an English word and a perfectly understandable Japanese word that doesn't need translating (which is also how the characters are called in-universe), but then the show was localized in the US as *Ronin Warriors*, changing the English word for something else and the Japanese one for a less well-known alternative. There's an unsourced claim in the Portuguese Wikipedia (which also features the obviously untrue information that Yoshiyuki Tomino is the director of one of the OVAs) that this happened because the producers didn't want people confusing it with *VR Troopers* and *Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad* lol. Sounds plausible enough, but still feels like a pointless change, either way

But what's even funnier is that when we got the show here in Brazil (with a localization that seems to mix elements from the original Japanese, the English localization and the Spanish one), the name it was released under was *Samurai Warriors*. Yes, in English, even though we don't speak that here. If the show really needed, for whatever reason, to have an English title, and we weren't doing the one from the US, why not just *Samurai Troopers*? I really don't get it lol. Regardless, *Samurai Warriors* really did became how everybody around here knows the show to the point the Portuguese subs on the trailer released by Crunchyroll for the current airing sequel still features the characters being called "Samurai Warriors"

Now about the show itself: because of how young I was at the time, I don't actually have any memories of watching it when it was on TV, even if I do recall having a toy of the green-armored fella, so this watch feels like the real first contact I have with the show and after 19 episodes (where the first arc ends) my veredict is that it's fine, with a couple of standout episodes, like #13

The weirdest thing about the show is how, on episode 1, all the five Troopers immediately appear with their armors and jump into action, without the show giving us any context about them, like what they were doing immediately before the invasion of the bad guys, and we never really learn anything about them, besides their general personalities, in those following 18 episodes. Like, where are they from? How old are they? Do they go to school? Do they have any family or friends? How did they got the armors? Why were they chosen to done those armors? Do they have any other specific motivation for fighting besides wanting to save the world? Where did the red guy get his pet white tiger? I feel like I never watched a show that is this devoid of context about its main characters before. We don't even see the characters in civilian clothes outside of the ED! But, at least the civilian clothes part, things seem to change with the new arc that starts from episode 20 so I'm curious to see if any of the questions I have will be answered

Alt22212026-01-19 18:58

its a script writing master class. the authors knew that 10 year old kids would *never* ask any of those questions. actual 200 iq play by the production team.

cosmiczar2026-01-19 19:11

I definitely respect the hustle! I'm just really surprised because I never saw a show quite like it in that front.

Verzwei2026-01-19 17:47

That's a shot from Xam'd! A studio bones original from the aughts and shortly after Eureka Seven.

While it wasn't as heavily music influenced (and infused) as E7, it did have an [absolute banger opening](https://v.animethemes.moe/BounenNoXamdou-OP1.webm) titled *Shut Up And Explode*.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-19 18:18

I guess that's what going to be stuck in my head for today.

Quiddity1312026-01-19 18:31

Interestly enough, Xam'd is a show on my 2026 PTW list, because its a BONES show.

cosmiczar2026-01-19 18:49

> absolute banger opening

I'm pretty sure I have watched this OP before, but I didn't recall anything about it. Rewatching it now and it's funny that, even though the show has fairly similar designs and aesthetic to E7, it's still very easy to clock which cut was personally animated by E7's character designer Kenichi Yoshida (the one between 0:28 and 0:32) instead of just looking similar to his work (which looks that similar mostly thanks to Ayumi Kurashima, Xam'd character designer, who was someone who worked under Yoshida a few times, including in E7, and that greatly influenced her style). Those drawings are so him that they stand out even in the midst of a lot of vaguely E7-looking stuff

mekerpan2026-01-19 17:52

Watched a 2020 anime movie -- Love Me, Love Me Not. Pretty looking overall, but felt a bit bland and generic. Not bad -- but very little that felt distinctive in terms of characters, dialog and/or story.

entelechtual2026-01-19 18:46

I really liked it, it was nothing original but it felt earnest and messy in a good way.

mekerpan2026-01-19 18:48

I didn't **dis**like. I am glad to have seen it. But it is not anything I will ever need to see again.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-19 18:21

Shiboyugi premiere has finally been watched. I don't know what I was expecting but wow that was intense. This is my first death game based show so I was not expecting quite so much grimness.

The cinematic vibe, and moreso the art house cinema vibe, was to be expected from this director though. That long opening sequence of just cars on a highway and the camera panning down and around was so good. The details in it, man!

And the sound design throughout was simply incredible. The production values and directorial choices (including the mix of live action shots) reminded me so much of The Summer Hikaru Died actually.

What this lacks so far are relatable characters. We're kept at arm's length from them on purpose seemingly. Like those long shots lacking facial details. I can sort of understand why but it affects my personal enjoyment when I'm not able to latch on to any character's interiority.

This is still a very good show so far and I expect it will continue to be one but it's probably not going to be a personal favourite.

In other news, tried watching today's episode of Wash It All Away right after this and I actually starting dozing off. I thought I'd keep it around since it was my only Monday show but now I'm thinking it's time to drop it.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-19 19:46

> This is my first death game based show

As a death game enjoyer, should probably tell you not to use that as the standard for future death game shows hah;

I don't know what it is with this genre, but the vast majority of them have awful production, terrible writing, etc.

