And with that, this moved up to become my favorite of the season.

And an appropriate send-off.

That last scene between Rui and Seiichi was hilarious. And perfectly placed genre-savviness.

Overall, this was good. It was sort of hit or miss, but when it hit, it was great. And I never got tired of the art style (though admittedly in large part because it reminded me so much of Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop).

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Already finished, might be my number one: An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess Sweet and funny and goofy and charming and a pure pleasure from start to finish. Bertia is easily my favorite character of the season.

Not finished but might end up my number one: My Ribdiculous Reincarnation (and that’s the first time I’ve actually written out that godawful localized title and will also be the last) Bizarre and hilarious and stylistically unique. Went from having no recognizable plot to speak of to having a “fate of the universe(s) hangs in the balance” plot and the final episode is potentially going to be epic, silly, charming, stupid and laugh-out-loud funny, all at the same time.

Not finished but has an outside chance to end up my number one: The Ramparts of Ice - very impressive look at miscommunication that worked by regularly switching the point of view between the four main characters, so we got to see first hand the (often significant) differences between the ways that different characters saw each other and the things that happened between them. The only problem is that there seems to be far too much story still left for this final episode to be really momentous.

Not finished but has an even more outside chance to end up my number one - Even a Replica Can Fall in Love Intriguing and original, and with a demonstrated history of going along seemingly relatively sedately for a few episodes, then hitting us with an astonishing gut punch (and in fact the second time they did that - I can still see the scene in my mind’s eye, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it - it was that impressive). It’s now been going along for the last few episodes relatively sedately, so there’s no telling what might happen in this last episode.

Seems like it might end up my number one, but I dropped it right at the beginning of the season so I could binge it later so I don’t know yet: Witch Hat Atelier

Notable but not in the running for number one: Nippon Sangoku and Needy Girl Overdose Both creative and interesting and generally well done, but with too many flaws to make the top of the list.

I think I’m going to have to watch this all the way through again at some point, because it strikes me that the pacing issues that bothered me earlier in the series are pretty much gone at this point. This episode in particular, though it covered some really significant and emotionally charged events, kept to a good pace pretty much all the way through.

I suspect that watched straight through and taken as a whole, the middle parts, where the pacing seemed to switch back and forth from slow to fast too erratically, might actually fit in as a transition between the relatively slow beginning and the much faster paced ending.

Hanasaku Iroha is wonderful.

Surprisingly low key episode, and I was okay with that. I’ve never been much of a fan of weddings, either real or fictional - they’re sort of boring for anyone who’s not directly involved. But it was just nice to watch Bertia’s dreams come true.

I really enjoyed this overall. It didn’t push any boundaries or anything, but it was solidly entertaining all the way through, and Cecil and Bertia (and especially Bertia) were charming characters.

And I’m still vaguely hoping to see an account of Heronia in exile, redeeming herself and reuniting with Pii-chan.

It’s almost as if there’s been too much progress lately, so the entire main cast took a giant step back.

Is this…? (off to do a web search…)

Yes! It’s the one with Remilia and Emi. Oh I’m looking forward to this one.

I think I see a promising hint of a good ending in that other character’s (whose name I forget) bland assumption that they’re doppelgangers, and his seeming willingness to reveal what he knows, but only later, apparently when they have an opportunity to give it full attention. Particularly in light of the fact that Ryo’s grandparents knew that she was a replica.

And Sunao coming out of her shell is potentially good news not just for her, but for Nao.

There might just be a way for replicas to live their own lives…

I still don’t know where this is headed, but it’s more clear than ever that it’s headed somewhere, and that it’s likely going to somehow be truly monumental and ridiculously silly at the same time.

That aside, I could’ve watched this episode just for the Goddess’s reaction to the harem alone.

Poem the transdimensional tsukkomi…

And Mama Po was awesome as always. It’s like her superpower is embarrassing Poem, and she does it with pinpoint accuracy.

Looks like we’re setting up for huge events at the prom, and I’m looking forward to it.

I was thinking while her sentence was being decided that I’d really like to see an account of Heronia’s (ultimately successful) efforts to reunite with Pii-chan.

