Only watched a bit lately. Just keeping up with 3 so far:

• Dandadan - Holy crap this is a ride. Like others said elsewhere, the first episode threw some major flags for me, but apparently that kind of thing is extremely rare, so I’m strapped in for the rest. Also that OP is #1 for the year imo.
• Re:Zero S3 - That first 90 minute episode should have been more exciting, but I spent most of it trying to remember who everybody was or why I care about all these meetings and that somebody is being rude to somebody. The last 15 mins and the second episode finally got me hooked again.
• Ranma 1/2 - Heavy nostalgia for me. I’m not convinced this is better than the OG anime so far. I really love the old style (even after watching several comparisons) and miss the old OP. I’ll probably finish it just for curiosity if nothing else.

Surprisingly great season. Actually had a good amount of time to watch new and catchup too. A bit heavy on romance, but so many variations that it didn’t feel too repetitive for me.

Completed/almost-completed new releases:

• Oshi No Ko S2 - I think there’s another episode or so left in the season. Great season, lots of character development and overall plot movement too, although didn’t land quite as hard as S1 for me. 9/10
• Makeine - Surprise hit of the season for me. Really loved it. One episode left that is a new anime-only story written by the original writer iirc. I do wish it had simply avoided a few tropes completely, but that’s about my only complaints for this gem. 9/10
• Pseudo Harem - Another surprise. Loved this adorable couple, and almost didn’t give it a shot because the title didn’t sound like something I’d be interested in. Beautiful complete series in only 12 episodes. Honestly one of my top romance animes all time. 8/10
• I Parry Everything - Another out of nowhere really fun show. I really enjoyed this, in a silly what-is-happening way. Reminded me a lot of Helck, in a good way. 7/10
• Dungeon People - Filled the gaping hole left by Frieren and Dungeon Meshi. Very good, although the art style made me think this would be more chill than it ended up being. Some surprising violence and adult content. 7/10
• Days With My Stepsister - Shocked this turned out so good. It’s one of the most nuanced and careful presentations of young adults trying to make the best choices they can. I wish it didn’t have the titillating premise, because I’d love more romance anime that took its characters this seriously. 7/10
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings … - I think I’m tapping out after this season. I found the political intrigue not engaging and several of the characters grating or extremely unbelievable. It’s fine, just not for me. 6/10

Tried/dropped new releases:

• My Deer Friend … - Too hit or miss.
• Plus Sized Elf - Not for me.

Previous seasons shows completed:

• Dungeon Meshi S2 - Current frontrunner for AOTY, edging out Frieren cour 2. Absolutely loved it. 10/10
• Scavenger’s Reign - Not-anime but excellent. Gripping and engaging bizarre world. 9/10
• Cyberpunk Edgerunners - Phenomenal production, but not my favorite world. Still great though, maybe 8-9/10?
• Hell’s Paradise - Grew on me over time. Really enjoyed the last episodes and looking forward to S2 eventually. 8/10
• I Was Reincarnated As The 7th Prince … - Silly fun and light. Enjoyed a lot. 7/10
• Carol and the End of the World - Not-anime, but very interesting. 7/10

Future wrap-up from this season:

• Terminator 0 - Haven’t been in the right mood.
• Wistoria - 5 episodes. Good animation, great action, and fun story. Probably finish.
• No Longer Allowed … - I’ll give it another shot, but might drop soon.
• Spice & Wolf - Only watched a couple episodes. Interested in more when I have time.
• Nier Automata - I’m currently playing the game, so after that I’ll probably watch the anime.
• Slime-San S? - Eventually.
• Konosuba S3 - Eventually.
• MHA S? - Eventually.

Looking ahead to next season, it’s a bit light for me. I’ve been watching a lot (for me), so might chill a bit and maybe catch up on other stuff. Or maybe I’ll follow the charts and try out whatever bubbles up. I dunno! But I’ll definitely be watching:

• Re:Zero S3 - I’ve liked the previous seasons quite a lot.
• Ranma 1/2 - I grew up on OG Ranma 1/2 and have watched most of it. I loved it. I’m really hoping this is good, especially since some of the content is going to be pretty dated. But I at least feel confident it will be as well produced as possible since it’s being made by MAPPA. I’m kinda sad so few others are mentioning this. Maybe I’m too old haha…

Current releases, following weekly (roughly organized by decreasing interest):

