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If Orb wasn't airing this season, this anime would've taken its place as the best, in my opinion. Medalist is a figure skating anime, and I honestly did not expect to like this show as much as I did.

This series is very character-driven narratively, and I really like how “depressing” this show can be at times. Sometimes, sports anime like this can either be one of two things: overly intense and hype, or very cutesy. While Medalist can fall in the latter at times, I really like when the characters who are entering some level of training and competition are broken. I like that the ... main characters, Inori Yuitsuka and Tsukasa Akeuraji, are two characters who had some very troubled upbringings leading up to the events of this season. I like that their brokenness brings them closer emotionally and that they use that to fuel them throughout their development as figure skater and coach, respectively. I also like that Tsukasa isn't a seasoned coach like what most storylines of this nature consist of. While Tsukasa is an adult, he's still relatively young, given the age of the other adult characters in this series. Having Akeuraji be an inexperienced coach taking up a newcomer skater who started late is a really interesting student/mentor dynamic. we typically don’t see storytelling nowadays. For the most part, the mentor figure is an old but wise character who imparts the endless wisdom of their own life experiences to their pupils, but creating a dynamic where both the student and the teacher are learning as they go makes this narrative more interesting and unique. Speaking of, Inori herself is a really interesting character. Her struggles of wanting to skate while being faced with the circumstances that she is facing throughout the show are quite nuanced, especially the plotlines of her proving her doubters wrong. This show does employ a time skip, and while that might raise some concerns for the pacing, this narrative decision is done to naturally progress Inori’s progression as a figure skater without it feeling tedious and slow. The post-time skip episode leads us to a point in her character development that makes sense leading up to the time skip. This anime is great at naturally building characterization to the point where we can piece two and two together seamlessly without any or only minimal questions left.

Another aspect that I want to point out about this show has to be just how well animated it is. Now, for most of the show, we get the standard and acceptable level of quality in animation. There's nothing wrong with this so far. However, once a character performs their program in a figure skating practice or competition, we get some very well animated 3D animation that fits so well with the nature of the show, elevating the figure skating aspect of this series to new heights. The tricky thing about utilizing 3D CGI elements in a primarily 2D environment is that it can look and feel jarring to anyone watching; 3D objects typically don’t blend well with a 2D setting. However, Medalist brings these two animation styles together so seamlessly by letting the CG scenes flourish in the figure skating scenes, which also help characterize the level of concentration and passion that both the characters put into their performances and the animators into their work. From my understanding, the production team for this show also did some motion capture from actual professional figure skaters, so blending that with some very well executed 3D animation makes this show that much more enjoyable to watch.

I know most people are on the Solo Leveling hype train that has dominated Winter 2025, but both Medalist and Orb really need more of that spotlight from SL. This anime is so criminally underrated on quite a few of its most important aspects: characterization, narratives, and animation. Most people this season won't even give this show a second thought because it revolves around kids learning to figure skate, but pair some really compelling and unique character writing with some of the best 3D animation we've seen in a medium that otherwise shuns and looks down on that style of visualization, and you get a show that is very fun to watch. I can't wait to see more from Medalist moving forward.

I’m a sucker for office romance anime. One of the very first romance/slice of life anime that I watched and really liked was My Senpai is Annoying, so when I Have a Crush at Work - or ‘Can You Keep a Secret?’ - aired from beginning to end, I loved it all the way through. I think this anime suddenly dawned on me that the office romance genre is probably one of my favorite subgenres of the anime romance category.

I think the reason why this anime, along with other office romances, have unexpectedly started to click for me has to be that these shows not ... only stick out compared to the rest of the romance genre, but utilize story beats that really enhance the narratives in the anime. ‘I Have a Crush at Work’ revolves around Masugu Tateishi and Yui Mitsuya, two office workers in the same company but in different departments. To the rest of their colleagues, these two are constantly at odds, but secretly, are dating and share a very intimate relationship. I don’t mind the secret lovers trope in storytelling, but ‘Can You Keep a Secret?’ fleshes out this trope to the best of the story’s ability, and it worked really well for me. I like the fact that both Masugu and Yui don’t work in the same department and I think their professional personas help contrast not only how they operate in the office environment, but also how they are in their private life. Easily the strongest aspect of this anime’s writing has to be the romance itself. First and foremost, the main couple is already in the relationship at the start of the show, only elaborating on how they began dating in the last episode. I like the fact that the main narrative of this anime isn’t revolving around whether or not the two main characters will date each other, and instead throws the audience right in the middle of their relationship. Speaking of, how the show actually fleshes out the romantic dynamic between Yui and Masugu further adds to just how good the romance was written in this series.

I know this is going to sound like I’m horny-baiting, but I’m actually starting to miss romance storylines where the characters show any level of intimacy or passion in their relationship. ‘Can You Keep a Secret?’ is one of the very few modern romance anime where the main characters are actually passionate in their relationship. No, we don’t see the characters raw-dog each other or anything, but having scenes where the characters can just be all feely with one another is honestly refreshing as well as further characterizing the current state of Masugu and Yui’s dynamic. The main couple isn’t in yet another “will they/won’t they” relationship; we see Tateishi and Mitsuya going on dates where they can truly shine as an actual couple. We also get to experience just how truly intimate these characters are with one another without straight-up showing us anything NSFW. Sure, there are moments where the show might delve into the more erotic side of the relationship, but we are given plenty of scenes that heavily imply where Mitsuya and Tateishi are emotionally with one another. This type of romantic characterization is more realistic for adults who have been dating for a while, without going all HBO/Netflix on us with endless sex scenes. I Have a Crush at Work maintains a great balance between the more touchy intimate side of the romance with some cute and wholesome moments between the characters, exploring all faucets of Masugu and Yui’s dynamic with each other. I also liked how the main couple struggles at work and how they lift each other up whenever one of them feels down and stressed due to whatever their jobs throw at them. The dates that these characters go on are not only wholesome, but further add and enrich the romance, making this more than just cutesy interactions and passionate moves that the partners make at one another.

