I’ve neglected to post on this even though I’ve had the account for months, but here I finally am, with my first piece! I woke up with a strange drive to get something done, so I’m listening to We Are from One Piece.

This season has felt, like the past year, pretty underwhelming when it comes to new airing anime to watch. That said though, I’m still watching 20 shows right now if you include the stuff that’s not airing. From here on I’ll try to rank them in terms of how much I’ve enjoyed them, which usually correlates to how good they are (or can be, depending on how you consume your media,) so let’s do this!

1. Osomatsu-san (6 episodes): I actually wasn’t sure what was my favorite until just now. I just realized that Osomatsu-san has been among the most consistent shows I’ve seen in recent history! Every episode for me has been, if not jaw-droppingly hilarious, an exercise in controlled absurdity when it comes to its gags, and that’s sometching I can appreciate (a racehorse someone was betting on is in the lead! However, it’s going so fast that it disintegrates because it approaches the speed of light, and it doesn’t pass the goal…). When it comes to anime comedies, sometimes they can be very hit and miss with a non-Japanese audience, due to the almost overwhelming prevalence of puns/word humor and slapstick. After watching and enjoyin both Gintama, and probably the most Japanese of Japanese comedies, Joshiraku, I don’t really have this problem. I can usually catch puns because I’m also learning Japanese as a student, which lets me appreciate it a bit more.

2. Noragami Aragoto (6 episodes): I’ll let you know right now, this position was a toss-up between Noragami and Haikyu!!. Besides Osomatsu, these two shows have by far been the most consistent at being good. In Noragami‘s last season, the stand out moment was Yukine’s ablution ritual, which conveyed such a raw depth of emotion, it managed to make me tear up. However, the finale was an emotionally weak, though gorgeously animated, original fight between Yato and someone from his past as a Calamity God. With Aragoto, we’re back to the emotionally charged character pieces that play to this narrative’s strengths. What Noragami is good at is bringing relationships to the surface. Because of how its system of ranking gods work, gods and their regalia are basically families who thrive, depend, and hurt each other. The Bishamon Arc was a perfect follow-up into how other gods deal with their regalia families, seeing as we already got a peek into Yato’s relationship with Yukine. I think the only blemish on this show so far was its antagonist for this arc, which felt severely underdeveloped unlike everyone else… For a show with great sound and visual design, great animation, and an emotionally compelling, character-driven storyline, Kugaha (no, it’s not really a spoiler, they make it obvious from the get-go) just doesn’t cut it. We don’t get his motivations or reasons until late in, and it makes the show depend on exposition where it hasn’t had to until that point. Regardless, I was not expecting to enjoy this second season as much as I did! So I’m placing it at #2.

3. Haikyu!! (6 episodes): Ahh, there you are, my spunky, plucky children. Haikyu!! was always incredibly enjoyable to me, it felt like a marriage between the realism and drive of Slam Dunk with the sheer energy and enthusiasm of Eyeshield 21. After its first successful season last year, we’re finally back, and no time was wasted. Everything looks much more polished, and while there weren’t actually many scenes with volleyball playing until around episode 4, there was still some splendid character animation and believable drama. I also love Yachi, the newest addition to the team in the form of a second manager since the seniors are graduating soon. The sense of higher stakes is palpable throughout these episodes, as Karasuno High play, fight, struggle, and find themselves in order to evolve. See, before the seniors graduate, everyone wants to make it to the Inter-High playoffs. This is a completely valid goal in pretty much every high school sports anime. What makes it work in Haikyu!! among other series is the sheer tension we feel throughout the practice matches. At one point, Hinata tries to take a shot from the setter, even though it was clearly meant for their ace, Asahi. They collide in mid-air and the team is shaken since. There’s a growing sense of… I don’t want to say hostility, because it’s not negative in its intent, but there is a feeling of frustrating yearning from everyone in Karasuno. They want to improve, but aren’t quite sure how. In Coach Nekomata’s words, they’re trying to evolve. Watching the process will make a good ride.

