What anime have you been watching?

[SpecialColorfull]

I finished the original Inuyasha series and I thought that it was pretty good. It had a good blend of action and romance with an interesting setting to go with it. Inuyasha and Kagome's chemistry and relationship worked a lot better than I thought it would for some reason. The pacing wasn't really that bad either. Granted, I was binge watching it as opposed to watching it for years as it was airing, so it would probably be difficult to really feel the pacing problems that way. Even the filler episodes were usually good and/or entertaining. Some of the show's best or most hilarious moments came from filler episodes. The series didn't seem to have as much filler as I thought it would given people complained about that a lot back in the day. There were still some weak or bad filler episodes, but typically, they were fine. The music was really good. Some of the opening and ending themes arent' available on streaming due to legal rights, which is a shame, but the songs they had were great.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't care for Miroku's gags and they make it really hard to make his relationship with Sango compelling despite getting engaged. He does feel like an actual character most of the time, but then he becomes the annoying pervert who keeps wanting to hit on women despite claiming that Sango is the only woman for him and basically asking her to marry him once the battle with Naraku is over. The drama between Inuyasha and Kagome due to Kikyo is at least more interesting and Kagome's jealousy is usually understandable, but sometimes even that feels a bit forced given everything they've already gone through. There are some interesting villains, but not a lot of Naraku's reincarinations stand out. Still, the show is pretty solid, so I don't quite understand the backlash it got back in the day. Even the ending wasn't that bad. It doesn't really end on a good stopping point, but it had some good action and nice moments with the cast, so it was fine. There wasn't a way to provide closure unless they wanted to do an anime original ending instead since the manage wouldn't be finished for another few years.

I just started to watch Final Act. It is weird to hear Kagome with a different voice, but her original voice actress retired, so a change was necessary. I've only seen the first two episodes, but it is interesting how they basically jump right back into the swing of things. That was the point of the season, but it almost feels jarring when nowadays they'd have the first episode to help get the audience back up to speed before diving into the storyline. I only vageuly remember a few things from watching Final Act on Toonami back in the day, so getting to see the rest of the series with much better context now will be fun.

I also finished watching The Flower that Blooms With Diginity. It was a cute slice of life romance series. It has a really nice romance between the two leads, a surprisingly likable group of supporting cast and even just the growing friendship among the cast was cute. I really hope that it gets a second season since there's a lot more they can adapt from the manga based on what I've heard, so hopefully that will be announced in the near future.

Wow that's awesome. I mostly hear bad things about Inuyasha, but like most things the flaws are less present when binging. At least its not utterly infuriating like Ranma.

 

[Space Cadet]

The music was really good. Some of the opening and ending themes arent' available on streaming due to legal rights, which is a shame, but the songs they had were great.

Just wanted to clarify, all the songs used as the opening and endings for Inuyasha are available on streaming worldwide. The lone holdout was "Change The World" by V6(the first opening theme) but that changed when their entire discography was added to streaming a couple months ago.

Also, since you watched Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2, you should check out Maison Ikkoku when you get the chance. That's personally my favorite Rumiko Takahashi series.

 

[Light Lucario]

Wow that's awesome. I mostly hear bad things about Inuyasha, but like most things the flaws are less present when binging. At least its not utterly infuriating like Ranma.

The binging probably did help with the pacing, but I don't think that would make all of the flaws less noticeable. It certainly didn't help some of the running gags. It still felt pretty solid and engaging from start to finish. Ranma 1/2 can be pretty fun with its sitcom wacky comedy, but the minimal, if any, sense of progression can be annoying.

Just wanted to clarify, all the songs used as the opening and endings for Inuyasha are available on streaming worldwide. The lone holdout was "Change The World" by V6(the first opening theme) but that changed when their entire discography was added to streaming a couple months ago.

Oh, I thought that it was still an issue since I don't think that any site streaming Inuyasha has their music. I'm glad that the song was added to streaming recently since it's a pretty good song. I don't know if they'll bother to include the missing songs for the anime itself, but at least people can listen to it.