I remain convinced that she’s not a bad person. At some base level, she’s actually the same as Bertia - she thought, just as Bertia did, that Cecil was destined to be with the heroine, and all it would take is just arranging for something resembling the right flags being tripped at the right moments. It’s just that in both of them following pretty much the same strategy, Bertia came out the “winner” and Heronia the “loser.” And she didn’t deal with it very well.

Now granted, Bertia really is a better person than Heronia, but that’s not really a fair comparison, since Bertia is a better person than virtually everyone, likely even including Cecil. How can anyone compare with her superhuman combination of genuine concern for other people, relentless optimism, and adorkable charm?

But still I think Heronia is decent at heart and I agree - I’d like to see more of her.

As has happened before, I found myself picking up more and more series over the past half dozen or so seasons, until it reached the point that I was invested in too many of them, and disappointed by too many of them this past season, and ended up dropping most of them (though I’m still planning on binging some of those sooner or later).

So this coming season?

The only thing I plan on definitely watching from week 1 is You and I Are Polar Opposites S2. Season 1 was brilliant, and (I already read the manga) season 2 might just be even better.

I’m sorely tempted to follow S3 of Mushoku Tensei - I really enjoyed the first two seasons, in spite of Rudeus, and there have been enough broad hints of things to come that I’m looking forward to seeing it. But even if I wasn’t facing burnout, that’s the sort of thing I’d tend to prefer to binge, so probably not.

Ghost in the Shell. I mean - a GitS reboot by Science SARU? That’s like a dream come true. But again, it’s the sort of thing I likely would’ve preferred to binge anyway, so…

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia - Science SARU historical epic equals absolute must watch - yet again, the only question is whether I’ll try to follow it or wait and binge it, and yet again, it’s the sort of thing I likely would’ve preferred to binge anyway.

Possibly Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You. I mostly enjoyed the mini-episodes (Sasaki’s recurring blithering panic got a bit tedious), and it’s relatively low key, so I’ll undoubtedly try the first episode and see.

Things I’ll at least sample:

I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day - I can’t deny the appeal of what looks to basically be Gunslinger Girls plus mystery plus GL.

Sparks of Tomorrow - the broad plot outline only seems somewhat interesting, but I’m intrigued by the idea of a KyoAni historical epic set in the middle of the Meiji era.

World is Dancing - fictionalized 14th century history of the creation of Noh? I love that idea. Depends on the execution.

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. S2 - actually, I’ll have to go back to season 1, since I didn’t see it, but I’m intrigued. I might just do that this afternoon in fact.

And… that’s about it. If this goes anything like past seasons, I’ll stumble across things as the season goes on, or notice that something that didn’t look promising is getting much more attention than it seems it should deserve, and at least watch the first episodes of those, but for now…

I just finished reading the light novels (two volumes), and that was the thing that stood out to me the most in the long run - the story was about 30% intrigue/thriller and about 70% weepy melodrama. And that’s just not a very good combination, not only because of the mood whiplash, but because the two are paced entirely differently.

It is a good story all in all, and there were some great twists, but even in the light novels, where it had much more breathing room and context, the melodrama still felt sort of awkward and contrived.

Caught back up with this after taking the time to read the light novels.

The story was told in two volumes, and revealingly, when I finished the first volume, the story was at just about exactly the point at which I’d left off the anime, at the end of episode 10.

And judging from episodes 11 and 12, they really are going to try to cram the entire second volume into only four episodes.

I’m glad I read the LNs.

To its credit, that wasn’t quite as repulsive as I thought it was going to be.

I hadn’t considered using a barrage of emotional whiplash to disguise the fact that you’re retconning your characters.

Edit to add, by way of quick example in place of the longer critique I’m tempted to write:

Issho’s explanation would’ve justified failing them. It doesn’t justify expelling them.

And Akane would’ve known that.

Bokurano is just about the only tragedy I’ve ever even considered rewatching, and I’d almost go so far as to say I liked it. It’s not really possible to “like” something that relentlessly tragic, but there’s just something noble and admirable about it that really impressed me.