Sup! I'm a lifelong anime fan and occasional AniTuber who writes lengthy retrospective content. My favorite anime of all time is the Aria series. I like reading, too. Recently, I've been into French Romanticism, The Stormlight Archive fantasy series, and revisiting Tolkien's legendarium.
I’m also a wicked cool metal guitarist and composer when I'm not busy with the futile endeavor of finishing off my unending Plan to Watch list. My number one record of all time is Wintersun's self-titled debut, although my favorite overall band is Children of Bodom. RIP Alexi Laiho.
I used MAL somewhat quietly for my first decade on the site, but I'd like to make more friends to chat with on here! Shit would be so cash. Now that I'm writing anime reviews here and there, I'm happy to accept most friend requests as long as we've interacted in some way. Gotta weed out all the profiles with thousands of friends and those damn dirty trolls. Also, I have a really neat talent for pissing off pseuds.
My Scoring System
Below is my personal scoring methodology for those who actually care to know. I keep getting "Why did you give X anime only an 8?" questions, so I've detailed my approach to hopefully reduce such inquiries. To summarize, though: I don't think it's right to glaze and praise and sing "peak" from the heavens for everything. It causes art to bleed meaning and devalues genuine critique. I love anime appreciably more than film—more than literature, even—but it still exists on a quality spectrum like any other type of media. Despite the proportionally small amount of 9s and 10s on my list, I don’t consider myself an anime elitist. I’m only really an elitist when it comes to my IRL wife and ostensibly music. I think scores and ratings should mostly reflect personal value—not be used as a performative tool to measure the enormity of someone's 4-cent_garbagegigabrain. Remember, fellas: trying to score anime “objectively” will turn you into Popee the Clown!
10 – Desert Island
This is the only tier where I take issue with MAL’s nomenclature. Masterpiece simply doesn’t click for me as a way to describe just one score. The best way to explain my utilization of this tier is with the classic desert island hypothetical. “If you were going to be stuck on a desert island and you could only bring a few anime…?” It necessitates that one would choose only those which contain the most personal value. After all, to score something a 10 is to place it at the very pinnacle of the spectrum. My desert island titles are those that upheave the emotions to heights I can't know if I'll experience ever again (Aria the Origination, Violet Evergarden Gaiden). They are the select few anime that I consider deeply esoteric and life-affirming (Gankutsuou), and yes—even life-changing (Hyouge Mono). They have utterly shaken me in ways nothing else has managed to replicate before or since (Lost Butterfly), or are a wellspring of countless laughs and endless fun (Stardust Crusaders). And sometimes—they’re just that unbelievably good (Steins;Gate). They are peerless even among peers because they are all genre-defining.
Just don’t ask me which one of them I would take to a desert island over the rest.
9 – Great
Here are the titles that do only what anime is able to as an artistic medium. They are the ones that manage to leave an authentic mark and the veritable anime touchstones to which all else must aspire. They possess at least one quality which allows them to transcend being just in the realm of “good”. They amaze, dazzle, engross, and drop jaws (Monogatari Series, Mushishi). Being worthy of the vapid and generally lazy praise “well-written” is not a requirement to be assigned a 9, but it does help (Monster, Sangatsu no Lion). They speak significantly on the themes I think of as being paramount in exoteric importance (Hadashi no Gen, Shingeki no Kyojin) or on those of more personal, esoteric importance (Kyousou Giga, OreGairu). Sometimes it’s as straightforward as being among the best in their respective genres or wielding insane entertainment value (Hunter x Hunter 2011). To achieve greatness is no simple feat, yet it can be simplicity that helps something to reach those heights (Akage no Anne, Tentai Senshi Sunred). These are the Frosted Flakes of anime, if you were to consult Tony the Tiger on it.
Great anime inspires awe and keeps you glued to your seat as the credits roll.
8 – Very Good
Unequivocal bangers. Several fond favorites are on this tier (Dragon Ball Z, Kachou Ouji), plus several renowned classics of the medium (Cowboy Bebop, Kenpuu Denki Berserk, Samurai Champloo). The titles here are especially good and usually have an abundance of fine qualities to offer. Many of them contain one or two elements of greatness, but aren’t quite great overall (Hachimitsu to Clover, Saraiya Goyou). This is typically the highest I will score comedy anime unless they contribute more than just absurdist humor, which is my favorite kind, and raw hilarity (Gabriel DropOut, Maou-jou de Oyasumi, Osomatsu-san). Some are total blasts for their entire runs (Hajime no Ippo, Macross) and some are off the beaten path gems that I’d love for more people to discover (Kuuchuu Buranko, Shigofumi). Sometimes all it takes for me to score something an 8 is the sheer enjoyment factor; even if they are clearly flawed, they are also too indulgent for me to honestly care (Hellsing Ultimate, Nagi no Asu kara). Rarely, I place potential 9s here until I rewatch them—just be sure (Nana, Neon Genesis Evangelion).
These anime consistently reach for the stars, but don’t always find them.
7 – Good
To be placed on this tier, the work must be good in an overall sense. This doesn’t always mean that all aspects are good or that every box is checked. It is possible for some elements to make up for others, and just one can do some serious carrying, much like myself when playing Destiny PvP (Kimetsu no Yaiba, Shokugeki no Souma). I do not doubt it when scoring something a 7; a good anime is one that leaves little, if any, uncertainty. These titles absolutely achieve what they set out to do and I thoroughly enjoyed them—even if their achievements are modest ones (Kotonoha no Niwa, NHK ni Youkoso!). They distinguish themselves from the norm in ways that are truly meaningful and positive (Kurozuka, Paprika). They are conspicuously good even if I don’t completely love them (Genji Monogatari Sennenki, Trigun). Good anime not only stand out within their genres, but also boast qualities that make them the right kind of memorable (Hyouka, Rokka no Yuusha). “Good” is likely the single most subjective label on most scales, but for me, a truly good anime comes down to a certain gnosis and sincere enthusiasm.
