"You didn't know?

Let me explain.

It's exactly what you're thinking."

 – Hirotaka Nifuji, Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku (2018), (E02: Are We Now Dating?)

I thought it might be interesting for people who are still undecided on what anime series to follow this season and already had an early glimpse some insight into how well those first episodes hold up as the are nearing the halfway-point. I also made an effort to give some of the candidates I skipped a chance. (Which did not always amount to a mention.)

Worth noting: At the time of writing, there are 4 "slight spoilers" in this. As always, all of them are telegraphed as such. None of them gives information about the story development away, even if you read them.

And as is standard with these articles, entries are sorted worst to best.

As usual, you can write PMs, but I will not (and cannot in good conscience) promote anyone's anime-opinions other than my own. These posts are not titled Yatsufusa's [SuchAndSuch] for nothing...

No Ecchi-Appendix this Time

Due to reasons discussed in the previous Ecchi-Appendix there will not be another Ecchi-Appendix for this particular season. I'm sure the readers who were interested in the listed series for this season were already able to make their decision.

(In the voice of Tiny Tina: "Why do you have to do this to me, Japan? Why do bad things happen to good people?!")

Stuff I dropped from my List

Rock is a Lady's Modesty

[Rokku wa Redi no Tashinami deshite]

While there are unexpected dynamics to the story, the 3D still throws me off. The most obvious grievance would be the stiff hair of the blonde protagonist, but what irks me even more is that they used motion capturing to move the characters during their musical performances (which looks like ass - because it's the kind of early generation MoCap of yesteryear) but then neglected to move the individual fingers as well. They are already having the animation in those scenes done by a computer, but then cheaped out on the focus point of the action. How can anybody expected to get exited over that?

I am not even a music-nerd, but even I notice that the fingers do not correlate to the music played. What a colossal waste! They were already at the doorstep to adding something impressive to their show and then decided "You know what? Ringing the doorbell is just too much effort for us. Let's just 'do whatever'..." And so they did. I hope their hard drives corrupt halfway through the series... ;p

Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray

[Uma Musume Shinderera Gurei]

This was not on the original list. I looked into this just for purposes of this article.

So...

I didn't--... I couldn't watch more than 3 minutes of this. "It's horse racing - but with girls." Also: It's based on a mobile game ("Uma Musume Pretty Derby") - so you know what "quality" to expect...

If you know nothing about horse racing, and you like Sports-Anime, and you like to see women run, then you can have a look at this yourself to see if it is for you.

I'm sure this would be perfectly serviceable for viewers who do not know about the million different things that are wrong with horse racing and competitive running. So I will spare you the nasty details. You go and enjoy your anime - if you're so inclined.

If you do like it: As it turns out, there's 39 episodes of a previous series for you to enjoy. That I had never heard about before...

So let's move on to the next madness, shall we...?

mono

[mono]

Slight spoiler: Episode 2 foreshadowed regular "motorbiku"-parts, so I stuck around for episode 3 (*Vromm!!*). Slight spoiler: No bike action in episode 3 (ó.ò). The third episode was about as "worth watching" as the previous two episodes. :/

Like Food for the Soul (which I'll talk about in a bit) the writing and direction the story takes are nothing to write home about. On top of that the character development doesn't really seem to exists and the characters who are getting introduced or fleshed out at this point are like walking tropes.

I also suspect that this series received wheelbarrows full of sponsorship money from at least one source per episode in order to get made. You'll immediately notice what I am talking about. They where not subtile... At all! This makes the entire series feel like one whole "particularly nice advert". And who wants to see an advert - even if it's nice?

This show lacks an "identity". If "funny bits" can salvage a series for you, this may be for you, but if you require at least "token substance" you can safely skip this one.

Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō

[Kijin Gentōshō]

Having seen the first two episodes, I'd say: "It is "serviceable". 'But...'"

I would like to take a moment to point out that the voice acting is spot on! You don't need to speak Japanese to tell that the voice actors put their all into this and their efforts make this series stand out. The animation is good and the studio invested extra budget to make the first episode, which lasts roughly 54(!) minutes more impressive. A lot of effort came together in all the technical and artistic aspects of this and it must be one hell of a joyride for people who like Sword animes. However...

While the scene-to-scene storytelling tells a compelling story and the characters have motivations, arcs and all that good stuff, the meta-plot leaves a sour "Let's just make it up as we go along"-taste. And I can tell you about it without spoiling anything: You remember how this show has "Demon Hunter" in the title? So it would be fair to assume that there would be demons to hunt, correct? And of course the viewer would then be taught what "demons" are in the context of this particular fantasy universe and what their basic rules are, because no two kinds of "demons" are the same, both in folklore and in modern entertainment media. ...Right? I mean, you would expect some basic information, to avoid that every single "demon-scenario" remains a total enigma for the audience, while the characters think and act based on information that the audience has no chance to intuit. Right...? Otherwise this would look like the work of some skillless hack, who tried to make a boring piece of plot more interesting by withholding a key-piece of "obvious information" - which would become blatantly obvious. Right?!

Yeah, you saw where this was going two sentences ago. What "could" have been a 2 minute dialogue during a montage or a single training session, as some non-forced dialogue between a teacher and a student, ends up being the writer's idea of "look how interesting this is..."

I would set the age rating for the visual storytelling of this to 14+ to 16+. There's some brutal and psychologically jarring stuff in this. But in order for an audience to enjoy "that style of storytelling" to the fullest, the audience would have to be 8 to 10. No "plus".

And that is a disconnect I cannot ignore. So I dropped this almost as soon as I picked it up. However: If you miss the "Swords and Splatter"-anime of the late 90's to noughties and were always fond of a smidgen of body horror: Eat your heart out! This was pretty much made for you. And if this applies to you, then I am so happy that I could bring this to your attention.

Princession Orchestra

(AKA Princess-Session Orchestra)

[Purinsesshon Ōkesutora]

"In principle" I actually want to watch this. And I'm "probably" still going to. But right now, I am just too stressed for it. So I cannot tell you in good conscience whether it would be worth watching or not - even if you are into the Magical Girls-genre.

I "expect" it's better than mono and that Princession Orchestra would have ended up in the Middle of the Road Anime section - but no guarantees can be made by me in regards to the actual quality. And I didn't want to hold the release of this article any longer in the vain hope that I'd "some day wake up in a good mood and full of energy".

Witch Watch

[Witchi Wotchi]

I just cannot motivate myself to see if this gets better. The crux here lies in how I value my time and what I enjoy personally: I like arks that see some kind of closure. Predictably, by the end of this series one or two "hostile" characters will have been turned "amicable" or "friendly", but nobody will be dating anyone and nobody will be graduating. Everyone is stuck in a time loop where they never "grow up" - for all eternity. Episode 1 signaled in bright colors that this will be "11 to 12 more episodes of "exactly this"." If you are okay with that and you liked the first episode, then this is for you.

Still not out yet?

Survive! Inside the Human Body

[Kagaku x Bouken Survival!]

I have found "hard, irrefutable evidence" online that the 21 episodes of this series exist, but somehow it still does seem to be available at my place. Let's not be coy about this... My question is: "How does a Japanese piracy site have this ready to stream but "we" haven't? Why do bad things happen to good people?! Why do people have to die at the hands of others? Why can somebody decide that it's not a problem for them to not to get vaccinated if there is a deadly pandemic going on, but when a woman wants to have an abortion or is trapped in the body of a man, politics get to dictate what she cannot do with her own body?! How can you know me 'this long' and not foresee that I would pull this 'light-hearted sketch' to a dark place kicking and screaming, dear reader?"

*Cough!*

So yeah... "Survive! Inside the Human Body"... Somehow, mind numbingly boring stuff such as The Great Cleric [Seija Musō] gets a timely translation. But of course not something halfway educational that I was looking forward to. Real bizarre...

...Do you need a minute? How about a little break after this reflection on the fresh hell that we all live in before we continue...? I certainly took one.

Late Newcomers/Additions

Reincarnated as a Neglected Noble: Raising My Baby Brother With Memories From My Past Life

(AKA Shirohiyo)

[Shiro Buta Kizoku desu ga Zense no Kioku ga Haeta node Hiyoko na Otōto Sodatemasu]

This one came out a bit late, so I did not include it in the Early Anime Overview because it didn't exist at the time.

According to Wikipedia, the Japanese title translates to "I'm a White Pig Aristocrat, But I Regained My Memories from My Previous Life, So I'm Raising a Younger Brother". :3

...I think "White Pig Aristocrat" should be the name of a band! Whoever thought of that owns one of those Conrad Zimmerman-pins (PinfulTruth on Etsy, btw) that reads "The Rich Taste Like Pork".

Anti-Capitalist propaganda aside, the series itself is... "not your typical Isekai."

It is "original" in the sense that it features a lot of things you would not see otherwise, but at the same time, there's plenty of "you have all the skills now" that's featured in your typical Isekai. While it is not combat-oriented, the protagonist starts out with his skills and does not have to "earn them" based on what he happens to know - unlike in Ascendance of a Bookworm [Honzuki no Gekokujō ~Shisho ni Naru Tame niwa Shudan o Erandeiraremasen~], which you should probably just watch instead, if the description above even halfway appealed to you and you haven't watched it already.

"Neglected Noble" is novel, but after having seen 2 episodes, the story and the characters are not interesting enough to intrigue me to a point that I would watch the third episode. And I continued watching The Unaware Atelier Meister, so you know how low my bar can sink... -.-

Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom (2024)

[Gekijō-ban Ōbārōdo Sei Ōkoku-hen] (2024)

"Raise your head." ;)

This originally came out in select theaters, but not anywhere near my place. Even if I would have wanted to watch it in a cinema I cannot afford to visit a cinema for just any movie - let alone travel the country for it.

Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom looks as if it had an above-average budget. The writing is... It's more Overlord. :) If you like Overlord - I am around 97% certain that you will enjoy this. If you don't, then... why would you even read about it? ;)

As for myself: I "can watch" Overlord without too much issues and at times even enjoy it, but it's hardly a favorite of mine. There are some aspects and characters that keep the show "interesting enough" for me, but I'm not a fan. That being said, the series is a good "palate cleanser" between very different types of creative work and there are bits of comedy that resonate with me. However, others don't. Overall, the series offers a rich cast and world, that I can appreciate as being somebody else's hard work - without being too interested in most of it. I did look up where scrolls come from, though. Don't look up where scrolls come from! It's smart, logical world-building, but there's a good reason they did not include that bit of lore in the animated series.

The story of this (quite long) arc is concluded in a satisfying way. And along the way there's plenty of the usual shenanigans. While you see a few familiar faces, these are mostly cameos. But aside from the titular Overlord ("Ainz Ooal Gown"), there is only one other member of the regular main cast who gets a spotlight. 2 hours of Ainz Ooal Gown next to people dying is pretty unusual for this series. And seeing this movie in one go is quite a trip if you are used to watching the episodes about 7 days apart when they come out. It's not overbearing and there are no massive information dumps. Even if you had forgotten all the different names of places and people, it would not impact your enjoyment in the slightest. There are no "history tests" here. As long as yo have seen the 4 seasons of Overlord at some point in your life, all of this will make sense to you without having to refresh on anything first.

That being said, while this movie offers more of "the usual Overlord fare" of "these are the stories of people who will die, while the Overlord lives on to remember their story", a lot of people survive - and the Overlord is very present in this story - a blend between Season 1 where he explored the lands more freely and Season 4, where he goes exploring with a mission - but already in his role as... (very slight, carefully worded spoiler) "an important representative".

If a hypothetical fan of Overlord told me that they do not care for Lord Ainz and just like the rest of the cast, I would still recommend this movie to them, because there's plenty of other human story bits. But it will be unusual to see him that present and all on his own for so long.

Since I was curious before, I had a peek at the summaries of professional reviewers that had been collected in Wikipedia. They didn't like it, but I am not exactly convinced that they liked Overlord in the first place, so there's that... :)

TL;DR:

If you like Overlord you will watch this either way, but it may relax you to hear that you will almost certainly have a good time. If you don't like Overlord, then you would not even think about watching this in the first place.

...What do you mean "But why did 'you' watch it then, Yatsufusa? 'You' don't like 'Overlord' either..." - "For science!", of course. ;)

Middle of the Road Anime

These are "okay", but you might as well watch anything else - or dig through the treasure trove that is the past. (I still haven't watched Patlabor. What am I doing with my life...?)

The Beginning After the End

[Saikyō no Ōsama, Futatabime no Jinsei wa Nani o Suru?]

Episode 3 is copying an important element from yet another popular Isekai-series.

It is "watchable", but it barely made the cut for "Middle of the Road Anime" for me this time... "Stuff just happens." The story is moved along, but even "important" characters are not really established or grown. The actions on screen are moving along a meaningless story without any stakes, because the audience is not motivated to care about anyone. Token sentences of inner reflection that mime understanding rudimentary human behavior do not amount to any meaningful change in the protagonist either.

