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Unnamed Memory is one of those occasional romance/fantasy anime that don't lean into any pre-existing tropes, making it a breath of fresh air to watch. At the time of writing this review, only 3 episodes have been released, but it has been a very enjoyable watch so far.

Since the synopsis pretty much says what I would have written for the summary anyway, I won't be repeating it. The anime does indeed explore how Tinasha, the witch, and Oscar, the prince, experience their time together due to the contract stating that they would live together for one year, with Oscar constantly trying to get Tinasha to ... marry him. This results in a very wholesome anime with many hints of both romance and comedy, a duo that can never go wrong. Additionally, I felt that these three episodes so far have been very content-rich, meaning that the watch felt satisfying and wasn't just a lazy exposition dump- something that's increasingly hard to find in modern anime.

Now, it would be a disgrace to not talk about the amazing action scenes in episode 2. While it might not have been extremely long, the animation of the fight scenes were gorgeous. The crisp lighting effects of the spells used by Tinasha, the vibrant colors present throughout the entirety of the fight, and the fast-paced action all served to greatly enhance the watching experience. While we're on the topic of animation, the character designs all felt pretty fresh, especially the designs of the witches.

Quickly moving on the music, both the opening and ending themes have a very slow and relaxing tempo, making it a calming prelude to a calming show. This highlights what I think your expectations watching this show should be. In my opinion, you shouldn't watch this show expecting a nail-biting thriller leaving you on the edge of your seat, but rather a soothing anime that helps you wind down and relax.

Overall, Unnamed Memory hits all the right spots for me, making it so that even though it doesn't really stand out in any way, it does everything it has to right, making this a solid must-watch for me.

*Slight spoiler warnings for romance*

On Muse Asia's most recent showing of this anime (in dec 2022), there is a comment that perfectly encapsulates what I felt. It reads: "The first time I watched this, I was so wary that something terrible might happen to the fl or they were being kind and then betray her after but lo and behold it was just a wholesome anime, I was so uncomfortable that everyone (except for the prince of course) was so kind to her. You know when a highly influential person is clearly ignoring your existence you'd be expecting everyone to follow suit but everyone was ... kind and welcoming to our fl that I can't believe while watching, damn I've been clearly traumatised by the previous anime I've watched." This anime is definitely one of the most peaceful ones I've seen. While presenting an interesting concept, it elevates that to a different level by executing it very well. It is certified wholesomeness, without any of the dramatic things that plagues recent adaptations. Now, one thing to note is that this is not a reverse harem, like many people think (at least for the first season of the anime, idk about manga). There is the main couple, and the other male characters are not in love with the fl. This, personally is also one of the strong points of this peaceful isekai: It does not contain a obnoxious harem trope like most recent adaptations. Another strong point is the fact that it feels completed, even though there is supposedly a season 2 in the works, set to release this year. Overall a very fun watch, and I would recommend it if you like chill and tranquil anime like this, with a relaxing pace. I will rate this anime a solid 8.0 out of 10.

Bocchi the Rock is an anime that has risen through the ranks pretty shortly after it started airing, and it is not hard to see what the excitement and hype is all about. A music anime that finally isn't a carbon copy of K-On, and has a shy MC with social anxiety? Those are the trademarks of a good anime, and I enjoyed watching BTR quite a lot. I'll just list some of the things I thought the adaptation did well:

Unique Adaptation:
BTR is the rare case of an adaptation surpassing the source material (imo). Its very unique way of telling jokes, the clever use ... of multi-media shots in the middle of episodes, and its relaxing vibe all contribute to the spectacular anime BTR has become. BTR originated from a 4-koma manga, but it definitely doesn't feel like it.

Banger songs:
Of course, this anime heavily revolves around music, so the music has to be judged pretty critically. BTR has some really solid music, and even though it isn't 'revolutionary', it's still leagues better than the music of the average anime out there. Additionally, BTR perfectly encapsulates the style of a student band performing, both with the songs chosen and the style of execution.

Wholesome:
Bocchi is by nature an introverted person, and seeing her slowly come out of her shell is quite wholesome. The story portrays this in a very slow-paced manner, which I think is the way to go for this anime.

BTR is an overall splendid anime to watch no matter your anime preference (imo), as the quality of animation really shines through in the anime, not to mention the flavourful story it presents. I rate this anime a 9.4/10.

(I have decided to from now on, write shorter but more reviews, because, well, my motivation kinda drops when I want to write reviews and I have to spend arnd 30 minutes just writing a ~800 word review. I will also try not to adhere to a particular review template, and write concisely so that its faster for people to read. See you in another review!)

*This review has been written when only 3 episodes came out*
*Minor spoilers ahead*

So... Engage Kiss. I don't like to say this, but this was unfortunately, one of the most horrible anime I have seen this year. Now, taking into account I have only watched the three episodes that were out when this review was written, I cannot say for sure whether it will get better, but even if this anime somehow becomes a masterpiece in the next 10 episodes, I will still have my gripes with this series.

Firstly, this anime REALLY does not know what it wants to be. The general rule of thumb ... for anime is that you should try to include a few distinct ideas so that your anime is multi-faceted and interesting to watch, but you should not be including too many distinct ideas. This anime is currently, at least from the first three episodes, doing that. It's delving into a weird romance triangle that doesn't even get explained until episode 3, a half-yandere female mc still attending school (high school I assume), supernatural forces, politics which implement the idea of government corruption and the idea of the MC being a mindless sheep for the government, the looming darkness of the MC's backstory, all while repeatedly reminding us that the MC is extremely poor. I am glad that the producers are trying to incorporate different ideas to make the story more interesting, but add too much and it becomes a big messy pile of ideas. I'm not a producer, so I have no right to judge, but my personal opinion is that the producers maybe should have tried removing some of the ideas implemented, and go with a simpler story. Otherwise, the anime can get overwhelming at times.

