Snaeper's Spring Season Anime Review 2019
Took me awhile to pick up some things to watch this Spring, and mostly just went back and binged a few older shows and kept on truckin' with The Rising of the Shield Hero.
So I'm sure you've likely heard of this as it caused a bit of a commotion upon it's release with the first episode. If you're not a fan of the Isekai saturation then this is another show you might not enjoy. That being said, I really enjoyed this show.
Plenty have made jokes about the loli harem but I appreciate that Rising of the Shield Hero didn't make it painful to watch with even subtle fan service. It was a very enjoyable fantasy adventure that did a good job of setting our hero down and giving him plenty of obstacles to overcome during his development.
The second cour definitely tapered off a bit once all the characters were introduced and the initial surprises wore off, but every episode remained a treat and I was always tuning in to see when it would update. I plan to re-watch the whole show with a dub and am looking forward to a second season. Definitely recommend!
You guys heard me raving about a few of the later episodes of this season and for good reason. This show is still firing on all cylinders.
I had some concerns that the literal wall our characters were living in would be a figurative one as well, and that once they crossed this border, the theme of the show would forcibly change so much that it might be difficult to consider what comes next since so much would have shifted.
Well Attack on Titan has kept the foot on the gas and keeps your gut wrenching and developments unraveling to ensure that wont be the case. This is a rich world and there's going to be a lot more to see of it. Worth picking back up if you put it down.
Sarazanmai
So. This is a
josei anime, which explains alot. There's more than a bit of yaoi going on here but I have thick skin so I kept powering through.
The animation is beautiful, character interaction is well done and flushed out. The story is absolutely absurd but in that typical, amusing Japanese way.
I won't recommend it, but at the same time it's very well done and worth a watch.
Wise Man's Grandchild
This is
barely an isekai. BARELY. It's pretty much inconsequential that our protagonist was reborn into this world from our own. Unlike
Rising of the Shield Hero or
That time I was Reincarnated as a Slime (...or
literally any other Isekai), it plays next to no part in his motivations, nor his decision making. They could've wholly removed him being reincarnated and I think the show actually would've been better off for it.
On top of that, this is the usual OP Protagonist who can level mountains in his dreams, added on with the slice of life school elements and collection of forgettable chums.
I will give points to it actually fulfilling the arc with his romantic interest, and even poking off at the typical tropes that follow along with the constant ineptness most anime protagonists go through when faced with a suitor... but it's not enough to make up for the fact that there's no suspense, no sense of danger, no credible villains and no interesting hooks to keep you going here.
Even if you're a fan of isekai or fantasy adventure anime's, I'd say pass on this. There are better uses of your time.
The Helpful Fox Senko-San
This is an incredibly comfy slice of life fantasy, and boy do I mean it when I say fantasy.
Worth a watch if you like seeing cute girls doing wholesome things, but it lacks the humor of similar shows like
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid and the like. It blissfully doesn't sexualize our titular female (nor one of her two companions) too much, but that doesn't mean you won't be getting any weird looks when someone walks in and you try to explain "... It's okay! She's 800 years old!" Yeah. Right.
Bokuben: We Never Learn
Slice of life. School. Harem.
That being said, this is a very tasteful, well done example of those typical themes. Characters could be flushed out a little more and do crutch on their tropes, but their interaction is quite enjoyable to watch.
It was refreshing to see the different relationships that each of the Female protagonists had towards the Male protagonist and made it much more worthwhile to watch. The humor was well done even when characters found themselves in the typical tropes. Definitely recommend if you like this genre and even worth a watch if you're not the biggest fan usually.
Isekai Quartet
Who likes Isekai shows!? This guy!
I'm a fan of Re:Zero and Konosuba, so seeing the main casts of both getting mixed up in a slice of life school sitcom seemed like a win. Season 2 confirmed!
These bite sized episodes bring a good humor punch with them but I strongly recommend you watch all four before tuning in. And since I hadn't watched
Overlord or the
Saga of Tanya the Evil...
(now for some older shows that I've only just gotten around to binging)
This is how you handle OP Protagonists correctly. Surround him with allies that constantly keep him on his toes and make him his own comedic foil.
If you've not gotten around to watching Overlord, I can't recommend it enough.
This is also a good example of OP Protagonists. It's also one of the first examples I can think of that I've watched in which there was a gender swap. The tone of the show thankfully prevents too many awkward or cumbersome jokes about a man residing in a little girls body, and instead keeps the focus on a WW1/2-esque world with magic.
Definitely worth a watch if you want to see a sadistic little girl running amok in a grim world terrifying allies and enemies alike.
(Isekai Quartet cont.) That being said, her and her comrade's additions to Isekai Quartet was bland at best. It did help to have a few "Straight Man" comedic foils to help showcase the absurdity of the situation, but aside from Tanya, the rest really didn't add much.
Bloom Into You
I had heard good things about this and decided to give the Yuri show a shot.
Very well done, and probably one of the best examples of love I've seen in any show.
If you're looking for a break from the action and want to appreciate the connections we make with others (and their immense complexity), this is definitely worth a watch.
Second Cour
Currently, the only show that's carrying over into Summer '19 that I'm watching has been Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. It is fantastic in every way thus far. Story, Characters, pacing, Animation, everything. I can safely say it's going to be in the Top 10 of Anime of the year, maybe even Top 5. Pick this up!