It's that time of the season again. With so much in my backlog, I generally don't bother with the 3-episode rule. If a show doesn't grab me in the first episode, it gets dragged behind the chemical sheds for a bullet in the back of the head.
In the Heart of Kunoichi Tsubaki (ep 1) - I kept waiting for the inciting incident. And waiting. And waiting. If one is coming it isn't in the first episode and I'm not convinced it's worth waiting for. Meanwhile the characters weren't entertaining enough to fill the dead time, and incidental characters kept repeating the same dialogue over and over for some reason. Dropped.
Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie (ep 1) - The sheer number of times the main character randomly nearly died made me wonder if this is a stealth Final Destination anime, but it's neither funny nor interesting. Empty SoL series like this live or die by how entertaining their characters are, and this bunch don't pass muster. Dropped.
The Greatest Demon Lord is Reborn as a Typical Nobody (ep 1) - This show managed the unenviable task of disappointing me three times in 20 minutes. First, I thought it was a reverse isekai, but the protagonist is just reborn back into the same generic fantasyland he started in. Second, the potentially interesting premise promised by that title is a lie because he's reborn with all the powers he had before and is OP from the start (yawn). But worst is that it's trying to be a comedy, but has no sense of comic timing. At. All. Dropped.
Mahjong Soul Pon (eps 0 and 1) - Episode 0 was hilarious, episode 1 not so much. It's only a minute long minus credits though, so there's nothing to lose in trying a few more. Watchlist.
Love After World Domination (ep 1) - It's off to a good start. There's a risk of it being a one-trick pony, but hopefully it won't run out of steam. Watchlist.
Aharen-san wa Hakarenai (eps 1-2) - This is shaping up to be a good comedy. The 'bone conduction' gag nearly killed me. Watchlist.
Spy x Family (ep 1) - Great first episode. Looks like the hype for this one wasn't misplaced. Watchlist.
Science Fell in Love, So I Tried to Prove It season 2 (ep 1) - I quite enjoyed the first season, but felt it was already running out of steam by the end of that one. The start of season 2 has a couple of good moments, but hasn't quite convinced me otherwise yet. On probation.
Miss Shachiku and the Little Baby Ghost (ep 1) - This was decent, but the material covered in episode 1 felt stretched thin, and would have been twice as good had it been half as long. On probation.