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Let me be the first to say this to you. If all you want is a pretty modern adaptation of what this movie calls "Princess Knight," a.k.a the Ribbon Hero, go ahead. This review is meant to describe a couple of my points of discontent with the movie I happened to watch on a whim after seeing its premiere on Netflix. As my finger twiddled down to the moment where I would click "Watch The Ribbon Hero", I never thought I would regret watching it.

There was one and only one specific thing I was looking forward to in this movie: the "Crossdressing" theme. While I ... dare to say I'm not the biggest fan of it, I was willing to open my heart to try and watch what it mainly had to offer. Maybe it's about the main character being forced to disguise themselves with their premise at hand. But unfortunately, that's not what the writers for this adaptation had in mind. Instead, they decided to offer it to a supporting character who has no purpose other than to appear crossdressing in a church-like setting. This, for me, is an abysmal creative decision for the narrative sequence, because not only were they willing to sacrifice one of its most important traits for its main character to a supporting one at that, but it delegates it to a mere eyecandy with some voice acting at hand, just to be a stinking gimmick. This movie is filled with gimmicks, perhaps more shameless on the spectrum, since it relies heavily on those gimmicks to supposedly give character development to these characters, if you can even call them one. CGDCT, Yuri, Crossdressing. Everything is being treated as a joke and a means to an end for the staff's clumsy direction.

While I have to give credit for its visual presentation, it cannot save anything from the writing and narrative side, which all boils down to a hamfisted hero journey about a girl who refused to give up. I despise this movie with hatred because it fails to respect its very own characters that exist in its setting, only to be recalled later in a couple of scenes to give them at least some purpose to act in the climax. The main character, Sapphire, is what I call a rough gem in this meaningless loot of plot devices it has at its disposal. She's serviceable at best thanks to the staff's decision to remove the very thing that makes her special, making me genuinely despise the supporting characters (Looking at you, Velvet), as they do little to no performance that deserves character climaxes or strong monologues to even win your heart. I feel nothing at the end other than anger and disappointment. The movie also dared to even call these sequences "Acts", infuriating me to a bottom I have not felt in a long time. Anything decent the movie managed to create is to be treated as salvage and no more than that. It's why I didn't bother to rate it anything lower than a 3, as I was still able to find a little bit of goodness in this frustrating mess of a narrative.

In other words, if you want a strong narrative with likable characters, I beg you to look the other way and don't look back. This is what happens when you try to direct something without any care or a liking for the theme Princess Knight has, only to be seen as a hamfisted story that pales in comparison to any decent stories that try to tell one.

Thank you for reading.

I was initially optimistic about Black Torch, but after watching beyond the first episode, I do not have high hopes for this anime anymore.

First, the animation and visuals for this anime are solid. You don't need to worry about the series being a PowerPoint presentation. The staff did great work on the character designs and color palette for this anime, so it's a pleasure to watch every second of their sequences. While it does utilize still shots, they are implemented with care and professionalism. The action sequences are the bread and butter of this "promising" series; you'll find yourself at home if all you're looking ... for are some short action scenes with a little familiar cast. 100studio being a relatively new studio, producing this is remarkable, but this is nothing new when you have a dedicated staff to make it.

Therefore, my optimistic view ends; now comes my negative side of the anime. It betrays its own logic way too many times and is inconsistent to the point where I got frustrated. Looking back on the statement about my optimism, I was originally looking forward to a decent short watch of Black Torch, after knowing that it was a pretty short manga and the first episode was good enough to consider this a chance. But later episodes feel like it was utilizing trope situations without much care for their own setting. For instance, remember when the anime first showed Jiro could talk to animals and even have them show him where the conflict would often begin? For some reason, they disappear and are not allowed to interfere in the supporting cast's adventures because it wants to focus on them instead, but it ends up forgetting about the already established traits of what could have made its fight sequences or even its rising points more interesting. Thus, what ends up happening are scenes being this washed-up, same-old, generic shounen series that tries to be 'different', but instead falls on its own feet. And no, just because he can talk to Rago doesn't disprove the fact that other animals don't really help him during fight sequences. I find it appalling that the idea of talking to animals is immediately forgotten when the next plot point occurs; not even Jiro's grandpa did anything with the ability to talk to animals because, obviously, it wanted to make sure Rago fused with Jiro in the first place, which shouldn't even happen in the first place.