That, and they seem to routinely leave me with a warm impression.
6 – Fine
Firmly above average. Anime scored 6 contain elements of good, but are not good in their entireties. It can be the case that one powerful element, such as a wonderful character or rule-of-cool methodology, has earned a title this score where it is otherwise an altogether average product (5-toubun no Hanayome, Juubee Ninpuuchou). Anime which could be good but that sadly botch their potential also end up here (Claymore, Boku dake ga Inai Machi). Undeniably average guilty pleasures thrive on this tier (Dragon Ball Super, Juuni Taisen). Stuff that diverges from the norm to do something unique and interesting, but that I don’t love in the end, ultimately belongs here (FLCL, Kaiba). Reversing that idea, outwardly average anime that I find ironically good can be elevated enough to earn a spot here on certain occasions (Inferno Cop, Keijo!!!!!!!!). Sixes are a pleasant time overall, but I usually have reservations about them in one way or another. If I really doubt whether or not an anime deserves to be crowned with one of those crispy 7s, then this is pretty much always where it gets assigned instead.
It’s the difference between being kind of good and actually good.
5 – Average
I’m aware of the strange, proprietary designation that some MAL users employ to mean average, where average is the exact point that good and bad meet. I have not adopted that use. Average is what most music on the radio constitutes. It’s the kind of thing that goes in one ear and out the other; work that is average fails to leave an impression. These anime are mediocre and run-of-the-mill even in their best estimations, much like the music produced by the local bands where I’m from. This is where the work of many ordinary creatives goes, and that is quintessentially average. However, 5 can also mean that I feel neutral towards the work (Hoshi no Koe, Omoide no Marnie). Anime which perform exactly within expectations without trying to distinguish themselves definitely belong here (BNA, New Game!). There is an erroneous, pervasive idea in critic circles (not limited to anime) that mediocrity is grounds for thoughtless dismissal of and hatred towards some media. It's poor self-awareness to go on a tirade of misplaced passion about how mediocrity is the lowest form of art and still label yourself a critic.
You'd think this is the easiest one of all to not fuck up, but...
4 – Bad
Titles that are below average within their genres dominate this tier (Fairy Tail, Sword Art Online). The obvious “I don’t like it” anime are plentiful as well (86, Tokyo Ghoul). However, sometimes I actually do like some of the anime I score a 4, but for one reason or another still find them subpar overall (Hikari no Ou, Seikaisuru Kado). I also put stuff here that I don’t mesh well with or that otherwise fail to serve their intended purposes enough to get a passing score of 5 (Azumanga Daiou, Bokutachi no Remake). “So bad it’s good” anime can be scored 4, too, mainly due to the sheer entertainment value they offer (Domestic na Kanojo, Popee the Performer). Bad anime are less than mediocre, but usually aren’t complete trash. They can have dollar store villains, poor endings, and unutilized potential that land them here in the first place, but still boast attractive qualities that make them easy to watch, like great character designs (Magia Record, Takt Op. Destiny).
Bad anime are disappointing, but not necessarily wastes of time.
3 – Very Bad
Crossing the suffering threshold. How can something be this bad while still taking itself seriously? This tier is for anime that are not only bad, but require mental gymnastics in order to defend (Chaos Dragon, Tokyo Revengers). Sequels to titles whose original iterations are average or better, but have now fallen off the deep end, are right at home being scored 3 (Boruto, Nanatsu no Taizai, Yakusoku no Neverland). Anime that I have a vendetta against or that piss me off from a personal standpoint, but are otherwise just alright, are fated to dwell here (Beck). Unashamed rip-offs run straight to this tier as if their existences depend on it (Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku, Shinmai Maou no Testament). Eye-roll bad anime occupy this space (Citrus, Yosuga no Sora), as well as anime that severely and perhaps frustratingly botch their potential (Haruhi 2009, Ryuu to Sobakasu no Hime). Landfill destined waste may as well waltz right in (Masamune-kun no Revenge, Yakusai Kochou).
I came, I suffered, and was probably bored to tears.
2 – Horrible
If I hate it then this is where it goes. Hate is a strong word, but when an anime defies my preferences to an excruciating degree, it's totally deserved. For example, I hate stuff that’s edgy for the sake of it and tries to appeal to unhinged teenagers (Btooom!, Deadman Wonderland). This stuff hurts to watch, especially when they’re a far cry from their original selves (Berserk 2016, Higurashi Sotsu). Funny-bad anime can also end up on this tier (Iron Virgin Jun, Toushinden). And, naturally, simply being garbage is the main method something can use to land itself a 2 (Mayoiga, Obsolete). Anime here might be worthless but not necessarily unpleasant (Guitar Shoujo!, Sol Levante). They may also be stupid enough that they infuriate me (Kamisama ni Natta Hi). I have to question how these are approved for production in the first place and why there are studios that don't hesitate in selling their souls to have their reputations associated with such tasteless, often senseless junk.
These are total crap, but can still entertain.
1 – Loony Bin
This tier represents the worst ideas to ever move on screen. They are completely worthless (Kokuhaku, Petting a Dog, Shitcom), hideous in every meaning of the word (Utsu Musume Sayuri, Yukidoke), or disgusting and deranged (Anal Juke: Anal Juice, Boku no Pico, Pupa). Anything that personally offends me also goes here, although those are rare and usually terrible to begin with (Kaifuku Jutsushi no Yarinaoshi). Occasionally, there really are anime that are genuinely that painful to sit through (Hametsu no Mars, Hanappe Bazooka, Vampire Holmes). Avoid this shit at all costs unless you want to end up in an insane asylum like the demented people who produce these sickening monstrosities.
