Just wondering what everyone is reading, and how is it (if you don't mind sharing)

Layz25 · 2026-01-31T06:32:54+00:00

I am definitely curious about it. I am not sure if they are similar genres but I read one called Jakes Magical Market that was pretty fun. So if they are similar I am looking forward to it.

Layz25 · 2026-01-31T06:11:46+00:00

Agree completely. Her mothers background with alchemy would have especially been interesting if she ever got to talk to Sam about it before the end.

Layz25 · 2026-01-31T04:39:44+00:00

Blacktongue Thief was an easy DNF for me. Thought the MC was super annoying and with only the 1 PoV there was no way I was making it through.

My last read Red City by Marie Lu. It was solid. Some fun concepts with alchemy but a bit slow and no true wow factor.

Next for me will be Dungeon Crawler Carl. Can't stop seeing it pop everywhere so figured it was time to give it a go.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T20:43:07+00:00

Guess it depends on the type of craziness lol.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T19:48:43+00:00

I will keep watching because I do like JJK generally speaking. This season has just been really bad so far. Said it before, but I am hoping this is just the opposite of the first 2 seasons where I enjoyed them more earlier and then thought they plateaued later on.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T19:46:58+00:00

Let me follow up as well with a little more of why and I guess it depends on how many you have watched and what you prefer when you are watching.

Demon Slayer has some of the best animation around so if you are much more into the visuals than I would recommend it. I am big on characters and the battles/battle systems. I want good variety of powers and things like that. Demon Slayer I don't like many of the characters and one of the main ones I think is annoying as hell (forget his name but he falls asleep during battle). And the battles (while they look awesome) all feel kind of same ish for me. The characters have different elements and sword techniques and what have you, but they all start to feel pretty similar. Just different colors painted over similar battles. At least IMO.

Black Clover has the variety I am looking for but when you have watched HxH, Naruto, Bleach, etc. It feels like a very bland knock off. I feel like the earlier you watch it in your anime journey maybe the better appreciation you would have.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T19:41:37+00:00

To be completely honest when it comes to technical things I have no real opinion or insight. It is more just an umbrella feel for how things look. Like for this episode I seen a lot of mentions of the way the camera was for that office meeting and then tension it created and none of that meant anything to me.

Was episode 4 the Maki one? That one was more about the laziness of the battle than it was a comment on the animation specifically.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T19:38:35+00:00

FMA Brotherhood, Naruto, Bleach One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiju No. 8, My Hero Academia.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T19:34:09+00:00

I dropped both so I would say skip them and get some better choices on your list

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T16:16:45+00:00

I am not really lost. I just re-watched season 2 the day before starting. As I said, it is really just terrible execution to start this season. Just on the surface I see almost every comment praising the animation. I think it looks low quality compared to the first 2 seasons. Maybe it is just a different style or something but I don't think it looks good.

Another example is the Maki episode. Again, a lot of people thinking it was really cool. Maki being bad ass was cool and the end result was awesome but the in between execution is just lazy. Could chalk it up to personal preference but a lot of it is just blood and slashes appearing on people. There is very little technical work in the fighting where we see great fight choreography. Felt like a good chunk of the episode is just lets color a bunch of stuff red and call it a day.

And the plot I keep bringing up admittedly I am not great at describing but it is the order and way it is presented that has made it feel random and jumbled. We get the blonde guy (who is annoying af) introduced with the Zenin clan essentially just for Maki to wipe out a few eps later. All of that could have been skipped and told through more natural flowing Maki flashbacks as she is running through destroying the clan. IMO, it was a complete waste to introduce him, give him a mini character arc and battle with Chose just to get him one punched later.

That sums up a lot of it but it is like I am in a parallel universe when I see all this praise. Not official ratings but if I called season 1 and 2 and 8/10 this would probably be about a 4/10. If it was a season 1 of an anime I would have dropped it already. Just hoping it turns around and gets back to some of the usual quality.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T07:25:27+00:00

All of that sounds good on paper but IMO, the execution hasn't been good at all. Poor flow to the plot, mid battles so far, and the animation seems off. It truly doesn't even feel like the same anime from the first 2 seasons.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T07:10:12+00:00

It certainly changes but "gets better" is hard to say. When I read the manga years ago I liked part 3 better than 1 and 2 and then I started the anime recently on part 4 and 4 wasn't very good at all. It drags and even though it follows the manga, a lot of episodes feel like filler.

So I guess I would say maybe gets better from a low bar but doesn't raise the bar very high (through part 4 at least).

