It’s been a wild few months, y’all. Fell behind and never posted a Fall 2024 wrap up, so I’m just doing it all now. Here’s a combined Winter 2025 and Fall 2024 set:

Winter 2025 wrap up

Watched current releases:

• Zenshu - Surprise hit of the season for me. Incredibly creative animation throughout, good story, great characters. I think the finale could have been slightly workshopped, as it didn’t quite land for me as hard as I thought it would, but overall excellent. Easily on my short list for best of 2025. Teetering between 9 or 10/10 for me.
• Solo Leveling S2 - I had slightly lowered expectations for this for some reason. Maybe I was just expecting a second season slump or maybe it would draw out major plot points to milk more content. Nope: this was ridiculously fast paced and plowed through major reveals and moments so fast that it was hard to keep up. There were a lot of build up moments in between, while starting to introduce a lot of new characters and beginnings of a bigger plot that felt a bit rushed and less exciting. But overall I loved it. 9/10.

Watched past seasons:

• Kaiju No 8 - Holy crap that was sooo much better than I expected! I’m not sure why I thought this wouldn’t work for me, but it kept me super engaged throughout and action was nuts. One of my favorites of 2024. Definitely will check out future seasons. 9/10.

Dropped (from any season):

• Shangri-La Frontier - Tried first episode and it really didn’t click with me. Strongly disliked MC. Likely done.
• Guild Receptionist … - Watched 1/2 of season and dropped. Characters feel too archetypal and rigid, with no growth or feeling. Not interested in bigger plot and initial premise ran thin very fast.
• Sakamoto Days - Watched 3 episodes I think. It’s just fine. I want to click more with the characters, but something isn’t flowing well. I dunno.
• You And Idol Precure - Watched 1 episode from a recommended list. Super not vibing with me.
• Momentary Lily - Watched 1 episode from a recommended list. Really didn’t like the characters or the animation style.

Eventually watch from this season:

• Apothecary Diaries S2 - Watched a couple episodes before I realized this wouldn’t be complete this season. It’s excellent, but I’ll wait until it’s all out to watch at a quicker pace.
• 100 Girlfriends S2 - I like the meta and over-the-top absurdity, but really struggle with some of the problematic content. Maybe 1/2 through season? I’ll probably finish S2, but I’m guessing I won’t follow to S3.
• Fruitmaster … - My guilty watch of the season. I know it’s not great, but I’ll defend it that it’s not trash! About 2/3 done.
• Castlevania Nocturne S2 - Most of the way through and enjoying this a lot. Nocturne S1 was just okay for me and this is a big step up. I loved the OG S1-2 and these aren’t quite at that level.
• Medalist - Not typically my thing but it’s so highly rated that I should give it a try. Unfortunately, it’s trapped in Hulu jail. I’ll subscribe sometime this year for a month or two to catch up on a bunch I’ve missed out on the last couple years. Just really annoying to subscribe to both D+ and Hulu.
• My Happy Marriage S2 - Tried an episode of S2 and I’m close to dropping it. I find the politics difficult to follow and the main premise frustratingly overdone. I think the initial premise was way more fun and different and could have been a compelling short anime. I’ll probably give it another couple episodes.
• Beastars S3 - Waiting until the full season is out later this year.

Fall 2024 wrap up:

Watched current releases:

• Dan Da Dan - Easily my favorite of the season and on my short list of favorites for 2024. Wild story, awesome animation, great voice acting, just incredibly produced. I do have some significant complaints about plot points that almost made me nope out. Despite that, this is easily a top tier for the year. 9/10.
• Ranma 1/2 - I grew up watching OG, and wasn’t convinced this needed to exist. I was pretty interested after 1/3 of the season, but fell off again towards the end. I feel like the content is kinda dated and feels like an artifact of the time. I wasn’t ridiculously impressed by the animation quality, and they were going for a manga-style that didn’t vibe with me. It’s good, but I unfortunately didn’t love it as much as the OG, which I’m sure wouldn’t hold up today either. 7/10.

Watched past seasons:

• Wistoria Wand And Sword - Not top tier, but surprisingly solid. Animation is fun, characters decent, world is kinda interesting. It’s a good B tier imo. 7/10.

Dropped (from any season):

• 365 Days To Wedding - Tried a couple episodes. Didn’t click. I think I didn’t like either of the two main characters much and found it hard to relate.