Nausea given form.
LOL, yeah—what I find so distasteful about it is actually quite simple, but I'll let you read about it in the review. That said, I'm still finding enjoyment from it, I just wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than folks who derive fun from irony.
Sounds good my friend. I'll be looking for that along with the Fate/strange fake review.
Yeah, that tendency to ignore the other parent is power-tripping and entitlement, plain and simple. In my case it wasn't so much the result of gentle parenting, just lazy, neglectful, ignorant parenting. I don't say all this to hurl insults at her, but to clarify what happened.
They really are valuable. I was surprised to discover just how many people don't care enough to investigate something as important as parenting. People read up on improving their hobbies and skills, but for some reason there are a concerningly large subset of people who think that parenting is only about their personal whims. Like, that their kid is tantamount to their property. Nope, parenting is a skill, too. Parents are responsible for shaping an entire human being, and there is a ton that goes into that. I guess this is more of rant territory, but yeah. Point is, books are good lol!
You're good man. Sorry to dig up old wounds in case I did -- thank you for sharing your experience trying to navigate as a young parent.
People neglecting to really do their homework on parenting just leads to issues along the road. It can create bullies, personality problems, failure to launch with society, crime rate -- it all starts at home and really shapes how someone develops. I have met some parents that do try to be their friend rather than parent and it's just not the right approach period.
In other words though, as I wanted to ask, does your son share your hobby of anime/do you intend to share anime with him? Does he know that you and the wife watch anime together?
Hey friend I'm just including quotes here in this reply since knowing me I might take forever to get back to replies so I'll need it for context.
Me: How are the Seasonals treating you? Besides F/SF and Frieren, what one (or three) shows do you think I should try and catch up to?
You: Pretty dang good so far! Haven't wanted to drop any of them. I'd say Ikoku Nikki is worth a spin for sure, as well as Sentenced To Be A Hero. My personal highlight is Medalist, but it's season 2, so it would require investment and certainly isn't for everyone.
Nice! Well I'll have to check those out, I have been away from the Seasonal grind as of late but looking to stretch my muscles after working on my backlog of other anime. I've heard great things about Medalist at least from it's original source so I'm keen to watch something new (never seen anything about figure skating).
Ikoku Nikki blew up into the Top 100 so I'll have to see the hype. For that Darwin anime though, I'll need to see your review for when you post it out lol -- looks like you didn't appreciate that show very much.
Me: Also thought I would share the news with you considering you are also a husband (not sure if you are a dad yourself) -- but my wife is expecting! So time to raise them on Naruto and Pokemon haha. If you do have kids, what advice do you have?
You: That's great! I do have a kid, although not with my wife. Had him right out of high school, so he's 13 now.
Parental advice. I'd say I'm only the person to ask when it comes to later developmental cycles, not really for super young. Stuff like internet literacy and being a parent vs. being a friend...As for newborns? My only advice is this: Good luck, and hang in there. LOL. On a more serious note though, I think it's worth buying a few parenting books. I was 18 when my mom made me buy them and I thought it was kinda dumb, but now I strongly believe that all parents should read at least 2 or 3. I underestimated them then, but they absolutely paid off later.
Thanks for the advice friend! I think that gentle parenting being on the rise isn't exactly producing the best of fruit with kids and seeing how they act nowadays. Sorry that you dealt with what you dealt with with your kid's mom -- it's crazy how some people strongly act without even trying to include the other person.
We've been looking at strollers and whether to get a system (we don't know if multiple kids is on the table for us not by choice -- we are blessed enough to be able to have one in the first place), but then now I gotta worry if it'll fit in a compact SUV. So many things. But yeah I'll look at parenting books to see what to expect (or help prepare me for the sleepless onslaught).
Yeah, Bebop is just like that man. I really don't think I "got" it the first time through, despite definitely thinking it was really good. Watched it again a few years later, and so many things I had hardly thought about before just broke me up inside. At least a little bit of age and regret is required to fully appreciate it. Hard to believe sometimes that Watanabe was only in his early 30s when he wrote it.
I'm very late on this, but I hope you and your wife had a lovely Valentine's Day!
Hey there friend, hope you had a good January so far.
I don't really have much to update on since I haven't started Oregairu Kan (maybe this Valentine's weekend? lol). I've been watching Cardcaptor Sakura bit by bit weekly, finished Bunny Girl Senpai movies + University Arc, The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, a bunch of random OVAs here and there, and then Angel Beats! which was okay for the most part. Had a strong finish than a strong beginning.
How are the Seasonals treating you? Besides F/SF and Frieren, what one (or three) shows do you think I should try and catch up to?
Also thought I would share the news with you considering you are also a husband (not sure if you are a dad yourself) -- but my wife is expecting! So time to raise them on Naruto and Pokemon haha. If you do have kids, what advice do you have?
Hope you had a Merry Christmas and joyous New Year's Celebration!
December was definitely a busy month with lotto (hit around 167 boxes), family events, wrapping up work in overtime. Managed to get Merlin for my GSSR...now time to save for Alice/Aoko.
I don't think I watched anything from Fall 2025, mostly just non-seasonals. December was just Non Non Biyori S3, Land of the Lustrous, Vinland Saga and oh man...Oregairu S2.
