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The reason why I don't use my twitter much is simply because there's not much happening to me that's worth sharing.

One of the best aspects of Kaiji for me was the excellent way they set up the stakes. Which was one of the things I felt that Kakegurui failed at. Here it was really suspenseful. The pole crossing definitely brought the show to new heights. Sad that it didn't stick the landing. A bold move, but a very unsatisfying way to end. 26 episodes worth of progress deleted like that didn't exactly make me jump for joy. Well at least it was in character of Kaiji.

The reason why Noein is taking me so long to finish is because I find it hard to binge. I'm not sure why that is, I like the show. It's not the best, but it has contained a pretty consistent quality. I will finish it this week in any case.

Oshii is a master of creating atmospheric settings. That's what I've been enjoying most from his movies besides the pretty visuals. Vlad Love has none of that though. Won't even bother finishing it.

I've finally caught up to the latest WEP episode. It's been a very fun ride, despite how bloated it has become. It was a project too ambitious to handle in just 11 eps clearly. Pacing issues being frequent and some set ups and executions being pretty lacking. Too bad when it has so many other things that are really good. Like the loveable characters and gorgeous visuals. I don't think it will have time to conclude everything in the last episode, but hopefully it won't suck.

You're my first (and only) follower on twitter, so you get some special treatment. Don't let this fact make you get carried away though.

Greetings again! It’s your friendly MAL user Skarvalin here. Back with another chunk of text!

Not gonna lie, Kaiji is pretty bomb. No wonder people trashed Kakegurui in comparison to it. I’m watching a lot of stuff right now if you haven’t noticed already. I’m watching Dororo and Gungrave with friends and I’m enjoying those shows too. I’m a bit over my head with all that I’m watching though. Might suffer a burnout in the near future. I will get back to Noein soon. Last couple of episodes I watched were pretty darn good.

GitS SAC was one of the most mediocre things I've seen in a long time. It didn’t help that Oshii’s movies were mediocre to me as well. But they had at least some style to them, and a higher budget. SAC seemed to have very little to appreciate if one didn’t like the movies. So I didn’t feel the urges to continue.

Exactly! To be a waifu you also need to be a bro. A person that you enjoy being around and who gives something to the relationship. That’s why kuuderes and a large portion of tsunderes just won’t cut it. One is boring and the other abusive. Yeah most of the time kuuderes don’t win, but there are a few exceptions. For example Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo and Angel Beats. But the relationships themselves are not the most romantic so to speak. I don’t see what’s so attractive about them that the protagonist would choose one of them instead of someone else.

Romance is one of the weaker genres to me, at least when it’s the sole focus. There’s little innovation in it, it’s true. Often predictable and barely anything happens in the relationship like you said. I guess some of the authors don't know what comes after hand-holding.

The “Anime is trash, and I’m a trash can!™“ quote has been on my profile for almost two years now. How can I call myself a trash can if I stop watching trash? What would my father say? My mother? I would become the disappointment of the family! What you’re saying could be the end of me. Besides, the trash just keeps falling straight down on my lap. There’s not much I can do.

Rudy is not a good person, that’s pretty much a fact. But I prefer a character like his over a generic isekai chick magnet one. That would make the show so boring. He’s still one of the worst parts of the show though. It’s complicated.

“Declaring war on the medium” made me automatically think of Ex-Arm. I guess it’s a curse that keeps on giving. I’m gonna try and finish Vlad Love even though it’s so out of touch. It’s gonna be more painful than Ex-Arm though.

I plan to start watching WEP again this week. Will need to cleanse my eyes in some way from every garbage pile I’m currently watching. Fuck my life.

Oof, ACCA is episodic? A bit alarming but I’ll give it a try nonetheless.

I do have a twitter now actually. Had been thinking about making one for some time so I decided that now was the time to do so. Bare in mind. I didn’t make one because you asked or anything...stupid!

I suppose it's a bit hypocritical of me to dislike tsunderes while having one in my favorites. But it's the most common perception of a tsunderes I dislike, the aggressive and loud ones. It seems to be a dying breed cause I don't see many like that nowadays. Love that.

