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The perfect demonstration that even if you follow an established formula, you can always find something to improve.

Tensei Ojisan may give you a rather strange first impression because the premise of a 50-year-old man in the body of a teenager is naturally odd. Even so, the story doesn't seek to explore this world from a morbid perspective, but rather from a more paternal point of view. The villain isekai subgenre has a pre-established formula that all anime of this style have followed without trying to innovate or improve anything. Tensei Ojisan shows us that even with the most clichéd elements, your story can be entertaining, ... engaging, and interesting if you know how to use them.

The villain becomes the good guy, and the protagonist of the game/novel where we reincarnate becomes the villain. An overused resource, which they try to delve a little deeper into here. Explore the villain's family situation to understand the reasons for her bad attitude, the reasons and attitudes that make the protagonist worthy of that role. Both characters could work perfectly well if only the enmity factor weren't there.
The male harem, who are always mere window dressing to give the villain love interests, are truly human. Here, you really feel them as people. They are characters who, with a few scenes and dialogue, build real people with virtues and flaws, but the main thing is that not everyone falls in love with the villain after the change. Some see her as a friend, others as a supporter of the empire, and some as a potential romantic interest. The protagonist isn't tied to having to relate to just one of the boys. The story understands that there are different types of relationships that can coexist within the same group.
The fact that it's the world of a video game, in this case. This element is usually forgotten, that we are in the world of a medium we used to consume in our previous lives. The anime perfectly understands that this is an aspect that can take full advantage of the world due to how little used it is. The anime plays with two perspectives: that of the villain, who sees her world as a real world with nothing really different about it, and that of the family of the lord who reincarnated as the villain. The family is the one who shows us and reminds us that this world is a video game. They tell us the lore of the story, the changes the lord has made now as the villain, the events, the menus, the interface, the gameplay. They tell us absolutely everything.

This brings me to the most important aspect: in other works, they never take into account who the person was before being reincarnated. In Tensei Ojisan, they very clearly define who Grace (the villain) is and who Lord Kensaburo (the reincarnated one) is. They are two completely different entities, and you never forget that they are two different characters, and the story even has elements that take advantage of this duality of personalities. It is thanks to Kensaburo's experiences on Earth that he is able to help improve Grace's life within the academy. It's Mr. Kensaburo, through a fatherly perspective, who shows us that adults aren't the villains in the story, but rather that they simply don't know how to communicate with teenagers. Mr. Kensaburo is the cornerstone of this story; without him, this anime couldn't be told.

To say I liked the anime is an understatement. This anime has so much charisma, but above all, it's made with so much love, and it feels that way. The world-building is so well-crafted that it's impossible not to immerse yourself in this story. One day, I hope to be half the person Mr. Kensaburo is.

The best thing about this anime is the character design... and that's it.

Another fantasy harem story hitting our screens. I'd honestly like to try my best to find at least two or three reasons why you should give it a chance, but I can't list more than one. That's the biggest sign that watching this anime might be more of a waste of time than a pleasant afternoon. The first two episodes try to be a story with more blood than average, but the blood only lasts in those episodes. Later on, this aspect isn't relevant. The protagonist starts by giving us something different, having ... to reshape his body to get used to the powerful abilities he's acquiring, but once again, this only lasts in the initial part of the anime.

The highlight and the only good reason I have to recommend it is the character design. Whether the character is a main character, a supporting character, an NPC, or a villain, the design naturally draws the eye. It's very likely that the only reason you'll stick around to finish the anime is because you like one of the girls, but other than that, there's nothing truly engaging about the story.

The conflicts are resolved too quickly, the villains carry no weight. On top of that, the fights are over in seconds, so you don't even get a feel for the bad guy once he's defeated. Continuity is a big problem as the story progresses because you feel like you're skipping two or three chapters. The beginning of one chapter has nothing to do with the end of the previous one, and characters arrive at locations from one scene to the next, meaningless because the dungeons are supposed to be secret, but the main character seems to have direct access to every single one.

