Anime Blog (Winter 2022)
This blog is coming out much later than usual, and honestly, it’s because life has been busy for me. Balancing school, my new job, a bunch of new games I’ve been hyped for, and a slight decrease in me wanting to watch anime has led to this being less prioritized than in the past. Still, I have a few new reviews for you, so here they are. I hope you enjoy, and leave some feedback on anything you think I could improve on. Thanks!
As a reminder, here are what the tiers stand for: A tier is for great shows, B tier is for good shows, C tier is for OK shows, D tier is for below-average shows, and F tier is for shows that I didn’t finish. And S tier is for my favorites out of the top of A tier. Just because I didn’t finish or didn’t like the show doesn’t mean that the show is inherently bad, it just means I didn’t get as much enjoyment out of the show compared to others on the list. The vast majority of the shows out there can be enjoyed by certain types of people depending on their tastes, so keep that in mind when reading these entries!
Love is War Season 3 is here and it continues to show how it is the best modern slice of life show (IMO) by giving characters real raw emotions, having a perfect mix of drama and comedy, and having likable characters. Season 3 does diverge a bit from the traditional style, but we finally get a lot of progress and a spicy ending. As far as I can tell this isn’t quite the end, maybe just the end of the first arc. There will probably be at least a movie, and potentially more based on the ending we got. I think it’s finally time Love is War finally got the promotion it deserves.
Verdict: From A+ to S!
I heard you like Anya memes? You have to be living under a rock if you haven’t heard of Spy X Family at this point, as it blew up from a mix of stupid tik tokers and just being a genuinely great show. This show is so unique and different, and yet it brings exactly what you would expect after seeing episode 1. It has a great mix of wholesomeness, comedy, and even a tiny bit of drama to keep things spicy. Amazing writing makes every moment feel important, whereas many shows below A tier will have some dull moments. Let’s not forget that Anya is also one of the most memeable characters in recent anime history, with legendary smug faces and great catchphrases. Memes carry the show a long way, which is part of why this show is able to appeal to “normies” also. Well, as long as you aren’t doing mental gymnastics to try to justify that Loid is a pervert. Actually insane that anybody made that argument. Season 2 basically is just more of the same. More characters, more wholesomeness, more smug Anya, etc. Tl;dr: Spy X Family is a great, seasonal slice of life show that thankfully wasn’t ruined by Tik Tok (Also that’s so old news now, that was in the spring of 2022 xd).
Verdict: A+
Yeah so right now is the second golden era of wholesome slice of life shows! Ever since the first one popped up in the 2009–2013 range, and ever since 2018 we’ve gotten so many bangers that I’ve covered here. It isn’t my highest rated one, but Komi Can’t Communicate is by far the one I’ve related to the most. Social Anxiety and Communication Disorders is what I’m all about. I’ll struggle to ask basic questions in real-life situations when I can articulate myself in such an elegant manner online. Likewise, Komi is pretty much a mute, not through lack of vocal cords, but instead in terms of her extreme shyness. Anyways this is about season 2 and yeah, its amazing. Really just more of the same, but that was very impressive and good so it’s all good in my book! Really not a whole lot to comment other than general topics, so I’ll leave one more thing with you all. Many anime are able to successfully “anime-ify” the manga that they are based on. The fact that a show like Komi-San, which was very much benefitted from having manga storytelling elements to help express Komi, is able to have an anime that feels like a visual manga is amazing. It really helps Komi-San stand out in a genre that is oversaturated with good shows that need something to help them stand out.
Verdict: Improved to A+!
