wjs018

There are already some good recommendation in this thread and I will second some of them in my list:

• Baccano!
• Kino's Journey: Yes, the main character is not an adult, but it handles very mature themes and is similar in feel to Mushishi
• Ghost in the Shell
• Samurai Champloo

This has been on my list to check out for a while. I played the tuba and trombone in band, so I was always euphonium-adjacent. I am glad to hear that the music holds up. There's nothing more frustrating than a music focused anime that doesn't deliver good music (or never let's you actually listen to it because the characters monologue over it). I will definitely be checking it out when I get a chance.

It went by really quick, but it sure looks like they keep their fresh vegetables that Shino cooked up just loose in a kitchen drawer rather than their refrigerator. One of my favorite gags in this series is how Shino is constantly finding herself in compromising situations with Naoya.

Also, I moved a ton when I was a kid and went to a different school almost every year. So I sympathize with young Shino not trying to get too invested in making friends that are likely to be out of your life later on.

The crazy, over-the-top characters in this show is what makes it entertaining. At the end of the day, all that happened in this episode is Shino moved in and they had dinner. Without such extreme personalities in the mix, it would be exceptionally dull.

It's been a while since I read this portion of the manga and had completely forgotten about Fern's recounting of her first experience fighting a monster. This explains the comments Frieren made last episode to Fern about it that I had misinterpreted.

I love that they are keeping a slow pace and incorporating montages like when Stark and Fern are looking for a way through the checkpoint. It helps show the passage of time and how Stark/Fern deal with that differently than Frieren does.

As always, the ED is great, probably my favorite of any of the series I am watching this season.

Looking through the shows I have enjoyed the most in the past couple years here are some that I don't see on your list:

• Bocchi the Rock
• Eminence in Shadow
• Lycoris Recoil
• Heavenly Delusion
• Oshi no Ko

Also, it might be (quite) a bit older, but if you really feel like you need something dripping with melancholy, I would recommend Mushi-shi.

I just started watching that recently going in completely blind. It is a wild ride. Would recommend.

I am in deep already.

She, along with Kai and Omega are characters I am most interested in learning more about. The recent Shadow Chronicles chapters provide a ton of good info on Kai. Looking forward to getting more.

I really liked that show and thought I would check out the manga once I saw it kept going past the show. However, I was fortunate enough to do a quick search for reviews and then proceeded to quickly run away. The anime on its own is pretty wholesome.

I love the recurring gag of Cid just spouting off the lines he heard from Mary last episode. He even got to recite them back to her as Shadow after dramatically saving her. A role reversal from when he was saved by her in his Cid persona.

The fact that Cid dramatically finished off the final boss (he thinks) and poses for an audience of zero really tells you a lot about him. He places an importance on the aesthetic of being an Eminence in Shadow, even if nobody is there to appreciate it. Also, for as genre-aware as he might be, he is bad at guessing when the protagonist of a storyline will appear. He messed this up in the sanctuary last season as well when Nelson showed up instead of Alpha.

Finally, we get to see the ED this episode. It looks like they are keeping a similar style to last season where they have a cast member sing the ED while character art is slowly revealed. This time, I was initially confused as to what character it was, but it is actually Lambda (the drill sergeant from the end of last season) and the song is sung by her CV Ikumi Hasegawa. This seems to be a younger version of Lambda and the first time I have ever seen her with her right eye open. I hope we get some Lambda in this season. She has hardly shown up at all in the LNs that I can remember, but she is such a cool looking character.

The manga is still ongoing, so don't expect a conclusion. However, based on visuals and the OP, it looks like this season is getting pretty far through the source that exists. So, good news is that there is probably a future Frieren season. Bad news is that it might be a while (for humans, it won't be long if you are an elf).

I hadn't heard of this one before until I pulled up a page and saw it also goes by Ranger Reject, which I am aware of. I am not quite sure what to make of this one. If you read the synopsis of the source manga, it sounds like a straight-forward sentai series. However, if you read the anime synopsis, it sounds like a subversion of the genre. Might have to give this one a try when it comes out to see what the deal is.

The bot is a week late on this one. If you want to see the discussion thread for this episode that I posted, see here.