So it was nice to see one done well (well produced, great sound design as you said, good VAs, everything!)

Infodump_Ibis2026-01-19 18:56

Ever wondered what anime leaves streaming services in Japan? [This animatetimes article](https://www.animatetimes.com/news/details.php?id=1768568999) shows some Amazon Prime Video Japan and Netflix Japan departures for this month (they state it's focused on classics, noteworthy and popular shows i.e. not a complete list).

It's surprising to see some shows that aren't yet 2 years old (e.g. **Nina the Starry Bride** and **You are Ms. Servant**). If I look at kids IP (also some recent ones) and think not a surprise as the stakeholder would rather eyes are on toys still being sold maybe that statement applies to the enthusiast anime and merch as well.

The most obscure one by virtue of age is **Koisuru Tenshi Angelique: Kagayaki no Ashita**. It was a Winter 2007 show (fansubbed 2009) and based on the Angelique otome game IP (Angelique was the first otome game in 1994, has a lot more sim elements rather than being pure VN that many titles are now).

Wanderingjoke2026-01-19 18:58

[Isekai lovers](https://i.imgur.com/cuYiacC.jpeg).

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-19 19:19

I am in this picture and I love it

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-19 19:42

Even as a Isekai Hater I agree!

I've always thought Isekai was an interesting basis for a story, the problem is they do shit with it 99% of the time.

Blue_Reaper992026-01-19 19:24

Did Crunchyroll go back to start using previous software again ? I have noticed typesetting has been quite good this season and not just limited to popular shows either.

SSjjlex2026-01-19 22:27

Feels 50/50 to me. Doux, Ikoku Nikki, and Invisible Man don't have any special typesetting, but Polar Opposites, Tamon-kun, and Wash it All Away do.

Though even then, the average quality of the non-typeset ones are still better than before thankfully (as in stuff like multi-dialogue timing)

Infodump_Ibis2026-01-19 22:36

Not seen any problems for English but I've heard Latin American Spanish subs for at least The Holy Grail of Eris, JJK S3 and Sentenced to be a Hero had a rugpull. Those were fine for ep 1 (ep 1+2 for JJK) but gone to shit for ep 2 (3 for JJK). I checked all the sub tracks for Eris only and only the aforementioned was nerfed compared to ep 1 (although, the East Asian languages were always unstyled but being fairly new languages I don't think they had a culture for styled subs).

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-19 19:39

I had a decent amount of hype for **Romcom with childhood friends**, but it slowly faded away more and more with every passing episode.

As a harem enthusiast I've dealt with my fair share of dense MCs and I usually don't even mind them too much, but this one IS too much. I don't know if he was meant to be funny but he's not. He's infuriating.

Plus they don't seem to want to introduce Tomboy before the 274th episode, and I won't endure MC for that long.

And so farewell, childhood friends!

[Dropped!](#thebutton)

GondolaMedia2026-01-19 19:55

You'll be so sorry when they drop childhood friend Tomboy next episode!

[**Cope**](#seasonaldepression)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-19 19:58

I was waiting for her in the hope she would save this show, but at this point I think even a tomboy can't save it.

entelechtual2026-01-19 20:35

In the MC’s defense [childhood friend ep 3] >!he thought he nailed it and was about to confront them and blue hair girl blue-hair-girled herself.!< It doesn’t feel like the issue is being dense but rather too many incidents of brushing off their feelings. And it’s pretty much what I expect from a show like this.

wloff2026-01-19 22:47

The show is bad. I know it's bad. But I'm still somehow having a really good time watching it.

[](#yuishrug)

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-19 19:56

Damn, 29 of the OPs/EDs for the 19 shows I'm watching this season have their full versions available so far, and I only have two "sore demo"s to show for it out of all of those (Jigokuraku S2's ED and SI-VIS's second OP). I normally have way more than that in a season.

[](#seasonalpout)

Here's hoping some of the remaining nine give me something when they come out. [](#seasonalpls)

chum-guzzling-shark2026-01-19 19:57

I haven't seen much discussion on this. But I noticed Golden Kamuy is on the last season so I thought "oh I should check that out!". I'm watching season 2 now but this show is undoubtedly racist. [Golden Kamuy] >!It suffers from the "magical negro / noble savage" tropes. Asirpa mentions multiple times that she's a "modern Ainu". She chooses not to follow Ainu traditions which makes her more palatable to Japanese audiences. She "chooses" not to get a mouth tattoo because it's old fashioned. Yet in real life, it's because the Ainu were persecuted and tattoos were made illegal. The author could have easily addressed that without derailing the story. Asirpa, and the Ainu culture, are simply there as a tool to make the protagonists life better. Need food? Don't worry here's how the Ainu do it!<

On the other hand, as a non-Japanese, I've never heard of the Ainu before this show. I've now done a bit of reading and am aware of their culture. That never would have happened if I hadn't seen this show. Does that justify it? Is bad representation better than no representation? I'm really conflicted. I will say, overall, I do enjoy the show but I'm sensitive to it's portrayal of an indigenous population that was treated extremely poorly.

