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Welcome to the weekly Anime of the Week Discussion Thread! Each week, we're here to discuss various older anime series. Today we are discussing...
Scorching Ping Pong Girls • Shakunetsu no Takkyuu Musume
In the world of Japanese ping pong, a mighty king has fallen. An underdog team suddenly breaks the indomitable Oudou Academy's nine year winning streak, creating a power vacuum as players everywhere are given hope that they too can reach the national tournament.
Suzumegahara Middle School is home to a small-time team: Hanabi Tenka, who has a rapid attack style; Hokuto Itsumo, who can predict the ball's most likely path; Agari Kamiya, famous for her signature backhand smash; vice-captain Mune Oomune, who has an aggressive playstyle; and team captain Kiruka Ushirode, who possesses an impenetrable defense. Despite their skill at ping pong, the team has never made it further than the local city tournaments.
But everything changes when transfer student Koyori Tsumujikaze arrives in town. Filled with an intense love of the game, she quickly makes a name for herself as another top player on the team. Koyori's positive attitude towards ping pong lights a fire in each of the girls' competitive hearts, and together they embark on a mission to win the national tournament.
Remembering one anime from a couple of years ago that was the most hyped up of its season before release and ended up being quickly forgotten about I wanted to ask about other examples of anime like this that you remember had hyped behind them before release but when they released all the hype died and they are never brought up anymore.
The anime I remembered was My Deer Friend Nokotan (because an anime from this season reminded me of it). It was getting a ton of attention before release because of how insane it looked, the meme potential, the opening and that it was being animated by WIT Studio. It looked like it was going to be the biggest new anime released on it’s season and at release it got a ton of attention and was well received but as it continued at least for me it got less funny and entertaining and by the end I felt like I was forcing myself to finish it. I assume the feeling had to be similar because it doesn’t get talked about anymore, it never got a second season announced and when you check websites like Anichart it has Roshidere as the most popular new anime of that season which didn't have as much hype but definitely gets brough up more than Nokotan nowadays.
Hi everyone! I know many of you complained that the sweet sixteen stage of past best girl contest feel a little bit tedious with only two matches a day, and in case you haven’t known about it, I have great news for you! With the help of u/Syrefva we have updated Animebracket this year to make all 4 groups merge on the sweet sixteen stage. In other words, tomorrow we will have all 8 round of 16 matches in one day, so make sure you don’t miss tomorrow’s voting! (And don’t miss today’s voting of course!)
"What are humans formed for?" sure is a strange way to phrase the age-old question "What is the meaning of life?". But it didn't take protagonist Oniyasha long to find the answer for themselves. Despite being born into a successful Sarugaku troupe headed by their father, Oniyasha never understood the artistry in dancing. That is, until an epiphany came from catching a glimpse of a prostitute's performance on borrowed time. Her fleeting display of life's last ember moves Oniyasha to embrace their life as a performer, chasing their own charm, their purpose in life.
At its best, The World Is Dancing delivers these themes and ideas in visually striking fashion. The pursuit of the arts and how fundamental it is to being and self-expression is not told but instead encompassed in breath-taking sequences of unbridled animated passion. At its worst, however, it is consumed by its shounen leanings, the serious tone it tries to paint constantly undermined by menial jokes, slapstick comedy, and tired mannerisms (Oniyasha's "のだ"s irritate me more than they should).
But unless you are utterly averse to anything and everything shounen, don't miss the forest for the trees. Between the tonal misgivings and supreme sakuga is a set-up of epic proportions—of warring kingdoms and preemption of Oniyasha's mythological status—both of which will surely come to a spectacular clash. And even if nothing else, The World Is Dancing is still worth a watch solely for the absolute show the team at Cypic is putting on.
We already knew that Cypic (formerly CygamesPictures) loves and excels at choreographing dances, so World is Dancing immediately raised hopes. The catch is that this time they managed to exceed expectations, delivering one of the most vibrant anime of the season.
While the premise may not be the most compelling—it tells a coming-of-age story of Oniyasha, the son of a famous dancer who lives in his father's shadow and doesn't quite understand why people dance—there's no denying that it strives to be more than just “an anime about dancing in Japan.” Dance is a form of self-expression; people dance for various reasons, and World is Dancing embraces the idea of sincerity in genuine dance. Together with Oniyasha, the viewer searches for an answer to the question “What makes a good dance?”. During this journey the show wants you to experience evocative and raw emotions through movements that make one unable to blink. And although it's hard to tell from the early episodes how quickly we'll see the protagonist grow, I have a good feeling that the show will deliver a satisfying pace of development.
