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When I think about the best villainess characters of all time, I’ll have Alicia in that list. Rekiaku is a pretty straightforward otome style story, but Alicia is what really makes it enjoyable. She’s determined to go down in history as a legendary villainess in a world where no one’s ever heard of the role. This was a fun watch from start to finish thanks in large part to Alicia’s antics and the way she genuinely wants to make a difference in the world. It had some issues, but I was overall very pleased and will miss this one a lot!

Like I said, Alicia ... was the main draw here for me. She was just such a cool lead, full of energy and ambition, while not being stupid. Whereas a lot of otome leads want to lead normal lives out of the spotlight, Alicia embraces her abilities and wants to improve her country. She recognises the inequality that’s rampant in the country and actually stands up for the voiceless in society. While she tries to be an edgelord at times, she’s got a heart of gold and throughout the show we see everyone she comes into contact with’s lives drastically improved. Whether it’s helping a poor village out or stopping bullying in school, Alicia just seems to know exactly what to do!

As we’ve come to expect from otome shows, the world Alicia gets reincarnated into doesn’t end up going the same way as the game she played on Earth. Particularly as it relates to her role and relationships as the villainess. This leads to conflict between she and the saint and that’s where my first big issue with this show is. The Saint is the most annoying character ever. She has this superficial holier than thou gimmick that just made watching every scene with her such a chore. It’s so obvious that it’s fake and not who she really is, leading to a lot of conflicts between she and Alicia throughout. But even when she got fleshed out at the end of the series, I just couldn’t bring myself to care about her. She’s annoying and a weak antagonist. My other issue is the male lead in the show who’s like 4 years older than Alicia and has been into her since she was 7. Very creepy relationship dynamic that the show tries to play off as a cute, but it never landed with me. In fact that’s one of the major reasons I can’t rate this as highly as I want to. The story is solid, Alicia is a great character, but man that romance is bad.

Production wise, nothing really to speak of here. Art is solid, animation is mediocre to passable and the voice acting is decent.

I’m kind of met with a conundrum when evaluating this show because I love the MC, but dislike the romance and conflict with the saint. For me personally this took it down a little bit, but it’s still worth checking out if you like well written female characters. Alicia is badass, beautiful and competent. While the story has its flaws, I still really enjoyed watching it when the prince wasn’t on screen.

Rekiaku gets 8 out of 10

Peak Josei was on the menu this season in the form of Hoshinina. For the last year or so, I have desperately awaited something to fill the hole in my heart that Niehime left and while it’s not told the complete story, Hoshinina is certainly on its way to doing that. Brilliant story with a resourceful and independent female lead, romance, drama and political shenanigans, I couldn’t ask for more.

I’m a big sucker for characters being thrust into roles, gradually growing into them and then dominating. Nina is not a royal by birth, but ends up in the royal family and gets all this pressure ... to prevent war placed on her shoulders. It’s an unfair burden, but one she embraces and strives to excel in rather than complain. I think your enjoyment of this series really comes down to how much you like Nina and how much you care about the male leads. Nina was such a dope character to me, enjoyed seeing her overcome obstacles and how resourceful she was in the 2nd half in an unfamiliar setting. She really grew into her role as time went on, embracing the newfound responsibility she had to her people. It felt so similar to Sariphi from Niehime to me and even the aesthetic of the world has a lot of similarities. If you enjoyed that story, you’ll really like this too.

The political drama in this show was pretty cool too. I liked all the behind the scenes adoption/replacement stuff, the political marriages and jockeying for power even within the royal family. It’s a lot, and you feel bad for characters like Sett, Azure and Nina who are all kind of victims in this political posturing. The second half of the season in particular, really ups the stakes and makes you fear for an all out war breaking out.