Earlier, I mentioned and praised how the main couple isn’t yet another “will they/won’t they” dynamic. While this trope has gotten tiresome within romance anime, it can work really well when the story beats and plot points are laid out in a way that is compelling. We’ve had recent hits like The Dangers in My Heart that utilize this trope in - at least in my opinion - a very compelling manner that made the two seasons of that show a very enjoyable watch. While the main focus of this show isn’t focused on this type of romantic storyline, ‘Can You Keep a Secret?’ also features a side couple that does make use of this trope revolving around Shizuno Hayakawa and Keisuke Somei. Now to anyone who has watched this show, you might be thinking that Shizuno and Keisuke having a romantic dynamic with each other is pretty taboo, considering that Shinzuno is eight years older than Keisuke, and while we can argue whether or not there should be anything alluding to a romance between these two characters, remember that these are responsible adults. One aspect that I was worried about was how Hayakawa, considering her age, might manipulate Somei into whatever happens in their dynamic, but this show does an exceptional job fleshing out Shizuno’s character and her past romantic experiences, especially in relation to dating her co-workers. I don’t want to give too much away about this subplot because I actually think this storyline is best when experienced without knowing much going into it, but these two characters actually go through a very interesting and compelling narrative that I thought was handled really well. While this show mainly focuses on Masugu and Yui, we are given short but concise scenes between Hayakawa and Somei that not only gradually develop their dynamic with one another, but also make their culmination episode very impactful. The dedicated episode is easily one of my favorite episodes of this season, so much so that I’m basically tip-toeing around outright mentioning how that narrative turns out because I truly recommend anyone who plans on watching this series to go in blind and fully take in how that storyline plays out.

Overall, I really enjoyed I Have a Crush at Work. This anime is just my type of thing: adult office romances that explore the many aspects of a relationship, while maintaining a fun and cozy atmosphere. ‘Can You Keep a Secret?’ is a very refreshing entry in the oversaturated romance genre of anime and I would recommend this to anyone.

If there is anything that this anime taught me, it's to watch more trailers for new stuff coming out. Zenshu is an anime original by MAPPA, and it revolves around the struggles of an animator making their next work… or at least that's what I thought this series was going to be about. While I find it extremely ironic that a studio like MAPPA is working on an original anime with a premise of that nature, I was definitely intrigued when this was first announced. That said, once the actual show started, I was completely blindsided by what Zenshu was actually about.

First off, I'm so ... tired of isekai anime. 90% of that genre reuses the same tired and downright disgusting tropes that make these shows nearly impossible for me to sit through. That said, Zenshu was fine, and yes, this is an isekai. I guess what makes Zenshu digestible for me is that it doesn't really utilize most - if not all - of the main tropes found in the isekai genre; there's a notable lack of ecchi harems and the main character isn't an insufferable Gary Stu. Natusko Hirose feels like a real character with relatable struggles, and that makes all of the narratives just a little bit more interesting in Zenshu. I like the dynamic she has with the other Nine Soldiers: she has an awkward but strangely rewarded romance with Luke Braveheart while sharing some lighthearted banter with other characters like Memmeln, Unio, and QJ. I like how Natsuko’s admiration for the fictional characters and world-building that she gets isekai'd to, A Tale of Perishing, progresses and develops both her character and the story smoothly. On top of that, MAPPA once again did an exceptional job of animating this show. While the irony isn't lost with a studio of this infamy producing a show with such a premise, I will give them credit where it's due. All of Natsuko’s drawings utilize a different art style that makes them stick out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the show, further conveying how otherworldly her creativity can be. However, I don't find the visuals all perfect. Whenever Natsuko transforms and summons her desk to draw her summons, the show reuses the exact same animation, which I honestly don't mind at this point considering how abusive the working conditions at MAPPA are. On top of that, the primary art style is kinda ugly. I don't really know how else to describe this, but characters like Luke and Unio scream “bland and generic fantasy” character design.

Now, I'm going to be honest: I didn't really plan on reviewing this show. While there are a good portion of positives for Zenshu, this show didn't really stick out to me enough for me to write a full-length review. All of that is mainly due to how the overarching narratives are written and structured. The majority of the episodes in this show utilize the “monster of the week” format, and I wouldn't have minded this approach, but the issue with that structure is that there was always meant to be an overarching storyline that spans across all twelve episodes of this series. With how short this anime is, I don't think using that format meshes well with whatever plotlines are trying to be accomplished in the anime. Whenever the show is centered around Natusko’s inner struggles of being an animator, I found the anime to be pretty good. However, it just doesn't blend with a monster of the week format *and* a long-winded storyline about a group of heroes saving the world from Voids. This type of storytelling works best in a Tokusatsu show where we are given a much longer season length to give both the characters and story more room to breathe, not in a concise twelve episode anime.

My grievances with Zenshu don't end with just the structure of the show. On top of the messy blend of storytelling techniques, shit just happens in this show. What I mean by that is how some episodes begin literally right in the middle of a conflict that happened off-screen, and the resolution to said battles is some asspull with zero context as to how and why this resolves whatever the characters are going through. It got to the point where I had to make sure I didn't skip an episode and go back to the last five minutes of whatever the previous episode ended off on. The last three episodes have a bit more connective tissue but end with some strange narrative choices that I don't think lineup with what we got in the rest of the season. There was no setup for the final conflict or any character decisions that happened in those episodes, and it just seemed like there were some contrived reasons to add more unnecessary tension to the story. The finale was fine, but you could probably find a couple of plot holes here and there, specifically relating to everything that happens to Natsuko, like what happened to all of the people that believed that she was the one who hunted her after believing she would summon the Ultimate Void. I mean, it's heavily implied that the world and everyone who lived in it was reborn with their memories intact. This plot point ended up being kinda crucial in the final two episodes leading up to the finale, so it is absolutely warranted that a bit of an explanation is in order.

Now, with all of that said, I don't want to make it seem like I hate this anime or anything. Zenshu is a decent anime to pass the time to, but I wouldn't get your hopes up about this being a home run narratively. It's fun, serviceable, but if you think about the writing, a lot of the gaps start to show.

The hotly anticipated sports romance anime, Blue Box, finally wrapped up its first season, and I’m… a bit conflicted, but not in a way you might think. Now I’m just gonna rip the band-aid off immediately, I like this anime and I’d recommend this to anyone if you’re in need of some non-action anime to watch. That said, I’m not really on the same hype train that everyone else is with this series.

Before I get into my issues with this series, let’s get into the positives first. Blue Box is one of the few romance anime that I’ve seen with a love triangle that I ... actually think works. In this anime, the love triangle is utilized to really highlight and drive home the emotional discrepancies between the three main characters: Taiki Inomata, Chinatsu Kano, and Hina Chouno. I like how Taiki is at the center of the triangle since he spends the most time with both Chinatsu and Hina. Instead of playing the safe route like other romance storylines with this particular trope, the anime actually has the childhood friends interact with one another, which in this case, further builds the dynamic between Taiki and Hina. If the story ever wanted to hit us hard emotionally with what happens later on, it wouldn’t have been as emotionally impactful if the childhood friends barely had scenes together, or verbally and lazily drilling into us the idea that Taiki and Hina have known each other for a very long time. There is also a good balance in screen time given between Taiki’s scenes with Chinatsu and Hina separately, however, I will later get into the dynamic between Inomata and Kano.

