Tag Archives: THE PROMISED NEVERLAND

Mid-Winter 2021 Anime Ranking

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Going into this season, aside from the obvious sequels, there were very few new anime that caught our attention based on description. Therefore, voice talent became a major deciding factor for the shows we checked out. That’s how we ended up watching almost everything that Umehara Yūichirō and Saitō Sōma, my current favourite and my sister’s favourite seiyuu, respectively, have roles in.

I had to bail on EX-ARM (starring Sōma) after 3 episodes, however. I never had any delusions that it might be good. More like I had hoped it might be so bad it’s good. But it was just bad.

Also because of Sōma, we picked up The Quintessential Quintuplets (Go-Toubun no Hanayome) in the middle of its second season, without bothering with season one. So yes, we are now following both the sextuplet-brothers anime and the quintuplet-sisters anime.

We started HIGH-RISE INVASION as well (Ume plays Sniper Mask), also with the expectation that it might be so bad it’s good. So far, that’s panning out fine. We’ve seen only 4 episodes, so it’s not included in the ranking below. Of course The Quintessential Quintuplets∬ isn’t included either because we started on episode 9.


01. JUJUTSU KAISEN (ep. 14-22) – Last cour, we fell in love with Nanami. This cour, Tōdō has stolen our hearts with his instant bromance with Itadori.

I really did not expect to like Tōdō so much when he was first introduced. It turns out he is incredibly talented, strong, smart, stupid, and funny. When he’s being serious, his thoughts are impressively organized. Like any good eccentric genius though, he’s got his quirks. Not only is he a zealous otaku who lives for his waifu, he also happens to have a hilariously over-active imagination. That whole elaborate shared history he spontaneously fabricates for himself and Itadori is priceless!
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


02. Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Final Season (overall ep. 60-72) – This is a very different show from when it all started. The setting has expanded; the characters’ understanding of their world has completely been altered; and the character art has changed too – I’m not personally a big fan of the new art.

Because we felt a bit lost after the radical developments at the end of season 3, we weren’t as keen for this final season when it started airing in December as we should have been. We actually put off watching until mid-January. But once we started, it was very hard to stop.
(streaming at Crunchyroll and Funimation)


03. SK∞ (SK8 the Infinity) (ep. 1-9) – Langa grew up snowboarding in Canada, so when he takes up the skateboard in Japan, that experience informs his style and natural talent. As he rapidly gains attention in the underground “S” racing circuit, how will that affect his relationship with his newfound skateboard buddy, Reki?

All of the characters are likeable, fun, and attractive. Well, I’m not sure I can say I ‘like’ ADAM that much, but he certainly makes an impression! Langa and Reki have a genuinely sweet friendship. And for some reason, I really like Cherry, including how his distinctly masculine voice is somewhat at odds with his very feminine appearance. Long, pink-haired effeminate dudes are not uncommon in anime. I’m serious: check out Mochizuki from Skate-Leading ☆ Stars and Kokoro from I★CHU from this list alone. However, I don’t think I’ve ever come across one as elegant and manly as Cherry.

SK8 is helmed by Utsumi Hiroko, director of Free! and Banana Fish. If you loved the heart and artistry of Free!, this gorgeous anime is definitely one I recommend.
(streaming at Funimation)


04. Dr. STONE: STONE WARS (ep. 1-9)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


05. Horimiya (ep. 1-10) – I’m really particular about my romance anime. I find the usual tropes and melodrama tiring. Fortunately, Horimiya mostly hits the right notes for me. The characters seem like good, well-adjusted kids. I like that when the main characters get confronted by classmates about their dating status, the response is “Yeah, so?” instead of denials and lies.

That said, I do find Hori’s recent kink development to be problematic on multiple levels. It would not be an issue if they kept it very occasional and very private. Acting like that in public, however, can give their teachers and classmates the wrong idea and get them in real trouble.

Also, abusive behaviour could easily become real, as Miyamura has to change his mindset in order to act so differently from his usual nature.

Worst, their play-abuse normalizes that type of interaction for people who see them and makes light of those who may genuinely be victimized. So yeah, I know it’s not meant to be taken seriously, but I could do without that aspect of the show.
(streaming at Funimation)


06. 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team (Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley Bu) (ep. 1-10) – The early time skip was confusing to me. It wasn’t obvious how much time had passed and what went down in the meantime. Some of the characters seemed to be dealing with some past trauma, but that wasn’t very clear. And are Haijima and Kuroba actually close friends?