Wouldn’t be a fantasy shojosei without romance and it’s very much a big and enjoyable thing in Hoshina. I like that it’s not Nina’s whole motivation or personality, she is very much her own character trying to accomplish her goals. The romance just acts as a vehicle through which the plot advances. That’s to say, Nina developing romantic feelings for Sett and Azure establishes her connection to Galgada and Fortuna, making her want to protect those places and create an ideal scenario that averts war. When you have people you care about in a place, you tend to want it to stay safe for your loved ones. And, let’s face it, the love triangle is fun. Both male leads are bad ass, intelligent and generally cool characters. I did dislike Sett initially because he came off as an edgelord, but he grew on me considerably as the last few episodes played out and I learned more about his motivations. He still did a few things I can’t forgive YET, but I can see myself coming to like him. Azure as the first boy introduced has the usual anime advantage in that respect, but it looks like the author knows how to satisfy fans of both. I expect a good amount of teasing and fanservice for both going forward.

Production values is where Hoshinina struggles. Awesome female mc, interesting story, characters, world, character designs are good.. but the animation doesn’t hold up. At times it looks really bad, distractingly bad and the art at times produces off model characters. It’s a shame because the characters look good when they’re sitting around or talking, but when there’s any sort of action it takes a dip. Still, I enjoyed the rest of the story enough to make up for this.

Hoshinina is an easy recommendation for fans of fantasy romance anime, those who like strong and well written female leads, or those who just like hot guys fighting over a girl. If not for the production values, I think this would’ve been way more popular and it deserved it. I’ll miss it.

Hoshinina gets 9 out of 10.

If you like messy and spicy romance with the ever present danger of death or bodily harm hanging over your main character’s shoulder, look no further than Yakuza Fiancé! Finally, a series that shows us the real ins and outs of Japan’s most famous criminal organisation and right in the middle of all that are our two leads who SHOULD be in class doing their math lessons, but are instead uncovering mob conspiracy theories and interrogating grown ass men. Yea, this show’s a riot, over the top and unbelievable but damn is it fun as hell. It also features the best girl of the ... season. I’m obsessed with this story and need more.

Disclaimer up front, I am a massive Yoshino stan, she was my pick for girl of the season and is one of my favourite female characters overall. If you like your leads to not be damsels in distress who stand around waiting for the guy to come rescue them, able to outsmart people and not afraid to get their hands dirty in a fight, I have good news for you. Yoshino does that as well as anyone I’ve seen. She really is the driving force behind this story and your enjoyment will depend on how much you like her as a character. Assuming you’re a fan of bad ass girlboss characters, this is easily going to be one of the best shows of the year for you.

One cool thing about Yakuza Fiancé is it doesn’t glorify the yakuza or make it this cool thing you want to join. Voluntarily entering it is one thing, but being born into a yakuza family puts you into a prison of sorts, prohibits the things you can do and be. You always have to have a guard and be looking over your shoulder. It’s a very restrictive lifestyle that can be hard to deal with, mentally and physically. They do a good job of showing how that affects Yoshino. She has to put up this fake persona to cope and survive with her circumstances. It gets played off as a joke during the series sometimes, but for the most part I think they nail the gravity of the situation. This series really doesn’t shy away from the reality of gang life. Blackmail, extortion, murder, drug use and a plethora of other unsavory things. It gets dark at times which I love. While exaggerated at times, it definitely felt like I was watching something aimed at adults. Hell, we even have a male lead who has casual sex with other girls while he’s pursuing the female lead. Like when’s the last time we’ve seen something like that, Nana?

That’s a perfect segue into the other big selling point here. The romance. Love em or hate em, Yoshino and Kirishima are the focal point of the story. The classic arranged marriage to genuine relationship trope, but this one actually feels interesting because Kirishima is a scumbag. He acts like you would think a gang member acts. Sleeps around, foul mouthed, anger issues etc. While I am, at the time of writing, not a big fan of him, I really appreciate that the author gives us a different type of male lead. All of these shy dudes who are scared of girls get old. Show me someone who’s unhinged and has a ton of experience with women, but not THIS sort of woman. It’s a unique romance setup. I did see a little bit of growth out of Kirishima towards the end of the series, but personally I much prefer the childhood friend/bodyguard for Yoshino. Yea, he’s also a mob guy, but a much more normal person if that makes sense. There’s a cool little love triangle brewing between them which I love. Huge fan of tension and drama and this show has it in spades. The romance doesn’t get overbearing though, Yoshino is her own character and isn’t reliant on a man or a relationship to shine which I love.