Secondly, the exposition of this anime is honestly horrible. While I get that no one likes exposition dumps, that doesn't make it an excuse for the first few episodes to be this confusing. Even if the anime picks up and gets really good, it doesn't matter because people are going to drop this anime either way. If it really becomes a great masterpiece, then people still have to sit through 3+ episodes of very bad exposition. Why its bad you ask? Well, the anime makes no effort explaining what the relationship between the characters are, or how the demons appeared, or how demon hunters (or what they're called) are formed, or how the president even got elected in the first place? While I do get that the relationship was addressed in episode 3, and maybe some of these details were not revealed so early to have more of a "shock factor" when eventually they are revealed, we are given not even given an inkling as to what the answers to these questions are, which will confuse some people and make some people annoyed.

Story- 3/10
The exposition was really bad, and the anime seems to just skip to the fight scenes pretty quickly, making the moments in between the fights seem like filler episodes to be honest. And this is mostly because there was not much exposition at the start, so the entire situation was pretty confusing.

Art- 8.5/10
This is easily the best part of this anime. It uses a palette of vibrant colours and crisp animations to draw you in, and hey, at least for me it did a pretty good job. The character designs were also pretty good, and it didn't feel like a reskin of older animes. They actually had pretty unique designs. (Lets not talk about happy sugar life here...)

Sound- 7/10
The opening was pretty good, but I wouldn't say so for the ending. This is more of a personal opinion, but the ending was pretty lackluster, especially compared to the opening.

Character- 3/10
The characters were pretty dull and the two main female MCs personalities all boil down to both of them fighting for the MC, the only difference between them is that one's a tsundere, and one's a yandere. Oh, and they also have different hair colours. Due to... you guessed it, the bad exposition, the characters were not fleshed out that much, though I think I remember some mild dialogue about one of the girl's backstories, which is okay I guess. Meanwhile the MC's character is a bit better, he's not a beta male (thank you) and actually has some personality, but is in constant, barely explained debt.

Enjoyment- 3/10
Honestly, Engage Kiss felt like a chore to watch. It was very confusing, and was a really big mess. However, it was slightly fun to watch, due to it being quite the goofy show.

Overall -4/10
The animation and art is pretty amazing, which probably is the only reason why I could continue watching 3 episodes. Also, I wanted to watch 3 episodes before I could make an unimpaired judgement. I would definitely not recommend this to anyone who wants to watch whatever genre this is, and I sincerely hope that the anime gets better in the next episode, because I will probably drop it if it doesnt.

*please note that even though I didn't like the anime that much, I still have respect for the producers, and this review is in no way shape or form ridiculing them for their work. This review just points out the good and bad aspects of the anime in my opinion.*

*Slight spoilers ahead*

Unlike most other reviewers, I'm not opening with a hachiman quote, simply because im too lazy- heck, I dont even write my apostrophes. Regardless, Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru, also known as Oregairu, is one of the first good romance triangle anime to come out, and definitely can still contend with most anime these days (as of 2022). We follow our unlikeable, antisocial protagonist- Hikigaya Hachiman, and his nihilistic view about friendship, believing it to be a mere sham. Due to submitting a very pessimistic composition to his teacher, he unfortunately is forced to join a "service" club with only ... one other person in it. Guess who? It's the main waifu! Yukino Yukinoshita, despite her beauty, has trouble communicating with others due to her ice cold nature. The duo then start to accept requests from students and the club tries their best to solve them. I'm not really sure if this is entirely accurate, since its been quite a while since I watched this, but thats the gist of it. Oh, and they also pick up Yuigahama somwhere along the way.

Story- 8/10
I think the story is pretty solid, except for the fact that this is the first season for Oregairu, and since this is a generally slow-paced anime, the story does not have any sudden developments that drastically change the story's tempo and story-telling. However, I believe the story is very solid, and meaningful to the idea that the anime is trying to portray- social interactions.

Art- 7/10
Honestly, compared to its sequels, the animation in Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru is pretty mediocre. That said, this was made almost a decade ago, and the artwork's not half-bad, so i'll let it slide.

Sound-9/10
The BGM is one of the most memorable in the anime that I have watched- I can almost instantly recall the lighthearted tone of the background music that plays while Hikigaya and Yukino banter. I love it.

Character- 8/10
The romance plot has not been fully developed yet as this is the first anime, there's no romantic tension between our three characters. Wait, when did Yuigahama pop in? Oh right, she has a crush on Hikigaya. And she's a female lead alongside Yukino. Forgot to mention that. Anyway, the banter between Hikigaya and Yukino is refreshing, and not the dull, repeated jokes that most other anime employ to claim it has "comedy" in it. Like, cmon man, repeatedly calling someone a lolicon every episode has to get boring, right??

Enjoyment- 8.5/10
This anime wasn't a guilty pleasure for me, it was a legitimately solid and engaging first season, which made me want to watch more (I watched season 2 and 3 in ~2020)

Overall- 8.5/10
Overall, I really enjoyed Oregairu's first season and I would definitely rewatch it again, if I have time to spare. Would recommend to anyone who wants to get into romance anime.