Oregairu Season 2 really hits differently. It’s uncomfortable in a deliberate way, like the show wants you to pay attention to all the unspoken tension between the characters. Compared to Season 1, it’s not just the animation that changes — the whole tone shifts. Hachiman’s inner flaws get dragged into the light, and Hayama ends up being way more complex than the “perfect guy” image he had before.
And then there’s Haruno. I still can’t fully figure her out. She absolutely knows how to provoke people, but she also pushes the cast to confront things they’d rather avoid. She’s chaotic, but she’s one of the few characters who actually forces growth. She is hot, but what an elite ragebaiter. I'll probably end up speeding through the third season shortly here.
I'm planning on being a bit more inconsistent with my watching (as I took a break while watching Vinland Saga) to probably try and refresh my attitude towards the genre. Maybe not entirely, but not watching like 15+ shows within a month or something haha. Hope you've been well!
When I saw this -- I immediately thought that you might appreciate it. Guess what's coming to Netflix in December? https://youtu.be/GNgK75OZ0mQ
The whole premise of Ordeal Call is really goofy. The reason a barrier is preventing us from returning to Antarctica is… because we used Extra Classes…? Piss poor writing, lazy as hell, and obviously very dumb. But the execution in Paper Moon is actually pretty solid. If 2.5 is really going to be based on something this dumb, I’m glad the actual Singularities still have effort put into them. That’s my 2 cents anyhow. And I’m kind of a fan of Cerejeira now, although I'm not sure you've reached that point just yet.
No worries! I actually finished Ordeal Call. It ended OK and the boss fight was pretty underwhelming. I too was a fan of Cerejeira's design, hope to see her more as she is pretty cute. At this point I'm just waiting on summoning Kenshin, then saving up for Aoko/Alice in April.
Yeah, 7 is admittedly a bit generous. I was initially leaning toward 6 as I mostly consider it to be just above average as a romance anime, with its many cliches and whatnot. However, I feel it definitely deserves more credit not only for what it wants to say, but also the fact that it wants to say something at all. That's rare in romance anime. My wife loves it to pieces. Every day after we started it she would ask to watch more. She said it's a "white girl coded" anime, LOL.
Haha yes! Definitely gives that vibe of being "white girl coded". Nothing wrong with that. It's vanilla but honestly has a lot going for it. I'm almost curious to start the manga for it but it might be better waiting it out for if and when a second season gets announced. Do you happen to read manga yourself? I see you only have just the one entry lol!
To be honest, I can fully see why it's often accused of being wish fulfillment, I just know better from experience. It's really not that far fetched that more than one hyper cute girl would daisuki a guy. To put it bluntly, the disconnect comes from the fact that it is far fetched that more than one hyper cute girl would daisuki guys who self-identify as anime elitists, LOL. All this heated discussion around OreGairu's realism or lack thereof, and this point is never said out loud, despite it being the fairest and truest solution to the conundrum.
I don't know -- I don't really see Oregairu as wish fulfillment since it's just an asshole learning to live and how to socialize with cute girls. But yes, real life isn't that far from fiction in that sense. There would be situations where love triangles happen even in anime elitist circles and drama and high-school whatnot (AKA my youngest brother-in-laws circle of friends).
I will make sure to give you my thoughts on Season 2 as soon as I watch it! Just wrapping up the Anime Watching Challenge for 2025 -- I have about 4 shows left out of the 100 so....hoping I actually finish before December 10th!
Just curious, how would you rank your Seasonals so far? Not in terms of score but enjoyment (but you can do scores if you want).
No problem! I'm glad you had a good holiday;! My Thanksgiving was also very nice.
Yes! The imagery is incredible, and thinking about how on earth they accomplished it in 1927 boggles my mind. I haven't seen Caligari yet, but I've heard enough good that I definitely want to.
Correct, Die Nibelungen is based on those myths. As for whether I recommend it, probably not if silent films aren't typically your thing. I liked it well enough myself; its got that same mythic atmosphere, and it's got some genuinely very interesting things to say about gender roles and the kind of power men and women each have - Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned, and all that - but it is extremely long at 4.5 total hours, or 2 and 2.5 if you break it into its main halves, and I don't think it's paced nearly as well as Metropolis. It's definitely on the lower end of the admittedly few silent films I've seen. I do, however, recommend Fritz Lang's earlier work Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler. It's similarly very long, but I found it overall a lot more engaging, and the sequel The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (a talkie, and Lang's last German film before fleeing) is just straight-up excellent. Fritz Lang is one of my favorite directors, so I'm always very happy to introduce more people to him. M is what most people consider his best movie, and while I do personally prefer Metropolis, M is absolutely another masterpiece.
I'm glad you liked it! I guess I'll start by saying that a significant amount of my love for Metropolis comes from its tone rather than its writing - its plot in the second half is a nightmare if analyzed logically, and it's perhaps not quite as thematically coherent as some of my other favorites, but I'll do my best.
The most pertinent theme in my opinion is the one you picked up on: the modern Tower of Babel. Biblically, mankind's hubris built a great tower and men sought to surpass God. In Metropolis, their great crime was to build the tower at the expense of the workers.
When Frederson enters the depths, he hallucinates a mechanized Moloch consuming humanity (when I first watched the movie, this is when I knew I was on board for everything else). In ancient Palestine, Moloch was one of several gods to which human (often infant) sacrifices were offered. When ancient Israel would sometimes turn from Yahweh toward Moloch (or Baal, Asherah, etc.), divine judgement would follow. While the judgement in Metropolis is less explicitly divine, I think that kind of reading is actually pretty consistent; I mentioned earlier that the logic of the plot is a nightmare, but it evokes (for me at least) a similar feeling as in Revelation or in some of the Old Testament prophecies, where a madness seems to be taking hold in people and all reason has departed. Here, a madness has affected the masses, and this in turn brings about the destruction of Metropolis. It could be argued that divine punishment came about as a result of the neglect and disdain the elite had for the masses.