_Ridley2026-01-19 20:42

I won't argue that it gets everything right, but I think the story offers a wide enough variety of Ainu characters with different approaches to life and relationships with their culture that it's a bit of a stretch to say that it positions Asirpa's way as the aspirational one true way. And the variety also undercuts the idea that it's putting forth a noble savage archetype. The Ainu characters all have different motivations and morals, in line with their Japanese counterparts.

Ham_PhD2026-01-19 21:21

I can't speak specifically on all aspects since I'm not Ainu, nor does my knowledge of Ainu culture extend beyond Golden Kamuy.

That being said, the mangaka is very well researched on Ainu culture as is evident if you read the manga. There is so much additional depth and exploration into a myriad of topics that it can often feel like you are reading a museum exhibit. I won't say that the "noble savage" trope isn't present, but I really don't think the author is attempting to do anything in bad faith.

I never once thought that the Ainu weren't being represented in a positive way (as a whole at least).

Chi905042026-01-19 20:12

In 'Yarinaoshi Reijou wa Ryuutei Heika wo Kouryakuchuu' why was Gerald der Kratos so set on Jill Cervel at the start of her do over?

MiLiLeFa2026-01-19 20:15

*[Starry☆Sky](https://myanimelist.net/anime/7705)* does this fun thing where instead of having an MC with a harem, we follow the harems members as they interact with the MC and each other. I feel like I've seen that specific hypothetical thrown around as a story idea fairly often, but subversionists are once again behind the curve of what's actually been done.

theangryeditor2026-01-19 20:17

When life gives you lemons use it for hotpot and underage drinking

[HanaKimi 4]>!that hotpot makes purple anime goop sound appetizing [](#ptsd)!<

_Ridley2026-01-19 20:34

Yesterday's episode is the kind of content that kept me reading the manga. Like, what half-baked nonsense are these kids getting into next? I could never guess, lol.

Tomorrow_Big2026-01-19 20:19

It's extremely rare for me to drop a show in the middle of an episode, since it requires a show to either be so utterly boring I'm actually falling asleep watching it, or so distasteful that even I can't stand it. The latter has yet to happen, while Part-Time Torturer falls into the former category. Thankfully, I have *only* eight other shows to watch on Sundays (not counting Princession due to fansub waiting room), so I'm sure I'll manage just fine.

awesomenessofme12026-01-19 20:30

The vast majority of shows I've dropped have been in the middle of an episode. (Well, sorta. I don't actually count something as dropped on my list unless I've seen a full episode, and that's only happened once or twice. There are around 5-10 I've stopped watching during episode 1.)

Korkez112026-01-19 20:20

I remember To Your Eternity S1 was one of the most upvoted and acclaimed show of its season on this sub... and now by S3 it completely fell into irrelevance.

theangryeditor2026-01-19 20:26

Many such cases

awesomenessofme12026-01-19 20:24

I haven't started it yet because of the dub delay, but I noticed that Trigun Stargaze is off to a pretty poor start in terms of MAL score. Not *bad*, but noticeably lower than S1 despite the sequel effect. Is there actually some problem with it, or is this just a MAL idiosyncracy?

_Ridley2026-01-19 20:31

I think it's about the same as S1, quality-wise, so who knows.

cppn022026-01-19 20:48

S1 started also pretty low due to both CG haters and people who didn't like that this changed the story and only went up after the season ended.

I certainly haven't seen any particular reason in the episodes themselves.

awesomenessofme12026-01-19 20:50

You'd think they would have given up on it at this point, but I guess the second cour of something isn't that far to hatewatch.

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-19 20:55

It might be the tonal shift similar to but not as severe as Vinland Saga had between seasons 1 and 2.

marshmallow_sunshine2026-01-19 20:40

In my pre season 2 Medalist hype I came across [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cv3vlylpYM&list=RD3cv3vlylpYM&start_radio=1) that edits/animates panels from the manga which I thought was pretty cool and just wanted to share. They have some other good ones too aside from Medalist like [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVcVxddOzPs) for the upcoming I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day.

zairaner2026-01-19 20:47

> like this one for the upcoming I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day.

This is probably one of my most rewatched AMV's, so genuinely amazing. Feels like he captured the series so well.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-19 20:47

Finished One Punch Man. This season was definitely a step down. I think it had some justifiable animation issues that were somewhat overblown, though it did seem they blew their whole animation budget on the climax of the final episode. But my real issue is that the titular character was barely in it.

SaxLeo2026-01-19 20:56

With this stardom and money idk why didnt get decent animation done?

mr_beanoz2026-01-20 02:23

Lack of time to polish, possibly. See the studio's other works like Unlimited Gacha or this season's Tamon for comparison.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-19 21:00

I kind of want to start shiboyugi

[](#evilgrin 'I may or may not have ulterior motives to farm daggers and reports')

Ham_PhD2026-01-19 21:24

We must stand strong.

theangryeditor2026-01-19 23:12

What if you like it tho

[](#schemingsaten)

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-19 23:21

Im not saying I wont like it, Im saying I will post rule 2 references.