No, don't let my girl Fumika get the wrong idea! I don't mind stoic characters as long as there some meat to them being that way. If they're just kuuderes for the sake of it, then I have no interest in them. It's of course the same with every archetype. "Make good characters and don't be lazy about it" is my motto. Problem is that many times that's not what they do. But Fumika is one I consider done well. Would I consider her a waifu though? No. Chiaki takes that spot, like we previously discussed. I know a lot of people like kuudere's but I don't see how that would be a fun relation. Just a lot of boring conversations and silence. What if every Mal user became a kuudere? That would be awful.

I've heard that Darker Than Black S2 ruins some characters or something along those lines. Therefore I'm pretty hesitant to continue, although I doubt I will anyway. The memories I have from the first season are already fading as we speak. Not a show I will remember for long sadly.

I'm halfway through Ex-Arm and it's still as funny to me as when I started it. I don't know how it does it. But I understand why you don't want to waste your time on garbage like I'm doing. Same with Redo of Healer.

Well I've watched a few episodes of Mushoku Tensei now. It's not great...but I'm not bored. It's no arguing that it's standard isekai wish fulfillment, but it's handled better than most I think. It's called the grandfather of isekai for a reason. But aside from it's visuals I'm not very impressed by it. The script has been especially weak so far. The fact that we hear the old pedo version of the main character monologuing through most of the episodes, I agree it would've been better without. But on a surface level I find it enjoyable enough not gonna lie. Maybe it's because Ex-Arm and Redo of Healer has lowered my standards. Or that I too have been drinking poison from the well. Isekai needs to die soon rather than later though. I'm also tired of it being 20%+ of the shows airing each season.

I hate watching a show I like one episode at a time. But I will catch up to WEP before it finishes. I just want a couple episodes to binge so I don't end up getting frustrated on a cliffhanger or something.

I haven't caught up with the new seasons of older shows yet. So with them aside I think this season is rather bad. Two shows that are equally some of the worst garbage I've seen in a long time airing at the same time casts a lot of shades on this Winter season. Kemono Jihen was a mediocre shounen with very little heart to it. Mamoru Oshii tries to make a comedy with Vlad Love and fail pretty horribly. Never been a fan of his other work like my uncle, but that show is very out of touch and boring. Urasekai Picnic has some praisable stuff. Sk8 seems alright I guess and we have WEP of course. So it's not all bad from the non sequels.

I've been interested in the Pluto adaptation for a while now. Is it confirmed to come out this year or just speculation?

Saraiya Goyou was good stuff. More character-driven than I expected actually, but it was handled expertly. The characters had a very realistic touch to them. They acted believably to how one would react or think in their scenario. I also liked that most of them were always doing something, even if it wasn't to progress anything. No story is getting in the way of their normal day life. Like when Yagi declines Masa's request to practice with him because he's got other things to do that time. It gives of the feeling like the world is consistently in motion and at no time stops for convenience sake. Something I don't see often handled this well. The show is beautiful too. The art is great and passionately polished. Unique character designs which I'm always appreciative over, although it was at times hard to tell some characters apart. The soundtrack was amazing too. Many good tracks like this one:

All in all a really good show. Thanks for recommending it! Will check out some of his other work in the future.

I'm glad that I didn't have to be part of the whole tsundere craze too much. Maybe a hot take but I've never been very fond of them. Downright hating them sometimes. In any case, if we're talking first first anime then it would be Tanoshii Muumin Ikka or just Moomin as it's called in Sweden. Followed up by Pokemon which I didn't see often because the episodes would sometimes air out of order. A few years later and my uncles recommend me One Piece.

Well my taste must be pretty trash then because I couldn't care much less about Yin. Stoic characters that barely show the minimum amount of human emotions doesn't get me interested very often. At least not in a romantic way. I much preferred Kirihara over her. In any case, I found Darker than Black to be half-baked. Because the individual stories are split up into just two episodes, most of the time they fell flat. Liked some of the characters, but not to a big extent. Artwork was bland but the animation had some solid moments typical of Bones. The music by Yoko Kanno was definitely one of the better things about the show. It's good stuff. But I've told by friends not to watch season 2 so this is as far as I'll go.

Yeah, Ex-Arm is the disaster that keeps on giving. 2020 in anime form. It's pretty fun to watch though and yes they did in fact put white stuff over the yuri kissing scene because the animation sucked. They've done it two times now in fact. I feel so bad for the mangaka and people involved in this mess. But it's entertainment for the viewers at least. Even though by the end of the day it's one of the worst things I've ever seen.