Eventually watch from this season:

• Re:Zero S3 - Watched intro “movie” episode. It’s decent, but I’d forgotten so much context that it was hard to care too much. Decided to wait until the whole season is out before binging.
• Orb … - Tried one episode. Not sold on it, it feels really dark and not so fun. I’ll probably give it a good try now that it’s all out.
• Dragon Ball Daimo - I’d like to watch all the Dragon Ball shows eventually, but have never watched any. I think I’m going to participate in the OG rewatch that just started.
• Is It Wrong … S5 - I sorta liked the first couple seasons. Might get to this eventually.
• Blue Box - Not my typical thing but it’s reviewing well, so I’ll give it a shot some day. Probably try now that the full season is out.
• Arcane S2 - Not anime. Only watched some of it. It’s excellent, but I need to be in the right mood to totally appreciate it.

Well, I’ve been meaning to finally watch Dragon Ball at some point. Three episodes per week is a pretty manageable pace, although I’m sure there will be weeks I fall behind due to travel or busy plans. That’ll end up being 51 weeks to complete the 153 episodes, just about a year. I’ve only watched maybe half an episode of any Dragon Ball series ever, so I’ll be real fresh.

Barely been able to watch lately. At least finished a few things I’ve been tinkering at for a while:

• Ranma 1/2 remake S1 - It ended up being just fine for me. I’m not sure what it would’ve taken for me to love this like I loved the OG when I watched it decades ago. I appreciated the better pace and less time wasting fluff and recaps. I bet I’d find the OG nigh unwatchable these days, anyway. I guess I was hoping for a more interesting contextual update considering modern times, but instead it was even more faithful to the OG manga. Still fun and worth watching imo.
• Kaiju No. 8 - Wow that was a fun and entertaining ride. I loved it. Definitely will continue watching future seasons.
• Fruitmaster - I know this is bad and universally panned. But I’m weirdly enjoying it. Pls don’t judge me lol.
• Sakamoto Days - Only a couple episodes in. It’s good, but not blowing me away.
• Receptionist… - Couple episodes. Good, also not blowing me away.

Definitely plan on catching up with several more seasonals when they get closer to wrapped: Solo Leveling S2, 100 Girlfriends S2, Re:Zero S3, Apothecary Diaries S2, Happy Marriage S2.

Thanks for all the work y’all have put into this place. I’ve enjoyed participating here. I certainly post quite a bit more than I ever did on /r/anime. Hope to keep this place around.

I’m not following a ton weekly this season. Dandadan is the clear winner and is amazing, a real contender for AOTY imo. Also watching Ranma 1/2 and it finally clicked in episode 3 for me. I now think it’s vastly outperforming the OG, mostly because of the improved pacing and minimal padding.

I’m waiting for Re:Zero S3 to mostly wrap before jumping in. I’d rather watch it a little quicker than weekly.

Only watched a bit lately. Just keeping up with 3 so far:

• Dandadan - Holy crap this is a ride. Like others said elsewhere, the first episode threw some major flags for me, but apparently that kind of thing is extremely rare, so I’m strapped in for the rest. Also that OP is #1 for the year imo.
• Re:Zero S3 - That first 90 minute episode should have been more exciting, but I spent most of it trying to remember who everybody was or why I care about all these meetings and that somebody is being rude to somebody. The last 15 mins and the second episode finally got me hooked again.
• Ranma 1/2 - Heavy nostalgia for me. I’m not convinced this is better than the OG anime so far. I really love the old style (even after watching several comparisons) and miss the old OP. I’ll probably finish it just for curiosity if nothing else.

Surprisingly great season. Actually had a good amount of time to watch new and catchup too. A bit heavy on romance, but so many variations that it didn’t feel too repetitive for me.

Completed/almost-completed new releases:

• Oshi No Ko S2 - I think there’s another episode or so left in the season. Great season, lots of character development and overall plot movement too, although didn’t land quite as hard as S1 for me. 9/10
• Makeine - Surprise hit of the season for me. Really loved it. One episode left that is a new anime-only story written by the original writer iirc. I do wish it had simply avoided a few tropes completely, but that’s about my only complaints for this gem. 9/10
• Pseudo Harem - Another surprise. Loved this adorable couple, and almost didn’t give it a shot because the title didn’t sound like something I’d be interested in. Beautiful complete series in only 12 episodes. Honestly one of my top romance animes all time. 8/10
• I Parry Everything - Another out of nowhere really fun show. I really enjoyed this, in a silly what-is-happening way. Reminded me a lot of Helck, in a good way. 7/10
• Dungeon People - Filled the gaping hole left by Frieren and Dungeon Meshi. Very good, although the art style made me think this would be more chill than it ended up being. Some surprising violence and adult content. 7/10
• Days With My Stepsister - Shocked this turned out so good. It’s one of the most nuanced and careful presentations of young adults trying to make the best choices they can. I wish it didn’t have the titillating premise, because I’d love more romance anime that took its characters this seriously. 7/10
• Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings … - I think I’m tapping out after this season. I found the political intrigue not engaging and several of the characters grating or extremely unbelievable. It’s fine, just not for me. 6/10

Tried/dropped new releases:

• My Deer Friend … - Too hit or miss.
• Plus Sized Elf - Not for me.