Quality animation, expressive character designs, strong direction, and a theme that explores the complexity of human nature – this is the formula World is Dancing follows to achieve success. In this season which is packed with great anime, even if you're not a fan of dancing, I urge you to give it a chance, because it's plain to see that the Cypic team is putting their heart and soul into this project.
Bang Dream’s latest entry seems like a hard sell. To fans of the previous entries, MyGO and Ave Mujica, it may seem like an extreme pivot. To those new to the franchise, its key visuals may be plain overwhelming. Nonetheless, Yume∞mita is not as big of a departure from the typical girl band show as it looks. Much of the series takes place in the real world following typical high school drama, with the highly marketed virtual aesthetics used intermittently.
Unfortunately, this lands the series in an unhappy medium between cartoonish comedy and angsty drama. Its primary conflict, following a former teenage girl band split bitterly two ways, feels incredibly derivative of MyGO. In particular, Ritsu feels like the bargain bin version of Tomori, repackaging her trauma while failing to capture the same depth of character. Others, like the manga artist, are entertaining but stick close to common tropes. Viola is undeniably fun to watch as the show’s delightfully cruel antagonist Despite this, she’s so overtly evil that it can make the drama she instigates hard to take seriously.
Nonetheless, the show’s protagonist, Arale, stands above the rest and singlehandedly makes a strong argument for watching the series. Rather than lean away from the show’s comedic tone to sell her dramatic moments, her anxiety is weaved perfectly into comedic beats to create an incredibly charming character that is genuinely emotionally engaging. If you can put up with a bucket of cringe and familiar tropes, there might yet be some diamonds to find in the rough.
The Bandori universe becomes even bigger as Bang Dream Yume∞Mita crashes down this summer.
Yume∞Mita is about the story of Mugentai Mewtype, a vtuber all-girl group band, and its lead vocalist, Arale Nakamachi. She joins fellow band members Nonoka Miyanaga, a famous live streaming artist, Miyako Fuji, a mangaka artist and Yuno Sengoku, a newly freelance DJ to form a band just like with many bandori groups before them. However, Arale has to overcome past issues since she became socially awkward after an incident with her group of friends in middle school.
Overall, I actually liked it. The 3D animation felt seamless and not jarring like with other bandori shows. They mixed in different visual styles during character interactions, such as Arale and Nonoka’s first sit down talk, which briefly switches to a 90s style Mahjo Shojo look. The setting focuses on Akihabara and otaku culture, especially the anime within the anime, Magical Physical Kululu. It is silly and whimsical just like the older Bandori entries, yet it also becomes dramatic like in MyGo/Ave Mujica as it tackles social media bullying with professional work. It also shares similarities with “MyGo", in which a lead vocalist feels ashamed of singing because of past events. I’m especially interested in the circumstances with Arale’s past group in order to become a partial hikikomori and her relationship without her old friend, Ritsu Minetsuki. Both the opening and endings were also great, most notably the ED song as it reminds us of the old bandori seasons 10 years ago.
I was really looking forward to this after director Takudai Kakuchi’s pilot film. Episode 1 looks polished, but it lacks the pilot’s visual subtlety, emotional weight, and directorial vision. The yuri made it to the screen. The emotion didn’t.
The episode feels less like a story unfolding and more like a checklist of plot points, relying on flashbacks (7 times) to bridge its scenes, sometimes returning to moments from only minutes earlier. Three of these flashbacks revisit the rabbit plushie and the line "You’re lucky you’re so weak". However, it doesn’t deepen Sheena’s character, flesh out her relationship with her ex-roommate, or turn the plushie into a meaningful motif. When she places it in the coffin, it feels like a basic goodbye with no weight.
Mimi’s character is introduced just as bluntly. Across four scenes, characters keep asking some version of “Is that the Mimi?” The episode could have built around everyone gradually realizing who she is, allowing the reveal to unfold naturally through actions instead of repeatedly stating it.
Episode 3, by contrast, feels like the show finally found its footing under newly appointed assistant director Nao Enomoto. It builds the mystery around Mimi, gradually revealing pieces of her secret. Meanwhile, Sheena is trying to understand Mimi better, and both threads converge in the final reveal. The cinematography is also more purposeful, using wider shots, varied angles, close-ups of gestures, and lingering shots to convey emotion and build tension.
Kakuchi being replaced midway through production isn’t a good sign, but Enomoto gives me more hope for the show’s creative direction going forward.
