Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion

Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - January 26, 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?

[This is the place!](https://preview.redd.it/gsja5shhzgfg1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee174ac66b5f25cf2b8aa48e64c2a88114b9d22e)

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Voir le contenu lié

Commentaires

katep20002026-01-26 11:32

Looking for anime with a female protagonist and good action. Fantasy elements and good romantic subplots are appreciated as well. I want to watch more anime with female main characters, but so many of them are slice of life, which has never been my favorite. I really liked Yona of the Dawn and Madoka Magica.

PsychoGeek2026-01-26 11:41

Seirei no Moribito

Michiko to Hatchin

Kill la Kill

Lycoris Recoil

Girls und Panzer

Little Witch Academia

Vampire Princess Miyu

Dominion

fuzaco2026-01-26 11:41

Twelve Kingdoms if you don't mind older shows.

Gullible_Bat_54082026-01-26 12:01

Kemono no Souja Erin

Twelve kingdoms

Shadow's House

The Vision of Escaflowne

The daughter of 20 faces

Noir

Blood +

Zetsuen no tempest

Sakasama no Patema

Laputa castle in the sky

Donnie-G2026-01-26 12:01

Symphogear. Mizuki Nana wills it.

zairaner2026-01-26 12:10

Nanoha. Nana wills it

oedipusrex3762026-01-26 12:22

Revue Starlight

KendotsX2026-01-26 14:27

* Soul Eater
* GitS (and Stand Alone Complex)
* Panty and Stocking
* Little Witch Academia

jaesuk972026-01-26 15:05

Gunsmith Cats

You're Under Arrest

Vision of Escaflowne

12 Kingdoms

Magic Knight Rayearth

Rose of Versailles (1979)

Beast Player Erin

Kill la Kill

Project A-ko

Dominion Tank Police

Mobile Police Patlabor

Ghost in the Shell

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:38

Canaan

Princess Principal

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 15:47

Canaan mention!!

[](#woo)

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:52

Neither this nor Princess Principal seem to get the appreciation they deserve....

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-26 12:07

are the awards nominees ordered by votes or is it random?

VoidEmbracedWitch2026-01-26 12:32

On the vote site it should just be random and the chart goes for alphabetical.

Also, the jury nominees can't really be ordered by votes since there's no clean option to do that with the way ~~our~~ vaxi's multiwinner Copeland voting algorithm is set up.

quadrapep2026-01-26 12:25

does anyone know where does this voice clip from anime or game? this is just voice no video. thank you.

(https://youtube.com/shorts/J0M38o0_IDw?si=7F5ZVvdn_eQaXPye)

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 12:26

Prism Rondo is off to a good start. Pity about the batch release though. I took a look at the episode thread and it's a mess and probably not posting in anyway.

So I'll just ask here: Lili and everyone else is supposed to be speaking in English according to the story, right? It's just presented to us in Japanese but within the world of the anime, they're all communicating in English, correct?

It always throws me when characters are speaking a language that doesn't fit the setting and I'm supposed to pretend they're speaking something else. Undead Unluck gave me a particularly hard time with this.

Capable-Towel-63022026-01-26 12:34

Yes, of course; later there'll be some commentary on Lili's and another Japanese character's English accents.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 12:38

Thanks! I thought it must be so but wanted to confirm. Got a little confused because she spoke to her fellow Japanese (I'm assuming) ship mates in Japanese and seamlessly continued in the same vein with the English people.

I'm used to having at least a caption saying something like 'the characters are actually speaking x language from here on but we're using the language we all understand' or something to that effect to mark where the shift occurs.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 13:04

>Got a little confused because she spoke to her fellow Japanese (I'm assuming) ship mates in Japanese and seamlessly continued in the same vein with the English people.

This reminds me of Spirit Chronicles S2 where the MC repeatedly switches between Japanese and the isekai language while talking to a group of people from each world. It's all in Japanese, obviously for us, but the confusion in the group's faces as they can't understand is the only real indicater of which language he's using.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 15:32

Some kind of indication like that would be nice to have tbh.

SSjjlex2026-01-26 12:46

Well if that's a problem they do have a pretty good british english dub if you want to try that version instead. Though by doing that the problem reverses itself onto lily where you question why she speaks so well lol.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 15:30

Oh no, I can't do that and lose my one main Uchiyama Kouki show of the season! Plus, like you said, that comes with its own weirdness.

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:36

It never bothered me in Princess Principal or Vanitas (where the language should be French) or Spy x Family (where the language should be German).

I will say that I would have loved to hear Porco Rosso in a top (movie) quality Italian version.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 15:39

Wait, SxF is meant to be happening in a fictional version of Germany, no? Not the real thing. So I could go along with them speaking Japanese there.

This being set in London specifically and getting all those references to London of that era made the language thing stick out more for me.

zsmg2026-01-26 16:35

> So I'll just ask here: Lili and everyone else is supposed to be speaking in English according to the story, right?

Mostly yes but there are moments where she's supposed to be speaking Japanese e.g. like when she's talking to her parents or [very minor spoiler] >!When she's speaking with another Japenese character!<

Castef762026-01-26 13:00

About Hell's Paradise.

So, after reading good things about it I started watching Hell's Paradise on Crunchyroll.

I have not read the manga, so I went in "blind".

So far (4 episodes) I'm not liking it that much (to the point that I'm suspending it and went looking for something else).

Main issues are:
\- Sagiri (the executioner) is basically unsufferable. Too many silly thoughs, too much unbelievable behaviour (the "Tie your hands while you fight!" thing was really too much), a very badly written character.
\- Gabimaru isn't a very strong protagonist either. The author tries to convey an inner turmoil through him, but it often comes across as unintentionally goofy, and overall it doesn't work very well. His strength also feels out of place in the way it's portrayed and 'explained'. Everything comes off as very contrived rather than organic.

The lack of intriguing other characters also killed my interest. Too bad because the basic plot at least piqued my curiosity.

As usual, Studio Mappa is very good with animation but in this case the issue is the base material they had to work with.

mr_beanoz2026-01-26 13:00

Honestly it's pretty wild to not have Demon Slayer and 100 Meters in the Movie of The Year category.

ComfortablyRotten2026-01-26 13:28

Assuming it's about our own (honorable and perfectly valid, with absolutely no flaw whatsoever) awards, they didn't get subbed home releases before the cutoff date so they'll only be eligible next year

Of course with Cosmic Princess Kaguya in the competition it's not like they have a chance, but they tried and this is all that matters [](#modsalute)

mr_beanoz2026-01-26 13:50

How about their theme songs?

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 14:23

Probably have more of a chance next year than this year.

GondolaMedia2026-01-26 13:02

>[This is the place!](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fgsja5shhzgfg1.png%3Fwidth%3D1920%26format%3Dpng%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dee174ac66b5f25cf2b8aa48e64c2a88114b9d22e)

The drill instructor is here!

[](#modabuse)

chilidirigible2026-01-26 13:06

[](#chinosmirk)

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-26 13:12

considering all the praise bakarina got a few years back, both in general and in the awards, it's kind of surprising how now that we have an actual really good villainess show it didnt get a single nomination.

[](#thoughtful 'yes i am talking about dark history villainess')

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:30

As long as there are enjoyable villainess shows to be ***watched***, I am content....

zairaner2026-01-26 13:49

Windbreaker author made an [incredibly cool illustration](https://x.com/medalist_PR/status/2015711306373050438) for medalist.

_Ridley2026-01-26 15:49

That's someone who gets what the series is about.

zairaner2026-01-26 16:22

~~But where are the gay dads here?~~

Feeling-Map62512026-01-26 13:51

I recently watched initial d and mf ghost does anyone know if there’s a continuation for these because i really liked them

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 14:24

MF Ghost is currently releasing a season if you didn't know.

Feeling-Map62512026-01-26 14:38

Ohhh I didn’t thanks for lmk

Feeling-Map62512026-01-26 14:38

Can u suggest more racing /sport anime’s like baki kuokos hi Janine no ippo blu lock etc

CerberusZX2026-01-26 14:41

YouTube keeps convincing me to watch The Summer Hikaru Died only for me to realize that it's Netflix and not Crunchyroll. Between their low volume of interesting content and the insistence of a batch release model there's little reason to maintain a subscription and I tend to subscribe for like 1 month out of the year. There's no way I'm paying for another streaming service in a season this packed.

I also want to watch Medalist, but it's a similar story there. It appears Disney has learned the value of using weekly releases to keep customers coming back, but Medalist is the only show I'm aware of that I'd be subscribing for.