I'm not even finished yet; the writing and characters in this anime are so bad, it feels like I'm watching an incompetent cast acting like it's their first time talking to each other. For an anime about agents fighting against mononoke, the Bureau of Espionage is surprisingly inept at its job; it almost feels like they were intentionally trying to force character development. Not to mention how in your face some of these dialogues feel with these certain characters, especially Ichika and Reiji. It also didn't help that the anime tries to shove as much fan service as they could with the new poster girl of the anime, being Ichika. It's another waste because both of them are voiced by amazing people who provided some of the best voice performances in the 2020s. But these characters are genuinely frustrating to watch.

Being an action fan first and foremost, it fails at several things to make an action fiction work. Its foundation work is atrocious to see as it abandons its established lore more often and fails to build on it due to its overreliance on plot drive. It thinks having a loud, proactive protagonist would fix the lousy writing and building, but shoving them into a spot where they can only respond reactively is not good action to me. Unless it's able to justify why they needed to act reactively, if your whole narrative is based around using tropes just for plot and abandoning your foundation just for storytelling, I could see why the manga ends up so short.

Thank you for reading.

I could think of a couple of things on what to expect from Kaiju Girl Caramelise:

1. Interesting absurd premise.
"People will believe the impossible, but they will not accept the improbable." - VSauce.

- Tell me, where can you find an anime about a kaiju girl learning about love who can't even control her emotions and spirals into a walking nuke that can shoot atomic beams because she's lovestruck? Probably a lot, since there are already dozens that have utilized this concept, but it's always fun to find an anime that sticks with its narrative rather than making it a gimmick. The first 3 episodes mostly emphasise ... Kuroe's initial struggle to fit in as a human, with few obstacles being in the way and her main love interest to stimulate an experience akin to a shoujo love story, while allowing some mishaps about Kuroe almost turning into a Kaiju until she couldn't take in the feels. While it is easy to brand the show as formulaic due to its repetitive pattern for storytelling, it helps build the foundation and objective of the story.

2. It's funny.
- When it comes to rom-coms, the comedy is often reliant on the characters, and fortunately, this anime has that. Kuroe, as the titular kaiju, is one of the more interesting protagonists and love interests we have in this stacked season filled with romance. The supporting characters are fairly decent to watch and help add more flavor to the comedy most rom-coms lack, thanks to the crazy delivery made by the cast, and one of the more present voice actresses in the season is Akira Sekine, with her crazy, high-energy delivery of a performance for a perverted character. While I kind of find Arata Minami to be a bit bland for wear, he mostly delivers on the humor and chemistry that allow much of the show's humor to flourish.

Verdict: Watch It.
- My opinion on Kaiju Girl Caramelise may change over time, but it is a good watch and dare I say, bingeable enough to watch, thanks to its humor and characters that make Kuroe much more of an interesting character than being a typical shoujo protagonist. While the demographic is for Seinen, hence explaining the humor and jokes, you should still give it a try if you're looking for a little wild card. Who knows? Maybe you will like it.

Thank you for reading.

It was April 11th, when I was waiting for the second episode of both Akanebanashi and Yomi no Tsugai. Kill Ao stood there on my Netflix screen, begging to be watched. I had little interest at first, considering I had begun to feel genuine fatigue with the assassin genre. But I mustered all I could to try and watch for at least 1 episode. I was practically unamazed, then I listened to the opening of the song, and it hooked me back in. So, being a fan of that opening, I started searching for that opening song, and there was a particular comment that stuck ... with me, not because I agreed with it, but it felt too ironic to be called even that.

"Kill Blue receiving better anime adaptation than Sakamoto Days is so funny 😭🤣"

So yes, ladies and gentlemen. I am writing this review to answer this question: Is this statement true to begin with?