Plus: At this point there also have been multiple accounts of straight-up plagiarism! I do not mean this as a joke! This is not "a nod" or "an homage" - they play these with a straight face. At this rate, I foresee several lawsuits/backroom settlements.

I thought She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man and The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army Was a Human were "Meh, but serviceable." But the way things play out might mean that Studio A-Cat will never get the chance to animate Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! [Mushoku no Eiyū: Betsu ni Sukiru Nanka Iranakattan da ga] because they have to close down permanently. Which is a shame. I thought that one had about a 50:50 chance of turning out well and from an animation standpoint I genuinely liked what Studio A-Cat was putting out...

Let's hope for the best and brace for the worst.

The Unaware Atelier Master

[Kanchigai no Atorie Maisutā: Eiyū Pāti no Moto Zatsuyōgakari ga, Jitsu wa Sentō Igai ga SSS Ranku Datta to Iu Yoku Aru Hanashi]

Although it got a few chuckles (as well as groans) out of me, I'd describe the series as "serviceable, but utterly unimpressive". Yet, the way this season's bearers of hope are turning out, you might give this one another consideration if you are looking for light entertainment without much substance. Or if you just can't stand another show that's either Isekai or focused on Japanese school girls. ;)

"Speaking of which..."

Food for the Soul

[Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi]

The character development is "okay" so far. I wish it had more cooking and "fun little adventures in modern Japan". So far it has been "a bit pedestrian", if I'm perfectly honest.

Or to make the subtext text: If the writer turned out to be around the same age as the (teenage) protagonists, I would not be surprised for even a moment... This is comparable to real-world diary-entries. Not really something that one would consider turning into an animation. If this was a live-action series, it would have been canceled after the pilot.

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl

[Gorira no Kami Kara Kago Sareta Reijō wa Ōritsu Kishidan de Kawaiigareru]

While I am still angsty about the very real possibility that the studio is pushing her into the role of "woman defined by her relationship to male characters" there is some hope that she will find female friends. I just hope that it does not take her until episode 11 until that happens.

It's still an okay watch, but I would like it to have more depths. And... Well...~ :)

Ideally I would like her to find a girlfriend and marry her - to wide approval of all of her male friends and the head of the academy. But I'll settle to her getting a strong foothold on a place in life where she decides on the direction it will take. She's effectively "the fucking chosen one" - so let her choose!

The story is more intriguing than that of Food for the Soul, but... Unlike me, you do not have to be bound by the unrealistic hope that this gets better, so you should probably just ditch this.

I foresee two outcomes for the story:

A) She will experience personal growth, gain confidence and change her demeanor to the point that you could rightfully claim that the series has meaningful character growth. And then Yatsufusa will sing it praises in the adorable, clumsy way that dogs tend to sing in.

B) She will keep the (slight spoiler) friends she made early on and gets put in a place in life that "the powers that be" determine for her "like a well-behaved female" - despite having the power to break a person like they were a matchstick! And then Yatsufusa will be cross with studio Kachigarasu to the point that their stuff will get skipped by default.

(Not just because of this... Up until 2025 Kachigarasu were known as "Encourage Films", which produced one horrible series after another! The only reason I watched "The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl" unbiased was because of the name change that I just learned about at the time of writing. Cheeky buggers... If you want to see something that will qualify for your personal "worst anime of all time", give "Isekai Cheat Magician" a go. Utter trash! ...Made by Encourage Films.)

The Mononoke Lecture Logs of Chuzenji-sensei

(AKA The Mononoke Lecture Logs of Chuzenji-sensei: He Just Solves All the Mysteries)

[Chūzenji-sensei Mononoke Kōgiroku: Sensei ga Nazo o Toite Shimaukara]

"Way less bad than the title and synopsis lead me to expect." ;)

It's... "fine": It's a bit different. The formula hasn't been done too often and the mysteries aren't totally overblown (so far). The stories are good, but they are also what carries this. The characters are decoration at best: Barely any background, next to no motivation/ambition... Paper-thin.

And yet... Looking up the list, unlike Food for the Soul, this is something I might actually watch until the end. Just for the little mysteries.

(To make the subtext text: This is where the really watchable part of the Middle of the Road Animes starts.)

I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level

[Suraimu Taoshite Sanbyaku-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Reberu Makkusu ni Nattemashita]

Something got lost along the way from 2021 to today. Normally I would blame the change in studio, but Revoroot's other work wasn't exactly stellar... Given the chance, they might have messed this up as well.

Season 2 is "okay", but does not really hold a candle to season 1. It's "somewhat nice" to see "the same characters", but... It's not really "the same characters" - is it...?

A pity...

I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

[Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryōshu!]

This one is still more of the same, which is to say: Episode 4 is kinda different from the previous episodes. Several things that viewers did not quite expect...

A common element I noticed was appreciation for big boobies, though. While I can appreciate a well-cushioned chest, I'd wish they had gone with more variety on that front. Even more so if you consider the average cup size of Asian women. (Please consider what unrealistic expectations you're pushing...)

There is one thing I can predict about the show, though: By the time their story is concluded, their TV Tropes article will be long enough to block out the sun if printed out - even when folded.

(Don't print out internet sites! Think of the trees...)

Don't get me wrong: I will most likely watch this until the end, but "the end" will also be the time I will know if it's any good or not. Finally!

The Best

Some of these are second season, though. They might get included in the Q2 seasonal recap. But unless they not turn out to be "mind shatteringly amazing" and have never been in one of my previous yearly 13, they won't be listed in the Top 13 for 2025 at the end of the year. (Sorry, The Apothecary Diaries. You know I would smuggle you in there if I could... ;) )

Oh, by the way: Given the current offering, I am considering a Top 6 rather than a Top 13. That's part of the reason I looked into stuff I didn't check out before.

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai

[Literal Translation: Aharen Is Indecipherable]

I did not retain the strongest memory from the first season, and due to time-constraints (Read: "Newgrounds"), I did not have the opportunity to rewatch the first season, but "this is good". So far, I like what I see and it ticks a whole lot of emotional boxes for me.

The humor might be awkward at times, but this is one of those series you can watch and will (in all likelihood) feel better afterwards. Please give it consideration as part of your mental healthcare. Raptor-Jesus knows, we all need more of that in our lives...

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now and They Won't Leave Me Alone

[Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken]

Slight spoiler: Magic exists in this world. I hate if they don't tell the viewers in episode 1, because the audience is surprised or confused while the characters act as if nothing happened. It's a disconnect that pulls the viewer out of the story - and it's an especially bad idea in animation, where the story can move on without the audience following it. Rooky mistake! I hope I haven't been unreasonably optimistic with this one. If this is Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion all over again there will be blood... Or at least a bad review. ;p

The rest is good, though. A bit too focused on the titular Country Bumpkin (who already was the titular Master Swordsman at the start of the series, if you ask me), but this could easily shift, as the number of main cast characters to be introduced through the lens of this character slowly eases down.

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom

[Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru]

While still a bit shaky on its legs, both the current ark and overall story of this series are stabilizing nicely and are moving at a good pace - without leaving the character development at the roadside.

Teogonia

[Teogonia]

This is hard to talk about without spoiling anything.

I still like it for the qualities I saw in the qualities I liked the first episode for. Story progression and character depiction are good. As is the pace of the story.

Unlike with The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl I am not worried about Teogonia going south in the slightest.

To avoid misunderstandings: What may sound like rather unexcited feedback translates to "There is nothing wrong with this. I am beside myself with joy and the room is spinning!"

Catch Me at the Ballpark!

[Bōrupāku de Tsukamaete!]

While the individual episodes still aren't "breathtaking", the wholesomeness is still exactly what the doctor ordered in these dark times. (If you are from the future: Early 2025 left no doubt about this being the darkest timeline - or who the culprits were...)

I foresee Catch Me at the Ballpark! taking a similar spot to 'Tis Time for "Torture", Princess in my Top 13 of 2024 for very similar reasons, but there are still 2 more seasons to go. A lot can happen in 2 seasons...

The Apothecary Diaries

[Kusuriya no Hitorigoto]

The 24 episode-long second season is still going on which I "kind of" did not mention last time because viewers wouldn't enter the series at that point. They'd start with season one. I was already running close to the characters limit on NG as it was... And I already "just mentioned" that season 2 was going on...

But in this format I can "catch up". So I will bring you the shocking news right now:

"It's still good. What a surprise..." ;)

The second-cour series seems to be getting stronger at this point and shows signs that it will go into the kind of direction the audience is tuning in for. Also: Some more "girls sticking together and having fun" - which is something they should do more often.

Unwatched

At this point I'm just complaining about stuff that annoys me...

A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof

[Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi]

A Ninja is an Assassin, you dilettants. They are both Assassins. This is "2 Assassins under one roof" - or "2 Assassins one roof". "Get those girls a cup and it will go viral..." ;p

I'm sorry. If somebody thinks this is a title, I dread what kind of content they would fill their project with. "Next...!"

Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX

[Kidō Senshi Gandamu Jīkuakusu]

(If this spot remains empty it means I had the good sense to not watch more of something that will only make me angry...)

Overal Conclusion:

It's not easy to find good anime in Q2 of 2025, but you won't "starve".

Western Animation?

I have typed out a lot in the pre-write but at the same time, I have next to no space remaining. So I'm making two posts back-to-back:

Yatsufusa's Western Animation Overview Catch-Up (Q2 2025) (Spoiler Free!)

(I would usually be more hesitant about this, but we have users who casually create 3 News Post on some days.)

The Future

"You have no chance to survive make your time."

 – CATS, Zero Wing

Recent talks of the endangerment of a machine that lets you travel into the past have made me hungry for the future. So I had a bit of a look if any great anime series had additional seasons announced. I only went through some personal highlights. If you are the kind of deviant who liked Yu-Gi-Oh! you'll need to do your own research.

In order of predicted appearance, these are:

Dandadan

[Dan Da Dan]

July 2025.

There you go.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

[Sōsō no Furīren]

January 2026!

Mark the exact date when it gets announced. This will be worth cleaning out your social calendar that day. There is no way I would watch that episode just once...

By the Grace of the Gods

[Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko]

The fans speculate 2026, but there is still no official confirmation.

I was underwhelmed by the second season, but I have not given up hope, yet. And in the words of one of my favorite cynic:

"Everybody is always afraid of 'dark' forces, but you know:

It's hope that kills you every fucking time."

 – Conrad Zimmerman, Mercenary Creative, The Spin-off Doctors: Silent Hill

'Tis Time for "Torture," Princess

[Hime-sama "Gōmon" no Jikan desu]

Announced for "2026".

I am at the edge of my seat for this one! I just hope we all get to live that long... 2026? I just don't feel that optimistic for humanity.

Delicious in Dungeon

[Danjon Meshi]

As I had already mentioned here:

"While the production of a second season has been announced I'll be content with the early episodes (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and call it a day. It was the fun kind of "weird" until they changed the formula halfway though the series and I really cannot stand this kind of behavior."

"I hope the fans will like it."

Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy

[Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Dōchū]

A third season "has been announced".

The first two seasons were not "good as such", but they both were "a worthwhile watch" and rounded off by a respective finale anyway. If you "happen to have" unvented frustrations, I highly recommend this series.

As for me: I write.

Sasaki and Peeps

[Sasaki to Pii-chan]

A second season "has been announced".

Foreseeable, but still nice to hear confirmed...

The Unwanted Undead Adventurer

[Nozomanu Fushi no Bōkensha]

"A second season has been announced."

 – Wikipedia

"...? Wait, "for real"?"

 - the author

I am stoked, but I am also in utter disbelief! When I listed this show in my Top 13 for 2024 last year, I did not expect to see any more of this. The review community that year did not seem to have much love for it either...

I am sorry that I cannot sound as enthusiastic as I should right now, but I always expect everything to go the worst way it can. Frankly: I'm even used to it by now. So having something unexpectedly good happen for once "confuses" me. It feels weird and unfamiliar... :p

Gushing over Magical Girls

[Mahō Shōjo ni Akogarete]

"A second season has been announced."

 – Wikipedia

"Yes!"

 – the author, almost in tears

And that was it. Don't feel bad if you didn't read everything. Nobody is interested in every series in existence. Thank you for your attention and "Good night out there. Whatever you are..."

This article has been quite a ride for me, so I'm taking the rest of the day off. (Typos will be looked into tomorrow...)

"How peculiar. Oh my, yes!"

(If you know who I just mimicked, color me impressed - and the voice actor satisfied that he left that much of an impression with you. ;) )

Western Animation

I have typed out a lot in the pre-write for Yatsufusa's Anime Overview Catch-Up (Q2 2025) (Spoiler Free!) but at the same time, I have next to no space remaining in said article. So I'm making two posts back-to-back.

