I think no one was really expecting this series to get a sequel, and for good reason. The first show had some fun gags, but besides that there was really nothing more to it than poorly executed fanservice and a generic plot. Since it got a second season I was curious if it was going to improve on that.
Spoiler alert: It did not.
The one thing I took away from this season is that it’s a show of wasted potential. The running gag that Diablo has very little social skills and gets himself into more and more stupid situations would be great if it was executed in more of a KoNoSuBa style story where the main character isn’t some harm-having superhero. If he was a lot more down on his luck and then stumbled his way to greatness from time to time, this story could have been pretty good. But alas, if you’ve not started this season, or show, I don’t recommend picking it up now. Best to skip it.
Shakunetsu Kabaddi
I love sports anime. Alongside Shonen, Romance and Slice of Life it’s one of my favorite genres. So whenever a sports anime shows up, I try picking it up if I get the chance. It wasn’t different with Shakunetsu Kabaddi. Although I was not particularly familiar with the sport, that has never stopped me before. And although I didn’t set my expectations too high, I was pleasantly surprised.
The anime follows the Noukin Kabaddi team, who has recruited former soccer pro Yoigoshi to the team. My favorite part about this show is definitely the different characters. The sport itself doesn’t interest me at all, but I love the different character interactions. The bald Azemichi who grew up in the mountains and has a pretty girlfriend that causes the ire of the rest is a particular joy to watch. This show doesn’t invent anything spectacular, but it’s a very enjoyable watch if you’re already a fan of sports anime. So if you’re craving a sports show give it a watch for sure!
Mashiro no Oto
I don’t think I have much love for the shamisen per se. It’s not an instrument that I particularly enjoy the sound from. I do like music in general though, so if an anime with music in the premise shows up I’ll be sure to give it a try. When I watched the first episode of Mashiro no Oto I had high hopes for it. A runaway who gets mixed up with some interesting people. I was hooked. Then at the end of episode one all the interesting people left, and we’re stuck with a bunch of high school students learning how to play an instrument. The characters in this were fine, don’t get me wrong, I just wish we saw more of the cheating guitar dude and his (now ex-)girlfriend. There’s still some things to like about this show.
My taste in women might be questionable, don’t judge me
For starters, even though she’s clearly sociopathic, I find myself slightly aroused every time Umeko is on screen. I wonder what that says about me? There’s also the relationship that Setsu has with his brother, who clearly cares for him deeply. Then there’s the more interesting shamisen players that start showing up as the show picks up pace. And then it ends.
I don’t quite know how to feel about this one. I didn’t hate it, but I also wasn’t excited to watch it. There’s potential there, and from what I saw on reddit there’s a lot more content in the manga. I might give that a go at some point, but with the long list of what I’m already reading and reading again there’s a good chance I won’t. If you like high school drama with some music thrown in, this show is worth your time, if that’s not your cup of tea then I suggest skipping it.
Ps: I should be back to my regular schedule next week, thanks for being patient with me ❤
Most anime seasons I end up getting obsessed with at least one or two shows. And for this particular season that is definitely Slime Diaries, or Tensura Nikki. For those unfamiliar with Tensura let me give a quick explanation. Our main character, Rimiru, died while protecting a coworker from an attacker with a knife. He was then reborn as a slime into this new world. He spends some time getting stronger before he ends up establishing his own village. Several nearby monster races, including orcs, lizardmen, goblins and dire wolves end up joining him and he establishes his town of Tempest. There are nearby countries who are not all equally fond of them which causes an array of problems. If you haven’t seen the first two seasons of Tensura yet, I highly recommend you do so. But that is not what we’re talking about today. Tensura Nikki is the slice of life spin-off which follows Rimuru and friends in their downtime. And wow, did I get blown away by how good this spin-off is. Since all these episodes have their own contained story I want to look at the episode I just watched specifically, because I think it perfectly encapsulated what I love about this anime.
I would love to own art like that, the designs really pop. Good job old guys!
I really wanted to go in depth on episode 5 of this show. I will do a full review on it when the season ends, but this episode stood out. We start out with Rimuru talking to the rest of the village and getting everyone excited for the festival. Everyone starts working on the preparations immediately and there’s an air of excitement in the air. I’m immediately reminded that if I ever stop being a broke as all hell student I should get some Shuna and Rimuru figurines. They both have fantastic character designs. Everyone in this series does, it’s a very fun and diverse cast. We get a nice shot with the sun getting low where all the goblins are hard at work in town, with Shion and Rimuru watching over them. This brings us right into the opening theme song. I’m still waiting for Milim to show up, by the way.