The machine Maria also plays a big part in that. I can't recall if the movie itself ever mentions it, but she evokes for me the Whore of Bablyon, also from Revelation. In that book, she is usually seen as a representative of a modern (or modern as of the time in which Revelation takes place) city of Babylon, which is portrayed as a city in which lawlessness and debauchery have replaced piety and reason, much like how she seduces the men of the upper class. She is also a deliberate foil to the real Maria, who I can only assume is a stand-in for the Virign Mary. I think these ideas and dichotomy are what really make the second half work for me; without some kind of religious or ethereal reading it would fall apart.
Probably worth saying that I don't know how much of these readings were intended by Lang himself lol. And it's been a couple years since my last viewing, so there's probably a lot I'm forgetting about.
One of the other things about the film I appreciate is how it could never work with either sound or color. It feels like an ancient myth but in a sci-fi setting, which is a tone that I think only silent films can pull off; Die Nibelungen is another Fritz Lang movie that I think does a good job of this, though I don't find it quite as compelling.
There's probably a number of other religious readings you could make; Frederson has a lot of similarities to Buddha, for example, but I'm pretty underqualified to speak on those myself.
I appreciate your explanations, though I think the rhythm guitar reasoning can also apply to Nina, as from what I can tell, Momoka was still the lead guitarist during TogeToge's season finale performance.
Funny enough, I didn't actually read 1.5 with the exception of Shinjuku. Everyone told me that Shinjuku was easily the best story of the Remnants, and I thought very little of it, so I didn't care to read the rest. Worst FGO story for me though, yeah, Septem. I also have a big disdain for London, although I don't remember why LOL.
Maybe Mordred's role in London wasn't as interesting as you could've thought? London wasn't the most memorable too. I just remember for the final part that Kintoki Sakata and Tamamo had random cameos towards the end of that Singularity. I'm finding it difficult to push through OC1. I guess it would be hard to top LB7 and how well it was done.
I'm with your wife here, lol. The constant apologizing is irksome, and yeah, that reasoning totally checks out for the apologizing and general martyring the characters in that show seem to love so much. I think part of it is also uniquely attributed to Japanese culture things as well, though.
Definitely. One of the hardest episodes to sit through was the beach episode when Subaru was being a debbie downer and feeling guilty for having fun. My wife just grimaced the entire time. It was awful and almost took away from the confession scene afterwards haha! But wow yeah I took a look at your notes for Fragrant Flower -- 7 is pretty generous. I gave it a 9 myself because of the feels and it was honestly my show that I was looking forward to every week during the Summer. But yes every character is an open door and the cast being too kind to each other can provide mixed results as a whole. Did the wife at least enjoy it towards the very end?
Hell yeah! I love that for you!!! OreGairu has a history of being shot down by snobs and even disqualified as "good romance", but all I really have to say on that at this point is that you and me (married gigachads with beautiful wives) have more of a say in romance anime than the forever alone, kissless virgin weebs who can only guess at what constitutes good or realistic romance. It's also the progenitor for a lot of modern romance anime. It's very unassuming in that way, since a lot of viewers probably chalk it up as "only another harem wish fulfillment" type of show, but it's obviously way more than that. Yui is an all-timer character for me, but even then she only narrowly beats out Yukino. I think Hachiman is special too, and I absolutely believe with my whole being that the author put more than just a little bit of himself into that character. If you liked S1, I'm keen to get your thoughts on S2, since that is where the series has a glow-up in several ways.
Thank you friend! It's always a great feeling when you can relate to another person's favorites so I'm glad it worked out for me with OreGairu. It's definitely more contemplative and on the more candid side. Thank goodness for our amazing spouses that we can have a blueprint for what constitutes a great romance. Nothing will come as close to real life, but I agree that OreGairu can have that high ceiling -- looking forward to the next few seasons. I don't think it ever came across as wish fulfillment, as it is really far from it. I'm not biased towards any girl so far, but it was good to see that Yui isn't one-dimensional and can hold her own against Yukino. I'll probably watch Season 2 likely around December! Can't wait to see how Hachiman continues to hold his own against the likes of Sakuta from Aobuta and Araragi from Monogatari.
Fantastic Takopi's Original Sin review. You did a great job detailing the show's themes and making a case against it being exploitative, among other things.
On a totally different note, I see that you're a professional metal guitarist, which is very cool as an alternative rock/metal fan myself. With that said, I want to address a few things about a couple rock band related anime that you happened to dislike.
Girls Band Cry: I can't really speak for the realism of Nina's progression as a first year guitarist obviously, but for comparison sake, I checked back on the developments of Yui from K-On and Kita from Bocchi the Rock as similarly beginner level players early on in their respective shows, and both of them seemed to progress towards becoming competent guitarists just as quickly as, if not quicker than Nina did (especially Yui). I also find your statement about TogeToge not composing a song together until after signing with their record label talent agency to be pretty odd, since all of the insert songs they performed prior to the deal (apart from VOID of course) were clearly supposed to be TogeToge's own in-universe creations.
Beck: I'm pretty curious to know what "real-world wannabe" aspects of the show that you took issue with. Was it all the bullying and street violence, or whatever topics associated with adulthood that the show tried to tackle?
Lostbelt 7 was pretty creative and I thoroughly enjoyed the ORT fight and having to use all my servants. It wasn't as hard as I'd thought it would be -- but still fun regardless. Those are all some solid choices for best story. What do you think was the worst of FGO? Septem and Agartha? lol
Lostbelt 6 would work more as a 2-cour anime given the bulk and depth that it had. If Aniplex can do it for Babylonia, they can do it for Avalon. But to be honest I would much rather have a remastered Saber route with Ufotable visuals if possible. It's a pipe dream considering Atsuko Tanaka passed away so suddenly.