• Oshi No Ko S2 - Decent start to a new arc. Several good moments.
• Makeine - This mini arc didn’t hit as hard for me as some of the others, but still enjoyed it.
• Pseudo Harem - Great episode again. This couple is adorable.
• I Parry Everything - Still good. I think there are more episodes, but it feels pretty wrapped up?
• Dungeon People - Caught up this week. Sometimes a bit hit or miss, but still enjoying throughout.
• Days With My Stepsister - Caught up this week. I have mixed feelings on it. It’s verrrrrry slow and deliberate. Sometimes this lands well, but a lot of the time I’m waiting for anything to happen. The characters are likeable and their feelings seem realistic. It’s decent, and I’ll at least finish this cour. I don’t know if there will be more.
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings… - I’m gonna finish this season, but I probably won’t follow future seasons.

Watched part of, but not up to date:

• Wistoria - 5 episodes. Good animation, great action, and fun story. Probably finish.

Completed:

• Hell’s Paradise - Well the big surprise was I thought this was a single season show. It mostly definitely is not. Still, I ended up much more satisfied than I was for the first half. Initially felt like an excuse for extreme bloody violence. By the end, I liked several of the characters quite a lot and am very curious where the story goes. If there’s a season 2, I’ll likely continue.

Current releases, following weekly (roughly organized by decreasing interest):

• Oshi No Ko S2 - No new episode.
• Makeine - Still great. The curious thing for me in this anime is it flirts with common tropes, but then subverts it somehow that makes it not bother me. I wish it just avoided certain situations completely, which would make this a much easier recommendation to non-regular-anime-watchers.
• Pseudo Harem - Great episode. This couple is adorable.
• I Parry Everything - Another episode where the stakes just keep going up, and it gets beyond the level of absurd I thought it could do.
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings… - More anime tropes I find very boring, but at least it was only part of the episode this time. When it focuses more on the relationship of the main couple, it’s much better.

Watched part of, but not up to date:

• Dungeon People - 6 episodes. Fun and easy watch. The content sometimes surprises me. It looks like it’d be relatively safe for kids, then something happens or is referenced and I realize it’s more adult than it looks.
• Days With My Stepsister - 4 episodes. Watched because it keeps hitting very high on the weekly charts. I’m super leery of the subject, but it’s surprisingly mature and realistic. Veerrrry slow though. It’s good enough I’ll keep going, because I think it started really climbing the charts for its later episodes.
• Wistoria - 3 episodes. Watched because it’s been higher on charts. Fun story, good animation, likable characters, interesting world. Ya I’ll probably keep going.
• No Longer Allowed In Another World - 1 episode. Watched because charts. The obsession with suicide is very off putting (I don’t think this subject should be handled to lightly…), and then I learned the MC is based on a real person (who actually died by suicide) and that made it feel really icky to me. I’ll admit, I laughed several times in the first episode. But I dunno if I’ll keep going.

Current releases, following weekly (roughly organized by decreasing interest):

• Oshi No Ko S2 - Finally hit the climax I’d been waiting for. Really nailed it between the last episode and this one, then hooked in for exciting plot progression. Great episode.
• Makeine - Looks like focus is shifting to a new character again, with a new accompanying (excellent) ED. It was a bit of an exposition episode, so a bit less exciting than the last few, but still excellent.
• Pseudo Harem - A bit slower episode for me. Still good.
• I Parry Everything - Caught up this week. It’s great. Tension and scale keeps escalating and the silliness keeps outclassing what I thought was peak absurdity. Characters are very likable and animation is serviceable. Try a couple episodes!
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings… - Ya, mostly just finishing because I’ve watched this far. The general conceit of the series feels mostly forgotten, and is largely the type of anime I wasn’t really here for from the beginning.

Watched part of, but not up to date:

• Hell’s Paradise - 10 episodes. Alright I was kinda iffy for a while, but I’ve really enjoyed the last couple episodes. Finally filling in story a bit and setting up an overall plot that is fun and understandable. I’m definitely finishing now.
• Dungeon People - 4 episodes. Got some time to try it out more and it’s excellent. Surprisingly darker than I expected, based on the animation style! But very silly, fun exploration of dungeon crawl tropes, and a low stakes mood. Really nice easy watch that slightly mollifies the gaping hole that finishing Frieren and Dungeon Meshi left.