Where is she at?
And then it’s here, the return of the summer festival. Of course the mask stall only sells Rimuru masks. If they weren’t so adorable, these people would most certainly be a scary cult. Rimuru is their one true leader after all. Also, is it me or does Gobta look like squirtle?
Squirtle gang rise up!
We move over to the women and Rimuru wearing Kimono. Kimono? Yukata? I did some quick googling and I couldn’t get a great answer. I did find an article saying a Yukata is a very casual kimono often worn in the summer. So seeing as this is a summer festival they’re probably yukata then. I’ve always thought they look amazing, it’s one of the things I’d love to wear one day. The article I read said that it’s becoming more normal for men to wear them, so maybe there’s a chance. Either way, I digress. Shuna scarilty proclaims that big chests get in the way of dressing. I think she’s saying it three times in an attempt to curse Shion, but I’m not sure.
Monster Takoyaki
The food stalls seem to be a success, just look at this delicious Takoyaki. What did you say? That’s not octopus in those balls? Then what is it? What do you mean you won’t tell me. What’s going on. It tastes just like Takoyaki right? You’re scaring me.
Moving on.
Ignore this.
We then moved on to the shaved ice stall. And Benimaru has decided to join us for this. This part of the episode was where I realized how much younger they made the characters look in this spin-off. Ignoring the fact that Rimuru definitely looked different later in the most recent season, even Benimaru looks a lot less scary here. On the note of scary, I wonder if that ice is really safe to eat, like Benimaru is asking about.
Look at the little babies.
Of course Rimuru has a recommended flavor that everyone immediately dubs as Great Rimuru flavor. I’m not saying they’re part of a cult, I’m just saying that cults would look at them and probably worry about them.
Nightmare Fuel
Hakuro on the other hand set up a fish scooping stall with the help of Gobza. Hakuro also looks a lot kinder in this verison of the anime. I always love scenes with Gobta in them, he’s such a fun character. Also, is it just me or do the monstrous goldfish in this scene remind me of Hozuki no Reitetsu? If you’re unfamiliar with that show, it’s a show about a demon working in hell’s middle management. It’s a very funny anime that I’d highly recommend. It also has strange large goldfish.
The next scene coming up is great too. Souei throws a kunai at a Gabiru statue and immediately gets reprimanded. Who brings a knife to a toy gun fight. He gives it to Souka who happily proclaims about the gift to her father. Her father remarks that it’s a statue of her brother with a knife stuck in it. I always forget that the two are related. They’re so very different in their personalities.
Rimuru asking the important questions
Treyni is selling fortunes and Rimuru goes to try by ripping one of the vines. It turns out that the vines got tangled and the vines connected to Treyni herself are part of the ones hanging down. She definitely didn’t do this on purpose. She definitely doesn’t seem to be deriving pleasure from this. What a scary woman.
Next up is my favorite scene of the episode, and the reason why I decided to write this review in the first place. Geld, the former orc lord, has been an absolute joy to watch throughout this series. He was a total badass in the main series last season, and in this spin-off he is absolutely perfect as the silent kind man. We get a scene of the little goblin girl throwing a ball at him to “slay the beast.” She doesn’t quite make it though and gets sad. Geld, being the overly kind orc that he is, hands her the ball for another attempt. It’s the epitome of adorable. There are very few situations where I’ve wanted to protect a smile so much. The goblin children in this show are absolutely adorable and steal the show in every scene they’re a part of. Even the platelets from Cells at Work never reached this level of adorable.
I love these two with all my heart.
Gabiru spent a few scenes earlier in the episode sweating over some sort of notes, and I was wondering what that was about. It turns out he was preparing for the bon dance. As much of a comic relief character he is most of the time, he nails this performance. Well done Gabiru. Of course he immediately asks for Rimuru’s opinion on the dance who was completely oblivious to it all. Poor Gabiru. Ranga does a great job capping off the feelings I have about this episode. He does a quick brooding moment looking down on a city enjoying themselves before being fed piping hot takoyaki. I’ve said it many times during this review already in many different ways, but I adore everything about this show. Before we end there’s still the float being carried around, with everyone cheering for Rimuru. He’s still not quite used to being revered as much. I know that feeling Rimuru, I think many people have at least a mild case of imposter syndrome. Except Shion. Shion doesn’t have that problem whatsoever.
