Premise
A middle school soccer player who seems to be a ballhog glory hound finds himself scouted by a coach for a series youth football club when he comes to realize he's more strategically minded and team-minded than even he realizes. Can he find a way to utlize his unique playstyle in a team when he asks so much to play in his own unique style?
It Gud?
Yet ANOTHER sports anime. Seems to be the season for it. This is definitely the most traditional of them in many ways, coming in with big shounen energy. Oh, it's not over the top or anything, it's just not a game changer either. Not that this is a problem, this one seems like it could be pretty fun. The idea that the character seems like a glory hound but is more of someone who has a specific playstyle is low key interesting and I'm curious if the idea that he has a hard time with traditional team work will be dropped in favour of straightforward teamwork but it would be fun to see something different happen with that dynamic.
It is weird that the show wants to forgive the main character for red carding the team to a loss when even when we learned WHY he hit another player, it's just as unjustified as when we learned about what he did, even if the other play comes in later extremely contrite for his shit talking. Dudes, even if some jerk talks about your mom, ya don't headbutt another player. Other than that, there's not too much to say. I suspect this might be a bit similar to Ace of Diamond, an addictive sports show that never quite rises above to really differentiate itself but nonetheless results in a quality product.
Dance Dance Danseur
Premise
Jumpei is a young man who does manly stuff like Jeet Kune Do. But in his heart of hearts, he can't deny himself, he wants to do ballet. When a young girl recognizes a "kick" he did in class as a ballet maneuver, she pleads with him to join her in ballet. Tempted both by the thought this girl might have a crush on him and a chance to do ballet once again, Jumpei complains but finds himself returning to his love of ballet... but is it too late?
It Gud?
Dance technically is an "art" rather than a sport but Dance Dance Danseur is following that style in the best possible way. I love stories about growing abilities and craft that also connect in a personally emotional way and this series hits the ground running as he confronts masculinity and having the courage simply not to define his with simplicity. I like the way that it drives home in his backstory in a way that really drives home why he is concerned with it because beyond simply being embarrassed by doing a "girl" thing, a personal tragedy and help from well-meaning relatives want him to be self-reliant, which they define as being "a man".
His family is great and supportive but it is not clear to Jumpei that the "manliness" his loved ones want to instill isn't a series of prescribed norms but something that makes him personally stronger. And unbeknownst to them, he's finding his courage in ballet and being able to admit to himself how fulfilling and empowering it is to him. It reminds me a lot of Blue Period, another series about growing technique to work in a creative field and it being about also growing your worldview.
The animation of the dancing is beautiful, which is key, and it's just a great directed show. I can't wait to see more of it because it's not long before I'm invested in these characters and look forward to seeing how things shake out. And also knowing how rough ballet can be on the body, if they will get into some of the more horrifying details (I suspect in a low key way, probably, for injuries).
The Executioner and Her Way of Life
Premise
A boy is summoned from another world to a magical land... and is promptly given the boot. He runs into a priestess who claims she takes in wayward strangers from another world, which seems to be a recurring problem that the upper class of the religion of Faust are taking issue with. After teaching the boy how to use his power, she suddenly kills him. It turns out that people summoned from another world have a very bad habit of having their problems go dangerously out of control and in addition to being a priest is an assassin. Learning the boy wasn't the only one summoned, he tracks down a young woman summoned at the same time in order to kill her.
It Gud?
I'm certainly not in the market for more isekai and one that, upon hearing the premise, sounds potentially edgelordy even less so. The Executioner and Her Way of Life isn't edgelordy, really, and is much more of a standard "assassin who believes they are sinning for a greater good finds their humanity again". It's actually pretty easy to predict the show's trajectory; she's going to meet this woman and instead of killing her will be driven to save her, turning her former allies into enemies. What's more, while the characters are in no way "bad", they also fail to leave a particularly strong impression and feel a little more like types I've seen before, even in this season, too. The overly affectionate little sister-type, the troubled assassin, the clueless friend who changes our antiheroine through pure avuncularness (granted, this is in the second episode, which I've already watched so spoilers for if I'm still watching this one).
So as basic as it is, if it wasn't for the previous bracket statement, you might think I'm dropping it. But I want to give it a try because even though I suspect they won't dive too deep, I do believe the world building is doing something different and low key critical of the modern and now very specific isekai genre. The hero finds, instead of being one super-special people, is essentially a reluctant immigrant, one of many special people chucked into the lower rung of society the second he isn't useful. He probably doesn't even have a lot to share with his new society because everyone else beat him to the punch and most of the cool stuff that would come with being this kind of protagonist is taken away. And when the hero learns he, in fact, might have a cool gift, he's killed for it. Because OP people are dangerous and people are scared because they often become monsters, literally, despite good intentions. I feel like this is interesting and parts of it even address things I wish the shows would address that get handwaved away for narrative purposes. Maybe people who are abducted miss home and this hurts them. Maybe people don't want someone from another world around.