Please forgive me for my sins. I did in fact watch Redo of Healer censored the first time around. I was young and clueless back then but I've started watching it uncensored now. It's...well it's an experience alright. Props to them not holding back I guess but it really is just torture porn I'm witnessing. I don't even want to think about what other unchristian things they are going to pull out if it gets worse from here. But I can't believe how you decided to skip two already legendary shows like that. It's history in the making!

You might already know this but from what I've picked up the protagonist of Mushoku Tensei is supposed to be unlikeable. Hinting at some sort of redemption later on. Whether it makes the show worth it is of course up for debate. Will try and find that out for myself in the near future.

I will put Wonder Egg Priority On-Hold for now. I don't like to wait for a new episode when it's for something I like. The show seems a bit reminiscent of ID:Invaded now that you mention it. Hope WEP turn out at least as good as that show did.

Damn, 2009? You're a bit of a veteran then, more than me at least. I started watching One Piece back in 2015. The first anime I watched while knowing what it was. But I only started to follow anime seasons somewhat actively back in 2017. was the first anime you watched? Also, what was the first anime you watched?

Yeah, Noein has a good blend of slice of life drama and sci-fi action without leaning to much into one or the other. Never feels too jarring whenever the tone shifts away from the more light-heartedness the show has been going for a lot in it's first half. The visuals haven't always been the best on further viewing. Some of the environmental artwork has been looking quite ugly at times and the CGI didn't exactly age well. The animation's quite good at times though and I expect it has a lot more to give. Hope its the same with the characters. While not bad I don't find them particularly compelling as of yet. They need to become more layered, and many characters have been rather useless as of now. But I bet that will change.

Gibiate is definitely not worth anybody's time, but I like to suffer once in awhile. Ex-Arm on the other hand. I would only recommend the first episode if anything. I found it hilarious and I hope it somehow keeps making itself entertaining, though I doubt it. Will watch it regardless. You don't get to witness the worst rated TV-show on MAL often. It's a part of history that I want to see occur with my own eyes.

Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi can definitely be the talk of the season with where it's going. The fact that it will have five version of censorship only strengthens that idea. That's pretty crazy to be honest. In any case it was absolute trash. But I'm a trash can so I just have to deal with it.

Is Mushoku Tensei really that bad? I haven't seen it yet but it seems to be praised by many. Although I shouldn't have faith in Mal scores, that have ended in disappointment too often. Of all the new show's I've watched, Back Arrow was without a doubt the blandest. It's a shame with the talent it has working on it. Urasekai Picninc's first two episodes haven't been the best possible introduction to the series. But it's environmental backgrounds, music and atmosphere is enough to make me keep watching.

I have hopes that AoT 4, Sk8, Mushoku Tensei and Kemono Jihen will be worthwile. Also Horimiya but I'm not expecting too much. Rom-coms are usually not my thing. Then there's Tenkuu Shinpan that airs in February and looks like an edgefest. Might be entertaining. But the best one so far I have to agree is Wonder Egg Priority. The first episode had such strong directing, visuals and artistry. It brought something new to the table, which this season needed. Definitely a gem in the desert, hopefully.

Akudama Drive works well without a more thorough backstory and world-building. But with such a solid foundation to work off of it's tragic that they didn't do more with it. I guess the story would've had to be put on hold meanwhile, but I think it could've improved the show in the long-run. I didn't care much for the children or their goal. I didn't really get to know them that well which also goes for the other's as well. Started to lose interest after the first half because of it. Right up until the last episode that is. Still a decent show overall, but didn't have a whole lot of staying power in my opinion aside from it's visuals.

(Great Pretender) Yeah, it cheapens the experience when they can just pull out a convenient person and say that he was in on it all along. I also agree that the MC's new workplace being staged was pretty underwhelming. I guess that's the only direction they know where to take this show. GP is a one trick pony no doubt, but I enjoy it for what it is for the time being.

I read through some parts of your post. You deliver good arguments for your opinions within a digestible amount of words. Something I often struggle with. As a tiny little Swedish boy without much experience in writing I have to say, good work! Haven't watched most of your favorites though. I was very sceptic on Babylon and Blade of the Immortal whilst they were airing and still is. Might give them both a chance one day.

