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Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again is one of those episodic shows that are best enjoyed slowly—one episode every few days—rather than binged all at once.
That being said, the anime centers around the everyday moments and memories of an elderly couple living in rural Japan. Through a touch of magic, they regain their youthful bodies for a limited time and get a second chance to experience the things they were once denied in their youth. The story is deeply rooted in themes of family and love.

The focus clearly lies on the comedic and heartwarming aspects. You shouldn’t expect a deeply intricate plot—if you do, you ... might end up disappointed. I personally felt a little let down at first by the lack of an overarching narrative, but as I continued watching, I realized that the light comedy and episodic format are not only intentional but necessary. They help balance out the heavier, more emotional undercurrents of the story—grief, regret, and the inescapable fate that awaits us all: death.

It’s a laid-back, cozy series, but one that carries an important underlying message. It has its quiet, sad, even heartbreaking moments, but what I appreciated most is that it doesn’t push too hard for tears. It avoids melodrama and allows the audience to decide how deeply they want to engage with the questions it raises.
What would I do in their place?

What might I regret not doing when I’m older?

At first, I expected the couple to live wildly and completely reinvent their lives after turning young again. But instead, they remain true to who they are. They use this time to revisit what truly matters to them—not chasing excitement, but cherishing what they missed due to circumstances, poverty, or the constraints of society when they were young.
The concept could have been taken in a more dramatic or adventurous direction, but I still enjoyed the show for what it is. One of the biggest reasons I liked it was the characters. Honestly, I liked all of them. The elderly couple, in particular, was a joy to watch. Their interactions with each other, their family, and old friends were warm and grounded. They reflect on their shared life with kindness—not pretending it was perfect, but accepting both the good and the bad. Despite all the things they had to give up, they maintain a positive outlook, largely because they had—and still have—each other.

That quiet, mutual love and acceptance is the heart of the show and what makes it worth recommending. Sure, the plot could have been more tightly written, but the series shines in its tone, message, and characters.
It stayed with me long after I finished it—not in a heavy or depressing way, but in a thoughtful one. It made me reflect on life, on family, and on the quiet regrets and joys that shape us over time.

I really wanted to like Honey Lemon Soda, but it became kind of a chore to watch each week, and I kept watching just for the sake of finishing it.

The art is great, and the character designs look nice. The OP and ED are also cool and give off a fresh vibe. They perfectly fit the lemon soda and summer theme the show is going for.

So why don’t I recommend it? Well, mostly because the show feels slow and dragging. Everything moves too slowly, it feels like every frame lingers a bit too long. Scenes and conversations could be more impactful ... if they were shorter but filled with more meaning.

The animation is average—lots of stills with just the mouth moving or panning over a static shot. There are worse animated shows, but also far better ones.

The character's personalities are superficial or just plain flat. The problems they face aren’t particularly challenging either; some seem more suited for children or are just cliché. Most of the drama could have been avoided entirely if the characters talked to one another instead of acting based on assumptions.

The interactions between the FL and ML remain almost the same: FL is too shy to do X, ML drags her along in some way, FL completes X, and everyone praises her. However, she then falls back into her insecurities, unable to do even the most basic things on her own, remaining dependent on ML. This cycle repeats, and it gets old fast.
Additionally, the ML is always annoyed and kinda rude, yet he’s the most popular guy in school—and we’re never given a clear reason why.

Overall, this show is just plain average in every aspect and gives you no reason to choose it over any other romance anime out there. There are definitely better romance anime to watch instead, so you’re better off picking one of those.

Zenshu was the anime I was looking forward to the most at the end of the week this season.

The animation is great—smooth and pleasing to the eye, with a shiny color palette. I really enjoyed watching the transformation sequences. The fights are well animated and the series did a great job in making sure me as the audience was rooting for the characters and the world they were fighting to protect.
The OP and ED are amazing, especially the latter.

The comedy was good, and while exaggerated at times, it really fit Natsuko’s personality and is well executed. Natsuko is one of the most well-developed and ... interesting female protagonists I’ve seen in anime, which is a huge plus for the story.
The other characters lack depth and background stories, though. For example, Unio and Luke's past is mentioned several times, but only shown for a couple of seconds and never explored further.

As for the world-building, it’s supposed to be a movie from the ’90s, but I still wish the setting and characters were more original. Some characters were annoying, and I found myself hoping they’d die in the next fight just so they wouldn’t be on screen anymore. The rest of the cast ranged from cool and likable to just okay.

Overall, Zenshu is a great 7. It could have been an 8 if the characters had more depth, but I still recommend giving it a watch!

