Hi friends. This season, I decided to write short first impressions. Why? I’m as lost as you, kind of just felt like it. Well, one reason I can think of is that I’ve never done them bef…
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Jan 5, 2023 • Subscribe
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Seasonal First Impressions: SABIKUI BISCO
An atmospheric, engrossing, and surprising offering from a new studio, Sabikui Bisco is one to watch.
Seasonal First Impressions: SELECTION PROJECT
Selection Project is Doga Kobo’s swing at the idol anime genre, but does it sing or is this a flunked audition?
Seasonal First Impressions: Spring 2023 Stragglers
So many anime airing in a given season means I can’t possibly devote full columns to them all. Nonetheless, here are some short thoughts on a midnight slice-of-life,…
Mobile Suit Gundam, Otaku Elf, THE MARGINAL SERVICE, Tokyo Mew Mew, TOO CUTE CRISIS
Seasonal First Impressions: THE GENE OF AI
Part medical procedural, part one man’s quest to clear his mother’s name.
Seasonal First Impressions: BIRDIE WING Tees Off
Birdie Wing manages to somehow make 22 minutes of golf-related video watchable. I can pay it no higher compliment.
Introducing Theme Weeks + Masterpost
Image: Miyazawa Kenji no Shokutaku There are so many things I’m interested in. Things I want to experience, explore, learn more about. Some of them have been on…
Masterpost: It’s Blaugust Again?!
My goal this month was to sneakily come back without any type of announcement because the goal for the rest of the year and beyond is to take…
Seasonal First Impressions: Everything is Right on CUE!
One of the season’s early standouts, CUE! opens with an improbably sincere navigation of what it means to be a performer.
Seasonal First Impressions: WONDERFUL PRECURE is Doggone Great
With a largely character-driven and astonishingly charming first episode, the 21st Precure season gets off to a wonderful start.
Seasonal First Impressions: What is THE MISSING 8?
Stylish and atmospheric, but with notably limited animation, The Missing 8 is the year’s last–and probably most mysterious–anime to premiere.
Seasonal Anime First Impressions: BIRDIE WING Swings Again
The Symphogear of Golf returns like it never left, with a swaggering reintroduction that reminds us why it’s so great in the first place. Golf If It Ruled…
Seasonal First Impressions: TAKT OP.DESTINY is The Season’s First Must-Watch
takt op.Destiny opens with a triumphant, soaring symphony of a premiere. The season’s first must-watch has arrived.
Seasonal First Impressions: On a Highway to HELL’S PARADISE
Somewhere in Edo-period Japan, one man tells himself that he’s accepted his impending death. He is lying.
Seasonal First Impressions: The Soothing World of HEALER GIRL
Gentle as a breeze, soft as the morning Sun, Healer Girl is a standout in an already-promising season.
Seasonal First Impressions: The Soothing World of HEALER GIRL
Gentle as a breeze, soft as the morning Sun, Healer Girl is a standout in an already-promising season.
Seasonal First Impressions: Mysteries on Mars in METALLIC ROUGE
The hotly anticipated action-yuri opens with a decidedly esoteric first episode, but will its obscure storytelling reel in viewers, or push them away?
Seasonal First Impressions: The Robotic World of PRIMA DOLL
The season’s first true dud is a retread of ancient slice-of-life clichés, as robotic as its main characters.
Seasonal First Impressions: It’s Midnight in Nagasaki in REVENGER
Dark, mysterious, and appropriately vengeful, Gen Urobuchi’s Revenger stands as one of the 2023 winter season’s early highlights.
Seasonal First Impressions: The Puzzle of PON NO MICHI
Pon no Michi is a mahjong-themed slice of life comedy rife with light-hearted laughs, but you won’t find this anime on your local streaming service.
Seasonal First Impressions: SENGOKU YOUKO is Good, Thank God
The second Satoshi Mizukami manga to get an anime in two years thankfully fares much better than its older sibling The Lucifer & Biscuit Hammer.
Seasonal First Impressions: Hitting the Jackpot with HIGH CARD
In just 22 minutes, HIGH CARD proves itself to be a standout among a surprisingly dense anime season. A cast full of violent, superpowered prettyboys helps.
Seasonal First Impressions: PLATINUM END Makes Moral Bankruptcy Fun!
Platinum End is a dark, over-the-top festival of camp and edginess. Should you watch it anyway? Find out here.
Seasonal First Impressions: Let’s Get Ready to RUMBLE GARANNDOLL
Rumble Garanndoll is more than just a pile of references to other anime, but how MUCH more? Find out here.
Seasonal First Impressions: Going Way, Way Down in SAKUGAN
This post-apocalyptic underground sci-fi adventure might be more than it initially seems.
Seasonal Impressions — Winter 2024
Sequels: Banished From the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside S2, Blue Exorcist Shimane Illuminati Saga, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage, Classroom…
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 2nd Stage, Classroom of the Elite, Shaman King, The Dangers in My Heart
Seasonal Impressions: Fall 2020
The last season of the year known as 2020. Things are getting somewhat stable, until it could change by a single decision. I don’t know what I’m talking…
Adachi and Shimamura, Gate, Golden Kamuy, When They Cry, Ikebukuro West Gate Park
Seasonal Impressions: Summer 2020
Another day, another season. As time goes on some things may have changed but at what cost? You and I may not know it right away. In any…
Fruits Basket, The God of High School, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, APPARE-RANMAN!, DECA-DENCE
Summer 2022 — Seasonal Impressions
Sequels: Classroom of the Elite S2, Danmachi S4, Hataraku Maou-sama S2, Jashin-chan Dropkick X, Made in Abyss S2, Overlord IV, Rental Girlfriend, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth 26. Harem…
Overlord, Overlord IV, Utawarerumono, Classroom of the Elite, Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World
Seasonal Impressions: Winter 2021
While at first it was supposed to be a sequel dominated season, surprisingly even the new series are worth watching. Is this a one-in-a-lifetime thing or it only…
2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team, Cells at Work!, When They Cry, Horimiya, The Promised Neverland
Winter 2022 — Seasonal Impressions
Ongoing / Sequels: Arifureta, Attack on Titan Final Season Part 2 (ridiculous), Demon Slayer, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Lupin the Third, Platinum End, Princess Connect!…
Attack on Titan, Platinum End, Princess Connect! Re:Dive, Ranking of Kings, Teasing Master Takagi-san
Seasonal Impressions: Spring 2020
I don’t know how I could describe this season in one word. Delays and cancellations left and right, uncertain reschedules, and the fact majority of people we’re looking…
Fruits Basket, Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Kakushigoto, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, APPARE-RANMAN!