Also, since you watched Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2, you should check out Maison Ikkoku when you get the chance. That's personally my favorite Rumiko Takahashi series.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll see if I can check it out sometime. I'll also try to check out the Mao adaptation coming out next spring since that looks and sounds pretty interesting.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

Maison Ikkoku is so great. But its not on Streaming and I think the home media is out of print. But if you ever have the chance to see it you definitely should, Lady Lucario.

 

[Light Lucario]

So I finished watching Inuyasha Final Act. It's funny to think that this was the first part of the series I watched on Toonami back in the day. I do recall it was still relatively easy to follow with my general understanding of the series at the time and I remembered a few key events from the season, but needless to say, having the context of the original series helps a lot. It definitely made a couple of deaths more impactful, especially Kikyo's, I was way more engaged with Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship and it made the payoff to various storylines much more satisfying. Even Miroku and Sango had better moments here than they ever did in the original series. It does make me wonder if my problems with their relationship are more due to the anime adaptation, but given Miroku's running gags, I have my doubts. Plus, it felt like they didn't have time to do their usual gags between them because of the faster pace of the season and the intensity of the climax, but their devotion to each other still fetl more genuine here than it ever did in the original series for me.

The buildup to the climax within Naraku was good and the final battle was good, although a tad too quick. Granted, given that he had another plan in store, it makes sense and by this point, both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have pretty overpowered swords anway. It did make sense that the final confrontation would be with the Scared Jewel itself. It would explain why all of the wishes other people or demons made on it woudln't work exactly or that it came with kind of a monkey's paw curse to it. They needed to break the cycle so that the fight over the jewel in and outside of it wouldn't just start all over again. Kagome being able to make the one true correct wish after being reunited with Inuyasha was sweet and showed how important their connection is.

It's still baffling to me that prior to the timeskip epilogue, the entire series takes place within less than a year. The epilogue itself is pretty satisfying. It does feel like a couple of key events happened off-screen, like Sango's guilt over nearly killing Rin or Rin's reaction to Sesshomaru having her live in the village to get used to being with humans, but it does wrap up things nicely. Kagome effectively leaving her family potentially never being able to see them again is sad, but honestly, there was no other way the show was going to end. She couldn't keep traveling back and forth between the two era. It would be pretty impractical when she was struggling just to get through middle school while time traveling. They could address the implications that this would have on the timeline, but the show never really treated time travel that seriously before, to the point where I think this would make more sense as an alternate universe as opposed to feudal era Japan that somehow forgot that demons are real over the course of five hundred years. But the scared tree and one of Kagome's love interests having an ancestor appearing as a filler character would throw some wretches into that theory. Still, it was really sweet that she chose to be with Inuyasha after they both waited for each other for years and it helps to give the series a solid hopeful note to end on as they see their own tomorrow together.

So I still don't quite see why this series got a lot of hate back in the day. It certaintly isn't perfect, but it's really good. It has good characters, solid action, some good romance and an engaging story. The pacing still doesn't seem that bad, but it would be harder to get that feeling through binge watching it. Some of the supporting cast like Koga or some of Naraku's incarinations didn't do much for me and I could write a paper on why I hated Miroku and Sango's relationship, but typically I didn't have a lot of problems with the series. I think it has aged pretty well.

I'll check out Yashahime in the future, although I'm not sure if I'll try to finally finish My Hero Academia first or not at the moment. I know of at least one reason why the sequel series isn't liked by fans, but that didn't bother me before and even less so now. I never really got a father/daughter bond with Sesshomaru and Rin. Sesshomaru was just way too distant and aloof to give off a parental/guardian vibe with Rin, even in Final Act when he started to show a bit more emotions to his reactions. I can almost see why people get that impression because of how young Rin is, but I just didn't get that vibe in either the original series or Final Act, so I don't think the two of them becoming a couple is going to bother me when I do start Yashahime.