If we look at it on paper, the only thing Sakamoto Days and Kill Ao have in common is that they are both stories about legendary assassins attempting to readjust to society. That is about as close as you can get. Rather than comparing their narrative, I would like to compare with them on something easier to evaluate, production quality. The comment proudly proclaims that Kill Blue has supposedly outclassed Sakamoto Days as an anime adaptation.

Unfortunately, Kill Blue has its own long list of production shortcomings.

While the studio Cue is newly established, the producer behind Kill Blue had previously produced an anime, Kuroko no Basket, the author's previous work. For those who may know, it was a massive fantasy spectacle even for those who have never watched basketball. Naturally, the producer expressed interest in adapting the author's next work, Kill Blue; nonetheless, after airing all of its episodes, it's lacking any of the cinematic flair that Kuroko no Basket has or even its supposed competition, Sakamoto Days.

There are flashes of competence in the storyboarding and occasional key sequences. The soundtrack is by far the most divisive I've felt about a show for so long. Very few of its tracks leave a lasting impression; it almost felt like they were forced to make up on the spot whenever action needed to happen. While I have no issues with most of the character designs, the color direction is noticeably inconsistent. Many scenes combine colours that clash instead of complementing each other, which feels like a mish-mash of colors that feels jarringly disjointed. Instead of reinforcing the atmosphere being a action comedic show, the presentation frequently looks messy and artificially saturated.

In terms of the show's narrative and execution, it is relatively simple and easy to follow, despite operating on a problematic premise, following a mentally grown adult being forced into the body of a teenager. The cast of the show is not bad, though they are not without their share of problems, and they did an exemplary job providing great performances for their respective roles.

Unfortunately, I am not impressed with the comedy of the show. This is mainly because the show wants to operate on absurdist humor, yet repeatedly pulls its punches, weakening the punchlines of its jokes. This is most apparent with the protagonist of Kill Blue, Juuzo Ogami, who tries to be rational and distant due to his actual age being drastically different from his new biological age. Not to mention, the characters of Kill Ao often have one-note, surface-level traits that do not allow much creativity for jokes (like a pacifier-sucking assassin or a cat-looking assistant). Instead of fully exploiting that contrast for more impactful jokes, it is only settled as a narrative plot device before being relegated to occasional reminders whenever a joke needs it. Therefore, the comedy often settles for safe, restrained jokes that revolve around familiar school activities, such as utilizing dates, sports events, club meetings, and your standard assassin conflicts. While these scenarios are serviceable, they rarely make use of the central premise in imaginative ways, relying on cartoonish scenarios that are fragmented and separated from each other. Ironically, the controversial nature of the narrative seems to discourage the author from fully committing to it, alluding to the comedy's inconsistency. As a result, many jokes fall flat, with the occasional occurrence of giggles made by the supporting cast.

Before you go and assume that I want more sexual jokes, I am not suggesting that the show should lean heavily towards those types of adult jokes. It makes perfect sense for the show to exercise considerable restraint since it is a shounen series set in a middle school. My issue is that Kill Blue rarely takes full advantage of the comedic possibilities built into its absurd premise. The show needs to be more willing to utilize the characters' traits. For instance, it could have utilized more of Ogami's traits, which are ridiculously strong yet awkward to tell its jokes, rather than refraining from telling them in the first place. In irony of the industry's nature, the show does not indulge in sexual exploitation and heavily refrains from it. I just want more jokes around its goofy premise, that's all I asked.

Ultimately, if we think about the strengths of Sakamoto Days versus Kill Blue, I'd don't think the latter lives up to the praise suggested by that comment. While Kill Blue has moments of competent direction and a likeable cast, I doubt it can compete with Sakamoto Days' comedic style, visual presentation, and soundtrack to begin with. The only thing Kill Blue has to offer is its perfectly animated opening sequence, directed by Ryu Nakayama, but that's the only instance of incredible animation to be found in this disjointed, inconsistent presentation of a work. Once the opening ends, most of that visual confidence fades, which is very telling of the lack of artistic sustainability the series struggled to maintain.