Completed:

• Scavenger’s Reign - Not anime, but so good. Super strange world with bizarre but just realistic enough creature designs, great animation, great sound effects. Y’all should check it out. It’s a wild ride from start to finish, and I’d be ecstatic if it gets picked up by somebody for a second season.

Current releases, following weekly (roughly organized by decreasing interest):

• Oshi No Ko S2 - The last few episodes have been excellent. I thought they’d get to a mid season climax sooner and move on to other plot, but nah it seems to keep adding in backstory and side stories to fill in on many of the characters. It’s been great, but I’d like it to finally get to the climax.
• Makeine - Surprise hit of the season. I’m absolutely loving it. Probably more than Oshi No Ko, if I’m being honest. Seriously worth checking out.
• Pseudo Harem - That previous episode was such a fake out not-ending. I had to look up details to make sure I hadn’t missed something. No, it really has like 5 more episodes planned. Then this week just picked up and kept going lol. It’s been great and gives me such cozy early-relationship feelings.
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings… - Previous episode kinda threw me. I wasn’t expecting certain tropes to be in this kind of show and I don’t know what I think of it. Then the current week episode kinda kept going on that. I’ll probably finish out the season, since I’m this invested already but it’s sorta losing me. Surprisingly, Yuki was my favorite part of this week’s episode!

Watched part of, but not up to date:

• I Parry Everything - Almost caught up. Really enjoying this one a lot! Feels similar quality and tone to Helck and I really enjoyed that one.
• Hell’s Paradise - 8 episodes. Still a bit graphic for me, but I’ve enjoyed it enough to keep going. Animation is quite impressive.
• My Deer Friend Nokotan - 3 episodes. I haven’t felt like returning to it. I think I may drop it for this season, since I’ve read it doesn’t really improve from this point.
• Dungeon People - 1 episode. I’ll probably make time for this soon after I finish catching up with Parry Everything.

Oh nice. I’ve been verrrrrrry slowly watching OG Trigun over the last year. I think I’m also at episode 13. It hasn’t really clicked for me, hence the ultra slow watch. But I’d like to finish it and get to the new version. Maybe I’ll prioritize it a bit more since you’re watching and can bounce thoughts off of.

Last I remember, there was finally some character development exploring Vash’s motivations. But I just can’t shake the feeling of it being off brand Cowboy Bebop and not as cool or fun. And definitely agree on struggling with outdated norms of humor.

Finally had some time to catch up.

Completed:

• Cyberpunk Edgerunners - Absolutely phenomenal animation, music, storytelling and production. But also not really my thing. Super downer of a story (fitting the genre) and a world I find horrifyingly possible. It’s good, but I didn’t have a great time haha.
• Was Reincarnated As The 7th Prince… - My silly light hearted watch of the season. This was sooo much better than I expected. I struggled with some certain common tropes, but the rest was so fun that I could overlook it.
• Delicious in Dungeon S1C2 - Brilliant. Tied with Frieren for my anime of the year for this year. Animation, characters, story, humor, world building, everything are just top notch. Loved it.
• Carol and the End of the World - Yea, not really anime. It’s weird and different and evoked a lot of emotion out of me. Not nearly as downer as the premise made me expect. Much more of a metaphorical exploration of the value of life and experiences. The asteroid is coming for all of us, anyway, it’ll just hit at different times for each. How are you spending your remaining time? The show peaks at like episode 6 though, and the last few I think are skippable.

Watched part of:

• Oshi No Ko S2 - Caught up. I loved S1 (just missed my anime of the year because Frieren) so I was very psyched for S2. It’s started slow but really ramped up quick. The last couple episodes have been phenomenal. Really looking forward to where this is going.
• My Deer Friend Nokotan - 3 episodes. Very hit or miss, but I’ve literally lol’d multiple times. Probably keep watching when I’m in the mood for something dumb lol.
• Makeine - Caught up. Surprise hit of the season for me. Absolutely loving it. The animation and production quality are stunning, and I love all the characters. It sorta feels like it’s focusing on the three main female characters in each 4 episode chunk. The last episode had a new ED that suggested a different focus. Definitely finishing.
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings… - Almost caught up. Enjoying it but not loving it. The conceit feels a little forced and unrealistic, every time it happens. Yuki is my least favorite part, by far. Feels the most over-the-top ridiculous and kinda taking me out of my immersion for the rest. I like the other characters and it’s a fun lighter watch, so I’ll probably keep watching.
• Pseudo Harem - 4 episodes. Super cute main characters and pretty realistic setup. Enjoying a lot. Likely finish.
• Scavenger’s Reign - 9 episodes. Not really anime, but figured it’s worth a mention. I’m loving this. Most of the time, my mouth is slackjawed open in horror at whatever the hell is happening. Body horror, psych horror, great characters, striking animation and sound that feels so realistic I can believe these crazy things are really happening in this bizarre planet. Really loving it.
• Hell’s Paradise - 4 episodes. Incredible animation, but wow it’s gory. It’s a bit much for me. I’ll probably watch a few more at least.
• Dungeon People - 1 episode. Liked the start. Try more when I have time.
• I Parry Everything - 1 episode. Giving me Helck energy, which I liked a lot. Likely try more some time.
• Plus Sized Elf - 1 episode. Nah, not for me. Too much fan service.