Seasonal Impressions — Fall 2023
Sequels: Ancient Magus’ Bride S2 Part 2, Arknights: Perish in Frost, B-Project Passion Love Call, Beyblade X, Captain Tsubasa, Dark Gathering, Dead Mount Death Play S2, Dr Stone…
The Faraway Paladin: The Lord of Rust Mountains, Captain Tsubasa, Dark Gathering, Dead Mount Death Play, FLCL
Summer 2023 — Seasonal Impressions
Sequels: Ao no Orchestra, BanG Dream, Bleach, Bungo Stray Dogs, Cardfight Vanguard, The Devil is a Part Timer, The Duke of Death and His Maid, Horimiya, Jujutsu Kaisen,…
Bungo Stray Dogs, Horimiya, Shadowverse Flame, Shadowverse, Spy Classroom
Fall 2022 — Seasonal Impressions
Sequels: Berserk, Bleach, Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit, Golden Kamuy, Idolish 7, Kankolle, My Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100 S3, Muv Luv Alternative, Pop Team Epic, To Your…
Berserk, Encouragement of Climb: Next Summit, Golden Kamuy, To Your Eternity, Yowamushi Pedal
Spring 2022 — Seasonal Impressions
Sequels: AMAIM, Ascendance of a Bookworm, Black Rock Shooter, Build Divide, Date A Live, Demon Girl Next Door, Kaguya-sama, Kingdom, Komi Can’t Communicate, Love Live, Magia Record, Science…
Winter 2023 — Seasonal Impressions
Sequels: Blue Lock, Bofuri S2, Bungo Stray Dogs, By the Grace of the Gods 2, Cardfight Vanguard, Danmachi, D4DJ All Mix, Don’t Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro 2,…
BLUELOCK, Bungo Stray Dogs, By the Grace of the Gods, By the Grace of the Gods 2, Cardfight Vanguard
Spring 2023 — Seasonal Impressions
Sequels: Ancient Magus Bride, Birdie Wing, Boku to Roboco, Demon Slayer, Dr. Stone, Duel Masters, Edens Zero, Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, Isekai Smartphone, Kaguya-sama, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Punch!…
ME & ROBOCO, Ranking of Kings, Kizuna no Allele, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear - Punch!
Seasonal Impressions — Spring 2024
Obviously my most anticipated series this season is Mahouka, but some comments on the rest: Sequels: Black Butler: Public School Arc, Date A Live V, Demon Slayer Hashira…
Black Butler, Black Butler: Public School Arc, Date A Live, Date A Live V, The Duke of Death and His Maid
Seasonal First Impressions: Climbing The Stairway to a HEAVENLY DELUSION
Gorgeous and haunted, the post-apocalyptic adventure gets off to an absolutely stunning start.
Seasonal First Impressions: POLICE IN A POD is Comedic Homicide
The season’s first true washout is a soul-sucking piece of cop apologia that wouldn’t know funny if it were beat over the head with it.
Seasonal First Impressions: Dragons, Tigers, and Isekai in FLUFFY PARADISE
The year starts off in decidedly so-so fashion with this cotton-light “cozy” isekai.
Seasonal First Impressions: Springtime Comes Again in SKIP AND LOAFER
A tale as old as time and early seasonal highlight; country girl moves to the big city, is a fish out of water, vomits on her teacher, etc.…
Seasonal First Impressions: The Beautiful Bloom of KOMI CAN’T COMMUNICATE
Komi Can’t Communicate stands as the second truly essential anime of the fall 2021 season, a beautifully warm portrait of young love.
Seasonal First Impressions: Something is Wrong in AKEBI’S SAILOR UNIFORM
There is no polite way to say that a series “has weird vibes.”
Seasonal First Impressions: Under Cover of Darkness, Enters NINJA KAMUI
Seasonal First Impressions is a column where I detail my thoughts, however brief or long, about a currently-airing anime’s first episode or so. There are a handful of interesting…
Seasonal First Impressions: Less Money, More Problems in TOMODACHI GAME
“Tomodachi Game” has money on its mind, but is it actually interesting?
Seasonal First Impressions: Hacking and Slashing Through RWBY: ICE QUEENDOM
The highly-anticipated anime adaption of the beloved CGI web series has finally arrived, but does it stand on its own two legs?
Seasonal First Impressions: Something is Wrong in AKEBI’S SCHOOL UNIFORM
There is no polite way to say that a series “has weird vibes.”
Seasonal First Impressions: Gaze into The Void with TESLA NOTE
The nightmare is inside of you and Tesla Note knows it.
Seasonal First Impressions: BUILD DIVIDE: CODE BLACK Deals its First Hand Face-Down
Build Divide: Code Black is the rare card game anime not relegated to kids’ show status, but is it actually any good?