First of all, I want to make one thing clear: Despite the premise—a 17-year-old girl developing feelings for a much older man—After the Rain contains no uncomfortable or inappropriate scenes. This is something I really appreciate! I was fully prepared to stop watching if the show took a questionable turn, but that never happened.

Instead, I was blown away by the sheer beauty of the art and animation. After the Rain is a visual feast! The backgrounds, in particular, are absolutely stunning—so much so that you could pause at any random moment and use it as a wallpaper. In this regard, I have no ... hesitation in comparing it to Your Name, one of the most breathtakingly animated films ever made.

The character designs, especially the female lead, felt a bit too thin and stylized for my taste. Given the highly detailed and realistic backgrounds, this contrast sometimes felt a little off. However, it’s a minor issue that doesn’t impact my overall impression.

Narratively, the show could have been bolder—it should have been bolder given its premise. The story dances around the relationship but never fully embraces its potential for real conflict or tension. While After the Rain is technically a drama, it leans more towards a light, almost soothing experience with a fair amount of comedy. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but knowing the untapped potential for deeper storytelling, I would have loved to see something more daring and innovative.

That being said, I appreciate how the characters are treated with respect—both by the narrative and by each other. The story is about innocence, but in my opinion not in a romantic or physical sense. It’s about dreams, self-discovery, and realizing that what we think we want and what we actually need can be two very different things—something that’s often difficult to grasp, especially when we’re young.
I found the struggles of the characters meaningful and relatable, and the ending turned out to be satisfying.

If you enjoy drama and comedy, and appreciate beautifully crafted anime, I highly recommend watching After the Rain!

This anime was a pleasant surprise in more ways than one. When I started watching Overtake!, I expected a lighthearted and slightly above-average sports anime at best—one that I would’ve forgotten about a week after watching. Oh, how wrong I was! In fact, this show is one of the best anime I have seen so far.

In real life, I have zero connection to or interest in racing, let alone specifically Formula 4 racing. Yet, this anime got me invested in a sport I didn’t even know existed before watching the show, teaching me things about it in the process.

As also mentioned ... in its listing on MAL, this is a drama set in a racing environment, not the other way around. There are quite a few races, and they are exciting, but the focus is on the characters, their relationships, and how they face their struggles together. It’s about passion, chasing your dreams, dealing with loss, and overcoming trauma.

The OP is great, the ED is good. The OST fits well and enhances each scene without being distracting. The voice actors do a fantastic job, and the sound design makes you feel like you're really standing next to a race track.

The animation is smooth and visually stunning. As a picky viewer with an allergy to CGI, I have to say it works well here. In a fictional work like this, it's possible to use perspectives that real-life races can't capture, allowing for some truly cool shots. The lighting sets the right mood and reinforces the emotional impact of a scene, whether it's the loneliness of an empty apartment or the excitement of a race track on a sunny day.

Many dramas suffer from predictable storytelling, making it easy to guess what happens next, which can break immersion (and lose my interest). That is not the case with Overtake!. The technical details and strategies necessary for the plot are explained naturally—not through forced exposition but rather through character interactions that also advance the story. This is great storytelling, following the ‚show, don’t tell‘ principle instead of spoon-feeding information like the audience consists of five-year-olds. While explanations do occur, at no point do they feel like info-dumping.

What I love most about this show are the characters and their development. Their natural designs make it easy to connect with them emotionally, yet the art style is distinctive enough to set them apart from other anime. The motivations are reasonable, emotionally relatable, and engaging to follow. The struggle that impacted me the most was that of photographer Madoka Kouya. His trauma is incredibly well thought out and so powerfully executed that it had a stronger emotional impact on me than any other anime before.
From all the anime series and movies I have watched (more than 340 completed entries on MAL at the time of writing this review), Overtake! is the first and only anime that has ever made me cry. Seeing the other characters try to understand him and help him face his past while fighting their own demons carried true emotional weight, and I found myself rooting for everyone. The friendships spanning various age gaps were handled well, feeling natural rather than forced or intrusive.

For Harunaga and some of the other side characters, I would have liked a bit more background information, but given that this is a short 12-episode anime, it's simply a matter of prioritization. I’d rather have some underdeveloped side characters than have their arcs take away from the screen time needed for the main characters' development.

The only ‚complaint‘ I can think of is that there’s no source material to dive into, as this is an original production—so I guess I'll just have to rewatch the series! This show is what other drama or sports anime, like Free!, should have been but failed to achieve due to a lack of emotional depth.

Overtake! gets an easy 10/10 from me. I wish more anime were like this. Bravo!