(I would usually be more hesitant about this, but we have users who casually create 3 News Post on some days.)

Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

『そんなに気にしない』

Words can not express how little care about the Star Wars franchise these days. So I would not watch this, even if I had access.

It's Star Wars. It has a high budget. They went out of their way to make the animation look "state of the art", adding a million micro-movements to every single character, to ensure all of it looks "realistic"... And in a few short years from now it will look like absolute dog shit, because they chose 3D animation over actual animation.

Such is life...

"Next...!"

Blood of Zeus

『ゼウスの血』

The internet says Season 3 just came out (on Netflix).

Season 1 was Meh.

Season 2 was Meh.

I do not need the help of 3 sisters to predict the quality the 3rd season will have...

If asked for a more elaborate, spoiler free review, I'd say: "The nice animation and competent voice acting lifted the pedestrian story up to the ranks of "something watchable if you're tired". ...for the first season. The second season was "one or two episodes of wholesome story", followed by "regret"."

The biggest players in this often make arguments like children would make them: "There are only two ways to do this." and such... This is a show written for an audience with the intellect of children - but featuring lots of bloody violence. ...Like Madness! You heard it here first: "'Blood of Zeus' is 'Madness' with a budget." ;3

Given the most recent US presidential elections, maybe that is what the target audience expects from the beings in the highest available places of power: People who could lose an argument to a tree.

You can tell that I'm angry when I'm dragging politics into this. I feel genuinely upset on behalf of everyone who had to work on this project, having been given "that script" to turn into a professional animation. And I feel even more sorry for everyone who had to give "confident" interviews, because jobs are on the line and they cannot say how they truly feel about this project.

Bullshit like this is what holds the western animation industry back - and I don't like that. We, the audience/consumers, always get the best result if there is as much competition as possible.

(Maybe take a sip of water before you read the next paragraph, because I'm not nearly as angry about the net entry, but with only three entries, I have no gradual "bad-to-good-curve" to work with...)

Iyanu

『(不明)』

I hear "it exists". My spare time scheduling (Read: "Newgrounds") did not leave enough time to look into reviews in earnest. Having watched a few available snippets, they have "good but not perfect" English lip-sync, which I very well appreciate, decent animation, "okay" effects, and pleasant, non-standard voice acting.

The story seems to be aimed at young teens, but from what I could gather, it's probably an "enjoyable-to-okay" watch for people from age 8 to 18. Or "any age", if you are into animation. Which... I mean... You are on Newgrounds and you are reading this. Are you seriously going to tell me that you are "too much of a grown-up" to enjoy animation...? ;3

Batman: Caped Crusader

『バットマン:マントの戦士』

"The second season has been confirmed and will be released in 2025."

 - Wikipedia

"Nani?!"

 - the author

Apparently, this released in August 2024. I had no idea at the time because nobody I pay attention to talked about it. But I thought "I have some space left, this seems worth my time, my audience speaks English..." So here we are. ;)

While I am not a Batman-fan, I watched my fair share of animated Batman series.* Enough to know that even well-meaning adaptations can overpromise and underdeliver.

I'm sure animation and voice acting are "serviceable to stellar", but looking up "Batman" online it bound to get you a million hits for the wrong series and I was in no mood to watch cherry picked trailer material to extrapolate from. I'd say the core audience for Batman watches it for the story. With all due respect: The studio could have used cardboard cutouts, but as long as script and voice acting are good the series still would have been well-received by the actual fans. ;)

I glanced at some reviews and spoke with a few witnesses. Apparently, Batman: Caped Crusader is quite good, actually - but suffers from "not being 'Batman: The Animated Series'" - which it is trying to emulate "but darker and grittier, because it's 'Batman'". Yeah... The same Batman who still refuses to carry a bloody gun or a feasible taser... -.-

To be fair, the focus is (reportedly) almost entirely on the 'detective work' this time and there is not much fighting. So it gets a thumbs up for that move from me!

Personal grievances aside, what I get from professional reviewers (after having read ten thousands[?] of professional reviews in my life) is that they greatly appreciate a "well-made" Batman-series for a change. And that the want to write reviews that criticize less than they should - simply because they would hate for some special needs CEO over at Amazon Prime Video to read their review and interpret a seven-point-something as "Oh it's shit, then? Well, let's can it and animate something with more butts and boobs for our teenage demographic..." in the kind of unreflected knee-jerk reaction that gets you hired/voted into positions of leadership these days.

Sick Sad World...

·

* If you are craving some animated Batman now but have no access to Batman: Caped Crusader and have already watched all of Batman: The Animated Series, check out The New Batman Adventures which was effectively the continuation of Batman: The Animated Series but was neither particularly well marketed or "successful". It's "not as good" and uses a simplified animation style, but will likely leave you "somewhat satisfied". The main issue, as it presents itself to me, is this: Episodes most often felt as if the writer had a solid idea for the beginning and ending - but then left the middle bit to somebody else, who did mostly filler. That the art style was dumbed down severely did not help the series either.

It had it's highlights though.

(The rest of this paragraph contains a mild spoiler. Look forward to episode 9, if you want the identity of the "villain" to be a surprise.)

A personal favorite of mine was episode 9 (Love Is a Croc), featuring a return of one of the particularly tragic Batman-"villains", Mary Louise Dahl (AKA "Baby-Doll"). Whatever I may think about the "filler" for these episodes, the endings are almost always effective - and the episode with Mary Louise Dahl hit especially hard if you know anything about how society treats people with dwarfism.

Ladies, gentlemen, and others,

We interrupt our usual program of Newgrounds-related self-publishing advice and anime-opinions to bring you another special bulletin:

Archive.org, which many of you will know as the "Wayback Machine" or the "Internet Archive", is facing an existential threat: A $700 million lawsuit, filed by major record labels.

Some of the people reading this News Post will already have received a PM from me about it the day before yesterday - because frankly, I did not want to write this article. I was already utterly drained by the weekend and I am even more drained today. I hope that it shows you how important this is to me (and you!) that I still set my mind in motion regardless.

Here is the actual article I'll be referring to:

Take Action: Defend the Internet Archive

If you haven't already signed the petition and you do not have a lot of time on your hands, I would prefer you to primarily invest your time there and (hopefully) sign their petition for the record labels to drop their lawsuit. But at this stage of events, the most important thing you can do and that will make a difference is to inform others. Raising awareness right now will help with the impact of any further steps archive.org will take from here on out.

I am totally fine if you set a bookmark to this article (the Newgrounds News Post you are reading at this moment) and return when you have the headspace.

If you need some convincing and don't just want to take my word for it being important, I'd like a shot at convincing you.

@TangoStar already wrote a post about this from a very personal, nostalgia-related perspective:

Internet Archive is in danger, and needs your help!

@ADR3-N wrote a post from the perspective of a freelance music producer and archivist:

Record Labels are once again trying to burn the Library of Alexandria

@ShangXian has also written a piece that would not look out of place on a website that publishes news articles and will show you yet a different perspective:

The Internet Archive

Other users, like @Zordoo99, have made a more... "URL forwarding"-style News Post, which I also think is completely valid for raising/spreading awareness. (It's just not my personal style.):

Petition Worth Signing

At the time of you reading this, other articles might be available as well:

(Most likely tagged with #internet-archive)

What I want to offer will be more of a "bigger perspective piece" with some explanations and future outlook.

Let me quickly set the scene...

Who are the Companies Responsible for this?

They organize under the name of "Recording Industry Association of America" (RIAA) and their leading members are:

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) [AKA: Sony Entertainment/"Sony" - the company that builds the PlayStation if they do not run out of microchips]

Universal Music (UMG) [You know... "Universal". The people who make money from movies.]

Warner Music Group (WMG) [Actually not owned by Time Warner/"Warner Bros." but rather by a group of private investors led by Edgar Bronfman Jr.]

There are others and it gets more complicated, but these are the "Big Three". These are the companies we can boycott (if we like) and "get the most angry at" for this.

Why is this important? What are the "Wayback Machine" and the "Internet Archive" for?

Now this is a question I heard from some of you yesterday and it honestly hit me with surprise. While I do not use the site more than once a month myself, at the times when I use it, there is literally no alternative. Anywhere.

You know Wikipedia and whatever tragedy you use for online searches (DuckDuckGo, Startpage, or even Google)?

When one of those were to "go away", you'd still have alternatives. Large parts of Wikipedia get mirrored by some chancers ("opportunists") and people who want to sell you something (or just want to fill your head with propaganda at opportune intersections). Losing Wikipedia would severely diminish the quality of information available to you.

Search engines are a mixed bag, and many are... "improvable..." but you actually have quite a range to choose from.

If archive.org "goes away" that will have been it. That is why this threat is so dramatic.

@ADR3-N likened the Internet Archive to the Great Library of Alexandria. And that is not just hyperbole, it's a pretty apt comparison: The Library of Alexandria was one of the largest and most significant libraries of its time.

And you know artists? The people that give the site you are currently browsing the reason to exist. As an artist, you do not just sit in an empty room and "get ideas". There is a quote that summarizes the foundation of creative work quite nicely:

"The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write:

A man will turn over half a library to make one book."

 – Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), a British author, linguist and lexicographer,

Life of Samuel Johnson (Vol II) (by James Boswell)

Now... What libraries or museums would you recon resourceful artists visit when they need to look up all kinds of art in various media for educational purposes or the purpose of creating art? Will they spend the larger part of a decade to travel half the world and explore the great libraries, museums, and cultures of our time...?

No, of course not! The term "starving artist" wasn't coined from nothing. Almost every artist you will meet on any website that host art of any kind works a regular day job for a living, barely gets by (just like the rest of us), has crazy expenses and time investment for their art and operates at a loss - for doing what they are passionate about. 'Cause none of us have any money. So the place they go to is, often enough, archive.org.

Archive.org in a Nutshell

The Internet Archive

On the "Internet Archive", you are able to find countless resources creating fundamentals for artists of pretty much all sorts of media, stylistic directions, and walks of life.

You find installers and manuals for "old" and "ancient" games that you would often not be able to recover otherwise. (If you say "GOG" I will scream! The number of games that never got there or simply vanished from that site over licensing and royalty disputes... Or forcefully replaced by the new rights holder with a "remade" version that nobody wanted...)

You can find videos that are no longer (or were never) protected by copyright, or are no longer available through the hosters they were originally available through. (Most of the time YouTube.) Seriously: Their library on these things are huge. And unlike the former hosters, archive.org has a lot of search options, so you can narrow down search parameters until you get a manageable number of results.

"Music and "Audio stuff" freelance music producers would use. As well as "Art stuff"..." (I got to stay honest here: I am just not somebody who looks those up, as I am more interested in other forms of art.)

The Wayback Machine

The "Wayback Machine" lets visitors see archived internet sites. Sometimes including massive files that were part of that website (like videos and music). And if the same site (or part of a site) was archived at different dates, you can find parts of a site's history what were lost. Or in other words:

"It's a Time Machine...!"

This is the closest you or me will ever get to traveling back in time to witness events from the past "for the first time" and at our own pace and discretion without having to experience it through the lens and filters of somebody else.

I'm not suggesting you shouldn't cherish the present, but if this does not excite you, I can only assume you are suffering from a severe lack of imagination.

This is why preservation matters. This is why archive.org matters!

...And this is why I'd like your help spreading the word. Maybe write PMs and emails to friends who are interested in these sorts of things.

If you are thinking about writing an article, you'll reach more people if you don't write your articles at the same day you've already seen two others. Spread them out a little.

Addendum 2025-04-25: I had the opportunity to ask resident artist and variety blogger @jthrash about his views on the matter. Even though he didn't write an entire article about it, his views on the importance and responsibility of preservation are well thought out and reminded me of what the late, great game critic John Peter Bain ("TotalBiscuit") would often express when discussing the issues with the preservation of video games. While his remarks end on a bit of a sad note, I would still describe them as the views of a community member who has in-depth thoughts on the matter without necessarily speaking up on it in their own, dedicated News Post.

You will have to scroll a little. But the rest of his AMA is also a good read if you are tired from me constantly sending you to places where people talk about something that is 'actually quite horrifying':

Ask Me Things! Uncomfortable Things!

(If you merely want to know what his thoughts were on this, you can scroll down to the reply to yours truly in the comments.)

(Sorry that I added this "a day late". It was 100% intentional for a change. I was worried that a long tangent would distract from the topic at hand. And the awkward navigation [no possibility to link directly] would have made for an awkward inclusion on "day one".)

Addendum 2025-04-26: Thanks to [an anonymous benefactor] a broken link (that everyone else either missed or was too polite to tell me about) is no longer broken. Thank you for your help, kind stranger!

"I love criticism as long as it is unqualified praise."

 – Noël Peirce Coward (1899-1973), English playwright, composer of popular music, and actor

Welcome once again.