It doesn't stray deeply far off the path and doesn't completely turn the genre (or any genre) on it's head to a significant degree, but it actually has a few stakes and a potentially emotional, if well-trodden, story of betrayal and love. Oh, it's not without problems, it gets a little gratuitously booby-focused a couple times and I'm not expecting big surprises, but it's interesting enough that I'll stick with it unless it completely losses my interest.
RPG Real Estate
Premise
A woman joins a real estate company in a fantasy world helping people find places to live in a magical metropolis and beyond.
It Gud?
This is the kind of story that's not for me. I like slice of life comedy and I don't necessarily mind "cute girls doing things" series is who they are and what they are doing is interesting, but I'm growing tired of the conventional Western-style video game fantasy setting, particularly when so many pop up each season and seem satisfied with "yeah, you like this trope or reference." This isn't even the first fantasy real estate show within a year's time. I bounced off this one pretty quickly.
I don't think I would have stuck with it regardless but the show puts a lot of stock in me enjoying the series resident gremlin (in the non-monster sense of the word... although, also she's a monster). She's a loud 5-13 year old (anime makes it hard to gauge) who screams a lot and doesn't want to wear clothes and knowing anime is probably like a billion years old or something. l do not care for her.
Other than that, I found all it's narrative turns, slight as they are, REALLY easy to predict and even without the gremlin, am not having a tremendous amout of fun with these folks. Though the premise has been done with Dragon Goes House Hunting, I do think you can do a lot with this premise and have fun with the idea of the challenges of living and paying rent in a fantasy world. The joke I did legit like was the idea of owning an apartment where adventurers can legally rummage through your shit, Final Fantasy/Zelda story. But there were far more lows than highs and I have no interest in giving it the opportunity to turn it around as it feels happy with where it is.
Also, I'm pretty sure the owner of RPG Real Estate delivers saucy singing telegrams...
The Dawn of the Witch
Premise
A young man with no memories goes to a magic school that will erase his remaining memories if he can't pass, which I have a hard time believing the PTA came to an agreement on. To this end, the school teams him with a pantsless little girl who is 300 years old because this very young looking girl has no pants and anime is gross. They end up teaming with one of the top students on a special mission and I feel like maybe something else happened but I don't remember.
It Gud?
I mean, does it sound like it? I mean, this is how the mentor figure looks.
As JBear pointed out, it doesn't look like she chose pantlessness but she simply forgot them. Similarly, the main character has a notable look. Specifically one.
Never has a protagonist looked so disinterested in being in a series and this is ANIME where that is pretty common. The dude has the one face and some series would use that to comedic effect but considering this show doesn't do well in the humour department, this isn't probably gonna work.
And mostly, it's a pretty dull fantasy show (and memory loss? Is this backdooring an isekai element again) and if there's some sort of reveal, the show thought we'd be interested enough that they could wait for that drop. This is certainly not the case for me and while the series tried to get me into the worldbuilding where witches are a new class in society or something, I couldn't give a hoot. That's right, I cussed a swear! The Dawn of the Witch is yet another series I think I must have chosen because of a good animal and the dragonman isn't bad, he's far from enough to keep me going.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki
Premise
Tsubaki is a kunoichi (lady-type ninja) who lives in a girls-only ninja camp where she and her friends are warned off men. But Tsubaki, though she doesn't want to admit it even to herself, really wants to see a man and struggles with these feelings, particularly since all her friends are more interested in dunking on men or straight up wanting to beat them up as a show of strength.
It Gud?
Tsubaki isn't bad but some shows seem to exist with one central joke and the promise comes with the question "can they keep the joke fresh". Kaguya-Sama did by making it's characters (mostly) loveable and building on who they are beyond the "romance Death Note" interplay without never completely abandoning it. Tsubaki doesn't really get beyond that to me and that's unfortunate.
I didn't dislike it as much as JBear, who seemed more bored by it and was likely disappointed since he was a fan of the mangaka's other series Teasing Master Takagi-San. For me, I found it watchable but repetitive, down to the girls constantly saying the same slams on men, complete with "just kick em in the junk". It feels like in the next chapter you can do that but the same time in a half hour is less so. So I don't have super-negative things to say but I have no desire to see any more.