Shion, are you okay?Undo, unsubscribe, abort mission, cancel!
Please stop her Rimuru, I don’t think that’s something we need. Maybe in the main storyline, but not in a slice of life spin-off. This show has it all and I can’t really contain my excitement. A show like this doesn’t come by often. The feeling of nostalgia I get when watching the fireworks scene is great. I’m reminded of going to the beach in Scheveningen with a friend and watching the large fireworks show. I’m reminded of barbecues we used to have with the people from our neighbourhood. Lately, and especially during covid, the world has been cold. I’ve been dealing with many issues, both mental health and lately fysical health as well and it’s made me bitter. This show is reminding me about the important things in life. Family, friends, community and enjoying the moments we can. It’s a beautiful love letter to life and it’s making me so excited to experience things myself. It’s reawakening a joy in me that I thought I’d lost ages ago. Life and community can be whatever you want it to be. If Rimuru can build his dream kingdom with friendly monsters and dogs who are adorably scared of fireworks, then what’s stopping me from chasing my dreams? As you might have noticed I’m once again getting off track. I promise I’m not doing it on purpose.
Wise words from a very wise slime.
If there’s one note I want to this post on, it’s that having fun together is very important. Wether that is you and your monster friends in another world replicating a Japanese summer festival, or us back in the real world meeting up again when we’re all properly vaccinated. This anime brings me so much joy that I manage to forget about the real world for a moment. Please let me know if you enjoyed this anime as much as I did. Also, I apologize for being a day late, but as you can see, I overdid it when it comes to the length. It was worth it though. You’re not the boss of me anyway!
It’s a new season and it’s time for new anime to watch. There’s some good shows still going on, but there’s also a bunch of new shows airing. Today I’ll be looking at 5 shows I’m currently watching and giving you a quick opinion so you can decide if you want to watch them as well. These aren’t my favorite shows per se, I’m just picking out a few I like. I’m not going to talk about ongoing shows, nor am I going to talk about sequels. This includes the Tensura spin-off. If you want my full opinion on this you’ll have to wait for an upcoming post but the short of it is: It’s amazing. It’s my favorite thing ever and I love it. Either way, let’s dive into this season and see what’s airing.
5) Eden’s Zero
I’m writing this when we’re only three episodes in on these shows, so if you’re reading this later in the season know that my opinion might have changed. Having said that, the production on this show felt a bit weak. I’ve talked about Eden’s Zero before on this blog, you can check my review of the manga Here. I really wanted this anime to look and sound good, because I think Mashima deserves another shot at a popular anime. With Fairy Tail and Rave Master under his belt he’s now writing a space anime. I’ve referred to this show in the past as One Piece in space and I still think that’s accurate. Rebecca finds a young man named Shiki on an island full of robots. She then takes him with her on an adventure to go find mother, who is a massive floating woman at the end of space. (Not to be confused with One Piece, which is a treasure at the end of the ocean.) Needless to say there’s some parallels here and there but that’s fine. One Piece is fantastic, so you’d be right to take inspiration from it. All in all I’ve not been sold on this adaptation yet, but we’ll see where it brings us. If you’re a fan of Mashima’s other works you should check this one out, and if you’re craving decent shonen you should do the same. If neither of that is in your particular interest, maybe skip this one.
4) Shaman King (2021)
I vaguely remember Shaman King from TV when I was just a kid. I remember the English opening theme music and the core concepts of the show, but that’s really where it ends. A good friend of mine was quite excited for this show and since it’s a reboot of a classic I couldn’t just ignore it. One thing it has over Eden’s Zero is that the production on this looks a lot better. It feels well polished and sounds great. The character designs are very cool in this one. Definitely a step up from the average show. I specifically love Anna’s and Yoh’s design. Yoh looks like he doesn’t really care about anything half the time which fits his personality well. Anna doesn’t take shit from anyone and you can clearly see that in her design. Everything about her looks sharp and strong. She emanates a strength and I’m here for it. The story seems fine so far, it’s very much early days shonen in which it’s monster of the week, but it flows well. All in all I’d recommend this show even if you’re like me and haven’t seen much of the original show.
3) Shakunetsu Kabaddi
I think I speak for many of us when I say I didn’t have a clue how Kabaddi worked before starting this show. I’d heard about it before, I believe it was the anime Chio’s School Road that featured it in a few of its gags, but I didn’t quite grasp how the game worked. From what I’ve learned so far it’s actually quite complex in its simplicity. Is that an oxymoron? Screw it, I’m leaving it in, you know what I mean. I’m no English major. Wait, I am. Shit. Moving on.