Legitimate-Tip-53652026-01-26 14:57

🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

Salty1452026-01-26 15:52

Netflix has actually been pretty decent with weekly releases. Their dubs can be iffy, but for everything they’ve had, I think *Fragrant Flower* was the only one they really royally fucked up last year.

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-26 15:59

>Netflix has actually been pretty decent with weekly releases.

Unless your name is Blue Box, Sakamoto Days, or *especially* The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity.

[](#angryheadgrab)

Ham_PhD2026-01-26 16:01

It's been the only fuck up they've had in a while from what I can remember. They've done a good job otherwise with normal weekly releases (such as Hikaru).

Legitimate-Tip-53652026-01-26 14:58

Frieren's latest ED is so gorgeous. It might be the only anime where I enjoy the endings more than the openings.

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:28

I wonder who did the ED? It seems patterned on the sort of thing Naoko Yamada has done.

TheBlessedBoy992026-01-26 15:33

It was entirely animated by [Aoume Mimei.](https://x.com/aoumemimei)

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:52

Thanks.

Not much of a resume shown on Anilist (but I see he did an ED for Frieren S1 too).

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 14:59

Which do you find more annoying: Netflix batch releases or Disney jail?

alconnow2026-01-26 15:00

Disney jail. They don’t provide proper English subtitles, only dubtitles

_Ridley2026-01-26 15:46

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who hates Disney more than I do, so Disney jail.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 15:46

Netflix batch means I probably won't watch it

Disney can't do subtitles right...

I think Netflix batch might edge it out

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 16:20

Netflix batch release basically guarantees that a show won't take off, even if it's good.

I've heard nothing but good things about Love through a Prism so far and yet it's making very very little noise. If it dropped in a bad season that's one thing, but it's REALLY hard to justify 20 episodes when you've got quite a lot of good seasonals right now.

Salty1452026-01-26 15:46

> Not calling it Netflix jail

Nature is healing

Ham_PhD2026-01-26 15:59

At least Netflix tells you when stuff is releasing.

Predicting Hulu/Disney release dates requires black magic.

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 16:39

I have no issue with batch releases, to be honest, even if it's not my preference. The "jail" part of "Disney jail" doesn't bother me, but the completely unpredictable pattern of Hulu dubbing and the genuinely incomprehensible practice of sometimes releasing dub episodes earlier overseas than in the US means I guess I'd have to say that one.

collapsedblock62026-01-26 15:03

> This is the place!

[Gochiusa mentioned!](#modabuse)

Excited for the new project, that I forgot if it was a S4 or movie. Insane this anime is 12 yeats old and the manga even older, yet from what I hear it is still a heavy hitter for Manga Time Kirara. Lovely franchise.

chilidirigible2026-01-26 15:19

[Tokimeki Poporon!](https://animethemes.moe/anime/gochuumon_wa_usagi_desu_ka_2015/ED1v2-NCBD1080)

Galaxy40k2026-01-26 16:39

My most anticipated upcoming anime release fr

theangryeditor2026-01-26 15:42

> This is the place

[cawfee](#mug9)

Salty1452026-01-26 15:44

Green tea

PsychoGeek2026-01-26 15:47

*Gween tea

Salty1452026-01-26 15:51

How could I be so forgetful.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 15:48

[Beer it is](https://youtu.be/mHz4O3gFQ7s).

Salty1452026-01-26 15:46

Never watching short films again on a Sunday night. That offline crash out last night was god awful. Don’t want to do that shit again.

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:48

I know it will not do much to help -- but I do want to put in a kind word for the woefully under-watched Blue Miburo. Sure, there is no spectacular animation, but it is a solid (relatively accurate overall) depiction of the situation in Japan in the years right before the Meiji Restoration. Many of the characters are real historical figures (so one knows -- or can easily find out -- their real future course) and the made-up ones are well-presented. The main characters (even the most flawed) have a suprising amount of depth, The dialog is better than average for shows of this sort. And the historical local color is quite decent. As to plot -- the main figures here are mostly people who will form the core of the Shogun's Shinsengumi -- and we also get to see some of their future deadly opponents here and there.

SnooPaintings69492026-01-26 15:50

Its s2 rn is arguably my fav airing weekly rn tbh

mekerpan2026-01-26 15:53

The most recent episode was pretty devastating.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 15:58

Looking to _maybe_ expand my Tuesday or Wednesday with airings.

What's the best Tuesday/Wednesday airing for you and do you think I'd like it?

Currently only watching Bean Counter and Oshi no Ko

[](#schemingsaten)

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-26 16:05

Tuesday or Wednesday shows... Wait, are you not already watching Tamon's B-Side?

[](#maxshock)

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:50

The idol obsessive side and maybe harem end turned me off of trying, hearing some mixed things here haha

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-26 16:52

I can assure you there's *zero* signs of a harem. At most there's potentially a one-sided crush going on, but it's clear Utage has absolutely zero interest in that guy so it's not going to go anywhere.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:54

Woo that definitely is good to know! The KV made it look like it could go down that road

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-26 17:01

Your *other* concerns with the show are definitely valid, though. I can't tell you if you'll like how the show handles Gloomyhara or the idol otaku stuff without... you at least checking out the first episode, I guess?

Ham_PhD2026-01-26 16:06

I caught up on Tamon-kun over the weekend and it seems like essential viewing this season.

I think you'd like it. Cute romance and good comedy with a great female lead.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:50

> Cute romance and good comedy with a great female lead.

Hmmmmm

Haremy romance? How's the male lead?

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 16:08

Third vote for ~~Gloomyhara~~ Tamon. It's really good.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:51

Definitely getting a lot of praise!

_Ridley2026-01-26 16:11

50/50 chance you really like or really hate Tamon's B-Side on Wednesday. I don't know if he'll trip your loser male lead aversion if he's a part-time headcase.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 16:17

Why would someone absolutely hate it?

I haven't started watching it yet, just curious.

_Ridley2026-01-26 16:28

Well, Amethyst doesn't like introverted loner male leads in romances, and the premise of the series is that an idol stan working as a housekeeper discovers that her oshi who plays at a ladykiller playboy on stage is a quivering neurotic mess at home.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 16:39

Ahhh, didn't realize it was a targeted comment my b.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:50

> is a quivering neurotic mess at home.

[](#shatteredsaten)

_Ridley2026-01-26 16:59

I know, I know, but the way it's directed is very funny, and seeing him flip the idol switch is a fun contrast.

I say you should give it a try. The first episode is a good representation of what the show has to offer.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:49

Oh boy didn't even know about that side...I was already worried about the harem or idol otaku side of things lol

Durinthal2026-01-26 16:19

Aside from Tamon (which other people are correct about), the only other two I'm watching those days are Mayonaka Heart Tune and There was a Cute Girl in the Hero's Party and I wouldn't recommend either of those.

[](#lifeishard)

Bit unbalanced this season but gives more time for older things like Ranma.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 16:51

My balance has been _okay_ this season but I am watching considerably less this time around.

Having 2 days with only 1 show feels weird though

OrbitalCat-2026-01-26 15:59

Finally watched the Medalist episode, and I already saw some comments talking about it

But, wtf with that girl eyes? She looks like a bug

https://files.catbox.moe/mzf2sb.png

The fact that no one else looks like that makes it weirder

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 16:15

Weird but it's kinda cute actually lol

IXajll2026-01-26 16:18

Yea, those eyes are weird af. Initially thought those might be some sort of bushy eyelashes or something but I don’t even know.

zsmg2026-01-26 16:30

I think they're setting up an alien invasion arc with that girl being an early alien infiltrator.

Naturally the aliens will be beaten by the power of ~~song~~ ice skating.

TehAxelius2026-01-26 16:32

It's not quite as obvious in the manga, [this is the equivalent double paged spread](https://files.catbox.moe/s6l1aj.png). While her eyes/eyelashes are still exaggerated (and continue to be), they blend in more as part of drawing with a "rougher pen" and aren't given the same full-screen focus.

Honestly, it's just an artistic thing to make a distinct character, this is not the kind of story where it turns out to be a foreshadowing of the invasion of the bug people.

[](#yuishrug)

Humblelicious2026-01-26 16:42

Are there any websites with interactive recommendation systems? E.g. if you provide information on what you've watched/finished, liked/disliked etc you get provided recs on what to watch next.

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 16:45

I think this is the first time since Summer/Fall 2024 that I'm going to have a clean break between seasons (minus overlap from dub delays). The only thing I'm watching without a confirmed episode count is In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, and I'd be extremely surprised if that ended up 2-cour. And I'm not going to be anywhere close to catching up on JoJo by the time SBR comes out, so that arguable case also won't apply to me.