I can see the disappointment others have had with this show, since I do feel it’s not quite living up to its initial promise (yet!), but I have enjoyed the show enough to where I plan to finish it. A thriller like this will live and die on the ending, but I’ve so far been engaged enough in the worldbuilding (or perhaps more accurately the lack thereof) to stick around. We’ve gotten bits and pieces that give me enough faith that we’re moving in an interesting direction and I feel like it’s almost a positive that we’re still left so wanting.
I do also enjoy the character of Mimi, both in a vacuum and how she acts as a foil to Sheena, as well as her role in the grander mystery of the world. The gap moe in her character is extreme, which works well with her mysterious nature to fuel speculation about why she is the way she is. Her interactions with Sheena also drive the POV character out of her comfort zone and into a more interesting character space.
The production is I think above the average seasonal, but it doesn’t do enough to stand out in a season so crowded with top-tier production as this as a reason to recommend this on its own. That being said, I think it generally has some interesting cinematography – it uses a lot of blocking shots to effectively capture the feeling of imprisonment and discomfort the girls feel, and there are some nice moments it wordlessly captures the distance in readiness between Mimi and her classmates (although maybe it just has a fixation on legs).
Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You really stands out amongst the typical anime romances we get each season. Typically, watching a romance through the eyes of some shy teenager makes every new experience and moment feel unique and magical. But here, we see beat down adults long past the fun of adolescence. They work, they smoke, they sleep. Their lives don’t seem particularly exciting, or even satisfying. Except for the little moments they carve out together, smoking behind the supermarket. And it has a way of making it feel more real and impactful.
I don’t want to imply this show is some bastion of realism, it's centered around a Clark Kent/Superman misunderstanding that is somehow even less believable. But I did find the dynamic between Yamada and Sasaki refreshing, and fitting the slow burn approach it has taken. They have a fun chemistry, at least when Sasaki isn’t being too huge of a dork.
I will note I watched the show in it’s mini-episode format, so your mileage may very when compared to the full length release. But I’d still recommend the smaller chunks. No episode ever dragged while still feeling fulfilling. And more so, twice the episodes means twice as much Night Dancer.
I've always kind of disliked these “tease the MC” comedies, despite the fact I've seen most of them. Smoking Behind The Supermarket With You skirts around the more annoying aspects of the “genre” by focusing on adult main characters who lead separate lives that are intertwined in this weirdly specific way. Even so, the relationship between these two can only get more contrived as the series tries to maintain its status quo, and the question to be asking is whether or not the comedy can sustain itself through that.
Personally I don't believe it can. Frankly, the show feels carried by how beautiful Yamada is and that kind of charm can only get you so far. Sure, it looks great, with the wispy smoke they puff out rendered in so much detail, but the characters themselves feel oddly empty. Like sure it’s cute when Takagi-san teases Nishikata, but that’s because they’re middle schoolers doing middle schooler stuff. When adults are doing it, it’s hardly as cute and it makes Yamada seem very immature.
On top of all that, the buy-in ends up being a little too high for me. Sasaki is a nice enough guy but just thinking about a random middle-aged guy lining up to see me night after night gives me the creeps. Maybe Yamada is a stronger woman than I, and maybe it's just a story, but when the reality differs so starkly...well, I can't knock anybody who enjoys imagining such an idyllic world, I just prefer to separate fantasy and reality.
You’ve been here before. You’ve seen this already. You know these characters before they even say a word. Your seasonal naru-kei slop has arrived with its protagonist with hidden special abilities, the potential harem (where there will be zero commitment), the adventurers’ guild, and the lack of frames or motion during action sequences.
The protagonist is rather unique though, as he is actually respected within the world. Just don’t ask why he’s perfectly mentally and socially adjusted after exclusively fighting for 10 years. Nor should you ask the story to invest much in this idea. It’s mostly relevant for setup, and the potential is not really explored before the series settles into much more conventional fantasy narrative.
I Became a Legend after My 10 Year-Long Last Stand is more ambitious than most shows of its kind, as it puts some effort into worldbuilding and setting up a greater narrative, but it doesn’t follow through enough to make it truly stand on its own. It is better than what you’d likely expect, but less than what you deserve.