Besides the weird title, this is a great anime that I enjoyed quite a bit.
Seeing adults in love in an office setting was refreshing compared to yet another romance set in high school. Adachi’s supernatural ability leads to some hilarious situations that are either funny, heartwarming, or both. It also sparks serious conversations about trust and their future plans. The characters have realistic expectations and talk things out like adults.

I’d love to rate this even more highly, but the drawing style and animation quality are inconsistent. For example, their noses constantly change size and shape, which is distracting. There are also ... too many stills and panning shots for my liking.

The B-plot involving the second pairing could have been handled better and had more potential, though it’s still okay to watch. The comedy is cute and doesn’t rely on loud, annoying characters like in other rom-coms I’ve seen, which is a plus. I was rooting for the main couple to get together and was rewarded with a satisfying ending.

If you enjoy a nice romance anime, definitely give this one a watch!

Taisou Zamurai is a real hidden gem! This anime tells a heartwarming story of (found) family, success, and loss—not just in terms of career but also self-worth in a highly competitive environment—and it does all of this in just 11 episodes.

At first, I was sceptical because one of the main characters is a kid, but that turned out to be no problem at all. The likable characters and the cute comedy work well together, and combined with the art style, they make this show a great experience. Everything looks beautiful, and I love the color palette. There is some CGI used in certain ... scenes, which I generally don’t like, but the CG scenes are mixed with 2D shots, so it’s bearable.

The OP and ED are amazing—both the music and the animation. I never skipped them.

Everything is crafted with care, and the show never felt rushed, allowing enough time for serious moments and reflection for both the characters and the audience. There was one plot point I didn’t like, but it was resolved quickly, leading the series to a satisfying ending.

I highly recommend this anime to anyone—not just sports enthusiasts, but also those who enjoy a cute comedy with a strong family theme.

This anime managed to turn a sport I hate in real life (poor fish!) into a subject I genuinely started to develop an interest in. I feel like I learned a lot about fishing compared to before—when my knowledge was practically zero. (Now it’s probably one point above zero, but I guess you get the point lol)

The strongest feature of this anime is its characters, each dealing with their own struggles in life, all brought together by a common interest and theme: fishing. Most of them look fine and are likable, although some character designs are too cartoony for my taste and don’t fit in ... with the rest. I found this distracting, which occasionally broke the immersion.

The comedy is great, and many situations are incredibly relatable—especially the socially awkward moments and the interactions between Tsunehiro and Takaaki. The drama isn’t neglected either; it’s well-executed and addresses dark and serious themes while maintaining a positive outlook, ensuring it never feels too heavy.
Also, if you have a hobby yourself, you’ll likely relate to the guilt of gear acquisition syndrome—something that seems to be a part of every hobby involving equipment.

The combination of CG fish with everything else being 2D is hilarious. I usually dislike CGI in anime, here it (unintentionally) enhances the comedic aspect. The OP and ED are nice, though I occasionally skipped them.
The ending felt a little rushed, but it was still satisfying.

I think Negative Positive Angler deserves far more attention, and I recommend it without a second thought. If you enjoy comedy and are interested in learning about a niche hobby, go watch it!

I stumbled upon this manga in a thrift store and picked it up purely because I liked the cover. I wasn’t expecting much beyond a simple romance, and unfortunately, the story turned out to be just mediocre.

The characters, especially the female lead, are one-dimensional, with motives that feel shallow or nonexistent. A week after finishing the manga, I can barely remember anything specific about it — there just wasn’t much substance to leave a lasting impression.

Visually, the detailed art style is nice but sometimes makes the pages feel overly busy. The anatomy also looked odd in certain scenes, though overall, it ... was decent.

If you’re drawn to the art style, you might find some enjoyment in it, but don’t expect a deep story or well-developed character relationships. Personally, I wouldn’t read it again, and I wouldn’t recommend it — there are far better romance manga out there.

Blackout was an exciting read, driven by its intriguing concept of "future photos," which opens up plenty of possibilities for a gripping story.

The first half of the manhwa is particularly thrilling, though the tension noticeably drops around the halfway mark. Some plot points are predictable and could have been handled differently to maintain suspense, but overall, the story remains solid. The characters are likable, and their reactions feel natural and relatable.

The artwork is decent but leans toward a sketchy style, with some panels feeling a bit low-effort. While this doesn’t ruin the experience, it does stand out at times.

Despite ... its flaws, Blackout is an entertaining read. While some parts may be predictable, the supernatural element adds an extra layer of mystery, making it a worthwhile recommendation for fans of suspenseful stories.