The art style is apparently a love or hate thing. I think it looks gorgeous, Yoshino’s look was one of my faves of the year. The animation left a lot to be desired, but it is a seinen romance tbf so you don’t need anything crazy.. certainly could’ve been better though. It’s up there with Deen’s better works as of late, not quite Gimai Seikatsu good, but solid.

This was probably my 3rd favourite show of the season or so. I loved this one so much. The messiness, the gang warfare drama, Yoshino being a badass. There’s a lot to love here for me and I believe any fan of strong female leads will enjoy it. If you like your romance with some spice, this is also for you. Cannot wait to start reading it.

Yakuza Fiancé gets 9 out of 10

Superstar season 3 is an amazing conclusion to the beautiful journey we’ve been on with the original cast for the past few years now. It’s the best, story, performances and production-wise of any love live season. A must watch for any idol fan!

I don’t know if Sunrise brought more budget or just had more people working on this season, but Superstar Season 3 feels like a massive improvement in every way over previous seasons. Every episode was gorgeous and had an engaging narrative. It’s Love Live at the end of the day, so the focal point here is the performances, music and the girls ... just being wholesome. All of those requirements were well met. I thought all of the girls’ mini arcs were fun, the little Liella civil war arc was great and seeing the girls kind of find their own paths as we approach graduation was a joy. Unlike previous seasons of love live where I zoned out at times because arcs weren’t interesting, this felt action packed from the start and it was great to see various parts of the world in this season! We globe trotted from Shanghai to Vienna and the girls did their thing everywhere they went. Not a single boring episode or dull moment.

While the end result of the Love Live competition was obvious, it’s more so how the studio laid the foundations for us to reach there. We see several of the members go through low points, lose their way and stumble a bit before rejoining the group and determining what they want out of life. This year’s championship felt very earned because of all the adversity and obstacles we had to overcome to reach it. I also think a lot of complaints people, myself included, had with Liella were fixed in this season. The biggest of which being that they introduced so many characters so rapidly and didn’t flesh all of them out. I mean at the end of season 2, Natsumi is still pretty annoying, Shiki and Mei are somewhat endearing, but we just didn’t know much about them! This season makes a point to give everyone some much needed development, including some of the original members. I ended this season with a strong attachment to all of the girls and honestly, it might be the strongest of any of the love live groups now. I cried and got emotional at several points this season due to how good certain characters’ stories were! Thank you to Sunrise for creating characters we can really get behind and support.

Production wise, wow this looked beautiful. Character designs, animation, the music, the choreography, it was flawless. Sunrise have really mastered that 2D-3D blend that they started using a few years ago and now the performances feel much more engaging and weighty. They’re not jarring at all which is big in a series that relies on fans getting into the performances. The music itself was great too, we had some absolute bangers this season that will be in rotation for a very long time. Can’t sing enough praise about how much of an upgrade this was. I could’ve done without some of the fanservice towards the girls, which this season felt like it had an exceptionally high amount of.. but other than that, perfect.

Really goes without saying, if you’ve watched the first two seasons, you need to watch season 3 to get the full story of Liella and to see the new chapter they’re embarking on. It’s an upgrade in every way on existing Superstar seasons as well as previous other Love Live seasons. Heartwarming, emotional, fun and a great experience. I can’t wait to see what this franchise does next.

Love Live gets 10 notes out of 10.

Meido-sama is special to me for a few reasons, not the least of which is the fact it’s the first ever anime OP for Tricot who are one of my fave alt-rock bands of all time! But it also scratches that itch that Violet Evergarden left me with a few years ago after the movie. It might not have Kyoani production values, but it tackles a lot of the same themes that VE does without the problematic grooming relationship. I’ll always be a sucker for the “raised as a human weapon” to learning what it is to be human development pipeline and Yuki’s transformation in ... this was so good. She and Hitoyoshi were just bliss to watch every week and my Saturdays will certainly be worse off without them in it.