Galaxy40k2026-01-26 16:49

I spent the last couple of weeks watching **The Eminence in Shadow**. It surprised me with how much I enjoyed it, so much so that...well, I binged the whole show over a couple of weeks, lol.

It is superficially "generic isekai slop." Chuuni MC with the blandest look possible gets hit by a truck and transported to a fantasy world where he is both absurdly overpowered and has a massive harem of girls fawning over him.

But what makes it work is the characters. The MC is such a theatrical drama king. Everything he does he does for the sole purpose of "looking cool" as the "lurking in the shadows" anti-hero archetype. And yet all of the other characters in the show play the situation COMPLETELY straight, because if you remove the MC's internal monologue, everything he does actually IS hyper-competent and reasoned. It leads to so much humor that is less "laughing at an explicit joke" and more "laughing at a situation because us as the audience know the full story."

It's such a delicate line to walk. It would be so easy for this to become too serious to be enjoyable fun or for it to become too funny that it's worldbuilding and conflict feel zero-stakes. But it manages to thread that needle so well.

I definitely recommend it. After like 2-3 episodes you'll know if the style of show is for you. It just worked really well for me. Now I just wish this new movie wasn't stuck in production hell, lol

gothxo2026-01-26 16:50

i am quite fond of Cosmic Princess Kaguya

PsychoGeek2026-01-26 16:57

With Chou Kaguyahime we finally have something to compete with Saekano for [the most suggestive handholding scene in anime](https://i.redd.it/1u9ichxz1pfg1.gif)

ig big budget anime original films won't get to have on-screen scissoring for a while still, but directors getting creatively suggestive like this has its own charm

thisisdropd2026-01-26 17:05

Romance series often introduce misunderstandings as a source of drama. Meanwhile in '**Love Through a Prism**', the source was \[Love Through a Prism\] >!the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand!<. When I started this series, I never thought an event like this would be the one that severely shook the status quo and kicked the final arc off.

Zeallfnonex2026-01-26 17:33

I always thought that misunderstandings were the laziest ways to introduce drama. Always better to have them occur because people want different things, and then to have them be mutually exclusive or at least at odds with each other, and then they have to work out a compromise. Or if they don't, and the argument is worth more than their relationship...

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 18:41

It's surprising but very cool to see this come up as a plot point twice in the past year. [The other show] >!is Leviathan, also on Netflix.!<

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 19:48

(spoiler) Oh damn, this romance drama is probably the worst thing this will cause!

[](#slowgrin)

octopathfinder2026-01-26 17:40

Very late to the trend, but I wanted to wait for Medalist to start and for a couple of my Sunday shows to get their third episode out. Here’s my [winter early impressions tierlist](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/eda9f137f5b9.png).

* **Fate/Strange Fake**, **Golden Kamuy**, and **Journal with Witch** have all been amazing. In 2025, I only gave out three 9/10s throughout the whole year; now I have three potential 9/10s in one season. Feels good man. And speaking of Journal with Witch, I don’t like the localized name, but I was told I should refer to it by that so people can find it more easily since that’s how it appears on streaming platforms. I’ve definitely seen a few, “I can’t find Ikoku Nikki on Crunchyroll, where can I watch it?” comments, so I gotta do what I can to help people watch peak.
* **Shiboyugi** is pretty solid with stylish directing, but I was hoping for a death game with more pvp, gambling, and mind games. Right now, it seems like it’s gonna be social experiment escape rooms where the focus is on conflict in the party and maybe popularity with the audience, which is fine, but not what I care for in these types of stories. Kinda disappointing, but oh well. At least Liar Game will give me what I’m looking for when it comes out in spring.
* I’m not as big a fan of the **You and I are Polar Opposites** manga as most of the source readers, but this adaptation has been doing a great job elevating the source. Looking forward to seeing best ship TairAzuma.
* **Jujutsu Kaisen** looks gorgeous. Unfortunate that I think this arc is where the story falls off a cliff. At least the hype and aura keep it entertaining, and I’m glad to see the return of agenda posting/slander memes.
* **Fire Force** really seems to be rushing to the end in just 13 episodes. Still not sure why they didn’t pick up the pace in S3P1 when there’s so much content to cover. That said, it could still work out since there’s a bunch of side fights they could just skip, and as long as they do justice to [manga] >!Arthur vs Dragon rematch!<, I’ll be satisfied.
* I already had low expectations for the **Mayonaka Heart Tune** adaptation, but I’m still disappointed. I was hoping it would at least look decent, but the first few episodes are already full of small errors, off-model characters, stiff animation, and bland directing. I only expect it to get worse, but maybe the leaked second cour can pull off a miracle and manage to look competent.
* **Sentenced to Be a Hero** piqued my interest with its production value, but unfortunately that’s the only thing it has going for it because it’s been extremely mid. It’s released roughly the equivalent of five episodes' runtime, and the majority of it has just been killing fodder. It looks great, but the action is boring, there’s barely anything known about the main story, and there’s very little reason for me to be invested in the cast, who I find either annoying or stupid. Except for Norgalle, he’s cool.
* I’ve got room to pick up more seasonals now that I’ve dropped a few, so I’ve been thinking of adding **Tamon’s B-Side** since that seems to be getting a lot of praise in this thread. Maybe **The Holy Grail of Eris** and **The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife** too. The latter two depend on whether I see people still talking positively about them later in the season.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 19:46

> At least Liar Game will give me what I’m looking for when it comes out in spring.

Even though I LOVE Shiboyugi, that's getting me hyped for Liar Game!

(When it comes to that type of anime it's better not to have high expectations though, given 95% of them are trash/ruined in the adaptation for some reason - And I say that as a massive fan of the genre).

octopathfinder2026-01-26 20:13

The guy who directed Kaiji and One Outs is chief director of Liar Game, so I'm hoping the worst we can expect from the adaptation is that it'll just look mediocre.

[](#seasonalpls)

KendotsX2026-01-26 23:00

>it'll just look mediocre.

A lot of his shows lately have been outsourced to Dr. Movie, so I would expect it to look like Ai no Idenshi or Trillion Game.

_Ridley2026-01-26 20:16

You know how I feel about Tamon's B-Side, so I won't spend time selling it here, but I'll put in a good word for Invisible Man. I am notoriously picky about portrayals of disability, and this one might be the best I've seen yet on that front. It shows how Shizuka navigates the world with the help of assistive devices without info dumping or making a big deal about it. Her blindness is just another kind of variation in a diverse world.

The romance is on the fluffy, low-conflict side, but the cast injects enough humor to keep it from getting boring, and it's rather nicely produced. I've liked each episode more than the one before it.

octopathfinder2026-01-26 20:39

Invisible Man sounds good, I'm just skeptical because it's a Project No.9 show. Their productions tend to fall apart towards the end. Will definitely be keeping this show on my radar though.

KendotsX2026-01-26 22:56

>Fate/Strange Fake, Golden Kamuy, and Journal with Witch have all been amazing. In 2025, I only gave out three 9/10s throughout the whole year; now I have three potential 9/10s in one season.

[Same](#utahapraises)

A few weeks into the year, and I already have more potential 9s than I did last year (those 3 and Frieren).

>Unfortunate that I think this arc is where the story falls off a cliff.

I'm enjoying the view as things roll off a hill.

[](#serialkillerlaugh)

octopathfinder2026-01-26 23:01

> [Same](#utahapraises)

[](#fistbump)

> I'm enjoying the view as things roll off a hill.

Yeah, and the slander just makes it even more entertaining. It's always amusing to see people call Megumi the potential man. Can't wait for the waffled one to show up.

Happy cake day btw

[](#happycake)

Gamerunglued2026-01-26 17:42

> This Is the Place

I've been thinking a lot about cute shows recently and the role that cuteness tends to play for me after hearing some comments about cuteness being the main product in some series. That sentiment always baffled me, I don't think there's any show at all where cuteness is important to the appeal (as someone whose favorite anime is a CGDCT show), except GochiUsa. It's so over-the-top cute that it's an inspired artistic choice; a unique aesthetic it delivers on spectacularly. Unlike K-On or Yuru Camp or Non Non Biyori or Uma Musume or other series that I love which happen to be cute, GochiUsa simply could not work the same if it were not so cute. I think that makes it unique. Definitely the gold standard of the genre, it has everything else that makes these series great too (funny as hell and often heartwarming with well realized themes, a cool setting, and an underappreciated soundtrack), but it's the only one I've seen where the cuteness directly elevates it instead of being incidental. Looking forward to the new project ~~Sharo best girl~~

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 18:36

The first show that comes to mind for me when I think of cuteness is My Roommate is a Cat. The story and the main character's emotional journey are also great, but the cute cats are absolutely a major part of the show's appeaal.

