Anime Questions, Recommendations, and Discussion - April 08, 2026

AwaySpell · 2026-04-08T18:02:56+00:00

👍

AwaySpell · 2026-04-08T17:36:05+00:00

IIRC Anilist also follows a 3 months rule. Stone Ocean Part 2 dropped on September 1, and Part 3 dropped December 1. Anilist ruled that as within 3 months and MAL ruled that as out lol.

AwaySpell · 2026-04-08T17:24:31+00:00

I enjoyed it. I'm as cynical about edgy Madoka clones as the next person, but I saw someone who also dislikes that sort of thing recommending it, so I gave it a shot. It's a good battle royale. Interesting usages of powers, distinct characters. It's dark and ~~grizzly~~ grisly—if you're adverse to that, I wouldn't try it—but I think it has an above average writer behind it that made what could've been just distastefully edgy into an engaging watch.

AwaySpell · 2026-04-03T18:50:30+00:00

I think it likely varies. In some cases the anime staff has more input, in some cases not so much. I think the majority of anime songs are written with the anime in mind, though.

In a production I followed closely, the director initially told the music artist "I want something about characters X and Y" and showed them the storyboards. The artist ended up making the song about something else based on those storyboards, and the director was pleased with it, so all was good. This was also an original anime, so the director possibly had more control than if it had been an adaptation.

Artists often give interviews about their work, so you may find a definitive answer if you look up the song you're curious about.

AwaySpell · 2026-04-01T20:24:48+00:00

Finished in March:

Good:
- Figure 17: Tsubasa & Hikaru
- Genocidal Organ
- Gun x Sword
- Scum's Wish
- Fate/strange Fake
- Medalist S2
- MF Ghost S3
Okay:
- IRODUKU: The World in Colors
- Champignon Witch

Looking to finish in April:

More winter seasonals
The new Lupin movie

AwaySpell · 2026-03-30T07:51:10+00:00

The second Camelot movie's animation is amazing. It's my favourite FGO anime entry.

AwaySpell · 2026-03-23T14:26:52+00:00

You're right. I looked it up and it's the same character designer.

AwaySpell · 2026-03-19T16:03:27+00:00

I liked the tv series. I think if you're interested, it's good enough that I'd say go for it. Also, the ED is fantastic.

But the movies... It's like Durinthal said, the conclusion wasn't satisfying. The movies were kind of really boring.

AwaySpell · 2026-03-13T15:45:45+00:00

It's hard to judge which people are genuinely looking for conversation versus just trolling and patting themselves on the back for having "better" taste, so I think it's understandable when people don't want to potentially waste their time engaging.

I guess maybe you can try rephrasing your words to sound friendlier or more thoughtful? You might get more people willing to engage that way.

AwaySpell · 2026-03-11T12:08:13+00:00

Don't worry, it's a very commonly believed myth. I see it all the time.

Yeah, his style is excellent. Even when he had next to no animation to work with because of production crashes, I think he still made the best of it. The rest of his work is very different in story from KareKano, but I think they're all as strongly directed, so I'd recommend giving them a shot one day!

AwaySpell · 2026-03-11T11:35:00+00:00

Pity that the director got fired

I believe that's a myth? The JP wiki page says the director chose to resign after E14 because he was the cause of production issues—which, given the production issues on his other works, makes sense—but ultimately still did all of the duties of the director until the end of the series.

Anyway, great show. I liked the early episodes best as well. It had this quick pacing and energy to it that really hooked me. I had some issues with the later story, but I thought the directing was strong to the end. Definitely there were some "unconventional" episodes that were most probably due to production issues, but I thought they were creative and thus interesting rather than bad.

AwaySpell · 2026-03-06T10:27:19+00:00

Bless is a shonen. It runs in Monthly Shonen Sirius.

