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I wanted to start this post sooner, but with what happen with the site plus not feeling emotionally well this was late.
So I would like to know what was everyone's favorite and least favorite anime of last season.
Here are my favorites and lest favorites:
Favorite New Anime of the Season: Stars Align by studio Eight Bit.
In the Summer 2019 anime season I found myself watching O Maidens in Your Savage Season which touch upon the problems adolescents face, but one in which I could not personally relate to as my time in the adolescent stage was not as rough as media portrays it out to be, and for that reason while I did thought the story was good on its own merit, I did not feel I had an affinity with the show. In the Autumn season I found myself watching this anime which also touches on the troubles of adolescence, and yet I found myself enjoying the story more so then O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as not getting quite as bother by the thought process the characters had in this story for the most part as I did with most of the characters from the former story. However this story takes this a step further by putting a focus on dysfunctional families (much of which are abusive), so it’s not just the main cast dealing with the typical issue of adolescents. In fact I feel that is not the case at all with them. Now I know that there are some who might find that a lot of the young characters coming from dysfunctional families to be too overwhelming and/or over the top for their preferences. After all what are the odds that just about everyone in the story comes from an abusive background of some kind, and before learning this was the main problem some people have with this show it did come to my mind of how funny (not comedic but in a odd, coincidental way) this case I was witnessing was. However, I was not personally bothered by this. When I think about it perhaps it’s because at least the sub plots the different characters are going through all still tie back to and had an effect on the main plot of the story, whereas with some of the drama shows/films I have seen in the past had sub plots that were so disconnected from their main plots that it felt like those sub plots could had been their own stories, and thus it felt that whoever wrote those dramas were trying too hard to add tension to their stories.
Speaking of which I thought Stars Align did a good job with balancing it’s focus on the drama and the sport this story is focus on, which is something I cannot say with one anime adaptation of a sports and romance manga I watched years ago that I thought put more focus towards the latter than the former I enjoy listening to the characters discuss the workings of soft ball tennis and seeing them put the strategies they have thought up to practice as they face against different teams. Some of the matches were so intense that I was engage in seeing who was going to come on top. It kind of reminds me of playing pickleball at the YMCA. While I am more of a casual player in that sport, I kind of compare what I have seen in Stars Align to what it must be like to play pickleball competitively, which is thanks to the person in charge of the activity who taught me the ropes as well as playing more skill players. Some of the skills require to play soft ball teen efficiently looks similar to what goes into playing pickleball.
And with that I want to say that the animation for this show is excellent, especially when seeing the players move around as they either practice or play soft ball tennis. I do not feel I have much of an eye when it comes to animation as some people who are more train do, but I can see that the animators put special attention to how the characters move during some of their practice sessions and matches, as well as when the team does their unique cheer. Oh and the different dance numbers the characters do at the sequence during the ending them (which I would like to clip and turn to gifs). I also like the pastel like coloring this show has.
One more thing I would say I like about this show was the displays of bromance among some of the members on the team. Besides being touching, it has come to my awareness lately that there is not a lot of attention towards philia or platonic relationships in media, and society in general for that matter, and this is especially the case when it comes to the relationship between males. It’s all about romantic love be it heterosexual or homosexual, and while that is not a bad thing in and of itself (I do like me some romance as well. Plus it’s implied that the manager of the team has a bit of a romantic crush on the captain early in the story) it’s a misfortune how romantic love has become idolize while other forms of relationship be it platonic or sibling either get disregarded or confuse with romantic love. Seeing more of those kinds of relationships in media on display is something I would to see happen.
So yes the characters are overall likable, the animation is excellent with the art direction being gorgeous, and the story is engaging thought can be emotionally hard to watch at times given what goes on in some part of the story, but that is the point given the subject matter. I also do like the possible theme the story is going for which I think relates to hope. What I do not like however is that as of me typing this it’s uncertain if this story is going to be continues. The anime was suppose to last for 24 episodes, yet for some reason before the show even premiere it was cut down to 12 episodes. Thankfully the director of the show, Kazuki Akane, decided he was going to keep the first part of the show to how it was instead of making last minute changes that would had likely affected the quality of the story in a bad way. However the show is left on a huge cliff hanger and it would be devastating if things were left the way they are now.
P.S Maki’s mom is best mom!