Gamerunglued2026-01-26 19:46

I think for that show it's less that cuteness is integral to the appeal and more that cats are just cute by nature and it's hard to make a show about them that isn't cute. But were the cat not cute, that show is exactly as good, because the cuteness of the cat's design is not the core of the show. I'll never say cuteness isn't part of the appeal even of the shows I listed, it's more that cuteness isn't the product being sold or the core of the experience They're great shows that are incidentally cute but work fine if their aesthetic is not so cute. I strongly maintain that none are functionally changed without being cute, or that a person who doesn't like cute things couldn't enjoy them just as much.

collapsedblock62026-01-26 22:53

Many later Manga Time Kirara works were often slandered as "budget Gochiusa". Fans have held it as standard for a while, dunno if it is still the case, haven't frequented that type of circles in a while.

Gamerunglued2026-01-26 22:57

That makes sense to me, it's the sort of story with enough distinct superficial elements (the European inspired setting, the coffee theme, the rabbits, etc.) that it seems easy to make a cheap copycat without understanding what makes it work. GochiUsa also has more than just cuteness, even if it's drastically more prominent than in other works. I don't interact with MTK fan communities or anything so idk the consensus on it there, but it always struck me as like the platonic ideal of the genre.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 17:48

Now that I've dropped Wash It All Away, my Mondays are wide open. So thought I'd catch up on Ikoku Nikki at last. Only it's been so long since I watched ep 1, felt like I might as well start from the beginning again.

But at the end of the first episode, I'm left feeling like I need to sit with this again. Such a good opening episode with so much to feel. I can't quite put into words why or even really how I'm feeling. Just that it's a lot. Sigh.

Really wish this wasn't airing during such a packed season.

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 19:01

I have zero. Slow day, even by the standards of a very weekend-heavy season.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 19:08

Same now that I've dropped the one show I had on Mondays. Saturday is empty for me too but that's when I'm scrambling to catch up with the week's leftovers and doing life stuffs.

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 19:12

I've got 5 on Saturday. And I thought it would be 6 until it turned out Sentenced to be a Hero had a weird special premiere.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-26 19:17

I know there's Fate and now Medalist S2 that most people seem to be watching. What are the others?

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 19:28

I haven't started Medalist yet, but it is one of the 5. I'm not watching Fate, though. Tojima and Gnosia are carrying over from fall, and there's also Trigun and Immortal King S5 (technically not an anime, I know).

Psyduckisnotaduck2026-01-26 19:35

Sundays have a lot so open Monday isn’t the worst

zambonijesus2026-01-26 17:55

Going to start Kino's Journey and then I'll be finished with spring 2003. Summer, 2003 looks empty for me at the moment unless I go back to watch the first Full Metal Panic series, but Fall, 2003 is absolutely loaded. FMA alone would have made it a great season, but of the shows I haven't seen and want to check out there's Planetes, Gungrave, Gunslinger Girl and Cromartie High School. I watched some of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo back in 2003 when it was first airing and hated it, but I might give it a look now.

Quiddity1312026-01-26 18:16

Kino's Journey is a great anime, hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

zambonijesus2026-01-26 18:33

It's always interesting when there's a huge gap between series, so I'm also curious about the 2017 sequel since so much in terms of artstyles and typical pacing would have changed in the meantime.

Quiddity1312026-01-26 18:47

The 2017 one is essentially more of a re-adaption than a sequel, but most of the storylines it adapts (at least 8 or 9 of the episodes) are ones from the original light novels that the 2003 adaption didn't cover it is sequel-like.

The 2003 version is the better one, although the 2017 version has the great Aoi Yuuki voicing Kino.

zambonijesus2026-01-26 19:17

>The 2017 one is essentially more of a re-adaption than a sequel, but most of the storylines it adapts (at least 8 or 9 of the episodes) are ones from the original light novels that the 2003 adaption didn't cover it is sequel-like.

I'm not sure if this makes me more or less interested. I think maybe more?

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 18:33

Full Metal Panic is my favorite series! Definitely recommend checking it out if you haven't yet.

I also saw a bit of Bobobo out of curiosity back when it was airing, and didn't care for it either. Not my style of humor.

zambonijesus2026-01-26 18:40

Full Metal Panic is on the list to watch at some point, I just don't know if that point will be soon or not.

My memory of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo was it had one joke that wasn't very funny, but I was not familiar with Jump really in 2003 so maybe I'd get the joke more now. That said, I don't think I've ever read/watched a straight gag manga/anime and not disliked it.

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 19:08

Yeah, that's basically my memory of Bobobo as well - the characters each have one gimmick that I didn't find funny. On the other hand, the majority of the comedy in FMP Fumoffu was a hit for me.

zsmg2026-01-26 22:04

> Fall, 2003

Fall 2003 was the first anime season I followed. Kimi ga Nozumu Eien and Chrno Crusade were pretty popular within the anime fandom back when it aiready. I also remember enjoying Kyougoku Natsuhiko: Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari but no idea if it's actually good.

> Summer, 2003 looks empty for me

ROD the TV was well regarded, you have to watch the ROD OVAs first though. Still Summer 2003 was a very season compared to the rest of 2003.

zambonijesus2026-01-26 22:22

I'll add R.O.D. to the list, though the OVAs means that I don't know how quickly I'll get to it. I've been on the fence about Chrno Crusade, but I might also try it.

Tomorrow_Big2026-01-26 18:15

I think *Wash It All Away* is getting its fanservice wrong. A show about cleaning using onsen as a vessel for fanservice I find quite sensible (or the foot bath in episode 3), but the show's tendency to just resort to random moments of breasted boobily comes across as more distracting than anything else. I do think it's a perfectly fine show, but it could be elevated with some better targeted fanservice, rather than insisting on taking the bog-standard approach to its own detriment. This is assuming the show even needs sexual fanservice in the first place, which I'm not convinced it does.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 18:44

The fanservice is one part of why I feel like dropping it, haven't watched today's but not great to hear this

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 19:49

I don't think the show has all that much going for it with or without it. There should be like 200+ better simple life comfy anime out there without awkward moments.

It feels so stale to me to see characters that literally only exist to fulfill their role. Kinme just works and sleeps, that's not how people are!

First episode was so awkward with her and the high school boy, it was shot like a romantic scene. The whole show gives me the ick when it's not being boring.

cyberscythe2026-01-26 20:11

fanservice has been this sort of weird spot for me because i'm not against the idea of titillating the audience, but if i'm watching a show just to chill i don't welcome it; it's like finding peas in my mashed potatoes in that i want to keep that sort of thing separate

if ya' gotta do it though, at least use it sparingly; if they do it every episode i feel like it not only cheapens the end product (like they don't trust the audience to keep paying attention), but i think it loses its impact

like, i remember [With You and the Rain] >!had one shot where
the main character was in a bunny girl outfit!< and i think it worked because the rest of the show was fairly chaste

[deleted]2026-01-26 18:21

[deleted]

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 18:45

Seeing a _second_ comment about this show makes me think I will actually drop it today...

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-26 19:20

I was just earlier musing how I hadn't dropped any series so far, but today's Wash it All Away episode persisted with the potential romance build up that doesn't sit well with me, so it is now on drop watch for me as well. A shame, since it does have other qualities I like.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 18:46

This iseaki'd nobleman show is not good.

Unlike [the others](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1qmf8td/comment/o1n8pqf/), I have no qualms dropping it after two episodes.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 19:43

So uncommon for Isekai

[](#urbansmile)

theangryeditor2026-01-26 18:56

At this point I've started pretty much all my seasonals and have a general idea of how I feel about them. There are two or three shows that might still shift from my current impressions but for the most part I think things will remain the same.

**mweee**

- Polar Opposites

- Ikoku Nikki

**mwee**

- PriOrche

- Ao no Orchestra

- Tamon-kun

- Shiboyuugi

**mweh**

- Frieren

- Digimon Beatbreak

- Champignon no Majo

**meh**

- Bean Counter

- HanaKimi

- Medalist

- SI-VIS

**nyeh**

- Arne

**haven't started**

- DetectiveCure

- Prism Rondo

It's been a while since I've done one of these seasonal lists.

[](#mug9)

_Ridley2026-01-26 19:33

> meh
>
> Bean Counter

[](#makicry)

theangryeditor2026-01-26 19:48

Aresh and Sei have had some good moments but overall it's been kinda uninteresting

[](#katoupls)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 19:41

Shiboyugi deserves more e

[mweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!](#delighted)

Nachtwandler_FS2026-01-26 22:26

You put Medalist in "meh". Time to clean my pitchfork!