I also liked the sports side of this series. Each main character is part of a different sports team in their high school, which I like because that not only sets the characters apart in that aspect, but also gives us different subplots to follow. Taiki excelling to be the best first year in the badminton team is a good motivational narrative set piece for his character to grow and eventually reach the same level of that his crush, Chinatsu, is at with basketball. While I might not be the biggest fan of sports stories in entertainment - even to the extent of a preference of watching actual sports over shows like this - I found quite a few of these subplots to be intense and something to come back every week for. I found myself invested in Inomata’s growth as a badminton player. That said, I found both Chinatsu and Hina’s perspectives on their own sporting adventures to be slightly lacking. We barely get a real deep dive into what these two characters do outside of surface level exposition; early on in the first half of the season, we are constantly reminded that both Kano and Chouno are top prodigies in basketball and rhythmic gymnastics respectively. However, outside of maybe one or two scenes where Chinatsu plays a basketball game, the show barely fleshes out their own individual growth as athletes to the same extent that Inomata receives. That said, whenever the show fully locks in to focusing on a sports tournament, or a character overcoming an athletic block that is stopping them from reaching the next level in their development, it’s handled really well. Blue Box works really well as a sports drama, and in my opinion, this is mainly the more consistent aspect of the writing, even if it’s far from perfect.

While Blue Box might excel as a sports drama, this series is also a romance anime, and this is where my issues with this series begin. First off, I already explained the positives in the love triangle and how it doesn’t fall as flat as other anime that utilize this trope. However, the main couple of this series, Taiki Inomata and Chinatsu Kano, honestly don’t feel like a couple, at least for now. The reason why I say this is because their relationship doesn’t really give me any romantic vibes outside of Taiki having an insane crush on Chinatsu. These two characters initially meet when they run into each other all the time in early morning practice in their school gym, and Chinatsu eventually moves into Taiki’s place as a roommate. Inomata and Kano obviously share quite a few scenes together, however the romantic development between these two feels so stagnant in this season. The furthest their scenes take these two are either a cute moment where they root for each other in their respective sports teams, or Taiki constantly reminding viewers that he has a crush on Kano. Very rarely do we get scenes between these two characters that actually progresses their feelings towards one another. There are even moments where the show subtly gaslights us into believing that there was so much emotional development between the main couple, when there really wasn’t. During the second half of this season, Chinatsu very subtly admits that she is starting to develop feelings for Taiki, but I don’t really buy that because the majority of the second cour has her separated from Inomata due to her not staying at Taiki’s house for an extended period of time. Sure, they still see each other in school, but they are in different grades and in different sports clubs, so it’s not like they spend as much or even more time together to make that confession airtight. For most of the entire season, Chinatsu is primarily distant, and even at times cold, to Taiki. Sure, they hang out and live in the same house, but they honestly don’t even have a dynamic that in any way resembles what I would consider to be romantic. I’m not asking for these two to be lovey-dovey right away, but for a season that contains twenty-four episodes, I would’ve at least expected significant strides in the romance between the actual main couple that this series revolves around.

Now, I don’t want to make it seem like this anime is a failure or anything. I still find Blue Box to be very entertaining, and I have no doubt that later seasons (if that actually happens) will inevitably develop the dynamic between Taiki and Chinatsu more. While that aspect is a drawback for me, it unfortunately is a massive drawback at least for this season since the entire plot revolves around the relationship between these two main characters. But again, there are plenty of things I liked about Blue Box. The animation is very crisp, the direction definitely puts Blue Box atop of other romance anime, and like I said, I find this series so far to be a pretty good sports drama. Even as a drama, I like some aspects about the narratives in this show, like the inclusion of Ayame Moriya. Sure, I find this character to be really annoying, but I like the role she serves in the story; a loose cannon whose naive views on relationships ultimately pushes Hina to fully pursue Taiki. All of this obviously leads to the emotional climax of the entire season, and the last set of episodes that lead up to the big moment, along with the penultimate episode of this season, also contain some great drama between the characters that actually has me excited for more. Hopefully, this does get a second season because I want to see actual story development in future installments in this series since this season has definitely left just a little bit to be desired. If Blue Box can finally lock in and actually progress Inomata and Kano’s relationship, then this series would be great all around. Hopefully that becomes true with more seasons.

I love historical fiction. I love a piece of media that delves into a period in history that fleshes out how human society was like during that time while also having the creative liberty to tell a unique and interesting narrative. Because of this, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth seemed like an anime that was right up my alley, and it 100% ended up being the case.

Set during 15th century Poland, Orb follows a variety of characters as they challenge the current status quo on the subject of heliocentrism. This anime is quite unique in that it primarily focuses on a subject of ... human history that I feel doesn’t get talked about enough. Sure, most of us were probably taught in history classes in school that heliocentrism was an idea that was challenged and debated upon, but that subject would only be covered on an extreme surface level standpoint. Orb: On the Movements of the Earth fully delves into what heliocentrism really is and the moral complexities surrounding the belief in this concept of astronomy. To say that this anime is very philosophical is a severe understatement, as the majority of the dialogue is heavily centered around the varying debates on religion vs science, one’s beliefs vs the truth, etc. On top of that, this show also focuses on some interpersonal narratives such as yearning to learn more and persevering for the sake of knowledge and the adamant stance on sticking to one’s convictions. While all of these ideas are very interesting, they can be quite dense to unpack, but this series does an immaculate job in fleshing out all of these concepts through the slow yet methodical pacing. Orb isn’t afraid to take its time and allow the characters and setting a lot of room to breathe these ideas into fruition, and it does it to the fullest extent. I know we live in an era of media where barely anyone has the attention span to just sit down and watch a slow burn movie or show, but Orb really needs this clinical level of pacing for all of the narratives to not only make sense, but to justify its moral and philosophical complexity. I am honestly so pleased that not a single arc in this show was rushed. I know this might lead many people, especially modern anime fans, to find an anime like this interesting, but sitting through all of the deep and thought-provoking storylines and character interactions is worth it.