So, is Kill Blue a better anime adaptation than Sakamoto Days? For me, the answer is a flat NO.

Thank you for reading.

I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in my Class or in short, Kuranika, is not a good show. I did have fun watching the anime. I just want to point out some glaring issues that I think Kuranika suffered from being a full-fledged anime that had a promising premise going ahead right until the end of the cour.

While it does use a very long title describing the main heroine pretty accurately, it is also the anime's strongest aspect overall. Umi Asanagi's personality and dialogue were very good, paired with Manaka Iwami's voice, amplifying the special charm Umi Asanagi had when I first read ... the manga for a couple of chapters. I still feel the main protagonist, Maki, is a bit bland and stale as the show went on, but it was able to provide more character and perspective over a doomed trope most rom-coms usually fail to do. Loser tropes in this perspective often feel like they were written to be as obnoxious as they possibly could, with little segments of genuine emotion. Here, most of Maki's scenes are centered on people, whether it's Umi, his parents, newfound friends after getting a girlfriend, or a friend as his first, or maybe acquaintances outside his little social circle. I am a bit unimpressed with Yuu Amami's character, as most of her screen time consisted of her being vibrant and cheerful, which felt forced, and, as a tritagonist, she lacked initiative in the narrative since the plot mostly centers on Maki's family problems after Umi's character arc finishes. Other than that, the supporting characters of Kuranika are decent, not memorable, but decent.

My biggest problem with Kuranika, however, lies in its pacing and composition. The show did a great job in highlighting the romance and chemistry of the characters. In fact, it's done really well to the point I have grown attached to the established main couple. It could be the show's direction, but I find it odd that the staff behind Kuranika decided to bombard you with a flurry of cute scenes that felt stitched together to mainly sell you cute clips. While it works short-term, it unfortunately caused Kuranika to sacrifice momentum and flow of the narrative, as its use of transitioning between scenes often felt awry, with moments of moe chat scenes, it does from time to time, or has Umi hang out with Maki as part of the formula. Because of this, I felt the show was going stagnant after a while, even if it had great chemistry. Kuranika's way of mitigating it was by utilizing flashbacks or melodrama elements to allow some form of development, but to me, it made the stagnancy way more obvious to see.

The art and animation, considering it being animated by Connect, has been handled well, with my biggest praise for them managing to create the best eye candies (a.k.a character designs) for this anime. Umi Asanagi's design is probably the best-designed character the anime has to show, and I appreciate that, given the level of detail and attention to the main heroine. While the animation is rarely exceptional, it is refreshing to learn that the anime production remained stable and visually pleasant from start to finish.

To summarize, this is proof that character chemistry and dialogue are not enough to carry a show alone. With a show that only relied on pure serotonin doses, such as cute romance scenes between the main couple or using cheap flashbacks for character development, it ends up being a show that has individually satisfying scenes to watch, like those typical bullies getting finessed by a cool deus ex machina, or blushing segments of your favourite waifu, but a disjointed mess of a show that lacked momentum as it casually introduced conveniences after another to help make more "cute romance scenes". It knows what to do, but it lacks the subtlety and creativity to know how to do it, so take the good with the bad. You should still watch it if you're looking for character chemistry and cute romances. Just don't expect any strong narrative flow from the start.

Thank you for reading.

If you're already a fan of Witch Hat Atelier, congratulations, because I'm about to make you an even bigger fan of why you should watch it. If you're not, even better, because you are in luck for an incredible fantasy story.

1. Narrative Perfection
It has been a while since I found a story with a near-perfect narrative hook because it keeps itself grounded with a renowned narrative principle that requires a lot of discipline and consistency, as it can be very effective when done properly, while it can also backfire horribly if done neglectfully, and that, my friends, is called Chekhov's Gun. The principle is difficult ... to pull off because it means every element introduced in a story has to be of value while primarily trying to set up the next climactic event. This means that a writer must not attempt to bloat their world with meaningless details or resort to detours such as deus ex machinas (plot armor in general) and shock twists for any meager value of shock to drag the story along, etc. To achieve this feat is something that only few mangakas could achieve since they tend to require a few chapters to start getting good or get bloated after a good few chapters, but not Witch Hat Atelier. Witch Hat Atelier's first episode ended on such a high note that you wouldn't be able to resist clicking the next episode, which then helps further establish the foundation of our fantasy world.