There’s so many things we take for granted on a daily basis. Family, friends, being told we matter and are cared for, etc. So I like stories like this where there’s a character who only knows pain and suffering and gradually learns the joys we take for granted. Yuki might be a master assassin, but she knows nothing about people or love. She comes into this show as blank slate who only knows how to kill, and leaves out as a pretty damn normal girl. Her path to getting there isn’t always straightforward. There’s roadblocks and misunderstandings, but everything usually gets resolved quickly thanks to the characters communicating with each other! I almost felt like a proud parent watching my daughter grow up before my eyes in this show. Conversely, the male lead brings his own baggage into this and we kind of see them both help each other through their trauma and become closer, going from a master-servant relationship to something more special.

There’s some action and the occasional Yuki going yandere on another female character scene, but for the most part this is a chill wholesome story where we get to go through the two leads’ daily routine and them growing closer. While it might seem mundane, when you get to learn about all the pain Yuki has been through, the normality of a daily routine becomes something priceless. While it doesn’t have the iyashikei tag, this show was very much therapeutic to me. Yuki’s reactions to the most normal stuff were so cute and just seeing her try her best to get better as a cook, grocery shopper and student was awesome. We didn’t get into a ton of the story in this season, but they laid the groundwork for what seems like a more intricate and potentially action packed story later down the line with the assassin guild Yuki belongs to playing a bigger role. What we got in this season was great though, I’m a sucker for cute girls trying their best to improve.

The cast is pretty small here, I was a big fan of Hitoyoshi’s little sister who was he and Yuki’s biggest shipper. She also becomes a little sister figure for Yuki which was nice for her development. Nitta was a funny comic relief character who I’d like to learn more about in the future.

Just really enjoyed this one. Nothing too spectacular, but it got me choked up on more than one occasion. Yuki and Hitoyoshi are the perfect couple even if they don’t quite see it yet. They came into each others’ lives at the perfect time and we as the viewers really benefited! This show is such a sweet and wholesome watch and any fan of romance or healing anime will enjoy it.

Meido sama gets 8 out of 10

Fresh off the coattails of the success of the amazing Urusei Yatsura remake comes Takahashi Rumiko’s latest “oldie but goodie”, Ranma 1/2. Even with just 12 episodes done, I can confidently say this is better in every way than the UY remake and is one of the best remakes of all time. High praise, I know, but it’s really how I feel. This show has perfectly captured the magic of 80s anime and brought it to the modern audience without compromising on what makes it great. For all the hype MAPPA get about their battle shonen adaptations, this is among the best work they’ve done ... and we’re only getting started. If you’re on limited time this season, this is one of the few shows you need to check out.

If there’s one thing Takahashi-sensei knows how to do, it’s write great character driven stories and cute romances. Ranma is where you really start to see that take shape in her work. My one big complaint with UY was Ataru not ever growing up and things staying stagnant for large portions of the series. It felt at times like we were running in a circle and getting nowhere. Opposite here. One cour in and I’ve already seen a ton of development from both of the main leads, episodes feel connected, romantic progression and frankly better mini-arcs. I don’t want to seem like I’m badmouthing UY, because I do love Lum and that story, but this is much more my speed. The relationship feels a lot more natural. Akane and Ranma bounce off each other so well and I love how they fight like an old married couple, but never stay mad at each other too long and will always be there for one another.

The main gimmick that makes Ranma 1/2 unique and the meaning behind the title is Ranma’s ability to go from boy to female with the splash of water. This is such a funny gimmick to me. It never felt forced or out of place and made so many scenes in the show hilarious. But more importantly, it’s a nice allegory for gender dysmorphia and another example of Takahashi sensei being ahead of the curve on things. From creating popular romcom tropes we see everywhere today like tsunderes, to being a trailblazer for lgbt representation, this woman’s impact can never be overstated. The transformation also serves a really cool narrative purpose as it allows Ranma to connect with Akane more intimately as a woman than a man at times. Akane has a lot of insecurity about her femininity that serves as a driving force behind her character development in this first cour, I really liked how she was able to take strides towards accepting herself more thanks to Ranma. Them starting out as sworn enemies and gradually becoming sweet on each other and not knowing how to act around one another is some of the cutest stuff I’ve ever seen. To me their relationship felt like watching little kids who don’t know how to express themselves so they just tease the person they like. Thankfully, it’s never excessive or cringe to watch here!