The main character is a very successful soccer player who got let down by his team and now hates sports. He’s found his new passion in streaming. Except life doesn’t always go as we plan it. The vice-president of the Kabaddi club finds out he’s streaming and blackmails him into joining the club. You know, normal wholesome anime plotlines. Either way, with a few episodes our main character, Yoigoshi, has become a full-fledged member of the team. What I love about this show is how unapologetically silly it is. It knows when to take itself seriously and when to be comedic. My favorite joke so far being Azemichi showing a picture of him with his pretty girlfriend and Yoigoshi getting mad out of jealousy. It works so well because of the characters’ well established personality. If you like sports anime and good comedy this show is a great one to watch.
2) Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu
Imagine this: It’s been a long day at work. Suddenly you are summoned to a strange land to be their savior saint. Then by accident two people are summoned and the person summoning you likes the other girl more so you’re just kind of told to do your own thing. The audacity. I would be angry but our main character doesn’t seem too bothered. Not having to deal with crunch time at work she’s going to enjoy her new life. And she’ll do so by making potions. The story follows Sei enjoying her new life being great at everything she touches while every man arounds her starts falling for her. Usual Isekai stuff. The characters seem fun in this show and Sei is extremely likable. It’s another one of those Slice of Life meets Isekai shows that just work really well. Maybe it’s just me, but I love this genre and I can’t get enough of it. To add one more recommendation here I also really recommend Slime Taoshite 300-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level Max ni Nattemashita. I’m not reviewing that one because I’d mostly be repeating myself.
1) Hige wo Soru. Shoshite Joshikousei wo Hirou.
Problematic as this kind of material might be, I have to admit I’m a sucker for these forbidden love situations. One of my favorite manga of all time is Love so Life. That is probably the best in the genre though. At least I would be surprised if there’s a better one, and I’d also love to hear about it. This anime though takes a slightly different angle. At least so far. The main character is not interested in the teenage girl but instead has fallen for his coworker. It seems to be about kindness and hopefully making it so this girl gets to a point where she’s happier, because it’s clear there’s something wrong here. Her behavior is definitely not that of a normal teenager, and I’m curious to see where this anime takes it.
I think that’s all for this one, let me know if I missed any good anime. I’m not watching nearly as much as last season because The Overwatch League has started up as well and that’s taking a large portion of my watch time each week. Let me know if there’s anything I absolutely have to watch, or if you disagree with my description and opinion of some of these picks. Until next time!
Hello everyone, good to see you back at round 3 of Quick Reviews. For this past season this will be the last quick review I’m doing. I watched a lot of good shows last season but if I spend all of this season reviewing old shows I’ll never be able to write about anything else. Let me know if you want me to do this series every season, I’ve certainly been enjoying it. Gives me an excuse to watch a few shows each season as well. Well then, let’s jump straight into it.
Kemono Jihen
This show surprised me. The premise is quite simple: Inugami has a detective agency and is called to the boonies to check on something strange happening. This is where he finds our protagonist, Kabane. Kabane is a Kemono, and after losing his place to stay with his aunt he comes with Inugami to Tokyo where he meets several other Kemono. Together they solve mysteries. The heart of the show is in how fun the characters are. The main thing I really appreciated about this show is how it doesn’t mind getting a bit darker. A lot of these shonen shows end up a bit on the light-hearted side, which is fine, but I appreciate the little darker tones this show has. Without going into spoilers, Akira’s backstory is brutal and very dark. I’d honestly recommend this if you’re a fan of decent shonen anime.
Log Horizon Season 3: Destruction of the round table
I wasn’t going to include this one initially because it’s a sequel and most people have their opinions on it by now, but after watching the show I did want to talk about it. When the first season of Log Horizon aired it was just off of the back of Sword Art Online’s massive success. It was right at the start of the wave of Isekai shows and it was a very enjoyable show. I rated it quite highly back then. Unfortunately it is no longer 2013. Yes, I googled it and it’s really 8 years ago, where did time go? Back then, Log Horizon was one of the better Isekai shows but since then a lot more shows have aired. And a lot of those shows were very good. Just recently we’ve had Tensura, Kumo Desu Ka and longer ago we’ve had shows like Re:Zero and Re:Creators. And I’d say all of those shows, and more, were better than Log Horizon. Now that’s not to say this show has no merit. It’s got an interesting set-up, but I’ve honestly forgotten half of it. I didn’t go back to watch the first two seasons, and honestly this season was mostly just confusing. It took me several episodes to get back into it and even then it felt a bit rough around the edges. I reckon if you watch all three seasons in a row it’s a lot better, but that is ignoring the fact that a large part of season 2 wasn’t too amazing. Overall I think that unless you’re starving for Isekai shows, I’d probably skip this one.