4. One Punch Man (6 episodes): It’s this season’s breakout title! There are probably some out there who are surprised or not satisfied that this isn’t ranked higher, but I’ll get to why. First, though, I want to thank Sakuga Twitter (a subset of anitwitter, which focuses on animation and animators) for always naming the great folks who work on the key standout visual scenes everyone loves in this show. It’s not Madhouse as a whole who are responsible for the lush visual feast, but the dedicated staff who treat this as a passion project. That said, while One Punch Man is both incredibly fun and incredibly gorgeous, I’m just not as invested in these parts of the story as much as the other shows I’ve ranked so far. While Osomatsu isn’t a show with plot, at least it focuses on characters for its gags, and highlights their relationships. One Punch Man does something similar, but as a comedy with action setpieces, I feel that the focus is more on making the fights dynamic, while leaning on comedy until the next fight. What I’m trying to say is, One Punch Man has great characters and story, but it falls to 4th because it’s focus is on jokes and action, which, on their own, aren’t as compelling. It’s weird because I never really got this feeling while reading it, but having a set 24 minute installment every week kind of makes it stand out to me. I am aware that better (and some worse) gags/jokes and action scenes are coming, but it’s not like I dislike the show for this. Earning a 4th spot out of like, 20 is a great thing. I’m interested in the world and some jokes land really well. I hope this show is successful enough for a second season!

5. Seraph of the End: BATTLE IN NAGOYA (5 episodes): Like Noragami, I was definitely not expecting to rank this so high… because at first it came off as extremely boilerplate vampire fantasy with a flavor of Attack on Titan. On AnimeNewsNetwork, the episode reviewer for this series states that this show felt like it was synthesized by a group of investors who wanted to make something that appeals to the widest possible audience. It has vampires, action, homoerotic subtext that’s enough to be justified as romance for fujoshi or family/bromance for males, and it’s female characters aren’t treated like objects or reduced to fanservice (even the gothic lolita vampire empress!), while also carving out a post-apocalyptic setting where lives feel genuinely at stake. It’s pretty impressive! And I happen to fall among those who have warmed up to the main cast enough to be invested in them after the first 12 episodes. Last season, the production at WIT Studio seemed to fall on its face a bit over halfway through, but at least in this season, there has been plenty of well-directed and animated action scenes. I’m looking forward to how the rest pans out.

6. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (5 episodes): My cousin absolutely loves Gundam, so I knew about this title as soon as it was announced. As a show that’s not in UC (Universal Century,) you don’t need prior experience with the franchise to watch. I was drawn to this show because it’s being penned by Mari Okada, one of the more prolific scriptwriters of the ’00s and ’10s, known for dramatic shows with romance like Anohana, Toradora, and more recently Nagiasu/A Lull in the Sea. So how does that translate to Gundam? Apparently, it makes for a snappy-paced action show with compelling enough characters, mostly built through dialogue and actions they take. I really like the color work in this show. There are gorgeous skies of blue and white and reddish pinks at sunset, contrasted by the brown of the Martian soil and rustic metal interiors. Some character designs are a bit too goofy for me, but everyone who we’re supposed to sympathize with comes off as pretty genuine. This is ranked lower because it reminds me too much of Aldnoah.Zero, down to Inaho and Mikazuki being mech-fighting geniuses and I don’t like that show. So far, Gundam IBO is executed much better, but having a competent version of a show I already didn’t like is conflicting. I’m still watching it though, because Mikazuki is distinct enough as a (so far) illiterate pilot with a close dynamic with Orga, the crew leader. We’ll see how it goes.

7. Lovely Muco! (6 episodes): This next series is actually a set of anime shorts that clock in at around 12 minutes. I love it because it’s absolutely adorable, centering around a shiba inu named Muco who loves her owner named Komatsu. The show is done in her point of view and we get to see her monologues and train of thoughts, which is hideously cute because Komatsu can’t understand what she’s saying; it’s implied that her words come off as incoherent barking to the humans. I love the opening and ending songs, they’re appropriately bubblegum-my for the content, and it’s all animated in 3DCG. This makes the backgrounds lacking since they live in a mountain, but it’s interesting how detailed Komatsu’s glassblowing workshop/home is.

8. Ace of Diamond: Second Season (32 episodes): Wow! The first entry that started from a previous season. I love Ace of Diamond, and having more of it is nothing to complain about. The transition between season one, which ended at about episode 75, and this one, was pretty smooth. What I like about this series is the gradual growth we see from the cast, to the point we see them all bonding and improving as both individuals and a team. Eijun in particular seems to have already earned the appreciation of his team, he just needs to refine his skills so he can take the ace position from Furuya. This is my first experience watching a long-running sports series week to week, since I missed Slam Dunk and Eyeshield 21. I’m enjoying it.