Been a very light season for me. Tons of IRL commitments, little viewing. I’ll have a lot to catch up on eventually!

Watched all of:

• Mushoku Tensei S2C2 - Excellent adaptation. Really love how well it’s coming together.
• X-men ‘97 - Ya, not really anime, but I was excited about it. It peaked mid-season for me. Still good and worth watching, especially if you have nostalgia for the OG series.

Watched part of:

• I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince… - Most of the way through. Surprisingly good. It’s got some problematic content (way too much fan service for me, weird pedo-like obsession, etc) but the rest is very well done, so I’m overlooking those. The first few episodes are just unhinged and wild in a really fun way. Lloyd is a hilarious MC. Definitely plan to finish.
• Cyberpunk Edgerunners - About halfway. Really good. Not my typical interest, still enjoying a lot. Definitely plan to finish.
• Chillin’ in Another World… - A few episodes in. Fun and light. Enjoying more than expected. Probably finish.
• Spice and Wolf Remake - Only watched a bit. Interesting but hasn’t grabbed me yet. Probably watch a few more.
• Jellyfish Can’t Swim At Night - Good but haven’t been in the mood for this style lately. Probably watch a few more.
• Ojisaan to Obasaan - Yea, tried one episode. Not for me.
• Bartender of the Gods - Tried a bit. It’s okay. Probably pass.

Catch-up efforts:

• Konosuba S1 - Finished this season. It’s good but it’s kind of a lot. Probably try more S2 eventually.
• Slime-san S2 - Finally got over the hurdle of those meeting episodes and the rest was good. Didn’t realize quite how much catch up there is!
• Date A Live S1 - Tried the first bit because it was ranking so highly on Anime Corner. I dunno, I didn’t love the beginning. Maybe not for me.

Stuff to definitely watch later:

• Dungeon Meshi S1C2 - Must watch.
• Yuru Camp S3 - Must watch.

Interested in trying:

• Kaiju No 8
• Go Go Loser Ranger

Eventual catch-up:

• Konosuba S3
• Demon Slayer S?
• MHA S?

Finally got some time to watch a bit:

• The Attack on Titan finale was great, imo. I think that pretty much secured it as my all time #1 for a completed series that’s more than 1 season. It’s not perfect, for sure, but it got so much right considering the weight of its story. Really liked it.
• Almost done with Castlevania Nocturne. I know many don’t really consider it anime, but it’s close enough I throw it in. I like it, but the stakes are harder to care about compared to the very engaging first season premise, and the characters aren’t quite as charming. Still a fun story and worth watching.
• Still keeping up with Frieren (phenomenal), and a bit behind in Helck, Eminence S2, Girlfriend Girlfriend, 100 Girlfriends, SpyXFamily. Enjoying them all.
• Tried first episode of Pluto and was imptessed. Throwing it on the to-watch mountain.
• Still need to get to Apothecary Diaries, Blue Eyed Samurai, and new Scott Pilgrim. This season has truly been ridiculous.

Oh and got a good lol from those examples of spicy takes. Almost spit out my coffee. Whew.

Finally got a little time to watch this week. Wrapped up my HBO Max journey by finishing the last couple movies I don’t have on disc. Turns out four of them I had picked up on previous Black Friday sales and forgot haha.

Belle: I enjoyed it and the animation was very good. But probably my least favorite Mamoru Hosoda film. Wolf Children and Mirai are easily my favorites, while this felt like mostly a retread of Summer Wars. Where it went different than Summer Wars, especially the more challenging content topics, I think it could’ve done better with a more complete message. This gets too spoilery to discuss further unfortunately. It’s worth watching, still.