[](#urbansmile)

theangryeditor2026-01-19 23:26

[](#harukathonk)

Also the Daily thread technically doesn't have a rule 2

[](#hikariactually)

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-19 23:32

I thought I posted this in cdf

[](#kotourashock)

Komarist2026-01-19 23:14

Join the dark side

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-20 00:35

The 500 alt accounts I use in best girl contests are ready to downvote you if you say anything negative about it

[](#punch)

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-20 00:44

what about if i quote a certain tweet whenever it is applicable, hopefully in every episode discussion thread, unless i get [](#modabuse)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-20 00:50

Assuming that's the rule 2, to be honest I'm not even sure what that could be about!

[](#flustered)

Abysswatcherbel2026-01-20 03:47

I can send you very convincing marketing material

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-20 04:01

im starting to think half the people who replied to me didnt read da alt text

Wanderingjoke2026-01-19 21:23

A 25:xx minute show is only a minute or two longer than standard, but there is a psychological effect that makes it feel so much longer.

Anyway, time to start catching up on Blue Orchestra.

mr_beanoz2026-01-20 02:23

And then you got something that's 30 minutes like some episodes of Arjuna because the episode also included an intermission segment.

Durinthal2026-01-19 21:48

The first season of Seirei Gensouki ended in a way that I imagine annoyed people, effectively starting the next arc in the back half of the final episode as a prompt to go read the source material. It apparently did well enough to get a second season announced a few months later (and the [announcement thread](/r/anime/comments/qn7si1/seirei_gensouki_spirit_chronicles_season_2/) has comments about how the order of some things was changed for the first season) but it didn't come out for another three years.

As a result the final scene from the first season is essentially a shorter version of how the second starts, which I suppose is better overall given the time gap. Interestingly there's a fictional language involved at times (maybe a full conlang but I didn't dive deep enough to check) which *sounds* somewhat like Japanese (in the same way that [this sounds similar to English](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU-wH8SrFro) but isn't), but there are Japanese subtitles as well. [One neat aspect of that] >!is that one character acts as an automatic interpreter through magic so for a lot of the conversation that follows you hear both the usual Japanese dialogue and also the isekai language version underneath when spoken by/to a character that doesn't know Japanese.!< Though I also saw people complaining about that in the episode thread so I guess it wasn't appreciated by everyone.

Anyway the series continues to be structured somewhat strangely and doesn't feel like it flows well. There were multiple time skips over the course of the first season and I'm wondering if there are more to come. Also the first season doesn't deserve the romance tag in my opinion but that's nothing new.

[](#taigasigh)

Komarist2026-01-19 23:12

> Though I also saw people complaining about that in the episode thread so I guess it wasn't appreciated by everyone

Was neat for the first episode but annoying by the time it was resolved

MercifulWombat2026-01-19 21:49

Can anyone tell me which episode of *Tenchi Muyo* has Tenchi crossdressing as a girl to sneak across some kind of intergalactic border? A guard says "You have a very masculine frame for a girl." and he replies something like "Um well, my father was a man." I haven't been able to find the clip searching online.

I need it to make fun of *In the Clear Moonlit Dusk* because the main character keeps talking about "the masculine face I inherited from my parents."

Durinthal2026-01-19 22:00

Sounds like episode 21 (*No Need for a Checkpoint!*) though I didn't check to find the exact scene you're talking about.

MercifulWombat2026-01-19 22:08

Thanks! Gonna check that one now.

Edit: Oh, it's Tench Universe, not Tenchi Muyo! no wonder I couldn't find it! 😅

NefariousnessNo81222026-01-19 22:31

watch dragon ball z

baboon_bassoon2026-01-19 22:35

[JJK question]>!why does everyone care about Tsumiki besides her being Fushiguros sister? Does she have some significance in the power balance?!<

anime only pls

mr_beanoz2026-01-20 02:17

\[Anime Season 2\] >!She's not a sorcerer, meaning she has no way to defend herself if she would face a sorcerer. And there's something about her possibly becoming a vessel as stated on the final episode of season 2.!<

baboon_bassoon2026-01-20 02:20

[ah, gratzie](#nichijouthumbs)

Salty1452026-01-19 23:13

I wonder how many series I have to watch before I just go all in on “anime is falling off”.

There’s a point that got made on some post the other day that I’ve been thinking about for a few days now. The general idea was that anime’s “middle class” has started to disappear. There’s still a bunch of great shows, and a lot of seasonal filler, but there’s a certain caliber of mid-tier show that has slowly disappeared off the charts.

I think production values have fallen off a lot more than we give them credit for. I feel like I’m stumbling into random shows from the early-mid 2010s that surprise me with how sharp their productions are, in a way the 2020s haven’t really replicated. Shot composition, character animation and color have taken massive hits as well. There’s plenty of garbage too, but even there I feel like a lot less works these days can be criticized for being *too* ambitious in the way I can for a good selection of 2010s works. On that front, it’s as if a lot of what is succeeding these days succeeds *despite* the industry conditions, instead of *because* of it. I’ll also add that I don’t think the volume of truly top tier shows has really gone up quite as much as the overall volume of shows, but that is, of course, just an opinion.