Jujutsu Kaisen
Now this was undoubtedly one of the hottest shows of the past season. Technically started a season before, but because it ended in the Winter 2021 season I’m reviewing it now. For the few of you who missed this bombshell of an anime, Jujutsu Kaisen follows Itadori Yuuji who swallows one of Sukuna’s fingers. Sukuna being the King of Curses who died and had his soul stuck in a bunch of relics. Yuuji, being the strange bloke he is, eats one for lunch and gets possessed by Sukuna. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but you get the gist. After this he goes with Gotou Satoru, a very handsome man with a cloth in front of his eyes to go to Jujutsu Tech. To make a long story short, they fight these curses while also fighting back Sukuna’s grasp on Yuuji. The characters are very well written and the story really pulls you in. This was easily one of the better shows that aired and I personally enjoyed it more than I did Attack on Titan. I like Attack on Titan, but there was something enjoyable about Jujutsu Kaisen that really sold me on it. I’ll definitely read the manga in the near future.
What did you think of these three shows if you’ve seen them? Anything you disagreed on with me? Please let me know in the comments down below. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all here again next season!
Today it’s time for round two of my quick reviews, in which I will give a quick opinion about a few shows that aired in the Winter 2021 season.
Quick Review: Sk8
I talked about a few shows early on during the season, giving a first impression. Sk8 was one of these shows, and I think this show was the one that surprised me the least as the season went on. I liked inline skating as a young teenager, but I had many friends who enjoyed skateboarding, some of which were very good at it as well. Spoiler alert, I was never that good, but they were nice people and it was great fun hanging out in the skatepark. Sk8 the anime does kind of nail that feeling in a sense. It really feels like a fun community that all has the same hobby and is trying to have fun doing it. Obviously there was the villain, who was as over the top as he was good at skateboarding. This show is just fun. Shadow is a great comedic heel because he’s such a nice guy in his normal persona, Joe and Cherry bickering is fantastic and although I’m a straight man, Cherry definitely has a hot design. I’m just saying.
If you like skateboarding and just feel good shows with a bit of drama then I highly recommend giving Sk8 a watch.
Quick Review: Dungeon Boonies
Suppose a dense motherf**ker wanted to join the military but minor inconveniences keep getting in his way. I don’t think that’s the literal translation, but it’s accurate nonetheless. This show wasn’t amazing, didn’t do anything particularly new or reinvented the genre by any means. This show was just fun. The characters are fun, with all the girls having their own fun personality, the plot is fun with silly problems that are way below the main character’s paygrade. Lloyd is the textbook definition of overpowered, which is why he’s mostly kept on the sideline. The actual story later on doesn’t really do it for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the character interactions and humor. Not the best show to air this season, but definitely worth watching it if you’re bored and need a quick laugh.
Quick Review: Horimiya
I mentioned this earlier in the season, but I didn’t know too much about Horimiya before this anime season started. Apparently the manga was super popular, but that’s all I knew about it. I was really, really pleasantly surprised by this show. Horimiya tells the stories of a few high schoolers from becoming friends, developing relationships, experiencing rejections and then in the end graduating. From what I heard the story skips quite a bit of material so it can fit the ending in one season, which means I might have to check out the manga at some point. I really like the characters in this show, they’re all super likable in their own way, and the titular Miyamura and Hori steal the show. If I have one complaint about this show it’s the fact that, spoiler alert, Miyamura ends up cutting his hair. I liked that he looked very different from your average protagonist in a way. Nonetheless, this show was a joy from start to finish and the colorful cast will remain memorable for a long time I think.
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.
When the first season of Tensura came out I enjoyed it quite a lot. I thought it was a very solid isekai show and I was happy to see it was getting a sequel. What I did not expect was that amongst a season filled with some of the best anime in recent memory, it would still become my favorite. Today I want to take a moment to review the second season for those of you who are still on the fence about it, and explain why I put this show above other shows like Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen. (Both of which are also amazing by the way). Be aware that this review contains spoilers about the entire second season.