 

[Space Cadet]

On Saturday alone, I'm watching new seasons of My Hero Academia, SpyxFamily, To Your Eternity and Ranma 1/2. And then on Sunday will be the season 3 premiere of One Punch Man. This is the most number of anime shows I've watched at the same time, it's crazy lol.

Quoting myself because I thought I had a little break but nope, I'm now watching Oshi no Ko season 3, Jujitsu Kaisen season 3, the newest season of Fire Force, the final season of Trigun: Stargaze and To Your Eternity. Actually, I believe the season/series(?) finale of To Your Eternity is this Saturday, so I get a little break. Plus, unlike the Fall season, the series I'm watching right now are spread out between Wednesday-Saturday, so it's not too bad.

 

[Yojimbo]

Yeah, my viewings are pretty well spread out, too.

Saturdays: Blue Miburo season 2 (moving along a bit slow to start), Tojima Wants To Be a Kamen Rider (seem to be learning more about the Inhumanoids finally), Trigun: Stargaze

Sundays: Hell's Paradise season 2

Mondays: MHA Vigilantes (also off to a slow start)

Thursdays: Jujutsu Kaisen: Culling Game (off to a great start)

Fridays: Fire Force S3 Pt 2 (intriguing start) and soon to be Frieren season 2

 

[Light Lucario]

I decided to start watching Magic Knight Rayearth. I was curious when I saw it coming up on Netflix, especially with a remake coming out later this year. So far, I really like the music, especially the opening theme, and the character designs. Something about it kind of reminds me of Slayers, possibly because of the fantasy setting. The premise does give off the vibes of a JRPG from the 90's. I forgot that this was from CLAMP until the opening theme started.The characters are likable, but they do feel pretty lacking. Not having the fire member of the group a hothead for once is refreshing, but the lack of character exploration with this setup is rather apparent. It's hard to tell if that's the result of the source material or the anime adaptation.

The chibi designs were charming at first, but I was tired of them by the second episode. It really undersells the danger the girls are involved if they turn into their chibi designs when fighting monsters or in any kind of danger. They fortunately don't do it as much when stuff is getting serious, but it's still becoming more annoying. Still, the show feels pretty charming and I kind of love the 80's/90's vibe with its animation. I'm curious how the second half of the series will be since I know that is supposed to be different from the manga.

In terms of the current season titles, I'm watching My Hero Academia Vigilantes and Digimon Beatbreak. Hopefully I can finally start watching the last season of My Hero Academia this week as well.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

You and Idol Precure has constantly levitated between being awesome or lame but it seems it might stick the landing.

 

[KalloFox34]

The last new anime I watched was Laid-Back Camp. Got up to Season 2, love it so far.

I'll get to the movie + Season 3 once I have the money to resubscribe to Crunchyroll.

 

[SpecialColorfull]

Been watching Star Detective Precure lately.

 

[Markus]

I watched a lot of One Piece for the past few months and it's been enjoyable. I guess I'm used to slow builds unlike most people. This will be one of those gems that will be underappreciated. If you watch two episodes a day, you can pretty much get through it. It's not really a show I'm able to watch all day though.

 

[PicardMan]

Apparently, Dead Account is getting named the worst battle shonen of all time, and that made me curious enough to watch it out of morbid curiosity. It appears to be Blue Exorcist with smartphones. Ghosts come out of the social media accounts of dead people and attack. A special exorcist school uses digitized weapons to fight ghosts. Main character is the creator of shock videos on Youtube. The whole social media theme is silly and over the top, but otherwise, it's another bland exorcist school show. It's bland, but it doesn't seem as heinous as it's reputation suggests. Don't see why it's being named the worst battle shonen of all time. I probably won't continue with the show, but I've seen worse anime.

 

[Light Lucario]

I finally did watch the last season of My Hero Academia. It was so good. I still plan on posting in the talkback threads for the last couple of seasons since I didn't watch them as they were airing, but it was a great final season with a solid satisfying finale. I'm amazed that there was backlash to the ending based on how manga fans felt about it at the time, but I think it was mostly due to shipping stuff, which I don't really go for this show for. There are some pairings that I like, but that's not really what I think about when I think about My Hero Academia. Still, great final season.