Yeah! Hopefully the Blu Rays come out soon -- I forgot to mention that I watched it in dub (my theatre could only show English) so I sadly missed out on a textbook Tsuda Kenjirou performance. Going to rewatch that with the wife once it is available again.
And yes your opinions are worth something, we have similar taste for the most part so I'm not too worried that I'll be significantly let down by OPM S2. I'll add it to the ever growing PTW for now and will tackle it when I've cleared through what I'm watching.
Yeah my wife is the opposite, she finds it hard to sit through romance anime because a lot of it is cheesy for her (except Fruits Basket). For Fragrant Flower specifically she said that the characters apologize way too much over the simplest things and I can agree I guess -- but I looked into how the series was made, and the author wrote it with the intention of making all the characters in the show "kind" at heart. The apologizing is probably a side effect of this. I personally thought it was great and I can see why it's raved highly -- you can thank Tiktok for hyping the show up. I can't agree with you on Blue Box (as I haven't seen it yet) but I will stand that Dangers in My Heart takes the cake for me for recent romance anime (a show that you also haven't seen yet lol).
Speaking of romance anime -- I wanted to time my next reply until after I finished Oregairu S1, but I'm pretty content to say that the show was enjoyable. I thought it would be generic but I was surprised by the writing and the cast. Both Yukino and Yui are good FeMCs and looking forward to seeing their growth in future Seasons. Love and good to know that Hachiman isn't dense at all.
Nice! What is your favorite Story so far? I am pretty basic because I will say Lostbelt 6 is my favorite followed by Babylonia and then Lostbelt 7.
Yeah! It was quite a ride -- most of my friends are normies so they didn't really get the appeal of Monogatari but that is okay because anime is to each their own.
I watched 100 Meters not knowing that it was being released in theatres. I kept getting advertisements for it from GKids (who I think was the producer of the movie) on Instagram and there was 1 theatre showcasing it. Even though it was dubbed in English, it was a great overall experience.
I also heard about OPM's director bowing out. What a shame -- people online can be so ruthless. I have put off seeing OPM S2 because I do not want to be influenced by the hive mind but I might as well just take the plunge since I really enjoyed S1. I don't think people understand that a great IP also equates to great production committee. Shows just have to be lucky depending on who is handling things behind the scenes.
What made you want to watch The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity? I'm surprised you didn't check that out in the summer. Can't wait to hear your thoughts (both good and bad - ha!)
All Comments (60) Comments
Sounds good my friend. I'll be looking for that along with the Fate/strange fake review.
They really are valuable. I was surprised to discover just how many people don't care enough to investigate something as important as parenting. People read up on improving their hobbies and skills, but for some reason there are a concerningly large subset of people who think that parenting is only about their personal whims. Like, that their kid is tantamount to their property. Nope, parenting is a skill, too. Parents are responsible for shaping an entire human being, and there is a ton that goes into that. I guess this is more of rant territory, but yeah. Point is, books are good lol!
You're good man. Sorry to dig up old wounds in case I did -- thank you for sharing your experience trying to navigate as a young parent.
People neglecting to really do their homework on parenting just leads to issues along the road. It can create bullies, personality problems, failure to launch with society, crime rate -- it all starts at home and really shapes how someone develops. I have met some parents that do try to be their friend rather than parent and it's just not the right approach period.
In other words though, as I wanted to ask, does your son share your hobby of anime/do you intend to share anime with him? Does he know that you and the wife watch anime together?
You: Pretty dang good so far! Haven't wanted to drop any of them. I'd say Ikoku Nikki is worth a spin for sure, as well as Sentenced To Be A Hero. My personal highlight is Medalist, but it's season 2, so it would require investment and certainly isn't for everyone.
Nice! Well I'll have to check those out, I have been away from the Seasonal grind as of late but looking to stretch my muscles after working on my backlog of other anime. I've heard great things about Medalist at least from it's original source so I'm keen to watch something new (never seen anything about figure skating).
Ikoku Nikki blew up into the Top 100 so I'll have to see the hype. For that Darwin anime though, I'll need to see your review for when you post it out lol -- looks like you didn't appreciate that show very much.
You: That's great! I do have a kid, although not with my wife. Had him right out of high school, so he's 13 now.
Parental advice. I'd say I'm only the person to ask when it comes to later developmental cycles, not really for super young. Stuff like internet literacy and being a parent vs. being a friend...As for newborns? My only advice is this: Good luck, and hang in there. LOL. On a more serious note though, I think it's worth buying a few parenting books. I was 18 when my mom made me buy them and I thought it was kinda dumb, but now I strongly believe that all parents should read at least 2 or 3. I underestimated them then, but they absolutely paid off later.
Thanks for the advice friend! I think that gentle parenting being on the rise isn't exactly producing the best of fruit with kids and seeing how they act nowadays. Sorry that you dealt with what you dealt with with your kid's mom -- it's crazy how some people strongly act without even trying to include the other person.
We've been looking at strollers and whether to get a system (we don't know if multiple kids is on the table for us not by choice -- we are blessed enough to be able to have one in the first place), but then now I gotta worry if it'll fit in a compact SUV. So many things. But yeah I'll look at parenting books to see what to expect (or help prepare me for the sleepless onslaught).
I'm very late on this, but I hope you and your wife had a lovely Valentine's Day!