Noein is pretty good so far but it's a bit to early for me to get much of a opinion on it. It's well directed at least, and is visually solid. There's much potential in it's foundation but I have to find out where it goes from there.

In contrast Gibiate looks absolutely horrendous, but you probably don't need me to tell you that. Started watching it with a friend of mine just for the sake of it, something we do once in awhile. But this one might be to much for us to handle.

I'm very happy that they didn't cancel fireworks or the occasional sky lantern completely. I live on the side of a small mountain so I had a good view when it started, good times. Hope you still had a good time even without any fireworks.

Not every story in Majo no Tabitabi needed a two-parter, but a few would have benefited from it. Episode four's story comes to mind where a two-parter would've been better, in my opinion. Sure, it wouldn't necessarily make all the stories or it's morals improve on its own. But fleshing them out with more time wouldn’t exactly hurt. The two-parter that did exist however was the weakest point of the show for me. I guess it wanted to show how Elaina followed in her mother's footsteps, but just told us what we already knew. It was pointless from a story perspective like you said.

As I'd hoped, Akudama Drive had a satisfying conclusion. Have to take back what I wrote about the show losing it's direction after Shinkansen. Now it feels like they knew where to take it, but didn't have the time to do so without making compromises. The pacing was all over the place at times for this reason. Worst affected was probably Brother's backstory. I know I'm repeating myself but it was way too rushed considering the importance it had. But the ending definitely left the show on a high note. The writing and cinematography really shined here especially compared to some of the other episodes. The visuals throughout have been pretty damn impressive and I love that they wholeheartedly use the medium to it's advantage, which is tragically not something I see very often. There was love and effort put into this and I could feel it. Even something small like transitions that most other show's don't even bother trying to do were handled well here. Akudama Drive was a solid piece that takes my spot for the best show from the previous season, for now at least. Definitely deserving of a chef's kiss.

Great Pretender is pretty fun I would say, but I see what you mean about the show being great at pretending to be smarter than it is. I wouldn't call it poor writing though, somewhat lazy perhaps. It's in any case nowhere near a show like Munou na Nana in terms of writing. But I can see the "twist" of GP running dry pretty soon as it all boils down to the same thing. They trick some rich asshole and at the same time the viewer by leaving out information when it's suited. However it's pretty fun seeing their scheme unfold, even with how predictable the outcome is. The cast I find to be enjoyable, and they play off each other pretty well. I predict that they will be more developed during the span of the different arcs. In the first one it was Makoto, in the second Abigail and so forth. My enjoyment might deteriorate over the time but I guess I'll just have to see. But if you weren't a big fan of the first arc then you probably won't like the rest either I'm assuming.

What were your favourite shows of the whole year then? My top five would be:
1. Dorohedoro
2. Eizouken
3. Id:Invaded
4. Akudama Drive
5. Appare-Ranman!

I'll give Noein a shot tomorrow. It looks pretty neat.

Yeah that's the thing. Some people seem to think that bad art (off-model characters) equals bad animation which is pretty dumb. There's for example this fight scene in Tetsuwan Birdy Decode:02, very fluid and stylized, but disproportionate which a lot of people seems to dislike. It's pretty sad to think that only on-model and realistic animation is acceptable. That's not the point of animation. However, that's not to say that realistic, on-model animation is worse but it's appreciated when studios try to experiment a bit.

I'm currently playing Anno 1800 which is pretty fun. You build up your own empire pretty much which is something I very much enjoy. Plan on playing The Outer Worlds sometime soon too.

Hope you had a great Christmas as well. Mine was nice, I got everything I wrote about previously. Will be holding my thumbs that next year doesn’t get worse than this one somehow. Most people seem to be very eager for 2020 to finally end. Somebody has been shooting rockets close to my house since last weekend.

It's absolutely possible to make episodic moral storytelling work. But most of them would've been improved significantly by being at least one episode longer. Because usually there's not enough time given to make the individual episodes have any lasting impression. I liked Kino no Tabi for example. But I recall almost nothing that happened in it because of that reason.