More slice of life huh? I’m a sucker for slice of life romance so I usually watch the seasonal rom com, and Shikimori is Not Just a Cutie was no exception. It’s pretty typical show with a gimmick as most do these days, but there were no real holes or flops with this show, it was consistently good from start to finish. The MC wasn’t amazing but he wasn’t super cringe either and he had some interesting defining traits. And really, Shikimori is just the ideal girl so this is a great self insert show if you’re into that. Solid all around
Verdict: A
DOTA Dragon’s Blood Season 3 finally wrapped up an interesting 1.5 years that the show has been going on for. Overall: it was alright. This show is no Arcane, but it’s solid and has it’s own niche. After a horrible exposition dump in S2, S3 had a better balance and had some cool new characters, most notably the infamous Fillamina who had been referenced in flashbacks many times. However, the same problems as usual persist. The animation style is just OK and the noses are hideous, and the pacing is total garbage. If you’re looking for a DnD-esque story with a rich lore that was built around it, this is a great option for you. However, unless you want that specific niche or are just a Dota fan in general, you probably won’t understand or appreciate the show at all.
Verdict: Remains B
There’s something amazing about watching people who are somehow more socially inept than me fall in love. Hence, the reason for me watching Science Fell in Love, so I tried to prove it. S1 had a lot of ups and downs, but S2 had a more solid showing across the season. A lot of progress towards side relationships went on and the main characters are a bit more comfortable being flirty around each other. At the end of the day though it is a weird show with some weird tropes, so it’s rating only improves a bit.
Verdict: Still B+, but a few slots higher
2022 has had multiple amazing shows, plenty of which I’ve already watched and talked about. One that came out of nowhere though, was Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. I’ve been a fan of Cyberpunk 2077 ever since its release, despite the horrible launch that the game had. I never expected an anime to be made of this show, but it actually works better than you’d think. One of the major companies in the cyberpunk universe is Japanese, the Arasaka’s, and they play a decently impactful role in both the game and the show. Trigger does not dissapoint with the animation, it’s truly beautiful and makes me wish shows like the witcher or dota anime had this level of animation. The fight scenes are clean and stylized, the plot is very good and reasonably deep, and it’s a perfect gateway or continuation into the cyberpunk world. It’s a really special show when you have a hole burned in your soul after watching the final episode, and you feel empty inside. The OP and ED are also crazy songs that go so hard. A mix of western cyberpunk vibes and Japanese vocals and style works so well together. I truly hope that more and more western IPs have anime adaptaptions similar to this show or Arcane.
Verdict: A+
Anyone else going on the depression show train? I had just finished Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and then I dove straight into Made in Abyss. And let me tell you, this show is unbelivable. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was great, but it wasn’t necessarily having me click next episode regardless of how late it was. Shows like Made in Abyss or Stein;s Gate really bring this feeling of turning the next page, or in this case episode, multiple times in order to feel satisfied. This show is DARK. Like, worse than Promised Neverland dark. It starts off peaceful and happy with a bit of hints of that dark element, but halfway through season 1, Made in Abyss shows what it’s all about. Dark, horrifying, depressing, and hopeless are just the first words that come to mind. And yet, it’s offset by a happy-go-lucky cast of main characters who traverse through it all. They have their goals set in place, and no eldritch horror is going to stop them. The music is praised a lot in this show, and rightfully so. Kevin Penkin is an amazing composer and it is awesome to see a non-Asian composer for an anime. If you decide to watch, you must go in completely blind other than the basic themes that I’ve talked about already. Looking up anything will ruin some of the immersion. I was a little bit skeptical of this show at first because of how the main cast looks compared to everything, but trust me, you do not want to miss out on this amazing anime.
Verdict: S
This has honestly been the smallest list to date. I’ve recently not been watching as much anime. I also had a break earlier this year, and now I’ve been watching more sporadically. I can’t say for certain if this is simply because of me getting lots of anime under my belt (after all, my unique series watched is closing in on 90, which is pretty respectable I think), or if I’m just in a phase since I’ve also been playing a lot of games as well. For 2019–2021, I’ve had a very nice balance of games to anime to youtube, but recently my youtube and anime watched has gone down significantly. Like I’ve mentioned, I actually am employed now while also doing school, so that could potentially be another reason. Anyways, I will continue to post for you guys bi-monthly with anime content, but if you have any suggestions for formatting these reviews, or if you’d like to see other lists, like games, shows, etc., let me know! The world is finally over COVID (mostly), so let’s be happy that life is moving forward for once! Take care.