While it is first and foremost a fantasy, it is also a coming-of-age anime telling the tale of a bright yet gullible child named Coco who found herself fascinated with the awry of magic. As characters like Coco often tend to be too obnoxious or too shallow to root for, I quickly got attached to Coco and liked the little quips she would make, being a little note of the director's tendency to give quips during calm moments like this. In these 4 episodes, watching the struggles of a little girl striving to be a witch will pull your heart strings real good, you might cry if you're not careful. While a factor of that can be credited to the source material's incredible writing and set pieces in store, we must give credit to a very talented person named Hiroshi Seko, the person behind the recent popular adaptations of today, such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Vinland Saga, and Attack on Titan. As he is responsible for compositing the series, he dictates the pace and timing of the whole script, trying to make each narrative event feel seamless and smooth when they transition into the next event. You would often find this at play with each element being introduced with precise timing. It keeps the story fresh, like Qifrey's fateful meeting with Coco, the establishment of Coco's unraveling as a witch, along with an interesting hook of an episode to keep you in! As a result, you would often find yourself wanting more and more episodes of Witch Hat Atelier after finishing one.

2. Staff Background
BUG FILMS started off as a new company under an OLM producer named Hiroaki Kojima. For starters, he's particularly responsible for the better-looking products of OLM in the 2020s, for example, Komi Can't Communicate and Summertime Render. Additionally, it's also his 5th work on a new IP, continuing with the director Ayumu Watanabe, who excels at delivering anime known for creative artistic backgrounds and giving a whimsical feel to the world the characters live in. While BUG FILMS did stumble a bit with their first produced work (ZOM 100) due to production delays and such, having these combos together should promise a perfect adaptation for Witch Hat Atelier. On top of that, the composer for our new banger of a season is Yuka Kitamura. If you are familiar with the Soulsborne series, she's fantastic with her earlier music pieces during her time at FROMSOFT. On the other hand, it is our beloved composer's first work on an anime instead of a game; rest assured, fellow tarnished, I am very confident that she will deliver it with a stellar performance; in fact, her music was amazing to listen to during Coco's development phases. That is all the proof you need to learn about our crazy, talented staff for this anime.

Going back to Coco, I can say that I adore this character even more, with much thanks to the voice actress Rena Motomura's performance on her first big role! While she is accompanied by massive titans of voice actors like Natsuki Hanae, Yuuichi Nakamura, Kotono Mitsuishi, Hibiku Yamamura, and Mitsuki Saiga (our popular androgynous VA), her performance as Coco is nothing short of exemplary, plus 10 points for Gryffindor (Just a little joke). But to make it clear, her character background and motivations, in cohesion with a new passionate voice actress, gave Coco so much presence that I want to see this little girl win already.

3. Verdict
I'd say just watch it right now. While every adaptation's end goal is to always promote the manga or source material in any given form, you will find your journey to Witch Hat Atelier to be a mesmerizing experience. We're probably looking at the staff's magnum opus in their lifetime, so best bask in all its glory. Even if the anime will end after a couple of months, I will be looking forward to the next adventures of Coco and her fellow peers alongside Qifrey. I will be picking up the manga after this.

Thank you for reading.

I'd like to say that I want to give this anime a chance, but oh my goodness, is it bad.

This anime is why you do not trust a studio's name and voice actors' talent unless you see the actual production staff behind a work. Dismiss it as elitist as you may, but Mistress Kanan is another joke of a romcom made to pad out time with some of the worst jokes and dynamics I've seen for a romcom. Mistress Kanan leans towards the "We are not lovers, but more than friends" route as usual for the subversion, but once that hook is done, it immediately ... devolves into a very tame and shallow romcom with extrapolated gags made only for the sake of comedy rather than building chemistry.

