"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; 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 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 was killed and 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 that 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. 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".]