Wow...that awesome Kaguya ED came out of nowhere. It looks so fluid...I can't stop watching it XD

My Roommate is a Cat is a lot sadder than I was expecting...man that last episode had me whimpering. Probably one of the most relatable shows I've seen in a while...though I'm not quite that anti-social I do question why Mao likes to attack random nothings sometimes. Now I know why.

I'm deep enough into 3D Kanojo now that I'll watch until the end, but I find the way it handles dramatic arcs to be kind of awkward. The MC finding out his dad was cheating seemed like something that warrants more than exaggerated funny reactions, and the way his mom basically ignores his requests makes the ordeal more annoying than anything else. Of course, I still can't sympathize with her after that part in season 1 where she firmly believed her son was a child molester just because someone said so. Probably one of my least favorite anime moms...and this current arc is only solidifying that.

And holy cow, if BanG Dream continues to be as great as the last few episodes...this might be a real AOTS contender. Did not see that coming a few months ago. I guess all those Happy Bundles I've purchased have helped.

Oi, the inactivity. Busy stuff, been playing a lot of games, working, and planning my move back to Japan.

I watched Bungo Stray Dogs season 2. I liked the first part and thought it was unfortunate how things ended up. The 2nd part was cool as it is rare to have a 1v1v1, but then they messed it up by going 2v1.

The MC didn't go rage mode as I hoped, but he did get stronger and pulled off a miracle in my eyes. The bad guy's power was useless sadly. Overall a mixed bag, kind of like the first season.

I started Basilisk 2nd season.

Tate no Yuusha is really trying to make me hate it. I thought that weird change in character for the MC was just in the first ep but now they're doing it every time. You can't be both cool and nice and edge and genius and moronic at the same time. Pick a lane, idiot. Now that I hate the MC it probably won't be my AOTS anymore.

On the bright side, Endro, Kemono Friends and Kaguya-sama are all still awesome and getting better every episode.

Whoa, Beastars is getting an anime adaptation from Orange.  That's interesting news, considering the source.  It's a highly decorated and awarded manga but it's also different and mature.  It can be almost uncomfortable to read at times because it doesn't shy away from difficult issues at all.  

The characters are anthropomorphic animals, mostly students at an art school.  One of the main themes is about the complications that arise from carnivores and herbivores living side by side.  Bullying, speciesism, and prejudice are a big part of the picture.  The main character is a very large and powerful wolf who gets shunned by others even though he is normally gentle.  Some of the other subjects that pop up are self-destructive sex-addiction, bloodlust, and the social finger-pointing and panic caused when someone from one end society is murdered.

Orange took a unique and different manga and hit it out of the park with Land of the Lustrous.  Maybe they can do it again.  Beastars has garnered a huge amount of praise recently so this will likely get a lot of attention.

"The manga won the 11th Manga Taisho awards in March 2018. The series also won a New Face Award at the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in March 2018, and Itagaki received the New Creator Prize for the manga at the 22nd Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize awards in April. The manga then won the Best Shōnen Manga award at Kodansha's 42nd annual Manga Awards in May. The series also ranked at #2 on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! male readers list in December 2017."      https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-02-06/beastars-anime-1st-promo-video-streamed/.143066

I like to call that "Con-Air Writing" after a really lame Nicolas Cage movie from the 90s. Basically its when an author wants to their MC to be edgy and cool so they make him a "villain"...but only in name because he didn't actually do anything wrong, so the MC remains pure. It's supposed to be the best of both, but I just cringe whenever I see it, its honestly why I dropped Seven Deadly Sins. Either actually make him a real villain or keep him pure, don't try to pretend he's both at the same time. I really don't find those character relatable at all.

Anyways, I actually don't mind the Shield Hero MC that much...yet...though I do find it annoying that he's basically in the clear now with most random characters. The only real villains that matter are King Giovanni and his Team Rocket level minions. Holy crap did they become incompetent suddenly. Hard for me to take them seriously when they keep doing typical villain things and get thwarted at every turn or when the guy gets kicked in the balls by best girls. Just need a talking cat to fill out the team. 

Speaking of cats...My Roommate is a Cat is my cozy show of the season, every ep has made me smile. Also I ship the MC with that girl who adopted his cat's brother. Don't stop me.

Yeah, I hate it when they are both. Overlord in that sense has good consistency, he likes useful subjects, and he is not afraid to put to death useless peons.

I really enjoy Kemurikusa.  It feels very unique and interesting.  It's obviously a post-apocalyptic world but it doesn't spoon feed you the whys and hows of it.  Not even why the "people" are so different.  One of the things I liked about Kemono Friends.  Too many series reply on big info dumps.  The animation is really nice, as well.  

Main girl is super cute.  Only downside is that main guy is annoying.

Radiant keeps getting better.  It's got some really awesome character designs and the style is really nifty.  I'm glad I stuck through the rather long establishing arc because it's clearly a better anime than it showed in most of the first season.  

And Melie is just awesome.  She seems to get more development than the main character, which is fine with me.  Love her personality changes, too.  I was afraid she was going to be another Lucy but everything about her doesn't seem to revolve around Seth.  Seth himself is a standard shounen MC but he's not the asshole type and I like that he's clearly not overpowered (yet).  

Probably the best thing about the anime is that it's not black and white--both "sides" have terrible people and good people.  Dragunov is an officer in the Inquisition but the story often jumps to his vantage point and shows that he does not overlook abuses by other Inquisition officials.  He's one of the best characters in the series.

I've been listening to Digibro's weekly podcast about the series. Apparently in the Manga he's a lot edgier and they smoothed him a lot in the anime, probably because of what you said, to make him more appealing.

In other news, Kaguya actually made me laugh last ep, so it might actually be my AOTS. The direction is just absolutely perfect. I checked out the director and the most notable things I see is a ton of storyboarding and episode directing in Shaft animes as well as being director for Rozen Maiden. Dude has some pedigree and it shows.

Thanks for introducing me to Kemurikusa, I would've missed it otherwise. It's basically Kemono Friends in dark mode and it's awesome. I'm totally invested and I'm so scared about oneechan.

Double Kemono in one season, we have been truly blessed by the anime gods.

Oh Lawd, I've been away for a while. During that time I finished Blue Gender, Mushishi, Cyborg 009 Call Of Justice, and Romeo X Juliet.

Blue Gender reminded me of Xenosaga/Star Ocean at certain points, I got into it whenever that happened. However, the series stands on its own without the resemblance to games that were released AFTER the series. Some episodes were pretty good, and the first half of the series was engaging. Then the second act happens and it all went to hell. Finished it, but left me with a sour taste, character development was awful and the main characters were incredibly irritating.

Mushishi is a masterpiece. Can't wait to watch season 2. The fact that this series creates compelling characters and engaging storylines in almost every episode, while most series struggle to do the same thing throughout their entire length, speaks volumes of how well the simplistic storytelling of Mushishi works. Definitely recommended.

Cyborg 009 Call Of Justice was alright, somewhat entertaining. Art style and animation were a little strange, not quite on the same level as Knights of Sidonia or Blame. Accessible series, a storyline that isn't overly convoluted, and some awesome opening and ending songs. Had to buy them on iTunes.

Romeo X Juliet was pretty good for the most part. This adaptation definitely took some liberties with the way it is presented and the world it features (flying horses lol), but it was well paced and the storyline was pretty well told.... For my personal taste, the series would've been finished by episode 22, as the last two episodes are absolutely stupid and generic. Anime rarely gets endings right, this wasn't an exception; less is more sometimes.