The other characters in this are also great! Supporting cast will also probably end up being better than Urusei Yatsura. You really just see a gradual evolution in Takahashi’s writing coming from her last work and that’s so cool to be able to retrace one of your fave creator’s path. Shampoo alone clears a lot of shows’ whole casts. Akane is going to have her work cut out for her in the second half. Ryoga is a riot and a nice rival for Ranma, as well as reminding me a lot of Koga from Takahashi’s most famous work, Inuyasha. Had no complaints with any of the cast really, even all the ones that came in for mini-arcs like the skating duo, or the ballet dancer, I need them all back in the future!

MAPPA get a lot of hype for the work they’ve done on big battle shonen series, but what they’ve done in this remake can’t be overstated. It looks gorgeous, the animation is awesome, direction is great and most important the soundtrack bangs. They got the Inuyasha series composer and I cannot tell you how excited I feel every week to just hear the music in this show and be transported back to the early 2000s. I’m not sure if he worked on the original series, but it definitely fits here.

Overall, Ranma 1/2 is an extremely promising start for what looks to be one of the best ever anime remake projects. Great production values, an amazing main couple, hilarious comedy that actually lands and some nice character development! If you’re a fan of any of Takahashi’s works, it’s a no brainer to check this out, or if you’re just looking for a new cute romance couple to get behind! Can’t sing enough praise about this show.

Ranma 1/2 gets 9 out of 10.

As a massive Mahou Shoujo fan I came into this season very excited because of the number of magical girl entries we had. Out of all of them, Magilumiere was the best and honestly I think this is one of the best magical girl stories ever. Even with all the titles JC staff had this season, they didn’t miss a beat with this one. Cool fights, transformation, a great soundtrack and a really fascinating world. Kana and Hitomi rocked my world and are definitely in the running for best duo this year. This is a must watch for any magical girl fan!

Instead of just being ... cute magical girls fighting monsters of the week type of story, Magilumiere puts us in a world where magical girls are a legitimate career with entire companies, staffing agencies and more dedicated to them. This show focuses more on the economic aspect of being a magical girl, at least in this first cour. It also has the distinction of featuring an all adult cast which is so nice because even as a Precure fan, I want to see more adults in this genre. It’s easier to relate to and I think there’s more interesting topics that can be handled. While we only got a little sample of the world building and larger story in this first season/cour, I’m very much excited to see how things play out in the future with the characters balancing their work as magical girls with their own personal lives.

Speaking of the characters, they’re a huge reason this show is so good. Kana is a very relatable character that I think a lot of people will be able to empathise with. You know, the recent college grad looking to get your career started and find a company that actually values your talents sort of relatable. She finds a home in Magilumiere, a place that not only values her talents, but encourages her to nurture and develop them. This was such a nice viewing experience for me because Kana finding such a great work environment is reflective of how so many young adults feel today. All the rejection and trials she went through and just finding that one spot where you’re valued and feel like more than just a number, but an actual part of a team. Hitomi, her partner, was also really fun to watch. A gyaru gym teacher with tomboy tendencies who started out mentoring Kana, but as time goes on Kana ends up being the one to show her new techniques and skills while on missions. Their dynamic was really good, only issue I have is Hitomi herself was lacking a bit in the character development department. But the manga is ongoing and we have another season coming so likely that’ll be addressed then.

One of the very underrated parts of this show is the production values. This is the 2nd best looking JC staff show this season outside of Danmachi. The fights look way better than they have any business doing. The soundtrack is also crazy good, like one of the best this year good and no one’s talking about it. The composer for this one is someone I wasn’t familiar with before, but their pieces really elevated the story!

It’s a bit grating how slept on this show was this season in relation to how damn good it is! Leaving this to rot on Prime with no promo was such a bad choice. It’s a really fun magical girl story with great action, characters and a cool setting. I think even people who don’t usually like magical girls will be able to jump into this one and enjoy it just because of the relatable adulting themes, the action and overall vibe. Can’t praise or recommend this one enough.