Like at the end of the day, I’ve got to invoke Doakes again, cause I can’t say anything definitive or even that I’m not just falling for sampling bias again… but I really *feel* like this is the case, even if I can’t fully prove it yet.

But there’s just something about shows like *Star Driver, Ookami-san, World Conquest Zvestria Plot, Sakura Quest, Punch Line*, or slightly better works like *The Eccentric Family, Princess Jellyfish, Space Brothers* and *Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun* that I watch them and feel something that’s missing from a lot of newer shows. I just can’t fully put my finger on it… yet.

SpaceTurtleHunter2026-01-19 23:39

> The general idea was that anime’s “middle class” has started to disappear. There’s still a bunch of great shows, and a lot of seasonal filler, but there’s a certain caliber of mid-tier show that has slowly disappeared off the charts.

I call absolute bullshit on this unless I'm proven wrong by some very solid statistic.

Salty1452026-01-20 00:09

I mean like I said, my evidence right now is just “vibes”. You can agree, you can disagree, such is the nature of opinions.

pachipachi71522026-01-20 02:05

Whether or not something's middle class is disappearing is very much in the realm of fact and not opinion.

Salty1452026-01-20 02:35

It’s not. I can say “there seems to be less 7-7.5/10 shows” and that’s not something I can really prove with data.

Charmanders_Cock2026-01-20 03:17

>realm of fact

There would need to be a generally agreed upon definition of “middle class” as it pertains to anime, like there is for economics, for this to be anywhere near the realm of fact. The only fact you’re going to find to that end is that there is no generally agreed upon definition and that Salty is using it in an openly subjective way.

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 01:20

what kind of solid statistic do you need? you can look at the trends and see how animation director counts have inflated, or how every production has become more dependent on 2nd key animation, or how a lot of previously premiere studios are no longer reaching the heights they did previously, or how many remakes can't approximate quality of old

and demon slayer/jjk/your name have completely changed the playing field. big time producers at megacorpo studios need every anime to be the biggest, most prestigious production. there is from a production standpoint not a lot of 'mid-range' teams making quality, healthy, and modest works as much anymore

this is not to say it doesn't happen at all e.g. ajia-do, lapin track, the shuka team doing ikoku nikki, the new sasayuri team doing cocoon etc. but its very observable to see this erosion of the 'AA' anime

SpaceTurtleHunter2026-01-20 02:10

> what kind of solid statistic do you need?

Any kind that defines what a "middle class" show is and demonstrates that their distribution meaningfully changed over the last years. It's a provable statement about the observable world after all.

> a lot of previously premiere studios are no longer reaching the heights they did previously

Wouldn't that mean the opposite? That those studios went from high-tier shows to mid-tier shows this increasing the share of the "middle class"?

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 02:22

> Any kind that defines what a "middle class" show is and demonstrates that their distribution meaningfully changed over the last years. It's a provable statement about the observable world after all.

what's your definition of it?

> Wouldn't that mean the opposite? That those studios went from high-tier shows to mid-tier shows this increasing the share of the "middle class"?

personally i don't think it's about the end product's quality but instead production demands and being high profile. so no, i don't think we need to suggest bones is now a small(er) studio because they went from FMA to gachiakuta, for example

SpaceTurtleHunter2026-01-20 03:09

> what's your definition of it?

If I had to give one I would probably simply go with "a show that I gave 7/10 score", but I'm not the one making wild claims that anime industry is in decline because I'm giving less 7's nowadays (also in my case the number stays pretty much consistent, but that's irrelevant).

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 03:17

oh, okay. i don't think ratings either personal or aggregate have much to do with production trends, so i'm not sure how to respond to that. i can dispute that these are 'wild' claims though; industry veterans, in the know critics, and numerous producers have similarly called out that anime's production floor has simply collapsed

SpaceTurtleHunter2026-01-20 03:59

You still need statistics for a discussion to be had. "The vibes are bad" is not data, at best it's a sign that there's something worth checking.

"The amount of shows on NHK with rating between 0.3 and 1.0 has dropped by 40% since 2016", "During the last 10 years the average amount of animation directors per episode has increased from 4 to 11 in the middle 60 percentile, while staying consistent in the top 20%", "The average time allocated to producing a single season has decreased by 4 months since 2020" - something like that would be a production trend, "old guys say things were better in the past" is not.

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 04:08

what does NHK popularity have to do with anything? what do you even mean with middle 60 percentile, in what category? what do you glean from production time in a vacuum? these statistics are useless without broader contextualization offered by people who are either in or deeply familiar with the anime industry (not all of which are 'old guys'..? strange observation of yours)

SpaceTurtleHunter2026-01-20 04:22

> what does NHK popularity have to do with anything?

It's an abstract example of defining a "middle-class" show and providing data to argue that the distribution is changing.

> what do you even mean with middle 60 percentile, in what category?

In the category of "shows ordered by average amount of animation directors per episode".

> these statistics are useless without broader contextualization

I guess it's really convenient that a random producer saying "it's so over" doesn't really require any contextualization or any data cause that statement is functionally unprovable.

