redditアニメ反応+

[So I heard you guys were tired of Gal x \*Otaku\* anime with \*Unrealistic\* premises](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b317c8a96def.png) With Kujima airing and me being slightly more aware of the "weird animal lives with normal humans" genre of anime (such as Kinoko Inu and Ame to Kimi to), as well as a comment on the Rib Isekai threads reminding me to check out Gal and Dino, I finally decided to give that one a shot. I was always vaguely aware of the anime thanks to having seen a few normal clips of it as well as having already read the manga myself. But I always thought the manga was kind of okay (it was cute and I liked it, but nothing special) so I never got around to checking it out before now. And wow is this certainly something. The episode is divided into 2 halves, the first half being direct adaptations of the manga with this [really nice and colorful artstyle](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/36a9759278bc.png), which itself is also divided into 2 seperate mini episodes divided by these [pseudo-stop-motion CG SoL shorts of Dino](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/27189b29202f.png). Its kind of weird of a weird format but I can dig it. Also the [OP is really fun](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYTWcelRRm4) And then the latter half of the episode is... [Live Action](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/dc2dafa2612d.png) that features \[Gal and Dino up to episode 3\] >!A time travel plot line with a \~\~death\~\~ schedule note and [A DUCK](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/e5370135b873.png)? WHAT IS THIS?!< But more surprisingly of all, its just really fucking cute???? And is honestly somehow even better than the actual anime part of this anime. Def looking forward to continuing watching this later.

People seem to be somewhat negative on I Became Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in Class, but I checked out the first two episodes on a whim and it’s pretty solid for what it is. I guess in this specific season, solid doesn’t cut it, especially when Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku is bringing the insane production values, Kanan-sama is bringing the chaotic humor, Ponkotsu has the distinct visual identity and Best Girl, and Ramparts of Ice is bringing the psychological depth. Brutal competition to be sure, and Second Prettiest Girl doesn’t have one single element it exceeds anything else in, it’s just…competent. But I’m willing to give it more episodes because I do kind of buy into the initial premise even if a lot of others may dismiss it as wish fulfillment. One thing to the MC’s credit is he’s not constantly quivering about OMG A Girl Is Close To Me. He has natural moments but as often as not he’s just delighted to have a friend who shares his interests, and treats her as a human being. No, even more than that he proactively empathizes with her struggles. I also feel like her friend, the Prettiest Girl in Class, is interesting in the sense that as a character she explores how a genuinely well intentioned person can inadvertently sort of enact social violence against others. She thinks she’s doing the MC a favor inviting him to hang out with her and her friends, but she’s actually putting him on the spot, condescending to him, and disrupting what he was doing. And the MC handles this pretty impressively by standing his ground and drawing a line. If the series leans too hard into romcom tropes from here it will fall off but at the moment it has some potential because of how it seems to be exploring nuanced social dynamics.

I’ve been on a mystery streak lately and it’s still going. This time it’s **The Case of Hana & Alice (2014)**. Hana & Alice for short. Picked it on a whim and it ended up making my whole night. What stood out immediately was the staff and cast. It’s directed by the film director **Shunji Iwai**, and most of the cast are actors like Aoi Yu and Haru Kuroki, all familiar faces from Japanese dramas. Turns out it’s a prequel to the live-action film Hana & Alice (2004), and they brought back several actors from that film. **Review Time** This feels like a labor of love. Iwai handles everything. Direction, story, script, music. And they really knock it out of the park with the dialogue. People like to point to Ikoku Nikki, Odd Taxi, The Eccentric Family, or SSSS.Dynazenon as having “realistic” dialogue, but Hana & Alice is on another level. It feels closer to live action than anime. Anime can do natural dialogue, sure, but it’s usually slower and more controlled in rhythm. You can still feel the limits. Hana & Alice removes that limiter completely. The delivery is faster, overlapping, and more physical. Take the scene where \[Spoiler\] >!Mutsumi[ snaps at Alice](https://imgur.com/a/funny-scene-cpzcVYd) for overreacting to her mom’s goth outfit, then starts stepping on her shoes mid-rant.!< The vibe is offbeat, chaotic, and funny. That’s really the space Hana & Alice settles into. Something a bit chaotic, a bit awkward, but consistently grounded in a way that you don’t often see within a more standard anime framework. And this film really takes advantage of that live-action style direction. That kind of approach tends to work best by stacking small, subtle moments. Like adults casually treating them to ramen, the mom making slightly embarrassing comments about the teacher, things that don’t seem important on their own but gradually make the characters feel more alive in this film. The voice acting is another part that’s easy to overlook. I

