Rejoice comrades, february's thread is here
Manga
I returned and picked up Ah! My Goddess and Oresama Teacher again. They're both still fun manga. I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class made a positive first impression on me; as far as kinda generic romcoms can be. Unique in that regard was the manhwa Skill of Lure, which does have a really eyebrow-raising premise, and was somehow shockingly well written (and short) for what it was. Less r/incel and more r/relationshipadvice kind of stuff, I suppose. It not being in the dreaded long strip format made it easier to read.
Anime
I finished Season 1 of Full Metal Panic! (2002) and it's fun in how it merges end of history era brainwormed action movie tropes and a romantic comedy with the most unhinged male and arguably female leads in anime (Chidori Kaname is a total girlboss). A ...which leads into Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (2003), a slice of life spinoff set between S1 and S2 and animated by KyoAni, which two episodes in is already one of the funniest anime I have seen. How did this show fade into relative obscurity?
Speaking of hilarity, Cautious Hero (2019) is an isekai so similar in spirit to Konosuba that it feels like a spin-off of that show. I did not go in expecting actual quality, but the show does have it. Ristarte does have some great facial expressions in the show. I have not finished it yet.
Instead of sharing the comedic aspects of FMP (well... usually), New Mobile Report Gundam Wing (1995) shares an oddly similar main character. The show is better and less so-bad-it's-good as the initial impression left on me, even if it does heavily borrow from the entire UC Gundam universe to the point of feeling a bit like a recap of 0079 to CCA. Definitely worth checking out, even if imo not as good as either G Gundam or After War X Gundam. B+
The Apothecary Diaries S2 (2025) Maoism is back, and is the same quality it was in Season 1. Hell yeah, A
Midnight Eye: Goku (1989) is not about Son Goku, but a 60 minute cyberpunk OVA. For what it was, pretty good, even if it had some B movie qualities. B
From Bureaucrat to Villainess: Dad's Been Reincarnated! (2025) is fun, and, even though it has a neat twist, fairly generic. For what it is, it's decent. B
directly related Games
Super Robot W is one of the best written games in the franchise I have played so far, but much like other games in the series, the further you go into the game, the longer the missions get. Beyond an exciting boss fight, the difficulty is medium to easy. A
I've been working through a hell of a backlog after a few years of kinda doing nothing.
I've been on a villainess kick for some reason and just kinda have been using them as a bit of comfort food.
Akuyaku Reijou Level 99 (5/10): Bland, it's sorta cute in places but it fails to do anything interesting.
Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou (6/10): It had a little bit more to offer than level 99 but it was still rather bland, would've been much more interesting if we had more of these loops to experience.
Akuyaku Reijou nano de Last Boss wo Kattemimashita (5/10): This one had a bit of an interesting start but it kept having to one up itself and by the end I was sorta happy it was over.
Kanojo ga koushaku-tei ni itta riyuu (5/10): Kinda crap and bland, doesn't do much interesting
Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou (7/10): This one was good. I remember opening the light novel a while back and starting it but falling off it pretty fast because it took the annoying trope of "I'm happy being a passive observer of my love interest as long as they're happy." It actually does a lot more with its premise and the anime is really just a prequel to everything else. I actually have been working on the light novel and been quite happy with it. (9/10)
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Dungeon Meshi (9/10): Loved it, expected something very different more akin to Isekai Shokudou but was very happy to be wrong.
Raise wa Tanin ga Ii (6/10): I was there for the yakuza drama, everything else felt kinda ick, the male lead was also fucking awful.
Isekai One Turn Kill Nee-san (3/10): Why did I start this? Came back to my list to see I had 4 episodes left so I finished it but goddamn I subject myself to some awful shit sometimes.
Solo Leveling (6/10): It was enjoyable enough to watch while sick with the GI bug, I think the dark souls red knight boss should've been the MC though.
Mashle S2 (8/10): Solid, listened to the OP for all 12 episodes.
Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou (7/10): While it did some interesting things and had the guts to show the main pair actually kiss, I don't think I'll pick up the original. If the light novel does something interesting though I'd be open to reading it.
Ah yes, the Oreimo Isekai. Terrible in every way, but fun to group watch when you get into it knowing it'll be terrible.