Another season, more slop to ignore and a couple of shows to watch.
Manga:
Shibuya Near Family continues being good - it's the only ongoing manga I look forward to and seek out. Koji Kumeta's found his style a long time ago: social commentary + a hint of absurdism. Be it 1999 or 2025, it works well. A
Ariadne in the Blue Sky by Norihiro Yagi (known for Angel Densetsu & Claymore) is a real throwback in storytelling style. An old school fantasy adventure with sci-fi elements that does not care for RPG elements, immediate worldbuilding dumps or isekais. However, it is not as interesting as Claymore and definitely not as amusing as Angel Densetsu. Thus far at least. B- so far
I've also been reading the Evangelion manga and the fun but very slow to update Lies of the Sheriff Evans: Dead or Love - both good.
Anime:
The Twelve Kingdoms and Vision of Escaflowne are two shows that are very similar to each other in the beginning of the show, and I'm too early into them to judge, so I'll leave it at "I like them"
Tokimeki Tonight is a 80s shojo romcom with vampires that doesn't take itself too seriously and has delightful stylized backgrounds. I've only just started it, but it's fun so far.
Ranma 1/2, the 80s version. Having read some of the manga in the past, but dropping it because I lost track of what chapter I was on, the show is just as fun as I remember it being - and features the legendary VA Megumi Hayashibara. A
Dragon Ball Z - If I had 1 € for every legendary 150+ episode show from the Spring 1989 season I'm watching, and is actually holding up to the reputation it has... I'd have 2 €. A- (because it hasn't reached the peak of the original Dragon Ball imo... yet)
Katte ni Kaizou - Re-watched this adaptation of Koji Kumeta's early 2000s manga, and actually read what is available of it. It's fun... definitely a Shaft Adaptation for good and bad, and it's interesting to see the transition from the haha penis humor of the early part of the manga, into the more SZS style stuff later on. Shame it's a fairly short OVA for such a long and quality work, to the point where I feel like it kinda misrepresents the manga somewhat. B+
Western Animation:
Gravity Falls: I just started this, and is it just me, or does this show remind anyone of Spongebob in its humor? Either way, I like it so far.
manga
i recently finished futari escape, a lighthearted comedy manga about a mangaka's daily life and her roommate/girlfriend(?) who helps her destress by being unemployed and funny. really good manga, a bit yuri bait-y until the last volume where it gets very explicit that these two have already confessed, done their whole passionate love stage, and just live together in the more calm part of a relationship. was a really fun read and is both very cute and has a bit to say about the nature of escaping the capitalist productivity grind by asserting your will through really frivolous and stupid trips at times you really shouldn't. inspired me to visit my friend in another state randomly one day, which was fun. B+
just started reading yokohama kaidashi kikou, a manga about a robot girl whose owner has left her in charge of a cafe in a post-apocalyptic world. it's really fucking good, and it has a lot to say about climate change and the ways in which humanity can be granted to robots. i'm only 16 chapters in, but it has incredibly breathtaking art given that it's black and white lines on a page. seriously so impressive. also gay robots, so it's really easy to read it as a trans yuri narrative. so far, A simply for the art and what it's had to say. apparently it also has an OVA, which i plan on checking out at some point. maybe i'll make a post about it.