This is a ranked, spoiler-free list of which anime series seem appealing to me this season (Q2 2025). The season has just begun, so what I essentially offer is the estimate of what lies ahead, based on the preview on offer. Or In English: "I watched a lot of first episodes and here's what I think."

I won't go as in-depth as I did for my 2024 overview. Spoilers will be indicated in advance - although I think I managed to avoid those entirely this time...

Overall, this anime season's offering so far seems to be "about as appealing" as the last season. If you have a lot of unwatched backlog and still did not manage to get through it in 2024, 2025 seems to shape itself to become another 2024. ...With the difference that US Americans will "have to" pirate their shows now, because they are being bled dry by their elected government. What can I say? They did it to themselves...

One thing I noticed was that "almost nothing" came out in the first week of the quarter. With so many series coming out "last minute", I predict that professional reviewers will be rather cranky when they do similar projects as this one. (I think I had 3 new shows on this Saturday evening - it's all a blur!)

While this article is more of a preview, I might update it in time. If you are from the future, you can also check if there are any updates or additions at the end of this post.

And as is standard with these articles, entries are sorted worst to best.

New (Separate) Segment: The Ecchi-Appendix

(This will be its own, separate, Adults Only News Post - which will also be linked here. But I did not want to spam, so you will have to wait 3 days or so.)

Due to the resulting "A" age rating, the inclusion of "Ecchi" in the last article, excluded a not insignificant part of my readers. Since I had more underage readers than I thought, I branched "Ecchi" off and it got its own sextion - I mean "section".

Just to explain what "Ecchi" actually is: It's cheesecake. Definition done. ;)

...Okay, imagine this: You want to tell a story that features nipples and talk about sex, but you do not want to show the characters having sex or how they look like beyond their belly-button. In "Ecchi", characters behave playfully sexual, "naughty", or lascivious without it having to be played off as a joke.

It is different from "Hentai", where characters have genitalia and are having sexual intercourse in front of the "camera".

If you are a horny adult, you'll likely want to watch "Hentai" instead.

"Ecchi" on the other hand exists for the (apparently) rather niche audience that appreciates partial nudity turning into nudity (with obscured crotch regions). In a nutshell, it is a world closer to the real world, where sex in relationships exists and is discussed, rather than treated as a taboo. It is a medium for a mature audience that likes "naughty" scenes and immature panty-based humor that one would not depict in a show aimed at children under the age of 12. But since Japanese culture is incredibly prude, despite having a culture of public bathhouses, that "12" is turned into a "16".

Unless, of course, you're drawing or animating Ranma ½ - then you get away with panties and nipples without anybody questioning you. "Rules for thee but not for me.", I guess...

And I think that, by now, you have a pretty clear picture why I kept that category in an extension, rather than just dropping it altogether. Maybe one day we'll be able to treat the human body as something natural, rather than "Thou shalt be ashamed of thy natural anatomy!", you know...?

If you can hardly wait to read the current Ecchi-Appendix I'll go ahead and already tell you this: Just because I can appreciate "Ecchi" as a genre doesn't necessarily mean that all "Ecchi" is good - just like with all the other series I cover here... I'll make an effort to look into it, but there are no guarantees that that niche will get any quality writing in any given season.

I've kept you long enough. Here you go.

Anime Series

Unwatched

Let's start with some series I did not make the time for - often due to disinterest on my part.

There's no real "Stuff I'll skip"-category. If I did not list something you were interested in it is either not available to me or I had no interest in it to begin with. I'll list a few cases that I genuinely think might be interesting to people who aren't me, but the rest is "I have no intention of badmouthing this for no reason other than not being interested, personally"-stuff.

I am aware of the following series, but the chances of me finding time for them seem rather low:

The Shiunji Family Children

[Shiunji-ke no Kodomo-tachi]

The synopsis sounds extremely foreboding... I'm skipping that one!

Apocalypse Hotel

[Apokaripusu Hoteru]

I am picky about how robots are depicted.

Can a Boy-Girl Friendship Survive?

[Danjo no Yūjō wa Seiritsu Suru? (Iya, Shinai!!)]

This is its own category. Like Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? I call this "Stupid Question anime".

If you're asking a question in the title, the conclusion an article or show is going to arrive at will always be "No."

Next!

Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō

[Kijin Gentōshō]

"Sword anime" tend not to be for me, but it does not look bad.

The Dinner Table Detective

[Nazotoki wa Dinā no Ato de]

Last season's Tasokare Hotel has set the bar very high - and I was already eating Kyokou Suiri - In/Spectre for breakfast before that. I might check it out, but not in a timely fashion. This post is already late as it is...

Rock is a Lady's Modesty

[Rokku wa Redi no Tashinami deshite]

I'm sure it's great - if you like "Music anime".

I would like to look at some elegantly dressed ladies rocking out, but what I've seen so far has not filled me with hope. When it comes to depictions of an "academy for the sons and daughters of nobles", I have seen far better depictions.

Koupen-chan

[???]

Will this be the next Little Shark's Outings? I have moderate hopes for this but I am terrified that they'll mess it up, so I'll make an update about that in a month or so. Just check it out yourself, if you're interested in "a softer world-stuff".

Anne Shirley

[An Shārī]

"Can you improve "flawed perfection"?"

In short: My nostalgia for the original series is just way too strong to give this anything even resembling a fair shot. If/when I'll watch this, I'll probably keep my biased opinion to myself.

If you have no prior experiences with that story, this might be very much for you, though...

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX

[Kidō Senshi Gandamu Jīkuakusu]

"I'm sure it will be great." (...they said sarcastically...)

Thus far, the Gundam franchise always knew to impress me with their Mecha-designs and to utterly ruin my opinion of it's author's writing skills at the same time. It beats "submarine battles in space" - which is what certain space battles of yesteryear boiled down to, but I'm not watching animes for fight sequences to begin with.

Plus: "GQuuuuuuX". The jokes about that title write themselves, I don't even need to do anything... ;p By the time you finished reading that sentence, you probably had made up a joke of your very own.

So I'll be skipping this one. But if 'you' like Gundam, you already made your decision and do not need my help to arrive at a conclusion.

Princession Orchestra

(AKA Princess-Session Orchestra)

[Purinsesshon Ōkesutora]

(I only had a glance so far, so I'll list it here.)

Generally speaking, I despise "Music anime" (only notable exception: Bocchi the Rock!), but I love Magical Girl stories.

While I haven't seen every Magical Girl show out there, I have looked into almost all of them - for serious research purposes. While there appears to be a lot of entries to the Magical Girl genre, it is not as overpopulated a it appears at first glance. Many shows are continuations in the same universe with a "new spin" - akin to Digimon.

I cannot tell if I will give up by episode 2, but right now Princession Orchestra looks good enough to stick with. If you're not into the Magical Girl genre and aren't looking for something to watch with a family member under the age of "12 to 14", then this is most likely not for you. On the other hand: If you like to see girls protecting the world, this might be an enjoyable watch for you, that brings back memories of yesteryear. It's visually reminiscent to DoReMi, but production quality and writing hold themselves to a higher standard.

Summer Pockets

[Summer Pockets]

Looking forward to watching this. At the same time I'm terrified they'll mess it up.

What will most likely happen is that I'll binge-watch it once they release the last episode. It worked for Island. ;)

Claims that I have signed a deal with the devil to skip certain series are entirely untrue. We are old pals - Lucifer could just ask me. I'd listen... ;3

Bad

Again: This is sorted from worst to... "less bad".

Kowloon Generic Romance

[Kūron Jenerikku Romansu]

Within 2 minutes, it will become clear that this is not what the typical viewer would expect when reading the title Kowloon Generic Romance. Also: The protagonist starts their day with a bite to eat and a cigarette right afterwards. Disgusting and revolting! (Do not watch this right after Food for the Soul.) Generally, there's a lot of "casual smoking" in this (feels like 30% of the screen time). Between this and the art style, my guess would be that they were aiming for a "90s look", but if you have seen a lot of anime from the 90s, it doesn't work out. It's "reminiscent" but it's not "nostalgic" and "that classic feel" is missing.

If you just noticed you are craving for something like that, and you are and adult, I'd recommend RIN: Daughters of Mnemosyne - or just something that's actually from around that era - like Bubblegum Crisis (1987-1991).

My guess would be that their aim was "nostalgia", but there were a lot of effed up things in the past and a lot of them are coming back to me when I watch this, such as:

"A female character being defined through her interactions with male characters..."

"A male character effectively belittling a female love interest and then acting as if they were generous to spend time with her..."

It might not qualify as "sexism" for some, but this has a strong "chauvinism"-vibe to it.

Episode 1 became increasingly hard to watch until the end and if I wasn't writing this article, I would have quit right in the middle of that very episode. I'm not even curious how the story will continue after, who would have think it: A "dramatic" cliffhanger. I was so displeased with this that I was briefly considering adding "X out of 10"-ratings to my review, just so I could express that displeasure even more. But I think people who can write are better off without numbers in that regard.

My verdict is: "Well-animated, but please f*ck off! This is a culmination of everything I don't miss about that time."

Me and the Alien MuMu

[Uchūjin Mūmū]

I had more than enough than my fill from overbearing, selfish, demanding characters who bully those who are trying to help them - be they present in anime or online.

Hard pass!

#Compass 2.0: Combat Providence Analysis System

(AKA Compass2.0 - Animation Project)

[#Konpasu Sentō Setsuri Kaiseki Shisutemu]

I hope the "attackers" win. Them managed to despise the "protagonists'" side before episode 1 was over.

I call them "attackers" because they have not even been established as being on the wrong side in terms of morals. The "defenders" on the other hand... Well, that would be a spoiler.

/me looks at a reference-screenshot... "Dude, this even 'looks' cheaply made. What a train wreck..."

The Brilliant Healer's New Life in the Shadows

[Isshun de Chiryou shiteita no ni Yakudatazu to Tsuihousareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer to shite Tanoshiku Ikiru]

Despite the studio trying to speedrun E01, almost nothing happened. Felt like 8 minute stretched out endlessly... What poor time-management.

Shockingly boring.

Once Upon a Witch's Death

[Aru Majo ga Shinu Made]

Bleh!

I love Witches! (Spoilers for "one day": If any of you ever find out what it is that I do in terms of creative output, you will find out how true that statement really is...)

But despite that love, this series is predictable, boring, and starts out with a premise that users who can operate a calculator will immediately notice to be flawed.

I can already predict the ending. And even if this series got a second season, the sloppy writing makes me suspect they would fish for a third.

I understand what they were going for, but it makes up at most a minute of screen time per episode. Story and protagonist personality utterly ruin it.

The carbuncle is cute, though.

Maebashi Witches

[Maebashi Uitchīzu]

Again with the witches? You folks are shooting yourselves in the foot by all doing the same stuff. 3x Ecchi, 3x Music... I guess there will be a third series featuring witches as well.

So yeah: This one is apparently featuring what boils down to a thinly veiled analogy for capitalism, paired with "Idunnu. Just add some "quirky" stuff that girls would find motivational". The result is so easy to shoot down that one of the main characters frequently does just that. Even though I watched the full episode for diligence, they lost me as a viewer at the 7-minute mark.

Sad. The Japanese school system already tries to groom students into becoming office drones and now anime tries to turn them into obedient retail workers.

Lazarus

[Lazarus]

The plot isn't "bad" as a plot, but... My inner edgelord isn't nearly strong enough to make me like this. ;p

This strikes me as "somebody who likes to direct action sequences had 'one' idea for a plot and somehow got a room full of people with money to not worry about the giant plot-holes that become apparent within 5 seconds".

I think the story as told is shit and every character in this is stupid, but the choreography for the action scenes is good and must have taken them ages - just for episode one alone.

If you like action and do not care that the series was animated by MAPPA, which makes this the moral equivalent of slave labor (getting paid 1/4th of the going rates while not getting proper training and being overworked by "perfectionists" who clock out on time)... ...then this series might be for you. I'm out!

Your Forma

[Yua Foruma]

I could feel the PLUTO-vibes before the first episode was even halfway over.

"Thanks, but "no thanks"."

If you liked PLUTO and do not mind a world that looks like they "borrowed" half of it from Ghost in the Shell, this might be for you, though.

Zatsu Tabi: That's Journey

[-That's Journey-]

The animation is put together well enough, but it's more of a skeleton of something serviceable - rather than the actual thing.

I like slow life as well as exploration series. Laid-Back Camp [Yuru Camp△] was great.

This is not.

In terms of story, this is somebody telling you what they had for dinner because they couldn't think of anything else, and their solution to make the upcoming conversation more interesting is to eat their next dinner at a place you couldn't afford.

Maitre d': "A wise choice, monsieur. And now, how would you like it served? All mixed up together in a bucket?"

Mr. Creosote: "Yeah. With the eggs on top."

 – Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)

It's a "Culture anime" without the actual culture. It's just knee-jerk tourism.

