While not a bad season, per say, I watched and finished a mere fraction of my typical unhealthy consumption of anime (and remember even less), so this is gonna be sparse (by my standards):


3. Dungeon Meshi: I really wish I enjoyed this more, but somewhere after the peak of fighting the dragon halfway in, Dungeon Meshi returned to incidental scavenging with low tension, and if I had to hear Senshi say “coat it in batter and fry it” one more time… That is to say, the creative juices weren’t flowing as strongly (see what I did there?). Yes, the scenarios were varied, but all of the activities (and cooking) paled in comparison to the greater mysteries at play. The characters did continue to carry my interest, but only barely. There was genuinely no hook so finishing out the season took more effort than it should have.


2. Tensei shitara Dainana Ouji Datta node, Kimama ni Majutsu wo Kiwamemasu- What does it say if my second favorite show from last season is on my ‘will finish it later’ list? Tropes and fanservice galore, but they both stay out of the way of the fun power fantasy, and the animation was truly great.


1. Kaijuu 8-gou: Some of my least favorite character designs (everyone’s facial features are so rounded and interchangeable), but the shounen spark is strong. Funnily enough, the first arc resembles My Hero Academia enough to be comical, but after that quickly morphs into its own thing. Good fight animation, some catchy tunes (english OP and ED?) and plenty of story progression, even if the timing is sorta convenient. I looked forward to nothing more each week.

_____________________________
Due to recent budget cuts, this season’s special awards have been downsized accordingly:


Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! 3 gets the ‘robbed’ police sketch: If the core narrative were more compelling, this could have easily been number 2, as the laughs were pretty good. The degenerate characters bouncing off each other is as fun as ever, and little goes according to plan. Old jokes are remembered and what passes for a plot did actually advance by some measure. Great stuff, but better binged.


Astro Note gets retro tankobon: All the feel-good qualities of a yesteryear ‘cute girl is actually an alien’ show from the 80-90s. Simp-kun volunteers to cook for an apartment complex while the owner is an alien on a vague mission that will be completed exactly when the story needs to enter the final stages for some tension. Not gripping, but a good time if you’re feeling a bit nostalgic.


KENKA DOKUGAKU gets the ‘youtube subscriber plaque’: This is "Hajime no Ippo" for Zoomers, and I just can’t get into the cynicism after so many episodes. Obviously a Korean manhua adaptation (from the socks with sandals to the ‘localized’ names that don’t match the phonetics you can plainly hear, to the shoestring animation… yep… not exactly the red carpet treatment…) That aside, if you like a good underdog fighting/martial arts series; you could do worse. Bullied kid tries starting a ‘newtube’ channel to get views and money for his mom’s hospitalization and hits every obstacle along the way. Some good fights but all the rest is just money worship.


Go ahead and pack some store brand ranch for Henjin no Salad Bowl: The first episode was pretty fun as a reverse isekai fish out of water story, reminding my of Hinamatsuri, but the luster quickly faded as the show quickly ran out of introduction and the actual hijinks didn’t hold up, even if Livia is the best girl of the season (give just her the ranch, actually).


I award Shuumatsu Train Doko e Iku? with the punched train ticket: If you’d asked me what show is most destined for greatness after one episode this season… this right here. The bizarre world building and cute characters (that had some good dialog) felt like a sure hit, but something about the episodic narrative drained my enthusiasm as it chugged along (train humor), leading to a quiet drop into the ‘maybe later’ pile.


Tensei Kizoku, Kantei Skill de Nariagaru was a casualty of circumstance, so it should really try filing a claim for this: This was off to a petty good start for a nonconventional isekai power fantasy. Boy must surround himself with people of great ability to stave off impending disaster instead of beating all the bad guys by himself. The best compliment I can give is I forgot why I didn’t get around to finishing it.


Yozakura-san Chi no Daisakusen: I’m seeing a pattern here… another strong start with a wacky family unit entangling an outsider into their tightly wrapped (light) drama and hangups, this time in the paint of a spy thriller… My major hangup is/was that spycraft usually doesn’t translate well to a simple good guys versus bad guys shounen template when deception and gray morality are staples of the genre. Also, killing is largely downplayed and that feels out of place when there are serial bombers and mid-day car chase shootouts. Not bad, overall, but know what you’re getting into.


WIND BREAKER gets a school jacket themed around something cool: Another casualty of running out of steam, Wind Breaker is the correct answer to the question a disgruntled viewer of Tokyo Revengers might ask: “Where are the good school gang anime at?” School boys bravado and talking things out with their fists- just the kind of escapist entertainment I can only find in anime. While my interest waned after the first major arc, it was a good time while I watched. Recommended.


Unnamed Memory gets the amnesia award because I can’t hardly remember a single thing about it!


Sentai Daishikkaku gets the bronze brush award: What a disappointment. A deconstruction of villain mooks being enslaved for entertainment by the virtuous sentai team is ripe for exploitation (slave humor?)… yet we get an annoying, weak, hot headed imbecile with almost no redeeming qualities in his quest to finish taking over the earth because… reasons. Aided by disgruntled sentai support staff and other delusional members of the broken machine, this feels like a story that would happen even if Sentouin D weren’t involved, which didn’t do much to hold my interest. It feels like a story happening around the protagonist (who I didn’t like at all) instead of one being shaped and influenced by him- and that’s why this is one stain worth the scrub off the bowl.


And for Kimetsu no Yaiba: Hashira Geiko-hen, we bestow some convenience store sushi; banzai!: How commodified has Demon Slayer become? I see figures at my local grocery store, and that commercial success means it is no major consequence if the quality of storytelling never again reaches the drastic highs of the best arcs of DS. While not as outright eye-rolling as the swordsmith village arc, the Hashira training arc was the prettiest padding I’ve ever seen. For sure, though, I’ll be watching the final movies!


Catch ya next season!