Starting today and through next Friday it will be a bit quiet here … about as quiet as a campsite at dawn. That’s because we’ve been inspired by Yuru Camp to meet up with a childhood friend and go camping in the great outdoors. That means being as unplugged from devices as possible, so sadly there will be no anime. Everyone have a great week, we’ll be back the weekend after next!
—RABUJOI STAFF
It didn’t dawn on me until well after the third episode, but I simply didn’t have it in me to watch a twenty-four episode retelling of a show I’d already seen and didn’t really need to see retold. It would be one thing if Madhouse, Mappa, or Wit Studio were handling this show, but Passione is, and despite that name there’s just not much passion in the art or animation. And so I bid adieu to Holo and Kraft. —MagicalChurlSukui
Warmth, love, togetherness, and generosity are the reasons for the season. We’ll be keeping those we love who are with us close today, and keeping those who aren’t in our hearts. From all of us here at RABUJOI we wish you the merriest of Christmases and a Happy 2024 to come.
—RABUJOI STAFF
Just a reminder that this week Gundam Mercuryis airing a recap episode, which is probably for the best as it means that for at least that long Prospera can’t do any further harm to Suletta! To all the mohers out there: Don’t turn one of your daughters into a giant robot and the other daughter into a brainwashed minion to pilot said robot!—RABUJOI STAFF
We don’t consider either The Dangers in My Heart or the KonoSuba spinoff to be bad shows by any stretch. But this Spring is absolutely stacked with fantastic series, so we’re saying sayonara to the two that have felt just okay. —RABUJOI STAFF
As an anime-only viewer, I was really getting into NieR, and the stories of 2B and 9S and Adam and Eve looked finally ready to connect. Unfortunately, Covid doesn’t care about narrative momentum or my anime viewing preferences, and so the series has yet again been delayed, with episodes 9 and beyond to air at a later date to be determined.
Thankfully, it’s not a matter of if but simply when the remainder of the series airs. But as nice as it is, far more important than the anime re-airing is the short and long-term physical and mental health of the production staff, so relatively speaking it’s really not that hard to be patient.
Now for some good news: Re:Zero is getting a third season!
Due to Covid-related production delays, episodes 7 -12 of Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible have been delayed until April. So there goes our Tuesday pleasant palate cleanser after Vinland Saga. Alas, it’s good to know it will be back at some point to warm our winter-chilled hearts.—RABUJOI STAFF
We’ll be away on a mini summer retreat starting today, so reviews will be spotty to non-existent for the next week. We apologize for the impending lack of content, but feel free to scan through our vast archives of reviews, including the RABUJOI World Heritage List. Matane!
—RABUJOI STAFF
It might seem silly to drop a show with just three episodes until the finish line, but I had mostly checked out last week anyway. Suffice it to say I know when I’m done with a show, and it’s when I can’t even be bothered to sit down and watch it. Granted, part of that is that the weather is too nice to spend it inside.
That’s not to say Slime 300 is a bad series, just an okay one that’s a good way to pass the time when the weather stinks. It had some nice comic voice work from Yuuki Aoi, a smattering of lovable characters, and some genuine good-natured (and occasionally mildly raunchy) charm, but my interest simply fizzled out. Let’s just leave it at that!
We say it every season: there are too many shows. It’s true of anime series just as it’s true of live-action series, especially in the streaming era. You can’t watch them all—let alone write up to-1000-word recaps and reviews about them.
So it’s always important to remember that we don’t have to watch them all. Koikimo was dropped early, followed by Combatants Will Be Dispatched! Now to separate the rest of the chaff from the wheat. All drops are final, regardless of how much better any of the below series end up.
Jouran: Princess of Snow and Blood has a very neat setting that presupposes the Meiji Restoration never happened and a new energy source enabled Japan’s technological primacy. Unfortunately, neither of those things have any bearing Sawa’s central (and frankly done-to-death) revenge story, which could have been told anywhere at any time in Japanese history, real or imagined. Instead, the alt-historical setting is just window dressing, while the big anti-shogun baddie turned out to be a clichéd mad scientist snake-man. When I was emotionally checked out of their climactic showdown, I knew it was time to say goodbye.—MagicalChurlSukui
Mars Red is probably the toughest of the Spring 2021 series to drop, because it’s a well-executed classic vampire-hunting story with genuine elements of horror and pathos. It also had one of the most striking first episodes, heavily influenced by real-life classic stage theatre. Unfortunately, I must admit that I admire and respect Mars Red more than I actually enjoy it, and it was hard to be invested in its ridiculously stoic lead vampire hunter.—Braverade
Full Dive is about a kid who just wants an escape from his shitty high school life, and had found one in his Final Fantasy-style VRMMO. Only when he gave all his money to a bully and couldn’t pay for the newest entry in the franchise, he’s hoodwinked by a merchant who is as disreputable a businesswoman as she is beautiful. So now the game he’s playing is even more unpleasant and stressful in real life. If this were Nobuyuki Sugou getting his just desserts that would be one thing, but this kid doesn’t really deserve to be tortured by a video game.—MagicalChurlSukui
For the list of remaining titles we’re both watching and reviewing, check out the top menu or consult our Spring 2021 Season Guide. A Spring 2021 addition to the Big Board is coming soon. As always, thanks for reading!
—RABUJOI STAFF
We’ve approached the halfway point of the Winter 2021 anime season, which is usually the time for us to start taking a gander at what’s on the horizon for the Spring. The biggest title on our list so far is the third and final season of Fruits Basket, which should be something.
—RABUJOI STAFF
LAST UPDATED 21 Apr 2021
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SSSS.Dynazenon
Tokyo Revengers
Vivy: Fluorite Eye’s Song
Mars Red
Don’t Toy With Me, Nagatoro-san
Higehiro
Osamake
Those Snow White Notes
Zombieland Saga: Revenge
Combatants Will Be Dispatched!
Koikimo
Fruits Basket: The Final
To Your Eternity
The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent
Slime 300
Full Dive
Jouran: The Princess of Snow and Blood
Tensura Nikki
A hearty omedetou gozaimasu to Hideki Matsuyama, the first Japanese and Asian-born man to win the Masters!—RABUJOI STAFF
As expected, Hannah and Zane are dispensing with two of the weaker new Winter 2021 anime series this season: Hortensia Saga and The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter, to free up more time for far better series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Wonder Egg Priority.
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