At least the Seiin team senpai, Aoki and Oda, are more likeable. Especially Aoki (Ume’s character); I love how bossy, manipulative, and clever he is.

Well, then the Fukuho team made their debut mid-series, and almost immediately, I was wondering, ‘Oh no, these are the rivals right? How come it feels so much like they are the protagonists of this story? I haven’t even warmed up to the home team this much yet!’
(streaming at Funimation)


07. Skate-Leading ☆ Stars (ep. 1-11) – This is a sports anime featuring skate-leading, a fictional group-ice-skating sport that’s part dance and part synchronized figure skating. Competitions have a short program and a long program like other figure skating divisions.

Ep. 6 kind of confused me. First Maeshima was criticized for being too sloppy, but then as soon as he tightened his performance, he got blamed for playing it too safe. I’m surprised he didn’t seem as frustrated as we felt watching it.

Sōma and Ume both have supporting roles, and both of them play to type here. Ume turns in another Non-Expressive Dude, while Sōma continues to make Radiant Golden Boy his personal specialty. Kuonji (Sōma’s character) is actually a highlight of the anime. Because he apparently spent time in Canada, he regularly peppers his dialogue with (well-pronounced!) English phrases. Kuonji is just so obnoxious and in-your-face, he kind of bulldozes over the rest of the cast and steals the show. It’s awesome.
(streaming at Funimation)


08. Hortensia SAGA (ep. 1-10) – A fairly generic fantasy-adventure anime starring an extremely generic-looking male lead, with some pretty generically evil villains. Surely Marius/Marielle could do a better job at pretending to be a man. Anyone who didn’t already know she was supposed to be a guy would take just one look and assume she’s female!

Anyway, the king of Hortensia has been murdered and the church has taken control. It’s up to the hidden princess and her trusted companions to defeat the evil forces and save her kingdom.

But wait. Let’s put aside the evil pope and the war for a moment. Adelheid, ruler and military commander of the Principality of Olivier, ‘noticed’ Deflotte! Could it be? Here I assumed his romantic advances were only meant to be a clownish character flaw. Could it be he actually has a chance with her?

Not saying anything about the rest of the show, but in general, I like how they’ve portrayed this (Ume’s) character. For all that he’s made out to be a girl-crazy flirt, I have to respect that Deflotte had no eyes whatsoever for the likes of the pretty pop-idol princess-pretender who charmed dozens of male admirers, and instead set his sights way, way above his station! He also gets to speak up and complain whenever they have to do anything unpleasant, though that never stops him from doing his duty faithfully.
(streaming at Funimation)


09. Osomatsu-san (Mr. Osomatsu) 3rd Season (ep. 13-22)
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


10. THE PROMISED NEVERLAND (Yakusoku no Neverland) Season 2 (ep. 1-9) – I had high expectations for this, based on how good the first season was, but it’s been pretty disappointing.
(streaming at Funimation)


11. I★CHU: Halfway Through the Idol (ep. 1-10) – It’s a common complaint of mine when it comes to these idol shows: too many characters. Even in their groups, I have trouble recognizing each guy. Once they are separated from their units? Forget it.

One of the groups consists of members from 5 different nationalities. I would think that would afford them the unique liberty of being able to incorporate a wide variety of styles into their music without worry of triggering cultural appropriation accusations; but they seem to play it safe. Of course, this is a show that has a walking, talking bear as a school principal, so never mind.

Credit where it’s due, the I★CHU performance segments appear to be more hand-drawn than CG, and they look good!
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


12. WAVE!! -Let’s go surfing!!- (WAVE!!: Surfing Yappe!!) (ep. 1-9) – A dumb kid suddenly develops a passion for surfing. Then tragedy strikes (in a rather dumb way.) Then life goes on.

The CG surfing animation is not amazing, but I think it’s passable enough to service the story. The story itself is the real problem; I am pretty surprised at how it’s basically gone nowhere.

Right, and don’t get me started on that annoying synthesized soundtrack.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)

(EX-ARM, The Quintessential Quintuplets∬ are on Crunchyroll; HIGH-RISE INVASION is on Netflix)

Jacquie’s 2019 Year in Review

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How’s this for procrastination? Check it out! Better late than never, right?