There's only so much that a voice actor/actress can do to elevate a role that is doomed from the beginning, and I am so polarized with Kanan's character. Her whole character is a recipe for disaster. Despite her seductive nature for being a succubus as established in the narrative, it's merely a gimmick that's meant to pull off another random BS that wants to contradict for the sake of twists like being a tsundere amplified to the max. I really like Aoi Koga as a voice actress, and I'll admit, she managed to make the character at least watchable, even if only for a bit. But I'd rather have someone else be the poster love interest rather than dealing with such a bratty character on the loose. Other than that, the rest of the cast comes off as bland. Therefore, the majority of its comedy simply falls flat, other than a couple of supposed "cute" or "rizz" moments that our hero of the scene managed to spout improvisingly.

Treat *Mistress Kanan is Devilishly Easy* like a gauntlet, like how a demon would subject you to torture. There are moments of payoff to be found, but it is very little and unsatisfactory to even be called one. I do not recommend watching it unless you're looking for a little serotonin dose, which this anime promises.

Thank you for reading.

If I were to start with a little amusing signature, I'd say, "You and I are Polar Opposites was not on my 2026 bingo card." I had no intention to watch an anime that only serves to subvert tropes without any interesting dynamics other than the obvious implication of OPPOSITES ATTRACT. But with each continuous episode, there is something of value to find in this goofy, laidback romcom, with me even taking some time to read the manga chapters after the first few episodes to see where our progress leads us. This comfy little anime can be delightful for those who dislike those drama banters ... or any harem bait that most romance anime tend to go for.

I wouldn't say it's excellent, but it delivers one thing clear enough for the audience to try and give the anime a chance: it's a narrative theme that consistently provides a story about developing a healthy relationship with one another. This includes zero drama, minimal conflicts (mind you), cute reactions during conversations, and even better, no multiple people trying to go to the same romantic interest at once. It also helps that they went for character dynamics rather than centering around a shining character figure, which, if you ask me about the latter, does more harm than good. So it has a lot of pluses for anyone who just wants a comfy experience. As the title suggests, it's meant to show that regardless of whether your personality clashes or matches with your opposite half, you must try to understand each other. With each episode, it managed to serve with great consistency while simultaneously adding new elements to the anime that add more spice to the story, like the other characters' chance at romantic pursuits or solving side characters' internal conflicts before their deserved conclusions.

Characters, on the other hand, are simply okay in my eyes. Nothing wrong with characters following their signature tropes to start off our romcom, but here's my problem with the anime's characters. Despite my initial praise for the use of character dynamics, there is a catch to it. Because the anime is more focused on building a relationship first rather than fleshing out the characters, there's not really much to like about the characters. Other than the cute opposite couple established in the first episode, there's not much to like about the main couple, despite helming the title. Not saying that the show didn't try to build these characters from scratch, but I find it to be too little to be considered sufficient. Some might argue that you can still flesh those characters out, too, during dates (obviously) or certain conversations they would have now and then. This brings me to the second issue I have with this anime.

This would be true if not for the static and quippy characters they introduced. As they had few struggles or moments of development compared to your typical romcom, which would definitely introduce a ludicrous drama at the beginning, it felt like the show was going stagnant after a couple of episodes, so they had to resort to a new potential couple like Nishi x Yamada or Azuma x Taira to keep it spicy. Because of this, those quips that were amusing at first, like those of Azuma, Taira, and Honda (which I particularly liked at first, no question), have started to go dry and shallow. I don't mind quippiness if they have charm, but here, they feel forced and somewhat artificial for a story that wants to tell a genuine romance. And I can't help but feel distant when these characters come to the screen. As time passed, I started to wonder when the canon events for these romances would eventually happen.

