How NOT to summon a demon-lord (Isekai Maou)

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.

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 ❤