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Let's talk about some of the shows from Summer 2024!
A little remainder of what I was watching and what I want to talk about:
First show that I want to talk about is the one that started it all this season. A cute love story between a magical girl caught up in a corrupted world and a evil lieutenant that... went nowhere and definitely needed more work.
With only 12 minutes an episode and the real proper story not moving, we got a half-baked show that should have stayed a manga for fullest enjoyment. Since the manga was unfinished, it would be better to know that that’s all we getting.
But in the pacing of this show, it was not covered well at all.
We barely got the introduction to the characters, the love story barely moved, the evil was barely explored, the real point was barely made and we only barely understand the world as it is.
It’s not exactly disappointing. It’s just... not where it could be, if it had more space to grow.
Still, I think the story itself is very interesting and it has quirks that make it worthwhile.
𓆩🌻𓆪 ─────── 𓆩🌻𓆪
Starting the train of disappointment we have the meme show about a deer girl, that everyone watched and at the same time everyone knew it would be stupid and ridiculous and not good at all.
The novelty of it disappeared quite fast, and the repetitive jokes with a story that went nowhere became old. I appreciate the consistent 4th wall break, I appreciate the cute characters and absolute absurdity this show provided us with sometimes... but at the same time, I am glad it’s over and done.
I have a theory that the anime that gets a quick dub, is the anime that is made to be selling well. So far, I’ve always been right. And Shikanoko is one of them. I bet it’s not for it’s quality or a mark that it leaves on us... but it’s for it’s bizarre comedy.
I mean, do go for it if you want a quick laughter. But in the end, you might realise it swallowed your soul and left you feeling empty and not entertained...
Tasogare Outfocus is the first LGBT+ show from this season. It’s almost funny comparing it to the other one.
This one is so carefree, silly and fun. Happening in a movie club on one ordinary high school, we are unrevealing a story of three couples that are so obvious, no one can tell me they didn’t expect the story to go this way.
Filling every stereotype there is, there is nothing special or unique about Tasogare Outfocus, and that’s what makes it so amazing and wonderful.
Surprisingly little drama and surprisingly little sexual scenes are a good sign that this show is made for everyone, not just „fujoshis“ and that warms my heart, because in the end... these are love stories.
And who doesn’t like those?
Now this show... This show.
Wonderfully heavy, psychologically scarring, traumatising and freeing. It was everything.
Another LGBT+ work that shows us the life of Makoto, a boy that feels himself the most when he „dresses up“ as a girl. But he is not supported by his mother in that „way of living“. And she tries her best to kill that part of him, destroy the love for cute things.
So he sort of goes out of his way to leave the house as a boy, change at school, and then come back home as a boy. The only person who knows about it, is his childhood friend Ryuuji, who supports Makoto to the fullest and takes on the role of a guardian angel.
Their friendship really is heartwarming and the more we discover about Makoto, the more we appreciate Ryuuji.
One day, something strange happens. Aoi, a female classmate, confesses to Makoto. That’s when she discovers who Makoto really is, but she is not backing off. Quite the opposite actually – she wants to become his friend and try to convince him that her feelings are real.
But are they?
Three young people, bothered by their own feelings. Who am I? What do I want? What does love mean and how do I know if I love someone? What to do with those complicated feelings?
Their story is told from a realistic point of view. You’ll cry, you’ll laugh and you will be left with the heavy feeling of „such is life“. And there’s nothing more beautiful.
I strongly recommend watching this show. The way it’s animated, and the way it’s paces really creates a wonderful experience that might help you face your own feelings or at least understand what these people are going through and how difficult it might be for them.
It’s a heartwarming story.
I don’t think I have encountered a show about cosplay yet. And this was not a good first impression.
Using otaku jokes, pretty girls and relatable characters – while mixing in the right amount of fan service and romance, plus some drama, 2.5 Jigen no Ririsa has the recipe to become something really great.
To put it simply, it is a wasted
potential and a small disappointment. I love a lot of aspects of
it. The details about cosplaying, the story behind the main character that our
mc is cosplaying... the professionalism and reality of it.
I love the variability of characters and their fun personalities...
I am starting to understand my problem with this season. I didn’t have enough time to give to these shows. If I had it, I might have been enjoying it a lot more than I did. But unfortunately, it is too late for that now.
This shall be my lesson, to try and figure
seasonals out differently than what I was doing here.
Maybe then my comments could actually mean
something to me... instead of just naming the good things and ending them with
„it was still bad“.
With that in mind, I tried going to the second part of the season with my head high and time on my hands. And let me tell you, this show surprised me so much.
Aria's whole plot story.
Mikarin's and Ririsa's love stories.
Okumura's changes.
It all gave the show such life, such interesting lines of work... It bit me so hard, I immediately added the second season to my planned list. I cannot wait to see more of all of this.
Here’s my issue: I don’t know anything about Japanese samurai history.
Why would I say that’s an issue? Well, because that’s what ultimately gets me uninterested in historical stories. I always feel like I am missing that extra info, like I am close to understanding the story... but not just there.
It’s breaking my heart. But that’s the reason why I cannot be happy about this show and why I have to think really hard if I want to keep watching the second season.
