Sengoku Youko ep1: A decent enough historical action fantasy about a pair of sworn siblings. One is a cute fox spirit girl who loves humans, the other a cynical, staff-wielding hermit boy who loves to get into scraps. They've decided to wander through sengoku-era Japan and solve problems, which often seem to require that they fuse together (giving the hermit enhanced powers and the fox girl... a different hair colour). The viewpoint character who tags along with them is considerably less interesting, unfortunately, but the grumpy, misanthropic male lead is mostly fun enough to offset that. I'm just not sure that the series stood out enough to justify continuing when it's been announced for a slightly longer run, has mediocre animation and wasn't doing much to stand out.
The Witch and the Beast ep1: My opinion on the previous show is probably all the more unfair when contrasted with this, which has a different setting, art style and audience in mind but is otherwise kind of similar. A pair of renegades wander through a stylish, modern setting investigating witches and meddling in their work for personal reasons. I was already vaguely familiar with the scenario from the reviews of the manga on this site but the male lead came across well in animated form and I ended up rather enjoying all of the edgy occult moodiness, even if the female lead's mindless screaming grated at times. It's a bit like a less-clever alternative to Undead Girl Murder Farce with a more overtly aggressive tone, but I like the designs a lot so I'll give it another episode.
Delusional Monthly Magazine ep1: I genuinely don't know how I feel about this. It's a weird-looking show with lots of flat, clashing colours and peculiar design choices. The plot about an idiot having discovered great secrets of an ancient civilisation and getting wrapped up in what may be a conspiracy (?) makes very little sense. I don't understand why the new character introduced to the group looks as though he escaped from a Lucky Charms advertisement. I also don't understand why everyone renders their names in western order, why they tried so hard to channel Hypnosis Mic in the opening (Ramuda has escaped from his group!) and why the jokes need to be telegraphed so awkwardly, but it's all such a mess that part of me can't stop staring anyway. I'll give it a second episode.
The Weakest Tamer Began A Journey To Pick Up Trash ep1: This uninspired title/concept which reads like a remix of every pointless isekai show I've dropped in the last few years has been making me laugh despair ever since it was announced but I decided to watch it anyway in case there was some kind of genius at work beneath the creator's hardcore commitment to banality. There was not, though the animation quality was inexplicably high and the soundtrack full of overwrought emotional flourishes. The lead narrates everything that she does (which is very little) repeatedly and at length, first to the invisible reborn isekai character who serves as her inner voice/imaginary friend, and then to a little slime that she finds, drawing out the two minutes' worth of content in her sad backstory (born with no powers, then persecuted and forced out of her home as a child) into a full-length episode. I think this probably needed something at the end of the episode to provide a reason to continue after the mild peril was all resolved - I can't tell if it's going to be a 'nothing happens and that's fine' series or a 'chosen one with a power level so high it looks lower than expected' turnabout adventure - but it doesn't really matter because I doubt I'd continue either way.
Snack Basue ep1: In contrast, this show looked hideous with its flat, partially-CG style. Yet in spite of that I found it (slightly) more watchable because it turns out that spiteful humour and silly otaku references are less boring than rehashed isekai retreads. It's a series of loosely-connected sketches about a snack bar and its regulars; something that works to pass the time but I can't imagine it being something I follow week by week.
R