My Runner Up: Ascendance of a Bookworm produce by Ajia-do Animation Works; originally by Miya Kazuki
There were good amounts of Isekai anime in the autumn 2019 season, but this one certainly stood out from some of the others I have watch. Well this and Bandai Namco Pictures’ adaptation of Osamu Nishi’s Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, but there are other factors that made Ascendance of a Bookworm my runner up. But before explaining what those factors are I would highlight one thing the two anime share in positives, and that these stories actually have world building, which is something that I cannot say for most of the Isekai anime I have seen in recent times. This has been my main issue with much of the Isekai shows that have come out, and not one in which I have not seen as many people point out. It’s a problem in that the worlds these stories take place in feel and look the same to the point of feeling generic, which flies in the face of what makes fantasy such a good genre to both enjoy and work on in the first place, and that is the level of creativity the genre allows. Fantasy is arguably the most creative out of the genres with science fiction, which Isekai is also a sub genre of, coming in second, and much of these shows do not seem to reflect this in how their worlds are presented. It’s even more problematic when the charm of this sub genre is meant to refill a desire to escape to another world. Ascendance of a Bookworm along with Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun however actually do a good job with establishing and presenting their settings enough to feel distinct from each other and the other Isekai that have come out this season with the latter having a Halloween like atmosphere (it was fitting this was broadcasting during October) and the former while having the same Western European style setting we have seen from other Isekai, the story makes it’s setting distinct by showing the livelihood of the people in this world. In the Ascendance of a Bookworm we get to see how people go about their daily lives as they try to make it through the day, see certain cultural practices such as when the villagers would annually meet up together to slaughter a boar before winter or the sort of rite of passage children receive when they turn six to earn their citizenship by the local church, and learn the economics and caste system that run their society (the later in which plays a role in the story). All of this taken together this gives the setting of Ascendance of a Bookworm more of a “historic”, medieval European vibe. Granted this is likely done for the reason that unlike most other Isekai that came before this, Ascendance of a Bookworm, along with Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, do not tell stories of protagonists going on a quest to save the world, but instead have the protagonists stuck in one area of this foreign world they find themselves in as they learn to cope and adapt to a different way of living. In the case of Ascendance of a Bookworm this is exacerbated with the fact that the protagonist winds up in the body of a sickly 5 year old that is suffering from a strange illness (which is also ties into the story) so questing would certainly be out of the question for her. As a result this allows for these stories to put more of a focus towards world building then they probably could of it they had the Adventure genre slap on them.
Now for what really made Ascendance of Bookworm my runner up was that the show click with me in the way that most anime I have watch have not from the moment episode 1 started. It’s the feeling you get when you know you are about to watch something special, and the story manage to deliver on that front. This is perhaps heighten by the fact that for a while I wanted to see an Isekai that star a female protagonist, and while Ascendance of a Bookworm was not entirely what I had in mind, because again this is not an adventures story, I was still satisfied with what I got. Plus, along with fantasy I like slice of life stories. There are some tender moments that resonated with me emotionally, especially when it came to the protagonist new family.
The only downside I would say Ascendance of Bookworm has is for as much book smart the protagonist is there are times she comes off as being ignorant of certain things that catches her by surprise. I could understand it would take time for her to adjust going from 21rst century Japan to a Medieval European like setting, but it’s been imply that history and cultures were one, of the bunch of topics likely, the protagonist has read in her past life so it seems odd there are certain things she witnesses that she is not entirely aware of. Otherwise this problem didn’t stop my enjoyment from watching this adaptation, and I like forward to seeing season 2 this spring, but I also want to give the light novels a try in the meantime before then.
Least-Liked New Anime of the Season: Kemono Michi: Rise Up produce by ENGI; originally by Natsume Akatsuki, Mattakumo-suke, and Yumeuta
This is specifically the most disappointing anime for me of autumn 2019. I was thinking the least-liked anime of that season for me was going to be TNK’s Kanaogawa Jet Girls by Kadokawa, Marvelous, and Egg Firm, but only in that the show was average compared to the other anime I was watching. Kemono Michi however started off promising, but went downhill as the story progress. At least with Kanagawa Jet Girls I thought the quality of the story was consistent throughout what I have seen. The story did not dip in quality, but the show certainly did not improve upon it either. Plus the anime did have moments that brought a smile to my face.
