Tag Archives: SPY x FAMILY

Mid-Autumn 2023 Anime Ranking

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It was very difficult to do a ranking this time.  All the shows we are watching are good enough to keep us coming back every week, but none of them stand out as something we can’t wait to watch.

01. My New Boss is Goofy (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen) (Ep. 1-10) – Momose starts to heal from the workplace abuse that he suffered at his previous company with the help of his kind new supervisor.

My New Boss is Goofy is practically the spiritual successor to Play It Cool, Guys, right down to Umehara Yuuichirou voicing the airheaded ad exec. While I’m not in love with the show, it is consistently sweet, and silly, and it makes me smile.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

02. The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons (Yuzuki-san Chi no Yonkyoudai.) (Ep. 1-11) – The Yuzuki boys are really endearing, especially Gaku, who is the youngest in age, but acts the most serious and mature.

There’s a lot of content here that I personally relate to, being from a family of 3 sisters, with a big age gap, and now orphaned too.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

03. Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023) (Ep. 14-24)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. FRIEREN: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) (Ep. 1-12)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) (Ep. 1-11)

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Paradox Live THE ANIMATION (Ep. 1-10) – Out of the 3 music-themed anime we’re watching, this one has the best music and the most compelling and dramatic story line.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange (Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange) (Ep. 1-11) – Very realistic firefighter stories, but it’s kind of slow-moving; and the amount of recap at the start of each episode is ridiculous. It’s almost like the storytelling is so realistic that it happens in real time, which is totally unnecessary. Otherwise, Firefighter Daigo can be pretty exciting and suspenseful.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. JUJUTSU KAISEN -SEASON 2- (Ep. 35-45) – The Shibuya battle rages on, in all its destructive glory. I don’t know what to say. Two of our favourite characters bit the dust in 2 consecutive episodes. When another of our favourites entered the fray the next week, we were like, ‘no – what are you doing??’

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

09. The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent (Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu) Season 2 (Ep. 1-11) – Now that her Holy Saint duties are winding down, the kingdom wants to see Sei settled down. Of course, Sei has always been more interested in her research than in romance, so Albert understandably hasn’t pressured her; but if he doesn’t make his move soon, he might miss his chance.

Well it’s still good, but somehow less magical than the first season. Even the romance/chemistry between Sei and Albert feels kind of lacklustre.

Actually, you know who the cutest couple is? The king and his attendant! Just from one brief scene, it’s obvious how much they enjoy each other’s company and that they have a rich shared history together.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. GOBLIN SLAYER II (Ep. 1-10) – Less action and gore compared to season one, but still entertaining, as somehow, Goblin Slayer’s fixation on goblins never gets old.

I’m appreciating Lizardman a lot lately. He’s getting to be as into the goblin slaying as Goblin Slayer! And the subtle jabs he sometimes takes at their leader are so funny.

I also really like the makeover for Farm Girl. Previously, I was weirded out by that vacant look in her eyes, but now she seems bright and cute.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

11. SPY x FAMILY Season 2 (Ep. 26-35) – At first it seemed like this cour was going to be more episodic filler, but we finally entered a long arc with Yor’s mission on the cruise liner, and that was a huge improvement for the show.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

12. HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle- Rhyme Anima+ (Season 2 Ep. 1-10) – I was never particularly enamoured of any of the HYPMIC guys, but you know, there’s just something cute about the way Samatoki is always irritable and so angry; to the point that even his closest comrades can’t tell if he is under someone’s influence, or suffering nicotine withdrawal, or just being his normal self!

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

13. B-PROJECT: Passion*Love Call (B-PROJECT Netsuretsu*Love Call) (Season 3 Ep. 1-11) – Tsubasa’s workload increases as Gandara signs up a streaming platform duo called Ultras. There’s a learning curve since the company is not accustomed to representing this type of talent, and Ultras are not accustomed to being represented.