I am very pleased that this show isn’t afraid to just slow down and make this entire season a long-winded journey. Each episode would always introduce a moral or philosophical dilemma that would have both characters and viewers alike to just sit back and ponder. However, none of this would be as compelling as it ended up being if it wasn’t for the dialogue. I’m going to be real for a second: a lot of anime, especially newer gen shows, aren’t that subtle. You have shows like Re:Zero that - regardless of what you might think of that series - lacks any level of brevity whatsoever. What I mean by that is dialogue in any piece of storytelling has to be paced and structured properly. You can have scenes between characters that can either be straight to the point or unnecessarily long-winded. The reason why I have dropped shows like Re:Zero is because the characters in that anime just keep going on and on about exposition that can very easily be conveyed to us in a non-verbal manner or concise manner. I really don’t need a character to expo-dump a piece of information that will later be visually shown to us just a couple of scenes later. I also don’t need a character to verbally spell out what they are thinking and feeling in the moment when the animation could (and should) be doing its work to convey that to us without any words. A lot of anime have this problem and it’s seriously gotten to the point where I borderline immediately drop a show if it doesn’t have that concise form of dialogue. The reason why I went a bit long-winded there was because I needed to illustrate my current frustrations with how dialogue is written in most modern anime, which also leads into why the dialogue in Orb is just so masterful.

Every line a character says is just so smart. Smart in the sense that whoever wrote this series knows how to maneuver their way through a variety of conversations and scenarios. Each line a character has gives us just enough information about what they are logically and emotionally trying to convey to both the other characters in the scene and audiences alike. I will admit that sometimes some lines might seem a bit melodramatic, which is kinda what you might expect in the medium of Japanese animation. However, whenever the show does indeed feel melodramatic, it doesn’t take away from the groundedness of the scene, and instead further adds weight to whatever moral or logical ambiguity the scene is revolving around. Whether it be when Rafal proclaims his true desires, Oczy and Badeni planning and discussing their experiments, or Draka questioning the morality of believing in a god, the dialogue is written that gives the character’s actions enough room to take shape to compliment their thoughts and emotions into whatever they are trying to say. This show doesn’t have to spoon-feed us information or characterization to pace its story; it can naturally do that with the level of brevity in the writing.

Speaking of, the character work in Orb is top-notch. This series has the very difficult task of trying to sell us on multiple main characters. This series is formatted through various arcs, and each storyline follows a different main character(s) set after a timeskip from the previous one. It is already a daunting task for a storyteller to have you hooked on one or two main characters, but Orb has around like six or so protagonists. Not only does this show hook you on all of the protagonists, but it does so in a way that nothing feels rushed or out of place. From Rafal to Draka, all of these characters are given a lot of room to breathe and make us care about them. It is incredibly difficult to make one main character believable, but to make all six to seven main characters actually feel real and well-rounded is quite the accomplishment. No one feels like a cardboard cut-out. Each character has a distinct trait that sets them apart from one another: Rafal is the ambitious and outspoken prodigy, Oczy is the naive, yet resilient learner that is in constant pursuit of knowledge, while Badeni is the hard-nosed and no nonsense theorist and scientist who is not afraid to challenge the status quo in any given opportunity. Jolenta started off as the shy, yet meek observer who strived to excel in her studies, only to grow into a cold leader who will do what is necessary for her cause, Draka is adamant on her convictions and is fueled by such beliefs in everything that she does, and Schmidt is a devoted follower who can be condescending on his beliefs, Finally, Albert - a real historical figure - embodies a little bit of every previous main character, making him the perfect culmination that this series finally concludes on. Even a more antagonistic figure like Nowak is quite interesting, as he initially starts off as an inquisitor who only upholds the status quo due to the nature of his occupation, but when his family is involved, he shifts his motivations to a more emotional standpoint and is fueled with both rage and regret in the journey his life took him on.

I know, that’s a lot of main characters, even for a TV show. However, what makes these characters all the more interesting is their place in the overarching narrative of this anime. Orb is a show that is not afraid to take risks, and I’m very happy that it does. This show kills off essentially almost all of the main characters, but does so in a way that fits the nature of this show. At its core, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is all about challenging the status quo for the sake of human knowledge and evolution. It asks a lot of questions relating to what it really means to have faith in religion and the pursuit of knowledge. However, given the historical context that this story is set in, there wasn’t the freedom to believe in a foreign concept that was not widely accepted by society like we can today. These actions of defying the beliefs upheld by the church at the time meant severe punishment, which in many cases led to death. This show always has that lingering theme that follows each character as the show progresses. What if we were caught with this knowledge? What would happen to all of the hard work we poured our souls into? What would our legacy be once we are gone? Not only is this show very brave for essentially killing off its entire main cast, but doing so in a way that makes sense and isn’t there for shock value. Each character that is killed off is done so with purpose; not only is this storytelling aspect utilized in a way to add stakes to the narrative, but to advance the overarching plotline of this anime and to allow the next generation of characters to carry the torch. Each new set of characters that are introduced carries the burden that was left behind from the previous set of characters while also approaching their predicament in a way that still leaves each arc unique and different from one another, keeping this show fresh. The prevailing aspect of Orb is that knowledge is indeed power, but the control of that information as well as spreading that wealth of knowledge can be dangerous given the religious and political context.

I think the only complaint that I have with this show is a minor one, and that’s primarily some of the direction and animation. Sometimes, scenes have some terrible lighting, which can lead to moments where you might have to pause and/or rewind just to fully understand what is being visualized in the scene. On top of that, some of the animation can be just ever so slightly rough on the edges. From my understanding, Orb is not only worked on by Madhouse, but the same production committee that worked on Frieren. Now I will say that Frieren is one of my favorite anime of all time, and the animation work is basically a masterpiece in my book. That said, the animation in Orb felt a little rough on the part that some shots of the characters can look a little off. There were moments where characters just did not look like themselves in some frames, but this is so minor, that if you really weren’t paying attention that hard, you wouldn’t notice.

I can go on and on about why this anime is a damn near masterpiece, but I will say this: if you’re someone like me that needs a breather from all of the action shonens, isekai/fantasies, rom coms, etc., that oversaturate the anime medium, give Orb a try. Sure, this might not be for everyone, but this was still such a delight to watch from beginning to end. I know for a fact that this anime will unfortunately end up buried in the countless of underrated gems that aren’t talked about as much as the more popular shows out there. However, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth is - at least in my mind - an underrated masterpiece.