☆ Top 10 Anime

#1. VINLAND SAGA (24 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019 to Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Amazon)

#2. THE PROMISED NEVERLAND (Yakusoku no Neverland) (12 episodes)

Aired Winter 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#3. The Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Second (Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu: Die Neue These – Seiran) (12 episodes)

Aired Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#4. COP CRAFT (12 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019
(Streaming: FUNimation)

#5 Dr.STONE (24 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019 to Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#6. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (26 episodes)

Aired Spring 2019 to Summer 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#7. Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) Season 3 (22 episodes)

Aired Summer 2018 and Spring 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#8. [given] (11 episodes)

Aired Summer 2019
(Streaming: Crunchyroll)

#9. Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious (Shinchou Yuusha: Kono Yuusha ga Ore TUEEE Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru) (12 episodes)

Aired Autumn 2019
(Streaming: FUNimation)

#10. PSYCHO-PASS 3 (8 double-length episodes)

Aired Autumn 2019
(Streaming: Amazon)

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

☆ Anime Songs TOP 7 COUNTDOWN:

Going in the opposite order now…

07. “MAYDAY” by coldrain feat. Ryo from CRYSTAL LAKE (Fire Force OP2)

06. “Iruimi” by JUNNA (BEM ED)

05. “Sight Over the Battle” by OLDCODEX (ULTRAMAN Theme)

04. “Gurenge” by LiSA (Demon Slayer OP)

03. “Touch off” by UVERWorld (THE PROMISED NEVERLAND OP1)

02. “Take On Fever” by OLDCODEX (Tokunana OP)

01. “MUKANJYO” by Survive Said The Prophet (VINLAND SAGA OP1)

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The following music categories are not necessarily anime-related, though they kind of happen to be.

☆ BEST FULL-LENGTH ALBUM


“THE SIDE EFFECTS” by coldrain
Favourite tracks: SEE YOU, STAY THE COURSE
(Available on iTunes Canada, Spotify)

Runner up:
“Anti” by HYDE
Includes previously released songs: Who’s Gonna Save Us, Mad Qualia, Fake Divine, After Light, Zipang, and his worthy cover of Duran Duran’s Ordinary World.
Favourite album track: Another Moment
(Available on iTunes Canada, Spotify)

Honourable mention:
“LADDERLESS” by OLDCODEX
Favourite tracks: Sight Over the Battle, Deeply Mind
(Available on Spotify)

☆ BEST SINGLE (A-side & B-sides)


“Take On Fever” by OLDCODEX (Take On Fever, Nasty, painting of sorrow)
(Available on Spotify)

Mid-Winter 2019 Anime Ranking

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01. THE PROMISED NEVERLAND (Yakusoku no Neverland) (ep. 1-10) – The kids at Grace Field House make the shocking discovery that their loving orphanage is in fact a farm for raising yummy children to serve as demon food. The clock is ticking as they try to find a way to escape, but with such insurmountable obstacles in their way, and no way to know what lies outside, the odds are against any of them making it out alive.

THE PROMISED NEVERLAND is as thrilling as it is artful. It’s great to see Emma, Norman, and Ray’s ingenuity and friendship. Their situation is looking dire, to say the least, but man am I rooting for them to succeed.

The OP by UVERworld is pretty awesome too. I’m personally not a huge fan of most of their works, but every once in a while, they will surprise me with something unique and hooky; and “Touch off” is one of those songs.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


02. Mob Psycho 100 II (ep. 1-10) – Fans of sakuga are obviously loving this series. For me though, the real draw is its main characters, Mob and Reigen; they are so complex and well-written, and completely lovable in spite of their flaws.

Episode 7, which focused on Reigen’s humiliating downfall, was a clear highlight in storytelling. He is such an interesting person, first of all; plus the arc was ironically funny at times, and painful, and ultimately uplifting too.

The big battle arc, beginning in ep. 9, gets pretty complicated real quick, with multiple factions and too many characters in the mix. It’s still good, but I enjoyed the earlier character-driven episodes more.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


03. The Rising of the SHIELD HERO (Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari) (ep. 1-10) – I don’t particularly consider myself a fan of the genre, but I will pick up an isekai-adventure series now and then. This is definitely one of the better ones that I have seen.

