As mentioned in my last post, a lot of shows in Funimation’s Fall lineup have caught my eye. Here are my initial thoughts on the four episodes I watched last night.
The Irregular at Magic High School
4 out of 5 stars
This is my second most anticipated series of the season and it largely lived up to my expectations. I watched season one a long time ago, and barely remembered it, but episode one did a good job of refreshing my memory. I’m still fuzzy on who some of the characters are, but I clearly remember the lead characters now. I was a little concerned at the poorly attempted spy intrigue, but they very quickly made it clear that wasn’t the point of the season. The new plot arc seems promising and I look forward to seeing the continuation of the story.
By the Grace of the Gods
4 out of 5 stars
I came into this series with fairly low expectations as its yet another reincarnation driven Isekai series. In this one a boy, who actually is a reincarnated salary man, and his slimes is happily enjoying his day to day life until he saves an injured man in the woods. This leads to him making his first friends in his new world. I particularly liked how the gods themselves directly told him that his reincarnation is merely a way to transfer magical power from one world to another. He has no mission and is free to live his life however he wants. I expect it will be a decent slice of life series, the only question is what will the overarching plot be. I was pleasantly surprised and look forward to next week’s episode.
Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina
3 out of 5 stars
I came into this series with fairly high expectations, and I am unsure it it lived up to them. Something felt off about the art and translations. Additionally I hated her shoes. They were much too pointy!
As I had expected something lighthearted the series caught my by surprise. Elaina had to literally fight to obtain her dream. Though it still feels relatively cheerful over all, I have no clue where her journey will take her, nor what challenges she will face. I hope that episode two will clearly establish the tone for the rest of the series.
Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear
2.5 out of 5 stars
Of the series I added to my queue this season Kuma is the one which I have the lowest expectations for. It is yet another video game Isekai series. It follows a girl with a bear complex who also happens to be a brilliant investor. In the game she runs around in a bear suit and everything she does is bear themed. The character is so absurd that I completely understand how the villagers felt when she arrived to fight the viper. Even she admits that a girl in a bear suit doesn’t seem reliable.
Episode one did a good job of defining her character, and had a well done fight scene, but it didn’t really do anything to capture my interest. There is a lot of potential for how it handles her promised level reset, but unfortunately the opening and ending make it clear she still is over powered. My gut feeling is I’ll drop this series after episode three.
Those are my thoughts on the first four episodes I watched this season.
Share your thoughts in the comments below and stay tuned for Part 2!