I also watched Kamisama Kiss. I watched it last year for the first time in ages on Crunchyroll, but it went up on Netflix, so I figured that I'd do that once they had both seasons. It was a pretty fun romantic comedy. It has some likable characters, fun characters, good humor and a nice romance. It's a shame that it never got another seasons. It did get some OVAs, but from what I've heard, it still doesn't cover everything from the manga and they were never released in the U.S. anyway. I do hope that it can someday get a complete remake since it is a pretty fun show.

I also watched Madoka Magica. I haven't seen the show in ages, but being on Netflix made me want to rewatch it. It's still so good. Even though I know all of the twist ahead of time, seeing them be slowly revealed over the course of the series was still intense and satisfying. The characters are great and Sayaka is still my favorite out of the group. Despite all of the despair and misery that shadows the series, the finale is still pretty satisfying and offers magical girls at least less suffering in this new universe. And then Rebellion happens. Granted, I remember liking the movie and I'll probably rewatch it at some point, but the series finale does end on a pretty good satisfying note all things considered.

I also just finished Magia Record. I remember watching the first epsiode years ago, but I didn't keep up with it, so I was able to watch the whole thing on Netflix. Being able to binge watch it was probably better in some ways than watching weekly, if only for those long breaks between seasons. It took awhile for the series to get going and unlike the main series, there are just way too many characters. It is based off of a mobile game, so that would explain a lot about its cast size, but most of the characters were still likable and/or interesting. It is a side story, but it definitely helps to be familiar with at least Madoka Magia, if not more elements of the franchise. I kind of liked how the first season almost felt more light hearted. Seeing the girls just hanging out together and enjoying being friends felt more charming coming right ater the main series. It might have also made the inevitable tragic turns hit a bit harder than they could have otherwise.

The story was interesting and pretty engaging despite knowing that this timeline is effectively doomed. There is a bittersweetness to the ending since the girls basically fail in their objectives, Homura resets the timeline after another failed attempt to save Madoka, their city is in ruins while they attempt to pick the pieces and Kyubey says that no one will ever really know what they did. But the last shot does show that their was being told and God Madoka was able to keep a record of it. It still makes the audience think that all of their efforts still mattered at the end of the day, which fits with finding hope within despair aspect of the franchise. While not as hard hitting or effective as Madoka Magica, Magia Record was a good series with some good likable characters. Yachiyo and Sana were my favorites out of the group, although I grew to like Rena and Kadade despite their minimal screentime. I don't know if they'll have these characters appear again in future movies or series, but they might get cameos at least.

I'll also start watching the second half of Magic Knight Rayearth since they have it up on Netflix. I enjoyed the first half for the most part, although it really did feel a tad rushed near the end of that first part.

 

[Space Cadet]

Based off your write-up above, @Light Lucario, have you checked out Oshi no Ko? That might be up your alley.

 

[Light Lucario]

Based off your write-up above, @Light Lucario, have you checked out Oshi no Ko? That might be up your alley.

I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it. The premise does sound interesting, so I might check it out at some point.

 

[Tohya]

I decided to start watching Magic Knight Rayearth. I was curious when I saw it coming up on Netflix, especially with a remake coming out later this year. So far, I really like the music, especially the opening theme, and the character designs. Something about it kind of reminds me of Slayers, possibly because of the fantasy setting. The premise does give off the vibes of a JRPG from the 90's. I forgot that this was from CLAMP until the opening theme started.The characters are likable, but they do feel pretty lacking. Not having the fire member of the group a hothead for once is refreshing, but the lack of character exploration with this setup is rather apparent. It's hard to tell if that's the result of the source material or the anime adaptation.

The chibi designs were charming at first, but I was tired of them by the second episode. It really undersells the danger the girls are involved if they turn into their chibi designs when fighting monsters or in any kind of danger. They fortunately don't do it as much when stuff is getting serious, but it's still becoming more annoying. Still, the show feels pretty charming and I kind of love the 80's/90's vibe with its animation. I'm curious how the second half of the series will be since I know that is supposed to be different from the manga.