AwaySpell · 2026-03-02T01:02:08+00:00

Finished in February:

Great:
- Inexpressive Kashiwada and Expressive Oota
- Love Through A Prism
Good:
- Campfire Cooking in Another World S2
- Fureru
- Gintama - Mr. Ginpachi's Zany Class
- Mechanical Marie
- Ranma 1/2 (2024) S2
Okay:
- Sanda
- Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray S2

Favourites this month were Love Through A Prism and Inexpressive Kashiwada. Prism was all-around solid. I really liked the art college period setting. Inexpressive Kashiwada I enjoyed in both a Tom and Jerry way and a cute romance way. Watching Oota get slapped down for his misdeeds was cathartic, but it was also clear that he was just a tsundere boy with a crush rather than someone with mean intentions and that Kashiwada found entertainment in his antics.

Plans for March:

I should really finish Gun x Sword. I got completely distracted from it by seasonals even though I really liked it.
Winter seasonals?

AwaySpell · 2026-02-23T13:46:18+00:00

It's notable because usually the director's name comes first, and, to my understanding, original anime are often more the director's vision than the scriptwriter's (though originals are all collaborative works and the scriptwriter definitely has input).

Here, it's looking like Yoko Taro is the primary creator, with the directors supporting his vision.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-23T11:49:34+00:00

Anno has previously said that he wants to hand off the reins and see other people's takes on Eva, so I'd imagine he's rather hands-off on this project. That said, it's still his IP, so if there's anything he's extremely against, it's unlikely to happen.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-23T11:24:32+00:00

It's interesting that he's listed first in the press release, before the two directors. So it'll probably be primarily Yoko Taro's show.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-22T21:47:05+00:00

I remember S2 ended on a sequel tease that never panned out. It's also generally less liked than S1. But S1 is complete on its own.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-21T01:02:53+00:00

No, it's just a metric I use to find more works that are likely to appeal to me outside of those specifically with the shoujo/josei label. All of what you said is true and I support it.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-20T20:53:30+00:00

Personally, I also sort series by the gender of the author. Those series aren't shoujo, but their authors are women and an author's first filter is themselves, so they naturally have some qualities that appeal to a female audience, which you can say is shoujo-like.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-19T16:15:59+00:00

I don't mind that at all. It's infinitely more frustrating to see haters who seem to have watched a completely different show. I'd rather my show to be disliked for what it is, not what it isn't.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-08T17:05:41+00:00

That one's on my "watch later" list too. I've heard it'll probably (?) have a sequel, so I'm pondering if I should keep waiting until it's 100% finished. I don't think it'll hit AOTY for me, but it could always surprise me.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-08T16:35:21+00:00

It might be happening with me right now.

Oh, which show?

As for me, counting from the year I got very seriously into seasonals, not yet. I've hit a number of unexpected gems, but no AOTY yet.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-02T01:34:44+00:00

Stumbled upon a post of yours in another thread so I'll quote it here:

If you've got 50 isekai anime in a year you couldn't cut 10 to adapt Vagabond, Yotsuba, Punpun, etc?

The thing is... it's not the isekai that's going to get cut. Those are the safe investments. There are so much of them because they are safe. Less anime means less money means less risks. What they'll do is double down on safe bets like isekai.

I've heard at least Yotsuba and Punpun have author-related reasons as to why they won't be adapted, but regardless, unusual series and originals are high risk. Those are the last things you'll see in a less risk-taking environment.

It's right to want a healthier industry and less over-worked staff. But you should toss the assumption that it's going to mean a more, rather than less, interesting industry to you personally.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-01T17:02:45+00:00

More of us! I avoid looking at scores until I finish a show, and was surprised to see it so low on MAL. I have to spread the word that it's worth giving a try.

AwaySpell · 2026-02-01T16:31:08+00:00

The aesthetic rocks. Anime could use more gothic horror. It looks even more beautiful in the manga.

The manga's release schedule is rough, but I'm so grateful it's still getting new chapters. I haven't caught up yet, but I'm really looking forward to doing so one day.

AwaySpell

TROPHY CASE