I feel like this season I am watching a lot of sequels, even notably a lot of "fourth seasons", all of which I feel are very hard for me to rank in any form of tier list. This should be somewhat expected, as I have already watched between 36 and 178 episodes of these shows, and am already invested in these characters and plotlines. The show that really sparked this is, probably unsurprisingly, **Ascendance of a Bookworm**. Now, I am a filthy source reader and I love the LNs. Meanwhile I've tried to not hype myself into delusions of that the change to Wit would suddenly make the adaptation on the level of something like *Apothecary Diaries*, and so far I do think it looks in general better than the previous seasons. But, well, I can't help being a little disappointed in some scenes where I feel like it feels a bit cheap. The most clear example is the Starbind Ceremony in Episode 2 [Bookworm S4 vs LN] >!where in the novel the starbind festival is presented as something the entire city takes part in, we've even seen some of the children's part of it in Season 2, where a large part of the city gathers outside the temple, crowding in the newlyweds in celebration. Myne's family showing up to try and catch a glimpse of her is like a longshot hope of maybe seeing something, as they are in a sea of people pressing to try and get a peek into the temple in the midst of a citywide wedding celebration. Meanwhile in the anime they seem to be almost the only people outside, and are clearly visible as the only people effectively standing in the doorway of a medium sized church as the couples inside slowly amble out.!< It fails to capture the feeling of the city and crowds, which I would understand isn't easy, but it ends up feeling a bit like the animation equivalent of a low budget TV show trying to make its limited extras and sets do the bare minimum to allude to something grander. Other than this it doesn't help that while the show has introduced a slew of characters who

I am going to take the middle of the road with the Agents of Four Seasons discourse and say that the criticisms are correct, but I also am still enjoying the show. I don't necessarily think there is a fundamental problem with the story itself, but rather that the show put the viewer straight into the middle of a heavy situation where characters already have a lot of history between each other, and is expecting us to be more invested without doing quite enough work to build us up to those dramatic highs, which gives it more of a melodramatic feel. I think the actual substance in these stories is heartfelt it's just a packaging issue that I do think might possibly improve as we get more attached to the characters. I think the art, animation, and soundtrack are great, and the action sequences here and there have been really fun, and I find the entertainment/engagement factor of the show to be pretty good. So, despite the criticisms in the writing department, I still think it's worthwhile watch.

So *[Kasei Yakyoku](https://myanimelist.net/anime/4485)* is an absolutely excellent anime. a wonderfully made, messy romantic drama that churns the stomach to watch. The feeling of impending doom the characters themselves manage to create only growing stronger with every new mention of the date growing closer to September 1923. Directed by Dezaki, I don't have to say much more about that, but I'm sure the original manga is worth reading as well. The OVA works very well as a standalone, but I'm nevertheless excited to see what path these flawed people continue stumbling on. Well worth the watch.

First episode of Witch Hat Atelier was delightful. It does something I'm always looking for which is playing out actions in real time so we might live through them. It had so much meticulous animation so that we can experience the entire process of basically everything from doing laundry to cutting cloth. Given the subject matter of making art and the premise/metaphor that art is magic, this seems to be a part of the style and important to the story. Hard to appreciate characters as artists without living through their process. I'm not in love with any characters as of the first episode but the vibe is perfect and there's a ton of intrigue. And obviously the animation is incredible. I did also start You And I are Polar Opposites a bit ago but it's not clicking with me. I'm only starting to find clues as to why, it is pleasant and I like (but don't love) the characters so it's not obvious. There was one clue in a scene where Tani talks about how nice the nighttime atmosphere is but the atmosphere of the scene doesn't feel different from the rest of the show, so it might be related to tone. Not sure, but I may drop it, we'll see. Starting the Kare Kano rewatch kind of puts these other romances into perspective, that one is on another level compared to something like this or Angel Next Door (but this one has been hilarious and I'm dying to see how weird it gets, surely they will fuck... surely).

