SnowGator

@SnowGator@lemmy.zip

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anime Fall Season and 2025 Year-End Discussion [2026, Week 1]⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  Wrapping up 2025 with a 2025 Fall review, 2025 AOTY, and 2026 Winter preview: 

  Fall 2025 Review:

  Very busy with holiday stuff, but bits of anime filled in my spare time really nicely this year, so I actually watched quite a lot! Not a ton in the current season I was excited about, but I caught up on a lot of previous season content. 

  Watched current season: 

  • None! 

  Watched past seasons: 

  • Clevatess - Wow, this went hard! I loved this dark fantasy that took itself and its characters seriously! Power scaling felt appropriate, with strengths and weaknesses for many of the characters, and believable stakes. It did have some content I think could have been avoided easily and not mar the tone, but it at least tried not to dwell on it. Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would: 8/10
  • More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers- I’m a sucker for light rom-coms like these. It’s not great, it’s predictable, but man they’re cute as hell and I still enjoy them a lot: 7/10. 
  • Witch Watch - Little mixed on this one. Very creative world and magic system, fun characters, really cool animation sequences. But I found the humor missed a bit more often for me, and I found the mini-sode nature of much of the content less engaging. I ended up pretty positive on it overall, but for a while I almost dropped it: 7/10. 
  • Dan Da Dan (S2) - Loved S1 and I loved S2 just a bit less. I really like the believable choices of the characters and how everybody is trying their best, in often bad situations. The wiiiild unexpected events and ridiculous animation sequences are just perfect. Also, a little bit of progress in relationship?? Yessss. 9/10. 
  • Campfire Cooking In Another World (S1) - I’ve heard for a while I should try this one, and yea, it really is so, so much better than you’d expect from the premise. I’m not an isekai-hater, but I certainly go in to this type of premise expecting a certain 6/10-at-best ceiling. This blasted through it and got me engaged with the characters, world, cooking, and semi-slow-life-charms unbelievably. Still, I found it at times a little unengaging and need a bit more of an overall plot to keep engaged longer term. Hoping S2 expands on this some. 8/10. 
  • Our Dating Story: The Experienced You And The Inexperienced Me - Wow. I was expecting a pretty titilating and low-thought experience from this… and it brought out feelings and insecurities I haven’t thought about in literally decades. I’ve been on both sides of this type of relationship in the past, so it felt familiar and uncomfortable and rough all at the same time. There are themes and thoughts this anime tackles that I’ve never seen another anime even try, and does so with a surprising amount of insight and grace. It’s far from perfect, with just adequate animation, and some relatively simple side/background characters. But it’s got moments that are easily moment-of-the-year territory for me, because they got me thinking and bringing up stuff that I was wrestling with for literally weeks after. Shockingly good for the premise, with “fan service” that feels actually appropriate for the content: 9/10. 
  • The Water Magician - What if they tried to make a non-problematic Mushoku Tensei? That’s how I felt for the first half of this show, and it did a great job. It felt like it was so interested in a slow story, building a believeable power fantasy, with none-or-very-little fan service, that had solid animation and no cop-out “anime reaction faces” throughout. I was absolutely loving it, then unfortunately it slowed a bit as it tried to pan out to the broader world. It felt a bit too rushed to get on board all the new characters introduced to rush to an ending for the season. I still liked it, but it dropped a bit, and worries me about the potential future for it. Still a good show: 7/10. 
  • Secrets of the Silent Witch - I’m a little exhausted by overly anxious girls that feel unbelievably impossibly shy. Bocchi The Rock was enjoyable but hard to relate to, and the beginning of this one was rough. After a few episodes, it at least mellowed enough that I could follow along, and in the end, I did actually enjoy it a good amount. There’s a fun world here and the animation and art was quite engaging. I’d be very interested in a S2: 7/10. 
  • Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai (S1, rewatch) - I loved this season previously a few years ago, but tried to watch the first of the Rascal movies and realized I couldn’t remember at all who everybody was. So I re-watched S1 to catch up and remembered why I love this one so much. Fantastic characters, believable magical-realism drama, gorgeous art, great dialogue. One of my favorites, and now I can move on to the new movies and S2 to prep for I think the ending later in 2026: 10/10. 
  • Spy X Family Code White - I’ve cooled a bit on Spy X Family in S2, so wasn’t super hyped for the the movie and S3. I did end up watching it and enjoyed it more than most of S2. I’m still not sure why I’m a bit iffy on SXF. I think the secrets they keep holding from each other is getting a bit excessively unbelievable, and that tension is getting irritating. Still, this was a fun movie, with great action, a lot of silly moments, and some sequences that were unbelievabley wild: 8/10. 

  Ongoing: 

  • Dragonball - A couple episodes here and there. Still enjoying slowly. I think I’m about 1/3 through the series? 
  • 7th Prince… S2 - Only watched a few episodes. Haven’t felt like going back in a while, might drop. 

