There have been a ton of anime coming out lately, including many very good shows. I want to look at a good amount of them, but that would take too much time, so I decided to look at three shows in one. I won’t keep you much longer, let’s start with the first one.
Quick Review: Heaven’s Design
Heaven’s design was very cute. It had bright colors and a fun premise that’s similar to something I wanted to explore in a short story I’m workshopping. (this would focus more on the creation process of humans and making errors and I’m boring you, aren’t I). Either way, a company is contracted by god to create animals for him because god was bored and didn’t want to do it himself. The thing that stood out for me the most is that this show has a trans character and it’s not even a plot point. It’s just how it is, and no one questions it. That’s the kind of representation we need to see more of in anime. Respect everyone for who they are folks, it’s the easiest nice thing we can do. This show didn’t blow me away but it was nice to watch, and I would recommend it if you’re looking for something cute.
Quick Review: Hortensia Saga
This show was not good. I’m sorry, but it just wasn’t. The characters were very bland, the story was all over the place and the writing was just… not good. I drop most bad shows, but I felt like I could learn something from this one, so I kept watching it. I don’t think I learned much in the end. To summarize the story, the kingdom of Hortensia gets overthrown by an evil priest and the crown princess, Marielle has to hide and pretend she’s Marius, a boy. No one in her posse realizes she’s actually a girl even though she looks like a girl. Her perfect disguise was binding her long hair. Brilliant move. They eventually start the fight to get back the kingdom and succeed right at the end. There is an interesting twist at the end that I won’t spoil, but that was my favorite moment of the show. It would be curious if I had any faith they would get a sequel, but I doubt they will. I wouldn’t recommend this show.
Quick Review: Otherside Picnic
I don’t like horror. I wrote a horror story last year which you can read here, but honestly it wasn’t too good.
It’s a genre I tend to avoid. I get spooked easily so I avoid things that can scare me. I still worry slightly in the dark like I’m not a 28 year old man. Otherside Picnic wasn’t too scary though, which I appreciated. It was more in the realm of creepy and unsettling, which I can appreciate more. The show follows two college students who explore a place called the Otherside. There’s strange monsters that live here and make their life difficult, but they still keep going back. I believe it’s loosely based on an old novel, which also had a game based off of it. Not my favorite show of the season but I think it’s still worth a watch. I like shows with characters that are slightly older. The same was true for Heaven’s Design. High school students have been overdone, and that was a lot more interesting when I was younger. Now I feel like a boomer who can barely relate half the time. Am I getting old?
These three shows were not anywhere near my top 5 this past season, but that’s mainly because the season was absolutely stacked. With Attack on Titan, Slime, Dr. Stone, Jujutsu Kaisen and more it is unlikely we’ll ever get a season as filled with bangers. Thanks for reading, and I hope you leave a comment and a like.
Opal Kaharis 