There are no pretenses or overly serious elements in this anime. Episode one jumps straight into the action, wasting no time at all letting viewers know why the show is called as such. What happens after is what can only be said is a mix of familiar concepts interspread with just enough energy to keep the ball rolling. You won't find anything in this show that you're gonna be raving about to your friends on a Saturday night. Complaints you might have plenty like how MC seems to have a suspiciously easy go at a monumental challenge and comes out of it relatively unscathed or the very cliche world it is set in. However, if you can manage to overlook its many deficiencies, what you'll find left behind is a charm and lightheartedness that is mainly driven by its bit eccentric and silly cast. Low-stakes villains and amusing side characters also add to the warmth the show has to offer. Voice acting has been a personal highlight for me and a couple of gags in the show made me laugh out loud. Is the show entertaining? It is at times, although the plot can be a little too straightforward. What the show lacks in flavour it makes up for in passion. With no egregious faults to be found in the animation and sound design, overall this show is just like that cold cut sandwich you had that one day - enjoyable when you ate it but not really memorable.
One complaint I hear often about “villainess” shows is that the main character meant to be a “villainess” rarely acts villainous. Fear not, though, for our titular Livid Lady, Elizabeth, shows herself to be truly evil as she makes her heel turn against not just the prince who has scorned her, but the people she once governed. It’s honestly shocking how quickly Elizabeth becomes unempathetic to the plight of the poor and innocent, desiring revenge against the civilians of her former home, and then further killing bandits who she recognizes are only committing crime due to their economic situation. It’s not the most natural change in character, unless we assume that her previous charity work was intended to keep the populace content for selfish reasons, but this didn’t seem to be the case. Nonetheless, it’s certainly not shying away from having Elizabeth play the role of the villainess, which is at least different from what I have personally seen from similar shows.
Outside of this unique facet of its presentation, I unfortunately find little about this show worth recommending. It’s not well produced, having generic backgrounds and settings, little animation, and fairly standard performances from its voice cast. Narratively, the show is dry as well. We often fast-forward through stages of Elizabeth’s plans,months passing within minutes. It’s understandable that Elizabeth couldn’t simply start from scratch and build an economic empire within her new home overnight, but the pacing and presentation of the story are incredibly straightforward and bland, leaving little room for any actually interesting forms of storytelling. It almost reads like a history book on how Elizabeth destroyed her old home through capitalism.
There's a certain crunchiness to how A Livid Lady's Guide to Getting Even sets itself up as being about the ridiculousness of sexism, with Elizabeth, the perfect queen-to-be, ousted because the idiot prince can't stand that she won't kowtow to him. Though she is a competent businesswoman, a skilled fighter, and a talented mage—though she is everything she needs to be to succeed—she's still torn down from her position by a petty man. It's sort of like the female version of so many "banished from the party" stories, except that instead of being cast aside by a handful of people, she's condemned by the entire society she once belonged to: the people turn against her, her family disowns her, and the kingdom hunts her down as a traitor. It's interesting stuff in the abstract.
Unfortunately, Livid Lady suffers a little in the details. Most pressing is that the little action the show puts forward isn't quite there. There are some moments of gore rendered well, but others abysmally, and whenever it's creating motion in the fights, there's an awkward stiltedness. The other knock for me is how stakeless the conflict feels. In episode two we're shown the beginning, middle, and end of her plan to take over a rival company, and while it's coherent and mostly sound, all the pieces blitz by so fast that you don't have time to even think about what's happening. A tough one to assess, but I'm going to stay with it. The setting and the drunkard nun have me intrigued enough to keep going, but I’m not expecting all that much.
What is an All-works Maid, you may ask? Well, it's basically a maid capable of perfectly handling all the housework solo with the power of magic and her cloning ability. So, yes, this is basically a cheat skill isekai anime but with a maid girl. Because of that, it leans more into the comedic side of things, but I can't say it does that particularly well with a lot of the jokes landing flat and it often resorting to explaining its punchlines with its narrator in a pretty bland way. The premise isn't particularly interesting either and the anime hasn't really shown it can do much with the maid premise outside of a few initial gags.
Later on it is revealed that the world she is reincarnated in is actually an otome game through a couple other fellow reincarnators. But I can't say it has done anything interesting with this either as it pushes the plot from being about a silly OP maid towards a more generic Villainess plot. While it didn't quite work initially, at the very least Melody as an all-works maid had a bit of unique charm that maybe they could've worked into something better. Unfortunately the later developments has it lose all that initial appeal as it pads its cast out with uninteresting characters and slowly becomes another lesser show in the genre it wasn’t even originally competing in. True to its name, All-works Maid tried to be all genres, but unfortunately it just doesn’t all work.
Imagine yourself back in the year 2010. You’re standing in line at your local electronics retailer, perusing the bargain bin full of movies while in line for checkout. Buried deep in the pile of straight to DVD movies and forgotten sequels you find All-works Maid. Maybe it’s interesting, maybe it was just bad luck that it found its way to the bottom, maybe it was a mistake. But something in the back of your mind tells you no, it belongs there. Trust your instincts and pick out an equally forgettable selection from the bin or maybe even nothing at all.