Previous seasons shows completed:

• Dungeon Meshi S2 - Current frontrunner for AOTY, edging out Frieren cour 2. Absolutely loved it. 10/10
• Scavenger’s Reign - Not-anime but excellent. Gripping and engaging bizarre world. 9/10
• Cyberpunk Edgerunners - Phenomenal production, but not my favorite world. Still great though, maybe 8-9/10?
• Hell’s Paradise - Grew on me over time. Really enjoyed the last episodes and looking forward to S2 eventually. 8/10
• I Was Reincarnated As The 7th Prince … - Silly fun and light. Enjoyed a lot. 7/10
• Carol and the End of the World - Not-anime, but very interesting. 7/10

Future wrap-up from this season:

• Terminator 0 - Haven’t been in the right mood.
• Wistoria - 5 episodes. Good animation, great action, and fun story. Probably finish.
• No Longer Allowed … - I’ll give it another shot, but might drop soon.
• Spice & Wolf - Only watched a couple episodes. Interested in more when I have time.
• Nier Automata - I’m currently playing the game, so after that I’ll probably watch the anime.
• Slime-San S? - Eventually.
• Konosuba S3 - Eventually.
• MHA S? - Eventually.

What do you mean? My kids have been playing my library using the new Family Sharing rules for a couple months on my LCD deck by opting into the beta.

And yes, the new Family Sharing is amazing. It’s made me want to buy exclusively into Steam ecosystem.

I just signed up for their 2 year subscription deal, and always looked forward to getting my latest edition. Also listened to their podcast, which was great too. Super bummed about this.

I feel the same! I’m wrapping up world 6 and wondering when there’s going to be any challenge or clever secrets! There’s only been a handful of stages with double exits, every wonder flower is damn near unmissable, and there’s been maybe a couple times that I grunted “oh that’s clever” when seeing a hidden something. I like the creativity of each wonder flower being different, but I was definitely expecting a lot more based on the extremely positive reviews! I haven’t finished the challenge world (I think I’ve discovered 4 so far?) and only one of them took me more then 2-3 tries. Almost every level I’ve 100% cleared on my first try. I’m not a platforming savant, I swear!

Didn’t continue anything at all I was playing last week! On a whim, I decided to give a little try to Dave the Diver. Like 12+ hours invested now (which is relatively large amount for me in a week…) and it’s all I’m playing. I love so much about the game. There are quirks, and things that could be improved (why on earth can’t I sort my diving pick ups while on a dive to pick the heaviest stuff to drop quickly??), but it feels very much like a “greater than the sum of its parts” game. Which is saying something, since there are a lot of parts in this game! There is enough tedious parts that are detracting enough that I doubt this will be on my top 10 of the year list, but it’s not far from it anyways. Definitely planning on finishing the story and definitely recommended!

Seriously. I’m never upset about a game delay these days because there are already so many games to play that I literally will not be able to get to in my lifetime. I’m still mostly catching up on games from the last few years and can’t imagine when I’ll even get to most 2023 games!

I can definitely see the brain tiredness! I blasted through in a couple days and probably would have enjoyed it even more if I’d slowed down haha. It’s such a gem of a game. I wish there was more like it, but the only game that gave me the same feeling is Return of the Obra Dinn.

Tried Atomic Heart for an hour or two and I think I’m done with it. I found the loot collecting tedious, the upgrades felt excessive and padded, the characters overbearing, and combat was just okay. I think this could’ve been massively improved by cutting 30-50% of the play length by streamlining loot and progression and cutting weaker content. But I’m almost always the one saying games are too long and could be dramatically improved by cutting.

Finished another storyline in Octopath Traveler (1). I’ve finished 4 of the 8 main stories now. I still enjoy it, but just a little bit at a time.

Put a bit of time into Jedi Fallen Order. I’ve enjoyed it a lot more after dropping difficulty to baby mode and just blasting through story. Something about the movement or progression or exploration feels tiring to me. Especially backtracking through worlds I’ve already visited once or twice. I’m maybe halfway through and debating just watching a YouTube video for the remainder of the story…

Still making progress in Tears of the Kingdom. Maybe 25-30 hours in. I’ve started using the official guide’s “companion” for sections I’ve personally completed already. I really like how they wrote it as spoiler free as possible, with suggestions of landmarks or quests to get to that make sense for each section you’ve done. I had completely missed a couple armor sets that will be very handy!