The Unaware Atelier Master

(AKA The Unaware Atelier Meister)

[Kanchigai no Atorie Maisutā: Eiyū Pāti no Moto Zatsuyōgakari ga, Jitsu wa Sentō Igai ga SSS Ranku Datta to Iu Yoku Aru Hanashi]

It is hard to talk about this without spoiling anything. If you were one of the 5 people worldwide who where hoping Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town [Tatoeba Last Dungeon Mae no Mura no Shounen ga Joban no Machi de Kurasu Youna Monogatari] got a second season then congratulations are in order! This is the closest thing you'll get to that.

But if there is any target audience for this series, it certainly doesn't include me.

On the other hand: If you are already scraping the bottom of the anime-barrel, you might as well start here. This is "friendly" and I expect the finale to feel exactly the same as every other episode.

Sequels & Spin-offs

You don't really need advice from me here, but in some cases, you might not have seen the first season.

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

[Vijirante: Boku no Hīrō Akademia Irīgarusu]

A My Hero Academia spin-off.

Since all of my complaints against My Hero Academia were very fundamental, rather than a thousand little things that added up, I'll be happily skipping this one.

Wind Breaker

[WIND BREAKER]

Season 2 is coming out.

Season 1 looked fun and promising. I can appreciate a story told through the medium of (non-lethal) violence. But large stretches of this story were too boring for me, so I dropped it.

Fire Force

[En'en no Shōbōtai]

Season 3 is coming out.

Fire Force started out brilliantly and I was very much into it but they lost me halfway through the second season. Too much crap I cannot find myself to care about...

I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

[Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryōshu!]

I'm inadvertently proving a point I made about this earlier, by redirecting you to something I wrote earlier if you want to hear what I think about it.

Shōshimin Series

[(Shōshimin) Shirīzu]

Season 1 is on my list of things to watch, now Season 2 is out.

I doubt I'll get around to having a look.

For me it's "Schrödinger's anime" right now: It "could be" awesome and horrible at the same time. Until I open the box, both can be true... ;p

Aharen-san wa Hakarenai

[literal translation: Aharen Is Indecipherable]

Season 2 is coming out. ...Wait, what?! O_O

To say that I was surprised would be a ****ing understatement! I loved season 1 and as with so many other good series, I did not expect it to see a sequel after close to 3 years.

Season 1 is... Hm. From memory, I'd say: "There's nothing like it." and "It's rather calm." apply most of the time. If this ever turns into a genre, we're going to see less heart attacks in Japan. :)

Heads-up: Some LGBTQIA+-baiting takes place in season 1. I felt the need to point that out because it was the only real criticism I had for that season.

I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level

[Suraimu Taoshite Sanbyaku-nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Reberu Makkusu ni Nattemashita]

Season 2 is coming out.

Season 1 was brilliant and I re-watched it... "more than 5" times.

I'm kind of scared that they might mess season 2 up and haven't watched more than the first episode at the time of writing. It's... "okay". The energy I'm used to from the series isn't quite there. "A..." Hm... How not to spoil this...?:

"A main-cast character is portrayed too much over the top - which seem to be her only characteristics so far this season."

Middle of the Road Anime

Series that are "okay enough to watch" but might not become your favorite.

mono

[mono]

Interesting start into the story. More than once I though: "Is this how it feel to be lesbian for a straight woman...?"

The characters in some series are just "insane". This is one of them. They are fun to look at, but since they have such a wide range of actions that seem acceptable to them, you have to expect rather wide swings of what the story will be about next. If you are okay with that, this might be for you. If you are not, then this might be "fun - for a while..."

If you are interested in watching a photography anime that is more serious about photography and offers a deeper story, I recommend Insomniacs After School.

I am very undecided right now, but I'm pretty sure I'll watch episode 2.

Witch Watch

[Witchi Wotchi]

Bingo! A third series featuring witches. What the eff is wrong with the Japanese animation industry this season?

Not exactly brilliant, but it has a rather unconventional style of storytelling.

Similarly to last season's Zenshuu. I might like it enough to like it, but not enough to watch it all the way through. Time will tell.

The Beginning After the End

[Saikyō no Ōsama, Futatabime no Jinsei wa Nani o Suru?]

So far this seems to be very "standard Isekai"-fare, with a slow-paced(?) story about personal growth embedded into a more prominent sequence of gaining more power. The most original element so far might be that the emperor wears a piece of chin-armor - which makes no sense to me: The lower jaw is the bone in the human body that is the hardest to break. (Go protect your brain instead, man...)

If you liked Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (mentioning that one for no particular reason...), or As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World..., or any other Isekai series, really... You should just re-watch those instead. And if you do not like fighting, check out Ascendance of a Bookworm. It is inevitable that, the more Isekai stories there are, the harder it will become to innovate, but judging from the first episode, the author didn't try very hard in that regard. Given that most viewers drop off after episode 1, holding back your best material until episode 3 would seem rather balls-y, so this is where I drop out.

Sorry for being so snarky. I do not want to imply that the author just plagiarized popular shows and did nothing himself, but the elements that he did copy are very recognizable/blatant. I'm sure it might 'still' play out as entertaining, but in the first episode I was not presented with anything I had never seen before.

Shout-out to Daisuke Aizawa's The Eminence in Shadow, which basically only showed me stuff I had never seen before - or showed them to me in a new light. Brilliant work, Mr. Aizawa! (Please stay healthy!)

Food for the Soul

[Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi]

The animation quality stands out and you can see the high budget/effort from a mile away. The story is told in a rather calm, and, at times, slow fashion. So far, the character introductions have been focused on the one character who kicks the story off. Whether or not she will remain in a "protagonist role" or whether the cast will be introduced one by one is not yet clear.

This series being a about Japanese food, it is foreseeable that it will have a heavy focus on meat- and fish-centric dishes - which means it will always be a mixed bag for vegetarians, such as myself.

The food-aspect is comparable to Isekai Izakaya "Nobu". It's less flashy than Isekai Shokudou. And it seems less character-focused than Flying Witch. By my estimation, we will not know that much more about the individual characters but will learn more about the group-dynamic, as it develops. "'Bocchi the Rock!' this is not."

While I'd love to say stuff like "The food-appreciation is 'real'.", it's just too early right now. E01 feels like the tutorial in a video game. the audience has been set up, but the meat of the story has yet to happen: We got our Japanese pre-meal tea and had a cheeky look into the kitchen, but we are still awaiting what our order will end up looking like.

This looks as if it would be a nice watch for a calm evening when you are about to go to bed but don't want to doze off because it was too calming. ;)

The Gorilla God's Go-To Girl

[Gorira no Kami Kara Kago Sareta Reijō wa Ōritsu Kishidan de Kawaiigareru]

A fantasy world with sexism comparable to our own in the 80s - or the present, depending on which shitty backwards-country you happen to live in...

The main protagonist is a kindhearted but meek woman and the kind of growth I'm expecting to see here is exactly the kind of story that usually gets glossed over with the kind of "but now she can marry and be a good housewife" in some other stories. My hope is that it will turn out more like The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent - Season 1 than The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent - Season 2.

I'm being cautiously optimistic and I'm certain I'll enjoy experiencing the protagonists "fun adventures", but... "But while having a partner is great, you do not "need" a man in your lives to achieve success or happiness." - and I severely hope they point that out at some point and this will turn out to be good...

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom

[Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru]

"I wonder what 'this story' could be about...? I'm not spoiling 'anything' for the reader. I hope you appreciate that..."

This could go either way. I'm not too invested in the titular Saint, but they did a pretty good job explaining how it could come to this situation and that "Yes, 'even in this fantasy world', many people are petty, selfish, greedy idiots!"

However the story will play out, it is blatantly obvious that the antagonists will get their karmic retribution delivered to them - not by the bucket-load, but rather they'll need an entire convoy of trucks for that. If you are a person who works hard and diligently and is underappreciated, but cannot quit their job, this series might be exactly what the doctor prescribed.

Very Good

"Good" to "sufficiently enjoyable to hook you for this entire season from episode 1".

The stuff that appeals to me so strongly that I will most likely go out of my way to watch it, even when I do not have the time.

"Oh look... It’s 3 again." Honestly: I did not plan for this. If it were up to me, I’d have one great series for every day of the week...

Catch Me at the Ballpark!

[Bōrupāku de Tsukamaete!]

Like so many other genres I don't like "Sports anime" either, but I can tolerate them if the writing is good.

Luckily for me, Catch Me at the Ballpark! is not a "Sports anime"; it's a workplace anime. The series is centered around the staff at a very wholesome, Japanese baseball stadium with a focus on the newest member of staff. And... Everyone is delightful!

My only complaint it the amount of alcohol depicted and that it's portrayed so nonchalantly.

I can already predict that this series will rank rather high when/if I do a ranking at the end of the quarter. If you watch anime to relax and do not want to remember character names or plot points, give this one a go.

You know how I go on about "this might be good", "this might turn out to be good", "I hope they don't mess it up" further up in this article...?

"This is good. Period."

Teogonia

[Teogonia]

One of several "last minute" entries before I put this list into shape...

I felt intrigued by the story before it even really started. While the animation budget seems "normal", the storytelling (and the intro) pulled me in immediately. I wanted to know more about this new world and what kind of struggles the characters living in it had to go through.

If you read manga, my bet would be that the manga this animation is based on would be superbly written and well worth your time.

If you are familiar with some of the ideas found in spirituality or if you're a spiritual person yourself, the ideas presented will be "less impressive" to you, but it is still a well-written story regardless.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now and They Won't Leave Me Alone

[Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken]

This is a down-to-earth story about a character who has honed his skills through hard work; rather than having been given awesome video game-stats. And what he does with this skill is: Teach it to others.

If you like Isekai but you are at the same time tired of the typical Isekai-formula, this might be your speed.

If you liked My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer, this might be for you as well.

For reasons I cannot quite put my finger on, the topic of helping others by guiding them seems to appeal to me... No idea why... ;3

There’s a good chance that this series will appeal less to you, depending on your outlook on life. I'm clearly biased here. I'm aware of my bias, but at the same time I cannot ignore it.

And this was is for the best Anime I have watched so far this season.

As overwhelming the offering turned out to be in quantity, as underwhelming it was in quality. But it certainly had its highlights and who knows: At the end of the season this might all look very different. There was a lot of stuff that I did not have the time for that might get a deeper look once the dust settles.

Western Animation

"Them American animés!" ;)

Devil May Cry (2025)

An old series existed, but this is a new one. I so don't care about Devil May Cry, but I wanted to share this information who do care and who were under the impression that they had already seen this years ago.

Unicorn Academy

Apparently, Season 3 is coming out.

I have actually completely missed out on this series during my Netflix days. What a blunder! I feel like I ended turn one and forgot to put a land card down... ;)

Have you watched it? Are you interested in sharing your impression in a (mostly) spoiler free fashion? If you can convince me that you watched it, write your own article about it to be linked here, send me a PM, and I'll put in a spot a spot for a guest-speaker. ;) (I would suggest spell-checking, though.)

Isadora Moon

Cute vampire girl. :3

I am not a vampire but I will probably look into this at some point.

At first glance, it does not exactly appear to have the highest production quality ("NG with more frames"), so don't hold your breath - but this may become a good "comfort series" for someone.

Jeez Louise! That took absolute ages this time...

"I never want to write anything ever again... Or at least I'll give stuff I 'didn't' like less spotlight ;) "

Addendum 2025-04-23: More thoughts before I run out o--

Summer Pockets

The cast is so stupid it is disillusioning.

Episode 1 will have been all I'll be watching of this.

Yaiba: Samurai Legend

I fear this style of "comedy" might not be for me.

Mobile Suit Gundam: GQuuuuuuX

Truth be told, I watched this out of a feeling of obligation. Because they might have learned from their past mistakes and then I would have felt guilty for judging them for things they might actually have improved upon this time. Sooo...

My first thought: "There's a lot of 'noise' in space..." I can accept that vibrations will travel between mechs and that the honking could have been a transmitted signal but if it was a signal, they would have actually transmitted a voice, complaining about the issue at hand. And there really is a lot of noise in space scenes. To much just to be "for ambience".

They have gone for a quirky style, with little to non character introduction or motivation or world-building. "Stuff just happens."

It's a bit better than expected, but they almost immediately go for the same old mistakes they made in previous iterations: They presume every viewer has watched 250 to 600 episodes Gundam and knows the rich lore and history.

Just for reference: I have watched somewhere between 50 and 100 episodes of Gundam series and have watched a video that explains some history for another series. Among what I have watched was The Witch from Mercury - both the pilot episode and the complete series. I have a basic understanding of less than 20% of what was referred to in episode 1 of GQuuuuuuX.

Unless you have watched all the Gundam series and movies that came out since 1979, you will likely not get the full experience.