2024 has given us quite a few anime that I would consider to be fun, brain-rot. How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer might not be as brain-rot as other shows like My Deer Friend Nokotan or ‘Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess, it's overall atmosphere is still goofy enough for me to consider it as such. While this anime doesn't do anything special or unique in terms of rom-coms, I still had a lot of fun watching this, which is important since we've gotten quite a few romance anime this year that absolutely bore me, and that's saying something since romance is one of my favorite ... genres in anime.

What makes How I Attended an All-Guy's Mixer fun to watch has to be all the goofy interactions and dynamics between all the characters. The six main characters - who are split between the male characters in Tokiwa, Hagi, and Asagi, and the cross-dressing girls with Suou, Kohaku, and Fuji - aren't that interesting of characters, especially when they fall into a lot of very common and tired rom-com tropes. However, these characters really make this show enjoyable when they're just hanging out and doing dumb shit for the sake of it. It's fun watching an airhead like Asagi misunderstand the context behind whatever unhinged shit Fuji is making him do. Hagi and Kohaku's fun and adorable romantic progression with one another breathes a ton of light-hearted charm to this series, and the typical shy interactions they have with one another made me feel at home with the genres this anime falls under.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed with Tokiwa and Suou's dynamic. To me, their relationship felt the most bland and generic out of the trio of couples that this anime offers. I'm struggling to even find the words to describe the dynamic between these two because they're unfortunately the most forgettable parts of the show. That's not to say that the writing behind these two are appalling, it's more so that if these two ever got a series revolving around just those characters, I'm not sure if I'd be invested in their narratives. You could attribute that to the fact that this show has six main characters and three couples to focus on, which forces the writing to constantly shift focus on a set of characters so they're not left in the dark. I personally didn't mind it, but I can see it being an issue for other people watching this anime.

Overall, if you need a quick, easy, and fun comedy anime to turn your brain off to, How I Attended an All-Guy’s Mixer might be for you. I personally enjoy shorter anime like this every now and then, and it’s kinda the perfect type of anime to wind your long day down with.

Out of all the anime that was set to air this year, Dan Da Dan was the one I was looking forward to the most… for some reason. I honestly don’t know why that is, but I have said before that I really enjoy when animated projects, especially anime, fully embrace being goofy and allowing itself to go all out creatively. While I like good narratives above everything else, I also like when an anime is just unapologetically bizarre and fun, and that is exactly what Dan Da Dan is. Now, does Dan Da Dan have a good or well-rounded narrative? Not exactly. As a ... fan of this series, I understand and recognize that the overarching storylines revolving around trying to find Okarun’s balls is quite flimsy and shallow, however what really carries the writing are a few aspects: the overall tone of the series, the fun character dynamics, and the over-the-top action sequences.

As someone who is so tired of “hype” battle shonen animanga, Dan Da Dan felt like a huge breath of fresh air to me. The first two episodes of the anime did such an amazing job hooking me into the rest of this series that I decided to pick up the manga and was able to catch myself up with the source material before this season finished airing. The reason why this action anime managed to hook me in ways other battle shonen weren’t able to can be attributed to how this series tonally handles itself. I’m so tired of narratives within the shonen demographic taking themselves more seriously than they really need to be, like Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen, or not understanding which tonality to streamline itself in, like Kaiju No. 8. Dan Da Dan is unapologetically goofy as hell and I love it. Having a series revolving around a bunch of teenagers fighting both yokai spirits and aliens with unconventional abilities is pretty much everything I can ask for in both the action genre of anime and the shonen demographic. While there are other shonen anime that I greatly prefer over Dan Da Dan (i.e., Attack on Titan, The Dangers in My Heart, Frieren, etc.), I really like how this series just accepts how unserious the overall atmosphere is and doesn’t hold back in giving us some fun episodes and chapters that kept me engaged. However, that’s not to say that Dan Da Dan needs to be *all* serious. There are moments throughout this season - and more beyond this season - where we are given a very riveting and emotionally deep subplot related to the backstories of the yokai spirits, which I think is executed really well. Acrobatic Silky’s backstory was already very well executed in the manga, but the anime further elevated that subplot with some creative cinematography coupled with beautiful animation and soundtrack. While these moments are more emotionally driven than what the rest of the series leads on, I don’t mind the tonal shift since it’s very few and far between and it makes sense within the context of how humans who lived tragic lives end up becoming these spirits. This doesn’t take away or make the series tonally inconsistent, but rather adds depth to an otherwise pretty shallow series, and I welcome that.

At its core, Dan Da Dan is essentially an action adventure shonen animanga. “Adventure” in the sense that the characters take us to various locations that elevate the action of this series and help transport us viewers to this strange world of spirits and aliens. However, these adventurous arcs wouldn’t have been as interesting or entertaining to watch if it weren’t for the characters and the goofy dynamic they all share with one another. The main cast of Ken Takakura, aka Okarun, Momo Ayase, Seiko Aayase, Turbo Granny, Aira Shiratori, and Jin Enjoji, aka Jiji, are all massive goofballs in their own right, so when you put them together in chaotic situations like what this series throws at them, you just get an overload of fun in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, I find the whole “loud characters” trope in shonen anime and manga to be quite annoying, but I like how it’s utilized in Dan Da Dan because the characters are such goofballs to be taken seriously like in other battle shonen. Are the characters a bit obnoxious? Sure. However, within the tonal context of this series, it works pretty well in terms of maintaining the overall insanity of this series. With that said, it’s not perfect. The “romance” for lack of a better term between Okarun and Momo is quite shallow and flimsy, but again, I don’t mind it in this context since these two characters are teenage loose cannons who are still trying to figure out their place in the world. Seiko and Turbo Granny are very similar to characters like Dimple from Mob Psycho 100 where they are good supporting pieces while having a fun spin to their relationships with the main cast. Aira and Jiji can be seen as annoying at first, however they are given enough room for them to grow or have an interesting dynamic with the main duo, although we will see a truer side to these characters in later seasons.

As mentioned earlier, the narratives in Dan Da Dan are elevated by the stunning animation, and Science SARU has knocked it out of the park for this anime. Not only was the Acrobatic Silky episode - at least in my opinion - a masterpiece in visual storytelling in animation, the over-the-top nature of the fight sequences in Dan Da Dan is further brought to life with the stunning visuals in the anime. Out of all of the action anime to air this year, I truly think Science SARU and Madhouse did it the best with both Dan Da Dan and Frieren respectively. Whenever Okarun uses his Turbo Granny form, it is pretty much guaranteed that the fight scene is going to be a visual spectacle. The directing for this anime adaptation elevates the source material to new heights, so much so that I truly think that this will make Dan Da Dan a household name when it comes to new gen battle shonen anime.

