I’m adequately enjoying most of what we’re watching, however this is yet another season in which I have no clear favourites.
01. 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsu suru) (Ep. 1-9) – Riche says she won’t do any work, that she wants to live a carefree life. But all that means is she won’t do the official duties expected of the betrothed of royalty. In her idle time, she is working her butt off, fixing the economy, curing diseases, and trying to stop a war! And ultimately, she hopes to avoid suffering an untimely death yet again.
The Prince Theodore arc was weak, and strained my interest in the show a lot; but subsequently the narrative has picked back up, now that elements of Riche’s past lives are coming together.
For a villainess-do-over-genre anime, I wasn’t expecting anything special in the animation department, but 7th Time Loop has some pretty nice-looking fights. And the ballroom dancing scene was the best of the 3 shows in this category that we’re watching. Yes that’s right: 3! The others are Doctor Elise and Villainess Level 99; and yes they both happened to have a ballroom episode too. However, I think I prefer the more subdued colour palette of the other 2 anime.
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
02. FRIEREN: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) (Ep. 17-27) – With most anime, I usually find that the fights and action scenes don’t do that much for me; and I prefer the quieter character-building moments. It’s the opposite with FRIEREN, though. The fights are really interesting and smart, while the slice-of-life sequences come off as slightly boring.
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
03. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) (Ep. 13-23)
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
04. Chained Soldier (Mato Seihei no Slave) (Ep. 1-12) – My sister has a new Roman Empire, as it were (I just learned this phrase recently lol), and it’s seiyuu Hirose Yuya. So expect us to be watching more of his works going forward, starting with this raunchy harem anime, which is certainly outside our usual zone of interest.
Considering the ecchi and nudity, Chained Soldier is surprisingly not as exploitative as one might expect, since it’s the females who hold most of the power in this society. And yes, it’s actually pretty funny too.
(Streaming at HIDIVE)
05. Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord (Akuyaku Reijou Level 99: Watashi wa Ura-Boss desu ga Maou dewa Arimasen (Ep. 1-9)
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
06. Doctor Elise (Gekai Elise) (Ep.1-9)
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
07. Mr. Villain’s Day Off (Kyuujitsu no Warumono-san) (Ep. 1-9)
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
08. A SIGN OF AFFECTION (Yubisaki to Renren) (Ep. 1-8)
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
09. The Witch and the Beast (Majo to Yajuu) (Ep. 1-7)
(Streaming at Crunchyroll)
ALSO STARTED:
HIGH CARD Season 2 (Ep. 13-17) (Streaming at Crunchyroll)
Classroom of the Elite III (Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season) (Ep. 1-6) (Streaming at Crunchyroll)