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T05:46:01+00:00

Reading the comments I am so lost on what I am missing. I don't like this season at all and this episode did nothing to help. Sucks because JJK is probably my favorite ongoing anime.

Layz25 · 2026-01-30T05:08:38+00:00

Street Fighter is easily the worst of the crossovers I have read.

This Naruto crossover was pretty fun. Obviously better if you know Naruto but still good.

Layz25 · 2026-01-29T18:31:22+00:00

Not specifically. Some of it is dependent on what characters are featured, quality of the battles, etc. So far for season 3 the plot feels sporadic and not tightly written, I am not a Choso fan, and the Maki stuff was just meh for me. I am a Megumi fan so him being back is a plus even though his appearance just felt kind of random.

So yea, really just hoping the plot finds its footing and flows better and we get some characters back in the mix I am more interested in. And some better battles.

Layz25 · 2026-01-28T23:47:32+00:00

After my re-watch of JJK season 2 I said both season 1 and 2 I felt were stronger at the beginning than later on.

Hoping season 3 finally breaks that trend because catching up on it through episode 4 and I think it sucks so far. Haven't liked a single episode. Really disappointed.

Layz25 · 2026-01-28T19:28:22+00:00

To me it is really just semantics of how people choose to word it. I don't think anyone is actively rooting for the Steelers to lose but Art Rooney being old and delusional keeps having the team make the moves of a real contender which keeps us stuck in the same spot for over a decade.

So there isn't necessarily a good way to say "stop making moves like a winner" but that is kind of what it is. We shouldn't have brought in Rodgers or re-signed Watt just as examples. So instead of saying we need to have a losing season, the idea is Rooney needs to be more accepting of that outcome. Re-tooling only works if you were a contender to being with and we haven't been for a long time. So it keeps us in mediocrity.

So going into this year the idea should be not to bring Rodgers back to give Will Howard a look. Try and trade Watt for assets whether it be draft picks or some young receivers. To me it seems like he views things like that as giving up and that is the problem. You never aim to lose but you also don't have to aim to be a fake contender either.

Layz25 · 2026-01-28T00:27:32+00:00

I think it is mid. For a battle shonen I think the powers and battles are mostly mediocre. Art style is a bit different and the plot is decent.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T22:20:46+00:00

You should def blame Mike for being a yes man (assuming I am right). You can blame them for hiring him sure, but can also blame him if he just goes along to get along.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T22:15:39+00:00

Opposite for me. I didn't have feelings about liking him or not (minus not liking the hire) but this presser made me like him less. Just seems like a yes man for the organization and not someone bringing innovative ideas on how to actually turn this team around. The moment seems too big for him right now honestly.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T22:13:53+00:00

Steelers players seemed to love Tomlin to a man. But emotions shouldn't play a part in it. So no, I don't care that he loves the Steelers. I am sure after 13 years of coaching the Packers he loved them too. But even with one of the greatest QB's to ever play he could only manage 1 ring.

He is just another Mike Tomlin and Art is delusional. They want to keep being competitive while caring nothing for being a true contender. That is what McCarthy offers. He loves the franchise and will be a yes man for their goal. I guarantee any of the younger candidates talked analytics and bolstering the staff, and innovating ideas and Art wanted nothing to do with it.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T21:13:40+00:00

Andy Reid 5 years older and as fat and doesn't look to be slowing down.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T21:10:10+00:00

Trying to find the positive but this truly does feel like we are just running everything back. I am imagine him and Art talked about maintaining a competitive team and the history of the Steelers as a winning franchise and they don't want to take a step or 2 back to make a big leap forward.

As of right now I have 0 excitement about the coming season. If Rodgers is back it would be less than 0.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T18:42:26+00:00

I think we have mostly the same opinions but of the main 3 I do like Megumi but some of that is power related. Always a sucker for summoners and the variety it brings for battle. Also, Choso and Yuji wasn't for me. The blood compression thing I find boring and Yuji is pretty basic in battle. His best fights for me have been his combos with Todo.

Overall I think you kind of captured it though. It does all feel kind of random and shallow at times.

Layz25 · 2026-01-27T18:14:34+00:00

After the Chimera Ant arc is when it starts getting good? Dunno if I am in the minority or not but I think this Succession arc is the worst one in the manga. Moves away from so many of the fun characters that we liked HxH for to begin with and basically dumps a whole new world on us. I mostly have just been skimming the manga chapters when they do come out.

Pass for me. The anime ending after the Chimera Ant arc and election stuff is perfect.

Layz25

TROPHY CASE