In terms of the current season titles, I'm watching My Hero Academia Vigilantes and Digimon Beatbreak. Hopefully I can finally start watching the last season of My Hero Academia this week as well.

I honestly kind of love seeing someone bring up Magic Knight Rayearth in 2026 because it’s definitely one of those anime that feels completely forgotten now, despite being such a massive (and important) title at the time. Those JRPG vibes you’re picking up on are totally real, CLAMP basically helped define that early “portal fantasy” genre before isekai was even a thing. The whole idea of being dropped into a game like world with progression, new armor, distinct magic, party roles… Rayearth was laying groundwork for tropes we see everywhere now.


And for an anime that mashed together Sailor Moon with JRPG party elements along with gigantic Mechas, it’s kind of crazy how much it flies under the radar today.


You’ll have to update us on what you think of the second half (I’m guessing you mean Season 2), because Rayearth is a weird case. Part 2 is where the adaptation really stretches, the manga is only 6 volumes total, but the anime runs 49 episodes, so Season 2 adds a lot of anime original conflict, changes some outcomes, and leans harder into the romance and mythology.


My brother and I actually never finished Season 2 back in the day because it felt so different, but that was also 20 years ago… honestly, I wonder if a rewatch now would hit in a more interesting way.

 

[wonderfly]

Yes, I saw Magic Knight Rayearth had come to Netflix, and that brought back nostalgia.

Magic Knight Rayearth was one of the last "collecting anime series on VHS" for me, around 1999/2000. I had stopped collecting Ranma 1/2 around 1998 or 1999 (because they changed the Ranma voice actor and it was jarring), and I stopped collecting Dragon Ball Z on VHS in 2000 (as they were switching over to the Funimation dubs on VHS) , but I wanted to finish Magic Knight Rayearth (which I had started buying on a whim). I had to choose between that and "The Slayers" and went with Magic Knight Rayearth.

Around 1999/2000, I started recording anime on TV (first Pokemon in 1999, Digimon in 2000, Dragon Ball Z in 2001), and then around 2001 I saw that DVDs were taking over in the stores, so I stopped buying Anime on VHS around then. Possibly the last anime I bought on VHS was "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust" in 2001.

Good times.

 

[Tohya]

So I figured I’d chime in with something I’m currently watching (alongside the usual slate like JJK and Sentenced to a Hero), which is The Jack of All Trades, Party of None. Full disclosure; I’m absolutely a sucker for the very played-out “banished from the hero’s party” setup, so I tend to give any seasonal show running that trope at least a shot. Even though this one is almost beat-for-beat similar to recent titles like the meme-heavy The Unaware Atelier Master or the more serious The Healer Who Was Banished From His Party, Is, in Fact, the Strongest, it’s just different enough that it’s not relegated to “background anime while I game”.


What helps for me is that the MC isn’t written as a doormat or an oblivious genius. He’s competent. He understands what he brings to the table, and the show makes that clear from the jump. He’s treated as a respected adventurer rather than falling into the super tropey “secretly OP but unknown” lane. And Episode 8 actually surprised me. The hints at a larger framework, something beyond just local adventurer politics, made it feel like there’s more going on than the standard episodic power fantasy loop. It’s not reinventing anything, but it’s taking itself just seriously enough that I’m genuinely invested instead of watching it ironically.

 

[PicardMan]

I just checked out Sentenced to be a Hero and Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table, the latter being my vote for anime of the season. The former seems kinda like a medieval fantasy Suicide Squad in that criminals are forced to be heroes. It has the flashy action expected with a guy who throws exploding swords and knives. Also has the thousand year old loli godess who demands headpats cliche.

Despite being made by the controversial Studio DEEN, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table was one of those "wow" shows. Main character plays death games for fun and wants to survive 100. Death games appear to be all girl affairs for this show. Lots of suspense in who lives and who dies and how ruthless the protagonist can be. The writing, audio, and visuals are top notch.