I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability ep1: Hm. On one hand, I feel as though I've watched this series a bunch of times before; even the title immediately brings other shows to mind. We go through all of the stock content that every reincarnation light novel reproduces with slavish devotion: a half-baked allusion to what came before, an idealised birth scene, a humorous first experience with magic, scenes of a precocious know-it-all clashing with people who expect him to be an ordinary youth, etc. The breastfeeding joke was quite funny even if it was simultaneously the stupidest thing I've seen lately (I'm assuming that it was intended to be tongue in cheek). However, in spite of the complete absence of anything even approaching genuine creativity, this series somehow works thanks to its glossy animation and bouncy, unashamed enthusiasm. The thirsty way that the camera lingers over the young main character's bare thighs and long lashes is noticeable and kind of weird, as are the gushing, beautiful, voracious maids who tend to him. Still, '7th Prince' is unlikely to be all that memorable as time goes on but it's perfectly watchable and you get what was advertised in the title.
Highspeed Étoile ep1: The first show in a while where we didn't make it through the first episode. For a series all about high octane, futuristic racing with idols and bright colours, the pacing sure felt sluggish; in the end it was the lazy extended pit stops (which required zero animation since there were no pit crews) which persuaded us to give up and find something better to do with our lives. I like the idea of a racing series with plenty of female drivers but there's no equity here; the men all look like potatoes and the women look like bombastic pop megastars. And everything ultimately looks terrible because it's all cheap CG which makes even the racing itself feel slow. Bleh.
Astro Note ep1: This isn't just a copy of Maison Ikkoku as it first looked, it's a weird time-slipped parody of it which knowingly retells the same story only with some bonkers sci-fi elements. The characters are, generally, more annoying than they were in the original series, which is unfortunate, but my partner and I are pathetic enough to give it a second episode in order to meet the flamboyant lunatic teased in the credits and promotional art, just in case he's enough to make the rest of the show worth watching. The sci-fi stuff is silly enough to be entertaining even if the visuals and characters are so-so.
R
dick splash
dick splash
! Right, need to clear up some me-time this evening with a nice coffee, under a toasty blanket to watch this on the telly as an underserved super-treat. Then again, shall I wait a few weeks so I can binge a few episodes at a time 
.... Nah sod it, I'll break from my habits and watch weekly and then binge all over again after.