If you're looking for something visually beautiful that doesn't require much attention, you'll probably like this. Still, I'd recommend looking for something better than this.

Bless my brain, the day it decided to forget we read the Dr. Stone manga.

Dr. Stone seasons are always characterized by some kind of race against time, which unleashes all the adrenaline possible. This season's race has been the most exciting yet, because the scientific kingdom finally found a worthy rival. Senkuu and company's strongest weapon has always been science, but what would happen if the rival has the same or greater scientific power than our protagonists? This is precisely the scenario in which this first part of the final season places us.

There's little to say about the scientific kingdom; it's full of charismatic characters ... who, to a greater or lesser extent, always have something to contribute to the plot. As for Xeno's scientific kingdom, that's where we should focus. Xeno arrives to be Senkuu's greatest antagonist, along with his most faithful ally, Stanley Snider. Both characters truly feel like a threat because they're a perfect combination of intelligence and military strength. This opens up many possibilities to see our characters engaging in aerial combat and seeking out a sniper position. This season, the danger feels real because the odds are even; any misstep, any miscalculation would be fatal for either side of the conflict.

Of the new characters, I highlight Luna, the cold, capable woman. Characters who bring some kind of catchphrase with them in this anime, you know they're going to contribute something, whether it's comedy or an internal monologue. Luna, along with her two companions, are a great addition to the comedy this season. Having a naive girl, who believes herself to be a femme fatale, trying to win over Senkuu is a guaranteed laugh regardless of the context.

Dr. Stone is a story that I enjoy every episode as if it were the first time I've seen it. I will always be grateful to my memory for giving me this opportunity.

The Shark Tank of anime.

Trillion Game brings a fresh and new story to a market rife with magical fantasies. A corporate comedy/drama in the purest Shark Tank style, where the most compelling aspect is the negotiation strategies. We have the story of our protagonists, whose goal is to generate a trillion dollars. From there, a chain of events begins where we see how acts of good faith can synergize with deception and blackmail. Our protagonists, besides being very good friends, are also a representation of Yin and Yang. They are complete opposites in every way, but that's why they can work together to successfully move ... an emerging business forward in a sea of ​​​​vipers, such as the corporate world. The story is an exaggeration to show us the shortest path to success; things will always turn out well for the protagonists and badly for the antagonists. Beyond seeing it as a bad thing, I can see it as a narrative device to show us the interesting side of this world of entrepreneurs.

There are negative things, but they're not in the story; they're in the art. My goodness, at first, it's hard to see the characters because to say their design is ugly is an understatement. The character design is quite uncomfortable to look at because it looks like art stuck in antiquity. The chins are the strangest thing; they're the most out of place on the characters' faces. This artistic decision often makes it difficult to immerse yourself in the story because you don't believe the descriptions you're being given of other characters. When they tell you "so-and-so is the most beautiful person in the country, look, she's dazzling," and when you, as a viewer, see her, all you can think is "but she's uglier than having diarrhea with a cough." As the episodes go by, you get used to the art, but it still seems ugly. If you're a visual person, you'll likely find it uncomfortable most of the time.

Trillion Game is definitely a breath of fresh air. If you're looking for a story that breaks away from current market trends, this is a great option. It's funny, it's entertaining, it has comedy, drama, a bit of romance, but above all, it makes you believe it's possible to earn a trillion dollars by doing the craziest things.

Ao no hako, in times of content oversaturation, manages to do something truly important. It manages to evoke feelings in the viewer.

Anime knows there's no reason to rush things. A well-told story is better than one rushed just to reach key moments. The first season focused solely on building. Building Chii and Taiki's relationship, building the supporting characters for their future arcs, building a specific supporting character with whom the story would close out its first season. The production knew how to take advantage of the space it had to tell a realistic story, but above all, one with which everyone can empathize. High school ... could have been your best or worst time, depending on each person, but you have memories of that time. Ao no hako manages to revive those memories within you, and you unconsciously become emotionally involved with character X or Y because that's what you would have done in real life. The script of this anime is so well executed that you feel a real connection with your favorite character or characters. In fact, if you could pick up your phone to send a message of support to any of them, you would do it without hesitation.