Magilumiere gets 9 out of 10.

Adult workplace romance will always be near and dear to my heart because we just don’t get enough of it in modern anime. As I get older, it’s harder for me to sit through the, frankly, cringe gimmicks and tropes of high school romances. Not to say they’re ALL bad, but on the whole they usually have a lot of the same repetitive story beats and unrealistic character traits that becoming grating over time. So when something like Kekkon Surutte comes along, it immediately catches my interest. While it’s not immune from some common flaws of the genre which I’ll go into shortly, on the ... whole it’s a really sweet watch with two adorable knucklehead leads that we see grow quite a bit as the season goes on. The romance is nice and wholesome, the story is simple, but effective and it’s a relaxing watch.

So to clarify my earlier statement on the flaws this show has, I’ll specify. A lot of adult romance animanga fall into this habit of basically making adult characters with all the shortcomings of teenagers. So instead of acting like mature adults, they feel like big kids. Blushing at the slightest hint of intimacy, running away, being loud, walking in on someone showering and feinting, you get the drift. This show isn’t awful with that, like for the most part the leads do feel like adults, albeit with severe social anxiety, poor social skills, maybe a slight tinge of autism etc., but they do have a few moments where I’m like “ok come on now you’re pushing 30.” Regardless, Ohara and Rika might be cringe lords, but they’re MY cringe lords. I really enjoyed their relationship developing from one of necessity to one of choice and genuine affection. There’s a nice progression as the characters get to know one another and I found the conclusion to be satisfying.

I do have two issues narratively, with only one really being significant. First of all, the whole premise that led to them having to pretend to be married was honestly a bit dumb. The other which is a bit more significant, is that Ohara feels like a substantially weaker character than Rika here. I really didn’t care for him even as the series reached its climax. Not a bad character, just nothing impressive or that really stuck out to me. Rika on the other hand, is quite an interesting character because of her relationship with her mother and the impact that not having her mom around growing up had on her, etc. Like there’s some cool psychoanalysis you can do on her, that’s just not there with Ohara since he doesn’t warrant it. In fact, I felt like Ohara’s best friend was a way more interesting character than him and wish we would’ve got more of him and his relationship situation in the series. Maybe in the manga? Ohara’s not bad, but definitely needs some more seasoning and time in the oven. In fairness, though this is just 12 episodes and I believe the manga has more story, so I’m sure he gets fleshed out more there.

Character analysis aside, the romance is nice and fluffy here. I enjoyed every moment the two leads were together and how pure this show is. There’s no fanservice or cringe sexualisation of female characters, just good old fashioned vanilla workplace romance as two people come out their shells. I don’t think it’s in the top tier of adult romances, but it’s very solid and certainly the best complete romance this season.

If you’re someone shopping around for something cute to watch that doesn’t feature sexualised minors, fanservice or an overly complex plot, look no further you have a great option here. Sweet as pure sugar, but easy to digest. Even with its flaws I enjoyed this a lot and will miss it airing on Thursdays!

Kekkon surutte gets 8 rings out of 10.

Mecha-Ude is the most underrated anime of Fall 2024, hands down. In fact, it’s one of the most underrated shows of the entire year and it angers me so much because this show is amazing. The long crowdfunding journey for the show to even get made makes it all that much more special as well. Sawano and Yamamoto on the OST, classic studio trigger vibes, awesome characters and great sci-fi action? This had all the ingredients of an instant classic and for me it lived up to that.

Mecha-Ude is one of the few legitimate passion projects we have in modern anime. This actually ... started way back in 2018 as an OVA and crowdfunding for it to be made into a full blown anime went on for years, finally coming to fruition this season as a proper 12 episode show. The lack of big backers and a traditional production process gives Mecha-ude a unique feel compared to most other anime. It’s a little rough around the edges at times, but that gives it a charm other anime don’t have. The character designs and art have a certain freshness to them and are endearing. The animation at times feels low budget and you can tell it’s a smaller team, but it has some amazing moments where the sakuga is up there with the best of them.