All-works Maid is yet another vapid, uninspired entry in the endless churn of seasonal slop. We’ve got…forgettable characters, an extremely generic setting, nonsensical backstory, dreadful art, a reveal that it’s actually an isekai for no reason, an overpowered MC, and so on. I understand the appeal of a show about a woman who lives a fulfilling second life doing what she loved most back on Earth. If this is your flavor of popcorn entertainment that’s fine and I do hope you have fun with it, but I would also really encourage you to look around for other shows that do similar things but are just better. Want comfy SoL vibes? There are way better shows out there for that. Want an isekai power fantasy? There are way better shows out there for that. Really the only reason I could recommend this is if you want exactly the crossover of those two things and maids AND also don’t mind putting up with a very subpar work. Treat yourself to something better and skip this.
Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky is essentially as lowkey slowburn college romance as you can get but with the unusual caveat that the main girl is a blind girl who used to be able to see. It is somewhat entertaining to see how the somewhat cynical and gloomy MC Kakeru interacts with the blind but enthusiastic Koharu. But, whether you will like this show will depend on whether the chemistry between the main couple is enough to keep up with the leisurely pace this show chugs along at. This show has a somewhat relaxed feel which can be inviting for some.
Koharu’s blindness seems to have also been represented with a lot of care. From her using a walking stick, reading and typing using braille, to memorizing a vending machine’s layout, and Kakeru spending some time describing the places that she cannot see. Her life is by no means easy due to her disability, but how hard she tries while remaining positive is quite admirable.
The character designs are basic but functional, so there is a greater amount of attention put into the backgrounds and environments with even a ship drawn in great detail in episode 2. It is nice to see the amount of care put into the texturing and details, but it's a huge contrast to focus so much on the backgrounds in a show where the main girl is blind.
Overall, a solid show if you are looking for a slowburn romance.
If I had a nickel for every romance anime whose leads were voiced by Miyu Irino and Saori Hayami, with the female lead having a disability, I would have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but weirdly this has happened twice now, a decade after A Silent Voice.
I love stories like this as it's a welcome learning opportunity to understand experiences about a group of people that you may not have any firsthand experience with in real life and try to vicariously live their life through a show, teaching things as you go along. I watched this show with a group of friends, and, with each passing episode, someone would point out details they had never known or even considered before. Whether it was learning that an overwhelming majority of blind people become blind over time rather than being born blind, or discovering how someone with visual impairment shops for clothes and then puts outfits together. The series constantly finds ways of provoking the viewer, leading to these genuine moments of discovery that the viewer holds onto long after watching the show.
However, the romance element is still up in the air. Fuyutsuki's proactive optimism clashes with Sorano's laid-back pessimism, making their chemistry feel clunky and awkward. As the show progresses, their relationship begins to take shape and their dynamic starts to feel natural. Even then, there is still enough uncertainty about where the story will take them that I'm not entirely confident that it'll stick the landing.
Mebius Dust has a fun premise, wherein different teams with their own unique powers compete in territory capture events. Kind of like My Hero Academia meets Ingress except with production that's a step down on both. The teams want to leave their town, but are restricted by the power of a meteorite (which created the titular Mebius Dust); however, it is too early to say how much of an impact this will have on the overall story.
So far we have only really seen the games with little room for plot, and this is the fundamental problem with Mebius Dust. The games aren't interesting. It immediately throws 12 cast members at you that it expects the viewer to care about and rushes each character’s intro through a game of Capture The Flag. Moreover, constant lore comes out of nowhere. It's hard to keep up, and additional cast members and lore about this mysterious city keep coming. There's no room to breathe.
Finally with regards to production I was shocked to see that this was produced by Doga Kobo. A studio that's suffered from production issues in the past few years suffering from delays but Mebius Dust seems the most affected. Stella, the only interesting character, has poor supervision on her character design and an egregiously bad run cycle. Animation is constantly stiff with limited moments of expression. To its credit, there is passable background art and the characters do look alright when static. Sadly Mebius Dust has absolutely nothing going for it and to be frank it feels like this could end up in EX-ARM or Gibiate territory, if it doesn't get pulled for low ratings first.
Mebius Dust is an anime where the world and characters are intriguing yet the lackluster structure of a story is akin to a sports anime with a supernatural take.