Am I really about to write an essay to rant against one of my most hyped anime of the season? AGAIN!? Of course I am! [](#sassyimouto) I think the biggest problem of **Liar Game** is that they think the viewers are fucking dumb. Like, 'can't solve 2+2' dumb. Not only [technically not a spoiler, but hints at it]>!they have the most obvious plot twist of all time that everyone saw coming from a mile away, !< but once we get the resolution [Liar Game Spoiler]>!that everyone knew was coming, they explain what we've just seen on the screen seconds ago, like we can't understand it... WAIT, WHEN THE PERSON REMOVED A MASK AND IT WAS AKIYAMA'S FACE, WAS THAT AKIYAMA? PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS SOME MORE I'M CONFUSED!!< [](#emptyinside) Honestly, I didn't even mind [technically not a spoiler, but hints at it]>!that their first big plot twist was obvious, I thought ok, they'll surprise us better with future twists... But good lord, stop explaining it... Move on, it's just embarrassing!< So yeah. I hope they start giving us a bit more credit in future arcs... ----- And while I'm at it: The SECOND biggest problem is that holy shit FMC is bad. I didn't mind her naive innocence too much in the first two episodes, but a fucking 10 seconds scene of Ep3 pretty much disqualified her from competing in my 'Seasonal best girl ranking'. [Liar Game]>!And Akiyama is on thin fucking ice for following her lead and doing the same thing - His 'justification' is irrelevant. UNLESS he was lying and thinking long term...!< So... Yeah. Wish list for the rest of the show: - Realize your audience probably has double digit IQ, and write accordingly. - Stop explaining everything after the reveal, unless it's confusing/complex enough to warrant it. This reveal was not complex. I would wager that not a SINGLE viewer was confused about what happened, after the reveal. - Please make FMC better! (Or kill her off and find a new MC) I almost dropped Demon Slayer on episode 1

I'm not sure how to feel about Agents of the Four Seasons. Something is telling me that outside of the very pretty visuals and Hinagiku x Sakura moments its going to be very whelming. The biggest flag going against it is that [Agents of the Four Seasons E4]>!I didn't really feel anything special at the end which caught me off guard as I remember all the other moments of tearful melodrama hitting their mark in Violet Evergarden and usually stuff like this works for me.!< Think I'll keep watching but I think the smarter move would be to put it on hold and wait for the reactions after the ending. [](#hardthink)

I think it's time for me to push back on growing anti-Four Seasons sentiment in this thread and say that except for very ham-fisted car crash scene in episode 2 drama in this show hits me consistently. Last two episodes had a lot of very hard-hitting themes, like [Ao4S] >!girl suffering from becoming The Chosen One at very young age without her consent (remember Aang who had the same situation and how he reacted?) and then having separation anxiety when her beloved sister got engaged which is pretty applicable to real-life families!<. And of course I can't stop gushing about Sakura and her sheer loyalty and devotion to Hinagiku.

Seasonal ranking so far: 1. Ganbare Nakamura-kun. 2. Nippon Sangoku 3. With Hat Atelier 4. Marriagetoxin 5. Akane-banashi 6. Mao 7. Kamiina Botan 8. Yomi no Tsugai 9. Mahou no Shimai Lulutti Lily 10. Bookworm S4 None of these anime are bad at all, what a stacked season. I still plan on picking up Awajima and I don't think I'll watch Agents of the 4 Seasons based off of some recent criticism. Anything else major that I'm missing?

[Witch Hat Atelier] >!So, we're just gonna gloss over the fact that Agott literally sent Coco to die last episode? Story treats it as normal and Qifrey treats it as normal (or he's dumb enough to not connect dots). Okay. I mean, I fully expected that, that doesn't mean I'm not disappointed!< Also, Richeh is such weird character. Did Roy Yamaha die of starvation and reincarnated into their world?