As usual we go more in-depth on The Glorio Chat podcast but I figured I'd give a quick rundown of shows I'm sticking with this season.

Continuing

Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger

Kingohger was interesting and ambitious but also a complete mess and looked like shit. Boonboomger has been A Totally Normal Sentai with dumb monsters and melodramatic plots and has been consistently great so far. Also has the coolest super mode in years.

Kamen Rider Gavv

Wrote some stuff on it previously, and I still broadly feel that way. The tough thing about Gavv is that so far, the plot stuff has been pretty solid, but every time the belt starts playing circus music I want to turn the show off immediately. Has potential but still too early to tell.

Pokemon Horizons

A major arc where the main trio was hanging out on their own just ended and we seem to be resuming The Plot, which is by far the least interesting part of Horizons. There are also way too many bad guys who are all meant to be part of the same evil organization. Still, it's trucking along as usual.

Sengoku Youko

The anime had a serious dip in quality for the middle arc and is picking back up for the finale, but the pacing simply cannot recover. Please just read the manga instead. Mizukami does not deserve this.

New

Uzumaki

Big yikes. Much has been said about this already (since it's only four episodes and finished airing) and I don't have much to add. Junji Ito's "impossible to adapt" streak continues.

Dandadan

The Shonen Jump heavyweight this season. Science Saru is an inspired choice for this based on what I've seen. The character dynamics are great, but that's only just enough to keep me aboard because I'm so ground down by shonen battle manga.

Dragon Ball Daima

I don't hate it, and I like how it boots Super to the curb (I am spiritually an old man and do not care for anything in Super). I also lived through Dragon Ball GT, so real judgement is withheld until I can get a handle on the actual vibes rather than just the setup.

Mecha-Ude

Great fun; afterschool weekdays on Toonami vibes. It breaks no new ground whatsoever, but plays all the hits with a knowing wink and an eye for solid sight gags.

Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 4

We are so fucking back. Thunderbolt Fantasy is an absolute treasure and continues to be so; nothing else on this list makes me hoot and holler in the same way. Unfortunately Crunchyroll has not deigned to license this season so we've had to make do with janky fansubs.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II

The only good SAO by virtue of being the only one about people playing a video game rather than some death game wish fulfillment bullshit. I watched Season 1 mostly to support Studio 3Hz, but they've been fully absorbed into A-1 at this point. I watched three episodes and I don't think I care to watch more.

WING-MAN

Adapting an old tokusatsu themed manga as an actual tokusatsu is a fun choice, and Koichi Sakamoto knows what he's doing. Nothing amazing here so far, but I'll keep an eye out.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance

A lot to unpack here; listen to the podcast for much more detailed gripes. Feels weirdly uncritical of the Space Fascists and even worse is simply just boring to watch.

The Backlog

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

I have never seen any Ghost in the Shell before (not even the movies) so it's interesting to experience something so foundational. It's been 20 years and anime as a whole has still not progressed beyond the quality of CG in this show.

Planetes

I enjoyed Vinland Saga, so Makoto Yukimura's previous work was a natural progression. With GitS I feel the weight of everything else that took bits and pieces from it, but there's really nothing else like Planetes. It really makes you feel how Space is beautiful, terrifying, and everything in between.

#anime #tokusatsu #tv #manga #