_Ridley2026-01-20 02:50

> big time producers at megacorpo studios need every anime to be the biggest, most prestigious production. there is from a production standpoint not a lot of 'mid-range' teams making quality, healthy, and modest works as much anymore

A bold claim in a season with Tis Time for Torture, Princess, Shiboyugi, Ikoku Nikki, Tamon's B-Side, and You and I Are Polar Opposites.

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 03:14

i do mention Shuka (ikoku nikki) and Lapin Track (Polar Opposites) in my post but i find your other examples interesting;

'tis time for torture princess is not a particularly healthy production. modest, perhaps, but it too falls victim to what i mentioned before (its key members leaving, overall layout issues due to degradation of studio culture)

shiboyugi is my favorite show this season but i wouldn't call that a AA production. it's barely kept together and it's to Souta Ueno's merit that he gets this much out of it (he's a superb director and also makes a lot of economical decisions to make aspects of production easier)

so i think having about ~3 of those healthier 'AA' (for a lack of better term) shows in a season does show a notable downward trend, even if there's still a handful that thankfully succeed

Blue_Reaper992026-01-20 06:16

There is also MHA Vigilante and Fire force which I would say is AA.

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 06:38

i wouldn't. they're big shonen franchises adapted by massive studios

Blue_Reaper992026-01-20 07:40

But where would you put them though? Cause they are humble compared to JJK S3 , FSF , Frieren , ONK and Sentenced. Fire Force S1 and S2 were definitely in a similar league but so far S3 is a bit lower. I will also put Hell's Paradise in the same league as FF and Vigilante.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-20 03:56

How many of these anime do you expect to be relevant in 2 years?

I don't think that anime has gotten worse definitively, but I do think it's undeniable that from a cultural standpoint anything that doesn't break into the mainstream is quickly forgotten. Shows that are mild hits from less than a few years ago are already forgotten.

_Ridley2026-01-20 05:44

That's both a different topic, and kinda how it's been since the 2010s. There's too much out every season for there to be a ton of shows "everyone" watches.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-20 05:47

Yeah, agreed.

Blue_Reaper992026-01-20 06:24

>you can look at the trends and see how animation director counts have inflated, or how every production has become more dependent on 2nd key animation

That's cause demand and ambition has been increased. Art style in modern shows are also more demanding. But the production time does not increase that much.

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 06:41

> ambition has been increased

no

but otherwise yes the demand in sheer volume but also in need to have super detailed character art to make every tv show look like demon slayer and your name (despite not having the teams to make things look like that) without giving teams the necessary time has made big anime look worse too.

this also impacts the mid-level, 'AA' anime, where producers won't invest in projects like that much, and audiences aren't marketed to. this rot affects every layer of the industry

AppleOwn3542026-01-20 01:14

the gradual defragmentation of studio culture that accelerated in the 2010s is the cause of this. all of the shows you mention in your last paragraph were by, at the times, extremely solid studios with lots of top talent that has now been sprawled all over the industry to accomodate overproduction. for example, star driver's studio bones (which at their peak put out truly unbelievable, AAA tv shows) has fragmented into a handful of production lines; lots of doga kobo stars have moved to cloverworks; p.a. works have been picked apart etc.

baquea2026-01-20 03:38

I think the biggest objective difference is the decline in anime-originals. If you limit yourself to those, then it's very easy to name recent examples that fit in well with those in your list at the bottom. For instance, I'm currently watching Zenshuu from last year and that feels like a good match. For the 'too ambitious' category, something like 16bit Sensation from a couple of years back comes to mind. There's also ones like Bravern that I haven't watched, and which didn't get much popular attention, but which were well-liked by a certain niche of people.

For the rest, I think a large part of what is making you feel that way is that you're underestimating how popular some of those older series were. Nozaki-kun, for example, was the 2nd most-watched rom-com of 2014 (#1 being Nisekoi) - a modern comparison would be something like Bisque Doll, which still exists, has good production values, and is popular and well-liked. And, as for the proper 'hidden gems', something like City is only the 24th most-watched anime of its season on MAL, and in 10 years time would be a good candidate for someone like yourself to stumble across and be wowed at the visuals of this old seasonal they'd pretty much never heard of before. The impressions that you get of an era are always different when you're living through it than when you go back to it many years later.

Salty1452026-01-20 03:52

I have the data set somewhere regarding the fall of anime originals, but yeah that's definitely been a factor.

I need to find a way to scrape MAL data, it would make my analysis so much easier to do. MAL's not exactly an objective rating of quality, but in aggregate its the closest we have and does have some worthwhile conclusions to be gleamed from it if you don't get too ambitious.

Donnie-G2026-01-20 07:23

Anime originals are still around, but there's definitely a feeling that there's a lot less of them.

Sunrise for example used to invest in the odd original mecha series almost every year. While none of it has made any long lasting waves, I enjoyed the scrappiness of shows such as Valvrave or Cross Ange. There's also a bunch of original stuff like Tiger & Bunny, Buddy Complex, Sacred Seven, Double Decker, Natsuiro Kiseki....

2020s seem lacking in such ventures. Most if not all of their 2020s anime are all tied to existing IPs or are adaptations or something. I didn't watch it but I only spot one original show - Maebashi Witches. There's still half a decade left but their original output definitely feels very different to the past two decades. Wonder if the full Bandai Namco acquisition has anything to do with it...