A season that made us feel, and to talk about feelings, we have to talk about Hina Chono, who was a central character in the middle. Regardless of which side you took during the season, it's impossible not to feel something at the climax of this character's arc. A polarization was generated in this event, where the discussion unexpectedly wasn't on Hina's side but on whether the protagonist did the right thing or not by doing what he did. The polarization generated is just a good example of how well written the work was. Very few audiovisual media have such a significant impact on the audience's emotional side as to defend and even emotionally support a fictional character. Ao no hako knew how to take advantage of the elements of an animated production to enrich the source material. The voice acting, the animation, the soundtrack—everything is there to enhance the key moments.

Ao no hako managed to be its own version without being a carbon copy of its manga version, but it also works as a great promotion for that material. It's a promotional effort because it organically makes you want to turn to the manga to find out what's next. At the end of the day, that's the main goal of an anime, and we can say that Ao no hako has more than achieved it.

Honey Lemon Soda is a catfishing scam on this dating app called Jc Staff.

You can think of this production as two animes in one, because episodes 1-6 are one, while episodes 7-12 are a completely different one.

The anime starts out like that ideal person you meet on a dating app. You feel a genuine bond, one where you think you'll have a long-term relationship and be together for many years to come, reminiscing about the good times. It's an old-school slowburn romance that, if you've been around this game for a while, will remind you of the good times. You have two very good leads ... who practically carry the anime because the supporting characters are about as useful as a holiday during the pandemic. The story makes it clear that while the ultimate goal is romance, we first have to go through the ordeal of developing each of the characters so they're ready for a relationship. Starting with the girl, Uka, a shy protagonist who was a victim of bullying and enters a school of dubious reputation just to be happy. The entire first half focuses on her and how she will take small but steady steps toward that ideal version of herself. Along this path, she will be accompanied by Miura, the male protagonist, who will be there to provide the girl with moral support. For six chapters, this whole journey feels very beautiful because you maintain the illusion that the story genuinely cares about its characters and wants to give them plenty of space before beginning to intertwine their paths romantically. Oh God... we couldn't have been more naive...

This is where the catfish reveals itself, and we realize that the sweet person we've been talking to for a month and a half is actually a strange man who, instead of trying to steal information from us, just wants to steal our time. You can't imagine how vastly different the two halves of the anime can be. In the second half, they completely forget about the personal development of each protagonist to start forcing the romantic plot because they're running out of time in the season. Then, the story begins to break with what the characters had already achieved up to that point in order to adapt to the needs of the script, making the characters regress to their previous versions as the setting required. The problems weren't only at the script level; there were also continuity and animation issues. The continuity in the second half was horrible; one episode would end and at the beginning of the next, you wouldn't even know where you were; it felt like you'd skipped a couple of episodes. Characters who weren't initially in the scene would appear out of nowhere, even with dialogue. The animation in this part became even more experimental, playing with the anatomy of the characters depending on the scene, generating discomfort in the viewer due to the visual inconsistency this generated. Chapter 11 is by far the worst, even attempting to replicate a race in the purest Science SARU style in Devilman Crybaby. This chapter feels like an astral journey after consuming substances that old Kishimoto had stashed in his drawer when he wrote the ending of Naruto.

It's sad that this treatment has been given to a romance anime, but coming from JC Staff, it doesn't surprise me either. For that reason, I want to initiate the initiative to change the name to JC Scam.

Not only was it the best romance of the season, we're also facing the best office romance.