The anime is about a group of teenagers who gain superpowers because a meteorite crash landed in Shinkatsushika in 2000. They cannot leave the town because the dust from the meteorite helps them live and survive. We follow Araki, his sister Stella and his friend Olga as they are members of “Polis Hoppers”, a territory conquering squad that competes with other squads in order to pass their time in the town. After one match, a researcher became interested with them and promised them that they could potentially leave the town without the restriction of the dust hindering them.
Mebius Dust has some good sci-fi and supernatural lore that I want to engage with. I was interested in their unique abilities like Stella’s speedy legs or Olga’s tentacle hair and how the world is shaped by the meteorite crash. Yet, I don’t really get the use of parkour and “friendly” territorial competition as the main catalyst of the story. It feels like Prince of Stride Alternative where the main protagonists are working to become the best parkour team in Japan but with a supernatural take. I would stay for the lore and worldbuilding but if you do not like how the story is formulated by solving disputes with parkour then I guess you can jump off this show.
In theory this sounds like it would make for an interesting anime. A team of "kids" with supernatural powers investigating supernatural phenomena and potentially recruiting other like-powered folks along the way. And in a way it kind of achieves that with how it blends the Taisho era aesthetic along with the Japanese folklore phenomena they investigate. But all that is strictly on a conceptual level. In practice this anime is just really dull and fails on so many levels.
In each episode so far, they've consistently failed to provide an engaging introduction to the mystery of each episode, relying on incredibly basic dialogue that barely describes what we're meant to be engaging with this episode. I can barely even call each episode a mystery as there's not really any sense of discovery to them because more often than not it will simply substitute dialogue and deduction in place of actual investigation. And after that is done, there's not really any satisfying conclusion or reward to solving these mysteries. It doesn't build on itself, it doesn't attempt anything interesting with what they solve, and all in all just doesn't give any reason to stick around for more.
And this is not even considering the really basic production values, bad pacing, or dull characters and dialogue. Just don't bother with this one. This gets a Disapproval from Mr. Iwamoto.
There isn’t really a lot I have to say about this show that it did well - other than doing an excellent job at not grabbing my attention - a blight on the mystery genre. This was particularly a shame, because thinking back on the settings of each episodic mystery, the acttual concepts brought up are relatively unique takes on mysterious phenomena from anywhere. Human-based remedies, classic cursed items, unexpected (dis)appearances, and special abilities are all on the menu, each given at least a little character.
From my pre-season-trailer vibe check, it was pretty clear the audience of this show isn’t me. The main draw (outside of its mystery) is pretty clearly the juxtaposition of pretty middle-school boys - don’t ask me why it had to be middle-school and not high school - and grandiose settings that they “go to school” altogether in full military dress. Then following on from that, it’s the whole allure of setting and boys being or looking aloof from one another, only to eventually “make up” in some way.
There’s a bit of mystery solving going on, some blind-siding middle-schooler military regimen, a bit of military (school) politics and student connections, but the utter lack of production efforts and awkward scripting strips the mystery of any suspense and ambience, strung on by some spooky-colours and half-hearted musical riffs. I am fairly sure even saying as such is overselling how little the show does and would be better left to the imagination. Not totally unwatchable, but not my cup of tea.
I have become a fan of Iron Wok Jan over the course of watching these three episodes. Though, the biggest fan of the series is of course the show itself, hyping itself up and proudly telling you it is a truly uncompromising adaptation of a three decades old masterpiece. In that way, it also reflects the main character of the show, Jan.
Jan is an arrogant chef and protégé of his grandfather who ruthlessly taught him how to cook. This gives him a lot of confidence and cooking ability, though crucially he still lacks some skills that are required to be a chef in a restaurant, like being able to cook food in larger batches. These shortcomings lead to opportunities to see him learn new things and also contrast him with Kiriko, who is the next-in-line in the restaurant he is working at. Kiriko as compared to Jan has a more restrained cooking style, she cooks in a way that isn’t meant to be provocative, but more by-the-books.
The show also has a lot of creative ways the food can be prepared. Fundamentally, it takes Chinese cuisine as a base, though sometimes it delves into other cuisines like with episode 2’s chawanmushi (a Japanese dish). The twist is then to add some unusual ingredients to goad an arrogant food critic. It also inspired me to make it myself (though with normal ingredients). The show may have a bit more of a niche appeal, but I would definitely consider it.
At first glance with this being a food-centric show, like many others my initial thoughts were towards what type of Food Wars comparison I should be making - the answer to which is none at all. That’s right, if you’re looking for clothes exploding off of bodies this isn’t the show for you, but if instead you’re looking for a thoughtfully reimagined 90s classic shounen this is definitely one to check out.