Nige Jouzu’s quality is extreme. It looks BEAUTIFUL. You have no idea how BEAUTIFUL it is. The characters are designed in a fun way and they each have a very distinct personality, which is a rare sight. We have a comedic relief, and evil guys that are ACTUALLY evil. I am sooo pleased with whatever this show is trying to be. Seriously.
But the CGI is killing me. It is awful. It takes me out of the experience and it is ruining everything. I am trying to ignore it, and I am slowly getting better at appreciating CGI anime through the quality of the story.
But having a really interesting competition with arrows and dogs... and seeing the badly CGI-ed horses and models... ew ew ew.
All in all though, it is an amazing show and it does deserve more attention and more love.
Another series that sounded fun but ended up being boring. That happened a lot of time this season, Summer 2024 might be one of the most disappointing seasons there was.
The premise of Make Heroine is very interesting and the ever-lasting fight between „childhood friends“ and „homewreckers“ has been done over and over again in basically every romance anime there is.
This show took a different take on it. Showing us many couples that are going through this stage, while the loosing heroine finds herself crying on a shoulder of the main character, who supports them and tries to show them, than an unhappy confession or unfulfilled love is not the end of the world.
Fun uniforms, pretty girls, and many funny moments are fuelling Make Heroine to the point where it has everything it needs to be popular among the fans.
And apparently it does work.
Just again... not for me. I wanted more. I wanted it to be interesting. I really wished it wouldn’t be so boring. I wish the emotions would be louder and the fates heartbreaking. I wish I could sympathise with their pain.
But I just couldn’t care less.
I am starting to think that my love for detective stories is limited only to books. I keep giving chances to mystery shows that are specifically focused on detective work... and I keep getting burned.
This show was called „second Hyouka“ and that should have been my warning sign. Simple students playing the roles of detectives, showing off their smarts and big brains. What’s there not to love about that description?
I don’t know. I really don’t. The series looks good, it sounds good. The design is pretty in it’s simplicity, and the stories themselves are quite interesting, even if silly. (A mystery of how to make a good cocoa? Really?) And then there’s those beautiful cakes, that you can almost taste...
It’s a real quality work, and I understand why people like it. But it didn’t keep me entertained and that just sounds like the key component for any kind of media. Unfortunately, for me, Shoushimin is a miss.
A lot of people were waiting for Season 3 of Kimi ni Todoke for way longer than I have. I pushed watching this stuff for so long, I almost believed I will never get around to it.
But I ended up absolutely adoring the first season, and having complicated feelings for the second one.
Unfortunately, I have to say that the third season was a story-line let down for me. Slow burns are okay, but I spent too much time on this show at this point for getting nothing.
It changes nothing about the fact that it’s extremely adorable, innocent and funny. It changes nothing about the fact that it looked brilliant and sharp and that it stayed just the same in terms of looking like animated manga – with the special effects and chibi faces.
But... It was a challenge to get through certain episodes or passages.
We had heartbreaking moments of Ayano really kept me watching the screen with big eyes... however the conclusion made me want to throw up. I admit, only due to personal bias that I cannot overlook... but still! And to add to that, I was disappointed in Chizuru’s love story plot line as well. It seemed so out of place.
As if everything the girls represented was their whole fate, with no chance of changing it, despite their fate not feeling right for them.
It all seemed like an easy choice to make, like the lazy writing of a B-rated rom-com. Those of you who are critical of this show would understand. Those who aren’t... well, enjoy your show. I am happy for you. I wish I could enjoy it in that way as well.
All in all, Kimi ni Todoke Season 3 proved to be just as great as we all expected... but the deeper we dig, the more question marks appear.
Delico’s Nursery is a great example of
something that could be good, but turns out to be a mess.
I had really really high hopes for this show. A story about (supposedly) single fathers who balance investigative jobs and raising their own kiddos. What’s there not to love?
Completely ignoring the fact that they call raising their own kids „babysitting“ and all the weird comments they have towards their own children I decided to focus on the main plot about the „true vamp“ or the father of all vampires.
Supernatural elements are always funny and
I miss shows making vampires actually scary and evil.
This show didn’t do it either. It was just a boring, annoying 13 episode long plot for the original manga, that is probably focusing on the real story. I wouldn’t know, I didn’t read it.
And after this prologue I am not going to either.
Let’s be fair though. The character design and the (unfortunately unexplored) different personalities of bunch of little kiddos were huge pluses of Delico’s Nursery. That’s where the positives end...
Most of the adult characters were either annoying or stupid. Not to mention, stereotypical. Dino (who’s freaking surname is Classico, bitch please...) is the cold-looking almost mute, tall and handsome man with glasses who has issues showing his emotions – which results in arguing and yelling at his kids. Following by regret and big apologies.
Henrique is the red haired goof, that’s actually kinda on board with the whole babysitting and working gig.
Dali (the so called main character) is cool
and smart, the boss of the four men. His wife died not too long ago, and so he
decided to give his all to being a father. Giving up on work, he can only
be persuaded to continue when his colleagues beg him to come with them.
Wait. I didn’t just completely ignore his wife being murdered, did I?
No, I didn’t. But I wish
I could.
Her death is connected to the last member of vampire hunters, Gerhard. Handsome blondie on high heels and huge attitude. This guy, in a weak desperate moment, confesses that he was the one responsible for the death of Dali’s wife.
And what does Dali do about that?