The original scene is not completely dead of course, but Kyoani's tragedy definitely effected their output so that caused a hole where they otherwise would fill some space of. PA Works still continues trucking, focusing mostly on original works with the odd adaptation here and there. While it can feel like MAPPA has sold out to do big adaptations, they are still doing original shows - we had Buchiggiri the year before, Lazarus and Zenshu in the last year. Studio WIT Is also helping fill the space, though due to the Netflix batch release nature of their shows - they can fly under the radar or at least end up not being discussed much.

baquea2026-01-20 08:23

> While none of it has made any long lasting waves

Which is probably the reason they aren't making them anymore. Witch From Mercury and Gquacks were both very popular in Japan - if they're able to get large viewerships so much more easily via their existing IPs then why bother making new ones? And, for what it's worth, they are at least being decently experimental with those series rather than just going for a low-effort cash grab.

Donnie-G2026-01-20 13:47

Maybe not none of it, I think Tiger and Bunny was decently successful. While not a "Gundam" level franchise, it spawned two movies and two series and pushed plenty of merch. And I'm sure the sponsorship money was nice too.

But anyway, it'd be a mistake to only rely on one IP. Gundam itself is not infallible. It had a lull in the late 90s, where them pushing too many Gundam shows consecutively just led to audience fatigue. Gundam X ended up getting an early cancellation and it was many years later till Gundam SEED that the franchise was revitalized. Even in the post-SEED era, stinkers like Gundam AGE existed.

I do wonder how successful G-Witch and GQux will be in the long term though - in this regard I'm thinking of Gunpla sales. With a company like Bamco anyway, eventually everything leads to pushing toys and merch. They are able to still keep pushing classic designs like Nu Gundam, and favourites like Freedom Gundam. I really have to wonder if people will hunger for new Aerial or GQux kits 10 years from now. I'm not denying the success of those shows of course, they definitely did make a splash.

Gundam itself was conceived by going against the grain with something quite radical. And it made history.

Cashing everything on existing IPs is a potential risk as well. Hence it's important to always test the waters. Even something like Demon Slayer only became massively popular through the efforts of the anime adaptation, and that's probably paying off in ways that the people involved never imagined to begin with.

Sunrise was also involved with the likes of Aikatsu and Love Live which are successful franchises too, and those had to start somewhere.

baquea2026-01-20 14:07

> But anyway, it'd be a mistake to only rely on one IP. Gundam itself is not infallible.

They also have a new Votoms anime releasing later this year, plus a Macross one in the works as well, so it isn't like it is _only_ Gundam.

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-20 07:54

Interesting, but I don't think I agree since I think there are at least 5 series every season I would classify as "mid tier" with competent animation, directing, and drawing quality. More, if we include sequels.

Perhaps the issue is the larger variety of low tier and forgettable slop which draws the attention of the online fandom away from the competent mid tier and reduces the amount of discussion around each individual series?

_Ridley2026-01-19 23:14

Guys would rather reference that unfunny [boomer meme comic](https://i.redd.it/ftr1fo88c0vb1.jpg) about sexual harassment in shoujo discussions than think about chemistry and the girl's agency in the situation.

vancevon2026-01-19 23:56

you're telling me that there's a difference between usui and ayuzawa's relationship and that between an idol and generic ugly bastard stalker? shocking

Jusenkyo_52026-01-20 03:53

What is this in reference to?

_Ridley2026-01-20 05:36

In any given discussion about a shoujo anime, there's some jamoke in the comments saying the male lead is allowed to act that way because he's hot, but it would be sexual assault/harassment if he was ugly.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-20 05:39

Oh yeah I've totally heard that before, I just wasn't sure if this was referring to some current discourse I hadn't heard about yet.

_Ridley2026-01-20 05:48

I watched yesterday's episode of Moonlit Dusk, and I thought to myself that I bet there's a guy calling the infirmary scene sexual assault and that an ugly boy could never, and sure enough, there was, lol.

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-20 06:10

They just mad they’re not smooth like little bro. Yoi clearly into him and he knows how to read the room. But that show has been getting attacked for some of the dumbest reasons from all sides since the jump.

_Ridley2026-01-20 15:27

> But that show has been getting attacked for some of the dumbest reasons from all sides since the jump.

It really has, and it's completely baffling.

theangryeditor2026-01-20 04:27

Surely artists have drawn top and bottom making out by now

[](#bigthink)

_Ridley2026-01-20 05:39

There's art of the Sickos guy and the I Guess guy, so it stands to reason that these guys got shipped too.

theangryeditor2026-01-20 05:56

>Sickos guy and the I Guess guy

[nice](#drunkhisone)

Btw_kek2026-01-20 08:29

>broke: chad guy and chud guy making out

>woke: girl and herself making out

zsmg2026-01-20 09:28

> Guys would rather reference that unfunny boomer meme comic

Not going to lie that meme crosses my mind a lot while watching some shoujo, this season's "In the Clear Moonlit Dusk" is pretty bad. Another one is "The Invisible Man and His Soon to Be Wife" which has a power dynamic, he is her boss, but the story completely ignores it.