  Dropped: 

  • Ranma 1/2 (S2) - Lots of nostalgia for OG Ranma 1/2, but I thought S1 was just fine. I guess I was looking for something a bit more creative and updated, and this remake doesn’t seem to be it. I tried the first episode of S2 and realized I just wasn’t excited about it. Perhaps I’ll return some day. 

  Eventually watch from this season: 

  • Spy X Family (S3) - Ready to try it, now that I caught up with Code White, which was pretty good. 
  • Campfire Cooking S2 - Finally watched the first season and it’s great! I’ll mix this in when I need something positive (which seems to be all the time lately…).  
  • MHA Final Season - Apparently it really did finish! I’m a few seasons behind, but might try to get back on and slowly work through it. 
  • One Punch Man S3 - I’m probably going to finally bounce from the series, but I’d like to give it a shot. 

  Sasu’s 2025 AOTY: Lots of excellent titles this year, and a bunch more I haven’t gotten to watching! For now, this is my top 5 of 2025: 

  1. Zenshu
  2. Dan Da Dan S2
  3. My Dress-Up Darling S2 
  4. The Apothecary Diaries S2
  5. Solo Leveling S2

  Plan to watch/try for Winter 2026 season (in decreasing order of excitement):

  • Frieren (S2) - Loved S1, must watch. 
  • Oshi No Ko (S3) - Loved S1, thought S2 was quite good, definitely looking forward to more. 
  • Medalist (S2) -  Haven’t watched S1 yet because Hulu-jail, but I’d like to catch up and try this since it’s gotten so much buzz. 
  • Jujutsu Kaisen (S3) - I’m quite behind and not sure I’ll catch up anymore. 
  • Hell’s Paradise (S2) - I ended up appreciating S1 by the end, but it isn’t my favorite. It’s a low priority.
• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Summer Anime Season Wrap-up and Discussion Thread⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Summer 2025 wrap up:  Super busy IRL, so didn’t watch as much as I’d like. Still some great anime for me. Fall 2025 looks a little light for me, so maybe I’ll catch up some. Tons of Summer 2025 I didn’t have time for! 

  Watched current season: 

  • My Dress-Up Darling S2 - I super enjoyed this, although it didn’t quite hit the same peaks as S1. I would have liked a bit more progress though, considering the manga apparently only has like one more season of content maybe? Also, it introduced a lot of new characters without filling them in much, and several situations felt mildly repetitive from previous experiences. Still, around 8/10 for me. 

  Watched past seasons: 

  • Apothecary Diaries S2 - Enjoyed this season a lot, although not quite as much as S1. Felt both too slow at times and then super rushed at other points. I got lost several times with all the new characters and their secrets, so the impact of several of them didn’t quite land as much as it could have in each moment. Still great though, with gorgeous animation, great style, excellent voice acting, and great music: 9/10. 
  • Trigun - Finally finished my very long slow watch of the classic anime. It’s good, but I don’t think it comes together as well as some said it would. I wasn’t a big fan of the early comedy moments, felt like it took way too long to start actually explaining the characters, thought the animation quality was quite dated and rough, and the ending resolutions felt kinda rushed and unsatisfying. It’s good for the era, but not an all time classic (ala Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion, etc). Maybe a 6/10 overall for me. 
  • Kowloon Generic Romance - I liked the style (especially animation, art, music) and slow progress initially, but then got irritated by absolutely nothing happening, and then a bizarre shift most of the way through and nothing ever got adequately explained or resolved. It felt like a mixed bag of neat ideas that weren’t fully thought through. It’s fine: 5/10. 
  • Lycoris Recoil interlude minisodes - Really cute tasters while waiting for more full episodes, some day. I actually lol’d several times in the tiny episodes: 8/10. 

  Ongoing: 

  • Dragonball - Still very slowly watching. I think I’ve watched one season now? It’s *way* edgier than I expected, but does keep surprising me. 
  • Witch Watch - Loving this one. It’s so bright and colorful and emotive.
  • 7th Prince… S2 - Only watched a few episodes. It’s super actiony and over the top, again, and a little much for me right now. Slowly watching an episode here and there when I’m up for it. 

  Tried, not sure if continuing: 

  • Umamusume S1 - Fun animation and very bright. I tried it because everybody was talking about the new game, which I have no interest in. It’s decent, but also kinda cloyingly positive. 
  • Clevatess - Crazy first episode, wow. Bit dark for me at the moment. I’ll at least give a couple more. 
  • Wind Breaker - Only one episode. I think I’m not vibing with the tone right now. Might shelve and try another time. 