I. Like. Mechs! But if Sunrise cannot be bothered to either explain that shit or write a stand-alone series for once, I cannot be bothered to care about the stupid bullshit they dare to call "lore". It's like a history test, but the subject matter is not from what you learned this semester - it's from 3 to 8 years ago.

I can only guess that everybody who watches this either loves reading wikis, has actually seen the over 50 TV series, films, and OVAs, or just want to see explosions, and teenagers piloting giant robots. If either of those things applies to you, I am happy for you that you can enjoy this. But I want a story that can be enjoyed as is without having to refer to lots of lore that is not included either as the start of the series or as the story takes place. "You're a refugee...? Okay... So there was a 'war'...? ...You're not going to get into that, are you...? Just "I'm a refugee". 'Fan-tastic'... Next!"

Given a significant difference in feedback concerning two more or less recent, anime-related "News" Posts I made, I started pondering if I'm misjudging the age of my current audience.

Yet, I do not want to go around asking past readers "Hey, are you a minor or an adult?" (It is beyond my understanding why somebody would keep that information a secret on a community like NG, but I also want to respect your privacy.) So I have chosen the most accessible AND most unreliable method of creating user statistics I could think of:

I made a StrawPoll.

(VPNs are enabled. If multiple answers apply, pick the topmost positive hit.)

If you are somebody who cannot stand me and wants to mess with the numbers, please be aware that I would also write for an audience of one - which I am basically already doing by commenting in the Artist News on all sorts of topics.

"I don't think this will be a horrible mistake at all." (...they spoke, testing if the cement for their enormous flag pole had settled yet...)

For related reasons, replies given until the evening between Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th will be relevant to the post I'm about to write for this weekend, but the poll will remain open until 2025-04-20 - that is by whatever timezone StrawPoll.com resides in.

Thank you for your time.

Addendum 2025-04-10: I did not think that needed mentioning, but if you want to keep your age private, it's probably a good idea to not emote to this News Post - or to do so at a later time. Technically another user could hammer F5 on both pages and determine which user just voted. I don't exactly attract a huge audience... ;)

Addendum 2025-04-11-A: After 18+ hours, the spread was actually surprisingly even and close to what I was expecting when I drew this posts (and the StrawPoll) up. The only thing that really surprised me was that 2 users did not trust StrawPoll. Good on you for being careful, but in that case, you might want to look into the Tor Browser*, which is (in a nutshell) a modified version of the Mozilla Firefox browser, combined with a free VPN client.

Whoever admitted that they do not actually read the posts: Thank you for your honesty - I do not mind it. I'm not trying to impress anybody and it's not a competition, so don't feel forced/obliged to react to my stuff. Though I do wonder if it's only long posts, since you clearly read this one. :3 (I left the age intentionally undecided on that option, in case anybody wants to elaborate via PM.)

Oh, and of course I'll share the results here, when I determine how the post for this weekend will look like and once on the 20th.

* Just to explain Tor for a bit: You can use it with the kind of VPN service you pay for, for some extra security (which many people actually do). It will be a slower connection, though. There are ins and outs to getting the Tor Browser to run smoother (like excluding US, GB, RU, & others in the torrc-file), but you can expects at least 1.x Mbit per second, unless you're already getting less from the servers you frequent or your regular connection. (Note that cloudflare.com explicitly hates Tor users. Every two years or so, they will "accidentally break" something that makes it impossible for Tor users to get a connection to sites they "protect" - and said companies will then wonder why their user base dropped by 20% - not suspecting interference from their "partners". The only solution is to write well-worded emails to those companies and to wait.)

Addendum 2025-04-11-B: After about a day, the direction this is going has become pretty clear. Inside me there are two wolves. One is bi and-- I mean: There are now two News Posts:

Yatsufusa's Anime Ramble (Q1 2025) (Mostly Spoiler-Free) [Now slightly edited and rated "T" to be accessible to more people]

Yatsufusa's Anime Ramble (Q1 2025) (Spoiler-Free) (Ecchi-Appendix) [Rated "A", which contains the now removed segment from the previous post]

Enjoy. Or don't. ;)

Addendum 2025-04-13: Finally got an anime post out on a 13th: Yatsufusa's Early Anime Overview (Q2 2025) (Spoiler Free!)

As promised, here are the current results:

I'm an adult who cares for anime and reads "A"-rated posts.

4 votes (Technically 5 votes, but one of them is myself. I had to test if everything was really working correctly.)

I'm a minor who cares for anime.

3 votes

I'm a minor, but do not care for anime.

2 votes

I'm an adult and care for anime, but never read "A"-rated posts.

2 votes

I do not trust StrawPoll with that information.

2 votes

I just 'react' to your posts instinctively, but do not actually 'read' them.

1 votes

I'm an adult, but do not care for anime.

0 votes

I'm an adult who cares for anime, but never 'react'.

0 votes

Since the numbers did not move since yesterday, I'm expecting that 24 hours is the most visibility I'm going to get with a post, or that not more than 14 people in my audience are willing to click on a post titled "Do you like Anime?" ;)

Addendum 2025-04-19: It seems no further changes were made. Thank you to all the users who participated! I learned a lot about my audience and their (surprisingly fast) reaction time.

Now all we need is a season with more that 3 "good" and 6 "middle of the road" series. The next poll will probably be "Should I just drop the stuff that isn't particularly gripping or do you appreciate the warnings about which series are 'not that great' as well?"

I'm considering making the Q2 summary a Top 13. The only problem with that is, that I will likely not stick with 13 series. But a Top 10 or Top 5 is so "disgustingly normal"... ;)

I'd Like to Publicly Acknowledge some Users

Preamble

(This is one of those boring circlejerk-posts. You do not have to care for it. People being cool without you knowing about it happens all of the time.)

"Hi. I'm Yatsu-whatstheirface and I complain a lot. One of my favorite quotes is "Hell is other people." But I'd like to share this post to remind all of us, that 'not everyone' is shit all of the time, even if we we happen to run into assholes and idiots at times."

People who are a blight on humanity are really obvious and they tend to "stick" in our memory. But those who are good and kind and work really hard seem to be easily forgotten. Or you forget their name because they chose "qwerty741" as their username and you lost them in the crowd again.

Please do keep in mind that, no matter how cool you might actually be, I might just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time and did not notice you being cool.

Since I do not want to rank people as if one person was "more" than another, I'll go by alphabetical order. I will try to keep it short, and some users get acknowledged for quite similar things, so I'll group them together rather than writing almost the same text twice. It also avoids situations where "Person A has the same text as Person B, but slightly better..."

So, let's see... Alphabetical order... Starting with... Huh... Man, you absolutely did that on purpose, didn't you... ;3

"You are doing good":

@Aalasteir AKA @SteveMaddenFootball (who changes his user name way too often)

Some of our regular users put so much work into Newgrounds, as if it was their job. He puts in so much work that it's enough for two jobs. If you know a lot about certain users on Newgrounds, you might know all that stuff from one of Aalasteir's various interviews.

(QA Interviews [written], A100 Interviews & A200 Interviews [podcast style])

@blambi

Best mysterious deer with a blaster 2024 - and probably also 2025.

"If you know what they do, you'll understand..."

@CrimsonKero (formerly known as Anonymous-Frog) & @Platzsoldier (formerly known as Poligeektoons)

For encouraging people to have higher standards. ...Hm... That doesn't sound quite right...

"For encouraging people to have standards."

@Czyszy & @MetalSlayer69

For acknowledging the kind of art that other users in the limelight lack the proverbial balls to praise (or criticize) publicly.

@G2961 & @Quest

For keeping the Audio Portal free of stolen songs and AI generated crap.

They are not the only users doing it, but when they make their posts, I need to scroll multiple times in order to read them in full.

If you want to do what they do: Newgrounds Wiki: How to Detect AI Audio. (Also helps with getting to Deity Whistle Status, if you happen to care for that.)

@Gekkotsuki (formerly known as AutisticMan1), @ShangXian, & @TinFoi

For being there for others in the Artist News.

@Osaka

For making people speculate about them so much: Sometimes even questioning if they are secretly an android - or dead. Some even say they are a teacher now. Whatever the case, I'd like to believe that they are doing well while continuing their work from the shadows, like they always have. ;)

@TaintedLogic

He deserves a medal for being able to verbalize what he thinks about Audio Portal-submissions using "music words" and also making constructive suggestions what to improve upon.

Who thinks that this is not impressive clearly has never read "reviews" in the Audio Portal...

@qwerty741

Another one of our unsung heroes. He tirelessly writes helpful game reviews.

@[Those who I befriended on NG - against all odds]

You know who you are.

@[All of the Moderators and former Moderators]

Thank you for all your hard work! ...And for not strangling me when my reporting sessions run longer than previously planned/anticipated.

I did not know this for the longest time, but Newgrounds Moderator is a voluntary (and completely unpaid) position. This isn't "their job", this is what they do after they are done with their day-job.

@[All the Supporters]

If it wasn't for your continued contributions, none of us could use Newgrounds today and we'd have to bide our time on cesspools like YouTube, Instagram, or DeviantArt. *Yuck!*

@[You]

Thank You! to all of you who didn't do something crazy or stupid today. I mean it! You're already helping NG, just by showing the restraint of a regular human being.

[Space for Editing by Future-Yatsufusa]

(I'll mark this space in advance for the benefit of the readers. It is meant for adding the people I forgot about and who I will remember 5 hours after clicking that [Submit Post]-button...

These users will be added in order of "I remembered them", rather than alphabetically. Because otherwise this will become one big nightmare for everyone who reads this more often than once...)

@Tyhond

We disagree on rating-methodology, but I maintain that Newgrounds is a better place with him that without him. Entering a new platform can be scary for artists. Especially for young artists - which NG still has a lot of. I vastly prefer Tyhond's unconditional positivity to "What am I looking at?"-reviews and despite our aforementioned, irreconcilable disagreements, I hope our one-Femboy-welcoming-committee will keep doing what he's doing until the servers go dark for the very last time.

DL;DR: Dear Tyhond, I think you have no taste. ;3 ;* ;3 Keep doing what you're doing, please!

@Skoops

Shares good, practical advice on how to improve as an artist. All. the. time!

And sends people to Cube Jail... You can't have one without the other, I suppose.

(Click Here to be Sent to Cube Jail)

@[All the Artists who generously create Tutorials for Others]

Thank you so much for helping others. You did the real work behind my Guides, Tutorials & Other Help-playlist. I'm just a dog pointing at stuff.

Yendor (formerly known as YendorNG)

He is no longer around, but he was helpful, friendly, open, knowledgeable, and generous. You will probably have come across threads where people replied to or quoted a "YendorNG" and were wondering what happened there. He left us, because certain people chose to act in a manner absolutely unbefitting of human beings.

Of all the users who left Newgrounds, including artists, I miss his presence the most. There is a Yendor-shaped hole in our community that nobody has been able to fill so far. But: I wish Yendor and his new community the best! They are so lucky to have him!

If you want to get an impression of what he is like, there is still an interview that Aalasteir recorded with him.

I will not list TomFulp, because that would be too reminiscent of toxic personality cults, from #name censored# (failed science fiction writer and successful scam artist) to #name also censored# (failed businessman and successful scam artist).

Lastly, something personal

A little over 3 months have passed since this whole thing happened. I still do not feel "chill" about it, but I can look at your avatars again without feeling too bad. So I unblocked you again.

@BlakeTakesTheCake (formerly BlakeyTakeyTheCakey)

@GrecoStone

@NoobClock666

I am also very sorry for blocking @BlakeTakesTheCake! As it turns out, he went out of his way to edit his original voting post within minutes after my reaction to his post, removing my name. I just didn't see it because I had already blocked him and nobody told me about it either. (Presumably because of the rule against passing notes from blocked users to those blocking them.)

Sadly, I was not in a good place back then and did not expect that kind of reaction anymore after having certain people essentially tell me that I feel the wrong way.

Please Note: If you were listed here and are displeased with the way I present you or do not want to be listed at all, send me a PM. There is no time limit for editing News Posts, so if you change your mind two years along the line, that's fine as well. Of course the same goes for situation where you change your pronouns or username. (Except Aalasteir! You're a name-changing addict! You need an intervention!)

Addendum 2025-04-07-A: Some Tyhond added; some typos removed. (English isn't my first language and I am always tired when I log into NG. Can you tell...? ;) )

Addendum 2025-04-07-B: Added Skoops & [All the Artists who generously create Tutorials for Others]. (What can I say? When it rains, it pours!)

Addendum 2025-04-10: Some very belated, but well-deserved recognition for Yendor/YendorNG. He was one of the best of us.

Addendum 2025-05-09: Yendor, if you're reading this, I'd like to share this link with you. Enjoy! ;)

Addendum 2025-05-10: I don't know if it's really him, but... This happened.

Just a little reminder: Some people are bad at "jokes" but today being a special day, even those people might try their hand at "being funny".

You don't have to laugh, but tradition demands that you forgive them.