Now, while I really enjoy this series, it isn’t perfect. Easily the worst part of this series has to be the fan service, both in the manga and the anime. I find it a bit uncomfortable when the main characters, who are minors, are being sexualized in a way that is quite suggestive in terms of the animated frames we are given in the anime. What’s worse is that the fan service is a bit more muted in the source material than it is here for some reason, which is a shame since I don’t see any reason to “enhance” this aspect within the adaptation. It was especially bad in the first episode/chapter, however, a good thing is that the fan service is not only very few and far between, but also non-existent moving forward past this season. If Dan Da Dan does get picked up for more seasons (which I personally hope it does), rest assured that this uncomfortable aspect of the series is not prevalent in the slightest moving forward.

I know other people will complain about the pacing and how short some arcs can be, but I honestly don’t mind the pacing since the more segmented form of storytelling helps keep the series fresh and new every few episodes. I really want Dan Da Dan to get more seasons because as a manga reader, I can assure you it only gets better from here, and the shorter arcs really become a treat as the series keeps us on our tippy-toes with fresh storylines and fun character dynamics to continuously gauge your interest. I understand Dan Da Dan might not be for everyone, but if you want a fun and silly battle shonen anime to watch, then check this anime out.

Whether it be in Hollywood or the Japanese anime and manga entertainment industry, the horror genre has really lost its touch for me. The creative juices of the horror genre have, to me at least, really ran dry mainly due to most entries in this section of storytelling have devolved to narratives - or lack thereof - focusing more on style rather than substance, whether it be endless jump scares that you can see from a mile away or overly grotesque scenes meant to make you look away in disgust all for the sake of shock value. To me, most modern pieces of horror fall ... into one of those two categories, and, unfortunately, the anime adaptation of Uzumaki slides into the latter. Now, I never fully read the Uzumaki manga, but I was blown away by the brilliant and truly eerie art style by Junji Ito, so when the anime adaptation was announced to be airing this year, I was fairly looking forward to it. I’ll admit that I wasn’t going in expecting a deeply riveting narrative, or any expectations for that matter as what drew me to Uzumaki was its art, so at the very least I thought that the anime adaptation was going to at least easily nail that part, and even then I’m somehow disappointed in the final result.

I will admit that the first episode was really good. The animation work utilizes a lot of rotoscoping (a little too much at times), but does so to illustrate how grounded both the characters and the setting are, which comes in stark contrast once all of the spirals, or “uzumaki,” come into play. The first episode perfectly captured the bizarre nature of the manga and, in many ways, felt like the pages were literally ripped from the source material and just given animation to bring them to life. Despite some pacing issues, Episode 1 was pure grotesque horror done correctly. However, the remaining three episodes in this anime don’t even come close to capturing that same vibe, which is particularly important since the narratives in this series aren’t particularly that great or noteworthy. With how flimsy the writing is in Uzumaki, the show could have at least made up for it with some well executed psychological and physical body horror, but the anime even then fails at that due to how amateurish the remaining three episodes felt. Both the animation and art style not only no longer fail to hit the aspects that made the source material memorable in the first place, but they genuinely look embarrassing. I won’t go over the production hell that this show experienced, but it really seems like the animators who worked on this were held back and not truly flourish at their craft, especially when we start to get scenes that genuinely look like PNGs moving across a static background. Whenever characters move, it just looks like someone highlighted the character drawing and just dragged the image from position A to position B on a photo editing software. Even the actual grotesque horror elements in the other three episodes are just slideshow transitions. I cannot express enough how embarrassing Episodes 2 - 4 looked, and I know a lot of people were saying that the finale was a step up from the previous two episodes, but even then it still looked like shit.

I don’t really remember much from the parts of the manga that I read, but I truly do not remember the writing being this fragmented and sloppy. I could excuse the first episode’s pacing because I thought it was a good way to set up the overall atmosphere of the series, but the story beats are far worse in the other three episodes. Each episode consists of various occurrences happening in the town of Kurouzu-cho that are all related to the spirals, or uzumaki. Whether it be sometime turning into an uzumaki slime or other supernatural occurrences related to the spiral, the show is just people losing their shit or being victims to an uzumaki-related curse. Each plot point in this anime has zero connective tissue to one another outside of the main characters of Kirie and Shuuichi being involved in one way or another. Shit just happens in this show, and it’s not like the plot points are hard to follow or anything, it’s more so that they are barely developed and just happen for the sake of having something horrific needing to happen to maintain some psychological horror quota. The Uzumaki anime is purely shock value just for the sake of shock value, and I guess there’s technically nothing wrong with that, but at least make the grotesque aspects visually shocking and not cheap like it looks like someone’s very first animation project right out of art school.

I really don’t like the saying of “what was the point?” The main reason why I’ve grown tired of that phrase is because that expression is usually said by people who just weren’t paying attention to whatever they just watched, and most pieces of fiction have a point, even in genres like slice of life. The phrase “what was the point” showcases a lack of basic attention span that even a five year old could maintain, but I feel like this anime was the perfect example of that phrase because honestly, what was the fucking point? If the whole point of this anime adaptation was to faithfully and seamlessly convert the art of the source material into an animated medium, then it fails at that miserably. If the point was to deliver on pure grotesque body horror, then you could make an argument that it did just that, but you have to sit through the most fragmented writing I’ve seen from this genre while having your retinas burned by cheap animation that gets progressively worse as the show progresses. This anime genuinely felt like a waste of time, and further made me lose even more hope in the horror genre of fiction, not that I had much of that to begin with for quite some time now.

The Summer 2024 season of anime has given us quite a bit of romance/rom-com shows, most of which kind of bored me out to be brutally honest. I didn’t finish most of them because of how cliche, boring, or just flat out annoying (looking at you Roshidere). However, the one that, in my opinion, stands above this oversaturated pile is Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! Where most modern romance anime focus on the will they/won’t they narratives, Makeine breaks the mold and focuses on the “losers” of these romance storylines, that being the characters who don’t get that fairytale ending that we typically see in ... movies and shows like these. Whether they are on the receiving end of being dumped by their S/O or being rejected, this anime takes a very unique premise and delivers what is, in my opinion, one of the best shows from this seasonal slate.

