dr. b

I never got round to checking that one out. I don't think I will bother. I'm still enjoying everything that I signed up for this season. Hibike! Euphonium S3 and Kaiju No. 8 are tied for my top spot so far this season. RoOT and Konosuba S3 are fairly close behind them. Bartender and Train to the End of the World are not AOTS material but are both pleasant watches. Train to the End of the World is very kooky.

Also really been enjoying Kagurabachi. It's only up to 31 chapters so far. Still relatively quick and easy to get caught up on.

Action in #164 was awesome. I think Sakamoto Days is the best series going right now, though Akane-banashi is a very close second.

I really love the Konosuba S3 ending tune.

The Astros are real bad to start the season. They really dug themselves a hole to get out of.

Chainsaw Man #163

I decided to start up on Undead Unluck last night. I only made it through the first chapter before I got sleepy. Pretty kooky. Seems like it will be fun. I wonder how many weeks it will take for me to get caught up 200+ chapters!

Sakamoto #163

The last few chapters of Akane-banashi were just fantastic all around. I really liked the flashback panels with Chocho, Taizen, and Akane's dad mixed in throughout her performance. It all just fit and flowed so nicely. I would have been mega bummed out if she didn't get Taizen's recommendation. Spy x Family kind of feels like a story that isn't intended to ever have an ending. Like, there is a story that runs through it and keeps developing, but there is at the same time an episodic nature to each arc as well. I feel like it will eventually just end with Loid, Yor, and Anya still happily in the same situation. The East/West thing is never truly solved--but they don't go to war either--and Loid keeps having to operate as Twilight perpetually. They never learn each other's secrets, etc. There will be ups and downs in terms of how good the story is at any given time. Hopefully it gets its groove back soon.

You still keeping up with stuff in Jump, @Psycho666Soldier ? I am still really enjoying everything that's happening in The Elusive Samurai, Sakamoto Days, and Akane-banashi. They are all really going strong. Elusive Samurai and Sakamoto both feel like they could be slowly nearing the end, but who knows. That could still be weeks and months away. In Elusive Samurai, the Intermission chapters were back around #110 if I remember correctly. I kind of took that to be roughly a halfway point in the story. If you're not up-to-date on Akane-banashi then you gotta get caught up! JJK also seems dangerously close to finally wrapping up the Culling Game arc. I sure hope it's done soon. There has been some fantastic action at times, but it's also been confusing and too long. I would be quite happy if the series wraps after this arc. I feel like I've had my fill. Spy x Family and Chainsaw Man have underwhelmed me a bit in recent weeks. They're not bad, but they're also not living up to my expectations and the high standards that the authors have set for themselves. After watching the Mashle anime over the winter, I picked up the manga where the anime left off. Around chapter #75 IIRC, which meant only ~90 chapters to finish the story. I blitzed through it pretty quickly. It was good in general with some great action moments mixed in. The whole thing is very kooky. And times the kookiness works for me, other times it's just kinda dumb.

I was curious about Loser Ranger... buuuuut it's on Disney+ so that's a bit of an obstacle for me. I am basically Crunchyroll-or-bust, except for the occasional Netflix series. I'm also pretty bummed out that Jellyfish Can't Swim at Night is on HIDIVE and not Crunchy. Fortunately, everything else I was looking forward to is on Crunchy, and--so far so good--I am enjoying everything. RoOT has not been as good as the O.G. OddTaxi, but that's a pretty high bar to try to clear. I still think RoOT is enjoyable. It's an interesting and different spin on OddTaxi. Hibike! Euphonium is probably AOTS for me. Animation is as beautiful as before. I still love the characters. Some of the new first-year characters seem to be fun so far too. I'm so happy this show is back. Train to the End of the World is really quirky and weird. Probably kind of a like-it-or-hate-it kind of show. I am in the LIKE camp. It's only been one episode so far of both Kaiju No. 8 and KonoSuba. Liked what I've seen so far. Bartender is probably the weakest of the bunch for me this season, but I enjoy it for the chill atmosphere and all the booze talk

First episode back of KonoSuba was a barrel of laughs I missed these crazy characters. I enjoyed the first episode of Kaiju No. 8 a lot too. It was a bit more silly than I was expecting (not in a bad way). Definitely looks like a keeper. Then I’ll pick up the manga from wherever the anime ends.

Watched the second episode last night and I’m still enjoying the vibes of this one. Definitely a keeper for me this season.

Seriously, slow starts for both Toronto and Seattle. Fortunately it’s a long season, so they have time to get on track. But for Toronto it just feels like more of 2023. Not fun! Expectations are getting lower…