It's cold, it's dark, work is every day. And yet there is time for anime.
Manga
Beyond continuing GTO at a glacial pace, as well as keeping up with Shibuya Near Family and Wasteful Days of High School Girls + Gekkan-Shoujo Nozaki Kun whenever updates release, I have picked up Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha. It's short, it's fun. I'm pretty early into the story to comment more.
Anime
I have finished Monogatari: Second Season, and the Kaiki arc is just fantastic. It's another high in a series that I have both underestimated and feel that it does live to its questionable reputation. Onto the next series, which is... uh... Hanamonogatari?
One Outs is a gambling sports anime that has been recommended to me for a while, and it is decent so far. The MC is pretty un-Kaiji like, and more your average extremely confident gambling genius.
I've watched Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's somewhat style over substance, but it is refreshing in a sea of formulatic slop. I remember the ending having a bit of controversy surrounding it. I thought it was tragic. The post-credit scene did cheapen that though.
Cardcaptor Sakura keeps being fun and cozy.
I have also resumed Sailor Moon, from Season S. It's still good old Sailor Moon.
Millennium Actress was a pretty good movie, aided by the soundtrack of the excellent Susumu Hirasawa. I felt like I missed half of the appeal of the movie by not being that familiar with what was most likely 1930s to early 1970s Japanese cinema.
I've been watching Jujutsu Kaisen (anime) for the first time and I just finished Season 1 and..
Well, it's good, to me. Didn't find anything I particularly disliked.. Maybe because for me it's an anime where i I can relax and watch cool fights interspersed with a somewhat interesting magic system (I've been exposed to some critiques of it, but maybe I just glossed over the problems?) and loveable character dynamics with the three (Yuji, Nobara and Megumi) and Gojo.
Something I'll comment right now, is that comparing it to a movie like (that I also just recently watched) Kimi no Na wa (Your Name...) where at first I was enjoying the aspect of the first half, then got nervous as the plot moved forward and basically was screaming at my screen because:
Spoilers for Your Name...!
I was almost crying out to the guy (Taki) to save Mitsuha (girl) of this bodyswap magical comet tragedy likeeee I just want them to meet, and have happy lives and/or like just mess around with the bodyswap dreaming or something but it also had themes I myself was confronting like how searching do you have to be to go live in some town paradise only to realize the truth of living as a girl strained by traditions and societal pressure in Japan AAAAAHH I just want to have more fluff with them!!!And so, compare that to JJK where I was tense but I knew that if they die, they'd die fighting and saving friends and stuff.. I just really enjoy hero shonen stuff okay?! I know it's like, less.. complex and doesn't address much themes that don't already exist like clan stuff, the dichotomy of good and evil, saving people.. The stuff that every anime/manga has already touched on, but.. can you forgive a gal for liking the thrilling yet funny sometimes stories that help me calm down where I don't stare into a wall contemplating my very identity..? Yep! That's a writer for you!
Anyways, aside from that, I also just liked the music of these animes that have hype battle scenes. Just because of their rock/metal aspects that get me pumping and moving through life, and even though I often... go into way more in depth than necessary, (looking at you Attack on Titan, I still dislike the ending in a lot of ways..!) it's what allows me to enjoy life in a less.. ahem, connected way to real life.
Like, I wanna write something exactly like that where it's funny, thrilling yet aspects of tragedy bleeding through but not to the point of existential dread or anything. Chainsaw Man, is my like, exact type of series for this reason and FUJIMOTO I SWEAR IF THIS STORY DOESN'T END WITH ASADEN I WILL— removed for legal reasons
note: i gotta watch Frieren, but I focus on one anime at a time, aight?
That's.. about it! Will post a comment to this comment once I find a lot more to talk about~
Oh yeha . I really like Jujutsu Kaisen. I only watched the Anime and it goes hard (talking about season 2) Season 3 is currently airing so you started the show at a good time.