On the other hand this meme never crossed my mind with last season's shoujo: whether it's the furry one, Yano-kun or We're Denser Than The Sun.

_Ridley2026-01-20 15:34

> this season's "In the Clear Moonlit Dusk" is pretty bad.

No it is not, come on now. They have good chemistry, with a fun teasing dynamic. He's clearly watching for her reactions and proceeding accordingly, and she has no problem telling him when he's unsettled her.

Hotchocolate_77262026-01-20 15:48

Never bothered me since as a guy my favorite romances tend to be one's where the women is in a superior position than the man either financially or in status.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-19 23:52

[Don't get in the way of others' priorities](https://i.imgur.com/Pq1sGOU.jpeg).

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-20 00:26

FX Kurumi is quite intriguing...

[Synopsis]>!When middle school student, Fukuga Kurumi's mother commits suicide after losing 20 million yen in FX trading!<

[](#emptyinside)

>Cute girl on the cover

[](#delighted)

>Tag: Psychological

[](#spooked)

Time_Fracture2026-01-20 01:29

I thought \[Plot\]>!she inherits 20 milion yen from her late mother just to lose it in FX trading and the plot is how she trying to get it back.!<

Donnie-G2026-01-20 06:19

I read the manga, that is not it. The previously posted synopsis is correct.

alotmorealots2026-01-20 03:36

It's my most anticipated title ever!

peto822026-01-20 03:18

After just finishing 'Uncle From Another World' yesterday, not realising it was just season 1 of what looks like a never to be continued show (annoying but life goes on), I was looking for something else I could watch and get an actual complete story from. Someone suggested in another thread recently 'Charlotte' as it's 13 episodes one and done. Just finished and yup, that was a good recommendation (thank you internet stranger). Show starts as one thing than BAM, totally shifts part way through which was cool. Quite enjoyed it. If anyone has any other recommendations I'm open. I have seen 'Summer Time Rendering', 'Gurren Lagann' recently (along with others not so recently that don't come to mind right now, I should probably make a list of everything I've seen) which were good.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-20 04:13

isekai ojisan was great even by the extremely high isekai standards, but unfortunately its prob not getting a season 2 anytime soon, especially with how hard its production imploded.

Less_Party2026-01-20 10:43

Well it's a show about a Sega uncle for Sega uncs, we all love lost causes and things that end prematurely.

peto822026-01-21 11:58

I grew up with a SEGA Megadrive where Sonic 1 was the inbuilt game, so I kinda relate to Uncles’ obsession with SEGA (though it is just a bit much. CHAKAN: THE FOREVER MAN!!!!). It would be nice to have an ending, but it’s something to have something, even if it doesn’t end. 1st world problems.

Retromorpher2026-01-20 07:04

If you like your stuff to be completed - watching anime originals is usually a good way to ensure that whatever is there works as a full story.

Alt22212026-01-20 07:40

check out Noragami, Full Metal Panic, Red Data Girl, or From The New World

peto822026-01-20 10:28

Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll add to the list.

Ok_Walrus_3352026-01-20 03:40

Spoiler for Tokyo Ghoul below but I have a question:

is the official translation of furuta saying “It will be” or “I just know it will”

Saibogu862026-01-20 03:59

Gantz anyone?! I already finished watching the anime which it really needs a major reboot to adapt the manga. Also about to pick up where I left off in the manga.

Fit_Edge_98382026-01-20 04:40

Such a good one! I actually found it through the live action which I personally found enjoyable to watch.

Salty1452026-01-20 04:32

*Deadman Wonderland* has 1.3 *Million* users on MAL.

If you had me guess a show with over 1M users on MAL, that would not be one of them.

Nomar_952026-01-20 05:00

honestly, I can believe it. It was huge back in the day

Salty1452026-01-20 05:03

I guess. I didn't realize it was *that* big, especially for a show that doesn't get brought up that much anymore.

OmegaVirgin942026-01-20 05:47

I have multiple normie millenial friends that know what Deadman Wonderland is despite barely or not really watching anime. It's just one of those things you ran into frequently if you were in nerd forums in the early 2010s.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-20 05:22

its one of those shows I watched randomly before I was into anime. Dont remember much of it except that I liked the first few episodes and then it fizzled out.

I was also shocked that anime would just end without the story concluding at the time.

[](#tomato)

KendotsX2026-01-20 09:49

Popularity doesn't stick around necessarily. When an incomplete show doesn't get any sequels for a while, it can be lost in the folds of time.

Noragami and Blue Exorcist both have more than 2M users, and I remember both of them were very popular 10 years ago (I still remember my senior spoiling Noragami to me unprompted, and he's not even an anime fan).

CerberusZX2026-01-20 10:40

It was one of the shows that aired on cable in North America.

CryptoChartz2026-01-20 05:57

I could have sworn Koro-sensei was in some random popular anime for a few episodes, I thought it was JJK. I feel like I have the Mandela effect

Donnie-G2026-01-20 06:18

Manga artists belonging to the same publisher sometimes do random collab/crossover chapters here and there.

BoringPapaya94642026-01-20 07:29

[removed]

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