Unfortunately, the English subtitles for this show are frequently problematic. It’s obvious the translator wasn’t given any background information or just can’t be bothered about getting any of the names right. Gandara Music is misspelled every time with an extra ‘h’ inserted randomly; the group names are often preceded by ‘The’ and are pluralized, as if they can’t conceive that music group names do not always follow that format. This, despite the fact that the correct typeset sometimes appears right on the screen.

(Streaming at Crunchyroll)

14. BEYBLADE X (Ep. 1-9) – The best opening theme of the season (of the shows we are following) is “PROVE” by ONE OK ROCK! That is in fact the primary reason we are watching BEYBLADE X. I have never touched a bey, nor have I watched any previous Beyblade anime. Also, Saito Sōma voices one of the main characters, so that never hurts!

ALSO WATCHED:

Onimusha (Ep. 1-8) (Netflix)

Mid-Autumn 2022 Anime Ranking

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The main takeaway point that I got this season is this: Stalkers are evil incarnate; I would not wish one on my worst enemy. (Re: Romantic Killer, Human Crazy University)

01. Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These – Intrigue (Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These – Sakubou) (4th Season) (Ep. 37-48) – Well, the Galactic Empire has the momentum and they’re on the attack, and things are not looking great for the Free Planets Alliance. Their leaders are over-confident that one man, ‘Miracle Yang’ will always be able to protect them, which is extremely short-sighted on its own. Yet at the same time, they constantly undermine him because they fear his political popularity. I’m definitely concerned that this is not gonna end well for Yang’s side.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

02. Romantic Killer (Ep. 1-12)

(streaming at Netflix)

03. Chainsaw Man (Ep. 1-12)

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

04. IDOLiSH7: Third BEAT! (Ep. 14-26)

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

05. Raven of the Inner Palace (Koukyuu no Karasu) (Ep. 1-13) – Ghostbusters of the Chinese imperial court. Can’t say I fully understand some of the more mystical stuff, but I am fond of the main characters and the show is seriously gorgeous.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

06. Play It Cool, Guys (Cool Doji Danshi) (Ep. 1-12) – There’s one word that always comes up in regards to this show: “relatable.”

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

07. BOCCHI THE ROCK! (Ep. 1-12) – As far as band anime go, this one is top notch. So many original songs, great animation, great attention to detail – in the live performance scene, when they mention errors, it’s even possible to hear the misses in the music!
It’s not quite anime-of-the-year material for me though, since I surprisingly did not find the characters to be that relatable; and the humour sometimes did not click.
In fact, one of the fundamental things I found hard to believe was that a gloomy rocker chick like Bocchi would sport a pink tracksuit as her daily outfit.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

08. BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War (Sennen Kessen-hen) (Ep. 1-13) – I’m kinda surprised and disappointed that all these Soul Society elites have become so complacent and dependent on their bankai that they have no alternative strategies for dealing with the invaders. I’m trying to cut them some slack; I mean it is do or die, and the bankai is their ultimate weapon. But after learning that it’s foolish to bring it out, surely they could at least try some other tactics.

09. BLUELOCK (Ep. 1-12)

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. Human Crazy University (Human Bug Daigaku) (Ep. 1-12)

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

11. SPY x FAMILY (Ep. 13-25)

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

12. I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss (Akuyaku Reijou nano de Last Boss wo Kattemimashita) (Ep. 1-12) – Obviously, I like that Aileen is a strong and independent woman, but there’s little development for the characters. Aileen meets the demon lord; next thing they’re already in a committed relationship and she’s fixing up his house. The narrative flow is just lacking.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

ALSO STARTED:

Akiba Maid War (Akiba Meido Sensou)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo) – The first episode was great! But then after the time skip, I was a bit disappointed at the small-world school setting, and focus on economics instead of space drama.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

Mid-Spring 2022 Anime Ranking

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1. Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These – Collision (Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These – Gekitotsu) (3rd Season) – The overall theme of democracy vs dictatorship, explored through engrossing character and plot developments, continues in the third installment of this eloquent space drama. I’m always impressed with how smart and well-written this show is!