MiLiLeFa2026-01-26 19:21

Since I only miss a few entries, I've decided to watch all ("reverse") harem series on MAL. However I'm conflicted about what to do with *[Gakuen Heaven](https://myanimelist.net/anime/850)*, as while yes, it is a harem, it's not a heterosexual one. And frankly, that's not really what I'm looking for in these kinds of series. Having a female MC is a pretty intrinsic part of the appeal in my opinion.
And fundamentally, having a male MC makes it a "regular" harem, so I don't even agree with the classification of "reverse" harem to begin with. It's like, I don't know, calling something a BL because one of the romantic leads is a tomboy, just feels like bullshit playing with words. So I'm currently inclined to simply *not* count it towards the total.

Thoughts on this?

Durinthal2026-01-26 19:52

And on the opposite end from that there's [Watanare](https://www.livechart.me/anime/12929) with a girl that has a bunch of girls interested in her (tagged harem) and then there's also [Hamefura](https://www.livechart.me/anime/3563) where Bakarina has multiple guys and girls together (tagged reverse harem).

Anilist has more granular tagging there with "mixed gender harem" for the latter and "<gender> protagonist" in general. At the very least MAL could follow the same naming convention with "female harem" and "male harem" to be more clear; I dislike the "reverse" part which unnecessarily reinforces some biases.

[](#shirayukifuckinreally)

MiLiLeFa2026-01-26 20:06

Other than when I very specifically have to refer to the tag, as in this case, I categorically refuse to use the term "reverse" harem. There's nothing "reverse" about it, a harem is a harem is a harem. Anilist seems to have a better system than MAL regarding this.

awesomenessofme12026-01-26 21:27

The "[gender] Protagonist" tags are really not very useful in most cases. I guess yaoi/yuri harems might be the one case where they actually get you what you want, but it feels like most series I look at have both of them, even if there's clearly one person who's more of a main character than anyone else.

Durinthal2026-01-26 21:49

Not something I'd looked closely at but [good point](https://anilist.co/search/anime?genres=Male%20Protagonist&genres=Female%20Protagonist). There are also a number that I feel like could comparatively have both but don't like Honey and Clover, Crest of the Stars, and Chihayafuru.

Also amusingly [combining them with all the harem tags](https://anilist.co/search/anime?genres=Male%20Harem&genres=Female%20Harem&genres=Female%20Protagonist&genres=Male%20Protagonist&genres=Mixed%20Gender%20Harem) results in one series and it's the one that makes the most sense in that regard.

[](#azusalaugh)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 19:38

Everytime we have a "Petty reason you dropped an anime?" thread, I'm reminded that half the population doesn't seem to know what a petty reason is.

Dropping a show because you don't like the main character/the voice acting is super annoying/the animation or art style is shit/etc.. is not a petty reason. That's like "I dropped an anime because I wasn't having a good time with it, so petty!"

*Petty reason you broke up from a relationship? "I found out my SO was a serial killer and wanted to murder me!"*

[](#kaguyasigh)

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 19:55

Voice acting I feel can be petty, a lot of people don't focus or care on that element and it also has 0 impact on the plot or character development

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 20:00

> it also has 0 impact on the plot or character development

True, but if it's so bad that it ruins your viewing (hearing) experience, I don't find that petty!

If it's just like "I don't like this VA" ok that's a bit petty, but say if someone's voice is so bad/a huge turn off, then watching the anime wouldn't be enjoyable at all, so it's a legit reason imho!

_Ridley2026-01-26 20:01

Petty is how I once dropped a yuri manga because the characters called their underwear "panties."

ZaphodBeebblebrox2026-01-26 21:32

[](#kotohoops)

_Ridley2026-01-26 21:56

The word makes my skin crawl.

[](#badtaste)

zambonijesus2026-01-26 20:14

I don't think I've ever dropped a show for petty reasons, but I've not started several because the fans constantly posting that it is "peak" were annoying.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 20:43

> the fans constantly posting that it is "peak" were annoying.

This makes me want to drop the fans.

[](#bigthink)

OmegaVirgin942026-01-26 20:36

I've dropped some band anime for petty reasons relating to how they handle the creative, music, and performance aspect. They always take a back seat to tangentially related drama. Creating music with a group inherently has it's own drama! Show me that instead!

I personally think it's petty because if it was just a normal drama anime without the band aspect I'd be perfectly fine watching it, but when the episodes spend time on other character drama stuff, hardly show the band practicing or writing music, then they perfectly perform a new song on stage as a climax to the arc it's just kinda eye rolling to me. It's like a character pulling a new power out of their ass in a shounen anime.

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 21:15

Most of the anime I drop is because I don't care for the story/characters/concept or some kind of midway plot twist, but there was actually one show I dropped because it annoyed me that the MC kept smoking in non-smoking areas like he (and the show writers) thought it was cool.

[](#sideeyes)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-26 22:46

> MC kept smoking in non-smoking areas like he (and the show writers) thought it was cool.

Hah. "MC is cringe but we're supposed to think he's cool" probably made me drop quite a few shows.

(*In a completely unrelated matter*, 30 seconds ago in another thread I was talking about the MC made me drop Eminence in Shadows)

[](#urbansmile)

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 23:01

> "MC is cringe but we're supposed to think he's cool"

When you put it that way, this is a pretty common reason for me to drop shows as well.

[](#rengethink)

Time_Fracture2026-01-26 22:22

I recall one of the petty reason I drop an anime was due to the inconsistency with the subtitle. Like someone named A, everyone mentioned and called him by A, but the subtitles says B.

The reason due to in the source material (which isn't Japanese) his name is B, but in the anime adaptation he is named A.

TakenRedditName2026-01-26 19:51

Before it gets too late into the season, might as well throw together [how my seasonal impressions rank.](https://i.imgur.com/fHUnfIm.png)

[](#tiredaoi)

I'm not caught up on most things. Some are just ep1, but most are at least ep2 by now.

_Ridley2026-01-26 19:58

Top tier Tamon!

[](#SPORTS)

TakenRedditName2026-01-26 20:03

We love to see a shoujo anime rocket to the Moon.

[](#aidoru)

I've been listening to F/ACE Supernova so much.

[](#listen)

wloff2026-01-26 22:14

I gotta be honest, I do love Tamon-kun, but the boy idol music doesn't really do anything to me. At least it's pretty inoffensive, I guess?

[](#tiredaoi)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 19:52

What is the cut off for retro vs modern anime in 2026?

2000 was always the conventional date as it's a pretty easy general rule for the switch from painted cels to digital coloring, but it's becoming harder and harder to not consider shows like Clannad old.

Durinthal2026-01-26 19:55

Clannad is modern, Rewrite is post-modern, Summer Pockets is post-post-modern.

[](#hikariactually)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 19:56

I think this comment made me feel ancient.

OmegaVirgin942026-01-26 20:01

I'll be holding steady on the turn of the century until the day I die.

flamethrower22026-01-26 20:23

On Danbooru they have 2000s_(style) but not 2010s_(style) so I would say 2009 is the cutoff. Rationale: tapping into the hive mind (of Danbooru moderators)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 20:26

Honestly I think that's a fair estimate. I started watching in 2012 so I always used "older than 15 years old" as the cut off, so I think that checks out.

It definitely depends on the series I think. Fate Zero is rapidly approaching "almost classic" status for me but Madoka Magica may as well have come out yesterday with how modern it is in my mind.

theangryeditor2026-01-26 20:26

everything heisei is retro now

[](#mug9)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 20:26

😂😂

cppn022026-01-26 20:52

>What is the cut off for retro vs modern anime in 2026?

For me it's when the bug eyes died.

Time_Fracture2026-01-26 21:50

Was it around early 2010s? Baka to Test still has that eye design although Amagami SS also aired the same year with a quite modern eye design.

cppn022026-01-26 21:59

Around 2010 I'd say.
There wasn't one specific moment where everyone decided that they had to go but personally I always use KyoAni's output as a rough guideline who went stuff like Haruhi and Clannad to K-On (which you could argue still has traces of that style) and Hyouka (which wouldn't look out of place today).

Zeallfnonex2026-01-26 22:11

You can’t really blame KyoAni for Clannad’s eyestyle though, that’s just them trying their best to adapt the VN’s visual style. LN adaptations have fewer excuses.

IvanSemushin2026-01-26 22:16

Thought for a moment it is a Vinland Saga spoiler.