"Another such victory over the Romans and we are undone."

 – King Pyrrhus of Epirus, in the Battle of Asculum (his second Pyrrhic Victory against the Romans)

I will now ramble about anime from the current season (Q1 2025), but I won't go as in-depth as I did for my 2024 overview. Spoilers will be indicated in advance. There are also some words about western animation/cartoons at the end. You have been warned.

While this list is ranked (worst to best), this is not so much a collection of reviews as more of a recap of the current anime season (Q1 2025). There were some gems, but overall, the offering was poor.

Anime Series

Unwatched

Let's start with some series I did not have time for but have meant to watch.

Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You

[Douse, Koishite Shimaunda.]

I expect that I would like it, but the synopsis wasn't interesting enough for me to actually watch it.

The Blue Wolves of Mibu

[Ao no Miburo]

I just can't get into the mood for something from that period.

The character depictions are good, but I need more magic or technology to make this interesting enough for me. ;)

From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!

[Akuyaku Reijō Tensei Oji-san]

I "know" that that one will be good and that I'll enjoy it, but I cannot find the headspace to actually watch it.

What can I say: Life is hell. (My apologies to people who live in actual hell right now. Planet Earth is not a nice place right now and certain forces are doing their darndest to make it even worse!)

(See Addendum 2025-04-03 near the article's end for an update. [It's very good so far.])

Dr. Stone

[Dr.STONE]

Season 3 is out but I still haven't seen season 2. I bet it's good, though... Season 1 certainly was.

My Happy Marriage

[Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon]

I bet this is amazing... I just cannot bring myself to watch this on a bad day when my thoughts are elsewhere - and I had a lot of bad days this year...

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest

[Arifureta Shokugyō de Sekai Saikyō]

If you cannot decide whether or not to watch this by season 3, I will be of no help to you. But I could try by sharing a few honest statements:

- The first two episodes(!) are abysmal - I don't even know why they messed them up so bad, because everything afterwards is fine...

- Unbelievably rewatchable for something that starts out so uninteresting...

- Whilst overpowered, the main protagonists still have to struggle and make sacrifices in order to achieve victory.

- Rebecca Silverman knows what she's talking about. The romantic part of the relationship with Yue is a bit on the dark side of the psychological moon. But from my perspective it's not the scarring kind. - Everyone's got issues... is what I'm saying here.

- "I'm betting Miledi Reisen wasn't related to the Liberators at all. She's just a scourge on humanity."

Bad

Let's get this over with: I did not watch every single series, but some of the stuff I watched (or started watching) was baaad. And I could not find it in me to act as if I had hopes for improvement. For most of these I only watched 2 episodes.

Again: This is sorted from worst to... "less bad".

Even Given the Worthless "Appraiser" Class, I'm Actually the Strongest

[Fugūshoku "Kanteishi" ga Jitsu wa Saikyō Datta; Naraku de Kitaeta Saikyō no "Shingan" de Musō Suru]

This was even worse than I expected.

Consider my statement a cautionary tale...

Magic Maker: How to Make Magic in Another World

[Majikku Meikā Isekai Mahō no Tsukurikata]

This has to be the most boring depiction of an "innovative magic system" I have ever seem. If I had written that myself, I would have left it in a drawer. The story is also a bit... "uncomfortable while featuring children..."

Magic Maker can go in the bin!

Promise of Wizard

[Mahōtsukai no Yakusoku]

This series is so boring that I cannot even find it in me to tear it a new asshole.

Übel Blatt

[Yūberu Buratto]

"Regrets were had..."

If you want a great story about revenge, (re-)watch The Princess Bride (1987) instead.

If you want a story about lots and lots of violence in a fantasy setting, (re-)watch Berserk instead. (Any will do.)

Okitsura: Fell in Love with an Okinawan Girl, but I Just Wish I Knew What She's Saying

[Okinawa de Suki ni Natta Ko ga Hōgen Sugite Tsurasugiru]

I can only assume that this is a better watch if you speak Japanese.

The gimmick is cute for a single episode, but I could not watch an entire season of this. I quit after episode one.

I Have A Crush At Work

[Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu]

Rather misleading title: They have do not have "a crush" at work; they have a boyfriend/girlfriend at work. When the series begins they are already dating - hardly a mere "crush".

After several episodes it is still unclear why they stress themselves with keeping it a secret. The reasons provided are rather vague and there is no evidence that the downsides would come even close to the downsides the couple is currently experiencing. It's not "infuriating" to watch or anything, but their "struggle" seems so pointless I cannot find myself getting invested.

The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World

[Sentai Reddo Isekai de Bōkensha ni Naru]

"All the transformations and battle-shouts are fun at first, but get old very quick..."

That is the most charitable thing I can say about this. If you like (or hate) Sentai, your mileage will likely differ greatly, but for me this was an original palate cleanser at best an I quit the series very early on.

Ameku M.D.: Doctor Detective

[Ameku Takao no Suiri Karte]

I liked the premise, but not the execution. Past the second episode, it seems she covers mostly stuff that was already widely covered in media over 2 decades ago... It's makes cases boring if you already know the answer.

I also would like to include a personal commentary for E04 "What are you all doing without as much as a mask? You should be in fucking hazmat-suits!"

Also: Just call the police, folks... ("They who put themselves in danger and perish while doing so are effectively committing suicide...")

Flower and Asura

[Hana wa Saku, Shura no Gotoku]

This series might be very interesting for artists who work with voice actors or are close friends with podcasters, but I am unsure how much voice actors would get out of watching it.

It is a glimpse into a world that I, despite having a lot of respect for, have no great personal interest in. (I also have a horrible voice, so I'm probably a little bit biased.)

I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic

[Botsuraku Yotei no Kizoku dakedo, Hima datta kara Mahō wo Kiwamete Mita]

What starts as an interesting promise with a few ideas you don't see animated too often, develops into an endless string of hollow-feeling "upgrades". Nothing really poses a challenge and you feel that somebody want to "upgrade" just for the sake of it - often to unreasonable degrees. If this were to get a second season, the main character would end up in a position where they could destroy the universe by thinking too hard. If you ever want to point to a power fantasy that has gone to far, this one is like Dragon Ball sped up - but with magic and villagers.

I like character progression, but the series does not make it feel like progress; it's just "more power".

While I watched it to completion, I thought it was "watchable" at best. Cannot recommend.

Middle of the Road Anime

If you have time and want to watch something, these will do just fine.

I'm a Behemoth (AKA Beheneko: The Elf-Girl's Cat is Secretly an S-Ranked Monster!)

(AKA I'm a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl's Pet)

[S-Rank Monster no “Behemoth” dakedo, Neko to Machigawarete Elf Musume no Pet toshite Kurashitemasu]

(AKA [Esuranku Monsutā no ''Behīmosu'' dakedo, Neko to Machigawarete Erufu Musume no Kishi Petto to Shite Kurashitemasu])

·

This segment was moved, in order to lower the age rating of this News Post. It can now be found here:

Yatsufusa's Anime Ramble (Q1 2025) (Spoiler-Free) (Ecchi-Appendix)

[Said News Post has an Age rating of "A".]

·

Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four!

[Sararīman ga Isekai ni Ittara Shitennō ni Natta Hanashi]

While the title and first episode suggest competence porn, this is actually a show that promotes having a closer look at other people and cultures in order to understand them better. More often than not characters do the total opposite of "what would make sense to you, the viewer", because of values you had not taken into account. If you are a bit of an intellectual, you will likely love this series to bits.

Personally, I found the "social riddles" to be a bit of a letdown. The show does something novel, but it does not really reinvent the wheel.

Good Demon Lord, though. Big fan! (Please come and take over my world! It's the third rock from the sun. Lots of trash in orbit an in the seas - you can't miss it!)

Solo Leveling (AKA Only I Level Up)

[Na Honjaman Rebeleop]

Season 1 was "not very good" in my eyes. It was something you could watch to switch your brain off to. ;p

But in comparison, Season 2 episode 5 is fantastic. It's a sudden and unexpected culmination of storytelling that was done to this point but never got any focus. It's like the writer had passed away and was replaced by a professional.

Later episodes are somewhat better as well.

Mean remarks aside: If you are already watching Solo Leveling you do not need me to tell you if it's good or bad. If you were interested before, it might help you if a snarky internet person says "It gets better. But that takes forever..." How you value your own time is up to you.

Shangri-La Frontier

[Shangri-La Frontier - Kusoge Hunter, Kamige ni Idoman to su]

"'Solo Leveling', but slightly better." Every mini-ark is either "good mediocrity" or "bad mediocrity".

Season 2 is both slightly better and slightly worse than season 1. Season 1 ends on an underwhelming and boring note, so I am happy for the fans, but this is the kind of series I watch when I could be watching anything. It's the low-hanging fruit because I watched earlier episodes and know what to expect. But I also know that I will never get what I want/need from it.

You heard it here first: "Watching bad anime is like dating somebody out of convenience." ;D

ZENSHU

[Zenshuu.]

I watched 4 episodes and I still have no idea where this will go or what it is really about...

If you like mystery, you will probably love this. It looks good and is done very well. But I just cannot find the motivation to free up time in my schedule for it. It's probably 8/10-material, but it is just not for me. If I want to feel nostalgic about the anime of yesteryear, I'll re-watch Princess Mononoke (1997), Laputa - Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984), Porco Rosso (1992)... The list goes on...

I'm sure Zenshuu. gets better, but from my perspective, it has almost nothing to say aside from "Wasn't that time great...? ...Yeah, I had nowhere to go with that trail of thought..."

I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths!

[A-Rank Party o Ridatsu Shita Ore wa, Moto Oshiego-tachi to Meikyū Shinbu o Mezasu]

"Good show. It's boring!" ;p

Honestly: Aside from having a title that is way too long, this show does a lot of things right. Character motivations... Fleshing out the world around the characters... The combats are super-short - because it's cheaper to animate. ;) Instead, all of that budget went into pretty colors, detailed outfits and flashy effects.

If you are on the fence about this series, and you like rainbows, you will be fine.

One thing, though: E09.5 is a Recap Episode. It practically ignores the plot that happened from E01 to E09 - presumably because that part is "finished". Whoever came up with that idea came from a time when "When you missed an episode, you missed it forever..." In today's media-landscape cutting the story like that made no sense.

I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time

[Guild no Uketsukejō desu ga, Zangyō wa Iya nanode Boss wo Solo Tōbatsu Shiyō to Omoimasu]

I relate to her rejection of "Why don't you do the thing all the others say is great?", but at the same time maybe a bit too real...: The main character decided on a career path that is linked to a thing she doesn't like - and she is bad at her job.

If there is any final moral to the story, it absolutely should be "If you don't like your job: Quit and apply for a job with similar perks but without the thing you don't like." That young woman could work in any government funded job and be fine. (Delivery person might suit her best, and I hope the intro foreshadows this...)

The viewer can care about the characters, but the title premise honestly gets in the way more often than it carries the story.

I think the series is worth my time, but I can only recommend this for viewers who do not mind dropping a series when they had enough.

And I like women wielding giant weapons as if it was nothing. If you ever met somebody in an MMORPG who donned a female avatar with a comically large, two-handed axe, a cutesy outfit, and a hearts and rainbows-pet... That might have been me! ;3

Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time

[Izure Saikyō no Renkinjutsu-shi?]

Personally, I liked this very much in the beginning, but...

The series is okay and the characters are nice but you are waiting for something meaningful to happen, but all that happens is select characters getting more powerful. The ending is a non-ending. That ending is barely enough happening to claim that a 2-episode arc would be over. Which felt very disappointing.

Plus: They depict slavery "in our just and fair country" as a non-issue. Even if that were "factual", there's always bad apples. Acting as if there was "an okay way to do slavery" drives me up the wall each and every time.

That being said: Guilty pleasure is still pleasure and I like how the author went "Screw it! Maple is an over the top character without any human boundaries!" That girl is pure anarchy.

You would probably not like the series unless you are into "Skill-Screens" and Level-Ups and can compartmentalize personal concerns in favor of seeing them.

Oh yeah: The meta-plot is also quite enjoyable. Probably should have mentioned that earlier...

Very Good

From my point of view, 3 series were "good" this season and I would recommend them universally.

Those 3 were...

Sakamoto Days

[SAKAMOTO DAYS]

Enjoyable for young and old - but the premise gets old halfway through the series.

Full disclosure: That I was watching them at a friend's place might have impacted my motivation to watch the full series. There were better things to do...

Still: Would recommend. Even if you don't stick with it, you will likely enjoy what you see.

The Apothecary Diaries

[Kusuriya no Hitorigoto]

Still great, but I feel less in love with this season. Overall I would recommend the entire series over (say) Tasokare Hotel, but this season just did not grip me as much as the 24 episodes that came prior.

