Hey everybody! I figured it was about time I wrote a proper post again. Something new rather than a repost of an older one. So, here we are.
I’ve actually had some time to catch up on a bunch of anime recently. And by that I mean quite a lot of anime. With nothing in particular in mind for the post, I decided that this is going to essentially be a quick thoughts post. I’ll be going through what I’ve watched and giving as succinct a brief overview as I can.
Let’s begin…
My Hero Academia (Seasons 1-6 + movie): I held off watching this series for a long time. Much like Attack on Titan, the hype around it kinda put me off. A lot of the time, I dive into a heavily hyped series and end up really disappointed (*cough* Gurren Lagann *cough*). Also much like said war-on-giants-until-it’s-not series, I was pleasantly surprised when I finally did give it a shot.
Season 1 hooked me, and it got better from there. Despite having a large cast, I really like most of the core characters. If Minoru Mineta were to disappear I wouldn’t be sad. Yuga Aoyama and Hanta Sero feel like there’s not too much to them either. Otherwise, though, the cast is great. From a story standpoint, it started out as a fairly standard, but light-hearted Shonen series. As of the most recent season, it’s gone a lot darker tonally, but the progression feels right. Visually, the character designs are fun too. Honestly, there isn’t too much bad I can say about the show. The six seasons flew by, so I really can’t complain here.
Zombie Land Saga (Season 2): I was a fan of the first season of the show, and I was hoping for…well…more of the same, really. For the most part, I did get that. It did feel like Kotaro Tatsumi’s more quirky behaviours were ramped up even more to me, but that’s no bad thing. The songs were just as catchy as before too.
While it didn’t quite have the same charm for me this time around – how fresh it felt to me helped immensely in season 1 – there was plenty to keep me invested. The series was really at its strongest when it spent time focussing on one character and fleshing them out a bit, and during those times, the girls were just as entertaining as ever. While a little weaker than the first season, I still enjoyed this overall.
KonoSuba: God’s Blessings On This Wonderful World! Legend Of Crimson: So, when it comes to the series, I really enjoyed season 1 and thought season 2 was weaker but still enjoyable. Coming into this, my worry was that the downward trend would continue and this would feel like a total waste of time. As it happens, that wasn’t exactly how it panned out.
The animation was a big step up from the disappointing visuals of season 2. From a story standpoint, it was pretty much a typical KonoSuba tale too, with all the usual shenanigans in play. I would say that it was a little too long though. This could easily have shaved twenty minutes or so off without losing anything as far as I’m concerned. Despite that little bit of drag though, it was still a step above the second season overall for me. Even if it didn’t top the first season, this was still worth watching.
The Rising Of The Shield Hero (Season 2): I got a fair few sequels in, didn’t I? This was an interesting one. The first season dealt with some hard-hitting stuff, and the way it progressed felt just right for me. This wasn’t exactly light-hearted, but it certainly didn’t feel as harsh as the first season. That isn’t a bad thing. If anything, it makes sense given how that all played out. It did mean this had a slight shift in how it felt to watch though.
The good thing is, the lead characters are still just as likable, and the stories we got to follow them through were suitably entertaining. They maybe didn’t move the overarching story on as much, but the bigger moments of advancement were well done, so I really didn’t mind that. Good stuff.
Uzaki-Chan Wants To Hang Out! (Season 2): This was an interesting one for me. The first season was a surprise because it looked like it should be something I’d dislike, or even potentially hate. Somehow though, it turned out to be so enjoyable that the second season was something I was excited to watch. This one did not disappoint.
Hana Uzaki is a delightful character, and she plays off of Shinichi Sakurai well. If anything, how oblivious the two of them are to their feelings for each other was even more endearing here than it was the first time around. In part, that comes down to it dropping the stuff I wasn’t as fond of humour-wise, and giving me more of the stuff I did like. Honestly, of all the shows I watched, this was the one that made me snigger, snort, and giggle the most. This was a big improvement over the first season, and I’d be happy to watch a third season.
And that’s it…for now. There are some other shows on my watchlist, so I’m hopeful I’ll be able to catch up with even more stuff. I’m looking at a nice mix of old and new releases too. In that respect, dipping back into Crunchyroll has been an excellent experience. But what about yourselves? What did you think of the stuff I’ve been watching?
Matt Doyle Media 