[Real Vinland Saga manga spoiler]>!If my memory doesn't fail me, he's alive at the end of the manga.!<

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 21:09

Yeah, I'd say pre-2000 is a good cut off for "retro" anime. But the early 2000s do kind of feel like their own era too.

[](#rengethink)

Zeallfnonex2026-01-26 22:09

If a baby were born when Clannad was first released, they’d be old enough to vote today in most places.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-26 22:44

💀💀

Zeallfnonex2026-01-26 22:48

[](#spooked)

[](#lifedrained)

[](#whippersnappers)

oedipusrex3762026-01-26 22:52

Whatever year Kanon was released in. Key’s character designs from that era scream old school.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 20:43

The first episode of Sentenced to Be a Hero is quite flashy, but there isn't too much substance behind it.

Zeallfnonex2026-01-26 22:37

I've still been watching it, it has a decent basis to work from but needs to execute from here. One potential interesting route I could see them taking is the prejudice against the heroes wearing down over time, especially among the regular military. Maybe an eventual civil war, or a coup resulting from this?

I think IRL history has shown that whoever controls the hearts of the soldiers *eventually* has the chance to perform a regime change (see Napoleon) so if they manage to change it from purely action to a political/social angle as well... Well, it could be really interesting.

It could also go the route of "OP bullied and misunderstood MC, woe is me" which would be much less interesting.

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 21:06

Thanks to everyone in the daily thread who recommended Wandance last season. This show wasn't even on my radar until I saw all the comments about how wholesome it is. Just watched the first two episodes and I'm liking it so far. Wanda and Kabo seem like they'll be a sweet pair.

[](#morecomfy)

mr_beanoz2026-01-26 22:23

I think the problem is just the uncanny dance animations...

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-26 22:27

It does stand out a bit that they're in 3D when the rest of the show is 2D, but personally, I didn't mind.

wloff2026-01-26 21:58

What's with all the slander on *Wash it All Away* all of a sudden? I won't hear it!

[](#lolifightsback)

It's my absolute dark horse of the season, each episode is just 23 minutes of pure comfy bliss and I have a non-stop smile on my face watching the show.

(Yes, there seems to be a random cleavage shot quota each episode has to meet, but I guess I don't personally see it as a negative either...)

_Ridley2026-01-26 22:23

When the awards nominations come out each year, it's easy to get preoccupied with how terrible the AOTY jury shortlist is and miss the real scourge of this project: the public picks for short film.

BiggieCheeseLapDog2026-01-26 22:50

Two gacha pvs, an anniversary clip show, and a promotional pv for a shounen manga are certainly some of the choices of all time.

And the public didn’t even vote the actual GOAT Mamiko’s Poop!

_Ridley2026-01-26 23:17

If they watched Mamiko's Poop, they'd love it, but they'd have to be curious about something new first.

[](#taigasigh)

mr_beanoz2026-01-27 02:25

one of the gacha pv was pretty cute tho

IXajll2026-01-26 23:47

Bold of you to assume the public casuals watch actual short films in the first place.

theangryeditor2026-01-27 01:00

Most of the jury picks for short film are solid at least. Though I did notice while Bottle Insects was uploaded last year it was actually originally released in 2023. Not sure what the rules are regarding that.

[](#harukathink)

_Ridley2026-01-27 02:18

Yeah, the jury usually picks interesting stuff.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 07:11

> the real scourge of this project: the public picks for short film.

I would like a study on how often the one with the best thumbnail/title wins.

[](#slowgrin)

My gut feeling says 90% of the voters haven't watched a single one of them (and vote anyway)

_Ridley2026-01-27 15:35

I think it's a bit of that, but mostly just scanning the list for names they recognize.

Mama2Ge2026-01-26 22:25

Can yall recommend anime that's freaked out? Lol not just annoying random fanservice but actually freaky

theangryeditor2026-01-26 22:37

The pacing in HanaKimi is so abrupt. It keeps jumping from one part of the story to the next with new plot threads popping up while previous ones are just cut off unresolved. Not to mention the poorly indicated timeskips randomly placed in the middle of episodes. Not sure if the anime is rushing through things or if the source was just written like this.

[](#thinkingtoohard)

_Ridley2026-01-26 23:23

> Not sure if the anime is rushing through things or if the source was just written like this.

We're still in volume two, so, it's just written like this.

theangryeditor2026-01-26 23:47

https://i.imgur.com/UQdkni4.png

[](#tiredaoi)

BaytaCosmico2026-01-27 00:12

I haven't watched the latest episode, but pacing has been bothering me from the start for this one. Feels very disjointed. Even if the source is like this, the adaptation could've at least tried to smooth things over a bit.

There's still something oddly compelling about it and I find some of the characters (like blond boy and the doctor) interesting. Else I'd have dropped it especially with how stacked Sundays are.

theangryeditor2026-01-27 00:21

Doc and blondie are my best boys at the moment. As long as they remain relevant I'll keep on watching.

Dull_Spot_82132026-01-27 00:19

I just don’t think I can summon enough enthusiasm for any of these characters other than blond kid and Umeda. The messy nurse is why I keep watching.

theangryeditor2026-01-27 00:21

We stan the good doctor

[](#salute)

Wanderingjoke2026-01-26 22:49

[I started the Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife](https://i.imgur.com/UdzmM3I.jpeg).

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 23:08

They're so cute!!

[](#akyuusqueel)

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 23:08

Got 3 minutes into latest Wash It All Away and like others in here, that's a drop lol

CerberusZX2026-01-26 23:10

It's amazing how the patience of so many ran out at about the same time.

theangryeditor2026-01-27 00:23

[drop](#rengehype)

tiny_nova2026-01-27 00:59

Someone recommended it when I asked for stuff this season. Why the drop? (Haven't started)

AmethystItalian2026-01-27 01:01

Too much fanservice for me personally.

If you're okay with that or enjoy it in your anime it could be worth a look!

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-27 02:42

[fanservice?!](#rengehype)

alotmorealots2026-01-27 03:10

Based solely on what I've read from comments in AQRADT, that wasn't what I was expecting lol

cyberscythe2026-01-27 01:14

oh boy can't wait to queue up that episode tonight

[](#watashiworried)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 07:09

I dropped it because it was boring to me, but everyone dropping it for the fanservice makes me want to check it out again

[](#urbansmile)

u/qwertyqwerty4567 I put you in charge of watching the full season and clipping the good stuff.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-27 08:14

i dont know if I will watch it. /u/AmethystItalian is trying to sell it to me, but im not sure her "lots" of fanservice and mine are the same.

[](#thoughtful)

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 08:31

I heard a succubus walks into the place in episode 7 to get her thigh-high leather boots fixed.

[](#towel)

Infodump_Ibis2026-01-27 01:57

You made me check the ep to that point so have [a free screenshot](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/ddd584555cff.jpg) just after that moment including the dialogue saying "Well, this sucks".

Makes me wonder if episode 2 was a fluke.

AmethystItalian2026-01-27 01:58

Accurate screenshot sadly

cyberscythe2026-01-27 06:47

just watched it and boy it really said the quiet part out loud huh

[](#watashihasdeclined)

AmethystItalian2026-01-27 06:48

Yeah...was pretty much asking to be dropped by me lol

Zeallfnonex2026-01-26 23:26

Since we're talking about drops today, apparently...

What's the fastest you've ever dropped an anime? There's of course the 3-episode rule people try to follow, but have you ever dropped at one episode? Half an episode? Barely a few minutes?

I think the quickest I've noped out was either "I'm Getting Married to a Girl I Hate" or this season's "You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" both of which were dropped within their first 5 minutes. Maybe sooner.

AmethystItalian2026-01-26 23:29

[Shimoneta](https://myanimelist.net/anime/29786/Shimoneta_to_Iu_Gainen_ga_Sonzai_Shinai_Taikutsu_na_Sekai) was a very fast drop for me...didn't finish the episode that's for sure

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 07:05

[So you never witnessed the glorious ED?](https://youtu.be/C0KKBbFcUBQ?list=RDC0KKBbFcUBQ)

[](#akkotears)

AmethystItalian2026-01-27 07:07

Not then but think years later

Durinthal2026-01-26 23:39

I was done with both Chaos Dragon and Sky Wizards Academy within the first few minutes of each, back in 2015 when I was checking out more new seasonal shows on a whim than I do currently.

IXajll2026-01-26 23:43

Don’t know the exact name smart kids have it easy in another world or something, noped out in like 5 minutes or so, complete garbage even for isekai standards.