I love myself a well established setting and Akudama Drive had a lot to give in that aspect, "Brother's" backstory for example. But it only scratches the surface which is a shame. I do agree that killing off all the characters was a poor decision. It's definently not a show that benefits from that, seeing how basic most of them are anyway. It feels like they didn't know where to take them or the story after the Shinkansen part ended. Hope it at least have a memorable conclusion.

Is Golden Kamuy S3 the best show of the season for you? For me it's Majo no Tabitabi for now, which is pretty tragic. Very dissapointing season in my opinion.

ACCA, Saraiya Gorou, Zettai Shounen, Noein. I have recently only watched airing shows but it seems I have to get back to the real meat. Although I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of slow-paced shows, but it's definently something I can enjoy once in awhile.

Don't shoot me for this, but I've only played Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3. Played Dark Souls way back and I don't think I ever finished the third one. I therefore don't have much of a ranking to give.

I will definently read Punpun sometime and Kokou no Hito have been collecting dust in my Plan to Read. Will get to it someday when I want to get severe depression. I've planned LotGH to be either the 500th or 600th show I complete.

I think what Majo no tabitabi wanted to show was different sides of humans and teach moral lessons from them. But because it's episodic with no time to develop on them, the morals turn generally flat. Felt like reading a children's book with the level of depth they had. However, I still found most episodes enjoyable even though they could be rushed. Despite being so self-centered, I thought that Elaina had some charisma and she worked well as the straight (wo)man in each individual episode. Her actions are very dependent on what moral the show tries to give though. Like her not rescuing the slave girl in episode 3 so that the moral of "Not every selfless action is good" could work. It's true that she also has no development what so ever which was a bummer. Would've been nice if for example episode 9 affected her in some way, since it was presented as a traumatic experience. But I guess it just became another story for her to write about. It's a forgettable show but I enjoyed it still.

I have very conflicted feelings about Akudama Drive now. Episode 7 was extremely rushed which was sinful, because if handled better it could've easily been the best part of the show. Was a very interesting backstory for "Brother" and "Sister" but gave more questions than answers. A real bummer. Episode 8 had much better pacing in comparison. It's been all over the place right now and I wished that the show had been longer. Because the setting is beaming with so much potential.

Damn ACCA's opening is fire, love it! That settles it. One of these shows will be watched, by me, in the near future.

If we're going with ranking then my favorite's from Yuasa that I've seen would probably be Mind Game > Ping Pong > Devilman Crybaby > Eizouken > Yoru wa Mijikashi Otome > Tatami Galaxy > Cat Soup > Kick Heart > Japan Sinks 2020. Ping Pong is definitely better written than Mind Game. But it was such a fun trippy experience when I watched it. Anime rarely makes me laugh and lose my mind as much as Mind Game did. Even less at the same time. Not a masterpiece in writing but in my personal entertainment.

We'll just have to wait and see how relevent Ex-Arm will be. But I'll at least enjoy it to the fullest of my abilities. It's likely going to be something I regret, that wouldn't be the first time.

Elden Ring and Demon Souls are definitely something I have my eyes on. Finished Dying Light awhile ago so I'm waiting for the sequel to come. Wasn't that great of a game, story was wack but the gameplay was fun. If Persona 6 ever releases on PS5 then I will play the shit out of that too. Otherwise I'm not so sure. I'm more of a PC guy honestly. I guess I'll probably play Cyberpunk 2077 on it if CDPR doesn't make their damn game work properly.

I've refrained from reading Punpun because of how much praise it gets. I've done the same with LotGH because I want to wait with what's considered some of anime's/manga's greatest. Otherwise my standard may become to high afterwards. Might be a bit of a silly reason but I want to have something to really look forward to.

Well, Majo no Tabitabi has come to an end, quite the decent show I would say. Easy to digest but lacking an aftertaste.

I understand what you mean about episode 6 of Akudama Drive now. The beginning had some pacing issues, but the second half was pretty darn solid in my opinion. Brawler's death had tiny bits of foreshadowing leading up to it, but I didn't expect that they would actually go through with it. The visual direction it this episode was great as well. I wish more shows hade the same level of style that this one has. I'm tired of always looking at the same basic artwork all the time.