Since this show is called “Too Many Losing Heroines,” this does involve multiple main characters who experience the brunt end of a romantic happy ending. The main cast of Anna Yanami, Lemon Yakishio, and Chika Komari have either been dumped or rejected by the people they loved/had a crush on and typically, in most romance shows, we don’t really follow up on the ones who don’t get that happy ending, but Makeine fully delves fleshes out the after-shock and subsequent emotional journey these band of characters go through. The fourth main character that supports these girls in their arcs is Kazuhiko Nukumizu, who really is the real MVP of this anime. Despite being in the peak of his adolescence, Nukumizu has one hell of an emotional restraint to pursue any of the female characters in any intimate relationship and instead acts an emotional pillar to help them push through all of the feelings they are all going through. You’d think that a cast composition like this would entail some sort of harem, however that is not the case. If anything, the relationship that Kazuhiko forms with Yanami, Yakishio, and Komari is very wholesome as he just wants to be the friend who looks out for them after all of the emotional trauma they go through. That’s pretty much the main core of this anime’s storylines, and with all of the very well written character depth and dynamics we are given, along with the very fun comedy, this creates a very vibrant show, not too dissimilar in spirit to other rom-coms like Kaguya-sama: Love is War, an all-time favorite of mine.

Since I mentioned Love is War, apparently the same studio that worked on that anime worked on Makeine, and, as much as I absolutely adore Kaguya-sama, I have to admit that Makeine’s animation is just a little bit better. The reason why has to be how surprisingly cinematic this show is. I don’t know how to describe it, but a lot of the shots in this show use a very interesting mix of colors for scenes to add an element of groundedness to both the backdrops and anything that the characters are doing themselves. The first episode alone had great scene composition, particularly in the moment when Nukumizu met Anna for the first time in the show. The cinematography for some scenes as well just makes this show so visually pleasing to look at. For some reason, whenever the characters are in school, we get some great shots that perfectly capture the emotional depth of whatever the scene is. Again, this is a rom-com. The visuals didn’t need to go this hard, but they did. Hopefully, the team that worked on this anime takes whatever notes they took for this show and implements them back for future Kaguya-sama: Love is War seasons.

What really makes this show work so well has to be the writing. I really like how this show is structured with multi-episodic arcs that focus on each main female character and the emotional struggles they are dealing with. The first set of episodes introduce us to the main cast: fleshing out Anna Yanami’s, Lemon Yakishio’s, and Chika Komari’s love interests and how they “lost” in terms of not ending up with their respective crushes/boyfriends. After that, each character gets a set of episodes to fully explore how they’re feeling and fleshing out their background in terms of their livelihoods. Kazuhiko and friends all act as support and set pieces for the character progression for whoever is the main focus, with the final episode serving as a culmination of all of that development and the main lead of that arc finding some sort of closure. The final episode is an anime-original ending which felt very satisfying for all of the characters, and, despite this being a romance show, I actually like that Nukuzmizu doesn’t actually end up with anyone romantically. The whole point of this show is to focus on the side of romance that never really gets touched up on, that being when someone does not get the happy ending that we’re so used to seeing in stories in this genre. Having any of the characters, whether it be Anna, Lemon, Chika, or even Kazuhiko, be in a romantic relationship at the end of the season would completely undermine the entire point of the anime. It’s very fitting that these four characters, who have met through being dumped and rejected, are just really close friends who will be there for each other no matter what, which is perfectly reflected through all of the plotlines present in the show.

Makeine is a massive breath of fresh air for this genre of anime and just entertainment in general. I like focusing on characters who are put through the emotional ringer. I like shows that have a good balance between the whimsical and vibrant nature of high school with the mix of emotions one experiences in those years. I wouldn’t say that Makeine is a full-on coming of age story, rather it’s more so of exploring the “other side” of many cliche narratives tied to teenage romance. Within the past year, we were given The Dangers in My Heart, which is just pure diabetic in it’s writing and depiction of young love, while Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines delves into what the experiences of rejected - and even at times forbidden - love would be like at that age. The only gripe that I have with this show has to be that some seemingly important conversations between characters happen off-screen while other characters would be spelling out what *might* be happening in said conversation. We never really see Komari’s conclusion in full and instead have Nukumizu and Koto Tsukinoki just talk about what Chika *could* be talking about in that conversation Shintaro, her love interest. This is supposed to be a moment that wraps up Komari’s arc, but the show just simply implies to us what could be going on there. Ultimately, that isn’t a massive drawback for this show, and I still really like this anime. I’m a bit bummed that the anime-original ending kind of fully wrapped up this show in earnest, meaning we might not get a second season, but this was still a very fun watch regardless. If you love rom-com anime, then you’ll love Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines! I truly think this is a spiritual successor of Kaguya-sama, so if you like that series, then you’ll feel right at home with this series.

When I first heard that Nier:Automata was getting an anime adaptation, I was excited, but a little skeptical. I’ve never fully played the game, but I do know a decent amount to understand that an adaptation that is streamlined like a TV anime would never do a game of this scale justice. I’m not even gonna try to compare it to the game because this anime was kinda destined for failure since it could never capture the immersive and *very* deep overall narrative of the game. What made Nier:Automata such a great game was its replayability, especially with its multiple endings. If anything, the game ... requires you to replay the story in order to get the full picture of what the narratives are trying to achieve. Now, with all that said, Nier:Automata Ver1.1a, especially Part 2, is still decent. Despite the more mainstreamed form of storytelling present in the adaptation, the anime was a fun watch (for the most part).

Before delving deeper into the review, I just want to preface this and say that I am only going to review Part 2. I have zero intention of doing a full-on review of Part 1 and that’s mainly due to how poorly put together that half of the anime was. Part 1 felt so directionless and that can pretty much be attributed to having so many plotlines trying to intersect with one another, but there was no clear focus on what the first twelve episodes of the anime wanted to hone in on. The former half honestly just felt like the writers were just throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks, which in that case was the dynamic between 2B and 9S, along with introducing A2. On top of the very shoddy writing present in Part 1, those episodes were marred with production issues, which led to many delays in 2023. Although I wouldn’t bring up production issues in a review, I will here and that’s because whatever was going on behind the scenes was absolutely felt here. The Nier:Automata anime used many assets that were directly ripped from the game and did nothing to polish up on the 3D models used for many of the Flight Units, mechs, and other elements that employed the use of CGI for the show. Because these assets were directly imported from the game to the anime, they all looked really weird when mixed with the overall 2D environment of the show. It’s kind of awkward to see 2D 2B and 9S and then see poorly rendered 3D models of their game counterparts in their Flight Units while in a poorly rendered CGI fight scene with other mechs on-screen.

