Peter Grill And The Philosopher's Time Super EXtra ep1: Sloppy animation can't spoil the fact that this is still a fun, utterly stupid fantasy show. The central premise is unchanged - Peter has no willpower, everyone wants him, sexy women are everywhere - and everyone (other than Peter, who is still enjoying himself quite a lot in spite of it all) has agency over their terrible life choices. Fan service shows where the women are actually having fun are rare treats. The short episodes are disappointing but at the same time, I think 99% of the terrible isekai shows would benefit from similar treatment to keep the pace from dragging. I don't even mind the inadequate censorship light beams. An easy keeper.
MSG The Witch From Mercury ep1: Not strictly a first episode debut since I watched 'episode zero' a while ago but it's been ages since we last had a regular new Gundam show like this. I'm not hooked yet - the school stuff is either going to be a decent starting point or a nuisance - but I'll keep watching because it's Gundam and I already have a lot of questions lined up which need answers.
More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers ep1: This could have been either an awesome examination of gender roles and marriage in modern society or a sleazy trash show which was entertaining in its own right, but instead it went for the middle ground and became a tedious, rote romantic comedy with nonsensical writing. There are a few vague attempts at fan service but the main character is so aggressively ordinary that nothing feels earned or worthwhile. Why can't the show be about his more-interesting friend instead?! Or even the creepy teachers, because the core setup of spying on students and giving them points for seducing one another under threat of being unable to graduate is ripe for social commentary! I'm also quite bored of the overdone 'sexy gal whose sexualised school uniform makes no sense in-world, yet she's actually secretly innocent' archetype; it's a transparent, lazy attempt for the writer to have their cake and eat it by combining every idealised fantasy girl into a single package. All that this show achieved was reminding me that My Dress Up Darling did pent-up teenage romance with sexy themes way, way better.
Chainsaw Man ep1: Ehhh. There's obviously been a great deal of hype but I can't handle the combination of great-looking 2D animation and glaringly-obvious CG, especially when the CG is used for major scenes. It's not what I'm here for, in spite of the lovely design work. I'd give it another episode or two before making a decision if it was all 2D animated but the way it's been done it's an easy drop, making room on the schedule for better stuff. Maybe I'll check out the manga instead. Excellent ending song, though, I'll definitely be buying that.
R