Then it happened. As I stated earlier, the anime pretty much shows characters attempting to have a positive and healthy relationship with one another, while slowly opening up with one another. You might be asking, "But didn't you say that there was little character development?" This leads to my biggest issue with the anime: the canon events feel unearned. My guess is that the story is trying to balance both the characters and romance, but has little clue how to do both at once. Hence, you can tell when the story separates these segments into their own, avoiding them from harmonizing and becoming more whole. But I guess that the no conflict, all romance is probably the narrative the story wanted to go for. However, to me, it is odd that for a show that wants to symbolize genuine love, it has an issue with trying to harmonize these two things together in each consecutive episode.

I like to think that there is a good idea in there, and it does that pretty decent. With the new season being announced just ahead of the end of this cour, I cannot lie, I do want to continue watching this show with how the adaptation and animation were properly handled by the studio, Lapin Track. If you're interested in the show's subversion or just a plain romance fan who wants a little slack, go for You and I are Polar Opposites. With the catchy song for the opening and the friendly atmosphere the show has created, there is a vibe that you can enjoy. Please forgive my mixed stance towards this show, as I did have more expectations going for it rather than just being a simple subversion of the genre.

Thank you for reading.

Aside from the known Mushoku Tensei touch, Sentenced to be a Hero takes an approach to alienate a heroic term (intended) to something akin to a punishment, thanks to the author's odd and keen desire to write about heroes' destiny in a moral discussion. What could have been just a weird, cynical projection with just good animation turned out to be quite a sleeper hit, despite the show being delayed one time until this Winter.

Like Sentenced to be a Hero, this show has an affinity for marks; I like to call it the Mushoku Tensei mark. Similar art backgrounds and color palette, Teoritta's face art ... and design are drawn in a style similar to that of the girls in Mushoku Tensei. And my god, there is an excessive amount of explosions in this anime; it might be for showing off, but it did confirm that the first episode was only just the beginning. As I did have some worries for the show after the initial hour premiere in terms of quality and pacing, I'm glad to say they were just mere worries. Thanks to the staff behind it, they have pretty much confirmed this light novel adaptation to be of excellent quality. While the work is under Studio KAI's helm, this adaptation cannot have been done with this much justice without the talented staff from the people who made Mushoku Tensei.

Regarding the characters, they are particularly good to see. If I were to pick a favorite amongst these heroes, I would opt for our charismatic, blonde king, Norgalle, with his amazing delivery of a speech monologue that managed to captivate the hearts of those who lost hope. Not to say the other heroes are not bad, but it is extraordinary what they did with this character, often demanding attention and taking the spotlight once they appeared. So much so, it left a hole that cannot be fulfilled by the other heroes, as the others are either as cynical and pessimistic as our main protagonist Xylo, or perhaps too much of an oddball to discuss with, like Tatsuya, Tsav, or even Rhyno, having these titans of voice actors that demand presence. But we cannot forget about our prize goddess of the show, Teoritta, who shines with much personality and charm, not much of grace, mind you. As she chooses to be with the most cynical of all those heroes, Xylo Forbartz himself.

The anime does a great job at showing the current status and obstacles of our heroes (both in context and outside), with most of its attention stemming from the military of this show. Thanks to the immortality that has been bestowed upon these heroes, most of the heroes' tasks are downright suicidal, often pitting a massive disadvantage upon them to try and work around a horde of monsters the author likes to call the Blight, which are led by a Demon Lord (not THE Demon Lord). With the solid foundation of the story and frequent happenings of impossible tasks, it allows the story to shift into action mode and drama mode back and forth without losing momentum, also allowing character development to take place, with Patausche Kivia taking the spotlight for most development found in this anime.

In terms of progression and character development, I am somewhat critical of the ensemble cast's progression, especially towards Xylo Forbartz. As he had a goddess who both acts as his literal emotional support and a powerful summoner of weapons, paired with a dark and moody personality, the kind of growth you might expect for our protagonist may not be as sufficient and satisfying as you expected. As if it did happen, it's mostly little and too light to be called good character development. Due to the circumstances involved, you're often seeing the same person over and over again in the later episodes, just talking to these remarkable characters that end up taking his spotlight. In my own words, this means that I'm not too keen on Xylo Forbartz's character, as there is still too little for us to root for him other than his revenge plot. Patausche Kivia, on the other hand, has exemplary moments of character development. While I did write her off as a simple, arrogant, and incompetent character, she has since grown on me, and with the later episodes having her take more initiative than being a lady commander, she became another favorite in the cast.