Let’s start this review right then
Slime picks off right after the first season. A delegation of beast folk from Eurazania (I kept wanting to write Eurasia) arrives for some lighthearted combat and politics. The first few episodes focus on strengthening the bonds with other nations, as well as introducing some new otherworlders that work for the Kingdom of Falmuth. They’ll come into play later on this season, so they’re important. Rimuru has to finish up his teaching job in the city as well before he’s able to go back home.
You’re not wrong Gobta
Right around when Rimuru is heading back, things start to go wrong. People show up in Tempest and start making trouble in the neighbourhood. With the use of some betrayal and powerful anti-magic barriers, the troublemakers quickly get the upper hand when the Falmuthian army appears and starts slaughtering people.
Rimuru is stuck as Sakaguchi Hinata, Shizu-san’s Senpai treats him as the monster who killed her and tries to kill him. She is not very successful, but she is a dangerous foe and stalls Rimuru for long enough that things go really, really wrong at Tempest. I won’t go into spoilers too much for the few of you who still want to watch this show, but I’m not often this shocked by shonen. Meanwhile Hinata is overpowering Rimuru who has to pull out all the stops to survive her attacks and get away with his life.
She’s definitely in a league of her own
The survivors then gather up in Tempest and Rimuru learns of a way to possibly revive the people they lost. Here we get some of Milim’s tragic backstory which I thought was very cool, and we start seeing a darker side of Rimuru. Rimuru definitely started out like every shonen protagonist does. A good guy, who wants to see the good in everyone and give everyone a chance at redemption. That arguably hasn’t changed too much, but what I really appreciate about his character is that he learns. It reminds of the great saying “If you want a tolerant society you can’t tolerate the intolerant.” It fits nicely in this scenario with Falmuth not tolerating the monsters which becomes enough of a problem for Rimuru and his friends that Rimuru decides to fight back properly. No shonen protagonist friendship is magic that we see far too often (yes, even my favorite manga One Piece is guilty of this), but actual consequences. If Rimuru kills 10.000 people he has a chance of bringing his fallen friends back.
They messed up bad
I’m not a big fan of bringing back characters from the dead because I think it’s often done poorly. Actions have consequences and to quote everyone’s favorite Fate character: “People die when they are killed.”
That doesn’t mean reviving characters can’t be done well. There needs to be a price paid. In this case, that price is the lives of 10.000 human soldiers as well as Rimuru’s humanity. He still sees himself as a human on the inside, owed to his previous life. Killing 10.000 people will probably lay heavy on his heart. We see a lot of this in episode 10, which I talked about in this post. It is one of my favorite episodes of anime in a long time, and I think it’s a masterclass at show don’t tell. Rimuru’s emotions are very visible to me, even if he’s wearing a mask to cover his face. Kudos to the animators, I’ve seen the episode 3 times now and I still get chills.
Chills, one of the coolest moments in all of anime
To top it off, we have a very satisfying end to the first half of this season with some new enemies making themselves known. The final episode is very funny, with the banter between Rimuru and his newly upgraded great sage: Raphael being top-notch. And finally, the episode caps off with the return of everyone’s favorite tsundere dragon: Veldora. I can’t wait to watch the second half of this season in 3 months from now, as well as rewatch the entire thing when that ends. It’s brought me much joy and I highly, highly recommend all of you to check it out.
Raphael has the best banter!Oh Dear
But that’s my opinion on this show. Do you have a different opinion, or is there something you would like to add? Please leave a comment down below and don’t forget to like and share.
Here’s everyone’s favorite disclaimer: this review contains spoilers for Dr. Stone Season 2 as well as the season 3 trailer.
It’s review season. The Winter 2021 season is nearing its conclusion and several big name shows are ending. I’ll try my best to look at a good chunk of them in the upcoming weeks, so expect a few more posts than normal. I don’t plan to do this for every season, but there’s so much to talk about right now that it would be a waste not to do so. Let’s start it off with a show that I really enjoyed. The doctor will see you now.