The story is simple, an office romance that wants to remain hidden between the parties. Kono Kaisha arrived without any kind of spotlight on it, and it's not like it really needed it. The story knew it had the necessary quality to attract attention without even the need for publicity. The anime doesn't just aim to place two lovebirds in an office so they can constantly display affection. They play with the elements of a secret romance to tell various aspects of the protagonists' lives. During work, the focus ... is on professional and work-related topics. While during free time, it's when we get mushy. This duality suits the show quite well because it never feels cloying, but it also doesn't feel like it's trying to preach at your work life, if you're at that stage of your life.

The way it portrays office life is very accurate. It doesn't try to romanticize it but rather shows us a picture of reality. It shows how two people have to juggle their professional and personal lives while having a relationship they try to hide from their colleagues. On the professional side, they show us the harshness of the schedules and the unexpected overtime, but they also show us the hunger for growth, the pursuit of new projects, and the pursuit of new opportunities. Every adult knows that work isn't easy, but it's also true that we can enjoy this place where we spend more time than at home. On the personal side, they show how each of them views the relationship from both perspectives, both male and female. Each gender has its own ideas and concepts of what it means to be in a relationship. Friction is inevitable, but it's healthy for a relationship that has good communication; in the end, a relationship grows through conflict and reconciliation. I don't know if it's worth mentioning, but I know many people enjoy these types of references. The relationship is adult throughout, not only in the conflicts and thoughts, but also in the actions. At various points, they make it very clear, without being explicit or morbid, that the protagonists are sexually active. As I said, I don't know if it was worth it, but it's an element within the show.

One aspect that adds many points to the show is that what other romances this season didn't do, Kono Kaisha did twice. I mean, building a good romance. The main couple starts off established, so we don't get to see the back-and-forth that usually exists in the pre-relationship phase. The anime didn't settle for just one couple and showed us it knows how to handle romance by building a secondary couple completely from scratch. The best thing is that this couple is built and formalized over the course of two episodes, with a short but precise development. At no point does it feel forced or rushed; everything falls perfectly into place.

Kono Kaisha isn't good just because its protagonists love each other so much. It's good because it demonstrates and develops that even in the most mundane spaces of adult life, a feeling as beautiful and fleeting as love can exist. That such a brilliant feeling isn't something that can be kept hidden, because it always seeks to emerge.

Despite the fact that it constantly tries to brainwash you into joining the cult that praises its female protagonist... this wasn't the worst of the season. It was only the second worst.

The story is about a pretty girl, her only charm is being pretty, and everyone loves her, or should love her, just for being pretty. Then there's our protagonist, who follows religious beliefs, which causes him to ignore the main character's "flirting." This is an anime that repels you due to the personalities of the girls in this series. In the first half, the story is more about a cult's desperate attempt to gain ... a new follower. Something I feel is forced within the script is that the supporting characters constantly have to say something positive about the protagonist. It feels as if the story itself can't highlight these points in an organic way. This ends up making the supporting characters' words feel robotic and automated. They're just attempts to convince the viewer to see in the girl what this anime world sees. In the end, all you see is a script with no basis and detestable characters, to the point that for the first time you want an episode to be less than 20 minutes long. Continuing within the first half of the anime, there is no respect for the protagonist or her personal space. The girl displays behaviors and actions that, beyond romance, border on harassment. Even so, the anime wants you to believe that the main character is to blame for not allowing himself to be kissed or hugged by force, and you for judging the main character in this story.

On the positive side, we have the second half. A section of the story that decided to balance its weaknesses with strengths it didn't know it had. What serves to patch up the dull aspects is the integration of more secondary characters who serve as a counterweight to the protagonist. As the story progresses, it becomes more tolerable. I can't say it improves substantially, but the episodes aren't as tedious as the first ones of the season. By having these counterbalances, the protagonist goes from a Madonna with no personality or charisma to a Madonna with no personality or charisma who's a little more likable. No matter how hard the anime tries to sell you on the protagonist as the ideal girl, other girls end up catching your attention. Not because they're pretty or anything like that, but because they have a personality beyond just being pretty. She can be a cool athlete who flirts with the boy she likes or a best friend who likes to observe others, whether to hang out with them or just annoy them.

