fyi this is going to be EXTREMELY informal. i did not bother with any proper grammar, puncuation or sentence structure. think of this as your friend infodumping in a group chat or something about stuff theyve watched lately. here we gooo

favorites:

skip and loafer

absolutely delightful series. absolutely delightful characters full of charm and personality. the writing is so good, every character is so fleshed out and believable, it's hard to find any that arent at least somewhat relatable. it has that kind of writing where the characters really feel like a friend group, like youve definitely known someone like any or one of these characters before in your life. the look of the show compliments the writing and feel of the story super well. the lineart is thin without being overly detailed and the color palette is soft and easy on the eyes. tomoyo kurosawa was fantastic as always in the lead role, mitsumi being a scrungly gremliny lil guy in a romance with the handsome popular guy (as opposed to the usual mediocre man and attractive woman trope) was so nice to see, their friendship is so genuine and sweet.. i really really want to see what happens next :') im absolutely picking up the manga soon i cannot wait for another season

loving yamada at lvl999

it's the shoujo madhouse adaptation come back special!!!!! it wasnt clear card or chihayafuru s4 but it was just as delightful of a watch. it made me realize just how much i missed this style of writing and all 'shojo-isms' (the cuts to chibi versions of the characters expressing the scene and emotions in a cute exagerrated way, the zoom-in panels on detaileded eyes and hair to portray the character's sorrow or ennui, etc) and it comes with. it was so refreshing, i felt revived, rejuvinated even. it's such a good adaptation too, i actually picked up the manga near the end of the show with the intention of marathoning it all the way to end but decided against it. because experiencing the story through the adaptation made it so much more enjoyable for me that reading the manga made it feel like a downgrade somewhat, i know that sounds harsh but that's how good of a job madhouse did with it

the idolmaster cinderella girls: u149

might genuinely be my all time favorite idol anime, every episode was such a banger, the production quality was through the roof, there's so many subtle touches and beautiful moments that elevated the show so much for me. the music video scenes were especially well done, they really did a great job spotlighting what makes each of these girls shine. i dont want to say too much as to not spoil anything, since every episode is pretty much a vignette into each girl and her personality and her hopes and dreams and so on. my favorites were risa, arisu and koharu and i cannot wait to see more of them. no clue if theyre doing a second season (please god) but there is an ova coming out this fall!! i am very excited

loved:

ancient magus bride season 2

ahh i missed this series, it has that sort of cozy urban fantasy vibe that i love so much, lowkey reminds me of some ghibli films actually. i did NOT expect them to go into a school arc? this season felt so different from the first but i still enjoyed it a lot, so many new characters! seeing chise change and grow as a person was so satisfying and heartwarming to watch, elias as well ofc. theyre such a sweet mismatched couple. theyre setting up a lot of interesting threads and lore that i really want to see how it resolves. i want to learn more about these ruling families and their specialties and their relationship to their children that are the students we see in class along with chise. lucy and philomena were especially endearing to me, everyone in their lil friend group getting to know each other bit by bit, the fact that they still dont fully trust each other yet because of the circumstances theyve been in felt believable to me and i just. i just want the best for these kiddos okay!! i want to see them be happy and be friends and hang out and have a good life T____T

pokemon horizons

- pokemon horizons i CANNOT believe i said i might drop this at the beginning oh my god i have enjoyed this show sooooo much. i love love LOVE pokemon aaa im so glad they decided to reboot the series and completely get rid of ash and the old cast of characters LMAO i am sorry if thats harsh to say but i love these new characters, liko is so adorable, friede has my heart, im in love with mollie, murdock is such an endearing uncle to dot. there's just so much in this show has completely endeared me to it. it's pretty much been a sunday morning routine to watch it along with precure while having breakfast (tho it's on break at the moment ;w; can't wait for more episodes!!)

liked well enough, i guess:

mobile suit gundam the witch from mercury

ah....... where to begin with gwitch? the utena comparisons didnt really go beyond the duels and gayness did they? i have to admit i was never as enamored by this series as everyone else seems to be. like, yes, i enjoyed it! but there were a few weeks there where every single new episode was so.... exhausting to watch :pensive: in a "when is the misery gonna end" sort of way, and sure it did pay off well enough. maybe part of it is because the whole time i was expecting the series to go on for 50ish episodes in typical gundam fashion, but i cant help but feel there were too many unanswered questions, too many plot threads unresolved, im sure is going to be fodder for a sequel film series released over the course of almost a decade which the rest of the world will have to access to MUCH much later than those who can actually go see them in theatres :^) but either way, i love the characters, the girls are gay and they got the happy ending they always deserved, so that's good enough for me

oshi no ko

ended up liking this one a lot more than i thought! as you may know the first episode had me absolutely gobsmacked, it feels completely different from the rest of the series. i had some idea of what to expect going in (that it was about show business/idols, and it gets dark, etc) and the execution on those aspects was quite well done imo, the characters are fun as well (the staff seems to have a massive soft spot for kana lmao) my personal favorite was memcho! (i really wish i knew her real name... she is only ever referred to by her alias/online handle...) i do wish ruby had a bit more time to shine as well, but it seems she'll be getting more of a spotlight in season 2. aqua WOULD be a typical brooding teen boy protag until you remember he's a 30yr old man stuck in the body of a teenager lmfao, it makes his attitude and reaction to everything a lot more relatable and realistic. but yeah i dont have much more to say on this series atm. i prolly wont pick up the manga (as so many people seem to have done after the anime ended) but i am def looking forward to season 2
i recommend reading this blog post my dear friend nea wrote on it!