Heroines Run the Show
Premise
A teen moves to the big city to join track and runs afoul the two most popular boys in school, who have it in for her since she may have overheard something scandalous about them. But while they are in lockstep against her, they otherwise can't seem to stand each other. When her parents run into financial dire straights, she decides to support herself with a job... which turns out to be an assistant manager to the boys... who are also one of the most popular idol units in all of Japan.
It Gud?
A show about idols is usually going to be an uphill battle for me, not because I hold animosity against idols but many of the shows fall into a similar mold that don't interest me. But this really isn't an "idol show" with 3D simulacrum of the characters dancing around. Its more of a traditional shoujo show where our everywoman finds herself tormented by some jerky dudes who are likely going to fall for her, Boys Over Flowers-style.
But at the same time, it doesn't make a living Hell for our heroine the way some of these shows do for all the tension. If anything, I feel like for now, it is most focused on her and the ending makes me think we are not just going to get romance but also friendship as her gal pals work together and help each other out. It's not forging a new path but I am having a good time so far and I'm hopeful that it's not just these characters mooning over each other but her finding her worth in a new field beyond convenience.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost
Premise
Miss Shachiku is an office worker doing late nightsto finish work haunted by a baby ghost DESPERATELY trying to get her to return home. Neither of them really get what they want.
It Gud?
There are a certain subset of shows that I feel confident I actually would have totally kept with if they were half the length. How Heavy Are Your Dumbbells, for example. Some shows feel like they work better in a bite-sized form. More isn't better and this show falls into that. The second half is the story from the ghosts point of view but it doesn't actually give us much insight and feels like a drag even compared to the leisurely-paced act one.
It's also not particularly funny. It's cute but cute only takes me so far (specifically 12 minutes). But I won't lie, this baby ghost is fucking adorable.
So if that's all you need, this show definitely has what you need. You get a cute baby ghost.
You might think the message of the show is "life doesn't begin or end at the office" but it really doesn't do that. Actually, if anything it's more wish fulfillment that something adorable would tell me not to work (even if it doesn't work in the show). But mostly, it's someone wanting to have cute ghosts as a personal assistant.
Kotaro Lives Alone
Premise
A four year old boy lives alone in an apartment with some other lonely people.
It Gud?
Kotaro Lives alone is a show that advertised itself as funny but also rather sad and it delievered. Oh, no, I wasn't going to town on the waterworks (and I am easy to make cry) but the show both embraces the absurdism and the deep sadness in a story about a little boy who lives alone. It's not realistic, as there's not much explanation on how this character is in this unlikely situation and it doesn't need to but it comes from an emotionally potent place about this apartment building full of lonely people who come together due to this little boy who enters their lives. I'm not as over the moon as I was hoping but even though it isn't quite as potent as I hoped, it really does do what I want, quirky little slice of life stories with a tinge of melancholy.
Thermae Romae Novae
Premise
In ancient Rome, the son of bathhouse architects decides to follow in their footsteps.
It Gud?
I was a big fan of Olympia Kyklos, the weird edu-comedy set in Ancient Greece and was excited to see the same creator's premiere series. I was given to understand it was less comedic but I was disappointed with how bored I was with this one. It didn't help that the time travel aspect happened only very briefly in episode one and is more of a character piece, one that didn't capture my mind. If it was going to be less wacky, I would much rather learn about the nature of the bath, which we only get a bit of (mostly that you go between very hot and very cold water.)
The animation is more servicable than impressive and after the bizarre fever dream of Olympia Kyklos, this can only be a letdown in every respect. I do appreciate that every episode gives a mini-docu series about Japanese bath houses hosted by the creator but that's more "hmm, neat" rather than "Aw, yeah!"
It's a shame between this and Way of the Househusband, they take manga with perfect comedic voices and dilute it a bit with dull direction. Househusband gets off better thanks to very great voice acting and some good timing, even if it hurts the very good art of the source material. It could also be that this started off on the wrong foot; it feels more like a prequel chapter than a first chapter. But it pains me to say I'm just not interested in going further.
Deaimon
Premise
A musician returns home in hopes of taking over his father's sweet baked-goods business in the hopes of taking over the family business. But considering he actually knows little about making sweets, his dad would much rather give his business to a promising apprentice... a 10 year old girl.
It Gud?
A pleasant and often funny little slice of life show, Deaimon is a simple series about a seemingly irresponsible musician and a girl taking on responsibilities beyond her years. The first episode ends with the dude helping the girl out of a jam with a jam... of the musical variety, and it's all heart-warming in the right ways.