So the biggest issue I had with Kemono Michi was some of the comedy which I thought was degrading, and the story over relying on this comedy as the series went forward. The story had two gags that not only got old thanks to being overused, but rubbed me the wrong way. One involved a wolfman being sexually assaulted by the protagonist, due to his love, or mania (obsessive love) I should say, towards non-human animals. In the first episode this was a bit disturbing to watch, but it was a blemish to an otherwise good episode 1 that made the series seem promising, but then it is shown that he has developed PTSD as a result of the experience, but despite this whoever thought it was funny decided to have him continuously get assaulted by the protagonist whether it be because he’s a humanoid creature or doing something that pisses the protagonist off (which one can argue in episode 10 he did kind of deserve given what he and his comrades did as a means to get back at the protagonist for what he has done to him, and I can see perhaps they should of got back at him another way, but I cannot help feeling sorry for him). The other gag involved the princess who summon the protagonist to the world the story takes place and her being degraded after what the protagonist did to her in episode 1. It was fine and funny seeing her receive a German surplus in episode 1 given what she requested the protagonist to do, but starting in episode 9 it got old as well as uncomfortable to watch as we constantly see her undies exposed (it does not help that I am someone who does not find women’s underwear and bottoms arousing). It does not help that late in the show she embraces this humiliation she receives of herself to the point of seeming like a fetish.
Another thing, I found most of the main cast with the exception of Shigure, Jeeves (because it does not say much, and Hiroyuki (he’s a cute puppy) to be annoying to varying degrees with the protagonist, Genzo, being the worst I think. For someone who wants to open a pet shop and share his love of animals to everyone, he sure does not seem quite as serious enough to accomplish his goals. The protagonist of Ascendance of a Bookworm in comparison has made more progress towards her goal then Genzo, and that is saying a lot considering what she has to work with and go through to get her goals accomplish. That and to a less extent his running gag of beating people up every time they offer him a job to slay a beast or cal him by a nickname he despises (because that is a sure to way to convince people that they should like animals), which at times gets a bit tiring. It’s was so bad in fact that late in the series I felt I wanted to see the story from the perspective the antagonists more so the main cast. They seem more interesting than most of the main cast.
So yeah this anime went from being promising to disappointing. Now I have learn that the manga this anime is base on is better written, and this is likely a case of this show not being a good adaptation, much like the case with a another Isekai anime I now people have been talking about how terrible of an adaptation it was. I do want to give the manga a read to see if it’s as good as the anime.
Best Continued Anime of the Season: Fairy Gone by P.A Works
There were going to be three anime I was going to continue to watch from last season, but one of them I have not gotten back to watching like I plan, so for this category it was between David Production’s adaptation of Atsushi Ōkubo’s Fire Force and Fairy Gone, and I chose the latter. The second half of this anime got really interesting with everything just coming together for the finally that was both exciting and emotional. This is one series I would like to revisit one day, ideally if it comes out on home video, and see what I have miss from my first watch through.
So I would like to know what was everyone's favorite and least favorite anime of last season.
Here are my favorites and lest favorites:
Favorite New Anime of the Season: Stars Align by studio Eight Bit.
In the Summer 2019 anime season I found myself watching O Maidens in Your Savage Season which touch upon the problems adolescents face, but one in which I could not personally relate to as my time in the adolescent stage was not as rough as media portrays it out to be, and for that reason while I did thought the story was good on its own merit, I did not feel I had an affinity with the show. In the Autumn season I found myself watching this anime which also touches on the troubles of adolescence, and yet I found myself enjoying the story more so then O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as not getting quite as bother by the thought process the characters had in this story for the most part as I did with most of the characters from the former story. However this story takes this a step further by putting a focus on dysfunctional families (much of which are abusive), so it’s not just the main cast dealing with the typical issue of adolescents. In fact I feel that is not the case at all with them. Now I know that there are some who might find that a lot of the young characters coming from dysfunctional families to be too overwhelming and/or over the top for their preferences. After all what are the odds that just about everyone in the story comes from an abusive background of some kind, and before learning this was the main problem some people have with this show it did come to my mind of how funny (not comedic but in a odd, coincidental way) this case I was witnessing was. However, I was not personally bothered by this. When I think about it perhaps it’s because at least the sub plots the different characters are going through all still tie back to and had an effect on the main plot of the story, whereas with some of the drama shows/films I have seen in the past had sub plots that were so disconnected from their main plots that it felt like those sub plots could had been their own stories, and thus it felt that whoever wrote those dramas were trying too hard to add tension to their stories.
Speaking of which I thought Stars Align did a good job with balancing it’s focus on the drama and the sport this story is focus on, which is something I cannot say with one anime adaptation of a sports and romance manga I watched years ago that I thought put more focus towards the latter than the former I enjoy listening to the characters discuss the workings of soft ball tennis and seeing them put the strategies they have thought up to practice as they face against different teams. Some of the matches were so intense that I was engage in seeing who was going to come on top. It kind of reminds me of playing pickleball at the YMCA. While I am more of a casual player in that sport, I kind of compare what I have seen in Stars Align to what it must be like to play pickleball competitively, which is thanks to the person in charge of the activity who taught me the ropes as well as playing more skill players. Some of the skills require to play soft ball teen efficiently looks similar to what goes into playing pickleball.