I actually admire and empathize with Yang on a deeply personal level. His continued commitment to his duties, in spite of his distaste for his job; because the outcomes would be far worse if he weren’t there – I feel it. His frustrated declaration, “That’s it. I’m quitting for real this time!” was so cathartic!

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

2. KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR -Ultra Romantic- (Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Ultra Romantic) (3rd Season) – This new season ventures into the absurd more than ever, and it is definitely the most fun I’ve had with KAGUYA-SAMA yet!

Just because HYPNOSIS MIC is not on air this season, that doesn’t mean we have to want for rap battles! From our meagre list alone, epic rap battles feature prominently in not only this show’s ep. 5, but also ya Boy KONGMING! as well as Nanaraki. It’s almost like, which shows don’t have a rap episode nowadays!

My sister and I laughed so hard (and felt so called out) when Iino’s motivational ikemen voice track in ep. 1 turned out to be none other than our faves, Umehara Yuuichirou and Saito Sōma, hamming it up! Haha, why doesn’t that thing exist in real life?

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

3. SPY x FAMILY

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

4. ya Boy KONGMING! (Paripi Koumei) – It’s the Tale of the Three Kingdoms meets the contemporary music biz when Zhuge Kongming gets his dying wish for a peaceful next life granted, in the form of an isekai trip to modern day Japan. He befriends and becomes an immediate fan of aspiring singer-songwriter EIKO; and before long, Kongming has a job tending bar at a nightclub and is applying his wisdom and battle stratagems to further her musical career.

(streaming at HIDIVE)

5. Summer Time Rendering (Summertime Render)

(streaming at HIDIVE)

6. Deaimon: Recipe for Happiness – Because of Nagomu’s general appearance, his voice actor, the fact that he’s a musician moving to a different city at the start of the show, and the underlying theme of carrying on a family tradition, I can’t help but be reminded of last year’s Those Snow White Notes. But whereas Setsu was stoic and intense all the time, this guy is like his half-assed antithesis. He’s low-key inept enough that his parents are looking to eventually entrust their business to someone else, instead of their son.

I’ve also started to wonder how he hasn’t noticed that two people in his life, who may be related, have the same last name. But then I realized this is Nagomu we’re talking about; I wouldn’t put it past this chump to not know the full names of any of his friends!

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

7. Heroines Run the Show (Heroine Taru Mono! Kiraware Heroine to Naisho no Oshigoto) – The idol duo starring alongside Hiyori here is LIPxLIP, who were featured in HoneyWorks 10th Anniversary “LIP×LIP Film×Live” movie (also known as Kono Sekai no Tanoshimikata: Secret Story Film.) Hiyori happens to attend school with Aizou and Yuujirou and becomes their manager-in-training, partly because she is not gaga over them. Heroines Run the Show is pretty light and amusing, and Hiyori is certainly more likeable than the 2 guys. Those eyebrows though.

Unfortunately, LIPxLIP’s songs are some of the most horrendous idol music I’ve ever had the displeasure to hear in an anime.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

8. Love All Play – The second badminton anime in as many seasons. This one is a more straightforward high school sports scenario, and at least in the beginning, I found it quite similar to this season’s other sports anime, AO ASHI.

Love All Play is quite heavy on the gameplay aspect. By comparison, Salaryman’s Club featured a greater proportion of off-court content, and that suited my tastes better.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

9. The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari Season 2) – It’s okay. It’s totally not bad, but lately we’ve had much less time for anime, and I don’t know if I’m interested enough to finish watching this.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

10. AO ASHI – We mostly watch this one while we’re busy doing other things, such as eating. I enjoy the episodes featuring Ashito’s mom and older brother considerably more than the soccer episodes. Too many of the characters at his new team have nasty personalities. I don’t know if that’s realistic or not, but I simply tend to prefer uplifting interactions over unpleasant ones.

(streaming at Crunchyroll)

Also watching, sort of:

Nanaraki ~Seven Lucky Gods~ – Not sure why this strange, barely-animated show exists, but there are some big-name seiyuu involved, and my sister is following it.

(streaming on YouTube)