No, she did not get Mulan 2'd. What I have seen of season 2 so far is just not as good as season 1 was. But you have to take into account that season 1 left a very strong impression. At the time of writing, season 2 still has 13 episodes(!) to go, so there's still a lot that can happen.

Tasokare Hotel

[Tasokare Hoteru]

If do mind mild spoilers only read the next sentence: "'Tasokare Hotel' is the one series most worth watching this season and it has a proper conclusion!"

This series does not even know the meaning of the term "moral high ground": Only a very small handful of characters are "pure" - and none of them carry the story. When I saw that this was based on a Japanese mobile game I thought it would be utter garbage and I would only watch an episode or two - judgmentally...

Instead, this series, despite not being morally commendable, ended up becoming the series I ended up looking forward to the most every week (and on a Friday - where I would traditionally' watch the week's "backlog" first).

Western Animation

Other tidbits for people who are more into western animation.

Wolf King

One or two readers may remember about my falling out with Netflix. Long story short: A local friend still uses their service. They said very bad things about Wolf King (which apparently is utter pits).

Runes

Aforementioned friend also mentioned a Canal+ series that's supposedly quite good: "Runes". Which has one of the most generic names in existence, so that caught me by surprise and I felt I should forward this...

Some digging revealed that Runes was kind of a bigger co-production and has a whopping 26 episodes - which are seemingly all already out. If you are more into comic-style, cel shaded 3D, it may be for you. Also: English and French Dub available. (Although the English Dub is never mentioned anywhere you can find a sample if you do an online search.)

At the time of writing, the (somewhat bare-bones) IMDB-page & French Wikipedia article are all I have to go on.

I have neither access nor headspace for this, but I thought it might interest one or two of my... probably 6 readers. ;)

(I have zero ambitions to become popular. If you enjoy this: Great. I just wanted to write something that was a bit different to clear my mind.)

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

A Looney Tunes Movie came out. jthrash was convincingly pleased.

As for my personal takes on western animation for this season:

Red Iron Road

A mixed bag. Every episode is its own, stand-alone story. Overall okay.

The Amazing Digital Circus

Episode 4 came out: "Fast Food Masquerade".

I cannot bring myself to care about the series, but people like it. If you somehow missed out on that episode coming out Dec 2024 (just like me): Here you go.

Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

[Yami Shibai]

This is season 14. How many other series do you know that have 14 or more seasons? I don't know what to tell you here...

Either the people love this to bits or it gets is funding from the realm of the dead. Probably both. ;)

Common Side Effects

Pretty good. Very worth watching. It's much more than just "Fuck 'Big Pharma'!"

I won't say any more on this.

Invincible

♪ From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. ♫

Very good series throughout. Always worth watching.

But... Amazon sucks! Amazon Prime sucks! If you can (legally*) watch this without paying them directly, I would recommend to consider that option.

* I added that word in post, because I originally thought it went without saying that nobody on Newgrounds would promote piracy in earnest. Nobody... :)

Addendum 2025-03-25: I hope I found all the typos now. Sorry for the inconvenience. The reactions suggest that "nobody" read this. I always suspected it: I have practically no adult followers who are also into anime. Their loss. ;)

Addendum 2025-04-03: This is a long one.

1st)

From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated!

[Akuyaku Reijō Tensei Oji-san]

I found some energy and watched 3 episodes of From Bureaucrat to Villainess. It is even better than I thought it would be. And I had pretty high expectations.

It's exactly what the doctor ordered: The story is funny and uplifting, the characters are easy to sympathize with, the world and setting are thought through more thoroughly than... ... ... Okay. The rules of this world are like a precision machine. If there's a Top 10 for "best world rules" this would be in the running.

And that outro is a sight to behold!

Of course I'm just 3 episodes in so far, and a lot can still happen, but so far this has been consistently awesome. Well worth a watch!

2nd)

I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

[Ore wa Seikan Kokka no Akutoku Ryōshu!]

Studio Quad seemed hellbent to squeeze a whopping 3 episodes in before the first season of 2025 had ended. And I have no idea what they hope to achieve... They are way too late to get considered for any rankings for Q1 and they're "too early" positioning for Q2 might cause them to get lost in the memory (and more importantly: the listings) of those who list shows that started in Q2. The series is currently "preview-able" via Abema and will then regularly release about half a month later again. By the time E04 comes out, less people who already watched the first 3 episodes will be in the mood to invest an hour of re-watching, just to continue watching. They are going to lose "a few" potential viewers over this.

I predict that statistics will bury this show. This will be something Otaku-archeologists will dig out 10 to 20 years from now and ask "Hey, did you know 'this' existed...?"

(Bottom line: Somebody is screwing around with the release-dates, shooting themselves in the foot and I don't like it.)

The series itself is... decent, so far. I would have probably watched the rest as well if I had not already seen the "preview". The show's main weakness is an utter lack of consistency. All 3 episodes released at the time of writing had very different arks and themes. As if I was watching 3 different shows. The plots are not so complex that it would make me feel disoriented, but they don't seem to try to please any specific demographic. And as everybody who has spend more than a few weeks on Newgrounds knows: Try to please everyone and you will please no one!

At this point their core demographic is "Weirdos who'll watch 'anything' as long as the production quality is high enough" - and they'd get those even if they made it another otome game anime... I'm not bitter or anything, but there are tons of well-received anime series that did not get a second season. ("Must be nice" if you like One Piece, Naruto, or My Hero Academia...) If the decision to animate this manga was about budget, they could have picked up the rights to Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody to Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater for the price of a dinner at a family restaurant...

Okay, I might be a little bitter, but it's more that I'm frustrated by all their blunders in this. Everything studio Quad made so far was... frankly "unwatchable" - so having something of decent quality on offer was a nice surprise. This is their first decent project and I see a giant flag that reads "self-sabotage" waving over it. I'm hardly a fan of their work, but I have no interest in seeing yet another studio die either.

Addendum 2025-04-11: After having had a little survey (Thank you to everyone who contributed to that, btw.), I decided to split this post into an SFW- & an NSFW-post in favor of accessibility to a (as it turned out) significant part of my readers.

I am sorry if this new format is inconvenient to you, but this isn't exactly the type of post where I would tell 30% of the people interested: "Come back and read it in 3 years or so." or "You're adults! Can you please be a little bit more horny? ;p" You don't have to approve of this, but I hope you at least understand the circumstances.

In true Newgrounds tradition, I want to keep offering my questionable takes on anime series from both the SFW- and NSFW-spectrum. But with current-day technology, this means: From now on, there will be two posts when I publish my anime opinions. I'll space them out a bit, to not pollute the classy, high-brow talking space that is the Artist News. (I practiced in front of a mirror, so I could say that with a straight face.)

As already mentioned quite a bit above, the (now removed) segment of this News Post can now be found here:

Yatsufusa's Anime Ramble (Q1 2025) (Spoiler-Free) (Ecchi-Appendix)

[The linked News Post has an Age rating of "A".]

March 14, 2025 came and went. Your "old" Firefox (or Tor Browser) might look pretty horrible today.

If you are not willing to update to a newer version of Firefox that might break all kinds of stuff for you and disrespect how you want to use your browser, you can either look into a new browser or look for a workaround.

Here is a workaround.

But before you apply it, please keep two things in mind:

1) I am not an expert. I just dabble.

2) I might be secretly evil. Hell, if you don't know me, I might even be openly evil. ;3

Seriously: Consider a user's past actions and your past experiences with them before you follow their advice blindly. And don't just install something without hesitation. Do some checks first. Same goes for "tech support" websites: Don't just look at the top hit labeled "Solution to your Problem. Probably." (I'm paraphrasing here). Take a few minutes to figure out if the author knows what they are talking about. There might be comments. There might be old articles telling you how you should beware of aliens from outer space that want to store your brain in a jar...

I bet most of you didn't read half of what I wrote above. I cannot blame you. You are not in a emotionally good place right now "just" want your stuff fixed. Maybe read the rest later...

Set a bookmark here in case you need/want to look at this again - to undo the changes or to send the link to a friend in need.

To get your Add-Ons running again enter "about:config" into the address bar.

Then search for "xpinstall.signatures.required" and set it to false by double-clicking.

If you were using a language that wasn't English, you can get that back as well:

To get your usual language settings back enter "about:config" into the address bar.

Then search for "extensions.langpacks.signatures.required" and set it to false by double-clicking.

Restart your browser and your language should be back to whatever you had it set to before (likely Spanish or Russian).

What did you (the person reading this) just do?

You set your browser to not check with Mozilla to verify if an Add-On (or language pack) is actually safe to use and/or functional. If it's any comfort to you: Mozilla just don't test most Add-Ons anyway and a lot of Add-Ons do not work as advertised or do not work at all. You can trust your "old" Add-Ons as much as you could before, but you should be careful concerning any Add-Ons you add to that version of Firefox.

Will this workaround fix that problem forever?

"Maybe..."

It's probably not a good idea to use that version of Firefox for an entire decade or something, but at least you can enjoy this weekend without further drama in that regard.

Where did the solution come from?

Surprisingly enough, the official Firefox support page - albeit not in the kind of article you'd expect it in and they sure as hell did not list it for people to use it in the way I described here...

Why did that happen to you (the reader) in the first place? (simplified)

The answer is pretty boring. Basically, you ignored the warning message you might or might not have been getting (depending on the age of your Firefox) - or you thought it wouldn't be that bad, because the wording was as unhelpful as always.

Why did that happen to you (the reader) in the first place? (detailed)

Officially stated reason.

The actual reason is "so that people update their browser. We at Mozilla just can't understand why people wouldn't want to update Firefox as often as possible... We always put so much effort in to change every single part of the interface that people liked before and make it harder and harder for our users to change the interface back to an arrangement that makes sense (like having tab bar right above 'the actual tabs', instead of having it two bars removed from the thing that they are attached to). Also: Our users should rejoice that we keep breaking "old" Add-Ons for the sake of security and then delete the installer files off our site, so nobody can ever find it again to install it on a version of Firefox it would still run on - or pick up the project and port it to a newer version of Firefox." ;p

This Dilbert comic puts it best.

Anything else?

I might or might not update this post (further) in the future. But right now I am too tired for that. And most of you will likely just want your stuff fixed, so your life can go on like you were used to. Which would sound very relatable to me. ;)

I'll make notes at the very bottom of this post to point out updates if any updating takes place.

TL;DR:

about:config

xpinstall.signatures.required = false

extensions.langpacks.signatures.required = false

As always: I hope this helps. You're welcome. Now go enjoy your remaining weekend.

Addendum 2025-03-15: Added links to sources as well as more complaining and a link to a comic strip to make up for it. Sorry that I'm so short on time & energy these days. I'll hopefully improve the wording eventually. Thanks to everybody who liked this post, but it is absolutely okay to pay no attention to it. I bet half of you just wanted to be kind and don't even use Firefox in the first place - let alone an older version... ;)

I am taking an extended NG hiatus. I won't do "people" anymore. In all likelihood I will still log in at irregular intervals to look at art and rate it. (Please vote on more art, y'all.)

I might "return"; I might not. If I do, it might be in February, November, or in a few years.

Any writing previously indicated might or might not happen. As of right now, I do not have the head to deliver it at a quality that would reach my own standards. (There are other people who can write sentences that make sense on NG. Go read their stuff.)

PMs are disabled as of now and will be re-enabled when I return. My apologies if this inconveniences you, but I do not want people to invest their effort in vain when I might never reply to them - which is already happening in some cases. (Those who I shared my email address with can still contact me that way.)

Addendum 2024-12-30: If you are staring at this post in the hopes it changed, here's something more wholesome for you: Today is "One day...!" I got done sorting My 100 Favorite Movies and My 100 Favorite Music Videos. Both lists are now open to the public. Go watch some good animations and/or music videos with some great music. Music that wasn't "generated", but has actual been composed by human beings. (Why would I even bring that up? Well...)

Addendum 2025-01-14: Just wanted to state that I'm still alive - just in case somebody was worried. Y'all deserve better, but I need a break. From everything.

Addendum 2025-01-20: Yes: They did it to themselves. But it's still sad...

Addendum 2025-01-26: During this weekend I took some time out of my schedule to see how "returning to NG's more social side" would feel. ... I'm not particularly confident about returning to the Artist News anytime soon.

Addendum 2025-02-07: Days on which I'm more likely to log in are Tuesday (because of Takeover Tuesday) and Friday (because that's the day I switch out the set of 6 Art favorites that I will feature on my profile for a week).

On a quick side note: On some days logging in just feels more rewarding to me than on others... ❤

Addendum 2025-02-16: PMs are open again but my sentbox is permanently full, so I have to delete/archive two PMs for every one PM I want to write. I do appreciate your kind words, but NG makes it a chore to respond so I might not always answer.

Addendum 2025-03-01: As some have already noticed, I'm making an effort to help out over in the Artist News at irregular intervals. Enjoy it while I still have some energy but don't expect much. ;p