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Another three months come and gone, and another list of what I’ve been watching for the last season. It seems it’s been a good quarter, as the list is longer. And, certainly, it’s all been good. Mononoke is the only thing I don’t recommend, but it’s still worth a look:

Frieren — Now somewhere between a third and a half through the second series of Frieren, and it is living up to expectations.

Witch Hat Atelier — I’m now about a third of a way through a second viewing of the series as now the guys are watching it (this would be Smudge’s third time through). It is well worth the second go around, as it is a great production.

Primal — Finished off the first season. All the way, it has been a great production, with good writing, good animation, good art direction. But, it hasn’t really been my kind of thing. However, the last episode, and its cliffhanger got me, and we will need to get season 2 sooner rather than later.

Sparks of Tomorrow — Okay, I got a little scared that this was going to be another Moonrise—all production, no writing—but it’s being good. A steampunk world that’s reaching for electricitypunk. Generally, lots of fun, and the opening credits are basically operating as a prologue for the episode, which is nicely done. On the other hand, all the characters are a ball of desires and impulsiveness turned up to 12 (they went right past 11).

Re: Zero — Recently started the most recent season with Smudge, and we haven’t gotten far yet. We dealing with the tower of the sage, and it’s obvious that he was from Earth as well, other mysteries await, no doubt.

Ascendance of a Bookworm — Finally getting started on part 3 with the guys, and we’re only a few episodes in. A surprising strong point of the series is how it can switch primary casts around, and still keep being interesting with good characters. Myne has now moved into noble society, leaving behind a second cast of characters for another new set, but it still works.

That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime — Me and Smudge are catching up on this one again. We’ve just gotten the time loop episode for Chronoa. So, in the middle of the story, but it’s definitely a climatic moment, and being interesting, if super-powered.

Campfire Cooking in Another World — Just recently hit the end of season two of this. It is surprisingly fun. Don’t watch while hungry.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? — Recently finished watching series five. Overall, it had a good plot, and was a good story, but I’ll stick with saying I prefer the parts that delve (ha ha) into the nature of the dungeon itself.

Demon Slayers: Infinity Castle (I) — Finally got to see the first half of the final Demon Slayers storyline. …It’s not really enough to carry a movie, much less two. That said, it is well done, and I’m happy to have seen it. I just wish it wasn’t so needlessly drawn out.

Pokemon: Horizons — We’re just getting going in season three of Rising Hope. It continues to be good enough. The real through-plot is the strong point, and there’s been some real growth, especially with Amethio, but we’ve only had one episode with him so far. Still, I expect it will have a good conclusion.

Mononoke: Phantom in the Rain — Recently had a free night, and watched this movie; I haven’t seen the series, but Smudge has. Now, it is beautifully done, but there’s lots of problems. First, the writing isn’t really there. The plot is very loose, and it just kind of dissolves into an action scene to wrap up without really feeling like its really coming to a conclusion. Also, on a “me” level, it was painful to watch. There’s a constant filter over everything that doesn’t move when anything else does, and there is a constant barrage of fast cuts through the entire film. One, or both, tripped off the ‘error correction’ that my vision is centered around and gave me a headache. And without that, I usually find that kind of fast aggravating if it continues for long.