Despite my being a little late for the party, I am fascinated by how a show like this managed to catch the eyes of such talented staff, and that commands a little parting conclusion of mine. For those who love excellent adaptations and charismatic figures, you may want to take a look at our Winter 2026's biggest sleeper hit, Sentenced to be a Hero. Otherwise, I think about what the show has to offer, and I'm afraid that it might not be able to offer as much for lore and storytelling, depending on how it's only gaining reputation from the so-called Mushoku Tensei touch. If you are willing to look past these preconceptions, then you should still give Sentenced to be a Hero a try.

Thank you for reading.

I often wonder how Oshi no Ko manages to be a pseudo-documentary of the Japanese entertainment industry, given how it can be extrapolated into ludicrosity or bore you with too much jargon while trying to balance an ensemble cast in a drama with many moments of psychological themes. But that is what Oshi no Ko manages to accomplish. Of course, we cannot forget about the former anime that laid the path for Oshi no Ko to thrive on, thanks to the many insights gained from our incredible creators of the past. It should be obvious that Oshi no Ko still follows the very old, strong ... formula that older productions have done while infusing it with some personality from the creators of Oshi no Ko, Aka Akasaka.

Going into the 3rd season, it is uncommon to find an anime that has consistently been going great for 3 consecutive seasons without any drop in quality. Much of it could be said thanks to the story going forward with our good girl gone bad, enhancing the darker themes of the story without losing the whiplash the series has been known for. For that, I have to give my gratitude to the studio behind this production and the staff keeping up the amazing quality for our dark, yet giggly Oshi no Ko.

As I stated about the whiplash earlier, I have to say that Aka Akasaka has quite a tendency to provide facts during story-building times, often presenting as a "Did you know?" trivia to us, the audience, just for a little context to understand behind the scenes. This, of course, is in line with the agenda Oshi no Ko wanted to go for, an insider's perspective of the industry. However, it is no surprise that the industry has gone through massive amounts of scrutiny to this day. Oshi no Ko continues to provide that perspective for anyone interested, as it debunks the good, the bad, and mostly the ugly sides of the entertainment industry. This has continued to be Oshi no Ko's biggest selling point as an anime. However, we have to move along with the criticisms surrounding Aka-sensei's tendencies.

Continuing with Aka-sensei's quips with writing and attempts at cleverly put self-imposed insertions, he has been quite a tease (and massive at that, I'll tell you) with the romance baits, so much so it has started to get on my nerves with how slow the relationship Aqua has established because as soon as it does that, the story would immediately move on to the next character with its very own side story. For example, a Twitter crashout, certain people appearing through a variety of TV shows, like it's nothing, without any progression on the supposed main story we need to care about. It is apparent that Aka-sensei likes to take his time with the story, with some defending his approach as trying to "flourish" the story with more lore and detail. Although I beg to differ, as it sometimes makes the story go awry, or more accurately, bloated with details that have very little to do with the main plot in general. I am confident that nobody really remembers the sideplots Oshi no Ko went for with the other supposed side characters, given how it's trying to balance both the psychological horror and thriller with how the story treats them afterward.

To summarise, let me tell you this. Aka-sensei is proficient at making these characters shine with these distinct and unique characteristics that make your eyes glued to them. However, if you are familiar with his earlier work, you should know by now that he has been famous for dragging out certain important themes that should have been concluded earlier. While Oshi no Ko for all 3 seasons has been an excellent adaptation, it is more like a more-than-average story with your usual insider dive. Treat it as a pseudo-documentary for your best enjoyment. My enjoyment with the show has been a bit waning over time with how slow the story has been progressing, so forgive me.

Thank you for reading.