It's a shame that all we ever got was a single episode OVA of Five Star Stories. The lore and the mecha designs in the manga are insanely good.
Since another anime season is starting, maybe I'll write a little about the stuff I've watched in the last season.
Train to The End of The World — The insanity of the setting and the absurdity of the characters is why I love anime as a medium in the first place. Not just Cute Girls Driving a Cute Train to Ikebukuro, but rather a bond of friendship that can't be severed by time and space. There's a potential to have another 12-episode run for the return trip, too.
Spice and Wolf 2024 — The cutest wolf in existence has actually become cuter in 2024. The production value was good, although I still prefer Holo's wolf form in the 2008 series. Holo teasing Lawrence at every opportunity, all day, every day, will never get old. We still have the second cour to go through, and I'm looking forward to it.
Yuru Camp Season 3 — The comfiest campers are still staying the comfy. While I loved the solo camping bits, when the girls are all together is when the camp feels really special. The background work does feel a little different from earlier season, but the super-deformed faces are still hilarious. I enjoyed it a lot.
Salad Bowl of Eccentric — This series is one of the rare instances of an
isekai series that I like. It's not even about power levels or wish fulfilment of having a harem of beautiful slaves. It can be boiled down to a slice of life story featuring a single father raising her adopted daughter. There are a lot of comedy bits, too. My favourite would be the one featuring an isekai'd lady knight who became homeless and got involved in a dodgy cult, resulting in her production of her own anime figure. Highly recommended.
Girls Band Cry — One of the best anime this season, GBC's characters has goals, hang-ups and insecurities while trying to realise their dreams in the most relatable way possible. The interactions between each band members are both endearing and expressive that one can easily forget that the entire thing was animated in 3D. Add to that an excellent pacing and a banger soundtrack, and you have a classic in the making.
Sound! Euphonium Season 3 — The callbacks to the earlier seasons and guest characters are both heartwarming and nostalgic at the same time, even though I have mostly forgotten about the storylines from earlier seasons. I still wish that this series is a true
yuri series because Kumiko and Reina belong together. The ending is still satisfying, though. A definite must-watch.
Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night — Doga Kobo has carved a niche for themselves, producing CGDCT shows with finesse, down to an exact science. I enjoyed the series a lot, although I feel the conclusion feels a bit rushed, overall. The characters are all great, especially Kiui. There's a bit near the end of the series that many of the terminally online chuds would classify it as the four-letter word that they feared more than anything. It's the highlight of the series. I recommend it.
KonoSuba Season 3 — I don't know if this is the best season of KonoSuba yet, but it's still hilarious all the same. It feels like Kazuma's VA has spent most of the season screaming. Hell, the rest of the cast were screaming a lot, too. It's fucking great. The dynamics between Kazuma, Megumin and Darkness are excellent as always and their antics are what we always expected from KonoSuba. The ED wasn't as memorable as the earlier seasons, but it's just a drop in the bucket. Recommended.
The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio — The rivalry between two young VAs trying to make it or break it in the industry is an interesting hook of the series. Having read a little of the manga in the past, the production is solid enough, even though I can see they didn't really have that much budget. There's a splendid bit where Yumiko, as a relative newcomer to the industry, was having a crisis of confidence. Instead of having her co-workers who are much more experienced gave her a dressing down, they are actually supportive of her, without any trace of malice. I thought it was quite moving.
Whisper Me a Love Song — Despite it being a true
yuri series, sadly the production was rather uneven, at best. The source material was excellent, but sadly the quality didn't quite make it into the adaptation. At this point, we're still two episodes behind schedule. A bit of a shame, really.
). Close to the end though!