I don't think when we hit the next season this one is going to stick with me strongly but I feel like it's in the same field as Aquatope from a while back about characters supporting each other and maybe learning a few things about stuff. Which I'm down with. The one thing that rubs me the wrong way is the white shading, which I've seen on a few shows.
But that's really more of a personal preference.
Love After World Domination
Premise
A Power Rangers-esque super team of tokusatsu heroes battles world conquerors. But the team leader ends up falling in love with one of the most powerful generals of the evil empire. The two decide to start a relationship but decide to keep their forbidden love secret from their co-workers.
It Gud?
I wasn't sure I was going to be into this since I've never been a tokusatsu fan and the thirsty design of the female co-lead. But I was really won over by this one. I can see getting tired of it if I don't like the ways the characters and comedy develops but it's a pretty fun first episode and I like the idea of two people who really don't know how to romance fumbling through romance while keeping a secret.
It's interesting to see that there are actually a surprsing number of series that is less interested in "will they won't they" and show that just being in a relationship also has fun tension. It's not nearly as comedically adept as my personal season favourite Kaguya but I like watching these dummies try to figure their shit out. I also say I like some of these designs.
Shikimori is Not Just a Cutie
Premise
The world's unluckiest guy has a badass girlfriend... but sometimes, she's rather be a cute girlfriend.
It Gud?
The description sounds slight but I quite liked this one. JBear bounced off and I'm not certain I like it enough to watch it for myself on my loaded plate but I might. Regardless, there's a weirdness to the premise I can't quite articulate. The premise sounds clear and when put into words it is. But I feel like the logline actually is only one thrust instead of the main one. In Kaguya, the main thrust was clear and then felt free to branch off and not be constantly married to it. But this one feels like only one moment, a bowling scene, is about the push and pull.
I won't call it a problem, per say, because I think it actually makes Shikimori a little more actualized. She doesn't dislike or even resist looking cool but wants to be seen in another light. The yearning isn't deep, at least in the first episode and I think it makes the character maybe more at peace with herself, it means it lacks a little push and pull of the comedy. So ironically, I think by having this character being pretty comfortable with herself means the push and pull isn't very clear for me.
But I still like the show, OK. It's very beautifully animated, to be sure. I will say I like the characters but I'm not as drawn into their relationship as much as some of the other ones we are seeing this season. I'm curious if in the next episode, it has a more clear "game" to how the stories and humour shake out.
Spy X Family
Premise
Twilight, the world's greatest spy, has been given his hardest assignment... start a family. In order to get close to an important individual, he needs to get a child and have them enroll in the school. In order to not raise suspicions, he adopts from the shadiest orphanage around and finds a little girl who miraculously meets all his criteria. What he doesn't realize is the girl, Anya, has a secret; she can read minds and immediately knows Twilight is a spy on a mission and she wants in. Soon, the two find themselves hip deep in danger while also learning to create a genuine bond with each other.
It Gud?
Spy X Family is easily the most anticipated new series thanks in no small part in the manga's popularity. With Studio Wit at the helm, it's no surprise this was an instant hit with me, being very funny and clever. But beyond that, I was expecting a simple gag series but so far it actually seems to have a serialized arc and I'm curious how that will play out going forward.
I also appreciate how it uses stakes. The baddie is convinced he can overthrow a government official with evidence that he's wearing a hairpiece and I love that it punctuates this goofy plot point with a murder presented like a more series genre piece.
I also think that it's a series with a good theme to it, about characters who have been bottling up their humanity for what they've been told is a good reason and find themselves opening up. I know that an assassin is joining the cast as the "mom", so I'm excited to see that play out but more than that, I always like the theme of having a good cause and simply being a good person and remembering the values that characters put aside for a "greater good".
I already see so much promise and one episode in I'm having a great time. Kaguya is my big show for the season but boy is this a close runner up.
EDIT:
Ya Boy Kongming
Premise
Kongming, great leader and strategic mind of the three kingdoms era China, finds himself transported to modern day Japan where he decides to utilize his for his true calling; EDM Manager!
It Gud?
I feel bad for almost forgetting this one. Yes, it is good, a lot of fun. The premise is knowingly ridiculous but also it isn't just wall to wall wacky, we get to feel the weight of the goofy premise and actually stew in it for a while as Kongming adjusts to live in the modern day. Also, he tries to learn about blockchain. Thankfully, someone draws the line there.
It is a very funny show, to be sure, but I like how character based it is and isn't simply leaning on it's high concept but using it to give us some fun times with these characters. I know I'm in good hands when Kongming gives someone a fuzzy navel before they can finish saying it. Dude knows what he's doing.