Yes, SoL works best when it's reason for existing is to help improve the show. I see Mob Psycho 100 as a great example of where SoL is done well. It makes the characters more compelling as we better understand who they are, and gives them room to grow. Haven't seen Saraiya Goyou or ACCA. But if they're as good as you say then that will change rather soon.

I assume Japan Sinks 2020 isn't your favorite work from Yuasa, so what is? Mine's Mind Game right now if you haven't noticed.

I think the fact that Ex-Arm is a Crunchyroll Original will help make it stay relevant for a while at least. It's another opportunity to shit on them after all. I'm just hoping for it to be hilariously awful like the trailer make it out to be. I was actually pretty stoked for it when I saw the poster. It's a shame that it was very misleading.

I'm mostly looking forward to AoT S4 and Beastars S2 from winter 2021. So yeah it's the season of sequels. I got my eyes on Mushoku Tensei though, the PV's have shown some impressive visuals and the light novel seem to be well regarded by readers. Might be some other gems that appear, we will just have to wait and see.

Have fun with your PS5 when everything's done! Will probably take a year before I get one myself, Cyberpunk too with the state it's in.

I get what you mean about the tone shifting a lot between episodes in Majo no Tabitabi. It would've been nice had the focus been more on serious episodes and having some wholesome episodes in between as a sort of breather instead. Episode 3 and 4 has been my favourite episodes so far and both are treated more seriously and tries to tell the viewer something. But I guess it all just comes down to personal taste in the matter. I do like myself some dark stuff, I consume it as a starving wolf. Episode 9 was pretty overkill though. There's a degree when it just turns absurd. I also agree that the recurring characters are very uninteresting and not worth spending so much time on. Compared to Elaina they're shallow as a puddle.

Yeah I can definently see Akudama Drive run dry sooner or later. It kinda is a one trick pony as of now, but an easily digestable one in my eyes.

Moriarty has been very formulaic with how the point of every episode is that classism is bad and mean noblemen must die. I suspect the rest of the show to be the same which is not a good sign at all.

I'm not sure why I liked Eizouken as much as I did. SoL shows are the ones I dispice the most except for harem. It felt very passionate is all I can say.

I had forgotten about Japan Sinks 2020. It represented the year pretty well I'd say. The direction they took wasn't that interesting from an outsiders perspective. They did comment a lot on the social situation in Japan that many wouldn't have liked to talk about, which is commendable at least. But the characters were not compelling to me and most were annoying as well.

I will be shocked if Ex-Arm doesn't turn out as the worst show of 2021, at least visually. It's going to be fun to watch that train-wreck unfold.

It feels like Sweden has been pretty casual about this whole situation. Maybe it's because I live in a small town that it hasn't been taken that seriously or they just expect everyone to follow the rules given. I sadly won't have a PS5 to yearn for aside from my classmates who kept sending pictures of his own in order to upset me. Cyberpunk 2077 will make my computer malfunction so that's another bummer. Haven't heard anything about firecrackers being cancelled though.

I'm just going to pretend that UBW was fan-fiction, I don't care what anyone tell me. Shirou beating Gilgamesh was an enormous asspull. They did my boy dirty, Kirei too.

Oh I had forgotten that the book was the source of her motivation. It's not something that would make one care much for her journey, but it's better than just travelling for the sake of it I guess. It didn't cross my mind, but it's true that so far she has only involved herself when the subject matter is less heavy. She could confront the king of "The Land of Truth Tellers" but not stop the abuse dealt to the slave maid in episode 3. The former would surely had a higher chance of affecting her negatively. Maybe I've forgotten some detail but it's rather strange. I do enjoy the show overall still, although the runtime has affected it greatly. Like I said, it would've been nice if they had focused more on the actual travelling from place to place like in Kino's Journey for example. Could've shown the struggles along the way and the passage of time. The way it's presented now it's like Elaina is in a new country after only a day at most.

I hold my thums that Akudama Drive doesn't lose too much of it's steam. So far it's been the most enjoyable show of this season for me. See a lot of people giving praise to Jujutsu Kaisen so that might be another contender. Have you seen it?

I don't have any major problems with Moriarty so far, it's definently not the worst this season has given us. Too early for me to tell with certainty though.