It’s interesting that even though this alternate world uses some obvious game mechanics, it is stressed that the effects of a person’s actions are real. Completing one task doesn’t mean all the work is done, as unintended consequences may occur, and economics come into play too.

Malty (Myne) and the Spear Hero are a little overplayed in their villainy and ignorance, respectively, but the main characters, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo are sympathetic and likeable enough to sell the show.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


04. Domestic Girlfriend (Domestic na Kanojo) (ep. 1-10) – A teenaged boy suddenly becomes step-siblings with both the teacher he has a crush on and the random girl he once had sex with. Such a trashy premise sounds like it would have to be a train wreck. However, Domestic Girlfriend plays things straight, and seriously considers the implications of its odd scenario on the lives of Natsuo and the sisters.

Unpopular opinion, but for the record, I’m Team Hina – because that’s who Natsuo really liked all along. Plus, they get along well and have some actual chemistry together. However, even if their being statutory siblings isn’t an issue (I think it shouldn’t be), their ongoing relationship as student-teacher is a huge red flag. By all indications, Hina is an excellent teacher; it would be a shame for her to put her career at risk. If they’re both serious, they really need to put the brakes on the romance until after he graduates.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


05. Dororo (ep. 1-10) – This is a dark, but nice-looking show which combines historical realism and folklore. A young man named Hyakkimaru hunts demons in order to reclaim the parts of his body that were sacrificed at his birth.

The little kid who is the title character is sweet and precocious. I’m not that into the primarily monster-fighting episodes, but the ones that focus on Dororo, Hyakkimaru, and Daigo’s family are pretty good.


06. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Ougon no Kaze) (season 4) (ep. 13-22) – The stands have gotten so complicated by this point that I don’t even bother trying to comprehend them all. The guys however, being stand users themselves, are really good at catching on to stand abilities, even though they can be really dense when it comes to other things. Good thing the selective stupidity of JoJo’s characters is well-established! It’s fabulous and you gotta love it.

It’s strangely easy to forget that Giorno is the main character of the show when Bruno is so clearly the driving force and leader of the group.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


07. My Roommate is a Cat (Doukyonin wa Hiza, Tokidoki, Atama no Ue) (ep. 1-10) – I’m not really the target audience for cute pet or slice of life shows. The gimmick here is that part of each episode is told from the point of view of Haru, the cat. Beyond that however, there’s an overall story showing how she sets off Subaru’s personal development and his coming to terms with the loss of his parents. It is surprisingly affecting.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


08. KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR (Kaguya-sama wa Kokurasetai: Tensai-tachi no Renai Zunousen) (ep. 1-10) – Plenty of awkward romance shenanigans in this anime about a couple of over-achieving high schoolers who stubbornly refuse to reveal their romantic attraction to each other. The episodes typically play out in several short vignettes and they are often very funny. Sometimes though, I do want to just smack these two – they take their games so far that it’s never gonna work out for them, ever!
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


09. MEIJI TOKYO RENKA (ep. 1-10) – There’s very little real plot, mostly just lightweight content of the main girl’s interactions with the various male cast in this time-travel reverse harem anime. Just to give you an idea, the overarching storyline seems to be the search for a missing cat! Fortunately Mei is pretty likeable and charismatic for a heroine of this type of show and the episodes are moderately enjoyable.

Since we’re doing this, for the record, I’m Team Syunso. I really do not feel the attraction between Mei and leading man Ougai. It seems to me she clearly has better camaraderie with Syunso. Heck, I’d even ship her with the cross-dresser more easily than with Ougai!
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


10. B-Project: Zecchou*Emotion (season 2) (ep. 1-10) – Sometimes the real drama doesn’t happen until after the ending credits roll; that’s an indication of how (not) packed with plot this idol series is! Fortunately, Zecchou*Emotion is pretty good at presenting its characters, and it can be adequately entertaining just watching the guys interact with each other.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)


11. The Morose Mononokean II (ep. 1-8) – I was satisfied with the original series when it ended, but it’s the sequel, so we’re back. This time, it’s a little less yokai-of-the-week and a little more about the Underworld’s issues about Ashiya, the reasons of which are yet to be disclosed to the audience and to Ashiya himself.
(streaming at Crunchyroll)