And with that I want to say that the animation for this show is excellent, especially when seeing the players move around as they either practice or play soft ball tennis. I do not feel I have much of an eye when it comes to animation as some people who are more train do, but I can see that the animators put special attention to how the characters move during some of their practice sessions and matches, as well as when the team does their unique cheer. Oh and the different dance numbers the characters do at the sequence during the ending them (which I would like to clip and turn to gifs). I also like the pastel like coloring this show has.
One more thing I would say I like about this show was the displays of bromance among some of the members on the team. Besides being touching, it has come to my awareness lately that there is not a lot of attention towards philia or platonic relationships in media, and society in general for that matter, and this is especially the case when it comes to the relationship between males. It’s all about romantic love be it heterosexual or homosexual, and while that is not a bad thing in and of itself (I do like me some romance as well. Plus it’s implied that the manager of the team has a bit of a romantic crush on the captain early in the story) it’s a misfortune how romantic love has become idolize while other forms of relationship be it platonic or sibling either get disregarded or confuse with romantic love. Seeing more of those kinds of relationships in media on display is something I would to see happen.
So yes the characters are overall likable, the animation is excellent with the art direction being gorgeous, and the story is engaging thought can be emotionally hard to watch at times given what goes on in some part of the story, but that is the point given the subject matter. I also do like the possible theme the story is going for which I think relates to hope. What I do not like however is that as of me typing this it’s uncertain if this story is going to be continues. The anime was suppose to last for 24 episodes, yet for some reason before the show even premiere it was cut down to 12 episodes. Thankfully the director of the show, Kazuki Akane, decided he was going to keep the first part of the show to how it was instead of making last minute changes that would had likely affected the quality of the story in a bad way. However the show is left on a huge cliff hanger and it would be devastating if things were left the way they are now.
P.S Maki’s mom is best mom!
My Runner Up: Ascendance of a Bookworm produce by Ajia-do Animation Works; originally by Miya Kazuki
There were good amounts of Isekai anime in the autumn 2019 season, but this one certainly stood out from some of the others I have watch. Well this and Bandai Namco Pictures’ adaptation of Osamu Nishi’s Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, but there are other factors that made Ascendance of a Bookworm my runner up. But before explaining what those factors are I would highlight one thing the two anime share in positives, and that these stories actually have world building, which is something that I cannot say for most of the Isekai anime I have seen in recent times. This has been my main issue with much of the Isekai shows that have come out, and not one in which I have not seen as many people point out. It’s a problem in that the worlds these stories take place in feel and look the same to the point of feeling generic, which flies in the face of what makes fantasy such a good genre to both enjoy and work on in the first place, and that is the level of creativity the genre allows. Fantasy is arguably the most creative out of the genres with science fiction, which Isekai is also a sub genre of, coming in second, and much of these shows do not seem to reflect this in how their worlds are presented. It’s even more problematic when the charm of this sub genre is meant to refill a desire to escape to another world. Ascendance of a Bookworm along with Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun however actually do a good job with establishing and presenting their settings enough to feel distinct from each other and the other Isekai that have come out this season with the latter having a Halloween like atmosphere (it was fitting this was broadcasting during October) and the former while having the same Western European style setting we have seen from other Isekai, the story makes it’s setting distinct by showing the livelihood of the people in this world. In the Ascendance of a Bookworm we get to see how people go about their daily lives as they try to make it through the day, see certain cultural practices such as when the villagers would annually meet up together to slaughter a boar before winter or the sort of rite of passage children receive when they turn six to earn their citizenship by the local church, and learn the economics and caste system that run their society (the later in which plays a role in the story). All of this taken together this gives the setting of Ascendance of a Bookworm more of a “historic”, medieval European vibe. Granted this is likely done for the reason that unlike most other Isekai that came before this, Ascendance of a Bookworm, along with Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun, do not tell stories of protagonists going on a quest to save the world, but instead have the protagonists stuck in one area of this foreign world they find themselves in as they learn to cope and adapt to a different way of living. In the case of Ascendance of a Bookworm this is exacerbated with the fact that the protagonist winds up in the body of a sickly 5 year old that is suffering from a strange illness (which is also ties into the story) so questing would certainly be out of the question for her. As a result this allows for these stories to put more of a focus towards world building then they probably could of it they had the Adventure genre slap on them.
