SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table – Episode 1
SHIBOYUGI’s beautiful double-length premiere doesn’t make for a bad short film, but it’s hard to see it having staying power as a series.
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Champignon Witch – Episode 1
Despite its unhurried pace and touches of whimsy, Champignon Witch is very much a story about social ostracization and how cultural norms and surface-level assumptions can unfairly relegate people as outsiders.
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Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord – Episode 1
It’s thoroughly unremarkable fantasy slop, from the bland protagonist to the “good slave owner” trope.
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The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife – Episode 1
I’d refrain from stamping Yako with “good representation” or “bad representation” because, you know, we love nuance; but I’d say The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife is off to a decent start with regards to its heroine’s disability and the supernatural romance (and marriage!) that the title foreshadows.
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A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation – Episode 1
A disappointingly underbaked adaptation from a creative team that feels poorly matched to the material.
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The Holy Grail of Eris – Episode 1
Being possessed by an already-dead villainess, and having a weird magical partnership with her, is certainly already an inventive setup, so part of me is on board for that alone.
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Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter – Episode 1
The world hasn’t yet had a BL about an accountant solving a royal conspiracy by investigating paperwork, and how wonderful that we do now.
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An Adventurer’s Daily Grind at Age 29 – Episode 1
Starts out as a decent adoptive parent story, but the mid-episode twist pulls it off the rails.
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Yoroi-Shinden Samurai Troopers– Episode 1
While it’s a sequel to the original series, it’s also a fresh enough start for new fans. At the same time, the addition of politics and gore fundamentally shifts the tone of the story in ways that it feels alien to the original material.
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Tune in to the Midnight Heart – Episode 1
A perfectly okay romantic comedy that feels more grounded than most sexualized teen romps by presenting a cast of characters that feel like slightly more than average high schoolers.trying to find their way through life.
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The Case Book of Arne – Episode 1
It’s poorly written as a mystery show and the last-minute twist makes the whole thing fall completely flat.
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The Darwin Incident – Episode 1
The series wants to ask big questions about animal rights, extremism, and eugenics, but the writing so far is awfully broad for tackling such hefty issues.
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The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!! – Episodes 1-2
I have a dozen minor quibbles with the show, but at the end of it all I come back to the fact that both episodes flew by and felt like a warm blanket.
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There Was a Cute Girl in the Hero’s Party, So I Tried Confessing to Her – Episode 1
It’s just too boring to invest in how the main character will probably spend his time wearing this poor girl down.
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You Can’t Be in a Rom-Com With Your Childhood Friends! – Episode 1
If you want to see one teenage boy be the densest substance known to humanity while being pursued by a gaggle of girls in his orbit, then this fan service-filled premiere might just be the one for you.
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Noble Reincarnation: Born Blessed, So I’ll Obtain Ultimate Power – Episode 1
It’s yet another power fantasy isekai, but it at least comes from a relatable fantasy: “here’s how I’d fix the world if I had all the money.”
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Wash It All Away – Episode 1
Put your soul through a deluxe wash cycle with a community story that promises low stakes but high levels of satisfaction and thankfully delivers.
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Journal with Witch – Episode 1
Journal with Witch is exquisitely boarded, perfectly edited, and speaks profoundly to the human condition, intimacy, and ambiguities of grief.
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Kunon the Sorcerer Can See – Episodes 1-2
The idea of a fantasy story about a blind protagonist working to make the world more accessible with magic is cool, but it completely falls flat in execution.