yuri is my job

ohhhhh gosh where do i begin. i complained SO much about the second half of this series, particularly about one specific character (kanako) and how she embodies every single trope/archetype that i hate in one single character. but honestly? after seeing how her arc/relationship with sumika resolved my hate for her kind of fizzled out. their dynamic ended up being a lot more interesting than i expected. if you want a yuri anime full of spicy drama this is it. i went into it expecting a fluffy cgdct slice-of-life romcom, but NO, there is so much conflict in this show, breakups, love triangles, one-sided pining and yearning, it's all there. nea wrote a blog post about this series as well !!

leftovers:

vinland saga season 2

ahhh after binging the manga a couple years ago it was so nice coming back to this series, it's always fun seeing familiar scenes and characters finally being voiced, colored, and animated. i am admittedly unsurprised that a lot of people fell off vinland saga after the start of this arc. considering how much it shifts in tone, but i am regardless still disappointed :^( imo after the prologue is when it keeps getting better and better. thorfinn's character growth is incredibly satisfying to watch, seeing his bond with einar grow stronger, his reunion with canute, his homecoming, seeing him find a new dream and goal in life, it's all so heartwarming. like yes. shit sucks in the world, we see so many horrible and cruel things happen in vinland saga but there's always an underlying message of hope and perseverance. which i love so so much. i dont think ill ever not love this series

soaring sky! precure

i love it!!!!!!!! it is continuing to be one of my favorite seasons, ageha is so great, she's def my favorite of the cast. every new development has been sort of unexpected but has me hooked more and more, i love that they travel between skyland and japan whenever they want? i love that they managed to gather enough energy to lift the curse in a reasonable amount of episodes and not have it last like the rest of the season or whatever? i love that elle is actually learning and walk and talk bit by bit? i also love that ageha was always pretty much part of the group before officially becoming a precure, and that she knew what was happening and helped out as much as she could. also that the people in the town know who the precures are and kids in nurseries and such are fans of them even?? the episode where they all received fan letters and replied to them was so cute... ahhh there's just so much. that i love about this show. we're almost halfway through i think, im not sure if ill make another post about hirogaru sky but please know: i love it so very much and highly recommend you watch it.

bonus! summer season picks:

horimiya -piece-

ever since i found out horimiya is actually a shonen, everything about it made a lot more sense. i like it well enough, it's a cute and easy watch. sadly none of the characters or their dynamics really grabbed me, it always kinda felt like hori is not nearly as developed and fleshed out as miyamura. so maybe -piece- will show more sides of her personality this time. also part of me is kind of bitter that a lot of my favorite manga series will never get this treatment :pensive: (a whole new season of episodes that are just adaptations of side stories left out of the initial first season)

my happy marriage

probably will be my favorite of the season!! already love the historical setting, the supernatural element took me by surprise a little bit ngl but it added an extra layer intrigue to me. i do not have much to say yet as only two episodes are out so far, but it's a very pretty show. i loved the ed, and i cant wait to see more

sugar apple fairy tale season 2

it's baaaaack, after the cliffhanger from the first season left me completely heartbroken seasons 2 could not get here fast enough!!!!!!! two episodes are out atm but ive only seen one so far, seeing anne acknowledged for her efforts and her position as a master artisan is very satisfying for one. i also sympathized a lot with bridget, her frustration with anne and her lashing out in the way she did, clinging onto some sense of agency through manipulating challe. like yeah i feel this lol. the last scene in ep1 was very sweet :') im not sure if ill keep up with this week-to-week? i didnt manage that with the first season (probably because of the pacing) but considering how little im watching from the summer season it'll probably be okay

ooku

historical drama josei let's go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i did NOT expect this to be released all at once on netflix oh my god. i am not good at binging shows AT ALL so ive been putting this off since it came out :sob: regardless, i am so happy this was made. i love love love historical dramas so im sure i will enjoy every minute of this

and that's it! unless something comes highly recommended this'll be it for me. ive never been the type to pick up as many shows as possible during any given season, i dont want to burn out of a long term hobby that's been keeping me entertained for years so i try to keep it as light as possible whenever a new anime season comes around. thanks for reading!