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
Yeah, I definitely experienced whiplash going from Rose of Versailles to Dear Brother... . I'd say the main reasons I'm glad I watched it were
As just a show to enjoy, I'd be hard-pressed to recommend it, and if it had been something airing this season without the historical factors I might have dropped it, especially given the length. It's pretty telling that I really had to restrain myself from bingeing Versailles no Bara but I only had one or two days where I watched two episodes of Dear Brother instead of my usual one. Also I vaguely recall seeing that it influenced Revolutionary Girl Utena? That'll probably be the next long show that I watch, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any influences.
I've heard good things about both of those LNs, so I'll definitely check them out! I'm nowhere near the book-a-day speed of my youth, but hopefully by next month's thread I'll be able to give my impressions of at least one of them.