The reason why I went on that tangent about Part 1 is to set the stage as to why Part 2 works. Everything that made Part 1 a snooze to sit through was pretty much fixed here in the latter half of the anime; there’s finally a riveting narrative to keep me engaged, the CGI doesn’t look like bad PS3 graphics, the fights are really good, and the characters are actually interesting (for the most part). I was genuinely invested in what Part 2 had to offer, from the very well composed fight sequences to some interesting character development that really hammers home the bleak atmosphere of Nier:Automata.

First off, the writing in Part 2 is an astronomical improvement over Part 1. Not only is there real tension present in these episodes, but the stakes help form a narrative that is unforgiving to its core, which is how it should be. I don’t understand why both writers and audiences want their post-apocalyptic stories to play it safe with the plotlines when stories set in this type of narrative should be bleak and unpredictable. Nier:Automata Ver1.1a Part 2 plays off of the very few narrative strengths of Part 1 and doubles down on it by showing us the full scale of the war on the machines and just how shitty the overall conflict is for both sides as well as how they affect our characters. Despite the main cast primarily consisting of androids, this series has shown us that they have personalities that can be expanded on, giving way for potentially good character arcs, and these sets of episodes do exactly that. Although 2B is a fan favorite, I honestly was captivated by A2 and her journey throughout these twelve episodes as she actually goes through a very interesting arc that expands both her character as well as 2B’s. It’s really weird how Part 1 lacked a lot of characterization for the characters we were to follow while saving all of that for Part 2 because I actually believe that if the earlier episodes did more to flesh out 2B and 9S, this anime would have been just a little bit better than it currently is. I would have preferred if 2B’s backstory was sporadically sprinkled throughout the entirety of the series as it would have, at least in my opinion, perfectly lined up with the current storyline thematically, almost in the same fashion that the Arrow TV show did for its earlier seasons.

Like I said, the characterization in Part 2 is a massive improvement on pretty much all aspects. I really like how some set pieces introduced in Part 1, like Pascal and their village, contributed a ton to the character development that A2 would go through, while still fleshing out 2B, despite her being long dead at this point in the story. The overall dire state that the main characters find themselves in further serves to flesh out and enrich the setting of Nier:Automata while delivering some fitting conclusions to any subplots left from Part 1. Both the Resistance and Pascal’s village are fleshed out and made into real characters instead of cardboard cutouts like in Part 1. These groups of side characters are given more than sufficient screen time to feel like actual characters which is important in the case of this show since giving these seemingly insignificant background characters room to be fleshed out does help with the various character dynamics between A2 and the many people she comes across in these episodes. When we first meet A2, she’s your typical stoic and socially removed character who on the surface probably only cracks badass one-liners and nothing else. However, once the show slows down a bit, we spend a lot of time with A2 learning about 2B’s past while interacting with the non-violent machines that populate Pascal’s village. What I really appreciate about these scenes has to be how subtle A2’s development is throughout these episodes. This show could have played it safe like most anime these days and just verbally spoon feed what A2 is thinking and feeling, but the interactions she has with Pascal, the villagers, and the Resistance all contribute to her growth, going from an honestly over-the-top typical stoic and moody character who hates all machines to someone who has quite a bit of nuance to their characterization.

The character writing is what really makes Part 2 a massive improvement over Part 1. In this heavily character-driven story, focusing on the characters themselves to progress the plot along forward is key to making a narrative like this work. Nothing in this half of the anime can progress further without the characters pushing the story forward, which makes sense since this is an adaptation of a game. On top of the improved writing, the overall visuals are a big step up. Although still not perfect, the CGI in Part 2 doesn’t look out of place when inserted in the 2D-dominated environment of this anime. There are a few fight sequences that are almost entirely made up of 3D models, and they actually don’t look like shit for once. I know that this anime was worked on by A-1 Pictures, but apparently the same production team that worked on 86 also worked on this anime, which at first seemed fitting, however I honestly couldn’t believe that going off of Part 1 alone. However, Part 2 does bring out some of that animation that made 86 criminally underrated with some beautiful cinematography and a competent blend between 2D and 3D animation. Although not as visually stunning as 86, Nier:Automata Ver1.1a Part 2 is definitely very pleasing to look at.

Now, despite Nier:Automata Ver1.1a Part 2 being an actual competent piece of TV, it’s still far from perfect. First off, 9S really drags this show quite a bit. I didn’t mind his character in Part 1 and I honestly prefer him in those episodes compared to here since he had an interesting dynamic with 2B, however 9S in Part 2 is just annoying. I get that he saw 2B die right in front of him, but his whole revenge-fueled plotline felt a bit too contrived at times since this comes in stark contrast to the 9S that we’ve been following so far up until that point. It honestly felt like A2 and 9S swapped character writing quality in that A2 started receiving a lot of depth to her while 9S just loses any and all nuance left to this character. The ending also felt just a tiny bit too rushed as well. I do like how bleak the last few episodes felt leading up to the finale as I thought all of the plot points were handled really well. I’m not a fan of every character being killed off because sometimes writers use that only as a form of shock value instead of a contributing factor for the narratives, however all of the deaths in this anime felt natural and properly paced. That said, all of that led to a somewhat anticlimactic ending. The final fight between A2 and 9S ended a bit abruptly and the epilogue felt a little too contrived due to how weirdly paced it was.

Overall, Nier:Automata Ver1.1a Part 2 really shocked me as to how good it was after a very boring and directionless Part 1. I honestly didn’t really have that strong of an intention to continue watching the anime and just do a playthrough of the game (which I will still do), but I’m glad I decided to pick it back up and catch myself up in time for Part 2 to air. Out of all the anime that aired during Summer 2024, this was one of the very few that I really enjoyed from this season and easily belongs on my Top 10 Anime of the Season list, which is really saying something because I honestly hated most of the anime that was being hyped up for this seasonal slate. Now, with that said, does this mean that Nier:Automata Ver1.1a is fully saved? Does this serve as a fitting alternative for the game? No and no. In order to experience Part 2, you need to sit through Part 1, and I wouldn’t blame you if you dropped this anime 3-5 episodes into the first half. The anime adaptation also lacks the insane depth and complexity that the game offers as well. If anything, I feel like this anime serves as a gateway for those who want to experience a miniscule fraction that the game offers; an appetizer before you get to the main dish. If you liked this anime, play the game. If you didn’t like this anime, I’d still say try the game out. The game is a real masterpiece and nothing this show has done will ever come close to that.