Story wise, Mecha-Ude has quite a few twists. I definitely wouldn’t call it generic or your run of the mill seasonal. You can tell a lot of time went into crafting a story that’s engaging and impactful. There were multiple times throughout the series where I had my jaw on the floor from how crazy a twist was, a big reveal, a death, etc., I have to tip my hat to whoever was in the writing room because they cooked. There’s a lot of similarities with transformers as well so if you’re into that, you’ll enjoy this. Hikaru and Aki as leads worked very well. I’m a big sucker for the haters to “lovers”(both literally and figuratively as in a platonic love) trope and think it was executed well here. Aki is a bad ass lead who can hold her own and often saves Hikaru’s ass from some tough situations. We get to see our MC master his abilities and be able to stand in his own by the end which was really cool. I quite like the storytelling technique of an outsider getting suddenly thrust into a big war or secret society, learning the ins and outs and then becoming a big part of that group/movement. The mecha-arms themselves were also really cool. Lot of interesting lore, abilities and directions that were explored not just here, but potentially in future multimedia projects if they choose to.

I’m gonna be honest, one of the biggest reasons I love this show so much is the Sawano OST. Sawano is my fave composer of all time and probably my overall fave artist as well currently. So anything he touches is gold to me. SennaRin , a frequent collaborator of Sawano’s and another of my faves, worked on the OP as well so this was like a match made in heaven for me soundtrack wise. As usual, Sawano’s OST really took this to new heights making the big fight scenes so hype. I will definitely be listening to this OST consistently.

People ask for underrated or hidden gems all the time and this is one of them. I feel like this’ll be a show that as more people watch in coming years will be more appreciated ala kiznaiver. Great story, characters, soundtrack, action and made with pure love. A long journey, but one well worth it.

Mecha-Ude gets 10 arms out of 10.

Some shows simply have to be experienced rather than described and Dandadan’s one of them. It’s the biggest and most popular show this season for a reason. Amazing animation, direction, fun characters and just a wacky and wild experience that never leaves a dull moment.

I can confidently say this one lived up to the hype from source readers. While the story was not the strongest in the first cour, I appreciate them setting up the wider world and introducing characters who will be the foundation of the series going forward. Where Dandadan really shines for me thus far is the character interactions and chemistry. ... Momo and Okarun’s relationship being the centrepiece of the story works excellently. They flow so well together. The banter, petty fights, the teasing, it’s all got a sort of 90s anime romance vibe to it and that goes for the show as a whole as it clearly takes some influence from things like FLCL.

The mix of sci-fi and supernatural themes also makes Dandadan a rather unique experience. Usually it’s one or the other in a show and in this we see the overlap in the occult and unexplained scientific phenomenae. Again, it’s all pretty surface level for now, but you get a sense this is going to be a really interesting story once it gets going.

Though the first 12 episodes feel like setup, I’d be remised if I didn’t mention the Episode 7’s mini-arc on acrobatic silky which is easily one of the best episodes of the year and a gut wrenching story of a mother’s love. We got a nice taste there as to just how good a writer this author is and how he can make us connect and genuinely feel for characters we just met. If the rest of the story has a few arcs half as good as that, we’re going to be in for a treat.

Even before this anime came out I had a ton of respect for Science SARU as being one of a handful of studios that push anime to its limit and just make beautiful content. I was a big fan of Eizouken and ride your wave, but I have to say this is definitely their magnum opus. Dandadan’s general art and animation look great, but the big action set pieces are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Pure visual spectacles that were crafted with the utmost love and care. Moments like episode 7’s climax with Acrobatic Silky evoke a sense of magic that’s rarely felt in a seasonal anime. While I haven’t read the manga yet, I’m sure manga readers would agree that this adaptation has likely not only captured the vibe, but elevated the source material. If you’re a Sakuga nut or just an appreciator of well made art Dandadan is worth a view for that alone.

Dandadan’s first cour does a great job introducing newcomers to this world, its mechanics, characters and concepts and is a very fun action filled ride. One of the few shows that lives up to the insane hype.

Dandadan gets 9 balls out of 10.