Nachtwandler_FS2026-01-27 00:12

I normally try to watch at least two episodes, but there are a few shows I dropped after the first one. Still, I watch at least an episode before dropping, never in the middle.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-27 00:13

I dropped Childhood Friends after one episode. Don't think I've noped out before finishing an episode yet.

theangryeditor2026-01-27 00:23

Might be cheating but there are a few shows I dropped before picking up. Mostly recently Towa no Yuugure

cyberscythe2026-01-27 01:07

there have been shows i've been on the fence about watching, then i pop into the episode 1 discussion post and see some keywords that make me drop it from my to-watch list

SSjjlex2026-01-27 00:42

does having the episode downloaded but not bothering to open it and inevitably just deleting it after enough time passes count as a drop? because I'd reckon that would count as a 0s drop lol

Otherwise, yea more than a handful of times. but most of them I already came in expecting to do so,, and it was more a matter of confirming my expectations. I don't even track those ones so hell if I remember which those are.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-27 00:47

I can count on one hand the number of episodes I didn't complete. None were the first episode. Second at best (worst?).

I pride myself on giving at least one full episode to any show I try, no matter how much I dislike it.

gothxo2026-01-27 00:56

i didn't make it past the first scene of Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten at the swings before dropping it

cyberscythe2026-01-27 01:12

i usually have more time than sense, so i give shows at least one episode before the dustbin

i wouldn't fault anyone for dropping after only one episode because if a show doesn't have a hook in that first 22 minutes, it's probably not to your taste anyways (or they don't have the writing chops to frontload some of what makes the show special, which is usually a bad sign overall)

OmegaVirgin942026-01-27 01:30

I won't say I *dropped it* yet, but the other day I was going to start Makeine and right off the bat it starts with piano and a monologue and said "I can't with this shit right now." Then proceeded to watch 3 episodes of Urusei Yatsura instead. So if I never get back to that, then like 15 seconds.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 02:12

Makeine is like 100x funnier than Urusei Yatsura, highly recommended.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 07:02

> I was going to start Makeine and right off the bat it starts with piano and a monologue and said "I can't with this shit right now."

I don't really remember the start, but if your concern is that it's too artsy/pretentious or something, don't worry, it's not!

KendotsX2026-01-27 02:26

Oh, for sure. Lots of shows used to get the drop during or after the first episode (Tamon recently, for example). But I'd call that sampling more than anything. I'm getting a little taste of the show to see whether or not I'd like to watch it.

The only reason it doesn't happen as often these days is because I've got better filters, so those shows don't make it that far usually.

Infodump_Ibis2026-01-27 02:30

Obocchama-kun within first few minutes of a blind watch. Why? In a word, dick ([I explained back when I watched it in April 2024](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/1c9pokc/what_have_you_watched_this_past_week_that_is_not/l0ntt7u/), yeah I used to have the time to write a lot for those 'What Have You Watched This Past Week').

Tarhalindur2026-01-27 02:39

Magilumiere is my reigning "champion" there (~two minutes, thirty seconds: the visual style was driving me up the wall and the writing was showing bright red flashing warning signs as well), which is unfortunate when it was my most hyped show of that season going in.

Other extremely fast drops: Sengoku Youko (~5 minutes - a damn shame because I like Mizukami's work and know damn well he needs time to do his thing, but on screen+voiced the viewpoint character was so completely insufferable for me that I wasn't going to get there), Lostorage Incited WIXOSS (six minutes, forty-seven seconds: was obviously both bad and boring including shit-tier direction, though it took me a little bit afterwards to identify why the direction was so *familiarly* terrible - J.C. Staff hauled out the Shingetsukan Tsukihime director for that one and that man is *bad* at his job).

Sandor_at_the_Zoo2026-01-27 03:38

Possible I'll try it again but right now bean counter is dropped at just over 5 minutes. I will not deal with this level of generic fantasy backdrop.

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-27 04:10

I've dropped a few shows within a minute or two - either because I could tell immediately that the premise was different than I expected and not something I'm interested in, or the main character managed to annoy me that quickly.

Queue_Jumping_Quack2026-01-27 06:15

My fastest is within a couple first minutes. It was so quickly I didn't even bother marking the episode as a "drop" on MAL and just deleted my entry. A shame, since I've now even forgotten what series it was...

I have a bunch of "after the first episode" drops, the latest seasonal one being "Welcome to Japan Ms. Elf". It wasn't even \_that\_ bad, I was just getting a bit tired of the "barely concealed travel advert" genre of slice of life at that point, and this one seemed to be setting up that kind of plot.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 07:01

Oh damn did I miss a drop discussion? As a drop enthusiast, that's my thing!

Just talked about it in the comment above, but

>What's the fastest you've ever dropped an anime?

1 minute.

But it's a rare exception;

I have 500 drops so far, and I'd say that:

- 50% of them are after 1 episode (either I watch the full episode then drop it, or I check out a few minutes of Ep2 then drop it).
- 30% after after 5 or 10 minutes (I skip ahead to see the rest/the cliffhanger, then drop it).
- 15% are after 2-6 episodes
- 3% are within the first 5 minutes.
- 2% are after more than a full cour/season (grew bored with something, or it was 'Fine' but not worth watching more than 1 season of it)

>I think the quickest I've noped out was either "I'm Getting Married to a Girl I Hate" or this season's "You Can't Be In a Rom-Com with Your Childhood Friends!" both of which were dropped within their first 5 minutes. Maybe sooner.

Romance is probably the genre I'm most patient with.

Dropped the first one after 3 episodes, and the second one after 2 episodes.

(And Isekai is the one I'm least patient with, pretty sure 90% of them are 10 minutes then skip to the cliffhanger to see if it's the generic "omg he's so op and amazing and I want his babies!")

Time_Fracture2026-01-27 08:50

1 episode is still the norm for me. If a show doesn't satisfy me in the first few minutes, it might be interesting in the latter half. If it ends with a cliffhanger, I might watch it on Episode 2.

If I drop a show in the first 5 minutes, I might missed out the amazing animation of 7th Prince.

But yeah, normally 1 or 2 episode is enough. If I have to strech it a little bit, maybe Instant Death Ability. Half an episode to makes me wonder should I drop it, but the end of the episode is the confirmation that said "Yes I should drop it."

North_Wait_81182026-01-27 00:18

# salut, je cherche un film anime en streaming Il était une fois Jésus en vf ou vorstfr? (the miracle maker)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 01:20

I think once you've seen a good amount of anime you don't really need to follow the three episode rule. I've dropped anime within the first 5 minutes more than once.

It's hard to tell an average anime from a good anime in the first episode, but it's pretty easy to tell what's going to be total shit very quickly. I dropped Arne from this season after a few minutes and then skipping through the episode.

Edit: This was supposed to be a reply to the question "what's the fastest you've ever dropped an anime", I didn't mean to make this a standalone comment.

Wanderingjoke2026-01-27 01:29

If I had dropped shows because I didn't like the first five minutes, I wouldn't have watched a not insignificant portion of my 8s and 9s.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 01:45

Well, I can usually tell the difference between a show I don't like and a show that's bad.

What show do you have at a 9 that has a bad first episode? I'm not talking about just okay first episodes, I mean horrible first episodes.

oedipusrex3762026-01-27 03:14

An easy tell for me that an anime is great (esp shows with low MAL scores) is observing the first episode and how vague it is with the information it chooses to give. That’s usually a sign that the later episodes are well thought out and leading toward a bigger reveal. One of my luckier recent finds like this was Lost Song.

I think the flaw of this method is that it also ends up feeling like a vibe test.

Heda-of-Aincrad2026-01-27 04:19

Yeah, I drop shows pretty early if I'm not enjoying them at all, but I'm more likely to stick with a story that's just okay/decent. I've watched anime where an okay start turns into a fun show. Never had a change of opinion on a show that I outright disliked though.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 05:11

Exactly! There are anime that have undeniably mid beginnings that grow into something great, but is there more than a small handful of anime that go from genuinely bad to good?

The Idolmaster is the only one I can really think of because it's shot in first person for some reason and isn't really indicative of the quality of the rest of the show. I really could not come up with a second example if I tried.

Emi_Ibarazakiii2026-01-27 06:50

> I think once you've seen a good amount of anime you don't really need to follow the three episode rule. I've dropped anime within the first 5 minutes more than once.

[](#utahapraises)

>Edit: This was supposed to be a reply to the question "what's the fastest you've ever dropped an anime", I didn't mean to make this a standalone comment.

1 minute.

If I did have a 'Rule', it'd be: Try to watch the full first episode. If halfway in it feels generic as fuck, skip forward to see if there's something different (usually, there isn't).

But for some shows even 10 minutes is too much.