From Up on Poppy Hill: I liked this much more than the last Goro Miyazaki film I watched (Earwig). Similar to Only Yesterday, it was a really nice look into a specific time period in Japan. This time the early 1960’s, with the massive developments going on in Tokyo and nearby cities. This felt like a typical Ghibli film, with very likable and strong female protagonist and a plot with a strong moral message about respecting the past/heritage. I enjoyed it more than Belle and was one of my favorites I’ve been blasting through. Still need to get to Tales of Earthsea sometime to complete my Goro journey.

Caught up on Frieren and absolutely loving it. If it keeps up, it’s going to take AOTY from Oshi no Ko for me.

Heh, this reminded me again that I need to try this, thanks to your suggestion. It’s been a really busy season!

Been a very busy week so haven’t had a lot of time to watch.

I did manage to get HiDive working after the update, so caught up on Eminence in Shadow and enjoying the new season a lot.

Only a bit of progress on clearing my HBO Max catalog before sub ends. Only Yesterday was a really interesting look into what Japanese life looked like in 70s and 80s, with an enjoyable cast and story. I really liked the art style of the memory sections. Glad I made time for it.

I had been planning on continuing to catch up with Helck and try out the new Eminence in Shadow, but my Apple TV updated, and now the HiDive app won’t work. I’d say I hope they’ll fix it soon, but I have very little faith in the HiDive app team to do anything at all. Best bet is to figure out another device that can at least get it streaming…

Otherwise, I’m trying out new releases like Kanojo mo Kanojo, SpyXFamily, Frieren, and Shield Hero. I think I may finally drop Shield Hero though. That last arc was rough and I’m not blown away by the start of this one. Also watching the new Castlevania.

Oh I’m also trying to blast through the remaining anime on HBO Max because my sub expires later this month. Tried Ride Your Wave and The Secret World of Arrietty. Both were good, but not top tier classics. And Earwig and the Witch. It wasn’t as bad as some had made it out to be, but… that’s about the best I can say. I think I have 7 more I need to watch.

I’ll be honest: I thought Campfire Cooking looked like another generic low effort isekai anime, so I didn’t even give it a try. With your input, I’ll give it a shot. I’m looking for a lighter good feeling show to cap evenings, and this might be just right.

As others have said, I’d probably not post at all if there’s no automated post. I like them and lurk frequently, but also agree there’s too many with zero participation. Either a cutoff of 5-10 shows that are the highest popularity or simply cutting a show after 1-2 weeks of zero comments would simplify it well.

I’d also add another recommendation here that might help with participation. I’m frequently watching older shows or stuff that’s a few weeks behind. Would anybody be interested in a weekly general “what did you watch this week and what did you think of it” thread?

I’m not even 100% sure if this is a joke… that’s how dumb the naming has been.

Most surprising to me is the overall karma totals. Seems really low this season. This mirrors my feelings for this season though. I’m really enjoying Mushoku Tensei S2 and that’s pretty much it.

I had hopes for Horimiya Pieces, but I lost interest halfway through. My Happy Marriage and Helck haven’t quite captured my attention either. I’m still in Jujutsu Kaisen S1, not sure when I’ll get to S2. No big new surprises. Oh well.

Ooo I love these summaries. Thanks for posting! It helps a lot to keep up with the new series releases and how they’re all doing.

I’ve only really been keeping up with Mushoku Tensei this season and it has been excellent.

I agree.

After S1, I read quite far ahead in the LN. This is the first anime that I have prior knowledge for, and it’s kinda strange. I like what they did with S2E0, which skimmed down and simplified things in a way I thought was reasonable. And I really like the relatively minor changes they made with S2E1. It really focused on the important things and didn’t get too lost in detail.

But with this episode, there was quite a lot of detail and pacing that was lost because they went through events so quickly. The snow drakes section was a lot simpler, but I think got to the important moments well. But the rescue scene, there was quite a lot more detail that was skipped, especially after discovering Sara and trying to rescue her. It felt much more dramatic. Instead, they basically showed it mostly as an easy cakewalk for Rudeus, which I guess works okay for how strong he is, but it wasn’t that simple in the LN. I think I preferred the higher excitement and drama of drawing it out a bit. But then it wouldn’t have fit into one episode, so that’s probably why it was cut.

Still loved the episode and really loving the animation this season. Glad it’s not dropping quality much from S1.