9. Ushio and Tora (19 episodes): Ushio and Tora has been a pleasant surprise for me, because I though I grew out of yokai stories. This second cour has been wrought with plenty of emotional drama, which I enjoy with my hot-blooded shonen action series. Recently, it’s been on a roll with many plot heavy episodes. I like and appreciate the fact that the characters from prior “monster of the week” episodes were brought back for further development while tying them to the plot, but somehow it feels a little contrived. I enjoy this show, but there isn’t exactly something I look forward to every week from it. Hopefully I’ll still be interested enough to finish it after the one cour break coming up.

10. Garo: Crimson Moon (5 episodes): Okay, I said I thought I was dome with yokai stories but Garo is different, Horrors are more like stand users with psychological problems they get manipulated for. This incarnation of Garo just isn’t as compelling as The Carved Seal of Flames from last year, but it’s more Garo so I’m gonna keep watching it. I definitely am feeling the score and the new character designs, though are off model a lot, look great to me. It seems like it’ll start introducing Horrors each week that help to advance the overarching political plot of whatever is happening in Heian Era Japan. Hopefully Raikou gets Seimei to remove that seal on Zaruba, because Zaruba is a presence I miss severely.

11. World Trigger (53 episodes): Oh, World Trigger. I wonder how long Toei will keep this on the air. I personally love the source material, and avidly keep up with it on Viz’s Weekly Shonen Jump. Right now, it’s in a filler arc created to give more time for the manga to make material. I actually like the filler content. It doesn’t clash terrible with the canon, and I’m a fan of giving screen time to side characters we don’t see often. I have no idea how long this is going to last, but I will be happy if we get the next B-Rank War match against the top of B-rank. Knowing Toei’s track record, I’m mostly worried that once World Trigger is pulled from TV, we will never get a sequel or more animated material ever again…

12. Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note (5 episodes): This is another animated short, like Muco, but animated with digital drawings instead of CG. I mostly picked it up because the protagonist has very cutely animated inner thoughts. It’s about a worrywart girl named Tachibana Aya who meets four very popular but different boys at a cram school and they end up solving mysteries together. They’re all sixth graders and adorable, usually bickering or using their individual interests as skills to help solve the mystery. Also, the ending theme is sung by Diana Garnet, who has a very nice voice.

13. Young Black Jack (6 episodes): This show is awful and I hate it. The reason I haven’t dropped it is because it’s so tonally deaf and incoherent that I want to see how chaotic it gets. It’s awfully conservative but in a way that clashes so hard with the current political climate in Japan, that I’m actually flabbergasted at how this is on the air. The only good thing is that it’s among the least popular shows from this season, with less than 800 BD/DVDs preordered, which effectively nulls any possibility for a sequel. This show basically tries to give Hazama Kuroo, the man who becomes the titular Black Jack, a gritty backstory while ignoring characterization and making him eye candy for what is assumed to be a female audience. There’s a torture scene in a three-episode arc taking place in the Vietnam War that is straight up cinematically framed for the assumed audience’s titillation. And apparently next episode is going to deal with racism in London. Oh man.

That basically covers the currently airing shows I’ve actually seen. Here are what I plan to watch eventually.

14. Dance With Devils – A straight up musical? With a shoujo storyline? Sign me the hell up, please.

15. Japan Animator’s Exhibition – this ended back in October, but I still plan to watch all of it. Basically a platform for Japanese animators to try and show off their original projects regardless of genre, with free production under a limited time period and budget. Presented by Studio Khara and Dwara.

16. Owarimonogatari – I need to suck it up and watch Tsukimonogatari so I can get to this, which is supposed to be as good as Second Season.

17. Lupin III (2015) – subs when?

And here’s what I’ve been watching that’s long finished airing.

18. Gintama – I’m at around episode 112 now. I was stuck for a long time at the Hard Boiled two parter because it was so unfunny and boring it turned me off to the show. Then I realized, I could just skip an episode of I don’t like it! I can’t believe how stubborn I used to be.

19. Kekkaishi – I’m at episode 33, and I might wait to watch episodes concurrently with Ace of Diamond. It’s fun, but with wonky off model animation that was obviously not done for stylistic reasons. I still enjoy the narrative and the music though. Looking forward to the climax.

20. One Piece – technically still airing, but I was watching Alabasta on a whim and now I made it all the way to Skypeia… At this point I don’t know if I’ll continue watching but I probably might when I burn myself out from other things.

From now on, I’ll try to do a First Impressions, Mid-Season Review, and a Post-Season Overview for anime seasons. Depending on other work I have to do, I might do full series reviews so I can have a portfolio of sorts.

Thanks for reading!