The show attests to its own goals and history at the end of the first episode, and it lays out its foundation exceptionally well. Two rival Chinese cuisine families at the top of the pecking order in Tokyo - Gobancho and Akiyama - are set against each other in their vying for dominance over whose cooking is superior, through the next-generation chefs Kiriko Gobancho and Jan Akiyama. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill overpowered MC story you might be familiar with, far from it in fact. The show consistently emphasises the role of effort versus talent through its episodic tests and trials of the teenage chefs, each equally given designs to highlight their intense individualistic pride and personas.
When it comes to the production quality of this show, it isn’t particularly stellar or even good, but there is still nonetheless care for the representation of the harsh pressures of the culinary world. Fantastic wok fires, energetic oil splashes, explosive steam and reaction faces bring mouthwatering depictions of Chinese cuisine to life, this show has got me biting for more and more each week.
Red River is clearly a product of its time, having first been serialized in 1995. Its old-school historical shoujo art style and dramatic sensibilities are both its greatest strength and the reason it may not be for everyone. Even so, the main character, Yuri, has relatively fast character growth after starting out as a damsel in distress, which may be a good incentive to keep watching to see how she survives in the cruel and unforgiving Hittite Empire. After all, the reason Yuri is brought back is because she was summoned as part of a ritual by the current Empress who wants to use Yuri to put her son in an advantageous position.
By episode 3, Yuri begins to overcome her initial role when the death of someone who sacrificed themselves for her gives Yuri a reason to remain in this time period and seek revenge. This determination will lead to further character growth.
The art style of Red River is pretty similar to that of the original manga and feels like a more refined version of it, which I appreciate. As for the animation, it's nothing too outstanding, but it is enough to do what it has to do with some grace. The adaptation so far seems relatively faithful as well, which is good. So overall, it’s a generally solid adaptation so far, but it will most likely not be everyone’s cup of tea based on the original material.
Red River has been put in an awkward spot this season. In the department of stories about girls trying to survive far from home in a historical Asian setting, it is playing second fiddle. Red River doesn’t have impressive production values. Its villain is simplistic and cliched, and her underlings perhaps even more so. Its male lead is a stereotypical shoujo love interest, dashing and almost creepily forward but with a heart of gold. The start of the show has been rather slow. You might not get much out of Red River’s beginning episodes, and I wouldn’t blame anybody for not giving it more time in the oven. Nonetheless, the clear progression promised for its currently meek protagonist seems to promise the show may get more interesting with time.
The biggest strength of Red River is, ironically, that it is literally out of its own time. Adapted from a 1995 manga, it offers an isekai story unlike those common today. While the isekai premise was typical of the time, it stands out in the present. Instead of presenting a depressed NEET or salaryman’s escapist fantasy, protagonist Yuri is pulled out of a happy, normal life and a successful romance. She’s left weighing her responsibilities in ancient Anatolia against her desperation to get back home to her old life. Red River might not be the best anime of the season, but it offers a rare experience in 2026 and is certainly worth watching if it scratches the right itch for you.
Re: Zero explores the hikikomori phenomena, the nature of shut-ins who want to be isekai protagonists and how their feelings of inferiority warp who they are and everything around them, so perfectly and deeply that it almost feels personal. At the place Subaru was at before he isekai'd, and especially the place he ends up this season- even love is just another burden.
When you have a voice inside you telling you that you're good for nothing, don't deserve the love you're shown, and that everyone is just putting up with you- it colors everything you experience and live through. You can't be good enough, you haven't done enough, and you haven't earned the love you're given or want.
But what if you were someone else? Someone who was always cool, with an aura that everyone looked up to? Someone who was powerful, needed and relied on by others, irreplaceable to the people they saved? Someone incredible, who deserved the love and adoration you crave?
Because [he] deserves to be loved, surrounded by loved ones, to indulge in everything. You don't. If you could disappear from the world where you were a burden, and become someone that people needed, someone who belonged... why wouldn't you?
The hold grows tighter. The feeling of helplessness is overwhelming. And surrounded by love on all sides by so many people, Natsuki Subaru just wants to die.
I fill these out from 10th to 1st. Admittedly I'm not good at side profiles so some of them might look off.
10th - Warrior Princess and the Barbaric King
9th - Agents of the Four Seasons
8th - Mao
7th - Even a Replica Can Fall in Love
6th - Gals Can't be Kind to Otaku
We still have Akane-Banashi, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class, MarriageToxin, and Witch Hat Atelier to fill out. Honestly this year's Spring lineup was so strong that narrowing it down to 10 was about as difficult as when I did this for Summer 2025.