The season starts off with a plan. Tsukasa’s camp has a lot of people that aren’t aware that some of the luxuries they enjoyed before petrification aren’t as much in the past as they might think. Gen has the brilliant talent to mimic the voice of Lillian and sing her songs. That way they hope to convince some of the people in Tsukasa’s camp to join their side instead. It’s a good plan, but they run into a die-hard fan immediately who is able to figure out the trick immediately. Talk about terrible luck, Senku-kun. Niki is a pretty decent person though, and the idea that she can listen to her favorite singer once more has convinced her. I loved this little arc. Niki became one of my favorites. I’m a big fan of music, listening to some as I’m writing this. Music is such a magical phenomenon that i can’t really put in words how much it’s helped me through rough times. It’s why we get so attached to certain bands. Seeing Niki cry because she could listen to her music once more was heartwarming, and I’m tearing up as I’m writing this.
America Desu!
With the plan well on the way, and Taiju and Yuzuriha trying to convince more and more of the people in Tsukasa’s camp to join their side, team Chrome runs into some trouble. They’re scouted by Ukyou, who manages to capture Chrome. He does leave some of the truth of the events out when reporting to Tsukasa. With Chrome a captive, Senku and team science get ready to free their friend and capture the miracle cave from Tsukasa. The middle part of this season spends time with them preparing as well as Chrome going through some hijinx while in captivity. He’s such a fun character.
Chrome is such a badass
And what brings home the threat of science more than a freaking tank. Of course they’d get a tank, it’s Senku. With the tank ready they make their way to Tsukasa’s camp. I’ll avoid talking too much about the confrontation with Tsukasa and Hyoga, to avoid spoiling the entire show, but I found it a very satisfying conclusion to the show. Chrome rejoins his friends as they get ready for the clash.
Not to be confused with regular gorilla; Kohaku
This season of Dr. Stone was just as good as the first season, and arguably even better. I have the first volume of the manga on my shelf behind me, and I’ve been considering buying more. With the announcement of season 3 coming right after this season finished I might wait a bit longer and watch that first. I do like going into anime blind, because if I read the manga first the charm isn’t quite there for me. Having said that, it’s definitely a manga I’d add to my collection eventually. Speaking of the announcement for season 3, people have already called the next season Dr. Stone: One Piece edition, and rightfully so. They’re building a ship to cross the ocean. I love sailing and pirates, so that arc should be an absolute joy. Not to mention the outfit designs shown in the trailer. Absolutely amazing.
All things considered, Dr. Stone season 2 was a very solid shonen anime that tugged at your heartstrings here and there, but also managed to be very funny. One of the better shonens of this time, and that’s saying a lot with some of the amazing stuff airing alongside it. This anime passes with flying colors. How exhilarating.
I swear, Kaseki is more beard than person.I love the bright colors used hereOh captain, my captain.
Getting the obvious out of the way; this review will contain spoilers for the entire season. If you’re here to figure out if you should watch it: I recommend giving it a shot. It’s flawed in ways, but it has a lot going for it too.
I went into Mushoku Tensei fairly blind. I had seen that it was apparently a fairly old Isekai story that finally got adapted, but that’s about all I knew about it. The first few scenes were a bit uncomfortable, with a rather strange birth scene and some strange perverted inner thoughts. I’ve been watching anime for over a decade, so I’m used to some pervertedness here and there. As a teenager I thought this stuff was funny, as someone in their late 20s I barely tolerate it. But it wasn’t too bad, and I like Isekai when done well so I was definitely willing to look past this point.
This set the tone for the show pretty early on.
We learn pretty quickly that these are Paul and Zenith, Rudy’s parents. Rudy, or Rudeus is reincarnated from (presumably) modern-day earth to a fantasy world. The first half of this story takes place in his hometown, with Rudy slowly growing up until a young teenager. The first half of the show has a few questionable moments and sex is definitely a big theme in this story. Rudy is an incel by every definition of the word, and doesn’t really realize anything wrong with his behavior. He steals his teacher’s underwear, constantly leers at the family’s maid and even, albeit accidentally, assaults his friend. He was under the impression that it was a boy and not a girl, which makes it slightly less awful? I think? I don’t know, it’s a questionable moment regardless, but credit where credit’s due, he realizes what he did was wrong here.
He also points out his fathers awful behavior, and this is one of the things I did really like from the early show. Paul is kind of a scumbag, and the show addresses this properly. Which is why I think it’s that much more frustrating that the show is less willing to address Rudy’s behavior more properly. Grooming a little girl to marry is not okay, even if you have the body of a child as well. Eventually, about four episodes in, the dynamic changes when an old friend of Paul shows up and kidnaps Rudeus. With Paul’s permission of course, because that’s definitely a Paul thing to do. Either way, Rudy now has a job teaching a spoiled nobleman’s daughter.