While Kuroiwa Medaka wasn't the worst of the season, I still can't say I recommend it. On the contrary, if you can ignore that this anime ever even existed, your quality of life will improve exponentially.

An anime that creatively adapts what many of us believed was impossible to replicate in an animated medium.

Let's put aside the exaggerated hype that Sakamoto Days had before its premiere. The production managed to create something truly enjoyable with its own essence. They didn't try to replicate the pages of the manga, well, because they couldn't afford it, so they opted for more creative measures, but above all, ones that fit the style of the work. At first, you might notice that something is missing, whether it's more impact in the blows or speed in the movements; no matter what it is, you'll feel that ... something is missing. As the chapters progress, this feeling will fade. The animation gradually improves; the improvement is minimal but noticeable, especially in those chapters where there is more action.

Sakamoto Days brings a rather interesting perspective to the table: that adaptation and animation are two different things. One of the most repeated complaints is that the animation seemed "low-budget," and it was compared to the big productions of the shonen demographic. This argument was frequently brought up to criticize the adaptation as bad. These two concepts need to be separated because, while they are necessary, they are independent of each other. You can have a great adaptation with terrible animation, and vice versa. Sakamoto's script did a great job understanding the characters, the world, and, above all, the simplicity of the plot. The anime doesn't try to be deep or serious; it just looks for an excuse to give us fights in various settings. The animation, while not at the level of MadHouse or Ufotable, doesn't mean it's bad. I mainly highlight the use of slow motion to play with the rhythm of the fights and give them a dynamism that the manga version lacks.

On the negative side, it's probably the ending. The show has a steady rhythm that the ending abruptly cuts off. The story ends as if there were still one more episode to air next week. This probably won't matter when you own both parts and watch it in one sitting, but when you watch it weekly, it's a point to keep in mind. An ending like this can kill inspiration for a weekly viewer and make you question whether it's worth continuing or not. Another thing is that if the feeling that something's missing persists, you won't enjoy the fights because you'll always be looking for what's missing instead of focusing on what it does have. I found myself skipping the action sequences in the first few episodes because I was looking for what the anime was missing. It lasted for me for two episodes, but for someone, it might last for more episodes, or even worse, for the entire anime.

The best season in terms of writing.

The fifth season of this anime brought us an important flashback told through a tragic romance. The most positive thing to highlight is that the entire season was dedicated to telling the story of Yuri, Shiro, and Satan with minimal interventions from the main characters. The great writing behind this anime must be highlighted. A tragic romance is not easy at all, since you have to make us develop some kind of bond with at least one of the characters. Even more difficult is doing this with relatively new characters or those who have been minimally used in other ... parts of the story we already know. The story has a slow but not plodding pace, and the character development and the moments that will eventually explode are so subtle that you can forget that this won't have a happy ending.

I would like to talk about the main couple, but like any good tragedy, we can only rely on our imaginations of what could have been. This romance that never materializes conveys those feelings of love more than most of the other romances of the season. So it hurts even more when two people who truly love each other can't fulfill all their ambitions and dreams together. You enjoy the happy moments with them, but the sad parts are yours to endure alone, because they are extremely charismatic characters whom you will most likely never see again in the story with such an active role as the one we saw here.

As for the love triangle, beyond trying to make a martyr, it seeks to pose the classic ethical dilemma of "sacrificing one life to save thousands or sacrificing thousands to save one." This opens endless doors to debate who did the right thing, who was wrong, who was right, or who was the true hero at the end of the season. Each character has their motivations that make you understand why they do what they do, including the villain. The show handles moments of tension almost perfectly.

The downside lies precisely in what I find positive and loved so much: the tragic romance. It's a trope that isn't everyone's cup of tea because many come here to leave their troubles behind and not to remember that life is hard. Chances are, if you've already binged four seasons of the show, you'll breeze through this fifth without question. If you're interested in the franchise and still on the fence about whether to watch it or not, just remember that at this point in the story, no one will get a happy ending.