Blue Miburo ep1: It's another show about the Shinsengumi! I'm always up for fresh 'untold' fictionalised tales with that familiar setting, even though objectively this mundane, plain-looking effort wouldn't get a second glance from me if it wasn't historical fiction. It starts out relatively early in the story and introduces a mysterious white-haired kid as the group's newest recruit, with the introduction making it clear that whatever this future hero accomplishes he isn't going to go down in tales like his famous colleagues. I'm intrigued enough to continue watching for now.
Blue Box ep1: A perfectly enjoyable sports romance show about a boy who plays badminton and his crush on the star of the basketball team. I like that the characters actually talk to one another, and everything is appealingly earnest without any of the awkward misogyny we often get from shows about boys with crushes. The sports side is handled well too, with both leads able to talk about why they prefer their own club in a way that respects the other's choices too. Visually everything is pretty great aside from the clunky CG sports equipment and wide shots, which do nothing for me but are fortunately kept to a minimum. The attractive, understated character designs make up for it. I guess where I'm struggling is that it's all very polished but nothing makes me feel enticed to keep watching? I think I need my romances to be messier to hold my interest, and it turns out that the well-trodden 'my crush is going to live with me' hook isn't as dramatic as it could be. For those who want a cosy romantic drama - I'm assuming that the fun gymnast girl will be involved as well - this seems like a safe pick.
Another Journey to the West ep1: A Chinese animation with a strong visual style (setting aside the end credits, which seemed to have some encoding issues on Crunchyroll and kept skipping). I was expecting a straight retelling of Journey to the West but it's actually completely different, instead following the fellow who will later write the story as a hot-blooded youth chasing rumours of demons. Nothing especially stands out so far; with the chaotic pace the first episode covers a fair amount of ground but it still ends right in the middle of a dramatic moment. It looks as though we can expect a typical 'hero wanders around meeting various supernatural creatures' show to serve as the inspiration for his future writing career. I didn't hate it but I've not seen any reason to keep it on my schedule this season.
Murai In Love ep1: One of the first shows to air this season, yet one of the last for me since it took this long to actually remember it, tucked away on Disney+ with absolutely no promotion. This is a silly gag comedy about a handsome teen with a crush on his teacher, except that the teacher is a closeted otome game fanatic tormented by the fact that her student resembles her 2D crush. Its most notable feature is that it somehow appears to be less animated than the original manga, which is unfortunate because it's not terrible despite its corny premise. For some reason my partner found this utterly hilarious and burst out laughing every time the lead started internally screaming, so I guess it will get another episode to see whether the animation quality improves (I have my doubts).
I dropped The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't be Magicians after three episodes; it still looks utterly beautiful but the side characters all drive me bananas. There are loads of them and they all have only one personality trait apiece, which could have worked in a surreal, theatrical way if it wasn't so frustrating to sit through. It was taking me out of the show, which was a problem when the main plot wasn't exactly fast-paced either.
R
Blue Box ep1: A perfectly enjoyable sports romance show about a boy who plays badminton and his crush on the star of the basketball team. I like that the characters actually talk to one another, and everything is appealingly earnest without any of the awkward misogyny we often get from shows about boys with crushes. The sports side is handled well too, with both leads able to talk about why they prefer their own club in a way that respects the other's choices too. Visually everything is pretty great aside from the clunky CG sports equipment and wide shots, which do nothing for me but are fortunately kept to a minimum. The attractive, understated character designs make up for it. I guess where I'm struggling is that it's all very polished but nothing makes me feel enticed to keep watching? I think I need my romances to be messier to hold my interest, and it turns out that the well-trodden 'my crush is going to live with me' hook isn't as dramatic as it could be. For those who want a cosy romantic drama - I'm assuming that the fun gymnast girl will be involved as well - this seems like a safe pick.
Another Journey to the West ep1: A Chinese animation with a strong visual style (setting aside the end credits, which seemed to have some encoding issues on Crunchyroll and kept skipping). I was expecting a straight retelling of Journey to the West but it's actually completely different, instead following the fellow who will later write the story as a hot-blooded youth chasing rumours of demons. Nothing especially stands out so far; with the chaotic pace the first episode covers a fair amount of ground but it still ends right in the middle of a dramatic moment. It looks as though we can expect a typical 'hero wanders around meeting various supernatural creatures' show to serve as the inspiration for his future writing career. I didn't hate it but I've not seen any reason to keep it on my schedule this season.
Murai In Love ep1: One of the first shows to air this season, yet one of the last for me since it took this long to actually remember it, tucked away on Disney+ with absolutely no promotion. This is a silly gag comedy about a handsome teen with a crush on his teacher, except that the teacher is a closeted otome game fanatic tormented by the fact that her student resembles her 2D crush. Its most notable feature is that it somehow appears to be less animated than the original manga, which is unfortunate because it's not terrible despite its corny premise. For some reason my partner found this utterly hilarious and burst out laughing every time the lead started internally screaming, so I guess it will get another episode to see whether the animation quality improves (I have my doubts).
I dropped The Stories of Girls Who Couldn't be Magicians after three episodes; it still looks utterly beautiful but the side characters all drive me bananas. There are loads of them and they all have only one personality trait apiece, which could have worked in a surreal, theatrical way if it wasn't so frustrating to sit through. It was taking me out of the show, which was a problem when the main plot wasn't exactly fast-paced either.
R
), which I think is the case with a lot of media you go back to at a later stage of life. Some of the scenes definitely hit differently. As you grow, gain more life experience, and come to understand your own and other's mortality, you notice and comprehend things in the show you perhaps missed or did not quite fully understand when you were younger.