Now for what really made Ascendance of Bookworm my runner up was that the show click with me in the way that most anime I have watch have not from the moment episode 1 started. It’s the feeling you get when you know you are about to watch something special, and the story manage to deliver on that front. This is perhaps heighten by the fact that for a while I wanted to see an Isekai that star a female protagonist, and while Ascendance of a Bookworm was not entirely what I had in mind, because again this is not an adventures story, I was still satisfied with what I got. Plus, along with fantasy I like slice of life stories. There are some tender moments that resonated with me emotionally, especially when it came to the protagonist new family.
The only downside I would say Ascendance of Bookworm has is for as much book smart the protagonist is there are times she comes off as being ignorant of certain things that catches her by surprise. I could understand it would take time for her to adjust going from 21rst century Japan to a Medieval European like setting, but it’s been imply that history and cultures were one, of the bunch of topics likely, the protagonist has read in her past life so it seems odd there are certain things she witnesses that she is not entirely aware of. Otherwise this problem didn’t stop my enjoyment from watching this adaptation, and I like forward to seeing season 2 this spring, but I also want to give the light novels a try in the meantime before then.
Least-Liked New Anime of the Season: Kemono Michi: Rise Up produce by ENGI; originally by Natsume Akatsuki, Mattakumo-suke, and Yumeuta
This is specifically the most disappointing anime for me of autumn 2019. I was thinking the least-liked anime of that season for me was going to be TNK’s Kanaogawa Jet Girls by Kadokawa, Marvelous, and Egg Firm, but only in that the show was average compared to the other anime I was watching. Kemono Michi however started off promising, but went downhill as the story progress. At least with Kanagawa Jet Girls I thought the quality of the story was consistent throughout what I have seen. The story did not dip in quality, but the show certainly did not improve upon it either. Plus the anime did have moments that brought a smile to my face.
So the biggest issue I had with Kemono Michi was some of the comedy which I thought was degrading, and the story over relying on this comedy as the series went forward. The story had two gags that not only got old thanks to being overused, but rubbed me the wrong way. One involved a wolfman being sexually assaulted by the protagonist, due to his love, or mania (obsessive love) I should say, towards non-human animals. In the first episode this was a bit disturbing to watch, but it was a blemish to an otherwise good episode 1 that made the series seem promising, but then it is shown that he has developed PTSD as a result of the experience, but despite this whoever thought it was funny decided to have him continuously get assaulted by the protagonist whether it be because he’s a humanoid creature or doing something that pisses the protagonist off (which one can argue in episode 10 he did kind of deserve given what he and his comrades did as a means to get back at the protagonist for what he has done to him, and I can see perhaps they should of got back at him another way, but I cannot help feeling sorry for him). The other gag involved the princess who summon the protagonist to the world the story takes place and her being degraded after what the protagonist did to her in episode 1. It was fine and funny seeing her receive a German surplus in episode 1 given what she requested the protagonist to do, but starting in episode 9 it got old as well as uncomfortable to watch as we constantly see her undies exposed (it does not help that I am someone who does not find women’s underwear and bottoms arousing). It does not help that late in the show she embraces this humiliation she receives of herself to the point of seeming like a fetish.
Another thing, I found most of the main cast with the exception of Shigure, Jeeves (because it does not say much, and Hiroyuki (he’s a cute puppy) to be annoying to varying degrees with the protagonist, Genzo, being the worst I think. For someone who wants to open a pet shop and share his love of animals to everyone, he sure does not seem quite as serious enough to accomplish his goals. The protagonist of Ascendance of a Bookworm in comparison has made more progress towards her goal then Genzo, and that is saying a lot considering what she has to work with and go through to get her goals accomplish. That and to a less extent his running gag of beating people up every time they offer him a job to slay a beast or cal him by a nickname he despises (because that is a sure to way to convince people that they should like animals), which at times gets a bit tiring. It’s was so bad in fact that late in the series I felt I wanted to see the story from the perspective the antagonists more so the main cast. They seem more interesting than most of the main cast.
So yeah this anime went from being promising to disappointing. Now I have learn that the manga this anime is base on is better written, and this is likely a case of this show not being a good adaptation, much like the case with a another Isekai anime I now people have been talking about how terrible of an adaptation it was. I do want to give the manga a read to see if it’s as good as the anime.
Best Continued Anime of the Season: Fairy Gone by P.A Works
There were going to be three anime I was going to continue to watch from last season, but one of them I have not gotten back to watching like I plan, so for this category it was between David Production’s adaptation of Atsushi Ōkubo’s Fire Force and Fairy Gone, and I chose the latter. The second half of this anime got really interesting with everything just coming together for the finally that was both exciting and emotional. This is one series I would like to revisit one day, ideally if it comes out on home video, and see what I have miss from my first watch through.