>It's hard to tell an average anime from a good anime in the first episode, but it's pretty easy to tell what's going to be total shit very quickly.

The problem I've always had with the "3 episodes rule" is that people think we need to let the time for the plot to kick in and all that, to see what it's gonna be about...

But I don't need to know what the plot's gonna be like if the writing is shit, the comedy is unfunny, the characters are annoying... The author didn't learn to write better comedy between episode 1 and 3. If it's bad on episode 1 it's gonna be bad on episode 10.

Same with a lot of other things that aren't "the plot".

All that being said:

> I dropped Arne from this season after a few minutes and then skipping through the episode.

I literally finished Ep1 few minutes ago, and I liked it.

[](#yuishrug)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 13:06

You get it 🌜

VoidEmbracedWitch2026-01-27 08:52

> It's hard to tell an average anime from a good anime in the first episode, but it's pretty easy to tell what's going to be total shit very quickly. I dropped Arne from this season after a few minutes and then skipping through the episode.

I'd take it a few steps further. There's few things you generally can't tell from the first episode, such as how the story/writing pans out on a macro level (i.e. longer-running character arcs, overarching story structure, etc). You can't tell if you'll have some ambitious storyboarders or the like on later episodes either. But most of everything relevant to make an informed decision about whether or not a show is worth it is evident from the beginning.

Ceriden2026-01-27 01:25

Anime where the "unattractive" boy gets a girlfriend is the guy version of a Hallmark movie. Just like SciFi is basically daytime tv.
Discuss

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 02:09

Facts

TheBigIdiotSalami2026-01-27 01:40

flying to japan to find the time travel door where I tell the person on the other side that they better nominate Look Back for an Oscar or I'm gonna hunt them down for sport in the future.

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-27 01:45

i blame [this](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/487daa3079d5.png) entirely on homophobia

[](#foldedarms)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 02:10

What is this in reference to?

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-27 02:19

my bad girl clip getting downvoted.

[](#foldedarms)

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 02:25

Oh lmao yeah absolutely. Anime fans can be so weirdly conservative and hateful.

TheBlessedBoy992026-01-27 04:01

"Looking for anime recommendations. Open to anything. Absolutely no BL or GL though. That's disgusting."

Wanderingjoke2026-01-27 02:20

Three episodes of Invisible Man and I think I officially have diabetes.

cyberscythe2026-01-27 06:45

https://i.imgur.com/BZoqsvd.png

Wanderingjoke2026-01-27 02:28

Ok, one minute into the Holy Grail of Eris and I'm waiting for this lady to tell us she hid the One Piece.

AnonymousTrollLloyd2026-01-27 06:34

Two minutes in and I feel people should be more concerned about the lightning strike and huge fire.

Alt22212026-01-27 02:51

Teoritta is the *least* cringe character in Sentenced To Be a Hero

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-27 03:19

The more I listen to it, the more I think [the new Fire Force ED](https://v.animethemes.moe/EnenNoShouboutaiS3Part2-ED1.webm) is an absolute *banger* of a song, but I don't think it syncs well to the visuals at all outside of the very start? [](#hardthink) Like I think the visuals are *really* cool, I love how it mirrors the S3P1 ED, I just don't think it matches the song.

I can't remember the last time something like this actually bothered me.

Rotorscope2026-01-27 07:38

Yeah the energy doesnt match. Like when the song dropped the energy for the pre chorus the visuals kept doing the same thing haha

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-27 14:18

I'm glad it's not just me who sees this!

[](#brothersinarms)

ussgordoncaptain22026-01-27 03:53

What is it with isekai and being obsessed with mayonnaise? Like Mayo in particular not like cooking in general but so many stories are like "yep mayo is the goat"

TheBlessedBoy992026-01-27 04:00

>"yep mayo is the goat"

Have you never had this thought before? If I were only able to bring two things when being isekai'd, I would bring mayo and Shrek 2 on VHS (I believe I could put together a rudimentary VHS machine in my lifetime).

Shimmering-Sky2026-01-27 04:07

Obviously the authors of those series were possessed by the spirit of Toshiro Hijikata.

[](#crazedlaugh)

KendotsX2026-01-27 04:27

Hijikata is writing them all to fund his Mayonnaise addiction (and by writing them, I mean making Yamazaki write them for him).

CerberusZX2026-01-27 04:53

It's 2 ingredients, so it's super simple to make and a non-genius, non-chef character could plausibly know the recipe.

ussgordoncaptain22026-01-27 05:00

ah possibly, it's just shocking how many shows are like "yep mayo" as one of the biggest things about the character arc.

The "making mayonnaise side episode" is a classic of random fun iseakai. Even more common than the "my maid wants to bang me" plotline

qwertyqwerty45672026-01-27 09:54

*main episode.

Every good slow life in another world with my super duper cheat skills, monster girl harem and overflowing libido story needs a mayo episode.

[](#hikariactually)

cyberscythe2026-01-27 06:45

i feel like when you muck about in isekai (especially the bottom tier), it's just a bunch of stories copying things from each other; i feel like one person thought of mayonnaise and then people started parroting it like it was a staple of the setting

RandomflyerOTR2026-01-27 04:45

Hey guys, I know this is a longshot but there's a character from an anime that I remember seeing over a decade ago, but for the life of me I can't seem to find the anime or character.

They were a crossdresser\* ~~trap (I'm not sure if this is considered a problematic term, if it is please let me know)~~, black long hair and I think a blue sweater, most notably they wore red and white stockings, and *maybe* a gaming headset? Lastly I think it was a late 2000s anime.
Literally this is *all* I remember, I saw a clip or two on YouTube where they briefly showed up. I would love to know if I somehow am experiencing some kind of mandela effect, thanks all

ududbsisysveiudvdid2026-01-27 05:16

> I’m not sure if this is considered a problematic term, if it is please let me know

well, when r/animememes banned it (https://www.reddit.com/r/Animemes/comments/i2mn3g/rule_5_update_as_of_today_the_word_trap_is_now/) people were not exactly taking it well, *the* mod that banned the term did it without much discourse or input from the community, they eventually got ousted, and the entire sub was privated for a few days, another sub was created in response (r/goodanimemes), people tried circumventing that word using “t-word”, etc, etc, a lot of drama. I think the sub has banned the word to this day (and I believe so does r/anime places restrictions on it here as well), but it’s been a few years since I’ve perused through there.

but in recent times, i am getting the impression people view it more harshly and i feel that incident in r/animemes was a catalyst in a way to rethink the word. there’s an implication and connotation about the word which is sort of more negative than saying MtF / FtM / … cross dresser, etc (some people suggested alternatives to use the proper Japanese terms such as otokonoko though can’t say if those ever stuck for too long). if i were you, it would be best not to use it, when there are other words to use in-place of it.

RandomflyerOTR2026-01-27 05:30

Thank you so much for letting me know! I'll edit my comment now to use another phrase. I haven't really been near anything anime-related since around 2020 but with recent (positive) changes in attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community, I suspected this term had become dated.

Jusenkyo_52026-01-27 05:49

I'll never understand why so many losers lost their shit about the word being banned.

Beyond obviously having negative implications during a time where trans people are already society's punching bag the jokes are also beyond unfunny. Unsubbed instantly and never looked back, and from what I see on the front page I'm pretty happy with that decision.

Donnie-G2026-01-27 06:10

The only crossdressing character I can think of from the late 2000s is Kei from Moyashimon. But he doesn't match the description you gave, being in a full on gothic-lolita getup. He does have long black hair though.

burzum-ishi_2026-01-27 08:58

i am looking for a sits to track animes. to mark them as watched with rating or so. any recomandations?

cppn022026-01-27 10:02

MAL and Anilist are the two most popular choices.

BaytaCosmico2026-01-27 10:15

Thoughts at the end of Ikoku Nikki episode 2: Holy crap this woman is so much like me it's not even funny. Even down to our life choices and career (sort of). My living space is a bit less chaotic but my life itself is fully as messy. Wondering if I'll end up wanting to adopt a teenager by the time I finish this. Hoping I'll maybe eventually be inspired to get back to writing at least.

AnimeMod2026-01-27 12:15

Hello /r/anime, a new daily thread has been posted! Please follow
[this link](/r/anime/comments/1qo9s42/anime_questions_recommendations_and_discussion/) to move on to the new thread
or [search for the latest thread](/r/anime/search?q=flair%3ADaily&restrict_sr=on&sort=new).

[](#heartbot "And don't forget to be nice to new users!")

thetruememeisbest2026-01-27 15:38

hello I'm.tryong to find more anime related meme subreddit like r/piratefolk, please help