Yup, she knows Paul alright.
The second arc follows Rudy in his endeavors to try and get the nobleman’s daughter in line and it’s definitely a challenge. Eris is very strong willed, but Rudy shows some promise here as he tries his best and doesn’t give up in the sight of challenge. I say he shows promise, but one of the more disappointing moments of the show happens during this arc. Rudy sexually assaults a girl barely 10 years old. Some have argued that he’s a child himself, but it’s important to remember that not only is he mentally an adult, he also comes from a world in which this behavior is not accepted. I’m an advocate for art and media to push boundaries, and I don’t think this scene is problematic per se, but I would have liked for the show to do more with it. Rudy doesn’t really seem to learn that his behavior is incorrect, and I would have appreciated it if he did.
Yeah, I had to rewatch this scene to capture this screenshot and it was worse than I remembered.
The third arc is where the story picks up, and I’ll avoid talking too much about it, for those of you who have yet to see it. A strange magical object appears in the sky and after a little while Rudeus and Eris are teleported to a strange place. They meet a strange man who is willing to help them get home. We’re past the introduction of the story, and well on our way to the more action packed parts. Rudeus and Eris both show off their skills here and Rudy also quickly learns that there’s much he still has to realize. Life isn’t easy, and being too cocky can cost you. There’s also the question of what this strange magic was, and what the mysterious god has in store for Rudy.
You’re not wrong
Conclusion
I think Mushoku Tensei is a good show with lots of potential. As far as I’m aware, the studio that’s working on it has plans to adapt the entire story, which is a very good sign. The animation has been solid throughout and the art is very well drawn. The world feels well-built and I’m very curious to know what’s actually going on. Does the show have problematic moments?
Yes, it certainly does. Sexual assault of a minor is terrible, and it’s really put a blemish on the show in my opinion. I hope they address this in a later arc, because when you include a scene like that, I feel like there should be a message. There was no message here. He did what he did and then went on with his day as if there was nothing wrong with it. Ignoring that moment, I do recommend the show. I had a blast watching most of it, and I think it’s telling a very interesting story with lots of cool worldbuilding.
I don’t really give ratings to shows because I’m awful at being objective. (I know, that’s a terrible trait for a teacher). I would give Mushoku Tensei a passing grade though. How about you? Do you agree with my review, or do you think differently about the show? Please leave a comment and share this review with your friends, it would really make my day!
Edit: Curious what I think about this show after season 2? Click here (spoilers for season 2)
I’m a little bit behind schedule, so there will only be a short post today. Don’t worry, I have something fun planned for Friday, as well as for next week, I just need a good chunk of time to edit and proofread chapter four of the Necromancer’s Daughter.
So instead I decided to go on a bit of a rant about something I’ve been “struggling” with for years. I don’t like dropping shows. According to my anime-planet account I’ve seen 989 individual entries over the span of a little more than a decade. Obviously this includes OVAs, movies, specials and some music videos as well. I do love me some J-pop, after all. But still, that’s a lot of shows. When I look at my dropped list, it only has 20 entries. I don’t count shows I drop before finishing the first episode, but I do count everything else for this.
This has had me wondering over the years what benefit there still really is to tracking how much anime you watch. I doubt I’d reach the point where I’d accidentally rewatch a show and not realize it, and if I did, then so be it, that’s not a bad thing. I suppose it’s good to keep track of which things you still want to watch, but we all know that watching the things on your to-do list is a myth anyway. We’ve had a pandemic for over a year and I barely watched anything outside of seasonal shows. So there doesn’t feel much point to it.
Then there’s the dropped shows. And this is why I started this post. I don’t like dropping posts. It kind of gives me anxiety to not watch something until the end. To give an idea of what I dropped, here’s a quick list:
Now I do think a lot of you will agree with me that some of these shows are pretty awful (Looking at you, Promised Neverland 2nd season). There’s some shows on there that just didn’t mesh with me, like Redo of a Healer and Watamote. I don’t think those are bad shows per se, they just weren’t for me. So 20 out of more than a 1000 is not bad right? 2% of shows that started weren’t finished. Yet it still gives me a strange bit of anxiety.
Is this weird? Am I weird? Well, I am weird, but is this part of the reason? I’d love to hear your opinion on it. Do you drop a lot of shows, or are you like me and do you force yourself through mediocre shows just to tick the little box?
Opal Kaharis 