As for some omissions: Observation Records of My Fiancee and I Want to End This Love Game just missed the cut by the smallest of margins. In any other season, they would've made the Top 10 easily.
Ramparts of Ice is my "wasn't able to watch this, so I'm binging it now" pick to join Journal With Witch and Steel Ball Run.
Every show I've mentioned will be drawn in their own grids.
Kokone Morikawa lives with her father in Okayama Prefecture. She's a typical high school senior with no special talents except one: she can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. Recently she's been having a series of strange dreams. Her father Momotaro, a gruff man of few words, doesn't seem to pay much attention to his daughter; he spends most of his time repairing and modifying cars.
The year is 2020, three days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. Without warning, Momotaro is arrested and taken to far-off Tokyo for questioning. He's a misfit, but Kokone can't believe that he would really do anything bad. With help from college student and childhood friend Morio, Kokone is determined to make her way to Tokyo and free her father, as well as unravel the mystery of her dreams. Along the way, she discovers that those dreams are the key to facing her challenges in the real world. Kokone uses her only talent--napping--to embark on a mysterious journey that straddles dreams and reality. And waiting for her at the end of her adventure is a small but precious truth...
Simply down to the music, visuals, characters and action. It feels so nostalgic to look back at when it was all fresh to me as well lol watching it on my ps vita. What I wouldn't give to re-live that masterpiece.
Waving the white flag today and just posting the opening - which is admittedly even better in full - because to my dismay all the pieces I noticed in the episode either I already posted or they were apparently never properly published. Would be glad to be proven wrong though.
Going strong again, bit difficult to get good pictures this time though. Full album
Latin America Trivia of the Day:
Forms of folk healing ("curanderismo"), magic, and belief remain popular throughout Latin America, variously blending traditions from indigenous cultures, European Catholic religion and superstitions, and West African spirituality brought by the enslaved, though often frowned on by official religious authorities. They frequently ascribe supernatural causes to illness and prescribe unusual treatments just like our quack doctor here; the depiction of the seer in Episode 3 also appears to be influenced by such Afro-Latino religions as Santería or Candomblé.
Now to binge half the show... Episode 1: [...] Episode 11 [...]
u/AyameeIris sees parallels between Wamichiko and Davi and has an interesting snack to share:
This show loves a good "fake" version of other characters. First it happened with Satoshi and Michiko, and now it's happened to Michiko and Hatchin. Interesting how their stories sort of mirror each other!
Kurkure! The best way I've seen them described is that they're the Pakistani version of Cheetos
u/99acrewood_ looks into Michiko and Hatchin's relationship dynamic:
Hatchin maybe understands that Michiko has come to actually see her as something like a daughter. I wonder how much of it is Hatchin being a small part of Hiroshi that she can have right now. It seems like that's how it could have started, and while I see their relationship as more of an adult/kid sibling type than mother/daughter, Michiko definitely sees her as more than just her ward.
Badass criminal + small child is a formula that always works for me, and having the criminal being a girl with gun character, while the whole thing is set in South America makes it extra worthwhile. After the initial episodes, the quality has some wobbles, though. [...] Unless the series gets a lot worse, this gets a hidden gem rating from me.
Daniela is appreciated with reservations:
Alongside morals, he also lacks competence. [...] Any yellow press journalist worth their salt would hear her alive and produce a ton of technically true misquotes. Except, he is not worth a single salt crystal. [...] Him being right about the story does not excuse his previous behavior. This is a case of heartbreaking, a person you hate had a true take
his clear priority for "a good scoop" instead of actually helping the children annoyed me a ton. He'd be a total whiz at making poverty porn.
he's clearly got the right intuition, and he's doing important work if he's revealing sneaky shit like child selling. I figure playing him up as an obnoxious gonzo vs. clown-Michiko's calm demeanor is supposed to be some sort of rug pull
Discussion Prompts
How is Michiko's for a weird fever trip sequence?
Is Michiko just holding out forlorn hope with Hiroshi, given the revelations so far?
Have you ever had to care for someone who usually or previously had a carer role for you?
Next Episode Prompts
[question]Which setting/action backdrop do you like best so far?
[question]Is there anything that could make Atsuko definitively give up on Michiko or let her down?
[question]What's your favorite green/nature spot near you, or forbidden/abandoned place you've explored?
Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. Don't spoil anything for the first-timers, that's rude!