  Eventually watch from this season:

  • Rascal Does Not Dream of Santa Claus - The three movies are finally on CrunchyRoll so I can catch up and watch this season! Although I think I read somewhere that the final season is supposed to come out next year, so maybe I’ll just watch them all together next year. 
  • Dan da Dan S2 - Loved first season. Def watch when have time. 
  • Kaiju No 8 S2 - Loved first season. Def watch when have time. 
  • Anne Shirley - I’d like to watch with my wife, when she has time. 
  • Baan: The Boundary of Adulthood - Lots of buzz, and it’s very short. 
  • Summer Pockets - Heard buzz, will try. 
  • The Summer Hikaru Died - Not sure it’s for me, but enough buzz around it that I’ll try it. 
  • City the Animation - I kinda fell off Nichijou, but I’ll give this a try at least. 
  • The Water Magician - Seen it on a few lists. I’ll try. 
  • The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity - Waiting for it to finish releasing on Netflix. 

  Plan to watch/try for Fall 2025 season:

  • One Punch Man S3 - Yes, S2 was a big drop off from S1, but I still enjoyed it and S3 is a definite watch. 
  • SpyXFamily S3? - Need to watch movie first to catch up. I’ve kinda cooled on it, since it felt like nothing was progressing in S2. 
  • Ranma 1/2 S2 - Love OG but thought remake S1 was just okay. I’ll probably keep watching, but have low expectations. 
  • Campfire Cooking S2 - Heard great things here but never given it a try. Really need to. 
  • MHA final season? - I’m several seasons behind, but might actually try to catch up if it ever actually finishes.
• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Spring Anime Season Wrap-Up, Summer Kickoff, and Discussion Thread [2025, Week 27]⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Spring 2025 wrap up:

  I’ve been so busy that I’ve barely watched anything! As an aside, this is SnowGator@lemm.ee, which is closing today. So I’ve started SnowGator@lemmy.zip to continue participating. I’m not sure if there’s a better way to link accounts to connect post history. 

  Watched current season: 

  • None! 

  Watched past seasons: 

  • Castlevania Nocturne S2 - Not anime. That was surprisingly great. I loved OG seasons 1-2 (especially S2) then OG S3-4 were good-not-great. Then Nocturne S1 was kinda similar, while also having to introduce an entire new cast, and really only got going in like the final episode. But Nocturne S2 I’d say was just a step below OG S1-2. Tons of exciting moments, ridiculously long action sequences, really fun and doesn’t draw out anything too much. I’d recommend it, but kinda only if you’ve watched everything up to now. It really needs Nocturne S1 to work.
  • I’m Getting Married to a Girl I Hate In My Class - It’s fine. There were some great moments mixed with a bunch of tropes. Hard to take too seriously. 

  Ongoing: 

  • Dragonball - Trying to keep up with the ongoing rewatch but fell behind quickly. Maybe 6 episodes in. It’s great! Way more sexual deviance and inappropriate behavior than I expected, but enjoying most of the characters a ton and the very silly story. 
  • Trigun - Verrrry slowly been watching the OG classic. I’m only a few episodes away from the end. Finally some more backstory filling in details! It’s good, but I’m not quite blown away, while something like OG Cowboy Bebop still holds up. 
  • Buddy Daddies - 3 episodes in. It’s pretty good. Not sure where the story is going. 

  Dropped: 

  • Can a boy-girl friendship survive? - Finding main girl insufferable after 3 episodes. Almost dropped after first episode, but gave it a bit more. 
  • Re:Zero S3 - Watched a few episodes. I think I’m just too out of the whole series to remember the significance of each characters’ story. The break from S2 to S3 was too long to keep up with how detailed everything is. I think I’ll wait for this show to “finish” (may be a loooong time…) and then rewatch from the beginning to get the whole story. Or perhaps I’ll magically have more free time some day and won’t mind catching up multiple times. 

  Eventually watch from this season: 

  • Apothecary Diaries S2 - Just waiting for it to finish so I can watch quicker. Looks great. 
  • Anne Shirley - Plan to watch with my wife. I think she’d love this if I can convince her to try it. 
  • Witch Watch - Watched first episode. Seemed fun. 
  • Kowloon Generic Romance - Watched first episode. Seems interesting. 
  • Apocalypse Hotel - Lots of positivity about this here and elsewhere. I’ll give it a try. 
  • Mobile Gundam SGGUUX - Never watched any Gundam but thought I’d give this a try. 

  Plan to watch/try for Summer 2025 season: 

  • Dan Da Dan S2 - Must watch. S1 was nuts. 
  • My Dress Up Darling S2 - Must watch. Loved S1. 
  • Kaiju No 8 S2 - Must watch. Loved S1. 
  • Rascal Does Not Dream … - I’ve still never been able to watch the two intervening movies between S1 and the new release. I’d like to watch those first, but not really sure how. 
  • Reincarnated 7th Prince … S2 - S1 was a surprisingly fun B tier anime. I’m up for more of that silliness.