At this point in time, the Winter seasonal shows have mostly either wrapped up or are airing their finale this week. So, I wanted to hear your thoughts on shows you watched this season. Shows you liked, disliked, were surprised by, disappointed by? Let those opinions rip!
Please feel free to use this thread as a normal weekly discussion thread as well! Anything that would normally be in the weekly discussion thread any other week is welcome here.
As always, remember to be mindful of spoilers. If you want to know more about how to handle spoilers in this community, check the guide here (also linked in the sidebar).
I haven’t been watching anime for that long, so this is in fact the most stacked season of anime that I’ve watched while they are airing.
Here are the ones that I have enjoyed the most:
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That’s 16 anime!
Looking through my watch history, the second best season for me is Fall 2023 with 7 most-enjoyed anime:
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This season’s list is easily double that of Fall 2023! (Plus I didn’t watch all of the Fall 2023 anime while they were airing e.g. JJK S2)
Here are some thoughts on my favourite anime from this season:
Medalist
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If I must nominate one anime out of all these top-tier anime to be anime-of-the-season, Medalist would be my pick. It’s easy to root for the underdog pair of Inori-Tsukasa in season 1 while they are starting off. Now that they are entering the big leagues, the underdog aspect is no longer as pronounced. But, they made up for it by developing the side characters more (not saying they didn’t in previous season). The result is a bunch of athletes I’d like to root for.
It reminds me of Umamusume (as opposed to another sports anime like Haikyu!): although there’s a MC that we follow, each horsegirl is effectively the protagonist of their own stories, facing their own struggles. I can’t help but root for many of them because they all deserve the win in some way. Same thing with the skaters in Medalist.
The good writing gave us character development, drama and story, but the cherry on the top has to be the comedy. The humour is on point and got me laughing out loud too many times. It can be so funny one moment, then be all touching and getting me emotional the next.
In a nut shell, this anime is peak. Don’t sleep on it people! Here’s a clip you can check out if you’re still undecided: If you don’t know that kind of pain, I’ll never let you be a gold medalist!
Beastars
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There are quite a few significant unresolved plot threads in this last season IMO. Even then, they’re not enough to reduce my enjoyment of the anime.
There is less suspense than in previous seasons, but it made up for it with the thrills. One thing it kept up - that I really liked - is the interactions between the characters. Not just the MCs but also the side characters. In fact, I have noticed a recurring theme among my favourite anime: they all have well-developed side characters.
I think the ending could have been better fleshed out, but all things considered, I am satisfied. Is this anime “objectively” peak? Maybe not. In terms of personal enjoyment though? Straight to the top.
Isekai Office Worker
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Based on the title and synopsis alone, you can probably tell that it’s not going to be a standard isekai story. Kazuma may complain that all he has is a useless goddess, and Subaru may lament that he only has return-by-death, but these are nothing compared to Seiichirou’s experience: summoned with no cheats, no equipment, no nothing - not even basic magic resistance! Without magic resistance, he can’t even handle the mana that exists around him. It’s like having a permanent poison debuff at the start of the game, as a level 1 beginner. Talk about a rough start!
Thank goodness the people around him - with a few notable exceptions - are functioning adults. They see the value he brings to table despite the lack of cheats, and thus gave him support. What’s his superpower you ask? That’s right, it’s being an accountant. Bro got isekai-ed just to do his 9-to-5.
Or in Seiichirou’s case, probably 6-to-10 since he’s that much of a workaholic. He’s practically married to his job, and would have actually been had he not met his significant other.
I thought Cherry Magic’s hook was fun, but Isekai Office Walker takes it to the next level. So, regarding Seiichirou’s lack of magic resistance, how do you think it gets dealt with? Apparently, he’s got to get acclimatised to someone else’s mana - and the more directly and physical, the better 😏
Beyond this initial hook, I enjoyed the world-building and kingdom-building a lot. It is also refreshing to see quite a few mature characters in an isekai, though there are still the occasional tropish asshats.