Muno no Nana on the other hand... I admit that the twists made me enjoy the first half a bit but it's stupidity frustrated me more than anything. Now I've just about stopped caring. I just want to see all the talented kids die horribly, especially the blonde one. I have to take back what I said about Nana not having a understandable motivation since it was explored more in the most recent episode which I watched today. Should have been given to us far earlier though, instead of near the finale. Too little, too late.

The Winter season probably takes the cake as the best of the year. I really enjoyed Eizouken despite it being a SoL show which I'm more often than not turned off by. It felt like a very genuine passion project. I think Dorohedoro will be my favourite anime of the year from the once I've seen so far. There are few series quite like it.

I think next season has some potential but there's a lot of concerning things coming. Have you seen the trailer for Ex-Arm? I would tell you to go watch it if you haven't, however it might scar you so go in mentally prepared. It's an abomination with a Crunchyroll Original attached to it. Very concerning considering what else they've done this year.

Yeah it's likely not going to be the most amazing christmas of all time this year. But we're usually not that many celebrating it together anyway. And as long as I get to eat some good food, watch Donald Duck (Swedish tradition), get something nice and play Smash with my uncles then I'm completely satisfied.

The themes of Paranoia Agent ties most of the episodes together, but some episodes like the one dealing with the suicide pact is very much episodic. I think the episodic structure worked in both shows favours though. It gave them both more room to explore different topics that connects to their overall themes. In such cases I don't mind it being episodic one bit.

UBW had great visuals but felt more like a fanfiction than anything. It was rather jarring coming from Fate/Zero that takes itself very seriously, to a high school life harem-ish show. It's part of the VN I'm sure but jarring nontheless. I wouldn't be suprised if a teenager came up with this story because of the cheer lack of maturity in it's writing. There's barely any time given to establish side characters so they come out stereotypical like you said. The characters that was brought back from Fate/Zero felt like a cheap knock-off version of how they were previosuly and I disliked what they did with them. Shirou is the cherry on top with his stupid ideals that he holds on to knowing it won't do him any good. I shall digress but if you didn't finish it then don't bother giving it another chance, it gets worse. Hope Heavens Feel brings something better to the table.

Majo no Tabitabi has been alright so far, but it's episodic. Have seen six episodes at the moment and there have been some solid episodes but nothing I've been too keen on. Liked the episode where she visits this ruined city with the beast. Had a good pacing and atmosphere. Not a fan of the slice of life parts which is more of a bias towards the genre itself than anything. Not too fond of it. I also don't think it should've been called The Journey of Elaina since the journey aspect is not in focus at all. Sure she is on a journey but she's just travelling without a goal in mind. Would've been nice if they gave Elaina more of a motivation, but I guess she more or less exist to observe different countires and deliver some social commentaries along the way.

Not sure about Moriarty yet, but if it's anything close to the level of idiocy found in Munou no Nana then it's not much to be happy for. I don't understand how so may can enjoy something lacking so heavily in any sort of intellectual writing. For being a show so focused on talented people there sure's not many talented people behind it. May use that line if I make a review of it. I also have no idea who to root for. Most of the talented are dumb as bricks and have no concern of their safety when a murderer is somewhere close by. They barely even react when they see their dead classmates as well, it's so weird. Nana is too smart compared to the others and her plot armor is massive. Her motivation is also based off of what the statistics say might happen which is not very compelling.

What do you think about this season overall? Some say it's the best of the year but I'm not so sure yet.

What a shame about that figurine, the outside does matter in this case. The ones behind it are obviously too uncultured to bother getting her face right.

I'm not the biggest fan of episodic series, so I liked that there was a main plot lurking in the background for most of the show until it's fully explored in the last couple of episodes. That's not to say that I found everything else weak. They handled the "one-shot" episodes with more competence and maturity than many other shows tackling similar issues. Very planned out and effective use of what little time they had to work with like you said.

Love the design of the postman uniforms as well, simple but memorable. Another reason why I picked Fumika as my profile picture/avatar.

Paranoia Agent is similar in many regards but Kon's directing take it to a whole new level. You summed up my thoughts on it pretty neatly so I don't have much to add. It's just tragic that Satoshi Kon had to leave us so soon.

Thanks! Glad to see some Shigofumi appreciation.

I consider Fumika to be the best character of the show. Best girl on the other hand may very well be Chiaki, I can't deny that.