If you read my previous watch list post, you’ll know I have a large list of series I’m planning on checking out this season. You can see my initial reaction to The Irregular at Magic High School, By the Grace of the Gods, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear here.
I have almost finished watching the rest of them and they were a mixed batch. There are definitely some I’m still looking forward to, but there are others which I expect I’ll drop.
KING’s RAID: Successors of the Will
2.5 out of 5 stars
When I first saw this series I had thought it was based on a different game than it actually was. This quickly became apparent on watching as no clue who or what was going on. The episode as a whole was very bland, as soon as our protagonist said “I just want to be a knight who can protect everyone” I knew what to expect from the series. Perhaps my reaction would have been different if I actually played the game, but I found myself not caring what happened . The fight scene was decent so I’ll give it another chance, but I expect I’ll drop this series.
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
DROPPED
I should have read the description more closely before deciding to watch this series. This is a sequel to Inuyasha, and since I never finished that series I was completely lost as to what was going on. From what I remember it felt like the art meshed well with the original and I expect fans of Inuyasha will be quite happy with it. I’m simply missing too much information to properly enjoy it.
Assault Lily BOUQUET
3 out of 5 stars
This episode was exactly what I expected, your standard girl’s school battle series. I was pleasantly surprised that the opening fight scene wasn’t full of fanservice despite the character wearing a skirt.
I found the use of Futhark runes very interesting and am tempted to take screen captures in order to translate them. The fight scenes were also well done. Despite that I found myself not liking any of the characters, they felt overly generic. I give it even odds that I drop the series.
Warlords of Sigrdrifa
4 out of 5 stars
This series far exceeded my (low) expectations. I really liked the look of the opening scene monsters and they continued to have distinct appearances throughout the episode. Utilizing Norse mythology was a nice touch. I really enjoyed the air battles, the mixture of high tech fighter planes and the girl’s planes was a particularly nice contrast. I never expected to see a biplane being supported by a squad of fighter jets and bombers. The cast is diverse and grows on you. I enjoyed this episode though I’m unsure if it will keep me interested.
Higurashi: When They Cry — NEW/GOU
I am not sure how to rate this. Comparing Gou to my memories of the original holds it to an unreasonably high standard. Its also not a good series to rate after just one or two episodes.
The original started with a four part story arc, and consisted of arcs ranging from two to six episodes so I expect this will do the same. The pacing and approach is different though as Gou is already incorporating aspects from both season one and two.
I watched the first two episodes of Gou before writing this. While I would have to rewatch the original, from what I remember episode one of Gou hit all the key points — the initial murder scene, club activities, the junk yard, and of course one of the series's most (in my opinion) iconic visuals and the original song. The second episode diverged more, including scenes and concepts from season two. I feel this episode is where it started to define itself as a new series.
While the overall look is the same as as the original, the art style does feel different. The best way I can describe it is that the original was SD (standard definition), but the sprites in Gou were update to HD (high def). It works but doesn’t quite mesh. This effect is similar to how the games handled updating their art. My main complaint about Gou is that the “possessed” voices sound like a bad dubbing attempt. Overall it is definitely worth watching for an existing fan, though I’m not sure how well received it will be by new viewers. I’d suggest they wait a couple more episodes and watch a bunch all at once.
Moriarty the Patriot
5 out of 5 stars
Though the episode began with a shaky start it quickly recovered and blew away my expectations. I have no idea why it starts with a child in New York reading Sherlock Holmes before jumping into the actual story set in England. While the show is obviously trying for a dark/horror vibe, the actual focus was on Moriarty and his investigation. I’m very excited for the second episode, especially if its self contained like the first.
I have a few more series to watch on Funimation before turning my focus to Crunchyroll. Make sure to like and follow if you want more posts like this!
Thanks for reading