I went in expecting just the tropes, possibly some spicy moments, but it ended up becoming one of my top favourites. I can safely say this is the greatest dark horse of the season for me.
Journal with Witch
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I am grateful to everyone who mentioned how good this anime is in the weekly discussion threads. This may just be my bias but josei titles tend to have bland synopses. They would go something like “Due to circumstances, two person met. Follow the story of their life together”. Where’s the hook?? So if not for y’all, I may have missed out on peak.
If we strip all anime down to just their writing, I think this one is the winner. No need for fantasy, scifi, romance, comedy, etc. Just raw human relations and interactions. The fact that it can be so entertaining without all these devices is a testament to its quality of writing.
Others may have pointed it out already, but the characters are so relatable. Depending on the situation, I can see myself in each of them. Perhaps what this means is the all (or at least most) humans have so much more in common than we thought.
If there’s one thing I must highlight about the anime, it’s the episode titles. They are all just one-word long, and yet they capture (or hint at) the essence of the episodes so well. It’s kind of tryhard, but it is indeed very clever.
This anime is definitely a must to check out.
Jujutsu Kaisen
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Each season of Jujutsu Kaisen just gets better than the last. Season 1 was great, but it was really just setting the stage. Season 2 had some of the best world-building and twists, but I had to dock a point due to some dissatisfying shounen tropes. Season 3 has been nearly flawless thus far.
I really like the execution of the story / the writing, telling the story in a non-linear fashion. The way it was done reminds me of Your Name and Christopher Nolan’s works.
If I have any complaints, it is that there is still too much narration / exposition. This is an animation for goodness sake. Show, not tell!
Can’t fit everything in one comment due to the character limit; see reply.
Got lazy:
Oshi no Ko - More suspense, more drama, more good music. It is building up towards a big climax, and I can’t wait to see it.
'Tis Time for “Torture”, Princess - It’s more of the same as season 1, but somehow I found this season funnier and more enjoyable. Maybe its pacing improved? Whatever the case, it is still a very cute and wholesome slice-of-life. The characters are very relatable too but in a comedic way.
Frieren - With the shorter episode count and having just episodic stories, this season is clearly just an intermission, the calm before the storm, the bridge to the next big arc. Even so, it still delivered with the direction, the soundtracks and just the rest of the production in general. I particularly enjoyed the light bits of humour.
The Demon King’s Daughter is Too Kind!! - This is my most anticipated anime of the season and I am glad to say that it has met my expectations. Its production value may not be on par with the greats, but it captured the essence of the source material and that’s what truly matter for an adaptation IMO. They know how to exemplify Dou’s cuteness and kindness, providing the perfect healing each week.
Gnosia - Plenty of loose ends just like Beastars IMO, but I still enjoyed the journey. Very fun, and the closest to a whodunnit in anime. (Perhaps I watched too little anime.)
You and I are Polar Opposites - It is always refreshing to see a non-braindead couple, even if it is a standard romcom. Standard romances / romcoms tend to fall off and become boring to me, because it’s always the same story. What this anime did though - just like the rest of the greats in this season - is to develop the rest of the cast. Now there’s way more interactions, keeping things fresh.
Hell’s Paradise - After all the build-up in season 1, we are starting to get to the meat in season 2. There are still more reveals (or at least there should be, otherwise plotlines would be unresolved) to come, so it should be staying interesting.
Watanare Next Shine - Everyone probably saw the ending coming a mile away. Nevertheless, I am still satisfied how this arc ends; in fact, there can be more 😈 This has to be the spiciest yuri harem, the first and only of its kind that I’ve watched, and I am looking forward to more.
Tamon’s B-Side - Quite a fun watch. Without going into spoiler territory, I like the tropes here.
Love Through A Prism - Standard shoujo romcom. In a meta of villainesses, vanilla shoujo has looped around to being refreshing.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes - More development of side characters in this season compared to the first, which is the recipe for greatness it seems.