WIND BREAKER – Episode 1
Sakura Haruka already seems like a great addition to the “teen gangster with a heart of gold” squad.
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Bartender: Glass Of God – Episode 1
I liked Bartender: Glass of God well enough, but its lofty claims gave it an air of pretension that I couldn’t really get past.
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An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride – Episode 1
Sometimes you experience a piece of media that’s just ideologically rancid all the way down, despite it loudly singing that that’s absolutely not so.
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The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases – Episode 1
If it were a more competent production, I might feel slightly conflicted about how to respond to it. Luckily, it’s the kind of piss-poor execution that could ruin even the most brilliant, creative idea, so I can just kind of point and laugh.
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I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Skill – Episode 1
Gatekeep, Grimoire, Guy Boss! We’ve got another protagonist centered on getting want they want with a commoner reincarnated as prince who just wants to read and study magic. Hip hip hurray!
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Re:Monster – Episode 1
The opening is impressively bad, and the rest of the episode has the gall to settle into mediocrity.
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Train to the End of the World – Episode 1
This is an anime-original project written by Yokote Michiko. With this one sentence, a non-insignificant number of you will be able to make up your minds about whether to check out this premiere.
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Gods’ Games We Play – Episode 1
Play a game with the gods and take a gamble on this just okay premiere about gods playing games and humans playing against gods that debuted with a day one dub in multiple languages.
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Spice and Wolf: MERCHANT MEETS THE WISE WOLF – Episode 1
It’s slow-going and softly-spoken, which means Spice and Wolf won’t be for everyone. But honestly, for me it’s a refreshing change of pace.
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2024 Spring Premiere Reviews
All the spring premiere reviews in one easy-to-find place.
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Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included – Episode 1
Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included is a magical girlfriend anime with absolutely no thoughts in its head.
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Crunchyroll fails to meet industry standards for Closed Captioning
Despite having a near-complete monopoly on the anime streaming industry in 2024, Crunchyroll does not offer closed captioning for the majority of its English dubs.
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Who is Granted Personhood? Frieren’s demons and the trouble with the “inherently evil race” trope
This story about immortality, grief, and the importance of emotional connections is interrupted by the presence of blunt, strawman villains who exist not as characters but as plot devices to show the “humanity” of the protagonists.
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Chatty AF 203: Revolutionary Girl Utena Watchalong – Episodes 21-27 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Vrai, Cy, and Chiaki return to cover the conclusion of the Black Rose arc, the beginning The End of the World, and Akio being both the worst and relentlessly sexy on convertibles.
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Becoming Monstrous: Yurikuma Arashi and transmisogyny in the school system
Everything in Yurikuma Arashi is more symbol than literal representation, and I have often mulled over its meaning as I’ve navigated entering the teaching profession as a nonbinary Chinese person. Like the bears, I’ve often asked myself: what do I sacrifice to be allowed to exist within the school?
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Curses and True Forms: Reading Fruits Basket as a lesbian
As a lesbian, Fruits Basket was not written for me. Even so, the romance between Kyo and Tohru resonates deeply with my experience of queerness.
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The Consequence of No Consequences: Mushoku Tensei and excusing sexual violence
Any story that wants to explore this darker side of humanity must be willing to explore how doing horrible things affects the world and people around you, or it risks trivializing the true horrors of the darkness it depicts.
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My Fave is Problematic: I’m in Love with the Villainess
I’m in Love with the Villainess starts out as a silly isekai romance but grows into a story that earnestly advocates for queer people, taking on complex subjects like homophobia, transphobia, and classism. However, the story’s reliance on messy tropes can sometimes muddle its messages.
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Chatty AF 202: Revolutionary Girl Utena Watchalong – Episodes 13-20 (WITH TRANSCRIPT)
Cy, and Chiaki, and Vrai return and dive into the Black Rose Saga, the importance of the secondary cast, and Anthy’s deepening characterization.
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Love Him to Heal Him: Heterosexual wish-fulfillment in Mars and I Sold My Life For 10,000 Yen Per Year
Looking at these series side by side, we can see the same archetype and corresponding fantasy of the scarred, strong yet secretly sad man being nursed emotionally by a female love interest play out in different hues for their specific target audiences, in all its glories and pitfalls.