I don't really have much to update on since I haven't started Oregairu Kan (maybe this Valentine's weekend? lol). I've been watching Cardcaptor Sakura bit by bit weekly, finished Bunny Girl Senpai movies + University Arc, The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, a bunch of random OVAs here and there, and then Angel Beats! which was okay for the most part. Had a strong finish than a strong beginning.
How are the Seasonals treating you? Besides F/SF and Frieren, what one (or three) shows do you think I should try and catch up to?
Also thought I would share the news with you considering you are also a husband (not sure if you are a dad yourself) -- but my wife is expecting! So time to raise them on Naruto and Pokemon haha. If you do have kids, what advice do you have?
December was definitely a busy month with lotto (hit around 167 boxes), family events, wrapping up work in overtime. Managed to get Merlin for my GSSR...now time to save for Alice/Aoko.
I don't think I watched anything from Fall 2025, mostly just non-seasonals. December was just Non Non Biyori S3, Land of the Lustrous, Vinland Saga and oh man...Oregairu S2.
Oregairu Season 2 really hits differently. It’s uncomfortable in a deliberate way, like the show wants you to pay attention to all the unspoken tension between the characters. Compared to Season 1, it’s not just the animation that changes — the whole tone shifts. Hachiman’s inner flaws get dragged into the light, and Hayama ends up being way more complex than the “perfect guy” image he had before.
And then there’s Haruno. I still can’t fully figure her out. She absolutely knows how to provoke people, but she also pushes the cast to confront things they’d rather avoid. She’s chaotic, but she’s one of the few characters who actually forces growth. She is hot, but what an elite ragebaiter. I'll probably end up speeding through the third season shortly here.
I'm planning on being a bit more inconsistent with my watching (as I took a break while watching Vinland Saga) to probably try and refresh my attitude towards the genre. Maybe not entirely, but not watching like 15+ shows within a month or something haha. Hope you've been well!
No worries! I actually finished Ordeal Call. It ended OK and the boss fight was pretty underwhelming. I too was a fan of Cerejeira's design, hope to see her more as she is pretty cute. At this point I'm just waiting on summoning Kenshin, then saving up for Aoko/Alice in April.
Haha yes! Definitely gives that vibe of being "white girl coded". Nothing wrong with that. It's vanilla but honestly has a lot going for it. I'm almost curious to start the manga for it but it might be better waiting it out for if and when a second season gets announced. Do you happen to read manga yourself? I see you only have just the one entry lol!
I don't know -- I don't really see Oregairu as wish fulfillment since it's just an asshole learning to live and how to socialize with cute girls. But yes, real life isn't that far from fiction in that sense. There would be situations where love triangles happen even in anime elitist circles and drama and high-school whatnot (AKA my youngest brother-in-laws circle of friends).
I will make sure to give you my thoughts on Season 2 as soon as I watch it! Just wrapping up the Anime Watching Challenge for 2025 -- I have about 4 shows left out of the 100 so....hoping I actually finish before December 10th!
Just curious, how would you rank your Seasonals so far? Not in terms of score but enjoyment (but you can do scores if you want).
Yes! The imagery is incredible, and thinking about how on earth they accomplished it in 1927 boggles my mind. I haven't seen Caligari yet, but I've heard enough good that I definitely want to.
Correct, Die Nibelungen is based on those myths. As for whether I recommend it, probably not if silent films aren't typically your thing. I liked it well enough myself; its got that same mythic atmosphere, and it's got some genuinely very interesting things to say about gender roles and the kind of power men and women each have - Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned, and all that - but it is extremely long at 4.5 total hours, or 2 and 2.5 if you break it into its main halves, and I don't think it's paced nearly as well as Metropolis. It's definitely on the lower end of the admittedly few silent films I've seen. I do, however, recommend Fritz Lang's earlier work Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler. It's similarly very long, but I found it overall a lot more engaging, and the sequel The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (a talkie, and Lang's last German film before fleeing) is just straight-up excellent. Fritz Lang is one of my favorite directors, so I'm always very happy to introduce more people to him. M is what most people consider his best movie, and while I do personally prefer Metropolis, M is absolutely another masterpiece.
The most pertinent theme in my opinion is the one you picked up on: the modern Tower of Babel. Biblically, mankind's hubris built a great tower and men sought to surpass God. In Metropolis, their great crime was to build the tower at the expense of the workers.
When Frederson enters the depths, he hallucinates a mechanized Moloch consuming humanity (when I first watched the movie, this is when I knew I was on board for everything else). In ancient Palestine, Moloch was one of several gods to which human (often infant) sacrifices were offered. When ancient Israel would sometimes turn from Yahweh toward Moloch (or Baal, Asherah, etc.), divine judgement would follow. While the judgement in Metropolis is less explicitly divine, I think that kind of reading is actually pretty consistent; I mentioned earlier that the logic of the plot is a nightmare, but it evokes (for me at least) a similar feeling as in Revelation or in some of the Old Testament prophecies, where a madness seems to be taking hold in people and all reason has departed. Here, a madness has affected the masses, and this in turn brings about the destruction of Metropolis. It could be argued that divine punishment came about as a result of the neglect and disdain the elite had for the masses.
The machine Maria also plays a big part in that. I can't recall if the movie itself ever mentions it, but she evokes for me the Whore of Bablyon, also from Revelation. In that book, she is usually seen as a representative of a modern (or modern as of the time in which Revelation takes place) city of Babylon, which is portrayed as a city in which lawlessness and debauchery have replaced piety and reason, much like how she seduces the men of the upper class. She is also a deliberate foil to the real Maria, who I can only assume is a stand-in for the Virign Mary. I think these ideas and dichotomy are what really make the second half work for me; without some kind of religious or ethereal reading it would fall apart.
