I hope this will be as absurdly over the top as Maid Wars.

Good first episode. You can definitely see Akatsuki’s brand of emotional manipulation at work, but just like in VE it works instead of pissing me off.

Looking forward to the rest of the show.

Exceptional show. Definitely one of those very rare examples of a show that will stay with me and that I will think about in random moments for years to come.

and the character interactions were unlike any others I’ve seen in anime

Check out a show called The Great Passage (Fune wo Amu). No teenage angst in this, but it has similar vibes.

ps: happy cake day.

Looking forward to Peddler in Another World.

<The Water Magician> Volume 6 - Setup episode for all-out war coming up in the next one, and yet they’re still constantly doing that shitty MCU banter. Every second sentence out of MC and sidekick has to be some pseudo-witty remark. It’s grating.

<The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: Pay Attention in Class!> Volume 1 - Entertaining new series. There was a bullying plotline early on, and I wasn’t sure if this was going to be a main focus of the series, but it got resolved quickly and seems to be resolved for good. There are some glaring plot holes, though, so it’s one of those series where you just have to turn off your brain.

<Frieren Beyond Journey’s End -Prelude- > Vol. 1 - Multiple short story vignettes. The first is during the time Fern was living with Heiter when a beaver stole her magic staff. The second short is about Stark after he left Eisen and before he joined Frieren and Fern. The third short story is about Lawine and Kanne as students on their first monster hunt. The fourth is about Aura around the time she first met the hero’s party. The last short is about Frieren dreaming about her past companions.

Before picking up the book, readers should know that this is strictly fan service. Not a single one of the stories stands on its own without reference to the manga/anime. The chapters about the side characters were a bit better in this regard since the author had a bit more freedom to explore with the less fleshed-out characters. I think it’s good enough for what it is, just go in with the right expectations. If someone is looking for a story in the “Frieren-style” that works on its own, then they should pick up <Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored> instead.

<The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies> Volume 3 - Volume concludes the first arc. I think this series is weaker than Sword Tensei. There are more reincarnators that MC interacts with in this story than there are natives, so it loses all the fantasy in my opinion.

When Fern told Stark that Frieren is to her what Himmel is to Frieren it was such a beautiful moment.

This was to me what Polar Opposites was to the mainline.

What’s with this threat that it brings all the trolls out of the woodwork?

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I have to admit that I have no idea why this is going around as news right now. I’ve seen a trailer for this over half a year ago. Maybe I’m missing something.

I was expecting someone from her past to show up or recognize her since the Instagram episode. I honestly was 100% sure that this was where they would be going with that whole social media plot line.

That powerpoint adaptation did the series dirty. I think I’m actually looking less forward to the next LN volume after this anime. I really don’t think this adaptation had any redeeming qualities, and I think the series (or IP) would have been better off without it.

There is a difference between something abstract like “I blow up the city” compared to “here are your parents. You’re gonna watch while I kill them”. The “I blow up the city” scenario is so huge that it’s harder to wrap a mind around, while the up close and personal “I’ll kill your parents” is immediately tangible, even though the parents are dead either way.

Btw. this is a tangent, but I also believe that this is true for the “other side”. Must be infinitely easier to press a button and nuke a city, then to look someone in the eye and drive a dagger into their body.

Key visual (for those who still believe in such things)

Holy shit. I only just now got it. You really were saying that my intentionally exaggerated post about inocculating kids with a dose of death and suffering should not have been sarcastic.

I have to admit, you pushed me to a point where I am not sure how to answer. That’s a new one for me, so I’m going to revel in that sensation for a while.

almost-certainly being sarcastic

You think so?

If OP is trying to raise one of the 53% of White Women who voted for Trump, they can’t go wrong with your voluminous advice.

Okay, I’ll bite ;) Please go on and elaborate.

I’m personally only interested in fantasy and/or isekai stories so I’m going to recommend my favorites in that genre:

Ascendance of a Bookworm - on the surface a nice little story about a reincarnated girl who wants to create books in a world where they are beyond her reach. Below the surface, the struggle and division between classes are a driving factor of the plot. It’s exceptionally well written, and the isekai aspect is more than just a narrative crutch. The main character also doesn’t get any op cheat powers. That the series is completed (and got an incredible ending) is either a pro or a con, depending on your disposition.

Cooking With Wild Game - Similar to Bookworm, this is another isekai story that features a underpowered main character and that is on the surface a lot different than what’s below. On the surface, it’s just some isekai MC cooking food for some woodland tribe. Below the surface, it’s another story about class divides. Also, just like Bookworm the stakes at play are constantly growing bigger. At first, it’s just between different tribes, then between the town and the tribes, then between the town and the nobles, then the duchy vs other duchies, and currently, there are the first signs that the stakes might involve other countries soon. It’s a very slow burn, but all the good characters are more lovable than in any other series.

Those two are locked in. 3rd place, on the other hand, is a bit more fluid. Changes for me depending on my mood. For the moment, let’s go with

The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival - another isekai (I know, shocking) story about a woman who gets reincarnated into the body of the heroine of an otome game (think very trope-y visual novel for girls). Technically, that’s not 100% true, but close enough for the sake of this recommendation here. She gets ousted by another reincarnated girl who assumes her position as the game’s heroine and instead starts to fight for herself in the wilderness. Over time, she becomes very overpowered with the help of some eccentric mentors she meets along the way. I love this series, especially for how ruthless MC is. For example, one group tries to kill her, she answers by completely annihilating said group to the point where members in other places start to whisper her name in fear. She’s the John Wick of the light novel world.

Those are my recommendations. You can also brows through the weekly “What have you read…” threads where we give quick impressions of the volumes we’ver read that week. Maybe something jumps out and interests you.

You’re correct. Show those little parasites that little girls aren’t exempt from slowly dying of malnutrition after losing their parents in a fire bombing. It’s important to inoculate kids early with a good dose of reality before they start to think that they’re allowed to enjoy their childhood.