You know what? I think that I like the fact that this season hasn’t been as over hyped as the last one. Something calming about the fact that everyone doesn’t have to point at shows going “this is the one to watch” weeks before hand with trailers and so many other things and then having that lead up to things being over hyped and them not going over as well as they could have. Yes, I am talking about Chainsaw Man and I say this as a manga reader who is up to date. That created the hype vacuum that only a few anime series managed to escape from like Bocchi The Rock. What I am saying is that Fall 2022 was good but was also a pretty big mess too.
Winter 2023 has been pretty safe compared to it. Maybe there aren’t as many shows that I found interesting to watch, but I found some fascinating shows to watch. Maybe they aren’t as good as last season, but there is enough good stuff to keep me going. Unfortunately, this season had a round of covid hitting it causing some shows to be delayed until who knows when, so this is the last time I will mention Kubo for a while. That also means something like Soaring Sky Precure showing up late which is why its not here yet. Be prepared for that show to appear in the recaps next week. Everything else it at least interesting to check out even if I put them in the okay category.
Ok, I think I rambled enough. Let’s talk about the shows from this season.
A Handy Guide for how I feel about shows:
Solid: Seasonal Favorites, Highly Recommend.
Good: Maybe not as high quality as the first category, but still pretty enjoyable.
Ok: What it says on the tin. Maybe preferable for those who are into the genre the show is from.
Bad: I’m not even sure why I am still watching it besides maybe learning something from it.
Vinland Saga Season 2
If there is one sequel show that absolutely showed be watched this season, it’s Vinland Saga. For now the viking scourges and invasions are mostly gone in favor of slowing down and showing the darker corners of Vinland Saga’s universe. Those being slavery and how bad it truly is. There are cases of people trying their best to find some way of life on a plantation through Thorfinn and Einar’s eyes as they are dehumanized as the lowest part of the food chain. It really does look horrible and I can’t help but feel pain every time I watch it. Also, waiting to see how Canute’s take over of being the Danish King plays into it all. Just a lot of great, horrible, and fascinating stuff.
The Fire Hunter
This show probably is far from the best show this season in terms of its execution and ideas, but I think the fact that it is so different compared to so many shows airing this season or ever in the 2020’s anime climate makes it so interesting to me. It is a steampunk fantasy story set in what feels like a future of Japan that went back to its earlier days and fiends are trying to kill humans while these guys named fire hunters try to get the fire that humanity survives on by killing these fiends. So there is an adventure aspect from a little girl named Touko and a political aspect by a boy named Koushi whose dad was the fire hunter that saved Touko. I just really enjoy it.
Trigun Stampede
I wasn’t sure were I would place Stampede at first because my feelings on it are all over the place, but I really do like it. I’m glad that it is taking its own route instead of following along with the 1998 series did way back ago. This series can be too much to handle at times because its throwing at everything it wants to in such an interesting way. At the same time, I feel the bones placed in Trigun are still in it because it still carries so much Trigun energy that I expected to say there too. It’s pretty stunning.
Tomo-Chan
Yeah, I am really enjoying this little show. It really is like another Nozaki-kun with a different angle. A muscular having a crush on a muscular boy that doesn’t see her as a girl isn’t an original concept in anime or manga, but the execution is just so good. You can feel the unsure sexual attention between the two and then the side characters themselves are so much fun with their own little points of view. I really mean that, Gundo and Carol are a hilarious duo.
Tsurune – Linking Shot
The only reason why this show is placed in the good category instead of the solid is the fact that it feels like its retreading a lot of things from the first season and the girls are still under utilized. Otherwise, this is a beautiful sports show and I love watching it every week. I’m glad Kyoto Animation is back and can make such beautiful looking shows that carry so much emotional weight and detail in every scene. It probably is the most beautiful show on the list of shows I’m watching.
Urusei Yatsura (2022) Cour 2
I don’t have that much else to say compared to last season other then to say this show is beautiful and so much fun. The cast keeps growing in interesting ways that helps to keep the show fresh every week. That and there is so much background details thrown in every shot that I can tell David Productions put their heart into the show too. I hope it continues getting wackier all the time.
Kubo Won’t Let Me be Invisible
This show is a hornier but lesser Takagi-san. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t good though, but the fact that it does feel like Kubo is taking her stalking and ownership of Shiraishi a little too far at points. But its still a cute show about people’s first relationships and crushes so things can come across like that sometimes. But I enjoy it every week as a form of cute anime junk food and I’m going to be sad to see it disappear.
Bofuri Season 2
Speaking of anime junk food that is what Bofuri is for me too. I love seeing all the ridiculous things that Maple and her group Maple Tree get involved with and all the friends they make along the way. It really is all over the place too and way too fast at points. Not in a way that you don’t know what is going on, but because the focus is all over the place and a lot of characters get shafted unless they are hanging around maple or are Kasumi.
High Card
And finally, the last bit of anime junk good. This show is fun and has spy adventures with people that have special powers. That means seeing this crew of well dressed people in different color suits working together to solve crimes. I do not think the execution is that good, but there is enough charm and visual flair for me to keep going with it. Maybe it will turn out to be good in the end. Whose to say?
Conclusion
So this is how everything looks now and it’s fun. I am sure there will be shows that I check with after this season is over. I’m watching Do It Yourself and Bocchi the Rock right now for instance after finishing Akiba Maid War. I’m tired of things starting out so hype and ending with a big fall to the face though. Call that the Wonder Egg Priority affect. I will check shows that I am interested in for sure, but I will leave everything else So, I am rambling again. For now, I want to enjoy these shows and hopefully not see themselves fall on their faces too. That is the risk of seasonal anime.
Mechanical Anime Reviews 
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