Probably worth saying that I don't know how much of these readings were intended by Lang himself lol. And it's been a couple years since my last viewing, so there's probably a lot I'm forgetting about.
One of the other things about the film I appreciate is how it could never work with either sound or color. It feels like an ancient myth but in a sci-fi setting, which is a tone that I think only silent films can pull off; Die Nibelungen is another Fritz Lang movie that I think does a good job of this, though I don't find it quite as compelling.
There's probably a number of other religious readings you could make; Frederson has a lot of similarities to Buddha, for example, but I'm pretty underqualified to speak on those myself.
The professor who runs the film discord we're in has a really good video on Metropolis that goes into more depth as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XO4Fyj8udg
Maybe Mordred's role in London wasn't as interesting as you could've thought? London wasn't the most memorable too. I just remember for the final part that Kintoki Sakata and Tamamo had random cameos towards the end of that Singularity. I'm finding it difficult to push through OC1. I guess it would be hard to top LB7 and how well it was done.
Definitely. One of the hardest episodes to sit through was the beach episode when Subaru was being a debbie downer and feeling guilty for having fun. My wife just grimaced the entire time. It was awful and almost took away from the confession scene afterwards haha! But wow yeah I took a look at your notes for Fragrant Flower -- 7 is pretty generous. I gave it a 9 myself because of the feels and it was honestly my show that I was looking forward to every week during the Summer. But yes every character is an open door and the cast being too kind to each other can provide mixed results as a whole. Did the wife at least enjoy it towards the very end?
Thank you friend! It's always a great feeling when you can relate to another person's favorites so I'm glad it worked out for me with OreGairu. It's definitely more contemplative and on the more candid side. Thank goodness for our amazing spouses that we can have a blueprint for what constitutes a great romance. Nothing will come as close to real life, but I agree that OreGairu can have that high ceiling -- looking forward to the next few seasons. I don't think it ever came across as wish fulfillment, as it is really far from it. I'm not biased towards any girl so far, but it was good to see that Yui isn't one-dimensional and can hold her own against Yukino. I'll probably watch Season 2 likely around December! Can't wait to see how Hachiman continues to hold his own against the likes of Sakuta from Aobuta and Araragi from Monogatari.
On a totally different note, I see that you're a professional metal guitarist, which is very cool as an alternative rock/metal fan myself. With that said, I want to address a few things about a couple rock band related anime that you happened to dislike.
Girls Band Cry: I can't really speak for the realism of Nina's progression as a first year guitarist obviously, but for comparison sake, I checked back on the developments of Yui from K-On and Kita from Bocchi the Rock as similarly beginner level players early on in their respective shows, and both of them seemed to progress towards becoming competent guitarists just as quickly as, if not quicker than Nina did (especially Yui). I also find your statement about TogeToge not composing a song together until after signing with their record label talent agency to be pretty odd, since all of the insert songs they performed prior to the deal (apart from VOID of course) were clearly supposed to be TogeToge's own in-universe creations.
Beck: I'm pretty curious to know what "real-world wannabe" aspects of the show that you took issue with. Was it all the bullying and street violence, or whatever topics associated with adulthood that the show tried to tackle?
Lostbelt 6 would work more as a 2-cour anime given the bulk and depth that it had. If Aniplex can do it for Babylonia, they can do it for Avalon. But to be honest I would much rather have a remastered Saber route with Ufotable visuals if possible. It's a pipe dream considering Atsuko Tanaka passed away so suddenly.
Yeah! Hopefully the Blu Rays come out soon -- I forgot to mention that I watched it in dub (my theatre could only show English) so I sadly missed out on a textbook Tsuda Kenjirou performance. Going to rewatch that with the wife once it is available again.
And yes your opinions are worth something, we have similar taste for the most part so I'm not too worried that I'll be significantly let down by OPM S2. I'll add it to the ever growing PTW for now and will tackle it when I've cleared through what I'm watching.
Yeah my wife is the opposite, she finds it hard to sit through romance anime because a lot of it is cheesy for her (except Fruits Basket). For Fragrant Flower specifically she said that the characters apologize way too much over the simplest things and I can agree I guess -- but I looked into how the series was made, and the author wrote it with the intention of making all the characters in the show "kind" at heart. The apologizing is probably a side effect of this. I personally thought it was great and I can see why it's raved highly -- you can thank Tiktok for hyping the show up. I can't agree with you on Blue Box (as I haven't seen it yet) but I will stand that Dangers in My Heart takes the cake for me for recent romance anime (a show that you also haven't seen yet lol).
Speaking of romance anime -- I wanted to time my next reply until after I finished Oregairu S1, but I'm pretty content to say that the show was enjoyable. I thought it would be generic but I was surprised by the writing and the cast. Both Yukino and Yui are good FeMCs and looking forward to seeing their growth in future Seasons. Love and good to know that Hachiman isn't dense at all.
Yeah! It was quite a ride -- most of my friends are normies so they didn't really get the appeal of Monogatari but that is okay because anime is to each their own.
I watched 100 Meters not knowing that it was being released in theatres. I kept getting advertisements for it from GKids (who I think was the producer of the movie) on Instagram and there was 1 theatre showcasing it. Even though it was dubbed in English, it was a great overall experience.
I also heard about OPM's director bowing out. What a shame -- people online can be so ruthless. I have put off seeing OPM S2 because I do not want to be influenced by the hive mind but I might as well just take the plunge since I really enjoyed S1. I don't think people understand that a great IP also equates to great production committee. Shows just have to be lucky depending on who is handling things behind the scenes.
What made you want to watch The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity? I'm surprised you didn't check that out in the summer. Can't wait to hear your thoughts (both good and bad - ha!)